Vivekachudamani SP 2019 PDF

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Swami Paramarthananda’s classes on Sankara’s Vivekachudamani
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Contents
001. Verses 1 and 2 ............................................................................................. 8
002. Verses 2 to 4 .............................................................................................. 20
003. Verses 4 to 6 .............................................................................................. 32
004. Versus 6 to 10 ............................................................................................ 44
005. Verses 10 To 12 ......................................................................................... 56
006. Verses - 12 to 15 ........................................................................................ 68
007. Verses 16 To 18 ......................................................................................... 80
008. Verses 19 to 23 .......................................................................................... 92
009. Verses 23 to 26 ........................................................................................ 105
010. Verses 27 to 30 ........................................................................................ 117
011. Verses 31 and 32 ..................................................................................... 130
012. Versus 33 and 34 ..................................................................................... 143
013. Verses 35 to 38 ........................................................................................ 155
014 Verses 38 and 39 ...................................................................................... 169
015. Versus 42 to 45 ........................................................................................ 177
016. Verses 42 to 45 ........................................................................................ 191
017. Verses 45 to 47 ........................................................................................ 204
018. Verses 48 to 50 ........................................................................................ 216
019. Verses 51 to 54 ........................................................................................ 229
020. Verses 54 to 57 ........................................................................................ 243
021. Verses 57 to 59 ........................................................................................ 256
022. Verses 59 to 62 ........................................................................................ 269
023. Verses 62 and 63 ..................................................................................... 281
024. Verses 64 and 65 ..................................................................................... 293
025. Verses 65 to 69 ........................................................................................ 305
026. Verses 70 to 73 ........................................................................................ 318
027. Verses - 73 to 76 ...................................................................................... 330
029. Verses 81 to 84 ........................................................................................ 356
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030. Verses 84 to 89 ........................................................................................ 370

031. Verses 89 to 92 ........................................................................................ 383
032. Verses 92 to 96 ........................................................................................ 397
033. Verses - 96 to 99 ...................................................................................... 411
034. Verses 99 to 101 ...................................................................................... 424
035. Verses - 102 to 106 .................................................................................. 437
036. Verses - 106 to 108 .................................................................................. 449
037. Verse 108 ................................................................................................ 464
038. Verses 108 to 110 .................................................................................... 477
039. Verses 110 to 112 .................................................................................... 488
040. Verses 112 to 114 .................................................................................... 501
041. Verses -115 to 117 ................................................................................... 515
042. Verses 118 and 119 .................................................................................. 528
043. Verses 119 to 121 .................................................................................... 541
044. Verses 122 and 123 .................................................................................. 553
045. Verses 123 to 126 .................................................................................... 564
046. Verses 126 to 128 .................................................................................... 575
047. Verses 128 to 131 .................................................................................... 588
048. Verses - 131 to 133 .................................................................................. 602
049. Verses 133 to 136 .................................................................................... 616
050. Verses 136 and 137 .................................................................................. 629
051. Verses 137 to 139 .................................................................................... 643
052. Verses 139 to 141 .................................................................................... 657
053. Verses 142 to 145 .................................................................................... 671
054. Verses 146 and 147 .................................................................................. 684
055. Verses 147 to 149 .................................................................................... 698
056. Verses 149 to 152 .................................................................................... 712
057. Verses - 152 to 154 .................................................................................. 725
058. Verses - 154 to 157 .................................................................................. 739
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059. Verses 158 to 163 .................................................................................... 752

060. Verses 164 to 167 .................................................................................... 765
061. Verses 167 to 170 .................................................................................... 778
062. Verses 171 to 174 .................................................................................... 792
063. Verses 174 to 178 .................................................................................... 807
064. Verses 178 to 181 .................................................................................... 822
065. Verses 181 to 185 .................................................................................... 837
066. Verses 185 to 187. ................................................................................... 852
067. Verses 188 and 189. ................................................................................. 866
069. Verses 191 to 195. ................................................................................... 892
071. Verses - 198 to 201 .................................................................................. 918
072. Verses 201 to 204 .................................................................................... 930
073. Verses 205 to 207 .................................................................................... 943
074. Verses 207 to 210 .................................................................................... 956
075. Verses 210 to 214 .................................................................................... 969
076. Verses 214 to 217 .................................................................................... 983
077. Verses 217 to 220 .................................................................................... 995
078. Verses 220 to 223 .................................................................................. 1008
079. Verses 223 to 225 .................................................................................. 1022
080. Verses 226 to 228 .................................................................................. 1035
081. Verses 228 to 231 .................................................................................. 1047
082. Verses 232 to 234 .................................................................................. 1061
083. Verses 234 to 237 .................................................................................. 1075
084. Verses 237 to 240 .................................................................................. 1088
085. Verses 241 and 242 ................................................................................ 1102
086. Verses 242 to 244 .................................................................................. 1115
087. Verses 244 to 248 .................................................................................. 1127
088. Verses 248 to 250. ................................................................................. 1140
089. Verses 250 and 251 ................................................................................ 1153
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090. Verses 252 to 254 .................................................................................. 1165

091. Verse 254 .............................................................................................. 1178
092. Verses 255 to 257 .................................................................................. 1191
093. Verses 258 to 262 .................................................................................. 1203
094. Verses 263 to 266. ................................................................................. 1216
095. Verses 267 to 269 .................................................................................. 1230
096. Verses 270 to 273. ................................................................................. 1243
097. Verses 274 to 277 .................................................................................. 1255
098. Verses 278 to 281 .................................................................................. 1269
099. Verses 281 to 284 .................................................................................. 1281
100. Verses 284 to 289. ................................................................................. 1295
101. Verses 289 to 294 .................................................................................. 1309
102. Verse 294 to 298 .................................................................................... 1320
103. Verses 298 to 302 .................................................................................. 1333
104. Verses 303 to 306 .................................................................................. 1345
105. Verses 306 to 310 .................................................................................. 1358
106 verse 311 to 314 ..................................................................................... 1372
107. Verses 314 to 320 .................................................................................. 1385
108. Verses 321 to 325 .................................................................................. 1398
109. Verses 326 to 328 .................................................................................. 1410
110. Verses 328 to 331 .................................................................................. 1422
111. Verses 332 to 336 .................................................................................. 1434
112. Verses 337 to 340 .................................................................................. 1448
113. Verses 340 and 341 ................................................................................ 1462
114. Verse 341 to 344 .................................................................................... 1475
115. Verses 345 to 349 .................................................................................. 1488
116. Verse 350 to 352 .................................................................................... 1502
117. Verses 353 to 355 .................................................................................. 1515
118. Verses 356 to 360 .................................................................................. 1528
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119. Verses 361 to 365 .................................................................................. 1540

120. Verses 366 to 369 .................................................................................. 1553
121. Verses 370 to 375 .................................................................................. 1567
122. Verses 376 and 377 ................................................................................ 1581
123. Verses 378 to 382 .................................................................................. 1595
124. Verses 383 to 387 .................................................................................. 1608
125. Verses 388 to 392 .................................................................................. 1622
126. Verses 392 to 395 .................................................................................. 1636
127. Verses 396 to 401 .................................................................................. 1648
128. Verses 402 to 406 .................................................................................. 1661
129. Verses 407 to 410 .................................................................................. 1673
130. Verse 411 to 416 .................................................................................... 1687
131. Verses 417 to 420 .................................................................................. 1700
132. Verses 420 to 423 .................................................................................. 1713
133. Verses 423 to 426 .................................................................................. 1726
134. Verses 427 to 431 .................................................................................. 1739
135. Verses 432 to 436 .................................................................................. 1753
136. Verses 437 to 441 .................................................................................. 1768
137. Verses 442 to 446 .................................................................................. 1783
138. Verses 447 to 453 .................................................................................. 1797
139. Verses 453 to 457 .................................................................................. 1810
140. Verses 458 to 461 .................................................................................. 1824
141 Verses 461 to 469 ................................................................................... 1839
142. Verses 470 to 473 .................................................................................. 1854
143. Verses 474 to 476 .................................................................................. 1868
144. Verses 477 to 480 .................................................................................. 1881
145. Verses 481 to 484 .................................................................................. 1893
146. Verses 484 to 488 .................................................................................. 1906
147. Verses 489 to 494 .................................................................................. 1920
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148. Verses 495 to 499 .................................................................................. 1933

149. Verses 500 to 503 .................................................................................. 1946
150. Verses 504 to 507 .................................................................................. 1960
151. Verses 508 to 513 .................................................................................. 1973
152. Verses 514 to 518 .................................................................................. 1986
153. Verses 519 to 523 .................................................................................. 2000
154. Verses 523 to 526 .................................................................................. 2013
155. Verses 526 to 529 .................................................................................. 2025
156. Verses 529 to 533 .................................................................................. 2038
157. Verses 534 to 538 .................................................................................. 2051
158. Verses 538 and 539 ................................................................................ 2064
159. Verses 539 to 543 .................................................................................. 2077
160. Verses 544 to 546 .................................................................................. 2090
161. Verses 547 to 553 .................................................................................. 2103
162. Verses 553 to 558 .................................................................................. 2116
163. Verses 558 to 563 .................................................................................. 2129
164. Verses 563 to 569 .................................................................................. 2142
165. Verses 569 to 571 .................................................................................. 2155
166. Verses 571 to 580 .................................................................................. 2168
167. Verses 580 and summary ........................................................................ 2182
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001. Verses 1 and 2
सदा�शव समारम्भा शङ्कराचायर्मध्य म

अस्म आचायर पयर्न्ता वन्द गुर परम्परा म
sadāśiva samārambhāṁ śaṅkarācāryamadhyamām
asmad ācārya paryantām vandē guru paramparām
Primarily there are three main sources of the vēdantic teaching, which are known as
Prastāna Trayaṁ. Prastānam meaning the main source. Literally the word
"prastānam" is a path; but in this context we should take the word prastānam as
source and prastānatrayaṁ means the three main sources of the vēdantic teaching.
And the first one and the main one is the Upaṇiṣads, known as the Śruti Prastānam;
the second one is the Gītā, known as the Smr̥ti Prastānam and the third one is
Brahma Sūtra known as Nyāya prastānam. The Upaṇiṣads, the Gītā and the
Brahmasūtras, śruti prastham, smr̥ti prastānam, and nyāya prastānam.
Of these three also, śruti prasthānaṁs are the upaṇiṣads is the main one, because
that is the original source which is considered to be a revelation from the Lord, as a
part of the vēdas themselves. That is why the Upaṇiṣads are known as Vēdāntah,
meaning the final portion of the vēdas, revealed by the Lord, thru the ṛṣi. And
therefore the Upaṇiṣads or the śruti prastānaṁs is apauruṣeyam, is not of human
origin; is apauruṣeyam source; whereas the smr̥ti prastānam is pauruṣeya, is of
human origin only.
Even though Gītā has been taught by Bhagavān himself, still it has been compiled
and written by Vyāsācārya and therefore we consider it as poureṣeyam or of human
origin only. And in this Gītā, the original vēdantic teaching is lucidly given with lot of
practical tips and also lot of preparatory sādhanā; which we do not find that much in
the Upaṇiṣads. And that is why at the end of every chapter of the Gītā, we have
"brahmavidhyām yōgaśātrē". Gītā not only contains brahma vidyā; it also contains
yōga shaastras, which means preparatory disciplines, whereas the Upaṇiṣads
preparatory disciplines are not given much and they are only hinted.
And then comes the nyāya prastānam, the Brahma Sūtras; also written by
Vyāsācārya; and therefore pauruṣeyam only. And this gives the logical support to
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the śruti prastānam. So the Brahmasūtra's main aim is giving logical support; very
careful; not logical proof. Makes a difference between logical proof and logical
support. What vēdānta teaches can never be logically proved because subject matter
of vēdānta is beyond the realms of logic; naiṣā tarkēṇa mathi rāpanēya.
And it is beyond logic because logic is based on perceptual data whereas

consciousness or Brahman is never available for perception. If logic is based on
perceptual data, whatever is not available for perceptual data, gathering data cannot
be logically proved; therefore we can never do any experiment on Brahman. Then
why Logic? Logic is only to support the teaching, because the intellect wants to
gather the teaching only in a particular format. Logic only presents a format to
accommodate the vēdantic teaching; not to prove the vēdantic teaching. And in
Saṁsr̥kt, one is called the proving logic is niścayaka yuktiḥ'and supporting logic
called 'saṁbhāvanā yuktiḥ'. Proving logic is called the niścayaka yuktiḥ'; the
supporting logic is called saṁbhāvanā yuktiḥ and all the reasonings in vēdānta are of
the second type alone. And all the reasonings in vēdānta is of the second type.
Second type means what? Not proving logic, but supporting logic; saṁbhāvanā
yuktiḥ'.
So thus we have got prastāna trayaṁ, on which alone, many Ācārya, including
Śankarācārya, have written commentaries. And even though, these three books are
the main sources of vēdānta, they do not present the teaching in a very systematic
manner. All the three, we find that the teachings are not presented step-by-step that
clearly; it is not explicit. Stages are implicit; but they are not clearly and explicitly
brought out; and therefore many Ācārya wrote independent works giving the very
same prastānaya thraya teaching in a very systematic manner. And all those
independent works of Ācārya are known as prakaraṇa grantā; or vēdantic treatises.
And the beauty of the prakaraṇa granthā is that they present the teaching very
systematically. And we have got very many prakaraṇa granthās; some of the
prakaraṇa granthās are advanced prakaraṇa grathās; wherein topic from Brahma
Sūtra will be discussed more; which is Nyāya prastānam. Therefore in advanced
prakaraṇa grathās, topic will be more from Brahma Sūtra; also consists of
reputation of other systems of philosophy, whereas some other fundamental
prakaraṇa grantha which do not gather or borrow much from Brahma Sūtras; but
they borrow from Upaṇiṣads and the Gītā. Gītā-Upaṇiṣad based prakaraṇa granthās
are fundamental. Brahma Sūtra prakaraṇa grantha will be advanced grathās; they
are known as siddhi grathās; which are highly technical; highly logical and to study
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those works; one will have to know Tarka, Mīmāṁsa, vyakāraṇaṇam; all the other
branches of science also.
We have got both types of prakaraṇa grathās; many advanced as well as primary.
The Tatva Bōdhaḥ which we generally study first is one of the simple and beautiful
prakaraṇa grantha; and like that we have got several and Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi which
we propose to see hereafter is also another such primary prakaraṇa grantha, which
present the Tatva Bōdhaḥ wisdom in a bigger canvas; magnified Tatva Bōdhaḥ is
Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi. So in Tatva Bōdhaḥ if there is half a page on the three bodies,
śarīra trayaṁ, in Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi, these three bodies, stūla, sūkṣma, kāraṇa
śarīraṁs is dealt with very elaborately.
Similarly Pañja kōśa; very elaborately discussed. Ātma Svarūpam; very elaborately
discussed. Jivātma-Paramātma aikyam; very elaborate. Sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti
is very elaborate. Jīvan mukthi, very elaborate. Tatva Bōdhaḥ magnified is
Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi. And there are many other prakaraṇa grantā also there. Like the
Vēdānta Sāra is a prakaraṇa grantha present very systematically. Pañjadaśi is
another prakaraṇa grantha. Vasudēva mananam is another prakaraṇa granthā.
Sarva Vēdānta siddānta Sāra Saṁgrahaḥ is another prakaraṇa granthā. The beauty
of all these grathās is that they present the teaching in a systematic manner. Even
the grathās like Ātma Bōdhaḥ, they do that; but in Ātma Bōdhaḥ we do not find the
verses that systematic; at least sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti is not very clearly
presented there; it is taken for granted there. But Ātma Bōdhaḥ is a beautiful work
because all important ideas are given with an example. Ātma bōdhaḥ is well known
for examples for every important point of vēdānta. But there also presentation is not
that systematic. After Tatva Bōdhaḥ, Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi presents.
And these prakaraṇa granthā are in two formats; some of them in prose form; and
some of them are in poetry verses. Tatva bōdhaḥ is in prose form; Aparōkṣa
Anubhūti is in verse form; Vēdānta Sāra is in prose form; and Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi
happens to be in verse form; and the beauty of Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi is that it contains
several different metres in the verses. In Aparōkṣa Anubhūti all the verses are in the
same metre only; whereas Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi has got long verses; short verses; is
very enjoyable to chant; tune; and this Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi is attributed is Adi
Śankarācārya himself; even though there are some people who disagree with that;
they say it is not Śankarācārya but majority of people accept it as the work of
Śaṁkarācāryā. And it is a big work consisting of 580 verses and there are some
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commentaries also on this work; most well-known commentary is the one written by
the Sringeri Śankarācārya , Candraśekara Bhārathi Swāmi has written a very lucid; a
very beautiful commentary. If a person wants to learn Saṁsr̥kt through
commentary, I would recommend this commentary because, Saṁsr̥kt is also very
nice; because each compound is beautifully split; if one wants to learn Śamasa; how
the compound words are formed; it is giving beautiful tip for that.
Thus we have commentaries also and I would be generally following the

Śankarācārya's commentary only. That is Candraśekara Bhārathi svāmi's
commentary. And there are certain reading differences as well as in the number
differences in the versus and am going to follow this book which I have supplied to
you. If anyone of you using any different book sometimes you may find, some slōka
numbers different. Then you will have to note that.
And this work is titled Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi. The word "vivēka" has got three meanings
in Saṁsr̥kt. The first meaning is the 'power of discrimination' or the faculty of
discrimination which every human being enjoys. The faculty is called vivēkaḥ; we
can say vivēka śaktiḥ; this is the first meaning.
The second meaning is the process of discrimination; in which we are operating that
śaktiḥ. Śaktiḥ is there all the time; but the process is not all the time. Only when we
require to do that, we use the discriminative power; when we are travelling on the
road, we are not going to do discrimination. Suppose somebody asks you: do you
want coffee or tea; this or that; whether to take this route or that; whenever there is
a mixture of things and whenever you are to choose one, at that time you are
operating that faculty; that operation process; that vyāpārahaḥ, that kriya is also
called vivēkaḥ. We can say as Vivēka kriya; also called vivēka. Vivēka śaktiḥ is
number one; vivēka kriya is number two.
And the third meaning is the knowledge born out of discrimination by the operation
of vivēka śaktiḥ; we derive a knowledge that knowledge is also called vivēkaḥ. In
Saṁsr̥kt we can differentiate it using the word "vivēka jñānam". So vivēka śaktiḥ;
vivēka kriya; vivēka jñānam. We all have got vivēka śaktiḥ; now and then we
operate in the form of vivēka kriya and as a result of that, we will get vivēka
jñānam. In English discrimination faculty; discriminative process, discriminative
knowledge.
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Of these three, which meaning we should take here when we say Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi.
This title we should take the second and third meaning; because this book does two
things; there is a process of discrimination and at the end of the book, we have got
the knowledge born of discrimination. Process is also involved; consequential
knowledge is also involved. And therefore it is called Vivēkaḥ.
And when you say discrimination; discrimination between what and what? Before
that I would like to emphasise one more thing. The word discrimination commonly is
used in the world in a negative sense; in the sense of partiality; racial discrimination;
gender discrimination. So women all are fighting that we should also be respected;
they use gender discrimination. That the word discrimination is used in the sense of
partiality as a negative virtue. Here when we use the word discrimination; we are
only talking about the positive virtues of discerning power, which we do not get
confused; we do not mix-up thing; clarity that vivēka is clarity of thinking.
Now the next question is discrimination between what and what? That we require
discrimination in every context. Constantly we have to use our choice. And here we
take it is a discrimination between truth and falsehood; reality and unreality; sat and
asat; because our aim is asato ma sat gamaya. And only when we do this 'sat-asat'
vivēka; later as a consequence, Mrytyoho ma amrtam gamaya; from mortality we
can go to immortality only by sat-asat vivēka. Coffee-tea vivēka cannot give
amritatvam; only sad-asat vivēka. Therefore what is this work? asad-sat
vivēkacūḍāmaṇi or ātma-anātma vivēkacūḍāmaṇi or tatva-atatva vivēkacūḍāmaṇi or
śarīra-aśarīri vivēkacūḍāmaṇi or nitya-anitya vivēkacūḍāmaṇi; என்ன ேப�
ேவணமாநா�ம் ேபாட்�ெகாள்ளலா
Now basic is sad-asat vivēkacūḍāmaṇi. This is the meaning of vivēka. Discrimination

between real and unreal. That is why in Tatva Bōdhaḥ also, the first question was
तत्त्व�ववे कः? आत्म सत्य, तदन्यत सव� �मथ्ये� | tattvavivēkaḥ kaḥ? ātmā satyaṁ,
tadanyat sarvaṁ mithyēti and then Tatva Vivēka alone was elaborated in the entire
Tatva Bōdhaḥ.
Now we have the next word. Cūḍāmaṇi. Cūḍā means a head. Not the Tamil Cūḍām.
Not Campour or anything; Saṁsr̥kt word, Cūḍā, akarantha strilingaha, cūḍāa
sabdha; it means head. Manihiḥ means a jewel or a gem. Therefore Cūḍāmaṇihi
means crest jewel or a head ornament. Especially the ladies use on the head; which
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is the most important ornament, because that is the one which everyone will see at
the first sight, because it is on the top of the individual. And Śankarācārya says that
the real ornament of a person is the vēdantic virtues. So vivēka is an ornament,
vairāgyaṁ is an ornament; śama, dama, uparama, titikṣaḥ, they are all different
ornaments; it can take an earring; or bangles or chain; so many ornaments are
there; but among all ornaments, what is that ornament which stands out in a
vēdantin is vivēka only.
In fact, Vēdic life begins with vivēka. Not even vēdantic life. Vēdic life begins with
vivēka because even before coming to vēdānta, he should lead a life of karma and
for that we must have the knowledge of what is dharma and what is adharma.
Therefore, even before coming to vēdānta, a person has to study the poorva bhaga
of vēda; it is called adhahau dharma jijnasa; vēdānta we can see later. Therefore
lead a virtuous life. And when a person learns adhādau dharma jijñāsaḥ, there is
sūtra twice; adhādau dharma jijñāsaḥ; adhādau adharma jijñāsaḥ; you should know
what is dharma, you should also know what is adharma. Dharma has to be known
for following; adharma has to be known for scrupulously avoiding; the Brahmacāri
when he enters the gurukula vāsa what the teacher teaches is what all actions can
be done; what all should not be done. Dos and Do nots are taught. Thereafter Satya
can be learned.
Therefore Vivēka is the first virtue. Initially start with dharma-adharma-vivēka and
later we go to nitya-anitya- vivēka. Dharma-adharma vivēka is vēda-pūrva and nitya-
anitya vivēka is vēda-anta. From dharma-adharma vivēka we have to go to nitya-
nitya vivēka. Dharma-adharma vivēka gives jñāna yōgyatā; nitya-anitya vivēka gives
jñānam.
And therefore vivēka is more important virtue. Put in practical terms, being clear
about the priorities of life. We can lead our life’s usefully and purposefully only when
our priorities of life is clear; because we have too many things to take care of; family
is to be taken care of; personally things are to be taken care of; professionally duties
are there. Even early morning getting up you have to plan; today class is there;
another engagement is there; whether that or this? Class is the last. Svāmiji whether
he will give holiday. We have to choose. Similarly so many things. Therefore every
moment we have to choose and if we have to choose properly, priorities should be
very clear. Therefore Śankarācārya aptly titles the book Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi; the crest
jewel of discrimination; the crest jewel of discrimination.
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With this background, we will enter the test proper.
||�ववेकचड
ू ाम�ण (शंकराचायर) ||
सवर्वेदान्त�सद्धान्त तमगोचरम ् |
गो�वन्द परमानन्द सद्गुर प्रणतोऽस्म ् ||१||
sarvavēdāntasiddhāntagōcaraṁ tamagōcaram |
gōvindaṁ paramānandaṁ sadguruṁ praṇatō:'smyahaṁ ||1||
Śankarācārya begins the text with an invocation seeking the blessings of his Guru.
Normally the text is started with an Guru Namaskāra. Normally the invocation is in
the form of Īśvara Namaskāra. Here Śankarācārya starts with Guru Namaskāra to
show that he does not feel any difference between Guru and Īśvara. Śankarācārya
mentions gurur brahma gurur vishno, gurur devo mahesvara; gurur ēva param
brahma, tasmai sree gurave namah. Therefore this guru namaskāra and this is
Īśvara Namaskāra also; because both are one and the same.
Ahaṁ sadgurum praṇataḥ asmi: I offer my prostrations to my sadguru. Guru means

the teacher of Vēdānta; gr̥ṇāti upadeśati iti guruḥḥ; derived from the root ग ृ gr̥ to
teach; the one who does the upadeśa is called guru; one who teaches anything can
be called guruḥ; and be called guruḥ. Here what type of guru; Sat gurum; he is the
teacher of sadbrahma. tadēva saumya idamagra asīt ēkamēva advītīyam. The word
sat refers to pure existence Brahman. Therefore Sadgurum, the teacher of Brahman,
Brahmavidyā gurum ahaṁ praṇataḥ asmi; I do namaskāra.
And then Śankarācārya describes that Guru; what type of guru he is?
Paramānandam; the one who is an embodiment of Ānandaḥ. Supreme Ānandaḥ.
Highest Ānandaḥ. Because when we write the word sadguru in English (even
Śankarācārya had the concern) because we "sad guru" "sad guru". If guru is sad,
what will he be imparting, he will be only distributing sadness; he was worried and
therefore he immediately gives an adjective paramānandam; he is not a sad guru;
he is giving parama ānandaḥ; the highest ānandaḥ. That is why along with the
name, Svāmi so and so, Ānandaḥ. That ānandaḥ is given only to indicate that only.
And what is the name of the guru? Gōvindaṁ. Śankarācārya's guru's name is
Govinda Bhagavadpadcārya. Goudapāda is Śankarācārya's guru's guru; Govinda
Page 14

bhagavadpāda's guru is Goudapāda. He is well known because of Mānḍukya Kārika.

Govinda Bhagavadpāda is not known because we do not have any of his works. If
there is vēdantic work, it is easy to remember. So many people do not know that
Govinda Bhagavadpāda is Śankarācārya's guru. Therefore I offer my prostrations to
my guru Govinda Bhagavadpāda.
And what is His real nature? He is not the mere physical body. That is superficial
self. He is none other than Brahman itself. In the first line: paramātmānam; who is
none other than the Paramātma; he is not a person born on a day and dying
another day. He is none other than paramātma. Therefore paramātma swarūpam
govinda bhagavadapādam ahaṁ prāṇathaha asmi.
And what type of paramātma? Paramātma is described here as agōcaraṁ; tama

agōcaraṁ. How to split; tama and agōcaraṁ, you should not split. Tam agōcaraṁ;
agōcaraṁ means what? Not available for any regular instruments of knowledge.
Gōcharaha means object; agōcharaḥ means not an object of perception; not an
object of inference; not an objection of scientific experimentation; therefore it is
beyond all the pauruṣeyam pramāṇam. Therefore agōcharam is pauruṣeyam
pramāṇa agōcharam. Not available for human instruments of knowledge. Why?
because all the regular instruments of knowledge can collect data from matter only
because matter alone is available for observation. Your consciousness is not
available for collecting data; therefore we can have varieties of hypothesis about
consciousness, we can never arrive at a conclusive idea about the consciousness.
Therefore sarva pauruṣeyam pramāṇa agōcharam.
So then naturally it will lead us to frustration; because it is not available to our sense
organs. It is not available for science. As somebody says it is not available for
physics; it is available only for metaphysics. Where physics stops, there metaphysics
starts. What is meta? That is vēdānta. Therefore this sarva vēdānta siddanta
gōcharam. It is not available for pauruṣeyam pramāṇam; but it is available for
apauruṣeya pramāṇa; which is an instrument of knowledge; it is supra sensuous;
revelation. It is available for only revelation through the scriptures. Sarva vēdānta
siddanta gōcharam. Gōcharaḥ means subject matter; siddantaḥ means tātparyam.
Therefore siddanta gōcharaḥ means tātparyam viṣayaḥ. And what is meant by
tātparyam viṣayaḥ; the essential teaching. Siddanta gōcharaḥ means tātparya
viṣayaḥ; tātparyamḥ viṣayaḥ means the essential teaching. Of what? Sarva vēdānta;
Page 15

of all the upaṇiṣads. So paramātma is that which is the essential teaching of all the
upaṇiṣads.
And why do you say the essential teaching. For the Upaṇiṣads, there are many non-
essentials; Annamaya kōśa in the upaṇiṣads; annaat vai prāja a prājaai yante ...
atho annenaiva jīvanthi. athai... (40.08) The body grows because of food, body is
sustained by food, body dissolves that into food; this idea is there in the Taittariya
upaṇiṣad.
Suppose somebody asks a person; In Taittariya Upaṇiṣad, what is said; I have

understood a very important thing; what is that; body grows by food. For that
Taittariya Upaṇiṣad is necessary? If you eat more for some days, it is seen. So that
is not essential teaching.
So therefore Annamaya kōśa is not tātparya viṣayaḥ, is atātparyam. Therefore, topic

on matter; annamaya kōśa is what? Matter. When the upaṇiṣad talks about Sr̥ṣṭi,
there is no tātparya viṣayaḥ. Therefore we should study the upaṇiṣad for the sake
of cosmology; and try to compare it with the present day cosmology; that is not the
thing. Vēdānta does talk about cosmology; how the perception takes place. Vēdānta
talks about so many others. Therefore we should not focus on those things and
waste our time, because they are all stepping stones; use them, arrive at
consciousness; and drop everything.
So if somebody asks; what is the teaching of the Gītā; what did you learn from Gītā?
It is not pāñcajanyaṃ hṛṣīkēśō dēvadattaṃ dhanañjayaḥ. I understood that Krishna's
conch is pāñcajanyaṃ. But that is not the tātparya. Krishna has said that; it is not
denied; but that is not tātparyam; kṣētrajñaṃ cāpi māṃ viddhi sarvakṣētrēṣu
bhārata. That should be told. Then karmaṇyakarma yaḥ paśyēd; that should be told;
or nāsatō vidyatē bhāvō nābhāvō vidyatē sataḥ. Not pāñcajanyaṃ hṛṣīkēśō.
So the Paramātma is the tātparyam. Spirit is the subject matter; and not matter. And
Upaṇiṣad is not very particular about discussing matter, because science is there for
learning matter. Upaṇiṣad does not want to concentrate on matter because it will be
discovered today or tomorrow; that mind is a matter; science will advance to
understand more about the space; more about psychology. Science will develop and
know more about vēdānta. They do not want to deal with that; Vēdānta wants to
Page 16

deal with spirit which is not available for science. Science has confine to, … what?
Matter.
Then you have got two totally different instruments; science dealing with matter;
vēdānta deals with consciousness. Let us not use science to study consciousness.
Let us not use vēdānta to study matter. Accept and continue. This is the idea.
Therefore tam agōcharam means that it is not available for science; it is available
only for vēdānta. One is material science; another is spiritual science. Do not make
use of one to prove the other.
To prove Fire is hot or cold; upaṇiṣad is not necessary. Just like to prove a colour
which is revealed by the eyes; we do not use our ears. Ears have got no access to
colours; and eyes have no access to sound. Vēdānta deals with consciousness and
science deals with matter. Let us not combine the two; that is what he is putting in
the first line; sarva vēdānta siddanta gōcharam; And who is that paramātma. None
other than my guru Govinda bhagavadpāda. That paramātma rūpa Govinda
bhagavadapāda, I offer my prostrations. This is the maṇgala slōka or prayer verse.
जन्तूना नरजन् दल र भमत पुंस्त् ततो �वप्र

ु ्
तस्माद्वै�दकधमर्मागर् �वद्वत्त्वमस्मात |
आत्मानात्म�ववेच स्वनुभव ब्रह्मात संिस्थ�त
मुिक्तन शतजन्मको�टसुकृतै पुण्यै�वर् लभ्यत ||२||
jantūnāṁ narāja nma durlabhyamataḥ puṁstvaṁ tatō vipratā
tasmādvaidikadharmaṁārgaparatā vidvattvamasmātparam |
ātmānātmavivēcanaṁ svanubhavō brahmātmanā saṁsthitiḥ
muktirnō śatajanmakōṭisukr̥taiḥ puṇyairvinā labhyatē ||2||
In the following four versus, 2, 3, 4 and 5, Śankarācārya talks about the glory of
manuṣya janma by pointing out its rareness; how rare it is to get manuṣya janma.
Because according to śāstra, there are 84 lakh different species of living beings; not
84 lakh human beings; 84 lakhs species; and in each species million of beings are
there; if you take ant, in this room itself there will be 84 lakhs. Now if among the 84
lakh species if I should get manuṣya species; chances are one in 84 lakhs. And I do
not seem to have any choice and I find myself in a particular place; therefore it is a
rare. Not only it is rare; in this janma alone mōkṣa is possible; because the other
species do not have the free will either to do, or to know. Therefore they cannot
Page 17

follow karma kānda; therefore no free-will do karma kānda; the cow need not say
Satyam vada; dharmaṁ chara. It need not study what is sūkṣma śarīra; kāraṇa
śarīra, etc. for vēda pūrva and vēda anta both require puruṣārtaḥ; or to use
Dayānandaḥ Svāmi 's expression self-consciousness; leading to self-judgment;
leading to self-identity; leading to self-conclusion.
Self-confusion is also possible in manuṣya janma and that clarification of confusion is

also possible. That is why if there is a competition; dog does not take part in it; for
dog there is some other competition; the dog does not have the problem or
arrogance or jealousy. It will not say that this dog got the first prize; that is bad, etc.
Do you know who gets upset; the owners; they are happily blissfully free from self-
conscious; self-consciousness; and consequent ego problem. They have got
sufficient instinctive ego for conducting their transactions; because they eat only
their particular type of food; and mate with only their species; and therefore they
have the necessary natural discrimination for that.
Human being is rarely endowed with this puruṣārtaḥ or freewill and it is rare. For
Śankarācārya says that if you miss this birth, we do not know when the cycle would
come again; இ ப�றவ� தப்ப�நா, எ ப�றவ� வாய்க்�ே? ஏ�ம் அறிேயே. We do not
know next janma whether I would be cockroach, or lizaard or octopus, snake or one
of the mosquito and therefore do not take human birth for granted. Śankarācārya
advice is: Do not take human birth for granted.
Then what should I do? Study Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi. And even being born a human
being; there are so many other favourable conditions required for mōkṣa; human
birth alone itself is not enough; so many human beings; there are very much closer
to four legged ones; and therefore Śankarācārya gives a list of things so that we are
proud of our birth to make use of this birth properly. What are they?
jantūnāṁ narājanma durlabhyaḥ. jantūhu means jīvaḥ; why called jantū; because
jāyaye; jīva is called jantū because jīva is born again and again and what is meant
by birth? acquiring physical body. What is jīva? sūkṣma śarīram; kāraṇa śarīra; plus
caitanyaṁ; caitanya sahita sūkṣma kāraṇa śarīraṁ; is called jīvah; janma is acquiring
a physical body; not subtle body; acquiring physical body is called janma; dropping it
is death; maraṇam. Acquiring another physical body is rebirth and maraṇam is
physical body's death. Thus this jantū acquires many physical bodies. vāsāṃsi
jīrṇāni yathā vihāya. Among these, what is most rare; acquiring nara janma.
Page 18

Acquiring human physical body is durlabhyam. Manuṣya stūla śarīra prāpthi is

atheēva durlabhyam.
And why do you say that manuṣya stūla śarīra prāpthi is superior because in
manuṣya śarīraṁ alone the sūkṣma śarīraṁ can fully express. Behind the elephant
the sūkṣma śarīraṁ. And sūkṣma śarīraṁ has how many parts; pañja jñānēndriyāni;
pañja karmēndriyani; pañja prāṇa; manaḥ; buddhiḥ; remember; elephant sūkṣma
śarīraṁ also has got manaḥ, buddhi, citta, ahaṁkāra, etc. but the manō buddhi citta
ahaṁkāra of the elephant cannot express independently because the body is
elephant body; but when in the next janma when it acquires the human stūla śarīra;
it does not get a new buddhi, but it is capable of expressing. Therefore in manuṣya
stūla śarīra alone sūkṣma śarīra can fully express; therefore manuṣya śarīra is rare.
Therefore stūla śarīra does not have buddhi. Do not say that manuṣya śarīra has
buddhi. Manshusha śarīra can express the buddhi which is contained in sūkṣma
Śarīraṁ.
More details in the next class.
Hari Om.
Page 19

002. Verses 2 to 4
जन्तूना नरजन् दल
ु ्
र भमत पुंस्त् ततो �वप्र
तस्माद्वै�दकधमर्मागर् �वद्वत्त्वमस्मात |
आत्मानात्म�ववेच स्वनुभव ब्रह्मात संिस्थ�त
मुिक्तन शतजन्मको�टसुकृतै पुण्यै�वर् लभ्यत ||२||
jantūnāṁ narāja nma durlabhyamataḥ puṁstvaṁ tatō vipratā
tasmādvaidikadharmaṁārgaparatā vidvattvamasmātparam |
ātmānātmavivēcanaṁ svanubhavō brahmātmanā saṁsthitiḥ
muktirnō śatajanmakōṭisukr̥taiḥ puṇyairvinā labhyatē ||2||
After offering his prostrations to his guru, Govindabhagavad pāda, Śankarācārya

begins his vivēkacūḍāmaṇi by glorifying manuṣya janma in four verses, from the
second verse to the 4th verse, which is manuṣya janma praśāsthi. How rare and
blessed is manuṣya janma. jantūnāṁ nara janma durlabhyam; the jīva can attain
any physical body at the time of birth and manuṣya śarīraṁ is one in 84 lakhs
varities of jīvas or so. In Kathopanișad it is pointed out, that even Dēvās cannot gain
knowledge there better than human beings. Therefore among the 14 lōkaḥs,
bhūlōkaḥ alone is ideal for attaining ātma jñānam.
यथाऽऽदश� तथाऽऽत्म� यथा स्वप् तथा �पतल

ृ ोके ।
यथाऽप्स पर�व ददृश तथा गन्धवर्लो
छायातपयो�रव ब्रह्मल ॥ ५॥ Part II, Canto III.

yathā:':'darśē tathā:':'tmani yathā svapnē tathā pitr̥lōkē |
yathā:'psu parīva dadr̥śē tathā gandharvalōkē
chāyātapayōriva brahmalōkē || 5|| Part II, Canto III.
There it is pointed out that among the 14 lōkaḥs, bhulōkaḥ is the most ideal for
mōkṣa, and in the bhulōkaḥ also there are so many varities of living being and there
too manuṣya śarīraṁ is rarer because here alone ātma jñānam is possible. Therefore
jantūnaam narāja nam durlabhyam.
An even after gaining manuṣya janma, we cannot say that mōkṣa is definite.
manuṣya janma does not guarantee mōkṣa, but one has taken, or one is in the
qualifying round. In winning a match, cricket match or tennis match, one has to
Page 20

enter the qualifying round. Similarly we have won and entered the qualifying round
and thereafter alone there are so many quarter finals and semi finals and final and
the cup is mōkṣa. Now how many rounds are there that one has to go through as a
manuṣya before attaining mōkṣa? These various stages are given just by chance?
Among manuṣya janma also kathaḥ puṁstvaṁ? Puṁstvaṁ means manliness.

Puṁstvaṁ manliness, courage, independence; especially emotional independence is
called puṁstvaṁ. A weak mind is a mind which always wants to cling to someone
or the other, a sleeper-less mind is called a weak mind. And that wants some
dependence or other on someone or the other; whereas Vēdānta is talking about the
highest stage of sanyāsa in which a person does not depend on anyone, and in
mōkṣa there is not even dependence on the Lord. There is a total ātmanēva ātmana
tuṣṭaḥ.
So we travel FROM WORLD-DEPENDENCE TO GOD-DEPENDENCE TO SELF-

DEPENDENCE. Therefore ultimately, self-dependence or independence is the aim of
mōkṣa and as long as a person wants to hold on to things, that mind cannot succeed
in vēdantic study. That is why we will see later na karmaṇā prāja yā danena tyāgē
naikē amr̥tatva mānasuḥ; all the dependence, all the relations; sarva saṅga
parityagaḥ. More than physical strength, mental strength is required. Whichever
mind has got such a mental strength is called manly mind and if that is not there;
wherever this person goes, he will hold on to someone or the other.
Of course, śāstra allows temporary dependence as a stepping stone. Just as a child

makes use of a walker initially but even at the age of 30, if that person is walking
with a நடவண் நல்லாய��க்�? (Nadavandi, a walker meant for the child), is it
good. That is one can take to independence and one has to drop all that. If the mind
cannot take to that; the mind will drop the worldly dependence and take to guru-
dependence. Guru dependence is fine as a stepping stone; but permanent
dependence is also another saṁsāra. Similarly Iṣṭa dēvatā dependence is wonderful
as a stepping stone; but finally one has to transcend that also; netam yadidam
upāsatē. Even the upādya vastus are dropped and they are swallowed in the self.
Therefore puṁstvaṁ means a person who has the inner strength to go to
advaitham; to go to kaivalyam; to go to non-duality. So that is called manliness. As
Mundakopāṇiṣad says; nāyam ātma balahenēna labhyaḥ; a weak minded person or
a sentimental person; an emotional person who wants to cling on to someone or the
other; ātma na labhyaḥ. In short, a petty mind is called a weak mind; a non-clinging
Page 21

mind is called manly-mind. Even a woman having such a mind is called a Man. Vēda
itself says so. Striya satihi; Tau me huta ahuhu; Even striyaḥ; if the mind is non-
clinging, non-emotional and sentimental, (..); they are called a man. Even a man
who always cling on to someone else; like the child clinging on to mothers' saree
even at the śastiabhadapoorthi; holding on to 90-year old mother's saree; getting
permission from the mother to buy a saree for the wife. Even that mind is a
womanly mind. Therefore we are talking in terms of inner strength; not the physical
body. That puṁstam is the next rare thing.
And thereafter kataḥ viprataḥ; Next stage, which is still rarer is viprataḥ; viprata
means scriputural learning; vēda paadena vipraḥ syāt; janmana jāyaye śūdraḥ,
karmaṇā dvija ucyatē; vēda paadena viprathyaat; Brahmanō brahma vēdanaat.
Everyone by birth is Śūdraḥ only. janmana jāyaye śūdraḥ; even a Brāhman is a

śūdraḥ in terms of his character; and when does he become dvijaḥ, twice-born;
karmaṇā dvija ucyatē; when he takes to sacred thread; when he decides to study
the scriptures. Here sacred thread is not enough. Sacred thread is to enter the study
of scriptures; and then he is born a second time and that is called dvijaḥ, second
birth; because in the first birth, he cannot study the scriptures; therefore his life is
not a cultured life. It is like a prākr̥ta puruṣaḥ; a wild life. And after upananāyam
alone he is going to become tamed, domesticated, cultured Saṁsr̥kataḥ. So rebirth
from prākr̥ta puruṣaḥ to Saṁsr̥kata puruṣaḥ is the sacred thread ceremony. Then he
becomes dvijaḥ. But ceremony itself will not make him a what? a cultured person;
after that he should enter gurukula and know what is dharma what is adharma. And
that is called vēda pādaḥ. Through the study of the scriptures, vēda pāḍhēna vipraḥ;
dvija is promoted to vipraḥ; and when we say vēda pādaha, very careful; not
vēdānta pādaḥ; vēda pāḍaḥ means dharma-adharma śāstra jñānam; how to live in
the world; how to treat the family members; how to treat the neighbors; how to
treat the world. This art of pleasing; and only after study of that a person becomes
vipraḥ. And therefore that is still rarer. As we go higher and higher rarer and rarer.
Therefore manuṣyatvam, thereafter puṁsatvam; thereafter vēdic learning;
viprathvam.
And the next one is तस्माद्वै�दकधमर्मागर् tasmādvaidikadharmaṁārgaparatā;

learning is not enough; a person can become an academic scholar; he might know
what is dharma; what is adharma; but is utterly useless, if a person does not follow
Page 22

the lifestyle prescribed in the śāstras; that way they always say; satyam vada;
dharmaṁ chara; chara means what; achara; chara is equal achara. āchara means
anuṣṭānam. dharma is not for speaking; dharma is for practice. So without practice
the dharma is useless; ஏட் �ரக்கா கறிக் உதவா�. It is utterly useless and
therefore there are many people who are scholars. Duryodhana himself was a
scholar. He used to tell other people, jānāmi dharmaṁ nacha me pravr̥tti, jānāmi
adharmaṁ nacha me nivr̥tti. I know what is dharma; of course I cannot practice. I
know what is adharma; but I cannot stop practicing that. So what is the use of
knowledge. So like the saying proof of the pudding is in the eating; proof of vēdic
learning is the change of character; change of personality; and therefore
Śankarācārya says vaidika dharma mārga paratā. Paratā means what; commitment
to for committed for pursuit of: what? dharma mārgaḥ; righteous way of life;
righteous path is called dharma mārgaḥ. And how do you know what is dharma and
what is adharma; because many people may interpret in many different ways; who
is to decide. Therefore one person may say that this is right; another person says I
think this is right; who is to decide; who is the Supreme Court, authority for deciding
what is dharma and adharma. Śankarācārya says vaidika dharma mārgaḥ paratā;
Vēdas make this supreme goal. That means what? we should have śraddha in the
vēdic scriptures. which is included in viprataḥ. Both should be included in viprataḥ.
Faith in the scriptures and learning of the scriptures. Because who will learn the
scriptures seriously if he does not have faith. Therefore viprataḥ includes śraddha
and jñānam. Both are included in viprataḥ.
In fact with the āstika buddhi following the vēdic life style is the next rarer thing.
And this is for a long time. In Brahmacārya āśrama a person studies the vēdas and
in gr̥hastha āśrama and vānaprastha āśrama he is supposed to practice the vēda
pūrva bhāgaḥ or dharma śāstram. If a person follows that he becomes fit for vēda
anthaha. In short, he will attain jñāna yōgyatā. Till that he has to follow. Study may
be there. Study maybe over in 10 years or 15 years. But thereafterwards he has to
practice the religious life for a length of time until he gets sādhanā catuṣṭaya
saṁpatti.
And after getting sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti, what is the next stage? Vidwatvam
asmātparam. Vidvatvam means vēdānta śravaṇam. Vēdantic learning. So first line
viprataḥ came, for that I said vēdic learning; now vidvatvam has come now; I am
translating as vēdantic learning. Can you see the difference between these two.
Vēdic learning is karma śāstra jñānam. Many people are confused and say vēdānta
Page 23

should be introduced in all schools and colleges. This is one of the biggest
confusions. Vēdānta should never be introduced in schools and colleges because
vēdānta is for a person who has gained sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti by following
dharma śāstra. Therefore what should be introduced in schools and colleges? If at
all it is to be introduced, it has to be vēda pūrva or dharma śāstras. And the dharma
śāstrams consist of three branches, rituals, attitudes and values. Rituals may not be
relevant. Now ritualism are going and for ritualism we have to retain casteism.
Ritualism is impossible without retaining casteism, because all the rituals are based
on the jāti. Therefore one may not introduce the ritualistic part of dharma; but the
attitudes and values known as karma yōgaḥ is comprised of dharma śāstra. Because
karma yōga is present in Bhagavad Gītā many people mistake karma yōga is vēdānta
śāstra, because it is occurring in Bhagavad Gītā and Bhagavad Gītā is supposed to
be the essence of vēdānta. Karma yōga comes in Bhagavad Gītā. Therefore Karma
Yōga is vēdānta. But really speaking karma yōga comprises vēda pūrva or dharma
śāstra. Therefore viprataḥ means dharma śāstra jñānam and vidvatvam means
brahma śāstra jñānam. Viprataḥ is adhādau dharma jijñāsaḥ; and vidvatvam is
adhādau brahma jijñāsaḥ. Schools and college require viprataḥ. They do not require
vidwatvam. Viprataḥ if you follow sincerely, then they can come to vidwatvam. So
vidwatvam corresponds to śravaṇam.
And this is still rarer because śravaṇam requires: ஆராவ� ேபசிநாதாேன ேகக்
��ம. How can I do śravaṇam? Śravaṇam requires a guru. They are all
understood. Śravaṇam is not possible without a guru. Now the question is how do I
know who is a guru? Is there any litmus test. Any liquid test to show a guru. Do you
have any test to find out who is a guru. Scriptures say sthoriyam Brahmaniṣṭam.
How do I know that; whether he is Brahma Niṣṭa or not. I see he standing only on
Bhu niṣṭa. I do not see him sitting on Brahman or anything. We have no way of
finding who is a Brahmaniṣṭa. And therefore the only means of getting a guru is
pray to Lord. The Lord alone has to supply out of his infinite source. We do not have
to worry about how he sources it; Bhagavān has got infinite supply of gurus. He will
present the appropriate guru for an appropriate person at the appropriate time. And
if a person gets a visiṣṭa advaita guru, he is the right person for that person at this
juncture. So if a person gets a nāstika guru; that is the appropriate person for him at
that time. he will know and come out of it at the right time. Therefore to get a guru
and get an opportunity to do the śravaṇam is still rarer. I am not keeping count of
the qualifying round. You can go home and count. Manuṣyatvam and then viprataḥ;
Page 24

then vaidika dharma mārgaḥ paratha and then vidwatvam and as you go higher and
higher it becomes rarer and rarer.
And after śravaṇam, ātmanātma vivēcanam. Ātmanātma vivēcanam corresponds to

mananam. Using independent thinking. A person who blindly takes the words of a
teacher cannot own up the knowledge as his own. Therefore I should be capable of
thinking independently and in arriving at certain ideas; the reasoning given by my
guru may not be conjunctive; then I have to find out my own method of reason.
Therefore vēdānta requires guru also; vēdānta requires independent thinking. And
therefore a person must be a reasonably rational person and intellectual person.
That is why in the olden days, they used to study tarka, mīmāṁsa, vyakāraṇa, etc.
They all are only for sharpening the thinking faculty, because where knowledge is
involved, thinking is fortunately for many people or unfortunately this is involved.
And that is why they do not like vēdānta and go to some other system and say that
தாைர தாைரயா பகவாைன நிைனத் கண்ண� வ�ட்ட ேபா�ம. Crying profusely thinking
of the Lord is enough. sādhanā is கண்�ர் மல
ண mōkṣa you will get. I do not say
we should not have devotion; but to think that you just go on crying to the Lord and
shed tears. If tears can give mōkṣa, vengayaṁ can give mōkṣa. So therefore
devotion is wonderful. prāṇamaya kōśa has to be sufficiently mature. Praying to the
Lord is important bhakthi is highlighted but we require equally strong vijnāna maya
kōśa also. And therefore as a nice slōka says:
यस् नािस् स्वय प�ा शास्त तस् करो�त �कं ।

लोचनाभ्या �वह�नस् दपर्ण �कं क�रष्य� ॥
yasya nāsti svayaṁ prajñā śāstraṁ tasya karōti kiṁ |
lōcanābhyāṁ vihīnasya darpaṇaḥ kiṁ kariṣyati ||
yasya nāsti svayaṁ prajñā; a student who cannot think independently, for him
śāstraṁ tasya karōti kiṁ; śāstra cannot give much. It can give a lot; but there is a
limitation if independent thinking is not there. Only where independence is there;
śāstram can bless totally. And for that a beautiful example is given. I like the
example very much.
Suppose there is a mirror. Mirror has got the capacity to reflect my face. It has got
nothing else. No doubt, the mirror has got the unique power to show my face, but a
mirror will not useful unless what; I have got the eyes to look into the mirror.
Therefore, mirror plus eyes together alone will be the perception. Similarly śāstram
Page 25

is the mirror, independent thinking is the eyes; śāstram plus independent thinking
together alone can bless a person. Śankarācārya says this beautifully by using two
words Paṇḍitaḥ and Medhāvi; in the upaṇiṣad itself. Paṇḍitaḥ refers to the one who
has śāstrik learning. Medhāvi refers to the one who has independent thinking. And
when there is no independent thinking; what will happen you know. If you ask what
Svāmiji said: I can use only the words the Svāmiji used. Not much different from the
tape recorder. And not only that even the example Goudapadachariar used the same
example 3000 years ago. That example he can give. It cannot be changed. That is
this person does not have independent thinking. If I can present the same teaching
with my words and also with my example, that means I have understood. That is
called vivēcana śaktiḥ. Therefore Śankarācārya says ātmanātma vivēcanam; the
capacity to independently discriminate on ātma and anātma; this corresponds to
mananam. Vidwatvam is śravaṇam; ātmaanātma vivēcanam is mananam. It is a
beautiful slōka, he goes as if in the Navaratri kolu padi.
And then what is the final thing? svānubhavaḥ. Svānubhavaḥ is aparōkṣa jñānam or
nidhidhyāsanam. Aparōkṣikāraṇam; internalising the teaching. Assimilating the
teaching; that is the capacity to REPLACE THE WORD ĀTMA AND BRAHMAN BY THE
WORD I. THE CAPACITY TO REPLACE THE WORD BRAHMA AND ĀTMA BY THE
WORD-I. That means what? Until now I was saying Brahman. I should be able to
say I am Brahman. Not merely verbally, I must be able to say that from my own
heart. Similarly I am pure, from my own heart. I am independent, from my own
heart; the world cannot disturb me, from my heart. Ahaṁ jīvanmukthaḥ, from my
own heart. This internalisation, assimilation is called aparokshikāraṇam;
understanding called nidhidhyāsanam; that is called here svānubhavaḥ. So
śravaṇam, mananam, nidhidhyāsanam.
Then what? ब्रह्मात संिस्थ�त brahmātmanā saṁsthitiḥ. Abiding in this knowledge

that I am Brahman. Brahmātma rūpēṇa avasthānam. It is known as Brahma niṣṭa;
otherwise called ātmaniṣṭa; otherwise called jñāna niṣṭa; otherwise called in the
Gītā, Brāhmi sthithihi; otherwise called sthira prajñaḥ; otherwise called jīvan
mukthiḥ; brahmātmana samsthitih means jīvan muktiḥ. What is the difference
between nidhidhyāsanam and jīvan mukthi. In Nidhidhyāsanam also the effort is
involved in remaining in this knowledge; in Jīvan mukthi it has become spontaneous;
effortless; normal; natural. This is the difference between nidhidhyāsanam and
Page 26

jīvanmukthi. Both I say: ahaṁ brahmāsmi; nidhidhyāsanam ahaṁ brahmāsmi

requires will; in jīvanmukthi ahaṁ brahmāsmi does not require will at all.
Somebody asked after the class, when you say Will, is that which is written before
death? No this is not that Will; all the time used to money and more. Will is effort or
will power. So brahmātmana saṁsthitiḥ; jīvan muktiḥ and jīvan muktha continues to
be a jīvan muktha until prārabdha is over; once the prārabdha is over; this state of
jñāni is called vidēha mukthi; that is freedom from punarjanma; destruction of all
these three śarīraṁs; stūla, sūkṣma, kāraṇa śarīra bhaṅgaḥ; śarīra traya bhaṅgaḥ is
vidēha muktiḥ. That is the final stage. In the fourth line muktiḥ. muktiḥ means what
vivēka muktiḥ. What is jīvan mukthi; brahmātmana saṁsthitiḥ. Therefore jīvan
muktiḥ and the word muktiḥ correspond to vidēha muktiḥ. Starting from where?
jantūnāṁ nara janma. Starting from Nara to Brahman is the journey. This is
impossible. This successful journey going through all the rounds, qualifying rounds
and final and in the final also is called muktiḥ; and this is impossible without
puṇyairvinā labhyatē. This is impossible without puṇyam; without Īśvara anugrahaḥ.
Of course we do not say Īśvara anugrahah alone will give mōkṣa we do not say.
Īśvara anugraha can never replace effort. Īśvara anugraha can never replace effort.
Īśvara anugraha can only be a booster; aerial booster; extra aerial; we want to get
Sri Lanka or Pakistan also; something else also; aerial is useless without tv; tv is also
required. Similarly, puruṣārtha can be boosted by booster aerial called arial Īśvara
Anugrahaḥ. Therefore effort plus grace together alone will give success. Here
Śankarācārya emphasises grace so that we will approach Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi study
with devotion; humility; prayerful attitude.
Therefore he says without puṇyam it is not possible and puṇyam how much quantity
of puṇyam? He says Śatakoṭi janma or Śata janma koṭi; both are same; Śata koṭi
means hundred crores; in hundred crores of janma whatever puṇya we have
acquired; all those fuel tank must be so full; that means what?; we require or we
should have hundred manuṣya janmās previously, because paśu cannot do puṇyam.
Therefore we should have puṇya hundred crore manuṣya janmā and in all those
manuṣya janmās, we should have done puṇyam. You could have also done
akramams. Therefore so many crores of janmas I should have done puṇya;
successfully go through this snake and ladder game. Have you played snake and
ladder? Very beautiful comparison given for mōkṣa; with the appropriate number;
we have crossed all the lower numbers; and you have come to 94; and there is a
Page 27

snake in 95 another in 97; and another in 99; do not check up. I am just telling; do
no verify and all. We have to put exactly six. Or else you would be swallowed by one
of the three snakes 99 to 56; and then 59 another snake which takes to 1; then
three 56 to 59 and then back to kōzhi janmam; something like that. kokarakho. Now
we are all in 94 but you have to put the ahaṁ brahmāsmi number of six; 100;
Happy Home. Therefore this snake and ladder game; of course that is purely based
on luck; but here it is not luck alone; both luck in the form of grace is a factor; but
in addition to that prayatna. There is a statement luck favors the brave. Therefore
bravery. Puṁstvam also is required. Luck also is required. These are all not to
frighten you. Not to create cynicism in us; but to show the rareness and importance
of manuṣya janma so that we will not take manuṣya janma for granted.
ु ्
दल र भ त्रयमेवैतद्देवानुग्रहह |
मनुष्यत् मुमु�ुत्व महापुरुषसंश् ||३||
durlabhyaṁ trayaṁēvaitaddēvānugrahahētukam |
manuṣyatvaṁ mumukṣutvaṁ mahāpuruṣasaṁśrayaḥ ||3||
So three versus also talk about the same topic. Manuṣya janma prāpthi; manuṣya
janma daurlabyaṁ; daurlabyaṁ means rareness; therefore they are all repetition;
and in this slōkā, whatever he has said; he condenses in three stages. In the
previous slōkā several stages were talked about; those stages he condenses in three
stages and says successfully going through these stages is or requires
dēvānugrahaṁ. Etatat trayaṁ durlabyaṁ. The following three are very rare. And
therefore dēvānugraha hētukam. dēvānugraha phalam. it is only result of Īśvara's
grace. And remember, whenever we say Īśvara 's grace, you should not say Īśvara
is a whimsical person; he has got some grace in his hand and he looks for here and
there and calls up one person and gives it to him; capriciously distributing at random
whimsically he is not going to give to some people and withdraw from others. Grace
means pūrva janma puṇya phalam. The grace he has won in the pūrva janma by
noble karmās and upāsana s. So therefore grace is based on the law of karma; it is
not at random. Therefore dēvānugraḥ can be replaced by pūrva puṇya also. And
that is why we can observe in the previous slōka , the last line he used the word
puṇyairvinā labhyatē; previously slōka 4th line, he used the world puṇyam; the very
same word puṇyam in this slōka he replaces by dēvānugraḥ; which means puṇya is
dēvānugraḥ; dēvānugraḥ is puṇya; there is no difference. So if both are identical
then why use two words and confuse?
Page 28

If puṇya is dēvānugraḥ and dēvānugraḥ is puṇyam, why do you use a different

word. There is a reason. When I say I have earned this puṇyam, then there is a
chance that I earned the credit to myself totally without acknowledging so many
other uncontrollable factors which has been favourable. If I am planting a tree, and
I am going a tree; remember, my effort alone is not enough, so many external
factors should be favourable and the unknown factor is called Īśvara. If I claim as
my puṇyam I may take the whole credit and I may not acknowledge other factors.
But when I say the very same thing is the grace of the Lord, it leads to humility and
acknowledgement of the role of other factors. Other factors mainly mean the natural
laws which are the blessing of the Lord. When I take it as Īśvara Anugraha, I will
have prasāda buddhi, I will have humility and therefore we say dēvānugraḥ phalam.
And what are the three? He enumerates. Manuṣyatvam. First one is to be born is a
human being is rare and next one, mumukṣutvaṁ, desire for the fourth puruṣārtha
and highest puruṣārtha called mōkṣa. If a person can vote for any puruṣārtha. Four
party rule. dharma, artha, kāma, mōkṣa. And we can spend the whole life in pursuit
of artha; paṇam, paṇam, paṇam; or I can spend the whole life in search of kāma
and I can spend the whole life in search of dharma. For I should be able to
recognise the superiority of mōkṣa and convert mōkṣa into the top priority of my life;
that is called mumukṣutvaṁ. Priority reshuffling is called mumukṣutvaṁ.
And it does not mean that artha, kāmas are not pursued. Then, even when the top
priority is mōkṣa, we require artha, kāma, and dharma as a stepping stone to come
to mōkṣa, but once they are taken as a sādhanam, as a stepping stone, they will be
subservient to sādhyam. I have told you often that pickle is required for curd rice.
Pickle or something like that. But the thing is the proportion of the quantity must be
very clear. But when you see some people, you wonder whether they are eating
curd rice with pickle or whether they are eating pickle with curd rice. Similarly,
dharma artha kāma can be pickle. Pickle has a role to play or else the buttermilk rice
will be bland. You need some kāra śāram. Priorities must be clear. That is called
mumukṣutvaṁ.
After the priorities become clear, what is the thing which is still rarer, mahā puruṣaḥ
saṁśrayaḥ. The holy association; saṁśrayaḥ means association; guidance, shelter;
the support. Just like when they do the P.hd thesis and all, a guide is there; and he
is much more than association. Association with mahā puruṣaḥ means ukta puruṣaḥ
or stōtriya brahma niṣṭa guruḥ. He is called mahā puruṣaḥ. In dictionary you cannot
Page 29

see this. Mahā will be shown as periya; big. Puruṣaḥ means Man. Big Man. So you
should go with a tape!
Here mahā is not in the literal sense, here it is stōtriya brahma niṣṭa guruḥ. These
three are rare, which is gained by Īśvara anugrahaḥ only and once these three are
there mukthi is not enumerated here, you know why, because if a mumukṣu gets a
mahā puruṣaḥ, then mukthi is definite. If mukthi is doubtful, if only if either the
person is not mumukṣu, some problem is there or his guide is not mahā puruṣaḥ.
Only then mukthi becomes doubtful when a mumukṣu and a mahā puruṣaḥ joined
together; ananya prokthe gatiratra nāsti. Kathopanișad says when a qualified śiṣya
meets a qualified teacher, gatihi nāsti; there is no way of escaping mōkṣa. There is
no way of escaping from mōkṣa; helplessly the śiṣyas will get mōkṣa, even if the
śiṣyas say No, it will come. That is why mukthi is not enumerated, because
mumukṣu plus mahā puruṣaḥ is like hydrogen plus oxygen joining in ideal condition;
water will come you need not say. It would come.
This is a very popular slōka. Durlabhyaṁ trayaṁēvaitad; very often quoted slōka.
ु ्
लब्ध् कथ�चन्नरजन दल र भ
तत्रा पुंस्त् श्रु�तपारदशर् |
यस्त्वात्ममु न यतेत मूढधीः
स ह्यात्म स्व �व�नहन्त्यसद्ग् ||४||
labdhvā kathacinnarāja nma durlabhyaṁ
tatrāpi puṁstvaṁ śrutipāradarśanam |
yastvātmamuktau na yatēta mūḍhadhīḥ
sa hyātmahā svaṁ vinihantyaśadgrahāt ||4||
So the same idea, the rareness and the glory of human birth is put in another
language. So here Śankarācārya criticizes all those people who miss this wonderful
opportunity of getting mōkṣa. Like climbing the Everest. Going 28,500 feet. Often it
happens to Everest climbers; they go to 28,500 feet. Another 500 only. 29000. But
many people have had to return, because there would be blizzards, that snow storm
can happen at that height; and sometimes snow storm continues for two weeks,
three weeks etc. Rationing will fall short; somebody may fall sick also; sometimes
they return. Like that we have reached 28500 feet of Everest. Only 500 if you go,
mōkṣa. Now having come to such a height, if a person does not attain mōkṣa in this
Page 30

janma, it is a suicide. He has destroyed himself; and therefore Śankarācārya

strongly criticizes this person. All the strong words are used; only some ��,
ேசாரைண வரணம என்கிறத்�க; like �ட்ை காச்ச இ�க்கிற so that some kind
of waking up takes place in our mind. Therefore he uses certain strong words.
Now suppose there is a person, who has, kathacit durlabhyaṁ narāja nam labdhvā;
suppose there is a jīva, which has attained the very rare manuṣya janma, because of
some puṇyam; because we do not know which puṇya has brought this manuṣya
janma, the cause is unknown; and therefore he uses the word; kathachit, somehow;
by hook or crook. Not by crook; by some proper method or another proper method I
have come to manuṣya janma. That person has come to manuṣya janma and tatrāpi
puṁstvaṁ; there also somehow he has got puṁstvaṁ, I told manliness;
independent thinking; freedom from emotional complexes; reasonable sane, mental
sanity is called puṁstvaṁ. That also a person has got. And śrutipāradarśanam.
Śrutipārah means vēdānta. So he has got the knowledge that vēdānta gives
liberation. He has not got the ahaṁ Brahmāsmi jñānam, but he knows the remedy
for saṁsāra. Here śruti pāradarśanam refers to the parōkṣa jñānam; the knowledge
that I am a samsāri; and my problem is ajñānam; and for that jñānam is required;
jñānam can be gained through vēdānta. Vēdānta jñānam will liberate me; all these
details this person will know. Because there are many other people who are not
born in vēdic culture. If you go and ask what do you know about Brahman; do you
know Brahma jñānam; they are not going to know; but in Indian culture those
people who have gone thru this culture even if they have not studied; by the mere
strength of being born in this culture, they know the word Brahma. We even while
scolding use: "You are sitting like Brahman" ப்ரமம மாதி� உக்காந்தி�கா? Suppose
a person does not listen and follow. Even in cinema they say: Vaazhve māyam. So
the word māya, the word Brahman, the word karma, the work Mukthi etc are
available in local language. Therefore we are all blessed with the knowledge that our
ultimate goal is jñānam and mōkṣa.
Having known all these things, suppose a person does not work for the
implementation Śankarācārya says that person must be given Nobel prize in
foolishness. So we have to institute another Nobel prize and we should give him that
prize, because his is the great suicide; self-destroyer. The details of which we will
see in the next class.
Page 31

Hari Om.
003. Verses 4 to 6
ु ्
दल र भ त्रयमेवैतद्देवानुग्रहह |
मनषु ्यत् मम
ु �
ु ुत्व महापर
ु ुषसंश् ||३||
लब्ध् कथ�चन्नरजन दल
ु ्
र भ
तत्रा पुंस्त् श्रु�तपारदशर् |
यस्त्वात्ममु न यतेत मूढधीः
स ह्यात्म स्व �व�नहन्त्यसद्ग् ||४||
durlabhyaṁ trayaṁēvaitaddēvānugrahahētukam |
manuṣyatvaṁ mumukṣutvaṁ mahāpuruṣasaṁśrayaḥ ||3||
labdhvā kathacinnarāja nma durlabhyaṁ

tatrāpi puṁstvaṁ śrutipāradarśanam |
yastvātmamuktau na yatēta mūḍhadhīḥ
sa hyātmahā svaṁ vinihantyaśadgrahāt ||4||
After the prayer verse, Śankarācārya is glorifying the human birth in verses
beginning from the second up to the sixth. Manuṣya janma itself is a rarer thing and
in that manuṣya janma also, developing an interest in spirituality is still rarer; and
even after developing an interest, getting an opportunity to fulfill this desire by
attaining a guru; this is the rarest thing. Manuṣyatvam, mumuksutvam, mahā
puruṣaḥ saṁśrayaḥ. And having got such a wonderful opportunity, if a person fails
this human life by pursuing only artha and kāma, then Śankarācārya points out that
he must be the greatest fool in the world; who is a suicide; who is a destroyer of
himself. That is said in the fourth slōka which we are seeing.
Kathamchit Nara janma labdva. A person attains human birth because of some
puṇya karma which puṇya karma we do not know. We can only infer that some
puṇya karma we have done. Because from the effect, the cause can be inferred. If I
have got a manuṣya janma, it must be because of puṇyam but I do not know what
type of puṇyam it is. And that is why in the Avani Avittam function; they have a
beautiful saṅkalpa; in that they say Anādi avidyā vāsanaya; because of the
Page 32

beginingless avidyā I have taken so many varieties of birth; bahuda paśu pakṣi
mrigādhi yoniṣu; paśu janma pakṣi janma, mriga janma and that too bahuda
samprāpya; idaneem viśēṣe manuṣya janma praptavadaha kenāpi puṇya karma
viśēṣena. So kenāpi puṇya karma viśēṣa means I myself do not know what puṇya
karma I have done; but I know that some puṇya karma is there. Why, I have got
human birth; therefore the inexplicability pointed out by using the expression
kathamchit; I do not know how; somehow I have got a person gets durlabhya nara
janma, that is manuṣya janma is very rare. Tatrapri puṁstvaṁ; and there also
puruṣaḥ janma; and by puruṣaḥ janma I indicated, a characteristic or tendency to
become independent. A strong mind which thinks of independence. A weak mind is
one which always holds on to some person or the other and even if it renounces the
association with people it wants a saguṇa Īśvara to hold on to. That holding mind;
that leaning mind is called a weak mind; a mind which is a non-leaning mind; a
sanyāsi mind is called puruṣaḥ mind, because vēdānta basic qualification is sanyāsi
mind. And sanyāsi mind means I do not want to psychologically lean upon a
human; whether we are physically sanyāsis or not; that is immaterial; but whether
we are mentally sanyāsis. And that capacity is here called puṁstvaṁ; Swatrantyam;
independence. And that too śrutipāradarśanam. Even after getting manuṣya janma,
even after getting a strong mind, a person may be born in any other culture where
there is no value for spirituality; everything is converted into money; how to convert
any talent into money. Knowledge is also converted into money; Even religion is
converted into money. Once there is a religious place, immediately people come;
and varieties of cause this and that. Everything is converted into artha kāma. Such a
society is called materialistic society. So Vivēkānandaḥ said once it seems. What is
the difference between a materialistic society and a spiritual society? Material society
when somebody declares that there is gold in the heights of Himalayas or in some
interior forests; people in whole will go there; in spite of difficulties and struggle
they will go there, if money is available. What is spiritual society or religious society.
Instead of saying that there is gold, you tell that there is a temple in Kedārnāth,
there is a temple in Amarnāth; there is a Svāmi in that particular Āśrama; when you
go to Amarnāth and all you see, very old men and women without even complete
dress or anything, without having even chappals or shoes, they walk 48 kilometers
or miles to that temple. So what is that drives them. That is called a culture which is
infused with religious and spiritual values. And to be born a human being in a culture
and society where spirituality is given more for importance; that is greater puṇyam.
And in that society alone, we can learn about four puruṣārtaḥas; materialistic society
there can be only two puruṣārtaḥs that is wealth and pleasure. If two more
Page 33

puruṣaḥasrthas should come; what are they? puṇyam or dharmaḥ; and mōkṣaḥ or
Brahman, they cannot be talked about by science or perception. Puṇyam can never
be revealed through perception. Puṇyam can never be revealed thorugh
mathematical logic. Puṇyam can never be arrived at by scientific experiments. That
same puṇyam is called adr̥ṣṭam. Adr̥ṣṭam means prathyksa anumāna gōcharam.
Puṇyam is adr̥ṣṭam. Adr̥ṣṭam means pratyakṣa anumāna agōcharam; that which is
beyond the scope of perception and inference. And this puṇyam can be known only
through the first portion of the vēda. Therefore in any culture where vēda is not
there; puṇyam cannot be talked about. So therefore the third puruṣārtaḥ dharma;
otherwise called puṇyam is called atīndriya viṣayaḥ or apauruṣeyam viṣayaḥ.
Apauruṣeyam is that which is beyond human instruments of knowledge. And
therefore where vēda is there; there alone will be the third puruṣārtha, dharma; and
what is the fourth puruṣārtaḥ; mōkṣa otherwise known as Brahman otherwise known
as ātma; otherwise known as independent consciousness. Caitanyaṁ. This also is
atīndriyam; which is beyond the human instruments. Consciousness cannot be
studied by perception. Consciousness cannot be studied by logic. Consciousness
cannot be studied by mathematics. Consciousness cannot be studied through
experimentation. We can learn or we can experience consciousness through matter.
We do experience consciousness through matter; but matter-free consciousness;
independent consciousness can never be understood without śāstra pramāṇa.
Without śāstra pramāṇam maximum we can arrive at is consciousness has a
phenomenon of brain or a phenomenon of some organ or the other. You may call it
a neurological phenomenon or electrical phenomenon or some phenomenon or the
other; but consciousness independent of brain you can come to know only through
śāstra.
And therefore what is the fourth puruṣārtaḥ; Mōkṣa; What is mōkṣa? It is nothing
consciousness or Brahman alone; that is known through what? Again vēda. And
what vēda? Not the beginning portion; first portion is for the third puruṣārtha; the
last portion is for the fourth puruṣārtha. Third puruṣārtha dharma is through vēda
pūrva; fourth puruṣārtha Brahman is through vēda anthaḥ. Vēda purvena dharma
puruṣārthena, vēda anthēna Brahma puruṣārtha; ēvam thritheeya chathurtha
puruṣārthau apauruṣeyamtvaad vēda pramāṇēna ēva jñātum śakyatē. Last two
puruṣārtha can be talked about only through vēda pramāṇa.
And suppose there is an author who do not belong to India and he is a foreigner and
write about dharma and mōkṣa, he might not have read vēda directly, but he must
Page 34

have read our scriptures indirectly and talks about. Even Buddha talks about mōkṣa
negating vēda but he has got the knowledge of mōkṣa through what? Because
Buddha was a Hindu? He was not a Buddhist. So he was born to vēdic culture and
Buddhism has spread all over the world and through Hinduism it has gone to
Buddhism and through Buddism it has gone to western authors; authors like Wayne
Dyer etc. They talk about dharma and mōkṣa. They do not know the vēda; they
have got it indirectly from the vēda. And if there is a Quran or a bible, we claim that
they are also borrowed from Vēda; little bits from here and there. So therefore only
when a person is born in vēdic culture, he can know about caturvida puruṣārtha and
therefore he says: śruti pāra darśanam. śruti pāra darśanam is a thorough
knowledge of the vēdas. A comprehensive knowledge of the vēdas. pāram means
up to the end.
Up to the end means the total knowledge of the vēdas. Why do we say total
knowledge? Because when a person knows only a portion of the vēda pūrva bhāgaḥ,
he will have only three puruṣārthas. Only when he comes to know about vēda pūrva
and vēda anta, then alone he will know that there are four puruṣārthaas and this
comprehensive knowledge of the vēdas need not be directly though vēda studies;
it may be through Gītā study; or it may be through a translation of the Gītā; or it
may be one of the Tamil Books or Malayalam books or any smr̥ti grathās based on
vēda; vēdic content he must come to know; only then he would come to know that
there are four puruṣārthās. And that is also a very rare accomplishment. And having
got all the qualifications; being born a human being; born in a vēdic culture, he can
know about caturvida puruṣārtaḥ. And therefore he says: śruti pāra darśanam. Śruti
pāra darśanam means a thorough knowledge of the vēdas.
A comprehensive knowledge of the vēdas. Pāram means up to the end; up to the

end means total knowledge of the vēdas. And why we say total knowledge? Because
if a person knows only vēda pūrva, he will have only three puruṣārtaḥs. Only when
he comes to know about vēda pūrva and vēda anta; then alone he will know that
there are four puruṣārthās and comprehensive knowledge of the vēdas need not be
directly through vēda study; it may be through Gītā study or it may be a translation
of the Gītā; it may be one of the Tamil book or Malayalam books or any smr̥ti
grathās based on vēda; vēdic content he must come to know; only then he will know
that there are four puruṣārthās; and that is also a very rare accomplishment and
having got all these, being born a human being, I am born in India. Nowadays
people consider it is unlucky to be born in India; some how they want to go and
Page 35

settle in America; and there also they want to make sure that the next child is born
there; so that the citizenship itself is available; why because we consider artha and
kāma as most important thing; that is priorities are confused priorities.
Here we have got lot of problems with regard to artha kāma, but India's greatness is
only with regard to dharma and mōkṣa. This is a land of dharma mōkṣa; it means
artha kāmas are subservient. All other cultures or lands are artha kāma in which
dharma mōkṣa is either non-existent or subservient. And therefore having got born
in such a land and having appreciated the glory of mōkṣa suppose a person spends
the whole life bālastāvatkrīḍāsaktaḥ, taruṇastāvattaruṇīsaktaḥ | vr̥ddhastāvat
(second baby sitting sakthaḥ) cintāsaktaḥ, paramē brahmaṇi kō:'pi na saktaḥ. So we
have got second baby sitting; grand children sitting; paramē brahmaṇi kō:'pi na
saktaḥ.
Therefore it is yaha ātma muktau na yateta. Suppose a person does not strive for
ātma mukthi, one's own liberation, because often conflicts is between duties and
spirituality. rememeber we have got a duty, everyone, but above all, we have a duty
to ourselves also. Taittariya upaṇiṣad there is an advice kuśalānna pramaditavyam.
May you not be negligent with regard to your own well-being. Therefore if I am
going to do my duty to all, and neglect the duties towards myself that is also
foolishness and what is the duties for myself, I should spend some time for my
dharma, and my artha and my kāma and ultimately my mōkṣa also. And if any
family does not allow the family members to fulfill their puruṣārtaḥ, that family also
does not have proper ideas; like many husbands not allowing wife to attend the
class. What to do? karmaṇi ēva adhikārastē. Your duty is only to cook for me. She
has kept everything in hot cases; but no no. you have to cook freshly and serve.
Has to give one slap on his face. That is called foolish approach. Therefore she is
an individual member, she is a jivātma, not a material. She has got dharma artha
kāma and mōkṣa, and if such a person creates guilt in the member, this person
should not feel any guilt, I have done what I have to do, hereafter get lost (need not
tell!).
So therefore Śankarācārya says ātma muktau yatēta, because இப்ப�றவ தப்ப�நா
எப்ப�றவ வாய்க்�ே. How do I know what janma is going to be my next birth; and
therefore I am not going to lose this and therefore I will attend the class. Ātma
muktau na yatēta. Suppose a person does not work for liberation, who is he, saha
mūḍaiti. He is வ�கட்� �ட்டா; he is unintelligent person; he is a confused
Page 36

person; he does not have his priorities very clearly. And not only that, saha ātmahā.
He is doing suicide; he is a self-destroyer. Ātmahā means the one who commits
suicide; the one who destroys himself and how does he destroys. asatgrahat tvam
vidhihān; by holding on to the anātma; asat here refers to anātma and Anātma
refers to all other things except jñānam and mōkṣa.
Therefore being preoccupied with the body, being preoccupied with the family, being
preoccupied with the society, that is all fine, they preserve the body, they serve the
family, they serve the society, community; but if I am preoccupied to such an
extent, that I do not have time for spirituality, then that is a problem. Therefore asat
grahah holding on to anātma; anātma is called asat because it is mithya; asat is
unreal; the unreal world of things and beings; unreal world of actions and results;
holding on to the unreal is dropped the real. And dropping the real alone is called
self-destruction because Self is the reality. So asatgrahaat anātma abhimaanaat
karma artha kāma kāmeṣu vyapratatvāt; he destroys himself.
इतः को न्विस मढ
ू ात्म यस्त स्वाथ प्रमाद् |
दलु ्
र भ मानषं
ु देहं प्रा तत्रा पौरुष म ||५||
itaḥ kō nvasti mūḍhātmā yastu svārthē pramādyati |
durlabhyaṁ mānuṣaṁ dēhaṁ prāpya tatrāpi pauruṣam ||5||
Here also Śankarācārya repeats the same thing. So the repetition is to ��
ெவக்கற, so that such a person will wake up a little bit and have some introspection
and ask a question, what did I achieve in the last so many years. என்னதா நான
பண்ண�ேந. Some kind of introspection should come and also a person should
wake up to the reality and therefore Śankarācārya uses very strong words like bhaja
gōvindaṁ, bhaja gōvindaṁ gōvindaṁ gōvindaṁ bhajamūḍhamatē. That one should
not address in such a language, �டமேதன் யாைரனா�ம �ப்ப�டலாேம? Even
though language should not be used, Śankarācārya uses such strong words; that is
why the entire bhaja gōvindaṁ is called mōha mudgarahaḥ; mudgarahaḥ means
ulakkai; which is used for pounding paddy, etc. And mōhaḥ means delusion. So we
are all full of delusion with regard to the priorities of life; for Śankarācārya is taking
an ulakkai and hitting the head of every one hoping that at least after listening to
that, they improve. He says that you are holding on to wife; how long to survive.
You are holding on to parents; how long they are going to survive; nalinīdalagata
jalamatitaralaṁ, tadvajjīvitamatiśayacapalam; all these people you are holding on to
Page 37

are going to die one day; and if they do not die; you will have to die; getting away
from them. Many people get disturbed by reading bhaja gōvindaṁ because
Śankarācārya tells the bitter facts of life. What is the purpose of doing that? At
least, after that, a person will open the eyes. Like that here also he does the same
thing; kaha mudātma asthi, which person can be greater fool. There are so many
fools in the world but among that he deserves the Nobel prize for foolishness. Who
should be given; our brihaspathi should be given.
And who is he? यस्त स्वाथ प्रमाद् yastu svārthē pramādyati he does everything
else in his life and he misses the most important thing; what is that. tva arthē; artha
means puruṣārtha; puruṣārtha; sva arthē means sva puruṣārthē. With regard to the
accomplishment of one's own puruṣārtha, pramādyati, this person is negligent. Even
negligent with regard to one's own health is foolishness; Doing everything as I say.
First a person squanders his health in search of wealth; then he squanders his
wealth in search of health and ultimately loses both. So even being negligent with
regard to health is the greatest foolishness called; health is the basic foundation on
which dharma artha kāma mōkṣa all the four are resting. Therefore this person
pramādyati; negligent with regard to dharma, with regard to artha, with regard to
kāma; and above all with regard to mōkṣa. Here the emphasis is on mōkṣa
puruṣārtha; so sva mōkṣa puruṣārthē he is negligent.
And Śankarācārya will later points out that our parents can many things for us. And
we can do many things for our parents. So one person can be a proxy for another
person. Like if I have got a burden to carry somebody else can carry for me. If I
have got some loan to repay; father can help; brother can help; children can help;
but when I am hungry, who can eat for me. I have to work; similarly Śankarācārya
points out for our mōkṣa, no husband can help. no wife can help; no parents can
help; no guru can help. If guru can do all the sādhanā for your sake; I will be in
trouble, No.1. and you will be free also. Therefore just as one has to work for
removing one's own hunger similarly one alone has to work for one's own mōkṣa.
Svāmi Chinmayānanda nicely says ALONE TO THE ALONE; ALL ALONE. We have to
travel Alone in spirituality; traveller is alone; and the destination is also alone;
because there is only advaitam; travel is also Alone. Alone to the Alone All alone is
the spiritual path. And with regard to this if a person is negligent, kaha mudātma
asthi, because he has animal janma. And if the person is born in some other culture,
and he does not have a value, it is understandable, because he is not exposed to
Page 38

this. Suppose I am born here and I am exposed to this wonderful teaching; still I do
not make use of it; I must be Nobel prize winner in Foolishness. So he says in
second line. Durlabyam manuṣya dēhaṁ prāpya. He has attained the rare manuṣya
janma and tatrapi pauruṣam; there also he has a value for independence; inner
strength having come to such a height; remember the example the snake and
ladder; have come to 94, only 6 you have to put and happy home; but the problem
is between 94 and 100 snakes are there. 95, 97, 99. If you are a little careless, back
to No.1. Born back as cockroach.
वदन्त शास्त्र यजन्त दे वान ्

कुव्
र न् कमार्� भजन्त दे वताः |
आत्मैक्यबोध �वना�प मिु क्त
न �सध्य� ब्रह्मशतान्तर ||६||
vadantu śāstrāṇi yajantū dēvān
kurvantu karmāṇi bhajantū dēvatāḥ |
ātmaikyabōdhēna vināpi muktiḥ
na sidhyati brahmaśatāntarē:'pi ||6||
Importance of jñānam and enquiry.
This is the 6th verse. Manuṣya janma mahima topic is over. Manuṣya janma praśasti
is over.
Now from the 6th to 13th verse, Śankarācārya is talking about the importance of
jñānam and enquiry. Jñānam vicāraḥ ca. Self-knowledge and self-enquiry are
highlighted; focused. How does he emphasis that. By doing that jñānam alone can
give mōkṣa. This is a very important, because there is a very wide misconception
that there are many paths to mōkṣa. All roads lead to Rome; like the popular saying.
Saying like this, there are people who claim that there are many paths to mōkṣa and
some people enumerate four paths, some three, karma yōga, jñāna yōga, bhakthi
yōga (3); some people add Rāja yōga (4) some people add dhyāna yōga (5) and
some people add Kundalini Yōga (6) and somebody says 7 paths are there.
Śankarācārya removes all these confusion by saying that many paths for mōkṣa do
not exist. There is only one path. This is not a path, because there is no physical
travel involved at all. If there is a physical distance, there can be many paths; by
this road, that road, aeroplane, by subterranean path, where there is a physical
Page 39

distance, many paths are possible and where there is time-wise distance, we can
talk about many paths, but with regard to mōkṣa there is neither physical distance
or time wise distance, the distance is caused by only one thing; what is that?
Ignorance; between me and my goal. And therefore he clarifies that there is only
one path. Then what about many paths talked about in the scriptures? Wherever
many paths are talked about, we should understand that there are many paths for
jñāna yōgyatā. For getting the prepared mind, for getting a qualified mind, for
getting sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti , for jñāna yōgyatā, you can do japa. If you are
not interested, you can do pūjā; you can do service, you can go to pilgrimage, you
can do varieties of things. In the 4th chapter of the Gītā, Krishna talks about
द्रव्यय�ास्त योगय�ास्तथापर ।
स्वाध्याय�ानय�ा श यतयः सं�शतव्रत ॥ ४.२८ ॥
dravyayajñāstapōyajñā yōgayajñāstathā'parē |
svādhyāyajñānayajñāśca yatayaḥ saṃśitavratāḥ || 4.28 ||
apānē juhvati prāṇaṃ prāṇē'pānaṃ tathā'parē; even pranāyama is a sādhanā. Even

daily parāyaṇam is a sādhanā he says. There are many paths for purification; there
are not many paths for mōkṣa. And this Śankarācārya emphasis in the following
slōkās.
So he says without jñānam, a person can practice varieties of sādhanā. Except the
study of scriptures very religiously; they will also say that I do Kriya yōga, I do japa,
I do three hours pūjā, I do the entire Uttarakhaṇḍa parāyaṇam; all those things they
do; but what about the study of vēdānta; that alone do not have. They think that it
is some kind of an academic pursuit; who wants an academic intellectual pursuit. In
fact the very idea of vēdānta classes is anathema to them. Please study if you say;
they say that we are not college students; if we go, we have to write notes etc. No
No No. We want to realize the ātma and for that we have to look inside only and
why should we look out, inside the scriptures. Many people do not emphasise
vēdānta śravaṇam at all. Therefore Śankarācārya says without jñānam a person can
practice hundreds of things, but it will not give him mōkṣa.
Therefore, padanthu śāstrani; let him study any number of śāstra, śāstra means
other than vēdānta śāstra, so here śāstra refers vēdānta anya śāstrani; like tarka
śāstram, mīmāṁsa śāstram, vyakāraṇa śāstram; all the other śāstram, including
material sciences; let him be expert. And yajanthu dēvān; that is Śankarācārya said
Page 40

in Bhaja Gōvindaṁ, nahi nahi rakṣati ḍukr̥ñkaraṇē. ḍukr̥ñkaraṇē is a dhātu pāda;

the root is given; all the roots in Saṁsr̥kt language are in this; it is called Dhātu
pādaḥ. because all verbs are born out of roots. Because in saṁsr̥kt all nouns are
derived from roots; that is why it is called dātu; a list of dātu is given and one is
ḍukr̥ñkaraṇē. ḍukr̥ñ in the name of the root; karaṇē is the meaning of the root; In
English they will say; Kr: to do; gum to speak; gum to go; gum to go; gum to go;
they will be chanting this; if you ask what is gum, they will say gum to go; all these
things will not help. So some person in Kasi 90 years; ḍukr̥ñkaraṇē, ḍukr̥ñkaraṇē;
then Śankarācārya says nahi nahi rakṣati ḍukr̥ñkaraṇē.
Here also he says śāstrani ḍukr̥ñkaraṇē is the vyakāraṇa śāstrādēni, padanthu; let
him be an expert; dēvān yajanthu; let him to do all the pūjās to all the deities
available; so Krishnaastimi he celebrates, special pūjā, Rāma Navami special pūjā, all
these things he may do; dēvān yajanthu; and here he refers to all the yāgās
mentioned in the scriptures; a gr̥hastha is supposed to do 27 yāgās or something;
according to traditional lifestyle, a gr̥hastha; especially a Brāhmaṇa gr̥hastha; or a
dvija gr̥hastha is supposed to do sapta havir yajña; sapta paakha yajña; sapta
home yajña; 3x7 = 21; then Sōma yāgām, paka yajña, havir yajña, then pañja mahā
yajña regularly, 21 + 6 = 27; all supposed to do compulsory. Here Śankarācārya
says let him fulfil all of them. Kurvanthu karmāṇi; let him do lot of other loukika
karmās also, let him do any number of karmās, action and bhajanthu dēvatāas; let
him do plenty of dēvatā upaasanam; bhajanthu means upāsanam kurvanthu;
upāsanam means meditation. So varieties of dēvatā upāsanam are prescribed in the
upāsana khānda of the vēdas.
I previously said vēda is divided into pūrva bhaga and anta bhaga. Vēda pūrva itself
is subdivided into karma kāndam and upāsana kāndam. Śankarācārya says karma
kāndam cannot give mōkṣa. Upāsana also cannot mōkṣa. Therefore bhajanthu
dēvatā refers to upāsana kānda. In spite of doing all these things;
brahmaśatāntarē:'pi mukthir na sidhyati; he will not attain liberation inspite of all
these things. Suppose he practices for many years; no. suppose he practices for
many janmās, no; Śankarācārya says brahmaśatāntarē:'pi; even if hundred
Brahmājis have come and gone. For Brahmāji, one calendar day is supposed to be
2000 catur yugā; 2000 catur yugās; One catur yugā is supposed to be 4320000
years. Calculate. One catur yugā 4320000 years. Like that 2000 catur yugā if
finished, Brahmāji will tear one sheet from the day calendar. And like that Brahmāji
has got hundred years of life; go home and use calculator (you all have forgotten
Page 41

multiplication) to calculate. And when hundred years are over, having 2000 catur
yugā and each catur yugā being 432000 years, one Brahmāji will retire. He will
attain mōkṣa. So remember even Brahmāji is not śāśvatam. Another Brahmāji will
come; and like that 100 Brahmājis come and go; what will be the duration. So long
you have practiced, japa, pūjā, tapa, etc. Śankarācārya says, no mōkṣa. Even if you
have practiced pūjā, japam, tapas, etc for the duration of 100 Brahmās,
brahmaśatāntarē:'pi, mukthi nāsti.
And he puts a condition; the condition is more important; ātma aikya bodhe vina;
without the knowledge of jīvātma paramātma aikyam. Ātmaikyam means jīvātma
paramātma aikyam. bōdhaḥ means jñānam. jīvatma paramātma aikya bōdhēna vina
muktiḥ na siddyathi. That is what Śankarācārya chara said in Bhaja Gōvindaṁ also.
kurutē gaṅgāsāgarāgamanaṁ, vrataparipālanamathavā dānam | I have done so
many things; jñānavihīnaḥ sarvaṁatēna muktiṁ na bhajati janmaśatēna. That idea
is here also. Therefore what is the conclusion? Jñānam vina mukhthi hi nāsti.
But we should be very careful here. These are the slōkās which will give some
clarifications; but these are the slōkās which can create some misconceptions also;
because Śankarācārya says that śāstra, dēvatā pūjānam cannot give mōkṣa; japa
cannot give mōkṣa; tapas cannot give mōkṣa; and therefore a person will conclude
what? Therefore I can give up all these religious life style. As it is, nothing; and he is
waiting to get some opportunity to drop the so-called sandyāvandanam; so called
pūjā, so called japa, even that he will drop like hot potato; because dropping these
things is not advised. Therefore be very careful; Śankarācārya does not want to
condemn here the role of religious practices; the aim is not to condemn the role of
religious practices; the aim is to highlight the role of knowledge; but never to
condemn them; because while we say that they cannot give mōkṣa, they are
extremely important to attain the qualification for jñānam. That is why I always say,
without jñānam, pūjās are incomplete. Without jñānam, pūjās are incomplete, but
without pūjās, jñānam is impossible. WITHOUT ADVAITAM, DVAITAM IS
INCOMPLETE; WITHOUT DVAITAM ADVAITAM IS IMPOSSIBLE. If without pūjā a
person can get jñānam, why should vēda talk about the karma kānda so
elaborately? Why should vēda spend so much time on varieties of upāsana. In fact
vēda will begin with Vēdānta only. In fact it will not be called vēdānta because if it
begins with vēdānta, the whole vēda will be jñāna khānda. So the ṛṣis will be fools if
they are unnecessarily introducing karmās and upāsanas. The very fact that they are
emphasizing all these āśramas, and all the karma upāsana etc. show that they
Page 42

cannot give mōkṣa but at the same time, without them, nobody can come to mōkṣa.
For whatever pūjā, japa, tapa, etc. are there, they all must be given their
importance. But what Śankarācārya says do not stop with that; you should go to
the next stage also.
More in the next class.
Hari Om.
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004. Versus 6 to 10
वदन्त शास्त्र यजन्त दे वान ्
कुव्
र न् कमार्� भजन्त दे वताः |
आत्मैक्यबोध �वना�प मुिक्त
न �सध्य� ब्रह्मशतान्तर ||६||

vadantu śāstrāṇi yajantū dēvān
kurvantu karmāṇi bhajantū dēvatāḥ |
ātmaikyabōdhēna vināpi muktiḥ
na sidhyati brahmaśatāntarē:'pi ||6||
After talking about the glory of manuṣya janma, now from the 6th verse onwards,
up to the 13th verse, the Ācārya is talking about jñānam and jñāna sādhanām.
Jnāna and jñāna sādhanām; self-knowledge and the means of self-knowledge. First
the ācārya points out that self-knowledge alone can give liberation and any
other sādhanā cannot give liberation. And he mentions a list of sādhanā
vadantu śāstrāṇi yajantū dēvān; let a person study different śāstrās; whether it is
secular sciences or sacred sciences in the form of tarka, mīmāṁsa, vyakāraṇam, etc.
and yajanthu dēvan, let him perform any number of rituals and let him do any
number karmās; loukika karmās also or let him do any number of upāsanas, all of
them cannot give liberation; if one does not gain self-knowledge ātmaikyabōdhēna
vināpi muktiḥ na sidhyatihi even after thousands of Brahmās coming and going;
brahmaśatāntarē:'pi. And as I said, this slōka should not be misunderstood.
Śankarācārya does not condemn rituals; he does not condemn upāsanas; he only
says that they cannot give liberation. And he says that they cannot give liberation; it
should not be interpreted that they can be renounced; it should not interpreted that
they are useless. So there is very important; they are useful; without karma and
upāsana, a person can never come to jñānam. That is why I repeatedly say
without karma and upāsana, jñānam is impossible and without jñānam
karma and upāsana are incomplete (you cannot say impossible). Without
jñānam karma and upāsana are incomplete and without karma and upāsana, jñānam
is impossible. And of course, in certain cases, we may find that a person coming to
jñānam without karma and upāsana. Very early age, a person comes straightway to
jñānam. Such cases how should we interpret. Cannot say that person attains
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jñānam without karma and upāsana; we have to conclude that he has already gone
through karma and upāsana in previous janmas and he comes with readiness for
jñānam. Up to this we saw.
अमत
ृ त्वस नाशािस् �वत्तेनेत्य �ह श्रु� |
ब्रवी कम्
र ण मुक्तेरहेतुत् स्फुट यतः ||७||
amr̥tatvasya nāśāsti vittēnētyēva hi śrutiḥ |
bravīti karmaṇō muktērahētutvaṁ sphuṭaṁ yataḥ ||7||
So in the previous verse, Śankarācārya said karma cannot give mōkṣa; upāsana
cannot give mōkṣa. In this slōka, he gives the supporting pramāṇa for that. And the
pramāṇa is śruti pramāṇa and he quotes the well-known Brihadāranya statement:
amr̥tatvasya nā aśā asti. nā aśā asti how should you split. naśā asti you should not
split. na aśa asti. aśa means scope or hope; there is no hope for immortality
through vittēna; this Brihadāranyaśays that money cannot give immortality. vityēva
hi śrutiḥ; this refers to the Brihadāranya upaṇiṣad from the well known Maitreyi
Brāhmanam this particular statement comes. And we have got similar idea in
another śruti vākyam; na karmaṇa na prāja ya danēna tyagē naike amrutatva
mānase; here also danēna amr̥tatvam asa na asti.
Now Śankarācārya points out that money is the means of performing karma;
especially vaidika karma or any other karma; any other project you want to
undertake, you want financial resources. And if a person wants to undertake
scriptural rituals also this basic thing is money. The moment the priest sits, he will
chant Varam dādami and ask for 2-1/2 rupees. Even for engaging them to start the
rituals. This is the dakṣiṇā. And thereafterwards all the materials requires money and
at the end also you have to give dakṣiṇā. Therefore money is seen in scriptures as
karma sādhanām. A way of looking at it; normally we will see as kāma sādhanām
as a means of getting food or getting pleasures, but the scriptures see money as
karma sādhanām. And Śankarācārya therefore says that if the upaṇiṣad says money
cannot give mōkṣa; that money-based karma cannot mōkṣa. Vittēna na mōkṣaḥ is
equal to vitta sādya karmaṇā na mōkṣaḥ. Vittēna na mōkṣaḥ is equal to vitta sādya
karmaṇā ha na mōkṣa.
Mōkṣa cannot be attained through wealth, If mōkṣa cannot be attained through

karma, what is accomplished through wealth? That is what is said in the next line.
Karmaṇah muktēr ahētutvaṁ gati. Śruti refers to karma as not a means of giving
Page 45

liberation, as being capable of giving liberation. So otherwise, it is superficially look.

First line and second line there seems to be no connection. First line śruti says no
mōkṣa through money. Śankarācārya says in the second line. Therefore there is no
mōkṣa through karma. Śruti says no mōkṣa through money. Śankarācārya says no
mōkṣa through karma; how to do you connect the first and the second? Please add;
if it is born out of money. If money can give no mōkṣa; rituals cannot also give
mōkṣa. Karmaṇā mōkṣaḥ na bhavathi.
And once we say karmaṇā na mōkṣaḥ; we have to extend it to all upāsanas also;
karma is indicative of upalakṣaṇam of all upāsanas; and therefore we should add
upāsanas cannot give mōkṣa. How do you include upāsanas in karma? Upāsanas are
also a type of karma only. All upāsanas come under karma only; they come under
activities only. If upāsanas also come under karma, why do you call them upāsana?
We call them upāsana because, weakness of upāsana is that they are all actions
purely performed by the mind. Therefore to indicate the karmās performed by the
mind we choose an expression upāsana. Therefore upāsana is defined as mānasam
karma. Upāsana is defined as mānasam karma. All upāsanas are mental
activities; but all mental activities are not upāsanas. Careful. All Tamilians are
Indians. All Indians are Tamilians you should not say. So all upāsana s are mānasam
karmās but all mānasam karmās are not upāsanas. So what is the conclusion:
Karmaṇā na mōkṣa; upāsanēna na mōkṣaḥ.
And here Śankarācārya gave śruti support; we should be aware of logical support
also. That Śankarācārya does not give here. But we should know. What is the
logical support? All the karmās produce results in time. All the karma phalams are
end-product of a process. All the karma phalams are the end product of a process or
a series of processes whether it is physical process or mental process; it is an end
product. If it is an end product, it has got a beginning. If it has got a beginning it
will certainly have an end. And that is why in Saṁsr̥kt word phalam is split as
phalgutaya dhīyatē iti phalam. That which rots and perishes is called phalam. That
which rots and perishes is phalam. From that very derivation it is very clear that
whatever karma phalam you acquire, they will get rotten. Like the fruits and
vegetables, etc. they write perishable goods. All karma phalams are perishable.
And what is mōkṣa? Mōkṣa is not an end product of a process. Mōkṣa is not an end
product of any process. Therefore we should never expect mōkṣa to happen in
future. Biggest mistake that we commit is expect mōkṣa to happen in future.
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என்னக வ�ம. இன்ன வரைல. இன்ன வரைல. Svāmiji will it come in the next
janma? Therefore always expecting mōkṣa to take place as an event is the basic
mistake we commit. If mōkṣa comes as an event, it will become a phalam and it will
come and it will go also.
Then what are we struggling to do here? Not to attain mōkṣa; but we are attempting
to discover mōkṣa as an eternal fact. All of our sādhanā are not to attain mōkṣa, as
a event. all our sādhanās are to discover mōkṣa, as an eternal fact. This is
very important. Understand. Therefore mōkṣa cannot be attained through karma or
upāsana because of śruti support and because of logical support.
There is a word sphuṭam. sphuṭam means goes with bravithi. Upaṇiṣad clealy tells
karmaṇā na mōkṣa.
अतो �वमुक्त् प्रयते �वद्वान

संन्यस्तबाह्याथर्सुखस सन ् |
सन्त महान्त समुपेत् दे �शकं
तेनोप�दष्टाथर्समा�हतात ||८||
atō vimuktyai prayatēt vidvān
saṁnyastabāhyārthasukhaspr̥haḥ san |
santaṁ mahāntaṁ samupētya dēśikaṁ
tēnōpadiṣṭārthasamāhitātmā ||8||
So therefore Śankarācārya says that every intelligent being should work for mōkṣa
alone. And for mōkṣa one should work for knowledge alone. Every intelligent
person should work for mōkṣa.
Since mōkṣa is through knowledge, one should work for knowledge. So therefore
adaha vidvān every intelligent person; Śankarācārya consciously uses the adjective;
if anybody works for anything other than mōkṣa indirectly; which means that they
are fools; avidvān; means anitya vasthu vivēki. one who has clearly grasped what is
śaśvatam and what is all aśaśvatvam, fleeting, temporary, perishable, he has clearly
understood; vidvān means nitya anitya vastu vivēki, such a person,
saṁnyastabāhyārthasukhaspr̥haḥ san, not only he has got vivēka, he has got
vairāgyaṁ also. Viragyam towards what bāhya artha sukhaḥ; bāhya artha sukha,
pleasures born out of external objects; called bāhya artha; artha means objects;
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pleasures born out of external objects, we can call sensory pleasures; and spr̥haḥ
means addiction; attachment is called spr̥haḥ. rāgaḥ; āsakti, crazy; and sanyastha,
free from. Therefore an intelligent person should become free from all these
addictions for sensory pleasures; san means vairāgyaṁ, having attended vivēka and
vairāgyaṁ. What does he should do? Once we get vivēka ad vairāgyaṁ, a lot of time
is saved. Lot of time is saved because sensory pleasures may be there in this life;
but they are only to a limited extent; the entertainment does not become the
primary object of life. As I have often said, never say that entertainment should not
be there at all. Human mind cannot be serious 24 hours; he wants some distraction.
He wants some relaxation; certainly Krishna himself accepts in the Gītā. sā āhāra
vihārasya yukta cētasā karmāṇu; vihāraḥ means some recreation; some relaxation;
some diversions are required; but the proportion must be very clear. I have told you
about the example of taking pickle for curd rice or taking curd rice for pickle. That
must be clear. So here, we never totally condemn sense pleasures; we talk about
priorities.
Once priorities are clear; lot of time is available for something greater; therefore
what should you do? vimuktyai prayatēta; such a mature person should work for
liberation.
And what should he do for liberation? Can be sit alone and meditate? Meditate on
the Self and ask the question: Do you know what is self; that only is not known. So
people talk about meditating on the Self without introducing what is Self. How can I
meditate on something which I do not know at all. If I meditate upon something
which I do not know; it will not be meditation; it will be a series of imaginations
alone. And therefore Śankarācārya says working for mōkṣa is never an independent
job. It has to be necessarily done under the guidance of someone alone. All other
sādhanā one may do without guidance but once a person wants to pursue
spirituality; he should never attempt to singlehandedly; he will end up as a mad
person. Somebody was speaking to me the other day. A person practices meditation
for hours and reading some book here and there concentrates between eyebrows;
he almost become a mental state. Not only that he fainted one day after intense
meditation and he does not know what to do and he is not able to lead a normal life
and all types of problems; in the name of what? Spirituality.
Therefore Śankarācārya says clearly dēśikaṁ samupētya; one should lead a spiritual
life, by approaching a guru, a guide, to know what it is all about. Dēśikaḥ means
Page 48

guruḥ; ācāryaḥ; and the word dēśikaḥ; it is a beautiful word; in fact that is the ideal
word for a guru; literally dēśika means the one who teaches scriptures. A scriptural
teacher is called a dēśika. Śāstram upadiśati iti dēśikaḥ. We can have several people
for worship. We can have the picture, idols and we can do pūjā, we can garland; we
can do; they cannot be called dēśika; they are only blessing; they are only blessers;
and there can be many people who can inspire; we can have inspirers; we can have
many blessers; but what we want is somebody who can guide. And a teacher is
called a dēśikaḥ. And what type of dēśikaḥ? Santaṁ, the one who is a competent
teacher, who has got the qualification to be a teacher; qualification mainly in
Mundakopāṇiṣad; stōtriyam Brahmaniṣṭam. Brahaṁaniṣṭaḥ means the one who
abides in Brahman. That is what he preaches and what he is, both are not different.
What he teaches is Brahman and he himself is Brahman. It is because, if I am not
Brahman, I will be teaching Brahman as though it is a third entity. Constantly saying
that Brahman, that Brahman, I create a distance and I only feed the objectification
tendency. If I repeatedly do that, the student also, after 15 years or 20 years, he
will say that I have known Brahman but I have not come across Brahman. He will be
eternally waiting for Brahman; biggest misguidance a teacher can give. If the
teacher has to reveal that Brahman as yourselves, as not something of an object to
be realised in later time, then alone the student would be able to say Ahaṁ
Brahmāsmi. Only if it is Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi for the teacher, then alone he can be a
Tat Tvam Asi, then alone the student would also say Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi. Therefore he
is called Brahma Niṣṭaḥ. Brahma Niṣṭa is one for whom the subject matter and
himself are identical.
And the second qualification is stōtriyaḥ; he should have the methodology of

communication; which is uniquely designed and developed in the scriptures. A
particular method of communication, in which you introduce a concept and go to the
next higher concept and negate the previous concept; then go to the next one and
then negate the previous one. introduce, negate, introduce, negate,
introduce, negate; and when it is finally negated; and what should be left
behind? i, the negator, alone should be left behind. After negating all the
negatable; which is called adyāropa-apavāda method; introduction and negation;
introduction and negation; and ultimately when all the negatables are negated, the
unnegatable-I; which is unobjectifiable; that unnegatable; and unobjectifiable
consciousness alone will be left behind; this method is called adyāropa apavāda; this
is designed and developed in the scriptures alone. And the one who knows this
method and the one who has got the knack of handling the method. If that method
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is handled properly, the sign of proper handling is the student will stop expecting
mōkṣa as an event. That is the ideal communication. The student should stop
expecting mōkṣa as an event. He will only say I am not a samsāri. ேமாக்
வந்��த்ே என் ேகட்டல பதில ெசால்லமாட்ட. Stop this expectation for
mōkṣa and drop the notion of banda. This is the sign of ideal communication. And
the student alone should certify the teacher is proper because, if the student is able
to say I do not expect mōkṣa to happen; I am not a samsāri; if a student says, the
teacher is successful. Therefore the competence of the teacher is proved by whom?
the competence of the teacher is proved by the student; at least one student must
come up and say; then alone the competence is proved. Therefore, that is called
stōtriyatvam. A Brahmaniṣṭa cannot be a communicator. So a Brahmaniṣṭa is a
mystic; a stothriya-brahmaniṣṭa is dēśikaḥ; a mystic cannot be a dēśikaḥ. Dēśika is
never a mystic.
Therefore vimuktyai prayatēt santaṁ; the word santaṁ means stōtriyam

Brahmaniṣṭam dēśikam. And what type of stōtriyam brahmaniṣṭa he is: Mahāntam.
One who is generous ācārya; compassinate ācārya. Because he does not say "I
have got liberation; if you have not, then that is your problem"; but he thinks யான
ெபற் இன்ப, இைவய்யக ெபற்றிடே!. Not only I should be free, I should share and
make the other people also enjoy this freedom; not with a motive; not for getting
any benefit out of it. If any benefit is expected, it is business; Vēdānta will be
another business. Without any motive; not even for getting the status of a guru.
That is the last bondage. If I want to enjoy the status of a guru, I have to keep you
permanently as a disciple. So I should make sure that you are not free; or else when
you are free, you will stop being my disciple. So to keep the disciple to enjoy
gurudom; as Svāmi Dayānandaḥ says: Kingdom; Gurudom; to maintain; that is
another bondage. Therefore without even desiring for gurudom; the one who gives
out the knowledge; he is called Mahān; dayāluḥ; compassinate; and such a teacher;
we should approach and having approached what should do நமஸ்கார பண்ண�ட
ஓ� ேபாய�ட படா�. (Not run away after doing namaskāra). He is a teacher therefore
you have to receive the teaching. Not only should you receive the teaching; you
should dwell upon the teaching.
Therefore tēna upadiṣṭārtha samāhitātmā; one should be absorbed in the teaching;

samāhita means absorbed; here Ātma means mind; the mind should be absorbed in
the teaching given out by him. Here ārtha means teaching. Here Śankarācārya is
Page 50

referring to śravaṇam because this absorption should take place for some time.
Questioning should not happen from day one itself. The student should never
question in the beginning. From the first statement, he should not question, or else
the teacher cannot proceed further. Therefore whatever questions are there, I may
feel it is illogical, impossible, improper, absurd, unscientific, irrational, meaningless,
etc. but until I get a comprehensive and total picture, I go on receiving. And having
received the total picture, thereafterwards if there are clarifications required, then
mananam should begin. Therefore samāhitātmā initially be just receive, receive,
receive. Do not question. Not that questions are not allowed; but after
comprehensive grasping.
उद्धरेदात्मनात् मग्न संसारवा�रधौ |

योगारूढत्वमासा सम्यग्दशर्न�नष ||९||
uddharēdātmanātmānaṁ magnaṁ saṁsāravāridhau |
yōgārūḍhatvamāsādya samyagdarśananiṣṭhayā ||9||
All these slōkās are talking about jñāna sādhanām. Previous slōka, this slōka; jñāna
sādhanām is vēdānta śravaṇam; otherwise called vēdānta vicāraḥ. So the same idea
is repeated in all these verses in different ways.
yōgārūḍhatvamāsādya. Before entering vicāra, one should attain vicāra yōgyatā.

Vicāraḥ means scriptural enquiry. Before entering scriptural enquiry; scripture based
enquiry, one should attain vicāra yōgyatā; fitness for that enquiry; which
Śankarācārya calls yōgārūḍhatvam. Yōgārūḍhatvam means vicāra yōgyatā. In
another language, sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti is called yōgārūḍhatvam.
And how do you attain sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti, Śankarācārya does not
mention; we have to supply; through karma and upāsana, which includes vēda
pārāyaṇam, prayer, etc., because by the time we come to vēdānta, we should learn
to look upon vēda as a means of knowledge. Vēda is not talking about doing
something to get knowledge; but vēda itself is a valid source of knowledge.
Knowledge of what? Something which the perception and logic cannot reveal. Vēda
does not speak something for me to experiment to arrive at. Vēda is not teaching to
experiments, which I have to do and know. If vēda is teaching an experiment, I can
learn that experiment; thereafterwards I can start doing that experiment; and then
note; it is not. Vēda is not teaching experiments to know. Vēda is directly giving
knowledge. And therefore all our aim is understanding what vēda communicates.
Page 51

And we look upon what vēda communicates as knowledge itself; exactly like, what
sense organs communicate or present; we take as what? Knowledge. What sense
organs communicate, I take as knowledge. If I have to check up what a sense organ
communicates with another sense organ; another sense organ cannot prove or
disprove. Perhaps what can I do is: கண்ணாெ பார்த்த ெத�யவ�ல்ை
என்றா, கண்ை ப�ைசன் தி�ம் கண்ணா தான பார்கண. (if what you saw
is not clear, once again clean the eyes and see with the same eyes; not with the
ears). What the eyes reveal is knowledge for me. Similarly what vēda communicates
to me is knowledge. Eyes reveal something in its field. Ears reveal something in its
field. Vēda reveals something in its field. Every bit of knowledge reveal something in
its field. What eye reveals, eye does not prove or disprove through ears. Similarly
what ear reveal, the eyes do not prove or disprove.
Similarly what vēda reveals, I grasp as the very knowledge. It is knowledge for me.
Once the knowledge is not clear; if knowledge is not clear, what will I do? If the
eyes seeing is not clear. What will I do? you cannot use the ears; clear the eyes and
again use the eyes alone. If vēda's teaching is not clear; what should I do; go back
to vēda alone once again and try to understand; still not clear; again go to vēda;
thus our aim to understand the vēda, which itself is the knowledge. This attitude is
called pramāṇa buddhi; developing the attitude that vēda is a pramāṇam. Exactly
like sense organs are pramāṇam in their field; vēda is pramāṇam in its field.
And all these things; why śraddhāḥ is one the sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti. This
prāmaṇya buddhi is called śraddhāḥ. If the prāmaṇya buddhi is not there; we
generally say that the study of vēda is not of any use at all. Without prāmaṇya
buddhi the study of vēda will be: vēda is talking about some hypothesis but I cannot
express it as knowledge. Therefore without śraddhāḥ, study of vēda is a waste of
time. Therefore yōgarudastvam is important; āsādya, one should attain.
After attaining yōgarudastvam; what is the next thing; samyak darśana niṣṭa. Niṣṭa
means commitment. In what? Samyak darśanam; self knowledge or self-enquiry.
Samyak darśana niṣṭaya one should be committed to self-enquiry; otherwise called
vēdānta vicāraḥ.
Therefore two stage; the first stage vēdānta vicāra yōgyatā prāpthi; next stage is
vēdānta vicāraḥ. The whole life is only for these two. First three āśramas,
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brahmacārya, gr̥hastha, vānaprastha, all these āśramas are vicāra yōgyatā prāpthihi;
sanyāsa āśrama is vicāraḥ; this is the yōgic design.
And having done this; through this; what should one do; uddharēd ātmanā
atmānam; by following this one should uplift oneself by oneself. One should uplift,
oneself by oneself. That is the importance of self-effort is highlighted. The
importance of proper use of free will is highlighted.
I have said often, that Īśvara's grace is important; guru's grace is important; śāstra's
grace is important; vēdānta accepts grace very much; what we emphasise is grace
can never replace self-effort. Grace can never never never never replace self-
effort; however, big and powerful the grace may be. The grace can only
booster; support the self-effort. And therefore Śankarācārya says: uddharēd; better
you work. அவன இன்ற ஓர அ��ம அசயா�; அவன அ�ளால அவைன வணங்க;
therefore there are so many statements; all that, in those contexts highlighting
grace; but whatever be the description of grace, we should never think that
பகவான நிைனத்த அவ் என்ை classக் வர ெவப்ப. மைழ வந்தா ெகாஞம obstacles
இ�க்கதா இ�க்�. I should have the will power to get up in spite of obstacles;
this or that; if I have the will; where there is a will, there is a way. Grace is
important, but it can never replace will power. Therefore, Śankarācārya says
uddharēdātmanātmānaṁ.
If you have to uplift, it must be fallen somewhere; then it must have fallen; where
has it fallen? saṁsāra vāridhau magnaṁ. The self which is submerged which is
drowned in the ocean of saṁsāra; is not dead; if it is dead, no problem; but neither
dead or alive; coming up and gulping lot of water and again going down; going up
and down; it is a struggling suffering jīvātma you have to uplift.
संन्यस सवर्कमार् भवबन्ध�वमुक्त |

यत्यता पिण्डतैध�रैरात्माभ् उपिस्थतै ||१०||
saṁnyasya sarvakarmāṇi bhavabandavimuktayē |
yatyatāṁ paṇḍitairdhīrairātmābhyāsa upasthitaiḥ ||10||
Śankarācārya continues with the sādhanā for self-knowledge. Sarvakarmāṇi

saṁnyasya. Renounce all the karmās; when? Very important? When, not in the
beginning itself; after attaining the benefit of karma. One should renounce all the
Page 53

karmās, after gaining the benefit of karmās. This is with regard to everything; even
when we are born, we renounced the mother's womb; we were in the womb; when
does the child renounce the womb? Not in the second month, not in the third month
or the fourth month; after remaining in the womb and until attaining the benefit of
being in the womb; that means that much growth. Therefore, remain, grow,
renounce. After renouncing the college means what? Not in the beginning itself;
after entering the college, getting the benefit; after graduation, renounce the
college. For everything, renunciation is not in the beginning. But only after attaining
the benefit. Therefore saṁnyasya sarvakarmāṇi means sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti
anantharam saṁnasya Sarvakarmāṇi. After attaining sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti;
after attaining purity of mind; after neutralising the rāga-dvēṣa complexes; after
attaining the maturity; after becoming clear regarding the priorities of life;
saṁnyasya sarvakarmāṇi.
This sanyāsa is of two types. One is the formal scriptural sanyāsa; and in that
sanyāsa, one can renounce all the religious rituals totally. In scriptural sanyāsa one
is free to renounce all the religious rituals. And another is mental detachment
remaining in gr̥hastha āśram. Mental detachment remaining in gr̥hastha āśrama. In
this sanyāsa, one cannot totally renounce religious rituals or religious exercises; one
has to maintain skeletal religious activities for the sake of society; for the sake of
family; he may not need them; as long as he is in the set up, whether it is some
prayer; doing namaskāra, going to temples, certain festivals come; you may not
celebrate festivals elaborately; but you will have to have it in skeletal form;
Therefore a gr̥hastha cannot totally renounce; he can only refuse karmās. Sanyāsi
can give up all the karmās having done that sanyāsa.
And paṇḍitai, he should also attain some intellectual competence. This is one thing
we require for vēdānta. He must be rationally sound; he should be logically strong;
he must be intellectually competent. That is why illiterate people, uneducated people
will find vēdānta difficult. For them, we can only prescribe Bhakthi; japam; pūjā, etc.
You cannot prescribe vēdānta for uneducated people, because education means the
capacity to logically think. Even if the person does not have the modern education;
need not be a graduate; in the olden days, they had tarka; mīmāṁsa; vyakāraṇa.
These are three basic sciences, which develop thinking, communication, language
and logic. Tarka teaches him how to think logically. Vyakāraṇa teaches him how to
communicate efficiently. And mīmāṁsa teaches him how to interpret the scriptural
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statement. Therefore education is a must for understanding vēdānta and therefore

paṇḍitai; he must be a paṇḍitai.
Hari Om.
Page 55

005. Verses 10 To 12
उद्धरेदात्मनात् मग्न संसारवा�रधौ |

योगारूढत्वमासा सम्यग्दशर्न�नष ||९||
uddharēdātmanātmānaṁ magnaṁ saṁsāravāridhau |
yōgārūḍhatvamāsādya samyagdarśananiṣṭhayā ||9||
संन्यस सवर्कमार् भवबन्ध�वमुक्त |

यत्यता पिण्डतैध�रैरात्माभ् उपिस्थतै ||१०||
saṁnyasya sarvakarmāṇi bhavabandavimuktayē |
yatyatāṁ paṇḍitairdhīrairātmābhyāsa upasthitaiḥ ||10||
After glorifying manuṣya janma, Śankarācārya started discussing ātma jñānam and
ātma jñāna sādhanām from verse No.6 onwards which goes up to verse No.13 is
Ātma jñānam and ātma jñāna sādhanām. And here Śankarācārya pointed out that
ātma jñānam is the only sādhanām for mōkṣa; no other sādhanām can give mōkṣa.
And that does not mean that all other sādhanams are useless; they all have their
utility and their utility is in attaining jñāna yōgyatā and for jñāna yōgyatā siddhi; for
getting the fitness for knowledge; we have got many sādhanās; choices are there.
So with regard to jñāna yōgyatā, we can give the example of a temple which can be
reached through many paths. Temple can be reached through many paths. Similarly
jñāna yōgyatā can be attained through many sādhanās; whereas you know the deity
in the sanctum can be reached only through one door. Four doors are there to enter
the temple but to enter the garbha griha, how many doors are provided? Only one
door. Similarly jñāna prāpthyartham, there are many paths; for mōkṣa prāpthi, there
is only one path, jñānam.
And having said that, Śankarācārya started discussing the means of knowledge.
How can we acquire knowledge? And he pointed that there is only one method of
acquiring knowledge and that is śāstra vicāraḥ. Enquiry into the scriptures. Because
self is not available for the sense organs; perception cannot lead to self-knowledge;
and since the self cannot give perceptual data, science also cannot give discover
self. Science discovers things by collecting data. And since no perceptual data can be
acquired with regard to the self, science also cannot help with regard to self-
knowledge. As far as meditation is concerned, we do not accept meditation as a
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means of knowledge at all and therefore meditation by itself can only refine the
mind; quieten the mind. After meditation a person will be quietly ignorant; before
meditation a person will be tumultuously ignorant. Thus ignorance cannot be
eliminated through meditation. Therefore perception is not useful; inference, science
or logic is not useful; meditation is not useful. Therefore the only useful method is
śāstra vicāram.
Then the question comes how can śāstra lead to self-knowledge; because śāstram is
outside, Self is inside. How can the pursuit of an external śāstra lead to the
knowledge of internal Self? For that he gives answer, it is exactly like seeing a
mirror. When you are looking into a mirror, your vision is turned extrovert alright,
your eyes are looking out alright; but when you are looking into the mirror you are
not seeing an object but you are the seer-I. That a mirror is a unique external
instrument which gives the knowledge of the seer. Mirror is seen-object; but it gives
the knowledge of the seer-I. If mirror can give subjective knowledge, seeing outside,
we say the śāstra also is exactly like the mirror; more we are looking into śāstra; the
more we begin to understand the real-seer. Mirror gives me the knowledge of the
superficial-seer, i.e. the eyes, śāstra darpaṇaḥ. One book is titled śāstra darpaṇaḥ.
So the śāstram-mirror gives me the knowledge of the inner Self. So the study of
śāstra should not be taken as academic pursuit; it should not be taken as an
intellectual gymnastic; it should not be taken as an ego boosting pursuit; but śāstra
pursuit should be taken as the pursuit of the Self. And thus Śāstra vicārah is ātma
vicārah and ātma vicārah is śāstra vicārah. There is no śāstra vicārah without ātma
vicārah; there is no ātma vicārah without śāstra vicārah.
And when I repeatedly use the word vicārah; we should be very careful; it is not the
tamil வ�சாரம; in tamil vicāram means kavalai கவைல; worry. Therefore I am not
calling you and say please do one hour கவைல. For that I need not call you here;
already you are expert in doing that at home. Here vicārah means analysis; enquiry.
Mīmāṁsa. When we enquire into the scriptures, the enquiry is called mīmāṁsa.
When you enquire other things; material things, that is called vicāraḥ. What is the
difference between vicāraḥ and mīmāṁsa. Sacred enquiry is called mīmāṁsa;
secular enquiry is called vicāraḥ. All the Enquiry Commissions, you cannot use the
word Mīmāṁsa; for analysing all the bloody corruption; you should not use that
word. Only when the scriptures are involved, it is defined in Saṁsr̥kt as pūjita
vicāraḥ; mīmāṁsa; what is the definition; pūjita vicāraḥ; sacred enquiry is called
mīmāṁsa.
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And this mīmāṁsa is the only method of Self-knowledge and Śankarācārya

has been talking about this in all the slōkas; we saw verse No.09 and we are seeing
verse No.10; saṁnyasya sarvakarmāṇi bhavabandavimuktayē; yatyatāṁ
paṇḍitairdhīrairātmābhyāsa upasthitaiḥ. May the seekers do vicāraḥ.
And how should one do vicāraḥ? Sarvakarmāṇi saṁnyasya. After renouncing all the
karmās; if the karmās are formally renounced, it is called sanyāsa āśrama. So
literally saṁnyasya sarvakarmāṇi means caturta āśram swekritya; but if a person
does not take to sanyāsa āśrama, we can do the enquiry in Gr̥hastha āśrama also;
but reducing the karmās to some extent, and developing detachment. In fact finding
time is easier. But getting a withdrawn mind is more difficult. For a gr̥hastha's
attempt is more than finding time, finding a quality mind, because the mind can,
when time is available, efficiently do the worrying. vr̥ddaḥ stavat, Śankarācārya 's
language, cintā saktaḥ. In fact a vr̥ddaḥ puruṣaḥ gets plenty of time; generally,
because nobody wants to talk to us, because they know once they start talking we
start only in 1914. Another thing is we do not have a good memory; so we do not
know to whom what we said எைத ஆ�ட் ெசான்ேனா என்றதிநா same stories we
will repeat again and again. So people generally avoid us and we get lot of time
therefore. Therefore time is not a problem but the mind, committed mind, a
withdrawn mind is difficult to attain. Therefore detachment becomes more important
for a gr̥hastha than even reducing the activity. If detachment is there, minutes
available would be quality time. If the detachment is not there; even three hours will
be spent in cintā sakthaḥ. Therefore saṁnyasya sarvakarmāṇi; means finding quality
time.
And paṇḍithai; one should become paṇḍitaḥ; paṇḍitaḥ means well-learned capable
of logical thinking. Because vēdānta involves knowing. And knowing involves
thinking. If vēdānta is talking about the experience, it does not require at all.
Suppose I want to give an extraordinary experience Amarnath or Manasa Sarovar; I
need not ask you to develop a thinking mind; Amarnath experience requires what?
Going to Amarnath. Similarly if I am going to give you a mystic experience or an
extraordinary experience I need not talk about logical thinking. Therefore we should
remember vēdānta is not talking about a supra-normal experience; but it is talking
about a clear understanding of a very ordinarily-experienced-consciousness.
Consciousness is something available in every experience; prathibōdhaḥ vidhitam
matham. Consciousness is not extra ordinary; it is the most ordinary thing. In fact,
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more ordinary than every other object, because the other objects come and go; but
consciousness is experienced when? In fact, from the first moment of the day; jāgrat
svapna suṣiptiṣu spūṭatarā ya samvit ujrmbhyatē; jāgrat avasthāyam caitanyaṁ
upalabhyate; svapna avasthāyam caitanyaṁ upalabhyate; suṣipti avasthāyam;
sarvēṣu avasthāyaam, dēśēṣu kāleṣu; sarvāsu avastāsu ahaṁ ahaṁ iti.
Consciousness is ever evident. It is the most ordinary thing.
Therefore our aim is to clearly understand this consciousness is not part of matter; it
is an independent entity which is my nature. And when I have to assimilate this, the
intellect raises lot of questions and therefore to answer the question and to make
the intellect clearly understand, lot of thinking is involved. Therefore Śankarācārya
says Paṇḍitaḥ; Paṇḍitaḥ means a logical thinker is required. And for that alone, in
those days, there were three solid sciences which were made compulsory; tarka
śāstram; vyakāraṇa śāstram, mīmāṁsa śāstram. Tarka śāstram means the capacity
to logically think. Thought level logic is called tarka śāstram. Then vyakāraṇa
śāstram means the capacity to convert this thought into words, appropriate word is
required, because the teacher is communicating the knowledge through words;
because the teacher is converting the thought into words and the student has to
reconvert the words into thought; just like the television centre transmits the waves
of all the pictures; and our television set has to do what? reconvert the wave into
pictures and in any place is the conversion is not efficient; we cannot get a good
picture. Therefore every class is a transmitting centre; whether it is a worth teacher
is not known; and the receiving set should also be proper. And the whole thing is
what? Conversion of thought into word and conversion of word into thought. At the
word level it is called vyakāraṇa śāstram; and vyakāraṇa śāstram is otherwise called
pada śāstram. Vyakāraṇa śāstram is called pada śāstram. And tarka śāstram is the
science of thinking; precise thinking; and precisely expressing.
And then mīmāṁsa śāstram is the capacity to understand a sentence in the

background of the whole śāstram; because the same sentence can mean differently
based upon the context. Since context influences the meaning, we should have a
global vision. For example, Krishna tells in the Gītā; karmaṇā mōkṣaḥ; karmaṇāihi
saṁsiddhim āstika janakādaya; svalpa āpyasya dharmasya, trayatē mahoto bhayāt.
Clearly Krishna says karmaṇā mōkṣaḥ. If you take that sentence out of context; we
will get one of the most unfortunate conclusion that karma is also means of mōkṣa;
but we know that neither vēda support or logic support it. Therefore we have to
interpret the statement properly. We cannot say Krishna is wrong, because Krishna
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is an avatāra and he cannot commit mistake. You cannot say Vyāsaācārya, like the
local reporters, have made some mistake. You know these reporters make great
injustices. Like that Vyasācārya cannot be said to be wrong. Vyāsa is also another
avatāra. Just as Krishna is avathaara; Vyāsa is avathara. Therefore both cannot be
wrong because there is a statement karmaṇā saṁsiddhim. Then we have to do
what? Look at the statement in the totality of the Gītā; and Śankarācārya
beautifully comes to the conclusion, saṁsiddhihi means citta shuddhi. Therefore
karmaṇā saṁsuddhi should be interpretted as karmaṇā citta suddhihi; not mōkṣa.
So this capacity to interpret by studying what has gone by and what is going to
come in future is called shad linga analysis; some of you might be aware of it; I
have discussed in other classes; ṣaḍ liṅga vikārā it is called, this analysis is called
mīmāṁsa śāstram. Thus pada śāstram or vyakāraṇa śāstram; tarka śāstram or logic
and mīmāṁsa śāstram means the science of interpretation. And the one who has
got all these is called the paṇḍitaḥ.
And the mere scholarship is not enough. If he has got scholarship, he will approach
Upaṇiṣad as an academic book and he will take it as a subject for his P.hd thesis and
he will get a degree and go away. Scholarship is a must; but scholarship alone is not
sufficient. Vēdānta requires scholarship; not extreme scholarship but reasonably
sound thinking. Scholarship is required; but scholarship is not enough. Then what
else is required? dhīraiḥ; he must be a vivēki; a seeker of a mōkṣa. He must not
approach with an academic attitude; but he should have discovered the problem of
saṁsāra, and he must have discovered that all other doors are closed as we saw in
the case of Arjuna. In the battlefield he has extreme sorrow and all his wealth could
not help him; all his name and fame could not help him; prosperity useless; name
useless; fame useless; duty useless; many wives Arjuna had; they were useless;
brothers were there useless; in extreme sorrow nothing will help except vēdānta.
Then what about others; the others can serve as temporary relief measures; like for
cold, we apply lot of ointment. All that for what? not to cure cold; you know, if you
take medicine it will go in seven days; if you do not take medicine, it will go in one
week. Thus except vēdānta, all other medicines are palliatives relief, temporary
relief we will get and again it will come; such a person must have discovered
saṁsāra problem and he must be a mumukṣu, not an ordinary mumukṣu, tīvraḥ
mumukṣu. Therefore, Śankarācārya says: dhīraiḥ; dhīraiḥ means vivēki; vivēki
means the one who has understood the uselessness of all other means and one who
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has understood the uniqueness of Self-knowledge as the only remedy for saṁsāra.
And if a person says that I have not discovered saṁsāra problem; and therefore I
am not interested in mōkṣa; vēdantin will not get angry. He will say go into saṁsāra;
like the Pattinathar said: ப� மனேம ப�; go and see all the things and having got
enough kicks you come back; we will wait if I am not available, the then generation
siṣya will be available; if not available, the next generation would be available;
mumukṣatvam is a must. Scholarship plus tīvraḥ mōkṣa icchāḥ will make a person
ready for enquiry.
So paṇḍithyam is important; dhīratvam is important. Then what is the next?

Ātmabhyāsa upasthithai. And one should become dedicated; committed to ātma
bhyaśaha; Self-enquiry. Ātmabhyāsaḥ is another beautiful word for Self-enquiry.
Here abhyāsaḥ means śravaṇa manana nidhidhyaśanāni. Thus being committed to
this one should work for mōkṣa. Yadyatham. Let effort be put forth. Prayatna
kriyatham. iti arthaḥ.
�चत्तस शद्ध
ु कमर न तु वस्तूपलब्ध |
वस्तु�स�द्ध�वर्च न �कं �चत्कमर्को�ट� ||११||
cittasya śuddhayē karma na tu vastūpalabdhayē |
vastusiddhirvicārēṇa na kiṁcitkarmakōṭibhiḥ ||11||
This is an oft quoted slōka. Here Śankarācārya talks about the relative roles of
karma and vicāraḥ, and he says each one is unique and each one has a unique role
to play and one cannot substitute the other. And therefore karma is extremely
important for citta śuddhi. And by karma we mean karma yōga; a dhārmic religious
way of life; which involves pañja mahā yajñas which I mentioned in the introductory
talk; a life of dharma. A religious life. And what is dharma? I have said three things
constitute dharma; one is rituals or religious exercises; like pūjā japa etc. that is
one part of dharma; all religious exercises. Whether it is temple visit, pūjā,
pilgrimmage japa, etc. all of them will come under rituals or religious exercises.
Second part of dharma is values. There are many people who give importance to
religious exercises but they never give importance to their character, the quality or
morality. And therefore morality or value is the second part of dharma.
And third part of dharma is attitude; the way we look at the creation; the way we
look at ourselves and the way we look at the people around. First learn to respect
Page 61

yourself. That is the basic difference between some of the other people and our
religion. They address everyone Oh Sinners! ஏ�க்ெகனே guilt; ஏ�க்ெகனே
complexes; I am useless; I am useless; which is being reinforced by the family

members: உன்னாேல என்ன ஆக ேபாகி; உன்னாேல என்ன ேபாகிற� ெசால்ல;
and the religion also comes and tells you "Sinners". Therefore learn to develop Self-
respect. It is not ego; it is not arrogance; it is not pride; you say I am great not
because of anything; because Lord is inside me. Superiority by myself, I am great;
because I am a devotee of the Lord. I am great because the Lord is residing in me.
Why should I see as small. Therefore attitude should be one of self-respect. Similarly
attitude towards the universe is that it is sacred; similarly towards parents. Thus
attitudes make the third part of dharma.
Thus religious exercises, values and attitude. This is called karma here. cittasya
śuddaye karma; Karma is equal to dharma; dharmaḥ is equal to religious life;
religious life is equal to these three. Such a religious life is very important right from
applying vibhoothi kumkum etc. They are not ordinary. Some people thing that they
are lower form of religion. Some have discovered that Lord is inside; therefore we
are beyond all these, and embodiment of rāga-dvēṣa. Therefore every minor thing
has got importance, right from applying something in the forehead. They say ந�ர
இல்ல ெநற்ற பாழ; somebody has said. Apply something, because it reminds other
people that the Lord is in you; and it reminds me also that the Lord is in me. Not
alankāra; but it is respecting the Lord within. But we feel bad that to say that I am
Hindu is bad. The other religion people they never feel that. They proudly wear their
marks; declare that. But we only feel that it is bad. In the train also we see; if he is
a muslim, we will make others get up and do his namaz inside the train. Now you
want to say: Brahmārpaṇam, Brahma haviḥ; you feel how can I say that in front of
others? Inferiority complex; But we try to compensate that by saying that we are
beyond all rituals and external practices. Really speaking it is a complex. Anyway I
do not want to get into those things.
Then Karma in life is for cittasya śuddhi. And at the same time, na tu
vastūpalabdhayē. Religious life can never give self-knowledge. Religious life can
never give self-knowledge. It will make a person purer; make a person humbler; it
will make the ego thinner. Now the ego is like the tambha kayir. தாம் கய�ர or ேதர
வடம. Like that is the ego. And self knowledge is very sensitive knife, like micro-
surgery knife. If you use the self-knowledge to cut the powerful ego, instead of
Page 62

cutting the ego, the blade will break. Therefore religious life thins the ego and
makes it a small thread. But the last vestige of ego will continue; if it has to go, we
require that micro-knife called; the Self-knowledge, which will break it.
Therefore he says: religious life is na tu vastūpalabdhayē; vastu means reality;

derived from the root vas to mean exist; vasathi; asthi, sarvada asti iti vastu, that
which eternally exists; trikaale api thiṣṭati iti sad; we saw in the introduction; vasthu
means the reality in this context. In other contexts, vasthu can refer to any object;
any entity can be called vasthu, but in vēdānta, the only substance, the only
substantial entity is supposed to be Brahman and therefore vasthu is here equal to
Brahman and Ātman; upalabhdi means attainment. So vasthu upalabhdhi means
brahma prāpti; ātma prāpti or jñāna prāptiḥ; Na tu, na tu means is never possible by
religious life alone.
So then what should I do? We should go beyond religion: vasthu siddhihi vicārane
brahma prāptiḥ; or jñāna prāptiḥ is only through vicāraḥ; śāstra vicāraḥ; vēdānta
śravaṇa manana nidhidhyāsanam; philosophical pursuit is the only means, is vasthu
siddhiḥ. Vasthu siddhiḥ is the same as vasthu upalabhidhi; jñāna prāptihi iti arthaha.
And suppose I do not want to do vicāraḥ. For me vicāraḥ is vicāraḥ. I do not like this
enquiry; too dry a subject and I am a nice emotional person, I would like to do more
of pūjā; can I increase the intensity of pūjā as a replacement of vicāraḥ? Can I cry
in front of the Lord as a replacement of vicārah? Śankarācārya says Na kinchit
karma kotibhihi; you can do crores of yajñās; crores of yāgās; crores of pūjās;
intense bhajans you may do; you may do all these things; cry in front of the Lord;
crying would not replace enquiry; but crying in front of the Lord would not go waste;
the Lord will make you fit for enquiry make you love enquiry. Earlier you had no like
for enquiry; such a bhakthi will gradually change and he will begin to like enquiry
and Lord would change the mind; change the attitude. You may ask how long this
should continue. And therefore vasthu siddhihi vicārane ēva; enquiry can never be
replaced by anything. So therefore karmaṇā siddhihi, vicārane jñāna. This is sāra of
this slōka. Religion gives purity; philosophy gives knowledge. Vēda pūrva is purity;
vēda anta is knowledge. Pūrva mīmāṁsa gives purity; uttara mīmāṁsa gives
knowledge. So thus whole vēda is important.
सम्यिग्वचार �सद् रज्जुसत्त्वावधा |
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भ्रान्तो�दतमहासपर्भयदुःख�वना ||१२||
samyagvicārataḥ siddhā rajjusattvāvadhāraṇā |
bhrāntōditamahāsarpabhayaduḥkhavināśinī ||12||
Śankarācārya said vicārah alone gives knowledge; knowledge gives freedom and
there is no other method. And when we say that, some people may think that this is
a short-sighted approach; that this is a fanatic approach. This is a wide spread
thinking that we should all accept religions and we should accept all systems; we
should have a generous heart; we should be catholic in our attitude; that means
what we should accept everybody's theory and therefore we should say what? all
religions lead to mōkṣa; or all paths lead to mōkṣa; karma yōga also; bhakthi yōga
also; jñāna yōga also; rāja yōga also; hatha yōga also; kundālini yōga also; ānanda
yōga also; you have to say all these; Otherwise we are narrow-minded. It is
fanaticism. Dayānanda Svāmi nicely says: If you think that I am a fanatic; does not
matter, I would better be a fanatic rather than be a lunatic. Why? Śankarācārya
gives an example here to understand why this is a fact and it is not our fanaticism.
And what is the example? The well known vēdantic example of rope-snake error.
In semi darkness, a person sees a rope. Semi darkness is important. If it is full
darkness, he will not see anything; therefore no scope for error at all. That is why
we say total ignorance is bliss. And if it is full brightness also, no problem, because
we will see the rope very clearly; then also there is no problem. That is why we say
total knowledge is also bliss. Total ignorance is bliss; total knowledge is bliss.
But when the light is not fully there; when there is semi-light and semi-darkness;
then alone this person also becomes "semi". What is that? he sees something and it
is dense also; and also reading about the snake and he has also read in some books
that there would be snakes in those areas; and if he sees that there is something;
there is śamaanya jñānam; he does not have the specific knowledge that it is rope.
This partial knowledge is called sāmanya jñāna pūrvaka viśēṣa jñāna abhāva;
sāmanya jñāna pūrvaka viśēṣa jñāna abhāva means what? There is a general
knowledge that there is something there; but there is no specific knowledge. And
rope is like; curled; length also around three feet or four feet; and my mind is also
soaked in sarpa saṁsāra. Therefore this is an ideal ground for what? Making an
error and what is the error? Ayaṁ sarpaḥ; and the error, the snake is born out of
what? Rope-ignorance; not sāmānya jñāna abhāvaḥ; but viśēṣa jñāna abhāvāt,
sarpaḥ utpannaha. And once this snake is born; what will be my emotion; பாம்ை
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கண்டா பைட�ம ந�ங்�. So therefore the most courage person, if you say, snake,
becomes fearful. Therefore this person has got fear. Śankarācārya says; bhayaṁ
sthampaṇam; sthampaṇam is not put here; in some other place; stampaṇam means
shivering; trembling; and for some people even sweating happens. Now here what is
the situation; ajñānaṁ; ajñānā janya sarpaḥ; sarpaḥ janya bhayaṁ; ignorance,
ignorance-born-snake, snake-born-fear. This is the situation.
Now Śankarācārya asks tell me how many methods are there to remove this
present problem. We want to remove bhayaṁ. Bhayaṁ is not a comfortable
emotion; and if bhayaṁ has to go; fear has to go; snake has to go; and if the snake
has to go; then what should go. Suppose you call the snake charmer from the irula
tribe; specialists; he comes and sings before the rope அ� பாம்ே; வ�ள்யா பாம்ே;
would the snake do something. You chant garuda mantra; you do anything; our
snake will not go; only when ignorance is gone the snake will go. And how will the
ignorance go? suppose you shave the head, because the ignorance is in the head;
you do anything; jñānēna ēva ajñānā nāśaḥ. Therefore bhaya nāśaḥ is only through
jñānam. And if I say bhaya nāśāis only through knowledge, I am a fanatic person or
I am a sane thinking person? I am not a fanatic person. To avoid my fanaticism
charge, I cannot accept all your philosophy also; that you can kill the snake by
beating; that the snake can be driven by the garuda mantra etc. If I accept all that
several methods, am I a catholic person or a confounded person; I can accept other
people, but I cannot accept the other theory. Therefore we should never get
confused between accommodating the people and accommodating the wrong
notion. To accommodating people is a value. A Christian comes; a muslim comes;
different systems of philosophy comes; we love them; and we accommodate them;
that is a value; just because I love a person; and therefore if a Christian says mōkṣa
is in heaven; I cannot accommodate that idea. We are all sinners; we cannot accept
that because vēdas clearly says: śrr̥ṇvantu sarvē amr̥tasya putrāḥ; We are all sons
of immortality; you are nitha śuddha buddha mukta svabhāvaḥ.
Sin is a superficial encrustation in the person. It is not the inner most nature.
Therefore I can accommodate Christians; but that does not mean that I should
accept the false conclusions of Christians. I can accommodate Islam; but I cannot
accept the false conclusions.
Similarly when Śankarācārya says jñānēna ēva mōkṣaḥ; is not a fanatic approach; it
is a fact. If somebody asks whether Bhakthi would give mōkṣa; I will give two
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answers. If Bhakthi will give mōkṣa, if bhakthi means knowledge. He will say that
later here; Bhakthi will give mōkṣa; என்ன ஶங்கராசார்ய� என்னாச; இப்ப
ெசாலராேற? Next line he will say; if Bhakthi means jñānam. If Bhakthi is something
other than jñānam; then I will say; Bhakthi will give mōkṣa alright; but not directly.
This is mīmāṁsa; you interpret it properly. Bhakti will give mōkṣa if somebody says,
since Bhakthi is other than jñānam; how do you interpret it; bhakthi will directly give
you mōkṣa by taking you to knowledge. This is called clarity of thinking. It is called
clarity of understanding. Otherwise the whole teaching will be a set of island of
ideas; which will never take us anywhere.
For Śankarācārya says here: रज्जुसपर्वधार rajjusarpaāvadhāraṇā; means a clear

knowledge of rope; rajju means rope; it is the satvam; sarvaṁ means the
substratum of the false snake; satvam; mithya sarpa adhiṣṭānam. sarpa means
mitya sarpa adhiṣṭānam; it is rajju; and avadhāraṇa; means niścayaḥ jñānam. It is
not enough if I say it may be "rope". Suppose if I say it may be rope and somebody
asks go and touch it; we will say: why to take risk. Similarly if I say the world is
Brahman; it is one thing. If I say the world may be Brahman; that is not enough.
Therefore avadhāraṇa means that I should know that this is the truth; that this is
the whole truth; and this is nothing but truth. That is called avadhāraṇa. This rajju
sarpa avadhāraṇa is what? vināśini; it is the destroyer of mahā sarpa bhayaṁ. The
fear born out of mahā sarpaḥ; the huge snake.
And how did the snake come into existence? Not that there was a mother snake;
and it gave birth to smaller snakes; it is not like that; this snake how did come;
purely because of rope-ignorance. Therefore he says Bhrāntōdita. There is another
reading. bhrāntyōdita; is better reading; bhrānthihi means the error; erroneous
perception; uditha means born. So therefore the clear knowledge of rope is the
destroyer of the fear born out of the snake which is born out of a erroneous
perception. In short, knowledge alone will destroy this particular fear.
And how did this knowledge come into being? So suppose when I have got this
snake fear; can I sit there and chant Viṣṇu Sahasranāma; Can you sit and chant?
You will be turning to that side and this side only always fearing that the snake
should not come near you; suppose you do prāṇāyāma; will not help. However great
a devotee he may be; you might have the mantrōpadēśaḥ; srividyā upadeśa etc. but
when rajju sarpa comes; what you need is to intelligently bring the torch and see it
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properly. The torch is called the śāstra pramāṇam. Take the śāstra pramāṇam torch.
Just light up and see and you find that the whole dvaitam is an error upon advaitam.
The whole dvaitam is an error upon advaitam. So therefore he says samyagvicārataḥ
siddhā. This knowledge is attained through only proper enquiry. Proper enquiry
means what; with śāstra torchlight; that is why "proper" is put. So then alone this
knowledge will come and the knowledge alone will destroy the bhayaṁ.
Similarly if the saṁsāra bhayaṁ should go; ātma jñānam should come; and if ātma
jñānam should come, vicāra is a must.
Hari Om.
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006. Verses - 12 to 15
�चत्तस शद्ध
ु कमर न तु वस्तूपलब्ध |
वस्तु�स�द्ध�वर्च न �कं �चत्कमर्को�ट� ||११||
cittasya śuddhayē karma na tu vastūpalabdhayē |
vastusiddhirvicārēṇa na kiṁcitkarmakōṭibhiḥ ||11||
From the 6th verse, up to the 13th verse, Śankarācārya is talking about the
importance of jñānam and also the importance of vicāraḥ. Jñānam is important,
because it is the only means of liberation and vicārah is important because it is the
only means of knowledge. Jñānam, mōkṣaika sādhanām and vicāraḥ, jnānaika
sādhanām. Jñānam cannot be replaced by anything to attain mōkṣa;
vicārah also cannot be replaced by anything to attain jñānam.
When I say vicārah you should remember it is śāstra vicāraḥ and śāstra vicārah is
the analysis of the śāstra and we should remember that śāstra vicāraḥ is like
keeping a mirror in front of us and making the mirror cleaner and cleaner. Study of
the śāstra is telling the mirror and the more you are enquiring into the śāstra; you
are as though rubbing the mirror; it is like clearer understanding of the śāstra is
clearing the vision of myself. And therefore Śankarācārya stresses the importance of
vicārah and he gave an example in the 12th verse which we saw in the last class.

This verse is a complete verse because this verse stresses the importance of both
jñānam as well as vicārah. So vicārataḥ rajju sarpa avadhāraṇam. Rajju jñānam, the
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knowledge of rope is possible only by one method; clearly enquiring into rope;
clearly seeing the rope with the help of additional light. Rope is vague because light
is not there. So therefore two things are required; going near the rope and clearly
seeing, supplemented by the external light of torchlight or anything. Similarly here
also ātma is not clearly understood for want of a clear light; śāstra-light, and if Ātma
is totally not understood, no problem. As it is we are totally self-ignorant; therefore
ignorance is bliss. Therefore in jāgrat and svapna avastha; self-ignorance is not
total; it is partial. Why do I say it is partial? Because I know I-am; that is partial
knowledge. But in sleep, total ignorance because I do not even know that I-am.
But in jāgrat and svapna it is partial knowledge because i know i am; but i do not
know I-am -brahman. Therefore I-ness is clear. am-ness is clear; brahman-ness is
not clear. I-ness and am-ness is known; that is called partial knowledge; sāmanya
jñānam. brahmanness is not known; that is called viśēṣa jñāna abhāvaḥ.
And just as in the case of rajju-jñānam, total knowledge of rope is possible only
when I go near with extra light. Similarly, I can gain ātma-jñānam only when I
enquire into ātma; how? With an extra light. What is that extra light? śāstra
pramāṇam is extra light. Without śāstra pramāṇam if I enquire it will not lead to
knowledge, because the manda andhakāra, dullness is. Why do I require an extra
torchlight? because the surrounding is dull; therefore extra light is necessary.
Without extra light, enquiry is meaningless; Similarly, without śāstra, however
intensely I close my eyes and ask; enquire who am I; however sincerely I meditate;
however sincerely I work for the intuition to be generated; nothing will work
because extra light of śāstra is missing. Therefore in the rajju dr̥ṣṭāntaḥ, rope
example, enquiry with extra light is rope knowledge. Here also, enquiry with extra
light of śāstram is ātma-jñānam. This is the first part of the example.
In the second part of the example, if rope-knowledge alone can destroy the fear
born out of snake; rope knowledge alone can destroy the fear born out of snake;
other than rope-knowledge, whatever I do, neither the snake will be destroyed, nor
the bhaya. Thus in the second part of the example; what is the first part? enquiry
with extra light will alone produce the knowledge. What is the second part of the
example? Rope-knowledge alone can destroy the fear born out of snake. Which
snake. Our snake. In the same way, Self-knowledge alone can destroy the fear
caused by wrong-self-judgment. Self-knowledge alone can destroy the fear born out
of wrong self-judgment. What is the wrong self-judgment. I am a jīva; this is the
wrong judgment; exactly like this is snake is wrong judgment; the jīvatvam is wrong
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judgment; mortality is wrong judgment; I need external support to be complete, is a

wrong judgment. In fact everything, every judgment about me is very
consistently wrong. There is a beauty in that. Every judgment about me is
consistenly regularly, janma after janma, wrong; I am a husband, I am a wife; I am
father; I am mother; I am miserable; I am taking care of others; others are taking
care of you, one mistake; I am taking care of others is equally another mistake.
Unfortunate to say, because one day they say: I do not require you. Anyway, these
are all saṁsāra description. Therefore the second part of the example is what: rope-
knowledge alone destroys the fear born out of the snake; self-knowledge alone
destroys the fear born out of jīvatvam. Jīvahood; jīvahood; hood is there; snake has
also a hood; jīvatam has a hood; jīvahood is poisonous. Up to this we saw.
अथर्स �नश्चय दृष् �वचारेण �हतोिक्तत |

न स्नाने न दानेन प्राणायमशत वा ||१३||
arthasya niścayō dr̥ṣṭō vicārēṇa hitōktitaḥ |
na snānēna na dānēna prāṇāyamaśatēna vā ||13||
So the same idea is reinforced in this slōka by some vyatirēka. What is vyatirēka?
Previous he said enquiry alone can give knowledge. Here he emphasises nothing
else can give knowledge. When you say enquiry alone can give knowledge it is a
positive statement called anvaya; nothing else can give knowledge is stressing that
negative. Therefore he says arthasya niścayaḥ vicāreṇa; niścayaḥ means driḍa
jñānam of reality; arthaḥ here means the reality; the vasthu; here Brahman. So the
reality will vary according to context; in the case of the snake problem; what is the
reality? the rope. Whenever there is a self-ignorance problem; the reality is the Self;
artha generally means reality; it can be extended to the ultimate reality also.
Arthasya niścayaḥ means satya vastunaḥ driḍa jñānam vicāreṇa ēva; is only through
enquiry. And what type of enquiry? Not independent enquiry; the enquiry must be
supplemented by what? I said a torchlight; just going near the rope will not help;
you need have an extra torch light. Here also what is the extra torch light; �हतोिक्तत
hitōktitaḥ; hitaḥ means guru; a well-wisher; a guide; a support is called hitaḥ;

literally one who is a well-wisher; hitam icchāḥti iti hitaḥ. hitaḥ ukthihi means guru
vāchyam. hitoktitah means guru vākyēṇa; and what is the guru vākyam? the extra
torchlight.
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So in the previous slōka, I said śāstram vākyam is the extra light; here I am saying
guru vākyam is extra light; we do not make any difference between śāstra vākyam
and guru vākyam; because guru is by definition one who teaches based on śāstra.
Without śāstra basis if he says that it is my anubhava; do a namaskāra and come
back. ஶாஸ்த ேபஸ இல்லா இ� என்ெனா ஸ்வன அ�பவம என் ெசான்,
நமஸகாரம பண்ண வந்�டண. We do not want any independent philosophy, because

we are very sure that independent intellect will have limitations. That is why, in
western philosophy will always keep on changing because they are product of the
fertile brains of individual; therefore whatever philosophy one is formed; that will be
negated by another one; and it is often by his own disciple.
In our paraṁparā the siṣya will reinforce the guru's teaching with some extra
examples, but the teaching is the same; examples are different; approaches are
different; extra reasonings are given but Suresvarācārya will say what: what
Śankarācārya vsaid. And therefore the difference is guru is one who is
saṁpradāyavit. And Śankarācārya says elsewhere asaṁpradāyavit murkhavat
upekṣayat. One who does not go by the traditional teaching; you have to reject him
like a murkha, as though. And therefore hitoktihi means guruvākyam which is as
good as śāstra vākyam. So vicāreṇa and guru vākyēṇa.
Of these both must be given equal importance. Suppose it is said torch light; and
but this fellow has no eyes; torch light is useless. His eyes are very good; but the
torch light is not there; then also is useless, because it is semi-darkness. Therefore
eyes are also important; extra light is also important. If you take mirror example,
mirror is also important to see my face; and my own eyes are also important. That's
why Śankarācārya puts both of them: vicāreṇa hitoktita; and by that alone arthasya
niścayaḥ vyaktha.
And leaving this entirely, without śāstra vicāraḥ, a person does varieties of spiritual
sādhanā, spiritual sādhanā for self-knowledge. Without this, கண்ணாைல�
பார்கறதிை; Torch light use பண்ணறதில்; in front of the rope snake he does
varieties of sādhanā; what are the sādhanā; before the rope-snake; snānam; to
remove what; the fear born of rope-snake; he may do special gaṅgā snānēna but
the rope-snake will never go; because snānam does not give knowledge. Therefore
Śankarācārya says na snānena; you might have taken a dip in all the sacred rivers
of the world;
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kurutē gaṅgāsāgaragamanaṁ
vrataparipālanamathavā dānam |
jñānavihīnaḥ sarvaṁatēna
muktiṁ na bhajati janmaśatēna
Therefore na snānēna. Then na dānēna; another person gives charity before the
rope-snake; remember, just picturise. Rope-snake fear is there. To get rid of this
fear, standing near the rope, mistaking it as snake, he wants to remove the fear,
and what is he practicing: spiritual sādhanā in the form of charity. Calling the
vaadyar, doing āsanam, prāṇāyāmam, pādyam, and thubhyamahām sampradate.
Śankarācārya says: na; it will not remove rope-snake and rope-snake caused fear.
Another expert yōgi of course with the ignorance of the snake, afraid of this rope-
snake, and in front of the rope he practices prāṇāyāma; observing all the ratios
3:3:1; whatever that be, and all that, and goes to samādhi. What will happen to
that snake? When he is in samādhi, it will not disturb; but the moment he wakes up
from the samādhi; then the problem again comes. As Dayanānanda Svāmi says:
previously he was 'disturbed ignorant person'; in samadhi, 'he is quietly-ignorant'.
So, yōga will only remove the disturbance and bring quietude; yōga or all the aṣṭa
angas cannot produce knowledge. By śāstra vicāra is the only means of knowledge.
Therefore Śankarācārya says: prāṇāyāma śatēna va; in hundreds; na, that na is for
each and each practice; na snānēna; na dhānēna; na prāṇāyāmam śatēna va. How
do you complete it; arthasya niścayaḥ dr̥ṣṭaḥ; Clear knowledge is not possible. Then
how is it possible? By vicāreṇa hitoktitam.
But be very careful; these are the confusing statements or possibly misinterpretted.
Therefore you cannot say: Svāmiji, therefore, from tomorrow onwards I will not take
bath; Śankarācārya ெசால்லிய��க்; ஸ்னான பண்ண�நா ேமாக் கிைடககா�; As it
is he is lazy; and uncomfortable in this season; Svāmiji has said that snānēna would
not give mōkṣa; very careful, it only says snānena will not give mōkṣa; he never said
that snānēna will not give anything; snānena has got its own role of purifying and
according to our tradition, our traditional snānēna; not only purifies the body; as it is
done with Īśvara samaraṇam; it purifies the mind also. Similarly we never condemn
prāṇāyāma; prāṇāyāma is extremely wonderful practice; to tone up the annamaya
kōśa; to tone up the prāṇamaya kōśa; to tone up the manō maya kōśa; three kōśas
are toned up by prāṇāyāma. It is one of the beautiful disciplines. Vēdānta does not
question the validity and role of prāṇāyāma; and it says that it has the place of
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integrating the personality. But after integrating through prāṇāyāma; come to

śāstra. That is to be done. Integrate yourself through prāṇāyāma; and do not get
struck up there; come to vēdānta. Similarly, dāna is also extremely important.
Krishna stresses that in the 18th chapter:
yajñadānatapaḥ karma na tyājyaṁ kāryamēva tat |

yajñō dānaṁ tapaścaiva pāvanāni manīṣiṇām ||18- 5||
Yajñaha, dāna tapas; they should never be given up by a gr̥hastha; dānam is the
most difficult thing; we will always look for some excuse to give up dānam. We
always look for an opportunity to give up dānam. Misinterpreting these lines, one will
go on to say that Śankarācārya has himself said that dānam, etc. are useless;
therefore I have dropped dānam. All these three are useful for jñāna yōgyatā.
Vicāraḥ for jñāna.
Adhikāritvam: Qualifications of a vēdantic teacher:
अ�धका�रणमाशास्त फल�स�द्ध�वर्शे |
उपाया देशकालाद्या सन्त्यिस्मन्सहका ||१४||
अतो �वचारः कतर्व् िज�ासोरात्मवस्तु ||
समासाद् दया�सन्धु गुरु ब्रह्म�वदुत् ||१५||
adhikāriṇamāśāstē phalasiddhirviśēṣataḥ |
upāyā dēśakālādyāḥ santyasminsahakāriṇaḥ ||14||
atō vicāraḥ kartavyō jijñāsōrātmavastunaḥ ||
samāsādya dayāsindhuṁ guruṁ brahmaviduttamam ||15||
In the 13th slōka, Śankarācārya concludes the topic of jñānam and vicāraḥ. Jñānam
as mōkṣa sādhanām and vicāraḥ as jñāna sādhanām. From the next verse, 14th
onwards, Śankarācārya introduces the next important topic of qualification of a
vēdantic teacher; which we have seen before in Tatwa Bōdhaḥ, as sādhanā
catuṣṭayaṁ. This alone is going to be emphasised in the incidental admission form.
This is called adhikāritvam. Adhikāri means eligible persons and adhikāritvam means
eligibility. This starts from 14th verse. Before going to the 14th verse, I am going to
do the 15th verse, the reason is that I find that the 15th verse can nicely merge with
the topic of vicārah itself and therefore 15th verse can be taken out and can be
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clubbed with the topic: jñānam and vicārah. How will the order come then for us?
12, 13, 15.
With the 15th, the topic of jñānam vicārah is over. Then we will go to 14 and then
16. If I have a choice, I would have rearranged them and printed. But since in the
tradition they have been reading like that, I do not have the courage to rearrange it.
So what I will do is in our mind we will rearrange.
We will see 15th verse. Ataḥ vicāraḥ kartavyaḥ. Therefore, meaning, from 13th if
you connect, the connection will be very nice. In the 13th slōka he said Vicārah
alone will give knowledge; and Ataḥ; since vicārah alone will give knowledge,
therefore one should do vicāraḥ; śāstra vicārah; and that too how; hitoktitah; along
with hitokti; or supported by hitokti. And this vicārah should be done by whom?
jijñāsō; by a person seeking knowledge. jijñāsuhu means a seeker of knowledge;
jñātum icchuhu iti jijñāsuhu; these are beautiful words in Saṁsr̥kt; these
constructions of words are called desiderative words; ‘jij’ conveys the meaning of
desire; jijñāsuhu means desirer of knowledge; mumukṣuhu means desirer of mōkṣa;
tipadiṣuhu means desirer of studing; jigamiṣuhu means desirer of going; vividiṣuhu
means desirer of knowing. All these, if you put ṣuhu means desirer; it will be correct.
Not that all desirers should wear ṣhoe! So jijñāsuhu vicāraḥ kartavyaḥ; one who is
desirer of knowledge; desirer of what? knowledge of ātmavastunaḥ; desirer of the
knowledge of the self. In short, desirer of self-knowledge. Here the word vastu
means the Reality; ātma vasthu means the ātma the reality; satya ātma iti artaḥ.
That means what? If a person must committedly seek self-knowledge, he must be a
very very mature person. That means he must have clearly understood that self-
ignorance and wrong self-judgment is the root cause of all my emotional problem.
What is the root cause? According to us, we will keep on showing the finger all over.
Wife is not right, that is why; husband is not right, that is why; Son is not right; he
is doing some mischief; daughter-in-law is not alright; we show the finger all-over.
As somebody said: we forget that everytime you show one finger at an outside
person, all the other three fingers are pointed at yourselves, showing the problem is
with you. Even if you take vote, majority is telling that the problem is with the self.
Dayānanda svāmi nicely says: PROBLEM IS YOU; THEREFORE THE SOLUTION
ALSO IS YOU. Therefore I should discover that self-ignorance plus self-judgment;
wrong judgment; wrong self-identity is the root cause of all mental problems. We
are not talking about physical problems.
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Vēdānta does not deal with physical problems; for that some "pathy" you have to
go. Allopathy, homeopathy, and if no pathy makes you alright; you then seek to
sympathy. If somebody shows sympathy it will be nice. Vēdānta does not tackle this;
or deal with the physical problem; primarily dealing with the inner problem.
Therefore here is a mature student, who has diagnosed the problem of self-
ignorance born self-judgment; and for him alone, vēdantic enquiry appeals and
appears meaningful. And how should he do that enquiry? Once again Śankarācārya
stresses; guruṁ samāsādya; never make independent enquiry; but by approaching a
guru. What is the definition of a guru; gr̥ṇāti ātma tatvam upadiśati iti guruḥ; ग ृ gru,
to teach, to communicate; to consistently impart knowledge. That is the meaning of
the word ग ृ gru, gr̥ṇāti, 9th conjugation; gr̥ṇāti upadiśati iti guruḥ. Another meaning
also they give; गु gu means darkness; र ru means remover; गु र is equal to darkness
remover; and what is darkness, ignorance; गु means ignorance; र means remover;
and therefore guru means darkness remover; गक

ु ारॊ अन्दकार वै, रकार तन ् �नवतर्क,
अन्दका �नव�थर्त्वा गुरु�रत्य�भद�य gukāro andakāro vai, rakāra tan nivartakaḥ,

andakāra nivarthitvāt gururityabhidīyatē. Guru Gītā is a very beautiful work; talks
about the glory of guru; it gives several similar definitions of guru; this is one
definition.
And what are the qualifications of the guru? You are always talking about the śiṣya's
qualifications. What are the qualifications of the guru? Two are mentioned.
Brahmavit uttamam; he is the greatest brahma jñāni; brahmavit means brahma
jñāni; uttamam means greatest brahma jñāni; and uttama indicates niṣṭa; he is not
a novice jñāni but he has attained the pakvatha by assimilating in that knowledge.
And therefore brahmavit uttamaḥ means brahma jñāna niṣṭa. So stōtriyam,
Brahmaniṣṭam; that is indicated here.
And the second qualification ‘stōtriya’ was mentioned in Mundakopāṇiṣad; we saw

stōtriya means the one who has got the scriptural method of communication, which
is a unique method; that is understood, not mentioned here; Śankarācārya will
mention later; there we will see. Here he mentions another qualification:
dayāsindhuṁ; who is an ocean of compassion; Dayā, compassion; sindhuḥ means
samudraḥ; dayā samudruḥ; kripa sāgaraḥ; karuṇā sagaraḥ; because once he is
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free; in his vision the whole world and the saṁsāra is mithya; and he is soaked in
that awareness that the whole problem is mithya. And when he has to teach the
student, he need not show that; because in the seeker’s vision, the problem is very
very serious; Saṁsāra is a mahā problem. Suppose if the teacher just brushes aside
the problem; because in his vision it is not there; what will the student think? The
teacher is not able to understand my problem; so let me go to another person and
he will go. So therefore he should not reveal that; he should treat the problem as
though it is extremely serious. Then alone the student will think that the teacher has
also understood the seriousness of the problem.
That is why in the Gītā also you find that when Arjuna begins to feel, Vyāsācārya
says Prahasan iva bhāratha; Krishna started his teaching with a smile, as it were.
Smile because Krishna knows all the confusion is unnecessary creation of Arjuna.
gatāsūnagatāsūṁśca nānuśōcanti paṇḍitāḥ; nothing to worry at all; therefore
prahasan; but the smile he cannot do loudly because Arjuna will get more wild
because Arjuna will think: "I am suffering; and you are laughing" and therefore
prahasan iva; as though; therefore teacher has to do some amount of pretension as
though, for the sake of creating śraddhaḥ in the śiṣya's mind. And that requires
what? Lot of extra-compassion. Treating a non-existent problem as seriously existing
and therefore he is dayā sindhuhu and such a teacher one should approach,
samāsādya means one should approach.
And how to approach etc. Śankarācārya himself will elaborately discuss later. There
we will see. And this 15th verse will be clubbed with 13 and we are completing the
topic of self-enquiry.
Now we are going back to the 14th verse, in which the topic is changing; vicāra
topic is over and we are entering adhikāri topic; the qualification required on the
part of the student. And here Śankarācārya says qualification of a student, play a
very important part in the rise of knowledge. Qualification of a student plays a very
important role in the rise of knowledge. I have given few examples before. Just as a
prepared land is required for a plant to grow. If seed is put in the desert land; it will
not sprout; it is not the mistake of the seed; only that the land is not prepared. And
land preparation is not an easy job; tilling the land is important; and also the
temperature must be right to grow; not in Madras. I have told you about the
Yercaud camp; if no shopping is done, they cannot sleep; and all that is available in
Yercaud is plants and pots from a pot-plant shop. The train compartment was full of
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pot-plants! And they brought it to Madras and in a few days everything dried; why
because this place is anadhikāri for that plant to grow.
Therefore Śankarācārya says phalasiddhihir āśāstē. The accomplishment of the

result; that is mōkṣa; āśāstē, viśēṣataḥ āśāstē, heavily depends upon; the
accomplishment of mōkṣa result very heavenly depends upon or primarily depends
upon what? adhikāriṇam; the competent student or the competency of the student;
and that is the reason that in the olden days they never brought vēdānta to the
public.
Vēdānta was called rahasyam. And in fact, Śankarācārya says in śikṣa Valli Bhasyam
that one of the meanings of the word upaṇiṣad is rahasyam, secret. The word
Upaṇiṣad has several meanings. And one meaning of the upaṇiṣad is secret. And in
the Gītā several times Krishna says Rahasyam, Guhyam; Guhya śamam. All these
words, guhyam, guhāya samam, upaṇiṣad, etc. mean which is secret and why it was
kept secret was because the success of vēdānta very heavily depends upon the
receiver. If the receiver is unprepared; not only vēdānta may fail; vēdānta fails does
not matter; vēdānta can be even counterproductive; which also Krishna says Na
Buddhi bedam janayēt; ajnānām karmāsaṅginām.
So then what can be and what should be given publicly. What should be given freely
and broadcast in all media? karma śāstram; Karma yōga; karma yōga is not vēdānta.
Karma yōga comes under karma śāstram; values come under karma śāstram;
aṣṭāṅga yōga comes under karma śāstram; yama niyama etc comes under dharma
śāstram; that alone should be, whether it is in schools, colleges or public etc. should
be given. Since Vēdānta is dying, we are taking a big risk of public talking. That is
why we generally give more importance to Gītā than upaṇiṣads. Even though Svāmi
Chinmayānanda brought out these scriptures, he always emphasised Gītā and even
in his public talks; the major talks were Gītā because more people came; and
morning only he talked Upaṇiṣads; because in Gītā, vēdānta is in lesser extent and
dharma śāstra is given more importance. Entire third chapter has nothing to do with
vēdānta. 16th, 17th chapter, no vēdānta. So thus most of the chapters there is no
vēdānta. Even in the 6th chapter, meditation itself, he begins with karma śāstra
only; Anāstrita karma phala etc. So when we teach the Gītā we can emphasise more
of karma śāstra and less on vēdānta and after seeing those people who are really
qualified, we can secretly give them vēdānta.
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He says viśēṣathaḥ, primarily, it depends upon the adhikāri. And Chāndōgya

upaṇiṣad itself is an example that Brahmāji; who is the ādhi guru; he is embodiment
of the 4 heads represented by the four vēdas; he himself took two disciples. Indra
and Virochana. Chāndōgya 8th chapter. Indra was a dēva and Virochana was an
asura; and even though Brahmāji the best teacher in the creation taught, Virochana
not only he did not understand, he misunderstood and started creating more
problems for the world. Indra even though he did not understood, something told
him that there is something wrong with my grasping; and he comes the second
time; third time and fourth time, Indra gained knowledge.
Therefore the competence of the teacher is one thing; and even Brahmāji cannot
convey if a student is an asura; asura does not mean someone with horns, etc.
asura means a sensualist; a money pradhāna. Therefore adhikāriṇam āśāstē.
Not only qualifications are important; other incidentals also contribute. What are
they? Dēśa kālābhyām; Dēśa means an ideal place. Suppose you want to read a
book; and I ask you to read it in Madras Central. How will it be? With lot of
distraction; Concentration is impossible. I do not say that it is impossible; with lot of
difficulty you can manage. But you sit in a library which it is quiet, nobody disturbs
you; your grasping power is more. Similarly in a gurukula; where there is a set up;
and where the other people have also got the same mentality; and again the place
has a sacredness of its own associated with that; like the gaṅgā tīram etc. they have
got what? An extra contribution.
So therefore he says Dēśaḥ sahakāri. They are also contributory causes; but we
won't say that they are a must. We would not say that. If available, good. That is
why we say sanyāsa āśrama is a contributory cause; but we would not say that
sanyāsa āśrama is a must.
And not only dēśaḥ; similarly kālaḥ; the time; the time can refer to two things;
either the very age of the person. As a person grows old, a person becomes more
and more mature; and therefore relatively old, not 99; having gone through the
experiences of the world; parikṣya lōkān karmachitan; one who has got experiences
of difficulties. And that is why brahmacārya āśrama, gr̥hastha āśrama; vānaprastha
āśrama, sanyāsa āśrama. Therefore age also matters; that is why in Dakṣiṇāmoorthy
sthothram; varśiṣṭhāntevasadṛṣigaṇairāvṛtaṃ brahmaniṣṭhaiḥ; Śankarācārya is
surrounded by ṛṣis who are all very old. People say, for vēdānta only old people
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come; it is a regrettable news; etc. I do not have any regret because old people
alone can appreciate; because they have seen what all other things can do.
Youngsters are required for karma śāstra pradhāna; you should regret if youngsters
do not come for that. For vēdānta youngsters come only rarely. If they are mature,
they can understand. And therefore kālaḥ, the age or time, and also within a day
also, there is an appropriate time; not afternoon after lunch; studies of Brahma
sūtra; as it is it is head spinning. Therefore early morning is prescribed.
Therefore within a day itself you can talk about an appropriate time; and if you take
the whole life, an appropriate age. Therefore appropriate time; appropriate age;
And similarly ādya means etc. environment, set up, study not in dining room; what
thoughts will come there; that is why pūjā room is separate, dining room is
separate; because the external surroundings influences; therefore dēśa, kāla,
nimitham, nimitham means conditions; they are all what? upāya; they are also
support; or means; sahakaarina means supporting; sahakaarina upāya means
supportive means. auxiliary causes; secondary causes. For what, asmin, asmin
means what phala siddau; mōkṣa siddau, for the accomplishment of mōkṣa. More in
the next class. Hari Om
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007. Verses 16 To 18
अ�धका�रणमाशास्त फल�स�द्ध�वर्शे |
उपाया देशकालाद्या सन्त्यिस्मन्सहका ||१४||
adhikāriṇamāśāstē phalasiddhirviśēṣataḥ |
upāyā dēśakālādyāḥ santyasminsahakāriṇaḥ ||14||
After dealing with the importance of jñānam and vicārah, Śankarācārya now has
started the topic of preparation or preparatory step. And this topic starts from the
14th verse onwards and this will continue up to verse No.40. Preparation or
Preparatory Step. And in this portion Śankarācārya is emphasising two things: one
is the role of sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti, the four fold qualifications; and also he
will talk about the guru upasādhanām formally approaching a guru and surrendering
to him. Because qualification will only make a person fit receptacle; a fit receptacle is
not enough; there must be somebody to pour something in the receptacle. The
receptacle would not get filled by itself; and therefore he has to necessary approach
the guru asking him to fill his mind with wisdom. Therefore sādhanā catuṣṭaya
saṁpatti plus guru upasādhanām is the topic from verse No.14 to 40.
And in the 14th verse, Śankarācārya said, which we saw in the last class, that the
qualifications of the student plays the most important part in the success of spiritual
pursuit. Otherwise even though the śāstra may be great in itself; the guru may be
sākṣāt Brahmāji himself; even the best guru; and even the best śāstram are
helpless, if the student has not prepared. Therefore phala siddhi viśēṣataḥ āśāstē.
Success specifically depends upon the student. No doubt the teacher is important,
no doubt śāstram is important; that is why we talk about four types of kripa; Īśvara
kripa, guru kripa, śāstra kripa and ātma kripa; grace of the Lord, grace of the
teacher; grace of the śāstra; and the grace of the student himself. The grace of the
Lord is in providing the condition to study the śāstram; like birth, parentage, etc.
The grace of the guru is that he is available to communicate this wonderful teaching.
It is not some kind of rays coming from the hand and falling on the head; it means
the teacher being available to communicate and clarify the doubt. That is guru kripa.
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Śāstra kripa is that the words of the śāstra open up and give their meaning, because
every word is a locked-up-word, in which the wisdom is contained and wisdom
cannot come to me if the words are locked. One of the Ācārya says that every word
is like a cage and mōkṣa is like a bird which is encaged in the words and guru has a
got a special method of handling these words and bringing out the proper meaning
of the words. That saṁpradāya key opens up the cage of the upaṇiṣadic words or
mōkṣa or the jñānam bird gets released. So this śāstra word becoming meaningful.
This śāstra word becoming factual in my heart. This opening up of the śāstram; that
is called śāstra kripa. And finally ātma kripa is the grace of oneself and that grace is
enjoying the required qualifications.
All the four kripās are important; but of these this is the most important one.
Śankarācārya says viśēṣatha adhikāraṇam āśāstē; Ātma kripa is the most important
one; if the ātma kripa is there; the other three kripās are automatic. After all
Bhagavān does not want to withhold the grace; he is only waiting for a person to
come to him: ஆரானா�ம வரமாட்டாள என்ேனா grace எ�த்�க்கற� என்
காத்தி�க்க. Just like the rising Sun waiting for the people to tap the sunlight; we
are only sleeping inside the room without enjoying the glorious sunlight. Similarly
śāstra kripa is open like sunlight and similarly guru kripa is open like sunlight; Īśvara
kripa is open. Ātma kripa is tapping the available light. Therefore Śankarācārya
says viśēṣathaḥ; specifically adhikāritvam is important. That he is going to elaborate
in the following verses.
Verse No.15, we had clubbed with 13, and therefore after 14, we will go to 16. 15th
I have already explained in the last class.
मेधावी पुरुष �वद्वानुहापोह�वच�ण |

अ�धकायार्त्म�वद्यायामुक्तल�णल ||१६||
mēdhāvī puruṣō vidvānuhāpōhavicakṣaṇaḥ |
adhikāryātmavidyāyāmuktalakṣaṇalakṣitaḥ ||16||
First he mentions some general qualifications which are required for a vēdantic
student. What are they? Puruṣaḥ; spiritual seeker should be vidvān. Should be
sufficiently intelligent to think independently; to receive the knowledge; think
independently and assimilate. Because here understanding or knowledge is involved;
where faith is involved; where experience is involved, intelligence is not required. If
I am going to prescribe certain rituals how to do śōḍhaśa upacāra pūjā, you do not
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require any intelligence at all. In fact, better you do not. You will question and there
will be problem. So I do not expect any intelligence out of you or in you, and I will
tell you: Fix the idol; say this, take the akṣatha and put. You should not ask why
akṣatha and not any other thing; I remember somebody came the other day and he
said that Svāmiji I go to one temple and whatever spiritual knowledge I have
gathered, I give out to people. And I have told all the people that any doubt you
have you can ask me. And then he says varieties of doubts people ask and one
doubt he said that in Tamil some poem is there; in which the devotee offers some
materials to the Lord. பா�ம ப�ப்� ேத�ம திைனமா�ம (something, I do not know
the full) and while enumerating them ப�ப்� has come. Question they ask is which
ப�ப்; whether it is payatham paruppu or thuvara paruppa; kadala paruppa;
uzhatham paruppa. If you go to too much of questions; the problem starts. I do not
know the answer. He is telling I do not know the answer. Ok. I also do not know
the answer; that is incidental. What I want to say is where the rituals come, there
we cannot go in for much enquiry; whatever is said has to be done only. indrāya
svāhaḥ means indrāya svāhaḥ; varunāya svāhaḥ means varunāya svāhaḥ. If my
father has put tuvara paruppu, I put tuvara paruppu. And if this other person has
been putting this particular paruppu, let him do that. Here there is no question of
thinking. So where faith and action are involved; intelligence is not required.
Similarly where experience is required, ordinary or extra ordinary, mystic experience

is required, what should I do? An extra ordinary mystical guru should come; and he
should touch the student or he has to transfer his mystical power and śiṣya also
begins to experience something mystical. Where is the thinking? Thinking is not
required; because experience does not involve understanding or knowledge or
wisdom. That is why we always consistently differentiate knowledge and experience.
Knowledge is based on thinking and analysis; whereas experience does not require
that. Śankarācārya says Vēdānta is a matter of knowing. And knowing means doubt
should not be there. That means thinking must be involved; therefore the student
should be what: Vidvān; Vidvān means sufficiently educated to think logically.
Sufficiently educated to think logically. Therefore Vidvān; here Vidvān is not a jñāni;
we are only talking about an intelligent person. So that is qualification No.1.
And that is why generally people do not like vēdānta. Because generally we do not
like thinking. In college we passed out somehow by byeheart and spitting it out;
even the experimental result also byeheart. Even if little bit thinking is there, with
the education it is gone once employed; some rote work is done; thinking generally
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we do not do; when the intellect rests, resting is rusting. When they talk about
Bhakthi yōga, they do not talk about thinking at all; surrender to one God. What is
God; do not ask. You just sing some bhajans; nama saṁkīrtanam, and one day the
God will give you mōkṣa; the safest philosophy because non-thinking philosophy;
and to secure this, the first thing they say is: intelligence is dangerous.
All the systems of philosophy to save them, the first lesson they give is: buddhi is
your dangerous enemy because Brahman cannot be known through buddhi; for that
they quote some upaṇiṣad mantra, etc. (the meaning of which they themselves
would have forgotten); that Ātman is beyond buddhi, beyond reasoning; and
therefore transcend buddhi; which means what? Do not think.
That is the safest think for the Guru; whereas Śankarācārya says I want people who
think. Therefore he uses the word Vidvān; thinking people, rational people, logical
people, because even to understand the limitation of logic you need intellect. We
use logic to prove the limitation. Śankarācārya uses tarka śāstra itself to show the
limitation of tarka śāstra. He uses Mīmāṁsa śāstra to show the limitation of
mīmāṁsa śāstra. He uses grammar to show the limitation of grammar. Therefore,
even to understand the limitation of thinking, we require lot of thinking. And
therefore, I want thinking people. Vidvān.
Not only thinking, medhāvi; medhāvi means the one who has got the power of
reception and retention. grahaṇa dhāraṇa śaktiḥ medhā. grahaṇa dhāraṇa śaktiḥ;
grahaṇam means the capacity to grasp what the teacher has said. And not only he
should grasp, he should retain also; because the whole teaching is in the form of
analysis of the scriptures. The whole teaching is in the form of analysis of the
scriptures. Wherever analysis is involved, I will have to go and back and forth; what
was the first statement; what was the last statement; how the development of the
idea has taken place; etc. where analysis is involved; some amount of memory is
involved. At least when we discuss the four qualifications. By the time I discuss the
fourth qualification, suppose the first qualification is forgotten. Especially nowadays
when we have the class once a week; something extraordinary memory of
remembering every mantra is not expected. But little bit, you should feel, having
discussed somewhere. Even if you do not remember the verse, the essence is
remembered. That amount is not required; that is called is medhā śaktiḥ; little bit of
memory power; medhā.
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That is why in one of the upaṇiṣads, a special mantra is prescribed to develop

medhā śaktiḥ. And since a Brahmacāri has since he is to get educated in the vēdas;
and a Brahmaṇa who specialises in learning and teaching the vēdas requires a lot of
medhā śaktiḥ. Whether the student remembers or not, the teacher should
remember, where he stopped or discussed in the last class. You have no problem. I
should know where I stopped. Or else if I ask the students, two students will say
differently. And that is why in those days, the moment the Brahmacāri is initiated,
he has to do two rituals regularly; sandhya vandanam and samidha dhanam. And
samidha dhānam is medhāvi bhuyāsam; first mantra is let me become a medhāvi.
Tejasvi bhuyāsam; varcasvi bhuyāsam; Brahma varcasvi bhuyāsam. samida dānam.
Śraddhām medhāam yaśa prajñām vidhyām buddhim sriyam bhalam. āyuṣyam tējaḥ
ārōgyam, dēhimē havyavāhana.
Brahaṁachāri at the time of samida dānam offers one of the best prayers to agni.
śraddhām, faith in the vēdas; if faith is not there, out; medhā, yaśaha, prajñaḥa,
means wisdom, vidyāam, knowledge, buddhim, intelligence, reasoning power,
sriyam, prosperity. by a brahmacāri who is to become a gr̥hastha; gr̥hastha needs
money so he prepares himself now. sriyam, bhalam, health, āyuṣyam, tējaḥ,
brilliance, ārōgyam dēhimē havyavāhana. So he had this medhā śaktiḥ and even if
he did not have Upaṇiṣad prescribes a special mantra; ya candasā mr̥ṣabhō
viśvarūpaḥ. But the problem we face is: when you teach them a mantra to develop
medhā śaktiḥ; that mantra is forgotten Svāmiji, what to do? Does not matter, read
the mantra repeatedly.
Anyway medhāvi; a little bit of memory power is a must; reasoning power is a must;
uhāpōhavicakṣaṇaḥ; the one who is an expert in accepting and rejecting, what is to
be accepted and what is to be rejected. எைத எ�த்�க்க; எைத வ�டணம. From
where; from the scriptures. Scriptures make many statement, only certain
statements are directly meant to reveal. There are many other statements, which
are only provided as stepping stones; having used them, thereafter we should
dismiss the statements. Taking the sugarcane, you take the entire sugarcane, put it
in the mouth, chew, take the juice and then thereafter remove the balance. சக்கைய
சக்கயாய ் ெத�ஞ்க் and ஜூைஸ ஜூஸாய் ெத�ஞ்க். I should have that

capacity. That is called uhā and āpōha. uhā means taking and āpōha means
rejecting. For example in the Bhagavad Gītā, the first chapter contains lot of stories;
Mahābhāratha battlefield, the armies coming, the Arjuna being upset, he is
surrendering to Krishna, he also talking a lot of things, Gītōpadeśam, etc. There are
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many people who study the first chapter and do a research; research on what? What
did all the other people do when Krishna and Arjuna was having elaborate 18-
chapter conversation. நின்� இ�ன்தாள, அல்லாட் இைடகிைடக் Coco cola
மாதி� என்னவாவ�ம் ��ச்ச? TV பார்த்திண்� இ�ந், etc. Research on
Bhagavad Gītā. We say whether Mahābhāratha battle happened or not, we do not
care. It might have happened; it might not have happened. Whether Krishna as an
avatāra physically existed or not, we do not care, because Avathāra's presence or
absence is not going to make any dent in vēdic wisdom. And whether it was in
Kurukṣētra or some other kṣētra, we do not care. The whole thing may be
Vyāsācārya's imagination; it may be fiction or fact; we do not care. For all these, we
should give only that much importance. We are ready to believe it; but we do not
want to staunchly prove it. But our attention is on what. Arjuna went through the
problem of attachment, sorrow and conflict. When there is a deep attachment,
sorrow and conflict, human beings do not have solution. That is called saṁsāra.
When this saṁsāra overpowers, only permanent remedy is approaching an external
help. And that external help is a guru who is not a samsāri; இல்ைலெயன்ற
அவெரா� saṁsāra�ம ேசற்ன வந்��ம். ெசால்லிய��க் இல்லேய? Sadguru;

ஸத்�� க்� பதில Sad-��.He transfers his sorrow also to the disciple. Once you
learn what is saṁsāra, and what is surrender, the first chapter has done its purpose.
Therefore this wisdom is to use of the first chapter and all other details are the
சக்ைs of the first chapter. What should we do. take the juice, that is called. uhā
and remove the story part is called āpōha. எைத எ�த்�க்க; எைத வ�டணம.
Suppose in mathematics teacher says: Children I will give you a problem or a sum;
you have to find out. A pencil costs 4.30 and what will be the cost of 12 pencils.
Suppose a student says, Sir, the cost of the pencil is not 4.30 paise. Mathematics
class is not to find out what is the price of the pencil. Mathematics class is to learn
how to multiply 4.30 x 12. அ�தான. Therefore எந்த ஸன்தர்பத்தில focus
பண்ணண. Similarly some people study the Gītā to find out the social conditions of
3rd Millennia B.C. Polygamy was there or Polyandry was there. How to study the
scriptures, whether it is in sociological way or moral, or historical, scientific way. This
is called Uhā and Āpōha. Scriptures do not concentrate on social studies. Scriptures
do not concentrate on sociology. They are all incidental. Scriptures concentrate on
Dharma and philosophy. To understand these is called uhā Āpōha and we have two
śāstrams specialising in that; they are called tarka śāstram and mīmāṁsa śāstram.
Mīmāṁsa śāstram says that the first chapter is saṁsāra chapter. Not historical
Mahābhāratha battle śāstram. This is what is called mīmāṁsa.
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And how do we use tarka śāstram? I will give an example for that also. Vēda says in
some places that swarga is eternal. Swarga sugam is eternal. In some other places,
the very same vēda says swarga sugam is non-eternal; heavenly pleasure is eternal
என்� ெசால்லிய��க; svarga lōkaḥ amr̥tatvam bhajantē ētat dvitiyatvam ēvam
varēna. Svargam is eternal. In another place it is said tē taṁ bhuktvā svarga lōkaṁ
viśālam, kṣīṇē punyē martya lōkaṁ viśanti. It says svarga sugam is non-eternal.
Now what is my problem. Vēda itself contradicts. How to resolve? There is a law
that whenever there are two logically contradictory statements in the vēda,
whatever is logically supported; that must be accepted. kr̥tyō parasparam bhēdē
nyāyō pēda garīyasī. The statement with logical support should be taken and the
other should be rejected. And which is logical. svarga eternal is logical or svarga
non-eternal is logical? Non-eternal is logical. Then what do we do with the other
statement, Svarga sugam is eternal. Can you reject it? No, it is vēdic statement. We
respect vēda; therefore you cannot put it in waste paper basket; We have to respect
vēdic statement. Like that ெமல்ல� ��யைல; �ப்ப� ��யைல. You can neither
spit nor swallow; Now svarga sugam is eternal is a statement that I cannot follow it,
because it is illogical; I cannot spit it out because it is in the vēdic statement; என்
பண்ணற. Interpret it. And what do we do; eternal means long; very long. Like
our permanent job. what is in that permanent job. You have eternally? No No No.
Permanent job means, compared to 6 month probationary period, 25 years or 30
years is as though permanent. In Saṁsr̥kt we call it Apekshita Nithyatvam. This is
all called what; uhāpōhavicakṣaṇaḥ. Thus by using tarka śāstra and mīmāṁsa
śāstra, a person should know how to take and how to reject. Accordingly, therefore
tarka mīmāṁsa śāstra kuśalaḥ. Therefore uhāpōhavicakṣaṇaḥ means expert in tarka
mīmāṁsa śāstra.
You may say, Svāmiji we did not learn tarka and mīmāṁsa. So when the teacher
tells try to understand it. இத்த ேநரம ெசான்ன எல்லா என்ன, தர் ம� மாஸ தான.
So therefore try to understand what the commentator says.
Śankarācārya uses tarka and mīmāṁsa in his Gītā Bāṣyam and Upaṇiṣad Bhasyam;
try to understand it. And such a person who is Vidvān, educated, educated in
vyakāraṇam, sufficient grammer is there; because the whole thing is communication
through language. If you say language I do not understand, what to do? Therefore
he should have sufficient vyakāraṇam or language, sufficient tarka, sufficient
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mīmāṁsa. Such a thinking intelligent person is ātma vidyāyam adhikāri. Such a

person is a fit person for ātma vidyā. This is general qualification.
Not only it is general qualification, some more specific qualifications are going to be
said. Therefore Śankarācārya says: uktalakṣaṇalakṣitaḥ; he should also be endowed
with some more qualifications. lakṣaṇam means qualifications. he also should be
endowed with some more qualifications; uktaḥ which are going to be mentioned;
which will be introduced now; which is going to be introduced soon, because the
previous qualification are only intellectual qualification. Along with that we are going
to add, such an emotional qualification also, character also, religious mindedness
also, because an atheist is also an intellectually sharp person and even a crook can
be an intellectually sharp person. Such a crook cannot be said to be qualified, an
atheist cannot be said to be qualified. Therefore every vēdantic student is an
intellectual; but every intellectual need not be fit for vēdānta. Every vēdānta is an
intellectual but every intellectual cannot be a vēdantin; because in addition to the
intellectual acquisition accomplishment, he should also be a devote, a religious
person, a moral person; an emotionally healthy person; without emotional
complexes. So many things are there. Therefore he says the following qualifications
should also be there. And what are they?
�ववे�कनो �वरक्तस शमा�दगुणशा�लनः |

मम ु ोरेव �ह ब्रह्मिज�ासायोग मता ||१७||
ु �
साधनान्य चत्वा� क�थता�न मनी�ष�भः |
येषु सत्स्व सिन्नष् यदभावे न �सध्य� ||१८||
vivēkinō viraktasya śamādiguṇaśālinaḥ |

mumukṣōrēva hi Brahmājijñāsāyōgyatā matā ||17||
sādhanānyatra catvāri kathitāni manīṣibhiḥ |
yēṣu satsvēva sanniṣṭhā yadabhāvē na sidhyati ||18||
For the sake of convenience I am rearranging the two verses. First I will take the 18
and then I will go back to 17. For the sake of development. So in the 16th verse,
Śankarācārya said uktalakṣaṇalakṣitaḥ; some more qualifications are to be
introduced. And what are they? Athra, in this vēdantic field, in addition to the
intellectual qualifications, catvāri sādhanānani kathitāni; four qualifications are
mentioned. In addition to reasoning power, in addition to memory power, in addition
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to discerning power, uhāpōha vicakṣaṇaḥ is in English the discerning power, the

filtering power; what should be filtered and what should be taken; in addition to
these intellectual qualifications, four qualifications are added by whom, manīṣibhiḥ;
by the vēdic r̥̄ṣis or the vēdas themselves. They are mentioned in the vēdas itself;
they are not introduced by some human beings in history. Not some historical
introduction, vēdas themselves introduce them; therefore, manīṣibhiḥ means vēdic
r̥̄ṣies or vēdas.
And how important they are: He says: yēṣu satsvēva sanniṣṭhā in their presence
alone wisdom will get established. Sanniṣṭa means brahma niṣṭa, jñāna niṣṭa or
ātma niṣṭa. sati Brahmani niṣṭa; sanniṣṭa. Sat means Brahman. Niṣṭa means abiding.
And Brahman can be taken Brahma jñānam also abiding in Brahma jñānam. So
abiding in Brahman, we will see the details later, I would like you to note that
"abiding in Brahman" is not a physical action; because if Brahman is something else
like a ground and the jīva is someone else, like the glass sitting on the desk or dias;
it may be a physical action; Brahman will be something, jīva will be something and
jīva will gradually accent or decent and sit on Brahman. But we are going to see that
the whole teaching is You are Brahman. Therefore where is the question of you
abiding in Brahman, because you are Brahman. Therefore abiding in Brahman
should be interpretted as abiding in Brahma jñānam. What Brahma jñānam? Ahaṁ
Brahma Asmi.
And the next question comes. What is meant by "abiding in Brahma Jñānam"? Is
jñānam is a thing and you gradually go and sit on Brahma jñānam? Abiding in
Brahma jñānam is assimilating, internalising the knowledge to such an extent that its
transforms me; a bound person into a free person. So abiding in Brahma Jñānam is
internalising the knowledge to such an extent, that it converts the bound Me to a
free Me. And what do you mean by freedom? Not physical freedom. Physically we
are bound by so many external factors; mental freedom from worry, anxiety,
tension, inferiority complex, dependence; freedom from all the restraining ways of
thinking and responding. Therefore, Sanniṣṭa can be defined as mōkṣa or freedom.
Therefore yēṣu satsvēva means in the presence of these four qualifications alone,
freedom is possible.
Without these four qualifications, any amount of learning will not give freedom.
Then what will happen? If these four qualifications are not there, any intelligent
person will grasp the teaching. Like a professor who is a P.hd. in vēdānta philosophy
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subject. And in that they will have advanced vēdānta text also. He can clearly
present what is Śankarācārya 's philosophy, they will clearly present, annamaya,
prāṇamaya, Brahman is there, Brahman and ātma is one, Universal Self; all these
they explain, and they will also get P.Hd. But you will find that he is a samsāri P.hd
in Vēdānta.
Therefore intellectual qualifications can make him a scholarly person; whereas

sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti will make him a liberated person. So therefore sādhanā
catuṣṭaya saṁpatti is important. Therefore he says; yēṣu satsvēva; yēṣu refers to
what: sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatt . yēṣu sādanēṣu. satu ēva sanniṣṭa, brahma niṣṭa
and yat abhāve; without their presence, without sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti ; na
siddhyathi; mōkṣa can never be attained. Only scholarship can be attained. Never
mōkṣa. So this is to stress the importance of sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti and this
method is called anvaya vyatirēka method. Anvaya vyatirēka method means to say;
இ� இ�ந்தா தான இ� நடக்�; இ� இல்ை என்றா இ� நடக்கா. yat satve, yat
satvam, yat abhāve, yat abhāva ha tat tasya kāraṇam. Only in its presence mōkṣa
will be possible; in its absence mōkṣa will not be possible and therefore these four
are not optional things.
So do not take sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti as optional; whereas the sanyāsa

āśrama etc. we say are optional. We do not stress; we say you be a gr̥hastha, you
be a brahmacāri, you be a sanyāsin; sanyāsa āśrama has got certain advantages
and it has got certain disadvantages also. Gr̥hastha āśrama has got some
advantages and some disadvantages also. Therefore Krishna said: yatsāṅkhyaiḥ
prāpyatē sthānaṁ tadyōgairapi gamyatē; Sanyāsi also can know and be free.
Gr̥hastha also can know and be free. I am giving the choice. profession I will give
you choice; but in sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti , vēda says I cannot give you choice.
Therefore you should know what is optional and what is compulsory; and once we
have said that sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti is compulsory; what is the signal to the
student; the student should from that day onwards constantly try to match his life
and sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti. Constant alertness, constant vigil in watching
whether I am sādhanā catuṣṭaya sampanna or not. This is the indirect advice to the
student. Every day ask the question: "Am I a vivēki?" ைவராக்ய எத்தை இ�க்.
Śamadhi satka saṁpatti ஒ� shadow வாக வாவ� இ�க்க? mumukṣatvam எந்
நிலய�ல் இ�க? Constantly I test; not others; அவ�க் vivēkam இல்ை; இவ�க்
mumukstavam இல்ை; test myself. A life of introspection should begin hereafter.
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And having generally mentioned the four qualifications, Śankarācārya specifies

them. And what are they: We will go back to 17. 18 gives general. 17 gives their
names.
vivēkinō viraktasya śamādiguṇaśālinaḥ mumukṣōr. So the student must be vivēki; he

must have discrimination. viraktasya, he must have dispassion; śamādiguṇaśālinaḥ,
he must have six-fold inner wealth, or inner virtues; like what? śamā, śamā means
mastery of the mind, Etc. mastery of the mind is the first one; like that another five
more will be mentioned; all these six put together is called the inner wealth. By
stressing the inner wealth, the Upaṇiṣad is saying that it is not bothered about your
external wealth; not even your physical body; vēdānta does not bother whether you
are a male or female. whether you are a Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, śūdraḥ or vaiśya.
They are exterior. Whether you are gr̥hastha, brahmacāri, vānaprastha or sanyāsi.
vēdānta does not bother. vēdānta asks the question; what are your inner
possessions? Śāli means endowed with; rich with. This is the third.
And the fourth is mumukṣu. He must have desire for inner freedom and that too
intense desire. Because intense desire will be implemented. Casual desires, luke
worm desires will not be implemented. So many desires are there for us. Like
worms; One day I should go there. Like that there are life full of luke worm desires.
Do we implement all of them? good and bad. We do not implement. So tīvraḥ
mumukṣu alone gets translated externally; therefore mumukṣuḥ means the one who
has intense desire for inner freedom. That has become a top priority of life. And for
such a person who has DISCRIMINATION, DISPASSION, for inner wealth, I am using
the word, DISCIPLINE, and DESIRE. 4 Ds. Easy to remember. D D D D. D to the
power of 4 or 4Ds. and for such a person alone Yōgyatā matha; there is yōgyatā,
eligibility; he alone has got fitness; for what? Brahma jijñāsa or Brahman enquiry,
brahma vicārah. Athaatho brahma jijñāsa.
So when we hear this, we will begin to get a doubt. Svāmiji from next class
onwards, we should not come to the class. Therefore we say: nobody comes to the
perfect sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti. Perfect sādhanā catuṣṭya saṁpatti is like the
ideal gas in chemistry. Those of you who are chemistry student might have heard
about ideal gas; it is there only in word; there is no such gas. Like that, nobody is
perfectly qualified. We have got some qualification. Some degree is there. How do
you say that Svāmiji so boldly? I can very boldly say that you have some
qualification; you know why? You are here. I tell you it is not a joke. Everybody
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cannot be. Often I see wherever I take the class, surrounding people, would not
come. ஒ� colony ய�ல் எ�த்திண்� இ�ன்ேதன் colony ய�ல இ�ந் ஒ�த்தர் �
வரமாட்ட. I used to wonder. Why are they not coming, at least to check whether
there is chundal kadalai க் வரமாட்டாள என். Therefore remember Īśvara
Anugrahāt ēva pumsāṁ advaita vāsana. Even if there is a curiosity; even if there is a
testing mind; or at least some casual interest; even that requires some amount of
qualification. That qualification is enough to start. And the duty is the vēdantic study
is capable of giving two things. The scriptural study is capable of giving two things;
for a qualified person it gives wisdom; for the unqualified person, it gives
qualification. Very vēdantic study is capable of giving the qualification also.
Therefore, come to the next class. Do not think that you are not qualified.
Hari Om.
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008. Verses 19 to 23
�ववे�कनो �वरक्तस शमा�दगुणशा�लनः |

ममु �
ु ोरेव �ह ब्रह्मिज�ासायोग मता ||१७||
vivēkinō viraktasya śamādiguṇaśālinaḥ |
mumukṣōrēva hi Brahmājijñāsāyōgyatā matā ||17||
साधनान्य चत्वा� क�थता�न मनी�ष�भः |

येषु सत्स्व सिन्नष् यदभावे न �सध्य� ||१८||
sādhanānyatra catvāri kathitāni manīṣibhiḥ |
yēṣu satsvēva sanniṣṭhā yadabhāvē na sidhyati ||18||
From the 14th slōka onwards up to the 40th slōka, we are getting the preparatory
steps or preparatory sādhanā for a student, in whose presence alone the vēdantic
study can become fruitful. First he talked about certain general intellectual
qualifications required, because here we are trying to know something. This
knowledge is transferred through communication and by the study of the upaṇiṣads,
an expertise in language is required. Because here we are not using any other
instrument of knowledge; here we are using the vēdantic words to arrive at the
truth. And not only the pramāṇam, the source of knowledge in śabda rūpam, verbal
form; even the guru has to transfer it or communicate it through the words alone.
Therefore two types of words are involved; one is śāstrik words; another is guru's
words. If in any one of this a person has problem, then communication does not
take place. And therefore a reasonable grounding in language is required; that is
one general qualification; then capacity to reason out is required where knowledge is
involved. Therefore language-knowledge, reasoning capacity, and finally the capacity
for analysis to find out which part of the śāstra is important, which part of the śāstra
is taken as support. Remember the example, in the first chapter of the Gītā the
importance is not the battle field, for Duryōdhana, Krishna or anything, the problem
of saṁsāra is to be extracted from the chapter and having extracted we have to
drop all other thing. In Kathopanișad we see Nachiketas going to Yamadharmarāja.
After studying that chapter, people will enter into analysis. How did Nachiketas go to
Yama? which route did he take; which rocket took him? Did he go with this body?
With this body is it possible to go to yama loka; and if he dropped this body and
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took another body, where did he leave this body; you can get into all unnecessary
useless enquiries and miss the bus. Therefore in the first chapter of the
Kathopanișad, we should not bother about those details; the qualifications of
Nachiketas; the qualifications of Yamadharmaja, should be taken. This capacity of
analysis, analytical capacity to find out what is tātparya vākyam and what is ardha
vādha vākyam; in mīmāṁsa śāstra tātparya vākyam means the content; anuvāda
vākyam, rice and the chaff; that which is to be removed as a chaff and that which is
to be taken as the grain. That sifting capacity is called Tātparya nirṇayaḥ. It is called
Uhā āpōha vicakṣaṇatvam. So thus language-knowledge, reasoning capacity and
analysing capacity; these three basic intellectual qualifications are required if one
wants to know.
And having talked about these general qualifications, the teacher has come to
particular qualifications known as sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti. This is the second
stage of preparation. For the first stage of preparation, traditionally they study the
three śāstrams; vyakāraṇa śāstram; tarka śāstram; mīmāṁsa śāstram. Vyakāraṇa
śāstram for language grounding; tarka śāstram for reasoning capacity; mīmāṁsa
śāstram for analysing capacity. These three were compulsory for every vēdantic
student.
Now even if we do not study those śāstrams as it is, we should have that capacity
when the teacher is using that method. ��க்க அள�க் capacity இ�ந்த ேபா�ம,
even if actually we do not study that. And now comes the second set of
qualifications known as sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti. The teacher has enumerated
them; vivēka; vairāgyaṁ, ṣaṭka saṁpatti , mumukṣatvam. In English discrimination,
dispassion, discipline and desire. 4Ds. DISCRIMINATION, DISPASSION, DISCIPLE
AND DESIRE. Now the teacher wants to elaborate each one of them. What is
discrimination etc? We will see the details from the 19th verse onwards.
आदौ �नत्या�नत्यवस्तु�वव प�रगण्यत |

इहामुत्रफलभोग�वरागस्तदनन् |
शमा�दषट्कसम्पित्तमुर्मु�ुत् स्फुट म ||१९||
ādau nityānityavastuvivēkaḥ parigaṇyatē |
ihāmutraphalabhōgavirāgastadanantaram |
śamādiṣaṭkasampattirmumukṣutvamiti sphuṭam ||19||
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So he elaborates the four qualifications a little bit further and still further elaboration
comes still later. Three stages. Just mentioning and thereafterwards a little bit
elaboration and then more elaboration. Enumeration was done in the 17th verse,
now in the 19th verse, a little bit elaboration and then from 20th verse onwards,
further elaboration. Three stages he goes.
Here he says: ādau nityānityavastuvivēkaḥ. In the 17th verse, Śankarācārya only

said vivēkaḥ; discrimination. Once you say discrimination, the question comes
discrimination of what. Is it discrimination of real diamond and fake diamond. That is
also discrimination or whether it is a discrimination of one caste or another caste; a
big problem; caste discrimination, gender discrimination; which discrimination we
are talking about here; nitya anitya vastu vivēkah. discrimination between what is
nityam and what is anityam. That is considered ādau; ādau means firstly. That is the
basic qualification, That is why the very text book is called Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi. Vivēka
is the foundation for everything. Parigaṇyatē; that is to be considered; between
nityam and anityam. Nityam means permanent; anityam is impermanent.
And what is the purpose of doing this? You can very easily understand; a little bit
thinking power is only required. Once we know what is permanent and
impermanent, you can very easily conclude that holding on to permanent alone will
give me security. Real security is only in hanging on to the permanent. ப��ச்ச
�ள�யம்ெகாம் ப��; Pidicha puliyam kombai pidi. When a person is falling, I do not
know whether you say that; a person is falling and he wants to hold on to
something; better you hold on to the tamarind branch; it will never break; whereas
the mango branch; it will appear solid, the moment you hold, padak, it will break.
Therefore �ள�யம ெகாம்ப, மாங்ெகாம்? This is nityam; that is anityam. So very
simple thing is to hold to permanent; never hold on to impermanent; if you hold on
to impermanent, be ready for tragedy. yē hi saṁsparśajā bhōgā duḥkhayōnaya ēva
tē; including the government; holding on to the Mangai kombu Congress-I; we do
not know when that branch will break; and whole government will finish. Again try
to reshuffling; leaving one impermanent thing and holding on to another
impermanent thing. And at least while ruling, are they happy? No; they do not know
when the carpet will be pulled from underneath; therefore, they never govern the
country; they are bothered only about securing their position.
Similarly, a man who holds on to impermanent things his whole life is struggling to
live; and there is no question of looking for something greater; the whole life is
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securing the family; securing the company; securing the health; etc. and by the time
you secure all these, you are 93 and you are out. Then he attends Gītā class. This is
foolishness he says. Therefore Nitya anitya vivēkaḥ is the first stage.
Then what is the second stage. Ihā amutra phala bhōga virāgaḥ. Virāgaḥ means
dispassion; detachment; Detachment from what? Bhōgaḥ; all sensory pleasures; all
contact born pleasures; all material dependences called Bhōgaḥ. And how are these
pleasures attained or acquired? Phalam, which are all in the form of karma phalam;
karma phalam ēva Bhōgaḥ; karma phala Bhōgaḥ. Every pleasure you get is a result
of pūrva puṇyam; Any pleasure you get, even if you have not worked for it; ேகக்கா
ஆேரா வந் ��க்கற ெசான்ன, it is your pūrva karma coming through that person.
By using the adjective karma phalam; what does the scriptures indicate. yat yat
karma phalam tat tat anityam; கர்ம பலம் எ adjective ேபாடறத்தினா its
ephemeral nature is indicated. These pleasures which are the karma phalam
acquired when; ihā amutra; the karma phalam pleasures acquired in this lōkaḥ,
experienced in this loka, ihā means bhulōkaḥ, amutra means svarga lōkaḥ or para
lōkaḥ.
To put in simple language, earthly pleasures and heavenly pleasures born out of
puṇyam. And all of them will come under what? Anityam. And towards all these
anitya pleasures, virāgaḥ; detachment. Very careful. We do not say hatred; hatred is
as dangerous as attachment is. Therefore there is no question of hatred towards
them. Or even if a person to enjoy them, we do not say no; only saying is whenever
a person is enjoying them, let the mind be prepared for losing them, for either
renouncing enjoyment or enjoy with preparation. For emergency preparation, like
we are saving money. Therefore let us earn as long as we are employed, but when
the job is gone, let us be prepared. That preparation should at least be there; and
such a mind is called mature mind. And that is called dispassion. This is tad
anantharam; this is after vivēkaḥ. Viragyam is after vivēka. Viragyam is consequence
of vivēka. Vivēka phalam viragyam.
Then what is the third one. śamādi ṣaṭka sampattiḥ. Third qualification is six fold
discipline. sampattiḥ literally meaning wealth. Why it is called wealth. Through the
worldly wealth you can purchase worldly pleasures, but through the inner wealth,
you can purchase mōkṣa pleasures, spiritual pleasures, joy. For material joy,
material wealth is required; for spiritual joy, we required spiritual wealth and what is
that wealth? śamādi ṣaṭka sampattiḥ. Only this currency will work in spiritual field.
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And śamādi means mind control, or thought discipline. Aadi means etc. Etc. indicates
another five disciplines; totalling 6 inner disciplines. What are the six disciplines. The
author himself will explain later. This is the third qualification.
And what is the fourth qualification? Mumukṣutvaṁ. While there is dispassion

towards anitya vastu, there is equally increasing passion for nitya vasthu. Therefore
we do not lose the passion. We still have the passion but only it is turned away from
anitya vasthu; and it is turned towards nitya vasthu. Therefore this person has also
an obsession; this person is also extremely eager, curious; everything is there; but it
is directed towards spirituality. Iti sphuṭam. All these are clearly said in vēdānta
śāstram.
ब्र सत्य जगिन्मथ्येत्येवं �व�नश्चय |

सोऽयं �नत्या�नत्यवस्तु�वव समुदाहृत ||२०||
brahma satyaṁ jaganmithyētyēvaṁrūpō viniścayaḥ |
sō:'yaṁ nityānityavastuvivēkaḥ samudāhr̥taḥ ||20||
Now hereonwards, further elaboration of these four qualifications. First he said

vivēka, then he said nityānitya vasthu vivēkaḥ. Now he is going to say what is
nityam and what is anityam. He says jagat mithya; mithya means anitya. So jagat
mithya means jagat anityam; the whole creation is impermanent. Whether it is a
thing, whether it is a being; whether it is a situation; all these are anityam. In the
Bhagavad Gītā Krishna adds ābrahmabhuvanāllōkāḥ punarāvartinaḥ. He talks about
the duration of Brahaṁaji's life. It is said 2000 catur yugā, not one yugā. 4 yugās
put together is one catur yugā. Like that 2000 catur yugā is one calendar day of
Brahmāji; like that 365 days is Brahmāji's one year. Like that Brahmāji has got 100
years of life. Can you imagine the length? Krishna says that even Brahmāji has to
vacate that seat one day. And having enjoyed the local miserable politician; they do
not want to give up; and what to talk of Brahmāji; and how miserable he would be
when he has to give it up. And therefore up to Brahma lōkaḥ everything is anityam;
including Brahmāji's position, iti suniścayaḥ. This must be so thorough. It should be
driḍa jñānam. And how do you get the driḍa jñānam. Through three methods we
get this knowledge. Pratyakṣa pramāṇēna, anumāna pramāṇēna, śāstra pramāṇēna.
Pratyakṣa pramāṇa tells me that everything around me is per̥̄ṣing. If you have
doubt, read the obituary column of the newspaper. Daily people read it thinking that
regularly they will go on reading it! We forget that one day we will be in that list;
whether it is put in the paper or not. So that is many Alexanders have appeared and
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disappeared. Hitlers have appeared and disappeared. Śankarācārya s have appeared

and disappeared. And we all thought, without certain people, the world will not run;
and we find that they all disappeared, and that the world is. And one day the whole
earth may go away. Therefore Pratyakṣa pramāṇa teaches me.
The second is anumānam. All the svarga lōkaḥ pleasures are finite; I can easily infer;
how? By knowing that whatever is karma phalam that is anityam. Therefore svarga
lōkaḥ anityaḥ. Karma phalatvat; bhulōkaḥ sukavat. நான கண்ணா பார்காட்டா I
can make an inference, just as I can infer fire with the help of smoke, I can infer the
ephemerality of heaven by using what? that it is also a karma phalam. Therefore
anumāna pramāṇēna I can know.
And finally, and for example, how do we know our own death. Whether prataksya or
anumāna. Our death, how do we know? Now I am asking. Now we all know that we
all are mortals. Whether it is pratyakṣa pramāṇa or anumāna pramāṇa. Not
pratyakṣa because happily we are alive. Our death is only an inference; because we
have seen all the other people; jātasya hi dhruvō mr̥tyuhu; whoever is born will die.
As in the case of our ellu tatthas and kollu tattahs and all the people, I also have a
date of birth and therefore I should have date of birth. This is inferential
knowledge.
And finally if all these things do not work, ப்ரத்யக்ஷ ெத�யைல ெசான்;
அ�மானத்த் �த்தி� இல்ை ெசான்ன; śāstram comes and tells: Oh! human
beings, everything around is perishable. Thus, pratyakṣa, anumāna, śāstra
pRāmaanehi, jagat anityam iti suniścayaḥha.
Then naturally there is a curiosity; everything is anityam. ஸாஸ்ஶ்வதம ஒ�
வஸ் இல்லே இல்லய? Curiosity will come. Is there something eternal? And
unfortunately the eternal entity is not available for perception. Even science is not
able to find out and say what is eternal. In fact the more you probe into the
creation, the more confusion it becomes; so what is the basic thing of the creation?
What is the truth of the universe? What is the permanent essence of the world? We
do not know by pratyakṣa and anumāna and therefore śāstram comes and tells that
there is something eternal; there is something eternal. We have not seen and we
cannot see also; and śāstram introduces a new word; that is called Brahma. If you
go to the purāṇam, they will call it God or Bhagavān; and if you come to vēdānta;
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the same Bhagavān is called Brahma. The advantage of using the word Bhagavān is
we can imagine a form and you can say Oh Bhagavān I do not want the world; I
want you only. you can talk. Brahmam if you say, it does not have a form, colour,
smell, taste, touch therefore praying becomes difficult. That is only difference.
Ultimately, Bhagavān of the religion and Brahman of philosophy both refer to only
one thing; that is nitya vastu.
Therefore if you want security, hold on to Bhagavān. Hold on to Brahman. That is

the indirect method. So Brahma satyam. Satyam means what nityam. So Brahma
nityam, jagat anityam iti suniścayaḥha, definite knowledge, saha ayaṁ. This is
known as nityanitya vastu vivēkaḥ. This person has diagnosed his problem to some
extent. Iti samudāhr̥taḥ; it is said in the scriptures. By saying that samudāhr̥taḥ what
Śankarācārya says is that this is not my invention; I do not want to take the credit;
already this has been said in Brahma sūtra, upaṇiṣads, etc.
With this qualification No.1 is over. Now we have to go to the second.
तद्वैराग् िजहासा या दशर्नश्रवणा�द |

देहा�दब्रह्मपयर ह्य�नत् भोगवस्तु� ||२१||
tadvairāgyaṁ jihāsā yā darśanaśravaṇādibhiḥ |
dēhādibrahmaparyantē hyanityē bhōgavastuni ||21||
What is vairāgyaṁ? Ya jihāsā tat vairāgyaṁ. Jihāsā means preparedness to give up

or to lose anything. hadum ichaa is jihāsā. Mental preparedness to lose any
ephemeral thing in life. I need not prepare to lose the permanent thing. Why? It is
not lost; I need not prepare to lose the permanent thing; because permanent thing
is permanent, it is never lost. Therefore we are talking about a losable thing.
Preparedness to lose the losable is called intelligence. Any losable, I am ready to
lose. I have prepared. I have done sufficient exercise. And the preparation is two-
fold. Either I do not take that thing at all. Either I do not posses that thing, because
possess, there is the worry of losing. Therefore either I avoid that thing; or there is
no rule that we should avoid everything. Have that thing; but be mentally ready to
lose that thing when the time comes, including life. If you take the whole life,
preparedness for death is intelligence. As somebody nicely said impermanent local
journey, we are preparing so much. Next week I am going to Bangalore for three
days. For that now itself preparation. To inform the milkman, paperman, etc. etc.
what all things should be prepared; and we are never sure about the journey
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because, we do not sure whether the train would come at all and not even sure
whether it will leave or not.
For the few indefinite journeys we are preparing so much; what preparation do you
do for the definite and permanent? Here at least you are going to Bangalore and
coming back. But the final definite journey; and even if we come back, we are not
going to come back in this shape. What shape we will come who knows? So
therefore preparation for losing the losable is vairāgyaṁ.
So therefore ya jihāsā with regard to what? anityē bhōgavastuni; with regard to

every impermanent pleasure. With regard to every impermanent pleasure, beginning
with dēha ādhi; beginning from the very physical body; very physical body is a
temporary luxury Bhagavān has given. We do not know the value of the body. We
do not know the value of the health. We do not even recognise the value of the
fingers, eyes, ears, etc. And unfortunately when we recognise the value is when we
have lost it or losing it, including the use.
And therefore dēhaḥ; this physical body, brahma paryantē. Brahma is what; not that
Brahman; not satyam jñānam anantam Brahma; not that Brahman, Brahmāji's body;
caturmukha brahma or hiraṇyagarbha; because that is the highest pleasure; dēha
stands for the basic unit pleasure; from this worldly pleasure to the highest Brahma
lōkaḥ pleasure, with regard to every pleasure, Jihāsā; Enjoy alright; but be ready for
losing also. And how? Darśana śravaṇadibhi. So this vairāgyaṁ or dispassion is
developed through darśanam. Experience. A person develops vairāgyaṁ through
experience; because initially a person thinks everything is śāśvatam; Two or three
kicks we get in life and everybody becomes philosopher. Now you talk to every
minister. All will have vairāgyaṁ; but the only unfortunate thing is that the
vairāgyaṁ is also temporary. This is called smaśāna vairāgyaṁ. When somebody
dies we all think of Gītā, Upaṇiṣad, Brahman, Sanyāsa; all those things; until the
dead body is burned; Dayānanda Svāmi calls it smoky-vairāgyaṁ. Along with the
smoke that vairāgyaṁ come and as even the smoke goes away; vairāgyaṁ also
goes. Then another death should happen, to get vairāgyaṁ once again. So here the
very life experience gives vairāgyaṁ. We require only to maintain that vairāgyaṁ;
Bhagavān gives enough experiences to polish us; to refine us; therefore darśanēna
vairāgyaṁ. And another mode of vairāgyaṁ is śravaṇadhibi. Śravaṇēna. They say
read the purāṇās. Then from the purāṇās we come to know that even for the great
kings; loss is inevitable. Lord Rāma was avatāra himself but he could not enjoy the
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kingdom; and he had to go to forest; and that too because of what; not another
emperor; not even one of the mothers; even a local ordinary servant maid can send
the emperor; even an avatāra to forest. When this is the lot of powerful emperors,
what to talk of we the miserable creatures;
nalinīdalagata jalamatitaralaṁ
tadvajjīvitamatiśayacapalam |
And therefore Śravaṇam means what; by reading purāṇās, Rāmayanams, etc. that
no one can escape ups and downs. So thus, through experiencing and through
śravaṇam, we develop vairāgyaṁ, ādhibhihi. Etc. is put; meaning has to be given to
it; So etc. means inference. So by inference also we can develop vairāgyaṁ towards
all these things.
So this vivēka is over; vairāgyaṁ is over; what is the next one? Six-fold inner
discipline. So hereafter, each inner discipline is going to be defined. The first one is
kṣamaḥ.
�वरज् �वषयव्राताद्दोषद मुहुम्

ुर हु |
स्वल�य �नयतावस्थ मनसः शम उच्यत ||२२||
virajya viṣayavrātāddōṣadr̥ṣṭyā muhurmuhuḥ |
svalakṣyē niyatāvasthā manasaḥ śama ucyatē ||22||
So kṣamaḥ is the first discipline. Here Śankarācārya defines kṣamaḥ, the focusing
capacity of the mind; never losing the focus in life. Never losing the priority of life.
What is the top priority? Spiritual accomplishment is the top priority. Everything else
is only intermediary stages. Brahmacārya āśrama, education is a means. Gr̥hastha
āśrama is a means; running gr̥hastha āśrama is not a simple accomplishment. That
life is also only a means. Vānaprastha āśrama is a means; sanyāsa āśrama is a
means; remembering the means as the means and the end as the end instead of
taking the means itself as the end. Some people at the time of death say: நான
�ழந்ைதகை எல்லா நன்ன வளத்தியாச; த்�ப்; No No No. Raising children is not

a great accomplishment, because animals also do that in a better way. Animals do
that in a better way. See the National Geographic or Discovery channel; how a bird
trains; how a lion trains; how a tiger trains; it fights and shows. What is the
difference between a tiger and you? So therefore raising children, providing for them
and getting them married, and getting grand children and all are wonderful but that
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cannot be taken as a great accomplishment. That is again taking the means for an
end. Without doing that remembering the end all the time is called Kṣamaḥ.
Therefore he says; viṣayaṁ vrātāt virajya; detaching the mind from the root of
sense objects; that is temporary goals. Sense objects here represents all the
temporary goals of life. Incidental goals of life are called viṣaya vrātāt; vrātam
means samuhām; vru, multitude, is called vrāta; viṣaya vrāta; multitude of sense
objects; here sense objects represents the incidental goals of life. So they all should
be paid attention. So when a child is growing, sufficient attention must be paid. If
you are running company, sufficient attention must be paid. Each one should be
given this attention; but when we are paying attention what should be paid
maximum attention; what should be given temporary attention should not be
forgotten. Therefore even when we are eating; attention should be given; whether
to mix the pickle with the payaśam, or with the tair shaadam, etc. That also requires
attention. But you cannot say, Svāmiji 24 hours I have attention on Urukai only.
Then, that is problem.
Everything requires localised attention and certain things require long lasting
attention. What requires localised attention cannot be given permanent attention
and what should be given localised attention should be given. When eating you
cannot be absent minded, and thinking something else; then raising the doubt
whether you ate or not? Some people ask also. That also vēdānta does not say;
Have the sense; neither more nor less. That is called focus; proper focus; viṣayaṁ
vrātāt virajya.
And how do you develop that? dōṣa dr̥ṣṭyā; by seeing the impermanent goal as
impermanent. By seeing the incidental goals as incidentals. So I have to have my life
around children for some time. But a time comes when the children are off their
own. And once they have become their own, I cannot put all my life on the children;
nor do they want to connect their life to me; and thereafter complain also; after
marriage they are not paying attention to us. They have started their life; they have
to put attention on their wives; sorry wife; if you say their wives; means each one
their wives. Ok. And also children; they have got their family and parents
complaining. That means again the incidental goal of children life I have thought
that lifelong I can think of them and lifelong they will pay attention to me; that
creates problem. Once they have got their life; let them live theirs; let me have my
life. Let me not poke my nose into their lives; and they will not poke their nose in
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our lives because they do not have the time or have got enough things to poke their
nose. Therefore one has to take incidentals as incidentals and permanent thing as
permanent.
The only permanent pursuit is my own inner growth. And therefore dōṣa dr̥ṣṭyā;
seeing the impermanent as impermanent, muhurmuhuḥ; that will forget; and we will
poke the nose; and will get the nose cut also like the Surpanaka; and they will say
mind your business. Your life is over and let us live our lives. That my son is telling
that; then my daughter is telling me this; and then meet Svāmiji and cry in front of
him without stopping. All these for what? Therefore better remember this all the
time; muhurmuhuḥ; muhurmuhuḥ repeatedly remind. And if I give up all those
incidental pursuits; then all the time is at my disposal; and what to do?
Most of the time, the problem of old age is nothing else to do; therefore we poke
the nose. If we are busy with our own pursuits; we do not time to interfere with
others' lives. Therefore have some important project in your later life. And what is
that project? Attend classes. I do not say my classes. Some classes. So he says:
svalakṣyē niyatāvasthā. So focus your mind on your lakṣyam; your goal; and what is
goal? Discovery of inner fulfilment; inner security; inner permanence is svalakṣyam;
which is mōkṣaḥ. And niyatāvasthā means permanently focused. And when the other
people are coming; children or grand children are coming; you need not say; go
away; I am vēdantic student, do not come; that also is a problem. Therefore when
they are coming; pay attention; play with the grand children; do everything.
Therefore dispassion is not externally expressed; the whole thing is inner maturity. if
they say we are coming; Ok; if they say we are going; OK. If they say coming and
did not come; OK; I am happier you need not say; OK. Happier if you say problem.
therefore svalakṣyē niyatāvasthā, manasa kṣamaḥ ucyatē. That focused mind is
kṣamaḥ. That focusing capacity is kṣamaḥ.
�वषयेभ्य परावत्य स्थापन स्वस्वगोल |

उभयेषा�मिन्द्रया स दमः प�रक��तर्त |
बाह्यानालम्ब वतृ ्तेरेषोपर�तरुत् ||२३||
viṣayēbhyaḥ parāvartya sthāpanaṁ svasvagōlakē |
ubhayēṣāmindriyāṇāṁ sa damaḥ parikīrtitaḥ |
bāhyānālambanaṁ vr̥ttērēṣōparatiruttamā ||23||
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The second discipline is talked about. The previous one was kṣamaḥ; mental focus;
this one is called damaḥ; this is a sensory discipline. previous one is mental; this is
sensory discipline. And what is that? He says: indriyāṇāṁ parāvartya; the sense
organs are turned away; from where; viṣayēbhyaḥ; from the sense objects; they are
not stuck in the sense objects but they are turned away from the sense objects
when the interaction is over.
So for interaction purposes, whatever sensory contact is required that is kept.

Otherwise no transaction is possible. But after the transaction is over, when there is
no requirement, do not dwell upon those sense objects. Therefore parāvartya;
where are they kept; svasvagōlakē sthāpanaṁ; the sense organs are kept in their
own original places. What is the original place; the corresponding physical part.
I hope you remember, the sense organs are not the physical part; the physical
organs is not called the sense organs. Physical eye is called gōlakam; and what is
the sense organ; the perceptual power; the invisible faculty is called indriyam; and
according to the scriptures when you are seeing an object, this physical eye will
remain in the body alone; but the indriyam is supposed to go out; the gōlakam
remain; but the indriyam goes out. That faculty goes out; like the torch light, torch
light is in my hand; but the beam of light travels and pervades the objects and
illumines it. Similarly the gōlakams are like the torch light; indriyam is like the beam
of conscious and it goes and illumines the object.
Now here damaḥ is after the illumination is over; and transaction is over; the
indriyam comes back rests in the gōlakam. Therefore he says svasvagōlakē
indriyāṇāṁ sthāpanaṁ; they are placed. Viṣayēbhyaḥ parāvartya, having turned
them away from the sense objects.
And which sense organs; ubhayēṣām indriyāṇāṁ; not only the jnānēndriyās; but the
karmēndriyās also. Both the jnānēndriyās and karmēndriyās are intelligently used;
judiciously used; economically used; there is moderation. If that is not done; what
will happen? Krishna said in the second chapter of the Gītā.
ध्यायत �वषयान्पुंस सङ्गस्तेषूपजाय ।

सङ्गात संजायते कामः कामात् क्रोधोऽ�भजाय ॥ २.६२ ॥
dhyāyatō viṣayān puṁsaḥ saṅgastēṣūpajāyatē |
saṅgāt sañjāyatē kāmaḥ kāmāt krōdhō'bhijāyatē || 2.62 ||
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When the sense organs dwell upon an object repeatedly, then the sense organs get
addicted to those objects; exactly like a smoker getting addicted to cigarette.
Drinker gets addicted to alcohol; a coffee drinker addicting to coffee. And it goes to
such an extent that when the coffee is not available, he says there is no taste. Can
you imagine a cup of coffee is making the powerful human being. He is supposed to
be roof and crown of the creation and who is supposed to be sākṣāt param brahma
should come he becomes a cup of coffee or a 2-1/2 inch cigarette. Length whatever
it may; that piece of tobacco conquers a person; and all because of what; and he
says it is all my prārabdhaṁ. One slap should be given. There is no prārabdhaṁ. I
have consciously voluntarily abused my freewill and then I have enslaved myself and
blame the Lord and grahaṁ, time, etc. So here damaḥ is what? the appreciation of
the rule; prevention is better than cure; Dayānanda Svāminicely says; you can have
the second drink but never have the first drink; that means what? You cannot have
the first drink. Do not try to experiment with one cigarette. Similarly everything,
prevention is better than cure. prakṣāḷanāti pankasya dūrāt sassparśanam param;
putting your leg in mud and thereafter trying to wash it; do not put the leg in the
mud itself. This is called damaḥ; never become addicted to anything.
Hari Om.
Page 104

�वषयेभ्य परावत्य स्थापन स्वस्वगोल |

उभयेषा�मिन्द्रया स दमः प�रक��तर्त |
viṣayēbhyaḥ parāvartya sthāpanaṁ svasvagōlakē |
ubhayēṣāmindriyāṇāṁ sa damaḥ parikīrtitaḥ |….
The teacher is dealing with the preparation required on the part of the student; first
he talked about the general qualifications; medhāvi, vidvān, uhāpōha vicakṣaṇaḥ; he
requires intelligence, requires the knowledge of the language, and he requires the
capacity to think and analyse. These are general qualifications and then he is talking
about sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti and then finally he will talk about guru
upasādhanām. Therefore totally 8 preparations; medhā, vidwata, uhāpōha
vichakṣaṇatvam, sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti, guru upasādhanām. All these are the
preparatory stages.
In the sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti he has talked about vivēka and vairāgyaṁ. Now
he is dealing with śamadi ṣaṭka saṁpatti, the six fold discipline. Of these, the first
discipline has been defined in verse No.22; that is śamaḥ; śamaḥ was defined as
the focusing capacity of the mind; remaining focused with regard to the aim of life;
being clear about the priorities of life. Then he defined damaḥ in the 23rd verse and
it is defined as sense control; that is the sense organs do not remain in the external
world; when it is not required. That is the principle. The sense organs do not remain
in the external world when it is not required; economic use of sense organ. Just as
a person is very thrifty with regard to his money; it is used only when and where it is
required, similarly sense organs also.
Somebody nicely said that the sense organs are like the five holes and our
body/mind is like the pot; and the mind has got plenty of energy which is
comparable to water. Imagine there is water in a water; and there are five holes;
what happens to the water? It will get drained. If you do not want the water to be
drained; what do you do; plug the hole. Similarly our mental energy also, if it should
not be dissipated, the sense organs should be plugged; plugged means what not
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always plugged; use it only sparingly, when it is required. And how do you say;
mental energy would be wasted through the sense organs. Because the sense
organs are capable of producing rāga, dvēṣa, kāma, krōdhaḥ, lobhaḥ, madaḥ,
mātsarya etc. and developing these things is dissipation of energy. And this is called
damaḥ; judicious use of sense organs.
Up to this we saw, now we have to go to the third discipline. Third subsidiary

discipline; the whole thing is the third discipline. In the third discipline, there are six
subsidiary disciplines; of these, we are seeing third subsidiary discipline, which is
called uparati.

The word uparati literally means quietitude. That is the general meaning of the word
uparatiḥ or uparamanam and this word uparati is given three different meaning, of
which only one is given here. In Tatva Bōdhaḥ, he gave one definition. In Tatva
Bōdhaḥ, uparatiḥ, or another name is uparama; both are same only. In Tatva
Bōdhaḥ it was defined as svadharmaanuṣṭānam. Confining to svadharma alone;
which means reduction of akāma karmās and niṣidda karmās. So there quietude is
interpretted as withdrawal from the niṣidda kāmas and akāma karmās and confining
to sakāma karmās or svadharmās. That is the definition in Tatva Bōdhaḥ.
And another definition of uparati is given in some other book as Sanyāsaḥ; taking
to the 4th āśrama is called uparatiḥ because in that āśrama, a person withdraws
from all duties. No family duty, no social duty, no religious duty; that is another type
of withdrawal. So in the first definition, it is partial withdrawal from the sakāma and
niṣidda karmās; But in the first definition, sakāma karmās are maintained; but
according to the second definition, it is withdrawal from niṣidda karmās, sakāma
karmās; and even from niṣkāma karmās are not there for a sanyāsi. So the second
meaning of uparati is becoming a sanyāsi, renunciation, becoming a monk.
Now a third definition is given here. What is that. vr̥ttēr bāhyānālambanaṁ. So the
mental function or the mind does not go out again. Mind includes the sense organs.
The mind and the sense organs which are withdrawn during damaḥ; that withdrawn
mind is retained in that condition. So damaḥ and uparati are very close. In the case
of damaḥ, I pull the sense organs. In the case of uparama, I need not pull; it is
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already pulled but I retain the sense organs so as not to go again. Like a child.
When the child runs towards fire or anything, the mother pulls the child and keeps
on the lap. And what does the child do? You all know. In a second it again runs. And
again the mother keeps the child on the lap. Keeping is uparama; and pulling is
damaḥ. Therefore bāhyānālambanaṁ vr̥ttē. vr̥tti here means sensory and mental
function; bāhyānālambanaṁ, not going to external objects once again. This is called
uparati which is uttamaḥ; which is one of the important primary qualifications
because a restless mind cannot study. So a non-restless mind is indicated.
सहनं सवर्दुःखानामप्रतीकारपूवर |
�चन्ता�वलापर�हत सा �त�त�ा �नगद्यत ||२४||
sahanaṁ sarvaduḥkhānāmapratīkārapūrvakam |
cintāvilāparahitaṁ sā titikṣā nigadyatē ||24||
The fourth subsidiary disciple is talked about; viz., titikṣaḥ; Titikṣaḥ alone is
otherwise called śama; otherwise called kṣāntihi; Amānitvam, aḍmbitvam, ahiṁsā,
śāntir ārjavam; śānti kṣamā titikṣaḥ are synonymous. In Tatva Bōdhaḥ, titikṣaḥ was
defined as śīta uṣṇa suka duḥkhādi sahiṣṇutvam. In simple language, titikṣaḥ means
endurance power; the capacity to endure pain without breaking down. That
endurance, physical; more than physical, it is mental is called titikṣaḥ; sarva
duḥkhānam sahanam. Sahanam means endurance; endurance of all kinds of
discomfort caused by adyatimikam, adiboudikam; the surrounding, caused by
adidevikam, like the rain; how you all have got the endurance power to come in
spite of rains; that is called titikṣaḥ.
And why do we say that titikṣaḥ is required, because no human being can be totally
free from pain. Life can never be a bed of roses; for any human being and that is
why we are asked to read purāṇās all the time. When we read the purāṇas, the
most interesting thing we find is all the possible problems in life, one person or other
would have suffered in the purāṇās; loss of money, loss of children, loss of life, loss
of this, loss of that; whatever problem you imagine, in the purāṇas somebody might
have lost. And when we read the purāṇas repeatedly, we come to know that we are
not the only ones who suffer. And when we know that there are other people also,
that itself acts as a shock absorber. When the current goes in our house; what is the
first job? we check the neighbors house. If there also there is no power, such a
relief. Even though you continue to sweat, just to know that there are other people
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having similar thing, that itself is some relief. Therefore nobody suffers exclusively;
life involves dvandvās. That is why Krishna said
mātrāsparśāstu kauntēya śītōṣṇasukhaduḥkhadāḥ |

āgamāpāyinō:'nityāstāṁstitikṣasva bhārata ||2- 14||
There also titikṣaḥ is talked about. And should we not remedy when there are
problems? Certainly remedies are given; but the thing is if we are going to do
remedy for each and every problem; which is called prāyascitta karma; the tragedy
would be, the whole life, we will have time for prāyascitta only. And the thing is, if
we solve bigger problems; smaller problems will appear bigger. And if you solve
smaller problems, still smaller problems would appear bigger. Therefore there is no
question of zero problem coming; therefore as much as possible avoid prāyascitta
karma; as much as possible avoid pratikāram or prāyascittam; and learn to endure
so that you have time for something greater and therefore sarva duḥkhānam
sahanam; and how aprathikāra pūrvakam. When the sorrow is caused by certain
human beings; the sorrow can come either through objects, situations or often
through human beings. When the sorrow is caused by human beings; the natural
tendency is to develop hatred and developing a revenging mentality. The idea of
revenge is very natural. And if I cannot take revenge, at least I pray to Lord; what?
அவ�க் கஷ்ட வரணம. In Tamil you say you know அவன் நாசமா ேபாகண என்�
சப�க்கவாவ� ெசய்ேவ; Therefore at least pray to Lord that he suffers or when he

suffers in future, நன்னாச உனக் நன்ன ேவணம. This attitude is supposed to be
very very unfavourable for inner growth.
Throughout Mahābhāratham we see that series of revenging tendency. Droṇā wants

to revenge; Drūpada wants to revenge; Bhima wants to revenge; Karna wants to
take revenge; Draupadi wants to take revenge. When Krishna wants to go for peace
mission, Draupadi asks the question: If you stop the war, what will happen to my
hair? She is more bothered about tying her hair rather than stopping a war. So much
hatred inside. What we see is throughout; that is a kṣatriya. That is kṣatriya. when
rajō guṇa is dominant; and rajō guṇa is dominant, revenging mentality; eye for eye;
tit for tat; that is most dangerous thing; therefore aprathikāram; without developing
revenging mentality or hatred. That does not mean where adharma is there,
punishment should not be given; śāstras does not say. Punishment is different from
revenge. Punishment need not be with a revenging attitude. There the attitude is
that the other person should be corrected. That is the only thing. Punishment can
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come out of love; revenge comes out of hatred. Here hatred and revenge is
criticised. Therefore apratikāram.
So when there is love, the advantage is that the person wants to only correct the
other one; if correction can be done without punishment; then this person would try
that method. But in the case of revenge, I want to give him pain; and how much
pain; as much pain as he inflicted upon me; that is called hatred; if it is corrective
attitude, I want to correct the person; Without giving pain in return, if correction can
be done without pain, wonderful. Why should we give pain in return? Therefore
whether correction and love are the motives, or whether inflicting pain and revenge
is the motive; that is difference.
Here pratikāra is that negative aspect; without that sahanam; and cintā vilāpa
rahitam. There are some people who do not want to take revenge; but who also
endure; and they also constantly say what cannot be cured has to be endured, etc.
But even though they have such a mentality; the problem is what: cintā and vilāpa.
They will entertain constant dejection and depression. That man did that to me; that
man did that to me; go on repeating; being disappointed depressed frustrated,
thinking of the suffering that was caused by the person. Then the endurance
becomes useless. The very purpose for endurance is what? To utilise the time and
energy for healthy pursuit. But if I endure and if my mind is going to feel constantly
feel that "I am suffering" "I am suffering"; then what is the use of the endurance.
So therefore revenge seems to be better than endurance. constantly suffering
mentally. Therefore cintā should not be there; self-pity; cintā is self-pity; self-
cursing; he does not curse others; but he curses himself; that is called cintāa.
Not only there is self-pity; vilāpaḥ; vilāpaḥ means verbally lamenting; cintā is at the
mental level; vilāpaḥ at the verbal level; ஆைர பார்த்தா இன் கைதைய
ெசால்லிண இ�ப்ப. So not only he is depressed and grumbling and mourning; but
he will make other people also depressed. He will distribute his grief free to all other
people. That's all. Called vilāpa. Titikṣaḥ means no self-pity. Titikṣaḥ means no more
grumbling, murmuring; complaining. And if somebody asks: I say I have no
complaints. Some problems may come in life; but I do not want to complain about
this person, that person constantly. Sharing with a person for some time; to get
released mentally it is one thing; because that also is said to be good
psychologically. We have that idea to share with someone and get relief and release.
But what is criticised here constantly day-in-and-day-out talking about it constantly.
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This is called cintā and vilāpa rahitam, without doing that; sahanam. Same
endurance is called titikṣaḥ; a vēdantin alone can have such endurance and a person
with such an endurance alone will have inner leisure; quality time for vēdānta.
Otherwise, there might be external time; but inner time may not be; why may not
be, will not be available. Because whenever he sits with vēdānta book, இ� அவன
இப்ப பண்ண�னாே; இவன அப்ப பண்�னாே;

ண ெபாண் இப்ப இ�க்காே; ேபர்
அப்ப இ�க்காே; neighbour இப்ப� பண்ணறா; அ�ேவ மனஸிேல ஓ�ம. So

titikṣaḥ is extremely important. Krishna says;
yaṁ hi na vyathayantyētē puruṣaṁ puruṣarṣabha |

samaduḥkhasukhaṁ dhīraṁ sō:'mr̥tatvāya kalpatē ||2- 15||
Such person with this endurance power alone is fit for amr̥tatvam; mōkṣaḥ.
शास्त् गुरुवाक्य सत्यबुद्ध्यवधार |

सा श्र क�थता स�द्भयर वस्तूपलभ्य ||२५||
śāstrasya guruvākyasya satyabuddhyavadhāraṇam |
sā śraddhā kathitā sadbhiryayā vastūpalabhyatē ||25||
So śama, dama, uparama, titikṣaḥ; four are over; mind control; sense control;
quietude, endurance or patience. You can translate as patience also. These are the
four. Now comes the fifth one; śraddhā; the definition of śraddhā is as given in
Tatva Bōdhaḥ; faith in the words of the guru and śāstram; faith does not mean blind
faith; that is to be understood properly. Suppose I see that there is a contradiction
or illogicality in the words of the teacher or in the words of the śāstra; in the name
of faith, I do not swallow that. That is not faith; at the same time, I do not reject the
statement also. If I blindly swallow without the intellect approving it of, it is blind
faith. If I reject the statement, then it is called non-faith. We do not require blind
faith; we do not require non-faith; we require healthy faith. What is healthy faith? If
I see any logical contradiction, I do not say the statement is illogical, I say that my
understanding is improper. Instead of blaming the statement, I question my
understanding; and for clarity I analyse once again; or I clarify with the teacher.
When I do that again my understanding gets revised. With the revised
understanding, I again try to understand it and if there is still any logical
contradiction; then, what do I do? I again request. Annam brahmēti vyajānāt. Prāṇō
Brahmēti vyajānāt. Five times Brighu comes to the teacher. He thinks Annamaya is
Brahman. Prāṇamaya is Brahman; Manomaya is Brahman, he was not satisfied; he
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did not critcise the teacher, he went to the teacher again. The teacher gave some
more clues and asked him to enquire further. Then he went back thinking
prāṇamaya is Brahman; thus making enquiries repeatedly, one day at one time, the
right understanding of the scriptures come. And what is the right understanding? In
the right understanding I would not see any logical contradiction or experiential
contradiction. And until I arrive at that, I do not question the teacher or scripture, I
question my understanding. This is called healthy faith.
Therefore he says: satya buddhi avadhāraṇam. Ascertaining the validity of the

śāstram. Satya buddhi means prāmāṇya buddhi, which is an independent source of
knowledge. It is an independent source of knowledge, unlike the material sciences.
So there is a difference between physics books and chemistry books etc. The words
of the physics and chemistry; they are not independent sources of knowledge; they
are only repeating the knowledge which has been derived through perception and
logic and therefore the words of science are not called pramāṇam; they are
anuvādhaḥ. The physics book is not pramāṇaḥ. Observation by Newton by Einstein
or by various scientists.
And since it is not an independent source of knowledge, physics chemistry, etc. they
are verifiable by perception and inference; because if Newton வந் ஒன்
experiment பண்ண� கண்�ப��ச்சான் என்� ெ, I can verify through the same

experiment and ascertain; whereas vēdas are not presenting a knowledge; which is
derived through knowledge and inference. If vēdas also come under that category;
then it will not be called a pramāṇam; remember the name, it will be anuvādhaḥ;
physics is anuvādhaḥ; chemistry is anuvādhaḥ. Why Zoology; botany; all the
sciences are anuvādhaḥ தான. அ�க் ேப� pramāṇam ெசால்ல மாட். Whereas
Vēda is pramāṇam; means what; that it is an independent source of knowledge; it is
not derived through pratyakṣa or anumāna; and what is not derived through
pratyakṣa or anumāna cannot be verified through pratyakṣa/anumāna. Physics can
be verified through pratyakṣa/anumāna, because it is borrowed knowledge from
pratyakṣa/anumāna. கண்ணா பார்தை எதால verify பண்ணலா. கண்ணா verify
பண்ணலா. காதால ேகட்டை காதால verify பண்ணலா. கண்ணா பார்தை காதால
verify பண் ��யா�. காதால பார்தை கண்ணா verify பண் ��யா�.
Similarly what is derived through vēda or known through vēda is an independent

source. This understanding is called Sāstrē prāmāṇya buddhiḥ. This is the
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fundamental axiom when we come to vēda. And therefore prāmāṇya buddhiḥ is

called śraddhā.
When I am looking to verify something with the help of the eyes; what is my
attitude towards the eyes. What knowledge the eyes will give, that is valid. Now
இப்ேப கண் வந் இ� பச்ை கலர என் ெசால்லற. How can I verify? But once
the eyes reveal that this is green, this is knowledge or hypotheses? This is
knowledge for me; why it is knowledge, because I have taken the eye as an
independent means of knowledge. Having source status. Similarly ears; similarly
nose. Similarly śāstram is an independent source of knowledge; I am repeatedly
using the eyes to get the right knowledge. Similarly to get the right knowledge from
śāstra, what should I do? Repeatedly use the śāstra. கண்ணா பார்தததிே
ஸன்ேதஹ வன்தா கண்ணா தான பார்கணே தவ�ர காைத use பண்ணபடா.
�தலிேல śāstra தில எனக் conviction வரலயானால; conviction வரத்�க எைத use
பண்ணண. śāstra ைத தான use பண்ணண. So this understanding is called satya

buddhi avatārana. That is why whenever there is an analysis in the śāstra, a doubt
in Mundakopāṇiṣad, to clarify that what do they do: They use Kenopāṇiṣad; they
quote that. They would not go to Einstein. Cannot be done. If there is some doubt,
they may use Kenopāṇiṣad or Brihadaranyaka upaṇiṣad; you can go round and
round śāstra only. Suppose you say, how can I accept śāstra? Then I will say we
have no common ground. It is like asking how can I accept perception. It is
experimentally proved, if you say, what is the proof that the experiment is right. You
say, in the experiment we have seen with the eyes. What is the guarantee that the
eyes are right? We are assuming that the eyes are valid instruments of knowledge.
Similarly in this field we are assuming that the śāstra is valid instrument of
knowledge. If pratyakṣa can be valid instrument of knowledge with regard to world
or matter, śāstra is valid instrument with regard to spirit. Spirit means what? Not
some other spirit. Consciousness.
Thus we have got two independent means, pratyakṣa, matter-viṣayē; śāstra, spirit-
viṣayē. One is the material pramāṇam; another is śāstra pramāṇam. There is no
corridor between these two. Therefore for all clarification, study śāstra clearly
clearly clearly; கண்ை �டச்�ண பா�. ஒ� course ��யவ�ல்ைலயானா,
இன்ெனா course attend பண்�. அ��ம ் ��யைலன guru ைவ change பண்.
Sometimes Guru may not be efficient. But you have to hold on to śāstram. This
understanding is called satya buddhi avadhāraṇam. There is another reading satya
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buddhya avadhāraṇā. That is a better reading. Satya buddhya avadhāraṇā.

Ascertaining with the satya buddhi. Satya buddhi means what? Pramānya buddhi;
that it is an independent, valid means of knowledge. With regard to what?
Śāstrasya; śāstra vākyani; śāstram means śāstram vākyam; guru vakysya; and the
words of guru. How can I accept the words of guru, you cannot ask. We have to
accept the words of the guru because all the words of guru are derived from
śāstram. Remember guru does not have independent validity. If a person is not
using śāstram; if a person is not using śāstram, then his words are derived from
what? pratyakṣam and anumānam. He will be like a scientist. Then the question will
come, why should I go to such a guru? I myself can use pratyakṣa and anumāna.
And therefore guru is a guru only when every one of his statement is
derived from śāstram. They are all corollary of śāstram. Therefore all the śāstrik
words and all the corollaries derived from the śāstra given out by guru and the guru
is ready to show how he derived. That is what he has done in Brahmasūtra; why he
gave such a meaning for such a word. If a person is not ready to use another
statement. But make sure that it does not contradict logic. It is not proved logically,
but it does not contradict logic. It is not proved logically but it does not contradict
logically. This is called śraddhā. Sa śraddhā kathitā.
So for example what is not proved logically but that which does not contract
logically; what is the example, the scriptures talk about heaven; and they say
heaven is a place. And there are Dēvā and the śāstra says these dēvā are mortals.
Now the mortality of dēvā is not proved logically because it is not available for logic.
Dēvā-ைள பார்த தாேன. Not available for observation or inference. So dēva's
mortality is not proved logically; but at the same time, it is not that illogical because
since Dēvās are all finite; they all can be and they all should be what: mortals. But
suppose śāstra says Dēvās are immortals what is the problem? It is illogical because
finite Dēvā cannot be immortal. Therefore if dēvās are said to be immortal; I would
not accept that; why because it is illogical. If śāstra says dēvās are mortals I cannot
logically prove because I do not see dēvās at all and talk about mortality, but I can
say that it is not illogical. For this, Svāmi Chinmayānanda coins a nice word: that is
allogical; it is neither logical or illogical; but it is what; allogical. Like the clip is
green; it is logical or illogical? Can you logically prove? Nobody can logically prove
the colour. Is it illogical? This is not illogical. Clip is green is neither logical nor
illogical. Similarly here also mortality of Dēvā is not logically proved, because Dēvā
are not available for experimentation. At the same time that idea is not illogical.
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Similarly here also. sā śraddhā kathitā. By whom? sadbiḥ; sadbiḥ means satpuruṣās,
maharṣīs, by the ṛṣi. So by the ṛṣi; that is called Śraddhā. And this is one of the most
important qualifications. In fact we can even say THE important qualification. THE
QUALIFICATION.
Therefore Śankarācārya says yayā vastūpalabhyatē; by which alone vastu,

Brahman is recognised. Just as acceptance of the validity of senses is required to
accept the world. World accept பண்ணண ெசான் what is required? The acceptance
of the validity of sense organs is required, if I have to accept the world. Sense
organs-ல நம்ப�ைக இல்ைல ெசா, the very existence of the world, I cannot
accept. Similarly Brahman can be recognised only if the validity of the śāstra is
accepted. yayā vastūpalabhyatē. Vastu here means Brahman. Upalabhyatē means
attained. Here attained means known. That is why in the Gītā, Krishna says:
śraddhāvān labhyate jñānaṃ tatparaḥ saṃyatendriyaḥ; śraddhāvāṃljñānaṃ
labhyate.
And in the next line, he says: ajñaś cāśraddhādhānaś ca saṃśayātmā vinaśyati. The
one who does not have śraddhā is spiritually doomed. Spiritually doomed means
what? Vēdānta cannot function for him.
सवर्द स्थापन बुद्ध शुद् ब्रह् सवर्द |

तत्समाधान�मत्युक न तु �चत्तस लालनम ् ||२६||
sarvadā sthāpanaṁ buddhēḥ śuddhē brahmaṇi sarvadā |
tatsamādhānamityuktaṁ na tu cittasya lālanam ||26||
So this six subsidiary disciple is mentioned here; which is called samādhānam. And
what is that? Buddhēhe bramani stāpanam. Fixing the mind upon the mind. Now a
question may come, how can a person fix the mind upon Brahman, because these
are qualifications, preparations before studying vēdānta. Therefore he does not even
know what Brahman is. How can a person fix the mind on an unknown thing? So
therefore we should remember, fixing the mind upon Brahman is fixing the mind
upon Brahman as the goal of life. If he still does not know what Brahman is, it is
only something which is said in the Vēdas. He has got only parōkṣa jñānam. He has
got only an indirect knowledge of Brahman; it is something which is said to be
infinite; it is supposed to be attributeless; it is supposed to be the cause of the
universe; thus he has got only a vicarious indirect knowledge of Brahman. He does
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not know that Brahman I am. அெதல்லா ெத�யா�. எேதா Brahman Brahman என்
śāstram ெசால்லற. And it is supposed to be infinite and ānandaḥ. And by gaining

that Brahman, I will get mōkṣa and therefore let me go to after it. So therefore
Brahmani here means Brahman which is known indirectly. parōkṣatayā brahmaṇi
buddhēḥ stāpanam stāpanam, as the goal of life.
When? सवर्द sarvadā. In fact in this book the word सवर्द sarvadā is repeated twice,
र थ sarvathā. Second थ.
But there is another reading where the another one is सव्
सवर् first; सव्

र थ sarvathā second. सव्
र थ sarvathā means by all means. All the time
and by all the means.
And what do you mean by all the means? Whatever be the pursuit of life, he does
not forget that goal. Running a family, going through lot of activities; earning
money, settling the children; taking care of grandchildren; so many activities are
there; but in and through all of them, he does not forget the goal of Brahman. That
is called sarvathā. He gives the example of the karagāttam. Karagāttam means the
one who keeps the pot on the head and dances; whatever be the movements of his
legs, hands, body, etc. his head is very very straight and he does not forget that the
pot is on the head. His whole life is Karagāttam. That he does not forget the goal.
And this one-pointedness of the mind is called samādhānam. This alone is called
samādhiḥ. And for this alone the entire Aṣṭāṅga yōga of Patanjali is prescribed.
Yama Niyama āsana Prāṇāyāma, Pratyāhāra, dhāraṇa, dhyāna, samādhi, I just
talked about in the introduction.
So Aṣṭāṅga Yōga of Patanjali is not for mōkṣa. Aṣṭāṅga yōga of Patanjali is not for
even jñānam. Entire aṣṭāṅga yōga of Patanjali is useful to only develop one disciple.
Not even one of the sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti. In sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti
ெல, there is a third one; and in the third one, śamadhi ṣaṭka saṁpatti ெல sixth
subsidiary called samādhiḥ. For that alone Aṣṭanga Yōga. Never take yōga as
alternative method of liberation. It would only assist in developing sādhanā
catuṣṭaya saṁpatti or one of the sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti .
And na tu cittasya lālanam. And one should not allow the mind to get distracted.
One should not pamper the mind; allow the mind, to let go. Like a child; it is
undisciplined child; goes here and there; pulls anything and everything. Do not
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allow the mind to be a brat child; but a child which is under your control. Lālanam
literally means pampering; or wandering; that is not samādhānam; focusing the
mind is samādhānam. With this, the sixth subsidiary discipline is over. With this six
subsidiary discipline, the third qualification is over. Now we have to enter the fourth
qualification, which we will do in the next class.
Hari Om.
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ु ुवाक्य सत्यबुद्ध्यवधार |
शास्त् गर
सा श्र क�थता स�द्भयर वस्ूपलभ्य
त ||२५||
śāstrasya guruvākyasya satyabuddhyavadhāraṇam |
sā śraddhā kathitā sadbhiryayā vastūpalabhyatē ||25||
सवर्द स्थापन बुद्ध शुद् ब्रह् सवर्द |

तत्समाधान�मत्युक न तु �चत्तस लालनम ् ||२६||
sarvadā sthāpanaṁ buddhēḥ śuddhē brahmaṇi sarvadā |
tatsamādhānamityuktaṁ na tu cittasya lālanam ||26||
Dealing with the preparations required on the part of the student, Śankarācārya is
discussing sādhanā catuṣṭayaṁ, of which he has discussed three sādhanās, vivēka,
vairāgya and śamadi ṣaṭka saṁpatti; discrimination, dispassion and six fold inner
discipline. And here we have to note a particular point that śama was defined in the
22nd slōka as svalakṣē niyatha avastha; focusing the mind upon the lakṣyaṁ is
śamaḥ. And in the 26th verse samādhānam was defined as buddhēḥ brahmaṇi
śuddhē sthāpanaṁ. Fixing the mind upon the Brahman, this is again the lakṣyaṁ,
that is the goal. Therefore śama is also defined as focusing on the goal.
samādhānam is defined as focusing on Brahman, which means śama and
samādhānam seems to be same. Because in both we are talking about focusing the
mind. In 22nd word used was lakṣyaṁ, in the 26th the word used as Brahman; both
are the same, because for a vēdantic student goal is Brahman.
And therefore the question comes, what is the difference between śama and
samādhānam. So the commentator Sringeri Ācārya, who writes the Saṁsr̥kt
commentary, he makes a subtle difference. He says śama is at the sādhana level;
i.e. the very attempt to keep the mind in the goal; that practice part is called śama;
and samādhānam refers to the accomplished state. So the difference is only in the
intensity. One is at sādhanā and another is at the sādya level. And this definition of
śama as focusing the mind upon the lakṣyaṁ goal is the English definition of
Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi, but in Tatva bōdhaḥ we did not face this problem because in
Tatva Bōdhaḥ, śama was defined as mind control; thought discipline was called
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śama and concentration was called samādhānam. Therefore in Tatva Bōdhaḥ we did
not find the problem. But in Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi, śama is not defined as mind control; it
was defined as concentration. So once you define śama as concentration, then it will
mix up with what? samādhānam. Then how do you differentiate. Concentration as
sādhanā is śama and concentration as accomplishment is samādhānam. But this
problem would not come in Tatva Bōdhaḥ. Therefore for our practical purposes, we
can keep tatva bōdhaḥ definition. śama means mind discipline. And samādhānam is
focusing the mind on the goal. So with this the third sādhanā is also over. Śamadhi
ṣaṭka saṁpattiḥ.
Now comes the fourth discipline, viz., mumukṣatvam, otherwise called mumukṣutā.
अहंकारा�ददेहान्तान बन्धान�ानकिल्पता |
स्वस्वरूपावबो मोक्तु�मच् मुमु�ुता ||२७||
ahaṁkārādidēhāntān bandhānajñānakalpitān |
svasvarūpāvabōdhēna mōktumicchā mumukṣutā ||27||
So what is the fourth qualification? mumukṣutā or mumukṣatvaṁ; literally it means

desire for mōkṣaḥ. Desire for mōkṣaḥ. And generally the word mōkṣa is translated as
liberation or freedom and there is nothing wrong in that translation; but it is not a
very true translation to the Saṁsr̥kt word. If you have to give a true translation for
mōkṣa, it should be translated as tyāgaḥ; giving up. mōkṣaḥ, to give up. giving
away, washing off is called mōkṣaḥ. And in keeping with the true Saṁsr̥kt meaning
Śankarācārya is giving the definition as mōktum icchā mumukṣutā. Mumukṣatvaṁ is
the desire to give up. And this translation is a good translation because it also
removes some of the misconceptions regarding mōkṣa. If you talk of mōkṣa as a
freedom; something to be accomplished in time, it looks as though we are going to
get something. Getting mōkṣa is the word used. But once you translate mōkṣa as
giving up, then all our expectations of getting something will go away. So the
biggest obstacle in vēdānta is expectation of getting something extraordinary. Either
in terms of position, some religion talk about getting different lōkaḥ; some others
talk about getting some extra ordinary personal thing; like powers, capacity to
predict future, any non-student comes to a Svāmi, they only ask the questons of
extra ordinary thing. Svāmiji எங �ள்ைளக கல்யாண நடக்�ம? They want, they
expect that we know the future? We can predict whether he will get married in this
year or next year. That means Svāmi, spirituality means getting some extraordinary
siddhis or the next stage is getting extra ordinary experiences. These are three basic
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expectations. Extra ordinary lōkaḥ like vaikuntha; extraordinary powers or siddhis or

extraordinary experiences. Unfortunately this expectation is there even among some
of the people who have studied the śāstras.
And once you define mōkṣa as giving up, then you do not expect anything new, but
giving up something. Now the question is giving up of what? We say giving up of
bondage or a sense of limitation; sense of inadequacy; sense of missing things; I
am missing that; I am missing that person; I am missing this thing; I am missing
that position; a sense of inadequacy or the sense of limitation is called bondage.
Giving up the sense of limitation is mōkṣa. That means that is in my hand. If mōkṣa
is getting something, then we will attribute the Lord doing something. அவர எப்ெப
எனக் ெமாக்ஷத ��ப்பாேர ெசால்ல அவேரா� கய்ய�ெ மாததிப்ேபா. If I say that

you have to give up that sense, it is whose responsibility? I am putting the whole
responsibility on your head; you decide to knock off the notion; you decide to knock
of that sense that "I am limited". And how long will I be bound? As long as you
decide to hold on to that notion. And when you will be free. You can be free at
7.14. அ�க் தான பார்ேத.If you decide to drop the notion like a hot potato. So
Mōkṣa is giving up the sense of limitation. Limitation can be translated as in different
ways; but one of the translation is sense of localisation. I am in this particular place,
which alone creates the idea of limitation; which will lead to the idea of travel;
because if I am here, afterwards where will I go. And how long it will take. question
answer ெவச்ச, இெதல்லா தான ேகள்வ. After death, how many years it will take for
the jīva to reach another body; as though all the questions in the life is answered
and the only doubts left behind are after deaths. இங்ேக இ�க்கறேப things-ஐ
��ண்ட ேபாராேதா? And why they want to ask? You know; and if I say,
immediately, the next question they ask immediately would be, அப்ப�யானா
ஸ்ராத் எத�க் பண்ணண So we seems to be always bothered about travelling

after death. All the question of travelling etc. come, because I have a sense of
location. Therefore not dropping localisation of consciousness is bondage. Therefore
giving up of that sense of limitation is mōkṣaḥ. Ok.
Then we are going to further refine that. Why do we get that sense of localisation?
What makes me feel that I am here? If you analyse, it is very interesting, our day to
day experience is enough to find out the answer. In the jāgrat avastha and in the
svapna avastha, when the mind and the body are functioning, I have a clean sense
of localisation and individuality. In suṣupti avastha, when the body mind complex is
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resolved, then I do not have a sense of localisation and limitation. Only until you go
to sleep you say: I am here. Once you sleep off, you do not know whether it is
home, whether it is class or whether it is train or flight or anywhere; all the sense of
place, time and even the sense of body is gone. That is why often in the morning
the leg would be in the pillow and the head would be down, etc. Why because no
sense.
Therefore, the pañja kōśas, which we will elaborate later, they give the sense of
localisation. The body mind complex, or the pañja kōśas, and among the pañja
kōśas also Ānandamaya kōśa does not create much problem. அதிலதான நாம �ங்க
ேபாய�டேறாம. Therefore mainly the four kōśas, annamaya, prāṇamaya, manōmaya,

and vijñānaṁaya, are the localising culprit. And therefore as long as they are not
negated, the sense of localisation and limitation would not go away. Therefore pañja
kōśa tyāgaḥ, ēva limitation tyāgaḥ. Pañja kōśa tyāgaḥ ēva pariccinatva tyāgaḥ. And
here when we talk about giving up the pañja kōśas or negation of pañja kōśa, we do
not mean physical negation.
Then what is the negation? Falsification. Understanding that they are like shadow;
they are like Brahman's shadow and I know that shadow cannot limit me. Shadow
cannot corner me. I do experience shadow but I do not feel circumscribed by
shadow. Suppose your shadow falls; and I do not want to get away giving room for
your shadow; I need not do that. Thus the whole prapañja especially the pañja kōśa
should be reduced to shadow or mithya; mithya pañja kōśa can give rise to only
mithya limitation and therefore my localisation is only a seemingly phenomenon. I
am eternally unlocalised consciousness. na jāyatē mriyatē vā kadācin; nityaḥ
sarvagataḥ sthāṇuracalō:'yaṁ sanātanaḥ.
And therefore what is mōkṣa? Śankarācārya says: Bandān mōktum icchāḥ. Desire to
give up. mōktum means tyaktum; bandān the shackle, the limiting factor, bandaḥ
here means the shackle or the limiting factors; so the localising factors; and what
are they; ahaṁkāradi dēhānthan. Śankarācārya is taking the four kōśas here
beginning from ahaṁkāra, corresponding to vijñānaṁaya kōśa and dēhānthan. Dēha
corresponding to annamaya kōśas. So the four kōśas, beginning from the ahaṁkāra,
the vijñānaṁaya kōśa, to dēhādi annamaya kōśa is four kōśas alone localising. The
very notion of I; when does it come. �ஙகறேபா� our ego is not there. I am so and
so. I am educated, illiterate. Male, female, Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya; all these sense of
individuality is only when the jāgrat avastha comes and the mind is awake. And
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therefore ahaṁkāradi dēhānthan, the caturvita kośān mōktum icchāḥ. Desire to

falsify them. That is why Janaka was given a name; to indicate his jñānam, he was
given name vidēhaḥ; vidēhaḥ means what: the unembodied one. The one who is
free from embodiment. Does that mean Janaka moved without a body? Janaka
moved without a body. ஆராவ� without body move பண்ண�னா என்ன ெசால்�ே;
என்ன ேப? ghost. Therefore what do you mean by unembodied; Janaka did not
take this body as one which localises him or limits him. Therefore when the sense of
localisation is dropped, I am unembodied. Just as the pot-space can drop the notion
of limitation by mere understanding that the pot cannot circumscribe the space; if
pot can circumscribe the space, we can put some space into a pot and carry it to
another place. So the limitation of pot-space is notional; not factual. Similarly
limitation of consciousness is notional; not factual. This understanding and giving up
the notion of limitation is called mōkṣa. This is a technical definition. But generally in
the Gītā and all we do not give the technical definition because people will think that
it is too abstract; localisation and all those things; therefore in Gītā it is put in the
grossest form; gatāsūn agatāsūṃś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. உனக் கவைல இ�க்க.
அ� ெசான்ன எல்லா� வ�வா.Vēdānta removes your tension; your stress; your

heart blood pressure ெசான் நிறய ேபர வ�வா. Localisation is removed ெசான்
locala என்னவல்லாேமா ேபசிண்� இ�க்க ெச, வ�ட்�� ேபாய��வ. Therefore

Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi defines mōkṣa in technical way; but ultimately what is the meaning?
Free from sense of limitation means free from sorrow; free from fear of death; free
from sense of insecurity. Therefore अहंकारा�ददेहान्तान बन्धा मोक्तु म इच्च
ahaṁkārādidēhāntān bandhān mōktum icchāḥ. Desire to give up.
Then the question is: How do you give up? To negate them, you have to find out
what is their cause, because one of the methods of destroying something is
destroying its cause like removing a disease. So if you go to a doctor to remove a
disease, he directly does not give medicine to remove the disease. If the doctor
directly gives medicine, better you do not go the doctor, because he may not
remove the disease only, he may remove the patient. அ��ம removal of disease
தாேன. இ�க்க patient க் தாேன disease. So therefore if he is an intelligent doctor,
what should you find out; what is the cause. One headache can be caused by 2473
reasons; head is only one; ache is only one; cause வன், பல்லிேலன,
கண்ண�ேலன, stomach ேலன், wife ேலன், OK. Anything can be there; or

husband. So anything can be cause of head-ache. Diagnosis means go to the
kāraṇam; when kāraṇa nāśēna, kārya nāśaḥ.
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What is the cause of pañja kōśa? They say; ajñānā kalpithān. Whole duality is born
of ajñānam. So kalpitta means superimposed; falsely perceived. Adyarthan iti arthaḥ.
So therefore the desire to give up the shackles which are born out of ignorance. And
if they are born out of ignorance, how do you remove them, by removing ignorance.
How do you remove ignorance? There is only one way; fortunately or unfortunately,
and that way is what: Jñānam.
Therefore Śankarācārya adds: स्वस्व अवबोधेन svasvarūpa avabōdhēna. Whole

vēdānta ைத ரண் ெவ�ய�ல ��ச்��டா அவர. whole vēdānta. தி�வள்�வ� �ரள�ல
என்னெவ ெசால்�வ இல்லேய? அைத ஓைடயாக்க, ஊசியாக்க, எ� கடைல. There is
some saying. How he condensed the huge topic into what you call two lines.
Similarly Śankarācārya has condensed the whole vēdānta in these two lines. What is
the problem? Sense of localisation. How is it caused? By ignorance. How is it
removed; By knowledge. Over. Vēdānta over.
So svasvarūpa avabōdhēna; by knowing one's own unlocalised nature that "I am the
unlocalised consciousness"; "all pervading consciousness"; "unlimited
consciousness"; seemingly limited by matter vestures. Sva swarūpa Brahma svarūpa
avabōdhēna mōktum icchāḥ; desire to give up. And therefore the ultimate goal of
the student is mōkṣa, but what is the immediate goal of the student? jñānam,
because we have said mōkṣa is through jñānam and therefore now he says: I am
interested in jñānam.
And this is called conversion from mumukṣu to vijnāta. It is a very big progress.
Previously I had desire for mōkṣa; now I am very clear that what I need is
knowledge and only when I my seeking becomes knowledge-seeking; then alone the
relevance of scriptures will be appreciated. Otherwise people ask why do you do all
these studies? க்ளாஸ் ேபாய�, வ��ந் வ��ந் notes எ�தி, cassette எ�த்�ன; why
all these things? why can't you practice meditation; why can't you raise the
kundalini; or why can't you do this pooja; all kinds of things. Somebody said
someone from here has gone to Singapore because someone said that I will open
your third eye of wisdom and give you which is liberation; I do not know how he will
do; for that 300 Dollars per head. 300 dollars per head; third eye open; liberation
follows. All because we think that liberation is seeing something; smelling
something; hearing something; experiencing something. Once you define Mōkṣa is
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understanding something intimately, then alone Vēdānta śravaṇa; systematic study

of vēdānta becomes extremely important. So here mumukṣu is vijnāta. atāthō
brahma jijñāsa. This is the fourth qualification; and it is over.
मन्दमध्यमरूप वैराग्ये शमा�दना |

प्रसाद गुरोः सेयं प्रवृ सूयते फलम ् ||२८||
mandamadhyamarūpāpi vairāgyēṇa śamādinā |
prasādēna gurōḥ sēyaṁ pravr̥ddhā sūyatē phalam ||28||
All the four qualifications have been enumerated. The natural curiosity of everyone
is: which one is the most important one; like in examination choice; even though all
the four are important; the natural curiosity will be to know what is the most
important one? Suppose you ask Śankarācārya to choose one of these four
qualifications, what will you choose? Śankarācārya gives the answer in this slōka
and then you ask another question suppose you want to choose two, out of the four,
of the most important ones, which would you choose. And his idea is if you do not
know where the start, he gives a clue for that.
Among the four, which one is the most important one? Śankarācārya says
Mumukṣutvam is the most important one. That alone makes you a spiritual seeker.
Desire for mōkṣa makes you a spiritual seeker. If that is not there, then also you can
study vēdānta, but you will not be a spiritual seeker, but you will be an academic
scholar trying to find out what Śankarācārya says; what Rāmānuja says; what
Madhva says; what Schopenhauer says; what Socrates says. So we have got. For
college M.Sc. or P.hd. etc. and I have chosen Śankarācārya's philosophy, as one
subject. And he will study the entire Śankarācārya's philosophy in such a detached
way; worldly detachment is a value; but this person has got what? Detachment from
Śankarācārya's philosophy; and he will appreciate Śankarācārya as one of the
greatest philosophers but he will not have any involvement. It will become an
intellectual gymnastics only. Therefore whether the study should become an
academic pursuit or a spiritual pursuit; the difference is in the motive. And what is
that which makes the difference? That is mumukṣutvaṁ. Therefore mumukṣutvaṁ is
important.
And then another reason that Śankarācārya gives here is. Suppose a person has got
intense mumukṣutvaṁ, even if the other qualifications are lesser; because of the
intense desire, he will do anything and accomplish that. Just as we say, by hook or
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crook. We do not mean by crook; but by one method or the other. just like people
who want to go to America. I am not saying it is right or wrong; I am just making
an observation; somehow or the other. ஆ� மாஸ visa ெல ேபாய� அங்ே இ�க்கற.
இல்ைலநா அங்ே ேபாய� யாைரயாநா�ம கல்யாண பண்ண�க்க. or they do

something or the other; get into America; why because the urge to go there is so
intense; where there is a will, there is a way, like that; once the desire for mōkṣa
becomes intense, then the person if vivēka is lacking, he will fill up; vairāgyaṁ is
lacking; he will fill up; śāmādi ṣaṭka saṁpatti is lacking, he will fill up. Therefore he
is ready to sacrifice anything for the sake of mōkṣa. So when the mumukṣutvaṁ is
not that intense, approach for vēdānta is also casual. Then the excuses for cutting
the classes will also become more and more. As the desire intensity is more, then
you will find, anything, somehow or the other. Somebody phoned the other day;
Svāmiji in Besant Nagar, we have a big problem, we do not have a covered area and
it is an open place and you know that heavy rains; Svāmiji, are you going to take
class? Once I have fixed, I would go, unless I die; I will try to go. Then that lady
was happy to hear that and said that Svāmiji when you say that the class is there, at
least by swimming we will come. Of course I am not judging any one of you; Svāmiji
என்ேனா �ச்ஞ�ை பார்கரா. Do not say, any one of you is less interested or more
interested. My aim here is not to compare and create a complex or anything; but the
simple thing is the more intense the desire is, the more you are ready for
undergoing any amount of physical trouble. Therefore he says all the other
qualifications will be filled up if mumukṣutvaṁ is there.
So he says: manda madhyama rūpā api, mumukṣuta, mumukṣuta we have to

supply. Suppose the desire for liberation is manda, manda means what; which is
very feeble, or madhyama, madhyama means mediocre, neither feeble or intense, so
and so. Suppose the desire for liberation is almost not there or there is a little bit,
manda means adama, so have categorised the desire into three; adama, madyama
and uttama; uttama means the most intense, madhyama means less intense; adama
means the least intense.
Suppose the desire for liberation is feeble or mediocre, even that mumukṣutvaṁ
pravr̥ddhā bhavathi; will gradually become more and more, because of what;
vairāgyēṇa śamādinā; as the vairāgyaṁ becomes more and more, mumukṣutvaṁ
will also become more. So directly proportional to vairāgyaṁ is mumukṣutvaṁ. Just
like when a person has got certain diseases, he will go and pray to the Lord also,
and also take to various Pathis; homeopathy, allopathy, naturopathy, etc. all of them
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and suppose each Pathy is giving him up saying that we cannot do anything; and
there are so many religious doctors who say that Lord alone can help you; we will
find that as even the other doors are getting closed, the surrender to the Lord
becomes more and more intense. When all the doors are closed and they say that
Lord protects you and you are saved; then that person's Bhakthi is called Gajendra
bhakthi; Draupadi bhakthi; that is called utter śaraṇāgati. Similarly vairāgyaṁ means
other doors for security are closed. Not that the worldly things will give me fullness;
and as I experience more and more I come to know that the so-called doors are not
there; or they are fake doors. Then the attention towards Mōkṣa will become more
and more.
And therefore vairāgyēna; because of the increase in vairāgyaṁ and śāmādina,

because of the increase in śāmā, that is the third qualification, the mumukṣutvaṁ
will get fed more and more and it will increase.
And above all, he adds one more thing; what is that? gurōḥ prasādēna cha; not only
by your own individual effort but also because of the grace of the teacher. gurōḥ
prasādēna. This is how suddenly the philosophy becomes a religion.
In an academic pursuit of vēdānta, student is not going to have guru bhakthi; to the
guide he asks some questions; and his attitude is he is my guide in chemistry like
that guide in philosophy. That's the attitude entertained. But once you have guru
kripa, then my attitude is totally different. Just as I have devotion to the Lord:
yasya deve parā bhaktir

yathā deve tathā gurau
tasyaite kathitā hyarthāḥ
prakāśante mahātmanaḥ
Two things will make vēdānta clear to the student; what are those two things; deve
parabhkathi; intense devotion towards the Lord and tathā gurau, so much intense
devotion to the guru, as much as he has for the Lord; to such an extent, he does not
differentiate guru and God. Guru brahma, guru viśṇu, guru dēvō maheśvarā and
therefore pūjā comes, namaskāram comes which will not be there in an university.
An university pursuer, because he is not a mumukṣu, it is not a spiritual pursuit;
therefore no guru stōtram is required; அங் வந் Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi ப�க்கறத்�
�ன்னா akānda mandalākāram திேலயா start பண்�வ. You will find that the class
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suddenly gets a different colour if you chant the guru stōtram and pray, you do
namaskāram to the teacher, etc. and all of them will become relevant why because
of this one word, guroho prasādēna. By the grace of the guru also.
And what is the grace of the guru? இப்ப ைகையகாட் rays எல்லா வ�ம என்
நிைனக் ேவண்டா; he is a sincere well-wisher that the śiṣya should gain this
knowledge; motive less wish; without any self-interest; not that I am going to get
any benefit; motiveless wish will function because it comes from a purer heart. And
when a purer heart such a wish comes, that wish is not fulfilled by the teacher, but
that wish is fulfilled by the Lord through the teacher.
Therefore, the teacher's grace is nothing but a recommendation letter to God. Not
that he recommends and writes a letter, that sincere wish of a pure heart will make
it fructify and therefore gurōḥ prasādēna sa iyam, sa iyam refers to mumukṣutvaṁ.
This mumukṣuta pravr̥ddhā bhavathi; this desire will become more and more intense
by the grace of the Lord. This desire means which desire?; desire for mōkṣa. This
desire for mōkṣa will increase, மன்தத்த start பண்ண�ன, it will gradually become
madhyama. �ன்னா mōkṣa வா not in the list at all; வந்த வரட்�. வராட்ட
ேபாகட்ம. Detachment ெசான்ேனேன இல்லேய. So perfect detachment in mōkṣa.

Now in Annanagar ஜலம இல்ை. அ� தான ேமாக்.
And after long time, Mōkṣa is also included in the list. அ�ேவ ெப�ய achievement.
But it is 589th item; thereafterwards the priorities gets reshuffled and reshuffled;
like the ATP ranking of the tennis players you know; Coming to the first 20 க்
வர்ே உன்பா என்பா படணம. And அதிேலன் 5th rank; 3rd rank, and when it is
No.1; then it is tīvra mumukṣutvaṁ. So vivr̥dhā. vivr̥dhā means mumukṣutvaṁ
increases and when it is tīvra mumukṣutvaṁ is called and tīvraḥ mumukṣutvaṁ will
do what: phalam sūyatē; it will produce the result for vēdantic study. It will produce
the result for vēdantic study and what is the result of vēdantic study; mōkṣa. It will
produce mōkṣa.
वैराग्य च मुमु�ुत्व तीव् यस् तु �वद्यत |

तिस्मन्नेवाथर्व स्यु फलवन्त शमादयः ||२९||
vairāgyaṁ ca mumukṣutvaṁ tīvraṁ yasya tu vidyātē |
tasminnēvārthavantaḥ syuḥ phalavantaḥ śamādayaḥ ||29||
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So in the previous slōka, Śankarācārya chose one among the four qualification.
Suppose Śankarācārya is asked to choose two among the four; which are the two;
Śankarācārya chooses vairāgyaṁ and mumukṣutvaṁ. So then śāmādi ṣaṭka saṁpatti
and all will easily come.
Concentration is easier and anything where I have love. Children always ask the
question. I do not have concentration in studies, Svāmiji tells some method; they
come and says. So Dayānanda Svāmi used to tell: What? Remove the idea that I
have no concentration; every blessed one has got very good concentration. Only the
question is in What? So the very same boy watches India-Pakistan Cricket match,
day-night match, normally when he touches the book, he sleeps at 9 o'clock, so
immediately sleep comes; but when he watches the match whether it is 11.40 or
12.30 or 1.30 how come he is in Nirvikalpaka Samādhi? Television ைன வ�ட் இங்ே
அங்ே ேபாகமாட்டா. சாப்ப�டறதாநா� என்னத்தே ெகாறிப்பா. அ�க்�தா samādhi

� ேப�. He does not know that he is eating; he does not know the taste, etc. this is
called samādhi. Samādhi means that I am absorbed in something to such an extent
that I am not even aware of what else I am doing. That is why samādhi is not
unknown to anyone. Everybody has samādhi. But why he does not get concentration
for studies; he does not love the study as much as a one-day match between
Pakistan and India and that too we are winning by mistake. We will not win; but
that will happen.
So therefore concentration is directly proportional to the interest that I have. The

love that I have and therefore if mumukṣutvaṁ is intense, śāmādi ṣaṭka saṁpattiḥ is
effortless; mind-control is very easy, because the boy is controlling his mind during
cricket match. Who says that he does not have mind control? Sense control is very
easy because the boy has sense control; uparati is very very easy, because that boy
has withdrawn from everything else. śāmādi ṣaṭka saṁpatti is the easiest one when
the mumukṣutvaṁ is the strongest.
Therefore he says; mumukṣutvaṁ vairāgyaṁ cha. So when interest in mōkṣa and

disinterestedness in all other things, they are tīvram. When they are intense, yasya
tu vidyāte; in a particular person; then tasminnēvārthavantaḥ syuḥ; in the case of
that person only, the other qualifications will become valid. Other qualification
means what? śāmādi ṣaṭka saṁpatti; especially that will become valid; his
intelligence, his sharp-wittedness; his capacity to analyse, his logicalness to analyse,
his one-pointedness; all the scholarship; all of them will become meaningful only
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when mumukṣatvam and vairāgyaṁ are there. Otherwise he will become another
scholar in vēdānta only. tasmin puruṣē ēva śamādayaḥ; śama etc. will become a
arthavantaḥ; arthavantaḥ means fruitful; fruitful means what? Will produce mōkṣa.
So the validation of the śāmādi ṣaṭka saṁpatti; relevance of the śāmādi ṣaṭka
saṁpatti is directly or is possible only when they are backed by vairāgyaṁ and
mumukṣutvaṁ.
And for this purpose only, in the olden days what they did? They made vēdānta least
available thing in the world; or the most difficult opportunity in the world. Sanyāsis
never came down to the world to teach. Suppose it is made easily available,
anybody can have casual interest also.
When in the first course we were studying in the Āśrama, Svāmiji used to tell that he
would not allow anybody to record. Recording was not allowed. If he listens and
grasps, it is listened and grasped. Otherwise it is gone for good. Therefore we
should listen very intense. If cassette is there, we can listen if we miss the class. And
also fast forward, rewind and push, etc. எல்லா இ�க்ே; என் அவஸரம. It is very
good and useful; a plus point; also a minus point because we always feel loose
hearted. And the Sanyāsis were in the Himalayas. And no proper food; and no
proper shelter. And no book, paper and pencil; ஒன்�ம் கிைடய It was the most
difficult pursuit in the world, why; because the one who comes facing all these odds,
will be the one who would have necessarily mumukṣutvaṁ and vairāgyaṁ.
இல்ைலனா Krishna Rāma ெசால்லிண ஆத்திெ இ�க்கலா. எ�க் இப்ப�ெயல்ல
கஷ்டெப�வாே என் ேதா�ம. Therefore one of the methods to filter the students is
to make it difficult. But what happens. No one came to study. Therefore there was
the fear of vēdānta itself going away from the face of the earth; and therefore we
have to compromise with all these things so that whether you come regularly or not;
or once in a while OK; coming late OK; எப்ப�யாவ வன்த ேபா�ம என் ெசால்ல
ெவத்திை பாக் ��க்காத �ைறேய தவ�ர, we have to do that. So therefore

Śankarācārya இெதல்லா பார்தா அவர அ�வர.இப்ப ெகாண் வன்�ட்ேட
vēdāntaைத marketைல என் ெசால்ல. So therefore tasminnēvārthavantaḥ syuḥ

phalavantaḥ śamādayaḥ
एतयोम्
र न्द यत �वरक्तत्वमुमु�य |
मरौ सल�लवत्त शमादेभार्नमात् ||३०||
ētayōrmandatā yatra viraktatvamumukṣayōḥ |
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marau salīlavattatra śamādērbhānamātratā ||30||
The same idea as in the previous slōka; but put in a negative language. So in the
previous slōka it was said where vairāgyaṁ and mumukṣutvaṁ are there; there
alone śāmādi ṣaṭka saṁpatti will become fruitful. This is positive presentation;
anvaya.
Now he presents in negative form; vyatirēka; where vairāgyaṁ and mumukṣutvaṁ

are not there; in that person even if he has got śāmādi ṣaṭka saṁpatti ,
concentration is there, intelligence is there; all these qualifications are there also,
they are like mirage water. So ētayōr mandatā; suppose these two are feeble; which
two; viraktatva mumukṣayōḥ; viraktatvam means vairāgyaṁ, dispassion. Mumukṣu
means passion for mōkṣa; dispassion for anātma; passion for ātma. Where these
two are mandam, feeble; half-hearted; tatra, in which person, tatra in that person,
śamādērbhānamātratā; śāmādi ṣaṭka qualification is a mere appearance like mirage
water. marau salīlavat. marau means dry land, desert. salīlam means water; desert
water here means mirage water; like mirage water, all other qualifications that we
have; they are all fruitless; just as you cannot take bath in mirage water; you cannot
get mōkṣa thru mere śāmādi ṣaṭka saṁpatti ; therefore make sure that you are a
seeker. Then alone it will become a spiritual pursuit.
Hari Om.
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011. Verses 31 and 32
एतयोम्
र न्द यत �वरक्तत्वमुमु�य |
मरौ सल�लवत्त शमादेभार्नमात् ||३०||
ētayōrmandatā yatra viraktatvamumukṣayōḥ |
marau salīlavattatra śamādērbhānamātratā ||30||
Śankarācārya is talking about the preparation required on the part of the student
before the pursuit of mōkṣa or before the pursuit of self-enquiry. First he talked
about certain general intellectual qualifications, like the knowledge of the language,
the capacity to think and analyse, etc. because this involves knowledge or
understanding. After talking about certain general intellectual qualification like
medhāvi, paṇḍitaḥ, etc. he talked about spiritual qualifications consisting of sādhana
catuṣṭayaṁ, vivēka, vairāgyaṁ, ṣaṭka saṁpatti and mumukṣutvaṁ, discrimination,
dispassion, discipline and desire.
And thereafterwards he wanted to arrange these four qualifications in terms of their

importance; which one is the most important; which one is the next to the most
important one; and there Śankarācārya pointed out that mumukṣutvaṁ he will give
top importance and next to mumukṣutvaṁ he said is vairāgyaṁ. So in the three
verses 28-30 Śankarācārya underlined mumukṣutvaṁ and vairāgyaṁ as the
important qualifications.
So here while reading the three verses, especially the 28 and 30, there is a seeming
contradiction, which you should carefully understand. In the 28th verse,
Śankarācārya pointed out that even a feeble mumukṣutvaṁ; which is not very
intense, manda mumukṣutvaṁ, even feeble mumukṣutvaṁ would produce phalam.
mandamadhyama rūpabhi sūyatē phalam. This is the idea in the 28th verse. In the
30th verse, he says, ētayōr yatra mandatā marau salīlavat. Feeble mumukṣutvaṁ
cannot produce result; it is like marau salīlavat; marau salīlavat means mirage
water; you know mirage water is useless for drinking, taking bath etc. Therefore in
the 28th verse, the statement is even feeble mumukṣutvaṁ would produce the
saphalam and in the 30th verse the statement is feeble mumukṣutvaṁ is niśphlam;
it cannot produce result. The word niśphlam is not used but marau salīlavat ெசான்
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என் அர்த; as good as niśphlam. So the question comes, how can Śankarācārya
contradict himself in these three verses.
For that we say there is no contradiction, if you see closely, the 28th verse he has
put a condition for the feeble mumukṣutvaṁ to be feeble and in the 30th verse that
condition is not mentioned. So feeble mumukṣutvaṁ is fruitful if the condition is
fulfilled; otherwise it is futile. And what is that condition in the 28th verse? He has
used the word pravr̥ddhā, that is the crucial word; pravr̥ddhā means what? When it
is nourished. So pravr̥ddhā means when it is nourished. In the 30th verse, the word
pravr̥ddhā is not mentioned. Therefore it means what; it is a apravr̥ddhā; that it is
not nourished. So now what are the two statements. Feeble mumukṣutvaṁ is
fruitful when it is nourished and made tīvraḥ mumukṣutvaṁ. 30th means
what; feeble mumukṣutvaṁ is worthless if it is unnourished and kept
feeble. What is the final lesson. When feeble mumukṣutvaṁ comes, be happy; but
do not be complacent; do not be relaxed; allow the feeble mumukṣutvaṁ to grow,
nourish it like a plant sprouting; but do not be happy with that; you provide all the
support like putting the fence, watering, fertilizer, etc. Be happy that the seed
sprouted; but do not be complacent and therefore mumukṣutvaṁ is important and
that too when it is nourished it will take you to the self. Up to this we saw in the last
class.
मो�कारणसाम�यां भिक्तरे गर�यसी |

स्वस्वरूपानुसन् भिक्त�रत्य�भधीय ||३१||
mōkṣakāraṇasāmagryāṁ bhaktirēva garīyasī |
svasvarūpānusandhānaṁ bhaktirityabhidhīyatē ||31||
So here Śankarācārya is introducing another important sādhanā. In addition to

sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti; another sādhanā or preparatory step is introduced, and
that is Bhakthiḥ; and the word Bhakthiḥ is the most confusing word because it has
got so many meanings, so many interpretations. So we have to understand the word
Bhakthi clearly. One meaning which is the popular meaning is that Bhakthi is love of
God, which is generally called devotion; which is perfectly alright. So bhakthi is love
of God.
But here Bhakthi is presented as a sādhanā, that means something you practice. I
have to do something. Love of God is not something you do. I am doing love of God
everyday between 7 and 8. So when do you do the love of your child? Love is
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something you enjoy throughout; it is not an action. Therefore Bhakthi as an

attitude that you enjoy means love of god.
But here we are not talking about Bhakthi as an attitude we enjoy; but as a
sādhanā, what does bhakthi mean? Particular action refers to bhakthi. If particular
pursuit means bhakthi. bhakthi sādhanā பண்ணண என்றா என் பண்ணண.
ேகாவ��க் ெபாகிற� பக்திய, நாமைவ ெசால்லற பக்திய, தாயானம பண்ணற
பக்திய, what is bhakthi? So when we are talking about bhakthi as a sādhanā, you
should understand, that it does not refer to any particular action but as sādhanā
bhakthi refers to a series of spiritual disciplines. Bhakthi as a sādhanā does not
refer to a particular action but it refers to a series of spiritual disciplines.
Then the next question is: once you say that it is a series of disciplines, that means
there are many more. Series ெசான்னததினா நிறய இ�க்கணேம இல்லேய? Series of
talks ெசான் எத்தை. minimum two இ�க்கண. Therefore what does it mean?
He says series consists of three levels of disciplines; three stages of spiritual
practices, known as karma, upāsanam and jñānam. Bhakthi is a series of spiritual
discipline, consisting of karma, otherwise karma yōga; second is upāsana, which I
called as samādhi yōga, if you remember my Introduction to Vēdānta series; there I
have dealt with this; upāsana or mediation and finally jñānam or scriptural study.
Karma yōga is also called Bhakthi because it is doing our duties as a dedication to
the Lord. Upāsana is also called bhakthi, because it involves meditation upon the
Lord. And scriptural study also is called Bhakthi because in that I enquire into the
nature of God. Who is God; what is his function; what is his nature; what is his
relation with me; whether he is he, she or it.
So therefore all these involves Bhagavān and love of Bhagavān. Karma yōga involves
love of God; upāsana involves love of God; jñāna yōga certainly involves love of
God. Since Love of God is the most common atmosphere or factor; all these
sādhanā, Bhakthi is karma plus upāsana plus jñānam. And this series of sādhanā put
together is a means to mōkṣa. Put together is a means to mōkṣa and since all these
three put together alone becomes bhakthi, all these three are indispensable. Since
all these three put together is called bhakthi, all the three are indispensable; there is
no question of a choice among the three; because each one has got its own
contribution; like various vitamins or like various nourishments; Vitaman A is
important or vitaman B is important or vitamin C is important � ேகட் Doctor என்
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ெசால்�வா. எல்லா என்பா. How do you know. என்னவாவ deficiency இ�ந்தா

ெத��ம, because what vitamin A contributes B or C do not and what fat contributes,
this will not. People say cholesterol is bad, cholesterol is bad; but they say a certain
amount of cholesterol is required for our body. Similarly, what karma yōga
contributes, upāsana and jñāna yōga cannot; what upāsana contributes, the other
two cannot; what jñāna yōga contributes, the first two cannot. Therefore all these
three are indispensable and therefore we should never compare. There is no
competition as to which is superior.
But even though you cannot compare them and find out this is superior, you can do
one type of comparison. What is that comparison? Which one is closest to the end
and which one is farthest to the end? Which one is closer and which one is farthest.
In Saṁsr̥kt we call it direct means and indirect means; proximate and remote;
sākṣāt upakārakam and ārāt upakārakam. Like removing the hunger; if that is the
end, it involves buying the material for preparing the food stuff. It involves cooking.
It involves eating.
Now among these three, the material, cooking and eating which one is dispensable?
eating alone removes; so I do not want to buy materials. So if you do not buy
materials and cook; what will you have; only vessels. But if you say I will buy and
cook but not eat; No. All these three are equally important because one does not
exist without the other two; therefore never compare these three and if at all you
want to compare, comparison can never be not in terms of importance; importance
is there for all the three; importance or comparison can be in terms of proximity. Of
these three, which is the proximate means to removal of hunger. Eating is the
closest step and final step and therefore eating makes our pursuit or eating helps in
the culmination of our pursuit. And therefore if at all you talk about the superiority,
we say eating is the most important thing. And when I say eating is the most
important, I do not say the others are dispensable, what I mean is that alone is the
final step which produces the result instantaneously or to put in another language.
Between eating and hunger removal, the relationship is direct. Whereas between
cooking and hunger removal, there is a relationship but it is not direct; it is via
eating. Sākṣāt saṁbanda and paraṁparā saṁbanda. Similarly karma, upāsana and
jñānam. These are the three sādhanā. Mōkṣa is the sādya, the end. Suppose you
want to find out which pair has got direct saṁbanda and which has got only
paraṁparā saṁbanda; paraṁparā saṁbanda ��யறெதா இல்லேய It is not direct
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connection. There you will find that karma and mōkṣa has got only paraṁparā
saṁbanda. Karma does not produce instantaneous mōkṣa just as buying vegetables
will not instantaneously remove hunger. Similarly upāsana and mōkṣa also do not
have instantaneous saṁbanda or connection; just as cooking and removal of hunger
does not have direct connection, whereas jñāna and mōkṣa has got instantaneous
relationship; like what? eating and removal of hunger.
And therefore Śankarācārya wants to say that Bhakthi in the form of jñāna yōga is
very important sādhanā. Bhakthi in the form of karma is important. Bhakthi in the
form of upāsana is important. But here Śankarācārya focuses the highest level of
bhakthi which is in the form of jñāna yōga. And what do you mean by jñāna yōga?
scriptural study, consisting of śravaṇam, mananam and nidhidhyāsanam. Śravaṇam
means consistent systematic study under a guru. Mananam is dwelling upon it until I
am convinced. Nidhidhyāsanam is assimilating the teaching; transforming my life
style. There should be a change in my life. Therefore assimilation leading to
transformation in life. So this is called jñāna yōga, in Saṁsr̥kt it is called vēdānta
śravaṇa, manana, nidhidhyāsanam. In English, scriptural enquiry. Therefore
Śankarācārya here emphasises scriptural study, which is also called bhakthi. What
level of bhakthi? The highest level of bhakthi.
Now look at the verse. mōkṣa kāraṇa sāmagryāṁ; sāmagryāṁ is the group of
sādhanā; sāmagryāṁ refers to a group. Why do we say group, because vivēka also
is a part of mōkṣa, vairāgyaṁ, śāmādi ṣaṭka saṁpatti, mumukṣutvaṁ. So many
preparations we are saying. In the group of preparatory steps, śamagryam, which
are all mōkṣa kāraṇam, which are all means to mōkṣa, either directly or indirectly.
Remember, like buying the vegetables, washing the plate; that is also sādhanām,
otherwise you cannot serve, washing the hand, அ��ம sādhanām தான;
இல்ைலநால் சாப்ப�ட ��. So all contribute here; all contributory means, among
all those means; what is the most important, most proximate, what is most direct
one, bhakthi ēva; bhakthi alone is garīyasī. garīyasī is the highest; here highest
means the closest. The most proximate. garīyasī.
And once Śankarācārya uses the word bhakthi, we will have a question. I said
Bhakthi refers to three levels of sādhanā; karma yōga form of bhakthi, upāsana form
of bhakthi, scriptural study form of bhakthi. So which form of Bhakthi Śankarācārya
refers to here. Śankarācārya does not want to add to the confusion; otherwise
reading this line each one will say: Śankarācārya has said Bhakthi is important; let
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me start bhajan and இங்கே கிண்ணாரத் ெகாண்�வன ஆரம்ப்ப�ச்� Another

person will conclude Bhakthi is important; therefore Sabarimalaiக் இப்ெபாே
கிளம்ப்ப�டே. Another one will say Bhakthi is doing meditation and therefore let
me close my eyes here now.
But Śankarācārya wants to define the bhakthi that he means in this context. And
what is Bhakthi here; svasvarūpānusandhānaṁ. Dwelling upon. Anusandhānaṁ
means dwelling upon. which indicates śravaṇam, mananam, and nidhidhyāsanam.
�ன�ேம ேசத்திதா anusandhānaṁ ன் ெசால்லற. So dwelling upon the practice
of śravaṇam, mananam and nidhidhyāsanam; dwelling upon what; sva svarūpa;
one's own true nature. We are not talking about a Rāma or Krishna, Devi, Vināyaka,
Venkitachalapathy or Ayyappa. They are all at the other levels of bhakthi; at the
karma yōga level, you have got those Gods; at the upāsana level you have got
those Gods; but at the highest level of Bhakthi, enquiry is into the very self.
Therefore sva svarūpam. There also he uses the word sva svarūpam; because when
you say enquiry into oneself, one person may think that it is a study of anatomy of
the body. Liver எேங இ�க்; pancreas எேங இ�க்; kidney எேங இ�க்; இ�க்க;
that is also self-enquiry. I am enquiring into myself. Similarly, study of psychology is

also self-enquiry.
Therefore Śankarācārya wants to say that we are not talking about the superficial
layers of the individual; we are not talking about the stūla śarīra enquiry; we are not
talking about sūkṣma śarīra enquiry; we are not talking about even kāraṇa śarīra
enquiry; we have to go through all of them; but ultimately we are dealing with
what? stūla sūkṣma kāraṇa śarīrāt vyatiriktaḥ avastha traya sākṣi, pañja kōśa
vilakṣaṇa, sacchidānandaḥ svarūpaḥ.
Of course, we will make stūla śarīra enquiry but not as an end in itself like an
anatomy student; but only as a stepping stone; but our aim is not to dwell upon
them. ேவண் அள�க் enquiry பண்ண அைத தாண் ேபாய�டணம. அதிேலேய
இ�ந்தி�ண இ�க்கபடா. Similarly mind enquiry to a limited extent and then cross
over. And to indicate that Śankarācārya uses the word sva svarūpam. Svarūpam
means the ātma which is beyond the anātma. So this dwelling upon.
And how can you dwell upon the Ātma, because ātma is never available as an
object, i.e. the biggest problem. Consciousness is not available clearly for study.
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Brain we can enquire into. The body, we can enquire into. Tumors you can see thru
biopsy. You can take a bit and study what is brain. What is kidney. What will you
do for consciousness? Can you take a piece of consciousness put into test to see
whether consciousness is this way or that way. So for science matter alone is
available; the biggest problem the science is facing is how to study consciousness.
In fact, even they are confused to find out in which branch of science you have to
put. நான ெசான்ேனே இல்லேய? One svāmi writes about the dilemma of scientists.
No scientist wants to take up the study because it is an embarrassing subject
matter. Therefore, இவன்கிட் ��த் உன்ேனா branchன் ெசால்லிடற. ஒ�த்த
neurology ெசால்லறா ஒ�த்த psychology ெசால்லறா ஒ�த்த இன்தாெலாஜ
ெசால்லறா. Which ology ய�ல ேபாடணம என் இன்� determine ஆகைல. அ�க்கப்ப
ேவணம they have to study.
So therefore consciousness is unfortunately not available for conception or

perception. Therefore how do you study? So many people close the eyes and say
who am I; who am I; etc. This would not help. And therefore remember dwelling
upon the Self means dwelling upon the scriptures, because scriptures serve like a
mirror in looking at my own nature of consciousness. As I gave you the example, I
cannot see my eyes directly. If I have to see my eyes, the only method I have is, to
have a mirror. And when I am looking into a mirror, it would look as though I am
looking outside, but the fact is I am not looking outside, I am looking into myself
only. Similarly scriptural enquiry is not an objective enquiry. Scripture is the mirror
which reflects and talks about the very subject ātma svarūpam. And therefore sva
svarūpam anusandhānaṁ means scriptural anusandhānaṁ. Ātma vicārah is equal to
śāstra vicārah. There is no ātma vicārah without śāstram. There is no self-enquiry
without scriptural enquiry. So this enquiry is called bhaktirityabhidhīyatē.
And this bhakthi alone, in the fourth chapter of the Gītā Bhagavān calls jñāna
yajñaḥ. All other yajña like pūjā, various yāgās, various pilgrimages are also called
yajñas, which are expression of your bhakthi; but among various expressions of
bhakthi Krishna includes jñāna yajña; hence it is a pūjā, but he also says śreyān
dravyamayād yajñā jñānayajñaḥ paraṃtapa. The scriptural study is the highest form
of worship. Therefore we should not think மார்கழ மாஸத்திே pūjā க� பதிலா
vēdāntam ப�ச்சிண இ�க்ேகாே, இெதல்லா waste�. It is not waste or தப்
பண்ணேறாம இல்ை. This is also one of the forms of worship and according to
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Krishna, this is the greatest form of worship. Therefore bhakti iti abhidhīyatē.
Therefore self-enquiry is the highest form of bhakthi according to me.
स्वात्मतत्त्वानुसन भिक्त�रत्यप जगुः |

उक्तसाधनसंपन्नस्तत्त्विज�ासुर |
उपसीदेद्गुर प्�यं यस्माद्बन्ध�वमो� ||३२||
svātmatattvānusandhānaṁ bhaktirityaparē jaguḥ |
uktasādhanasaṁpannastattvajijñāsurātmanaḥ |
upasīdēdguruṁ prājñyaṁ yasmādbandavimōkṣaṇam ||32||
Now in the first line he gives another definition for bhakthi; it is almost the same as
previous definition; there is only very very subtle technical difference. Sva svarūpa
anusandhānaṁ means self-enquiry or otherwise called the jivātma vicāraḥ. jīvātma
vicāraḥ; self means the individual the jīvātma. That is the first definition.
Now here in the second definition, he wants to make more precise. Therefore he
says: mere jīvātma enquiry is not enough; how do you know whether the enquiry is
proper and sufficient. Enquiry means ஒ� நாைளக் ஒ� slōkam ப�ச்சாச. Enquiry
பண்ண�யாச் I say that you should walk to reach the other end of the wall. So
walking is important to reach the other end of the wall. You say I have walked but
never reached. He has walked in the opposite direction. What is very important is
the direction. Another person says I have walked in that direction but has never
reached. He has walked 10 steps. But that requires 100 steps. I have walked but
never reached. So when I say walking; it means in the right direction and to the
right extent. Therefore he wants to make it very clear in the definition.
Therefore what is the extent and direction of the jīvātma required? jīvātma enquiry
culminating in the identity of jīvātma with the paramātma; a jīvātma enquiry which
culminates in the discovery of the jivātma's identity with paramātma. Suppose a
person makes an enquiry for 25 years, and says that I have understood jīvātma is
jīvātma and paramātma is paramātma. Paramātma is in vaikuntam and jīvātma is
near Koovam, suffering. 25 years enquiry 25 million years of enquiry are all useless.
So what type of enquiry is beneficial? An enquiry which culminates in the aikyam.
Therefore he says svātma tatva anusandhānaṁ. Tatvam should be understood as tat

tvam. Tat means Brahman, tvam means Brahmatvam. Not Tatvamasi tatvam.
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A little bit Saṁsr̥kt I will tell you. Just an incidental information. In Saṁsr̥kt the word
Tatvam has got two ways of splitting. One way of splitting is tatvam as two separate
words; tat and tvam. ரண் words. த� means That. That means tvam means you.
That and you. This is one way of splitting. In this, it is two words joined together.
Another way of splitting is Tatvam is only one word. And in that Tat is one part and
tvam is only a suffix which has the meaning of ness. Like the table-ness; chair-ness.
ness. Tableness is one word or two words? Chair is one word and ness is another
word? Ness is only a suffix but it is not a separate word. Similarly tat tvam; tvam can
be used as a suffix also.
First interpretation tvam is a separate word meaning You and in the second
interpretation Tvam is a suffix, which means ness or hood. Here tatvam is to be
interpreted in the first way or second way? Tatvam is the second interpretation. Tat
means Brahman tvam is a suffix, which means hood, or ness; therefore tat tvam
means Brahmanhood. So Tatvam Brahmanness or Brahmanhood. இெதல்லா
dictionary ல இ�க்கா. இெதல்ல நம் words. Therefore svātma tatvam means
discovering the Brahmanhood of jīvātma. Discovering the purṇatvam of jīvātma;
discovering the paramātmavam of the jīvātma; discovering the divinity of jīvātma;
discovering the godliness of jīvātma. Only then the enquiry is complete. I am God
ெசால்ல வைர enquire பண்ணண. �டஙற ஸமயத்தி I require the blessing of
God. That is OK. கடசிய�ல என். I am God. And the whole world is born out of
me. The whole world rests in me. mayyeva sakalam jātam, mayi sarvaṁ
prathiṣṭitam; mayi sarvaṁ layaṁ yāti. The whole world is born out of me; sustained
by me and resolved into me. இ� own up பண்ணற வை; ��யற வைர�ள்
enquiry is called sadbhiḥ.
So therefore what is the difference between the first and second definition? Self
enquiry is the Bhakthi, first definition. Second definition is: enquiry into the
Brahmanhood of the self. Enquiry into the self is the first definition. Enquiry into the
Brahmanhood of the self is the second definition; and as I said the difference is only
very minute and technical. For all practical purposes, scriptural study is Bhakthi.
So with this the next preparatory step is over. எல் stage உம ஞாபகம
ெவச்�க்�ே. First intellectual qualification. The next sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti .
Next scriptural study.
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Now what is next? He says: scriptural study is not possible without the guidance of a
guru. It is impossible or even if it is made possible, it will not be fruitful or it may be
even counter productive. And therefore in all our scriptures they uniformly
emphasise the inevitability of a guru. Krishna tells in the Gītā.
tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sēvayā

upadekṣyanti te jñānaṃ jñāninas tattvadarśinaḥ 4.34.
Mundakopāṇiṣad says:
Tat vijñāna artham sa gurumēvabhi gacchet samidpaanihi stōtriyam

Brahmaniṣṭam.
All the scriptures uniformly declare that guru is a must. And the moment we say
guru is a must our mind immediately goes to some exceptional changes where it is
said some people did not have a guru at all. Everybody will have somebody in mind.
அவ�க் ��ேவ இல்ைலயாே; தானாகேவ வந்�டத்தா. Buddha sat under a tree
and realised. How do you know whether he had a guru or not? Just believe there
was. We are believing the story. I would say that why do you believe that story.
Why not believe in Vēda when it says Guru is a must. Both are stories. Why do you
believe only that story and not this story.
Anyway, let us assume that it is true. And you may have a few example also; where
guru was not there. Then what do you say. We say that guru is a must. This is the
general rule. Saṁsr̥kt it is called utsargaḥ. And without guru some people have
gained knowledge, is exception. And whenever we talk about a rule, we go by rule
or exception. We go by rule only. Rāmanujam got mathematics knowledge without
guru if you say; Therefore my child also need not go to school; No; நம் �ழந்ைதக
ேபாய�ட்� ��யமாட்ேடன்கி That is a different matter. அ� ேவேற problem.

Rāmānujaைன example ெவச்�ண நம்மா �ழந்ைதக school க்
ேபாகண்டான்�ட. Mandolin Srinivasanக்� தன�ைய வந்� வ�ட்டதாம். ந

Mandolin எ�த் பா�ேஙா. தந்த ெபாட் ேபா�ம அவ்�ள்�த. So therefore never
quote the exception, because exceptions are exceptions and rare.
And suppose a person argues - Svāmiji I come under that exception. Wish you all
the best. Wish you all the best. More than that, ேபசேவ மாட்ேடா. Therefore what
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we are saying is majority does not come under exception; therefore vēda
talks for the normal ordinary thing. That is why we always say: Go by vēda rule,
because all the other mahātmas who have not gone by the vēdic route, they are all
exceptions. Therefore never follow an exceptional mahātma but always follow a
vēdic route; because the śāstra talks about the general common route to the entire
humanity. Respect the exception; do not follow the exception. This is the advice.
Respect the exception. Appreciate the mathematical prodigy of Rāmānujaṁ. But do
not follow that method for your child. Admire Mandolin Srinivasan but do not try to
practice that. Thus respect the exceptional. They are called the spiritual prodigies.
But never follow a spiritual prodigy; for following what you use. chakkani rāja
mārgaḥmu; vēda mārgaḥ, vaidiga mārgaḥ we should follow; respect them, have
their photo; do namaskāra and seek their grace but follow the śāstra.
And therefore Śankarācārya also says guruṁ upasīdēt; one should go to a Guru.
Who should go to a guru? Ukta sādhanā sampanna, the one who has gone through
the previous preparatory step. Previous preparatory step means you should
remember, basic intellectual qualification; ெகாஞம thinking power; அ�க்�தா
Education; basic education is required; traditional or modern; because we should

have the capacity to think and analyse. And the sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti
mentioned. One who has gone through sādhanā catustya saṁpatti; for one who is
endowed with sādhanā catustya saṁpatti; ukta sādhanā sampanna; sādhanā
catuṣṭaya sampanna;
And tatva jijñāsu; and who wants to practice Bhakti; what type of bhakthi; self-
enquiry bhakthi. what is self-enquiry; svātma svasva anusandhānaṁ. Therefore
tatva jijñāsuḥ; svātma tatva jijñāsuḥ; jijñāsuḥ means the one who wants to know.
know that; his Brahmanhood. I am not a miserable jīva; I am not a slave; I am not a
mortal; I am not a finite entity; but I am the glorious Brahman. Even the one who
wants to know is called tatva jijñāsuḥ. jñātuḥ. அைத அவேர clarify பண்ணறா.
Ātmanaḥ tatva jijñāsuḥ. Ātmanaḥ means what; his own self. Jīvātmanaḥ
paramātmatva jijñāsuḥ.
And such a person should do what: guruṁ upasīdēt; he should go to a guruṁ; and
who must be a guru; prājñaṁ; prājñāḥ means jñāni; for a jñāni guru; if there is a
ajñāni guru; what will he distribute. நம்மகிட் இ�க்கறெ தாேன distribute
பண்�ேவா. ajñānaṁ இ�க்�னா ajñānaṁ distribute பண்�ேவா. Confusion
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நிைறய இ�க் ெசான் confusion distribute பண்�ேவா. அ�தான
ெசால்லிய��க்ேக; ஸத-guruைவ sad-guru; sad-guruன் ப�ச்ச ெசான்; Sad

guru will distribute what: Sadness only. So here we are talking about prājñāḥ jñāni
guruḥ; literally the word guruḥ means gr̥ṇāti upadiśati iti guruḥ; it is derived from
the root ग;ृ to communicate. So the one who has got the unique method of
communicating the incommunicable Brahman. But we say all the time that Brahman
cannot be communicated; அைத ெசால்லிண் upaṇiṣad நிைறய் எ�திட் பா�ேஙா.
Communicate பண் ��யா� ெசான், gup chup� ெசால்ல ெகாஞ்ம �ம்ம இ�க
ேவண்�ய� தாேன All the teachers start saying that it cannot be communicated; and
there is Taittariya upaṇiṣad elaboration. That means what? that it cannot be
normally communicated. But by adopting an appropriate method it can be
communicated. So remember, whenever we say that it cannot be communicated, we
only mean that it cannot be communicated in a normal regular method; invariably it
means that by adopting appropriate methods, it can be. Vēdānta is communicable. It
has been successfully communicated. What is the proof? Guru Śiṣya paraṁparā. So
in the Kenopāṇiṣad teacher says: It cannot be communicated. And the student is
frustrated.
na vidmō na vijānīmō yathaitadanuśiṣyāt. Oh! śiṣya; I do not know how to

communicate. It cannot be. When the student is frustrated, the teacher says:
However, my guru used some method, by which I was able to understand. That
abnormal method I will use and try for you and see whether it works for you. If it
works for you, it is wonderful. We can also use the same method; Teaching without
teaching. �றாமல �றி. ெசால்லாம ெசால்ல் student ��யாமல ��ந்.
The whole thing is like that. nāhaṁ manyē suvēdēti nō na vēdēti vēda ca | yō
nastadvēda tadvēda nō na vēdēti vēda ca || 2 || Teacher asks the student; did you
understand. The student says: I understood; not that I understood; I did not
understand; not that I did not understand, I understand. Any way we discuss that
topic when we reach that topic at the proper time.
Here what I want to say is: can be communicated and therefore he is called the
guruḥ; the master communicator; guruḥ. one who is sitting in mounam can never be
a guru.
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Therefore the basic qualification for a guru is what; that he should not be a mouni.
Imagine that you come daily for the class. But I am sitting in silence here; What do
you get out of it; You continue your early morning worry for one more hour here
and go back. And if I show something like that, you will think that I am using snuff.
ஸ்வமிஜ snuff ெபாடறார நிைனக்கிேற. Remember, mouna can never communicate.
So when you say mouna is the method of communication, it has got some other
significance.
Again we will see that in some other context. So therefore mouni cannot be a guru;
and a guru must be a communicator. The very word guru means the communicator.
And what type of communicator. prājñāḥ; informed. Therefore he has the
knowledge and also knows the how to transfer the knowledge. Both are different
talents. There are many people who have the talent of communication; but they do
not have anything inside the head to communicate. There are many people who
have got lot in their head but they do not know how to communicate.னமக் college
ல சிலவா உண். Gold medalist. அவேரா� class ல ஒன்� ��யா�. Not that he is not
a gold medalist. He knows a lot; but he is not a communicator. Therefore both are
two different talents; prājñāḥ indicates knowledge guru indicates that he has the
talent, the skill to communicate. And such a guru one should go. Yasmat banda
vimōkṣanam. By that alone, by going to a guru alone, banda vimōkṣanam bhavati;
there will be freedom from bondage. So what is the next preparation? Guru
upasādhanām. இ�க் ேப� என் guru upasādhanām means what; approaching a
guru; through which alone one will be free from bondage.
Hari Om.
Page 142

012. Versus 33 and 34
मो�कारणसाम�यां भिक्तरे गर�यसी |

स्वस्वरूपानुसन् भिक्त�रत्य�भधीय ||३१||
स्वात्मतत्त्वानुसन भिक्त�रत्यप जगःु |
उक्तसाधनसंपन्नस्तत्त्विज�ासुर |
उपसीदेद्गुर प्रा� यस्माद्बन्ध�वमो� ||३२||
mōkṣakāraṇasāmagryāṁ bhaktirēva garīyasī |

svasvarūpānusandhānaṁ bhaktirityabhidhīyatē ||31||
svātmatattvānusandhānaṁ bhaktirityaparē jaguḥ |
uktasādhanasaṁpannastattvajijñāsurātmanaḥ |
upasīdēdguruṁ prājñyaṁ yasmādbandavimōkṣaṇam ||32||
Śankarācārya is talking about various preparations required on the part of a seeker

to pursue spiritual knowledge. First he talked about certain general intellectual
preparations which are in the form of developing a reasoning power and also
developing the power of analysis, because spiritual knowledge involves scriptural
analysis and also it involves reasoning. These are general intellectual qualifications.
Then he talked about specific spiritual qualifications in the form of sādhanā
catuṣṭaya saṁpatti; then thirdly he talked about vicārah; the study of scriptures in
general which he called Bhakthiḥ. He used the word bhakthi to convey the idea of
ātma anusandhānaṁ or self-enquiry. This is the third preparation we talked about
and fourthly for the sake of self-enquiry, one has to necessarily go to a guru.
Therefore going to a guru is the fourth item. Guru upasādhanām. Therefore
intellectual preparation; sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti, self-enquiry and guru
upasādhanām for self-enquiry. And we are seeing that verse
uktasādhanasaṁpannastattvajijñāsurātmanaḥ,
upasīdēdguruṁ prājñyaṁ yasmādbandavimōkṣaṇam.
So that person who has acquired sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti and therefore only
desirous of self-knowledge, ātmanaḥ tatva jijñāsuḥ, the one who is interested in
self-knowledge or in the knowledge of true nature of the Self. When you say self-
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knowledge, it means knowledge of myself. So when we say the knowledge of

myself, everybody's answer is I already know. I have got a big bio-data. This is my
date of birth; I am born in such and such place; and these are my qualifications;
which all mean self-knowledge only. This is the knowledge of myself. And therefore
Śankarācārya wants to say, you have got this superficial self-knowledge or self-
knowledge dealing with the anātma, but vēdānta is not dealing with that self-
knowledge. Therefore he uses the word ātmanaḥ tatva jijñāsuḥ; the knowledge of
the true nature of the self. Our self-knowledge is ahaṁkāra-knowledge; but we are
talking about the truth of ahaṁkāra, which is ātma. Therefore ātmanaḥ tatva
jijñāsuhu prājñām guruṁ upasīdē. He should approach a guru who is a prājñāh.
Prājñāh is the one who has the knowledge as well as the power of communication.
And what is the benefit of that? Yasmat banda vimōkṣanam. By that alone, one can
get freedom from bondage. Until a person goes to a guru; there is no chance of
banda vimōkṣanam. This is the final step for mōkṣa.
And here we have to clarify two things; Śankarācārya uses the word ukta sādhanā
saṁpannaḥ; a person with abovementioned qualifications should go to a guru. The
person with abovementioned qualifications should go to a guru; two questions raise
out of that. The first one is suppose a person does not have these qualifications; can
such a person go and study vēdānta.
First of all, we will have a personal doubt with regard to ourselves. Are we sādhanā
catuṣṭaya saṁpannaḥ? And when we check about all these qualifications, vivēkam,
vairāgyaṁ, śāmādi ṣaṭka saṁpatti, etc. we may rule out ourselves. And there are
many people; some people have come and told me; the other day one lady came
and said: Svāmiji, I am not interested in Mōkṣa. I will tell you the truth. Therefore
everybody need not be interested in Mōkṣa and a person may be interested in
mōkṣa but he may not accept scripture as a pramāṇam, valid. A person may not
have vairāgyaṁ; I want mōkṣa also. So therefore the question is can a person
without the qualifications study vēdānta.
So first of all we should know there is no student who has got all the qualifications in
100% measure. Ideal student is like ideal gas; it does not exist. Except in the
upaṇiṣadic, what you call, dialogue where a student like Nachiketas or a student like
Nārada, some rare student; and we do not know whether they are fact or fictitious
one. And therefore first thing is there is no ideal student. Nobody has got fullest
measure of sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti.
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Now the next question is that being so, we also will not have the full qualifications.
Svāmiji, then can we attend or from the next class onwards; we will withdraw. I
want to make sure that you come. Should we withdraw from the classes, if we do
not have the all the qualifications. And if we attend what are the plus points and
what are the minus points? I will tell the plus point; where a person has got full
qualification or not; the study of scriptures or vēdānta has always its benefit. It can
never go waste. Study of scriptures can never go waste. In fact, even if he comes to
the class or any such discourses, without understanding a bit of it; for merely
listening to the sound, the words of scriptures, which are coming from the mouth of
the great sages; those words themselves are capable of giving puṇyam. Krishna tells
that in the Gītā 18th chapter.
śraddhāvān anasūyaś ca śṛṇuyād api yo naraḥ

sopi muktaḥ śubhāṃl lokān prāpnuyāt puṇyakarmaṇām
For just listening puṇya is there in you. This is the benefit which is adr̥ṣṭam in this
effort. Śankarācārya says that there is another benefit. Even if we may not be
interested in mōkṣa, at least the minimum we get the priorities of life very clear and
also the capacity to analyse the means and ends properly. This we generally do not
do. Life is a mechanical one; we all grow up and go to school why because the
neighbours went. And thereafterwards the minimum we get the priorities of life very
clear and also the capacity to analyse the means and ends properly, which we
generally do not do; like this is a mechanical one; we all grow up and go to school,
why; because the neighbours went. And thereafter go through graduation and then
post-graduation and then get a job; because everybody did that. And
thereafterwards got married; why ெசான், because the other people also did. And
then got children, educated them, and then what, die. Therefore most of the people
lead a mechanical simple life. At least we will stop and ask the question: Is life
merely making money; getting educated for money, getting job, getting married and
getting children, and die? Or is there something more to life. Therefore we have the
capacity to think, analyse the see the means and end. And thirdly and importantly,
the very vēdānta śravaṇam is capable of giving sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti. That is
another beauty of vēdānta. A person who does not have vivēka and comes to
vēdānta; he will develop vivēka. If you lack vairāgyaṁ, he will get; if he does not
have śraddhāḥ, in the vēda, he will develop śraddhāḥ. Therefore, vēdānta śravaṇam
is itself capable of giving sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti.
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And finally if nothing else, minimum good sleep; at least in the class! I add this
because I remember one of my experiences. After that only I started adding this
benefit also. While I was taking class in some Shenoy Nagar and one lady came; not
anywhere here; none of you; therefore that lady came and she was from Canada for
a temporary visit and she is a friend of one of our students and therefore just
wanted to come and meet me. She did not want to attend the class and she just
came to meet me and the class was going on. What to do? She does not have
enough time to go and come back also; therefore she choose to sit in the class,
because then only I will be available after the class. Then she leaned on the wall,
put her head on the wall and after a few minutes, stretched her legs and had a very
good sleep for 40-50 minutes; a very good sleep. Without feeling guilty or regret
about it; happy about it. Therefore she was open enough. Only good thing is that
she did not disturb the class by snoring. Then at the end, she came and told me
Svāmiji here only I got the best sleep, because after coming from there, jet lag and
all, I had never got proper sleep and I have tried my best for the last so many days;
I never got a good sleep; here I got. I said Vēdānta has got another benefit, which I
never knew. It cures the worst case of insomnia. அ��ம ெப�ய வ�ஷயம தாேன.
Therefore, there are very many benefits for vēdānta, even if a person does not have
qualifications. I said the most positive benefit is that sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti
itself one can get. This is positive.
What about the minus point? Minus point; if a person does not have the full
qualifications; he does not get the full benefit of vēdānta, which is jīvan muktiḥ.
Natural. We get so many avanthara phalam; in Saṁsr̥kt, it is called avanthara
phalam; secondary benefits are many, but the primary benefit of jīvanmukti is not
possible. Minus point No.1.
There is another one which also is important. A person who comes to vēdānta
without the qualifications, he will be listening to a jīvanmukta, a liberated person.
And the scriptures point out that a jñāni is beyond dharma and adharma; a jñāni is
beyond religion. A jñāni is beyond varṇa, āśrama, etc. He is free from all rules and
regulations. And he is utterly free to do whatever he likes. This total freedom is
given by the scriptures for a jñāni; freedom from dharma-adharma, freedom from
vidhi-niṣēda, freedom from varṇa-āśrama restrictions; total freedom is given. You
know why the śruti gives this freedom. Śruti gives the freedom because śruti knows
that a jñāni will not abuse the freedom. No.1. And No 2 is jñāni follows dharma
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spontaneously. Until jñānaṁ came, he had to follow dharma deliberately; after

jñānaṁ, he is given freedom, because dharma has become spontaneous. Values
have become spontaneous. Religious āchārās have become spontaneous to him. And
what happens. When a person is not mature enough and he understand the
standpoint, he may abuse that provision and say that dharma-adharmābhyam
vimuktaḥ and religion also is something we have to go beyond. Therefore we may
drop the religious life that he is following. He may think that going to temple is
meaningless. Doing pūjā or japa; they are all meaningless. And he may claim
superiority; I am beyond religion. I am beyond Hinduism, Christianity, Islam. I am
dharma-adharmābhyam vimuktaḥ. There is a chance that a person gives up all the
initial disciplines that are prescribed in the scriptures. And Krishna strongly warns
this in the third chapter of the Gītā. Na buddhi bhēdaṃ janayed ajñānāṃ
karmāsaṃginām.
So a vēdantic teacher should be very clear that a student never drops religion at any
time. Whether he becomes a jñāni or not, as long as a person is in society, as long
as a person is in the family; whether he is a jñāni or ajñāni, he should continue the
religious life; the religious āchārās and whatever the religious disciplines are
maintained. But all he has to give up; he can give up only under one condition;
when he becomes a paramahāmsa parivirājaka sanyāsi; and he does not live in the
Society; then he takes a life in the forest; then alone he can, if he has become a
jīvan muktha; and if he has become a sanyāsi and if he is living in the forest; then
alone right from the dress onwards; scriptures say that he can become an avadūtaḥ.
So I have to constantly tell myself that I should not give up religion and whatever
traditional āchārās and anuṣṭānās we have been following; some particular day
comes, we have got pūjā; we have got japa; we have got the karma; அைத வ�டாம
vēdāntam ப�ச்ச, vēdānta will be saving grace; otherwise vēdānta can turn a person
into a pervert. This risk is there, when a person studies vēdānta without sādhanā
catuṣṭaya saṁpatti and how to get out of the risk; by telling myself that whatever I
study, to continue the religious practices which have been coming down in our
family. �திசா religion ப�க்க ேவண்ட. Whatever forefathers have been following,
we follow. If that is taken care of, vēdānta is not a risk; vēdānta is risk without
religion. Vēdānta is wonderful along with religion; otherwise it is risky.
This is the answer to the first question: can we study vēdānta without sādhanā
catuṣṭaya saṁpatti. The answer is: one can study but one should continue the
religious discipline.
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Then the second question is this: Śankarācārya has said that one should acquire the
qualification but does not say how to acquire. Only mentioned the qualification; but
he has not mentioned the means of acquiring the qualification; and again the means
of acquiring the qualification is a religious life. A religious life is very important to
acquire the qualification and what do you mean by religious life; karma yōga and
upāsana. Karma yōga and upāsana and what do you mean by karma yōga; we have
seen before. Karma yōga is converting our very life into a worship is karma yōga and
upāsana is preparing the mind for pursuing this. This is saguṇa Īśvara dhyānam; and
in this is included the aṣṭanga yōga of Pathanjali also, which is a beautiful method of
integrating the personality. Śankarācārya calls it Śamādi yōgaḥ. So karma yōga and
upāsana and aṣṭanga yōga all these put together we can call a religious life style,
because this will include our nitya karma; this will include our prayers; this will
include our values; this will include our attitude; all these are included in religious
lifestyle. Therefore the means of sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti is religious life style.
Such a person should go to a guru.
श्रो�त्रयोऽवृिजनोऽका यो ब्रह्म�वत |
ब्रह्मण्यु शान्त �न�रन्ध इवानलः |
अहेतक
ु दया�सन्धुबर्न्धुरानम सताम ् ||३३||
śrōtriyō:'vr̥jinō:'kāmahātō yō brahmavittamaḥ |
brahmaṇyuparataḥ śāntō nirindhana ivānalaḥ |
ahētukadayāsindhurbandhurānamatāṁ satām ||33||
So in this verse, Śankarācārya is talking about the qualifications of the teacher. So

we have talked about the student's qualification. Here the teacher's qualifications are
mentioned. And what is the first mentioned? śrōtriyaḥ. Śankarācārya mentions this
first to indicate that this is one of the most important qualifications; śrōtriyaḥ means
the one who has studied the scriptures under a guru; one who has studied the
scriptures under a guru is the primary qualification of a guru. That means a guru
must have been a śiṣya before. A śiṣya alone can become a guru. We do accept that
there are certain rare cases where some people become jñānis without having a
guru. Śāstra also accepts such cases as exceptional rare cases. Garba ēva ethat
shayano Vamadēva ēvam uchāh. Some exceptions like Vamadēva r̥̄ṣi are given and
we say that without a guru a rare person may become a jñāni and therefore he is a
mahātma and therefore he is a jīvan muktha; that he is a glorious person worth
worshipping but he cannot function as a guru. We do not question his jñānaṁ. We
do not question his jīvanmukti and we do not question his greatness to bless me; I
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can do namaskāra; I can keep his photo; I can do everything except one thing;
never take him as a guru; because since he was a genius he never came in the
regular path to gain jñāna, therefore he never knows the regular path, by which an
ordinary person has to travel. That is why a genius in any field cannot become the
best teacher, because even if he is a mathematical genius; நமக் 25 step எ�தினால்
தான் ��. An ordinary person requires so many steps. He will skip thru steps and
write the answer; it is all clear; clear for him. In any field, a genius generally cannot
make the best teacher and therefore śāstra is very careful; you worship all
mahātmas; but when you have to choose a guru; make sure that he has been a
śiṣya. Find out from whom he got this knowledge. Therefore śrōtriyaḥ means
srutārtha saṁpannaḥ, the one who has done śravaṇam.
And the second reason for this is that the scriptures talk about the systematic
method of communication. Scriptures talk about the systematic method of
communicating the incommunicable Brahman. I talked about this in the last class.
We say Brahman cannot be communicated. But when we say Brahman cannot be
communicated, what we mean is it cannot be communicated in the normal, regular
method but scriptures point out that it can be communicated if an appropriate
method is used which is called saṁpradāya. And that saṁpradāya, the scriptures
use; that is the key. And if a person has not studied the scriptures, then he would
not have saṁpradāya and all his statements would become mystical statements and
such jñānis who do not have saṁpradāya, we call as mystic people and those
mystics will make statements which will be equally mystic or mysterious. Their
statements would be meaningful to them but it will never communicate.
I was listening to one of the lectures. Once I experience the world, I have become
experiencer. Without telling what experience is, how do I become experiencer, and
how can I be non-experiencer without explaining anything. Just makes a statement:
You should learn to experience the world without being an experiencer. This is called
mystic statement. The statements are made but we can never understand the
significance. And why we do not understand, because there is a method of
communication.
In Vēdānta we will nicely define what is experiencer; and what is non-experiencer;

what is the difference between both; why non-experiencer becomes experiencer
how the experiencer-hood is adhyāsam; adhyāsa ேபசி and adhyāropa ைத ேபாசி neat
அ ெசால்லிட ெசான் hasta āmalakavat; it will become clear. But without talking
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about superimposition, ātma, anātma, śarīra trayaṁ, I just say for the first time in
the first class you come; and I tell I have an advice to you; what is that; You should
all experience the world without being an experiencer. What can you do? You cannot
do anything.
Therefore a jñāni without having a guru will become a mystic but he will never
become a teacher. But a jñāni who has studied the scriptures in a traditional way, he
alone can become a guru. Śankarācārya calls him a saṁpradāyavith. Śankarācārya
defines a guru as a saṁpradāyavith. The one who has the key of opening the
scriptures and Śankarācārya goes one step further and says asaṁpradāyavith
murkavath upēkṣaṇīya. If there is a person who claims himself to be a jñāni but who
does not come under the traditional guru śiṣya paraṁparā, that non-traditional
person should be upēkṣaṇīyaḥ. We should never depend on him for your spiritual
growth. As I said, maximum allowed is one namaskāram from distance and come
away. And therefore Śankarācārya adds first one: śrōtriyaḥ; the one who has studied
the scriptures under a guru.
Then the next qualification is avr̥jinaḥ. avr̥jinaḥ means the one who is pure; pāpa
rahitaḥ; adharma rahitaḥ; the one who has the values mentioned in the scriptures;
āmanitvam, adambitvam, ahiṁsā, śāntiḥ; the one who is not immoral; the one who
does not lead an immoral life; the one who does not lead an unethical life; moral
ethical person. Pure.
Then the third qualification is akāmahataḥ. So the one who does not have any
expectations out of the student. He does not want to teach for the sake of money or
to make the student as his own client; or he does not want a status in the news by
claiming that I am the teacher of such and such an industrialist; or I am the teacher
of MLA or MP or this or that; he does not want the status of money or fame or
anything, because once it is motivated, he can never be true to the teaching. It will
be twisted; it will be colored; it can never be wholehearted, because the aim will not
be communication. If the aim is something else, naturally communication will
become secondary. Therefore akāmahataḥ means the one who does not have any
motive or expectation.
And not only that, a student might have read different systems of philosophy;
already he might be used to some person or some system and when the vēdantic
teacher is telling the truth; telling the truth is telling what is right; telling what is
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wrong, and when I have to criticise the wrong ideas, if the student gets wounded,
then he cannot come to the class. He might be attached to some person who says
Bhakthi alone gives liberation. Here I have to tell you that Bhakthi cannot give
liberation. Suppose a person is a great bhaktha or associated with someone who
tells that bhakthi gives liberation, then he feels that Svāmiji is criticising this person
or criticising the system; then he will get wounded and he may go away. And if he is
a rich man, the teacher should not wound the student; so அைதெயல்லா ெசால்லா
cover up பண்ணண .
So therefore a teacher cannot courageously tell everything as long as he has got

some axe to grind. And that is why in those days, teachers were all sanyāsis;
especially in the vēdantic field they were sanyāsis; because they do not have to get
anything from anyone; therefore they can freely tell the truth. To tell the truth
freely; a person must be fearless; to be fearless, he should not depend upon any
person or anything in the society. And therefore Akāmahātaḥ, he is kāma rahitaḥ;
therefore bhaya rahitaḥ; therefore his aim is to tell the truth; that is also another
important qualification.
Then Brahmavittama rahitaḥ; the one who is brahma or sthira prajñaḥ; we use the
Gītā word; the one who is sthira prajñaḥ, the one who has got clear knowledge of
Brahman. The one whose knowledge is doubtful, not vague. So Dayānanda Svāmi
will say, if Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi is vague, then, Tatvamasi also must be vague. If I have
to tell the student that you are Brahman, it is possible only when for me it is very
clear that I am Brahman. If I am Brahman is vague; you are Brahman அைத
ெசால்�ம்ேப voice ெகாஞம கம்மியாய��. Annamaya kōśa ைத அ�ச்
ெபாள�க்கறமாதி ேப�வா; prāṇamaya kōśa wonderful; but when Tatvamasi comes the
voice comes down. So then when he himself is vague how can he give clear
knowledge to the student. Therefore he must be ajñāna rahitaḥ, he is Brahma vith;
he must be saṁśayaḥ rahitaḥ also; therefore Brahmavithamaḥ also. That thama
suffix indicates that his knowledge is thorough. cidyantē hr̥daya granti cidyantē
sarva saṁśayaḥ. So therefore his knowledge is firm. Kathopanișad says nicely:
ananya prōktē gatiratra nāsti, aniyān kyatarkya anupramāṇa.
When the teacher talks about Brahman, he should feel that he is talking about
himself; that is called ananya vaktāh. Teacher for whom Brahman is not an object,
but Brahman is himself. And when such a teacher communicates, the student will
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helplessly understand. Gatiratra nāsti. Even if he does not want to get knowledge,
he will get. Gatihi nāsti.
And then the next qualification is Brahmani uparataḥ; the one who abides in
Brahman, his own nature; with total satisfaction. Ātmanēva Ātmana tuṣṭaḥ. So his
satisfaction does not depend upon any external factor. As long as my satisfaction
depends upon any external factor; there is an anxiety to hold on to that; whether
that position will go away; that house will go away; or that job will go away; or that
person will go away; there is some amount of anxiety; as long as there is
dependence. And when there is no dependence at all; there is a totally anxiety free
mind. And that is called uparataḥ; uparataḥ means a mind that has subsided, which
has resolved; which is totally tranquil. So Brahmani uparataḥ; abiding in Brahman.
That alone we call as Brahma niṣṭaḥ; Previously we talked about stōtriya, here we
talk about brahma niṣṭaḥ. And therefore only śāntaḥ. So the one who is tranquil;
which can be inferred from the vyavahāra; all the typical transactions and verbal
transactions are indicative of the śāntiḥ.
duḥkhēṣvanudvignamanāḥ sukhēṣu vigataspr̥haḥ |

vītarāgabhayakrōdhaḥ sthitadhīrmunirucyatē ||2- 56||
So śāntaḥ; and what is the example. Beautiful example is given. nirindhana ivānalaḥ.
Like the glowing embers of the fire. Fire embers, in which further fuel is not added.
When you add the fuel, what happens to the fire; it will come forth; up and down;
That mind is comparable to the fire.
So imagine two types of fire. One you are adding various things; tongues or flames
comes forth asking for more and more. And in another one, you do not add any fuel.
It is without any flames. Similarly the mind is compared to the fire; our mental
disturbances are compared to the flames of the fire. So disturbanceless mind is like
the flameless fire. It is like the flameless fire, in the form of embers. That is why
Dayānanda Svāmiji says that the kāṣāya vastra or the colour of the dress of a
sanyāsi is comparable to that glowing embers. அ� எப்ப இ�க்�. நன்ன
திளங்கிண, no more want; need. That WANTless state of mind is indicated by this
particular orange colour. So nirindhana; indanaḥ means fuel; and nirandhanaḥ
means without fuel; and analaḥ; analaḥ means fire. If he does not have any need, if
he is happy with himself; what will be the motive behind the teaching? Because why
should he teach at all; because he does not want anything at all; if he does not want
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anything; what will be the reason for teaching? He can remain quiet also. What is
the push; force, which makes him teach, if you ask: ahētukadayāsindhu; teaching
comes out because of compassion for the person, which is also not entertained
deliberately, but it is natural. Just as the Sun gives out light; and energy to the
world; not with any motive. The Sun gives light and energy, why because it is its
very nature. Similarly here also when fullness is discovered compassion is not
entertained; compassion becomes natural. advēṣṭā sarvabhūtānāṁ maitraḥ karuṇa
ēva ca.
And compassion comes when, when he sees someone who is in suffering. And in
fact the entire humanity is suffering, because saṁsāra is so much. Therefore any
samsāri he sees, compassion is natural. Therefore, dayā is the force behind the
teaching. Natural dayā is the power, is the push behind the teaching. It is not a
wilful action; it is not a planned action; it happens. And how much compassion?
dayāsindhu; sindhuḥ means ocean; therefore he is an ocean of compassion.
Ahētuka, without any reason; which means it is natural. Ahētuka means natural,
spontaneous compassion. And therefore only ānamathām bandu; he is a friend, a
helper of all the people who surrender to him. So ānamathām means to those who
surrender to him. śaraṇāgatānam, namaskr̥tānām, bhaktānām; prapanna pārijātāya.
So prapanānām bandhuḥ. One may ask is this not partiality; you say he will only
help those people who surrender to him. That means he does not help others; that
means some motive seems to be there. That means he wants namaskāra perhaps.
No no No, the other people also he is willing to help; but he can give help if the
others can take it. Therefore giving is possible only when a taker is there; so people
who have surrendered or willing to take; therefore he is able to give. The other
people he is willing to give; but they are not willing to take. Therefore, he is
helpless. He is helpless. He cannot help the others. Therefore, ānamathām bandhu;
and there also he is not going to teach all the people who have surrendered. There
also he puts a condition; satām ānamathām. So he is a teacher who have
surrendered and who are ready for the teaching. Here satpuruṣaḥ means jñāna
yōgyaḥ. If they do not have the yōgyatā for the jñānaṁ, he will not give them this
knowledge; there also he would not give them up; he will put them into some other
sādhanā. As Krishna said in the third chapter.
saktāḥ karmaṇyavidvāṃso yathā kurvanti bhārata

kuryād vidvāṃs tathāsaktaś cikīrṣur lōkaḥsaṃgrahaṁ
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When such people come, the jñāni also should do the karma like pūjā, prayer etc. he
also do and indirectly teach the others also, japa, pūjā, etc., if he is a gr̥hastha. If he
is a sanyāsi, just as he does the japa, he should also make the other people do japa,
etc. But the teaching he should not give, if he is not ready. Therefore I am giving
because I think you are all yōgyaḥ. Therefore ānamathām satām bandhuḥ; bandhuḥ
means a helper, a saviour.
तमाराध् गुरु भक्त् प्रह्वप्रश्र |

प्रसन तमनुप्रा पच
ृ ्छेज्�ातव्यमात ||३४|
tamārādhya guruṁ bhaktyā prahvapraśrayasēvanaiḥ |
prasannaṁ tamanuprāpya pr̥cchējjñātavyamātmanaḥ ||34|
So the student has to identify such a guru. All these qualifications may not be
identified; because many are internal qualifications. how can we see the mind; but
some of the qualifications can be clearly known; whether he comes under the guru-
śiṣya paraṁparā, we can identify; whether he is teaching the scriptures or his own
personal philosophy. If he teaches his personal philosophy, நமஸ்கார பண் ண�
வந்�டேவண்� தான. Whether he is teaching based on scriptures and similarly

many of the qualifications also can be inferred; tr̥pti, etc. some of them may not be
seen. So the one who has got some of these qualifications, at least; he can be a
guru.
Then the next thing would be what should be our attitude towards such a guru? This
is said in the present slōka. Śiṣya's attitude towards a guru; and he is going to say:
Śraddhāḥ bhaktihi; śraddhāḥ and bhakti are the two main attitudes and both
śraddhāḥ and bhakti are inner qualifications; they belong to the mind; therefore how
will a guru know whether there is śraddhāḥ and bhakthi? Therefore not only the
student should have śraddhā and bhakthi, but also he should express that physically
and verbally, so that it is very clear. And how do you express your śraddhāḥ and
bhakthi? That is said in the slōka, which we will see in the next class.
Hari Om.
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ब्रह्मण्यु शान्त �न�रन्ध इवानलः |

अहेतुकदया�सन्धुबर्न्धुरानम सताम ् ||३३||
brahmaṇyuparataḥ śāntō nirindhana ivānalaḥ |
ahētukadayāsindhurbandhurānamatāṁ satām ||33||
तमाराध् गुरु भक्त् प्रह्वप्रश्र |

प्रसन तमनुप्रा पच
ृ ्छेज्�ातव्यमात ||३४||
tamārādhya guruṁ bhaktyā prahvapraśrayasēvanaiḥ |
prasannaṁ tamanuprāpya pr̥cchējjñātavyamātmanaḥ ||34||
Śankarācārya is talking about the preparations required on the part of the seeker to
attain mōkṣa; firstly he talked about the general preparations; which is basic
intelligence is required and basic education; knowledge is required and also the
capacity to analyse. Paṇḍitaḥ, Medhāvi, Uhāpōha vicakṣaṇaḥ. Paṇḍitaḥ means basic
education basic knowledge. Medhāvi means basic intelligence is required and Uhā
pōha vicakṣaṇaḥ, the capacity to logically analyse. These are general intellectual
preparations required; because it is a matter of understanding. So wherever
knowledge or understanding comes, intellectual qualifications are must.
Then Śankarācārya said that intellectual qualifications alone are not sufficient, but it
being spiritual pursuit one requires certain spiritual qualifications also namely
sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpattiḥ. Spiritual qualification cannot replace intellectual
qualification; intellectual qualification cannot replace spiritual qualification; both are
equally required. And then Śankarācārya is talking about the next preparation, viz.,
guru upasādhanām; going to a teacher. And Śankarācārya mentions the
qualifications of the teacher also, that primarily he must be a saṁpradāya-vith; the
one who comes in the guru-śiṣya paraṁparā; and the one who does not come in the
guru-śiṣya paraṁparā, even though he may be a jñāni, we do not accept guru status
for him. He can be an adorable person; his blessings can be sought; but according
to scriptures, even the greatest jñāni cannot become a guru unless he comes under
the saṁpradāya or the paraṁparā. And since he does not have the paraṁparā, he
does not have the appropriate tools of communication. Śāstra presents wonderful
methods of communicating the incommunicable one. And one who does not come in
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tradition does not have the tool like the avasthathraya vivēka; pañja kōśa vivēka;
sr̥ṣṭi prakriya; so many prakriyas are there and if a person does not come under
saṁpradāya and he teaches it is a risky proposition; risky not for the guru; but for
the śiṣya. And therefore Śankarācārya feels asaṁpradāyavith upēkṣaṇīya. Do not go
after a person who does not come under paraṁparā. And this is called śrōtriyatvm.
And then Śankarācārya talks about certain additional qualifications like

motivelessness that this person does not have any motive in communication. That
indicates he is full and in terms of morality and character, he must be dhārmica
puruṣaḥ. So even though śāstra says a jñāni is beyond dharma-adharma and śāstra
gives freedom for a jñāni, he is vidhi-niṣedābhyām mukthaḥ, but once a jñāni takes
up the role of a guru, then he will have to be necessarily dhārmic, because he is
serving as a model to the śiṣya. Therefore even though he does not personally
require dharma-adharma, he is beyond, he has to necessarily follow it; otherwise he
will become a wrong example and every ajñāni is waiting for an opportunity to
violate dharma. And once his guru is available, you will find that all the noble traits
of the guru அைத follow பண்மாட்டா. இைத ஏதாவைத ெவச்�ண அந் respect ேல
நான follow பண்ணேற. So therefore a guru will have to be dhārmic avr̥jinaḥ; morally
and ethically he should follow.
We do not use the word morally and ethically he should be perfect, we do not use,
because no human being can be perfect. We never expect perfection even from the
best jñāni because no human being can be perfect and that is why Taittariya
Upaṇiṣad says wherein the Guru himself says: we are trying to follow dharma, but in
spite of all our efforts, we are all also human being, there being certain weaknesses
in us; we ourselves may not be aware of that; but if there are such weakness; kindly
do not follow that part of ours.
यान्यनवद्या कमार्� । ता�न से�वतव्या� । नो इतरा�ण ।
यान्यस्म सुच�रता�न ।
ता�न त्वय' पास्य' �न ॥ २ ॥
नो इ' तरा' �ण ।
yānyanavadyāni karmāṇi | tāni sēvitavyāni | nō itarāṇi |

yānyasmāka sucaritāni |
tāni tvayō’ pāsyā’ ni || 2 ||
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nō i’ tarā’ ṇi |
Why should the vēda give such a clause. If every jñāni is going to be totally perfect,
such a clause is not available. Therefore, perfection is not the idea; but the motive is
that we follow dharma. So thus guru upasādhanām. No.1 basic intellectual
qualifications, No.2 sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti, No.3 guru upasādanām.
And how one should approach the guru would be said later. With humility and
politeness, etc. I think that is partly given in the 34th slōka itself; prahva prasraya
sēvanaiḥ. So there must be humility. There should be śraddhā and bhakthi. And
prasraya means politeness in the language; softness, gentleness, politeness. the
words should reflect the internal attitude of devotion and reverence. And finally
sēvanaih, sēvanam means what, service. All these are part of guru upasādhanām, as
Krishna said in the Gītā, tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sēvayā, upadekṣyanti
te jñānaṃ jñāninas tattvadarśinaḥ. Up to this we have come to.
And the next stage is: paripraśnaḥ. Asking for this knowledge, because no guru will
automatically teach Brahma vidyā to a disciple. No guru will automatically teach. If
the śiṣya comes and does namaskāra, he will bless alright; but Brahma vidyā cannot
be and should not be given unless it is specifically asked for. And therefore praśna
is also another important step or preparation. That is Krishna enumerates it distinctly
paripraśnena sēvaya. And that praśna is also paripraśna, which indicates that the
motive is to know and not to test அவ�க் ெத��மா பார்க்கேறாம; not the testing
attitude; but knowing attitude. And that is going to be said in the following verses;
from verses No.35 up to verse No.40. I
n six verses Śankarācārya shows how a śiṣya should ask questions to a guru. So
even they are fundamentals and common sense will teach, Śankarācārya does not
want to take anything for granted; ஶ� இவா�க் ெத��ேமா ெத�யாேதா, இவா�க்
ெசால்ல ெவக்கேறா ெசால்ல, he even shows how the language should be, how the
approach should be.
स्वा�मन्नमस नतलोकबन्ध
कारुण्य�सन प�ततं भवाब्ध |
मामुद्धरात्मीयकटा�दृ
ऋज्व्या�तकारुण्यसुधा�भवृ ||३५||
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svāminnamastē natalōkabandhō
kāruṇyasindhō patitaṁ bhavābdhau |
māmuddharātmīyakaṭākṣadr̥ṣṭyā
r̥jvyātikāruṇyasudhābhivr̥ṣṭyā ||35||
The student is addressing the teacher in so many words; each word represents the
śiṣya's reverence to the teacher. And here when we use the word reverence, we
should clearly understand, reverence really does not go to the personality or physical
person at all, because before the self-knowledge, even the very same guru when he
was an ajñāni nobody prostrated or worshipped him. After he becomes a jñāni,
people worship him. From this we can easily conclude, before jñānaṁ, no worship.
After jñānaṁ, yes, worship. Therefore worship goes to what? We cannot worship the
body; We are not even worshipping the body, because the body was there before,
mind was there before, intellect was there before, but it is the śāstram which is in
his mind, the live life-savior that we are doing namaskāra. Vēdānta pramāṇam is
worshipped in the teacher. So if vēdānta pramāṇam is worshipped, which should we
do prostrations to the teacher. Since vēdānta is available in the book form, I can do
namaskāra to the Upaṇiṣad book? எ�க் இவைர ேபாய� நமஸ்கார பண்ணண.
The ego இ�க்ேக இல்லேய, வ�டேவ வ�டா�. நமஸ்கார பண்ண�னா�, �ஸ்தகத்�
பண்�ேவே தவ�ர, என்னத்� இந் ஆ�க் பண்ணண. We say the very same
vēdānta śāstra available outside in the form of book and available inside a jñāni is
different, like a cassette which is on the shelf and which is in the cassette player.
What is the difference? Cassette on the shelf contains everything, but it will not
come alive for me; but when the very same recorded cassette, put in a cassette
player, then it is capable of bringing out the contents. Similarly the upaṇiṣad book is
like a shelf-cassette, and the guru is like (literal ல எ�த்�க்காேதே); guru brings
alive; or is supposed to bring alive every word of the Upaṇiṣad. He injects live and in
fact only the word coming through the mouth becomes communicative word;
otherwise it is non-communicating dead cold frequency of sound. And therefore
namaskāra goes to the live vēdānta śāstram in the person. Nobody is worshipping
the body.
And remember, when we worship the vēdānta śāstra pramāṇam, ultimately, the
śāstram has come from whom? Why do you go to the śāstra, because the other
means of knowledge are not able to reveal? Śāstram is able to reveal, because it is
coming from none other than the Lord himself.
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यो ब्रह्म ा �वदधा�त पूव� यो वै वेदांश् प्र�हणो तस्म तं ह दे वमात्मबु�द्धप् मुमु�ुव� शरणमहं
प्रपद् (श्वेताश्वतरोप�न, VI, 18).

yō brahmāṇam vidadhāti pūrvaṁ yō vai vēdāṁśca prahiṇōti tasmai taṁ ha
dēvamātmabuddhiprakāśaṁ mumukṣurvai śaraṇamahaṁ prapadyē||
(śvētāśvatarōpāṇiṣad, VI, 18).
In Svetasvatara it is said that the Lord creates Brahmāji and along with Brahmāji,
the Lord creates vēdas and hands over to Brahmāji. That is why Brahmāji is
supposed to have 4 heads representing the four vēdas and Brahmāji teaches the
other people and avam paraṁparā prāptaṁ. Therefore vēdānta śāstram is the words
of the Bhagavān. Therefore when I am doing namaskāra to śāstram, it is ultimately
going to the Lord alone. Therefore my prayer is: Oh Lord I should be able to grasp
what you are trying to communicate through the vēdas, because the very same vēda
is interpreted in dvaitic manner; the very same upaṇiṣads are interpreted in viśiṣtā
dvaita manner; the very same vēdānta is available in advaita; there are so many
interpretations are there; how do I know which one is right. Therefore, Oh Lord I
must be able to arrive at the exact import of the śāstram.
Therefore the namaskāra is superficially to the guru; through the guru it goes to the
vēdānta śāstram, and through the śāstram, it goes to the Bhagavān alone.
Therefore no guru takes the namaskāra for himself and if he takes the namaskāra to
himself, his downfall will start. Because in every namaskāra, the śiṣya is giving his
pāpam, remember. Namaskāra is giving away the pāpam; அைத பாபாம
ெசால்லமாட்ேட. Let me become purified � ெசான்ன என் அர்த்.We are only

putting it in a user-friendly language. Developing country means undeveloped
country. It is only language is different; if you say Let me be purified; it means let
my pāpam go away. எங் ேபாணம ெசான்ன, So therefore every guru must be very
careful, he should never take the namaskāra, it should be handed over to the
Bhagavān. Bhagavān can never be sullied. அதினாேல என்ன ெசால்ல வேறன் ெச,
guru namaskāra is Īśvara namaskāra. Śāstra namaskāra.
And therefore Śankarācārya says May you do namaskāra to your teacher, with what
words? Svāmin; Oh Lord. So the word Svāmi can refer either to the svāmi as a
sanyāsi, because sanyāsis are called svāmi-so-and-so; and therefore svāmin can be
interpretted like that; or the word svāmi can be used to represent the Lord also,
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because we see the guru as the Lord himself. Gurur Brahma or Gurur Viṣṇu. So
Svāmin can mean either Hey Sanyāsin or He Īśvara. And who are you?
natalōkabandhō; you are the friend, the philosopher and guide of all the devotees;
nataḥ means the devotees; those who have surrendered; done namaskāra; and nata
lōkaḥ, here lōkaḥ means the group of devotees; so the world of devotees; for them
you are the bandhu, because they have renounced all the other bandhus,
"renounced" means within quotes; because they have understand that the local
bandhus can never help me from saṁsāra. In fact they are called bandhus, because
they bind. Therefore the local bandus are not real saviours, they are only binders;
therefore I have discovered some other bandhu and who is that:
त्वमे माता च �पता त्वमे । त्वमे बन्धुश सखा त्वमे । त्वमे �वद्य द्र�वण त्वमे । त्वमे
सवर् म मम दे व दे व ॥
tvamēva mātā ca pitā tvamēva | tvamēva bandhuśca sakhā tvamēva |
tvamēva vidyā draviṇam tvamēva | tvamēva sarvaṁ mama dēva dēva ||
You are my really bandhu. nata lōkaḥ bandhō; these are all addressing. Oh friend of
devotees, the surrenders. And kāruṇyasindhō, you are the ocean of compassion,
because you are going to give this wisdom, without expecting anything in return. So
therefore you are an ocean of compassion. And to such a guru, namaḥ tē. My
prostration; my namaskāra. And by that I admit my ignorance and I admit guru's
knowledge. Because any transference requires one who does not possess this and
the one who possesses it. Money transfer requires what? Not too-monied people. No
transference is required. Not too poor people. No transference is possible. Therefore
any transaction requires one who has and one who does not have. Have and Have-
not alone can have transactions; guru comes under Have_s and Śiṣya comes under
have-not_s; have and have-nots in terms of what? Not money; money ெசான் he is
pauper, ஒன்� கிைடயா�; have and have not in terms of wisdom.
And how do you indicate your have-not_ness and guru's have_ness. Namaskāra;
namaskāra indicates I want to receive from you what you have and what I do not;
because anything flows from higher level to lower level. By namaskāra, I put myself
in lower level; I put guru in higher level. Physically, it is not important. Mentally I
show that I am in a position to receive. You know water tank must be invariably in a
higher level; otherwise if you open the tap, except water everything else will come.
air may come and anything else. Thus namaskāra is symbolic presentation of this
idea. Te namaḥ; patitaṁ bhavābdhau. patitaṁ bhavābdham means I have fallen
Page 160

into the ocean of saṁsāra. bhavaḥ means saṁsāra. Literally bhavaḥ means janma
and janma is here compared to ocean. So bhavaḥ means punarapi jananam, the
cycle of birth and therefore death is called the ocean and it is compared to ocean
because it is as vast as the ocean is. And it is as deep and mysterious as ocean is:
And it is as much drowning me as ocean is. And it contains as many waves as ocean
has. Waves means what; rāga-dvēṣa, kāma-krōdhaḥ; lobhaḥ-mōha, madaḥ
mātsaryaḥ; all these are waves repeatedly occurring and the diseases etc. are like
the shark, which are frightening; and therefore saṁsāra is compared to an ocean;
into that ocean I have fallen.
So here very careful. In the second line, kāruṇyasindhō part belongs to guru;
patitaṁ bhavābdhau belongs to the śiṣya; அதிேல�ம வந் Oh Guro, who has fallen
into saṁsāra ெசால்லப்பட; I have fallen into saṁsāra; மாத்த ேபாட்�டாேதெங. So
that patitaṁ is an adjective to the word mām occurring in the third line; so mām
means I have fallen into saṁsāra sāgara.
And what should you do; uddara; may you uplift me, save me; clean SOS.
Therefore may you; uplift me; and how do you uplift me. Śankarācārya becomes
highly poetic here: ātmīya kaṭākṣa dr̥ṣṭyā. So Śankarācārya wants to say that for
Guru uplifting the disciple is not big task. He not run and bring a crane and also a
huge thing, hook ஐ ெபாட், கயத்ை ேபாட், க�த்தி ெகட்�ன, அவ�ள்�தா; ஆள
out ஆய��வான; ேவெற எேஙநா� ெகட்; அைத இ�த், it is not a physical job,
because the whole saṁsāra is a misconception. The biggest wonder is the whole
saṁsāra is a misconception; just as the whole dream is a misconception
for a waker who is comfortably lying down on his bed; and what is
required out of the dream-saṁsāra is அைசத் எ�ந்தி�ட ெசால்லண
அவ்�ள�தா. He wakes up uttiṣṭatā, jāgratā. That alone is required and therefore

since he has to remove a saṁsāra which is mere misconception, the job is not a big
job for a teacher, and therefore Śankarācārya wants to bring out the effortlessness
on the part of a teacher and to indicate that he says: you lift me by just looking at
me. அவ்வ��தா ேவணம. இன் தமிழ பாட்�ெலலா அ�க்க ெசால்�வ,
கைடகண்ணா பாரய்ய; கைடகண is called kaṭākṣa; the side of the eye; dr̥ṣṭi means
glance; kaṭākṣa dr̥ṣṭi means side glance; even full அ பார்காறத எத்த effort
ேவணேமா, அவ்�ள �ட ேவண்டா; �ம்ம ஒ� பார்ை; so kaṭākṣa dr̥ṣṭyā, whose

kaṭākṣa dr̥ṣṭi; your own kaṭākṣa dr̥ṣṭi; ātmīya kaṭākṣa dr̥ṣṭi; just look at me, that is
enough. இெதல்லா literalலா எ�த்�க படா�. OK. So kaṭākṣa dr̥ṣṭyā mōkṣa means,
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Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi எ�க்; எல்லா� உக்க ெவச், எல்லாேர� ஒேரா� நிமிஷம பார்த்;
Ok, 80 ேபர இ�நதால 2 class ஆ�மாய��க்�. அவ்�ள�தாே; பரவாய�ல்ை; ேபா�ம.
ஒெரா minute பார்த, ஆள out ெசான்; not ஆள out, out of saṁsāra;
Therefore do not take it literally, it is called poetic teaching is involved; ātmīya

kaṭākṣa dr̥ṣṭyā; and what type of glance it is; r̥jvyā; r̥jju means that which is
straight-forward; which is without any motive; which is straight. Literally it means
straight. we can take it as without any other motive. So by that kaṭākṣa dr̥ṣṭi, and
kāruṇya sudhā abhivr̥ṣṭyā; and the glance which contains the shower of compassion.
Sudhā means amr̥tam; abhivr̥ṣṭi; streams. The stream of amr̥tam which is nothing
but compassion. So the stream of nectar of compassion is there in your glance. With
such a glance you bless me.
वी�ां मे �दश चा�ुषीं सकरुणा �दव्यैिश्च प्रा�थर्
शंभो लोकगुरो मद�यमनसः सौख्योपद ेश कुर

vīkṣāṁ mē diśa cākṣuṣīṁ sakaruṇāṁ divyaiściraṁ prārthitāṁ
śaṁbhō lōkagurō madīyamanasaḥ saukhyōpadēśaṁ kuru
Śankarācārya in Śivānandaḥlahari, beautifully addresses Lord Śhiva, I want you to

bless me as a lōkaḥ guru; as Dakṣiṇāmoorthy, you should bless me; with knowledge
by your simple glance. vīkṣāṁ mē diśa cākṣuṣīṁ sakaruṇāṁ; the same idea is here
also. So thus the essence of these two lines is that you bless me with a mere vision
or glance.
दव
ु ार्रसंसारदवािग्नतप
दोधूयमानं दरु दृष्टवात |
भीतं प्रपन प�रपा�ह मतृ ्यो
शरण्यमन्यद्य न जाने ||३६||
durvārasaṁsāradavāgnitaptaṁ
dōdhūyamānaṁ duradr̥ṣṭavātaiḥ |
bhītaṁ prapannaṁ paripāhi mr̥tyōḥ
śaraṇyamanyadyadahaṁ na jānē ||36||
So here the student is expressing saṁsāra problem and his sincere interest in
getting out of the saṁsāra. So ahaṁ durvārasaṁsāradavāgnitaptaṁ. So I am
roasted by the forest fire of saṁsāra; So here saṁsāra is compared to forest fire or
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bush-fire and all they say. Recently it was in Indonesia or Malaysia; Australia and all
they have. So forest fire means that it is so wide; and it is so huge; and it spreads
also very fast; and therefore in our scriptures saṁsāra is often compared to davā
analaḥ; davā analaḥ means forest fire. And why saying forest fire what does he
indicate; durvāraḥ; durvāraḥ means unstoppable; unquenchable; non-removable;
cannot be put out that easily; we read in the newspapers, how the whole
government is getting money and help from all neighbouring countries and still they
say that it will take months to put out the fire. Even though we are so much
advanced in technology and all, this natural force we are not able to stop. It spreads
so fast, huge, and consumes villages, cities and towns and therefore the comparison
எல்லா நம் śāstram ைத மாதி�; they might not have known what is Australian
bush fire or Indonesian bush fire, but they have talked about that. Therefore davā
analavat durvāraḥ saṁsāraḥ.
And there is another reason also for this comparison. Comparison ேய நம் study
பண்ணலா. Not only it is vast and unstoppable, forest fire also burns me and the
problems of life also burns me. And that is why we used the word manas-tāpaṁ. use
பண்ணவாேளா இல்லே Tamilல.மனஸ தாபம. manas tāpaṁ. It is a inner burning.
Forest fire gives external fire; saṁsāra problem gives internal burn; from different
directions; adyamatica tāpa, adhi boudika tāpa, adhi daivika tāpa. From all over the
problems are burning me and I am not able to stop. By the time I stop one problem,
இன்ெனான phone call; இன்ேனா� �ள்ைளக்� என் problem; அைத ச�
பண்ணறத்�க, daughter-in-law க் ேவேற ஒ� problem/complaint. By that time,

neighbour is a problem. By that time, company is in trouble. All these are gone, I
have got BP. I do not know which one to attack. It is like ants all over the body.
Therefore, I am roasted by the problems of saṁsāra. And am I able to control. Even
though I try to do so many parihārās; இந் ேகாவ�ல் ேபாேறன; அந் ேகாவ�ல்லி
அப�ேஷகம; சன� ெபயற்ச்; �� ெபயற்ச் க் special pūjāi பண்ண�ேன; so many things

I have done, and doing, but still dura dr̥ṣṭa vātaihi dōdhūyamānaṁ, the saṁsāra fire
is activated and further spread by wind; just as wind spreads the forest fire, my
duradr̥ṣṭam; my pāpa karma is like the powerful wind. So wind fans the forest fire;
similarly my pāpa-karma fans the saṁsāra fire. Therefore duradr̥ṣṭavātaiḥ, pāpa
vātaiḥdōdhūyamānaṁ; so I am taken here and there; I am pushed here and there
by the duradr̥ṣṭavātaiḥ. And again the direction of the wind is unpredictable.
Sometimes in the huge fire and all we can see so many buildings will be burned; just
as an adjacent building, when I went somewhere, all over it is destroyed; but one
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building nothing has happened; because the wind was not in that direction. But the
nearest buildings are gone; that building is saved. We do not know which direction
the wind will be. Similarly we do not know duradr̥ṣṭam; வார்ைதை correct அ
ேபாட்��க் பா�ேஙா It is adr̥ṣṭam; it is invisible; I do not know when and which

grahaṁ is going to catch me. This is my miserable condition; and not only I am
suffering with regard to present; the economy is ெசால்லறாேள இல்லேய; எேங
பாறதா�ம, economy problem; ஒ� astrologer ெசால்லறா 2001 ேலந் India will

become giant; அைத நம்ப�ண நம் என் பண் ��ம. Who knows; every year
somebody or the other predicts. ஒ� �ன� ெசால்லற, பகவான ெசால்லற, என்ன�ட
அைதெயல்லா ப��ச்சிண ஸன்ேதா ெபட்�ண இ�க்ேகா. ேவண்�ய�தா. Like

that person who fell, you know, into the well while running. And he fell because his
leg hit a stone; காலில ரத்த வந்தின இ�க். When he fell, he injured other parts of
the body. and he is hanging on to the creeper on the side of the well; and the same
is slowly coming down; and a rat is eating the root of the creeper and down below
there are rocks and then there are some snakes also; and while falling he has
disturbed the honey-comb, and the honey bees are stinging and at that time honey
drops are falling and he is extending his tongue and says: It is all so nice. This is my
condition.எைதயாவ� ப��ச்�ண நல்லாஇ�க்� ெசால்லேவண்� தான.
Therefore he says, bhītaṁ; all over attached by so many problems; therefore I am

frightened what will come in the next moment; but only one good thing I have done;
ேவற ஒன்� நன்ன பண்ண� மாதி� ெத�யைல; the one good thing I have done is:
what is that? prapannam; I have surrendered to you; that is the only one good
thing; knowingly or unknowingly, because of puṇyam or pāpam (not pāpam!)
because of some puṇyam, I have surrendered to you and therefore paripāhi; you
alone have to rescue me. Not a temporary rescuing effort; paritaḥ pāhi; totally
protect me from me mr̥tyōḥ; from mr̥tyu; mr̥tyu literally means death and in this
context, it means saṁsāra; constant change. Janma, mr̥tyu, jarā, vyādi, duḥkhaṁ,
are all indicated by the word mr̥tyōḥ, and from mr̥tyu, may you protect me.
And why should you protect me? Because yathu, yathu means because, ahaṁ na
jaane, I do not know anyad śaraṇyam, any other refuge; I do not know any other
protector; So this is called śaraṇāgatiḥ and guru śaraṇāgatiḥ; which Arjuna also did
in the Gītā;
kārpaṇyadoṣopahatasvabhāvaḥ
pṛcchāmi tvāṃ dharmasaṃmūḍhacetāḥ
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yac chreyaḥ syān niścitaṃ brūhi tan me

śiṣyastehaṃ śādhi māṃ tvāṃ prapannam
அங�ம word prapannam. Here also the word prapannam. This is called Guru
śaraṇāgatiḥ. Śankarācārya is putting in a dramatic and poetic form. That is all.
शान्त महान्त �नवसिन् सन्त

वसन्तवल्लोक�ह चरन्त |
तीणार् स्वय भीमभवाणर्व जना-
नहेतुनान्यान� तारयन्त ||३७||
śāntā mahāntō nivasanti santō
vasantavallōkahitaṁ carantaḥ |
tīrṇāḥ svayaṁ bhīmabhavārṇavaṁ janā-
nahētunānyānapi tārayantaḥ ||37||
So here the śiṣya is glorifying the teacher. In fact, all these slōkās right from 35
onwards, are presented within quotation which are the words of the śiṣya by
Śankarācārya . Here the śiṣya is glorifying the teacher. Oh Teacher! How great you
are. Not only you, people like you. śāntāḥ mahāntaḥ. So the jñānis are mahāntaḥ;
they are generous people that they live in the world purely for the sake of rescuing
and helping others. Just like when there are flood all over, there are rescuers with
boat and other things and they go around and put the people into the boat. Similarly
you are the rescue party; without asking for anything else in return. Therefore you
are mahāntaḥ; generous minded people; and śāntāḥ; and you are śāntāḥ; cool. In
the previous slōka, Śiṣyanai ெசால்லறேபா என் ெசான்னா; davāgni taptaḥ; just the
opposite of that is what: śāntāḥ; we have inner burns; but you people are cool;
calm, tranquil; fulfilled you are.
śāntāḥ; you are noble minded ones; compassionate one; satpuruṣaḥ; sajjanaḥ;
lōkaḥ hitaṁ carantaḥ; and you are doing a great service to the society; so lōkaḥ
hitaṁ means service to the society; carantaḥ means ācārantaḥ; you are doing good
to the society. Like what? he gives an example, vasantavat; like the spring season.
When the spring season comes all the people are happy; the summer means it is too
much heat; winter means it is too much cold; rain means you cannot do anything;
the place is flooded; therefore you are not like summer or winter, or rainy season;
you are like the spring season, which make the whole place bloom. Similarly in your
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presence all the people will enjoy a blooming face. In your absence, what they have
is gloom; in your presence, the face of people bloom; therefore vasantavat; and by
giving the vasanta example, Śankarācārya says the spring season does not put forth
any effort to make the plant bloom; does it request? Can you bloom; can you bloom;
ஒன்� பண்ணறதிை. It all automatically happens. Similarly when jñānis are
around, even without their any special effort, their very presence make the place
tranquil. In Kalidaśa's Sakuntala, it is beautifully said Duṣyanta goes to the forest
and their wild animals are there; hunting is going on and several animals are
fighting; the tiger attacking the deer etc. but when Duṣyanta goes to a particular
place, he feels a tranquility and certain animals who are supposed to be what they
call it; arch-rivals; even they are playing together. And Duṣyanta feels śāntāṁ idam
āśrama padam. And therefore he has not seen any r̥̄ṣi there; he says because the
place is quiet; there must be some r̥̄ṣi around. So that Duṣyanta is conveying that
animals which are ferocious and cruel; their mind calms down; and then what to talk
of human being; and now they even scientifically say that the plants understand
when a person goes to cut the plants or to water the plants. அ�க் ெத��மாம.So
there are certain vibrations and there are certain vibrations in the plant; they have
studied; that means what: when the mind is calm, not only the person's mind is
calm, it influences the others also. Therefore Śankarācārya compares to vasantaḥ.
And what is their glory? svayaṁ bhīmabhavārṇavaṁ tīrṇāḥ; they have themselves
crossed over the ocean of saṁsāra; they are free that is the essence; they have
crossed bhava ārṇavaḥ; bhavaḥ means saṁsāra; ārṇavaḥ means ocean; bhavarṇava
ārṇavaḥ means saṁsāra sagara ārṇavaḥ; and what type of ārṇavaḥ; bhīma ārṇavaḥ;
Bhīma was one of the Paṇdāvas அந் அறத்த எ�த்�க படா�. Word Bhīma aārṇavaḥ
literally means bhayaṁkara ārṇavaḥ; terrible; and Bhīma got the name Bhīma
because he was also terrible; பாத்தே பயம வந்��. Literally Bhīma means
bayaṁkara aārṇavaḥ; bibeti asmaat iti bhīma aārṇavaḥ; It is derived from the root
bhīm; to cause fear. So from this frightening waters of saṁsāra; it is not like the
swimming pool where you can enjoy; but it is frightening waters of saṁsāra; this
saṁsāra; svayaṁ tīrṇāḥ; they are free.
And once they are free; they can go back home; பாக்க உள்ள கஷ்டெபட ெசான்ன,
one can easily say that it is their தைலய�ல் எ�த; their prārabdhaḥ, he could have
gone. Even in some accidents and all suppose the train or bus falls in the river or
anywhere, you can find two types of people; some people they come to the fore and
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run; because they want to get out of the whole thing; to go home; already they
might be tired; but there are some other people, even though they are tired and
they might be injured also, they rescue other people. And if they rescue what is their
motive? That they are sacrificing everything for these people. Similarly, here also, a
jñāni could have said that it is the world's problem and why should I bother. But
these people are not like that; svayaṁ tīrṇāḥ ānyānapi janān tārayanti. Therefore
janān tārayantaḥ; they rescue the other people from saṁsāra; and for that they
have to again get wet. For rescuing they have to get into what. Again saṁsāra. that
problem and that problem, etc. they have to take. Therefore they do that; and they
enjoy doing that.
So janān tārayantaḥ; for what purpose; ahētuna; without any reason; without any
motive; anyān with go with janān; anyān janān ahētuna tārayantaḥ; motivelessly
they help other people cross the saṁsāra. taryati; tarati means cross; tārayati
means help other people cross.
अयं स्वभाव स्व एव यत्प-

श्रमापनोदप् महात्मना म |
ु ांशरु ेष स्वयमकर्कक-
सध
प्रभा�भतप्ताम ��तं �कल ||३८||
ayaṁ svabhāvaḥ svata ēva yatpara-
śramāpanōdapravaṇaṁ mahātmanām |
sudhāṁśurēṣa svayaṁarkakarkaśa-
prabhābhitaptāmavati kṣitiṁ kila ||38||
So in the third line, svayaṁ arka karkaśa, karkaśa is not clearly printed in my book;
in your book also, if it is not clear, you can correct. svayaṁ arka karkaśa, 'r' is
required. So here Śankarācārya says that here the helping tendency; this
compassion towards the sufferers is not deliberately entertained by these jñānis. It
is not a willful action entertained by jñānis; only when deliberations and will are
involved, there is a question of what will I get out of it. So if it is not deliberately,
willfully entertained trait, how do they have it. Śankarācārya says; svabhāvaḥ, it is
spontaneous; it is intrinsic; it is natural. In fact, they are helplessly compassionate.
Even if they do not want to have compassion, they find themselves having that
because compassion is an expression of fullness. Friendship is an expression of
fullness. Fearlessness is an expression of fullness. So therefore, humility is an
expression of fullness. In fact, all the virtues of a jñāni are only a bye product of
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purṇatvam and all the vices that a person has are the byeproducts of apurṇatvam;
this is the conclusion of vēdānta. All vices, kāma, krōdhaḥ, lobhaḥ, mōha, madaḥ,
mātsarya; all of them are symptoms of ajñāna; and all virtues are (here you do not
say symptoms, symptom ெசான் தபபா எ�த்�ண்�); they are all only byeproducts
expressions of purṇatvam. And therefore Śankarācārya says that they do not want
to do that; but they find themselves doing that. More in the next.
Hari Om.
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014 Verses 38 and 39
शान्त महान्त �नवसिन् सन्त

वसन्तवल्लोक�ह चरन्त |
नहेतुनान्यान� तारयन्त ||३७|
śāntā mahāntō nivasanti santō
vasantavallōkahitaṁ carantaḥ |
nahētunānyānapi tārayantaḥ ||37|

सध
ु ांशरु ेष स्वयमकर्कक-
Śankarācārya continues with the topic of preparations of a seeker. He talked about

the general intellectual qualification required because this is a pursuit of knowledge.
Then he talked about the spiritual qualifications required, because it requires owning
up of Brahman. Not an objective science. And spiritual qualifications are sādhanā
catuṣṭaya saṁpatti; then he talked about going to the teacher; guru upasādanām,
which is also part of the preparation. And then finally comes the last stage of
preparation. It is not enough that one approaches the teacher, one should clearly
ask for this knowledge, which is known as paripraśna. The asking questions should
be in such a way that expresses his śraddhā and his bhakthi and also his sincerity in
receiving the knowledge. If the proper attitude is lacking, then the guru will not give
the wisdom, reason being that the wisdom will not bless the student. That is why in
the Mundokapāṇishad, the example of śamitpāniḥ is given; śamit means dry twigs;
which are used for the hōma etc. Dry twig represents the prepared state of the
student. When the twig is dry and the moment the flame is thrown, it immediately
catches fire. If the twig is not dry, then any amount of fire cannot burn. Similarly the
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dry twig represents the prepared condition, the receptive condition of the student,
indicating that he will receive the teaching as even it is given. And therefore not only
he should ask, the mode of asking, the language used in asking, body language that
is there in asking, all of them are important.
And therefore Śankarācārya presents the student's question in so many words,

beginning from No.35, how a student should address the teacher, what should be
his physical, mental, verbal attitude. From verse No.35 up to 40. And here he uses
the word like Svāmin, Namasthe, Nata lōkaḥ bandho, etc.; all these words indicate
his śraddhā and bhakthi. And thereafterwards he clearly mentions his problem. He
does not talk about the family problem or financial problem, or a health problem or
community problem; they are all incidental problems varying from individual to
individual; but he has gone to the root problem of the entire humanity which does
not belong to this janma alone, but which has been from janma and janma. And
because of which alone the janma has been there, it clearly says I am aware of this
problem. And he gives a clear description of his problem.
दव
ु ार्रसंसारदवािग्नतप
दोधूयमानं दरु दृष्टवात |
durvārasaṁsāradavāgnitaptaṁ
dōdhūyamānaṁ duradr̥ṣṭavātaiḥ, etc.
And he also says that I am interested in solving this problem alone. I am no more
bothered about solving the superficial problem, because they will all come and go; I
do not want to dedicate my life to solve this superficial incidental problem. I want to
dedicate my life to solve the root problem. Because I am not very sure, whether I
will get same human janma to solve this problem next time. And therefore instead
of wasting my life to solve the incidental problems, which will in any way be solved
at the time of death. In fact, you need not solve any of the incidental life problem,
Yamadharmarāja is going to solve once and for all. ஒன்�ே பண்ணேவண்ட;
ெசாஞ் நாளக்க இ�ந்தா ஆள out. Therefore incidental problems which will be

solved by prārabhdha itself, why should we work to solve them. But the basic
problem we have to solve and therefore the student indicates his readiness for
facing the challenge of facing the root problem; that also he indicates. And
thereafterwards he expresses his confidence in the teacher.
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If the student is not very sure, whether the teacher himself is in saṁsāra or not,
then he will not have a totally open mind, and therefore he glorifies the teacher
saying that you have solved the problem, in fact the rest of your life is dedicated to
help others.

नहेतुनान्यान� तारयन्त
nahētunānyānapi tārayantaḥ.
And even this lōkaḥ sangraḥ karma done by these jñānis like you is not with any
motive but it is the very svabhāva of the jñāni. And therefore in the 38th verse,
which we are seeing, student says अयं स्वभाव ayaṁ svabhāvaḥ. So this compassion
Maitrah Karuṇā ēva, etc. advēṣṭā sarvabhūtānām. In fact compassion is only a bye
product of pūrṇatvam. We can never work for developing compassion. As long as
one feels apūrṇa, compassion will not come because compassion is directed towards
the needy samsāris. When I require all the compassion for myself, என்ேனா life
miserable அ இ�க்�ம் ேப, how can I extend my compassion to others. Therefore
as long as I am apūrṇaḥ, ātmanastu kāmāya sarvaṁ priyam bhavati. All the
compassion is like the politicians’ compassion they show. All with ulterior motive of
getting votes. True compassion we can never work for. True love we can never work
for; we do not have direct access towards compassion love, etc. We can work only
for one thing; that is purṇatvam through knowledge. Therefore I work for
pūrṇatvam through knowledge and I discover pūrṇatvam, then compassion, love,
sharing, sacrifice etc. are the bye-products.
It is just like I can never directly work to remove the rope-snake. I can never work
to remove the rope snake directly; howevermuch hit the rope-snake would not die;
howevermuch I chant mantras, garuda-mantra ெசான் பாம் ேபா�மாம; எந் பாம்
ேபா�ம; not rope-snake. You can chant any amount of garuda mantra; therefore you
can never attack the snake. All your effort must be in knowing the rope; snake
removal is a bye-product. Compassion is a bye-product. Fearlessness is a bye
product. Security is a bye-product. Love is a bye-product. So we can never work on
them; we have to work only for purṇatvam; and that too how? jñānēna pūrṇatvam
siddhaye ēva prayatnaḥ; once pūrṇatvam comes, āpūryamāṇam acalapratiṣṭhaṃ
samudram āpaḥ praviśanti yadvat, and compassion comes from svabhāva; and not
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deliberately entertained; but naturally enjoyed; and therefore the student says ayaṁ
svabhāvaḥ. Oh Teacher your compassion is your nature.
And what is that compassion. svataḥ ēva, paraśrama apanōdana pravaṇam

mahātmanaḥ; para śramaḥ means difficulties of others; anya duḥkhaṁ; and
apanōdana means elimination pravaṇam means inclination. Inclination for the
elimination of the pain of others. Inclination for the elimination of the pains of
others. This inclination is called compassion. So what is the definition of compassion.
Inclination for the elimination of the pains of others. That very inclination is called
compassion.
How he eliminates or whether he eliminates is a different question. Suppose there is

a poor man and if I feel for his poverty and suffering; that very feeling is called
compassion. I may not be helping him by giving him money; I myself might not
have money. Therefore whether I help him or not depends upon so many factors.
Sometimes I might not help because he refuses to take help from me. Sometimes I
do not have the wherewithal to help. So whether I help or not is a next question.
But I have the inner most feeling; பாவம suffer பண்ணறா. So when I am not able
to help in any other external forms, I hear the news that in Rwanda, (I do not how
to even pronounce the name of the country) there is a country in Africa; there
people might be dying of starvation and the UNO might send food and the food may
be hijacked by the militants and I may hear the news, even I may see the children
emaciated. Now what can I do. When UNO itself is not able to help. Suppose I have
a feeling; and I also know my helplessness and I close my eyes for a second and
say: Oh. Lord, let them be helped in some form or other. So that feeling is itself
called compassion. And here he says; this is svabhāva for mahātmanām; so
mahātmanām means jñāninām, muktānams, the generous-hearted one. And here he
has the used right word, mahātma means the one whose "I", first person singular
"I" is expanded, because what is compassion? Compassion is feeling the pain of
others. Making the mind sensitive enough to feel the pain of others, is compassion.
So if I should feel the pain of others, we must be able to stand in their position.
That means what: temporarily my eyes should extend beyond the body and I should
penetrate into the body of that man and I should be able to feel the pain of that
person. Otherwise if my I extends only to this pañja kōśa, what will I say. அவன
தைலய�ல எ�த்; நம்மளா என் பண்ண�� ெசால்ல, I will give a very rude,
indifferent reply, because my "I" extends only up to my body; and sometimes
maximum நாம இ�வர; நமக் இ�வர; நா� ேபர. Therefore mahātma means
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sarvabhutātma bhutātma of the Gītā, the one's whose I extends to all the bodies.
Sarvātma bhava, the one who has got. And that is why we say jñānis' selfishness is
welcome. You know why, jñānis' selfishness is welcome, because his self extends to
the whole creation; and therefore when he is selfish, and if he is going to work for
himself; and himself includes what; the whole creation. That is why one Malayalam
poetry I think that Narayana Nāmam: ഞാൻ എന ഭാവമതു േതാന്നാ േവണമിഹ; Oh
Lord I do not want I-notion to come to me; and Oh Lord if you want to give me the
I-notion, you give me a different I-notion േതാന്നുന്നത അകിലം ഞാൻ തെന എന
ഭാവം േതാേന്നണ വരത നാരായണയ നമഃ. A beautiful concept; േതാന്നുന്നത if I

should have an I-notion, let there be I; but that I should extend where: അകിലമും
ഞാൻ തെന എന ഭാവം േതാേന്നണ and that means what just as I am interested in
leading a happy life for myself, I am equally interested in the happiness of the whole
creation. If I do not have I-notion anywhere, including my body, I am brahma. If I
have got I-notion in all the bodies, I am Īśvara. Either the Brahman, no I-notion in
any body, including this, or have I-notion in the whole creation; either this Brahman
is no dehābhīmāna or be Īśvara; sarva dehābhīmāna; இ� ரண்�ே problem
கிைடயா�.
When do we have problem? When we have dehābhīmāna, partially. Total

dehābhīmāna, you have Īśvara tvam; no dēha abhīmāna, you have Brahmatvam;
partial dēha abhīmāna you have jīvatvam. Jīvatva alone gives saṁsāra; jñāni knows
only two stages; either he is Brahman when he is sitting alone or he is Īśvara when
he is transacting with the world, since he is never a jīva; and therefore he is called
mahātma; sarva dēha dehābhīmāni. And for him, compassion is natural.
And for this he gives an example. What is the example? ēṣaḥ sudhāṁśuḥ. Sudhā
means moon, candraḥ; āṁśuḥ means rays; sudhāṁśuḥ means the rays of the
moon; candra raśmiḥ. What does it do? Especially in the summer days.
Śankarācārya says, during summer the earth is scorched by the rays of the Sun,
during the day time; the earth is scorched by the rays of the Sun during the day
time and what does the moon-rays due during the night-time. The cool rays of the
moon; that is poetic imagination; moon's rays rare considered to be sītāṁśuḥ;
himāṁśuḥ; these are the words they use for the moon; cool-rayed one. Sun is called
candra-kiraṇaḥ. Candra -kiraṇaḥ means what; scorching-rayed Sun. Now the Sun
has scorched the earth; and the moon's rays what do they do during the night whey
spread their rays and they cool the earth. Similarly, my sun is saṁsāraḥ; and you
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are the moon and I have been already scorched by the saṁsāra rays and you have
to cool me by your glance; by your teaching. This is the idea; yeshaha sudhāṁśuḥ;
cool-rays of the moon kim avathi; they rescues the earth; cool the earth; what type
of earth; arka karkaśa prabha abhi tapta; abhi tapta means scorched by karkaśa
prabha; karkaśa means intense; fierce is called karkaśa rays; the fierce fiery rays of
the arka; arka means the sun; and by that fiery rays; abhi tapta; totally scorched.
Therefore the moon's cool rays will cool the earth which is scorched by the fierce
rays of the Sun and this job of the moon is not a deliberate job of the moon, it is a
very nature of the moon. Therefore he uses the words svayaṁ; svayaṁ means
what? Just by itself, without willing, planning. So svayaṁ indicates its svabhāva ha,
its nature.
Similarly every jñāni is like a moon. Every samsāri is like the earth and saṁsāra
duḥkhaṁ is like the Sun and as even the jñāni comes, he cools the samsāri.
ब्रह्मानन्दरसानुभू�तक� पूतैः सुशीतैयुर्तै

युष्मद्वाक्कलशोिज् श्रु�तसुखैवार्क्याम सेचय |
संतप्त भवतापदावदहनज्वाला�भरेन प्र
धन्यास् भवद��ण�णगतेः पात्रीकृत स्वीकृता ||३९||
brahmānandarasānubhūtikalitaiḥ pūtaiḥ suśītairyutaiḥ
yuṣmadvākkalaśōjjhitaiḥ śrutisukhairvākyāmr̥taiḥ sēcaya |
saṁtaptaṁ bhavatāpadāvadahanajvālābhirēnaṁ prabhō
dhanyāstē bhavadīkṣaṇakṣaṇagatēḥ pātrīkr̥tāḥ svīkr̥tāḥ ||39||
So here Śankarācārya goes to poetic heights. The essence of this slōka is very very
simple; you teach me. அவ்வள�தா. That has been expanded to a huge slōka; the
essence is; you teach me. And this he is going to put in a poetic form by making a
comparison. So here guru's mouth is compared to a vessel. Guru's mouth is
compared to a vessel and the words in the mouth of the guru is compared to waters
and the śiṣya is compared to a person who has got into a fire accident. During
Dipavali suppose the hand or leg or any part is burned; what are you supposed to
do? newspaper ெல ேபாடராேளா இல்லேய, த�பாவள�க் �ன்னாே; what are you
supposed to do; any part is burned, do not use anything; first keep your hand under
the tap water and rinse the hand in water for a length of time. Do not apply oil; do
not apply this; do not apply that and all; you have to rinse the hand with water. This
is the remedy for fire-accident. And here śiṣya has got into a fire-accident. What is
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the fire? Saṁsāra dhaavalana taptaḥ; I have been roasted by the rays of the
saṁsāra; not the finger alone, not the hand alone; all over the stūla śarīraṁ; not
only stūla but stūla, sūkṣma, kāraṇa, எல்ல śarīraṁ வந் it has been roasted and it
is aadyatmica, aadiboudika, aadhi daiveeka; and I am looking for water;
ஒெரடத்திேல� water காணம. And there are a few pipes and when I open the pipe,
except the water everything else comes; wind comes; sometimes mud comes; no
water at all. எஙெயல்லாேம ேபாேனன; இங �த்திேன; அங �த்திேன; I am not
satisfied; therefore śiṣya is a scorched person. You have got a huge mouth; huge
mouth ெசான் literalலா எ�த்�க்க பட; a huge mouth which is full of water; and
what is the water; the words are the water; therefore what does the śiṣya says here;
He Guro, sprinkle, bathe me with the word-waters coming from your mouth-vessel.
This is the sāra slōka; He Guro; bathe me with the word-waters contained in your
mouth vessel. This is the sāra of the slōka.
Now we will take one-by-one and see. He Prabhō, vākyāmr̥taiḥ sēcaya; He prabho,
he gurō, sēcaya; bathe me, rinse me with what? vākya amr̥taiḥ, the waters which
are int he form of your teaching; your words, your sentences; and here the word
amr̥taiḥ water the remedy is water and here the water is called amr̥taiḥ; the
philosophical significance is, water will only quench or remove the pain; the heat
temporary, but by using the word amrutham, not only it will remove the pain
temporarily, but it will give immortality or mōkṣa also. To indicate that duḥkha
nivr̥tti, amr̥tatva prāpti, and what is the glory of these words?
So we are getting five adjectives. Each adjective glorifies the word "Waters". Now
we have to apply the adjective at two places; they should be applied to water also;
they should be applicable to the words also. That is called poetic. Brahma ānandaḥ
rasa anubhuti kalitaiḥ; so endowed with the experience of the taste of
Brahmānandaḥ. kalitam means endowed with the experience of the taste of
brahmānandaḥ; that means what; when the guru uses the word he does not repeat
like a parrot. Upaṇiṣad says Tattvamasi; and therefore I say Tattvamasi. Upaṇiṣad
says that you are nitya śuddha buddha muktaḥ; and therefore I also say. It is not
parrot-like repetition of the words but it should be coming from the guru's own
heart; when he says that you are Ānandaḥ; and if the guru's heart is: நான
ெசால்லிய��க்ேகே இல்லேய; s a ad guru; எப்ப இ�க்�; saaad guruவ�லி�ன் if

it is going to come; he will say that you are ānandaḥ, you are ānandaḥ crying. என்
பண்ணேவண்�ய��க ெசால்ல cheat பண்ணேவண்�ய��க ெசால்ல அ��ண்ே
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you are ānandaḥ ெசான்ன, which siṣya will accept. So therefore when he says: You
are ānandaḥ; the guru must be ānandaḥ svarūpa. When he says you are secure, the
guru's heart must enjoy security. When he says he is asaṅgaḥ; guru's heart must be
asaṅgaḥ; in fact what he teaches, he must be.
That is why in Kathopanișad, guru is defined as ananyaḥ; a beautiful definition of

guru; ananyaḥ means he is what he is teaching; he is what he is speaking; there is
no difference between what he is and what he preaches. This is called teaching from
heart; and when the words come from heart, not from lip, those words alone are
live-words; like a live-wire, those words alone are called live-words. And therfore he
adds this adjective He Guro, you have those words which are endowed with the
taste of brahmānandaḥ; that means you are enjoying pūrṇatvam. And similarly here
also the waters are taste, pure, and clear waters. This is adjective No.1.
And the second adjective is pūtaiḥ; pūtaiḥ, pavithram or śuddham; pūtham means
pavithram or śuddham. So the waters are pure waters; and your words are also pure
words without any defect; any doṣaḥ in that; and doṣaḥ in the words can be
grammatical doṣaḥ and also the doṣaḥ can be illogicality; contradiction to science or
logic or mathematics or experience. They are all defect in the language. Suppose I
say Fire is cold. What defect it is? It is a defect of meaning wise; artha doṣaḥ.
Suppose I say, fire are hot; in artha there is no doṣaḥ; but there is a defect in
language. It is called śabda doṣaḥ. Therefore the teaching should be free from
śabda doṣaḥ and artha doṣaḥ. Such a teaching is called śuddha words; and this is
applicable to the water also; water is also śuddham and your words are also
śuddham.
Therefore puthaihi; sudhaaihi; seethaihi; the third adjective of word water; what is
it; it is cool, with a cooling effect. And that is also applicable to both; it has got a
cooling effect on a person who is scorched with heat; and also it has got the words
have got a cooling effect that a student who has come with a disturbed mind,
restless mind; he goes with a cool mind; in English also the word cool is used to
indicate calmness balance. ெசால்லேறாேம இல்லேய. இத்தறெயல்ல problem
வந்� அவன வந் cool அ இ�க்கா. Thermometer ெவச் பாறத்த, temparature
கம்மியாய��க் அர்த்த? cool அ இ�க்கா ெசான்ன, he is śāntaḥ; śamaḥ;
therefore the teaching makes the student cool; śāntaḥ and śamaḥ. The water also
makes a person cool. Therefore sītaiḥ. More I will take in the next class.
Hari Om.
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015. Versus 42 to 45

सुधांशुरेष स्वयमकर्कक-
ब्रह्मानन्दरसानुभू�तक� पूत�ः सुशीतैयुर्तै
युष्मद्वाक्कलशोिज् श्रु�तसुखैवार्क्याम सेचय |
संतप्त भवतापदावदहनज्वाला�भरेन प्र
धन्यास् भवद��ण�णगतेः पात्रीकृत स्वीकृता ||३९||

brahmānandarasānubhūtikalitaiḥ pūrtaiḥ suśītairyutaiḥ

yuṣmadvākkalaśōjjhitaiḥ śrutisukhairvākyāmr̥taiḥ sēcaya |
saṁtaptaṁ bhavatāpadāvadahanajvālābhirēnaṁ prabhō
dhanyāstē bhavadīkṣaṇakṣaṇagatēḥ pātrīkr̥tāḥ svīkr̥tāḥ ||39||
From the 14th verse onwards, Śankarācārya has been talking about the various
preparatory steps for receiving self-knowledge. First he talked about the general
intellectual qualifications required, because here analysis and knowledge are
involved, including reasoning. Having talked about general intellectual qualifications,
Śankarācārya talked about spiritual qualifications, without which the study would
become academic pursuit alone; if it should not be mere academic pursuit,
intellectual qualifications should be supplemented by spiritual qualifications. So if a
person has only spiritual qualification and if intellectual qualifications are not there,
then also knowledge cannot take place, because the questions cannot be answered
by the teacher. Because when a student asks questions, the teacher has to answer
only logically. You can ask a simple question, why did the world come? Asking the
question is easier, if the teacher has to answer, he has to use the method of either
reasoning or the analysis of scriptures. So analysis of scriptures requires linguistic
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discipline, and reasoning requires logical thinking, and therefore spiritual

qualifications alone are not sufficient; intellectual qualifications are equally
important. At the same time, intellectual qualifications alone are not sufficient;
because if that alone is there, it will become an academic study; as it is done in a
college for Phd. So if the pursuit must be successful, the student must have both
the intellectual and spiritual qualifications. So he must be sharp like a professor and
at the same time spiritually qualified like a saint. Thus both saintlyless and
intellectual sharpness both are required. And the spiritual qualifications alone were
enumerated as sādhanā catuṣṭayaṁ.
After talking about spiritual and intellectual qualifications, Śankarācārya talked about
guru upasādhanām without a guru self-knowledge can never take place. Therefore
importance of a guru and approaching a guru known as guru upasādhanām was
pointed and then the next preparation that the Śankarācārya pointed out is the
guru praśnaḥ; not guru praśnaḥ; śiṣya praśnaḥ; gurum prathi śiṣya praśnaḥ. The
śiṣya must very clearly cogently ask the question, because right from the question,
the teacher can understand how he thinking is. If the thinking is muddled, the
question itself will be presented in a muddled form. And half an hour explanation he
will say this is not what I asked. So therefore even to present a question (some
people write a question like an essay). So the capacity to present a question
cogently and properly itself indicates the thinking. When Anjaneya asked Rāma and
Lakṣmaṇa, who are you; just a few verses in Rāmayana, Anjaneya enquiring about
Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa and Rāma glorifies Anjaneya pointing out that he must be a
very clear thinking person and not only the thinking must be clear; he say he must
be a great grammarian also; language specialist also; because many people can
think very clear, but the thought must be converted into another medium, like
computer medium, it should be presented in verbal medium. Therefore thought-
disciple is called tarka śāstra, language-discipline is called vyakarna śāstra; if both
these śāstras he has not studied well, he cannot be so clear in his presentation.
So thus from the student's question, the teacher can understand, whether he is
casually asking in Satsaṅga because someone has to ask, or does he really mean.
And not only he must have the skill of presentation, it should be also presented with
reverence; politeness, with śraddhāḥ bhakthi etc. and therefore Śankarācārya gives
a sample of śiṣya praśnaḥ from verse No.35 onwards it is within the quotation; these
are the words of the śiṣya which goes up to verse No.40; how śiṣya must ask the
question. So there we are seeing verse No.39; and 39th verse śiṣya very clearly
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points out that I need your teaching. I am not interested in any temporary solutions
by just receiving some viboothi or something; and I did not come for any other
worldly benefit; I want you to become a Brahma vidyā ācārya. I want you to become
a communcator/teacher and I want to consistenly study under you until I get the
knowledge hastha āmalakavat; until it becomes clear.
And even though this is a straight and simple idea, you teach me, that is the
essence. But the śiṣya is showing his poetry also; or Śankarācārya is showing his
poetry and says: please soak me with water which is nectarine water which is
coming from the vessel of your mouth and which is in the form of words.
As I said in the last class, the student is comparing the teacher's mouth as a kalaśa,
a vessel, and the words as water and śiṣya looks upon himself as a person whose
body is scorched with the adhyātmic, ādhiboudika, ādhi daivika tāpa trayaṁ. So tāpa
trayāgni samtaptaḥ. For this he gives five adjectives to the words vākyāmr̥taiḥ
sēcaya. Sēchaya means you please soak me. Sprinkle, or you rinse my body or my
mind with the vākyāmr̥tam; words with the nectar; in this context, the waters, in the
form of your words. And what type of words they are? Brahmānanada rasa anubhūti
kalitai; so which is mixed with the anubhūti; anubhūti means aparōkṣa jñānaṁ; the
words are not indirect words; but the words coming from the teacher's own heart;
with the aparōkṣa jñāna that I am Brahaṁan. Because only when the teacher is sure
that I am Brahman, then only he can boldly point out to the student that you are
Brahman. If I am Brahman is slightly vague then naturally You are Brahman would
be vague; like a smoking father advising the Sun not to smoke; how powerful the
word will be. Or a smoking doctor advising the patient not to smoke. First of all he
cannot boldly advise; because when he is saying that there will be the smell of the
ciagaratee form this mouth; therefore first of all he cannot boldly advice and even if
he uses the words, the words will not have that inner power; life will not there. My
advice will be valid only when I myself am following that. In fact I should be niṣṭa in
what I am advising. And therefore here the teacher is giving Brahma jñānaṁ and his
words are soaked in brahma jñānaṁ; therefore brahma ānandaḥ rasa anubhūti. So
with the aparōkṣa jñānaṁ of, with the experience of, the taste of Brahmānandaḥ, so
with such words, means with lively words, with the words which have the punch,
which have the impact, words are valid. That is the first adjective.
Then the second description of the words is puthaihai; which are pure or sanctified;
and so pure that it is capable of purifying the student. So pavitram; pāvanam,
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śuddham, and when we say words are pure; I said in the last class; purity is from
two angles; one is from the standpoint of language, grammatical purity and second
is from the standpoint of logic or reasoning; which is called content wise purity. In
Saṁsr̥kt, we call it śabda suddhi and artha suddhi. So what is śabda suddhi, I gave
you the example, when I say, Fire are hot; fire are hot; the defect is grammatical
defect. Suppose a person says: fire is cold; there is no grammatical defect, noun is
there; adjective is there, verb is also singular, it is not grammatical defect, but
meaning wise there is a defect, fire is not cold. It contradicts our experience.
Therefore ‘Fire are’ what is called śabda doṣaḥ; ‘fire is cold’ is artha doṣaḥ; teaching
should be free from both śabda and artha doṣaḥs and such a teaching is called
putha teaching.
And therefore Oh Teacher, with puthai, with such proper words, and suśītai, the
words which are cold, which are with calmness, with śānti. So here the words cool
has to be extended to both water as well as the words. Because somebody's body is
scorched, you should rinse with what water. Cold water or hot water. As such
burning, then washing it again with hot water, as you just said wash and not
specifically with 'cold water;' he cannot say; you have to wash withcold water. So
suśītair; means the water is also cold and when you extend it to words, their cold
means what; it has got śānthi. So when you say, a person is cool in disposition, it
means he is never provoked. He enjoys śamatvam.
samaduḥkhasukhaḥ svasthaḥ samalōṣṭāśmakāñcanaḥ |

tulyapriyāpriyō dhīrastulyanindātmasaṁstutiḥ ||14- 24||
mānāpamānayōstulyastulyō mitrāripakṣayōḥ |
As Krishna describes in the Gītā, the one who maintains equanmity in all situations is
called a cool person; and the words coming from such a person called cool words
and here the aācārya is cool.
And otherwise what will happen? When the śiṣya comes with the sorrow; instead of
the accharya passing his ānandaḥ to śiṣya; what will happen? The śiṣya's sorrow will
get transferred to ācārya. He will also join and start crying. That is why in the Gītā
also; Arjuna cried in the entire first chapter, and in the end when Krishna started his
teaching, tamuvāca hr̥ṣīkēśaḥ prahasanniva bhārata. So the person should not get
nervous. And therefore suśītair, with cool words. This is the third description of the
words.
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Then the fourth description is yutaiḥ; the word yutaiḥ means cogent; consistent,
which is very very important in teaching, especially if the teaching is for a length of
time. Otherwise, people will say when they talk about jñānaṁ they will glorify
jñānaṁ saying knowledge alone is the means of liberation. This they would have
taught in the Bhagavad Gītā, when it is said: tadviddhi praṇipātēna; and jñānaṁ
alone removes saṁsāra. In that context, they will say jñānaṁ alone is the means of
liberation; and in some other context, they will say mōkṣa has got four paths; karma
mārgaḥ; bhakthi mārgaḥ, jñānaṁaarga; and yōga maarga. So in that context they
said jñāna is the only means, and today they say there are four path and again there
is contradiction.
And generally śiṣya will not notice that because first of all he should be remembering
what was said in the earlier class to understand the contradiction. Therefore they
also come just for some peace of mind; some good words to fall in the ears; most of
the people are like that. But if there is a student who looks for consistency, many
people have that problem. And if the teaching is not consistent, then knowlege can
never take place. Dayānandaḥ Svāmi nicely says: the first class and the last class
from beginning to end, there should not no contradiction at any time. And that
means the student also must be, what you call, co-relating all these teachings, and
also if there is any seeming contradiction, the student must raise the question; and
then the teacher must be able to answer. In Saṁsr̥kt it is called śamanvayaḥ. It is a
very very important factor for successful teaching. Śamanvayaḥ. When I talk about
bhakthi, they say bhakthi alone will give liberation. Dhyānam when he talks, he will
say dhyānam alone will give liberation. Nāma saṁkirtan when he is dealing he will
say that one time utterance of Rāma will give liberation. It is all very nice to glorify
but it is all contradiction. Because if you say bhakthi alone gives liberation, it means
jñānaṁ will not give. So this is called yutam. Literally, yu means to join; yuta means
integrated; well joined; cohesive, harmonious; consistent.
And there is another reading also here. Instead yutaiḥ, some other book gives
sithaiḥ; seethaihiḥ sithaiḥ; so there the word sithai means satvic teaching; satvic.
The words which are satvic words; which are pure words; which are in keeping with
scriptures. So this is the next adjective.
And then the next one is yuṣmad vākkalaśōjjhitaiḥ; so the words are coming from
which vessel? So they are coming from the mouth of the teacher. Vāk kalaśaḥ; vāk
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means mouth; kalaśaḥ means vessel; from your mouth vessel; these word-waters
are coming out. sithaiḥ means released. yuṣmat means your. That is the next
adjective. All these are the description of the words only.
And then we get the final description; śruti sukhaiḥ; śrutiḥ here means śravaṇam,
listening, we can take the ears also; both meanings are there; sukhaiḥ means
pleasing. The words which are pleasing to the ears; the words which are pleasing to
listen. Enjoyable words. Because vēdānta class is one place, where the teacher
consistently addresses the student as you are satyam, you are ānanada svarūpaḥ;
you are nitya śuddhaḥ; nitya buddhaḥ; nitya muktaḥ. Is there a place, where
somebody praises us? You will find all over, even at home, people consistently say;
you are useless, good for nothing, and always get blame only and even in the office,
we are scolded; even the autorickshaw fellow also does not leave you; bus
conductor you need not talk about and he says if you do not have change, you get
out he says. No one says: please come please come, no such respects anywhere.
You go to any department, we are thrown away; here is one place, teacher who
consistently says: You are wonderful; even if it is not true. What is the loss? one
hour we will listen to nice words and go; assume it is true; let us assume it is not
true; at least for one hour, let us hear the glory about ourselves. And therefore śruti
sukhaiḥ means śravaṇa ānandaḥ karai. That which is pleasing to the ears. With such
words, sēchaya. Sēchaya means please you rinse me, you soak me.
Then who should soak? You should soak me, and what type of Me. There is a
description of himself also. Why this rinsing is important for me he says; it is not a
casual request, but it is imperative thing, because in what position I am? Saṁtaptaṁ
bhava tāpa dāva dahana jvālābhi. I am scorched. I am burned. I am miserable. I
am extremely depressed in life. All over, problems.
So saṁtaptaṁ. Here also two meanings. When you take the example of water, tapta
means physically scorched; when you take the words, then saṁtaptaṁ refers to the
manastāpa; the mental agony. I am scorched by what; jvālābhi; jvālā means flames;
leaping flames, coming from what: dāva dahana; dāva dahana means forest fire;
this word ācārya has used before, forest fire example is given because it is vast and
it cannot be easily put out also and we can never say in which direction it will go,
because it is controlled by the wind and wind is not under my control. Similarly our
problems in life also are vast and which cannot be easily solved and I do not know
from which direction problems will come. In fact, any phone call I am frightened,
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because so many children, all over settled; and company so many branches are
there; so many customers; whose phone will come at what time. At least previously
at home only I used to get phone calls; worried about phone call; when I go to
beach or some place, I would not worry. Not after this cell phone, even in the beach
I cannot sit quietly because there also I get the calls. Therefore there also headache
may come. I do not where, what, phone is coming, out of which blue. Therefore,
dāva dahana is the saṁsāra problem; bhava tāpa. So bhava means saṁsāraḥ; tāpa
means pain. Bhava tapa alone is the forest fire. From those flames I am scorched.
So ēnaṁ, ēnaṁ means this śiṣya, may you rinse, may you soak with your cool
waters, hey Prabhō, Hey Gurō.
And thereafter he says dhanyāstē bhava dīkṣaṇa kṣaṇagatēḥ; and here the śiṣya
says: I am very optimistic, because I see there are so many people who have been
already blessed by you. If I am the first case, I do not know whether it is possible at
all. But I have got many precedents that there have been many people who have
been suffering from saṁsāra, and who have been blessed by you the teacher, who
have become jīvan mukthaḥ.
And therefore the student says: tē dhanyā; those people who are released by you,
liberated by you previously are all indeed blessed people. And who are they? a
description is given. bhavadīkṣaṇakṣaṇagatēḥ pātrīkr̥tāḥ; they are all poetic way of
presentation, who have received even a momentary glance from you, or a contact of
even a momentary glance from you. So bhava dīkṣaṇam means your glance, your
dr̥ṣṭi, kṣaṇa means momentary, so guru kaṭākṣaḥ; even a momentary glance from
you and gatiḥ means contact or saṁbanda, who are receivers of the contacts of
even a momentary glance from you; they are indeed blessed people. And why they
are blessed, because by glancing at you, they have accepted by glancing at the
disciples, they have accepted the disciple, svikritah; sveekāraṇam, means
acceptance.
That means they are not rejected, because the biggest thing a human being wants is
non-rejection. I do not want to be rejected by my parents; rejected by the husband
or wife; rejected the guru; rejected by the Lord; rejection is the trauma in life. Here
also the śiṣya has been rejected by all the people. Therefore he has come thinking
somewhere I should get something to hold on; and if that guru also rejects saying
nobody can help you and if he says you can leave; then it must be terrible.
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Therefore the śiṣya says that the very glance is a signature of acceptance and those
who have been accepted are indeed blessed.
कथं तरे यं भव�सन्धुमेत

का वा ग�तम� कतमोऽस्त्युपा |
जाने न �किञ्चत्कृपया मां प्र
संसारदःख
ु ��तमातनषु ् ||४०||
kathaṁ tarēyaṁ bhavasindhumētaṁ
kā vā gatirmē katamō:'styupāyaḥ |
jānē na kiñcitkr̥payā:'va māṁ prabhō
saṁsāraduḥkhakṣatimātanuṣva ||40||
Śiṣya continues addressing the teacher. ētaṁ bhavasindhum kathaṁ tarēyaṁ. I find
my problem; samsāric problem, are like an ocean. Saṁsāra is often compared to
ocean; because our problems are as vast as saṁsāra; I am not able to see the shore
at all. And I do not see the light at the end of the tunnel; similarly I do not see the
shore. Therefore the human problems are as vast as saṁsāra and it is also as
mysterious as the ocean; depthwise also. Many problems we are not even able to
diagnose or understand. Some people have been nicely talking to us; and some how
we find that they are not happy as before. If I ask them why you are not talking to
me as before, they say "nothing like that" and keep quiet. So that person has
problems. Similarly everywhere, not only the problems are many, vast, it is also
incomprehensible. And also the ocean is full of waves and similarly the problems also
come in waves. Physical problem, emotional problem, family problem, company,
national, financial problem, they also comes in waves and also the direction is not
known; unpredictability is also there. Otherwise if the waves are going to come in
this direction, I can at least prepare. I am looking at this direction, and the wave are
hitting me from behind; and thrashes; and of course there are sharks and there are
so many other things and therefore often human problems are compared to ocean.
And therefore here the student says bhava sindhuhu means ocean. Bhava means
saṁsāra. And ētaṁ bhavasindhum; so this ocean of saṁsāra kathaṁ tarēyaṁ. How
can I cross?
kā vā me gatir; what is the lot in my life; what will happen to me; that is why every
person is busy looking at the newspapers Raśi phalam of this week and especially
April 14, what will be the condition of economy next year and what will be condition
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of the family and we are always ready to show our hands to any palmist. And at
least one person my mistake should say that it is better. Then we have some ray of
hope. Guru is leaving this rasi; hopefully it would be fine. Therefore I want some
what you call, light in the dark, silver lining in the dark cloud so that I can continue
to leave or otherwise I may even commit suicide. Therefore it is some light ray of
hope that a person hopes to survive in this world and therefore he asks ka va gatir;
what is my lot?
And suppose everything is going fine for him; suppose everything is going fine for
him, do you think, he will be ever happy, because when he sees everywhere else
problem is there, he sees himself as an exception, then there is more fear; this
condition of mind may go away at any time. And everyone says to me: you are
lucky; you are lucky; etc. Svāmiji Dr̥ṣṭi I fear will fall on me. Therefore daily some
rituals are done. So if eveything is fine; I am worried it will go away; and if
everything is not fine, ofcourse I am worried. Therefore when I will not be bothered
about the ups and downs of life. When I will be indifferent to all these things. Ka va
mē gatih; what is my lot in life; katamō:'styupāyaḥ asti; Is there a way out at all?
upāyaḥ means a means to solve; a solution. Upāyaḥ means a solution. A way out. A
sādhanam. And do not tell me to solve my problems myself. I have already tried. So
when come to a svāmi and he prescribes something, try this course of medicine or
that course of medicine, they will say that I have come to you after trying all that
out only. Allopathy, naturopathy, homeopathy. Now only they go to the Lord at the
end.
Similarly here he says, I have tried all methods. So kinchit na jāne. I am utterly
helpless. As Arjuna said kārpaṇyadōṣōpahatasvabhāvaḥ, pr̥cchāmi tvāṁ dharma
sammūḍha cētāḥ. Similarly the student accepts his ignorance, which is a very very
important qualification. To accept that I do not know is a great step in the learning
process. So therefore ahaṁ kinchit na jāne and therefore kripaya mām bhava;
kindly may you protect me. bhava means protect. kindly you protect me, never
reject me; I do not have any way out and you alone should do what?
saṁsāraduḥkhakṣatimātanuṣva. Saṁsāra duḥkha, the pain of saṁsāra, the grief of
saṁsāra, kṣati means destruction, ātanuṣva, you bring about. May you bring about
the destruction of saṁsāra duḥkham; my grief caused by my problems.
And the grief can be at any levels; when vēdānta talks about grief, it can be at any
level; it may be physical suffering; when a person asks the question: why life at all?
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and when incurable terrible disease attack, and especially when he is a devotte, the
basic question comes; I have been a devotee my whole life, śiva pūja, dhānam,
pilgrimmaage, I have such a disease. That is more painful; more than the pain of the
disease why I got it; Why Me. This is the grief caused by the physical problems.
The grief can be caused by psychological problems. the children reject me; or
husband reject me or parents reject me; or there is no one to come and ask me how
are to you; nobody for me; therefore the pshychological deprivation or it can be
even intellectual grief caused by the mystery of life. So what is life? What is death?
There is no answer for these two scientifically. Scientists have discovered
everything; everything means what? many things; but these two things they do not
know; what two? what is life and what is death? They know the rest; what else is
there other than these two. So life is a mystery; death is a mystery; creation is a
mystery; science is not able to probe and say what is creation and God is of course a
mystery; there are only three things, jīva, jagat and Īśvara; and all these three the
intellect is not able to understand. Therefore scientist's mind is extremely disturbed,
because he is not able to solve that. And that is also a saṁsāra. It is called boudika
saṁsāraḥ; saṁsāra at the intellectual level. Mostly we do not have that problems
because where do we think; because those problems arise only when anybody
thinks! Therefore our problems are only physical and emotional but there are some
rare intellectuals who is not bothered about the family problems; they are not even
aware of it; that is there; like that scientist whose wife told him that I am crying and
you spend the whole day in research research etc. in the lab, I have no friend at all;
nobody to share my problems, don't you see my tears; and the scientist said it
seems why should I see, I already know that it is nothing but NaCl H2O. It is
nothing but salty water. So he can see that part, but he does not see what emotion
is; what is deprivation, are there behind those tears. Because he is worried about
finding solutions to what is called creation; why did it come. This is called intellectual
saṁsāra.
And vēdānta is one solution which solves saṁsāra at all the levels. For an intellectual
also, there is an answer; for an emotionally deprived person also, there is an
answer; and suffering person also there is an answer and therefore Ahaṁ kinchit na
jāne. I do not know what the solution is; kr̥payā:'va māṁ prabhō saṁsāra duḥkha
kṣatim ātanuṣva; duḥkha refers to problems at emotional, physical and intellectual
plane; ātanuṣva; bring out.
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तथा वदन्त शरणागतं स्व

संसारदावानलतापतप्त म |
�नर��य कारुण्यरसाद्रर्
दद्यादभी�त सहसा महात्म ||४१||
tathā vadantaṁ śaraṇāgataṁ svaṁ
saṁsāradāvānalatāpataptam |
nirīkṣya kāruṇyarasārdradr̥ṣṭyā
dadyādabhītiṁ sahasā mahātmā ||41||
So with the previous slōka, the śiṣya's words are over, which is called paripraśnaḥ.
With this all the preparations are over which started from verse No.14 I said. The
student has done everything he has to do. He has acquired intellectual
qualifications; he has acquired spiritual qualifications, he has approached the
teacher; he has surrendered and asked for the way out. So whatever he has to do;
he has done. Now the ball is in the court of the Guru. Application has been made. Is
he going to accept? What will be guru do and that is discussed from verse No.41 to
47. Guru's response. Guru's response, if the student has got all the preparations
proper.
Here Śankarācārya is assuming that the preparations are proper; if the preparations
are not proper; he is not ready to receive the teaching; he does not have the
patience, he just warns some temporary peace of mind; just blessing; some
viboothi, asking to stay in the āśram for two days, etc. And afterwards if he is not
prepared, even if you ask, guru asks the śiṣya to remain in the āśrama for some
days, then the śiṣya says that it is not possible at all, etc. I have to go back. I cannot
stay without seeing that. Therefore if the śiṣya is not prepared totally, he will not be
ready for a serious and long pursuit, he wants only some temporary solution and
guru is also bhukthi mukthi pradātha; and therefore he will pacify the student and
send him back saying that we can see later after some days.
But if he is a really śiṣya, he does not want temporary solutions and all; he wants
permanent solution; like Arjuna wanted. And assuming that such a qualified śiṣya
has come; what will be guru do? That is said here. What guru does is two things.
First thing is called abhayaṁ pradhāna.
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Abhyapradhāna means what: giving confidence. So your problem is not a mystery.

Because there are certain diseases which the doctor himself is not able to diagnose;
there are so many diseases; idiopathi or something; one set of diseases which the
doctors themselves are not able to know and all the tests will say No Problem No
Problem; but the headache continues or the temperature continues. They are not
able to solve. So then the patient will at least have some calmness that you have
this disease, but that is not said here. That is the time when the patient wants the
doctor to say that you have this disease or that disease. When the doctor I have
some disease, patient is happy. You know why, at least then I can work to cure that.
When the doctor says that you do not have any disease, but I have got some
headache or higher temperature; the tragedy is worse, because I do not know in
what direction to work. Similarly the śiṣya is worried, whether my disease is
diagonasable and therefore the teacher must first say: that I know what your
disease is. And it is a curable disease. That is also necessary. It is a curable disease.
And once the person says what you have is a curable disease, and I have got the
medicine in my hand, I tell you half the disease is cured; because it is a matter of
time alone. And this is called abhaya pradhānam; and thereafter wards,
varadhānam. That is why all our Gods have got two mudras; abhya mudra and
varadha mudra; abhaya mudra is the first aid; do not worry; it is a curable disease.
That is called abhaya mudra; and what is varadha mudra; giving the treatment. Do
not worry; do not worry, it would not work. Giving the treatment is varadha mudra;
solving the problem is varadha mudra. giving vara; varadhānam.
Now the teacher also does that. So the teacher looks at the student for a moment
without saying any saying any words. Just he looks at the student. Because they
say, the sight is very important. In any communication, most important thing they
say is eye contact. If a person cannot talk without straight looking into the eyes; the
impact of communication will be less; and also psychologically it is an indication of
an inferiority complex on the part of the seeker. When I have certain complexes, you
will find that I always hesitate to look at the face of people. Looking this side and
that side or downside and talking, except looking at the face; that means there is
some psychological weakness. Therefore the weakness is on the part of the seeker
and communciation also will not be powerful.
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And therefore only the scriptures always emphasise the kaṭākṣaḥ kaṭākṣaḥ kaṭākṣaḥ;
repeatedly that eye-contact in communication specialists they emphasise. Similarly
the guru looks at the eye of the disciple. And what type of disciple? He says: tathā
vadantaṁ; the teacher looks at the student who has addressed thus. Tatha means;
thatha refers to the previous five versus. The one who has spoken thus with
humility, with reference, with appreciation, with clarity and also śaraṇagatham; the
teacher looks at the student who has surrendered, taken refuge, śaraṇam means
refuge; śaraṇagatham, taken shelter in the teacher, tvam means the teacher
himself, the one who has surrendered to the teacher and saṁsāra dhāvanala tāpa
taptaṁ. This word has occured very often; the one who is scorched by the forest fire
called saṁsāra. Such a student the guru looks at, at point blank range; it is not
shooting, it is eye shooting, nirīkṣya; he looks at him; and when he looks at him,
what type of glance it is; kāruṇya rasa ārdha dr̥ṣṭyā; with a glance which is soaked
in the juice of compassion; like rasa gula; which is soaked in that syrup. Similarly,
the guru's glance is soaked in the syrup of compassion. kāruṇya rasaḥ; rasaḥ means
compassion. So with ārdha means soaked, dipped; dr̥ṣṭi means glance.
In fact, if such a glance of understanding is there, that itself will give a very big relief
to that person; so even for a doctor also all these qualificationis required. If he is not
just talk to the patient, the patient says headache suppose, then he just writes some
few test and try this, OK; MRI, scan, teeth, eyes, etc. even without seeing the face
of the patient, go to that place that place, that place, etc. I tell you, the disease will
only increase. But on the other hand, even though he knows what it is, just asking a
few words and also giving a few words of encouragement, nothing serious might be
there; do not worry we can solve the problem. I tell you that few moments and few
words of encouragement enquiry will give better cure that all the tests that can be
prescribed. So therefore human touch is very very important. And that is indicated
here; kāruṇyarasārdradr̥ṣṭyā nirīkṣya.
And having done that, mahātmā abhītiṁ dadyād. So that mahātma, mahātma is a
guru; that jñāni, that generous minded wise person, that compassionate person;
that saintly person; abhītiṁ dadyād; will give abhītiṁ, abhītiṁ means fearlessness,
that means confidence, courage. So first the teacher should enthuse the person,
give confidence to the person. How? Sahasa; why he should not say: let us see after
one or two weeks, etc. this person is standing on fire and you say that it is rāhu
kālam and it is kētu kālam, etc.; no ālam you should see; treatment you can; but for
abhaya dhāna, and when a person is on fire and before pouring water you are
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looking at the time, yama kāndam is at 4.30 and thereafter I will pour the water,
etc. For this there is no yamakānda, raahu kaalam. For doing karma. For vēdānta
there is no kāla niyama; if you desire to study today, start today, do not wait for
April 14, new year, etc. starts. Before that mind will change. So if you feel that you
want to come to spirituality, the moment you feel straight away enter. Therefore
sahasa; sahasa, immediately at once, the guru should give confidence.
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Śankarācārya talked about the qualifications or the preparatory steps required on

the part of the student; not only he has acquired all the qualifications by following
the pūrva bhāgaḥ of the vēdas; which Śankarācārya did not mention and we have
to supply that; the student has acquired all the qualifications by going through the
pūrva bhaga of the vēdas and also he has understood the necessity of a teacher and
he has also approached a guru with proper attitude and also he has made his need
very clear.
Dayānandaḥ Svāminicely says when we pray to the Lord, we have to specifically say
what we want; because people ask why should we ask, Bhagavān knows what is
better for us. Svāmiji says Bhagavān knows no doubt; but the problem is: whether
we know. So therefore, we have to be very clear about the goal of life and therefore
even if Bhagavān knows it is very important that we specify what we want. And that
is why in the tradition before any prayer is done they have got something called
saṅkalpa. In the saṅkalpa they have to specify what they want. Because that
indicates the Bhakta's clarity with regard to what he wants.
Similarly here also, a person who surrenders to the guru must clearly know what he
wants and here the student knows that he wants nothing but jñānaṁ. And therefore
he did the paripraśna, vākyāmr̥taiḥ mām sēcaya. Poetic language Śankarācārya
used; I am burned by saṁsāra fire and let the words coming from your mouth be
the cold waters which will quench and which will make me alright. Now that the
Śiṣya has surrendered and he is very clear, the guru has to respond. That is the
crucial thing, because any teaching is possible only when there is a guru and a śiṣya.
If guru is not willing to accept the disciple, the communication cannot take place;
and therefore Śankarācārya presents the guru's response in these slōkās beginning
from verse 41 to verse 47.
The first thing that a guru does is abhaya pradhānam, which indicates that the guru
has understood the śiṣya's problem, which itself gives a very big relief; because
often the people's complaint is that nobody understands my difficulty. This is one of
the complaints the children have with regard to parents; parents have with regard to
Page 191

children; the husband has with regard to the wife; the wife has with regard to the
husband; the biggest complaint is that nobody understands me or understands my
difficulty. And therefore the best help that we can do another person is:
communicate to him very clearly that I do appreciate your difficulty.
Dayānanda Svāmi says that it is not enough that we understand. We should in very
clear cut terms verbally express the same. And if possible, we should enumerate
their difficulties; I know this is your problem; this is your problem; this is your
problem I understand. In fact once I say that understand the other's problem and I
also feel and share, I tell you half of the pain suffered by the other person is gone. I
need not even give a solution to the problem. This is called validation, in
psycological language. So once I validate, acknowledge and appreciate the other
person's burden is relieved. This principle Kalidaśa tells in his Sakuntalam.
Sigda jana samviddattam kalu dhukkam

sakya vēdanam bhavathi.
Pain shared is pain halved, reduced into half. And here guru knows the psycology
and therefore the first thing the guru does is: I appreciate your saṁsāra problem
and then the next is I also have diagnosed your problem. And I also know the
remedy for your problem. Supposed I have diagonsed the problem and say I do not
have any cure; I will give you six months' time. Six months' time for what? Not for
cure, for living. Therefore the diagnosed third degree cancer, but they do not have
any solution. Here the teacher does three things; he appreciates the student's
problem; he has diagnosed the student's problem and he also offers a remedy for
the problem. This is the first thing that an intelligent guru does. In fact an intelligent
guru I should not say, because guru should be intelligent. Otherwise he does not
deserve to be a guru. Not only he should know vēdānta, he should also know the
śiṣya's condition.
And therefore Śankarācārya said: दद्यादभी�त dadyādabhītiṁ; the first job is do not
worry. In Krishna's language, mā sucaḥ; do not worry; there is a remedy. Up to this
we saw.
�वद्वान स तस्म उपसित्तमीयुष

मुमु�वे साधु यथोक्तका�रण |
Page 192

प्रशान्त�चत शमािन्वता
तत्त्वोपदे कृपयैव कुयार्त ||४२||
vidvān sa tasmā upasattimīyuṣē
mumukṣavē sādhu yathōktakāriṇē |
praśāntacittāya śamānvitāya
tattvōpadēśaṁ kr̥payaiva kuryāt ||42||
So within the short time, the guru has clearly estimated and judged the student
properly and the guru has understood that the śiṣya is qualified for knowledge. Only
if the śiṣya is qualified for knowledge, he can give. If the śiṣya is not qualified, guru
has to put him back in the ritualisitic portionof the vēda, or the vēda pūrva he has to
put him once again. That is you do some more japa; or if he is a brahmachāri, not
married, guru says go through marriage; then you will get well refined and polished;
but if he does not require that; he may ask him to do some japa or some service or
something; in fact all disciplines other than enquiry are meant for polishing alone.
But here the teacher finds that the student does not require all these things because
he is qualified. What are the qualifications? Śankarācārya mentions: mumukṣavē
yathōktakāriṇē praśāntacittāya śamānvitāya upasattimīyuṣē. Five words describe the
qualifications of the student, which the teacher has recognised; discerned.
Most of them we have already seen; we will take up the first one; mumukṣavē; the
teacher has understood that the student does not want any thing else other than
mōkṣa. In Kathopanișad, the teacher offers various gifts to the student; all the
pleasures and wealth of bhūlōkaḥ, the teacher offers. He says you do not ask for
mōkṣa, I will give you all the pleasures of the world; a huge house in central locality;
with plenty of water and servants and vehicles and pets and people to serve you and
you can become an emperor; all the pleasures he offers free. And then he adds,
even if you are not satisfied with this, I will also offer heaven-imported pleasures. All
the beauties and all you do not need to say. I will give you all the heavenly
pleasures. And if any person has got only a weaker desire for mōkṣa, he will say that
mōkṣa அப்பற பார்த்�க்க; let me have some nice time for some time. After all
mōkṣa is eternal. இெதல்லாம் எப்ேபா�ம் கிைட. First let us go through that; and
then we can see mōkṣa.
Similarly a guru has to know whether he wants mōkṣa and also whether he is ready
to sacrifice everything for the sake of mōkṣa, because the interest is measured by
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the amount a person is ready to sacrifice. Often I should ask a question what all
things I am ready to sacrifice for the sake of mōkṣa. Am I ready to sacrifice my bank
balance; sacrifice பண்ணேவண்ட. Just you have to ask our mind. Then sacrifice
my family; sacrifice my wife, husband or children; or the whole universe, including
the physical body; then when we say I am ready to sacrifice everything, then the
mumukṣutvaṁ is called tīvraḥ mumukṣutvaṁ.
And here the teacher finds that the student is tīvraḥ mumukṣu. He is ready to
sacrifice everything for the sake of mōkṣa. And that sacrifice alone is represented by
sanyāsa āśrama; because a sanyāsi physically sacrifices everything that he can claim
as his own. People as well as things. So that sanyāsi mind is required whether a
person physically sacrifices or not; that sanyāsi mind is required. And that is there
in this student; mumukṣu.
Then the next word is yathōktakāriṇē; the one who leads his life in keeping with
vēdic instructions. yathōktakāri means vēdōktakāri; the one who obeys the vēdic
instructions; the one who is vaidikaḥ. So vēda prescribed pravr̥tti mārgaḥ in the first
stage of life; vēda prescribe nivr̥tti mārgaḥ in the second stage of life; pravr̥tti plus
nivr̥tti is the vēdic instruction. First the life of involvement, second the life of
withdrawal. We require life of involvement also, to polish our personality and later
gradually we should take to a life of withdrawl also, which is called nivr̥tti. And this is
called yathoktakaari. Yatha uktam; uktam means instructed; instructed by what: by
vedena; or even you can include guru; by guru. If guru or vēda, whatever has been
instructed; he performs. This implicit obedience is also considered a qualification.
Many people misunderstand the word obedience; they think that obedience is
slavery. So if I obey someone, I am losing my independence; I am losing my
freedom; I am becoming a slave of someone people think, but remember, forced
obedience may be slavery; but voluntary obedience is discipline. Forced obedience is
slavery. Guru says; you have to obey, then only you can come to the class; then it
becomes a slavery. But when I voluntary decide that śāstra is instructing for my own
good. If the medical science comes and tells me that this particular item is not for
my good and if I obey my medical discipline, it is not my slavery but it is my
wisdom. I do not know the logic behind it; why the medicine says so; because I am
not a medically qualified person; therefore I do not understand the mechanism of
this commandment but I know that that person is wise enough to know what is
good and what is bad for me. Because of the appreciation of the superior
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qualification of a medical doctor, if I follow the medical discipline, it is not slavery

but it is intelligence.
Similarly when I obey my father or mother; or when I obey my śāstra; because of

my appreciation of śāstrik wisdom; it is never slavery but it is intelligence alone. And
therefore we consider voluntary obedience as a qualification of the student and no
teacher is going to be unhappy, if the student is going to be disobedient; by being
disobedient the one who is suffers is not the śāstra, not the guru. If the medical
instruction I do not follow; I go on eating fatty substances and I never do any
excercise and I argue why should I obey someone; you pay the price. Similarly
śāstra says it is your choice to obey me or not obey. You can try to understand and
obey more and more. But in one day you cannot understand all the śāstrik
instructions. And some of the instructions you may never understand throughout the
life. And therefore have faith in the wisdom of the śāstra and guru and voluntarily
obey. This is called yathōktakāritvam; and this the student has. And that too how?
not half-heartedly; sādhu; sādhu means total; implicit. Implicit obedience; implicitly
obedient student, voluntarily does. Voluntary thing is an important thing we noted;
not that the teacher wants. This is the second qualification.
The third qualification is praśāntacittāya; praśānta cittāya we can understand; the

one who has got a tranquil mind; the one who does not get easily upset; the one
who has got mental impunity to face ups and downs. In the sādhanā catuṣṭaya
saṁpatti language, this is called kṣamaḥ; praśānta cittāḥ is equal to kṣamaḥ;
otherwise called manō nigrahaha; the one who has got mental discipline.
And this is more important for vēdānta. In the ritualistic portion, mental discipline is
an important thing, but even if that discipline is not there, a person can do rituals
and all other things; we also chant a lot of prayers; இெதல்லா ெசால்�ம்ெப mind
prayer றிலா இ�க். We know things byeheart; if you do not know byeheart, it is
plus point; because you have to read the scriputres; அ��ம ேசற்த், �ட்
ப�க்கற�க்�; அ��ம தமிழில ெசான்; I tell you that you cannot think of anything
else. If you know the Viṣṇu sahasranāma byeheart; in fact, the more disadvantage
he has than advantage because when you chant Viṣṇu sahasranāma and the mind
comfortably goes all over the world. Viśvaṁ vishnava ṣaṭkaaro, bhūtā bhavya bhavat
prabhuhoo; and some people talk even while chanting; doing all sorts of bharata
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natya poses; எப்ேப வந்தா; சாப்ப�டாய?; so much curiosity; all these Viṣṇu
Sahasranāmam chant பண்ணறத.
So in the vēda pūrva bhāgaḥ often the mind is not required, but if it is there, it is
ideal; but once you come to vēdānta, the whole pursuit is mental; and therefore
śama is extremely important; and the student has it.
And the fourth qualification is śamānvitāya; here the word śamāḥ should be
translated as damaḥ; the word śama should be translated as damaḥ; why; can you
guess the reason; the reason is praśāntacittāya itself means śamā and if
śamānvitāya also means śamā, then the word śamā will be repeated. it is called
punarukthi doṣaḥ; so punarukthi doṣaḥ nivaraṇārtham; the word śamā should be
translated as damaḥ And what is damaḥ? indriya nigraḥ; sensory discipline.
Therefore praśāntacittāya means mental discipline, śamānvitāya means sensory
discipline. That is sense organs are also under control; especially verbal.
As I said the mouth is the most important organ, the eating mouth and the talking
mouth. And all other organs can be restrained but the most difficult organ to be
restrained is the eating mouth and the talking mouth. Most of the people you will
find that one of these two as his or her weakness. Some people ேபசறத்திே control
இ�க்கா; சாப்ப�டறத்திேல இ�க; some people சாப்ப�டறத்தி இ�க்கா;
ேபசறத்திே start பண்ண�ன நி�த்தே ெத�யா�. Full stop வரா�.
That is why somebody said; hidam sarvaṁ hite rathe. Conquer your tongue; you
have conqured the world. World conquest through tongue conquest. This is śāstrik
injection. hidam sarvaṁ hite rathe; rathaḥ means tongue here; hite rathe means
master your tongue you have mastered the world. And when I use the word tongue,
I include both tongue; eating and talking. So śamānvitāya indicates sense discipline;
especially organ of speech.This is the fourth qualification.
And then comes the fifth qualification. In the first line; upasattimīyuṣē; the one who
has approached the teacher properly. Proper approach. upasātihi means approach.
mīyuṣē; the one who has done; caturthi vibhakthi; ivat sabdhaḥ; for grammer
student; sakarantaha pullingaha jīvat sabdhaḥ; it is a peculiar and unique
declension; very rarely used; it is called perfect participle; mīyuṣē. The one who has
approached; derived from the root, e to go. yeti, yatchathi, to go. This is the fifth
qualification; which means the one who has approached guru also.
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To such a qualified student; what should the teacher do? saha vidvān tatvopadēśam
kuryat; saha vidvān means guruḥ; vidvān means here guru; to such a qualified
student, the vidvān, the jñāni, tatvavit, brahmavit is called vidvān, that jñāni should
give the teaching. Tatva upadeśam; the teaching of the truth, Bramavidyopadēśaḥ;
ātmavidyopadēśam kuryat. The teacher also should not neglect the student. In fact
he will not neglect the student, if he is qualified.
And for what purpose he should do? And what will the teacher get out of the
transaction. The teacher is not going to get any benefit out of any transaction, why
because the teacher is a jñāni and a jñāni is one who has fulfilled his puruṣārtaḥ;
therefore:
naiva tasya kr̥tēnārthō nākr̥tēnēha kaścana |

na cāsya sarvabhūtēṣu kaścidarthavyapāśrayaḥ ||3- 18||
He does not want dharma, artha, kāma or mōkṣa. He does not name or fame; he
does not want even guru status; nor he is enamoured by somebody's prostrations.
Prostrations கிைடக்கிறே, அ�க் ேவண்யாவ� teach பண்ணேறா. But he is not
interested in anyone. If at all he should teach, there can be only one reason and
what is that reason; kripaya kuryat. Except compassion there cannot be any other
motivation; and compassion is not a motivation in the sense; compassion is the very
nature of the guru; and it is that compassion which makes him feel. So kr̥paya
kuryāt iva. Ēva means necessarily. The teacher will necessarily teach the student.
मा भैष् �वद्वंस् नास्त्यपा

संसार�सन्धोस्तरणेऽस्त्यु |
येनैव याता यतयोऽस् पारं
तमेव माग� तव �न�दर्शा� || ४३ ||
mā bhaiṣṭa vidvaṁstava nāstyapāyaḥ
saṁsārasindhōstaraṇē:'styupāyaḥ |
yēnaiva yātā yatayō:'sya pāraṁ
tamēva mārgaṁ tava nirdiśāmi ||43||
So in these verses, Śankarācārya is quoting the words of the guru; therefore these
all should be within quotation; 43 to 47; the words used by the teacher. Previously
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he quoted the words given by the student; then how the guru should speak? Not
that the guru should use exactly the same words; the general trend of the guru's
words.
First the guru says: mā bhaiṣṭa; this is the most important statment; mā bhaiṣṭa; do
not be anxious. Do not be worried; do not pāṇic. bhaiṣṭa. abaiṣṭa means fear; mā
abhaiṣṭa means do not fear; bi daatu; ātmanaipada. prathamapuruṣaḥ
ekavachanam; lum lakarah; it is verb; it is verb; note this; not a noun; do not fear.
He Vidvān; this is also patting the student, by addressing him: Oh Intelligent One;
Oh learned one; Oh informed student; and this is just glorification; it is fact also; the
student is really informed and he has done everything correctly. And therefore he
addresses Hey Vidvān. vidvaṁstava is there; how do you split it; vidvān plus tava;
vidvaṁstava. na becomes ṁ; hē vidvān; oh student; oh learned student, oh scholar;
may you not be frightened.
Why you should not be frightened? tava apāyaḥ nāsti; there is no danger for you.
Because you are imaginging the future. What will happen after retirement? Whether
I will have sufficient money? and if I do not have money, whether children help or
not. All kinds of imagination, either about myself; or my children. So this projection
is so terrible; so here says; tava apāyaḥ nāsti; apāyaḥ means danger.
From what? saṁsāra sindhō; from the ocean of saṁsāra; you do not have fear; you
need not have any fear. Why? It is said: saṁsāra sindhō taraṇē upāyaḥ asti; you can
understand. There is a method of crossing the ocean of saṁsāra. Upāyaḥ means a
method, a means, a sadhanam. Just like after saying there is course of treatment by
which this disease can be cured. Even as he listens to these words, the patient will
get tremendous consolation; even though the pain continues and even though the
course of treatment has not started; the very thought that it can be cured relieves.
Similarly here also, there is a cure for saṁsāra disease. Saṁsāra sindhō taraṇē;
taraṇam means crossing, upāyaḥ asti.
And what is that method? Here the teacher says this method is not an experimental
method that I want to test on you. Like guinea pig; certian new medicine. They have
to test on someone; even for cancer medicine testing and all, they just give the
disease of cancer upon some animal; there is lot of furore created; therefore they
have to do; whether it is right or wrong is a separate issue; let us not get into that;
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they do that and inject the medicine to find out whether it cures or removes the
disease. The guniea pig is always a risky thing. So are we ready to go through that.
Similarly, if the teacher is going to test a new method, the student may not be ready
and therefore the teacher says that this is not a new experiemental method, it is a
time-tested solution, which has worked every human being who has sincerely taken
to this mārga. No student has been disappointed.
Therefore he says, yatayaḥ asya pāraṁ yēna yātā; yatayaḥ, many seekers of the
past, literally means sanyāsinaḥ; and as I said sanyāsa represents commitment,
because a sanyāsi drops every other pursuit and he commits himself only to spiritual
pursuit. Therefore sanyāsa āśrama represents committed spiritual pursuit; therefore
whether a person is physically a sanyāsi or not, whoever is committed to spiritually,
he or she is a sanyāsi. And therefore in the śāstra, wherever the word sanyāsa
comes remember it means committed pursuit. As I said it indicates the mental
preparedness to sacrifice everything for mōkṣa.
What do you mean by commitment? commitment means preparedness to sacrifice

everything for mōkṣa. Like a person who wants to climb Everest. When he goes he
never knows whether he will return. He has to prepare his wife and children and
everything and he has to prepare his own mind; I may return or I may not return.
There was an article on Everest in the recent Readers' Digest issue. What the climb
involves; that contractor who takes you to Everest; he takes Rs.20 lakhs; 65,000
US$ or something and they leave everything and they come and 150 kms they have
to travel on foot to the base camp. And thereafter 4 camps, 5000, 6000, 7000, 8000
meters and there is the last climb of 30 meters. There are some people who
withdraw from that stage also. How terrible; after each step they have to stand for
one minute or two minute and gasp; and again another step; gasp; another step;
gasp; and just 20 meters; they say I cannot make it and return. Rs.20 lakhs, 150
kms travel on foot; all kinds of risks; and still there are some people who travel and
people die also.
So what is the state of mind of such a person? He can become a climber only if he is
ready to sacrifice family; children, money, job; his own life. If Everest itself is like
that, what to talk of the highest goal of life called Mōkṣa which is equivalent to
crores of Everest. And that mental preparedness is called sanyāsa. External changing
the robe etc. are all symbolic. That commitment is called sanyāsa; and such a
committed person is called yatiḥ; therefore Śankarācārya says yatayaḥ; many
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committed seekers; asya pāram yaata; asya means samsārsya; pāram means the
other shore; yatayaḥ means they have reached. So many sincere seekers of the past
have reached the shore of saṁsāra very successfully; you can also reach.
And if you want a guide, I am there to guide. Therefore he says: tamēva mārgaṁ
tava nirdiśāmi that very same path followed by the traditional people tamēva
mārgaṁ I shall teach you.
So here the guru claims that I am a disciple of the traditional guru śiṣya paraṁparā.
So there are many people in the modern days; if you say that you are traditional,
they think that it is a minus point. Because in the scientific field to talk about your
glory is: what I am saying is new and something different. Then only they are
considered original researchers; and then he is given a plus point. But in our
tradition we always give a plus point to a person who follows the tradition exactly
and if at all the changes are made, they are all cosmetic superficial changs; in
example and language, but the teaching method can never be changed.
And why it cannot be changed, we will see in the course of the text itself. Any
method other than the traditional method we will find only in concept or we will end
up in your search for mōkṣa. Therefore the teacher says that I have the traditional
key that I will give you.
अस्त्पायो महान्किश्चत्संसारभयना |
तेन तीत्वा भवाम्भो�ध परमानन्दमाप्स् ||४४||
astyupāyō mahānkaścitsaṁsārabhayanāśanaḥ |
tēna tīrtvā bhavāmbhōdhiṁ paramānandamāpsyasi ||44||
So this verse is almost repetition of the previous slōka. Just for the sake of
emphasis. Kaschit mahān upāyaḥ asti. There is a great grand method; Sādhanām,
means. Like the Grant Trunk Road, great grand method, for what, saṁsāra bhaya
nasanaha, which method will destroy the fear caused by saṁsāra. The anxiety, the
insecurity, the sense of want, a sense of limitation, the fear of losing things and
people. So this saṁsāra bhayanāśanaḥ destroying remedy is there. There is a
medicine. And I am ready to give it to you. Tēna tīrtvā; saṁsāra bhayanāśanaḥ,
nāśanaḥ means destroyer of fear. Tēna by that method; bhavām bhōdhiṁ tīrtvā, you
can cross the ocean of saṁsāra.
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When? Not after death, what is the use, here and now, that is understood,
Śankarācārya does not say, if I say after death, there is no proof at all, because
who sees what happens to you after death. So I can easily bluff and get away with
that, because you are never going to question me after that, because once you are
dead, you do not know. And therefore Mōkṣa, which is a posthumous Mōkṣa;
therefore Vēdānta does not want to do that; it says Mōkṣa is here and now.
Therefore you can test for yourselves. Therefore never criticise without study; that is
illogical criticism; you try and then comment; and after you try, if the medicine does
not work, you yourselves can reject vēdānta; in fact, myself will encourage to reject
vēdānta. Therefore first study systematically comprehensively and see what vēdānta
has to say. Therefore tēna tīrtvā, by that method, you can cross; bhavām bhōdhiṁ
means saṁsāra sagaraha; bhava means saṁsāra, amōdhiḥ means ocean. Saṁsāra
sāgaraṁ tīrtvā; after having crossed what will happen to you; param ānandam
āpsyasi; you will attain the highest ānandaḥ, otherwise known as pūrṇatvam; sense
of fulfilment; sense that life has been meaningful; purposeful; wonderful.
वेदान्ताथर्�वचार जायते �ानमतु ्तम म |

तेनात्यिन्तकसंसारदुःखना भवत्यन ||४५||
vēdāntārthavicārēṇa jāyatē jñānaṁuttamam |
tēnātyantikasaṁsāraduḥkhanāśō bhavatyanu ||45||
So here he briefly mentions the medicine to be given. What is the medicine? Self-
knowledge born out of vēdantic enquiry is the medicine. Self-knowledge born out of
vēdantic enquiry is the medicine. So the idea behind is whatever we are seeking in
life is already with us. And therefore we are never going to get them from the
external world, because they are not there in the external world. Fullness is not in
the external world, because everything outside is finite. Eternity is not in the
external world because everything outside is bound by time. Security is not in the
external world, because everything outside is insecure; and because they are not
there only; you are never able to get them. They are eluding; it is like a wild goose
chase. I have always been thinking that once I complete my education I will be fine;
once I get married, I will be pūrṇaḥ; once I get children, I will be pūrṇaḥ; once I
get grand children, I will be pūrṇaḥ; once I get them settled; I will be pūrṇaḥ; I
have been always postponing my pūrṇatvam; the very fact that I am successfully
failing; the very fact that I am consistenly failing; to get what I want; from the
outside world, it means there is something fundamentally wrong, in my basic
approach itself. Why can't I see whether they are already with me or not? It may not
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be; at least why can't I give the benefit of doubt and try whether I need them from
outside. And this enquiry is self-enquiry and through this self-enquiry, vēdānta
shows what I think I need, only I think I need but realling speaking I do not need at
all; because they are already my nature; and once I discover they are already mine,
then the seeking ends; and I do not acquire them, but I discover them in me; and
discover that I need not go after things.
This requires vēdantic enquiry, because all the other sciences use only objective
enquiry. No science is doing self-enquiry. All the sciences are only inventing newer
and newer instruments which which instrument, I am dvelving deeper into objects or
subjects? I am dvelving deeper and deeper into objective world; in the smallest
realm of atom and sub-atomic particle or in the bigger realm of stars and other
things and I am never going to find what I need there. I may understand a lot about
the participles and stars, but I will never understand what I want, because they are
all object-oriented.
Vēdānta is only one thing, which is serving as a mirror. What is the difference
between a telescope and a mirror? With telescope you can see everything else,
except your eyes. With the microscope you can see everything else, except your
eyes. Replace all the scope, telescopes and microscopes or any other scope for
which there are scope, you remove all of them and you replace by a mirror. What is
the uniquenes of the mirror; that is the only instrument which helps me to see my
own eyes. I am seeing outside; but what I am seeing is myself. Seeing the mirror is
never an objective vision; seeing the subjective knowledge.
Similarly all sciences provide us only better and better instrument to study the world
better and better, vēdānta is the unique verbal mirror. It is the unique verbal mirror,
mirror made of words and sentences in the form of teaching. And by that, I come to
know that I am not the physical body, I am not the mind; but I am the
consciousness which is ever the subject and never an object, and which
consciousness is Sat chit ānandaḥ svarūpaḥ. And thereafterwards I use matter
and I do not need matter for my fulfilment. Matter is there or not, it does
not matter! Why because I am different from matter.
And therefore he says vēdāntārthavicārēṇa; by enquring into the subject matter of

vēdānta. Arthaḥ means subject matter. And what is the subject matter of vēdānta?
It is not matter. Subject matter is a subject, which is not matter. Then what is it? It
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is the consciousness. Brahma. Vēdāntarthaha means Brahma or ātma. Therefore

vēdāntartha vicāraḥ means Brahma vicāraḥ; ātma vicāraḥ; caitanya vicāraḥ; tatva
vicāraḥ; sarva adiṣṭāna vicāraḥ; any word you can use; by that enquiry. Utamam
jñānaṁ jāyaye; the highest knowledge is born, which was called in Mundakopāṇiṣad
as paraa vidyā; In the Bhagavad Gītā it was called Rāja Vidyā.
And what is that vidyā; I am not this body; I am not this mind; and I am poorna
caitanyaṁ; what type of consciousness; I have told you before. Consciousness which
is neither part of the body, nor product of the body, nor a property of the body, but
which is an independent entity which pervades and enlivens the body and which is
not bound by the limitations of the body. That pūrṇa caitanyam ahaṁasmi. This is
the track we are going to take. I have given you the road map, we will work on it
later. More later.
Hari Om.
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The student who is qualified reasonably well for the study of vēdānta has
surrendered to the teacher and has clearly asked for brahma vidyā which is known
as pari praśnaḥ; and now the teacher is accepting the student and also giving
confidence to the student that it is possible to get out of saṁsāra, which is called
abhaya pradhānam; and that is the topic from verse 41 to 47; gurōhō abhaya
pradhānam. The teaching will start only later. Now he tells the problem is known
problem; it is a well diagnosed problem and there is very clean medicine and that
medicine; இ�ந்தா ேபாரா� அல்லவ, I have got and therefore I am ready to help
you out.
And then the question is what is the medicine for this saṁsāra rōga? He gives in the
45 verse, which we have seen. वेदान्ताथर्�वचार उत्तम म जायते vēdāntārthavicārēṇa
uttamam jāyatē. So the solution is self-knowledge; because all problems are

centered on ignorance alone, are caused by self-ignorance alone. And therefore the
self-ignorance has to be removed by self-knowledge. And unfortunately, self-
knowledge cannot be gained through any method other than vēdānta. That is why in
the upaṇiṣad, ātma is known as aupaṇiṣadaḥ puruṣaḥ, which is one of the titles; the
epithet of ātma; aupaṇiṣadaha puruṣaḥ. aupaṇiṣadaḥ means upaṇiṣad mātra
gamyaḥ. It can be known only through upaṇiṣad. And therefore the teacher here
says vēdānta artha vicāreṇa. One has to analyse the upaṇiṣads, which is known as
vicāraḥ; which consists of śravaṇam, mananam and nidhidhyāsanam; all these three
put together is called vicāraḥ and vicārah into what? vēdāntasya arthaḥ; arthaḥ
means the central teaching and we have to emphasise the central teaching because
there are so many other topics discussed in vēdānta; which are only auxilliary or
supporting topics.
Vēdānta deals with other lokāḥs, like heavens etc. but the aim of the vēdantic
student is not to specialise on other lokāḥs. Other lokaḥs are discussed only to a
limited extent so that we will get vairāgyaṁ. How long we should go up and down?
Therefore all questions regarding the other lokāḥs will not be answered by the
upaṇiṣad because the central teaching of the upaṇiṣad is not the other lokāḥs. So
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whatever is not the central teaching, they will be only briefly discussed; or discussed
only to that much extent; as much is required for self-knowledge.
Similarly so many other topics, annamaya; prāṇamaya, etc. are discussed.

Cosmology is discussed. Even the discussion of creation cannot be that exhaustive;
therefore cosmologist cannot study the upaṇiṣads to know how the world was
created. Even the discussion of creation is not complete, but it is sufficient for us to
know, to gain the self. This is the central theme; that which is not the central theme
we should know; otherwise we will study the upaṇiṣads for all other kind of research
and will forget the aim for which vēdānta gives. Therefore vēdānta artha means only
the central theme and what is the central theme; I am not a limited-entity. This
alone is the theme of vēdānta. I am limitless consciousness. And this central theme
alone is called jīvātma paramātma aikyam; and this has to be enquired into
repeatedly; upakramaadi shad lingaihi tātparyam nirṇayaḥ kartavyaḥ.
The enquiry also not as we like; the enquiry also a methodology is provided, which is
known as mīmāṁsa saṁpradāyaḥ. And if you do not adopt that methodology, again
we will not get much out of vēdānta. In fact, it will appear a bunch of contradictions.
Therefore the central theme can be arrived at only by using the appropriate keys
called mīmāṁsa saṁpradāya and by that method, which a person does, śravaṇa,
manana nidhidhyāsanam; then what will happen? uttamam jñānaṁ jāyate. The
greatest knowledge known as spiritual knowledge is born; it is called in
Mundakopāṇiṣad as parā vidyā; which is called in the Bhagavad Gītā as Rāja vidyā;
and such a knowledge is born.
And why is it called uttama jñānaṁ; because it is dealing with the highest reality.
And also it is called uttamam because that alone is the liberating knowledge. If any
other branch of science the more you study, the more you know how much you do
not know. Any other branch of science; that is why the specialisation, as you study
more and more, about something, you know less and less. And a man who
specialises on the eyes alone, he knows how much he does not know and naturally
he cannot know any other part of the body. Any other branch of science you study,
you will feel smaller and smaller and smaller and smaller.
Vēdānta is the only science which tells that you are the infinite. And therefore that
alone can remove the sense of limitation. And in fact, all emotional problems also
are centered on the sense of limitation only. All desires, anger, depression; anything
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ultimately you connect, I have got a sense of limitation; therefore all the problems
and that limitation is removed by this knowledge.
And tena, because of this knowledge, knowledge is ahaṁ pūrṇaḥ iti jñānēna;
ātyantika saṁsāra duḥkha nāśaḥ. duḥkha nāśaḥ. Duḥkhaṁ means all kinds of
things; psycological pain; not physical pain; vēdānta cannot remove physical pain;
vēdānta does not guarantee freedom from physical pain; vēdānta deals with only
mental pain; and which is called duḥkhaṁ.
That is why in Saṁsr̥kt pain is called by two names; ādhi and vyādhi; vyādhi is
physical; ādhi is mental. When a child falls sick, it has got only vyādhi. The child
does not know how to worry about the thing. The worry is done by the parents. The
child will not think what will happen to me; hospital ேபானா sufficient பணம
இ�க்�ம; ேபாேனன ெசான் என்னவா� அவா�க்�எல்ல; because of me the

parents are suffering; they are spending sleepless nights; all these the child does not
bother. It feels the biological pain vyādhi; it does not have aadhi. But for a grown up
person, the vyaadhi causes lot of ādhi and the interesting thing is actual vyādhi is
not required. Even imaginary vyādi creates lot of ādhi. அ�க் என்னேவ ேப��ட
ெசால்�வ; hyptocontri; whatever it is. Therefore imagining that I have this

problem; that problem; and in the newspaper also lot of medical news comes;
இெதல்லா இ�க் அறி�றி. For this disease, these are the symptoms; for that
disease, that are the symptoms. For cancer, for aids and you will feel that all the
symptoms seems to be there in you. Thus this is called saṁsāra. Vyādi we do not
call saṁsāra; ādhi alone we call saṁsāra, and it is that he has referrred to as
duḥkha; and it is called saṁsāra duḥkha; which is caused by the sense of limitation;
the sense of dēhātma bhāvana; Saṁsāra duḥkha nāśaḥ bhavathi; and that too how?
ātyantika; that is the most important thing; ātyantika means once and for all that
worry is gone. Without vēdānta we may secure some peace of mind, by going to
some temples, by going to some āśrama. Thus we have so many escape route; by
which we forget our worries; but all those escapist routes are only temporary;
because if you go to Himalayas; தி�ம்ப வந்தாகண. Svāmiji அஙேய இ�க்கறமாதி
இ�க்கறதான நான்ன இ�க்�ே ேதானற�. So therefore they are all pallative

methods; they are not curative. Vēdānta solves the worry for good. Therefore it is
called ātyantika nāśaḥ. ātyantika means absolute; total; niravaśeṣaḥ. Duḥkha nāśaḥ
bhavathi; which alone is technically called mōkṣaḥ. Mōkṣaḥ is freedom from worry.
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Mōkṣa has nothing to do with mysticism. It is not a mystic state of condition; mōkṣa
is an understandable condition of freedom from worry.
And when will it come; anu; anu means after this knowledge; anu means
consequently. Anantharam ēva; so that is as even what you call knowledge is
assimilated, the release also becomes clear; like taking a tab crocin; therefore there
is fever; and he takes crocin; and as even it gets mixed in the system; in the body,
that fever goes away. Similarly, saṁsāra fever also goes away; as even the wisdom
is assimilated in the system. And that is called anu; anu means anantharam.
श्रद्धाभिक्तध्यानयोगाम्
मुक्तेह�तून्वि सा�ाच्�तेग� |
यो वा एतेष्वे �तष्ठत्यमु
मो�ोऽ�वद्याकिल्पताद्देहबन ||४६||
śraddhābhaktidhyānayōgāmmumukṣōḥ
muktērhētūnvakti sākṣācchrutērgīḥ |
yō vā ētēṣvēva tiṣṭhatyamuṣya
mōkṣō:'vidyākalpitāddēhabandhāt ||46||
So the previous slōka is further clarified in this slōka and also Śankarācārya says that
this remedy is not my personal invention. It is not Śankarācārya's philosophy; it is
not my personal philosophy; when you have to always take to personal view; always
take it with a pinch of salt; because it is not sure whether it will work or not; and
even if it is going to work; we do not know what all side effects would come
tomorrow. Therefore here Śankarācārya says that it is not my philosophy; it is this
teaching belongs to perennial vēdantic wisdom. Therefore he quotes an upaṇiṣad
here: Kaivalya upaṇiṣad is quoted here; śrutērgīḥ; second line; śrutērgīḥ; śrutiḥi
means Kaivalya upaṇiṣad, gīḥ means vākyam; the statement, so srutērgīḥ means
Kaivalya Upaṇiṣad vākyam. In Kaivalya upaṇiṣad also the student Asvalayana
approaches the teacher Brahmāji and asks for this knowledge. And there Brahmāji
straightaway starts his teaching by saying Śraddhāḥ bhakthi dhyāna yōgādavaiḥ.
That śraddhāḥ bhakthi dhyāna yōga of Kaivalya Upaṇiṣad, Śankarācārya quotes
here; that these three are the means of knowledge. So मुक्तेह�तून्वि
muktērhētūnvakti; the Kaivalya upaṇiṣad vākyam says that these three; the
following three as the means of liberation; muktērhētūnvakti; the following three as
the means of liberation; for whom? mumukṣoḥ; for a seeker of liberation.
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This has to be repeatedly added because majority of people are not seekers of
liberation; their top priority is either artha; or kāmaḥ; some problem at home; அைத
solve பண்ண�ன ெபா�ம; mōkṣa ைத அப்பறம பார்த்�க்கே; or maximum dharmaḥ or

puṇyam. Therefore Śankarācārya says that this teaching is relevant for one who is a
mumukṣu; so for him these are the means. And what are those three means;
śraddhā, bhakti, dhyāna yōgaḥ; the word yōga should be added to each one;
śraddhā yōgaḥ; bhakthi yōgaḥ; and dhyāna yōgaḥ; and in this context śraddhā yōga
refers to śravaṇam; śraddhā yōgaḥ refers to śravaṇam; and why is śravaṇam called
śraddhā yōgaḥ; because śravaṇam requires faith in guru and śāstra. Without faith in
the scriptures; without faith in the guru; a person cannot come to a teacher for
learning. Therefore śravaṇam should be supported by śraddhā; therefore śravaṇam
itself is called śraddhā yōgaḥ.
Then bhakthi yōgaḥ means mananam; bhakthi yōgaḥ is mananam; because

mananam requires ēkāgrathaḥ; bhakthi is also what? ēkāgrathaḥ; ēkāgrathaḥ means
commitment; sincerity. Therefore here bhakthi means dedication to the scriptures;
bhakthi to the scriptures; and why do you say bhakthi to the scriptures; again the
idea is this; suppose I find any statement in scripture is not acceptable to me; it
appears irrational; illogical; unfollowable it appears; if I do not have reverence to the
scriptures what will I do? I will renounce the scriptures and say that it does not talk
sense. It will be the attitude of abhakthaḥ; but suppose I have got reverence to the
scriptures; what will be my approach? I never say scriptures are irrational;
unscientific or illogical; I say that I have not grasped its essence properly. The
problem does not lie in the scriptures, the problem lies in my attitude and therefore
what do I do; again enquire and again the same problem; again enquire; how long;
until I understand it properly and when I understand properly; it will not be irrational
at all; it will not be illogical at all; until then I have to continue. This reverential
attitude of questioning my understanding rather than scriputral validity is called
prāmāṇika buddhi. Acceptance of the validity of scriptures.
Just as the scientist accepts the sense organs as valid; he never questions the sense
organs; because he has accepted the sense organs as valid; even if he wants to
prove something; he relies on an experiment; and for that experiment depends upon
what? your observation. So just as a scientist accepts the sensory data or perception
as valid unquestioningly, for a vēdantin upaṇiṣadic statements are as valid as
perceptual data. With this attitude who analyses the scriptures, this is called
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mananam. And then comes the last one; dhyāna yōgaḥ; which is known as
nidhidhyāsanam; śraddhāḥ yōgaḥ is equal to śravaṇam; bhakthi yōgaḥ is equal to
mananam in this context and dhyāna yōgaḥ means nidhidhyāsanam; for śraddhā
bhakthi dhyāna yōgat means śravaṇa, manana nidhidhyāsana yōga; and that alone
is simplified as jñāna yōgaḥ.
So therefore, these three fold jñāna yōga, Kaivalya upaṇiṣad presents as a means of
mōkṣa. Then the question comes, if śravaṇa manana nidhidhyāsanam alone is the
means of liberation; why should the scriptures talk about karma yōga. Isn't all
irrelevant? Why should the scriptures talk about upāsana? Why should the scriptures
talk about many religious disciplines; japa; tapas; all those things; including social
service etc? Why should the scriptures talk about? For that, the answer is indicated
here. Śankarācārya uses the word: sākṣāt; sākṣāt means the jñāna yōga is a direct
means to liberation; it is the primary contributor; whereas karma, upāsana, social
service; dhānam, sandhya vandanam, rituals, all of them also are means of
liberation; but not directly, but indirectly they contribute. Indirectly they contribute.
Therefore they are called paraṁparā sādhanam; jñāna yōga is sākṣāt sādhanam. As
Śankarācārya gives the example in Ātma bōdhaḥ, eating the food alone is the
remover of hunger; but to consume food, you all require what all things? you
require, vegetables, grains, etc. you have to buy and for that you require money and
for cooking you want vessel, you want fire; suppose somebody asks fire and vessel
are means or not; what will be the answer? they are also means; because without
them, you cannot cook the food at all; but they are all paraṁparā sādhanam; eating
food is sākṣāt sādhanām. Similarly karma yōga is a must; upāsana is a must; social
service is a must; without that knowledge can never take place, because they alone
prepare the mind. Then what is the glory of jñāna yōga; sākṣāt mukti hetuh; jñāna
yōga is the direct means. And therefore, यः वा एतेष्वे �तष्ठ�; yaḥ vā ētēṣvēva
tiṣṭhati. Suppose a mumukṣu, educate his life; for these three pursuits; suppose a
mumukṣu; educate his life for the purusit of these three; so here dedication is
important; it is not a casual approach; but it is an approach with commitment. That
becomes primary; that becomes top priority in life; If you ask a chess player or
tennis player, for him the life is tennis or chess; and all other things becomes what;
of course subsidiary to that. Similarly if somebody asks Bhagavān wants to give you
one boon, what will you ask? ெவள�ய�ல ெசால்லேவண்ட; உள்�க்� ேகட்�ண்�
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ெபா�ம. If Bhagavān grants one boon, what will you ask? And if we can answer that
I will ask for mōkṣa, that is called commitment.
And if the commitment is not there, we do not say that he is bad or evil person;
śāstra does not criticize him, belittle him; śāstra says you are not ready for mōkṣa.
That is all. And therefore here he says: yaḥ vā ētēṣvēva tiṣṭhati; he lives, his life;
stands for this pursuit alone.
And that is why in those days they used to take to sanyāsa ashama which was in our
culture, exclusively dedicated for this alone; and the society also understood those
people and therefore the society also did not criticise them. கல்�மாதி இ�க்கே;
ேவைல ெசய் படாதா; இப்பத்த Sanyāsi ைய திட்டற; communist philosophy; be

productive; contribute; in our culture, it was not there; when a person indicated his
top priority; externally by wearing the kāṣāya vastra; எனக் mōkṣam ப்ரதானமா
ேதானைல; atleast there is a person who considers mōkṣa as important; at least let
us help him. நாேமா இ�க்� ேபாறதில்; ேபாறவ�க் help ஆவ� பண்ணேறாம He
does not ask anything; bhavati bhikṣāṁ dēhi; ெகாஞ்ம் ேகக்கறான் அ தான.
Thus our culture itself has this pravr̥tti mārgaḥ for dharmartha kāma; nivr̥tti mārgaḥ
for mōkṣa; vēda design; therefore yaḥ vā ētēṣvēva tiṣṭhati. Suppose a person
dedicates his life for mōkṣa, amuṣya; amuṣya means for that person, mōkṣaḥ. Mōkṣa
will definitely come; there is no doubt; it is not an election promise; it is not a party
manifesto; but it is a definite thing. In Gītā, Krishna will say asaṁśayaḥ; asaṁśaya
m; அ�க்க asaṁśayam ெசால்�வா; definitely; guranteed.
Therefore the success is directly proportional to your commitment; success does not
depend upon any other unpredictable factor; it does not depend upon Bhavan
because Bhagavān is making his contributory; already. It is not that Bhagavān is
grace ைகய�ல ெவச்சிண, எப்ேப வ�டணம ெசால்ல பாற்கறதில். As far as
Bhagavān's grace is concerned; just as the solar energy is available; similarly
Bhagavān's grace is available; guru's grace; scriptures are available; śāstra is
available. Therefore all the other factors are already available. Success depends
upon only one factor whether you are available. There are some people; எத்த
classes staggered அ ெவச்சிண்டா, எனக் time suit ஆவா�. Svāmiji can I come to
your room and privately teach me; இத்த class காலம்ப ெவச்சி�க; 11.00 clock
ெவச்சி�க; evening ெவச்சி�க; weekly class ெவச்சி�க; camp ெவச்சி�க;
cassette ேவெற இ�க். இெதல்லா பண்ண�நா�, அவா�க் suit ஆகறதில்ை ெசான்
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என் பண்ணற. ஒ� அைற தாேன ��க்கண ெதானற�; என் பண்ணற; sanyāsi

ஆய�ட்ேடே. வ்ழிய�ல்ல. Therefore I keep quiet. So therefore are you available;
the śāstras ask; and if you are not available; what Bhagavān can do.
Therefore Krishna says mōkṣaḥ definitely is there; and at least in the other systems
of philosophy, they promise a posthumous mōkṣa; after death you have to go to
some lōkhaḥ they say. In advaita mōkṣa is not even promised after; it is said atra
brahma śamasnute; here and now it is available for you; you own up.
And mōkṣaḥ, from what; avidyā kalpitā dēha bandhāt; freedom from physical
bondages or limitations; dēha ēva bandh; dēha bandaḥ; physical bondages; physical
shackles; and how have we got these shackles; avidyā kalpita; because purely
projected by ignorance, because purely projected by ignorance; that means I am a
physical entity; as long as I am identified with physical body. My physicality depends
upon my dēha abhīmāna; and if my physically should go away; it is in whose hands;
I need not destroy the body; I have to only drop the dēha abhīmāna; and
understand that the physical limitations belongs to physical body, I am not limited by
the physical body. How do you prove; in dream, when I am no more identified with
the body; I no more feel physical limitation. In sleep I am not identified with the
body, I am a conscious entity, without feeling any physical limitation.Therefore
physical limitations are incidentally felt; in jāgrat and svapna, and they are dropped
in suṣupti. Whatever is incidental is not my intrinsic nature. Therefore you have to
drop the physical abhīmāna. It is in your hand. And therefore, whoever practices
this; through śravaṇa manana nidhidyaśanam; we can get out of the sense of
physicality. So avidyā kalpitāt dēha bandaat; ignorance projected dēha abhīmāna will
go away.
अ�ानयोगात्परमात्मनस
ह्यनत्मबन्धस एव संस�तः
ृ |
तयो�वर्वेको�दतबोधविह्
अ�ानकाय� प्रद हेत्सम ू ||४७||
ajñānayōgātparamātmanastava
hyanātmabandastata ēva saṁsr̥tiḥ |
tayōrvivēkōditabōdhavahniḥ
ajñānakāryaṁ pradahētsamūlam ||47||
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So here he gives a brief report of the remedy that is the view of vēdānta. What is
the course of treatment? என் பண்ணேபா� என்கிறை ெசால்லற; which is going to
be elaborated in 500 and odd verses; but what is the treatment; what is the means
of this teaching. The thing can be put in two steps.
What are the two steps? First understanding that the individual is a mixture of two
factors; based on the upaṇiṣadic teaching; this is not based on science remember; it
is not based on observation remember, it is based on the upaṇiṣadic teaching; the
upaṇiṣad alone presents the individual in this fashion. If the science analyses the
individual, they will talk about epidermis, dermis, endodermis; and this and that;
they have got their own method; they will say the individual consists of the skin,
bones, flesh, etc; but the upaṇiṣad explains the individual in a different pattern; its
paradigm is different. And what does it say. Individual consists of two factors;
matter and consciousness. It is not seen as a bundle of matter; categorised into so
many form; it does not say; the whole matter is put in one bunch; which includes
brain, includes mind, and includes blood vessels; anything material in nature.
And the second part, the scriptures point out is the consciousness principle and the
scriptures do not assume consciousness as a part of matter or a function of matter
or a property of matter. This is the unique approach of the scriptures. Science has to
go deep and find out whether it is able to prove it or not; it is the problem of
science; the scriptures present that consciousness is not a neurological
phenomenon; not a brainy product; but it is an independent entity; which I told in
my introduction. Conciousness is not a part of the body, property of the body or
product of the body; it is an independent entity which pervades and enlivens the
body and which also survives the death or change of matter. Therefore according to
scriptures, consciousness, formless, all-pervading, space like consciousness is one
entity and the second entity is matter.
Then for the sake of study, matter can be subdivided for our convenience into three
śarīraṁs; or pañja kōśas; etc. The sub-division can be done in any way you like. you
can take even the scientific approach; or Ayurvēda approach. Vāda, Pittam, Kapam.
So we do not mind, matter ஐ �னா ப��ச்சா� ச�; அஞசா ப��ச்சா� ச�; 22 அ
ப��சசா�ம ச�; matter is matter; consciousness is a separate entity. This is called

ātma-anātma vivēka. This is stage 1 of vēdānta. And this is not the most important;
this is a very important stage.
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Then the second stage is want: gradually learning to shift the 'I' from the anātma,
i.e., the matter bundle, to the consciousnes. It is a long process, because we have
to de-condition our habit; our habit is that I am the body, I am the mind. Since it is
a strongly entrenched notion; in fact our entire life is built on that notion.
In fact, all my goals of life are based on that notion alone; When you say my
children must be settled; or grand children must be settled, I and my refers to which
one; ātma or anātma; ātma �க் children அவ� grandchildrean அவ�; அம்ம
அம்மா ஆத்மா� children �ம உண்ேடா; அ�மாதி�, the wholebiography, the

whole goals of life, all goals of life, are all based on the foundation; we have got an
Empire State Building or whatever be the Seers Towers or the World Trade Centre;
all these are built on the foundation that I am an individual, born on such and such
date; I have such and such family and I have duties; I have done so many; I have
still so many more, etc. Thus this I as the matter is so strong that it requires almost
life-long dedicated discipline that I am the consciousness which is not an individual
and therefore the individuality and the duties etc. are incidental; it should be given
as much importance as it deserves; not more; not less.
And here the problem is we are giving importance but more than it deserves;
because we think that we are only this body. Therefore we are giving more
importance than it deserves and it should be appropriate place. This is called shifting
the I; owning the higher-I; so that the lower-I is seen as the lower-I. Then the
higher I is not known, the lower-I becomes higher-I. When the higher-I is known,
the lower-I is given importance, but as much as importance as it deserves. This is
called mithyātva-niścayaḥ in Vēdānta; not giving over importance to the ego. That is
called managing the ego. Ego means matter-I. So this is called managing the ego;
handling the ego; which alone is indicated by sarpa-ābharanam of Lord Shiva; when
Lord Shiva wears that snake, that snake represents that managed-controlled ego.
That is when the snake is under control, it is ābharanam, and when the snake is not
controlled, it is a dreadful frightening thing; saṁsāra causing.
Similarly unmanaged ego is a frightening cobra; managed ego is the ornament; and
this is the second stage, which is called ahaṁ ātma asmi; ahaṁ brahma asmi; this is
the essence.
Now look at the slōka. Ajñāna yōgāt tava paramātmanaḥ; so you are really the
paramātma; the consciousness; you are really the consciousness, not the body. It is
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not you have consciousness, it is not you have consciousness, but according to
Vēdānta, you are Conciousness. It is an independent entity.
And now what has happened. Anātma bandaḥ; whereas now you are tied down to
the body; the matter; now you are tied down to the matter; தமிழில ெசால்லாராேள
இல்லேய, ஆத்ை கட்�ன அழேறன என்; அ� மாதி� body கட்�ன அழேறள; it is

not literally and all; it is the wrong identification is called error; getting tied down;
anātma bandaḥ, you have mistaken yourselves to be matter. brain or body; or a
bundle of self; anātma bandaḥ means dēha abhīmānaḥ; And why did this
dēhabhīmānaḥ; what is the cause of this dēhabhīmānaḥ; ajñānā yōgāth; purely
because or ignorance; purely because of ignorance; and when did ignorance come;
it has been there right from birth; in fact, even as I am born, I find that I am born
ignorant. So when did you get Chinese ignorance; when did you get Chinese
ignorance, as even you are born; you are born with Chinese ignorance, English
ignorance, Tamil ignorance, mathematics ignorance; along with so many ignorances;
I have got an ignorance of my nature also; the only difference is the other
ignorances I try to get rid of; வ��ந் வ��ந் school க்� ேபாய; college க் ேபாய�;
MS course க் join பண்ண, America க் apply பண்ண; இங்ேக இல் Svāmiji;

immunology ப�க்கண எனக்; we go abroad also; we are attempting to remove
many of the ignorances; but what are we doing to remove the self-ignorance. Since
we have never attempt to remove that ignorance is well-protected in safe-deposit
vault ெவச் காப்பத்தி இ�க்ேகா. This ignorance which we have never attempted
to remove is the cause of dēha abhīmānaḥ; matter identification.
Ok You will say "So what"; if I have dēha abhīmānaḥ, so what? once you have dēha
abhīmānaḥ, you will have to have all the problems; own up all the problems which
belong to the body; the basic thing is you should accept the insecurity; which is
inevitable. Once I am the body, I should understand body is ever insecure; if you
have any doubt, go to any hospital. ேநத்தக வைரக்� நன்ன தான இ�ந்தா; some
blood clot என்னேவ வந்�தா; stroke வந்�தா; the whole left side is paralysed.
Right side is paralysed; this fellow was jumping up and down; gymnast perhaps;
next moment, a vegetable. Even the near and dear ones begin to pray for the death
of the person. A physical entity is eternally insecure; if you want to enjoy dēha
abhīmānaḥ; learn to accept the insecurity of the body. And not only insecurity,
mortality of the body. If you say that I cannot accept mortality, I want to be
immortal; then better come to vēdānta. If you say I do not mind mortality, we say
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that you do not require vēdānta, because we are not interested in imposing vēdānta
on any one; vēdānta is only for a person who is afraid of the insecurity; old age;
death; if not mind; at least of my dear and near ones. And therefore, tathaha ēva
samskriti; dēha abhīmānaḥ invariably causes saṁsāra problem. And saṁsāra is birth,
death, old age; union, separation, etc. and what is solution? problem is diagnosed
now; what is the solution, tayoho vidēha; so you have to separate consciousness
and matter; śarīraṁ and śarīri; with the help of śāstra. As I said, Śāstra alone
presents consciousness as a separate entity and by the study of that śāstra, vivēkaḥ
means discrimination between; tayorhō; between ātma and anātmanohō; matter
and consciousness.
And it will produce what? bōdhaḥvanni; it will be produce the fire of knowledge. So
by the friction of enquiry, the fire of knowledge is produced; and why is the
knowledge compared to fire; because ajñāna kāryam pradahēt samūlam; this fire of
knowledge will burn down; pradahēt; what? ajñāna kāryam; ajñānaṁ as well as its
kāryam; what ajñānaṁ; that I am Conciousness the separate entity is not known;
that is ajñānaṁ. And what is its consequence? Since I do not know that I am
consciousness, I take myself as matter; that matter-identification is kāryam;
ignorance is kāraṇam; identification is kāryam; and both of them pradahēt samūlam;
samūlam means ajñāna sahitam. So it will destroy the effect along with the causal
ignorance; it will destroy the effect along with the causal ignorance. More in the next
class.
Hari Om.
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अ�ानयोगात्परमात्मनस
ह्यनात्मबन्ध एव संस�तः
ृ |
तयो�वर्वेको�दतबोधविह्
अ�ानकाय� प्रद हेत्सम ू ||४७||
ajñānayōgātparamātmanastava
hyanātmabandastata ēva saṁsr̥tiḥ |
tayōrvivēkōditabōdhavahniḥ
ajñānakāryaṁ pradahētsamūlam ||47||
In these verses beginning from the 41st verse up to the 47th verse, we find the guru
accepting the disciple. Guru-śiṣya relationship is possible only when there is mutual
acceptance. It cannot be a one-sided relationship and this relationship is in the form
of śiṣya having reverence and faith in the guru; and guru having compassion
towards the śiṣya. And Śiṣya has surrendered and has clearly expressed his desire
for knowledge and in these verses we found guru also accepting the śiṣya and giving
abhaya pradhānam and he also clearly said that he has understood the problem of
the student.
Anybody who comes for a solution for a problem, first expects the other person to
understand the problem. And therefore helper also must listen to the story with
patience, and win the confidence of the patient or sufferer. The first gesture is
expressly clearly that I have understood your problem. That itself will give
confidence to the sufferer.
Therefore guru said I have clearly understood your problem and not only that, I
have diagnosed your problem; not only that, there is a remedy for the problem and
not only that, I know how to administer the medicine. And that the teacher
summarised in the 47th verse which we completed in the last class.
The problem is self-ignorance. And this self-ignorance has lead to self-

misconception. Self-ignorance has led to self-misconception. The ignorance with
regard to the self is not knowing ahaṁ pūrṇaḥ; and misconception is in the form of
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ahaṁ apūrṇaḥ; pūrṇatvam jñāna abhāvāt apūrṇa adhyāsa is your problem. As in the
example, ignorance of the rope leads to the misconception of the snake.
Therefore the problem has got two parts; rope ignorance plus snake
superimposition; this mixture is the problem. In technical language, they say
ajñānaṁ plus adhyāsa is the problem. Rope ignorance is called ajñānaṁ; the snake
superimposition is called adhyāsa. Similarly we have got self-ignorance, which is
called ajñānaṁ, self-misconception which is called adhyāsa; the mixture is the
problem. And therefore we have to attack this mixture problem which alone we said,
tayōrvivēkōditabōdhavahniḥ. So ajñānayōgātparamātmanastava, first line talks about
ajñānā, second line talks about adhyāsa. So the first two lines refer to the ajñāna
plus adhyāsa problem. Ignorance plus error problem.
Then what is the solution? tayōrvivēkōditabōdhavahniḥ. The solution is the

discrimination or discriminative knowledge about the Self. Therefore jñānaṁ is the
only medicine. And when we say only medicine, what we say is only primary and
direct cure.
But for the medicine to work, a person may require certain other conditions. In the
medical language, they will say certain contra-indications and all. If those conditions
are there, even a powerful medicine will not work. Therefore before administering
the medicine, the doctor has to see whether the system is fit enough for medicine to
work. If the system is not fit, before administering the medicine, the doctor has to
make the system fit to receive the medicine.
Similarly here also, jñānaṁ is the medicine but before jñānaṁ medicine is
administered, the system must be fit. If the system is not fit; what will we do, make
it fit. And how do you make it fit? All religious disciplines are only to make the
system fit. The entire religion is only to make the system fit; Philosophy is the
medicine. Religion brings fitness; philosophy cures the disease; vēda pūrva gives the
fitness; vēda anta cures the disease. अ�ानकाय� प्रद हेत्सम ू ajñāna kāryaṁ pradahēt
samūlam will destroy both the disease and its cause. Up to this we saw.
�शष् उवाच |
कृपया श्रूयत स्वा�मन्प्रश् �क्रय मया |
यदतु ्तरमह श्रुत कृताथर् स्या भवन्मुखात ||४८||
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śiṣya uvāca |
kr̥payā śrūyatāṁ svāminpraśnō:'yaṁ kriyatē mayā |
yaduttaRāmahāṁ śrutvā kr̥tārthaḥ syāṁ bhavanmukhāt ||48||
So with the previous slōka, the guru acceptance is over. Acceptance of the śiṣya and
taking the responsibility of guiding the siṣya. That is over.
Now in the following two verses, 48 and 49, Śiṣya again puts a question to the
teacher, more pointedly, more directly. The question is specific question. Previously
when the śiṣya surrendered, it was only a general surrender; I am suffering; I have
got confidence in you and you please help me. Now the question is more specific
because the teacher has indicated the problem in the 47th verse. Since the diagnosis
has been given, the śiṣya has got scope for asking a specific question.
In the 47th verse, while talking about the problem, the teacher used certain
technical words. So he said ajñāna yōgāt paramātmana stava; so guru had indicated
that you are ātma; siṣya does not know what is ātma; and even a Saṁsr̥kt dictionary
did not help because it will give 50 meaning; which meaning you will take. Suppose
you take English there also they will give you Self; s e l f, Self. The word self is
also used very loosely by us. Even when we want to draw a cheque in our own
name, we say Self. Self-cheque. Therefore we do not know what is exactly meant
by Self. So therefore one technical word used by guru is ātma. And another word he
said, because of ignorance, you the ātma are connected or bound to the anātma.
Therefore the second technical word, the teacher has introduced in the 47th verse is
anātma. Not only that, he said anātma bandaḥ. Even the word bandaḥ is a technical
word, because liberally bandaḥ means bondage. Shackle. And I cannot take it in the
literal sense because I do not see any shackle in my body. I am not chained. So
therefore the shackle also is some invisible shackle. Therefore that is the third
technical word. And in the third line he used the word vivēkaḥ; discrimination;
discrimination between ātma and anātma; therefore the student wants to know what
is meant by ātma-anātma discrimination. Because even in English, word
discrimination is generally used in a negative sense; in the newspaper you will find,
gender discrimination; or racial discrimination or caste discrimination; religious
discrimination. Therefore we know the word discrimination only as the weakness of
partiality. That is the meaning.
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But in vēdānta discrimination is considered a virtue. And therefore what is meant by

discrimination? Not only it is considered a virtue, it is considered greatest virtue in
vēdānta; that is why the very book is called Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi. Discrimination-
cūḍāmaṇi. If you talk to the politician, he will ask how do you say discrimination is
the greatest ornament; discrimination is learning the difference between two things,
which are seemingly identical. So discerning the difference between two things is
called discernment, is called vivēkaḥ; not partiality. So therefore the student wants
to know what is discernment and how do we do that? can we pluck away ātma from
anātma? To clearly shows this is ātma, this is anātma; how to do that. So that is the
fourth technical word; ātma, anātma, bandaḥ, vivēkaḥ.
Then the student himself gets some more questions out of that. If the teacher is
using the word bandaḥ, naturally removal of the banda is called mōkṣa; therefore
the student wants to know what is mōkṣaḥ; which is freedom from these shackles.
Even though the word mōkṣaḥ has not been used by the teacher; the teacher has
talked about removal of bandaḥ. What is removal of banda-mōkṣaḥ. So that is
another question that comes in the mind of the student.
And not only that, he also wants to know how did this bondage come about? How
did this bondage come out? How did this saṁsāra come about? Because after all we
always hear that the Lord is all compassion; he is karuṇā murthi; he is kripā
sāgaraḥ; all these words he has used; if Bhagavān is so sympathetic, so
compassionate, why should Bhagavān create saṁsāra for us. And thereafterwards
promising that I will liberate you. இ�க் ேப�தான �ழந்தை கிள்ள�வ�ட, ெதாட்�ை
ஆட்டற ெசால்ல; they have got the village idiom; we make the baby cry by
pinching and then try to console the baby by moving the cradle. Why do we do this
and that? Similarly, if Bhagavān is all compassionate, why should he create a
saṁsāra and then why should he create the jīvās, and why should he push the jīvās
into the saṁsāra sāgaraḥ; and thereafter promise that I will lift you. So therefore
how did the bondage come about? So all these questions comes in the mind of the
student; therefore he gives seven questions to the teacher in this slōka, 49th. This is
the key verse of the Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi; so you should remember this slōka. 49th verse
is the key verse. The rest of Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi; that is about 540 verses or so, are
answers to these seven questions.
The student puts the question in one verse; and the teacher is going to answer in
500 and odd verses. And therefore later, when I finish the first question, I will say
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now we are entering the second question; then you should not blink at me; what is
the first question; and what is the second question, etc. When I say first, second,
third, etc. I am keeping in mind, the 49th verse; நான ெசால்�ேவ; கவைல
படாத�ேஙா. This is from 49 ஆனா�ம you should feel familiar at least.
So what are the seven questions we are going to get? Before that he is introducing
the seven questions in the 48th verse. 48th verse is the introduction to the seven
questions and 49th verse is the seven questions. He says: Hey Svāmin, Oh Lord, the
śiṣya is no more looking at the guru as even a person; he has raised the guru to the
status of Bhagavān; therefore he is addressing Hey Svāmin; Oh Lord; ayaṁ praśnaḥ
maya criyate; this group of seven questions is presented by me to you; so this group
means what, referring to the 49th verse. The following group of seven questions is
presented by me to you; kr̥payā śrūyatāṁ. So may you listen to those questions
kindly.
And for what purpose I am giving the question? You should not just give me
prasādam and send me away. Questions are for answers. Therefore he says yat
uttaram ahaṁ śrūtva; I would like to get answers to these basic seven questions. So
yat uttaram prasnānām uttaram; sapta prasnānām uttaram ahaṁ srūtva; I would
like to hear. In fact the entire vēdānta śāstra is sapta praśna uttaram only. And any
topic in vēdānta can be in one of the seven in this lot; any topic will come under one
of these seven alone.
And I want to listen from whom? Bhavān mukhāt. So do not say that the reply is in
that book; go and read, do not say go to this person and that person; do not send
me away; bhavān mukhāt śrūtva; I want to hear from you only. So bhavān mukhāt
means your mouth; I want to get direct teaching. And by listening to the answers,
ahaṁ kr̥tārthaḥ syāṁ. So that I will become kr̥tārthaḥ, kr̥tārthaḥ means fortunate,
blessed, fulfilled; that is best translation; fulfilled I will become.
Because the word fulfilled is in two senses; one meaning is emotional fulfillment;
that I get total emotional satisfaction in life. I do not miss anything in life. There are
people who say that I have got everything in life but nobody to love me. That is
called emotional need. And physical need we know; money, house, shelter, etc.
physical fulfilment; there is something, intellectual satisfaction. If certain
fundamental questions are not answered, that is intellectual dissatisfaction; the word
fulfilment indicates all this satisfaction. Physically, emotionally, intellectually. And not
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only that, philosophically also, the word fulfilment has got a meaning. In vēdānta
alone, a person ultimately comes to know that Ahaṁ Pūrṇaḥ asmi; I am not an
insignificant entity in the cosmos; because the more we study the creation, the more
we know how small we are. Astronomy says; there are millions of galaxies; out of
which our galaxy is only one. And in each galaxy millions of stars are there; of which
our Sun is only one ordinary star. And among each star, so many planets are there;
and among that, earth is only an ordinary planet; not even the biggest. In the
planet, seven continents are there; of which Asia is only one continent. Then one
country, one State and one village, one street, one hall and there also I cannot claim
the full; I am only one of the ordinary person. Everybody feels like that.
Now, the more I study, the more insignificant I feel; Therefore no science makes he
feel significant. Therefore vēdānta is the only śāstra which says that not only you are
significant, not only you are very significant; it says you are the only significant one
Tvam Brahma asi. And the whole cosmos consisting of millions of galaxies that
cosmos is resting on you. A vēdantic student can say Brahmaivahaṁidamjagatsca
sakalam chinmātravistāritam; whole universe rises in me and exist in me and rest in
me; if I get this knowledge; tell me what type of fulfilment it must be. That is called
the fulfilment of mōkṣa puruṣārtha.So here kritaarta means mōkṣa puruṣārtaḥ
prāpti. Philosophical fulfilment, which includes intellectual fulfillment, which includes
emotional fulfilment, which includes even physical fulfilment. Such an all-
encompassing philosophical fulfilment is here referred to as krita arta; krita mōkṣa
puruṣārtaḥ, I will become. This is the introduction to the sapta praśnaḥ.
Now we will see the seven questions.

को नाम बन्ध कथमेष आगतः
कथं प्र�तष्ठ कथं �वमो�ः |
कोऽसावनात्म परमः क आत्म
तयो�वर्वेक कथमेतदचु ्यता म ||४९||
kō nāma bandaḥ kathamēṣa āgataḥ
kathaṁ pratiṣṭhāsya kathaṁ vimōkṣaḥ |
kō:'sāvanātmā paramaḥ ka ātmā
tayōrvivēkaḥ kathamētaducyatām ||49||
So this is the key verse, I said; the previous slōka is the introduction to the key
verse. This one is the key verse on which the entire Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi is resting. So
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we will see, what are the seven questions; No.1: kō nāma bandaḥ; what is the
bondage that is talked about in all philosophical literatures? This word bandaḥ is
used in all Indian philosophical literature and this refers to spiritual bondage, which
is otherwise known as saṁsāra. So the word saṁsāra is known to everyone; and in
fact people even introduce, நான வந் ெப�ய samsāri ஆக்�ம் என்� ெசால; and
they tell it smilingly as though it is M.A., M.Sc., qualification மாதி�, they introduce.
So the word saṁsāra is very very popular; and in Tamil Nadu, it is worse, because
wife is called saṁsāram. Saṁsāraைத அைழச்சிண வந்தி�க்ே; poor wife; which
means all the bachelors are muktās. Even the gr̥hasthās may think that way. And all
the sanyāsis should be muktās; அவாெகன்னத்� Vēdāntam ப�க்கண. So if wife is
saṁsāra, poor wife has nothing to do with saṁsāra. Anyway that is an idiom;
saṁsāraḥ means spiritual bondage. Bondage resting with the basic self. Self identity
problem. This is called spiritual bondage; kō nāma bandaḥ; question No.1; what is
bondage? what is saṁsāra?
Question No.2; kathamēṣa āgataḥ; how did this bondage come; what is the cause of
bondage; this is question No.2;
Then question. No.3: kathaṁ asya pratiṣṭaḥ; how does this bondage continue to
survive? how does this bondage continue? pratiṣṭaḥ means what? Continuation;
permanence; persistence; how does it persist; that is another better word; because
you find in the creation anything that we experience goes away by itself in course of
time; anything you see wears out in course of time. That is why there is a slogan
also given; whenever you have got a problem; all the time remember that this will
also go away; pass way; because that is our experience. The problem comes; the
time will find a remedy; and even if the problem does not pass away; ��யறேதா
இல்லேய? Even if the problem does not pass away; at least the person passes
away. So this is our experience. In due course, everything dies and goes away.
Similarly can we say that this bondage also in natural course will disappear? We find
that unfortunately all other local problems seems to come and go away by
themselves; but this saṁsāra bondage is such a unique thing, that it does not have
a natural death; every other thing including stars have a natural death. We have got
supernovas; ஒன்� பண்ணேவண்ட; the stars after sometime, they will explode
and disappear. So even stars seems to have a natural death; but I find this saṁsāra
does not seem to have natural death, which means, without my effort this saṁsāra
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is as eternal as Brahman is. That is why often in the scriptures, saṁsāra is also said
to be eternal.
na rūpa masyaiva tathopa labhyate, nantho na chadir na cham prathistha.
In the Bhagavad Gītā; 15th chapter, Krishna describes the problem of saṁsāra and
says na anthaḥ; it does not have an end; it is eternal; what do you mean by eternal;
it does not have a natural death. In fact, even death is not an end to saṁsāra; even
death is not an end to saṁsāra because, என் punarapi jananam, punarapi
maraṇam. Therefore it continues in the form of birth-death cycle; and therefore the
saṁsāra seems to be what? A persistent one;
How does it gets the nourishment? That is called prathiṣṭa. From where does
saṁsāra get such a nourishment; that it persists on and on and on; not only birth to
death it continues; not only death after death it continues; even sr̥ṣṭi pralaya will not
put an end to saṁsāra. Even pralayaṁ cannot put an end to saṁsāra, because
according to scriptures, even during the pralaya, these jīvās, samsāris continue and
in the next creation, again the samsari-jīvās appear. Therefore death does not put
an end to saṁsāra; even pralaya does not put an end to saṁsāra; where does it
gets this tenacity; persistence; therefore kathaṁ pratiṣṭaḥ; what is its nourishment?
What is its life-line? This is the third question.
The fourth question is katham vimōkṣaḥ; how can we free ourselves or give up this
persistent saṁsāra; that which does not have a natural death? Therefore we will
have to specifically work for getting rid of this saṁsāra. Because there are some
people who say you need not work for meeting God; we are all going Godward only;
we are all knowingly or unknowingly Godward only; in due course, everybody will
attain God. If such a statement is made, what will we understand? ஓேஹா, நமக்
வந் Śāstram ஸாதைன ஒன்� பண்ணேவண்ட; இப்ப�ே இ�ந்தி�தா ேபா�ம; one

day we will also reach God; and they also give the example of rivers also; just as
rivers ultimately merge into oceans, you will also ultimately merge into Brahman,
God; but that can create a misconception; that mōkṣa is a natural process. Here we
say No; it is never natural; it requires our effort; our initiative; our hard work; and
how can we do that? katham vimōkṣaḥ; how is freedom from bondage acquired or
how is this shackle broken? This is the fourth question.
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Then comes the fifth question. kaha asaui anātma; what is anātma? That is a
technical word; if you translate into English it only means not-self. Ātma means self;
‘a’ means not; anātma means non-self; what do you mean by non-self. And how did
the student get this word? Because the teacher has used this word, in the 47th
verse, second line. Since the teacher has used this technical word, the student wants
to know. So kaḥ asaui anātma; what is non-self? This is the fifth question.
Then comes the sixth question; paramaḥ ka ātmā. What is meant by paramātma?
paramātma means the real self; the true self; the supreme Self. Why we have to say
the real self? We have to add the word real self because there is fake ones; you talk
about; you ask for the genuine one; cassetteல �� வந்தாச; anything you find that
there is a fake one; and they say we are good in making the fake one; therefore we
have to ask for the genuine one. Why do we add the word genuine one? Because
there are fake ones. Similarly paramaḥ ātma means the genuine Self. What is that?
This is the fifth question. And this word paramaḥ also, the student has gathered
from the teacher's statement in the 47th verse, first line, paramātmanastava.
So sixth question is over; ātma and anātma; and then comes the seventh and final
question; tayōrvivēkaḥ katham; how can one discriminate between; or differentiate;
how can one differentiate ātma and anātma? Genuine self and fake self. And why
does the student ask the question? Because normally when I use the word Self,
what do I mean. Self ெசால்லறேபா I; That is why when I want to withdraw money
for myself; I say self-cheque. But when I say "I'; I am only seeing one entity; and
the scriptures are talking about the genuine-I and the non-genuine-I; now the
question is; I do not see anything else here; if you ask a scientists, they do not even
accept even a mind other than brain; for them mind is nothing but brain alone;
other than a bundle of bone, flesh, blood, etc. I do not see anything in this one
individual; where am I to find out; what is the genuine-I and what is the non-
genuine-I? Should I take that the heart is the genuine-I and the kidney is non-
genuine? And if you are going to talk about a mind; if the mind is brain or something
else. Is there some substance called mind; which is other than the brain; which is in
the brain? And if there is such a thing called mind, does it die at the time of the
physical death; or does it survive and if there is such a mind which survives? Can I
call it the genuine-I and the body as non-genuine; or is there something other than
the mind; all confusions; and as far as science is concerned, it has not accepted
even something called Mind or sūkṣma śarīraṁ. Science knows and accepts by
scientific method, a stūla, physical body only. Sūkṣma śarīraṁ ேபசணமா, śāstram
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தான வந்தாகண. And science has neither proved it nor disproved it; mind is a
mystery for science. And as long as it is not proved through scientific method, they
would not accept. They will accept it only as a neurological phenomenon, or an
electric impulse. What is sorrow? One type of electrical impulse. What is
depression? Another type of electrical impulse; it is all phenomenon. So sūkṣma
śarīraṁ discuss பண்ண�யாகண; kāraṇa śarīraṁ discuss பண்ண�யாகண; அ�க்
ேமேல இ�க் Ātma. Therefore the student wants to know what is this individual
personality and how do you dissect the individual personality and find out the what
is the genuine-I and what is the non-genuine-I. Katham. How to do that? Like the
frog dissection. Can you do that? இந் body எ�த், vēdānta lab ல் ேபாட, cut
பண்ண, ātma ைவ ேவறயாய எ�த், can you prove all those things. So katham ētad
ucyatām.
Let answers to these seven questions be given by you: Oh. teacher. This is the
question or the list of questions. And in Saṁsr̥kt this is called paripraśnaḥ;
paripraśnaḥ means specific directed question. And only then the teacher knows what
the student wants. Or the teacher takes everyone as a vēdantic student. And this
person has come to receive some vibūthi and Svāmiji நான business start
பண்ணேபாேற; just give some vibūthi and bless me; அவைன வந், you sit here and
sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpannādi adhikāriṇa ஆரம்ப்ப�, அவன watch ைய பார்க
ஆர்ம்ப�ப. So therefore you should know whether the student wants a simple
vazha pazham blessing; or whether he is interested in the deeper most knowledge.
Therefore how will the teacher know. The student should be specific and therefore it
is called pari-praśnaḥ.
Now what is going to be the teacher's response? That comes in the next verse.
No.50.
श्रीगुरु |
धन्योऽ� कृतकृत्योऽ� पा�वत ते कुलं त्वय |
यद�वद्याबन्धमुक् ब्रह्मीभ�वतु�मच ||५०||
śrīguruvāca |
dhanyō:'si kr̥takr̥tyō:'si pāvita tē kulaṁ tvayā |
yadavidyābandamuktyā brahmībhavitumicchāḥsi ||50||
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First the teacher congratulates the student in the first three verses. In fact, up to
verse No.7 is the general remark of the teacher. From 50 to 71 it is the teacher's
general remark congratulating the student and talking about the glory of this topic
and the actual teaching begins from 72 only. From verse 72 the teaching begins but
before that, the teacher congratulates the student, for asking such a question, so
that the student also feels fine. Always student should have a like attitude; then only
absorption takes place.
And not only that, the congratulation is a real one also because majority of humanity
is not interested in these seven questions. If you put these seven questions and
distribute a pamphlet, how many of you would ask to know about this seven
questions. Many people do not have the question themselves. That is why am I
born? What am I doing in life? What is going to happen to me after death? Is there
some real purpose in life; as Śankarācārya says: kastvaṁ kō:'haṁ kuta āyātaḥ, kā
mē jananī kō mē tātaḥ; this basic philosophical questions do not come to 90% of
humanity, because they are pre-occupied with artha and kāma; yōga and kṣēma.
Acquisition and preservation. As Dayananda svāmi says first I have to acquire for me
and preserve, thereafterwards for the sake of the children. So therefore I should
give them ஆ�க் ஓெரா� flat எ�தி ெவச்ேச ெசான்ன, ஆ�க்� ஓெரா company
யாவ� ��க்கண. So I gave got all the responsibility; and thereafterwards for the
grandchildren I have to settle; and therefore throughout the life, most of these
people are bothered about artha, kāma, yōga kṣēmaḥ; you interview any person. In
Tirūpati there is a big queue; நமஸ்கார பண்ணறை என் ேவண்�க ேபாறாய. Will
he say that I want answers to the seven questions; you ask; answers? seven
questions? என்ன?. So 90% of the people do not have these questions at all. And
out of the 10%, who are aware of the seven questions, out of this 10% itself, 90%
they have these questions, but they are not bothered seriously about the answers;
that means that these seven questions have not become a burning issue for them.
இெதல்லா இ�க்; பார்த்�க்கே; நமக் இப்ேப வந், I am running with the
jātakam to this person; I am going for the employment; I am going for this etc.
Because I have got duties to perform. So therefore, majority does not have the
question and in that minority also majority are not serious. That is there are a few
people for whom this has become the only pursuit of life; such are rare ones; and
here the student happens to be one; who has dropped everything and who has
come to find an answer to the question. And therefore the teacher says: dhanyaḥ
asi; you are indeed the fortunate one; blessed one.
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And not only that, kr̥takr̥tyaḥ asi. In fact you are a fulfilled one. Liberated one. In
fact this statement is not really true, because the student has come for liberation;
how can the teacher even before the teaching, saying that you are liberated.
Teacher is bluffing. Here the idea is you have got a serious desire to remove this
and you have come to the right place and therefore liberation is guaranteed.
Liberation requires only two conditions. The questioner must be serious. Should not
be casual; ேவெற ஒன்� ேவைல இல்ை; அதிநால �ம்ம class க் வந்�ட ேபாேறாேம
ெசால்ல. ப�ன்ே ஆத்திே அவா�க் difficulties இ�கக படா� ெசால்ல அ�ப்�வ class
க்; என் இங்ே இ�ந்�ன வட்டக வட்டக வந்திண இ�க்ேக; எதாவ� class
க் ேபாேஙா ெசால்ல; because the other members of your family found that your
presence is uncomfortable at home; they said ஏஙயாவ� some சாமியார would be
doing some காலேக்ஷ, you go there; because they pushed, I came. I am not
telling that you are all like that. Just telling all these things are aspects. Therefore
you should not be any such casual thing. The student must be serious; and the
teacher must be confident that I have this answer. Seriousness of the student and
confidence of the teacher; the result is more than 100%. Here the teacher knows
the student is serious and the teacher is confident.
Therefore the teacher says: you are liberated; do not worry. So krita kritoyosi; and
not only you are free; tē kulaṁ tvayā pāvitaṁ; you have sanctified your family by
being born in that family. In the scriptures, it is said that if a liberated person is
there in a family, it will bless not only the liberated person, it will bless seven
generations, it is said. Not only the immediate family, but previous generations,
previous generations; in fact the impact of a jñāni is so penetrating; and therefore
you have sanctified your family. And why you have done so; because brahmi
bhavitham icchāḥthi. you are desiring to become one with Brahman. In short, you
are desiring for mōkṣa; you are desiring for Īśvara prāptiḥ; people go to temple, not
for Īśvara prāptiḥ; but through Īśvara, they want some other prāptiḥ; ஏனக் ஒ�
வ ��; அைத ��. Suppose you are going there, to get a house, so that you will get by
the grace of the Lord, and the Lord asks; shall I come to you; எனக் இடம இல்ை
ெசாலலி திண்டா�ன இ�க்ேக; you want me to give me this and that. So therefore
dharmartha kāma icchāḥvaha of the seekers would send away the Lord even if he
wants to come; but here you have come here not asking for some other thing; you
are coming me for asking or getting myself. So Brahmi bhavithum icchāḥti; you want
to attain Brahman. How, avidyā banda muktya; by giving up the ignorance and
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misconception. Ignorance and bondage. Ajñānaṁ plus adhyāsam; அ� ரண்� தான;
Avidyā means ajñānaṁ; banda is equal to adyaśa; ignorance and misconception,

muktya means giving up; destroying, eliminating. So you want to become Brahman
by removing ignorance and misconception; nobody asks for that you are a rare one;
and therefore indeed blessed you are.
more in the next class.
Hari Om.
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को नाम बन्ध कथमेष आगतः

कथं प्र�तष्ठ कथं �वमो�ः |
कोऽसावनात्म परमः क आत्म
तयो�वर्वेक कथमेतदचु ्यता म ||४९||
श्रीगुरु |
धन्योऽ� कृतकृत्योऽ� पा�वत ते कुलं त्वय |
यद�वद्याबन्धमुक् ब्रहभ�वतु�मच्छ� ||५०||
ऋणमोचनकतार्र �पतुः सिन् सुतादयः |

kō:'sāvanātmā paRāmaḥ ka ātmā
śrīguruvāca |
dhanyō:'si kr̥takr̥tyō:'si pāvita tē kulaṁ tvayā |
yadavidyābandamuktyā brahmībhavitumicchāḥsi ||50||
r̥ṇamōcanakartāraḥ pituḥ santi sutādayaḥ |
In the 49th slōka, the student has asked a set of seven important questions which
are the main questions of Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi and the rest of the text, beginning from
the 50th verse onwards is going to be the answers to these seven questions. The
whole Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi is presented as answers to these seven questions only. And
by way of answering these seven questions, Śankarācārya has brought out all the
important topics of vēdānta śāstra.
Now the guru begins his reply from the 50th verse and from verse 50 up to verse
No.71, it is guru's appreciation of the student and he makes certain general
comments also. Guru appreciates the student because there are only very few
people who recognise the importance of mōkṣa. People understand the value of
artha and kāma and a-little-bit-more evolved-people, educated-people, socially-
conscious people. They come to know the importance of dharma, but to appreciate
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the value of mōkṣa; one should be a-little-bit-more beyond the dharma

consciousness. It requires a spiritual dimension also; which very rarely people have.
A verse was said manuṣyatvam, mumukṣutvam, mahāpuruṣaḥ saṁśrayaḥ
durlabham. Therefore the highest. Some of the people can know only dharma. 90%
will go to artha kāma, and 8% may go to dharma, i.e. values, social harmony,
prosperity, love, kindness, compassion, helping the other people, they all will come
under dharma; but only 2% or 1% or less than 1% will appreciate the value of
mōkṣa. Even after studying philosophy or vēdānta, they ask the question, isn't it
selfishness that I am working for liberation. I am not interested in liberation; I would
like to dedicate my life for social upliftment, etc. I do not want mōkṣa. There are
some people who positively criticise mōkṣa and say that a dharmic life of sacrifice is
superior to the pursuit of mōkṣa; again not understanding what is the concept of
mōkṣa.
And therefore, if there is a sincere person who gives top priority to mōkṣa, he has to
be congratulated, whether he succeeds or not is a different thing, but the very
sincere desire requires congratulations. And therefore the teacher heartily
congratulates the student to glorify him by saying dhanyō:'si; indeed you are
fortunate; kr̥takr̥tyō:'si; soon you are going to discover fulfillment, because it is only
a matter of wisdom and no expenditure is involved; no other worldly qualifications
are involved; it is a matter for understanding. And because of your sincerity, you are
bound to know what is what. And not only you are great, pāvita tē kulaṁ tvayā, you
have sanctified your entire family and seven generations by seeking this mōkṣa.
Because yad avidyā banda-muktyā. So you are struggling to release or give up the
bondage caused by ignorance. And by removing the ignorance, you are desiring to
become Brahmi bhavitum icchāti; you are desiring to become Brahman. Brahman
means the infinite. Because Mōkṣa is defined as Brahma bhāvaḥ. And that is why we
say mōkṣa does not come under selfishness because when we look at the pursuit of
a person, that he withdraws from the society, withdraws from the family and goes to
what you call serious pursuit of mōkṣa, it looks as though she is utterly selfish. But
the pursuit of mōkṣa is the expansion of the I from identifying with one's family or
one's society or community; through mōkṣa he is expanding the I to identify with
the entire cosmos.
So therefore vēdantic pursuit is not selfish withdrawal; but vēdantic pursuit is

accommodation of the whole universe within the meaning of the word I. That means
a truly mukta puruṣaḥ; identifies with not only his community, or his family but
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identifies even with an ant or plant, and that is why advēṣṭā sarvabhūtānāṁ maitraḥ
karuṇa ēva ca; he is an embodiment of compassion and friendship and not only that,
other people may serve the society but they have to serve themselves also because
they have personal needs and family needs. But when a person becomes a sanyāsi
and gains this knowledge, in fact, he need not work for anything for himself, the
entire life is available for the service of the world.
Therefore a sanyāsi is not a selfish person but he is the most selfless person, more
selfless than a dharmic person. Therefore Mōkṣa is not inferior to dharma; but
mōkṣa is superior to dharma. And therefore, Brahmibhavithum icchāḥti; you want to
accommodate the whole creation in you. That is you want to attain mōkṣa.
ऋणमोचनकतार्र �पतुः सिन् सुतादयः |

बन्धमोचनकता तु स्वस्मादन न कश्च ||५१||
r̥ṇamōcanakartāraḥ pituḥ santi sutādayaḥ |
bandamōcanakartā tu svasmādanyō na kaścana ||51||
So everyone, every human being has to fulfil the four puruṣārtaḥs, dharma, artha,
kāma and mōkṣa. So this is the duty; in fact, the intrinsic urge of every human
being. So artha and kāma is the fulfilment of the needs of the lower personality. Just
to have physical security and also physical pleasure or entertainment, every human
being needs from the level of one personality.
And if a person grows higher, a little bit more; he no more happy with the near
fulfilment; he feels that he has to do something to the society, something to the
other people, the need for fulfilment of certain values. These are all higher needs of
an individual; they call need for self-esteem. I want to be a dhārmic person; I want
to tell the people that I have given so much money for the institution; these are the
needs of the higher ego. The lower ego needs artha kāma; the higher ego needs
dharma. Everybody wants to present himself or herself as dhārmic person.
And then still when you go to higher ego; there is the spiritual need which is called
need for mōkṣa. They call it hierarchy of need. First security; then entertainment;
then self-esteem; then self-actualisation; என்னெவல்லாே வார்ை use பண்ணற; in
our language, artha, kāma, dharma and mōkṣa. Mōkṣa is also a need in the sense
that mōkṣa indicates the highest growth that a human being can achieve.
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And this is also a need, because if you study any being in the creation, even a plant
or animal, you find one thing common to all and what is that; everything is growing,
growing. A plant. You need not request a plant to grow; it is natural urge to grow.
And if there is any obstruction like ceiling or something, if you keep the plant inside
the house, it will go through the window and grow. An animal also wants to grow.
How much? maximum; as much as it can grow. Therefore growth is not something
which you choose but growth is something which is intrinsically thought by all
beings; it is a natural urge. But the only difference between animals and human
beings is, in the case of animals, the growth is only physical.
But in the case of human being, the growth is not only physical but also emotional.
By emotional growth I mean the capacity to love, care etc. for all the entire
humanity. Love for all. Similarly, intellectual growth, i.e. knowing about everything.
That is why science cannot remain quiet because they want to know what is star.
they want to know; ‘they’ means what? the entire humanity wants to know.
Knowledge wise growth and spiritual growth. All these are the innate urge of every
human being. And mōkṣa represents the highest growth possible; that is
pūrṇatvam; the infinitude.
And in these verses Śankarācārya says that the dharmārthakāma needs can be
fulfilled by ourselves and we can fulfil these needs helped by other people also. I can
fulfil by myself or even if I do not have time or capacity to fulfil; the other people
can fulfil my needs; I want money or a father wants money; he does not have the
capacity to earn; the children say; father do not worry; I will earn and provide. Artha
need, somebody can fulfil. What about kāma need? pleasure or entertainment.
Father wants to have some video programme at home. The son can say: do not
worry; வயஸ்ஸ காலத்திெ எங்� ேபாக ��யா�; I will provide you a TV, a VCR,
VCP; பார்த்�க்�. Kumbābhiṣēkaṁ programme I will play for you; cinema
programme I will play for you; பார்தக்�ேங. Kāma need I can fulfil for me or
somebody can fulfil.
Even dharma need, even though I have to do my duties and karma, śāstra says in
some rare cases, children or other relations can do karma on behalf of the father.
Suppose father wants to do sandhyavandanam or śraddhāḥ or any other karma; he
is not physically fit; śāstra say you can give the power to your son; there is a ritual;
that power of attorney use பண்ண ேவெற ஆேரா sign பண்ணாராேள இல்லெய, அ�
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மாதி�; you can give the power to the son; and the son has to do sandhyavandanam
twice; one for him and one for the father.
Similarly śraddhāḥ also, the son can do śraddhāḥ on behalf of the father, if father is
not well. So that means what; even dharma needs can be fulfilled by other people.
Whereas when the question of mōkṣa comes, there is difference. What is that? For
the sake of the father, son cannot say I will get knowledge on behalf of you. When
son gets knowledge, who will get mōkṣa?; son will get mōkṣa, father is not going to
get mōkṣa; and son cannot even hand over; இன்னக upaṇiṣad ப�ச்சி�க்ே; அைர
upaṇiṣad உங்க�க்� தே; பாக்கி அைர எனக்� ெவச்�க்; இல்ைலன, 6

upaṇiṣad ப�ச்சி�க்ே; 3 upaṇiṣad knowledge உங்கள் தேறன; I will gift it to you;
or the father does that on behalf of the son; he writes a will, I have got
brahmajñānaṁ and therefore I am going to Will it for you. நடக்�ம?
Therefore Śankarācārya says your mōkṣa need you alone have to fulfil;
therefore never give a complaint, I have no time; do not say; you have to fulfil
dharma artha kāma; you have to do your duties due to your family. Your children;
your wife; your husband. But never say I do not have time for mōkṣa; I will ask my
son to do that for me; my grandson to do that for me; never; you have to find time;
we do not how; you have to find time and gain knowledge. If you gain knowledge,
you alone will get benefit. If your husband or wife gains knowledge, she or he alone
will benefit.
And therefore he says: ऋणमोचनकतार्र �पतुः सत

ु ादयः सिन्; r̥ṇamōcanakartāraḥ pituḥ
sutādayaḥ santi; suppose father is bound by r̥ṇaṁ. r̥ṇaṁ means what? Debt; கடன;
r̥ṇaṁ means கடன or debt; and because of this debt, this father is bound. He is
enslaved by the one who has given money to the lender. Now the father has to be
released. ேமா�த்�க்காக இ example ெசால்லறா. Now father is bound by r̥ṇam
and father has to be released and he does not have the capacity to earn and
released and he has to be helped by whom; sutādayaḥ santi; the son can do that for
the father. That means son can release the father from the bondage of debt; sutaḥ
means son; ādhi padāt pūtri also; now the daughters are also earning. Śankarācārya
did not know perhaps; therefore in his time only men were working; but now even
girls are more responsible than the boys; and therefore the girls can earn and also
release the father's debt; whereas, bandamōcanakartā tu; father has to be released
from saṁsāra bondage; several children complain also; the father or mother sits and
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worries; why can't you come to the class; class நன்ன இ�க்ே; I will give you
cassette; உனக் உக்காந ேகட்ட என்ன; they will say No no no; I am not
interested.
So the children are helpless; because what father has to do, father alone has to do.
What mother has to do, mother alone has to do. As they say, seven people can take
a horse to the water front; but the horse alone has to drink. Similarly, children may
be ready to provide all the conditions for knowledge but the father alone has gain it;
nobody else can do. Therefore he says: bandamōcanakartā; a person who releases
one from bondage is svyam ēva; oneself only; tasmāt anyaḥ kaścana nāsti; other
than oneself nobody else can do that. And when we say nobody else can do; it
includes even Bhagavān.
Even Bhagavān cannot give us mōkṣa; you know why? even Bhagavān cannot give
us mōkṣa, you know why? Because mōkṣa need not be given; unfortunately or
fortunately by anyone, because mōkṣa is my very nature. If it has to be given,
Bhagavān can give; but it is already my nature; what is required is I have to know or
discover the fact that I was released, I am released, I will be ever released. In fact, I
cannot be bound. Therefore what Bhagavān can do, not giving mōkṣa; he can give
the condition for discovering this fact. This is all Bhagavān can do; and those
conditions already Bhagavān has provided. Manuṣya janma is one condition. buffalo
கிட்ை Tatvamasi ெசான்ன அ� என் ெசய்�; Aaaaaaay ெசால்�. So manuṣya
janma is the condition; and we should be born in a vēdic culture; that is also given;
because vēda alone says Tattvam asi; all other religions say that you have to get
mōkṣa; and it can provide the śāstra; it can provide all these conditions; the only
grace of Bhagavān is providing the condition; but the knowing, discovering the fact,
I alone have to do. Therefore na kaścana means even Bhagavān cannot help me;
Therefore only mōkṣa is called a puruṣārtaḥ; it is not Īśvara anugraha; Īśvara
anugraha is manuṣyatvam; mumukṣutvam; and mahā puruṣaḥ saṁśrayaḥ; mōkṣa is
purely my effort.
And therefore you have to work for that. And whoever is working has to be
congratulated.
मस्तकन्यस्तभारादेदुर्ःखमन्यै�नर् |
�ुधा�दकृतदःखं
ु तु �वना स्वे न के न�चत् ||५२||
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mastakanyastabhārādērduḥkhamanyairnivāryatē |
kṣudhādikr̥taduḥkhaṁ tu vinā svēna na kēnacit ||52||
Another example Śankarācārya gives. The example is for what? We alone have to
work for your mōkṣa; nobody in the family can do that for you. So your husband or
wife; son or daughter; not even your guru; not even your iṣṭa dēvatā can do that;
you alone have to do. Another example is given. mastaka nyasta bhārāh. Suppose a
person is carrying a load on his head; mastaka means head; nyasta means placed;
bhārāh means load; suppose a load is placed on your head; and you are carrying
that; and after sometime, naturally you are tired; then if you want help from
someone; certainly somebody can help; a friend, a relative; a family member can
say, அைத என ைகய�ல ��, நான ெகாஞ் �க்கிண வேறன; so duḥkham anyaihi
nivāryatē; other people can relieve you of the pain caused by your carrying the load.
Similarly, in the case of dharma artha kāma, your wife can help, your husband can
help. In fact you can help mutually. That is why some people, some husband say
that you need not study the scriptures and all; so if you serve me. This is their
argument. Wife ஓ� duty husband serving தான. So in that very very traditional. In all
other things with regard to the duty of husband, so many things are said; with
regard to that, they comfortably forget; but they remember only one thing and that
is the duty of the wife to the husband; ந� class க் வரேவண்டா; ந� இைத
பண்ணேவண்ட; ந� அைத பண்ணேவண்ட; எனக் serve பண், ேபா�ம. In fact, they

may be right traditionally and even according to tradition, if they do not do any
social service and only do their duty towards their husbands and children, certainly
they will get as much dharma as a husband does to the society; because bringing up
a family and bringing up a nice set of children is a good service to the society. So if
they do not do any other social service, they perfectly take care of their family; their
dharma need is fulfilled. But still śāstra says their mōkṣa need cannot be fulfilled by
serving the family. Mōkṣa need is fulfilled only by what? Gaining knowledge through
vēdānta śravaṇa, manana, nidhidhyāsana. Therefore with regard to citta shuddhi,
either you serve the society or you take care of the family properly. Therefore wife is
asked to do that traditionally; husband is asked to serve the society; both can get
citta shuddhi by taking care of those respective duties; but when mōkṣam வர
ஸமயத்திே; husband also has to do śravaṇa, manana, nidhidhyāsana and the wife
also has to do śravaṇa, manana, nidhidhyāsana. இெதல்லாம் பதில் ெசால்லறத்
நான் ெசால்லி தாேறன் நா Therefore if any husband argues, you should do that,
Page 235

நான அெதல்லம பண்ணை; class க்� வந்� தான் ஆ; because my śravaṇa

manana nidhidhyāsanam cannot be replaced by your śravaṇa manana
nidhidhyāsanam. Taking care of the family and bringing up wonderful set of children
are still great service; we will get citta shuddhi by that; we may serve the society or
not; but even if he does not do that, he may get citta shuddhi; but for knowledge he
has to necessarily study the scriputures. And if the husband says you need not; then
he must be ready to as in Brihadarnyaka Upaṇiṣad, Yajñavalkya did that. Maitreyi did
not attend Anna Nagar class. Yajñavalkya himself taught wonderful vēdānta to
Maitreyi and said that you are free to stay with me or go away also.
So the idea is knowledge everyone has to get. It cannot be through proxy;

proxy method is not there. Therefore he gives a beautiful example.
kṣudhādikr̥taduḥkhaṁ tu; what was the first example? Load on the head; son can
share. But when father is hungry, can the son say: Father, for you eating is difficult;
because you have some infection in the throat; doctor says nasal feeding to be
done; intravenous feeding to be done, etc. that is all very difficult; my throat is
alright; therefore I will eat for you also; then what will happen? then the living also
the son has to do for the father; father will die.
Therefore he says: kṣudhādikr̥taduḥkhaṁ tu; duḥkhaṁ means the pain caused by

the hunger, etc. sud mean hunger, thirst etc. nobody can relieve; svēna na kēnacit;
svena na; other than oneself, nobody else can release you from the pangs of hunger
and thirst. Similarly the pangs of saṁsāra you also have to release by yourselves.
पथ्यमौषधसेव च �क्रय येन रो�गणा |

आरोग्य�स�द्धदृर्ष नान्यानुिष्ठतकमर ||५३||
pathyamauṣadhasēvā ca kriyatē yēna rōgiṇā |
ārōgyasiddhirdr̥ṣṭā:'sya nānyānuṣṭhitakarmaṇā ||53||
So a third example is given here. The example is rōga nivāraṇam. So if the father is
sick; I am taking father as an example; all the time it need not be father only; either
mother or brother, son or daughter, etc.; one member of the family is sick; the other
people may be ready to do everything else by bringing the medicine or going to the
doctor and enquiring with the doctors, etc. and all those things; it can do; but main
cure is pathyam, auṣadha sēvā; consuming the medicine is one thing; and pathyam,
pathyam means what; the disciple that go along with the medicine; that certain food
items cannot be taken; that if it is a sugar patient; you should not take sugar; and if
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it is pressure problem, you should not take, what you call, salt; and if it is ulcer
problem, you should not take, puḷi, kāram, etc. or you have to take these things; dos
and do nots is called pathyam. And both of them are important for curing the
disease and who has to follow. The sick person alone has to follow; out of
compassion, the other members should not say you are taking antibiotics and the
consequent problem affecting your body; 3 days you have taken antibiotics; the last
two course, I will take. நடக்�ேம; it is never possible. Only the sick person has to
do it.
Similarly, samsāri is a sick person and if he wants to give up saṁsāra both the
pathyam and the auṣadham, the samsāri alone has to follow. That is what is said
here. Pathyam; pathyam means the dos and donots; auṣadha sēva cha; auṣadha
sēva means taking medicine. Rōgiṇām kriyatē; it has to be done by the sick person
alone; not any other person however close he may be. They may even say we are
two bodies and one heart; made for each other ெசால்லறாேள இல்லேய; we are
two bodies and one soul ெசால்லி அவேளா� ம�ந்ைத அவர் சாப்ப�, ஒேர dose,
உடேன close. All out. They are all figurative language, two bodies, one soul, etc. one
soul in two bodies, all beautiful language to hear; they are not all true; rōgi alone
has to follow these two.
And ārōgyasiddhirdr̥ṣṭā:'sya. And recovery is possible for only that person, who has
followed these two. nānyānuṣṭhitakarmaṇā; recovery of disease is never possible for
another person's pathyam and auṣada sēva; another person takes to pathyam, he is
paithyam. ெத��ேதா இல்லேய; if another person takes to pathyam, he is fool; he
cannot do that.
And if you see in all these examples, Śankarācārya has chosen such examples, that
we are not acquiring anything new. We are only removing something. So therefore
hunger and thirst problem he has given. Here also our aim is what? removing the
hunger and thirst; and similarly getting health also is not really getting health
because, health is the natural condition of a person. We never acquire health. We
only acquire disease. If disease is natural to us, we all will be born sick. Therefore
what is natural and what is acquired. Ill health is not natural and health is not
acquired; on the other hand, health is natural; ill-health is acquired.
And how do you know that? What is natural and what is acquired? How do you
know? Very simple. Whatever is natural, you will be at ease with that; you will not
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struggle to remove that. Whatever is natural, you are at ease with that and
therefore you will never struggle to remove that. When you are healthy, you do not
feel at ill at ease; I am very uncomfortable; why? I am healthy! So I am
uncomfortable, I want to remove my health; does anyone say that. No one says
that. So whenever there is some unnatural thing in our system, a microbe, a virus;
or even a dust particle in the eye; that is unnatural. Then you find the struggle
comes, tears begin to come; if it is in the nose, you will start sneezing; if it is in the
stomach, either you purge; or you begin to vomit, one struggle or the other takes
place, how long; until that is removed. Therefore what is the law? What is natural
you never struggle to remove. Similarly, when you take the medicine; do you want
to acquire health or do you want to remove ill-health. You never want to acquire
health because health is something natural; you are only removing the obstacle to
health; i.e. the removal of ill-health. Similarly liberation is like health. Just as health
is natural to everyone; liberation is also natural to everyone; happiness is also
natural to everyone. That is why anybody is happy, nobody sends the condolence
letter or sick card, recovery card. When you are very happy, I do not send you
recovery card; I wish you will recover from the problem of happiness; nobody sends;
and nobody enquiries also; என்னச உனக் ஒேர ஸம்ேதாஷம இ�க்கே; nobody
enquiries; nobody sympathises with you because you are happy; but the moment
you are unhappy, people enquiry, என்னாச; what is your problem, why; because
nobody wants to accept sorrow or bondage.
From that it is very clear, saṁsāra is unnatural; or struggle is only to remove the
unnatural saṁsāra; and once the unnatural saṁsāra is removed; liberation is not
acquired; you come back to your natural state of liberation. This aspect
Śankarācārya beautifully discusses in his Mānḍukya bhāṣyam introduction. This is
beautifully discussed. That is why in Saṁsr̥kt health is called svāsthyam. A healthy
person is called svasthaḥ; a beautiful word, நான அைர மண�க்� ேபசின வ�ஷயம அந்
word ல included. Svasthaḥ means healthy. Whether you use in Tamil I do not know.
In Malayalam we use; അവൻ കുറച്ച ് അസ�സ്ഥനായിരി; സ�ാസ്ത
എങ്ങിെനയു? Will ask that. In all languages, Saṁsr̥kt words will be there; except
in Tamil. Tamil is some kind of a parallel language to Saṁsr̥kt. And all other Indian
languages, whether it is Marathi, Hindi or Telugu or Kannada or Malayālam or
Gujarathi or Bengali; most of the words will be Saṁsr̥kt. Tamil is slightly different.
So in all languages the word will be there; svasthaḥ. What is the meaning of the
word svasthaḥ you know? sva means one's own nature; svarūpam; sva is equal to
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svarūpam; staḥ; sthiṣṭati iti staḥ; svasthaḥ means you are remaining in your natural
state. And that is called health. That means what? Health is your natural state; and
asvasthaḥ means what; you are in unnatural state; English you see; dis-ease;
disease; you are not at ease with yourselves. You are in unnatural condition; by
going to doctor, you are not acquiring health; because health is your nature, you are
removing something unnatural from you.
Similarly vēdānta says mōkṣa is not given by Bhagavān, not given by guru; not given
by śāstra; mōkṣa is your natural state. Freedom is your natural state. You are born
free. And then all the gurus are doing what? They are not giving you mōkṣa; they
are only removing the unnatural state of saṁsāra; which is an impediment. And
that is why arōgya example by Śankarācārya here. And here this example is
beautiful example. You can extend it a little bit further. To come back to your
natural healthy condition; which means removal of the unnatural condition; your
sādhanā is two-fold. What are the two sādhanās? Pathyam; auṣadha sēva. Taking
medicine. Sugar medicine or insulin. Or whatever it might be. Medicine taking is the
main one to cure the disease, but as important as medicine is the pathyam, the
attendant dos and do nots. Suppose one side I inject insulin and another side laddus
are entering. Medicine is taken, but the pathyam is not observed. They ask you to
walk. Walking is very important. They say sugar can be managed without any
medicine, if only you can do regular exercise. So that means what? Without
pathyam, medicine is useless and there is another person who observes all the
pathyam, but he does not take medicine. Then also it will not work. Therefore which
is important if somebody asks, I should answer both are equally important. Both are
equally important.
Similarly for getting mōkṣa also, two things are there; pathyam and oushada sēva.
And what is auṣadha sēva? vēdānta śravaṇa manana nidhidhyāsana, is the medicine.
Without vēdantic medicine, mōkṣa is definitely not possible. The vēda itself says: na
vēda vin manute sam brihantam; without the study of scriptures mōkṣa is never
possible; whether the scriptural study is for long time or short time; that all depends
upon the condition of sickness. Duration is not compulsory, but the pursuit is
compulsory. There may be some highly evolved people who casually heard
tatvamasi; they did not even directly hear; they overheard Tattvamsi and got
liberated, they tell in Śāstra; indirectly they heard. But the idea is what? Scriptural
study or indirectly, short term or long-term cannot be replaced by any other
sādhanā. It is a must, because that is the auṣadhaṁ.
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But at the same time, śāstra warns that any amount of vēdānta śravaṇa manana
nidhidhyāsanam you may do, it will not give you any benefit, unless you follow the
pathyam also. Without the pathyam, all your study will make you a wonderful
scholar. You can write books. You can eloquently comment. You can get a degree.
But will not make any difference. That is why at home also people say class க்
ேபாறேய, என்னாச; because they do not find any change in us; then what is the use?
wasting the time and energy and all those things. So therefore wherever is the snag;
auṣadhaṁ is there; pathyam is missing. What is pathyam? Sādhanā catuṣṭaya
saṁpatti is the pathyam.
Ask the question. What is the level of vivēka? What is the level of vairāgyaṁ? What
is the level of śama, dama, uparama, titikṣaḥ? Do not ask me what is śama, dama,
etc. I will get heart attack! So therefore śama, dama, uparama, titikṣaḥ, śraddhā,
samādhānam, and finally and most importantly thīvra mumukṣutvaṁ.
If sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti pathyam is not there, vēdānta śravaṇa manana

auṣadham is not guaranteed to not work. guaranteed to not work. But one
consolation is there. Suppose without following the pathyam, a person does vēdānta
śravaṇam; nidhidyaśanam பண்ணேவண்ட; அதிநால śravaṇa manana is there; then
one thing is there; that will not go waste. That will not go waste. It will remain
inside like certain second world-war bombs, which are lying here and there; you
read the newspapers, after 50 years, they see and the bomb explodes after that.
So it is potentially there inside; it does not function, because the condition for
functioning is not there. Therefore without pathyam you study vēdānta, you may
not get benefit immediately; but the śravaṇam will never go waste; இல்ைலன,
அ�தத class க் வரமாட்ேட; அ�க்� தான ் ெசால்லேறன். Śravaṇam will never

go waste. It will remain like the time-bomb inside; you may feel the importance of
sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti after 20 years. ஆேரா எங�ட் வந் அப்ப�தா ெசான்ன;
Svāmiji எனக்� இப்ேபாதான ் ��. Tatva Bōdhaḥ திெல first lesson தான் ெசால் I
had left it. Now I understand even though sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti is the first
lesson in Tatva Bōdhaḥ, that is the extremely important, now only I understand. You
may understand it after 20 years; and seriously try to acquire them;
Then what will happen; as you acquire sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti , the time-bomb
(the example is not a good example, எங் பாற்த்த அ� இ�க்கறதிநா அந் example
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எனக் வந்த) the time bomb of vēdānta will explode after 20 years into mōkṣa.
Mōkṣa explosion will take place. Suppose the idea is either you have to acquire
sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti before vēdantic study, or during vēdantic study or after
vēdantic study. That is your choice. But only when both of them combine together
the result is achievable. Why, because sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti is pathyam,
vēdānta śravaṇam is the auṣadha sēva.
वस्तुस्वर स्फुटबोधच�ुष
स्वेनै वेद्य न तु पिण्डते |
चन्द्रस् �नजच�ुषैव
�ातव्यमन्यैरवगम् �कम ् ||५४||
vastusvarūpaṁ sphuṭabōdhacakṣuṣā
svēnaiva vēdyaṁ na tu paṇḍitēna |
candrasvarūpaṁ nijacakṣuṣaiva
jñātavyamanyairavagamyatē kim ||54||
Another example. Śankarācārya wants to emphasise that you have to work for your
mōkṣa; repeatedly, because there are lot of misconception with regard to this.
Because there are certain systems of philosophy, who have concluded that mōkṣa is
the Will of God only. So you have no say over mōkṣa. Bhagavān alone has to decide
mōkṣa and they also have some supporting upaṇiṣad mantras also.
नायमात्म प्रवचन लभ्य

न मेधया न बहुना श्रुत ।
यमेवैष वण ु तेन लभ्य
ृ ते
तस्यै आत्म �ववण
ृ ते
ु तनँू स्वा म ॥ २३॥
nāyamātmā pravacanēna labhyō
na mēdhayā na bahunā śrutēna |
yamēvaiṣa vr̥ṇutē tēna labhyaḥ
tasyaiṣa ātmā vivr̥ṇutē tanūm̐ svām || 23||
There is a controversial mantra; which also seems to support this view.
If Bhagavān decides you will get mōkṣa, no sādhanā is required. If Bhagavān has
decided against your mōkṣa, any amount of sādhanā you do, it is useless. அப்ெப
என் அர்த். Either way, your sādhanā is useless. Why? If Bhagavān is favourable,
Page 241

sādhanā is not required. If Bhagavān is not favourable, sādhanā are useless.

Therefore either way, they say you have to only do śaraṇāgati; we have only do
prapatthi and just remain; அவர எப்ேப ேவணேமா, prapatthi பண்ணற applications
அ�ப்பற; therefore you do the prapathi or śaraṇāgati, which is a ritualistic process,
and they say that afterwards Bhagavān may take your application at any time.
And if Bhagavān does not consider, approach through Mrs. Bhagavān. Thāyār;
therefore if she makes the recommendation; even the Mrs. அப்ப�ேயதான ் இ�க;
therefore I do not know; the other person recommends; recommended by universal

mother, universal father decides to give mōkṣa to you. Therefore do not do all these
things; śaraṇāgati; sarva dharmān parithyajya maam ēva śaraṇāṇaṁ vrāja;
ப�த்�க்ே; எ�தி�க்கேவ ேவண்ட; ahaṁ tvam sarva paapebhya mōkṣa ishyami
bhāratha. These verses are confusing verses. The people have concluded that
Bhagavān will give mōkṣa.
Here Śankarācārya wants to take out all that false notions and he put the
responsibility on your head and says: You have to work.
More later.
Hari Om.
Page 242

पथ्यमौषधसेव च �क्रय येन रो�गणा |

आरोग्य�स�द्धदृर्ष नान्यानुिष्ठतकमर ||५३||
pathyamauṣadhasēvā ca kriyatē yēna rōgiṇā |
ārōgyasiddhirdr̥ṣṭā:'sya nānyānuṣṭhitakarmaṇā ||53||
वस्तुस्वर स्फुटबोधच�ुष
स्वेनै वेद्य न तु पिण्डते |
चन्द्रस् �नजच�ुषैव
�ातव्यमन्यैरवगम् �कम ् ||५४||
vastusvarūpaṁ sphuṭabōdhacakṣuṣā
svēnaiva vēdyaṁ na tu paṇḍitēna |
candrasvarūpaṁ nijacakṣuṣaiva
jñātavyamanyairavagamyatē kim ||54|
In Verse 49, we found the main set of questions asked by student and the entire
Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi is an answer to these seven questions alone. And through these
answers all the important aspects of vēdānta have been brought out and the teacher
begins his answer from the 50 verse onwards; and before directly answering the
question, first the teacher appreciates the student for his interest in ātma jñānaṁ;
because it is a very very rare teaching. Mōkṣa seekers themselves are very few.
Among the mōkṣa seekers also, very few know that jñānaṁ is the only means of
knowledge of mōkṣa and even among the seekers of knowledge, only very few know
that vēdantic study is the only means of knowledge. And even among the seekers of
vēdantic study, still very few only know that it has to be done under the guidance of
a guru.
Thus the one who asks for this knowledge, through the study of vēdānta under the
guidance of a teacher is the rarest one and therefore the teacher glorifies the
student and he also points out that in the case of other puruṣārthas, dharma, artha
and kāma, one can fulfil the desire through somebody else. One need not directly
work for their fulfilment; we can engage someone to do that; even in the case of
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rituals; there are many people who say that in our house, saptaśathi pārāyaṇam
takes place. They say every pournami, every Friday, etc. And suppose you say it is
wonderful; and how many hours you do the pārāyaṇam; and they say that No No
No, we have engaged a priest who will do the pārāyaṇam. And suppose I ask how
many hours does it take him to do the pārāyaṇam; then they say I do not know
because I have paid him and I go wherever I want to. They come and they do
pārāyaṇam, and they go away. But still this person will get the benefit because that
priest will take the saṅkalpa for the benefit of this person, I am doing this
pārāyaṇam. Thus in the case of worldly puruṣārtaḥs, in the case of ritualistic
puruṣārtaḥas, I can engage someone to do things for me; but in the case of mōkṣa,
there is no question of proxy; I myself will have to work.
And Śankarācārya wants to emphasise that; and therefore he gives various

examples. One example he gives what; removal of the hunger. When my hunger has
to go away, I alone have to eat; I cannot engage someone to eat for me. Similarly
another is removal of disease. When I have to remove the disease, taking the
medicine and also following the discipline, I alone have to do, I cannot engage
someone to do that. Similarly in the case of mōkṣa I have to work.
And the same idea is continued in the following verses also, and we are seeing the
54th verse, wherein he says, that this knowledge also has to be gained with the help
of my own intellect. The knowledge has to be gained with the help of my intellect
only. I cannot use somebody else's intellect to gain the knowledge. So some other
intellect may be scholarly; some other person might have pure intellect. Sādhanā
catustya sampanna intellect no use; I will have to use, unlike a pen; suppose your
pen, often it happens; ெராம் carefulஅ ெகாண்�வந்தி�ப்; we start and it does not
write; and if your pen does not write, you can borrow somebody else's and write.
And suppose your intellect does not listen. Suppose can you ask: ெகாஞ் intellect
கடம �ேடன; அைத ெவச்சிண ேகட்� அத்திக ேபாய� copy பண்ண�ண தேறன
ெசான்ன; you cannot do that; for that he gives an example. If there is a beautiful
moon and you want to enjoy that moon, you have to use your own eyes alone;
somebody else seeing the moon and giving a beautiful description of the moon also
will not help. If I have to enjoy the benefit; I should see the moon with my own
eyes. Somebody else seeing is also useless; for me; useful for him; and he gives a
brilliant description also; both are useless. I have to get aparōkṣa jñānaṁ, with the
help of my own buddhi.
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This is the idea here; vasthu svarūpam, vasthu means reality. The ultimate truth is
called vasthu. So in Saṁsr̥kt the word vasthu has got two meanings; one meaning is
any object in the world is called vasthu; any object in the world is called vasthu, a
chair can be called vasthu, pen, book, any object; this is one meaning. But in the
context of vēdānta; the word vasthu has a specific meaning and this is paramārthika
satyam; the absolute reality. And the corresponding opposite avasthu means mithya
or unreal.
Therefore in vēdantic context world is avasthu; body is avasthu; everything up to

māya is avasthu; there avasthu means unreal; Brahman is the only vasthu; it means
reality. It is derived from the Saṁsr̥kt root, vas, to exist. vasathi; asthi, sarvadha
asthi ithi vasthu; that which exists eternally. That which is unnegatable is called
vasthu; in short satyam. So vasthu svarūpam means the nature of reality; svēnaiva
vēdyaṁ has to be known by oneself. The nature of reality has to be known by
oneself through what means? Sputa bōdhacakṣuṣā; through the eyes of clear
understanding; through the eyes of clear understanding; bōdhaḥ means jñānaṁ,
sputa bōdhaḥ means clear jñānaṁ, cakṣuṣā means eye; jñāna cakṣuṣāḥ vēdyaṁ.
And why does he use the word jñāna cakṣuḥ; because the ordinary eye can never
know the reality; and therefore we require the eyes of wisdom. That lone is
symbolically represented in the purāṇās as the third eye in the forehead; it is a
symbolic eye of jñānaṁ. Many people think that there is a physical eye in the
forehead and they try to open it; சில ேபர; screwdriver use பண்�வ; so do not take
it as a physical eye; there is no such thing; some people call it ajñā cakram; and
even ajñā cakram is symbolic; there is no such thing called a physical or subtle eye;
if at all you call it subtle eye it should be understood as antha kāraṇam. ajñā cakram
also should be understood as antha kāraṇam; do not think that physically six
chakras are there; and it is going to do this and when the ajñā cakram is activated
wisdom will take place and all these are not true; ajñā cakram means buddhi;
activation of buddhi is vēdantic study.
By prāṇāyāma you cannot activate ajñā cakra; if at all ajñā chakra is activated, it
means the activation of buddhi; which means vēdānta śravaṇa manana
nidhidhyāsana. If you want to try by any other method, we can try. But it would not
work and therefore, bōdhaḥ cakṣuḥ means knowledge born out of śāstra vicāra;
through that alone the nature of reality has to be known and that too by whom?
svēna ēva; that is important; svēna ēva means by oneself only. No proxy if the
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intellect can be loaned, loaning the intellect can be done; if its done that one person
gets sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti. அ�க்கப்ப; ஒ�வாரம அவன்க loan; ஒ�வாரம
இவ�க் loan; எல்லா��ம் ேல; இப்ேப surrogate motherhood வந்தி�க
இல்லேய; loaning the womb; womb itself is loaned; therefore I do not know; one
day the intellect would be loaned; if that is possible; it is worth waiting, because
getting sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti is so difficult; that is somebody else's buddhi
can be taken for loan, it would be fine; but unfortunately it will never happen. I have
to refine my buddhi and I have to gain the knowledge. Let it take 500 million
janmas, does not matter; we have to do it.
And therefore, svēnaiva vēdyaṁ na tu paṇḍitēna. Not by any other wise man.
anyēna paṇḍitēna; that anya word is important. We have to supply that. na tu
paṇḍitēna; not by any other wise man; only we have to know that.
And an example is given. candrasvarūpaṁ nijacakṣuṣaiva jñātavyam. Śankarācārya

takes the beautiful example of the moon; because in the scriptures moon is
presented as the source of delight. And that is true also, that when we see the full
moon, certainly there is ānandaḥ. Therefore moon is ānanada janakam; ātma is
also ānandaḥ janakam. And therefore moon example is given. So this pleasing form
of moon; this attractive form of moon, the cooling form of moon; nijacakṣuṣaiva
jñātavyam has to be experienced by; has to be directly known by one's own eyes
only. Even in the case of eyes, now the science has advanced enough to transfer.
Eye donation has started. So therefore we can give the eyes after death or even
while alive; kidney donation வந்தாச; eye donation வந்தாச; only one donation has
not come; buddhi donation; donation வந்தா�, நமக் இ�கேகா இல்லேய
��க்கறத்�. Let us assume that we have it to donate; unfortunately buddhi

donation is not possible. Brain replacement we have not yet discovered. I do not
know what all will be the consequence to end up in that; candrasvarūpaṁ
nijacakṣuṣaiva jñātavyam; nija means what? One's own; has to be known by one's
own eye alone; anyairavagamyatē kim; can I experience the beauty of the moon
with the help of somebody else's eyes; it is never possible.
अ�वद्याकामकमार्�दपाशबन �वमो�चतम
ु ्|
कः शक्नुयद्�वनात्मा कल्पको�टशतैर� ||५५||
avidyākāmakarmādipāśabandaṁ vimōcitum |
kaḥ śaknuyādvinātmānaṁ kalpakōṭiśatairapi ||55||
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So the same idea is further repeated to emphasise self-effort. So puruṣārtaḥ as I

said other people can give assistance. Guru also can give assistance by teaching.
Śāstra also can assist the guru kripa can help; śāstra kripa can also help; even
Īśvara kripa can only give assistance; but none of them can replace our Will or effort
and therefore our freewill has to be appropriately used and all the others can serve
as only booster ariel and suppose a person keeps booster ariel; I say it is wonderful;
and I ask him where did you buy and how valuable it is; and all of them; and I
asked him what television he has got. He has அதில்ை எங�ட்ை. I do not have the
television; I have got the ariel; what is the use? Similarly Īśvara kripa is ariel only;
guru kripa is ariel only. Śāstra kripa is ariel only. The television which is real thing
which is irreplaceable by any number of ariels is your will and your effort. And
therefore Śankarācārya further asks; ātmānam vina kaha bandam vimochitum
śaknuyād. Who can remove the bondage? So who can throw away the bondage;
remove the shackles; ātmāna vina; other than oneself. Even God cannot remove my
bondage, guru cannot remove my bondage, śāstra cannot remove my bondage, if I
try to remove; if I work for removal, they can all assist me; but they themselves
cannot do anything.
Therefore pasa bandam; the bondage in the form of shackles; kaḥ śaknuyād. Who
can remove? ātmaanam vina; here ātma means oneself. Reflective pronoun; here
ātma does not mean satchidānandaḥ ātma; here ātma means oneself; that is one's
own body mind complex. Kaśaknuyā vimochitum śaknuyād kalpakōṭiśatairapi; even if
all others are working for kalpakōṭiśata; kōṭi śatam; 100 crores and kalpa is a
duration of time; which is life-time or one day of Brahmāji is called kalpa and what is
that; we have seen elsewhere that the one day of Brahmāji is 2000 caturyugās;
2000 caturyugās is supposed to be one day of Brahmāji is called a kalpa and like
that 100 crores kalpās; 100 crores x 2000 caturyugās, others may work for you
including God; they cannot help you out; kalpakōṭiśatairapi.
And what is the bondage consisting of? The local shackle maybe made up or iron,
steel or anything; rope it may be; but the human bondage is not made up of metals
or rope; it is made up of a powerful string, unseen string, with three strands. You
know; sometimes a string; a big rope is made up of two or three strands put
together.
Similarly, Saṁsāra banda is a fatty rope which consists of three stands intertwined
and what are those three strands; avidyā is one strand; kāma is the reinforcing
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second string; and karma is the third string and not only that secondary ones are
also there; ādhi; ādhi means karma phalam. So thus so many strings put together;
like in Tamil சாக் நா�; சணல; each one is a small one; so thin; you can easily break
it; but when you join hundreds or many it becomes so strong; that you cannot break
it.
Similarly like the theer vadam; etc. they use you know. They have got such powerful
string or shackle consisting of avidyā, kāma karma; strand; what is avidyā?
ignorance; ignorance of what? whenever we say ignorance, we should ask the
question, ignorance of what? Ignorance of Chinese will not create any bondage;
perhaps ignorance may be bliss there. So we are ignorant of so many other things,
that will not create problem. Here in vēdantic context, ignorance means ignorance of
my own real nature. Ātma avidyā ityarthaḥ;
And what is the next strand? kāma, which is the consequence. How does avidyā
cause kāma? Kāma means desire; so my real nature is pūrṇatvam; fullness. And if I
am ignorant of my fullness; I am going to mistake myself as incomplete. So
pūrṇatva ajñānaṁ will cause apūrṇatvam adhyāsa. Ignorance of completeness will
lead to the notion of incompleteness. Thus all of us are born ignorant. And therefore
all of us are born with the notion of incompleteness. And once I have concluded that
I am incomplete, then what happens? I have to struggle to make myself complete.
And the struggle starts from childhood itself. It starts with toys. So with a set of
toys; I want to complete myself and after playing with the toy for sometime, I throw
away that toy and cry for another. That is why you find any new mother, wherever
she goes; you will find that she will have a big basket of toys; so that she can
circulate it. He plays with the one toy for one minute; throws away, next toy; next
toy, etc. Again go back to the first one. The only difference is that the boy is small
one and then as he grows up the toys are replaced. For some people different
compāṇies become toys; they are not happy with one job; switch over to another;
switch over to another; switch over to another. Some people change houses; and
some people change wives also; and some people change husbands also; this is my
seventh if you say; she will say, this is my eighth. So therefore each one is
changing; scooters, houses and all those things, but it will not work, because by
getting from external things; we are not going to find completeness because it is not
outside.
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That is why if you are not happy with one wife, you are not going to be with any
wife. And if you are happy with one wife, you can be happy without a wife also. So
therefore, ultimately, completeness does not come from outside. Therefore from
childhood onwards, the struggle begins. And this struggle for completion is called
kāmaḥ; and the kāma leads to varieties of karma; and struggle for completion leads
to varieties of karma; pravr̥tti and nivr̥tti; pravr̥tti means buying; nivr̥tti, selling; இந்
வ �ட்ை வ�த்; அங்ெ ஒ� வ �ட்ை வாங்கின; அந் வ �ட்ை வ�த் இன� ஒ� வ �ட்ை
வாங்கின; buying and selling spree; they are all called karma; and karma leading to
karma phalam; karma phalam leading to what? punarjanma, punarjanma leading to
what, again janma. So this cyclic process of struggle is called powerful shackle; and
this you cannot get rid of by any method; any method other than knowing the fact
that I am pūrṇaḥ by myself. I do not need external thing for my happiness or
pūrṇatvam and the external thing cannot make me pūrṇa also.
न योगेन न सांख्ये कम्

र ण नो न �वद्यय |
ब्रह्मात्मैकत्व मो�ः �सध्य� नान्यथ ||५६||
na yōgēna na sāṁkhyēna karmaṇā nō na vidyāyā |
brahmātmaikatvabōdhēna mōkṣaḥ sidhyati nānyathā ||56||
The importance of self-effort. Now he wants to put a clause in that. An additional

condition. Self effort alone is not enough; the self-effort should be in the appropriate
direction; and adequate. Adequate and proper self-effort is important. I have talked
about this before. If I want to reach the road; I have to walk. Walking is the effort;
but mere walking is not enough; I should walk in the direction of the road; if I am
going to walk from here to there; if direction is not there, I will get only more and
more tired and I do not reach the destination; not only I do not reach the
destination; if the direction is improper, I go away from the destination. Like noting
the bus number. I asked which No. will go to Annanagar. And this person said No.41
or so and so. And I am totally new to Madras. And he has said that you need not say
anything; last stop ெசான் ேபா�ம; last stop is Anna Nagar only. So I got into the
proper number and I also said the last stop. I do not know whether you have got
the thing. If you do not get, I will tell you. We got out in the last stop and not only
we are in Anna Nagar, he is much much far away from Anna Nagar. How come?
because every busstop comes on both sides of the road; 41 is there in this side of
the road; and the same stop is there on the other side also. I should also ask; on
which side of the road, otherwise the bus will be going in the opposite direction.
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Therefore, right direction is important; even direction is not enough; I have to travel
sufficiently. Suppose I get down in the next stop or the second stop, I may be
travelling in the right direction; but I have to wait until my stop comes. That is why
we say proper and adequate. Both these words are important.
And therefore in the following verses, Śankarācārya says: self-effort for mōkṣa also
involves proper and adequate effort; proper effort means vēdantic study. Any other
thing is effort; but it is not proper. So here Śankarācārya says vēdantic study;
assuming that a person has got sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti; that is assumed;
otherwise, first proper effort is the sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti. Assuming that he
has got sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti, that is a pure mind; the proper effort is what?
Vēdantic study, which is called śravaṇam.
And later Śankarācārya is going to say even śravaṇam is not complete because
vēdānta śravaṇam is proper effort but that is not adequate. Adequacy is only when
śravaṇam is followed by mananam and nidhidhyāsanam. Mere śravaṇam is only
proper effort; but it is not adequate effort. Therefore, in the following verses,
Śankarācārya emphasises the propriety of the effort and the adequacy of the effort.
And without the vēdantic study, a person may do various other things sincerely; but
all the sincerity is useless. That is what is said here. yōgēna na mōkṣaḥ sidyati. One
may study yōga śāstra extremely well; the Yōga sūtras of Pathanjali a person might
know; his Saṁsr̥kt commentary; even Śankarācārya himself is supposed to have
written a commentary, we do not know; a person might study the yōga śāstra
thoroughly; it is utterly useless because yōga śāstra talks about dvaitam only which
keeps a person in bondage.
According to yōga śāstra, jīva, jagat and Īśvara all these three are different. Jīva is
never Īśvara; and Īśvara is never jagat; they are all different. Therefore yōga śāstra
is called dvaitva śāstram. And even if a person studies the aṣṭanga yōga which is
supposed to be a wonderful discipline for integrating the personality; aṣṭanga yōga
which we discussed in our introduction is a wonderful discipline for integrating the
personality; but that integration itself cannot give mōkṣa. So integration will give
what; Integration. Therefore previously I was unintegrated ignorant person; now I
am an integrated ignorant person. Yōga śāstra cannot give aikya jñānaṁ; because
yōga śāstra itself deals with bēda jñānaṁ only and even the ātma is many according
to that śāstra; you have one ātma; he has one ātma; he has one ātma; I have one
ātma; ātma bahutva darśanam it is.
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Therefore Śankarācārya says use yōga for integration but with that you have to
renounce that. Use yōga for maintaining your health. Not more than that. Therefore
yōgēna na mōkṣaḥ sidyati; No mōkṣa through yōga.
And what about Sāṅkya śāstra? Na sāṅkyēna mōkṣa sidhyati. Even sāṅkya
philosophy cannot give mōkṣa. Why because sāṅkya philosophy also is dvaita
śāstram alone; because they also talk about difference between jīva and jagat; and
they also say ātmas are many in Number. In fact, sāṅkya and yōga are very closed
systems of philosophy. There are only very few differences; one main difference is
supposed to be sāṅkya does not accept the Īśvara; therefore they have got jīva and
jagat; whereas yōga has got jīva, jagat and Īśvara. One is dvaitam; the other one is
traitam. But both of them are not advaitam. And therefore yōga cannot give; sāṅkya
cannot give.
And when we use the word sāṅkya, we should understand clearly, the word sāṅkya
has got two meanings; one is the sāṅkya philosophy of Kapila Muni, which is dvaita
śāstram. The sāṅkya philosophy of Kapila muni is clean dvaita śāstram and the
word sāṅkya is used in the meaning of vēdānta also. Sāṅkya means the vēdānta
darśanam of the upaṇiṣads. That is also called Sāṅkya. That is why the second
chapter of the Gītā is called sāṅkya yōga. இந் slōka தில் அந்த அர்த்தம் எ�
படா�; Śankarācārya ெசால்லிய��க்க; na sāṅkyēna; na yōgēna; hereafterwards I

will not study the second chapter of Gītā because it is sāṅkya yōga.
Therefore in the second chapter of the Gītā, the word sāṅkya means vēdānta.
Advaita śāstram. Here the word sāṅkya means dvaita śāstram. We will call it dvaita
sāṅkya and advaita sāṅkya. Dvaita sāṅkyēna na mōkṣaḥ; advaita sāṅkyēna ēva
mōkṣaḥ.
And in the Bhāgavata purāṇam, there is a sāṅkya taught by Kapila muni; adding to
confusion. In the Bhāgavata, the word Kapila refers to not Kapila muni of dvaita
śāstram; there Kapila is Bhagavān's avatāra; therefore in the Bhāgavatam also
advaita sāṅkya alone is talked about by Kapila avatāram; dwaita sāṅkya is talked by
Kapila Muni; advaita sāṅkya is given by Kapila avatāram. Kapila muni is different;
Kapila avatāram is different; dvaita sāṅkyam is different; advaita sāṅkyam is
different. Dwaita sāṅkyam of Kapila muni cannot liberate. Advaita sāṅkyam of
Kapila avatāra alone can liberate. That is the idea; so na sankyena.
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Then karmaṇā nō mōkṣaḥ sidhyati; karmaṇā means by rituals; or worldly activities.

Loukika vaidika karmaṇā; any amount of worldly activities; or any amount of
scriptural activities cannot give liberation. So here also, one should carefully
understand. Here Śankarācārya is not criticising or negating rituals. Only reading the
verses; many people have concluded Śankarācārya condemns rituals. A very very
wide misconception; Śankarācārya condemns rituals; it is not at all true.
Śankarācārya never condemns rituals. Śankarācārya himself has said in the 11th
verse of Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi, �चत्तस शद्ध
ु कमर cittasya śuddhayē karma; purity of mind
can come only through karma. That Śankarācārya himself has said; purity of mind
can come only through karma. Then what does Śankarācārya criticise. What does he
criticise? Not rituals; but he is criticising continuation of karma after purity. That
clause is important. He does not outright criticise karma, he says karma is extremely
important; but he says continuation of karma after purity is useless. I gave you the
example. When I criticise the washing of the hand; I say washing the hand will not
remove the hunger; therefore I would not wash my hand and eat without washing
the hand? No; washing the hand is extremely important. Otherwise the food itself
can become poisonous.
What we are criticising is after washing the hand, I go on washing; and I ask you
why do not you eat and you say No time Svāmiji and I have been washing from
morning 6 till night; I do not have time to eat, do not you feel like laughing at him.
Similarly you have to do rituals and you have to do prayers and japa, etc. and after
some time, gradually grow out of it; and replace it by vēdānta śravaṇa manana
nidhydhyaśana. Therefore na karmaṇā means karma after purity is to be
condemned, renunciation of karma before purity is dangerous. Not only not good; it
is dangerous. Because he will not get knowledge; he has renounced karma also; so
he will not get any benefit; he will become worse than a human being; in the Gītā it
is said that they alone become rākṣasaḥ bhavanti; asuraḥ bhavanti; whoever give up
pooja before purity. And therefore here na karmaṇā mōkṣaḥ means karma gives
only purity.
Similarly na vidyāya. The word vidyā here can be taken as upāsana; upāsana means
meditation on saguṇa Īśvara; yōga śāstra also talks about meditation; but they talk
about meditation on various chakras, etc. They say meditate upon moolādhāra;
svadiṣṭana, manipuraka; ājna chakra; between the eyebrows. Vēda does not accept
Page 252

that. It is an unvēdic prescription of meditation. Concentrating between the

eyebrows and kanta etc. vēda does not prescribe that. If you want to meditate, vēda
says meditate upon Īśvara. Chakra meditation cannot give you any benefit; It does
not give you adr̥ṣṭaḥ phalam. Even if you want to meditate; meditate upon the Lord
within yourselves; it says imagine your heart; in the heart you can visualise, Rāma,
Krishna, Devi, anyone; chakra meditation is a yōgic prescription and when yōga
prescribes something which is contradictory to vēda, which one do you choose. And
when there is contradiction between yōga and vēda; we renounce yōga. But when
there is an agreement between yōga and vēda; yōga also says praṇāyāma is useful;
vēda also says praṇāyāma is useful. Practice that; not too much hanging on the
nose. just enough control. Yōga also talks about sensory restraint. Vēda also talks
about sensory restraint. Yōga calls it pratāyahāra; vēda calls it śama; names are
different. you can follow. yōga talks about chakra meditation; vēda talks about
Īśvara meditation; there is a contradiction, which one you should renounce;
renounce yōga. And that Īśvara dhyānam is called vidyā. And here Śankarācārya
says even the Īśvara dhyānam; even the Īśvara dhyānam cannot give mōkṣa.
Īśvara dhyānam cannot give mōkṣa; because you are within dvaitam; Īśvara is
there; I am here; he is upādya; I am the upāsaka; bhēda is there.
But this criticism of upāsana also must be carefully understood; upāsana is not
totally negated; upāsana is negated after what you call integrating the mind; citta
egagratha prāpthi anantharam upāsana; upāsana is the only means of making the
mind quiet; a restless mind can become quiet only by upāsana. Can vēdantic study
make this mind; do not ask; vēdantic study is not possible without a quiet mind.
Therefore vēdantic study is not to quieten the mind; vēdantic study is made by an
already quitened mind. So what will quieten the mind; upāsana alone can quieten
the mind. Therefore upāsana is extremely important. If a person renounces that, he
is again in trouble. That Śankarācārya criticises is: after quietening the mind, do not
continue upāsana alone; grow out of upāsana and commit yourself to vēdānta
śravaṇa, manana nidhidhyāsana.
Therefore na vidyāya means; for a man of quiet mind, upāsana is useless because it
cannot give mōkṣa. To say that this will not give mōkṣa; this will not give mōkṣa;
this will not give mōkṣa; எ�தான mōkṣa ைத ��க்�;
What will give mōkṣa; he says brahma ātma ekatva bodhena. So only brahma ātma
aikya jñānaṁ. Advaita jñānaṁ. Abeda jñānaṁ. So Sāṅkya is useless; yōga is useless;
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karma kāndam is useless; upāsana kāndam is useless. Useless means after getting
the qualifications, and jñāna kāndam alone is useful; after getting the qualifications.
அைத பக்கத்திேல எ�திக்�ேங; after getting the qualifications. Sāṅkya, yōga,
karma kāndam, and upāsana kāndam all are useless.
And then what is useful? jñāna kāndam. And what is jñāna kāndam? Brahma ātma
aikya bōdhaḥ. Mōkṣaḥ sidhyati na anyathaa; Not by any other means.
वीणाया रूपसौन्द तन्त्रीवादनसौष् |
प्रजारञ्जनम तन् साम्राज् कल्पत ||५७||

vīṇāyā rūpasaundaryaṁ tantrīvādanasauṣṭhavam |
prajārañjanamātraṁ tanna sāmrājyāya kalpatē ||57||
So we have got so many disciplines of knowledge. So many sciences are there. Many
material sciences are there; then in the religious side itself, śikṣa; kalpa,
vyakāraṇam; niruktam; chanda, jyotiṣam, upāsana; so many branches are there;
they talk about catur daśa vidyāstānāni; 14 disciplines of scriptural science or
scriptural knowledge and in that we talk about ātma jñānaṁ, one discipline; and
here Śankarācārya wants to say that spiritual knowledge is also a knowledge; but do
not take it as one of the disciplines which is optional. So also ran group do not
include.
There is a difference between all other knowledge and spiritual knowledge. All
others are apara vidyās; this one is para vidyā; all others are material sciences; this
is spiritual science. And in Saṁsr̥kt the word jñānaṁ is commonly used for all of
them. Tarka if you study it is called jñānaṁ. Vyakāraṇam, if you study it is called
jñānaṁ. It is knowledge; and by getting tarka jñānaṁ also I become what; jñāni.
become jñāni means what one who has got jñānaṁ. By studying vyakāraṇam also, I
can claim myself to be a jñāni and by studying brahma vidyā another person can
claim he is a jñāni; that even though we can call everyone a jñāni; but there is a
very important difference between this jñāni and that jñāni.
Technically everyone call I am a jñāni; why because I have knowledge; what

knowledge you have? minimum 2+2 is 4 I know; that is jñānaṁ. So therefore jñāni
the word remaining the same; a very big difference is there; when one jñāni knows
Brahmātma aikyam; other jñānis know everything other than this. And this
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Śankarācārya wants to present through a Saṁsr̥kt language punning; a beautiful

way of presenting it in terms of saṁskr̥t derivation. How he does that we will see in
the next class.
Hari Om.
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अ�वद्याकामकमार्�दपाशबन �वमो�चतुम ् |
कः शक्नुयाद्�वनात्म कल्पको�टशतैर� ||५५||
avidyākāmakarmādipāśabandaṁ vimōcitum |
kaḥ śaknuyādvinātmānaṁ kalpakōṭiśatairapi ||55||
न योगेन न सांख्ये कम्

र ण नो न �वद्यय |
ब्रह्मात्मैकत्व मो�ः �सध्य� नान्यथ ||५६||
na yōgēna na sāṁkhyēna karmaṇā nō na vidyāyā |
brahmātmaikatvabōdhēna mōkṣaḥ sidhyati nānyathā ||56||
The student asked a set of questions which are the basic questions connected with
self-knowledge, in verse No.49, and the entire Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi is an answer to these
seven questions alone. And by way of answering these questions, all the important
aspects of vēdantic teachings have been brought out and the teacher begins his
reply from verse No.50 and before he actually starts replying, he congratulates the
student and by way of congratulating the student, the teacher is glorifying all the
mumukṣus of the world, because most of the people are after dharma, artha and
kāma only. Only very rare people are sincerely interested in mōkṣa and therefore
first the teacher glorifies the mumukṣu; mumukṣu stuti or the jijñāsu stuti; the
glorification of the seeker of knowledge and also the teacher glorifies the self-
knowledge itself; which is a unique knowledge which alone liberates.
And that portion we are seeking, which is very verse No.50 to 71. Śiṣya stuti and
jñāna stuti and there we have seen verse No.56 in which the teacher said any other
knowledge will not give liberation; only the knowledge of ātma can give. So sāṅkya
philosophy cannot liberate; yōga philosophy cannot liberate; even karma kānda
knowledge or practice cannot liberate; even upāsana khānda knowledge or its
practice cannot liberate. Even though karma kānda belongs to the vēda; even
though upāsana kānda belongs to the vēda; even they cannot liberate a person.
But this should be carefully understood; we are not totally condemning karma and
upāsana; when Śankarācārya says they cannot liberate, it should not be liberated as
they are useless. When we say that they cannot liberate, we only say that they
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cannot liberate. If a question is asked: are they useful, then our answer is: they are
very very useful; not only they are useful, they are compulsory for all seekers.
Nobody can come to vēdānta without going to karma and upāsana. Karma does not
mean vēdic rituals alone; karma means any types of prayerful action which is meant
to purify the mind. Upāsana also is any type of prayer which will reduce the
extrovertedness of the mind and therefore karma and upāsana are useful and they
are compulsory for all; as a preparatory discipline.
What Śankarācārya says is that they will do the preparation only and after following
them do not take them as end in themselves. After karma and upāsana, one has to
go to the next stage of jñānaṁ and therefore he said ब्रह्मात्मैकत्व
brahmātmaikatvabōdhēna.
And that is what I said in my Introduction. without vēdānta, karma and

upāsana are incomplete; without karma and upāsana, vēdānta is
impossible. This is our approach. Without vēdānta, karma and upāsana are
incomplete; without karma and upāsana, vēdānta is impossible.
Therefore the advice is go to karma, upāsana, jñānaṁ. All these three are
compulsory. And therefore Śankarācārya said brahmātmaikatvabōdhēna vina,
mōkṣaḥ na siddyati. Without the knowledge of jivātma-paramātma aikyam, mōkṣa
cannot come by any other means. Up to this we saw.
वीणाया रूपसौन्द तन्त्रीवादनसौष् |

प्रजारञ्जनम तन् साम्राज् कल्पत ||५७||
vīṇāyā rūpasaundaryaṁ tantrīvādanasauṣṭhavam |
prajārañjanamātraṁ tanna sāmrājyāya kalpatē ||57||
So in this verse, Śankarācārya wants to differentiate vēdānta śāstram and all other
śāstrams in the world. Put in English knowledge, spiritual science and all other
material sciences, whether it is tarka śāstram, vyakāraṇa śāstram or mīmāṁsa
śāstram or you can include other sciences also; economic, physics, astrology or
astronomy, all of them; and even coming to the vēda, karma khānda is also
considered material science, even upāsana is considered material science. In fact
any śāstram dealing with anātma. Any śāstram dealing with anātma. In karma
kānda, we are talking about the various materials, various oblations, etc. they are all
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ātma or anātma; anātma only. By that one may go to svarga lōkaḥ; that is also
anātma.
Therefore even the karma kānda which deals with religious rituals is considered
material science only. It may lead you to spiritual science; by itself it is material
science. And in upāsana also, that is meditation, when a person meditates upon
various dēvatās, he is meditating upon their body or the ātma; the very fact that the
dēvatās are described that they have got this vāhanam, and they have got so many
hands and in each hand, they have got so many weapons or instruments; they are
all anātma or ātma? So all the dēvatā varṇanaṁs, which is objectifiable, which is
also anātma; and as a result of upāsana, one can go to Brahma lōkaḥ, which also
comes under anātma. Therefore karma śāstram is material science; upāsana śāstram
is material science and of course all the secular sciences are material sciences. In
Mundakopāṇiṣad, all of them are called apara vidyā. And the vēdānta śāstram, which
deals with ātma, that alone is called ātma vidyā or para vidyā.
And now the study of both śāstram or the build up of both śāstram, i.e. apara vidyā
and para vidyā are similar; they also have got words, sentences, chapters and
books. Commentaries are there for apara vidyā also; and for para vidyā also, we
have got upaṇiṣadic words, sentences are there, books are there; commentaries are
there. Both look very very similar.
And even in the method of study also, there is no difference. You are also coming to
school, children also are coming to school. There also a teacher is there; sitting on
the dais, here also a teacher is there sitting on the dais. There also they write notes;
here not only notes; cassettes also. In school, whether cassettes are there, I do not
know. Here also I talk about revising the previous portion; Examination ெவக்காத
�ைறேய தவ�ர; பாக்க எல்லா similar- இ�க்.There also you get lot of doubts; and
I do not know whether you get any doubt here because our school method is only
memorising method; கடன �ெலக்க; வ�டாம memorise பண்ண� எ�தி மறந்�ட.
Anyway if you are a thinker, you get doubts and the teacher is supposed to answer
also sometimes and here also you get doubts. There also there is a systematic
approach; whether it is physics, chemistry; there is the systematic approach. In
vēdānta also, there is a systematic approach, what is jīva, what is jagat, what is
Īśvara; what is tvam pada; what is tad pada, what is there direct meaning; what is
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its direct meaning; what is its implied meaning; and then we ultimately come to their
aikyam. In fact, we have got seven questions; systematically developed.
Therefore in all respects, apara vidyā and para vidyā appear similar. That is why
children are also surprised; when you use the word vēdānta class. What is this class.
Even I have got the habit of saying: I will do it in the next class. class என் இ�க்;
discourse ெசால்�வ; ேவேற என்னவாவ� ெசால்� I use the word class to indicate
the systematic approach. Discourse means a casual discussion on one topic; there
need not be any connection between one discourse and another. இன்க ெகாஞம
பக்த்தி பற்ற ெசால்; இன்னக dhyānamைத பற்றி ெசால்; இன்னக japaைத

பற்ற ெசால்.That is called discourse; I use the word Class to indicate that it is
systematic build up; there is a link between one class and the other; that is why I
give the example of building a house; when bricks are dumped; it will not make a
house; bricks are kept one after the other; and each brick is well-cemented and
connected with another. Only then will it become a useful livable house. Similarly
vēdānta is not a stray set of discourses, but it is a systematic consistent scheme of
teaching, in which build up the idea of jagat, jīva and Īśvara and final essential
wisdom is brahma satyam jagan mithya, jīvō-brahmaiva nāpara. I have to study the
world, in such a way, that I should clearly understand the unreality of the world. And
I should study the Brahman so clearly and thoroughly that I should know that it is
the reality. And not only that, my study should culminate in that wisdom that that
Reality is nothing but I-the-consciousness. Ahaṁ-satyam jagan mithya. This is a
huge multi storied building and therefore here also what, systematic approach is
there.
Thus we find that in all aspects, material science and spiritual science appear similar.
But Śankarācārya says there is a basic difference and what is that basic difference.
One is a liberating science whereas the other is a non-liberating or still worse a
binding science. Previously I was an incomplete-BA, or still worse, a miserable-BA;
now I have become, I have graduated to a miserable-MA. Saṁsāra is not gone and
then I may again further graduate into a miserable PhD. Therefore various branches
of sciences, I may learn, but that I am small. In fact, the more I study, the more
smaller I become because the more I know, the more I come to know how much I
do not know. Previously there was only a general ignorance; but now after studying
I know in one branch itself how much divisions are there. So one dentist was telling;
the dentistry there are seven branches. நம் என் நிைநச்�ண இ�ந்ேதா; one
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medical science is divided into ENT specialisation; eye specialisation, etc. and there
is specialisation in பல். பல்ை தட்டறத்�க் ப�க்கற. To just knock off the teeth.
Now they say that there are seven or more disciplines within dentistry itself. In eye
also like that. Retina only specialist. Pupil only specialist. The more I learn, the more
vaster areas of ignorance, exposes itself. At the end of many years of study, I have
become bigger or smaller. I end up smaller.
So Śankarācārya wants to say that, one who studies apara vidyā also is vidvān.
Vidvān means vidyāvan. One who studies para vidyā is also a vidvān. Because by
definition vidvān means the one who has vidyā. Apara vidyā also makes a person
vidvān; para vidyā also makes a person vidvān. After para vidyā also I can claim I
am a jñāni; jñāni means ஞ்னான உடயவன; I have got the knowledge of apara
vidyā; I can technically call myself a jñāni; para vidyā who has grasped he is also a
jñāni. Śankarācārya says, even though the words are same, which word, he is also a
jñāni, this person is also a jñāni, he is also vidvān; that person is also vidvān; he is
also a paṇḍitaḥ; that person is also paṇḍitaḥ.
Even though the words are similar, their consequence, results are totally different.
To convey this idea; Śankarācārya gives an example. What is that example? He says
the word Rāja, in Saṁsr̥kt language, every word has got a derived-meaning. In fact
words are derived from the roots by adding prefixes and suffixes. Therefore if you
go to the root, you can arrive at the meaning of the word. The word Rāja is derived
from ranj, from the root ranj. The meaning of the word ranj is to please a person, to
give joy; to give happiness. And Ranjanāt Rāja. A king is called Rāja because he has
to satisfy the people over whom he is ruling. What the Prime Minister or the Chief
Minister நம்மை என் பண்ணண. நம்மை ஸன்ேதாஷம ெவச்�ககண. Whatever is
required, he should provide and he should keep the citizens happy. That is why
they always say: Rāma Rājyam; Rāma rājyam; Rāma rājyam; because it is described
in the Rāmayaṇa that when Rāma ruled, all the people were very happy. Therefore
what is the derivation of the word Rāja; Ranjanāt rāja. Raṇjanāt means jana
ranjanāt; prajā ranjanāt. And we all know that this Rāja is the master; he is a ruler;
he is a controller; he has got prabhutvam; svāmi tvam; he has got mastery; he has
got sovereignty. Therefore we all know that Rāja is a great; rājatvam is great.
Śankarācārya says: suppose there is a person who has got a wonderful veena. you
know veena is a musical instrument; a stringed musical instrument; and suppose he
has got a very attractive veena; and also he is an expert in playing the veena
instrument. And he gives the musical concert. And many people come. And by
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attending the musical concert, people become happy; because I said that he is a
good player; otherwise they will become unhappy. Therefore he has got expertise in
playing and therefore people have become happy because of his veena playing.
Therefore what he has done through his concert; he has done jana raṇjanaṁ. In
Tamil also ெசால்�வ; ெராம்ப ரஞ்கமா பாடற. And this veena player also is
doing what; jana raṇjanaṁ. Therefore according to grammar rules, he also can be
called; what; Rṇja; jana raṇjanāt, rāja. So what is the difference.
Even though he can claim himself to be a rāja, what is the difference; that rāja, the
original one has got sāṁrājyaṁ; he has got a sovereignty over the kingdom; empire,
whereas the vidvān does not have sovereignty over even his wife perhaps, we do
not know or the people around or the small family. Therefore the word rāja
remaining the same, one has freedom; another has no freedom.
And that is why they say; in India they abolished the Kings; and later privy purses
were given; that were removed; therefore they said all those rājās are the Rājās
obtaining in the pack of cards; king of spades, king of claver; king of diamonds; and
king of Hearts. Dayānanda svāmi says that once he had gone to some function in
Tanjavoor or so; and so the organisers had said that Rāja is going to inaugurate
your talk. And that Rāja has not come; Rāja means Svāmiji thought that in India
some traditional rājās are there; and he thought that he would come; and a big car
would come, etc. lot of pilot and etc. must be coming; and then somebody got down
from a cycle ricksaw. And they said that he is the Rāja. He has come to such a state
that they have removed the kingdom and they have removed all the titles and some
money was being given; and that is also gone; and what is remaining; title rāja
alone is remaining.
Here also the veena vidvān has got what? Title rāja is there but he has no
sāṁrājyaṁ. Similarly apara vidyā can also make a person a jñāni; para vidyā can
also make a person jñāni; the word jñāni remaining the same, there is a wide
difference.
And therefore do not take vēdantic study as the other study; even though the
method of study is the same. Here also, you have to attend the classes; and you
should not miss even one class; or else there would be problem, because you would
not get continuity; therefore the method of study is the same; but the result is
different. That is the idea.
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vīṇāyā rūpasaundaryaṁ; suppose a person has a veena, it has got attractive form;
veena is a stringed musical instrument you know and not only for look, for rūpa it is
wonderful; the śabda that it produces also is equally attractive. So first he said about
the rūpa and then he talks about the śabda. So rūpa dr̥ṣṭyā also jana raṇjakaṁ;
śabda dr̥ṣṭyā also it is jana raṇjakaṁ; because the player, the instrumentalist has got
tantrī vādana sauṣṭhavam; sauṣṭhavam means the facility, expertise, skill. The skill in
what? tantrī vadānam; in playing over the string; tantrī is the string; vadānam is the
playing. He might have skill over the string; so he might please the people through
the sound of music that it produces and because of the two; technically he can claim
what; that he is a rāja. Therefore Śankarācārya says: prāja raṇjana mātram tat; so
he is a rāja because he is doing what; prajā raṇjanaṁ; he is a rāja which gives him
the power to please the people only; he can give a temporary joy to people only; he
can have the rāja title; but what he cannot have; sāmrājyāya na kalpatē; just as the
other rāja enjoys the sovereignty over a kingdom; this veena vidvān cannot enjoy
that sovereignty. So therefore name alone is similar; it does not give him any power.
Similarly you have to extend it to jñānaṁ. Jñāni's status gained by studying apara
vidyā and jñāni status gained by studying para vidyā; the words are same but the
consequences are widely different. Na sāmrājyāya kalpatē; na kalpatē means not
capable of giving him sovereignty; overlordship.
वाग्वैखर शब्दझर शास्त्रव्याख्यानक |

वैदषु ्य �वदष
ु ां तद्वद्भुक न तु मुक्तय ||५८||
vāgvaikharī śabdajharī śāstravyākhyānakauśalam |
vaiduṣyaṁ viduṣāṁ tadvadbhuktayē na tu muktayē ||58||
Now in the following verses, Śankarācārya wants to talk about the vēdantic study
itself. So he wants to warn all vēdantic students by pointing out that he should have
a proper attitude towards vēdantic study also. If that is not there; vēdantic study
may not liberate a person or still verse, the vēdantic study itself can become another
type of golden shackle. If it is not properly used, it can also become a shackle. It can
become a scholarship trip, if we are not very alert. So Śankarācārya wants to
strongly warn this. So in many verses he warns about that.
What is the aim of vēdantic study? The aim is to remove all types of psychological
dependences which is called saṁsāra. Now I depend upon so many factors to be
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happy. If you are talking about physical dependence. Physical dependence is

unavoidable; I need food, clothing, shelter; if I grow old, I may require people or
walking stick; physical dependence is unavoidable; vēdānta does not cure or remove
physical dependence. But here we are dealing with psychological dependence;
depending upon external factors for the sense of security; sense of fulfilment; sense
of śāntiḥ or pūrṇatā, etc.
Now this dependence, we classify into four types; One dependence is the
dependence of the majority; dependence on the world; it is world dependence; to be
happy; to be comfortable, I depend upon the world, which means the people
around. If the people are not around; I will not be happy.
Even though all my needs are taken care of; somebody else is there to cook the
food; I would not be happy; I want this person to cook and still some people, not
only this person should cook; this person should only serve. I am not happy if wife
does not serve or my mother does not serve; and if that person does not serve, I do
not eat properly. These are psychological dependence. That is dependence on the
world; and the world comes under anātma.
And then thereafterwards, comes next one, dependence on God. So we say do not
depend upon the world all the time; because the objects in the world are perishable;
it does not last longer; and if there are people; they may change the mind; and in
fact they may give support from outside or inside to form the government; but you
do not know when they will pull the rug. That is at the national level. Another is at
the family level. Therefore we say do not depend upon the world, start depending
on God; is what we prescribe. Therefore have an iṣṭa dēvatā; and have Rāma
bhakthi Krishna bhakti etc. From world dependence you come to God-dependence.
And once we have learned sufficiently the śāstra says that even dependence on God
is a dependence; and the God also, as long as it is a personal god, it will come under
ātma or anātma. Personal God ெசான்னாே, it has got a form; therefore it will come
under anātma; and therefore that is also dependence. And just as Gōpīs were happy
when Krishna came and they cried when Krishna went away; and they were more
miserable when Krishna went to another Gōpi. அ� அைதவ�ட தாங்க ��யை;
எனக்� இலைலங்கற� இல; அவா�க்� இ�க்; that is more sorrow. Therefore

evenG od-dependence is also a dependence; அ�க் யாேரா ெசான்னாளாமில்லே;
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அைச அ�மின்க; அைச அ�மின்க; ஈசேநாடாகி�ம அைச அ�மின்க; What kind of

God; A God who is in the form of an anātma; an external entity.
And thereafterwards they said if you have to drop God-dependence also, you should
learn to depend upon yourselves; for that you should get the self-knowledge; you
should discover inner strength; and for the sake of self-knowledge, you have to go
to a guru. Therefore God-dependence is now switched over to Guru-dependence;
and I replace God by Guru; Gurur Brahma, Gurur Vishno, Gurur Devo Mahesvara;
Guru sākṣāt ParaBrahmam, tasmai sri gurave namaḥ; tvamēva mātacha pitah
tvamēva; tvamēva bandhuscha saha tvamēva; tvamēva vidyā dravinam tvamēva;
tvamēva sarvaṁ mama dēva-dēva.
Even God is replaced with guru; but with what intention? To come to self-
dependence. If we are not alert, what will happen? Guru dependence also falls
within anātma or ātma; guru also as a person; as a person will come under anātma;
therefore guru-dependence will have to be transcended. That is our aim. அைத ஞாபக
ப�த்திண் இ�க்கண; and what will guru do? He is handing over the śāstra to you.
And he says you have to do śravaṇam. Do not stop with śravaṇam; you have to do
mananam; and you have to do nidhidhyāsanam; therefore śāstra must be dwelt
upon; you should dwell upon the śāstra while studying; and after also;
asukteḥe, amruteḥe kālaṁ nayēt vēdānta cintāya;

dhadhyāna avasaram kinchit kāmadeenāṁ manāgatih.
You have to constantly remind yourselves of the śāstrik teaching.
இப்ேபா வந guruைவ வ�ட்டாச; now holding on to śāstra; Svāmiji classக் இப்ேப
வர��யறதிைல; Notes ெய தி�ப்ப� தி�ப்ப� ப�சிண்� இ�க; இப்ேபா என்னா;
class-dependence has been replaced by note-dependence; or cassette-dependence.

Now the śāstra comes under ātma or anātma? Śāstra; ஸந்ேதஹம் இல்?
Śāstra? Śāstra is also anātma. Therefore dependence on śāstra is also within

saṁsāra only.
Therefore vēdantic student must constantly remind what? My aim is to drop all these
four dependences; because all these four come under anātma; I may be at any
level; now I may be at the world-dependence level; until you hold on to God,
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depend on the world; எல்லைத� வ�ட்ட் திண்டா ேவண்டா; therefore until you
shift to another higher dependence; அ��மில்ை இ��மில்ைலன ஆகபடா�; until
we go to the next stage; you hold on to the world dependence until you have
developed iṣṭa dēvatā bhakthi; and iṣṭa dēvatā śraddhāḥ; you depend upon people,
mother, father, brother, wife, etc. but our aim is what; gradually to switch over; like
in the school, when I am studying in the seventh; my aim is 8th; when I am in the
eighth; my aim is ninth. I should not say eighth standard is very nice; நான இஙேய
இ�ந்�டேற. That is not the correct thing. Therefore go to God-dependence; it is a

must; personal God everybody requires; only exceptional people do not require
personal God. And hold on to God, until you have come to a guru; and hold on to a
guru, until you come to śāstra and śāstram is sufficiently comprehended; I become
independent of a guru; and hold on to śāstra, until I learn to fall upon my own lap;
ātmanēva ātmana tushtaḥ. Thereafterwards, even śāstra do not hang on to.
And if this is not understood, all these four can initially help you but these four
themselves can become a bondage. A refined form of saṁsāra. Like rope-shackle;
and iron-chain shackle; a silver-chain shackle and a gold-chain shackle; நா� இ�க்
ெசான்ேனேன இல்லேய; இங்ே நா� இ�க்; அ� மாதி�; rope, iron-chain, silver-chain

and gold-chain; which can all be a shackle, if you are not very careful.
And therefore he says: do not get lost in scholarship. Always ask the question, what
I am studying for. Not for enjoying vēdānta as a sense object. Do not convert
vēdānta into another sense object. Imagine I give a mirror for a person to see; why
you give the mirror; for seeing the face; and this person looked at the mirror; நன்ன
பார்�ட and it is well framed; it is so attractive and he says that this mirror is so
nice; and I have bought a dozen and it is hanging all over my house. What has
happened; I have given the mirror for a particular purpose and instead of using the
mirror for seeing the face, he has converted the mirror into an attractive sense
object and he has bought dozens of mirror and hanging all-over. Similarly my aim in
life is how many Upaṇiṣads I have finished. Svāmiji நான இப்ேப நா� upaṇiṣad finish
பண்ண�யாச; 5 upaṇiṣad finish பண்ண�யாச; we do not want a feather in the form of
completing the upaṇiṣad, that is why Svāmi Chinmayānanda nicely says: You say
you have gone through eleven upaṇiṣads; you have gone through many
upaṇiṣads; but how many upaṇiṣads have gone through you. In fact if one
upaṇiṣad has really gone through, that is the end of it. So therefore do not forget
the aim. Vēdānta is not for scholarship. Scholarship-trap is the biggest trap.
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Therefore he says: vāgvaikharī; a person might have a powerful speech; vāg means
speech; vaikharī means powerful or eloquent; a person might have eloquent speech
in the field of what; vēdānta; and śabdajharī; and he might enjoy a wonderful flow
of words, without stammering; without pausing, without hesitating; the words may
flow. śabda means words, jharī means to flow or torrent; like a water falls, torrential
flow of words may be there; and people may even glorify him; how nicely he speaks
and how nicely the words flow; and apt word; there is no extra-word; there is no
left-word; people may glorify. Śankarācārya says even that is not going to make a
great thing; and śāstra vyākhyāna kauśalam; he might have a skill to comment upon
many scriptural texts; the Gītā; all the upaṇiṣads; the brahmasūtrāṇi; all the
prakaraṇa granthās; even advanced vēdānta granthās called the siddhi granthās; all
these things he might be able to comment upon eloquently; and these are all what?
this is viduṣāṁ vaiduṣyaṁ; scholarship of the scholars. And all these scholarship
does not guarantee anything; this also can become another bondage or another
sense pleasure. tat bhuktayē bhavathi. When if proper attitude is not there; if the
aim is forgotten; it can become a simple intellectual kick. Just like Karl Marx has
said it seems: Religion is the opium of the masses. Similarly Vēdānta can also
become another opium; another drug like thing only; bhuktayē, na tu muktayē; if
proper, what you call, grasping is not there, it does not lead to liberation, because I,
as a scholar you will get into competition with another person who is a greater
scholar. And I will feel bad because I can comment upon hundred text books; and
he can comment upon hundred and one; that is enough; that means just like I have
got two cars and he has got three cars; I am jealous. Similarly among scholars; even
when they might have become sanyāsis; there might be comparison; how many
countries he has travelled; அவ் வந் எல்ல countries க்�ம் ேபாற; எனக் எல்ல
countries க்� ெபாக ��யறதில்ை; Can have comparison; I might be a Svāmi;
Svāmi-svāmi comparison can come; scholarship comparison can come; No. of
āśrams comparison can come; no. of students comparison can come; all in the field
of what? Vēdānta. Vēdānta is meant for what; to know that there is no second thing
to compare. அ� தான ெசால்லிண் இ�க்ேகாே; that is what? the class is what;
there is no second thing to compare. Then I say, that Svāmi is taking class there; I
am not happy about it; So if we are not alert; vēdānta can be a trap. The very
gurudom, like the kingdom; gurudom can become a trap.
And therefore he says be careful; tadvadbhuktayē; that is, vēdānta can become a
sense pleasure; bhuktiḥ means sense pleasure. Na tu muktayē; not for liberation; It
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is not a generalisation. We should not conclude therefore I will not study vēdānta.
That is not the idea; the idea is if a proper approach is not there; Vēdānta cannot
liberate. So fearing that suppose I say therefore I wont study vēdānta, then
liberation is definitely not there. So therefore without vēdantic knowledge liberation
is impossible. Therefore the idea is not to give up vēdānta; but the idea is what;
study vēdānta; but make sure that you remember the aim of vēdānta. Na tu
muktayē.
अ�व�ाते परे तत्त् शास्त्राधी�त �नष्फल |

�व�ातेऽ�प परे तत्त् शास्त्राधी�त �नष्फल ||५९||
avijñātē parē tattvē śāstrādhītistu niṣphalā |
vijñātē:'pi parē tattvē śāstrādhītistu niṣphalā ||59||
So here also a similar idea is emphasised. The śāstrik study purpose must be very
clearly remembered. Otherwise it can become another trip into scholarship, it can
become another ego trip; it can become another big saṁsāra. And that is all the
time one should remember that śāstrik study is a means but not an end in itself.
Śāstrik study is a means and not an end in itself. And any means is relevant only
until the end is accomplished. So therefore I should remember the means and use
the means as the means and I should always remember the end also.
To convey this idea, Śankarācārya is presenting it in a peculiar language. He says

śāstrik study becomes useless under two conditions. Presenting in a peculiar
language. Śāstrik study become useless under two conditions. What are the two
conditions? No.1, suppose I use śāstrik study as an end in itself, and enjoy the
śāstrik study, as a sense pleasure, and I make śāstrik study into another permanent
dependence. So one person watches a movie; another person goes to club; and
without that he becomes miserable. Similarly for me śāstra becomes another
permanent dependence. Once the sādana is used is a sādya, then also śāstrik study
becomes useless; because it does not do what it is supposed to do? What it is
supposed to do? It should make me independent; independent of what? śāstra
should make me independent of what? Independent of the very śāstra itself. Śāstra
is śāstra only when it makes me independent of the very śāstra itself. Guru is a guru
only when you make the śiṣya independent of a guru; otherwise I am not a guru. If
somebody says: Svāmiji without you, I am miserable, that means I am really served
as a guru; You should say, if you are not there; fine; அ�தான ச�; we think that if
you say that without you I am miserable; Oh. I am wanted. That is another type of
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saṁsāra. That the necessity of being wanted is another type of saṁsāra. Similarly
parent is a parent only when they make the children independent of the parent; any
relationship is ideal only when the members become independent of that relationship
itself. That is called successful relationship. Similarly, if I go on studying śāstra, and
the śāstra does not make me independent of the need of śāstra, then the śāstra
study is what? niṣphala. It is useless. And when I say independent of śāstra; you
have to include other things also. Śāstra should make me independent of everything;
the world; the God as an object, and even guru; and of course śāstra. So śāstra
should remove all the four dependences, including śāstra dependence; it that it is
not doing, śāstra study is futile. This is statement No.1.
Second statement he says is: śāstra study is futile after the discovery of
independence. Śāstra study is futile, when; after the discovery of independence;
independence means Ahaṁ Brahma asmi. So śāstra study is futile under two
conditions. First condition śāstra study is futile if it keeps you permanently
dependent on any one of the four factors; or all the four factors; second condition
is: śāstra study is futile after the discovery of the independence. This is the language
of presentation;
But what is the essence of this; use the śāstra to become independent of
everything; including the śāstra. That is the essence of it; use śāstra to become
independent of everything, including the śāstra itself. And after discovery of
independence, then you may enjoy the śāstra, that is like that; ப�ச்சி�க்ேக;
śāstram ேதைவய�ல்ை; ஆநா�ம just I would like to go through it or discuss it etc.

but not as a dependence; but as a what you call leela; as a krīda you enjoy the
śāstra; because after a few years the old age may bring a situation when I can no
more read or hear. Imagine śāstra hearing; class-attendance has become an
addiction; ெவச்�க்�ேஙாே; my ear becomes weak; you cannot say that it will
never become weak; you are lucky if it is fine. You enjoy reading; but the eyesight
has become poor; or I am bed-ridden and I am not able to do anything. Suppose I
am becoming miserable, then what is the difference between a worldly person who
becomes miserable because he cannot watch a movie; and a vēdantic student who
becomes miserable, because he cannot attend a class. There is no difference.
Therefore the aim should be very clear. You should become totally independent. The
exact meaning we will see in the next class. Hari Om.
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अ�व�ाते परे तत्त् शास्त्राधी�त �नष्फल |

�व�ातेऽ�प परे तत्त् शास्तधी�तस्त �नष्फल ||५९||
avijñātē parē tattvē śāstrādhītistu niṣphalā |
vijñātē:'pi parē tattvē śāstrādhītistu niṣphalā ||59||
After congratulating the student, the teacher is glorifying brahma jñānaṁ, by

pointing out that it is the only means of liberation. And to highlight the importance
of brahma jñānaṁ, the teacher is pointing out that there is no other means of
mōkṣa; brahma jñānaṁ is not one of the means of mōkṣa; but it is the only means.
And all others cannot give liberation.
For that he pointed out that a yōgēna, na sāṅgyēna, na karmaṇā, na vidyayā;

whether it is tarka jñānaṁ, or vyakāraṇa jñānaṁ and even within the vēda, karma
kānda jñānaṁ, or upāsana kānda jñānaṁ, all these sciences cannot liberate. And
thereafter he wants to say that even in the case of vēdānta jñānaṁ there is a
difference between mere verbalisation of scholarship and the internalisation of the
jñānaṁ. So mere scholarship also cannot give liberation. An internalised knowledge
known as aparōkṣa jñānaṁ, otherwise known as vijñānaṁ, that alone can give a
person mōkṣa.
And therefore he wants to emphasise the importance of assimilation of this

knowledge and that is pointed out in verse 59 which we are seeing. avijñātē parē
tattvē śāstrādhītistu niṣphalā; vijñātē:'pi parē tattvē śāstrādhītistu niṣphalā. So this
verse is a peculiar slōka; it says IF BRAHMAN IS KNOWN; SCHOLARSHIP IS NOT REQUIRED; IF
BRAHMAN IS NOT KNOWN, SCHOLARSHIP IS NOT REQUIRED. If Brahman is known, scholarship

is not required; scholarship means śāstrik study. If Brahman is not known also,
śāstrik study is not required. So if you are going to literally take the two statements,
which appear peculiar, that the knowledgeable also does not require śāstrik study;
the ignorant also does not require śāstrik study. That means what? the whole world
can only be of these two divisions. Therefore it appears as though nobody need
study śāstra. Because it says wise does not require; the ignorant does not require.
That means nobody requires śāstra, it appears. Therefore this should be properly
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interpretted. What he wants to say, mere scholarship, when I say, means

scholarship of śāstras, mere śāstrik scholarship is useless without liberation, or
without internalisation or without assimilation. So mere scholarship is useless;
without liberation, without internalisation without assimilation. Similarly, scholarship
is useless after liberation. Scholarship is useless without liberation;
scholarship is useless after liberation.
So when is scholarship useful? Scholarship is useful for liberation. Scholarship is

useless without liberation. Scholarship is useless after liberation; scholarship is useful
for liberation. OK.
What does Śankarācārya wants to convey through these three statements?

Statement No.1: scholarship is useless without liberation means a person going on
studying the scriptures just for the sake of scholarship without being a seeker; just
for the sake of degree; just for the sake of name or just for the sake of fame; a
person goes on taking advaita vēdānta for Phd. degree. A person goes on studying;
more and more work he also produces; all will come under what; scholarship, which
is only used another object of dependence which make him a samsāri. Just as other
people depend upon sense objects; similarly this person also converts vēdantic
books into another set of sense objects and goes on enjoying that. And it is this
scholarship which is without liberation; which is not meant for liberation; and which
is used for everything else other than for liberation. That is useless because that is
also another sense object.
Then what is the second statement? Scholarship is useless after liberation. That
means what. Once I have assimilated the basic facts that I am ever free;
thereafterwards I need not remember all the upaṇiṣads; all the commentaries, all
the sub-commentaries, all the arguments, all of them, I do not require, only if I am
going to be a teacher, intending to convince other people, then alone I require those
arguments, then alone I need remember a single Gītā verse; a single Upaṇiṣadic
mantra; single Brahma sūtra I do not require; because Scholarship is a means to an
end; once the end is accomplished, the means is no more relevant. I can remember,
I need not remember; there is no requirement. Therefore the second statement
scholarship is irrelevant after gaining the knowledge.
What is the third statement? Scholarship is useful for liberation, because I am not
intellectually convinced by the teaching; until I get intellectual conviction; I have to
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read more number of books, more number of commentaries; and all other things are
required, because I am not yet convinced by all these scholarship. And therefore we
have got in Vēdānta, various levels of text books to answer various levels of
questions. So therefore we are not totally condemning scholarship. What we are
saying is that it should be used for liberation; and it should be used until liberation.
And afterwards, we should not be just hooked to śāstra or attached to śāstra.
Later in one of the contexts, Śankarācārya himself says of several types of

attachments, final attachment is śāstra vāsana. Attachment to śāstra can also
become a big bondage; if I am not able to read more books, because I have become
old and eyes cannot see or I am not able to attend more number of classes because
ears are failing; and all these things can disturb me and they are going to disturb
me; that means what? Instead of depending upon other things, śāstra has become
another dependence. And śāstra is ātma or anātma? It is another anātma; what is
the difference between coffee addiction and śāstrik addiction? Sorrow is the same;
whether the sorrow is caused by missing a coffee or missing one of the classes.
Therefore, you cannot say that I will leave the śāstra vāsanai from today itself.
śāstra vāsana one should have for giving up all other vāsana. Therefore use śāstra
vāsana to give up all the other vāsana and finally give up the śāstra vāsana also.
Until all other vāsanas are given up, śāstra vāsana is the only weapon.
Even guru-attachment or God-attachment or āśrama attachment; everything can be

handled by śāstram. And finally by internalising the śāstram; the eternal words
becomes irrelevant; because words have been converted into, what you call, ideas
which are with me all the time.
वेदान्तवाक्ये सदा रमन्त �भ�ान्नमात् च तिु ष्टमन्

अशॊकवन्त करुणैकवन् कौपीनवन्तःखल भाव्यवन् ॥१॥
vēdāntavākyēṣu sadā ramantō bhikṣānnamātrēṇa ca tuṣṭimantaḥ
aśokavantaḥ karuṇaikavantaḥ kaupīnavantaḥkhalu bhāvyavantaḥ ||1||
Those who do not possess anything even knowledge is not in the form of books
outside; but in the form of assimilated wisdom. That is the significance of the verse.
Scholarship without liberation is useless; scholarship after liberation is useless;
scholarship for liberation is useful.
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शब्दजाल महारण्य �चत्तभ्रमणकार |

अतः प्रयत्नाज्�ा तत्त्व�ैस्तत्त्वम ||६०||
śabdajālaṁ mahāraṇyaṁ cittabhramaṇakāraṇam |
ataḥ prayatnājjñātavyaṁ tattvajñaistattvamātmanaḥ ||60||
So in this verse also, Śankarācārya warns that we should not get entrapped in the
śāstrik words and miss the goal. Śāstrik words are fine as long as they are carefully
used for developing independence. Independence from what? from the very śāstrik
words themselves. If I am not alert, I may get into more and more śāstrik words,
more and more śāstrik words, because in our tradition, the śāstras are endless. One
vēdānta upaṇiṣad themselves you take; one set of books; those upaṇiṣads
themselves are commented by many Ācāryas and eleven or more systems of
philosophies have been derived from the upaṇiṣad themselves. Upaṇiṣad is one; but
out of the upaṇiṣad themselves 11 or 12 systems of philosophy have been
developed. Vishista advaita; dvaita; advaita; sidda advaita; bhēda advaita;
என்னலாேம; all what is the basis? Upaṇiṣad; Gītā; Brahma sūtra. And if you take
advaita itself, we have got countless number of original works; countless number of
commentaries, countless number of sub-commentaries; countless number of sub-
sub-commentaries; almost five levels of commentaries; five levels means; sub-
commentaries, sub-sub-commentaries; sub-sub-sub-commentaries; sub-sub-sub-
sub-commentaries. Brahmasūtra; brahmasūtra Śankarācārya bhāṣyam; that is
commentary; for that Bhamathi; sub-commentary; for that kalpataru; sub-sub-
commentary; for that parimalam; sub-sub-sub-commentary; and then somebody
condenses all these five and says: Tatva sudha or something like that.
Now if we are not alert, and get into the trap, from which you may never come out.
therefore be very alert, Śankarācārya warns: śabdajālaṁ, the maze of śāstrik words,
the layer of śāstrik words; labrinth of śāstrik words; is like mahā araṇyam; it is a like
a deep forest; that once you get into that; and if you are not very alert, like
Abhmimanyu's padmavhuḥ, you may enter and you may never know how to come
out and even forget the very purpose of it all, because there is certainly an
intellectual thrill in studying these things. It is like intellectual drug; intellectual
opium it is like; because instead of physical thrill; instead of emotional thrill, it can
cause intellectual addiction. And therefore Śankarācārya compares it into mahā
aranyam.
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Then it may lead to citta brahmaṇa kāraṇam. If a person gets trapped into that, it
may lead to citta brahmaṇa. Citta brahmaṇam means confusion. Bewilderment, an
intellectual mess a person may get into, if he is not alert. Why do Ācāryas' write so
many books, if they are so many traps. The idea is this; when śāstra makes a
statement; any statement, remember, any statement is valid only under
various conditions. No statement is absolutely and unconditionally valid;
any statement is valid under conditions only. And generally śāstra gives the
statement without giving the conditions. And majority of students generally accept it
and they do not have any problem. But there may be some wiserack, or with little
deep thinker and finds that this is a shaky statement; then the teacher has to talk
about certain conditions and we have to say that there are several conditions in
which this is not true; and there is a condition in which alone this statement is true.
And that the student may accept. But there might a still deeper thinker because
there is no end to the intellectual depth and that deeper thinker comes; it further
questions, it is a shaky statement; again the teacher has to introduce what? there
are some more conditions in which the statement will not be valid and he will
introduce some more conditions and add a particular condition in which alone that
statement is valid. And that student is satisfied; then again another deeper student;
deeper student; and then we have got extreme scholarship level; a deep doubts may
come, which a student can dream; but such doubts are also taken into account; in
very very very advanced vēdānta granthas. Like in a linguistic specialist; a grammar
specialist; a logician; a mīmāṁsa specialist. All those specialists may come with
deeper questions; then you put mīmāṁsa conditions in which those statements hold
right; then linguistic conditions, etc. etc. For example, suppose I say water boils at
100 centigrade and I ask is it correct. Many of the people may say what; it is
correct. Then one person will say No No No; it is not a correct statement; because
he knows certain conditions and he may raise questions; therefore to that particular
student what should I do; pure water boils at 100 centigrade because this person
knows that there are certain conditions in which water obtains and therefore the
pure conditions and water conditions and what are the impurities possible and what
are the soluble impurities, etc.. அெதல்லா ப�ச்சி�க்க; அதனாேல அவன்�கா
என் ெசால்லண; pure water; the statement has become longer with the
śabdajālaṁ எப்ப வற� என் ெசால்லேற. Water boils at 100 centigrade is a
comfortable statement. Now we have to add pure water; and that student may be
satisfied. And another student comes and tells No. That statement is also not true;
because he knows that the atmospheric pressure influences the boiling condition;
because he has studied it a little bit more and therefore we have to put another
Page 273

condition; what: pure water boils at 100 centigrade provided the pressure is regular
atmospheric pressure. Now śabdajālaṁ. For majority it was not required. எல்லா
த்ைலயாட்� correct தான Svāmiji � ெசால்லிட்� ேபாய�ட; அ�க்கப்�ற
இன்ெனா�த்தர் ; pure add பண்ணேவண வந்தத; அ�க்கப்� இன்ெனா
adjective எல்லாம் ேபாட்ே; அ�க்கப்ப another may come. Just you say water,
that is not enough; there is another water called heavy water. Many people do not
know about heavy water. Now you have to put that condition also. So then again
you can go deeper and deeper and deeper; at last, you get a statement, which is
three pages long; because of what; he is answering questions at different levels. In
Tarka śāstra, they have a statement; what is generalisation; yatra yatra dhumaḥ;
tatra tatra agniḥ; wherever there is smoke, there is fire; this is generalisation. And
they define the generalisation simply like that. And thereafterwards they go deeper
and deeper and deeper; the generalisation should be without any defect and at last
they come up with a definition; so pradiyōgi nabhūtā …… (..)
Now why such a change? Because there are students who see that every statement
has got validity under conditions; and this definition they derive after 20 pages of
analysis and you know at the end they say, this is the definition suggested by the
opponent; that means it is not our definition and that they are going to refine that
definition by adding some more adjective.
So we have got levels and levels of books to satisfy levels and levels of intellect; and
a teacher provides statement, taking a lay person into account; what a normal
intellect can ask; those questions are answered. If a person needs and have doubts,
those advanced books have to be studied; but generally what is the condition? Gītā
and Upaṇiṣad are studied; they are enough. You yourselves would have seen when
we attend the class. First we say kāraṇam is cause; simply kāraṇam is said;
thereafter we subdivide the kāraṇam into two; nimitha kāraṇam and upādāna
kāraṇam. Most people are satisfied by that. Thereafterwards further question is
asked and upādāna kāraṇam is subdivided into pariṇāmi upādāna kāraṇam and
nivartta upādāna kāraṇam. One kāraṇam expanded into so many. Because
conditions are required to satisfy each student's intellect. Otherwise if I am satisfied
with this much knowledge, that is more than enough. Why should I study further
things. Similarly, adyāsa; superimposition is one word. That is sub-divided into
jñāna-adyāsa and artha-adyāsa. Later it is divided into saṁsarga adyāsa and
tādātmya adyāsa. Then later it is divided into sōpādita adyāsa and nirūpadita
adyāsa. What is the meaning of adyāsaḥ? Error.
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In Error have you heard of six sub-divisions? We are just talking about error, but
error itself is classified and further classified. The idea is what; if I am not satisfied
with the available discussion, I have to go to deeper text, those deeper text will be
relevant for me because I have got those doubts. But if I do not have those doubts,
why should I study? In fact, I am taking Brahma sūtra class in Aāstika Śamājaṁ;
many students come and ask, Svāmiji you are raising doubts which we do not have
at all. I said I am teaching Brahma Sūtra to show how not relevant it is for you. And
especially these works are written for Sanyāsis, because they do not have anything
else to do. உங�க் class ��ஞ�ம் ஓடண office க். Brahma sūtram மாவ�;
Sanyāsis wanted to keep their mind in the śāstras. And therefore all the time saying
Gītā; and karmaṇya karmaya pasyet; இதேய ப�ச்சிண்� இ�ந; they will get bored.
Therefore these Śāstrās are written so that they get varieties to keep the mind dwell
on the śāstras and therefore we have got mīmāṁsa pradāna vēdānta; tarka pradāna
vēdānta; vyakāraṇa pradāna vēdānta; all text books are there; but we should know
where to stop, where to continue.
But generally, ordinary intellect requires comprehensive study of a few books; that is
more than enough. Otherwise it may become what? citta Brahmaṇa kāraṇam.
Therefore ataḥ; therefore, prayatnāt jjñātavyaṁ. Therefore very alertly, concentrate
on knowing the basic teachings; do not get lost in the frills of vēdānta. What is the
main teaching? Brahma satyam; jagat mithya, jīvō brahmaiva na parā. Water boils at
100 degrees. Not pure water, distilled water; heavy water, etc.; atmospheric
pressure, etc. That is all added. Water boils at 100 degrees. Understand the spirit is
enough. Similarly here also, I am the caitanya svarūpam which is ever free.
Whatever I experience is jaḍaṁ; including the body-mind-complex and the jaḍaṁ
cannot affect caitanyaṁ. This is the only thing necessary for liberation. Jaḍaṁ is
never free; cētanam is ever free. Jaḍaṁ is ever influenced by dēśa, kāla, prārabdha
while the consciousness is not afflicted by dēśa, kāla, prārabdha. If you understand
this and are convinced, it is enough. All others are only to re-emphasise it.
And therefore prayatnāt; alertly jñātavyaṁ, one should know, ātmanaḥ satvam; so
the essential nature of oneself. Do not hair-split. The jaḍaṁ is sub-divided into
various groups. Whether the sub-division should be pañja- kōśa or pañja bhūta or
whether it should be śarīra trayaṁ. Going inside that and hair-splitting and breaking
the head, do not waste your time. If you are not satisfied by pañja bhūta model, you
use any other model. What we want to say is everything is jaḍaṁ. What it is, if it is
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three elements or five elements or seven elements? Similarly it is enough to

understand that the mind is also jaḍaṁ. Whether it is working through neurology or
through electrical impulse or whether it is influenced by this or that; no need to
enquire. If you have nothing else to do and want to have fun, do it, it is OK, but do
not get sucked/lost in those discussions.
Therefore, ātmanaḥ tatvam, the essential free nature of oneself, jñātavyaṁ, should
be known; tattvajñaiḥ; by the knowers of the truth, or by the seekers of the truth.
So therefore, remember this goal. That is what Śankarācārya is asserting repeatedly;
remember the goal, do not convert the śāstra into another addiction; another
dependence causing drug.
अ�ानसपर्दष्ट ब्रह्म�ानौ �वना |

�कमु वेदैश् शास्त्र �कमु मन्त् �कमौषधैः ||६१||
ajñānasarpadaṣṭasya brahmajñānauṣadhaṁ vinā |
kimu vēdaiśca śāstraiśca kimu mantraiḥ kimauṣadhaiḥ ||61||
So here Śankarācārya is reminding the goal which we should remember, during the
study of scriptures and what is the goal; removal of our saṁsāra disease; saṁsāra
poison. And how did the saṁsāra poison come? because of snake bite; and what is
the snake which has bitten me; ajñāna sarpadaṣṭasya; என் பாம்? special பாம்,
ajñāna sarpaḥ; the snake of ignorance. It is only symbolic. Do not look for snake
and all. It is symbolic. Ajñāna sarpa has bitten me. And here also the statement
should be understood. Do not ask on which day it bit; this is how the śabda jālaṁ
increases. Suppose I say ajñāna sarpa has bitten; suppose a student asks, when did
it bite. Should we say that this statement is only a figurative statement, because
according to śāstra and the truth is ajñānaṁ is anādi and that we cannot talk about
the beginning of ajñānaṁ, ignorance. Therefore biting is only to indicate the
affliction not to indicate the time. It is called proper interpretation. When you say
bitting; there are two aspects; biting mean time aspect is involved; affliction aspect
is involved. Here how should I understand? Affliction alone should be highlighted;
not the time principle. This is how the commentators write. There the sub-
commentator comes and writes something more. This is how śāstra goes on and on.
Ajñāna-sarpa daṣṭaḥ, we are all bitten by the snake of ignorance and what is the
poison that it has injected? Saṁsāra; saṁsāra poison has entered into me. And what
is saṁsāra poison. I am not happy with myself. I need people to be happy. I need
conditions to be happy. I need external factors to be happy. So this need,
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psychology need which makes me miserable, which makes me go after people, do

you love me; do you love me, etc. do you care for me; which makes me complain;
you did not ask me how are you; ேகாபமா; நான அன்ைனக ெசான்ேனே எனக் cold
வந்தி�க்க்ய், அ�க்கப்பறம் ந� ஏன் ஒ� வாரம் கழிந்� எப்ப� என்�
ேகக்கை. So upset.
These will also look simple as a joke but these will create big problem. Nowadays
these are leading to divorce. Look simple. But for a samsāri a very very big and deep
problem. And this saṁsāra brahma jñāna aushadam vina; will never go without
brahma jñānaṁ; that is I am free. I do not require love from anyone; I am
embodiment of love. Love is pūrṇatvam. Expressed fullness is love. Expressed
limitation is seeking love. When I am incomplete I seek love; when I am complete I
give love. So therefore love is only an empirical expression of the sense of
pūrṇatvam. Therefore without the discovery of pūrṇatvam, which is called brahma
jñāna auṣadham; auṣadham is called medicine.
Why does Śankarācārya use the word medicine? Because he has compared ajñāna
into sarpa and saṁsāra into a poison and for the poison there has to be an anti-
venom; brahma jñānaṁ anti-venom has to be injected for the saṁsāra poison and
without this brahma jñānaṁ, you do anything in your life; saṁsāra will continue.
Therefore he says: without this knowledge, kimu vēdai; what is the use of studying
any amount of vēdas; chanting the vēdas; or karma kānda of the vēdas; or upāsana
kānda; jñāna kānda should not be included here. What is the use of any amount of
karma kānda; any amount of upāsana kānda itself; meditation; what is the use?
what is the use means, there is no use. kimu śāstraiśca; what is the use of all the
other śāstra. Here śāstra does not include vēdānta śāstra. Śāstra means vēdānta
anya śāstrai, tarka, mīmāṁsa, vyakāraṇa śāstraihi kimu; what prayōjanam is there.
kimu mantraiḥ; what is the use of any learning of mantra and mantra avr̥ttiḥ; I have
taken two mantras, I have three mantras, and if you take mantras from every
ācārya and every saint; and thereafterwards complain that Svāmiji, எத்�க்
Timeேம இல்ை. And they are not able to continue also; and they are not able to
drop also. If they are dropped, they are afraid அந் உம்மாச் கண்ை
�த்தி�ேமான பயம; because we have been listening to this since childhood.

உம்மாச் �கைக அ�ந் �ள்காய்ெப ெபா�ம ெசால்�வ; Therefore all these things;
why do you start taking all of them and suffer; take one or two mantras and chant.
Page 277

Anyway that is an aside topic. mantraiḥ, what is the use of any number of mantra
repetition; and kim auṣadhaiḥ; and what is the use of any amount of medicine?
And here also we should be very careful. Śankarācārya does not criticise karma
kānda here; because these are the lines misinterpretted by people. They say
Śankarācārya is against rituals and criticising rituals they say. Śankarācārya respects
pūjā, japa, etc. extremely. He himself has said in the eleventh verse; cittasya
śuddaye karma. Mental purity can come only through japa and only through pūjā
only through parāyaṇam; what he says karma cannot help him; jñānaṁ; he has
karma is a must for purity of mind. Therefore we should never look down upon japa,
pūjā, etc. After gaining purity of mind, they are not relevant. Then can we
discontinue some people ask. Svāmiji cittasuddhi has come. That is doubtful.
However, let us assume that he is sādhanā catuṣṭaya sampanna śrēṣṭaḥ. அ�ேவ
ரண்�தர ேகட்ட ேகாபம வந்�� அவ�க். Like that person who said that he has
given up anger; This person says, I do not think so. Then that person says: I have
given up anger. I do not think you have done that; If I provoke you will get angry;
No No No; I have given up anger. 4th time I say No you have not given up anger,
the other day I say you getting angry? Then he says: I TELL YOU THAT I DO NOT
GET ANGRY. I HAVE GIVEN UP ANGER. Like that nobody can claim that he has got
total purity; even assuming that he has got purity, as long as a person is in society
and in the family, the śāstras says one should retain mantra, japa pūjā, etc. and
become a model for the next generation.
And therefore the mantras and pūjās should not be abused and in the name of this
slōka, one should not belittle the role of the religious disciplines. So therefore, all
these are useless, without brahmajñānaṁ.
Even vēdānta śāstra is useful only it is used for Brahma jñānaṁ; if it is used for
purely scholarship or dependence, then also it is useless. It is like I give a mirror to a
person so that he can look at the face. He looks into the mirror and appreciates the
glass. and then he says that the frame is very good; and then he sees the back and
front and goes and purchases, the very mirror. Even though he is using the mirror
and handling the mirror, he has forgotten for what purpose the mirror has been
given; he converts the mirror into another photo or picture and hangs all over.
Similarly, śāstra is a mirror; do not get lost in the śāstrik words. Our eyes should see
the śāstra; through that I should feel or I should recover my pūrṇatvam. Without
that, kimu, what is the prayōjanam?
Page 278

न गच्छ� �वना पानं व्या�धरौषधशब्द |

�वनाऽपरो�ानुभवं ब्रह्मशब् मुच्यत ||६२||
na gacchati vinā pānaṁ vyādhirauṣadhaśabdataḥ |
vinā:'parōkṣānubhavaṁ brahmaśabdairna mucyatē ||62||
Even the vēdānta śāstra will not help a person if it remains at the lip level. Not
meant for lip service, not meant for verbal jugglery; not meant for show off, not
meant for getting a job in philosophy department; not meant for producing books
after books; but they are meant for making my heart; not requiring any one of these
things. Therefore he says and gives an example. Vyādhiḥ; a person has got some
disease. Let us assume that he has got temperature and doctor said crocin will
remove the temperature. Crocin will remove the temperature. So then he says Oho,
crocin will remove the temperature. Therefore he took a māla and started chanting
crocin, crocin, crocin, crocin, etc. one avrithiḥ is over; but the fever has increased.
Then he thought that it is not enough and therefore one more avr̥ttiḥ. And that is
not enough; perhaps 1008 will do. Perhaps 100008 will do.
He says the śabda does not release you; it is not the words that release, but it is
meaning that is grasped which is going to release. So padam na mōchayati; pada
arthaḥ mōchayati. Double meaning; crocin padam na mōchayati; crocin padārtaḥ;
that tablet alone releases you from fever. Similarly, Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi words do not
release; when I say Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi it should be a fact for me. It should convey a
fact for you. Whether it conveys the meaning to others or not, that is a different
thing. It should become a meaningful statement; coming from my inner most heart.
That is why once in a while, it is worth doing some introspection, especially if you
are students of vēdānta for years.
Sometime you become proud and say that I have been attending for the last 10
years. Or you say that I am a senior student; I have been attending for 12 years;
etc. and another student says Svāmiji from your first class I have been attending.
Not saying that you should not attend or should attend; that is not the idea; the idea
is when I keep attending, once in a while I should ask is Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi a
meaningful fact for me.
Whether I convince others or not is not the question. Whether others accept me or
not is not the question. I ask myself the question, am I pūrṇaḥ; am I full and
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complete. And if I can do some soul searching; and I can say that Yes. I have made
in my life; I have accomplished what has to be accomplished. As Vidyāranya says in
his Pañjadaśi; Aho Śāstram Aho Śāstram Aho Gurur Aho guruḥ; Dhanyosmi,
kritakrityōsmi, I am fulfilled; I do not care what other people think of me.
Once in a while, I should ask myself. Sometime what happens? Some students come
and tell; Svāmiji they asked the question and I answered and they were convinced! I
am not convinced by that answer and therefore tell me whether that answer is real
or some other answer is there for that.
Therefore importance is not whether others are convinced or not; others need not
be convinced, because I have not taken a contract that I am going to convince
others. Whether I am convinced or not is the point. If I can help others is one thing;
but my aim is to convince myself. Therefore he says auṣadha śabdadaḥ; by mere
word medicine, medicine, medicine, iti sabdēna, by repeating the word medicine, or
the word of any particular medicine, like crocin, crocin, or something like that; by
that; the vyādihi na gacchati; disease does not go away.
Then how does the disease go. Pānam vina; without consuming the medicine; it
should enter your system. The blood stream it should enter. There also it takes
time; the moment you take the tablet, it does not. It should go to the system;
stomach must be capable of absorption; and it should circulate; then gradualy the
fever reduces. Similarly, here also, Brahma Śabdaiḥ na mucyatē. By repeating the
mahā vākya, Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi, one day japa; another day Tatvamasi; another day
ayaṁ ātma brahmaa; another day; Prājānam brahma; he knows all the mahāvākyās;
and another day, chidānandaḥ rūpaḥ shivōhaṁ; shivōhaṁ; அ� ெசால்லிண
இ�க்கறத்த ஆ� கண்ட, என்னெம ெசால்லற, ெசால் ெசான்ன shivōhaṁ

shivōhaṁ ெசால்லற. Svāmiji says, Pāvam; therefore let us continue that; What is
the use.
Therefore Aparōkṣa anubhavam vina, without aparōkṣa jñānaṁ; without

internalisation; without assimilation, without making it a fact for me. Na mucyatē.
One is never liberated. So therefore study the śāstra; it is a means of liberation but
even when you study the śāstra, never forget the goal of śāstra; Let it not become
another competitive exercise. Let it meant for liberation.
Hari Om.
Page 280

अ�ानसपर्दष्ट ब्रह्म�ानौ �वना |

�कमु वेदैश् शास्त्र �कमु मन्त् �कमौषधैः ||६१||
ajñānasarpadaṣṭasya brahmajñānauṣadhaṁ vinā |
kimu vēdaiśca śāstraiśca kimu mantraiḥ kimauṣadhaiḥ ||61||

After introducing the student and the teacher, the main question was presented in
the 49th verse, in which the student asked for ātma jñānaṁ. So in that 49th verse,
seven questions were asked:

So this verse is the key verse; foundation verse of Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi and the entire
Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi is an answer to the seven questions only. So what is bondage, what
is liberation; and how did the bondage come and how does the bondage continue.
So these are four questions regarding the bondage. And thereafterwards three
questions are regarding ātma and anātma; what is ātma; what is anātma; and how
does one differentiate ātma and anātma. So the four questions regarding bondage
and three questions regarding the ātma-anātma; thus seven questions were asked.
And the teacher started his reply from the 50th verse onwards and the first the
teacher is congratulating the student and also the teacher glorifies this knowledge.
Thus we get śiṣya stuti and jñāna stuti. The glory of a vēdantic student and the
glory of the vēdantic teaching; i.e. the first subject matter, which is from verse
No.50 up to verse No.71.
Page 281

Glorifying the student; the teacher said that; one's liberation can be attained by
oneself only. All the other things can be done by other people, proxy. If I want to
get money, somebody can give me money; I want to go to some place, somebody
can take me to that place and even in the ritualistic section, if father is too old and
he is not able to do some rituals, even daily sandyā vandanaṁ, father can give the
power to the son. So that power of attorney like, there is a religious method of
transferring the power to the son; there is a ritualistic method; thereafter the son
can do two sandyā vandanaṁ; one for his father; and one for himself. Thus even in
ritualistic field, there is the possibility of transfer of power but there is one field in
which nobody can work for you, except yourselves. Closest person, the husband
cannot work for the wife's liberation; the wife cannot work for the husband's
liberation; both cannot work for their children's liberation; guru unfortunately cannot
work for śiṣya's liberation; śiṣya need not, I think, work for guru's liberation. So
Śankarācārya says: if you want liberation, there is only one person who can work for
you; who can get that; you have to extend this even to God. Even God cannot do
anything for your liberation. That is why we say liberation is not even God's will.
If liberation is God's will, God would have, out of his infinite compassion given
liberation long before. If you say God does not have compassion for some people
and the God has compassion for some other people and gives liberation, that God is
no more God, because he is partial. Therefore God cannot give you liberation; Guru
cannot give you liberation; other people cannot give you liberation; who can give
you liberation? You yourselves can give you liberation.
Then does that mean Guru is useless; śāstra is useless; God is useless. Do you say
so? No. Guru is extremely useful; God of course is constantly there; His grace is
required; but what we say is: they are all supporting factors. They are all supporting
factors alone; just as seed alone can become tree; water also is the supporting
factor; land is supporting factor; all the other fertilizers are supporting factors; but
actually the seed alone can become tree. Similarly here also, you alone have to work
for liberation. And that is why working for liberation is not a selfish act at all.
Working for one's liberation is not selfishness act at all, because we alone have to
work for our liberation. Just as eating food cannot be called selfish, because my
hunger I alone has to remove. And this one has to understand. You do a lot of
service to the society; wonderful; but ultimately he has to come to the ultimate
puruṣārtha; that is mōkṣa.
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And the teacher said: Oh Student, you have understood the importance of mōkṣa
and therefore congratulations to you.
Having congratulated the student, the teacher is talking about the importance of
jñānaṁ. And therefore he said other than jñānaṁ, there is no alternative
method for mōkṣa. So it is important to note, because many paths to liberation is
not acceptable to vēdānta śāstra. We accept many paths for purification of mind;
mental purification, we can get through pūjā, japa, social service, rituals; hundreds
of methods are there for mental purification; but for mōkṣa there is only one path;
that is jñānaṁ.
Thereafterwards Śankarācārya said that even jñānaṁ of what? Not jñānaṁ of

anything. There are so many things which we can know. It is not the knowledge of
grammar, what you call, of economics or music or astrology; astronomy; etc. or
atom; so many things. None of them. Not even the sāṅkya philosophy, not even
yōga philosophy, not even pūrva mīmāṁsa śāstram, but not even the knowledge of
pañja kōśa. I have got panca kōśa; whether you have got panca kōśa or pañja kēśa;
that is not the topic here; but here jīvātma-paramātma aikya jñānaṁ. I am the
substratum of the universe which depends on me for its existence.
This specific knowledge alone is called knowledge. That there is a God; that
knowledge will not give me any liberation. It is an information I have. There is a God
who is the creator of the world. But it does not alter this fact or my notion that I am
a limited individual. That there is a God does not help improve my status. That that
Lord is the jagat kāraṇam does not improve my status; it is only to improve the
status of Bhagavān. So therefore even the knowledge that there is Brahman is not
useful; but what should be knowledge. As jagat kāraṇam Brahman, is none other
than myself. The whole world is kāryam; I am the kāraṇam; world depends on me; I
do not depend upon the world.
This discovery of self-independence; self-limitlessness alone is known by the word

jñānaṁ here. Whenever we use the word jñānaṁ, it means I am the substrum of
the world and the world cannot affect me at all. And if this knowledge is not gained
and assimilated; Śankarācārya says even the study of Upaṇiṣads is useless; if
knowledge has not taken place, does not take place.
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Therefore Śankarācārya warns: You might have studied all the upaṇiṣads. You might
have studied brahma sūtra with ten commentaries; and you might be able to give
eloquent discourses and you might be the greatest scholar in the world; all this
scholarship may not be of any use, if this knowledge is not a fact for you.
So one side you will be discoursing on the upaṇiṣads, other side you are worried,
because your son does not respond to your letter. He is a professor in college; he
says Tat tvam asi; and he also analysis, ahaṁ brahmāsmi one side; on the other
side, my son is behaving like this and therefore I am upset. That is a big gap
between what he is teaching and what he is in actuality. But a scholarship is called
parōkṣa jñānaṁ; and Śankarācārya says even parōkṣa jñānaṁ is of no use. Then the
very knowledge should be converted into aparōkṣa jñānaṁ.
What do you mean by aparōkṣa jñānaṁ? All the descriptions in the upaṇiṣads are
talking about me, I have to remind constantly. Otherwise I will think the Upaṇiṣads
are talking about some Brahman. That has to be kept aside. I should always remind
myself that all the descriptions, jagat kāraṇam, satyam, jñānaṁ, anantaṁ and yatat
adresya, agrāhya, agōtram, avarṇam, ānandaḥ svarūpaḥ; asaṅga svarūpaḥ;
sarvagata svarūpaasaṅga; all these are talking about me, I have to remind.
And thereafterwards I should ask myself are these descriptions a fact for me; or just
words and words and words. Are they just words, cold words, printed words, just for
what you call getting byeheart and repeating or do they convey some fact to me.
Am I able to accept them as fact? Is it that I am unaffected by the events of life; is
it a fact, is it a verbal statement? And I must be able to tell from my innermost
heart; that I am and I cannot be affected by any event in life. And to own up this
fact, whatever obstacles come from intellect, all those questions have to be
answered. It means there should be no doubt about this fact in my mind. It is the
second stage of internalisation.
First stage is constantly telling myself that every description is about me, and not
some truth or reality which is elsewhere. The upaṇiṣad uses the word, vasthu,
tatvam, Brahma, etc. but whenever Upaṇiṣad the uses the word, the words I should
remember, they are all synonyms, I-the-first-person-singular.
The first stage of internalisation is constantly telling/reminding the description is

about me. Second step of internalisation is asking the question to myself. You may
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call it introspection. Are these statements facts for me; true for me; can I tell that
these are true from my innermost heart. In the Court, before giving statement, they
take some book in the name of God, in the name of Bible, in the name of Quran, in
the name of Gītā, etc.; This is the truth, this is the whole truth and nothing but the
truth. அ� அேங ெசால்ல, ெபாய்ை ெசால்�வ, அ� ேவேற வ�ஷயம. Similarly here also
can I sit alone and touch my heart and say whatever vēdānta has taught is not a
fact for my teacher or God, but it is a fact for; it should be such a fact for myself
that whenever I tell someone, I am able to tell it as my knowledge, not as Upaṇiṣad
says so. இல்ைலநா என்னா�. You are ānandaḥ svarūpa-� ெசான்னத்� அப்ப�
எனக் ஸன்ேதஹ இ�க்�ன் நான என் ெசால்�ேவ, அபப�� உபன�ஷத
ெசால்லற. Like that person you know: He said அச்சமில்; அச்ச்மில;
அச்செமன்பதில்; you know the Bharatiyar song; I have no fear; I have no fear;
no fear at all; then the wife came with the அ�வாமைண; or the big knife to cut the
coconut, she came with that, and she asked him யா�க்; who does not have fear;
and that person said: for Bharatiar; Bharatiar does not have fear.
Similarly, I say everything in the Upaṇiṣads, Ahaṁ Satyam, jñānaṁ, ananthaṁ,

abhyaṁ, and all those things, and ultimately put it within quotations, so says the
upaṇiṣads. But it should be a fact arising from my own heart and therefore I have to
off and on ask myself, is it a fact for me.
And then the final internalisation, the most important internalisation, and that is
removing the gap between my knowledge and my day-to-day behaviour in life. It is
one thing to say, I am fearless; and another thing to be fearless. It is one thing that
I am śāntaḥ and another thing to be śāntaḥ. Therefore, constantly watching: Is
there a gap between what I say as a fact and what I am in my day-to-day life, which
means emotionally also, the knowledge should flow into my emotional personality.
Not enough that it flows in my intellectual personality but it should, what you call, it
should sink into my emotional personality and that is called aparōkṣa jñānaṁ. That
is called aparōkṣa anubhavaḥ; anubhavaḥ means experiencing the knowledge at all
levels. At all levels means, intellectually it is a fact for me and emotionally I feel the
benefit of that knowledge, in the form of what: Dukhēṣhu anudvigna manāḥ I
experience the being; I experience the śamatvam; and this is called aparōkṣa
jñānaṁ and Śankarācārya says without this total transformation of the personality,
without this total intellectual and emotional transformation of the personality,
whatever you do is worthless.
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Therefore he said in the 62nd verse, na gacchati vinā pānaṁ

vyādhirauṣadhaśabdataḥ; vina aparōkṣa anubhavam brahma śabdaihi na mucyatē.
Aparōkṣa anubhavam vina, without this aparōkṣa jñānaṁ, the anubhava means
experience; when we say experience, it need not mean Brahman is experienced,
because Brahman is never an object of experience. Here what we mean by the word
experience is jñānaṁ; the aparōkṣa anubhavam means aparōkṣa jñānaṁ.
And what is aparōkṣa jñānaṁ; that Brahman is not a new object to be experienced
but Brahman is another name for myself. It is not a new object to be experienced
but it is another name for myself; my true nature. Without this aparōkṣa jñānaṁ, na
mucyatē. One cannot get liberation. Brahma śabdai, by repeating the word Ahaṁ
Brahmāsmi, by doing japa ahaṁ brahmāsmi, one cannot get liberation. So when
one does, one repeat the word that ahaṁ brahmāsmi remains only in the lip, which
is not in the heart. In fact, even the very japa he is doing is with worry:
அ�கிட்டேய சண்ை ப��ச்�ண வந்தி�க்க; so therefore he is very angry, very
irritated; very upset; and he has taken the japa: sōham; ahaṁ brahmāsmi; etc.
people take this japa also; one side he is doing the japa biting his teeth. What is the
japa? Ahaṁ ānandaḥ svaruposmi and what is inside; ஒேர படபடப். So therefore
verbal statements do not liberate. The idea is Vēdānta sabdhaha na mochayati;
vēdānta sabdha arthaha mochayati. Words do not liberate; but their meanings
liberate.
And for this he gives an example. What is that example? The example of curing a
disease. And suppose a person has got a disease. The doctor has said that you have
to take this medicine. Suppose I buy the medicine or even before that I repeat the
name of the medicine; medicine, medicine, for so many mysins, streptomysin, etc.;
correct அ ெபாட்��க; it is "my sin" only. My sin. So every disease reminds what;
my sin only. Therefore he says the name of the medicine and he repeats that; the
word medicine will not help you. And another person buys the medicine and keeps
the medicine in front; then also no use; that medicine has to be put into the mouth
and suppose we put inside the mouth and does not swallow, useless; he has to
swallow. Even swallowing is not sufficient, sometimes because of some problem,
what he eats through one side just goes through the other side, without getting
assimilation. Therefore the food should be or the medicine should be absorbed by
every cell; then alone it brings about the transformation.
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Therefore he says here; vyādhi na gacchati. Disease does not go away by

auṣadhaśabdataḥ by the word medicine or by the object medicine. Medicine the
word or that particular substance; both of them do not remove the disease, pānam
vina; if that medicine is not internalised. Here also Ahaṁ brahmāsmi should not
remain the book, in the notes, in the cassette; ஏட் �ரக்கா கறிக் உதவா�; I have
written notes on all the upaṇiṣads; OK. So this note book got liberation. They are all
there in the well-preserved cassettes. Cassettes got liberated. So therefore that will
not help you. So by repetition medicine, medicine, medicine also, you will not.
Similarly repeating the upaṇiṣad or teaching other people; that is not going to
liberate. Therefore outside will not liberate; in the mouth it will not liberate; it has to
go inside your stomach. In the case of medicine, it should enter your stomach; in
the case of Brahma jñānaṁ, it should enter your innermost personality; bringing out
a thorough intellectual and emotional change. Intellectual change is conviction;
emotional change is freedom from kāma, krōda, lōbhaḥ, mōha, madaḥ, mātsarya; all
these six diseases must go away; that is the emotional transformation.
अकृत्व दृश्य�वलयम�ात तत्त्वमात् |

ब्रह्मशब कुतो मुिक्तरुिक्तमात्रफलैनृ ||६३||
akr̥tvā dr̥śyavilayaṁajñātvā tattvamātmanaḥ |
brahmaśabdaiḥ kutō muktiruktimātraphalairnr̥ṇām ||63||
The same idea is presented in a different way; the second line conveys the same
idea; brahma brahma śabdaiḥ kutō mukti; mere verbal repetition of the upaṇiṣad or
their commentaries will not help you at all. No doubt, you have to study the
upaṇiṣads, you have to come to the words; because when we say words will not
liberate, only their meaning will liberate, we should remember that words are not
criticised or pulled down, because without words, meaning cannot be
communicated. If I am communicating to you the meaning, the only pipeline that I
have to connect my brain and your brain is my words; if I have to convey I have got
only one mode.
I cannot connect an electric wire between our heads and try to transfer; it will not
get transferred. People talk about cākṣuṣaḥ dīkṣaḥ; and sparśana dīkṣaḥ and all.
Transferring the power through cākṣuṣaḥ dīkṣaḥ and transferring the power through
touching. Śiṣya ேனா� தைலய�ெல கைய ைவத். Those dīkṣaḥs may be possible in
the case of transferring powers; but they will not work in the case of transferring
knowledge. Power transference is different from knowledge transference. Even
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curing the disease etc. a siddha puruṣaḥ may do; or by seeing or touching; they will
all come under power transference; they will all come under siddhi but we do not
have any such transference method in the case of knowledge.
Svāmiji how do you know? You are talking with confidence. If such a method had
been there, in the battlefield, Lord Krishna would not have struggled to teach Arjuna
18 chapters of the Gītā; in the battlefield, easiest method is what? touching would
have been the easiest method. Therefore, remember, powers can be transferred by
look and touch in the case of siddhās; not you and me; only some body heat would
increase; only that. Therefore in the case of siddhās, transference are possible; in
the purāṇās it is said, even the youth can be transferred; in the case of story of
Yayati, etc. the father and the son exchange one gave jara; and another gave youth;
such siddhis are accepted but there is no method mentioned in any śāstra by which
the teacher looks or touches and transfers the knowledge.
Therefore the only means of transference of knowledge is words, words and words.
Even Bhagavān is transferring the self-knowledge to us only by one method; what is
that; the upaṇiṣadic words. And therefore remember, words are extremely
important; but what Śankarācārya says is words are important as a means but
words are not ends in themselves. Therefore do not hang on to words; do not hang
on to books which are only containers of words; and what should you do? Give
sufficient importance to the words as a means but do not give it more importance
than that. From the words you have to come to what; from the śabda, the
sādhanām, you will have to come to the artha, which is the sādhyam.
But generally what happens? in the case of seekers is: there are two extremes. One
extreme is a person says knowledge is important, words are not important; so they
do not study the śāstra itself. This is one extreme. Those who claim knowledge is
important, words are not going to give liberation; therefore I would not go a guru; I
would not study scriptures, etc. and I would do meditation; this is one idiot.
So without words coming from the guru; if the means is not there; how can a
person get the knowledge? Therefore one extreme is what; those people who reject
the words totally.
And there is another extreme group; those who hang on the words and words and
words, study the upaṇiṣads by heart; bhāṣyams by heart; there are people who
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study the sub-commentaries byheart; all that is not necessary; but they hang on to
the words and continue to be a samsāri; that means what; another extreme hanging
on to words.
Who is the right person? The one who does not totally reject the scriptures and the
one who does not hang on to the words of the scriptures, but the one who uses the
word, grasps the meaning and drops the words. Like eating the sugarcane; put the
sugarcane into the mouth, bite it and spit out the remnants.
Therefore here Śankarācārya is criticising those people who hang on to the words
and do not come to the artha at all. Therefore he says Brahma śabdai; by mere
words, kutaḥ mukthi, where is the liberation; it can give you what benefit;
ruktimātraphalai; if you hang on to the words, the only benefit is that you can quote
the Upaṇiṣads left and right. If you are a manager, your seat, you can quote the
upaṇiṣads also; you can quote the Gītā also; and the other people will say that he is
a great scholar. Except quotation, no benefit would be there, if you are hanging on
to the words alone. Uktimātraphalai; if you hang on to the words, the only benefit is
quotation. You can teach others; but in your heart; you will be worried; how many
students I get? After that, one person has got more number of students and will be
worried; teaching என்? ahaṁ pūrṇaḥ; ahaṁ pūrṇaḥ; ahaṁ triptaḥ; and what is the
worry? I get less number of people only, whereas the other person is getting more
number. What a big gulf between what I teach and what I am. Therefore do not
hang on to the words, ask the question, have I internalised the meaning. Uktimātraḥ
phalaihi nr̥ṇām kutō mukti. How can there be liberation for a human being?
And therefore what is more important. Arthaḥ is important. That is why Dayānanda
svāmi nicely says: Upaṇiṣad does not mean the Saṁsr̥kt text of Isa, Kena, Katha
only. Any book in any language that is present in any country in any form,
which gives the meaning that I am the whole and I am the reality upon
which the whole world is resting. Whichever book gives this knowledge,
that book is Upaṇiṣad.
Suppose in South America or under the Dead Sea Scrolls; suppose such scrolls are
there; or in North America they have got some tribal language and in that they are
communicating something and that is I am the substratum of the Universe, that is
called what? Upaṇiṣad.
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Therefore we are not particular about the language; we are not particular about the
source of that book; whichever book in whichever language conveys this idea, that I
am the substratum, that is called upaṇiṣad.
And that fact I have to internalise. And that fact he said in the first line; what is that
fact. Ātmanaḥ satvam; Fact about my true nature. And why should we use the word
'true nature'; because we have got false nature. Otherwise why should I say true
nature, because the false nature is my superficial nature that is my physical
personality is false nature No.1. And why is it my false nature? because it is the ever
the same. Changing nature is false nature. Incidental nature is false nature. Why
because it is incidental. My physical personality is my false nature, because in my
boyhood stage, I had one physical personality, now I have got another physical
personality; and after 25 years, if I survive, the body will be totally different;
therefore my physical personality is false. My emotional personality is மஹா false,
because morning I am all fine; after two hours I am totally different. In fact, many
students also. I find that all of them are so pleasant and so calm in front of me; and
then they complain; Svāmiji, you do not know, when he comes home, he is a terror;
I could not believe, because he is so pleasant, so smiling; but he has got a
personality in front of me, a personality outside. In camps and all, when I am there,
one personality; when I am not around, another personality; so emotional
personality also is changing, incidental. Intellectual personality is also incidental. And
what is the only permanent, changeless feature of mine? The only two things: I am
a conscious being; conscious means sat cit being means sat; as sat chit alone, is my
intrinsic nature. That is why during sleep I drop my physical personality, my
emotional personality, my intellectual personality, all are gone; but still sanmātraḥ
karaṇōpasaṁharaṇatō yō:'bhūtsuṣuptaḥ pumān. That I am an existent one; there is
no proof required. No doubt at all; during sleep also I exist, I have no doubt. If there
is a doubt regarding our existence, we will never go to sleep. Now we happily go to
sleep because we know that sleep is not non-existence, but sleep is my non-
transaction. And non-transaction is not non-existence. Transacting-I exist now; non-
transacting-I is existent in sleep; transactions are incidentals; but I the existent one
is not incidental. Therefore existence is my nature. Not only I was an existent one; I
was a concious being because after waking up, I say that I did not experience any
thing. From that it is very clear; what? That I am a conscious existent being. My
physical emotional intellectual personalities are fake-Is; the real-I is the satchidātma.
This is the first part of vēdantic teaching; ātmanaḥ satvam.
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Then what is the second part? Everything else other than this real nature is less real
than me; is less real than me; they are dependent on me; they are mithyah; the
relationship between me and the world is like the relationship between clay and pot.
We do not question the availability of pot; pot is there; pot can bring water; clay
cannot bring water; pot can bring water; clay cannot bring water; pot has the
capacity; it has everything; but I know that pot cannot exist independent of clay.
Similarly, the world cannot exist independent of you. The clay lends existence to the
pot, I lend existence to the world. So this is called ahaṁ satyam, jagan mithya; and
this falsification of the world is here called dr̥śya vilayaṁ. Dr̥śya vilayaṁ literally
means resolution of the world. Dr̥śya is equal to world. Object is equal to world.
Dr̥śya is equal to object is equal to world. Vilayaṁ means dissolution; resolution;
And dissolution here means falsification. And falsification means what; knowing,
knowing that it does not have independent existence. This you have to understand
clearly. Falsification is knowing that it does not have independent existence. So I
have given the example, like dissolving the desk. Vēdānta uses the word of
dissolving the desk. Dissolving the desk means what; what we will think, that we
have to do something to dissolve. Acid கிசிட ேபாட், நன்ன கைரக்கண; Vēdantic
dissolution is totally technical thing; it is a purely an intellectual job; and what is the
intellectual job; knowing that there is no desk; there is no substance called desk;
other than wood; but is not a new substance. But what is the substance? It is
wood; now wood; later wood; desk is a new word, but not a new substance. The
moment I understand that death has got only a wordy existence, what do I do? I
take away the existence from the desk and I hand it over to what; wood; the wood
alone is desk; desk does not have an existence of its own. This understanding is
called dissolution of the desk. And why do we use the word dissolution? We use the
word dissolution because, thereafterwards whenever we hear the word dissolution,
in my mind, what is the knowledge; wood is there is the knowledge. And I know
desk has got only verbal existence. Chāndōgya Upaṇiṣad says; desk exists only on
your tongue. Outside what is there? Wood only; desk is where; on your tongue;
vācharanbaṅam vikāro namadēyam. Similarly the upaṇiṣad says the world exists on
your tongue alone. The world is not a substance. This understanding is called dr̥śya
vilayaṁ.
Then what is the advantage of that? So this discussion is purely an intellectual affair.
In what way it will affect my emotional problem? Here only many people face
problems. By Intellectual analysis, how can all my worries vanish? It is an emotional
problem. For that the answer: once I know that I am satyam, world is nāma rūpa,
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my attitude towards the world will change. Attitude towards the world will change
and what is the change in attitude? This world cannot affect the real me; this world
cannot affect the real me; just as the dream tiger or even movie tiger cannot affect
me at all. That is why in English, there is an expression: He is a paper tiger; what
does it mean to say: Paper Tiger; only for seeing it is frightening; it can do no harm
at all. Movie / TV etc. you see all kinds of zorastic park or even 3D movies it might
come, and at that time I may shiver but I know that it cannot do anything to me. So
the greatest advantage is the sense of insecurity will go away. According to
vēdānta, insecurity is a sense; not a fact. And the notion of insecurity will go away.
What about other emotional problems? Vēdānta says all other emotional problems
are only products of this basic sense of insecurity; என்னாெ தன�ய இ�க் ��மா;
அவா support பண்ணைலன், என்னா�. Either I expect support physically, or

emotionally, or intellectually or financially, எனக்� என்னவா�ே; எனக்�
என்னவா�ேம; எனக்� என்னவா�ேமா ங்கற பயம; that insecurity alone

expresses in the form of kāma; kāma is borne out of insecurity; krōdhaḥ is borne
out of insecurity; lōbhaḥ is born of insecurity; mōha, madaḥ, mātsarya; all are basic
insecurity alone; that insecurity goes away. Once I know that Ahaṁ Satyam Jagan
Mithya; I do not require security from the world. In fact, world is secure because of
Me. Just as clay saying I am not secure because of pot; in fact pot is getting security
from me, the clay. And this fact should be understood and internalised. So therefore
dr̥śya vilayaṁ is jagan mithyatva niścayaḥ; Ātmanaḥ tatvam means ātma satyatva
niścayaḥ. Ātma satyatva niścayaḥ and jagan mithyatva niścayaḥ; both are the most
important aspect of vēdantic pursuit. And without these two; whatever you do is
worthless. Therefore akrutva; akrutva means without jagan mithyatva niścayaḥ and
ajñātva means without ātma satyatva niścayaḥ. So akrutva dr̥śya vilayaṁ; without
jagan mithyatva niścayaḥ and ajñātva tatvam ātmana; without ātma satyatva
niścayaḥ; whatever you do, it will all remain isolated in your brain and then it will
not help to face any situation, including the temperature rise in the summer. You
know that is a big problem. That also we have to face. Everything. Not only external
temperature rise, but also internal temperature rise; all these you have to face, no
escape. Without that it is useless. More we will see in the next class.
Hari Om.
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अकृत्व दृश्य�वलयम�ात तत्त्वमात् |
ब्रह्मशब कुतो मुिक्तरुिक्तमात्रफलैनृ ||६३|
akr̥tvā dr̥śyavilayaṁajñātvā tattvamātmanaḥ |
brahmaśabdaiḥ kutō muktiruktimātraphalairnr̥ṇām ||63|
In these verses, beginning from the 60th verse onwards, the teacher is glorifying
student as well as the teaching and the topic goes up to verse No.71. And in these
verses, which we are seeing now, jñānaṁ is glorified. And here the teacher points
out that the mere verbal statement that Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi will not lead to liberation;
but it should become my own conviction and it should become sthira prajñaḥ and
therefore he said Brahma śabdaiḥ rukti mātra phalaihi mukthi hina bhavathi. Mere
statement Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi cannot give liberation. And therefore to make the
statement a fact, whatever is required all of them should be done; like śravaṇam,
mananam and nidhidhyāsanam, are important. Up to this we saw.
अकृत्व शत्रुसंहारमगत्वा�खलभू�श |
राजाह�म�त शब्दान् राजा भ�वतम
ु हर्� ||६४||
akr̥tvā śatrusaṁhāramagatvākhilabhūśriyam |
rājāhamiti śabdānnō rājā bhavitumarhati ||64||
So this slōka is an example to explain in the idea contained in the previous slōka,
that is Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi, verbal statement is not enough. And here the example of a
King is given. A king has lost the kingdom taken by all the enemies; and the
kingdom legitimately belongs to this king only and therefore he can legitimately
claim that Ahaṁ Rāja asmi. Even though it is a fact that the kingdom belongs to him
and until he is able to take back the kingdom and drive away the enemies; the mere
statement that Ahaṁ I am the king will not be of no use. And therefore the king has
to fight every enemy and send them out and take back the kingdom and then alone
ahaṁ rāja asmi will be a meaningful statement; a factual statement. Similarly here
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also, ahaṁ brahmāsmi is a fact and we can legitimately claim this fact that Ahaṁ
Brahmāsmi and Brahman means the king of the whole creation. Ahaṁ vrikṣasya
reriva | kirtih prishtham gireriva; the upaṇiṣad says that I am the one who am the
sustaining the whole creation; which is the teaching of the upaṇiṣad and which is a
fact also. But even though a legitimate fact, unless I claim that Kingdom by
destroying the enemies, I am not going to get any benefit; I will be claiming that I
am Brahman, I am Brahman, but there will be no benefit that can be enjoyed by me.
And therefore here he says: śatrusaṁhāram akr̥tvā; suppose the king does not
destroy the enemy who has taken away his legitimate kingdom; so suppose a person
does not destroy the enemies who have usurped his kingdom and akhilabhūśriyam
agatvā and suppose he does not acquire the entire kingdom as well as its wealth;
suppose a king does not destroy the enemies and suppose the king does not get
back, acquire back the kingdom, as well as his wealth, śriyam means the wealth,
and without doing these two jobs, he goes on telling that Ahaṁ rāja Asmi, the
kingdom legitimately belongs to me, but they have taken it from me, he goes on
telling everyone and he is the forest now, not having enough to eat; eating fruits
and roots and lying on the ground and suffering all kinds of insect bites; suffering he
is but verbally he says Ahaṁ rāja Asmi; who wants that? and what is the benefit of
that statement? Rāja ahaṁ iti śabdāt; by merely repeating like a parrot Ahaṁ rāja
asmi, rāja bhavitum na arhati; he cannot be a king at all. It is only an imagination.
And therefore he should say Ahaṁ Rāja Asmi and enjoy the glory of royalty, then he
should stop verbalising; he should start acting. And whatever is required, before
attacking the enemies, he should not straight away attack also; the enemy may be
powerful; before attaching the enemies, he should start collecting his forces and
gathering strength and at the appropriate time, he should attack the enemies and
drive them away and be in the Capital and then he should claim Ahaṁ Rāja Asmi.
In the same way, the Upaṇiṣad says Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi, the kingdom of Mōkṣa is
within you, as they the kingdom of heaven is within you; you are the king of mōkṣa
sāmrājyam, the upaṇiṣad declare. And I also go on saying that Ahaṁ Nitya
muktōsmi; Nikya muktōsmi; nitya muktōsmi; at the same time crying; goes on
saying Nitya muktōsmi; Śankarācārya says: Stop verbalising, start acting.
And what is the action that should be done; that we have to supply. Śankarācārya
does not say that; we have to supply. What should we do? We have to destroy the
enemies; and here who is the enemy; not the human beings; the enemy is ajñāna
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śatruḥ; and if the ajñāna śatruḥ has to be destroyed; I have to become sufficiently
strong; enough forces; what are the forces; vivēka, vairāgyaṁ, śama, dama,
uparama, titikṣaḥ, sraddha, samādhānam, mumukṣutvaṁ, śāstram, guru; these are
the commanders who should go ahead; or else if you go straight, you will get
beaten. As a weak person if I attack, like the Indians facing China in 1962; just
finished because, you are not equipped to fight the enemy.
Therefore nuclear bomb is required, then acquire it; whatever is required to

strengthen and then I have to attack the enemy, not only the ajñānaṁ enemy; there
is the saṁśaya enemy, saṁśaya means I know Ahaṁ Brahāmsi; but, you say. That
butting in but is the doubt; lack of conviction. How can I accept what the scriptures
say. What is the proof for this? So therefore the doubt can be there; and finally
there is a habitual emotional problem like anger, depression, jealousy, etc. which is
known as viparyayaḥ; ajñāna, saṁśaya, viparyaya; enemies should be attacked. The
war is śravaṇa manana nidhidyaśana war; and the army is the vivēka, vāirāgya,
śāmādi ṣaṭka saṁpatti, mumukṣutva, guru and śāstram. Keeping all these, unless
you attack, mere ahaṁ Brahmāsmi recitation will not lead anything.
And therefore better start acting. That means ask the question, what do I require.
More śravaṇam, do I require; More mananam do I require; or more nidhidhyāsanam
do I require; and according to requirement, spend quality-time on that. Without
spending quality time on these three, study will be on the one side and life's problem
will continue to attack from the other side. Therefore come out from the forest of
saṁsāra; and own up the mōkṣa sāmrājyam. So do not verbalise. Enough of talking;
start acting.
So second line rāja ahaṁ iti śabdāt, verbalisation, lip service to vēdānta; by that rāja
bhavitum na arhati. So you will never be free by mere statement that ahaṁ muktaḥ.
आप्तोिक् खननं तथोप�र�शलाद्युत्कषर स्वीकृ�त

�न�ेपः समपे�ते न�ह ब�हः शब्दैस् �नगर्च्छ |
तद्वद्ब्रह्म�वदोपदेशमननध्याना�द�भ
मायाकायर्�तरो�हत स्वममल तत्त् न दय
ु ुर्िक्त� ||६५||
āptōktiṁ khananaṁ tathōpariśilādyutkarṣaṇaṁ svīkr̥tiṁ
nikṣēpaḥ śamapēkṣatē nahi bahiḥ śabdaistu nirgacchati |
tadvadbrahmavidōpadēśamananadhyānādibhirlabhyatē
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māyākāryatirōhitaṁ svamamalaṁ tattvaṁ na duryuktibhiḥ ||65||
So the same idea is contained in this also. In the previous slōka Śankarācārya said
enough of talking; start acting. And in this slōka he clarifies what is the action to be
done here. Is it some kind of morning walk that is to be done that I should do; or I
should do some rituals or temple visit; what is the type of action that I have to do?
Now the action we have already seen before; that first we have to prepare the mind
and second we have to do jñānaṁ. In fact first we have to go through karma yōga
and we have to go through jñāna yōga; that is the action. And Śankarācārya
assumes here that we have already gone through karma yōga. If a person has not
prepared the mind through the pañja mahā yajñaḥ; leaving a life of dharma, by
varieties of contributions to the action; action means leading a religious life a
dharmic life is the action.
Here Śankarācārya assumes that a person has gone through the religious life and
therefore the next stage of action is śravaṇam, mananam and nidhidhyāsanam; so
this threefold action he prescribes in this particular slōka.
And to convey this idea, a beautiful example is given. Suppose a person is very poor;
he has got only a small piece of land and that too barren land; he does not have
enough food to eat; and even for tilling the land, he does not have the resources
and he dos not have what you call any other energy also, therefore he is suffering
and suppose some person comes and tells and you are not a poor person; in fact
you are the richest person in the land. And then he wonders how come you say I am
richest person. In fact, I do not enough money to eat my next meal; how do you say
that I am the richest person? Then the other person tells because under your land
there is a huge treasure, which is worth millions or trillions of rupees. So much
money is there. Now the moment that he got the information, he has known that I
am the richest person and he also knows that the information is fact because the
friend will not bluff. That is to be assumed; his friend is not a joker or bluffer, he is
āpta puruṣaḥ; āpta means the one who tells the truth alone.
And now he has known that I am the richest person, I have a big treasure under
me, but even though he goes on saying, I am the richest person, hunger will
continue. Therefore what should he do? He has to listen to the information that I am
the richest person; until he claims the treasure, acquires the treasure, poverty will
continue; hunger will continue; therefore enough of statements; he should start
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what;? acting and what should be action? Khananaṁ; he has to dig the ground and
remove all the mud; and whatever is required and there is a treasure and the
treasure is protected by rock and other things and then he has to remove all the
rock and take the treasure and own up the treasure; then and then alone, he can
enjoy the richness.
Therefore Śankarācārya says, three stages are required to own up the richness.
Three stages are required to own up the richness; the wealth; the first stage is
somebody has to come and tell that the treasure is underneath; and he should give
enough proof and enough data to convince me that there is treasure. Otherwise
initially I will say you are bluffing; you are pacifying; how can there be treasure what
is the source; I will ask umpteen questions; so the first stage is somebody should
inform that there is a treasure and not only inform, convince also; this is called
āptōktiḥ; or āpta vachanam; statement of a reliable person; a trust worthy person.
And what is next stage required? Now I know that there is treasure. So I need not
beg from anyone; I need not work to get money; it is already mine; and what is
required; I have to acquire it; therefore what is the second stage; khananaṁ;
khananaṁ means what digging; to remove all the earth which is covering the
treasure. So the earth is the obstacle, and therefore the earth has to be removed. So
previously lack of information or ignorance was the obstacle; now the ignorance-
obstacle is gone; because I know there is treasure; but the obstacle is now what?
mud is there; therefore I should go on removing the mud and after removing the
mud, the job is called khananaṁ.
Then there is a third stage involved; what is that? When the actual treasure comes;
for further protection lot of rocks are placed; protect it; and therefore final stage is
removal of the rock covering the treasure; śilādi utkarshanam; śilā means rock;
which are solid; previous obstacle was mud; which can be removed; relatively easily
but later pratibandās are solid rock; once you remove the rocks also; then the
wealth is in your hands; all the ornaments and diamonds jewels you can put on
yourselves; all the money you can use for buying food and you can eat sumptuously.
So what are the three stages; āptōktiḥ, khananaṁ, śilādyutkarṣaṇaṁ, removal of the
ignorance regarding the treasure, removal of the mud and removal of rock.
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Now you have to extend this to the vēdantic teaching also; Here the teacher
samsāri; poor in peace of mind, because he repeatedly says: நிம்மதிே இல்லே;
நிம்மதிே இல்லே; POOR in security; security feels ānandaḥ, etc. he is extremely

poor and embodiment of sorrow; embodiment of insecurity; embodiment of lack of
peace; and not only that he is going in search of peace to various places; āśramas to
āśramas he goes; pilgrimage to pilgrimage he goes and all in search of peace; then
the apta puruṣaḥ comes; who is the āptas, the vēdas or the gurus; is called the
āptaḥ; and he comes and tells that the ānandaḥ you search for; the security you
seek, it is nothing but Brahman; so Brahman is the peace; Brahman is the ānandaḥ;
Brahman is the security; the source of peace and security is not elsewhere; it is in
yourselves. Just as the treasure is in your land, Brahman is in you, yourselves.
But initially the conviction does not come; we will think that it is brainwashing or it is
some soothsaying; ெராம் ஸம்க படறான என்கிறத்� ஆக, ஸமதானத்�க ஆக;
என்னவாவ� ெசால்லேறாே. So we will not believe it; how can I accept that I have
security in myself and therefore I ask further questions and analyse the vēdas; that
is called the upakramādi ṣadlingaiḥ; vēdānta vicāraḥ; analysing the upaṇiṣads until I
am convinced that the vēdic statement is a valid fact. That vēda says Brahman or
peace is not elsewhere but in me, myself. This is called the first stage; śravaṇam is
the analysis of the vēdānta until I am very sure that it is a valid information given by
the vēdas. So now I know that I need not go outside for peace and security; so
āptōktiḥ here is śravaṇam.
Then the next stage is what? Vēdānta goes on presenting ideas; and different minds
are receiving the vēdantic teachings; each mind according to its background will
raise different questions. So each mind according to its background will raise its own
questions; a scientific will raise a scientific question; a mind which has the
knowledge of psychology will raise the question on psychology; neurology scientists
will raise neurological question; a logical person will ask a logical question; an
emotional person will ask emotional questions; since the minds are infinite; the
questions are also infinite. And vēdānta cannot particularly answer every particular
question of the thinker. Only some of the salient questions; some of the main
questions which a normal intellect can ask; those questions the vēdānta itself will
raise; and perhaps the teacher himself may raise some questions; but they are all
what? but they are all like the model question papers before the exams; some model
questions can be raised; how can the teacher imagine all the questions that can be
raised by all the human intellect; how many human intellects are there; as many
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human beings are there; 5 trillion whatever be the number. 5 trillion human being;
and they are the current living human beings; and how many human beings have
gone by and how many human beings are yet to be born; all these possible
questions; no teacher or teachers or no scriptures can deal with; but what do they
do? sample, model questions they deal with.
And what should the intelligent student do? Based on the sample answers; he
should be able to answer all his questions; he need not deal with others questions;
but he should deal his particular question; which are obstacles to his own conviction.
This process of independent reflection; getting clues from the teacher; getting
indications from the teacher; getting directions from the teacher; finding out my own
answers for my own questions is called mananam, which is here the digging process.
For the treasure you dig, removing the earth; the earth removal of the earth is
removal of all my logical questions; that is why one slōka says:
āchāryat padam adattē; in fact, from the guru, you get only the 1/4th of the
teaching. From Guru you get on the 1/4h of the teaching; what about the next
quarter? Padam śiṣya svamēdaya; he has to apply his own intellect and find out
answers but he should be sympathetic to the upaṇiṣad; his thinking should not be
anti-upaṇiṣad; he should think to negate the upaṇiṣad; he must have sympathy
towards the upaṇiṣads; sympathetic attitude for whose benefit? For my own benefit.
That is called śraddhāḥ; I should not become an opposition leader in the Parliament;
The opposition leaders role is what? whatever the ruling party does is wrong; why?
because it is done by the ruling party. So that kind of attitude will reach nowhere; I
should always be for and considerate. The upaṇiṣads is trying to help me out; and I
should help the upaṇiṣad out to help me. I should help the upaṇiṣad to help me; I
should not anti-upaṇiṣad. This kind of attitude is called śruti sammada tarka; using
logic which will go along with the upaṇiṣads. Otherwise it is called dry logic. This is
nāstika logic. So this is the second stage called mananam; this is removal of the
earth; and what is the earth here? logical questions or doubts; that all should be
removed.
And then comes the final stage where the solid rocks are to be removed; and what
are the solid rocks; all our habitual notions; that I am a samsāri. That I cannot be
muktaḥ; even if I have to be muktaḥ, certainly not in this life; I have concluded; I
have to take some more janmas; then only it is possible; therefore I myself act
against myself; I myself are anti-Me. Therefore all these habitual notions; that I am
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bhaktaḥ; habitual anger; habitual jealousy; habitual rāga; habitual dvēṣa; certain
people I decide I cannot forgive. People come and tell me. Svāmiji, this person I can
never forgive in life. You say anything I am ready to do this and that; I will never
forgive this person. I tell you that is the solid rock against mōkṣa; because
forgiveness whether the other person deserves forgiveness or not is not the
question; because I am giving forgiveness not for the other person's sake; because
it is for removing my own burden; because if there is one person whom I hate from
heart; mōkṣa is gone. As somebody nicely said a balloon is tied to the ground with
hundred strings; and if the balloon has to fly high; how many strings have to be cut?
Hundred strings; if you say, Svāmiji I have cut 99 strings; the balloon is not going
up; I say it will not go up; even if one string is there; balloon will not go up. Similarly
even if one person I hate in the creation; that is enough to keep the aground in the
saṁsāra. Therefore they are all solid rocks, which have to be removed by
nidhidhyāsanam; I do not hate anyone; I am not jealous of anyone; for each
obstacle, the corresponding nidhidhyāsanam should be done. This is called action.
So verablisation is not enough, thru these three things; by giving it; by giving quality
time; then and then alone; you own up the treasure of ātma sāmrājyam. This is the
idea of this slōka.
Now look at the slōka. So the first two lines is the example. nikṣēpaḥ śamapēkṣatē;
second line; nikṣēpaḥ means a treasure; a treasure requires these three actions for
owning up. A treasure requires samapēkṣatē means requires; these three things for
owning up. What are they? first line āptōktiṁ; first somebody has to tell me that
there is a treasure; that is called āptōktiṁ; that is the information given by a trust-
worthy reliable person; then the next stage required is khananaṁ; do not go on
listening alone; do not go on attending class alone; class attending is important; that
is only āptōktiṁ portion; I should ask myself the question how many questions I
raise and how many questions I answer. This has to be done. And this is called
khananaṁ.
And in this vēdānta; it is mananam; khananaṁ is mananam; easy to remember,

make the ka into ma. So I ask the question do you accept ahaṁ brahma as a fact; if
I say I do not accept it as a fact, I ask the question, why? And whatever the
question the mind raises, I must find out the answer; am I free now; later being
free is a different matter; am I free now; if I say not now; I should ask the question,
why? Thus khananaṁ means digging process; and what is the third stage; tatha and
upariśilā utkarṣaṇaṁ; śilā means the rock; we have come here to solid rock; and all
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other things, clay, etc. śilā upari utkarṣaṇaṁ, throwing out, removing out and finally
svīkr̥tiṁ means what, owning up, which is the result. First three are sādhanā, the
fourth one is the goal. svīkr̥tiṁ means claiming, owning up. All these are required in
the case of nikṣēpaḥ, a treasure, and without doing all these tasks, suppose a
person repeats the word, I have a treasure, I have a treasure, I have a treasure
japam, Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi japam like that, he goes on saying Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi, or he
says: Manō buddhi ahankara cittani nāham, chidānandaḥ rūpa shivōhaṁ; when in
another corner of the mind says: ஆ�கண்ட; who has seen. சிதாநன் �பமாவவ�;
அஹம ஆவ�; எேதா ெசால்லற, நம்ம� ெசாலலிண் இ�க்ேகா. That it will not
come from the inner most heart.
Therefore he says śabdaiḥai bahiḥ nahi nirgachhati. By mere verbalisation, these

treasures will never come out. So you require all these actions. This is the example.
Now he comes to the original, tatvat; as in the case of example, tatvam, fourth line,
tatvam, tatvam here stands for the Reality or peace of Ānandaḥ; that also requires
three-fold pursuit and what are they? Brahmavidopadeśa; the first stage is
bramavidya upadēśaḥ. So a trustworthy person, viz., a guru has to convince me
through his teaching that he is in Me; security is in Me, he has to convince; this
process is called bramavidya upadēśaḥ; otherwise called śravaṇam. On the part of
the teacher it is upadēśaḥ; on the part of the student, it is śravaṇam.
And after receiving the teaching from the teacher, and what is the next stage,
mananam; I should touch my heart and ask, am I convinced that I am free here and
now; and mind will never say Yes; it will come up with so many excuses, and it will
intelligently postpone the mōkṣa; நாளையக் வ�ம; நாளையக் வ�ம; நாளையக்
வ�ம. When we ask the question why do you postpone the mōkṣa? Then you say
that I have got cold now; if the cold leaves, mōkṣa will come. Then what is the
problem. The problem is when he says I am not free because there is cold, where is
the mistake? The meaning of the word-I is not clear; for him the meaning of the
word-I is the body and therefore since body and I are mixed up, body's freedom
from cold is mistaken as my freedom. This is the mistake I am committing. Then I
have to tell that I should never connect cold and liberation. The answer should come
like that. And therefore I should understand that ātma, anātmanayoho itarēṣhaḥ
adyaśaha is the problem; and thus I have to each knot, I have to unwind. Not that
we should not take to medicine for cold. Medicine you can take but you should be
aware. Therefore that does not mean should not be kept healthy, but one should
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connect the body's condition and one's own freedom because, if the condition of the
body is going to determine your freedom; you are never going to be free.
Thus, for each question, I have to find out where the snag is; often the snag is, I
use the word I, in the wrong place. In the class when I say: Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi, the
meaning of the word I is stūla sūkṣma kāraṇa śarīrat vyathiriktaḥ; at some other
places, when I say Ahaṁ that Ahaṁ is connected with either stūla or sukṣamā śarīra
m. This is the discrepancy one has to clearly understand. And therefore mananam.
clearing, finding out where the snag is and
Then finally dhyānadhibihi; dhyānam means nidhidhyāsanam; nidhidhyāsanam is not

thinking process; the difference between mananam and nidhidhyāsanam; in
mananam, logical thinking is involved; rationalisation is involved; in nidhidhyāsanam;
there is no rationalisation. No thinking is involved. Then what? It is seeing the fact or
remaining in the fact for a length of time. When you wake up after a dream, and
that too a nighmarish dream, when I wake up, even though it is a dream, I know
but for some time that palpitation; படபடப் continues; because in dream I saw
somebody, a thief entering the bathroom; and I woke up, I know it is a dream and I
want to go to bathroom and because of the dream I wanted.
Now I am afraid to go to the bathroom, because I have seen the thief enter the
bathroom in the dream and if the dream-thief is still sitting there, what will I do. So
in spite of knowledge that heart-beat continues. Therefore I have to assert the
known fact; it is only a dream; I need not be afraid. It is only a dream; I need not
be afraid. This dwelling upon the fact is called dhyānam. No teaching is involved. No
logic is involved. But owning up. And dhyāna ādhibhi; ādhi refers to samādhi; and
here samādhi refers to that deep involvement; absorption; and why do we say deep
involvement is required; because in our personal worries, we are deeply involved;
worry about the son, worry about the daughter; worry about the grandchild, worry
about financial condition, worry about the BP, worry about sugar, worry about old
age; in every worry, we are deeply involved; as much deeply involved in the worry,
so much we have to be deeply involved in the worry-free ātma.
That is why gr̥hasthās require more nidhidhyāsanam than a sanyāsi; because for a
sanyāsi, deep involvement in worry is relatively lesser; why because you have to
have a son for the son worry; daughter you should have for the daughter-worry.
Wife should be there for the wife-worry. Therefore the irony is: sanyāsi has lot of
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time for nidhidhyāsanam but he does not require that much nidhidhyāsanam;
gr̥hastha requires maximum nidhidhyāsanam; and the irony is that he has no time.
So therefore you should never say that I have no time. If you have no time for
nidhidhyāsanam; you have todo more nidhidhyāsanam; because when you say no
time for nidhidhyāsanam; it means that you are deeply involved in so many worries
and that means you should be deeply involved in nidhidhyāsanam. Therefore the
ādhi means, that absorption is necessary, important; deep involvement is very
important.
This Śankarācārya is going to elaborately discuss. This is only an introduction; but

regarding nidhidhyāsanam and samādhi, he is going to deal with more than 100
verses are written on this topic alone. Otherwise, knowledge will be academic
knowledge; verbal knowledge, you will not get any benefit without nidhidhyāsanam;
he emphases. Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi is a unique work for nidhidhyāsanam emphasis. Most
of the other works that we see, śravaṇam is emphasised. Upadeśa sāhasri and all;
but in Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi we find nidhidhyāsanam is focused more.
Therefore whenever we ask the question: for so many years you have been studying
vēdānta; nothing is seen; Śankarācārya will ask the question, how far deeply
involved you are. That will be the question. So dhyānatitihi labyate; what labyatē;
tatvam labyatē; tatva means ānandaḥ svarūpam labyate. And what type of ānandaḥ
svarūpam? tvam; the ānandaḥ svarūpa, which is your own; you need not pay any
money to get it; just as the treasure is your own under your own land. Similarly
Brahmānandaḥ is your own. You need not ask permission from anyone; even from
God; it is your own; therefore, tvam tatvam; and that too what; amalam tatvam;
which is free from all the impurities like rāga, dvēṣa; kāma, krōdhaḥ, duḥkhaṁ,
puṇyam, pāpam; all these impurities are not there; that pure principal labyatē. And
this tatvam is covered by what? In the case of treasure it is covered by mud and
rock; in the case of ātma, it is covered by what? you should not say mud and rock
and you should not use the needle and etc. to prick it out, then only blood will
come; nothing else will come. Here it is not covered by any physical thing, it is
covered by mental obstacles. Therefore he says, मायाकायर्�तरो�हत māyā kārya
tirōhitaṁ; this Brahmānandaḥ is covered by māya; māya means ignorance; avidyā
and not only ignorance, three layers are there isn't it? Kāryam, kāryam means the
products of ignorance. What are the products of ignorance? one is doubt, and
another is habitual false notion. Ignorance is māya and karyam is saṁśaya
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viparyaya. Therefore ignorance, doubt and habitual notion or habitual dēha

abhīmāna is all what; all at the mental level. Therefore physical job is not required;
all corrections are required in the mind alone; therefore māya karya thirohitam;
thirohitam means concealed, covered, hidden; and that hidden Brahmānandaḥ; that
hidden security; that hidden fullness; all of them labyate. Labyate is in the third line,
a person can accomplish.
Na duryuktibhiḥ; you can never accomplish it by dry reasoning; dry reasoning means
reasoning based upon perceptual data is called dry reasoning. And then is wet
reasoning. What is the proper reasoning? Proper reasoning is that reasoning which is
based on scriptural data also. When you include scriptural data, it is called proper
reasoning; if you refuse to accept the scriptural data saying that I do not believe in
scriptures and all; then our approach is sorry; we have nothing to talk to you;
because perceptual data can deal with only external world; perceptual data can
never deal with the observer. When the observer is the topic of discussion, we can
never go by perceptual data, we must necessarily include scriptural data; otherwise
we are not available for discussion. ேபசமாட்ேடா அவாகிட்ை.
And therefore that logic is called what? duryuktibhiḥ. By that duryukti; that logic it is
not supported by scriptures; na labyatē; you can never get. And that is why we say:
science can never discover the truth we say because science thinks properly alright,
but it has got only perceptual data, it does not accept scriptural data; and science
will be successful in material field; but science can never succeed in spiritual field.
Somehow you can use perceptual data; but you have also to use scriptural data; you
have to combine both, we have to use.
Hari Om.
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आप्तोिक् खननं तथोप�र�शलाद्युत्कषर स्वीकृ�त

�न�ेपः समपे�ते न�ह ब�हः शब्दैस् �नगर्च्छ |
तद्वद्ब्रह्म�वदोपदेशमननध्याना�द�भ
मायाकायर्�तरो�हत स्वममल तत्त् न दय
ु ुर्िक्त� ||६५||
āptōktiṁ khananaṁ tathōpariśilādyutkarṣaṇaṁ svīkr̥tiṁ
nikṣēpaḥ śamapēkṣatē nahi bahiḥ śabdaistu nirgacchati |
tadvadbrahmavidōpadēśamananadhyānādibhirlabhyatē
māyākāryatirōhitaṁ svamamalaṁ tattvaṁ na duryuktibhiḥ ||65||
The teacher continues the glorification of the teaching, before he begins the actual
teaching and in this portion that we are seeing the teacher is emphasising aparōkṣa
jñāna niṣṭa. The teacher points out that even though the upaṇiṣad may reveal that I
am Brahman, unless I gain the knowledge and I own up my true nature; it is not
going to be of any use at all. And he gave two examples, one example is that of a
king who has lost the kingdom because somebody has taken away and he knows
that the kingdom legitimately belongs to him; legally belongs to him; but until you
fight and claims the ownership, there is no benefit of claiming himself to be a rāja.
Like some of the rented house, people are doing. I know that legally the house
belongs to me but this person who is staying there refuses to vacate. All over it is
happening; in the paper it is mine; sometimes even Courts orders the person to
vacate; but until actually that person vacate, saying that I have a house I have a
house, there is no benefit at all because I am on the street. Even though I am
legally and legitimately I may be the owner, I am on the field.
Similarly the upaṇiṣad says legally and legitimately you are the owner of mōkṣa
sāmrājyam; that is good for hearing; but the fact is that I am in the field. Now in the
case of example, the Rāja's kingdom is usurped by, taken away by the enemies;
who are people outside, but in the case of mōkṣa sāmrājyam, the enemies are the
internal enemies in the form of ajñānaṁ, saṁśayaḥ and viprayaḥ; ignorance, lack of
conviction and emotional problem. Psychology also plays a very important role;
removal of ignorance and doubt alone is not enough; we have to tackle; we have to
deal with every one of our emotional problem; kāma. krodhaḥ, lobhaḥ mōha,
mātsarya; even one of them is there; it will take away the mōkṣa sāmrājyam. Thus
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the first example is that of a king who is on the street now and the second example
a poor person who has got a treasure under the small piece of land that he owns.
Śankarācārya says that till the treasure is exposed, for all practical purposes;
technical purposes he is the owner of a treasure; therefore a very rich man but that
is not enough but until he digs and removes all the obstacles to the treasure, he
cannot enjoy the benefit of the treasure and here between the treasure and this
poor person, we have got layers of mud, stone and rock are there. In the same way,
between me and mōkṣa there are three layers of obstacles; each layer of obstacle
stronger than the previous one. Some loose earth is there; some clay is there; and
some strong rocks are there.
In the case of mōkṣa treasure, what are the three layers? Not mud, தைலய�ல
கலிமண் இ�க்�ன ெசால்லேவண்ட; so we have got the ajñāna loose earth;

saṁśaya clay and viparyaya rock. Emotional problems I call rock because they are so
hard that it will not easily go. The tendency to be depressed; the tendency to feel
isolated; the tendency to feel rejected; and I am neglected by everyone; these are
all self-inflicted problems. Thus Śankarācārya says until you remove these obstacles,
you cannot enjoy mōkṣa; you will be like a rāja on the street, like Dharmaputra, etc.
or you will be like a begger; a owner of a treasure who is a beggar. That is what
was given in the 66 verse. māyākāryatirōhitaṁ svamamalaṁ tattvaṁ na
duryuktibhiḥ. Up to this we saw.
तस्मात्सवर्प्र भवबन्ध�वमुक्त |
स्वैरे यत्न कतर्व् रोगादा�वव पिण्डतै ||६६||
tasmātsarvaprayatnēna bhavabandavimuktayē |
svairēva yatnaḥ kartavyō rōgādāviva paṇḍitaiḥ ||66||
The teacher through the student is giving a general advice to all the seekers or all
the people. Tasmat. Therefore, therefore means even though mōkṣa is your very
nature you need not get it from outside, but still the nature you have to own up; this
requires your initiative. When you eat food, the assimilation of food takes place
naturally. There I need not put forth any effort; after two hours or three hours, the
food is reduced to various nutrients; and it is assimilated by the body; but in the
case of the scriptural teaching, assimilation never takes place naturally; I have to
take separate initiative and I have to work on assimilation. Otherwise the teacher
will remain stranded in you; in one corner and saṁsāra also will remain. There will
be a peculiar co-existence of scriptural study and saṁsāra. Even though they should
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not co-exist, they will co-exist because we have not put forth any effort to assimilate
it. And therefore he says: sarvaprayatnēna; with all your sincerity,
wholeheartedness, yatnaḥ kartavyō; effort must be put forth. Wholeheartedly means
I should give quality time; Casual benefit will not give full benefit; and therefore one
has to necessarily give time; by whom; paṇḍitaiḥ; effort should be put forth by
intelligent people, here paṇḍithaḥ does not mean jñāni, here paṇḍitaiḥ means the
vivēki; those who value freedom; emotional freedom; those who value EQ. They
were saying IQ is very important for success; now they are saying EQ is more
important; EQ means emotional quotient; emotional balance is very important. The
one who values that. The one who values peace and security; by such people;
yatnaḥ kartavyaḥ; and svēna ēva; and this effort cannot be put by somebody else.
School home work and all; the children transfer it to parents perhaps; so some of
the work can be taken by somebody else; but the effort for mōkṣa cannot be
replaced by another's effort.
Therefore Śankarācārya emphasises svēna ēva; by oneself alone; for what

purposes? Bhava banda vimuktayē; for freedom from the bondage of saṁsāra;
bhava bandaḥ; the saṁsāra bondage; which expresses in the form of sorrow; which
expresses in the form of anxiety; insecurity; fear; anger, depression; do not imagine
that there is any physical shackle. They are only talking about emotional; even
intellectual problems. Intellectual problem is the basic question: why am I born?
Why should the Lord create the universe? If the Lord is Omniscient and Omnipotent;
why can't he create a wonderful universe without cyclone; at least without mosquito;
without diseases; without criminals. If Bhagavān Omniscient why did he create. Thus
we have got the basic question; and these can afflict a person; that is intellectual
bondage. There are many people, who have emotional bondage, but emotionally
they are sound; and there are many people who do not have these questions; why
should we think of Bhagavān? Not bothered about why creation, etc.; their problems
are family problems, company problems; this problem and that problems at the
emotional level plus intellectual level and at the physical level, you have bondage. All
put together is called bhava bandaḥ. And vimuktiḥ means removal. So for this
removal of bhava banda, effort should be put forth by oneself alone.
And Śankarācārya gives an example, rōgādiva; as in the case of removing the

disease. So disease removal requires lot of effort; pathyam is required; auṣadam is
required; and even after curing the disease, there is a recovery period; there is a
convalescence; during that time also I should be careful. It is a long drawn process;
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and here also it is a long drawn process. And in the case of disease medicine cannot
be consumed by even the nearest or dearest ones; it has to be consumed by the
sick person alone; in the same way, guru cannot help; śāstram cannot help, even
Bhagavān cannot help. They can all support you; but you have to do, you alone
have to do. Like running race. Parents will go to school, because their children are
taking part in the running race. Now the child is coming; what can this father do?
father can encourage; run fast; do this, do that; etc. but running has to be done by
the poor child alone. Similarly guru can say: you will get mōkṣa in this janma itself,
etc. All kinds of encouragement, the guru, śāstra, Bhagavān can do, but the actual
running, which is the primary job has to be done by śiṣya, and śiṣya alone, as in the
case of rōgga nivr̥tti. Rrōgga ādau, Śankarācārya says, like the removal of disease,
etc. Etc. means what; another example, Śankarācārya himself has given before;
removal of hunger. I hope you remember; for the removal of hunger alone,
somebody else cannot, I alone have to eat.
यस्त्वया कृतः प्रश वर�याञ्छास्त्र�व |

सूत्रप् �नगूढाथ� �ातव्यश मुमु�ु�भः ||६७||
yastvayādya kr̥taḥ praśnō varīyāñchāstravinmataḥ |
sūtraprāyō nigūḍhārthō jñātavyaśca mumukṣubhiḥ ||67||
So here in this verse, the teacher is glorifying the student once again. So until now,
the teaching was glorified. Once again the student is glorified. The student really
deserves glorification, because he has discerned that mōkṣa is the primary goal of
life, and people of 80 and 90 years; they do not recognise the goal; that he is a
young person who feels that mōkṣa is primary, that person has to be congratulated;
therefore the teacher does that here; tyaya kr̥taḥ praśnō varīyāñ; the question
asked/raised by you is indeed great. What was the question? The seven fold
question, which he asked in the 49th verse;
kō nāma bandhaḥ kathamēṣa āgataḥ

tayōrvivēkaḥ kathamētaducyatām
Seven questions he asked and these question group is referred to as Praśnaḥ; this
varīyāñ, is indeed great; not only it is great; it is sāstravinmataḥ. It is approved by,
appreciated by, all great Ācārya. All the traditional teachers appreciate these
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questions. That is why in the Gītā, Krishna specifically says: tadviddhi praṇipātēna
paripraśnēna sēvayā; Krishna does not say: Praśna; Krishna uses the word
paripraśna; a mature student is one who knows how to ask; how much to ask; when
to ask; where to ask; and ultimately whom to ask. See how many conditions; what;
when, how, where, whom, how, howmuch. All those things are important and
therefore there is an adjective pari praśnaḥ; proper question is appreciated by all the
Ācārya and your question is appreciated. So śāstravinmataḥ; śāstravid means great
Ācārya, mataḥ means sammataḥ: approved, appreciated.
Not only that: sūtraprāḥ; and your question is brief. Often I find this problem
whenever I keep a question and answer session, and I keep a box, please write your
questions, I find the question is 2 pages. If I have to read the whole question in
front of the audience, by the time I go to the end, they will forget what is the
beginning. So I should not go on when I was born; start from there, date of birth
onwards, background, this and that; the ultimately so many things are mentioned,
what is 'the' question which they want to be answered is hidden. The most
important thing for a student to know is to give point-blank question. And that is
what the student has done here; sūtra sūtraprāyaḥ; the shortest number of words
the question is presented; then it means the thinking is very clear. Therefore your
question is like that. Sūtra prāyaḥ; then nigūḍhārthaḥ; it is very significant and that
is why each question requires long answers. The question is raised in one verse; and
that is the 49th verse; and the answer is given from verse No.50 to the end of
Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi. That means it is not a question; it requires one line answer, but it
requires elaboration. So they are pregnant questions; significant questions; pithy
questions; and therefore nigūḍhārthaḥ; very significant and not only that; jñātavyaḥ
cha; mumukṣubhi. The answers are relevant not only for you; but the answers are
relevant to all the seekers, which can be dealt with in public. Some people ask the
questions, which are so personal, that you have to call him privately and give
answer. But these questions are such, that the answers are relevant to all the
people; mumukṣubhihi jñātavyaḥ. And that is why they are dealt with by in a book
like Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi and read by people in generations after generations.
शण
ृ ुष्वाव�हत �वद्वन्यन् समुद�यर्त |
तदेतच्छ्रवणात् भवबन्धाद्�वमो�य ||६८||
śr̥ṇuṣvāvahitō vidvanyanmayā samudīryatē |
tadētacchravaṇātsadyō bhavabandhādvimōkṣyasē ||68||
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So here he says: I am going to give the answers and I request you to listen to my
answers carefully. Some people ask the question but they do not listen to the
answer. How do you know? After two days, the same question they ask. From that I
have to infer the question has been asked but the answer has not been listened to.
Some kind of excitement or some people after sometime fall in love with the
question itself. Since they love the questions very well and consider this question is
an indications of their glory; therefore they love to have these questions; therefore
what they do is: they preserve these questions very well. And they also tell Svāmiji I
have asked this question to Svāmi Chinmayānanda; I have asked this to Svāmi
Dayānanda also and I am successfully asking you also. Generations after
generations. What is the use of keeping the questions generations after generations?
Answers is OK. Therefore he says, do not fall in questions; you should be ready to
eliminate that; drop that. You say I am not convinced with the answer; do not
repeat the question. In the answer, which part is not clear; specify. You cannot
blindly repeat the question; listen to the answer; then divide the answer into four or
five steps and of these four or five steps of answers, if particular step is not clear,
then the teacher knows that he has listened and only that part is not clear. Brahma
satyam is not clear. Or jagan mithya is not clear. Or jīvō brahmaiva na para is clear.
So blindly repeating the same question shows that the student is not attentive.
Therefore he says avahitaḥ śr̥ṇuṣva; avahitaḥ means with attention; derived from
the root avaha; avadhānam means attention; care, alertness is called avadhānam;
from that only the word sāvadhānam has come. sa avadhānam means what; with
alterness. In Tamil also you say; go with sāvadhānam; there are steps there. We
think that when we say going with sāvadhānam is going slowly. In Tamil,
sāvadhānam is taken like that; sāvadhānam means alertness; sa avadhānam means
with alertness; go sāvadhāna means; In Hindi also they say: sāvadhān; so
avadhānam is alertness. avahitaḥ is the adjectival form; participal form; with
attention; ṇuṣva; may you listen to.
He Vidvān; so here the teacher is addressing the student as He Vidvān; Oh learned

person, because the student seems to know a lot of things, he seems to have
thought a lot more; because his questions are very very precise. Therefore Oh
learned informed student; listen very carefully. To what? yanmayā samudīryatē;
what is being taught by me. So listen to carefully to what is being taught by me.
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And why should you listen? because ye tat śravaṇāt vimōkṣyasē; by listening to my
teaching, you will be freed; you will be liberated.
So yētat śravaṇāt; by listening to my teaching, you will be liberated from what?

bhava bandāt; from the bondage or shackles of saṁsāra. And how long it will take?
here the teacher makes a point; if you are very alert, even at the end of the
teaching itself, you can discover the freedom. You do not even require a separate
effort, if you are very alert and qualified; very śravaṇam itself; if it is done
consistently and systematically, for a length of time, then the śravaṇam itself can
give freedom.
So sadyaḥ means immediately; that is through śravaṇa itself without requiring

mananam and nidhidhyāsanam. Because we do not say mananam and
nidhidhyāsanam are compulsory. If the person is very clear; that is enough; but if
doubts are there; mananam is required. If emotional problems are there;
nidhidhyāsanam is required. The person is not responsible for emotional problem;
but the family background is responsible. So many problems has been there; like
negligence. One child has been fondled too much and the other child has not been
developed; and negligence; and rejected and my parents do not love me, etc. then
he says: அப்ப ெசால்லின் ahaṁ brahmāsmi ெசால்லின்� இ�ப. That sense of
rejection continues; therefore there is a deprivation and there the knowledge does
not sink. But if a person is lucky without much problem; then nidhidhyāsanam will
not be even required. That's why the teacher says; śravaṇāt vimōkṣyasē; but such
cases are rare.
मो�स् हेतुः प्रथ �नगद्यत

वैराग्यमत्यन्तम�नत्यवस |
ततः शमश्चा� दमिस्त�त�
न्यास प्रसक्ता�खलकमर भश
ृ म ् ||६९||
mōkṣasya hētuḥ prathamō nigadyatē
vairāgyaṁatyantamanityavastuṣu |
tataḥ śamaścāpi damastitikṣā
nyāsaḥ prasaktākhilakarmaṇāṁ bhr̥śam ||69||
So in these verses, that is the 69th and 70, the teacher gives the procedure that the
seeker has to follow to attain mōkṣa; the entire procedure is given in a nutshell; it is
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like a roadmap. Through this everyone has to travel. So the vēdic life; what is the
lifestyle designed by the vēdas?
So in this slōka, Śankarācārya emphasises the acquisition of the four-fold

qualifications as the first stage, because to pursue mōkṣa, one should have a value
for mōkṣa. So in our camp; we had recently a camp; somebody asked a question to
me. Is mōkṣa the only goal of life? Then I said No; there are two goals; the first goal
is discovering that mōkṣa is the only goal. Understand. The first goal is discovering
that the mōkṣa is the only goal; once you have discovered that fact, the next goal is
mōkṣa; therefore knowing the importance of mōkṣa is the first goal; then pursuit of
mōkṣa is the next goal; because initially present that there are four goals; but
in the heart of heart we know that four goals are not there; dharma, artah
and kāmah are only seeming goals of life; they are fake goals of life; they
are not real goals of life. To understand that itself it takes many years. So first we
have to talk about four goals and in that he will tell that artah is the only goal and
he will go after money; then kāmah fulfilment he will go after; then puṇya fulfilment
he will go after; after fulfilling them sufficiently, he will know that they are not goals.
Like a person who learns music for seven years and they said now I understand that
I would not get music. How many years did it take to understand this? Seven years
of struggle for the teacher; then the neighbours; seven years' of study is worth
because hereafter at least he will not sing. Similarly, going after dharma, artha and
kāma; Parikṣya lōkaḥan karmacitān; one has to know that Mōkṣa is the only goal
and that is called vivēka śaktiḥ.
Thereafterwards all these things will become clear. He says Mōkṣasya hetuḥ
pratamahā nigadyatē; so the first means or cause for mōkṣa or the first step for
mōkṣa is vivēkaḥ; which Śankarācārya does not mention but we have to understand.
sarvaṁ paravasam duḥkhaṁ; sarvaṁ ātmavasam sukham. Dependence is
sorrow; independence alone is joy. Dependence is sorrow; independence alone is
joy, Dependence on things and still more crucial is dependence on people and
dependence on situations; dependence leads to expectations; expectations lead to
frustrations. Because nobody acts according to your expectations, including God.
That is why he says: I went to that temple and Bhagavān did not fulfil my prayers.
Angry with Bhagavān also. Therefore dependence leading to expectation; leading to
anxiety and frustration is the only human problem and independence; psychological
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independence; consequent dropping in of expectations and the consequent freedom

from anxiety and frustration is the freedom. So this understanding is called vivēkaḥ;
And then it will lead to the next one. Vairāgyaṁ. Dropping the tendency to depend.
External dependences I learn to drop one by one. I learn to leave the hooks that I
hold on to; that is called vairāgyaṁ. Learning to drop things. And after learning to
drop, you hold the thing for entertainment; that is a different thing. They said you
hold it, it is fine; but you need it, it is no more you are holding, but it is holding you.
When I hold it, I am free; but when I need it; I am not holding it; that is holding
me.
Therefore vēdānta is against holding things; vēdānta is against needing things. And
therefore Vairāgyaṁ means drop or reduce the need; need not drop it; at least
reduce the need. Vairāgyaṁ.
How much vairāgyaṁ? atyantam; it should be total; there should not any vagueness
in it; it is called tīvraḥ vairāgyaṁ; not hatred, very careful; hatred is as bad as
attachment. Hatred is as much obstacle to mōkṣa as attachment is; therefore
vairāgyaṁ is not hatred; vairāgyaṁ is absence of both attachment and hatred.
Transcending both is called rāga-dvēṣa athītatvam; vairāgyaṁ.
In what? in anitya vastuṣu; all ephemeral things; all unpredictable things; because I
hold on to unpredictable things, my life itself will become unpredictable. Holding on
to unpredictable things is the best way of assuring saṁsāra. And therefore anitya
vastuṣu vairāgyaṁ.
Then the third is śamadi ṣaṭka saṁpatti. He is just reminding that, which he has
mentioned earlier. The six-fold qualifications: No.1 śamaḥ; śamaḥ means thought
discipline, because life is a series of actions and results and actions or first born at
the thought level.
As I say:
Watch Your Thoughts, they Become Your Words;
Watch Your Words, they Become Your Actions;
Watch Your Actions, they Become Your Habit;
Watch Your Habits, they Become Your Personality;
And Watch Your Personality; that Determines Your Very Life Itself.
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Not exactly these words; but something nice like these. Therefore our whole life is
made of brick of thoughts. All the building which is made of single bricks alone
joined together; the entire human life is made up of the building blocks of thoughts
alone; therefore be aware of your thoughts and learn to regulate, modify, refine,
and improve your thought life. That is called śamaḥ;
Then Damaḥ; it is the regulation of the sense organs.
Then Titikṣaḥ. strengthening your mind to accept the opposite experiences of life.
strengthening the forbearance. We have seen all these before. kṣamā, dama,
titikṣaḥ, uparama, etc. This tolerance level. Strengthening or increasing your
tolerance level; so that you will not be anxious of the external world about the
future.
Then the next one is uparatihi; this also we have seen before. And here
Śankarācārya is defining uparathi as Sanyāsaḥ. So what is sanyāsaḥ. Prasaktha
akhila karmaṇām sanyāsaḥ; the renunciation of all activities. So prasaktha;
prasaktha means relevant; all the relevant activities, depending upon your āśrama,
etc. renunciation of all the actions; bhr̥śam; totally. I had told before that the word
sanyāsaḥ has got two meanings and the word uparathi has got two meanings and
one meaning is given here in the Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi; and it is the popular meaning
also; and the second meaning is given in tatva bōdhaḥ; there the meaning given is
not sanyāsaḥ. Suppose a person is in gr̥hastha āśrama and he is not able to take
sanyāsa; then uparathi should be defined as avoidance of all the unnecessary
activities by reducing the kamya karmās; by reducing the prāyascitta karmās; by
reducing the niṣidda karmās.
Kamya karma means materialistic pursuits you reduce; instead of working for money
all the 24 hours; work 22 hours; at least 2 hours you give for vēdānta. We do not
say No money. Reduce the materialistic actions; reduce the prāyascitta karma; any
problem comes, you run to the astrologer; there are people who run to the
astrologer; nadi jyōtsyam; numerology; praśnam; vāsthu śāstram; Oh My God!
somebody told me that the window has to be shifted to this side or that; and that is
the cause of my tooth ache. So vāsthu śāstra person has said; if there are any
vaasthu śāstra person here do not mistake. It is a śāstra I am not against; what I
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am saying is: for anything and everything you run to astrologer and this and that,
you would not have time for higher things.
Therefore I do not say, do not go; but reduce your visit to the astrologers; reduce
the materialistic pursuit; reduction of kāmya karma; reduction of prāyascitta karma;
and reduction of niṣidda karma or removal of niṣidda karma whatever you want you
put it properly; all prohibited actions you remove; then you will find lot of time is
there.
Even though you are a gr̥hastha, even though lot of duties are there; if you remove
all your other actions, you are as good as a sanyāsi. Who says this? Tatva Bōdhaḥ
says: svadharma anushtanam ēva uparathi. And in Gītā also Bhagavān says
Anastritha karma phalam karyam karma karothiyaḥ, sa sanyāsi cha yōgi cha, na
niraghnir nacha kriyaḥ. So Gr̥hastha is also a sanyāsi; if he knows Time
Management. And what do you mean by time management; if he is able to allocate
time for spiritual pursuit; such a gr̥hastha is also a sanyāsi. And such a sanyāsa is
called uparathi.
Then some more qualifications Śankarācārya said before; that we have to supply.
śamo, dama; uparama thithikṣa; śraddhā and samādhānam; and later
mumukṣutvaṁ; all of them he enumerated before; that we have to remember in this
context. In short, sādhanā catuṣṭyam acquisition.
And as I said religious life is for sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti; therefore religion is
very important for acquiring these qualifications. Mere philosophy will be a dry
philosophy and that is why in our tradition all our philosophers were religious people.
I would not say all; most of the traditional; all the traditional philosophers were
religious people. Therefore religion is important.
ततः श�त
ृ स्तन्मन सतत्त-
ध्यान �चरं �नत्य�नरन्त मुनेः |
ततोऽ�वकल्प परमेत् �वद्वान
इहैव �नवार्णसुख समच
ृ ्छ� || ७० ||
tataḥ śr̥tistanmananaṁ satattva-
dhyānaṁ ciraṁ nityanirantaraṁ munēḥ |
tatō:'vikalpaṁ paramētya vidvān
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ihaiva nirvāṇasukhaṁ samr̥cchati || 70 ||

So in the previous slōka, the first stage has been said that is the acquisition of
sādhanā catuṣṭayaṁ through a religious life; and this religious life alone which
elaborately discussed in the Gītā as Karma Yōga plus upāsanam. So this religious life
Śankarācārya does not deal with in Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi because he assumes that
Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi students have crossed the first stage. If we have not crossed, we
have to concentrate on that also; by studying the Gītā with karma yōga he talked
about and upāsana is talked about 8th, 10th, 11th chapter, etc. Therefore karma
yōga plus upāsana is equal to religious life; and religious life will give a qualified
mind; jñāna yōgyatā.
Then what is the next step? Tataḥ; thereafter alone one has to enter jñāna yōgaḥ
which consists of three stages: śravaṇam, mananam and nidhidhyāsanam, which is
philosophy, after some religion; after vēda pūrva, some vēda anta; after dharma
śāstram, some Brahma Śāstram; after ethics, some philosophy. So he says tataḥ
śrutiḥ; very careful śrutiḥ does not mean vēda here; śravaṇam; śravaṇam of what?
not any other text book in the world; we have said perceptual data cannot give self-
knowledge; we require data from the scriptures; therefore śravaṇam means
scriptural śravaṇam; to find out what is the essential teachings of the Upaṇiṣads.
And it is an elaborate process because finding out the essential teaching itself is not
an easy task. That is why upon the upaṇiṣad itself we have got commentaries by
different Ācāryas; each ācārya saying different. Some people saying that mōkṣa
cannot be here and now; you have to go to some other lōkha after death. Thus
many people say that alone that you have to go to Kailasa or Vaikunta or Father in
Heaven. Therefore what is the essential teaching itself is a controversy. Therefore I
should know what is the essential teaching; therefore the śravaṇam itself is a long
drawn systematic process involving language analysis; what is language analysis;
because the scriptures are in the form of words and sentences; therefore I have to
find out what is the essence. And then I should be convinced that the scripture is
saying that I am free here and now. It is not a posthumous affair; it is not after
death; it is not in some other lōka; it is here and now; that is the teaching of the
upaṇiṣad, I have to gather. This process is called śravaṇam.
Then the question will come, I know the scripture is saying I am free here and now;
but my experience is totally different; scriptures say that I am free; but I do not feel
I am free; I do not experience I am free; I do not experience freedom; therefore
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there seems to be a contradiction between what I experience and what the

scriptures say. Therefore how do I resolve this contradiction; because contradiction
is an intellectual obstacle.
And therefore I have to think a lot; analyse a lot and I must be convinced that there
is no contradiction between my experience and the scriptural teaching; at all levels.
My experience is duality; scriptural teaching is non-duality; there is no contradition I
should be convinced. My experience is sorrow; the scriptural teaching is I am free
from sorrow; there is no contradiction, I have to understand. Similarly at every level
my experience is limitation; scriptures say that I am not limited; there is no
contradiction.
At every level, experience and scriptural teaching, I have a seeming contradiction I

should be convinced that there is no contradiction. Like what? I experience a small
star; whereas the science tells that the star is not big; how many earth can be
included in the stars; and it is bigger than the earth; and I have no sense of
contradiction and I know there is no contradiction between experience and the fact;
the experience will be that the star is small and in spite of the experience that the
fact is star is big. My experience should not contradict the fact; it should be a matter
of clear understanding. Experience of sunrise should not disturb my understanding
that the Sun does not rise. Similarly at every level, I should be able to free, not
because of a particular experience, I am free in spite of any type of experience. This
conviction has to come by mananam. This is called the mananam-reflection. The
details we will see in the next class.
Hari Om.
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मो�स् हेतुः प्रथ �नगद्यत

वैराग्यमत्यन्तम�नत्यवस |
ततः शमश्चा� दमिस्त�त�
न्यास प्रसक्ता�खलकमर भश
ृ म ् ||६९||
mōkṣasya hētuḥ prathamō nigadyatē
vairāgyaṁatyantamanityavastuṣu |
tataḥ śamaścāpi damastitikṣā
nyāsaḥ prasaktākhilakarmaṇāṁ bhr̥śam ||69||
ततः श�त
ृ स्तन्मन सतत्त-
ध्यान �चरं �नत्य�नरन्त मन
ु ेः |
ततोऽ�वकल्प परमेत् �वद्वान
इहैव �नवारणसखं
ु समच
ृ ्छ� ||७०||
tataḥ śr̥tistanmananaṁ satattva-
dhyānaṁ ciraṁ nityanirantaraṁ munēḥ |
tatō:'vikalpaṁ paramētya vidvān
ihaiva nirvāṇasukhaṁ samr̥cchati ||70||
Before starting the actual teaching, the teacher glorified the student as well as the
teaching; which he is going to give. After glorifying the student and teaching, he
sums up the entire teaching in two verses; or the entire sādhanā in two verses, i.e.
in 69 and 70.
The whole sādhanā can be divided into two stages, the first stage being the jñāna
yōgyatā prāpthi and the second stage is jñāna prāpthiḥ; jñāna yōgyatā prāpthi
means making myself ready for the knowledge, which is acquisition of sādhanā
catuṣṭaya saṁpatti. And entire religious life, the entire ritualistic life, the entire life of
values, they are all meant for preparation alone. According to vēdānta, a virtuous
life is not an end in itself; even though many people may be satisfied with leading a
virtuous noble life. Vēdānta appreciates that life; vēdānta prescribes that life; but
according to vēdānta that is not an end in itself. Therefore the life of values, the life
of religion; the life of rituals, the life of religion in general is meant for jñāna yōgyatā
prāpti; which was said in the 69th verse, and in the 70th verse talked about the
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jñāna prāpthi, which is the pursuit of philosophy. From religion, one gives more
importance to philosophy. Not that the religion is renounced or given up; that is why
all our Ācārya, even though they were great philosophers themselves; they were
primarily religious people. They had their own religious practices also; but this thrust
initially upon religion; later upon philosophy.
In religious life also, philosophy is there in a subdued form; in a life of philosophy,

jñāna mārgaḥ also, religion is in subdued form. In pravr̥tti mārgaḥ, nivr̥tti is
subdued; in nivr̥tti mārgaḥ, pravr̥tti is subdued. In gr̥hastha āsrama life, sanyāsa is
subdued; in sanyāsa is there.
Once in a while, when a person does Ekadaśi upavasa, it is what? It is sanyāsa of

food only. So thus there is sanyāsa in gr̥hastha āsrama and there is also pravr̥tti in
sanyāsa āsrama but in each one the other is kept in a subdued form. And this
second stage of life, viz., nivr̥ttiḥ mārgaḥ is highlighted in the 70th verse, in which
one pursues śravaṇam, mananam, and nidhidhyāsanam; that is given top priority.
Any other sanyāsa activity is only secondary to śravaṇa and manana. Śravaṇa
manana nidhidhyāsana; that is said here; saha śrutihi; śrutihi means śravaṇam
means a textual analysis of the upaṇiṣads; śravaṇam is always a textual pursuit,
where the book study becomes extremely important. A person cannot do śravaṇam,
if he is not concentrating on the text book; where every verse is analysed; every
word is given importance, because the aim of śravaṇam is trying to find out what is
conveyed by the Upaṇiṣadic words. Therefore śravaṇam is textual pradhānam and
thereafterwards mananam.
Having received the central teaching of the upaṇiṣads, I ask questions to myself
whether I am convinced or not. If I am not convinced, why I am not convinced, and
I myself with the data collected from the upaṇiṣads, I answer all my questions. So
this process is called mananam, removing intellectual flaw.
And then comes the final stage, the removal of emotional block, which are extremely
powerful, because our emotional personality has been developed not in one year or
two years, but we have gathered that personality. Each of that block should be
consciously removed. That process is called nidhidhyāsanam; technically we call it
viparītha bhavana nivr̥ttihi; viparītha bhavana; anti-vēdantic teaching. Anti-vēdantic
emotions. What are they? Rāga-dvēṣa kāma krōdhaḥ lobhaḥ mōha mada mātsarya;
all of them are obstacles to the assimilation. Therefore each one I consciously
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removed. This is purely a subjective approach because; this varies from individual to
individual. That is why for mananam and nidhidhyāsanam, the teacher can play only
a secondary role. In śravaṇam alone the teacher can play a primary role because he
has to explain the words of the upaṇiṣads.
But mananam the student alone has to play a primary role, because each intellect
has got its own doubts. And again one intellect is satisfied with one answer; same
answer does not satisfy another intellect; therefore I have to find out by myself
which answer satisfies me and often I have to invent my own answer to satisfy.
It is not pre-fabricated answer; like the Ayōdya temple, it is not pre-fabricated

answer; teacher can give certain clues and with all that you have to fabricate your
own answer. Not only mananam is a subjective thing; nidhidhyāsanam is also
subjective, because each one's emotional obstacle is different from another, and I
only know what emotional problem I have. Therefore I have to find out my own
method. Thus guru and śāstra will support. I have to do my own mananam and
nidhidhyāsanam. And they are not optional; they are compulsory.
Therefore he said śrutihi tan mananam. Tan mananam we have to carefully note, tat
means what, the reflection upon the upaṇiṣadic teaching; not reflecting upon
something else; the basic foundation should be upaṇiṣadic words alone. We cannot
deviate; then we will get infinite theories; each theory not provable; and thus you
get a series of hypothesis only; we can only have directions; when śāstra is kept in
view. So tan mananam; śravaṇa vidyāya sa mananam; what I have heard, I should
reflect upon. And then sa tattva-dhyānaṁ; sattattvam means reality; the truth,
which is here Ātma or Brahman.
When we talk about reality from the individual’s angle, we call it Ātma; the same
reality from the angle of creation, the totallity, we call Brahman and ātma and
Brahman, which happen to be identical and which happens to be essence of the
individiual and total; that has to be dwelt upon; dhyānam. And how long? One day
will do? Two days will do? Do not ask; sthiram. For very long time, because when
changing physical personality itself involves so much yōga, so much running, if you
assume that you have some extra fact; so if you run for a day and go on seeing the
weight; nothing will happen. You have to change the physical body; so long you
have to do exercise. Even if you do that, some people go for that radical weight
reducing programme and all; ten days; drinking only the tender coconut, they would
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have reduced 15 kgs in ten days; and then after coming back in another ten days,
they would have put on 20 kgs. It is all because of the vengeance of the drinking the
coconut water; the body is reacting. So when the physical body itself is not within
my control; what to talk of our emotional personality; it cannot be altered that
easily.
Therefore Śankarācārya says sthiram; for a very long time; and nityam; regularly;
consistently; not in fits and starts; and nirantharam; without any gap; munēḥ;
munēḥ means for the committed seeker; if he is a serious seeker; sincere seeker;
dedicated seeker; he has to follow all these three giving top priority to that.
Otherwise it is not that benefit will not come. Whatever you do, benefit will come;
benefit will be proportionally less or more.
And then what is the result of this? Tataḥ vidvān avikalpaṁ paramētya vidvān;
tataḥ; thereafter; thereafter means śravaṇa, manana nidhidhyaśa anantharam; as a
consequence of these three, vidvān etya, that intelligent person, that discriminative
person attains jīvan mukthi. And what is that jīvan muktiḥ? Param; param means the
ultimate, that is Brahman or Reality; Param means Brahman, param brahma etya.
He attains param brahma. And what type of param brahma? Avikalpaṁ param
brahma; avikalpaṁ means that which is free from division; free from division; what
type of division? Subject-object instrument division; pramātha; pramāṇam,
pramēyam division is called savikalpa; avikalpaṁ means divisionlessness.
How does he attain divisionlessness? He understands that division belongs to the

matter. Division belongs to matter. It does not belong to consciousness. Division
belongs to matter; division does not belong to consciousness. And that divisionless
consciousness I am. Therefore I am space-like divisionless consciousness; in which
consciousness all the divisions of matter are floating; viśvaṁ darpaṇa dr̥śyamāna
nagari tulyam nijanthargatham. Just as in the undivided waker, the dream divisions
are floating. Similarly in the undivided consciousness, matter and the material
divisions are existing.
And if he wants a experiential model for that; the upaṇiṣad gives the models of three
states of experiences; in jāgrat and svapna avastha; the material divisions arise; and
I the consciousness support them; in the suṣupti avastha, the deep sleep state, all
the matter and the material divisions dissolve and I am witness of the dissolved
conditions also. Therefore in me, the undivided witness consciousness, material
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divisions arise and material divisions dissolve. This recognition is called avikalpa para
prāpthiḥ; brahma prāpthiḥ. And this alone is called jīvan muktiḥ. And why do we call
it muktiḥ? Freedom from divisions is called mōkṣa because division alone is
responsible for all our problems. So any level; division alone causes rāga and dvēṣa.
Division alone causes jealousy; division alone causes limitation; division alone causes
mortality; and therefore freedom from division is freedom from saṁsāra. Therefore
avikalpa param is equal to mōkṣaḥ.
And that is said in the fourth line; having been freed from divisions, nirvāṇa sukham
rchathi; nirvana sukham; nirvāṇaḥ means mōkṣaḥ; nirvāṇam means mōkṣaḥ; here
jīvan muktiḥ. So the ānandaḥ of jīvan muktiḥ is fulfillment of jīvan mukthi; a person
attains. Where? iha ēva, here and now. it is not a posthumous thing; but it is while
living.
So thus in 69 and 70, the Ācārya has summarised two stages of sādhanā, karma and
jñānaṁ; religion and philosophy, pravr̥tti and nivr̥tti, both he has summarised.
यद्बोद्ध तवेदानीमात्मानात्म�ववेचन |
तदचु ्यत मया सम्यक श्रुत्वात्मन्य ||७१||
yadbōddhavyaṁ tavēdānīmātmānātmavivēcanam |
taducyatē mayā samyak śrutvātmanyavadhāraya ||71||
Here the Ācārya introduces the topic which is going to start from the next verse
onwards. For that he gives the introduction; ātma anātma vivēcanam bōddhavyaṁ.
So among the seven questions that the student has asked, the main topic is ātma-
anātma vivēcanam. So discriminating between ātma and anātma; matter and
consciousness; this discrimination is that job. It is required because matter and
consciousness are together; we are not able to separate them physically, we are not
able to separate them experientially; even science has not succeeded in separating
matter and consciousness. That is why, what is the nature of consciousness is a
mystery for science even now. So many theories are there. Therefore all our
conclusions regarding consciousness are not science based; because science has not
yet arrived at; it is not perception-based; perceptually we are not able to separate;
they are all based on what? The scriptural data-based.
And therefore Śankarācārya says based on the upaṇiṣad, we are going to deal with
the matter-consciousness separation; ātma-anātma vivēcanam bōddhavyaṁ; has to
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be known; idānīm tava; right now that is going to be our task; tava, for you and tat
maya samyak ucyatē; that is going to be very clearly presented by me for you; I am
going to very clearly present this division between these two and śrutva, may you
listen very carefully; and having listened; avadhāraya; may you ascertain in your
mind; it should not be my knowledge; it should not be scriptural knowledge; it
should be your knowledge. So avadhāraṇam means niścayaḥ jñānaṁ is called
avadhāraṇam, conviction is called avadhāraṇam. And where should you ascertain it;
ātmani; in your own mind.
मज्जािस्थमेदःपलरक्त-
त्वगाह्वयैधार्तु�भरे�भरिन् |
पादोरुव�ोभुजपृष्ठमस्त
अङ्गैरुपाङ्गैरुपयुक्त || ७२ ||
majjāsthimēdaḥpalaraktacarma-
tvagāhvayairdhātubhirēbhiranvitam |
pādōruvakṣōbhujapr̥ṣṭhamastakaiḥ
aṅgairupāṅgairūpayuktamētat || 72 ||
So with the 71st verse, the glorification of the student and the glorification of the
teaching is also over; this started from verse No.60. 60-71 we had śiṣya stuthiḥ and
jñāna stuthiḥ and now from 72 onwards, the main teaching begins, which is answer
to the seven questions which the student has asked in the 49th verse. For that the
answer begins from 72nd verse only.
Here alone we can say Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi begins from this verse alone. All the
previous slōkas are preparatory slōkas. What are the seven questions, do you
remember?
kō nāma bandhaḥ kathamēṣa āgataḥ

These are the seven questions. Śankarācārya does not answer them in the same
order as the student asks.
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Śankarācārya rearranges the order for our convenience and of the seven questions,
the first question he takes up for answering is kaha anātma; what is anātma? What
is matter? And he is going to present the anātma as śarīra trayaṁ; the three bodies;
the physical body, the subtle body and the causal body.
Now what about the external world? The external world is also anātma the matter
only but Śankarācārya does not want to say that everybody knows and accepts it as
matter. That it is matter; it is an object different from me, nobody questions. And
there is no mistake also committed. I am the clip nobody is saying. Therefore clip is
different from me; it is an object, it is matter, no doubt is there.
But confusion begins where? whether the physical body I am; whether the physical
body also is matter like clip, there alone confusion comes.
Similarly, what about mind? For many people, mind is conscious principle. That is
why they say: Mind and Matter. They think that mind is something different from
matter, mind is conscious entity, they think. Śankarācārya with the help of upaṇiṣads
wants to shows that mind or sūkṣma śarīraṁ is also matter. And finally kāraṇa
śarīraṁ, which is nothing but all of them in seed form before big bang. Before all of
them appeared they must be in potential form; because matter can never be created
or destroyed; therefore they must be in the subtle most form; that is called kāraṇam
śarīraṁ. These three śarīraṁs come under anātma. If all these three are called
anātma or matter; what about ātma? he wants to show that the ātma the conscious
principle is distinct from all these.
And in this context you should remember the way we defined consciousness in our
introductory talk; of course, based on the data, collected from the scriptures. How
does scriptures look at consciousness? Remember all those points. Consciousness is
not part, property or product of the body. No.2 Consciousness is a distinct entity
which pervades and illumines the body; illumines means what? enlivens the body;
and thirdly the consciousness survives even after the fall of matter; how do you
arrive at? not by observing outside but from the scriptural definition of ātma.
Therefore scriptures have defined ātma the caitanyaṁ as nirguṇam; nirguṇam

means what? free from property; and then nirvikāram; consciousness is free from
modifications; nirvikalpam; consciousness is free from division; anantaṁ;
consciousness is free from time, space limitation; remember these four words;
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nirguṇa; nirvikāra; nirvikalpa, ananta; ananta means without time and space
limitation.
It is the definition which we are keeping in mind throughout this discussion. Now we
are going to discuss what? Anātma, to differentiate the ātma, we are going to study
anātma now. And I said anātma consists of śarīra trayaṁ; which is going to be
discussed from verse No.72 to 123. 72 to 123 is śarīra traya rūpa anātma. Matter
principle consisting of three bodies. Matter principle consisting of three bodies. In
vēdānta it is called anātma. And of these three bodies, we are going to take up first
this stūla śarīraṁ; which is a subdivision of anātma; and stūla śarīraṁ is discussed
from verse 72 to 91. 20 verses on just physical body itself. That is why
Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi is so big. People ask physical body நல்லாய��க் .
Why should you talk so much? Śankarācārya says I have to talk so much because
all your I is condensed, converged in this dust of matter. In fact all expansive
consciousness is though entrapped in this physical body. Like a person imprisoned in
solitary cell; a person who can move all over the world if he is going to be put in a
solitary cell, how much confined he is going to feel. To say like the claustrophobia.
Similarly, the I-the-all- pervading-Brahman now being confined to what; this five
feet or six feet bundle of matter. Therefore how imprisoned I must feel to be
confined to this physical body; therefore learn to cut off the identification from this
body; so that the sense of limitation is totally gone.
And body-identification is extremely difficult to get over; and therefore Śankarācārya

talks about not the glories of the bodies here. Already so much attachment; if you
talk about the glories of the bodies; it is going to become worse. Not that the body
is not glorious. It is one of the; not one of the; but the best instrument that
Bhagavān has created. Therefore here we are not talking about the glory, but we
are talking about the limitations of the body; so that I will put it in its proper place.
Now what is our topic? 72 to 91; stūla śarīraṁ; the physical body.
Now what is the physical body? He says it is a bundle of various parts or various
limbs; which is called in ayurvēda śāstram; as dātavaḥ; or dātuḥ; so every ingredient
of the body is called dātuḥ; and all these ingredients put together is the śarīraṁ.
And why is it called dātuḥ; because each one sustains the body; datte iti dhātu; that
which sustains the body, keeps the body alive. If any one of the ingredients there is
deficiency or increased, then sooner or later, the body will get sick and once there is
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an imbalance, inequilibrium, there is sickness and there is death. The only difference
is, in Ayurvēda śāstra, they divide the body in their own way. In the modern science,
they divide, they will call it hormones and other things; they say. So the way of
division may differ; but ultimately the idea is what? this is a bundle of matter-
principle only.
Now what is the division of our traditional śāstra? He says Majjaa asthi, medaha,
phala, raktha, charma, tvak; seven dātuhs are there. And that is why in one of the
slōkās,
na va sapta dātuḥ; na va pañja kōśaḥ; na vaak paani pādau, na cha

upastha ākāśahu; chidānandaḥ roopa, shivōhaṁ shivōhaṁ.
In meditation he says; I am not these sapta dātus; I am not the epidermis, dermis;
endodermis and not this hormones and all those things; they are all matter; I am
the consciousness which enlivens all of them. There the word used is sapta dātuḥ;
you will be wondering what are the sapta dātuhu. For that you will get the answer in
this slōka; majjaa; majja means marrow; bone marrow is called majja. asthi means
bone; medhāha means fat; phalam means muscle or flesh; phalaha means flesh;
raktam you know raktam means blood; charma means outer skin; and tvak is inner
skin. And all these are known as what; acquyaibi dātuḥ; acquaya means name or
names called datubhihi; the seven ingredients. These seven ingredients named
marrow etc. anvitham, is body composed, the body is consists of. This is the
scientific division. For that you have to study some medicine. But without studying
the medicine itself, we can divide the body into so many parts.
So second type of division, which is a layman's division. What is that; pāda, ooru;
vakṣa, bhuja, priṣṭa; mastakaiḥ; the external division, you can understand: pāda
means feet; ūru means thigh; vakṣaḥ means chest; bhujam means the shoulders;
priṣṭam means back; mustakam means head. So aṅga means various limbs. So
various limps consisting of leg, thighs, etc. and various ingredients consisting of
bone marrow blood etc. this is a bundle of flesh, bundle of blood, bundle of bones;
bundle of chemicals, is the physical body. That is why we call it bio-chemistry. And
there is some fluctuation in bio-chemistry this person behaves differently. So from
that it is very clear that the mind is also a bundle of bio-chemistry only. So aṅgai;
not only these limbs are there; upāṅgai; there are only secondary limbs aṅgam
means primary part; upaṅgam means secondary part. For example, head is primary
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part; but within the head itself the eyes, ears, nose, etc. will become what:
upāṅgam; hand will be primary part, but within the hand itself the palms, the
fingers, the wrist etc. will be called upāṅgam; Thus the body consists of primary
limbs secondary limbs. In fact you can have territory limbs also. If you take the
finger itself; it can be subdivided into the nail, etc. if you take the nail itself, it can be
further sub-divided. In fact the most mysterious thing is that you go on reducing it;
a time comes when you do not know what it is all about; it disappears; reduced into
molecules; molecules into particles; particles into sub-atomic particles. So and so
they talk about; after that they say you cannot even study what it is, because, its
existence period is so small that we do not know what it is all about. That is why we
say; that it is all mithya in nature; the observer alone is steady; the observed is
undefinable matter; mithya, anātma. Ok.
While giving the stūla śarīraṁ, why Śankarācārya specify that there are so many
parts in the body. Isn't all well known? Why should he waste one verse for this and
waste our time and energy also. Talking about the evident divisions; that ear is
there; there is head, etc. should we know by his saying? Why should Śankarācārya
waste our time, talking about the divisions of the body. The significance is this: that
the scriptures have defined consciousness as divisionless. Scriptures have defined
consciousness as divisionless, which is the ātma; whereas we are evidently
experiencing the body as full of divisions. Therefore indirectly Śankarācārya is asking
the question, how can the body full of divisions be the ātma, which is free from all
divisions? How can the divisioned-body; or the divided-body be the undivided-
consciousness? This is indirect question which is kept in the mind. Savikalpaka
śarīraṁ nirvikalpaka caitanyaṁ na bhavathi. So aṅgaiḥ, upaṅgaiḥ; upayuktam;
upayuktam means endowed; etat.
अहंममे�तप्र�थ शर�रं
मोहास्पद स्थूल�मतीयर् बुधैः |
नभोनभस्वद्दहनाम्बुभ
सू�मा�ण भूता�न भविन् ता�न ||७३||
ahaṁmamētiprathitaṁ śarīraṁ
mōhāspadaṁ sthūlamitīryatē budhaiḥ |
nabhōnabhasvaddahanāmbubhūmayaḥ
sūkṣmāṇi bhūtāni bhavanti tāni || 73 ||
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Continuing with the same topic. Śarīraṁ mōhāspadaṁ; the body is the basis for all
our delusion. The body, here the body means the physical body, is the āspadaṁ, the
root cause, the fundamental basis for all the confusion. As I gave the example
before, light which is not seen anywhere, which is experienced upon the hand,
because of the reflecting medium; because the hand reflects the light, there is a
confusion that the light is located in the hand only; it has got the limitations. So the
limitless light, is seemingly limited, because of the reflecting medium. Therefore the
reflected medium is the cause of confusion. What confusion? The seeming limitation;
the imprisonment of the light; the seeming limitations of light is caused by the hand;
hand does not do any job. Because the hand reflects the light; what mistake we
commit? The light is only here; I do not see the light there; I see the light here; etc.
Similarly, the all-pervading consciousness which expresses in the body is seemingly
confined to the body because of what? The limitations of the body.
Therefore what is the mistake I commit? Instead of claiming that I am the all-
pervading consciousness, now I claim I am an individual human being. And this is
called the basic confusion because, once I claim individuality, then thereafterwards
all other attributes comes; date of birth will come; even though consciousness does
not have a date of birth; date of birth of the body becomes the date of birth of
consciousness. We also say that I am so many years old, I am dark, lean, I am
male, female etc. and then thereafterwards further extension this is my father, my
mother, all stories come; and therefore Śankarācārya says mōha āspadaṁ; which is
the root cause of all delusions. I question the very consciousness itself. What a
tragedy has happened? Now I question the very consciousness itself. That question
is raised because of the body only.
And how does it create delusion? ahaṁ mama iti prathitaṁ; by making itself
available for two types of notion; by making itself available for two types of notions;
ahaṁkāra and mamakāra. Ahaṁkāra means I-notion; mamakāra is my-notion. That
itself shows further confusion. I am not consistent; sometimes I say I-am the body;
sometimes I say my body is aching; body is you; or body is yours you are not sure.
Sometimes I say I am so and so in which I include the hand and sometimes I say
that my hand is like this. When I say my hand, the hand seems to be different from
me. And sometimes I say; I am writing; at that time I means what? the hand.
Therefore the body is available for I-identification, the body is available for my-
identification. Thus ahaṁkāra-mamakāra rūpēṇa prathitaṁ. Prathitaṁ means
identified universally.
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And this body is given the name sthūlamitīryatē; so this physical body is called stūla
śarīraṁ. The grossest form of matter, because later mind is going to be defined as
subtle form of matter, because mind is intangible. And then later, further subtle form
we have to see.
Now the mind is active. During the sleep, the mind has to be resolved and the mind
gets into resolved condition; it will become what? the subtlest form of matter.
Normally in science, matter is divided into two parts; one is energy and matter;
matter is visible; energy is invisible; both are mutally interconvertible; but in
vēdānta; matter has got three forms; not matter and energy; but stūla, sūkṣma and
kāraṇa form of matter. Here it is the stūla form of matter. Therefore it is called stūla
śarīraṁ.
By whom? Budhaiḥ; by the wise people, Whose model is based is on the scriptures.
This is the scriptural model. And this physical body is made out of what; the five
elements, which is also matter. What are the five elements? ākāśa, vāyu, agni, āpaḥ,
pr̥tvi; it is made out of the five elements.
Why should we say that it is made out of the five elements; it is only to show that
the physical body is also matter. So now in science we can go by other methods; we
can say body consists of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen; phosphorous; we can go that
scientific method; but in the tradition, instead of talking about the hundred and odd
elements, they have got the elements in the form of pañja bhūtāni; whether you talk
in terms of śāstra or science, body is made out of chemicals. So what? Therefore it
is matter. It cannot have consciousness of its own, because consciousness is not a
product of matter. And therefore five elements Śankarācārya is introducing in the
second part of the verse, which we will see in the next class.
Hari Om.
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027. Verses - 73 to 76
अहंममे�तप्र�थ शर�रं
मोहास्पद स्थूल�मतीयर् बुधैः |
नभोनभस्वद्दहनाम्बुभ
सू�मा�ण भूता�न भविन् ता�न ||७३||
ahaṁmamētiprathitaṁ śarīraṁ
mōhāspadaṁ sthūlamitīryatē budhaiḥ |
nabhōnabhasvaddahanāmbubhūmayaḥ
sūkṣmāṇi bhūtāni bhavanti tāni ||73||
The actual teaching begins from the 72 verse onwards. Of the seven questions
which the student has asked, the first question is being answered from here; and as
I said in the last class, the teacher rearranges the questions for the convenience of
communication and of the seven questions, the first question taken for answering is
anātma kaha; kōśavana ātma parama ka ātma; what is anātma? And this anātma is
going to be presented as śarīraṁ trayaṁ; the three fold matter vestures; or three
fold bodies and this anātma is going to be discussed from verse No.72 to 123 and of
them first the stūla śarīraṁ is taken for discussion and the stūla śarīraṁ is discussed
from 72 verse up to 92 verse.
First he talked about the composition of the physical body, both the external and
internal to show that this made up of matter or it is subject to modification; whereas
ātma defined in the scriptures is consciousness which does not have any divisions
and which does not undergo any modification. Therefore savikara śarīraṁ nirvikāra
ātma bhavithum na bhavathi; as ātma does not undergo any modifications.
Therefore, savikāra śarīraṁ nirvikāra ātma bhavithum na arhati and savikalpam
śarīraṁ nirvikalpa ātma bhavithum na arhati. Savikalpa means endowed with part.
Nirvikalpa means without divisions.
And not only that he said that this physical body alone is the object of ahaṁkāra and
mamakāra; mōhāspadaṁ sthūlamitīryatē budhaiḥ, which is the center of all the
delusions, which crystallises I into a small bundle of matter. And thereafter the
Ācārya is pointing out the cause of this physical body and we know that the body is
born out of five elements and the elements themselves are divided into two; stūla
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bhūtāni, the physical, the gross elements; and sūkṣma bhūtāni, the subtle elements.
Gross elements representing the gross matter; subtle elements representing subtle
matter. Subtle matter can be compared to the energy which is said in science.
Energy is also considered matter; the only difference is matter is visible, whereas
energy is invisible-matter only. First he enumerates the subtle elements, in the third
line of the 73rd verse, which we are seeing.
Sūkṣmāni bhūtāni bhavanti; there are five subtle elements, subtle form of matter,
energy type of matter, and what are they? nabhaḥ; nabhaḥ means ākāśa, the space;
nabhasvat means vāyuḥ; that which moves in space is called nabhasvat, vāyuḥ or
air; then dahanam; dahanam means agni or fire; aṁbhuḥ means jalam or water;
and bhūmiḥ you know is the earth. So bhūmiḥ in compound it has become
bhūmayaḥ; taken out it is bhūmi. In short, the five elements in the form of subtle
matter, is the cause of the gross body. And how does the subtle elements produce
the gross body? They do not directly produce, but they produce the gross body
indirectly, which is going to be explained in the next verse, No.74.
परस्परांशै�मर्�लता भूत्व
स्थूला� च स्थूलशर�रहेतव |
मात्रास्तद �वषया भविन्
शब्दादय पञ् सुखाय भोक्तु ||७४||
parasparāṁśairmilitāni bhūtvā
sthūlāni ca sthūlaśarīrahētavaḥ |
mātrāstadīyā viṣayā bhavanti
śabdādayaḥ pañca sukhāya bhōktuḥ ||74||
So the subtle elements do not directly produce the physical body, they can produce
only the subtle bodies directly. Therefore before producing the physical body, all the
subtle elements have to grossify themselves and become gross elements. And that
process is called grossification, otherwise called pañjaikāraṇam, which we saw in the
introductory talk; how the subtle elements get mixed up and produce the gross
elements.
And how do they mix up? It is said parasparāṁśairmilitāni bhūtvā. The five subtle
elements are made into five groups. How? The group proportion is not given here;
but we saw before, that in each group, one half of a particular element will be there;
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and one eighth of the other four elements. So one half of one elements for example,
ākāśa, and one eighth of the other four elements. That is ākāśa, vāyu, agni, āpaḥ,
pr̥tvi. Similarly, one half of ākāśa will be mixed with one eighth of the other four. In
this particular form when they combined we get the five gross elements. And in each
gross element all the five elements are there in different proportions.
If each element has all the five elements, how to name them? On what basis can
you name. The rule is given; whichever is predominant; that will determine the
name of the element. Therefore in the first group, ākāśa is half, therefore that is
called ākāśa, gross element, in the ākāśa gross element, vayu, agni, āpaḥ, pr̥tvi, the
other four are there but in a minute form. Like gold is called gold, even though it is
mixed with copper and why do you call it gold; because gold is predominant and
copper is less only.
And this pañjaikāraṇam Śankarācārya does not elaborate here; he is just hinting;
paraspara aṁśair militāni. So by dividing themselves and grouping themselves;
stūlāni bhavanti; by division and grouping; they become gross element. On what
basis we call them gross? Because of their perceptibility. In subtle form, they remain
imperceptible like energy; in gross form, they become perceptible like matter. And
therefore stūlāni bhavanti.
And what do these five elements do? Stūla śarīra hetavah; these five elements alone
produce the physical body; five combination and that is why the physical body is
called boudika śarīraṁ; the body born out of pañja bhūtās. So the physical part
belongs to the earth; and the water content in the body belongs to the water; the
temperature in the body belongs to the fire principle and the breathing that we have
corresponds to the vayu tatvam and the space the body occupies is the ākāśa
tatvam. Thus by the five mixture the gross bodies are made.
Even though the basic constituents are the same, the proportion varies from
individual to individual. When the agni tatvam is dominant a little bit; it is called pitta
śarīraṁ; and when vayu tatvam is a little bit predominant; it is vāta śarīraṁ; and
when the jala tatvam is little bit predominant; it is kapha śarīraṁ. Because of the
predominance of one or the other, the bodies are subject to varieties of diseases.
Ayurvēda people call it pitta prākr̥tam, kapha prākr̥tam; vāta prākr̥tam; prākr̥tam
means prone to; susceptible to; as long as the body is useful; vāta, pitta, kapha do
not influence much. As a person goes beyond 40, then slowly vāta will begin to do
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its job; kapham will begin to do its job; and pittam will begin to do its job; all the
thousands of diseases according to ayurvēda are classified into these three basic
problems only; because of what? The bhūta, what you call, predominant. And who
determines that; whether this body is kapha prākr̥tam or vāta prākr̥tam or pitta
prākr̥tam; who determines? That Śankarācārya does not say here; but we have seen
in the Tatva Bōdhaḥ where it is said that pañjaikrita pañja mahā bhūtāi kritam
karma janyam. Karma determines the constituents of the physical body.
The science may call it genetic, but the śāstra calls it pūrva janma; karma will
determine the proportion. Not only the proportion of the elements; and also the
form of the body; whether it should be human form; donkey form is also pāñca
bautikam; monkey form is also pāñca bautikam; naaka poochi is also pāñca
bautikam. Whether it should be human form; animal form or plant; all determined
by karma. So thus, pañja bhūtās are considered sāmanya kāraṇam; the karma
prārabhdam is called viśēṣa kāraṇam. Sāmanya kāraṇam plus viśēṣa kāraṇam
produces the physical body. So stūla śarīraṁ hētavaḥ bhavanti.
And not only the physical bodies are created out of the physical elements, the sense
objects are also created by these five elements alone. Thus the entire inert world of
sense objects, they are also born out of pañja bhūtāni. pāñca bautika śarīraṁ; pāñca
bautika prapañja. The grand vision is that this body is also matter; the world is also
matter; the interaction is between matter and matter; consciousness is aloof; which
transcends the interacting body and world. Just like I am talking to you; I am the
subject of interaction and you are hearing the talk. There is an interaction between
you and me and there are varieties of emotions also; we may appreciate it; enjoy it;
or you may not understand it and accordingly reactions go on but what about the
light? The light just illumines the hall and makes the interaction possible; but it does
not influence the interactions; nor is it influenced by the interaction.
Similarly matter-matter transactions takes place, witnessed by caitanyaṁ. So do not

mix caitanyaṁ with bautika śarīraṁ or bautika prapañjam. Not only should the
caitanyaṁ be taken out of the share; gradually you must learn to claim the
caitanyaṁ as yourselves and do not get involved in the interaction, but learn to be
sākṣi mātram. That is the idea.
Therefore, the śarīraṁ also is pañja bautikam; viṣayās are also pañja baudikam; and
there also when I say I experience the world; most interesting thing is, I am not
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experiencing the substance called the world. In fact, I do not contact the world the
substance, but the sense organs contact the five-fold properties of the world alone.
When I say I am seeing the clip, really speaking, I am not seeing the clip but I am
only seeing the what; the colour of the clip. Therefore eyes do not see the clip but
eyes see the colour of the clip. And therefore what is the sense object? We think
that the clip is the sense object. Vēdānta says that the colour alone is the sense
object.
Similarly when I say I am hearing that person or you are hearing me, again you are
not hearing me at all; you are seeing only the sound coming from me. Therefore I
am not the object of your ear; but only my sound. Similarly, I am not the object of
your eyes; but only my form and colour. Similarly smell; similarly taste; similarly the
touch. We never know what the world is? Because we are never contacting
the world, we are only contacting what; the properties of the world.
What is the substance called world, nobody knows. What is the substance
called world, nobody knows; we are only seeing śabda, sparśa, rūpa, rasa, gandhaḥ.
Therefore what are the sense objects? śabda, sparśa, rūpa, rasa, gandhaḥ; these
are the five sense objects. Therefore it is said here. 4th line, pañca śabdādayaḥ; so
the five-fold properties of sound, etc., i.e, sound, form, taste, smell and touch, they
viṣayāḥ bhavanti. They alone become the sense objects which are otherwise known
as tanmātrāḥ. Tadiyāḥ mātrāḥ; tan mātrāḥ. So the word tanmātrāḥ is a technical
word in the śāstra; which has got two meanings, one meaning is the subtle elements
themselves are called tanmātrā; one meaning of the word tanmātrāḥ is sukṣma
bhūtāni; and there is a second meaning for the word tanmātrāḥ, which is the pañja
gunāḥ; śabda śparsa rūpa rasa gandhaḥ; they are also called tanmātrāḥ; and these
pañja guṇa; otherwise known as pañja tanmātrās they become the object of the
individual.
For what? Bhōktuḥ; bhōktuḥ means for the experiencer-individual they become the
sense objects; bhōktuḥ jīvasya bhōktuḥ puruṣaḥsya viṣayāḥ bhavanti; producing
what? sukhā; either producing sukham or you have to supply duḥkhāya vā; or
producing duḥkham. So when are near somebody taking a phone call, you do not
know what sound is coming; according to science, what is it; nothing but
disturbance in matter; some electrical impulses are sent; and some sounds are
produced which is consisting of alphabetic sounds only; but as even sounds are
entering, you can look at the face of the person; either the face blooms; you have
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admission in that college; or the face becomes gloomy; what sound disturbance
makes the face bloomy or gloomy. Therefore what produces sukham or duḥkhaṁ?
either śabda; or sparśa; sparśa means what: in Madras; temperature is there or not;
sparśa; or rūpam or rasa; or gandhaḥ. And therefore they are called pañja viṣayāḥ.
Now the word viṣayā also is a technical word in the śāstra, which is derived from the
root, �स, like the c, abc in English; same in Sanskrit; �स is the root and �व is the
prefix; �व �स mean to bind a person. �व�स means to bind; �वष्नॊ� बद्ना� इ�त �वषयः
viṣnoti badnāti iti viṣayaḥ. The five-fold sense objects are responsible for all the
shackles of human beings. Either he is attached to some sounds or he is attached to
some form. When you say I like this particular person, you are referring to what?
śabda, sparśa; rūpa, rasa, gandhaḥ. When you say I like this particular TV
programme; it is nothing but what śabda, śparsa; rūpa, rasa, gandhaḥ. When a
person goes to Manasarovar, spending Rs.75000 or Rs.l lac, getting visa and
undergoing so many test, and taking special exercises; I am not saying it is good or
bad; I am just objectively presenting; what is manasarovar; śabda, sparśa; rūpa,
rasa, gandhaḥ.
In fact what is the whole world? Combination of; śabda, sparśa; rūpa, rasa,
gandhaḥ; for getting these combination alone, man wants to travel all over; does so
many things also. Because the sense organs are attached to them, and if the sense
organs have to enjoy them, the physical body has to travel to those places and
therefore the physical body is hooked to the viṣayā. The entire physical body is
hooked to the five-fold sense objects and Śankarācārya says the entire saṁsāra
can be defined as man's weakness for sense objects.
Man's need for survival are only very few. Man's need for survival are very few. But
man's saṁsāra is weakness for the five-fold sense objects and therefore
Śankarācārya wants to explain the human weakness.
So in the following version, there is going to be a diversion. The actual topic is only
for stūla śarīraṁ; but Śankarācārya takes a diversion and he explains what are the
stūla viṣayās and how we are attached to various stūla viṣayās and how because of
that we are suffering from saṁsāra.
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Because even at the time of death; we are not loosing anything, except this stūla
śarīraṁ of the person. Even though the mother, father or husband or wife is going
to continue in the form of sūkṣma śarīraṁ; when I say father, mother, husband or
wife is gone, I am referring to what? the stūla śarīraṁ, my whole attachment is to
stūla śarīraṁ, which scientifically looking is only a rearranged form of śabda, sparśa;
rūpa, rasa, gandhaḥ.
But the attachment seems ordinary but it is the root cause of all the bondage.
Therefore the one who transcends this attachment; he alone can travel to sūkṣma
śarīraṁ. Only after going through the sūkṣma śarīraṁ, he can go for the kāraṇa
śarīraṁ, to ātma; one can never come to ātma or ātma jñānaṁ. Without dropping
his weakness for the physical body or the physical bodies and the physical world.
The physicality should be transcended to attend spiritual knowledge. This

Śankarācārya wants to emphasise. That is what one western author is very much
influenced by our eastern culture; he writes what is transformation is nothing but
transcending form; in trans form ation. And what is form? the physical body and the
physical world is form; and as long as I am attached to physical body and world, I
have not transformed; transcend the form; you are a transformed person. And a
transformed person alone is free.
So therefore, from the next slōka onwards, sensory weakness is going to be

highlighted. And how we have to necessarily transcend that for successful vēdantic
knowledge.
य एषु मूढा �वषयेषु बद्

रागोरुपाशे सुदद
ु र्मे |
आयािन् �नयार्न्त ऊध्वर्मुच्
स्वकमर्दूत जवेन नीताः ||७५||
ya ēṣu mūḍhā viṣayēṣu baddhā
rāgōrupāśēna sudurdamēna |
āyānti niryāntyadha ūrdhvamuccaiḥ
svakarmadūtēna javēna nītāḥ ||75||
So here it is; the topic is viṣaya āśā or viṣaya rāgaḥ; viṣaya āśā; viṣaya means every
physical thing is called viṣaya; and the body is also called viṣaya. This attachment to
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viṣaya is called viṣaya āśā or viṣaya rāga. We say that this is one of the biggest
hurdles for assimilating vēdānta. And therefore one has to consciously tackle the
weakness; it cannot automatically go away; one has to spend lot of time and energy
and alertness to consciously drop this.
Therefore Śankarācārya says mūḍaḥ; majority of humanity is mūḍaḥ. So totally

deluded; they think their physical body themselves; this is the first attachment. This
is to their own physical body; by which they become a physicallised personality.
Even their emotional and intellectual personality are forgotten; they reduce
themselves to a physical personality; and through this physical attachment; it is
extended to all other attachments; because all relationship are through the physical
body alone. Because when mother child relationship is there; it is purely from the
standpoint of physical body alone; the subtle body of the mother and the subtle
body of the child; they do not have; they do not have the mother-child relationship
in the previous janma also; some other body. Therefore all the relationships are
only through physical body; therefore all other attachments through the physical
body.
Attachment to my body is called ahaṁkāra; attachment to the world is called

mamakāra. Ahaṁkāra mamakāra mōha, makes a person mūḍaḥ; ya ēṣu mūḍhā
viṣayēṣu baddhā; they have lost their freedom; they are imprisoned by various sense
objects.
Not only physically they cannot go away; mentally also they cannot go away;
suppose a person goes to the sea; for enjoying the ocean; wonderful creation of the
Lord. But if I have got too much attachment to the things happenings at home;
physically I am there; but my mind is still in this particular place, that means what; I
am imprisoned. I may go to a sādhanā camp in R̥̄ ṣikesh; the physical body is in
R̥̄ ṣikesh; the mind is imprisoned in Madras. So physically I am imprisoned; mentally I
am imprisoned; therefore I am not able to do what I want to do. Even ordinary
things, what to talk of appreciating the ātma. Therefore Śankarācārya says viṣayēṣu
baddhā; they are totally bound to various sense objects.
And for this bondage, what is rope used? Because binding requires a rope; what is
the rope? rāga uru pāśēna; uru paśāḥ means strong rope; strong chain; which is
known as rāgaḥ; rāgaḥ means attachment. So with the strong rope of attachment;
all the mūḍās are bound to various things and beings of the world and how powerful
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this strong rope is? sudurdamēna; it is very very difficult to cut; sudurdagamaḥ
means it cannot be disentangled that easily.
And once he is tied to his bodies and other bodies, then what do these bodies do?
what do these sense objects do? They pull him all over the world; come here; enjoy
this; come there; enjoy that; come and settle here; here everything is fine. Thus it
pulls him all over the place; all over the world; that means he is not the master of
himself; the world pulls him all over. That is called bondage.
And therefore he says: āyānti; this jīva is dragged to earth; and niryanti; he is
dragged out of the earth to other lōkaḥs. other lōkaḥs, lower lōkaḥs or higher
lōkaḥs; he is pulled here and there; adaḥ; adaḥ refers to the lower lōkaḥs; adaḥ
should be connected with āyānti; āyānti ūrdhvam niryanti; like a piece of wood in
the ocean; just as waves carry the piece of wood up and there; various
circumstances of life will drag him here and there; uccaiḥ; forcibly; helplessly; even
if he is profusely cries; it is not stopped; he is dragged relentlessly.
And who is responsible? He blames Bhagavān; he blames the nakṣatrās; he blamed

śani peyarchi; he blames everything in the world. Śankarācārya says nobody in the
world can be blamed; only he himself. They tell the story of the monkey. The
monkey takes away whatever is kept for drying it seems. So they want to punish the
monkey and therefore they keep some groundnut and they bury a vessel with a
short neck under the ground and the vessel mouth is open; it has got a short neck;
small neck is there. And inside the groundnut is put. Now this monkey puts the hand
inside and then takes bunch of the groundnut. Naturally the hand has become
bigger; how big it is; directly proportional to the attachment. Greater the
attachment; bigger the hand, bigger the hand, more difficult to take out.
And this person goes and wacks the monkey; gives beatings left and right; the
monkey cries but it does not know that it can escape by a wonderful method;
tyāgēnaikē amr̥tatvamānaśuḥ. Just drop; it is free; but it does not want to drop and
gets left and right. This is called rāgaḥ; we are all monkeys; no doubt about it;
naraḥ; varanaḥ are very close.
And Bhagavān gives left and right and we do not learn a lesson, even if that person
is beating. Śankarācārya therefore says: mūḍaḥ; he does not blame himself; he
blames everything else. And therefore adha ūrdhvam uccaiḥ; he runs; chased and
beaten by Bhagavān.
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And what carries him from one place to another place? svakarmadūtēna nitāḥ; he is
taken by the policeman for giving punishment in the saṁsāra jail; policeman carries
the person; taking to various jails; here what is the policeman; svakarma; one's own
karmās; puṇya pāpa karmās are the police people and puṇya pāpa karma police
either take him to heaven which is A class jail; A class, B class jail, etc. they say.
Heaven is called A class jail; But remember vēdānta says that is also another prison.
A class prison is also prison only. and pāpa is rigorous imprisonment; whether B
class; I do not know, no experience, whatever class is there; and then misrah;
puṇya pāpa misrah; takes to intermediary prison; therefore svakarmadūtēna; taken
by the puṇya pāpa police people dūta here means the police; the government
person; dūtāḥ means the man of the government; in this context, policeman. nītāḥ;
And how do they pull him? javēna; not slowly walk and all; they drag him from one
place to another. In all these verses Śankarācārya is going to use strong words;
therefore be ready. Śankarācārya is going to beat us left and right; criticising our
weakness or our attachment.
In all other books, the gurus are all very benign; they do not want to hurt the
students and therefore they polished their presents. Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi Śankarācārya is
not going to be polished at all; he is going to very strongly present all our
weaknesses. And his aim is not to hurt us; but his aim at least by using strong
words; will they grow out of this problem. That is why the commentator says; it is
not sadism that Śankarācārya use strong words, it is compassion. At least by
prodding will these people get out of the attachment? Therefore many verses are
going to talk about our āśā and pāśam.
शब्दा�द�भ पञ्च�भरे पञ्

पञ्चत्वमाप स्वगुणे बद्ध |
कुरङ्गमातङ्गपतङ्ग-
भङ
ृ ्ग नरः पञ्च�भरिञ्च �कम ् ||७६||
śabdādibhiḥ pañcabhirēva pañca
pañcatvamāpuḥ svaguṇēna baddhāḥ |
kuraṅgamātaṅgapataṅgamīna-
bhr̥ṅgā naraḥ pañcabhirañcitaḥ kim ||76||
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So Śankarācārya asks the question to himself; which sense organ is weak for us.
Which sensory weakness we suffer from? And Śankarācārya himself answers: we
have got weakness at the level of all the five sense organs. எல்ல sense organs. We
have got strong attachment to things; and therefore we are not bound by one chain;
we are bound by five powerful chains. And therefore our saṁsāra is going to be
extremely bad intensity.
And to indicate the intensity of the saṁsāra, Śankarācārya is talking about five type
of animals other than the human being; each animal has got a weakness for one
sense organ, or one sense object. Each animal has got a weakness for one particular
sense object which corresponds to one shackle; and that one shackle itself make the
animal suffer very much. One weakness itself causes terrible suffering to the animal;
in the case of human beings; we have got all the five weakness and therefore his
suffering is going to be five times.
And what are the five animals? kuraṅga mātaṅga pataṅga mīna bhr̥ṅgā; third line;
kuraṅgam means a deer; a deer is supposed to be captured by taking advantage of
the weakness of the deer for a particular sound. It is said, we have to accept it
because hunters and those people; they make that particular noise; or they make
that particular music; to make the deer attracted by that; then taking advantage of
this weakness; these hunters capture the deer. Therefore kuraṅga stands for śabda
āśā.
Then comes mātaṅga; means elephant. And an elephant has a got weakness for
sparśa āśā; it wants to rub against the skin of the other elephant of the opposite
sex; the male elephant loves to rub against the skin of the female elephant. And
therefore the hunters again capture by bringing an elephant of opposite sex and
they show this elephant; the wild elephant comes and they are captured; therefore
elephant stands for sparsa āśā. Weakness for skin.
Then pataṅgaḥ; pataṅgaḥ means a moth or a flying insect is called pataṅgaḥ; which
is attracted by the bright flame of the lamb; this you can see even now; when the
flame is there; so many insects would fly towards this light; either fall into the flame
or into the oil and die. And even below the tubelight they do that; they tie a paper
dipped in oil and all the flies will get struck to the paper. What we are taking
advantage of is its weakness for bright light/lamp. Therefore rūpa āśā. So pataṅgaḥ
has got rūpa āśā, or rūpa rāgaḥ. Instead of āśā, you can use rāgaḥ.
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Then what is the fourth one. mīnam; the fish and how do they fish; the fish you
know, they put the angle and one eatable bait it kept there; and inside that the
hook is there; the poor fish does not know; it goes and bites and gets baited. So its
weakness for the tongue and taste. And therefore mīnam has got rasa āśā, or rasa
rāgaḥ. So for many people, who like the road side eatables? Howmuchever good you
prepare it at home; it is so nice; ready to prepare to anything; there is something
like the bajji; pokada; all the hygiene violations that can be done have been done;
but even if you eat good food nicely at home; that is called rasa āśā; and food
poisoning, 7 days continuously in the bathroom, 20kgs lost; still, once recovered,
again he will be standing in the food stall on the road. In Mumbai you have to see;
has got so much money; from house they are ready to send the food; but yet
people go for the pav bhaaji on the road side; I do not know whether it is popular in
Chennai; even though food is available from 5-star hotels or home; but yet, he will
eat with all the dirty hand mixed in the dirty surroundings; with all the flies sitting on
it; and near the gutter; etc.; he eats and feels that he gets the mōkṣa anānandaḥ;
so even bigger than that; rasaḥ.
And then finally bhr̥ṅgāḥ; bhr̥ṅgāḥ means the honey bee; vaṅdu; bee; so that is
attracted by the smell of the flowers; and because of that it is captured by certain
flowers; it closes during the night; when it is attracted, especially in the evening
time; goes and sits there; and the flower closes and it gets trapped and the
commentator says; again we do not know, we have to verify; that certain strong
smell, like the smell of champaka flower that is so strong; that the bee will die
because of the intensity of the smell; that the smell itself directly destroys that
insect. Again it has got what? gandha āśā or gandaḥ rāga.
And therefore each one of these animals dies because of its bondage caused by one
guṇa; śabda guṇa; sparśa guṇa; rūpa guṇa; rasa guṇa or gandha guṇa; that is said
in the first line. pañca pañcatvamāpuḥ; pañca means these five animals; so these
above mentioned five animals; pañcatvamāpuḥ; gets destroyed; they perish;
pañjatvam means maraṇam; pañjatvam means maraṇam; maraṇam means death;
pañjatvam māpuḥ means they reach their own death or destruction, because of
what? svaguṇēna baddhāḥ; and bound by their own weakness for one one guṇa
only. Kuraṅga has got only one problem. Mātaṅga has got only one problem.
svaguṇēna baddhāḥ; bound by its own character of sensory weakness; consisting of
śabdādibhiḥ pañcabhi; consisting of śabda sparśa, etc. If this is the lot of the animal
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which have got only one weakness; now come to the fourth line, pañcabhirañcitaḥ
kim; what to talk of the human being who has got all the five weakness? So añcitaḥ,
añcitaḥ means associated with the pañja āśās. The five-fold attachment.
And this is not his mistake. Remember, this is not his mistake; these are all five
natural instinctive weaknesses. So we have these weakness we need not feel guilty
about their presence; the arrival is not because of it; it is instinctive. We are to be
blamed if we are going to keep that weakness going. So therefore perpetuation of
the weakness is the mistake; the presence of the weakness is not our mistake.
If the weakness are there; we need not feel guilty; but we allow them to continue;
we have to feel the guilt. Therefore the presence is not weakness;
perpetuation is the weakness. More in the next class.
Hari Om.
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028. Verses - 77 to 81
ॐ
शब्दा�द�भ पञ्च�भरे पञ्

पञ्चत्वमाप स्वगुणे बद्ध |
कुरङ्गमातङ्गपतङ्ग-
भङ
ृ ्ग नरः पञ्च�भरिञ्च �कम ् ||७६|
śabdādibhiḥ pañcabhirēva pañca
pañcatvamāpuḥ svaguṇēna baddhāḥ |
kuraṅgamātaṅgapataṅgamīna-
bhr̥ṅgā naraḥ pañcabhirañcitaḥ kim ||76||
Of the seven questions the student had asked, the ācārya has taken up the first
question regarding anātma or matter. Now this topic is discussed from 72nd verse
onwards. Anātma is going to be presented as śarīra trayaṁ; the three fold bodies; of
which the physical body is taken up first for discussion and here he talked about the
nature of the physical body and also the basic material out of which the body is
made; which is nothing but the five elements. Therefore the body is pāñca baudikam
śarīraṁ.
And while talking about the body which is born out of these five elements,
Śankarācārya points out the external world is also born out of these five elements
only. Therefore śarīraṁ is also pāñca baudikam; the viṣayās are also pāñca
baudikam; viṣayās means the external world of sense objects and through this
Śankarācārya is thinking that the external object which is pāñca baudikam is inert in
nature and therefore this physical body which is pāñca baudikam must also be
essentially inert. Consciousness cannot be in the nature of the physical body.
And from that he is thinking that body cannot have intrinsic consciousness,
consciousness in the body should be lent by some other principle which is not pāñca
baudikam. And that principle is the ātma, which will be revealed later.
And he also takes up an aside topic that because the physical body is pāñca
baudikam; and the sense objects are pāñca baudikam; I hope you understand the
meaning pāñca baudikam; pañca bootha kāryam; product of five elements; because
of that they have an affinity between themselves. Physical body has got a weakness
for the physical world; it is attached to the physical world; and if the physical body is
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interacting with the physical world, it is wonderful. It is Bhagavān's gift alright; but if
physical body develops a weakness for the viṣayās, then that itself becomes the
cause for the downfall of human being, because he will be so much engrossed in the
physical world that his physical personality alone becomes prominent.
And therefore he gets more and more physicalised person; more and more body-
oriented person; more and more catering to the physical body alone; that he finds
impossible to grow out of the physical body and come to even the subtle body. Even
education becomes less important for a body oriented person, because our aim is
that we have to transcend the physical personality; transcend the subtle; even the
causal personality to arrive at the ātma. And therefore attachment to the physical
body and to the physical world is very big obstacle for spiritual knowledge.
This is an aside sadhana that Śankarācārya wants to present. Therefore in these five
verses from 72 to 78; viṣaya rāga is criticised by Śankarācārya. Excessive
attachment to the body and the world. Excessive attachment to the body and the
world is being criticised.
But here Śankarācārya does not mean that the body and world have to be hated;
because as I have repeatedly said; hatred is as much damaging as attachment is;
and therefore, body is to be respected and taken care of; but our whole life, time
and energy, cannot be for that and that alone. And if that happens, what is the
harm he said by giving the example of five animals; how they have a weakness for
śabda; sparśa, etc. and each weakness becomes the cause for their downfall.
And therefore human beings have got all the five weaknesses; that the weakness is
there is not our weakness; because it is natural weakness; but perpetuating the
mistake and not working for growing out of that weakness, is wasting the precious
human life. Human life is to grow out of matter; and to own up the spirit. Therefore
Śankarācārya gave strong warning in the seventy-seventh verse, we will read.
दोषेण तीव् �वषयः कृष्णसपर्�वषाद |

�वषं �नहिन् भोक्तार द्रष्ट च�ुषाप्यय म ||७७||
dōṣēṇa tīvrō viṣayaḥ kr̥ṣṇasarpaviṣādapi |
viṣaṁ nihanti bhōktāraṁ draṣṭāraṁ cakṣuṣāpyayaṁ ||77||
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Here Śankarācārya uses a very strong word; viṣaya is more poisonous than even
viṣaṁ. Viṣaya is more poisonous and more harmful than even viṣaṁ. Therefore
viṣayaḥ doṣēna tīvraḥa; in terms of his harming capacity; pulling down capacity; the
viṣaya is tīvraḥ; more intense; more powerful than viṣādapi; even poison. That too
what type of poison? In that also grade is: kriṣnasarpa viṣaṁ. Krishna sarpa; the
black cobra; kriṣna sarpa means not Lord Krishna's sarpa. Krishna here means black
or dark ones; the black cobra viṣaṁ; and the viṣaya is more harmful than that.
How does Śankarācārya say so? To give a logical proof also; he gives the logical
proof; what is that; viṣaṁ bokthāram ēva hanthi; poison will kill only a person who
consumes the poison. By hearing about or by seeing, the poison does not kill; only
when it enters the system and is absorbed in the system; only then it will kill.
Therefore bokthāram viṣaṁ hanti; whereas what about viṣaya; cakṣuṣā draṣṭāraṁ
hanti; even that person who sees the viṣayaḥ.
So here what is the idea conveyed? That if a person does not have a discriminative
power; then the very sight can cause attachment; and then he goes on thinking
about that; remember the second chapter of the Gītā.
ध्यायत �वषयान्पुंस सङ्गस्तेषूपजाय |

सङ्गात्सञ्जा कामः कामात्क्रोधोऽ�भजा ||२- ६२||
क्रोधाद् सम्मोह सम्मोहात्स्मृ�त�व |
स्मृ�तभ्रं बु�द्धना बु�द्धनाशात्प्र ||२- ६३||
dhyāyatō viṣayānpuṁsaḥ saṅgastēṣūpajāyatē |
saṅgātsañjāyatē kāmaḥ kāmātkrōdhō:'bhijāyatē ||2- 62||
krōdhādbhavati sammōhaḥ sammōhātsmr̥tivibhramaḥ |
smr̥tibhraṁśād buddhināśō buddhināśātpraṇaśyati ||2- 63||
Most intelligent and moral personal can drop all the ethics and morality and go to
adharma and once dharma goes away, mōkṣa is farther. And for that viṣaya
dhyānam, what is the cause? Viṣaya darśanam is the cause for viṣaya dhyānam.
Viṣaya dhyānaṁ is the cause of spiritual death.
Here death talked by Krishna is not physical death; it is because of the spiritual
death; and therefore Śankarācārya says: cakṣuṣāt draṣṭāraṁ api ayaṁ; ayaṁ means
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viṣayaḥ; ayaṁ viṣayaḥ; and you have to supply the verb; nihanti. Ayaṁ viṣayaḥ
cakṣuṣāt draṣṭāraṁ api nihanti.
So that does not mean that you should not open our eyes at all. We close our eyes
and walk; open-eye walking is itself difficult on the road; then the idea is what; a
person should be careful with regard to the external world, until he learns to
manage his rāga dvēṣa; which is called śamaḥ; learning to manage rāga-dvēṣa is
śama; once the mind is mastered, then whatever the sense organs perceived; no
problem; but because he knows what is attachment and what is freedom from that.
That Krishna himself says later that
rāga dvēṣa viyukteshu; vishyan indriyai charan;

ātmavasyai videyātma prasādam adhigacchati.
Once the mind has got mastery, then the sense organs cannot do any damage; and
until kṣamā is game, damaḥ becomes a very important value. Thus the value of
damaḥ is incidentally highlighted in this context.
�वषयाशामहापाशाद्य �वमुक्त सुदस

ु ्त्यजा |
स एव कल्पत मुक्त् नान्य षट्शास्त्रवे ||७८||
viṣayāśāmahāpāśādyō vimuktaḥ sudustyajāt |
sa ēva kalpatē muktyai nānyaḥ ṣaṭśāstravēdyapi ||78||
Here Śankarācārya says that giving up of viṣaya rāga is not an easy thing. That is
why in the purāṇa we have the stories of even sages like Jata Bharatha, Viswāmitra
etc.; they have renounced everything, they have mastered everything, they have
gone to the forest also; but still they had a pull. And therefore Śankarācārya says
viṣaya āśā; attachment to the viṣaya and remember viṣaya does not mean objects
only; all the physical bodies in the world also come under viṣaya. Any pāñca
baudikam vasthu is viṣaya; whether it is an inanimate thing or living physical body
which includes my own physical body. From vēdantic angle my body is also a
viṣayaḥ; because it is pāñca baudika. Therefore he says viṣaya āśā is maha pāśāḥ.
Not an ordinary shackle but it is very very strong bondage. Very strong chain. And
therefore only sudustyajāt; difficult to give up; sudustyajāt means extremely difficult
to drop; to grow out of the bodily attachment. Therefore, viṣaya āśā is extremely
difficult to give up; and therefore it is most powerful invisible bondage.
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And yaḥ vimuktaḥ; suppose a person transcends that weakness; he is able to detach
from the physical body; that means he gives the physical body the importance that it
deserves. Here giving up is not destroying; but he does not want to give up more
importance than it deserves; that he puts it in its appropriate place.
And what is its appropriate place? That it is a means to an end but not an end in
itself. So the one who does that; dēha abhīmāna tyāgaḥ; sa ēva muktyai kalpatē;
that person and person alone can hope to attain mōkṣa.
So here Śankarācārya does not say that you should attain mōkṣa; Śankarācārya
does not present mōkṣa as a compulsory thing; if a person is going to say that I am
not interested in mōkṣa; this book is not going to address him. Śankarācārya does
not call everyone and say that you should work for mōkṣa; therefore drop
attachment. Śankarācārya does not say. Śankarācārya is addressing a person who
says; who asks the question; I am interested in mōkṣa; what should I do?
Therefore he says that you feel that mōkṣa is important for you; then I am giving a
suggestion, I am not enforcing anything; if you do not have it; mumukṣu will not
come. Like the doctor saying; I do not say that you should cure the disease; but if
you want to cure the disease you have to stop this particular diet; if you do this, you
cannot cure that at all.
Therefore he says: saha ēva; he alone is fit; kalpatē, qualified, entitled to attain
mōkṣa. Suppose I study the scriptures thoroughly; he says you study all the śāstras
thoroughly; you will not get mōkṣa, if you are not ready for dēha abhīmāna tyāgaḥ.
You might have studied ṣadśāstra vēdi api; you might be an expert in sāñkya; you
might be in yōga; nyāya; vaiśēṣikā; pūrva mīmāṁsa; and uttara mīmāṁsa; these are
called the ṣadśāstrāni. So you might be an expert in all the śāstras; you might have
got all of them byeheart; you might have studied their commentaries and sub-
commentaries; I do not care, without this one qualification; all the ṣaḍśāstra
adhyānam, is a big zero. Only thing is that the other people are illiterate samsāri,
you will be a scholarly samsāri; that will be only difference.
Therefore he says: na anyaḥ; not the other person. Other person means who? the
one who has not given up dēha abhīmānaḥ; na anyaḥ; the one who has not given
up dēha abhīmānaḥ; that is why in the 12th chapter of the Gītā, Krishna says
vēdānta is very difficult, not because it is intellectually difficult; if a little bit common
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sense is there; a person can grab vēdānta; but that what makes vēdānta difficult is
for its fructification, vēdānta prescribes most difficult qualification called dēha
abhīmānaḥ tyāgaḥ. Therefore Krishna tells:
क्लेशोऽ�धकतरस्तेषामव्यक्तासक्तचे ||
ु देहव�द्भरवाप् ||१२- ५||
अव्यक् �ह ग�तदर्ःख
klēśō:'dhikatarastēṣāmavyaktāsaktacētasām ||
avyaktā hi gatirduḥkhaṁ dēhavadbhiravāpyatē ||12- 5||
The word dēhavadbhiḥ there only corresponds to the dēha abhīmāna here. And that
is difficult. In fact scholarship is relatively easier. You can just think, you can grab;
you can also speak to others; that is not much difficult. So ṣaḍśāstra vēdi api;
vēdyapi should be split as vēdi; vēdi means a knower; scholar; even that person;
scholarly person cannot get mōkṣa.
आपातवैराग्यवत मम ु ून ्
ु �
भवािब्धपार प�तयातम
ु द्यतान
ु |
आशाग्र मज्जयतेऽन्तरा
�नगह्
ृ कण्ठ �व�नवत्य वेगात् ||७९||
āpātavairāgyavatō mumukṣūn
bhavābdhipāraṁ pratiyātumudyatān |
āśāgrahō majjayatē:'ntarālē
nigr̥hya kaṇṭhē vinivartya vēgāt ||79||
Again the same idea; viṣaya abhīmānaḥ or viṣaya rāgaḥ which includes dēha
abhīmānaḥ also. And here what Śankarācārya says is that even a weak dēha
abhīmānaḥ tyāga or a even weak vairāgyaṁ is not enough; it should be thorough; it
should be intense, because a weak vairāgyaṁ also does not help a person. Because
weak vairāgyaṁ means that rāga or attachment is there deeply in potential form;
which is only waiting for an ideal situation to grow; when the situations are ideal;
temptations are ideal; that rāga which is deep inside can again come up to its full-
fledged condition and again pull a person down;
Śankarācārya conveys this through an example. So there is a person; who wants to

cross a river or a lake; a water, water pool he wants to cross. And he is a swimmer
and somehow he has struggled; and he has almost crossed the river; 75% over; but
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what happens? there was a crocodile; this crocodile pulls him back, catching hold of
his neck; the crocodile pulls him back and again immerses him into the water.
Similarly a person by the study of scriptures etc. is trying to cross the river of
saṁsāra; āśā is a crocodile; which we do not know when it will come; again it will
catch without our knowledge; if you are complacent, it will just catch and pull a
person down.
And therefore let a person be alert with regard to āśā or vairāgyaṁ. Therefore he
says: mumukṣun, so there are some mumukṣus who are interested in spirituality.
With regard to materialistic people, we need not discuss at all, because they never
attempt to cross the river; like the buffalo; they are enjoying the dirty pool of water
itself. So we are only talking about those people who have felt that this water is a
dirty pool and I want to cross.
Therefore, mumukṣun, they want to cross over; but what is their problem.
Āpātavairāgya vataḥ; so they have got vairāgyaṁ but it is not intense enough; they
have got only a weak vairāgyaṁ; a vague vairāgyaṁ. Here Āpāta means superficial;
which we call as smaśana vairāgyaṁ. When somebody dies that too a close person
then he is taken to the cremation ground and the body is burned; till yesterday it
was a live body; and people loved it; and today he is reduced to ashes; and
suddenly he talks philosophy. What is life? One day I am also going to be reduced to
ashes. What is the use of building such a big house? What is the use of starting
such a business? All those things that he just talks and sometimes starts attending
some classes also. It is just sustained for a short time; a day or two; and
thereafterwards he goes back to his own ways of living. Such a temporary
vairāgyaṁ is called smaśana vairāgyaṁ, because it comes in smaśanam. Here
Śankarācārya calls it Āpāta vairāgyaṁ; superficial detachment.
And with this vague vairāgyaṁ; bhavābdhipāraṁ pratiyātumudyatān; so they are

striving; they are putting forth effort; udyatā means striving; put forth effort; for
what; pratiyātum; to reach the shore of saṁsāra sāgara; bhavaḥ means saṁsāra; a
life of becoming; a life of change; a life of punarapi maraṇam punarapi jananam is
called bhavaḥ; and ābdiḥ means ocean; it is a huge ocean whose shore I cannot see
at all. And pāraḥ means the shore; the comfortable shore, here refers to what?
mōkṣa. So the other shore of saṁsāra which is called mōkṣa, he wants to attain; he
is swimming to reach that shore. And he has almost reached.
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Do you know why we call almost reached? Human birth itself is coming near the
shore, because a cow does not have an opportunity to think of what is dharma; it
cannot think of attending Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi class; for all other plants and animals are
far far away; by taking manuṣya janma I have reached No.95 in the snake and
ladder game; human janma means 95. Coming to that is itself difficult. Who wants
all that. Enjoy thoroughly life; Who knows whether there is next janma or not. Who
knows there is an ātma or not. It may be biggest bluff in the world. So we can
easily talk of materialistic life; and therefore desiring for mōkṣa is next thing; and
getting an opportunity and making use of that opportunity.
Thus between this 95 and 100, a few more steps are there; in these few more steps,
3 snakes are there; in 96, 97, and 99. Like in the Wimbeldon Final, there is one Pete
Sampras; who goes and takes of the opportunity to win.
Thus between the cup and lip; there are so many slips and what is the powerful slip;
there he says āśāgrahaḥ; The powerful snake, or the powerful crocodile called
dēhabhīmā; the Jada Bharatha story is given an ideal example in Bhāgavatham and
this āśāgraha; grahaḥ means crocodile; majjayatē antarālē; just in the middle of the
ocean; just pushes the person down into saṁsāra.
How, kaṇṭhē nigr̥hya; catching hold of this person by his very throat; like some of
the snakes which catch their prey by their neck. Similarly this powerful crocodile
catches the seeker by his neck; that means what; when the neck is caught; you
cannot even think. Similarly when the attachment is powerful; then this person's
thinking power is also gone and if somebody wants to give an advice; he says who
are you to be an advice; I know what I am doing and I am very sure about what I
am doing. Vināśakāle viparītha buddhi; like our Rāvaṇa who never listened to
anyone; he was very sure what he does is right; nobody can help. Only thing is let
him perish and come back again.
Rāma could not change Rāvaṇa; Krishna could not change Kaṁsa; we also end up
as Rāvaṇa and Kaṁsās; does not mean that we should become rākṣasās;
materialistic itself is rākṣasatvam.
And therefore, kaṇṭhē nigr̥hya; by catching hold of by the throat; it immerses a

person into saṁsāra. How? vinivartya; by turning this person away from the shore,
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because for a crocodile shore is the weakest point. In the water, it is extremely
powerful; in the shore it is extremely weak; they say:
Nakraḥ svasthanam āśādya gajendramapi karṣathi;

thayēva prachuda sthaanaat punapi paribhuyate.
When the crocodile is in the ocean; in the waters, even it can attack the gajendra;
double meaning; the elephant also and in the bhagavatha gajendra also; but
thayeiva the very same crocodile comes to the shore; punapi paribhuyate; even a
dog pull frighten the crocodile.
Similarly here also, once you are in the worldliness then the āśā is very powerful.
But in the presence of mahātmas; satsaṅgatva is the shore; presence of sat saṅga;
it will not do anything; once you drop that; āśā becomes powerful. Therefore he
says; vinivartya; turning away from the shore; and that too how? vēgāt; vēgāt
powerfully it will turn a person away.
�वषयाख्यग् येन सु�वरक्त्य�स हतः |

स गच्छ� भवाम्भोधे पारं प्रत्यूहविज ||८०||
viṣayākhyagrahō yēna suviraktyasinā hataḥ |
sa gacchati bhavāmbhōdhēḥ pāraṁ pratyūhavarjitaḥ ||80||
So therefore what is the remedy. Remedy is to hold a powerful knife in your hand;
like in the Tarzan movies and all; Tarzan movies means there should be swimming;
and then generally there is the crocodile; no Tarzan movie without swimming and
crocodile; and he will have a very powerful knife and the moment crocodile comes,
he takes the knife and just destroys by piercing the knife in the underbelly; that is its
weakest point; under the belly.
Similarly all of us while swimming across the river of saṁsāra should have a very
very powerful knife. Do not say it is hiṁsā; we will not do hiṁsā; I will only follow
ahiṁsā, etc.; but the crocodile will do hiṁsā. That is all. You can practice ahiṁsā but
the crocodile will practice hiṁsā; and what is that powerful knife. suviraktyasinā;
powerful vairāgyaṁ; powerful vairāgyaṁ; and what is the powerful vairāgyaṁ. I do
not want to hold on to anything in the world for the sake of my security and
happiness. If I will be around them; it may be giving security to them; I may give
them security; that is different thing; I may love them; that is different thing; but I
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do not want to take anything from them; the moment I hold on to anything; I am in
trouble. Either hold on to yourselves or next option is hold on to God; other than
God or yourselves, holding on to anything else, is risky. And not taking that risk is
called suvirakty. suvirakty asi; asi here means sword or knife.
And how do I know whether they are holding me or I am holding them; how do I
know? Very difficult to know when two people are holding hands together, who is
supporter and who is supported; how to know? I may be boasting that I am only
supporting; how do I know; when the other one drops the hand or goes away; look
at myself. If the other person drops and I continue to stand firmly on the ground;
that means I do not depend. Otherwise what will happen? when the other one
drops; I also feel miserable. The other one need not drop; the very thought of the
other one dropping makes me frighten. Therefore we can cheat the world; but we
can never keep ourselves. We know very well whether we are dependent or not.
Therefore drop this psychological dependence which is called suvirakti; with that
sword; Viṣayākhya grahaha ataha; the crocodile of viṣaya. So here viṣaya should be
taken as viṣaya āśā. Viṣaya means viṣaya āśā; the crocodile called viṣa āśā should
hataha; be destroyed, if you want to be strong; if you want to avoid risk; if you want
to be independent psychologically, it should be destroyed. And ēna; whoever
accomplishes this, whichever person accomplishes this; this means what? the
destruction of viṣaya āśā by the sword of vairāgyaṁ; whoever accomplishes, saha
param gacchati. He alone can cross over; he alone can reach the shore; param
means shore. Of what? bhavāmbhōdhēḥ; shore of the saṁsāra saagara. bhava
means saṁsāra; ambodihi means sāgara; he alone can reach the shore of saṁsāra.
That means he alone can attain mōkṣa.
How, pratyūhavarjitaḥ; without any obstacle. pratyuhaha means pratibandah;

vignaha is called pratyuḥ varjithaḥ; without any obstacle; he alone can attain mōkṣa.
So if we ultimately see all these verses are only commentary upon the word
vairāgyaṁ; which is one of the sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti . So when we study the
tatva bōdhaḥ, there it only is given in one line definition; detachment. But if a text
book just gives the word detachment or dispassion; we will also just verbalise the
word and just use; OK; there is discrimination, detachment, six fold inner qualities;
we will also repeat it blindly.
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But here Śankarācārya wants us to know that this is not just a word to be repeated;
you should know the depth and significance of this word; we may miss and we may
think that we are detached also; and Śankarācārya wants to put in very clear terms;
so that we can ask ourselves the question: am I under the grip of āśā grahaḥ or am
I at least attempting to go beyond it.
Therefore every word should be thoroughly studied and we have to see whether we
have that qualifications. That is the uniqueness of Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi; not much
musing; but many things which we have taken for granted Śankarācārya wants us to
see the depth of that words.
Continuing with the same topic Śankarācārya says:
�वषम�वषयमाग�गर्च्छतोऽनच्छबु
प्र�तपदम�भया मतृ ्यरप्ये �व�द |
ु नगर
�हतसज ु ूक्त गच्छत स्वस यक
ु ्त्
प्रभव फल�स�द् सत्य�मत्य �व�द ||८१||
viṣamaviṣayaṁārgairgacchatō:'nacchabuddhēḥ
pratipadamabhiyātō mr̥tyurapyēṣa viddhi |
hitasujanagurūktyā gacchataḥ svasya yuktyā
prabhāva ti phalasiddhiḥ satyamityēva viddhi ||81||
So here Śankarācārya says that a person has to be very alert in life every moment.
Therefore constant alertness is prescribed as a sādhanā here; which Śankarācārya
says in Bhaja Gōvindaṁ; kuru avadhānam; mahāt avadhānam; in Tamil also we use
the word savadhānama pōngō, because the road is full of pot holes; there is hole
there; the life road is like our roads only. There is a ditch; they have removed a
manhole and there is rain also; and therefore it is all in one level; and a person
walks just suddenly disappears. Children sometimes going to school suddenly
disappear, because we do not know that there is a manhole.
Similarly Śankarācārya says every moment of life is interaction with viṣaya. That life
is dēha viṣaya interaction is life. You cannot avoid interaction. But make sure that all
the time you interact with everything and every person without forming any
weakness for any object or any person or any situation. just be like the lotus leaf in
water. So do not walk with gum on your body; there is gum on your body; what will
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happen; whatever comes near gets attached. The minute you go, you get stuck.
Therefore wash off the gum called rāga; if the rāga-gum is there, you get cut
anywhere and everywhere.
And you do not know how to come out of that; and therefore he says viṣaṁa viṣaya
mārgai; the life is a journey amidst sense objects. Life is a journey amidst or through
the sense objects. viṣaya mārgaḥ, which consists of three things; the object, the
people and situations; objects, people and situations. All the three put together is
called viṣaya mārgaḥ.
And what type of viṣaya mārgaḥ it is? viṣaṁa viṣaya mārge. It is difficult mārga to
drive, because the wheels of the car can get stuck anywhere on the road. It may be
ditch; it may be a marshy ground, as you see the newspapers, they will dig a long
way and leave it like that; or just puts the mud on top of that; or he will put the
mud and he did not have made it strong; and a rain comes and it is loose mud and
the lorry is stuck. It may be ditch; it may be stone; it may be loose soil; so it is
viṣaṁa mārgaḥ. It is not American freeway. It is Indian roads.
And gacchataḥ; a person is driving through this viṣaya mārgaḥ; so viṣaya viṣaṁa
māargaiḥ gacchataḥ puruṣaḥsya; gacchataḥ refers to the person who is travelling
that path by that path
And what is the problem he has; anacchabuddhēḥ; he is half cooked vēdantin;

anacchabuddhēḥ; the one who does not have a strong mind; he is not yet free from
rāga. What we said weak-vairāgyaṁ; anaccha buddhiḥ means a person with a weak
vairāgyaṁ. Accha literally means śuddha; anaccha means aśuddha; anaccha
buddhiḥ means aśuddha buddhiḥ; and aśuddha buddhiḥ means rāga sahida buddihi;
it is vulnerable. Like a person who has got a weak immunity. AIDS disease; like a
person with AIDS disease who does not have immunity; he is so vulnerable that he
does not die of aids; but he dies of any other disease which will attack him because
he does not have immunity at all. And this person is without the strong immunity;
what is the immunity; vivēka and vairāgya is the strong immunity; that is not there.
And therefore for him driving is not that easy. And for him prathipadam mr̥tyuḥ
abhiyātaḥ; death approaches him every step. mr̥tyuḥ, Maraṇam is threatening him
every step. Is it not frightening? He is as though frightening, it is only to make us
alert. Śankarācārya is using such language. Otherwise we are very loose minded.
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Therefore Śankarācārya seems to be frightening. Prathipadam means every step;

mr̥tyuḥ abhiyātaḥ; maraṇam approaches you and here what is maraṇam? Not
physical death; not physical death; he means spiritual death is waiting; any time you
may be taken; from spirituality; and it can end up an utter materialistic person.
So mr̥tyuḥ abhiyātaḥ; ēṣaḥ; ēṣaḥ goes with mr̥tyuḥ; ēṣaḥ mr̥tyuḥ abhiyātaḥ; iti
viddhi; may you be aware of this fact. Just like driving on the road only; you do not
know which cyclist with overtake from which side; when you are turning on the road
only, with just one foot difference; one cyclist will just go.
That means what; mr̥tyuḥ cycle rūpēṇa; auto ricksaw rūpēṇa; like the local slum
child who runs across; so just as driving in the city prathipadam mr̥tyuḥ abhiyātaḥ;
the spiritual life is also like that. May you be aware. And therefore what should you
do? That we will see in the next class.
Hari Om.
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�वषम�वषयमाग�गर्च्छतोऽनच्छबु
प्र�तपदम�भया मतृ ्युरप्य �व�द |
�हतसुजनगुरूक्त गच्छत स्वस युक्त्
प्रभव फल�स�द् सत्य�मत्य �व�द ||८१||
viṣamaviṣayaṁārgairgacchatō:'nacchabuddhēḥ
pratipadamabhiyātō mr̥tyurapyēṣa viddhi |
hitasujanagurūktyā gacchataḥ svasya yuktyā
prabhāva ti phalasiddhiḥ satyamityēva viddhi ||81||
Śankarācārya is discussing the topic of anātma in the form of śarīra trayaṁ or the
three-fold body; of which the physical body has been taken as the first one; which is
from verse No. 72 to 91. And while talking about the physical body, Śankarācārya
pointed out that it is born out of the five elements; pānja baudikam; and therefore it
is material in nature.
And incidentally, he takes some diversion from the main topic, and instead of
discussing the physical body, he discusses the physical world also, which is a product
of the five elements. The actual topic is pāñca baudika śarīraṁ but he takes a
diversion and discusses pāñca baudikam prapañjaḥ and he takes this diversion
because both happen to be pāñca baudikam and therefore let us add this topic also.
And this pāñca baudika prapañjaa, this world, is known in the śāstra, by the word
viṣayaḥ. The entire universe is called viṣayaḥ. And this word viṣaya is derived from
the root '�स'; �व �स is the root; 5th congrugation; parasmaipada; viṣnōti iti viṣayaḥ.
That which binds a person is called viṣayaḥ. viṣnōti is equal to badnāti iti viṣayaḥ.
And therefore Śankarācārya wants to point out why the entire world is called viṣaya
and to establish this he shows that the whole world is capable of binding this human
being; either by producing rāga or by producing dvēṣa. Here he does not discuss
how the world produces dvēṣa; that also is there; but he does not discuss that; he is
discussing the other aspect of viṣaya; how it produces rāga and this viṣaya rāga is
the biggest shackle for human being. At the same time, we will have to handle the
viṣayas all the time, because our entire life is interacting with and handling the
viṣaya. Right from food, clothing, shelter, people; every moment we have to handle
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viṣaya. Therefore Śankarācārya does not ask us to physically renounce them but he
says that a student must be always alert in handling rāga. A little bit of carelessness;
he will get hooked to one thing or the other and once thing gets hooked, he had it;
because
ध्यायत �वषयान्पुंस सङ्स्तेषूपजायत |

Even before he recognises what is happening, the fellow is on the ground. And
therefore he warns in the 81st verse; viśama viṣaya mārgai gacchataḥ; this human
being is travelling to a difficult pothole; path full of potholes and what are the
potholes? rāga and dvēṣa are the potholes; and this Śankarācārya calls as maraṇam
itself. mr̥tyuḥ is there every step and rāga dvēṣas are called mr̥tyuḥ; because they
are responsible for a person's spiritual destruction; Not physical destruction but
spiritual destruction. That is why Krishna said in the Gītā,
काम एष क्र एष रजोगुणसमुद्भ |

महाशनो महापाप्म �वद्ध्येन� वै�रणम ् ||३- ३७||
kāma ēṣa krōdha ēṣa rajōguṇasamudbhavaḥ |
mahāśanō mahāpāpmā viddhyēnamiha vairiṇam || 3- 37||
......
पाप्मान प्रज ह्येन �ान�व�ाननाशनम ् ||३- ४१||
....
pāpmānaṁ prajahi hyēnaṁ jñānavijñānanāśanam || 3- 41||
Rāga dvēṣa will destroy both parōkṣa jñānaṁ and aparōkṣa jñānaṁ; and therefore it
is mr̥tyuḥ. Mr̥tyuḥ for whom; anacchabuddhēḥ; a person whose mind is not alter.
That is why Krishna said in the Gītā; nirdvandhvaḥ nitya satvatstaḥ. If satvaguṇaḥ is
predominant in your mind, if rājas or tamas are predominant they will produce rāga
Page 357

dvēṣa. Therefore pratipadam abiyātah. For a careless seeker, every moment, ēṣaḥ
mr̥tyuḥ. Then what should I do to keep the alertness. What can I do to keep the
alertness? The best way to keep the alertness is association with alert people.
Association with śāstrik people. Association with jñānis, if they are available. Even
jñānis are not required. Even another alert seeker is enough, he will warn you when
I am going off track.
Therefore he says; hitasujanagurūktyā gacchataḥ; the way a person should go with

the help of the guidelines; hita uktiḥ; means advices; instructions given by whom;
sujanagurūktyā; sujanaḥ means all the noble people, who are not rāga dvēṣa
oriented; but who are dharma-adharma oriented; who are not prākr̥ta puruṣās but
saṁskr̥ta puruṣās; who do not over-emphasise artha kāma; but who emphasise
dharma mōkṣa. Such people are called sātvic people. Sajjanaḥ, here Śankarācārya
calls them Sujana; and gurubhya; and your own gurus also. So guravaḥ; your guru's
instructions; or he need not be your guru; but a noble person in society
And why should you take their guidelines? Because hitasujaguruktya; because they
are hitāḥ; hitāḥ is adjective to sujana and guru; and hitāḥ means those people who
do not have any motive in their advice. Because when the whole world is motivated
for gaining some benefit or the other; I scratch your back and you scratch my back,
something will be the catch; it is very difficult to be totally motiveless and pure and
these people are those who do not have any axe to grind.
ये तत ब्राह्'◌ः संम'�शर्न । यक
ु ्त' आय'ु क्ता । अल�
ू ा धम्
र कामा स्यु ।
yē tatra brāhmaṇā'ḥ saṁma' rśinaḥ | yuktā' āyu' ktāḥ | alūkṣā
dharmakāmāḥ syuḥ |
Taittariya upaṇiṣad describes them as dharma oriented. In that advice, even if they
are going to suffer, they would not mind, they are interested in the well-being of the
other person. Such people are called hitāḥ. With the help of their instructions
gacchataḥ; the one who traverses the life; the one who conducts himself with the
help of the śāstra upadeśa; guru upadeśa; sajjana upadeśa. And not only that
Śankarācārya warns svasya yuktyā; and you have to use your own buddhi also. It is
not a blind mechanical thoughtless following of the statements of the śāstra; we
should interpret the dharma according to the context; according to the situation;
because as Svāmiji often says: dharma is relative.
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And that is why every dharma has got a general rule, as well as an exception.
Satyam is a general rule; but the śāstra itself tells there are moments in which a
person can tell a lie, if it is for the sake of larger benefit like saving the life of a
person, etc.
Similarly ahiṁsā is a general value; but there is an exception to ahiṁsā also; but
when the kṣatriya has to protect the dharma and if he is not able to do that by
following sāma-dāna-bhēda, then the kṣatriya has to take to hiṁsā. So satyam also
has got exceptions; ahiṁsā also has got exceptions; any rule has got exceptions.
But at the same time, we should be very careful, we should not hold on to
exceptions only. Exceptions should be used exceptionally only.
And therefore he says; svasya yuktā, you should be able to objectively analyse the
situation and take decisions at every moment. Therefore śāstram and buddhi must
go hand in hand; mere buddhi also we do not approve of; mere śāstram also we do
not approve of; śāstram and yukti must go hand in hand.
yasya nasti svayaṁ prajñaḥ, śāstram tasya karoti kim

locanabhyam vihinasya, darpanah kim karisyati
Of what value are the scriptures to him who has no intelligence of his own? Of what
value is a mirror to a blind man? (Canakya-niti 10.9)
A beautiful slōka; the one who does not have independent thinking capacity; to that
person even śāstra cannot offer much. There must be independent thinking capacity
also and he gives an example. No doubt mirror is useful in revealing the face;
without mirror you can never see your face; your forehead you can never see; but
remember even though mirror can assist you, mirror alone is not enough; you
require what? a pair of eyes. Eyes without mirror you cannot see the forehead;
mirror without eyes, you cannot see; why forehead, anything; therefore you need
the mirror and also the eyes. Śāstram is like mirror, your thinking capacity is like the
cakṣuḥ; and that is why we always say śravaṇam and mananam. Śravaṇam stands
for the role of the mirror and mananam stands for the role of the buddhi.
In Chāndōgya upaṇiṣad, it is said every student must be paṇḍitaḥ and medhāvi;

paṇḍitaḥ represents śāstrik learning, medhāvi represents independent thinking; two
combined you get the benefit. Therefore what he says: hitasujanaguruktyā;
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represents mirror; svasya yuktyā; represents the cakṣu; two-combined if there,

phalasiddhiḥ prabhāvati; one will definitely accomplish the result of mōkṣah.
And that is why before studying vēdānta; generally in the olden days they study
tarka, mīmāṁsa; vyakāraṇam; these three sciences are supposed to be basic; which
is preparation of the buddhi. Before using the vēdāntam mirror, eye called buddhi
requires to be cleared of all short-sight; long-sight and no sight, etc. So get the eye
rectified before using the mirror. Therefore three śāstras we study; tarka śāstram,
mīmāṁsa śāstram and vyakāraṇam śāstram. Vyakāraṇa śāstram is capacity to
understand the words properly. Mīmāṁsa śāstram is capacity to understand
sentences properly. Not only you should understand the word, but also sentences.
Many times while reading you will understand the words but not the sentences. One
is pada śāstram; another is vākya śāstram; mīmāṁsa and finally tarka śāstram, it
should be logically also sound. It should not be irrational; illogical; your buddhi
should be sharpened with these three śāstras. Nowadays we have got school and
college education; that is supposed to refine our intellectual thinking; without a
sound intellect, vēdānta is difficult to understand. If these two are there,
phalasiddihi pravabhati.
Then Śankarācārya says that I will even give you a guarantee card. ēṣa satyam;
satyam iti viddhi. So what I say cent percent true; follow the śāstram; follow the
guru; use your buddhi; and feel the transformation in life; and it is guaranteed. And
we are not promising something after-death; after-death promises are very safe;
because they are not going to come back and question. But this is not a posthumous
promise; but in this life itself, you can feel transformation; satyam satyam satyam;
Satyam satyam punasatyam udhisya bhuja mucyatē. And therefore it is truth; and
guarantee card not for three months and six months; not that. It is an eternal
guarantee. Study śāstra and use it properly. Feel the transformation in you, in your
life.
मो�स् कां�ा य�द वै तवािस्

त्यजा�तदूराद्�वषयािन् यथा |
पीयूषवत्तोषदया�माजर-
प्रशािन्तदान्त �नत्यमादरात ||८२||
mōkṣasya kāṁkṣā yadi vai tavāsti
tyajātidūrādviṣayānviṣaṁ yathā |
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pīyūṣavattōṣadayākṣamārjava-
praśāntidāntīrbhaja nityamādarāt ||82||
The same topic, Śankarācārya points out that there are two types of wealth a person
can acquire in life; one is external wealth; bāhya danaṁ; which consists of all kinds
of acquisition is bāhya danaṁ, external wealth and another is anthara danaṁ,
internal wealth. That is why in Tatva Bōdhaḥ we called it śāmādi ṣaṭka saṁpatti;
that is inner wealth.
External wealth can purchase perishable ānanda; which makes a person more
miserable later; whereas internal wealth can buy ātmānandaḥ; you can choose
whether to buy vishayānandaḥ through external wealth or ātmānandaḥ through
internal wealth. Both wealth are there. External wealth is tangible and visible;
internal wealth is intangible and invisible.
And Śankarācārya wants to point out is internal wealth is more important. And to
highlight the internal wealth; what is the internal wealth; we will be seeing in this
slōka; to highlight the internal wealth; Śankarācārya says, it is like pīyūṣaṁ; pīyūṣaṁ
means milk, the nourishing one; whereas external wealth is like viṣaṁ; it is not
nourishing thing; but it is destroying; it is like smoking or drinking; seemingly it is
pleasure giving; but unknowingly I am burning my life. So therefore, he calls
external wealth as viṣa and therefore give up the viṣa. That is what is said here;
mōkṣasya kāṁkṣa yati tava asti; suppose you value mōkṣa in life; then I would like
to give you this advice.
Not for any person going on the road; if you do that he will laugh at you and go; the
Tamil slogans are extra ordinary. Once I saw on the back of a rickshaw; that you
need coins till you reach the coffin; and therefore these people say that you are
attending the morning classes and convert that into coins, meaning wealth. They are
very tempting. That is why they are called charvaakah.
Therefore Śankarācārya does not want to talk to a charvārkah, because their wave
length are different; and therefore there is no point in blowing the buggle in the ears
of the deaf. Never talk about the slōkās to an utter materialistic. Instead of
converting them, we may in the process get converted. Therefore Śankarācārya says
I am addressing them only to a particular audience. And what is the audience?
mōkṣasya kāṁkṣa yati tava asti; if you are interested in the ultimate goal of mōkṣa;
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inner growth; spiritual growth; ātma ānandaḥ; then, I am giving you the warning,
viṣayan ati durād tyaga; be totally dispassionate with regard to external wealth. Be
totally dispassionate with regard to external wealth; Śankarācārya uses a stronger
word. You throw away all the external wealth.
Because he is a Sanyāsi, he is interested in making everyone a sanyāsi; so he says

throw away everything; become a sanyāsi. But we need not go to that extent; that
is why I am just polishing that; he says tyaja; you just renounce them all; by that
what we mean is develop total dispassion with regard to external wealth; use it;
handle it; but do not get hooked to it.
And with what attitude? yatha viṣaṁ. Just like viṣaṁ; however nicely packed it may
be; it may be given in silver cup; why silver, take it in gold cup; and gold saucer and
nice straw etc. and what is it: potassium cyanide. You are not going to think twice.
Thinking that all these in golden cup, you are not going to think and consume it
immediately.
Because you know what is the role of viṣaṁ and therefore develop dispassion; and
once you develop dispassion, the advantage is that you have more time with you;
because you do not want to waste two much of time and energy on external
yōgakṣema. Niryōgakṣema ātmavan. Based on that verse only all these are written.
त्रैगुण्य�व वेदा �नस्त्रैगु भवाजुर् |

�नद्र्वन् �नत्यसत्त्व �नय�ग�ेम आत्मवान ||२- ४५||
traiguṇyaviṣayā vēdā nistraiguṇyō bhavārjuna |
nirdvandvō nityasattvasthō niryōgakṣēma ātmavān ||2- 45||
Because any amount of external security you acquire, you are never going to feel
secure. Therefore funds that is required; and
अनन्यािश्चन्तय मां ये जनाः पयुर्पासत |

तेषां �नत्या�भयुक्तान योग�ेमं वहाम्यह म ||९- २२||
ananyāścintayantō māṁ yē janāḥ paryupāsatē |
tēṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ yōgakṣēmaṁ vahāmyaham ||9- 22||
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Where is the limit; even if you have 10 crores in the bank; still you feel insecure. In
fact you are worried about the security of the body. Previously security of myself
before I had money; now I am worried about the security of money. Either way
insecurity continues. I do not mean therefore your house, bank balances, etc. I do
not say that. Very careful. do not misinterpret my statement. Have all right; but let
not the mind be over-carried away by that. Spend more time and energy in acquiring
what; inner wealth; in 16th chapter, it is called daivi sampath.
What are they? Śankarācārya shows some sample. No.1. tōṣaḥ; means santhoṣaḥ;
contentment; learn to have contentment; do not compare your wealth with the
wealth of another person; in the same family; three brothers are there; and they
have got different resources, then certainly comparison and then the wife will tell
you that you do not know how to earn at all. Therefore even if I do not require, my
wife requires it; if not the wife; the husband needs; never compare. For comparison
leads to jealousy; therefore develop contentment.
ू जह��ह धनागमतषृ ्णा

मढ
कुर सद्बु� द मन�स �वतषृ ्णा म |
यल्लभस �नजकम�पात्त
�वत्त तेन �वनोदय �चत्त म ||२||
mūḍha jahīhi dhanāgamatr̥ṣṇāṁ
kuru sadbuddhiṁ manasi vitr̥ṣṇām |
yallabhasē nijakarmōpāttaṁ
vittaṁ tēna vinōdaya cittam ||2||
By legitimate earning, whatever you have got, learn to enjoy. That is called
santhoṣaḥ.
Then dayah; dayah means compassion towards others. Learn to identify with others'
pain; others' difficulties. So dayah; means consideration for others. Learn to stand
on others' shoes; at least when you are speaking to them in the midst of others;
when you are scolding them; imagine how I will feel if I am scolded in front of
others. Dayah; consideration, compassion.
Then Kṣamā; you can understand kṣamā has got different meaning. One meaning is
forgiveness; so other people commit mistakes; learn to forgive them, because I also
commit mistakes, just as I want forgiveness from others; only one rule; what you
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want others to do to you; do that to others. When you are cornered by another
person with your mistake; after all we are all human beings; suddenly you talk
philosophy and we also commit mistakes. Why can't you apply the same logic to
others? They also commit some mistake and why can't you forgive and improve the
situation? So one meaning of kṣamā is forgiveness; accommodation of others.
And the second meaning of kṣamā is mental toughness to face difficulties in life.
Mental toughness otherwise called titikṣaḥ; we have seen this in Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi
itself.
Sahanam sarvabhuteshu, duḥkhānam apratīkāra pūrvakam;

chinta vilāpa rahitam; sa titikṣaḥ nigatyate.
Sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti when we were seeing, we included titikṣaḥ; that titikṣaḥ
is here called kṣamā. Capacity to withstand difficulties.
Why this value is important? If this mental toughness is not we will try to do
parihāram for every small problem. Then what is wrong; If I have to do parihāram
for every small problem; the whole life will be spent on parihāram only; where is the
time for vēdānta; today this temple in the morning; evening this temple; tomorrow
that temple, etc. then there is no time for vēdānta. Therefore parihārams are
important, but we should know how to judiciously use the parihāra karma. Let the
parihāra karmās also become lesser and lesser so that you have more time for
vēdānta. That is why mental toughness becomes important.
Then the next one is ārjavam. Ārjavam means integrity. Straightforwardness.

Honesty or truthfulness is called ārjavam; and all the upaṇiṣads emphasise this very
well; because without the relative truth; there is no chance of getting the absolute
truth. Relative truth is truth as a value. It is at the verbal level. Absolute truth means
Brahman. Without the verbal value of relative truth; one can never attain the
absolute truth; Vyavahārika satyam alone can lead to paramarthika satyam. In
Mundakopāṇiṣad, satyamēva jayate; by jayate what does the upaṇiṣad mean;
mōkṣam jayate. If only you have truthfulness, one can win mōkṣa. Therefore ārjava
means honesty; truthfulness; absence of split personality. All these are inner wealth.
And the next inner wealth is praśāntiḥ; praśāntihi means kṣamaḥ; the tranquility of
mind; freedom from mental turbulence. Constant mental relaxation. Having the
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shock absorber. Suppose a car does not have shock absorber; what happens? when
you travel in our local roads, you will go to the top; head will hit the roof; and you
will get a bump; and suddenly you fall and get a back catch also; but if the car has
got a good shock absorber; even though road has not been changed, I do not hit my
head. Not that totally it is free from disturbance; there will be jumps and shocks; but
it will be not to that extent. Similarly praśāntiḥ is the general calmness of the mind;
inspite of the tragedies happening; in spite of happy occasion coming; in all of them
freedom from positive and negative excitements, which Krishna calls as karma
yōgaḥ; śamatvam yōga uchayatē. This is called prasantihi or kṣamaḥ.
And then dāntiḥ; daantiḥ means damaḥ; freedom from sensory weaknesses.
Freedom from sensory fickleness; not becoming the slave of my own tongue; not
become slave of my own eyes; not become slave of my own ears; I have mastery
over the sense organs; indriya nigrahaḥ is called dāntiḥ.
So thus, No.1 contentment, No.2 compassion; No.3 forgiveness; No.4 honesty; No.5
tranquility; No.6 sense mastery. These are the six fold inner wealth Śankarācārya
gives here. It is not the six alone, many are mentioned in the Gītā 16th chapter.
Abhayaṁ satva saṁśuddhi; jñāna yōga vyavasthiḥ; etc.; all of them we should
acquire. In fact, if you plan to earn them, in fact, it is a life long pursuit.
And not only that, you will enjoy acquiring them so much; that you do not consider
worldly acquisitions as a very big thing at all. One day the neighbour may say that I
have got a palatial house; you do not miss it because, you see the inner wealth as
much much more valuable than, a few houses and few foreign cars. Therefore,
bhaja; bhaja means acquire them; ādarāt; ādarāt means diligently, with
commitment, with involvement; not எேனா தாேனா; wholeheartedly;
And when should I work for that. Nityam; nityam means regularly, consistently; start
the morning with auto suggestion and end the day with introspection. Auto
suggestion-introspection; Auto suggestion-introspection; it is a most beautiful life.
And the example is pīyūṣavat; inner wealth is like milk; the external wealth is like
what viṣaṁ. Both ends in ṣa; one is viṣa; another is pīyūṣa; he is asking which ṣa
you want; viṣaṁ or pīyūṣaṁ.
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अनु�णं यत्प�रहृ कृत्य

अनाद्य�वद्याकृतबन्धमो� |
देहः पराथ�ऽयममुष् पोषणे
यः सज्जत स स्वमने हिन् ||८३||
anukṣaṇaṁ yatparihr̥tya kr̥tyaṁ
anādyavidyākr̥tabandamōkṣaṇam |
dēhaḥ parārthō:'yamamuṣya pōṣaṇē
yaḥ sajjatē sa svamanēna hanti ||83||
Until now Śankarācārya pointed out that the entire external world is viṣayaḥ;
because it is capable of binding by producing rāga dvēṣa and it is pāñca baudikam
and therefore you should very carefully handle them. They say in Japan; Japan I
think; there is a particular fish; which is a delicacy; but there is a problem; that in
that fish there is a particular portion, which is deadly poison. And there are people
trained to remove that portion; very very carefully remove them. If that is not done;
you are close immediately; deadly poisonous. But still people, because they consider
it a delicacy, they do not mind taking the risk; but let them take the risk; but they
should be extremely careful; they should make sure that the poisonous part is
removed.
Similarly, the whole world is such a fish. And there is the poisonous portion called
the rāga-dvēṣa potential; and if you know how to handle the potential rāga dvēṣa;
the world is harmless; rāga-dvēṣa viyukthaisthu viṣayān indriyai charan; ātmavasyai
videyātma prasādam adhigacchati; remove that and move in the world. It will not
disturb; otherwise every night you cannot go to sleep; somebody has done
something; my son has said this; I did not expect him to say that; husband did like
that; my daughter like that. Anything will disturb you. Therefore learn to handle
that. He talked about the bāhya prapañja.
Now Śankarācārya is going to say in the following verses; that your own physical
body is one of the viṣayās of the world. Until now I said be careful with the world;
but now hereafterwards my warning is this physical body is also as much a viṣaya as
the bāhya prapañja is; why, because this also fulfils all the conditions of the viṣaya;
it is also born out of pañja bhūtās; and this also produces very much rāga and
dvēṣa. That rāga is produced, have you ask for it.
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In fact one of the greatest attachment is to the physical body; the hair of the body;
the colour of the hair of the body; I am so particular, one grey hair I cannot
withstand. Therefore, hatred for grey hair; attachment for dark hair; hatred for dark
skin; attachment to white skin; therefore this body can take you for a big ride; that
you may spend your whole life to handle the body itself; it is going to miserably
perish after a few years.
Therefore Śankarācārya says body requires attention; but certainly not pampering.
And therefore he says, third line; ayaṁ dēhaḥ parārthaḥ; this physical body is only a
residence; an abode meant to serve the jīva; parārthaḥ; jīvārthaḥ. It does not have
its own importance. Body does not have its own importance; it is only a temporary
residence or abode to serve as a tool for the body.
Mahata puṇya-panyena kreeteyam kaayanou stvaya |

Praptum bhavāmbudheh pāram tara Yaavat Na Bhidyate||
The slōka says: you have purchased a ship (your body) after paying a fortune (your
excess Puṇya), with a goal of crossing this ocean of Saṁsāra. Therefore dear son,
hurry up and cross over soon! The ship might wreck at any moment!
You have bought this wonderful physical body-boat after gaining lot of puṇyam; and
this body-boat is meant for crossing the ocean of saṁsāra. Therefore make sure that
you cross the ocean of saṁsāra before the body-boat disintegrates. Yaavat Na
Bhidyate; before it disintegrates, tarah; pāram dukha udadhe gantum; tvaryavanna
vidyāte.
Therefore body is a means, not an end; body is a means not an end. Daily japam
you do; Or else the suddenly the body will become an end in itself. Therefore he
says ayaṁ dēhaḥ parārthaḥ; parārthaḥ can be translated as a means only.
And therefore what should you do. Amuṣya poṣane sajjate. If you are going to be
committed to the nourishment of the body only; suppose you spend the entire life-
style; उदर�न�मत्त बहुकृतवेषः udaranimittaṁ bahukr̥tavēṣaḥ; Brhthari says: for 6 inch
stomach; I wandered the whole world; I saluted whoever came to me; I soaped so
many people; and dropped all my nitya naimitthika karma and pūjā etc. japam
dropped; eat unnameable things; and eat at so many places; etc. all for what? for
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the sake of 6 inch stomach. And then I discover how worthless it is to spend the
whole life for that, I find that I am too old to work for something greater.
For Śankarācārya strongly warns; yaḥ amuṣya pōṣaṇē sajjatē; amuṣya pōṣaṇaṁ
means the nourishment of this body. Amuṣya is equal to śarīrasya; dēhasya;
pōṣaṇaṁ means nourishment; sajjatē; is obsessed with; his look, looking at the
mirror constantly. Of and on, he looks into the mirror to find out how I look. In the
newspapers also looking for questions and answers for how to care for the skin; how
to care the eyebrow; how to care the hair and there is a specialist and I do not know
how much he charges, whether Rs.5,000 or 10,000. A lot of time and money and
energy for this.
Suppose a person does that, saha hanti; Śankarācārya is very caustic in these
verses; he destroys himself. Svam means himself, he destroys manēna; because of
this bodily attachment; because of the obsession for the body he destroys himself.
And here also the destruction is not physical; he destroys himself spiritually. That is
he will never have time for sūkṣma śarīraṁ itself. The other day I told you; there is a
Saṁsr̥kt commentary over this Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi by one of the Śankarācāryas; He
says: when a person is obsessed with stūla śarīraṁ, he cannot come to sūkṣma
śarīraṁ at all; when he is bothered about what is outside the head; rather than
inside, that is buddhi; he does not have time for sūkṣma śarīraṁ because when he is
going to come to kāraṇa śarīraṁ and when he is going to come to ātma. Therefore
sa svamanēna hanti.
And therefore what should be do? Come to the first line; therefore, yatparihr̥tya; yat
means śarīraṁ; therefore one should transcend the body. Transcending the body is
transcending the obsession with body. Over-worrying about the body and its looks.
Parihr̥tya means literally giving up; here giving up of the body should not be taken
literally; giving up of the obsession with the body.
And when should you do that? anukṣaṇaṁ; every moment, you have to remind
yourselves; this is a means; this is a means; let me not be over-worried. And if I am
not obsessed with that, I have got lot of inner freedom; mind is available for
something higher as they nicely say: simple life and high thinking. Some idiom;
simple and high thinking.
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Therefore you have got time for higher thinking and what do you accomplish by
higher thinking? anādi avidyā krita banda mōkṣanam krityam; one should commit
himself to; one should dedicate himself to mōkṣanam. So the removal of, destruction
of all bandah; all the inner shackle is struggled to get rid of; that is that should be
the obsession. Let body obsession be replaced by śāstra-obsession; self-knowledge
obsession; mōkṣa obsession. Therefore banda mōkṣanam krityam; he has to commit
himself to release of the bondage. And how is this bondage caused? anaadi avidyā
kritam. The bondage is caused by anādi avidyā beginningless ignorance. Avidyā
means ātma avidyā; self-ignorance. So therefore replace body-obsession with self-
knowledge obsession.
शर�रपोषणाथ� सन ् य आत्मान �ददृ�� |

ग्रा दार�धया धतृ ्व न�द ततु� स गच्छ� ||८४||
śarīrapōṣaṇārthī san ya ātmānaṁ didr̥kṣati |
grāhaṁ dārudhiyā dhr̥tvā nadi tartuṁ sa gacchati ||84||
Śankarācārya continues with the same topic. And here he says; dēhabhīmāna and
self-knowledge can never go together. Body-obsession and self-realisation can never
go together. If a person wants to hold on to the body; and cross the saṁsāra; that
is the most ironic or ridiculous thing and Śankarācārya chara gives an example, it is
like trying to cross the river, using the crocodile, as the support. How will it be? If
you try to cross the river with the crocodile as the support, not only the crocodile will
not support you; in fact, it will speed the destruction; normal drowning would have
taken some more time; crocodile support, it will be only become faster; made faster.
Therefore dēha is also viṣaya; viṣaya tyaga includes dēha tyaga. Viṣaya āśātyaga
includes dēha āśātyāgaḥ.
More...
Hari Om.
Page 369

शर�रपोषणाथ� सन ् य आत्मान �ददृ�� |

ग्रा दारु�धय धतृ ्व न�द ततु� स गच्छ� ||८४||
śarīrapōṣaṇārthī san ya ātmānaṁ didr̥kṣati |
grāhaṁ dārudhiyā dhr̥tvā nadi tartuṁ sa gacchati ||84||
Dealing with anātma, Śankarācārya has first taken up the stūla śarīraṁ; as the first
anātma for the study. He talked about the source of the physical body, in the form
of five elements, and incidentally while talking about the physical body, he talks
about the physical universe also, because both the body and the world are also born
out of the five elements alone.
And he said that the physical world is called viṣayaḥ; because it has the potential of
binding a person. The very word viṣayaḥ is derived from such a root only; viṣinōti;
badnaati iti viṣayaḥ; and therefore Śankarācārya pointed out that one has to be
extremely careful while handling the world, because if a person is not alert, he may
easily develop powerful rāga or dvēṣa; either of this is a big bondage.
Not only rāga-dvēṣas are direct bondage, indirectly also, they become a big obstacle
for liberation. Just as rāga-dvēṣa affect the present happiness also, rāga-dvēṣa
affect the future possibility of mōkṣa also; therefore one should be alert.
And having talked about the binding nature of the external world, now Śankarācārya
talks about the binding nature of the very physical body itself; one's own physical
body, because that is also as much a viṣaya as the external world.
Just as one can develop rāga-dvēṣa towards the external world; one can develop
rāga-dvēṣa towards one's own body; and therefore one should be careful and of
these two rāga and dvēṣa; the generally pre-dominant weakness is rāga or
attachment; and therefore Śankarācārya criticises here dēha abhīmāna or rāga
towards the body and he says, as long as a person has got dēha-rāgaḥ; then he is
never going to cross the ocean of saṁsāra; because once there is a dēha-rāga;
attachment to the body; he will be more and more interested in physical
nourishment, physical decoration; physical entertainment. In fact उदर�न�मत्त
Page 370

बहुकृतवेषः udaranimittaṁ bahukr̥tavēṣaḥ; they say. The whole time and energy will
be dedicated to this alone, there will be no time for higher pursuit at all. Therefore,
Śankarācārya says in the 84th verse, that trying to cross the saṁsāra, with dēha-
abhīmāna is like trying to cross a river with the help of a crocodile. Therefore śarīra
pōṣaṇārthī.
Suppose a person is committed to physical nourishment alone; his physical

personality alone, his looks, his complexion, he is ārthī; and simultaneously
ātmānaṁ didr̥kṣati; he is also interested in ātma darśanam; didr̥kṣati means dr̥astum
icchāti didr̥kṣati. So he has got two-fold desires, one is nourishing and entertaining
the body or bodily attachment and simultaneously he has spiritual desire also; he
says it will never work together; because it is like what? sa nadi tartuṁ gacchati. He
is attempting to cross a river with the help of what; rāgam grāhaṁ; by taking hold
of a crocodile; dārudhiyā, assuming the crocodile is a log of wood, he wants to cross
over the river holding on to that; and how it will not work. Not only he will not reach
the shore, at least without the log of wood, he could have survived in the river for
sometime, but with a crocodile, his death will be sooner. Similarly, dēha abhīmāna
will only cause only imminent spiritual death; it can never take a person across
saṁsāra; and therefore dēha abhīmāna has to be handled.
मोह एव महामतृ ्युमुर्मु�ोवर्पुरा� |

मोहो �व�निजर्त येन स मुिक्तपदमहर् ||८५||
mōha ēva mahāmr̥tyurmumukṣōrvapurādiṣu |
mōhō vinirjitō yēna sa muktipadamarhati ||85||
So Śankarācārya emphasises that dēha abhīmāna is equal to spiritual death. So

mōhaha ēva mahāmr̥tyu; here mōhaḥ means dēha abhīmānaḥ, is not ordinary
mr̥tyuḥ; but mahā mr̥tyuḥ; because it leads to spiritual death of a person; because
he will not be allowed to attain spiritual knowledge. So mahā mr̥tyuḥ mumukṣō; for
a seeker of mōkṣa; for a materialistic person, this discussion is not relevant at all;
because he does not believe in spirit or Brahman or ātman or heaven or hell and
nothing; he leads an animalistic life; his only belief is that as long as he lives, he
should enjoy maximum. To such a materialistic person, we have nothing to talk; but
if a person is a spiritual seeker, we would like to give him a statutory warning; that
dēha abhīmāna is spiritual death.
Page 371

So mumukṣōr vapurādiṣu; vapuḥ means śarīraṁ; ādhi padad, through the body, all
other abhīmāna also, like griha abhīmāna, vāhana abhīmāna, dana abhīmāna, all of
them. These are the very abhīmāna which causes him such a fear; that as
Shakespeare or somebody said elsewhere; that a person who is afraid, dies several
times a day. In Tamil they say: சத் �ைழத்ேத. Therefore, the more abhīmāna a
person has, the greater is the fear and frightened man dies several times and
therefore, even in that sense, it is figurative death; whereas in spiritual sense also, it
is death because, he dies to his original spiritual nature; because of his pre-
occupation with the external body.
And therefore, vapurādiṣu; vapuḥ means physical body; ādhi means etc. money,
house, etc. whereas mōha ēva vinirjitaḥ; suppose a person conquers this delusion by
his clarity of understanding that the body is a medium; it does not deserve rāga;
equally it does not deserve dvēṣa also; because dvēṣa is as much dangerous as
rāga; because if I neglect the physical body and physical health that is also
dangerous because, even spiritual sādhanā requires a healthy body. Therefore,
negligence of the body is as much a problem as pampering the body.
Therefore it is like rope-walking; neither should I have attachment, nor should I

have hatred. This middle path is extremely difficult; but if a person manages to
transcend both rāga and dvēṣa; mōha ēva vinirjitaḥ; saha, here also the word
mōhaḥ means dēha abhīmāna only; the one who has conquered, saha mukthi
padam arhati; for him mōkṣa is easiest because physical mortality he will not look
upon as his mortality. Just as the destruction of a medium; destruction of the
spectacle is not my destruction. Thus conquering the fear of physical mortality itself
is a great mystery for a human being; so saha mukti padam arhati; he deserves
liberation.
मोहं ज�ह महामतृ ्यु देहदारसुता�दषु |

यं िजत्व मुनयो यािन् तद्�वष्ण परमं पदम ् ||८६||
mōhaṁ jahi mahāmr̥tyuṁ dēhadārasutādiṣu |
yaṁ jitvā munayō yānti tadviṣṇōḥ paramaṁ padam ||86||
So Śankarācārya with kindness advises all the seekers. Oh! dear vēdantic students,
listen to me; I am giving a very valuable suggestion for your own growth; and what
is that? mōham jahi; destroy your dēha abhīmāna; grow out of your physical
attachment; so jahi means destroy; mōhaḥ here means dēha abhīmāna and that too
Page 372

which dēha; stūla dēha abhīmāna; even though we have to transcend sūkṣma dēha
abhīmāna also; in this context, we do not take that because we are still discussing
stūla śarīraṁ only. When sūkṣma śarīra discussion comes, there he will talk about
transcending sūkṣma dēha abimana; he is talking us up step by step.
At this moment, he says, your first agenda, five-year programme or 15 year

programme, whatever duration you require; let it be a 5-janma programme; I do not
mind, have this project. What is that; stūla dēha abhīmāna tyāgaḥ.
So mōham jahi; what type of mōham? mahāmr̥tyuṁ; mr̥tyu means physical death;
mahā mr̥tyuḥ means spiritual death; so this mōha which is the cause of your
spiritual death; that dēha abhīmāna you give up. Then Śankarācārya says; it is not
enough that you give up the infatuation for your physical body; there are some
people who are attached not only to their bodies; but through their body, they have
attachment to the bodies of dear and near ones. So therefore we include that also.
When I say dēha abhīmāna, we should include dāra, suta ādibhiḥ; becomes more
and more difficult; makes you angry to hear it itself; therefore dāra is the spouse,
suta means the putraḥ, which includes putri; and also ādi padāt; pautraḥ; and
pautri; and in the house if there is a dog they are attached to the dog more than
wife or husband; so include all that.
So any dēha abhīmāna. Krishna tells this in the Gītā; asaktiranabhiṣvaṅgaḥ

putradāragr̥hādiṣu. Therefore get over that; again by understanding their role; they
are all with me; they should be taken care of; they have to be loved; but our being
together is not an end in itself; gr̥hastha āśrama is like schooling; no child wants to
remain in the same 8th standard permanently. Even though the child has got
friends, but the child knows that I have to say bye bye; autograph also we take on
the last day. Therefore all those things we take; but because your classmate, you do
not want to remain in the class because there being together is not an end in itself;
you need to grow out of that. Similarly, a longer class; is family life. There also I
should make use of to grow out of that. If I forget that goal; instead of grihastha
āśrama becoming āśrama; gr̥hastha āśrama becomes an imprisonment; a kāragraha;
for always remember that family life is a schooling process; and therefore dēha
dāara suta ādiṣu mōham jahi; do not hold on to any one of them.
Yaṁ jitvā; suppose a person conquers this delusion; what delusion? Considering the
family life as an end itself; considering the being wisdom as an end itself; value
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their association as the ultimate in life; that is delusion; and that delusion jitva; if a
person conquers; overcomes; they are munayaḥ; those mature people, grown up
people are muniḥ, people of discrimination. Those who are clear about the means
and the ends. Those those who are clear about the intermediary goals and ultimate
goals; they are called munayaḥ.
The word muni has two meaning; one is mananāt muniḥ; those who think very well;
those who are clear about the priorities of life; thinking people are called munis.
The second meaning is mounāt muniḥ; those who are not talkative people. Generally
the more you talk, the less you think. It is very simple. When you are talking, your
mind is so extrovert, that the thinking does not take place, and that is why talkative
people have to regret very often.
Therefore, munayaḥ; jitva, having conquered the mōham, yānti; they will very easily
attain viṣnōhō paramapadam; the supreme abode of Viṣṇu. the supreme abode of
Viṣṇu is the literal translation; and if I say it is the supreme abode; you will imagine
vaikuntam; pārkadal; pampu, Lakshmi; so you will imagine a physical abode; but we
do not want to mean that because it that is the physical abode, again it has got
limitation; mortality, separation, etc. Therefore the word padam literally which
means abode is translated as swarūpam. Therefore paramam padam means
paramam svarūpam; the supreme nature of Viṣṇu, they will attain.
And what is the nature of Viṣṇu; Brahma svarūpam. What is the nature of Shiva?
Brahmasvarūpam. Therefore viṣnōr paramam padam means they will attain
Brahman nature and here also attaining Brahman nature means what already our
nature is Brahman. It means discovering Brahman Nature. So Vishnor paramam
padam yānti means that they will discover brahma svarūpam; for them Vaikunta is
here and now. Kailasa is here and Now.
Who will accomplish that? Those who have conquered dēha abhīmāna, with regard
to themselves; as well as the people around.
त्वङ्मांसरु�धरस्नायुमेदोमज्जािस्थस |
पूण� मूत्रपुर�षाभ् स्थूल �नन्द्य�म वपुः ||८७|
tvaṅmāṁsarudhirasnāyumēdōmajjāsthisaṁkulam |
pūrṇaṁ mūtrapurīṣābhyāṁ sthūlaṁ nindyamidaṁ vapuḥ ||87|
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Suppose a person says I have so much attachment to the body; that I find it difficult
to get out of the attachment. How to get out of the bodily attachment? Suppose we
ask Śankarācārya, you yourselves give us a way out, you yourselves give a method
to grow out of the bodily attachment; Śankarācārya says very easy. The body is so
attractive and fine because it is nicely covered by a wonderful skin. If you want to
know what this body is all-about, remove the skin and see within. Now it is so fine
because, nicely closed by the skin; if you remove what it will be.
Then you may worry; that I have to remove my skin; or what? You need not
physically remove; even you mentally remove what all the things within; it is nothing
but a bundle of all these things. So he gives a list of things which are the
constituents of the body; which have been talked about before.
majjāsthimēdaḥpalaraktacarma-
tvagāhvayairdhātubhirēbhiranvitam |
he has talked about that he is hinting at here; tvag, māṁsa, rudihara, snāyu, mēda,
majjha; asthi. These are the seven ingredients of the body, which removed will not
have any attractions at all. tvag means skin; māṁsaḥ; flesh; rudhiram, blood, snāyu;
means sinew; the part which connects the bone and muscle; that connecting part is
called snāyuḥ. So that part that connects bones and flesh; sinew or tendon; the
snāyu; mēdāḥ; mēdhāḥ means fat; ெகா�ப்; திட்டறத ெசால்�வ; ெகா�ப்; that is
mēdāḥ; then majjah; majjah means bone marrow that which obtains within the
bones, and asthi, the bone. Each one of them is a bundle of matter only. If these are
put together and I ask you: Do you love it; you will run away from it; asthi
saṁkulam; consisting of all these things; and if this much does not give you
detachment; I will talk about two more things which are there inside; இைத
ெசான்னாே you should have got detachment; இைல ெசால்லிட்�ம் வரைல ெசா;
I will talk about two more items; which are very much what; mūtrapurīṣābhyāṁ
pūrṇaṁ; and is filled with mūtraṁ; mūtraṁ means urine; and purīṣāṁ means, the
fecal matter; physical waste; அைத பற்ற ேபசறத்�க் எல்லா�க் அ�வ�ப் வற�;
those things what you do not even want to talk of those things are very much
inside; as somebody said, every physical body is a walking toilet. If it is there, you
do not want to go; even if you want to go, you want to come out as quickly as
possible; but you forget that what is there you want to avoid; it is very much inside;
அ� எப்ப; pūrṇam; full of; நிைறய எப்ேபா� இ�ந்திண இ�க்�;
Page 375

mūtrapurīṣābhyāṁ pūrṇam; this is; idam stūlam vapuḥ. Do you want to be proud of
this physical body? Do you want to claim this physical body as a great asset of
yours?
Śankarācārya says: Nindyam; this body is to be detested as it were; to be looked

down upon, because it is putrifying matter; decaying matter; and therefore, never
develop rāga towards the body. But at the same time, we have to constantly note,
because of this description you should not develop dvēṣa also.
Suppose after reading the slōka, a person develops dvēṣa; then I will give a different
description of the body; if dvēṣam starts coming, then I will say, body is a temple,
annamaya kōśa is an external prakāra; manōmaya etc. or sūkṣma śarīra is an
internal prakāra; hridyam is the garba griham; hiranmayē parē kōśe virājam brahma
niṣkalam; taj subram jyotiṣam jyotiḥ; satyātma vido vidhuḥ; ātma caitanyaṁ is
installed in the physical body; therefore body is a temple; therefore never hate the
body; therefore never neglect the body; take care of the body.
And suppose you start taking care, and gradually, ெமாள் ெமாள் ெமாள் you get
attached and all the time standing in front of the mirror watching the wrinkles are
there or not; scrubbing the face, eyebrows, forehead, etc. careful trimming, etc.;
suppose he gets over-attached to the body, I will quote this slōka ; body is the
preceding slōka also.
We should not think vēdānta is confusing; we should not think vēdānta is

contradicting; it is talking to a person according to his state of mind; if you develop
rāga, we will quote this slōka; dvēṣa develops, ātma tvam girija mati sahacharāḥ
prāña śarīraṁ griham; pūjā te viṣayabhōga rachana.
Then you will ask; what are you asking me to do: should I hate; should I get
attached; Neither. Then what should be done; use it as a means; but ready to lose it
at any time. Use it as a means; discover Brahman and then drop it; drop your
attachment to that; this is the idea. Here Śankarācārya is cricitising the body;
because majority of people, pamper the body. So all these slōkas must be very
carefully understood. Nothing should be hated in life; and nothing you should be
attached. This is the essence of the śāstra; nothing is rāga-worthy; nothing is dvēṣa-
worthy. Look upon the world as the world, use it as long as it is available; and when
it is going to go away; then also, do not be worried about that; what has come, will
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have to go. Body comes; body goes; wife comes; wife will go; husband come;
husband will go; class will come; class will go; that mind or asaṅgaḥ is called
udāsinam. That audaśinam is the idea conveyed here, with regard to the body also.
पञ्चीकृतेभ् भूतेभ्य स्थूलेभ् पूव्

र कमर् |
समुत्पन्न�म स्थूल भोगायतनमात्मन |
अवस्थ जागरस्तस स्थूलाथार्नुभ यतः ||८८||
pañcīkr̥tēbhyō bhūtēbhyaḥ sthūlēbhyaḥ pūrvakarmaṇā |
samutpannamidaṁ sthūlaṁ bhōgāyatanamātmanaḥ |
avasthā jāgarastasya sthūlārthānubhavō yataḥ ||88||
So here three lines are taken as one verse in this book; because the three lines put
together is one idea therefore. Second line, idam stūlaṁ samutpannam; this physical
body is born out of sthūlēbhyaḥ bhūtēbhyaḥ; out of the five gross elements. So
sthūlēbhyaḥ bhūtēbhyaḥ; it is born, so this picture the śāstra gives very often just to
remind us that the body has come from the external world and it is sustained by the
external world and one day you have to return it back to the external world with a
note of thanks.Note with a note of complaints; note with a note of irritation and
anger; therefore it is a wonderful meditation; I see the body as a integral part of the
world; I have taken from the world; I have used this for some years; and I am not
returning it.
As Brhthari tells in the wonderful slōka from the Vairāgya Śatakam; he thanks all the
elements at the time of death; Oh mother earth; thank you for giving this physical
body; Oh Water, thank you for giving water for me to live. Similarly, Oh Agni
Tatvam; you are all like my bandhu, you have lend a portion of yours, I have used it
and I am fulfilled because of the use; because I have accomplished what I wanted
to accomplish. My work is over; so whatever I have taken on rent, I am returning.
Rent cycle and car, you have to return; you cannot keep yourselves. Similarly I have
rented out, job is over and therefore I am returning. Therefore he is reminding again
and again. Sthūlēbhyaḥ bhūtēbhyaḥ idam samutpannam.
And how did the stūla bhūtā come? Pañcīkr̥tēbhyeḥ. It is born out of the
grossification process; out of the subtle elements. So from the grossified five
elements; this physical body is born; if all the bodies are born out of the same five
elements; how come bodies are different from individual to individual. All the bodies
Page 377

are born out of the same elements alone. If the cause is the same; the effect must
also be same; how come are bodies are different.
For that Śankarācārya gives the answer; cause is two-fold; one is samānya kāraṇam;
which is universal; another is viśēṣa kāraṇam; which varies from individual to
individual; The samānya kāraṇam is the five elements; the viśēṣa kāraṇam is our
prārabdha karma. Prārabdha karma is viśēṣa kāraṇam and this prārabdha karma
determines the model of the body. It is like different houses; all are built out of the
same raw material alone; even though the bricks are the same alone; all the houses
are not similar because, the owner has wanted this particular design.
Similarly here also, we have given order to the contractor; who is the contractor,
Bhagavān is the contractor, who makes this body; we have given a blue print;
kitchen should be there; this should be there; kitchen also varies from bodies to
bodies; human bodies one type; cow bodies another type; etc. ameba is another
type. So we have given a blue print to the Lord and it is called pūrva karma.
Accordingly Bhagavān uses this body. Therefore do not blame anyone. You have
asked for it. Therefore pūrva karmaṇā; prārabdha karmaṇā, idam stūlam utpannam.
And what is the purpose of this body? ātmanaḥ bhōga āyatanam. It is the residence;
residing in which all operations are done. All interactions with the world are done. It
is like an office. Before you start any operations, first have an office. Thereafter,
mere office alone is not enough, gadgets, therefore, pick up phone; business
starting without phone!; ok; for interaction phone is required; now internet and all
the other things, cell is required; pager is required; they are all interacting
instruments. Therefore office plus instruments both together alone will help in
interaction; stūla śarīraṁ is the office, sūkṣma śarīraṁ is the contacting instruments.
He will talk about the sūkṣma śarīraṁ later. Now office room he is talking about.
Therefore ātmanaḥ jīvasya here ātma means jīvaḥ; jīvasya bhōga āyatanam. This is
the office which a person fixes first. And with the help of the physical body, he
experiences what; tasya avastha jagaraḥ; with the help of the gross body, he
experiences the waking state. Because later, he wants to talk about sūkṣma śarīra;
and sūkṣma śarīra will be connected with the dream state; and later he will talk
about the kāraṇa śarīra, which will be connected with the sleep state; and later he
will talk about ātma; which is connected with no state; stateless ātma; stateless
means is it a refugee; you cannot ask. Ok.
Page 378

Therefore it is not in political sense; ātma, which is beyond all the states; it is a
grand design; stūla śarīra, jāgrat avasatha; sūkṣma śarīra; svapna avastha; kāraṇa
śarīra, suṣupti avastha; ātma, avastha thraya rahitaḥ; avatha traya vilakṣaṇaḥ.
Therefore he says tasya avastha; the state which is connected with the physical
body is jāgaraḥ.
And why do we say so; because yatha; because stūla artha anubhavaḥ; through the
physical body alone, the physical world can be contacted; through the physical body
alone the physical world can be contacted. In dream, we do not operate through the
physical body; therefore in dream; we do not contact the physical world. In dream
we operate through the mind alone; and therefore world of experience is also what;
it is a mental world of thought or projections.
Therefore subtle mind is the medium for experiencing the subtle world; the physical
body is the medium for contacting the physical world; and what is the waking state.
Waking state is defined as the interaction between the physical body and the
physical world. In Saṁsr̥kt, stūla artha anubhavaḥ; artha means padārtam; so stūla
padartha anubhavaḥ jāgrat avastha. stūla padārta anubhavaḥ jāgrat avastha for
which we require the physical body. Try to experience anything without functioning
through the physical body, you cannot.
बाह्येिन्द् स्थूलपदाथर्सेव
स्रक्चन्दनस्�या�द�व�चत |
करो�त जीवः स्वयमेतदात्म
तस्मात्प्रशिस्तवर्प जागरे ||८९||
bāhyēndriyaiḥ sthūlapadārtasēvāṁ
srakcandanastryādivicitrarūpām |
karōti jīvaḥ svayaṁētadātmanā
tasmātpraśastirvapuṣō:'sya jāgarē ||89||
So here Śankarācārya says why physical body is important for jāgrat avastha or the
waking state of experience. He says the sense organs belong to the sūkṣma śarīraṁ,
because it is subtle power of perception and these perceptive powers require the
physical sense organs for operation.
Page 379

So thus cakṣurindriyam requires the cakṣur gōlakam; gōlakam means the physical
part of the eye; physical part of the eye alone is not enough; many people have got
that; but no perception takes place. Therefore the subtle part of the eye has to
function through the gross part of the eye and through that it has to contact the
external world. Therefore indriyam require gōlakam. Indriyam belonging to the
subtle body require gōlakam belonging to the gross body.
And if the gōlakams are required, we require the physical body. Therefore what is
the main purpose of the physical body? It provides the gōlakam for the sense organs
to contact the external world. The physical body provides the gōlakam, the typical
medium for the sense organs. So if you ask, the physical body has to provide only
the gōlakams, if you say, you cannot say that this itself is enough for the eye to see.
Why do have a long thing?
He says of the five sense organs there is one sense organs which require a
pervading gōlakam; you know what is that indriyam; tvak indriyam; the sense of
touch requires a gōlakam, it is all over the physical body. The gōlakam of the eye is
on the eye only. Ear gōlakam is on the ear. For the tongue on the tongue; for the
nose on the nose; whereas the sparsa indriyam has got a gōlakam from the top of
the head to the toe.
Therefore there is one gōlakam which is all pervasive. Suppose tvag indriyam also is
only in the face, what will happen? five indriyas functions through the head alone
you suppose; what will happen? even if there is fire on your back, like the sthitha
prajñaḥ you will be sitting just like that. The whole body would be burnt; like those
people who have got that leprosy problem; for whom the sense organs does not
function at all. Somewhere they had written. Suppose they are opening a lock; a
person just opens the lock using the wrong key; and he uses force and he is not
able to do; and he may use such a force that the key can penetrate the hand and
come out; he will not know, because the feeling of touch is not there. And one part
of the body, he leg or somewhere, can be bitten by the rats and cockroach and his
fingers can become smaller, he will not know. But thank God, nothing of that sort
happens, and one indriyam and one gōlakam is all pervading. What a wisdom
Bhagavān has got. 4 indriyas he kept on the head; one indriya all over the body.
Only two portions they do not pervade; there also you see the intelligence, the
mahimai of the Bhagavān.
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Two portions it would not pervade; nail and the hair; suppose tvag indriyas pervade
there also, what will happen; we all will be like the bear-karadi; you will not be able
to cut your hear and everyone will be having the beard etc. And it will be hanging all
over.
Now we are reasonably presentable and barbers have got employment also.
Similarly the nails also will be growing; you will not be able to cut; Bhagavān kept
one indriyam all over the body and again left out hair and nail.
And therefore the five sense organs require what; five gōlakams and who provides
the five gōlakams; the physical body provides the five gōlakams. Only because of
the five gōlakams, we are able to contact the external world; and this external
contact is called jāgrat avastha; therefore for the jāgrat avastha needs the physical
body as the important thing.
Therefore he says bāhya indriyai; through the five external sense organs, he calls
the sense organs external because, mind is called internal organ; antha kāraṇam, to
differentiate mind, he uses the adjective bāhya indriyam. Mind is called antar
indriyam. So through five external sense organs; along with the external gōlakams
that we have to supply, external gōlakams stūla padārtam sēvam karothi. The jīva
experiences this wonderful world; he is able to talk to his family members. All
because of the what? physical body. That is why during dream and sleep, we cannot
contact, the wife or children, etc. Imagine that you are going to permanently dream
or sleep. Class are all out.
Therefore I am talking about what is relevant here; Class out; office out; eating out;
eating out out; eating out out; everything out. Therefore the physical body plays an
important role; karoti stūla padartham sēvam; sēva here means experience;
interactions.
And what are the stūla padārta? He gives a list; srak, chandana, stri ādhi; srak
means what? varieties of ornaments to decorate the body and enjoy; immediate
enjoyment; chandanam means all types of perfumes; which we use, powder, snow,
etc. all these things are the physical enjoyments; and then stri means wife; stri here
wife; ādhi means the children, grand children, friends, relatives all other things
should be included in that. Therefore his own body, his wife, husband in the case of
a woman, children, grand children; all of them; vichithra; varieties of physical
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objects, karoti; he enjoys. So the second line is adjective stūla padartham sēvām.
Such a variety of experiences he enjoys.
Who enjoys. Jīvaḥ; Jīvaḥ means the conscious being. So thus Śankarācārya is
reducing this body into a simple spectacle of contact. Keeping all these only he is
going to say later that body is a medium; you drop the body; nothing happens to
you; spectacle is lost; you can buy another; that is called rebirth. So you are not
dying, you are only dropping the contact with the one particular medium; Why do
you make such a big fuss about that. Therefore jīvaḥ karoti.
Hari Om.
Page 382

बाह्येिन्द् स्थूलपदाथर्सेव
स्रक्चन्दनस्�या�द�व�चत |
करो�त जीवः स्वयमेतदात्म
तस्मात्प्रशिस्तवर्प जागरे ||८९||
bāhyēndriyaiḥ sthūlapadārtasēvāṁ
srakcandanastryādivicitrarūpām |
karōti jīvaḥ svayaṁētadātmanā
tasmātpraśastirvapuṣō:'sya jāgarē ||89||
Śankarācārya continues with his discussion of stūla śarīraṁ as a part of the study of
anātma and while discussing stūla śarīraṁ, he took a small diversion and discussed
stūla prapañja also. And then he pointed out that both stūla śarīraṁ and stūla
prapañja come under viṣayaḥ; viṣayaḥ meaning that which is capable of binding a
person. Of course, they cannot bind a person by themselves; we have to allow them
to bind me.
In fact, according to vēdānta, nothing in the creation can bind me, I am the one
because of my weakness and because of my improper perceptive, I am the one
allowing the world to bind me. Similarly when you say somebody disturbs me by his
behaviour or her behaviour, generally we put the responsibility on the other person,
vēdānta again says nobody in the world can disturb, it is I who am allowing the
world to disturb by his or her behaviour.
Thus the approach of vēdānta is everything is centered on I-alone and that approach
is the best approach because once I take the responsibility on to myself; then there
is a hope of changing myself and thus rescuing myself. But once I push the blame
on the world, then I am helpless because, I have to wait for the world to change to
be happy.
Extending the same principle, a viṣaya is a viṣaya not because of viṣaya, a

viṣaya is a viṣaya because I have converted it into viṣaya. And the moment I
change my attitude, then the viṣaya is converted to a padarthaha. In Saṁsr̥kt you
can explain Vēdānta with the word. What is the difference between a viṣaya and
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padarthaḥ? Padartha means an object. This clip is a padārta; which means an object
of a word. Padartham means என்ன? Padatthinudaya அர்த். It is an object of a
word; what word; clip, iti padasya artha; padārta. And as a padārta, it is a beautiful
creation; it has got its own utility; it is Bhavagān's vibhoothi, as a padārta. The
moment I chose to own the clip, and after sometime begin to like the clip, clip;
because it is in my own colour, it is in orange in colour, etc. And therefore it is a
sanyāsi clip, and therefore I fall in love with the clip and somehow I want to hold on
to the clip; the clip padārta has become clip, the viṣayaḥ. Padartha cannot do
anything to me; it is Īśvara sr̥ṣṭi; viṣaya can do everything to me; I have converted
into jīva sr̥ṣṭi. Padārtatvam is Īśvara's creation. When I say Īśvara's creation, I did
not mean that Īśvara came to the factory and created this clip; what I mean is that
it is all within the law of Īśvara and using the laws of Īśvara, we have created the
clip.
And every capacity of the clip is Īśvara's glory; but the binding capacity of the clip is
not created by Īśvara; the binding glory, which is called a glory; that capacity I have
added. And therefore incidentally as an aside, Śankarācārya said stūla śarīraṁ and
stūla prapañja are viṣaya for whom; an ajñāni.
And having discussed this as a diversion; now Śankarācārya comes to the next topic
and the topic is what is the special state of experience in which the physical body
dominates? What is the special state of experience in which the physical body
dominates? And he says Jāgrat avastha is the state in which physical body is
dominant. My physical personality is dominant. And here we should note that we are
using the word dominant, which means in the jāgrat avastha, sūkṣma śarīraṁ also is
required, it is not that you are all sitting here without sūkṣma śarīraṁ and imagine
you all are sitting here without the sūkṣma śarīraṁ; what does that mean? It means
dead. Therefore your sūkṣma śarīraṁ is required for me whether you require it or
not. I am using my throat and I therefore expect your sūkṣma śarīraṁ is also
required to be there; and of course kāraṇa śarīraṁ is there; keeping all the old
things. Therefore all the three śarīraṁs are there; but the dominant one in the jāgrat
avastha is the physical body; that is what interacts with the physical universe.
So therefore he said in the 89th verse, tasmat praśastirvapuṣō:'sya jāgarē. So

tasmat; therefore, since my physical personality is dominant, since the physicalised
interactions are dominant; therefore, jāgarē; jāgrat avasthyām asya vapuṣaḥ; vapuṣ
Page 384

means śarīraṁ; asya vapuṣaḥ means the stūla śarīrasya praśasthihi bhavathi; it has
got praśasthihi; praśasthihi means importance, dominance, etc. Up to this we saw.
सवार्ऽ� बाह्यसंसार पुरुषस यदाश्र |

�व�द देह�मदं स्थूल गह
ृ वद्गृहमे�धन ||९०||
sarvā:'pi bāhyaśaṁsāraḥ puruṣasya yadāśrayaḥ |
viddhi dēhaṁidaṁ sthūlaṁ gr̥havadgr̥hamēdhinaḥ ||90||
And here Śankarācārya says that this physical body is also responsible for human
saṁsāra, because we experience saṁsāra at all the three levels; stūla, sūkṣma, and
kāraṇa level. At the physical level the saṁsāra experienced is, the sense that I am a
mortal human being, I am old, and similarly I am related to this particular person; all
the relationships are from the standpoint of the physical body alone.
Even mother is a mother only from the standpoint of the physical body; because no
mother can give birth to sūkṣma śarīraṁ; because my sūkṣma śarīraṁ existed even
in the last janma, and even before that it existed. Therefore no mother has given
birth to the sūkṣma śarīraṁ. Then what about kāraṇa śarīraṁ; when mother does
not even give birth to the sūkṣma śarīraṁ itself; how can she become the mother of
the kāraṇa śarīraṁ; and if you ask about the father and mother of ātma; there is no
father and mother for the ātma. Therefore a particular woman is my mother, only
when I am a physical human being. And therefore all are relationships and
relationships born saṁsāra. Somebody dies; somebody gets separated; somebody
misbehaved; therefore for all the family connections and the consequent saṁsāra,
they are all the contributions (every one is contributing) of the physical body.
Therefore Śankarācārya calls it Bāahya saṁsāraḥ. Then we have got saṁsāra at the
sūkṣma śarīra level. It is contributed by the rāga-dvēṣa, kāma-krōda, lōbhaḥ-mōha,
madaḥ mātsarya etc. they are all there; sūkṣma śarīra also gives some donations;
and of course, especially, intellectual saṁsāra there are so many people who are
emotionally sound; they do not react to the situation; they are all fine; nice people;
they suffer from intellectual saṁsāra; because they want to know what is this life;
why are we born; from where did the world come; Is there a Bhagavān at all? If
there is a Bhagavān? what is his nature? they all become what; why there is evil;
this is one of the questions. Why is there evil in the creation. Why there is suffering
in the creation. These are all purely what; intellectual. They do not have any
suffering. Their family and children are all well-settled; enough money is there;
Page 385

retired also; and it becomes worse also because, retirement means no other job;
therefore they read the newspaper from cover to cover; and in the newspaper what
story is there; that this man did that crime; this man did this killing here; and why
people are like this; and they become the embodiment of cynicism; pessimism and
they want to find out an answer; why human beings are like that? So thus basic
questions regarding life, they torment them; this is called intellectual saṁsāra.
And then we have got saṁsāra at kāraṇa śarīra level; and what is the kāraṇa śarīra's
contribution? That is the basic one, avidyā; it is soldified avidyā; that every śarīraṁ
contributes to saṁsāra; here he says what is the stūla śarīra's contributions. He says
sarvōpi bāhya saṁsāraha; the entire external saṁsāra in the form of disease, old
age, death, separation; these are all external saṁsāra; puruṣasya; of a human being
is yadāśrayaḥ; is dependent; yad here means stūla śarīraṁ, yadāśrayaḥ means stūla
śarīra āśrayaḥ bhavathi.
In fact, most of our worries are physical-body based. And only after long practice, a
person gets over physical body based worries; then comes the worries based on
sūkṣma śarīraṁ; therefore stūla śarīra āśrayaḥ; they are dependant on physical
body. And in fact, we say that when a person has come to vēda pūrva bhāga, the
ritualistic portion of the vēda, even that person who has come to karma kānda, he
should have got over physical body identification.
That we are studying vēdānta to get over physical body identification; but according
to tradition, a person in karma kānda should have itself got over the physical body
identification. You know why; because a person who does rituals, especially for next
janma or svarga lōkaḥ, he wants to go to svarga lōkaḥ, that he knows that I am not
physical body, because he is going to take himself as a physical body, how can he
desire to go to svarga lōkaḥ, because if I am a physical body, I know that after
death I cannot go to any lōkaḥ, because I, the physical body will be burned or
buried or cremated or whatever you call it; if I am the physical body, I cannot go to
any lōkaḥ. Karma kāndi performs rituals so that he can get a better lōkaḥ, that
means what is his attitude? I am not the physical body, I am the sūkṣma śarīra who
will continue after death; even though the physical body goes away, I the sūkṣma
śarīraṁ will travel after death. Thus karma kāndi identifies with the stūla śarīraṁ or
sūkṣma śarīraṁ? Karma kāndi has to necessarily identify with sūkṣma śarīraṁ;
otherwise he cannot perform any rituals.
Page 386

When you are performing śraddhāḥ tarpaṇa, what is supposed to be our level? We
have transcended the physical body; that is why we assume, our forefathers are
sūkṣma śarīraṁ who are surviving; they are not stūla śarīraṁ. So when you come to
karma kānda itself, stūla śarīra abhīmāna should have been dropped; that means
what; majority of people have not understood the significance of karma kānda.
And therefore, majority is in what? bāhya saṁsāraḥ, caused by what? yad āśrayaḥ,
stūla śarīra āśrayaḥ and what type of śarīraṁ it is? Idam stūlam dēhaṁ grihavat
viddhi.
Therefore first you learn to look at this physical body only as a house. A tenement. A
rented residence. You can take 60 years does not matter; first transcend this
physical body. Learn to accept the death of the physical body; learn to accept the
death of the physical body of your near and dear ones. You can accept that only
when you know that the physical body is only a residence, when the residence is
pulled down; the resident (two spellings), r.. e.. s.. i....d.. e.. n.. t.. and r.. e.. s..
i.. d.. e.. n.. t.. s.. (plural of resident); (I just told that to include all your family
members). So when the residence is pulled down, the residents are not destroyed;
you can build another better house.
Similarly practice looking at the body as what; gr̥ihavat viddhi; and this gr̥ham is
meant for whom? Gr̥ihamēdhinaḥ; meant for a gr̥ihastha. So every gr̥ihastha is
called a gr̥ihastha, because he is supposed to have a house of his own, whereas all
the other three āśrama people, they do not own a house they are not supposed to
own a house. Brahmacāri, where is his residence; at the gurukulam; guru's
residence; vānaprasthi, where should he reside; it is known from the name itself;
that he should reside in the vanam; forest; one who has left for the forest is called
vānaprastha; and sanyāsi you need not ask, because he should not own anything.
Therefore the only one āśrami allowed to own a house is the gr̥ihasthaḥ. Therefore
the very word is gr̥he tiṣṭhati iti gr̥ihasthaḥ.
So many people say grahastha; grahaṁ is different and gr̥iham is different; grahaṁ
is ga + ra ग + र, it is ra; gr̥iham mean ग + ऋ ga and vowel r̥, for the grahaṁ it is
consonant ra, for the griham vowel r̥. Grahaṁ means planet. If you say
gra...hasthaḥ it means what? the one who is in the planet; in fact we all are
Page 387

gr̥hastha only; because we are all in the planet only. Therefore gr̥i..hasthaha, the
one who lives in a house, and the gr̥hastha is known as grihamedhi; one who
practices varieties of medhā; medhā means yajña; medhāḥ means yajña; one who
practices varieties of yajñas in the house; medhāha is different from medhāḥ;
medhāḥ is memory power; but mēdhāh; short dha and two dots if you use, it is
medhāh, means yagaḥ or yajñaḥ; and mēdhi is the one who performs yāga;
gr̥ihamedhi means the one who performs yajña at home like agnihōtra etc. or
prayers. What a beautiful name for a householder. gr̥ihamedhi.
In fact he constructs a house more for doing those prayers, rather than living. In our
tradition, it is not that I need a house; for doing pūjā of Bhagavān, I need a place;
and therefore I build a house for Bhagavān. It is a residence for Bhagavān; and then
I also request Bhagavān that I should also be allowed to stay there, because the
pūjāri has to be there; therefore I also get attached to the house; what a concept;
gr̥ihamēdhi is a gr̥ihastha; and therefore a gr̥ihamēdhi needs a house for performing
yajña, how long; until taking sanyāsa.
Similarly, jīva the gr̥ihamedhi, requires the temporary house called the physical body
for what purpose, not for eating till the nose's end; for doing yajña. For doing
spiritual sādhanā; we need a house, and the physical body is a rented house; bought
for doing sādhanā and permanently sādhanā. We have to grow out of the house; out
of this body also.
Therefore two houses are there; one is outside; with bricks and mortal and all; and
another house, this house. Both these houses are for temporary use; I have to
transcend both the houses. And if I transcend both the houses, I get the name,
vidēhaḥ. Janaka was called vidēhaḥ. And therefore look at this body as a house of a
gr̥ihasthaḥ; like the house of a gr̥ihastha.
स्थूलस सम्भवजरामरणा� धमार्

स्थौल्याद बहु�वधाः �शशत
ु ाद्यवस्थ |
वणार्श्रमा�द�न बहुधाऽमयाः स्यु
पूजावमानबहुमानमुखा �वशेषाः ||९१||
sthūlasya sambhavajarāmaraṇāni dharmāḥ
sthaulyādayō bahuvidhāḥ śiśutādyavasthāḥ |
varṇāśramādiniyamā bahudhā:'mayāḥ syuḥ
Page 388

pūjāvamānabahumānamukhā viśēṣāḥ ||91||
So in this verse, Śankarācārya talks about the features of the physical body.
Previously he has talked about the constituents of the physical body; now he talks
about the features of the physical body, so that you know how to look at the body
properly.
Because the basic principle is:
(a) Knowledge is Power,

(b) Because knowledge changes the perceptive.
(c) And change of perceptive, changes the response to them.
(d) And change of response is ultimately the cause of freedom.
All these four stages you should understand very well.
Knowledge is power because knowledge changes the perceptive,

perceptive means the way you look at things. And change of perceptive
transforms my response to the situation. Svāmiji tells this particular story that
a person was about to marry a girl which was fixed and then Nischithambulam and
all those things have been done; and then the previous day or just a few hours
before, they come to know that this girl is the sister of this boy; that the bride is the
sister of the bridegroom; this girl was lost long before as a baby. They had lost and
had thought that she had died or lost for good, etc. and the girl was brought up by
someone; and grown elsewhere; and the moment the boy comes to know; it is an
information, a knowledge, then the very attitude towards the girl totally changes.
The change has happened purely because of knowledge.
So thus if I know that everything in the creation appropriately, what is the world?;
what is human being?; what is my body?; what is my mind?, etc. a thorough
understanding will change my perceptive. Therefore look at this body and
understand what it is, then your attitude will change. That itself will make many
changes in your life.
What are its features? Bahuvidhāḥ dharmāḥ; the physical body has got so many
features. Dharmahā means properties, characteristics, features or qualities. for
Page 389

whom? Stūlasya; meaning stūla śarīrasya; for the physical body many dharmāḥ are
there.
What are they? The first bunch of dharmas or first group of dharmas are sambhava
jara maraṇāni; ṣad vikāraḥ; six fold modifications, like sambhavam; sambhavam
means janma, then jarā (understand this properly, if you want do dhyāna on it, jarā
varum; jarā varum; jarā will come; jarā will come).
Therefore be ready with pūrṇakumbha, and welcome it with great respect and
gracefully grow old. Therefore for jarā is an inevitable fact. Some people say sudden
death is better; if you are lucky, it is OK; that is bonus; but be ready for old age
because it is unknown; it is an natural phenomenon; and finally maraṇam.
Therefore meditate all these three factors mainly and say that they belong to my
own body and my near and dear one's body and I am going to accept them and jarā
means it comes with so many accompāṇiments; jarā is one word but it stands for
memory loss; eye loss, ear loss; they are one set of dharmāḥs.
And what is the next set of dharmāḥs? Sthaulyādayaḥ; means what; instead of
vertical growth, some times the body grows horizontally and we do not know for no
reason it begins to shrink also. When it shrinks, when it expands, sometime people
say; Svāmiji I do not eat at all; we do not know whether they are on vāyu bakṣanam
or what; but the person grows. It may be genetic; it may be hormonal change;
hormonal change also brings out these changes. We do not know any reason.
Therefore that is also feature of the physical body. Staulyam means fatness, ādayaḥ
means etc. leanness, tallness, shortness, etc. are features.
The other day one father brought the daughter. So she has got a very big complex,
because she is very small. Small means short. Therefore everybody is looking at
me; five foot only and it has created serious problems for her. She refuses to get
married and wants to become a sanyāsi.
Sanyāsa has become the unfortunate result of all those who can’t face any problems
come. I want to be a sanyāsi. Everything is fine but height is just a few inches short;
and unfortunately we have no method of increasing the height; if it were something
else, we have methods of reducing the fatness or making people fat, etc. What to do
for the height? We should invent a shoe. Therefore some bodies are taller; some
bodies are shorter; again look at the bodies as it is; sthaulyādayaḥ.
Page 390

Then next bunch of dharmās are śiśutādyavasthāḥ; four avasthas of this physical
body. We have used the word avasthah in a different meaning before; that means
states of experience, i.e., three avasthas of a jīvah; when you talk about the
avasthas of the jīvah, it is three; when you talk about the physical body, there are
four avasthas of the physical body, bālyam, kaumāram, youvanam, vārdhakyam;
childhood state, boyhood state, youth state; old age stage. These are the four
avasthas of the body. Bālyam, kaumāram, youvanam, vārdhakyam; vārdhakyam
means vridhadasya bhavaḥ vārdakyam. That is what he says; śiśutādyavasthāḥ;
these avasthas are there.
Then varṇa āsramadi niyamāḥ; whether the physical body is born to vēdic culture;
this physical body is a Hindu physical body; that means born to Hindu parents and
following Hinduism religion, then it has got varṇa āsrama; Brahmaṇa, kṣatriya,
vaiśya, śūdrāḥ. I said varṇa is based on three different things; jātitaḥ; guṇataḥ;
karmataḥ; birthwise varṇa; character-wise varṇas; and profession-wise varṇa; So
profession-wise we can say that all over the world he can be divided into Brāhmaṇa
profession, kṣatriya profession; vaiśya profession and śūdra profession; etc.
Character-wise also we can divide the whole world into Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, Vaiśya
and Śūdra, etc.
But when it is birth based division; then we can have only the four varṇas within
Hinduism; because those who are born to Brāhmins, they are called Brāhmins, etc.
Since Śankarācārya is here talking about jāti based varṇa, therefore he says it is the
physical features. Therefore physical Brāhmaṇyam, physical kṣatriyatvam, etc.
Varṇa;
And then Āsramaḥ; āsramaḥ you know, brahmacāri, gr̥ihastha; vānaprastha and
sanyāsi.
So that also varṇa, āsrama, ādhi. adhi padatat, we can say the sūtram, gōthram,
family, etc. where also the physical body in our tradition goes through different
types of saṁskāra.
This word is used from the stand point of saṁskāras. Saṁskāras means various
rituals done to this physical body, when the physical body is born; jatakarma is
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done; and when it grows, then namakāraṇa; and at a particular age, choulam; and
thereafter annaprāṣanam, and when the body is certain years old, one has to get
the upanayanam; if it is a Brāhmaṇa, a particular age is prescribed; when it is a
kṣatriya body (age is for the body only), whether the pūnal is at the age of 8, 11 etc
or so, is not for the sūkṣma śarīraṁ; you cannot ask what is the age of sūkṣma
śarīraṁ; its reason is anadi khāla pravr̥ttaḥ; that means for this upanayādi
ceremonies are from the standpoint of the age of the physical body; and therefore
they also will come under what? physical features alone. And it will vary from
Brāhmaṇa physical body, particular age; kṣatriya physical body, particular age.
And therefore niyamāḥ; niyamāḥ various ceremonies and rituals are all based on
bodily age, etc. So vayas, varṇa, āsrama. Similarly sūtram; apasthamba sūtra, etc.
you say, all those things are there for the physical body. They all seems to be very
nice.
Next thing is bahudhā:'mayāḥ syuḥ; āmayaḥ, means disease; diseases, sickness;

health problems. The physical body has got inherent health problem right from birth
onwards, the things are there. Only thing is certain problems manifest in early age
itself; and certain problems manifest in old age. Because Yamadharma rāja requires
some reason to take away. So you are given some reason in the form of vāta, pitta
or kapha, etc. to use ayurvēda language, one of the three ingredients; that is the
hold for Yama to pull this physical body. Therefore bahudhā:'mayāḥ syuḥ.
And not only that: these are all physical problems.
Similarly there are so many mental problems also caused by the body. Pūjā means
worship. There are certain physical bodies which are worshipped; therefore
sometime the parent is worshipped; father is worshipped; mother is worshipped;
and at the time of the wedding, you have to do pūjā to the father, wash the feet,
chandanam, flower, etc. (but this man is getting angry, but since it is part of the
rituals, he does it forcefully) and similarly the Brāhmaṇa śarīraṁ it is supposed to be
that pāda pūjā on special occasions, etc. that all will come under what? pūjā; the
physical body gets.
And by getting pūjā do not get happy; and sometimes you get avamānaṁ,
disrespect, dishonour. And bahumaanam, sometimes respect or honour. So the
difference between pūjā and bahumaanam is pūjā is physical pūjā, bahumānaṁ is
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general respect. So all these things are also there. That means when an elderly
person, this person stands up; that is respect is given. Therefore, pūjā, avamāna,
bahumāna mukha; all these kinds of treatment; also the bodies goes through.
Viśēṣaḥ; all these specific treatment. Ok.
Through this slōka, Śankarācārya wants to achieve through two things; many things
are to be achieved.
First, once you understand this physical body, you know its nature and therefore you
learn to accept death, etc. do not come as a shock for you. Forewarned is for-
armed; if I am informed; that itself is a strength for me; it is a kavacham for me; I
will not get any experience as a shock; because I know that this is what happens.
Therefore this knowledge gives me strength.
Then the second important thing; it is from vēdantic point, is: the scriptures give the
definition to ātma; and it very clearly says ātma is free from all the modifications.
The conscious being is free from all modifications; all śaiśava, as Krishna said in
Gītā;
दे�हनोऽिस्मन्य देहे कौमारं यौवनं जरा |

तथा देहान्तरप्रािप्तध� न मुह्य� ||२- १३||
dēhinō:'sminyathā dēhē kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā |
tathā dēhāntaraprāptirdhīrastatra na muhyati ||2- 13||
etc. the avasthās also belong to the body; not the ātma; therefore after reading this
slōka, I have to learn to see the body as something different from the ātma; I am
the conscious being who am aware of the conditions of the body; but I myself do
not have sambhava jara maraṇāni, śiśuvādi avasthaḥ; pūjā avamāna bahumāna
mukhā; all these things are not there for me; you have to start practising that
thought right now. Therefore ātma is different from all these, because ātma is free
from ṣadvikārahs.
बद्
ु िन्द्रय श्रव त्वग�
घ्रा च िजव्ह �वषयावबोधनात् |
वाक्पा�णपाद गद
ु मप्युपस्
कम�िन्द्रय प्रवण कमर्स ||९२||
Page 393

buddhīndriyāṇi śravaṇaṁ tvagakṣi

ghrāṇaṁ ca jivhā viṣayāvabōdhanāt |
vākpāṇipādā gudamapyupasthaḥ
karmēndriyāṇi pravaṇēna karmāsu ||92||
If you are using different types of books, there are reading differences are also in
different books; and if I have to refer to all those differences, it will be difficult. I
am not doing that. I am going by one particular book which I have supplied to most
of you; therefore if others are using certain other books, there may be certain
differences in reading; you can note this particular reading also. I am not referring
to reading differences. Different books means different reading. And Saṁsr̥kt
commentaries have different readings. I have carefully kept this one book as
standard and am going according to that. And if you are Saṁsr̥kt student and then
you want to see different readings, etc. you privately meet me; I will see if there is
any wrong reading; or any better reading; or equally correct reading; they are all
meant for research and I am not going into all that.
Anyway with this slōka, that is 91st slōka, stūla śarīraṁ topic is over, which started
from 72. 72 to 91 is stūla śarīraṁ, which is a sub-division of the topic of anātma;
What is the grand topic? that is anātma; this anātma itself is divided into stūla
śarīraṁ, sūkṣma śarīraṁ and kāraṇa śarīraṁ and in the anātma sub-division we have
just finished the first part; anātma stūla śarīraṁ; and then what? anātma sūkṣma
śarīra; and anātma kāraṇa śarīraṁ. Only after that anātma topic will be over. I have
given the reference also. In verse No.123, the anātma topic will get over. We have
only completed the first part of anātma stūla śarīraṁ.
Now we are entering the second part of anātma which is sūkṣma śarīraṁ, which is
from verse No.92 and which will go up to verse No.107. In Tatva Bōdhaḥ all these
were in one line. Tatva Bōdhaḥ is magnified. So Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi is only magnified
Tatva Bōdhaḥ.
First he wants to enumerate the various constituents of the sūkṣma śarīraṁ. Sūkṣma
śarīraṁ is a huge packet of instruments. You can call it toolkit. Just as in the
scooter, car and all, in one bag there would be varieties of instruments they would
have kept. Similarly, sūkṣma śarīraṁ is a huge instrument pack, using which
instrument also, we deal with, we interact with the external world. And that is why
in Tatva Bōdhaḥ it was called bhōga sādhanām, instrument of inter-action. Physical
Page 394

body was called bōgha ayathanam; the office of interaction; working office. If the
physical body is an office, the subtle body is the instrument of interaction. Not one
instrument; just as in an office, there is an email provision; phone is there; cell
phone; pager message, etc. is there; so many gadgets are kept; Bhagavān has kept
19 instruments in the subtle body and he is enumerating them.
First five are called jñāna indriyāni; five sense organs of knowledge, which are
meant for receiving message. For input, we say input and output; like that, these
are meant for receiving things from the external world; karmēndriyāni are for
output, to give things to the world.
First he will take jñānēndriyāni; which he calls here buddhindriyāni. Here the word
buddhi means jñānaṁ; therefore buddhindriyāni means jñānēndriyāni. What are
they? Śravaṇam, that is the ears, the organs of hearing; tvak, the skin, the organ of
touch, and grāṇam, nose, the organ of smell; jihva, tongue, the organ of taste and
akṣi, is the eye, the organ of seeing.
And here what we have to note when we are referring to the eyes and ears etc. we
are not referring to the visible eye and visible ears, etc. The visible eyes belong to
the stūla śarīraṁ; which is called gōlakam; we are not talking about the gōlakam
eye; but behind the gōlakam is the power of vision is there; that śaktiḥ, that power
is called here indriyam. You should keep in mind; indriya is related to the sūkṣma
śarīraṁ; and gōlakam is stūla śarīraṁ. So whenever we talk about jñānēndriyāni, it
is the invisible power of perception.
And why are they called jñānēndriyāni? Because viṣaya avabōdhaḥnat. Because they
produce viṣaya jñānaṁ. Avabōdhaḥha means jñānaṁ. Viṣaya avabōdhaḥnam means
viṣaya jñānaṁ. Since they produce jñānaṁ, they are called jñānēndriyam. jñānaṁ
producing indriyam, jñāna janaka indiryāni; jñānēndriyāni.
And not only they, then there are further output indriyās, which corresponds to the
world. Suppose only sense organs function; sense organs of knowledge function; like
some people having certain type of paralysis attack; so all hands legs, etc. they
cannot move; they can hear well, they can see well; and they get input, and
sometimes they shed tears, because they want to respond.
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And I read a story, it is not a story, it has really happened; in the Readers' digest;
suppose a person's brain works very well and he has lead a good life for 60 years or
so and in some accident, he lost all the functions, except the eyes. The eyelid can
alone do like this. And then he wanted to tell his story. And somebody wanted to
help him. And what they did you know. They had some understanding; he will be
shown the alphabet and somebody will show each letter; when he winks once it
means he wants that letter, when he winks twice, he does not want that letter; then
when he winks once, somebody will write A. Then again show all the alphabets.
Then S. Like that letter by letter, he has indicated his feelings purely by eyelid
moving and that story what he has told through eyelid movement, it was written.
How the accident took place and what all happened. After reading that, do you not
want to thank Bhagavān or not. We are all moving our hands and feet and each
organs and instruments are functioning well. We are able to talk and that too we
are talking akramams. Therefore, imagine only input is there (if this has happened
in our place, we would have just put him aside, that is the glory of the West); they
have got so much will power, that even with one eyelid movement, they achieve
something. If it is us, we will be just shedding tears, unable to speak, etc. they will
not be able to express. But if you are ready to cooperate, even a man of paralysis
who has lost his speech; we can take out his feeling by some method or other; and
one he gives out his feelings, and that person will die with what you call; some
feeling.
Any way, I have disgressed from something to something; the idea is karmēndriyās
are as important as jñānēndriyās.
More in the next.
Hari Om.
Page 396

बुद्धीिन्द् श्रव त्वग�

घ्रा च िजव्ह �वषयावबोधनात् |
वाक्पा�णपाद गुदमप्युपस्
कम�िन्द्रय प्रवण कमर्स ||९२||
buddhīndriyāṇi śravaṇaṁ tvagakṣi
ghrāṇaṁ ca jivhā viṣayāvabōdhanāt |
vākpāṇipādā gudamapyupasthaḥ
karmēndriyāṇi pravaṇēna karmāsu ||92||
With verse No.91, the discussion on stūla śarīraṁ, the first part of anātma is over,
and now from 92 onwards we are entering sūkṣma śarīraṁ, the subtle body, which
is also part of anātma alone. And this sūkṣma śarīraṁ has got 19 parts; in Tatva
Bōdhaḥ we saw 17 parts, but here two more are added and totally 19 parts of
sūkṣma śarīraṁ are introduced. Of them the first five are jñānēndriyāni; five sense
organs of knowledge, which are here referred to as the buddhindriyāni.
Here the word buddhi must be carefully noted; here buddhi does not mean intellect;
buddhi means jñānaṁ; buddhindiryāni means jñānēndriyāni; and they are five,
śravaṇam, tvag, akṣi, grāñam and gihva; and why are they called jñānēndriyāni,
jñāna janakatvat jñānēndriyāni.
Therefore Śankarācārya says viṣaya avabōdhanāt; because they reveal the sense
objects; they help us know the sense objects and therefore they are called organs of
knowledge. So they help us in receiving stimuli from the world. We have got a two-
way track; both are one way only; two way track means both are one way only; one
exclusive meant for input; another exclusive meant for output. The entrance organs
are called jñānēndriyāni; the exit organs are called karmēndriyani.
Now in the second half, the karmēndriyās are enumerated. What are they? Vāk,
pāṇi, pāda, gudam, upasthaḥ; vāk, organ of speech, pāṇi, hands, pāda, legs, pādaḥ,
the visarga is dropped because of sandhi rules; if you split it should be read as vāk
pāṇi pādaḥ; dvanda śamasa; then gudam, gudam is organ of excretion, which
Page 397

removes the waste from the body; and upasthaḥ; the organs of reproduction,
reproductive organs. upasthaḥ.
And when we talk about hands and legs etc. we should remember, we do not refer
to the physical hand, because the physical hand belong to the stūla śarīraṁ, here
the word hands indicate the functioning power behind the hands, because of which I
am able to move the hands. In a paralytic attack, it is sūkṣma śarīraṁ which is
getting affected, even though hands are intact, pāṇi gōlakam is intact, but pāṇi
indriyam is affected by prarabhda karma.
And in the next janma, this pāṇi gōlakam may go away; but pāṇi indriyam will
continue in the next janma. Then suppose you ask; will it be defective in the next
janma also? Depends upon the karma, if the karma is not an obstructive karma, the
pāṇi indriyam will again become functional in the next janma.
Therefore when I say indriyāṇi, remember not the visible but the invisible sakthi.
Therefore these five are five karma indriyāṇi; through which we contribute to the
external world. When I am talking to you my karmēndriyam is functioning, when
you are listening to me, your jñānēndriyam is functioning. Because I am giving and
you are taking. If I am eating something, I am using the tongue alright, it is
functioning as jñānēndriyam. Only the tongue is too way track; the rest are all one
way. It can function both as jñānēndriyam and karmēndriyam.
And why do we call them karmēndriyāni? he gives the reason, karmāsu

pravaṇanēna, because of their function of doing, performing action. Literally
pravaṇam means, they are inclined to, because they are inclined to, they have the
disposition of performing action. Because of their disposition of performing action. In
Saṁsr̥kt, karma janakani indriyāṇi, karmēndriyani, jñāna janakāni indriyāṇi,
jñānēndriyāni; janakāni means producing; karma producing organ and jñānaṁ
producing organ. So we have seen now 10 parts of sūkṣma śarīraṁ. 5 + 5.
�नगद्यतेऽन्तःकर मनोधीः
अहंकृ�तिश्चत्त�म स्व वृित्त� |
मनस्त संकल्प�वकल्पना�द�
बु�द् पदाथार्ध्यवसायधमर ||९३||
nigadyatē:'ntaḥkaraṇaṁ manōdhīḥ
Page 398

ahaṁkr̥tiścittamiti svavr̥ttibhiḥ |
manastu saṁkalpavikalpanādibhiḥ
buddhiḥ padārthādhyavasāyadharmataḥ ||93||
All the information which are there in Tatva Bōdhaḥ, all are here in Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi,
plus something more, that is why I say that this is the magnified version of Tatva
Bōdhaḥ. The main difference is all ideas are in verse form. In Tatva bōdhaḥ it is
prose; here it is beautiful poetry, we can chant and sing also.
Now we are going to next four organs, they are: manaḥ, buddhiḥ, ahaṁkāra and
cittam. Here the word dhīḥ means buddhi; ahaṁkriti means ahaṁkāra, so totally
four: mind, intellect, ego and memory, or you can say sub-conscious. Memory can
be roughly translated as sub-conscious and in psychology, they call it unconscious.
Both are same. Sub-conscious or unconscious can be called cittam.
And these four organs are called so, because of their function, therefore
svavr̥ttibhiḥ; because of their particular functions they get this name. In Tamil காரண
ேபயர என் ெசால்�வ; kāraṇa peyar means a name given because of the function.
We call him a driver; why do you call him; because he is driving. Either car or
sometimes people also. Any driver is the one who drives. The owner who sits on the
back seat of the car, generally drives the driver. So therefore why you called driver,
it is functional name, you can call it kāraṇa peyar. Therefore manaḥ, buddhiḥ,
ahaṁkārah, cittam; so vr̥ttibhiḥ, here the word vr̥tti means pravr̥tti or vyāpāra;
function. All these four put together is known by a common name, antaḥkaraṇaṁ.
So mind, intellect, sub-conciousness and the ego; all these four put together is
called antaḥkaraṇaṁ. We have no English translation for antaḥkaraṇaṁ. If you use
the mind, it refers to only one function. If you use the word intellect, it only refers to
another function; you are not including memory or ego.
In Vēdānta we have got antaḥkaraṇaṁ; in philosophical literature they have coined

a new word; translation for antaḥkaraṇaṁ, that word I do not use, and I would like
to use antaḥkaraṇaṁ, which seems to be easier. The word they use is mind stuff;
they add the suffix stuff; once they add the word stuff; it means it includes
manobuddhicittaahaṁkāra, is mind-stuff. Or in some other books, they use another
English word, inner organs, antaḥ kāraṇam, inner organs. But I would like to use the
word antakāraṇam; to understand it is all these four put together. Therefore he
Page 399

says: antaḥ kāraṇam nigadyatē. Antah kāraṇam is known; is referred to by four

words; manō buddhi citta ahaṁkāra, based on their function.
And from this the author conveys another important idea also; even though we use
four words, mind intellect, here the ācārya says that they are not four different
organs, but they are put together only one organ, but known by different names
based on function. So therefore, functionally they are known by different names,
that means what? mind is only one; it is called the mind when you have doubt or
emotion; but the very same mind is called intellect; intellect is not a separate organ;
mind itself is called intellect when you are knowing or assertive. After doubting,
whether to go to the class or not; then it is called mind. At last when you decide to
come, the same mind is called intellect. And before coming you are remembering
the route, how to come here, then the very same instrument is called cittam; and
after coming you say I have come here, you are referring; self-reference is taking
place, that self-referring mind is called ego.
Just as you yourself are called wife or husband, you yourself are called father; you
yourself are called son; one person functions as father, brother, etc. Similarly, mind
stuff is one.
So they ask, just like a quiz they ask. In a room, there were two fathers and two
sons; but totally the number of people were three; how? Big quiz. two fathers and
two sons; totally they were only three; how? You know the answer; there were
three people; grandfather, father and son. Son is there, grandfather is there, one,
but the middle father is father from the standpoint of son, and son from the
standpoint of grandfather, therefore two fathers; therefore totally what? 3 persons.
Similarly, here only based on functions, you may call two fathers, but people-wise
only one father is functioning as son. Similarly here also, four we are using; but
instrument is one. But when you say jñānēndriyams are five; they are separate five
instruments. When I say antakāraṇam is four, instrument is only one. That is why he
uses in singular. Antahkāraṇam nigadyatē; manah, buddhīḥ; ahaṁkr̥tih, cittam iti
svavr̥ttibhiḥ.
Now he is indicating the function of each one. What is manaḥ. manaḥ tu saṁkalpa
vikalpanādibhiḥ. When antakāraṇam is doubting, saṅkalpa vikalpa is doubting, and
why is it calling saṅkalpa vikalpa, because if you analyse the process of doubt, there
is always more than one you, when there is a doubt. If there is only one you with
Page 400

regard to a thing, you can never call it doubt. Suppose somebody says there is a
rope; imagine there is a rope, and he says it is a rope; and it is not called doubt. It
is called knowledge. Another person asserts snake and snake alone. He does not
have any doubt; he is cock-sure that it is snake; and it is there. What is it called?
You cannot call it knowledge; you cannot call it doubt also. We call it error in
Sanskrit, viparyaya. In knowledge also one you is there; in error also one you alone
is there. "That is rope" is knowledge; "that is snake" is error. In both knowledge and
error, there is only one.
Where what is defined as doubt; is it rope; is it snake; is it a māla; is it a streak of

water, is it a crack on the earth; he does not know it is crack here; anyway, he says
crack on the earth; when there is more than one. If you say that I have to go to
class today, then it is one you. I should not go; one you; whether to go or not. Any
doubt means, in Saṁsr̥kt it is defined as dvikotikaḥ saṁśayaḥ. Doubt is that in which
there is minimum two opinions. Not two opinions. Minimum two opinions. And one
opinion is called saṅkalpa; the other opinion is called vikalpa; anything can be called
saṅkalpa and anything can be called vikalpam. Is it rope or snake; is it rope
saṅkalpa; or is it snake saṅkalpa; is it rope? vikalpa. Should I come to the class,
saṅkalpa, should not come? vikalpam; Is this good; saṅkalpa, is it bad, vikalpam. So
saṅkalpa vikalpa means saṁśayaḥ. In the horns of dilemma; horns is called
saṅkalpa-vikalpa horns. ādibiḥ; etc. Not only doubting faculty is mind, even
emotional faculty, rāgah; dvēṣa; kāma, krōdhaḥ; they all come under manaḥ; kāma
saṅkalpaḥ etc. So kāmaḥ etc. are called manaḥ.
Therefore the word saṅkalpa and vikalpa, you cannot literally translate; very difficult
to translate into English. You join together and you translate it as doubt. If you have
to literally translate, whether this or that; for saṅkalpa this; and for vikalpa that.
Otherwise easier translation is saṁśayaḥ.
Then what is definition of buddhi. Padārta ādhyavasāya buddhiḥ bhavathi. So

padārta means anything; ādhyavasāya means determination; decision. So decision
with regard to anything that dharma; dharma means faculty; this faculty of decision
with regard to anything is called buddhi. Here dharmātaḥ; the third case,
thritiyārthe; because of that faculty, the same instrument get the name intellect. So
we have seen two organs; now two more; two we have defined. Two more we have
to define.
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अत्रा�भमानादह�मत्यहंकृ |
स्वाथार्नुसन्धानगु �चत्त म ||९४||
atrābhimānādahaṁityahaṁkr̥tiḥ |
svārthānusandhānaguṇēna cittam ||94||
So now ahaṁkāraḥ or ego is defined. Ahaṁ iti abhīmānat ahaṁkritiḥ. Self-reference

faculty; faculty of self-reference. And by the word self, I mean the physical body I
refer to I am sitting here; is self-reference. You are not referring to anything in the
world; you are referring to your own body as yourselves. Or referring to any one of
this sūkṣma śarīraṁ faculties also; like I see; I hear; I smell; that is also what; self-
reference faculty. When I say, there is a pot, you are referring to the pot, but you
say I see a pot; you are focusing on whom, not the pot, you are referring to
yourselves as a seer of the pot.
Therefore what kind of self-reference it is. Pot-seer self-reference. I hear music.

Here the reference is not to the music; the focus is on myself, as what? As the
music-hearer-I. Ice-creamer taster-I. Even though in the sentence music is there;
ice-cream is there; the focus is not on music, the focus is on myself as the hearer,
smeller, taster. Therefore self-reference through stūla śarīraṁ; self-reference
through jñānēndriyās, self-reference through karmēndriyās.
Similarly when you say I am doubting; it means what? You are identifying with the
mind and you are referring to yourselves as what? doubting-I. Ascertaining-I. Now
the idea is the focus is on the subject from the standpoint of any organ. Therefore,
the word ‘atrah’ means either stūla śarīraṁ; or any organ of sūkṣma śarīraṁ. Either
stūla śarīraṁ or any organ, any of the 18 organs of the sūkṣma śarīra; identifying
function is called ahaṁkāra. That identifying faculty is enumerated as the 19th
organ. So that identifies with the 18 organs is the 19th organ or faculty.
Like for the pañja mahā pāpam, they have a beautiful definition; four mahā pāpams
they define; like stealing gold, etc. they have drinking, liquor drinking is considered
to be one of the pañja mahā paatakams, etc. they have enumerated and the fifth
pāpam is associating with anyone of the four, is the fifth pāpam. Like that among 19
organs; 19th organ is that faculty by which I identify with 18 organs.
Therefore atra abhīmānaat; and how is the abhīmāna identification; ahaṁ iti
abhīmāna; I see, I hear; I taste, etc. I do not say, eye is seeing; ears are seeing;
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nose is smelling; we do not say. Nose is replaced by first person singular. What is
that faculty which makes you identify with that organ, which is done only by an
ajñāni; not a jñāni. That faculty is called ahaṁkāraha.
Then what is cittam? As I said cittam is sub-conscious; or in psychological terms;

unconscious; cittam. And what does it do? Svārtha anusandhāna guṇēna. It has the
faculty of retrieving the ideas and experiences acquired before. Fantastic faculty, like
the computer; you just touch a knob, it just brings out all the information data, etc.
stored there. And we have got that master computer; you are able to recollect so
many things; if you take a notebook and write what all things you can recollect, I tell
you, the byte information they talk about, millions of byte in computer language; or
millions of information, the brain can store. And not only that; according to the brain
researchers, we are using only 5% of our brains. In that itself I remember so many
people. How many experiences you remember? And there are certain beautiful
faculties; I do not know whether you have tried; suppose you want to recollect a
name or a verse, you break your head; scratch it and say that it is blocked in your
throat, or in the tip of the tongue etc. But would not come. Especially if its vēdānta.
That man did that, and such other things are always ready. Things like vēdānta does
not come; you just struggle.
You do a very interesting experiments. I have done several times. What you do is:
your brain has given a message that I am very much interested in retrieving that
information. You tell that, I am no more going to try. Then leave it and start doing
something else. Most interesting thing is after one hour or so; even when you are
not struggling to recollect, suddenly that will come from your mouth; when you are
talking something else. Sometimes the most interesting thing is you are trying to
recollect the name Rāmakrishnan; and you have left; and you see another person
whose name you know as Krishnaswamy; but the sub-conscious mind wants to help
you so much that inadvertently you call the well-known person as Rāmakrishnan. It
is a very fantastic faculty;
Recently I tried and it works so wonderfully. You know some verses and all; it never
came; and then again I was just like that came. All the power of anusandhāna, but
one thing you have to try; try it and after that the sub-conscious will start
functioning even without your will involved and it will as an obedient servant; those
who study psychology; they translate it as unconscious. What they say is with regard
to deep inner emotions and feelings; they are all there in the memory; waiting to
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come out. And what do they do? they look for an ideal situation or an ideal person
who will not judge. So they will think that if I cry in front of others, they will think
bad about me; therefore they are looking for an ideal location; ideal person comes,
we unconsciously feel free to let out the emotions; therefore a person sometimes
with no reason is depressed and he shed tears; no reason at all.
There the unconscious memory is waiting for releasing itself. So they study that.
Whenever there is no connection between event and emotion; you just asked what
is your name? That is it; they will start flaring up; there is no connection between
flaring up and what is your name? They say the unconscious memory has found an
ideal situation for releasing it; allow it they say. The only thing is the other person
should understand. The other person should not feel that he is flaring up on him; he
wants to flare up; but occasion is not there; he will lose the job; therefore it is taken
on wife, the child or someone, and even a Svāmi.
Therefore that is called svartha anusandhāna. So sva artha, its own experiences,
ideas; information, pains; depressions; failures; all these are called Svārtha; which
are all bottled up in the deep and that bottled up ideas and emotions and pains, are
anusandhānam; anusandhāna means retrieval; taking, bringing up, consciously or
unconsciously; voluntarily or involuntarily; retrieving these inner most emotion; that
faculty is called cittam.
And when this retrieved information and experiences are all negative only, we call it
kaṣāyam. Kaṣāya is this negative unconscious which is waiting for expression. Cittam
refers to everything good and bad; kaṣāyam refers to the unfavourable part of
cittam; which affects a person, his responses, and even it affects in the assimilation
of vēdānta.
Then only you understand vēdānta better, emotionally this person continues to
break down. all those things, he consciously does not do anything, but Svāmiji I do
not want to do it like that; but Svāmiji whatever I say, I get crying.
So where buddhi has got ahaṁ Brahmāsmi knowledge, cittam has got kaṣāyam. And
that kaṣāyam, Gaudapada refers to in Mānḍukya Karika; negative cittam is kaṣāyam.
Ok. svārthānusandhānaguṇēna; guṇēṇa here means the faculty; the unconscious
faculty; that retrieval of unconscious faculty is called cittam. So with this the four
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organs are over. All put together is called anthakāraṇa. Now totally 5 + 5+ 4 = 14
are over.
So the next verse, even though it is a verse only, it cannot be read in tune; in
Saṁsr̥kt they have got two types of verses, some of them can be chanted with tāla
and rāga; it is almost like a poetry; but there are certain poems which cannot be
chanted in tune, we have to read it as though it is prose. Such one we call it viṣaṁa
vrittam in Saṁsr̥kt; and what we can chant beautifully we call it śama vrittam; śama
vrittah slōkaḥ; viṣaṁa vrittah slōkaḥ; viṣaṁa vrittam because it does viṣaṁam; if you
try to chant it; you have to read it as it is a prose. So we will read it like that.
प्णापानव्यानोदानसमान भवत्यस प्रा |
स्वयमे विृ त्तभेदाद्�वकृ�तभेदात्सुवणर्स�लला� ||९५||

prāṇāpānavyānōdānasamānā bhavatyaśau prāṇaḥ |
svayaṁēva vr̥ttibhēdādvikr̥tibhēdātsuvarṇasalilādivat ||95||
So the next five organs known as pañja prāṇāḥ. And here also Śankarācārya also
wants to say pañja prāṇās are not five different organs but like antahkāraṇam, this
is also only one force; but manifesting or functioning in five different forms. Like one
man functioning as the head of the house, and manager of a company, Secretary of
social service institution; President of an orphanage; or something; same person;
like the anthakāraṇam is one but functioning as four. Here also one force is only
Prāṇaḥ; but it has got vikr̥ti bhēdā and vr̥tti bhēdā; vikr̥ti means manifestation; vikr̥ti
bhēdā means distinct manifestation; one prāṇa has got distinct manifestation; vikr̥ti
means kāryam; vikāraḥ; manifestation,
And with regard to each manifestation, different functions also; vr̥tti bhēdā; here
vr̥tti means pravr̥tti; pravr̥tti means function. Not thought; sometimes we say
thought as vr̥tti; but here it is not thought, but function. So thus five names because
of five manifestations; and five functions; prāṇa is one but the names are five.
What are the five names? prāṇa; apāna, vyāna, udāna, śamanaḥ. We have seen
before, in my introduction, I have explained all these things; but briefly I will
translate.
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Prāṇa is the respiratory system; apāna is the excretory system or power; then vyāna
is the circulatory power; the power by which things are circulated around the body,
nutrition, blood; all those things; then udāna is the reversing function; that which
reverses any natural process; like vomitting etc. In vomiting, a natural process is
reversed; because normally mouth is one way for putting things inside and for
excretion, for the removal of the toxin, we have got another hole; this hole has one
function and the lower hole has another function. This is natural; but sometimes, in
extreme rare situations, the body wants to remove the waste or toxins through the
mouth itself. This is rare things; not the normal things; what will happen if this is
normal? Therefore since it is a rare thing, it is called udāna; and this generally
becomes active at the time of death; everything has to be reversed. Digestive
system will be reversed; as we grow old; nothing will get digested; and if you put
more that itself will become the cause of destruction; adyate asthicha bhūtāni.
Upaṇiṣad itself says: food is a nourisher in the early ages; the very same food is
destroyer in the later stages.
So gradually one has to reduce taking in as we grow older. So therefore digestive

system is reversed; breathing system is reversed; everything is reversed; therefore
udāna is rarely active during life; and fairly active at the time of death. Therefore
utkramathi anēna iti udānaḥ; ut means utkramanam, life itself is going to quit the
body and leave the body is called utkramanam; that which gives power to that is
called udānam. And finally, samānaḥ; samāna is the power of digestion; the power
of assimilation.
All these five are the five manifestations of one prāṇa tatvam; so asau prāṇaḥ; this
one prāṇaḥ by itself because of different manifestations and different functions,
bhavathi it becomes prāṇa, apāna, vyāna, udāmana, samānaḥ.
And Śankarācārya says that if you are not able to conceive of this idea, I will give
you an example, suvarṇa salilādivat; like gold; one gold can have five different
manifestation; bangle, chain, ring, etc. manifestations are five; pañja rūpāni; and as
even manifestation change, nama also pañja nāmani; you do not say gold; you say
bangle; chain, ring, you count also; bangle, chain, etc. If you say gold, you have to
count as only one, but when you count as bangle, chain, etc. you have to count one,
two, three. Therefore rūpa bēdāt, nama bhēdā; and nama-rūpa bhēdāt; function
bhēdāḥ api pravr̥tti bhēdāḥ api bhavathi.
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What is the pravr̥tti? Bangle will decorate the hand; chain will decorate the neck;
ring with decorate the finger. Functional bhēdāḥ. Prāṇa is like gold, and it has got
nama bhēdāḥ; rūpa bhēdāḥ; karma bhēdāḥ; therefore they are said to be five. This
is example No.1 gold.
And there is a second example; salilam; water. One water itself, when it is flowing, it
is called river; when it is in the form of a pool, you call it well; if it is a bigger one,
you call it a tank; still bigger one, you call it a lake; still bigger one, you call it ocean;
when it is pouring down, you call it rain. So therefore nama bēdhaḥ, rūpa bēdhaḥ,
and functions also.
The function of a river can never be taken by a well and the function of both of a
lake can never be done by a well. Well's function the lake may do; but the lake's
function, a well can never do. Therefore ekam jalam; nāma bēdhāḥ; rūpa bēdhaḥ,
karma bēdhaḥ. And we say we have 60 rivers in India. Not just 60, I am just telling.
When you say 50, you are counting; if you are counting water, how many are there,
only one. but you count 50 rivers, 30 lakes; etc. And water falls also is there.
Therefore suvarṇa salilādivat.
So put together how many organs now. Pañja jñānēndriyāni; pañja karmēndriyani;
chatvari anthakāraṇani; pañja prāṇāh; 3x5 + 4 = 19 organs.
In Tatva Bōdhaḥ what was done was manō buddhi cittam ahaṁkāram; these were
reduced to two; manaḥ and buddhi; citta and ahaṁkāra were included in manaḥ and
buddhi; and therefore in Tatva Bōdhaḥ it is said as 17 organs. Here it is 19 organs.
वागा�द पञ् श्रवणा पञ्

प्राणा पञ्चाभ्रमुख पञ् |
बुद्ध्याद्य�वद् च कामकम्
र ण
पयर्ष
ु ्ट सू�मशर�रमाहुः || ९६ ||
vāgādi pañca śravaṇādi pañca
prāṇādi pañcābhramukhāni pañca |
buddhyādyavidyāpi ca kāmakarmaṇī
puryaṣṭakaṁ sūkṣmaśarīraṁāhuḥ ||96||
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Even though we counted 19 organs, Śankarācārya is going to regroup these 19

organs into 8 groups; and he is going to name them puri aṣṭakaṁ; eight fold cities;
or eight cities. It is unique presentation of Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi; we have not done in
Tatva Bōdhaḥ; their only listed 17 organs but here these various faculties of sūkṣma
śarīraṁ is going to put in 8 groups and going to call them puri aṣṭakaṁ; eight cities
put together is called sūkṣma śarīraṁ.
And what are the eight siddhis? vāgādi pañca; the five karmēndriyās beginning with
the organs of speech. We are not going to count as five; but all five put together,
city No.1; puri No.1.
What is the second city? śravaṇādi pañca; the five sense organs of knowledge
beginning with śravaṇam. In this place śravaṇam is ears; śrotrēndriyam; this is
unique sense of Saṁsr̥kt language. When you say śravaṇa, manana, nidhidhyasana,
their śravaṇam means hearing. That hearing is also called śravaṇam, it is an action.
Here the hearing instrument is also called śravaṇam.
So we should know where śravaṇam should be translated as hearing process, where

śravaṇam should be translated as hearing instrument, we should know how to
derive. In Saṁsr̥kt grammar, it is called vyutpathi bēdhāḥ; derivational difference. So
through derivational difference, we can bring about meaning difference. So śrūyatē
anēna iti śravaṇam; if you give that derivation; then it means hearing instrument,
called kāraṇa vyuthpathi. So to study grammar, you have to do all this. You will say
No No, I know. So śravaṇam means śrotrēndriyam. So this is city No.2.
karmēndriyani city No.1; jñānēndriyāni city No.2.
Then prāṇādi pañja; the pañca prāṇās put together is city No.3. And these are all
occupants. Why we call city? Because these are the occupants, residence of the city
of prāṇa; apāna, vyāna, udāna, śamanaḥ, they are residents.
Then what is the fourth city? Abhra mukhāni pañca; the five subtle elements, which
are the constituents or the raw material of the subtle body; abhra has got the
meaning of ākāśa, therefore abhra mukhāni means five elements beginning with
ākāśa. Āpaḥ vibarthi iti abraḥ; that which holds water in the form of cloud; what is
in the cloud; water; water is supported by whom; the sky; what is the sky, ākāśa;
and therefore ākāśa is defined as water-holder; see the derivation; do not say the
ocean is also water holder. my flask is water holder; we should see the context; the
Page 408

sky holds water in the form of cloud; therefore āpaḥ jalam vibarthi iti jalaḥ; cloud is
also called abrah; ākāśa is also called abraḥ; and abhra mukhāni; mukhāni means
etc. Therefore the five elements which elements, not gross elements, the five subtle
elements, which are the constituents of the sūkṣma śarīraṁ; that makes the fourth
city.
Then what is the fifth city? Buddhi, ādhi. So the fourth city is the four
anthakāraṇam; beginning with intellect. The four antakāraṇams beginning with
intellect. What are the four, buddhi, manah, cittam, ahaṁkāram, we do not count
them as four; all four put together is called the fifth city. pañjami puri budhāyādi
catuṣkam.
Then what is the sixth one? avidyā; avidyā; Avidyā literally means ignorance; or in
this context translated as adhyāsaḥ; adhyāsaḥ means confusion. What confusion?
ātma-anātma confusion; by which you mix up the properties of the anātma with
ātma; and the properties of the ātma or mixed up with anātma. For example, body
is jaḍaṁ; but we mistake the body as cētanam. Sentient. Really speaking the
sentiency I feel is not belong to the body; it is the sentiency of the ātma; which is
flowing through the body.
So if I say body is cētanam; it is confusion No.1. What is the confusion? The

property of ātma is transferred to the body.
And then what is the second confusion? I feel that the consciousness is confined to
the body. The consciousness is confined to the body. Here what is the mistake? The
property of the body. What is it? is limitation, is what you call transposed to the
consciousness, which is mistake No.2. Do you understand? Property of ātma, the
consciousness is transferred to the body; and property of the body, what is that,
limitation, is transferred to the consciousness, the ātma.
This two-fold transference, in vēdānta, is technically called anyōnya-adyaśaḥ; mutual

transference of one property to another; When I say, there is a snake; there also
there is a mutual transference. What is the mutual transference? I say there is a
snake; that snakeness or its property like poison etc. is transferred to what, the
rope, which is not at all poisonous and the existence which belongs to the rope, the
snake does not exist at all; what do I do? that 'is' I borrow from the rope; and I say
there is a snake and from where did the snake get its existence; it is a property
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taken from the rope and handed over to the snake which is not there at all. This is
called anyōnya-adyaśaḥ. It is a very huge topic in advanced vēdānta; and this
mutual transference is called here avidyā.
With this we have got six cities; two more cities, we have to see, which we will do in
the next class.
Hari Om.
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033. Verses - 96 to 99
वागा�द पञ् श्रवणा पञ्

प्राणा पञ्चाभ्रमुख पञ् |
बुद्ध्याद्य�वद् च कामकम्
र ण
पयर्ष
ु ्ट सू�मशर�रमाहुः ||९६||
vāgādi pañca śravaṇādi pañca
prāṇādi pañcābhramukhāni pañca |
buddhyādyavidyāpi ca kāmakarmaṇī
puryaṣṭakaṁ sūkṣmaśarīraṁāhuḥ ||96||
After talking about the stūla śarīraṁ, the physical body, which is the first part of
anātma, now the ācārya has come to the sūkṣma śarīraṁ, which is the second part
of anātma.
And this sūkṣma śarīraṁ is discussed from verse No.92 to 107 and various
constituents of the sūkṣma śarīraṁ were talked about; the five sense organs of
knowledge; five sense organs of action; the five prāṇās, as well as the four fold
inner organs. After talking about these 19 constituents, now in the 96th verse,
Śankarācārya makes these 19 constituents into 8 groups. And each group is called a
puri and puri aṣṭakam; the 8-fold puri, put together is called sūkṣma śarīraṁ which
is only another way of presentation. In Tatva Bōdhaḥ, the 17 organs were
mentioned; it was not divided into puris, which is unique to Vivēkacūḍāmni, divide
sūkṣma śarīraṁ into 8 divisions.
Of this the first puri is pañja jñānēndriyāni; the second puri is pañja karmēndriyani;
the third puri is pañca prāṇāḥ; the fourth puri is pañca bhutāni; here bhūtāni means
sūkṣma bhutāni, which are the basic raw materials of sūkṣma śarīraṁ; therefore
they are also included. So then the fifth puri is the four fold anthakāraṇam; mano,
buddhi, citta, ahaṁkārm. These four is referred to here as buddhi ādhi; for that
word ādhi, the manaḥ, cittam, ahaṁkāra, buddhādhi that is the fifth one and the
sixth one is avidyā. So here it is a puri, with only one constituent; avidyā. And the
meaning of the word avidyā in this context is adyāsaḥ. Avidyā is adyāsaḥ; adyāsaḥ
means mutual confusion between ātma and anātma. By mutual confusion we mean
some of the characteristic of the ātma are transferred to anātma and some of
Page 411

characteristic of anātma are transferred to ātma; this mixing up is called adyāsaḥ. To

remember the rope-snake example, when I say this is poisonous, I am taking the
attribute of the snake and I am transferring it to the rope and when I say there is a
snake, the existence which belong to the rope alone is transferred to the snake.
Thus existence of rope is transferred to snake; the poisonous nature of the snake is
transferred to rope. Thus mixing up the properties of two things, we are creating an
intermediary entity. After mixing up the two, we do not know there are two things;
that there are two things is known by only a third person who is able to understand
that there is a real rope, and a false snake; but as far as the ignorant person is
concerned, he has got only one entity which is a mixture of real and unreal. And this
mixing up of real and unreal; satya anrutya mithuni kāraṇam is called adyāsaḥ. That
adyāsaḥ is called here avidyā. This is the sixth puri.
Then the seventh puri is kāmaḥ; desire; kāmaḥ means desire; even though all
emotions are there in the mind, kāma is specifically taken because ignorance or
superimposition gets immediately converted into kāma; and kāma alone later
manifests as krōdhaḥ; lōbhaḥ, all the other problems.
So this will be analysed later; but here we have to note these three always go
together; avidyā kāma karma. This triad is often referred to in vēdānta.
How do they go together? It must be clearly seen. When I know that I am ātma, I
do not mix up with the body, then my knowledge will be: I am the consciousness,
pervading the body and I am not the body itself. And once I know I am the
consciousness pervading the body, I also know that the limitations of the body are
not my limitations. Remembering the example; light pervades the hand but is not
confined to the hand. It is outside also.
Similarly, when I know I am the consciousness, I not only pervade the body but I
am beyond also; that means I am the limitless consciousness. Thus when I know
that I am the ātma, I own up my pūrṇatvam.
But the moment there is confusion, which is called adyaśa, the problem that comes
is: when I do not know the consciousness pervading the body, I am going to take
myself as the body, enjoying the properties of consciousness. Consciousness
becomes an incidental property of the body; and who am I? I am the body who
have the incidental property of consciousness. And once I am the body, I am pūrṇaḥ
Page 412

or apūrṇaḥ? The pūrṇa-I is gone, the apūrṇa-I is born; the birth of the apūrṇa-I is
purely because of avidyā. Thus avidyā generates an incomplete-I; out of the
complete-I, the consciousness. Therefore the job of avidyā is generation of the
incomplete-I. The complete-I is called ātma; the incomplete-I is called ahaṁkāradi,
the ego.
And once the ego, the incomplete-I is generated; then comes the whole biography;
why because the moment I am incomplete, there is a struggle. Because what is my
original nature; I am the complete-I and this incomplete-I is not natural to me; it is
an unnatural condition; and whenever there is an unnatural condition; there is a
struggle to revert back to natural condition. Just as you keep an ice-cube in the
room temperature, it is unnatural condition; therefore it goes on melting until it
becomes water; because water is natural condition at the room temperature.
Therefore I cannot accept a located-I; I cannot accept a limited-I; I cannot accept a

confined-I. That is why sleep is very comfortable to me; you know why? because in
sleep, I do not have a limited confined localised-I. The localised-consciousness is
felt only in jāgrat avastha; therefore there is a struggle; unlocalised consciousness is
experienced in suṣupti, therefore suṣupti is ānandaḥ; you can sleep whenever you
please. But to get up is struggle. So therefore, the incomplete-I will naturally
struggle. It is a rebel. Ego is a struggle.
And how long it will continue to struggle? Until it is re-converted into the complete-I.
But the problem is ego does not know how to reconvert; the only way of
reconversion is what? You have to remove the avidyā, because avidyā has
"converted" the (converted within quotes) complete-I into incomplete-I. Therefore
the vidyā alone can reconvert the incomplete-I into complete-I. But this fool does
not know that. This ego does not know that is the only way. Therefore the ego
thinks adding things, acquiring things will expand me.
So first I am a bachelor-I; therefore I want to extend myself by getting a wife or

husband. Now I have got an expanded-I. Remember wife or husband is an
expansion. And I want my wife or husband to be my limb. What is the proof? That I
do not want to give freedom to them. I want them to operate as I-like, like my
expectation that my hand should do whatever I wishes. I want my wife or husband
to be a third hand, a third leg, and they should do what? Exactly as I want. That
means what: I am extending myself, expanding myself by adding to the family.
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Svāmiji will say beautifully; ahaṁ; avāṁ; then after the birth of the child: vayaṁ.
This is how Saṁsr̥kt developed. So ahaṁ, avāṁ, vayaṁ. One, Two, three, etc. How
many etc. you can put; vayaṁ, means three, four and fives; all these are struggles
for expansion. The struggle for expansion by which the incomplete-I wants to
become the complete is kāmaḥ.
Therefore avidyā will necessarily lead to kāma; because avidyā generates the
incomplete-I, the incomplete-I will continue the struggle. And unfortunately, a finite-
I, adding any number of finite-things will continue to be finite. Therefore, all these
karmās, the struggle are never ending; like that Tamil film பயணங்க
��வத்தில்; so these are all our biography only. So kāma leads to karma. The
struggle for completion leads to varieties of actions. Some people add physically,
that is called getting people. Some people want to add emotionally, that is asking
for love and care. Did you ask how am I even for a day? Therefore we want to add
to emotional-I, and there are some people who do not want to the physical-I or
emotional-I, they want to add to the intellectual-I. Yearning for knowledge; there
also sense of incomplete.
All the people are struggling to complete. All those struggles come under what?
Karma. So Avidyā, kāma, karma. These three, Śankarācārya calls three puris; avidyā
puri, kāma puri, karma puri. So totally, aṣṭa puri.
So Jñānēndriya puri, karmēndriya puri, prāṇa puri, bhūtā puri, antakāraṇa puri,
avidyā puri; kāma puri; karma puri. All these eight is known puryaṣṭakam. And what
is this puryaṣṭakam. Śankarācārya says sūkṣma śarīraṁ āhuḥ. This 8-fold city is
called sūkṣma śarīraṁ.
इदं शर�रं शण
ृ ु सू�मसं��तं
�लङ्ग त्वपञ्चीकृतसम्भ |
सवासनं कमर्फलानुभावक
स्वा�ानतोऽना�दरुपा�धरात् ||९७||
idaṁ śarīraṁ śr̥ṇu sūkṣmasaṁjñitaṁ
liṅgaṁ tvapañcīkr̥tasambhavam |
savāsanaṁ karmaphalānubhāvakaṁ
svājñānatō:'nādirupādhirātmanaḥ ||97||
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Śr̥ṇu. Śr̥ṇu means listen. Śankarācārya wants to make sure that the student is
awake. He is checking whether the student is awake and listening. Because only one
student in front; if there are more than one, at least the others may be listening. But
when there is only student, like Krishna had Arjuna sitting in front; Śankarācārya has
got a student and therefore he wants to make sure that even that one student
should not sleep away. So he says: Śr̥ṇu; intently listen. Idam sūkṣma saṁjitam
śarīraṁ liṅgam. So this sūkṣma śarīra is known as linga śarīra also. This sūkṣma
śarīra is known as liṅga śarīra also. It is called sūkṣma śarīra because it is invisible.
Sūkṣma means invisible; mind we do not see; ego we do not see; and therefore it is
called sūkṣma śarīraṁ; and it has got another name, liṅga śarīraṁ; the word liṅgam
indicates anything that is an indicator; indicator is called liṅgam in Saṁsr̥kt. A clue is
called a liṅgam. Suppose there is a foot mark of some animal; then from the
footmark; we can infer that an elephant has gone; or some animal has gone; that
foot mark is an indicator; therefore it is called liṅgam. If there is smoke which
indicates the existence of fire, the smoke is called liṅgam. So any sign, any mark;
any clue; any indicator; that is all called liṅgam; liṅgyate jñāyatē anēna iti liṅgam.
Liṅg, to know, liṅgam means a clue to know.
And why is sūkṣma śarīraṁ called liṅgam? Because sūkṣma śarīraṁ is an indicator to
the presence of the consciousness principle; because it is capable of manifesting
consciousness. Even though itself is inert matter; even though sūkṣma śarīraṁ is
inert matter; mind is inert matter; this sūkṣma śarīraṁ is unlike stūla śarīraṁ. Stūla
śarīraṁ is also inert matter; sūkṣma śarīraṁ is also inert matter; but what is the
difference? Stūla śarīraṁ cannot manifest consciousness; that is why in dead body;
even though stūla śarīraṁ it is; it is not capable of manifesting consciousness. If it
manifests consciousness it will not be dead body. Whereas sūkṣma śarīraṁ is also
matter; but it is a finer matter; therefore it is capable of reflecting or manifesting
consciousness. Like glass or mirror. They said glass is made of sand. Silicon; but in
sand you are not able to see your face reflected. But when out of the sand, you
make the glass, the reflecting glass, it is capable of reflecting your face.
Similarly this floor also, does not reflect my face, but when it is polished very well;
you can see your face. That is also matter; this is also matter; because of fineness it
is capable of reflection. Similarly stūla śarīraṁ is gross matter; sūkṣma śarīraṁ is
subtle matter; the subtle matter is capable of reflecting consciousness. And
reflection indicates the original. What you understand when you see your face in the
mirror; from that reflected image, I am able to recognise the original; or I see in the
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side mirror in the car; they do not see the original vehicle; but that mirror becomes
what: a liṅgam for giving the reflection and from the reflection I infer the original.
How will you know that there is a tatvam called Ātma tatvam? Mind is matter; but if
that material mind should be conscious, it must be because of somebody else's
blessing. Like Sugriva; when sugriva comes and challenges Vāli, Vāli gets very angry.
Then Vāli's wife argues with him intelligently. He says Sugriva does not have any
strength by himself. He becomes a runner on listening to your name itself; in fact he
has run all over; that is how he tells Rāma also; I know every nook and corner of
Kiṣkinda; because frightened of Vāli I have hidden all over. Now this Sugrīva; who is
weak by himself; if he comes in front of you and challenges; can you do some
thinking and do not you know that he must have the backing of some higher power.
How did you know? that is called liṅgam. A normally weak Sugrīva is now
challenging Vāli which means he has got the backing of some principle. Extend the
same thing; the inert mind; which is also a bundle of chemicals like the physical
body; is now functioning as though sentient; that means it has got a Rāma behind;
that is why the name, Ātma Rāmaḥ. This sūkṣma śarīraṁ has got the backing of
someone and Vāli's wife did not see Rāma but she inferred Rāma from Sugrīva; like
sugrīva is like sūkṣma śarīraṁ and Rāma is like ātma. And therefore Sugrīva is called
liṅgam. Sūkṣma śarīra is also called liṅgam.
Similarly in a Śhiva temple, there is a Śhiva liṅgam; there what is the meaning of
liṅgam; that it is a symbol to indicate the existence of the Lord; otherwise where can
you see Śhiva; Śhiva is all over. The consciousness is all over. Therefore to recognise
consciousness, you go to sūkṣma śarīraṁ; or to recognise consciousness, you go to
temple; where the stone represents the all-pervading consciousness. Therefore to
worship an all-pervading one; you require a symbolic representation; either it is
stone or any sūkṣma śarīraṁ is a representative for consciousness. And that is why
you worship even other human beings; because every human being is a liṅgam for
indicating the all-pervasive consciousness.
And therefore liṅgam and it is born out of what? Apañjaikritabhūtā sambhavam; so

that means mind is a matter; it is only a finer matter; capable of reflecting
consciousness. If mind is also matter, it must be born out of what? matter only.
So what is the raw material out of which the sūkṣma śarīraṁ is made is the
question; for which Śankarācārya gives the answer; that is also born out of five
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elements only. Exactly like the physical body; the subtle body is also born out of five
elements. So both are matter; material born out of matter. Generally people will
think mind is conscious principle. That is why many people take the mind as the
ātma, they think mind is a conscious entity. According to vēdānta, mind is also inert;
it has got only borrowed consciousness, not natural consciousness. That is why they
want to say mind and matter; that idiom we will not accept. Mind and matter if you
say; it looks as though mind is not matter. As far as we are concerned, when you
say matter, it includes mind also.
But why there is misconception? Mind appears as though non-matter. Mind appears
as though non-matter; why it appears as though non-matter? because it has got
permanent-borrowed-consciousness. And permanent-borrowed-consciousness
appears as natural consciousness. Permanent-borrowed-consciousness appears as
natural consciousness. Therefore there is a delusion.
What type of five elements? apañjaikrita bhūtā sambhavam; apañjaikrita means

subtle. Sūkṣma. So thus the mind or sūkṣma śarīraṁ is a subtle material born out of
subtle five elements.
Then savāsanaṁ. Now sūkṣma śarīraṁ is a very complex matter that is why for
science mind is even now a mystery.
So what is mind; they know brain; whether brain and mind are one and the same;
or are they different; and if they are different; where is the mind located; some
neuro- biologist claims; mind is a separate entity; it is not even located in brain; he
does some experiments and writes; it is not even located in brain; it is something
else.
Brain is only the medium through which it functions; but it is not even located there;
it is one of the opinion; scientists are not uniform; therefore mind is a mystery.
This is how śāstra presents the mind. Therefore it is a very complex instrument.
That is why, we cannot understand our own mind. And that is why we are not able
to master our own mind and we are trying to control other minds. What a peculiar
thing! He says You should not get angry. I am not able to handle my anger; and I
give a commandment, why do you behave like that. When my behaviour is itself a
mystery; how can I try to handle the behaviour of other people. That is why we
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miserably fail also. It is one of the most complex equipment. Not only it experiences
the world; through varieties of jñānēdriyams, it has got a wonderful faculty of
registering and storing the experiences like a video tape. And this registered stored
experiences are called vāsanas; saṁskārās; how many video tapes are there in our
mind; all the libraries in the world are not enough; it is so much; I only need ask
please explain the Badrinath trip; that one trip will take thousands of video tapes; I
did that I did this; I met him; I saw that; etc. etc. all these are registered and then if
you have to replay one video cassette after some days, how much struggle; because
of fungus; which also affects you here, but that is a different matter; so that will
come; then that VCR should be working very well; but here the mind is just wants to
recollect something, just two taps you can remember slōkās, you can remember
class I hope, you can remember so many other things. So thus, it has got so much
experiences registered; remember not in one birth; because we have the same video
recorder in the previous birth also; in the future birth also, if any; I have to add if
any, because I assume all of us are jīvan mukthas; therefore if future birth are
there; therefore that also; the same recorder has to be used; therefore the sūkṣma
śarīraṁ is what? savāsanam; it is full of vāsanas registered-experiences.
Not only gross things are registered; even subtle emotions are registered and
remembered. In fact when you remember a person's words, not only you remember
the words, you remember the anger also; that anger gets activated. Or you
remember the death of some near and dear ones; not only the death, the event is
remembered; and suddenly you pour out in a big stream; till now you were
laughing. Just remembers the tragedy fifteen years before; that becomes so real;
the emotions also become so real; it is capable of producing solid tears. The event is
gone; I am only projecting the event; but even that recollection is capable of making
me breakdown. What a wonderful thing. You only think it is negative. But imagine
that capacity. So therefore savāsanam; Sa means full of; saturated with. That’s what
they call it as subconscious; in psychology they call it deep-unconscious; and what
they mean is something peculiar also; in certain cases, the events are forgotten; but
the event-produced emotions remain.
So somebody my father or mother or something has insulted or rejected me or did

not take care of me properly, because there were so many children, therefore I have
the feeling of rejection; or not being loved or insulted. After sometime, I forget who
insulted me; what was the event; those things are gone; but the sense of rejection,
‘I am not wanted’ continues. And then when this person gets married and gets
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children; he projects that to the children also. Feeling that my father rejected
continues; father is forgotten; I just transfer it to; it is called transference in
psychology; that transfer it to the children; and say that you are rejecting me. They
do everything; but still feel rejected. So thus unconscious etc. they talk; they are all
unique faculties of the sūkṣma śarīraṁ. Therefore savāsanam.
Then the next one. karmaphala anubhāvakaṁ and it passes the experiences of all
the karma phala; the sūkṣma śarīra is bhōktā. Here it is put in a round about way;
the sūkṣma śarīra alone makes me a bhōktā also. What we saw earlier; It is a akartā
also. Now it is a bhōktā also, because of which alone all the karma phalams are
experienced. What is the proof? During sleep, sūkṣma śarīra is resolved; I do not
have any happy or unhappy experiences. One of the closest relative might appear in
front of me when I am asleep, I am not happy because of his appearance, a cobra
may be running over my body. I am asleep, but I do not even recollect or react to
that experience; why? Even though physical body is there; the sūkṣma śarīra is not
absent, but it is resolved or non-functioning.
Therefore sukha dukha anubhava is because of the sūkṣma śarīra only. Therefore it
is called what; karma phala anubhāvakaṁ; anubhāvakaṁ, it causes the experience
of karma phalam. Here karma phalam means sukham duḥkhaṁ. Through what?
through the world; world is understood.
And this sūkṣma śarīraṁ; how long I have been carrying. I know I functioned
through stūla śarīraṁ I know, it is from the date of birth to the date of death; I
function through this physical body; before my birth; this body was not there; after
the death, this body only available for me to function through. Physical body is a few
decades.
But what about sūkṣma śarīra? He says; anādi ātmanaḥ upādhi; it is a beginningless
medium for the ātma. It is anādi upādhi; it is a beginningless medium for me, the
ātma. That means in the pūrva janma also, I have used the same subtle body alone;
I have changed what; only the physical body. And what is the proof for that? Proof
is of course, śāstram is mainly there; and we have got supportive logic also. Every
prodigy in every field is the proof for the continuity of the sūkṣma śarīraṁ. A musical
prodigy and his own younger brother has no sense of music. Śruti deaf; Ok. from
musical angle he is deaf; when others are singing in one tune; Akāndamandala .. ;
he will not be able to do that; and he will be in a totally different tune.
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He is not able to recognise. Suppose I say that you are chanting in a different śruti,
he will not understand it at all. So thus, the music sense, the younger brother does
not have; the elder brother is a child prodigy; in music. Both are born to the same
parents; How do we account for that difference. He must be carrying from the pūrva
janma. Therefore the mind is continuous.
And when did it start? When did I acquire the mind? Mind is never acquired. It is
anādi. Even during pralaya kālam, I continue to have my mind; even during suṣupti,
I continue to have my mind; the only difference, during pralayaṁ and suṣupti, my
mind is non-functional relaxing mind. Suppose during the sleep, mind is destroyed.
Suppose. Then what happens? After waking I should acquire a fresh mind; OK. I will
acquire it; what is wrong? Imagine tomorrow you acquire a fresh mind; tomorrow
you acquire a fresh mind; what is the tragedy; tragedy is not for me; it is for me; I
have to teach you again these slōkās. Thank God, you may sleep. If I need not
repeat because, during sleep mind is in potential form; therefore even during
previous sr̥ṣṭi, you were there with the same mind in a potential form.
Therefore Śankarācārya says anādi upādhi; upādhi means medium of operation,

interaction. Ātmanaḥ upādhi; not only it is a medium of interaction; and it is also a
medium of identification.
And why do I say medium of identification? Why I do not say the mind is disturbed;
I say I am disturbed. So when I say mind is disturbed, I have no problem. But we
never say mind is disturbed, we say I am disturbed.
Therefore it is not only it will functioning as a medium factually, but operationally I

identify with that and I say I am disturbed; because of what? svājñānataḥ; because
of my ignorance; the instrument mind becomes the subject-I. The instrument
becomes the subject, because of ignorance. So it is not only beginningless medium
of interaction; it is a beginningless medium of identification also; because of self-
ignorance.
स्वप् भवत्यस �वभक्त्यवस

स्वमात्रशे �वभा�त यत |
स्वप् तु बु�द् स्वयमे जाग्र
काल�ननाना�वधवासना�भः ||९८||
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svapnō bhavatyasya vibhaktyavasthā

svamātraśēṣēṇa vibhāti yatra |
svapnē tu buddhiḥ svayaṁēva jāgrat
kālīnanānāvidhavāsanābhiḥ || 98 ||
Now here Śankarācārya wants to talk about the states of experience in which the
mind plays a prominent role. So that state in which the mind plays a prominent role;
because in jāgrat avastha, even though the mind is operative, the physical body
plays a prominent role. So that is why I am bothered about protecting the body. In
fact, the whole life is for udaranimittaṁ bahukr̥tavēṣaḥ; which school to join, which
subject to take; not for knowledge and all; who wants knowledge, I want to choose
a subject through which I will get a very good job. And why I do I want a good job;
so that I can earn a lot of money. And why do I want lot of money; because I want
to protect the body; be in comfortable place, etc. and I want to protect it from
diseases; and after retirement also, I do not know what my son would do, so after
retirement also, I want to provide for the body, the whole jāgrat avastha seems to
be governed by the physical body.
Therefore jāgrat avastha gives prominence to the physical body; not that mind is not
functioning; but physical body dominates; whereas what is that avastha in which the
mind dominates? Śankarācārya says svapnaḥ bhavathi. Dream is that state in which
mind plays a dominant role. I am not even aware of my physical body; I am not
even aware whether mosquitoes are biting; mosquitoes are only up to the time you
sleep; after that you do not know anything, that is why people role over all over the
place; head will be in the place where the leg was; pillow will be somewhere else;
dress will not be there at all. All those things are there; why, the existence of my
physical body is not known; mind alone is active.
And mind also how is it active? Not fully active; experiencing the external world, it
cannot gather such experiences; that gathering faculty is not functioning.
Buddhi is not functioning; whereas the memory faculty; vāsana faculty; the cittam
faculty becomes active. That is why I say, VCR is not functioning; recording is not
functioning, VCP video cassette player switched on and goes on and on and on.
And not only that; that mind itself creates an objective world; that mind itself
creates sense organs for me; in svapna there is a eye, ear and nose, etc. and mind
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itself creates a body for me; I become a fresh subject in dream; and I myself
become an object in dream; I myself become the interactions in dream; I myself
become the consequences in dream; I myself become the emotions in dream also.
You may ask aren't they neurological disturbances; that is all after waking up. You
can talk about all these neurological and all those things after waking up; when you
are dreaming, it is all solid things; subjective is solid, object is solid, threat is also
solid; at that time of dream. That is why somebody asked; waking also may be also
like that. Just as in dream, I am becoming all the three; the ultimate truth may be,
in waking also, ahaṁ ēva idagum sarvaṁ. Now it is not believable; just as in dream
it is not believable. If a dream guru comes and tells; you are sarvaṁ. Do we believe?
It is like that. Perhaps it may be true.
And therefore he says: svapnaḥ asya vibakti avastha bhavathi. Svapna becomes the
unique state or distinct state; vibakthi means distinct state in which sūkṣma śarīra is
dominant; asya means sūkṣma śarīrasya. Svapna is the distinct state of sūkṣma
śarīraṁ; even sūkṣma śarīraṁ is in svapna, the mind part of the sūkṣma śarīraṁ is
meant. We use the word sūkṣma śarīraṁ; but the jñānēndriyāni, karmēndriyani
pañja prāṇāḥ; they are not very much prominent in svapna.
Which part of sūkṣma śarīra is prominent in svapna? anthakāraṇam; and even in

antakāraṇam, all the four are not dominant; the cittam, the memory part is
dominant. Since cittam belongs to sūkṣma śarīraṁ we say sūkṣma śarīra is
dominant.
And how is it experienced? svamātraśēṣēṇa vibhāti. In svapna, sūkṣma śarīra

functions by itself without the aid of the stūla śarīraṁ; it functions by itself without
the aid of the stūla śarīraṁ. So sva mātram; means sūkṣma śarīraṁ, stūla śarīraṁ
does not play a prominent role; whereas in jāgrat avastha, sūkṣma śarīra functions
but not matram, prominent. You need the sūkṣma śarīraṁ as well as the stūla
śarīraṁ. If you want to hear my talk, sūkṣma śarīraṁ alone is not enough; through
the stūla śarīraṁ, the gōlakās you require and you have to hear; but to hear the
dream music, you do not require this gōlakās; to hear the dream class, you need not
come to Vivēkānandaḥ Vidyālaya; the mind itself produces the Vidyālaya; the mind
produces Svāmi also; the mind produces the talk also; the mind produces the ears
also; the mind produces the hearing also; the mind produces the note book also, if
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you are writing notes; the mind produces the non-writing pen also; and then you
borrow it from your neighbour; all these svapna.
Therefore without the aid of the stūla śarīraṁ; svamātraśēṣēṇa; as the mere
instruments; without the help of stūla śarīraṁ, vibhāti, it functions, or it appears
yatra, svapna avasthāyām.
More we will see in the next class.
Hari Om.
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034. Verses 99 to 101
Continuing with the sūkṣma śarīra topic, and in this particular verse, he talks about
the state in which sūkṣma śarīraṁ plays a predominant role and that state is svapna
avastha. In the waking state also, sūkṣma śarīraṁ is required, but sūkṣma śarīraṁ,
functions along with stūla śarīraṁ. And because of that reason only, we are able to
contact the external world; whereas in sleep, there is no physical body operated
dominantly. That means sūkṣma śarīraṁ plays an important role; and naturally we
will not be able to contact the external world but what the sūkṣma śarīraṁ does is, it
creates its own external world within the mind itself.
In fact, everything we can get in the external world, all those things the mind is
capable of projecting by itself, and how does the mind acquire that power. It has the
capacity to register the waking experiences and store those waking experiences in
the form of vāsanas. These stored vāsanas are like the video tape. Video tape can
record only sound and colour. Only two: whereas the mind video tape can record
śabda; sparśa, rūpa, rasa and gandha; all these five can be recorded and all of them
can be projected. So in dream, if you smell a rose, remember that it is the recorded
smell which is activated in dream. And therefore Śankarācārya said svapne buddhiḥ
nana vidha vāsanabhihi varthatē. Rājatē, we have to take the verb from the next
slōka and supply; svapne tu buddhiḥ rājate; so buddhi shines. Here the word shining
is used because at least in jāgrat avastha, I see the external world shining, because
of either the sun or the moon or the electric light, but in svapna, the mind itself is
capable of even illumining the object. Therefore not only the mind creates a world,
the mind illumines the world also; and therefore Śankarācārya uses the word
buddhiḥ rājate and how does it shine; nānāvidhavāsanābhiḥ rājate; it shines with
varieties of vāsanas, vāsanas means recorded experiences are called vāsanaḥ;
another word for vāsana is saṁskārāha; and where did the mind get those
saṁskāra? jāgrat kālīnanānāvidha; jāgrat kālīna means acquired during jāgrat
avastha.
And sometimes people ask, how come I experience certain things which I have not
gathered in jāgrat avastha? For that we have seen three different answers. One is
sometimes we have gathered the experiences and we have forgotten. Sometimes it
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happens, the same face appears to be familiar but you do not know where you met
that person. What do you say? I have a feeling that I have seen him/her
somewhere. That means the vāsana is there, making the face familiar; but I am not
able to recollect where and when I met. And therefore sometimes, we do experience
but it appears that as though we have not experienced in jāgrat; but we have
forgotten.
The second possibility is that we might not have experienced exactly the same, but
different parts of one experience are gathered in different places and we get a
combined new (nowadays they do it, what is that?) cloning, the scientists are doing
the cloning now only; but the mind has the wonderful capacity to clone; so you see
your friend with tiger face something and a lion's tail and lizard nose, some thing like
that. Even though the experience appears to be new, it is all past experiences
combined in a different proportion. This way also dreams are possible.
And then the third possibility is our dream need not be based on this janma only.
According to our scriptures, the vāsanas are gathered in many past janmas; some of
those experiences can also come. Thus, whatever we experience in the dream has to
be experienced in the waking.
Suppose a person claims, in the dream I see the future. Then how can we explain it?
Because future vāsanas I could not have gathered why, because it is future.
Therefore if I experience the future in dream; how do you explain? For that we
answer, first it is a question; whether you are experiencing a future. That is not
known. Let us assume that a person experiences a future in dream, then we say that
it is not called dream.
So if a person experiences the future, that state cannot be called dream at all; it is
some other state in which the mind can have the premonition of future. We do have
such capacity. Everyone has got certain mental capacities to experience the future;
in the case of R̥̄ ṣis; they develop the capacity very very deliberately, but we have not
developed the capacity, because coming events cast their shadow before. Even
animals have that capacity; that is what the scientists are studying; before
earthquake, storms etc. certain animals behave in a particular way. So they are
trying to study that; and if we know how they change their behaviour; from the
animal behaviour they can know an earthquake is going to come. If animals
themselves have that, we have also that; we have not developed it. You may call it
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ESP. They say extra sensory perception; future reading; such capacity our mind has;
but briefly the mind gathers some such experience; but that is not a general thing;
and that does not come under dream at all.
Then what state it belong to? We call it ubhayada prajñaḥ avastha in Mānḍukya;
they are called intermediary states, which cannot be called waking; which cannot be
called dream; which cannot be called sleep. It cannot be called sleep, because mind
is active. It cannot be called dream, because it is not experiencing the past. It
cannot be called waking, because it does not experience the present. What state it
is? It is intermediary state alone. But that being abnormal; we do not discuss that in
the general study of a human being. So in the general study of human beings, we
talk about only three states, but we do have extra ordinary conditions also.
कत्रार्�दभ प्र�तप राजते यत स्वय भा�त ह्यय परात्म |

धीमात्रकोपा�धरशेषसा न �लप्यत तत्कृतकमर्लेश |
यस्मादसङ्गस एव कमर�भः न �लप्यत �किञ्चदुपा�धन कृतैः ||९९||
kartrādibhāvaṁ pratipadya rājatē yatra svayaṁ bhāti hyayaṁ parātmā |
dhīmātrakōpādhiraśēṣasākṣī na lipyatē tatkr̥takarmalēśaiḥ |
yasmādaśaṅgastata ēva karmabhiḥ na lipyatē kiñcidupādhinā kr̥taiḥ ||99||
So the first line should be connected with the previous slōka. Buddhiḥ rājate. In the
dream state, buddhi shines; assuming various roles. What are the different roles
played by buddhi? kartrādibhāvaṁ pratipadya; any transaction requires various
constituents, like the subject of transaction, the object of transaction, the instrument
of transaction; the purpose of transaction; the location of the transaction, there are
many. Suppose we are eating food, subject is myself, object is the food, instruments
is hand and mouth; purpose is removal of hunger, the beneficiary. So subject-
object-instrument-the beneficiary, because all the time I may not be the beneficiary,
I may do that for the same of my son or daughter or somebody or the other,
beneficiary and then the location is there. In Saṁsr̥kt they call it kārakāni; kārakaṁ
means accessories involved in any kriya. Accessories involved in any kriya and in
Saṁsr̥kt grammar, accessory is indicated by one one case ending. Nominative case
is subject accessory; objective case is object accessory; instrumental case is
instrument accessory; then the dative case for beneficiary accessory; that is how
they have got Rāmahā, Rāmai, Rāma aha; Rāmam, Rāmau, Rāma, ramena, Rāmaya,
Rāmaat, Rāmasya, rāme; each case indicates one one what you call accessory,
kārakāni.
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And only when all the accessories come together, an action is produced. Therefore
kāraka janya kriya; accessories produce action. Imagine I alone come to the class
and you all chose to boycott; like the Parliament walk-out; I cannot give the class.
Suppose you all come; but I did not come, no class. So you are also there, I am also
there; but all of you are deaf; suppose; God forbid, just hypothetical, then
instrument is not there; where is the transaction? And all these are there, but the
hall is not available. Location. No transaction is possible. Thus whatever you do,
nominative, accusative, instrumental, dative, ablative and locative; genitive case
should not be included, genitive case is ak kārakāni raka vibhakthi. Anyway that I
would not bother. Thus we have got kārakāni; kārakāni raka produce kriya; kriya
means actions; and actions produces phalam.
Thus what is the world? According to vēdānta; world is equal to kaaraka kriya
phalam. Anything you name, either it will be kārakaṁ; or it will be kriya or it will be
phalam. So vēdānta reduces the world into kāraka kriya phalam. In the waking
state, I am one of the kārakās. Either a subject or an object, etc. and the world
consists of other kārakās; and the kriya and the phalam. Svarga lōkaḥ will come
under what? phalam.
Now, what is the uniqueness of svapna avastha. He says in svapna, buddhi is

capable of becoming all the kārakās. If I am taking a class in dream, who are the
students? you do not come to my dream class. My mind produces all of you. Or if
you are having a dream class, what does your mind do? Your mind produces me;
Svāmiji you came in the dream and told me; tell you did'nt you come. How will I
know? So they want to cross-check with me also. So the mind produces all the
kārakās and the mind itself produces the kriya also; the mind produces the phalam
also.
Therefore Śankarācāry says kartradi bhavam pratipadya. The mind itself becomes
karta, ādhi, etc. all the kārakās, all the kriyas, and all the phalams, the mind itself
generates. So powerful is the mind; so mind is compared to māya; at Īśvara level;
māya has produced this entire waking world; at the jīva level, mind produces the
entire dream world. Therefore it is as powerful as māya.
So pratipadya; pratipadya means assuming all the forms, the buddhi or the sūkṣma
śarīraṁ shines.
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And then from the next line onwards, there is an aside topic. Actually, Śankarācārya
is discussing the anātma now. He has not yet come to ātma; anātma first stage is
over; stūla śarīraṁ. Then anātma second stage we are discussing; sūkṣma śarīraṁ;
thereafter we have to go to kāraṇa śarīraṁ; thereafter alone ātma should come; but
perhaps Śankarācārya is impatient to talk about Ātma perhaps.
So he briefly mentions about ātma in the following five lines. The details will come
later; but he gives an incidental diversion from the main topic and he talks about the
nature of ātma in dream.
And what is the nature of ātma? yatra; yatra means asmin svapnē, in this dream;
parātma, this ātma or the self, is self-effulgent. This ātma is self-effulgent, means
self-evident. Svayaṁ prākāśa svarūpaḥ.
And how does it function? Dhīmātraka upādhiḥ; that the idea of svayaṁ bhāti, etc.
we will elaborately discuss later; since it is an aside topic, I do not want to dwell
upon it elaborately because in its own place, we will be discussing. Therefore I will
give you a simple meaning of this portion. Dhīmātraka upādhiḥ; the ātma functions
through the mind alone during dream. The stūla śarīraṁ is passive. Kāraṇa śarīraṁ
is anyway passive. Therefore stūla śarīraṁ is passive; kāraṇa śarīraṁ is passive;
even all other sense organs are passive; Dhīmātraka upādhiḥ; the mind alone is the
medium of operation; or field of operation. So Dhīmātraka upādhiḥ; upādhi means
medium or field of operation.
And aśeṣa sākṣi. And the ātma illumines the mind and its conditions; itself without
getting affected by whatever happens in dream. Therefore aśeṣa sākṣi; the witness
of all the dream events. The witness of all the dream event is the sākṣi.
And here Śankarācārya talks about the ātma; even though it is an incidental
diversion, I feel that Śankarācārya has deliberately done this because there is a
reason also. In Brihadaranya Upaṇiṣad, there is a Brāhmaṇam, a section called
svayaṁ jyōti Brāhmaṇam, it is a very very significant section. In fact in this slōka
itself, there is a reading difference also in the second line; yat svyamjyoti reading is
there instead of bhati; that svyamjyoti is used to remind us of the svyamjyōti
Brāhmaṇakam of Brihadarnyaka Upaṇiṣad. There the significance of the section is,
the Upaṇiṣad uses dream as an ideal state to recognise the ātma, to understand the
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ātma clearly. This is very elaborately discussed there; I am just giving you the gist of
the portion.
Śankarācārya explains why dream is very important in vēdantic study, because in

the dream alone, mind clearly becomes an object of my experience. In the dream
alone, the mind clearly becomes an object of experience, because every object in
dream is nothing but mind. Therefore when I say I am seeing a tiger in dream, what
is that tiger? The tiger is nothing but my own mind or to be precise my own thought.
Therefore, I am seeing a tiger means I am clearly experiencing a tiger thought as an
object. Similarly I am Svāmiji means what, I am seeing Svāmiji, thought which is
Svāmiji thought, as an object. Thus dream is nothing but my own thought.
During dream, if I am clearly objectifying a world, I am objectifying my own mind.

Therefore, the significance of dream is that the mind is an object in dream, whereas
in the waking mind is predominantly functioning as an instrument. What is the
object? During waking, mind is an instrument, world is the object, the difference you
must understand clearly.
In waking state, mind is the instrument, world is the object; in dream state, mind is
functioning as an object itself. Therefore waking is mind-instrument-state; dream is
mind-object state. OK. That is fine.
Therefore what? We say that when a thing is serving as an object, you can easily
know that it is different from me. When something is serving as an object, you can
very easily know it is different from the subject but when something is serving as an
instrument, the instrument is closely associated with the object or subject? Any
instrument is closely associated with the subject and therefore instrument will be
easily mistaken as the subject.
How to meditate on this idea? An instrument is easily identified as the subject

because it is intimate. And I had given an example, before. Do you remember the
example, when I am seeing this spectacle to find out whether there is some dust or
not, it is clearly an object. I am different; spectacle is different; I am clearly handling
it as an object. And when counting how many things are here in front of me, I will
certainly include the spectacle also as an object. The moment I put the spectacle on,
it has become such an integral part of me, I forget the fact that this is an object, I
take it as the very subject itself. That when I enumerating the object, that I forget
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to include this spectacle. So spectacles is mistaken as the subject, when it is

functioning as an instrument, but when it is functioning as an object, I do not
include it in me.
Thus in the waking state, when I say I, I am including the mind in myself; and
instead of knowing that mind is only an instrument, I have nothing to do with the
mind, I am not the spectale in the mind, and the mind is not included in me; if I
know that, waking state is freedom state; that is jīvan mukthi. But what I do; when I
say, I is that I include the mind in myself and whenever there are problems in the
mind, I never say that the mind is affected, I say what: I am upset, and therefore,
the dream state has got an advantage. Aśeṣa sākṣi.
This is very elaborately discussed by Śankarācārya in Svayaṁ Jyoti Brāhmaṇa and

analyses and every point I said Śankarācārya makes this very clear and therefore
dream becomes very important for vēdantic analysis. And in what way it serves the
purpose I clearly know that I am not the mind; mind is only an object in dream; and
it is an instrument in waking. I am neither the objective-mind nor I the instrumental-
mind; I am neither an object nor an instrument. Therefore only, ātma is explained a
little here by him. Significance. So Aśeṣa Sākṣi.
And therefore only upaadina satkrita karma lesaihi na lipyate. Therefore only ātma is
not tainted by all the karmās done in dream. All the karmās done in dream do not
taint me; karma lesaihi means even a bit, a wee-bit of pāpam does not come to me.
That's why, suppose a person does a crime in svapna and then he was arrested in
svapna of course, and he is taken to Court in dream, and then life imprisonment is
given, and he is dragged by the police and he is pushed into the prison and he falls
against the wall and hits his head and wakes up. Where does he wake up? In the
waking. And then how many more years life imprisonment he should continue. Life?
or imprisonment?; sadyomukthi, he is free immediately.
In the same way, we are trying to rub off the sañcita karma, agami karma,
prārabdha karma, etc. how to destroy, we are all struggling; you wake up to your
nature, you are free from all the karmās. But you have to wake up. No shortcut for
that.
Therefore, tadkrita; here tat means buddhi krita; karma lēśaihi, na lipyatē.
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And why is the ātma not affected? yasmat asaṅgaḥ. Since the consciousness is
unattached to anything; like the space which is not affected by the things in the
space, just as this screen, is not affected by the movie episodes; Similarly, I the
ātma, is not affected by the mental episodes.
Viśvaṁ Darpana Dr̥śyamana nagari, Tulyam Nijadhargadam,

Pasyan ātmani māyaya bahir evo bhūtām eta nidraya;
ya saksat kurute praboda śamaye, svātmaana mēva svayaṁ.
I am asaṅgaḥ. And sataha ēva, because of asaṅga nature only; karma bhihi na
lipyatē. So it is repetition of the previous line; after giving the reason, he gives the
nigamanam, because it is asaṅgah, it is not affected both puṇyam and pāpam.
Karma done by whom, upādhinā kr̥taiḥ, by the karmās done by the medium. Upadihi
here means the instrument; it is a technical word, technical meaning we will see in a
later context, here it is enough if you note this much; upadhi means medium of
transaction. Kincid na lipyatē; it is not affected even a little bit.
So this verse, i.e. verse No.100, which we are going to see, that is also in a viṣaṁa
vrittham; I do not know whether you remember, certain slōkas have got peculiar
meters, that it cannot be chanted properly; it has to be read like prose.
सव्र व्यापृ�तकर �लङ्ग�मद स्यािच्चदात् पुंसः |
वास्या�दक�म त�णस्तेनैवात् भवत्यसङ्गोऽय ||१००||
sarvavyāpr̥tikaraṇaṁ liṅgamidaṁ syāccidātmanaḥ puṁsaḥ |

vāsyādikamiva takṣṇastēnaivātmā bhavatyaśaṅgō:'yam ||100||
So he continues with the topic of sūkṣma śarīraṁ. In this verse he talks about its
role in jāgrat avastha. In svapna avastha, sūkṣma śarīraṁ, especially the mind is a
clear object of experience and how the mind is object, we should know very clearly.
You do not see the mind as mind in dream, you experience the mind as thoughts in
dream; and thought are also not experienced as thoughts, but tiger thought is
experienced as tiger in dream and man-thought is experienced as man in dream.
How do you know tiger thought alone is experienced as tiger? Because we know a
real tiger is not around. I am not lying in a zoo or anything, but I am in my room,
there is no chance of tiger coming around. Therefore the dream-tiger must be within
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the mind alone and within the mind alone, can a tiger sit; within my mind tiger can
exist only in the form of thought. Therefore seeing tiger as very much real object, it
is facing me also; and I am running; that solid tiger in dream is my own mind. So
thus mind is an object in dream; whereas the mind or sūkṣma śarīraṁ is an
instrument in waking.
And what vēdānta says is whether the mind is serving as an object or an instrument,
it cannot be the subject. Whether you look upon the mind as an object or you look
up as an instrument; either way, I am different from the mind. Whether the
spectacle serves as an object when I am wiping it; or whether it is an instrument,
when I am reading the book, I am not the spectacle.
So therefore he says, idam liṅgam kāraṇam syat; When? In the waking state; this
liṅgam means what; sūkṣma śarīraṁ; is clearly an instrument.
Instrument for what? sarva vyakriti; for all transactions. It is like the toolkit used by
any mechanic. He will only carry a suit case, it will have the screwdriver in that
spanner in that, hammer in that; the carpenter will have kit tools, and another
eletrician will have his tools; plumber will have his tool kit; Similarly human beings
has got a sūkṣma śarīraṁ suitcase in which there are 19 instruments are there;
which can be used anytime anywhere as you choose. You are listening through the
ears, you are seeing through the eyes; suddenly you are writing, how you are doing
all of them quickly.
So therefore sarva vyapara kāraṇam; vyakriti means vyapara; vyapara means

transaction; for all transactions Bhagavān has provided instruments. And if they are
weak, we augument the power by adding; microscope, telescope, or spectacle; or
hearing aid for the ear; false teeth some times; so we add but I tell you all our
additions can work only when the sense organs are there. Blind man can put
spectacle only to cover up the blindness; but it is useless. So Bhagavān has given all
of them.
Instruments for whom, who is the subject, cidātmanaḥ puṁsaḥ; for the cidātmanaḥ,
who is the subject of all experiences. Pumsaḥ means here the purusaha, the ātma.
It means the subject. Here the word pumsaḥ does not refer to a male or the physical
body, but here it refers to the conscious being. You have to take it like that. For the
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conscious being, known as chidātma, caitanya svarūpam, sūkṣma śarīraṁ is an

instrument.
Like what? An example is given; takṣṇaḥ vāsyādikamiva; taksa means a carpentar;

for a carpentar, vāsyādikam, vasyadikam means the chisel; the uli, that is called
vasihi; adi means the hammer, etc.; just as chisel, hammer, etc. are instruments for
a carpentar; similarly, for the jivātma, the sukma śarīraṁ is only an instrument.
And the instrument can never be taken as my integral part, not that all the time,
that is what they ask the question? A driver was going on one way and in wrong
direction and he was never caught by the police; why, children's quiz, you know.
This is question; a driver goes on a one way street, violating the opposite direction
and he was not caught by the police, why? This is something we have to think. He
was not caught because he was walking.
So we think that drivers are eternally behind the wheels driving. He was walking;
driver drives a car; he might use the instrument; but they are not integral part; they
will be there; they will not be there; instrument is not my integral part; once you
understand mind also as an instrument; I am a karta like the driver; sometimes, but
that is not my essential nature; just as driver's driverhood is not essential nature, my
karta's kartr̥tvam is not essential; bhōktā's bhoktrutvam is not essential; speaker's
speakerhood is not essential; as long as I am using sūkṣma śarīraṁ, I have got
those statuses. In suṣupti, I drop my sūkṣma śarīraṁ; where is kartr̥tvam and
bhoktrutvam. Why are you taking kartr̥tvam as your essential nature and suffer?
That is what it is.
Vasyadikam iva takshnaḥ tenaiva; because of that reason only, because of which
reason? Since this sūkṣma śarīraṁ is only a temporarily used instrument, therefore
ayaṁ asaṅgaḥ ayaṁ ātma asaṅgaḥ bhavathi. Therefore this ātma is essentially free
from, undifferent from sūkṣma śarīraṁ.
So while you talk about stūla śarīraṁ, it is compared to a residence; a grihaṁ;

aayatanam; a house or office. Stūla śarīraṁ is compared to office; sūkṣma śarīraṁ is
compared to your computer, (modern, you see), or your telephone, or your fax
machine, etc.; office is also not you; the various instruments also is not you. That
does not mean that you should run away from them; use them by all means; but do
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not get carried away by them. Use the office; use your instruments; but remember,
you are different from all of them.
अन्धत्वमन्दत्वपटुत्व
सौगण
ु ्यवैगुण्यवशा च�ुषः |
बा�धयर्मूकत्वमुखास्त
श्रोत्रा�द न तु वेत्तुरात्म ||१०१||
andhatvamandatvapaṭutvadharmāḥ
sauguṇyavaiguṇyavaśāddhi cakṣuṣaḥ |
bādhiryamūkatvamukhāstathaiva
śrōtrādidharmā na tu vētturātmanaḥ ||101||
So he said that sūkṣma śarīraṁ is an instrument or it is a bundle of many

instruments. Now Śankarācārya says: you should recognise one fact, any instrument
will have different conditions of efficacy. As you say, like the statement, new broom
sweep well, any instrument will be very effective in the beginning, even the
carpenter's chisel, he will use and thereafterwards you will see that he will have a
separate place, he will sharpen it; why? Because instrument is that which is subject
to deterioration. Instrument is that which is subject to deterioration and when it
deteriorates, you improve it; and after improving several times, you will have to
throw away. It's all.
These are all very very natural to the instrument, but when an instrument has
become weaker, do you say the carpenter has become weaker. Carpenter is the
carpenter; whatever be the condition of his instrument. The efficacy of operation
may come down; when the instrument is weaker; but remember, the carpenter is
not affected by the different conditions of the instrument.
Extend it to the human instruments also; you take the eye which is one of the
important instrument; it has got three conditions; antatva; mandatva, paduṭva;
paduṭva means sharpness, You say he has eagle eye; sharp eye called paduṭva;
after some days, mandatvam; Mandatvam means what? dullness of vision; because
of any reason; cataract or this or that; and afterwards sometimes, need not always
happen, andatvam; blindness.
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Therefore sharpness of vision, dullness of vision, blindness of vision; all these three
belong to whom; there is the question; all these three belong to the question; what
we answer? I am blind; I am dull; I am sharp.
Śankarācārya says that is the mistake you commit. You are neither sharp, nor dull.
But what? the instrument that you are using has got these conditions; therefore the
kāraṇams has got dharmāḥ, whereas the ātma is nirdharmaka; so antatvah,
mandatvah, paduṭvah dharmāḥ; dharmāḥ means characteristics; conditions;
properties.
For whom? Cakṣuṣaḥ; for the eye; and why they belong to the eyes; because
sauguṇya vaiguṇya vaśat; because of the healthy or sick condition of the eye.
Sauguṇyam means healthy condition; vaiguṇyam means the sick condition; because
of these healthy and unhealthy conditions; vaśat means because of; because of
these conditions, eyes becomes either sharp or dull or totally blind.
And he says you can extend this to not only jñānēndriyās; but other karmēndriyās
also; other jñānēndriyās as well as karmēndriyās also. What is that? Bhādiryam;
Bhādiryam means deafness of the ears; and there also you have to extend,
mandatvam and paduṭvam; so sharp hearing; dull hearing; or no hearing;
bhādiryam total no hearing; mandatvam and paduṭvam; ear is little mandatvam; we
say that for even the stomach, ear; for some the mind itself is mandam. There is
mandatvam in everything.
So therefore bhādriyam, then mūkatvam, mūkatvam means dumbness; corresponds

to karmēndriya; andatvam and bhādriyam go to the jñānēndriya; mūkatvam is for
the organ of speech and there are also mandatvam and padutvam; you can very
clearly speak or mandatvam means kozha kozha, after the dropping of the teeth,
talk by your grandfather is not understood; or because of paralysis problem and all,
there is a sluggishness in the talk; when you are sleepy also, that mandatvam is
there; and total dumbness also can happen. All those things mukhā; mukhā, means
etc. Sometimes mukham means face, but sometime the word mukha especially at
the end of a compound, mukha means etc. In the Bhagavad Gītā, Bhishma Drona
pramukhataḥ; sarvesham cha mahikshitam; there pramukam is not prakarṣena
mukham, very good mouth you should not say, there pramukha is, etc.
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Here bādhiryamūkatvamukhā, etc. are also tathaivaśrōtrādidharmā; they are all

properties of ears etc. that means they are properties of only instruments; na tu
vētturātmanaḥ; none of them belong to the ātma, the subject, who is the knower,
vētuḥ means sākṣina. None of them belongs to the sākṣi; I am the eternal,
unaffected subject. I am the eternal unaffected subject; mind is also different from
me, an instrument; and everything else is different.
Hari Om.
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035. Verses - 102 to 106
अन्धत्वमन्दत्वपटुत्व
सौगण
ु ्यवैगुण्यवशा च�ुषः |
बा�धयर्मूकत्वमुखास्त
श्रोत्रा�द न तु वेत्तुरात्म ||१०१||
andhatvamandatvapaṭutvadharmāḥ
sauguṇyavaiguṇyavaśāddhi cakṣuṣaḥ |
bādhiryamūkatvamukhāstathaiva
śrōtrādidharmā na tu vētturātmanaḥ ||101||
Śankarācārya continues with the topic of sūkṣma śarīraṁ, which the second part of
anātma, and in this slōka which we have just completed, Śankarācārya pointed out
various efficiencies and deficiencies belong to the sūkṣma śarīraṁ alone and ātma
does not have any property at all.
Because sūkṣma śarīraṁ is a bundle of instruments, any instrument can be either

very efficient or it can be dull or it can be totally non-functioning. That's what he
said; andatvam, mandatvam, paṭutvam. Paṭutvam is a common word, general word,
which refers to the efficiency of any organ. Mandatvam is also a general word, which
indicates the dullness of any organ; then andatvam etc. refers to total non-
functioning of the eyes. Similarly bādriyam is the total non-functioning of the ears;
etc.
And Śankarācārya said all these properties belong to the organs alone; nathu
ātmanaḥ vēttuḥ; it does not belong to ātma, the knower. Up to this we saw:
उच्छ्वास�नःश्वास�वजृम्भण
प्रस्यन्दनाद्युत्क्र �क्रय |
प्राणा�दकमार वदिन् त�ाः
प्राण धमार्वशना�पपास ||१०२||
ucchvāsaniḥśvāsavijr̥mbhaṇakṣut
prasyandanādyutkramaṇādikāḥ kriyāḥ |
prāṇādikarmāṇi vadanti tajñāḥ
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prāṇasya dharmāvaśanāpipāsē ||102||
In this slōka Śankarācārya is referring to the functions of the pañja prāṇa. So he has
talked jñānēndriyās, karmēndriyās as well as the antakāraṇam, mano, buddhi citta
ahaṁkāram; now he is talking about the pañja prāṇās and their functions. What are
some of their functions? He says ucchvāsa, ucchvāsa means breathing in, niḥśvāsa is
breathing out, vijr̥mbhaṇaḥ means yawning; yawning is vijr̥mbhaṇaḥ, then kṣut
means sneezing, then prasyandanam means all types of secretions from any part of
the body, like secretions from the tear glands in the form of tears. Similarly from
every organ, from the nose, saliva. Thus we have different glands, which secret
different juices; all these are called prasyadanam; then utkramaṇam, utkramanam
means vomiting; not a general karma, but whenever there is any poison in the
system then the pañja prāṇās functions to remove them out. So prasyandanam,
utkramaṇādikāḥ kriyāḥ; all these functions are shared by pañja prāṇās, some of
them belong to prāṇās, some of them belong to apāna, some of them belong to
vyāna etc. In short these pañja prāṇās share all these functions.
Therefore he says prāṇādikarmani vadanti. All these are said to be the functions of
prāṇādi, ādhi padāt, prāṇa, apāna, vyāna, udāna, śamāna karmāni.
Of these, prāṇāsya dharmah, among the pañja prāṇās, one of them is itself called
prāṇaḥ. So the word prāṇa, we have to carefully note; it can refer to one of the
pañja prāṇās also, is called prāṇaḥ and it is also the collective name of all these five.
Thus the word prāṇaḥ can refer to one function; or it can refer to the collective all.
Now in the third line, the collective prāṇaḥ is talked about and in the fourth line,
individual prāṇa is talked, and its function is aśanāpipāsē; aśana is hunger, pipāsē
means thirst; hunger and thirst are functions of prāṇa particularly. And here
Śankarācārya does not talk about the individual functions; we have seen that before.
Prāṇa generally stands for respiratory system; apāna stands for excretory system;
vyāna stands for circulatory system; samāna stands for digestive system; and udāna
stands for reversing system; by reversing system, we mean vomiting etc. in which
the normal process is reversed. Udānah becomes active only under two conditions,
one condition is when there is poison in the system, to reverse the general process,
udāna functions, especially like vomiting.
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And second occasion when the udāna is active is maraṇa and anthakāla, because at
that time, every process has to be reversed; every process has to be withdrawn; and
finally the very prāṇa will have to be taken out of the body. In fact out, means
taking out; utkranaṇa kārāḥ; udānaḥ. So these details Śankarācārya does not give
here; he talks about generally.
अन्तःकरणमेतेष च�ुरा�दषु वष्मर् |

अह�मत्य�भमाने �तष्त्याभासतेजस ||१०३||
antaḥkaraṇamētēṣu cakṣurādiṣu varṣmaṇi |
ahaṁityabhimānēna tiṣṭhatyābhāsatējasā ||103||
अहंकारः स �व�ेयः कतार भोक्ता�भमान्यय |

सत्त्वा�दगुणयोग चावस्थात्रयमश् ||१०४||
ahaṁkāraḥ sa vijñēyaḥ kartā bhōktābhimānyāyam |
sattvādiguṇayōgēna cāvasthātrayaṁaśnutē ||104||
Now Śankarācārya wants to introduce the ahaṁkāra principle, which is called karta,
bhōkta, pramāta, the very individual jīva. And what is that karta? the very
antakāraṇam is called karta; the very antakāraṇam which includes manaḥ, buddhiḥ,
cittam and ahaṁkāraḥ, all these functions that mental stuff is called ahaṁkāra.
We should remember, according to śāstra mind is a material, a solid stuff. The only
difference is mind is a subtle matter, a subtle material but it is a thing, according to
śāstra, we call it antakāraṇa dravyam. In English, we call it mental stuff or the mind
stuff.
And it is this dravyam which has got four types of vr̥ttis or thought modes.
And when a particular type of thought occur, the mind stuff is called manaḥ;
and another type of thought mode occurs, the very same stuff is called buddhiḥ;
and when another type of thought modes takes place, the very stuff is called cittam;
and when there is ‘I’ thought is occurring, then the very stuff is called ahaṁkārah.
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So we have to differentiate ahaṁkārah vr̥tti and anthakāraṇah dravyam.
Now what is the difference between the ahaṁkāra and ahaṁkāra vr̥tti? You have to
carefully understand. Ahaṁkāra refers to the very stuff, the material is called
ahaṁkāra, and that ahaṁkāra material can have four types of thought and one type
of thought happens to be ahaṁkāra vr̥tti itself.
So thus ahaṁkāra dravyam entertains ahaṁkāra-vr̥tti to invoke itself; ahaṁkārah

dravyam entertains pot-vr̥tti to invoke a pot; ahaṁkārah dravyam entertains man-
vr̥tti to invoke a man; ahaṁkāra dravyam entertains ahaṁkāra-vr̥tti to invoke what?
not pot or cot, but to invoke itself.
During pot vr̥tti, ahaṁkāra dravyam is there; during man-vr̥tti, ahaṁakra dravyam;
dravyam do you understand, that matter, the stuff is there. During all the vr̥ttis,
ahaṁkāra dravyam is there; during ahaṁkārah vr̥tti is also there, ahaṁkārah
dravyam is there.
Of these, ahaṁkārah dravyam is persistent, whereas ahaṁkāra vr̥tti is not all the
time there. When you are listening to me, ahaṁkāra dravyam is listening; and the
vr̥tti is what vr̥tti. My words determine the type of thoughts. Therefore ahaṁkāram
dravyam is there, but you are not entertaining ahaṁkārah vr̥tti.
When will ahaṁkāra vr̥tti come? Suppose I ask who are you; what is your education;
what are your degree etc.; when you are thinking and talking about yourselves, you
are entertaining ahaṁkāra vr̥tti; ahaṁkāra vr̥tti is not always; ahaṁkāra dravyam is
always there. And that ahaṁkāra dravyam is there. And that ahaṁkāra dravyam is
otherwise called antakāraṇam dravyam and it is this antakāraṇa dravyam which is
otherwise called ahaṁkāra dravyam, which is called kartah; bhōktā; pramāta, jīvaḥ;
OK.
Now a question comes; how can this ahaṁkārah dravyam; the antakāraṇa dravyam,
be called a jīvaḥ? Because after all jīvah is a sentient one; whereas ahaṁkāra
dravyam is made up of matter. That you yourselves say dravyam; dravyam means
material; for which Śankarācārya gives answer.
The mind-stuff is matter only; but it is such a subtle matter, that it is capable of
receiving the reflected consciousness; just as a fine mirror is capable of receiving the
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reflected sunlight. And not only the mirror can receive the reflection, the mirror also
can become a bright luminous illuminator. Mirror by itself cannot illumine anything,
but with reflected Sun, the mirror can be used to illumine anything. Similarly mind
stuff is inert but reflected consciousness, the mind staff becomes sentient entity.
And this is referred to in the slōka as ābhāsatējaḥ. This is a technical slōka;

ābhāsatējaḥ; means reflected consciousness. ābhāsatējaḥ means reflected
consciousness where, in the mind stuff.
Once the mind receives the reflection, it is capable of entertaining two types of
thoughts;
either self-referring thought called ahaṁ vr̥tti;

or non-self referring thought which is called idam vr̥tti.
Self-referring thought, when you talk about yourselves; ahaṁ vr̥tti; when you talk
about something other than myself, that is idam vr̥tti, non-self-referring thought.
This thought is not the stuff; the mind stuff is not the thought. Generally people say
mind is a flow of thought. Śāstra does not accept that. Mind is not a flow of
thought, mind has flow of thought. Ocean is not waves; ocean has waves.
Ocean is the locus of waves. Before arise ocean is; when the waves are, ocean is;
even after the resolution of the waves, ocean is.
Similarly ahaṁ vr̥tti and idam vr̥tti rise in the mind stuff; they exist in the mind stuff
and they resolve in the mind stuff. During sleep, mind is not absent; during sleep,
mind is non-functional. And what do you mean by non-functional mind? I does not
entertain ahaṁ vr̥tti or idam vr̥tti. And this mind stuff, which is not the thought, but
which is the locus of the I-thought and this-thought, that vr̥ttimat antakāraṇam is
called ahaṁkāraḥ. And therefore he says saha ahaṁkāraḥ vijñēyaḥ; so that
antakarṇam, mind stuff is to be understood as ahaṁkāra.
And what does it do? karta, bhōktā abhīmāni ayaṁ. So this stuff alone, this material
alone, this sūkṣma śarīraṁ alone, claims itself; abhīmāni means, claims itself to be
karta and bhōktā. It is the mind with reflected consciousness which is claiming itself
to be ahaṁ karta; and ahaṁ bhōktā.
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And not only that, it is this ahaṁkāra which is made of the pañja bhūtās and which
pañja bhūtās themselves are made of the māya, triguṇaatmika māya, and it is this
ahaṁkāra, this antakāraṇam, which possesses three guṇas, satva, rajas and tamō
guṇa. They do not belong to the ātma caitanyaṁ; they belong to what? The
ahaṁkāra; what is the ahaṁkāra, sūkṣma śarīra matter plus reflected consciousness.
And this is known as ahaṁkāra, endowed with satvādhi guṇa yōgena. Satvam, rajas
and tamas; three guṇās are associated with this. And since the ahaṁkāra can be
sātvik, rājasic or tāmasic and based on that alone, we divide the humanity also as
guṇa Brāhmaṇaha, guṇa kṣatriyaḥ.
In my introduction I talked about, guṇa Brāhmaṇaḥ, guṇa kṣatriyaḥ, guṇa vaiśyaḥ,

guṇa śūdraḥ; based on satva pradhāna, raja pradhāna, tama pradhāna. All these
divisions belong to what: ahaṁkāra alone can be Brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya etc. What
about ātma, it is jāti-nīti-kula-gōthra dūrakam. Ātma is neither Brāhmaṇa nor
kṣatriya nor vaiśya.
Then somebody asks: Svāmiji if ātma is not Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya or vaiśya, why can't
everybody do every karma? Why so many objections are there; that Brahmins alone
can do these karmās; kṣatriyās alone can do these karmās; men alone can do these
karmās; ladies alone can do these karmās; afterall ātma is free from all Brāhmaṇa-
kṣatriyādhi bhēda; then why can't I do all karmās?
So the answer is: ātma is free from jāti-bhēda, at the same time, ātma cannot do
any karma also. So where is the question of ātma doing any karma. The moment a
person wants to do karma; he is talking from what standpoint; ahaṁkāra stand
point.
Once ahaṁkāra standpoint comes, Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, puruṣaḥ, stri
bhēda is going to come. Once karma kānda comes in, varṇāsramadi bhēda comes;
at ātma level varṇāṣramādhi bhēda is also not there; karmās are also not there. So
we can never argue; why since ātma does not have jāti bhēdam, why all karmās
cannot be done by anyone. You should not ask that at all. Ātma does not have jāti-
bhēdam; and Ātma also does not have karma. Then why do you want to do this
karma and that karma. The moment you want to do karma, you have become
ahaṁkāra, the moment you have become ahaṁkāra, bhēdas will have to be
accepted; equality among ahaṁkāra is a ridiculous logic.
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People say advaita is talking about equality; and therefore we should treat all the
people equally. Śāstra says advaita talks about equality at ātma level. Once the
functional society comes, it is no more ātma level; functioning society is at what
level? Ahaṁkāra level; ahaṁkāra level when it comes, varṇa, āsrama, karma, vidhi,
niṣēda differences will come. Therefore what I want to say is ahaṁkāra has got
sātvika ahaṁkāra, rājasa ahaṁkāra, and tāmasika ahaṁkāra.
Not only that, in keeping with the fluctuating guṇās of one ahaṁkāra, I talked about
different guṇās of different ahaṁkārās. Now with regard to one ahaṁkāra itself, the
guṇās fluctuate and Śankarācārya says in keeping with the fluctuations, three
avasthās are experienced, known as jāgrat avastha, svapna avastha and suṣupti
avastha. Depending upon the pre-dominance of the three guṇās, the three avasthās
are experienced. During suṣupti avastha, which guṇa is predominant; you know;
tamō guṇa is predominant. Therefore it is suṣupti avastha in which tamas is
predominant. And jāgrat avastha is supposed to be rajō guṇa predominant state
because the mind is fully active in jāgrat avastha, manaḥ, buddhiḥ, cittam and
ahaṁkāra; all of them fully function and since the activity is predominant, even
knowing activity is predominant, it is called rāja pradhana avastha; whereas svapna
avastha is said to be satva pradhana avastha, where there is only awareness of
whatever is happening, karmēndriyās are not functioning; jñānēndriyās are not
functioning; fresh knowledge is not being acquired at all; there is only witnessing
what is happening in the mind; and therefore it is what avastha? satva pradhana
avastha; and therefore satvādhi guṇa yōgēna avastha trayaṁ aśnutē.
And the three avasthās belong to whom; ahaṁkāra or ātma? Belong to ahaṁkāra
alone; ātma only illumines the three states of ahaṁkāra, ātma itself does not
possess these three states.
�वषयाणामानुकूल्य सुखी दःख

ु ी �वपयर्य |
सुखं दःखं
ु च तद्धम सदानन्दस नात्मन ||१०५||
viṣayāṇāmānukūlyē sukhī duḥkhī viparyayē |
sukhaṁ duḥkhaṁ ca taddharmaḥ sadānandasya nātmanaḥ ||105||
I did not give you the meaning; the meaning of 103, though explanation was given.
I did not give you the meaning of 103. The mind material, the mind-stuff ābhāsa
tējasā tiṣṭhati; remains insentient with reflected consciousness; ābhāsa tējas means
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borrowed consciousness; borrowed from the ātma. And what is the function of that
antakāraṇam? Ahaṁ iti abhīmānēna; by entertaining ahaṁ vr̥tti, it has got ahaṁ
identification, I-notion, ahaṁkāraḥ. And where does it entertain the ahaṁkāra
buddhi? ētēṣu cakṣurādiṣu; in various organs it has got identification; it identifies
with the eyes and says I see. Normally it should have said eyes are seeing; but
instead of saying eyes are seeing; the ahaṁkāra identifies with the eyes; and it says
I see; I hear; I smell; I taste; etc. This ahaṁvr̥tti is entertained by ahaṁkāra.
Not only it identifies with the all the seventeen organs, but it also identifies with the
physical body. So varṣma means stūla śarīraṁ; through the sūkṣma śarīraṁ, it
identifies with the stūla śarīraṁ also.
And with the stūla śarīraṁ also, what type of identification? I-identification only. So
when the body is seated, the ahaṁkāra says: I am seated. So when the physical
body is travelling, the ahaṁkāra says I am travelling. So when the physical body is
fat, ahaṁkāra says I am fat; that it identifies its own organ; it identifies with the
physical body also and then in the next slōka, the very same ahaṁkāra is set to
experience avastha trayaṁ also.
And now in this slōka 105, Śankarācārya says, the very same ahaṁkāra experiences
sukham and duḥkhaṁ. Now the idea that Śankarācārya wants to convey is that the
sūkṣma śarīra alone is popularly known as jīvaḥ; sūkṣma śarīra alone is popularly
known as jīvaḥ or jīvātma. I say popularly, by the word popularly what I mean, by
the ignorant people, because ignorance is the most popular thing in the world. And
why do we say so? because people talk about the jīvātma leaving the physical body
and going to various lōkaḥs.
So when they talk about jīvātma leaving the body, what are they referring? The
sūkṣma śarīraṁ alone they are referring; because sūkṣma śarīraṁ alone leaves the
physical body and also acquires another physical body, whereas when vēdānta uses
the word jīvātma, it has got a different reference; what is that? in the sūkṣma
śarīraṁ itself, there is borrowed consciousness; that Conciousness is referred as
jīvātma in the vēdānta.
Can you identify the difference? Sūkṣma śarīraṁ is also there; and in that sūkṣma
śarīraṁ there is the borrowed consciousness. Ignorant people refer to the sūkṣma
śarīraṁ part as jīvātma; wise people refer to the consciousness part as jīvātma. If
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you are referring to the sūkṣma-śarīraṁ-part, jīvātma travels from birth to birth. If
you are referring to the consciousness-part, I will say jīvātma is none other than the
all-pervading paramātma. Remember the example, when I show my finger here,
either I can refer to the hand-part or I can refer to the light-part. What is popularly
taken? When the finger is shown here; popularly taken thing is the hand-part; and if
I am going to take the popular meaning, I have to accept the movement; but if you
are taking the light-part, I can say this does not move. So I can say that this moves.
I can also say that this does not move. When I say that this moves; it refers to the
hand, when I say this does not move, it refers to the light.
Similarly we say jīvātma travels; we also say jīvātma never travels. Which is correct?
Both are correct. How can both be correct? It all depends upon what you understand
by the word jīvātma; if you are referring to the sūkṣma śarīraṁ part of jīvātma, it
travels. You are doing śraddhāḥ for the travelling sūkṣma śarīraṁ part of jīvātma; at
the same time, when I am referring to the consciousness part of the jīvātma, then I
will say tat tvam asi. Na jāyatē mriyatā va kadacit, nityaḥ; sarvagataḥ; stānuḥ,
acalaḥ.
When you take sūkṣma śarīraṁ part, it is called primary meaning; when you take
the consciousness part, it is called the secondary meaning. If you take jīvātma from
primary meaning standpoint, it travels. If you take jīvātma from secondary meaning
standpoint, it does not travel. In Karma kānda, primary meaning jīvātma is taken;
therefore śraddhāḥ tarpaṇam. In vēdānta, the secondary meaning jīvātma is taken,
therefore no śraddhā, no tarpaṇa, nothing is there.
If this distinction is not known; our scriptures are most confusing. Sometimes they
say ātma does not go anywhere; nityam śuddham karma; and then say do the
śraddhāḥ, tarpaṇa, etc. All these for what; So we have to ask the question; are you
ignorant or wise. So it all depends upon in which status I am.
Therefore here, he says: this jīvātma which is the ahaṁkāra is sukhi and duḥkhi. So
whether I am ignorant or wise, you can easily detect. I have to only ask you a
question, are you a happy one or unhappy one. If I am a wise person, I will say;
happiness or unhappiness? That all belong to the mind alone; I am not the mind; I
am the ātma, which is beyond all these things. If I can claim that, I am no more
ahaṁkāra; I am no more ignorant; but majority of people say, I am miserable, I am
suffering. From that it is very clear, they are identified with what? The ahaṁkāra;
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therefore this ahaṁkāra is; this jīvātma is; the ignorant person jīvātma is sukhi, is a
happy, when?
viṣayāṇāmānukūlyē; when everything goes well. Husband is fine; fine means what;
he behaves as I want; that is called fine; wife is fine means what; she behaves as I
want. Everything is fine, when everything behaves as I want, including the weather.
When I want rain, it should rain and it is nice weather. When I do not want rain, it
should not rain, it is nice weather. That means my definition of niceness itself will
vary from time to time. And when everybody including planet and God and
neighbours and children; everybody behaves as I want; I call it ānukūlyam; and
when there is ānukūlyam with regard to external conditions, I am all bright; smile;
smilo smile; you smile at people you know as well as those you do not know.
General smile. viṣayāṇām ānukūlyam. We smile without reason also to ourselves.
viṣayāṇām ānukūlyē sukham.
But viparyaye, when things are not going as I want, no smile; even if that person is
well known person, and he is smiling at me, no reciprocation. All these are struggles
of what? the jivātma, the ahaṁkāra, the sūkṣma śarīra pradhāna jīvātma
ahaṁkāraḥ.
And then Śankarācārya says sukham duḥkhaṁ ca tat dharma. These ups and downs
of pleasure and pain belong to the sūkṣma śarīra pradhana jīvātma, the ahaṁkāra
alone. The sukham and duḥkhaṁ belong to the sūkṣma śarīra pradhāna jīvātma;
sūkṣma śarīra focused jīvātma, because whenever you say I am miserable you are
referring to the sūkṣma śarīraṁ part alone, not to the caitanyaṁ part, because
caitanyaṁ does not have any sukham/duḥkhaṁ, any change at all. Just as whatever
happens to the hand, light is not affected. Therefore, sūkṣma śarīra pradhāna
jīvātma has got sukham, duḥkhaṁ. And sādhanāndasya ātmanaḥ na. None of them
belong to the ātma.
Śankarācārya quietly forgets the topic. Here he wants to talk about anātma alone.
He is not supposed to cross the line, that yellow line is there. He has to confine to
stūla śarīraṁ; sūkṣma śarīraṁ, kāraṇa śarīraṁ and after completing kāraṇa śarīraṁ,
he should come to ātma. But Śankarācārya loves the ātma so much, that
unknowingly he transgresses as it were and suddenly he says ātmanaḥ (he has not
talked about ātma itself suddenly he comes and tells) does not have sukham or
duḥkhaṁ; that is finite pleasure and finite pain do not belong to ātma.
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And then what is ātma? sādhanāndasya; ātma has got permanent ānandaḥ;
sādhanāndaḥ. So this we have to very carefully understand. In the previous line he
says: ātma does not have sukham. Next line he says ātma is external ānandaḥ. It
does not have sukham but has ānandam.
So that means Śankarācārya means something by the word sukham, and he means
something else by the word ānandaḥ. What is the difference; we will study this
more later.
But since this topic has come, I will like to indicate. All experiential pleasures are
called sukham. All experiential pleasures are called sukham. Ānandaḥ is non-
experiential. All experiential pleasures are called sukham, ānandaḥ is non-
experiential. Ānandaḥ can never be translated as any experiential pleasure because
any experiential pleasure is finite. Why do you say that any experiential pleasure is
finite, because any experience is finite. Any experience is finite. That is why we
repeatedly assert, even the so-called nirvikalpaka samādhi in which a person may
experience the highest pleasure, that also we can call sukham only, we cannot call it
ānandaḥ.
Why, logic do you understand? You should think deeply. Without thinking if you are
going on saying something, vēdānta will be misunderstood.
In Nirvikalpaka śamadhi, if a person experiences the highest bliss, it is a bliss

experienced in nirvikalpaka śamadaḥi, and those yōgis themselves point out that I
had the pleasure and now I have come down. They call it śamadhi avastha; and
they call it duḥkha avastha later. And they also say that after experiencing that
highest bliss, when they come down, they feel so much depressed and pain.
Somebody says it is like scorpion stinging all over; why because, that Ānandaḥ was
so wonderful, like coming out of air-conditioning room, in Madras May weather.
How would it be. Therefore we say that even the highest bliss that is experienced in
the most ecstatic state will come under sukham alone; it can never be called
ānandaḥ.
Then what is Ānandaḥ. It is not a particular experience, but it is nothing but

purṇatvam owned up by jñānaṁ. It is nothing but purṇatvam. What is purṇatvam, I
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do not lack anything in my life. It is a sense of purṇatvam; which is born out of

knowledge and since the knowledge is permanent, the purṇatvam is also permanent.
Therefore whenever we say ātmānandaḥ, it is not a particular experience; when we

say ātmānandaḥ, it means freedom from limitation. That's why Dayānanda svāmi
nicely says: ātmānandaḥ should be translated as anantam. Satyam is equal to Sat,
jñānaṁ is equal to cit; ānandaḥm is equal to ānandaḥ. Sat-chit-ānandaḥ, how to
translate? Satyam-jñānaṁ-anantam. So therefore, ātma is ānandaḥ means ātma is
pūrṇaḥ.
So therefore sādhanāndasya ātmanaḥ, for the ever pūrṇaḥ, there is neither

experiential pleasure nor experiential pain; all the experiential pleasures belong to
the ahaṁkāra alone. If a person is interested in that, he approves of that; if he says
I want to enjoy samādhi ānandaḥ, let him enjoy. If you say I like dosai very much,
eat it; what is wrong? But you should remember that any experiential pleasure,
subject to arrival and departure, belongs to only ānandamaya kōśa; it belongs to
only sūkṣma śarīraṁ; it belongs to only ahaṁkāra. It should not be mistaken as
ātmānandaḥ. Svāmiji I have understood ātmānandaḥ; when I can experience
ātmānandaḥ you should never ask; because the moment you experience, it is no
more ātmānandaḥ, it is nothing but a mental state. A particular vr̥tti, you can enjoy
by going to any state; whether it is fourth state or fifth state; or United States; you
can go to any state and experience that ānandaḥ, enjoy that ānandaḥ as you want;
but you should remember, it also is pleasure, belonging to ahaṁkāra, and enjoy it
remembering that this will also go away. Then own up I am pūrṇaḥ.
आत्माथर्त् �ह प्रेयािन्व न स्वत �प्र |
स्व एव �ह सव�षामात्म �प्रयत यतः
तत आत्म सदानन्द नास् दःखं

ु कदाचन ||१०६||
ātmārthatvēna hi prēyānviṣayō na svataḥ priyaḥ |
svata ēva hi sarvēṣāmātmā priyatamō yataḥ
tata ātmā sadānandō nāsya duḥkhaṁ kadācana ||106||
In fact, the sūkṣma śarīraṁ topic is over. Śankarācārya has to enter the topic of
kāraṇam śarīraṁ. But here there is a small diversion, and Śankarācārya is briefly
talking about ātma in these two slōkas, 106 and 107. Even though the real ātma
topic will have to come after kāraṇam śarīraṁ topic is over; but between sūkṣma
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śarīraṁ and kāraṇa śarīraṁ, Sankarācārya takes a small diversion and briefly talks
about ātma. Why does he take this diversion? Because while talking about sūkṣma
śarīraṁ, he said all the pleasures belong to sūkṣma śarīraṁ; ātma does not have
sukham; ātma is sada ānandaḥ svarūpaḥ he said and therefore he wants to explain
what is ātmānandaḥ.
So in the previous slōka, he used the word sādhanāndaḥ. That sādhanānda word he
wants to explain in these two slōkās; by taking diversion and he is establishing in
these two verses that ātma is ānandaḥ svarūpaḥ. By giving Śruti pramāṇa, by giving
yukti pramāṇa, by giving anubhava pramāṇa, and also by giving the support of
various Ācārya. So śruti, anumānam, pratyakṣam, aaidihyam. 4 pramāṇams. Śruti
means vēdas, anumānam means logic, pratyakṣam means our own anubhava, and
aaidhihyam means the words of great Ācārya. Through them Śankarācārya
establishes ātma is ānandaḥ svarūpaḥ, which we will see in the next class.
Hari Om.
036. Verses - 106 to 108

ॐ
आत्माथर्त् �ह प्रेयािन्व न स्वत �प्र |

स्व एव �ह सव�षामात्म �प्रयत यतः
तत आत्म सदानन्द नास् दःखं
ु कदाचन ||१०६||
ātmārthatvēna hi prēyānviṣayō na svataḥ priyaḥ |
svata ēva hi sarvēṣāmātmā priyatamō yataḥ
tata ātmā sadānandō nāsya duḥkhaṁ kadācana ||106||
Śankarācārya is discussing the topic of anātma, which is subdivided into three parts;
the stūla, sūkṣma and kāraṇa śarīraṁ. The stūla śarīraṁ topic is over and sūkṣma
śarīraṁ topic is also over with verse No.105. But while discussing sūkṣma śarīraṁ,
Śankarācārya added an extra note, which is important and that is this sūkṣma
śarīraṁ alone receives the cidābhāsa or the reflected consciousness and because of
this cidābhāsa, the sūkṣma śarīraṁ becomes a sentient entity, capable of using the
word ahaṁ. Thus a localised I is born because of sūkṣma śarīraṁ. Minus the sūkṣma
śarīraṁ, there is only a general all-pervading consciousness, which cannot claim I.
That is why during sleep, there is this sāmanya caitanyaṁ, unlocated consciousness.
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Therefore there is no ahaṁ in suṣupti. It is only because of the sūkṣma śarīra, which
traps the consciousness as it were, which confines the consciousness as it were, and
therefore there is a localised self-conscious entity, which is the sābhāsā sūkṣma
śarīraṁ, or to be more specific sābhāsā antakāraṇam. Either you can use the word
sūkṣma śarīraṁ itself; or within the sūkṣma śarīraṁ, antakāraṇam places an
important role, that sābhāsā antakāraṇam is the sentient-I and the localised-I is
called jīvaḥ; ahaṁkāraḥ, pramāta, kartah, bhōktā, etc.
And it is this ahaṁkāra which is interacting with the world. The original
consciousness can never directly interact with the world. That is why during the
sleep, the general consciousness is there; sāmānya caitanyaṁ is there; it can never
interact with the world. Only when the sāmānya caitanyaṁ is enclosed as it were, it
will become vyāvahārika caitanyaṁ. Like the general space cannot be used for
anything; therefore once you just land, what is first job; you put an enclosure. The
wall is not used by us; the wall is not used by us; but only the enclosed space is
used. Unenclosed general space is useless; whereas the enclosed space becomes a
container; a room, a hall; why, a stomach; these are all enclosures. So thus
sāmānya caitanyaṁ is a-vyavahārikam, viśēṣa caitanyaṁ alone can be functional.
That is called jīvah, pramāta, karta, bhōktā, ahaṁkārah; and Śankarācārya says this
ahaṁkāra has got sukha duḥkha anubhavaḥ; otherwise known as saṁsāra. So thus
sūkṣma śarīra is the samsari ahaṁkāra, with borrowed consciousness.
And while talking about this aspect, Śankarācārya made an extra statement, which is
really not required here; but he added an extra statement; What is that? the
ahaṁkāra alone has got sukha duḥkha anubhava, the original ātma is free from
temporary sukham and temporary duḥkhaṁ; the original ātma is sādhanāndaḥ. I say
this is not required here because, the original ātma has to be discussed later only;
because still we are in which śarīraṁ; sūkṣma śarīraṁ. After sūkṣma śarīraṁ, he has
to talk about kāraṇa śarīraṁ and only after kāraṇa śarīraṁ, ātma should come.
But Śankarācārya incidentally talks about ātma, between sūkṣma śarīraṁ and
kāraṇam śarīraṁ topic and therefore these two verses 106 and 107 are aside slōkās;
off the record slōkas (like the politicians who says off-record statements, not to be
reported in the papers/media - in that only the original clues are there, the rest are
only lies). So here is an off-the record statement about the sādhanānda svarūpam of
ātma. He introduced this topic in 105; and he explains this in 106 and 107.
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Therefore these are to be eliminated from sūkṣma śarīraṁ; and this topic will be
elaborated later, when the ātma topic comes later.
And in the last class I said that in these two slōkās, Śankarācārya establishes ātma,
ānandaḥ svarūpaḥ and to establish that, he is going to give four evidences or four
pramāṇams in support of that. What are they? Anumānam, śrutihi; pratyakṣam, and
aaidihyam. Śrutipratyakṣam aaidihyam anumānam, what is come. Therefore
anumānam, śrutihi, pratyakṣam, aaidihyam.
Anumānam means reasoning, śrutihi means vēdah; pratyakṣam means our own
personal experience; and aaidihyam means the words of Ācārya. Ācārya vachanam
he is called aaidihyam.
Of these four, anumāna pramāṇam is given. This is an important topic; a technical

topic. We have to understand properly.
What is the reasoning given? Reasoning is this. Whatever is an object of like,

whatever is an object of liking or like, must be a source of ānandaḥ. Yatra yatra
priya viṣayatvam, tatra tatra ānandaḥtvam. Whatever is an object of liking, that is a
source of happiness. Is'nt it so? If anything I like, if I analyse why I like it, what do
you find? Because it gives me happiness. You say I like this music; the music gives
me joy; and what is disliked? anything that is source of sorrow is disliked by us.
Anyway that is not the topic here; whatever I like is the source of happiness. And
the moment the object stops to be source of happiness, I stop my liking also. That is
why various gadgets I buy, I use it, as long as I am able to derive ānandaḥ from
that, I keep those gadgets; the moment it stops functioning, what I do? I sell it.
So therefore, what is the logic? This is called generalisation or vyapthi ḥ. Like yatra
yatra dumahā; tatra tatra agniḥ; wherever there is smoke, there is fire. This is called
vyapthihi.
Similarly whichever object is an object of liking, that is a source of ānandaḥ. This is

the vyapthi. And based on the vyapthi, if you look at the entire creation, within the
creation, there are three things we like. Within the creation, there are three things
we like.
What are the three things?
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First, we like ourselves. We like ourselves. That is the first object of like which is not
an object; which is the subject. Self-love. Everybody loves oneself.
Then the second thing we like is the various goals we want to accomplish in life; all
that goals we like. Suppose you go to a particular shop and you want to buy a
particular dress, why do you want to buy that, because I like it. Purpose of liking
may be different. For wearing it; or for eating; purpose may be different; but I like
it. You never buy a dress which you do not like. Therefore all the goals of life you
like, in Saṁsr̥kt they are called Saadyani; house, wife, children. Therefore what is
the second thing that we like; sādyani, the end.
And the third thing that we like is to accomplish that end; we use various means and
those means also we like. That is when we want to purchase a house, house we
like; therefore we want to purchase; and to purchase a house, we require what?
money; and therefore I begin to seek money; I want money; or even the bank I
begin to like because they lend the money, which I may return, may not return also,
because of write off. Therefore the third thing that I like is what? sādhanam.
So three things I like in life; ahaṁ, mama sādyani and tadartham sādanāni. And you
make list of things you like, it will come under one of these three things alone. OK.
And therefore what? Since all these three are object of liking; vēdānta concludes
that all these three are sources of ānandaḥ. Therefore ahaṁ ānandaḥ; why? priya
viṣayatvāt; griham ānandaḥ; why? priya viṣayatvāt; and griha prapyartham danam
ānandaḥ; why; priya viṣayatvāt. Therefore all these three are ānandaḥ, because all
these are objects of like. This is the first step of reasoning.
Now we have to go to the second step of reasoning. What is that? If all these three
are ānandaḥ, because all these three I like, money I like, I like, (who does not like?
everybody likes money, otherwise, why so much scam); everybody likes money
because it is a means to accomplish an end and everybody likes various end and
everybody likes oneself. Therefore all these three are ānandaḥ.
Now the next question is; if all these three are ānandaḥ, which is the highest
ānandaḥ. Sādhyam priyam, sādhanam priyam; ātma priyaḥ; ētēṣu thriṣu madhye
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kaḥ priya thamahā; kaḥ ānandaḥ tamaḥ? How to find out, because people say that
I love my child more than myself; some say that I love the institution more than
myself; some people say I love myself more than the house and different people say
differently, now we have to find out which is the greatest source of ānandaḥ among
these three.
So Vēdānta gives next step of reasoning and that reasoning is whatever is

unconditionally liked alone must be the highest ānandaḥ. Whatever is conditionally
liked must be lower source of ānandaḥ. OK. I will explain it. You should have
understood it; does not require explanation. Still I will explain. When I like a means,
is that liking of the means unconditional or conditional? If you analyse, we will know
that a means is liked only because it is a means for that particular end.
Therefore the means is liked only until I accomplish the end. Once the end is
accomplished, the means loses its value. A dress is liked, until it serves the purpose;
once it is no more capable of serving the purpose, you dispose of.
Similarly this scooter is bought; not because you love the scooter; but because you
want to use it as a means to reach the places; as long as the scooter can help you
reach the places, you will keep it; the moment it stops running; not only you do not
like it; you begin to look upon as a source of nuisance. You want to dispose it off.
And the cows; as long as they give the milk; they are kept. The moment it stops
giving milk; where do we send; all over. That's why there are so many people trying
to start gōṣālās to protect the cows which cannot give milk. They do not even want
to consider and why cows? even parents have under that list; as long as they are
useful; they are kept; the moment they are not useful; because they are useful for
baby-sitting; many are used like that; both are going to office, therefore they want
somebody to look after the children free; baby-sitter; once the parents are not
available even for that; old age homes are coming.
So therefore a means is loved, only for the sake of end; once the end is reached;
the means is no more an object of love. Therefore that love is called sopādhika
prema. Sopādhika prema means conditional love; upādhi means condition.
And whatever is an object of conditional love is only a secondary source of ānandaḥ;

it is not a primary source.
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And then when you come to an end in itself; does a person loves an end for itself; or
is that love also conditional?
So we saw money is only conditionally loved. Now we have got an end; what is the
end? house or car. And that end of the house, which we spend lot of money, worked
for years together; he got the house; how long he loves the house or when does he
love the house; when the house is giving him happiness and comfort; he will keep
the house. The moment the house becomes a nuisance or there is in the
neighbourhood a slum area has come and there is lot of noise; or no more water is
available; some problem comes; I want to dispose of that house also. In fact so
many goals that I accomplished in life; I myself tried to dispose of the moment they
are not a source of happiness for myself. Why people are disposing of wives also;
husbands also; what is divorce? What is the principle or the reason behind. He
himself chose that girl and fought with the parents and it was even out of religion;
out of caste marriage; and against the protest of all the people, this person married
and a few years' and then like the paper cup; the disposables syringes, wives and
husbands have also become disposable material. Again why? I loved, I got married;
now, I do not love; therefore I divorce. Therefore the so called end also are loved
for what purpose? For one's own sake alone.
Therefore vēdānta says sādhanam is conditionally loved; sādhyam is conditionally

loved; and the condition is what? Everything must be favourable to me; whatever is
favourable I love; whatever is not favourable, either I dispose of; or if I am forced to
keep; I just curse that it is my fate that I have to stay with these fellows; I do not
reject physically but I reject psychologically. Thus the whole anātma prapañja is
accepted psychologically and when they are favourable to me; the whole anātma
prapañja is rejected physically. If physically impossible; mentally rejected. So
therefore all these are what? Conditional priya.
Therefore Vēdānta says: they are all secondary source of ānandaḥ only. Then what
is that thing which is unconditionally loved? Whatever I reject; whatever I accept,
one thing I accept permanently; I never reject, houses are changed; cars are
changed; nowadays even wives and husbands are changed, but all these are for my
love; ātma alone is unconditionally loved. Therefore ātmani nirūpadika prema.
Therefore only Brihadaranyaka upaṇiṣad spends one full chapter to convey this idea.
na vā arē pathi kāmaya pathi priyo bhavathi. The Upaṇiṣad ruthlessly makes this
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statement. Nobody loves the wife for wife's sake. These are all the secrets not to be
uttered outside. That is why upaṇiṣads are called secret; one of the meanings of the
upaṇiṣad is secret; because if we come to know the secret, then so many problems
will come. Nobody loves the wife for wife's sake. Nobody loves the husband for
husband's sake.
न वा अरे जायायै कामाय जाया �प्र भव�त

ु णां कामाय पुत्र �प्र भविन्
न वा अरे पत्
न वा अरे सवर्स कामाय सव� �प्र भविन्
आत्मनस् कामाय सव� �प्र भव�त ।
ततेद पत्रा
ु प्रे; �वत्त प्रे; अन् प्रे, सवर्स् म अनन्थर म अत्. अत्म्न �प्र उपासीत.
na vā arē jāyāyai kāmāya jāyā priyō bhavati

na vā arē putrāṇāṁ kāmāya putrāḥ priyō bhavanti
na vā arē sarvasya kāmāya sarvaṁ priyaṁ bhavanti
ātmanastu kāmāya sarvaṁ priyaṁ bhavati |
tatēd putrāt prēyō; vittā prēyō; anya prēyō, sarvasmat anantharam atma. atmnēva
priyaṁ upāsīta.
Ātma alone is unconditionally loved. Therefore the conclusion is ātma alone is the
highest ānandaḥ in the world. Nirūpādhika prema viṣayatvaat ātma, sada ānandaḥ
svarūpaḥ. Ātma sādhanānda svarūpaḥ; nirūpādhika prema viṣayatvaat vyathirekena
anātmavat. This is the anumānam. That is given in the slōka. It is called Maitreyi
Brāhmaṇam; in Brihadaranyaka; there is a section called Maitreyi Brāhmaṇam where
Yajñavalkya and Maitreyi have a vēdantic dialogue and in that Yajñavalkya openly
tells Maitreyi; Oh Maitreyi, you do not love these for my sake; you love me for your
sake only.
And then Maitreyi says: then if Ātma is the superiormost; why can’t you give me that
ātma jñānaṁ? Because he has said that he is taking sanyāsa and going away. So
Yajñavalkya says that I want to take sanyāsa and go away; and I am going to give
you all my wealth to you. And then Maitreyi says I do not want this wealth also;
because even this wealth is conditionally loved; and therefore it is also not the
highest ānandaḥ. If ānandaḥ is the highest ānandaḥ; please teach me. Then
Yajñavalkya says; you are the best wife; do not mistake me; Best wife means not
many wives and all; but Yajñavalkya had two wives and therefore he said best wife.
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And you know why Yajñavalkya loves Maitreyi, because Yajñavalkya liked vēdānta
and he wanted to teach vēdānta to someone; and Maitreyi was willing to become his
disciple; and therefore he says; priyavatare sati priya bhaṣthe. You are asking for
vēdānta; therefore Ehi; jaasva; .... nidhidyasvat. Vēdānta class I am conducting and
I do not want to go to Annanagar and all and I can conduct the class in the house
itself. Even Yajñavalkya loves Maitreyi because he wanted to teach Maitreyi and
Maitreyi wanted to listen.
And he himself tells that the other wife called Kātyayani, she likes only all the
material topics; therefore I am going to give all the money to her; because she is
interested in my money; not in anything else and I want to give her the money and
walk out. He tells the wife in the Brihadārnayaka.
The second chapter and fourth chapter it is repeated; and Śankarācārya is

summarising the Maitreyi Brāhmaṇam in three lines. These three lines are
elaborated in Brihadarnayaka.
Now look at this line; very interesting. ātmārthatvēna hi prēyān; everything is liked
by me only for my own personal benefit. Not for their own sake. The moment that is
no more for my personal benefit, either I try to physically reject, how many houses
the parents say: if you marry that girl, do not step in the house. Very same child, if
the father has very dearly brought up, he said that I love you more than myself; you
are wonderful; all done, the moment the child wants to marry someone he does not
like, which the father does not like, then the colour changes. I am not saying it is
right or wrong. My question is not the moral issue. Our philosophical topic. Whether
the father should accept or not, I am not discussing here. But what I want to say,
the moment father finds his status in society, his family respect, how will I face
other family members when I go for my another wedding. At least worried about
that. How will introduce my son-in-law or daughter in law when I go for the
marriage in another house? How will I boldly introduce? What will happen? We are
Dikshitar family. Thus you find that the colour changes, why because, I am bothered
about my status. Therefore it says ātmārthatvēna prēyan; for my sake alone
everything I like. Svataḥ na priya. Nothing is liked for its own sake.
So then a question will come. It is an aside topic. It is important, I am adding that.

If self-love is natural; and that alone is unconditional, and it appears as though we
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can never unconditionally love the world at all; it appears world-love is conditional or
not true at least; how the scriptures talk about the universal love as the goal of life?
Thus the upaṇiṣads seems to contradict itself. The upaṇiṣads says one side;
everybody loves the ātma alone. And others are not loved really. They are loved only
when they are favourable to me. If that is the nature of everyone; ātmanasthu
kāmaya sarvaṁ priyaṁ bhavathi is a natural fact; how come the Upaṇiṣads talks
about universal love as the ultimate goal?
The upaṇiṣads says it is possible under one condition. And it is possible only under
that one condition. That also he said in Maitreyi Brāhmaṇam itself. Maitreyi
Brāhmaṇam expects this question from an intelligent student. How can I practice
universal love, if self-love is natural? The upaṇiṣads says that universal love is
possible only when I can see the whole universe; can you fill up the blanks; when I
can see the whole universe as ātma. Maitreyi Brāhmaṇam itself says:
इदम ् ब्र इदम ् �त्र, इमे लोका इमे लोकास ्, इमे देवा, इमा�न सवार्� भूता�न, इतगुम ् सवर् म
यतयं आत्
idam brahma idam kṣatram, imē lōkā imē lōkās, imē dēvā, imāni sarvāṇī bhūtāni,
itagum sarvaṁ yatayaṁ ātma
For a wise man, there is no anātma, because he has discovered that anātma is
kāryam; ātma is kāraṇam; therefore the essence of anātma is ātma alone. Because
the essence of kāryam is kāraṇam. Since I am the universal cause, since the
universe has come out of me; maiēva sakalam jātam; mayi sarvaṁ prathiṣithaṁ, the
wave cannot love another love; as long as the other wave stands separate; but once
the wave understands I am water, then the wave can say all the other waves are
nothing but me, the water. And if everything sarva bhutātma bhutātma; sarva
bhūtāstam ātmaanam, sarva bhūtāni chātmani. Therefore in the vision of a jñāni,
there is no world other than ātma. Therefore he also has self-love only. But the self
has become capital S. What do you mean capital S? It includes the whole creation.
Therefore the self-love is equal to the universal love, in the case of a jñāni; Self-love
is petty-love in the case of an ajñāni. That is an aside topic.
Now let us come to the topic. ātmarthatvene sreyan svataha na priyaḥ. Nothing is
liked for its own sake, whereas what about ātma. Ātma tu priyatamaḥ; everything
else is not priya thamahā; they are liked but they are not superlatively liked; priya
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thama; thama indicates superlative only. All the other things are what? priyam. In
fact we can say, sādhanam priyam; sādhyam priya tharam; thara is comparative
meaning and ātma priya thamaḥ. Means is priyaṁ, an end is priya tharam; and ātma
is priya thamam; and therefore it is the greatest source of ānandaḥ.
That is what it says: sarveṣām; for everyone, ātma is the maximum loved and for
whose sake; I love myself for the sake of wife; you do not say; I love the wife for
my sake; but I love myself for whose sake? My sake; unconditionally. Therefore
svataḥ ēva, unconditionally everyone likes the self and not only it is unconditional,
another thing is also important, it is universal. With regard to a house, one person
may like it; another person dislike it. No object in the creation is universally liked. So
western music; object of like or dislike. In the same house, teenagers will be blaring;
and the parents who are pure carnatic musicians; they will be cursing themselves
that they have got a son like this and keep their hands on the head. They do not
like; but the children, they do not like the carnatic; and fine; and if I go to some
house, they call the child; please repeat the sthoram to Svāmiji; it will not do that
and will sing some cinema song; athanda, ithanda, etc. and many new songs like
that have come and I am not up-to-date; poor mother has taught Gajananam Bhūtā;
but the child is saying Athanda, Ithanda; and not gajananam bhūtā.
Therefore what is an object of like for one; you know they say, what is food for one
is poison for other. That is why business is possible; one is ready to sell and another
is ready to buy. And Dayānanda svāmi nicely says that in any road, two way traffic is
there. One is running away from there; another person equally speedily is running in
that direction. Both are running speedily. One is priya viṣayaḥ; for another person it
is dvēṣa viṣayaḥ.
So one Canadian lady, who studied Vēdānta in Coimbatore Āśram for three years;
she says I have done pāpam, I am born in Canada and I have to live in Canada, and
I am praying to Lord, when will I get an opportunity to come to India and settle.
And she writes a letter from there; I am sitting on the 24th floor of some hotel; and
I am seeing people running here and there; such a materialistic life; what sin I have
done, I have to come to India. I am daily praying. So one wants to run away from
Canada and come to India whereas in India, people are waiting for the Canadian
passport. They want to run to that country, before the child is born, because when
the child is born, natural citizenship you will get. Indians are crazy about Canadian
and American citizenships and there are people; I thought it is surprising that
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someone likes to come here with all these mosquitoes around; that people have not
lived in India with all the mosquitoes; and that people can how can they like this
unhygenic, terribly corrupt country; and I am surprised that there are people who
like this country, just for the sake of Vēdānta.
What I want to say is: any other thing in the world is not universally liked. But ātma
is the only thing which is universally and unconditionally liked.
And therefore what? sataḥ ātma sādhanāndaḥ; therefore ātma is sādhanāndaḥ; ever
ānandaḥ svarūpa; and this highest ānandaḥ svarūpa and therefore what? asya
duḥkham kadācana nāsti and therefore ātma is pure unalloyed ānandaḥ. This is also
very important to note. Every other thing is conditionally ānandaḥ means what?
when that condition is gone; the very same thing becomes the source of
unhappiness.
Suppose you are getting a motor bike; and when you are having a ride and it is
functioning fine, it is very good. Suppose it stops; you have to push it; to that
mechanic shop; that very same motorbike becomes a headache. And you are
walking to Kedarnath; you have got a rain coat; when the rain comes; rain coat is
wonderful; but when there is no rain; this rain coat becomes bāram. Why you go to
rain coat; our own hands and legs are wonderful; as long as they are healthy, but
the moment they are not healthy, they become bāram. Even the mind as long as it
is healthy, aṣantasya manō bārah; thus everything is a source of ānandaḥ, but it is
source of duḥkhaṁ also; whereas ātma is source of ānandaḥ alone; never a source
of duḥkham; therefore it is duḥkha rahita ānandaḥ; ānandaḥ ghanaha.
यत्सुषुप् �न�वषय
र आत्मानन्दोऽनुभूय |
श्रु� प्रत्य�मै�तह्यमनु च जाग्र || १०७ |
yatsuṣuptau nirviṣaya ātmānandō:'nubhūyatē |
śrutiḥ pratyakṣamaitihyamanumānaṁ ca jāgrati ||107|
So in the previous slōka, logic was given. Ātma sādhanāndaḥ. nirūpadadika priya
viṣayatvāt vyathirekeṇa anātmavat. This is the reasoning in technical language; but
to put in simple form, ātma is ānandaḥ svarūpa, because it is universally
unconditionally liked.
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Now having talked about anumāna evidence, now Śankarācārya comes to pratyakṣa
pramāṇam. This is the most powerful one; pratyakṣa pramāṇa means what? our
own personal experience. And what is that personal experience? Suṣupti; deep-sleep
state is the personal experience. Deep-sleep is one thing everybody likes; universally
and unconditionally. Deep sleep is one thing everybody likes universally and
unconditionally. How do you know? Because the preparations he does for sleeping;
the bed is all done nicely; the pillow, with this foam and that foam; the pillow must
be of proper height, so much research has gone into it; pillow research is done; bed
research is done and bedroom and air-conditioning; mosquito avoidance so many
coils and ointments; all kinds of things; we spend a lot of money for what purpose?
again for sleeping and everybody loves to go to sleep; and nobody loves to get up
from sleep.
Therefore the first thing when you wake up is look at the time. To see that whether
you can snatch a few more minutes of sleep. You feel that you can sleep 10 more
minutes today, because you do not have that extra job; and it becomes one and
hour hours; and therefore sleep is one thing unconditionally and universally liked
and when the sleep does not come because of any reason; it becomes such a big
problem; a person can go crazy.
And if the sleep is the source of ānandaḥ; what is available in sleep? There is only
one thing available in sleep; and that is I-the-cētana tatvam; the consciousness
principle; other than the consciousness principle nothing else is available in sleep.
The entire world is not available; because the sense organs are not functioning; the
world is folded. So sleep-ānandaḥ cannot come from music. In sleep my ānandaḥ is
not coming from music, because ears are not functioning. Not from my children
because, children are not available. Not even from my physical body, because it is
not identified with. Not even from my knowledge, because intellect is resolved. Not
even by day-dreaming, because mind is resolved. In sleep what ānandaḥ comes, if
you analyse, it does not come from anywhere, it is ātmānandaḥ alone; there is no
viṣaya there; viṣaya means what? Other than ātma anything.
Therefore sleep-ānandaḥ is called nirviṣaya ānandaḥ. For Ātmānandaḥ, another

name is nirviṣaya ānandaḥ. And ānandaḥ which has not come from outside, but it
comes from myself alone. Therefore, Śankarācārya says suṣuptau, nirviṣayaḥ
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ātmānandaḥ anubhuyata. There is ānandaḥ coming from oneself; which is not

coming from any viṣayaḥ; it is not sensory pleasure.
So thus he has talked about anumānam and pratyakṣa pramāṇam. Śankarācārya

does not give the śruti pramāṇam; that we have to supply. Śankarācārya takes for
granted or he will be explaining later as I said; this is only an aside topic and
therefore he does not quote; the śruti pramāṇam or vēda pramāṇam we have many;
well known one is
ānandaḥ ātma; brahma puccham prathiṣṭa; satya priyamēva śiraḥ; mōdō

dakṣiṇā pakṣaḥ; pramōda uttara pakṣaḥ; ānandaḥ ātma. Brahma puccham
prathiṣṭa.
So this is śruti evidence to show that ātma is ānandaḥ svarūpaḥ. So three is finished.
And the last one is aithihyam; aithihyam is what; the statement of Ācārya; all the
prakaraṇa granthās. In Pañja daśi,
इहमात्म परानन्द परप्रेमस् यतः ।

मा न भूवं �ह भ्य़्यास�म प्रेमात्मनीक् ॥ ८ ॥
तत्प्रेमात्मथर नैवमन्याथर्मात् ।
अतस्तत्पर तेन परमानन्दतात्म ॥ ९ ॥ प्रथ । तत्त्व�ववेकप्रक
ihamātmā parānandaḥ paraprēmaspadaṁ yataḥ |

mā na bhūvaṁ hi bhẏyāsamiti prēmātmanīkśyatē || 8 ||
tatprēmātmarthamanyatra naivamanyārthamātmani |
atastatparamaṁ tēna paramānandatātmanaḥ || 9 || prathamaṁ |
tattvavivēkaprakaraṇam
So Vidyāranya svāmi is giving and any other ācārya also we can take. Of course
Śankarācārya will not quote Vidyāranya because Vidyāranya is of later origin; for us
we can take anything; or even Rāmayana, Mahābharata; everywhere ātma ānandaḥ
svarūpaḥ is said. And therefore aithihyam.
So therefore Śankarācārya concludes; śrutihi, pratyakṣam, aithihyam, anumānam ca.

Thus four pramāṇams; of which two are given by Śankarācārya; two are to be
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supplied by us. Thus all the four evidences jāgrati; jāgrati means reveals that ātma
is sādhanānda svarūpaḥ.
अव्यकनाम्न परमेशशिक्त
अनाद्य�वद् �त्रगुणाित् परा |
कायार्नुमेय स�ु धयैव माया
यया जगत्सवर्�म प्रसूय ||१०८||
avyaktanāmnī paramēśaśaktiḥ
anādyavidyā triguṇātmikā parā |
kāryānumēyā sudhiyaiva māyā
yayā jagatsarvaṁidaṁ prasūyatē ||108||
So with the previous slōka, the sūkṣma śarīraṁ topic is over; which started from
verse no.92. From 92 to 107 is sūkṣma śarīraṁ. And there also, the last two slōkas
are not exactly sūkṣma śarīraṁ; but it is an aside topic of ātma; but it is only
discussed as an incidental topic of sūkṣma śarīraṁ only and that is over with the
previous slōka.
Now from 108 onwards, we are entering the kāraṇam śarīraṁ topic, which is the
third part of anātma; and this is discussed up to verse No.123. 108 to 123 is the
topic of kāraṇa śarīraṁ. This is a subtle topic and therefore Śankarācārya just
discusses this also elaborately.
To put it in simple form; the kāraṇam śarīraṁ, as the very name shows, it is the
kāraṇam for stūla and sūkṣma śarīra. So the two śarīraṁs, the physical and subtle
body are born out of kāraṇam śarīraṁ alone; which means before the two bodies
are born; that means at the time of pralaya kālam, before the sr̥ṣṭi came into being,
all our bodies, and all our mind; when you say sūkṣma śarīraṁ, you have to take the
mind mainly; all our bodies and all our minds were there even during pralayaṁ; but
not in this condition but in its seed condition; just as a huge tree was there before in
seed condition and that seed condition of body and mind is called kāraṇa śarīraṁ.
And during the sr̥ṣṭi, the kāraṇa śarīraṁ sprouts into stūla sūkṣma śarīraṁ and
during pralayaṁ and again it comes back to seed condition. Thus the seed and tree
and again to seed; Expansion and contraction. Evolution and involution. This is
called the whole creation. It does not have a beginning or end; it is an eternal cyclic
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process. Therefore we are eternally present, either in expanded form or in

contracted form. It is this kāraṇa śarīraṁ which is going to be elaborately discussed,
which we will see in the next class.
Hari Om.
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037. Verse 108
अव्यक्तनाम परमेशशिक्त
अनाद्य�वद् �त्रगुणाित् परा |
कायार्नुमेय सु�धयैव माया
यया जगत्सवर्�म प्रसूय ||१०८||
avyaktanāmnī paramēśaśaktiḥ
anādyavidyā triguṇātmikā parā |
kāryānumēyā sudhiyaiva māyā
yayā jagatsarvaṁidaṁ prasūyatē ||108||
After talking about the stūla śarīraṁ and sūkṣma śarīraṁ, as part of anātma, now
Śankarācārya is entering into kāraṇa śarīraṁ, which is the final part of anātma. And
as I said in the last class, kāraṇa śarīraṁ can be defined as the potential form of
stūla and sūkṣma śarīraṁ, because we have to remember the basic law that the
matter can never be produced or destroyed.
So when you are destroying matter, it is only getting converted into subtler forms or
unmanifest form; and from the unmanifest form, again it can come to manifestation;
just as they talk about matter getting converted into energy; and energy can get
reconverted into matter. In the śāstra they say, matter has got manifest form;
yachta rūpam; and when the matter is destroyed; it goes back to unmanifest form;
or avaykta rūpam.
Extending this principle, the śāstra says that all the stūla śarīraṁ; all the sūkṣma
śarīraṁ must have been there once upon a time; in potential form; and from that
potential condition alone, all our stūla and sūkṣma śarīraṁ can come into being. Not
only they could have been in potential form before, when the world is destroyed
totally again; that is at the time of pralayaṁ; according to śāstra, the world again
will go back to unmanifest condition. Thus the procedure is unmanifest to manifest
and again manifest to unmanifest. As we saw in the Gītā:
अव्यक्त व्यक्त सवार् प्रभवन्त्यहर |
रा�यागमे प्रल�यन तत्रैवाव्यक्तस || ८- १८ ||
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avyaktād vyaktayaḥ sarvāḥ prabhavantyaharāgamē |

rātryāgamē pralīyantē tatraivāvyaktasaṁjñakē ||8- 18||
अव्यक्ताद� भूता�न व्यक्तमध्य भारत |

अव्यक्त�नधनान् तत का प�रदे वना ||२- २८||
avyaktādīni bhūtāni vyaktamadhyāni bhārata |
avyaktanidhanānyēva tatra kā paridēvanā ||2- 28||
The creation comes from the unmanifest and goes back to the unmanifest and the
unmanifest is called kāraṇam and the manifest is called kāryam. So stūla and
sūkṣma śarīraṁs are called karyam product; stūla and sūkṣma śarīraṁs are called
karyam or product and their unmanifest condition is called kāraṇam; and therefore
kāraṇa śarīraṁ. Therefore at the time of pralayaṁ; all, not only one; all the stūla
and sūkṣma śarīraṁs were there in kāraṇa form; and this kāraṇa condition is called
kāraṇa śarīraṁ.
And it is this kāraṇa śarīraṁ which is being defined in all these slōkas; beginning
from verse No.108 to verse No. 123. Kāraṇa śarīraṁ. And if kāraṇa śarīraṁ is the
potential form of our stūla sūkṣma śarīraṁ; we can extend this same principle to the
macrocosmic level also; that is the samaṣti level also and if you extend to the
samaṣti level; what you will have to say. This stūla and sūkṣma prapañja are the
products and all the stūla sūkṣma prapañjas must have been there in potential form,
which includes stūla sūkṣma bhūtāni. Even the gross elements and subtle elements
must have existed in potential form. What name can be given for it? kāraṇa
prapañjaḥ. Thus at the vyaṣti level; we use the word kāraṇa śarīraṁ; at the śamaṣti
level, we use the word kāraṇa prapañjaḥ.
Now, when we talk about the kāraṇa level or state of existence, even though we use
the word kāraṇa śarīraṁ and kāraṇa prapañja, really speaking, at the kāraṇa level;
the microcosm-macrocosm division is not very evident. The micro-macro division is
evident at stūla level; it is evident at sūkṣma level; I can talk about individual body
and total creation. I can talk about individual mind and total mind; but at the kāraṇa
level; even though individual and total must be there; but it will not be evident;
because the very kāraṇam is what: avyaktha, unmanifest.
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And therefore in the śāstra, we have got two approaches. In one approach, they
make a division between kāraṇam śarīraṁ and kāraṇa prapañja; that is one
approach. There is another approach in which they do not make this distinction,
because this distinction is not evident. If you want an example, the nearest
experiential example I can give is what: during the waking state I can experience
the division, during the dream state, I can experience the division, but in the sleep
state, where everything has gone to unmanifest potential condition, I cannot
experience the division between me and the world, the division between the micro
and macro. That is why kāraṇa avastha is called nirvikalpaka avastha. Nirvikalpaka
avastha.
And therefore here the author of Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi is not going to distinguish kāraṇa
śarīraṁ and kāraṇa prapañja; he is going to treat both of them as identical.
Therefore here we are going to discuss the kāraṇa śarīraṁ as identical with kāraṇa
prapañja; micro-macro division is not maintained here. It is indiscriminately used by
the author.
And therefore here what is the topic of discussion? The topic is kāraṇa śarīraṁ;
otherwise called kāraṇa prapañja. And kāraṇa śarīraṁ is called by another name,
that is avidyā and kāraṇa prapañja is called by another name, māya. Kāraṇa śarīraṁ
is known by another name, avidyā; and kāraṇa prapañja is known by another name,
māya. And in this portion, the author is not going to distinguish avidyā and māya;
they are going to be synonymously treated. And what is the logic behind it? Because
at kāraṇa level; distinctions are not going to be done; therefore in this portion
avidyā is equal to māya.
With this background, we have to study the kāraṇa śarīraṁ; that is why the author
is going to introduce māya while discussing kāraṇa śarīraṁ. Now we will take the
verse one by one, every word, one by one. Every word in this portion is very very
significant.
So what is kāraṇa śarīraṁ otherwise called? Māya. And why it is called māya will be
explained in the next slōka. Therefore I am not giving you the significance of the
word māya. We will see in the next slōka. In this slōka we will take, kāraṇa śarīraṁ
is equal to māya. The potential form of all the products. And this māya is avyakta
nāmnī; it has got a name that is avyaktam. Kāraṇa Śarīraṁ has got one name, māya
and it has got another name, avyaktam.
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Why it is called avyaktam, you can very easily infer; Avyaktam means unmanifest;
potential seed condition. Therefore in seed form of matter, distinctions are not clear.
That is why even scientists when they are trying to understand the world, they are
able to clearly know when it is in the stūla condition; the gross condition. When they
are probing more and more; element become molecules; molecules become atom;
atom becomes sub-atomic particles; and as they go on dividing, things becomes
hazier and hazier and they begin to say that we are not able to clearly define things
and even they say we will not be able to define. We are not able to define means
what; then at least there is a hope that it could be defined in the future; now that
hope is also leaving and we will not be able to define.
Therefore uncertainty principle is to set to come; why because it is not available for
our organs. And therefore avyaktam means indriya agōcaram, beyond instruments
of analysis. Therefore it is called avayakta nāmnī;
And then what is the next feature of kāraṇam śarīraṁ? All definitions of kāraṇa
śarīraṁ please remember; One word is māya; another word is avyaktam.
What is the third word? paramēśaśaktiḥ. paramēśaśaktiḥ; Śaktiḥ means power

because when matter is reduced into energy, what do we call it? power. That is why
we say. No power in home today; you need not have to say that; because you can
say that today power is there today; because the no power situation is more!!.
Therefore, when you reduce matter into energy; it is called śaktiḥ; and you know
that any power has to be located in some powerful locus. Power means you ask the
question; speaking power. You do not feel the speaking power; existing
independently, it is located in whom; the speaker. Writing power is located in the
writer. The walking power is located in the walker. Therefore any power has to be in
some powerful. Any śaktiḥ has to be wielded by some śaktimān.
And what is that locus in which the whole power is located? paramēśaḥ; the
consciousness principle known as Brahman, known as ātma; about which we will
study later.
Therefore paramēśasya Brāhmaṇaḥ śaktiḥ is what? The entire potential creation.

Potential creation means what all the kāraṇa śarīraṁ and all the kāraṇa prapañja;
they are all power located in Brahman. Therefore what is the third word for kāraṇa
śarīraṁ. śaktiḥ.
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Every word is significant. Māya is a significant word; avyaktam is a significant word;

śaktiḥ is a significant word.
And the word śaktiḥ has got another significance and that is whenever we talk about
any śaktiḥ, we can never think of it independently. It is always dependent on some
one. As I said, speaking power; writing power; walking power; hearing power;
thinking power, any śakti if you say, you cannot think it independently; therefore
any śaktiḥ cannot exist independently. Svatantra satta nāsti; it has to depend upon
what? Some locus. And therefore, the dependence of matter is indicated here.
According to vēdānta, matter can never exist independently; it has to depend upon a
conscious principle, unlike science. According to science, matter is independently
existent; and consciousness is born out of matter; it is a brainy phenomenon they
say.
Either in the brain or in the neuron or self; the consciousness is a fleeting

phenomenon occurring in the brain cells or neurons and the consciousness
phenomenon will come and go; but the matter will remain. This is the basic
dichotomy or division between science and vēdānta. For science matter is
fundamental; consciousness is a fleeting phenomenon.
Suppose a big calamity takes place in the universe. Earth collides with another
planet. All the living beings die. According to science, life is gone; sentiency is gone;
consciousness is gone; what will remain? Matter will remain; life will come and go; in
fact, according to evolution, they will say, life is only recently originated. In that too
human beings are very recent. Originally what came? Unicellular organisms existed
for long time; which itself came only recently. Then human beings came yesterday.
So what is science? Matter is basic and consciousness is a fleeting phenomenon in
matter.
And according to vēdānta, the whole thing is reversed. It says matter is only a
śaktiḥ; a potential; it is in consciousness and this potential alone manifests as the
universe; universe appears and disappears; where? In Consciousness. Universe
appears and disappears in consciousness. And this appearance power is there in
consciousness. That is why our śāstra is called spiritual science; all the other
sciences are called material science. What we study is spirituality; what they study is
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materialism; but unfortunately the problem is that the consciousness is the basic
stuff; is a information we gather from śāstra alone. Science has never been able to
prove this fact by using scientific methods of analysis. And since scientists wants to
prove this, through their own scientific methods of analysis; which they have not
been able to and which we do not know, whether they will ever be able to, scientists
will always have a problem with regard to this thing; whereas this information we
gather from where; not by pratyakṣa, not by anumāna; but from the Upaṇiṣads
śāstra.
And therefore based on that śāstram, Śankarācārya reveals the nature of matter as
power; which is dependent on a conscious principle alone. Consciousness is first;
matter is later. Therefore paramēśaśaktiḥ.
Then what is the next feature? Anādyavidyā. It is anādhi; it does not have a
beginning. It means what? kāraṇa śarīraṁ otherwise called māya otherwise called
avyaktam otherwise called the śaktiḥ, all are synonymous, it does not have a
beginning. If at all we are talking about creation; creation is not beginning of matter,
creation is the beginning of the manifestation of matter; this manifestation; we are
calling creation. So creation is not there; because matter cannot be what; cannot be
created.
Therefore creation is a misnomer. It is a wrong word to use. Therefore the world is

never created and matter can never be created.
Then what is the meaning of creation? The unmanifest world when it gets
manifested, that manifestation is called creation. It is like the creation of this hall.
This hall was everytime there; because what is this hall; it is matter; and it was
already there; iron was there; wood was there; bricks was there; cement was there;
but not in this particular form; and when it manifests in this particular form; why do
we say manifest? Because the form was potentially there; what was not there; we
cannot create. What is potential alone can be brought out even by the most
ingenious creator. Howsoever much you squeeze the sand, you will never get water
out of it, nor oil. What is potential alone can be manifested and therefore Anādi. So
anādi means what; beginningless, uncreated.
Then the next significant word is avidyā; so here the word avidyā is not to be
translated as ignorance, because the word ignorance we have got certain
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orientation; ignorance is a condition of the mind we know; but we are talking about
an avidyā; which is the cause of the mind itself. We are not talking about the
condition of the mind; but we are talking about the very cause the mind. Therefore
the word avidyā is a technical word; it is a paribhāṣā śabdaḥ; what is the meaning of
the word? Avidyā; different meanings are given. I will give you only one significance
for this word, which the commentator gives here. That is that which does not have
independent existence. Because according to vēdānta; matter cannot exist
independent of consciousness. Consciousness lends existence to matter. And how do
you get this meaning? Avidyā, which is derived from the root, vid, to exist. So the
congrugation for the Saṁsr̥kt students; vidyāte; to exist; avidyā means that which
does not exist in independently. If you want an example, it is exactly like saying the
desk is. In fact we can say, the desk is avidyā. In that desk, avidyā you can call.
How, can you understand? I will give you a hint. When you say here is a desk; I will
ask you a question. Is this desk or wood? Because we use two words; wood is one
word; another word is desk; two words are there. Corresponding to these two
words, do you two objects here; you do not have two objects; the substance is
what; only the wood. Desk is a word I use; it does not have a substantiality of its
own; the weight belongs to the wood alone; desk does not have even point
0.00000000; it is avidyā; svataḥ na vidyāte iti avidyā. How to say in Saṁsr̥kt?
svataḥ na vidyāte iti avidyā. எ� தானாக இ�ப்ப இல்லேய அ�ேவ அவ�த்ய. It does
not have substantiality of its own.
And according to vēdānta, matter does not have the substantiality of its own; matter
is non-substantial according to vēdānta. Then what is the substance behind matter?
Vēdānta is always upside down; we always think that matter is substantial; we say
come and see; it is substantial and it has also got weight; it is substantial; solid
substantial; vēdānta says upside down.
Consciousness what we say? We are even doubtful of its existence. That seems to
be non-substantial; vēdānta reverses the whole process and says: Conciousness is
the stuff of the universe; the substance of the universe; matter is only a name or a
form which is avidyā. Therefore avyaktam, māya, śaktiḥ; avidyā, all these are
different names of what? kāraṇa śarīraṁ; i.e. the subject matter of discussion,
please remember that. Stūla śarīraṁ over; sūkṣma śarīraṁ is over; we are
discussing kāraṇa śarīraṁ.
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Then the next word in the third line is Māya; which I have already told in the
beginning itself; it is called māya. The significance of the word māya will be given in
the next slōka and therefore I will do that there.
Then the next word in the third line is kāryānumēyā; kāryānumēyā. Kāryānumēyā it
is never perceptible; it is only inferable. The avyaktha avastha, the kāraṇa avastha is
never perceptible; but it is only inferable. Because suppose the whole creation is
resolved; we say avyakta avastha will be there. Isn't it? Avyaktam, kāraṇam, māya,
etc. Now, will you be able to go and see that avastha? Because when we are talking
about the resolution of the whole world, it includes the resolution of your body-mind
complex itself. Your own sense organs themselves. So when we are talking about a
state of sense-organ-resolution, to see how will it be, how will it be possible for your
sense organs? Not possible. Therefore if I have to talk about that state, it should be
based on what; inferential alone; supported of course by the śāstra. Śāstra and
śāstra based inference.
And what is the inference? I see that when anything is destroyed, it does not
become non-existent; as they say, when a candle burns, nothing is lost. It is one
statement given. When a candle burns, nothing is lost. What does that mean? You
do not totally destroy anything. What is destruction? Changing its condition from the
clearly visible manifest form to the unmanifest form; if you burn the desk what will
happen? Ash will be there. And what is the condition of ash; you cannot say; all the
distinction of leg, top, draw, etc. If you destroy the ashes also, what will happen? It
will turn into earth.
If you destroy matter completely, as they do in nuclear explosion; it gets converted

into what? enormous energy. Therefore we have seen from our experience that
whenever a thing is destroyed; it goes to unmanifest form.
From this what do we infer? If the world is destroyed, it will go back to unmanifest
form only. That is inference no.1.
And the second inference which is more important is: nothing comes out of nothing.
Nothing comes out of nothing. If I want a clock, I require some resource, raw
material. Without raw material, if you can create things, how much more convenient
it would be.
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We can start from the basic need; food; cereals. cost of paruppu, ulundu, etc. (if
one is a sanyāsi, one does not know the cost of these things; oil, etc. you have just
to eat, this is one of the advantages of being a sanyāsi) .
So therefore people talk about the increase of the price, why? because you cannot
get food from nothing. If this is my perceptional experience, in the case of every
creation, you have to extend this principle to the cosmos as a whole. That means
what? If the cosmos is a product, kāryam, from the karyam, what can I infer, a
kāraṇam can be inferred from kāryam; therefore kāraṇam is called what? kārya
anumēyam.
And why should you go for inference? Why should you go for inference? Because it
is not perceptible. It is not perceptible. There was a great great great grandfather
for you. Why do I infer. That is why I use the word kollu tattha. If I say tattha, you
say that he is still there. Therefore kollu tattha. So thattha's thatta's thattha is there;
I have to infer; why because I do not perceive him; and what is the basis of
inference? You cannot exist without that tattha. And therefore what is māya, kārya
anumēya; māya is never pratyakṣam. Māya is never pratyakṣam. śaktiḥ is never
pratyakṣam. Avyaktam is never pratyakṣam. That avyaktam is never pratyakṣam you
need not say, because what is not pratyakṣam is called avyaktam. If it is pratyakṣam
we will not call it avyaktam, what we will call it? vyaktham. If you ask whether
avyaktam is pratyakṣam is like asking what time is the 12 noon train.
Similarly here also, anumēya. But the inference can be done by whom? Sudhiya; by
an intelligent person who knows the basic law. What is that? Nothing can be created
out of nothing. This basic law who knows he alone knows that the creation was
there before also in potential form. Sudhiya means by a intelligent person.
Ēva; ēva should go with anumēya ēva. It can be inferred only; that means it can
never be perceived. So even if you ask a scientist what was there before the big
bang; he will scratch his head; he cannot clearly see what was there; he can try to
infer something. Sudhiya kārya anumēya ēva. These are the descriptions of kāraṇa
śarīraṁ or kāraṇa prapañja.
And then in the final line, Śankarācārya says: that yaya from this kāraṇa avasatha
alone, idam jagat prasūyatē; the whole universe is born; out of this kāraṇa avastha
alone. I am not using the word śarīraṁ consciously. We cannot say that the whole
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creation came out of kāraṇa śarīraṁ. kāraṇa śarīraṁ if you say, only stūla sūkṣma
śarīraṁ can come out of it; therefore we will use a loose word which will include
both vyaṣti and śamaṣti; because at kāraṇa level, we are not distinguishing between
vyaṣti and śamaṣti.
Therefore I am using the word out of this kāraṇa avastha; the whole universe is
gone; which consists of both the stūla sūkṣma śarīraṁs and also stūla sūkṣma
prapañjam. Everything is born out of this kāraṇa avastha.
And if you want to get some kind of an experience of that avastha, because many
people query how will it be? kāraṇa śarīraṁ is the difficult thing for everyone;
Svāmiji, even the ātma is understandable; but the kāraṇa śarīraṁ. kāraṇa śarīraṁ
we are not able to understand; māya we are not able to understand.
So if you want to know, how it will be; Bhagavān has given you a taste of that
avastha and we daily go through that; what is that; the deep-sleep state is the
nearest to the pralaya state experientially, because there you do not feel yourselves
as a distinct individual; you do not feel the world as a distinct entity, your
knowledge, your ignorance, your emotions; your problems, everything; you do not
experience. Then can you say nothing is there; there is a vādhi called śūnya vādhi;
based on the sleep experience he says nothing was there in the beginning. Can you
say as nothingness; we do not call it as nothingness because, if we say it is
nothingness, you will never wake up because from nothingness what can come?
nothing can come.
And therefore your worries; your knowledge, your ignorance; were all in potential
condition. So whenever you wake up, you take up your own worries and problems.
In sleep the word அவா, individuality is not there. So the nearest experience of the
Māya is deep sleep state. That is why māya there is another word in śāstra;
suṣuptiḥ; or mahā suṣuptiḥ; another name for māya is suṣuptiḥ; or mahā suṣuptiḥ;
because that is the nearest experience that you can have as an individual. So
therefore yayā; so yayā means yayā māyaya, because of this māya alone, out of this
māya alone, idam jagat prasūyatē. Prasūyatē means is born.
सन्नाप्यसन्नाप्युभयाि नो
�भन्नाप्य�भन्नाप्युभयाि नो |
Page 473

साङ्गाप्यनङ ह्युभयाित्म नो
महाद्भुताऽ�नवर्चनीय ||१०९||
sannāpyaśannāpyubhayātmikā nō
bhinnāpyabhinnāpyubhayātmikā nō |
sāṅgāpyanaṅgā hyubhayātmikā nō
mahādbhutā:'nirvacanīyarūpā ||109||
So in verse No.108, I have left out one word; Māya; OK. Triguṇātmika parā. In fact,
triguṇātmikā is very significant word. This we will be elaborating later; anyway I will
give the required meaning in this context.
This māya which is the cause of this universe has got three features, or three
faculties; triguṇātmikā. How do we know that it has got these three faculties;
because we cannot clearly see it; because it is avyaktam we have said. If it is
avyaktam, avyaktam invisible, impercitible; potential, etc. How do you talk about the
triguṇas. How can you ascribe the triguṇas on something which you cannot see?
From the nature of the product, we can infer the features of the cause; because we
know the features of the cause inhere the effect. In Saṁsr̥kt we have a fall; kāraṇa
guṇaḥ; kāraṇa guṇāḥ karyē anuvartantē; the features of the cause pervade the
effect. And that is why we say: parents' characters are there in the children. The
physical body level you can see either father's feature or mothers' features or the
mixed features. In the body he will be like the father and in thinking like the mother,
or vice versa. So you find that. So you say that he is a replica of his father/mother.
All these expressions are there. Even certain diseases are like that. We say that
predisposition is there. Generationally if there is diabetics, then they say better be
careful. Similarly heart problem, cholesterol problem etc. etc. If this you can see,
Māya's features also can be inferred from the features of the universe.
And the features of the universe have been broadly classified into three features.
The feature of activity, kriya śaktiḥ; activity faculty, because of which it functions
and does varieties of actions. The inert things of creation do their own actions and
sentient living beings they are capable of doing thoughtful actions; physical body is
able to do its actions; mind is able to do its actions; it is called kriya śaktiḥ.
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Then the next one is jñāna śaktiḥ; the capacity to know; which we are finding in the
sūkṣma śarīraṁ especially, the mind, jñānēndriyāni, the intellect, the organs have
got the capacity to know. It is called jñāna śaktiḥ; kriya śaktiḥ.
Now the third one you will say icchāḥ śaktiḥ; you should not take that here; then the
third one is called dravya śaktiḥ; which means the inertia, which is the opposite of or
the absence of previous two śaktiḥ. Neither there is kriya nor there is jñānaṁ; it is
inertia. In fact if you look at the creation, you will easily find a gradation; if you look
at the human being, he has got jñāna śaktiḥ to full capacity to know; which makes
the human beings superior to all others. Elephant is so huge an elephant but an
human being handles the elephant, because of what? His intelligence. He conquers
everything, because of his intelligence. Bhagavān has given defensive weapons to all
the animals. It might be the nails or the horns or thrones or poison. But for human
beings nothing is there; you know why; because Bhagavān gave buddhi with which
we can defend. So in human beings if jñāna śaktiḥ is predominant, as you go to
lower form of being, jñāna śaktiḥ becomes lesser and lesser.
And when you go to plant, they are almost like inert. I use the word almost. That is
why some religion say even the plants do not have soul. They do not have a soul at
all. That is why they are treated almost as an inert thing. They say that even to
animals. The cock; it is there for my food; and not for the exhaustion of its puṇya
pāpam. So mānu, mādu, etc. are all treated like that as insentient being for our
food.
And similarly kriya śaktiḥ you can find that in the human beings it is there, but
gradually it becomes lesser and lesser leading up to a blank and then if you take an
inert object like a stone etc. it does not have the capacity to either know nor does it
have the capacity to do any action by itself.
You do not find the desk, thank god, going for a walk. If the desk starts shaking the
leg, like you do, in the midst of the class, saying that I have been standing for so
long and I have to adjust my leg, etc. Then problem. It has got draya śaktiḥ only.
And as you go to plant animal etc. thus the whole creation has got these three
faculties in different proportions. Even we have got inertia.
Even we got a lot of inertia. That is why the problem in getting up in the morning
itself.
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At that time, no knowledge, at the time of sleeping, our kriya śaktiḥ is not
functioning, our jñāna śaktiḥ is not functioning, we are all drayaṁ as it were;
therefore proportional difference is there. Since these differences are there in the
prapañja; in the māya, there must be corresponding faculty. Therefore we call them
satva guṇa representing jñāna śaktiḥ; rajō guṇa representing kriya śaktiḥ; tamō
guṇa representing draya śaktiḥ. Therefore it is called triguṇātmikā. triguṇātmikā
māya. We have seen it in Tatva Bōdhaḥ. Brahmasraya satvarāja stamō triguṇātmikā
māya asthi.
Last one more word, parā. parā means superior. Superior to what; where careful.
Not superior to ātma. It can never be superior to ātma, because it is dependent on
ātma; and therefore it is never superior to ātma, whereas it is superior to the entire
creation which is its product.
So māyadi kāraṇam is superior to the prapañja, which is the kāryam. Māya is like
parent; prapañja is like the child; always the child should respect the parents; mātru
dēvō bhava; pitru dēvō bhava. Since māya is like our mother, we have to respect it;
that is why it is called para. Ātma is called parātpara parameṣvara. You sing it; Maya
is parā; Brahman is parātparā.
Hari Om.
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038. Verses 108 to 110
ॐ
From this verse onwards, Śankarācārya is discussing kāraṇa śarīraṁ. So from verse
this No.108 onwards, Śankarācārya enters to the kāraṇa śarīraṁ topic which is the
third and final part of anātma; and he talked about different features of kāraṇa
śarīraṁ. Firstly it is called avayktam and another name of it is śaktiḥ; then the third
name is avidyā, and the fourth name is triguṇātmika. All these four names are
significant names; each name reveals its specific feature.
It is called avyaktam, because in the unmanifest form, undifferentiated form.
It is known as śaktiḥ because, it has got the potential to manifest as the creation;
and not only that, as śaktiḥ or the power it cannot exist independent of a wielder of
that power. No power can exist independent of its wielder. Therefore the word
śaktiḥ indicates its creative power; it also indicates that it is a dependent principle.
Then the word avidyā is also a significant word. It has got two different meanings;
one meaning we will see later; another meaning is it does not have an existence of
its own. Svayaṁ na vidyāte iti avidyā. By itself it does not exist; for example, pot can
be called avidyā, because pot cannot exist independent of the material out of which
it is made. In fact, any product is avidyā. Because any product does not exist
independent of the raw material. Therefore desk is avidyā; vase is avidyā; the whole
prapañja is avidyā, according to us.
Then the fourth expression is triguṇatmika, which we saw and which Śankarācārya
himself will elaborate later; it consists of three guṇas. And when the three guṇas are
equilibrium in a balanced condition, it is called pralayaṁ, and when the creation has
to originate, the equilibrium of the three guṇas is disturbed. The very disturbance is
called the process of creation. And the whole creation is nothing but the three guṇas
in inequilibrium. So prapañjaḥ is in three guṇas in inequilibrium; that is not in
equilibrium, and the pralaya is the three guṇas in balance. So guṇānāṁ
sāṁyavastha pralayaṁ; guṇānāṁ vaiṣamya avastha sr̥ṣṭi. Do you understand?
Saṁsr̥kt seems to be simplier. Guṇānāṁ sāṁyavastha pralayaṁ; guṇānāṁ vaiṣamya
avastha sr̥ṣṭi. Sāṁyaṁ means equilibrium. Vaiṣamya means inequilibrium.
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And all these four features were talked about in that slōka and he said māya is never
pratyakṣa gōcharam, it is never visible. Maya has to be always inferred. It is not
perceptible, but it inferable. Inferable from what? inferable from its product; and
what are the products; the entire creation is the product; which is perceptible
creation. So through perceptible creation, imperceptible māya has to be incurred. Up
to this we saw in the last class.
One more word I left out. Māya. Māya is doing terrible job! Māya is another name;
totally five names; avyaktam, śaktiḥ; avidyā, māya, triguṇātmika. Now the word
māya I said Śankarācārya himself is going to define in the next slōka; we will see the
significance in that slōka.
सन्नाप्यसन्नाप्युभयाि नो
�भन्नाप्य�भन्नाप्युभयाि नो |
साङ्गाप्यनङ ह्युभयाित्म नो
महाद्भुताऽ�नवर्चनीय ||१०९||
mahādbhutā:'nirvacanīyarūpā ||109||
So the significance of the word māya is given in the slōka. Māya means logically
inexplicable. Logically inexplicable or logically uncategorisable. Logically
uncategorisable and therefore it is always incomprehensible for the intellect, because
intellect comprehends something by logical division. It has to clearly divide
something to this nature or that nature; and having logically divided, intellect
comprehends. That is why if they want to study something in the creation, they split
into various parts or analyse its different features; and only after that analysis, they
can understand that.
But māya is not available for that logical categorisation. But at the same time, it is
very clearly experienceable in the form of this creation. And therefore what is
definition of māya? What is experienced but cannot be explained is called māya.
What is experienced but cannot be explained is called māya; the nearest example
for māya is any magic show. Magic show is given as an example for māya; if you
have not seen any magic show, better you see one. Every year Sarcar; you cannot
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say Sarcar, it has to be said Sorcar comes to Madras and he shows and we can find
that you experience extraordinary things but you are not able to explain how it
happens. Every show is a māya. And the greatest magician is Lord.
....māyāvīva vijr̥mbhayatyapi mahāyōgīva yaḥ svēcchayā; tasmai śrīgurumūrtayē

nama idaṁ śrī dakṣiṇāmūrtayē.
Now in this slōka Śankarācārya says why māya is not logically categorisable. It is a
beautiful and important slōka; often quoted to define māya. Now Śankarācārya asks
the question, can māya be called Sat? can māya be called asat? can māya be called
sadaśat?
Can it be put in any of the above three categories? Can māya be called Sat; Sat
means existent; can māya be called asat; non-existent; can māya be called sadaśat;
means a mixture of both? And Śankarācārya says you cannot categorise into any
one of these three.
Why? If māya is called sat, then it will be equal to what? Equal to what? can you
guess; equal to Brahman, which is defined as Sat. There will be no difference
between Māya and Brahman. Māya will be another name of Brahman. Therefore
since Sat is Brahman, māya cannot be called Sat.
Then can you say māya is asat. Non-existent. That is also not possible because a
non-existent māya cannot be the part of the creation. Because a non-existent māya,
can never become the cause of creation. Then can you say Brahman is the cause of
the creation, because Brahman, the pure Brahman, Sat, is neither cause nor effect.
Kārya kāraṇa athītham iti. If Brahman is not the cause of creation, there must be
another entity which is called māya; and if māya is asat, that asat māya can never
become the cause; because a non-existent thing cannot create anything.
Therefore do you understand the logic. Māya is not sat, because if it is sat, it will
become identical with Brahman. Māya is not asat, because if it is asat, it cannot
produce a material creation. Then can you call it sadaśat. Śankarācārya says No;
because sat and asat are of totally opposite nature and they can never be combined;
just as light and darkness cannot be combined. Opposite attributes cannot co-exist.
You cannot say that he is tall and short. You cannot say that he is fat and lean. You
cannot he is fair and dark, because they being opposite attributes, they are mutually
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exclusive and therefore they cannot coexist. Therefore māya cannot have the
attributes of sat and asat. So what happened? Māya is neither sat; māya is not asat;
māya is not sadaśat also.
So can we say that it is not there at all? No. you cannot say that. What does it
mean. We have to accept māya but you cannot intellectually classify māya.
Therefore the nearest definition given in śāstram is sadaśat vilakṣanā māya. Not
sadaśat mixture. It cannot be sadaśat mixture; but sadaśat vilakṣanam; vilakṣanam
means it is distinct from sat or asat. In fact it is distinct from sadaśat mixture also.
Therefore Śankarācārya says sannāpyaśannāpyubhayātmikā nō; how to split it; sat

na; sanna should be split as sat na; asad na; ubhyatmika na. It is neither existent;
nor non-existent, nor a mixture of both; in English, the nearest translation is it is
seemingly existent; it is seemingly existent.
Then what is the next categorisation that is possible. So once you talk about
Brahman and māya; and the next question, the intellect will ask is: is Māya identical
with Brahman; is Māya different from Brahman; or is Māya both. Both means what;
both identical and different.
Śankarācārya says this classification also is not possible. In fact, intellect has to
classify, because when I talk about two things; jalam and water; you understand
that they are identical. jalam and water. I say jalam and glass or cup, then you
understand it as they are different. When I talk about two things, your intellect
wants to understand them as identical or different, but here on analysis, you find
you cannot classify them as either identical or different.
Then can you say it is a mixture? Mixture is also not possible because entity and
difference are opposite attributes mutually exclusive; therefore identity and
difference cannot co-exist. So identity and difference cannot co-exist because they
are mutually exclusive.
Now why you cannot categorise like this. The beauty is in vēdānta, we logically
prove how māya is illogical. That is the beauty. We logically show how māya is
illogical. How? Let us see.
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Suppose you say māya is identical with Brahman; there is three possibilities; the first
one is māya is identical with Brahman. Then māya also will become a chetana
tatvam; it cannot account for the jada creation or the jada universe. Because māya
principle being the jada tatvam; because what is the definition of Māya, the whole
world in potential form we have said. Therefore it is material in nature; therefore the
material māya; jada māya cannot be identical with Brahman which is cētanam.
If Māya and Brahman are identical, either Brahman also will become jaḍaṁ; like
māya; or māya also will be cētanam like Brahman; but we say māya is the potential
form of creation, which is material in nature. Therefore identity is not possible.
Then can we say māya is different from Brahman. This is what Sāṅkya philosophers
did. They said māya is a separate entity; matter principle and Brahman is a separate
entity; conscious principle, why can't we have beautiful two separate entities; just as
we have a father; who is separate; mother, who is separate; like that to keep
Brahman and Māya separate. One is chetana tatvam; one is achetana tatvam; why
can't we accept.
Śankarācārya says that is also not possible; māya cannot be accepted as a different
entity also; because, can you guess; if Brahman and Māya are separate entities;
each one will limit the other; there will be the problem of duality and limitation.
Māya will limit Brahman and Brahman will limit Māya. OK.
So what? So what? Then the very word Brahman is meaningless because Brahman
means infinite; and by definition is that which does not have a second thing; sajātīya
vijātīya svagata bhēda rahitam Brahman. The scriptures define Brahman as that
which does not have any type of duality, and duality is defined or categorised in
three types; one is called sajātīya duality; duality belonging to the same class, like
man and man duality; two men if there are that is called sajātīya duality; and if
there is a second thing which is other than man, like the table, chair, pen, etc. it is
called duality of a different class; vijātīya bhēda and the third type of duality is
duality in the form of internal division; like man and his hand. Man is the total and
the hand is a part of the man; this is called internal division; the scriptures clearly
define Brahman as sajātīya, vijātīya , svagata bhēda rahitam; that means what;
māya cannot be a second entity different from Brahman, either sajātīya or vijātīya
or svagata. It is not possible. In fact, the very word advaitam, with regard to
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Brahman will be meaningless. Chāndōgya upaṇiṣad says: Ekam ēva advitiyam.

Therefore Māya cannot be separate. Māya cannot be identical.
Then what is the last possibility? We can then keep both. That is also not possible;
because they are opposite attributes; mutually exclusive attributes and therefore
they cannot co-exist; therefore what is māya, bhinnāpi no; abhinnāpi no;
ubhayātmikā api nō; bhinna means what; different from Brahman it is not; abhinnapi
no; identical with Brahman it is not; ubhayatmika; a mixture of both it is not.
Therefore how do we define Māya; bhinnaabinna vilakṣanam māya. And if you want
to understand from a very common example, then I will ask you the question: Is
wave different from water; or identical with water. Is wave different from water or
identical with water. If you say wave and water are identical, I will tell, wherever
the word water is used, we should be able to use wave. So whenever I am thirsty,
suppose I say, please bring a glass of wave; you will look at me and think that
Svāmiji after repeatedly learning vēdānta, whether something has happened to his
head; whether it has gone for a spin; you can never replace the word wave
wherever water is; therefore it is very clear that wave and water are not identical.
Suppose you say, it is not identical; but wave and water are different. If you say that
wave and water are different; then I will tell you, then please bring some wave,
keeping the water where it is. Because you said that both are the different. Suppose
the book and the clip are different; you must be able to leave the one and carry the
other. Book and clip being different, I will ask you, please remove the clip and bring;
I want to use. Wherever there is difference, you must be able to leave one and bring
the other. If you say wave and water are different; I will ask you taking you to
beach I will ask you: please bring the water, leaving the wave. Or I will tell you bring
the gold to me; and take your ornaments. Is it possible; it is not possible.
Therefore wave and water are not different entities also. They are not identical also.
therefore what is their relationship. Bhēda-abēda vilakṣanam. Can never categorise
into identity or different. You cannot say that it is both. Both cannot be said because
they are opposite attributes; therefore bhinnāpi na; abhinnāpi na; ubhayātmikā pi
na. Are your intellect not getting confused. It should get confused. Then only Māya
topic can be conducted. So you get confused; that is the sign of māya topic; if you
understand, something wrong. The idea is; intellectually you cannot categorise as
sat asat or misram; bhinna, abhinna or mistram.
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And what is the third category possible. You can discuss endlessly; but one more
Śankarācārya says: suppose somebody asks: Is māya with part or without part; just
as the hall has got different parts; like pillar and the wall, etc. or you take the
physical body itself; so many parts are there; in Saṁsr̥kt a part is called aṅgam or
avayavam; the body has got several parts; therefore it is called endowed with
aṅgam; in Saṁsr̥kt it is called sāṅgam. sa if you say it is endowed with; aṅgam
means part; sa aṅgam means endowed with parts.
And what will be the opposite of that; sāṅgam; opposite a aṅgam; aṅgam means
without divisions or part; like that; what is the example you can imagine; ākāśa is
the example; ākāśa does not have eyes; ears; nose, tvak, top, bottom; nothing is
there. Now the question is: Brahman is also defined as anaṅgam. Brahman does not
have any part. That is why another word they used is nishkalam. Sakalam and
Nishkalam. Sakalam is sāṅgam; sāṅgam is equal sa avayavam; like that, Niṣkalam is
equal to anaṅgam; niravayavam. These are two sets of words we use.
Now the question Śankarācārya asks is: which category māya will come into. Can
you call it sāṅga; can you call it anaṅga; can you call it misram. Śankarācārya says;
you cannot categorise into anyone of the three; it is na sāṅga; it is not endowed
with parts; anaṅga api na; it is not without part; partless; then can we say misram;
ubhayatmika no; it is not a mixture also.
Normally this topic you do not discuss. They are very elaborately discussed in
Brahma Sūtra; where different systems of philosophy try to talk about the
cosmology or origin of the world. There only every philosophy gets into problem; like
modern science; they are trying to find out the cause of the universe; any theory
they put forth; it is getting into trouble. Vēdantin is very happy; the more they get
into trouble, the more vēdantin is happy because he knows analysing the root of
creation, he is trying to categorise; it will not work. There alone the elaboration is
there; I do not want to go into the details. I just give you the clue.
Now why do we say that māya is neither with parts; nor without parts; nor a
mixture. The reason is this. Whatever has got parts, whatever has got parts; is an
assemblage. Whatever has got part, is an assemblage. Assemblage you know. joined
together. Like TV; you say assembled at. you get it cheap; that means it will get
repaired also. If you do not want to buy from a good company, you can directly;
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some part from Taiwan; some part from china; some part from Singapore, etc.
Japan, USA; you know what is USA; it is Ulhasnagar Sindhi Association near Mumbai;
you buy parts from all these countries and assemble yourselves. Rs.15,000 normal
product, they will sell for 7,000-8,000. You buy and it is permanently in mechanic
shop.
Any product which has got part is an assembled product. It is an assemblage. And
any assembly is a product and any product has a beginning. Logic you see.
Whatever has got parts is an assemblage; any assemblage is a product and any
product has a beginning. OK. Why I am saying all this. Connect it; if Māya has got
parts; then it will be an assemblage; then it will be a product; then it will have a
beginning; whereas the scriptures very clearly define Māya as anādhi.
And if you say māya also has also got a beginning; then again you will get into what
trouble. I will ask you further question; what is the cause of Māya. If there is a
cause, again I will put a question; is it endowed with parts or without parts. If you
say endowed with parts; I will say again it is a product; then it will have its part; you
will go into infinite regress; you can never find out the cause.
Therefore what is the problem, māya being anādhi, you cannot say it is an
assemblage. To solve the problem, what should you say. Māya is is not endowed
with parts; You should say that it does not have any parts at all. Can you
understand. What we saw in the first. If Māya is endowed with parts, what is the
problem. It will be an assemblage; then it will be a product, then it will have a
beginning; it will be begining; whereas the scriptures describe Māya as what;
beginningless. Therefore you cannot say that it is endowed with parts.
To avoid the problem you should say it is without parts; Then if it is without parts,
you cannot explain the different features of the universe. If Māya is without parts,
you cannot explain the different features of the universe.
What did I say about different features of the universe in the last class. It has got
three features; one corresponding to knowledge faculty; another corresponding to
activity faculty; and another corresponding to what: inertia faculty. Corresponding to
the three distinct faculties of creation; māya also must have three different
potentials. So if māya does not have parts; māya will not have these three different
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distinct separate potential known as satva; rāja s and tamas. And if you do not
accept these three, you cannot explain the three faculties in the creation.
Therefore if you say māya is without parts; creation cannot be explained. Māya is
with parts if you say; you cannot explain the anādhi concept of Māya. Therefore
māya cannot be said to be with parts or without parts.
Somebody said we can say misram. For that also, we have the good old answer.
What is that. They being of opposite attributes you cannot say that it is misram also.
Therefore saanga; ananga; misra vilakṣaṇam. sāṅgam; anaṅga; misra vilakṣaṇam.
Therefore Śankarācārya says: sāṅgapi no. That no you have to use three times;
saangapi no; it is not with parts; anāṅapi no; it cannot be said to be without parts;
and ubhayatmikapi no; it cannot be a mixture of both also; then what is it; sāṅga
anaṅga; ubhaya vilakṣaṅa. bhinna, abinna, ubhaya vilakṣaṇam. Sat asat ubhaya
vilakṣaṇam.
In fact, any category, the intellect makes, we will say Māya is different from that
category. Any category the intellect makes, we will say it is different from that
category. Suppose you argue, then Māya is not there at all; that also we do not
accept. Then what will you accept. You say Mahādbhūtāt. He says māya is the
greatest wonder; mahā abdhutāt; which we are experiencing every moment;
because anything in the creation is a product of māya only. So every moment we
experience māya; but we are not able to intellectually comprehend; categorise; pin
point what is māya.
That is what I say that scientists themselves ultimately come to uncertainty principle
and the more they do research; they find so many principles things. But they have
found only one principle is very certain; and you know what is the principle that is
certain; uncertainty principle, they find as the certain one; indicating what; the more
you probe into the creation; whether it is microcosmic research; or macrocosmic
research; the more you probe, the more you find, it is uncategorisable. And
therefore what is called. anirvachaniya rūpa. Anirvachaniyam means what;
inexplicable. Inexplicable. That which cannot comprehended by the intellect. So this
is the definition of what: māya. It is what you feel; everytime you come out of a
magic show. also. In that he enters a box right in front of your eyes; that is the last
part of the show, and and then he comes from behind the last part of the hall or
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audience. How come he enters the box here (is there a hole or something); he will
show the box all-round; and solid and enter; and come out through another door;
Did you experience it; experienced. But how can you explain that; I cannot explain.
So that is called miniature māya; it is called the jīva māya. the whole prapañjam is
called maxi māya; Īśvara māya.
.
शुद्धाद्वयब्रह्म�वभो
सपर्भ् रज्जु�ववेकत यथा |
रजस्तमःसत्त्व� प्र�स
गुणास्तद�या प्र�थत स्वकाय� ||११०||
śuddhādvayabrahmavibhōdhanāśyā
sarpabhramō rajjuvivēkatō yathā |
rāja stamaḥsattvamiti prasiddhā
guṇāstadīyāḥ prathitaiḥ svakāryaiḥ ||110||
So in this slōka, Śankarācārya explains the meaning of the word avidyā. So the
word māya has been explained; now the word avidyā is being explained here.
I told you the word avidyā has got two meanings; one meaning is that which is not
independently existent. And the second meaning is given here. It is very closely
connected to the first meaning. And what is that; that which is negated by vidyā.
Avidyā means that vidyā naśyam. That which is negated by vidyā is called avidyā.
And everything that does not have independent existence that is all negated in the
wake of knowledge. I will explain it. It will be clear. I said any product can be called
avidyā. A desk can be called avidyā. Why, because there is no such thing called desk
existing independently. If the desk can exist independently; I will tell please give me
the wood; and you take the desk. So the desk is called avidyā because it does not
exist independent of wood. So svayaṁ na vidyāte iti avidyā.
So because of this reason only, see another important thing also. Beautiful idea.
Until I probe into the nature of the desk; I keep on saying there is a desk. there is a
desk in front of Svāmiji. As long as I do not think, as long as I do not probe, I keep
on saying there is a desk. But the moment I try to understand what is desk, and
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arrive at the wood, I know that there is wood alone in front of Svāmiji; desk is only
a name and form; it does not exist as a substance. Desk has got only a verbal
existence; nominal existence; in Hindi they have a beautiful expression: Nāmke
vāstē; nāmke vāstē existence; there is no substance called desk.
Therefore previously you were thinking because of the word there is a substance
called desk, you were talking about its height; you were talking about its weight;
you were treating desk as a substance; but once you get wisdom; you know there is
only one substance called wood; there is no substance called desk. And what is
that; it is a sound produced by tongue. Upaṇiṣad says that. Desk is only a sound
produced by your tongue. vacharambanam vikharo namadaḥyem. You are attached
to the thing saying desk, desk, desk, etc. but it is a sound produced; there is no
such thing called desk.
This wisdom, this understanding that there is no substance called desk is called
negation of desk. What is negation? Understanding that there is no substance
called desk.
And therefore desk will appear to be substance, only until you know the wood. The
moment you know the wood, desk will stop to be a substance, therefore desk is
wood; jñāna nāśyam. That is negated in the knowledge of wood. Ornaments are
negated in the knowledge of gold. Building is negated in the knowledge of brick.
Cloth is negated in the knowledge of the thread.
Therefore all these things are knowledge negated; therefore it is called aa vidyā. aa
means negated; bādhitham; vidyā means knowledge.
Therefore according to vēdānta, desk is avidyā. Wave is avidyā. Ocean is avidyā. In

fact, any product is avidyā because it is negated; once you know the substance
behind the product. And ultimately speaking the whole creation is avidyā. And
therefore māya which is the views of the creation; that māya is also called avidyā.
You see how a word is being used by him keeping in mind the significance of it. So
therefore, why it is called avidyā; vidyā nāśyam iti avidyā. That which is negated in
the wake of knowledge is called avidyā. What is the first meaning; that which does
not have independent existence is called avidyā. That which is negated by
knowledge is called avidyā. By that definition, desk is what; avidyā. World is what;
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avidyā. And essence of the world is called māya; therefore māya is what; avidyā. I
think you are understanding.
More in the next.
Hari Om.
039. Verses 110 to 112

ॐ
शुद्धाद्वयब्रह्म�वभो
सपर्भ् रज्जु�ववेकत यथा |
रजस्तमःसत्त्व� प्र�स
गण
ु ास्तद�या प्र�थत स्वकय�ः ||११०||
śuddhādvayabrahmavibhōdhanāśyā
sarpabhramō rajjuvivēkatō yathā |
rāja stamaḥsattvamiti prasiddhā
guṇāstadīyāḥ prathitaiḥ svakāryaiḥ ||110||
Talking about anātma, Śankarācārya has dealt with stūla śarīraṁ; and sūkṣma
śarīraṁ; and now Śankarācārya is dealing with kāraṇa śarīraṁ from verse No.108 up
to verse no.123, and while talking about kāraṇa śarīraṁ, Śankarācārya is not making
any difference between the kāraṇa śarīraṁ at the vyaṣti or individual level and
samaṣti at the total level. At the level of stūla śarīraṁ; the difference between
individual and total is clearly experienced. At sūkṣma śarīraṁ level also, the
difference between the individual and total is experienced. But at the kāraṇa śarīraṁ
level, we do not experience because, at kāraṇa śarīraṁ level everything is resolved.
That is why in Saṁsr̥kt it is called nirvikalpa avastha, a state in which differences are
not experienced. We do not say differences are not there; we say differences are
potentially there; in an unmanifest form.
And since the differences are not experienced, I cannot talk about the difference
between my kāraṇam śarīraṁ and your kāraṇa śarīraṁ; or extending it, I can never
experience the difference between my sleep; the sleep of the individual and the
sleep of the cosmos; which is called pralaya avastha. Individual sleep is called
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layaha; the total resolution is called pralayaḥ. Vyaṣti resolution is layaḥ; samaṣti
resolution is pralayaḥ. Vyaṣti resolution, individual's stūla sūkṣma śarīraṁs are
resolved, as though resolved, experientially resolved; whereas in pralayaḥ, samaṣti
stūla sūkṣma prapañja are resolved. In the resolved condition, since no difference is
experienced, Śankarācārya does not want to differentiate here; vyaṣti and samaṣti.
And normally in vēdānta; the resolved state, in the case of individual is called
avidyā; and the resolved state at the level of total is called māya, but Śankarācārya
does not make any difference between avidyā, the vyaṣti laya avastha and māya,
the samaṣti laya avastha. Therefore avidyā and māya are equated in this text. So
thus we can say, kāraṇa avastha is called avidyā; kāraṇa avastha is called māya;
kāraṇa avastha is called avyaktam; kāraṇa avastha is called śaktiḥ; four words were
used. Avyaktam; avidyā; māya and śaktiḥ. All these four refer to what? The
potential state of matter. When I say matter, entire universe is included; and also
our body mind complex is included; because that is also matter according to śāstra;
and it is called śaktiḥ because it depends upon a śaktha; that is Brahman. Therefore
it is called śaktiḥ; it is called avyaktam; because it is in potential form; it is called
māya; because it is not available for categorical definition. Matter according to
vēdānta can never be clearly defined. You cannot say matter is consciousness. You
cannot say matter is different from consciousness; you cannot say matter is part of
consciousness; you cannot say matter is product of consciousness; matter can never
be defined.
mahādbhutā:'nirvacanīyarūpā ||
The word anirvachaniyam is the explanation of the word māya. Māya is equal is
anirvachaniyam. And having defined māya as anirvachaniyam, in verse No.109, now
in this slōka No.110, Śankarācārya is explaining the word avidyā. And I said the
word avidyā has two meanings; derived from two different roots; one is vid, to exist;
vidyāte; and according to that definition, avidyā means svayaṁ na vidyāte iti avidyā.
That which does not have independent existence is called avidyā.
And thus according to vēdānta; a desk is avidyā. Why desk is avidyā? Because desk
does not exist independent of wood; whatever has got dependent existence is called
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soldified avidyā. Similarly, chair is avidyā; all ornaments are avidyā. In fact, all
products are avidyā. Why, because all products do not exist independent of its basic
stuff, raw material. And this kāraṇa, the basic matter is also called avidyā; because it
cannot exist independent of consciousness. Matter is called avidyā; because it
cannot exist independent of what; consciousness. This is definition No.1; explanation
No.1 for avidyā. svayaṁ na vidyāte iti avidyā; ghatavat.
Then the second meaning that I gave was derived from the root vid, to know; vidyā
means knowledge; therefore avidyā means that which is opposed to knowledge or
that which is negated by knowledge. Vidyā vir ō dhini avidyā; or vidyā nāṣya avidyā.
Look at this definition. The desk can be called avidyā. Desk can be called avidyā.
Look at the second definition. According to the second definition, desk is called
avidyā because, it is negated by knowledge. Desk is negated by knowledge. Is'nt it
true. I told you in the last class; there is a desk; there is a desk; there is a desk; and
that too big desk, heavy desk; solid desk; all those things how long; until I reveal
the wood. The moment you discover the wood, you will know that desk is only a
word, vaacharambaranam vikharo namadeyam. Desk has got only verbal existence;
nominal existence; there is no Is_ness for the desk. So taking the Is_ness from the
desk and handing over the Is_ness to the wood is called negation. So desk
undergoes negation through knowledge and what do you mean by negation through
knowledge. Desk looses its existence through knowledge. Therefore vidyā
nāśayatvāt avidyā. What is the first definition? svayaṁ na vidyāte iti avidyā.
And according to vēdānta, the basic matter is avidyā. Why, svayaṁ na vidyāte and
also vidyā nāśya. What vidyā? In the case of desk, the knowledge is what? the
knowledge of wood; in the case of pot, which is destroyed by the knowledge of clay.
In the case of ornaments, which is dismissed by the knowledge of gold. In the case
of matter, it is negated by the knowledge of what? Consciousness. Brahma vidyā
nāśya māya; Brahma vidyā naashya māya. it is beautifully said in one of the
upaṇiṣad. Sooyaschande vishwa māya nivr̥ttiḥ- Svetasvaratha Upaṇiṣad. In the wake
of knowledge of Brahman, māya nivr̥ttihi.
So that is given in verse No.110. Look at the slōka. śuddha ādvaya brahma vibhōdha
nāśyā; vibhodha, means what? Clear knowledge, of what? The consciousness
principle as the content of matter. Knowing the wood as the content of the desk,
through vēdānta, one should know the consciousness as the content-stuff of matter
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and what type of Brahman, śuddham brahmam, that which is pure, without any
saṁsāra in it; and advyaya; how many consciousness are there; there is no plural
for consciousness. Consciousness seems to be in the form of islands, because of the
medium through which it is manifest. So approach of śāstra is what? Brain does not
produce consciousness; that is the view of the materialistic people; śāstrik view is
brain does not produce consciousness; it is only a medium for the manifestation of
consciousness; so manifestations are many; but consciousness is advayaṁ. This
śuddha advaya brahma vibhōdha means Brahma jñānaṁ. And through that brahma
jñānaṁ nāśya; what is destroyed; māya; otherwise called avidyā; otherwise called
sakthi; otherwise called avyaktam. In English, basic matter. So it is destructible
through Brahma vidyā; therefore it is called avidyā. You have to connect it. Vidyā
nāśyavāt avidyā itucchyate.
But how can I understand it; how can anything be destroyed by knowledge? You
wonder. Normally, knowledge normally destroy anything. That knowledge cannot do
anything. When I know that here is a clock, knowing the clock destroys it; then it
will be terrible. You keep on things and it gets destroyed. You know the son and son
gets destroyed. The son knows you and you get destroyed; mother knows you; you
get destroyed; it would be terrible. How do you say knowledge destroys anything.
Śankarācārya says sarpabrahmahā, (you see, sarpa is doing mahā job);
sarpabhramō rajjuvivēkatō yathā; just as the knowledge of the rope destroys the
snake which had seeming existence. You should not say snake is non-existent. Non-
existent snake cannot frighten you. So therefore what type of snake it is; seemingly
existent snake got destroyed and until you know the rope, snake is really existent for
you.
And if you want another example, better example, the dream world. After walking
up, I may brush aside the dream; but actually when I am in dream it is solidly
tangibly frighteningly nightmarishly it is real. And when I wake up and know I am
the waker, waker jñānēna, dream nāśaḥ. Because the is_ness of the dream is
borrowed from where; waker. Is_ness of the snake is borrowed from rope. Is_ness
of matter is borrowed from consciousness. Therefore consciousness jñānēna matter
loses its Is_ness. That is called wisdom.
yasyaiva sphuraṇaṁ sadātmakamasatkalpārthakaṁ bhāsatē;

sākṣāttatvamasīti vēdavacasā; that is the essence. So yathā; just as rajju
vivēkataḥ; rope knowledge sarpa bhramā; that seeming snake is destroyed. Why he
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uses the word sarpa bhramā you know? only the falsely appearing snake alone will
be destroyed. Do not go to snake park and keeping the rope in the hand and say
that rope knowledge destroys the snake. Therefore only false things will go away. So
with this, the explanation of māya is over in verse No.109, explanation of avidyā is
over in the first two lines of this slōka.
Now the next word he wants to explain is Triguṇātmika, which word he used in
verse No.108. In fact, we can take 108 slōka as the prathijñā slōka, or samkṣēpa
slōka; samkṣēpa slōka means just presenting the condensed version; thereafter the
author himself elaborates. This is a methodology used in śāstra.
Not only in śāstra, I have often said, even when the news is given, they say the
headlines and headlines will be what: 3 or 4 and the rest of the news will be what?
elaboration of the headlines, which is called sūtra slōka and vr̥tti slōka. Sūtra slōka is
presenting the condensed version; vr̥tti slōka is the elaboration; in the Bhagavad
Gītā, Asochyan Anva Sochatvam; is sūtra slōka; and the rest of the Chapter or at
least the rest of the 12 verses is a vr̥tti. In Taittariya Upaṇiṣad, Satyam jñānaṁ
anantaṁ, Brahma, yo vēda nihitam guhāayaṁ paramevyoman is the sūtra mantra;
the rest of the upaṇiṣad is vr̥tti mantra. Like that 108 is sūtra mantra and each word
he is explaining. Māya explained. Avidyā explained.
Now the next word is triguṇātmika. Did you see where it comes; Verse 108 2nd line
triguṇātmika. And what does it mean? It means māya has got three faculties or
features about which I have briefly mentioned before;
the satva feature corresponding to the knowing faculty in the creation;

rājas features which corresponds to the activity faculty of the creation; and
the tamas feature which corresponds to the inertia faculty of this creation.
And what is the definition of inertia? That which has neither knowledge nor activity.
The desk does not know anything; the desk does not do anything. jñāna śaktiḥ api
nāsti; kriya śaktiḥ api nāsti; absence of both is called dravya śaktiḥ; tama śaktiḥ;
inertia faculty.
Now about these three śaktiḥs, more details are going to be given in the following
verses. Śankarācārya deals with the three guṇas a little bit elaborately.
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Now look at the third line and fourth. stadīyāḥ guṇāḥ prasiddhā; means belonging to
māya; guṇāḥ means guṇas. We cannot translate the word guṇa. Guṇa does not
mean quality or property. It is a technical word and therefore we will retain it as
guṇāḥ itself. The guṇas of māya are well known. stadīyāḥ guṇāḥ prasiddhā. The
guṇas of māya are well known; as what? Rājaḥ, tamaḥ, satvam iti prasiddhā.
Normally we enumerate them as satva rājas tamō guṇāḥ. Here he is reversing the
order, rājaḥ, tamaḥ, satvam iti. Not only he reverses the order in enumeration; later
in explanation also, first he explains rajō guṇa; then he explains tamō guṇa;
thereafter alone he explains satva guṇa. Perhaps he feels rājas and tamas we know
very well through our experience. Perhaps Śankarācārya might have thought that we
do not have satva guṇa itself; therefore he has kept it for the last. What is well
known to the common people he wanted to tell first perhaps. Therefore he changes
the order.
And how do you know māya has got these three guṇas? Because māya itself is
invisible; basic matter or basic energy is invisible; when māya itself is invisible; how
can we know about the guṇas of māya. Suppose a person says that I have not seen
Mr. Rāma; he has not seen; you just tell me what is his complexion; when a person
himself is not seen; how can I talk about the features?
Therefore the question comes; when māya is imperceptible, how do you know it has
got three features? Śankarācārya gives the answer; svakāryaiḥ prathitaiḥ; three
features are inferred. Never perceived; but inferred through its products. The
features of māya are inferred through the products of māya; the features of māya
are inferred through the products of māya; and fortunately, products of māya are
visible.
And what is that? what is that if anybody asks; anything that you see is product of
māya; the entire creation is māya karyam; and in the entire creation I see three
features; jñāna śaktiḥ; kriya śaktiḥ and dravya śaktiḥ. Icchāḥ śaktiḥ you should not
tell here. Jnāna śaktiḥ; kriya śaktiḥ; and dravya śaktiḥ. Dravya śaktiḥ is a word in
Bhāgavatham. Jnāna Śaktiḥ, kriya śaktiḥ, and dravya śaktiḥ. Dravya śaktiḥ in English
inertia.
And if these faculties are there in the effect, they must be there in the cause also.
Just as the childrens' faculty are genetically derived from the parents. They say in
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the generation if you have got sugar or pressure, then better be careful. Stop the
ghee right now. Even before 30, do not take this, do not take that; so many
restrictions. Predisposition because, they have got family history. Therefore,
prathitaiḥ svakāryaiḥ; pratitham, well known, well experienced, well-experienced
features of māya product; the māya features are inferred.
�व�ेपशक्त रजसः �क्रयाित्

यतः प्रवृित प्रसृ परु ाणी |
रागादयोऽस्या प्रभवि �नत्य
दःख
ु ादयो ये मनसो �वकाराः ||१११|
vikṣēpaśaktī rāja saḥ kriyātmikā
yataḥ pravr̥ttiḥ prasr̥tā purāṇī |
rāgādayō:'syāḥ prabhāva nti nityaṁ
duḥkhādayō yē manasō vikārāḥ ||111|
So here are enumerated three; rājas, tamas, satvam iti prasiddhā. Now each guṇa
he is going to elaborate. First he has taken up rajō guṇaḥ. So what is the capacity of
rajō guṇa of what? māya; and you should remember, Māya or kāraṇa śarīraṁ or
kāraṇa prapañja has got three guṇas; only in their proportion; not in their existence.
And according to vēdānta, even in the most inert matter like stone, rajō guṇa or
satva guṇa are there, but it is so insignificant that the tamō guṇa overpowers. And
as you go further into the creation, the plant will have a little bit more rājas and
satva, because they have got some jñāna śaktiḥ and some kriya śaktiḥ. Then when
you go to animals, more jñāna śaktiḥ and kriya śaktiḥ; and when you come to
human being, we have maximum jñāna śaktiḥ and kriya śaktiḥ; and among human
being themselves, jñāna śaktiḥ varies. Five times if you teach, he may understand.
For some, if you teach once, he will ask for the next lesson. Somebody immediately
grasps, somebody takes time; there also satva variations are there; in fact, the very
four varṇa divisions are satva guṇa pradhana, rāja secondary, tamas least; and rāja
primary, satva secondary, tamas least; and rajas primary, tamas secondary, satva
least; and the fourth tamas primary, rajas secondary, and satva least. SRT, RST, etc.
do you remember; introduction to vēdānta, I took, SRT, RST, RTS, TRS. Brāhmaṇa,
Kṣatriya, Vaiśya, Śūdra. Everything is based on that; the only difference is at māya
level; three guṇas are in equilibrium; whereas at the product level, they are in
various proportions.
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Of these, what is the expression of rajō guṇa. He says: Rāja saha kriyatmika vikṣēpa
śaktiḥ vartate. The rajō guṇa has got vikṣēpa śaktiḥ; the capacity to product, the
capacity to goad, or activate. Literally vikṣēpaḥ means throwing; pushing; projecting,
etc. and the projection can be at two levels; at mental level, projection means lot of
imagination, etc.; thought projection. At the physical level when you say vikṣēpa, it
is action. The body becomes highly active. So mental activity is thought projection,
physical activity is lot of action running around. Therefore rāja saha vikṣēpa śaktiḥ
vartate. Rajō guṇa has throwing power, projecting power, which is kriyatmika, which
is in the form of activity. OK.
And therefore what happens? Yataḥ, because of this activity faculty, because of the
disturbing faculty; vikṣēpa has got a meaning, to disturb; because of the disturbing
faculty, which expresses in the form of activity, what comes? pravr̥ttiḥ prasiddhā. All
types of functions or all types of activities originate. All types of human activities,
creation activity, both at the samaṣti level and vyaṣti level.
At the samaṣti level, what is the pravr̥ttiḥ? Slowly Aākāśa samboothaḥ; from
disturbance, space comes; scientists call it big-bang and all but vēdānta calls it a
small disturbance; in the equilibrium of rajō guṇa, aākāśa is born. Aākāśat vāyu;
vaayor agnihi; agne āpaḥ; adya prithivi; prithvyaam ouṣadayaḥ; ouṣadibhyam
annam; annat puruṣaḥ.
We came; we arrived. And if we have kept quiet, nothing would have happened; as
in sleep; but when we wake; what does it mean. From Tamō guṇa, rajō guṇa has
come up. You roll over, stretch, etc. rajas has come. He sits and just stretches, and
looks for coffee, etc. and then activity. They are all what? the pushy power of rājas;
the pushy power or the pushing power of rajō guṇa brings out activity in God or
totallity; as well as in the individual. Pravr̥tti prākr̥ta. All activities originate. And
when did it start? Purāṅi; which is beginningless or which is the most ancient one;
which a cyclic process; sr̥ṣṭi kāle ēva, it has come.
From this angle alone, the Lord is called Brahma. Rāja pradhanaḥ, Brahma. Satva
pradhanaḥ Viṣṇuḥ. Tama pradhanaḥ Śivaḥ. Lord Śivaḥ handles tamō guṇa. Very
careful. He is not tāmasic. Do not ask whether Śivaḥ is tāmasic? Lord Shiva is
handling tamō guṇa; to hold back the universe. Lord Brahma uses rajō guṇa to
create the universe.
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And therefore purāṅi pravr̥ttiḥ; the most ancient creative activity originate because
of rajō guṇa. And not only that, this is at the samaṣti level and at the outer level.
What happens at the individual inner level? How does rajō guṇa function? He says:
asyāḥ rāgādayāḥ prabhāvanti. Once rajō guṇa comes or becomes active in the mind,
desire comes into the mind. Why should I keep quiet? I want this; I want that; I
want this; I want that; that desire comes. Once the desire comes, the person is not
allowed to sit quiet; the desire will produce what: activity; get up; go and earn; so
many lakhs he has earned; no, not enough; retired, still not enough; join again. If
anybody has gone, do not mistake. What I am saying is I cannot sit quiet; Svāmiji,
not for money, what will I do with the whole day? If quietness comes, nightmare. So
he has to do some activity or other. That is called rājasic tendency. The 14th chapter
of the Gītā, specialises on the three guṇas. We should remember that.
Therefore asyāḥ, asyāḥ means vikṣepa śakteḥ prakāśāt; pañjami vibhakthi; from this
vikṣepa śakti; rāgadayaḥ prabhāvanti; rāga etc. which includes dvēṣa. Rajas leads to
pravrttiḥ; dvēṣa leads to nivr̥tti; either going for; going towards or going away;
either way a person is active. Therefore asyāḥ vikṣepa śaktehe rāgadayaḥ
prabhāvanti. prabhāvanti means arise. Rāga dvēṣa, kāma krōdhaḥ, lōbhaḥ mōha, all
of them originate. When? Nityam. Nityam means constantly. One project is over;
another project comes. That project is over; another comes. Project after project
after project after project. And naturally, what will be the consequence. duḥkhādaya.
So duḥkhaṁ is inevitable, because
kāma esha krōdhaḥ eshaha, rajō guṇa samudbhavaḥ;

mahā sano mahāa pātma, viddenam iha vairinam.
All those things we saw in the Gītā. Dvēṣa itself directly causes sorrow; and Rāga
indirectly causes sorrow; and if the object of desire is not accomplished, then there
is sorrow; if it is accomplished, I am worried about preserving them; and when it is
lost, you do not have to ask. Therefore duḥkha etc. All of them are what; manaso
vikārā. All these thought modifications in the mind are born out of rajō guṇa.
Indirectly Śankarācārya says predominance of rajō guṇa is not very good. We do not
say rajō guṇa should not be there. Very careful. If rajō guṇa is not at all there, you
would not come to the class at all. Remember, even walking requires some rajō
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guṇa. If you go on sleeping; as they ഉണ്ട ഉറങ്ങ. ഉറങ്ങിയ ഉണ്ണ. Can you
understand. I have to eat and if I eat, then after eating what can you do: I have to
sleep. After sleep what do you do. Now that all the food is digested; so I have to
again eat. This will be the life if rajō guṇa is not at all there. Vēdānta does not
condemn rajō guṇa; Vēdānta says predominance of rajō guṇa is a problem. And that
is why a Brāhmaṇa is defined as one who is satva pradhānaḥ. At the same time rajō
guṇa is there, behind the satva guṇa; rajō guṇa is there, which controls the activity;
he is active, but do not miss the class. Or else busy, busy, busy, you will be running
after money, you will miss the class. Activity will be there; lot of things, at the same
time, but make sure that there is time for śāstra.
कामः क्रो लोभदम्भाद्यसू

अहंकारेष्यार्मत्सराद्य घोराः |
धमार एते राजसाः पुम्प्रवृि
यस्माद ेष तद्र बन्धहेतु || ११२ ||
kāmaḥ krōdhō lōbhadambhādyasūyā
ahaṁkārērṣyāmatsarādyāstu ghōrāḥ |
dharmā ētē rājasāḥ pumpravr̥ttiḥ
yasmādēṣā tadrajō bandahētuḥ || 112 ||
So here he gives further details of rajō guṇa. So in the previous slōka, he said;
generally they produce rāga etc. sorrow etc. What is etc? Śankarācārya knows, we
may not know. Therefore he himself explains the etc. What are they? kāmaḥ,
krōdhaḥ, lōbhaḥ, dambhaḥ, asuya; ahaṁkāraḥ, irrshyaḥ; matsaraḥ. All these are
unhealthy traits. We can understand the meaning of most of them. kāmaḥ, desire;
krōdhaḥ; anger; lōbhaḥ; greed; after the fulfilment of desire, when I want more, it is
greed. So greed, then dambhaḥ, dambhaḥ means show; pomp and show; declaring
either through words or through action; or through dress, etc. that I am a great
person, people should respect me etc. pomp and show; ostentatiousness is called
dambhaḥ. We have seen this in the Gītā, amāntivam, adambitvam. Śankarācārya
defines dambha as dharma द्वजत्व dvajatvam; dharma dvajatvam; dvaja means a
flag; a flag is to declare that I am here; it is to show and here what flag has got?
dharma dvajatvam. Like a flag, he keeps high all the so-called good things he has
done. I built the school there; photo he would have taken and you call everyone and
say: I did it; and any donation he gives, he wants to take a picture of that. He hangs
it all over the wall; all the awards; he has put there. According to śāstra, whatever
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noble things you do, you should never declare; the moment you declare, the
puṇyam that can come out of the noble thing, is neutralised. Declaration of your
noble action neutralises the puṇya that can come out of that. We are not supposed
to declare and even if somebody asks, we are supposed to brush aside; saying that
is not a big thing; I just did it; etc. you are supposed to cover up. Whereas when
rajō guṇa is there; that declaration comes. That is called dambhaḥ, show.
Then there is a reading difference in some books. dambhādyasūyā is there. There is

a better reading. dambha atyasūya; dambhāt atyasūya; instead of ya, it should be
dha plus ya. which should be read as abhyasūya; which is the same as asūya. And
asūya is defined as guṅeṣu doṣaḥ avishkaraṇam asūya; criticising the good character
of others. Whatever good he does; we do not interpret it positively, but he interprets
it negatively. Suppose somebody gives donation. This person does not give any
donation. And this person says that that person is giving donation only for name and
sake. And somebody is teaching scriptures. There are even people like that. They
say all these people are taking class for what purpose you know? to get śiṣyās; so
that they will get prostrations; so that they will get namaskāra. That may be true
also; somebody might have that intention also.
But I do not know whether what attitude that person has got; therefore I have no
right to talk about another person's attitude because attitude is invisible. And when
it is invisible; what right I have got to misinterpret that noble action? Similarly a
person becomes a politician. A politician may become a politician for either purpose.
To serve the country; or you know what? I need not tell. But we have no right to
criticise what is the attitude until it is proved. We have no right. Rajō guṇa
misinterprets even the good attitude as a bad one. And that is called ābyasūyā.
Misinterpretting even the good intentions negatively. In Saṁsr̥kt it is defined as
guṅeṣu doṣaḥ avishkaraṇam. Good guṇa you see as bad one, called asuya. In Tamil
the word asuya often translated as jealousy, but the real translation of asuya is not
jealousy; but criticism, fault finding, misinterpretting etc. which Krishna considers as
a very big obstacle for self-knowledge.
In Gītā at the end, he says; one of the good quality a Gītā student should have to
study Gītā is anasūya. Anasuya means the absence of asuya. And that is required
even when we study the scriptures. We can study the scriptures, just to find the
defect in scriptures. It is not right; always look at the controversial part of the
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scriptures only. Rāmayanam if you say, say that I do not accept Rāma killing Vāli;
therefore what; I will not read Rāmayanam.
Similarly Mahābharatha you can take certain controversial portion and reject the
whole text; that is called only looking for controversy portion. I am not saying
controversial portions are not there. What I am saying is: studying only to dwell
upon that; and missing the beautiful points, who is the loser? I am the loser. This
attitude is called asuya. And the śāstra say, if you study with this attitude, you will
have lot of difficulty in gaining benefit from the scriptures, or set aside certain
portion and study. As you study the other portion and clearly understand, you will
find the so-called controversial portion will begin to make sense for you. That is
called śāstra-anugrahaḥ. You approach śāstra with a healthy attitude. There are
certain difficult portions; controversial portions, I do not want to say it is wrong; I do
not want to dwell upon them all the time;
I do not want to resolve those controversial portions first; keep them aside; or just
tell that it is not clear for me. Just study. Upakrama, upasamhāra and all those
things; then you will understand what is the scripture's intentions? Because certain
stories you should not literally take; they are all symbolic stories.
And certain stories are fictitious stories, it is not fact, like cartoon. In cartoon they
will put the nose as 1 mile long; that means what? He has got a bigger nose, and in
the cartoon the bigger nose becomes very big. Therefore some of them are
exaggerations; some of them are what you call symbolic; and some of them are to
make you think; especially Mahābharatha it is to make you understand that Dharma
is relative. There is nothing called absolutely right; or absolutely wrong; and also
there is no one, who is absolutely dharmic; or who is absolutely adharmic. There are
wonderful traits in Karna, we can see wonderful traits in Duryodhana, and you can
see terrible traits in Dharmaputra also. Just to show that nobody is absolute. Initially
until you get the discretion, he says Dharmaputra is absolutely good; but as you
grow you should understand, nobody is absolutely good or absolutely bad, God
alone is.
And Dayānanda Svāmi says that this is important from psychological point also
because initially when the scriptures talk about dharma, Dharmaputra is good;
Duryodhana is bad; we get absolute idea. And we develop an idealisim. Idealism
that I want to be absolutely good. And idealism is terrible because nobody can be
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terribly good and when I try to be absolutely good, it is not going to work; and when
it does not work, I may develop inferiority complex, guilt, etc. Svāmiji I have been
studying Gītā for all these years; but still some thoughts are coming. That person
can be extremely upset because of some thoughts. What we say is, nobody can
absolutely avoid rāga dvēṣa kāma krōdhaḥ, etc. Do not be idealistic; grow and enjoy
growth.
And how to teach that, by showing that even Dharmaputra, who is supposed to be
the embodiment of dharma, he himself is not absolutely good. And therefore initially
we say that you should become good and later we say, enjoy growing; never have
an ideal thing and all the time feeling guilty by comparing with what; the actual self,
the ideal self like dichotomy; It is called in psychology. Psychologists praise our
scriptures it seems, because they show even Rāma, Krishna, any human being, they
put some controversial idea; Krishna did this, is it correct? Rāmar did this, is this
correct.
They put some controversial things you know what? just to show that in the
creation, there is no such thing called ideally good. Whether Vibeeshana correct or
Kumbhakarna. You can have pattimandram for millions of years. One person argues
that Kumbhakarna is really loyal is to his brother; he argued for Ravana that what
Rāvana does is not wrong; but ultimately I am the younger brother and my job is to
be his support. He is also selfless only. And Vibheeshana said that my brother is
wrong, Rāma is correct; therefore where adharma is there; I should give up. He is
great. very difficult to say. We can argue this way; we can argue that way.
Throughout the scriptures you can argue this way or that way. There are people
who argue that Kaikeyi is an excellent person. They say Kaikeyi wanted to send
Rāma to the forest because at that time whoever is the ruler for 14 years; he has
got a bad time it seems. Therefore he wanted to save Rāma; and my son suffers
does not matter; but let Rāma should not suffer. Again arguments for what; we can
argue for and against. All our scriptures show, the grey area also. To show dharma
is not absolute. Therefore in your family situation also, at any particular stage,
nobody can say this is right or that is right; what do you do; learn a lot of lessons
from the scriptures; study the situations try to be as much unselfish as possible; and
take a decision. Svāmiji gives the example of driving. While you learn to drive, all
traffic positions, no driving school can teach. With all the traffic positions; how to be
taught. You will be eternally in driving school. Some norms are given. Some
examples are given. Based on that you have to use your discretion and drive; there
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might be a bullock cart in the road; there might be the road full of pumpkin on the
Amavasai road; there might be a pit there; what have you to do. Therefore, no
scriptures teach you what is right or what is wrong; the scriptures want to teach
you; certain broad norms; with certain examples and having informed, I have to use
my discretion; that alone.
And therefore, when we study the scriptures, we should have that attitude.
Otherwise what happens; we sit in judgment, whether Dharmaputra is correct; or
Dronācārya; he is supposed to be a great ācārya; he did not teach Ekalavya; and
you say Dronācārya is to be worshipped. What is this akramam? Bhiṣmā does not
protest when Draupadi vastrāpaḥranam took place, and Bhiṣmā is worshipped. If we
begin to sit in judgment, various characters and various dharmas; we will get
nowhere and that attitude is called anasūya.
Hari Om.
040. Verses 112 to 114
कामः क्रो लोभदम्भाद्यसू

अहंकारेष्यार्मत्सराद्य घोराः |
धमार एते राजसाः पुम्प्रवृि
यस्माद ेष तद्र बन्धहेतु ||११२||
kāmaḥ krōdhō lōbhadambhādyasūyā
ahaṁkārērṣyāmatsarādyāstu ghōrāḥ |
dharmā ētē rājasāḥ pumpravr̥ttiḥ
yasmādēṣā tadrajō bandahētuḥ ||112||
As a part of kāraṇa śarīra discussion, Śankarācārya is equating kāraṇa śarīraṁ with

māya and he is discussing the nature of māya. And he talked about the various
features of māya, by giving the relevant names of māya, like Śaktiḥ, avidyā,
avyaktam, etc. and now he has taken up the three guṇas of māya, rajō guṇa, satva
guṇa and tamō guṇa. And he is discussing them in this particular order.
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First he has taken up rajō guṇa which is responsible for all the activities at the
individual level as well as the śamaṣti level. So while he is discussing Māya, he is
discussing both from the individual angle and the total angle; therefore at the
individual level he said that it produces rāga, dvēṣa etc. which makes a person
highly active and not only that, the whole creation is self-originate from the rajō
guṇa of māya only. Not only that various other emotions are born out of rajō guṇa
predominance, he says in verse No.112, which we were seeing in the last class.
kāmahā, krōdaḥ, lōbhaḥ, dambhaḥ, abhyasūya. Up to this we saw. The word
abhyasūya means para guṇēṣu doṣaḥ avishkāraṇam. Misinterpreting even the virtues
of other people, as their weaknesses. Similarly, even misinterpreting the value of the
scriptures wrongly, misinterpreting of scriptures is also called asuya by Bhagavān in
the Bhagavat Gītā.
Then some more are given in the second line. Ahaṁkāraha, Irshya, Matsaraḥ.
Ahaṁkāra means pride. Garvaḥ; or superiority complex. I am a great person that
notion is called ahaṁkāra. Which in the Bhagavad Gītā was called mānitvam. Ātmani
pūjatva bhāvana. So that is also because of rajō guṇa only.
Then īrṣyā; īrṣyā means jealousy or envy is called īrṣyā. parōtkarśvam dr̥ṣṭvā
jāyamānaḥ santapaḥ. When I see somebody is glorified more and more, if I am not
able to withstand others' glorification, that is called īrṣyā. The incapacity to accept
others' superiority or glory. Therefore whenever somebody talks about the glory, he
will immediately come up and say something opposite of that. Do you know his
private life. Do you know what he has done there? Do you know what he has done
here? Whether it is true or not, God alone knows, when everybody is praising, he
invariably will bring a negative point whether existing or non-existing because he
cannot accept anyone superior to him in any field. This jealousy, his heart-burn is
called īrṣyā. That is also an expression of rajō guṇa.
Then matsaraḥ; normally, the word īrṣyā and matsaraḥ are synonymous only.
Normally, both of them have the same meaning, jealousy only. But since
Śankarācārya has used both the words, we will have to make a subtle distinction;
otherwise it will become repetition and therefore we take another meaning, which
meaning is also there for matsaraḥ; but it is rarely used meaning, and that is
miserliness.
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So matsaraḥ has got a rare meaning that is; miserliness, because of which a person
does not share anything that he has with other people. Holding on to things is called
matsaraḥ. All these things are ādyaḥ; means all these unhealthy traits; therefore is
only advantage in this that is he will be a hard worker; such people will work hard
and amass wealth; but however much, they amass, they will not be able to share
with others. The only plus point is that they are hard workers pushed by rajō guṇa.
So all these things are therefore called gōrāḥ. So these traits are called gōrāḥ
vr̥ttayaḥ; terrible traits; powerful traits or binding traits. Bandakaḥ; because this
person will never have tripti or satisfaction and naturally this person will be very very
angry person also.
He is a hard worker and he expects other people also like that. Therefore he will
whip up everyone into activity and anger will be at the tip of the nose; and he will
work 23 hours a day and he will expect others also to work 23 hours a day.
Therefore the people are men of great accomplishment; but men with lot of
weaknesses; the very accomplishing capacity becomes a weakness for them.
And therefore they can become top in the society; but spiritually they cannot grow
much because spiritual growth requires quietude, a contemplative mind, activity
should be balanced by quietude also. These people would be workaholic and they
cannot think of even spending 10 minutes for japa or dhyānam or vēdānta or
anything. You talk about projects and accomplishments, they will come.
Even if they join religious institutions, they will be only in those departments, which
requires pull in that. Annadānam, etc.; shouting, etc. Even if bhajans they will only
take to those bhajans which are naxalite bhajans they call it; noisy; jumpy. During
10 days of Ganapathy festival, in Mumbai, why in Chennai also; there is no shadow
of satva guṇa in it; it is a noisy pompous showy affair. But our śāstra says, at least
they are doing for God only. It is Ok; better than other bad things; It is ok that they
are keeping a Ganapathy in front and hopefully that Ganesha will bless them and
they will change from active department to learning department.
That is why in many big religious institutions we will have several departments. Rajō
guṇa, put him there; satva guṇa, they will study the scriptures. Therefore rajō guṇa
has its advantages but here Śankarācārya is talking about the disadvantages of rajō
guṇa only are highlighted here.
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Why does Śankarācārya do that; not that Śankarācārya does not know the
advantages; but he does not want to talk about that because, the context is mōkṣa
śāstra. If you are talking about national development, in the sports we are useless
and we are not coming up, why you want to talk about the national growth at
various levels; as Vivēkānanda did; he talked about Uttiṣṭatha; jāgratha; that part is
only relevant; prāpya varān nibhōdatha is not relevant; because there prapya varaan
nibhōdatha is go to a guru. What is not relevant; uttiṣṭatha; jāgratha, be active, be
patriotic and work for the growth of the country; their you will stress Rajō Guṇa; but
Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi being a mōkṣa śāstra, he is talking about the gōrāḥ aspect of rajō
guṇa. Therefore we should never quote this slōka out of context.
Every part of scripture is relevant only in a particular context, to a particular student.

We talk about karma in many contexts, but vēdānta comes, na karmaṇā na prāja ya
danēna; and when a marriage function is taking place; you go and chant na
karmaṇā na prāja ya; you should not. And when a sanyāsi comes in Pūrna Kumbha,
prāja scha svadhyaya pravachaneca; prāja nesca; what is the meaning of this
mantra; get children; get grand children; and Sanyāsi is coming! Every mantra of
the scriptures is relevant only in a particular context. Therefore rajō guṇa is very
important for a nation. Rajō guṇa is very important for the upcoming youngsters.
Rajō guṇa is very important for Kṣatriyas and Vaiśyas.
Here Śankarācārya is addressing a few people who are interested in Mōkṣa; who
have already contributed to the society in one form or the other; they have been
rajō guṇa pradhana. Now he is talking about converting; you have done enough;
you have travelled a lot; you have done enough service; now the time is up,
because you are growing old; therefore better you come. Therefore the context is
mōkṣa śāstra. And therefore, he calls them gōrāḥ.
So satva traits are called santa vr̥ttiḥ; rāja straits are called goraah vr̥tti; and tamas
traits are called mudhah vr̥ttiḥ. vr̥ttiḥ is a trait, characteristics or tendency. Santa
vr̥tti; gōrāḥ vr̥tti; and mudhah vr̥ttiḥ. So these gōrāḥ vr̥tti takes place in rajō
pradhana mind. Therefore he says: ete rājasaḥ dharmaa; all these traits are the
characteristics of rajō guṇa.
Then yasmādēṣā pumpravr̥ttiḥ tadrajō bandhahētuḥ must be connected to the fourth

line. Yasmādēṣā pumpravr̥ttiḥ tadrajō bandhahētuḥ; that guṇa from which lot of
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activities are produced; that guṇa is cause of bondage. So here also you should see
the context. He says rajō guṇa produces activity and therefore it is an obstacle.
Now the context must be very clear as they said. When we expect lot of activity
from a society, for the sake of growth, etc. at that time I should praise rajō guṇa,
saying that rajō guṇa alone produces activity; we want workers, a society which is a
very lazy society, should be wipped into activity. In that context, I will say that rajō
guṇa produces activity; therefore it is very important. So to a tāmasic society, I will
glorify Rajō Guṇa.
Suppose there is a rajasic group of people, all the time spending time on work and
service and work and service, etc. and they have no time for scriptures; to that
rājasic society, I will tell any amount of work you do, it is all wonderful to some
extent, but there must be a time when you hand over the work to the next
generation; and renounce. Sarva dharmaan api parityajya maam ekam saranam
vrāja;
And therefore Śankarācārya is saying here Karma is an obstacle to knowledge.

Karma is an obstacle to knowledge; because you do not have time first; even if you
have free time; you do not get a free mind; because when there are lot of activities;
if at all you can snatch some time, during that intermediary time, you have to think
of what activity completed; what activity not completed; this has to be done; that
has to be done; I have to go there; bring that, take that there, etc. etc. free time
will not be available. Even if there is a free time, free mind will not be available. So
therefore karma promotes material growth, but karma obstructs scriptural study.
And therefore rajō guṇa is considered an obstalce from the stand point of scriptural
study.
Therefore he says: yasmāt; from which rajō guṇa yasmādēṣā pumpravr̥ttiḥ; all the
human activities arise; mushroom; which mind is everytime active, discovering
projects after projects; one work after another; so yasmāt rajō guṇāt; from which
rajō guṇa these human activities originate; pumpravr̥tti; pum means puruṣaḥ; so
pumpravr̥tti means puruṣaḥ pravr̥tti; human activities originate, tat rājaḥ. That
activating rajō guṇa; that wipping up rajō guṇa is an obstacle to scriptural study. It
is a blessing to social progress; but it is an obstalce to scriptural study.
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And that is why in the four āsramas also, in the beginning Brahmacārya āsrama
there was this study of scriptures; no duties were prescribed. Then in Grihasāsrama,
it was rajō guṇa pradhāna; varieties of activities were prescribed; then in
vānaprastha and sanyāsa; to promote satva guṇa; activities were reduced. So even
the four āsramas if you analyse, the guṇas are gradually shifted.
एषाऽऽव�त
ृ नार् तमोगुणस्
शिक्तमर् वस्त्ववभासतेऽन् |
ु ुषस संसतेः
सैषा �नदानं पर ृ
�व�ेपशक्ते प्रवण हेतुः ||११३||
ēṣā:':'vr̥tirnāma tamōguṇasya
śaktirmayā vastvavabhāsatē:'nyathā |
saiṣā nidānaṁ puruṣasya saṁsr̥tēḥ
vikṣēpaśaktēḥ pravaṇasya hētuḥ ||113||
So with the previous two slōkās, the rajō guṇa topic is over. Now Śankarācārya
comes to tamō guṇa topic. He said rajō guṇa has got vikṣēpa śakti; projecting
power; activity power; or disturbing power; it has got; making a person highly
restless.
Now what about tamō guṇa? He says tamō guṇa has got āvaraṇa śakti. Veiling
power; covering power; hiding power. So the word tamas has got two meanings,
darkness is also called tamas; ignorance is also called tamas; and why both of them
are called tamas, because darkness also covers a thing, which is existing right in
front of me. It is there; but it is not available for my comprehension or recognition.
Similarly ignorance is also called tamas because it is internal darkness, because of

which alone, I am not aware of existing facts. In fact, according to vēdānta, the very
ultimate truth itself is available in the form of consciousness in my own mind. So the
truth which is the ultimate reality, for which sake the whole world is, or the
humanity is seeking, searching, all the sciences declare that their ultimate aim is
finding the truth of the universe.
And that ultimate truth for whose sake the entire humanity struggles; that very truth
is available intimately, yo vēda nihitam guhāyām, in my own mind, it is available as
Page 506

what? Consciousness. But unfortunately that I am not aware of; again the truth is
covered form my comprehension; what is that power, because of which the truth I
disown. That is called the covering power. Antharam tamahā; darkness is called
bāhyam tamaḥ; ignorance is called antaram tamaḥ; bāhyam tamaḥ covers the
external world; antaram tamaḥ, covers the internal truth. Therefore tamō guṇa has
got āvaraṇa śaktiḥ.
And therefore he says: tamō guṇasya eṣa avr̥ttiḥnama śaktiḥ asthi. Tamō guṇa has
got this well known power. Well known power because ignorance is experienced by
everyone by all times with regard to one thing or the other. Not only veiling of the
truth. Ignorance covers any fact. And therefore avritihi nama śaktiḥ tamō guṇasya
varthate.
And then Śankarācārya says that this āvaraṇa śaktiḥ and vikṣēpa śaktiḥ work
together in total cooperation. It is a beautiful business, in which two partners are
there; without any quarrel among them; they work in such harmony and they have
the biggest project called what? saṁsāra. This āvaraṇa śaktiḥ of tamō guṇa; and
vikṣēpa śaktiḥ of rajō guṇa; join together and create saṁsāra.
And to convey this idea; a general example is given in vēdānta; the well known
example of the rope-snake. So when I see an object in semi-darkness or semi-light,
because of the darkness, the rope, the nature of rope is covered and therefore the
ajñānaṁ; the ignorance of the rope has got two powers and one power is what?
covering the rope which is called āvaraṇa śaktiḥ; and the very same ignorance has
got what: the rajō guṇa or vikṣēpa śaktiḥ also; and what does that vikṣēpa śaktiḥ
do? It does not keep my mind quiet; makes me project varieties of things. I begin to
think perhaps it is a snake. Saying I do not know, can you not keep quiet. That is
why anywhere you find if the fact is unknown, the rumours come out. If one well
known person does not appear in the society, for a few weeks, then they start
creating stories about him. Even if he is present itself, there might be so many
stories.
Therefore covering leads to projection. Somebody says perhaps it is not a snake; but
it is a māla. Another person says, it is a stick. Another person says that it is a crack
on the earth; and the beauty is: the fact is one but the rumours are many; errors
are many; confusions are many; projections are many. The more fertile the mind,
the more creative projection comes out; this is at the level of example rope-snake.
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The same things happen with regard to myself also; which Śankarācārya himself will
explain later. I will just give you the connection; the fact is that I am Brahman. Just
as rope is the fact, my Brahmatvam; that I am full; that I am complete; that I am
free, this is the fact about myself. Now this tamō guṇa has got the āvaraṇa śaktiḥ;
that covers this fact. Therefore nobody claims ahaṁ Brahmāsmi. If everybody claims
ahaṁ brahmāsmi; there would be no problem at all; the creation would be a
paradise.
So therefore what is the first phenomenon? Self-ignorance. Caused by what? The

āvaraṇa śaktiḥ; which is otherwise called tamō guṇa.
And if self-ignorance alone is there; no problem. Ignorance alone will not cause any
problem. That is why in English there is a saying that ignorance is bliss. Once we
wake up the problem is: not only there is self-ignorance; the vikṣēpa śaktiḥ of rajō
guṇa also is active; in the dream and in the waking state; therefore not only there is
self-ignorance; there are lot of self-projections also.
What are the projections? All kinds of self-conclusions. I am a human being; it is one
projection; because the fact is that I am not a human being. Who am I? Donkey or
Monkey you do not ask. I am Brahman. Therefore we have got set of projections
based on the physical body; so I am a human being, I am male, I am female; I am
young; I am old; I am fit; I am fat; I am lean; how many projections. More the
number of projections, the more it shows the power of rajō guṇa.
Then there are set of projections based on my emotional personality. I am restless

person; I am an agitated person; I am a happy person; I am a unhappy person. I
am a svāmi; krōdhi, lōbhi, mōhi, these are all a set of self-projections; based on
mind.
And then I have got another set of self-projections based on the intellect; I am
educated; I am intelligent; I am dull; and M.A., I am M.Sc., I am P.hd. "I am"
followed by many things other than Brahman is a projection. "I am" is common.
When you "this is"; 'this is' common, rope is the only fact; but that rope fact is
replaced by any number of things, all those projections are the glory of vikṣēpa
śaktiḥ; the glory of rajō guṇa.
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In our bio-data; how many things we write, after "I am". I am a sportsman also; I
am a chess player; I am this; I am that, anything you write, other than Brahman.
They are all what? glory of rajō guṇa.
Is it wonderful or terrible? Is it wonderful or terrible; Svāmi if I am a graduate, is it

not wonderful. In sports I am No.1 in the State, if you say, No.1 is great only.
VĒDĀNTA SAYS IF YOU REPLACE THE BRAHMAN BY ANYTHING, IT IS A PROBLEM.
Replacement of Brahman by anything is a problem, including the President of
America. You ask him; he is facing the biggest problem in the world. You think
America is the greatest country with nuclear button in his hand; you ask our PM, you
ask anybody, including Bill Gates. Because Brahman is pūrṇam, if the pūrṇatvam is
replaced by anything else; it will be apūrṇatvam only. Pūrṇatvam replaced by
anything will be apūrṇatvam only and therefore I am a No.1 apūrṇatvam only. I
have got all the prizes, except the US Open; all has come; except French. Or ask
Lendl; he will see about the Wimbledon; I am ready to exchange all my prizes for
the Wimbledon prize. He went away from the field with that deficiency. So you can
have anything, you will miss something in life.
And therefore what happens? Brahman is replaced by anything; apūrṇatvam;

apūrṇatvam leads to what; kāmah; kāmah leads to what:

all problems. And therefore āvaraṇa śaktiḥ covers vikṣēpa śaktiḥ projects; man
suffers.
This is what is said: yaya. Yaya means because of vikṣēpa śaktiḥ alone vasthu
anyatha avabhāsate; an object appears as something else. An object appears as
something else; mistaken as something else.
So Chinmayānanda Svāmi used to have a beautiful pair of expression: Non-

apprehension and Misapprehension. Non-apprehension is tamō guṇa; āvaraṇa
śaktiḥ; mis-apprehension is rajō guṇa; vikṣēpa śaktiḥ. And in sleep non-
Page 509

apprehension alone is; no problem. In waking and dream; there is non-apprehension

and mis-apprehension; therefore problem. Ignorance no problem. Ignorance plus
error there is a problem. In Mānḍukya Karika, we have another pair of words,
agrahaṇam and anyathā grahaṇam. That only Svāmi Chinmayānanda has translated
as above. Agrahaṇam, non-apprehension; Anyatha grahaṇam, mis-apprehension.
Both joined together leads to saṁsāra. Therefore vasthu anyathā avabhāsate.
So Brahman appears now as jīva. Which Brahman, I-the Brahman, is now wandering
all over, claiming as what; I am a jīva, samsāri. Svāmiji is there no route, give me
some escape route; who is asking? Brahman. That is what the Upaṇiṣad says:
Brahman is crying inconsolably.
viśvaṁ paśyati kāryakāraṇatayā svasvāmisaṁbandataḥ

śiṣyacāryatayā tathaiva pitr̥ putrādyātmanā bhēdataḥ |
svapnē jāgrati vā ya ēṣa puruṣō māyā paribhrāmitaḥ
tasmai śrī gurumūrtayē nama idaṁ śrī dakṣiṇāmūrtayē
Śankarācārya says that all the Dakṣiṇāmūrthys are now roaming about without
knowing that I am Dakṣiṇāmūrthy himself. All because of what? Tamō rajō guṇa.
Therefore it is said here; third line, saiṣā puruṣasya saṁsr̥tēḥ nidānaṁ. Sa esa
means this āvaraṇa śaktiḥ alone is the cause of the saṁsāra of human beings. So
that āvaraṇa śaktiḥ alone is the cause of the human saṁsāra; saṁsārasya puruṣasya
saṁsr̥tēḥ nidānaṁ; nidānaṁ means cause; it will be the cause of saṁsāra.
But very careful. Ignorance does not directly cause saṁsāra. Ignorance of rope does
not frighten me. Ignorance of rope does not create problems for me. Ignorance
produces the misapprehension; so through the error, the problem would come.
And therefore he says: vikṣēpaśaktēḥ pravaṇasya hētuḥ; because Āvaraṇa śaktiḥ is

the cause for the manifestation of, or the activation of vikṣēpa śaktiḥ. Āvaraṇa śaktiḥ
is directly the cause for the activation of vikṣēpa śaktiḥ and the vikṣēpa śaktiḥ is the
cause for saṁsāra. So the āvaraṇa śaktiḥ activates the vikṣēpa śaktiḥ; vikṣēpa śaktiḥ
creates the saṁsāra. So how do we say? Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ is direct cause of saṁsāra;
āvaraṇa śaktiḥ is the root cause or the indirect cause of saṁsāra. And that is why
suppose somebody who has gone out to office or some child or family member has
gone; and then that person has not come at the regular time. Now you do not know
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the reason; you are ignorant of the cause of the non-return of your child, grandchild,
husband or wife of son or anyone. Now ignorance itself is not the problem. But do
you think our mind will keep quiet. Why he did not come? We do not know. When
we do not know, we just do not stop. We never say OK, he has not come. What we
will do? We start our fertile mind; we imagine; at least you are imagining; why not
imagine something positive? Why negative? We do not know the reasons; perhaps
this may be; perhaps that may be; nice reasons we can take. We do not. We think
water lorries are hitting people. Auto rickshaws are going. If it is a child, kidnapping
is happening; this and that; the mind begins to imagine so many things. Ignorance
has only covered this fact; what; a particular cause is there for non-arrival; that
ignorance activates rajō guṇa's vikṣēpa śaktiḥ; then the mind begins to imagine;
then this person begins to walk up and down. Up and down walking is it going to
help; at least if you phone and ask you may know the reason, if it is possible.
So thus ignorance never directly causes saṁsāra; but indirectly through error it
causes saṁsāra. That is why in Brahma Sūtra, Śankarācārya begins his commentary
with error. It is called Error bāṣyam. Not erroneous Bāṣyam. Error bāṣyam means
not bāṣyam is error. Bāṣyam on error. Bāṣyam is dealing with error. On error. What
is error? And what is the cause of error? And how it is the cause of whole saṁsāra.
Therefore he concludes: removal of saṁsāra is only possible by the removal of error;
self-error; and the removal of error is possible only by the removal of ignorance; and
the removal of ignorance is possible only by knowledge and knowledge is possible
only by scriptural study; therefore come to Brahma sūtra. This is how he begins his
introduction.
प्र�ावान पिण्डतोऽ� चतुरोऽप्यत्यन्तसू�मात्-
व्याल�ढस्तम न वेित् बहुधा संबो�धतोऽ�प स्फुट म |
भ्रान्त्यारो�प साधु कलयत्यालम्ब तद्गुणान
हन्तास प्रब दरु न्ततमस शिक्तमर्हत्यावृ ||११४||
prajñāvānapi paṇḍitō:'pi caturō:'pyatyantasūkṣmātmadr̥g-

vyālīḍhastamasā na vētti bahudhā saṁbōdhitō:'pi sphuṭam |
bhrāntyārōpitamēva sādhu kalayatyālambatē tadguṇān
hantāsau prabalā durantatamasaḥ śaktirmahātyāvr̥tiḥ ||114||
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So here Śankarācārya is talking about the glory of tamō guṇa. Here glory is the
opposite; the notoriety of the tamō guṇa he talked about; how powerful it is; how it
is not that easy to remove. So how powerful tamō guṇa is; āvaraṇa śaktiḥ is; how
difficult it is to remove? He says: bahudhā saṁbōdhitō:'pi sphuṭam na vētti tamasā
vyālīḍhaḥ; so vyālīḍhaḥ means gripped or overpowered by tamō guṇa; A person
who is ovepowered by tamōguṇa; dominated by tamō guṇa; or under the spell of
tamō guṇa; literally vyālī, to mean swallow; vyālīḍhaḥ means swallowed; in this
context, overpowered; overwhelmed under the spell of tamō guṇa; and such a
person, bahudhā saṁbōdhitaḥ api na vētti; he does not understand however much
we communicate to him; thick skull it is; it will not enter his mind; it will only
rebound and the guru says; Tat tvam asi; he will say tat tvam asi. Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi
he should have said. It will only come back to him; he does not receive somehow;
bahuda saṁbōdhitō:'pi and sphuṭam means clearly taught also; some how he does
not grasp. mōhamahima; this is the glory of ajñānaṁ.
And even though that person is, what type of person? Not ordinary person,
prajñāvānapi, very intelligent in other śāstras; very very intelligent, buddhimān, very
sharp he might be; paṇḍitaḥ, extremely learned in tarka, mīmāṁsa, vyākaraṇa, very
erudite person. So he is intelligent; he is erudite; and caturaḥ api; very very
discerning; caturaḥ means uhāpōha vicakṣaṇaḥ; capable of discrimination; capable
of discerning; that is also there; intelligently smart person is called caturaḥ; nipuṇaḥ;
samarthaḥ, vivēki. And atyanta sūkṣma ātmadr̥g; and he has got a very fine
intellect; very subtle intellect to understand even subtle topic; like in the science etc.
the theory of relativity, very few people know, that he knows. So therefore he is able
to understand even subtle topic is all other sciences; he is very good; except in
vēdānta; excellent in wonderful; but somehow tamasa vyālīḍhaḥ; covered by tamō
guṇa na vetti; he does not seem to understand this vēdic teaching; na vētti; in spite
of clear communication.
And therefore what is he going to do? As long as he does not grasp Ahaṁ
Brahmāsmi, he will have to continue to claim ahaṁ jīvōsmi; till Brahmatvam comes
jīvatvam has to be continued; no other go. Therefore bhrāntyārōpitamēva sādhu
kalayati. He takes this physical body alone as reality; this physical personality alone
as reality, which is the erroneous belief or mistaken identity. Bhrāntya ārōpitam
means mistaken or mistaken identity; and what is the physical I; that I a human
being, I am man, I am women, and even psychologically; anything other than
Brahman. We call as ahaṁkāra. So the personified-I, the personal-I, the qualified-I;
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the ahaṁkāra-I alone, sādhu kalayati; he takes as the real-I. Sādhu means as
reality. According to vēdānta, the located-I is false.
Then what is the real I? The unlocated-I is the real-I; the finite-I is false-I. Mortal-I
is false-I; the immortal-I alone is the real-I. Immortal-I he does not accept. The
mortal-I is only real for him. Sādhu kalayati.
And once the false-I comes because of bhrāntya ārōpitam, because of the mistake,
naturally what happens, the physical properties also I claim as mine. Therefore
tadguṇān ālambatē. He claims and identifies with only the physical properties; the
emotional properties, the intellectual properties alone he claims; but he never claims
Brahman features; ahaṁ mithyaḥ; śuddhaḥ; buddhaḥ; muktaḥ; asaṅgaḥ; sarva
gataḥ; jagat ādhāra; all these the śāstra says; you are all these things; he never
accepts these.
The first one is called dharmi adhyāsa. The second one is dharma adhyāsaḥ. Dharmi
adhyāsa means identifying with the substance. Dharma adhyāsa is identifying with
the property. Substance adhyāsa and property adhyāsa. I am body is called
substance adhyāsa; superimposition; and I am fat is property adhyāsa. These two
he continues to do.
And therefore the teacher says: hanta; the teacher himself, the guru himself begins
to get vairāgyaṁ slowly, because the Guru has taken to all the 18 tricks he has
learned to teach this chap. He has all tried all the method; now I only pray to Lord
and hope that one day you will also be convinced. You will also be able to own up
the fact. Teachers' puruṣārtha is over; only hereafterwards, the teacher has only to
join the prayer.
And therefore the teacher shows the power of Tamō Guṇa by using the word,
hantah; alas; āsau tamasaḥ āvr̥tiḥ prabalā; the veiling power of tamō guṇa; is
prabalā; extremely powerful; I myself am helpless; and that is why in the Bhagavad
Gītā, Krishna gives three examples of covering:
धूमेना�व्रय विह्नयर्थाद मलेन च |

यथोल्बेनावृत गभर्स्त तेनेदमावत
ृ म ् ||३- ३८||
dhūmēnāvriyatē vahniryathādarśō malēna ca |
yathōlbēnāvr̥tō garbhastathā tēnēdamāvr̥tam ||3- 38||
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When the fire is covered by smoke, just by fanning we can remove; when the mirror
is covered by dust; just by wiping you can remove; when the baby is covered by
womb, you cannot do anything; what to do; wait for 10 months. Like that guru also
knows that whatever has to be done, has been done; then wait, in due course. In
due course may be few weeks, few months, few years; few janmās. This is the great
power.
Hari Om.
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041. Verses -115 to 117
प्र�ावान पिण्डतोऽ� चतुरोऽप्यत्यन्तसू�मात्-

व्याल�ढस्तम न वेित् बहुधा संबो�धतोऽ�प स्फुट म |
भ्रान्त्यारो�प साधु कलयत्यालम्ब तद्गुणान
हन्तास प्रब दरु न्ततमस शिक्तमर्हत्यावृ ||११४||
prajñāvānapi paṇḍitō:'pi caturō:'pyatyantasūkṣmātmadr̥g-
vyālīḍhastamasā na vētti bahudhā saṁbōdhitō:'pi sphuṭam |
bhrāntyārōpitamēva sādhu kalayatyālambatē tadguṇān
hantāsau prabalā durantatamasaḥ śaktirmahātyāvr̥tiḥ ||114||
The main topic under discussion is anātma, which happens to be one of the seven
questions of the student; which was asked in the 49th verse;

Of those seven questions; he is answering the first question of anātma and in that
anātma we have got three divisions which is the sub-heading under anātma. The
first one was stūla śarīra anātma; then the sūkṣma śarīra anātma; then now we are
in kāraṇa śarīra anātma; and this kāraṇa śarīraṁ was given several names like
avyakyam, avidyā, śaktiḥ; etc. and one name was triguṇātmika; made up of three
guṇas. Śankarācārya has explained the word śaktiḥ; avidyā; avyaktam, etc. and now
he is explaining the triguṇātmika word. I am trying to give the whole bird's eye-view.
The whole seven questions and in that anātma; and in that kāraṇa śarīraṁ; and in
that kāraṇa śarīraṁ, triguṇātmika and among the three guṇas, we have covered the
rajō guṇa which expresses in the form of vikṣēpa śaktiḥ and now we are discussing
tamō guṇa; which expresses in the form of āvaraṇa śaktiḥ. And generally, rajō guṇa
and tamō guṇa work as a team; they have nice cooperation; they have a nice field
work.
Of these two, the rajō guṇa can function only backed by tamō guṇa; whereas that is
to put in another language, vikṣēpa śaktiḥ functions backed by āvaraṇa śaktiḥ.
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Example being rajju; a rope will appear as a snake when the rope is covered by
ignorance. Therefore vikṣēpa śaktiḥ is backed by āvaraṇa śaktiḥ; rajō guṇa is backed
by tamō guṇa; therefore, wherever vikṣēpa śaktiḥ is there; there must be āvaraṇa
śaktiḥ also behind. So wherever there is error, there is ignorance.
But we do not accept vice-versa; that is wherever there is ignorance, there is error;
no such rule; there can be ignorance without error. And the example we give is: in
sleep there is self-ignorance, there is no self-error. Whereas in waking and dream,
there is self-ignorance as well as self-error. So thus āvaraṇa śaktiḥ prepares this
stage for the vikṣēpa śaktiḥ to operate. And āvaraṇa śaktiḥ when it is by itself does
not cause any direct problem. That is why we said ignorance is bliss; if it is without
any error. Errorless ignorance is bliss. Errored-ignorance is terrible.
That is why errorless ignorance obtaining in sleep does not harm us; whereas
errored-ignorance both in waking and dream creates saṁsāra. And therefore, even
though āvaraṇa śaktiḥ is not directly harmful; āvaraṇa śaktiḥ is indirectly harmful;
vikṣēpa śaktiḥ is directly harmful.
And that has been explained in the 114th slōka, which we saw in the last class;
when the āvaraṇa śaktiḥ is taking over a person; at that time of the predominance
of tamō guṇa; that person is not able to even understand subtle things, even though
repeatedly talked.
Of course, incidentally we should add another aside information also; every human
being there is a predominance of one of these three humans, satva, rājas and
tamas, but even in a person, who is predominantly sātvic or rājasic, it is not that this
is dominant all the time. So that means even the most sātvic person in the
afternoon, after a sumptuous lunch, even he will be yawning. And if you take
Pānini's grammar, the worst insomnia will be cured. In the Āsrama, the grammar
class is at 2 p.m. So we know how it is. Grammar not regular. Pāṇinian grammar. So
therefore, not only tamō guṇa is predominant in a person throughout the life; even
in a sātvic person, there are times when tamō guṇa is dominant.
And Śankarācārya says when tamō guṇa is dominant, exactly like vināṣa kāle,
viparītha buddhi, neither they will know nor they can know, told by somebody.
Vināṣa kāle viparītha buddhi, like that prajñāvānapi generally he is intelligent,
paṇḍitō:'pi, very well learned, caturōpi, smart in discrimination;
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atyantasūkṣmātmadr̥g; he can easily see subtle things; in spite of that, with regard
to ahaṁ brahmāsmi, there is some problem, he is not able to grasp.
Why, tamasā vyālīḍha; he is overpowered by tamō guṇa and because of that,

bhrāntyā arōpitamēva sādhu kalayati, he swears that he can never be the pure
consciousness; I am the body alone; I am the mind alone. I do not accept the pure
consciousness. And hantāsau prabalā durantatamasaḥ śaktirmahātyāvr̥tiḥ. So even
Bhagavān will only say hantah; hantah means what; remember the examples I gave.
the three-fold example and the fire is covered by smoke, there is an easy remedy;
you can fan it; when mirror is covered by dust; at least you can wipe it; when the
child is in the womb, you cannot do anything for the manifestation of the child; you
have to wait; Śankarācārya says beautifully in his Shivānandaḥlahari.
एको वा�रजबान्धव ��तनभो व्याप् तमोमण्डल

�भत्व लोचनगोचरोऽ�प भव�त त्व को�टसूयर्प् ।
वेद्य �कन् भवस्यह घनतरं क�दृग्भवेन्म-
स्तत्स व्यपनी मे पशपु ते सा�ात् प्रसन भव ॥ ५८ ॥
ēkō vārijabāndhavaḥ kṣitinabhō vyāptaṁ tamōmaṇḍalaṁ
bhitvā lōcanagōcarō:'pi bhavati tvaṁ kōṭisūryaprabhaḥ |
vēdyaḥ kinna bhavasyahō ghanataraṁ kīdr̥gbhavēnmattama-
statsarvaṁ vyapanīya mē paśupatē sākṣāt prasannō bhava || 58 ||
He says when the Sun, the powerful Sun is in the sky, any amount of thick cloud is
not able to cover the sun totally. Maximum they can cover the tip of the Sun, and
there will be light; and it will not be lightless. I will be able to function in the world;
like this day; Sun is not seen; but sunlight, even the most powerful cloud cannot
totally cover.
And Śankarācārya says this is the power of Sunlight; and Oh Lord you are
considered to be kōṭisūryaprabhaḥ. Now covering you must be extremely difficult;
when the thick cloud cannot cover one Sun, covering kōṭi sūrya prakaśaḥ Siva is
almost like impossible. But my tamōguṇa cloud Oh Śiva, is so dense, it has covered
you, which cannot be covered by any set of imagination; vēdyaḥ kinna bhavasyahō
ghanataraṁ kīdr̥gbhavēnmattama-; my tamō guṇam, kīdr̥g ghanataraṁ bhavēth;
how much dense it should be.
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So therefore if such a dense tamō guṇa must cover, the kōṭi sūrya prakaśaḥ you, my
case is hopeless case; therefore I do not think I will be able to remove that cloud;
therefore what am I going to do; statsarvaṁ vyapanīya mē paśupatē sākṣāt
prasannō bhava; the ball is in your court, surrendered, you alone must remove that
cloud; and just present in front of me. That is what he says: hanta! alas! āvr̥tiḥ
śaktihi; the āvaraṇa śaktiḥ of tamōguṇa is mahāti and prabhala; it is very big and
very powerful. Up to this we saw.
अभावना वा �वपर�तभावना
संभावना �वप्र�तपित्तरस |
संसगर्युक् न �वमुञ्च� ध्रु
�व�ेपशिक्त �पयत्यजस् ||११५||
abhāvanā vā viparītabhāvanā
saṁbhāvanā vipratipattirasyāḥ |
saṁsargayuktaṁ na vimuñcati dhruvaṁ
vikṣēpaśaktiḥ kṣapayatyajasraṁ ||115||
Incidentally in verse No.113, that fourth line, �व�ेपशक्ते प्रवण हेतःु vikṣēpaśaktēḥ
pravaṇasya hētuḥ is there; especially for Saṁsr̥kt students; there is an alternative
reading which is a better reading, therefore I choose to suggest that: �व�ेपशक्ते
प्रसर हेतःु vikṣēpaśaktēḥ prasarasya hētuḥ is a better reading. Pravaṇasya hetuh is

a second reading. Pravaṇam means inclination which does not totally fit in this
context; but prasaraḥ means activity; manifestation; that is a better reading.
Prasarasya is a better reading; pravaṇasya is secondary reading.
And in this slōka also, in the second line there is a word saṁbhāvana, and in the first
line in the book that I have given, they have put an ഽ mark at the end, that ഽ mark
indicates it should be read as asaṁbhāvana. In some other books that ഽ mark is
not; if that is not there, that reading would be saṁbhāvana. Therefore, with ഽ mark
there is one reading; without ഽ mark there is another reading. With ഽ it is
asaṁbhāvana; without ഽ mark, it is saṁbhāvana. But both are going to convey
almost similar senses in this context and therefore, we can take anyone of these two
readings.
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Now here, in these two slōkās, Śankarācārya is once again reminding the functions
of the Vikṣēpa Sakthi and āvaraṇa śaktiḥ; vikṣēpa śaktiḥ of rajō guṇa; and āvaraṇa
śaktiḥ of tamō guṇa he is clarifying further.
So what are the functions of vikṣēpa śaktiḥ? He says viparītha bhāvanā. I will take
that word first. Viparītha bhāvanā means dehātma bhuddhi, strong body
identification that I am the body and the body alone is called viparītha bhāvanā; and
when I say body it includes mind also, because body is stūla, mind is sūkṣma,
therefore body is stūla śarīraṁ and sūkṣma śarīraṁ and in that there is very very
powerful identification; the most powerful the body identification is, the more
difficult to own up I am the consciousness.
I have told you before that consciousness and body are like two extremes.
Identification with one will weaken the identification with the other. The more I am
closer to the body, the more I am away from consciousness; the more I am closer to
the consciousness; the more I am away from the body. Therefore dehātma buddhi
and brahmātma buddhi can never coincide. The more one becomes powerful; the
more the latter will become weaker. You cannot have both of them equally powerful.
And therefore in the case of rājasic people, viparītha bhāvanā is very strong; highly
egoistic people; conscious of their figure, their height; their weight; their fitness;
their colour of the skin, colour of their hair, the length of the nail; all minute things,
they are very very very particular. This is viparītha bhāvanā.
Then when such people come to śāstra, they will face three types of problems. The
vikṣēpa śaktiḥ pradhāna people when they come to śāstra, they will have three-fold
problem.
First problem is abhāva na; abhāva na means non-acceptance of the scriptural

teaching. Rejection of the scriptural teaching and by scriptural teaching specifically
mean Tatvamasi Mahāvākyam; you are Brahman, they will reject; because I-am-
body is very strongly there. That's why Krishna said in the 12th chapter:
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One who has got a strong dēhabhīmāna, vēdānta will be tougher for them. And
therefore the first problem is what; rejection of ahaṁ brahmāsmi.
Then what is the second problem? saṁbhāvana or asaṁbhāvana; both reading we

can take; but meaning is almost the same. What is that? Saṁbhāvana means
saṁśaya bhāvana. He would not say I reject but they will never totally accept; there
is a constant saṁśaya. It is good; but; that but will butt in. Therefore, doubt. And if
they are very learned people, the doubt will be whether it is viśiṣṭā dvaitam; I am
Brahman or I am part of Brahman or I am different from Brahman. Only small doubt
and the others are cleared. This is the basic teaching. I am Brahman or I am part of
Brahman or I am different from Brahman; that is the only not understood and all
others like annamaya kōśa is understood well; before coming of Śāstra they
understood. So therefore, the second obstacle is what saṁśayaḥ. He is a doubting
cock. And Krishna has pronounced that Samsayātma vinasyati. The man who is an
embodiment of doubt, he will spiritually perish. This is the second one.
And third one is what? vipratipattiḥ; vipratipattiḥ means wrong understanding of the
scriptures. Misunderstanding of the scriptures. Misinterpretation of the scriptures;
pratipattiḥ means jñānaṁ. vi means viparītham. So vipratipattiḥ means viparītha
jñānaṁ. Understanding everything is wrong. The teacher will be intending one thing,
and he will take a totally different meaning and sometimes they will take out of the
context also, because any statement has got a particular meaning in the whole set
up and when it is taken outside without the background, it can even mean
sometimes just the opposite.
For example, in the Mundakopāṇiṣad, there is a very clean statement. dva suparna
sayuja sakaaya jīvātma and paramātma are like two birds seated over; perched on,
the body-tree. Now I can take this and conclude that śāstra is clearly talking about
jīvātma-paramātma bhēda. And we can comfortably ignore or neglect and reject tat
tvam asi; comfortably forget. These are all what? vipratipattiḥ; misunderstanding of
the scriptures.
All these four problems. [1] Dehātmabuddhi (body identification); [2] rejection of
the teaching; [3] doubt of the teaching. [4] And misunderstanding of the teaching.
All these four problems. Will never leave; na vimuñjati dhruvam. Will never leave a
person; dhruvaṁ; definitely; will not drop; these four problems will never leave a
person; what type of person; saṁsarga yuktaṁ; who is associated with the vikṣēpa
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śaktiḥ; vikṣēpa śaktiḥ we have to supply. Who is associated with vikṣēpa śaktiḥ or
who is associated with rajō guṇa; rajō guṇa and vikṣēpa śaktiḥ or almost synonyms.
And what does it do? Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ ajasraṁ kṣapayati. This vikṣēpa śaktiḥ will
constantly disturb the mind; kṣapayati; it will stir the mind; disturb the mind; like at
the time of churning the curd, how much it is disturbed; churn the mind; disturb the
mind, keep the mind all the time restless, restless, restless, active it is. Therefore
kṣapayati mean vikṣēpayati; kṣōbhayati; disturb. ajasraṁ; constantly.
अ�ानमालस्यजडत्व�न-
प्रमादमूढत्वमुखास्तमोग |
एतैः प्रयुक न�ह वेित् �कं �चन ्
�नद्रालुवत्स्तम् �तष्ठ� ||११६|
ajñānaṁālasyajaḍatvanidrā-
pramādamūḍhatvamukhāstamōguṇāḥ |
ētaiḥ prayuktō nahi vētti kiṁcin
nidrāluvatstambhavadēva tiṣṭhati ||116|
So what vikṣēpa śaktiḥ does Śankarācārya said in the previous verse. What āvaraṇa
śaktiḥ or tamō guṇa will do is said here; it is only like a winding up slōka; it is
repetition only.
What all things it will do? ajñānaṁ, ālasya; jaḍatvam; nidrā, pramādaḥ; mūḍhatvam;
all these six are the symptom of āvaraṇa śaktiḥ; they are symptoms of tamō guṇa;
Krishna has talked about all these things in the 14th chapter; the 14th chapter of the
Gītā is dedicated to the three guṇas; the Śāstra itself is called guṇa traya vibhāga
yōga. So those who have studied Gītā can correlate 14th chapter and these verses.
What are the symptoms? Ajñānaṁ; ajñānaṁ means what; sheer ignorance; all types
of ignorance, including self-ignorance. All types of ignorance, including self-
ignorance.
Then ālasyaṁ. Ālasyaṁ means laziness. ேஶாம்ேப�த்த. So he will not take up any
physical activity. That's why our scriptures begin with karma kānda. Because
according to the scriptures, a person should be become predominantly sātvic to
study vēdānta and one cannot go to satva guṇa without going through rajō guṇa.
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Therefore everybody is initially tāmasic; we have to break tamas by rajō guṇa; and
we have to break rajō guṇa by satva guṇa. Therefore scripture never introduces
vēdānta first; it only creates desires in a person and it says even if you do not have
desires; I am giving you daily duties. You have to get up in the early morning; You
have to go to temple. You have to do pradakṣiṇaṁ. you have to do namaskāraṁ;
you have to do sandhya vandanaṁ; karma, karma, karma; sit, get up, sit, get up;
namaskāraṁ; sit, get up and do namaskāraṁ; because for every human being the
first and the biggest obstacle is laziness; which is in the physical body. Therefore
break it by doing karma and this tamō guṇa person he will always go in for high-tech
that we can avoid walking. Previously at least he used to get up for adjusting the TV
channels. Now it is remote. Now generally they put in the dining room; so that you
do not have to waste that time also without watching the TV. Go on watching and
go on eating. So now that is tamas; dense tamō guṇa.
Then jaḍatvam. Jaḍatvam means laziness or dullness of the mind; ālasyaṁ is the
dullness of the body at physical level; jaḍatvam is laziness at the mental level;
thinking is very slow. You make one statement; tomorrow only you feel that you
understand a little out of it; he would take time to hit the head; and thereafter so
many layers of tamō guṇa has to be crossed, and thereafter it would look like
understand a little. Therefore intellectual Cholesterol is called jaḍatvam.
Then the next one is nidrā; nidrā you can understand very well. Nidrā is sleep; we
enjoy sleeping most of the time; and whenever he is not sleeping; he is sleepy; that
is the only difference. That is he has got only two states; either sleeping or sleepy.
Only two; unlike we who have three avasthās. This is nidrā.
Then the next one, the fifth one, is pramādaḥ; pramādaḥ means negligence.
carelessness. Oversight; if you plan five things, three things he forgets. He will say
that I thought that I was bringing this and he brings something else. Like Svāmiji
says; one person put a knot in his angavasthram, so that he does not forget a
particular thing. He came home and forgot for what purpose he knotted the cloth.
Then he ran back to that house and asked; for some reason I put a knot in my
angavasthram when I came to your house; do you know for what purpose? Then
that person was surprised and asked Did you say that you came to my house today?
So the problem is knottier. So therefore, full of negligence; negligence, carelessness.
Oversight etc. is pramādaḥ.
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And next is mūḍhatvam. Mūḍhatvam means conflict. Constantly he has got conflict.
To do this or that; right from getting up in the morning; should I get up or not; if I
should get up now or later; today should I go to the class or not; then whether or
not to attend Svāmiji's evening talk; or both or one alone; anything you take, right
from dress for some people, choosing the dress is a big conflict. Previously only one
type of dress was there; now different types of dresses have come; for office; for
social occasions. Therefore people now stand in front of their cupboards for fifteen
minutes just to decide. That's why they said take Sanyāsa. Thereafter you would not
have any dress conflict! No choice. So therefore constant conflict is mūḍhatvam.
mukhā means etc. All these types of symptoms are tamō guṇa. They are all tamō
guṇa; manifest expressed or active tamō guṇa.
And what will be the life of such a person? ētaiḥ prayuktō nahi vētti kiṁcin; afflicted
by these types of problems; afflicted by the abovementioned six types of problems;
afflicted by, influenced by, affected by these six types of problems, six or more, six
etc. he has said, not exactly six, these six types of problems, kiṁcin na vētti; a
person cannot learn anything in life. Life's primary thing is learning; no animal can
learn; human being alone has got the innate prerogative to learn from life. We are
not talking about Brahma vidyā; they have to learn a lot of other things.
This person can neither learn apara vidyā to use Mundakōpāṇishad language;
neither can he learn apara vidyā, the material knowledge; nor can he gain para
vidyā. kiṁcin na vētti; param vidhyām va aparam vidyā va; ātma vidhyām va
anātma vidhyām va; Karma kāndō va; jñāna kāndō va; kiṁcin na vētti; then what is
he doing? Like a sleepy and sleeping person; you have to ask constantly; are you
listening, you have to ask of and on; nidrāluvat; a sleepy person. So he always
stands or remains like a sleepy person or stambhavad; he always remains like a
pillar; you curse you know; "you are sitting like a stone" "you are like a tree"; all
these things are dense tamō guṇa. nidrāluvat; stambhavad; like a pillar he remains.
So with this Śankarācārya concludes rajō guṇa and tamō guṇa discussion. In another
language, vikṣēpa śaktiḥ and āvaraṇa śaktiḥ discussion. Hereafterwards he is going
to discuss satva guṇa. Why does he change the order? Normally satva rajas tamas is
there. But Śankarācārya changes the order, you know why, rajas and tamas are
binding guṇas; satva guṇa is liberating guṇa. So Śankarācārya wants to first talk
about the binding guṇa because so that we can very easily understand, because you
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are already in bondage only. Therefore describing a samsāri is easier because we all
have got aparōkṣa jñānaṁ of saṁsāra. Therefore easy things first.
And while talking about satva he wants to point out that to be free from all bonds,
the wise one should increase the satva guṇa and the entire religion is increasing
satva guṇa. Entire religion is increasing satva guṇa. And the entire philosophy is
transcending satva guṇa also. With these two words he is explaining our whole life;
only two; increase satva guṇa through religion; transcend satva guṇa through
philosophy. Karma kānda increases satva guṇa; jñāna kānda takes you
beyond satva guṇa also, because ultimately we see satva guṇa also as a golden
bondage only. Anyway that aspect we are not talking now. But he is talking about
the liberating nature of satva guṇa.
सत्त् �वशद्
ु जलवत्तथा�
ताभ्या �म�लत्व सरणाय कल्पत |
यत्रात्म्ब प्र�त�बिम् सन ्
प्रकाशयत् इवा�खलं जडम ् ||११७||
sattvaṁ viśuddaṁ jalavattathāpi
tābhyāṁ militvā saraṇāya kalpatē |
yatrātmabimbaḥ pratibimbitaḥ san
prakāśayatyarka ivākhilaṁ jaḍam ||117||
So from this slōka 117, satva guṇa is being discussed; from 117 satva guṇa is being
discussed. Śankarācārya wants to discuss three types of satva guṇa as it were; how
three types; I will tell you. Three types of satva guṇa as it were.
The first satva guṇa is that satva guṇa which is weak, because of being
overpowered by rajas and tamas. So we can say that feeble satva guṇa; suppressed
satva guṇa; overpowered satva guṇa; dominated satva guṇa; not dominant satva
guṇa, but dominated satva guṇa.
Then the second level of satva is moderately strong satva guṇa; in which the rājas,
tamas and satva are almost on equal footing; they are almost on equal footing; the
first one, satva is weak. The second one is satva is strong; but not dominantly
strong; it is like two tennis players No1 and No.2 playing; One who has won
Wimbledon and one who has won US Open and they are playing. You cannot say
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who will win; 50:50. The bookers have got tension. That is moderate; madyama;
First one is mandha; The next one is madyama.
And the last one is uttama; the strong satva guṇa; or the strongest satva guṇa; in
which the satva guṇa is strongest compared to rājas and tamas; which is the master
of rajas and tamas. These are the three stages of satva guṇa. For these we use
three technical words; one is called malina satvam, feeble one; next one is misrita
satvam, moderate one; and the final is called śuddha satvam. Malina satvam, misrita
satvam and śuddha satvam. It is all beautiful to study which you do not find
anywhere, even in Gītā 14th chapter.
Now again I am not able to what you call suppress another beautiful aspect also he
brings out in the following slōka. That idea also I will just give you in advance. He
says in malina satva stage, a person is bound. In misrita satva stage, a person is a
qualified person; adhikāri; in śuddha satva stage, he is free. So in malina satva
stage, a person is bound. Not a sādhanā catuṣṭaya sampanna; anadhikāri he is; in
misrita satva stage, he is neither in the bound category, nor in the liberated
category; but somewhere in the middle; successfully travelling towards mōkṣa; what
we call; qualified person; adikāri; he has vivēka; vairāgya; śamādi ṣaṭka sampatti he
has; mumukṣutvaṁ is there; he is qualified, he is misrita satva; and śuddha satva
person is jñāni; brahma niṣṭaḥ; ātma niṣṭaḥ. This is how he is going to develop.
First we will see the malina satva in verse No.117. He says: satvam jalavat
viśuddaṁ. Satva guṇa by its very nature is pure. Satva guṇa by its very nature is
pure; like what? Water; pure water. But what happens? But tābhyāṁ militvā when
the pure satva guṇa is sullied by; mixed with tābhyāṁ means what those previous
two; means what; rajō guṇa and tamō guṇa. tābhyāṁ; rajas and tamō guṇābhyaṁ
militvā; sullied by; that is why we call it malinam; dirtied, tarnished by those two; it
becomes the cause of that. Some people say: that person is very good. Even the
Prime Ministers say: but the coterie around him; they have poisoned him. They will
talk about their children. My child is good only; but mixing up with the neighbours'
son, my son has become bad. But the neighbour tells the same thing! Similarly satva
is very good; but associated with rājas and tamas; saraṇāya kalpate; it becomes the
cause of saraṇaṁ, saraṇaṁ means saṁsāra. saraṇaṁ means saṁsāraḥ; bondage.
Kalpatē, becomes the cause of.
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What is the unique nature of satva guṇa? He says: here we are not talking about the
misra satva; we are talking about the natural trait of satva guṇa; by itself; he is to
manifest consciousness. Satva guṇa belongs to what? cētanam or acētanam;
acētanam only. Satva guṇa belongs to acētanam only; but this satva guṇa which
belongs to acētanam has got a unique capacity and what is that capacity? To
manifest, reflect, express consciousness. That is why we say mind is matter; but
even though it is matter, the mind has the capacity to manifest consciousness.
Because of what; satva pradhāna; because of the presence of satva guṇa. That is
why in Tatva Bōdhaḥ, while we were studying the mind, we saw that the mind and
sense organs are created out of what: satva guṇa. Mind and jñānēndriyās are
created out of satva guṇa; karmēndriyās and prāṇās are created out of rajō guṇa
(do you remember); whereas physical body is created out of tamō guṇa pradhana.
And therefore the inert matter, manifests consciousness means what; inert matter
appears alive; sentient; when it has got satva dominant. Inert matter appears
sentient when there is satva predominant; exactly like what; the mirror is also
matter; the cloth is also matter; but the mirror has got the unique capacity to reflect
the sun; not only reflects the sun, it becomes a secondary light to illumine the other
objects. Why? The fine surface has got that quality. This may reflect the sun to
some extent, that is why you are able to see; but this cannot illumine another
object; similarly, stūla śarīraṁ is also matter; sūkṣma śarīraṁ is also matter; but
because of fineness it is capable of manifesting consciousness.
That is what is said here. yatra ātmabimbitaḥ pratibimbitaḥ; yatra means the satva
guṇē; in the satva guṇa of matter, or in the satva guṇa predominant matter,
pratibimbitaḥ ātmabimbitaḥ; so the ātma, the consciousness; bimbaḥ means the
original; the original ātma consciousness is pratibimbitaḥ, is manifested or reflected
or expressed. Yatra means satva guṇē; or satva guṇa pradhāna antakaraṇē.
Not only that, even when you study the creation, [1] the plant life has got a little bit
of consciousness compared to the [2] inert object. In the inert object, tamō guṇa is
99%, satva guṇa if you ask whether it is there; according to us, there is a little bit is
there. But it is so negligent, that it is as good as not there at all; acētana. When you
come to plant kingdom, satva guṇa is more; therefore they are more sentient
compared to the inert. Come to [3] animals; still more sentiency. They can know
more than plants.
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Come to [4] human beings. Their awareness of the environment, their capacity to
understand the laws; and their capacity to project the future; all of them are more;
the gradation is caused by what; this gradation is caused by the gradation is satva
guṇa. And if you go to dēvā, they are supposed to have still more satva guṇa, than
even human beings. OK. And then the mind has become now what: a sentient
entity; sentient within quotes, not intrinsically sentient; but it has got borrowed
sentiency. And now the mind is like ātma. In what sense? ātma is also sentient;
mind is also sentient; like the original light that is Sun; and the mirror which enjoys
reflected sun. So how many illuminators are there. Two illuminators, the original and
the reflected. Similarly we also have got two illuminators; the original Sun called the
consciousness and the secondary entity called the mind, which also has got
consciousness.
Now, what does the mind do? The mind has the capacity to illumine the world, know
the world, sense the world. Therefore Śankarācārya says arkaḥ iva akilam jaḍaṁ
prākāśa iti. Like a reflected Sun, arkaḥ means the sun, like the reflected Sun, the
reflected consciousness also, like the original consciousness, the reflected
consciousness also, akhilam jaḍaṁ prākāśayati, is capable of illumining; illumining
means knowing, sensing, awaring the world. All because of satva guṇa. So the
subject of prākāśayati, for Saṁsr̥kt students is ātma bimbaḥ; So ātma bimbaḥ
akhilaṁ jaḍam, jaḍam means what; inert universe, the entire inert universe; ātma
bimbaḥ prākāśayati. How, having reflected in the mind, it illumines.
Hari Om.
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042. Verses 118 and 119
Dealing with the name of the anātma, Śankarācārya has come to the kāraṇa śarīraṁ
topic after completing stūla and sūkṣma śarīraṁs, and various features and
significant names of kāraṇa śarīraṁ were pointed out and now the three guṇas of
kāraṇa śarīraṁ are talked about.
And we should remember that in this context, Śankarācārya does not name any
difference between kāraṇa śarīraṁ at the vyaṣti level and kāraṇa prapañja at the
samaṣti level; otherwise called avidyā at the vyaṣti level and māya at the samaṣti
level; he does not want to differentiate in this context, because at the kāraṇa level,
differences are not felt, it being undifferentiated condition.
And Śankarācārya has already dealt with rajō guṇa and tamō guṇa of kāraṇa
śarīraṁ; rajō guṇa being the cause of vikṣēpa śaktiḥ or projection and tamō guṇa
being the cause of āvaraṇa śaktiḥ, the veiling or covering; and now Śankarācārya
has come to satva guṇa topic.
And he is dividing or sub-dividing satva guṇa itself into three types as it were; one is
satva guṇa which is overpowered by rajas and tamas; which we call malina satvam;
And then the next satva guṇa is that satva guṇa in which rajas and tamas do not
overpower but that is also there almost equally, which he calls misra satvam.
And then the third type of satva is that satva in which satva is so dominant; that rajō
guṇa and tamō guṇa are subservient to satva. So the final one is called śuddha
satva; or viśudda satvaḥ. So malina satvam; misra satvam and śuddha satvam.
And Śankarācārya wants to point out that in malina satvam a person is samsāri,
because rajas and tamas are dominating; his life is not very intelligent life because
satva is secondary only; so he will be a samsāri. That means heavily given to activity
without asking the question why am I acting; what do I want to accomplish in life.
He does not know what he wants to accomplish and he begins to question it
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seriously at the age of 70, when the most of the life is over. I feel I should not have
done like this.
मोघाशा मोघकमार्ण मोघ�ाना �वचेतसः |

रा�सीमासरु �ं चैव प्रकृ� मो�हनीं �श्रत ||९- १२||
mōghāśā mōghakarmāṇō mōghajñānā vicētasaḥ |
rākṣasīmāsurīṁ caiva prakr̥tiṁ mōhinīṁ śritāḥ ||9- 12||
So rākṣasī prakr̥ti is raja pradhāna; āsūri prakr̥ti is tama pradhāna; given to rājasic or
āsūric nature; their entire life becomes a waste, because they have travelled from
saṁsāra to what? Saṁsāra. So this is malina satvam.
And misra satva or in mistra satva, a person is neither a total samsāri; nor is he is a
liberated person; samsāri is malina satvam. Liberated person is going to be śuddha
satvam. So misra satvam is neither a samsāri nor a liberated person but one who is
working for liberation, who has diagnosed the problem and who is a sādhanā
catuṣṭaya sampanna adhikāri. Even though technically a samsāri, but he is totally
different from other samsāris because he has diagnosed the problem, acquired the
qualifications to solve the problem and he is already on the road to recovery; i.e. he
has started the treatment for cold; medicine he has started consuming; only
question of time. This is misra satva; so he is not a jñāni; he is an ajñāni only but he
is a pure ajñāni. Pure minded ajñāni.
Then he wants to talk about the śuddha satva in which a person has acquired the
knowledge ahaṁ brahmāsmi and therefore he is a free person. Thus verse No.117
talks about malina satvam; verse No.118 talks about misra satvam and verse No.119
talks about śuddha satvam.
Of which we have already seen malina satvam in verse no.117, and now we have to
see misra satvam in verse No.118. And we should remember throughout when I am
telling the slōka Nos. I am going according to the book that I have supplied; if you
are using any other book, be carefully with the number, because different books
have got different numbers for slōkas. So 118 which are going to see now is misra
satvam. We will see.
�मश्र सत्त्व भविन् धमार्
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त्वम�नताद्य �नयमा यमाद्या |

श्र च भिक्तश मुमु�ता च
दै वी च सम्पित्तरसिन्नवृि ||११८||
miśrasya sattvasya bhavanti dharmāḥ
tvamānitādyā niyamā yamādyāḥ |
śraddhā ca bhaktiśca mumukṣatā ca
daivī ca sampattirasannivr̥ttiḥ ||118||
So he says misrasya sattvasya dharmaḥ bhavanti. Following are the characteristics

expressions of misra satvam personality; in which satva guṇa is dominant; rajō guṇa
and tamō guṇa are not totally subservient; 50:50% you may take. Previously satva:
25; others are 75. In this, satva is 50: and others are about 50. Next one satva will
be 75%; just idea for understanding. So he says misrasya sattvasya dharmaḥ
bhavanti; dharmaḥ, characteristics, faculties, expression in a person.
And what are those characteristics? Amānitādyā; all the virtues mentioned in the
Gītā, 13th chapter will be prevalent in him. All the virtues mentioned in the 13th
chapter of the Gītā by Lord Krishna will be prevalent in him; that means
Śankarācārya assumes that when a person reads this slōka, he has already gone
through the virtues mentioned in the 13th chapter of the Gītā.
In the 13th chapter, there are five verses which talk about important qualifications
required for learning, understanding and assimilating vēdānta and begins with the
slōka amāntivam adambitvam ahiṁsā kśāntiḥ ārjavam, etc. and he concludes with
the slōka, adyātma jñāna nityatvam; tatva jñānārtha darśanam. Etat jñānaṁ iti
prōktam ajñānaṁ yathōt anyatha. There, the uniqueness is instead of calling them
values of life, Krishna calls them jñānaṁ itself; to convey the idea that if a person
has these virtues, knowledge is as good as taken shape. Knowledge is very very
close to him. That means knowledge will not take much struggle etc. A casual
learning from a competent guru; even a casual approach will give him the
knowledge. Therefore Krishna calls them jñānaṁ iti prōktam.
And I do not want to take a diversion here and deal with every value said there;
amānitvam; starting from humility; adambitvam; simplicity; ahiṁsā, śāntiḥ, ārjavam,
etc. I would request you to go through those portions which I have already
discussed before. Not merely go through; but also try to; writing notes is different.
Page 530

We are not doing academically here. Śankarācārya expects us to be seekers of

knowledge and therefore how to try to live those values.
Amanitvam means humility; the first qualification is humility; vinayaḥ; and adyaḥ
means etc. which means adambitvam and others. And similarly, in the fourth line,
Krishna again repeats the important virtue which are compulsory for a vēdantic
seeker. It comes in the 16th chapter of the Gītā and there the virtues are named
daivi saṁpatti. In the 13th chapter, virtues are named jñānaṁ; in the 16th chapter,
virtues or values daivi sampath; in the Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi, virtues are named what;
misra satvam. All these three words are synonymous. Jñānam of the 13th chapter of
the Gītā, Daivi Sampath of the 16th chapter of the Gītā and misra satvam of 118th
verse of the Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi; all these refer to same set of ethics or morality.
So vēdānta emphasises morality; the only difference is, in vēdānta morals are
enumerated and in purāṇās stories and stories are written to highlight one value or
the other. The condensed enumeration of morals of vēdānta; they are elaborated in
the purāṇās; how? through stories; That is why I said one satyam vada of the
Upaṇiṣad or satyamēva jayate of Upaṇiṣad, there the commentaries would not be
there; in the purāṇās you will find the entire Harischandra purāṇaṁ, running to
thousands of verses will focus on this one point. It will also bring in different crisis
situations, in which a person does not give up the value of truth.
Therefore Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi does not concentrate on analysis of values,

vivvekacūḍāmaṇi concentrates on enumeration of values. Even that enumeration,
Śankarācārya does not completely do; he says, care of Gītā. That time also he is
saving. That means he has assumed that we are in very higher level when we come
to Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi. At least he thinks that we have completed at least the Gītā. Or
else how can he say amānitādyā and leave it like this. If you read the Saṁsr̥kt
commentary on this slōka, by one of the Sringeri Śankarācārya what he does is; he
quotes all the slōkas from the Gītā; and writes an elaborate commentary on the five
verses. A very big commentary in the book on this slōka. In the commentary he
quotes all the five slōka s and comments on that. And the Daivi Sampath where does
it come. In the 16th chapter; verse No.1,2,3 of the 16th chapter. It begins with
श् भगवानुवाच
अभयं सत्त्वसंशु�द्ध�ार्नयोगव्यव ।
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दानं दमश् य�श् स्वाध्यायस आजर्व म ॥ १६.१ ॥

śrībhagavānuvāca
abhayaṃ sattvasaṁśuddhirjñānayōgavyavasthitiḥ|
dānaṃ damaśca yajñaśca svādhyāyastapa ārjavam||16.1||
अ�हंसा सत्यमक्रोधस्त शािन्तरपैशुन म ।

दया भूतेष्वलोलुप्त मादर्व ह्र�रचापल ॥ १६.२ ॥
ahiṃsā satyamakrōdhastyāgaḥ śāntirapaiśunam |
dayā bhūtēṣvalōluptvaṃ mārdavaṃ hrīracāpalam || 16.2 ||
तेजह �मा ध�तः

ृ शौचम ् अद्रो ना�तमा�नता ।
भविन् सम्पद दै वीम ् अ�भजातस् भारत ॥ १६.३॥
tējaḥ kṣamā dhṛtiḥ śaucamadrōhō nātimānitā |
bhavanti sampadaṃ daivīmabhijātasya bhārata || 16.3 ||
There 19-20 values are enumerated; in the 16th chapter, 1st three verses; and there
the first value highlighted is abhayaṁ. First thing is you should be freeless to follow
dharma; because following dharma means conflict. Following dharma means crisis.
Following dharma means material deprivations often; if a person decides to follow
dharma, he should be ready to face all kinds of problems including the criticism from
society. They will say that you do not know how to live; they will say this beautifully.
What is that means; that knowing how to commit crimes is vazha theriyarathu. Who
follows scrupulously honesty etc. he is he is a fool, idiot, mad, etc. He does not
know how to live. Though we have to listen often to all these criticisms from the
society, and hold on to values which requires tremendous conviction. As Krishna
says in the Gītā, svadharma nidanam sreyaḥ, paradharmē bhayāpaḥ; I am not be
successful it does not matter, but I will follow dharma/values because I consider
mōkṣa to be superior to all the material comforts and therefore Krishna says
fearlessness is the first value. So I do not want to go to the Gītā slōkās, care of my
Gītā classes, you refer to your notes; daivi sampttiḥ in the 4th line; amānitādyā in
the 2nd line.
Then niyamāḥ, yamādhyaḥ; Pathanjali write his aṣṭanga yōga śāstram which is also
a beautiful science to integrate the personality, which is one of the most ideal
sciences to integrate a personality; at the physical, moral, emotional, intellectual and
spiritual level. At all levels, the personality should be healthy; not only the
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personality should be healthy; they must function in coordination also. Emotional

health; physical health; emotionally they are sound; but full of diseases. Some
people are physically healthy but they are mentally always depressed, affected etc.
Some people are physically and emotionally healthy; intellectually blunt. How to
make all the layers healthy and also to function in coordination; aṣṭanga yōga is a
beautiful śāstra; and in aṣṭanga yōga also, 8 steps are talked about; of which the
first two steps deal with our character. The first two steps deals with values or our
character; from which Pathanjali conveys the idea that without moral health and
spiritual progress impossible. Without moral character, even physical health is
impossible; soon a person will take to a life of indulgence if moral characters are not
there; which will destroy him physically also.
And therefore the first value is Yamaḥ, consisting of five types of doors of avoidance
and niyamaḥ means five types of dos which are to be positively done. Yama means
do not and Niyama dos. Yama means niṣeda; niyama means vidhi. Vidhi niṣeda. And
in the niṣeda or do not or negation; Pathanjali talks about five types of what you call
negation; pañja yamāḥ; and also in the case of vidhi; five types of dos he
emphasises; pañja vidayaḥ and pañja niṣedāḥ. Five dos and five do nots, which I call
the ten commandments of Hinduism. For us the ten commandments are there, if
you say. it is there for us; what are they; yama plus niyama.
And I have talked these two in my introduction. Therefore I am not going to go to

the details; and I will only enumerate them only in this context.
The five avoidances are ahiṁsā, satyam, āstēyam, brahmacāryam, aparigrahaḥ;

ahiṁsā, satyam, āstēyam, brahmacāryam, aparigrahah. Careful, I do not say
avoidance of ahiṁsā; ahiṁsā means avoidance of hiṁsā; you do not anything in
hiṁsā; what do you do in ahiṁsā? Ahiṁsā is not something you have to do; it is
something to be avoided; something in the form of avoiding hiṁsā; it is nivr̥tti rūpa;
not pravr̥tti rūpa.
Similarly satyam also is nivr̥ttiḥ from asatyam. Not that the śāstras say that you
should speak all truths. Speaking truth means not speaking all truths; speaking truth
means you can speak the truth or can also keep quiet; but never tell a lie. Therefore
either speak truth or keep quiet; but never speak untruth. Therefore what is
truthfulness? Again avoidance of untruthfulness. Therefore asatya nivr̥tti; that is also
nivr̥tti; ahiṁsā, satyam, āstēyam.
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āsteyaṁ means avoidance of possessive or owning somebody else's wealth. Taking

something which legitimately belongs to somebody else and the ultimate āstēyam is
do not steal others' wealth. That is not what is meant here. But ultimately vēdānta
śāstra says nothing is your wealth; therefore ultimate āstēyam is understanding that
everything belongs to God; even what legitimately belongs to you, you do not claim
it as yours. That is the next step; can see later. Āstēyam means again nivr̥tti from
stealing; steya nivr̥tti.
Then Brahmacāryam; Brahmacāryam means sexual purity; or chastity;

Brahmacāryam means chastity or sexual purity; or avoidance of all illegimate sexual
relationships is brahmacāryam. At all levels; kāyikam; vāchikam or even mānasam.
Even though brahmacāryam is put positively, the meaning emphasised is what:
avoidance of unchastity. Nivr̥tti.
Then finally. Aparigrahaḥ is again avoidance of ownership. The idea of ownership;

avoidance of amassing wealth. So leading a simple life of lesser possession; and
sharing with the other fellow human beings and even with regard to the lesser
wealth, I do not have ownership I tell it is Bhagavān's property; I am using it for my
benefit. Trusteeship. As Gandhiji talked about the Trusteeship concept. Therefore
aparigrahaḥ also means what withdrawal from over possession and mamakāraḥ.
mamakāra nivr̥tti; these are five yamās.
And then we have got five niyamās also; positive things; and they are śaucam;
purity. So doing everything positively for maintaining the purity at what level; at
every level; physical purity; verbal purity; and mental purity.
Then santoṣaḥ; positively entertaining the idea of contentment. I am happy with

what I have. Clearly declaring, clearing entertaining the thought; and clearly telling
myself I am not jealous of my neighbour who has got better wealth.
मूढ जह��ह धनागमतषृ ्णा

कुर सद्बु� द मन�स �वतषृ ्णा म |
यल्लभस �नजकम�पात्त
�वत्त तेन �वनोदय �चत्त म ||२||
mūḍha jahīhi dhanāgamatr̥ṣṇāṁ
kuru sadbuddhiṁ manasi vitr̥ṣṇām |
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yallabhasē nijakarmōpāttaṁ
vittaṁ tēna vinōdaya cittam ||2||
Be satisfied with what you earn with your resources, is called santoṣaḥ.
And then the next one is tāpaḥ; tāpaḥ is positively following moderation in every
thing. Avoidance of excesses in everything; whether it is sensory pursuit;
jñānēndriya vyapara; or karmēndriya vyapara; including eating, sleeping, talking, in
everything. Vak taps etc. That is tāpaḥ.
Then svadhyāyaḥ means study of scriptures and looking upon it as one of the
important duties of life. If taking care of the family members is the duty you
considering, earning wealth we consider a duty, getting children married is
considered a duty; you should consider the study of the scriptures as an important
duty, which is as important as going to office. So study of scriptures, svadhyāyaḥ.
Then finally, Īśvara praṇidhāna; Worship of God. A religious life; a prayerful life,
which involves pūjā, which involves prayer; which involves japa; minimum, cheapest
worship is japa. No expenses at all; you do not have to buy anything. Do not
require anything. Just taking some nāma of the Lord, and spending some exclusive
time to repeat the nāma of the Lord and afterwards whenever time permits,
repeating the Nama, Krishna tells yajñānaṁ japayajñōsmi; the best type of yajña is
nāma japam. Minimum that; if possible doing physical pūjā, temple visit; pilgrimage,
etc. They are all extension of that. Prayer is a must for every seeker.
Dayānanda svāmi nicely says: we do not believe in secular Vēdānta, because many
people want to separate vēdānta from religion; temple, pūjā, vibūthi, kumkum; they
want to filter out; and study vēdānta as a pure philosophical system; it has come
from the brilliant intellect of Śankarācārya, etc. and therefore they want to separate.
Śankarācārya says: nothing doing; religion must be intermixed with philosophy.
There is no Indian philosophy without God or religion or prayerful life or namaskar.
These are all integral part. It is called Īśvara praṇidhānam. All these five come under
what? Dos. Which are called Niyamās; and all of them are the natural expressions of
what: misram satva guṇam; humility would come; namaskāra would come; pūjā
would come. Bhagavān would come; everything would come.
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And thereafterwards how a person does pooja; whether it is more ritualistic or less
ritualistic; that is all different things. We do not say that everybody should do
pañjayadana pooja from tomorrow. No. that is not the idea. But there is a religious
prayerful life in him.
So what are all finished. Amanitavam, daivi sampath, niyama, yama. In each one
many items are there; Śankarācārya does not go to the details.
And then what is the next expression of misra satvam? śraddhāḥ; faith in God and
scriptures, until I discover. Very clearly by what is meant by god principle; what is
meant by truth principle. Normally the scientific approach; until I discover, I do not
accept it; I will be a nāstika. But our traditional approach is: until I discover, I
believe. That is called śraddhāḥ. Our agnosticism is believe and try to discover.
Other agnosticism is: do not believe and try to discover. But I will believe and will do
everything in keeping with my belief; this is called śraddhāḥ; but continue the study
for discovering what is God.
That's why Dayānanda Svāmi repeatedly says: These DK people say that these
people who believe in God is a Kātu mirāndi; and we say I also agree with them.
kadavulai nambubavan Kātu mirāndi; because our aim is you do not stop with
kaaduvalai nambuvathu; you should stop with kadavul-knowledge. God should not
be a matter of believing; it can only be a belief in the beginning. It should be a
matter of understanding or knowing. Until then, Śraddhāḥ.
And then what? bhakti; reverence to the Lord; reverence to the scriptures, guru
bhakthi; śāstra bhakthi; Īśvara Bhakthi, guru bhakthi, they are also important; one
Upaṇiṣad says:
yasya deve parā bhaktir

yathā deve tathā gurau
tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ
prakāśante mahātmanaḥ
The one who has got the intense devotion to the Lord and also equally intense
devotion to the guru also; yatha deve; how much bhakthi he has towards the dēvā;
tathā gurau; that much devotion to guru also. tasye ete kathitā hy arthāḥ
prākāśante mahātmana. To that mahātmana, to that great devotee; all the
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upaṇiṣadic teaching will become crystal clear. Like ullankai nelli kani pol. (like the
gooseberry in the hand). But prākāśante. Therefore bhakthi is again a trait of what;
misra satvam.
Then the next natural expression is: mumukṣuta cha; when one shifts from malina
satvam to misram satvam; the priorities of life takes a big change. Malina satvam to
misra satvam means life's priorities change. At malina satva level dharmārtha kāmas
are priority; in misra satva level mōkṣa is the priority. All the others are meant for
attaining mōkṣa and mōkṣa alone. So if I have to choose between mōkṣa and any
other thing, I will choose mōkṣa only. So that priority shift is called mumukṣuta. But
not mōkṣa. Desire for mōkṣa alone is there; but mōkṣa is not there. Mōkṣa is there
for whom? Next step. We will see. Malina satva over; misram satva over.
Then śuddha satvam. In śudda satvam he will have mōkṣa. In Mistra satvam he will
have mumukṣuta. In malina satvam, neither mōkṣa nor desire for mōkṣa. He will
say: why mōkṣam kikṣam etc. Let us live happily. Earn very well. Eat well and enjoy.
He does not have any other desire. Maximum desire may be he may like to serve the
world and all; that is also higher ambition; but even that is considered as lower
because desire for serving the world would come under dharma only. Will come
under dharma only. It is certainly inferior to mōkṣa. If at all I serve the world, if I
plan to serve the world, to get purity and mōkṣa, that service will come under
mumukṣuta; a service for service sake will come under mere dharma alone; even
that we consider as a type of mental impurity. There are millions of people who
wants to serve the world, but who are dead against Vēdānta. I do not want
Vēdānta; I do not want Mōkṣa, etc. Again we say it is because the lack of
understanding of what is mōkṣa. Because they think mōkṣa is not serving the world.
Because mōkṣa is a selfish pursuit, because I am withdrawing from everything.
We define mōkṣa as withdrawing from a few things so that I can expand to

accommodate the whole world. Mōkṣa is not contraction; mōkṣa is expansion. I
reject a few things like my family, wealth, etc. so that I can serve the whole world
as myself. Therefore mōkṣa is not withdrawal from everything; but withdrawal from
a few things so that I can own up the whole world. So it is not contraction, it is
expansion; without understanding that they say that we want to serve the world, we
do not want to get mōkṣa. So that is called malina satvam. What is misra satvam?
They want mōkṣa.
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Then daivicha saṁpatt, which I have already talked about before; daivi sampath
means abhayaṁ, satva samśuddhi, etc. mentioned in Gītā, chapter 16, verse Nos.1
go 3. You go and go through that.
Then the final one is: asan nivr̥ttiḥ; asan nivr̥ttiḥ; asat means mithya prapañjaḥ; asat
here means mithya prapañjaḥ; the word sat means Brahman; satyam, asat means
mithya prapañjaḥ. And the nivr̥ttiḥmeans turning away from the pursuit of mithya
prapañja; that is anitya puruṣārtaḥ; limited goals of life; that's why I said even the
pursuit of service etc. we consider as asat pravr̥ttiḥ because what? That will lead to
dharmaḥ or puṇyam or name or fame; all of them will come under what? Perishable
limited results only; that will be only even another type of golden bondage, because
I am very happy as long as I serve, when I am not able to serve, I am going to
become unhappy. Even that is a type of bondage, whereas Mōkṣa is that in which I
serve the world but my happiness does not come even from the service of the
world; my happiness comes from myself. Therefore I serve as long as I stand; and if
I am not able to serve, I grow old or I die; that also does not make any difference.
Therefore in dharma, a person tries to find happiness through service, whereas in

Mōkṣa, a person is already happy and with this he will serve the world. And
therefore even dharma will come under mithya alone. Dharma will come under
mithya alone. Then what is satyam? Anyathra dharmāt; anyathra adharmāt.
Mōkṣa is something which is beyond dharma and adharma. That means Krishna tells
in the Gītā, ultimately sarva dharmān api parithyajya; you should go beyond dharma
also; you should not allow dharma to become a bondage; because many dharmic
people are upset when there is lot of adharma in the world. I am a dhārmic person
and I am upset because there is a lot of adharma in the world; that is also a
bondage.
Then what is freedom? I follow dharma but I am not upset by adharma in the world.
As much as possible, I will do my best to bring out dharma around, but whether I
succeed or not; whether adharma is prevalent or not I am not upset over it; that is
going beyond dharma. Otherwise, if I am attached to dharma, it is asat pravr̥tti,
going beyond dharma is asan nivr̥tti. All these things are natural expressions of
what: not śudda satva. If you see the descriptions it will look like that it is śudda
satvam. But he says this is not śuddha satvam; this is only misrah satvam.
Then comes the question? What is śuddha satvam then: that is said in 119.
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�वशद्धसत्त
ु गुणाः प्रसा
स्वात्मानुभू� परमा प्रशािन |
तिृ प्त प्रहष परमात्म�नष्
यया सदानन्दरस समच
ृ ्छ� ||११९|
viśudda sattvasya guṇāḥ prasādaḥ
svātmānubhūtiḥ paramā praśāntiḥ |
tr̥ptiḥ praharṣaḥ paramātmaniṣṭhā
yayā sadānandarasaṁ samr̥cchati ||119|
So malina satva is over; misra satvam is over. Now we are coming to śudda satvam,
which is otherwise called viśudda satvam; both are one; śuddha or viśudda; both are
synonymous in this context. viśudda sattvasya guṇāh; the expression, the
characteristics of śuddha satva are the following. And what are they?
First one: Prasādaḥ. Prasādaḥ means not vadai, kadalai, chundal etc. that is also
called prasādam. Somebody asked; they wanted to give a derivation for prasādam;
because of the Tamil pronunciation. Sādam; pra sādam; prakarṣēna sādam; what we
eat beautifully that is prasādam. It has nothing to do with Tamil sādam; it is sādaḥ;
derived from the root sat prasīdathi; to be tranquil. So sādaḥ means tranquility.
Prasaadaḥ means enduring peace; tranquility is called Prasādaḥ. Poise of the mind;
balance of the mind is called Prasādaḥ.
Then why do we call the temple eatables as prasādam, because when we receive
anything from the temple, we accept without any resistance. When we receive
anything from the temple, we accept without any resistance. If we get
anything from anyone else, we will never get tr̥pti; if it had been a little bigger, it
would have been better; highly critical; but when we receive something from the
temple, there is no critical attitude. There is no resistance.
When the resistance and criticism goes; when resistance and complaint goes, when
the resistance and grumbling and murmuring goes away; what is the mind?
Tranquil. When you get that from kovil, because you get śāntiḥ, because you get
peace, it is cause of tranquility; that is also indirectly called Prasādaḥ. So Prasādaḥ
as a temple eatable is only secondary meaning; primary meaning of the word
Prasāda is tranquility of the mind. Prasannata.
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And Svātmānubhutihi; svātma means own's own ātma; the real nature; which we
are going to see later; because now we are dealing with that: anātma only. Later we
are going to talk about stūla sūkṣma kāraṇa śarīrāt vyathiriktaḥ; avastha traya sākṣi;
pañja kōśa vilakṣanaḥ; sacchidānandaḥ svarūpaḥ. That ātma is called sva ātma; sva
means one's own real nature; and anubhūtiḥ means immediate knowledge.
Immediate knowledge.
And here the word immediate is used in a special meaning. Normally immediately
means presently, quickly, without leaving any time gap; etc. Immediately means
what: get up instantly. Here the word immediate I am using in the sense of non-
mediate, a knowledge in which no medium is required or useful, because we are
talking about the knowledge of consciousness which does not require any medium to
know. Why? Because consciousness is what? consciousness is self-evident. Because
of consciousness everything is known, because of consciousness everything is
known, consciousness is known because of what? consciousness is not known
because of another consciousness. Then that consciousness is known because of
another consciousness. Then it will have infinite regress. Therefore I, the conscious
being, is known not because of any medium. I am self-evident. That is why in a dark
room, to say or to know I am there or not, you need not switch on the light. If you
are all here, I should have some light. Or else how I will I know whether you have
walked off since it is already 8 p.m. (it is nearing 8 p.m.). I would not know. I have
to open my eyes. or at least I have to ask to talk. I do not require jñānēndriyam or
karmēndriyam. I need not even think.
Some philosopher said: I think, therefore, I am. When this was asked this question:
Svāmiji said: it means that when you have no thought, that means you are not? I-
am; therefore, I think sometimes; I think rightly or often wrongly. They are all later
consequence. I am is an eternally evident fact. Therefore self-knowledge is called
aparōkṣa jñānaṁ, which is here called anubhūtiḥ. Therefore the immediate
knowledge of the self as ahaṁ caitanya svarūpam asmi. I am ever the experiencer;
never the experienced. This is also a sign of what? viśudda satvaḥ.
More in the next.
Hari Om.
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043. Verses 119 to 121
Śankarācārya is now dealing with kāraṇa śarīraṁ as a part of anātma and this
kāraṇa śarīraṁ, Śankarācārya is equating with māya. And therefore he is elaborately
dealing with māya; giving it different names like avyaktam, śaktiḥ, triguṇāmika, etc.
and there he elaborated or he is elaborating the triguṇāmika nature of māya and in
that the triguṇas, rajō guṇa, tamō guṇa and satva guṇa; he is dealing. Of which rajō
guṇa and tamō guṇa parts are over; rajō guṇa was called vikṣēpa sakthi; tamō guṇa
was called āvaraṇa śaktiḥ and it was pointed out that these guṇas together alone
are responsible for saṁsāra.
So they work as a team; āvaraṇa śaktiḥ covers the true nature; vikṣēpa śaktiḥ
projects a false nature; the paramātma nature is covered; the jivātma nature is
projected. The asamsāri nature is covered by tamō guṇa; the samsāri nature is
projected by rajō guṇa; this was talked about.
And now Śankarācārya has come to the topic of satva guṇa. Satva itself was
subdivided into three; malina satvam; misra satvam; and śuddha satvam. Malina
satvam makes a person samsāri, because in malina satvam, satva cannot do
anything, because it is tied down by the rajō guṇa and tamō guṇa. Like a good
Prime Minister, who is surrounded by terrible cabinet ministers and secretaries. For
the Prime Minister himself may be good; but he is helpless. Similarly in malina satva
condition, satva is not allowed to do anything; and therefore one is samsāri;
whereas misram satvam makes a person an adhikāri.
What is the difference between samsāri and adhikāri? Samsāri is a samsāri who has
no hope of coming out of saṁsāra. He is hooked for good; no way out at all.
Punarapi jananam punarapi maraṇam cycle will continue; whereas adhikāri is also a
samsāri but who will soon get out of the cycle. Like two diseased people; in one
case the disease is not diagnosed; therefore there is no way of cure; whereas in the
second case, he is also a diseased person, but there is a silver lining; what? the
disease has been diagnosed and put into ICU; intensive care unit and the treatment
has started. Disease continues, but he sees the end of the dark tunnel.
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Therefore, malina satvaḥ is samsāri; anadhikāri samsāri; misrah satva is adhikāri

samsāri; whereas śuddha satvaḥ is a person who is; what? asamsāri. This comes
correct now you see. Anadhikāri samsari; adhikāri samsāri; and final one asamsāri.
And therefore jīvan muktaḥ, a jñāni is called śuddha satva puruṣaḥ.
And that is what we are seeing in 119. Viśudda satvasya guṇāḥ; the following are
the features, the characteristics of a Viśudda satva puruṣaḥ, or viśudda satva
feature. Viśudda satvam and śuddha satvam are synonymous. A vi is added only to
fill up the metre. OK. Vi, Viśudda and śuddam; there is no difference here at all; for
filling the metre he has added vi prefix.
And what are the characteristics of a viśudda satva puruṣaḥ? Prasādaḥ. Prasādaḥ
means tranquility of mind; poised, balanced, equanimity. Any words you can use.
Then svātmānubhūtiḥ; svātmānubhūtiḥ is immediate knowledge; aparōkṣa jñānaṁ

of his own real nature. Ātma means real nature; sva ātma means one's own real
nature; anubhūtiḥ; do not translate as experience; it can create confusion; therefore
aparōkṣa jñānaṁ, clear knowledge. So svātma anubhūtiḥ; aparōkṣa jñānaṁ. And
this makes the difference between misra satvam and śuddha satvaḥ. In the case of
misra satvaḥ; ātma jñānaṁ is not there; in the case of śudda satvaḥ; ātma jñānaṁ
is there.
What about prasādaḥ? Tranquility of mind: Is it there for misra satva? Thus we say
ātmanubhūtiḥ is there for śuddha satva; not there for misra satva.
But what about the prasāda or tranquility? Here we may get a confusion because in
the case of a misra satva puruṣaḥ also, prasādaḥ, poise of mind is there. In the case
of śuddha satva also, tranquility is mentioned. So if misra satva also has tranquility,
śuddha satva also has tranquility; what is the difference between them?
That is what I discussed in the Bhagavat Gītā; Krishna tells karma yōga has also got
samatvam; jñāni has also got samatvam. If karma yōgi and jñāni, both have
samatvam, what is difference between them. What do we answer? Karma Yōgi has
samatvam but it is apēkṣika samatvam, it is a delicately balanced samatvam;
anytime it can go off; he is just managing. It is a deliberate samatvam; managed
samatvam; that is the samatvam of misrah satva puruṣaḥ; or karma yōgi; whereas
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jñāni's samatvam is not delicately balanced, it is not deliberately entertained; but it

has become spontaneous. Therefore is ātayantika prasādaḥ. Misra satva has got
apēkṣika prasādaḥ; śuddha satva has got ātyantika prasādaḥ.
And thereafter svātmānubhūtiḥ; aparōkṣa jñānaṁ, then parama praśāntiḥ.

Praśāntiḥ means peace of mind or peace.
Here also we have to differentiate, because adhikāri also has peace of mind; misrah
satvam also has got peace of mind; that is why while defining adhikāri, we say
ṣamā, dama, uparama, titikṣaḥ; there in kṣamā we include, kṣamā means śāntiḥ.
Therefore adhikāri has also got śāntiḥ; muktaḥ has also got śāntiḥ. Then what is the
difference between these two? There also what is the answer; the same answer;
adhikāri's peace of mind expresses only as a relative peace of mind, whereas jñāni's
peace of mind is supposed to be absolute peace.
Therefore the whole journey is: get relative peace of mind; study vēdānta; through
vēdānta get absolute peace of mind. Without relative peace, one cannot get
absolute peace.
That is why Svāmiji gives again a beautiful example. Poor man does not have any
method of getting money because he was illiterate; therefore he thought I should
get money only in one way. What is that; all legitimate method has gone. He
thought I will purchase a lottery. By getting lottery prize we can become rich. But
what is the problem. To buy lottery ticket, you require money. Then what is the
answer? You should be endowed with limited money; then you buy lottery ticket;
then you hope to get lot of money.
Similarly, for coming to vēdānta, you require some peace of mind; and with some
peace of mind, buy vēdānta. Lottery ticket. And through vēdānta, you hope to get
lot of peace of mind. But apēkṣika śāntiḥ; vēdānta; ātyantika śāntiḥ; apēkṣika śāntiḥ
is called misra satva; ātyantika śāntiḥ is called śuddha satva; That is why
Śankarācārya adds the adjective: parama praśāntiḥ; that parama indicates
ātyantikatvam. Absolute peace.
Then what else is his feature? Tr̥ptiḥ. Tr̥ptiḥ means contentment. Thereafterwards
no more comparison with others. Greatest problem that we suffer is comparison in
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any field I am; and comparison creates discontentment; I feel smaller than
someone; therefore struggle begins. In any field, including even in the scriptural
field, if vēdānta is not assimilated, there also competition can happen. One student
who has studied Gītā only can become jealous of a student who has studied Gītā and
upaṇiṣad. And the one who has studied Gītā and upaṇiṣad may become jealous of
one who has studied Gītā, upaṇiṣads and brahma sūtram. And the one who has
studied Gītā, upaṇiṣads and brahma sūtra may get jealous of one who has studied
Gītā, upaṇiṣads, brahma sūtram can be jealous of a person who knows laghu
siddanta kaumudi vyakāraṇam also. Even who has got that also can be jealous of
someone who knows mīmāṁsa also.
So if vēdānta is not assimilated, jealousy can come even in vēdānta field. But once
vēdānta is assimilated, Tr̥ptiḥ; no more comparison; no more feeling of jealousy;
therefore Tr̥ptiḥ.
Then praharṣaḥ; praharṣaḥ means total fulfilment. Pūrṇatvam. In fact, Tr̥ptiḥ is a

consequence of praharṣaḥ. Because I am totally full and complete, therefore I have
got contentment.
Prāja hati yata kāman sarvan partha manogatan; Ātmanēva ātmana

tushtaḥ;
The one who drops all binding desires because of the discovery of fulfilment.
Thereafterwards, even if he has desires, those desires are not for fulfilment, but
they are all out of fulfilment. Desires for fulfilment are called binding desires; desires
out of fulfilment are called non-binding desires. Therefore praharṣaḥ means
fulfilment; Triptihi means the consequent freedom from binding desires.
And not only that, paramātma niṣṭa; paramātma niṣṭa means what? Being ever
established in paramātma; his real nature; being ever established in paramātma,
which is his real nature.
And what do you mean being established? Does it mean that he is seated over
paramātma tightly and that he has put some fevicol like thing of glue so that he
would not come out of it? No. Being established does not mean any action, being
established means non forgetfulness of the fact that I am paramātma. Non-
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forgetfulness of the fact that I am paramātma. When? Even when the ego is invoked
to worldly transaction.
That is more important. Non-forgetfulness is possible in the class, because in the

class, you need not invoke your ego as husband, wife or father, mother or employer
or employee. When the ego is not invoked, Vēdānta is easier; but when the
transaction comes, I-the father ego must be invoked; mother, employer, employee
all these things. Even when the transactional-ego has to be invoked, even when
empirical ego has to be invoked, I do not lose sight of my absolute nature, this is
called niṣṭa. So that is called ātma niṣṭa; brahma niṣṭa; jñāna niṣṭa; or in the
language of the second chapter, sthira prajñaḥ. OK.
Then a doubt may come. In the second line Svātmanubhūtiḥ has already been
talked about. Now paramātma niṣṭa word is used. What is the difference between
svātmanubhūtiḥ and paramātma niṣṭa? Both are knowledge only. Svātmanubhūtiḥ is
also knowledge; paramātma niṣṭa is also in the form of knowledge alone; the
difference is in svātmanubhūtiḥ; the aparōkṣa jñānaṁ is talked about; whereas in
paramātma niṣṭa he talks about the jñānaṁ without the obstacles in the form of
doubt and habitual dēhātma vāsana. Paramātma niṣṭa means pratibanda rahita
jñānaṁ. Svātmanubhūtiḥ is jñānaṁ; paramātma niṣṭa is pratibanda rahita jñānaṁ.
Pratibanda means obstacles. What are the obstacles? Doubt and habitual dehātma
buddhi. OK.
And finally one more point we have to note. We say jīvan mukta is viśudda satvaḥ.
The scriptures categorise jīvan mukta as viśudda satvaḥ; and other people also see
him as viśudda satvaḥ; but the beauty is the jñāni himself does not claim himself to
be viśudda satvaḥ. The others look at him as viśudda satvaḥ; but jñāni himself does
not claim as viśudda satvaḥ. Why? Because can you guess; satva guṇa predominant
belongs to ātma or anātma; śuddha satva when we say, highly satva guṇa, because
of which jñānaṁ comes. This viśudda satva belongs to anātma or ātma? Certainly it
belongs to anātma alone. Therefore jñāni's anātma is viśudda satvaḥ; but jñāni does
not claim that anātma as his nature; therefore he will say I am not even viśudda
satvaḥ; I am guṇātītaḥ asmi. That is what is said in the 14th chapter of the Gītā.
नान्य गुणेभ्य कतार्र यदा द्रष्टानुपश |

गुणेभ्यश परं वेित् मद्भा सोऽ�धगच्छ� ||१४- १९||
nānyaṁ guṇēbhyaḥ kartāraṁ yadā draṣṭānupaśyati |
Page 545

guṇēbhyaśca paraṁ vētti madbhāvaṁ sō:'dhigacchati ||14- 19||
Therefore what is jñāni? Who is jñāni if you ask, we have two answers; one is from
others' standpoint; and another from his own standpoint. From others' standpoint,
jñāni is viśudda satva; from his standpoint, he is guṇātītaḥ. And that is called
paramātma niṣṭa; guṇātītaḥ Brahma niṣṭa. OK. And because of this paramātma
niṣṭa, what does he enjoy; yaya. Because of this niṣṭa, paramātma niṣṭa, samr̥cchati;
he attains ananada rasam. He attains the nectar juice of ānandaḥ. So rasa is only
figurative expression. He drinks the rasam of anānandaḥ; the juice of ānandaḥ he
enjoys. When does he enjoy. sadā; always he enjoys, the juice of ānandaḥ.
And again here also when we say he enjoys ānandaḥ, we do not talk about
experiential pleasure, because any experiential pleasure is conditional subject to
time, space and condition. That is why whoever talks about higher bliss, highest
bliss etc. invariably they talk about a state called samādhi etc. So experiential
pleasure means, it is conditioned by time and place. So if this ānandaḥ rasam that
we are talking about is experiential, it will be temporary only; but here Śankarācārya
says sadā ānandarasam; that means not in terms of experience but in terms of
wisdom. What wisdom? I-the-ātma-am the ānandaḥ svarūpaḥ. So ānandaḥ rasaḥ
means ānandaḥ svarūpaḥ iti jñānaṁ. That I am ever full; I am ever complete, I do
not lack anything in life; this wisdom is called ānandaḥ rasaḥ; not a particular time
bound experience.
अव्यक्तमेतित्त्�नर्रुक
तत्कारण नाम शर�रमात्मन |
सष
ु िु प्तरेतस �वभक्त्यवस
प्रल�नसव�िन््द रयबु�द् ||१२०||
avyaktamētattriguṇairniruktaṁ
tatkāraṇaṁ nāma śarīraṁātmanaḥ |
suṣuptirētasya vibhaktyavasthā
pralīnasarvēndriyabuddhivr̥ttiḥ ||120||
So I said that Śankarācārya is discussing kāraṇa śarīraṁ in the form of māya.

Otherwise called avayaktam. Otherwise called śaktiḥ, etc. but Śankarācārya has not
named it the kāraṇa śarīraṁ. Only I have told you that Śankarācārya is discussing
Page 546

kāraṇa śarīraṁ but he himself has not mentioned it. If you look at the verse No.108,
he only started by saying
avyaktanāmnī paramēśaśaktiḥ;
anādyavidyā triguṇātmikā parā;
kāryānumēyā sudhiyaiva māyā;
yayā jagatsarvaṁidaṁ prasūyatē;
he only said that there is a śaktiḥ for the Lord, which is paramēśaśaktiḥ, which is
called avidyā; which is called avyaktam; which is called triguṇātmika, etc. but he did
not say why he is discussing this māya.
After discussing stūla śarīraṁ and sūkṣma śarīraṁ, he entered into māya discussion
without telling what is that māya. Now in this verse alone, he says that the Māya
which I discussed till now is kāraṇa śarīraṁ. Kāraṇa śarīraṁ word he is using only
now. To avoid suspense I introduced the word kāraṇa śarīraṁ there; but
Śankarācārya keeps it secret as it were. In that we will be wondering that after
finishing stūla sūkṣma śarīraṁ, suddenly why does Śankarācārya talk about
something else; and the answer for that doubt comes here. That māya is none other
than the kāraṇa śarīraṁ. Therefore he says etat avyaktam; so this is the avyaktam,
the unmanifest principle, the seed of the entire universe; etat means whatever I
have discussed till now beginning from verse No.108; whatever I have discussed till
now; is called avyaktam; the unmanifest, the universal seed and which has been
defined or which is said to be consisting of triguṇaiḥ niruktam, which consists of the
three guṇas; triguṇaiḥ; satva rajas tamō guṇaiḥ; niruktam; which is constituted of
the three guṇas. And then he says that this seed of this universe alone is otherwise
called kāraṇa śarīraṁ also. Because the causal body. Kāraṇam śarīraṁ nāma; the
causal body of whom; ātmanaḥ; of the ātma; is called the causal body of the ātma.
So that means what? Whether the individual body mind is resolved; or whether the
total creation is resolved; the experience will be the same only. Suppose the whole
world is resolved; what will be my experience you want to know. But is it possible to
resolve the whole world. It is not possible. How to break each thing one by one;
How can you dissolve the whole universe? How it will be during pralayaṁ; suppose
you want to know; or before big bang. How was the universe suppose you want to
know.
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The scriptures say that you need not destroy the world to know the condition of
pralayaṁ; you are regularly experiencing; the pre-big-bang stage, you are
experiencing daily. What is that? During suṣupti, it is pre-big-bang state only. How
do you say so? Because during suṣupti, only my organs are resolved; the world is
not resolved; there are night duty people who are still working, when I am asleep.
For that the scripture's answer; even though the world is very much there; the world
as good as not there because you do not experience it. And therefore in the suṣupti
what you experience is the pralaya avastha alone. There is no experiential difference
between pralaya and suṣupti.
There is a technical difference between pralaya and suṣupti. What is the technical
difference? In the pralaya, the world is really resolved. In suṣupti, the world is only
seemingly resolved, because I do not see it; even though technically there is no
difference, experientially there is no difference and therefore it is kāraṇa śarīraṁ, of
the ātma.
And what is the unique state of kāraṇa śarīraṁ; in which kāraṇa śarīraṁ plays the
predominant role as it were? He says suṣuptiḥ etasya avastha. The deep sleep state
is the state in which the kāraṇa śarīraṁ is dominant. Why? Because the stūla
śarīraṁ function and the sūkṣma śarīra function are swallowed by whom. The kāraṇa
śarīra has resolved or swallowed all my knowledge; all my ignorance; all my
emotions; who has resolved; swallowed? Kāraṇa śarīraṁ has swallowed.
How do you know that kāraṇa śarīraṁ has swallowed it? When you wake up, all my
knowledge; all my ignorance, all my emotions; all my worries are again born out of
that kāraṇa śarīraṁ. That means what? seed condition.
And therefore he says: suṣuptiḥ etasya vibhakthi avastha. etasya means kāraṇa
śarīrasya; so for this kāraṇa śarīraṁ; suṣuptiḥ is vibhakthi avastha; vibhakthi here
means distinct state. So stūla śarīraṁ is dominant in which state; jāgrat avastha; so
we are predominantly physical in jāgrat avastha; not that sūkṣma śarīraṁ is not
there; but sūkṣma śarīraṁ backs up the stūla śarīraṁ; our personality is dominantly
physical.
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Whereas sūkṣma śarīraṁ is dominant when? In svapna sūkṣma śarīraṁ is dominant;

why do we say so; the physical body is there in svapna; but it does not play any
dominant role; that is lying there in a corner.
All my world of dreams is nothing but what; my thoughts, my impressions; which

belongs to what? Sūkṣma śarīraṁ; that's why we use the word, sūkṣma śarīraṁ is
dominant; that word is important. We should not say that stūla śarīraṁ is there in
jāgrat avastha; sūkṣma śarīraṁ is there in svapna avastha; if you say like that what
happens: in jāgrat avastha, sūkṣma śarīraṁ is not there; in jāgrat avastha, sūkṣma
śarīra is there; but focus is in stūla śarīra. In svapna avastha stūla śarīraṁ is there;
but the dominant role is played by memory; whereas in suṣupti avastha, both stūla
śarīraṁ and sūkṣma śarīraṁ are non-functional; my manaḥ emotions are not
functional; my rational faculties is not functional; my memory faculty is not
functional; my ego faculty, I am, is also non-functional; physical activities are non-
functional; and what is functioning; the swallowing body is functioning; and who is
the swallower; the kāraṇa śarīraṁ is the swallower. Therefore, suṣuptiḥ etasya
vibhakthi avastha.
And what is the definition of suṣupti? It is defined in the fourth line; praleena sarva
indriya buddhi vr̥ttiḥ; It is a stage in which all the functions are resolved. vr̥ttiḥ
means functions. pravr̥ttiḥ; vr̥ttiḥmeans pravr̥ttiḥ, functions; functions of whom;
sarva indriya; all the ten sense organs, i.e. pañja jñānēndriyāni and pañja
karmēndriyāni; all their functions are resolved.
And even if the hands do any action in suṣupti; they are not conscious actions; there
may be unconscious or involuntary movement of the body; but we do not consider
as functions because by the word function we mean deliberate karmēndriya action
or deliberate jñānēndriya action because people talk about sleep-walking;
somunabulism; somunalockism; etc. they talk about. We do not consider them as
functions because, they are not deliberate; after walking them, you ask that person
why did you get up? why you did you walk out? did I do that? He does not know at
all. We do not consider those functions. Deliberate functions are all pralēnam.
Totally resolved. so daśa indriyani.
Not only all the sense organs' functions are resolved; sarva buddhi vr̥ttihi; all the
functions of anthakāraṇam also; buddhi stands for manō buddhi citta ahaṁkāra; all
these functions, memory faculty, emotional faculty, rational faculty; and ego faculty.
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All these functions except one function only continues. What is that? Prāṇaḥ, the
pañja prāṇās, continues; thank God. If the pañja prāṇās also discontinue during
sleep; there would not be any difference between what? Sleep and death. So you
can sleep only once. In fact that usage also; suppose animals and all, they do that
euthansia; killing and all; dog etc. extremely sick; they take to this place or that
place and kill it by giving an injection. So at animal level euthanasia is prevalent.
Only the human level, big debate is going on; and they use the idiom; they do not
say they kill the dog; they say "put to sleep". Similarly, if sleep is putting to sleep,
then first day you go to sleep; your life is over. So therefore, what is the difference
between sleep and maraṇam? In Maraṇam, prāṇa function also withdraws, whereas
in sleep prāṇa function continues. But the main difference is: it is not deliberately
continued; no will is involved; no will is required. I need not consciously breath.
That is what Svāmiji nicely says: if breathing also is a deliberate action you have to
do; then you will forget it sometimes. Sometimes you have doubt, whether you
brushed your teeth in the morning, etc. After hearing this some of you may get
doubt also! Some of you may decide to brush today. For some people the snānena is
itself doubtful. In old age, eating is also some problem; they say whether I ate or
not. They will complain this after a sumptuous meal.
So Bhagavān kept the emergency functions in his own hand. Brushing the teeth, etc.
he gave you. Whereas the emergency portfolio, like breathing, digesting, beating of
the heart, etc.; ego is not required, freewill is not required; prarabhada is enough to
make it function.
And therefore sarva does not include prāṇa; therefore we have to add except prāṇa,
all the functions are resolved. Such a state is called suṣupti avastha. And that is the
state in which kāraṇa śarīraṁ is dominant.
सवर्प्रकारप्र�म�तप्
बीजात्मनाविस्थ�तर बद्ध
ु |
ु िु प्तरेतस �कल प्रती�
सष
�कं �चन् वेद्मी जगत्प्र�स ||१२१||
sarvaprakārapramitipraśāntiḥ
bījātmanāvasthitirēva buddhēḥ |
Page 550

suṣuptirētasya kila pratītiḥ

kiṁcinna vēdmīti jagatprasiddhēḥ ||121||
So the suṣupti is further clarified. Therefore this slōka is almost the same as previous
slōka only. So what is suṣupti? Sarva prakāra pramitipraśāntiḥ. It is a state in which
all the cognitive processes are resolved. All the knowing processes are resolved.
Pramiti means cognitive process. Knowing process. What type of knowing process?
Sarva prakāra. All types of knowing processes.
And why do we say all types of knowing processes? Because in vēdānta; they say
there are six ways of knowing. There are six ways of knowing; each way of knowing
is called a pramāṇam. I do not want to go to the details here; I have discussed
elsewhere, you must be knowing it. If you do know, in some other context, I hope
to discuss; pratyakṣa pramāṇa; anumāna pramāṇam; arthāpathi pramāṇam;
upamānam pramāṇam; anupalabdhi pramāṇam; śāstra pramāṇam; pratyakṣam;
anumānam; arthāpathiḥ; upamānam; anupalabdhiḥ; śāstram. These are considered
as six pramāṇams, and through each pramāṇam, the process of knowing is called
pramitiḥ; the way is called pramāṇam; the operation is called pramitiḥ. Eye is called
pramāṇam; through the eye what is seen; that process is called pramitiḥ. Operation.
So thus, śāstram is a pramāṇam; the process through which the analysis of the
śāstra is done and understanding is achieved, that is called pramitiḥ. Here
Śankarācārya says all the six ways of knowing; all the methods of knowing; all the
knowing operations are suspended. Prasānthiḥ.
And all the operations are done by whom? Buddhiḥ. This is called pramātha. Buddhi
is called pramātha; the instruments are called pramāṇam; process is called pramitiḥ.
And the object is called pramēyam. Thus pramātha, by operating the pramāṇam,
comes to know the pramēyam, through the process called pramitiḥ. Pramātha,
Pramāṇam; pramēyam; pramitiḥ. All these are suspended.
And here I use the word suspended; I do not say they are destroyed. What is the
difference between suspension and destroyed? In the office and all; they suspended;
police officers suspended; this person suspended; what is the difference between
suspension and dismissal? Dismissal means totally out; suspended means in
suspended animation is maintained; he may come to the position.
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That means what? All the faculties are very much there; in what condition; dormant
condition. That is said in the second line; buddhēḥ bījātmanāvasthiti; the buddhi
continues in dormant condition; not functional condition; non-operative condition;
hibernation condition. There is something called hibernation; which is experienced in
the North Pole, etc. the Polar bears and other things; they have got peculiar power it
seems; in which all the metabolism function of a living being; they are all brought
out to almost zero level. So if you take instruments like ECG or EEG; etc. to measure
the metabolism rate, you will find that it is almost nil; that is they are as good as
dead; but only as good as dead; and why the nature has given them that power;
that is the nirvikalpaka samādhi of those animals.
What I say is: do not take the nirvikalpaka samādhi as a great thing; every polar
bear practices nirvikalpaka samādhi during winter. They do it naturally; you do it by
practising yōga, because they are also in nirvikalpaka samādhi; they say. The blood
activity; the metabolism and all those things come down to almost nil; and that is
why they do not require even food intake for months together. Their metabolism is
made to that. That is called suṣupti.
If the suṣupti is extended it is called hibernation. Hibernation is nothing but suṣupti;

intensive and extensive. Intensive means still deeper; and extensive means what for
more number of months; for us the deep sleep state may be for half a hour or one
hour; but in this samādhi or in hibernation, it is for months together. And therefore
he says bījātmanāvasthiti; Kasya? buddhēḥ; of the pramātha; and buddhēḥ
bījātmanāvasthitir ēva suṣuptiḥ; to that connect the suṣupti; it is called suṣuptiḥ.
And etasya pratitiḥ. How do we experience that suṣupti? how does it look like? how
does it feel if somebody asks? He says, kiṁcinna vēdmīti jagatprasiddhēḥ; the
feeling of suṣupti is kinchit na vētti; I did not know anything; I slept like a log of
wood; I slept like a log of wood; I did not experience anything; this is the pratitiḥ;
this is the feeling of suṣupti avastha.
And then Śankarācārya says that this feeling is not a unique thing that I have to
teach to you; because samādhi and all if you say, they ask Svāmiji, how will it be?
you all experience it; kindly explain; how it feels etc.
Śankarācārya says: I need not teach you that because jagatprasiddhēḥ; every
human being has experienced this several times; as I say sometimes in the middle
Page 552

of the class also you can intensely go to suṣupti avastha; where you have black out.
If someone says: he said like this; you say that; Is It? Did he say that? More in the
next.
Hari Om.
044. Verses 122 and 123
Śankarācārya is dealing with kāraṇa śarīraṁ and now he is concluding by talking

about that state in which kāraṇa śarīraṁ has a dominant role; and that state is
suṣupti avastha. And therefore he pointed out in verse No.121, suṣuptiḥ
sarvaprakārapramitipraśāntiḥ; buddhēḥ bījātmanāvasthitirēva bhavathi. So suṣupti is
that state of kāraṇa śarīraṁ; in which buddhi remains in bijātmana avasthiti; buddhi
remains in bīja rūpam. Buddhi remains in bīja rūpam; bīja means dormant condition.
kāraṇa avastha; that is why it is called kāraṇa śarīraṁ. And since buddhi remains in
bīja rūpam; then all the cognitive functions are resolved; because buddhi is the main
equipment through which all the knowing functions take place; sarva prakāra
pramitiḥ; pramitiḥ means knowing function; sarva prakāra pramitiḥ means all types
of knowing functions.
As I said in the last class; shad pramāṇāni; pratyakṣa; anumāna; upamāna; all of
them require buddhiḥ. In the case of pratyakṣa, sense organs play a dominant role
alright; but even for that; buddhi is required. And therefore when buddhi is
dormant; all the cognitive functions are resolved; that is called suṣuptiḥ.
Somewhere an Ācārya has beautifully defined sleep; vijñāna virahit suptihi tad janma
svapna jāgaro; cessation of cognition is sleep; the rising of cognition is jāgrat and
svapna. So this is the definition of suṣuptiḥ.
And how do we experience that state? Etasya pratītiḥ kinchit na vētti iti; so the
experience of suṣuptiḥ. Pratītiḥ means anubhavaḥ; the experience of suṣuptiḥ is in
the form of kinchit na vētti. This is between quote: "I do not experience anything"
So therefore total ignorance consequent relaxation are ānandaḥ. Ajñānaṁ,
ānandasya suṣuptiḥ pratītiḥ. And this is not the experience of one person. Jagat
prasiddhēḥ. It can never be questioned because it is universally well known. Up to
this we saw in the last class.
Page 553

देहेिन्द्रयप्राणमनोऽह
सव� �वकारा �वषयाः सुखादयः |
व्योमा�दभूतान्य�ख न �वश्व
अव्यक्तपयर्न्त ह्यनात् ||१२२||
dēhēndriyaprāṇamanō:'hamādayaḥ
sarvē vikārā viṣayāḥ sukhādayaḥ |
vyōmādibhūtānyakhilaṁ na viśvaṁ
avyaktaparyantamidaṁ hyanātmā ||122||
With the previous slōka, the kāraṇa śarīraṁ topic is also over, which is a sub-division
of anātma. We should remember the main topic of discussion is anātma; and even
before that you should remember that the student has asked seven questions:

Throughout Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi study you should remember this verse No.49. Verse
No.49; till end; 49 slōka you should remember; or at least the number 49 so that
you can refer. Seven questions he has asked, of which we are dealing with the first
question, kaha anātma; and this anātma topic has started verse No.72. From verse
No.72, the anātma topic has started first he dealt with stūla śarīraṁ, next he dealt
with sūkṣma śarīraṁ; and later the kāraṇa śarīraṁ. Thus from No.72 to this verse,
i.e. verse No.121, the three śarīraṁs or anātma in general has been talked about.
Now in the following two verses, 122 and 123, Śankarācārya is winding up the topic
of anātma. And here he adds an extra note also; which is also equally important;
because here in all these verses Śankarācārya has pointed out that śarīra trayaṁ is
anātma. Stūla, sūkṣma, kāraṇa śarīra traya is anātma.
Then naturally the question will come. What about the external world? And therefore
in these two verses, Śankarācārya adds a note, the śarīra trayaṁ is the name
anātma; but in that we should include the entire prapañja trayaṁ also. That is along
with stūla śarīraṁ, you should include the stūla prapañja; along with sūkṣma
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śarīraṁ, you should include sūkṣma prapañja; along with kāraṇa śarīraṁ, you have
to add kāraṇa prapañja, that means the entire cosmos of our experience is anātma.
That is what is said in these two slōkās? Look at the third and fourth line: akhilam
idam viśvaṁ anātma bhavathi. The whole universe that we experience is anātma. So
akhilam idam viśvaṁ anātma. Whatever I experience is anātma. And when I say
whatever I experience, it consists of three things, the external world is an object of
experience; my own body is an object of experience and my mind also is an object
of experience. Thus the world; the body; the mind; all of them are anātma. In fact,
when we listen to this, we will be even surprised because if everything I experience
is anātma; that means there is nothing other than what I experience; therefore how
can there be ātma at all.
Because whatever I know has been dubbed anātma; like Trivikrama measuring
everything; when the question comes, if the earth and the entire universe is covered
by two steps; where is the place for the third step? Similarly if everything
experienced is anātma; where is the place for ātma, the surprise will come? That will
be answered in the next section. Here he is telling; that whatever you experience is
anātma.
And from this we also get an important corollary; ātma is never experienced by
anyone as an object. Ātma is never experienced by anyone as an object and
therefore no one should work for ātma-experience. No one should work for ātma-
experience, because if you get any experience, it will come under what? Anātma
alone; any experience you get is anātma; it may be ordinary experience; it may be
extra-ordinary experience. If it is ordinary experience, it is ordinary anātma; if it is
extra ordinary experience; if it is an extra-ordinary experience, then it is what? Not
ātma; extra ordinary anātma. And if you had a mystical experience, it is what;
mystical anātma. Never claim you had an ātma experience; never look for ātma
experience; because it is never experienced. That is why Śankarācārya says: idam
akhilam viśvaṁ anātma.
And then Śankarācārya adds an adjective; avyakta paryantam; when I say the
viśvaṁ; we should also include the causal form of the universe; which is known as
māya or avyaktam.
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So avyaktam paryantam; not only the kārya prapañja is anātma; but it includes the
avyakta condition; the kāraṇa condition; the unmanifest condition.
And that is why, we say, even in suṣupti, when you have got a blank experience,
that blankness also comes under viśvaṁ alone; which is kāraṇa prapañjaḥ. In fact
what you call as śūnyam or blankness is not nothingness; śūnyam is zero; that is
why they say Indians have discovered zero. Zero is not the emptyness; zero is
potential form of the entire cosmos. And that zero is also anātma only. Avyakta
paryantam; up to Māya, idam sarvaṁ anātma bhavathi.
Having made a general statement, now he gives the details. Sarve vikhāraḥ anātma;
you have to add anātma to each one; sarve vikhāraḥ anātma; sarve vikhāraḥ is in
the second line. All the products are anātma; vikhāraḥ means here product. The
word vikhāra has got two meanings, according to the context; one meaning is
modification. When you say ṣad vikhāraḥ; asthi, jāyathe, vardathe, etc.; in that
context, the word vikhāraḥ should not be translated as product; there the word
vikhāraḥ should be translated as modification or changes. In this context the word
vikhāraḥ should be translated as product.
For example, all the ornaments are called vikhāraḥ. All the furniture are called
vikhāraḥ. The entire creation is called a vikhāraḥ; because it is a product. Therefore
sarve vikhāraḥ; all the kāryams are anātma.
And the karyam itself can be subdivided; all the products can be subdivided. That he
has subdivided neatly.
Now when you take the entire anātma; first you can broadly divide into kārya
prapañja and kāraṇa prapañja. Then the kārya prapañja, we are going to sub-divide
into two. What is the sub-division? Bhūtā prapañja and boudika prapañja. Bhūtā
means the five elements; boudika means the elementals. Bhūtā means the elements
and boudika means the elementals.
That is what he says: vyōmāti bhūtāni. So the five elements beginning with aākāśaḥ;
ākāśa; ākāśa, agni, āpaḥ; pr̥tvi. So these five elements are also anātma; and also
the boudika prapañjaḥ; boudika means what; the products of the five elements. So
boudika prapañjaḥ. Boudika prapañjaḥ word he has not used; but we have to
supply; bhūtā prapañjaḥ and boudika prapañjaḥ.
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And the boudika prapañja itself can be subdivided into two. Just a way of division;
that is all.
And what is that division? it is bhaaya boudika prapañjaḥ; the external elementals
and āntara boudika prapañja; the internal or the subjective. So anātma has been
divided into kāraṇa prapañja and kārya prapañja; karya prapañja has been
subdivided into bhūtā prapañja and boudika prapañja; boudika prapañja can be
divided as bhāya and āntara. OK.
What is the subjective boudika prapañja? That is given in the first line. dēha, indriya,
prāṇa, mana, ahaṁ ādayaḥ. Dēha, this stūla śarīraṁ; indriya, the sense organs;
prāṇaḥ, the pañja prāṇas; manaḥ, the mind’ ahaṁ; the ahaṁkāra. In fact dēha
corresponds to annamaya kōśa; prāṇa corresponds to prāṇa maya kōśa; mana
corresponds to manō maya kōśa; ahaṁ corresponds to vijñānaṁaya kōśa; all of
them ādayaḥ, etc. all of them come under what; subjective boudika prapañja.
Then look at the second line. viṣayā; viṣayāḥ means the external boudika prapañja,
namely the sense objects, śabda; sparśa, rūpa, rasa, gandhāḥ. So all these come
under anātma. Kārāṇa prapañja; kārya prapañja, bhūtā prapañja; subjective boudika
prapañja; objective boudika prapañja; all of them come under anātma only. And not
only that; sukhādayaḥ. Now the subjective boudika prapañja called the body-mind-
complex, the objective boudika prapañja; called the world; both of them interact
constantly.
So there is interaction between the subjective boudika prapañja and objective

boudika prapañja; indriyāni indriyārthe vartantē; guṇāḥ guṇēṣu vartantē; so they
constantly interact. That is when the temperature is higher the body begins to
respond by sweating. When the temperature is lower; the body responds by
shivering. So these are all interactions; and these interactions produce what:
varieties of responses in the form of sukham, duḥkhaṁ, etc. So they are what? the
properties of boudika prapañja born out of interaction. Therefore sukhādayaḥ;
icchāḥ dvēṣa sukham duḥkhaṁ sangāta cētana dritiḥ; etat kṣētram śamāsena
savikāram udāhritam.
In the Bhagavad Gītā thirteenth chapter, Krishna uses the word Kṣētram. What we
are discussing now is the entire kṣētram; along with its properties. What are the
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properties: sukham; duḥkhaṁ; rāga, dvēṣa, all of them. And the whole thing and
there is one word also which is useful and technical; he uses the word idam; idam
means this; this entire universe is anātma; this entire universe.
And in the Bhagavad Gītā also Krishna uses the word idam śarīraṁ. And according to
vēdānta, the whole world consists of only two things; ahaṁ and idam; this is the
world. Ahaṁ and idam. Ahaṁ means the subject; idam means the object. Ahaṁ
means cētanam; idam means acētanam. Ahaṁ is dr̥k; idam is dr̥śyam. By using the
word idam; Śankarācārya is excluding the word ahaṁ; which would be discussed
hereafter. Therefore the idam jada jagat anātma bhavathi.
So the next verse is an irregular metre. Therefore it cannot be chanted like a poem;
it is a poem only but it is in an irregular metre; in Saṁsr̥kt it is called viṣaṁa vrittam.
viṣaṁa vrittam poem, you cannot chant. You have to read like prose. Only śama
vrittha poem we will be able to chant. So this verse happens to be viṣaṁa vritta
slōka. Therefore you will chant like prose.
माया मायाकाय� सव� महदा�ददेहपयर्न्त |

अस�ददमनात्मतत्त �व�द त्व मरुमर��चकाकल्प ||१२३||
māyā māyākāryaṁ sarvaṁ mahādādidēhaparyantam |
asadidamanātmatattvaṁ viddhi tvaṁ marumarīcikākalpam ||123||
So this slōka is also the winding of anātma topic; the previous and this slōka. So
what is anātma in general. Māya, māyākāryaṁ anātma tatvam viddhi. Māya, which
is called kāraṇa prapañja; otherwise called prakr̥ti; otherwise called avidyā;
otherwise called avyaktam; otherwise called śaktiḥ; all these words are synonymous;
ayaktam; māya, prakr̥tiḥ; avidyā; śaktiḥ. All these five words connote only one thing,
i.e. the basic matter principle. The basic matter; you may call it basic energy also.
You should remember energy comes under inert matter only. Many people mistake
consciousness as a form of energy. We should never take consciousness as a form
of energy; why, because energy is only a modified form of matter; therefore energy
is also as much acētanam as matter is. No.1.
And the second reason is any form of energy is subject to transformation into
another form of energy. Therefore any energy is savikāram; any energy is
acētanam; whereas consciousness is cētanam and nirvikāram. Therefore
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consciousness should never be taken as a form of energy. Then all energies should
be taken as what; māya alone. All energies should be taken as māya.
Therefore māya, the basic form of matter or energy. And māya karyam. And all the
products of māya. Māya and all the products of māya. That is both the kāraṇam as
well as the kāryam. Both the universal mother as well as her children. Mother and
children come under anātma. Mother is māya; children are the things of the
universe. Māya kāryam.
And what all will come under māya karyam? Remember the previous slōka; bhūtā
prapañja and boudika prapañja. The boudika prapañja itself subdivided into bāhya
prapañja as well as āntara prapañja. All these together is called māya karyam. All
these anātma tatvam will come under anātma principle only.
Now in this slōka Śankarācārya is presenting the product of māya in a different

format. In the previous slōka, the product of māya were presented in a particular
format; what was the format? Bhūtā prapañja; boudika prapañja; bāhya boudikam;
antaram boudika; that was the format.
Now Śankarācārya gives another format, which is based on the sāṅkya system of
philosophy. In Sāṅkya, they explain the creation in a particular form. They say that
māya is the root cause which is called mūla prakr̥tiḥ. Our māya they call by the
name moola prakr̥tiḥ. You can put in the form of a chart. And from māya, the
immediate product is called mahat tatvam. Mahat; It is a technical word used by
them. When the māya or prakr̥ti has evolved slightly, it is called mahat tatvam; and
from mahat tatvam, the next evolution is called ahaṁkāraḥ. So three; māya, mahat,
ahaṁkāraḥ.
Then from ahaṁkāra, sixteen tatvams are born; sixteen tatvās means categories or
principles are born out of ahaṁkāra. What are those sixteen principles? Daśa
indriyāni; daśa indriyāni; what are the ten organs; pañja jñānēndriyāni; pañja
karmēndriyāni; and pañja sūkṣma bhūtāni; pañja sūkṣma buthani; how much; 10+5
=15 and then manaḥ, the mind 15+1=16; all the sixteen items are born out of
ahaṁkāraḥ. So totally prakr̥tiḥ; mahat; ahaṁkāra; 3; then 16; 3+16=19.
And thereafterwards, from the five subtle elements are born the five gross elements.
From the five subtle elements are born five gross elements; so 19+5=24. This is
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called caturvimsati tatvāṇī in Sāṅkya philosophy. Based on that only in Tatva

Bōdhaḥ, atha caturvimsati prakāram vakṣyamaḥ; 24 principles. Of the 24 principles,
the first principle is the cause alone; it is never an effect; whereas the later 23
principles are effects. So māya is kāraṇam; the other 23 principles are kāryam.
Totally 24 tatvams; all of them come under what; anātma alone.
That is what is said here. Mahat ādhi dēha paryantam. So mahat ādhi means
beginning from mahat tatvam. Māya has been enumerated earlier. So therefore
Māya is the original cause and the effect begins from where: mahat onwards. So
when you are enlisting the anātma you have to begin with māya. But when you
have to talk about the anātma product, you have to begin with mahat. Product if
you talk, start from mahat; anātma if you talk, start from māya. Here we are talking
about product; therefore mahat ādhi; beginning from mahat tatvam; dēha
paryantam. Up to the physical body. And all these 24 tatvas come under what?
anātma tatvam. This comes under anātma alone. And then he adds two additional
notes which is the most important part to be noted. Asat; asat means mithya; this
entire anātma is mithya. This entire anātma consisting of 24 tatvams is mithya. In
fact this is one of the basic differences between sāṅkya philosophy and vēdānta.
They also talk about 24 tatvams; we also accept 24 tatvams; they also say prakr̥ti is
kāraṇam; we also say prakr̥ti is kāraṇam; they also talk about indriya manas etc. as
products; we also talk about indriya manas etc. as products; they also say that all of
them have got three guṇas; we also say all of them have got three guṇas; sāṅkya
and vēdānta are identical in all these respects. That is why sāṅkya philosophy is
heavily borrowed in vēdānta. Even the word sāṅkya we borrow. That is why the
second chapter we use the word sāṅkya. Then where do we differ.
In that single word Śankarācārya shows the difference between sāṅkya philosophy
and vēdānta. What is that? Asat. In Sāṅkya philosophy, māya is also real; sakthi is
also real.
But Śiva siddanta talks about many things very close to vēdānta; and they say your
Śiva is real; and Śaktiḥ is unreal. We do not like that. That is also because of male-
domination. So therefore the Advaitins are all male domination people and therefore
Śiva is satyam and ambāl is mithya is said to be akramam.
So Vēdantin's answer is: if śaktiḥ represents caitanyaṁ; śaktiḥ is real; that is why
when we worship śaktiḥ, we symbolise śaktiḥ both as ātma as well as anātma.
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Śaktiḥ as ātma is reality; śaktiḥ as anātma is unreal. If you take Lalitha

Sahasranāma, chit śaktiḥ cētana rūpā; jada śaktiḥr jadātmika. For chit śaktiḥ
chetana rūpā when you say; Devi is Brahman the ultimate reality; when jada śaktiḥ
jadāthmika when you say, the very same devi is worshipped as unreal māya also. So
we do not dismiss śaktiḥ totally; we ask the question, what the śaktiḥ represent?
If you are worshipping śaktiḥ as prakr̥ti only, you will be in trouble. Never worship
śaktiḥ as prakr̥ti only; then you will be in trouble. Worship śaktiḥ as both prakr̥ti and
puruṣaḥ; both as chit śaktiḥ and jada śaktiḥ; no problem. Or else, chit śaktiḥ you can
worship alone; but only prakr̥ti; then that is problem.
And therefore, the uniqueness of vēdānta is matter is unreal; whereas in Sāṅkya

philosophy matter is also as real as spirit. That is why Sāṅkya philosophers are
dvaitins. Dvaitins does not mean that they are madhva philosophers only. Sāṅkya
philosophy is also dvaitam; nyāya philosophy is also dvaitam; even viṣiṣṭa advaita
philosophy is dvaitam; whereas here the whole thing is asat; asat means mithya.
Like what? An example is given; maru mareechika kalpa; kalpam means comparable
to. The whole anātma is comparable to maru mareechika. Maru mareechika means
what: mirage water. Is comparable to mirage water. What is mirage water? We can
both technically and practically explain that. Mirage water is something which is
experienced; but which does not have an existence of its own.
Mirage water is something that you experience but which does not have existence of
its own. Similarly the entire anātma is experienced but it does not have existence of
its own. That is why asat means na vidyāte svayaṁ sat yasya. That which does not
have natural existence; intrinsic existence like what; even our desk; our desk is sat
or asat; desk is sat or asat? What should you say boldly? Desk is only asat; because
you experience the desk alright; you utilise the desk alright; but there is no such
substance called desk; because the substance is nothing but wood and wood alone.
Desk is vacharambanam vikaaro namo namadeyam; desk has got only verbal
existence; it does not have substantial existence. That is the technical definition of
asat.
And let us come to practical definition also. What is maru mareechika? Mirage water
is very tempting for appearance; but it can never remove your thirst; it can never
give you fulfilment. The more you go; the more it recedes and it can never give you
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tr̥ptiḥ. Extend that to the world; anything that you accomplish in the world, you will
not get peace of mind. Any blessed thing you accomplish in the word, you would not
get tr̥ptiḥ; you would not get fulfilment. Just as the mirage water seemingly can give
fulfilment; the worldly accomplishments also until you accomplish; it is attractive; it
is seductive. It is tempting; our mind tells when you achieve that life is fulfilled. Till
what? Till you achieve.
If you go near, the beauty comes out; you go near what you accomplished; the
whole thing only as a seemingly thing; that pleasure; that happiness, etc. are all
gone when you go near it. How do you know? Because the moment you accomplish
that; you are ready for what next?
Whether it is getting people, like wife, or husband or children, or grand children;

whether it is getting wealth in the form of house or land or properties; or whether it
is accomplishment statures; like Presidentship, Prime Ministership; anything. they
are all tempting; when you actually have them; it does not give fulfilment. What is
the vēdantic reason? Because they do not have any substantiality of their own. They
are all fake ones. They are all imitations ornaments. And therefore if you want to get
fulfilment; you have to turn towards what? Turn towards what: or let us first start
with turn away from anātma.
I have given you the example of cardboard chair; you should remember always. I
like that example always. The cardboard chair you have made; and also put the
jigna paper and all; it is very attractive; you can put in the showcase; you can keep
it in bommakolu; you can do everything except one thing; what is that; do not sit
over that; what will happen if you sit; you will break the head; remember this word.
Similarly the world is wonderful from distance; we can appreciate it; we can admire
it; you can use it; you can handle it; you can move with it; you can do everything
except one thing; never psychologically lean over them for emotional security; for
fulfilment; for happiness; for peace; for any of the things important in life; do not
lean over them. What will happen? If you already know, wonderful; if you do not
know, you can imagine and know by inference you can know; if you do not learn by
inference also; you will sooner or later learn. But note it somewhere but when that
time comes, you just read that line; anātma we cannot lean for peace, security
or happiness. Vēdānta is not in a hurry; you experiment; see, experience. Parikṣya
lōkān; karmacitan; nirvēdam āyātha naṣya krita kritēna; after experimentally
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thoroughly, once you get the knowledge; what knowledge; anātma asat; it is called
nitya-anitya vastu vivēkaḥ.
And once the vivēka comes, virāgya is natural; because I will keep the cardboard
chair; I would not sit over it; I would look for another solid chair. Looking for the
other solid chair is called ātma vicārah. Therefore, hereafter we are going to find out
the real chair over which we can comfortably sit and relax. That is ātma, which we
will see from the next class.
Hari Om.
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045. Verses 123 to 126
In these two verses 122 and 123, Śankarācārya is winding up the entire discussion
of anātma which was presented as śarīra trayaṁ. He elaborately discussed stūla
śarīraṁ; then sūkṣma śarīraṁ; and also kāraṇa śarīraṁ in the form of māya.
And now the anātma topic is being concluded and while concluding, he is adding an
important information about this anātma. This he does not prove here but he only
mentions that based on the śruti teaching and that information is the entire anātma
is asat, which means mithya. The entire anātma is mithya; the entire matter
principle is mithya. This is one of the most unique aspect of vēdantic teaching. All
the systems of philosophy can be broadly classified into three types.
In certain systems of philosophy, matter is dominant and consciousness is

secondary. It is a temporary product; matter is predominant. This is one set of
philosophy. There is another set, in which matter and consciousness are both given
equal importance and the ideal example is the Sāṅkya philosophy who says that the
consciousness is also an independent reality; not born of matter; matter is also an
independent reality; not born of consciousness; and both enjoy equal status. This is
a second type of philosophy. In the first, matter is dominant; consciousness is
subservient. The next both are equally dominant.
Now, vēdānta is different from both of them. Vēdānta has got the unique form of
teaching in which consciousness alone is dominant; matter is secondary only; which
means matter cannot exist independent of consciousness. Matter does not have a
substantiality of its own; the substantiality of matter is given by the consciousness
alone. If matter can be compared to an ornament; consciousness can be compared
to the gold. If matter can be compared to a pot; consciousness can be compared to
clay.
This is the most unique approach of vēdānta. Very difficult to accept because, we
see matter so tangiblly and we do not see consciousness at all, and how can we
accept that consciousness as the fundamental and the tangible matter as non-
substantial. It is very difficult; but that is the truth as revealed by the śruti.
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Therefore he uses the expression idam anātma tatvam asat; this entire matter
principle is asat. We should be careful here; the word asat does not mean non-
existent. Asat does not mean non-existent. Asat only means mithya; it is not
independently existent. Asat means not independently existent, or to put in positive
language, asat means it is dependently existent; as Krishna tells in the Gītā,
नासतो �वद्यत भावो नाभावो �वद्यत सतः |

उभयोर�प दृष्टोऽन्तस्त्वनयोस्तत्त् ||२- १६||
nāsatō vidyatē bhāvō nābhāvō vidyatē sataḥ |
ubhayōrapi dr̥ṣṭō:'ntastvanayōstattvadarśibhiḥ ||2- 16||
That asat alone is here also. And it is comparable to what? An example is also given:
maru marucheeka kalpam. So what an example you see here. Just as mirage water
is clearly experienced by you; but on enquiry, when you go near the water, it
disappears.
Similarly the whole creation is very clearly experienceable for you but once you
make an enquiry about the creation; then it will disappear and in its place will come
consciousness only.
Even scientifically speaking, the world if you enquire, it will be reduced into so many
elements only in different arrangements. If you analyse the elements, they will be
reduced to so many molecules and if you further analyse, all the molecules will be
reduced to into so many atoms arranged; and if you further enquire, all the atoms
will be reduced into protons, neutrons and electrons in motion.
Then what is the world if you ask, there is no world other than the sub-atomic
particle. And if you further enquire like vengāyam (onion), as you go on peeling,
everywhere onion news is coming; whether it will leave the vēdānta class, so
anyway it has come here also; in vēdānta class use vengāyam for mithya. Therefore
if you go on peeling; Śankarācārya gives the example of the stem of the banana
plant; vazahathandu; you go on removing, kadali sambavatu asāra; or like our
onion. Similarly you go on replacing the world; world will disappear, elements will
come; elements will disappear, molecules will come; molecules will disappear; atoms
will come; atoms will disappear, sub-atomic particles will come; then you go on
eliminating; ultimately they say energy and they say the energy also is dependent
upon the observer; slowly slowly they are coming to the observer.
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Similarly here other than the observer, everything else has got only seeming
existence. The observer alone is the content of the world. Other than the observer,
there is no observed world. Up to this we saw.
अथ ते संप्रव�या स्वरू परमात्मन |

यद्�व�ा नरो बन्धान्मुक कै वल्यमश्नु ||१२४||
atha tē saṁpravakṣyāmi svarūpaṁ paramātmanaḥ |
yadvijñāya narō bandhānmuktaḥ kaivalyamaśnutē ||124||
So with this 123, the anātma topic is over. Of the seven questions, one question has
been answered and that question is kōśavanātma. Kōśavanātma topic is over.
Now he is going to answer the second topic that is paramah kaha ātma. Parama ka
ātma; What is paramātma? Where was this question asked? Verse no.49.
Remember, in verse No.49, the student asked seven questions, of this one question
what is ātma? For which he is giving the introduction now; atha tē saṁpravakṣyāmi;
atha; now after dealing with anātma; now I shall deal with ātma. Paramātmana
svarūpam saṁpravakṣyāmi. You can understand the nature of paramātma I shall
narrate to you.
And what is the benefit of that knowledge? Yat vijnāya, by gaining this paramātma
jñānaṁ; naraḥ muktaḥ bhavathi. A human being will become free from saṁsāra and
therefore among all the seven topics, this topic alone is the main topic. The other six
topics are all only supporting topics; they are all auxilliary subjects but the main
topic is this alone; ātma jñānaṁ.
And therefore Śankarācārya talks about its important. What is its importance? Yat
vijñāya naraḥ muktaḥ bhavathi; becomes free; free from what? bandāt; free from all
bondage.
What do you mean by bondage? It is not a physical bondage; we are not bound by a
physical rope or a physical chain; our bondage are all in mental in nature; we are
not able to get out of rāga bondage, dvēṣa bondage, kāma, krōdhaḥ, lōbhaḥ, mōha,
madaḥ, mātsarya; duḥkhaṁ all these are tightly holding on to us; even if I want to
give them up; I am not able to. Since I am under their grip, we are figuratively
saying as we are all bound. Therefore here bondage is psychological and also there
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is a bondage; philosophical bondage is also there; because I am identified with the

body. I look upon myself as one confined to the body.
It is like a type of imprisonment. In imprisonment a person is confined to a prison,

which is only of a particular type. Every ajñāni is imprisoned in the physical body,
because he looks upon himself as a small individual, imprisoned in, confined to a
self, which is of the size of 6' or 5-1/2'; whereas a jñāni is one who has broken the
shell or confinement caused by the physical body; by the knowledge that I am not a
small individual of the size of five feet six inches. I am the consciousness which
extends beyond the body and therefore I am all pervading consciousness.
In Aithareya upaṇiṣad, this example is given. The body is compared to a cage. And
jīvātma is compared to a bird. The ajñāni jīvātma bird is confined to the body-cage
and through knowledge, the ajñāni jīvātma will break the cage; breaking is not
physical breaking; grows out of the bodily limitations; and owns up its freedom; all
pervading nature and understand that I am a free-bird who am present everywhere;
nothing can belittle me including this physical body.
Therefore philosophical bondage is dēha abhīmāna; physiological bondage is rāga-

dvēṣa kāma krōdadayaḥ. Ātmajñānaṁ will remove both physiological and
philosophical bondage. Therefore muktaḥ bandāt.
And having been freed from bondage, what will he get; kaivalyam asnutē; kaivalyam
means mōkṣah. Kailvayaṁ means mōkṣah. Literally kaivalyam means non-duality.
Kēvalaha means only one. Kaivalyam means that I am the only one existent in the
world; there is no second thing other than Me.
And if at all I experience any second thing, it is not an independently existing second
thing, all those second things are my own extensions only; as in dream. In the
dream, I experience many second thing, but all those second things are not
independently existing second things; they are all my own glory only; born out of
me; existing in me; and resolving into me. This dream duality is not a real duality,
because it does not have a separate existence. In the same way, the waking duality
also is not an independent duality; and since no independent duality is there; I only
am there; kēvalaḥ; tadekovashiṣṭa shiva kēvaloham.
na varṇaa na varṇaāsramaachaaradharmaa
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na me dhāraṇaadhyānayōgaadayopi .
anātmaashrayaahaṁmamaadhyāsaḥanaat.h
tadeko.avashishhTaH shivaH kēvalo.ahaṁ.h
"The castes are not for me, nor the observances and duties attached to the castes
and the stages of life. Even the steadying of the mind, concentration, self-
communion and other courses are not for me. For the mistaken senses of I and
MINE which rested on the Non-Self have been abandoned. That One, the Residue,
the Auspicious, the Alone, am I."
Śankarācārya writes a beautiful 10 slōkas called daśaślōki, in which he brings out

this point, the more I enquire into the world, the world disappears. Without enquiry,
everything seems to be there; but the more I enquire, everything disappears and
after the disappearance of everything, only one remains; and what is that? tat ēva
ka avashista; that only remains; and what is that one? śivaḥ kēvalaḥ. There is only
non-dual śiva; and who is that śivaḥ; ahaṁ asmi. Tat ekō vaṣita śivaḥ kēvalōham;
na śāstā na śāstram na śiṣyō, na śiṣya; na ......

prapañjaḥ, svarūpaḥ bhāda vikalpa sahiṣnu;
tad ekō vaṣita śiva kēvalōham.
And the teacher and the scriptures existed as long as I was a student; when I
understood the vēdantic teaching; on enquiry the teacher also disappears; na
śāstha, śāstha means teacher; śāstha also out; na śāstram, śāstram also
disappeared; na śikṣa; even the teaching disappeared; na śiṣyaḥ; even the student;
student disappeared means what; my studenthood status also disappeared.
In fact everything relative went away; and what remains? Tat ekō vaṣita; śivaḥ
kēvaloham; that absolute-I; not even the first person singular-I; first-person
singular-I is related to second and third person; this is "unrelated first-person
singular" (within inverted commas) that absolute-I, pure awareness alone is there;
and that status is called kaivalyam. Kaivalyam asnutē.
Thus Śankarācārya introduces the topic of ātma; and hereafterwards he will

elaborate the ātma svarūpam which is up to verse No.136. So 124 to 136 is ātma
svarūpam.
Page 568

अिस् किश्चत्स् �नत्यमहंप्रत्ययल |

अवस्थात्रयस सन्पञ्चकोश�वल� ||१२५||
asti kaścitsvayaṁ nityamahāṁpratyayalambanaḥ |
avasthātrayasākṣī sanpañcakōśavilakṣaṇaḥ ||125||
As I had said before, the śāstra defines ātma as pure Consciousness; and how the
śāstra looks at consciousness, we must remember. I have told this several times
before. Now also throughout this discussion, you should remember those few points,
that Consciousness is not a part, product or property of the body; Consciousness is
an independent entity which pervades and enlivens the body; Consciousness is not
limited by the boundaries of the body; and the Consciousness survives even after
the body perishes and finally that surviving Consciousness, we cannot transact or
interact with; not because of its absence but because of the want of the medium,
that is the body. This is how the śāstra looks upon ātma or the consciousness and
the nearest example I can give is the light which is pervading the hand.
I had discussed this several times; and therefore I do not want to go to the details; I
only request to remember these points, when Śankarācārya is going to define the
ātma.
Now it is this independent consciousness Śankarācārya is going to talk about from

different angles.
So he says: kaschit asthi; there is something called consciousness; consciousness is

not mentioned in this slōka; but we have to understand. There is something called
consciousness. Nityam, which is permanently present. From that itself it is very
clear, that Śankarācārya is not talking about the body. Because if he is talking about
the body, he would not have said nityam asthi. That the very fact that he uses the
word Nityam, it is very clear that Śankarācārya is talking about something in the
body, which is eternally present. What is that something which is eternally present?
That is the consciousness; he will mention the word consciousness later; but here he
says generally present. There is something which is eternally present in the body.
And how do we recognise that consciousness? How do we indicate that

consciousness? Which word is ideal to represent consciousness? He says: ahaṁ
pratyayalambanaḥ. The most unique word useful to indicate consciousness is ahaṁ;
I. It is a very beautiful idea; if you analyse the word-I, conscious being. All other
Page 569

words can represent only inert thing; table, chair, pen, book; any word you use,
they all can represent inert objects. If there is one word which can connect
consciousness it can be only one word; that is I, because the word-I can be used
only by conscious being. No inert being can use the word-I. No inert thing can use
the word-I. Therefore wherever the word-I is used, it is a conscious being.
Of course, if the other way round is not true. Wherever the word-I is used, it is a
conscious being; but wherever there is a conscious being, I am not saying I is used;
being tree is there; animals are there; they are all conscious beings; they do not use
language at all. Therefore it is not said that all conscious beings use I. Wherever I
word is used, there, there is a conscious being. Therefore do not reverse the
statement. Wherever the word-I is used, it is possible only when the consciousness
is there.
Therefore the word-I being uniquely present where the consciousness is there; we
can say that "I" can refer to consciousness. Word-I can refer to consciousness and
according to śāstra, the primary meaning of the word-I is consciousness alone.
But the problem is what has happened is? when I use the word-I, not only it refers
to the consciousness in me, but it also is referring to other things which are
associated with consciousness.
What are the other things? Mind is there; say body is there; therefore what has
happened is? Instead of "I" referring to pure consciousness, it is now referring to a
mixture of consciousness and inert thing. So originally "I" should refer to what?
consciousness; but what is done here, when I say that light is here; I am showing
my finger to show the light; but what happens. When you are seeing here; not only
you are seeing the light; but you are seeing the hand also.
Therefore, from the original light; since it is a mixture of light and hand; actually
what happens; the light becomes secondary and the hands becomes primary. I am
using this finger primarily to show the light; then you are seeing the light + hand;
then gradually the light becomes secondary and the hand becomes primary.
Similarly, the word-I is primarily used for consciousness; then it began to be used to
refer to the mixture of consciousness and body; and then the body became so
Page 570

important; the consciousness became secondary or we forgot even the fact that
there is a independent conscious principle.
Of course these are not taking place very gradually. Not that first I started using it
for consciousness and then slowly it extended; it is not a gradual process the
mistake has been committed. And therefore ahaṁ pratyayalambanaḥ; there is
something called consciousness; which is revealed by, which is the object of I-
thought or I-notion; ahaṁ prathyaya; 'I' thought; lambanaḥ means object. So
consciousness is the object of the "I" thought and also the "I" word.
And what does this consciousness do? Avastha traya sākṣi. This consciousness is the
illuminator of all the three states of experience. The waking state in which the mind
is fully active; the dream state, where the mind is partially active; and the sleep
state where the mind is passive.
Therefore fully active mind is jāgrat avastha; partially active mind is svapna avastha;
fully passive mind is suṣupti avastha. In all the three states, the awareness is there
illumining those states. Therefore ātma can be defined as avastha traya sākṣi.
And because it is the illuminator of all these three states, the illuminator is free from,
or different from whatever it illumines. And therefore, ātma does not have jāgrat
avastha; ātma does not have svapna avastha; ātma does not have suṣupti avasta.
These three avastas belong to the mind alone.
Therefore the mind is active; the mind is passive; ātma never becomes active-ātma;
because ātma never becomes passive-ātma also. It illumines an active mind; it
illumines a passive mind; itself does not have active or passive state;. If ātma is
subject to active and passive states, then ātma will be savikāram; it will be subject
to modification.
Later we are going to see that ātma is free from all types of modifications and
therefore ātma does not have active or passive states. Therefore if you feel dull in
the class, the dullness does not belong to the ātma; the dullness belongs to the
mind alone.
So avastha traya sākṣi san pañja kōśa vilakṣanaḥ; and it is different from the five
layers of personality. Our personality is divided into five layers based on different
Page 571

functions; annamaya kōśa; prāṇamaya kōśa; manōmaya kōśa; vijñāna maya kōśa
and ānandamaya kōśa. Śankarācārya himself will explain all the five kōśas very
elaborately later. Therefore I am not going to the details here.
So these pañja kōśas are another name for śarīra trayaṁ. Śarīra trayaṁ reclassified
is pañja kōśas. Stūla śarīraṁ is called annamaya kōśa; sūkṣma śarīraṁ is re-divided
into three; prāṇamaya; manōmaya and vijñānaṁaya. Then kāraṇa śarīraṁ is called
ānandamaya kōśa. Therefore ultimately the three śarīraṁs alone are called five
kōśas; the details we will see later.
And what is ātma? vilakṣanaḥ; It is distinct from all these five kōśas; it is witness of
them.
यो �वजाना�त सकलं जाग्रतप्नसुषुिप्त |

ब�द्धतद्वृित्तसद्भावमभावमह�
ु ||१२६||
yō vijānāti sakalaṁ jāgratsvapnasuṣuptiṣu |
buddhitadvr̥ttisadbhāvamabhāvamahāmityayaṁ ||126||
Yaha sakalam vijānāti. This ātma-caitanyaṁ alone illumines; is aware of everything.

So this consciousness alone is aware of everything.
Here we should carefully note vijānāti literally means "knows" and here we are using
a verb. Generally a verb indicates an action and an action indicates a will and
wherever there is a will-based action; that action will be started as a particular time;
and it can be withdrawn at a particular time. Therefore, wherever a verb is used;
action is involved; will is involved; and finitude; time, limitation is also involved.
But you should not extend that in the case of ātma-knowing. It is not that ātma
thinks, whether to know or not. "OK. This is good; i will know". It is not that ātma
uses a will and decides to know and knows for sometimes and thereafterwards
withdraws. It is not that way. Whenever we say ātma is aware of something; ātma
knows something, we should put a quotation mark "knowing of ātma" is not an
action. What it means is: ātma being the very awareness itself, whatever happens
around ātma, they are all automatically known in the presence of ātma.
Ātma does not know as an action; but anything around ātma is known in the
presence of ātma. Therefore there is no action involved; there is no will involved;
Page 572

there is no time involved. It is like using the expression; the sun illumines the earth.
When I say the sun illumines the earth; it does not mean the sun decides to illumine
the earth and it gives the light for sometime and thereafter it does not like because
nobody is doing sandyā vandanaṁ, etc. or namaskāram to me and therefore these
people do not deserve my blessing and therefore let me withdraw the light. No.
We are using the verb "Sun illumines" as it is a planned action of the Sun, but on
enquiry we will know that there is no question of will; no question of choice; no
question of decision; no question of action; no question of time; the Sun's nature is
light; and in the presence of the Sun, whichever part of the earth is exposed to the
Sun, that part gets brightened up; that responsibility we put to the Sun and we use
the verb "Sun illumines".
But what should be the correct expression? Sun does not illumine. In the presence
of the Sun, in its natural svarūpam, the earth gets illumined.
Similarly, everything around the ātma gets awared, in the presence of the
awareness; but we give the credit to awareness and use a verb, which is a
compromised expression. Verb cannot be really used at all. So yaha sakalam vijānāti.
So ātma knows everything; when; jāgrat svapna suṣuptiṣu. In the last slōka he said
avastha traya sākṣi; so this is explanation for that. In jāgrat avastha, waking;
svapana avastha, dream, suṣupti avastha sleep; everything in the three states; the
ātma is aware of. Ātma illumines.
And in all the three states; what is going to happen? What happens if you analyse,
all the entire life can be defined into two things; you are experiencing your active
mind; or you are experiencing your passive mind.
This is the life. You are experiencing your active-mind or you are experiencing your
passive-mind. This is avastha trayaṁ. When you say I am experiencing the vēdānta
class; do you know what you are experiencing. Not that you are experiencing
vēdānta class and all; whatever I am talking is entering through your ears; and it
forms varieties of thought in your mind. And it is those sound thoughts that you are
experiencing as Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi class.
Page 573

Suppose at this moment, you are thiking of something else; I hope not; but if you
are thinking of something else, you are not experiencing my class; you are
experiencing again what: something else, determined by what; the thought occuring
in your mind. Thus either the thought are created from the external word or the
thoughts are created from your own memory. memory created thoughts are world
created thought you experience. This is called experience of an active mind. In
dream also, you experience a mind which has got thought created from your
memory. So therefore what are you experiencing throughout the day. you are
experiencing your mind alone.
And that is why when there is a rope there, and instead of seeing the rope, you
mistake it as a snake, for all practically purposes, for you what is there? snake alone
is there. Why because what is in your mind, that is your world; what is outside is not
a world for you.
Therefore you entire life can be divided into two; one is an active mind; or the
second possibility is passive mind as in sleep; where there are no thoughts. So the
entire life is you are experience a thoughtful mind or a thoughtless mind.
And what is ātma; ātma is the illuminator of the thoughtful and the thoughtless
mind. That is said in the second line, which we will see in the next class.
Hari Om.
Page 574

046. Verses 126 to 128
After elaborately talking about anātma, in the form of śarīra traya, now
Śankarācārya has entered the topic of ātma which is from verse No.124 to verse
136, of which we have completed 125, and now we are seeing the 126th verse, in
which Śankarācārya points out ātma is avastha traya sākṣi. Ahaṁ iti ayaṁ ātma.
This ātma is evident in the form of I, the first person singular, in all the three states
of experience. In the waking state, I is evident; but along with the I, a physical
personality is also evident. In the dream, I is evident, along with that a mental
personality which consists of the projected dream world, that is also evident. The
physical personality is evident at some time and it is not evident at another time.
From that it is very clear that physical personality is not my intrinsic nature, because
the basic principle is whatever is my intrinsic nature, it should never be lost at any
time. Whatever is incidentally evident is not my intrinsic nature. We say heat is the
nature of the fire, because fire is hot at all the time. Whereas heat is the not the
nature of water, because water is not hot all the time.
Extending the same principle, when we try to find out what is my intrinsic nature, I
find that my physical personality is not intrinsic, because not available all the time.
Similarly emotional personality; similarly intellectual personality. All these are subject
to arrival and departure. There is only one personality; if at all you want to call it a
personality, there is only one personality which obtains all the time. Even in sleep
when all other personalities have merged, even during that sleep, this intrinsic
nature is evident; and what is that? The caitanya svarūpam.
How do we know that the caitanya svarūpam continues? Because in sleep, that I am
free from all personalities is known to me, which I recollect after waking up. From
that, the caitanya svarūpam is known as inherent nature. In Saṁsr̥kt, avyabhicāra
svarūpam, whereas any other nature is what; vyabhicāra svarūpam.
And therefore, Śankarācārya says here Ahaṁ iti ayaṁ ātma. In the form of I, the
first person singular, this ātma, the caitanyaṁ, sakalam vijānāti; knows, is conscious
of all the experiences; and as I said in the last class, the verb vijānāti must be
carefully understood.
Page 575

Normally verb goes along with three ideas. Wherever there is a verb, [1] there is a
change involved, [2] there is an action involved; and [3] there is a will involved; but
in the case of ātma, when you say ātma knows everything, it is not an action, it does
not involve a change; it does not involve a will also. Then what do you mean my
ātma-knowing? What we mean is, in the presence of ātma, things around are
awared, recognised; or they become evident. That is why I gave you the example of
the Sun illumining the earth; we use a verb; the sun illumines; but even though the
verb is used; no action is involved on the part of the Sun; no will is involved on the
part of the Sun; the Sun is and whatever is around, gets illumined.
And therefore, the verb vijānāti must be very carefully understood. So ātma is that
which knows; sakalam, everything; in jāgrat, svapna and suṣupti; waking, dream
and sleep.
And the same idea he presents in another language. What are the three states after
all; buddhi tat vr̥tti Sad bhāvam. Waking and dream are states in which buddhi is
also there; and Sad vr̥tti is also there; Sad vr̥tti means buddhi vr̥tti; buddhi plus
buddhi vr̥tti; Sad bhāvam means presence.
So jāgrat and svapna are those two states in which there is the presence of buddhi
as well as the buddhi vr̥tti; whereas what is the suṣupti? tad abhāvam. So here tad
must be understood as buddhi and buddhi vr̥tti. So what is suṣupti? Buddhi, buddhi
vr̥ttihi; why we say two times; buddhi also is not there; buddhi vr̥tti also is not there;
neither buddhi nor buddhi vr̥tti in sleep state; whereas in the waking and dream
states, not only buddhi is there, buddhi vr̥tti is also there.
How you know buddhi vr̥tti is also there? Every experience is a sign of buddhi vr̥tti.
Remember, no experience can take place without a corresponding vr̥tti or thought
mode in your mind. From 7 o'clock onwards, up to 8 o'clock, if you are hearing every
word of mine; mind you, every word must enter your ears, enter your buddhi and
form a thought pattern. Formation of a vr̥tti is a sound coming from here. When I
say "a sound coming from here": A, Sound, Coming, From, Here; each one is
entering your head, forming a thought; that is what you are hearing.
And this is not only at the śabda level. Similarly, sparśa, rūpa, rasa and gandha.
Each experience corresponds to a thought in the mind. That is why I told you in the
Page 576

last class; really speaking, you are not experiencing Me here, you are experiencing
only a inner-thought-world. How do you know you are experiencing only a inner
thought world? Very simple. Suppose your mind does not form any thought pattern.
As even I am talking, nothing happens in your mind, for you, the śabda prapañja is
non-existent.
For example, for a deaf person, śabda prapañja is non-existent. Even the though the
world is there outside, for him it is as good as non-existent because he does not
experience the world outside, but he experiences only the thought that is formed
inside. And therefore jāgrat avastha is a bunch of vr̥ttis. Svapna avastha is another
bunch of vr̥ttis. Suṣupti avastha is the absence of vr̥ttis. And consciousness illumines
all of them. So buddhi tad vr̥tti Sad bhāvam, as well as abhāva m; in abhāvam we
should add two words; buddhi tad vr̥tti abhāvam; and all of them vijānāti; the
consciousness illumines; or whatever illumines is called ātma.
यः पश्य� स्वय सव� यं न पश्य� कश्च |

यश्चेतय� बुद्ध्या न तद्य चेतयत्यय म ||१२७||
yaḥ paśyati svayaṁ sarvaṁ yaṁ na paśyati kaścana |
yaścētayati buddhyādi na tadyaṁ cētayatyayaṁ ||127||
He continues with the definition. Second line, ayaṁ; ayaṁ means this consciousness
is ātma. So this consciousness is ātma. And what is that consciousness? Go to the
first line; yaha svayaṁ sarvaṁ paśyati; consciousness is that which illumines
everything without the help of any instrument; whereas if the mind has to know
anything, the mind requires the sense organs as an instrument.
So if I have to hear the mind has to use the ears, and if I have to see, the sense
organs have to be used. Therefore, normally, knowledge takes place by the usage of
a relevant instrument; but the glory of consciousness is consciousness illumines
whatever happens in mind, without requiring any instrument. And that is why the
word used is 'svayaṁ'. Svayaṁ means without external assistance, consciousness
can illumine.
So sarvaṁ svayaṁ paśyati, whereas kaścana yaṁ na paśyati; whereas nobody or

nothing can illumine or know the consciousness. So consciousness knows
everything; but nothing can know the consciousness. The idea is consciousness is
ever the experiencer, but never the object of experience.
Page 577

And that is why the study of consciousness is extremely difficult for anyone; because
even if you use the best microscope, with the instrument you can see, what is the
object of consciousness? But consciousness itself is not available for any study. And
that is why some scientists declare that the nature of consciousness will be an
eternal mystery for science, because to study consciousness, it should be clearly
available as an object.
And in the name of the study of consciousness, what the scientists are studying is,
not the consciousness itself; they are studying various organs in which
consciousness is manifest. They study the brain and think that it is the study of
consciousness. They study the neurons and think that it is the study of
consciousness. They study the cell and think that it is the study of consciousness.
What vēdānta says is brain is not consciousness, neurons are not consciousness; cell
is not consciousness; they are all what? Inert objects of consciousness only; through
which media, the consciousness is manifest; but remove the brain, the
consciousness itself is not available for study. And therefore whatever idea we
should form about consciousness, they all will be hypothesis; they all will be
speculation; they all will be conjectures of possibilities alone. Nobody can say clearly,
this is the consciousness.
And therefore, the tradition says: do not rely upon your instrument to know about
consciousness; rely upon the śāstra. And what does śāstra say? Śāstra says
consciousness is an independent entity. It is not part of brain, it is not a product of a
neuronal phenomenon, but it is only an independent entity. Then how come I am
experiencing consciousness in brain only? Not because brain produces it; but
because brain only is able to serve as a medium for its manifestation. Therefore
maximum credit we give to the brain is what: it can serve as a medium. And
therefore, he says: it is the experiencer of everything; but it is never experienced by
anything.
And not only that; yah buddhyādi cētayati. Not only it is of the nature of
consciousness, it is capable of lending consciousness to some of the inert things of
the creation. If the ātma is capable of lending consciousness, not to everything; but
to some of the chosen inert things of the creation.
Page 578

And what is the main inert thing which borrows consciousness from the ātma. That
is the mind. Therefore, mind is also inert in nature; but mind has the unique capacity
to borrow consciousness.
And why mind alone is capable of borrowing; not a clip is capable of borrowing
consciousness if you ask? he says, it is the special nature of the mind that it can do.
That is why we give the example that when electricity passes through water, water
does not become bright; when electricity passes through water; water does not
become bright; but when electricity passes through a tungsten filament in a bulb,
then it becomes bright.
Suppose somebody asks the question; why water does not become bright; why
tungsten filament alone becomes bright; what will be our answer? Tungsten filament
has got the nature to do that; the water does not have the nature to do that. Both
are materials only; but this has a particular nature which the other one does not
have.
Similarly śāstra says, mind is also matter; clip is also matter; but the difference is
when the consciousness pervades the mind, mind becomes live mind; whereas when
the consciousness is passing through the clip, the clip does not become alive. If the
clip also become alive, what will happen? The clip will clip itself. It will talk. But
thank God, the clip does not do that; without my permission. Why it is like that; it is
the nature of the clip not to borrow consciousness. The mind is of that nature and
therefore it borrows consciousness.
Therefore the mind becomes a secondary source of consciousness. Mind becomes a

secondary source of consciousness, because mind like retail agents; in the original
factory you get; also the same book or the same materials are available with a retail
agent; you can buy from there. Similarly we have got a retail agent for
consciousness; what is that? The mind.
Now what does the mind do? Having borrowed consciousness, the mind lends
consciousness to the physical body. Borrowing from the borrowing. The mind
borrows consciousness from the ātma; and the mind lends consciousness to the
body; and now the body has become live body, with what? with borrowed
Page 579

consciousness. So thus the body has become another source of consciousness as it

were.
Thus the ātma is sentient; mind is sentient; body is sentient. But beyond the body,
every other object continues to be insentient; because beyond the body, the object
cannot borrow consciousness. Maximum is up to the body level alone. Suppose I put
on a dress. Can the dress borrow consciousness from the body? Suppose the dress
borrows. What will happen? Can you guess what will happen?
Because from ātma it came to the mind; from the mind, the body got; from the body
suppose the dress gets, that is if anybody crushes the dress, it will start crying
aaiyo; appa. But we find this with the body, borrowing of consciousness is over. In
fact, even in the body, every part does not borrow consciousness. Can you guess?
Even in the body, every part does not borrow consciousness. Our hair is there; it is
inert in nature. Even though it is connected to the root, by itself it is inert; what is
the proof? Barber shop. If the hair also is conscious like the body, in every barbar
shop, there will be screams only, ayyo, amma, appa, etc. because every time he
cuts it. But in some barbar shop people scream also; when he does not cut but he
uses a machine; terrible, old machine from his grandfather, and pull the hair like the
Jain monks, then there will be pain; but if it is cut, there will be no pain at all.
Similarly, in the nail also, there is no pain at all. Thus ātma to mind to the body. And
therefore Śankarācārya says buddhyādi cētayati. Ātma enlivens the buddhi etc. Etc.
means the body, the sense organs, everything. Thus ātma enlivens the body-mind-
complex, but not the other way around. Tad yaṁ na cētayati. Tad means buddhyādi.
Tad buddhiyādi, whereas the mind and body does not enliven the ātma. Ātma lends
consciousness to the body-mind, but the body-mind does not lend consciousness to
ātma.
So here also, an aside point; we have discussed this several times, but we have to
remember in this context. Body borrows consciousness from the mind alone; body
does not have capacity to borrow consciousness from the ātma directly. Only mind
has got direct access to ātma whereas body does not directly borrow from the ātma.
If body directly borrows from the ātma, what will happen? Can you guess. If body
can directly borrow, even in a death body, consciousness is there or not? These are
the basic questions. Whether in a dead body, consciousness is there or not? We will
Page 580

say immediately it is not there. Remember consciousness is all-pervading; therefore,

even in a dead body, consciousness is there; but still the dead body is dead body;
why? Because the body does not have the capacity to borrow consciousness from
the ātma.
It has to borrow from the mind alone; and unfortunately in a dead body, what is the
thing? ātma is there; but mind is not there. The mind has left the body. Suppose you
have got a mind manufacturing factory. Like filament-changing in the bulb; if you
can change the mind in the body; suppose you have got a mind manufacturing
factory, and you insert a mind in the dead body; that alone in the purāṇās they say:
Kūdu vittu Kūdu pāyarathu. So yōgis have the capacity to take away the mind from
one body and put it in another dead body, then what will happen? That dead body
will becomes alive; and this body becomes dead. So therefore all these are to show
that; body does not borrow consciousness from ātma; it is an aside point we should
remember.
येन �वश्व�मद व्याप् यं न व्याप्नो �कञ्च |

अभारूप�मद सव� यं भान्त्यमनुभात्य ||१२८||
yēna viśvamidaṁ vyāptaṁ yaṁ na vyāpnōti kiñcana |
abhārūpamidaṁ sarvaṁ yaṁ bhāntyamanubhātyayaṁ ||128||
There are two readings. In the second line, abharūpam is another reading or
ābhārūpam; both readings are ok. So look at the second line; ayaṁ; ayaṁ means
this ever-evident-consciousness is ātma. So we use the word ayaṁ pronoun. The
pronoun is used for something which is evident, right in front of me. If something is
far away, we will use the pronoun That. When we use the pronoun This, that means
I am referring to something, which is very very evident. And for the ātma, the
scriptures use the pronoun ‘This’ to indicate that ātma is the ever-evident-
consciousness. Even though this clock can also be called this; for the clock to be
evident, I have to open my eyes; and not only that, I have to turn towards the clock.
Even though, clock is evident, the clock is conditionally evident; What is the
condition? The sense organs must is directed, whereas consciousness is so evident
that you do not require even a sense operation to make the consciousness evident.
You open the eyes; consciousness is evident; you close the eyes; consciousness is
evident; you open the eyes; how is the consciousness evident? As the illuminator of
forms and colours. you close the eyes; how is the consciousness evident?
Page 581

As the illuminator of the absence of forms and colours. So colours are present;
consciousness is evident. Colours are absent; consciousness is evident. Because of
consciousness alone, you are talking about the presence of colors; as well as the
absence of colours.
Similarly the presence of sound as well as the absence of sound. So tell me, when is
consciousness evident. When is consciousness evident? You should not answer this
consciousness. You should ask a counter-question; please tell me, when is
consciousness not evident.
And therefore it is called ayaṁ. Ayaṁ means nitya svayaṁ prakāśā rūpa. That which
is eternally and ever evident. And this consciousness is of what nature? Ena idam
viśvaṁ vyāptham.
So this is an important line, because in the previous slōkās, we pointed out that
consciousness is aware of the thoughts; consciousness is aware of the absence of
thoughts; all the time we have been talking about consciousness as a witness and
illuminator. And when I talk about consciousness as a witness; we invariably take
consciousness as something located within the body. Because I say it is witness of
the thoughts; where should be the witness of thoughts? Inside. Therefore we have
got an imagination that consciousness is seated within, and it is like a search light or
something and it is so powerful, it illumines the presence of thoughts, it illumines the
absence of thoughts, it illumines the body, it illumines the mind. Thus we will locate
the consciousness within the body.
When I define consciousness as a witness of thoughts, a very big mistake is

committed, and that mistake is ātma is thought to be existing only within. And that
is why, even in the field of science, they accept consciousness only in living being.
Only where brain is there; or only where neuron is there; only where cells are there.
They will accept consciousness as a property existing in a limited place of a living
being. This confusion is natural.
Even after coming to vēdānta, we will have that confusion because I say conscious is
the witness of thoughts; naturally you take it as 'within the body". And then there
are scriptural statements also, to realise consciousness, 'you turn within'.
Page 582

परािञ् खा�न व्यतृणत स्वयम्-

स्तस्मात्पराङ्प नान्तरात् म ।
किश्चद्ध प्रत्यगात्मा-
दावतृ ्तच�ुरमृतत्व�मच् ॥ 2.I.१॥
parāñci khāni vyatr̥ṇat svayambhū-
stasmātparāṅpaśyati nāntarātman |
kaściddhīraḥ pratyagātmānamaikṣa-
dāvr̥ttacakṣuramr̥tatvamicchan || 2.I.1|| Katopanisad
So turn within. Seek within. Die within. These expressions are also used. Then the
confusion is complete. What is that? Ātma is sitting inside.
And therefore Śankarācārya wants to break that notion. Therefore he says, ena idaṁ
viśvaṁ vyāptaṁ. The whole universe is pervaded by consciousness. The whole
universe is pervaded by consciousness. This is the unique concept of vēdānta. This is
not there in any science, but this is the unique aspect of vēdantic teaching.
Not only consciousness is taken as an independent entity; consciousness is taken as

the all-pervading entity also. So idam viśvaṁ yēna; yēna means here caitanyēna
ātmana; vyapthaṁ, pervaded.
And suppose we ask the question, this is a natural question; if consciousness is all-
pervading, how come we do not recognise the consciousness everywhere? That will
be the natural question.
If consciousness is all pervading, how come we do not recognise it everywhere? I do

not experience consciousness here; I do not experience consciousness in the clock. I
can experience consciousness only in my body, or in your body or in any living body.
For that, Śankarācārya gives the answer beautifully in ātma bōdhaḥ,
सदा सवर्गतोऽप्यात न सवर्त्रावभा ।

बद्धा
ु वेवावभास स्वच्छे प्र�त�बम्ब ॥ १७॥
sadā sarvagatō:'pyātmā na sarvatrāvabhāsatē |
buddhāvēvāvabhāsēta svacchēṣu pratibimbavat || 17||
Page 583

Even though consciousness is all pervading, we cannot experience everywhere,

because the recognition of consciousness requires an appropriate medium, which is
not the limitation of consciousness, but it is our limitation that we require a material
medium for the recognition of consciousness. Even though the electricity is flowing
throughout the wire, when we want to find out whether there is power or not, what
do we do? We look only at particular places to find out whether the power is there.
Even the wire is running all through. Not even concealed; you cannot say that it is
concealed and cannot be seen; outside the wire is going; but to recognise, we look
for special point, in the plug point, we see whether the fan is there; light is there; if
all of them are off; you have got a tester; and put the tester and see whether the
bulb is burning; Why because I can recognise only in particular point.
Śankarācārya gives another example. That the light from my body is travelling in all
directions after reflection. So the light is reflected on my face, and it is travelling all
over; but if I keep a book in front of my face, I will not be able to see my face; upon
the book; why the book does not have the capacity to reflect my face. But the light
is coming out all-right. But in this place, I keep a mirror; then I am able to capture
my face in the mirror; even without a mirror that light is there; but I am not able to
recognise that.
And therefore according to Vēdānta, consciousness is everywhere; but it cannot be

recognised everywhere. And what does it require. It requires an appropriate
medium; and that is why we use two words; manifest consciousness and unmanifest
consciousness. Conciousness everywhere is called avyaktha caitanyaṁ, but
consciousness in the living being is called vyaktha caitanyaṁ, because we are able
to experience it.
And suppose I have to recognise the consciousness everywhere; what should I do?
For this vēdānta uses an indirect method. If I have to recognise consciousness
everywhere, vēdānta uses an indirect method. Not said in this slōka; it comes
elsewhere; but as an aside point, we can note it. To recognise consciousness
everywhere, we have to study the śāstra very well, and after studying the śāstra, we
should come to know that consciousness alone is existent. For that you have to do
some homework. Consciousness alone is existent. You have to understand that
clearly.
Page 584

And since consciousness and existence are one and the same, recognition of
existence is equal to recognition of consciousness. Therefore if I have to recognise
consciousness in the clock, how can I do that? I will never be able to recognise the
consciousness in the clock, as consciousness; then how will I recognise. I have to
recognise the consciousness in the clock, as existence.
How do I recognise it as existence? Because I always say there Is a clock. What do I

say? There Is a clock. There is a clock when you say, what is there; Is, Is. There Is a
book. There Is a pen. There Is a pencil. Where Is existence? Existence where? Do
not answer. Ask a counter question; where is existence not? Therefore, if we have to
recognise consciousness in the farthest star, there is only one method; we have to
recognise it in the form of existence. Yaśaiva spuraṇam satamakam asat
kalparthakam bhāsate. That is an aside point.
So the whole universe is pervaded by consciousness and yaṁ na vyāpnōti kaścana,

whereas nothing can pervade consciousness. Consciousness pervades everything;
but nothing pervades consciousness. What is the reason?
Pervader has to be bigger than the pervaded. That which covers has to be bigger
than that which is covered. That is why if you want to cover your body, the blanket
has to be bigger than your body. If you have got a smaller blanket, throughout the
night there will be a tug-of-war; if you cover the head, the leg will be out and vice
versa. You will also get angry. Because the pervader has to be bigger. Nothing is
bigger than the ātma. Yaṁ na vyāpnōti kiñcana.
Then second line; I said there are two readings; the better reading is abhā rūpam;
that we will take; idaṁ sarvaṁ abhā rūpaṁ. Idaṁ sarvaṁ abhā rūpam; bha means
caitanyaṁ; abhā means acaitanyaṁ; acaitanyaṁ means jaḍaṁ. Therefore abhā
rūpam is equal to jada rūpam. Acētana rūpam. What is acētana rūpam? idam
sarvaṁ acētana rūpam.
And what is the definition of acētanam according to vēdānta? Very careful. In

vēdānta, acētanam is beautifully defined. Very technical definition; normally
acētanam means what? An inert thing. In vēdānta, acētanam is defined as that
which cannot prove its existence by itself. Acētanam is that which cannot prove its
existence by itself.
Page 585

And what is called cētanam? Now the opposite. Cētanam is that which proves its
existence by itself.
In this room, I am there or not. Do you have doubt, whether I have come to the
class or not? I do not have to prove my existence in the hall; I need not use
pratyakṣa pramāṇa. I need not say; wait a minute, I will check up whether I have
come or not; I need not use inference pramāṇa; I need not use even logical
thinking. Even before I do any form of thinking, I know that I am here in this hall.
But anything other than me in this hall, the wall or the pen or the book or the chair
or anything, then can never know or prove their existence. They can never prove
their existence. How is their existence proved; their existence is proved by only one
person; who proves their existence? I, the self-evident one alone has to prove its
existence, and that whose existence is not proved by a cētana tatvam; it is as good
as non-existent.
Now we say that we do not have horns; why do we say that there is no horn for us?
Why do we say that there is no horn for us, because of the simple reason that the
horn is not available for any proof; and if it is not available for any proof, we do not
say, it may exist we do not say, we say it does not exist. Without proving, if you are
going to say there is horn; then anybody can say anything; he can say that there is
an elephant in the class, etc. I will say that there is an elephant in the hall; suppose
you ask how do you prove? No proof it is there. You will laugh at me, because you
know the existence of a thing is acceptable only when it falls within the conciousness
of someone or the other. Either in the past, it should fall; or in the present, it should
fall; or at least in the future it should fall. If there is something which does not fall
within consciousness, in all the three periods of time; if there is something which
cannot fall within consciousness in all the three periods of time, then it is what? Non-
existent.
There may be certain star existing in the sky, which may not fall within our
consciousness now; but still we can accept their existence because, at least in
future, they will fall. But what we say is: if there is something which cannot fall
within the consciousness in all the three periods of time, then that object is what:
non-existent. And therefore, consciousness proves itself and consciousness proves
the existence of others.
Page 586

The others are called abhā rūpam; consciousness is called bhā rūpam; others are
called abhā rūpam; consciousness is called bhā rūpam; bhā rūpam proves the
existence of abhā rūpam. Do you understand? bhā rūpam proves the existence of
abhā rūpam; Without bhā rūpam, abhā rūpam can never prove its existence.
So therefore idaṁ abhā rūpam sarvaṁ; anubhāti. So all this acētana prapañja
reveals itself only behind the ātma. Anubhāti means only behind the ātma; not by
themselves; it means indirectly; So the entire inert universe, reveals its existence
only indirectly behind the ātma.
What type of ātma? yam bhāntam; that ātma which reveals its existence directly. So
thus bhāti; anubhāti. bhā rūpam; bhāti; abhā rūpam, anubhāti. One shines
independently; another shines dependently. And whatever shines independently is
called ātma.
More in the next.
Hari Om.
Page 587

047. Verses 128 to 131
येन �वश्व�मद व्याप् यं न व्याप्नो �कञ्च |

अभारूप�मद सव� यं भान्त्यमनुभात्य ||१२८||
yēna viśvamidaṁ vyāptaṁ yaṁ na vyāpnōti kiñcana |
abhārūpamidaṁ sarvaṁ yaṁ bhāntyamanubhātyayaṁ ||128||
Śankarācārya continues with the description of ātma, which topic he started from
verse No.124 and which will continue up to 136. We are seeing 128 verse where
Śankarācārya points out that the consciousness is all-pervading. This information is
important, because normally we present consciousness as the witness of everything
in the external world, the witness of everything within the mind, that is the thought
and the witness of even the thoughtless state. Since consciousness is presented as
witness of the thoughts in the mind, generally a misconception can come that
consciousness is located only in the living being.
And therefore to remove that notion, the scriptures and here Śankarācārya points
out that for revealing purposes, we say consciousness is in the mind, but actually
speaking, consciousness is beyond the mind also.
The only thing is, in the mind alone, consciousness is available for recognition.
Outside the mind consciousness exists but not available for recognition, but inside
the mind consciousness exists and is available for recognition. In what form? As the
witness of every thought.
And therefore Śankarācārya here removes the notion of location by pointing out
yēna viśvamidaṁ vyāptaṁ; the consciousness pervades the whole universe, whereas
yaṁ na vyāpnōti kiñcana; whereas nothing can pervade the consciousness. Abhā
rūpam idam sarvaṁ; I said two readings are there; abhā rūpam as well as ābha
rūpam. ābha rūpam means cētanam. Consciousness; ābha rūpam means acētanam.
So ābha means cētanam; aa samantaat bhāti iti abhā; like prabhā. So thus ābha
means cētana tatvam; abha means, the opposite of bhā, acētana tatvam.
Both readings can be taken because here Śankarācārya says consciousness pervades
the world. So if you take the reading ābha rūpam, then the word should be adjective
Page 588

to the ātma. Therefore ābha rūpa ātma pervades everything, or pervades the world.
If you are going to take abha rūpam then it will become adjective to the world, that
is ātma pervades the world which is abha rūpam. Just grammar point. So the ātma,
which is the ābhā rūpam pervades the world, or, ātma pervades the world which is
ābharūpam. So both readings are OK.
Final essence is the sentient ātma pervades the insentient universe. You can retain
both words. Abhā rūpaḥ ātma; abha rūpam idaṁ vyāpnōti. Abhārūpam idaṁ sarvaṁ
yaṁ bhāntam anubhāntyam. That yaṁ bhāntam anubhāntyam is also important;
what is the proof for the consciousness pervading the world? What is the proof for
the consciousness pervading the world? The proof is that the world is known by me,
is the proof for the pervasion of consciousness.
I will give you an example, then it will become clear. What is the proof to show that
the light pervades my book. What is the proof to show that the light is pervading my
book? I do not require any proof. That I am able to read the book proves that the
book is pervaded by a light principle. My very readability or the very readability of
the book is the proof for the pervasion of light. If the book were not pervaded by
light, for example, in the midnight, when the electricity is not there; I may have the
book in hand, but the book is not knowable. Therefore, I will put it in a technical
form.
The book by itself does not enjoy knowability. The book by itself does not enjoy
knowability or readability; and if the book is readable now, it is only because of
some extra principle pervading it. In the same way, vēdānta argues the world does
not enjoy knowability. If the unknowable world is becoming knowable, just as the
light pervades the book, similarly the whole world is pervaded by another light and
that light is called the light of consciousness. And therefore, the light of
consciousness pervades the world. Therefore whenever I am experiencing the world,
two things I am seeing; one is the world, and another is the pervading
consciousness. Just as when I read the book, I am experiencing two things; one is
the book and another is the pervading light. And what is the difference between the
book and the pervading light? The difference is the book is not self-knowing,
whereas the light is. One is the non-self-shining book; and the other is self-shining
book.
Page 589

Now vēdānta says, in the same way, whenever I am consciousness of the world,
whenever I am experiencing the world, there are two things we are experiencing;
one is non-self-shining world and the self-shining consciousness. Shining means
evident. Non-self-evident world and the self-evident consciousness; both I am
experiencing simultaneously. And non-self-shining is called anubhānam; and the
self-shining is called bhānam. Therefore the world anubhāti and the consciousness
bhāti. Anubhāti means not self-shining; bhāti means self-shining. yaṁ bhāntam
anubhātyam. In this one line, Śankarācārya is condensing the well-known upaṇiṣadic
mantra,
न तत सूय� भा�त न चन्द्रता

नेमा �वद्युत भािन् कुतोऽयमिग्न ।
तमेव भान्तमनुभा� सव�
तस् भासा सवर्�मद �वभा�त ॥2.II.१५॥ काठकोप�नष�द ॥
na tatra sūryō bhāti na candratārakaṁ
nēmā vidyutō bhānti kutō:'yamagniḥ |
tamēva bhāntamanubhāti sarvaṁ
tasya bhāsā sarvamidaṁ vibhāti ||2.II.15|| kāṭhakōpaniṣadi ||
The sāra of that mantra has been put in the last line.
यस् सिन्न�धमात् देहेिन्द्रयमनो� |

�वषयेषु स्वक�येष वतर्न् प्रे�र इव ||१२९||
yasya sannidhimātrēṇa dēhēndriyamanōdhiyaḥ |
viṣayēṣu svakīyēṣu vartantē prēritā iva || 129 ||
Śankarācārya continues with the nature of ātma and here he is showing another
glory of another glory of ātma. Not only ātma makes every inert object known; like
the body and mind by pervading them; but also by pervading them ātma makes
them active also. So not only ātma makes the body mind complex knowable or
known; ātma makes them active also. As they say in Gāyatri mantra;
ॐ भूभुर्व स्व, तत्स�वतुवर्रेण, भग� दे वस्य धीम�ह, �धयो यो नः प्रचोदया

ōm̐ bhūrbhuvaḥ svaḥ, tatsaviturvarēṇyaṁ, bhargō dēvasyaḥ dhīmahi,
dhiyō yō naḥ pracōdayāt
Page 590

Unlike the light, the light pervades the book and makes the book known and
readable; but the light does not activate the book; not that light pervades and the
book slowly by itself turns itself; it does not happen like that. Light does only one job
of illumination; whereas ātma does two jobs; illumination and activation.
Illumination and activation. That is the inert mind becomes sentient and alive
because of ātma; and not only that; the inert mind becomes active. Active means
what? Mind's activity is also one thing; entertaining thought.
So thus the mind becomes active means, the mind becomes life; the mind becomes
self-consciousness and the mind is able to entertain thought and through the
thought, the mind is able to experience the whole universe. In fact, the entire
transaction of life is done by this mind alone.
What is the entire auto biography of a person, is nothing but a series of activities of
the mind and the consequent sukha duḥkha anubhavaḥ of the mind is life. Remove
the mind; there is no auto biography. There is no individual. There is no family;
education; travelling all over; doing all kinds of things; fighting assembly election;
and getting defeated and winning by hook or crook and doing akramam; entering
the jail. All those things done by what? Mind principle alone.
What type of mind? A mind which is enlivened, which is illumined and activated by
the ātma. It is the live mind which is called the ego. It is the live mind which is
called karta; it is the live mind which is called bhōktā; it is the live mind which is
called pramāta; it is the live mind which is called jīvātma; it is the live mind which
travels from lōkā to lōkā.
All because of what. The touch of consciousness. Minus the consciousness the mind
will be like another table; what biography the table has? What biography the rock
has? Sometimes some imaginative people write the biography of the rock. How the
rock has witnessed the history; the rock does not know; which human being
imagines, that this rock was witness to all the Mahābhārata war; the Pāṇipat war
and this war and that war; and all those things but the rock itself does not have any
biography. There is no difference between a rock and mind; if at all there is a
difference it is because of extra principle, which is the consciousness.
And therefore he says: yasya sannidhi matrēṇa; because of the mere presence of
the all-pervading ātma; sannidhi means sānnidhyam, presence, vartantē dēha
Page 591

indriya manō dhīyāḥ; all these inert organs like body, the sense organs, the mind
and the intellect, all of them vartantē; vartantē means pravartantē, they remain
active; puṇya karma; pāpa karma, misra karma; all these activities are done by
these organs; therefore all these organs remain active; where; svakīyēṣu viṣayēṣu;
in their respective fields of activity, because they have got their own restrictions.
They are meant to function only in their respective fields, like the eye however
glorious they may be, they can function within the field of forms and colors only; the
ears within the field of sound only; the mind within the field of emotions; intellect
within the field of thinking. Thus every organ has got its field.
Just as the electricity may pervade all the gadgets uniformly; the same amount of
power pervades all the gadgets uniformly, but even though electricity uniformly
blesses them; each gadget has got its own restrictions; therefore the radio can only
bring out the music; it has got only an audio capacity; it does not have the video
capacity. The television has got a different function. The mike has got a different
function. The limitation does not belong to the electricity; electricity uniformly
blesses all of them; but the restrictions are caused by the innate nature of the
gadget itself.
Similarly we have got pañja jñānēndriyāni gadget; karmēndriyani gadget; chatvāri

antakaraṇāni gadget; and the physical body gadget is there; the body can only walk;
it cannot like a bird, fly. The limitation is not in Consciousness; Consciousness
blesses the body; but body has got its own capacity.
And therefore Śankarācārya writes, svakīyēṣu viṣayēṣu, in its own field every organ
functions. And how? prēritā iva; as though ātma is whipping them up into activity.
There is whipping, goading, persuading, pushing; as though ātma is pushing them
into activity; they are all busy running; early morning getting up 6 o'clock; get up at
5 o'clock; some at 4 o'clock; some at 3 o'clock; active and active.
But here the most important point to be noted is: Śankarācārya says: as though
ātma persuades them. There the expression "as though" is important. It is not that
ātma is willfully forcing them into activity. If ātma willfully forces them into activity,
and if ātma chooses the activity; then immediately people are waiting to blame the
ātma; everyone is waiting to put the akṣatha on someone else. Once I say ātma
does this; then they will say that a criminal has got criminal thought, all because
ātma is injecting criminal thought.
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Therefore Śankarācārya says ātma does not have will; ātma does not have choice;
ātma does not have a plan or design. It appears as though ātma is activating. That
iva means it is as though.
Then, if ātma is only as though activating, then what is the real fact? The real fact
is: sanniddhi mātrēṇa. Ātma is just IS and in its presence every inert object gets
activated according to its capacity; according to its design and make up. It is exactly
like the suryaḥ or sun; the sun does not want to wake us up and morning has come;
get up; go to job, etc. The Sun does not wake people up and push them into
activity. The Sun just IS; and the earth is rotating and it is going round the Sun also,
and when the earth rotates, naturally, one part of the earth is getting exposed to the
sun and that part there is day and the other part there is night. And wherever the
part is day part, they become active; and the light part, they become passive. And
again when the earth rotates, America become active, and India becomes passive. It
is not telling Surya is telling: Get up Man; uttishtto uttishtta govind uttishtta; Surya is
not telling that; Surya is just is; in its presence, earth does its job and the earthly
people their jobs. And why do we insist that? Otherwise ātma will become akartā
and also ātma will have to part in the puṇyam and pāpam of the people. That is why
Krishna said in the Gītā;
नादत्त कस्य�चत्पा न चैव सक

ु ृ तं �वभःु |
अ�ानेनावतं
ृ �ानं तेन मह्यि
ु न जन्तव ||५- १५||
nādattē kasyacitpāpaṁ na caiva sukr̥taṁ vibhuḥ |
ajñānēnāvr̥taṁ jñānaṁ tēna muhyanti jantavaḥ ||5- 15||
Ātma does not do puṇyam; ātma does not do pāpam; ātma does not persuade a
person to do pāpam or puṇyam; and when puṇyam and pāpam are not because of
ātma, puṇyam and pāpam are because of the nature of the mind and also the
problem of avidyā kāma. So that is what he is said here. prēritā iva.
अहङ्कारा�दद ेहान् �वषयाश् सुखादयः |

वेद्यन् घटवद येन �नत्यबोधस्वरू� ||१३०||
ahaṅkārādidēhāntā viṣayāśca sukhādayaḥ |
vēdyantē ghaṭavad yēna nityabōdhasvarūpiṇā ||130||
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So it was said in the previous slōka that in the presence of ātma, all the organs
function in their field just as in the presence of electricity, all the gadgets function.
But any example can create problem. I give the electricity example. Śankarācārya
gives the example of Sun; or he gives the example of magnet; these are the
standards example, surya; ayakāntaḥ; ayakāntaḥ means magnet; that is also
another example, in the presence of magnet, iron filings are drawn towards, not that
magnet takes the betul leaves and nut and invites all the iron filings, etc. Magnet IS,
iron filings naturally gets attracted. Similarly the Sun is. So when we give such
examples, there will be again a problem. Since I have said ātma is like a magnet or
like the sun; you will begin to look for that ātma; where is that ātma, which is
activating the body, activating the mind?
There alone the example breaks down. In the example, everything that is talked
about is an object which is either outside the body or inside the body. All the
examples for the ātma is either outside the body or inside the body; but ātma is
neither outside the body; nor inside the body; it is neither outside me; nor inside
me; then where is that ātma? That ātma is myself. Therefore I should look for that
ātma in whose presence everything is active, but I should own up that fact by
saying I am that ātma in whose presence the mind is functioning. So
wherever you say ātma, you should practice to say Me, Me, My, etc. In my presence
the body acts; in my presence the sense organs act; in my presence the mind acts; I
am that ātma.
And once I say that I am that ātma in whose presence all these things act, then the
next question is: I am not able to see. Because in my presence the body acts, the
mind acts, intellect acts; then who am I? I want to see myself.
Therefore Śankarācārya says you will never see yourselves. Again come back to the
example; the camera takes the picture of every person; but camera never comes in
the picture. Even though the camera never comes in the picture, you never doubt
the existence of the camera. Camera never comes in the picture, but you never
doubt the existence of camera because every picture is because of camera. Similarly,
I am aware of the body, awareness camera is there; I am aware of the mind;
awareness camera is there; I am aware of thought; awareness camera is there; I
am aware of the absence of thought; awareness camera is there. Awareness camera
can never be pictured, but existence can never be doubted. Awareness is camera
Page 594

when you say, do not question about the make of the camera, lense, and how will it
be, etc. Camera like.
Any example you give, there is this danger; you extend the example infinitely and
get confused. Therefore, Śankarācārya says here vēdyantē; everything is
experienced like a pot, because of the consciousness alone. Everything is
experienced; vēdyantē means awared; experienced; pictured; like a pot; ghaṭavad;
everything is experienced by the consciousness; but the camera is never pictured by
the camera. Similarly the awareness is never experienced as an object.
And what are the things experienced by ātma? He says everything. Ahaṁkārādi
dēhāntā viṣayāśca. We start with viṣayā; viṣaya means all the external objects are
witnessed or experienced by the consciousness. Imagine a camera; the huge
camera, the world is pictured; all of them, śabda, sparsa, rūpa, rasa, gandha world.
Not only the world is pictured by consciousness, ahaṁkāradi dēhānta; subjectively

also, the pañja kośās are pictured by consciousness. What are the pañja kośās?
annamaya, prāṇamaya, manōmaya, vijñāna maya, ānandamaya. We will see in
detail later; they are said here; Ahaṁkāradi dēhāntā. Everything beginning from
ahaṁkāra up to dēha. Ahaṁkāra is vijñāna maya kōśa; dēha is annamaya kōśa;
ahaṁkāradi dēhāntā means from vijñānaṁaya kōśa up to annamaya kōśa. In short,
all kōśas.
Here ānandamaya kōśa is not mentioned because ānandamaya kōśa means

everything is resolved. That is why that is not mentioned. But that is also understood
only.
So thus, the world is pictured; the body, mind complex is pictured; world is anātma
No.2; body mind complex is anātma No.1; world is also inert; body mind complex is
also inert; consciousness alone illumines both anātmās; and not only consciousness
illumines them; we saw before consciousness activates them and because of the
activation, anātma no.2 and anātma No.1 interacts, which is called life. What is life?
anātma No.2 the world, anātma No.1 the body-mind-complex; both of them is
interacting is called life.
From early morning coffee onwards. Which is anātma No.1 and 2 interaction and
interaction is illumined by the ātma and it takes place because of the presence of
Page 595

ātma; like we too are interacting; you are the object and I am the subject; we are
interacting; the light illumines both of us; the consciousness illumines body-mind-
complex, as well as the world and makes them interact; and in the interaction what
is born; sukhādayaḥ; which is anātma No.3.
What is anātma No.3? The varieties of experiences born out of this interaction,
which you can know by looking at the face; you can watch the face while drinking
coffee and see. It is very nice; wonderful; all bright; or it is crude; he is not happy.
Thus sukha, duḥkhaṁ, misram, sukhādayaḥ, every emotion. Similarly rāga-dvēṣa
kāma krōdhaḥ all of them, anātma No.3.
And this also is illumined by, experienced by, something other than all these three.
And what is that something; that is the consciousness which is not involved in the
game at all. As in Gītā,
इिन्द्रयस्येिन्द् रागद्वेष व्यविस्थ; गुणा गुणेषु वतर्न,् आत्म नैव �किञ्चत्करो.

indriyasyēndriyasyārthē rāgadvēṣau vyavasthitau; guṇā guṇēṣu vartantē,
ātmā naiva kiñcitkarōti.
So vēdyantē, all these are experienced by this consciousness. What type of

consciousness? Nitya; bhōda svarupina; which is of the nature of eternal awareness.
You know why he uses this expression. That is also important. In the Jāgrat avastha,
there is interaction between anātma and anātma; and sukha duḥkha anubhava is
there. In svapna avastha also, there is interaction between anātma and anātma; in
svapna also sukha duḥkha are there; whereas in suṣupti, anātma and anātma do not
interact;
And therefore there is no emotions are not there; so it is the whole drama is
switched off. Now the question will come, during the jāgrat avastha drama,
consciousness illumines; during svapna avastha drama the consciousness illumines;
during the suṣupti avastha, drama is closed down, then what about the
consciousness; is it switched off? What we do? In the class room we switch on the
light, because we are interacting. And when we go out, what do we do? We switch
off the light. Like that, if the consciousness light switched off, in suṣupti avastha,
when the drama is closed down, if somebody asks, what is the answer?
Consciousness does not have a switch. Therefore there is no question of on and off
Page 596

the switch. Therefore the closing down and opening are only for the body. Only for
the mind. Only for the intellect. Only for the world. Anātma alone can be switched
off and on.
Therefore when you say I wake up in the morning, what is waking up? Not
consciousness; consciousness never wakes up, because it does not go to sleep. It
was the mind which was folded during sleep, and it is the mind which opens up
during waking; consciousness is nitya. That is the significance of the word nityam.
Nityam bōdhaḥ svarupina. The never switched off consciousness. Unswitch-off-able
consciousness. Unswitch-able-off consciousness. I do not know what English word I
should use. That which cannot be switched off. Even Bhagavān cannot switch off the
consciousness. Why, because it is the very nature of consciousness and therefore
nityabōdhaḥ svarupina. All these things are known.
Then grammatically the sentence is incomplete; therefore we have to complete the

sentence by adding the word saha ātma. So yēna vēdyam tē saḥ ātma. எதநால
எல்லா அறியப�கிரேதா அ�ேவ ஆத்ம. Ācārya only says: எதநால் எல்லா

அறியப�கிரேதா, ெசால்லி நி�த்திவ�ட்டார் We have to supply; அ�ேவ ஆத்ம.
एषोऽन्तरात् पुरुष पुराणो

�नरन्तराखण्डसुखानुभू� |
सदैकरूप प्र�तबोधमा
येने�षता वागसवश्चरिन ||१३१||
ēṣō:'ntarātmā puruṣaḥ purāṇō
nirantarākhaṇḍasukhānubhūtiḥ |
sadaikarūpaḥ pratibōdhamātrō
yēnēṣitā vāgasavaścaranti ||131||
Śankarācārya wants to sum up all the discussions that we had and therefore he
changes the metre; because these are all beautiful slōkās, which is the definition of
ātma. So here we get the essence of all the upaṇiṣads.
Śankarācārya does three jobs. One he defines the ātma and the second is he is
using the words used in scriptures. While defining the ātma, instead of coining his
own words, he uses the scriptural word, by which he accomplishes two things; one
thing is he indirectly shows that this teaching based on the scriptures. It is not
Page 597

Śankarācārya's philosophy. So he says: I am just giving out the butter-extract of

what is said in the upaṇiṣads; that is all.
Second purpose is that those people who have studied the upaṇiṣads and the other
scriptures, they can go and connect to those mantras. For example, we hear the
word purāṇaḥ. Wherever the word purāṇaḥ has come, you have to remember:
न जायते �म्रय वा कदा�चन ्

नायं भूत्व भ�वता वा न भूयः |
अजो �नत्य शाश्वतोऽय पुराणो
न हन्यत हन्यमान शर�रे ||२- २०||
na jāyatē mriyatē vā kadācin
nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ |
ajō nityaḥ śāśvatō:'yaṁ purāṇō
na hanyatē hanyamānē śarīrē ||2- 20||
Thus we are supposed to recollect. This is called pratyabhijña. Pratyabhijña is a

technique used by traditional ācārya. What do you mean pratyabhijña? Making the
listener recollect the scriptural mantras. How to make the listener recollect the
scriptural mantras. To use the word used by the scripture itself. If you have not
studied the Gītā, does not matter. But if you have studied the Gītā, you will
remember, na jāyatē mriyatē vā, etc.
So what is the ātma? ēṣō:'ntarātmā. This intimate consciousness; ever evident

consciousness is antarātma. Is called the inner self. Here the word ‘inner’ also you
should understand properly. Because whenever you use the word ‘inner’, you
should always ask the question: from what standpoint? Somebody asked the
question that you are all inside or outside; if somebody asks? What reply you should
give. If you are intelligent, I know you are, if you are intelligent you should not
answer the question. If somebody asks if you are inside or outside, what should you
do? Ask a counter question, inside or outside of what?
And suppose the person says 'the hall', then your answer is inside. And suppose I
am asking from the standpoint of the dais, then what is the answer? you are all
outside. Similarly, normally the word inside is used; generally by us from the
standpoint of the body, generally. Therefore, whenever we say inner self; what do
Page 598

we conclude? Oh ho! ātma is inside the body. Then your conclusion is ātma is not
outside.
Therefore, you should not take the reference as the body. Whenever the
upaniṣad uses the word inner, we should understand it as the inner
essence of everything. Water is the antarātma is every wave. Gold is the
antarātma of every ornament. Similarly, consciousness is the inner self; not within
your body; inner self, which means the content of everything. Gold is the antarātma
of every ornament means content of everything. So inner-self should be translated
as content; essence. So ātma is the inner self means, not ātma is in your body; ātma
is the content of everything. And what is the advantage of this translation? If you
take inner self as within the body; then ātma will become a finite entity. If you
translate the inner self as the content; then it is the content of everything. Therefore
there is no finite location. And therefore, antarātma; the inner self, which is the
content of everything.
And puruṣaḥ; this ātma is called puruṣaḥ in the scriptures, which is a technical word;
vēdantic expression; if the regular dictionary uses the word puruṣaḥ, they will say a
male human being, as opposed to, as distinct from a woman; strī.
Therefore in vēdānta, the word puruṣaḥ is a technical word used for ātma or
consciousness. It is derived from the word; puri and sayanam; puri + sayanam =
puruṣaḥ. Puri means a what? city; What is the city; the physical body is called a city;
because like a city; everything is there; a factories are there; lot of beings are
there; micro-organisms are there; germs, etc. so many are there. So just as a city,
people are there; so many transactions going on; nava dvāra puram. In
Kathopāṇiṣad, ēkadaśa dvāra puram. Therefore puram or puri means the body.
Śayanam means indweller. Śayana karta is indweller. So puruṣaḥ means puru means
body; śaḥ means indweller; therefore puruṣaḥ means the indweller of the body; puri
śayanāt puruṣaḥ.
So here we are not talking about the male body or the female body. We are talking
about the consciousness which is in the male body as well in the female body. And
you should remember the Kathopāṇiṣad Part I. Canto III mantra here;
इिन्द्रये परा ह्यथा अथ�भ्यश परं मनः ।
Page 599

मनसस्त परा बु�द्धबुर्द्धे महान्पर ॥ १०॥

महतः परमव्यक्तमव्यक्तात् परः ।
पुरुषान परं �कं �चत्स काष्ठ सा परा ग�तः ॥ ११॥
indriyēbhyaḥ parā hyarthā arthēbhyaśca paraṁ manaḥ |

manasastu parā buddhirbuddhērātmā mahānparaḥ || 10||
mahataḥ paramavyaktamavyaktātpuruṣaḥ paraḥ |
puruṣānna paraṁ kiṁcitsā kāṣṭhā sā parā gatiḥ || 11||
That mantra is recollected by Śankarācārya when he writes the word puruṣaḥ.
Then purāṇaḥ; when you say purāṇaḥ, you should remember the Gītā slōka I told
you. In fact, it comes in the Kathopanișad also; Na jayate, etc. purāṇaḥ means ever
fresh. Purā api navaḥ; purāṇaḥ. Though very ancient; it has never become old.
Though very ancient, ancient not that it came yesterday or day-before-yesterday;
you cannot say that; it has been there from anādhi kāla. Still it has not become old;
purā api navaḥ; which means it is not affected by kālaḥ; it is not subject to the
onslaught of time. So therefore purāṇaḥ; changeless; we can simply translate it as
changeless; ever fresh.
Nirantara akhaṇḍa sukha anubhūtiḥ; which is ānanda svarūpaḥ; and which is

caitanya svarūpaḥ; sukham means anantaḥ; and anubhūtiḥ means caitanyaṁ; sukha
anubhūtiḥ means which is the nature of ānandaḥ and which is of the nature of
consciousness; caitanyaṁ. OK.
Once you say ātma is ānandaḥ; then definitely we will commit a mistake, because
we know only one type of ānandaḥ; which is experiential pleasure. It is one of the
biggest confusion in vēdānta śāstra; because the word ānandaḥ is invariably
mistaken as experiential pleasure; the only improvement they do is: they say
ātmānandaḥ is a mystical bliss.
But remember even mystical bliss is an experiential pleasure. And once you translate
ānandaḥ as an experiential pleasure, mystical or non-mystical; ordinary or extra-
ordinary, it will be subject to time. It will be subject to a state of experience.
That is why whoever talks about mystical bliss; they will invariably go to samādhi
topic.
Page 600

Ātmānandaḥ if you say is an experience, then samādhi will come.
And therefore Śankarācārya wants to make it clear; ānandaḥ here does not mean
any experiential pleasure; but it is nirantara sukham. It is something which is not
subject to time. Not subject to time.
Then does that mean permanent experiential pleasure. Permanent experiential

pleasure is a contradiction, because anything experiential is impermanent. Anything
experiential is impermanent. Therefore permanent ānandaḥ means it is not an
experiential one; it is something else.
Then what is that something else. We will see in the next class.
Hari Om.
Page 601

048. Verses - 131 to 133
एषोऽन्तरात् पर
ु ुष परु ाणो
�नरन्तराखण्डसुखानुभू� |
सदैकरूप प्र�तबोधमा
येने�षता वागसवश्चरिन ||१३१||
ēṣō:'ntarātmā puruṣaḥ purāṇō
nirantarākhaṇḍasukhānubhūtiḥ |
sadaikarūpaḥ pratibōdhamātrō
yēnēṣitā vāgasavaścaranti ||131||
Śankarācārya continues the topic of ātma svarūpam which is from verse No. 124 up
to 136 and in this verse No.131 also the nature of ātma is beautifully presented
using the words of the upaṇiṣads themselves. Yēṣaḥ antarātmā puruṣaḥ purāṇaḥ.
So this ātma is the inner essence of everyone; which is known as puruṣaḥ in the
scriptures and which is never subject to anything. Purāṇaḥ; and it is of the nature of
nirantara akhaṇḍa sukha anubhūtiḥ; this is the word which we were seeing in the
last class.
Nirantara and akhaṇḍa are two adjectives to be added along with sukham; and also
separately along with anubhūtiḥ. So we will get in fact four words; nirantara
sukham; akhaṇḍa sukham; niratara anubhūtiḥ; akhaṇḍa anubhūtiḥ; we have to split
it like that.
Nirantara sukham means it is of the nature of ānandaḥ which is continuous; gapless

ānandaḥ; permanent ānandaḥ. And similarly akhaṇḍa sukham means it is also an
ānandaḥ which is undivided means pūrṇam. So nirantara means it is free from time
division; akhaṇḍa means it is free from spacial division also. In short, it is pūrṇa
sukham.
And similarly you have to add; nirantara anubhūtiḥ; anubhūtiḥ means

consciousness; caitanyaṁ and nirantara anubhūtiḥ means it is permanent
consciousness; akhaṇḍa anubhūtiḥ means undivided consciousness. Here also the
word nirantaram means there is no break time-wise; akhaṇḍa means there is no
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break space-wise. Therefore neither limited by time; nor limited by space. In short,
the final meaning of this word is pūrṇa sukha svarūpaḥ or pūrṇa ānandaḥ svarūpaḥ
and pūrṇa caitanya svarūpaḥ. Ātma is infinite ānandaḥ; and infinite consciousness.
And in the last class I was discussing the word ānandaḥ. By saying ānandaḥ is
infinite or eternal, Śankarācārya is indirectly negating all experiential pleasures. I
said no experiential pleasure can be defined as Brahmānandaḥ; however extra-
ordinary that bliss may be; however mystical that bliss may be; ecstasies may be; it
cannot be called Brahmānandaḥ because even the highest form of experiential
pleasure is subject to time space and things. In fact, they themselves say: I
experienced the highest bliss in the nirvikalpaka śamadhiḥ.
The very fact that they give a location of time, in samādhi and "I experienced"
(which is used in past tense means); it is past, and now they are tensed. Past tense
means ānandaḥ is past and now they are tense. Tense means "to get again that
ānandaḥ".
Then can you talk about permanent experiential pleasure. I was telling in the last
class; permanent experience is like saying hot icecream. Square circle; means what?
they do not exist. Hot icecream does not exist. When there is heat; ice itself does
not exist. So hot ice does not exist; square circle does not exist; permanent
experience both are contradictory; the very word experience indicates
impermanence; the very word permanent indicates it is non-experiential. So then
what do you mean by permanent ānandaḥ. That by I said in the last class; when
you talk about permanent ānandaḥ, the word ānandaḥ should be translated as
pūrṇatvam. We should not translate it as pleasure; we should not translate it as
bliss; we should not translate it as any experiential word.
So whenever we talk about nitya ānandaḥ; the word ānandaḥ should not be
translated by any experiential word; what do I mean by experiential word? Pleasure
is an experiential word. What do you mean experiential word? a word which
indicates a temporary experience. Bliss; ecstasy; Beatitudes;... so many words are
used. All of them refer to the different types of experience. Therefore we should not
use that word; Ānandaḥ should be translated as pūrṇatvam. And pūrṇatvam can be
permanent; because that happens to be my very nature. And that is why we say sat
cit ānandaḥ should be translated as satyam; jñānaṁ, anantam. Ānandaḥ should be
translated as anantaḥ. Therefore ātma is of the nature of pūrṇatvam.
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Then comes the third line. Sadā ekarūpaḥ. This ātma is ever of the same nature.
Ātma is ever of the same nature, which is not subject to any change at all.
Nirvikhāraḥ we can say; and this is also very important.
Because generally in the scriptures, while we talk about sr̥̄ṣṭi or creation, the
upaṇiṣad gives an expression; that Brahman was there; and what did that Brahman
think?
सो कामयत। बहुश्या प्रजायेये । स तपस्तस् इदं सवर्मसृज । य�दद �कञ् । तत सषृ ्टाव
तदे वानु प्रा�तशत
sō kāmayata | bahuśyāṁ prajāyēyēti | sa tapastasvā idaṁ sarvamasr̥jata | yadida

kiñca | tata sr̥ṣṭāvā tadēvānu prātiśat
So if you literally translate; it will mean Brahman was alone and it felt lonely and
bored perhaps. Therefore it wanted many people around and what it do? It thought:
Let me become many.
And how does one become many: one can become many only by dividing itself. If a
lump of gold should become many lumps, the only possibility is, it should get
divided. And once it gets divided; advaitam has become dvaitam.
So thus many people think that Brahman was advaitam before, and now dvaitam
has come; and doing sādana; sādana; sādana, again dvaitam has to become
advaitam. We have come from away from Bhagavān; and what we should do? We
have to again go to Bhagavān and merge. This is the misconception.
Śankarācārya negates that misconception. Advaitam has never become dvaitam.

There was advaitam; there is advaitam and there will be advaitam. How do you
know? Sadaikarūpaḥ.
That if Brahman was ever advaitam, then how do you account for the duality? And
how do you account for the śruti statement that Brahman thought that it will divide
itself? For that we answer: whenever we say Brahman divided to become creation,
you have to interpret as Brahman thought as though divided. Brahman was
advaitam all the time, dvaitam seemingly appears; dvaitam seemingly exist; and
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dvaitam seemingly resolved. Just as the dream duality comes; the dream duality
exist; dream duality resolves; but the waker who was lying in the room was advaita
even when there was the duality.
Similarly, the caitanyaṁ can never get divided; it is sarvada ekarūpaḥ. In fact, this
one idea alone very elaborately discussed in the third chapter of Mānḍukya kārika,
the very chapter is called advaita prakaraṇam. That one expression sada ekarūpaḥ is
elaborately discussed in 48 verses by Gaudapāda kārika. For this one word, if I have
to comment, I have to explain it in 48 verses, says Gaudapāda. Since I have done
elsewhere, or I will be doing elsewhere, care of those portions. These are very
significant words. Sada ekarūpaḥ.
Then pratibōdhamātra. The word pratibōdhamātra has two meanings. The first
meaning is this. Mātraḥ means recognised; evident or recognisable. So this ātma is
recognisable; ātma is evident, where, pratibōdham in every experience. So
pratibōdham means every experience, i.e. śabda anubhava, śabda bōdhaḥ, rūpa
bōdhaḥ, rūpa anubhava, rasa bōdhaḥ, gandha bōdhaḥ, sukha bōdhaḥ, duḥkha
bōdhaḥ; in all experiences, whether it is external or the internal emotional
experiences; Mātraḥ, Mātraḥ means recognisable; miyathe iti Mātraḥ. Mā to know
and Mātraḥ means known. So miyate iti Mātraḥ. Bōdhaḥ means experience. Prati
means every, pratibōdha means every experience; mātra means known,
pratibōdham means known in every experience.
Herein Śankarācārya keeps in mind, the well known Kenopāṇiṣad expression:

pratibōdham viditham matham. I have explained this very often; that if I have to
experience anyone of you, I have to focus my attention. Special effort is required. I
have to look in the direction of the person whom I have to see; I have to turn my
face, and my eyes have to be open, and the eyes must be in good condition; and if
spectacles are required, it should be used; or else you would not be able to see
when you get up; these all things are required to experience a particular person.
And even if I focus upon a particular person, I cannot permanently see when I focus
on another person, this is defocused. But imagine if I have to experience the light in
the hall, which person should I focus? If I have to experience the light in the hall,
which person I should focus. I need not focus on any particular person; whichever
person I am seeing, along with that person, I am experiencing the light. When I am
reading the book, I am experiencing the light. What is the proof? The very fact that
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I am able to read the book is because of light. Therefore, experience of light does
not require any particular experience; it is available in and through every perception.
If this principle is understood, we can extend it to all the important self-knowledge;
self-knowledge does not require a particular experience. Self-knowledge does not
require a particular experience. Self is available in every particular - you have to
put it that way - you cannot just say "all the time" etc. Self-knowledge is not a
particular experience; self is available in every particular experience.
You can extend this to any other similar thing. Knowledge of wave, when it is
available; it is not the knowledge of ocean. When there is knowledge of ocean
available; it is not the knowledge of well. So well knowledge; ocean knowledge, river
knowledge; they are all mutually exclusive pieces of knowledge; but water
knowledge is available when? Wave knowledge includes water knowledge, because
in and through wave experience, there is water. Similarly, river knowledge. Similarly,
ocean knowledge. Therefore, I do not require any special focusing. I have to only
turn my attention to the fact that self is available in every experience. Jāgrat svapna
sushipthishu sputa thara samvijrumbhate. That is indicated by pratibōdhamātra. So
in simple translation: evident in every experience. This is meaning No.1.
Then there is a second meaning also. Here also, the word mātraḥ means known;
recognised; available. Then the word pratibōdha means guru upadeśaḥ. Or guru
śāstra upadeśaḥ. So pratibōdhamātra means this ātma is evident or recognisable
through the teaching of guru and śāstra.
So in the first translation, it is evident in every experience. The second translation, it

is evident or recognisable through guru śāstra upadeśa.
Then comes a question: the first and second translation seems to contradict itself;
because if it is available in every experience, why should I require guru śāstra
upadeśam? If it is available in every experience, why should I require guru śāstra
upadeśam at all.
So this also must be very clear. Guru śāstra upadeśam is not to reveal the ātma.
This should be very clear. Guru śāstra upadeśa is not to reveal the ātma; because
ātma is ever revealed in every experience. Just as I need not teach you to reveal the
light in the hall. I need not teach you to reveal the light in the hall; because even
before my teaching, the light in the hall is revealed for you.
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Then what is guru śāstra upadeśa meant for? All these are only the secrets of
vēdānta. You have to understand it very clearly. These are all the secrets of
vēdānta. Guru śāstra upadeśa is to turn the attention of the student towards the
ever revealed ātma. Guru śāstra upadeśa is to turn the attention of the student to
the ever revealed ātma.
Like my word. Remember it. Even though light is the ever-revealed; your attention is
not turned to the light; when I ask you what is here. Now you will say correctly,
because you are all my students! They know, like the Congress symbol, when I show
the hand, they will know it. Anybody you ask, what is here, they will say hand; they
will say finger; they will say nail; they will say line; they will say dirt; everything they
will say, except light.
And if they do not talk about the light, it is not because they do not experience light.
If they do not talk about the light, it is not because they do not experience the light.
In spite of the experience of the light, they have not paid attention to the light; they
have taken it for granted. The greatest thing taken for granted is ātma. At least, the
light at least once in a while, the current/electricity is off. Then attention will come:
Oh ho, light was there it seems. This ātma-current will never be off. Therefore even
that much chance to pay attention is not there for the ātma. Therefore my words
are used, not to reveal the light; but to turn your attention to the already available
light.
That is why Dayānanda svāmi repeatedly says: it is also very important thing. In
every other objective knowledge, knowledge is first, experience is later. Gangotri;
you know about it first through books and knowledge is followed by experience, if
you visit Gangotri. But in the case of ātma alone, knowledge and later experience
principle does not work.
And this one point people do not recognise. Therefore they commit the biggest
mistake. I have got knowledge; but I do not have experience. It is like I talking
about the light, for one hour. I use the hand and showing all these and you will also
nod your head nicely. And at the end you say that Svāmiji I have understood what
the light is: but I have not experienced if you say; what to say? All the noding of the
head, I have to assume, has come out of your sleep and not after understanding it.
I have to infer that. That nodding can be from sleep also; can be due to anything.
Page 607

Therefore, in the case of Brahma jñānaṁ alone, anubhava is first, jñānaṁ is later.
Not jñānaṁ is first; anubhava is later.
And therefore, the teaching is meant for what? Not for revealing Brahman, not for
giving the experience of Brahman, but to turn the attention to the already evident;
already revealed; already experienced Brahman. Somebody wrote a book; not a
book in fact; a commentary upon a great vēdantic work; Śruti Sāra Samuddaranam.
It is a beautiful text and gave the title, the revelation of the ever-revealed. The
revelation of the ever-revealed is the job of the teacher. And that is here referred to
as: pratibōdhamātraḥ.
Then yēnēṣitā vāgasavaścaranti. So all the organs function only blessed by that
ātma. Ēṣitāḥ literally means goaded by, propelled by; is the literal meaning, here
propellion is blessing only. So ēṣitāḥ means blessed by, yēna, yēna means ātmana;
blessed by this ātma alone, all the organs do their job.
So vāk means organs of speech, asvaḥ means pañja prāṇāḥ; pañja prāṇāḥ and the
organ of speech; you can extend it to all other organs also; that is why in
Kenopāṇiṣad ātma was श्रोत श्रो मनसो मनो यद वाचो ह वाचं स उ प्राण प्रा ।
śrōtrasya śrōtraṁ manasō manō yad vācō ha vācaṁ sa u prāṇasya prāṇaḥ; prāṇa is
able to serve as a prāṇa only because of ātma.
Eye is able to serve as eye only because of ātma. Just as light is light because of
electricity; fan is fan because of electricity. Therefore what is the definition of
electricity. Light of the light. Fan of the fan; radio of the radio; television of the
television. Light of light when you say, in the first light, you have to use the small
'el'; second light, capital L. So yēnēṣitā vāgasavaścaranti; that is the ātma.
अत्र सत्त्वा�न धीगह

ु ायां
अव्याकृताका उशत्प्रक |
आकाश उच्च र�ववत्प्रका
स्वतेजस �वश्व�मद प्रकाशय ||१३२||
atraiva sattvātmani dhīguhāyāṁ
avyākr̥tākāśa uśatprakāśaḥ |
ākāśa uccai ravivatprakāśatē
svatējasā viśvamidaṁ prakāśayan ||132||
Page 608

So even though consciousness is all-pervading, it can be recognised only in one

place by me. In no other place consciousness can be recognised. That is why the
scientists are eternally struggling. So you search for consciousness everywhere; you
can only experience material things. If you analyse the brain, the brain flesh will be
there; or you may get neurons; or you may get cells. The more you probe into
human brain or human body, you will come across, varieties of form of matter; you
can never pin point or experience consciousness anywhere. So everyone
Conciousness is available only in one place, and what is that; his own mind.
Therefore I have to recognise consciousness in my mind; you have to recognise

consciousness in your mind; I can never experience consciousness in your body.
That you are all conscious being, I only infer. I do not see consciousness, because
you are all responding to my talk, therefore you are all live people. That is why when
there are two people, one is just dead, and one is live, you can never know the
difference between the live and the dead one.
And even when you say that there is a pain in the finger, the doctor by touching can
never experience the pain. That is why the doctor has to ask, where is it paining; is
it here, is it here, is it here, etc. Why can't he touch and know. He can touch and
know his hand pain.
Not yours. Like fire. So when I touch the fire, I get the heat. Similarly, suppose you
have pain here and I touch, āah; I can feel the pain; No. Therefore the
consciousness in you is only inferred by me; I cannot directly experience. I can
experience consciousness intimately only in myself.
And that is being said beautifully said in this slōka again. Atraiva prakaśatē. Ātma is
understood. Ātma atra ēva prakaśatē. Atraēva first line, prakaśatē, third line; ātma
shines; is evident, here itself. So you have to imagine, when the teacher is using
the word here, he must be referring to the body or oneself. And here means what,
within the body where? dhīguhāyāṁ, in the cave of the mind or heart; dhī means
buddhi or anthakāraṇam. So in the mind or in the intellect; any word you can use,
and generally the mind or intellect is called cave in the śāstra.
The word guhā is very commonly used. Buddhi guhā; guhāitam; guhāsayaṁ, etc.
The reason is in the guhā, whatever thing is there is not recognised because a cave
Page 609

is always dark within. Because within the cave light cannot enter unless you chose to
take a torchlight or fire. A natural cave is dark within.
And because of the darkness, whatever is inside the cave is always hidden. In fact,
the very word guhā is formed from a root, guh, to hide. So guhyate asmin sarvaṁ iti
guhā. That in which things always remain hidden, covered, unrecognised. Guhu
samvarane iti dhātu. Therefore the very word guhā indicate that whatever is inside is
hidden, because of what; darkness. And the mind is called guhā because the
caitanyaṁ in the mind is hidden for everyone. Not known by anyone.
तं दद
ु र्श गूढमनुप्र�वष
गुहा�हतं गह्वरेष् पुराणम ् ।
taṁ durdarśaṁ gūḍhamanupraviṣṭaṁ
guhāhitaṁ gahvarēṣṭhaṁ purāṇam |
in Kathopanișad it is within the guhā, hidden. In the local guhā, there is darkness. In
the human mental guhā what is the darkness? It is ignorance. Therefore in the
buddhi guhā, there is the darkness of ignorance and because of this ignorance
darkness, the ātma is hidden as it were; not really hidden; hidden as it were.
And therefore buddhi guhāyaṁ; ātma prakaśatē. And there too, during which
condition ātma is evident very well. Avyakrita ākāśe. The word avyakrita ākāśa
literally means kāraṇam śarīraṁ. It is a technical word used. Avyakrita ākāśaḥ,
technically means kāraṇa śarīraṁ. And in this context, kāraṇam śarīraṁ indicates a
quiet mind. So within the buddhi, which is quiet, tranquil, thoughtless, as though in
sleep. A non-extrovert mind. So within the buddhi, within the non-extrovert intellect.
And why do we say the tranquil buddhi? The reason is this: in a thoughtful mind also
consciousness is there. In a thoughtless mind also consciousness is there. But the
problem is in thoughtful mind, consciousness is not easily recognised because the
thoughts distract our attention, whereas in a thoughtless mind, distractions are not
there. That is why I give the example. The screen is there, during the interval also;
the movie screen is there; during the movie projection also. The screen is there or
not during movie projection? Is it taken out once the movie is started? Then the
movie will not run. The screen is there, during the interval; the screen is there
during the movie projection; but during the interval the screen is never missed; but
during the movie projection, even though screen alone I am seeing all the time, I
Page 610

am so much absorbed in the plot and character. It is the titanic ship going down.
Do you then say that the screen is there? Not going to use the screen along with the
people in fact. So therefore screen is there; with movie or without movie; but
without movie the screen seems to be more evident. At least for a beginner.
And once a person has done screen śravaṇam, screen mananam and screen
nidhidhyāsanam and once the screen niṣṭa comes, thereafter you will not forget the
screen when movie is there or when the movie is not there also. So beginning
stages I require the interval. So thereafterwards at all times. Similarly, consciousness
is evident in thoughtful mind as well as in thoughtless mind; but in the beginning,
the upaṇiṣad teaches us to have a tranquil mind to recognise the ātma and
thereafterwards once niṣṭa comes, paśyañ śr̥ṇvan spr̥śañ jighran aśnan gacchan
svapna śvasan pralapan visr̥jan gr̥hṇannu Krishna says sarvathā vartamānō:'pi sa
yōgī mayi vartatē ||6- 31||.
Let him do anything, he does not lose sight of the substratum. Therefore in the
beginning stage, ātma is evident in thoughtless mind, and later thoughtless mind
means non-extrovert mind; thoughtless when I say do not think something else.
Thoughtless mind means non-extrovert mind and later the consciousness is evident
in the thoughtful mind also.
Therefore Avyakrita ākāśe, in quietitude, in blankness, dhi guhāyaṁ, and what type
of mind it is? Another adjective; satvātmani; and what type of mind it is: first
description mind, a quiet mind, a tranquil mind. The second description is
satvātmani; which is made up of satva guṇa. Satvātma means satva karyam;
product of satva guṇa; satvam ēva ātma; svarūpam, rasaḥ, sāraḥ, upādhāna
kāraṇam yasya; satvātma. So for this you should remember our introduction, that
the mind is born out of which guṇa? Satva guṇa of which element, remember, satva
guṇa of all the five elements. Sense organs are born out of the satva guṇa of one
one element. Sense organs of action are born out of rajō guṇa of one one element.
Pañja prāṇas are born out of rajō guṇas of all these elements. All these we have
finished in L.Kg. Therefore do not say: Svāmiji you are saying some new new things
etc. I will be shocked. Therefore satva ātmani dhi guhāyaṁ Avyakrita ākāśe; in
tranquil mind, ātma prakaśatē. Ātma is evident.
And what type of ātma it is? uru prakāśaḥ ātma; the ātma which is intensely bright;
intensely effulgent. Uru means intensely; bāhu; prakāśaḥ means effulgent. And why
Page 611

is ātma called intensely effulgent. Because ātma's effulgence is unborrowed

effulgence; whereas mind also becomes effulgent or sentient; but the sentiency of
the mind is reflected glory; borrowed glory. Therefore it can never be as bright as
the original, like the Sun reflected in the mirror; however bright the reflection may
be, but it will never be as bright as the original. That is why ātma is called jyotiśām
jyoti. The light of all light. The original light. Therefore uru prakāṣa.
And there is also another significance, when the other thoughts are not there to
distract me, the ātma appears to be very bright; even though ātma is evident
uniformly all the time, when distractions are there, ātma seems to be less evident;
when the distractions are not there, ātma seems to be more evident. I give the
example. Many examples we can give, one natural example is the paurnami moon;
the paurnami moon, in the evening about 6 p.m. or 5 o'clock, you can see the moon,
but it appears to be less bright. And as the Sun is setting, the moon appears to
become brighter and brighter and in the midnight, once you come out of the house,
you cannot miss the moonlight, even if you do not want to notice that; you will have
to recognise. Now can you say the moonlight has become brighter or brighter; 5
o'clock it was dull; 6 o'clock it became more bright. No, the moon has not become
brighter; but the obstacles have become lesser and lesser.
Or the example of the candlelight in the room during the day light. Now if you keep
the candle light here, many would not notice. But as the light fades away and the
night comes, the candle light seems to become brighter and brighter. In the
midnight, in the dark room, the entire hall is dark; I have kept a candle in one
corner; you enter the hall, you cannot miss the candlelight.
Or if you want another example, the ticking of the clock. You never recognise during
day time. In the night when all the sounds are ended, then you find the ticking of
the clock seems to become more and more and for some people that is enough to
disturb their sleep. Dog ear they have got. Or if you want to sit in meditation; then
all these will heard greater.
Therefore obstacles have become less. Instead of obstacles becoming less, we

attribute this as the increase in the evidence of the ticking of the clock. Increase in
the evidence of the candle light; increase in the evidence of the moon light; the
attribute to the moon; but the fact is no change in the moon. Similarly, in a quiet
mind, ātma uru prākāśaḥ. In a thoughtful mind, ātma is alpa prākāśaḥ, as it were.
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And an example is given. How is the ātma shining in the mind. ākaśe ravivat. Just as
the Sun shines in the sky above; sky above; ākāśaḥ means sky. In fact ākaśe iti;
saptame vibhakthi; just as the Sun brightly shines high above in the sky; similarly,
the ātma shines like the bright Sun in the mental firmament. And not only the ātma
shines brightly, he says svatējasa viśvaṁ idam prakāsayan; not only it shines by
itself; it illumines the entire world with its brightness. Prākāśayan means it illumines;
idam viśvaṁ, the entire universe, how, svatējasa, by its own light; when
Śankarācārya writes this, he is keeping in mind, the well known Mundaka and Katha
slōka, second chapter, Second valli.
न तत सूय� भा�त न चन्द्रता

तस् भासा सवर्�मद �वभा�त ॥ १५॥
tasya bhāsā sarvamidaṁ vibhāti || 15||
That means what: ātma gives effulgence or light to the mind. Now the mind is
known and it becomes sentient. The mind lends consciousness to the sense organs
and the sense organs becomes known and sentient; and the sense organs in their
turn illumine what? The entire śabda sparśa rūpa rasa gandha. So when you are
conscious of the farthest star, from the ātma, consciousness has come to the mind,
from the mind it has come to the sense organs and from the sense organs it has
gone to the farthest star;
नानािच्छद्रघटोदरि-
महाद�पप्रभाभास्
�ानं यस् तु च�ुरा�द
करणद्वार ब�हः स्पन्दत ……॥४॥ Dakshinamoorthy sthothram
nānācchidraghaṭōdarastitha-
mahādīpaprabhābhāsvaraṁ
jñānaṁ yasya tu cakṣurādi
karaṇadvārā bahiḥ spandatē|.. ||4||
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That everything is known means, I am conscious of everything. That means

everything is pervaded by consciousness and as even things are pervaded by
consciousness, I am conscious of them. And therefore what does the consciousness
illumine if somebody asks: what should be the answer; what does the consciousness
not illumine?
In fact, you say there is an object, which means I am conscious of it. Whatever IS, I
am conscious of it. How do you know? If I am not conscious, I cannot say it IS. And
therefore viśvaṁ idam prakāśayan. It illumines and shines in the mind.
�ाता मनोऽहंकृ�त�व�क्रणां
देहेिन्द्रयप्राणकृत�क् |
अयोऽिग्नवत्ताननुवतर्म
न चेष्टत नो �वकरो�त �कञ्च ||१३३||
jñātā manō:'haṁkr̥tivikriyāṇāṁ
dēhēndriyaprāṇakr̥takriyāṇām |
ayō:'gnivattānanuvartamānō
na cēṣṭatē nō vikarōti kiñcana ||133||
So the fourth line of the previous verse. It is explained in this slōka. Ātma illumines
everything and here he gives the details. You have to supply the word ātma; ātma
jnātā. Ātma is the illuminator of all these following things. A list is given. And when I
say ātma illumines, you should remember, we are using a verb but whatever
normally the verb indicates, that all should not be taken here; I have told you. A
verb indicates what: an action; a modification; an impermanent, and will power. Any
action has got all these conditions. Verb means action. Action means modification;
and also impermanent; every action has got a beginning and end; and also a will
power.
But when you say ātma illumines, all these four you should not extend here; for
ātma illumination is not an action; for ātma illumination does not involve
modification; for ātma illumination is not an impermanent function; for ātma
illumination does not involve will or choice; but for want of words, we are using a
compromising expression; that is verb. Therefore we have to put within quotes:
"ātma illumines".
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Then what exactly means is: in the presence of ātma, every thing is illumined. That
is the idea. And what are those things? Mana, ahaṁkriti, vikriyāṇāṁ; ātma illumines
the modifications of the mind and the ego. When the ego I am happy, I am
unhappy, I am tense; I am calm; in all these things, I is subject to change; ahaṁkriti
manaḥ means the mind, vikriya means modifications.
Not only that, dēha indriya prāṇa kr̥takriyāṇām. It also illumines all the functions
performed by; kr̥ta means performed; kriya means functions; all the functions or
activities performed, by dēha, indriya, prāṇa. You yourself know; dēha means body;
indriya means sense organs; prāṇa means pañja prāṇās; all their functions ātma
illumines. And how does ātma illumine? By pervading them. Illumination requires
pervasion. So the tubelight illumines the book means what; the light has to pervades
the book. Without the light pervading the book, the book cannot be illumined.
Therefore illumination means pervasion; ātma illumines all organs; how? by
pervading them.
An example is given; ayōgni vat. Like a red hot iron bar; or iron piece. ayaḥ means
irumbu; from that only the word iron has come; ayaḥ; napamsaha liṅga; ayaḥ,
ayasi; ayāmsi; sakāranthaḥ; ayōgni means the fire pervading any red hot iron piece.
Similarly the mind is pervaded by what? The consciousness. The details we will see
in the next class.
Hari Om.
Page 615

049. Verses 133 to 136
�ाता मनोऽहंकृ�त�व�क्रयाण
देहेिन्द्रयप्राणकृत�क् |
अयोऽिग्नवत्ताननुवतर्म
न चेष्टत नो �वकरो�त �कञ्च ||१३३||
jñātā manō:'haṁkr̥tivikriyāṇāṁ
dēhēndriyaprāṇakr̥takriyāṇām |
ayō:'gnivattānanuvartamānō
na cēṣṭatē nō vikarōti kiñcana ||133||
Śankarācārya continues with the topic of ātma, which he started from verse No.124
onwards. And the main definition of ātma that he gives in these verses is that ātma
is of the nature of consciousness, which is an independent entity, which pervades
the body and in whose presence alone the body and all other organs are able to
function.
And even when ātma makes the body and organs to function, it cannot be
considered an action of ātma; but by the mere presence of ātma; all the inert organs
are able to function. Therefore ātma cannot be termed as even karta. This is the
idea which he gives in this verse. jñātā manō:'haṁkr̥tivikriyāṇāṁ
dēhēndriyaprāṇakr̥takriyāṇām. jñātā means witness; illuminator.
So ātma, the conscious principle is the illuminator of all the organs and their
functions. And this illumination also should not be considered as a wilful action, but
that also happens in the presence of the ātma. Remember the example of the Sun.
In the presence of the Sun, the earth gets illumined; illumination is not an action
done by the Sun. Up to this we saw in the last class.
Now we have to see the second half of this verse. ayō:'gnivattānanuvartamānaḥ.

Here Śankarācārya gives a beautiful example. Ayaḥ means iron. Agniḥ means fire.
And suppose we heat a piece of iron, the iron becomes red hot iron and when you
have got a red hot iron piece, there are two things; one is the iron piece and the
other is the fire principle. The fire principle does not have a shape or its own; but
the iron has got the shape of its own. And imagine the blacksmith is beating that
Page 616

red-hot iron-piece and converting into various shades. As even the shape of these
iron pieces are changing, the fire pervading the iron also appears to change; but
actually, there is no change of form taking place to the fire principle.
Similarly, consciousness is like the fire principle. Body is like the iron piece. And
when the body is a baby body, the consciousness also seems to be size of the body;
and as even the body increases, the consciousness also seems to expand. Previously
he had a drumstick like body; like it is like a pumpkin and the consciousness also
seems of that state. Even though for appearance, the consciousness seems to be
assume and change the shape, the fact is that the consciousness does not have any
shape of its own.
Therefore he says, ayō:'gnivat; just as the fire seemingly assumes the shape of the
iron piece; similarly, ananuvartamānaḥ. The consciousness also imitates;
anuvartanaṁ means imitation; the consciousness also imitates what? The shape of
the body as it were. If the body is round, consciousness also seems to be round, if
the body is tall; consciousness also appears to be tall; that is what he call,
anuvartatē. Śarīrasya akāraḥ vartatē; caitansya akāraḥ śarīraṁ anuvartatē. Anu
means, in keeping with the body, vartatē, the consciousness takes the shape as
though. Really speaking, it does not have. What is its real nature then? Na cēṣṭatē.
It does not do any action; it does not undergo any modification; it does not undergo
any modification; kiñcana no vikarōti; nor does it modify any other object. Neither it
modifies by itself; nor does it cause modification in others. It is neither a karta, nor
a kārayita; neither it changes by itself; nor it causes any change in others. But all
the time, it appears to change and also it appears to cause change in others.
न जायते नो �म्रय न वधर्त

न �ीयते नो �वकरो�त �नत्य |
�वल�यमानेऽ�प वपुष्यमुिष-
न् ल�यते कुम् इवाम्बर स्वय म ||१३४||
na jāyatē nō mriyatē na vardhatē
na kṣīyatē nō vikarōti nityaḥ |
vilīyamānē:'pi vapuṣyamuṣmi-
nna līyatē kumbha ivāmbaraṁ svayaṁ ||134||
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So in the previous verse, we talked about three features of ātma; one is ātma is the
witness of everything. The word jñāta was used. jñāta means sākṣi. And then two
more features were given. Na cēṣṭatē, na vikarōti, which means na karta, na kāryita.
Neither does it do anything; nor does it make anyone do anything.
Now in this slōka, Śankarācārya points out that ātma nirvikāraḥ. Ātma is free from
all modification. And we have seen before that modification, especially with regard
to the physical body is classified into six varieties or six stages; asti, jāyate,
vardhatē; vipariṇamatē, apakṣiyate, vinaśyati. Potential existence; birth, growth,
change, declension and death. These are the six modifications of the body,
intimately experienced by everyone. So here Śankarācārya points out that
consciousness is free from all these six modifications.
And here Śankarācārya is closely following the Kathopanișad and Gītā mantra, na
jāyatē mriyatē va kadāchit, etc. So na jāyatē, na vardhatē, that order we have to
change, na jāyatē, na vardhatē, na vikarōti; na kṣīyatē; na jāyatē means it is not
born; then na vardhatē; it does not grow along with the body, and na kṣīyatē, it
does not decline when the body declines; and na vikarōti; it does not undergo
transformation when the body changes and finally, na mriyatē, it does not perish
when the body perishes. So five modifications have been mentioned here. The six
one we have to supply. Asti; that potential form. All these six modifications are not
there.
So that means according to śāstra, consciousness is not a property of the body. But
if consciousness is taken either as a part of the body, or a product of the body, or a
property of the body, naturally when the system collapses,; then its property, a
neurological phenomenon or a cellular phenomenon, if consciousness is, the
consciousness would have gone along with the body. The very fact that the śāstra
says consciousness does not perish indicate that it is an independent entity;
pervading the body.
And since it does not have all the six-fold modifications, nityaḥ; the consciousness is
eternal. This is the most unique contribution of vēdantic teaching. That segregating
consciousness from matter, and showing that the consciousness is neither bound by
time, nor bound by space. And identifying this consciousness, the time-space beyond
consciousness. Let us keep a compound-like. So identifying time space beyond
consciousness, as the ultimate truth of the universe, as the ultimate content of the
Page 618

universe, as the ultimate stuff of the universe, is the most unique teaching of
vēdānta. That alone here Śankarācārya presents, nityaḥ; it is eternal.
Then how come we talk about the death of the jīva. If you say that ātma is eternal,
then the jivātma, ātma means the jīvātma, if the jīvātma or jīva is eternal; how do
we talk about the death of the jīva; the birth of the jīva; the travel of jīva; the
śrādda for jīva; tarpaṇa for jīva; how do we talk about all these things.
Śankarācārya says all these are aberrations born out of ignorance; he says amuṣmin
vapuṣi vilīyamānē. So when this body disintegrates, vapuṣ means the body;
especially the physical body; when this physical body disintegrates, na vilīyatē, the
consciousness does not disintegrate; but it appears to disappear or die.
Remember the example. The light also seems to be there; when the hand is there;
the moment I remove my hand, not only the hand has disappeared, it appears as
though the light also has disappeared. Therefore, when the medium disappears,
consciousness does not have a medium to express. The non-expressing
consciousness is mistaken as non-existent consciousness. Non-expressing
consciousness is mistaken as non-existent consciousness; but really speaking,
consciousness does not become non-existent; na līyatē; it does not die; it does not
disintegrate.
And he gives an example. What is the example? Kumbē āmbaraṁ iva; like the space
in a pot. The space which is conditioned within a pot, is a functional space. It is a
useful space, because this space here, does not have any use. But the moment I
enclose the space with four walls of a pot, then the space is useful as a dabba.
When you say a dabba is useful, you know what is useful. It is not dabba. This is
another brahma; dabba is never useful; it is a transferred-epithet; the utility is not
for the dabba; but the utility is for the enclosed space.
Similarly when you say that this hall is useful for the class; a hall is not useful for the
class; but the enclosed space is useful; the non-enclosed space is not useful; but
non-enclosed space is not non-existent; it is not useful. That is all.
Similarly here also, the body-mind enclosed consciousness is a functional- expressive

consciousness and the unenclosed consciousness is non-expressive, non-functional
consciousness, which is mistaken as what? Non-existent consciousness. Therefore,
Kumbē āmbaraṁ iva.
Page 619

How do you extend the sentence? Kumbē vilīyamānē āmbaraṁ na vilīyatē. That two
words you have to supply it here. When the pot disintegrates pot space does not
disintegrate. When the pot-like body disintegrates, the space-like consciousness
does not disintegrate. Svayaṁ. That itself does not disintegrate.
प्रकृ�त�वकृ�त�भन शद
ु ्धबोधस्वभ
सदस�ददमशेषं भासयिन्न�वर्शे |
�वलस�त परमात्म जाग्रदा�दष्वव -
स्वहमह�म� सा�ात्सा��रूप बद्ध
ु ||१३५||
prakr̥tivikr̥tibhinnaḥ śuddhabōdhasvabhāvaḥ
sadaśadidamaśēṣaṁ bhāsayannirviśēṣaḥ |
vilasati paramātmā jāgradādiṣvavasthā-
svahaṁahāmiti sākṣātsākṣirūpēṇa buddhēḥ ||135||
So in this verse also, Śankarācārya brings in the sākṣi nature of the ātma; because
this nature of the ātma is more important, because it is evident all the time. Because
every experience of Me proves the presence of consciousness as the witness. Every
experience of mine proves the consciousness as the witness, just as every
photograph proves the presence of the camera, even though I do not see the
camera in any particular picture. I never doubt the existence of camera; every
picture makes the camera evident. And when I say every experience, both external
experience as well as internal experience.
And this sākṣi svarūpam he is describing further. Look at the third line. Paramātma.
We will take that word first. Paramātma, this ātma, the supreme self, the real nature
is prakr̥ti vikr̥ti bhinnaḥ; each word is a very significant word. Prakr̥ti means cause,
kāraṇam. Vikr̥ti means effect, kāryam. Prakr̥ti = kāraṇam; vikr̥ti = kāryam. And
when we use the word kāraṇam, we mean the material cause. Prakr̥ti word is used
to convey the material cause, and the root material cause is called māya in the
śāstra; and therefore prakr̥ti can be taken as basic matter principle māya. You may
call it energy. Fundamental most form of matter is called prakr̥ti and vikr̥ti means
what all the evolutes of prakr̥ti; all the modifications of the prakr̥ti, the energy may
condense into atom; atom may further form molecule; molecules may further form
cell; cells may further form into human beings; and all the other chains; and all the
Page 620

later forms; modified versions are called vikr̥ti. And both the prakr̥ti and Vikr̥ti are
the stages or conditions of matter.
And what about consciousness? Under which category it will come? Prakr̥ti vikr̥ti
bhinnaḥ; it is neither the basic causal matter nor is it the effect-universe. Neither is it
the basic causal matter; nor it is the evolved-universe. Then what is it? He is going
to tell in the end. The witness, the illuminator of both of them. Because you should
remember prakr̥ti modified to become vikr̥ti. Energy modified to become matter.
Matter modified to become energy. Therefore prakr̥ti is also savikāraṁ; vikr̥ti is also
savikāraṁ. Consciousness is nirvikāraṁ. Therefore nirvikāra consciousness is
different from savikāra prakr̥ti and savikāra vikr̥ti.
And the same line can be looked from an individual standpoint also. At the individual
prakr̥ti is kāraṇam śarīraṁ. Vikr̥ti is sūkṣma and stūla śarīraṁ. Prakr̥ti is kāraṇa
śarīraṁ; vikr̥ti is stūla śarīraṁ. Prakr̥ti vikr̥ti bhinnaḥ means kāraṇa sūkṣma stūla
śarīra bhinnaḥ. It is neither cause nor effect. And from this also it becomes clear that
śāstra does not look upon consciousness as a product born out of matter. If
consciousness is seen as a product born out of matter, evolved a few billions years
ago; a biological evolution if it is; then Conciousness will come under what? Vikr̥ti.
Vikr̥ti what I said; it is a product. Consciousness will come under vikr̥ti, if it is taken
as a product of the brain. Śāstra does not look or present consciousness as prakr̥ti or
vikr̥ti. OK.
If it is neither cause nor effect, in short, if it is not matter; matter comes under
cause-effect; cause-effect continuum. If it is not cause or effect; that if it is not
matter; what is it? Śuddha bōdhaḥ svabhāvaḥ. It is of the nature of pure
consciousness.
And since it does not fall under matter, it is not subject to any laws of matter. It is
not subject to any laws of matter. Therefore, no scientific law, which are applicable
to matter can be applied to the consciousness. It is law-adidaḥ. Dēśa-adidaḥ. Kala-
adidaḥ. Therefore, science-adidhaḥ.
One scientist writes, consciousness can never be studied under what you call the
scientific theories or principles, because it does not subject itself to any one of these
laws and therefore it will remain permanent mystery in the field of science. Śudda
bōdhaḥ svabhāvaḥ.
Page 621

But what does it do? Sadasadidamaśēṣaṁ bhāsayan. It illumines the matter. It

illumines the matter; It is different from the matter. And it is illuminator of the
matter.
What type of matter? Sat asat. Sat means gross matter; very careful; because the
word sat we use in different meaning according to context. In some context, sat is
translated as pure existence; Sat cit ānandaḥ; there the sat means consciousness
itself. But here the word sat is translated as gross matter, because of the context.
And asat means subtle matter. Sat is mūrta prapañjaḥ, asat is amūrta prapañjaḥ,
and this definition is given in Brihadarnyaka Upaṇiṣad. There is a section called
mūrta amūrta Brāhmaṇam; there this word sat is used in the sense of mūrta
prapañja.
Dēvava Brahmanō rupe murtham ca amurtham ca; martyam ca amrutham

ca; sat ca tyam ca.
In this place, the word sat is used in the sense of mūrta prapañja. That meaning has
to be applied here. So this mūrta and amūrta prapañja, if you want to put in
scientific language; mūrta prapañja can be taken as matter; amūrta prapañja can be
taken as energy.
And if you are going to take at the individual level; mūrta prapañja can be taken as
stūla śarīraṁ; amūrta prapañja can be taken as sūkṣma kāraṇa śarīraṁ.
All these forms of matter, aśēṣaṁ, without any exception completely, bhāsayati;
bhāsayan; illumines. Again the word illumines must be within quotes. It is not an
action, born out of will or anything. In the presence of consciousness, they are
known. So bhāsayat. Nirviśēṣaḥ. It is absolutely feature-less. Viśēṣaḥ means guṇaḥ.
So nirviśēṣaḥ means nirguṇaḥ. Free from all attributes.
Again Brihadaranya based astūlam; analu; ahrsvam; adhirgham; asneham;

acchayaṁ; akamaḥ; ākāśahu; anākāśaḥ; anaagandham; arasam; acakṣu; asthoram;
avak; amanaḥ; athejasam; amanaḥ; ..amaatra; anantharam; abhāhyam; definition
of consciousness. Each 'aa' negates one one features. These are the common
Page 622

features we experience in the world. The upaṇiṣad takes each feature and says; this
is not; this is not; this is not.
And that is what is said here? Nirviśēṣaḥ, and such a paramātma vilasati. 35.48.
Because we will ask if it is utterly featureless, how do you know it exists? It may be
a big bluff. Or it may be the biggest imagination. There are some people who say
that. In the olden days Brahmins were known for everything. Brahmin baiting was
there before also. They did not have anything to do; and therefore the invented
some Brahman and when we ask for proof, they say that it is not available for any
pramāṇa.
So therefore here Śankarācārya says, it is one thing which proves everything; the
prover of everything does not require a proof. The prover of everything does not
require a proof. If the prover requires another prover, the another prover will require
another prover, another prover will require another prover; till 8 o'clock I will have to
say this and then say pūrṇamadaḥ. Therefore there must be one ultimate thing
which proves everything proving itself. There must be something ultimate which
proves itself and proves the others also; that self-proving other prover is called
consciousness. It is called svatasiddhaḥ. It is svaprākāśaḥ. So therefore that is called
vilasati. That paramātma shines self-evidently, shines self-provingly, shines without
requiring any proof; vilasati; svayaṁ prākāśate ityarthaḥ; vilasatē means svayaṁ
prākāśatē.
When Śankarācārya writes this; what is the vēda vākyam kept in mind.
न तत सूय� भा�त न चन्तारकं

तस् भासा सवर्�मद �वभा�त ॥ १५॥
tasya bhāsā sarvamidaṁ vibhāti || 15|| Kathopanisad.
So we chant the mantra and chanting this mantra is declaration of one's own shame.
It is the declaration of one's own shame. Indirectly this person says: I am ashamed
Page 623

to ask for the proof for consciousness because the very struggle to prove for
consciousness is because I am a conscious entity. The doubter can never be
doubted. The doubter can never be doubted.
Therefore this mantra is declaration of self-shame which is done during

Deeparadhana. Every time the priest does the deepāradhana, what are we trying to
do? we are trying to illumine the Lord in the garba graha; therefore what he says is:
Oh Lord! I am trying to illumine you with this miserable half camphor; even one
camphor is 1 cm square. That too is broken into four pieces, as it is required for 4
days' pūjā. Therefore with that half camphor Oh Lord, I am trying to illumine you;
while you are the consciousness because of which, the camphor, the camphor light,
the priest, the body, the whole world is illumined; recognised; proved. So this is a
declaration of self-ignorance or self-shame. So paramātma vilasati.
And when does the paramātma shine? Jāgrat ādhi avasthāsu. In all the states of
experiences; even when the time series change; from jāgrat to svapna, the very
time series has changed, because all the events of jāgrat take place in one time;
whereas all the events of svapna takes place in another time. I have told you
remember, in one 90 second dream; that is what they say; every dream lasts on a
average about 90 seconds only. In the 90 second; grandsons daughter and grand
sons are born to the dreamer. So getting married; getting grand children; and the
grand children disobeys and he hits him and he gets up. And he says that he is a
bachelor.
So the 90 seconds of the waker is years for the dreamer; which means jāgrat and
svapana, the time series is different and suṣupti, time is not there. Consciousness
illumines the arrival of time series one; it illumines the departure of time series one;
it illumines the arrival of time series two; it illumines the departure of that; and in
suṣupti, it illumines timelessness also. How can that consciousness be within any
time series?
The illuminator of all the time-series can never be within any time-series. Extend it
to space also. The dream space and waker space. Consciousness cannot be within
the dream space or waker's space; because the wakers' space appears and
disappears; dream space appears and disappears; consciousness illumines them.
And therefore jāgrat ādhiṣu;
Page 624

बाल्या�दष्व जाग्रदा�द तथा सवार्स्ववस्थास

व्यावृत्तास्वनुवतर्-ह�मत्यन् स्फुरन् सदा।
bālyādiṣvapi jāgradādiṣu tathā sarvāsvavasthāsvapi
vyāvr̥ttā svanu vartamāna mahāmityantaḥ sphurantaṁ sadā
The same idea is brought in here. Jāgrat ādhiṣu, jāgrat means waking; ādhi means
etc. Etc. means …... Avasthāsu; in the fourth line, sva is there; that should be
splitted to plus ah and this su should be connected with the previous line and you
should split as avasthāsu ahaṁ ahaṁ iti vilasati.
And how does the ātma shine in all these states? As I. I am aware of the external
world; I am aware of my mind; I am aware of all my emotions intimately. And I am
aware the blank mind also, in the form of: I am form of; I am aware of. I need not
say I am aware of it; the very fact that I am talking about it shows that I am aware
of it. If I start talking about the clip, it means what; I am aware of it. I need not of
it. I am the witness of the clip. In fact, I am the witness of whatever I talk about. I
talk about the world; I talk about the mind; I talk about the blankness of all of them.
Then it means I am aware of all of them. Therefore, I am the awarer. Therefore, I
am the experiencer. Therefore, I am the subject. This is the subject. The original
subject, the fundamental subject and in Saṁsr̥kt, the subject is translated by the
word, Ahaṁ. Ahaṁ Ahaṁ iti. As the very subject; as the very self, the consciousness
is available. And that is why it does not require a proof?
Any other student has come to the class or not, if I ask, you have to prove.
Therefore I have to ask whether this student has come or not, you will say I have
not seen. To say whether you have come to the class or not, you will not say that
Svāmiji wait, I will think and tell. You do not require even thinking or planning,
pratyakṣa, anumāna, or any instrument; you do not require any scope; microscope,
telescope; no scope is required. Ātma is not within the scope of any scope.
And even though you do not seek the proof, you do not doubt the existence. If there
is one thing, whose existence you never doubt, and at the same time whose proof
you never not ask for, that is one thing, you. And that You are the consciousness
principle. And therefore, ahaṁ ahaṁ iti vilasati, in the form of I, I, I, it shines.
And how? Sākṣāt. You have to connect each to the verb vilasati. So jāgradādhiṣu
avasthāsu vilasati. Ahaṁ ahaṁ iti vilasati. Then sākṣāt vilasati. It shines
Page 625

immediately. So here sākṣāt should be translated by a special word; this is a special

meaning. The special English word is immediately. And the special meaning is
without requiring any medium of instrument. So immediately means without
requiring any medium, medium means, eyes, ears, nose, tongue or skin; pratakṣya
pramāṇa is medium No.1. Otherwise you use what. Inference is another medium. Or
you use calculation. Thought is another medium.
Therefore you do not require any medium to prove. Even when the thought is not
there, the consciousness is evident as the illuminator of the thoughtless state of the
mind. And that is called sākṣāt vilasati. Shines immediately. The moment you say
that it requires a medium, then when the medium is absent; the consciousness
would not be evident. But that you cannot say, because, even when the medium is
absent, the consciousness is evident, because consciousness is the illuminator of the
very absence of the medium. Therefore even the thoughtlessness, senselessness;
wordlessness; isness. You can talk about only because of the consciousness.
Therefore sākṣāt vilasati.
And again, buddheḥ sākṣi rūpēṇa vilasati. It shines as the witness, as the illuminator
of the buddhi. Buddhi means what? mind. As the illuminator of the mind. Here the
problem is, that the mind itself is a separate entity from the brain, is never proved.
Science has to travel a long way because, sūkṣma śarīraṁ itself is not yet proved
scientifically. Because as far as science is concerned, mind is nothing but the
physical, gross, brain. But in the śāstra, mind is not the brain, because brain comes
under stūla śarīraṁ, the mind comes under sūkṣma śarīraṁ. Brain is tangible. Mind
is intangible. Brain perishes at the time of death. The mind does not perish at the
time of death. Even the intangible mind has not been proved or accepted by science.
So that means what? Even now sūkṣma śarīraṁ is under the investigation of the
science. Thereafter only you have to go to prove the kāraṇa śarīraṁ; thereafter you
have to go to prove the ātma.
And till the science proves the mind and kāraṇa śarīraṁ and ātma, we have to keep
the fingers crossed. You have to rely upon what? The śāstras alone. Therefore the
Śāstra says that buddheḥ sākṣi rūpēṇa bhāti. It shines.
�नय�मतमनसामुं त्व स्वमात्मानमात्

ययमह�म�त सा�ाद्�व� बु�द्धप्रसा |
Page 626

ज�नमरणतरं गापारसंसार�सन्धु
प्र भव कृताथ� ब्रह्मर संस्थ ||१३६||
niyamitamanasāmuṁ tvaṁ svamātmānamātman
yayaṁahāmiti sākṣādviddhi buddhiprasādāt |
janimaraṇataraṁgāpārasaṁsārasindhuṁ
pratara bhava kr̥tārthō brahmarūpēṇa saṁsthaḥ ||136||
So in this verse Śankarācārya concludes the ātma discussion. It started from 124,
which would be concluded in this particular slōka. And this ātma topic is the second
topic of the seven topic introduced in verse No. 49. Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi till it is finished
you have to remember 49 even if you do not remember the slōka No.49. Remember
49. Then you can have reference. Topic No.1 over is anātma. Topic No.2 getting
over is: ātma.
And in this concluding slōka, what Śankarācārya says is: knowing the ātma alone as
described in these verses. Knowing this ātma as described in these verses alone is
the way for freedom or to liberation. Ātma jñānaṁ ēva mōkṣa sādhanam.
And also, he presents some conditions for ātma jñānaṁ. Some preparatory steps or
qualifications for ātma jñānaṁ. Therefore the contents of this verse, ātma jñānaṁ
sādanam, ātma jñānaṁ, ātma jñānaṁ phalam. Jñāna sādana, jñāna, jñāna
phalam; all these three are condensed in this verse.
And this Śankarācārya presents as his advice to every human being, or at least his
advice to every mumukṣu, who wants freedom from saṁsāra. Therefore
Śankarācārya says tvam viddhi. If you to want to get freedom from the thraldom of
saṁsāra; better you realise. Know. Tvam viddhi. Tvam first line. viddhi second line.
And what should you know? Amuṁ tvam ātmanam. So this ātma which is your real
nature, which is the real You. Ātma means nature; or self; svaṁ ātma means the
real self; your own real nature. By using the word svaṁ ātmānaṁ, what
Śankarācārya indicates is the body is not your Self; it is like the shirt that you are
wearing. Vāsamsi jīrnāni yatha vihāya. Mind is not yourself; it is like the spectacles;
a medium that you use for perception or transaction; you are not the body; you are
not the mind; the real you amuṁ ātmānaṁ, the ātma of this description. This ātma
means; from 124 to 136 described ātma. Up to this slōka. This ātma you viddhi;
viddhi; viddhi means you better know.
Page 627

And how should you know? Sākṣāt viddhi. You should know sākṣāt. Sākṣāt means
what? Again aparōkṣathaya viddhi. It should be aparōkṣa jñānaṁ. That means ātma
should not be put in third person singular. Ātma should not be put in second person
singular. It should be seen as first person singular. You can never say I have an
ātma, which is eternal, immortal; and all those things. That is half baked jñānaṁ;
half-baked knowledge is ajñānaṁ. Therefore I am the ātma; I have a body; I have a
mind. It is not the other way around. I am the body, I have an ātma is parōkṣa
jñānaṁ. I am the ātma; I have a body is aparōkṣa jñānaṁ. This aparōkṣa jñānaṁ is
sākṣāt jñānaṁ.
More in the next class
Page 628

050. Verses 136 and 137
�नय�मतमनसामुंत्व स्वमात्मानमात्
ययमह�म�त सा�ाद्�व� बु�द्धप्रसा |
ज�नमरणतरं गापारसंसार�सन्धु
प्र भव कृताथ� ब्रह्मर संस्थ ||१३६||
niyamitamanasāmuṁ tvaṁ svamātmānamātman
yayaṁahāmiti sākṣādviddhi buddhiprasādāt |
janimaraṇataraṁgāpārasaṁsārasindhuṁ
pratara bhava kr̥tārthō brahmarūpēṇa saṁsthaḥ ||136||
Śankarācārya is concluding the topic of ātma in this verse by pointing out the benefit
of knowing the ātma. Ātma jñāna phalam he is talking about. And also the method
of gaining ātma jñānaṁ. So he says tvam svam ātmānam viddhi. May you know
your real self. Ātma means self. Tvam ātmānam means your own self; your real self.
In fact, we should not be using the word real self, because self is only one; but
because of our ignorance, we are mistaking the body as the self. now there are two
self; one is the false self or false-I; and since a false-I is existing, we have to talk
about real-I.
And what are the false-Is? Body is annamaya; prāṇamaya; manōmaya; is the false
self and therefore the teacher has to distinguish the Self as the real self and
therefore he adds the adjective Tvam ātmānam. Otherwise it is not required.
Therefore tvam ātmānam viddhi; May you know.
How should you know that ātma? Ayaṁ ahaṁ iti viddhi. Recognise this ātma as
ahaṁ asmi. This ātma I-am. This consciousness I am. This consciousness of
previous description; all the previous descriptions you should remember; it is free
from all the vikhārās; it is of the nature of caitanyaṁ; and especially in 135 a
beautiful description was given; it is beyond causal matter and it is beyond universe;
which illumines everything; all these descriptions you should remember and above
described consciousness I am. Ayaṁ Ahaṁ is within quotes iti viddhi; in this matter
you should know.
Page 629

And what type of knowledge it is? sākṣāt viddhi. In this manner you know the ātma
sākṣāt; means what; aparōkṣataya viddhi; you know this ātma aparōkṣataya. It is
difficult to translate the word aparōkṣa into English. Generally, the translation used
is: directly you know. So that is the nearest translation. It is a good translation. But
it can lead to misconceptions because when you use the word directly; normally
when I say directly, it is coming face to face. That is what is called directly. I should
see you right in front of me directly.
So if somebody talks about you, it is indirect knowledge. When you come to face to
face; it is direct knowledge. We have got such an orientation. When I say the word,
directly know the ātma; you get stuck there; you make meditation for coming face
to face with this ātma. And this person after 20 years of meditation will say: Svāmiji
I am able to make the mind blank; thereafter, ātma I am waiting for the ātma; and
it does not come at all.
Therefore, ‘direct’ in common parlance is an objective knowledge. Here direct means

as the very subject himself. And therefore we have imported another English word
to neutralise that problem; and that English word seems to be better; but that also
seems to have some people. And that English word is "immediately known". So
instead of using the word directly, which gave the idea of objectivity comes; we use
the word immediately with a specific significance.
Here also the word immediately generally means what; உடேன; suddenly; But here
we use the word immediately to convey the idea without requiring any medium. In
the other direct knowledge you are using what medium; eye is the medium. you
know the ātma without using any medium; because ātma does not require any
medium to know, because it is self effulgence. Therefore, pramaṇa
nairapekshithaya viddhi ityarthaha. So knowing aparōkṣathaya; direclty or
immediately. You use any word; but understand properly. We are not bothered
about the words; we are bothered about the knowledge. Understanding. So sākṣāt
viddhi.
And further how he should know? niyamita manasa viddhi. All description of
knowledge. Each condition is important. First condition is what? Know the ātma as
ahaṁ iti: Understand as yourself. naan cholli therinjukko. That is first condition. It is
repeatedly said; we should not say I have an immortal ātma; that is the biggest
mistake; I have an immortal ātma and that ātma is eternal all pervading; wonderful;
Page 630

nitya śuddha buddha mukta svabhāva. What about you if you ask: I am miserable.
My ātma is great. That is called parōkṣa jñānaṁ. When you do not use the word;
you use any other verb; other than "am"; it is called aparōkṣa jñānaṁ. Do not use
any verb; other than "am"; I am ātma; that is called aparōkṣa jñānaṁ. Not merely
verbalising: I am ātma; I am ātma; I am ātma; and whether it is enough to chant
this 108 times daily; do not ask; it is not for jaapa; I say it and I mean it. I say it
and it is a fact for me. That is the first condition. Ayaṁ ahaṁ viddhi.
Then the second is: sākṣāt viddhi. Know it immediately; aparōkṣataya.
Then the third point he wants to add is: niyamita manasa viddhi; with a mind which
is disciplined, which does not have any hang ups; which does not have any
complexes; which does not have any impurities; to use the psychological language;
it does not have any core issues; core problems. As long as the mind has got any
series emotional problems, which intellect is never free; the intellect is a hostage of
an emotionally disturbed mind. The intellect will be free to do its job only when the
emotional mind releases the intellect to do what it wants to do and that is why
values, etc. Religions becomes important, primarily to handle the emotional mind.
Many psychological issues can be solved by simple devotion; surrender; relationship
with a personal God; and therefore through devotion, through psychology; through
karma yōga; through values, we make the mind healthy.
And healthy mind will reveal the intellect to do its job; like a healthy child which is
enjoying itself will allow the mother to do her job. Suppose the child is cranky, the
most efficient mother cannot do any job; she would have to call parents from India.
Please take care of the child; so that I can concentrate on the work. Whatever it is.
Therefore, mind is like a baby. Intellect is like the mother. Mother-intellect can
function in the field of śravaṇa, manana, nidhidhyāsanam; the whole process is
intellectual. Śravaṇam is an intellectual process; where is there scope for emotional
there.
Therefore śravaṇa manana nidhidhyasana is an intellectual job can be done

properly only when an emotional mind does not interfere and therefore any
emotional problem, you have to handle through religion or psychology; it is required
and such a mind is called niyamita manaḥ; regulated mind; healthy mind; complex-
free mind; �ைற இல்லா மனஸ. When you have a deep �ைற, when we meet a
person who loves us, you start pouring down in tears before them. So if any time
Page 631

you meet a person whom you have not met; who is close to you; overwhelmes you;
that means that you have buried deep something. That has to be handled.
Therefore niyamita manasa; śuddha anthakaraṇēna viddhi. That is why vēdantic

students should be emotionally also sound. Some psychologist wrote it seems;
Dayanānanda Svāmiji says: he just studied; he came to India and studied all the
Sanyāsis and svāmis; and he said it seems: I find the Indian saints are most
psychologically sound and healthy and sober ones. This knowledge; let mōkṣa be
somewhere else; whether you get it or not is a different matter; this knowledge
makes your mind psychologically sound. Therefore, vēdānta requires psychological
health also and therefore get that. Śankarācārya does not say how to accomplish
that. Our answer is what: religion alone accomplishes that. I would not say alone;
religion is the best method.
I read an article in Readers' digest in one previous month; that a lady who has gone
through a lot of emotional problems in life; crisis; had broken her hip bone also; like
the saying ப்ட காலிேலேய ப�ம, ெகட் ��ேய ெக�ம; so many problems; she lost
her husband and so many other problems; she broke her hip bone also; and she
came to the doctor; and the doctor thought that she is a miserable lady and when
she interacted with the doctor, the doctor found that she is able to handle herself
properly, even though she has got worries; and she is not overwhelmed by sorrows;
she is able to keep her intellect sound and talk also. Then the doctor thought that
she is suppressing her sorrow and that is called denial; perhaps that may be the
problem; and he found that she was hospitalised for months together; and she was
treated; and he found that she continues to be same; and that she is not
overwhelmed by sorrow; and not only that; and she had a kidney failure also. Then
the doctor could not stand that and he asked her how she is able to manage. Then
she said I am not special or something. I am just a devote Christian who believes in
reading Bible regularly and surrendering to the Lord; and he was shocked to learn
that the religion can do so much; to not only the psychological health; and also the
curing becomes faster in the case of faithful people. And he then started studying
that phenomenon; and thereafterwards he did a statistical study and to read that
article is interesting. That statistical study and he also passed the message to his
colleagues also; and later they found that faithful people; their immune system is
more efficient than other people and if a non-religious people require 12 days; these
people require 4 days or 5 days to recover.
Page 632

Therefore religion improves psychological health. Not even psychological health;

even the immune system; biological health is better in the case of a person who has
faith in God. They may not know God is sr̥̄ṣṭi, stiti, laya kāraṇam; and jagada abinna
nimitta upādana kāraṇam; advesya, agrāhyam; agōthra; you do not have to quote
all that. Somebody is there somewhere. That is what somebody said: if there is no
God, better we invent one; have one. Therefore, religion is the best method of
maintaining emotional health. And especially our religion is wonderful because we
have got God to enjoy all types of personal relationship. God as father, God as
mother, God as friend, God as husband; all these things are there; because ideal
relationship can solve many of the psychological problem.
And therefore niyamitha manasa means by being a religious person; by surrendering

to Iṣṭa dēvatā; enjoy a sober, a calm mind. By following karma yōga, you can say.
So that is to take care of emotional issues.
But emotional health alone is not enough; because Vēdānta requires the deepest
thinking, because for us Mōkṣa is not shedding tears in devotion. Mōkṣa is ultimately
wisdom. What is the wisdom? Brahma satyam jagan mithya; jīvō brahmaiva na
paraḥ. The most difficult idea to; what you call; swallow. Everything vēdānta says is
difficult to assimilate. This tangible world, it says, it is unreal. Who can accept it?
And the eternally invisible Brahman it says: that is the only reality. Eyes do not see;
ears do not hear; that is real. All the time what I am experiencing, it says unreal.
And comes the final bombshell; that ultimate reality is You, it says, of all the people
in the world, that is the Brahman, I am. That is the final straw to negate Vēdānta.
To disbelieve Vēdānta. That is why there are many philosophers who says that it is a
sacrilege to say that. You? Bhagavān? Do not utter that way? If you say like that,
wash your mouth, they say. You should say that I am a humble, simple, daśa of the
Lord. Therefore, if I have to accept that, I require tremendous intellectual
conviction. Therefore, buddhi also has to be sound for a vēdantic student.
For other religions, you do not require buddhi. Not only you do not require; you
should not have buddhi; if you have problems; laughing; in two minutes those
religions would be dismissed, because what; they are wonderful religions, which are
consistently illogical. Sometimes by mistakes some can become logical; even that is
not possible.
Page 633

So therefore you require buddhi prasādaḥ. Second line -see. Not only require a
healthy mind, you require the grace of the intellect, which means a logical intellect;
a rational intellect; a thinking intellect; which has got the knowledge of pada-
vaachya pramāṇa jñānaṁ. It should know language, very well because, the learning
is the knowledge is gained through scriptural analysis and therefore language one
should know basically. Therefore it is called grammar knowledge.
Thereafter the next is how to analyse a sentence which is called mīmāṁsa. I have
told you before. To analyse a sentence, mīmāṁsa is required. And thereafterwards
tarka jñānaṁ; the capacity to logically think is called pramāṇa jñānaṁ. Pada jñānaṁ
is grammar; vāchya jñānaṁ is the capacity to analyse and interpret. The capacity to
interpret and then finally pramāṇa jñānaṁ means the capacity to logically think. All
these are faculties of what? Buddhi. And therefore with the help the grace of a
healthy intellect, and with the help of an emotionally sound mind, may you know the
Ātma. OK.
Where should I know the ātma? Where should I know the ātma? He says: ātmani.
ātmani means buddhau; in the intellect; you should gain the knowledge in the
intellect. Why it is so; because any knowledge, unfortunately or fortunately, takes
place in the intellect alone. Intellect is the locus of any knowledge; material or
spiritual. Physical body is not the locus of any knowledge. Stūla śarīraṁ is not the
locus of any knowledge. Kāraṇa śarīraṁ is not the locus of any knowledge; it is
embodiment of ajñānaṁ. Sukham ahām asvāstham kiñcit avediṣam. ātma can never
be the locus of any knowledge. So by elimination, stūla śarīraṁ is not the locus;
kāraṇa śarīraṁ is not the locus; ātma is not the locus. Then what can be the locus?
sūkṣma śarīraṁ; otherwise the buddhi alone can be the locus of any knowledge.
That is why we repeatedly say: self-knowledge requires buddhi intact. SELF-
KNOWLEDGE REQUIRES BUDDHI INTACT; BY TRANSCENDING THE BUDDHI; YOU
WILL NOT GET ANY KNOWLEDGE; BY STOPPING THE BUDDHI, YOU CANNOT GET
ANY KNOWLEDGE; that is why we say nirvikalpaka samādhi cannot produce any
knowledge because to remove the vikalpa or division, you have to resolve the
intellect; and how can any knowledge take place in nirvikalpaka samādhi. That is
why it is not considered a source or means of knowledge. We say that śāstra
śravaṇam is the means of knowledge and therefore buddhi is the locus of
knowledge.
Page 634

We have got one locus of knowledge. We have got several instruments of

knowledge. Instruments are many; locus is one. For example, eye is one instrument
of knowledge to know colors; and color-knowledge takes place where? In the
buddhi. Ear is another instrument. Locus is buddhi.
And the interesting thing is: buddhi itself serves as another instrument of knowledge
also; when you use logic; anumāna pramāṇam. And when you use anumāna
pramāṇam; anumāna pramāṇam means reasoning; there what is the instrument of
knowledge? Intellect; buddhi; or reasoning is the instrument of knowledge; and
even at that time, what is the locus of knowledge; buddhi alone.
Therefore, the sense organs are instruments of knowledge; buddhi itself is an

instrument of knowledge; śāstram is an instrument of knowledge. Thus we have got
different instruments of knowledge. We can divide into three; sense organs; intellect
and śāstram. But whatever be the instrument of knowledge, buddhi alone is what:
the locus of knowledge. And therefore, whenever śāstram negates buddhi; as
useless; yathō vācho nivartantē aprāpya manasa saḥ; yen manasa na manutē, etc.
in several places; śāstra dismisses buddhi; remember, whenever śāstra negates
buddhi; śāstra negates buddhi as an instrument of knowledge; but śāstra never
negates buddhi as a, what? Can you understand? As a locus of knowledge. If it says
that you cannot understand through buddhi means what? What we mistake is: that
buddhi is not necessary. When śāstra says that you cannot know through the
intellect, we think that intellect is not necessary; and therefore people say that you
do not waste time studying śāstra, etc. you have to go beyond the intellect, etc.
close the book first; this is the first advice!!. I tell you for Vēdānta śravaṇam see
how much opposition is there. So when śāstra says you cannot know through
buddhi; śāstra negates buddhi as an instrument of knowledge; but śāstra wants us
to retain the buddhi as the locus of knowledge. We should not change the locus. We
have to change the instrument. If buddhi is removed as an instrument; then what
should be the instrument used; śāstra pramaṇām should be the instrument. And
even when we use the śāstra pramāṇam as an instrument, where does the
knowledge takes place. Where should the knowledge take place? Even Bhagavān
cannot change the law. Ye yetha nirmithaa daatra, tathu, thathaiva. There is a
beautiful slōka; as Bhagavān has created; so alone things will function. Eyes do not
hear; ears do not see; that is the law; which even Bhagavān cannot change;
because that is what it is.
Page 635

Like that another universal law is what? Buddhi alone is the locus of knowledge and
therefore we have to retain the buddhi very much intact; for the analysis of the
śāstra; and know the ātma, where; ātmani; ātmani means antakaraṇē, buddhau;
one should get the knowledge. How? ahaṁ brahmātmi iti vrittyā! Through a special
thought form; and what is that thought form? ahaṁ brahma asmi. Iti viddhi. Up to
this is the method of knowledge. So with the sound intellect; with a sound mind,
may you know the ātma as I, directly. OK. Up to this is jñānaṁ.
Now jñāna phalam is going to be said. Brahmarūpēṇa saṁsthaḥ; by this knowledge

may you abide-as-Brahman. So saṁsthaḥ means what: may you 'abide-as-Brahman'.
Not 'abide-in-Brahman'. If you are going to 'abide-in-Brahman'; what will it mean?
Brahman is different; I am abider; and the Brahman is the locus; it will be split in
two. Therefore abide-in-Brahman; if at all there is such an expression; it should be
understood as what: abide-as-Brahman. That means all the time you remember:
पश्यञ्शृण्वन्स्पृशिञ्जघ्रन्नश्नन्गच ||५- ८||

प्रलपिन्वसृजन्गृह्णन्नुिन्मषिन् |
इिन्द्रयाणीिन्द्र वतर्न इ�त धारयन ् ||५- ९|| नैव �किञ्चत्करोमी |
paśyañ, śr̥ṇvan, spr̥śañ, jighrann, aśnan, gacchan, svapna, śvasan,

pralapan,visr̥jan,gr̥hṇann,unmiṣan,nimiṣann, api. indriyāṇīndriyārthēṣu
vartanta iti dhārayan; naiva kiñcitkarōmīti.
I am akarta abōkta; do not forget. So Brahmarūpēṇa saṁsthaḥ bhava. OK.
Then what will I get. Therefore kr̥tārthaḥ bhava. kr̥tārthaḥ means you can
understand. Be totally fulfilled. Be totally satisfied. I am OK. World is OK. Everything
is OK. �ெற ஒன்� இல்ை. That is called total satisfaction; because otherwise I am
OK; the world is not OK. The world OK; I am not OK; or both are not OK; everything
is OK is kr̥tārtatvam; arthaḥ means puruṣārtaḥ. kr̥tārthaḥ means accomplished.
kr̥tārthaḥ means krita puruṣārtharḥ; be one who has accomplished all the four
puruṣārthās. Otherwise, we will say, I got mōkṣa but not money. Someone told me
like that. He said: Svāmiji, my jātakaṁ is like that. I will get even Mōkṣa but not
money; very learned person; somehow my rāśi; somehow people do not recognise;
associated with so many institutions; in one institution they give me Rs.120. He is
equal to 100 phds. Tarka Śāstra; vyakāraṇa Śāstra; this commentary; that
commentary; great Paṇḍit; but somehow like that. I was just talking to him. And I
Page 636

was also feeling that. He said my jātakaṁ is also like that. He is a great astrologer
also. I have seen my jātakaṁ; 9 girls; he is just marrying off one one girl; when is
he going to see money? Already over 70. Therefore he says my jātakaṁ is like that.
Mōkṣa I may get, but not money. Like that one may say: that I have got mōkṣa
puruṣārtaḥ; but not other puruṣārthās; if someone says: he has not understood
what is mōkṣa puruṣārtaḥ. Mōkṣa puruṣārtaḥ is that which includes all the
puruṣārthās. What slōka?
यावानथर उदपाने सवर्त सम्प्लुतोद |

तावान्सव�ष वेदेषु ब्राह्म �वजानतः ||२- ४६||
yāvānartha udapānē sarvataḥ samplutōdakē |
tāvānsarvēṣu vēdēṣu brāhmaṇasya vijānataḥ ||2- 46||
Once I get mōkṣa, I may say there is no money; I will never say I am poor. There is
no money is not saṁsāra or banda. What is banda? I am poor is saṁsāra. So
therefore connecting that to that; otherwise what will happen.
If this knowledge is not there; as Svāmiji again beautifully says: previously he was
poor, without money; now he is poor with money. Poverty is not in the possessions.
Poverty is in the mind. Richness is in the mind. You can be poor with million dollars;
you can be rich with one rupee.
मल
ू ं तरो: के वलमाश्रयन पा�णद्वय भोक्तुममत्रय ।
कन्थािप िस्त्र कुत्स्यन कौपीनवन्त खलु भाग्यवन् ॥ २ ॥
mūlaṁ tarō: kēvalamāśrayantaḥ pāṇidvayē bhōktumamatrayantaḥ |
kanthāpti strimiva kutsyantaḥ kaupīnavantaḥ khalu bhāgyavantaḥ || 2 ||
Śankarācārya says this fellow has only a kaupīnam, sitting under a tree; where next
bikṣa comes he himself does not know; and you ask him he says that I am the
richest man in the world.
Therefore richness and poverty has nothing to do with your possession and
therefore something to do with how you know or look at yourselves. Therefore
kr̥tārthaḥ means I am fulfilled; I am the richest person in the world, with money;
without money; with house or without house, with a huge āsrama or without any
āsrama. With hundreds of disciples or without any disciples.
Page 637

Therefore kr̥tārthō bhava; kr̥takrithyō bhava; and by way of that, saṁsārasindhuṁ

pratara; may you cross the ocean of saṁsāra. Saṁsāra can be defined in many
ways; this internal bankruptcy also can be called saṁsāra. This internal poverty can
be called saṁsāra or Śankarācārya is going to define differently. Jani marana
taranga apara saṁsāra sindhuṁ; the ocean of saṁsāra; which has got the waves of
births and deaths. The ocean of saṁsāra which has got the waves of births and
deaths. Jani means janma, maraṇa means death; taraṅga means waves.
And not only it is the ocean of saṁsāra with the waves of births and deaths; it is
also apāraḥ; pāraḥ means limit; shore; apāraḥ means limitless or shoreless; this
infinite saṁsāra because the saṁsāra does not leave wherever you go. Because it is
inside.
Like that person who was getting noise from the ears. He thought that it is coming
from some plug point in the house; he thought it is coming from the amplifier and
went there and it is coming there also. He went to Badrinath and the sound is still
coming; same in Kailas also; he went to Brahma lōkaḥ, the noise continues.
Thereafterwards he understood that there is some problem in the ears and went to
the ENT.
Similarly, saṁsāra noise, not because of wife or husband; saṁsāra noise is not
because of your failing factory; saṁsāra is not because of the miserable
government; saṁsāra is inside. Therefore go to
अ�ान�त�मरान्धस �ानाञ्ज शलाकया । च�ुरुन्मी�ल येन तस्म श्रीगुर नमः ॥

ajñānatimirāndhasya jñānāñjana śalākayā | cakṣurunmīlitaṁ yēna tasmai
śrīguravē namaḥ ||
Here who is the ENT? Guru is the ENT specialist. Therefore, cross the ocean of
saṁsāra; shoreless ocean of saṁsāra; which has got the huge waves; sunāmis; is
the type of waves; which is caused in the ocean by underground earthquake under
the ocean and all; where the waves will be 30 feet; 50 feet and even 80 feet and all
will happen. Thus we have got the sunāmis of births and deaths repeatedly
occurring; may you cross. This is the jñāna phalam.
Page 638

अत्रानात्मन्यह म�तबर्न एषोऽस् पुंसः

प्राप्तोऽ�ानाज्जननमरणक्लेशसंपात |
येनैवायं वपु�रदमसत्सत्य�मत्यात्मबु
पुष्यत्यु�त्य �वषयैस्तन्तु� कोशकृद्वत ||१३७||
atrānātmanyahaṁiti matirbanda ēṣō:'sya puṁsaḥ
prāptō:'jñānājjananamaraṇaklēśasaṁpātahētuḥ |
yēnaivāyaṁ vapuridamasatsatyamityātmabuddhyā
puṣyatyukṣatyavati viṣayaistantubhiḥ kōśakr̥dvat ||137||
So with the previous slōka, the ātma topic is over, which started from verse No.124.
So 72 to 123 anātma; 124 to 136 ātma. Therefore he has covered two topics;
anātma and ātma; of how many topics totally; seven topics; verse no.49; great.
Just for reference. Not pass mark; just for reference it will be easier. That is why.
Now Śankarācārya is entering the third topic; and that is Kō Nāma bandaḥ; what is
bondage. In fact this was the first question. Kō nāma bandhaḥ kathamēṣa āgataḥ,
kathaṁ pratiṣṭhāsya kathaṁ vimōkṣaḥ. So when Svāmi Chinmayānanda used to
teach us; he used to tell whichever slōka is important, you have to get byheart.
There is 10 meditation verses. These 10 verses are important. You have got one
day. Tomorrow I will ask any one of you to come and repeat. Kida Kida. Svāmiji
would do anything. He used to be very very strict and disciplinarian person.
Therefore we studied this Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi in Uttarakāśi. 40 days course, which we
are doing here for years together. 40 days intense course. Per 3 classes or 4 classes.
And we have to attend the class, write notes and we have to study the 10 verse. In
Uttarakāśi and all; who enjoys the Gaṅgā and all; Walking up and down; jaati neeti
kula gōthra doorakam; byeheart. And everybody was worried who he will call; and
he had an American Student; so some of the Brahmachāris hid behind him; some of
the students thought of writing the 10 verses and sticking on the back of the front
person; just lot of fun also. And then the day came; and everybody was jittery; and
Svāmiji has got the characteristic style of closing he said: I saw all of you taking it
seriously and studying; that is what I wanted; I do not want to call any one of you
and then conducted the class. When he said that everyone heaved a sigh of relief.
Therefore if I ask you to study No.49 slōka byeheart; I also conducted; one
examination I will do in the Camp; I used to do; last day would be exam. Then one
lady came and told; Svāmiji the previous night I could not sleep; but I was studying
all the time. Another lady said I was going to bathroom often. I said not necessary. I
Page 639

am taking them to the camp for enjoyment. If I am going to give you tension; I
would not keep any examination; Important; therefore 49 slōka remember. Like
that; 137 and 138 two slōkās; only two slōkās; definition of bandaḥ.
And what is bandaḥ? Here Śankarācārya is going to define Banda as taking the body
as myself. Dēha abhīmānaḥ; in simple language, dēha abhīmānaḥ bandaḥ; mistaking
the body as ātma; or the body, all the three bodies you can take; mistaking the
body-mind-complex as ātma; or mistaking the anātma as ātma is bondage. And this
erroneous perception or mistake is technically called in Vēdānta as adhyāsaḥ. Any
error is called adhyāsaḥ; otherwise called adhyāropaḥ otherwise called bhrānthiḥ; or
otherwise called viparyayaha; so many words are there; but the most popular often
used word is adhyāsaḥ.
In fact Śankarācārya in his introduction to Brahma Sūtra starts with adhyāsa

bhāṣyam only. He establishes that all our problems are because of a fundamental
self error. And as long as we do not correct the error, it will go everywhere. Like in
computer, there is one fundamental thing; everywhere that error will be carried.
Similarly, the fundamental self-error is to going to affect everything because I am
involved in all my activities; in all my activities who is involved? I am involved; I am
the common factor.
Since I am involved in all my activities; as long as there is an error with regard to

me; it will be carried to my family life; the company life; the social life; even
religious life will create a problem. Religion becomes fear. For many people religion
is fear. Everywhere it will be carried. Therefore vēdānta says self-error; self-error
means what? An error with regard to the self called adhyāsa is called bondage.
And how is the error caused? Any error is caused because of ignorance. Any error is
caused because of ignorance. And therefore, ignorance caused error is bandaḥ. This
is the definition. Ignorance-caused error. The error caused by ignorance is the cause
of bondage; which manifests in the form of either rāga or dvēṣa.
And that is why in Vēdānta we give two examples, one is rope-snake example;
another is shell-silver example. Rope-snake example is for one--type of error; which
is caused by what? Ignorance of rope. Rope ignorance causes the error of snake
perception; and this error is called rope-snake error. Error No.1.
Page 640

And another example given is: when on the beach, the shell is not clearly seen as a
shell, and because of the sunlight, the shell shines and it is mistaken as a silver coin;
in olden days coin; now no one has value for the coins; silver coin. This is error
No.2. This is also because of ignorance. This is called shell-silver error. Both are
errors. Both are caused by ignorance. One by rope-ignorance another by shell-
ignorance. Why we give two examples. One is an example to show error causing
dvēṣa. Rope-snake creates what? Hatred in me; or nivr̥tti; nivr̥tti means what;
running away. One makes me run away. Shell-silver is the second error which makes
me run after; run towards, which is called pravr̥tti. So nivr̥tti-causing error. Pravr̥tti-
causing error. Running away or running after. And this is saṁsāra. What are we
doing now? Always? Either running away or running after. What is common?
Running is common.
So therefore, this endless knocking about, the endless running either away or after;
this is called saṁsāra; both are caused by rāga-dvēṣa; both are caused by errors.
Two types of errors; are both errors are caused by ignorance. Therefore, attack
ignorance; or else you will always be running. Ignorance goes; remember Puri. The
puri will be knocking about in the oil; as long as it is flat; as even it expands and
becomes pūrṇam; ātmanēva ātmanatuṣtaḥ; no running. That is why I said poori is
shortened form of pūrṇam.
So therefore atrānātmanyahamiti; ajñānāt prāptaḥ; because of ignorance, there is

the notion; matirḥ; means notion; erroneous notion; here matirḥ means erroneous
notion. What erroneous notion; anātmani ahaṁ iti. I notion in the body. Dēha
abhīmāna; So the I-notion in the body, because of what? Ajñānāt; because of
ignorance. Prāptaḥ; Pra Prāptaḥ exists for everyone. There is. Prāptaḥ means there
is. Everyone there is the notion, there is the I-notion in the body; because of
ignorance. For everyone, there is I-notion in the body, because of ignorance.
Then what is the fact. If I-notion in the body is erroneous notion; then what is the
right-notion. I-notion must be in the ātma. What type of ātma? Na jāyaye mrityate
va kadachit. Nāyaṁ bhutva. I am eternal; I am all pervading; I am jagat
adhiṣtānam; I am neither cause nor effect.
Therefore, dehātmabuddhi; otherwise called adhyāsa; otherwise dēha abhīmāna

exists for everyone because of ignorance. And he says, yēṣaḥ bandaḥ asya puṁsaḥ;
this notion is the bondage for this human being; this notion; yēṣaḥ; yēṣaḥ; this
Page 641

notion; what notion? Anātmani ahaṁ iti mathir; I am this body; I am this years old;
I am the son of so and so; I am the father of; son of this person; and I do not know
how long I will live; After me, how will be children fare; that also. While they are
waiting for me to go; I am worrying about them. This is called typical saṁsāra.
Therefore ahaṁ iti mathir; yēṣaḥ bandaḥ asya puṁsaḥ;
This is the bondage for the human being. And what does it do? What does the
bondage do? janana marana maraṇaklēśasaṁpātahētuḥ; this bondage or this notion
is the cause of varieties of pains in life; klēśaḥ means varieties of worries; early
morning it starts when you get up. That is what somebody said: Why the first month
is called January. Jananaam worry January. So right from the first month what
starts; jana worry. Therefore right from the first day of the month, worry starts; and
till the last day worry, worry, worry, which is called klēśaḥ; And what are the basic
worries? janana marana. The birth and death and the inbetween endless worries;
klēśaḥ saṁpāta; arrival; occurrence. So this notion is the cause for the arrival of
heaps of worries of births and deaths; old age, disease; association; disassociation;
kama krōdhaḥ lobhaḥ mōha; everything you can extend. It is the cause.
Because of this what all this it does? One error causes how many problems. He says;
yēna ayaṁ itaṁ vapuḥ puṣyaty. Ena, because of this dehātma buddhi; he pampers
body constantly; he nourishes the body continuously; he is concerned about the
body; puṣyaty; all the time, looking at the body; tending it; feeding it carefully, etc.
snowing it. So therefore putting all kinds of perfumes and what all things for
females; beauty parlous; for males also. Therefore books and books are written for
eye care alone; nose care alone; skin care alone; teeth alone; so part by part; he
wants to very very carefully care; which gives lot of scares.
So therefore, very careful; vēdānta does not say neglect the body. Very careful. We
should never misunderstand these verses. Vēdānta never says that. Or else, he will
stop even taking the bath.Whether it is a problem for you or not; for others it will be
a problem. You know. So therefore, vēdānta does not stop by just bathing and
washing the teeth. Body has to be cared; but obsession with the body. Pampering of
the body; physical indulgence will happen. That should not happen.
More in the next class. Hari Om.
Page 642

051. Verses 137 to 139

Om
After talking the ātma and anātma elaborately, now Śankarācārya has taken the
topic of bandaḥ. What is bondage? Kō nāma bandhaḥ kathamēṣa āgataḥ, kathaṁ
pratiṣṭhāsya kathaṁ vimōkṣaḥ.
So the first question is: kō nāma bandhaḥ; what is bondage? Here he says the
bondage is mistaking the body as oneself; as oneself; instead of taking myself to be
the ātma. And anātma is an incidental attribute upon me; it is only an incidental
superimposition on me; instead of taking like this; I take the anātma or the body as
myself and any mistake is born out of ignorance only. Therefore ignorance based
self-error is bondage. This the definition Śankarācārya gives. Ignorance-based or
ignorance-caused self-error or self-mistake is bandaḥ; is bondage.
And when we say self-mistake; it means the mistake with regard to the self. Both
are there. Self-mistake if you say, the mistake committed by oneself and the mistake
committed with regard to oneself. So I am the committer of the mistake and I am
the object of the mistake also. So in self-mistake; both are there; the subject also is
the self; and the object of mistake also is myself. This self-mistake is bandaḥ. Look
at the slōka.
Ajñānāt anātmani ahaṁ iti prāptaḥ. Because of ignorance, anātmani, in the anātma,
the body-mind-complex, ahaṁ iti matiḥ; there arises the notion of I; self-notion. So
the notion that anātma is myself arises; arises understood; matiḥ bhavati. Here
matiḥ means notion; normally the literal meaning of the matiḥ is mind. வ�திைய
மதியால ெவல்லலா. There matiḥ; the instrument called intellect. In this context,
mati means a thought arises in the intellect; a pratayaḥ; a notion; a vr̥tti is called
matiḥ. So ahaṁ iti matiḥ means ahaṁ iti pratyaya. Ahaṁ iti brānthi. This motion
arises in the mind; and yeṣaḥ asya puṁsaḥ bandaḥ; this basic self-error; Dayānanda
Svāmiji calls it self-conclusion. A self-conclusion; without any enquiry. Normally a
person makes a conclusion; after going through sufficient enquiry; and after
elaborate enquiry; they make wrong conclusions; that is another kind of mistake.
But in this case of an ordinary human being; there is a self-conclusion without

making any enquiry. Because we have taken for granted that I am a human being
Page 643

consisting of this material physical body which we are never ready to question. We
will make an enquiry into an atom; and we will make an enquiry into the stars; we
are ready to make an enquiry with regard to everything; except one; what is that:
who is the enquirer?
And since we never make an enquiry; the wrong conclusion is well-protected. All
other wrong conclusions can go one day or the other; but the self-confusion never
goes; because the self-enquiry is never made.
That is why Śankarācārya was mourning in his Bhaja Gōvindaṁ; कस्त् कोऽहं कुत
आयातः का मे जननी को मे तातः | kastvaṁ kō:'haṁ kuta āyātaḥ kā mē jananī kō mē

tātaḥ; who makes this enquiry? No one makes; and why, because it is taken for
granted conclusion. So therefore yeṣaḥ; this self-mistake is asya puṁsaḥ bandaḥ;
this is called bondage for a person.
And because of this, what happens? What is the consequence of this bondage?
Janana marana klēśasaṁpātahētuḥ; because of this self-error; this person is subject
to all kinds of klēśa. Klēśa means what: pains, troubles, problems; like what: janana,
marana. Janana means birth; marana means death; in between all conditions,
saṁpātahētuḥ; it is the cause of occurrence; saṁpātah means occurrence.
And here because of the error old age does not come. The old age does not come
because of error. Then why do we say that; the error causes janana marana etc.
Very very subtle thing. I-the-ātma am is the janana-maraṇa rahitaḥ. The ātma is
free from janma marana; body is ever subject to janma marana; ātma is ever
immortal; body is ever mortal; we cannot mortalise the ātma; we cannot immortalise
the body.
Then how do you say, that error is the cause of mortality. The error is the hētuḥ;
janana marana hētuḥ; how do you say? The idea is: when I have the error; I claim
the mortality of the body to myself. When I am identified with the body, I claim the
mortality to myself; because according to me, I am the body. Therefore dēhē puṣtē,
ahaṁ puṣataḥ; dēhē naṣtē, ahaṁ naṣṭaḥ; dēhē vriddhe; ahaṁ vr̥ddaḥ; whatever be
the conditions; they are the conditions. So the error does not make me mortal; error
makes me claim the mortality of the body. And I go on declaring I am mortal; I am
mortal. Therefore, error is not the cause of mortality. Error is the cause of the notion
Page 644

of mortality. Very subtle difference. Error is not the cause of mortality. Error is the
cause of the notion that I am mortal. Why does the notion come, because I take the
body to be myself, and therefore body's mortality becomes my mortality. Whereas in
the case of a wise person, the error is not there, I am mortal notion is not there. I
am mortal notion is not there; even though jñāni recognises the fact that body is
mortal; jñāni's body is mortal or immortal? Any doubt: if jñāni's body is immortal; all
Śankarācārya's Sureshvarācārya's Vyāsa etc. would be here and you would not
attend my classes! Śankarācārya's classes you will go. Why would I teach his
Bāṣyam? So therefore even jñāni's body is mortal. So when we say Śankarācārya or
jñāni is immortal; what does it mean? Jñāni does not claim the mortality of the body
as his mortality. He claims:

Therefore error is the cause of mortality is equal to error is the cause of the notion
of mortality. And the beauty is: beauty or ugliness I do not know. The notion of
mortality is as problematic as mortality itself. You cannot say that it is just a notion.
The notion of mortality can create as much problem as real mortality; just as the
notion of snake; the notion of snake can cause as much fear as the real snake.
Therefore fear does not require a real snake; fear requires only a notional snake.
Similarly, saṁsāra does not require actual mortality; notional mortality is sufficient to
cause saṁsāra and it has caused saṁsāra very well. Why caused? It still is causing
saṁsāra for many people. Therefore he says: janana marana klēśasaṁpātahētuḥ;
what: this error. Error is the subject of the sentence. This error is the cause of all
these problems. And because of that, what all things he does? ayaṁ idam asat
vapuḥ; satyam iti buddhya; he commits two mistakes.
The first mistake is he takes the mithya śarīraṁ as satyam. Asat vapuḥ means
mithya śarīraṁ; perishable śarīraṁ. So he mistakes the mithya śarīraṁ as satya
Page 645

śarīraṁ; like taking the mithya notional snake as real snake. Remember when the
person sees the notional snake; all the other people know that it is notional snake;
but this person who is committing the mistake; he does not know that it is notional
snake; for him it is national snake; for him it is the real snake. Similarly, here also,
Asat vapuḥ satyam iti buddhya; he takes the unreal as real; that is mistake no.1
And the second mistake is ātma buddhya; he takes the objective body as the
subject. This is the second mistake. Taking the unreal as real is mistake No.1; and
taking the anātma as ātma; taking the non-self as the Self; taking the object as the
subject is the second mistake. The mistake of identification. Like watching a movie
or a drama, and I identify with the hero; and gradually I get tanmayata; in Tamil
also they use; தன்மயமா ேபாகிற�; tanmayatvam means அவனாகேவ அகிற�. Once I
totally identify with that person; in Saṁsr̥kt it is called dharmi adhyāsaḥ; and once
the total identification takes place, his problem will become what? No more his
problem. His problem becomes my problems; it is called dharmi-adhyāsaḥ.
Substance superimposition or identification leads to attribute-identification. And
when in the drama he has lost his wife and crying; he thinks the wife nearby; this
observer also cries; until the wife reminds that I am here, which is called tādātmya-
adhyāsaḥ; and samparka-adhyāsaḥ; substance-identification and attribute-
identification; dharmi-adhyāsa and dharma-adhyāsa. With regard to body also; there
is identification called ātma buddhiḥ.
So yēnaiva, yēna means because of the mistake; because of the error, ayaṁ, ayaṁ
means this ignorant person; there are so many pronouns here; so ayaṁ puruṣaḥ;
this ignorant man; idaṁ asat vapuḥ; this unreal body; satyam iti; takes as real; and
ātma buddhya; here also buddhi means notion; and he has the notion that the body
is myself; and thereafterwards; once I take the body as myself; then I have to take
care of the body very carefully.
And one basic urge is I want to be immortal. One basic urge of every human being;
why human being? Every living being, struggle for survival. This is the natural urge
because our real nature is the immortal ātma. In fact, whenever there is a natural
urge; we can conclude that is our nature. So Dayānanda svāmi always says that:
when a person is happy; we never question, why are you happy; what happened to
you; what mistake did you do; of all the people why should you be happy; we do not
console. We do not send message of condolence or anything; whereas when a
person is unhappy; not only we try to reject; the other people also enquire. So the
Page 646

very fact that I naturally try to reject unhappiness indicate that unhappiness is
foreign to me. Just as the body rejects any foreign matter; naturally, every human
being rejects unhappiness naturally. From that it is clear that unhappiness is foreign
matter. And happiness we never reject naturally. Therefore happiness is intrinsic
native. No more quarrel.
And therefore since I am immortal by nature, I want to have this immortality; but
now I have mistaken this body as myself; and I want to be immortal; therefore what
do I do; I struggle to immortalise this body. Because I take the body to be myself
and I want to be immortal; I struggle to immortalise the body.
For that what all things to be done; what all things to be done? So as Śankarācārya
said; उदर�न�मत्त बहुकृतवेषः udaranimittaṁ bahukr̥tavēṣaḥ; right from education onwards,
who wants to get educated for inner growth? The very basis of education is what
will give me more money and if not possible in India, at least abroad? So for 5 figure
salary if I can get, I am ready to sacrifice everything. Everything means I am ready
to sacrifice everything, the country, the parents, the scriptures, the religion; every
blessed things, just because I get money, and why do I want money; so that I can
puṣyati.
See Śankarācārya telling it correctly. Puṣyati. Puṣyati. Nourishes the body. Just he
takes care of the body and nourishes the body and there are beauty parlors all over;
previously for ladies only; now for gents also; they also want to be equal to ladies;
whether these men will leave anything unturned when the ladies wants to be equal
to them? Therefore I just want to take care of eye care, skin care, lip care, eye-lip
care, face care, hair care; all kinds of cares; you know. So puṣyati; ukṣatyavati;
ukṣatyavati means he uses all types of perfumes and anointments and in those days
it was chandan and kumkum Now all kinds of lotions are available; all because of
notion; notion leading to lotion. So therefore ukṣati; means sprinkles the body
with rose water; jasmin water; you know better; all kinds of things; ukṣati;
And next one is avati; preserves the body very carefully. Preserves the body thorugh
what; viṣayai; through varieties of things, sense objects; he nourishes the body.
Extra vitamin tablets; this tablet; that tablet; etc. There are many people not
satisfied with the regular food; in our food enough vitamins are not there; E less; B
less; C less; D less; they want to add them regularly by prescription or otherwise;
regularly eating all kinds of tablets; why because preserve the body. And in spite of
Page 647

all the effort, the body miserably fail. And in the right age, whatever you do, comes
the knee pain; back pain, etc. Anything will come. Never can be it done.
Viṣayaiḥ. And Śankarācārya gives an example; tantubhiḥ kōśakr̥d; beautiful example,

like the silk worm; putting a cocoon around itself; shell; the silk worm; makes or
creates a cocoon or shell around itself; and because of the very silk or the cocoon;
the silk worm is put in hot water; they say, making the silk, if you know; it is made,
no sensitive human being will ever wear silk, if he knows how it is made. I do not
know; this is what they say. In very very hot water; they put the cocoon; which
destroys the worm; mahā ahiṁsā they take; and because of what? Because of the
very silk it created; the very silk it produces becomes the cause of its own
destruction.
Similarly the human being, identifies with the body; and builds up everything and
that itself becomes the cause of his own suffering. It is self-inflicted injury. Silk
worm example is given to show self-inflicted injury.
Similarly Śankarācārya says: our entire saṁsāra is self-inflicted. That is why

Bhagavān will laugh whenever the human beings cries to the Lord: Oh! why are you
giving this problem; that problem; cant you open the eyes and see me; does not
my cries reach your ears; all kinds of songs are there; when the human beings cries
and blames the Lord; the Lord will be smiling. In fact, I want to compose some
songs: What will be the Lord's reply? Laughs. Bhagavān will say: did I not warn you?
did I not give you Vēdānta; did I not teach you Self-knowledge; all that you keep
aside; all that vēdānta I shouted repeatedly, did it not fall in your ears? If Bhagavān
should sing some song. Therefore Bhagavān is not at all responsible for our
saṁsāra. The whole saṁsāra is self-ignorance perpetuated; produces kartr̥tvam;
kartr̥tvam creates bhōktr̥tvam; bhōktr̥tvam is saṁsāra.
That is why Dayananada Svāmi gave a series of talks titled: Problem is You: Solution
is You. Therefore we are like what? silkworm in hot water. Everyone of us is a silk
worm in hot water. At least we are surviving.
kōśakr̥d means silk work; tantu means the silk thread. Just as the silk word is bound
by the silk thread.
Page 648

अतिस्मंस्तद्बु प्रभव �वमूढस् तमसा

�ववेकाभावाद्व स्फुर� भुजगे रज्जु�धषण |
ततोऽनथर्व्र �नपत�त समादातुर�धकः
ततो योऽसद्ग्र स �ह भव�त बन्ध शण
ृ ु सखे ||१३८||
atasmiṁstadbuddhiḥ prabhāva ti vimūḍhasya tamasā
vivēkābhāvādvai sphurati bhujagē rajjudhiṣaṇā |
tatō:'narthavrātō nipatati samādāturadhikaḥ
tatō yō:'sadgrāhaḥ sa hi bhavati bandaḥ śr̥ṇu sakhē ||138||
So the same topic of bondage is continued. He clarifies a little bit more through
another example. And here he address all the students: sakhē; Oh friends; I am not
misleading you through a wrong teaching, because you are my friend; I am a well-
wisher; I do not have any axe to grind; if you are going to reject my suggestion; I
am not going to be loser; you are going to be the loser.
These are all to create śraddha in the śāstra; because we should never take an anti-
śāstra view. Whole-time the approach is trying to cooperate with the śāstra and
trying to assimilate what śāstra wants to convey.
And even if it is not acceptable to me; instead of rejecting the śāstra; I have to re-
question my understanding and again try to read the śāstra elsewhere; which is not
clear and the more approach the śāstra; with cooperation; with maximum
cooperation, you will find, it will be thoroughly convincing. It is so thoroughly
convincing is the śāstrik teaching.
Therefore Śankarācārya says: do not leave me and go; do not reject me and go; you
are the loser; I am not the loser; he sakhe; oh friend; listen well; listen carefully;
repeatedly listen; he sakhe srunu.
What should you listen to? Ignorance caused error is the problem. This is the
essence again. He gives an example. atasmiṁstadbuddhiḥ prabhavati; so tad
buddhiḥ means perception of one object; here also the word buddhiḥ does not mean
intellect; it means perception; notion; cognition is called buddhiḥ.
Where? Atasmin; upon another object. So perception of one object on another

object; like what; perception of snake on rope; perception of silver on the shell; this
Page 649

is perceiving one object on another. It is popularly phrased as asatminstadbuddhi. It

is a well-known vēdantic idiom. atasmin tadbuddhiḥ; very difficult to translate into
English. If you want to translate into English; perception of that on non-that; non-
that means what? Can you understand; அ� அல்லாததி, அைத பார்ப்; so aa tat;
means that; aa tad; not that; seeing that in non-that. Therefore in English we will
put: perception of one object on another object; prabhāvati; arises. So this in
simple language is called error. Perception of one object on another object is error.
So error arises for whom? Vimūḍhasya; for a person who is deluded by tamasā; by
ignorance. So error arises for a person who is clouded by tamō guṇa; tamas is
another word for ajñānaṁ.
Why do we say so? Whenever there is error behind every error, there is ignorance.
That is the first thing. Behind every error there is ignorance. Without ignorance error
can never arise. And what type of ignorance? It is not total ignorance; but partial
ignorance. In total ignorance no error will take place; I have repeatedly told you
this. Total ignorance is what? Bliss. If you do not see the rope at all and it is pitch
darkness, there is no problem. In total light also there is no problem. Total
knowledge is bliss. What is the example. Jñāni.
Where is the problem? When it is semi-light, semi darkness, twilight there is: I see
there is something, but I do not know exactly what it is. In Saṁsr̥kt it is said
sāmānya jñānaṁ asthi; viśēṣa jñānaṁ nāsti. So this sāmānya jñāna pūrva viśēṣa
jñāna abhāvaḥ is here referred to tamaḥ. This partial ignorance causes vimūḍhasya;
delusion. For a person who is deluded by ignorance, the error arises.
And Śankarācārya says this is not a very big philosophical lesson. This takes place
every other day for every other person. Example. Vivēka abhāvāt. As it is,
experienced in the world, because of vivēka. Vivēka means clear knowledge.
Because of the absence of clear knowledge; to put it positively, because of presence
of partial knowledge alone, bhujagē rajju diṣaṇa; there arises the rope perception
upon a snake. Sphurati; there appears, there arises, rajju diṣaṇa; rope perception
upon a snake. Bhujagē; bhujaga means snake.
Here Śankarācārya has reversed the example. Do not think it is slip of the tongue.
He has reversed the example. Normally what you say. Snake perception upon rope.
Śankarācārya says all the time it need not be like that. It can be the other way
Page 650

round also. There may be a snake; malaṁpāṁpu, it never moves at all; that is why
when someone is sleeping without moving, it is said that you are sleeping like
malaṁpāṁpu. Therefore without any motion it is lying, person can mistake the
snake as a rope; which is a worse mistake. To mistake a rope as a snake is OK; you
will go near and understand. But once you have picked up the snake; what happens
to your gati?
That is why Śankarācārya wants to show the intensity of the problem and therefore
he consciously reverses the example. Bhujagē; upon the snake; there is rope
perception, because of partial knowledge or partial ignorance. And because of this
error what happens. All the errors need not cause problems. But some errors may
cause serious problems.
So he says; sataḥ; because of that error, adhikaḥ anartham vrathaḥ nipatati. Many
multitudes of problems befall; or take place; or arise. Anarthaḥ means problems.
Vraathaha; multitudes; not one problem. It is just like when a person gets married,
he strikes relationship with one girl as wife and he takes only one string as Thali and
he only ties that. Even though he gets connected only with one girl; through that
girl, how many in-laws come. So girl is one. But imagine that girl is one of the seven
sisters and 8 brothers. Keep it like that. I cannot say many father and mother in
laws. Many brother-in-laws and sister-in-laws. So many; for direct connection is with
one; but indirect connections are infinite.
Sometime you are able to handle the wife or husband, but the problems are more
from indirect relationships. Similarly, every jīva is connected only with one anātma.
And through this anātma comes all kinds of saṁbanda, saṅgaḥ, relationships; and
śāstra says this indirect saṁbanda is the cause of all the problems. Mātha, pittha; all
relationships are what: through the physical body only; without the physical body,
you cannot talk of mother; father, brothers, thereafter in-laws; thereafter house.
Even when you talk about house; the house is housing what? the body alone.
So thus all kinds of secondary things comes because of one primary adhyāsa. That is
why we have got a primary adhyāsa; leading to secondary adhyāsa; leading to
thirsary adhyāsa; adhyāsa to end grade because of this primary adhyāsa; it is called
ahaṁkāra adhyāsa; it is primary adhyāsa.
These are very technically analysed in adhyāsa bhāṣyam; Śankarācārya writes

beautiful introduction to Brahma sūtra; where purely technically these are all
Page 651

analysed. Here Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi being a relative primarily text, he does not go into
the details.
So anartham vrathaḥ means secondary adhyāsāt nipatati adhikaḥ; very much and it
never decreases and it only increases. And all these are all for whom? Samādātum;
for the perceiver. Here samādātum means the one who commits the error; for the
mistaker. So for the perceiver, all kinds of problems befall. And therefore what is the
conclusion. Tataḥ; therefore, asad grāhaḥ saha bandaḥ bhavathi.
Therefore bondage is nothing but asad grāhaḥ; wrong perception. Asad means
wrong; erroneous, mistaken; grāhaḥ means perception. Asad grāhaḥ means wrong
perception; in the case of rope-snake also wrong perception leads to many
problems.
Extending the same principle, here also there is wrong perception. Two wrong
perceptions; seeing the body is, a real bigger wrong perception; and seeing the
body as myself is another wrong perception. Both these two just create havoc for a
human being. sa hi bhavati bandhaḥ. That alone is bondage. śr̥ṇu sakhē; Oh friend.
May you listen.
अखण्ड�नत्याद्वयबोधशक
स्फुरन्तमात्मानमनन्तवै |
समावणो
ृ त्यावृ�तशिक्तरे
तमोमयी राहु�रवाकर्�बम्ब ||१३९||
akhaṇḍanityādvayabōdhaśaktyā
sphurantamātmānamanantavaibhavam |
samāvr̥ṇōtyāvr̥tiśaktirēṣā
tamōmayī rāhurivārkabimbam ||139||
With the previous slōka, the third topic is over. The third topic is what is bondage?
So what is anātma of the first question. The entire world and the śarīra trayaṁ is
anātma. And what is ātma? Pure consciousness is ātma. And what is bondage;
mistaking the body as myself is bondage. Self-error is bondage.
Now Śankarācārya comes to the fourth question: how did this bondage come?
kathamēṣa āgataḥ is the fourth question; fourth question in our serial list; there
Page 652

order is different. Kho nama bandaḥ; kathamēṣa āgataḥ; there the serial number is
two. It is four here. And this question is answered from verse No.139 to 144. 144 is
kathamēṣa āgataḥ. And the answer has been already given in the previous
discussion; but he wants to give a focused answer; because only then it will get
registered.
In the previous context it was incidentally given, but here he is focusing on the
particular topic. What is the cause of the bondage. He wants to say ignorance is the
cause of bondage. Each point is very important.
In fact, our religious life itself will get a direction only when we have these
fundamentals very clear. When these fundamentals are not clear, people will say: I
want mōkṣa, and for mōkṣa they have prescribed so many mārgas; and now
saṅgītā; music season is going now and almost any sabhā there is a speech; they
will quote a slōka saying by saṅgītā also you can get mōkṣa. Tālañjascha
aprakalpascha anāyāsēna mucyatē. There is one slōka; I forgot that.
veena vaadana tatvajnaḥ śruti sāra visāradhaḥ

taalanjascha aprayathnena mukthi maargam prayachati.
They want to glorify saṅgītā and every one quotes this slōka and says: Go on singing
and you will get mōkṣa. In fact, if he stops we will get mōkṣa!! Any way, just aside.
So what I am saying is: why these confusion; somebody says through this mōkṣa;
through that mōkṣa; all because, they have not analysed the problem. The problem
is understood as error; and error is caused; any error is caused by ignorance; then
what is the means of mōkṣa?
How many methods are there to remove an error? Only one method; by removing
ignorance; and how many methods are there to remove ignorance; only one
method; jñānaṁ. And that is why I analysed that slōka; Even when I analysed that
slōka, I found the answer. Our traditional people will not commit mistake.
taalanjascha aprayathnena mukti mārgam prayachati. Do you get it? Mukti mārgam
prayachaati. Not mukti prayachati. They did not say that. Mukti mārgam means
jñānaṁ mārgam. That means that if you go on singing, you will develop a liking to
attend the Gītā class. Therefore, one person who is a musician, Indian Tradition; not
Pope Music; it will lead you only to Mahā pāpa route. because in Indian music and
Page 653

even western music, where is the Lord is glorified, music becomes sādhanā.
Remember, saṅgītā is not sādana; lyrics part makes it a sādhana, because in Indian
music; what is the lyric; it is all Bhagavān vibūthi. not cinema music. So therefore
that will produce citta shuddhi and the citta shuddhi will bring him to jñāna yōga;
jñāna yōga is mukti maargam; but they do not see that word mārga; they interpret
it as saṅgītāḥ api mukthiṁ anāyāsena mukthiṁ prayachati. All because of what; not
understanding that the problem is because of error; and any error is because of
ignorance.
All that is very very crystal clear. Śankarācārya presents. He says: yēṣā āvr̥ti śaktir;
third line; samāvr̥ṇōty. There is something called ajñānaṁ, which we have already
discussed while dealing with anātma. So that point you have to note here;
Śankarācārya is taking that for granted. While discussing anātma; we talked about
three śarīraṁs; and the third śarīraṁ was kāraṇa śarīraṁ; and the kāraṇa śarīraṁ
was very elaborately discussed; giving it various significant names also; do you
remember what are the different names of that? Avyaktam, he gave the word,
prakr̥tiḥ is another word, māya is another word, triguṇāthmika is another word,
śaktiḥ is another word; all these words were used. And there Śankarācārya took up
the word avidyā. And there he talked about three guṇas; satva guṇa; rajō guṇa and
tamō guṇa and there he said this avidyā has got avāraṇa śaktiḥ which is tamō guṇa
and vikṣēpa śaktiḥ which is rajō guṇa.
This topic was discussed there. I am assuming and that you are remembering the
topic. If you forget that, out. I am going to brief tell. Śankarācārya is going to
briefly tell. Therefore he says: tamō guṇa or ajñānaṁ has got two powers and it is
the āvaraṇa śaktiḥ of ajñānaṁ which creates self-ignorance or self-veiling; and
vikṣēpa śaktiḥ of ajñānaṁ creates error. That is what he says here.
Ajñānaṁ is there; and this ajñānaṁ has got two powers. What are the two powers.
āvarana śaktiḥ; in English; covering power; vikṣēpa śaktiḥ; projecting power;
āvarana śaktiḥ covers the nature of the self and vikṣēpa śaktiḥ creates the error.
What is the error? Dehātma buddhi error. That is what he says here. Aavruth ēṣa
avruthi śaktiḥ; so āvarana śaktiḥ of ajñānaṁ which is caused by caused what; tamō
mayi; which is nothing but this tamō guṇa aspect of ajñānaṁ; samāvr̥ṇōty; covers;
makes a person forget or make a person unaware of; āvr̥ṇōty means covers;
samāvr̥ṇōty means samyak āvroniti; and why samyak āvr̥ṇōty; ātma is uncoverable;
ātma can never be covered because, the very cover is illumined by what: the ātma.
Page 654

The very ignorance is known because of what: I am ignorant; or you aware of your
ignorance. If you are not aware of ignorance, you cannot say I am ignorant.
Therefore ignorance can never cover the ātma really; because the ignorance itself is
illumined by the ātma; but even though ignorance is uncoverable; it is covered as it
were. That is why it is called samāvr̥ṇōty. It is exactly like what? The movie
covering the screen. Can movie cover the screen? Movie can never cover the screen
because the very existence of the movie is: movie means what? The characters
coming and going is because of the screen. But the still the screen is covered as it
were.
Similarly, the uncoverable consciousness is as though covered. And therefore,

samāvr̥ṇōty. Covers what? The ātma.
What is the ātma? The ātma is talked about in the first two lines; just to show how
difficult it is to cover the ātma. Even that ātma is covered by ajñānaṁ.
What is the characteristics of that ātma? Akhaṇḍa nitya ādvayabōdha śaktyā

sphurantam. Ātma which is shining, everytime shining as knowledge, knowledge,
knowledge, knowledge.
When you say pot knowledge; pot knowledge, man knowledge, women knowledge,
table knowledge; and all of them what is common? Knowledge is common. What do
you mean knowledge; I am aware of. What do you mean by I am aware? Awareness
is common to all of them. Awareness can never be displaced by anything. And even
in sleep, when every thought is displaced, awareness is never displaced; awareness
illumines the very thoughtless condition of the mind. This undisplacable awareness is
shining all the time;
With what nature? akhaṇḍa, without any division; object can be divided; not the
awareness. Nitya, object will come and go; not the awareness. Therefore, it is
permanent. So undivided, permanent, advaya. This is difficult to understand.
advaya. Non-dual; it appears as though you have one awareness and I have one
awareness. Śankarācārya says division is in the body; division is not in the
consciousness. Just as there is a division in the finger; not in the light pervading the
finger. Light is in this finger; is in this finger; inbetween the fingers also; but we do
not recognise. Thus non-dual bōdhaḥ; awareness. Śaktiḥ means svarūpam. With the
Page 655

nature of undivided, eternal, non-dual awareness, ātma shines all the time. Such an
ātma is covered; not fully; partially covered by ignorance.
Why I do I say partially. We will see that in the next class.
Hari Om.
Page 656

052. Verses 139 to 141
अखण्ड�नत्याद्वयबोधशक
स्फुरन्तमात्मानमनन्तवै |
समावणो
ृ त्याव�तशिक्तरेष
तमोमयी राहु�रवाकर्�बम्ब ||१३९||
akhaṇḍanityādvayabōdhaśaktyā
sphurantamātmānamanantavaibhavam |
samāvr̥ṇōtyāvr̥tiśaktirēṣā
tamōmayī rāhurivārkabimbam ||139||
From this verse onwards Śankarācārya is dealing with the cause of bondage;
answering the fourth question kō nāma bandhaḥ kathamēṣa āgataḥ. Bondage has
already been defined as error or adhyāsa. Sarīre ahaṁ iti buddhiḥ adhyāsaḥ; taking
the body as myself is called superimposition or error. This error itself has been
defined as bondage in this context. Even though sometimes the bondage is defined
as the error-caused-emotional problem. Like rāga, dvēṣa, kāma krōdhaḥ, kartr̥tvam,
bhōktr̥tvam; sukham, duḥkhaṁ; all these together is called bondage sometimes.
That is also correct only. But in this context, the adhyāsa itself is called bondage.
Now in these verses, Śankarācārya answers the question: how did this adhyāsa,
bondage come about? And the answer is that the ignorance is the cause of any type
of error and in the case of self-superstition also; ignorance is the cause. So therefore
in the present verse Śankarācārya talks about ātma ajñānaṁ as banda kāraṇam.
And here he gives the technical explanation also. Ātma ajñānaṁ has got two
powers; one is āvaraṇa śaktiḥ and the other is vikṣēpa śaktiḥ. Āvaraṇa śaktiḥ is
covering power and vikṣēpa śaktiḥ is projecting power. The āvaraṇa śaktiḥ covers
the self as it were which alone is expressing in the form of I-do-not-know myself as
Brahman. Āvaraṇa śaktiḥ takes care of the covering part and the vikṣēpa śaktiḥ
takes care of the superimposition or error part. So ignorance of rope is because of
āvaraṇa śaktiḥ of the rope and the appearance of snake is because of vikṣēpa śaktiḥ
of the same ajñānaṁ. So ajñāna sya śaktiḥ rajjum avrnoti; ajñāna sya vikṣēpa śaktiḥ
sarpam kalpayati. Are you able to understand? Ajñāna sya śaktiḥ rajjum āvr̥ṇōty.
Page 657

Ajñānasya vikṣēpa śaktiḥ sarpam kalpayati. The āvaraṇa śaktiḥ covers the vikṣēpa
śaktiḥ project.
In the case of ātma ajñānaṁ also, ātma ajñānasya āvaraṇa śaktiḥ ātmānam āvr̥ṇōty.
And ātma ajñānansya vikṣēpa śaktiḥ anātmani ātmabuddhim kalpayati. It is
responsible for the error. What error? I-am-the-body error.
That is being said here. In the first two lines, the nature of ātma was talked about.
Akhaṇḍa nitya advyaya bōdhaḥ śaktiḥ ātma. Śaktiḥ means svarūpam. Ātma is of the
nature of undivided, non-dual, eternal consciousness. And spurantham ātmānaṁ
anantha vaibhavam. Vaibhavaḥ means glory. So anantha vaibhavaṁ means of
infinite glory. Of the nature of infinitude; that is the nature of ātma. And
spurantham; it is self-effulgent. And this self-effulgent ātma ēṣa avrnoti śaktiḥ
śamavrnoti. So the āvaraṇa śaktiḥ of ajñānaṁ covers this nature of the ātma and
that is why I never claim ahaṁ-brahaṁasi.
And here also we have to note an incidental point. If the rope is totally unknown,
the snake projection will not come. I have told earlier. In total darkness, if the rope
is there; in total covering projection will not come; in total knowledge during
daylight also, snake projection will not come; what is the ideal condition; that it
should be partially covered and also partially known.
And what is the partial knowledge? This is partial knowledge. The very word THIS
indicates that there is some entity right in front of me; in technical language, it is
called samānya amśaḥ or idam amśaḥ; THIS part. And while THIS or samānya
amśaḥ is known, THIS is rope, that rope part which is called is viśēṣa amśaḥ; the
specific aspect of the rope, that is the ROPEness of the rope is not known,
THISness; see how much hair-split is being done; this THISness of the rope is
known; the ROPEness of the rope is not known. And that is why the THISness is
being retained; because it is never covered; the ROPEness alone is covered; and
therefore it is replaced by what? SNAKEness. And the THISness will continue;
SNAKEness is added; and what is my statement? This is a snake.
Now extending the same principle, when I say I am: that is the śamaanya amśaḥ of
the ātma; just as THISness is the samānya amśaḥ; do you understand? samānya
means general; amśaḥ means aspect; feature; just as THISness is the samānya
amśaḥ of rope; with regard to the ātma also; there must be a samānya amsam and
Page 658

what is that? Samānya amśaḥ: I-am. I meaning 'this' amśaḥ; am meaning 'sad'
amśaḥ; the consciousness and existence both aspect of mine are clearly known.
That is why, whenever anyone introduces himself; he says: I-am; that is the
samānya amśaḥ of ātma. And what is the specific nature of ātma? Viśēṣa amśaḥ; I-
am-Brahma asmi. So Brahmatvam or ānandaḥtvam or aparichinnatvam is my specific
nature. Brahmatvam means infinitude; ānandatvam means happiness;
aparichinnatvam means limitlessness. That is my specific feature; that is covered. In
the example, what is the viśēṣam we said: the ROPEness is the viśēṣa amśaḥ; here
what is the viśēṣa amśaḥ; ānandaḥ is the viśēṣa amśaḥ? What is the sāmanya
amśaḥ; sat and chit are the samānya amśaḥ. Cit expresses in what form? I. Sat
expresses in what form? "Am"; Existence. Therefore 'I-am' when you say, you see
the Sad amśaḥ as well as the cid amśaḥ; but ānandaḥ amśaḥ is not seen; but how
do you know that ānandaḥ amśaḥ is not seen? By looking at the face!
So therefore nobody says: I-am-ānandaḥ; he say I am not ordinary duḥkhi; mahā-

duḥkhi; duḥkha duḥkhi. And therefore ānandaḥ viśēṣa amśaḥ is covered. That is the
job of what? Āvaraṇa śaktiḥ of ajñānaṁ. And in the place of covered ānandaḥ amsa;
something else is superimposed. What is that? Just as ROPEness is displaced by
SNAKEness; Ānandaḥ is displaced by duḥkha. Brahmatvam is replaced by jīvatvam.
Anantatvam is replaced by sāntatvam; amrtatvam is replaced by martyatvam.
And therefore Śankarācārya says: yēṣā āvr̥ti śaktir samāvr̥ṇōty. The brahma
svarūpam of mine. And why the āvaraṇa śaktiḥ does that. Can it not keep quiet? He
says: Tamōmoyi. Because it is the tamō guṇa of ajñānaṁ. Tamas means darkness.
You should not ask why darkness covers an object. You should not ask, because that
is the nature of darkness. If somebody asks fire is hot; what will you say? That is its
nature. Why ice is cold; because that is its nature; with regard to the nature, there is
no answer to the question: why. Like that, just as it is the nature of darkness to
cover. Similarly, it is the nature of tamō guṇa to cover. Therefore, tamō mayi is
adjective to āvaraṇa śaktiḥ. So tamō mayi āvaraṇa śaktiḥ yēṣā samāvr̥ṇōty.
Like what? An example is given. rāhuḥ ārkabimbaṁ iva. During grahaṇam, Rāhu
covers the Sun. Rāhu in our tradition is called chāya grahaḥ; they knew that there is
no such grahaṁ called rāhuḥ; it is nothing but the shadow of the earth alone is
falling on the moon and that is why, it is called chāya grahaḥ; chāya is Saṁsr̥kt
chāya; not tea; chāya grahaḥ means it is the shadow; just as the shadow of the
Page 659

earth covers the moon causing grahanam. Similarly, the āvaraṇa śaktiḥ covers the
ātma. That is why Śankarācārya says in Dakṣiṇāmurti sthothram; do you remember?
राहुग्रस्त�दवाकर�दुस मायासमाच्छादनात
संमात् करणोपसंहरणतो योऽभूत्सुषुप् पम
ु ान ्।
rāhugrastadivākarēṁdusadr̥śō māyāsamācchādanāt
saṁmātraḥ karaṇōpasaṁharaṇatō yō:'bhūtsuṣuptaḥ pumān|
That much is only the example. Grahanam is only for 2-1/2 hours; like that is self-
ignorance is also for 2-1/2 hours you cannot ask. Grahanam leaves by itself; like that
self-ignorance would it leave by itself.
Most important thing to note is, any example when I use, there are unextendable
portion. You should very clearly know what is unextendable. There the examples
should not be taken. Only where it is applicable. Svāmiji, in this particular place, the
example does not fit, if you say; Ok. Do not take that portion. In this particular
portion it fits; then take it. Wherever it fits, you have to take, wherever it does not
fit, you should not blame the example, you should not extend that.
Similarly here also. The cause of ignorance, we are in permanent grahaṇam. Not
only that. If you read the pañjāṅgam, the end of grahaṇam is called mōkṣaḥ. And
here also the end of grahaṇam is mōkṣaḥ only. Suryasya mōkṣaḥ; chandrasya
mōkṣaḥ.
Three grahaṇams; surya grahaṇam, chandra grahaṇam, pāni grahaṇam, they said.
So pāni grahaṇam is not a type of grahaṇam is not a type of grahaṇam; you should
not include that in this list. There the grahaṇam has got a negative meaning; pāni
grahaṇam is supposed to be a good thing and you are not supposed to ask for
mōkṣa. OK. unless you want to take sanyāsa. So rāhuḥ ārkabimbaṁ iva.
�तरोभूते स्वात्मन्यमलतरतेजो पुमान ्

अनात्मान मोहादह�म�त शर�रं कलय�त |
ततः कामक्रोधप्रभृ�त�भ बन्धनगुणै
परं �व�ेपाख्य रजस उरुशिक्तव्यर् ||१४०||
tirōbhūtē svātmanyamalataratējōvati pumān
anātmānaṁ mōhādahaṁiti śarīraṁ kalayati |
Page 660

tataḥ kāmakrōdhaprabhr̥tibhiramuṁ bandanaguṇaiḥ

paraṁ vikṣēpākhyā rāja sa uruśaktirvyathayati ||140||
So the topic is that ātma-ajñānaṁ is the cause of self-error and self-error is the
cause of all problems and he further explains how ātma-ajñānaṁ is the cause of
bondage. He says the āvaraṇa śaktiḥ and vikṣēpa śaktiḥ of ātma-ajñānaṁ team up
together and they have got a very good understanding. With this understanding like
the relay race, they work together and give problems to the human being.
The first part of the problem is created by āvaraṇa śaktiḥ; the second part of this
problem is created by vikṣēpa śaktiḥ.
And what is the first part of the problem? The ‘rope being covered’ is the first part of
the problem. The ‘appearance of the frightening snake’ is the second part of the
problem.
Without the first part, second part cannot take place. Without the second part, the
first part alone cannot create problems. See. Rope covering alone does not create
any problem. If at all rope ignorance creates problems, it is only because of what?
Snake appearance. Similarly, here also, the first part cannot create problems without
the second part; the second part cannot happen without the first part. Therefore,
both of them have got wonderful understanding. You do that, and I will do that; and
we both together will make a mess of this person by giving the problem. That is
their understanding.
Now he says: svātmani tirōbhūtē. So this is the first phase of the saṁsāra project;
the first phase is what? ātmani tirōbhūtē. So ātma is; my real nature; second is
brahmatvam. TADamśa is not covered. CIDamśa is not covered; sad cit sāmanya
amśa is not covered; ānandaḥ rūpa viśēṣa amśa is tirōbhūtē. tirōbhūtē means what;
āvrute sati; that is covered. Sati saptami. So svātmani, svātmani means one own
real nature; tirōbhūtē;
And what type of ātma it is? Amala tara tejovati; which is of the nature of extremely
pure effulgent or consciousness. Amala means śuddham; amala tara means very
śuddum, viśuddam, and tējaḥ means effulgence, in this context means
consciousness. So amala tara tējaḥ means viśudda caitanyaṁ; Tatvati means of the
nature of. Therefore, my own real self which is of the nature of extremely pure
Page 661

consciousness is covered. By what? Rhe āvaraṇa śaktiḥ; What is the another name
of āvaraṇa śaktiḥ? Tamō guṇam. Vikśēpa śaktiḥ's another name is rajō guṇam.
Therefore tamō guṇa and rajō guṇa teams up to create problems. And who has to
fight this team? Satva guṇa has to fight this team. And what is satva guṇa? Are you
attending the classes regularly? Regularity in attending that only is satva guṇa;
because satva means jñānaṁ vicāraḥ. Satvat sanjāyaye jñānaṁ; the study of
scriptures is the satva guṇa, which is fighting the team of rajō guṇa and tamō guṇa.
Anyway that is incidental. tējōvati tirōbhūtē.
When the first part is over; then comes the second phase of the problem. What is
that? Pumān anātmānam ahaṁ iti kalayati. anātmānam and śarīraṁ has to be read
together. Anātmānam śarīraṁ ahaṁ iti kalayati. Kalayati means what? He imagines,
he thinks he is misconceived; he mistakes. Kalayati.
He mistakes. What? anātmānam śarīraṁ. This body, which is really not the ātma,
which is not my nature at all. I am diagonally opposed to body. Ahaṁ cētanaḥ,
śarīraṁ acētanaḥ; ahaṁ nirvikāraṁ, śarīraṁ savikāraṁ; ahaṁ nirguṇaḥ; śarīraṁ
saguṇam; ahaṁ aparicchinnaḥ, śarīraṁ paricchinnaṁ; ahaṁ nitya muktaḥ, śarīraṁ
nitya baddaḥ; ahaṁ amr̥taḥ, śarīraṁ martyam; ahaṁ dr̥k, śarīraṁ driśyam. Enough.
Even with this much contradictions, I am successfully committing the mistake! If
there were a Nobel prize for mistake, we have to share: it cannot be given to one;
because we all commit it, you know; we have to share the Nobel prize for biggest
blunder in the world and therefore anātmanam śarīraṁ ahaṁ iti kalayati. He
mistakes as ahaṁ.
And how do you know? The date of birth of the body, he introduces as his date of
birth. Chocolate he brings and above that smile also!! and says today is my birthday.
What he is doing is mistake and that he is celebrating! Anātmanam kalayati.
All because of what? mōhāt; because of error; adhyāsāt; mōhaḥ means adhyāsaḥ;
brānthiḥ; brānthiḥ; from brānthiḥ has come brandy, I feel. So it is called in brānthiḥ;
delusion; confusion; brahma. So the second line refers to the vikṣēpa śaktiḥ; the
rajō guṇa part. First line talks about the tamō guṇa or āvaraṇa śaktiḥ.
Once this mistake has been committed; thereafterwards what all things will happen?
We have fallen.
Page 662

Now thereafterwards it is consistent falling only. Once the first fall takes place from
ātma to anātma; thereafterwards the fall is continuous. What is that? Sataḥ; after
that, primary mistake, it is called prāthamika adhyāsa; after committing that primary
mistake, the secondary diseases or symptoms will mushroom one after the other;
tataḥ; kāma, krōdaḥ, prabhr̥tibhir amuṁ bandhana guṇaiḥ. Thereafterwards arise
kāmaḥ.
Why kāma comes? Very simple. As ātma, ahaṁ pūrṇaḥ. Whereas as śarīraṁ I am
apūrṇaḥ; physical body is never perfect. Even the most beautiful Mr. or Miss
Universe you ask, the very fact that he puts a lot of make up indicate she is not very
very happy with her endowments or why she should come out simply like that. Not
only that, after Miss Universe title, he has got more responsibility because otherwise
other people will question the judgment: how did you give the Miss Universe to this
lady. Therefore physical body is never a perfect beauty and even if it is perfect
beauty, for how many days? There is a fear of decay and at the mental level
apūrṇatvam is there and at the intellectual level, you need not have to ask.
Therefore the immediate consequence is: sense of incompleteness. I am not full and
complete. I can never be happy with myself as I am; I require supportive system.
Just as a sick person is surviving because of so many tubes in the ICU. Similarly, for
my psychological-I to survive, I require so many tubes in the form of husband, wife
and children and what you call job and money and car and position; all of them are
tubes of survival to have some sense of OK.
So therefore what is the immediate consequence? Apūrṇatvam. And what is the

consequence of apūrṇatvam? I want to complete myself through acquisition. So the
flow-chat is coming. First I do not know: Ahaṁ pūrṇa ātma; then I mistake myself
as apūrṇa śarīraṁ; and once I see myself as apūrṇa, I desire to complete myself.
Therefore all human struggles are for pūrṇatvam. That is the general feeling of all
the people. The only thing is one sees pūrṇatvam through a particular acquisition,
because of wrong diagnosis. One person is allopathy system; another person is
homeopathy system. Similarly one thinks that my incompleteness is because of lack
of money. Another person thinks incompleteness is lack of family. Another person
says incompleteness is because of lack of position. Which diagnosis is correct? Which
diagnosis is wrong? All the diagnosis are wrong because, basic assumption is what?
my incompleteness is BECAUSE OF, he says. The word My-incompleteness is itself an
Page 663

erroneous word. And that he tries to solve, and it is never going to succeed; money
he gets, incompleteness continues; family he gets, incompleteness continues;
भ्रान दे शमनेकदग
ु ्र �वषम प्राप न �किञ्चत्फल
त्यक्त जा�तकुल�भमानम�ु चतं सेवा कृता �नष्फल ।
भक
ु ्त मान�वविजर्त परगहेृ ष्वाशङ्क काकवत्
तषृ ्ण जम
ृ ्भ� पापकमर्�पशुन नाध्या� सन्तुष्य ॥ २ ॥
उत्खात �न�धशङ्कय ��ततलं द्मा �गरेधार्तव

�नस्तीणर स�रतां प�तनर्पतय
ृ यन्ते संतो�षताः ।
मन्त्राराधनतत् मनसा नीताः श्मशान �नशाः
प्राप काणवराटकॊऽ�प न मया तषृ ्ण सकामा भव ॥ ३ ॥
bhrāntaṁ dēśamanēkadurgaviṣamaṁ prāptaṁ na kiñcitphalam
tyaktvā jātikulabhimānamucitaṁ sēvā kr̥tā niṣphalā |
bhuktaṁ mānavivarjitaṁ paragr̥hēṣvāśaṅkyā kākavat
tr̥ṣṇē jr̥mbhasi pāpakarmapiśunē nādhyāpi santuṣyasi || 2 ||
utkhātaṁ nidhiśaṅkayā kṣititalaṁ dmātā girērdhātavō

nistīrṇaḥ saritāṁ patirnr̥patayō yantēna saṁtōṣitāḥ |
mantrārādhanatatparēṇa manasā nītāḥ śmaśānē niśāḥ
prāptaḥ kāṇavarāṭako:'pi na mayā tr̥ṣṇē sakāmā bhava || 3 ||
Bhartr̥hari says: All over the world I travelled; I went all over the world; I did
business; I did this; I did that; but at the end when I take stock: prāptaḥ
kāṇavarāṭako:'pi na mayā tr̥ṣṇē sakāmā bhava.
In those days, there was a holed-mukkal. Otta mukkal, like the ulundu vadai, with a
hole in the center. Therefore what I have is not even equivalent to that otta mukhal
I feel as much bankrupt as I was before.
All because of what? What is the culprit? The error. Therefore kāmahā. Then
kāmahā leads to what: saṅgātsañjāyatē kāmaḥ kāmātkrōdhō:'bhijāyatē. Mookile
Shundi. Therefore the person has got anger at the tip of the nose; any moment he
gets irritated; kāmaḥ, krōdhaḥ; prabhr̥tibhir, prabhr̥tibhir means etc. because if you
want to write everything, the slōka will not get completed.
Page 664

So he says: all others you know. All these have got one common feature. What is
that; bandana guṇai; each one makes me binded. Kāma makes me restless or
krōdhaḥ makes me restless or lobhaḥ makes me restless or mātsaryam makes me
restless. Even if I do not get, it is OK; but neighbour should not get, you know. That
becomes my quality. Bandana guṇai kāma krōdhaḥ prabhr̥tibhiḥ. Through all the
psychological problem, vikṣēpākhyā uruśaktirvyathayati; still second part of the
project. vikṣēpākhyā uru śaktiḥ; the powerful force; uru means powerful. Śaktiḥ
means force. The powerful force known as vikṣēpa śaktiḥ; vikṣēpākhyā uru śaktiḥ
belonging to whom; rajasaḥ; belonging to rajō guṇa; yathayati; yathayati means
what: disturbs the human being; churns the human being; afflicts this human being;
torments this human being; and not ordinarily: param; param means extremely:
intensely. So kāma is irresistible: anger is irresistible. Jealousy is irresistible and it is
so irresistible that the thickness of the mind gradually percolates into the body also.
And this person goes through all kinds of psychosomatic problems and we try to
solve the problem by changing the human beings around.
Vēdānta says it would not work; because the problem is not external; it is not wife
that has to change; not the husband that has to change; not the children that has to
change. The change, it is not the government that has to change; you feel that this
government is better than the old one; that is all. So who has to change? I have to
transform my Self image. Not by local plastic surgery. We require a vēdantic plastic
surgery. By removing the jīvatvaṁ; and Brahmatvaṁ has to be pasted. Means what
discover. So vēdantic plastic surgery alone is the solution. So vikṣēpākhya rajasaḥ
uru śaktiḥ. Param is adverbial for grammar students; param is adverb qualifying
yatayati; intensely torment;
महामोहग्राहग्रसनग�लतात्मा
�धयो नानावस्था स्वयम�भनयंस्तद्गुण |
अपारे संसरे �वषय�वषपूरे जल�नधौ
�नमज्योन्मज्य भ्रम कुम�तः कुित्सतग�त ||१४१||
mahāmōhagrāhagrasanagalitātmāvagamanō
dhiyō nānāvasthāṁ svayaṁabhinayaṁstadguṇatayā |
apārē saṁsarē viṣayaviṣapūrē jalanidhau
nimajyōnmajyāyaṁ bhramati kumatiḥ kutsitagatiḥ ||141||
Page 665

So here Śankarācārya describes the biography of every samsāri. What a lot is he in?
What an unfortunate condition? And greatest tragedy is that he does not know how
to come out. And even if somebody wants to help him, he states I have no time.
Therefore Śankarācārya says here: kumatiḥ; look at the fourth line. kumatiḥ; this
unintelligent person; kutsita matihi yasya saha kumatiḥ; man with wretched intellect.
unfortunate mind; unintelligent intellect; indiscriminate intellect; that person is called
kumatiḥ; it is not the name of the mind; bahu vrihi samāsa; it refers to the person
with such a mind.
And why do we call so? Because if we use our intellect within a few years, we can
understand the problem is not in the external world, because we have changed so
many things in the external world and our problems continues. If he is an intelligent
person, he will fundamentally question his very approach itself. Parikṣya lōkḥān
karmachithān brāmaṇo nirvēdam āyātha.
And even if he does not have sufficient intelligence to independently think, the
śāstras are there constantly warning; by changing the world, you are not going to
become happy. First of all you are not going to change the world; it is like the rubex
cube; you just change one side; the other side goes off. By the time other side goes
on; this side goes off. By the time all the things are adjusted; you are above 70
years and about to quit. So therefore śāstra also gives guidance.
With the śāstra and the vivēka śaktiḥ; if he does not diagnose the problem; what
should we call: avidyāyāmantarē vartamānāḥ svayaṁ dhīrāḥ paṇḍitaṁ
manyamānāḥ; neither they know; like our own son-in-law; he himself does not know
nor will he understand even if someone advises. Therefore Śankarācārya gets angry
perhaps and says: Kumatiḥ.
And what has happened to him? First line: mahā mōhagrāha grasana
galitātmāvagamanaḥ; it is one compound consisting of many individual words;
language wise also, Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi is a wonderful composition. Saṁsr̥kt student it
is a gain. Beautiful. Each one of this compound you can try to split it and we can
also gain because of the Saṁsr̥kt commentary of Sringeri Aācārya I said. He says a
beautiful thing. All these compounds he splits and presents. Therefore for learning
how to split the compound, it is a beautiful book. OK. What is the meaning we will
see.
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Mahā mōhagrahaḥ. Mahā mōhaḥ means the great ignorance. mōhaḥ is ajñānaṁ. So
mahā mōhaḥ means big ignorance. Why do we call it big ignorance. Because it is
above the big ātma; laughs. Since the ignorance is about the big ātma; it is called
big ignorance. Here Śankarācārya compares the big ignorance into a huge crocodile:
mōhaḥ; so the ignorance-crocodile.
And what has this crocodile done? grahsanam; it has swallowed; this huge crocodile
of self-ignorance has swallowed, what? galita ātma avagamanaḥ. ātma avagamanaḥ
means self-knowledge. Ātma means self; avagamanam means knowledge. And
because of galitam; galitam means lost.
So now, this samsari is a person whose self-knowledge is lost, because of the

swallowing done by the huge crocodile of self-ignorance. This is the final meaning of
the compound. The samsāri is one, whose self-knowledge is lost, because of the
swallowing: galitam means lost; grasanam means swallowing. Because of this
swallowing done by the huge crocodile of self-ignorance.
All poetic language. What is the essence. Because of ātma ajñānaṁ, he does not
know, I am ever free. And therefore he is kumatiḥ. It is the job of āvaraṇa śaktiḥ.
Then what will happen. dhiyō nānāvasthāṁ svayam abhinayati. So abhinayati

means he takes to himself. abhinayati; sameepathaḥ nayati; he takes to himself;
throws upon himself; what: the attributes of śarīraṁ.
The attributes of śarīraṁ belongs to what? They asked in the school it seems:
Valmiki Ramāyanam who wrote. After scratching the head for half an hour, the
student asks whether it is Tulsidas. Like that, Valmiki Rāmayanam was written by
Valmiki. Like that, the attributes of śarīraṁ belongs to whom; you should not think;
you should say; Śarīraṁ.
Then what does he do? abhinayan; he throws upon himself. And what are they?
dhiya, dhi means buddhi; the sūkṣma śarīraṁ; and nāna avastha means various
conditions like kāma avastha; krōdhaḥ avastha; lobhaḥ avastha; all the emotional
states of the mind; which is anātma; those emotional states abhinayan; he throws
upon himself. Throws means not physically throwing; it is thinking; assuming,
taking. Like like watching a movie. I identify with the hero and once I identify, the
hero's ups and downs, I take upon myself. How do I know that? Tears are coming
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down the eyes. The hero has lost his wife and the tears come from my eyes,
indicating that I have thrown the attributes upon myself.
Therefore dhiḥ means manaḥ; nana avastha means kāma kāmakrōdhādaya; svayaṁ
abhinayanthi means I myself take to myself. Superimpose on myself, because of
what: tad guṇataya; because of total identification with the buddhi. tadguṇatvam
means tādatmyaṁ. Like the elephant.
So this elephant driver, the mahout, takes the elephant to a river; and bathes it;
elephant enjoys bathing; and he has just rubbed and all those things; it is now very
dark and beautiful elephant; and then he brings it out and ties to a tree; the first job
it does is to throw the mud upon itself. But for the elephant it is necessary, it
seems, because some temperature adjustment, requires a coating of mud it seems.
It is all Bhagavān's glory. Like the dog putting out the tongue out and panting. That
is also connected to with its health; it is required; for the dog; not for us. Similarly in
the case of elephant it requires the throwing the mud upon itself; but here what do
we do; throw the mud of kāma krōdhaḥ lōbhaḥ; instead of claiming;
न मे द्वेषराग न मे लोभमोहौ
मदो नैव मे नैव मात्सयर्भा ।
न धम� न चाथ� न कामो न मो�ः
�चदानन्दरू �शवोऽहं �शवोऽहम ् ॥ ३॥
na mē dvēṣarāgau na mē lōbhamōhau
madō naiva mē naiva mātsaryabhāvaḥ |
na dharmō na cārthō na kāmō na mōkṣaḥ
cidānandarūpaḥ śivō:'haṁ śivō:'ham || 3||
In the place of that: ahaṁ kāmi, krōdhi ahaṁ iti. So svyam abhinayan tadguṇataya;
because of the identification.
Than what is the consequence? apārē saṁsarē jalanidhau nimajya. So he immerses

himself in the limitless ocean of saṁsāra. The shoreless; apāram means shoreless;
pāraḥ means shore; apāraḥ means shoreless; apāraḥ should be connected with
jalanidhau; jalanidhihi means samudraṁ. The shoreless ocean of saṁsāra, which is
filled with what; viṣayaviṣapūrē; which is full of pūram means full; not Tamil Pūram;
pūrān, etc. So pūram means pūrṇam iti arthaḥ.
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Filled with what: poison; viṣa pūrē; saṁsāra is filled with poison; what type of
poison; viṣaya; every sense object is a poison. How do you know? Every sense
object is a poison. For this Krishna gives the answer in the fifth chapter of the Gītā;
ये �ह संस्पशर् भोगा दःखयो

ु नय एव ते |
आद्यन्तवन कौन्ते न तेषु रमते बुधः ||५- २२||
yē hi saṁsparśajā bhōgā duḥkhayōnaya ēva tē |
ādyantavantaḥ kauntēya na tēṣu ramatē budhaḥ ||5- 22||
EVERY SENSE OBJECT IS A SOURCE OF SORROW; the only difference is some sense
objects give us sorrow by arriving; like some people; and some sense objects give
sorrow by departure; like some other people. Terrible ones give sorrow by arrival;
the dear one give sorrow by departure. That is what he said you know. Some people
give happiness wherever they go; and some people give happiness whenever they
go. Can you understand the difference. Think. viṣayaviṣapūrē jalanidhau nimajjya;
nimajjya means he is immersed. OK. If he gets immersed and drowned and die; at
least once and for all problem is over. But he does not die also. Unmajjya; therefore
he is coming up and going done; coming up and going down; த்த்தள�க in Tamil.
That is what is happening. nimajjya and unmajjya; today he is all smiles; next day
all gloom.
So this ayaṁ; this miserable unfortunate indiscriminate, unintelligent samsāri

bhramati; bhramati means wanders; knocks about in saṁsāra. Not even
progressively. kutsitagatiḥ; in random movement; like the snake and ladder; not like
you get into the ladder 23; another ladder 54; another ladder 96; and another
ladder; you reach. it is not; between ladders; there are lot of snakes. Similarly it is
not uniform evolution as the Darwin theory says: not that you were first unicellular
organism and you grow and grow and grow and get mōkṣa; it is not so; on the other
hand; from human life, a person can again, if he does not live properly; back to
karappān poochi; back to lower birth and again he comes; so nimajjya unmajjya
means higher and lower janmas he takes; punarapi jananam punarapi maraṇam
saṁsāra goes on and on and on; பயணங்க ��வத்தில்; endless பயணம.
kutisita gatihi.
Hari Om.
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Page 670

053. Verses 142 to 145
महामोहग्राहग्रसनग�लतात्मा
�धयो नानावस्था स्वयम�भनयंस्तद्गुण |
अपारे संसरे �वषय�वषपरू े जल�नधौ
�नमज्योन्मज्य भ्रम कुम�तः कुित्सतग�त ||१४१||
mahāmōhagrāhagrasanagalitātmāvagamanō
dhiyō nānāvasthāṁ svayaṁabhinayaṁstadguṇatayā |
apārē saṁsarē viṣayaviṣapūrē jalanidhau
nimajyōnmajyāyaṁ bhramati kumatiḥ kutsitagatiḥ ||141||
In these verses, beginning from verse No.139, Śankarācārya is pointing out how the
bondage came. Bondage can be defined in several ways; but in this context,
Śankarācārya has defined bondage as error with regard to oneself. Self conclusion or
self error or erroneous perception with regard to oneself. In Saṁsr̥kt, it is called
adhyāsaḥ; ātmanātmanōhō itharethara avivēkaḥ; mixing up of ātma and anātma.
And since the error is defined as bondage, the cause of bondage has to be defined
as cause of error. Because error is bondage; the cause of bondage is the cause of
error. And we know that the cause of any error is ignorance only. So he says
ignorance is the cause of bondage. And this itself he presents in a technical form;
the ignorance part is caused by the āvaraṇa śaktiḥ of ajñānaṁ and the error part is
caused by the vikṣēpa śaktiḥ of ajñānaṁ. Thus āvaraṇa and vikṣēpa working
together cause bondage for a human being. This one idea alone Śankarācārya
presents in different ways: taking the example of rope-snake or to be precise snake-
rope example before; and now again he presents it in a different language; by
comparing ignorance to a mahā mōha grāsaha; a crocodile.
And because of this ignorance and error, there is a wrong self-conclusion; and
because of the wrong self-conclusion; there is kāma, krōdhaḥ, etc. and a person
suffers in the ocean of saṁsāra. This is what we saw in verse No.141 and again the
same idea is presented in a different language in the next slōka. You will see all
examples are taken from nature only. Saṁsāra is compared to rope-snake. Saṁsāra
Page 671

is compared to the ocean, in which we drown. And now another example is going to
be given.
भानुप्रभासंज�नताभ्रपङ
भानंु �तरोधाय �वजम
ृ ्भत यथा |
आत्मो�दताहंकृ�तरात्मतत्
तथा �तरोधाय �वजम
ृ ्भत स्वय म ||१४२||
bhānuprabhāsaṁjanitābhrapaṅktiḥ
bhānuṁ tirōdhāya vijr̥mbhatē yathā |
ātmōditāhaṁkr̥tirātmatattvaṁ
tathā tirōdhāya vijr̥mbhatē svayaṁ ||142||
So another example is taken. And in this example, ātma is compared to the Sun,
sūryaḥ. And the Sun is covered by the clouds. The Sun is covered by the clouds. In
the same way, the ātma is covered by the error which is called ahaṁkāraḥ. And here
Śankarācārya extends the example beautifully; that is the cloud is generated by the
power of sunlight only. So the Sun alone evaporates the water and the sun alone
causes dryness of the land, and again dust also goes up; the dust which is caused
by the Sun and the water vapour which is caused by the Sun gets mixed together
and the cloud is formed. Therefore we can say cloud is the child of the Sun and you
see the daring nature of the cloud; it is born out of the Sun and the very cloud
covers the Sun; overshadows the sun as it were.
Similarly the ahaṁkāra is born out of ātma and that very ahaṁkāra is responsible for
the covering of the ātma. That is the idea here. abhrapaṅktiḥ bhānuprabhā
saṁjanitā. Abhrapaṅktiḥ means a patch of cloud; abhram means cloud; paṅktiḥ
means a patch, in this context. And it is saṁjanitam, born out of, created by,
bhānuprabha; bhānu means Sun, prabha means the radiation, the heat of the Sun.
So the clouds are born out of the heat of the Sun; they enjoy their existence
because of the Sun. That is the idea. So borrowing existence from the Sun, it is
trying to put the sun into non-existence. So bhānuṁ tirōdhāya. So it covers, veils the
Sun and vijr̥mbhatē, stands in front prominently, looms large; takes all the
importance, covering the Sun.
Similarly, ātmōditāhaṁkr̥ti. Similarly, the ahaṁkāra, that means the entire anātma,
stūla śarīraṁ, sūkṣma śarīraṁ, all of them, they are born out of what? ātmabhutita;
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they are all born out of the ātma. Means what? They depend upon the ātma for their
very existence. So this ahaṁkr̥tiḥ, born out of the ātma, ātma tatvam tirōdhāya.
That very ahaṁkāra covers the ātma tatvam. That is the small I, born out of big-I
and that small-I, which is born out of big-I, is trying to cover what? The big-I; not
even trying; it has very very successfully covered the big-I. Big-I is not e.. y.. e..,
eye. It is first person singular.
How do you know that this big-I is covered by the small-I? Small-I is always
crooked; write and see! Big-I is straight; no doṣam. Small-I is always crooked. How
do you know that the big-I is covered by the small-I?
The entire autobiography that I give; there is not even a remotest reference to
Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi. Not even by mistake, would we write about Brahman in our auto-
biography. No. It begins with the date of birth; which is the beginning of the small-I;
and it again goes up to the date of death; which again belongs to small-I; the small-
I has successfully managed, in covering the big-I, even though the small-I exists
because of the big-I only. See the temerity of it; he says. Therefore, ātma uditha;
uditha means born; ahaṁkr̥tiḥ, the ahaṁkāraḥ, the small-I; ātma tatvam tirōdhāya;
covers the real Self and vijr̥mbhatē; that verb is important; vijr̥mbhatē; stands in
front prominently. Stands as a VIP and Brahman has become another IP. First I is
important; second I is insignificant. Therefore Brahman has become very very
insignificant; almost non-existent.
कव�लत�दननाथ� द�ु दर्न सान्द्रमे

व्यथय� �हमझंझावायुरुग यथैतान ् |
अ�वरततमसात्मन्यावृ मढ
ू ब�द्
ु
�पय�त बहुदःखै
ु स्तीव्र�व�ेपशि ||१४३||
kavalitadinanārthē durdinē sāndramēghaiḥ
vyathayati himajhaṁjhāvāyurugrō yathaitān |
aviratatamasātmanyāvr̥tē mūḍhabuddhiṁ
kṣapayati bahuduḥkhaistīvravikṣēpaśaktiḥ ||143||
So continues with the same example, extending the example further. So here talks
about the dense rainy clouds covering the Sun. The dense rainy clouds covering the
Sun is like the āvaraṇa śaktiḥ covering the ātma.
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And thereafter, when the day has become dark and cold, then there is the stormy
rain; himajhaṁjhāvāyu; snow-storm is called himajhaṁjhāvāyu. Jhamjhākāśa means
storm; and hima means snow. himajhaṁjhāvāyu; snow-storm, especially in the
northern region of India; so this Ācārya must be familiar with the snow-storm also.
If you go to places like Kedar, Badri and Amarnath etc. the first thing that happens
is the covering of the Sun; āvaraṇa śaktiḥ functions.
And once that happens, from somewhere the powerful wind also comes. When the
Sun is gone, already we feel cold; and once there is a wind factor, they talk about
the wind factor; then the suffering is still more. Śankarācārya says the covering of
the Sun is āvaraṇa śaktiḥ; the wind-factor; the snow-storm is vikṣēpa śaktiḥ. Both of
them join together and then torment the traveller.
I remember my experience while going to Amarnath. Just we were walking, we were

about to reach. Already it was cold; we were late also. A few of us were walking.
Then suddenly the whole thing was covered and it was very cold. And then came
rain also. And I had a rain-coat; and found peculiarly, because of cold, the hand
does not function; and in the miserable plastic button does not open at all. Now
what I thought is that I can wear it like a banian through the head; you need not
open I thought and pushed my hand into the sleeves of the rain-coat; and it came
separate. Because that was all two-day raincoat; local manufactured; both arms
separate. Then it was extremely difficult. What to do? Temperature is very low and I
do not know how I reached.
Therefore one is called āvaraṇa śaktiḥ and the other is called vikṣēpa śaktiḥ and it
torments the traveller; and I remember Omkāraṇanda was telling Amarnath should
not end up in maranath; you know! In the next year many died also because of
snow-storm. So those people who experience that, they will know the impact of this
slōka.
So he says: durdinē; on a dark-day; a gloomy dark rainy day; kavalitadinanārthē;

dinanāthaḥ means Sūryaḥ; the Lord of the day; Chandra is rāthri nāthaḥ; the Lord of
the night; it is moon; lord of the day is sun; dinanāthaḥ kabalitham is swallowed;
which means covered by sāndramēghaiḥ; you can understand; dense cloud. Sāndra
means dense. Mēgha means cloud; so by dense clouds, the Sun is covered and once
that happens; himajhaṁjhāvāyu, the snow-storm, otherwise called the blizzard;
ugraḥ; that is not ordinary one; ugraḥ, the powerful snow-storm; Yēthān
Page 674

vyathayathi; torments, afflicts all the travellers. So here sāndramēghaiḥ refers to

āvaraṇa śaktiḥ; himajhaṁjhāvāyu refers to the vikṣēpa śaktiḥ.
So the second one comes only because of the first one. The second one is invariably
preceded by the first one. In Madras during rainy season; before a powerful stormy
weather comes, the whole place becomes dark. Āvaraṇa śaktiḥ has come and
thereafter only the vikṣēpa śaktiḥ comes. How they have observed even natural
phenomenon and connected to vēdānta, you see.
Similarly, ātmani āvr̥tē; when the ātma Sūryaḥ; the sun of ātma is covered; veiled;
by what? avirata tamasa; tamas means ajñānaṁ and what type of ajñānaṁ?
aviratam, dense ajñānaṁ; big ajñānaṁ, equivalent to what? There sāndra mēgha he
said; he sāndra means dense; here avirata means dense. Literally avirata means
without any gap in between. It is so close. So avirata tamasa. How do you split it?
there are three words there; aviratatamasa ātmani āvr̥tēsati;
When the ātma is covered, then tīvraḥ vikṣēpa śaktiḥ kṣapayati. So this powerful
vikṣēpa force; tīvraḥ vikṣēpa śaktiḥ, the powerful force of vikṣēpa, in what form;
kāma, krōdhaḥ, lōbhaḥ etc. is the snow-storm. A stormy mind. So those people who
have got kāma, they have a got a storm in the mind; powerful thought going; how
do you know, even cannot sit, they will be walking up and down; binding the hand
behind.
What is that? Inside storm is going on. If not kāma, krōdhaḥ; if not krōdhaḥ, lobhaḥ;
mōha, mātsarya, bhayaṁ; each one of them is like a powerful storm. If force can be
recognised by its percolation into the physical body also. That is what we see in the
first chapter of the Gītā also. Arjuna had the internal storm; he said:
sīdanti mama gātrāṇi mukhaṁ ca pariśuṣyati |

vēpathuśca śarīrē mē rōmaharṣaśca jāyatē ||1- 29||
Therefore they are all what; vikṣēpa śaktiḥ.
This powerful vikṣēpa śaktiḥ kṣapayati; kṣapayati means torments; afflicts; tortures;
tortures whom? mudha buddhim; the unintelligent person who has not insulated
himself by knowledge. Even the coldest weather is harmless, if you are prepared
preparely. At leat 4-5 sweater; thereafter heated coat; they have brought out now; a
Page 675

coat with hot air inside is there now; there is a battery you can switch on; anything
can happen; those people, those climbers, of Everest etc. They all got insulation; the
worst weather will not affect.
And for us what is the insulation? Jñāna coat is required. Whereas this human being
does not have the vivēka coat; insulation; protection is not there. Therefore,
Śankarācārya calls him mūḍha buddhiṁ. Like my rain-coat; OK; mūḍha buddhiṁ;
these people who have no protection or flimsy protection; such people mūḍha
buddhiṁ, refers to the person not the intellect; bahuvrihi samasā; mūḍha dhiḥ yasya
saha; it is the object of kṣapayati. Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ is the subject; mūḍha buddhiṁ is
the object; kṣapayati is the verb. Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ torments the unintelligent person.
And how does it torment? Bahu dukhai; by giving varities of emotional problems; by
giving varieties of worries; either caused by adhyamica duḥkhaṁ; worries about
oneself; what will happen to me; what will happen to me? what will happen to me?
or worries about the family. What will happen to my son? what will happen to my
son? Or ādhi daivikam or worried because of what is called adhi daivika force;
therefore by trividha tāpaihi yatayati.
एताभ्यामे शिक्तभ्य बन्ध पुंसः समागतः |

याभ्या �वमो�हतो देहं मत्वऽत्मान भ्रमत्य ||१४४|
ētābhyāmēva śaktibhyāṁ bandaḥ puṁsaḥ samāgataḥ |
yābhyāṁ vimōhitō dēhaṁ matvā:'tmānaṁ bhramatyayaṁ ||144|
So in this verse Śankarācārya concludes the topic of banda hētuḥ; how did the
bondage come. kathamēṣa āgataḥ. And what is the answer? The āvaraṇa śaktiḥ and
vikṣēpa śaktiḥ of ajñānaṁ together is the cause of bondage.
Normally in vēdantic parlance, we only say ignorance is the cause of bondage, but
Śankarācārya goes a little bit more deeper; when you say ignorance is the cause of
bondage, what do you mean? Śankarācārya says, ignorance has got two powers;
these two powers together is the cause of bondage; and how does it work and what
is the mechanism? One part covers and another part projects. So covering-cum-
projection is the way or the mechanism. Look at the slōka.
Ētābhyām śaktibhyāṁ bandaḥ samāgataḥ, because of the two-fold powers of

ignorance, because of the two-fold powers of ignorance, viz., āvaraṇa and vikṣēpa
Page 676

śaktiḥ; otherwise called tama śaktiḥ and raja śaktiḥ, bandaḥ samāgataḥ; bondage
has come about.
And we should remember, when we use the word, the bondage has come about, we
are not referring to any time-principle, because once you try to find out the
beginning, you will have so many problems; so you should not ask which date, it
happened. AD or BC; and before there was no ignorance at all?, etc. and we were all
Brahman, and one day ignorance thought of coming and that ignorance had the
āvaraṇa śaktiḥ, etc. we never talk about beginning. That is why we say that
ajñānaṁ is anādhiḥ.
Therefore, the chronological order we give is only the order of understanding, not
the order of occurrence, because it is a beginningless process. Therefore remember
this, ajñānaṁ, āvaraṇam and vikṣēpa; during pralaya khāla; āvaraṇa śaktiḥ alone is
there; vikṣēpa śaktiḥ is dormant; during sr̥ṣṭi khāla, vikṣēpa śaktiḥ also become
active; and again during pralaya khāla the vikṣēpa śaktiḥ goes dormant and again
the vikṣēpa śaktiḥ comes; and how it happens if you want to know, daily you
experience you have it. What is that? During sleep, āvaraṇa śaktiḥ alone is there;
vikṣēpa śaktiḥ is not absent; but it is dormant. The moment you wake up; in fact,
waking up is the waking up of vikṣēpa śaktiḥ only. This small-I is born; during sleep,
self-ignorance is there; during waking, self-ignorance and what? self-error.
And what is self-error? I am so-and-so. When you say I am and add anything other
than Brahman, it is error only. I am man, I am woman, I am husband, I am
unhappy, I am educated, I am dull; I am rich, I am poor. After saying 'I am'
whatever you add is only self-error. Therefore, during sleep, self-ignorance is there;
self-error dormant; during waking and dream; self-ignorance and self-error; both are
there; just as sleep and waking in the form of a cycle goes on and on and on; day-
after-day.
Similarly, at the cosmic level also, pralaya khāla is āvaraṇa śaktiḥ is there; sr̥ṣṭi kālaḥ
is āvaraṇa and vikṣēpa are active; and again pralaya and again sr̥ṣṭi. When it began?
you cannot talk about, because the time itself falls within the error alone. Therefore,
asking about the beginning of ajñānaṁ is asking about the time principle itself.
When did time come? What will you reply? There is no answer to that come.
Suppose I say 8 o'clock it came. That means what; 8 o'clock it came if I say, time
must be there. Only then, at a particular called 8 o'clock, time can come. So when
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time itself is not there; how can you talk about 7 o'clock or 6 o'clock etc. Everything
comes in time.
When did the time come? For that question, there is no answer. That is why we
have used the word māya. Māya means certain basic questions, the intellect cannot
decifer. It is impossible. Not that we do not know the answer; but the question itself
is such that you cannot answer. The unanswerability is not our defect; the
unanswerability is intrinsic in the question itself and when the unanswerability is in
the question, we use the name māya.
The other systems of philosophy consider it as our defect; we say it is not our
defect; but it is the very nature of the creation. So where did space come? No
answer. When did time come? No answer. How did cause-effect come? how did
cause-effect come? If you ask cause for the cause-effect, how can one answer. If
you ask the cause for the cause-effect, you have to go out of the cause-effect to
answer the question, how the cause-effect came? And once you go out of the cause-
effect, you cannot talk, how it came because, how is a question which exists within
cause-effect. Therefore, these three questions, silence is the answer. Silence is you
do not have, they say study vēdānta a little more.
As somebody beautifully said, these three questions are not solved; these three
questions are dissolved in the understanding of vēdānta. We do not solve these
questions; we only, what; dissolve the question. The student never questions after
that. No answers are given.
Like that, when I talk about āvaraṇa vikṣēpa etc. do not think of a chronological
beginning etc; it is a cyclic process. Vikṣēpa manifests and again unmanifests;
Vikṣēpa manifests and unmanifests. Āvaraṇa śaktiḥ eternally continues until we gain
ātma jñānaṁ.
OK. Look at the second line. In the first line, the word puṁsaḥ means human being
or jīva. Because of these two powers of ignorance alone, bondage has come to the
jīva. yābhyāṁ vimōhitaḥ; yābhyāṁ means because of these two forces of ignorance
alone, ayaṁ vimōhitaḥ; this jīva is deluded and how does the delusion expresses
itself. Ātmanam dēhaṁ matva; because of which he considers the miserable
putrifying ageing physical body to be himself. So ātmānam dēhaṁ matva; or dēhaṁ
ātmanam matva, he considers the body as himself. And having made that
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conclusion, bhramati; wanders in the world, without knowing that this fundamental
error is the cause of all problems; ayaṁ bhramati.
So with this verse, how did bondage come, question has been answered.
बीजं संस�तभू
ृ �मजस् तु तमो देहात्मधीरङ्कु
रागः पल्लवमम् कमर तु वपुः स्कन्धोओऽस शा�खकाः |
अग्राणीिन्द्रयसं �वषयाः पुष्पा� दःखं
ु फलं
नानाकमर्समुद् बहु�वधं भोक्ता जीवः खगः ||१४५||
bījaṁ saṁsr̥tibhūmijasya tu tamō dēhātmadhīraṅkurō
rāgaḥ pallavamambu karma tu vapuḥ skandhōō:'savaḥ śākhikāḥ |
agrāṇīndriyaśaṁhatiśca viṣayāḥ puṣpāṇi duḥkhaṁ phalaṁ
nānākarmāsamudbhavaṁ bahuvidhaṁ bhōktātra jīvaḥ khagaḥ ||145||
So Śankarācārya has discussed what all topics? He has talked about ātma; he has
talked about anātma; he has talked about bandaḥ; and he has talked about banda
kāraṇam; kathamēṣa āgataḥ; banda kāraṇam. Four topics he has talked about.
Now he is entering the fifth topic and that is kathaṁ pratiṣṭa; how is this bondage
sustained? Because when we see the nature, anything that is there in the creation
has got an natural death. Even our problems in life, it comes; they may say it is guru
pēyarchi; śani peyarchi; or some peyarchi and because of that they say, some
headache is there or stomach ache is there. But even if you do not do anything that
Guru would again have pēyarchi; and leave your house or come to your house.
Therefore every problem seems to have a natural death; and even if the problem
does not end throughout the life, what? you understand; if the problem does not
end throughout the life; some people have śani in the birth; what to do? it is not
that it comes; the very origin; that at least it will end at the time of death.
That is why Bhagavān has kept death. So everything has got a natural death; then
we may wonder, perhaps, ajñānaṁ or the error or the saṁsāra also one day, even if
we do not do anything, we do not go to what you call navagraha and navagraha
śāntiḥ; and kadala māla for the guru; or that malai for the śani, etc.; even if you do
not, he decides to go wholesale. It is not necessary that you have to do it; they are
ready to go; do not bother about any of them; peryarchi; or coming of it; etc. Not
Page 679

because you do not believe in astrology etc. but because you do not want to do
parihāra; it will go by itself.
Similarly, suppose I do not come to the class; in the end it is that; suppose I do not
study vēdānta; I do not get sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti and I do not get self-
knowledge; will not the saṁsāra ignorance, etc. end one day? As somebody asked,
just as all the rivers merge into the ocean, whether they like it or not, will we not
merge into the Lord one day or the other? Because in some books they write also.
That all the jīvas whether they like or not; they are all travelling Godwards only;
everybody will be liberated one day. When we read such statements, we may
wrongly conclude that it will automatically happen; but here Śankarācārya says,
there is no question of natural death for ignorance. There is no question of natural
death for error. There is no question of natural end of saṁsāra.
Unless we are ready to take the initiative, uttaret ātmanātmanam, nātmanam

avasadayet; parikṣya lokhān karmachidan Brahmanō nirvēdam ayaad; tad vijñāna
artham gurumēva bhi gachet samidpāniḥ.
As somebody nicely said, even Life's painful experiences do not automatically make
a person wiser. They say experience teaches. Somebody nicely said: experiences will
not automatically teach; even for that our initiative is required; it is our learning
capacity which learns from the experiences; if we do not take the initiative, any
amount of suffering, we will commit the same mistake again and again. Therefore,
saṁsāra will continue if I do not put forth effort to end and how does it continue;
not for a few years; or few decades; going to be endless janmas it will continue.
पन
ु र�प जननं पन
ु र�प मरणं
पुनर�प जननी जठरे शयनम ् |
इह संसारे बहुदस
ु ्तार
कृपयाऽपारे पा�ह मुरारे ||२१||
punarapi jananaṁ punarapi maraṇaṁ
punarapi jananī jaṭharē śayanam |
iha saṁsārē bahudustārē
kr̥payā:'pārē pāhi murārē ||21||
So this is the idea. Therefore, this one verse, verse No.145 answers katham
prathishta. The fifth topic only one verse. This topic only one verse. But it is a big
Page 680

verse and Śankarācārya conveys this idea through a metaphor and in this metaphor
our saṁsāra is compared to a huge tree, which is often contained in the scriptures.
Do you remember saṁsāra being compared to a tree? Where does it come? 15th
chapter of the Gītā; ऊध्वर्मूलमधःशाखमश्व प्राहुरव्य
ūrdhvamūlamadhaḥśākhamaśvatthaṁ prāhuravyayam; which itself is borrowed from

Kathopanișad; urdva mūlō vāk śāka; eshosvatha sanatanaḥ; and in several places
this analogy is given; that is being given here also. saṁsr̥ti bhūmijaḥ; bhūmijaḥ
means a tree; born out of the earth; bhūmijaḥ; the Saṁsr̥kt itself is interesting;
vrikṣaṁ we know, see how he has changed the word, bhūmijaḥ; means vrikṣaḥ; and
what is the vrikṣaḥ; saṁsr̥ti bhūmijaḥ; the saṁsāra is comparable to a tree.
And for this saṁsāra tree, a seed is required. Beejam tamaḥ; the seed is ignorance.
tamaḥ means tamō guṇaḥ or ajñānaṁ; or to be precise, the āvaraṇa śaktiḥ of
ajñānaṁ; is the seed of the saṁsāra vrikṣaḥ; and where the seed is there? you
should talk about sprout, it should come, from the seed, the sprout is
dēhātmadhīraṅkuraḥ; dēhātmadhī means the notion that I-am-the-body; dhībhi
means false notion; what falls notion; dēhaḥ ātma; the body is myself; this false
notion is aṅkuraḥ, the sprout.
And then rāgaḥ pallavam; so rāgaḥ means attachment; because once I-am-the-body
notion comes, body is matter; world is matter; matter and matter will have
relationship. So the child has the mother-infant; there is relationship, not the ātma
and mother; whether there is mother for the ātma? no, it does not have. Therefore
for the physical body, not even sūkṣma śarīraṁ, the physical body has the mother,
has the father, then comes the nationality. Svāmiji we want our child to be born in
America only so that citizenship is natural; and then you are bothered about whether
Tamilian or Telugu and so on; all these things. And the land is there; so many things
are there; they are all what? Rāgaḥ; Attachment is what? pallavam; so pallava can
be translated as plant like growth. Pallavam. That is small trunk. Sorāgaha pallavam.
So then ambu karma I will tell later; bahuhu kāndaḥ; and the physical body is the
trunk; kāndaḥ means the trunk; the central portion of the saṁsāra vrikṣa; because
centered around the body alone all the other activities.
That is why once the physical body is gone, all the files will have to be crossed and
you have to write deceased. All files closed. All of them are relevant and meaningful
only as long as the body is there. So just as the trunk is the central portion of the
huge tree; the body is the central part. Bahuhu skandhaḥ. Then aśavaḥ śākhikāḥ;
Page 681

aśavaḥ means the prāṇās; or the branches of the tree. So prāṇās are the branches
of the tree; prāṇās are many; the branches are also many. up and down; one prāṇa
is up; one prāṇa is down; prāṇa apāna udāna, vyana samāna; like that branches are
also spread all over; and agrāṇīndriyasaṁhatiḥ; the tip of these branches, agraṁ
means the tip, the end portion of the branches; alone the flowers and fruits come;
the end portion agrāṇīare what? indriya saṁhatiḥ. Indriya saṁhatiḥ means the grue
of sense organs; the grues are the sense organs; the periphery of the tree; the end
portion of the branches; and then: what are the flowers? because before the fruit
comes; the flowers have to come; What are the flowers? viṣayāḥ puṣpāṇi; the sense
objects which enter my mind; the outside sense organs do not cause any suffering
for me. Suppose there is a cobra behind my body; it does not cause any flutter; the
moment I become aware of the cobra through any one of the sense organs, then it
has entered my personality; that ānthara viṣayaḥ; that is capable of causing what
you call sukha or dukha. So here also the viṣāyās which has entered my mind, they
are the puṣpāṇi. And puṣpās come at the tip of the tree and here also the viṣāyās
enter first the sense organs only. And once the flower has come; the fruits are not
far off. Similarly, once the world has entered me, duḥkhaṁ phalam.
So the fruit are generally we say sukham and duḥkhaṁ are the fruits; some sense
objects produce pleasure; some sense objects produce pain; like two types of fruits.
Some you can know the moment you see his face; you cannot eat it so sour; or so
bitter; some of them are so nice; just as two types of fruits are there; here also two
types of phalam; sukham and duḥkhaṁ; but Śankarācārya is not ready to accept
sukham part at all; see how he writes: duḥkhaṁ phalam; only one fruit in Saṁsāra;
that is duḥkhaṁ, duḥkhaṁ, duḥkhaṁ only.
In Bhaja Gōvindaṁ he wrote: lōkaṁ śōkahataṁ ca samastam. And the commentator

wants to justify that. Just the question will come: How come Śankarācārya writes
only duḥkhaṁ phalam; for all these days we were saying two kinds of phalms are
there; sukham and duḥkhaṁ; we have read that. So the commentator says the so-
called sukham also, on closer observation, it is only a fake sukham or if you still
closely observe, it is also a duḥkhaṁ alone.
Asārē khalu samsēre sukhaṁ bhrānthim maniṣināṁ;

lāla pāna ivaṅguṣte bālānām sthanya vibramā;
Page 682

So in the entire saṁsāra, there is no pleasure at all; and whatever pleasure that is
available, it is only a fake pleasure; like what: bālānām lāla pāna iva; you know the
children; they just put their own thumb, suck and enjoy; enjoy what? There is
nothing; from the thump no milk comes; but still it it has a bhrānthim; that I am
suckling from the mother. Just as boy has got stanya vibrama; stanyam means
mother's milk; it is only a vibhrama in the aṅguṣte, the whole world is thumb; the
original mother's milk is what: Brahman: Brahman mother's milk we have left; and
this world-thumb we are chup chup suckling, without any pleasure.
More. Hari Om.
Page 683

054. Verses 146 and 147
बीजं संस�तभू
ृ �मजस् तु तमो देहात्मधीरङ्कु
रागः पल्लवमम् कमर तु वपुः स्कन्धोओऽस शा�खकाः |
अग्राणीिन्द्रयसं �वषयाः पुष्पा� दःखं
ु फलं
नानाकमर्समुद् बहु�वधं भोक्ता जीवः खगः ||१४५||
bījaṁ saṁsr̥tibhūmijasya tu tamō dēhātmadhīraṅkurō
rāgaḥ pallavamambu karma tu vapuḥ skandhōō:'savaḥ śākhikāḥ |
agrāṇīndriyaśaṁhatiśca viṣayāḥ puṣpāṇi duḥkhaṁ phalaṁ
nānākarmāsamudbhavaṁ bahuvidhaṁ bhōktātra jīvaḥ khagaḥ ||145||
Until now, Śankarācārya has talked about ātma and anātma and later he talked
about or he defined bandaḥ as the mixing up of ātma and anātma. And fourthly he
talked about the cause of this mixing up; namely ignorance. So there is significance
in choosing this particular order. He did not define bondage in the beginning, even
though the student wanted to know about bondage in the beginning. In the 49th
slōka kō nāma bandhaḥ.
Why did not Śankarācārya answer that question first? There is a reason. The reason
is this; he wanted to define bondage as mixing up of ātma and anātma. Suppose I
give that definition first, bondage is a mixing up of ātma and anātma, that definition
will be incomplete, because the student will ask a question what is ātma and what is
anātma. Therefore, the definition of bondage presupposes the knowledge of ātma
and anātma. Therefore Śankarācārya thought, before the definition of bondage, I
will introduce ātma and anātma; and this ātma and anātma also he discusses in a
particular order. Just the thought why this order came to my mind; therefore I am
analysing. This is not planned by me; just analysing.
So bondage has to be discussed only after the topic of ātma and anātma. Now what
should be the order between ātma and anātma? Whether to discuss ātma first or
anātma first? There also Śankarācārya deliberately chooses anātma because it is an
already experienced thing; only the name we do not know; but anātma we know.
We know the physical body; but we do not know that the physical body is called
anātma. We have experienced the subtle body, but we do not know that it is
anātma.
Page 684

Therefore, he takes up anātma first, because it is the known thing. And having
defined anātma, he introduces ātma as different from the three and the awarerer of
the three. Therefore it is very convenient to go to ātma; making use of the anātma
as what: stepping stone. So thus anātma he discusses first; ātma he discusses
second; thirdly he discusses bandaḥ because it requires the knowledge ātma and
anātma; because the definition of bondage is what: ātma anātmanoho avivēkaḥ. Or
to use Śankarācārya's Brahmasūtra definition; Satyānrutha Mithunikāraṇam. The
mixing up of the real and unreal. Mixing up of cit and jada. citjada granthi it is
called. Granthi means mudichu; between what and what; cit and jada; cit means
chetana ātma tatvam; jada means achetana anātma tatvam; citjada graṇthi means
mixing up of ātma and anātma is bondage.
So anātma first; ātma second; bondage third; then the fourth is: if this is the
bondage, why did it come. What is the cause of the bondage? That is the natural
fourth topic. Why do people mix up and what is the answer? Ajñānaṁ; ignorance is
the cause of the bondage; therefore that was discussed as the fourth topic.
And now we are in the fifth topic: How does this bondage, otherwise called saṁsāra
perpetuate itself? Why can't it have a natural death, just as the body naturally dies.
Every thing in the creation has got a natural death. What is meant by natural death?
caused by kāla; natural death means time caused death and that is why time is
called in our śāstra as death-principle. Another name for Yaman: Kālan. Why Yama
is called kāla; yama kills; time kills. Therefore natural death means time destroys the
body. For death what should we do? For death occur, what we have to do. We need
not do; it comes on its own. You need not work to invite, by sending an invitation;
pūrṇakumbam; na karmaṇā and invite. Even if you do not say Do not come; he will
come. Just as everything has got a natural death, why can't saṁsāra also die
naturally. How come it continues? Even after millions of janmas; not years or yugās;
millions of janmas. It means to have what? Persistence; which is called in Saṁsr̥kt,
prathiṣṭa. How does the bondage persist itself like a coachroach? Coachroach is
supposed to be in the evolutionary scale; it has come to existence, long long before
us. And till now in spite of all kinds of pesticide, killers; you find that it survives and
you try to kill a coachroach by beating it; it would not die that easily. See the
existence. Like the persistence it has, like that bondage seems to persist.
Page 685

And not only that, many of the actions, we do to destroy bondage, instead of
destroying it only seems to what you call, reinforce bondage.
So therefore money create bondage; even knowledge if is supposed to create a

person; often, the even the knowledge causes bondage in the form of jealousy and
comparison; all those things. This bondage seems to have a tremendous pratiṣṭa. In
this context, pratiṣṭa means persistence; continuity; longevity; tenacity is called
pratiṣṭa. And to convey this idea Śankarācārya gives this wonderful slōka: 145, how
does the saṁsāra vrikṣa persist.
So ignorance is the root of saṁsāra tree; and bodily identification is the sprout;
attachment is the fruit; pallavam can be called plant or fruit; and the physical body
is the trunk; the prāṇās are the branches; and the tip of the branches, the end of
the branches is the sense organs; the group of sense organs; the sense objects are
the flowers and after the flower comes what? duḥkhaṁ phalam. And what is the
water nouriṣing the tree? You know regularly we water. Similarly, the saṁsāra tree
is nourished by which water; that is said in the second line: which I had skipped
before: Ambu karma. Karma that is action; good and bad action; are the water.
So even though in this birth we are exhausting our karmās; and if we keep on
exhausting the karma, if we can hope one day all our karmās will get exhausted,
may be very big bundle; but you keep on exhausting the karmās; one day the last
karma will come and we get mōkṣa.
It should have been fine; but the problem is what? As even sañcita karmās are
exhausted, in the form of prārabdha bundle, what happens? We do not allow the
sañcita karmās to get exhausted, we add fresh water, in the form of āgami karma.
And the proportional addition is much much more than deletion or exhaustion; at
least previously we had only day-duty; now that we are going to night only.
I was talking to an Indian lady settled in America; now they are having seamless
working days. You know what is seamless working day? You cannot talk about the
beginning of the working day; and the end of the working day. Normally we say: 10-
6; 9-5, etc. Now that is not possible because most of the work is done through
internet and then you keep the internet at home also; and often your business is
connected with other countries; where the times are different. Therefore if you have
to contact India, you have to contact at a different time; therefore what are the
Page 686

working hours? 24 hours. And therefore there is no beginning or end; whichever

person is ready to interact with all the countries, whenever is needed; that person
gets the job; therefore they say, there is a tremendous pressure; whoever is ready
to work round the clock; he gets the job. Only if I am ready to work round the clock,
I can contact all the countries because time zones are different. Now new new
problems are coming; new new pressures are coming.
What I want to say is: therefore we are adding karma; not every eight hours.
Because of the 24-hours; OT; overtime we work, adding to āgami karma. I am not
saying do not go to the job. In the example, how human being is efficiently adding
to his karma bundle. And therefore the saṁsāra vrikṣa how does it grow.
ऊध्वर्मूलमधःशाखमश्व प्राहुरव्य |
छन्दां� यस् पणार्� यस्त वेद स वेद�वत् ||१५- १||
अधश्चोध् प्रसृतास् शाखा
गुणप्रवृ �वषयप्रवाल |
अधश् मूलान्यनुसन्तता
कमार्नबन्धी� मनुष्यलोक ||१५- २||
ūrdhvamūlamadhaḥśākhamaśvatthaṁ prāhuravyayam |
chandāṁsi yasya parṇāni yastaṁ vēda sa vēdavit ||15- 1||
adhaścōrdhvaṁ prasr̥tāstasya śākhā
guṇapravr̥ddhā viṣayapravālāḥ |
adhaśca mūlānyanusantatāni
karmānubandhīni manuṣyalōkē ||15- 2||
Saṁsāra branches are spread all over means; through the internet, it is spread all
over the world; your business contact. Soon we may have internet connection with
Indra; Varuṇa; Brihaspathi, you may do that also. So international; inter planetary;
inter-lōkaḥs; all connection. In short we nourish the saṁsāra tree very well. And
therefore Ambu-karma.
It also gives the explanation for varieties of phalams experienced by varieties of

people. Ātma is the same; anātma is the same; ignorance is the same; bondage is
the same for all.
Page 687

Then if ātma, anātma, ajñānaṁ and banda; they are all the same for all; how do you
explain the different types of sorrows experienced by different people. For one
person it is pūtra śokaṁ; and another person it is pūtri śokaṁ; for another person it
is bartha śokaṁ; another one it is bārya śokaṁ; griha śokaṁ; pet śokaṁ; pet śokaṁ
means not pettana śokaṁ; it is the śokaṁ caused by your pet; how to do you
explain the variety?
Śankarācārya says: nānā karma samudbhavaṁ. Even though ātma, anātma,

ajñānaṁ, banda are uniform, what is not uniform, karma is not uniform, and
therefore duḥkhaṁ is also not uniform. So quantitatively also sorrow varies;
qualitatively also sorrow varies. And as I said in the last class; Śankarācārya adds
only duḥkhaṁ as the phalam; he does not include sukham as phalam.
There the commentator adds; according to Śankarācārya there is no such thing as

sukham in the saṁsāra; I gave you the example Lala Pana iva anguste; just as the
child sucking the thumb imagines that it is suckling from the mother; while it is not
there, it is only a straight pleasure; not real.
Similarly there is no such thing as pleasure from the world; and according to the
Gītā, even the so called pleasure is potential pleasure, because

Every pleasure is tomorrow's pain. How come today's pleasure becomes tomorrow's
pain? Very simple. Every pleasure obtaining today, it is going to be pain tomorrow;
tomorrow is not the immediate tomorrow, it means in the future; and the
tomorrow's pain is directly proportional to today's pleasure, then how can you it call
pleasure when the very same pleasure is going to become pain tomorrow.
Therefore in vēdānta's vision, pleasure is another name of potential pain. And

therefore there is no pleasure at all; except in one place, what is that; ātma alone.
Ātma alone is the source of ānandaḥ; anātma is no the source of ānanda. Therefore
karma phalam is always duḥkhaṁ only; there is no sukham. This is another way of
looking at it. OK.
Page 688

If there are fruits, the question will come, who are the consumers of the fruit? If
duḥkhaṁ is the phalam, who are the consumers of this fruit; because wherever
trees are there; the fruits are enjoyed by someone. Śankarācārya says jīvaḥ bhōkta
khāgaḥ bhavathi. Every jīva is the bird; khāgaḥ means pakṣi. So just as the birds are
seated on the branches of the saṁsāra tree; and then they eat the fruit; similarly
the jīvātma bird is seated on the saṁsāra tree and they experience the duḥkha
phalam.
So this alone is said in the Mundaka upaṇiṣad also.
द्व सुपणार सयुजा सखाया समानं व�

ृ ं प�रषस्वजात । तयोरन्य �पप्पल स्वाद्वत्त्यनश्न
अ�भचाकशी�त ॥१॥
dvā suparṇā sayujā sakhāyā samānaṁ vr̥kṣaṁ pariṣasvajātē | tayōranyaḥ
pippalaṁ svādvattyanaśnannanyō abhicākaśīti || 1 ||
So in the tree, three is the jīvātma bird and he paramātma bird; here the paramātma
bird he did not mention; jīvātma bird experiences the fruits of the tree; whereas the
paramātma bird remains as a witness without being a bhōkta.
अ�ानमूलोऽयमनात्मबन्
नैस�ग्
र कोऽना�दरनन ई�रतः |
जन्माप्ययव्या�धजरा�दद-
प्रवाहपा जनयत्यमुष ||१४६||
ajñānaṁūlō:'yamanātmabandhō
naisargikō:'nādirananta īritaḥ |
janmāpyayavyādhijarādiduḥkha-
pravāhapātaṁ janayatyamuṣya ||146||
So with verse No.145, the fifth topic is over. And that topic is the persistence of
saṁsāra. In Saṁsr̥kt, bandasya prathiṣṭa. So anātma, ātma, bandaḥ, banda
kāraṇam, banda prathiṣṭa; 5 topics are over, among 7 topics.
Now two more topics are left out; and what are those two topics. No.1. Kathaṁ
vimōkṣaḥ; how do you get out of the bondage? And then one more is there;
tayōrvivēkaḥ kathamētaducyatām.
Page 689

Here the question discussed is: Kathaṁ vimōkṣaḥ; how can one get out of this
bondage? Because in the previous slōka, it was pointed out that it is not going to
have a natural death; unlike some people saying that all the jīvās are rushing
towards God alone; whether they like or not; just as all the rivers are flowing
towards the ocean naturally. This statement makes a big confusion. Can you imagine
the confusion? Rivers naturally flow into ocean and merge; no initiative, no effort is
required on the part of the river; if we give that comparison what will the jīva think;
we do not have to do anything; in the natural course itself; like evolution; they
quote the example of evolution also; matsya kurmahā varahaḥ, etc. even that is
evolution only, and you need not do anything; we all have started from unicellular
organism and evolved into multi-cellular organism and the next natural is divinity;
whether you like or not. As such he is lazy; this is the most wonderful philosophy; I
need not do anything; naturally I will merge into God. There are many people
conveying this idea, directly or indirectly, knowingly or unknowingly. Śankarācārya
made it very clear that there is no question of natural merging into God. So do not
ask whether there is unnatural merging. The idea is there is no merging into God
because there is no merging into God because I have never been away from God.
Therefore the whole problem is one of disowning; solution is conscious owning up of

the fact and knowledge does not automatically take place. Knowledge does not
automatically take place like growth of the body. For the body to grow, what have
you to do. You keep surviving. And you find that there will be natural growth if you
survive, support the body. Like that if you just survive, after 10 years; if you are
SSLC or whatever it is; and after sometime you find yourselves BA; MA; and does
this naturally happen.
Knowledge never naturally happen. Ignorance never naturally dies;

therefore mōkṣa is not a natural and automatic event. It requires effort; it
requires Will; it requires initiative. That is why mōkṣa is called a puruṣārtha.
We do not accept even mōkṣa as God's Will. Neither it is a natural process; nor it is
God's Will; it is another philosophy wherein they say if Bhagavān wants to give
mōkṣa you will get. If Bhagavān has put your file behind, like in some Govt. offices,
they keep the file behind; it is only Bhagavān's choice of file, etc. that also we do not
accept; if Bhagavān chooses to give mōkṣa; then that Bhagavān will be subject to
what? Partiality; like our Government officers allotting land and licence and all of
them to chosen fellow. And Bhagavān is also subject to something; it is called speed
Page 690

money; speed money. So Bhagavān will also takes speed money and you will get
instant liberation; that is the problem. Mōkṣa is neither a natural event; nor is mōkṣa
Bhagavān's will; mōkṣa is your will; your effort; your accomplishment.
Then does it mean God's grace is not necessary. We never said that. We never said
that. We say God's grace can function only as a booster to your will. Like he booster
Ariel; booster Ariel can only support the television; it can never replace the
television. booster Ariel is there, so tv is not necessary; you cannot do that; you
cannot replace the television. Similarly, God's will or God's grace can never replace
our will, it can only give a boosting impact.
And therefore, what is vimōkṣaḥ? or katham vimōkṣaḥ; by an appropriate effort on

the part of the jīva; mōkṣa is possible. By an appropriate effort on the part of the
jīva; mōkṣa is possible. And the appropriate effort is called; sādhana. The
appropriate effort and adequate effort.
Appropriate and adequate; what I mean is; direction also must be proper and the
time must also be proper. Time means what? the duration. I have given the
example, I hope you remember; if I have to reach the end of this hall, I require
effort and the effort should fulfill two conditions; first condition is the direction;
suppose I am walking in the opposite direction; effort is there; but the direction is
wrong. And another person is walking in the right direction; he has walked 5 feet;
after walking 5 steps he says I have not reached the end of the hall; here what is
the problem; not direction; but adequacy is not there. So appropriate effort should
fulfil the condition of direction and adequacy; and that is called sādhanā.
And what is the topic now? Katham vimōkṣaḥ is equal to mōkṣa sādhanam kim. And
this is discussed from 146 to 148. Three verses 146, 147, 148 and to talk about the
appropriateness of the effort, Śankarācārya talks about the nature of bondage.
To talk about the appropriateness of the effort, you should know the nature of
bondage; to know the appropriateness of the medication; you should know the
nature of disease. So somebody had a headache and he just swallowed the pillow;
headache went; and similarly this person had a headache and he swallows a pill and
it did not work at all; why because, 2408 varieties of headaches are there it seems;
enough of it? Headache can be caused by anything, including wife or husband also.
OK. It can be caused by tooth; you take any amount of medicine; unless you
Page 691

remove the tooth, the pain may not go. It may be your glasses might have to be
changed. It may be you are straining too much intellectually. It may be anything;
therefore appropriateness of the medication depends upon the appropriateness of
the diagnosis; all the confusions in religion are because nobody or most of the
teachers do not discuss the nature of saṁsāra.
Therefore only many have doubts whether the mōkṣa is because of karma yōga; or
whether it is because of dhyāna; or kundalini yōga gives you mōkṣa; or bhakthi
gives mōkṣa. All headache because none of them ask the question, what is the
cause of the bondage; and each one claiming this is the means of liberation; and
another person says all the people are fanatic people claiming our path alone leads
to Mōkṣa; we are the large hearted people, emmadaḥvum sammadam; all paths we
accept. Mōkṣam through karma, bhakthi. Thus you have got all kinds of confusion,
all because of what, the nature of bondage is not clear. Ajñānaṁ is the cause of
bondage; if this one word is uttered; all the confusion will go in half a second; if
ignorance is the cause, knowledge alone is the solution. And if I say this, I am not a
fanatic. If I say that you should worship Krishna alone, I am a fanatic. You can
worship the Lord anyway for purification. So if I hold on to one God, it is fanaticism.
But when I say ignorance goes through knowledge alone, I cannot be called a
fanatic. That is why Dayānanda Svāmi says: if you call me a fanatic for making this
statement, I will better be a fanatic, rather than a lunatic. It is not fanaticism; it is a
fact. Therefore how many means of liberation is there? Only one; jñānat ēva. Then
what about all other sadhana. None of them for liberation. None of them is for
liberation; all are preparation for knowledge. Karma is preparation; bhakthi is
preparation; aṣṭanga yōga is preparation; if you want to take to risky kundalini yōga;
that is also preparation, if you survive. How many people come and complain after
practising that. The benefit is I lost my sleep. One young chap and came and told
me; that is all those things and got into headache. Headache literally also. Even if
such a yōga is there; and if it is also properly practised; then also it is for what?
preparation only.
Then what is the real means? Jñānam. Why do we say so? Because of the nature of
bondage. What is the nature of bondage; that is said in this slōka. ayaṁ anātma
bandaḥ; this bondage of ours, which is in the form of anātma abhīmāna bandaḥ;
Anātma bandaḥ means anātma abhīmāna rūpa bandaḥ; bondage in the form of
mistaking the body as myself; this self-error bondage. Bondage in the form of error.
Page 692

Is caused by what? Ajñānā mūlaḥ; do you understand. ajñānā mūlaḥ means what; is
caused by ignorance; it has got the root of ignorance; mūlaṁ means root; if
bondage is a tree; ajñānaṁ is the root. Without removing the root of ajñānaṁ, you
cut the branches of bondage; what will happen; if you do not remove the tree
without removing its root; you keep on cutting the branches; again and again it will
grow. That is why we are never getting mōkṣa. We are doing something or the
other; ethai thinnal pittam theliyum, they asked. I have done so many things; but
Svāmiji, nimādhi is not found. Because you do not uproot the tree; what is the tree?
ajñānā mūlaḥ.
And what type of bondage it is? Naisargikaḥ. And this is Naisargikaḥ; Naisargikaḥ
means it has been there naturally from janma itself. This bondage is there, right
from the birth itself; birth of the body itself; not that you acquire it after the birth; it
is there along with your birth; congenital. That is the word. naisargikaḥ. It is
congenital. Not acquired later. Sargaḥ means janma. naisargikaḥ means what
janmataḥ vartate.
And why did or when did it all begin? Anādhiḥ. It is beginningless. I cannot take this
birth as the beginning because, the birth itself does not have a beginning. In this
janma also it is there; in the previous janma also it was there; in the previous janma
also it was there. When did the first janma come; there is no first janma; anādhiḥ.
And how long it will continue? Anādirananta īritaḥ. And it is said to be endless also;
and the endless should be carefully understood; otherwise it can create problems.
If this saṁsāra is the endless; what; we cannot get mōkṣa. If we cannot get mōkṣa,
any sādhana is futile, which means all the sādhanā are futile and on the next
Monday, you need not come to the class, because you have already come this
Monday.
So therefore endless means without a natural end. It is endless means it does not
have a natural end like body; or like anything in the creation; like even the planet.
Even the planet and the Sun will have an end sometime. Either it will explode or it
will contract; or it will become a white dwarf or red giant, etc. they say. Even the
Sun will have an end. A different type of end. And for that what should you do?
Nothing, naturally. Like that bondage does not have. So anādirananta īritaḥ.
Page 693

And when Śankarācārya is writing this, he is keeping in mind the 15th chapter of the
Gītā,
न रूपमस्य तथोपलभ्यत
नान्त न चा�दनर च सम्प्र�त |
अश्वत्थमे स�ु वरूढमूल
असङ्गशस्त दृढे �छत्त् ||१५- ३||
na rūpamasyēha tathōpalabhyatē
nāntō na cādirna ca sampratiṣṭhā |
aśvatthamēnaṁ suvirūḍhamūlaṁ
asaṅgaśastrēṇa dr̥ḍhēna chittvā ||15- 3||
īritaḥ means said to be. And what does this bondage do to us?
janmāpyayavyādhijarādiduḥkhapravāhapātaṁ. Saṁsāra is long isn't, therefore
Śankarācārya has combined a long compound word, which is also long. It creates or
causes janayati, subject is bandaḥ; verb is janayati; and what does it cause?
Pravaha pādam. So this stream of saṁsāra, so it causes the stream of saṁsāra;
consisting of what? janma, birth, apyaya, death; vyādhi, diseases; jarā, old age;
ādhi, etc. In between you want to add: asthi, jāyade, vardate, vipariṇamathe; he is
adding all that; adhi duḥkhaṁ; duḥkha means pain. Therefore pain in the form of
birth, in the form of death, in the form of diseases, in the form of old age, jara, old
age, and these pains are what? Are in the form of a stream; not in the form of a
flowing stream; in the form of a falling stream; like waterfall; therefore pravāhasya
pātaṁ. What is the difference between a flowing stream and a falling stream? It is
forcible, it is powerful also. And the stream indicates what; there is no gap, that
means one headache gone; before that another is here; that gone another; that
gone another, like that; something or the other will be. Therefore it is continuous;
powerful stream of problems.
And all these problems are generated by whom? anātma bandaḥ janayati. Create for
whom: amuṣya. For this human being or for this jīva. Not human being; jīva, jīva
because it includes animals and plants also. So the nature of bondage is discussed
for what purpose? To establish the appropriateness of the solution. And in some
book, instead of pravāha pātaṁ; there is pravāha tāpaṁ; all are same; in Tamil we
say manas tāpaṁ. Almost the same.
Page 694

नास्त्र शस्त्रैर�न विह्नन

छेत्तु न शक्य न च कम्
र को�ट�भ |
�ववेक�व�ानमहा�सना �वना
धातुः प्रसाद �शतेन मञ्जुन ||१४७||
nāstrairna śastrairanilēna vahninā
chēttuṁ na śakyō na ca karmakōṭibhiḥ |
vivēkavijñānaṁahāsinā vinā
dhātuḥ prasādēna śitēna mañjunā ||147||
So now that the nature of bondage is clear, that it is ignorance born error. That is
the nature of bondage; ignorance born error, which means self-ignorance born self-
error. Ignorance is also about myself, error is also about myself. Self-ignorance born
self-error is this bondage; and once ignorance is at the root; we have got only one
solution; that is knowledge; we have discussed this in the introduction part of
Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi.
In Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi we find several ideas are repeated in several places. That is why
some people even take it as stray verses written by dictated by any ācārya; either
Śankarācārya or some other ācārya and all these stray verses have been collected,
edited and rearranged and thus some people take Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi as a compilation
also, because we find some of the ideas are repeated, beginning from verses No.4
or 5, 6-7 verses we had this topic; jñānaṁ alone gives liberation. That topic again he
is repeating here. Why should he repeat it, if you ask, our answer is what? In spite
of repetition confusion successfully continues. Then, if repetition is not there, what
will happen? Therefore he is hammering into your head; therefore it is repeated.
He says this bondage cannot be cut by any number of weapons; astraihi cēttum na
sakyaḥ; this is a unique bondage which cannot be cut by astram. astram means
missile; any missile is called astram; na śāstraihi; śāstram means any weapon other
than a missile; which is held in the hand; like a sword; sword is held in hand;
therefore it is called śāstram; gaḍa is a śastram; but when an arrow is used as a
weapon, since it is released from the hand, it is called astram asyate iti astram; it is
released, shot; na śastrai. Very careful; not śāstrai; because in English translations;
somehow I think discrepancy has come; neither by weapons nor by any scriptures
they have said; so they have taken the reading as śāstraiḥ; it is not scripture, in fact,
Page 695

sceptre is the weapon; and scripture should not be included in the list; here we are
giving the list which cannot destroy the bondage, in that list scriptures should not be
included, because scripture is a weapon; śabda pramāṇam can destroy ignorance.
Who said so, if you ask? I will humbly say: Upaṇiṣads says so:
धनुर ् गह
ृ �त्वौप�नषद महास्त शरं ह्युपास �न�शतं सन्धयी । आयम् तद्भावगत चेतसा ल�यं
तदे वा�रं सोम् �व�द ॥ ३ ॥
dhanur gr̥hītvaupaniṣadaṁ mahāstraṁ śaraṁ hyupāsā niśitaṁ sandhayīta
| āyamya tadbhāvagatēna cētasā lakṣyaṁ tadēvākṣaraṁ sōmya viddhi ||
3 || Mundakopāṇiṣad
ātmanam aranim krithva, prāṇava chotthararanim;

vēdānta vijñāna na sunischithaartha;
It is very very clear that scriptures alone are capable of destroying the bondage.
Scriptures would destroy means what? understood scriptures. Do not think that
keeping it in your house and doing 3 times deeparadhana, your ignorance will be
removed. So therefore understood scriptures destroy. In Tarka śāstra, they are very
particular about language. If somebody says medicine will remove disease, they will
not accept that; they will say consumed medicine; medicine in bottle if you keep,
how will it remove the disease, if not consumed; they will say consumed medicine;
and they will add; define further and further; it is called lakṣaṇa pariskāraḥ.
Similarly, here also, when I say scriptures destroy, I mean what, understood
scriptures can destroy. Therefore here not śāstraihi; śāstraihi; weapons do not
destroy the bondage; anilēna; anila means vāyu; the wind cannot dry up the
bondage; wind can destroy many things; by drying up. So wind cannot destroy;
vahninā, fire cannot destroy;
What about pūja? Karma kōtibhiḥ. So even by crores of karma; whether it is

ordinary or extra ordinary karma, and remember all the upāsana as also will come
under karma alone. All upāsana as will come under karma alone; all meditations also
come under karma alone; because upāsanas are mental activities. Therefore by all
of them; chēttuṁ na śakyaḥ.
Then what should I do? There is a special weapon; and what is that weapon? vivēka
vijñānaṁahāsina bina. So in the second line chēttuṁ means to destroy; na śakyaḥ;
Page 696

not possible. It is not possible to destroy the bondage by missiles; by weapons, by

wind, by fire, and by crores of karmās and upāsanas; except what? vivēka vijñāna
mahāsina bina; except by the great sword of self-knowledge; except by the great
sword of self-knowledge.
Can you understand? Except by knowledge, it cannot be destroyed by other things;

if you put positive. Knowledge alone can destroy. So asi means sword, mahā asi
means what; huge or powerful sword; and why it is called powerful sword? Because
it has to cut the huge saṁsāra vrikṣa; asvatam prāhur avyayaṁ; So the sword must
also be powerful. And what is it called? Vijñānaṁ; it is self-knowledge; and what
type of self-knowledge. In fact, we should not tell that I should get self-knowledge;
because everyday says I have got self-knowledge; I know who I am.
So therefore vivēka vijñāna; the knowledge of the Self separated from non-self.
Knowledge of the self; what type of self? separated from the no-self; not-self
includes what? the body and mind; knowledge of myself as distinct from my body;
and distinct from my mind; that knowledge of the self; is the sword which can
destroy. And the glory of the sword is talked about in the fourth line, which we will
see in the next class.
Hari Om.
Page 697

055. Verses 147 to 149
नास्त्र शस्त्रैर�न विह्नन

छेत्तु न शक्य न च कम्
र को�ट�भ |
�ववेक�व�ानमहा�सना �वना
धातुः प्रसाद �शतेन मञ्जुन ||१४७||
nāstrairna śastrairanilēna vahninā
chēttuṁ na śakyō na ca karmakōṭibhiḥ |
vivēkavijñānaṁahāsinā vinā
dhātuḥ prasādēna śitēna mañjunā ||147||
In these three verses, beginning from 146 Śankarācārya is answering the sixth
question of the student; viz., katham vimōkṣaḥ; how can a person get freedom from
bondage? Bondage has been defined as self-error caused by self-ignorance; self-
error caused by self-ignorance has been defined as bondage. How can one get rid of
this self-error; self-misjudgment; self-wrong conclusion; how can a person get out
of?
And we know the answer; any error can be removed only by removing the cause of
the error. And the cause being ignorance, without removing ignorance, error can
never go. Forgetting an error is one thing; removing an error is another. So when
we have certain problems like hatred, anger, etc. we can try to forget those
thoughts; or escape from those thoughts by engaging ourselves in various other
actions, including drugs and liquor; but removal of the thought or escaping from the
thought is different from directly negating the thought. In fact we become free from
self-error when we go to deep-sleep state.
When we go to deep sleep state, we do not have any self-error; because no self-
judgment exists in deep sleep. I do not think who I am in sleep; that is why I do
not conclude I am a happy person; unhappy person; no self-judgment; no self-
conclusion. In sleep, self-judgment is also not there; self-conclusion is also not
there; therefore I am temporarily free from self-conclusion.
But even though I am free from wrong self-conclusions in sleep, the cause for the
wrong conclusion continues. And what is the cause for wrong conclusion? Ignorance.
Page 698

Therefore during sleep, ignorance, the cause continues; the only the effect has
temporarily withdrawn, has become dormant; like cutting a tree without removing
the root; when you cut the tree, the effect is gone; but the cause continues; you
have to only wait for the tree to sprout again.
Similarly self-error is the tree; self-ignorance is the root. During sleep, we cut off the
tree of self-error; that is I am body, I am mind; I am unhappy, I am husband, I am
wife; I am a businessman, what are all these; we have cut off the self-error in sleep;
but the root of self-ignorance continues and therefore when you wake up, the self-
error or errors sprout like plants sprouting in rainy season. And therefore, if bondage
should go, self-error should go; because bondage is self-error. If self-error should
go, self-ignorance should go. If self-ignorance should go; self-knowledge should
come.
And therefore, Śankarācārya wants to emphasise that you can never escape self-
knowledge. So whatever you be, you may claim yourselves to be karma yōgi , you
may claim yourselves to be bhakthi yōgi ; aṣṭanga yōgi ; kundalini yōgi ; etc.
whatever yōgi you want to be you can; but all the yōgis will have to ultimately
come to the basic pursuit of self-knowledge and that too through the śāstram and
without that; there is no way at all.
Therefore Śankarācārya wants to emphasise the inevitability of self-knowledge; and

therefore first he points out what all cannot remove bondage. Before saying what
can remove bondage, Śankarācārya wants to remove our misconceptions by saying
what cannot remove the bondage. What are they: astraiḥ; śastraiḥ; anilēna;
vannina; karmakōṭibhiḥ. No weapons can destroy this shackle; no amount of rituals
can destroy; and no amount of upāsana s can also destroy.
But we should remember, when Śankarācārya says karma cannot remove bondage,
upāsana cannot remove bondage, we should not misinterpret it and say, therefore
karma and upāsana are useless. You should not say that. That is the worst corollary
we can derive.
Śankarācārya only says: karma cannot remove ignorance; upāsana cannot remove
ignorance; he never says it is useless. It is like saying: eating cannot give you a
college degree. So what does it mean? Eating cannot give college degree. For that
you have to study. That is the only meaning. Eating cannot give college degree,
Page 699

Svāmiji has said: so therefore from tomorrow I am not going to eat. If you say so,
look at your foolishness. Eating will give some other thing, which is as important as
study is. Therefore never conclude karma is useless; never conclude upāsana is
useless; karma and upāsana are extremely important for citta suddhi. Cittasya
śuddaye karma. And after getting citta śuddhi, do not hang on to karma; that is the
meaning. After getting citta śuddhi; do not hang on to karma.
Then what should you do? Go to the appropriate means of knowledge and that is
said in the third and fourth line; vivēka vijñāna mahā asinaḥ; the shackle of self-
error can be cut only with the great sword of vivēka vijñānaṁ. Discriminative
knowledge. Vivēka means discriminative; vijñānaṁ means knowledge. vivēka
vijñānaṁ means discriminative knowledge. Discriminative between what and what:
ātma and anātma.
And what type of knowledge it is; three adjectives are given.
mañjunā; so mañju means that which is pure, sacred; glorious. So with the glorious
self-knowledge; because it is dealing with the glorious ātma. Why is knowledge
glorious? Because the object of knowledge here is the glorious ātma. Therefore the
knowledge also is wonderful; attractive. Krishna uses the word rāja vidyā rāja
guhyam; the most shining knowledge; literally manju means beautiful; with this
beautiful self-knowledge.
And second adjective is: śitēna; śitēna means which is sharp; so the word sharp will
have to be interpretted properly. In the case of the sword sharpness, means it
should be sharp enough to cut the shackle. A blunt sword cannot cut anything. In
the case of knowledge, what do you mean by sharpness? Sharp knowledge means
clear knowledge. Just as we say sharp intellect. It is not that with the head you can
cut a tree. There sharpness means distinct and clear. There is no vagueness. There
is no doubt. And how do you know that knowledge is clear. Any type of doubt, I
must be able to answer. That is why we have got a process called mananam, in
which exclusively I allow my intellect to put all types of questions possible; because
vēdānta is not a matter of belief. It is a matter for understanding.
Therefore during śravaṇam, for continuity I do not ask the question. Otherwise it will
be disturbed. Therefore during śravaṇam, questions are kept aside; and after the
completion of comprehensive teaching; then start mananam. Any question and
Page 700

every question including the most fundamental question: why should I accept the
Upaṇiṣads. You can start from there; perhaps the upaṇiṣads may be bluffing. Doubt
can start there. For some after 25 years of study, this doubt comes. Perhaps it may
be conspiracy among all the sanyāsis. They do not have any other jobs and they
want to take the classes and therefore they have done like this. You should go to a
guru only and upaṇiṣad should alone be studied. Why should I accept upaṇiṣad?
From that onwards, every idea can be questioned. We have got book book, and
book, which will answer every blessed question. Not only questions from lay
persons; questions from philosophers; Buddhists who never accept vēdānta as a
means of knowledge. We have tackled buddhism, we have tackled Jainism; because
it is knowledge; they are thinkers. So ṣad nāstikā darśanāni and pañja āstika
darśanāni; six system of philosophy who are purely rationalists philosophers who do
not accept vēdas; five systems of philosophers who accept Vēda; and we can include
modern science also. Let anybody ask any question, I should be able to answer.
And when we go to advanced vēdantic book, not only we can answer this question,
for each each question, we have got answers depending upon the level of the
student. Why did creation come? If somebody asks, the answer will be depending
upon the questioner. Svāmi Chinmayānanda used to answer. So when he knows that
the student is a little bit cantankerous student whose intention is not learning but
cornering; then he will say; the one who has done the mischief go and ask that
person. And then he will add, out of compassion, when you meet that person, the
question will not be solved; but the question will dissolve. Therefore that is one
answer. Thereafter, we have got layer after layer answers. The ultimate being the
Mānḍukya answers, in which we say that there is no creation; where is the question
of answering your question?
Thus for every question we have many answers; and when I am convinced; it is
called what: clear knowledge. hastha āmalakavat. That is why he has said here;
clear; saṁśaya rahita jñānēna.
And how does one get that? Dhātu prasādēna; to get that clarity, we require the
grace of the Lord also; dhāta means Īśvaraḥ; prasādaḥ means anugrahah; kripa; so
dhātu prasādēna; which is a gift of the Lord; a blessing from the Lord. So thus the
bondage can be cut only by discriminative knowledge, which is beautiful, which is
clear and which is the gift of the Lord.
Page 701

श्रु�तप्रमाणैक स्वधम
�नष्ठ तयैवात्म�वशु�द्ध |
�वशद
ु ्धबुद परमात्मवेदन
तेनैव संसारसमूलनाशः ||१४८||
śrutipramāṇaikamatēḥ svadharma
niṣṭhā tayaivātmaviśuddhirasya |
viśudda buddhēḥ paramātmavēdanaṁ
tēnaiva saṁsārasamūlanāśaḥ ||148||
So a beautiful verse; an important verse; and verse which comprehensively presents

the entire gamut of spiritual sādhanā. And Śankarācārya presents this because the
previous slōka can confuse a person because we said jñānaṁ alone gives freedom
from bondage; one person may conclude that jñāna yōga alone is enough; karma
yōga is not enough; one may think. Therefore he wants to say that jñāna yōga is
impossible without karma yōga; and karma yōga is: do you remember; is incomplete
without jñāna yōga. If you understand this, 99% of confusions in spirituality will be
gone. Jnāna yōga is impossible without karma yōga; karma yōga is
incomplete without jñāna yōga. The net result is everyone has to go through
karma yōga and jñāna yōga. That is why we have got four āsramas; brahmacārya
and gr̥hastha āsrama; taking care of pravr̥tti mārgaḥ; karma yōga; vānaprastha
āsrama and sanyāsa āsrama; taking care of jñāna yōga. Brahmacārya āsrama is
preparation for karma yōga; in gr̥hastha āsrama and vānaprastha āsrama is
preparation for jñāna yōga in sanyāsa āsrama. So Svāmiji, in that case, should we
take Sanyāsa, do not ask me. You will get fear.
Whether you physically go through four āśrams or not, mentally one has to go
through four āśrams and unless one gets a sanyāsi's mind, self-knowledge is
impossible. Without a sanyāsi mind, which we call as vairāgyaṁ and detachment;
freedom is impossible. And therefore that karma yōga; preparation; jñāna yōga;
mōkṣa. That is what is presented here. A complete slōka.
So what is the first stage of sādhana? Śrutipramāṇaika matihi; first one should
understand that vēda alone is our guide in spiritual journey. This must be very very
clear. Vēda alone is our guide in spiritual journey; all the material sciences can be
useful for material purposes; how to construct a hall? It is a material purpose and
you can certainly consult an expert in that field; but once it comes to spirituality or
Page 702

Ānandaḥ and remember, spirituality means ānandaḥ. Relative ānandaḥ is possible

only through dharma; absolute ānandaḥ is possible only through jñānaṁ. Relative
ānandaḥ, relative ānandaḥ means temporary ānandaḥ is possible through dharma;
absolute ānandaḥ is possible only through jñānaṁ.
If you consider money and possessions are sources of ānandaḥ; all the monied
people must be happiest people. In fact the very money which they considered the
source of ānandaḥ; the very money becomes a bug; putrādapi dhana bhājāṁ bhītiḥ;
Śankarācārya says many old people are worried because of my money, the children
are fighting among themselves. Who should get what share? It is because of the
money only they are fighting. If only I had no money, they would not have fought.
In fact, nobody would come also. It is a different thing. So therefore, money can
never be said to be a source of happiness. Possessions can never be said to be a
source of happiness, family can never be said to be a source of happiness; because
there are many people with family who are miserable, and who say that Svāmiji
please create an Āśram and I would come. Āśram has not come, before that
candidates have come! They have big waiting list. That is why I am not doing at all!
That is a different thing.
Nothing in the world is source of happiness. There are only two sources of
happiness; dharma for apēkṣika sukham; jñānaṁ for atyantika sukham. Dharma also
you get from vēda alone; because it is apouruṣeya viṣaya; jñānaṁ also you get
through vēda alone; Vēda pūrva bhāgaḥ deals with apēkṣika ānandaḥ through
dharma; vēda anta bhāgaḥ deals with atyantika ānandaḥ through jñānaṁ. Vēda
pūrva bhāgaḥ deals with apēkṣika ānandaḥ through dharma; vēda anta bhāgaḥ
deals with atyantika ānandaḥ through jñānaṁ.
Therefore through vēda alone spiritual life; through spirituality alone ānandaḥ. We
are very sure. Therefore we have to have to vēda as our guide, which is called
śraddhāḥ. Because until it works for me, I should have śraddhā; otherwise how do I
know vēda will give me ānandaḥ. Just as I have faith in my parents; that they are
doing only good for me; the type of education they give me, and the type of
upbringing they give me; a child has got absolute faith in the parents; child cannot
afford anything else also. Just as I have got implicit faith in my parents,
Śankarācārya says thousand times more faith in the vēda I have. That if you believe,
you do not perish. Nambinaal keduvathillai, which is the beginning of spirituality.
Accepting vēda as the guide.
Page 703

And that person is called śruti pramāṇa eka mathiḥ. Eka mathiḥ means conviction.
Only one thought; ekaa mathihi yasya saha eka mathiḥ. That is unwavering
conviction in what? śruti pramāṇa. śruti means vēda; pramāṇaa means a source of
knowledge with regard to my life's course; course of my life. This is first stage of
sādhanā. Śraddhāvan bhava. Śraddhāḥsya sowya. Śraddhāvān labhyate jñānaṁ.
And śraddhā is something that should grow in my life. Śraddhāḥ is a unique faculty
or a unique state of mind which I cannot logically develop; it should grow in me and
therefore we require an atmosphere for that. And that atmosphere can be given by
only parents and teachers. A child born in materialistic family; where the parents do
not believe in the vēdas in spirituality, except in money, that the child will find it
extremely difficult to become a vaidikaḥ. Therefore vaidika kutumbam word we use.
A family which is in the atmosphere of vēdic teaching.
And the society also. If it is a materialistic society, all the time bothered about
money-making and entertainment, a child which is coming and growing in that
society, has to do swim across the current to develop vaidika śraddhāḥ. If you say
vēdam, it will laugh. It would all look like cock-and-bull story. Extremely difficult.
And therefore it is the responsibility of the parents and teachers to create an
environment of vaidika śraddhāḥ; so that the child develops that. That is why we
give importance to family. Because śraddhāḥ has to be developed in early ages.
And once that śraddhāḥ has come, then what is the next stage? Svadharma ni ṣṭa.
So first stage of sādhanā is svadharma anuṣṭānam; otherwise known as karma yōga;
a religious life. It always gives importance dharma and mōkṣa which does not
consider artha and kāma as primary. Money and recreation cannot become primary.
A society which gives importance to money and entertainment is a materialistic
society and in such a society, religion cannot thrive. And therefore the life should be
what? svadharma niṣṭa. In simple language, karma yōga anuṣṭānam; otherwise
called religious lifestyle.
And I am not going to go into the details. In my introduction, I talked about karma
yōga, in which I talked about pañja mahā yajña. You remember that. A life style of
pañja mahā yajña in which I grow spiritually.
Page 704

And how long that religious life should continue? Taya asya ātmaviśuddhiḥ; by
following that religious life, which includes ethics; we do not separate religion and
ethics. That is why we never talked about moral lessons before, because morality is
one of the sub-divisions of religions. So you do not have to say religious and moral
life. I do not say that he is coming and his hand also is coming. Hand is included in
him. Therefore morality is involved.
Even spirituality is involved in religion. Spirituality is mōkṣa. Therefore religion

involves spirituality and morality; therefore religious life means values; religious life
means mōkṣa as the ultimate goal.
And how long that religious life should continue, if you ask, Taya asya
ātmaviśuddhiḥ bhavathi. By that life, taya means svadharma niṣṭaya; niṣṭa means
lifestyle; svadharma means religious; religion; svadharma niṣṭa; through such a
religious life style; ātma viśuddhiḥ, there will be purity of the mind; ātma here
means mind.
How do you know that? Why can't we take it as Self; the satchidānandaḥ ātma.
Ātma can be satchidānandaḥ ātma also. How do you know? Do you take a lot; or
whatever it comes to your mind at that time you take it. How do you know? that in
this context of ātma, that it is the mind? We have to think and it will find; because
Śankarācārya says by following religion, one will get the purity of ātma;
Satchidānandaḥ ātma need not get purity; why, because it is always pure; you do
not require karma yōga to purify satchidānandaḥ ātma; because satchidānandaḥ
ātma was never sullied to get purified; and therefore the mind alone requires purity.
Therefore, taya asya antakāraṇa śuddhihi bhavathi.
Now the question is: how do I know that I have got purity? Like ISI. ISI; Indian
standard institution; quality control; like that; Svāmiji do you have some centers in
which the mind will be tested and they will give certificate that the mind is pure. No
more generic toxic fumes; fumes means thought.
How do you know? We can put in different form; one form is one will develop
interest in self-knowledge. So the topic of self-knowledge become more and more
attractive. Who am I? What am I doing hanging around? What do I want to attain
through this life? Where did I come from? Where am I going? Is life a just eating
and drinking and producing children and dying; which animals do more efficiently.
Page 705

So these fundamental questions will begin to attract my mind; the other things like
artha kāma will be there; I may even enjoy them; but they are no more primary
attractions in life. That is the time of vairāgyaṁ; that is the time of citta shuddhi; So
taya ātmaviśuddhiḥ asya.
So suddenly in the newspaper, spiritual talk wherever it is reported, it will fall in your
eye; even though in Madras all the time there has been spiritual talks which can be
seen in the Engagement columns; there are some people who have been teaching
vēdānta for sixty years in Madras. 40 years; 30 years before it did not fall in my
eyes; bumber sale only fell. 20% cut; you buy 2 shirt; one pant free; all these fell in
my eyes. About Gītā discourse, even with the big banners, it never fell in my eyes.
What is that, which changes my perspective? The same world; the same people; the
same scriptures, everything was there; that transformation is called citta shuddhiḥ.
Then what happens? Viśudda buddhe paramātma vēdanaṁ. So once a person has
become Viśudda buddhiḥ, pure in mind, or to put in technical language, sādhanā
catuṣṭaya sampannasya; what is the next stage; paramātma vēdanaṁ; self-
knowledge; vēdānta śravaṇa manana nidhidhyāsanam will become primary pursuit.
So thereafter also, artha is there; there is pursuit of artha; pursuit of kāma, pursuit
of dharma; may be there, but they all will become what? Subservient. My mind is
not obsessed with those things. They are all there to be taken care of; but I cannot
dwell upon them all the time. Timely we eat; we know eating is important; do you
think of eating all the time. So after breakfast, do you meditate on what will be there
for the lunch; lunch finished; do you mediate on what is there for the dinner. Dinner
over; what is there for tomorrow's breakfast? Some people are there. They live for
eating. It is a different type. We do not do that. So when I have to eat, I eat. At
other times, it does not obsess the mind. Similarly I have to earn money; and I have
to have some entertainment; and I have got pūjā and other things also; but what
pre-occupies my mind is something higher.
And for such a person, jñāna yōga occupies the mind; which is called paramātma
vēdanaṁ. Paramātma means paramātma. And vēdanaṁ means knowledge. Self-
knowledge; the pursuit of self-knowledge; otherwise called jñāna yōgaḥ is the
second stage.
Page 706

So can you see the whole thing now? First accepting vēda as the guideline; next is
following a religious life of karma yōga to purify; then following a philosophical life of
jñāna yōga; getting ātma jñānaṁ; this is spirituality. And how long it will take? It is
not that Svāmiji I did karma yōga yesterday, today jñāna yōga; tomorrow I am
jñāni; it is not half a day or one day; it is almost life-long. In fact it is not life-long; in
fact if we got interest in Gītā now, or in Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi now, it is because of an
appropriate life; not only in this life. If in the fiftieth year, you have some interest in
Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi, do not think that up to the fiftieth year, you were doing dharma.
We have done it for anēka janma samsiddaḥ, tato yaati parāṁgatiṁ.
Therefore it is a multi-janma process. So viśudda buddhe paramātma vēdanaṁ; self-

knowledge takes place; tēnaiva; and tēna means paramātma vēdanena; by that self-
knowledge, and eva he puts only. Very very careful he is. By that self-knowledge
only.
Therefore you cannot say you practice jñāna yōga, I will practice bhakti yōga; they
have beautifully divided; you all go in that route; we all will go in this route, etc.
Svāmiji calls it four-path philosophy. And let him go through karma yōga; saying that
they will all bracket us.
And they think that we are fools unnecessarily going through the dry path of
knowledge, which is full of corns and pit holes and all those things; whereas we do
not have to do anything, except shed tears, thinking of the Lord, mōkṣa will come.
Śankarācārya says: nothing doing; that are all concentrated confusions; tēna eva;
jñānēna ēva saṁsāra samūla nāśaḥ; through jñānaṁ alone saṁsāra nāśā will take
place. Saṁsāra means bondage; bondage means what? Self-error.
atasmin tatbuddhiḥ prabhāvati vimudaśaya śamata; vivēkabhāva vai

spurathi bhujage rajju diṣana.
He defined bondage as self-error. That self-error will go away only with knowledge.
And that too how? Samoola nāśaḥ; the error will go along with its cause.
What is the cause of error? What we have said? Ignorance. So saṁsāra can go
without knowledge also; but when it goes without knowledge, it is like what; cutting
a tree. That is why when a person goes to meditation without studying the
scriptures and enjoys samādhi, we call that samādhi enjoyment as antha samādhiḥ;
Page 707

antha samādhi means blind samādhi; blind samādhi means what; he enjoys non-
duality along with ignorance. Ignorance is not gone; because he has never studied
the scriptures. Therefore as long as he is in Samādhi; he will enjoy bliss; and once
he comes out, it will go away.
Therefore samādhi can give saṁsāra nāśā; but samādhi cannot give saṁsāra samūla
nāśaḥ. It cannot give. Sleep can give saṁsāra nāśaḥ; but sleep cannot give saṁsāra
samūla nāśaḥ. Pralayaṁ can give saṁsāra nāśaḥ but it cannot give saṁsāra samūla
nāśaḥ. Even drugs can give saṁsāra nāśaḥ. They say you get a euphoria; very nice
experience; it is almost like nirvikalpaka samādhi, they say. So a person may get
extreme bliss in drugs also; that is also saṁsāra nāśaḥ; but it is not saṁsāra samūla
nāśaḥ. Saṁsāra samūla nāśaḥ if it should come, what should be done? Attend the
classes.
The following verses are not in a very clear metre; not easily chantable nature;
therefore I will chant like prose.
कोशैरन्नमयाद्य पञ्च�भरात् न संवतो

ृ भा�त |
�नजशिक्तसमुत्पन् शैवालपटलै�रवाम्ब वापीस्थ म ||१४९||
kōśairannamayādyaiḥ pañcabhirātmā na saṁvr̥tō bhāti |
nijaśaktisamutpannaiḥ śaivālapaṭalairivāmbu vāpīstham ||149||
Śankarācārya has written many verses or prayers on various deities; one prayer that
he has written is Govinda aṣṭakam, which is almost vēdantic type of prayer. Satyam
jñānaṁ anantaṁ nityamanākāśaṁ paramākāśaṁ. Even MS Subbhalakshmi has sung
and popularised that prayer with a cassette and a metre of that slōka and this slōka
is the same. So if you know how to chant that, you can use that metre to chant this
slōka also. Otherwise easier method is of prose. If you want to sing and do not know
how to sing, it is a problem for everyone; so chant like a prose.
So with the previous verse, the sixth question also has been answered. Katham
vimōkṣaḥ. And what is the means of liberation? Jnānaṁ. Jñānāt ēva vimōkṣaḥ.
And now Śankarācārya enters to answer the seventh and final question; and that is
tayōr vivēkaḥ etat uchyataṁ. How can one discriminate between ātma and anātma;
what is the process of ātma anātma vivēkaḥ. This is the seventh and final question.
Page 708

And Śankarācārya answers that from this slōka 149 to 211. 149 to 211 is ātmanātma
vivēkaḥ.
Now this ātma-anātma vivēka is done by using a particular method. Ātma anātma
vivēka is done by using a particular method. The method is based on the following
facts. Ātma happens to be extremely subtle entity; ātma happens to be extremely
subtle entity by which we mean it is not easily comprehensible. So sūkṣmatvaṁ
nāma durvijñāyatvam. Sukṣmēna jñātum śakyatvam, difficult to comprehend.
And why is ātma difficult to comprehend. It is not available for any sense organs; it
is not available for even reasoning; naiṣā tarkēṇa mathirapanēya. Therefore sensory
perception cannot help me; logic cannot help me; mathematics cannot help me;
experimentation cannot help me; we say even meditation cannot help you because
in meditation you may experience varieties of things and whatever you experience is
what? The experienced objects and we are not talking about the object at all; it is
apramēya, achinthyam; and therefore it is athi sūkṣmam; incomprehensible.
And if I have to grasp a subtle ātma; I have to make the grasping intellect also
subtle. A tool used for subtle operation; also must be subtle tool. If you want to do
an eye surgery; and you want to use an axe for that; which is used to cut the trees;
using that for eye surgery; what will happen? eye will be lost; so microsurgery
requires micro tools; laser is required. Therefore, the quality of the tool depends
upon the quality of operation. Therefore ātma jñānaṁ requires sensitising the
intellect; making the intellect also subtle.
And for that what do we do? Initially we take anātma itself before going to ātma; as
a training ground we take anātma itself and divide the anātma into gross and subtle
parts. Even before going to ātma; anātma level itself we try to understand the
grosser part of anātma; and subtle part of anātma; and when the mind learns to
dwell upon the subtler part of anātma; the mind is sensitised. The mind is made
subtle. Once the mind has been made subtle, you can use the mind for ātma and
therefore what is the first stage? Grade the anātma in terms of its subtlety. Even
before going to ātma, grade the anātma; anātma means the objective world itself
into subtlety, in terms of the subtlety.
And first dwell upon the gross anātma; then go to the subtle anātma; and then go to
the subtler anātma and thereafterwards we can see. And therefore the first stage of
Page 709

vēdantic stage is classification of anātma in terms of its grossness or subtlety and

this classification is done in two different ways; one type of classification is called
śarīra traya vibhāgaḥ.
One type of classification is called śarīra traya vibhāgaḥ. Classification into three
bodies.
And another type of classification is kōśa pañjaka vibhāgaḥ. Classification into five
kōśas.
And what is śarīra traya vibhāgaḥ? That we have already done. Stūla śarīraṁ;
sūkṣma śarīraṁ; kāraṇa śarīraṁ. Learn to dwell upon stūla śarīraṁ; be physical-I for
some years; I am the body; keep this notion for some years; dress well with
ornaments etc. hairstyle etc. nothing wrong; be a physical personality. Then after
some time, grow to emotional or intellectual personality. You see scientists; they do
not bother about the hairstyle; because they are not the physical-Is; they are
emotional or intellectual-is; that person has got a subtler intellect; why, because, he
is no more bothered about his grosser physical personality; he is bothered about
what he knows; intellectual personality. And thereafterwards kāraṇa śarīraṁ; a
person must have a still subtler mind to understand.
And this method of travelling from grosser to subtler level is called arundathi
darśana nyāyaḥ; have I talked about it here; Arundathi darśana nyāyaḥ; otherwise
called śāka-candra nyāyaḥ; travel from grosser to subtler plains. Even when the
mountaineers want to climb the Everest. They should not climb fast; because at
each height, the environment is different; the terrain is different; the atmosphere is
different; the temperature is different. Therefore they have got four or five camps
before 5000 feet they stay for some days, because the heart, blood, lung and the
pressure, and even the rarified atmosphere, I should acclimatize it seems; just
simply die. Then go to 10000; acclimatization; 15,000 acclimation, 20, 25. Everest is
29,000. So if Everest climbing requires acclimatization, climbing the self-knowledge
peak requires mental acclimitisation; which is done by using this Arundathi darśana
nyāya; the śarīraṁ traya vibhāgaḥ; we have already done.
Now Śankarācārya is going to do; which is pañja kōśa vivādhaḥ; which he is

introducing from this slōka, which we will see from the next class.
Page 710

Hari Om.
Page 711

056. Verses 149 to 152
कोशैरन्नमयाद्य पञ्च�भरात् न संवतो

ृ भा�त |
�नजशिक्तसमुत्पन् शैवालपटलै�रवाम्ब वापीस्थ म ||१४९||
kōśairannamayādyaiḥ pañcabhirātmā na saṁvr̥tō bhāti |
nijaśaktisamutpannaiḥ śaivālapaṭalairivāmbu vāpīstham ||149||
Śankarācārya has now come to the final question of the student; the seventh
question; in which the student has asked for the method of ātma anātma vivēka.
Tayor vivēka kathametat uchyatham? First statement in the 49th slōka. Tayor
vivēkaḥ means ātma anātma vivēkaḥ and as an answer to this question,
Śankarācārya chara wants to elaborately deal with the pañja kōśa vivēkaḥ.
Even though Śankarācārya has dealt with this topic previously in the name of śarīra
trayaṁ, Śankarācārya wants to introduce pañja kōśas also and therefore, as an
answer to the anātma śarīra trayaṁ was introduced; as an answer to ātma anātma
vivēka; pañja kōśa is introduced.
And I was discussing the significance of pañja kōśa vivēka in the last class. The ātma
happens to be extremely subtle and therefore the intellect which has to grasp or
understand this ātma also has to be a subtle instrument. The subtlety of the
instrument depends upon the subtlety of the job in hand. To do micro-surgery on
the eye, we cannot use the ordinary knifes and blades; they have to invent laser
surgery. Similarly, here also our mind is generally gross; that gross mind can never
grasp the subtlest ātma and therefore the scriptures to prescribe some method of
making the mind subtle. And what the scriptures do is: the scripture divides the
anātma itself into a gradation of subtlety. So just as a tennis player before going to
the original match, he plays the game with his coach; a partner is there. Similarly, at
the anātma level itself, we learn to sensitise the mind. And for this purpose, anātma
itself is subdivided in the order of its subtlety.
So śarīra trayaṁ also is sūkṣma tāratamyaṁ; tāratamyaṁ means gradation; sūkṣma

tāratamyaṁ means gradation in subtlety. So if you take the three bodies; the
physical body is gross; subtle body is subtle; causal body is extremely subtle at
anātma level.
Page 712

And that is why a Tatva bōdhaḥ student often says: even after study of tatva
bōdhaḥ 10 years before, Svāmiji, this kāraṇa śarīraṁ topic in Tatva bōdhaḥ is the
only thing not understood. Now, kāraṇa śarīraṁ is anātma; and it is the subtlest
form of anātma. If a student finds difficult to understand, the subtlest form of
anātma; then what to talk of ātma which is subtler than what? The subtlest anātma.
And therefore a student has to necessarily train his mind in understanding subtler
levels of anātma and this methodology we call Arundathi darśana nyāya or śāka
chandra nyāya. I have discussed this nyāya before and I do not want to go to the
same topic again. OK. So you remember.
So these pañja kōśas are nothing but anātma or the three śarīraṁs themselves
further divided into five kōśas. Stūla śarīraṁ is called annamaya kōśa; sūkṣma
śarīraṁ is subdivided into prāṇamaya, manōmaya, and vijñānaṁaya. All put together
is sūkṣma śarīraṁ; and kāraṇa śarīraṁ is renamed ānandamaya kōśa. So stūla
śarīraṁ and annamaya kōśa are synonymous; kāraṇa śarīraṁ and ānandamaya kōśa
are synonymous; sūkṣma śarīraṁ alone is subdivided into prāṇamaya, manōmaya
and vijñānaṁaya; based on the icchāḥ śaktiḥ, jñāna śaktiḥ, kriya śaktiḥ.
Sūkṣma śarīraṁ's kriya śaktiḥ is called prāṇamaya; sūkṣma śarīraṁ's icchāḥ śaktiḥ is
called manōmaya; the sūkṣma śarīraṁ's jñāna śaktiḥ is called the vijñānaṁaya. And
they are graded in these levels because jñānaṁ determines the desire; desire
determines the action.
What you know will determine the type of desire, because you cannot desire what
you do not know. Therefore knowledge influences the desire; desire influences the
action; therefore knowledge must be subtler and desire must be less subtle and
action must be least subtle. Therefore prāṇamaya; then subtler than that manōmaya
and subtler than that vijñānaṁaya. So thus we have got three śarīraṁs themselves
subdivided into pañja kōśa; and this pañja kōśa ātma vivēkaḥ. Pañja kōśa together
meaning anātma we are going to get pañja kōśa ātma vivēkaḥ; differentiating ātma
from the pañja kōśa.
This we saw in Tatva Bōdhaḥ while defining ātma stūla sūkṣma kāraṇa śarīrat
vyathirikthaḥ, avastha traya sākṣi; pañja kōśa vilakṣanaḥ; sacchidānandaḥ svarūpaḥ
sanyas siddati; sa ātma. Pañja kōśa vilakṣaṇaḥ.
Page 713

One word is there in Tatva Bōdhaḥ and that one word in Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi becomes a
huge topic from verse No.149 to 211. Count the slōka s yourself. 51 + 11 = 63
verses dealing with one word; what; pañja kōśa vilakṣaṇaḥ. This is the topic for
which the Śankarācārya gives the introduction in these verses. Actual pañja kōśa
vivēka has not started; he is introducing the topic of pañja kōśa vivēkaḥ.
So therefore he says, verse No.149, ātma kōśaiḥ samvruthaḥ. Ātma is covered by

the five kōśas. Pañjabiḥ kōśaiḥ. And because they encase the ātma as it were,
because they serve as though an enclosure of the ātma; they get the name kōśaḥ;
kōśavat acchadakatvat kōśaḥ. So what does a case do? Suppose you have got a
spectacle case. You can look at it in two ways: one is it contains your spectacle; it
serves as a holder of your spectacle; it serves as a protector of your spectacle.
These are all the normal ways.
And also it covers the spectacle from your vision and therefore the spectacle case
āvr̥ṇōti; covers; because of which you are not able to see the spectacle. Similarly,
the pañja kōśas are called encasements, because they cover the ātma.
Therefore he says, pañjabhihi kōśai; ātma saṁvr̥taḥ. Ātma is covered. And what are
these kōśas? Annamayadaiḥ; annamaya kōśa, etc. And what is this etc? You know
the answer; prāṇamaya, manōmaya, vijñānaṁaya and ānandamaya; by these pañja
kōśas ātma is covered.
Therefore what? Na bhāti. Because of the covering, we are not able to recognise the
ātma. So if covering is an obstacle for knowledge, if covering is an obstacle for
knowledge, what are we supposed to do? Remove the cover, which is called dis-
covering. Therefore what do we do? What are we to do? dis cover. Thīra
śaiyakarādha; thus sang Thyagarājaar. I do not know whether I am pronouncing
Telugu properly. Oh Lord, Tirūpati Venkataramana, Oh Lord, this ajñāna veils the
pañja kōśa veil is covering my vision; covering you; you please give me darśanam.
And how does Lord give the darśan? by removing the cover. Anyway, pañcabhirātmā
saṁvr̥taḥ san na bhāti
And what is the beauty here? the kōśas are born out of what: he says nija śakti
samutpannaiḥ. The kōśas which are born out of the very śaktiḥ of ātma. So nija here
means ātma; the kōśas are born out of ātma; and they cover the very ātma itself.
And what is the śaktiḥ of ātma? This is called ajñāna śaktiḥ; which has got āvaraṇa
Page 714

and vikṣēpa. Otherwise called māya śaktiḥ; māya or avidyā is called śaktiḥ. We have
seen earlier when describing kāraṇa śarīraṁ; we said kāraṇa śarīraṁ has different
names. We called it avidyā, we called it māya; we called it śaktiḥ also. Therefore,
nija śaktiḥ means ajñāna rūpa ātma śaktiḥ; māya rūpa ātma śaktiḥ. From that śaktiḥ
are born the kōśas; and having born out of ātma; they should be grateful to the
ātma; should it not? Instead of being grateful to the ātma; they overshadow; cover
the ātma itself.
And Śankarācārya wants to give an example. Because example only makes things
clear. Something born out of something covering the very source itself. Previously he
gave an example. I do not know whether you remember. Something born out of
something covering its very source, he gave the example of clouds.
bhānuprabhāsaṁjanitābhrapaṅktiḥ
bhānuṁ tirōdhāya vijr̥mbhatē yathā
ātmōditāhaṁkr̥tirātmatattvaṁ
tathā tirōdhāya vijr̥mbhatē svayam ||142||
The clouds are born because of the Sun and the clouds cover the very Sun itself;
because of whose grace they are born. Now Śankarācārya wants to say, I am not
confined to one example. I can give you any number of examples. Very creative
mind; and all examples are from nature.
He gives another example. On a pond or a lake, the moss is born; moss or pāśi;
whatever it is; and what is the source of that moss? What is the nourisher of the
moss? The water; and this moss, which is born of water, covers the very water
itself. From distance it appears as though there is no water. Sometimes it becomes
dangerous also. They nicely drive the car or walk and fall into the same. Therefore
he says: śaivāla paṭalaḥ; śaivāla paṭalaḥ means a sheath of moss; śaivālaṁ means
moss; paṭalaḥ means a thin sheath. And by this sheath of moss; aṁbu iva; avr̥tham
we have to supply. Just as the water is covered. yatha aṁbu, aṁbu means water;
that is why lotus is called aṁbujaṁ, born out of water. So just as water, and where
is that water? Not in the glass; it will not come there; therefore it is vapisthaṁ
aṁbuḥ; in the river also it will not come, because river is flowing; therefore he wants
to put a condition; vapisthaṁ aṁbu; vāpi means a pond or well; stagnant water. So
just as stagnant water in a well or a tank is covered is a sheath of moth, which is
Page 715

born out of the water itself; similarly the ātma is covered by a sheath of anātma or
pañja kōśa, which is born out of the ātma itself.
तच्छैवालापनय, सम्यक स�ललं प्रतीय शुद्ध |

तषृ ्णासन्तापह सद्य सौख्यप् परं पंस
ु ः ||१५०||
tacchaivālāpanayē samyak salilaṁ pratīyatē śuddham |
tr̥ṣṇāsantāpaharaṁ sadyaḥ saukhyapradaṁ paraṁ puṁsaḥ ||150||
So if you have to discover water, what should you do? We have to remove the
śaivāla paṭalaḥ. Therefore he says: tacchaivālāpanayē sati; sati saptami; suppose a
person removes that sheath of moss, śaivālāpanayē, remove it; put aside; then what
does he see: śuddham salilam pratīyatē; the beauty is śaivāla cannot pollute the
water; it only remains on the top and covers; once that is removed, that is good and
natural water; healthy water only.
Therefore Śankarācārya adds: śuddham salilam pratīyatē. And when he writes the
word salilam, he is keeping in mind what: when we study the example, we should
not forget the original; i.e., intelligent reading. If you forget the original, two
problems will come. You will not extend the example where you should and also the
second worse mistake is that you may extend the example to what you should not.
So therefore, original should be remembered always. So salilam means ātma; here
also he uses the word śuddham; in the case of ātma also, it is śuddha ātma. That he
will give in the next slōka; but I am impatient and therefore saying now.
And not only that, tr̥ṣṇāsantāpaharaṁ; that śuddha jalaṁ removes the pain caused
by thirst; santāpaḥ means pain; discomfort; uneasiness; born out of what? tr̥ṣṇā;
tr̥ṣṇā means thirst; a person who has walking; now only you are keeping bottles and
bottles in the car and travelling; in that days they used to walk; and they had to
depend upon the natural sources of water only; and this person has been looking for
water; he has not seen at all; even though water is close by; but because of the
moss he did not see it; and when he came nearby, because of his natural
experience; he knew that it is water with a thin sheath of moss and then he is so
eager; removes it and drinks repeatedly; and the thirst which has been afflicting him
for hours together. You will experience all these only when we walk. Now we do not
have any chance to experience hunger; because if there is a gap between eating,
you will know what is hunger; we do not know thirst. Therefore this person drinks
Page 716

that water; what type of water? tr̥ṣṇā santāpaharaṁ; haraṁ means the remover;
the water which is the remover of the pain of thirst.
And this also is a very significant adjective which has to be extended to vēdānta
also; because the word tr̥ṣṇā has got meaning. One meaning is the thirst for water;
and another meaning is thirst for sense objects; desires, craving; yearning;
inordinate craving. That is necessary; this is necessary; howevermuch you get, the
mind is empty and bankrupt; that thirsty bankrupt mind, which wants to get more
and more and because of which there is santhāpaḥ; because a mind which he has
got desire is burned; tāpaḥ also double meaning; the duḥkaṁ in the mind also
means tāpaḥ; burning is also called tāpaḥ; Krishna compares desires to fire in the
third chapter. So duṣpūrēṇa analēnaca. Desire is compared to fire, which burns in
the mind, which causes pain.
Now this ātma discovery will do what; tr̥ṣṇāsantāpaharaṁ; all the cravings are gone;
प्रजहा यदा कामान्सवार्न्प मनोगतान ् |

आत्मन्येवात् तषु ्ट िस्थतप्र�स्तदो ||२- ५५||
prajahāti yadā kāmānsarvānpārtha manōgatān |
ātmanyēvātmanā tuṣṭaḥ sthitaprajñastadōcyatē ||2- 55||
Therefore śuddham tr̥ṣṇāsantāpaharaṁ salilam is a very very thoughtfully used

expression. OK. And another beautiful thing; after drinking water how much time
does it take you to get this tr̥pti. Suppose you are thirsty and you have taken water
at 2 0/clock. Thereafter when will the tr̥pti come; at 5; or 6. As even you drink you
get that ānandaḥ. There is no time gap between drinking the water and enjoying the
fulfilment. Similarly between jñāna prāpthi and paripūrṇa tr̥pti, there is no time gap;
as even you come to vēdānta; you will get tr̥pti. And therefore he uses the word:
sadyaḥ; sadyaḥ means உடேன; sadyaḥ. In Saṁsr̥kt, there is a visargaḥ here; sadyaḥ
means what; instantaneously; jñānaṁ and mōkṣa are simultaneous. And once that
tr̥ṣṇā is gone; what is the inner condition? Saukhyapradaṁ. This you will yourselves
understand. These are all adjectives to water; adjective to water; water is pure;
water is remover of thirst, immediately; and water is the giver of saukhyaṁ.
How are you, if someone asks? you can say saukhyaṁ, from your innermost heart.
All people will say ெஸௗக்ய் இ�க்ேக; in the letters and phones, etc. initially and
Page 717

then start scolding, etc.; because it is a formality; we have to start with இவ்வ�டம
ெஸௗக்ய�ம, அவ�டம் ெஸௗக்கியத்�க்� எ. etc. That first line; thereafter you

cannot read. This is not superficial verbal saukhyaṁ; a saukhyaṁ which comes from
the innermost heart.
And what type of saukhyaṁ; at least the saukhyaṁ oming from this water drinking
is relative saukhyaṁ; but the saukhyaṁ coming from the jñānaṁ is the highest.
Therefore he adds the adjective paraṁ saukhyapradaṁ; it gives great tr̥pti;
paripūrṇa tr̥pti. That is why they say: anna dhānam and jala dhānam are superior
because, if you give money, any amount you give, that person may not say it is
sufficient. They may say OK; OK. And in that OK itself the unsatisfied nature is
known. But in annadānam; even the greatest glutton; at least after 50 laddus; not
one or two; atleast after 50 laddus, he will say pōrūm and sit with the hands and
head bowed down upon the banana leaf. Do not serve more. So this is one thing
where paripūrṇa tr̥pti we can give; that is why they say;
न अन्नोद समम ् दानम ्, न द्वदश परं वत

ृ म्।
न गाय�या परो मन्त, न मातुर ् दै वतम ् परम ् ॥
na annōdaka samam dānam, na dvadaśya paraṁ vr̥tam |
na gāyatryā parō mantraḥ, na mātur daivatam param ||
Na annōdaka samam dānam; Nothing equal to anna dānam and udaka dānam; you
know why, in annam and udakam, we can get what; paripūrṇa tr̥pti. Therefore he
says; param saukhyapradaṁ; total tr̥pti; for whom: for puṁsaḥ; for this thirsty man
and weary traveller; you have to extend to the saṁsāra. He is thirsty because of
eternal travel and saṁsāra is also traveller; பயணங்க ��வத்தில்; cinema title
and all you would remember well. பயணங்கள் ��வத்தி. So this is example.
Now Śankarācārya has to extend it to vēdānta. We are all thirsty and wearied
dragging travellers. Pulling. If asked how is life; you say: चल्त है; in all languages it
will be similar; ேபாய�ண்�இ�க; so that traveller.
पञ्चानाम� कोशानामपवादे �वभात्यय शद्

ु |
�नत्यानन् दैकर प्रग्रू परः स्वयंज्यो� ||१५१||
pañcānāmapi kōśānāmapavādē vibhātyayaṁ śuddhaḥ |
nityānandaikarasaḥ pratyagrūpaḥ paraḥ svayaṁjyōtiḥ ||151||
Page 718

In the same way, just as the moss was covering the water; and because of that he
could not drink and get the fulfilment; and he got the fulfilment only after removing
the moss; similarly, the moss of pañja kōśa has also to be negated; removed; and
one should enjoy the pūrṇatvam of the ātma. That is the dārṣtānta he says.
Similarly, pañcānāmapi kōśānāmapavādē; suppose the seeker negates the pañja

kōśas, apavādaḥ means negation; apavādēsati; sati saptami; then what happens?
ayaṁ śuddhaḥ vibhāti; just as there śuddha salilam was available, similarly here also
ayaṁ śuddhaḥ ātma vibhāti, the pure self becomes evident. There śuddham jalaṁ,
here śuddhaḥ ātma.
And what type of ātma? there for water he gave so many adjectives, glorifying the
water; and here the ātma is equally or more glorious. There the water is very very
tasty water; here also ātma is what? nitya ānandaḥ ēka rasaḥ; ātma which is
uniform; and eternal happiness. So uniform means unadulterated; pure, unmixed
with sorrow. So ēka rasaḥ; homogeneous mass of ānandaḥ; which is nityam,
eternal. And pratyagrūpaḥ; which is the inner essence of everyone; pratyag means
inner, rūpa means svarūpam; pratyag svarūpam yasya saha; pratyagrūpaḥ; which is
the inner essence of everyone; paraḥ; which is the ultimate essence of substratum;
and which is svyam jyōtiḥ; which is self-effulgent. Therefore, self-evident. So
therefore what is our job now. The pañja kōśa apanaya and owning up the beautiful
ātma.
But before going further, we have to note a point very clearly. The example says
that water is covered by moss. And extending the extending the example, ātma is
covered by pañja kōśa; but we should remember this is only a figurative covering;
because really speaking ātma cannot be covered by anything, in literal sense of the
term.
Why do we say ātma cannot be covered? Because of two reasons: one reason is
ātma being infinite; the cover should be as big as the ātma or to be precise, the
cover should be bigger than the covered; I have told you before; in winter season if
the blanket is exactly as long as your body is; you will have problems. If the head is
covered; the leg is out; and if the leg is covered; the head is out. You get so wild;
so the blanket should be bigger than the person. So if ātma has to be covered, we
require something infiniter; there is no such thing as infiniter; this is reason No.1.
Page 719

The second reason is ātma being the very consciousness; it is all the time evident; it
can never be covered; because everything else becomes evident because of the
ātma only. Everything else becomes evident because of the ātma only; just as the
hand cannot cover the light; because it is because of the light that the very hand
has become evident; therefore how can I say the hand covers the light. Therefore
everything in the creation, including ignorance is becoming evident because of what?
Consciousness. So if I ask you the question: do you know French: you say I do not
know. Then I ask you the question; do you know that you do not know French.
Careful. What was the first question? Do you know French; you say I do not know.
My second question: do you know that you do not know French; that means do you
know that you have French ignorance. Do you know you have French ignorance;
what will be your answer. You know that you have French ignorance. You know you
have got vēdānta ignorance; that is why you come to the class to remove vēdānta
ignorance. If you are ignorant of something and ignorant of the fact that you are
ignorant, no colleges will have students. No teachers will have any work. The
teachers get students because the students are aware that they are ignorant of that
subject matter. Therefore ignorance is known, because of what; that consciousness
and therefore there is nothing which can cover the ātma.
Then how can you talk about the pañja kōśa covering the ātma? We have to
interpret the "covering" in a different way. What is that? Because of their intimate
availability, because the pañja kōśas are so intimately available to me, unlike the
external world, they are so intimately available to me; that they serve as objects of
identification.
By becoming intimately available to me, they become object of identification and

what is that: I identify with the body; and mistake the body as myself. So they
become the cause for error; self-error; they become the cause for abhīmāna; and
when I develop abhīmāna with them, that is I am the body or I am the mind, or I
am the prāṇa; the very abhīmāna makes me disown my nature. Just as my
absorption in sleep makes me lose sight of my waker nature; my absorption in the
movie, makes me lose sight of what: lose sight of what; the screen; the pañja kōśas
become the source or cause of abhīmāna; and then in the process I disown my
original nature.
Page 720

Therefore figuratively I can say that the movie is covering the screen. So movie is
covering the screen; can we take it literally. Movie cannot cover the screen; because
as even you are watching the movie; you are seeing what? You are seeing the
screen only. The screen is evident when? Before the movie, during the movie or
after the movie; all the time you are watching the screen alone; it is ever evident;
nothing in the movie can cover the screen. If at all covering can happen, it is only by
distraction. Similarly, when I say I: two things are evident; when I say I; two things
are evident; one is the consciousness; that is why I say that I am a conscious being.
Consciousness is also evident; the body-mind-complex is also evident; but which
wins the game. Like two neighbouring shops; both shops trying to get the customer.
If you go to some shops; especially in the north India; Kaśi; etc. they will be
standing outside and call you in; in Kaśi, Amernath, etc. Oh My God; Shops and I
was just going, Saree shop, he is calling come, come!! Then I told him what is the
use of calling me, my students are coming behind; call them; they may buy.
Then he gave me an answer which was shocking and pleasant surprise. Said that if
you enter my shop, it will be blessing. See how the culture. He does not know what
type of Svāmi I am; because all kinds of svāmi s are there; he does not know; only
kāvi; and I even do not know whether he is a Hindu or Muslim; I do not know; He
says; let your blessed feet fall in my shop.
So there what I want to say that each shop they are trying to pull the customer in;
ātma also is there; pañja kōśa is also there; which wins you know; not the ātma;
pañja kōśa tells me: identify with me; identify with me and we fall for the
advertisement of pañja kōśas, because it is attractive; bumper sale, reduction, all
these the pañja kōśas says. Therefore instead of claiming I am of the nature of
consciousness, I claim that I am so many years old; this is my educational
qualification; this is my husband, this is my wife; this is my gold-medalist son; see
the abhīmānam; because Māya is mōhini; why is it called mōhini?; because it has
got marketing strategy.
The Poor Brahman does not know; aśabdam; asparśam; arūpam avayayaṁ. No
marketing; No vēdantin knows marketing. And therefore what is covering? The
covering is only distracting. Just as I gave the example, here two things are evident;
what are the two things; I think now you will not do the mistakes; what are the two
things? light is also evident; hand is also evident; because of the light alone, hand is
Page 721

evident; but in the first class I ask: what is here; what will you all say: you will say
hand only. We will never say hand and light; you will never say light is evident.
Similarly, when you say I, caitanyaṁ is also evident all the time; body is also
evident; and in fact because of the caitanyaṁ alone, body is evident. Even when the
body is not evident in dream and sleep caitanyaṁ is evident. But we never claim
that I am caitanya svarūpa.
The pañjakōśa will cover the heart and therefore what is the removal of the pañja
kōśa; you do not destroy or remove the pañja kōśa; removal of pañja kōśa is equal
to removal of pañja kōśa abhīmāna.
So we only remove pañja kōśa abhīmānaḥ. That is called pañja kōśa removal. kōśa
apavādaḥ nāma, kōśa abhīmāna apavādaḥ.
And what do you mean by abhīmāna? MISTAKING THE KŌŚA AS I. It is called

abhīmāna. Mistaking the kōśa as I. You may not say I am the body. You may not
say that. But when you say I am getting old, indirectly it means what: I am the
body. I am fair; I am dark; I am fat; I am lean; so you may not directly so I am the
body; every transaction indicate the basic abhīmāna that I am the body. So if we
leave that; I am the mind; or prāṇā or I am going to vijñānaṁaya kōśa; I just hover
around the pañja kōśa alone; dropping the I in the pañja kōśa and owning up of the
kośi ātma. That is what is called here pañja kōśa vivēkaḥ.
So incidentally, the word kōśa is given two meanings by the ācāryās; one the rough
translation it is a case; spectacle case; nice case; literally meaning of kōśaḥ is a
case. In English also, case. In Saṁsr̥kt kōśaḥ; very closer. Why is it called a case?
What is the reason? What is the significance? Some ācāryās say that it is called case
because just as a case covers the content, similarly pañja kōśas cover the ātma.
Acchādakatvāt kōśaḥ; this is some people's interpretation.
And I said in this interpretation, there is a problem. What is that problem? We may
think literally ātma is covered. Many people even now, they think that thoughts are
covering the ātma. In the spiritual field, till now, people think that thoughts are
covering the ātma; and they take the yōga śāstra is prescribing citta vr̥tti nirōdhaḥ.
Page 722

And you know how they interpret; thoughts are covering the ātma; and therefore
what should you do; just as removing the moss; in meditation what should you do?
the moss of thought you have to eliminate; you have to go to the absolute stillness;
and when the last thought is gone; you will have face to face; what? ātma.
Therefore even now people are practising thought removal meditation to come
across the ātma. By removing the thoughts, will come across the ātma? You will
not; why? The one who wants to come across; the comer-across; is the ātma. And
this ātma is evident after removing the thought; or during the presence of thought.
Ātma is evident when: after the thought is gone ātma comes out or or when the
thought is present ātma is there?
Even when the thoughts are there; ātma, the consciousness is evident; because of
that alone, the very thought is evident. Why should I remove the thought? We do
not require to remove the thought in Vēdantic meditation; but if the thought removal
meditation concept gains which is because of the misconception that thoughts are
covering the ātma. And it is because of defining the kōśa as "cover".
And that is why Śankarācārya does not define the kōśa as a covering principle.
When he wants to talk about the significance of the word kōśa, you know what he
says: just as a spectacle or knife is available in the case; where is it available; where
is the spectacle available; in the kōśaḥ. So the kōśa is the place of availability.
Similarly the all-pervading consciousness is available in the pañja kōśas as the sākṣi
caitanyaṁ.
Therefore kōśa does not signify covering. kōśa signifies availability; this is
Śankarācārya. So covering expression can create problem and that is why some
people question whether Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi is Śankarācārya's or not, because here the
word "covering" is used, which Śankarācārya does not use, because covering word
if you use, what will be your tendency. All these have to be removed and we will be
searching for the ātma. So therefore, if you use the word "covering", we should
understand as what: as though covering by distraction; but really speaking, no
covering of the ātma. Now also you are hearing my talk, because of what:
consciousness; it is ever evident; jāgrat svapna suṣuptiṣu sputatharam yō:'sau
samujjr̥mbhatē. In Kenopāṇiṣad, prathibhotha vithidam matham. To enjoy the ātma,
why should you need to go to samādhi; in every cognition, consciousness is evident.
Page 723

And therefore kōśa has got two meanings; that which covers by distraction; and that
in which ātma is available. Of this which one is better; the second one is better. The
first one is OK; but we should not take the literal meaning.
Hari Om.
Page 724

057. Verses - 152 to 154

ॐ
तच्छैवालापनय सम्यक स�ललं प्रतीय शुद्ध |

तषृ ्णासन्तापह सद्य सौख्यप् परं पंस
ु ः ||१५०||
tacchaivālāpanayē samyak salilaṁ pratīyatē śuddham |
tr̥ṣṇāsantāpaharaṁ sadyaḥ saukhyapradaṁ paraṁ puṁsaḥ ||150||
पञ्चानाम� कोशानामपवादे �वभात्यय शद्

ु |
�नत्यानन् दैकर प्रत्यग परः स्वयंज्यो� ||१५१||
pañcānāmapi kōśānāmapavādē vibhātyayaṁ śuddhaḥ |
nityānandaikarasaḥ pratyagrūpaḥ paraḥ svayaṁjyōtiḥ ||151||
Śankarācārya has come to the final question of the student: thayor vivēka katha
mesha uchhyataam. How can one distinguish ātma from anātma? And Śankarācārya
wants to do the ātma anātma vivēka; in the form of pañja kōśa vivēka. That is
anātma is divided into five kōśas, known as pañja kōśas; and ātma is pañja kōśa
vilakṣaṇaḥ or athithaha. We can call as kosi; just as dēha-dehi like that; for kōśa you
can say kosi; but it is not generally said; but we can say that. So pañja kōśa
represents anātma; kosi represents ātma; kōśa-kosi vivēkaḥ he wants to do. And he
has introduced the topic in these verses. Beginning from 149, he has introduced the
topic of pañja kōśa vivēka; by giving the example of water being covered by the
water moss. So when the moss is there, even though water is there, one is not
aware of that. When the moss is removed; the water is available; and that water is
tr̥ṣṇā santhaāpaḥra; sadyaḥ soukya pradham. Similarly, the pañja kōśas are
encasing the ātma as it were; covering the ātma as it were; when one negates the
pañja kōśas; what is left behind is the kośi, ātma. And therefore every spiritual
seeker should do pañja kōśa vivēkaḥ. That idea he tells in the next slōka. We will
read.
आत्मानात्म�ववे कतर्व् बन्धमुक्त �वदष

ु ा|
तेनैवानन्द भव�त स्व �व�ाय सिच्चदानन्द ||१५२||
ātmānātmavivēkaḥ kartavyō bandamuktayē viduṣā |
tēnaivānandī bhavati svaṁ vijñāya saccidānandam ||152||
Page 725

So he says pañja kōśa vivēka is not an optional thing; it should be done by all the
people, who seeks freedom from bondage. Ātmanātmavivēkaḥ kartavyaḥ. So this
ātma-anātma vivēka; to put in simple language, consciousness-matter vivēka;
discrimination should be done by whom? Viduṣa; by intelligent people, who have
discovered the human problem. He uses the word viduṣa because, only the
intelligent people have discovered the problem as self-ignorance. The unintelligent
people also are seeking the same thing.
All human beings are seeking mōkṣa alone; but the only difference is: some people
know that we are seeking mōkṣa; some people do not know that we are seeking
mōkṣa. And those who have not known this fact; they have not diagnosed their
problem. And as long as the problem is not diagnosed, even though the disease is
there, the medicine is not taken. The medicine is not taken not because it is not
required, but its necessity is not understood.
Two people have the same disease and both require the same medicine; one person
has discovered the disease and the solution; therefore takes the medicine, whereas
the other person has not taken. Similarly, all the people are seeking ānandaḥ and
all the people require ānandaḥ ātma jñānaṁ alone; but all people do not know;
therefore they require, artha; kāma, dharma, veedu, vāśal, kuzhanthai, kuttikal; all
these can be added; all these things they seek; not being they want; but because
they do not clearly know what they want. And intelligent ajñānis are those people.
They are aware of their ajñānaṁ.
Unintelligent ajñānis do not know their ajñānaṁ. Intelligent ajñānis know their
ajñānaṁ; such intelligent people, here the word viduṣā does not represent the jñāni.
very careful; here the word viduṣā does not refer to a jñāni; but it refers to an
intelligent ajñāni. An intelligent ajñāni. An intelligent seeker. Sādhanā catuṣṭaya
sampanna adhikhāri is called viduṣā here.
By such a qualified seeker, who has diagnosed the problem, the ātma-anātma vivēka
is to be done for what purpose? That also Śankarācārya wants to make clear. We
have got water problem. That would not be solved by vēdānta. What has to be done
for water problem, that has to be done. If there is no power, electricity, what has to
be done has to be done. Vēdānta will not solve all those particular problems, but
Page 726

that banda muktayē, for freedom from bondage. Bondage means what, the sense of
limitation; sense of location is bondage. That I am a finite human being.
And why does this banda or this bondage come. If you remember, Śankarācārya had
defined the bondage as athasmin sadbuddhibi; I hope you remember. Bondage can
be defined in several ways; but Śankarācārya has defined bondage as mistaking the
body as myself, because of the self-ignorance. Ignorance-born-error is bondage; the
error being mistaking the body as myself.
And here the bondage is mistaking the five kōśas as myself and since every kōśa is
limited, identification with the kōśa makes me feel limited. As annamaya I am
limited; as prāṇamaya limited, manōmaya limited. This sense of limitation is called
bandaḥ and bandasya muktiḥ; here muktiḥ means what? giving up or dissection. So
banda muktaye means banda nāṣaya; bandasya tyāgya; banda nivaraṇāya; banda
nirakāya, iti arthaḥ.
This is a peculiar Saṁsr̥kt. Normally we talk about the liberation of the seeker;
puruṣasya muktiḥ we talk about. Here we are talking of about the puruṣaḥsya
muktiḥ; bandasya muktiḥ. So you should not ask whether banda gets mōkṣa; you
cannot take that meaning here; here muktiḥ should be translated as giving up;
tyāgaḥ; banda muktiḥ means banda tyāgya. OK.
By removing the bondage, which is in the form of error, what benefit do I get? OK.
After the study of vēdānta, I know that I am not matter; I am consciousness. What
is the use? Will my problem continue? Śankarācārya answers. Tēnaiva ānandi
bhavathi. This shift in I is the shift from sorrow to full ānandaḥ; from
limitation to pūrṇatvam. Because according to vēdānta, sorrow is the sense of
limitation. I have told you often, whenever somebody is sorrowful, we ask the
question: what is your deficiency; �ைற; �ைற means �ைற�; lacking; what are you
missing. That invariably he will talk about what are the things he is missing. Either
he will say: I am missing health. Always headache. Health missing; or some people I
am missing love from my son or daughter or someone.
Therefore any sorrow is in the form of missing something. Apūrṇatvam duḥkhaṁ; na

alpē sukham asti. Chāndōgya says: alpatvam is duḥkhaṁ; pūrṇatvam is ānandaḥ.
Therefore as long as I am limited, I am sorrowful. When I own up the limitless ātma,
Tēnaiva ānandi bhavati. So tēna means by ātma-anātma vivēka. Tēnaiva ānandi
Page 727

bhavathi; one becomes ānandaḥ; one becomes pūrṇaḥ. So here ānandaḥ is not an
experiential pleasure, which comes and goes; but the sense of pūrṇatvam that
permanently continues throughout the life. That sense of pūrṇatvam I am OK;
everything is OK. That is called ānandaḥ.
And how does it happen? Sacchidānandaḥ svam vijñāya. Because he recognises

himself through this vivēka. Through this ātma-anātma vivēka, what happens is: he
recognises himself. Tvam means what: the Self. How does he recognise himself as
what? Tēnaiva ānandi bhavati vijñāya. Recognised himself to be sat, chit and
ānandaḥ. Sat means eternal; cit means consciousness. Sat can be taken as existence
also; as a noun; not as an adjective; sat is existence itself; which lends existence to
everything and chit means consciousness, not as an adjective of matter, we do not
accept consciousness as an adjective of matter; but consciousness as the noun
itself, which blesses the matter.
Remember. Light is not the property of the hand; it is an independent principle

pervading and blessing the hand; like that consciousness is an independent entity.
That noun consciousness is called chit. So I am existent, the noun; I am
consciousness, the noun; and ānandaṁ. And ānandaṁ means I am pūrṇatvam.
Because experiential pleasure also is an adjective of a person. Whatever pleasure we

talk about as an experience is an adjective. Here we are not talking about an
adjectival pleasure; but pleasure as noun itself. And pleasure as noun should be
translated as pūrṇatvam.
Pleasure as adjective is what we mentally experience, which is a property of the

mind; and here we are not talking about ānanada as a property of the mind; but
ānandaḥ as an independent noun itself; and what is that: pūrṇata, fullness. So
Sacchidānandaḥ vijñāya; one recognises oneself to be Sacchidānandaḥ ātma. And
tēna; after that you have to connect; Tēnaiva ānandi bhavati. By recognising oneself
to be sacchidānandaḥ ātma; he becomes ānandi. So Śankarācārya must be
remembering the Taittariya vākyam; rasōvai saḥ; rasaggu ēvāyaṁ labdhva ānandi
bhavati. That idea he brings here.
मुञ्जा�दषीका�म दृश्यवगार
प्रत्यञ्चमात्मानमसङ्ग |
Page 728

�व�वच् तत प्र�वला सव�

तदात्मन �तष्ठ� यः स मुक्त ||१५३||
muñjādiṣīkāmiva dr̥śyavargāt
pratyañcamātmānamasaṅgamakriyam |
vivicya tatra pravilāpya sarvaṁ
tadātmanā tiṣṭhati yaḥ sa muktaḥ ||153||
A beautiful and complete slōka, where the entire self-enquiry is condensed in one
slōka. The self-enquiry is done in two stages; the first stage is reducing the whole
creation into two; consciousness and matter. I, the experiencer, am consciousness.
Whatever I experience is matter. This is the first stage, called tvam pada vivēka. I
am consciousness principle; not adjectival; but noun-consciousness, and everything I
experience is matter, including the body and mind. Body and mind also are matter
only. The only difference is they can borrow consciousness unlike a table or chair.
Therefore body can become sentient by borrowed consciousness; but innately it is
matter. Mind can become sentient by borrowed consciousness, but by itself it is
matter. Therefore world-body-mind; they are all experienced matter; I am
experiencer-consciousness. This is the first step.
Then the second stage is: we have to reduce these two into one; because we have
to come to advaita. From plurality, we have progressed to duality. What was there
before? So many things are in the creation; so many viṣayās; now we have reduced
it to two; dr̥k and driśya. Consciousness and matter. We have arrived to two.
Now the next stage is: these two we should fold into one. And how do we do that.
By the second stage of teaching, in which the matter is resolved into consciousness;
the anātma is resolved into ātma. By showing that matter does not have an
existence of its own, independent of consciousness. Thus matter is like wave;
consciousness is like what: water. Matter is like pot; consciousness is comparable to
clay. Even though two words are there; clay and pot; we know there is no pot other
than clay. Similarly, two words consciousness and matter we use, there is no matter
separate from consciousness. Similarly, even though we say observer and observed;
two, really speaking, what? There is no observed separate from the observer. And
the vēdantic example is the dream world. Even though the dream world is observed;
very clearly, tangibly, realistically, frighteningly; even though the dream world is
experienced, it does not exist separate from the observer. Similarly, this world also
does not exist separate from observer.
Page 729

Therefore, ultimately, two is reduced into one. What is that; the observer-I.
Tadēkōvasiṣṭa ṣiva kēvalōhaṁ. That is why in Śankarācārya 's biography, when
Śankarācārya met his guru Govindabhagavatpāda, he asked who are you?
Śankarācārya already knew the truth; because he is supposed to be an avathāra;
going to a guru and all is only to fulfil the formality. Or else we will not go; therefore
he went; and he gave the answer in ten slōkas known as daśa slōki.
न भू�मनर तोयं न तेजो न वायुः

न खं नेिन्द् वा न तेषां समूहः
अनेकािन्तकत्वा सुषुप्त्येक�स
तदेकोऽव�शष्ट �शवः के वलोऽहम ् ॥१॥
na bhūmirna tōyaṁ na tējō na vāyuḥ
na khaṁ nēndriyaṁ vā na tēṣāṁ samūhaḥ
anēkāntikatvāt suṣuptyēkasiddaḥ
tadēkō:'vaśiṣṭaḥ śivaḥ kēvalō:'ham ||1||
And such significant deep verses; one of the great advaitic ācāryās; Madhusoodana
Saraswati wrote a book itself on these ten verses, known as siddaanta bindhu. Very
advanced text in Vēdānta, he writes. There he says: tadēkō:'vaśiṣṭaḥ śivaḥ
kēvalō:'ham; I am the ultimate reality, who remains after resolving everything. So
the world is resolved into subject and object; and the object is resolved into
subject; and what remains is I and once I alone remain, I cannot be called the
subject also; because the observer status is from the standpoint of observed. Then
who am I; observer-observed vilakṣana caitanyaṁ.
How will it be like? Daily you experience that. Do you understand. Daily you
experience that means what? In sleep also I am the pure awareness; without
observer-observed division. Nirvikalpaka advaita caitanyaṁ ahaṁ asmi. So these are
the two stages.
First stage is divided into two: consciousness and matter.

Second stage is: resolve matter into consciousness.
This Śankarācārya puts into technical form. He says: ātmānam driśya vargāt vivicya.
ātmānam second line; driśya vargāt first line; vivicya third line; ātmānam driśya
Page 730

vargāt vivicya. Ātma means consciousness, which is the subject; drsya vargāt means
the matter which is the object; vargā means group; driśya vargāt means the group
of objects; and the group includes what all things; the entire creation; my own body,
and the mind also. All of them will come under driśya vargāt. driśya samuhā.
And from that ātmānam vivicya; one should separate the observer-consciousness.
How to do that? Śankarācārya will say later; but the methodology is: I am not the
world, because I am the observer of the world; I am not the body, because I am the
observer of the body; I am not the mind, because I am the experiencer of the mind.
I, the experiencer, am different from whatever I experience.
Coming like that; nēti, nēti, nēti; stūla prapañjaḥ nēti; stūla śarīraṁ nēti;
anthakaraṇam nēti; discarding each, one by one; vivicya. The observer should stand
alone. "Stand" within quote. After negating the body, there is no stand and sit;
should remain alone. And what type of ātma it is? Observer pratyañcam; which is
the innermost-consciousness; what can be negated is outer; what cannot be
negated is inner. This is the principle.
For example, suppose a person wears a coat; a shirt and a banian; we say banian is
inner-one and the shirt is outer; coat is still outer; on what basis? You can remove
the coat first; what is removable first is the outer. What is removable second is inner
to the first one; What is removable third is inner to the second one; like that
whatever you remove is outer; what is not removed is inner; in that order.
Similarly, when you negate, you negate the whole world is outer; still the body
remains; that is inner. When you go to svapna prapañja; the body is also negated;
In svapna you do not have this body; you have what; you have the dreaming mind;
therefore mind is considered to be inner to the body; by what reason? After
negating the body also; mental personality remains; and then even after negating
the mind; who remains; I, the observer, remains; and the observer-I can never be
negated. And therefore, that which is unnegatable is defined as the inner-most.
Therefore it is called pratyañcam; the ‘inner-one’; inner within quote. Why I say
within quote; if you take it in the literal sense; ātma is within when I say, it will
convey location. Once you convey the idea of location, you have conveyed the idea
of limitation. Therefore inner word, it is only figurative, being all pervading; it is
neither inner or outer; all the inners and outers are upon the ātma only. Therefore
when I use the word inner we should take it in the figurative sense.
Page 731

Therefore the inner self. Asaṅgam; which is asaṅgaḥ; asaṅgaḥ means what?
Untainted; unaffected; like the light. Remember the example, the light pervades the
hand, and also illumines the hand, but the light is not tainted by the impurities of
the hand; not because the light is away; in spite of its being, what you call, inherent,
in and through the hand.
That is why in Vēdānta we use two words: immanent and at the same
transcendental. I have told you before; Immanent means it is sticky; transcendental;
not sticky. Like the lotus leaf though in water is not affected by the water. The
screen is intimately close to the movie; but the screen is affected by the movie. The
entire dream world is in the waker; but the waker is not wet by dream water; not
burned by dream fire. This concept, which concept; it is intimate but not affected.
That intimacy is called immanence; and not being affected is called transcendental.
Therefore, consciousness is in the mind; but it does not have rāga dvēṣadi problem.
Consciousness is in the body; but it does not have the old age, jarā, disease, etc.
And that is here said to be asaṅgaḥ; transcendental and akr̥yam. Akr̥yam means
what: very simple; actionless. Again remember the light example, when the hand
moves, the light seemingly moves; but actually the light does not move at all. When
it is here, we think the light is here; but when the hand goes there; the light is
seemingly there; but actually the light is there also; here also; how can the light
move.
Or like space: all motions are in the space; but space itself is motionless. All motions
are in space; space itself is motionless. All actions are in consciousness;
consciousness itself is actionless. Therefore it is akr̥yam. Akarta iti arthaḥ. And this
inner-untainted actionless consciousness should be separated from what: the
opposite; the outer; tainted; moving anātma or matter; moving matter; from that
consciousness should be separated.
And for this separation, Śankarācārya gives an example, which is given in the
Upaṇiṣad itself.
अङ्गुष्ठमा पुरुषोऽन्तरात
सदा जनानां हृदय सं�न�वष्ट ।
Page 732

तं स्वाच्छर�रात्प्रवृहेन्मुञ्जा�द धैय�ण ।
तं �वद्याच्छुक्रम तं �वद्याच्छुक्रममृत ॥ १७॥
aṅguṣṭhamātraḥ puruṣō:'ntarātmā
sadā janānāṁ hr̥dayē saṁniviṣṭaḥ |
taṁ svāccharīrātpravr̥hēnmuñjādivēṣīkāṁ dhairyēṇa |
taṁ vidyācchukramamr̥taṁ taṁ vidyācchukramamr̥tamiti || 17||
In Kathopāṇisad towards the end this mantra comes. And there the example is given
and the example is muñja grass. There is a type of grass known as muñja grass,
which has got a sharp edge, which can cut our hands. Within that muñja grass,
there is a pithy portion, central portion; and suppose a person wants to separate
that central pith from the muñja grass; he has to do it very very carefully. May be
they might have used it for medicine or so. For what purpose they did, I did not
know. Or why should the upaṇiṣad take that example. Why should one should it
carefully? Because otherwise it will cut the hand.
So just as the pith is removed from muñja grass very carefully. Similarly,
consciousness has to be very carefully separated from the body mind complex. And
in the example, if you are careless; what will happen? The hand will be cut. I do
now whether you have experienced that. If you hold the grass and remove the
hand, it will cut the hand. In vēdānta, if you do not separate very carefully, what will
happen? Here hand would not be cut; you get lot of wrong conclusions. Every wrong
conclusion is cut in the hand.
In India, we have got six systems of philosophy and each system has got a concept
of consciousness. Even modern science has got a concept of consciousness, as a
phenomenon in brain. That is a concept. Therefore it becomes a property of what?
brain; brain dies; consciousness dead; that is one philosophy.
And some people drop the physical body and come to subtle body, the nyāya
philosopher said consciousness is the property which is generated because of the
combination of ātma and mind; he accepts an ātma different from body and mind;
but he says it is a temporary property generated in the ātma.
Thus each philosopher developed one one concept about consciousness. Each
misconception is a cut from muñja grass, whereas if you very carefully study, with
the help of scriptures, without scriptures you can never arrive at the conclusion that
Page 733

we have arrived at. So initially our experience and logic may help. But ultimately
scripture based logic alone will work in this case and that is called careful handling.
Scriptural based enquiry. That is careful handling.
And scripture will point out satyam jñānaṁ ānandam Brahma. Consciousness is
neither temporary nor is it a property of matter. Consciousness is Brahman itself;
from which the consciousness, matter manifests. Tasmāt vā; After pointing out that
Brahman is consciousness, the scriptures point out where is that consciousness. yo
vai vēda nihitham guhāyaṁ;
Thereafter Tasmāt vā, etasmāt ātmana ākaśa sambhūtāḥ. And therefore muñjāt
iṣīkāmiva; iṣīkā is the pithy portion; muñja is the grass. So just as the pithy iṣīkāmiva
is separated from the muñja grass very carefully, the inner self has to be very
carefully separated from the body mind world objective universe. So this is the first
stage. Up to Vivicya, first stage.
Then comes the second stage. Do you remember? Because this stage reducing the
creation into consciousness and matter. What is the second stage I told? The matter
has to be resolved in consciousness; that is said here; tatra sarvaṁ pravilaapya.
Tatra = ātmani, caitanye, asaṅge, akr̥ye; pratiti; in that inner actionless taintless
consciousness pravilāpya, one should resolve sarvaṁ; sarvaṁ means the material
universe, driśya vargaḥ; the observed universe.
So the observed universe should be resolved into observer and anātma should be
resolved into ātma; matter should be resolved into consciousness. Sarvaṁ driśya
vargam tatra dr̥̄ṣi ātmani pravilāpya; pravilāpaṇam means resolution.
Now the next question is? How am I supposed to resolve matter into consciousness?
Should I pluck the whole universe and put it into consciousness? Whether to mix it
like putting sugar and mixing? What do you mean by resolution? It is not a physical
process; it is a intellectual process.
Like what example if we tell you will understand; it is like resolving pot into clay
without destroying the pot. It is like resolving the pot into clay without destroying
the pot. How is it? I have told many times before, which you should remember.
Page 734

How do you do that? By knowing that there is no substance called pot; there is only
one substance; that is clay. Pot has got only a nominal existence;
vaacharambamnam vichaaro namadeyam. Pot is only a name given to the very same
substance called clay. So pot is another name for clay. Similarly, matter is another
name for consciousness only. There is no substance called matter. Matter is non-
substantial. See how vēdānta is putting it upside down. What we have thought;
matter is solid and consciousness is a property. We think that way. What is this
telling? Consciousness is the only solid substance. Matter is only nāma rūpa.
Consciousness plus nāma rūpa is matter.
In Mundukya Kārika, Gaudapāda takes the example of the alata. Just as one tip of
agarbathi; when you move, you get several patterns; patterns are many; the
substance is one glowing tip of agarbathi. Similarly there is only one glowing
consciousness and that alone is appearing as matter.
Therefore what is resolving pot into clay? It is knowing that there is no pot other
than clay. Resolving pot into clay is knowing that there is no pot as a substance,
other than clay. Resolving ornament into gold is not melting; it is again knowing that
there are no ornaments other than gold.
Similarly what is resolving desk? I have told you often; there is no desk at all.
Svāmiji you should not do this akramam at the same time using the desk. Where is it
if I ask; there is no desk other than wood. Similarly where is matter other than the
observer-consciousness. This is called pravilāpaṇam; a very very important topic in
vēdānta.
Then, what is left now? World was first reduced into consciousness and matter. And
matter is now resolved into consciousness. Thereafter, thereafter, you have to go on
asking like the children. So he says tad ātmana tiṣṭati. Thereafterwards may you
remain as that non-dual consciousness. May you remain as that non-dual
consciousness; may you own up that non-dual consciousness as yourselves. I am
that pithy consciousness; the pith of the universe, universe is muñja grass; because
it is cutting nicely; since the universe cuts us all the time, the universe is the muñja
grass, and I, the consciousness, am the pith.
Maiēva sakalam jaatham, mai sarvaṁ prathiṣtitham; mai sarvaṁ layaṁ

yāti, tad brahmadvayaṁ asmyahaṁ.
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In Me, the names and forms of the material world arise, and in me it rests and into
me it dissolves. Tad ātmana means caitanya rūpēṇa. tiṣṭati means one should
remain; one remains. OK.
Then what is the benefit? Finally, benefit should be asked, is it not? He says: saha
muktaḥ; whoever recognises that I am the centre of the universe; I am the stuff of
the universe, I am the only substance of the universe; in me the Universe is picture
painted. I am the canvass. I am the screen.
�वश्व दपर्णदृश्यमाननगर�तु �नजान्तगर्

पश्यन्नात् मायया ब�ह�रवोद्भू यथा �नद्र ।
viśvaṁ darpaṇadr̥śyamānanagarītulyaṁ nijāntargataṁ
paśyannātmani māyayā bahirivōdbhūtaṁ yathā nidrayā |
Just as the entire dream world is an etching in Me the observer, similarly the
creation is an etching in Me the consciousness. The one who knows, saha muktaḥ;
he is free. In fact, saha ēva muktaḥ; he alone can be free. There is no other way to
liberation.
देहोऽयमन्नभवनोऽन्यस्त कोशः
चान्ने जीव�त �वनश्य� तद्�वह�न |
त्वक्चमर्मांसरु�धरािस्थपुर�ष
नायं स्वय भ�वतुमहर्� �नत्यशुद ||१५४||
dēhō:'yamannabhāva nō:'nnamayastu kōśaḥ
cānnēna jīvati vinaśyati tadvihīnaḥ |
tvakcarmamāṁsarudhirāsthipurīṣarāśiḥ
nāyaṁ svayaṁ bhavitumarhati nityaśuddhaḥ ||154||
So with the previous slōka, the pañja kōśa vivēka introduction is over. Now
hereafterwards, he is going to take each kōśa and point out that ātma is not
annamaya; ātma is not prāṇa maya; each one he is going to discuss; and all these
will come under one topic; ātma-anātma vivēka; the seventh question topic. I had
given you the number 149 to 211 is the whole topic. 149 to 211 is the ātmaanātma
vivēka. In that 149 to 153 is introduction and 154 onwards, pañja kōśa vivēka
begins. There also the first kōśa he is going to start. Now from 154 to 164 is
annamaya kōśa ātma vivēkaḥ. Thereafter prāṇāmaya kōśa ātma vivēkaḥ; thereafter
Page 736

manōmaya kōśa; it is a huge canvass; the tatva bōdhaḥ elaborating. Therefore 154
to 164 annamaya ātma vivēkaḥ.
For that purpose, first he defines annamaya kōśa. Ayaṁ dēhaḥ annamaya kōśaḥ;
this physical body is called annamaya kōśa. And why it is called annamaya kōśa;
because it is born out of annam; annam means food; it is sustained by annam; if
you have doubt, one who has done the upavasa for the Śivarātri knows; it is
sustained by annam; and ultimately it dissolves into annam; not directly into annam;
it is going to mingle into earth; which again becomes annam for next generation.
Therefore annam alone is sr̥ṣṭi kāraṇam, sthithi kāraṇam and laya kāraṇam for this
body. And therefore it is a product of annam.
And in Saṁsr̥kt a product is indicated by the suffix Maya. Swarnamaya abhāranam;

an ābharaṇam, an ornament which is a product of gold. Mrnmayaḥ gataḥ; there
maya means what; a product of mrt. mrt means clay. So mrnmayaḥ gataḥ;
swarnamayaṁ ābharaṇam; in all these cases, the suffix mayat or maya indicate that
it is a product. So body is anna maya means product of annam. So therefore he
says: anna bhavanaḥ; anna bhāvanaḥ means born out of annam. Annāt bhavanam
utpathihi yasya saha annamaya; bhavanam means utpathi. Anna bhāvanaḥ; utpathi
from annam.
Then you may ask the question; how do you say body is born out of annam; i.e.
body is born of annam? If you cook and keep it after some time, body will come out
of it; body is born out of mother; how do you say that born out of annam? Śāstra
expects all these questions; whether it will be asked by us or not and śāstras
imagines all possible questions and in fact śāstra gives questions which we have not
asked. It has written down all the questions and its answers long back and gone.
So the śāstra says: annam does not direclty produce this body; annam enters the
mother's and father's body and that annam alone gets converted into egg and seed;
in the father's and mother's body and that egg and seed join together produces the
body; therefore annam gets converted egg and seed in the parent's body and that
join together produces the body. So sukla-śonita rūpēṇa parinama prapya śarīraṁ
janayati. Not directly; sukla means seed in the male; śonita means egg in the
female. Sukla or sukra; both readings are there; sukla-śonita parināmam prapya
śarīraṁ janayati. Therefore it is called anna bhāvanaḥ. Born out of annam.
Page 737

Then annēna jīvati; the body exists because of annam. Annam bhāvanaḥ indicates
sr̥ṣṭi kāraṇam; annēna jīvati means sthithi kāraṇam; also is annam; and how do you
know that it is sthithi kāraṇam? How to prove? Tad vihinaḥ vinaśyati. Because
without annam, a person will die. Therefore it is proved that annam is the sthithi
kāraṇam.
Anvaya-vyatirēka logic. Anna satva śarīra jīvanam; anna abhāve, śarīra nāśaḥ;
tasmāt annam ēva śarīra sthithi kāraṇam.
Then the next one we have to supply; anne ēva praliyate. It again resolves into
annam alone. And annam here means what; anna rūpam pr̥tvim liyate; it resolves
into pr̥tvi; which is the store house of all annam. And therefore body is called
annamaya kōśaḥ.
The details we will see in the next class.
Hari Om.
Page 738

058. Verses - 154 to 157
देहोऽयमन्नभवनोऽन्नमयस कोशः
चान्ने जीव�त �वनश्य� तद्�वह�न |
त्वक्चमर्मा�धरािस्थपुर�षरा�श
नायं स्वय भ�वतुमहर्� �नत्यशुद || १५४ ||
dēhō:'yamannabhāva nō:'nnamayastu kōśaḥ
cānnēna jīvati vinaśyati tadvihīnaḥ |
tvakcarmamāṁsarudhirāsthipurīṣarāśiḥ
nāyaṁ svayaṁ bhavitumarhati nityaśuddhaḥ ||154||
Answering the seventh and the final question of the student, the teacher is dealing
with ātma-anātma vivēka; in the form of pañja kōśa vivēka. And an introduction was
given to this pañja kōśa vivēka, from verse No.149 to verse No.153. And after giving
the introduction, now the ācārya is taking up each kōśa and he is differentiating the
ātma from that kōśa. Thus we get annamaya ātma vivēkaḥ; prāṇamaya ātma
vivēkaḥ, etc. Of this the first one, the annamaya ātma vivēkaḥ is from verse No.154
to 164.
In these verses, Śankarācārya is showing the features of the physical body, and he
talks about the nature of the ātma and shows how they are of diagnally opposite
nature. And when the body and ātma are of totally different nature; how can they
be ever identical.
In this particular verse, Śankarācārya reveals two features of the body; No.1.
anityatvam; and No.2, aśuddhatvam. Body is anitya and aśuddha; ātma is nitya and
śuddha; how can anitya aśuddha annamaya be equal to nithya śuddha ātma. This is
the essence of this verse. I am sure you know the meaning of the word anitya and a
aśuddha. Anitya means impermanent; aśuddha means impure. How can the
impermanent impure body be the permanent pure ātma. And to show that the body
is anityam, Śankarācārya shows that the body is a product. It is a kāryam; yat
kritakam tat anityam; Yat kāryam; tat anityam. Whatever is a product is
impermanent. And once you say that body is a product, the question come; the
product of what?
Page 739

Śankarācārya says it is a product of annam. So annam bhavanaḥ; annēna jīvati;

annē vinaśyati; it is born out of annam; sustained by annam and it goes back to
annam. Or you can say it is born out of five elements; it is sustained by five
elements and it goes back to the five elements. That is the body is called boudika
śarīraṁ; in Tamil also they use the word: �த உடல. There bhutha means boudika.
So since it is a product of five elements, it is called boudika śarīraṁ; since it is a
product of annam; it is called annamayaḥ; whatever way you look at the body; it is
subject to birth and death. Tasmāt anityaḥ. This is the essence of the first two lines;
which we saw in the last class.
In the third line, Śankarācārya shows that the body is aśuddhaḥ; it is impure,
because it consists of the following materials. What are they? tvak, charma, māṁsa,
ruchita, asthi, pūrisa; all these items are there, tvak is the external skin; charma the
internal skin, epidermis and dermis; then māṁsa is flesh; rudiram means blood;
asthi means bones; purisaṁ means excretion; fetal matter. Waste is called purisaṁ.
Rasiḥ means bundle. So body is a bundle; a conglomeration of all these items, which
are all impure in nature. One day a person does not take bath, it is very difficult to
go near; any amount of perfume from Arabia cannot cover up this wonderful smell.
That is when it is alive itself. When it is not alive, you need not ask. So it is tolerable
because of the blessing of the ātma; and if that is not there; it becomes intolerable.
Therefore śarīraṁ aśuddham. So thus two features have been talked about.
Now in the fourth line he says: ayaṁ na bhavithum arhati. Ātma you have to supply.
Ayaṁ ātma bhavithum na arhati; such a body can never be ātma. Such a body
means, impermanent, impure body can never be the ātma. What type of ātma; nitya
śuddha; which is permanent and śuddhaḥ. Not nityam śuddhaḥ. Nitya, according to
grammar, can be taken as an adjective to śuddhaḥ; nitya śuddhaḥ can be translated
as ever pure; but we are not taking; we are taking as nityascha śuddhascha; it is
eternal and it is pure.
And why do we prefer such an interpretation? The word nitya is to contrast with the
word anitya of the body; the word śuddhaḥ is to contrast with the aśuddhaḥ of the
body. So goes with dēhaha. So ayaṁ anitya aśuddha dēha, nitya śuddhaḥ ātma na
bhavithum arhati.
पूव� जनेर�धमते
ृ र�प नायमिस्
Page 740

जात�णः �णगुणोऽ�नयतस्वभाव |
नैको जडश् घटवत्प�रदृश्यम
स्वात् कथं भव�त भाव�वकारवेत्त ||१५५||
pūrvaṁ janēradhimr̥tērapi nāyamasti
jātakṣaṇaḥ kṣaṇaguṇō:'niyatasvabhāvaḥ |
naikō jaḍaśca ghaṭavatparidr̥śyamānaḥ
svātmā kathaṁ bhavati bhāvavikāravēttā ||155||
So in this verse, another five features of the physical body is shown, thus indicating
from the standpoint of all these five features, ātma is different from the body.
What are the five features?
No.1, mithya; the body is mithya, without independent existence; or to put

positively, it has only dependent existence.
The second feature is body is saguṇa.
The third feature is body is asthiraḥ; unsteady. Not uniform.
Then the fourth feature is anēkaḥ. The body is many-fold.
And the fifth feature is jadaḥ; body is inert.
So we will see each one of them. The first line shows that the body is unreal. How?
Śankarācārya says; janēhe pūrvam; mr̥tēha athi, ayaṁ nāsti. Before birth and after
death, the body does not exist. Pūrvam means before, janihi means birth, adhi
means after; mr̥tērḥe means death. Before birth and after death, the body does not
exist. Or to put in positive language. The body is temporary, which idea has been
already been brought in before; but from this we get a corollary.
Whatever is temporary does not have its own existence, because by saying that it is
temporary, existence is only a temporary feature of that. Because when you say, it is
temporary, it means its existence is temporary; that means existence is not its own
intrinsic nature.
I have discussed this before; the principle is: any attribute can be either incidental or
intrinsic. Incidental attribute is temporary; like the heat of water. Intrinsic attribute is
permanent, like the heat of the fire. Whatever incidental is borrowed. Water borrows
heat. Whatever is intrinsic is unborrowed; like what? the heat of the fire.
Page 741

Now body is temporarily existent means, existence is not its own intrinsic nature; if it
were intrinsic, like the heat of the fire, it would have been permanent. And whatever
is not intrinsic, whatever is incidental; is borrowed. And extending that, we say body
has got temporary existence; therefore it has got only incidental existence; and
therefore it has got only borrowed existence and whatever has borrowed existence
is mithya; like what: a pot. Pot has got temporary existence; therefore pot has got
incidental existence; therefore pot has got borrowed existence. Borrowed from
where; borrowed from clay. Whereas clay existed before the pot; clay exists during
the presence of the pot; clay exists later also. Clay has got permanent existence;
relatively speaking. Therefore clay has got intrinsic existence; and therefore clay has
got unborrowed existence. Thus you can find that every product has got borrowed
existence.
And that which is not a product alone has got unborrowed existence. And that is
what Krishna said in the Bhagavat Gītā: na sato vidyāte bhāvaḥ; na bhāvō vidyāte
sataḥ. The entire world is mithya, because it has got only a temporary existence.
Therefore incidental existence. Therefore borrowed existence.
And what should be sathyam? Whatever is basic stuff of the creation; that alone can
have intrinsic existence, which is called Brahman, the existence itself.
And Gaudapadācārya tells this in the kārika; ādau antē ca en nāsti, vartamānēpi
tat thata. This is also a beautiful concept; we can understand. That which was not
there before; that which will not be later; that is not in the present also. I will give
you the example. It will be clear. Pot was not there before; pot will not be there
later; before means before its creation; later means what? after its destruction. So
when pot was not there before and will not be there later; generally what do we
think; therefore pot is there now. Not there before and not thereafter. Not there, we
will say. Gaudapāda says; what was not before, what will not be later, that is not in
the present also. That means pot is not there in the present also. How do you know;
on enquiry we know that what we call as pot is nothing but clay. Therefore clay was,
clay is, clay will be. Pot has got only verbal existence.
Therefore whatever is temporary has only verbal existence. Any anitya vasthu has
got only verbal existence; nominal existence; and in Saṁsr̥kt that is called mithya.
Page 742

Therefore Śankarācārya says here: janēhē pūrvam mr̥tēhē ati api ayaṁ dēhaḥ nāsti,
tasmāt mithya. And the word mithya, it is better we do not translate it; because if
you translate it as unreal or anything, one may think that it is a mental projection.
The word mithya of vēdānta does not mean mental projection like dream or
hallucination; it is tangible. And it has its utility, like the books and mike and chair
and the body and medicine. The world is tangible and useful and still we call it
mithya. Therefore mithya has got nothing to do with mental projection. Then what is
mithya? Mithya.
And what is the philosophical significance of mithya? Philosophical significance is

that it has got only verbal existence; the truth is something other than that. Thus
what you call as building is only verbal; the stuff is bricks alone. If you take brick,
that is also verbal; the stuff is only molecules alone. If you ask what are molecules?
It is verbal alone; the stuff is atom. So therefore building becomes verbal; molecules
become verbal; atom becomes the stuff. When atom is also not the ultimate stuff,
you have to go deeper, deeper and deeper and arrive at the basic stuff; which
cannot be further reduced. Irreducible basic stuff is called Sat; the very existence
itself. And according to vēdānta; that existence is consciousness; and therefore
pūrvam janēhē mr̥tēhē api nāyaṁasti; tasmāt mithya; Mithya also in English, Mithya.
Then jātakṣaṇaḥ; every moment, the body is reborn; we generally think we get a
new body in the next birth; generally we think we get a new body in the next birth.
Śankarācārya says really speaking, every moment the body is reborn; new cells are
produced and old cells are replayed. And according to the medical science also; our
body is totally replaced within a few years. 12 years or something they say. Every
cell is totally replaced, including the brain cell. Only the duration varies from part to
part. Bone, teeth, flesh etc. They are replaced in various durations, but within a few
years, the body you have is totally different from the different you had. Thus when
you say I am the body; which body you are referring to. Which model?
One Dr. Deepak Chopra, he is talking much in America; you should tell 1972 model;
like car; or it is 1980 model; because 80 model is different from 72; which is
different from 2000. So within one life itself; just as this snake removes the skin;
within one life itself, you are shedding the body and acquiring new body.
Page 743

Therefore Śankarācārya says: jātakṣaṇaḥ; so that is why the word I is a mysterious

I; because I refers to the body; which body you are referring to as I. He is different.
You have to tell as 'that person'.
But you say I went to Lkg; I went to Ukg; I went to college; I wrote the same exam
several times; that also; all those things you use one I. Can you say brain is
continuous? Not even brain. So therefore jātakṣaṇaḥ; every moment it is born; and
gone; even the skin is just peeling off.
How do you know that? Watch your nail after cutting, if you have the habit of
cutting; many people do not have the habit; you have the teeth, you know; they
bite. So if you are cutting, within one week or two weeks you watch; you find that it
grows. So jātakṣaṇaḥ; and you have to connect that word with the third line first
word, naikaha; the two should be read together. jātakṣaṇaḥ. Therefore naikaḥ;
naikaḥ means anēkaḥ. Na ēkaḥ; anyathaḥ. So since it is reborn every moment, you
do not have one body in this life; you have got many bodies in this life itself. So
therefore what is the second feature? Anēkaḥ. So mithya part over; anēkaḥ part
over.
Then what is the next feature? Come back to the second line; kṣana guṇaḥ. It has
got a property; a new property every moment. The body's property, feature or
condition, changes every moment. The physically itself, now you find that there is no
pain; after 15 minutes; you start changing the leg; this leg there; and that leg here;
only that we are not putting our leg in the head. Therefore in the body, pain is
there; and every one hour, some people get hungry also. Internal changes. And of
course cells are growing and going. Therefore kṣaṇaguṇaḥ. upajaya apajaya
svabhāvaḥ; every moment it is kaleidoscopically changing. Saguṇaḥ. kṣaṇē kṣaṇē
guṇaḥ yasya saha kṣaṇaguṇaḥ. So it is saguṇatvam; that is the third feature; it has
got attributes.
Then what is the fourth feature? aniyatasvabhāvaḥ. It is ever unsteady. That is why
you are never able to keep the body as fit as you want. By the time you make some
adjustment somewhere, belly comes. Therefore by the time you manage the belly,
hair is gone. Or turns grey. Something or the other. If you are adjusting the body
doing; now magazines are coming; how to care; each part of the body; eye care;
nose care; teeth care, skin care, hair care. So every part of the body you can care,
and by the time, you adjust one part, another part goes haywire; somewhere. So
Page 744

therefore aniyatasvabhāvaḥ. And by the time you adjust totally, life is over.
Yamadharmaja writes a letter. Come to me. aniyatasvabhāvaḥ means unsteady;
asthiraḥ; ever changing. This is the fourth feature.
Then the third line: naikaḥ. We have already seen along with jātakṣaṇaḥ.
Then the fifth feature is jaḍaḥ. The body is inert in nature; even though we feel the
sentiency of the body; according to śāstra; the body does not have natural
sentiency, it has got only borrowed sentiency. And how do you we prove that? We
have got several proofs, so that the first thing is if the body is naturally sentient;
sentiency is intrinsic to the body, it should be eternally sentient. Because whatever is
intrinsic property should be eternal. This is No.1 argument.
The second argument is that the external world which is experienced by me; which
is a bundle of matter is inert in nature. The external world, which is experienced by
me; and which is a bundle of matter; it is inert in nature. This physical body, which
is also equally experienced, and which is also a bundle of matter. In the body iron is
there; in the body every element you say; potassium, sodium; everything is there;
that is why we say biomedicine; it is also chemical content. So extending the same
principle, dēhaḥ jaḍaḥ dr̥śyatvat; boudikatvāt; vācya prapañjavat.
Body is inert by itself; because it is an object; and it is also material in nature. These
are all supporting logic; but our ultimate clinching argument is śāstra pramāṇam
clearly points out that body is jaḍaḥ. Acētanaḥ; it does not have its own
consciousness. Thus śruti pramāṇēna, yukti pramāṇēna; and anubhava pramāṇēna;
what is anubhava? Dead body is anubhava; you do not have to see; our dead body
you do not see; somebody else will see. Because of these three, we conclude that
dēhaḥ jaḍaḥ.
And Śankarācārya gives the example, because ghaṭavatparidr̥śyamānaḥ; because

the body is very much an object, like a pot. And pot example is beautiful; in several
features it is similar; because pot is also made up of mud; body also is made up of
mud alone; porcelain is like finer clay. So still finer clay is the body. So people have
more of that in the head also. That is why they ask whether you head is full of
kalimannu; every one has got; so you may have more that is all.
Page 745

So therefore pot is also made of clay; body is also made of finer clay. pot is also
breakable. க்�த்த க்�த்த ேபாட்�ைடத்தா; the body also anytime you fall
fracture. So body also is breakable; pot also is round; we also as we come to the
middle age; we become pot bellied; pot headed. Whole person is like pot. So
generally, he does not walk, he flows. Therefore ghaṭavatparidr̥śyamānaḥ. Thus
these are the five features.
So you get mithya; anēkaḥ. Then saguṇaḥ; then asthiraḥ; then jaḍaḥ. And ātma
must be seen as having the opposite five features. So what is the opposite of
mithya; satyam; body is anēkaḥ; ātma is ēkaḥ.
And how do you know? The I is the same I; even though between birth and death, I
shed many bodies and acquire many bodies in one life itself; the word-I, the first
person singular is the same-I. Ātma ēkaḥ; then body asthiraḥ; ātma is sthiraḥ. Then
body is saguṇaḥ; ātma is nirguṇaḥ. Then body jaḍaḥ; ātma caitanya svarūpaḥ.
And in fact we can also add the sixth feature also. Body is dr̥iśyaḥ; the object of
experience; object of consciousness; whereas consciousness is not an object of
consciousness. Consciousness is never an object. Body is ever an object of
consciousness; but consciousness is ever subject. Ever the seer; never the seen;
ever the experiencer; never the experienced; ever the dr̥k; never the driśyam. It can
be taken as the sixth feature.
Now look at the fourth line. ātma katham bhavathi. You have to supply the word
dēhaḥ. How can such a body be the ātma? How can such a body (such a body
means what?) with the previous six features; how can such a six-featured body, be
the ātma which has got diagonically opposite features; and one feature of ātma,
Śankarācārya indicates, bhāva vikāra vetha; the ātma which is awarer of all the
modifications; bhāva means object. vikāra means modification. vēttā means
experiencer. So how can the ātma which is the experiencer of the modifications of
the object, be the body. How can the subject be the object?
The other five features of ātma, Śankarācārya does not mention; we have to supply
sathyam; we have to supply sthiratvam; we have to supply ēkatvam or nirguṇatvam
etc. we have to supply.
Page 746

पा�णपादा�दमान्द ेह नात्म व्यङ्गेऽ जीवनात् |

तत्तच्छक्तेरनाश न �नयम्य �नयामकः ||१५६||
pāṇipādādimāndēhō nātmā vyaṅgē:'pi jīvanāt |
tattacchaktēranāśācca na niyamyō niyāmakaḥ ||156||
So in this verse, another two features of the body are brought in. That is No.1;
dēhaḥ sāvayaḥ; avayavam means part, division; organ; or aṅgam. So sā avayavam
means it is with part; with division; with organ; it is an organism; whereas ātma the
consciousness is niravayavaḥ; it is partless, organless principle, like space.
Niravayavaḥ. This is No.1.
The second feature is body is niyamyaḥ. It is controlled; being acētanam; whereas

the ātma is the controller; being cētanam. Always inert is controlled by cētanam. If
there is a machine, there is a machine operator. If there is a car, there is a car
driver. And if without the driver, the car is running; then it means what? remote
controlling; somewhere somebody is sitting. Soon it will happen. Remote TV channel
changing like.
You can sit here and with the help of the computer you can drive the car; even if
accident happens; no problem. Like they have got the pilotless planes which can
bomb the other countries; so even when the plane is shot, only the property is
gone; comfort is, money is gone; life is not gone. Like that there is Remote control;
but ultimately matter is neither self-revealing nor self-functioning. Matter is neither
self-revealing nor self functioning, and therefore not even self-existent, according to
vēdānta. That which is not self-revealing, it cannot be self-existent, or self-
functioning; whatever is self-revealing is alone self-existent and therefore capable of
controlling. This is the essence. Dēhaḥ niyamyaḥ; niyamyaḥ means what?
Controlled, directed; and ātma is what? Niyāmakaḥ; niyamyaḥ opposite niyāmakaḥ,
director; the blesser.
Now look at the slōka; dēhaḥ pāṇi pādādimān; the body has got many part like pāṇi,
pāda, etc. pāṇi means hands, pāda means leg, ādhi means etc. and which part of
the body is me; hand you are; leg you are; or head you are; you will be in trouble.
Suppose you say the whole conglomeration, the assembly is you; if the whole
assembly is you, then, when any part is gone, assembly is gone. Because assembly
consists of totality; totality is gone when one part is gone. So if you are the body,
Page 747

when any part of the body is gone, you are gone; that means you will not using the
word-I. There will be no I.
But what do we find? hand is gone, I is there; legs are gone, I is there; eyes are
gone, I is there; any part of the body is gone, I is there; extending that principle,
when? When brain is gone, I is there. Brain the expressing medium is not there, but
according to scriptures, even when brain is gone, I is there.
Therefore I cannot be any part of the body and therefore I cannot be the whole
also. It must be some principle other than the part and whole. Other than the part
and the whole. So wonderful biological and neurological experiments are going and
startling things they are revealing; very very interesting. Whether the brain is the
controller; or brain is only instrument which is used to control. If the brain is
instrument and what else is the controller? Everything is a mystery-māyam.
Śāstra says: neither are you the body, nor are you a mere assemblage of the body.
And what is the proof? vyaṅgē:'pi jīvanāt. So vyaṅgē means even when one or two
organs are not there, I survive. So Chāndōgya, Brihadaranya, Prasnopāṇiṣad, etc.
there is a story, each organ thinks, I am superior. So they have a test. The eyes
goes very angry saying that I am not acknowledged. It goes out for one year; It is
Upaṇiṣad story, do not ask how can it be. This fellow becomes blind and after one
year, the eyes come back and see, this fellow continues; he keeps a blind-man's
stick or in America, a dog is there; trained dog, he manages. There is a Svāmi who
is blind and who says that now I am happy, because the disturbances coming in the
forms and colours are no more there; I can think of my Guruvayoorappan all the
time. Great Guruvayoorappa bhaktha, because of diabetics, he lost the eye; he is the
least bothered; he is bubbling with joy; I am very happy. Some doctors said that you
may get back the eye if you do a particular operation, he says I do not want that: I
am comfortable. Therefore you can happily survive. Then eyes come back.
Then ears go for one year. This fellow survives. Many peoples' scolding, he is not
hearing! And in meditation, no disturbance! Similarly, the Upaṇiṣad says mind also
went away. This fellow thoughtlessly survived like many of our politicians; this fellow
survived without buddhi. Avidvān san. So each organ goes; of course the story
continues in some other form. Therefore Śankarācārya says: vyaṅgē means without.
We can take we! Without aṅga means organs, vyaṅgaḥ means vigatāni aṅgāni yasya
Page 748

saha, vyāngaḥ. Even without one or two organs, we exist, which we can extend to
even brain.
Therefore vyaṅgē api jīvaanat, I survive. And not only that; tat tat teehe anāṣacha.
Even when the physical part of the body is gone, the śaktiḥ, the function of that
part, like the hand or leg, that power is not gone. That power of operation is not
gone; the commentator beautifully writes: because, if an artificially limb is kept, with
the help of that, the person is capable of operating that artificial limp. And therefore,
that power of operation is not gone, because he is able to do that, with the help of
an artificial limp. Therefore tattacchaktēranāśācca.
That is why they call it: phantom-limp-symptom or syndrome; something they say.
So when a person loses the hand for some time, he continues to feel that hand is
there. Peculiar phenomenon. He says that itching in the right hand, which is not
there. So peculiar phenomenon, that śaktiḥ to operate; they say in the brain has
that particular path, the nerve etc. has it; but here the ācārya says jīva śakthe cha
anāsacca. Since that śaktiḥ is not gone, that śaktiḥmān is the chetana ātma, the limb
is only external medium. So therefore body is savayavaḥ. Ātma is niravayaha.
Then na niyamyaḥ; niyāmakaḥ. Ātma is na niyāmakaḥ. Here he is putting the

feature of the ātma. We have to connect it to body also later. Perhaps we can supply
that first. Dēhaha niyamyaḥ; which is not said; we have to supply. Body is
controlled; does not have independent capacity to operate. Dēhaḥ niyamyaḥ
bhavati; whereas ātma na niyāmakaḥ. It is not controlled, but niyāmakaḥ. It is the
controller. So thus savayavaḥ and niyamyaḥ; these are the two features.
Thus totally 10 features of the body have been said; in 154, 2 features, 155, 6
features; 156, 10 features and when you take the 10 features of the body and
corresponding 10 features of the ātma, you find body and ātma are diagonically
opposite. So they can never be identical.
And if this body, which can never be identical with ātma, if we are identifying; that is
called ajñānā mahimā. Śankarācārya writes māya pañjakam; five verses on the glory
of ignorance and delusion.
The greatest delusion is: making the impossible possible. And what is the impossible
possible? These two things which have got totally ten opposite features, we are
Page 749

mistaking, like taking the muringakkai as the pooshanikkai. How is it? One is totally
different from other. So that is ajñānā mahima.
देहतद्धमर्तत्कमर्तदवस्था�द |
सत एव स्वतः�सद तद्वैल�ण्यमात् ||१५७||
dēhataddharmatatkarmatadavasthādisākṣiṇaḥ |
sata ēva svataḥsiddhaṁ tadvailakṣaṇyamātmanaḥ ||157||
So some of the features are repeated here, just for re-emphasis and here the
feature repeated is body is the object-experienced and ātma is the experiencer.
Previously in 155, he said body is driśyam; ātma is dr̥k; here the same idea is
repeated in a different wording; body is sākṣyam, ātma is sākṣi. There driśyam and
dr̥k; the same meaning here it is sākṣyam and sākṣi.
Now he says ātma is sākṣi. Sākṣi of what? dēha, tad dharma, tad karma, tad
avasatha. Dēha means the body; tad dharma means its properties; fat, lean, fair,
dark, young, old, all these things; tad dharma, then tad karmās; its functions,
activities, like sitting, walking, etc. And tad avastha; its conditions; like its
koumaaram, yauvanam, jarā, it is healthy, it is sick, etc. avastha ādhi, etc. sākṣi. So
ātma is the witness the body as well as its properties, conditions and its activities.
And sataha ēva; svata siddhim tad vailakṣanyam ātma.
So from this it is very very clear; what is very clear? vailakṣanyam svataha siddhim;
vailakṣanyam means what? bhēdaḥ; difference. So grammatically, these three words
should be connected; sākṣinaḥ; sataḥ; ātmanaḥ; all these are śaṣṭi vibhakthi.
sākṣinaḥ sataḥ ātmanaḥ means sākṣiyaka irukkindra ātmavinudaya bedham;
nandraaka siddikkindrathu. So the difference of ātma which remains as the sākṣi all
the time. Sataḥ means which remains as the sākṣi; all the time; its vailakshanyam,
difference from the body is svata siddam, it is very very evident; because when I see
a table, I never doubt whether am I a table or not? Do you doubt? When I see a
man, I never get a doubt whether I am that man. When I see a cow, I never get a
doubt whether a cow. When I experience everything, the difference of me, from
what I experience is evident. Extending the same principle, I experience the body
also distinctly and why I should commit the mistake of suddently taking the body
only as myself.
Page 750

Therefore some problem; some kirukku; and not only that during suṣupti the body is
not available also. The very fact that it is appearing and disappearing, like the
external world is also very clear. But agatitha gatana patiyasi māya. Māya is capable
of making wonderful mistake, which deserves Nobel prize. More
Hari Om.
Page 751

059. Verses 158 to 163
देहतद्धमर्तत्कमर्तदवस्था�द |
सत एव स्वतः�सद तद्वैल�ण्यमात् ||१५७||
dēhataddharmatatkarmatadavasthādisākṣiṇaḥ |
sata ēva svataḥsiddhaṁ tadvailakṣaṇyamātmanaḥ ||157||
As a part of ātma-anātma vivēka, Śankarācārya has now come to the topic of pañja
kōśa vivēkaḥ. Of these five kōśas, the Ācārya is taking up the annamaya kōśa ātma
vivēkaḥ, because of the five kōśas, annamaya is the grossest kōśa and therefore it is
easier for a person to differentiate the ātma from annamaya.
And prāṇamaya being subtler, which is closer to ātma, therefore differentiation is

still more difficult, manōmaya is still more subtler, therefore it is still more closer to
ātma; and therefore we have this gradation of annamaya, prāṇamaya, etc. This
topic is from verse No.154 to 164, out of which we have up to we have covered up
to 157th verse and we should remember that annamaya kōśa is another name for
stūla śarīraṁ; otherwise simply known as dēhaḥ. Therefore Śankarācārya said in
one 157th verse, dēha tad dharma tad karma tad avasthādhi sākṣinaḥ. Ātma is the
witness of the body, its property, its states and its activities and the witness has to
be different from what it witnesses and therefore the conscious principle has to be
different from the objective physical body. Up to this we have seen.
शल्यरा�शमा�स�लप् मलपूण�ऽ�तकश्मल |
कथं भवेदयं वेत्त स्वयमेतद्�वल� ||१५८||
śalyarāśirmāṁsaliptō malapūrṇō:'tikaśmalaḥ |
kathaṁ bhavēdayaṁ vēttā svayaṁētadvilakṣaṇaḥ ||158||
All these main arguments to differentiate body and consciousness has been given in
the first three verses; i.e. 154, 155 and 156. In these three verses we had seen 10
reasons to difference the body from ātma. In 154 we saw body is anitya and
aśuddha; in 155 we saw body is mithya, saguṇaḥ, asthiraḥ, anēkaḥ, dr̥śyaḥ, jaḍaḥ,
etc. Then in 156 we saw body is sāvayaḥ and niyamyaḥ.
Page 752

Thus ten features of the physical body were given in the first three verses and if you
look at the ātma from the standpoint of anyone feature, ātma is diagonally opposite.
Any word you take; dr̥śya; ātma is dr̥k; if you say body is anēkaḥ, ātma is ēkaḥ.
Body is savikāraḥ, ātma is nirvikāraḥ. Thus taking these ten features, we can find
that the dēha and ātma are diagonally opposite. With those three slōkas, the dēha-
ātma vivēka is over.
The following slōkās are more an elaboration of these differences only and therefore
it is easier to go through them.
In this verse, Śankarācārya highlights two aspects again: one is the body is
aśuddham, and ātma is śuddhaḥ; body is dr̥śyam and ātma is dr̥k. How do you know
that: he says: śalyarāśirmāṁsaliptaḥ. The body is nothing but structure made up of
bones. So just as bamboos are used to make a structure, the body is nothing but a
structure made up of bones. And the structure should be plastered with cement.
Similarly the body also has been plastered with flesh. Therefore it is nothing but a
bonal structure, plastered with māmsaṁ. Śalyarāśiḥ; Śalyaṁ means bone. In
Saṁsr̥kt, the word Śalyaṁ has different meanings; one of the meaning is problem,
which is very often used in Malayalam; anybody gives lot of problems, we say:
വല�ാത ശല�മാണ; they say. Perhaps, Śankarācārya, being Malayali, prefers this
word, we do not know!!. So he uses the word with double meaning.
The body is made of Śalyaṁ, which is a mahā Śalyaṁ, because any time it can
fracture; for some people when they grow old, calcium deficiency, and all; it is
powdery; brittle. And māmsa lipthaḥ; lipthaḥ; plastered with māmsaḥ. Covered with
māmsaḥ. And what is inside. Śankarācārya says do not ask: mala pūrṇaḥ; it is full
of malam; impurities, waste matter and therefore only athi kaśmalaḥ; it is extremely
impure. kaśmalaḥ means impure. Ati kaśmalaḥ, extremely impure. And ayaṁ vettah
katham bhavēt; how can such a body be the ātma which is the sākṣi. vēttā means
the sākṣi, the knower, the experiencer, the awarer. How can the awarer, awareness
be this impure body, because the ātma is known to be nitya śuddha svarūpaḥ, from
the scriptures, whereas anātma is nitya, aśuddha svarūpaḥ and the body is vēdya
satvam; ātma is vetru satvam; how can vēttā be the vedyam. So therefore what is
the conclusion? Svayaṁ etat vilakṣanaḥ. Therefore ātma is evidently and naturally
different from such a body. ētad vilakṣanaḥ means dēha vilakṣanaḥ. All these ideas
are repetitive; therefore I do not want to explain more.
Page 753

त्वङ्मांसमेदोऽिस्थपुर�षर-
वहंम�तं मूढजनः करो�त |
�वल�णं वेित् �वचारशीलो
�नजस्वरू परमाथर भूतम ् ||१५९||
tvaṅmāṁsamēdō:'sthipurīṣarāśā-
vahaṁmatiṁ mūḍhajanaḥ karōti |
vilakṣaṇaṁ vētti vicāraśīlō
nijasvarūpaṁ paramārtha bhūtam ||159||
The same idea is repeated. Mudaḥ janaḥ ahaṁ matim karōti. Only an indiscriminate
person develops I-notion; entertains I-notion in the physical body. Ahaṁ mati means
ahaṁ abhīmānam. So mudaḥ janaḥ; mudaḥ puruṣaḥ alone will identify with this
body and if it is a worthy thing, everybody would like to claim; but is it really worthy
of claiming that it is myself? Śankarācārya says that is the greatest wonder; if you
know what it is; nobody would love to claim it as myself. Not even mine; if you say it
is mine, it is a little better. But I am that when you say, it is clear mōha alone;
because what is the nature of this body? tvak maṁsa medhā asthi puriśa raśiḥ; it is
a bundle of all these things; tvak means skin; māṁsa means flesh; mēdhāḥ means
fat; medhāḥ, sakarāntaḥ napumsaka liṅgaḥ; fat; asthi means bone, puriśaṁ means
waste matter, excretion; rāśiḥ means a bundle. So the physical body is a bundle of
all these stuff; puriśa rāśau; if you split the sandhi, it should be read as puriśa rāśau;
then ahaṁ matim; puriśa rāśau is sapthami vibhakthi; in this body who can entertain
ahaṁ abhīmānam.
And if a person manages to have that, it must be a clear consequences of

concentrated delusion, whereas vicāraśīlō vilakṣaṇaṁ vētti. So a thinking person, a
discriminative person, thinks himself to be vilakṣaṇam, different from the body; it is
only a temporary hut; it is only a temporary tenement which I am using for fulfilling
the purpose of my life. So vilakṣaṇam, binnam; So he knows: nijasvarūpam, his real
nature to be different from the body; and what is that real nature; nija means one
own; svarūpam, one own's real nature, which is paramātma bhūtām; which is
absolute reality, unlike the body. Body can never be said to be real, because on
enquiry, it gets reduced to some other thing. That which can be reduced to some
other thing can never be real. Building is unreal, because it can be reduced to bricks
and cement and iron; And brick itself is not real because it can be reduced to mud,
which can be further reduced to molecules, atom; energy. As long as things are
Page 754

reducible to something else, that something else alone can be real and how can this
body be ever real.
Then what is real? something other than the body and what is that: consciousness is
the only thing which can never be reduced to something else; irreducible. And that
is why it is called seṣaḥ; that is the ultimate seṣaḥ. So paramaartha bhūtām; the
basic stuff of everything. iti, who understands, vicāra śilāḥ; Here he uses the word
śilāḥ, once in a while rarely enquiry is not sufficient; consistent enquiry for a length
of time is important; and not only consistent enquiry for a length of time; scriptural
assistance is required; without scriptural assistance you will reduce the world into
the basic matter or energy alone. Up to one form of energy we can reduce the
world; but the relationship between energy and consciousness will be a mystery.
And therefore if the whole thing has to be reduced to consciousness, scriptural
assistance is also required; and the one who does enquiry with this assistance; saha
vilakṣaṇam vētti. So here also, the idea is, the same as before. Body is impure; I
am pure.
देहोऽह�मत्ये जडस् बु�द्

देहे च जीवे �वदष
ु स्त्वहंध |
�ववेक�व�ानवतो महात्मन
ब्रह्माह�मत म�तः सदात्म� ||१६०||
dēhō:'hamityēva jaḍasya buddhiḥ
dēhē ca jīvē viduṣastvahaṁdhīḥ |
vivēkavijñānavatō mahātmanō
brahmāhamityēva matiḥ sadātmani ||160||
So here Śankarācārya indicates that going beyond the body itself is difficult for many
people. They cannot imagine that they can be different from the physical body; but
here Śankarācārya says it is not enough that one goes beyond the body; he has to
understand there is a sūkṣma śarīraṁ or a mind which is different from the physical
body; which survives the death of the physical body; that itself is another mystery
for science. As far as science is concerned, mind is not a separate entity, which can
survive the death of the body; mind is nothing but another phenomenon in the brain
or a neurological phenomenon only. Therefore they do not accept even a sūkṣma
śarīraṁ which is other than the physical body. Therefore, whether they will accept at
all we do not know and if at all they accept, how many years it will take we do not
Page 755

know. Therefore the next progress is what; not to consciousness; sūkṣma śarīraṁ
one has to go; one has to accept the mind as a separate entity, which is different
from brain; and which is functioning through the body including brain.
And when a person has come to the mind; he has got the jīvē ātma buddhi. So first
I say I am the body; then I say that I am a jīva different from the body; here jīva
meaning ahaṁkārāḥ, the sūkṣma śarīra, or the manaḥ, to put it in simple language.
And only when I accept the mind or sūkṣma śarīraṁ; then alone all the karma kānda
s will become meaningful; śraddhāḥ becomes meaningful only if I accept that there
is somebody called pitr̥; pitr̥ means sūkṣma śarīraṁ; who departs, leaves this body;
and who goes to some other lōkaḥ; and he can be propitiated by doing the rituals;
the karma kānda becomes valid; only when accepts the sūkṣma śarīraṁ; other than
the body
And for that itself is big problem. People do not want to believe, because śraddhām
is a burden. Non-believing is easier because you can get rid of the religious portion.
And Śankarācārya says even that is not enough. We have to go even beyond that
mind and then accept there is a consciousness; consciousness is neither mind nor
property of the mind; but it is another independent entity.
So see now. First I should know that a mind is an independent entity different from
the body. Then I have to know that consciousness is another entity, independent of
the mind. What is the available current scientific observation in physics? There is no
mind as a separate entity; there is no consciousness as a separate entity. All are
reduced to what? the physical body; mind is a phenomenon of the body;
consciousness is also a phenomenon of the body. You have to separate the mind
and then from the mind, you have to separate the consciousness. So it requires how
much discrimination.
And for all these things we require what; the assistance of the scriptures and
therefore Śankarācārya presents the three stages. The first stage is what? dēhē
ahaṁ itiēva jaḍasya buddhiḥ. So jaḍa puruṣaḥ; jaḍaḥ means what: an unintelligent
person; a tāmasic person; a dull intellectual person; an indiscriminate person. In
Tamil also you say you know: he is sitting like a jaḍaṁ.
Page 756

So tāmasic mind. It has got buddhiḥ. the attitude; what attitude; dēhaḥ ahaṁ itēva;
which is called chārvāka philosophy; which does not accept a sūkṣma śarīraṁ; which
does not accept a mind; of course which does not accept even ātma. So this is
Chārvāka philosopher.
And vidhushaḥ. A person who has got faith in the scriptures and who has got a little
more discrimination; a relatively intelligent person is here called Vidvān. For such a
person and who is called āstikaḥ; Chārvāka is called nāstika; and generally we do
not talk chārvāka; there is no use talking to them. Talking with chārvāka is itself
considered to be one type of pāpam. So an āstika puruṣaḥ, who believes in karma
kānda , who believes in the survival of something after death, and who believes in
something which travels in death; who believes in certain fields, in which these
surviving, what you call, individuals live; who believes in all these things; for such a
relatively intelligent person, dēhe jīvē ca ahaṁ dhī. He looks upon the body as
himself sometimes; and he looks upon the jīva as himself, with the help of the
scriptures. And jīva means here what; sūkṣma śarīra sahita caitanyaṁ. And that is
why he is anxious about his next birth; that is why he is anxious about avoiding
pāpam; that is why he is anxious about acquiring puṇyam; because he says in the
next janma, I should be better off.
So which I, he is referred to; certainly not the body; because body is not going to
continue in the next janma; and he is not referring to ātma also; because he is
talking about going to naraka; going to svarga etc. Therefore some travelling
intermediary-I. The body does not travel after death, because it is burned. Ātma can
never travel. Therefore the travelling one after death is neither the body nor the
ātma; then what is that? he believes, he accepts, he knows the sūkṣma śarīraṁ as
himself and therefore I want to get better lōkaḥ.
Therefore vidushaḥ dēhē jīvē cha ahaṁ dhi; I-notion is there; whereas vivēka
vijñāna vataḥ mahātmanaḥ, whereas for that mahātma, who has got sufficient
discrimination, who could go to the jñāna kānda of the vēdas; who has got
sufficient vairagya or who is sādhanā catuṣṭaya sampanna adhikāriṇaḥ; and who has
got vivēka vijñāna; the discriminative knowledge, who is himself; it is neither the
physical body, nor the travelling sūkṣma śarīraṁ; but the non-travelling puṇya-pāpa
athitha karthrutva bokthrutva athītha ēka nitya śuddha mukta swarūpa Brahma ēva.
Brahma ahaṁ iti ēva sadātmani mathi. Sadātmani means what? in the real ātma;
Page 757

sacchidānandaḥ svarūpa ātmani. He has got I-identification only with in the

sacchidānandda ātma in what form: Brahmahāmasmi.
Ahaṁ asmi Brahmāha asmi; ahaṁ ēva ahaṁ man juhōmi svāhaḥ. So ahaṁ asmi
brahmāhaṁ asmi. iti sada ātmani mathihi.
अत्रात्मबु त्य मूढबद्

ु
त्वङ्मांसमेदोऽिस्थपुर�षर |
सवार्त्म ब्रह् �न�व्
र कल्
कुरुष शािन्त परमां भजस् ||१६१||
atrātmabuddhiṁ tyaja mūḍhabuddhē
tvaṅmāṁsamēdō:'sthipurīṣarāśau |
sarvātmani brahmaṇi nirvikalpē
kuruṣva śāntiṁ paramāṁ bhajasva ||161||
So incidentally Śankarācārya is advising his disciples, mūḍhabuddhē, he is getting

angry; bhaja gōvindaṁ, bhaja gōvindaṁ, bhaja gōvindaṁ mūḍhamatē, same idea,
mūḍhamatē, Oh unintelligent; Oh ignorant one; oh immature one; sambōdhana,
addressing.
And in Saṁsr̥kt the word mūḍhabuddhē can be interpretted in two ways:

Śankarācārya will say: mūḍhabuddhē, if śiṣya is humble and he does not mistake the
guru; guru has the right to address the fools; and if he is ready to accept it is fine.
Suppose the śiṣya protests; how can you call me mūḍhabuddhē? Then Śankarācārya
will quietly say: No, No No; I am not addressing you: I am addressing my own
buddhi; he mūḍhabuddhē.
So in Saṁsr̥kt we have got two interpretations; one is a bahuvrihi samāsaḥ; mūḍha

buddhiḥ yasya saha; which means the dull-intellected person; it can refer to a
person; when it is in bahuvrihi samāsa. If it is taken as tatpuruṣaḥ samāsa, it does
not refer to another person, but it refers to the buddhi itself, mūḍhā buddah, mūḍha
buddhi; I am addressing my buddhi only; he mūḍha buddhe. Mānasa sancharare,
you sing; addressed to whom; Oh Mind, manamē, isan nāmam, etc. you sing, you
kow. Therefore he can address to his own intellect. My intellect is dull; therefore I
am addressing my own intellect. Oh dull intellect; do not identify with the body; own
Page 758

up your true nature. both meanings possible. So he mūḍhabuddhē atre sarire ātma
buddhim tyaja. May you give up identification with the body. Learn to decide and
defy from the body. So ātma buddhi means I-thought or I-conclusion upon the body.
What type of body? again and again he is using the same word,
tvaṅmāṁsamēdō:'sthipurīṣarāśā. I have given the meaning of this line, in 159 first
line, same line is repeated here; upon the bundle of flesh and blood.
And having dis-identified from the physical body, and should you become empty or
vacuum. By giving up the body identification, you are not going to lose anything;
because in its place, is going to be replaced by something far far superior. Therefore
he says: Brahmani kuruśva. Ātma buddhim we have to supply. May you develop I-
identification upon Brahman. So Brahmani ātma buddhim kuruśva.
And what type of Brahman? Sarvātmani. So which is the ātma, the essential nature
of not only this body; but all the bodies. And not only that, nirvikalpe; that Brahman
which does not have divisions like flesh or blood or bone; these are all vikalpās or
divisions; whereas the consciousness is divisionless-consciousness. Upon that
divisionless self-of-all; that is Brahman, may you develop I-buddhi.
And remember, it is not a brainwashing phenomenon; not that we have a training by

saying ahaṁ brahmāsmi; ahaṁ brahmāsmi. Svāmiji, one day 1008 times I chant;
like gayathri should I chant; it is not something to be repeated; it is not something
to be practised, but it is to something recognised with the help of the scriptures; for
saying this scriptures have got their own method of teaching. Therefore, by going
through consistent śravaṇam, elaborate mananam, and nidhidyaśanam, you have to
entertain. So otherwise it will be just a verbal statement; it is a matter of knowing.
Therefore, ātma buddhim kuru. May you know ahaṁ brahmāsmi.
OK. Then what is the benefit? If I take so much trouble, what will I get out of it; he
says: paramāṁ śāntiṁ bhajasva. May you attain the highest peace; the peace that
passes all understanding; the deepest peace; may you attain. So paramām śāntiḥm;
we also get a shānti now and then. When the child education is not over; plus one
over or plus two over; college admission got, peace of mind. Therefore we also
discover peace now and then; but it is not paramāṁ śāntiṁ; it is only paramāṁ
śāntiṁ; it is a peace that goes to pieces very soon. Or it is a piece of peace; not
whole; whereas this is what: paramāṁ śāntiṁ bhajasvam.
Page 759

देहेिन्द्रयादाव भ्रमो�दत
�वद्वानहंता न जहा�त यावत् |
तावन् तस्यािस �वमुिक्तवाता-
प्यस्त् वेदान्तनयान्तद ||१६२||
dēhēndriyādāvasati bhramōditāṁ
vidvānahaṁtāṁ na jahāti yāvat |
tāvanna tasyāsti vimuktivārtā-
pyastvēṣa vēdāntanayāntadarśī ||162||
So here Śankarācārya says without giving up dēhātma buddhi, it is impossible to

gain brahmātmajñānaṁ. So we cannot identify with both the body and ātma
simultaneously; identification with one pre-supposes, dis-identification with the
other. Therefore unfortunately you cannot have the cake and eat it too. Therefore,
you have to decide whether you want to identify with the body or ātma.
And vēdānta does not want to enforce anything. Vēdānta says that if you love
identifying with the body and pampering it, you are welcome to do; but be prepared
to face all the consequences. And when the consequences are hurting you, do not
suddenly become philosophical; why this life Bhagavān? Why did He create me?
could not He have kept quite? Bhagavān or kigavan; and then cursing the Bhagavān
and the world; cursing the wife; the children; do not scold; silently suffer the whole
phenomenon called life.
And as you grow further and further, things are not going to be brighter because, it
is all going to growing older and older; there is never going to be growing younger;
does not exist. And more and more of only departure and viyōga; as we grow old;
more number of people that we know; one by one, is going to quit only. Therefore,
it is not going to be a wonderful news for you. If you say I do not mind, wish you all
the best.
If you say I want to get out of the whole rigmarole, then better listen to me. It is
choice; no compulsion. Therefore Śankarācārya gives statutory warning: Dehātma
buddhi is injurious to your health. OK.
Vidvan ahaṁ tām yāvat na jahāti. Suppose this human being does not give up the
body identification. Suppose, this intelligent person; because he is a human being,
Page 760

and he is supposed to have intelligence; therefore vidvan he says: so this human

being it means; this intelligent human being, discriminative human being, does not
give up; what: ahaṁtām dehātmabuddhi; I-notion in the body; dēha indriyādau; in
the body, sense organs, etc. So the first word, in the first line, should be split
properly; dēhēndriyādāvasati it is there; if you split dēhēndriya ādau plus asati;
dēhēndriya ādau, saptami vibhakthi; it goes along with ahaṁtām; dehendriyādau
ahaṁtām means I-notion upon the body, sense organs, etc.
And what type of body it is? asati: which is asat; asat means what? unreal, which
can be reduced to further things. It is reducible or which is subject to modification.
Now you say this is a boy. After sometime you say it is you: after some time, you
say it is old; and then you this is dead body; which one is correct; tell me. Therefore
since it is appearing in different ways in different times, after the death if you keep
the body for some time, you will call it by all kinds of other names; waste, dirt;
putrefying matter; which you have very carefully named now. So many names.
Therefore, which one is real. It is not real; asati. Asati also saptami vibhakti;
qualifying dēhēndriyādau. Suppose the intelligent human being does not give up the
I-notion in the body which is unreal; and how is this I-notion developed?
bhramōditāṁ; the I-notion which is entertained purely because of delusion. Non-
thinking; non-enquiry. Taking for granted. Right from birth, we have assumed I am
the body; without enquiry.
Just as we take the earth as flat right from birth. And somebody has to be tell the
earth is round; but even after telling that it is difficult to believe because my
perception continues to show; my experience continues to show that earth is flat.
Similarly the Sun does not rise; but experience continues to show; unless I make an
enquiry; that is why when whichever scientist, I do not remember, first time he said
that earth is not the centre; it is not a geo-centric system; but it is helio-centric
system; Sun is in the centre, it was not accepted at all and he was imprisoned or
something.
So when the whole considers that I am the body; and one person comes and tells,
you are not the body; what are we going to tell? Paithyam and if you are not put in
chains, it is a grace. So therefore, when the delusion becomes universal; it becomes
wisdom. When the wisdom becomes rare; it becomes delusion.
Page 761

Therefore Śankarācārya says: the delusion-born body identification; bhramōditāṁ is

adjective is ahaṁtām. So yāvat vidvān asati dēhēndriyādāv bhramōditāṁ ahaṁtāṁ
na jahāti; uditāṁ means born bhramōditāṁ means born out of delusion; What?
Body-identification. OK. What will happen, if I do not give up? Tāvat tasya vimukti
vārtā api nāsti. So long he cannot get even verbal liberation. Even the word
liberation cannot apply to him; let alone that what to talk of actual liberation. Even
nāmkē vāste liberation he will not get; where is the question of real liberation.
Vārtha means word; vimukti vārtā api tasya nāsti.
When? ēṣaḥ vēdānta nayāntadarśī. He may study vēdānta. And he may be a great
scholar of vēdānta. Vēdāntanyāḥ means vēdānta śāstram; Vēdāntanyāḥ means he
has seen the end: கைர கடன்த்த; கரச் ��ச்சாச; Vēdāntanyāḥ; he has studied all
the books of vēdānta; darśi; he will be a great academic scholar of vēdānta. He can
brilliantly, what you call, give a talk on pañja kōśa vivēka; avastha traya vivēka; sr̥ṣṭi
prakaraṇam; all the upaṇiṣads are kānḍastha; he knows them byeheart; he can give
lectures in Saṁsr̥kt; he can do everything; is he liberated. Śankarācārya says he is
not liberated as long as, what? Dehātmabuddhi is not gone.
So liberation pre-supposes dehātma buddhi tyāgaḥ. That is why Krishna said in the
twelfth chapter of the Gītā:
The one who has got strong physical attachment, for him Vēdānta is either not
appealing or it is academic; what you call exercise only. Therefore ēṣaḥ vēdānta
nayāntadarśī asthu. Let him be a great scholar; no liberation is possible. So
therefore, anātma abhīmāna and ātma abhīmāna cannot co-exist; matter abhīmāna
and consciousness abhīmāna cannot co-exist.
छायाशर�रे प्र�त�बम्बग
यत्स्वप्नद हृ� किल्पताङ् |
यथात्मबु�द्ध नािस् का�च-
ज्जीवच्छर� च तथैव माऽस्त ||१६३||
Page 762

chāyāśarīrē pratibimbagātrē
yatsvapnadēhē hr̥di kalpitāṅgē |
yathātmabuddhistava nāsti kāci-
jjīvaccharīrē ca tathaiva mā:'stu ||163||
So Śankarācārya advises therefore if you want your vēdantic study to be fruitful,

start the training of ahaṁ na dēhōsmi.
मनोबुद्ध्यहङ्�चत्ता� नाहं
न च श्रोत्रि न च घ्राणने ।
न च व्योमभू�म न तेजो न वायुः
�चदानन्दरू �शवोऽहं �शवोऽहम ् ॥ १॥
manōbuddhyahaṅkāracittāni nāhaṁ
na ca śrōtrajihvē na ca ghrāṇanētrē |
na ca vyōmabhūmiḥ na tējō na vāyuḥ
Having the training of looking at the body as nothing but pañja būtha samūḥ.
Just as wave is born out of ocean; it rests in ocean and goes back unto the ocean.
Similarly, the world is like an ocean; and the body is like a wave, out of the pañja
bootha world; the body has come and back to pañja būtha, the body will have to go.
So if the pañja būthas are object different from me; a wave of pañja būtha also
must be an object different form me. If ocean is an object different from me; one of
the waves which is a product of the ocean, how can I be that? If I am not the
ocean, I am not the wave also. If I am not the pañja būthas, I am not the śarīra
wave also; which is a product of pañja būthas. Therefore do this dhyānam. We can
go to prāṇama maya later.
First for the initial 10 years do this only. So in meditation, try to objectify your body,
learn to look at your own body as one of the statues in the marina beach. They will
not keep for us. But imagine. He himself says that. See. Chāya śarīrē. There is a
body in front of you which is a shadow of your body. So upon the chāya śarīram; do
you have abhīmāna. You do not look upon the chāya śarīraṁ, your physical body
shadow as yourselves.
Page 763

Similarly, pratibimbagātrē, another example, your own reflection in a mirror, even

though it does everything that you do; you do not mistake that pratibimba gāthram;
gāthram means śarīraṁ; that is why you say திட காத்திரம in Tamil also; you do not
mistake it as yourselves; svapna dēhē; you have got a special body in dream; with
which body alone you do all the dream transactions; you do not do the dream travel
with this body; then from the bed you would have fallen down. Therefore you are
upon the bed only; you travel all over with a special svapna dēha; even though in
dream that body seems to be so real and you very much seems to be that very body
itself; you know that svapna śarīraṁ I am not; and hr̥di kalpitāṅgē; and any other
body which you project mentally for yourselves. An imagined body. So the svapna
dēha is after you go to sleep. hr̥di kalpitāṅgē is even in the waking state you can
imagine as though you have reduced the weight; it is not possible even though you
have tried all methods.
OK, let us imagine that it is slim and beautiful; let us assume; therefore hr̥di; in the
heart; manasi, kalpitāṅgē, aṅgam means śarīraṁ; sometimes aṅgam means one of
the organs; sometimes aṅga means śarīra itself. So kalpitāṅgē means, the imagined
body; body imagined in the mind, upon these four types of bodies do you have
abhīmānam?
He is asking; Tava kāchit ātma buddhiḥ nāsti. You do not have I-notion in all these
four types of the bodies. Śankarācārya says in that list, one more you add. This
physical body also let it join the other four. So tathaa ēva, jīva sarire api, māsthu;
What? ātma buddhi māsthu. May you not I-identification in this living body also. It is
exactly like a statue, because statue is also made up of matter; this is also made up
of matter; the only plus point is, this body can temporarily have borrowed
consciousness. So like a clock, where you have wound the clock and it has got some
duration in which the clock will run. Similarly there is a blessing because of which
there is borrowed life; with which the body runs for sometime. And how long it will
run; nobody knows; afterwards the body is exactly like any other statue; how can
you claim that material as yourselves. Therefore may you not claim the body.
Page 764

060. Verses 164 to 167
देहेिन्द्रयादाव भ्रमो�दत
�वद्वानहंता न जहा�त यावत् |
तावन् तस्यािस �वमुिक्तवाता-
प्यस्त् वेदान्तनयान्तद ||१६२|
dēhēndriyādāvasati bhramōditāṁ
vidvānahaṁtāṁ na jahāti yāvat |
tāvanna tasyāsti vimuktivārtāpy-
astvēṣa vēdāntanayāntadarśī ||162|
छायाशर�रे प�त�बम्बगात
यत्स्वप्नद हृ� किल्पताङ् |
यथात्मबु�द्ध नािस् का�च-
ज्जीवच्छर� च तथैव माऽस्त ||१६३||
chāyāśarīrē pratibimbagātrē
yatsvapnadēhē hr̥di kalpitāṅgē |
yathātmabuddhistava nāsti kāci-
jjīvaccharīrē ca tathaiva mā:'stu ||163||
In these verses, Śankarācārya is revealing the nature of annamaya kōśa; and by way
of revealing its nature; he also indicates that such an annamaya can never be
identical with the ātma, because ātma has got features which are totally different
from annamaya.
Here we have to remember something. While Śankarācārya wants to show the

difference, he is revealing the features of annamaya and features of ātma, and since
the features of both of them are totally different; they have to be two separate
entities. Lakṣaṇa bēdāt lakṣya bēdaḥ. When the features are different, the featured
substances also must be different. This is the idea that Śankarācārya uses. Dharma
bēdāt dharmi bēdaḥ. Property bēdāt, substance bēdaḥ. This is the approach.
And to apply this principle, we should know the features of the annamaya and
features of ātma and we should see that these features are diagonally opposite and
therefore annamaya cannot be ātma. So, here the uniqueness is while Śankarācārya
Page 765

talks about the features of annamaya, it is or they are something which can be
verified by us or which are seen by us. So when the body is said to be savikāraṁ,
we can directly experience and verify.
So therefore, when Śankarācārya reveals the features of annamaya, it is not a new

teaching, but it is only an anuvādha; it is called anuvādha technically; it is not a new
teaching; but it is only the re-statement of an already experienced fact.
Whereas when we talk about the features of consciousness, that is not something
like the body, which you can see with the eye or the microscope or through scientific
calculations. The features of consciousness are known through śāstra pramāṇam
alone and therefore it is a new teaching.
So features of annamaya is called anuvādha rūpa, whereas features of ātma is

bōdhana rūpa, pramāṇa rūpa.
So if Śankarācārya says consciousness is indivisible; from where do we know that.

From the scriptures. If Śankarācārya says consciousness is all-pervading; from
where do we know that. From the scriptures. So with regard to consciousness;
scriptures alone are the means of knowledge. With regard to the body, scriptures
need not say it is savikāraṁ, it is something solidly experienced. This is not only for
annamaya, with regard to prāṇamaya also, the same rule is applicable. The anātma
features are restatements; ātma features are teaching. And with the help of the
teaching and with the help of the known features of anātma; we are distinguishing
ātma from anātma. This is the difference to be noted.
He has talked about various features of anātma; and in the 163 verses, he compares
the body to various secondary bodies; like the chāya śarīraṁ, pratibimba gāthram,
svapna dēhaḥ or kalpita dēhaḥ. And the beauty is: for one physical body,
Śankarācārya uses four different Saṁsr̥kt words. For us how many words we have
for body; body. But here uses; śarīraṁ, then gāthram; then dēhaḥ; then aṅgam. So
all these different words are used to avoid repetition; all these four words means
śarīraṁ alone. So whether it is shadow body, reflected body, dream body or
imagined body; you never have an abhīmāna over that; this body is the fifth in that
group; may you take this body also as anyone of those four. Up to this we saw.
देहात्मधीरे नण
ृ ामस�द्धय
Page 766

जन्मा�द दुःखप्रभ बीजम ् |

यतस्ततस्त ज�ह तां प्रयत्न
त्यक् तु �चत्त न पुनभर्वाश ||१६४||
dēhātmadhīrēva nr̥ṇāmasaddhiyāṁ
janmādiduḥkhaprabhāva sya bījam |
yatastatastvaṁ jahi tāṁ prayatnāt
tyaktē tu cittē na punarbhavāśā ||164||
So here Śankarācārya points out that dēhabhīmāna is the cause of the sense of
mortality; the fear of mortality is because of the stūla śarīra abhīmāna. To get over
the fear of mortality, one need not come even to the level of ātma; by simply
shifting the abhīmāna to sūkṣma śarīra itself, marana bhayaṁ will go. Ātma need not
come at all; just switch over your identification from stūla śarīraṁ to sūkṣma
śarīraṁ; the fear of death is gone; because when the stūla śarīraṁ dies, the sūkṣma
śarīraṁ does not perish.
From the standpoint of my sūkṣma śarīra itself, I am immortal; because in the next
janma, I may lose this physical body: vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya; but I am going
to continue with another body. In fact, when did I begin the whole journey. Anādhi
kāla pravr̥ddaḥ I have been surviving and I will survive also; even during pralaya
kālam, sūkṣma śarīra is not totally destroyed; it remains in dormant condition. In
fact even pralayaṁ is like a longer sleep only.
And therefore for immortality, you need not go up to ātma level, just dis-identify
from annamaya, that is enough. And therefore he says: dēhātmadhīrēva bījam. Stūla
śarīra abhīmāna alone is the seed, the cause for janmādhi duḥkha prabhavasya; for
the origination of, for the emergence of, varieties of pains; prabhavaḥ means
utpattis; emergence. So the seed, dēha abhīmāna is the seed for the emergence, for
the uptattis of varieties of pains like what? janma ādhi; the pains like janma, janma
duḥkhaṁ belong to stūla śarīraṁ only. And ādhi padāt, etc. means jarā duḥkhaṁ;
vyādhi duḥkhaṁ; so janma mrtyu jarā vyādhi duḥkha doṣānu darśanam; Lord
Krishna said in the 13th chapter. All these so-called pain belongs to the physical
body. In fact, in life, most of our time is dedicated to pampering, protecting this
physical body only. As Śankarācārya said in Bhaja Gōvindaṁ, udara nimittham, bahu
krita veśaḥ.
In fact, education never seems to be meant for the inner growth at all; education is
also for job; how do we know. I do not choose a group that I like; I choose a group
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which gives me better job; especially if there is demand in America. Computer

software; Indians are flooded there; pushy there: So therefore I because of what:
ஒ� சாண வய�க்கா, உன்பா, என்பா. उदर�न�मत्त बहुकृतवेषः udaranimittaṁ
bahukr̥tavēṣaḥ; means what? my physical personality seems to dominate, more than
even my intellectual and emotional personality. Intellectually I love some other
subject, but still give up that subject and choose a subject which pays more money,
which means, intellectual satisfaction itself is secondary; physical need or marriage
market is. That also is there. All these become important. Here Śankarācārya says
mortality and all other pains are because of dēha abhīmāna.
And this is for whom? Asaddhiyāṁ r̥ṇāṁ; for the unintelligent human being;
indiscriminate human being. So how does the sentence read? For the indiscriminate
human being; for the avivēkīs; dēha abhīmāna alone is the cause for the origination
of pains like birth, disease, death; even samyōga viyōga; they are all physical alone.
And since dēhabhīmāna is the cause of 90% of saṁsāra. Śankarācārya says: give it
up straightaway. Like a hot potato, drop it right away; yathaḥ; yathaḥ means since
this is so. This is is so means which is what; dēhabhīmāna is the seed of all
problems, Tathaḥ. Therefore. Tām jahi; give it up. By developing objectivity with
regard to physical body. Practice body meditation; without practising body
meditation; ātma meditation will not work. Why body meditation is required? Seeing
the body as an object is a pre-requisite for seeing the ātma as the subject. Just like
when the person is seated on the chair, if you want to sit on the same chair, what is
the pre-requisite? The pre-requisite is: you have to dethrown that person. Similarly
there is only one I-chair. Upon the I-chair, body, the gund body, the heavy body is
seated on the subject-chair; unless you vacate that physical body from the
subjective-chair, you cannot enthrown ātma upon the subjective-chair.
And therefore body meditation becomes important; you may say Svāmiji we are
already meditating upon the body; but here what type of meditation? body-is-an-
object-meditation. Objectification of body meditation; with more comprehensive and
total it is, the more easier is ahaṁ brahmāsmi. That is why in nirvāṇa ṣaṭkam,
Śankarācārya starts with manōbuddhyahaṅkāracittāni nāhaṁ.
So before my sitting in the chair, I have to vacate all those people. Then also I get
that space. In fact, there also it is like the bus. If someone is trying to get up and
Page 768

get down by arranging his things; and I have seen it in my eagle-eye and thinking
that I will get a seat; I will get a seat; and he got up; and quietly somebody else sat
down by squeezing.
Like that for the I-status, I somehow wanted to remove stūla śarīraṁ; when I made
it get up, the sūkṣma śarīraṁ is occupying it by force: After that another 10 years of
sūkṣma-śarīra-objectification-meditation. If it leaves, kāraṇa śarīra occupies the seat.
By the time I vacate all these people from the seat, time comes for me to get down
from the bus!
So what I say is? anātma-objectification-meditation; meditation also is the important

pre-requisite for ahaṁ brahmāsmi dhyānam. And anātma-objectification is not that
easy. Therefore Śankarācārya says prayatnāt jahi. So with effort, taking a lot of
trouble; lot of time; lot of energy; you have to dethrown the stūla śarīraṁ from I-
status. And once you do that; tyaktē tu cittē. Here cittaṁ means dēha abhīmāna;
cittaṁ means dēha abhīmānaha; cittē tvaktē sati; sati saptami.
Once the dēha abhīmāna is given up, punarbhava āśā nāsti; there is no scope at all
for punar janma; or mortality. So once the dēhabhīmāna is given up; there is no
scope for punarjanma; no scope for saṁsāra. So in this place, bhavaḥ means janma;
punarbhava means punarjanma; āśā means even a remote chance; even a remote
possibility is not there.
कम�िन्द्र पञ्च�भरिञ्चतोऽ
प्रा भवेत्प्राणमय कोशः ||
येनात्मवानन्नमयोऽनुपूण
प्रवतर्ते सकल�क्रया ||१६५||
karmēndriyaiḥ pañcabhirañcitō:'yaṁ
prāṇō bhavētprāṇamayastu kōśaḥ ||
yēnātmavānannamayō:'nupūrṇaḥ
pravartatē:'sau sakalakriyāsu ||165||
With the previous verse, the annamaya kōśa vivēka is over; which topic started from
verse 154 and that is completed with verse 164. So eleven verses Śankarācārya has
written just to negate the stūla śarīraṁ as anātma.
And he completed saying that one has to put forth lot of effort for dethroning
annamaya itself; and if that is the effect; the latter kōśa abhīmāna is stronger. In
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fact, as you grow more and more interior, our abhīmāna is also stronger; if you have
to choose between physical and mental pain; many people say, even if he has
beaten me once, it would have been better; he used that word. So we are ready to
withstand physical pain; but we cannot stand mental, intellectual. This itself requires
lot of effort.
If annamaya requires five years; prāṇamāya 10; manōmāya 15; vijñānaṁaya 20;
ānandamaya 25 years; if you total and ask how much; it would your whole life! That
is why vēdānta is not that easy. But you can easily define ātma. Pañja kōśa
vilakṣaṇa. You can write nice notes, or record or type it and keep it and read and put
it in computer also. Writing is easy but really disidentification requires our initiative.
So here he says: take effort.
Now he is entering prāṇamaya kōśa vivēkaḥ. 2 verses. Two verses 165 and 166;
because prāṇamaya kōśa is closer to annamaya kōśa; and therefore Śankarācārya
does not spend lot of verses on that. So first he defines what is prāṇamaya.
We have seen in our introduction prāṇamaya consists of six organs belonging to

sūkṣma śarīraṁ. That is subtle body; I hope you remember; subtle body has got 17
organs; what are the 17 organs; 5 sense organs of knowledge; 5 sense organs of
action; five prāṇās, mind and intellect. 3x5=15+2=17. This sūkṣma śarīra itself is
organwise subdivided into 3 kōśas; prāṇamaya kōśa consists of 6 organs;
manōmaya kōśa consists of similarly 10 organs; the details we will see there.
Prāṇamaya kōśa either we say 6 organs or even we can say 10 organs; what are the
ten organs? pañja prāṇāḥ and pañja karmēndriyāni. If prāṇa you take as one,
1+5=6; if you take prāṇa as 5 itself, 5+5; pañja prāṇaaha plus pañja karmēndriyāni
is equal to prāṇamaya kōśaḥ. That is what is said here.
Karma indriyaiḥ pañcabhir añcitah ayaṁ prāṇāmaya kōśaḥ. So this prāṇamaya kōśa
is endowed with anchitaḥ means endowed with five karmēndriyās. Prāṇaḥ along
with five-fold prāṇa. Here Prāṇaḥ is put in singular number; you have to take it as
pañja prāṇa. So these sense organs; prāṇamaya kōśaḥ bhavēt; or we can say; kriya
śaktiḥ part of sūkṣma śarīra, the energy part of sūkṣma śarīra is prāṇamayaḥ.
Icchāḥ śaktiḥ corresponds to manōmaya; jñāna śaktiḥ corresponds to vijñānaṁaya.
So iccaha śaktiḥ; kriya śaktiḥ; jñāna śaktiḥ.
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And why do we divide into three śaktiḥs or faculties? Because all the human
activities are in these three stages only. Jānāti; icchāḥti; yatatē. So read in the
newspaper or advertisement; there is a beautiful product; which will really help us.
When you read that newsitem, Jānāti; jñāna śaktiḥ has functioned; because without
knowledge, how can you desire. You cannot desire an unknown object. So Jānāti is
the first stage.
And what is the next stage? I want; they will say one television for 730 rupees. It
will seem better; instalment life-long. They will put in attractive language and I go
on: dhyāyatō viṣayān puṁsaḥ; dhyāna; Jānāti will gradually get converted into
icchati; manōmaya does that.
And once Jānāti and icchati has taken place; then prāṇamaya is ready to work for its
accomplishment. Therefore sūkṣma śarīra is divided into three kōśas; corresponding
to jñāna icchāḥ kriya śaktyaḥ.
And then he says: yēna annamayaḥ anupūrṇaḥ; so yēna means prāṇamayēna;

annamayaha anupūrṇaḥ means the annamaya kōśa is filled up with prāṇamaya.
Annamaya is filled up with prāṇamaya. That is annamaya is like a container;
prāṇamaya is like the content. Later it will be said prāṇamaya is the container;
manōmaya is the content. Prāṇamaya is the container; and vijñānaṁaya is the
content; then the ultimate content will be the ātma. Therefore yēna prāṇamayēna;
annamayaḥ anupūrṇaḥ means complete. And the prefix, anu is added, by
Śankarācārya to remind us a discussion which is occurring in Taittariya upaṇiṣad.
There is the pañja kōśa discussion.
अन्योऽन् आत्म प्राणम ।

तेनैष पूणर् । स वा एष पुरुष�व एव ।
तस् पर
ु ुष�वधता म । अन्वय पर
ु ुष�वध ।
तस् प्र एव �शरः ।
anyō:'ntara ātmā prāṇamayaḥ |
tēnaiṣa pūrṇaḥ | sa vā ēṣa puruṣavidha ēva |
tasya puruṣavidhatām | anvayaṁ puruṣavidhaḥ |
tasya prāṇa ēva śiraḥ |
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Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi contains all the upaṇiṣads in it. What is the significance of the
word; anu: the significance of the word anu is of these five kōśas, annamaya kōśa
alone has got its own original shape. Of these five kōśas, annamaya alone has got
its own original shape. The other kōśas do not have their own natural shape. They
are like fluids or liquids; they are like; I do not say they are liquids; they are
comparable to a liquid. What is the nature of a liquid? It does not have a shape of its
own; it assumes the shape of its container.
So Taittariya Upaṇiṣad says; tasya puruṣavidhatām | anvayaṁ puruṣavidhaḥ;

prāṇamaya also has got human shape in a human physical body. Cow’s prāṇamaya
will have a cow shape. A ant-prāṇamaya; has the ant got prāṇamaya or not? You
should not doubt; if the ant does not have prāṇamaya, it would not be alive. A plant
prāṇamaya will be plant shape.
So anupūrṇaḥ indicates that not only it fills the annamaya; and it also takes the
shape of annamaya. And not only that, annamayaḥ ātmavān. Ātmavān means
kartavān. Annamaya enjoys the very existence, because of its blessing of
prāṇamaya.
Once the prāṇa is gone; annamaya cannot survive for long. In fact it becomes
impure matter; whoever comes in contact with dead body; whoever visits a house in
which somebody has died; he has to take bath. Therefore annamaya is no more live;
it has become dead without the blessing of prāṇamaya. And therefore annamaya is
ātmavān; ātma means existence; ātmavān means endowed with existence; because
of prāṇamaya.
And once prāṇamaya is gone; annamaya cannot exist. You may argue; a dead body
exists, you may argue; how long? Soon it will putrify and it will perish. So the whole
foul smell is in the indication of the disintegration of the body; without prāṇās the
body disintegrates; the body is existing because of prāṇamaya alone. OK.
And not only that. Asau sakalakriyāsu pravrethathe. This prāṇamaya alone engages
itself in all activities. It looks as though annamaya is acting; really annamaya is like
the cabinet of a car; car is not really moving; its inside-engine is functioning; and
therefore the cabinet pushed by the engine. Activated by the engine it moves.
Similarly, when the fan rotates, it is only because of the inside content. And
therefore, prāṇamaya; asau means prāṇamaya sakalakriyāsu pravrethathe. Of this,
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the pañja prāṇa corresponds to the energy-giver, and the pañja karmēndriyās
corresponds to actual performer. Prāṇa is the energy for the sense organs or the
tool-box. One is fuel; one is the tool; both put together functions.
Verse 166. It is a peculiar metre called matha mayuraḥ; the metre is called matha
mayura vrittham. It move like a peacock excited and how it shakes the head. It
should be sung like that.
नैवात्मा� प्राणम वायु�वकारो
गन्ताऽऽगन् वायव
ु दन्तबर्�हरे |
यस्माित्किञ्चत्क न वेत्तीष्टम�नष
स्व वान्य वा �कञ्च �नत्य परतन्त ||१६६||

naivātmāpi prāṇamayō vāyuvikārō
gantā:':'gantā vāyuvadantarbahirēṣaḥ |
yasmātkiñcitkvāpi na vēttīṣṭamaniṣṭaṁ
svaṁ vānyaṁ vā kiñcana nityaṁ paratantraḥ ||166||
So he has talked about the nature of prāṇamaya. Now the next job is dethronement
of prāṇamaya. To introduce and make it vacate the seat. Normally we introduce and
ask a person to be seated on the chair. But here the peculiar thing is after
introducing and asking it to get up and go.
Prāṇamaya's nature he talked about and indirectly indicating that ātma has got
opposite features. So what are the features of prāṇamaya? Prāṇamaya vāyuvikāraḥ.
Prāṇāmaya is a product of ākāśa. Really speaking, it is pañja bhūtā vikāraḥ; if you
remember the introduction we had seen that pañja prāṇas are born out of the total
rajōguṇa of all the five elements. Pañja prāṇas are born out of the total rajō guṇa of
all the five elements. If you have heard tatva bōdhaḥ, ētēṣam pañja bhūtānam
śamaṣti rāja sāmcha pañja prāṇāḥ sambutaḥ. But even though the prāṇa is born out
of all the five elements, it is supposed to be Vāyu pradhāna and therefore here
Śankarācārya says prāṇa is ākāśa vikāraḥ. It is a modification of ākāśa tatvam. And
that is why breathing is important; until it enters into my body it is ākāśa tatvam
outside; once it enters inside; outside it is called adhibhūtām; the moment ākāśa
becomes adhyātmam, subjective; it becomes prāṇa śaktiḥ, because of some
modification. And therefore prāṇamaya is called Vāyu vikāraḥ. Vikāraḥ here means
Page 773

product. I have told you before, the word vikāraḥ has two meanings; one is
modification; another meaning is product.
When we talk about ṣad vikārās, there vikāra means modifications; asthi, jāyathe,
vardhatē; here Vāyu vikāraḥ when you tell, we have to translate it as products of
ākāśa.
And as even we hear this feature, we have to contrast this feature with ātma; what
is ātma; nirvikāraḥ. It is not a product at all. This is the first contrast.
And then what is the next feature of prāṇamaya? yeṣaḥ anthaḥ āganta bahiḥ gantā.
So anthaḥ āganta means it comes inside when you are inhaling and bahiḥ gantā, it
goes out when you are exhaling. So gantā means comer and goer. So it is inside-
comer and outside-goer. Like what? Vāyuvat. Like Vāyu. As even ākāśa is coming
inside and outside; the prāṇa tatvam also; Vāyu is the grosser part; the prāṇic
energy; prāṇic energy is not ākāśa; but prāṇic energy is contained in ākāśa. Based
on that alone, now all the prāṇic healing and all is talked about and everywhere it is.
It is the handling the human personality through prāṇamaya kōśa; because all the
pañja kōśas are matter.
Therefore each kōśa influences the other kōśa. In fact that itself is an indication that
all are material in nature. And that is why we say mind itself is matter. All the pañja
kōśas are inter-connected and that is why to improve your health; you can catch
hold of any system; all the systems will work. So yōgasanas if you do; through
varieties of postures you can improve prāṇa health; mental health; even buddhi can
improve by yōga āsanas. So there you are handling annamaya and there are some
people through varieties of prāṇayāmās alone they improve physical and mental
health. And then some people say that the whole problem is psychosomatic. You do
not like in mother-in-law or sister-in-law or father-in-law; and they are in the family;
and therefore you are having BP. So this is what? mental problem. Therefore do
some counseling: BP comes down.
And vēdānta handles the whole thing through vijñānaṁaya. Knowledge gives you
health. If a person does not have congenital diseases, knowledge itself is capable
keeping his body in the fittest condition. Where is the problem? So what I want to
say is: you can control any kōśa through any kōśa. So prāṇamaya is contained in
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Vāyu; prāṇamaya itself is not Vāyu. Therefore Śankarācārya says: just as Vāyu goes
inside and outside, prāṇamaya also along with Vāyu goes and comes.
So here what is the second feature of prāṇamaya; it is calana svabhāvaḥ; whereas

what is the feature of ātma; nityaḥ sarvagataḥ sthāṇuracalō:'yaṁ sanātanaḥ. Ātma
is acalam; prāṇamayaṁ is going and coming. And thank God; it is going and coming.
or what happens. it has to go and come. So what is the first contrast? Savikāra;
nirvikāraḥ; the second is sacalaḥ; acalaḥ.
Then what is the third feature? yasmātkiñcitkvāpi na vētti. This prāṇamaya is so

inert that it cannot know anything at any time. Anytime means in any avastha;
quapi; jāgrat avasthāyaṁ va; quapi refers to time; jāgrat avastāyaṁ va; svapna
avasthāyaṁ va; suṣupti avasthāyaṁ va; the prāṇa exists alright; but the prāṇa
cannot know anything. That 'anything'
Śankarācārya himself explains. Iṣṭam vā aniṣṭam vā; whether it is good for me;
whether mosquito is sitting or AC is functioning. So that good feeling also or the
painful feeling also; prāṇamaya cannot know, even though during sleep prāṇamaya
is functioning; it cannot know anything.
And not only it cannot know Iṣṭam or aniṣṭam; svam va anyam vaa; neither can it
know itself; nor can it know others. Prāṇamaya cannot say I am prāṇamaya.
Prāṇamaya cannot say I am prāṇamaya. Who says I am prāṇamaya. This idiotic
person; this ātma-I, who is self-evident conscious being; that I, am choosing to
identify with the anātma; and I am claiming prāṇamaya as myself. Prāṇamaya
cannot know itself or others. And therefore Iṣṭam vā aniṣṭam vā; svam vā; anyam
vā; kiñcitapi kvāpi kinchana api na vētti. So therefore what is the third feature?
Jaḍaḥ.
And then what is the nature of the ātma? Cētanaḥ. Ātma Cētanaḥ is not said here;
we have to supply. So this is the third contrast between prāṇamaya and ātma.
Then what is the fourth contrast? nityaṁ paratantraḥ. The prāṇamaya is eternally
dependent on other factors. Prāṇamaya is eternally dependent on other factors.
First to be effective, it requires annam. A good meal; so if I do not eat properly, one
function after the other will begin to deteriorate. So prāṇa, apāna, vyāna, udāna,
Page 775

samāna; all of them will deteriorate; and energy becomes lesser and lesser; that is
why I am not able to do any action. So therefore it is dependent on the food also;
and also it is dependent on my will.
So the commentator says: I have told you one of the Śankarācārya s has written the
commentary also: by prāṇāyāma etc. people are able to even, what you call? control
the functions of prāṇa. The yōgis are able to do prāṇamaya nirodhaḥ; even the so-
called involuntary functions, the yōgi is able to stop; it can stop the heart beat for
sometime; he can go under the ground; and can be there for seven days or eight
days; where oxygen is not there; they have done experiments. There is one
Kaivalyadhāma; a big yōgic institute near Pune or somewhere; so in a glass case,
where there is no air at all; yōgi goes and for days together he stays there; and
comes out more fresh than us. These are all what? Total controlling of the
prāṇamaya, which means prāṇamaya is not svatantraḥ; where it is para tantraḥ;
whereas what about ātma; it is nityam svatantraḥ ātma.
So this is the fourth contrast. So what are the four? Savikāraḥ-nirvikāraḥ; sacalaḥ-
acalaḥ; acētanaḥ-cētanaḥ; paratantraḥ-and-svatantraḥ. Because of these diagonally
opposite features; prāṇamayaḥ api naiva ātma.
Look at the first line; prāṇamayaḥ api naiva ātma. Prāṇamaya also is not ātma. Why
also? Because previously we have seen annamaya is not ātma; Now prāṇamaya. So
for everything we have to see the meaning. This is the style of Saṁsr̥kt
commentary. So they will not leave any word like that; so for api what meaning has
to be given; this or that; a big quarrel will ensue on that. So different commentators
agreeing and disagreeing:
Kṣētrajñaṁcāpi mām viddhi; two interpretations of one word api gives Viśiṣṭā
advaita philosophy and advaita. The api in that Kṣētrajñaṁcāpi; in the thirteenth
chapter, second verse or third verse; kṣētrajnam cāpi māṁ viddhi. If you put 'api' in
one way it becomes Viśiṣṭā philosophy. If you put 'api' in a different way, it becomes
advaita; it is said both are in the 'api'. That is why commentators are very particular.
How I am not going to tell you now.
�ानेिन्द्रय च मनश् मनोमयः स्यात

कोशो ममाह�म�त वस्तु�वकल्पहेत |
Page 776

सं�ा�दभेदकलनाक�लतो बल�यां-
स्तत्पूवर्कोशम�भप �वजम
ृ ्भत यः ||१६७||
jñānēndriyāṇi ca manaśca manōmayaḥ syāt
kōśō mamāhamiti vastuvikalpahētuḥ |
saṁjñādibhēdakalanākalitō balīyāṁ-
statpūrvakōśamabhipūrya vijr̥mbhatē yaḥ ||167||
So with the previous slōka, the prāṇamaya kōśa vivēka is over. So now we are
entering the manōmaya kōśa vivēkaḥ; which is from this verse 167 up to 183. So
manōmaya is a powerful kōśa; all the problems that exists are where: in the mind
only you know; kavalai, if you say, whether it is for the prāṇamaya or for annamaya?
or manōmaya. So manōmaya being most important kōśa, Śankarācārya spends
many verses; that is 167 to 183; 17 verses on manōmaya.
First the definition of manōmaya is given, as one consisting of six organs.

Prāṇamaya consists of 10 organs; manōmaya consists of six organs. What are the
six; the mind and five sense organs of knowledge. There five sense organs of action;
here sense organs of knowledge. So pañja jñānēndriyāni plus manaḥ is manōmaya
kōśaḥ.
Hari Om.
Page 777

061. Verses 167 to 170
देहात्मधीरे नण
ृ ामस�द्धय
जन्मा�द दुःखप्रभ बीजम ् |
यतस्ततस्त ज�ह तां प्रयत्न
त्यक् तु �चत्त न पुनभर्वाश ||१६४||
dēhātmadhīrēva nr̥ṇāmasaddhiyāṁ
janmādiduḥkhaprabhāva sya bījam |
yatastatastvaṁ jahi tāṁ prayatnāt
tyaktē tu cittē na punarbhavāśā ||164||
कम�िन्द्र पञ्च�भरिञ्चतोऽ
प्रा भवेत्प्राणमय कोशः ||
येनात्मवानन्नमयोऽनुपूण
प्रवतर्ते सकल�क्रया ||१६५||
karmēndriyaiḥ pañcabhirañcitō:'yaṁ
prāṇō bhavētprāṇamayastu kōśaḥ ||
yēnātmavānannamayō:'nupūrṇaḥ
pravartatē:'sau sakalakriyāsu ||165||
नैवात्मा� प्राणम वायु�वकारो

गन्ताऽऽगन् वायुवदन्तबर्�हरे |
यस्माित्किञ्चत्क न वेत्तीष्टम�नष
स्व वान्य वा �कञ्च �नत्य परतन्त ||१६६||
naivātmāpi prāṇamayō vāyuvikārō
gantā:':'gantā vāyuvadantarbahirēṣaḥ |
yasmātkiñcitkvāpi na vēttīṣṭamaniṣṭaṁ
svaṁ vānyaṁ vā kiñcana nityaṁ paratantraḥ ||166||
�ानेिन्द्रय च मनश् मनोमयः स्यात

कोशो ममाह�म�त वस्तु�वकल्पहेत |
सं�ा�दभेदकलनाक�लतो बल�यां-
स्तत्पूवर्कोशम�भप �वजम
ृ ्भत यः ||१६७||
jñānēndriyāṇi ca manaśca manōmayaḥ syāt
Page 778

kōśō mamāhamiti vastuvikalpahētuḥ |

saṁjñādibhēdakalanākalitō balīyāṁ-
statpūrvakōśamabhipūrya vijr̥mbhatē yaḥ ||167||
From this verse 167, Śankarācārya is entering the third kōśa, viz., manōmaya
kōśaḥ; which is from verse No.167 to 188; and first he defines manōmaya kōśa in
this verse; jñānēndriyāni ca manaśca manōmayah syat. So the five sense organs of
knowledge, along with the mind represent manōmaya kōśa; and this kōśa is vastu
vikalpa hētuḥ.
So this is the cause for dividing the objects of the world as ahaṁ and mama. So this
is responsible for vastu vikalpa; here vikalpa means division; in the form of mama
ahaṁ iti; because of its relationship, because of its sentimental association it causes
mamakāraḥ; mamakāra means mine; ahaṁkāra means I.
And of course the first ahaṁkāra is in the pañja kōśa themselves; and even outside
the pañja kōśa, sometimes because of extreme attachment, a person begins to feel
total identification with the other person; and there he does not use the word ahaṁ;
but the mental; what you call; involvement is so much, that it is as good as
ahaṁkāra only.
So when a person says that without this person, husband, wife, mother or child, my
life is empty when a person says, it is not mamakāra saṁbhanda, it has become
ahaṁkāra saṁbhanda. So when that person dies; this person begins to feel my life
itself is zero. That means what? The death of that person is equivalent to death of
myself means; the relationship is not one of association; the relationship is one of
oneness itself. This is called tādātmya adhyāsa.
And when I see that person as related to me, it is called saṁsarga adhyāsa; when I
see as a simple relation, the loss of the person is loss of something belonging to me,
but I do not see it as my loss. So in mamakāra adhyāsa, the pain of loss is lesser; in
ahaṁkāra adhyāsa, the pain of loss is immense. In saṁsarga-adhyāsa, the pain of
loss does not create suicidal tendency; but tādātmya adhyāsa, the pain of loss will
create even suicidal tendency; that person is not there; I do not want to live at all.
That is defined as tādātmya adyaśa.
Page 779

And for both type of attachment, what is the cause? Prāṇamayaḥ; it is the emotional
mind which leads to both tādātmya and saṁsarga adhyāsa; mamakāra and
ahaṁkāra notion. With regard to both the pañja kōśas as well as with regard to the
external world also. So ahaṁ mama are within quotation, iti vastu vikalpa; here
vikalpa means division or classification. This is me, this is mine; this is me; this is
mine; this classification is caused by manōmayaḥ.
And this manōmaya is saṁjñādibhēdakalanākalitō; kalitaḥ means endowed with;

kalanāt means relationship or association; and saṁjñāmeans nāma; ādhi means etc.,
here etc. means nāma and rūpa; and bhēda means variety. So varieties of nāma
rūpa specifications; nāma rūpa associations is called saṁjñādhi bhēda kalana;
varieties of namarūpa association.
So this clip is associated with a particular nāma and particular rūpa. This mike is
associated with a particular nāma and particular rūpa. That bhēda refers to
particular; and kalana means saṁbanda, association; and this associations; kalitha,
the mind is saturated. So the mind is saturated with varieties of associations like
nāma, and rūpa.
Why does Śankarācārya say so? Actually it is the objective world which is associated
with nāma and rūpa, because the whole world consists of objects. The specification
of each object is determined by nāma and rūpa. It includes dēśa, kāla; and all those
things also.
But Śankarācārya says that it is the mind that is associated with all these because,
mind constantly perceives and registers the experiences of the world. Therefore
whatever be the nature of the world; those thoughts are in my mind. All the time
my mind is preoccupied with the world alone; except during sleep; sleep also is
becoming lesser or lesser; either because of age, worry or whatever it may be; that
means the most of the time, the mind is in the world alone. And the world is full of
what: saṁjñādhi bhēda kalana. Since the world is associated with samjnādhi bhēda
kalana, the mind which is all the time preoccupied with the world, the mind also is
associated with saṁjñādhi bhēda kalana.
And therefore he says: saṁjñādhi bhēda kalana kalita; kalitaḥ means endowed;
saturated, preoccupied; full of; soaked in; varieties of nāma rūpas, because of world
pre-occupation. So when we are worrying about our office; where is the office; not
Page 780

in front of me; because I am here; so the mind has got the office within itself; and
that I imagine that person; this person and he is listening to me, he is doing that; he
is doing that. Therefore the mind which has got the inner world registered from the
outer world; and I dwell upon that inner world and then react to that. Therefore the
mind is full of nāma rūpa.
And therefore only balīyāṁ; the mind is extremely powerful. Even though it is known
as my instrument; my instrument, I am not very sure whether mind is my
instrument or whether I am mind's instrument. Because often even when the
intellect says an action is wrong, even when the intellect says an action is wrong,
the sentimental mind, the attached mind tells do this; do this; do that; and because
of the pressure of attachment or sentiments, I do not ask the mind to shut up; but
succumb to the mind's blackmail and agree to do it and say I will satisfy you. So
therefore normally I should be stronger and the controller of the mind; but actually
the mind is stronger. Therefore balīyāṁ.
And why is the mind stronger? Not the mind by itself; the mind which has got
saṁjñādhi bhēda kalana; a thoughtless mind is not going to affect me. I am not
saying therefore: you be thoughtless. That is not the intention. A thoughtless mind
does not affect me; but the mind is the supported by the thought. A thoughtful mind
and emotional mind; a sentimental mind and rāgi mind; a dvēṣi mind is powerful;
and the mind has become full of thoughts because of what: the world; therefore
backed by the world; such a vast and powerful world; the mind becomes extremely
powerful. Therefore balīyāṁ.
So in the book, balīyāṁ is there; it is not a printing mistake; it is because of the rule
of conjunction of words it is there; if you split, it will become balīyān. And the next
word is tat pūrva; that sakara; the first half of sa has to be dropped; therefore it will
become tatpūrva kōśam abhipūrya vijr̥mbhatē.
And what does manōmaya do? Tat pūrva kōśam; tat pūrva kōśam; its previous kōśa.
What is its previous kōśa; manōmaya kōśa's previous kōśa is prāṇamaya kōśa; and
abhipūrya; filling up. So filling up the prāṇamaya kōśa which is its previous kōśa;
yaha vijr̥mbhatē; yaha means manōmayaḥ vijr̥mbhatē; manōmaya exists;
manōmaya functions; stands out powerfully. The word vijr̥mbhatē is used, when the
existence is prominent existence; dominant existence; shining existence is called
Page 781

vijr̥mbhatē. So thus manōmaya exists filling up the prāṇamaya with all these
faculties.
पञ्चेिन्द् पञ्च�भरे होत�ृ भः

प्रचीयमा �वषयाज्यधारय |
जाज्वल्यमा बहुवासनेन्धनै
मनोमयािग्नदर्ह प्रपञ् ||१६८|
pañcēndriyaiḥ pañcabhirēva hōtr̥bhiḥ
pracīyamānō viṣayājyadhārayā |
jājvalyamānō bahuvāsanēndhanaiḥ
manōmayāgnirdahati prapañcam ||168|
So the manōmaya's function is explained here through a beautiful analogy. It is a

wonderful example. What does manōmaya do? It constantly interacts with the world
and how does it interacts with the world? Through the pañja jñāna indriyāṇi.
And what do the sense organs do? They bring five-fold sensory experiences and
offer to the mind. Therefore the eyes bring forms and offer to the mind; the ears
bring sound and offer to the mind; pañja jñānēndriyāni offer pañja viṣayāḥ to the
mind. Viṣayaḥ here means sensory experiences; śabda sparsa rūpa rasa gandha.
And as even the mind receives the five-fold sensory experiences or objects, the mind
does not remain quiet, it begins to judge the object and it says; this is wonderful
experience. This person is very nice; this place is very nice.
And therefore it reacts in the form of rāga, dvēṣa, kāma, krōdhaḥ, lōbhaḥ, and not
only that: as even the experiences come when the experience is beautiful; it creates
a vāsana that I have enjoyed this experience; I would like to have it again. So
therefore the vāsana is there; the vāsana will trigger the mind again to seek those
experiences; and naturally again one will go after similar or same experiences; and
again the experiences are put into the mind and again the vāsana will decrease or
increase? The vāsana will increase more and again we go after and again; whether it
is śubha vāsana or aśubha vāsana. So therefore backed by vāsana, on the one side,
and supported by the sense organs on the other side, the mind is ever active;
experiencing the external world.
Page 782

This idea, Śankarācārya wants to convey through an example. A beautiful example.

In the example, mind is compared to the fire; sacred fire in a yāga and what is the
yāga? The whole life is a yāga. Our entire life is a yāga. yāga means a sacrifice; a
fire ritual.
And for that life's fire ritual, what do we require; fire, the mind is the fire and for the
mind-fire to burn, you require fuel. Indanam is required and what is the fuel; vāsana
fuel. Everyone has got different types of fuels; śubha vāsanas are like the
sandalwood and the aśubha vāsanas are like any other log of wood. Thus all the
vāsanas becomes the fuel; and that is the first thing with which begin. For stating
itself we need the fuel, isn't it. So we start our life with the vāsana.
Then you may have a doubt, how the vāsana be formed without experience. So to
start the life with experience, we require fuel. Therefore how do we start the life
with vāsana; because vāsanas require experience. How do we start? We say that we
have brought vāsanās from our pūrva janma; indriyasya indriyasya arthē rāga
dvēṣau vyavasthithau.
At the time of our birth itself, music vāsanai. art vāsanai; vēdānta vāsanai; akrama
vāsanai; all those śubha aśubha vāsanās, we start with, that is the fuel. And these
vāsanās are further nourished by the sense organs. Therefore the sense organs are
compared to the five priests for this hōma. We require priests; hōma kunda for the
sacred fire is the mind; fuel is the vāsanas; priest you require isn't. Not one priest,
because it is a big yāga; five priests are sitting; what are the five priests; the ears,
the eyes, the nose, the tongue and the skin. And then these five priests what do
they do? Constantly svāha. So constantly they offer oblations into the mind-fire and
what is the oblation material. When there is the big navagraha hōmas; or any other
yāgās; if there are many yāgās, each priest will keep a different material. One will be
offering ghee; another will be offering twig; another will offer some grain; another
will offer havis; different materials these five priests also offer; five different
materials; śabda, sparśa, rūpa, rasa, gandha.
Therefore Śankarācārya says: viṣaya ājyaṁ. So indriya hōtah; viṣaya ājyaṁ;

manōmaya agnih; vāsana indanam. So whether you understand. prāṇamaya agniḥ;
vāsana indanam, indriya hōtah; hōtah means priests, hōmam-doer; indriya hōtah;
viṣaya ājyaṁ. Ājyaṁ means clarified butter; melted ghee is clarified ājyaṁ; liquid
Page 783

ghee is called ājyaṁ. And viṣaya ājyaṁ means śabda, sparśa rūpa rasa gandha
ājyaṁ.
And what is the uniqueness of this hōma? it takes place life-long. There is only a
temporary break; when, during sleep. In fact, even during dream, this yāga is going
on. And manōmaya fire is kept, very well, alive. This is the beautiful analogy; worth
remembering. Look at the slōka.
Pañjaendriyai pañjabhirēva hōtrbhiḥ. So with the help of the five-fold indriyās; which
are comparable to the five-fold priests; manōmayāgni dahati. Fourth line; so this
manōmaya agni; manōmaya fire burns intensely; with the help of the five-fold
sense-organs priests.
And how does this manōmayāgni burn? Viṣayājyadhārayā pracīyamānaḥ;

pracīyamānaḥ means kindled by; fanned by; nourished by; viṣaya ājya dhāra. So the
stream of butter or ghee, which is in the form of śabda, sparśa, rūpa, rasa, gandha;
here the viṣaya means not objects; nobody is going to put the objects here; but the
properties in the objects; śabda, sparsa, rūpa, that is called here viṣaya.
And here the beauty is what: he uses the word ājya dhāra; dhāra means continuous,
unbroken flow is called ājya dhāra. Similarly in the mind also, there is continuous
flow of the world's entries. If the ear is not hearing, the eyes would be seeing
something, or the nose would be smelling something. Even if you have closed all the
sense organs in dream; within the mind, during dream, again śabda, sparśa, rūpa,
rasa, gandham.
Thus the ājya dhāra word indicate continuous kindling of the mind. So viṣaya ājya
dhāraya pracīyamānaḥ.
And bahu vāsanēndhanaiḥ jājvalyamānō; jājvalyamānaḥ means what? It shines forth

brilliantly; because of what? bahu vāsanai indanai; because of the fuel added in the
form of vāsanai; varieties of vāsanas. Already we have come to this earth with many
vāsanas from previous janma; in this janma also we add to the list; whether in the
last janma whether there was TV or MTV, etc. or not.
Page 784

Now we add; MTV vāsana. So therefore not only already existing vāsanas; but we
also add fresh vāsanas. Here Śankarācārya does not want to differentiate śubha or
aśubha vāsanas; uniformly he refers to all vāsanas.
And this manōmaya agniḥ, which is brilliantly shining forth, what does it do? If it is
just burning elsewhere, I can ignore it; but the problem is: manōmaya agniḥ
prapañjam dahati.
So it burns the whole world; it burns every human being; burns here means burns
with sorrow; with worries; with depression; with complex, with anger; with anxiety.
Here dahanam is not physical burning; but it is mental burning, inner burning;
saṁsāra tāpaḥ is called here dahati.
And the word prapañjam means the people; not the inert world; but here prapañjam
means the entire humanity or all the living beings are burned by adhyātmika,
adiboudika; and adidevika tāpa because of the manōmaya kōśa. So manōmayāgniḥ
prapañjam dahati.
न ह्यस्त्य�व मनसोऽ�त�रक्त
मनो ह्य�वद् भवबन्धहेतु |
तिस्मिन्वनष सकलं �वनष्ट
�वजिृ म्भतेऽिस्मन्स �वजम
ृ ्भत ||१६९||
na hyastyavidyā manasō:'tiriktā
manō hyavidyā bhavabandahētuḥ |
tasminvinaṣṭē sakalaṁ vinaṣṭaṁ
vijr̥mbhitē:'sminsakalaṁ vijr̥mbhatē ||169||
So in the following verses, Śankarācārya shows that the manōmaya is the primary
cause of saṁsāra. Prāṇamaya is the primary cause of saṁsāra; because all the
emotional problems belong to manōmaya and saṁsāra is emotional problem only.
Even physical suffering is not a big saṁsāra; a child suffering from some physical
problem, it only cries but it does not know what is worry. What type of disease is
mine? Will I survive? Because of my disease I am causing much expenditure to my
parents; and parents are spending sleepless nights; and if I die they will suffer; he
does not worry. He has got only biological pain; biological pain is it is a pain but not
of a big saṁsāra. Biological pain caused emotional pain. That is why when old
Page 785

people are sick, most of them they are not worried about the sickness itself; they
say because of me, my children are suffering; they have to come frequently, they
have to employ a person to look after me, etc. etc.; complaints are not much about
physical sickness; it is all about the mental pain.
So therefore saṁsāra means emotional problem; either caused by biological pain or

caused by intellectual pain. Something I am not able to know; therefore worry;
causes may be different; that is why when they define mōkṣa, most of the time, the
definition of mōkṣa is freedom from varieties of emotional problems.
Look at the sthija prajñaḥ portion. Prājahāti yata kāman, kāma belongs to what?
manōmaya.

rāga belongs to what? mind; krōdhaḥ belongs to what? mind. Therefore all emotions
belong to manōmaya and therefore Śankarācārya says: manōmaya is the primary
problem.
And therefore he says: manasaḥ athiriktha avidyā nāsti. For all practical purposes,
mind itself can be defined as avidyā. It is figurative. Mind is not avidyā; but for all
practical purposes, we can define mind as avidyā. So there is no ignorance other
than the mind.
And therefore manohi avidyā bhava banda hētuḥ; this mind, which can be called,
avidyā, alone is the cause of bhava banda; the saṁsāra bondage. So this he is going
to explain later; he is making a statement then he will explain and again he will
restate. So the first making of statement is called prathijña. Then thereafterwards
explanation is called hētuḥ. Later again when he restates, it is called nighamanam;
this is the method of teaching adopted by nyāya philosophers; prathijña, hētuḥ;
nighamanam; make a statement; prove it; and again restate. Restatement is called
nighamanam.
Here what is the prathijña. {rāṇamayaḥ saṁsāra hētuḥ is the prathijña. So

manōmaya alone is avidyā. What type of avidyā? bhava banda hētuḥ; Bhava means
saṁsāra; banda means bondage; hētu means cause.
Page 786

And therefore since the mind alone is the cause of bondage, tasmin vinaṣṭe sakalam
vinaṣṭaḥ. When the mind is gone, when manō nāśa takes place, sakalam vinaṣṭam.
The entire saṁsāra is also destroyed. So where the mind is; there the saṁsāra is.
Where the mind is not; there the saṁsāra also is not.
In the child, mind is not developed, saṁsāra also is not developed. Even animals do
not have big saṁsāra, because they have got only biological problems; cow will not
complain that my child is not writing letter. I just took care of it; I just did so many
things; no sense of gratitude; no cow complains; no animal complains. So animals
do not have saṁsāra; and that is why they do not require śāstram also.
We have a developed mind; and therefore well defined saṁsāra; therefore we

require a śāstra also. Therefore tasmin; manasi; manasi vinaṣṭe sati; sati saptami;
sakalam vinaṣṭam; sakalam, the entire saṁsāra is destroyed; asmin vijr̥mbhatē
sakalam vijr̥mbhatē; you can understand; when the mind comes out; sakalam
vijr̥mbhatē; all the problems also come out. That is why some people say: that in the
class; when I am seeing you or listening to you; whether you are understand it or
not; it is a different matter; at that time, I am not worrying about home.
Therefore the minimum benefit I get from the class is; temporary mōkṣa. A drunkard
gets temporary mōkṣa. A movie-goer gets temporary mōkṣa. A drug addict gets a
temporary mōkṣa; because in all such situations; the mind is suppressed; non-
functional. So therefore asmin vijr̥mbhatē sati sakalam vijr̥mbhatē. Therefore what is
the conclusion? Manōmaya is bhavabandha hētu.
Now this is going to be elaborated and explained.
स्वप्नेऽथर्शू सज
ृ �त स्वशक्त
भोक्त्रा�द�व मन एव सवर् म |
तथैव जाग्रत् नो �वशेषः
तत्सवर्मेतन्म �वजम
ृ ्भण म ||१७०||
svapnē:'rthaśūnyē sr̥jati svaśaktyā
bhōktrādiviśvaṁ mana ēva sarvaṁ |
tathaiva jāgratyapi nō viśēṣaḥ
tatsarvaṁētanmanasō vijr̥mbhaṇam ||170||
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So now the explanation of the prathijña, he wants to say: mind is the cause of
everything; and when the mind is: problems are. Everything is: when the mind is
not, nothing is.
And to show this, he is taking the avastha trayaṁ. In jāgrat avastha, the mind is:
and therefore there is everything in the form of bhōkta; bhōjyam; bhōgaḥ. The
world is presented as bhōkta, bhōjyam; bhōgaḥ.
In this svapna also, the mind is: and therefore there is bhōkta, bhōjyam; bhōgaḥ.
Are you understanding? bhōkta means experiencer; bhōjyam means object of
experience; bhōgaḥ means the consequence experience, which causes rāga-
dvēṣādhi; all problems.
And in the suṣupti, the mind is not there, resolved; bhōktrādhi viṣvam api nāsti;
saṁsāraḥ api nāsti.
This is the approach that he is going to take. This method of argument is called
anvaya-vyatirēka argument. So you add sugar to something, it becomes sweet;
when you do not add sugar, it is not sweet. Sugar satve, sweetness satvam; sugar
abhāve, sweetness abhāvaḥ, tasmaat sugarēva sweetasya kāraṇam. To put in
Saṁsr̥kt, sarkāra satve, mādhurya satvam; sarkāra abhave, mādhurya abhāvaḥ;
tasmāt sarkāra ēva mādhuryasya kāraṇam.
And how do you find out the varieties of allergies. You take the substance and see
whether the problem comes; whether headache, stomach ache, rashes or anything;
and then you drop that substance and see whether these problems go away; and
after a few trial and error, you find when this substance is consumed problems are
there; when this substance is not consumed, the problems are not there. Therefore
this substance alone is the cause of problem.
Similarly manōmaya satve bhōktrādhi saṁsāra satvam; manōmaya abhāve,

bhoktradi saṁsāra abhāvaha; tasmat manōmayaḥ ēva saṁsārasya kāraṇam. So
Anvyaya-vyatirēka is the hētu that he gives here.
Artha śunye svapne manaḥ ēva sarvaṁ sr̥jati. So svapnē, you can understand,
svapnē, manōmayaḥ sarvaṁ sr̥jati. In dream, the mind alone creates everything.
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And why do you say, the mind creates? Why can't you say that they are already
there. We cannot say because in svapna, the external world is not available and
therefore it must be a special world. And since the external world is not available, it
must be an internal world and therefore there must be a creator of an internal world
and who is that creator? Manōmayaḥ ēva sarvaṁ viśvaṁ srijati.
In this svapna, what type of svapna? artha sūnyē. In the svapna, in which there are
no external objects. Artha means external objects, sūnya means without. Adjective
to svapna. So in the svapna, where the external objects are not there; mind alone,
sarvaṁ srijati, creates everything.
And how does the mind do that? sva śaktya; mind is like Bhagavān; mind can create
everything. So what is the intelligent cause? Mind alone is the intelligent cause; what
is the material cause; mind alone is the material cause; abhinna nimittha upādāna
kāraṇam. It can create anything. And how much time it will take to build a twenty
storied building in svapna?
To repair the bathroom door in your house it will take 15 days; whereas in dream to
build a twenty storied building, what śaktiḥ you have got; saṅkalpa śakthya sr̥jati.
And that is why this example is given to understand that the Bhagavān's creation: So
kāmayata; bhahusyām prāja ayaṁ ye yeti; sadapotapyata; satapatatvaa; indagum
sarvaṁ asr̥jata. Bhagavān also does not take time. Similarly, here also, svaśakthya,
Bhagavān's śaktiḥ is called māya śaktiḥ; the individual śaktiḥ is called nidra śaktiḥ.
So manasaha śakthya, nidra śakthya, sr̥jati.
And what all things it creates? Bhōktrādhi viśvaṁ. So the entire universe consisting
of bhōkta, bhōjyam and bhōgaḥ; generally known as triputi. The world consisting of
the triad of experiencer-experienced-and the experience, mind alone creates.
OK. Not only it creates that; along with that saṁsāra also comes, because the
moment they come into being, the yāga will start, because the sense organs are
there; constant svāga will be there. Therefore, if you are irritating a person, they use
the expressing the dhūpaṁ ேபாடற�; the sense organs do that; constantly it is
putting the dhūpaṁ to the manas; �கயற�; mind is �கயற�, they say. So therefore,
not only creates the world, parallelly it creates problems of saṁsāra.
So what about jāgrat avastha? Śankarācārya says; jāgrati api tatha ēva; in the jāgrat
avastha also, the mind alone creates bhōktr̥, bhōgya, bhōgahaḥ triputi. No viśēṣaḥ.
Page 789

There is no difference at all. In jāgrat avastha also, manōmaya is responsible for the
triputi of bhōktr̥, bhōgya, and bhōgahaḥ.
Here there can be a technical question. In svapna a bhōga vasthu, a sense object is
created by the mind; that we can understand; mind alone projects and I create.
Now when Śankarācārya says in the jāgrat avastha also, mind alone creates the
bhōgya, bhōgahaḥ, does it mean that the object of experience that I have, it is
created by the mind? There is a very big technical question. Whether the external
world is created by mind? And in advaita, there is also discussions on it; I will just go
to only some superficial discussions on it; that is enough for our purpose.
Now we can never accept that this clip is created by my mind. My mind has not
created the clip. The clip has been created by somebody; and it has been bought
and I am using it; whereas the dream-clip is created by the mind.
Therefore, how can Śankarācārya say that mind alone creates the objects of
experience, bhōgya, prapañja in svapna also, in jāgrat also. So this we can explain in
different ways. One simple way of explanation is: this clip is not created by the
mind. It is very very evident. My mind has not created. It is not jīva sr̥ṣṭi. It is
Īśvara sr̥ṣṭi.
If I say this is also created by my mind, then this will also become jīva sr̥ṣṭi; this will
also become svapna prapañja; and this will also become prathibhāsikam. So this will
become prāthibhāsikam, there would not be difference between subjective universe
and objective universe; prāthibhāsika and vyavahārika. Since we accept vyavahārika
prāthibhāsika bhēda, our convention, our standard explanation is svapna is created
by my mind; jāgrat is not created by my mind, it is there. That is why somebody
nicely put it, in dream I see, therefore it is. In dream I see, therefore it is. In
waking, it is: therefore I see. This is the conventional understanding.
Then how to explain Śankarācārya's statement that mind alone creates the bhōgya
vasthu, in jāgrat also? We should say that, the jāgrat prapañja is created by Īśvara.
Not by the mind. The external world is not created by me, but by Īśvara. But it
becomes a bhōgya vasthu. This becomes a bhōgya vasthu only when I choose to
relate with this object. By itself it is a padārta. When it is in the shop, what is this?
Padārtaḥ, it is a material. And whatever happens to the clip, it will not affect me; I
Page 790

am jīvanmuktha. Whether it breaks, or whatever happens, it will not affect me at all.

It is called padārta. Means it is the meaning of a padam. Clip. But the moment I
go to the shop, I pay the price and I buy it, and constantly use it, and also get some
kind of a sentimental; if I bring this clip, the class would be fine; sentiment;
cricketer's sentiment; Tendulkar's sentiment; bowler's cap if he buys from the
umpire and gives him back, then chance of a wicket. All idoitic sentiments. Suppose
I develop a sentiment, the clip if I bring, the thought flow would be fine. If it
happens like that, this clip would become a mahā saṁsāra for me. You tell me: This
clip; statement of bhōgya is created by whom? My mind. A clip, padārta is Īśvara
sr̥ṣṭi; the clip bhōygyatvam is my sr̥ṣṭi. Similarly a girl is born in some family
somewhere, some country. She is a woman. And a person chooses to marry her.
The moment he marries her, she is no more a woman, a woman is Īśvara sr̥ṣṭi; that
she is my wife when he says: that wife is what sr̥ṣṭi? jīva sr̥ṣṭi. A woman is Īśvara
sr̥̄ṣṭi; the wife is jīva sr̥̄ṣṭi; because I choose to relate. Therefore only Śankarācārya
uses the word bhōgatrādhi viśvaṁ. The wife becomes a bhōgya vasthu; the husband
becomes a bhōgya vasthu and wife become bhōktha and bhōkthri; husband
becomes bhōktha or bhōkthri; and bhōktru-bhōgya saṁbanda is not Īśvara sr̥ṣṭi;
saṁbandi is Īśvara sr̥ṣṭi; but the relationship has been struck by the mind because of
the mind, and therefore what? it is manō maya sr̥ṣṭi alone. Until I buy the clip it is
Īśvara sr̥ṣṭi; the moment I buy the clip, I become the bhōktha and the clip becomes
it is jīva sr̥ṣṭi alone.
It is from this angle, Śankarācārya says jāgrati api, manō maya ēva bhōkthru-
bhōgyam prapañjasrijati; nō viśēṣaḥ. Tadu, tasmat, therefore, sarvaṁ etat manasaḥ
vijr̥mbhanam. You can understand; everything; bhōkthru-bhōgya-bhōga triputi, both
in jāgrat as well in svapna is only the projection of the mind. The adhyāsa of the
mind; the kalpana of the mind. And the triputi is equal to saṁsāra. You have to
connect it like that. Śankarācārya says: mind creates triputi. We have to add; triputi
is equal to saṁsāra and therefore mind alone creates saṁsāra.
Details in the next class. Hari Om.
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062. Verses 171 to 174
स्वप्नेऽथर्शू सज
ृ �त स्वशक्त
भोक्त्रा�द�व मन एव सवर् म |
तथैव जाग्रत् नो �वशेषः
ृ ्भण म || १७० ||
तत्सवर्मेतन्म �वजम
svapnē:'rthaśūnyē sr̥jati svaśaktyā
bhōktrādiviśvaṁ mana ēva sarvaṁ |
tatsarvaṁētanmanasō vijr̥mbhaṇam || 170 ||
Śankarācārya is dealing with manōmaya kōśa, which is from verse No. 167 to 188.
After defining manōmaya kōśa, Śankarācārya is now pointing out that manōmaya
alone is the cause of saṁsāra. Even though we say ignorance is the cause of
saṁsāra; pure ignorance by itself does not directly cause any problem. That is why
we have a saying in English, total ignorance is bliss. This is also proved in our deep-
sleep state, where ignorance is in pure form; without any other support; and deep
sleep state, pure ignorance does not cause any direct problem. In fact, in the
upaṇiṣad, deep sleep state is given as an example for jīvan mukthi in Brihadāranya
Upaṇiṣad.
Therefore when the ignorance is activated in jāgrat and svapna, with the help of the
mind, then alone the problem of saṁsāra comes. Therefore the ignorance is
converted into saṁsāra by the mind alone.
So they are like Duryōdana and Karṇa; mutually reinforcing or supporting each
other; neither pure ignorance is the problem; nor pure mind is the problem; when
ignorance and mind joins together; there is a problem.
How do you prove that? In sleep, ignorance alone is there; mind is resolved; no
problem. For a jñāni, mind is there; ignorance is not there; no problem. Jñāni has a
mind or not? Do you have doubt? If jñāni does not have a mind, how can he show
love, compassion; advēṣta sarvabhūtāanam maitra karuṇā ēva ca, nirmamō
nirahankāraḥ, etc. Jñāni's knowledge, jñāni's love; jñāni's compassion; jñāni's
generosity; all these are in jñāni's mind alone; not in the ātma. Ātma does not have
Page 792

compassion also; cruelty also; ātma is nirguṇa svarūpam. Therefore jñāni has mind
without ignorance; no problem. A sleeper ajñāni has got ajñānaṁ without the mind;
no problem.
So when is the problem? When it gets mixed up. Like mob psychology. One person
no person; a few boys together, they create problem. So similarly here also, mind
and ignorance, together is the problem. So here the role of the mind is highlighted.
Therefore we should not get confused. In some places, they say Ajñānaṁ alone is
responsible for the saṁsāram they say. Here it is said that mind alone is responsible
for the saṁsāram. Which one is correct? That confusion should not come. Mind plus
ignorance together is the cause of the problem. In some places, mind is highlighted;
sometimes the ignorance is highlighted. Here the context is the role of the mind.
Why do we highlight the mind's role here? Because the topic is manōmaya kōśa;
simple. And therefore, Śankarācārya is giving the anvaya-vyatirēka logic. In the
presence of mind, there is problem. In the absence of mind, in suṣupti, there is no
problem; and therefore, mind is the cause of saṁsāra. So that we saw in 170.
svapnē:'rthaśūnyē sr̥jati svaśaktyā,

bhōktrādiviśvaṁ mana ēva sarvaṁ
Both in svapna and jāgrat, the mind is the cause of duality; the mind is the cause of
bhōktr̥, bhōgya, bhōgah vikalpaḥ; and therefore everything is manasaḥ
vijr̥mbhaṇam; vijr̥mbhaṇam means creation; projection.
Now having talked about the anvaya part, hereafterwards the vyatirēka part has to
be said. What is anvaya part? when the mind is: problem is. This is called anvaya;
in English it is called co-presence.
And vyatirēka is co-absense. What is the co-absence? When the mind is resolved,
saṁsāra is also resolved. Therefore the mind is: problems are: anvaya; mind is not;
problems are not; vyatirēka. Vyatirēka comes in the next verse. We will see.
सुषुिप्तकाल मन�स प्रल�

नैवािस् �किञ्चत्सकलप्र� |
Page 793

अतो मनःकिल्पत एव पुंसः

संसार एतस् न वस्तुतोऽिस ||१७१||
suṣuptikālē manasi pralīnē
naivāsti kiñcitsakalaprasiddhēḥ |
atō manaḥkalpit ēva puṁsaḥ
saṁsāra ētasya na vastutō:'sti ||171||
So the anvaya has to be shown with the help of jāgrat, svapna avastha, because in
these two avasthas, mind is there.
Now to show the vyatirēka, the ācārya is coming to the suṣupti avastha; where the
mind is resolved. Therefore he says; suṣupti kāle, manasi pralīnē sati; you can
understand. In the sleep state, when the mind is resolved; into what? Kāraṇa
śarīraṁ; mind belongs to sūkṣma śarīraṁ; it resolves into kāraṇa śarīraṁ; Kāraṇa
sarīrē pralīnē sati; when the mind is resolved; kincit naiva asti. Nothing is there like
bhōktha, I do not exist as a bhōktha; there is no world existing as bhōgyam; and
there is no interactive experience called bhōga; bhōktru-bhōgya-bhōga vikalāpaḥ
kincit api; kincit means even a little, nāsti. Not only nāsti, naiva asti; not there; not
there at all.
OK. What is the proof? That in suṣupti, there is no duality, what is the proof?
Śankarācārya says it is ridiculous for you to ask me the proof; because regarding
suṣupti, I need not talk; you, the students are expert in suṣupti, sometimes even in
the middle of the class. Therefore, he says: do not mistake; sakala prasiddha; it is
well known to all the people. That is why they say that when Kumbhakarṇa was
killed; Nidra devi felt very bad, because there is no patron for Nidrā dēvi;
Kumbhakarṇa was a great support of nidrā; so when Nidrā dēvi asked Rāma where
will I go, Rāma it seems that wherever the upanyasās are taking place; whereever
the upanyasās are going on; in all such places you go on. So it is because of Rāma's
boon, certain things happen here; you are not to be blamed; it happens. So sakalē
prasiddhē; because it is well known to all the people. So in fact vyatirēka part is
over.
Now what is the conclusion? Ataḥ; therefore. Therefore means anvaya-

vyathirēkhābhyāṁ mana satvē, saṁsāra satvam; manōbhavē, saṁsāra abhāvaḥ;
tasmāt manaḥ ēva saṁsāra kāraṇam.
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That is what he says: ataḥ manaḥ kalpittaha ēva, puṁsaḥ etasya saṁsāraḥ. So
etasya puṁsaḥ saṁsāraḥ; the saṁsāra of this human being is manakalpittaha ēva;
caused by; effected by the mind alone. Mind alone is the cause of saṁsāra.
And since it is mind-caused, Śankarācārya concludes saṁsāra is not the intrinsic

nature of me; because it is caused by someone else; it is an incidental thing; not
intrinsic, like the heat of the water. Heat of the water is caused by fire; and
whatever is caused by an extraneous factor is not intrinsic nature; it is incidental.
And what is incidental is called agantukam and whatever is agantukam is not
svabhāvikam.
And since mind alone causes saṁsāra for me; saṁsāra is not my intrinsic nature;
Then what is my intrinsic nature? Mukthi or mōkṣa is my svarūpam. So therefore
he says; vastutaḥ nāsti. So vastutaḥ means intrinsically, naturally, really, factually,
nāsti. What is nāsti. Saṁsāraḥ nāsti. There is no saṁsāra.
If saṁsāra has been intrinsic to me, what would have been the situation? Heat is
intrinsic to the fire; the intrinsic heat of the fire will be there all the time; whether
there is a vessel or water or man or woman; anyone is there or absent. Therefore
what is intrinsic will never be lost because of the presence and absence of
extraneous factors. Therefore if saṁsāra is intrinsic to me; it will be there whether
the mind is there or not. That means in suṣupti also, I would have experienced
saṁsāra; if saṁsāra had been intrinsic to me. The very fact that in suṣupti saṁsāra I
do not experience, indicate it is not my intrinsic nature; it is incidental. This is one of
the very important arguments in vēdānta; suṣupti proves that saṁsāra is not my
nature.
And therefore sleep is very important, philosophically also. Biologically sleep is very
important for your health. But philosophically, sleep is extremely important, because
sleep is the state through which I tell you those limitations is not intrinsic to you.
Duality is not intrinsic to you. Sorrow is not intrinsic to you.
What is intrinsic, you can never drop. Whereas consciousness is intrinsic to you;
because in sleep also, you do not drop consciousness. And therefore, vastutaḥ,
intrinsically, nāsti. We have to supply saṁsāra. So bhōktradi saṁsāraḥ nāsti.
Page 795

Here, incidentally I would like to add a point also. We have said the mind is the
cause of saṁsāra. In the presence of mind, saṁsāra is there. In the absence of
mind, saṁsāra is not there. From this, in certain books of vēdānta, they will make a
statement and that statement is: mind alone is the cause of saṁsāra. Therefore you
have to destroy the mind.
In some vēdantic books, this language is used: mind is the cause of saṁsāra and
therefore you should destroy the mind. And it is called manō nāśaḥ. This word is
found in some vēdantic books. And later it is elaborated also further and how to
bring about the manō nāśaḥ. They prescribe nirvikalpaka samādhi for manō nāśaḥ,
because in samādhi you are gradually removing the thought.
And their argument is: mind is full of thoughts and these thoughts alone are
manifesting; so you go on eliminating the thought; then what will happen? the mind
will become thinner and thinner; in nirvikalpaka samādhi, mind has become thinner.
And then a day will come, when all the vāsanas are gone, and the very embodiment
of vāsana, the mind is also destroyed and you will become a mindless person and
that is called mōkṣa. So this aspect, you should very clearly understand. Should this
be taken literally?
Imagine that our goal is becoming mindless. Then I will ask you the question; what
is the difference between a living being and non-living desk? The desk is an inert
matter; only because it does not have a mind; and if this mahā-jñāni is also going to
be without a mind; it means you have reached a state of stonehood. Should we do
all the sādhanā to become a stone or a piece of wood or like some medical cases,
permanent coma; they are like that; they do not understand; they are medically
alive; through tubes all over the body; food is going in; do you want to be like that.
Is anybody interested in a mukti like that? You will be alive; but you would not
understand anything; whether people are around you or not; whether they are
moving or consuming food etc. nothing is known; vegetable existence; that jīvan
mukthi does anyone want here. If that is the description of mōkṣa, I tell you, nobody
will ask for mōkṣa.
So the real mōkṣa prescribed by vēdānta is not a mindless thoughtless; stonelike,

vegetable like existence; that can never be mōkṣa. It is a live existence, wherein one
fully admires and appreciates the creation; paśyan; sr̥nvan; spr̥śan, asnan, grihan;
Page 796

gacchan; it is a wonderful existence, not literal destruction of mind; through

samādhi. We never accept the physical destruction of the mind by samādhi.
Then how do we interpret manō nāśaḥ. So we can interpret in different ways: two
interpretations I will give being an important topic. If you are not reading other
vēdānta books, you are saved, because you may not know how to filter which book
is genuine and which book is not genuine. Unfortunately, to write on vēdānta no
qualification is required. To write on physics, minimum Phd in physics. If you want to
write on chemistry, minimum Phd chemistry you should be. To write on Gītā, what
qualifications. To become politician and to write on Gītā you do not require any
qualifications; anybody can write.
So if you do not know how to filter the book, and if you are a voracious reader of all
types of books, better you know this very clearly. Manō nāśaḥ has to be understood
in one of these two ways:
One is falsification of the mind; or mithyātma niścayaḥ. Just as the world has no
independent existence, independent of Brahman; similarly the mind does not have
an independent existence; this wisdom is called Manō nāśaḥ. And with this wisdom,
I continue to use the mind, like what? Just as I use the desk, after the wisdom; what
wisdom? That there is no such thing called desk separate from wood; this wisdom is
called desk-nāśaḥ. Desk-nāśaḥ means to understand that there is no substance
called desk at all; what is, is only wood; desk is only a name for a form. If you
understand this: desk is as-though-destroyed. In Saṁsr̥kt it is called mithyātma
niścayaḥ ēva nāśaḥ iva.
Similarly manō mithyātma niścayaḥha ēva manō nāśaḥ iti, gaundyaya vrithya;
figuratively it is said. And thereafter also, will I use the desk or not. You can use it
well and regularly; even after desk nāśaḥ. Similarly jñāni will happily use the mind,
even after manō nāśaḥ through jñānaṁ. This is the first interpretation.
Second interpretation is: Manō nāśaḥ = problematic manō nāśaḥ. Destroy the
problematic mind. And how do you destroy the problematic mind? By converting it
into non-problematic mind. That's all. By converting into non-problematic mind.
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How do you convert. A problematic mind into non-problematic mind; very simple.
Ignorant mind is problematic. Wise mind is non-problematic. Gatāsun; agat ā sun ca
na anuśocanti paṇḍitaḥ; wise people enjoy a non-problematic mind; a mind which is
दःखे
ु ष्वनुद्�वग्नम सुखेषु �वगतस्पृह |
वीतरागभयक्रो िस्थतधीमुर्�नरुच ||२- ५६||
यस्मान्नोद्�व लोको लोकान्नोद्�वज च यः

yasmānnōdvijatē lōkō lōkānnōdvijatē ca yaḥ
you are expert in all those things; you must be remembering. And when the mind is
non-problematic, you do not feel the burden of the mind; because a healthy body
and a healthy mind is not felt. Isn't. When do you feel your leg? In the class, which
all people will feel leg; those who have the knee problem, after 15 minutes the leg
will start sending the message: that I am here; I am here.
And when you do not have any pain in the leg, you do not feel the presence. Like
that saying: remember; when the shoe fits, the shoe is felt or known. When the
shoe does not fit your feet, then it will say I am here; I am here. Like Nasruddhin
Mullah you have to say: that he is wears a very tight shoe that it gives a great pain
and suffers the whole day; if you ask him why he does like that, he says that in the
evening he gets the ānandaḥ when he removes the shoe!! For that ānandaḥ I am
wearing.
So therefore a wise mind is a light mind. An enlightened mind is an en-light-

end mind. And what is when the mind is full of sorrow; aśantasya manō bāraḥ. For
a person who does not have peace, mind is a bāraṁ. So jñāni has destroyed the
mind, what does it mean. For jñāni the mind is not a bāraṁ; it is as though not
there. This is the second interpretation.
Do you remember the first interpretation? The first interpretation is: mithyātma
niścayaḥ is called manō nāśaḥ.
The second interpretation is ajñāni-manō-nāśaḥ; by converting into jñāni-manaḥ.

Destroy the ignorant mind by converting it into jñāni mind; wise mind.
Page 798

These are the two interpretations of manō-nāśaḥ. There is no physical destruction of

mind. And nobody will be interested. Whenever manō nāśaḥ comes, imagine a
person in long coma.
वायुनाऽऽनीयते मेधः पुनस्तेनै नीयते |

मनसा कल्प्य बन्ध मो�स्तेनै कल्प्य ||१७२||
vāyunā:':'nīyatē mēdhaḥ punastēnaiva nīyatē |
manasā kalpyatē bandhō mōkṣastēnaiva kalpyatē ||172||
Śankarācārya must be aware of this problem that people will think of manō nāśaḥ,
because he has said in the presence of the mind, there is saṁsāra; and in the
absence of mind, there is no saṁsāra; and therefore mind is the cause of saṁsāra,
and therefore let us destroy the mind, and they will start the process of thought-
elimination.
So Śankarācārya expects this problem and therefore he makes another point in this
slōka; and that is no doubt mind is the cause of saṁsāra; mind alone is the cause of
mōkṣa also. Therefore the destroying the mind is a foolish approach, because you
should remember, the mind which is the cause of saṁsāra; the very same mind is
the cause of liberation also. Therefore you have to retain the mind carefully for
liberation.
And to convey this idea, Śankarācārya gives the example of wind. So when there is
the bright Sun and when there are dark clouds, the wind may blow and bring the
cloud in front of the Sun because of which the Sun is covered. The Sun is covered
because of what? cloud; the cloud is in front of the Sun or my vision, because of
what: the wind. Therefore indirectly the wind is the cause of covering the Sun and
Śankarācārya says if the cloud has to go away, who is responsible; the same wind
alone removes the cloud also from obstruction. Wind alone covers the Sun. So the
wind alone removes the cover. Wind is responsible for Sun-covering; wind is
responsible for Sun-dis-covering also.
Similarly, mind is the cause of saṁsāra; mind is the cause of mōkṣa; therefore
destroying the mind is not a solution. If destroying the mind is a solution, you can
work for permanent sleep. What? In sleep you do not have a mind and you sleep
joyfully. To sleep. That would not be the solution. That is what he says here.
Page 799

mēghaḥ ākāśā ānīyatē; you can understand. The cloud is brought in front of the Sun
by the wind alone; because of which there is darkness; there is gloom upon the
earth; punaḥ tēnaiva nīyatē; again by the same wind alone, the cloud is cleared
also; bringing brightness upon the earth. punaḥ tēnaiva nīyatē. Tēnaiva means
what ākāśana ēva. And what is the subject? mēghaḥ. All this is understood. punaḥ
vāyunā ēva mēgha nīyatē. Cleared.
In the same way, manasa kalpyatē bandaḥ. Mind alone is the cause of bondage. At
the same time, do not conclude, mind is the cause of bondage; therefore let us
destroy the mind; do not conclude like that; because mōkṣaḥ api tēnaiva kalpyatē.
We have to use the very same mind for mōkṣa also. So tēnaiva means manasa ēva
kalpyatē.
So this idea we find in the Bhagavat Gītā also; I do not know whether you
remember. In the 6th chapter.
बन्धुरात्मात्मनस येनात्मैवात्म िजतः |

अनात्मनस् शत्रुत वत�तात्मै शत्रुव ||६- ६||
bandhurātmātmanastasya yēnātmaivātmanā jitaḥ |
anātmanastu śatrutvē vartētātmaiva śatruvat ||6- 6||
There Krishna includes also; body-mind-complex is your friend; body-mind-complex

is your enemy also. Body-mind-complex is your enemy by causing saṁsāra; body-
mind-complex is your friend, by causing liberation.
Then naturally the question will come, how can the very same body-mind-complex is
both a friend and enemy? We do not see such things in the world. Friend is not
enemy; enemy is not friend. One is enemy and another is friend. How can one and
the same be enemy and friend; how can one be the same enemy and friend?
Krishna himself aswers the question: that body-mind-complex which is managed by
you; that is your friend; disciplined body-mind-complex is your friend. Healthy body-
mind-complex is your friend. Indisciplined or undisciplined body-mind-complex is
your enemy.
We need not even go to the mind; our body if you ask whether it is a friend or
enemy, once it starts giving problems, you begin to see the body as your enemy.
That is why people even commit suicide, because body has become enemy. But
Page 800

when the body is healthy; it is the very body useful for Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi class. After-
all Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi is heard by what: body or mind; mind alone is hearing. But for
the mind to hear, the mind has to be brought to Anna Nagar and what is bringing
the mind. It is the body-container. And what kind of body? healthy; healthy enough
to come and sit for at least an hour. Similarly, Śankarācārya says mind is your friend
and your enemy. He is going to explain that hereafter.
देहा�दसवर्�वषय प�रकल्प रागं

बध्ना� तेन पुरुष पशुवद्गुणे |
वैरस्यम �वषवत् सुवध
ु ाय पश्चा
एनं �वमोचय�त तन्म एव बन्धात ||१७३||
dēhādisarvaviṣayē parikalpya rāgaṁ
badhnāti tēna puruṣaṁ paśuvadguṇēna |
vairasyamatra viṣavat suvudhāya paścād
ēnaṁ vimōcayati tanmana ēva bandhāt ||173||
So he is explaining now how one and the same mind is the cause of both bondage
and liberation. As I said, in the case of the body, a healthy body is your friend and
unhealthy body is your enemy; that answer can be extended to the mind also.
Healthy mind is your friend; unhealthy mind is your enemy. It can also be said in
that way or you can present it in another way. That Śankarācārya is going to do.
Here he says: rāgi mind is banda hētuḥ; virāgi mind is mōkṣa hētuḥ; rāgi mind
means what: rāgi mind means rāgaha asya rāgi; always means; dvēṣa also; rāga
and dvēṣa are twin brothers; rāgi means dveshi. So therefore the mind is under the
grip of strong rāga dvēṣas. The mind which cannot manage the rāga-dvēṣa.
Here also Dayānandaḥ Svāmi adds a very very important explanation. The mind can
never be without rāga-dvēṣa. No question of destroying rāga-dvēṣa. Krishna has
very clearly said in the Gītā: Indriyasya Indriyasya arthe rāga dvēṣau vyavasthithau;
rāga-dvēṣa is bound to be there.
So what do you mean rāga-dvēṣa rahita mind? A mind which can manage its rāga-
dvēṣa; a mind which can filter the rāga-dvēṣa; a mind which can make the rāga-
dvēṣa into preferences, rather than needs. I have repeated been telling you that
there is a lot difference between preference and need. I prefer to have a cup of
Page 801

coffee; wonderful. Afterall you like coffee; what is wrong? but I need a coffee;
without its going in, I will not enter into any activity. I cannot do anything. For
some, they cannot go to the bathroom itself. Coffee is need. So much dependent it
has become. So therefore that is called binding rāga-dvēṣa; It is called needs; non-
binding rāga-dvēṣa is called preference. Therefore I should know how to evict my
rāga-dvēṣa; illegal, immoral, rāga-dvēṣa has to be eliminated. Their binding and
non-binding is not there; illegal immoral rāga-dvēṣas should be eliminated. And all
the other allowed rāga-dvēṣas like from idli-dosai onwards; like the colour of dress
that you want onwards; there is no illegality; it is not that if you like idli, it is
immoral; it is not; if you do not like idli it is neither illegal nor immoral. All non-illegal
non-immoral rāga-dvēṣas you can happily have; but make sure that they are
preferences and not shackles.
This Svāmiji calls rāga-dvēṣa management in mind. And such a mind is called virāgi
mind. And that means he is the master of rāga-dvēṣa. And rāga-dvēṣa is under him.
And such a mind is called virāgi; virāgi mind if you say, you cannot translate it as it
is bereft of rāga-dvēṣa; virāgi mind is a mind for which rāga-dvēṣa is subservient;
under control; or a mind which is the master of rāga-dvēṣa. A rāgi mind is a mind
which is the slave of rāga-dvēṣa; under the grip of rāga-dvēṣa; a hostage of rāga-
dvēṣa; is called rāgi-mind.
And therefore Śankarācārya says: A rāgi mind, that is the subject we have to supply,
a rāgi mind, rāgam parikalpya; a rāgi mind procuces rāgam; rāgam means
attachment; binding attachment; parikalpya; rāgi mind creates binding attachment
in what? dēhādhi sarva viṣayē. In every object of the creation; including the physical
body. So a rāgi-mind creates binding rāgas in the worldly objects beginning from the
very physical body itself.
And by producing such binding rāgas; what does it do? Tena puruṣaḥm badnaati.
By that binding rāga, enslaving rāga, addiction causing rāga; rāga means
attachment; puruṣaṁ badnāti; the mind binds the person. So what do you mean by
binding? It does not allow the person to do anything.
What is bondage? If I am bound to a pillar; what does it mean. I am not able to do

what I want to do. This is binding by rope. How does mind bind me? if my coffee
does not come, I will not do anything if you say, that is bounded. Nobody has used
Page 802

the rope, but mind has used the rope of rāga; coffee; coffee; coffee; coffee; coffee;
coffee-dhyānam alone. Therefore it is ropeless binding.
And therefore puruṣaṁ tēna badnāti; tēna means rāgēṇa badnāti; kaha badnāti;
manaḥ badnaati. So mind is like a person and rāga-attachment is like the rope. So
mind binds a person by the rope of attachment. Therefore they use the word pāśam.
In Saṁsr̥kt they used the word pāśam with two meanings. Attachment is also called
pāśa; a rope is also called pāśa. Pāśākayar they say; that is the most interesting
translation; pāśākayar if you say it is like saying jalam-water.
And like what? paśuvat guṇēna; just as a person binds an animal with rope. Just as
a person binds an animal with rope.
So here Śankarācārya uses the word guṇa with double meaning. The word guṇa has
got two meanings; one is a rope; another is one of the three guṇas of the mind.
Therefore the three guṇas of the mind, especially the attachment corresponds to
rajō guṇa; about which we will talk later; attachment is rajō guṇa; the mind binds a
person with the help of rajō guṇa caused attachment. So mind also used guṇa to
bind; a person also uses a guṇa to bind. Double meaning. Ok. This is the inimical
mind.
Now what does a friendly mind do? He says: pascād vairāsyam atra suvudhāya. So
the very same mind when it produces vairāgyam instead of rāga; when it creates
vairāgyam; vairāgyam when you say; it is opposite of rāgam; vairāsyam it is equal to
vairāgyam. So when the very same rāgi mind is converted to virāgi mind, when the
very same mind produces vairāgyam instead of rāga; pascād; pascād means after
taking many beatings; after taking many kicks; because every attachment leads to
sorrow.
Every attachment leads to sorrow without exception. There is no exception to this

rule. Just find one exception. There is nothing. So no attachment can give
permanent happiness. Every attachment without exception; that is why, somebody
said in Tamil; I do not remember his name: aasai arumingal, aasai arumingal;
Isanodaagilum. He went to what an extent. Even attachment to God have to be
given up at the end; do not say that I will drop it now itself; for the attachment of
that kind to come, it is difficult. We have to go to that and then grow out of that.
Page 803

Any attachment definitely produces sorrow. Rule no.1. Rule No.2 is the
intensity of sorrow is directly proportional to the intensity of attachment.
This is the most important declaration of our scriptures; which you can experiment
from today onwards. If you have not already learned a lesson; then you are allowed
to learn; take as many janmās as you want; until you understand have the goings
and comings. Our śāstras are very very relaxed. You need not accept at all; after
taking all the kicks and beatings; haggard person comes; then you can start
vēdānta.
Therefore, atra, atra means upon the very same world of objects, vairasyam
suvudhāya; very same mind will produce vairāgyaṁ. It was given in
Mundakopāṇiṣad. Parikṣya lōkaḥan karmachitaan Brāhmaṇaha nirvēdam ayaat;
everybody has to come to this conclusion. Paschat.
Therefore only Śankarācārya has not put the time limit. Later he put. Later it can be
after 5 years; after 10 years; after 5 decades; after 5 janmās; after 500 janmās;
after all in Hinduism the advantage is the janmās are endless. In the other religions,
there is no time for the experiments. What they have is only one janma. Therefore
you have to do everything in that limited period. Here you are allowed to take any
number of janmaas to learn the lesson. paścād tatēva vimōcayati. The very same
mind which is now virāgi mind will release this person. Ēnam means this jīva, this
person; Tat manaḥ ēva; tat manaḥ ēva, the very same mind which was a problem
before, the very same mind is a friend now. Vimōcayati; from where; bandāt; from
the bonds of saṁsāra.
So thus what is the answer? rāgi mind is the cause of bondage. Virāgi mind is the
cause of liberation. Before that I said, healthy mind is the cause of liberation.
unhealthy mind is the cause of bondage.
Now hereafter Śankarācārya is going to present in another language, sātvik mind is

the cause of liberation; and rājasic tāmasic mind is the cause of bondage. Technical
language he is saying. Sātvika manaḥ mōkṣa kāraṇam; rājasam-tāmasam manaḥ
banda kāraṇam; and the sātvik mind is called śuddham manaḥ; and rājasic tāmasic
mind is called malinam manaḥ. So śuddam manaḥ, mōkṣa kāraṇam; malinam manaḥ
banda kāraṇam. Varieties of languages he is using. He is anxious, that at least one
Page 804

should you understand. OK.
तस्मान्म कारणमस् जन्तो

बन्धस मो�स् च वा �वधाने |
बन्धस हेतुमर्�लन रजोगुणैः
मो�स् शुद् �वरजस्तमस्क ||१७४||
tasmānmanaḥ kāraṇamasya jantōḥ
bandasya mōkṣasya ca vā vidhānē |
bandasya hēturmalinaṁ rajōguṇaiḥ
mōkṣasya śuddhaṁ virāja stamaskam ||174||
You yourselves can understand the slōka now. I have given you the background
now. Tasmāt, therefore, manaḥ asya jantōḥ bandasya vidhāne kāraṇam; so the
mind alone is the cause of bringing out the bondage for this jantū; he is not even
classing us as human beings; he says jantū; because an animal does not have a
freedom. And we also do not have freedom as long as we are under the grip of
rāga-dvēṣa. That is why in the scriptures, we are called paśus only. The Lord is
called paśupathihi. So when the Lord is called paśupathihi; who is paśu; we are all
paśu, we have to be marshaled with a stick; we do not have a will of our own; will is
under the grip of rāga dvēṣa.
And therefore Śankarācārya calls us jantūs; and technically also, it is true because
jantū by definition means jāyaye iti jantūḥ; whoever is subject to birth is jantūḥ. So
we are all jantū; because we have a birth. So therefore, for this jīva, mind alone is
the cause of bondage. vidaane means sin producing; viṣaya sapthami; in producing
bondage, mind alone is the cause. Mōkṣasya ca vidāne; in producing liberation also,
manaḥ ēva kāraṇam. in producing, in effecting liberation also, mind is the kāraṇam.
So then he sorts out which mind is banda kāraṇam. He says; malinam manaḥ
bandasya hētuḥ; impure mind is the cause of bondage; and what is the impurity;
rajō guṇaihi malinam; mind which is impure with rajō guṇa and you have to supply
tamō guṇa also. So rāja s tamō guṇaiḥ malinam manaḥ; rajō guṇa stands for
extrovertedness; tamō guṇa stands for dullness of the mind. Our mind has these
two problems. Either it wanders or it sleeps. Only these two it understands. People
complain. Svāmiji in meditation, I think of everything else except Bhagavān. That is
called wandering mind. Another person says: in meditation, I doze off. Either way
Page 805

meditation does not take place. Wandering mind is in the grip of rājas; a dozing
mind is in the grip of tamas. We require a non-sleeping; non-wandering alert mind.
That is called sātvikam manaḥ. Therefore a mind is impure with rājas and tamas is
bandasya hētuḥ; whereas śuddam manaḥ mōkṣya hētuḥ; the pure mind is the cause
of liberation; and what is pure mind; without rāja s and tamas; a mind without rājas
tamas dominant.
More later. Hari Om.
Page 806

063. Verses 174 to 178
वायन
ु ाऽऽनीयते मेधः पन
ु स्तेनै नीयते |
मनसा कल्प्य बन्ध मो�स्तेनै कल्प्य ||१७२||
देहा�दसवर्�वषय प�रकल्प रागं

बध्ना� तेन पुरुष पशुवद्गुणे |
वैरस्यम �वषवत् सुवध
ु ाय पश्चा
एनं �वमोचय�त तन्म एव बन्धात ||१७३||
तस्मान्म कारणमस् जन्तो

बन्धस मो�स् च वा �वधाने |
बन्धस हेतुमर्�लन रजोगुणैः
मो�स् शुद् �वरजस्तमस्क ||१७४||
vāyunā:':'nīyatē mēdhaḥ punastēnaiva nīyatē |

manasā kalpyatē bandhō mōkṣastēnaiva kalpyatē ||172||
dēhādisarvaviṣayē parikalpya rāgaṁ

badhnāti tēna puruṣaṁ paśuvadguṇēna |
vairasyamatra viṣavat suvudhāya paścād
ēnaṁ vimōcayati tanmana ēva bandhāt ||173||
tasmānmanaḥ kāraṇamasya jantōḥ

bandasya mōkṣasya ca vā vidhānē |
bandasya hēturmalinaṁ rajōguṇaiḥ
mōkṣasya śuddhaṁ virāja stamaskam ||174||
Dealing with manōmaya kōśa, Śankarācārya talks about the role of manōmaya kōśa
in causing human bondage, as well as the human liberation. So mind becomes very
important for a seeker from both angles. So the question comes, if the mind itself is
the cause of bondage, as well as liberation, what is the condition under which mind
becomes the cause of bondage, and what is the condition under which the mind
becomes the cause of liberation, we should know?
Page 807

And that Śankarācārya presented in a general language; as well as technical

language. To put in general language, a healthy mind is the cause of liberation. An
unhealthy mind or a sick-mind is the cause of bondage. Or to put in still finer
language, an impure mind is the cause of bondage, and pure mind is the cause of
liberation. And to put it further technically, a satvik mind is the cause of liberation;
and rājasic and tāmasic mind is the cause of bondage. The technical language and
general language Śankarācārya presents in 174; bandasya hēturmalinaṁ rajōguṇaiḥ.
You can easily understand. Malinam manaḥ; malaṁ means dirt; malinaṁ means that
which is dirty; malinaṁ manaḥ bandasya hētuḥ; and what is the technical name for
malinam manaḥ? Rajōguṇaihi sahitam; a mind which is rājasic and tāmasic is called
impure. We do not say rajōguṇa and tamō guṇa should not be there; rajō guṇa is
required even for the smallest activity of writing. Even for writing notes, you need
some śaktiḥ. It is like saying; when you say a person has blood pressure, what does
it mean? when you say a person has got blood pressure, what does it mean.
Does it mean that all other people do not have blood pressure? Blood pressure is
required. So when you say a person has blood pressure, what does it mean?
Everybody has blood pressure, which is indicated by 120/80; or 80/120; whatever it
is; everybody has blood pressure; everybody requires blood pressure. When you say
he has blood pressure, it means that he has got more than the normal. Similarly he
has got sugar means what.
Everyone needs sugar. He has got cholesterol. So therefore it means he has got
more than required. Similarly when we say a person is rājasic, it means what? a
person has got more rajōguṇa; that it suppresses the satva guṇa; not allowing him
to even attend the class. Or even if he comes to the class; the mind is so rājasic,
one hour receptive he can't sit. Therefore rājasic mind means rāja s dominant mind.
Or a mind in which the rajō guṇa is overpowering satva. That is called malinaṁ.
And in the 4th line he said mōkṣaya hētuḥ śuddham manaḥ; we have to supply the
word hētuḥ; as well as manaḥ; you should not read: mōkṣasya śuddham; mōkṣasya
hētuḥ śuddham manaḥ. Pure mind is the cause of liberation and what is the
definition of pure mind? Vi-rajas tamas; without rajas and tamas. Here also without
rajas and tamas means it is like saying he has no pressure. How should you
understand? no pressure means he does not have more pressure than required.
Page 808

Similarly pure mind has no rajas and tamas; does not mean no rajas and tamas;
zero rajas and tamas is not the meaning; he does not have more than required. He
is satwa guṇa pradhānaḥ; rajō guṇa back; tamō guṇa is there, as we saw in the
introduction. He has got SRT personality. Do you remember. Satwa predominant;
Rajas is next to it; and tamas is the least. And we call him by a technical name. He
is called guṇa brahṁana. A guṇa Brāhmaṇa can alone attain liberation. Up to this we
saw.
�ववेकवैराग्यगुणा�तरेक-
च्छुद्धत्वमा मनो �वमुक्त् |
भवत्यत बु�द्धम मुमु�ो-
स्ताभ्य दृढाभ्य भ�वतव्यमग ||१७५||
vivēkavairāgyaguṇātirēkā-
cchuddhatvamāsādya manō vimuktyai |
bhavatyatō buddhimatō mumukṣō-
stābhyāṁ dr̥ḍhābhyāṁ bhavitavyamagrē ||175||
So therefore what should be the first step in spiritual sādana? Śankarācārya says
that self-knowledge is all later stage, because before self-knowledge, we have to
make sure that the mind is pure, the mind is satva pradhāna. Only after making the
mind satva pradhāna, the attempt for liberation will be successful. So do not put the
cart before the horse; first make sure that the mind is sātvik.
Now the next question is how do I know whether my mind is sātvik. Is there a meter
like the lactometer? Is there a guṇo-meter which I can insert into my head; orange
comes satva, yellow is rajas; black is tamas; whether a meter is there? Śāstra itself
presents the meter. What is that? When the mind is satvic, vivēka and vairāgyam
will be dominant.
So vivēka vairāgya satvam; the dominance of vivēka and vairāgya will be indication
of satva guṇa. And what do you mean vivēka? Spiritual goal becoming primary is
vivēka. And what is vairāgya; material goal becoming subservient to spiritual goal is
called vairāgyam.
And what is impure mind? Put this upside down. Material goal is primary; spiritual
goal if it comes; ok; I will take it if it comes free and I will stock it in my bag.
Therefore I am not interested in spending any money, any time, any energy; if it is
Page 809

easily available OK; let it come in its own time; so making material goal primary and
spiritual goal secondary is avivēka and rāga. When spiritual goal is primary, material
goal is secondary, then it is called vivēka and vairāgyam.
So therefore Śankarācārya says vivēkavairāgyaguṇātirēkācchuddhatvamāsādya;

āsādya, the mind should attain purity; āsādya means attain; become; so the mind
should become pure; or the mind should attain purity by what; guṇa ātirēkāt; by the
increase of these two virtues; guṇa is the virtue; ātirēkā means increase; vr̥iddhi.
And which virtues should increase; vivēka vairāgya guṇa ātirēkāt; by the increase of
the virtues of vivēka and vairāgyam; vivēka we have seen earlier; in Sādhanā
catuṣṭya sampanna whatever vivēka was said; that is same vivēka here; I only
presented in a new language; spiritual goal becoming primary is vivēka; and material
goal becoming subservient is vairāgyam.
And here Śankarācārya does not say how can we attain vivēka? He only says we
have to increase vivēka vairāgyam. But he does not say how we can increase vivēka
vairāgyam. For that the answer is karma yōga way of life; a religious way of life; a
pañja mahā yajña pradhāna way of life will lead to vivēka vairāgyam. A religious life
will help in learning from life's situations. Parikṣya lōkan karmacitan. Bhagavān is
giving us enough suffering to teach us lesson. I want to teach you a lesson; it is a
punishment. Bhagavān is constantly giving us various situations; so that we will
learn.
As somebody nicely said, the whole life is a university. Therefore lessons are not
wanting; but our capacity to learn alone is wanting. Religious life will kindle our
learning capacity from life. Parikṣya lōkan karmacitan Brāhmaṇaḥ; why can't
upaṇiṣad say; everybody learns from life. Upaṇiṣad says: Brāhmaṇaḥ parikṣya lōkān;
Brāhmaṇaḥ means vaidika; vaidika means one who leads a vēdic life; he alone
learns from life. What will he learn? Spiritual goal alone is śāśvatam; material goals
are aśāśvatam. So we have to add; karmayōgēna. Śuddha satvam āsādya.
By religious life, the mind will attain purity by way of the increase of vivēka vairāgya.
And that mind vimuktyai bhavathi. And that mind alone is fit for vēdānta vicāra. Fit
for liberation. So vimuktyai bhavathi. So when there is a fourth case followed by
bhavathi, it should be translated as fit for; saha mōkṣāya bhavathi; he is fit for
mōkṣa. Is an idiom in Saṁsr̥kt. Fourth case plus bhavathi.
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If you do not know what is fourth case, do not bother. Only those who have got
some Saṁsr̥kt knowledge, for them I am saying. Others be blissfully ignorant about
that; do not bother that. So vimuktyai bhavathi. Full stop.
Ataha; therefore; therefore means wherefor? only after vivēka vairāgyaṁ, vēdantic
study will be fruitful, and therefore first attain vivēka vairāgyam.
Therefore ataḥ. Agrē tābhyāṁ dr̥ḍhābhyāṁ bhavitavyam. So agrē means in the

beginning of spiritual sādana; even before doing vēdānta śravaṇa manana
nidhidhyāsana, or to put in varṇāsrama language, before taking sanyāsa āsrama,
one has to accomplish vivēka vairāgyam; for attaining vivēka vairāgyam, they have
given three āsramās in śāstras. For Mōkṣa only one āsrama. From that you would
know the importance of vivēka vairāgyam and which takes more time. Mōkṣa means
like the minister cutting the ribbon; how much time; few seconds; whereas for the
people to arrive, one has to arrange for the roads onwards, because we do not have
roads itself!! So therefore before minister comes, so much preparation. Cutting is
over. That only they take the video tape; clap and they put the māla, photo, etc.
Like that Tatvamasi is the simplest. But sādana catuṣṭya sampatti is the toughest
task. Therefore Brahmacārya āsrama, gr̥hastha āsrama, vanāprastha āsrama; three
āsramas for sādhanā catuṣṭya saṁpatti. Thereafter sanyasya śravaṇam kuryāt. Take
to sanyāsa āsrama and do śravaṇam. Anyway I am not asking you to take to
sanyāsa!
What I want to say is: first sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti; and there also he wants to
emphasise vivēka vairāgya.Therefore tābhyāṁ dr̥ḍhābhyāṁ bhavitavyam. Therefore
vivēka and vairāgya; tābhyāṁ means those two; tritiya dvivachanam; this is called
bhāve prayōgaḥ. So impersonal passive. tābhyāṁ dr̥ḍhābhyāṁ bhavitavyam.
Those two must be firm; well entrenched; strong. So they too must be strong. How
will you put in passive voice? In English it is difficult. This is in passive voice. They
too must be strong. By them must be stronged, etc. it will not come properly, If you
put in passive; it is called impersonal passive. So tē dridē tātām. That is the active
voice. I do not know why grammar buddhi has come today. tē dridē tātām. Let
those two be strong; it must be strong; which two? vivēka vairāgyam. So those two
must be strong for a mumukṣu.
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If you say I am not interested in mōkṣa at all; where is the question of śravaṇam?
And if you are not interested in śravaṇam; why I should talk about vivēka and
vairāgyam. It is like talking about hair oil to a bald-headed person. To elaborate
what all benefits in this oil. So therefore I would not talk about vivēka vairāgya, to a
bubukṣu; an amukṣu. For mumukṣōhō tābhyam driḍābhyam bhavitavyam.
And incidentally, I had left out similarly one word in the previous class also. Viṣavat;
verse No.173; 173 3rd line; vairasyamatra viṣavat; even though I left out, you must
have understood; vairāgyam towards an object should be just as the vairāgyam
towards poison; like that one should get vairāgyam.
मनो नाम महाव्याघ �वषयारण्यभू�मष |

चरत्त न गच्छन् साधवो ये मुमु�वः ||१७६||
manō nāma mahāvyāghrō viṣayāraṇyabhūmiṣu |
caratyatra na gacchantu sādhavō yē mumukṣavaḥ ||176||
So having emphasised the importance of vivēka and vairāgyam, Śankarācārya gives

a warning to the seeker. Śankarācārya wants to warn a person who is in this
spiritual path. And what is the warning? Warning about the mind.
The attachment causing mind is here presented as a tiger, which can eat up or
destroy a seeker. Therefore he says, manō nāma mahā vyāgrah; there is a powerful
tiger which is wandering about; because a tiger requires a forest; what is the forest?
viṣaya āraṇya bhūmiṣu; in the forest land of viṣayāḥ; means the sense objects. The
mind is constantly wandering about amidst the sense objects and any sense objects
can create attachment and once the mind is in the grip of attachment; that mind
itself becomes the cause of my destruction.
And therefore, viṣaya āraṇya bhūmiṣu, manō nāma mahā vyāgraḥ charat; it is
moving about. And therefore what should we do? atra na gacchantu. So therefore
never go amidst the tempting sense objects which can make the mahā vyāgrah;
more ferocious; more destructive; more binding. So the more you go to viṣayāraṇya;
the more the chances of mind becoming more out of control.
Therefore, atra na gacchantu. And who should not go. yē mumukṣavaḥ sādhavaḥ;
those seekers who are mumukṣus. sādhavaḥ; noble people; people of values and
Page 812

also mumukṣavaḥ; those who are interested in liberation. Such people should be
very alert. That is why they say that கண்டை பார்காே. They say; that monkeys
they have put; and we have the positive prayer: ōm̐ bhadraṁ karṇēbhiḥ śruṇuyāma
dēvā bhadraṁ paśyēmākṣabhiryajatrāḥ. So therefore be careful where your sense
organs move.
Previously the Govt. and the Rājas used to do censor. Now the censor board is either
non-existing or non-functioning. In the name of communication revolution,
everything comes everywhere. And therefore since outside censoring is not there;
we require what? Self-censoring. And therefore what book you read, what TV
programme you see; if at all you see; and what kind of friends you have; everything
I should have control, if I am a seeker.
मनः प्रसू �वषयानशेषान ्

स्थूलात्म सू�मतया च भोक्तु |
शर�रवणार्श्रमजा�तभेद
गुण�क्रयाहेतुफला �नत्य म ||१७७||
manaḥ prasūtē viṣayānaśēṣān
sthūlātmanā sūkṣmatayā ca bhōktuḥ |
śarīravarṇāsramajātibhēdān
guṇakriyāhētuphalāni nityam ||177||
So here he says: one should be careful with the mind, because the mind alone is
responsible for bhōkthru-bhōgya relationship; which we call saṁsāra. As I said in the
other class; creation by itself does not cause any bondage. So many events are
taking place in the world; it does not create saṁsāra. We just read the newspapers
as jīvanmukthās, as not affected. America is bombing is Yugoslavia. May be we utter
two chu chu; thereafterwards we go along with our coffee. We are more worried
about the condition of coffee rather than Yugoslavia; because Yugoslavia is not your
bhōgya viṣaya; but this small of coffee is bhōgya viṣaya.
So the creation as it is, is the Īśvara Sr̥ṣṭi; it is not a bondage. But by forming a
relationship, we make it a bhōgya viṣaya; that is called jīva sr̥ṣṭi. Īśvara's creation is
padārtam; jīvas create bhōgyam. Can you distinguish the difference? The clip is a
padārta; padārta means ஒர பத்த்தி� ெபா�ள; அர்த். padārtam; this is an object
Page 813

of a word; what is beautiful word; padārtam; padārtam when you say; in Tamil; all
eatables are called padārtam. Svāmiji shall I send you some padārtam.
In Saṁsr̥kt padārtam means anything. Padam means word; artha means object.
padartha means object of a word; Bhagavān creates only objects of words. And
objects of words are only beauty; they are not bondage. What we do? We go on
seeing it; and we think that it is good; it is nice; it is beautiful; it would be good if I
purchased it; if I have it; etc. and we go on dhayatō viṣayān puṁsa; first pass a
judgement and thereafter wards form a relationship and thereafterwards get into
trouble. That conversion is caused by the mind.
A jīvanmuktha is one for whom the whole world is a padārta. Not that the world
disappears for him. For a jīvan muktha, the whole world is a padārta.
For a samsāri, he divides the whole world into bhōgya viṣaya; bhōgya means what?
an object of relationship; bhōgyam means not even enjoyment; object of
attachment; or object of hatred; that also is bhōgya viṣaya because both are capable
of disturbing my mind.
Some objects disturb my mind by going away; some objects disturb my mind by
coming. I told you you know. Some people give happiness wherever they go; some
people give happiness whenever they go. Do you understand? So I give happiness in
two ways: either way I give happiness. I have become a bhōgya vastu. Therefore
mind creates saṁsāra by producing bhōya vastu out of viṣayā; out of padārta.
And again there is another word also, which is equally important. The word is
viṣayaḥ. Viṣayaḥ also means bhōgya vasthu only. But still better word in Vēdānta.
the word viṣayaḥ is derived out of the root vi prefixed ci; the 'c' in a, b, c. that same
'c'. Saṁsr̥kt you have to write. Vi is prefix; and the root vi + ci means to bind, 5th
conjugation; vicinoti; badnāti iti viṣayaḥ.
So the clip is a padārta as long as I do not develop rāga or dvēṣa. The moment I
develop rāga or dvēṣa; it has become a bhōgya vasthu and the moment it has
become a bhōgya vasthu it has become a viṣaya capable of binding me.
And how does it bind me? If I have got attachment, when it goes away, it causes
sorrow. If I have hatred, whenever it is with me, it causes sorrow. Therefore, Īśvara
Page 814

creates padārta, we convert padārta into bhōgya and viṣaya and when I say we
convert; which part of we; the mind. Therefore Śankarācārya says mind alone is
responsible for saṁsāra. Look at the slōka.
Manaḥ aśēṣān viṣayān prasūtē; mind alone creates all the viṣayās; all the bhōgya
viṣayās into two forms; stūlātmana, in the gross form, during the waking state and
sūkṣmataya, in subtle form, during the dream state. Jāgrat avasthāyaṁ manaḥ
stūlān viṣayān prasūtē; svapna avasthāyaṁ manaḥ sūkṣmān viṣayān prasūtē. The
only difference is in svapna, the mind creates the object totally; in jāgrat avastha
mind does not create the object but mind converts the object into a bhōgya vasthu.
So all these things is thus for whom; bhōkthuḥ; for the bhōkthuḥ; for the bhōkthā,
the experiencer, all the time looking for happiness; where will I get happiness;
where will I get happiness. Why should the mind convert padārta into viṣaya?
Because the mind wants ānanda. Padārta cannot give ānanda; padārta when it is in
the shop it is padārta; what use just looking at it; you go there and pay the money
and convert that into bhōgya vasthu. Then only you can give ānandaḥ. For the sake
of ānandaḥ; you convert padārta into viṣaya; and the tragedy is instead of producing
ānandaḥ, it being with you, dumps you into a pit; that it is creates a hell of a
trouble, being with you.
Then what happens to a jñāni? If he keeps the whole world into a padārta; then
from where will he get ānandaḥ? He will be caught; he has got another source of
ānandaḥ; fixed deposit he has kept it aside; he need not earn now; he has kept it
saved; therefore whenever he needs, he just puts his signature on the cheque and
draws as much money as he wants.
Similarly, jñānēna, he has put infinite ānandaḥ in fixed deposit; that is called
ātmanēva ātmana thuṣta. That is why whenever you withdraw the money you put
what: Self; it is the Self. He has got the Self with him.
Not only the mind creates, it creates further divisions also. While the whole thing is
nothing but one Brahman, the non-dual Brahman, the mind is capable of dividing
into umpteen varities. What are the varieties? śarīra; varṇa; āsrama; jāti bēdān.
Bēdān means varieties. It should be added to each one. Śarīra bēdān; it means
varieties of bodies; superior bodies of dēvā; mediocre bodies of manuṣya and
inferior bodies of animals and plants; all these divisions the mind alone causes; and
Page 815

varṇa; varṇa means Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra bēdān; the mind sees the
difference.
The mind when you say, it is the ignorant mind you should understand. Wise mind
sees what?
�वद्या�वनयसम्पन ब्राह् ग�व हिस्त� |

श�ु न चैव श्वपाक च पिण्डता समद�शर्न ||५- १८||
vidyāvinayasampannē brāhmaṇē gavi hastini |
śuni caiva śvapākē ca paṇḍitāḥ samadarśinaḥ ||5- 18||
The mind sees one Brahman, the wise mind sees one Brahman, whereas the
ignorant mind creates varṇa bēdās; then āsrama bēdās; you can understand;
brahmacāri; gr̥hastha; vānaprastha, sanyāsi.
Then jāti; jāti means group or races; four kinds of races, humanity itself is sub-
divided into that race, anglo-saxon, etc. mangolid race, and racial discrimination; all
comes under jāti. Any groupism is called jāti. It need not be the caste system only.
That is already the word varṇa is used for Brāhmaṇa kṣatriya vaiśya śūdra.
Therefore jāti should not again taken as Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya śūdra; already
varṇa it has been taken. So jāti stands for any groupism. Maybe male and female;
that can be one group; or in the form of races, it can be called jāti. So all these jātis,
groups, also; varieties of groups also; manaḥ prasūtē. You have to 'manaḥ prasūtē’
in all these. manaḥ prasūtē.
And not only them; guṇa kriya hētuḥ phalani. It is the varieties of guṇās; whereas
the fact is what? Nirguṇam Brahmaiva asti; and upon the nirguṇam brahma, the
mind causes varieties of guṇas. So it can be satva, rājas, tamō guṇas we can take;
or even the guṇās in the form of he is noble one; he is compassionate; etc. they also
can be called guṇās; good virtues and bad virtues.
Then Kriyā: Kriyās means varieties of activities. So it projects character differences;
projects activity differences; and the hētuḥ; again it sees the whole universe as
hētuḥ phalātmakam; cause-effect series. Whereas the śāstras say: there is no such
thing as cause-effect series at all; there is only one Brahman which is neither cause,
nor effect.
Page 816

anyathra dharmāt, anyathra adharmāt; anyathra asmāt krita akritā;

Neither kritaṁ nor akritaṁ. Na jayāte mriyatē va vipaschit; nāyaṁ kuthaschit
na bhahuva kaschit;
And in Māndukya Kārika Gaudapāda says: seeing the cause effect series is saṁsāra.
यावद्धेतुफलावे संसारस्तावदायत ।
ु लावेशे संसारं न प्रपद् ॥ ५६॥
�ीणे हेतफ
yāvaddhētuphalāvēśaḥ saṁsārastāvadāyataḥ |
kṣīṇē hētuphalāvēśē saṁsāraṁ na prapadyatē || 56||
Because as long as long as you are caught up in the hētuphalaḥ grip, cause-effect
grip, you are going to say that because of the past karma, I am suffering all these.
Past is the hētuḥ, present is the phalam. Therefore I have to do this prāyascittam
and that prāyascittam; have to go to that temple, go to this temple, and break
coconuts in that temple. That is all what? The present becomes the cause, and I am
anxious to modify the future. If you see most of our time, we are either worried
about the present as modified by the past. Why are you running to the astrologers?
This karma caused śani and all the time worried about the karma and then what all I
can do; so that I can modify the future. I am in the grip of kāla; again to put in
another language; I am in the grip of past-present-future kāla and mōkṣa is going
beyond kāla. That is called relaxation.
As long as I am under the grip of kāla, even class I cannot listen; constantly I have
to see the clock; whether directly or indirectly, because the next item you have to
plan, before the current one is over; and like that on and on. This is called
hētuphalaḥ; Gaudapāda uses the word āvēṣa. āvēṣaḥ means it has become a rut; is
called workaholics. All the time what next; what next? what next? Dayānanda Svāmi
used to say: What next? That is called hētuphalaḥ āvēṣa. Who is doing it all; it is all
the troubles created by the mind; mind பண்ண ேகாளாேற. How do you know?
Where/what is the problem in the sleep? In sleep are you worried about what to do
in office? It is all after getting up. Worries come when you get up. But when you are
actually asleep, it is all not there. Therefore the mind is the culprit.
Then can I eternally sleep? No. that is also not possible. That is not a solution.
Educate the mind; so that I will not be a slave of past, present, future; I am aware
of past, present, future. I act intelligently keeping them into account; but I am not
Page 817

enslaved in the whirlpool of kāla and achievement. kāla and achievement. Never get
into the trap. Kriti mahādatau, paṭana kāraṇam, phalam aśāśvatam gati nirōdhakaṁ.
If you get the whirlpool of activities, it is extremely difficult to get out. Therefore
hētuphalani. Cause and effect series.
Prasūte. Again you have to supply the verb; manah prasūte; the mind creates all of
them. Again when I say the mind creates, you have to understand it as the ignorant
mind creates. If that is not put, what will be the problem? The mind creates all these
problems; therefore I will destroy the mind, it will say. Therefore, ignorant mind
creates all of them; and therefore ignorant mind has to be destroyed. And how do
you destroy the ignorant mind? By converting into wise-mind.
असंग�चद ्रूपमम �वमोह्

देहेिन्द्रयप्राणगुणै�न |
अहंममे�त भ्रमयत्य
मनः स्वकृत्ये फलोपभुिक्तष ||१७८||
asaṁgacidrūpamamuṁ vimōhya
dēhēndriyaprāṇaguṇairnibaddhya |
ahaṁmamēti bhramayatyajasraṁ
manaḥ svakr̥tyēṣu phalōpabhuktiṣu || 178 ||
So in the previous verse, it was said the mind alone whips up the jīva into activity;
constantly saying: do this, that will happen; buy this, this will happen; do this, buy
that. So therefore do this, do that; constantly. And now the internet has come and
emails has come, you can do business with the whole world sitting up in the
Govindappan Nayakkan street of Madras, where there is only 4x4 feet room; sitting
there, you can transact with New York; and unfortunately the time-scales are
different; and if I have to transact with America, I have to be awake in the night
here. Therefore, in the morning transactions in India, in the night, transactions with
America. 24 hours you can be whipped into activity. OK.
Will this activity end one day? Can I say at any time: everything is over; I have
reached the pūrṇatvam. Therefore the job is over. Let us put an end to everything.
Is it possible? பயணஙகள ��வ்த்தில. ��வேத இல்ை. You work 24 hours a
day; 7days a week; 4 weeks a month; 12 months a year; all the years of life, would
you have reached pūrṇatvam. It is never going to.
Page 818

Therefore I get so much involved and because of that involvement, what is the
result. I am never allowed to enjoy my ever peaceful asaṅga svarūpa ātma, which is
pūrṇaḥ, which was pūrṇaḥ and which will ever be pūrṇaḥ. Nithyaḥ, śuddhaḥ,
muktaḥ; pūrṇaḥ, asaṅgaḥ. Which was, is and will be my nature, that is eternally lost
sight of.
And who is the culprit? The mind is the one; that too what mind; that mind which is
obsessed with the hētuphalaḥ series. All these akramaṁs are done by the mind;
whose mind? your mind; how long you will blame the world? How long will you
blame your wife? how long you will blame your husband? Stop blaming the world;
start blaming your own ignorant mind. The more you begin to find fault with your
ignorant mind, the more you will work for knowledge.
And that is called change of direction. If that is not there, activities will only
increase. Enquiry will never increase. Conversion from activity to enquiry is proper
direction of life. I do not say activity should stop. Svāmiji if we do not go to the job,
would you feed us all the time; do not ask. I am not asking you to stop all activities;
but there must be equal or more quality time for owning up my ever tranquil Self
also. And without owning that up, the activity will become struggle; after owning
that up, the activity will become entertainment. Same activity will become bonus
entertainment. I know I can never achieve all my goals throughout my life but I
keep on having newer and newer goals. नव
ै तस् कृतेनाथ� नाकृतेनेह कश्च naiva tasya
kr̥tēnārthō nākr̥tēnēha kaścana. Śankarācārya might have written 25 bāṣyaṁs. And

suppose he has lived another 32 years. He lived only for 32; At 32, we did not start
our spirituality. He finished it; that is a different thing. In 32 years, he has written
suppose 25 books; and if he had lived more he would have definitely to write 25
more commentaries; but if you ask him are you unhappy that you have to quit at
32; No.
So therefore you can have any number of goals in life with pūrṇatvam throughout.
Instead of working for happiness; I can work with happiness. That requires only
knowledge’ a simple knowledge; freely available knowledge and what is that?
asaṅgaḥ ātma ahaṁ asmi. But the mind is preventing me from attaining that
knowledge and putting me into all sorts of problems. Look at the slōka.
Page 819

Manaḥ; fourth line; amūṁ vimōhya; so the mind deludes; confuses us; this
individual, this jīva. So manaḥ from the fourth line, amūṁ vimōhya from the first
line. So the mind deludes, confuses, amūḥ means jīva, this jīva. What type of jīva?
asaṅga cidrūpam, who is really speaking ever tranquil; adi puruṣaḥ, adi ṣāntāḥ.
Gaudapāda uses this word, we are all adi ṣāntāḥ; adi ṣāntāḥ means that our nature
is ever śāntiḥ. Therefore, this jīva who is ever asaṅga; asaṅga means what?
unrelated to the ups and downs of life. The ups and downs can never affect my
pūrṇatvam, na karmaṇā vartatē, no kaliyān; any amount of learning is not going to
increase my original status nor any amount of loss is going to decrease my original
status, that infinite status is my svarūpam called asaṅga svarūpam. And chidrūpam,
caitanya svarūpam and such a wonderful jīva is deluded by whom, the mind. And
not only I have discerned, disclaimed my original nature, in its place, I have settled
for the perishable, greying, growing old, decaying physical body, I have settled for.
Even I am not an intelligent business man, they say. Instead of claiming the nithya
ātma, I have asked for what? Anitya śarīraṁ.
And therefore dēha indriya prāṇa guṇaihi nibhadya. So the mind ties down the jīva
to; connects the jīva to; dēha. Connecting to dēha means what? forms attachment
with the body. And the indriya; I am tied down to the sense organs; I am hooked to
the sense organs; then prāṇa, which is ever unsteady. So therefore nalinīdalagata
jalamatitaralaṁ; tadvajjīvitamatiśayacapalam. So upon water, there is a leaf, and on
the leaf there is a water leaf; attractive and shining; but the leaf is moving in the
wind. Now do you know how long the water drop will last. Any time it is tilted, the
water drop goes. Tadvat, athiśaya chapalam prāṇaḥ. So therefore I am hooked the
ever changing prāṇa; and guṇaiḥ; and the properties of dēha, indriya and prāṇa, or
generally satva rājas tamas also we can say. So I am united to, I am connected to
all these anātmās, by coming away from the ātma.
And once I have come down to this level, ahaṁ mama iti ajasraṁ bhramayati. So
this mind makes the jīva, run about. Wander all over; or knock about, that is still
better. Knocking about here and there. So the mind makes this jīva knock about all
over the world, with ahaṁ mama; with ahaṁkāra. It is my wife, it is my children,
this is my house, this is my factory, I am going to start another branch, which
means what? another saṁsāra, another branch. I am not asking you to stop. You
have to have wisdom. That is what I am saying. I was going to start another branch,
but after listening to Svāmi, I stopped it; do not say. So therefore your wife may
come and complain; Svāmiji. So therefore I only spread the saṁsāra branches.
Page 820

Therefore ahaṁ mama. I and mine; with this notion, ajasraṁ bhraṁayati; it makes
me knock about constantly. Ajasraṁ. Constantly.
And in which field does one wander. svakr̥tyēṣu. In those respective activities. Any
ahaṁkāra or mamakāra involves the corresponding duties; if I start a branch, and I
say this is my branch; it involves what: corresponding duties. I have to go of and
on; or I have to send some one, I have to supervise them, which is more difficult
than going to them. All those things are involved. Therefore svakr̥tyēṣu, in the
respective duties, and phalōpabhuktiṣu; and also in enjoying the consequences of
those activities. So all these things manaḥ karōti.
Hari Om.
Page 821

064. Verses 178 to 181
असंग�चदप
् ममंु �वमोह्
देहेिन्द्रयप्राणगुणै�न |
अहंममे�त भ्रमयत्य
मनः स्वकृत्ये फलोपभिु क्तष ||१७८||
asaṁgacidrūpamamuṁ vimōhya
dēhēndriyaprāṇaguṇairnibaddhya |
ahaṁmamēti bhramayatyajasraṁ
manaḥ svakr̥tyēṣu phalōpabhuktiṣu ||178||
One of the questions the student had asked was about ātma anātma vivēka. It was
the last question among the seven questions. Tayor vivēka katham etat uchayataam.
And this ātma-anātma vivēka topic has been taken up by Śankarācārya from verse
No.149 onwards; and as a part of ātma-anātma vivēka, Śankarācārya is doing pañja
kōśa ātma-vivēka. Here the anātma is reduced to pañja-kōśas and then finally the
ātma is pointed out as that which is pañja kōśa athithaḥ.
And this particular division is only for making the mind more and more subtle;
because these pañja kōśas are in gradual subtlety. The annamaya kōśa being the
grossest kōśa and ānandamaya kōśa being the subtlest kōśa. When a person travels
from annamaya to ānandamaya, the mind would have become subtler and subtler.
The five kōśas are arranged in such a way for acclimitising the mind. Like climbing
the Everest. They cannot suddenly go to a height of 29,000 feet; therefore in the
base camp, they have to remain for a few days; so that the blood pressure and the
temperature and the breathing, and the whole body has to get acclimatised.
Suddenly we go to 29000 feet height, we will die. Why because the body has to get
used to the difference.
In the same way, if we suddenly go to vēdānta; that is why for many people, going
suddenly to vēdānta go crazy also. They will get too much interested in that and
after a few months, they will just leave it and go. And therefore the mind has to get
Page 822

acclimatised as it were. So once a person goes through the five kōśas, the mind
would have become dr̥śyate tu agraya buddhya, sūkṣmaya sūkṣma darśibhiḥ.
And therefore śāstra itself uses the method of pañja kōśa vivēka of which two kōśas,
we have already done and now we have taken up the third kōśa, viz., namely the
manōmaya kōśa and the topic of manōmaya kōśa begins from 167 and it goes up to
183.
And here we talked about the very definition of mind, the nature of the mind etc.
and now Śankarācārya is pointing out that the mind itself or the manōmaya kōśa
itself is the cause of bondage also; and the very same manōmaya is the cause of
liberation also.
Then naturally the question would be: how can one and the same mind be the cause
of opposite things? For which Śankarācārya answers; that when the mind is satva
pradhāna mind, it is a healthy mind, such a healthy mind is the cause of liberation;
whereas when the mind is dominated by rajō guṇa and tamō guṇa; then it is malina
satva mind; unhealthy mind; unhealthy mind is the cause of saṁsāra. It is
understandable, healthy body makes our life happy; and the very same body will
make our life miserable, if it is fixed. We would not feel like getting up; why at all we
should get up with a headache, stomach ache? We will feel that we should continue
to sleep. etc. That is why give sedation and all kinds of pills; nobody would like to
live, if the body is unhealthy. Applying the same principle, healthy mind leads to
liberation; unhealthy mind leads to saṁsāra.
Then the next question is: how does the unhealthy mind lead to saṁsāra? What is
the mechanism that it works? I have the general knowledge that the unhealthy
mind leads to saṁsāra but how does it accomplish that? Like in medical science they
call it etiology; how that particular virus affects the system? What type of reactions it
brings about and how does it affect?
Śankarācārya says that when the mind is unhealthy, rajō guṇa and tamō guṇa are
dominant. It is a beautiful study; and when tamō guṇa is dominant, it veils, covers
the true nature of oneself; because tamas stands for darkness or covering. That is
why when I do not have any information, we have an idiomatic expression: I was
kept in the dark. What does it mean? Does it mean that all the lights were switched
off? I was kept in the dark means that this particular information was not made
Page 823

known to me. This is what exactly is the job of tamō guṇa; keep me in the dark with
regard to what: my svarūpam.
What an important information about myself. Like Kuntidēvi kept poor Karna in the
dark with regard to the most important information; what is that: Karṇā is
Kounteyaḥ; kṣatriyaḥ. And because of that reason how much Karṇā suffered. Kunti
bothered about her, what you call, status and name and all; she never thought of
poor Karna.
Similarly the Māyadevi keeps us in darkness with regard to the most important
information what: ahaṁ sacchidanda svarupōsmi; I am in the dark; we are all
Karṇās. Our original source we never know. śrr̥ṇvantu sarvē amr̥tasya putrāḥ; we
do not know that. Thus tamōguṇa covers my nature; then rajōguṇa takes to the
relay race; what is that? Once tamō guṇa has covered my real nature; rajō guṇa
leads to erroneous projections. Ignorance is the cause of all erroneous notion. That
is why somebody nicely said: All negatives are developed in the dark room of
ignorance. Photography language in Vēdānta theme. All negatives are developed
where if you ask: dark room; all negatives; rāga, dvēṣa; kāma, krōdhaḥ, lōbhaḥ,
mōha; they are all developed in the dark room of ignorance. So these developed
negatives; this development is because of rajō guṇa; tamō guṇa provides the dark
room.
And what are the projections or misconceptions? The misconceptions Śankarācārya

says: are many and varied. The basic misconception is I am the body. I am the
sense-organs. I am the mind. This is called ahaṁkāra projection, caused by what?
Rajō guṇa. What is the role of Tamō guṇa? It provides the dark room.
So tamō guṇa provides only the dark room; rajō guṇa creates; we have seen this
before; vikṣēpa śaktiḥ projects; āvaraṇa śaktiḥ covers; vikṣēpa śaktiḥ projects; the
projection is two-fold: First projection is called ahaṁkāra; I am the body; I am the
sense organs; I am the mind:
The second projection is called mamakāra. Mamakāra with regard to the properties
of the body and mind. I have intelligence. I am the intellect is called ahaṁkāra, I
have intelligence is mamakāra. Whenever you use the verb am, it is called
ahaṁkāra; whenever you use the verb have it is mamakāra, because have means
possession and in Saṁsr̥kt possession is indicated by śaṣti vibhakthi; mama.
Page 824

So not only I possess various characteristics belonging to the body-mind complex, I

also possess house, wife, children; all the other things also. All are done by what?
The culprit mind. This is what is the essence of 178, which we were seeing in the
last class. Long long before; I hope you remember.
Look back to the slōka, first line; asaṅgaḥ chidrūpam amūṁ vimōhya. So the mind,
4th line mind is there manaḥ; that is the subject of the sentence; manaḥ vimōhya,
So the mind confuses; deludes. amūṁ the jīvātma, this individual; this human being
the mind deludes. What type of Jīvātma? He really is: asaṅga chidrūpam, who is
none other than relationless consciousness, which means I am pure consciousness,
which has no saṅga at all. No brutyo; na bartha; na maatha; na pittaa; all the
relations are only projections; there are no relations at all; because caitanyaṁ is
ākāśavat asaṅgah. And this jīvātma is deluded means what? This fact is kept in dark.
Delusion means I am deceived of the knowledge of this fact.
So this is the first job of the mind, like when the thieves enter the house, whatever
they do, the most important job they never forget to do is what: cut the phone wire;
communication cut; that means again keeping the police in the dark.
Similarly this mind also cuts this information. What information ahaṁ asaṅgah
chidrūpaha asmi. It is no more available. And the telephone connection is to where?
To the vēdas. Vēdas are the phone connections; that is cut; I am not allowed to
study; if I study I will know the truth. Therefore it deludes. This is the job of tamō
guṇa aspect of the mind.
Then the rajō guṇa aspect takes over and what does it do. Nibhadya. It binds the
individual; Ahaṁ mamēti. By creating ahaṁkāra and mamakāra; in which field; dēha
indriya prāṇa gūṇai. So by creating ahaṁkāra with regard to dēha, indriya, prāṇā.
Dēha means this physical body, indriya means the sense-organs; prāṇa means the
pañja prāṇaḥa with regard to them; the mind creates ahaṁkāra; that means what: I
am the body. This is the greatest tragedy. The moment I claim I am the body; then
I start my bio-data with what: date of birth; date of birth belongs to what: the body.
Even sūkṣma śarīraṁ does not have date of birth. What to talk of ātma. Sūkṣma
śarīraṁ has no date of birth; kārana śarīraṁ does not have date of birth; it is
anādhi. Ātma never had date of birth. So I identify with the body; therefore comes
bio-data.
Page 825

Then thereafterwards various identification: parentage; then the caste; I am

Brāhmaṇa, Kṣatriya, etc. and thereafterwards this is my father, my brother, all are
because of dēhābhīmāna. And thereafterwards struggling to maintain the body; to
maintain the family; to maintain everything; this is called dēha abhīmāna, the basis
of saṁsāra.
And then is indriya abhīmāna; I am blind, I am bright; etc. they all andatvam
manḍatva paḍuthva dharmāḥ; sauguṇya vaiguṇya vaśadhi caṣuṣāḥ; like I am deaf; I
am blind, etc. that is called indriya abhīmāna. And then finally prāṇa abhīmāna; I am
hungry; I am thirsty; etc. all belongs to prāṇa.
So with regard to them, ahaṁkāra and with regard to their properties; guṇaihi
mama iti; you have to split and put it; dēha indriya prāṇa; that three with ahaṁ;
guṇaihi should be added to mama; guṇaḥ means properties. With regard to
properties I do not have ahaṁkāra; I do not say I am properties; I only say, I have
property. Therefore, guṇaihi, mama iti nibhadhya. Thus I am tied to the body mind
complex, through ahaṁkāra and mamakāra.
According to vēdānta, I am body is also not correct; I have body is also not correct.
I am mind is also not correct; I have mind also is not correct. Neither am; nor
have; neither prathama vibhakthi; nor śaṣti vibhakthi. That is why ātma is called
avyayaṁ; for Grammar students; for avyayaṁ there is no prathama vibhakthi or
śaṣti vibhakthi. And therefore there is this bondage. OK.
And once ahaṁkāra and mamakāra have come into being, then what is the next
tragedy? Tragedy after tragedy only; what is the next one?
Ajasraṁ bhramayati; this individual begins to knock about in the world; go around in
the world; because busier and busier; I went there and I went here; most of the
time in planes trains and cars, etc. In the field of what: svakr̥tyēṣu phalōpabhuktiṣu;
svakr̥tya means karmāṇi; once ahaṁkāra has come into the picture; kartr̥tvam has
come into picture; once kartr̥tvam comes, varieties of karma. Depending upon what?
varṇa and āsrama. What is the varṇa and āsrama for the ātma?
न वणार न वणार्श्रमाचारध
Page 826

न मे धारणाध्यानयोगादयो�
अनात्माश्रयाहंममाध्यासहा
तदेकोऽव�शष्ट �शवः के वलोऽहम ् ॥२॥
na varṇā na varṇāśramācāradharmā
na mē dhāraṇādhyānayōgādayōpi
anātmāśrayāhaṁmamādhyāsahānāt
tadēkō:'vaśiṣṭaḥ śivaḥ kēvalō:'ham ||2||
I do not have varṇam and āsramam; that is fact. When I slipped out to ahaṁkāra,
Brahmanōham; kṣatriyōham; brahmachāri ahaṁ; miserable gr̥hastha ahaṁ;
miserable should be added to everything; not only for gr̥hastha! Do not tell that I am
adding to that only.
So therefore varṇa and āsrama come into picture; once they come, what happens?
svakr̥tyēṣu; sva kr̥tyam means what? The relevant action depending upon my family
status and social status. Family status is called āsrama; social status is called varṇa;
varieties of karma.
And not only I wander in the field of karmās; phalōpabhuktiṣu; and also I knock
about in the field of phala upabhuktiḥ means what; phala anubhavaḥ. Karma phalam
takes me from one place to another place. When I plan to go to a place, it is karma
that is taking; but when I am helplessly forced to go to a place, it is karma phalam.
Like a good bureaucrat does his duty; it is not supposed to do; all over the place he
is transferred why? karma phala upabhuktiṣu. In kali yugā if you do good karma,
you will be suffering. So therefore either I go from place to place, because of my
will, or I go from place to place because of my state. So karma dvāra Brāhmaṇam;
karma phalam dvāra Brāhmaṇam. Either way, what is common? Brāhmaṇam.
Brāhmaṇam means knocking about; wandering about. All because of what:
ahaṁkāra mamakāra; that because of what? This terrible mind. All that the job of
the manas.
Therefore manaḥ svakr̥tyēṣu; in the field of duties or karmās; phala upabuktishu;

and in the field of karma phalas, brahmayati, makes the jīva; jīva understood, makes
the jīva, wander. Bhram here in the causal form means wander. The word bhram
has the meaning of confusion also; bhram has the meaning in causal form; the
meaning of wandering also. paribhramaṇam.
Page 827

OK. How long the wander continues? ajasraṁ; constantly on the move. And when
śāstra tells wandering, it does not keep bhulōka alone in the mind; the karma and
phalā, some of the phalās may be exhausted in this janma; and when some of the
phalās may not be exhausted in this janma; Bhagavān gives transfer to not Assam,
Nagaland, and all; transfer to either dēva lōkaḥ or still worse, where is the transfer
to? atala, vitala, sutala, rasātala, mahātala, talātala, pātala paryantham. 14 lōkaḥs;
पुनर�प जननं पुनर�प मरणं

पुनर�प जननी जठरे शयनम ् |
इह संसारे बहुदस
ु ्तार
कृपयाऽपारे पा�ह मरु ारे ||२१||
punarapi jananaṁ punarapi maraṇaṁ
punarapi jananī jaṭharē śayanam |
iha saṁsārē bahudustārē
kr̥payā:'pārē pāhi murārē ||21||
The only rescue is what; kr̥payā:'pārē pāhi murārē. So culprit is the mind. So take
care of the mind. So take care of your mind.
अध्यासदोषात्पुरु संस�तः
ृ
अध्यासबन्धस्त्वम किल्पत |
रजस्तमोदोषवतोऽ�ववे�कन
जन्मा�द दुःखस �नदानमेतत् ||१७९||
adhyāsadōṣātpuruṣasya saṁsr̥tiḥ
adhyāsabandastvamunaiva kalpitaḥ |
rāja stamōdōṣavatō:'vivēkinō
janmādiduḥkhasya nidānamētat ||179||
Almost the same idea as in the previous verse. Just presented in a slightly different
manner. In the previous slōka, Śankarācārya talked about only wandering in the
world because of the mind.
In this verse Śankarācārya says not only wandering is caused by the mind; but even
punarapi jananam cycle also is caused by the same mind alone. Not only within one
life; but even life to life; jumping like a frog; is also because of the same mind.
Page 828

So adhyāsa yōgāt puruṣasya saṁsr̥tiḥ; saṁsr̥tiḥ means saṁsāraḥ; saṁsāra can be

defined in many ways; dēha abhīmāna is saṁsāra; and because of kartr̥tvam is
saṁsāra; because of that karmās are all saṁsāra; because of that karma phalam;
puṇya pāpa misram; they are also called saṁsāram; and because of puṇya, pāpa
misram, sukha duḥkha anubhava. All these are known by the general term saṁsāra.
And this saṁsāra is puruṣasya; puruṣasya means what? Not for a male; for male
saṁsāra it should mean what; that all females are muktaḥ; so they can stop
attending the classes. Puruṣaḥ here mean jīvasya; for a living being; and especially
for a human being.
For living beings other than human being, suffering is only gross suffering. A cow
has got only a biological saṁsāra; therefore if you beat it, it will have pain. But it
does not have the problem of jealousy, as Dayānanda svāmi beautifully says; in the
Dog show when the first prize is given to a particular dog, and then the dog is
made to stand on the number one position; No.2, No.3, etc. who is proud of the first
rank; is it the dog; no; it will sit where it is instructed to sit with its tongue out; will
be seeing here and there; who is proud, is who is standing nearby, spending the
whole life training the dog, without training himself. Just like the dog, very well not
being himself.
So animals do not have the subtle problem of self-identification; it has got only an
instinctive bodily identification; therefore the instinctive biological problems only they
face; these subtle problems caused by self-consciousness. This is what Dayānanda
Svāmiji calls self-consciousness, which is a deliberate process. For animals self-
consciousness is instinctive.
So therefore animals suffer gross saṁsāra; whereas human beings suffer very very
subtle saṁsāra. And therefore puruṣasya means all the jīvarāsis in general and
human beings in particular; they suffer from saṁsāra. Because of what? adhyāsa
yōgāt; because of abhīmāna. Animals having instinctive abhīmāna, human beings
have instinctive plus deliberate abhīmāna also. So this is called adhyāsaḥ. So
adhyāsa doṣaḥat; this adhyāsa; this abhīmāna is a doṣaḥ.
In Vēdānta, abhīmāna is a doṣaḥ. In worldly life, abhīmāna is supposed to be great;

you should have abhīmāna; you should have self-respect. Abhīmāna is translated as
self-respect, pride, be proud of your country; proud of your family. So in the worldly
Page 829

parlance, it is good. It is relatively field, it is good to some extent; therefore

abhīmāna is in that context.
But in philosophical context, abhīmāna is a negative thing. āsura guṇaḥ;

dambodarpo abhīmānasca krōda pāruṣyamēva cha. So here, in vēdantic sense we
are using as dēha abhīmāna and it is a doṣaḥ, because of that doṣaḥ, there is
saṁsāra.
So then the question comes, if dēha abhīmāna is the culprit, why do you blame the
mind. Dēha abhimāna is the problem; why do you blame the mind? Śankarācārya
says unfortunately, the dēha abhīmāna is created by the mind alone. Therefore he
says: adhyāsabandhastvamunaiva kalpitaḥ; amuna manasā; amuna means this. It is
a pronoun; amuna is a pronoun; sakaraanthaha napumsaha liṅgaḥ, adas śabdaḥ.
adaha amum ameen. ... ..... So therefore amuna means by this.
So what does this word this mean? Since we are dealing with the manōmaya kōśa;
in the context of manōmaya kōśa, this means mind alone. Therefore amuna manasa
ēva; by this mind alone, kalpitaḥ is created, is generated. What? adhyāsa bandaḥ;
the knot of dēha abhīmāna; the knot of adhyāsa. Therefore the direct problem is
adhyāsa; but the ultimate problem is the mind alone.
How do you know that the mind is generating adhyāsa? What is the proof? Without
proof how can you blame the mind? The proof, we know is very simple. In jāgrat
and svapna avastha when the mind is active and functioning, there is dēha
abhīmāna; ahaṁkāra and mamakāra. In the deep sleep state, the mind is resolved; I
never say I am a male or female in deep sleep state. I do not say I am a Brāhmaṇa
or a kṣatriya.
So therefore ahaṁkāra-mamakāra comes when the mind is active. Both of them are
resolved, when the mind is resolved. What is the logic called? Anvaya-vyatirēka
logic; manasaḥ satve adhyāsa satvam; manasaḥ abhāve, adhyāsaḥ abhāvaḥ; tasmat
manaḥ ēva adhyāsasya kāraṇam. That is what he says; amuna ēva adhyāsa bandaḥ
kalpitaḥ.
And therefore, go to the fourth line, etat ēva nidhānam. And therefore the mind
alone is responsible nidhānam means kāraṇam; mind alone is the cause. Of what?
Janmādhi duḥkhasya. Of all the problems like janma, etc. Etc. means what? All the
Page 830

vikārās; jāyaye, vardate, vipariṇamathe (at least this is better) after that
apakṣiyathe, after that vinaśyati. At least after vināśā, is the problem is over, if you
ask, punaḥ api jāyaye vardatē. So janmādhi duḥkhasya; in short saṁsārasya etat
ēva nidhānam.
OK. When Śankarācārya criticises the mind strongly, one may begin to hate the
mind. Many people say therefore the mind has to be destroyed, this and that.
Therefore Śankarācārya says mind is not a problem for all the people.
Because the wise people also enjoy the mind. In fact they enjoy their mind.
Because they enjoy
र भूताना मैत् करु एव च |

अद्वेष् सव्
ु सुखः �मी ||१२- १३||
�नमर्म �नरहङ्कार समदःख
सन्तुष् सततं योगी यतात्म दृढ�नश्च |
advēṣṭā sarvabhūtānāṁ maitraḥ karuṇa ēva ca |
nirmamō nirahaṅkāraḥ samaduḥkhasukhaḥ kṣamī ||12- 13||
santuṣṭaḥ satataṁ yōgī yatātmā dr̥ḍhaniścayaḥ |
They enjoy compassion; they enjoy love; friendship and consideration. Bhakthi;
where is all these? Whether in ātma or in the mind? All these beautiful virtues are
only in the mind only; therefore do not blindly blame the mind.
Therefore Śankarācārya says mind is a problem only for certain people; and who are
they: avivēkina; for an unintelligent person, who does not know how to use the tool
like atomic energy; it is a wonderful gift from the Lord; because of atomic energy
alone, we get lot of power; but the very same atomic energy is responsible for
Hiroshima and Nagasaki also. Therefore, the energy is not to be blamed; the one
who is unintelligent with regard to handling that. Therefore, avivēkinaḥ puruṣasya
manaḥ nidhānam dukhasya.
Ok. Who is an avivēki? Who is unintelligent? For him also, technical definition is
given; rajas tamō doṣaḥvataḥ. Adjective to avivēkina; śaṣti vibhakthi; you have to
supply puruṣasya. Rajas tamas doṣaḥ avivēkinaḥ puruṣasya; all these words in the
sixth case.
Page 831

And you can understand the meaning? Who is an unintelligent person? That person
in whom the rajō doṣaḥ and tamō doṣaḥ are predominant. And what is rajō doṣaḥ?
Extrovertedness. No time to think; except thinking, everything he will do. And all the
new gadgets discovered are for avoiding thinking. Reading habit was there; that
gone and television has come. In TV, thinking programme, educative programme, if
at all it is there by mistake, we will not see them. In whichever programmes there is
no thinking, we all watch that. Not only there is no thinking in those programmes,
but even the existing thinking will be lost watching those programmes. What is all
these? Rajō guṇa mahima.
In fact, all the scientific progress is now promoting rajō guṇa only. Educative
programmes are very less. And the glory of māya is: even if such programs are
there, we would not be tempted to see that. Discovery channels, how many people
see. Oliyum and Oziyum. Whether it is there or not now I do not know, I have been
telling about it now. Something else might have come. 99% viewership. Nobody
would cut that; Discovery they will cut. Therefore they will not allow to cut oliyum
ozhiym.
Therefore rajō doṣaḥ makes the mind extrovert. Tamō doṣaḥ makes the mind
sleepy. Either he is extrovert or sleepy. Thinking is unknown to him. So for such an
non-thinking mechanical person, the mind becomes the cause of saṁsāra.
अतः प्राहुमर्नोऽ�वद पिण्डतास्तत्त्वद� |

येनैव भ्राम् �वश्व वायुनेवाभ्रमण्ड ||१८०||
ataḥ prāhurmanō:'vidyāṁ paṇḍitāstattvadarśinaḥ |
yēnaiva bhrāmyatē viśvaṁ vāyunēvābhramaṇḍalam ||180||
Here Śankarācārya gives an incidental information. That in the case of this avivēki,
in whom satva guṇa is suppressed and tamō guṇa rules the roost, wherein avidyā is
dominant; Śankarācārya says such a mind itself can be called avidyā. Even though
mind is strictly not avidyā; when the mind is saturated with ignorance, we can call it
ignorance itself.
Like when food is mixed with poison; we say the food itself is poison. So it is not
viṣaṁ; it is only mixed with poison; but when it is mixed with poison and it becomes
dominant; we say it is poison. Similarly, ajñānā sahitam manaḥ ēva ajñānaṁ iti
ucyatē. See whether you understand. Ajñānā sahitam manaḥ ēva ajñānaṁ iti ucyatē.
Page 832

Even though it is strictly, technically not correct, but it is said because mind is
saturated with avidyā. Therefore he says ataḥ; therefore, since the mind is saturated
with avidyā, and since the mind creates all the problems which avidyā creates,
therefore, paṇḍitāḥ tatva darśināḥ prāhu; all the wise people declare the following.
Pandithā also means wise; tatva darśināḥ means wise; the difference is paṇḍitāḥ
means strotriyāḥ; tatva darśināḥ means Brahmaniṣṭaḥ. Sr̥ōtriya Brahma niṣṭā.
And what is the difference, we have seen long before? Sr̥ōtriya means those who are
scripturally informed; scriptural scholars are called Sr̥ōtriya. And what is Brahma
niṣṭāḥ? Those who have become one with the scriptural teaching. They are not
doing lip service; it is not a verbal statement; whatever they quote some scriptures,
they themselves have become. Ananya prōkte gati rathra nāsti. That is what they
speak and what they are; both are one and the same. They talk about Brahman;
they are Brahman. Gurur Brahma Gurur Viṣṇu, Gurur devo maheshava, guruḥ sākṣāt
para brahma. And therefore Sr̥ōtriya brahma niṣṭāḥ they declare. What do they
declare? Manaḥ avidyām prāḥuḥ. They say for all practical purposes, mind itself can
be taken as ignorance, because it is saturated with ignorance.
And yēnaiva viśvaṁ bhrāmyate. Because of this ignorant mind alone, ignorance
saturated mind alone, viśvaṁ bhrāmyate; the whole world is knocking about,
wandering about in saṁsāra. bhrāmyate means wandering; not knowing where to
go. One is the middle of Sahara desert. Which is the way out; how do we know. The
whole desert is bigger than India or something. Such a vast area. Where to go and
it is hot; May Sun 70 degress. Not Fahrenheit; Centigrade; Fahrenheit would be cool.
Like that the whole world is like a desert; they are taptāḥ; by what? adhyāmika,
adhidevika; adhiboudika; tapai; and who is wandering; Śankarācārya says: viśvaṁ;
the entire world is in the grip of ignorance; and they think whatever they are doing
is great. They declare also in a big way: that I did that; I did this; etc. I have gone
there; and they say that Śankarācārya and other people who are wise people, they
are looked down upon. They do not know anything; some problem; mentally off;
that's why they have come to this line.
In fact many people consider that you are all little off; screw loose; not normal,
because you are all attending these classes; something has happened to you all, etc.
Therefore the whole world criticises the wise people then black sheep becomes
Page 833

majority and the white sheep become the black sheep. And therefore these people
also cannot talk anything. Therefore what he said? Jaḍavan lokhācharēt. Do not talk
about Vēdānta. And do whatever mistakes they do. If you are in the society, do that
also. Be a Roman when you are in Rome.
And if you want to be different, go to forest; then you can do anything. So

therefore, Śankarācārya says elsewhere that the whole world is a mental hospital.
So similar thing he says: Viśvaṁ, the world, the world means the people of the
world: janāh, so sarve janaah, yēnaiva; yēna means ignorant manasa; because of
the ignorant mind alone, the whole world wanders in saṁsāra. Like what? an
example is given: ābhramaṇḍalam iva. Like the clouds. The cloud keep on moving all
the time; does it enjoy moving about? No No No; it is not happily moving about;
because it does not have the freedom to decide where to go; I will go to a little east;
or west; the cloud cannot decide. Who decides? the ākāśa decides. Therefore
pushed by ākāśa, the cloud goes in this direction; and suddenly goes in this
direction. Like rainy clouds; you think that it is going to rain but before that it is
driven away to another direction by another wind.
Similarly, if like a paramahaṁsa parivarājaka ācārya you are moving about, it is

nandathi nandathi nandayath ēva. But here I am knocking about; pushed by the
ignorant mind. And therefore just as the clouds move about, pushed by ākāśa,
similarly, all the human beings knock about pushed by the ignorant mind. What a
comparison!
And therefore what is the remedy? Problem has been explained. He has got the
report and therefore this is more; cholesterol, bp; diabetics, etc. Now just
prescription. Prescription has been given by Dr.Śankarācārya. What is that?
तन्मनःशोधन काय� प्रयत् मुमु�ुणा |

�वशद्
ु स�त चैतिस्मन्मुिक करफलायते ||१८१||
tanmanaḥśōdhanaṁ kāryaṁ prayatnēna mumukṣuṇā |
viśuddhē sati caitasminmuktiḥ karaphalāyatē ||181||
What should be the remedy? Here alone we should be careful. Because till now, we
have said mind is the cause of all the problems; therefore naturally what do we
think? Remove the mind. This is the mistake committed by most people and even by
some of the systems of the philosophy also like the Yōga Śāstra, talks about such
Page 834

things, you go on eliminating thoughts, and as even you eliminate thoughts, mind
becomes slimmer and slimmer and slimmer and when all the thoughts are gone,
mind also disappears and when the mind disappears, then ātma reveals itself after
the mind goes away; and you are muktaḥ. These are all the big mistakes committed
by not only people but even systems of philosophy.
And this prescription is called in Tamil: What is the medicine for headache; śira
cēdam. Headache; cut it; like the amputation of the hand. When the headache
comes, you do not cut off the head; you remove the headache. So remove the
headache, what is the samāsam? OK. Saṁsr̥kt grammar students can talk.
There are different ways of interpreting samāsam. Headache, head ca ache ca;
dvanda samāsam; headache means head and ache; so remove the headache
means; if you take the dvanda samāsam, remove the head and the ache. It will
become like that. We should take it as tatpuruṣaḥ samāsam; headasya ache;
headache; so remove the ache of the head; not the head. So tatpuruṣaḥ samāsam
or dvanda samāsam; they do not understand and they are caught in that.
Therefore what is required is not removal of the mind. And unfortunately, in the
scriptures themselves, there are words; manō nāśaḥ; unmani avasatha; unmanaya
avasthāyām vigata kalimalam Śaṁkaraṁ na smārāmi; kṣanthavyo me aparadāḥ, śiva
śiva śivabhō Sree Mahādēva śaṁbhō. unmani avastha; in Mandukhya avastha amani
bhāva; these words lead to misconception also. Therefore Śankarācārya says your
job is not removing the mind, it is not possible; it is not worthy also. If you remove
the mind, you will become like stone. So what is to be done? The unhealthy mind
has to be removed.
And how do you do it? unhealthy mind is removed by making the mind healthy;
adjective alone is remove; and not the noun. And therefore manasaḥ śōdanam
kāryam. Do not destroy the mind; purify the mind. Enlighten the mind; teach the
mind; educate the mind; train the mind; educate the mind; direct the mind; do not
stop the mind; but give direction to the mind; do not destroy thoughts; change the
quality of thoughts. Have a proper thought direction.
In Vēdānta, thought removal is not at all prescribed. Not at all required; not at all
relevant. Vēdānta deals with how to think. Even in vēdantic mediation, we do not
prescribe thought removal; we only prescribe: manobhudhya ahaṁkāra cittaani
Page 835

nāhaṁ; which is a thought; na srothra jihvē na cha grāṇa nētrē; cidānandaḥ rūpaḥ
śivōhaṁ śivōhaṁ is akhānandākāra vr̥tti and therefore purify the mind; refine the
mind and then the healthy mind; not only will not lead to bondage, it will lead to
liberation also. Those details we will deal with later. Hari Om.
Page 836

065. Verses 181 to 185
अध्यासदोषात्रुषस संस�तः
ृ
अध्यासबन्धस्त्वम किल्पत |
रजस्तमोदोषवतोऽ�ववे�कन
जन्मा�द दुःखस �नदानमेतत् ||१७९||
adhyāsadōṣātpuruṣasya saṁsr̥tiḥ
adhyāsabandastvamunaiva kalpitaḥ |
rāja stamōdōṣavatō:'vivēkinō
janmādiduḥkhasya nidānamētat ||179||
अतः प्राहुमर्नोऽ�वद पिण्डतास्तत्त्वद� |

येनैव भ्राम् �वश्व वायुनेवाभ्रमण्ड ||१८०||
ataḥ prāhurmanō:'vidyāṁ paṇḍitāstattvadarśinaḥ |
yēnaiva bhrāmyatē viśvaṁ vāyunēvābhramaṇḍalam ||180||
तन्मनःशोधन काय� प्रयत् मुमु�ुणा |

�वशद्
ु स�त चैतिस्मन्मुिक करफलायते ||१८१||
tanmanaḥśōdhanaṁ kāryaṁ prayatnēna mumukṣuṇā |
viśuddhē sati caitasminmuktiḥ karaphalāyatē ||181||
The topic of manōmaya kōśa is being continued in these verses. Śankarācārya

pointed out that manōmaya is the cause of bondage. Manōmaya is the cause of
liberation also and therefore what is required is not the destruction of the mind but
converting the mind favourable to us.
And which mind is favourable, which is not favourable it was pointed out. Satva
pradhāna anthakāraṇam is mōkṣa upayōgi; whereas rajas tama pradhāna
anthakāraṇam is banda hētuḥ.
And therefore Śankarācārya concludes in this verse; tat manaḥśōdhanaṁ kāryaṁ.

And therefore one has to purify the mind; which alone takes more time than even
the study of vēdānta. The study of vēdānta for a qualified mind takes only limited
time; if at all the study of vēdānta takes more time; the problem is not with vēdānta;
Page 837

the problem is we have not spend enough time with purification and that is why
Krishna tells in the Gītā, anēka janma samsiddaḥ tatoyāti parāṁgathim. Purification
process takes even janmās and therefore manaḥśōdhanaṁ kāryaṁ tat.
So tat, we can take in two meanings; either as an adjective; tat manaḥ; therefore
one should purify that mind; or a better interpretation is tat can be taken as an
indeclinable word: Tasmat, Therefore, tasmāt mana śōdhanaṁkāryam; therefore
means wherefore? Since the purified mind alone is the cause of liberation; therefore,
tasmāt manah śōdhanaṁ kāryam.
And Śankarācārya does not say how should we purify the mind. He only says
purification should be done. He does not say how and what is the answer to the
question: he answered elsewhere, the 11th verse he said: cittasya śuddaye karma,
na vasthu upalabyatē.
So in the beginning of Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi, he has indicated the entire karma kānda;

the entire religious life; all the religious sādanas are meant for purification. And in
our tradition, we have converted all our life's activities into religious sādhanā. Right
from brushing the teeth, they made a method of purification. So they used to take
the twig from the tree; when the twig is taken from the tree for teeth brushing;
cleaning; there also there is a prayer involved. And thereafterwards regular bathing
is a prayer, because not only I want to purify the body through the bath; I want to
purify the mind also. Eating is also converted into religious sādhanā. In fact right
from getting up, up to going to bed, is converted into religious sādhanā; that is why
people repeated write, that Hinduism is a way of life. Hindu religion is way of life.
Not philosophy. Philosophy is not a way of life; it is a view of life; somebody said.
Therefore way of life is religion; view of life is philosophy.
And if a person leads a way life, the mind gets purified. And therefore karma
yōgēna, upasanēna ca, varṇa āsrama dharma anuṣṭānēna, mana śōdhanaṁ;
purification of mind, kāryam has to be accomplished. By whom? Mumukṣuna; if you
are interested in mōkṣa. If you stay I am not at all interested in mōkṣa, I enjoy life
as it is; I do not believe in Mōkṣa and all these things, Vēdas says: I wish you all the
best. Vēda does not impose anything; if you are interested in mōkṣa, better follow
this. Therefore, mumukṣuna mana śōdhanaṁ kāryam.
Page 838

Is it an easy job. Śankarācārya says: No. prayatnēna. It requires lot of effort.

Krishna in the Gītā gives a list of unhealthy ways of thinking and a list of healthy
responses to the situations. Abhayaṁ satva samśuddhim jñāna yōga vyavasthidiḥ;
he gives a list; and also dambo darpo abhīmānasca krōdhaḥ pārusyamēva ca. So we
have to keep the list and we have to regularly watch whether I am closer to daivi
sampath or aāsūri sampath. It requires eternal alertness.
Unfortunate thing is, people think religious life is only morning 10 mts pooja or
prayer; whereafterwards we can do anything that we like; and evening also you do
something, that is the end of religion. No. Religion involves every moment alert
living and therefore prayatnēna; and it is worth the effort because etatasmin viśudda
sati ca; once the mind has become daivi sampanna anthakāraṇam, satva pradhana
anthakāraṇam, guṇa Brāhmaṇa anthakaraṇam, sādhanā catuṣṭya sampanna
anthakaraṇam. Then what is the advantage? muktiḥ karaphalāyatē. Mukti will be like
a fruit in your hand; fruit in your hand; How much time it will take to eat? just keep
in the mouth and eat.
Otherwise the fruit is in some shop; and then you have to go there; you have to
catch the bus and it will be exorbitant price and all. A fruit in the shop or in the
mountain is far away. A fruit in the hand is readily available.
In the same way, once the mind is pure, mōkṣa is at hand, it is not far away. So
khara phalam means fruit in the hand; kara phalāyatē, means kara phalam iva
bhavathi; it is like a fruit in the hand; it is an idiom, which means it is easily
available.
Krishna tells in the Gītā.
राज�वद्य राजगुह्य प�वत्र�मदमुत्त |

प्रत्य�ाव धम्य सुसुखं कतुर्मव्यय ||९- २||
rājavidyā rājaguhyaṁ pavitramidamuttamam |
pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyaṁ susukhaṁ kartumavyayam ||9- 2||
It is very easy. Elsewhere in the Kathopanișad, the opposite is said:
Page 839

�ुरस् धारा �न�शता दरु त्यय दग

ु � पथस्ततवयो वदिन्, kṣurasya dhārā niśitā duratyayā,
durgaṁ pathastatkavayō vadanti. Attaining mōkṣa is extremely difficult like walking
on the razor's edge.
Naturally question will come how come in one place it is said very easy; and in the
other place, it is said very difficult; does not the scriptures contradict itself. So this
where śraddhāḥ is required. If śraddhāḥ is not required; what will you do? It is
contradictory you say and you throw it and go. If śraddhāḥ is there, we can find the
answer very easily.
What is the answer? For the qualified mind, it is the easiest; for the unprepared
mind, it is the most difficult thing. Satvapradhāna anthakāraṇasya susukam kartum
avyayaṁ; rajas tama pradhāna anthakāraṇasya kṣurasya dhārā. And therefore make
your mind sātvik.
मो�ैकसक्त् �वषयेषु रागं

�नमूर्ल संन्यस च सवर्कम |
सच्छ्र यः श्रवणा�द�नष
रजःस्वभाव स धन
ु ो�त बुद्ध ||१८२||
mōkṣaikasaktyā viṣayēṣu rāgaṁ
nirmūlya saṁnyasya ca sarvakarma |
sacchraddhayā yaḥ śravaṇādiniṣṭhō
rāja ḥsvabhāvaṁ sa dhunōti buddhēḥ ||182||
So what should one do is beautifully presented; a beautiful and complete slōka this
is. Therefore what am I to do. You are saying so many things; I am confused; what
should I do now? Say it: He says: mōkṣaikasaktyā; first make mōkṣa the top priority
of life; ēka sakti means the only object of attachment. May you change the object of
attachment; attachment we already have; we need not produce, because we are
good in that. Only shift the object of attachment from world to God. From world to
Brahman. From anātma to ātma. From prēyas to srēyas. This conversion let it take
place. So saktiḥ means object of attachment; eka saktiḥ means that should become
the only object of attachment.
That means if I have to choose one thing in life, I should be able to choose mōkṣa
only; not after lot of coercion and all; 'Mōkṣa' should come spontaneously in your
Page 840

mouth if asked what do you want. As Nachiketas does have. How much
Yamadharmarāja tempted; this I will give; that I will give; etc. So all those things he
offered, not for a price; free. So Nachiketas said: I do not think, there is any
question of reconsideration at all; nānyaṁ varam tasmānnacikētā vr̥ṇītē. This is
called priorities in life being clear. In Saṁsr̥kt it is called tīvraḥ mumukṣam develop.
Mōkṣa eka sakthi; let mōkṣa become the primary goal.
And how to make mōkṣa primary goal, if you ask? By knowing that, that alone is
everlasting benefit, whereas all other benefits are subject arrival; but the painful fact
is: they are all subject to departure also. Therefore Īśvara alone is śāśvatam.
Everything else is a śāśvatam. janmamr̥tyujarāvyādhiduḥkhadōṣānudarśanam. So by
proper thinking develop your goal. And then what is the next thing.
Viṣayēṣu rāgam nirmūlya. Even after keeping mōkṣa as the goal; the mind will
continue to cling to the object of the world. Even though intellectual conviction has
come, the mind will cling to them; because of sheer vāsanā. Just as you keep a
flower or onion in one place, and thereafterwards you remove the onion, then in the
place that vāsana will be there; the effect will be there.
That is what Krishna said in the Gītā? rasavarjyam rasōpyasya; that vāsana Krishna
called rasaḥ; habitual attachment to things and beings. Even though intellectually I
am detached, emotionally I am attached. And that is very difficult to get out; and
therefore one has to put special effort.
So therefore Viṣayēṣu rāgam nirmūlya. One should totally uproot the attachment to
every viṣaya; viṣaya means things, objects and situations. And what about my
concern about my family? The śāstra says, do you duty to the family; do not leave
that; but remove the concern about the family. Doing the duty, we think requires a
concern; concernless performance of duty is possible. And how do we get out of
concern?

Page 841

Handover the concern part to God. Somebody nicely said: Let life be a partnership
business. Who are the two partners? I am one and the Īśvara is the other. And what
are their duties? My job is doing the work. Īśvara's job is doing the worry part.
Therefore leave the worry part to Īśvara; make him your partner; but do the action
part. Now also we are keeping the Īśvara as the partner; but we have done the ulta.
We want the Īśvara to do the work; and we do the work of worrying. That is not; it
should be the other way around. Bhagavān has to worry; I have to work. Once I
learn to do that; rāga goes away: Oh Lord, all these members are yours. It is you
who have to take care of.
So this is called vairāgya prāptihi. Develop mumukṣutvaṁ; develop vairāgyam; all

through proper vivēka; vivēka is understood; and then what do you do? Sarva karma
ca sanyasya; reduce the extrovert activities; try to find quality time for yourselves.
If possible, renounce. OK. Śankarācārya's advice is what? Sarvani karmāṇi sanyasya;
because he is a Sanyāsi, you know! He will say: everyone take sanyāsa.
So take to sanyāsa, but the spirit behind sanyāsa is what? finding quality time. If I
become a physical sanyāsi by changing the cloth, and I am involved in various other
activities; sanyāsa is not going to be of any use; on the other hand, remaining in the
family itself, I am going to find quality time and then spend in this, I am a sanyāsi
only. Therefore sarvāṇī karmāṇi sanyasya; give up all the extrovert pursuit to the
extent possible.
OK, once I find quality time, extra time how should I spend? So watch all the cricket
matches of the world cup; all the matches. Some of them OK. So therefore how
should I spend; shravānādi niṣṭa; may you be committed to jñāna yōga consisting of
śravaṇa, manana and nidhidhyāsana. So listening, reflection, internalisation.
Listening, reflection and assimilation. And they are not a casual thing in life; because
I do not have any other job to do; so I am coming here to listen to these free
lectures; let it not be casual: Niṣṭaha. May you be committed.
And with what attitude? Sa śraddhāya; with good faith in the upaṇiṣad as
pramāṇam; vēdas can give a knowledge which other means of knowledge cannot
give. Vēda pramānya buddhya. And you can include Guru also; guru śāstra
pramānya buddhya; they will give a knowledge which cannot be gained through
other means of knowledge; and which is not opposed to other means of knowledge.
Page 842

That is what Chinmayānanda Svāmi nicely says: Vēdānta is neither logical nor
illogical. Logical or illogical you can talk only with regard to something which is
available for the norms of logic. Whatever is available for the norms of logic; you can
say it is logical or illogical. Since it is not within the field of logic itself; we call it
alogical. In the dictionary you will not find; he has invented it. Beautiful word; it
transcends that.
And therefore that is called faith. It teaches something unique which is neither
within the logic nor is it contradictory to logic. Like eyes giving this is orange colour;
Is it logical or illogical? There is no question of logicity or illogicity with regard to it; if
you say means of knowledge; it has given knowledge of the colour; which does not
come under logical field at all. Can logic find the colour of the object at all? Presume
that you do not have eyes at all; suppose I do not have eyes, by using logic can I
know the colour. Logic cannot help to know the colour, and since logic cannot help
to know the colour, logic cannot negate the colour also. What that which cannot
help to know that cannot negate also. Therefore the colour is given by a unique
means of knowledge. Similarly vēda gives me a knowledge which is beyond all the
other means of knowledge. This approach is called śraddhāḥ. It is a very very
technical word; Pramānya buddhya; sa śraddhāya; with a noble pramāṇya buddhi. It
is said to be noble because that alone decides whether I will get knowledge or not.
If this attitude is not there, vēdic teaching would be a permanent hypothesis; it will
be a noble hypothesis; but it will never become a piece of knowledge. Whether it is
hypothesis or knowledge depends upon my attitude towards the teaching.
Therefore sa śraddhāya; with the help of noble śraddhā may you practice jñāna
yōga; and if you follow all these steps; what will happen? The phalam is given. Sa
buddhēḥ rāja svabhāvaṁ dhunōti; that person destroys the rājasic nature of the
mind; and also tāmasic. That is understood; rājasic and tāmasic nature of the mind;
tāmasic nature representing ignorance; rājasic nature representing error. So tamas
means ignorance; rājas means error. Error always presupposes ignorance.
And we have both ignorance and error. What is the ignorance? I am Brahma is not
known; it is ignorance; and what is the error? ahaṁ jīvaḥ asmi. So Brahma ajñānaṁ
and jīvatva error. Ajñānaṁ and adhyāsa. Both of them he dhunōti; he wipes out.
Who wipes out? The one who has gone through all these stages, he wipes out.
Page 843

मनोमयो ना�प भवेत्परात्

ह्याद्यन्तवत्त्वात्प�रणा� म |
दःख
ु ात्मकत्वाद्�वषयत्वह
द्रष �ह दृश्यात्म न दृष् ||१८३||
manōmayō nāpi bhavētparātmā
hyādyantavattvātpariṇāmibhāvāt |
duḥkhātmakatvādviṣayatvahētōḥ
draṣṭā hi dr̥śyātmatayā na dr̥ṣṭaḥ ||183||
So this is the last slōka dealing with manōmaya kōśa. Here Śankarācārya concludes
the topic of the third kōśa. We are in a grand pañja kōśa vivēka which was started in
verse no.149 itself. 149 to 183; he has only come up to manōmaya kōśa.
In Tatva bōdhaḥ, it was finished in one page. So the very same thing, Śankarācārya
is magnifying in this book and in this he talked about the nature of manōmaya kōśa;
and he talked about the role of manōmaya kōśa; that itself is the cause of bondage
if impure; and itself is the cause of liberation, if pure; all these things he has talked.
In this slōka, Śankarācārya says this manōmaya also is not ātma. This manōmaya
kōśa is not ātma means what? He is not myself. I am not my mind; I am the user of
the mind as an instrument. And I use my mind in jāgrat avastha; I use my mind in
svapna avastha. In the suṣupti avastha, the mind is resolved; the instrument is not
there; but still I am there; as a conscious being. So in short, what he says in this
slōka is: ātma is the consciousness in the mind; but ātma is not the mind itself. Like
sunlight is the light upon the hand; but it is not the hand itself.
Therefore he says: manōmayaḥ api parātma na bhavathi. Manōmaya kōśa is also not
paramātma, not the real self. The real-I; that is why he uses the word paraḥ ātma.
Paraḥ here means real. Paraḥ ātma means it is not the real-I; then if it is not real-I;
what I it is; it is a fake-I. When you say I am agitated, you are referring to real-I or
fake-I?
According to vēdānta, whenever you say I am agitated; it is not the real-I; for the
real-I, it is impossible to get agitated. Then what is agitated? The mind is agitated.
And we have very very unintelligently identified with the agitated mind and we say
that I am agitated. Like some people opening the mouth when the neighbour is
Page 844

eating. Something is given to eat; this man does not have anything. This is called
identification. So when they write, the hand goes, the mouth also goes, for some
people. It happens. Therefore, when it happens in the most gross thing, what to talk
of the subtlest aspect.
Therefore manōmaya is not the real-I. What are the reasons? He gives four reasons
for this conclusion.
No.1; adhyantavatva; because it is subject to arrival and departure, as we

experience everyday. It is subject to arrival in jāgrat-svapna avastha and it is subject
to departure in suṣupti avastha; I am there before the arrival of the mind, during the
presence of the mind and after the departure of the mind also in suṣupti. What is
the proof? When the mind is not functioning, it is resolved. I am aware of the
resolved condition of the mind; and therefore I must be different. Therefore,
ādyantavattvāt, it is subject to arrival and departure.
The second reason is pariṇāmi bhāvat. The mind, even when it is present, is subject
to changes. Pariṇāma means changes. So I am aware of the changing mind, the one
who knows the changes is not subject to change. The witness of changes is not
involved in the change.
Why? Very simple, suppose I say that this hall has changed now; because of the
painting the hall has changed; then what does it mean? I am there to be aware of
the previous condition of the hall; and I am there to be aware of the changed
condition of the hall also. Therefore I-the-witness am not involved in the changes.
Therefore pariṇāmi bhāvat.
Then the third reason is dukhātmathatvāt; because it is of the nature of duḥkhaṁ.

Duḥkhaṁ means sorrow. So the mind has got sorrow. In fact Śankarācārya says that
it is saturated with sorrow. Why do we say that it is saturated with sorrow. When
sorrow is there, there is sorrow. When the happiness is there, there is also sorrow.
You know what is the sorrow. Whether this is this going to go? When is this going to
go? The fear of this. I have told you, you know. When everything is fine, Svāmiji I
am afraid/concerned that some dr̥ṣṭi would fall; everybody visits the house, and I
have to take the ritual of removing the eye-sore!. Therefore inner fear is there; even
though externally I am happy; there is inside these thoughts that these should all
remain like this only; nothing bad should not befall me. Therefore manaḥ duḥkha
Page 845

rūpam; whereas śāstra says ātma is ānandaḥ svarūpaḥ; how can the ānandaḥ ātma
be ever equated to duḥkhaṁ manaḥ.
And therefore duḥkhātmakatvaat. And my nature is not duḥkhaṁ. You can say that
my nature is not duḥkhaṁ, by making use of the śāstra also; or making use of the
reason also we can prove my nature is not duḥkha. You know what is the reasoning?
I have told you before. Whatever be my nature, I would be comfortable with. If
sorrow is my nature, since being sorrowful is very very natural to me, I would not
struggle to get out of my nature, because it is my nature. And whenever anybody is
sorrowful also, I would not enquire why you are sorrowful, because it is the nature.
But what do you find? Whenever there is sorrow, there is a struggle to get out of it;
and whenever somebody is sorrowful, we ask the question also, why you are. But
when happiness comes, there is no struggle, I am very very happy; I do not go and
desperately search for some medicines for that state to leave. We do not. Try to get
out of it; nor when somebody is happy; we are not worried.
So therefore law of nature is to get out of unnatural things. And we try to get out of
sorrow and therefore sorrow is unnatural thing and the law of nature is to accept
and being comfortable with anything natural. And happiness we are comfortable
with and therefore that is my nature.
This is the reasoning but remember all these are based on the śruti teaching also;
remember nothing we prove by pure reason. Without the help of śāstra, pure reason
alone we do not claim, because the upaṇiṣads itself says: Naiśa tarkēna
mathirapanēya. All the reasonings are śruti-backed reason. And śruti clearly tells me:
ānandaḥ-ātma. Brahma puccham prathiṣṭam. Therefore I give reasoning also along
the line of the śruti and when I look at it like that, I see the ātma is ānanada, manaḥ
is duḥkhaṁ; and therefore duḥkhaṁ manaḥ cannot be ānandaḥ ātma. So this is the
third reason. ādyantavattvāt; pariṇāmi bhāvat; dukhātmakatvāt.
And the fourth is: viśyatva hētuḥ; viśyatvam means being the object of experience.
Hētuḥ means being; viśyatvam, since the object of experience. So the mind is clearly
an object of my experience, because I am aware of the previous conditions of the
mind; the present conditions of the mind, and in fact, not only I am aware of my
mind; I only am aware of my mind. What are my mental conditions nobody else
knows. You have to only infer. If I smile, you infer I am happy. But I can always
Page 846

learn to smile; that is called modernity. It is always: manners and all. You keep
smiling. You can develop the mannerism of smiling like the sales people and all and
inside there may be volcano. Therefore your mental condition I can only infer; but it
can always go wrong. But my mental condition who knows ultimately. I only know.
And therefore I am aware of my mind and then you have to apply the logic;
whatever is experienced is different from the experiencer.
Therefore, Śankarācārya tells that in the fourth line, draṣṭā na dr̥ṣṭaḥ; experiencer is
never the experienced. How? dr̥śyātmatayā; as an object temporarily. The
experiencer is never experienced temporarily as an object. Experiencer
consciousness is never temporarily experienced as an object; the consciousness is
evident all the time; but it is never temporarily experienced as an object, whereas
what about the mind? The mind is temporarily experienced; temporarily means
what: only in jāgrat and svapna. And therefore draṣṭā dr̥śyātmatayā; dr̥śyātma
means as an object. dr̥śyā rūpēṇa. So the experiencer is never experienced as an
object; whereas mind is experienced as an object and therefore mind is the
experienced-one; ātma is the experiencer-one and therefore they cannot be
identical. All these topics we have elaborately studied; therefore I do not want to go
into that. Therefore, manōmaya we have studied.
And most important thing is what? After elaborate study of manōmaya, we have to
spend time in dis-identifying from manōmaya. So that is the ultimate thing, because,
howevermuch you purify the mind, mind is going to have traces of problem. Exactly
like making the body healthy. Howevermuch you make the body healthy, body will
have certain problems.
Therefore what is the ultimate solution? Not making the body healthy. The ultimate
solution is understanding that I am not the body, which is subject to health and ill-
health. We can keep the body reasonably healthy; but hundred percent health does
not exist. Therefore ultimately in mōkṣa, a jñāni is not going to get a perfectly
healthy body; jñāni learns to accept the passing ill-health also. Similarly, we should
remember, whatever we do, mind is never going to become perfect. Mind will have
its own plus and minus points; including jñāni's mind. Just as jñāni's body is also
subject to ill-health; jñāni's mind is also subject to. Then what is the difference?
Jñāni's mōkṣa is not because of his mind is perfectly healthy; jñāni's mōkṣa is
because of the discovery that I am not the mind which is subject to health and ill-
health. The only glory is for jñāni because of tremendous sādana, the ill-health of
Page 847

the mind is limited; he may not be shout in anger; but anger can rise in the mind;
but he knows how to handle that because of the detachment.
And therefore only when I understand that I am not the mind; I will be comfortable;
otherwise I will try to make the mind perfect; and eternal struggle will continue. And
therefore I am not manōmaya also.
बु�द्धबुर्द्धीि साध� सविृ त्त कतर्ल�ण

ृ |
�व�ानमयकोशः स्यात्पुं संसारकारणम ् ||१८४||
buddhirbuddhīndriyaiḥ sārdhaṁ savr̥ttiḥ kartr̥lakṣaṇaḥ |
vijñānaṁayakōśaḥ syātpuṁsaḥ saṁsārakāraṇam ||184||
So now we are entering the fourth kōśa, viz., jñāma maya kōśa. Up to verse No. to
206; 184 to 206 is vijñānaṁaya kōśa. And Śankarācārya defines vijñānaṁaya kōśa in
this slōka. He says: buddhiḥ vijñānaṁaya kōśasyāt. The intellect is vijñānaṁaya
kōśa.
And what type of intellect? buddhirbuddhindriyaih sārdhaṁ; along with the

jñānēndriyās; buddhindriyam means jñānēndriyam. So the intellect stuff along with
the jñānēndriyās; sārdhaṁ means along with; indeclinable word; saha, samam,
sākam. And not only the intellect and the sense organs, along with its vr̥ttis; along
with its thought modifications; and that too a specific thought known as ahaṁ
vr̥ttihi.
Here we should remember, we have seen before, mind and buddhi are not totally
separate substances; mind buddhi etc. are all together one substance only. When I
say substance, a subtle substance. According to śāstra, mind is also a substance like
the body; but it is subtle-substance. Then what about buddhi? It is also substance;
which is the same subtle-substance only.
Then why do you differentiate as mind and buddhi. It is based on the type of
thought that is entertained, the names are given. When the anātma vr̥tti takes place,
idam vr̥tti takes place, any vr̥tti which reveals the external world, it is called manaḥ,
the instrumental one. But when it refers to itself, as ahaṁ; owning itself, referring to
itself, then the very same mind stuff is called vijñānaṁaya kōśaḥ; ahaṁkāraha. It is
also called ahaṁkāraḥ.
Page 848

And what is it? kartr̥lakṣaṇaḥ; it is the karta of all the actions. So manōmaya is
presented as kāraṇam; vijñānaṁaya is presented as the karta. Prāṇamaya is the
instrument; vijñānaṁaya is the agent, the doer, karta; therefore bhōktā, pramāda,
etc.
So thus the subtle substance called anthakaraṇam, called the mind-stuff; that is why
they use the word mind-stuff also, to indicate it is a substance, not a concept.
Vijñānaṁaya kōśasyāt, puṁsaḥ, saṁsāra kāraṇam. It is this karta, so this ahaṁkāra,
which is the cause of saṁsāra. The localised-I. The individuality; because when I say
ahaṁ brahmāsmi, I am unlocalised all-pervading consciousness; that unlocalised I is
the ātma; but when I use the expression I, and refer to the localised-I, I am here;
that limited-I is called karta, which is the vijñānaṁaya kōśaḥ. This is puṁsaḥ
saṁsāra kāraṇam.
Now a doubt may come. In the previous section, he said manōmaya is saṁsāra
kāraṇam; mind alone is the cause of bondage, mind alone is the cause of liberation.
Here you say vijñānaṁaya is saṁsāra kāraṇam; which is correct; which is the
Both are saṁsāra kāraṇam; because an agent can do something only when there is
the instrument. So when you somebody has committed a crime, he has become a
criminal only because of the instrument. So tell me whether the knife killed or the
person killed. Both together. Knife was the instrument and the criminal is the user of
the instrument.
Similarly here also, without the mind, there cannot be saṁsāra. What is the proof?
Suṣupti, mind is not there; mind alone cannot be the cause of saṁsāra; the
ahaṁkāra karta is also required. If karta is not there; even if the mind is there, there
cannot be saṁsāra.
What is the example? Jñāni. In the case of a jñāni, mind is there, but saṁsāra is not
there. In the case of a sleeper, mind is not there; but saṁsāra is there. Therefore
we require what; both of them are equally required; ahaṁkāra is also required;
karta; mind is also required as kāraṇam. Only when both are together, saṁsāra is
possible. And therefore Śankarācārya says manaḥ kāraṇam, karta kāraṇam. puṁsaḥ
Page 849

अनुव्रजिच्चत्प्र�त�बम
�व�ानसं�ः प्रकृते�वर्क |
�ान�क्रयावानह�मत्य
देहेिन्द्रया�दष्व�भम भश
ृ म ् ||१८५||
anuvrāja ccitpratibimbaśaktiḥ
vijñānasaṁjñaḥ prakr̥tērvikāraḥ |
jñānakriyāvānahaṁityajasraṁ
dēhēndriyādiṣvaBhīmā nyatē bhr̥śam ||185||
So in the previous verse, Śankarācārya said, the vijñānaṁaya is the karta; which is
the cause of saṁsāra. In this verse Śankarācārya explains the way in which the
vijñānaṁaya causes saṁsāra. Diagnosis of the problem. The mechanism of saṁsāra
is explained.
So first I will give you the gist and we can go. Lot of technicalities of the śāstra are
brought in here. Śankarācārya said, vijñānaṁāya is the subtle substance. So it is a
material. Vijñānaṁaya is a material. It is a subtle substance. It is a product of the
five elements. Only difference is what? subtle five elements. And being product of
subtle elements, and being matter, being a material, it must be inert by itself. So
therefore vijñānaṁaya is naturally inert only, being made up of acētana
pañjabhūtāni. Bhoudikatvāt jaḍaḥ. But even though it is intrinsically inert, because of
his subtle nature, because of its fine nature, it is able to reflect the ātma caitanyaṁ.
Because according to vēdānta, consciousness is not a part of the body, (do you
remember) not a property of the body, not even a product of the body; extend it to
the mind also. Consciousness is not part of the mind, property of the mind, or even
product of the mind; it is a separate entity by itself. And this Conciousness, the
separate entity is capable of reflecting in the subtle matter, because of its fineness.
Just as the mirror is able to reflect my face, because of its fine surface. But this cloth
does not do. Cloth is also made up of matter. Mirror is also made of up matter. Cloth
does not reflect. The mirror reflects, why? Because of its fine surface. Similarly, the
mind is matter, but because of its fineness, sūkṣmatvat satvatkatvat ca; it is capable
of reflecting. Therefore the mind enjoys permanent borrowed consciousness. Or
technically here, vijñānaṁaya kōśa enjoys permanent borrowed consciousness. And
because it enjoys, it permanently, it appears as though it is intrinsic consciousness.
There are some people who borrow from your home and keep it permanently in
their house. And they will say, if you want, anytime, you may ask me. Somebody
Page 850

borrowed a book from me; never gave back; and I asked you did not give, he said;
Svāmiji it is a rare book, if it comes to you, somebody else may take it; and
therefore I am keep it; whenever you want, tell me, I will give you. It really
happened. Do not ask me, which book and who took it, etc. or what did I do, it is
not relevant here.
So the mind appears to be a sentient one; but it has a got a permanent borrowed
sentiency, and it is this stuff which has got borrowed sentiency, called the karta.
This is called the karta. Ego. Philosophical ego is this stuff alone.
The details of which, we will see in the next class. Hari Om.
Page 851

066. Verses 185 to 187.
अनव
ु ्रजिच्चत्प्र�त�बम
�व�ानसं�ः प्रकृते�वर्क |
�ान�क्रयावानह�मत्य
देहेिन्द्रया�दष्व�भम भश
ृ म ् ||१८५||
anuvrāja ccitpratibimbaśaktiḥ
vijñānasaṁjñaḥ prakr̥tērvikāraḥ |
jñānakriyāvānahaṁityajasraṁ
dēhēndriyādiṣvabhīmānyatē bhr̥śam ||185||
From verse No.184 up to verse No.206, Śankarācārya is talking about vijñānaṁaya

kōśa; as a part of pañja kōśa vivēkaḥ. And he has defined vijñānaṁaya kōśa as a
mixture of buddhi and the five jñānēndriyas. Intellect plus five sense organs of
knowledge is called vijñānaṁaya kōśa. And he wants to point out that this
vijñānaṁaya kōśa alone is called jīvaḥ; along with reflected consciousness.
Saabhāśāvijñānaṁaya kōśaḥ jīvaḥ. Abhasa means reflected consciousness. Sa
abhasa means along with the reflected consciousness. So sābhāśā vijñānaṁaya
kōśaḥ means buddhi along with the reflected consciousness.
And this alone is called jīvaḥ. This alone is karta. This alone is the bhōktā; this alone
acquires puṇyam and pāpam; all the sañcita karmās āgami karmās and prarabha
karma belong to this jīvah alone.
This Śankarācārya is going to explain in these verses. Of them, in the 185 verse, we
were seeing anuvrāja ccitpratibimbaśaktiḥ vijñānasaṁjñaḥ. So vijñāna samjnah, that
kōśaḥ, which has the name vijñānaṁaya; here the word vijñānaṁaya means
vijñānasaṁjñaḥ; so that kōśah, which is named vijñānaṁaya; kōśah word we have
to supply; vijñānasaṁjñaḥ kōśaḥ; that kōśaḥ which is known as vijñānaṁaya is
endowed with what? pratibimba śaktiḥ; it is endowed with the borrowed sentiency
or reflected consciousness.
Why should it enjoy borrowed consciousness? Because according to vēdānta; buddhi

by itself is jaḍaḥ. It is a very important and basic concept we should remember.
Page 852

Buddhi is made is made of five subtle elements. Therefore buddhi is a boudika

vasthu; it is a subtle material. And being a subtle material, there is no difference
between the gross table and the subtle intellect. This also is insentient. Buddhi is
also insentient by itself; but this buddhi has the unique power of borrowing
consciousness.
Like in science, we talk about the conductors of electricity and non-conductors of

electricity. So when you want to protect yourselves from electricity; you should wear
some gloves; what kind of gloves it should be conductor or non-conductor. It should
be non-conductor. So if somebody asks, why is it the conductor of electricity, we say
that is its nature. Why is this non-conductor of electricity, that is how Bhagavān has
created. Even though all of them are materials only, it has got a unique nature.
Similarly, this desk is also material; buddhi is also material; desk is non-conductor of
consciousness. Buddhi is the conductor as it were, of consciousness. Therefore
buddhi enjoys borrowed consciousness.
And that alone Śankarācārya calls pratibimba śaktiḥ. So here sakthi means the
power of sentiency. The power of being alive. Liveliness. So the power of sentiency
caused by the pratibimba, the reflection of what? the chit, the original
consciousness, which is going to be revealed later as ātma. He has not so far
introduced ātma. Chit means the original ātma caitanyaṁ is cit. So itaḥ pratibimba
śaktiḥ is there. Where? In the buddhi.
And not only the buddhi enjoys this borrowed consciousness; wherever the buddhi
goes, the borrowed consciousness also, like a devoted wife or devoted assistant, the
reflection also goes. It is not that the buddhi forgets to take the reflected
consciousness. You know we do that so many times, forget. Like that, it is not that
the buddhi travels leaving behind the reflection; wherever buddhi goes, even without
buddhi's thinking or planning; the reflection also travels. Like wherever the mirror
goes; the reflection will go. And since it permanently travels with buddhi,
Śankarācārya uses the word anuvrājat. Anu means behind. Vrājat means going;
going behind. What is going behind? The reflection. So thus buddhi has the power of
reflected consciousness, which goes behind it all the time. And therefore we have
got a sentient buddhi; that sentient buddhi is called vijñānaṁaya kōśaḥ. And this
vijñānaṁaya kōśa has to borrow sentiency; why? I gave you the reason, that
because it is born out of matter and that Śankarācārya also points out here;
prakr̥tērvikāraḥ; buddhi has to borrow consciousness because by itself, buddhi is a
Page 853

product of prakr̥ti. Prakr̥ti means what: māya; māya means what? basic matter,
which alone has evolved to become the universe, the material universe. Vikāraḥ here
means, the product. prakr̥tērvikāraḥ means buddhi is a product of matter; and
therefore it is material in nature.
And therefore what? It has to borrow sentiency; it does not have svābhāvika
caitanyaṁ; it enjoys only āgantuka caitanyaṁ. In Saṁsr̥kt, they use these two
words; svābhāvika caitanyaṁ and āgantuka caitanyaṁ. Like the example: suppose
you see vegetable you want to eat; it is very hot; and you wonder why the
vegetable is hot; because it has been kept in a hot vessel. Therefore you say
vegetable is hot; because vessel is hot. Then I ask you the question; why is the
vessel hot? Then you say vessel is hot because it is kept on the stove, on the fire;
And then I ask why is the fire hot? Because it is on the stove? No, fire is hot,
because it has got svābhāvika dahana śaktī; auṣnam; the vessel has got aguntuka
aushnam; the vegetable has got āgantuka auṣnam; and when you keep the
vegetable on your tongue, and the tongue becomes hot; āgantuka aushnam.
Similarly one original ātma alone has got svābhavika caitanyaṁ; from the ātma,
mind borrows caitanyaṁ; from the mind, the sense organs borrow caitanyaṁ; from
the mind and sense-organs, the body borrows caitanyaṁ. Thus there is a series of
borrowing. But the original borrower is what: buddhiḥ; original borrower, OK.
original consciousness is ātma and in the borrowing itself is there are two: original
borrower and secondary borrower. Body borrows; but borrows from the borrower;
and therefore, prakr̥tērvikāraḥ, buddih is a material. And once it has got borrowed
sentiency, it can do things by itself, because it is a sentient one. It has become a
chetana vasthu, therefore capable of thinking, planning, acting, etc.
Like the example of mirror. Mirror cannot illumine any object; but once the mirror
has got borrowed sunlight, the mirror becomes what; a secondary source of light.
Similarly the buddhi has become a secondary source of consciousness; and this
sentient buddhi, live buddhi, which has got its own individuality, starts its mischief.
Mischief begins. What and all; jñāna kriyavān. This buddhi; this vijñānaṁaya; this
jīva takes up varieties of deliberate activities.
Unlike the inert object of creation; the desk cannot take any deliberate activity. It
moves from one place to another, it is only because some chetana vasthu is pulling
Page 854

it; but the jīva is now capable of taking up deliberate activities, consisting of three
levels; jānāti; icchāḥti and yatatē. This is called life.
What is life? You learn and know things and once you begin to know things, you
develop desires, because you cannot develop a desire, unless you know. When can
you desire a car or a computer. When you know that there is a computer. It is useful
to me. So first computer knowledge; then computer desire and thereafterwards
effort to acquire computer. These three levels of human activities are called jñāna
icchāḥ prayatnaḥ; jñanēcchaprayatna is our life.
All who starts. Jīvah begins. And once the prayatna comes, some of the efforts are
successful and therefore this fellow is very happy and some of the efforts are failure;
world cup miserably lost; and therefore upset. All because of what?
jnanechaaprayatnaḥ; jnanechaaprayatnaḥ, the tarka śāstra presents it beautifully;
jñāna icchāḥ prayatna dharma adharma samskāra sukha duḥkha.
So from jñāna icchāḥ prayanthnam; very beautiful; little digression; it is a very

beautiful concept and so I am pointing out a little bit. Once the jñāna icchāḥ
prayatnam comes, then you are going to acquire dharma and adharma, because the
prayatnam is either moral or often immoral; fixing up the matches. So some of the
efforts are moral efforts and some of them are immoral efforts.
Dharma adharma and the dharma will lead to what? Sukha and adharma will lead to
what: duḥkha. And not only that: finally samskāraḥ; samskāra means what? habits
are also formed. First time I do adharma, there is a conscience pricking. That is why
we have got a lie detectors. That is why when a person tells a lie, there are
biological and biochemical changes, based on that alone, lie detector works. Because
I am working against my conscience, telling a lie and therefore there is a strain in
my personality; and therefore initially biochemical changes take place, nose icching
is one of the symptoms of that it seems.
Therefore these people who do the analysis they look for. Clinton did it they say;
therefore they study. When he lied, President of a country, in front of so many
people and television, when be blantantly lied, they noted that it seems. But what
happens you know. They themselves who has invented the lie-detectors; they say
that if a person regularly lies, and makes it a habit; then no such things, it happens.
Your conscience is blunted. This is called saṁskāra formation. Regular lier.
Page 855

Why I am saying is: dharma adharma also the tarka śāstra has talked about and
gone. Where the lie detector cannot detect the lie. So this is called life. All started
from where; jīva. That is what he says. jñāna kriyāvān.
So here kriyā means the activities in the form of jñānaṁ; jñānaṁ pursued; kriyā can
be taken as pursued. So he is endowed with jñāna pursuit; and not only that; he
develops ahaṁ iti. Once consciousness comes, there is self-consciousness or self-
reference. That is the uniqueness of a sentient entity. Every sentient entity has got
the sense of 'I'. The table can never have 'I-notion' and therefore only it cannot have
the notion of this or that; the first person singular arises first which is the sign of
sentiency.
And once the first person singular arises, every thing other than the first person
singular is classified into either second person, if directly in front; or into third
person. What is the basis for second? First person, second person, all that do you
remember? We learned it in School. First person is I; second person is you; third
person means he/she/it. Do not think that I am belittling you. You could have
forgotten and therefore reminding it. So therefore, second and third person can arise
only if there is first person. And first person can arise only where there is a sentient
entity. So the jīvā becomes sentient. Then what is the first thing that arises? Ahaṁ
and then tvam and then saha.
And therefore Śankarācārya says ahaṁ iti abhīmānyate. This jīva alone develops
self-reference; he develops the ego; an individuality; an I-notion. And when?
ajasraṁ; and then that individuality-I is constantly there, whereas You and He
constantly changes but in and through all You and He, what continues, the subject-I
continues.
So even when you are listening to the classes; you may not think or talk about I; but
throughout this class, I am listening; I am listening; that I is inherent. How do you
know that. That I is there throughout the class. At the end of the class; when I ask
you the question, were you there in the class, what do you say? Do you say I do not
know. You never say that I am not sure; but you are very very definite that I was
there in the class throughout, even though deliberately you do not invoke your
presence; subconsciously your presence is registered throughout. That is called
ahaṁ ahaṁ ahaṁ iti;
Page 856


व्यावृत्तास्वनुवतर्मानमह�मत स्फुरन् सदा ।
vyāvr̥ttāsvanuvartamānamahamityantaḥ sphurantaṁ sadā |
And therefore Śankarācārya says ajasraṁ that ahaṁ continues, which refers to the
Jīva.
And when the jīva uses the word-I; what all things are involved. So when the jīva
uses the word-I; what all things are involved; let us see. Buddhi is there; reflected
consciousness is there; if buddhi alone is there, I-notion cannot come; why?
Because buddhi is inert by itself. Therefore mere buddhi cannot say I. Therefore
along with buddhi what is required? reflection. Can mere reflection say I? Mere
reflection itself is not possible, because any reflection requires, what? a reflecting
medium; therefore wherever buddhi is there; there is reflection; where there
is reflection, there buddhi is.
Therefore jīva consists of buddhi; jīva consists of reflection. Then there is a third
factor also; that should not be lost. The reflection itself is possible; not only because
of the medium; the reflection itself is possible because of the original consciousness.
If only the mirror is there; will the face come there? For the face to appear, not only
you require a mirror, you require what? original head.
For that in śāstra, it is called as grīvastha śiraḥ; grīvastha śiraḥ means the head on
the neck. Reflection is called dharpaṇaṣṭa śiraḥ; for the dharpaṇaṣṭa śiraḥ to appear
you require what? grīvastha śiraḥ.
In the same way, in the buddhi, if the reflection should come; there should be what?
original consciousness also. Therefore jīva consists of three factors: buddhi,
prathibhimbha caitanyaṁ and bimba caitanyaṁ; all these three are there, where the
jīva is. Whenever I say I, all the three are there.
But what happens? Even though all these three are there; I am not aware of this
fact. This is where the problem of fundamental ignorance comes and therefore
instead of claiming the original consciousness as myself, I keep claiming everything
else as myself. And what are the things that I am claiming? Keeping aside what is to
Page 857

be claimed, we keep claiming everything else. And this is a tragedy because

whatever I am claiming gives me problem.
And whatever gives me peace and pūrṇatvam, I do not claim. What when claimed
would be wonderful, that we have lost and whatever when claimed creates
problems, we claim them and we suffer and gets knocked down in the street.
So Śankarācārya says here: dēha indriyādiṣu abimanyate. This unfortunate ignorant

unenlightened indiscriminate jīva; abhīmanyate, identifies with; dēha, the physical
body, which is only reflecting medium; indriya, the sense organs, which is also
reflecting medium, ādiṣu; ādi padāt, etc. buddhi, or reflection; all these things, he
identifies with. And that too it is not casual identification; it is the clutch of the
udumpu; mountain lizard; udumpu is an animal; once it holds on to something, so
powerful a source, you cannot pull it out I think. And even say that the thieves use
this. I do not know whether it is a myth or fact; they will throw and it will catch and
they will use a rope and climb walls.
So we are all udumbu; why because, we hold on to the body wall, the mind wall, the
individuality-wall and so intense is our identification, that even if the śāstra and
guru; even if they tie a fat rope and pull it with all their strengths, howevermuch the
guru and the śāstra pulls, he does not come out. Even if he comes out during one
hour class he comes out and the moment he comes, again goes back and I am this I
am this I am that. Śankarācārya is wailing; poor chap he is sad saying that we are
suffering. Therefore, why I am saying this much is: he uses the word bhr̥śam;
bhr̥śam means what intensly, forcibly.
अना�दकालोऽयमहंस्वभाव
जीवः समस्तव्यवहारवो |
करो�त कमार्ण्य पूवर्वासन
पुण्यान्यपुण्य च तत्फला� ||१८६||
anādikālō:'yamahāṁsvabhāvō
jīvaḥ śamastavyavahāravōḍhā |
karōti karmāṇyapi pūrvavāsanaḥ
puṇyānyapuṇyāni ca tatphalāni ||186||
Page 858

Ayaṁ Jīvaḥ. So he gives more details about this jīvaḥ. And what is the definition of
jīvaḥ? Buddhi plus reflected consciousness; otherwise called vijñānaṁayaḥ. So this
vijñānaṁaya consisting of buddhi and reflection; which is otherwise known as jīvaḥ;
ayaṁ jīvaḥ ahaṁ svabhāvaḥ. So constantly refers to himself as ahaṁ ahaṁ ahaṁ,
instead of claiming the ātma caitanyaṁ, the original consciousness, he claims
himself that it is the buddhi etc. and therefore ahaṁ svabhāvaḥ; bahuvrihi samāsa;
ahaṁ iti abhīmānaḥ ēva svabhāvaḥ yasya saḥ.
So Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi, saṁsr̥kt language-wise also, it is a beautiful text. So it is a nice

text for Saṁsr̥kt wise analysis. So saṁsr̥kt students who wants to develop the
saṁsr̥kt can analyse the verses and study the construction. So ahaṁ svabhāvaḥ
means ahaṁ iti abhīmāna svabhāva yasya; the one whose nature is constant self-
identification. Constant self-reference. Nān Nān Nān, whatever you take. Svāmi
Chinmayananda uses the word egocentric. This fellow is egocentric person. OK.
And when did all this story start? Anādhi kālaḥ. This jīva has started from
beginningless time. That is why when they celebrate the āvani avittam function, they
say: anādhi avidyā vāsanaya. That is how the saṅkalpa begins. Anēka sarīrēṣu,
bahuda puna puna janitva; all kinds of karmās I have done, it is said. Therefore
anādhi kālaḥ, existing from beginningless time.
And what about pralaya? Remember, during pralayaṁ also Jīva does not die. If jīva
dies during pralaya, you need not do any sādana for mōkṣa; if you somehow
manage up to Pralaya, during pralaya, you merge into the Lord and thereafterwards
no problems. Only this sr̥ṣṭi has to be managed! Not in the śarīraṁ; but sr̥ṣṭi; and in
the pralayaṁ you come. Like some people say: all the people will one day go to
Īśvara; whether like or not. We do not accept that. If all the people would naturally
go to Īśvara, why should we do sādhanā. Therefore no: even in pralaya kālaḥ, we do
not merge into Īśvara totally to get liberation. There we remain in potential form. In
the next sr̥ṣṭi, the jīva will come back. Therefore jīva has been existing from the
beginning time and the jīva will continue endlessly unless self-knowledge is gained.
And therefore he is beginning and samastavyavahāravōḍhā; He alone carries out.
vōḍhā means the one who carries out. One who performs; vahati iti vōḍhā. Vodhru
śabdaḥ; rikārantaḥ (I am in grammar mood a little bit, OK) pullingaka vodru
sabadha, vōḍhā, vodhāra, vodhāraḥ. So Vah + trih; one who carries out. Carries out
what: samasta vyavahāraḥ; all the transactions of life.
Page 859

And all the transactions means: physical, verbal and mental transactions; secular
transactions; even sacred transactions; laukika karmāṇi; vaidika karmāṇi; vihita
karmāṇi; niṣidda karmāṇi; all the karmās are done by this vijñānaṁaya only, which
indicates that ātma is aakartā, abōktha. So this word we have to stress here because
once we know that the vijñānaṁaya alone is karta and bhōktā, then we come to
ātma, we can own up that ātma is akarta abhōktha.
नान्य गुणेभ्य कतार्र यदा द्रष्टानुपश |

गुणेभ्यश परं वेित् मद्भा सोऽ�धगच्छ� ||१४- १९||
nānyaṁ guṇēbhyaḥ kartāraṁ yadā draṣṭānupaśyati |
guṇēbhyaśca paraṁ vētti madbhāvaṁ sō:'dhigacchati ||14- 19||
Therefore Vijñānaṁaya is akartā, that is why in Taittaria Upaṇiṣad also, vijñānaṁ

yagnaṁ tanute, sarvaani tanute picha. Vijñānaṁaya alone is karta; not ātma.
So samasta vyavahāra vōḍhā; in simple language, samasta vyavahāra vōḍhā means
karta.
OK. Then the question is: what type of action does he perform? Śankarācārya says
puṇyāni apuṇyāni karmāṇi ca karoti. So he does puṇya karmās also, moral actions
also; apuṇyani karmāṇi, immoral actions also. So jīva performs both moral and
immoral; righteous and unrighteous action. Some of them out of ignorance, some of
them, in spite of knowledge, deliberately.
And what determines the quality of action? Who is responsible to decide the quality
of action? So people will like to say: Bhagavān; so that we are all say: He also
makes everything to be done. That means doing akramam and tie the blame on the
Lord's head.
So therefore it is not Bhagavān; our actions are governed by two forces; one force is
our knowledge; and the other force is our habit. So knowledge and habit determines
our actions. So if a person smokes, he is a smoker. It can be because of two
reasons; one reason may be purely he does not have the knowledge; that cigarette
smoking terribly injurious to health; hundreds of diseases are caused by smoking
cigarette; and then thousands of poisons are there in the cigarette fumes; poor chap
he does not know and therefore he thinks smoking will give him a status because of
what is advertisements; that person will have a cigarette and generally a girl; it
Page 860

should go together and all kinds of funny presentation. And therefore sheer
ignorance can make a person smoke.
And suppose he was smoking for years together. And thereafterwards the
knowledge came that smoking is not the reason for success; smoking is not the
reason for status; smoking is not the reason for any good thing; it is the only reason
for all bad things. Once he comes to know and he is able to even give lectures on it;
but he continues to smoke. In fact, before the lecture and after the lecture he
smokes. Let it be like that. Then what is the cause of smoking. It is no more a
wrong knowledge but it is vāsana. Therefore all human actions are based on the
understanding and vāsana together; whichever is powerful; that will decide. So
when the negative vāsana is powerful; the understanding has to be made more
powerful. Understanding has to be made more powerful and since vāsana is often
more powerful, and therefore Śankarācārya says pūrva vāsanaḥ san karōti. Pūrva
vāsana again; beautiful bahuvrihi; pūrvāḥ vāsanaḥ yasya saha; pūrva vāsanaḥ;
governed by past habits; he does most of the actions. Because of our thinking is for
the first 15 of 20 years only. That too doubtful. But first few years we think; and
thereafterwards mostly our life is governed by, unfortunately our habits.
Only few rare people, constantly, just spend time; every 10 years I have to see what
kind of life I have leading; whether I should make certain basic changes in my
habitual life styles, etc. Very few people take stock.
Śankarācārya therefore says: pūrva vāsanaḥ san; governed by the pūrva vāsana this
person does action. Even getting up etc. For many people once the habit is formed,
it is very difficult. Now early getting up habit is going because in the TV most of the
movies start at 10.30. Therefore for many people have time to relax only after that;
so think of watching and generally they go to bed at 12.30 or 1 a.m. and get up at 8
o'clock or 9 o'clock and rush to office. So to try to break that habit is extremely
difficult. And therefore pūrva vāsanaḥ san, puṇyāni apuṇyāni ca karmāṇi karōti. He
also performs.
OK. So if merely doing actions is the life, it is OK. But unfortunately, every action
produces a result. That is also OK. And every produced result comes back to me
alone, because the law of karma is yaha karta, saha ēva bhōktha bhavathi. So
therefore, every karma produces the result and the result will come back to me
alone. And in the cosmic computer, there will be no virus. Previously because of
Page 861

virus, you had a chance in the computer; whatever you do goes to others and you
are saved. In the examination also they children are complaining that they write well
and the other fellow who never thought that he will pass, passes the exam. So in the
cosmic computer no such thing happens and I will have to reap the result of my
actions. Therefore tat phalāni bhuṁktē. The verb bhuṁktē we have to take from the
next verse and supply here. tat phalāni bhuṁktē; saha bhuṁktē; jīvaḥ bhuṁktē and
that means what? Not only jīva is a karta and in the second line when it is said that
samasta vyavahāra vōḍhā; karta I said; in the fourth line Śankarācārya is saying that
jīva is bhōktā also. And he has to start facing the music. What type of music he has
to face?
भुङ्क् �व�चत्रास् यो�नषु व्-

न्नाया� �नयार्त् ऊध्वर्मे |
अस्यै �व�ानमयस् जाग्र-
स्वप्नाद्यवस सुखदःखभो
ु गः ||१८७||
bhuṅktē vicitrāsvapi yōniṣu vrāja -
nnāyāti niryātyadha ūrdhvamēṣaḥ |
asyaiva vijñānaṁayasya jāgrat-
svapnādyavasthāḥ sukhaduḥkhabhōgaḥ ||187||
Bhuṅktē. So we have to take the word yēṣaḥ in the second line, yēṣaḥ bhuṅktē;
yēṣaḥ jīvaḥ vijnāmayaḥ tapāta bhuddhiḥ bhuṅktē. Bhuṅktē means what? he
experiences.
And what he experiences? You have to bring tat phalāni from the previous slōka; tat
phalāni bhuṅktē; he experiences the results of all actions; and the results finally
crystallises in the form of sukham and duḥkhaṁ. The way sukham and duḥkhaṁ
comes vary, but finally it will come in the form of sukham and duḥkhaṁ.
Why I am saying that is, the way it comes varies because, in a house an event
happens. Event happening being the same, different people respond differently; one
person may be happy; another person may be unhappy; and even if all the people
are unhappy also; the unhappiness; there is a gradation in the unhappiness.
Somebody is unhappy; somebody is more unhappy; somebody is very much
unhappy. It is like you get the result of the match; they say this fellow commits
suicide; who will think like that? If you have to commit suicide for India's defeat, I
Page 862

think, you have to die very often. Suppose OK if India wins it would be better. Can a
person to go to that extent? That means what? Event itself is neither sukham or
duḥkhaṁ; and sukham and duḥkhaṁ are determined by how my mind interprets the
event; the interpretation of the event is determined by two factors.
OK. Very very important point. Event does not determine the sukha duḥkha; the
interpretation of the event determines the sukha duḥkha. The interpretation is based
on two things; and that is again; one is our pūrva vāsana; and the other is our
jñānaṁ. Our jñānaṁ and pūrva vāsana determines the interpretation. If jñānaṁ is
not there, my pūrva vāsana interprets and since the pūrva vāsanas vary from
individual to individual, interpretations and colourations vary; and therefore this
sukha/duḥkham derived also will vary.
But if jñānaṁ is powerful enough; then the jñānaṁ will over power the vāsana and
the interpretation will be healthy; and that is how in the case of a jñāni, his
interpretation is so healthy, that even the worst event is incapable of giving him
sorrow. गर
ु ुणा� दःखे
ु न न �वचाल्यत guruṇāpi duḥkhēna na vicālyatē. Heard
somewhere? The 6th chapter of the Gītā, Krishna says; even by the greatest terrible
events. Like that philosopher they say: that Greek philosopher; he was given a tragic
news; he was a business person and he was told: your ship sank; and all your
properties lost. First he asked whāt? So his heart was almost about to come to his
mouth. Whaaaat; if he had a weak heart; he would have even collapsed; that
whaaaaaat is vāsana based interpretation; and suddenly he being a philosopher and
since he has the knowledge, the knowledge came and then the interpretation
changed; and therefore he added just one extra word: what? So what?
So in your life also, from today onwards, you can start saying: Whāt you can ask, no
problem; but within a minute, you should come to: so what. That means the credit
will come to me. So you can give me some credit to me, by asking so what: What I
allow you to ask; but come to so-what; at least after a week or at least one day or
one hour or immediately. And therefore, bhuṅktē, finer result is sukham and
duḥkhaṁ based on vāsana-based interpretation or jñānaṁ-based interpretation. He
experiences and not only he experiences sukha duḥkhaṁ in this śarīraṁ, since the
karmās are infinite in number, he can never exhaust all the sukham/duḥkhaṁ in one
life, and therefore he goes to other bodies.
Page 863

Therefore Śankarācārya says vichitrasu yōniṣu vrājan. Vrajan means what: going to
yoni, literally yōni means womb. In this context, yōni means body. He goes to all
kinds of bodies. What all different bodies are there, if you want to know, watch the
National Geographic channel in the TV. So many poochi, with head somewhere, leg
and hands somewhere, etc. etc. tails, eating somehow; all kinds of unimaginable
combinations are there. I may become one of them in the next janma. Remember,
that was also a manuṣya once upon a time. He has been born as an octopus after
having done akramam. So therefore, vicitrāsvapi. And creatures are in the ocean are
much much more vaster numerous because the land is only 1/4th. Or less. The
ocean is much more. My God. What kind of creatures? So vicitrāsvapi yōniṣu vrājan.
Going to such ones. Āyāti niryāti; he enters that body, experiences pleasures and
pains and then what: niryāti, quits that body, vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya. So āyāti
means he comes, niryāti means he goes away. Goes out, he quits. adha ūrdhvam
cha; both up and down he travels. He goes to; up means higher śarīraṁs; down
means what: lower śarīraṁs.
ऊध्व गच्छिन सत्त्वस मध्य �तष्ठिन राजसाः |

जघन्यगुणवृितस्थ अधो गच्छिन तामसाः ||१४- १८||
ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattvasthā madhyē tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ |
jaghanyaguṇavr̥ttisthā adhō gacchanti tāmasāḥ ||14- 18||
All these only. Adhaḥ ūrdhvam ēṣaḥ āyāti niryāti. And not only that, asya
vijñamayasya ēva avasthā. All these three states of experiences also belong to this
jīva alone. Ātma does not have the avastha trayaṁ; ātma illumines the avastha
trayaṁ; ātma is the illuminator, jīva is the possessor of the avastha trayaṁ. We have
to differentiate the possessor and the illuminator. So the hand is possessed by this
body, light is the illuminator of the body. Illuminator is not the possessor. Therefore
vijñānaṁaya alone possesses all the three avasathās. Ātma is avastha traya rahitaḥ.
And what are those avasathās? Jāgrat svapna ādhi. Jāgrat avastha, svapna avastha,
ādhi padāt, suṣupti avastha. Suṣupti avastha is resting avastha. And what is resting
given. So that you will come back and he will get trashing. So in the jail and all; in
the olden days they used to trash. So when this fellow can no more stand, they will
take him and will apply oil and pour water etc. and all for what? for repetition of the
trashing. Similarly we are in saṁsāra imprisonment. Bhagavān through the karma
whip is trashing. When we can no more stand, we are given a temporary relaxation
called suṣupti; and then we are again brought back and whipped up and this fellow
Page 864

does not understand. He says: saṁsāra kaaragrahaṁ is wonderful; and that too he
says with a smile.
So therefore, asya ēva avasthāḥ and through these avasthaas sukha/dukha

bhogaha. And through these avasthās, the experience of sukham and duḥkhaṁ.
Page 865

067. Verses 188 and 189.
भङ
ु ्क् �व�चत्रास् यो�नषु व्-
न्नाया� �नयार्तध ऊध्वर्मे |
अस्यै �व�ानमयस् जाग्र-
स्वप्नाद्यवस सुखदःखभो
ु गः ||१८७||
bhuṅktē vicitrāsvapi yōniṣu vrāja -
nnāyāti niryātyadha ūrdhvamēṣaḥ |
asyaiva vijñānaṁayasya jāgrat-
svapnādyavasthāḥ sukhaduḥkhabhōgaḥ ||187||
Śankarācārya continues with the discussion of the vijñānaṁaya kōśa which he

started from verse no.184 onwards. And he has defined vijñānaṁaya kōśa as buddhi
along with the sense organs and which is blessed by the consciousness; that is
which is blessed by the ātma; by lending consciousness, with borrowed
consciousness, which we call cidābhāsaḥ.
So sābhāśā buddhiḥ is vijñānaṁaya kōśa and then Śankarācārya points out that this
vijñānaṁaya kōśa is alone called jīvaḥ and this jīva alone is karta and bhōktha and
this jīva alone acquires sañcita and āgami and this jīva alone quits the body at the
time of death. The original ātma cannot travel at all; and this jīva alone travels and
acquires a new body in keeping with the puṇya pāpa karma; वासां�स जीणार्� यथा �वहाय
vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya etc. and this jīva alone has got the three states of
experience also. When it is fully active, it is called jāgrat avastha; when it is partially
active based on memory alone; it is called svapna avastha; and when it is passive; it
is called suṣupti avastha. So jāgrat svapnādhi avasthāḥ asya vijñanamaya kōśasya
ēva.
In verse 187 which we saw in the last class, jāgrat-svapnādi, you have to read
together; jāgrat-svapnādyavasthāḥ; jāgrat, waking, svapna, dream; ādhi, etc. which
indicates suṣupti avastha. Not only the jīva goes through these avasthās; in and
through these avasthās, the jīva acquires sukha duḥkha bhōgaḥ. It goes pleasures
and pains. Up to this we saw in the last class. Now continuing.
Page 866

देहा�द�नष्ठाश्रमधमर-
गुणा�भमानः सततं ममे�त |
�व�ानकोशोऽयम�तप्रका
प्रकृष्टसािन्नध्यवशात्प |
अतो भवत्ये उपा�धरस्
यदात्मधी संसर�त भ्रम ||१८८||
dēhādiniṣṭhāsramadharmakarma-
guṇābhimānaḥ satataṁ mamēti |
vijñānakōśō:'yamatiprakāśaḥ
prakr̥ṣṭasānnidhyavaśātparātmanaḥ |
atō bhavatyēṣa upādhirasya
yadātmadhīḥ saṁsarati bhramēṇa ||188||
So this jīva possesses a physical body only temporarily. Physical body is not the
intrinsic nature of this jīva. This jīva has temporarily got a physical body to fulfill its
mission in life. What is the primary mission of acquiring this body? Exhausting the
puṇyam and pāpam. Acquiring fresh puṇyam and pāpam is not a universal process,
because in the case of manuṣya janma alone, exhaustion of karmās takes place as
well as acquisition of puṇya pāpa karma. Therefore acquisition of karma is not
universal. It is only in human birth and what is the universal thing. Exhaustion of
puṇya pāpa is common to human beings, animals, plants, even dēvaḥ.
And therefore, the primary and universal purpose of the body is exhausting the
puṇya pāpa and once that particular bunch of puṇya pāpas are exhausted, like
disposables, they have got disposable papers for wiping the hand, and then they
throw away. So this body is the disposable body kept by the Lord; we acquire, use it
and throw away. We would not throw away and therefore Bhagavān takes it away.
And then for the next bunch of karma, another body, use it, throw away. And
therefore this is only for using; this body is not the intrinsic part of jīva. But what
happens; jīva commits a mistake; and the mistake is identifying with this temporary
physical body; and claiming the attributes of the body as the attributes of the jīva.
Taking the attributes of the medium and instrument as the attributes of the user of
the medium. If the screw driver is sharp, I cannot say that I am sharp. It is only the
instrument and therefore Śankarācārya says this jīva commits this mistake.
Page 867

So two mistakes are going to be pointed out. Now this is the first mistake committed
successfully by jīva. What is that? dēhādi niṣṭa āsrama dharma karma guṇā
abhimānaḥ; abhīmānaḥ means what? Identification; claiming as mine own. The jīvās
own; What? All the features of the body. So dēhādhi niṣṭa; niṣṭa means belonging to
dēha means the physical body; āsrama; āsrama means one of the four āsramās
belonging to body; when the jīva says I am brahmachāri, jīva is neither
brahmachāri, gr̥hastha nor vānaprastha; it is the state of the physical body. So
āsrama; then dharma; dharma refers to the varṇa of the body. Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya;
vaiśyādhi dharmāḥ. So varṇa, āsrama, then karma; karma means all the activities of
the physical body; all the movements of the physical body; and finally, guṇaḥ;
guṇaḥ means the body's features, like its height; weight; complexion, etc. In all of
them, the jīva has identification. So guṇa abhīmāna; in what way? Mama iti;
identification is in the form of these are my features; I have Brāhmaṇatvam; I have
bramachāritvam; I have this agency etc. So śarīraṁ dharmān jīve asyasti. This is
called superimposition of one's properties on the other; transferred epithet in English
we have. Similarly here also. Transference of the properties.
And then ayaṁ vijñāna kōśa atiprakāśaḥ bhavathi. Compared to the other three
kōśas, annamaya, prāṇamaya and manōmaya, vijñānaṁaya is extremely brilliant. Ati
prakāśaḥ; because of the manifestation of consciousness more in the vijñānaṁaya
kōśa. It is like, if there are five reflecting media; some will reflect the light very
brightly; some of them will not reflect that brightly. If there is a mirror; the reflection
is very bright. If there is a floor, the polished floor also can reflect the light or your
face; but it will not be as bright as in a mirror. So thus, in keeping with the nature of
the matter; which we call as sūkṣmata; in keeping with the gradation of the fineness
of the reflecting medium; there is a gradation in the reflection also; and vijñānaṁaya
kōśa is supposed to be subtler than all the others; and therefore it is brighter than
all the other things. And therefore it is ati prakāśaḥ. So here prakāśaḥ literally means
bright; in this context, brightness indicate sentiency; awareness. So it is highly
sensitive; highly aware compared to the physical body. So therefore ati prakāśaḥ;
parama prakāśaḥ ayaṁ vijñānaṁaya kōśaḥ jīvāḥ.
And the reason is given in the fourth line. Prakriṣṭa sānnidhya vaśat; because of its
extreme proximity to ātma. Because of its; its means what: vijñānaṁaya kōśa's
extreme proximity, to the parātma, the Self.
Page 868

And what type of proximity? Not physical proximity; why can't you say physical
proximity; can you guess the reason; paramātma being all-pervading, nothing can
be closer and nothing can be farther comparatively. Suppose, we two are there; I
am there; another student is there; tell me which one is closer to me; which one is
closer to space; since space is all-pervading every object in the creation is uniformly
closer or uniformly away and you cannot say one is closer and another is farther. We
should not think that ātma is in the Centre and annamaya kōśa is farthest and
prāṇāmaya is some more nearer and manōmaya is still nearer; that is possible if
ātma is a finite-limited-object sitting in the centre. That is why diagrams can
sometimes create problems. So we put pañja kōśas in concentric circles. Annamaya
big circle and in the centre we put a dot; and what is that dot; ātma. And once the
dot is ātma, one concentric is closest; like the nine planets; Pluto is farthest from the
Sun; and mercury is the closest to the sun; this is possible, because Sun happens to
be a finite entity. Among the pañja kōśas, you cannot say one is closer, one is
farther because, ātma is all-pervading. But we do use an expression: annamaya is
outer-kōśa and ānandaḥ maya is the inner kōśa; all these are figurative words.
In fact, vēdānta is full of figurative expressions. And when we take the figurative
expressions literally, we get into problems. Here also, there is a word which can
create a problem. What is the word? Vijñānaṁaya kōśa has got greater proximity to
ātma. So here proximity should be understood as proximity in terms of its subtlety.
Ātma is subtle and vijñānaṁaya kōśa subtlety is very close to ātma and therefore it
is able to have reflected consciousness; whereas physical body is grosser one and
that is why it cannot be that sentient; even the sentiency of the body cannot be
directly borrowed from ātma; it has to come through what? vijñānaṁaya kōśa dvāra
only. So all these because of what: vijñānaṁaya kōśa is also matter; annamaya kōśa
is also matter; but all these differences are there because of what? Their nature.
And therefore because of extreme proximity, prakr̥ṣṭa, extreme; sānnidhyam means

proximity, vaśat; vaśa means reason, because of the reason of extreme proximity; to
what: parātmanaḥ; extreme proximity to paramātma; then you have to go back to
the previous line; ati prakāśaḥ; vijñānaṁaya kōśa is extremely shining. It is also
bright, it is also sentient.
So now we have got two sentient entity. What are those two sentient entities?
Vijñānaṁaya kōśa which is now called what: jīvātma. So jīvātma is a sentient entity
consisting of what: buddhi with borrowed Conciousness; and this jīvātma is all
Page 869

pervading or limited? This jīvātma being nothing but buddhi with borrowed
consciousness, it is limited; it is located. Not only it is limited and located there are
plurals; many jīvātmas are there, because your buddhi makes one jīvātma; my
buddhi makes another jīvātma; there are as many jīvātmas as the buddhis are. And
this jīvātma is what? sentient.
This is one sentient entity. Then what is another entity? Paramātma. And what is the
uniqueness of its sentiency? The sentiency of paramātma is intrinsic; not borrowed;
and how many such paramātmas are there? Here only one should be careful. How
many such paramātmas are there? Only one.
And how does it travel; it cannot travel also. Thus there are two sentient entities;
jīvātma and paramātma; or the karta bhōktā and the akarta abokta; I will say the
lower-I and the higher-I. The lower-self, with small-s; and the higher Self, with big-
S. Both are there in whom; in every individual. All these we elaborately analysed in
Kathopanișad, Part I, Canto III:
ऋतं �पबन्त सुकृतस् लोके

गुहां प्र�वष परमे पराध� ।
छायातपौ ब्रह्म� वदिन्
पञ्चाग्न ये च �त्रणा�चकेत ॥ १॥
r̥taṁ pibantau sukr̥tasya lōkē
guhāṁ praviṣṭau paramē parārdhē |
chāyātapau brahmavidō vadanti
pañcāgnayō yē ca triṇācikētāḥ || 1||
Very elaborately I discussed. I am assuming certain things for granted. And again
we discussed the same topic in Mundakopāṇiṣad Chapter 3, Part I.
द्व सुपणार सयुजा सखाया समानं व�

ृ ं प�रषस्वजात । तयोरन्य �पप्पल स्वाद्वत्त्यनश्न
अ�भचाकशी�त ॥ १ ॥
dvā suparṇā sayujā sakhāyā samānaṁ vr̥kṣaṁ pariṣasvajātē | tayōranyaḥ
pippalaṁ svādvattyanaśnannanyō abhicākaśīti || 1 ||
They were compared to two birds. So thus, that is said here: this jīvaḥ is extremely
brilliant, because of its proximity to paramātma; and therefore what happens? A
Page 870

terrible thing happens. What is the terrible thing? Both jīvātma and paramātma are
sentient and are therefore very similar, because of similar features or nature. What
is the similarity of their nature? Both are cētanam; that is why dvā suparṇā sayujā
sakhāyā. There I explained; both are sentient; and not only both are sentient; both
are inseparable also.
Why they are inseparable? Because one is all-pervading. Therefore the jīvātma can
never be separated from paramātma; in fact, wherever the jīvātma goes, there is
what: the paramātma also. This inseparable intrinsically united, having similar
nature, these two are together; and when we use the word I; and refer to
ourselves; it contains a mixture of both of them. Because pure paramātma cannot
use the word-I; pure paramātma cannot use the word-I; pure jīvātma does not
exist; because the very jīvātma is because of what? borrowed consciousness, and to
borrow the consciousness we require what? the lending paramātma is required.
And therefore what is the meaning of the word: I. It is a mixture which is using the
expression ahaṁ. Therefore the word ahaṁ consists of a mixture of lower-I and the
higher-I. Ahaṁkāra and sākṣi. Jīvātma and paramātma; reflected consciousness and
original consciousness; this mixture alone can use the word-I.
OK. There is nothing wrong in using the word-I. But what is the problem? When I
use the word-I, which part of this mixture, I should claim as the real-I. Which part
of the mixture, I should claim as the real-I? The cit-aṁśa or the cidābhāsā aṁśa the
higher consciousness or the reflected lower consciousness? I should be claiming I as
the para ātma.
But what mistake I commit? I take the lower-ātma and its features as my real
nature. I mistake the lower-I called ahaṁkāra that is buddhi misritha cidābhāsā or
the cidābhāsā misritha buddhiḥ; the lower-I, I claim as my real nature.
Even though Bhagavān is regularly showing that the lower-I; the located-I is the
only my incidental nature. When does he show? In sleep, the lower-located-I with
the Brahamaṇatvam; with the Brahmachāritvam; with the terrible karmās and the
complexions; all these features disappear in suṣupti; and I continue to remain. So
the incidental-I, I should not be claiming as myself.
Page 871

And why does this mistake take place? The mistake takes place because of the
similarity of the paramātma and the jīvātma and what is the similarity? both are
sentient.
And this phenomenon is a special phenomenon called adhyāsaḥ; adhyāsaḥ means

transference of the attributes of one upon the other; because of their proximity and
similarity. The phenomenon of the transference of the attributes of one upon the
other; because of their proximity-closeness and similarity also.
Let us take two things X and Y. When they are proximate and when they have got
closeness; when you transfer the attributes of X upon Y, the phenomenon is called
adhyāsa and these two things are given a special name also. Suppose the attributes
of X are transferred to the Y, X is the lender of the attribute; Y is the receiver of the
attribute; the lender is called upādhi and the receiver onto which the attributes are
transferred, that Y is called upahitam. So upādhi's attributes appear on upahitam.
Upādhi's attributes appear on upahitam, which causes the phenomenon of
transferrence, which happens because of proximity and similarity.
And here Śankarācārya wants to say vijñānaṁaya jīva or ahaṁkāra is serving as

upādhi; and ātma is serving as upahitam. Jīvah and ātma; the lower-I and the
higher-I are proximate; which is upādhi?; the lower-I is the upādhi, the higher-I is
the upahitam; both are very proximate and both are sentient and therefore what
happens? the properties of the lower-I; the properties of the unreal-I; the properties
of the vyāvahārika-I is transferred, is mistaken, as the properties of the higher-I; the
real-I, the pāramārthika-I.
Just like taking my dream-properties as the waker’s. Suppose in the dream I commit
a sin and after waking up, I worry for the sin; the sinner is the lower-I in the dream;
and I am transferring the attributes of the dream-I upon the real waker-I. Similarly
the jīva-I is the dreamer-I and the ātma-I is the original-I and the transference takes
place.
Therefore vijñānaṁaya gets a technical name now, upādhiḥ. That is what is said
here. Yēṣaḥ upādhiḥ bhavathi. Yēṣaḥ means what? Vijñānaṁaya kōśaḥ; jīvaḥ; lower-
I; becomes upādhi. Upādhi means what? Becomes the lender of attributes; not real
transference; does not really transfer; but it appears. And generally, in the śāstra,
they give the example of a crystal ball and a coloured object nearby. A crystal ball
Page 872

and a coloured object. Crystal ball is clear like crystal. Crystal-clear, we say. Crystal
ball should be how clear; Crystal clear. And the coloured object is nearby and
because of the proximity, the colour of the object appears in the crystal and crystal
appears as a coloured crystal.
Now what is upādhi? and what is upahidaṁ? The colored object is upādhi and the
crystal is called upahitaṁ and from upādhi, the attribute is transferred to upahidaṁ;
but the most important factor to be remembered is, transference is not real
transference; not that the crystal has become red; crystal appears as red. There is
no becoming there.
So sometimes when a coloured object comes in contact with your dress, then the
colour of the object gets transferred to your dress; but that transference is what? It
is a real transference; then only you have to go for special detergent soap and try to
remove it; you see it in the advertisement and all; there the transference is real
transference; you require a karma to remove the attributes.
But here the vijñānaṁaya attributes are not really transferred to ātma because,
ātma is asaṅgaḥ; therefore the transference should be apparent transference.
Therefore ātma does not become attributed; ātma appears as attributed. And this is
called ādyāpica tādātmyam.
In fact, Śankarācārya introduces his Brahmasūtra bhāṣyam with this adhyāsa topic
alone; which is one of the deepest, most significant and fundamental topic of
vēdānta. And this adhyāsa bhāṣyam he writes one and half pages and the sub-
commentator writes 10 pages; the sub-sub-commentator writes 50 pages; sub-sub-
sub-commentator writes 100 pages; sub-sub-sub-commentator writes 400 pages.
What is that: 1-1/2 pages of Śankarācārya gets magnified. You have a book and at
the end of the book you will find, that the topic of adhyāsa is over.
How much they have gone into? Because each one creates next doubt. Next doubt,
next answer; next answer; next answer; it will go on and on and on. This is the
outline of adhyāsa. What is that? Apparent transference of attributes of one on the
other is called adhyāsa.
So therefore vijñānaṁaya becomes upādhi. For what: asya; asya means what? for
this paramātma, which is called by what name; the upahitam. That is not said here;
Page 873

and we have to supply that word. For this paramātma, which is called upahitam. And
yadātmadhi; by the identification with that vijñānaṁaya, which he will explain later;
by the identification with that vijñānaṁaya alone, by claiming myself to be the
vijñānaṁaya, the lower-I, I suffer. If I choose to claim the higher-I as myself; I am
free from problems? When? All the time. Therefore the waker is free from svapna
problems; when, after waking up, No; even during dream; even when he is
committing a heinous crime; at that time also, the waker is:
न पुण्य न पापं न सौख्य न दःखं

ु
न मन्त न तीथ� न वेदा न य�ाः ।
na puṇyaṁ na pāpaṁ na saukhyaṁ na duḥkhaṁ
na mantrō na tīrthaṁ na vēdā na yajñāḥ |
So the higher-I is my real nature all the time, but claiming the lower-I; yadātmadhi,
yat here means vijñānaṁaya kōśa; ātmadhi means claiming as myself. By claiming
vijñānaṁaya kōśa as myself, as oneself; bhramēṇa saṁsarati, so this individual, who
is the mixture of both the lower and higher; when I say individual; it is the mixture
of both; so this individual who is the mixture of both, saṁsarati; is suffering from
saṁsāra. Caused by what? Bhramēṇa; caused by brahma. It is like an actor playing
the role of a beggar and later seriously mistaking himself to be the beggar.
It is very good to play the role of a beggar; and you can cry also. But suppose my
identification is so much, that it goes beyond the drama also, and even after coming
to the green room and still crying, then the drama has become serious. Similarly all
our life is wonderful as long as I know they belong to my lowrer-I; but if I take it
seriously as pāramārthikam, then it will create problems.
योऽयं �व�ानमयः प्राणे हृ� स्फुरत्य ज्यो�त |

कूटस्थ सन्नात् कतार भोक्त भवत्युपा�धस् ||१८९||
yō:'yaṁ vijñānaṁayaḥ prāṇēṣu hr̥di sphuratyayaṁ jyōtiḥ |
kūṭasthaḥ sannātmā kartā bhōktā bhavatyupādhisthaḥ ||189||
In fact, with the previous verse, the vijñānaṁaya topic is over. Śankarācārya has to
really enter into ānandamaya kōśa; but there is a diversion here, from verse 189 up
to verse No.205. 189 to 205 is a diversion. And this diversion to explain the word
upādhihi. Because he used a technical expression Upādhi, Śankarācārya feels that
the discussion is complete only when he takes the following topic also; because as I
Page 874

said before upādhi is that which apparently transfers its attributes on some
upahitam. So the concept of upādhi is incomplete without the topic of upahitam.
Because they are inter-related.
The word upādhi is meaningless without the upahitam and therefore Śankarācārya
wants to introduce the upahitam also in this context even though really speaking the
upahitam is ātma; ātma should be discussed after what? after discussing ānandaḥ
maya kōśa only; the ātma topic should come. In fact he will discuss the ātma topic
after ānandaḥ maya kōśa later; but here also, as a part of vijñānaṁaya kōśa he
discusses ātma. Why he discusses? Because vijñānaṁaya kōśa has been introduced
as upādhi; and therefore he wants to tell ātma is upahitam.
And once the upādhi and upahitam has been introduced, then he can talk about the
confusion in the form of the transference of attributes. In fact, the transference
really becomes mutual transference. Even though we talk about the attributes of
upādhi being transferred to the upahitam; but even the other way round,
transference takes place; which we would not concentrate now. I do not want to go
to those topics. The transference of vijñānaṁaya kōśa to the ātma-the upahitam.
For that, he defines the upahita ātma.
So what is upahita ātma; how do you know that there is such a consciousness?
What is the proof for that consciousness? We do not see an all-pervading
consciousness at all; what is the proof? Śankarācārya says śruti pramāṇam reveals
that consciousness and therefore he brings in śruti pramāṇam. And he quotes a
mantra from Brihadāranya upaṇiṣad; Svyam jyothi Brāhmaṇam. It is a very famous
Brāhmaṇam. And the first line is paraphrasing the mantra occurring in Brihadāranya,
svayaṁ jyothi Brāhmaṇam. So what does it say? Ayaṁ vijñānaṁayaḥ.
So be very careful. it is a very misleading expression. Here the word vijñānaṁaya

which is occurring in Brihadāranya is in the meaning of pure consciousness and not
the kōśa here. Vijñānaṁaya does not refer to the kōśa. In this context, the word
vijñānaṁayaḥ refers to ātma caitanyaṁ; original consciousness. That is the why the
Upaṇiṣad is confusing. As it is, even if you talk straight, to understand is difficult; but
the upaṇiṣad uses the words very loosely; and that is why commentaries are
required; and naturally why we give such a meaning; logic also comes.
Page 875

Here we are not discussing the logic, but in the advanced text book, they will discuss
the logic also. Brahma sūtra is there; sub-commentators are there; where they
discuss the logic; but here we will take it vijñānaṁaya is equal to vijñāna svarūpam
caitanya ātma.
And what is the nature of that consciousness? I discussed this before giving the five
point. Five points, do you remember? Consciousness is not a part, product or
property of matter; or consciousness pervades and enlivens the material body;
consciousness is not bound by, what you all, the dimensions or the size of the body;
consciousness survives even after the fall of the body; and that surviving
consciousness will not be available for transaction for want of medium. That
consciousness is here called vijñānaṁayaḥ. And this ayaṁ vijñānaṁayaḥ caitanyaṁ
prānēṣu; is present, is manifest, in every sense organ. So thus brain or the human
body becomes a medium for the manifestation of consciousness. Śāstra does not
accept consciousness as a product of matter.
We do not say life as something which is evolved out of matter; like all the big-bang
came and thereafterwards they all were moving; and a group of particles were
there; and there were accidentally joined together and then DNA was formed; RNA
was formed and peculiarly a unicellular organism came and thus as an emergent
consciousness we do not accept. Śāstra does not accept.
What śāstra says is big bang might be true; cell arrival might be true; life arrival we
do not see as arrival as consciousness; we see as arrival as an ideal medium for the
manifestation of consciousness. We do not accept the origin of consciousness, we
accept the manifestation.
Brihadāranya upaṇiṣad says: yētebhya bhūtēbhya samuthaya tān ēva anu

vinasyati. A very important mantra which says consciousness manifests along with
the body; the consciousness goes back to unmanifest condition along with the body.
Therefore manifestation and unmanifestation takes place; but not production and
destruction.
We say matter can never produce consciousness and therefore this consciousness is
prānēṣu; prānēṣu means what; manifest in the sense organs. That is why it is called
śrōtrasya śrōtraṁ manasō manō yad vācō ha vācaṁ sa u prāṇasya prāṇaḥ. So
Page 876

prānēṣu manifest in consciousness; means sense organs, here prāṇa is translated as

sense organs; indriyāni.
All these have come in Brihadāranyaka; ācārya gives an elaborate commentary on

this mantra and ayaṁ jyothi; this self-effulgent consciousness; this light of all lights;
hr̥dispurathi; obtains in the mind of everyone. Here hr̥d means mind; every word we
give a different meaning. hr̥d when you say heart they might have put. But what we
are translating it here: as mind. hr̥dayaṁ namāḥ anthakāraṇam.
It is evident in the anthakāraṇam; doing what? Illumining the mind; the thought; its
emotions and later through the mind, illumining the external world also. So thus
ātma is the upahita caitanyaṁ.
And what is the nature of this upahita caitanyaṁ. Kutasthaha san. It is nirvikāraḥ,
changeless principle, unlike vijñānaṁaya which is subject to change and travel.
Vijñānaṁaya is also a sentient entity. But what type of sentient entity. It is a
changing sentient entity, whereas ātma is changeless sentient entity. So savikāra
caitanyaṁ and the nirvikāra caitanyaṁ. Savikāra caitanyaṁ is upādhihi, nirvikāra
caitanyaṁ is upahitam. So when I say, which one is there; both are there. So never
ask who uses the word-I. This is the biggest confusion in Vēdānta. Who uses the
word-I; it is always the mixture alone, because as I said, paramātma is never
separated from jīvātma and jīvātma never exists without paramātma. Therefore
when I say I, lower aṁśa is also there; and the higher amsa is also there. To use
the 7th chapter of Gītā, apara prakr̥ti is also there; para prakr̥tihi is also there.
Apara prakr̥ti is called the empirical I; para prakr̥ti is the absolute I; So the I is a
mixture of the empircal and absolute I. And which one is the real-I; the aakartā I, is
the real-I; but here alone I commit a blunder; what is that? karta bōkhta bhavathi.
So this I; whose real nature is aakartā and abōktha, now appears as karta and
bōktha. And because of what? Dhūṣṭa saṁbandaha. So like college students, as
single they are all good; but when they converge in a group, we do not know from
where this attitude, the mob psychology comes in; because we find that individuals
added cannot be termed as mob. Because what is not individual seems to come.
What is the psychology, is a big problem. So you cannot say that the total is the
simple arithmetic addition of individuals, you cannot say. Similarly, I myself am fine.
That is why in sleep everyone is a jīvan muktha.
Page 877

In Svayaṁ Jyothi Brāhmaṇam, sleep is given as an example for Mōkṣa. But when is
the problem; when this man gets up. Therefore upādhisthaḥ; because of the
proximity or association with the lower-I; the empirical-I, the vyāvahārika I; karta
bōktha bhavathi.
So somebody asks me, am I a akartā or bōktha, there is nothing wrong in saying I

am akartā bōktha. It is true empirically, because from the stand point of empirical-I,
I am certainly akartā bōktha. And that is why jñāni also accepts his prārabdhaṁ
from the stand point of the empirical-I. But the jñāni's advantage is: even when he
is accepting the prarabadha as empirical I, he is aware of the absolute-I; in front of
which the empirical-I and its suffering, become insignificant, like the mother who
lost her child in the Kargil war; and certainly as a mother it is a painful thing; but
that mother said: I do not mind losing the son. What makes her say so. The mother-
I is there; an Indian-I is there. When the Indian-I becomes prominent; the mother-I
does not go away. How can it go. mother has lost. but the mother-I and the
attendant suffering appears smaller in front, and not only that she says I want to
send my other children also to the Army. Everyone has got mother-I; father-I;
Indian-I and ultimately the absolute-I. In front of the absolute-I, all the other
problems will be there, but they will appear smaller. Jñāni will have pain; sickness
will be there; he also may lose his dear disciple or guru; all problems remaining the
same, the change is in the perspective. What is the perspective? The absolute-I is
the perspective, while looking at the empirical-I. That does not mean that we should
be careless, with regard to empirical-I. That does not mean that the mother should
kill the children. Mother does not want the children to die; but if it happens, she is
able to withstand.
Similarly here also I want the empirical-i to be dharmic, the empirical-I to be

healthy; and I want to do good only from the empirical-I standpoint. Therefore
follow dharma as empirical-I. but when the empirical-I has got all these situations, I
look at it from the absolute-I standpoint. Then they do not disturb.
. Verses 189 to 191

ॐ
योऽयं �व�ानमयः प्राणे हृ� स्फुरत्य ज्यो�त |
Page 878

कूटस्थ सन्नात् कतार भोक्त भवत्युपा�धस् ||१८९|

yō:'yaṁ vijñānaṁayaḥ prāṇēṣu hr̥di sphuratyayaṁ jyōtiḥ |
kūṭasthaḥ sannātmā kartā bhōktā bhavatyupādhisthaḥ ||189|
Śankarācārya is dealing with the vijñānaṁaya kōśa as a part of pañja kōśa vivēkaḥ.
And this vijñānaṁaya kōśa topic is actually over with verse No. 188; but
Śankarācārya is taking a small diversion from verse No.189 up to verse 205.
And in this Śankarācārya is discussing an important idea in Vēdānta. He had pointed

out that this vijñānaṁaya kōśaḥ is mainly buddhi or intellect and according to the
śāstras, buddhi is inert by itself; but even though it is inert, it is capable of
manifesting or reflecting the consciousness and with this borrowed consciousness,
buddhi becomes a sentient entity. And this sentient entity is otherwise called ego or
ahaṁkāra or karta or bhōktha etc.
Therefore whenever we use the word ahaṁkāra in the śāstra, it is a mixture of two
things: we are talking about a sentient intellect and sentient intellect itself means
the presence of two things. Just like when I say: the burning tubelight; illumining
light; even though I use the word light as a single entity; I know that in fact, there
are two factors involved; pure bulb cannot shed light; pure electricity also cannot
shed light. So when I say tubelight; there is the bulb which is blessed by the invisible
electricity principle.
Thus buddhi is like the bulb and the sentiency part of the buddhi is the blessing of
the invisible consciousness principle and this blessed buddhi, live buddhi; sentient
buddhi is the ego which can be called as the inferior-I. Which is the inferior-I; the
lower-I of the individual and the inferior-I will be understood as inferior-I only when
we come to discuss the topic of the superior-I. So the inferior's inferiority will be
shown only after the introduction of the superior-I and therefore Śankarācārya
wants to introduce the superior-I as a diversion.
And what is this superior-I. It is the consciousness which lends sentiency to the
intellect, because of which the reflected consciousness is formed in the buddhi;
because the reflection presupposes the original. Pratibimbam presupposes a
bimbam. Reflected face in the mirror presupposes the original face. And that original
bimba caitanyaṁ is called ātma and this ātma is the superior-I of the individual.
Page 879

Thus I have got two I_s as it were: one is the inferior-I; the sentient intellect called
ego; and the other is the consciousness which is called the Self.
Now the question is: when an individual uses the word I, which particular one he
refers to. When a person uses the word I, which particular one he takes. Śāstra
analyses this and points out that the individual does not refer to either of them but
he mixes them up a new mixed-up-I is generated. Neither the pure inferior-I is
talked about, nor pure superior-I is talked about; because he does not know that
there is an inferior and superior I; and therefore what happens is: both are mixed
up.
And this mixing up alone is called anyōnya tādatmya or anyōnya adhyāsaḥ. When
somebody says the light illumines, does he know that there are two factors? Often
he does not think that there is a bulb and there is the electricity; and the word light
I use is neither the pure bulb nor pure electricity; I have coined a new word, in
which the properties of both are intermixed.
When I say light illumines does it refer to bulb or electricity: what will you answer?
You cannot say electricity illumines; then I will say I will take off the bulb. You
cannot say the bulb illumines; then I will take of the electricity. It will be very nice if
we can manage to have light without electricity. So therefore the inferior-I cannot
exist without the superior-I; the superior-I cannot transact without the inferior-I.
The inferior-I cannot exist without the superior I; Why? because the inferior-I
requires a reflected consciousness and the reflected consciousness is lent by whom;
the superior-I. Therefore, the inferior-I cannot exist without superior-I; the superior-
I cannot transact without inferior-I; and therefore the I that we use is a mixed up I;
and the properties of one are transferred to the properties of the other.
And what is the vēdantic process of knowledge; the vēdantic process of knowledge
is; the superior-I is my real nature. The superior-I is my real nature, the inferior-I is
only an incidental feature, in whose presence I transact and in whose absence I do
not transact; but I exist. Non-transaction does not mean what? Non-transaction does
not mean non-existence. And once I own up the superior-I, I should ask the
question, am I a localised-I or all-pervading-I; and I should understand the
localisation belongs to the inferior-I or superior-I. The localisation, finitude is a
feature of the inferior-I; the real superior-I, am not localised at all.
Page 880

Therefore, the localisation is transference of the property of the inferior-I on to the

real-I. The sense of localisation; do you understand, the sense of localisation and
how does it express; I am in Anna Nagar; I am in Vivēkānanda Vidyālaya; I am in
this class-room; and I am seated here; this localisation is whose property; it is the
property of the inferior-I; it is not the property of the real-superior-I; but what do I
think; I am localised.
And if I can convert this statement, it is the inferior-I which is incidentally localised;
it is the inferior-I which travels from body to body; it is the inferior-I which has got
sañcita, āgami, prārabdha, etc. Then the superior-I is free from all the properties of
inferior-I and that knowledge is alone called ahaṁ brahma asmi knowledge. And in
that what is the meaning of the word ahaṁ; ahaṁ means the superior-I; separated
from the inferior-I.
And therefore this transference of the properties of inferior-I is called adhyāsaḥ; and
whose-ever properties are transferred; that is called upādhi. Wherever iti s
transferred it is called upahita. The inferior-I is upādhi and the superior-I is the
upahitam. This is a sensitive topic of vēdānta on which alone the entire vēdantic
building is built up and therefore Śankarācārya discusses that from 189 to 205. And
therefore in 189 he introduced the superior-I.
What is that; vijñānaṁayaḥ. Very careful; I told you in the last class. The word
vijñānaṁayaḥ does not refer to kōśas, but it refers to the caitanyaṁ. Bimba
caitanyaṁ. Very confusing expression, because all the time we are discussing
vijñānaṁayaḥ kōśa; and suddenly Śankarācārya introduces the same word with a
different meaning.
But why does Śankarācārya do that. Already understanding vēdānta is difficult; why
does he add to confusion? Śankarācārya uses this word, because he is quoting
Brihadārnyaka Upaṇiṣad and the Upaṇiṣad has used this word Vijñānaṁaya in the
meaning of ātma. And we have no right to question the upaṇiṣad. And therefore
Śankarācārya uses that word.
And therefore very carefully note that vijñānaṁaya here means ātma. Bimba
caitanyaṁ; and what is this nature. Svayaṁ jyotihi; the superior-I; ātma is the
svayaṁ jyotiḥ; whereas the buddhi is not svayaṁ jyotiḥ; inferior-I is not svayaṁ
Page 881

jyotihi; it has got only borrowed jyotiḥ. Here it is ayaṁ jyotiḥ only. But in the
upaṇiṣad, swayaṁ jyotiḥ is there; swayaṁ jyotiḥ means self-evident.
And what is the nature of the superior-I. Kuṭasthaḥ. It is ever changeless; ever
motionless; unlike the inferior-I; vijñānaṁaya the ego; ego is not Kuṭasthaḥ; ego is
savikāraḥ. Up to this is the introduction of the superior-I.
Now Śankarācārya says: upādhisthaḥ; the superior-I is in the proximity of the

inferior-I, which becomes the cause of transference of properties. If they are
separated physically, confusion would not come. The confusion comes like in some
houses when they touch the beans and the chillies; of the same size, I say beans-
chilli avivēka problem comes, because both are of the same size and same colour;
and when would you know the difference; when you touch your eye with that hand
and water starting coming from the eye. Beans-chilli avivēka leads to tears.
Similarly ego-ātma avivēka leads to tears. There simple tears; but here mahā-tears
called saṁsāra. Therefore upadisthaḥ means the bimba caitanyaṁ is close to
pratimbimba caitanyaṁ. Cit is close to cidābhāsa. Therefore cit-cidābhāsa avivēka
takes place.
And how does it expresses. Akartā-bhōktā bhavathi. The inferior-I alone is akartā
and bhōktā; the superior-I is aakartā and abōktha; and then what do we do; the
akartā-bōktha nature of the inferior-I is transferred to the superior; superior and
real-I; and I claim that I am really a akartā; I am really a abōktha. I am incidentally
a akartā- bōktha is harmless. Like playing a role. I am incidentally a akartā-bōktha;
no harm; it is like an actor claiming I am incidentally a beggar is OK; but the
problem is: I never take my kartr̥tvam as an incidental feature but I take my
kartr̥tvam as an intrinsic feature; borrowed from where; Upādhisthaḥ; being close to
upādhi, I become akartā-bōktha.
And once that transference has taken place, it is exactly like in dream. So when I do
certain actions in dream; no doubt I myself am doing those actions, but they are
only incidental actions, because of my inferior-I. What is the inferior-I; the I
obtaining in dream; and with the help of that inferior-I, I incidentally do some action
and incidentally acquire dream puṇya-pāpam and as long as I see them as they are,
no harm; but after waking up also, if I am going to dwell on that, and say that I am
a sinner; I am a sinner; I am a sinner, etc. that means there is a confusion between
Page 882

the waker-I and the dreamer-I. The dreamer-I's properties are taken on to the
waker-I. Similarly the waker-I itself belongs to another dream and there is another
superior-I called ātma. Therefore confusion has set in and then saṁsāra starts. That
is going to be explained in the following verses 190.
स्वय प�रच्छेदमुपेत बुद्ध
ृ ात्मन |
तादात्म्यदोष परं मष
सवार्त्म सन्न� वी�ते स्वय
स्वत पथ
ृ क्त्व मद
ृ ो घटा�नव ||१९०||
svayaṁ paricchēdamupētya buddhēḥ
tādātmyadōṣēṇa paraṁ mr̥ṣātmanaḥ |
sarvātmakaḥ sannapi vīkṣatē svayaṁ
svataḥ pr̥thaktvēna mr̥dō ghaṭāniva ||190||
So how we mess up the real-superior-I and the incidental inferior-I. That the
inferior-I is incidental; how do we prove; how do we prove; something is incidental
or intrinsic? I have talked about this before. When water is hot, the heat in water is
incidental; how do I know; because the heat goes away in due course, whereas the
heat in fire is always there. The localised-I is only my incidental feature, how do I
prove?
In the jāgrat avastha, the localisation I experience. In svapna avastha, localisation I

experience. In suṣupti avastha, when buddhi is resolved, I do not experience
localisation. From this it is very clear in the presence of Buddhi or mind, I
experience limitations; in the absence of mind in suṣupti, I do not experience
finitude; therefore it is clear that finitude is incidentally caused by the arriving and
resolving mind. This is how we prove. This logic is called anvaya-vyathirēkha logic.
In fact, this is how we study the allergies also.
Suppose we have got allergic problems. What to do? You try to find out what you
have eaten; and then you think it may be potatto; it may be takkali; it may this or
that; each one you have to see. You eliminate it and see whether the symptoms go
away. And again you eat and see whether the symptoms come and find out yathra
yathra thakkali tatra tatra rashes. Yathra yathra thakkali abhāva ha thatra thatra
Page 883

rashes abhāvaha. Tasmat Thakkali ēva rashasya kāraṇam. Which is called anvaya
vyatirēka logic.
The mind functions in jāgrat-svapna, and I have got an incidental localisation; when
the mind resolves in suṣupti; mind incidental localisation is dropped and therefore I
am what: svayaṁ sarvātmaka. Look at the third line. svayaṁ sarvātmaka. Svayaṁ
means by myself, by the stand point of my superior nature. Who am I, sarvātmaka.
I am the consciousness, which is in all the bodies. I am the superior-I; which is not
only in my body, which is behind all the bodies and all the mind; as Krishna said in
the thirteenth chapter: �ेत्र चा�प मां �व�द सवर्�ेत्र भारत kṣētrajñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi
sarvakṣētrēṣu bhārata. Buddhi varies from body to body. Just like filament varies
from bulb to bulb; but electricity is only one principle. Similarly buddhi is like a
filament, body is like the bulb; buddhis are many; bulbs are many; electricity is only
one. Similarly, consciousness is one; therefore where am I; the superior-I;
sarvātmaka. Ahaṁ sarvasya ātma bhavami. I am the superior-I in all.
And that is why Krishna said again in the Gītā, nityaḥ sarvagataḥ sthāṇuracalō:'yaṁ
sanātanaḥ. Dēhās are many, but dehi, the consciousness is not only nithyaha; but it
is what: sarva gataḥ. Therefore how many superior-I_s are there. It is only Ekaha.
That is what is said. Svayaṁ sarvātmakaḥ, the I is only one behind all the bodies.
Sannapi; even though this is the fact, what does one do: buddhēḥ paricchēdam
svayaṁ upētya. One takes the limitations of the buddhi upon oneself. One takes the
limitations of the buddhi; buddhi means what: the lower-I; one takes the limitations
of the lower-I upon the real higher superior intrinsic-I.
And who has forced this. Śankarācārya says: Nobody has forced; we ourselves have
committed the mistake like the elephant throwing mud upon itself. So this elephant
man, the mahout, he gives a bath to the elephant. You can imagine, giving a bath to
the elephant and he has made it so shinny and beautiful elephant and it comes out
and it is tied to the tree; the first job it does it what; take the mud and throws upon
itself. It does for temperature control; it seems. It is not the mistake and all; that is
a natural phenemenon for temperature control, that is required; that is a different
thing. But the idea here is what: the elephant itself throws mud upon itself.
Page 884

Similarly, we are all what: the real elephant; superior-I. And the guru has given the
wash in the class; that you do not have Brāhmaṇa, Kṣatriya, Vaiśya, Śūdra, Sri,
Puman, Kartr̥tvam, Bhōktr̥tvam,

ु , न मन्त न तीथ� न वेदा न य�ाः ।
अहं भोजनं नैव भोज्य न भोक्त, �चदानन्दरू �शवोऽहं �शवोऽहम ् ॥ ४॥

na puṇyaṁ na pāpaṁ na saukhyaṁ na duḥkhaṁ, na mantrō na tīrthaṁ na vēdā na
yajñāḥ |
ahaṁ bhōjanaṁ naiva bhōjyaṁ na bhōktā, cidānandarūpaḥ śivō:'haṁ śivō:'ham ||
4||
All these have been repeatedly drilled into your head in the class that the superior-I
is washed and the moment the chappals are on, the first job is from the inferior-I,
what are the muds; mud is nothing but kartr̥tvam Bhōktr̥tvam manuṣyatvam
Brāhmaṇatvam, pitrutvam, putratvam.
�वश्व पश्य� कायर्कारणतय स्वस्वा�मसम्बन
�शष्याचायर्त तथैव �पतप

ृ ुत्राद्यात भेदतः
viśvaṁ paśyati kāryakāraṇatayā svasvāmisambandhataḥ
śiṣyācāryatayā tathaiva pitr̥putrādyātmanā bhēdataḥ
Pitta putra, even guru śiṣya is another type of mud only, because gurutvam also
makes one finite; śiṣyatvam also makes one finitude and therefore Śankarācārya
says svayaṁ.
Every individual by himself or herself upētya, upētya makes takes to the
paricchēdam; paricchēdam means limitations; and limitations is not only physical;
there are so many other limitations.
So when a person gets married, he gets the husband-I status, and then he is looking
for what: father-I status. So when that-I status does not come; children are not
born; the sense of paricchēdam comes. Then at last children are born; and then
what is the next problem. They are all married Svāmiji; give special anugrahaṁ; no
grandson Svāmiji. So therefore father-I status I have got; I feel what limitations.
Grandfather, Grandmother status has not come. Many grandparents spend sleepless
nights because; they do not have grandchildren. Children are not there; that
Page 885

limitation is gone now. In fact, whether they have now got the worry that children
are there is not known! They are not there worry is gone. Grand children are not
there is a serious problem. They cry; they seek special blessing. These are all what:
psychological limitations; physical limitations; intellectual limitations. Svāmiji;
Brihadāranyaka upaṇiṣad I could not listen Svāmiji. What limitation it is. Intellectual
limitation.
All these paricchēdams belongs to what: the inferior-I and I throw upon myself and
this superimposed limitation is called saṁsāra. Superimposed limitation is called
saṁsāra. Therefore buddhēḥ, here the buddhi means the inferior-I; the ego; the
ahaṁkāra, the vijñānaṁaya kōśaḥ.
One more thing; what type of buddhi it is; mr̥ṣātmanaḥ; mr̥ṣātmanaḥ means the
buddhi which is of inferior reality. mr̥ṣātma means of inferior reality; of lower nature.
So mr̥ṣātma means it has got only vyāvahārika satyam; whereas ātma has got
paramārthika satyam. So from the standpoint of the pāramārthika satya ātma, the
vyāvahārika satya ahaṁkāra is inferior. Therefore mr̥ṣātmanaḥ.
And all because of what: tādātma dōṣēṇa. One has taken the limitations of buddhi
because of tādātmyam. Tādātmyam means identification. Tanmayatvam. Like
watching a movie. When I watch a movie, the problems of the hero or heroine
becomes my problems; temporarily because of what: tādātmyam.
And how do you know that problem has become my problem. How do I know; how
do I know that these problems have become my problems? I am shedding tears,
when I become emotional; even though it is the hero or heroine who is dying.
Therefore the very action indicates tanmayatvam. If I am objective, there is no
question of reaction at all.
Therefore he says: tādātmya dōṣēṇa; which is otherwise called adhyāsaḥ. And it is

called doṣaḥ; why. this is also important. Now identifying with the movie or the
characters of the movie, we become emotional. And even though we become
emotional; we still choose to go to movie. And especially if it is a tragic movie. The
story says the sweetest songs are those that tell the saddest stories; something like
that: whatever it is. People love tragic movies. Perhaps they feel that they are
suffering so much and may be we are feeling that our suffering is far better!!
Relative you know; vicarious satisfaction, may be, I do not know.
Page 886

Now why do we choose to go to movie. The reason is: we choose to identify. It is a

deliberate identification, which I managed to have and it is an identification, which I
can manage to get out also; at the end of the movie. Since I have got mastery over
that identification, since I have got manageable identification; there is nothing
wrong; I can choose to go; and I can enjoy shedding tears; and I can come out and
forget.
Vēdānta says, if you can do the same thing with regard to the inferior-I also;
wonderful. You can become an empirical I; you enjoy the relationship with wife and
husband and father; and you shed tears also; no harm; but ask the question; are
these emotions, manageable for me; or am I getting carried away by them.
The story says Śankarācārya biography says; whether it is true or not we do not
know; because Śankarācārya biography is a hearsay biography, we do not know
which is fact and which is fiction; because there are about 28 biographies of
Śankarācārya which contradicts each other. Right from date and place of birth. But
one of the
version is that Śankarācārya cried when his mother died.
So people wonder: What is it. Śankarācārya says: Brahmaivahaṁ idam jagatasca

sakalam cinmātra visthāritam. Would he have cried. If he had cried, is he a liberated
person. I would say that even if the story is true; and even if Śankarācārya had
cried, I would say that still he can be happily be a jīvan muktha because it is exactly
like you voluntarily going to movie; choosing to cry by identification; because of our
freedom to identify, enjoy the crying and come out of the movie.
For a jñāni, he can choose to come down to the relative-I and visualise his childhood
days and he has written māthru pañjakam; Amma what and all names you called;
the mother calls the baby with a peculiar name; sound; every mother and the child
knows and the mother knows; sibblings may know. Now Śankarācārya can become
a person; a human being; and look at the mother and identify with his childhood and
enjoy that motherly; and the mother-child relationship and he can happily cry.
Exactly like you choosing to go to a movie; and enjoy crying. In fact the best movie
is that which moves you. If it does not move, you feel the money is waste. The
money is validated only when you forget your real-I and you are able to get into the
movie.
Page 887

And that is why they try to make it more realistic by making a 3-D movie. 3-d movie
mean; it will become still more real. Why they say that the movie is so realistic and
which movie you value; a realistic movie.
Similarly a vēdantin need not get out of the inferior-I; a vēdantin need not destroy
his human-I; a vēdantin can enjoy fatherhood, motherhood, wife-hood, husband
hood and all the relationship and consequent feelings; but what vēdānta says is that
I should be able to voluntarily enter into the role and I should be able to and I am
sure that the Śankarācārya would have enjoyed crying and then all the function is
over; he would be able to get out of the whole thing and look at the whole thing: na
mātha; na pitha, na bandhuḥ; All these things are incidental aspects of vyavahārika
world.
Therefore we do not want to kill the individuality. We do not want to kill the
emotions. We do not want to kill the human feelings. What we want to do is to do it
at our will; that is called freedom.
And therefore, tādātma dōṣēṇa; because of confused identity; param; param means
merely; it is a mere confusion: there is no problem; like the psychosomatic diseases;
there is no biological problem, it is only a delusion; therefore he uses the word;
param; it is an indeclinable word; which means merely because of identification.
Identification what happens. One takes the limitations of the inferior-I merely
because of identification.
And thereafterwards what happens: vīkṣatē; vīkṣatē means he looks upon himself
and the creation or living beings, svataḥ pr̥thaktvēna; as different from himself. So
taking the properties of the inferior-I, he looks at others as distinct from himself.
Whichever way you look at it, it is OK. He looks at himself as distinct from others;
or he looks at others as distinct from oneself.
So the idea is what: if I look at the inferior-I standpoint, there is advaitam or

dvaitam. From inferior-I standpoint, there is plurality, because as many buddhis are
there; so many egos are there. And you know what is this ego-clash. It is a very big
problem. So from the superior-I standpoint there is advaitam or dvaitam. There is
advaitam.
Page 888

And therefore whether there should be dvaitam or advaitam, it depends upon how I
look at myself; if it is inferior-I standpoint, there is dvaitam; if it is superior-I
standpoint, there is advaitam. To give a simple example. Whether the wave will see
plurality or non-duality will depend upon what: how the wave looks at itself. The
wave has got two aspects. One is the water aspect. Another is nāma-rūpa aspect.
From nāma-rūpa aspect, it is called wave; from the essential nature aspect, it is
called water. The wave nature is inferior or superior nature; it is inferior. Why; you
cannot just say inferior; you have to give the reasons. Inferior because it is
incidental; water nature is the superior nature, because it is intrinsic.
Now the wave can use the word I from inferior-I standpoint or superior-I standpoint.
If it is going to use the word-I as a wave, the inferior-I; what it is going to see;
there are so many waves; and the neighbouring is a bigger wave, and it has got so
many childrens. Kutti waves are nearby and I am a lonely wave; I do not have
father or mother; no children, no husband, no wife, single, no place to go; so this
wave is going to see the limitations. But how can the wave get out of limitation.
What should it do? It need not do anything; it has to only shift the-I from the lower-
I of a wave, to the higher-I of water.
Then the wave can say: I am the all-pervading water. All waves are rising in me;
setting in me; and I am sarvātmakaḥ and even the ocean does not exist separate
from me. For this what the wave required only shifting the identification. But that is
the toughest job also.
Similarly here also svataḥ pr̥thaktvēna vīkṣatē; one sees the entire creation as
different from oneself, even though not true. Unlike what: an example is given; just
as mr̥daḥ ghaṭāniva; like the pot as different form clay. Seeing the pot as different
from clay, which is the real nature.
.
उपा�धसम्बन्धवशात्परा
ह्युपा�धधमार्ननुभा तद्गुण |
अयो�वकारान�वका�रविन्हवत
सदैकरूपोऽ� परः स्वभावात ||१९१||
upādhisaṁbandavaśātparātmā
Page 889

hyupādhidharmānanubhāti tadguṇaḥ |
ayōvikārānavikārivanhivat
sadaikarūpō:'pi paraḥ svabhāvāt ||191||
So the same idea of taking the inferior-I as identical with superior-I; that confusion
is again restated in a different language; look at the fourth line; sadā ekarūpaḥ; so,
the intrinsic natural superior-I, is sadā ekarūpaḥ. I am always one alone. In what
form; parātma. In the form of para ātma; the superior self. The original
consciousness. So the words are thrown all over; we have to connect the words
properly. Parātma you have to take from the first line and then you have to go to
the fourth line and connect it with sadā ekarūpaḥ. Parātma, sadā ekarūpaḥ. As the
superior-I, I am ever non-dual. Just as throughout the dream, the waker is non-dual.
But what happens. Upādhi saṁbanda vaśāt. This superior-I is associated with the
upādhiḥ. What is the upādhi; the inferior-I. Mind with reflected consciousness.
Pratibimba caitanya sahita buddhiḥ is here upādhi; ahaṁkāraḥ is the upādhi. So
because of the association with the upādhi, what happens, upādhi dharmān
anubhāti. Superior-I also appears with the properties of the inferior-I. The superior-i
also appears along with the properties of the inferior-I. So upādhi means ahaṁkāra,
dharmahā means properties.
What are the properties. Kar̥trutva-bhōktr̥tvādhi dharmāḥ, ahaṁkārasya. Therefore

ahaṁkārasya Kar̥trutva-bhōktr̥tva dharmāḥ, ātmani bhāti. Remember the example,
the crystal appears red in the proximity of the red flower. And therefore now what
is the condition of the superior-I. Tad guṇaḥ; superior-I also is endowed with the
properties of that. Tad here means upādhi. Guṇaḥ means endowed with the
properties of the inferior-I.
And this transference is, remember, not real transference. Very important.
Sometimes when an object comes in contact with the cloth, properties of the object
is really transferred to the cloth, we are not talking about the real transference;
because in the case of the ātma, real transference cannot take place because ātma
is asaṅgaḥ. Very important. Ātma being asaṅgaḥ, it can never be really transferred.
And if it is really transferred, knowledge would not be useful. You will have to get
detergent and sometimes special detergent, acid, etc. so many things you have to
get.
Page 890

Therefore in the case of real transference, karma is required for purification. In the
case of false transference, knowledge alone is enough. And that is why say self-
purification, does not require karma. Self-purification does not require karma.
Why, self-cannot become impure. The Self seems to have sañcita karma; Self seems
to have agāmi karma; Self seems to have prārabdha karma. And if you are going to
wash off each karma; doing this wash off this karma; doing that wash off that
karma, sañcita bundle how big is it. You can never wash off the sins, if the sins are
really there in you. But what Vēdānta says is: not even an iota of sin is in you.
Therefore no washing is required. Then what is required. Knowledge is required.
What knowledge is required. No pāpam can be transferred to the Self.
Then why does pāpam appear. Because it is seemingly transferred like the redness
of the crystal. Crystal has never turned red. Then you may wonder, whether you
wonder or not I will tell this; if you say self-purification does not require any action,
Svāmiji why do you prescribe karma yōga. That is an action.
You say self-purification does not require action. Then why do you prescribe karma
yōga. I ask a counter-question; who said karma yōga is for Self-purification. Who
said karma yōga is for Self-purification. Karma yōga is for mind-purification, so that
you know that the Self need not be purified. Understand. Karma yōga is for mind-
purification, so that you know that the Self need not be purified! Think over.
Hari Om.
Page 891

069. Verses 191 to 195.
स्वय प�रच्छेदमुपेत बद्ध

ु
तादात्म्यदोष परं मष
ृ ात्मन |
सवार्त्म सन्न� वी�ते स्वय
स्वत पथ
ृ क्त्व मद
ृ ो घटा�नव ||१९०||
svayaṁ paricchēdamupētya buddhēḥ
tādātmyadōṣēṇa paraṁ mr̥ṣātmanaḥ |
sarvātmakaḥ sannapi vīkṣatē svayaṁ
svataḥ pr̥thaktvēna mr̥dō ghaṭāniva ||190||
उपा�धसम्बन्धवशात्परा
ह्युपा�धधमार्ननुभा तद्गुण |
अयो�वकारान�वका�रविन्हवत
सदैकरूपोऽ� परः स्वभावात ||१९१||
upādhisaṁbandavaśātparātmā
hyupādhidharmānanubhāti tadguṇaḥ |
ayōvikārānavikārivanhivat
sadaikarūpō:'pi paraḥ svabhāvāt ||191||
The topic of vijñānaṁaya kōśa is being continued here and the uniqueness of
vijñānaṁaya kōśa is that with the reflected consciousness, it is able to serve as a
secondary ātma and therefore vijñānaṁaya kōśa has got a unique status which is
not there for the other kōśas.
And this vijñānaṁaya kōśa with the reflected consciousness is called ahaṁkāra or
the secondary-I; which I called inferior-I, or the lower-self. Because of this I serves
as a secondary I; there is a scope of confusion between the secondary localised
inferior-ahaṁkāra-I; and the original unlocalised ātma-I.
And Śankarācārya wants to points out: confusion between this secondary-I and the
original-I alone is the cause of saṁsāra and this confusion he wants to discuss as an
incidental topic and therefore he has taken a diversion here. And this inferior-I is
called upādhi; and the original-I is called upahitam; and the upādhi-upahita
Page 892

confusion takes place. And because of this confusion, the properties of the inferior-I
are mistakenly seen upon the superior-I.
And therefore Śankarācārya wants to point out that I should be claiming that I am
Brahman. And I am nirguṇam, niṣkalam, asaṅgam, sarvagatam, ēkam. This is my
real nature; which is the original -I; but in the proximity of the inferior-I; I also
appear to be a localised limited-I. That this localisation is incidental is proved daily in
deep sleep state, because in sleep, I do not feel any localisation or limitation. During
the waking state, the ego-I arises, all the individuality arise. During the sleep the
individuality resolves and my attributes are also resolved. That is why regularly I
experience mōkṣa during sleep.
Now Śankarācārya does not want to say that you should abolish the ego. We never
say that you should destroy the ego, because, through the ego alone we do all the
transactions. Even the knowledge that I am beyond the ego, even the knowledge
that I am beyond the ego, I have to acquire through the ego alone.
So the pure ātma is not going to be the listener of the talk and therefore use the
ego; but do not mistake it as yourselves. This is what Śankarācārya wants to say.
This is called jīvanmukthi; as we often see in the Gītā.
pasyan, srivan, sprsan, jihran, asnan, gacchan, svapan, svasan, naiva

kinchit karomiti tatvavith manyeta.
In and through the transactions the wise person says that I am not the transactor;
how is it possible? He is aware of this fact, that through the ego, I am the
transactor, the transactor-hood is an incidental facet of mind but by myself I am not
the transactor. Therefore, have the transaction; have the ego; but never allow the
ego to restrict your nature. And this is called non-binding ego. So jñāni is not free
from ego; jñāni is free from binding limiting restricting persecuting ahaṁkāra.
And this idea Śankarācārya discusses incidentally as a part of vijñānaṁaya kōśa.

There we were seeing verse No.191 where he said in the fourth line, first and fourth
line, paramātma sadā ekarūpaḥ; paramātma means my higher nature; the real-I. So
this I; which is the pure caitanyaṁ; is sadā ekarūpaḥ. I am ever the same; not
hearer; not smeller; not taster; not even a knower; I am the consciousness as it is,
When: sadā. But what has happened? Upādhi saṁbanda vaśāt. Now there is the
Page 893

upādhi; upādhi means the ahaṁkāra, ahaṁkāra means what? mind plus reflected
consciousness; saṁbanda vaśāt; here saṁbanda means what? proximity; because of
the closeness; of the lower-I; upādhi dharmān anubhāti; that higher-I appears with
upādhi dharmān. Appears with the properties of the lower-I. So the higher-I appears
with the properties of the lower-I; therefore when the mind has got happiness or the
mind has got a particular emotion; the emotion belongs to the mind or the lower-I;
but I attribute it to myself; the real-I.
And therefore upādhi dharmān; here dharmā means kartr̥tvam; bhōktr̥tvam;

puṇyavatvam; pāpa vatvam; saṁsāraḥ in general; along with that I appear. And
therefore I become what? tad guṇaḥ. So the higher-I becomes endowed with the
properties of the ahaṁkāra the lower-I. Tadguṇaḥ means what: ahaṁkāra guṇa
sahita bhavitaha ātma.
And what is the example? Remember the example of crystal and red flower. When
crystal and red flower are close; the redness of the red flower appears upon the
crystal and perceptually it is nothing wrong; but intellectually I should not take it as
red. And even after knowing that crystal is not red; what will be the perception? The
perception will be reddish crystal only, like the Sunrise. Even after knowing that the
Sun does not rise, experiential sun-rise will continue; experiential sun-set will
continue; but there is a cognitive change; congnitive change means what: a change
in terms of my knowledge.
So similarly here also, ātma appears to be endowed with; but it does not have.
Therefore tad guṇaḥ is equal to ahaṁkāra guṇa yuktaḥ. Bahuvriha samāsaḥ. Tasya
ahaṁkārasya guṇāḥ yasya ātmanaḥ saha ātma tadguṇaḥ ātma.
And he wants to give an example. What is the example? Avikāri vannivat. Like the
fire which pervades an iron piece. A piece of iron; generally they give the example of
iyō gōlaka; a lump of iron; that iron is pervaded by fire; the fire does not have a
shape of its own; but when the fire principle pervades the iron piece; the fire also
appears to have the shape of the iron. Therefore instead of saying: iron ball, we use
the expression: a fire ball. In fact, fire ball does not exist; because fire is a formless
principle; but how do we say fire ball? the ballness of the iron is transferred to the
fire.
And suppose this iron ball is subjected to hammering, as they do in the forging
companies; as even the iron changes the shape, the fire also seemingly changes the
Page 894

shape. Really speaking fire does not change the shape because it does not have a
shape of its own. And therefore he says: avikāri vannivat; the changeless fire:
appears; that we have to supply from the second line; appears to be endowed with
or appears with iyō vikāran; with the modifications of the iyah; iyah means iron.
So here is upādhi and what is upahitam. The iron is the upādhi and the fire is the
upahitam and upādhi dharmāh upahite vāsantē.
Similarly in the case of sun-rise and sun-rise, what is the upādhi and what is the
upahita? The motion belongs to the earth; earth is the upādhi and the sun is the
upahitam; the rotation of the earth is falsely attributed to the Sun.
Similarly when we are travelling in the train, we say Madras has come. Very typical
adhyāsa. How can Madras come or go? Madras is always immobile. So the
movement belongs to the train; but we falsely transfer the movement of the train to
the motionless station.
Similarly Śankarācārya gives the example of the moon moving fast, when the clouds
are moving. So when the clouds are moving, you see the moon; dr̥śyate tu dāvastu
davanniva yatha śaśi. As Śankarācārya has said. You do not have to do anything.
Abreshu daavatsu satsu śaśi dāvan iva bhāsi. In Ātma Bōdhaḥ, when the clouds are
moving fast, it appears as though the moon is moving.
Similarly when the mind is violently changing, I feel that I am undergoing change;
when the mind is sleeping, I say I am asleep; when the mind is awake; I say I am
awake; in fact, my entire biography is a transferred biography.
And what is my biography? There is no biography. Because biography begins with

birth. Isn't. What is the first in biography? Date of birth it starts. Now what is my
nature? Na jāyate mriyāte vaa kadācit. So therefore he says: a
ayōvikārānavikārivanhivat; in the same way ātma appears with the attributes of
ahaṁkāraḥ. And what is the beauty? Even during appearance, the ātma is not
affected. Just as even when the crystal appearing red, the crystal is not affected by
redness; that is why you need not scrap off the red colour. So not only it is
colourless before, not only it is colourless later; even when the crystal is appearing
as red, at that time also, it is also what? Colourless.
Page 895

Similarly vēdānta says before also I am free; later also I am free; even now when I
am claiming I am sādaka, Svāmiji I am attending for the last 3 years; some
liberation seems to have come. So even when you say my bondage is partial,
liberation is partial; even at this moment, vēdānta says you are free.
That is why a good teacher never says: you will be free. That is the biggest mistake
a teacher can commit; because student comes to Vēdānta with the hope of getting
freedom. A teacher should never say that you will be free at the end of the
Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi; No; you were, you are, and you ever will be free.
And therefore Śankarācārya says: svabhāvāt parah. By its own nature, ātma is
beyond these attributes, unaffected the attributes. That means saṁsāra is
vyavahārikam; ātma is pāramārthikam.
भ्रमेणाप्यन वाऽस्त जीवभावः परात्मन |
तदपु ाधेरना�दत्वान्नानादेना इष्यत ||१९२||
śiṣya uvāca |
bhramēṇāpyanyathā vā:'stu jīvabhāvaḥ parātmanaḥ |
tadupādhēranāditvānnānādērnāśa iṣyatē ||192||
So this is also part of the diversion portion. The byepass road; certain byepass roads
are very big. Similarly here is this diversion which started from verse 189 it is going
to up to 205. So here the student is raising a question.
And his question is based on the understanding that the saṁsāra has no beginning,
because saṁsāra is caused by what? Saṁsāra is in the form of a error. And what is
the error? The attributes of the lower-I is taken on to the higher-I; which is called
adhyāsa; which is called bhrānti; which is called error. Exactly like seeing the
sunrise. And the error is always caused by ignorance. And since the ignorance is
beginningless, the error is also beginningless. You can never talk about the
beginning of ignorance. Suppose I ask: Do you know Chinese. So you will say that I
do not know. I think many do not know Chinese and if I say French, someone would
be here knowing French. So you say I do not know; I ask you the question, from
when you do not know Chinese. Can you say from 21st year. No.
Page 896

You can never talk about the beginning of ignorance; even birth cannot be the
beginning of ignorance, because according to śāstra, birth belongs to the body
alone. As far as the mind is concerned, it was there in previous janmās also;
therefore the ignorance is anādhi. Any ignorance is anādhi. Particularly self-
ignorance is anādhi. So can we guess that we had self-knowledge in the previous
janma. Suppose somebody perhaps I might have self-knowledge in the previous
janma; what is the answer? You have to say Idiot. If you had self-knowledge in the
previous janma, you would not have born here now. So the very fact that you are
here; and I have the tough task of keeping you, is because of self-ignorance alone;
and therefore self-ignorance is anādhi. And that is why in Avani avitta saṅkalpa also:
anādhi avidyā vāsanaya; from the beginning. OK.
If ajñānaṁ is anādhi; ajñāna janya adhyāsaḥ also must be anādhi. Between saṁsāra
also must be anādhi. And therefore the student wonders: How can a beginningless
thing ever have an end, because generally what is our logic? Whatever has a
beginning: Jātasya hi druvō mr̥tyuḥ; that is our generalisation. Whatever has a
beginning, has got an end; that is our generalisation. Saṁsāra does not seem to
have a beginning, that means saṁsāra cannot have an end also.
OK. So what? That means mōkṣa is not possible. So what? Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi class is
useless, because you are presenting the vēdānta śāstra as a means of what?
Remember, not for time pass; remember.
We do not approach vēdantic study as an intellectual drill; we are not supposed to at

least. So the very pursuit of vēdānta is not as a philosophical study. In the tradition
they made sure that a person approaches vēdānta only as a mōkṣa śāstra, because
many of the arguments in Vēdānta is based on that assumption. If that assumption
is not there; many arguments will fall apart.
So vēdānta is presented as mōkṣa śāstra; and if saṁsāra is anādhi and mōkṣa is

impossible, where is the relevance of mōkṣa śāstra? And therefore the student says:
all my effort is going to go waste. ānādērhe Anāditvā nāsti. This is the assumption
of the student. That which has no beginning cannot end.
So now look at the slōka. Parātmanaḥ jīvaḥbhāvaḥ asthu. Now we have come to the
conclusion that paramātma has got jīva bhavaḥ, because of what? Some reason. Jīva
Page 897

bhāvaḥ means saṁsāra limitation etc. for my higher-I. Bhramēṇa; because of error.
That is faulty; erroneously or anyatha va; or otherwise.
The student says I am not bothered about that: Either it has happened because of
error; or it has happened really; really or erroneously; we see there is saṁsāra for
the ātma. Student is not bothered whether it is really or erroneously; there is a
saṁsāra.
And what is the cause of the saṁsāra? Tad upādeḥ anādhitvāt. This saṁsāra has to
be beginningless; that we have to supply. This saṁsāra has to be beginningless,
because tad upādhihe anādhitvāt; because of the beginninglessness of the upādhi.
Upādhi, the condition, cause, and what is the cause, the confusion between, what
you call, anātma and ātma. Or the confusion between mind and ātma; or the
confusion between ahaṁkāra and ātma; which is beginningless. It did not begin on
a day. So tad upādheḥ anādhitvat; jīva bhāvaḥ api anādhiḥ bhavathi.
So according to śāstra, all the jīvās are anādhiḥ; beginningless. All this we have
discussed it in different context. We never talk about a fresh jīva being created by
the Lord. Because if a fresh Jīvah has to be created; what will be the problem? What
will determine the type of jīva? Because now in our case, the jīva's condition is
determined by what? pūrva janma or pūrva karma, which is determined by pūrva
karma, pūrva karma, pūrva karma, etc. and anādhi. But a fresh jīva is to be created,
pūrva karma will not be there; then what will be the basis of creation?
If Bhagavān is going to choose a body at random; then Bhagavān will no longer be

impartial; what body to be given is to be decided; isn't it? Therefore we never accept
creation of fresh jīvās. Then you may ask how do you account for population
explosion? Actually, this is one of the standard questions. If fresh jīvaas are not
created; in India, we have reached or reaching one billion and we may overtake
China; and I think we would be No.1 only in this.
How do you account for that? For that our answer is whenever we talk about jīva
population, do not take the humanity alone; jīva means every living being in the
creation. Population when you say you take into account only human population. We
have to take into account all the animals; all the lives; even the small ant running
round here; all the insects; and not only the animals, insects and plants, and even
the dēva lōkaḥ jīvas have to be taken into account and therefore if there is a
Page 898

population explosion in one species there will be a corresponding decrease in the

population in other species, exactly like law of conservation of matter. If buildings
come here, from somewhere else mud must have come, cement must have come.
How do you know? You know by the law of conservation of matter. Therefore
corresponding decrease will be there. That is why Svāmi Chinmayānanda used to
nicely say: human beings have increased, because all the forests are destroyed and
therefore tigers and scorpions have become human beings. That is why they are
stinking like scorpions and cruel like tigers. Anyway what I want to say is: Jīvās are
anādhi. Therefore jīva bhāva is anādhi.
Now the students' worry is: anāditvānnānādērnāśa iṣyatē. What is beginningless has
to be endless also. Like the ātma. We saw ātma is beginningless and ātma is
endless. Therefore his inference is saṁsāraḥ anathaḥ Anādhitvāt ātmavat. This is his
inference.
He continues that in the next verse also. So nāna dēhē, how to split; anādeḥ jīva
bhāvasya nāśaḥ na iṣyatē. So the end of beginingless jīva bhāva is not acceptable;
not proper; not logical.
अतोऽस् जीवभावोऽ�प �नत्य भव�त संस�तः

ृ |
न �नवत�त तन्मो� कथं मे श्रीगु वद ||१९३||
atō:'sya jīvabhāvō:'pi nityō bhavati saṁsr̥tiḥ |
na nivartēta tanmōkṣaḥ kathaṁ mē śrīgurō vada ||193||
So there is a correction. Jīva bhāvosi nitya bhavati; instead of nitya; it should be

nityo bhavathi; masculine gender. Athaḥ adhya jīva bhāvaḥ nityaḥ bhavathi; since
the upādhi is beginningless and since the ignorance is beginningless, since the
transference is beginngless, and therefore the jīva bhāvah is also beginngless. So
asya paramātmanaḥ, asya means paramātmanaḥ, this paratma also must have
eternal jīvatvam. Jīvabhāvaḥ can be understood as saṁsāra. This saṁsāra is also
beginningless. Jīvabhāvaḥ being masculine gender, nitya word also should be
masculine; therefore nityō bhavathi.
And therefore what is the conclusion? saṁsr̥tiḥ na nivartēta. And therefore saṁsāra
will never go, because it is eternal. Remember this is not the vēdantic teaching. This
is the śiṣya's question, based on his wrong conclusion. We are going to show that
śiṣya is wrong. Therefore we are quoting the śiṣya's word. It is eternal; therefore
mōkṣa is not possible. Saṁsr̥tiḥ should be connected with the next line. saṁsr̥tiḥ na
Page 899

nivartēta. Tat mōkṣaḥ katham me. So therefore Oh Teacher I am very much

worried, how will I get Mōkṣa. At least some hope I had; if not in this janma, in
some future ones. Now even that hope has been lost. So tat means tasmāt, may
mōkṣaḥ katham bhavathi? How can there be liberation for me? And he is so
desperate, he says: Sri Guru; Oh Teacher; Vada. Please answer this question. I am
in a very very serious doubt. This is śiṣyaḥ uvacha. This is śiṣya's question. Now
the guru is going to answer.
श्रीगुरुर |
सम्यक्पृष त्वय �वद्वन्सावधान तच्छृण |
प्रामा�ण न भव�त भ्रान् मो�हतकल्पन ||१९४||
śrīgururuvāca |
samyakpr̥ṣṭaṁ tvayā vidvansāvadhānēna tacchr̥ṇu |
prāmāṇikī na bhavati bhrāntyā mōhitakalpanā ||194||
śrīgururuvāca.. Sri Guru clarifies the student's doubt. And before he clarifies, first he
congratulates the students. This is the typical. This should be understood by the
teacher. Never say: silly question. Even the silliest question should not be pointed
out as silliest question, because even the silliest question is a bug for the student. It
becomes silliest only after one knows the answer.
And therefore never put down the student; never tease the student. Never tell the
answer has already been given. If you say that, what is the meaning? It means you
slept in the class. Therefore one should never say that the answer has already been
given. Say it is a genuine question. Any intelligent person will get such question.
There is nothing wrong; I will answer and he should answer as though it is a fresh
topic. These are all the dialogue-method techniques, the teacher should know. What
the student should do is to ask the question? And what the teacher does.
The student addresses the student with reverence He Sri Guruhō vadah. That is the
humility. What should the teacher do? Show affection, love, consideration,
appreciation. Therefore he addresses the student; vidvān; Oh Intelligent student.
Not like Vidvān in Malayalam, which can also give an opposite meaning: Like
Brihaspathi. Here it is Saṁsr̥kt word. Oh Intelligent student; thinking student;
listening student; thyaya samyakpr̥ṣṭaṁ; a very good question has been raised by
you. Very legitimate question. And sr̥ṇu. So may you listen to: tad, the answer to
that question. tadu means may you listen to answer to the question; that also very
Page 900

important because often after asking the question also, we keep on dwelling on the
question or look around for other people to appreciate my question; that also! "I
have asked a nice question, you see, which did not arise for you, idiots".
Therefore do not dwell on the question; do not dwell on the other people's
appreciation; present the question briefly and give more time for the teacher. This
is one of the very important thing. Otherwise we tend to talk more and we do not
give time to the teacher at all. If the question requires elaboration, OK. But the best
way of asking is: guru is intelligent; he does not require any explanation, he knows
it; before I start, he will know my line of questioning; from where do I come, etc.
So you present the question as briefly as possible and the answer should take more
time. This is followed in upaṇiṣad, Gītā and all. The question occupies less number of
verses. And therefore it is very important. That is why it is like a class situation. you
all will never talk. So I can take my own time.
But in a dialogue situation, the problem is: I find the student is impatient, generally
he does not give the ears and allows me to talk less.
And therefore he says: samyak tvayā pr̥ṣṭaṁ; you should listen how; saavadhanena;
with an open mind, without concluding that there cannot be an answer; with an
open mind, may you listen to the answer. Sāvadhanam is used in Tamil also.
Sāvadhanama po; literally Sāvadhanam means careful; be alert; please listen.
And he says: bhrāntyā mōhitakalpanā prāmāṇikī na bhavati. Anything that is

erroneously superimposed due to delusion; kalpana means super imposed; mōhitam
means erroneously; bhrāntyā, due to delusion or ignorance; anything that is
erroneously superimposed due to delusion or ignorance, prāmāṇikī na bhavati, is
non-factual. It is really non-existent. It is really non-existent.
Anyway what the teacher wants to arrive at is this. That suppose we talk about
rope-snake; the perception of snake because of delusion. Now when did the snake
arrive; when somebody asks the question; really speaking there is no answer to the
question. Why there is no answer to the question. The snake has not really arrived.
Only if the snake has come, you can talk about when the snake arrived. There is no
question of arrival of snake because there is no snake at all.
Page 901

And therefore when a person falsely perceives a snake, really speaking there is no
snake, but for the consolation of the student, temporarily I accept a snake. In my
heart, there is no snake at all; but if I temporarily accept a snake, the student does
not leave; he is asking for the horoscope of the snake, what is its birth star, time,
gōthram, etc. Therefore temporarily I have to give an answer: it is anādhi. If the
snake comes, it is anādhi. Anādhi means it is not one existing beginninglessly,
anādhi means the one whose beginning cannot be talked about; because it is really
not there.
Very careful. Anādhi is a very technical word. Anādhi does not mean that it exists
beginninglessly. Anādhi does not mean it exists beginnglessly; anādhi means the one
whose beginning cannot be talked about because it does not really exist.
And therefore on the knowledge of the rope, snake does not die; on the knowledge
of the rope, snake does not die. Why does the snake does not die? It is not there for
dying; therefore, the end of the snake is, really not the end of the snake; the end of
the snake is the understanding that there is no snake to end. OK. The end of the
snake is, understanding that there is no snake to end.
Therefore after knowing the rope, I do not say now this snake has gone; I do not
say. I do not say now the snake has gone. What do I say? There was no snake at all
for going. And therefore, the seemingly anādhi snake has got an end again
seemingly; on the wake of knowledge. Seemingly anādhi snake has got a seeming
end on the wake of knowledge and therefore every error is beginningless but it has
an end. Every error is beginingless but it has an end. Here errors are
beginningless, because they are born out of the beginningless ignorance.
Errors have end, because in the wake of knowledge, I know their non-
existence. And the nearest example that we can give is the example of darkness.
If there is a cave in South America, where people have not reached at all; because
they say; there are certain areas where human beings have not still reached.
Now suppose there is darkness in that cave. When did the darkness begin? When
did the darkness begin? You cannot talk about the begining of darkness; but when
you light a lamp, the beginningless darkness ends.
Therefore he says, bhrāntyā mōhitakalpanā na prāmāṇikī bhavati; it is non-factual. It

is mithya. So mithya is: without beginning but with end. Therefore he says.
Page 902

भ्रािन �वना त्वसङ्ग �निष्क्र �नराकृतेः |

न घटेताथर्सम्बन नभसो नीलता�दवत् ||१९५||
bhrāntiṁ vinā tvasaṅgasya niṣkriyasya nirākr̥tēḥ |
na ghaṭētārthasambandhō nabhasō nīlatādivat ||195||
So he says: every error has got a unique status. Every delusion has got a unique
status. And what is the uniqueness of the status? It is beginningless but it is subject
to end. Normally we know two things, which has got a beginning and end; those we
know very well. Everything we know in the creation. This cloth has got a beginning;
birth date and expiry date; whatever you prepare; manufacturing date/expiry date.
We know things with beginning and with end. One group of objects. And we also
know things without beginning and without end. What is that? Only one thing; you
cannot say things. That is ātma.
Now we are introducing a unique intermediary concept which is the basic concept of
vēdānta which is called mithya concept. And this is the fundamental and the
understanding of which alone vēdānta will become clear. No other system of
philosophy accepts this concept. Sāṅkya, Yōga, Nyāya, Vaiseṣika; none of them
accept this. And dvaitam, Viśiṣṭadvaitam; they are not able to assimilate this. The
unique concept of mithya and what is that mithya? that which is neither existent;
nor non-existent; that which is seemingly existent; delusion; which has no beginning
but which has an end.
And saṁsāra comes under this unique category. And Śankarācārya says to all the
other systems of philosophy, if you do not accept this, all your śāstrams will become
redundant. Suppose they bring saṁsāra under any one of the other two; other two
means what? that which has a beginning and end; that category; or that which does
not have a beginning or does not have any end; these two category; if you place it
in any one of these. What problem will arise; do you understand? Suppose you take
saṁsāra as one with a beginning and with an end; what will be the problem.
Gaudapāda discusses in Mānḍukya Kārika. Now what will be the problem? Saṁsāra
had a beginning and by your sādana, saṁsāra will end; and since saṁsāra is subject
to beginning, again saṁsāra will begin. Then what will be the difference between
your mōkṣa and all other accomplishments in life? Because all other karma phalams
have got beginning and end and you say saṁsāra is also subject to beginning and
end; and when saṁsāra ends, the mōkṣa will begin and then again later, mōkṣa will
Page 903

end and saṁsāra will begin, thus saṁsāra comes; saṁsāra end; mōkṣa comes and
mōkṣa will end. So the problem will be what? Mōkṣa will be like other karma phalam.
If saṁsāra is subject to beginning and end, mōkṣa also will be subject to beginning
and end. How? Do you understand? Saṁsāra came and mōkṣam gone; like kathi
came and vaalu pocchu. Saṁsāram is there now and mōkṣam is not there.
Thereafter saṁsāra will go and mōkṣam will come. Thereafter again saṁsāra will
come; because saṁsāra is subject to beginning and end. When saṁsāra comes
again, what will happen? Mōkṣa will go away. Thus mōkṣa will be like another karma
phalam.
Suppose you say saṁsāra is beginningless and endless, that is still worse. What is
that: will never get mōkṣa. Therefore if you say: saṁsāra has beginning and end,
problem; if you say saṁsāra is beginningless and endless, also problem. Saṁsāra
has no beginning and no end; if you say problem. Therefore saṁsāra has to be
beginningless and it has to be subject to destruction and that way saṁsāra can
come only under the unique thing: what is that? Mithya. And what is the definition of
mithya? That which is beginningless but which is subject to end. Then alone mōkṣa
will be eternal mōkṣa. In all other philosophies, either mōkṣa will be impossible; or
mōkṣa will be impermanent mōkṣa.
OK. That is what is said in the next few verses, which we will see later.
Hari Om.
Page 904

070. Verses 195 to 197

ॐ
भ्रमेणाप्यन वाऽस्त जीवभावः परात्मन |
ु ाधेरना�दत्वान्नानादेना इष्यत ||१९२||
तदप
अतोऽस् जीवभावोऽ�प �नत्य भव�त संस�तः
ृ |
न �नवत�त तन्मो� कथं मे श्रीगु वद ||१९३||
सम्यक्पृष त्वय �वद्वन्सावधान तच्छ णु |
प्रामा�ण न भव�त भ्रान् मो�हतकल्पन ||१९४||
भ्रािन �वना त्वसङ्ग �निष्क्र �नराकृतेः |
न घटेताथर्सम्बन नभसो नीलता�दवत् ||१९५||
śiṣya uvāca |
bhramēṇāpyanyathā vā:'stu jīvabhāvaḥ parātmanaḥ |
tadupādhēranāditvānnānādērnāśa iṣyatē ||192||
atō:'sya jīvabhāvō:'pi nityā bhavati saṁsr̥tiḥ |
na nivartēta tanmōkṣaḥ kathaṁ mē śrīgurō vada ||193||
śrīgururuvāca |
samyakpr̥ṣṭaṁ tvayā vidvansāvadhānēna tacchr̥ṇu |
prāmāṇikī na bhavati bhrāntyā mōhitakalpanā ||194||
bhrāntiṁ vinā tvasaṅgasya niṣkriyasya nirākr̥tēḥ |
na ghaṭētārthasambandhō nabhasō nīlatādivat ||195||
As an answer to the student's question, the teacher is talking about the unique
status of saṁsāra and also the unique status of mōkṣa. And to understand this very
clearly, we should know the background in which all the religion, including various
systems of philosophy, introduce themselves.
All the systems of philosophy, especially Indian system, they know about karma and
karma phalam; both loukika and vaidika. And that actions are limited and produce a
limited result which have a beginning and therefore which will be exhausting in time.
Thus karma anityam, karma phalam api; tasmāt anityam.
Page 905

Not only they are aware of this fact with regard to worldly actions; they are aware of
the fact with regard to religious action also, which is presented in the entire vēda
pūrva; and all religious actions are called dharma; and dharma will also produce
dharma phalam. Dharma is only a technical word for religious action.
And therefore they are aware that just as karma phalam is finite, non-eternal;
dharma phalam is also non-eternal. Dharma phalam is called puṇyam and puṇyam is
also non-eternal and therefore whatever happy life one enjoys through puṇyam, that
happiness is also non-eternal and even higher lōkaḥs which are accomplished
through puṇyam; they are also non-eternal. In fact, the greatest Brahma lōkaḥ
which is dharma phalam, that is also non-eternal. This all the systems of philosophy
have uniformly agreed, especially Indian systems.
And all of them say that if the human being is happy with a finite happiness, finite
enjoyment, then they can commit themselves to religious actions or worldly actions
and as a result of that, they will get some money or they will get some puṇyam and
they can enjoy a happy life and thereafterwards what? lose everything. And if a
person says: I am happy with that, a finite enjoyment, a finite comfort; a finite life,
that is good enough for me; all the systems of philosophy declare that you do not
require philosophy at all. Lead a good life; earn money and also try to order the
environment to the extent possible and be as much happy as you can and pass
away. You do not require philosophy at all.
Then when is the philosophy or this śāstra required. When a person is not happy
with the finitude and when he is seeking something permanent; that permanent
phalam whoever gives, he is put in a totally different category; he is called a
mumukṣuhu.
So mumukṣuḥ is one who is dissatisfied with the happy life, which can be
accomplished through the actions, religious or worldly, and also a moral life; that
happiness this person is not satisfied. To such a person who wants permanent
benefit; nitya phalam, the one who seeks is called mumukṣu and all these systems
of philosophy, present mōkṣa as such a permanent result.
Every philosophy introduces itself as a promoter of mōkṣa and therefore they
uniformly declare that mōkṣa is different from all karma phalam. Mōkṣa is different
all dharma phalam; mōkṣa is eternal. Even other religions like Christianity, when
Page 906

they talk about heaven, they will see, you go to heaven which is eternal. Therefore
one background that you should remember is: Mōkṣaḥ is nithyaḥ according to all the
people.
Now here we want to find out if nithya mōkṣa is the aim of all the people, what
should be the nature of saṁsāra? If nithya mōkṣa is the aim of all these people,
Sāṅkya, Yōga, Nyāya, viṣeṣika, Pūrva Mīmāṁsa; dvaitam; viṣiṣṭa dvaitam; advaitam;
śuddha dvaitam; dvaitā dvaitam; so many systems. If all of them are presenting a
nithya mōkṣa, including advaita; then what should be the nature of saṁsāra?
And in advaita, we say, nithya mōkṣa is possible only under a peculiar condition. And
what is that peculiar condition we should know very well, which I was passinginly
referring to in the last class. If Mōkṣa has to be nithya, what is the nature of
saṁsāra we want to find out. Can you say saṁsāra with a beginning or without a
beginning? And the saṁsāra is with an end or without an end?
Now we are seeing different possibilities. One set of people say that saṁsāra is with
a beginning, because only when it has a beginning, it will have an end also, because
jāthasyaḥ druvō mr̥tyuḥ; because the moment you say that it has a beginning then it
has come within time and whatever is in time will have an end also. Therefore one
possibility is that you accept a sādhi saṁsāra; sādhi saṁsāraḥ means; ādhi means
beginning; sādhi means with a beginning. Beginninged saṁsāra; if I can invent an
English word; beginninged saṁsāra. Then the advantage is what? It is a beautiful
concept. Since saṁsāra has a beginning, the saṁsāra will have an end also.
Therefore, by doing sādana, you can put an end to this saṁsāra. And then you will
get mōkṣa very happily.
So its looks all very fine; but the problem is: if saṁsāra has a beginning, and
saṁsāra ends, it means when the saṁsāra ends; what happens? Mōkṣa begins.
When saṁsāra ends, mōkṣa begins. Therefore accepting the end of saṁsāra, he is
talking about the beginning of mōkṣa. So when we talk about the arrival of mōkṣa, it
looks a good news; but if you think, there is a problem. If you do not think, no
problem; anywhere no problem if you do not think. What is the problem if you think?
If mōkṣa comes on a day, Svāmiji today I got liberated; then the mōkṣa which has a
beginning also will have an end, because jāthasyaḥ druvō mr̥tyuḥ.
Page 907

And suppose we say: Ok, let it be so: anitya mōkṣaḥ we got, then we say, anitya
mōkṣa is a contradictory term; because if you are going to talk about anitya mōkṣa,
it will not be different from anitya karma phalam. You have started your spiritual
sādana with what intention? karma phala is anitya and we want something
permanent and like a coalition party; for a particular purpose, they got separated;
for the same purpose they cannot get united also. So therefore you have started the
mōkṣa with what promise? with what prathijñā? If Karma phalam is anityam I want
to give you mōkṣa, which is nithya. And if saṁsāra is with a beginning, and saṁsāra
is going to end through a sādana, and mōkṣa is going to begin, then it will be anitya
mōkṣa and by definition anitya mōkṣa is oximoron; it is a contradiction in terms. And
therefore you cannot say saṁsāra has a beginning. Beginning if you say, what will
happen? Saṁsāra will begin, mōkṣa will end; and mōkṣa also will end; which means
nithya mōkṣa will be impossible, in that approach.
For that what should be done? You have to go to other possibility: saṁsāra is
without a beginning, which is anādhi. Like what? Brahman or ātman or anything.
That is the only thing we can talk about. It is beginningless. But what is the
problem. If it does not have a beginning, it will not come under time at all; if it does
not come within the time parameters, it will not have an end also; because
beginning and end are two sides of the same coin, and if saṁsāra is beginningless,
what is the possibility? It will become endless also. That also means what? mōkṣa is
impossible.
So in the first case, mōkṣa will be anitya, but anitya mōkṣa is not mōkṣa at all;
because by definition mōkṣa is a technical word used for what? Commonly agreed by
all systems of philosophy, mōkṣa means nityam. Therefore in the first option, anitya
mōkṣa is possible, which is not mōkṣa at all. Therefore in first possibility also, mōkṣa
is impossible. In the second option also, mōkṣa is impossible. If saṁsāra has
beginning: anirmōkṣa prasaṅgaḥ; saṁsāra is beginningless also, anirmōkṣa
prasaṅgaḥ;
What to do? Therefore if mōkṣa must be there, saṁsāra must come under a unique
logical category; and what is that? It has to be anādhi but sāntah; it has to be
anādhi sāntah; which is a peculiar category; and it is this category is the unique
feature of advaitic teaching, which alone other systems are not able to assimilate at
all, because their intellect is dichomatic. dichomatic when you say; either it can
accept with a beginning or with an end; or they can accept without a beginning and
Page 908

without an end; but they are never able to conceive of an intermediary thing, for
which beginning cannot be talked about; but end can be talked about.
And what is the nearest example for that intermediary category? The nearest
example is: all superimpositions, like rope-snake, like dream; we call it kalpitta
vasthu. Kalpitta vasthu means what; erroneously superimposed thing; alone will
come under that peculiar category and what is that peculiar category? you cannot
talk about the beginning of the snake, why you can't, really it is not there; but in the
wake of knowledge, we talk about the end of the snake, "end of the snake" (within
quotes) is not that the snake is dead; nor can you say that the snake ran away, etc.
into the bush; end of the snake is understanding of the fact that there was no snake
at all.
So that snake which does not come under 'existent' category, which does not come
under 'non-existent' category, snake existent or non-existent, if you say what?; it
does not come under existent category; non-existent category; it comes under
what? Seemingly existent category, which is called kalpitta vasthu.
And this kalpitta vasthu, which is seemingly existent category will come under what?
anādhi sāntah nature; and we say saṁsāra is anādhi sāntah category; anādhi sāntah
means; anādhi means without a beginning; and sāntah means what? with end;
anādhi saṁsāra has got an end; and when the saṁsāra ends, mōkṣa seems to
begin; but we do not say there is a beginning of mōkṣa. What do we say: mōkṣa
seems to begin when the seeming saṁsāra ends and since mōkṣa only seems to
begin, it is beginningless, and therefore only mōkṣa does not have what? end also.
So nithya mōkṣa is possible only under these unique circumstances.
Can you see the unique circumstances? Saṁsāra should come under seemingly
existent category and that saṁsāra is beginningless and it seems to end in the wake
of knowledge and why do I say it seems to end, because it really is not there to end;
like our snake-ending; and when the saṁsāra seems to end, the mōkṣa seems to
begin and since mōkṣa only is seeming to begin, mōkṣa is really beginningless and
therefore only mōkṣa is endless.
So therefore, such a peculiar category is called: category is a technical word; that

unique concept: that category is called mithya; and Śankarācārya uses the word
Page 909

here: aprāmāṇikī; aprāmāṇikī is a technical word; and it means an erroneous thing.

An erroneous thing; a delusion; an illusion; a false thing is called aprāmāṇikī.
And why does Śankarācārya use the word: aprāmāṇikī; each word is a very
significant and deep word. You know what is aprāmāṇikī; it means it seems to be
there as long as you do not make an enquiry. It seems to be there as long as you do
not make an enquiry.
On enquiry sometimes, we have certain misunderstandings in the family. Somebody

might have said, even if it is somebody might have talked; some communication
gap; and we would have imagined that this person has said like that. Very simple,
cross-check we could have done. And due to various reasons, we would not have
crossed-checked and not only that erroneous super-imposition is there on that
person, we even built up further. And 25 years in family life, we could have suffered
tremendous mental agony and after 25 years we come to know, that he never said
that and it was in fact somebody who said that; and that too about somebody and I
thought it was about me.
So there are things which seem to exist as long as you do not make an enquiry. But
when you do, it disappears.
Like Svāmi Chinmayānanda nicely says an example. That in a wedding, they have
that procession, there is this assembly and outside there is this pandal and there is
this petromax light, which is taken on the head during the procession. So therefore
this person said that the yajamāna ordered the petromax man, you please keep the
light in a place where there is darkness. So this fellow said: I will go and find out
where darkness is and keep the light there. And he took the light on his head.
Whereever he went, there was no darkness. And he went to another place; and all
around and came back to the yajamāna and said that: I went to different places and
did not see any darkness anywhere and so I have brought back the light.
So there are certain things which seemingly exist but on putting the light, search
light, it disappears. We say the entire saṁsāra survives because the māya functions
with the hope that human beings will never think and the māya's hope is still proved
right. We have successfully managed by remaining without thinking.
Page 910

And therefore he says He vidvān: now you are intelligent; samyak pristam, you have
asked a question; saṁsāra has a beginning or saṁsāra has no beginning and you
also asked a question if saṁsāra has no beginning, it will not have an end also; but I
will tell you: saṁsāra is unique category and what is that category: pramānika
bhavathi; its existence is nourished by non-enquiry. Vidyāraṇya says elsewhere; the
nourishment of saṁsāra is non-enquiry. Avicāra siddah. So what is the food for
saṁsāra? avicāraḥ. And what vicārah; saṁsāra is there or not? As long as you do
not enquire, saṁsāra will be fat and nourished; and they give another example also.
Just I remember and I will tell. Big wedding. Today wedding example is coming
today. In a big wedding, there would be some people, who will not belong to either
party and they will enter and with show of authority, will start command both
people. And this bride party will think, perhaps they belong to the bridge groom
party. Bridegroom party will think that they belong to the bride party. And suddenly
there is a occasion when both of them join together. And they will ask each other:
who is this fellow: what is your relationship with him; etc. When both of them join
together and enquire, that person will say, that I drink a glass of water and come
back. He will go there to drink water and never come back. Why because, there is a
concerted enquiry. he does not have an existence, because he does not belong to
Sat party or Asat party; which is bridge and bridegroom I will not say, because
afterwards there will be trouble! So satasatbhyaam anirvachanēyam; it is you cannot
say; it is not you cannot say, but it appears.
And such a category is called what? na aprāmāṇikī; or aprāmāṇikī; bhrāntyā

mōhitakalpanā; whatever is erroneously superimposed through delusion. And to
prove that ātma cannot have saṁsāra, Śankarācārya takes the help of śāstra
pramāṇam, which defines the nature of ātma; the nature of consciousness.
What is the nature of consciousness, as revealed by śāstram? He says asaṅgaḥ

niṣkriyaḥ nirākr̥itiḥ; Asaṅgaḥ means what: relationless; untainted; nothing can stick
to it. Like the non-stick pan. So therefore nothing will stick to it. So therefore,
everything can come in contact with that pan, but it will not affect the pan. Similarly,
all the thoughts can exist in consciousness, but thoughts cannot taint the
consciousness. Cannot stick to the consciousness, just as light is pervading the hall
and any impurity in the hall cannot taint the light. Thus ākāśavat; prakāśavat; it
pervades everything; but it is polluted by anything. Therefore it is asaṅgaḥ.
Page 911

Then niṣkriyaḥ; it is motionless. Body moves, mind moves, thought moves, concept
moves, ideas move; but the illumining Conciousness is niṣkriyam. And then
nirākr̥tēḥ; ākr̥tēḥ means form; it is formless Conciousness. So motionless; formless,
taintless consciousness cannot have saṁsāra saṁbanda. na ghaṭēta; it is impossible.
What is impossible? ārthasambandha; association with anything. Artha means
anything. Body cannot have association with consciousness; mind cannot have
association with consciousness. Consciousness is an independent entity in which
bodies appear, without affecting the consciousness.
Therefore, ārthasambandha na ghaṭēta. Is not possible, except through, what is

impossible, is made possible only by one method. What is that method, bhrāntiṁ
vinā; except through illusion; except through delusion; except through error. Rope
can never become snake, except through one method, what is that: error. Only
through mistake rope can "become" (become within quote) become a snake. It only
it can become snake, it can even threaten; not only it can frighten, even sweat can
be generated by that imaginary snake and therefore bhrāntiṁ vinā; without error,
the association with saṁsāra is not possible for the ātma; which is asaṅga, niṣkriya,
nirākr̥tēḥ. And an example is given. nabhasō nīlatādivat; Like the blueness of the
sky; even you talk about the sky-blue colour. Sky is colourless; ocean water is
colourless; but it is blue ocean for our perception; and it is born out of what: illusion.
So like the illusion of the blueness of the sky, I am sorrowful, is a delusion; I am, is
correct. Mind has sorrowful thought is correct; but I am sorrowful is a bhrāntiḥ; a
mistake.
स्वस द्रष्टु�नर्गुर्णस्य
प्रत्यग्बोधानन् बुद्ध |
भ्रान् प्राप जीवभावो न सत्य
मोहापाये नास्त्यवस्तुस्वभा ||१९६||
svasya draṣṭurnirguṇasyākriyasya
pratyagbōdhānandarūpasya buddhēḥ |
bhrāntyā prāptō jīvabhāvō na satyō
mōhāpāyē nāstyavastusvabhāvāt ||196||
So the previous slōka is further elaborated to show that saṁsāra comes under the
peculiar category. What is that peculiar category? Neither anādhi anantha, nor sādhi
sānta, but it is anādhi sānta, a peculiar category, whose beginning you cannot talk
Page 912

about, because it is really not there; but whose end you can talk about, because on
enquiry it ends, disappears. So that end also. It is a very big topic. Śankarācārya just
shows only what you call, shows just a line; it is a peculiar category has no
beginning or end we say; there the additional point to remember is; this category
ends only through knowledge, because the rope-snake can end only through
knowledge.
Not only it is a peculiar category; and its end is also peculiar. The other snake will
end in different ways. We can destroy a snake with a knife, or run away; but our
peculiar snake, or our peculiar dream; dream also comes under that category, ends
only in one way, it is called jñāna nāṣyaḥ. Every mithyavasthu can be destroyed;
destroyed again within quotes, only through knowledge.
So that peculiar category is explained further. Svasya jīvabhāvō bhrāntyā prāptaḥ;

svasya in the first line, jīvabhāvō bhrāntyā prāptaḥ third line. So jīvabhāvaḥ means
saṁsāra; jīvaḥ means a limited individual.
So this limitation, this mortality, this saṁsāra, bhrāntyā prāptaḥ, has come only
through non-enquiry. Only through mis-conception. Only through delusion, because
we always take ourselves for granted. We will enquire everything in the creation,
except who am I; that only we will never ask, because I know "well" who I am! In
fact we do not ourselves only very clearly. Therefore bhrāntyā prāptaḥ.
And bhrānti belonging to whom buddheḥ bhrāntyā; because of the intellectual

delusion. That is why we say that it is an intellectual problem. So therefore the
solution must also be intellectual solution. And the knowledge is also what?
Intellectual knowledge. People ask it is only intellectual. Only intellectual we need;
because the problem is intellectual. So Śankarācārya makes it clear; buddheḥ
bhrāntyā, because of the intellectual confusion, saṁsāra has come to svasya.
Svasya means for oneself.
And what type of self? The self is described. drastuhu, which is the witness of all
thought; of everything; why thought; which is sākṣirūpasya; sākṣi caitanyasya,
nirguṇasya, which is attributeless; akriyasya, which is actionless, prathyak
bōdhaḥan-antha rūpasya; which is of the nature of inner consciousness and
pūrṇatvam. Ānandaḥ means pūrṇaḥ; which is of the nature of chidānanada rūpasya;
Page 913

bōdhaḥānandaḥm means chidānandam. And which is the pratyak; which is the inner
essence.
Thus, what is the idea? Through intellectual confusion alone, saṁsāra has come for
oneself, which Self is the witness, actionless, propertyless, and of the nature of
cidānandaḥ. And since it is erroneously perceived, it comes under what: na satyaḥ; it
is not real. Whatever is erroneously perceived is unreal. Unreal means what?
seemingly existent. And seemingly existent means what: neither it comes under
existent category; nor does it come under non-existent category. It comes under
seemingly existent. Existent category is called sat; non-existent category is called
asat; seemingly existent category is called neither sat nor asat, it is mithya. That is
why we have invented a special name for it. Mithya. இரண்� ெகட்டா. it means;
inbetween. According to us, everything other than consciousness is இரண்�
ெகட்டா. Everything other than the observer is இரண்� ெகட்டா. That is why any
amount of analysis of the world, you can never come to the conclusion; world is;
and you will never be able to come to the conclusion: world is not; you cannot say it
is; you cannot say it is not; eternally struggle, we will never be able to. Therefore,
the whole life consists of only two categories; I, the observer and everything else
which is இரண்� ெகட்டா. I plus இரண்� ெகட்டா is life.
And one good thing is what? This mithya world cannot touch me; that is the saving
grace, because mithya cannot affect satyam. Dream cannot affect the waker. Dream
robbery will not reduce the bank balance in the local bank. Therefore, na satyaḥ;
then why it is not satyaḥ; mōhā pāyē. When the delusion is gone, nāsti. The
jīvabhāva becomes non-existent when the delusion is gone. Saṁsāra becomes non-
existent when the delusion is gone, because avastusvabhāvāt, because it is unreal.
Because it is unreal; unreal means, existence, non-existence category, it does not

come under. Satasat vilakṣaṇatvāt, avastusvabhāvāt; means satasat vilakṣaṇatvāt,
mithya svabhāvat. And this we call as end of saṁsāra, exactly like the end of the
snake. Even though the other people will say that the snake has ended, the wise
person does not say the snake has ended; he says there was no snake at all to end.
Because if you say snake has ended, it means that you accept that there was a
snake. Therefore he will not even use the word ended. That is why truly liberated
person will not say: I am liberated, because to say that I am liberated is to accept
that I was a samsāri. Therefore only na dharmō na cārthō na kāmō na mōkṣaḥ,
cidānandarūpaḥ śivō:'haṁ. śivō:'ham śivō:'ham; what a statement you see.
Page 914

Śankarācārya says: who said that I have got mōkṣa. I did not have banda at all to
have mōkṣa.
यावद्भ्रािन्तस्तावद सत्त
�मथ्या�ानोज ्जृिम्भ प्रमादा |
रज्ज्व सप� भ्रािन्तका एव
भ्रान्तेना नैव सप�ऽ�प तद्वत ||१९७||
yāvadbhrāntistāvadēvāsya sattā
mithyājñānōjjr̥mbhitasya pramādāt |
rajjvāṁ sarpō bhrāntikālīna ēva
bhrāntērnāśē naiva sarpō:'pi tadvat ||197||
So how long will this saṁsāra continue. When will I get mōkṣa? Who should decide?
Who should decide? We have said: anything that is error or erroneous is nourished
by what: What is the nourishing food; non-enquiry is the nourishment for error.
Similarly, what is the nourishment of saṁsāra. Non-enquiry. Not attending the class,
it means. Non-enquiry is the nourishment of saṁsāra.
And when will saṁsāra end? When non-enquiry ends; and when will non-enquiry
end? when you start enquiry. And who should start the enquiry? Our tattha? I have
to start the enquiry. Therefore, when saṁsāra should end, when mōkṣa
should seemingly begin, is in my hand.
I have chosen to nourish the saṁsāra by successfully avoiding vēdantic enquiry; and
therefore I cannot blame anyone in the world for the continuation of saṁsāra.
Therefore if you cry in front of the Lord: Oh Lord, do you not have any compassion:
do you not have any eyes, ears, I am suffering; why can't you bless you with mōkṣa,
if you ask, what will Bhagavān say? He Bhaktha, it is in your hands; you are
nourshing saṁsāra through your non-enquiry; I have provided all the conditions for
your enquiry; I have made you a human being; (any doubt); I have made you a
human being, I have given you all the tools for enquiry in the form of śabda
pramāṇa. All these I have given you all these foods; and even I am prepared to
feed you in the mouth also; but you have to swallow. Can I push it inside your
throat by a knife of what? You have to swallow. Therefore Śankarācārya says banda
is in your hands; mōkṣa is in your hands; you have to decide; I am ready to push
you. You have to decide.
Page 915

Therefore he says: yāvadbhrāntistāvadēvāsya sattā. As long as the delusion

continues, so long the saṁsāra also continues. Another word for saṁsāra is jīva
bhavaḥ from the previous slōka. So the jīva bhava continues. What type of jīva
bhava. Mithyā jñānō vijjr̥mbhitasya; which jīva bhavaḥ is erroneously projected
vijjr̥mbhitaṁ, means born; mithya jñānaṁ means error. So which is falsely born,
which is erroneously born. So that jīva bhavaḥ will have the existence only as long
as the bhrānti is there and erroneously this jīva bhavaḥ is born because of what
reason; pramādāt, due to ignorance. So as long as there is delusion; so long will be
the existence of saṁsāra, which is erroneously born due to ignorance. Like that you
have to connect grammatically. Like what? he wants to give the well-known
example. Because there is no vēdānta without rope-snake. OK.
I was taking a camp in R̥̄ ṣikesh; some visitor to the R̥̄ ṣikesh āsram, sat in one of the
classes. And in the whole of the class, I was using the word rope-snake; rope-snake.
Because all are my students; that is why I take the students for the camp, because I
can take many things for granted. At the end of the class he said: The class was
wonderful. I do not know what was wonderful it is; but rope-snake, rope-snake you
were telling, you know, what is that? Imagine. So Śankarācārya reminds you of that.
What is the rope-snake? you know I think. Rope-snake, it is like the �ைதக் ராமன
சித்தப், after listening to the story for the whole night; Rope snake means when
there is a rope in a place, and when sufficient light is not there; you mistake the
rope for a snake. That mistaken snake or mistaken rope appearing as snake is called
rajju-sarpaḥ. It is a very important concept in Vēdānta. It introduces the
intermediary category. Therefore he says rajjvāṁ sarpōḥ. The snake on the rope,
the erroneously projected snake on the rope, exists how long. bhrāntikālīna ēva; Its
existence is nourished by your illusion or delusion. Your illusion or delusion.
Therefore as long as you sustain your delusion, so long the snake also will continue
there. bhrāntikālīna ēva. And the moment you choose. Suppose you run away from
the place, after closing the room and locking it; because it was in the semi darkness
room. Even though you sleep in the neighbouring room, thoughts of the rope-snake
will come in your dream and that you will dream that the snake is coming in your
room, somehow through the window at least. So therefore any other method you
use, problem is not solved. Better you use the torch light; that is called śāstra
pramāṇa. The eye alone is not sufficient; you also require the śāstra pramāṇa light
also. Then you see bhrāntē nāśē; so when the delusion is destroyed; through what:
through knowledge and knowledge alone.
Page 916

Now tell me, how many means of mōkṣa are there. How many paths are there to
destroy rope-snake. How many paths? Karma mārgam, bhakthi mārgam, jñāna
mārgam, yōga mārgam; the snake can go by only one method; rope knowledge;
makes the snake disappear. Mōkṣa is only through jñānaṁ. Karma mārgaḥ, bhakti
yōga mārgaḥ for purity of mind. Several paths for purity; for mōkṣa only one path;
jñāna. So through that when bhrānti is destroyed, naiva sarpaḥ. There is no snake at
all, or you will say, there is mithya snake. No snake or mithya snake, both means
the same things. Similarly, in vēdānta we say. We say world is not there; or we say
world is mithya. These are the two languages we use. Jagat nāsti; or jagat mithya.
Svapnaḥ nāsti; svapnaḥ mithya. When you say jagat nāsti, it is advaitam. Therefore
sarpō:'pi naiva tadvat. Tadvat means in the same way, saṁsāra also does not exist
in the wake of knowledge.
Page 917

071. Verses - 198 to 201
स्वस द्रष्टु�नर्गुर्णस्य
प्रत्यग्बोधानन् बद्ध
ु |
भ्रान् प्राप जीवभावो न सत्य
मोहापाये नास्त्यवस्तुस्वभा ||१९६||
svasya draṣṭurnirguṇasyākriyasya
pratyagbōdhānandarūpasya buddhēḥ |
bhrāntyā prāptō jīvabhāvō na satyō
mōhāpāyē nāstyavastusvabhāvāt ||196||
यावद्भ्रािन्तस्तावद सत्त
�मथ्या�ानोज ्जृिम्भ प्रमादा |
रज्ज्व सप� भ्रािन्तका एव
भ्रान्तेना नैव सप�ऽ�प तद्वत ||१९७||
yāvadbhrāntistāvadēvāsya sattā
mithyājñānōjjr̥mbhitasya pramādāt |
bhrāntērnāśē naiva sarpō:'pi tadvat ||197||
In these verses, Śankarācārya is talking about the unique status of saṁsāra and only
in understanding this unique status, we will come to know the possibility of mōkṣa.
If this unique status is not accepted, mōkṣa will never be possible and this
impossibility of mōkṣa is known as a defect in the śāstram and that defect is called
anirmōkṣa prasaṅgaḥ. And if any other idea is there with regard to saṁsāra, other
than what we say, there will be anirmōkṣa prasaṅgaḥ doṣaḥ.
And we saw that if saṁsāra has a beginning and an end, there will be anirmōkṣa
prasaṅgaḥ, because saṁsāra has beginning and an end, then naturally mōkṣa also
will begin, which will mean mōkṣa will also end. And you should remember ending-
mōkṣa cannot be called mōkṣa; because by agreement, mōkṣa is an exclusive
technical term used for nitya phalam only.
Page 918

Therefore if saṁsāra has beginning and end anirmōkṣa prasaṅgaḥ. If saṁsāra has
no beginning and no end, then also there is the same problem; that if saṁsāra has
no beginning and therefore there is no end, and therefore as long as saṁsāra does
not end, mōkṣa is impossible and therefore in the second possible option also,
anirmōkṣa prasaṅgaḥ.
Either way you are in trouble. Ubhayata pāśa-rajjuḥ. It is a rope with noose on both
sides; you are trapped either way. In Saṁsr̥kt we say, sādhi sānta saṁsāra also is
not possible, anādhi anantha saṁsāra is also not possible. In sādhi sānta saṁsāra
also anirmōkṣa prasaṅgaḥ; anādhi anantha saṁsāra also anirmōkṣa prasaṅgaḥ.
Therefore we should find out an intermediary thing and what is that? Anādhi sānta
saṁsāraḥ; a beginningless ending saṁsāra; and this unique saṁsāra is possible only
under one condition; and that is the saṁsāra should be a bhrānti or an error. Any
error comes under this unique category; like the rope-snake or dream, you can
never talk about the beginning of the rope-snake, but you do talk about the end of
the rope-snake, wherein the end is put within quotation and wherein we mean the
end is the recognition of the fact that the snake was not, is not, and will not be.
And in this unique case, what is the unique case, anādhi sānta case which is an
error, the end can come only in one way, and that is jñānaṁ. Viddhi sāsyaḥ
saṁsāraḥ. So an author uses this beautiful word, viddhi sāsyaḥ saṁsāraḥ;
destruction through knowledge. Thus all the errors comes under kalpitta vasthu,
bhrānti vasthu, adyastha vasthu; or Śankarācārya uses a unique word: prāmāṇikī
vasthu. aprāmāṇikī bhavathi bhrāntyā mōhita kalpanā; and in which case we have to
gain the knowledge and knowledge will put an end to saṁsāra and when saṁsāra
ends, mōkṣa begins we would not say, because we will get into the same trap,
mōkṣa seems to begin, which we called the discovery of the ever obtaining mōkṣa.
Nithya siddha mōkṣasya anāvrithiḥ.
And since the mōkṣa does not begin, it is only discovered; there is no possibility of
the end of the mōkṣa. Therefore, the jñāna janya mōkṣaḥ alone is eternal. Jnāna
janya, again 'janya' within quotes, jñāna janya mōkṣa is eternal and therefore Oh
Students, you do not be frightened, saṁsāra is anādhi, but you can put an end to it
through knowledge. And that knowledge I am going to give you, why are you
frightened? Without any botheration, please attend the class he says. So therefore
he said: In 197,
Page 919

yāvadbhrāntistāvadēvāsya sattā,
mithyājñānōjjr̥mbhitasya pramādāt
bhrāntērnāśē naiva sarpō:'pi tadvat
When the delusion ends, the sarpa is gone as it were, which is called mōkṣaḥ.
अना�दत्वम�वद्याय कायर्स्या तथेष्यत |

उत्पन्नाय तु �वद्यायामा�वद्यकमनाद् ||१९८||
anāditvamavidyāyāḥ kāryasyāpi tathēṣyatē |
utpannāyāṁ tu vidyāyāmāvidyākamanādyapi ||198||
Now Śankarācārya points out that there are two things which falls within this unique
category. What is unique category? Anādhi sānta category. The anādhi sānta
category, which is called by the name, kalpita vasthu, bhrānti vasthu, adhyastha
vasthu, aprāmāṇika vasthu, anirvāchya vasthu, mithya vasthu; so many names.
And you know why there are so many names; some Ācāryas jocularly say: who
keeps many pseudo names? Whoever is a thief, who cannot face enquiry, only thief
has got so many different names. Similarly, this world or saṁsāra being a real thief
it cannot stand enquiry.
Vicāram na sahatēya tamō yadvat divākaram

thēyam bhrānthir nirālambha, sarva jñāna virōdhini.
Vicāram na sahatēya tamō yadvat divākaram. The saṁsāra cannot stand scrutiny.
Therefore being a thief has so many names. Bhrānti vasthu, kalpita vasthu, adyastha
vasthu, aprāmāṇika vasthu, anitya vasthu, anirvāchaya vasthu, māya vasthu; all the
names are there.
And this unique category has got two things; that is two things fall under this unique
category; and what are those two things? Ajñānaṁ and adhyāsaḥ; ignorance and
error come under this unique category. Ajñānaṁ and adhyāsa come under this
unique category. Therefore ajñānaṁ is also anādhi sāntha; error is also anādhi
sāntha; and therefore if anybody asks where it begins, our answer will be: I cannot
say it is existent, I cannot say that it is non-existent; I can only say it is seemingly
Page 920

existent. Therefore he says: avidyāyāḥ, kāryasyāpi anāditvam ēṣyatē. Ignorance and

its products; what is that, error, so kāryam means bhrānthiḥ; error. So avidyā and
its product, that is error both of them are accepted to be anādhitvam. They are
anādhi.
And while they are anādhi, what is their other unique feature. Vidyāyām
utpannāyaṁ sathyam. Once knowledge arises, this unique category, once knowledge
arises, what will happen? āvidyākam vinaśyati. We have to supply the verb vinaśyati
in this slōka, borrowing from the next verse. Avidyākam vinaśyati. Avidyākam means
what? both the ignorance as well as the error ends.
Normally what is anādhi is anantha, which is what we know; or normally what has a
beginning has got an end; that is what we know. We are generally acquainted with
these two categories; but this unique category, anādhi api, even though it is anādhi;
anādhi means what; it is not beginninglessly existent; anādhi does not mean
beginninglessly existent; anādhi means that whose beginning cannot be talked about
because on enquiry it disappears. Ādhitvyam or ādhiḥ vasthum na sakyatē yasya;
that is the meaning. Even though anādhi, even though they are beginningless,
āvidyākam, avidyā kāryam; āvidyakam means avidyā kāryam. So this product of
avidyā; and what is the product of avidyā; saṁsāraḥ, the entire saṁsāra which is a
product of avidyā, vinaśyati. Therefore what you require is knowledge, knowledge,
knowledge and that is why all the upaṇiṣads say that other than jñānaṁ:
thamēvam Vidvān amrutha iha bhavathi; na anya panthaḥ ayanāya vidyatē.
One ācārya tells somewhere: Suppose the rope-snake is there; and you are
frightened; therefore you take a long stick, if it is a small stick, you will have to go
near and then you will know that is this thing. So you are so much frightened; so
take a long stick and you are going on hitting; with the snake die; No. And another
person calls the Irula people. Have you heard of irula tribe? They are supposed to be
snake catching tribe. And they come with all the special stick and all. Can they catch
the rope-snake. Another person comes with the magudi and sings ஆ� பாம்ே,
வ�ளயா� பாம்ே; will the rope-snake dance and go along with him? Nothing can
happen. Only way of destroying that snake is jñānaṁ, jñānaṁ, jñānaṁ. Now tell me
how many paths are there, for removing our snake? There is only one path; which is
not path. It is only wisdom.
Page 921

And therefore Śankarācārya says here anādhi api āvidyakam vidyāyaṁ utpannāyaṁ
sathyam vinaśyati. And suppose a person says I have knowledge but saṁsāra is not
gone, we will say, you do not knowledge. It is like saying that there is only rope; I
have understood; but I am worried; snake has not gone. How is it? I have
understood that there is only rope and no snake; I have understood well, because
your teaching is wonderful; I have told you, you know, therefore you add a feather
to the cap of the teacher; I have very clearly understood that there is only rope;
snake is not there; not there; but my only fear is that if that snake bites? That fear.
So the teacher has to hit his head against the wall and again teach. So therefore
jnanē sati mōkṣa. yathi mōkṣaḥ nāsti, jñānaṁ nāsti. And therefore vidyāyaṁ
utpannāyaṁ satyam āvidyakam saṁsāra satvam vinaśyati.
प्रबो स्वप्नवत् सहमूलं �वनश्य� |

अनाद्यपीद नो �नत्य प्रागभ इव स्फुट म ||१९९||
prabōdhē svapnavatsarvaṁ sahamūlaṁ vinaśyati |
anādyapīdaṁ nō nityaṁ prāgabhāva iva sphuṭam ||199||
So the same idea is further clarified in this verse by giving an example. I gave rope-
snake example; not I, Śankarācārya himself gave, rope-snake example, in verse
No.197. In this verse, he gives another alternative example, and that is dream
example.
Because in rope-snake example, the confusion is an objective confusion; with regard

to a rope which is outside and which is different from me; whereas in the dream
example, the confusion is subjective confusion: I lose sight of myself as a waker who
is lying down comfortably on the bed. And I mistake myself to be someone else;
who is persecuted by a dream which is not there at all. And not only I am
persecuted by a seemingly existent dream; and that dream is so powerful and
tangibly realistic, that it can continue sometimes even after waking up. And
therefore rope-snake example they give initially and later they improve the example
by giving the dream. Of course the dream example is also not perfect example;
remember, there is no perfect example. Perfect example will be what; perfect
example will be the original only. So therefore never look to equate the saṁsāra and
dream, in all respects. In all respects, no example will fit in with the original.
Therefore we need not attempt to see the differences; the differences are there
between dream and saṁsāra but our aim is to understand the similarity.
Page 922

And what are the similarities. It is a subjective confusion. It is a seemingly existent

thing; and it disappears in the wake of knowledge. These are all sāmanya dharma
between upamāna and upamēya. Whenever an example is given, the student's
attempt should be see the common features between the example and the original;
he should never probe into finding the uncommon features. Not because uncommon
features are not there, they are there, but that is not the focus in giving the
example. Focus is in what? In seeing the common features.
And what are the common features? You cannot talk about the date of birth of the
dream individual, because he is not there to have a date of birth. So therefore
Śankarācārya says: prabōdhē sati. On waking up; on discovering oneself as the
waker; prabōdhē sati, sati saptami, sarvaṁ vinaśyati. So the entire saṁsāra
disappears, the entire saṁsāra perishes; sarvaṁ, sarvaṁ refers to sarvaṁ dvaitam,
sarvaṁ jagath, vinaśyati; how, saha mūlaṁ, along with the ignorance. So sarvaṁ
refers to the error. The whole superimposition perishes along with the cause of
superimposition, viz., ignorance. So adyaśaḥ ajnānēna saha vinaśyati. So the entire
saṁsāra perishes.
And here only you should remember the difference between saṁsāra nāśaḥ and
svapna nāśaḥ. Saṁsāra nāśā or dvaita nāśaḥ of the dream, the dream will disappear
from our experience itself. On waking up, the dream will disappear from our
experience itself, but in the case of saṁsāra, the world experience will not end; that
is the difference between dream and this prapañja.
In the wake of knowledge, the world experience will not end, but in the wake of
knowledge, world as a separate entity; that error ends. Just like the knowledge of
wood, puts an end to the separate existence of the desk, the knowledge of the gold
will put an end to the separate existence of the ornaments. So there is an end to the
saṁsāra as a factually existent thing; but there is no end to the world as an
experiential thing. This is where we should know to what extent a dream example
should be extended; to what extent it should not be extended.
Therefore it is better to know what are the common features and it is better also to
know what are not the common features. Otherwise we will keep on extending to
other uncommon features and find fault with the example.
Page 923

Therefore svapnavatsarvaṁ sahamūlaṁ vinaśyati. Therefore what is this saṁsāra? It

is anādhi api idam nityam no bhavathi. So this saṁsāra or dvaitam comes under the
unique category; and what is that; anādhi api, it is anādhi, but nityam na bhavathi;
double negative; it is not a nityam; nityam no bhavathi; it is not permanent means
what: it is impermanent. Impermanent what word I used? sāntah. Therefore anādhi
sāntaḥ is saṁsāra.
And according to vēdānta, the entire matter comes under this category.
Consciousness alone is anādhi ananthaḥ and entire matter comes under this unique
category and what is that? it is anādhi sāntaḥ, which means on enquiry, matter does
not exist at all. How difficult vēdānta is, you can understand.
All the time we are dealing with matter, matter, matter. So this book is matter, this
is matter, you are handling matter all the time. In fact you have never handled
Conciousness. Have you ever handled consciousness? Have you ever gone to the
Kamādēnu market and picked up a kilo of consciousness? So what we are handling
all the time, the Upaṇiṣads says; it never really is: and what we never handle, the
Upaṇiṣad says: that alone was, is and ever will be.
Therefore if the student faces difficulty it is understandable. It is an allowed

difficulty; that is why Gurus have got more compassion, because vēdānta is doing a
mysterious thing; what? That which is ever available, it says it is not there at all; and
what is never available, that alone exists.
And therefore matter is error; consciousness is truth; this is vēdānta. Brahma

satyam, jagan mithya, jīvō brahmaiva na paraḥ.
After saying matter is error and consciousness is truth, Vēdānta says you come
under which category in the end; after completing that; there is a doubt Svāmiji,
which category I will come under. We say matter is error; consciousness is truth;
and you fortunately belong to the consciousness category. That is why I am able to
address you. I do not address the chair. So therefore, anādhi api idam no nityam.
Idam anityam sāntham.
And the logicians, the tārkika people, they have got difficulty in accepting this unique
category. And therefore Śankarācārya gives an example, which belongs to their own
tarka śāstra, because everyone should be given an example belonging to his field. If
Page 924

you teach a cricketer, you teach the entire vēdānta, with the help of cricket. So
therefore the stump also made into some kind of satva rājas tamas, something;
Somebody gave that. Cricket Vēdānta. If you are a tennis player, in tennis language.
Therefore in the tarka śāstra the student has a doubt, through a tarka śāstra he has
to give an example.
Śankarācārya says you have also a category, which will come under anādhi saanta.
Whether I am accepting that category is not a different thing, you have got such a
concept. I want to give only an example which you have.
And what is that? He says prāg abhāvaḥ. Tarka śāstra is a very interesting śāstra.
And it talks about abhāva a lot. Abhāva means what; non-existence. We talk about a
lot about existent thing; tarka śāstra talk a lot about non-existence. And they
categorise the non-existence itself into four; we will divide what exists. Now the
abhāva they divide into four categories. Remember all these things we do not accept
in Advaita, but we are only giving an example based on their own concept. And what
are those?
He says: One type of non-existence is prior-non-existence. The non-existence of an

object before it is created. For example, the prior non-existence of a pot, before the
pot is made. In Saṁsr̥kt it is called prāg abhāvaḥ. Then four types he says.
The second type of non-existence he calls: pradvaṁsa abhāva, the non-existence of

the pot after it is destroyed. In English, posterior non-existence. In Saṁsr̥kt,
pradvaṁsa abhāvaḥ, or dvamsabhāvaḥ.
Then the third type of non-existence he talks about is: atyanta abhāvaḥ; total non-
existence of a thing which is never created or destroyed. It is absolutely non-
existent. Therefore it is never created; and therefore there is no question of
destruction also. Because prior non-existence is possible only when it is creatable;
posterior non-existence is possible when it is destructible. But the total non-
existence is of something like a square circle; or rabbit's horn; etc. they give several
examples; hot ice; these are all atyanta abhāva; totally non-existence.
And the fourth type of existence, they talk about is: anōnya abhāvaḥ, which
ultimately means difference between two things. The difference between two things
they present as anonya abhāvaḥ. Table is different from chair. In Tarka śāstra, they
Page 925

present it as the table has the non-existence of chairness. Chair is different from
table. How do they present? chair has the non-existence of table you cannot say;
but tableness. Ultimately, table is not chair, chair is not table. Any way we need not
to get into that. Our name is not tarka śāstra.
They have this prāg abhāvaḥ, pradvaṁsa abhāva; anōnya abhāva and atyanta
abhāva. And thereafterwards they describe the nature of each one.
The first one is prāg abhāvaḥ and they say that the prior non-existence has no
beginning at all. The prior non-existence of the pot has no beginning at all, whereas
the prior non-existence of the pot will end, when? The moment the pot is created;
prior non-existence ends. The pot was not there from when onwards? From
yesterday or day before yesterday? Before the first rocket was created; the first
rocket was non-existent; from when onwards? Anādhi. But it ends when the first
rocket is created. So prāg abhāva is anādhi sāntaḥ. In fact this alone is relevant for
us. The other three are not relevant; but to just complete our discussion, they say
that pradvaṁsa abhāva, pradvaṁsa abhāva, what is that? posterior non-existence
has a beginning. When does it begin? when the pot is destroyed; the posterior non-
existence begins and thereafterwards they say, the posterior non-existence is
eternal, because once the pot has ended; you can never create the same pot. You
can create a similar pot; very very careful; tarka śāstra people are very careful; you
can create a similar pot; but that particular pot is gone for good; it is never created
again; and therefore it is what?the posterior non-existence is eternal.
So what is the difference between prāg abhāva and pradvaṁsa abhāva? Prāg
abhāva is beginningless but with an end; pradvaṁsa abhāva is with a beginning but
it is endless. So to put in Saṁsr̥kt; praag abhāva is anādhi sāntah; pradvaṁsa
abhāva is sādhi antaha.
And what about the atyanta abhāva and anōnya abhāva? It is anādhi and anantha.
It is beginningless and endless; two things are eternally different. So anōnya abhāva
is also eternal and the non-existence of square circle is also eternal; therefore
anādhi anantha.
But I do not want to focus on the other things, because the relevant topic is what?
Śankarācārya uses the word: prāgabhāvaḥ. Oh Tarka śāstri; you yourselves have a
unique category and what is that category: anādhi sāntah; if you can introduce a
Page 926

praag abhāva in your śāstra, which is anādhi sāntah; why can't I have a mithya
vasthu in my śāstra, which is anādhi sāntah. Therefore do not complain against me.
Therefore he says: prāg abhāvaḥ ēva; like the prior non-existence, mithya vasthu is
anādhi api nityam no bhavathi. It is never eternal. Sphuṭam; Śankarācāryā says: it is
very clear, at least for him! it is very clear. I think for students also it is clear.
अनादेर�प �वध्वंस प्गभावस् वी��तः |

यद्बुद्ध्युपा�धसम्बम्धात्प�रकिल्प ||२००||
anādērapi vidhvaṁsaḥ prāgabhāvasya vīkṣitaḥ |
yadbuddhyupādhisambamdhātparikalpitamātmani ||200||
And incidentally you should remember we do not accept the tarka śāstra's concept
of four types of abhāva. We do not accept this division and these categorisations,
etc. and is strongly refuted, when we are in the context of refuting tarka śāstra.
But here our aim is even though we do not accept that, you have accepted a unique
category of anādhi sānta prāg abhāva and if you can accept this peculiar prāg
abhāva, why do you say my concept is unique. If you can accept this concept of
anādhi saanta in your śāstra, what is wrong in me having this anādhi sānta; it is
certainly possible. This is called abhyupētya vādaḥ in the śāstra.
Abhyupētya vādaḥ is accepting a concept of the opponent, temporarily for the sake
of communication, as an example. Accepting the concept of the opponent,
temporarily, for the sake of communication as an example because it works for him;
because he has such a concept. Just like we use a language for the child. The child
knows the food as ammmam or mammum or something. In every house the child
has a language; mother uses that language, that language communicates with that
child. And what is the name of that? abhyupētya vādaḥ. It is very often used in the
śāstras; not that we accept this categorisation.
Therefore Śankarācārya says here that anādērapi vidhvaṁsaḥ prāgabhāvasya

vīkṣitaḥ. Even though prāgabhāva is beginingless, the vidhvaṁsaḥ, the end of the
prāgabhāva is the vīkṣitaḥ, is accepted by, conceived by you, in your śāstra.
prāgabhāvasya anādērapi vidhvaṁsaḥ means sāntatvam, the end of it is conceived
by you in your śāstra and what is difficulty in what you receiving my teaching.
Page 927

And then he is extending that to saṁsāra also. So the second line, extending the
same principle: what is saṁsāra; buddhi upādhi sambandhāt, ātmani jīvatvam
parikalpitam. Jīvatvam, we have to supply, in this verse, borrowed from the next
verse. So jīvatvam parikalpitam, jīvatvam means saṁsāra; duality; mortality;
finitude; division; all these words we can use. Jīvatvam is ātmani parikalpitam; is
falsely superimposed on oneself; like the dream duality. Because of what? buddhi
upādhi sambandhāt, because of the vijñānaṁaya kōśa saṁbanda. Because you
should remember, the whole topic is a diversion in the context of vijñānaṁaya kōśa,
which diversion started from verse No.189 I said. The whole thing is diversion topic,
which goes up to 205; our primary topic is vijñānaṁaya kōśa and we are going to
soon enter ānandaḥ maya kōśa; but in between Śankarācārya wants to show that
the saṁsāra is born out of the confusion between the vijñānamaya; otherwise called
by another name, ahaṁkāra and the real ātma.
And therefore he says: buddhi upādhi sambandhāt; because buddhi upādhi; even
the word upādhi I have explained before, it is a technical word. Therefore buddhi
upādhi means the inferior-I; ahaṁkāra. So because of the proximity of the inferior-I;
there is the transference of finitude upon the infinite-I. So jīvatvam is ātmani
parikalpitam, is superimposed on ātma. And this parikalpitam is also like what? Prāg
abhāva ha iva, anādhi sāntaḥ. Prāg abhāvaḥ like it is; anādhi sāntaḥ. What is that?
Jīvatam, finitude, limitation, division, duality, like the dream duality. And therefore
what: just prāg abhāva will end, similarly jīvatvam also will end in the wake of
knowledge. How; he is going to say:
जीवत्व न ततोऽन्यस् स्वरूप �वल�णः |

सम्बन्धस्त्वा बुद्ध् �मथ्या�ानपुरःसर ||२०१||
jīvatvaṁ na tatō:'nyastu svarūpēṇa vilakṣaṇaḥ |
saṁbandastvātmanō buddhyā mithyājñānapuraḥsaraḥ ||201||
So in the previous slōka, the word yat is there; that we have to add here; yat
jīvatvam; that jīvatvam or saṁsāra which is superimposed on the ātma erroneously,
falsely superimposed on the ātma, is really speaking unreal. It is really unreal or
unreally real; whatever you put and instead of using the word unreal, Śankarācārya
uses another word. What is that? I will clarify through the example.
To point out that this snake is unreal, it is not really existent, I say that there is no
substance called snake, there is no substantial snake different from the rope. That is
Page 928

another way of presenting. You say mithya. You say it is seemingly existent. Or you
put it in another language. That snake is svarūpataḥ vilakṣaṇaḥ na bhavathi. It does
not substantially exist different from the rope. Why because the substantiality of the
snake belongs to what? Belongs to the rope. The substantiality of the dream belongs
to the waker. The substantiality of the desk, belongs to the wood; the tangibility, the
perceptibility, the utility; all these things belonging to the desk, belongs to the wood
alone, vācharambanaṁ vikhāro namadēyam. Similarly he wants to say that the
substantiality of matter belongs to consciousness. Normally we think that matter is
substantial and consciousness is not substantial. Vēdānta is throughout ulta.
Vēdānta says the only substance in the creation is consciousness. Just as the
scientists say that matter is nothing but energy. Therefore there is no something
called matter at all. Energy in motion is matter. Therefore really the tangibility
belongs to the energy alone. Because matter is a nāma for energy. Similarly we say
matter is a nāma for consciousness. And consciousness alone is the substance.
Therefore he says: tataha svarūpēṇa vilakṣaṇaḥ, anyaḥ na bhavathi. So the jīva is

not a substance distinct from the consciousness. Jīva is not a substantial entity
innately different from consciousness. Jīva is only a seemingly finite entity, it does
not exist separate from consciousness, which is the only substance. Therefore
mistaken rope is snake. Mistaken consciousness is matter. Mistaken I, the ātma is
the samsāri jīvaḥ. Therefore change the mistake; you are free. Preserve the mistake.
You can continue to cry. If you love crying, dīrgha auṣmān bhava; continue.
Therefore what is vēdānta? A mistake correction. With regard to whom? Oneself.
Therefore he says: ātmanaḥ buddhya saṁbandaḥ. The connection of ātma with
buddhi, which is another name for jīvatham. Adyaśaḥ, confusion. So the connection
of the ātma with buddhi; connection in the form of adhyāsa; or the jīvatvam is
mithya jñānaṁ puraḥsaraḥ, is because of mithya jñānaṁ, false notion, erroneous
notion, wrong understanding. So ātmanaḥ, ātma means higher self. Buddhya,
buddhya is vijñānaṁaya kōśa, the inferior-I. So this connection with inferior-I and
the duality and the jīvatvam; all of them mithya jñānaṁ puraḥsaraḥ, means mithya
jñāna janyaḥ. It is caused by error, false notion. And therefore gain knowledge and
be free. Those details we will see in the next class.
Hari Om.
Page 929

072. Verses 201 to 204
अनादेर�प �वध्वंस प्रागभाव वी��तः |

यद्बुद्ध्युपा�धसम्बम्धात्प�रकिल्प ||२००||
जीवत्व न ततोऽन्यस् स्वरूप �वल�णः |

सम्बन्धस्त्वा बुद्ध् �मथ्या�ानपुरःसर ||२०१||
anādērapi vidhvaṁsaḥ prāgabhāvasya vīkṣitaḥ |

yadbuddhyupādhisambamdhātparikalpitamātmani ||200||
jīvatvaṁ na tatō:'nyastu svarūpēṇa vilakṣaṇaḥ |
saṁbandastvātmanō buddhyā mithyājñānapuraḥsaraḥ ||201||
As an answer to the question by the student, the teacher is talking about the unique
nature of saṁsāra, and that unique nature is anādhiḥ, being caused by the
beginningless ignorance, and still it is subject to end in the wake of knowledge. And
this saṁsāra is nothing but jīva bhāvaḥ; jīva bhāvaḥ means the status of being jīva.
Jīvatvam or finitude is saṁsāra.
And this finitude Śankarācārya had pointed out, originally belongs to vijñānamaya
kōśa alone; which serves as a secondary-I; with the help of reflected consciousness.
Thus vijñānamaya with the reflected consciousness is the secondary-I; which is
ahaṁkāraḥ, which is karta, bhōktā, pramāta, which one travels from one śarīraṁ to
another, this vijñānamaya is secondary-I. And behind this secondary-I, there is the
primary-I; the original-I, called the ātma.
And what happens is this limitation of the lower-I; the secondary-I is falsely
transferred or apparently transferred to the original-I. And this transferred finitude is
called jīva bhāvaḥ. This transferred limitation is called jīva bhāvaḥ; and this
transferred kartr̥tvam, transferred bhōktr̥tvam, transferred plurality; the transferred
travel; all these put together, we have got a technical name, jīva bhāvaḥ.
And this jīva bhāvaḥ is anādhi; but this jīva bhāvaḥ will go away; once I clearly own
up that I am the original consciousness who is not limited by the body or mind; who
Page 930

does not have plurality and who does not travel from body to body; this one, one
has to own up. There is nothing wrong in using the intellect to own it up; we use the
intellect to own up our nature. But in the owned-up nature, the intellect is not
included. We use the intellect to own up our nature, but in the owned-up nature, the
intellect is not included, like the example I gave you. When I say I am happy, to
make the statement, I use my mouth, but in the I which is happy, the mouth is not
included, because, happiness is the nature of not the mouth, but it is the nature of
the mind.
Similarly, to say that I am consciousness, to claim that I am consciousness, I use the

intellect, but in the I that I claim, intellect is not included. And this is called the
lakāyārtha-I; the secondary meaning of the word-I and what is the secondary
meaning of the word-I? the consciousness excluding the intellect. I exclude the
intellect at the cognitive level in understanding, but I use the intellect for claiming
that fact. And therefore by claiming this fact, the superimposed jīva bhāvaḥ is
disclaimed, which is called mōkṣaḥ.
And that is what is said here, buddhi upādi sambandāt parikalpita ātmani jīvasvam.
So jīvasvam is only apparently transferred because of the buddhi upādhi. Buddhi,
remember, is the ahaṁkāra, the lower-I, along with the reflection. Buddhi refers to
vijnāmaya kōśa, because that is the topic here. Even though this jīvatvam is
transferred, there is no separate entity called jīva. It is like when a person says there
is a snake, snake is not a separate substance, snakeness is superimposed on rope
which is the substance. But even though the fact is that snakeness is superimposed
for an ignorant person, he does not see snakeness; but for him there is a substance
called snake. So the 'ness' which is an apparent superimposition, creates a second
entity as though: we say that there is snakeness but we say that there is a snake.
But what is the fact? There is only snakeness. Upon what, the rope, which is the
substance.
Similarly, Vēdānta says: jīvaḥ seems to be a finite entity like snake, but there is no
entity called jīvaḥ; there is only jīvatvam; jīvahood which is there; and that also
what? just as snakeness is falsely seen on the rope. Similarly jīvahood is apparently
seen upon the ātma.
And therefore he said: jīvatam svarūpēṇa vilakṣaṇaḥ nāsti. There is no independent

reality for jīvaḥ or jīvatvam separate from ātma. Just as there is no independent
Page 931

reality for sarpa or sarpatvam separate from rope; but for the ignorant person, sarpa
is a substance. And that is why he is frightened also.
And therefore he says: svarūpēṇa vilakṣaṇaḥ; other than the higher-I, there is no
lower-I with distinct reality or substantiality. And how does this come into being?
sambandhastvātmanō buddhyā mithyājñāna puraḥsaraḥ, and this saṁbanda of the
transferor-transferred saṁbanda. What is the relationship here? One lends the
attributes to the other. What has lend the attribute to the other? The vijñānaṁaya
kosa has apparently transferred its finite to the higher-I; and because of this
transaction, there is a saṁbanda. Exactly like what: saṁbanda between the red
flower and crystal. And what is the saṁbanda? the red flower has apparently the
redness to the colourless crystal. This is the saṁbanda called upādhi-upahita
saṁbanda. Transferor-transferred saṁbanda; not the real one; apparent transferor-
apparent transferred saṁbanda.
And this saṁbanda, between ātma and buddhi; ātma is upahitam and buddhi is the
upādhi; I hope you remember these two technical words; upādhi and upahitam. This
upādhi-upahitam saṁbanda, between the ātma, the higher-I; and buddhi, the lower-
I, is mithya jñāna puraḥsaraḥ; is an erroneous relationship. It is not that the colour
has come to the crystal. If the color has actually come to the crystal; then you have
to bring the crystal and wash off the colour. So it is not a real transfer. In Saṁsr̥kt it
is called adhyāsika tādātmyam; not vāsthavika tādātmyam. When a red object
comes into contact with the cloth and the colour is really transferred, it is called
vāsthavikam. But in the crystal it is only seeming transference. Therefore we call it
adyātmikam.
And that is conveyed by Śankarācārya here; by the expression, mithya jñāna

puraḥsaraḥ. It is erroneous; means I think I have got the limitation and I have to
work to remove the limitation. And if I know the finitude is falsely transferred, what
should I do to remove falsely transferred finitude? What should I do To remove
falsely transferred finute; do one has to do sādana or what?
Understanding that it is falsely transferred is enough. And that is why you need not
say: Svāmiji I know my impurity is false; but tell me how to remove it. If I know, it is
false, it means it is not there; and therefore I was pure, I am pure, and I ever will
be pure. That is why wisdom is stressed, because the problem is one of error and
Page 932

error is an intellectual problem and therefore the solution also has to be intellectual
alone.
�व�नविृ त्तभर्वेत् सम्यग्�ान नान्यथ |

ब्रह्मात्मैकत्व� सम्यग्�ा श्रुतेमर् ||२०२||
vinivr̥ttirbhavēttasya samyagjñānēna nānyathā |
brahmātmaikatvavijñānaṁ samyagjñānaṁ śrutērmatam ||202||
So in the previous verse, Śankarācārya said saṁsāra is false; it is erroneously seen;

it is false; and anything false will go away only by right knowledge, because
anything false is born out of ignorance and whatever is born out of ignorance will go
away by only knowledge.
And therefore Śankarācārya says here tasya vinivr̥ttiḥ samyak jñānēna bhavathi.
Tasya means what? jīva bhāvasya; adhyasya jīva bhāvasya; adhyasya saṁsārasya
mithya jñāna janya pariscēdasya; the finitude caused by error; will, vinivr̥ttihi; will go
away; its removal; its destruction, tasya saṁsārasya samyak jñānēna, is only by
right knowledge. So therefore it is instantaneous. So knowledge itself if gained
properly, the saṁsāra is gone instantaneously. Samyak jñānēna bhavathi; and na
anyatha.
This is also important. Śankarācārya does not say, knowledge is one of the paths to
remove saṁsāra, he does not say. He says: knowledge will remove saṁsāra and
knowledge alone will remove saṁsāra. Knowledge alone with remove saṁsāra; na
anyatha. Na anyatha means what? not by any other method.
Then the next question is? what do you mean by samyak jñānaṁ. So right
knowledge removes saṁsāra; I am ready to accept, because any error by right
knowledge. So what do you mean by right knowledge? Śankarācārya defines here,
brahmātmaikatva vijñānaṁ. So jīvātma paramātma aikya vijñānaṁ, the knowledge
of the oneness of the consciousness in the individual and the consciousness in the
samaṣti; the total. All the other jīvās in the world, put together is taken as samaṣti
Īśvara. All the jīvās put together is seen as one samaṣti; or virāt; and this virāt has
got consciousness; and when I say; it is your body, that man's body, this man's
body; that body, that body; all the bodies put together; also has got consciousness.
That consciousness is called paramātma.
Page 933

And what is Jīvātma? consciousness behind the individual body is called jīvātma and
what is right knowledge; there is only one consciousness which is behind the
individual body as well as behind the macro. So brahma-ātma ekatvam.
And this vijñānaṁ that there is only one limitless consciousness and that
consciousness I am, iti vijñānaṁ, this knowledge alone is called samyak knowledge.
This is called right knowledge. Until this knowledge comes, there is no freedom from
saṁsāra. Samyak jñānaṁ and who says so: Śankarācārya does not want to say that
I say so, because again there will be problem; and each one saying that it is my
opinion, etc. My opinion.
So in the tradition we have accepted one Supreme court; what is that? śrutērmatam.
It is the teaching of the upaṇiṣad; the scriptures. So this is the matam of āstika.
The difference between āstika and nāstika is: āstika have understood that intellect
cannot arrive at the reality. The intellect cannot study the creation and arrive at the
reality. Intellect means what: all the sciences; physics or chemistry or biology or
anything. They are all intellectual sciences; they cannot arrive at the reality
independently. In Brahma sūtra, an exclusive sūtra is there; logic and science can
never arrive at the finality of truth. Na tarka aprathiṣṭāna.
And therefore we should have an additional factor to assist our study and that
additional factor should be non-intellectual factor; and what is that? śāstra
pramāṇam. We do not say śāstra alone, but we say śāstra and logic. Śāstra assisted
by logic.
And that is why we have got two types of logic; śāstra unassisted logic; it is called
dry-logic. kēvala-tarka and the other is śāstra-assisted logic and logic-assisted
śāstra; and the logic-supported by śāstra is called samyak tarka.
And having accepted the limitations of the logic, the one who introduces śāstram
also; not by giving up logic; but in addition to logic; such a person is called āstika
puruṣaḥ.
And for the āstikas, samyak jñānaṁ śrutērmatam; this is considered to be the
samyak jñānaṁ. That is why I gave the example, when I want to look at my face,
eyes are useless. Because with the help of eyes, I can never see my face, and
Page 934

therefore if I am āstika; what should I do? Eyes are not enough; I should require a
mirror also. And I do not feel it bad to use the mirror when I want to look at my
eyes; but suppose I say: mirror alone is sufficient; that is also not correct; I should
have a mirror and in addition to the mirror, I should have eyes also. Eyes alone
without mirror useless; mirror-alone without eyes. If a blind man uses a mirror; what
is the use? "You only told that mirror is necessary"; I told that mirror is necessary,
he should have the eyes also.
Similarly a person who uses intellect alone, he has got the eyes but not the mirror;
the one who uses the śāstra alone, he has got the mirror but not the eyes; the one
who uses both the śāstra and the intellect, he has got both the mirror and the eyes.
And that is why it is beautifully said:
yasya nāsti svayaṁ prajñaḥ,

śāstram tasya karōthi kim;
lochanābhyam vihīnasya,
darpaṇa kim karishyathi.
The one who uses the śāstra without using his rational intellect, śāstra cannot help
him; just as a person who uses mirror without having the eyes, mirror also cannot
help. So the one who uses logic and śāstra is called āstikaḥ; and for āstikaḥs, what
is right knowledge, Brahma ātma ekatva vijñānaṁ.
तदात्मानात्मन सम्यिग्ववेकेन �सध्य� |

ततो �ववेकः कतर्व् प्रत्यगात्मसदात ||२०३||
tadātmānātmanōḥ samyagvivēkēnaiva sidhyati |
tatō vivēkaḥ kartavyaḥ pratyagātmasadātmanōḥ ||203||
So what is the means of getting this samyak jñānaṁ? Samyak jñānaṁ has been
defined as Brahma ātma ēkatva vijñānaṁ; Brahma means Brahman, the infinite
reality; ātma means the self, myself, I. Therefore Brahma ātma ekatva vijñānaṁ
means that I am the infinite reality.
Now as even we hear it is not acceptable to us because according to me, I am the

finite body; finite mind, and as long as I am holding on to the idea that I am the
finite body-mind complex, I can never claim that I am the infinite. Therefore my very
idea regarding I should change. Unless there is a conceptual change without regard
Page 935

to myself, unless I have got a cognitive change with regard to myself, I can never
claim that I am Brahman and therefore it requires what? I should question who am
I.
And if I am the body it is impossible to claim that I am infinite; if I am mind, it is

impossible to claim that I am infinite; and therefore the enquiry should lead to the
knowledge that I am someone different from the body-mind-complex and what
should be that knowledge? I am the consciousness-principle, which is the infinite
reality.
But even if I come to know that I am the consciousness principle, that is not
sufficient; because I may take consciousness as a property of the body. If
consciousness is a property of the body; then consciousness can never be infinite,
because property will be where? Where will be the property? wherever the
substance is, there alone will be the property. If consciousness is a property of the
body, then wherever the body is, consciousness. Like the orange colour of the cloth;
where it will be; wherever the cloth is the orange.
Therefore it is not enough that I know that I am consciousness, I should also know
consciousness is: go back to all the lessons: Consciousness is not a part, product or
property of the body, consciousness is an independent entity which pervades and
illumines the body; consciousness is not limited by the peripheries of the body;
consciousness survives even if the body and the brain perishes and the surviving
consciousness may not interact through the body, but non-interaction is not non-
existence.
This definition of the consciousness should be kept ready. That should not be
forgotten by that time. Keeping such a definition of consciousness, I should own up
that I am such a consciousness, who am incidentally functioning through the body;
but who is not limited by matter. I am the consciousness unconditioned by matter.
This knowledge is very important. I am the consciousness who am neither
conditioned nor limited by matter. Some of the scientists do make such statements.
Say consciousness does not come under the physical and chemical laws.
Consciousness cannot be located. Consciousness is not influenced by physical and
chemical activity.
Page 936

And therefore consciousness is not available for scientific study: said by Max Planc
and Prof. Vald. There are some scientists who have somehow self-intuitively; that
consciousness is not subject to the physical and chemical laws and their influences.
It is there, it is experienceable; but it does not come under any study; and he says:
we have to resign to this fact. Who says? Some of the scientists. I would not say:
all the scientists. But some of the scientists say that.
And therefore just as space: Vidyāranya gives this example, in the space there lot of
things floating; but the space itself is not affected by whatever floats in space.
Similarly consciousness is like space, everything happens in it; but itself is not
affected; asaṅgōhaṁ; asaṅgōhaṁ; asaṅgōhaṁ puna punaḥ. This knowledge is
required.
So what is the knowledge? I am consciousness, different from the body, which is

called ātma anātma vivēkaḥ. This is the first stage; and once I know that I am
distinct consciousness, then I can claim my all pervasiveness. I gave you the
example, if the light shining on the light is taken as the property of the hand, light
will be limited. If it is understood as a distinct entity, then I can teach you that light
is not only on the hand; but light is beyond the hand also. You recognise the light on
the hand, but you do not recognise it beyond the hands; I should take out of your
mind; the notion that it is part or property of the hand; therefore I have to spend
most of my time, in teaching you that light is distinct; light is distinct. I cannot pluck
light away. It looks an infinite part of the hand; it is distinct.
Similarly, ātma anātma vivēka is the toughest part of vēdānta; in which I have to
claim that I am the consciousness which is a distinct entity. If that part is clear;
thereafterwards the next part is very very easy: What is that? The limitations of the
body; therefore, do not belong to me. Not located.
And therefore I am unlocated consciousness and therefore I am limitless

consciousness. The word limitless alone is indicated in Saṁsr̥kt by the word
Brahman.
So independent consciousness is first step. Limitless consciousness is second step.
Page 937

Independent consciousness when you say, the word ātma is used; limitless
Conciousness when you say, we bring in the word Brahman. Without coming to the
ātma stage, you cannot come to the Brahman stage at all. Ātma stage means what?
independent consciousness. Brahman stages means what? limitless consciousness.
And therefore Śankarācārya says here: tatu sidyati; tatu means what? Right
knowledge which was defined in the previous slōka, samyak jñānaṁ, that is referred
to by the pronoun tatu, so the first word tadātmano, how should it be split; not
tadā, but it should be tat, ātmanātmano; so tad means right knowledge; siddyati;
takes place, the right knowledge takes place or arises; vivēkēna ēva; only by
discriminating between consciousness and body, which is the toughest part and
consciousness is mostly taken as a phenomenon in matter; an electrical
phenomenon in brain; a neurological disturbance in the neurons; these are all the
different theories of consciousness.
And if you are going to define consciousness as a neurological or cellular

phenomenon, when the cells die; thereafterwards consciousness is also gone. This is
the maximum that logic and science can arrive at through experimentation and
study; but Vēdānta has got a totally different concept.
What is that? Consciousness is there, even before the evolution of brain. The brain
phenomenon can manifest consciousness, brain phenomenon cannot produce
consciousness; this is the vēdantic teaching. Just as the hand can make the light
visible; in the absence of the hand, light here is not visible to you; when I put the
hand, the invisible light has been made manifest. Manifestation is not production.
Similarly, according to vēdānta, consciousness can be manifested by matter,

manifested by brain; manifested by neurological phenomenon, but it cannot be
produced. But they want to prove it scientifically, but what we say is: it is
impossible.
And therefore, the śāstrik derivation; therefore what should we do? vivēkēna; by
enquiry; and enquiry requires two things; what is that? Neither pure śāstra nor pure
buddhi; but buddhi plus śāstra put together. Mere buddhi means that it is scientific
study; that we do not approve of. If they say that we want to do scientific study, we
will do namaskāra and come away and wish you all the best.
Page 938

We are addressing those people who are willing to include śāstra in addition to
buddhi or logic and that is called śāstra vicāraḥ. Not an experimental scientific study;
but it is śāstra vicārah; that is called samyak vivēkēna.
And when you do samyak vivēka, śāstra clearly says: consciousness is eternal. Nahi
dr̥ṣṭuḥ drstēḥ viparilopo vidyāte avināśitvāt. The consciousness of an observer never
dies. The observer may die; but the consciousness itself does not die; like the bulb
may go away; but the electricity does not go away. Bulb goes away; light also goes
away. That is called death. But the electricity does not die. Similarly, consciousness
does not die.
Iti samyak vivēkēna; by the help of the śāstra, discrimination has to be done
between what and what? ātma anātmanōḥ; between consciousness and the body;
matter; between consciousness and matter. Between spirit and matter.
And therefore what should you do? We have to go step by step. Saṁsāra will go by
right knowledge. Right knowledge will come only when you discriminate between
matter and spirit; ātma and anātma; and therefore what should you do? better start
from ātma anātma vivēka; pañja kōśa vivēka.
Therefore he says: tataḥ; therefore. Therefore means wherefore; since

discrimination alone produces knowledge, right knowledge, therefore, vivēkaḥ
kartavya, kartvyaḥ; discrimination should be done; discrimination means enquiry;
between what: pratyagātma asadātmanōḥ; pratyagātma means the real self; i.e. the
higher self; and asadātmanōḥ; the false self; the unreal self; or the unreal-I. What is
the unreal-I? Body is unreal-I; mind is unreal-I; vijñānaṁaya kōśa is unreal-I; what
is the real-I; pure consciousness is the real-I. So unreal-I is the anātma.
So pratyagātma asadātmanōḥ madye; vivēkaḥ kartavyaḥ; with the help of what?

repeated you should remember both; buddhi is required; because there is one set of
people who say buddhi is not required; we have to transcend the buddhi; you have
to leave the buddhi, etc. and why purifying the buddhi and all.
So buddhi is extremely required; because knowledge comes, buddhi alone has to

come; ignorance is a problem of buddhi; error is a problem of buddhi; therefore the
till moment, buddhi is required and not only until one gets knowledge, when guru
teaches his disciples, buddhi is required or not? If the guru teaches without buddhi
Page 939

and the student also studiously takes notes on it; and that too will a thinking śiṣya
take notes; therefore buddhi is never suppressed, buddhi is kept alive all the time.
And some people emphasise śāstra and leave out the buddhi; and there are some
people who emphasise the buddhi and they give up the śāstra. They say śāstra; why
should I accept the śāstra; it is by some r̥̄ṣies when they were unemployed, they
wrote something. Their attitude towards śāstra is different; therefore I should tell
what is the difference between śāstra and all other books.
We do not take śāstra as the invention of human intellect. Anyway I do not want to
get into that. Śāstra has got a different status; it is not a product of human brain. If
śāstra is a product of human brain; we can also produce another śāstra. We do not
look up śāstra as the product of human brain and therefore a non-human product
śāstra is also important. Thus buddhi plus śāstra; śravaṇam plus mananam;
śravaṇam is śāstra-oriented; mananam is buddhi-oriented; both śravaṇam and
mananam should go hand in hand.
Śankarācārya discusses very elaborately in Brahma sūtra, second sūtra;

Janmadyasya yataḥ; very clearly discusses the role of śāstra and also the role of
buddhi; because there are some philosophers called tārkikās. They hold on to tarka
and they do not take śāstra into account. There is another philosophy called pūrva
mīmāṁsaka; they hold on śāstra and buddhi they lose sight of. Śankarācārya says:
both are extreme. An intelligent thing is take the help of śāstra and take the help of
buddhi; like what? To see the eye use the eye also but intelligently use the mirror
also. And therefore vivēkaḥ śāstra buddhi saha ēna vivēkaḥ kartavyaḥ.
.
जलं पंकवदत्यन् पंकापाये जलं स्फुट म |
यथा भा�त तथात्मा� दोषाभावे स्फुटप् ||२०४||
jalaṁ paṁkavadatyantaṁ paṁkāpāyē jalaṁ sphuṭam |
yathā bhāti tathātmāpi dōṣābhāvē sphuṭaprabhaḥ ||204||
So here he wants to give an example. How knowledge will give clarity with regard to
oneself. And what is the example?
He says: suppose there is a reservoir of water like a tank or a lake; any reservoir of
water; and there is the green moss covering that water; pāśi; the moss is covering
Page 940

the water; and as long as the moss covering is there, you cannot see the water very
clearly; whereas the moss is removed, the water can be clearly seen. And he gave
this example before also. The water example. That you are thirsty and you do not
water is there and when you remove the moss, the pure water is there and when
you drink the water, the thirst is gone. Similarly here what is water? Water is the
ātma svarūpam which removes your thirst, your suffering; thirst for what? Thirst for
pūrṇatvam. I am lacking many things in my life. So therefore pūrṇatvam or
fulfilment is lacking in my life; and therefore I am thirsty and I am seeking that
pūrṇatvam everywhere, without knowing that, that thirst can be quenched from the
ātma which is pūrṇam. But I do not drink the water now, because the water is
covered by the moss. Similarly with regard to my pūrṇatvam, what is the moss
covering? My misconceptions regarding myself. My erroneous notions regarding
myself.
Every notion is pāśi. I am father, I am mother; I am husband. According to vēdānta,

you are not father, you are not mother, then you are what: cidānandaḥrūpaḥ,
shivōhaṁ shivōhaṁ. Therefore fatherhood is a misconception; motherhood is a
misconception. All these are confusions. Remove the pāśi; there you remove the pāśi
by the hand, but here it is removed by knowledge. So once the knowledge removes
the self-confusion, self-conclusions, then I can quench my thirst; ahaṁ pūrṇaḥ;
ahaṁ śuddaḥ; ahaṁ amaraḥ; immortality we seek. You do not want to die; even old
age, we are afraid because old age means death has come hear. And even if you
say that I do not mind dying, at least I do not want our near and dear ones to die.
Because I want to be eternal, I do not want to keep seeing one by one collapsing.
In fact, it would be a tragedy. Therefore many people say that before I see all these
people die, I want to die, so that I would not see that. Therefore we accept our
mortality; even we accept our mortality, we cannot accept wife's mortality;
husband's mortality, children's mortality. Therefore we have a thirst for what?
immortality. All these thirst, quenched by what? this knowledge.
Therefore he says: jalam paṁkavad. It is like the water which is covered by panka
or moss; paṁkāpāyē jalam sphuṭam bhavet or sphuṭam bhāti. Paṁkāpāyē jalam
sphuṭam bhāti, you can understand. When the moss or impurity is removed, jalam
shines very clearly. Tatha, in the same way, doṣaḥ abhāve, when the doṣaḥs,
defects are removed; what are the defects here? Ignorance and error. That is why
Śankarācārya begins Brahma Sūtra with adhyāsa bhāṣya; Adhyāsam is the pāśi.
Therefore the whole vēdānta starts with the pāśi. So you have to understand that
Page 941

pāśi is there so that you can ask it to be removed; but he says that there is no pāśi.
And imagine a person walks through that. OK. Not only thirst will not go, you will
drown also.
Therefore I have to take pains to show the pāśi; doṣaḥ abhāve; when the errors are
removed, ātma api sphuṭam prabhāva ha bhavati. ātma also becomes very very
clear. Shines very clearly. When I say shines do not think that ātma will be shining in
a person and you can know it by his shining body, etc. It is clearly owned up. That
owning is called shining. So sphuṭam prabha yasya saha.
Hari om.
Page 942

073. Verses 205 to 207
तदात्मानात्मन सम्यिग्ववेकेन �सध्य� |

ततो �ववेकः कतर्व् प्रत्यगात्मसदात ||२०३||
जलं पंकवदत्यन् पंकापाये जलं स्फुट म |
यथा भा�त तथात्मा� दोषाभावे स्फुटप् ||२०४||
tadātmānātmanōḥ samyagvivēkēnaiva sidhyati |

tatō vivēkaḥ kartavyaḥ pratyagātmasadātmanōḥ ||203||
jalaṁ paṁkavadatyantaṁ paṁkāpāyē jalaṁ sphuṭam |
yathā bhāti tathātmāpi dōṣābhāvē sphuṭaprabhaḥ ||204||
Śankarācārya talked about the nature of saṁsāra as a product of ignorance; a

kalpita vasthu. And anything that is kalpitam; that is erroneous has to be removed
only by right knowledge and therefore one has to do the enquiry and remove the
error.
And then he gave an example also like jalam or water being covered by the moss is
not visible and not only it is not visible; whatever benefit we can get through water,
that benefit we would not get; whereas when the moss is removed, the water is
visible and we get the benefit. In the same way, ātma is covered by erroneous
notion and when these notions are removed; ātma is recognised and the benefit of
the ātma, viz., pūrṇatvam, security, amaratvam, etc. also accessible.
But the only difference is removal of the moss is a physical job but here the removal
of the moss is an intellectual job; because misconception belong to the intellect
alone; and therefore through proper vicāra, the misconceptions have to be removed.
And that is why in another text, Ātma bōdhaḥ, Śankarācārya says: just as the husk
is removed from the rice; from the paddy, by pounding; similarly, here also, we have
to do the pounding, but it is not the physical pounding,
vapustuṣādibhiḥ kōśairyuktaṁ yuktyavaghātataḥ |

ātmānamantaraṁ śuddhaṁ viviñcyāttaṇḍulaṁ yathā || 16||
Page 943

it is yuktyavaghātataḥ; pounding which involves thinking; yukti means what:

reasoning. And of course reasoning which is supported by śruti pramāṇa.
Up to this we saw, and before going further, just one comment on verse No.203. In
the second line; pratyagātma sadātmanōḥ is the reading in the book. There is
another reading also; pratyagātma asadātmanōḥ; in sandhi it will become
pratyagātma sadātmanōḥ. The second reading alone I have taken in this class. This
reading also we can justify somehow. But the second reading is better. Pratyagātma
sadātmanōḥ.
Now we will go to verse No.205.
असिन्नवृत् तु सदात्मन स्फुट

प्रती�तरेत भवेत्प्रत |
ततो �नरासः करणीय एव
सदात्मन साध्वहमा�दवस्तु ||२०५||
asannivr̥ttau tu sadātmanā sphuṭaṁ
pratītirētasya bhavētpratīcaḥ |
tatō nirāsaḥ karaṇīya ēva
sadātmanaḥ sādhvahaṁādivastunaḥ ||205||
So that example which was given before is being further clarified by bringing it to
our main topic. In the example, one has to remove the moss. Similarly, here in the
case of the individual, asad nivr̥tti has to be done; asad means the false-I; the
physical-I; the emotional-I; the prāṇic-I; the intellectual-I; the ignorant-I. Each kōśa
brings out a false-I in me. That is called asad.
When I say that I am fat, I am lean, etc. I have got a physical-I, which is born out
of the mistake centered on the physical body. Confusion between the body and I
leads to false notions of I am fat, I am lean, etc. Similarly, prāṇamaya kōśa leads to
another false-I; which is the prāṇic-I, I am hungry, I am thirsty, etc. is the prāṇic-
false-I.
Similarly we have an emotional false-I; I am upset, I am rāgi, I am dvēṣi, etc. They

are all emotional false-I. Then comes the intellectual one, I am knowledgeable, I am
engineer, I am doctor, I am professor; they are all false-I centered on the intellect.
Page 944

And the final-I is I am ignorant. So I am unconscious, I was unconscious; all those

conditions, when a person is alive, without any personality. That one, sleeping-I
personality; the fifth false I. Each kōśa is called a kōśa because it covers the real-I
by lending itself as a cause of mistake. So whatever causes the mistake is called a
kōśa. Very easy to remember. Cause of mistake is kōśa. And that is called asad
ātma. In that 203 also, the word asadātma means the false-I.
So we have to be very careful here. We are not interested in removing the physical
body. We are not interested in removing the physical body. We are only interested in
removing the false-I generated by the physical-body. A jñāni also enjoys the physical
body; but in his case, the physical body is incapable of producing the wrong-I; he
does not have a physical-I. For the sake of transaction, he may say, I am 50-years
old, I am 60-years old, I am travelling, I am fat, I am lean, etc. Thus he has got a
functional physical-I; but he has the knowledge that the physical-I is only an
incidental-I; like a minister or MP knowing that I am an MP only for a 5-years. It is
an incidental status. So a jñāni knows the false-I; as false-I; but for ajñāni that
false-I is real-I. So we are not interested in removing the kōśas, we are interested in
removing the false-I generated by the kōśa.
That is what is called asad ātma? So asad nivrittou satyam. When these false-I_s are
removed, then what happens? Look at the second line. ētasya pratīcaḥ pratītir
bhavet. The pratyagātma, that I as the conscious being, becomes more and more
clear to me. To pratīcaḥ means pratyagātmanaḥ, the conscious self, the conscious
being, pratitiḥ, pratitiḥ means knowledge, awareness, recognition, sphuṭam bhavet;
will become clearer and clearer. Therefore, the conscious being is expressed by two
words, I and am. The word-I indicates consciousness.
How do you know the word-I indicates consciousness? Because only conscious
beings can use the word I. The clip is not going to say; I am a clip. The pen is not
going to say: I am a pen. The I-thought can arise only in conscious being. Therefore
the word-I represents the cit satvam and the word am represents the sat principle
and I am means consciousness-existence, which is the intrinsic nature of all of us.
So I am is intrinsic; and whatever we add later is an incidental false, erroneous

feature, caused by one of the pañja kōśas. I am father; physical-I has come;
because father-child is from the standpoint of the body only. Thus add any
Page 945

expression it belongs to either to annamaya, prāṇamaya or manōmaya. If the false-

I_s are removed, what will be left out; only I am, would be left out and that I am is
common to all the people. Whomever you ask who are you, he will start with what?
I am. So I am is the common factor and what is that I am: satchidātma; am = sat, I
= chit.
And therefore Śankarācārya says here pratīcaḥ pratīti; I as the satcit tatvam
becomes very very clear. As what? sadātmana, as the existence-consciousness
principle. The existence-consciousness principle, I, becomes evident and that
removal of the false-I alone is indicated by the word Brahma, because every
adjective that I add, subjective compliment in grammar it is called subjective
compliment. I am, is subject, then whatever you add: father, mother, husband,
employer, employee; they are all called subjective compliment. Every subjective
compliment limits me; makes me finite. When I have removed every subjective
compliments, and remain as I am only; then what happens? The subjective
compliment caused limitations are gone; then what is left out; limitlessness is left
out. And limitlessness is not another feature, remember, limitlessness is not another
adjective; limitlessness is freedom from all adjectives. So that is why in advaita,
when we use the word Nirguṇa; Viṣiṣtādvatin raises a question, your Brahman also
has got a quality; what is that quality? Nirguṇa is the quality, they will say and
object. We say that nirguṇa is not another quality; it is only freedom all attributes.
And that is here said as sadātmana; as the limitless-I; sphuṭam bhavet. The ātma
am I; understood.
And therefore what should one do; tadaḥ; therefore to attain this stature, nirāsaḥ
karanēa ēva, one has to segregate; one has to separate.
Separate what from what: that is said in the fourth line; ahaṁādhi vasthunaha
nirāsaḥ karanēya. Ahaṁādhi vasthu means vijñānaṁāyadi kōśah. So ahaṁ
represents ahaṁkāra; ahaṁkāra represents vijñānaṁaya kōśa; ādhi means the other
kōśas, manōmaya, prāṇamaya; and also the would-be ānandamaya. Another kōśa is
going to come; that should be included now itself. Along with ānandaḥ kōśa, all
these vāsthu; here vasthu means what? False superimpositions, nirāsaḥ karanēa;
will have to be negated.
And from where? sadātmanaḥ, from the real-I, which is pure consciousness and
existence. So from the real-I, which is pure consciousness and existence, one has to
Page 946

negate purely in terms of understanding. There is no physical job; there is nothing

involved. It is purely knowing; knowing; knowing; knowing. Like even while seeing
the movie; I separate the characters from the screen and understand; screen is ever
free from all the characters and villian. I need not stop the movie; I need not change
the screen; the only change required is in my buddhi; that whatever happens in the
movie; screen is asaṅgaḥ.
Similarly, I, the pure consciousness, am, ever asaṅgaḥ. And this has to be done, so
thoroughly. In fact, the entire vēdānta is for the clarity of this understanding.
Śravaṇam is meant for that.
Mananam is meant for that. Nidhidhyāsanam is also meant for that and therefore
Śankarācārya adds the word; sādu; sādu means what? Completely, throughly,
doubtlessly, convincingly; this separation has to be done, because this is the only job
that is required. And all other things that you do are incidental; like for lighting a
lamp, you have so many preparation; you may buy oil, you may buy candle, you
may match box, etc. All these are important; alright, but 'the job' which removes the
darkness is what? Matchbox does not remove darkness. Even the striking does not
remove darkness. Going to the shop does not remove darkness; getting money to
purchase all of them does not remove darkness. They are all incidental and
supportive. The only thing that removes darkness is what? the light part alone.
Similarly, the understanding alone solves the problem. All others are preparations
only. Therefore Śankarācārya emphasises that nirāsaḥ karanēa ēva sādu;
thoroughly, comprehensively.
अतो नायं परात्म स्याद्�व�ानमयशब्दभ |

�वका�रत्वाज्जडत्व प�रिच्छन्नत्वहेत |
दृश्यत्वाद्व्य�भचा�रत्वान् �नत् इष्यत ||२०६||
atō nāyaṁ parātmā syādvijñānaṁayaśabdabhāk |
vikāritvājjaḍatvācca paricchinnatvahētutaḥ |
dr̥śyatvādvyabhicāritvānnānityō nitya iṣyatē ||206||
So after a long diversion, now alone Śankarācārya is joining the main road; from the
bye-pass road, he is coming to the main road now only. Where did we start our
diversion? From verse No.189. And up to this verse 205 is the diversion. So even if
you keep aside this portion, it is OK; that means after verse 188; we have to read
this 206 for getting continuity. Because, in verse No.188, Śankarācārya has talked
Page 947

about vijñānamaya kōśaḥ and after long diversion, in this verse, again, Śankarācārya
comes to vijñānamaya kōśa itself, concluding that topic.
And in this conclusion, Śankarācārya says this vijñānamaya kōśa is also not ātma.
This is also not the real-Self. My intellectual personality is only an incidental
personality. That is why I give the example of suṣupti. In suṣupti; I am; but all
intellectual features are shed. And whatever feature is subject to arrival and
departure is not my intrinsic nature; like the heat in water; it is not permanently
there. Therefore heat is not intrinsic nature of water. Similarly my emotional
personality is not in sleep; intellectual personality is not in sleep; so therefore they
are all subject to what? arrival and departure. And therefore it is not me.
And Śankarācārya wants to give more reasons in support of that. And therefore he
says ataḥ ayaṁ vijñānamaya śabdabhāk parātmā naśyāt. ataḥ; therefore, therefore
means what? Because of the reasons to be given hereafter; not said reason;
because of the following reason; because of the following reason, I am vijñānaṁaya
śabdabhāk; vijñānamaya śabdabhāk means vijñānamaya. Vijñānamaya kōśaḥ is
parātmā naśyāt; is also not the real-ātma. Parātmā means the real ātma.
And here we have to incidentally note that the word vijñānamaya kōśa will become
relevant only for a jñāni. Because kōśaḥ means external dress; a sheath; a covering.
Who will say: vijñānamaya is only a covering? only the jñānis who knows that I am
not vijñānamaya; he alone is going to look upon vijñānamaya as a residence like he
is looking at the body as another abode. Who will say body is an abode? Only one
who knows I am different from the body; and body is a house; and I am residing
within the body, I can say only when I am not the body.
But for an ajñāni, body is not an abode; but for an ajñāni what is body; he himself.
Thus he is going to say: I am born on such a such date; and I am fat, I am lean,
etc. Therefore an ajñāni, annamaya is not a kōśa. For an ajñāni, annamaya is ātma.
Prāṇamaya is ātma. That is why in Taittareeya Upaṇiṣad: anyonyanthara ātma
manōmayaha; anyonyanthara ātma vijñānamayaḥ. The Upaṇiṣad says that for an
ignorant person annamaya is ātma; prāṇamaya is ātma; by jñānaṁ I am reducing
annamaya to a kōśa.
Therefore jñānaṁ is nothing is converting annamaya ātma into annamaya kōśa.

Prāṇamaya ātma into prāṇamaya kōśa. In the very conversion, they are all reduced
Page 948

to what: external dress as it were; and if all these five are kōśas, I should be
someone wearing these five kōśas; the wearer of the kōśa is different from the worn
kōśa. Therefore remember, the very word kōśa is relevant only for a jñāni. Not for
an ajñāni. And why vijñānamaya is not myself, because of the following reason.
The first reason is vikāritvāt. The intellectual personality is subject to change. It is a

changing personality, whereas who am I; I am the one who am aware of all these
changing personality. So the knower of the changes is not changing; like when I
seek a moving train; I can say it is moving only when I am stationary. Even if I am
moving in the same speed also; I cannot see the motion of the train. Therefore the
knower of the changes, the witness of the changes, must be without change.
Therefore vikāritvāt.
And also because of the śruti's explanation of ātma as nirvikāraḥ. Remember

throughout we do not purely go by logic alone. Pure logic and scripture should go
hand in hand; remember the mirror example. To see my eyes, I require two things,
one is the mirror and the other is what: the eyes themselves. If eyes are there, no
mirror, useless. If mirror is there; no eyes; useless. To see my eyes, I require both
the eyes as well as mirror.
Similarly to know myself, śāstram is also required, logic is also required; we never
claim that our conclusions are purely logical. We never claim our conclusions are
purely logical. Upaṇiṣad itself says: Naiṣa tarkēṇa mati rapaṇēya. But that does not
mean it is illogical. We do not say it is illogical also; we say it is logical; with the
support of the śruti also. It has śruti based logic; śruti plus logic is equal to vēdānta.
And therefore vikāritvat, when I say, logic also says: that the knower of the changes
must be changeless. And the śruti also says ātma nirvikāraḥ.
Then jjaḍatvācca. Vijñānamaya is jaḍaṁ, because mind is the product of the five
subtle elements; and therefore it is jaḍaṁ; if you scientifically study also, the brain is
only a jada vasthu; and it cannot have sentiency. So vijñānamaya is jaḍaṁ; jaḍaṁ
means what? inert.
Then the third one; paricchinnatvahētutaḥ; mind or intellect is limited and ātma is
limitless; both supported by logic as well as śāstra. The scriptures point out ātma is
limitless. In fact, the very word ātma means limitless. It is derived from the root,
aaap; to pervade; aapnoti iti ātma. So the very word ātma indicates it is limitless and
Page 949

in addition to that Śāstra says also: Nityaḥ sarvagataḥ stānu, acalōya sanatanaḥ.
Where did it come? Nityaḥ sarvagataḥ stānu, acalōya sanatanah. Gītā Second
Chapter.
And not only that: Logic is also proves; what is the logic? If limitation is my intrinsic
nature, I would have experienced limitation all the time, but the very fact that during
suṣupti, when the mental activities are suspended, I do not experience any
limitation. Sleep indicates what? limitlessness is my nature and limitation is
something superimposed, when the mental activities begin. So therefore logic also
support.
Then you might have another question. Whether you have or not, we will put that
question. OK, I experience limitation also; I experience limitlessness also; so one
should be intrinsic and one should be incidental; why should you say limitlessness is
intrinsic and limitation is incidental. Why can't you take the other way around? If
limitation is intrinsic and limitlessness is incidental.
Śankarācārya raises this question in Taittariya Bhāsyam; whatever is effortless is

intrinsic. To enjoy a natural phase, effort is not required; whatever comes out of
activity or effort; it is incidental. Like water; to continue in liquid state; now you do
not have to do anything. Therefore the liquid state of water is limitation; in this
temperature of cours. Suppose you want Icewater, or hot water; you have to put
forth additional effort; you should have a flask and you have to provide certain
conditions to keep the water in either ice condition or hot condition.
Therefore whatever is brought about by external conditions or effort is called

sopādhikam; whatever sopādhikam is incidental; whatever is nirūpādhikam is
intrinsic.
In sleep what effort I put further. In fact, dropping all effort is called sleep. And
when I drop all efforts, what is my condition? I am limitless. But to be limited, the
mind has to take to activity; and therefore the logic is that limitless is intrinsic and
again remember it is supported by: all the time, śruti should be with you nearby; the
śruti also reveals like a mirror that I am pūrṇaḥ. So thus, vijñānamaya is
paricchinna; limitless, therefore not me.
Page 950

Then dr̥śyatvād. All my intellectual features are all objects of my experience. They
are all known by me. Therefore they are the objects, whereas I am the awarer of my
knowledge. I am awarer of my ignorance, I am awarer of my doubt; I am awarer of
my confusion. They are all states known by me; they are not myself. And that is why
they are all subject to arrival and departure. Confusion was yesterday; today there is
no confusion. Therefore dr̥śyatvād, being an object an experience.
Then vyabhicāritvāt. Vyabhicāritvāt means being subject to arrival and departure. So

vyabhicara svarūpam, not consistently present; subject to arrival and departure.
Now previously, we used the word Vikharitvat. Now we are using the word
vyabhicāritvāt; both are very very similar and close. Only a slight difference.
Vikāritvāt means the vijñānamaya kōśa even during its presence; it is subject to
change. So it exists continuously, but during its continued existence, it is in
continuous change; throughout the jāgrat avastha, my intellect changes; I keep
learning, etc. That is called vikāritvam; whereas vyabhicāritvam means vijñānamaya
kōśa as a whole disappears in suṣupti. The intellectual personality as a whole
disappears in suṣupti; and again appears in waking. That is called vyabhicāritvam.
Vikāritvam means change while it is present itself. Vyabhicāritvam means it
disappears and appears; that is called vyabhicāritvam.
So therefore vyabhicāritvāt; because of all these reasons: How many? (1) vikāritvāt
(2) vyabhicāritvāt; (3) jaḍatvat; (4) parischinnatvāt (5) dr̥śyatvād.
And if a person says still I am not convinced, Śankarācārya says: Wish you all the
best. Therefore he says: anityaḥ na nityaḥ iṣyatē. ānityō nitya iṣyatē; has to be split
like that. Anityaḥ vijñānaṁayaḥ nityaḥ ātma na iṣyatē; na bhavathi. Anityaḥ
vijñānaṁayaḥ nityaḥ iṣyatē ātma na bhavathi. Can you understand the meaning?
The impermanent vijñānamaya cannot be permanent ātma.
आनन्दप्र�त�बम्बचुिम्बततित्तस्तमोजृिम्
स्यादानन्दम �प्रया�दगुण स्वेष्टाथर्लाभो |
पुण्यस्यानुभ �वभा�त कृ�तनामानन्दरू स्वय
सव� नन्द� यत साधु तनुभन्मात
ृ प्रयत �वना ||२०७||
ānandapratibimbacumbitatanurvr̥ttistamōjr̥mbhitā
Page 951

syādānandamayaḥ priyādiguṇakaḥ svēṣṭārthalābhōdayaḥ |

puṇyasyānubhavē vibhāti kr̥tināmānandarūpaḥ svayaṁ
sarvō nandati yatra sādhu tanubhr̥nmātraḥ prayatnaṁ vinā || 207 ||
So with the previous verse, the vijñānamaya kōśa is over, which started from verse
No.184. 184 to 206 was vijñānamaya and with this four kōśas have been covered.
So we are in the process of pañja kōśa vivēkaḥ and pañja kōśa vivēka. Do you know
where it started. We started in 149 we started pañja kōśa vivēka; thereafter
annamaya kōśa, prāṇamaya, manōmaya, etc. and pañja kōśa vivēka is the answer to
one of the seven questions of the student. I do not want to go to that now. So how
a magnified canvass, Śankarācārya gives. It is Tatva Bōdhaḥ only. But each kōśa,
very elaborately explained.
Having completed vijñānaṁaya, we have to enter ānandamaya kōśa. From this verse
207; there verses, 207, 208 and 209 deal with ānandamaya kōśaḥ.
In fact, by Ānandamaya kōśa what the śāstra means is a state in which all our
specific personalities are resolved. All our physical personality, emotional personality;
intellectual personality; they are all resolved; not destroyed. They are resolved
means what? they are all in potential condition; seed condition; and that itself is
called as another kōśa.
In fact it is not a new personality; but it is a personality in which all the other
personalities are in dormant condition. So the worries are there but they are not
manifest; they are all dull. Suppose you are all concentrating on this class; what
happens to all your worries or all plans? Immediately after the class, you have got so
many things; you are waiting for the class to end.
I know that when I see the students at the end of the class. Faster than Rājadhani
express they rush out; and each personality comes; office personality; family
personality. What happens to all of them between 7 and 8? They are gone or they
are there? If you say they are there; I am worried, because I doubt whether you
heard or not. If you say that they are gone, there is a illogical problem. What is the
logical problem? How do they come back when you go out of the class.
The very fact that worries come back along with the chappals indicate that they are
all there. That your able to listen indicate they are all not there. That means that
Page 952

they are not there. They are not there. What is that condition? They are all
potentially there. Seed form they are there. That avyaktha personality is called
kāraṇa śarīraṁ; otherwise called ānandamaya kōśa and you call it ānandaḥ because
you are blissfully ignorant. You are blissfully ignorant of those conditions.
There is happiness also; because saṁsāra is not manifest. Unmanifest saṁsāra state
is the ānandaḥ of ignorant people. All the happiness of the ignorant people is what?
not real happiness. All the ānandaḥ of ignorant people is the unmanifest condition of
their saṁsāra. And this happens at different times. Even in the jāgrat avastha, that
happens, when you are involved in something and you forget your worries and other
personalities; fatherhood; motherhood; husbandhood; officerhood; all the different
roles when they are forgotten; that is ānandamaya kōśa.
Even in the jāgrat avastha. In sleep it is ānandamaya kōśa. In pralayaṁ, it is

ānandamaya kōśa; in coma, it is ānandamaya kōśa. Whenever your personalities are
dormant it is ānandamaya kōśa. That is defined in this slōka. Ānandamayaḥ syat.
Ānandamaya is the following. And what is that?
Vr̥ttiḥ. Vr̥ttiḥ means a mental state; it is a state or avastha, in which ānandaḥ

prathibhimbha cumbitatanur; a state of mind in which the pūrṇatvam of ātma is
reflected; is experienced. Pratibimba means reflection. Ānandaḥ pratibimba means
the reflection or ānandaḥ or pūrṇatvam; cumbitam means endowed with; tanu
means of the nature. So ānandamaya kōśa is a state or vr̥tti which is endowed with
the reflection of ātma ānandaḥ.
Why do we say reflection of ātmānandaḥ? In the waking state, since I was identified
with annamaya, etc. there was division in the form of I, the experiencer, and the
world, the experienced. It was a, what you call: a divided-I. Khānda is there; vikalpa
is there; therefore pūrṇatvam was not experienced by me; nor was it owned by me.
My pūrṇatvam was suppressed by the superimposed division.
What division? Observer-observed division. And in the sleep what happens. The
false-I is resolved; and therefore the corresponding objective world is also resolved;
and therefore pramathru-pramāṇa-pramēya triputi or subject-object duality; they are
all not there. Then what is there. When khānda is gone; akhaṇḍa-I remains.
Akhaṇḍa means what? Undivided.
Page 953

And that undivided-I does not have the fear of mortality. Mortality comes because of
what; because of the fear of there is division; division brings in dēśa; dēśa brings in
kālaḥ; all kinds of problems. Not only dēśa kālaḥ pariscēda, but is also comparison
with other people; somebody is superior; somebody is inferior; jealousy comes; rāga
dvēṣa comes; all those are there. But in sleep, all these are not there. Therefore
what is that state? ānandaḥ. That is why, when worries are there; people want to
sleep well; but unfortunately sleep does not come. Therefore what do they do?
Sleeping pills; otherwise they take to alcohol; take to drugs; all these are what. I
want to artificially remove the superimposed limitation; but removing the limitation
through wisdom is permanent solution; artificial removal is not the solution. But here
it happens. So ānandaḥ pratimbīmba cumbita tanuhu.
And how is it born? Tamō jjr̥mbhitā; it is born out of ignorance. It is evident; it is

dominant; because of ignorance; because during sleep; there is ignorance;
ignorance of what? Ignorance of my real nature; and other than ignorance, errors
are missing. Why we say; tamōjr̥mbhitā; during the waking state; there is ignorance
also; but also along with the ignorance, there are errors. I am father; I am mother; I
am husband; I am wife; which one is correct. Which one is correct? None of them is
correct. Which is correct? I am Brahman is correct.
Therefore in the waking state, two things are there; I am Brahman ignorance is
there; I am father error is also there. But in sleep, I am father error is not there;
whereas I am Brahman ignorance continues in sleep also. And therefore tamō
jjr̥mbhitā; it is dominant; it is saturated with ignorance; because errors do not
occupy; therefore it is fully ruled by what? Ignorance only. Undivided kingdom of
ignorance.
In the waking state, ignorance also rules; error also rules. During sleep, ignorance is
the ruler. syādānandamayaḥ priyādiguṇakaḥ. And he says, the ānanada experience
has got gradation also; gradation in the form of priya, mōda, and pramōda. Based
on the degree of absorption; based on the degree of sleep, there is ānandaḥ;
gradation also; priya, mōda and pramōda.
How do you know this gradation? How to understand? In sleep you cannot feel the
difference, because you are asleep. Therefore these differences you have to
understand in terms of waking experiences only. And therefore a model is given in
the waking state itself. What is that? Iṣṭa darśanam; Iṣṭa grahaṇam; ista anubhavaḥ
represent three grades of happiness. Can you understand the meaning? Iṣṭa
Page 954

darśanam. When I see an object I like, there is an ānandaḥ. But still that ānandaḥ is
not complete because, I have only seen it; and it is not even mine. Thereafter iṣṭa
grahaṇam. I go and buy that object. If it is eatable, I have ordered; it is on the
plate. If it is a dress, I have bought the dress; that is iṣṭa grahaṇam. I have bought
it therefore more ānandaḥ. On the plate, therefore more ānandaḥ. But still when is
the greatest ānandaḥ, iṣṭa anubhavaḥ. When you put that dish in your mouth and
there is an extra glow in your eye, or when you are wearing that dress; and walk
and up and down; hoping that others would see; because others do not see; I walk
up and down; that is called iṣṭa anubhavaḥ. The same thing is there in sleep also
depending upon the depth of the sleep. Therefore priyādiguṇakaḥ consisting of
priya, mōda and pramōda. happy state, happier state, and happiest state.
Hari Om.
Page 955

074. Verses 207 to 210
आनन्दप्र�त�बम्बचुिम्बततनुवृर्ित्तस्तम
स्यादानन्दम �प्रया�दगुण स्वेष्टाथर्लाभो |
पण
ु ्यस्यानुभ �वभा�त कृ�तनामानन्दरू स्वय
सव� नन्द� यत साधु तनभ
ु न्मात
ृ पयत्न �वना ||२०७||
ānandapratibimbacumbitatanurvr̥ttistamōjr̥mbhitā
syādānandamayaḥ priyādiguṇakaḥ svēṣṭārthalābhōdayaḥ |
puṇyasyānubhavē vibhāti kr̥tināmānandarūpaḥ svayaṁ
sarvō nandati yatra sādhu tanubhr̥nmātraḥ prayatnaṁ vinā ||207||
In these three verses 207, 208 and 209, Śankarācārya is talking about ānandamaya
kōśa, which is the final kōśa. And he said ānandamaya kōśa is vr̥ttihi; that is the
basic definition. Vr̥ttiḥ means a state of mind; a dormant state of mind is called here
vr̥ttihi; and all the other words are more explanation about that vr̥ttihi.
What type of vr̥tti it is. Ānandaḥ pratibimba cumbita tanuhu. A vr̥tti whose very
body; tanuhu means body; or whose very nature is endowed with the reflection of
ānandaḥ. Literally cumbitam means kissed; in this context, endowed with. cumbitam
means sahitakam, yuktam. So it is a vr̥tti whose very body is endowed with the
reflection of ātma ānandaḥ. That means the mind reaches a state of quietitude free
from all the worldly worries; because during sleep, we are not worried about our
relative personality. Therefore being free from vyāvahārik worry, the mind reaches a
state of relaxation; that relaxed vr̥tti is called ānandamaya vr̥tti. In that relaxed vr̥tti;
the ānanda of ātma is reflected. So according to śāstra, the vr̥tti does not have
ānandaḥ; but vr̥tti reflects ānandaḥ. Just like in the manōmaya kōśa, the vr̥tti
reflects consciousness; in the ānandamaya kōśa, vr̥tti reflects the ānandaḥ of ātma.
So therefore, ānandaḥ pratibimba, and here the word ānandaḥ refers to
ātmānandaḥ. Therefore ātma ānandaḥ pratibimba sahita vr̥tti is called ānandamaya
kōśa.
And it is born out of what: tamōjr̥mbhitā; it is born of self-ignorance. And why do we

say: self-ignorance which is born out of? Because during jāgrat avastha, the vr̥ttis
are born out of self-ignorance plus error also: tamō guṇa and rajō guṇa both are
Page 956

active; in jāgrat and svapna avastha, rajō guṇa plays a prominent role; tamō guṇa is
in the background. And it is the rajō guṇa which produces erroneous self notion; like
I am small; I am mortal; I am male; I am female; all these erroneous notions are
projected by rajō guṇa; and for the activity of rajō guṇa; (in the dupam), who is the
supporting force behind; tamō guṇa.
Tamō guṇa lies low in jāgrat and svapna; rajō guṇa is dominant; whereas in suṣupti
avastha, the rajō guṇa has subsided and therefore tamō guṇa is dominant and that
is why errors are not there during suṣupti. So false confusions are not there;
ignorance alone is there.
And therefore that vr̥tti; that quiet vr̥tti obtaining in the suṣupti is tamōjr̥mbhitā;
jjr̥mbhitā means janya; jāta; utpanna. So it is called tāmasic vr̥tti. In jāgrat and
svapna, it is rājasic vr̥tti.
And then, the next definition is priyādhi guṇakaḥ; this vr̥tti has got different forms in
the form of priya, mōda; and pramōda; depending upon the intensity of the
quietude; in sleep also; there is ordinary sleep; deep sleep; deeper sleep, etc. the
intensity is there; based on the intensity of the quietitude, the ānandaḥ is also more.
And this intensity is graded as priya, mōda; and pramōda; but this priya, mōda and
pramōda, we cannot differentiate in sleep and therefore we give an example in the
waking state.
And what is the example? I told you, iṣṭa darśanam gives a certain amount of tr̥pti.
Whatever I wanted buy, that object is there; that is available in that shop; but I did
not have money then and therefore I have noted where it is available. So darśanēna,
that tr̥pti is not pūrṇaḥ because I have not yet acquired it; therefore there is a
partial tr̥pti; partial agitation also.
And when I go the next day and buy the iṣṭa grahaṇam; then there is more tr̥pti
because, it is no more belonging to the shop; nobody else can buy it; I have already
bought. But since there is a worry because, there is lot of slip between the cup and
lip.
Therefore even after possession, until I actually experience that object, there is a
mental agitation, whether it is possible or not; what is available to the hand would it
be lost before it reaches the mouth; therefore there is some agitation.
Page 957

But actually when I read the book or when I eat that object, or when I wear that
dress; that is called iṣṭa anubhava. In that anubhava, there is a tr̥pti, which is a tr̥pti
of withdrawal. I gave the example. When you gave to Kedarnath walking 14 kms;
and then the temple opens and deeparadhana is shown, you close your eyes.
What is that? It is a sign of the tr̥pti; total withdrawal and therefore iṣṭa darśanam
gives priya vr̥tti; iṣṭa grahaṇam, grahaṇam means what? not the one which you
witnessed recently; here grahaṇam means what: possession; grasping. There it is
grahaṇam because according to the mythological story, Rāhu is grasping the Surya.
There also grahaṇam means grasping. It is translated at eclipse. Grahaṇam does not
mean eclipse. Based on mythology, grahaṇam is rāhu grasping; or according to
mythology, Rāhu is a chāya grahaḥ; it is a shadow planet and the shadow is
grasping the Sun. And what do you mean by shadow grasping the Sun?
Anyway, here grahaṇam means grahaṇam, which gives what? mōda vr̥tti and iṣṭa
anubhava produces pramōda vr̥tti; pramōda vr̥tti means deepest state of relaxation.
So they talk about in transcendental meditation that a person can go the deep most
rest and therefore one hour meditation is equal to five hours sleep etc. they say,
means what, that we can have different steps of relaxation. And naturally there is a
proportional ānandaḥ also. Therefore priyādhi guṇakaḥ; bahuvrihi samāsa;
priyādaha guṇāha yasya saha; priyādhi guṇakaḥ. And here the word guṇa means
gradation.
And svēṣṭārthalābhōdayaḥ; which is born out of, generally born out of these three
events in life, I told you just now, iṣṭa darśana, grahaṇam, anubhavam, that is what
he says here; sva iṣṭa artha; svaiṣṭa means desired by a person; artha means
object; sva iṣṭa artha; the object desired by a person and lābha means possession.
And you have to include the other two also: lābha means grahaṇam here; and you
have to include the other two; what are they? darśanam and anubhava. Therefore,
svēṣṭārtha darśana lābha anubhava udayaḥ; udayaḥ means born out of. So it is born
out of the perception, possession and experience of objects desired by a person,
when it is experienced in the jāgrat avastha; svēṣṭārtha lābhōdayaḥ.
Then the next explanation is: puṇyasyānubhavē vibhāti. Now what is the cause for
the iṣṭa artha darśanam; grahaṇam and anubhava? Normally we say that it is our
effort. Is'nt it? Only we have to put forth the effort to seek what we desire; to
Page 958

possess what we desire and also to experience, but the śāstra our effort alone is not
enough; it requires puṇyam also. If puṇyam is not there, many people go to
Amarnath, Kedarnath, etc. Their effort is to go to enjoy and see nice things; but
sometimes we read in the newspapers; that instead of having wonderful sights,
what they see is their own members or party dying in landslides. Iṣṭārtha darśanam
we wanted and it ended in aniṣṭārtha darśanam. Sometimes they see their members
dying or sometimes they themselves become the victims; so instead of iṣṭārtha
grahaṇam, they end up of aniṣṭārtha grahaṇam. Similarly instead of iṣṭārtha
anubhuva; aniṣṭārtha anubhava comes; and therefore puruṣārtaḥ alone is not
enough; it requires what: puṇyam.
And therefore Śankarācārya says: ānandamaya kōśa greatly depends on one

puṇyam. The manifestation of ānandamaya kōśa; the functioning of the ānadamaya
kōśa; the domination of ānandamaya kōśa; heavily depends upon on one's puṇyam.
Therefore he says: puṇyasya anubhave vibhāti. Ānandamaya kōśa is dominant
manifest; vibhāti means abhivinakthi, is manifest; when puṇyasya anubhave; when
one is reaping the result of puṇyam. For whom, kr̥tinām; for those people who have
done puṇyam. For the blessed people. kr̥ti means puṇyavān. So kr̥tinām
puṇyavathaam janānam; for the blessed people, the ānandamaya kōśa is dominant
in their life; because of the reaping of the result of the puṇya; and how does puṇya
express itself. It provides the condition as we have the prayer; Om! Bhadram
karnebhih s'rnuyāma devāh bhadram pasyemākṣabhiryajatrāh; Oh Lord, make the
environment such that I am surrounded by good things; so that I am either in priya
vr̥tti; or in mōda vr̥tti; or in pramōda vr̥tti. And therefore these three vr̥ttis are
dependent on puṇyam. Vibhāti kr̥tinām.
Then the next explanation is: sarvaha svayaṁ ānadarūpaḥ. So in the ānandamaya
kōśa, every one becomes soaked in ānandaḥ; steeped in ānandaḥ. They are aflame
of joy. It is not that they are experiencing ānandaḥ; but they have become one with
ānandaḥ at that moment. Therefore svayaṁ sarvaha ānandaḥ rūpaha bhavathi.
They are steeped in ānandaḥ; like rasagula, you know. When you eat at the
rasagula appears sweat; but if you really press it; and when you press and eat it;
there would be nothing; no taste; but you say rasagula is sweet, because it is
soaked in that syrup. Syrup has become one with that medium. Similarly, here also
every jīva becomes one with that vr̥tti; with that ānandaḥ. So sarvaha ānandaḥ
rūpaha svayaṁ bhavathi yathra; yathra means ānandamaya kōśē.
Page 959

And not only that; sādhu nandati; everyone totally revels that ānandamaya kōśa, it
is not ātma svarūpa ānandaḥ, which is going to be discussed later; we are now
discussing experiential ānandaḥ, which is purely a state of mind, and therefore it is a
conditional ānandaḥ, therefore subject to arrival and departure. So that is the
difference between ānandaḥ maya kōśa and ānandaḥ ātma. We have not yet come
to the ātma; Ātmānandaḥ is not experiential pleasure. Ātmānandaḥ is the fulfilment
born out of owning up the nature. It is of a totally different nature; Ātmānandaḥ is
the fulfilment born out of owning up one's nature; it is not a momentary flash of
experience. There is nothing to do with experience; it is wisdom.
And here we are talking about the experiential pleasure, nandati; he is just jumping
with joy; �தி �தின் �திக்கிரா; and also in our house our parents scold also. Have
you heard that; they say; if you laugh too much, it will end up in crying. And I do
not know whether you have noticed. Invariably it ends up in quarrel; sister brother
playing and laughing well and then fighting and crying and going to the parents.
So, experiential pleasure invariably is followed by experiential pain also. That is why
we are not too much interested in ānandamaya kōśa also; or if you want to be
interested in ānandamaya kōśa, we should be prepared for the consequence also.
Enjoy the experiential pleasure; but be ready to pay the price also. Either avoid
both; or welcome both.
So sarvaḥ sādhu nandati; sādhu nandati; means what? totally revels every human
being; and which human beings reveal? tanubhr̥nmātraḥ; sarvaḥ should go with
tanubhr̥nmātraḥ; every human being; that mātraḥ here indicates sāmanyam; here
mātraḥ does not mean only; normally mātraḥ means only; in this context mātraḥ
means sāmanyam; sāmanyam means what; every human being in general, without
exception. Because ānandamaya kōśa is available for everyone, even if his life is a
tragic life, at the time of sleep at least, even the worst beggar, at the time of sleep,
he will enjoy ānandamaya kōśa.
If I have got more puṇyam, I enjoy in sleep also; and I often enjoy in jāgrat avastha
also; but minimum sleep ānandaḥ everybody has got. It is Bhagavān's gift. That is
why Śankarācārya uses the word tanubhr̥nmātraḥ; tanu means body; tanubhr̥n
means the embodied one; the holder of the body. Brit means possessor; who is the
possessor of the body; every human being. So tanubhr̥n means, and not even
Page 960

human being, in fact tanubhr̥n extends to even other living beings; they also enjoy
sleep.
And for the sleep ānandaḥ, what effort is required. In fact dropping all effort is
sleep. And therefore Śankarācārya says prayatnam vina; effortlessly, naturally,
instinctively, regularly, every living being, yatra, in the ānandamaya kōśa, revels;
becoming one with ānandaḥ. And this is ānadamaya kōśaḥ.
आनन्दमयकोशस सुषुप्त स्फू�तर्रुत |

स्वपजागरयोर�ष�दष्टसंदशर्ना�व ||२०८||
ānandamayakōśasya suṣuptau sphūrtirutkaṭā |
svapnajāgarayōrīṣadiṣṭasaṁdarśanāvinā ||208||
So he gives further information about ānandamaya in this verse. Śankarācārya says

ānandamaya kōśa is generally dominant in suṣupti. When all the other kōśas have
suspended their functions. Annamaya kōśa is as good as dead; the physical body is
like a dead body; we do not deliberately use this body and whatever minimum
activities are going on they are all instinctive or involuntary actions and therefore
body is as good as dead body. Similarly, prāṇamaya deliberate actions are not there;
emotions have been suspended; buddhi, I have told you it is doubtful whether it is
working at all in the Jāgrat; in suṣupti, it is definitely not working. Therefore all the
four kōśas are suspended.
And therefore what is dominant? ānandamaya kōśa is dominant. Therefore

Śankarācārya says, generally, the ānandamaya kōśasya sphūrtiḥ. So the
manifestation of ānandamaya kōśa is suṣuptau utkaṭā, is dominant, is prominent, is
pronounced, in suṣupti. Why? Because the other kōśas have suspended their
activity; like a candle flame kept outside, during the day-time. So candle flame is
shedding light or not. Certainly it is shedding light, because fire has got light. But in
the afternoon, in the month of May, when the temperature is 40 degrees, would
anyone know if the candle light is kept there? There is no utkatatvam; it is not
prominent. It is overpowered by what? The powerful sun light. But as the sun is
setting, in the midnight when there is neither sun nor moon, when you come out,
whether you like or not, the flame in the middle of the playground alone will be seen
by you.
Page 961

Similarly, he says, ānandamaya kōśa's dominance is noticed in suṣupti, whereas in

jāgrat svapna also, it is, but not so dominant. Therefore jāgrat svapnayōhō, or
svapna jāgarayō, in the svapna avastha and jāgrat avastha, īṣadṣṭa sphūrtiḥ; īṣatē
means what, a little bit, less pronounced. From that only the word ஈஷிக்கற in
Tamil has come, I think; īṣadṣṭa means alpam. So īṣadṣṭa is an indeclinable word,
īṣadṣṭa sphūrtiḥ bhavathi. There is just a passing, a casual, a non-pronounced
manifestation is there. And when does it happen? When iṣṭa sandarsanādhina. When
a person sees a desired object; or a person gets a desired object; or when a person
experiences a desired objects; iṣṭa sandarśanam, adhi means etc. and Etc. means
you have to add iṣṭa grahaṇam, and iṣṭa anubhava.
And why do we say: iṣṭa anubhava is ānandamaya kōśa; because when we are
enjoying a pleasure, during the moment of enjoyment, temporarily all our other
emotions are suspended. Our கவைல; so many கவைல-s we have; that is why we
say; I laughed forgetting all the கவைல-s; that is what Charles Chaplin also said it
seems: His life was a great tragedy; and therefore he wanted to contribute and
everybody has got so many problems; at least for an hour or half-an-hour, let them
forget all their worries. Worries are not gone; but worries are suspended.
prāṇamaya kōśa suspended; vijñānaṁaya kōśa suspended; even the body
awareness; suppose we have got some problem, sickness is there; at the moment of
joy, temporarily you have forgotten annamaya and not only that, during that
moment, since you have forgotten all other four kōśas, you have forgotten your
individuality. And since you have forgotten your indiviudality, the subject object
division also is temporarily forgotten.
And therefore every ānandaḥ is nirvikalpaka anubhavaḥ. Every ānandaḥ is a

temporary nirvikalpaka samādhi. If at all a yōgi enjoys ānandaḥ, it is only that
temporary nirvikalpaka samādhi he is in; and Bhagavān gives nirvikalpaka samādhi
to everyone during the moment of joy. And that is why during joyful moments, we
also embrace because, we do not want the subject-object division also.
So suṣupti is nirvikalpaka anubhava, ānandaḥ is nirvikalpaka anubhava, samādhi is

nirvikalpaka anubhava; all the nirvikalpaka anubhava gives uniform experience of
ānandaḥ. Whereas Vēdānta is not interested in nirvikalpaka anubhava; Vēdānta is
interested in nirvikalpaka jñānaṁ.
Page 962

Why? Nirvikalpa anubhava is conditional; it will come and it will go; even the
samādhi is subject to arrival and departure, whereas once I know my nature is
nirvikalpaka, the perception of duality does not disturb my nirvikalpaka svarūpam;
because my nirvikalpaka svarūpam is satyam; the savikalpaka anubhava is mithya.
If you know that savikalpaka anubhava cannot disturb the what? nirvikalpaka
svarūpam. Just like sun rising experience does not disturb the knowledge that sun
does not rise. Similarly advaita is interested in what: a nirvikalpa jñānaṁ which will
not be disturbed by savikalpaka anubhavam.
And once savikalpa anubhava does not disturb me, why should I work for
nirvikalpaka anubhava? Savikalpa anubhava let it stay. Even when in savikalpaka
anubhava, I am nirvikalpaka, when? When? All the time.
This is the difference between yōga and vēdānta. Yōga works nirvikalpaka
anubhava; vēdānta works for nirvikalpaka jñānaṁ.
And what type of nirvikalpaka jñānaṁ? A nirvikalpaka jñānaṁ which will not be
disturbed by savikalpaka anubhava. Thereafter you may go chose to go to nirvikalpa
anubhava; that we do not care if you want to go there. But it is option. You say
Svāmiji I like samādhi. OK. You may sit; at least I am temporarily free from you. So
you may want to go into samādhi, welcome.
But if you say samādhi is required for mōkṣa, then, there is a problem. According to
us, samādhi is not required, because it is working for nirvikalpaka anubhava. We are
interested in nirvikalpaka jñānaṁ, in which avastha? In jāgrat avastha; in
nirvikalpaka anubhava you do not get any jñānaṁ, there is no guru there; no śāstra
there; where will the jñānaṁ come there? So nirvikalpaka jñānaṁ in
savikalpaka avastha is vēdantic aim.
And therefore here we are talking about the ānandaḥ obtaining in nirvikalpaka
anubhava. That is the topic here. Therefore he says: svapnajāgarayōr in the waking
and dream state, īṣadē; there is a passing dominance of ānandamaya kōśa, because
of what, momentary experience of iṣṭa darśana grahaṇa anubhavaḥ.
नैवायमानन्दमय परात्म
Page 963

सोपा�धकत्वात्प्रकृते�वर्क |
कायर्त्वहेत सुकृत�क्रया
�वकारसंघातसमा�हतत्वात ||२०९||
naivāyamānandamayaḥ parātmā
sōpādhikatvātprakr̥tērvikārāt |
kāryatvahētōḥ sukr̥takriyāyā
vikārasaṁghātasamāhitatvāt ||209||
So Śankarācārya says this ānandaḥ mayakōśa is also not ātma. This experiential
pleasure is also not ātma; because of the following reasons. Very important slōka,
wherein we differentiate experiential pleasure from ātma svarūpam. So he says:
ayaṁ ānandamayaḥ parātma naiva bhavathi. So this ānandamaya is also never
parātma; the real ātma. What are the reasons?
No.1; sōpādhikatvāt; because it is a conditional pleasure. It is a conditional pleasure;

because we said it is by iṣṭa, darśana, grahaṇa, or anubhavaḥ. In Madras, Birla
auditorium, for grahaṇa darśanam, the people had the arrangements. Glass for Rs
10 and set up for all that; and people all went; what happened? They had rain
darśanam.
So you can plan everything; iṣṭa darśanam may not take place; iṣṭa grahaṇam may
not take place; iṣṭa anubhavam may not take place or at the crucial moment,
sometime may take away also. You are watching it nice, at that time, the current
goes. So it is conditional; and if it is ānandaḥ you get through suṣupti and the
suṣupti is also conditional.
In fact, according to śāstra, the sleep also is dependent on your prārabdha. If there
is no good prārabdha, you will not sleep; you will burn inside, because everyone
nearby are all snoring away and you get up and you do this and you do that; they
enjoy the sleep, you are more unhappy. So therefore, suṣupti also; some people can
sleep anywhere; in the midst of atom bomb explosion also they can sleep. It is really
puṇya only. So their head touches the pillow, snoring starts. No gap at all. It is all
puṇyam I say. In the class it should not come, that is the only prayer. Otherwise it is
really great puṇyam only; to sleep at any time. Therefore sleep also is conditional.
What about samādhi? Samādhi is also conditional. Even though śāstras which talk
about samādhi, and that ānandaḥ they say samādhi niṣṭa depends upon prārabdha.
Page 964

So they themselves accept that. Samādhi janya ānanda they grade. Brahmavit,
Brahmavitvaraḥ; variyān; variṣṭaḥ. And they say prārabdha also has got a
contribution, when they talk about graded ānandaḥ, because samādhi is dependent
also upon various conditions. And therefore sōpādhikatvāt means experiential
pleasure being conditional.
Then prakr̥tērvikārāt; because it is a modification of matter; because experiential

pleasure is a state of mind. Experiential pleasure is a state of mind; and mind being
prakr̥ti, mind is prakr̥ti; prakr̥ti means what? matter; (Remember Tatva Bodha) it is
born of prakr̥ti; it is a modification of prakr̥ti; remember from Māya five elements are
born; and from the five inner elements alone, from the satva guṇa of all the five
elements, the substance called mind is produced.
So according to vēdānta, mind is a material substance, a subtle material substance;

which is a product of five elements, which itself is a product of māya, māya is called
prakr̥ti; therefore what is mind? prakr̥ti vikāraḥ. Therefore prakr̥tērvikārāt; since it is
a state of mind, a modification of mind; you can never keep the mind in the same
state all the time. All the time thoughtlessly; they talk about gradually getting out of
thought.
In yōga śāstra, they talk about five different types of thoughts; and five different
conditions of mind; cittam, mūdam, vimūdam, ekāgram, virūddham; pañja avasthāḥ
and the samādhi is called in their technical language, niruddha avastha. So the mind
is what you call; suspended from producing thought. Now how can you keep the
mind? To achieve a state of thoughtless mind is itself a thing which is not going to
happen. You can try; if you try and achieve, wonderful. If you are able to stop every
thought, how many seconds we can remain. OK. one minute, two minute, one hour,
two hour, one month, two month, you can suppose.
How long? Because prārabhada has to activate the mind, because prārabhda's job is
what? To make your mind contact the world to experience sukham and duḥkhaṁ. So
for how many days you can sit thoughtlessly?
And not only that, if you have experienced the thoughtless stage, even one thought
will become, a big drop; because when a wall is spotlessly clean; one small black will
be glaringly pleasure. If you have enjoyed thoughtless state, even one thought
becomes nightmare, your duties in life would become nightmare, everything even
Page 965

God will become nightmare; because there also the thought comes you know. So it
is all very problematic thing and therefore it is impossible to keep the mind sātvik all
the time, thoughtless all the time. That is why Krishna said in the Gītā in the 14th
chapter.
प्रका च प्रवृित च मोहमेव च पाण्ड |

न द्वेिष सम्प्रवृत् न �नवतृ ्ता� काङ्�� ||१४- २२||
prakāśaṁ ca pravr̥ttiṁ ca mōhamēva ca pāṇḍava |
na dvēṣṭi sampravr̥ttāni na nivr̥ttāni kāṅkṣati ||14-22||
Jñāni is not one who has suspended this thought; jñāni is one who can objectively
accept both the thoughtful and thoughtless mind. Prākāśam cha, satvic state;
pravr̥ttim cha, rājasic state, mōham ēva cha, even tāmasic state; na dvēṣti, and na
kaṅkṣati; Why? Because he has dispensed himself from the states of mind. yōgi is
interested in particular state of mind; jñāni has dispensed himself from
the states of mind. Can you see the difference? So vēdānta is of a totally different
subject matter, but many people get confused between yōga and vēdānta.
And therefore, he says prakr̥tērvikārāt, your experiential pleasure is only a state of

mind and therefore you cannot have permanency there; whereas ātma is what: ever
changeless consciousness. So how can the changeless ātma be the changing state of
mind.
Then kāryatvahētōḥ sukr̥takriyāyā. And it is a product of, or a consequence of

puṇyam. Experiential pleasure is the consequence of puṇyam; it is not your nature.
Because by definition, nature is not a consequence of something, because what is
nature by definition. Nature is that which is natural. If something is a consequence
of something, it is incidental. Now, in the room temperature, water is liquid. The
liquidity of water, is a consequence of something or natural? It is natural. Whereas
in the room temperature, if you want ice, it is impossible; therefore artificially you
have to create a flask or refrigerator and there you have to keep it in the freezer; in
the freezer you have to keep and then get ice. This is consequence of something. So
what is effortless, is natural. Whereas the experiential pleasure is what? the
consequence of something, and consequence of which thing, kāryatvahētōḥ
sukr̥takriyāyā; ānandamaya kōśa is the consequence of sukr̥takriyā; sukr̥takriyā
means puṇya karma.
Page 966

And therefore experiential pleasure can never be natural to you; when the puṇya
karma goes away, sleep also goes away, or what you call, the object also go away,
even the people who give you happiness, they also go away. Till now they used to
like you and now he says that I do not like you, etc. They may not say, but they
distance from you. what to do? You like but they do not like, what to do? puṇyam
out.
And perhaps their puṇyam is fructifying, that is why they are getting away from me.
OK. Can you understand the joke? If you do not understand, it is better.
So therefore, any experiential pleasure is incidental. Therefore it is not you.

Therefore better do not depend on that.
Therefore sukr̥takriyāyā kāryatvahētōḥ; since it is the consequence of puṇya karma,

and again vikārasaṁghātasamāhitatvāt; and it is born out of an assemblage,
saṅgaata means assemblage of vikāra; vikāra means here Vr̥ttayaḥ. Vr̥tti vikāraḥ. It
is born out of an assembly of vr̥tti. What are the vr̥ttis, priya, mōda, pramōda; these
vr̥ttis assembly is called ānandamaya. That is why in Taittariya upaṇiṣad; these are
all based on Taittariya;
tasya priya mēva ṣiraḥ; mōdō dakṣiṇā pakṣaḥ; pramōda uttara pakṣaḥ;
So there vikāra saṁghāta samāhitatvāt; born of an assembly and therefore it has

got date of manufacture and also an expiry date. And because of all these reasons
what is the conclusion? ānandamayaḥ parātmā na bhavathi. It is not you. You are of
a different caliber.
पञ्चानाम� कोशानां �नषेधे युिक्तत श्रुत |

तिन्नषेधाव� सा�ी बोधरूपोऽव�शष्य ||२१०||
pañcānāmapi kōśānāṁ niṣēdhē yuktitaḥ śrutēḥ |
tanniṣēdhāvadhi sākṣī bōdharūpō:'vaśiṣyatē ||210||
So with the previous verse the ānandamaya kōśa topic is also over. So with this all
the five kōśas have been talked about, which started in verse 154 annamaya kōśa
and now with this verse, all the pañja kōśas are over. But here our main topic is
ātma-anātma vivēka. The pañja kōśas are anātma. Now our job is what? The
revelation of ātma as distinct from the pañja kōśas.
Page 967

Therefore we are entering ātma svarūpam topic. From verse 210 to 222; 210 to 222
is the revelation of ātma as the consciousness principle, which is neither part of the
pañja kōśas; nor the properties of the pañja kōśas; nor what is the third? the
product of the pañja kōśas. It is an independent entity as revealed by śāstram.
Therefore Śankarācārya says here: pañcānāmapi kōśānāṁ niṣēdhē. Suppose a

person negates all the pañja kōśas separate negation here means separate the
pañja kōśas. With the help of what? yuktitaḥ śrutēḥ; with the help of logic and
śrutiḥ. Not mere logic. As I have said mere logic will not lead us anywhere. Also not
mere śruti also will not lead anywhere. Remember the example, mirror also; the eye
is also required. Both are required to see the face. Eyes without mirror you cannot
see the face, mirror without eyes, you cannot. Therefore śāstram is the mirror, and
logic is your eyes. Therefore śrutēḥ yuktitaḥ ca niṣēdha. Once a person separates or
negates, bōdhaḥ rūpaḥ avaśiṣyatē; what remains is pure consciousness as a noun;
not as an adjective. Consciousness as a noun; avaśiṣyatē, remains. And what is the
consciousness? Tan niṣēdha avadhiḥ; so which is the culmination of the negation of
everything. Culmination of the negation of everything.
What is the culmination of the negation of everything? The negator remains. When
everything is negated, the negator who is unnegatable; unnegatable negator is
called niṣēdha avadhiḥ; who is called sākṣi. The witness consciousness alone
remains, who is the culmination of the negation. who is the negator, who cannot be
negated, who is of the nature of the consciousness. That alone remains. So this is
the nutshell verse. The rest of the verses are a commentary on this verse alone. So
this is sārabhūtā slōka; asya vyakyānam idam param.
More.. Hari Om.
Page 968

075. Verses 210 to 214
पञ्चानाम� कोशानां �नषेधे युिक्तत श्रुत |

तिन्नषेधाव� सा�ी बोधरपोऽव�शष्यत ||२१०||
pañcānāmapi kōśānāṁ niṣēdhē yuktitaḥ śrutēḥ |
tanniṣēdhāvadhi sākṣī bōdharūpō:'vaśiṣyatē ||210||
As a part of pañja kōśa vivēka, Śankarācārya has already talked about the five kōśas
and now he wants to show that ātma is different from all the kōśas and also the
svarūpam of that ātma, he wants to talk about in these verses, beginning from 210
up to verse No.222.
Now he ways in this verse, pañcānāmapi kōśānāṁ niṣēdhē; the first job is the
negation of all the five kōśas with the help of two pramāṇam. The first prāmaṇā is
the śruti prāmaṇam. With the help of the śruti, one has to negate the pañja kōśa,
which is done in the Taittariya Upaṇiṣad; anōnyanthara ātma prāṇāmayaḥ;
anōnyanthara ātma manōmayaḥ; anōnyanthara ātma vijñānaṁayaḥ; anōnyanthara
ātma ānandamaya; then ānandaḥ ātma. Thus the Upaṇiṣad has clearly negated.
And Śankarācārya says: mere upaṇiṣad is not enough, we have to take the
supportive logic also. And we have different types of reasoning; the main reasoning
being dr̥k dr̥śya vivēka; whatever I experience; I am not; I am the experiencer and I
am not anything that I experience. This dr̥k dr̥śya vivēka is called yukti here; so with
the help of śruti prāmaṇa and śruti sammadaḥ yukti pramāṇa one has to do the
negation.
And the negation itself has to be done in three stages. The first of negation is the
anātma is not myself' Anātma is not me. This is the first type of niṣēdha. Why we
say anātma is not me? Because I am the experiencer and the anātma is the
experienced. And so the first stage is accomplished by seeing myself as the
experiencer.
Then the second stage of niṣēdha is anātma is not even related to me. It is not
enough, I see the anātma as different; I should also know that it is not related to
me because, the house is different from me, I know. But still the condition of the
Page 969

house can disturb me; why? Not because house is me; but I look upon the house as
related to me.
So the first one is called ahaṁkāra, the second one is called mamakāra; both should
be negated. Body is not me; is ahaṁkāra niṣēdha; body is not mine; is mamakāra
niṣēdha. First one is called tādatmya adyāsa; and the second one is called saṁsarga
adyāsa. Both we have to negate.
And how do we negate the relationship? By again seeing that I the ātma, the
consciousness am asaṅga caitanyaṁ, free from all relationship. Therefore, first I see
I am a dr̥śta; therefore different from the body; the second stage is I am asaṅga;
therefore not related to the body. Body means the pañja kōśa, the anātma; this is
the second stage of niṣēdha. So anātma is not me; anātma is not related to me.
And then comes the final stage of niṣēdha; the most technical and most difficult
niṣēdha; and that is anātma is not as real as me. Just as the dream world is not as
real as the waker. This is the satyatva niṣēdha; ahaṁkāra niṣēdhaḥ; mamakāra
niṣēdhaḥ; satyatva niṣēdhaḥ; this is the final stage. All these put together is called
niṣēdha. So anātma is not me; anātma is not related to me and anātma is not as
real as me.
Now in these verses Śankarācārya does not bring all those aspects. He is only talking
about niṣēdha in a superficial way; the elaboration of this niṣēdha Śankarācārya
himself will bring later. Therefore we will take this much.
When the anātma is negated with the help of śruti and yukti; what happens? Bōdhaḥ
rūpaha sākṣi avaśiṣyate; when everything else is negated, who remains is the
negator remains. When everything else is negated; only one thing remains, the
negator remains; the negator can never be negated. Because the negator will
eternally remain as negator. If the negator has to be negated; you require what?
Another negator to negate the negator. So negator No.2 will remain. And suppose
the second negator has to be negated; then you require what? Third one. Then why
can't the negator negate himself. It is never possible also.
And therefore Śankarācārya says niṣēdha avadhiḥ; the reminder; avadhi means
remainder, the ultimate locus; which the culmination of all the negations; that
remains and what is his nature? Bōdhaḥ rūpa, who is of the nature of awareness
Page 970

and you can never talk about the negation of awareness. Suppose you say:
awareness is not there. Then I ask you: how do you know? You say: I see there is
no awareness at all. I say: asadu; to talk about the absence of awareness, you
require what? the awareness. So awareness is one thing which can never be
negated. Therefore this bōdhaḥ rūpaḥ is called sākṣi caitanyaṁ; ātma caitanyaṁ.
And this will avaśiṣyate; it will remain.
योऽयमात्म स्वयंज्यो� पञ्चकोश�वल�ण |

अवस्थात्रयस सिन्न�वर्का �नरञ्जन |
सदानन्द स �व�ेयः स्वात्मत् �वपिश्चत ||२११|
yō:'yamātmā svayaṁjyōtiḥ pañcakōśavilakṣaṇaḥ |
avasthātrayasākṣī sannirvikārō nirañjanaḥ |
sadānandaḥ sa vijñēyaḥ svātmatvēna vipaścitā ||211|
So the nature of the sākṣi is described in all these verses; all important verses. Ayaṁ
pañja kōśa vilakṣaṇaḥ ātma. So this consciousness, which is the witness of all the
pañja kōśas, and therefore only different from these pañja kōśas, is called ātma.
Ātma means that which always exist. Yachatsya santato bhāvaḥ, tasmāt ātmāti
krityatē; that which exists unnegatably; in the form of the very negator of
everything; that which ever exists is called ātma.
And what is the proof for the existence of consciousness; consciousness does not
require any proof; because if consciousness has to be proved; by somebody else;
how will that somebody prove that consciousness? By being conscious of the
consciousness. How do you prove? So if somebody has to prove the consciousness, I
have to prove the consciousness only by saying: yes, there is consciousness. Then I
will ask you what is the proof? I have discovered it; means what? I am conscious of
it. Therefore proving the consciousness requires again another conscious principle
only; again that conscious requires another conscious principle to prove; it will
become eternally anavastha; infinite regress; therefore consciousness is never
proved by any one; it need not be proved by anyone; it is self-proved. It is self-
evident. And therefore it is called svyaṁ jyōthiḥ; svyaṁ jyōthiḥ means what? self-
evident. Because the ultimate prover should be unproved; very simple logic. The
ultimate prover will not be available for proving because if the ultimate prover has to
be proved, again you require what? Another proof; another proof; another proof;
where is the end?
Page 971

And therefore the ultimate prover is self-evident; does not require any proof at all.
And that proof-proof consciousness (like water-proof, shock proof etc); what is
consciousness; proof-proof consciousness. Consciousness which does not require
any proof at all is called svyaṁ jyōthiḥ.
And what does it do? Avastha traya sākṣi. It is the witness of all the three states of
experience. In the jāgrat avastha, there is external world, consciousness illumines
that. In svapna avastha, there is internal world; consciousness illumines that; in
suṣupti avastha, there is neither an external world nor an internal world; there is no
world state; consciousness experiences or illumines all these three. The external
world comes and goes; the internal world comes and goes; but the consciousness
never comes and goes. This non-arriving, non-departing witness of all the arriving-
departing things is called sākṣi.
Are you understanding? Non-arriving, non-departing, witness of all the (non-arriving,

you should not say), arriving-departing things including time and space, because in
suṣupti there is no dēśa or kālaḥ. Other people will say you are sleeping in this hall;
in this room, in this bed; but the sleeper himself does not have time and space; and
in Jāgrat avastha, we have got one time and space; in svapna avastha, we have got
another time and space; in suṣupti avastha, we have (another, you should not say)
no time and space. We are witness. Therefore the witness consciousness must be
beyond time and space because it is in the presence of time and space; and it is in
the absence of time and space also. Therefore it should be what? Sāndrānandā
avabhodāvānukaṁapidam khāla dēśa avadhibhyām nirmuktham; it should be
beyond the parameters of time and space.
And therefore it is our avastha traya sākṣi san; san means being. Being the avastha
traya sākṣi; nirvikāraḥ. Being unconditioned by time and space; consciousness
cannot be influenced by time and space. Whatever is within time and space, is
conditioned and therefore influenced. And what is the influence of time? Time's
influence is vikhāraha. Time is always understood only in terms of the rate of change
of an object. How do we measure time? Only in terms of rate of change of an
object; when the Sun goes from one place to another; that sun's movement is a
measurement of time. It is called spatial change; or you take its modification;
scientists and all, they take the atom; and atom has got a half-life period and it
undergoes change; that they keep as a standard to measure the time. Therefore
Page 972

influence of time is always in the form of either spatial change or what you call its
natural change. Change in itself.
And consciousness being uninfluenced by time, it has to be what? Nirvikāraḥ. As I

said the other day, some of the scientists without reading the upaṇiṣads, they are
just hypothesizing at least that consciousness is beyond the study of time; because
it does not have location; it is not subject to physical laws; it is not subject to
chemical laws; it is like reading upaṇiṣads. So therefore, that is consciousness.
Nirvikāraḥ.
And when I say nirvikāraḥ, you should remember the Tatva Bōdhaḥ, nirvikāra means
free from six forms of modification; asthi, jāyate, vardathē, vipariṇamathe,
apakṣiyathē, vinaṣyati. And I am assuming that you all know what are the six
modifications and therefore going further.
Nirañjanaḥ. Always if I teach a, aa, e, ee, I cannot complete the text. Therefore I
have to assume many things. Nirvikāraḥ. Then Nirvikāraḥ. Añjanam means blot; any
blemish, any dark spot, any impurity, anjanam means impurity; and nirañjanaḥ
means what śuddhaḥ? Blemishless; unpolluted; stainless; that is what I said as
asaṅgaḥ and therefore only body is not even related to me.
Not enough you say that body is not me. I am not body, Svāmiji, I know but I am
concerned about the wellbeing of that body. Like my scooter. It is not enough I see
difference; I should also see its relationshiplessness. Therefore nirañjana means
asaṅgaḥ.
And sādhanāndaḥ. And what is the nature of that ātma further? Ānandaḥ. Ānandaḥ
means pūrṇaḥ. It does not have anything lacking; nothing is lacking. It is free from
all types of limitations. So time-wise limitation; space-wise limitation; objectivity-wise
limitation; all kinds of limitations are not there; therefore pūrṇaḥ. And pūrṇatvam
alone emotionally expresses in the form of ānandaḥ. To know I am pūrṇaḥ is to
experience that I am ānandaḥ.
And whenever I am duḥkhi, sorrowful, we have got an idea, I lack something.

Anytime you study your mind in sorrow, it is backed by a conclusion at the
intellectual level; sorrow is emotional; but it is born of an intellectual conclusion;
conclusion regarding whom; regarding myself. Every sorrow is backed by an
Page 973

intellectual self-conclusion; and what is that: I do not have everything I like. Some
people say: people are there; love is there; money is not there. Money is there; love
is not there; both are there; house is not there; all are there, children are not there,
children are also there; but obedient children are not there. Not only you want
children, you want obedient children. Something is 'not there'', "not there" is
saṁsāra.
Therefore sorrow is emotional; but the cause is intellectual. What intellectual cause;
self-conclusion. What self-conclusion; I lack things. And what vēdānta does is: it
does not directly attack your emotional problem. It only attacks your intellectual
conclusion that I lack. And the knowledge you again is also intellectual. What is the
knowledge? I do not lack anything. Ahaṁ pūrṇaḥ. But this pūrṇatvam, knowledge
expresses at the emotional level; as ānandaḥ; Nandati, nandati, nandatēva.
वेदान्तवाक्ये सदारमन्त
�भ�ान्नमात् च तुिष्टमन् ।
अशोकवन्त करुणैकवन्
कौपीनवन्त खलुभाग्यवन् ॥१॥
vēdāntavākyēṣu sadāramantō
bhikṣānnamātrēṇa ca tuṣṭimantaḥ |
aśōkavantaḥ karuṇaikavantaḥ
kaupīnavantaḥ khalubhāgyavantaḥ ||1||
They do not have modern dress and all those things; with minimum dress; and food
coming from somewhere else; whatever food OK; and above all, what is the vessel;
that is that amatrayantaḥ; pāṇidvayē bhōktumamatrayantaḥ; very very convenient
vessel; while eating it is available; afterwards it is not there when both hands are
removed. So easily assemblable vessel; because parts are there readily. And the
capacity of the stomach is only this much; after that we all eat for the tongue.
Then how are they full and complete? without proper dress; without proper food;
without any possession; without bank balance. Therefore it is very clear that lack is
a sense and not a fact, and being a sense, you can remove it. Vēdānta says it is
non-sense. The sense that நான limited_ங்க sense (I am limited) is
nonsense. நான limited_ங்க sense, I am limited, that sense you have, that is
nonsense. You enquire and see that.
Page 974

The whole job of vēdānta is that. Sadā ānandaḥ. Once that sense of lack is gone, I
am always ānandaḥ; nandati; nandati, nandatēva. Iti saha vijñeyaḥ.
That ātma has to be known with the help of vēdānta; that ātma has to be known;
how; very important; svātmatvēna; as myself. Do not say: My Self; do not split it; do
not split My ... Self. Then what will happen; I am someone else. It is My ....
possession. Therefore ātma will become possessed and I will become possessor. It
should become one word and it is Myself. Myself means I; ahaṁēva ityartha; it
should be known as myself; that is it should be known as ahaṁ asmi. As long as I
do not know the ātma as I; ānandaḥ will not there.
So this should be owned by whom: vipaścitā; by a discriminative person; a subtle

intellectual person; a qualified person; because a strong dēhābhīmāna is an obstacle
for this knowledge. A strong dēha abhīmāna is an obstacle for knowledge; therefore
by other religious sādanas, we have to weaken the dēha abhīmāna. Krishna tells in
the 12th chapter of the Gītā:
Therefore the initial process is weakening the dēha abhīmāna by taking this body as
God's property. That is where religion helps. Oh Lord! This is what you have given to
me and I want your support. If you come that way, you have got at least a shared
property. After giving Bhagavān also, you also keep. Joint. Thereafter later, we can
give him fully; now you need not give it fully; now we are holding it very tight in our
hands.
So therefore, religion weakens dēhābhīmāna, self-knowledge destroys

dēhaabhīmāna. And a person who has weakened the dēha abhīmāna is called
vipaschit; discriminative person, sādana catuṣṭaya sampaannaḥ. This is tritiyḥ
vibhakti; sakārantha pullingaha vipaścit śabdaḥ tritiyā vibhakti; ēka vacanam.
because the sentence is in passive voice; vipaścitā saha ātma vijñēyaḥ. By a
discriminative person, this ātma has to be understood.
Page 975

�मथ्यात्व �न�ष�वेषु कोशेष्वेतेश पञ्चस ।
सवार्भाव �वना �किञ्चत न पश्याम् हे गुरॊ ॥
�व�ेयं �कमु वस्त्वि स्वात्मान �वपिश्चत ॥ २१४ ॥
śiṣya uvāca |
mithyātvēna niṣiddvēṣu kōśēṣvētēśu pañcasu |
sarvābhāvaṁ vinā kiñcit na paśyāmyatra hē guro ||
vijñēyaṁ kimu vastvasti svātmānātra vipaścitā || 214 ||
The student is raising a question, which is a normal doubt that comes to everyone,
because the upaṇiṣads uniformly say that ātma is beyond the pañja kōśas; and
therefore it is different from the body, mind, intellect and it is beyond the thoughts
also. And therefore teaching also is that you have to negate all of them and discover
the ātma and we gave the example of the moss covering the water also; and when
we remove the moss, we see the water. So the example is also there. Pañja kōśas
are supposed to be covering the ātma; kōśa means what: that cover; a sheath; a
shirt-like thing. Therefore what will be our aim? Go on negating everything, with a
hope of discovering that ātma and this person closes all the sense organs, the world
is negated. Then comes the thought, which comes in hundreds when we sit for
meditation; and therefore he struggles and he wants to remove every thought and
generally he does not succeed; and then perhaps he succeeds.
As I told you, one person asked me: Svāmiji, 12 years for me to come to the
thoughtless state. Then he asks Svāmiji I am able to come to the thoughtless state;
and I have made the mind blank also; but I do not find any experience of ātma. He
is looking for the ātma experience to happen after the negation of every thought,
because he has assumed that ātma is an entity which would have an extra light
when all the thoughts are gone; or something extra. He himself does not know what
he expects; the greatest tragedy is: what are you looking for; I do not know myself.
Imagine I am going to the Railway Station; and somebody asks, whom are you
looking for; then you say: that I do not know. Then on what basis: So is it in
meditation and remove all the thoughts; I even do not know what to look for; I think
that it will be some kind of mystic experience and imagine mystic experiences come,
which mystic experience is ātma experience? So therefore either I conclude some
experience is ātma-experience or I wait eternally for ātma-experience.
Page 976

This is the universal mistake of almost every vēdantic student. It is a normal

mistake. So if we have committed it, we have the privilege of committing it; because
it is legitimate. Śankarācārya understands these mistakes and therefore he puts this
question in the mind of the student. And what is that? I am able to negate
everything and come to blankness; other than blankness I do not experience
anything. Other than blankness, I do not experience anything. Do you mean to say
that blankness is ātma? which means we have ended up in the shūnya vāda of the
Buddhism; we have ended in nihilism; nothing is there; nothingness becomes the
truth.
This shūnya vāda possibility is the biggest problem. Therefore the student asks this
question: So hey guru; I am not able to understand. I have stopped all the
thoughts; nothing comes; after some days headache only comes; nothing comes. So
therefore he says: eteṣū pañjasu kōśēṣū niṣiddēṣu satsu; sati saptami. Suppose all
these five kōśas are negated. In short, everything. All the experiences are negated.
Mityātvena. As mithya.
So mithya you can understand here as anātma, the full significance of the word
mithya, we will know only much later. Śankarācārya has not elaborated the topic of
mithya. Therefore here it is enough if you understand the word mithya as anātma.
So I have negated all the pañja kōśas as anātma.
And then what do I find? kiñcinna paśyāmi. I do not experience anything. I do not
experience anything. I was so optimistic and I found the same question was put in a
magazine in a question answer page and the editor of that magazine answers:
Continue it, one day you will get the experience. Imagine. Person asks I am able to
go able to go up to blankness but I am not able to get any experience at all; what
should I do? Continue it; and imagine everyday he will come, sit in meditation, reach
blankness, and wait, wait, wait, wait!! எப்ெப வ�வாேரா; nothing comes; and again
he goes.
And at last, because of the sheer pressure, mind in pressure gives in certain times
hallucinatory experiences. In fact, even there is a wing of psychology, discusses
that. Mind in pressure, mind in, what you call, confinement; you know those people,
who are in solitary confinement for five years, for six years, in a dark room,
sometimes they get certain experiences also. And this fellow gets some such
Page 977

experience and concludes: I have seen the ātma. All because of the fundamental
problem.
Therefore he says: kiñcinna paśyāmi; I do not experience anything, except one

thing; what is that: sarvābhāvaṁ vinā; other than total blankness. Sarvābhāvaṁ
vinā; other than total blankness; I do not experience anything atra; atra means
here.
Now tell me, kimu vijñēyaṁ vastvasti; what is there to be known; because it is utter
blankness. What is there to be known at all? Is blankness something to be known;
that is worth knowing; or what else is there. Therefore vijñēyaṁ vasthu kimu asthi;
that u is the student's stress, what indeed is there to be known; what the 'hell' (in
vēdānta, we need not talk about it); what the hell is to be known; nothing is there.
Svātmana by oneself; ātma vipaścitā; who is discriminative; so ātma vipaścitā; the
one who has got a discriminative intellect, by such a person, what is to be known at
all.
So the student's contention is what? I do not experience after negating the pañja
kōśas. I do not experience anything after negating pañja kōśas. Tell me what is that
blessed ātma. What is the answer? You know the answer; I have told many times.
What is that? When you negate everything, you have not negated one thing; After
coming to the class and saying that no one has come to the class; what does it
mean; suppose a person comes to the hall; Svāmiji when I came, no one had
arrived in this hall. It looks so simple. But that is the biggest truth. When you say
nobody has come; it means that nobody other than me. I say nobody; one thing
taken for granted is what: observer.
The observer is eternally taken for granted. Similarly when you talk about blankness,
one thing we have taken for granted is: that the blankness is also talked about
because of the observer alone. Therefore what you call blankness, is nothing but
observed_less-observer. I hope you understand. What is blankness. Observed_less-
observer. What is the meaning of observed_less? The observer without anything to
observe. When you say nobody has come what does that mean; no one other than
me.
Similarly, blankness is to be understood as awareness. What I think as blankness is

formless awareness. The thoughtless state is formless awareness; that formless
Page 978

awareness you do not see because you are that blessed formless awareness.
Therefore, it is a matter for owning up; that I am this formless awareness, in me the
formless awareness, thoughts arise and in me, and in Me the formless awareness,
the thoughts dissolve. Thoughts arise and dissolve; the formless-I am always there.
Without understanding this thing, we are suffering. Therefore Śrī gurur uvāca.
सत्यमुक् त्वय �वदिन्नपुणोऽ� �वचारणे |
अहमा�द�वकारास्त तदभावोऽयमप्यन ||२१३||
सव� येनानभूयन्त
ु यः स्वय नानभूयते
ु |
ु ू�मया ||२१४||
तमात्मान वे�दतारं �व�द बुद्ध् सस
śrīgururuvāca |
satyamuktaṁ tvayā vidannipuṇō:'si vicāraṇē |
ahaṁādivikārāstē tadabhāvō:'yamapyanu ||213||
sarvē yēnānubhūyantē yaḥ svayaṁ nānubhūyatē |
tamātmānaṁ vēditāraṁ viddi buddhyā susūkṣmayā ||214||
So the first job of the teacher; just pat the student. For every question, the student
has to be patted. Never say that this is a silly question; even if it is the silliest
question, say that it is nice, you are thinking, because even the silliest question will
come only for the thinking mind. And therefore the first job of the teacher is
congratulate; well-done; sabāsh! Beautiful. Even Śankarācārya has had this
question. Tell that way.
So Śankarācārya himself does that here. Hey Vidvān; see how he address; hey
vidvān; not the malayalam; in Malayalam, if you say vidvān, it is opposite in slang
language. So it is saṁsr̥kt vidvān; Oh Vidvān; intelligent student; vicārane nipuṇaha
ati. So you are expert in analysis; in thinking; in enquiry; in mananam; if you are not
merely doing śravaṇam, but you are expert in mananam also; and therefore satyam
uktam. What you say is valid. Your question is relevant; your question is valid. This
is the congratulation part. OK. There is no answer in this.
The answer is from the second line. Here from the second line onwards the teacher
says: when you talk about the absence of everything, you remember there is
someone as the witness of absence. When you talk about the absence of everything,
Page 979

you require a witness because, you cannot talk about something which you have not
witnessed. I have told you the example, very often. Suppose I ask you is there an
elephant standing behind. Is there an elephant standing behind. If you say yes, it is
possible only if you have seen behind and witnessed the presence of the elephant.
Suppose you want to say: no, firmly, to say no also, you should have seen behind.
Without seeing behind, if you say that there is no elephant, it is not a fact; it is only
a presumption. No elephant comes here; there is not enough space for the elephant
to come here also; etc. It is all your conjectures. It can never be definite. If you
have to definitely say that there is no elephant behind, what is required? the
absence of the elephant; also should be necessarily witnessed.
This is presented in the form of an important law in vēdānta; sākṣi rahita

abhāvaḥ na saṁbhavathi. There cannot be an absence without a witness.
Sākṣi rahita abhāvaḥ na saṁbhavathi, because abhāva is also an object of
experience, which requires the illuminating principle and if you have not seen
behind, what will your answer? What should be your answer? I do not know. I do
not know means what? I do not know does not mean that there is no elephant. I do
not know means I cannot talk about bhāva also; I cannot talk about abhāva also;
bhāva requires a sākṣi; abhāva also requires a sākṣi; which means there is no
absolute abhāva.
Logic do you understand? Since abhāva requires a sākṣi, the so-called abhāva is
what: the absence of everything except sākṣi. Since abhāva cannot be there without
a sākṣi; the so-called abhāva is to be understood as the abhāva of everything other
than sākṣi. That means absolute abhāva is not there. Either there is sākṣi with things
or there is sākṣi without things; but with things or without things, sākṣi is always
there; which means the absolute abhāva; what is the definite of absolute abhāva;
absolute abhāva as the abhāva of everything, including the sākṣi is not possible. We
can never talk about the absolute abhāva; in which sākṣi is also absent. Impossible.
Nisākṣika sūnyata na saṁbhavathi. Nisākṣika sūnyata na saṁbhavathi. This is one of
our powerful arguments against the Buddhists. When Buddhists say nothing is there,
we are asking him, who are you, who is talking. you are there to talk about sūnya.
We say you are buddhi sūnya; your buddhi is sūnya; you are not sūnya; you do not
have intelligence. The brain is sūnya, not you are sūnyam.
And therefore, Śankarācārya says here, ahamādivikārāḥ; so all the modifications,

that is changing objects, beginning from ahaṁkāra, ahaṁkāra representing
Page 980

vijñānamaya kōśa; all the changing objects beginning from vijñānamaya kōśa; ādhi
means etc.; etc. means manōmaya kōśa; ahaṁ means vijñānamaya kōśa; ahaṁ is
equal to vijñānaṁaya kōśa; ādhi means what: etc. Etc. means here manōmaya
prāṇamaya, annamaya and also baahya prapañja; all these vikārās; vikārās changing
objects; are witnessed by Sākṣi.
So in the next verse; anubhuyante; that we have to bring here and connect; ahaṁ
ādhi vikārāḥ anubhuyante; all these changing objects are witnessed by someone,
and not only that, ayaṁ tad abhāvaha api; even the absence of all of them in
suṣupti; in samādhi, in mūrcha, mūrcha means comma, in the comatose state, in the
śamadhi state, when a person says all the thoughts are stopped, so what is
experienced? abhāvaḥ. So ahaṁādhi vikhāraḥ represents bhāva, and also tad
abhāva, both bhāva and abhāva are anubhuyate. They are all experienced; by
whom? next slōka. Sarve anubhuyante; sarve should be connected with previous
slōka. So anbhuyante from this slōka, we connected to previous slōka. In the
previous slōka, ahaṁādhi vikhāraḥ and abhāvaḥ we had talked about, that we have
to connect in this slōka. Sarve is equal to sarve vikhāraḥ bhāvaḥ; sarve vikhāraḥ
abhāvaḥ. All of them; ēna anubhuyante; ena means sākṣinaha anubhuyante; they
are experienced by someone; and what is the nature of that experiencer? svayaṁ na
anubhuyate. That experiencer himself can never be an object of experience.
Because if conscious is an object of experience, and I am the experiencer of
consciousness, what will happen? Consciousness will come; and consciousness will
go; but imagine consciousness goes away; how can I experience the absence of
consciousness? Never possible. And therefore consciousness is ever the experiencer;
never the experienced. Svayaṁ na anubhuyate. And that unexperienced-
experiencer, that unobjectificable-subject; that unnegatable negator, is ātmānam
viddhi. That is called the ātma, who is the veditā; veditā means sākṣi; who is the
witness and your job is not to come across that sākṣi; your job is owning up the
sākṣi which is all the time present. Your job is not coming across the sākṣi; briefly
experiencing the sākṣi is not your aim; if your aim is to briefly experience the sākṣi,
again it will become an object of experience and arriving and departing. Therefore
your job is what? Owning up the sākṣi. Therefore viddhi. So own up that sākṣi as
yourselves, which has been done with the help of the intellect. Remember you have
to use the intellect as an instrument to own up the fact; but when you own up the
fact with the help of the intellect, you do not include the intellect in the
consciousness. You use the intellect as the instrument, but you do not own up. I
gave you the example, the other day. When you say: I am happy, in that "I am"
Page 981

statement, mouth is used as an instrument, but the happiness is the attribute of the
mind alone. So when you say 'happy' are you including the mouth: No. Happiness
belongs to the mind; but to say that you use the mouth. Similarly, I use the intellect
to own up the sākṣi, which is exclusive of the intellect. OK. I use the intellect to own
up the sākṣi, which excludes the intellect. Therefore Śankarācārya says buddhya
viddhi. Use your intellect to own up that fact. That is why we say in Nirvikalpa
samādhi, you will never be able to own up because you stop your intellect. Intellect
out; then who is there to own up this fact. Therefore you have to own up this fact
with the help of the intellect alone and that too what type of intellect? susūkṣmaya
buddhya. Because you should use the intellect, but you should not include the
intellect. That is itself a cleverness. I have to use the intellect; I should not include
the intellect. That requires an extremely subtle intellect. Not ordinary, susūkṣmaya
viddhi.
More... Hari Om.
Page 982

076. Verses 214 to 217
सत्यमुक् त्वय �वदिन्नपुणोऽ� �वचारणे |
अहमा�द�वकारास्त तदभावोऽयमप्यन ||२१३||
सव� येनानभूयन्त
ु यः स्वय नानभूयते
ु |
तमात्मान वे�दतारं �व�द बुद्ध् सुसू�मया ||२१४||
śrīgururuvāca |
satyamuktaṁ tvayā vidannipuṇō:'si vicāraṇē |
ahaṁādivikārāstē tadabhāvō:'yamapyanu ||213||
sarvē yēnānubhūyantē yaḥ svayaṁ nānubhūyatē |
tamātmānaṁ vēditāraṁ viddi buddhyā susūkṣmayā ||214||
In verse No. 212, there is a better reading, which I would like to note. In the last
line, svātmanā ātma vipaścitā is the reading given in this book; but there is a better
reading svātmanātra vipaścitā. svātmana atra vipaścitā. So this second reading is a
better one; and the meaning is the same alone. vipaścitā svātmana atra vijñēyaṁ
vasthu kim asthi. So the question is after negating all the pañja kōśas, we do not
experience anything at all; and how can you talk about an ātma after negating all
the pañja kōśas? So atra, here, svātmana vipaścitā vijñēyaṁ vasthu kim asthi? There
is nothing to be known at all.
And for that alone, the teacher is giving the answer from 213th verse; we have been
seeing and we saw verse No 214 also; wherein the teacher said that there is
something which remains as a witness after negating all the pañja kōśas. Because
the student said, after the negation of pañja kōśas, there is only total blankness.
And it is upon that statement, the teacher is focusing; if you are referring to total
blankness, tell me how do you know that there is total blankness?
Then naturally, you have to say that I do not experience anything, that means the
blankness is itself witnessed by someone that is You and that witness itself cannot
be negated. So therefore, the ultimate experiencer is ever the experiencer; never an
experienced-object and therefore whenever we are negating everything, the word
Page 983

'everything' should be understood as 'every object'. That 'everything' should not

include the 'negator'. Everything should not include the negator; therefore whenever
we say nothing is there, it means there is nothing other than Me. As I gave you the
example, when a person comes to the hall and says: No one has come, it should be
understood as No one other than Me has come. That me is ever the subject, never
the object. Therefore Śankarācārya said sarve ēna anubhuyante yaha svayaṁ na
anubhuyate. Everything else is experienced by the subject witnessed and the
witness is never experienced.
And we should very carefully understand here, when we say ātma is never
experienced, it does not mean that it is to be ever believed. So when we say it is not
a matter of experience, it does not mean that it is matter of belief, because in the
karma kānda we talk about a heaven which we can never experience in this life.
Heaven can never be experienced in this life and therefore the existence of heaven
is what? Ever a matter of belief.
In Śāstra, we call it nitya parōkṣa; nitya parōkṣaṁ means what? You have to ever
belief it in this life; unlike Gangotri or Gomukh or Manasarovar; you have to believe
it, until you visit the place; but in this life, you can go and verify and experience.
But in the case of heaven, it is nithya parōkṣaṁ; nitya meaning what? In this life,
you cannot see. Similarly when I say ātma is never experienced; we may conclude:
Oh Ho! Ātma can never be experienced and therefore with the help of śāstra
pramāṇam, we have to "believe" that there is an ātma. So such a conclusion may
come; ātma is a matter of 'belief'. So we should carefully know, ātma is not a
'matter of believing' also like heaven.
Then what do you mean? You say that it can never be experienced; then you say
that it is not a matter of belief also; head is spinning! We say that experience is
required in the case of other things to prove the existence. Experience is required to
prove the existence of other things; in the case of ātma, experience is not possible,
and experience is not required also; because even before experience, it is evident as
I, the consciousness. Therefore it is not an object of experience, but at the same
time, it is ever-evident as the consciousness. So our problem is what? Not
experiencing the ātma; because it is ever experienced as consciousness; our only
problem is whether the consciousness is an adjectival-consciousness, or it is a noun-
consciousness. That is the problem, because we experience consciousness all the
time; but we take it as a property of the body; because we use the word
Page 984

'consciousness' as an adjective: 'he is a conscious-being'. So when you say he is a

conscious being, you are experiencing both the noun and adjective. What is the
noun? Being. And what is the adjective? Conscious. If you do not know what
consciousness is, how can you use the adjective conscious-being.
Therefore consciousness is experienced by us and that ever experienced

consciousness is ātma, but our problem is what? We have understood the
consciousness as an adjective of the body. Śāstra is required to change the adjective
consciousness into noun consciousness, which is a change in understanding. And to
change adjectival-consciousness to noun-consciousness, where has the change to be
done? In our understanding, a change is required.
Exactly like what? When I see a golden bangle, gold has become an adjective;
bangle has become a noun. See the problem. Gold has become an adjective. Bangle
has become a noun. Now I have to teach the person and teach what? Bangle is only
a form and form is noun or adjective? Form? What? Fundamental problem is there?
Form is an adjective; bangle is a form; and form is an adjective.
I have to convert gold into a noun, that conversion is a intellectual change, not an
experiential change. Experience remaining the same, the whole teaching is a
conversion in understanding, no conversion in experience. Whether jñāni or ajñāni,
my experiences will be the same; in jāgrat avastha, I experience consciousness with
objects; in suṣupti avastha, I experience consciousness without object. In jāgrat
avastha, dvaita caitanyaṁ; in suṣupti avastha, advaita caitanyaṁ.
Over and above this, a new experience is not possible, because only two caitanyaṁs
are possible. Consciousness with object; when? now (I think!)
And if you are sleeping, you are again a conscious being, without object. Samādhi, if
you go, what experience will come? Consciousness without object. Therefore
experientially there is nothing new possible. What do we require? Cognitively we
have to ask the question; the consciousness that I am experiencing all the time, is it
an adjectival consciousness or is it a noun? and all the śāstrik enquiry is to convert
our buddhi, our understanding. And what I have to understand is that I have
understood consciousness to be adjectival and that I have to understand it as noun;
you cannot say that I think it is noun; you have to understand it as a noun.
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And therefore, caitanyaṁ is never experienced as an object; it is ever experienced in

our life; and śāstra is to understand the experience or to assimilate that experience.
And assimilating that experience requires what: susūkṣmayā buddhyayā. Conversion
of adjective-consciousness into noun-consciousness requires sūkṣma buddhi,
because you have to do that with available experiences. That is avastha traya
vivēkam. The śāstra does not talk about avastha catuṣṭaya vivēka. Experience is only
avastha traya. Śāstra does not ask you to go in for another experience. With
whatever experience you have, you should develop a new understanding.
And what is that understanding? Consciousness is not an adjective; consciousness is

a noun; and that nominal Conciousness; nominal consciousness means what; that
noun-consciousness I am. Not a joke; and therefore Śankarācārya says: susūkṣmayā
buddhya viddhi; you understand that.
तत्सा��क भवेत्तत्तद्यद्यद्येनानु |
कस्याप्यननुभूता सा��त्व नोपयुज्यत ||२१५||
tatsākṣikaṁ bhavēttattadyadyadyēnānubhūyatē |
kasyāpyananubhūtārthē sākṣitvaṁ nōpayujyatē ||215||
So here Śankarācārya mentions a general rule that any experience involves two
things; one is the experienced and the experiencer; the witness. You can never talk
about an experience without these two entities. So if there is an experience of
nothingness; there also two things are required; one thing is ‘nothing’; because you
are talking about the experience of ‘nothing’. But even that nothingness requires
what? the experiencer of that "nothing"; which experience is not 'Nothing'. So the
experiencer of the nothing is not Nothing. Experiencer of nothing is Something.
Because of the law, the experiencer is different from the experienced. Therefore the
experiencer of nothing must be different from ‘nothing’ and one who is different
from Nothing cannot be Nothing; has to be something. Not quibbling with words;
OK; It is some positive entity; bhāva rūpa. Nothing can be witnessed by nothing.
Nothing has to be witnessed by something; and therefore really there is nothing at
all.
That is why, in advaita, there is no abhāvam at all, because abhāvam means what?
means Me. Ultimately one of the definition of Brahman is the absence of the world.
One of the definitions of the Brahman is prapañja upaśamaṁ. Mānḍukya.
Prapañjaopaśamaṁ Sāntam ṣivaṁ caturtaṁ advaitam manyantē; sa ātma
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sa vijñēyaya. Nothing is the definition of ātma because, when you talk about
nothing, what is there; the talker of nothing is there; that is consciousness; that is
Brahman.
And therefore he gives a general law: yat yat ēna anubhuyate; whatever is
experienced by someone; whatever object understood; whatever object is
experienced by some subject, tat tat; all that those objects, have tat sākṣikam, have
the experiencer as their witness. So an involved sentence. Whatever object is
experienced by some subject; by someone, all those objects have got the
experiencer as the sākṣi.
In Saṁsr̥kt, it is simply presented. In English I will present it by splitting it into two,

so that it is easy to understand. Suppose X is experienced by Y, suppose, X is
experienced by Y, then Y is the sākṣi of X. Suppose X is experienced by Y, then Y is
the sākṣi of X.
In short, the experiencer is called the sākṣi of the experienced. Experiencer is called
the sākṣi of the experienced. So yat yatu, yēna yēna anubhuyatē, {ெயன் ெயன்
வஸ் ய் ெயதனால அ�பவ�க் ப�கிறேதா, அன் அன் வஸ் அைத அைத ஸாக்ஷிய
ெகாண் இ�க்கிர}. So simple only. In Saṁsr̥kt it is simple. Experiencer is the

witness of the experienced.
And why do we say so? Because tasya api ananabhutha arthe, sākṣitvam na
upayithyatē. Nothing can be a witness or no one can be a witness with regard to an
unexperienced object. No one can be a witness with regard to an unexperienced
object. So therefore experiencer alone is a witness of the object and without
experiencing, the experiencer cannot be the witness of that object. Thus he presents
the general rule. Later he wants to extend that general rule to the abhāva
experience also. What is the abhāva experience? When you negate all the pañja
kōśa and there is total blankness, in that blankness also, there is a sākṣi. That he
will extend in the next verse; that we will see later.
So kasyaapi, no one can have sākṣitvam with regard to ananubhūtā artha;

ananubhūtā artha means what; with regard to unexperienced object, no one can
have the status of sākṣitvam.
Now let us extend to the blankness.
Page 987

असौ स्वसा��क ऽ भावो यतः स्वेनानुभूयत |

अतः परं स्वय सा�ात्प्रत्यग न चेतरः ||२१६||
asau svasākṣikō abhāvō yataḥ svēnānubhūyatē |
ataḥ paraṁ svayaṁ sākṣātpratyagātmā na cētaraḥ ||216||
Now he wants to extend that law to that abhāva; that is the total blankness when
you negate the world, negate your emotions, negate your knowledge, negate every
thought; that blankness is there.
Now he said: blankness has also a witness; there is a sākṣi. Now who is that sākṣi?
Here alone we have to extend the previous law because, these laws are important;
otherwise students will commit mistakes. Because we have said ātma is avastha
traya sākṣi; or pañja kōśa sākṣi, or sarva abhāva sākṣi. What the idiotic student
would do you know; after negation of everything, the upaṇiṣad has said there is a
sākṣi which is Brahman. What the student does now? He will say, I am not able to
find the sākṣi. He will again look for the sākṣi.
I told you that student who said Svāmiji I am practising meditation for 12 years; I
am able to come to blankness; I am able to negate all the thought; after arriving at
the blankness, what should I do? When will that Brahma anubhava come? So when
I say sākṣi is Brahman, again he commit the mistake of what: looking for the sākṣi.
Here alone we have apply the law given in the previous slōka; what is the law?
experiencer of the blankness is the sākṣi of the blankness. And who is experiencing
blankness. Who is experiencing blankness? I am experiencing blankness. I am aware
of the blankness. I am the experiencer of the blankness. I alone talk about the
blankness. Svāmiji I come to blankness alone; who says? I am only saying.
And therefore I am the experiencer of the blankness; therefore I should never look
for the sākṣi. I am the sākṣi. And therefore, asau abhāvaḥ sva sākṣikaḥ. This
blankness has got I as the sākṣi. This blankness has got I as the sākṣi, or if you
want to put in straight language, I am the sākṣi of blankness. And therefore that
caitanyaṁ I am. Sākṣi I am; therefore Brahman I am. Enough of looking for
something. For how many days are you going to wait. You are only that.
And therefore he says: asau abhāvaḥ sva sākṣikaḥ. When you sit in meditation,
when you negate all the thoughts, in the blankness, do not look for the arrival of
Page 988

that something, that blankness is not blankness, that blankness is pervaded by the
awareness and that pervading awareness is myself. Not only that blankness; in this
body itself, the blankness is awared by awareness; this body also is awared by the
same awareness. Then who am I; I am not the pervaded body, I am the pervading
awareness.
Just a small shift; but a big shift. Instead of saying I am the body pervaded by
awareness; what should I understand? I am the awareness pervading this body, in
which state, in jāgrat avastha and I am the awareness pervading the silence in
thoughtless state. I am the awareness pervading the body in the jāgrat avastha; I
am the awareness pervading the thought when the thoughts are there; I am the
awareness pervading the silence when the thoughts are not there.
So thoughtful mind I pervade; silent mind I pervade; active body I pervade; passive
body I pervade; lot of sound I pervade; there is absolute silence; who pervades? I
pervade. What is the proof for that? What is the proof for my pervasion of the
silence? I am talking about silence. If I have to talk about silence, I must be aware
of silence. And therefore who am I? I am the pervader of silence. And that you
should own up.
Therefore he says, asau abhāvaḥ; this blankness has the I as the sākṣi. svasākṣikaḥ;
bahuvrihi samāsa; svam ēva sākṣi yasya saha; because otherwise you will be
searching for the sākṣi. See what are all the problems? Ātma if you say, he will
search for ātma; if you say sākṣi, he will search for sākṣi. You, if I say; then he will
think; Oh Ho, is the body the Brahman. So if I say You are that Brahman; he will
think, Oh Ho, Brahman is 5" 8". So if I say you, you will take the body; sākṣi if you
say, he will go on searching. So the teacher has got a hell of a trouble. Therefore
the teacher has to say: You, the witness of your own body, are Brahman. Asau sva
sākṣikaha bhāvaḥ.
So here is a correction svasākṣikō bhāvō; after svasākṣikō, one ऽ mark is required.

which indicates abhāvaḥ. असौ स्वसा��कोऽभाव svasākṣikō abhāvaḥ it is. That ऽ will go
away in sandhi rule; and in its place, one ऽ mark will be placed. So asau abhāvaḥ
sva sākṣikaḥ; and why do I say I am the sākṣi of the abhāva? Because of the rule
given in the previous slōka. What is the rule. Experiencer of something is the sākṣi of
that something. I am the experiencer of this blankness and therefore I am sākṣi.
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Therefore Śankarācārya says yathaha; because svena anubhuyate, because the

blankness is experienced by myself and therefore I am the sākṣi.
OK. By knowing I am the sākṣi; what I will get. Always the question is what I will
get. Śankarācārya says: the Upaṇiṣads point out that this sākṣi is Brahman. The
upaṇiṣads point out that this sākṣi is Brahman because we have no means of
knowledge to know about the nature of sākṣi. This caitanyaṁ, whether it is big or
small. What is its colour? caitanyaṁ what is its height? How to find out? You have
to put the caitanyaṁ in the test-tube. When the caitanyaṁ becomes the object, who
will watch that.
So caitanyaṁ is never available for study; whereas the śāstra gives me the
knowledge of that caitanyaṁ; like what? remember the example, the mirror helps
me in knowing about my face. Similarly śāstra darpana is.
Therefore the Upaṇiṣads says: pratyagātma sākṣāt param Brahma; Brahman

understood; pratyagātma sākṣāt param Brahma bhavathi. So this pratyagātma,
which is the sākṣi, sākṣāt means what? sākṣāt sākṣi svarūpēṇa vartamānaḥ; so this
consciousness is param Brahma. So sākṣi is param brahma, and who is the sākṣi? I
am the sākṣi; sākṣi is param brahma, and therefore I am Brahman; And what is
Brahman? the very word Brahman means infinite; and therefore I am the infinite
Brahman.
Then suppose a person asks a technical question, why should I accept the śāstra
statement? How do you know that śāstra is valid? How do you know that it is the
right source of knowledge? Anybody can say anything. Another person may say that
caitanyaṁ is a donkey. So how do I accept it as a fact?
So this is a very technical question; generally, we do not deal; but in Vēdānta, they
do deal with that. So they ask the question, how do you prove the validity of any
source of knowledge? How do you prove the validity of any source of knowledge?
Suppose there is a source of knowledge (purely technical; I will tell in brief; it is a

very big topic); suppose to prove a source of knowledge valid, you use another
source of knowledge; what will happen? Now how do you prove the other source of
knowledge is valid? To prove the other source of knowledge is valid, you have to
use, another. Now tell me, what is the ultimate source of knowledge?
Page 990

Now you have to accept some ultimate source of knowledge, which does not
require, further proof or validity. That somebody has to accept like somewhere. Now
in the field of science, they have accepted the sense organs as the final valid source
of knowledge. They do not question the sense organs; therefore sense organs are
'believed'; science is based on the 'belief' in the sense organs.
If somebody is going to ask, what is the proof for the validity of the sense organs
themselves; what should be the answer? We accept the sense organs and therefore
we are taking it as experiment, as they say. In the experiment if it comes like that;
we are accepting and fortunately it has been working. Fortunately it is not proved,
but it works. When I say this is orange colour, you also see it as orange, and it has
never been contradicted.
And therefore the validity of a source of knowledge is based on two conditions: one
condition is it gives me a fresh knowledge, which is not given by any other source.
Eyes give me the knowledge of colour, which is not given by any other source; and
that knowledge given by the eyes is not contradicted by any other; ear does not
come and negate it; science also does not negate; nothing negates it.
Therefore, so anadigatam abhādyam vasthu bōdhagam pramāṇam. A valid source of

knowledge is accepted, as a valid source of knowledge, when it gives a piece of
knowledge, which is not contradicted by other sources. And vēdānta gives me an
information about caitanyaṁ which is never given by any other source of knowledge.
Not only not given; they are not even able to study that.
As I said, some scientists do say now that consciousness is never available for study
itself and about that consciousness, śāstra gives a knowledge, which is never
contradicted. So it is anadigatam and it is abhādyam and therefore śāstram we
accept as a valid source of knowledge; exactly like what? exactly like what? the
pratyakṣa pramāṇam.
If śāstram is a belief; our sense organs are also belief only. Science believes the
sense organs and what we say is let us accept the sense organs in the field of
matter; let us accept the śāstra in the field of consciousness. Pratyakṣyam matter
viṣayē pramāṇam; śāstram consciousness viṣayē pramāṇam. If śāstram is a belief,
Page 991

Pratyakṣyam is also a belief. If you are willing to believe, the Pratyakṣyam and
conduct your life; why can't you believe śāstram also and conduct your life?
If you say pratyakṣam is not a belief, it is valid; I will say, śāstram is also not belief.
Either accept both as belief or either accept both of them as knowledge; I do not
care about language; I only talk about the validity.
And in fact, in advanced vēdānta grathās; they go further and say that śāstra is
more reliable than even pratyakṣam. For that further we discuss the validity of
knowledge; it is all very very beautiful discussions; but being too technical, we avoid
those discussions in the fundamental texts.
And therefore śāstram pratyagātma sākṣāt svayaṁ param Brahma. Pratyagātma

means sākṣi. Sākṣi is param brahma itself directly. Svayaṁ; svayaṁ means what? by
itself. Sākṣi need not become param brahma; sākṣi as it is, is Param Brahma. And
what is that Brahman will be discussed later. Here we will note that it is Brahman.
Na ca itaraḥ; na ca itaraḥ means what? nothing else; it is Brahman only; and
nothing else.
जाग्रत्स्वप्नसुषु स्फुटतर योऽसौ समुज्जृम्भ

प्रत्यग्र सदाहमह�मत्यन् स्फुरन्नैक |
नानाकार�वकारभा�गन इमान ् पश्यन्नहंधीमुखा
�नत्यानन्द�चदात् स्फुर� तं �व�द स्वमेत हृ� ||२१७||
jāgratsvapnasuṣuptiṣu sphuṭataraṁ yō:'sau samujjr̥mbhatē
pratyagrūpatayā sadāhamahāmityantaḥ sphurannaikadhā |
nānākāravikārabhāgina imān paśyannahaṁdhīmukhān
nityānandacidātmanā sphurati taṁ viddhi svamētaṁ hr̥di ||217||
So therefore Oh Student, focus on the sākṣi caitanyaṁ. So first focus on the

consciousness, because when you say I; two things are evident simultaneously; the
body is evident; mind is evident; thoughts are evident; along with that one thing
more is also evident; what is that? I am alive; I am sentient; I am conscious; the
conscious is also evident.
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In that what is our first confusion? which is noun? which is adjective? What is our
thinking now? Body is noun; consciousness is adjective. Therefore the first aim is
what; reversing that. Consciousness is noun; body is adjective.
And once you have come to consciousness as noun; tvam pada lakṣyārtha is over;
and thereafterwards, you want to study more about consciousness, the noun;
because we have separated the body; until consciousness is taken as adjective, it
has to travel along with the body. It is wedded; it is a gr̥hastha caitanyaṁ; you have
to make it a sanyāsi caitanyaṁ.
How do you do that? Separate it; What; this body wife; body husband, whatever it
might be. Once you have separated the consciousness; remember the example;
when you say Bright hand; the brightness you are taking it as adjective of the hand;
I am telling you, Brightness is not adjective, brightness is the noun; it is the light.
And that continues even after the hand is gone.
Therefore first convert adjectival consciousness into noun; and separate it from
body; and learn to concentrate on that consciousness; concentrate does not mean
that you have to put it in a plate and look at it with your eyes; focus your attention
to the self-evident noun-consciousness; and then śāstra gives more and more
information about the nature of that caitanyaṁ.
And the first benefit is what? The form belongs to the body only; the form does not
belong to consciousness. And that itself removes the location of consciousness. The
first casuality is location. When you say I am here, that statement is true only with
regard to the body part; when it comes to the consciousness part; the statement ‘I
am here’ is not an ordinary mistake; it is a greatest blunder.
Similarly so many things. The śāstra beautiful says: look at this: asau samujjr̥mbhatē
asau means what; this consciousness, the noun; samujjr̥mbhatē, is evident, not as a
noun, not as an adjective, but as an noun, it is evident at all times. What are the
times, jāgrat svapna suṣuptiṣu. In jāgrat avastha, svapna avastha, and suṣupti
avastha, and the only difference is what: in the jāgrat avastha, awareness is evident,
along with the located body; in the suṣupti avastha, awareness is evident, without
the body location. That is why, when you are sleeping, I never say I am here. From
this it is very clear, ‘I am here-location’ comes only because of the body and
consciousness itself is locationless.
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Therefore jāgrat svpana suṣuptiṣu samujjr̥mbhatē, is evident. How do you know it is

evident? How will I know that I have eyes or not; I am not seeing the eyes. The
very fact that you are all evident is because of the eye; for who can question the
existence of the I. So the evidence of consciousness cannot be questioned because
every thing else is evident because of the consciousness. Therefore Śankarācārya
uses the word; sphuṭataraṁ; without doubt evident. Svayaṁ prakāśam it is evident;
it is evident very clearly.
And how is it evident. Ahaṁ ahaṁ iti sadā; as I, I, I, I am aware of sound, I am

aware of smell, taste, touch. And imagine as even I am listening, then suppose I
doze off; I go sleep. This time, this space, this world is gone; svapna dēśa, svapna
kālaḥ, svapna objects come, I am aware. And I go to deep sleep state. dēśa, kālaḥ,
vastus gone. Then also, I am aware. But to say I am aware, I require the mouth.
But to be aware I do not require the mouth. Therefore, in suṣupti I am aware I will
not tell. Not because I am not aware, but because to say I require what: mouth. So
therefore in suṣupti, I am aware. And how do I know? After waking up, I say I was
aware of nothing. Therefore ahaṁ ahaṁ iti sadā bhāti. Pratyak rūpataya, as the
inner self. As the inner principle. Every word is significant. Sadā, at all times, even
when time is not there. At all the time, even when time is not there. When time is
not there; when, in Suṣupti. Antaḥ sphuran; shining within evident within, ēkadhā;
uniformly. So when I talk about pot knowledge, and tree knowledge, the pot and
tree are different, but not the, what: knowledge, the awareness. When the light is
pervading varieties of objects, the light is uniform in all. But the objects are not
uniform. Similarly, I the awareness am same, when I say I am sorrowful, and I am
happy, the difference is not in me at all. I am sorrowful means what? I am aware of
the sorrowful thought and I am aware of the happy thought. The differences belong
to the thoughts and mind. I am the illumining awareness. Neither sorrowful, nor
happy. So ēkadhā sphuran. nānākāravikārabhāgina imān paśyannahaṁdhīmukhān.
Beautiful expression. Not only I am evident, I illumine all the changing objects. So I
am changeless but I am the illuminator of the changes. I am formless but I am the
illuminator of all forms. The exact meaning we will see in the next class.
Hari Om.
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077. Verses 217 to 220
जाग्रत्स्वप्नसुषु स्फुटतर योऽसौ समज

ु ्जृम्भ
प्रत्यग्र सदाहमह�मत्यन् स्फुरन्नैक |
नानाकार�वकारभा�गन इमान ् पश्यन्नहंधीमुखा
�नत्यानन्द�चदात् स्फुर� तं �व�द स्वमेत हृ� ||२१७||
jāgratsvapnasuṣuptiṣu sphuṭataraṁ yō:'sau samujjr̥mbhatē
pratyagrūpatayā sadāhamahāmityantaḥ sphurannaikadhā |
nānākāravikārabhāgina imān paśyannahaṁdhīmukhān
nityānandacidātmanā sphurati taṁ viddhi svamētaṁ hr̥di ||217||
After talking about the pañja kōśa, now Śankarācārya is dealing with the ātma,
which is different from the pañja kōśas, and this topic was started from 210th verse
and it will go up to 222nd verse.
And Śankarācārya, in keeping with śāstra, shows that the pañja kōśa vilakṣana ātma
is nothing but the consciousness principle. And this consciousness is intimately
pervading the pañja kōśas and it is illumining the pañja kōśas but without
undergoing any change at all.
And therefore this caitanyaṁ is called avasthatraya sākṣi, which was presented in
verse 217; jāgrat svapna suṣuptiṣu sphuṭataraṁ yō:'sau samujjr̥mbhatē. This
caitanyaṁ is self-evidently present in all the three states and in the form of ahaṁ,
the very subject, it is illumining everything, because I use the expression I am aware
of the jāgrat, I am aware of the svapna, and I am aware of the suṣupti; and
therefore the witness of these three states is identical with the ahaṁ, the first
person singular.
And it illumines everything that is subject to change. nānākāravikārabhāgina imān

ahaṁdhīmukhān paśyann; paśyan means illumining, all the kōśas beginning from
ahaṁkāra, ahaṁdhīmukhān, ahaṁdhi means ahaṁkāraḥ, ahaṁ vr̥ttiḥ, mukhān
means etc., that is beginning from ahaṁkāra, the vijñānamaya kōśa, everything it
illumines.
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Śankarācārya does not talk about ānandamaya kōśa because ānandamaya kōśa is a
resolved state; and therefore he talks about everything beginning from vijñānaṁaya
kōśa up to the external world and what is the nature of all of them?
nānākāravikārabhāgina; which are subject to varieties of forms and varieties of
modifications. So the form of annamaya; the forms of prāṇamaya, the form of
manōmaya etc. are different; and if you go to the external world, the form of every
object is different from that of other object. Therefore nānākāra dr̥śyaḥ; dr̥k tu ēka
akhāraḥ; so the witness has got only one form; which is formlessness. So remaining
formless all the time, it illumines all the varieties of forms.
And not only the objects are subject to akhāraḥ; they are subject to vikhāra also; no
form remains stationary; it undergoes change, which very clearly see in annamaya
kōśa. If you take one of your old pictures, when you were 20, some of you have to
identify and say that this is you. Are you this? You are like this, etc. etc. Either that
one is so gundu and this is so thin; or that is so olli and present one is so gundu.
Why? Annamaya is subject to going out of shape. Similarly, prāṇamaya, similarly
manōmaya. Therefore, nānākāravikārabhāgina; bhāginaḥ means subject to.
And this is for grammar students; this is second case, plural. Dvitiya Bahuvachanam.
vikhārabhāgi; vikhārabhāgnau; vikhārabhāgnaḥ; vikhārabhāgnam; vikhārabhāginau;
vikhārabhāginaḥ; dvitiya bahuvacanam; object of paśyan; seeing these objects;
because it is the object for the word 'seeing'; dvitiya vikhati; witnessing all these
objects, which are subject to varieties of forms and modifications; ahaṁdhi mukhān
paśyan.
But even though the witness is illuminating varieties of emotions, belonging to

manōmaya etc., the witness itself is not subject to any of these emotions.
So nitya ānandaḥ cidātmana; that is the beauty of vēdānta. Normally, what do we

say? I experience sorrow; therefore I am sorrowful; we will say. Vēdānta says; you
experience sorrow; therefore you do not have sorrow. Why? because the law is: an
experienced property will always belong to an experienced substance and therefore
it can never belong to the experiencer. Therefore in vēdānta, I experience sorrow;
therefore I am free from sorrow. Therefore, jnāta guṇāḥ; jnātuhu na bhavathi.
Experienced property can never belong to the experiencer. And the experiencer's
properties can never be experienced. Can you see why?
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Experiencer's properties can never be experienced; why? To experience the

properties of the experiencer, what? to experience the properties of the experiencer,
the experiencer will have to be objectified. If the eye has to see the colour of the
eye, if the eye has to see the colour of the eye, what is required? The seer-eye will
have to objectify the eyes to see the colour of the eyes. Since the seer eye can
never be objectified, the colour of the eyes also cannot be objectified.
If the experiencer's properties have to be experienced, you require the

objectification of the experiencer himself and since the experiencer is never
objectifiable, the experiencer's properties also are never objectifiable and therefore
all the experienced-properties do not belong to what? All the experienced-properties
do not belong to the experiencer. So, is sorrow experienced by you, vēdānta asks:
Yes, Svāmiji, I am experiencing it too much, if you say, the teacher says: do not
worry, you are ānandaḥ svarūpa; if sorrow is experienced by you, it belongs to the
experienced mind; it does not belong to the experiencer-witness of the mind. But
our problem is what? when we go on experiencing something, unknowingly, we
identify with that; like watching the movie, when the hero and villian are fighting,
you can see some people here also in the fighting mode and keeping the hands in
the hitting pose. And I have experienced it; sometimes, when I go in the auto
ricksaw and when he tries to overtake in a precarious conditions, some car may be
coming opposite; and this person wants to overtake before the car arrives; and
when it is very close, I press my leg down. Even though I do not have any brake; it
is useful only if the driver presses the brake; and even I do not even know driving; I
know this much, that if you press something, the auto stops. I go on pressing; this is
called what: tādātmayaṁ.
I am witness of the mind; which undergoes sorrowful modifications; but I am so

intimately identified; therefore instead of saying I am experiencing the sorrowful
mind, I make the statement, short cut statement, I am sorrowful.
Then who am I? Śankarācārya says whether you accept it or not; Śankarācārya

says: nitya ānandaḥ cidātmanaḥ; you are the witness consciousness, which is nitya
ānandaḥ chit; in this form, sphurati; taṁ yētaṁ hr̥di viddhi; may you own up that
witness consciousness, instead of the miserable mind. Up to this we saw.
घटोदके �बिम्बतमक र्�ब-
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मालोक् मूढो र�वमेव मन्यत |

तथा �चदाभासमुपा�धसंस्थ
भ्रान्त्याह�म जडोऽ�भमन्यत ||२१८||
ghaṭōdakē bimbitamarkabimba-
mālōkya mūḍhō ravimēva manyatē |
tathā cidābhāsamupādhisaṁsthaṁ
bhrāntyāhamityēva jaḍō:'bhīmanyatē ||218||
So here Śankarācārya gives an example to help us own up our caitanya svarūpam

and it is a beautiful example. So the entire verse is not only this verse, this verse
and the next verse, two verses are example verses, and then he will extend to the
ātma also. Very beautiful example.
Now he says: imagine there is a pot; pot is comparable to the stūla śarīraṁ; pot is
also made up of mud; and body also is made up of refined mud; ந்ன
வனத்திேலாராண story and all you know well. Therefore the body is made up of
refined mud; stūla śarīraṁ; and imagine, within the pot, there is water; and within
the physical body there is sūkṣma śarīraṁ; therefore the sūkṣma śarīraṁ is
comparable to the water in the mud pot. And then up above there is the sun,
original sun; which is comparable to the original consciousness, bimba caitanyaṁ;
sākṣi caitanyaṁ; this is the third comparison. So pot, water, original sun; body,
subtle body; original consciousness.
Then the original sun gets reflected in the water; it is pratibimba suryaḥ; this is the
fourth factor; bimba suryaḥ; pratibimba suryaḥ. Similarly in the sūkṣma śarīraṁ;
there is pratimbimba caitanyaṁ; otherwise called cidābhāsa. Thus these are the four
factors.
And Śankarācārya says, an ignorant person looks at the reflected sun and mistakes it
as the original sun. The reflected sun, along with the pot and the water is taken as
the original sun; and what is the limitation of the reflected sun? There are so many
limitations.
First limitation is it gets localised within the small pot and second thing is, it is
subject to movement from place to place when the pot along with the water is
carried; the reflection also travels and suppose the pot is broken; then the water
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also is dissolved; then the reflection also gets dissolved. It is subject to arrival and
departure, along with the waters. This is the lot of the pratibimba suryaḥ.
And Śankarācārya says: An ignorant person commits the mistake of taking the
reflected sun as the original sun whereas the wise person is one who dismisses all
these three. Ghatam niṣēdhaśi; ghata jalam niṣēdhaśi; ghata jala gata pratibimba
surya api niṣēdhaśi; he negates all of them and recognises the original sun, which
will continue even after the destruction of the pot; even after the destruction of
water; even after the destruction of the localised-limited-Sun.
So this is explained in two verses and later he will extend this to the caitanyaṁ also.
When the ignorant people say that I am a conscious being, they are taking which
consciousness as themselves. When the ignorant people say that I am a conscious
being, they are taking the pratibimba caitanyaṁ as themselves and therefore they
say I am here; wherever the body goes, I am going there.
And not only that, a day will come, when the water is emptied from this pot; and
transferred to another pot; What? can you guess what it is? Punarjanma is what?
The sūkṣma śarīraṁ water with this body and when the water goes what goes away,
the reflection also goes away; which is called death; and the sūkṣma śarīra is in
another body, therefore the life also seems to have travelled.
Consciousness also seems to have travelled and where does it travel? pitru lōkaḥm
and gandarva lōkaḥ; and naraka lōkaḥ and for that consciousness, you have to give
shrāddha, tarpaṇa. All for whom? For pratibimba caitanyaṁ; and why do we do all
these things? Because we are all ignorant; and how long it should continue? As long
as we are ignorant; punarapi jananam, punarapi maraṇam; and therefore tat tat
karmāṇi; and how to avoid death;
How to get security? For security one should have money, house, heirs; etc. LIC; or
for saving what: the unsaveable. So you have to save and protect the pratibimba
caitanyaṁ; as long as you hold on to pratibimba caitanyaṁ; the entire karma kānda
is valid.
You have no right to question the karma kānda, as long as you take yourselves to be
the pratibimba caitanyaṁ. Give up the notion that I am pratimbimba caitanyaṁ and
the consequent limitations also. Vēda says, tatra vēdāḥ avēdāh bhavanti; you need
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not have any kāndam; no karmam; you do not have birth, you do not have death,
you do not have relatives. But the holding on to relatives, do not say that I would
not do śraddham. As long as you hold on to possessions and relatives, you are
pratimbimba caitanyaṁ. And as long as you are pratimbimba caitanyaṁ, all the
ritualistic sections are valid. The moment you say I am bimba caitanyaṁ, you have
no wife; you have no husband; you have no children.
न मे मतृ ्युशङ् न मे जा�तभेदः

�पता नैव मे नैव माता न जन् ।
न बन्धुन �मत् गुरुन� �शष्य
�चदानन्दरू �शवोऽहं �शवोऽहम ् ॥ ५॥
na mē mr̥tyuśaṅkā na mē jātibhēdaḥ
pitā naiva mē naiva mātā na janma |
na bandhurna mitraṁ gururnaiva śiṣyaḥ
Therefore do you want to hold on to things, you are pratibimba caitanyaṁ. If you
say nothing belongs to me, then you are bimba caitanyaṁ. Accordingly vēda treates
you and therefore Śankarācārya says a wise person gives up all these three; what
are the three? Stūla śarīraṁ, sūkṣma śarīraṁ, sūkṣma śarīra pratimbimbitha localised
travelling consciousness; great tourist; tourist-consciousness. And he takes himself
to be what? I am the unlocalised consciousness.
And how will it will be? Unlocalised consciousness how will it be? If you ask,
Bhagavān says: I give you the experience of it regularly. When? In sleep you do not
have the notion of localisation. Localisation is a superimposition on ourselves;
transferred from what? The stūla sūkṣma śarīrāt localisation. I transfer on to myself;
when I stop the transference in sleep; I do not have space location, time-location,
jātinītikulagōtradūragaṁ
nāmarūpaguṇadōṣavarjitam |
dēśakālaviṣayātivarti yad
brahma tattvamasi bhāvayātmani ||254|| VC
Ten verses of wonderful meditation Śankarācārya will give here itself. You have to
wait for a few more classes. Beautiful meditation slōkās.
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Svāmi Chinmayānanda loves those slōkās; when we are all studying, we had to
byeheart it; and then will ask: examination and all used to be there: He will say:
Next class you have to chant all the ten slōkas without text in front; so you have to
watch us; we were in Uttarakasi, up and down we were walking, chanting these
slōkas. I do not know whether we had studied this much in the school itself; studied
and got byeheart; and Svāmiji said I have seen you all of you putting forth effort
and that is enough; I won't ask questions. Could he not told that before? Anyway we
learnt it byeheart because of that! Wonderful verses.
That is the description of what? Unlocalised consciousness. Brāhmaṇa etc. belongs

to what; pratibimba caitanyaṁ, because reflection is associated with what; sūkṣma
śarīraṁ; which is associated with what? stūla śarīraṁ; therefore, reflection has only
all these attributes. So this is said in four slōkās; two slōkās are examples; two
slōkās are original. Now look at the slōkās:
Ghaṭōdakē arkabimbam bimbitam; simple saṁsr̥kt; ghaṭa udakē, in the waters of the
pot, arka bimbam, the solar disc is bimbitam, is reflected. The solar disc is reflected
in the waters of the pot. mūḍhaḥ vilōkya; a confused person, looks at the reflected
Sun, bimbitam arkam vilōkya, mūḍhaḥ, a confused person, what mistake he
commits? Ravim manyatē, he takes the reflection as the original sun. Tathā, in the
same way, cidabhāsam upādhisaṁsthaṁ, in the same way, the jaḍaḥ, fourth line,
jaḍaḥ, the ignorant person, looks at the cidabhāsa, cidabhāsa means what? the
reflected consciousness, vilōkya is understood, vilōkya, experiencing the reflected
consciousness, cidabhāsam, the pratibimba caitanyaṁ, obtaining where?
upādhisaṁsthaṁ; obtaining in the sūkṣma śarīra waters; which is contained in stūla
śarīraṁ pot.
So vilōkya; here upādhi means sūkṣma śarīraṁ, upādhisaṁsthaṁ, the sūkṣma śarīre
varthamānam cidābhāsam alōkya, experiencing that localised reflected
consciousness, jaḍaḥ ahaṁ iti ēva abhmanyatē; jaḍaḥ means the ignorant person,
the dull witted; (in Tamil also we tell: ஜடம மா� உக்கான்தி�க்). So the
unintelligent, the indiscriminate, experiencing the localised consciousness takes that
as ahaṁ. Ahaṁ iti abhīmanyatē; out of what? Bhrandya; out of confusion.
So the reflected consciousness is mistaken as the real-I. What is the proof for the
mistake? The first proof is the sense of localisation. I am in Chennai; I am in Anna
Nagar; I am in this hall. That is the first indication; the second indication is I feel
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connected to this body also; the original sun is not connected to the waters or pot; it
is the reflected sun that is intimately connected to the water and pot; and if I claim I
am the original consciousness, I will never claim this body. It is because of my
identification with the reflection, through the reflection, I claim the mind also;
through the mind I claim the physical body also. Therefore the physical body's
mortality becomes my mortality. Subtle body's travel becomes my travel. And not
only I am connected to the mind and body, through this body, I relate myself with
mother; father; child, house. So thus like the root of a tree; the tree is in this house
only, but the root underground has gone to so many feet away in the neighbouring
house also.
Similarly, I am sitting here; and through my attachment, I am spreading all over the
world. Svāmiji in Los Angeles my first son-in-law is there; in Japan so-and-so is
there. That 15th chapter Krishna says: adhaśca mūlānyanusantatāni
karmānubandhīni manuṣyalōkē; the root has spread all over; Los Angeles
earthquake you say: here this person quakes; why? Because my uncle's son or
somebody is there. And the quake in Iraq; this person is sthitha prajñaḥ; why?
There nobody is there; where did the recent earthquake come? In Iraq; Iran;
whatever; Turkey; Ahh. 30-40000 people die and nothing happened here; because
nobody of mine is there. Thus abhīmāna and then mahā saṁsāraḥ. And therefore
jaḍaḥ brandhya ahaṁ iti abhīmanyatē.
घटं जलं तद्गतमक र्�बम

�वहाय सव� �व�नर��यतेऽकर् |
तटस् एतित्त्रतयावभा
स्वयंप्रक �वदष
ु ा यथा तथा || २१९ ||
ghaṭaṁ jalaṁ tadgatamarkabimbaṁ
vihāya sarvaṁ vinirīkṣyatē:'rkaḥ |
taṭastha ētattritayāvabhāsakaḥ
svayaṁprakāśō viduṣā yathā tathā ||219||
So in this verse, Śankarācārya explains further regarding the example. So in the

example, the mistake committed by the ignorant person is pointed out. Now in the
example itself, what is the right vision of the wise person is said.
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What does the wise person do? Ghaṭaṁ jalaṁ arkabimbaṁ ca vihāya; viduṣā in the
fourth line. So the wise person gives up, renounces, negates, only intellectually, he
need not physically destroy the pot and waters; intellectually he negates all these
three. So pot, water and arkabimbaṁ; the reflected solar disc, tadgatam; tadgatam
means what? The jala ghaṭaṁ obtaining in the waters; vihāya.
Then what does he do? vihāya sarvaṁ; all these three he renounces, he negates,
and arkaḥ vinirīkṣyatē, the original solar disc, the original Sun, is recognised,
understood by viduṣā. So the wise person sees the original Sun.
And what is the nature of the original Sun? That is described beautifully in the third
line. Taṭasthaḥ; taṭasthaḥ means unconnected to all these three. The original Sun is
unconnected to all these three; taṭasthaḥ means asaṅgaḥ. Taṭasthaḥ means
asaṅgaḥ; literally the word taṭasthaḥ means the one who stands on the bank of a
river. So tadam means banks; banks of a river. So when a person stands on the
banks of a river, then whatever happens in the river, the flow does not affect him.
The impurities does not affect him; he is witness of the river; but the river's
condition do not affect him. Therefore, taṭasthaḥ word is used to signify
asaṅgatvam. Similarly the original Sun is asaṅgaḥ in what sense? let the pot be
born, sun is the same; let the water be poured, the sun is the same; let the
reflection form, sun is the same; let the pot and water and the reflection travel, sun
is the same; and let there be an increase in the number of pots, and there are more
Sun. Now will the sun gradually wear out, because there was only one reflection and
now there are more, and with each reflection the sun wears out? Does it happen?;
No, let there be millions of reflection, the original Sun is in its own glory. And let all
of them be destroyed; Sun is the same. And therefore the Sun is called taṭasthaḥ;
asaṅgaḥ.
And what is the job of the Sun? It does only one thing. ētat tritaya āvabhāsakaḥ; it
only illumines all these three; ētat tritaya means what? It lends light to all these
three. So the pot is bright because of the original Sun; water is bright, because of
the original Sun; the reflection is bright because of what? The original sun and
therefore it lends light to all of them. tritaya āvabhāsakaḥ; and the Sun gets light
from where? Do not say, from the pot. Svayaṁ prākāśaḥ. The Sun itself remains
self-effulgent and such a Sun, the original Sun, viduṣā nirīkṣyatē. Such a Sun is
recognised by the intelligent person. So the whole sentence is in passive voice.
arkaḥ viduṣā nirīkṣyatē; the original Sun is recognised by a wise person.
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And what about ignorant person? The pratibimba arkha aviduṣa nirikṣyatē; the
reflected Sun is seen by the ignorant person. Yathā tathā; in the same way, you
have to connect to a jñāni also; which Śankarācārya himself will explain in the next
two verses. We will see.
देहं �धयं �चत्प्र�त�बम्ब

�वसज
ृ ् बद्
ु �न�हतं गुहायाम ् |
द्रष्टारमात्मानमखण्
सवर्प्रक सदसद्�वल�ण म ||२२०||
dēhaṁ dhiyaṁ citpratibimbamēvaṁ
visr̥jya buddhau nihitaṁ guhāyām |
draṣṭāramātmānamakhaṇḍabōdhaṁ
sarvaprakāśaṁ sadaśadvilakṣaṇam ||220||
So you have to extend the example and recognise in the original also. In fact
grammatically this verse and the next verse have to be together read, because both
the subject and verb comes only in the next verse. So it will be too involved
statement. So the easier thing would be; you supply the subject and verb, in this
verse, borrowing from the next verse. You add pumān vijānāti. pumān means an
intelligent person; Vidvān. That is the subject of the sentence. What does that wise
man do? Dēhaṁ dhiyaṁ citpratibimbamēvaṁ. We can understand. Wise person
negates, disowns, he does not claim that he is the body and all; because the
moment you claim that you are the body, etc. I am in trouble. If you say I do not
mind the trouble, wish you all the best.
So, some people identify with the body; then the mind; then the reflection also; but
the wise person does not want those troubles. Therefore the first thing that he does
is; dēhaṁ visr̥jya. So he gives up the body; gives up the body means what? Does
not mean he commits suicide. Dēha abhīmāna visr̥jya.
Then the next thing is: dhiyaṁ visr̥jya; dhiyaṁ means what? Buddhi abhimānam;
sūkṣma śarīra abhīmānam visr̥jya; he does not identify with his mind also. And the
next one is citpratibimbam ca visr̥jya; he does not identify with the reflected
consciousness also, which is localised consciousness.
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That also visr̥jya; ēvam; ēvam means in this manner; as explained in the example.
Ēvam means draṣṭāntvāt. Just as in the example, three are renounced, the pot,
water and the reflection; here also, stūla śarīraṁ, sūkṣma śarīraṁ and cidābhāsam.
Leaving all aside, then he recognises what? the bimbha caitanyaṁ vijānāti. The
original unlocalised consciousness he owns up. He owns up.
OK. Here alone we should know one thing. As I have been repeatedly saying, any
example given should be extended to certain relevant thing; but an example cannot
be extended to everything. Where to extend, where not to extend; both you should
know well. You extend the example to unextendable areas, it will confuse. Here the
reflected Sun and original Sun are physically away. In the example, the reflected Sun
and the original Sun are physically away and therefore teaching is also easier: do not
look down; but look up; and the job is over. This Sun is not the original and that Sun
is only the original. You can say that and your teacher can also forcefully turn your
neck upwards. Look!, he can say.
But in the case of reflected and original consciousness, we cannot talk about the
physical distance. Why? What is the reason? because the original Sun happens to be
a finite localised entity; whereas the original consciousness like the Sun is not: Look,
that ātma is standing there, you cannot say. It is not. In Sandyā vandanaṁ we give
the example. Surya ātma jagata cakṣuṣca; ta cakṣur dēvahitam purasthāt; sukram
uccharat; paśyame saradaśatam; jīvēma śaradaśatam. I do not know how many
people remember it.
Once upon a time it was taught. Suryaḥ ātma; jagada cakṣuṣca. Like that ātma were
physically away, I could have taught. But here the difficulty is: the reflected
consciousness and the original consciousness, I cannot physically separate and show
you; in which case vēdānta could have been a job a one or two classes.
And you also would not have too many questions. Here the problem is what? the
localised and unlocalised consciousness, I have to teach you peculiarly. And how do
I teach you peculiarly? I have to show you, the example of deep sleep state; and I
have to tell you how in the deep sleep state, I am a conscious being, without the
notion of, without the sense of localisation.
And how you are free from the notion of limitation? And that I, the consciousness, is
the intrinsic-I; the localisation comes in the waking state; localisation goes in the
Page 1005

sleep state. The localisation is not my intrinsic nature, because of its arrival and
departure. When does it arrive? When the mind is active it arrives; when the mind is
resolved; it resolves.
That is why we have to remember suṣupti avastha and jāgrat avastha. In fact, we
have experienced both. Our problem is not experience. Both we have experienced.
Localised consciousness when do we experience. Jāgrat svapnayōhō; unlocalised
consciousness when do we experience. When sleeping; sometimes rarely in the class
also! So localised consciousness, in a second it goes; in a triffle, Svāmiji goes, class
goes; the pramātur, pramēya, pramāṇam triputi sarvaṁ gatam; or you existent?
Svāmiji why are you asking: I am unlocalised consciousness.
We have experienced both; our problem is what? Which one is intrinsic and which
one is incidental. What have we taken now; the localised as intrinsic, sleep as
incidental, we have taken. Vēdānta says: That is intrinsic, this is incidental.
So thus śāstram is only to give you the knowledge, not a new experience, because
we have the experience of both; which one is me; to show that only śāstram. And
therefore, the original consciousness means what? unlocalised consciousness, the
wise person owns up.
And then comes the description of unlocalised consciousness; guhāyām buddau

nihitaṁ; which pervades the buddhi. Unlike the sun; the original sun is so much
crores miles away; whereas here, the original consciousness is how many kilometers
away; buddhau nihitaṁ guhāyām; which is very much pervading the buddhi; which
is guhāyām; it is called guhā, because of what; ignorance, so buddhi guhāyām
nihitaṁ; it pervades the buddhi guhā also; draṣṭāram. These are all the descriptions
of the original consciousness; draṣṭāram; draṣṭā; avastha traya sākṣiṇam; all in
second case, dvitiya vibhakthi; because we have to supply the verb; vijānāthi. The
wise person knows the unlocalised consciousness, which pervades the buddhi also;
which is avastha traya sākṣi; that's name is only tvam pada lakṣyārtham; the
reflected consciousness is vāchyartham; original is lakṣyārtham; all these are coming
in detail later; what is vāchyartha, what is lakṣyārtha, there we will see. Ātmānam,
which is the real-I; reflected consciousness is fake nature, not my real nature; like
the reflected face in the mirror is fake nature; nothing wrong in using the reflection,
because you have to use it to apply the tilak, etc. Therefore the reflection is useful,
but that is only the fake-I.
Page 1006

So this one alone is the real-I; akhanda bōdham; which is undivided consciousness;
whereas reflection is divided, because wherever jalam is there, there will be
reflection; because if there are 10 pots, with ten waters; ten waters means what?
with water in the ten pots; you will find divided sun; here is one reflection; there is
one reflection; inbetween there is no reflection. So reflection is khānḍa bōdham;
original is akhaṇḍa bōdham; undivided consciousness; sarvaprakāsam; which is the
illuminator of everything; because the original sun illumines which pot; it illumines all
pots. Therefore, I illumine, all the bodies of the world; all the minds of the world; I
alone am reflected in your mind, in an ant's mind. In fact, I am in Indra's mind also;
and experiencing Rambōrvaśi dance; in svargalōkaḥ; there always only the dance
programme is there.
So who is experiencing? I alone am reflected in Indra's mind; illumining that world

also. So therefore sarva prakāśaḥ; and sadaśat vilakṣṇam; who am beyond, sat and
asat; sat and asat; sat means kāryam; asat means kāraṇam; kārya kāraṇa
vilakṣaṇam; because kāryam is also matter, kāraṇam is also matter; matter in
energy form; kāraṇa matter is energy; kārya matter is matter; karya matter is called
sad; kāraṇa matter is called asat; and who am I; I am beyond kārya-kāraṇa-matter;
kārya kāraṇa vilakṣana svayaṁ/
ekamēva sadaneka kāraṇam

kāraṇanthara nirāsāra kāraṇam
kārya -kāraṇa vilakṣaṇam svayaṁ
brahma tatvamasi bhāvayātmani.
In the meditation slōkas, this also comes; it is a beautiful section. Such an ātma,
vijānāti, the wise person recognises. So I am the bimba caitanyaṁ; I am not the
pratibimba caitanyaṁ. And some more descriptions of that bimba caitanyaṁ will be
given in the next verse, that we will see in the next class.
Hari Om.
Page 1007

078. Verses 220 to 223
देहं �धयं �चत्प्र�त�बम्ब

�वसज
ृ ् बद्
ु �न�हतं गुहायाम ् |
द्रष्टारमात्मानमखण्
सवर्प्रक सदसद्�वल�ण म ||२२०|
dēhaṁ dhiyaṁ citpratibimbamēvaṁ
visr̥jya buddhau nihitaṁ guhāyām |
draṣṭāramātmānamakhaṇḍabōdhaṁ
sarvaprakāśaṁ sadaśadvilakṣaṇam ||220|
Śankarācārya is dealing with ātma svarūpam after the analysis of pañja kōśa and
now he is talking about the recognition of ātma by giving an example; in which
example, four factors are involved; pot, water in the pot, reflected Sun and the
original sun. And in the individual also, there are four factors; body, mind or sūkṣma
śarīraṁ, reflected consciousness and original consciousness.
And one of the main differences are that the reflected and the original Sun are
physically separated; there is a big distance, whereas here between the reflected
and the original consciousness, physical distance is not there; and therefore the
difference has to be ingeniously understood. The original consciousness is that which
has no location; reflected consciousness is that which has location.
In the jāgrat and svapna avastha, the reflected consciousness plays a prominent
part. The original consciousness is not absent; but the reflected consciousness plays
a prominent part. In fact, it overpowers the all-pervading original one. And what is
the proof for that? Our experience is proof; we feel that we are located in this place.
And the original consciousness is prominent, when the reflected consciousness is

temporarily lying low; not destroyed; temporarily lying low, which happens during
suṣupti avastha; then we do not feel location.
And therefore suṣupti is a state when the original consciousness is prominent;

jāgrat, svapna are the states when the reflected consciousness is prominent. But we
Page 1008

should be very careful. I do not say that in jāgrat svapna, original consciousness is
not there; I do not say. I only say that the reflected consciousness is prominent.
Similarly, in sleep also; I do not reflected consciousness is not there: I only say the
reflected consciousness is dormant. Ok. very nice to remember. one is dominant and
the other is dormant; you can keep it that way.
In sleep, reflection is dormant; the original is dominant; in jāgrat and svapna,

reflection is dominant; the original is as though dormant, means what, it is
overshadowed.
And therefore in the śāstra, jāgrat and svapna are taken to talk about the reflection;
suṣupthi avastha is taken to talk about the original.
And wise person does what? He rejects three factors; which three factors? stūla
śarīraṁ, sūkṣma śarīraṁ and the reflection he rejects; rejects means what; he does
not destroy them; he does not claim as himself. Then which one he claims as
himself? the original caitanyaṁ; unlocated one he claims, which alone is presented
in verse 220 and 221.
We were seeing the 220th verse, dēhaṁ dhiyam chidprathimbhimbam visrujya; so

negating all these three, he knows the fourth one. I told you the verb is missing in
this verse and therefore we have to supply the subject and verb; both to be taken
from the next verse; pumān vijānāthi. So pumān vijānāthi, puman means an
individual; owns up, recognises, the original consciousness.
And what is that original? guhāyaṁ buddham nihitaṁ; here alone, the point to be
noted is, the original sun is physically away; whereas original consciousness is not
physically away; that is also where? nihitaṁ guhāyaṁ. And that is why in the
Kathopāṇiṣad, we saw the mantra,
ऋतं �पबन्त सुकृतस् लोके

गुहां प्र�वष परमे पराध� ।
छायातपौ ब्रह्म� वदिन्
पञ्चाग्न ये च �त्रणा�चकेत ॥ १॥
r̥taṁ pibantau sukr̥tasya lōkē
Page 1009

guhāṁ praviṣṭau paramē parārdhē |

chāyātapau brahmavidō vadanti
pañcāgnayō yē ca triṇācikētāḥ || 1||
Kathopanișad (I.III.3), just before the ratha kalpana it comes, that within the mind
itself both consciousnesses are there; both meaning what: the original as well as the
reflection.
And that is why the teacher says: guhāyām buddhau nihitaṁ draṣṭāram; all these I
explained in the last class; akhaṇḍa bōdham, sarva prakāśam sadaśat vilakṣaṇam
bimba caitanyaṁ; original consciousness, pumān vijānathi.
�नत्य �वभुं सवर्गत सुसू�मं

अन्तबर्�हःशून्यमनन्यमा |
�व�ाय सम्यङ्�नजरूपमे
पुमान ् �वपाप्म �वरजो �वमतृ ्यु ||२२१||
nityaṁ vibhuṁ sarvagataṁ susūkṣmaṁ
antarbahiḥśūnyamananyamātmanaḥ |
vijñāya samyaṅnijarūpamētat
pumān vipāpmā virajō vimr̥tyuḥ ||221||
So in this verse, the first two lines have to be connected with the previous verse;
pumān vijānāti. So this individual knows the original ātma; the original ātma was
described in the previous verse and the description continues in this verse also.
Therefore how we should read: pumān, in the previous verse, draṣṭāram ātmānam
akhaṇḍabōdhaṁ sarvaprakāśaṁ sadasadvilakṣaṇam, nityaṁ vibhuṁ sarvagataṁ
susūkṣmaṁ, antarbahiḥśūnyam ātmanaḥ ananyam vijānathi. He knows this type of
ātma.
So further description of the original ātma. What is that? nityaṁ. You can
understand, nityaṁ means eternal; whereas the reflected consciousness cannot be
eternal. As long the reflecting medium is available, the reflection is: when the
reflecting medium goes away, the reflection goes away. And therefore, while
reflection is anityam, the original is nityaṁ; eternal.
Then vibhuṁ; all-pervading. Which is the second difference; because any reflection
will be as pervasive as the reflecting medium. That is why I said reflected
Page 1010

consciousness is located consciousness; why located; because reflecting medium is

located; my mind is here only. Therefore the reflection is also here; whereas what
about the original consciousness; vibhuḥ; vibhuḥ means what; vyāpnōti sarvaṁ iti
vibhuṁ; that which is all-pervading. So nityaṁ indicates time-wise limitlessness,
vibhuṁ indicates space-wise limitlessness; that is what Krishna said in the second
chapter,
�नत्य सवर्गत स्थाणुरचलोऽय सनातनः ||२- २४||

अव्यक्तोऽयम�चन्त्योऽयम�वकाय�ऽयमु |
nityaḥ sarvagataḥ sthāṇuracalō:'yaṁ sanātanaḥ ||2- 24||
avyaktō:'yamacintyō:'yamavikāryō:'yamucyatē |
Second chapter, verses 12 to 25 is the description of this original consciousness

only. Na jāyate mriyate va kādacit; all are this ātma only.
Then sarvagatam; sarvagatam means that which pervades everything. Now here,
the word vibhuṁ and sarvagatah seems to be repetitive. In fact, this line is
borrowed from Mundakopāṇiṣad. So
यत्तदद ्रेश्यमग्राह्यम- मच�ुःश्रो तदपा�णपादम ् । �नत्य �वभुं सवर्गत सुसू�मं तदव्यय

यद्भूतयो� प�रपश्यिन धीराः ॥ ६ ॥
yattadadrēśyamagrāhyamagōtramavarṇa-macakṣuḥśrōtraṁ
tadapāṇipādam | nityaṁ vibhuṁ sarvagataṁ susūkṣmaṁ tadavyayaṁ
yadbhūtayōniṁ paripaśyanti dhīrāḥ||6||
Mundakopāṇiṣad, in the first section; that akṣram brahma is defined as part of

parāvidyā. 1.1.5 or 1.1.6; this mantra comes.
And how do you avoid repetition? it is a doṣaḥ; it is a defect. So this doṣaḥ is called
punarukthi doṣaḥ. You cannot say ண ெவன் ன� தண்�ண ;
ெவன் ன� தண்�; many people
say. ந�ர means water; தண்�ண means water; Svāmiji you need ெவன் ன� தண்�ண ; you
have to only say ெவன் ன�; not ெவன் ன�ர் த்ண . It is a punarukthi doṣaḥ.
How do you solve this? It is solved like this. The word vibhuṁ has the meaning of
that which appears as everything. Vividham bhavathi, vividham bhāti, iti vibhuḥ. So
therefore vibhuḥ means that which is inherent in everything as the very stuff or
Page 1011

substratum. We can say gold is vibhuhu; because it is inherent in all the ornaments.
In fact, vibhuḥ indicates the kāraṇam. Kāraṇam is vibhuḥ; because kāraṇam alone
appears as every kāryam; vividham bhavathi means abharana rūpēṇa; vividha
abharana rūpēṇa bhavathi iti vibhuḥ svarnam.
Similarly wood is also vibhuḥ. Similarly ātma is also vibhuḥ; but the significance of
this expression, we will be analysing later only; therefore we will understand vibhuḥ
as that which is inherent in all; antaryāmi.
Sarvagataṁ means all-pervading. What is all-pervading need not be inherent. what

is all-pervading need not be inherent; here both words are used to indicate that it is
all-pervading and inherent.
Then susūkṣmaṁ; susūkṣmaṁ means what: extremely subtle; extremely subtle; and
subtlety can be understood in different ways; one definition of subtlety is:
incomprehensibility. That which cannot be comprehended. And susūkṣmaṁ means
that which is ever incomprehensible; unknowable and why is ātma said to be
incomprehensible; because ātma is the comprehender of everything. So the ultimate
subject can never be objectified. That is why consciousness is beyond all
experimentations. Why because it is the very experimenter; therefore how can it
become an object.
न दृष्टेद्रर् पश्येर न श्रुते श्रोतार शण

ृ ुयास ्, न मतेम्
र न्ता मन्वीथ,न �व�ाते�वर्�ातार
�वजानीय
na dr̥ṣṭērdraṣṭāraṁ paśyēr na śrutēs śrōtāram śr̥ṇuyās, na
matērmantāraṁ manvīthā,na vijñātērvijñātāraṁ vijānīya
So Brihadaranyaka says how can you see the seer? how can you hear the hearer?
how can you think of the thinker? how can you know the knower? how can the
subject ever become the object? Being unobjectifiable; it is called susūkṣmam.
So what is sūkṣmam? If you take stūla śarīraṁ; sūkṣmam śarīraṁ and kāraṇa
śarīraṁ, these subtlety increases. Stūla śarīraṁ is less subtle; sūkṣma śarīraṁ is
more subtle; kāraṇa śarīraṁ is still more subtle; ātma is the most subtle and
therefore this prefix sūkṣmaṁ; kāraṇa śarīraṁ itself is sūkṣmaṁ. Ātma is more
subtler than the kāraṇa śarīraṁ. Therefore extremely subtle.
Page 1012

Antarbahiḥśūnyam. That which has nothing inside or outside. antarbahiḥśūnyam;

that which has nothing inside or outside. Homogeneous. So even the significance of
this word will be known only later. These two words vibhuḥ and antarbahiḥśūnyam;
they will have to be understood later only fully. So within or without.
Then ātmanaḥ ananyam; and which is non-different from paramātma. Ātmanaḥ

means paramātmanaḥ; Brāhmaṇaha ananyam. So that which is identical with
Brahman. Such an ātma, these people come to know.
And then what is the prayōjanam? Ultimately that is the basic question. What will I
get by knowing all these? What benefit will I get?
He says yētat samyak vijñāya; suppose a person knows this ātma very well;
doubtlessly; without vagueness; there should neither be vagueness nor should there
be any doubt, that vaguenessless and doubtless knowledge is called here samyak
vijñāya. Not even a small doubt should be there.
And how should one know that the original consciousness? Nijarūpam vijñāya; as
myself. Should not say I have an ātma; no use at all. I have an ātma is no use,
because the ātma will be wonderful; I possess a wonderful ātma; but what about I;
I am horrible. Therefore that knowledge is useless: nijarūpam jñātva. Wherever we
use the word ātma, we should use the word I and touch the heart; whatever we said
just now is myself. I am the sākṣi; I am the sākṣi; I am eternal; I am all pervading;
I alone appear as everything; all these things I should be able to tell and I should
not feel it is a joke. So many people feel that it is a joke. What Svāmiji, I, the all-
pervasive? They are all very nice to write notes between 7 and 8 on Mondays. But
not during vyavahāra.
There are people who say that they are all very nice for writing notes; but not for
vyavahāra. This should become a fact for me. And then and then alone, I can claim
myself to be a jñāni. Therefore nijarūpa svēna; nijarūpa means what? Myself. Then
which is called aparōkṣa jñānaṁ. Otherwise it is parōkṣa jñānaṁ.
So aparōkṣa jñānaṁ prāpya, pumān vipāpmā bhavathi; phala śruti. So that knower,
that human being, vipāpmā bhavathi; is free from all the pāpams; at once.
Page 1013

And the commentator says: pāpam includes puṇyam also. By this knowledge, one
transcends puṇya-pāpa; just as a dreamer transcends all the dream puṇyams and
the dream pāpams without a single prāyascitta; a big prāyascitta list was given by a
dream purohita. So for this karma, this prāyascitta; Rudra Ekadaśi; for that
Mahārudram has to be done; for this athi rudram has tobe done; for this pithru
shrādam has to be done; for this Gaya Śraddhāḥ has to be done; big list given by
the dream purohita for the dream jīva; for all dream pāpams.
Then what happens? You are about to start all of them, you woke up. And what
does he understand. What dream karma? what dream puṇyam? dream pāpam,
dream purohita; all these are gone; but he should wake up. You should not stay in
the dream and talk about it. He should wake up. Therefore pumān, the woken-up
person, is free from all puṇya pāpa. Sañjicita pāpa vināsana liṅgam; tat prāṇamāmi
sadaśiva liṅgam.
Not only he becomes free from pāpam, virājā; he is free from all the cause of the
pāpam also; the impurity, which causes puṇya pāpam. It can be termed as ajñānaṁ,
or ahaṁkāra, or kar̥trutva buddhi; they are all called rājaḥ ha; he is free from that
rājaḥ. So free from the cause of puṇya-pāpam. Otherwise what will happen? I keep
on removing my pāpams, but keep on doing fresh ones. That is why every year, why
every year; every day you have to keep on removing pāpams. Therefore what is the
use of removing pāpams as long as I do not block the source of pāpam.
And how do you block the source of pāpam? Only one way, that is jñānaṁ. And
because of that puṇya-pāpa nāśaḥ, vimr̥tyuḥ bhavathi; he becomes immortal. mr̥tyōr
mā amr̥tam gamayaḥ. When I say he becomes immortal, what should be understood
there? Not that the body becomes immortal; body cannot become immortal; he
disidentifies from the mortal body.
And even if his body will die; he cannot say I will die; because I is not placed in the
body; he will maximum say that this body will die. And what about you? Ahaṁ na
jāyaye; mriyate va kadachit.
Therefore vimr̥tyuḥ bhavathi; and here maraṇam represents shad vikārās; therefore
shad vikāra rahitaḥ bhavathi. Janma, mr̥tyuḥ, vyādhi, vyaya, nāśaḥ rahitō bhavathi.
Page 1014

�वशोक आनन्दघन �वपिश्चत

स्वय कुतिश्चन �बभे�त किश्चत |
नान्योऽिस पन्थ भवबन्धमुक्त
�वना स्वतत्त्वाव मुमु�ोः ||२२२||
viśōka ānandaghanō vipaścit
svayaṁ kutaścinna bibhēti kaścit |
nānyō:'sti panthā bhavabandamuktēḥ
vinā svatattvāvagamaṁ mumukṣōḥ ||222||
So here also the first two lines should be connected with the previous slōka; pumān;
so that wise person, becomes all these things; some of them are said in the previous
slōka; vipāpma bhavathi, virājaḥ bhavathi, vimr̥tyuḥ bhavathi. What should be added
there; pumān visōkaḥ ānandaḥ ghanaḥ vipaścit bhavathi. You can understand most
of the words.
Visōkaḥ bhavathi; he becomes free from all the sōkhaḥs; asōkaḥ bhavathi; asōkaḥ
is a beautiful word; asōkaḥ means what free from sorrow. So visōkaḥ bhavathi;
ānandaghanō bhavathi; he becomes embodiment of ānandaḥ. Without any duḥkhaṁ
at all; saha ānandhi bhavathi. Rasovai saha; rasagu ēvayai labdhva ānandhi
bhavathi. So ānandaḥ ghanaḥ bhavathi; then vipaścit bhavathi; vipaścit means
sarvajñaḥ; he becomes sarvajñaḥ.
The word sarvajñaḥ can be interpretted in many ways; one of them we will see
which is the easiest one; sarvajñaḥ because he knows I am the consciousness and
we know that the consciousness alone illumines everything. Therefore whatever is
illumined anywhere in any part of the creation, that is illumined by what?
Consciousness, and I am that consciousness and therefore I am the illuminator of
all.
And if you ask Svāmiji, if you say, you are the illuminator of all, suppose I ask some
questions about Italy, not idli, Italy or Europe or America, will you be able to talk
about that. You say that you are the illuminator of all; then can you talk about
America. You will not able to because you have not visited America. So then I will
say, when you say you have not visited America, what do you mean by the word
You; you are referring to my body, mind complex; I never said my body, mind-
Page 1015

complex knows everything. When I say I know everything, I mean, I-the-

consciousness.
In fact, when an American talks about America, I-the-consciousness, am the one

who is the illumining America through the American body-mind-complex; and
therefore I alone am talking about America through that body-mind-complex.
And therefore I am that consciousness, who am talking about and illumining

everything. Therefore who am I? Ahaṁ sarvajñaḥ.
Just as one waker alone is behind every dream individual illumining the dream
objects; similarly. Therefore vipaścit. This is one significance.
There is another significance also, which I do not want to go into now; but I will give
the clue. The second interpretation is based on Mundakapa Upaṇiṣad; yasmin vijñāte
sarvaṁ idam vijñātam bhavathi; based on that also; he is omniscient, about which
we will study later.
So vipaścit means sarvajñaḥ. So this jñāni becomes omniscient, free from sorrow,
embodiment of ānandaḥ, and not only that; kutaścinna svayaṁ na bibeti. He is not
afraid of anything in life, because the basic fear is the fear of death. Whatever be
the basic fear that is all absent because, I am either afraid of death, or some people
may say: no no no, I am not afraid of death, only thing is: I should die instantly.
Everybody wants posukku death; posukku means what: immediate; instantaneous.
anaayaasena maraṇam,
vinaa dainyeena jeevitham;
dehime kripaya sambhoo,
tyayi bhakthir acanchala.
This is one of the prayers. Oh! Lord, let me not linger in the bed, with tubes in all
the holes; I do not want to survive like that; I want to die, if such a situation comes.
See they have made a prayer for that! So these people knew in Kaliyugā medicines
will improve. So we have got fear of vyādhi; we have got fear of apakṣaya; the fear
of weakening of the system. Now all these are the causes of fear. What about ātma?
Na jāyaye, na mr̥yate, na apakṣiyatē, virōgaḥ bhavathi; therefore what should I be
afraid of. And therefore kudaśit na bibhēti.
Page 1016

For this also, there is another significance, which we will explain later only. Some of
the words are meaningful only after mahāvākya vicāra. We have not yet entered
mahāvākya vicāra. Therefore we have to reserve some interpretation for that.
Therefore na kaschit kudaśit na bibhēti; kudaśit means from any source or cause.
na bibhēti. Therefore the greatest benefit of self-knowledge is fearlessness.
And then Śankarācārya concludes the ātma description in this verse, which he
started in verse No.210. So now he concludes that discussion saying: sva tatva
avagamam bina; without this particular knowledge, sva tatva avagamam, tatva
means what? real nature, which is original consciousness; sva means oneself;
avagama means jñānaṁ; sva tatva avagamam means the knowledge of the real
nature of oneself, vina, without; without the knowledge of the real nature of oneself;
anyaha kaschit panthāhā nāsti; there is no other mārga; no other method; no other
means. For what? bhavabandhamuktēḥ. For freedom for the bondage of saṁsāra.
For freedom from the bondage of saṁsāra, there is no other mārga at all. Other
than what? jñānaṁ; as I have repeatedly said, these lines are important, because
they say there are no many paths for mōkṣa. Wherever this comes, you have to note
each time this fact. because they say there are four mārga to mōkṣa; that all we
should carefully undrstand; karmayā mōkṣaḥ; bhakthya mōkṣaḥ; jñānēna mōkṣaḥ;
rāja yōgēna mōkṣaḥ; kundalini yōgēna mōkṣaḥ; and so many new things have also
come; countless; SKY. Simplified Kundalini yōgēna mōkṣaḥ. So they are all views of
individuals; but they are not the teachings of the Vēdas. They can have their views;
nothing wrong, because religious freedom is there in India; but they should not
present it as vēdic teaching. Anybody can their views; but presenting it as vēdic
teaching; is not acceptable.
There are many mārgās for citta shuddhi; all religions leads to the same goal also
we do not accept. All religions can give citta śuddhi; but for mōkṣa, there is only one
knowledge and that knowledge, you do not call it Hinduism also; that knowledge,
whichever knowledge that is; that alone is 'the teaching'.
And that Śankarācārya resents it here: anyaha panthaha nāsti, to attain liberation.
For whom? Mumukṣōhō; for the seeker of liberation. Śankarācārya is careful,
because the student may say: who wanted liberation. I never wanted liberation. If
you say I do not want liberation, I do not want to impose vēdānta upon you. We
have got the entire karma kānda, for the dharma, artha, kāma; you have come to
Page 1017

the wrong address; better go to the wrong shop; it is like asking for a vessel in the
cloth store; one can only direct to the other store. Because our aim is not for
canvassing student. Our aim is to help a person who wants liberation.
ब्रह्मा�भन्नत्व� भवमो�स् कारणम ् |

येनाद्�वतीयमानन् ब्र सम्पद्य बुधैः ||२२३||
brahmābhinnatvavijñānaṁ bhavamōkṣasya kāraṇam |
yēnādvitīyamānandaṁ brahma sampadyatē budhaiḥ ||223||
So with the previous verse, the ātma svarūpa vicāra is over. The topic of the real
nature of one-self, which is distinct from pañja kōśa. Pañja kōśa vilakṣaṇa ātma has
been revealed. And this analysis is technically called tvam pada vicāra or jīvātma
vicāraḥ. Knowing that, I am the consciousness different from the body is called
jīvātma vicāra; tvam pada vicārah. From 210 to 222.
So now hereafterwards, Śankarācārya is going to build up; a big canvass is kept in

mind. I will give you a hint of what the development is going to be, so that you have
got the total picture.
In the next portion, Śankarācārya is going to do paramātma vicāraḥ, which is

otherwise called tad pada vicāra. So jīvātma vicāra is over. Now paramātma vicāra is
going to come. Tvam pada vicāra is over; tad pada vicāra is going to come.
And thereafterwards the next stage will be jīvātma-paramātma aikya vicāra; which is
otherwise called asi pada vicāra. Vicāra means what? analysis; study; so tvam pada
vicāra is tvam, tad pada vicāra is tad; asi pada vicāra is asi; tat tvam asi. That is the
vision. Jīvātma vicāra; paramātma vicāra, jīvātma paramātma aikya vicāra; tvam
pada vicāra, tad pada vicāra; asi pada vicāra.
Now the question may be why should we develop in this manner? What is the logic
behind it? what is the purpose behind it? Now this much knowledge seems to be
sufficient, because Śankarācārya has given the phala śruti also. Once I know that I
am the consciousness different from the body, I am not bothered about the death of
the body; I know I am eternal; then why I should continue at all. The teaching
seems to be sufficient. Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi śamāpthaṁ one should have said and some
other text should have been taken up. Maṇgalaṁ should have been sung; why are
Page 1018

you developing further? You do not have anything else to do and therefore you are
develping it further or what is the significance?
The significance is this. In tvam pada vicāra, we are only stressing the point that I
am the consciousness other than the body. And includes of course the world also.
Already I am different from the world, which everyone knows and one need not tell
that. So before coming to vēdānta, I know that I am different from the world.
Without teaching everyone knows. Nobody mistakes the clip for himself or herself.
So after tvam pada vicāra, what do I know; I am different from the world also; I am
different from the body also; I am different from the mind also; I am different from
the potential form of all these things also; kāraṇam śarīraṁ. And all these put
together is called matter; world is matter; body is matter; mind is matter. Therefore
what is my knowledge now? I am the consciousness different from world-matter;
body-matter; mind-matter.
Is this knowledge sufficient? Vēdānta says: Not sufficient, because you have not
clarified the relationship between consciousness and matter. You have distinguished
them but you have not talked about their relationship; are they two separate
entities; or is one of them the property of the other. That is the first discussion in all
the systems of philosophy. Some people say matter is the main thing; consciousness
is a property. These people are called materialists for whom consciousness is
subordinate to matter.
We have got another set of philosophers, who give equal importance to both; they
say consciousness is also important; matter is also important; both are distinct
entities. The main system being sāṅkya philosophy. Sāṅkya says: Matter is
independent of consciousness; consciousness is independent of matter; both are
there.
Most of the other systems including the modern science, they say what? matter is
dominant; consciousness is an incidental property; an emergent property; which will
come and go. Life is evolved in matter. During big-bang, consciousness was not
there; and it joined together. They give also dates; after big-bang, 1/1000th of a
second what happened? 1/100th of a second what happened. First second what
happened? They give a beautiful chart.
Page 1019

After much time, life evolved; life means what? consciousness evolved. And when
the Sun and stars explode, supernova, etc. consciousness life will end; but what will
continue? matter will continue. All these sciences are called matter predominant
sciences; in which consciousness is only an incidental evolute; this is second type.
Second type means do you know the difference. First type: matter dominant;
consciousness subordinate. Second, matter is also dominant; consciousness is also
dominant; example. Sāṅkya philosophy; Yōga philosophy.
And what is vēdānta? Vēdanta says conscious is dominant and matter dependant on
consciousness. Consciousness as the kāraṇam; matter as the kāryam; consciousness
is comparable to clay; and matter is comparable to pot. Consciousness is comparable
to wood; and matter is comparable to furniture. This relationship between
consciousness and matter has to be clarified. In Pañja kōśa vivēka, we only separate
them. We do not talk about their relationship. And since we do not talk about the
relationship, what will be our present conclusion? I am different; the conscious
principle. The world and body are different. Therefore we are still in what? Dvaitam.
And therefore what is going to be our next step. I am going to discuss Brahman and
I will identify Brahman through mahā vākya vicārah: Ahaṁ Brahma asmi. OK. And
how will it help. The upaṇiṣads will present Brahman as the jagat kāraṇam. So you
have to have that global vision. After talking about Paramātma, and after talking
about paramātma aikyam; what will happen? jīvātma paramātma aikyam we will
know; that means I will know Ahaṁ Brahma Asmi.
And the nature of Brahman is discussed and the main nature of Brahman revealed is
what? Brahman jagat kāraṇam and therefore I am Brahman and Brahman is jagat
kāraṇam and therefore A = B; B = C; therefore A = C; I am jagat kāraṇam. Only
after mahāvākyam, I know I am jagat kāraṇam.
Before mahāvākyam, I know I am different from the body, but I do not know that I
am the cause of the body. Can you see the difference? I am different from the body
is different from I am the cause of the body. And once I know that I am the cause of
the body, body becomes what? effect and once I know body is the effect; body is
only represents; body represents entire creation; then I can say that there is no
effect separate from the cause.
Page 1020

See how many steps we have to climb up. So Brahman we have study; aikyam we
have to study; ahaṁ brahāmsmi we have to say; therefore I am kāraṇamasmi; I
have to say; therefore the world is Kāryam I have to say; and therefore thre is no
world different from me.
Like what? just as there is no dream world separate from me, the waker. The dream
world can threaten only until I wake up. Similarly there is no world separate from
me; what happens then? Dvaitam will be reduced to advaitam.
That is the Everest we have to reach. Because kāryam and kāraṇam are two words;
substance is one; pot and clay are two words; substance is one. Similarly we want to
say: matter and consciousness are two words; there is only one consciousness which
alone is the substance. There is no matter other than nāma rūpa. So consciousness
plus nāma rūpa is matter. So what is world? I plus nāma rūpa is the world. I am the
stuff of the universe. Mai ēva sakalam jātam; mai sarvaṁ prathṣitam; mai sarvaṁ
layaṁ yāti, tad brahma dvayaṁ asmyahaṁ. All the world nāma rūpas rise in me;
they all exist in me; they all set in me; and they do not have separate existence.
Therefore they cannot threaten me. Wave cannot threaten water. Ornaments
cannot threaten gold. Furniture cannot threaten wood. The world cannot threaten
Me. These are the steps we are going to go through.
So our next step is what? PARAMĀTMA VICĀRA, which is from verse No.223 to 240.
223 to 240 is paramātma vicāra; the details of which we will see in the next class.
Hari Om.
Page 1021

079. Verses 223 to 225
�वशोक आनन्दघन �वपिश्चत

स्वय कुतिश्चन �बभे�त किश्चत |
नान्योऽिस पन्थ भवबन्धमुक्त
�वना स्वतत्त्वाव मुमु�ोः ||२२२||
viśōka ānandaghanō vipaścit
svayaṁ kutaścinna bibhēti kaścit |
nānyō:'sti panthā bhavabandamuktēḥ
vinā svatattvāvagamaṁ mumukṣōḥ ||222||
ब्रह्मा�भन्नत्व� भवमो�स् कारणम ् |

येनाद्�वतीयमानन् ब्र सम्पद्य बधैः
ु ||२२३||
brahmābhinnatvavijñānaṁ bhavamōkṣasya kāraṇam |
yēnādvitīyamānandaṁ brahma sampadyatē budhaiḥ ||223||
With verse 222, Śankarācārya has completed the topic of Pañja kōśa vilakṣaṇa ātma.
Pañja kōśas are material in nature; jaḍa svarūpam and ātma is caitanya svarūpam;
which is different from matter. But in this teaching, we have not removed duality;
because the jaḍa anātma and cētana ātma; these two principles are there. Therefore
we are now in sānkya philosophy only. The sānkya people also talk about prakr̥ti,
the matter; and the puruṣaḥ, the spirit or consciousness.
So therefore we have to go to the next stage of learning, and that is about

Brahman. And Brahman is revealed as jagat kāraṇam. And having revealed Brahman
as jagat kāraṇam, the upaṇiṣads points out that the jagat kāraṇam Brahma is this
caitanyaṁ; is this ātma caitanyaṁ. And therefore I come to know that I am the
kāraṇam Brahma.
And once I know that I am the kāraṇam Brahma, the entire creation becomes
kāryam jagat; and the pañja kōśas also will come under the kārya prapañja alone.
So thus previously, I and matter; consciousness and matter; were two distinct
entities; but after introducing the Brahman topic, the relationship between
consciousness and matter becomes kārya kāraṇa saṁbanda. Previously it is dr̥k-
Page 1022

dr̥śya saṁbanda. Dr̥k-dr̥śya does not remove duality; kārya-kāraṇa saṁbanda

removes duality; do you understand?
When I say clock is driśyam; driśyam means object; and I am the subject; now the
clock is different and I am different; and what is our relationship; dr̥k-dr̥śya
saṁbanda; and both of them exist independently. There is clean dvaitam. Once I
talk about the relationship as kārya-kāraṇa saṁbanda, one because the cause and
the other becomes the effect. Then in kārya kāraṇa sambhanda, dvaitaṁ is negated.
How do you negate dvaitaṁ in kārya-kāraṇa saṁbanda? Do you understand?

Because kāryam, the effect, cannot exist seperate from kāraṇam. When I say wood
and table have got kārya-kāraṇa saṁbanda, what I am saying in essence is: there is
only one substance; but two nāmas. Wood itself is table; table is only a name and
form; it does not have a substantiality of its own.
Similarly, I, am equated to Brahman; Brahman is revealed as kāraṇam and therefore

I become the kāraṇam. Remember the equation: A = B; B = C; therefore A = C. I
am Brahman; I am means which I? Not stūla śarīraṁ; sūkṣma śarīraṁ; I-the-
consciousness-am Brahman; Brahman is jagat kāraṇam and therefore I am
kāraṇam. And if I am kāraṇam and the entire jagat is kāryam, then there is no world
different from me, the consciousness principle.
And to understand that and to assimilate that śāstra gives the nearest example of
svapna prapañja; the svapna prapañja, in the svapna or dream; I and the world are
clearly distinct; but on waking up, I discover that the world which solidly appeared
as distinct from me; I understand that: it does not exist independent of me. It is
unbeliēvable in svapna; but it is a fact in waking. Similarly, this also is not an
impossible fact; this is a possible fact. This is called sambhāvana yukthi. You show
the possibility of vēdantic teaching; you never prove the vēdantic teaching; but you
always show the possibility of vēdantic teaching. And therefore what is the next
topic? Brahman.
Now we have come up to ātma. Now the next topic is Brahman and the next topic is
ātma-brahma aikyam. This is how the development; it is a huge canvass; the picture
is drawn.
Page 1023

Now 223 to 240 is the topic of Brahman. From microcosm, now we are going to the
macrocosm. It is like we have discussed and arrived at the water. Now we are
dropping the wave for the time being and we are discussing the ocean and we are
going to arrive at water; and see the identity at the micro and macro level.
So tvam pada vicāra to tad pada vicāra. Jīvātma vicāra to paramātma vicāra. Vyaṣti
vicāra to samaṣti vicāra. Now we are entering.
In verse No.223 Śankarācārya said Brahma abinnatva vijñānaṁ. It is not enough

that I know that I am the water which is the substratum of the wave; knowing this
is not enough; I should also know I am the water; which is the substratum of the
ocean also. I should know I am the substratum of vyaṣṭi and I am the sub-stratrum
of śamaṣṭi; both should be known; then only teaching is complete. Therefore
Śankarācārya says Brahma abhinnatva vijñānaṁ. Brahma abinnatvam means
Brahma aikyam. Only when the knowledge of my identity with Brahman is known,
bhava mōkṣasya kāraṇam; it removes the problem of saṁsāra.
So whatever we have learned till now is half knowledge; it cannot give the result of
mōkṣa. If the result of mōkṣa should come, you have to go to the aikyam topic.
Yena advitiyam ānandaḥm Brahma sampadyate. By this jīvātma-paramātma aikya
jñānaṁ alone one attains advitiyaṁ ānandam; brahma ānandam; budhaihi; by the
wise people. Up to this we saw in the last class.
ब्रह्मभूत संसतृ ्य �वद्वान्नावतर पन

ु ः|
�व�ातव्यमत सम्यग्ब्रह्मा�भन्नत् ||२२४||
brahmabhūtastu saṁsr̥tyai vidvānnāvartatē punaḥ |
vijñātavyamataḥ samyagbrahmābhinnatvamātmanaḥ ||224||
So the previous verse is more of an introduction; and now it is going to be

elaborated in the following verses. Brahmabhūtastu vidvān saṁsr̥tyai nā vartatē. So
Vidvān Brahmabhūtāḥ bhavathi. So here Śankarācārya is making a subtle
modification; an unseen subtle modification. In the previous verse he said: one has
to know Brahman, for liberation.
And in this verse he says: the wise man who has become Brahman will not get into
saṁsāra again. So previous slōka he talked about knowing Brahman; in this slōka,
he is talking about becoming Brahman; so we will get a doubt; am I to know
Page 1024

Brahman or am I to become Brahman or am I to do both? For that our answer is

knowing Brahman itself is becoming Brahman as it were; because we know
Brahman, the knowledge is always in the form of I am Brahman. There is no other
way of knowing Brahman, except in this form, ahaṁ brahmāsmi.
Just as when Karna wanted to know about the sixth son of Kunthi, he came to know
that Kunthi has a sixth son; and imagine he wants to know who is the sixth son of
Kunthi; and Kunthi tells Tat Tvam Asi. When he knew about this sixth son; not only
he knew but he also; he became, became means what? Not that before he was not;
and now he has become; not that meaning; before he did not know the fact; after
the knowledge, he knew the fact and therefore knowing is as though becoming.
Similarly my attempt is always to know alone; but when I know, I discover that I
happen to be the one which I wanted to know. Therefore, Brahma jñāni is always
Brahma bhūtāḥ. The one who has known Brahman is the one who has become
Brahman as it were and therefore Śankarācārya uses vidvān Brahma bhūtāḥ; Vidvān
means the wise person; brahma bhūtāḥ means who has become as it were;
saṁsr̥tyai nā vartatē punaḥ; he does not come back to saṁsāra again; he does not
have rebirth; he attains mōkṣa.
And the most interesting thing is that we use the expression, he does not have
rebirth. When we talk to the student, we tell that if you gain the knowledge, you will
not get rebirth. But when a person really understands this teaching, he will not
worry about rebirth at all; because his knowledge is: I do not have the first birth at
all to talk about; rebirth is what? re prefix why we add: to signify again, re. When I
do not have one birth itself, where is the question of rebirth?
Therefore, the absence of rebirth is a promise given to the student in the beginning
and the student takes this promise very seriously and when the student comes to
know Brahman, then this promise becomes a irrelevant promise; this teaching itself
becomes meaningless teaching, because when I am Brahman; Na jāyaye mr̥yatē va
Kadācit; where is the question whether I am reborn. But it has to be said in the
beginning because student in the beginning is suffering from all kinds of problem
and therefore he says: I do not want to come at all Svāmiji.
So rebirthlessness becomes an important teaching and therefore here Śankarācārya

says: Vidvān punaḥ na ḥvartatē; mōkṣam prāpnoti ataḥ. Therefore vijñātavyam,
Page 1025

therefore every seeker of mōkṣa should know ātmanaḥ Brahma abhinnatvam; one's
identity with Brahman.
And ātmanaḥ means one's own; and here one's own refers to what: not panca
kōśas; but the pañca kōśa vilakṣaṇa ātma; I should know the identity of myself, the
consciousness principle, with Brahman, the jagat kāraṇam. So abhinnatvam is equal
to aikyam. Double negative language. Bhinnatvam means what? difference:
a_bhinnatvam means what: non-difference: non-difference means aikyam; oneness.
And how should one know? samyag vijñātavyam. Samyag means this knowledge
must be thorough knowledge. Half vēdantic knowledge can still make a person seek
freedom from rebirth; because he will say Svāmiji I know I am ātma, without
rebirth; but I am worried about the rebirth of the sūkṣma śarīraṁ. I do not have
worry about ātma. I am worried about the rebirth of the sūkṣma śarīraṁ. Because
sūkṣma śarīraṁ goes from one sūkṣma śarīraṁ to another stūla śarīraṁ. Then I will
ask you the question: why are you worried about sūkṣma śarīraṁ. The very worry
about sūkṣma śarīraṁ is because of strong identification. Suppose you way: I am
worried about sūkṣma śarīraṁ, because this is my sūkṣma śarīraṁ, I will ask you the
question: what do you mean by the word "My"? Because if I know I am the ātma,
which sūkṣma śarīraṁ is my sūkṣma śarīraṁ? If I know I am the ātma; which
sūkṣma śarīraṁ is my sūkṣma śarīraṁ. All sūkṣma śarīraṁ are in me. Therefore, if I
am going to be worried about sūkṣma śarīraṁ, I have to worry about all the sūkṣma
śarīraṁs. Therefore, the very worry about rebirth indicates non-understanding of
vēdānta. In real understanding of vēdānta, rebirth question does not come. But still I
have to talk about that because, many people are worried about rebirth. If they are
not worried, some people are not worried about rebirth; not because they have
understood vēdānta; but they do not believe in rebirth; that variety is also there. To
those people I will talk about the problems in this life; and the importance of jīvan
muktha; one has to talk about old-age to them. So to those who are worried about
rebirth; I have to talk about rebirth; those who are worried about this birth, I have
to talk about this birth; but when thorough understanding of vēdānta is there; worry
about rebirth cannot come at all.
And Śankarācārya promises that for a beginner. So ataḥ; ataḥ means therefore;
therefore means what? since knowledge alone will remove rebirth, therefore you
should gain the knowledge of jīvātma-paramātma aikyam. These two verses are
introductory verses. Now the topic of Brahman begins.
Page 1026

सत्य �ानमनन्त ब्र, �वशुद् परं स्वतः�सद् |

�नत्यानन् दैकर, प्रत्यग�भ, �नरन्तर जय�त ||२२५||
satyaṁ jñānaṁanantaṁ brahma, viśudda ṁ paraṁ svataḥsiddham |
nityānandaikarasaṁ, pratyagabhinnaṁ, nirantaraṁ jayati ||225||
So once the topic of Brahman comes, we have to totally rely upon the śruti
pramāṇam alone; because this is something which is not available for pratyakṣa
anumānadi pramāṇam. And therefore Śankarācārya writes the whole section based
on the Upaṇiṣad vākyam. And Brahman is beautifully defined in Taittariya
Brahmānandaḥ Valli as:
Satyam jñānaṁ anantaṁ Brahma, yo vēda nihitam guhāyām

paramevyōman. So Osnute sārvan kāmaan saha. Brāhmaṇa vipaschiteti;
tasmāt tva etatastmaat ātmana ākāśa sambhūtāḥ.
So those portions is paraphrasing in these verses. What is Brahman? Satyam

Brahma. Satyam means pure existence. That which is never subject to negation or
destruction. Yat abhādyam, tat satyam. That which is not subject to negation or
destruction is Brahman and if you go by this definition, the only thing which is never
negated is pure existence alone. Every thing else gets reduced to something or the
other; the only thing which continues as a common factor is what? the existence
itself.
And that is why elsewhere, the Upaṇiṣad itself translates satyam as sat; sadēva
sōmya idamagra asēth; ekamēvadvitiyam. Therefore Brahman is defined as Sat: the
basic existence.
And not only it is satyam or sat; it is jñānaṁ; jñānaṁ means the knowledge which is
not subject to negation or destruction. It is that knowledge which is not subject to
negation or destruction. Why do we use this adjective? Because the word jñānaṁ is
written along with satyam; therefore what type of jñānaṁ it is? Satyam jñānaṁ it is;
and what is satyam; that which is not negatable or destructible is satyam; and since
is used as a synonym of jñānaṁ, the jñānaṁ also should be that which is not
negatable or destructible. And what is that? Any jñānaṁ that you talk of is subject to
negation or destruction and therefore we have to look in for that aspect which is not
Page 1027

negatable or destructible and what is that? There is something in every knowledge

which is persistent.
So in ghata jñānaṁ; pata jñānaṁ, vrikṣa jñānaṁ, manuṣya jñānaṁ; what is

persistently there. Jñānaṁ, jñānaṁ, jñānaṁ, jñānaṁ; that means what: the
awareness alone is the persistent factor. Ghata jñānaṁ means I am aware of pot;
pata jñānaṁ means; cloth awareness; vrikṣa jñānaṁ means tree awareness. In
every jñānaṁ, there is awareness plus an object and the only thing that is persistent
in all of them is the awareness or consciousness principle and suppose you stop all
the knowing processes, like closing all the sense organs and thought, even when
your mind is blank, then there is the consciousness principle; conscious of what: the
blank consciousness.
Blank consciousness does not mean consciousness is blank. Blank consciousness

means the consciousness of blankness. What I am conscious of varies; ‘that I am
conscious of’ does not vary.
That consciousness principle is called jñānaṁ. So satyam means pure existence;

jñānaṁ means pure consciousness. And when you extract, existence and
consciousness, separately, how do you extract? Intellectually by understanding; you
imagine a mixie; cosmic mixie; and you put the entire world into that mixie; in every
object of the world; what is common? Existence; earth IS; space IS; table IS; chair
IS; and churn in the mixie and leave out the world aspect; and take out the essence
common to all: what is that? pure existence. Liquid existence.
Now whenever you talk about the world; there is another thing that is parallel, which
also you should note. To talk about the world, you require world knowledge. To talk
about earth, you require earth knowledge. So whatever you talk about, that
corresponding knowledge is there; therefore take a second mixie and in that mixie
what do you put? All the knowledge as it were: first mixie what to put; all the
objects. In the second mixie you put what: all the knowledge; earth knowledge, star
knowledge, book knowledge, pen knowledge; and crush all of them; and then you
get what? the knowledge, knowledge means what? pure awareness and the
Upaṇiṣad says that pure awareness and that pure existence, we name Brahman. So
satyam jñānaṁ Brahma.
Page 1028

Ok. What is the size of that knowledge and what is the size of that existence? You
can talk about the size of the existence only when it is associated with an object.
When the existence is associated with the cloth, it becomes what? cloth existence;
then I can immediately talk about the size of it; that it is one and inches or 3/4 of
one inch. When the existence is associated with the hall, hall existence I can talk
about the size; I can measure and give. In short, qualified existence has got a size.
Now here we are talking about what? unqualified existence, which is not associated
with any particular object, and therefore what will be its size? Anantaṁ. Anantaṁ
means what? that whose size you cannot talk about. Anthaṁ means dimension;
height, weight, length, etc. All types of dimensions; and anantaṁ means
dimensionless; not the biggest dimension; you cannot talk about the dimension at
all.
Similarly jñānaṁ also has got a location and limitation when it is associated with an
object; objective-knowledge, qualified knowledge, has got a limitation; it has got a
birth; pot knowledge has a birth; when it is born, when you see a pot for the first
time, there is origination for pot knowledge. And it has got a location also; pot
knowledge is in that mind; where the pot thought is there, which has got time-wise
location, it has got space-wise location; when it is associated with objects.
Therefore qualified knowledge has location and dimension; but unqualified

knowledge; it is called awareness; which is called consciousness cannot have any
location; any dimension; and therefore it is anantaṁ. Therefore anantaṁ is an
adjective connected with both satyam and jñānaṁ. So anantaṁ satyam; anantaṁ
jñānaṁ Brahma; Anantaṁ satyam; anantaṁ jñānaṁ Brahma.
And here the Upaṇiṣad does not say Brahman is Anantaṁ Satyam and Anantaṁ
jñānaṁ; conjenction is not used; cha is not said. If conjunction is used what will be
the problem? Brahman will be a combination of infinite-existence and infinite-
consciousness. Then Brahman will be an assembly. By not using a conjunction. What
the upaṇiṣads indicates is infinite existence and infinite consciousness are
synonymous. They are synonymous; they are not two separate entities; infinite
existence is infinite consciousness; infinite consciousness is infinite existence. OK.
Page 1029

From this one more corollary. This is a very very significant definition considered to
be the most important definition of Brahman. You can take any number of corollaries
from this. I will just give one more corollary.
I said infinite existence and infinite consciousness are identical; that is unqualified
existence and unqualified consciousness are identical. In fact the verb 'are' itself is
wrong. But you have to use some verb. But what happens? When the qualifications
come, in the field of qualifications, the existence and consciousness remain as
though divided. See this: clock existence is outside; and clock knowledge is inside.
Therefore when I am in transaction, I am dealing with clock existence and clock
knowledge; there is a division. One is outside and the other is inside; there is a
vikalpa. I cannot say clock knowledge and clock existence are one and the same.
Sugar knowledge and sugar existence are one and the same, I cannot say. If both
are one and same, what will be the advantage? Sugar knowledge will be sweet like
the sugar existence! But I find that knowing sugar does not give me sweetness. I
have to separately go in for sugar existence. Therefore in vyāvahārika plane,
existence and knowledge are divided as subject and object. Viṣaya viṣayi rūpēṇa. In
vyāvahārika plane, knowledge and object are divided; but the moment you remove
all the qualifications, you will find that the difference between subject and object will
gradually disappear.
In jāgrat avastha, I, the knower, and the world, the known, there is a division; in
svapna avastha, subject object divided; I go to suṣupti avastha, all the qualifications
are removed; qualified existence and qualified consciousness are removed. In
suṣupti, what do I find, the unqualified existence and unqualified consciousness;
both of them have merged into one.
राहुग्रस्त�दवाकरेन्दु मायासमाच्छादनात
सन्मात करणोपसंहरणतो योऽभूत्सुषुप् पुमान ् ।
rāhugrastadivākarēndusadr̥śō māyāsamācchādanāt
sanmātraḥ karaṇōpasaṁharaṇatō yō:'bhūtsuṣuptaḥ pumān |
In sleep, I am pure existence, which is pure consciousness also. As even I wake up,
what happens? The qualifications come; as even qualifications come, there is a
division; the qualified knowledge and qualified existence gets divided as it were.
Therefore anantaṁ has become sānthaṁ; nirvikalpaṁ has become savikalpaṁ.
Page 1030

Therefore, pure existence and consciousness; how it will be? If you want the nearest
experience, what should you do? Sleep, not in the class, I mean in the appropriate
time; you sleep. Bhagavān has himself the given the Brahma anubhava.
Prasnopāṇiṣad says: ahar ahar Brahma gacchadi. Every body experiences unqualified
existence; unqualified consciousness; unlocated existence, consciousness,
dimension-free existence consciousness, everybody experiences naturally in sleep.
If you are not satisfied with that, if you want to artificially experience it; go to
samādhi and see. You are not satisfied with sleep, go to samādhi; it will be exactly
like what? not that in samādhi, you are going to feel that I am seeing this Brahman.
If you are going to see Brahman in samādhi, again there will be what? qualified
existence-consciousness.
And therefore, Brahman is limitless, unqualified existence, consciousness. That

Brahman I am; for this only all our spiritual sādhanās are to own up this fact that I
am unqualified limitless existence, consciousness. I am the crystalised essence of the
world and when I am diluted; now how we are purchasing so many juices and
keeping it at home; there is a juice bottle and then what do you do? go on diluting:
They promise 200 cups and we make 400 also. Similarly, I am the sāra of the world.
Diluted I, am the world; concentrated-I am Brahman existence-consciousness.
Concentrated-I, I experience in sleep; diluted diversified-I, I experience in dream by
partial expansion and I experience in waking in total expansion. This is the vēdantic
teaching.
The foundation. Satyam, jñānaṁ, anantaṁ Brahma.
Viśuddaṁ. It is totally pure. Totally pure means without any second thing to disturb
it; there is no second substance other than it to make it impure.
Paraṁ.: Paraṁ means it is absolute. Absolute means it cannot be brought into the
relative world of time and space. That is why studying consciousness becomes
difficult, because our orientation is to bring Brahman also into the dēśa-kālaḥ
prapañja and find out the physical laws governing Brahman; chemical laws
governing Brahman; natural laws governing Brahman; we want to bring Brahman
into vyavahārika prapañja. The Upaṇiṣad says, it does not come under this field at
all; it is pāramārthikam.
Page 1031

And when I say it is absolute, do not think that it is away from vyavahārika.
Vyavahārika world is sitting here; pāramārthikam is sitting above, if you say: that is
our intellectual limitation. Again you are bringing spatial concept. In this place,
vyavahārikam is sitting; that place pāramārthikam is sitting. Then what will happen?
Both vyavahārika and pāramārthikam will be within space. Therefore the very
question, where is pāramārthikam, is a question for which we can never give an
answer; because the very question is based on vyavahārika-oriented mind.
छॊद्य म वा प�रहारो वा कृयताम ् द्वै बाषयाम ् ।

अद्वै भाषया चॊध्य् नािस् ना�प तद उत्तर ॥
chodyam vā parihārō vā kr̥yatām dvaita bāṣayām |
advaita bhāṣayā codhyam nāsti nāpi tad uttaraṁ ||
All your questions and answers are in the field of dvaitam; where is it? when is it?
how is it? All those things; advaita bhāṣayā codhyam nāsti nāpi tad uttaraṁ; and
therefore paramārthikam can never be away from vyavahārika. The pure existence is
never away from qualified existence. Pure consciousness is never away from
qualified consciousness. It is in and through vyavahārika but not circumscribed by
vyavahārika; that is called what? param. Like waker is in and through the dream-
world; but it is not affected by the dream rain; dream sun; dream moon, etc.
Therefore you can say waker is what: param with regard to dream. Brahman is
param with regard to waking world. Param is not physically away; it is in and
through vyavahārika; but it is not conditioned by vyavahārika. Consciousness is in
Brain; but it does not come under neurological laws; like that.
Then svataḥsiddham. And how to do you prove that consciousness? Śankarācārya

says, the very attempt to prove the consciousness is meaningless because, you are
trying to prove consciousness because you happen to be a conscious being.
Therefore if there is one thing which need not be proved, that is consciousness. That
which is used for proving everything, need not be proved. That which is used for
proving everything, need not be proved.
And if consciousness need not be proved, what is the purpose of śāstra? The
purpose of śāstra is not to prove consciousness; but to negate the qualifications
from consciousness. So when a person has got wave in front and he wants to know
water; I am not proving water, because water is also right in front. What am I trying
to do is: take the qualified water which he calls wave and negate the nāma rūpa
Page 1032

part; and teach him wave minus nāma rūpa is the water that you want to know.
Therefore what is the teacher's aim? Qualified consciousness is already evident; in
the expression "I am". Qualified consciousness is evident in the expression I am;
and I ask you to remove the qualifications from I am. After saying I am, we do not
put the full stop. You are also having a card and say I am so and so. BA, MA, M,Sc.
FRCS. So what we are trying to do is: after we are trying to do is: after saying I am,
we are trying to remove all the other qualifications; unqualified-I am Brahman.
And this is the purpose of teaching. Teaching is more for removal; rather than
adding a new substance. The purpose of vēdānta is never to introduce an new
substance; but to remove the attributes from the already available substance, which
is I.
And therefore he says: svataḥsiddham. Brahman is self-evident in the form of I am.

The I indicates consciousness; am indicates existence; later words indicate
qualifications; in that qualifications should be negated and one has to retain the I
and am. Then the purpose of vēdānta is over. From the statement I am father; one
has to make him say: I am a male human being; then, No No No, you are not a
male human being; you are a human being; and I say that you are not a human
being; human is also an adjective belonging to the body; human being minus
human, what? after removing all the adjectives, when you retain the Being, B must
be capitalised. I am the Being. So svataḥsiddham. OK.
Then what is the benefit I get? That we will not leave, you know.
nityānandaikarasaṁ. The moment I own up my beingness, then the limitations
belonging to me are removed; the Berlin wall is broken; there is unification of
Germany they say. Like that there is a unification of micro and macro; the
qualifications are the dividing walls. Therefore the qualifications for vēdānta is you
must be disqualified from all qualifications! The more you drop the qualifications, the
more you are qualified for vēdānta and that the walls of division go away; and when
limitations go away; that is called ānandaḥ. Anantatvam experienced is ānandaḥ.
Anantatvam owned up is called ānandaḥ.
And what type of ānandaḥ it is? Nitya ānandaḥ. Because in sense pleasures, the
walls of division are temporarily gone; in all sense pleasures, the walls of divisions
are temporarily gone. That is what is happening. You get into nirvikalpaka avastha;
that is what you get. But since it is experiential nirvikalpaka avastha, it is not
Page 1033

permanent. But when it is nirvikalpaka jñānaṁ, it is permanent. That is why we do

not give importance to samādhi because samādhi is an avastha; therefore,
temporarily you experience nirvikalpa, but jñānaṁ we emphasise because once I
know that I am pure existence-consciousness, I am divisionless, when? All the time.
Therefore nitya ānandaḥ ēka rasaṁ; it is pure and permanent ānandaḥ.

pratyagabhinnaṁ; eka rasam means pure. Therefore homogenous ānandaḥ it is.
pratyagabhinnaṁ; it is non different from you; that Brahman is non-different from
you. nirantaraṁ jayati; that Brahman remains excellently. All the time; nirantaraṁ; it
is ever successful; ever victorious; ever free; nirantaraṁ jayati; hail to Brahman.
That is eternally there. Excellently there. This is the definition of Brahman.
More definitions will be given in the following slōkas; one of the central portions of
Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi. We will see the details later.
Hari Om.
Page 1034

080. Verses 226 to 228
सत्य �ानमनन्त ब्र �वशद्

ु परं स्वतः�सद् |
�नत्यानन् दैकर प्रत्यग�भ �नरन्तर जय�त ||२२५||
satyaṁ jñānaṁanantaṁ brahma viśuddaṁ paraṁ svataḥsiddham |
nityānandaikarasaṁ pratyagabhinnaṁ nirantaraṁ jayati ||225||
Of the seven questions, the teacher has given the answer to the last question;
tayoho vivēkaḥ also; and therefore actually the answer to the seven questions is
over. But now the following teaching is extension of the answer to the seventh
question.
What was the seventh question? tayoho vivēkaḥ katham? How do you differentiate
ātma from anātma? And that differentiation was revealed through pañja kōśa vivēka.
And it was pointed out that ātma is caitanya svarūpam; different from all the pañja
kōśas, which means the pañja kōśas are anātma and the consciousness is ātma.
In this Śankarācārya has not said anything directly with regard to the world. So we
have to conclude that the world also comes under anātma category only.
Śankarācārya does not mention that, because there is no controversy or doubt,
regarding the status of the world. That the world is an object is an accepted by all;
the controversy is only with regard to the body-mind-complex. Whether the body-
mind-complex should come under object category or whether the body-mind-
complex should come under subject category. That the world is an object is a
foregone conclusion.
And therefore, we should now consolidate the whole teaching; world is already
accepted as anātma; the pañja kōśas have been taught now as anātma; and
therefore both the world and the pañja kōśas come under anātma.
So thus the world is object; pañja kōśas, to put in simple language, the body is also
object, the mind is also object. That means object has got three categories; world,
body and mind. All are anātma.
Page 1035

If the world, body and mind are anātma, then what is ātma? I, the consciousness
principle, who am experiencing all these three, who is the witness of all these three,
am, ātma.
And once I look upon the world as anātma and I, as ātma, the corallieries we should
know very well. Anātma is jaḍaṁ in nature; anātma is inert in nature; anātma is
subject to modifications in its nature, anātma is subject to division in its nature.
Jadatvam; savikāratvam, savikalpatvam; vikalpa means division; these all belong to
anātma. And I, the ātma, am the cētana, nirvikāraḥ and nirvikalpaḥ. So I am a
sentient principle, without modification and without division also; and since I am
without division, you should remember that which is without division is all pervading.
Division alone makes an object limited. If there is no division in consciousness, then
there is only one consciousness pervading all the minds and intellect. So thus, I am
cētana, nirvikāra, nirvikalpa caitanyaṁ and the world is achetana, savikāra, savikalpa
vasthu.
Up to this portion is the answer to the seventh question. Because the student only
wanted to differentiate ātma and anātma; that job has been done by the teacher.
Now hereafterwards the job is: what is the relationship between this ātma and
anātma? This is basic and fundamental question. In this alone, dvaita philosophy,
visiṣṭa philosophy, advaita philosophy; all these different systems have sprung up,
only when there is a discussions regarding the relationship between ātma and
anātma; the consciousness and matter.
Whether they should be taken as distinct entities; or whether one should be main
and the other is subordinate; and if one is main and the other is subordinate,
whether matter is main and consciousness depends on matter or whether
consciousness is main and matter depends upon consciousness. These fundamental
questions come and to answer those fundamental questions alone, Śankarācārya is
stretching his answer to the seventh question.
And how does he stretch the answer? He says: This I, the ātma, is none other
Brahman. What we want to know is the relationship between ātma and anātma? But
now he is going away from the subject matter, as though, and he is equating ātma
to Brahma. And thereafterwards, he shows, of course, based on the upaṇiṣadic
teachings, that the Brahman is the cause of anātma. Taking a little circuitous route.
Page 1036

Ātma is none other than Brahman and Brahman is the kāraṇam for anātma and
therefore A = B; B = C and therefore A = C. Ātma is Brahman. Brahman is anātma
kāraṇam; and therefore ātma itself is the kāraṇam of anātma. Ātma itself is the
kāraṇam of anātma. Consciousness itself is the cause of matter. So what is the
relationship between ātma and anātma? Kārya-kāraṇa sambhandaha.
And once we know that there is kārya-kāraṇa saṁbanda between ātma and anātma,
then we can derive so many corollaries from that, which he will do beautifully later.
If you say one is kāraṇam and the other is kāryam, we can easily conclude that
there is only one substance. Because kāryam cannot exist separate from kāraṇam.
If clay is the cause and the pot is the effect, there are two words; but there is only
one substance. Clay is one word; pot is another word; just because there are two
words, you cannot conclude that there are two substances, because pot is only
another word for clay. Jug is again another word for the same substance. Mug is
again another word for the same substance. Words are many; substance is one. And
once I arrive at this corollary; I can say that the entire anātma is only a word. There
is no substance called anātma. Then what is the only substance. There is no
substance called anātma.
Then what is the substance that is left out? What is there is two: ātma and anātma;
if you say anātma is not substance; there is only one substance called ātma. So
world is a name; body is a name; mind is a name; all these are vācāraṁbaṇaṁ
vikārō nāma dēyam māthraṁ. Then what is the only substance? Ātma.
And who is that ātma or what is that ātma? You should not look here and there; I,
the awarer, of the anātma, am the ātma. Therefore, the experiencer is the only
substance. Whatever I experience is non-substantial. The experiencer is the only
substance; and whatever is experienced is non-substantial.
And if you are not able to swallow this idea, vēdānta will give the example of
svapna. In svapna, whatever I experience is non-substantial; svapna mountain;
svapna river; svapna sun, svapna moon. On waking up, I discover that the only
substance is I myself. I myself seemingly appeared as svapna-subject, svapna-
object, svapna-instruments, svapna-interaction; and also svapna-emotions; all of
them are myself. Idaṁ brahma, Idaṁ shatram; imē lōkaḥ, imē dēvāḥ, imāni
bhūtāni, idagum sarvaṁ, yadayaṁ ātma. I am all.
Page 1037

So before Vēdānta, I am ஆள; all (Tamil); after vēdānta, I am all (English all). So the
transformation from Tamil ஆள to English 'all' is vēdāntam. OK.
So this is going to be development. For that purpose, here Śankarācārya is talking

about Brahman and what is the nature of Brahman, we saw in verse No.225; more
about the nature of Brahman, we are going to get in the following verses. Up to
verse No.240 is Brahma svarūpam.
स�ददं परमाद्वैत, स्वस्मादन्, वस्तुनोऽभावात |

न ह्यन्यदि �किञ्चत, सम्यक परमाथर्तत्, बोधदशायाम ् ||२२६||
sadidaṁ paramādvaitaṁ, svasmādanyasya, vastunō:'bhāvāt |
na hyanyadasti kiñcit, samyak paramārthatattva, bōdhadaśāyām ||226||
And what is the nature of Brahman? Śankarācārya says Brahman is advaitam. It is

non-dual; idaṁ satu; satu means Brahman, because he has defined as sat, chit
anantha in the previous verse; satyam jñānaṁ anantaṁ, satyam means pure
existence; I explained in the last class; jñānaṁ means pure consciousness, what is
the meaning of the word pure? Pure existence means existence as a noun itself. We
know existence as an adjective. When I say pure existence, existence as a noun.
Similarly pure consciousness it was said as jñānaṁ; and anantaṁ. Satyam, jñānaṁ,
anantaṁ is otherwise said as sat, chit, ānandaḥ.
Satyam is equal to Sat; jñānaṁ is equal to chit; anantaṁ is equal to ānandaḥ. So

therefore here sad means sadchidanandham Brahma. And this Brahman is parama
advaitam; absolutely non-dual; Absolutely second-less; Absolutely division-less; why
do you use the adjective absolutely division-less? Os it not enough that you say
advaitam; parama advaitam?
In the śāstra, they talk about three types of division; sajātīya, vijātīya, svagata
bhēda. The difference between an object of one's species and an object of another
species is called vijātīya bhēdaḥ, like a man and a tree.
Man comes under which species; human species; tree comes under which species;
tree species; you take member of one group; species means group, you take a
member of one group and member of another group; then the difference is called
vijātīya; jāti means group; vi_jāti means difference in the form of the group.
Page 1038

Then when you talk about the difference between one man and another man; or the
difference between one tree and another tree; there is no species-wise difference;
both belong to the same tree species; but one is mango-tree; another coconut tree;
this difference is called sajātīya bhēda; I think I have told you before.
And finally, the third form of difference is within one member itself; the internal
differences, in a man. There is an internal difference in the form of head, hand, leg,
etc. In a tree, there is internal differences like the trunk, branches, leaves, fruit, etc.
The third difference is called svagata bhēdaḥ.
The upaṇiṣad points out Brahman does not have sajātīya, vijātīya; svagada bhēda.
There is no vijātīya bhēda; there is no second thing, belonging to non-Brahman
category. There is no sajātīya bhēda means, there is no difference belonging to
Brahman category; there are no two Brahman; it two Brahmans are there; then
sajātīya bhēda will come. So sajātīya bhēda is not there. What is the last one; the
internal difference; Brahman does not have internal differences like top portion;
bottom, hand, leg, etc. That is what is said as niravayavam Brahman. Brahman is
part-less. If there are parts for Brahman, you can say one part is this; another part
is that; Brahman is partless. And to indicate the absence of these three bhēdas or
divisions, the word used here is parama advaitam. Sajātīya, vijātīya, svagata bhēda
rahitam Brahma.
And why there is no such differences in Brahman? Because svasmāth anyasya

vasthunaḥ abhāvat; because there is no object other than Brahman. svasmāth
means what: other than oneself; other than Brahman there is no second object at
all.
Then we should get a doubt; if you do not get; we have to put that question. How
do you that there is no second substance at all? Other than Brahman the
consciousness principle, there is a solid world when there is a world, which is
acētanam, you have to see a vijātīya bhēda; why because there is a sentient
Brahman; there is an insentient world; the difference between Brahman and world
should come under sajātīya or vijātīya. Vijātīya bhēda should be accepted; may not
be second Brahman; second Brahman if there is a sajātīya bhēda will come; second
Brahman is not there; therefore there is bhēda; but should not you accept a vijātīya
bhēda, because there is a sentient Brahman and an insentient world?
Page 1039

And how do you negate this duality or difference. For that, Śankarācārya does not
give the answer here, but he will give you later. I just wanted to give you a clue; the
clue is Śankarācārya wants to establish later that world is not a second substance.
If world is taken as a second substance, then you can talk about two substances
Brahman the substance and world the substance. We are going to later show that
world is not a substance at all; it is another word used for Brahman itself; exactly
like what? Remember the example I give; clay and the pot; you cannot talk of two
substances. So what is the difference between clay and pot if you ask, you cannot
talk about sajātīya bhēda or vijātīya bhēda, because pot is nāma mātram. And what
has got a nominal existence, we do not take into account, while counting. We will
accept the pot for the sake of transaction. For the sake of transaction, pot, jug,
plate, we will accept different words, because if I use the same word, you cannot
communicate. So for pot also I say clay; jug also I say clay; for plate also I say clay;
and I ask you please bring the clay. You would not know which clay you should
bring.
So therefore, different words are acceptable at transactional level; that is called

vyavahārika dvaitam. Therefore for vyavahāra purpose, accept the world and that is
why it is called vyavahārika satyam. So give empirical reality to the world, just as
you give empirical reality to plate and jug and mug and all; but when we are
seriously discussing the substance; what should you understand? mritika ityēva
satyam. In the same way, Brahman alone is satyam; jagath mithya.
And what has got only transactional utility cannot be counted and therefore how
many countable things are there? Advaita. That is what he says here. Svasmāt
anyasya vasthunaḥ abhāvat. Because there is no second; no second thing you
should not say; there is no second substantial entity. There are many second
nominal entities; what are they? Akāṣh, ākāśa, agni, āpaḥ, pr̥tvi; you can count; but
substance ekam ēva. That is explained in the second line. Kinchit anyath nāsti.
There is nothing other than Brahman. Anyat means other, other than Brahman, we
have to supply. Brāhmaṇaḥ anyat kinchit nāsti.
And how will you know that? Śankarācārya says this advaitam you can arrive at only
after enquiry. Superficial analysis, if somebody asks, how many materials are there;
you will take an inventory and say four chairs, five desks, six daises; all you will take
an inventory; for taking inventory you can write four chairs, five desks, etc. But on
Page 1040

enquiry, you should say what: one wood alone. What is there inside, if someone ask,
what should be told? Wood. But if you do that in the job of taking inventory, you will
lose your job. So if you want to continue in job, you be a dvaitin. For survival be
dvaitin. for freedom, be advaitin.
Bhāvat dvaitam sadā kuryāt

kriyāt advaitam na karhicit;
In knowledge let there be advaitam. In action, let there be dvaitam; kriya advaitam
na karhichit. In transaction never open the mouth of advaitam; because advaitam;
as even you speak aa dvai tam; three words are there. So therefore, superficial level
there is dvaitam; at deeper level, there is advaitam. Or vyavahārika dr̥ṣṭyā dvaitam;
pāramārthika dr̥ṣṭyā advaitam. Vyavahārika dr̥ṣṭi you need not work for, because we
have that naturally.
So seeing dvaitam, you need not come to any class. That is why we always say:
dvaita philosophy you need not write at all. It is waste of time, because from birth
every body is dvaitin. For that, why should one write a philosophy? I am going to tell
you what: you are you: I am I; desk is desk; wall is wall; what is it: dvaita siddanta.
So dvaita siddanta need not be established, because it is already the inborn vision;
that is why Svāmiji beautifully says: that all these things are different; a
physicist and a scientist need not teach; but to teach all these are energy
in motion, or all these are nothing but particles in motion, lot of physics is
required. These are different, you need not go to a physics teacher. Similarly here
also, Śankarācārya says; for dvaita dr̥ṣṭi vicāra is not required; advaita dr̥ṣṭi requires
vicāra.
Therefore he says: paramārtha tatva bōdhaḥ daśāyām. So at the time of the

knowledge of the absolute truth; daśa means at the time of; in the wake of; in the
wake of what? bōdhaḥ daśayām; in the wake of knowledge. What knowledge?
paramārtha tatvam, the absolute reality; and what is that absolute reality? absolute
reality Brahman. Brahma jñāne sati. And that too not ordinary jñānaṁ; samyak,
conviction must come. Until conviction, all these words are only at the lip level;
verbal level; and the ஏட் �ைரக்கா கறிக் உத்வா; it will not help in life crisis; if
this wisdom should help in crisis of life; then it should be my conviction.
Page 1041

It is not enough, I say, it may be true. They are saying it now; Śankarācārya is
saying: Therefore it may be true. But there are equally other people, who are saying
vishista dvaitam also. Dvaitam also. All the Ācāryas of different darśanams were
great. Therefore which one to accept. Kapila is called a maharṣi; Kaṇātha is called a
mahārṣi; Jaimini is called a maharṣi; and all these people are maharṣis and they all
talk in different languages.
Therefore just saying Śaṁkarācāryā said so is not a proof. Because dvaitins will say:
Madvācārya said so. Vishiṣṭadvaitin will say Rāmānujācārya said so. Ācārya title
everybody has. And if you say Vyāsa maharṣi said: dvaitin will say that; Kapila
mahārṣi talked about dvaitam. Therefore which people said what is not enough: I
should have independent thinking, and I should know which is right; and which is
wrong.
Conviction means four things, I have said:
I should know what is right, no.1;

I should know what is wrong, No.2;
I should know why right is right;
I should also know why wrong is wrong.
Dayānanda svāmi says: ये �भ ट�क है; ओ �भ ट�क है; will not work; everything is
correct. That catholicism will not work with regard to facts. 2+2 five you can write;
2+2 six you can write; you may get mark also, because the teacher is a different
teacher. 2+2 is equal 4. You cannot everything is right.
Therefore, in fact there are no options. In actions there are options. And therefore
you cannot say dvaitam is right, viśiṣita advaitam is right, advaitam is right; because
all are said by big Ācārya; No; I have to analyse thoroughly and I should be
convinced of one thing: and that knowledge is called what? samyak subhōdha
daśāyām.
य�ददं सकलं �वश्व, नानारूप प्रतीतम�ान ा |

तत्सव ब्रह्, प्रत्यस्ताशेषभावनाद ||२२७||
yadidaṁ sakalaṁ viśvaṁ nānārūpaṁ pratītamajñānāt |
tatsarvaṁ brahmaiva pratyastāśēṣabhāvanādōṣam ||227||
Page 1042

So why we do not count the world as a second thing. Because in the previous verse,
there is no second thing at all. So naturally a question will come to us: how do you
say there is no second thing, there is a world. And here Śankarācārya answered that
possible question; the world will not be counted as a second thing other than
Brahman.
And why we do not count? Taking the world as a substance is ignorance. Taking the
world as a substance is ignorance. Just as taking pot as a substance is ignorance.
Taking the desk as a substance is ignorance. Then how should I take? Pot should be
taken as a mere word used for clay. Another word. Why you use another word? For
transactional purpose. I told you, in Brihadāranyak Upaṇiṣad it beautiful says: that
the first name given to everyone is that You are Brahman. Vēdōsi, tad api tad
guhyam ēva nama bhavathi.
We all have got a secret name, which is given first by our father. Vēdōsi. Vēdaḥ
means caitanyaṁ Brahman. And then vēda itself says that it is a secret name. In
Application forms and all you should not put that; also in railway tickets. What is
wrong if you put? Everybody will be Brahman. So that is the fact.
Having told the fact first, then father says: Oh Son, you are also called Brahman, if
the next child is also called Brahman, if all children are called Brahman; when the
father calls Brahman, five children (whatever be the number will come and stand).
Therefore you are Brahman but for transactional purpose, I am naming you so and
so. Similarly here also, world's original name is what? Brāhmai vēdam viśvaṁ
idam variṣṭam. But for transactional purposes, Brahman is called world now.
Therefore he says: sakalam viśvaṁ; this entire universe, naana rūpam of plurality;
so this entire world of plurality; plurality means many nāmās, many rūpās and many
karmās. Nāma rūpa Karma. So forms are different among the ornaments, and since
the forms are different, the names are also different for all the ornaments and not
only the names and forms are different, their functions are also different; each
ornament decorates a particular organ. You cannot use it differently. You cannot
hang the māla in the hand and wear the bangle in the neck. It will fall down.
Therefore the māla has to be the neck. Ring has to be in the finger alone. Therefore
Nāma rūpa karma bhēdaḥ, paranthu vasthu a bhēdaḥ.
Page 1043

Therefore nāna rūpam viśvaṁ ajñānāth prathētham. It is taken as a substance;

prathētham means appears as a substance; ajñānāth, because of ignorance. So it
appears as a second substance, i.e. that I am the observer and the world is
observed, I am one, the world is one; I am subject, world is object; I am sentient;
world is insentient; and therefore there are two things; to say that way is error. This
is the basic mistake, according to advaita. There is no observed other than the
observer. There is no observed really; substantially, other than the observer. You
cannot say that I am seeing. What you experience need not be truth? What you
experience need not be truth? You experience a small star; it is not true. You
experience a flat earth, which is not true. You experience a stationary earth; is not
the earth moving; Taiwan it is moving; you understand. We will say earth quaked in
Taiwan; and only in Taiwan; but here the earth is stationary. But you ask the people
who know the fact, they will say, earth has two fold motion; around its own axis it is
going thousand mile per hour and around the Sun, it is going 60000 miles per hour
or something. So now also it is moving. But what is my experience? Not moving.
Therefore experience does not prove reality.
And the last and final example is: In dream, I experience a world distinct from me;
and not only I experience a world; it is capable of frightening me also. And we have
got special prayer for dussvapna nāśaḥs also. Why to fear? I myself is not my
svapna; and why should I be frightened? But the dream is capable of so much
frightening you; why, because it can be a separate substance for appearance, but on
waking up, they all get reduced to myself. Yat sākṣāt kurute prabhoda śamaye,
svātmana mēva advayaṁ. And therefore ajñānāth pratētam; the appearance of
substantiality is because of ignorance.
Then what is fact? Tat sarvaṁ Brahaimva. Tat sarvaṁ means sarvaṁ jagat; this
entire universe is Brahman alone. And what type of Brahman? Pratyasta āśēṣa
bhāvanā dōṣam, which is free from all the plurality; which is experienced by us,
which is free from all the experienced plurality. Bhāvana means the experienced
plurality is called bhāvana. Kalpita dvaitam; perceived plurality is called bhāvana.
And aśēṣa means all; all the perceived plurality is prathyastham; is free from
Brahman, Brahman is free from.
And Śankarācārya uses the word doṣam to indicate that plurality itself is saṁsāra
doṣaḥ. Plurality is disease; non duality alone is health. So dviteeyat vai bhayaṁ
Page 1044

bhavathi. So duality is disease; non-duality alone is health. Advaitam ēva mōkṣaḥ.

dvaitam ēva saṁsāraḥ. Dvaita doṣaḥ rahitam brahma.
मतृ ्कायर्भूतोऽ मद
ृ ो न �भन्न
कुम्भोऽिस सवर् तु मतृ ्स्वरूप |
न कुम्भरू पथ
ृ गिस् कुम्भ
ृ ा किल्पतनाममात ||२२८||
कुतो मष
mr̥tkāryabhūtō:'pi mr̥dō na bhinnaḥ
kumbhō:'sti sarvatra tu mr̥tsvarūpāt |
na kumbharūpaṁ pr̥thagasti kumbhaḥ
kutō mr̥ṣā kalpitanāmamātraḥ ||228||
So in these two verses, Śankarācārya gives the example to show that many words
do not convey many substances. This is the biggest mistake we commit. Normally,
when there are many things, there are many names also. He is again coming back
to the example of inventory taking, in the inventory list, if there are ten nāmās
written, what is be taken in our minds, we do not take it as words, but we take in
the stock, there are ten substances. So if there is a 11th word, we take
correspondingly there is the 11th object. This is our orientation. If in the telephone
directory, there is one million names, we take there are one million substances,
people. And therefore we have all the time equated nāma and nāmi and if there is
plurality in nāma, we have concluded plurality in nāmi; but vēdānta wants to teach,
it is not always true.
Where? The example is what? the clay. Then the jug, then the plate, then what you
call mug; you can use several words; but the substance is only one clay. Therefore,
he wants to convey that through the example. He says: mr̥tkārya bhūtaḥ api mr̥daha
bhinnaḥ kumbhaḥ nāsti; there is no pot at all different from clay. Kumbhaḥ means
pot. And what type of pot? mr̥tkārya bhūtaḥ; a pot which is a product of clay.
And why pot is non-different from clay? Between pot and clay, there is non-
difference. But between clay and gold, you cannot say like that. Why you cannot
say; they do not have kārya-kāraṇa sambhanda. Only where there is kārya-kāraṇa
sambhandaḥ. Words are many; substance is one. That condition is important.
Page 1045

Clay and wood are different; clay and gold are different; why they are all different?
because they do not have kārya-kāraṇa sambhanda; whereas clay and pot are
identical; gold and bangle are identical; wood and desk are identical. So names
prove plurality when there is no kārya-kāraṇa sambhanda; names do not prove
plurality when there is kārya - kāraṇa sambhanda.
Now here between Brahman and world, there is no plurality because, there is kārya
-kāraṇa sambhanda. Kārya-kāraṇa sambhanda is the condition to establish non-
duality. If that is not establish, each one would be distinct only. And therefore that
adjective mr̥tkārya bhūtaḥ is the crucial word.
So there is no pot different from clay, because pot happens to be a product of clay.
And this can be proved by not only logic; can be proved by experience also; he says;
sarvathra tu mr̥t svarūpaat; when you study a pot; thinking that pot is a new
substance, because you knew what is clay and somebody has introduced a new
word, pot; and you want to find out what is the thing called pot; because a new
substance has been talked about and when you try to analyse; what is the top
portion of the pot? clay; middle portion is what? clay; bottom portion is what? clay.
Clay, clay, clay alone. So where is the thing called pot. There is nothing called pot.
Then what is pot? A word used for transaction.
Therefore he says; sarvathra. Sarvathra. In every part of the pot, mr̥tsvarūpaat;

there is clay substance alone; kumbha rūpam pratak nāsti. There is no substantial
pot separate from clay. There is no substance called pot; rūpam means substance in
this context. There is no substance called pot other than clay and therefore
kumbhaḥ Mr̥ṣā. Pot is false; unreal; unreal means mere nāma only. So therefore
kumbha is mr̥ṣā; kalpitta nāma māthraḥ; it is nothing but a name invented by me for
the sake of transaction. And what has got nominal existence is called mithya in
vēdānta śāstra. Details in the next class.
Hari Om.
Page 1046

081. Verses 228 to 231
य�ददं सकलं �वश्व नानारूप प्रतीतम�ान ा |

तत्सव ब्रह् प्रत्यस्ताशेषभावनाद ||२२७||
कुतो मष
yadidaṁ sakalaṁ viśvaṁ nānārūpaṁ pratītamajñānāt |

tatsarvaṁ brahmaiva pratyastāśēṣabhāvanādōṣam ||227||
Pañja kōśa vilakṣaṇa ātma has been pointed out and now Brahman is being talked
about; and later ātma-Brahma aikyam will be talked about. This is going to be the
development.
And Brahman is introduced by Śankarācārya as jagat kāraṇam. In the śāstra, two

types of definitions are talked about; one is called svarūpa lakṣaṇam; another is
called tadastha lakṣaṇam.
Svarūpam lakṣaṇam is direct definition, like talking about a person in terms of his
own characteristic like height, complexion, etc.
And the second one, tadastha lakṣaṇam is indirect definition; wherein the person is
not directly talked about, but through an outside entity. Through a particular
relationship.
When I say Rāma has got such and such characteristic, it is called svarūpa
lakṣaṇam, when I say Rāma is the son of Daśaratha, through Daśaratha, I talk about
Rāma and Daśaratha is not an intrinsic part of Rāma. So definition through intrinsic
Page 1047

features is svarūpa lakṣaṇam and definition through extrinsic features is tadastha

lakṣaṇam.
Śankarācārya gives both the definitions of Brahman. First he gave the intrinsic
definition; Satyam Jñānaṁ anantaṁ Brahma; svarūpa lakṣaṇam; which was given in
verse 225.
And now he is giving the tadastha lakṣaṇam, defining Brahman through the world,
which is not an intrinsic part of Brahman.
And what is the relationship between Brahman and world? Śankarācārya says
Brahman is kāraṇam, world is kāryam. Therefore, the tadastha lakṣaṇam of
Brahman is jagat kāraṇam. Satyam jñānaṁ anantaṁ is svarūpa lakṣaṇam, jagat
kāraṇam is tadastha lakṣaṇam.
And the tadastha lakṣaṇam will not permanently remain, because the tadastha
lakṣaṇam is given through an extrinsic feature; and only as long as the extrinsic
feature is there; this status will be valid. For example, the jagat kāraṇam status is
valid how long? As long as the world is there; once you have negated the world,
Brahman cannot be called kāraṇam also; because kārya dr̥ṣṭyā kāraṇatvam; and
kārya niṣēdē, kāraṇa na naśyathi; kāraṇatva status will go away. Then what will be
Brahman? Satyam, jñānaṁ, Anantaṁ.
So svarūpam lakṣaṇam does not depend upon external features; whereas tadastha
lakṣaṇam depends upon external features. OK. Of these two definitions, we always
start with tadastha lakṣaṇam only. Even though svarūpa lakṣaṇam is more
important, we invariably start with tadastha lakṣaṇam only.
That is why in all scriptures Brahman is defined as jagat kāraṇam? In the Bhagavad
Gītā, in the seventh chapter, Krishna begins the definition of Bhagavān and the
definition is that I am the cause of the whole creation. And in Brahma sūtra also,
Vyāsācārya defines Brahman as janmādyasya yataḥ. In Bhagavatham also, the first
dhyāna slōka is janmādyasya yathōnvayadhi tarathaḥ. Same Brahma Sūtra definition
is the beginning of Bhagavatham.
We think Brahma Sūtra is jñānaṁ; Bhagavatham is bhakthi. Vyāsācārya who is the

author of both, he wants to say that Bhakthi and jñānaṁ are ultimately the same.
Page 1048

There can be no true Bhakthi without jñānaṁ. Anyway that is aside. What I want to
say is: Brahman is jagat kāraṇam.
And what is the benefit of this definition? The benefit is this. Once I know Brahman
is kāraṇam, and world is kāryam, I reduce two substances into one substance and a
property. Before I thought clay is one substance; and pot is another substance; thus
in my mind, there was a misconception that clay and pot are two substances; but by
saying they are kāraṇam and kāryam, I am reducing two substances into one
substance. Clay is the substance. Then what happens to pot? Pot which enjoyed the
substance status, now is reduced to what: a form belonging to clay. And form is a
substance or property; form is a property. So in the beginning, mr̥t is one substance;
ghata is the second substance. In the next stage, mr̥t alone is the substance, ghata
is an akhāra; property.
Similarly, when we start with scriptures introduce Bhagavān and what is our idea of
Bhagavān. Bhagavān is a substance or a person sitting elsewhere. So how many
things are there; Bhagavān is there; and world is here. Jagat and Īśvara. And since
world is taken as one substance, Bhagavān has to be necessarily another substantial
entity; therefore you have to look for a location; a place has to be search for him;
therefore you invent a Vaikuntam. Why because the world has taken this place.
Therefore poor Bhagavān does not have accommodation. And therefore you invent
a vaikunta, a kailāśā and giving Bhagavān that place, there is Bhagavān, here is
World. This is called dvaita siddanta.
Thereafterwards what we do? After some time we teach and teach and teach. Then
what do we say: Bhagavān is kāraṇam and the world is kāryam; and therefore world
is a form of Bhagavān only. Just as pot is a form of clay only. So thus, Bhagavān is
the substance; world is what; a property of Bhagavān.
So where is Bhagavān located now? If world is a property of Bhagavān, property and

substance cannot be physically away; not that property is here; and Bhagavān is in
Vaikunta, you cannot say that; wherever is the property, there alone is the
substance. So if the world is a property of Bhagavān, Bhagavān is here and now.
And all these that I see are nothing but nāna varṇa akruthīna cha; this is called
visvarūpa darśanaṁ; we have graduated to visiṣṭa advaita. From two substance to
one substance and a property.
Page 1049

Are you able to follow? Two substances; dvaita stage; one substance and a
property; what is the substance and what is property. Do not say differently and in
the opposite way. World is the substance and the Bhagavān is the property!!
Bhagavān is the only substance and the world is property. This is called propertied
substance. visiṣṭa advaitam.
viśiṣṭa advaitam means what: qualified non-dualism. So that means what: there is
one substance and all others are what: quality. Viśēṣaṇam one; the world and the
visheshyam, the other. This is the second stage we have come to. Viśiṣṭa advaitam.
Then what is the next stage? Do you feel that this is enough? It looks this itself is
enough. In fact this is enough for all practical purposes. In fact, we tell people, that
remain in viśiṣṭa dvaitam for a long time; that itself will solve majority of your
problems; because I am also what: a property of Bhagavān.
And who is there? Bhagavān alone is there. This is generally enough to solve most
of the problems. But only one more stage is required to solve many deeper
problems. Technical problems we have to go to one more stage. What is that?
In the second stage, we say there are only two things: one is Brahman, the
substance, and world, the property. Property is called otherwise as nāma rūpa. But
what we say is that the scriptures reveal that Brahman is nirguṇam. That is the
technical problem. Scriptures reveal that Brahman is nirguṇam. If Brahman is
nirguṇam, how can world be a property of that Brahman. And therefore in the third
stage, we say world is not even a property of Brahma; then world is a
superimposition on Brahman. In Saṁsr̥kt it is called adhyāsaḥ.
So the world goes through three stages. First it is taken as substance. Next it is
reduced to what? property; finally it is reduced to superimposition. In substance
stage, we are dvaitins; in property stage, we are viśiṣṭādvatins, in superimposition
stage, we are advaitins. And thus what is the final stage? There is only Brahman and
the world is nothing but a kalpana. In Saṁsr̥kt, substance is called dravyaṁ;
property is called guṇa; superimposition is called adhyāsa. So world should be
changed from dravyaṁ to guṇa; guṇa to adhyāsa. And the example we give is what?
pot and clay. Now look at the slōka.
mr̥t kārya bhūtō:'pi mr̥dō na bhinnaḥ;
Page 1050

kumbhō:'sti sarvatra tu mr̥tsvarūpāt;

kutō mr̥ṣā kalpitanāmamātraḥ
So can you see the beauty. The kumbhaḥ, the pot, does not exist at all. Then what
is pot; nothing but kalpita nāma mātraḥ. Nāma mātraḥ, when you say. it is property,
kalpita nāma mātraḥ when you say, it has been made into superimposed property.
All beautiful slōkas. This he has to extend it to the world also now.
के ना�प म�ृ द्भन्न स्वरू

घटस् संदशर्�यतु न शक्यत |
अतो घटः किल्प एव मोहा-
न्मृद े सत्य परमाथर्भूत म ||२२९||
kēnāpi mr̥dbhinnatayā svarūpaṁ
ghaṭasya saṁdarśayituṁ na śakyatē |
atō ghaṭaḥ kalpita ēva mōhā-
nmr̥dēva satyaṁ paramārthabhūtam ||229||
So what is the corollary of the previous slōka that is given here? Kēnāpi ghaṭasya
svarūpaṁ samdarsayitum na sakyatē. Svarūpam means substantiality. Ghaṭasya
svarūpam means substantiality of the pot; kēnāpi darśayitum na sakyatē; nobody
can establish. Because if you say pot is a substance, I will ask the question, what is
the weight of the pot. And if you talk about the weight of the pot, I will ask you
what is the weight of the clay. And if you say clay has got a separate weight and the
pot has got a separate weight; then, after the production of pot, the weight should
have increased, because it was 1 kg. of clay and it was converted into pot; then the
weight of the pot also must be added; then the weight should have increased. In
fact, should be the twice the weight. If that happens, what is the advantage? When
you make ornaments, you give 10 grams of gold and when you get ornaments it is
20 gms. Never happens. Why it does not happen? Because bangle has no weight,
because it is nāma mātram.
Thus world is not a substance.And that is why, from this the religious and
philosophical values also we can extend from here; what is non-substantial; do not
lean upon. So from here, we can go to practical values also. What is the conclusion
Page 1051

here? Bhagavān alone is the substance; world is non-substantial. From this what is
practical lesson; lean on substance alone; never lean upon non-substantial world.
And what is the example that I give? Cardboard chair. Cardboard chair is useful
during Navarāthri kolu you can keep; jigna paper you can stick, alamkāram you can
do; you can keep in the gholu, but you cannot use to sit upon. What will happen.
Mandai udaiyum, remember. You will break your head. Similarly, depend upon
anyone other than Bhagavān, you are a samsāri. That is what Krishna said in the
Gītā 8th chapter also.
मामुपेत् पुनज्
र न दःख
ु ालयमशाश्वत म |
नाप्नुविन महात्मान सं�स�द् परमां गताः ||८- १५||
māmupētya punarjanma duḥkhālayamaśāśvatam |
nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ ||8- 15||
Everything other than Me is duḥkhālayam. Duḥkhālayam means what: it can only be

source of pain, if you depend upon.
Therefore enjoy the world without depending on the world is the teaching. Vēdānta
does not ask you to run away from the world; vēdānta does not ask you to reject
the world; and like the sākṣi, standing apart, see everything that is beautiful and
come back.
If you get stuck with any person, you are in trouble. You are stuck with any object,
you are in trouble. If you are stuck with any position or status, you are in trouble. If
you are stuck with any situation, you are in trouble. Never be stuck with anything;
like wind move everywhere; but never get attached to anything. And what is the
philosophy behind this teaching? The philosophy is all people, all objects, all
statuses, all positions are nāma māthram. Where is it said? Here it is said. kēnāpi
mr̥dbhinnatayā svarūpaṁ ghaṭasya saṁdarśayituṁ na śakyatē. And therefore what
is the conclusion? Athaha gatāḥ kalpitaha ēva.
Therefore the substantiality of pot is only your misconception; wrong thinking, an

error alone. So when you talk about the substantially of the pot, it actually belongs
to the clay alone; the transference of the substantiality of the clay to the pot is
called mōhaḥ. Delusion. Athaḥ gatāḥ mōhāt kalpitaḥ.
Page 1052

So we add a name and we are trapped by the name. Can't you see that there are so
much fights; even in name change. Madras or Chennai; what do you want? Potholes
will be the same; whether you call it Madras or Chennai. Rename the street; and
now people change their names also, or their spellings also, because some
numerologists say so. So whether I am an idiot or a wise person; I will be so;
whatever be my spelling; the name. So the change the name, the spelling; all these
things; we are only trapped by these superficials. We never go to the substantiality.
Vēdantin is the only one who just brushes aside the superficial and go to the
substance. And there is only one substance. That is Brahman.
Therefore he says: mr̥tēva satyam. So clay alone is reality. In the example, OK! Oh,
I have learned Vēdānta; what is that: Clay alone is the reality! if anybody attended
only this class and never comes after that, and says that Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi sāram I
have known; what is that: sarvaṁ clay mayaṁ. So therefore, in the example,
mrtevea satyam paramārtham bhūtām. That is the only substance. Paramārthaḥ, if
you translate in Tamil: பரம ெபா�ள; arthaha means ெபா�ள; paramaḥ means param;
Paramārthaḥ means param ெபா�ள; the ultimate susbtance.
सद्ब्रह्म सकलं सदे वं

तन्मात्रमे ततोऽन्यदिस |
अस्ती� यो विक् न तस् मोहो
�व�नगर्त �न�द्रतवत्प् ||२३०||
sadbrahmakāryaṁ sakalaṁ sadēvaṁ
tanmātramētanna tatō:'nyadasti |
astīti yō vakti na tasya mōhō
vinirgatō nidritavatprājalpaḥ ||230||
So in the previous two verses, the example was talked about to reduce every
product to a property first and a superimposition next. All these are attack on the
kāryam alone. Because the world is the source of problems for me; therefore we
have the attack the world alone. So world is seen as a kāryam.
In fact, make it into four stages also. We saw the world as a kāryam first; kāryam is
reduced is property and then property is converted into a superimposition. So
dravyam to kāryam to guṇa to adyāsaḥ. This is our progress.
Page 1053

Now he says: sakalam sad brahma kāryam. Sakalam means what? Everything. When
I say everything, it means every being; and every being, and every situation also. All
of them are sad Brahma kāryam. They are all products of sad Brahman; Brahman
which is pure existence. Sad brahma means satyam jñānaṁ anthanthaṁ Brahma.
And therefore sadēva. Or in some books, there is a reading. sad ēvam. Both
readings are OK. If it is sadēvaṁ, ēvam means in the same manner. In the same
manner means what? as seen in the case of example clay pot; ēvam means mr̥t
ghaṭ vat. As in the case of clay pot. If it is not ēvam, but if it is ēva only; then it is
emphasis; definitely, the world also is a product of sad Brahman. And there is a third
reading also. Sadaiva. Instead sadēva, it is sadaiva; if it is sadaiva; it should be
understood as sada ēva. sada ēva means what? Always the world is a product of
Brahman.
And therefore what is the conclusion? Tan mātra ētat; since the world is a product, it
does not have any existence separate from Brahman. Therefore it is Brahma
mātram. So yēda mr̥tkāryam mr̥nmātram bhavathi. Similarly Brahma kāryam,
Brahma māthram bhavathi. The world is nothing but Brahman with what: nāma, an
addition of a new name. And the addition of name should not be taken as addition
of a substance. If I have given a new name to this as desk; desk is a new name
added; there has been no new substance. Therefore Brahman alone is the
substance. Tadaḥ anyath nāsti. There is no world other than Brahman. Tadaḥ
anyath means Tadaḥ anyath Brāhmaṇaḥ anyath, nāsti. It is not there. It is nothing
but nāma rūpa.
And Śankarācārya says if you are able to see this fact, you have become wiser. And
if you are not able to see this fact, Śankarācārya says, you are still to sleep.
You know, there are some people who wake up from sleep; but even after waking
up for some time, their behaviour is as though they have not woken up. Because
things are not very clear; he takes the shaving cream for teeth cleaning. OK.
Vibhuthi for teeth cleaning or tooth powder as vibhuthi etc. Those happen why
because they are in ubhayatha prajñaḥ avastha, they have only partially woken up.
Similarly, Śankarācārya says, as long as you say there is a world, you are prattling in
dream. Therefore he says: yaḥ asthi ithi vasthi. Suppose a person says, there is a
world, other than Brahman, that there is a substantial world, other than Brahman,
Page 1054

suppose a person says. He need not say it; but he behaves like that; sometimes we
say but sometimes we do not say, but behave.
Like the story that Chinmayānanda gives beautifully. That a person thought that he
is a worm and he was afraid of every bird and he was taken to a psychiatrist and a
worm was shown and he was also shown in the mirror; see yourself in the mirror
and see the worm here and was asked Are you the worm. Repeatedly vivēka. Worm
Nāhaṁ; Worm nāhaṁ and then after a long course of four-five years; then he said
Doctor I have understand that I am not a worm. Then he said you can go away,
because he was a residential patient; as inpatient; whatever that be. So therefore he
never experienced a worm inside the hospital; now he came out and was waiting
outside; first bird he saw; he rushed back to the doctor. Doctor, there is a Bird. And
the doctor said: you know that you are not a worm; and then he said: I know that I
am not a bird; but does the bird know that I am not a worm. So he did not say that
I am a worm; but he was afraid of the bird.
As long as there is a fear of the bird, I am not a worm is only verbal. I keep on
repeating that I am human being, not a worm; but when I see the bird, only fear is
there. Only fear. Similarly, I keep on saying Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi I have understood,
Brahma sūtram is understandable, Upaṇiṣads are very nice, I keep on saying, but
my response to the world and events continues to be as saṁsāric as before, then it
means whatever I say is verbal and verbal alone. Therefore Śankarācārya gets
perhaps angry; therefore he uses strong words, nidraditavat prājalpaja. All his
vēdantic words are like a person talking in sleep. Somniloquism it is called.
Somniloquism is talking in sleep. Many people talk. You have to put a tape recorder
nearby that is all.
Similarly all these people are talking in sleep only. They do not know what they are
talking. Why mōhaḥ na vinirgataḥ? Mōhaha means sleep. Nidrah. Ajñāna nidra has
not gone. Mōha nidra has not gone. They are all walking and talking in sleep.
.
ब्रह्मैव �वश्व�मत्य वाणी
श्रौ ब्रूतेऽथवर्�न व�रष्ठ |
तस्माद ेतदह्ममात �ह �वश्व
ना�धष्ठाना�द्भन्नताऽऽरो� ||२३१||
Page 1055

brahmaivēdaṁ viśvamityēva vāṇī

śrautī brūtē:'tharvaniṣṭhā variṣṭhā |
tasmādētadbrahmamātraṁ hi viśvaṁ
nādhiṣṭhānādbhinnatā:':'rōpitasya ||231||
Here Śankarācārya says, whatever I am teaching is in keeping with śruti, yukti and
anubhava. So the teaching always should follow three-fold norms. In our tradition,
we always says: any darśana or philosophy should follow the three-fold norms or
supports. The three pillars of validity. And what are the three pillars? The scripture,
logic and our experience. It should explain our daily experience also. A philosophy
which does not explain the experience; that is not a complete philosophy. Therefore
the Śankarācārya is giving Śruti support to his teaching. In this slōka he gives the
support of the Mundakaupaṇiṣad, a well known mantra. It comes in the Second
chapter, II section, last slōka.
ब्रह्मैवेदमम पुरस्ता ब्र पश्चा ब्र द��णतश्चोत्तर । अधश्चोध् च प्रसृ ब्रह्मैव

�वश्�मदं व�रष्ठ म
brahmaivēdamamr̥taṁ purastād brahma paścād brahma
dakṣiṇataścōttarēṇa | adhaścōrdhvaṁ ca prasr̥taṁ brahmaivēdaṁ
viśvamidaṁ variṣṭham
What you have been talking as the world is really not a world, it is a word
only. You have to remove the 'L". L is error; that is all. So world is only a word; but
the substance behind is Brahman. What is that Brahman? Nothing but I; that he is
going to say later. Why the scientists also are reducing the world into some other
substance. If you see the progress of science, the entire world is reduced to 100 +
elements. If you are science student, who have students; earlier they said 93
elements they said; then 99 they said; then 103 they said; they are going on adding;
they have reduced to 100 and odd elements, starting with Aluminum, alimony,
barium, etc. that chart; table; periodic tables. All those things we study. After all the
elements were reduced to molecules; and all the molecules were reduced to atoms;
and in Dalton theory they said: atom cannot be further broken; and later; and in
fact, the very word atom means the final substance. And they have broken the atom
also, but they retained the word atom, because the word atom means that it cannot
be further reduced. But later atom were reduced into subatomic particles; and they
are reducing it to further quarts and other things; and later they say as you go
deeper and deeper, the external matter does not seem to exist separate from the
Page 1056

observer. It is all getting reduced to what; the observer. And what is observer. That
is Brahman. That we have already said long back.
So they call it observer, we call it Brahman, the ultimate irreducible substance is the
observer. Every thing observed is non-substantial; and all the non-substantial
observed world can be reduced into the irreducable observer. This who said.
Mundakopāṇiṣad said: Brahmaiva idam, viśvaṁ. The whole universe is Brahman. Iti
artharva niṣṭa variṣṭa śrautī vāṇī brute. Vāṇī means the mantra. So here vāṇī means
the mantra; which mantra; mundaka upaṇiṣad. 2.2.11; I think; I am telling from
memory; you can refer to the Mundakopāṇiṣad. And what type of vāṇī? Variṣṭa vāṇī;
the great statement. And why is the statement called great statement? Because it is
a statement which negates the world itself. How powerful it must be? It is a world
negating statement. It is a statement which reduces the world into a word. It is a
statement which reduces the world into a word.
यन्ने�तने�तवचनै�नर्ग अवोचं_
स्त दे वदे वमजमच्युतमाहुर�य म ॥२॥ ….प्रातभर्ज
yannētinētivacanairnigamā avōcaṁ_
staṁ dēvadēvamajamacyutamāhuragryam ||2|| ….prātarbhajāmi
Śankarācārya writes a pratah smaraṇa slōka. It is a very popular slōka. Prātaḥ

smarāmi hr̥di ātma tatvam. In that he says: daily morning remember this fact; what
fact? world is a word. Then what is the substance. I am the substance.
And when you say world is affecting me, you are indirectly saying word is affecting
the substance. Can any word affect the substance? Why are crying with the nose?
Why are you crying? World is a word. And since you forget this during the day-to-
day transactions, Śankarācārya says start the day with this remembrance. And if you
remember this fact, throughout the day, whatever crisis comes, it will be all a movie
that is taking place. Why should I be afraid of the movie? When are you afraid of the
movie. When you forget the screen. And who is the screen of the movie? I am the
screen. And that is why it is called movie. Movathi, iti movie. That which moves you,
if you forget the screen. Similarly, the word movie also moves you, if you forget the
screen. Ahaṁ viśvaṁ darpana dr̥śyamāna nagari, tulyam nijāndar gatham. Therefore
Śankarācārya says: Why are you forgetting all these? Please remember all these; he
says.
Page 1057

So this Mundaka Mantra: variṣṭa mantra: world negating mantra and where does
this mantra occur. Atharva niṣṭa. Occuring in the Atharvana vēda. So do not ask
Svāmiji, it occurs in Mundaka upaṇiṣad only. Why are you saying atharvaṇa; do not
ask. Mundaka upaṇiṣad belongs to atharvaṇa vēda. So I am in Tamil Nadu; not in
India! Tamil Nadu is in India, my dear.
So therefore atharva niṣṭa śrautī vāṇī brute. Therefore tasmat etat viśvaṁ Brahma
mātram. So this whole universe is nothing but Brahman, because arōpitasya,
adiṣṭānāt bhinnata nāsti. A superimposed name cannot exist separate from
the substance. A superimposed name like what? pot cannot exist separate from
the substantial clay. Similarly, the superimposed name, the world cannot exist,
separate from the substance.
In this place, we are saying the substance as Brahman Brahman, because still
jīvātma paramātma aikyam has not been talked about. We say there is no world
separate form Brahman.
But what is the next stage? That Brahman is myself and therefore there is no world
separate from Me. That is why in Taittariya Upaṇiṣad, the conclusion is so beautiful,
where the jñāni jumps with joy and says:
अ'हमन्न'हमन्न'हमन्न म ।
अहमन्नादो३हमन्नादो३अहमन्नाद ।
अह श्लोककृद श्लोककृद श्लोककृत ।

a’hamannama’hamannama’hamannam |
ahamannādō:'3hamannādō:'3ahamannādaḥ |
aha ślōkakr̥daha ślōkakr̥daha ślōkakr̥t |
Why are we elongating the chant? He is signing. It is sāma gānaṁ. Therefore you
have to imagine different rāgas. aha ślōkakr̥daha ślōkakr̥daha ślōkakr̥t. I am the
subject. I am the object; I am the instrument. I am the experience. I am the
consequence. Everything. So this is the teaching. Na adhiṣṭānāt arōpittasya
bhinnatha nāsti. Superimposed cannot exist separate from the adhiṣṭānam.
Page 1058

Hari Om.
Page 1059

Page 1060

082. Verses 232 to 234
कुतो मष
के ना�प म�ृ द्भन्न स्वरू
घटस् संदशर्�यतु न शक्यत |
अतो घटः किल्प एव मोहा-
न्मृद े सत्य परमाथर्भूत म ||२२९||
सद्ब्रह्म सकलं सदे वं
तन्मात्रमे ततोऽन्यदिस |
अस्ती� यो विक् न तस् मोहो
�व�नगर्त �न�द्रतवत्प् ||२३०||
ब्रह्मैव �वश्व�मत्य वाणी
श्रौ ब्रूतेऽथवर्�न व�रष्ठ |
तस्माद ेतद्ब्रह् �ह �वश्व
ना�धष्ठाना�द्भन्नताऽऽरो� ||२३१||

kēnāpi mr̥dbhinnatayā svarūpaṁ
ghaṭasya saṁdarśayituṁ na śakyatē |
atō ghaṭaḥ kalpita ēva mōhā-
nmr̥dēva satyaṁ paramārthabhūtam ||229||
sadbrahmakāryaṁ sakalaṁ sadēvaṁ
tanmātramētanna tatō:'nyadasti |
astīti yō vakti na tasya mōhō
vinirgatō nidritavatprāja lpaḥ ||230||
brahmaivēdaṁ viśvamityēva vāṇī
śrautī brūtē:'tharvaniṣṭhā variṣṭhā |
tasmādētadbrahmamātraṁ hi viśvaṁ
Page 1061

nādhiṣṭhānādbhinnatā:':'rōpitasya ||231||
Śankarācārya is heading towards the central theme of the Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi text;

which happens to be the central theme of the upaṇiṣads also; and that topic is
jīvātma-paramātma aikyam, or jīva-Brahma aikyam, which is revealed through the
well-known mahāvākya statement Tat Tvam Asi. And to understand this mahāvākya
statement very clearly, we should know the meaning of Tat very clearly; we should
know the meaning of Tvam also very clearly; only then Tat Tvam Asi would be
meaningful.
So the common sense law is vōkya-jñāna utpathyārtham, pada-jñānaṁ apēkṣitham.

One cannot understand a sentence, if he does not know the meaning of the
constitutent-words. If even one word in the sentence is not known, the sentence
cannot make sense. Therefore, tat tvam asi mahāvākya jñānaṁ requires Tad
padārta jñānaṁ, and tvam padārta jñānaṁ.
And tvam padārta jñānaṁ is the meaning of the word Tvam which represents the
jīva, because Tvam means You and ‘you’ means the student, because the teacher is
addressing the student; and therefore You means the student and student happens
to be a jīva and therefore tvam means jīva, because the word Tat is a pronoun and
pronoun stands for a noun, in that context. If I have been talking about ornaments,
then the word Tat means tat ābharaṇam.
If I should know the meaning of the word Tat, I have to see the context in which
the Tat is occurring, and it is occurring in Chāndōgya Upaṇiṣad; ṣatā adhyaya; six
chapter begins with the topic of Brahman, tadēva soumya idam agra aseeth
ekamēva advitīyam. Therefore from context we know that Tat means Brahman.
Therefore Tat tvam asi means Brahman and Jīva are identical. And to assimilate the
statement, I should know what is meant by the word jīva and what is meant by
Brahman.
Of these two, first one is called Tvam pada vicāra, the second one is called Tad pada
vicāra. We have completed the Tvam pada vicāra; by way of pañja kōśa vivēka. So
through pañja kōśa vivēka, we established the fact that jīva is not any of the pañja
kōśas, jīva is the caitanyaṁ obtaining behind the pañja kōśas. That is why we use
the word jīvātma. Therefore jīva has been understood as the caitanyaṁ pervading
the pañja kōśas and the caitanyaṁ different from the pañja kōśas. Thus tvam pada
Page 1062

vicāra part is over. Before going to mahāvākyam, we have to do Tad pada vicāra
also; which means we should know what is Brahman?
And this Tad pada vicāra is taking place from verse No.223 and it goes up to verse
No.240; wherein Śankarācārya is independently analysing Brahman. So for the time
being, jīva is seated on the chair. Before programme, dignitaries would have all
come. Normally, they do not come before the programme. Ok; assuming they have
come early. They are seated on the side; then they have to come to the front; like
that, jīva discussion has been finished; one is ready, whether it is the bride or
bridgegroom is ready. Now the groom is being groomed, that is prepared; that is
Brahma vicāra. Now we have to keep aside.
And after discussing Brahman, then the Muhurtham it is going to come; it is not
published, date we do not know; during that time, we are going to say that the
caitanyaṁ is Brahman, the existence, which is the substratum of the whole creation.
It is a magnificent programme and in defining Brahman Śankarācārya has said
Brahman is jagat kāraṇam, which is a very very important discussion on Brahman,
because from this discussion, we conclude that there is no creation separate from
Brahman.
So before coming to aikyam, creation has to be eliminated. Or else what will happen.
Jīva Brahma aikyam will take place and still the world will continue to hang as a
separate entity. Therefore before jīva-brahma aikyam takes place, the world has to
be eliminated. Elimination through wisdom; jñāna nāśaḥ; jñāna nāśaḥ means not
jñānasya nāśaḥ; jñānēna nāśaḥ. Destruction of the world through knowledge; if you
remember the example, destruction of desk through the knowledge, how does it
take place? By knowing that there is no desk at all other than the Word Desk; the
substance is only wood. So the desk is reduced to nāma māthram, by knowing the
content. Ornaments are reduced to nāma māthram, by knowing the contents.
Similarly world has to be reduced to nāma māthram, by knowing the contents. For
ābharaṇam the content is gold; for the desk, the content is wood; for the world, the
content is Brahman.
And therefore, Śankarācārya says May you reduce the world into nāma māthram,
which is swallowing the world, because it exists only for name-sake, whatever exists
for name-sake is as good as non-existent. Nāma māthra sattā is equal to mithya;
Page 1063

mithya is equal to asat; it need not be counted at all and therefore the world has to
be taken out of reckoning.
Then what will happen? Jīva Brahma jagat; out of these three; jagat would be gone;
and now we have reduced three into two. Are you understanding. Jīva Brahma or
Īśvara and jagat. By analysing Īśvara and Jagat and showing that Īśvara is kāraṇam
and jagat is kāryam and by showing that there is no kāryam other than kāraṇam,
the world is swallowed by Īśvara. So from three, how much is there now. Only two;
jīva and Brahma. Then the next stage is what? This jīva and Brahma will also be
merged and it will be reduced to one; ātma. Jīvātma and paramātma will be reduced
to one ātma. And this is called advaita siddhi.
Now we are in which stage? Reducing three into two stage. Thereafter reducing two
into one.
And Śankarācārya studied this by taking the example of clay and pot and pointed
out that pot is Nāma māthra. Similarly he said the world is nāma māthram.
Then in Śankarācārya in 231 said that this conclusion is not my personal philosophy;
this advaita philosophy is not my philosophy; but it is scriptural teaching. Therefore,
at regular intervals, he has to validate his teaching; by giving the scriptural support
and therefore he quoted the Mundakopāṇiṣad vākyam, Second chapter, first section,
last mantra; and second chapter, second section, last mantra; both talk about the
same thing.
In one it says: पुरु एवेदं �वश्व कमर तपो ब्र परामत

ृ म ् । puruṣa ēvēdaṁ viśvaṁ karma
tapō brahma parāmr̥tam. That is Brahman alone is manifesting in the form of world;
there is no substance called world.
And in the second chapter, second section, last verse says:

�वश्व�मद व�रष्ठ म ॥ ११ ॥
viśvamidaṁ variṣṭham || 11 ||
Page 1064

What you call world is nothing but Brahman only. And this is the well known
statement; Brahma satyam, jagan mithya. Brahman is the substance; world is only
name.
सत्य य�द स्याज्जगदेतदात्म

नन्तत्वहा�न�नर्गमाप्र |
असत्यवा�दत्वमपी�शत स्य-
न्नैतत्त साधु �हतं महात्मना म ||२३२||
satyaṁ yadi syājjagadētadātmanō:'
nantatvahānirnigamāpramāṇatā |
asatyavāditvamapīśituḥ syā-
nnaitattrayaṁ sādhu hitaṁ mahātmanām ||232||
So in the previous verse, Śankarācārya pointed out that the world is not a
substance. There is only one substance; that is Brahman. Now in this verse,
Śankarācārya says suppose you accept world is an independent substance and
Brahman is another independent substance, what will be problem? In the
acceptance of the reality of the world, what all will be the negative consequences?
And he says: there are many negative consequences; there will be the cascading
effect. There will be one problem; and which will lead to another problem; which will
lead to another problem; there will be so many problems.
And those problems are enlisted here and therefore you should not accept world as
independent reality. And what are those problems? He says, yadi jagath satyam
syaat; for the sake of argument, let us suppose that the world is real; like most of
the other systems of philosophy, Sānkya, yōga, nyāya, vaiśeṣikā; all the people;
dvaitam; and viśiṣta dvaitam; all the people say world is real. Advaitin is the only
minority; therefore it should be protected also; miniority status you see! is the only
miniority who says the world is unreal.
And he says: suppose it is taken as real, because of majority vote; what will be the
problem? Ātmanaḥ ananthatva hāni; Brahman will lose the status of being infinite;
because can you see the reason? World is also real; Brahman is also real; there are
two realities; therefore each one will limit the other. There will be dēśa pariccēda;
space wise limitation; kālaḥ pariccēda; once space limitation comes, time limitation
Page 1065

will come; and finally there will be vasthu pariccēda; each one will be limited by its
own status. It is called status-limitation.
So dēśa-pariccēda you can understand. If in the entire place, there is only one
person; you can sit as you wish, keeping the leg straight, spread, etc. As even the
number of student increase, what happens? Then you have to sit on other's lap. As
the number increases, the space is limited. If the second person who enters is a
shadow; suppose a person is standing there and shadow is entering the room, it will
not limit, because shadow being mithya, mithya second thing cannot limit; but
sathyam second thing will limit. Therefore if the world is sathyam, poor Brahman will
be limited. This is dēśa-pariccēda.
And wherever special-limitation comes, time-wise limitation will also come; because
space and time are interconnected.
And what is vasthu-pariccēda? Vasthu pariccēda means just by enjoying a particular

status; I automatically exclude or lose all the other statuses. If I claim I am a human
being, automatically I am saying what? I am not an animal; I am not a table; I am
not a tree; I am not a mountain. Thus human_ness limit me by excluding
animal_ness. This is called vasthu-pariccēda; status-wise limitation; property-wise
limitation. Chair is limited by chair_ness. That means what? By enjoying chair_ness,
it is missing table_ness; desk_ness; carpet_ness; man_ness.
Similarly, if Brahman and world are two separate entities; Brahman by being
Brahman, it will lose world status and the world will lose Brahman status. World
losing Brahman status; no problem; as it is limited. But Brahman will by being
Brahman lose world-status. This is called vasthu-pariccēda. Therefore if the world is
real, first problem is what? Brahman loses ananthatvam. So Śankarācārya says:
ananthatva hāniḥ; hāniḥ means loss. Loss of what? The status. What status?
ananthatvam.
Then the student may ask: Let Brahman lose its status; So what? why should you
assume that Brahman should enjoy ananthatva status. Like some party people tell;
their leader is permanent Chief Minister and when they lose the election, they are
worried. They assumed that the Chief Ministership should be permanent; and they
are getting hurt. So one may ask, why should Brahman have ananthatva status.
Why can’t we say Brahman is also limited?
Page 1066

Like many theologists say: Lord is elsewhere; world is elsewhere. And according to
them Lord is a person. Sitting in Vaikuntam or in Kailasa, etc. Parvathi is sitting near;
Lakshmi is sitting near and massaging the legs etc. That's all symbolic. There are
people who believe that God is a physical person and therefore in their philosophy, it
is OK; God can be limited. So why can't we think that God is, or Brahman is, a
separate entity and let it be finite; so what?
Śankarācārya says that cannot be because: if Brahman is taken as limited, the śruti
definition of Brahman will be falsified; and what is the basic definition of Brahman.
ॐ ब्रह्म � आप्नो� परम ्॥ ōm̐ brahmavit āpnōti param|| tadeṣapyuktā;
satyam jñānaṁ, anantaṁ Brahma.
Brahman is defined by the vēda as anantaṁ. If you are going to negate the
ananthatvam of Brahman, it means the vēdic definition is invalid. That means, vēda
is no more a reliable source of knowledge. So the vēda becoming invalid; vēda
losing the status of being a reliable source of knowledge is called vēda apramāṇatha.
Vēda apramāṇatha and here the word nigama means vēda. So nigama apramāṇatha
means vēda apramāṇatha.
So then a person may ask the question. Let it be there. Why should I accept vēda as
a source of knowledge? Maybe taken as a prattle. Somebody else has prattled
something. So it is the view of the ṛṣi; it may be wrong, why should I accept? Why
should vēda be taken as a pramāṇa.
For that Śankarācārya is not giving the answer here; because according to him: the
very study has started with the assumption of vēda as pramāṇam. If you are going
to question vēda prāmāṇyam, this is not the place to discuss that: we are willing to
discuss that also; but that is not.
Like a cricket match is going. And an umpire has given out; now the batsman should
not question the umpiring; because when they started the game, they have all
accepted the umpire. In that particular game, if the umpire has given out; better you
walk out. If the umpire is not a qualified umpire, that cannot be discussed in this
game. In the next game, whether he should be umpire or not we can discuss.
Page 1067

Similarly, before coming to Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi class, we have said: vivēka, vairāgyaṁ,

śāmādi ṣaṭka saṁpatti, mumukstatvam. In śamādhi ṣaṭka sampthi, śama, dama,
uparama, tithiksha, then, śraddhāḥ. We have assumed vēda as pramāṇa, and this
teaching going to such people who have accepted vēda-prāmaṇyam. So the teaching
is addressed to an aāstika. Āstika means what? the one who accepts vēdic validity.
And suppose there are people who are nāstikas, who do not accept vēdic validity,
we have got separate classes for them also; and we will discuss that: why we say
Vēda is pramāṇam; that is we have got vēdantic texts, dealing with vēda
prāmaṇyam. Śankarācāryā does not go to that, because Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi is
addressed to āstika. And in vēdic tradition, nobody wants to get the status of
nāstika. At that time, to say that some one is a nāstika, is to lose one's life.
Śankarācārya need not argue at all; you will become a nāstika if you are questioning
the vēda prāmāṇikatha. And therefore he says: vēda will become apramāṇam. Not
only vēda pramāṇam will go away, vēda comes under śruti; Śankarācārya says: even
smr̥ti pramāṇam will lose its validity; smr̥ti being the Bhagavat Gītā. Therefore he
says: Ishithuhu asatya vādhitvam apisyat. Not only vēda will become apramāṇam,
Gītā will also become apramāṇam; and Gītā means what: Īśvara's teaching, because
all the Aāstikaas admit that the Gītā is a teaching of Pārthāya Prathibhoditham
Bhagavatha Nārayaṇāna svayaṁ. And Īśvara's, Krishna's words will also become
falsified. Therefore he says: īśituḥ krishnasya asatya vāditvam syāt; Krishna will
become a liar. Would you accept Krishna is a liar?
So how Krishna will become a liar; that Śankarācārya will explain in the next verse.
Here he tells this much; that if the world is taken as real; Gītā teaching will also
become invalid. How he will explain later. So īśituḥ asatya vāditvam api syāt.
Thus there will be three consequences. One is Brahman will become limited; No.2
vēda will become invalid. No.3 Gītā, or Krishna's teaching, will become invalid. These
are the three doṣaḥs; and āstika puruṣaḥ will never accept these three.
And if a person says; Ok; let it be all false if you say, then, you come under nāstika.
Nāstika has a different field, different texts are there. In Brahma Sūtra, Jaina matha
is discussed, which is nāstika vāda; Buddhism is discussed, which is nāstika vāda.
When that topic comes, we will discuss that there. Not now, he says.
Page 1068

Etat trayaṁ mahātmanām na sādu. These three defects will not be acceptable to
mahātmās. This is Śankarācārya statement. He says every āstika is a mahātma. And
according to Manu smr̥ti, a nāstika, however a great a person may be, he comes
under asura category; he will only get Naraka; Manusmr̥ti says that.
Ya vēda vākyāt smrutayaha;

yascha kascha kudrshtayaha;
sārvasthan nisphalā prethya,
tamō niṣṭahi taa smrithāḥ;
In fact, we would talk with nāstikās at all. In fact, he does not deserve to be
addressed by us. And if at all we criticise the naaāstikas, we do not do that to
nāstikaas. To nāstikās we will teach how to criticise nāstikās; we would not address
a nāstika; we will say world is wide enough; you have your life, let me have my life.
We never approach nāstikā. We will only teach the faults of the nāstikada vāda to an
āstika and not address a nāstikā directly to bring out the defects of his nāstika vāda.
Because according to us, he does not deserve even that much.
And therefore etat trayaṁ; these three; mahātmānam āstikānam, for the āstikās, na
sādu. It is not correct; it is improper. And not only it is improper; Śankarācārya says:
na hitam. So na hitaṁ means it is not good for you. Here Śankarācārya talks as a
well-wisher. Do not argue with me. You do not know what is good for you; what is
bad for you. Like a child trying to argue with a parent; the parent says: you are not
mature enough to know what is the problem with nāstika vāda. You understand
vēdānta very well and once you are mature enough, then you will see the problems
of nāstika vāda. Therefore, you better listen carefully to what I am saying now.
Be āstikaḥ. So it is neither good for you nor is it proper for you. So the last line is:
naitattrayaṁ it is there; etat trayaṁ; so these three assumptions; mahātmānam na
sādu; for āstikās, these three ideas are not proper to accept and na hitam; it is not
good for your progress in life also.
ईश्वर वस्तुतत्त् न चाहं तेष्वविस्थ |
न च मत्स्था भूतानीत्यवमेव व्यचीक्लृप ||२३३||
īśvarō vastutattvajñō na cāhaṁ tēṣvavasthitaḥ |
na ca matsthāni bhūtānītyēvamēva vyacīklr̥pat ||233||
Page 1069

So he is explaining the third doṣaḥ, which was mentioned in the previous verse.
What were the three dosas? the three doṣaḥs in what? Doṣam doṣam in what? If
world is accepted as real, jagat satyatve trayaḥ doṣaḥ; first doṣaḥ is Brahman will
become limited; second doṣaḥ will be: śruti will become invalid; and the third doṣaḥ
is Gītā will become invalid or wrong teaching.
Now he is explaining the third one: how will Gītā become invalid, in accepting the
world as real. Śankarācārya says: Gītā becomes invalid because, in the Bhagavad
Gītā, Krishna established unreality of the world. Krishna or Gītā establishes the jagan
mithyatvam in the Bhagavad Gītā. And where does he establish. In the 9th chapter.
In the 9th chapter, fourth verse: the verse runs like this.
मया तत�मदं सव� जगदव्यक्तमू�तर |

मत्स्था सव्
र भूता� न चाहं तेष्वविस्थ ||९- ४||
न च मत्स्था भूता�न पश् मे योगमैश्वर म |
भूतभन्
ृ च भूतस्थ ममात्म भूतभावनः ||९- ५||
mayā tatamidaṁ sarvaṁ jagadavyaktamūrtinā |
matsthāni sarvabhūtāni na cāhaṁ tēṣvavasthitaḥ ||9- 4||
na ca matsthāni bhūtāni paśya mē yōgamaiśvaram |
bhūtabhr̥nna ca bhūtasthō mamātmā bhūtabhāvanaḥ ||9- 5||
So two verses we have to take; 4th and 5th verse. And there also, the second line of
the fourth verse, and the first line of the fifth verse; those two lines are to be taken.
And what does Krishna say here? In the first portion he says: I support the world;
therefore I am the supporter; world is supported by me. So I support the world,
whereas the world is supported by me. But the world does not support me.
It is like saying: the desk supports the book; the book does not support the desk.
The chair supports your body; your body does not support the chair. This is called
ādhara-ādēya sambhanda; supporter-supported relationship. Krishna says Īśvara is
supporter; and world is supported. Īśvara is independent; world is dependant. This
is the first part of the teaching.
But in this teaching, there is a problem. What is the problem? You say desk is
supporter. Book is supported. So that means there are two things. Dvaitin is sitting
Page 1070

near by; 'supporter-supported' will not fall in his ears. He wants to derive his
philosophy; the moment he gets this teaching, appada, there are two things; there
is a desk, which is the supporter; there is the book, which is supported; ādhāraḥ
ēkaḥ; ādēyaḥ anyaḥ. Chair is one; person who sits on the chair is two. Similarly,
Īśvara is one; world is two. Two are there. Why are you saying advaitam, advaitam
and fighting?
And Krishna knows that the dvaiti is sitting; therefore in the next line he says: na ca
matsthāni bhūtāni, there is no world in Me. Previously he said, the world is in Me,
matsthāni sarvabhūtāni, world is with me, he said. In the next line he said the world
is not with me at all. Na ca matsthāni bhūtāni.
Now how do you reconcile these two contradictory statements? If you accept the
first statement, the second statement is contradicted. If you accept the second
statement, the first is contradicted; and unfortunately or fortunately, both
statements are made by the same mischievous Krishna.
And we reconcile this only in one way. When you say a thing is: and the next
moment, you say the thing is not; when you say a thing is: it means existence;
when you say, the thing is not: it is non-existent. Then how can you make both the
statements and the statements can be valid also.
It is possible only under one circumstance, when a thing is neither existent category;
nor non-existent category; but it is seemingly existent category. Whatever is
seemingly existent; you can say it is existent from one angle; and you can say it is
non-existent from another angle.
Exactly like our dream; dream is existent from one angle; because we experience
that. And not only experience, it is experienced solidly as though real; and not only
that it can even frighten me; that the sweating can continue, even after waking up.
Therefore dream is existent, if you look from experiential angle.
But on waking up, whatever you have experienced in dream; it cannot be really
counted as a second thing. As I give the example, you have one lakh rupees of
money in the waking state, in the dream, you earned another lakh and after waking
up how many lakhs you have. One plus one two? No. The second lakh you
experienced but it cannot be counted. Therefore, certain things can be accepted as
existent from experiential angle; but it cannot be counted from factual angle; all
Page 1071

such things are called mithya; and mithya is existent also from one angle; non-
existent from another angle. To put in one word, it is seemingly existent. Therefore
what Krishna wants to say: world is seemingly existent: Is it there: Yes. Is it not
there; No; it is there. Yes, why, I experience. No. Why, on analysis it is not there.
Wall is there or not? It is. But on enquiry, it gets reduced to intangible energy. There
is no such thing as tangible wall. It is only intangible energy. Something closer to
this, there is Brahman alone; world cannot be said to be factually existent.
That is what he says here? īśvarō vastutattvajñō na, vyacīklr̥pat; Īśvaraḥ, Lord
Krishna, vyacīklr̥pat, vyacīklr̥pat means taught; stated; mentioned; said; we + clip
dāthu, it is a peculiar usage, not very common; it is called luung lakhāra; in luung
itself there are seven varieties. This is the third variety of the lunng lakhāra;
vyacīklr̥pat, means avadathu; said. Can't he have said it as avadathu; Metre would
not be proper. Therefore vyacīklr̥pat. Īśvara said, Īśvara here means Krishna.
And what did he say? Na cāhaṁ tēṣvavasthitaḥ, (Gītā 9th chapter, 4th verse) and na
ca matsthāni bhūtāni (Gītā 9th chapter, 5th verse) are quoted and the meaning is as
I explained, he said world in Me; then world is not in Me; and how should we
understand? World is seemingly there in me; which is called mithyatvam. That is, if
the world is real, Krishna cannot say world is, what, not in Me. If the world is real,
Krishna can never say world is not in Me; the very fact that Krishna negates the
world indicates that world is only seemingly existent. Iti ēvam Īśvaraḥ vyacīklr̥pat.
OK.
Krishna may say world is unreal. Why should I accept Krishna? You can keep on
asking. If someone says why should I accept? For that Śankarācārya answers, Īśvara
ha vasthu tatva jñanaḥ. The Lord is one who knows the reality.
You may be confused; I may be confused. If I ask, why should I accept that
philosopher; another person may ask why should I accept Śankarācārya. So I
criticise Rāmānuja, another person may criticise Śankarācārya; another may critcise
Madhva. So if one human being can go wrong; others also go wrong; why should
accept one? Therefore Śankarācārya says: Let us not accept human being. Īśvara ha
vasthu tatvajñaḥ. The Lord who knows the reality, has mentioned this.
And suppose he says that I do not accept him as God; that you can go on and on.
That is how advaita literature extends and extends and extends. Somebody may say
Page 1072

I do not believe in God. So you cannot give that argument. You have to give another
argument. That is how we have to go on talking talking. But one thing, any amount
you talk there will be some people who will not accept. Then what to say? Dirgha
ayuṣmān bhava. Live and let live.
य�द सत्य भवेद्�वश् सुषुप्तामुपलभ्यता |

यन्नोपलभ्य �किञ्चदतोऽसत्स्वप्नवन ||२३४||
yadi satyaṁ bhavēdviśvaṁ suṣuptāmupalabhyatām |
yannōpalabhyatē kiñcidatō:'satsvapnavanmr̥ṣā ||234||
Here Śankarācārya gives another support; experiential support to point out that the
world is not real. It is not the intrinsic nature of Brahman; intrinsic nature of
consciousness. And what is the support he gives? Whatever is an intrinsic
nature of something, it will be permanently there. Like heat in the fire. Heat
is intrinsic nature; therefore fire will be ever hot; whereas heat is not the intrinsic
nature of water; that is why water is hot for sometime and thereafter it again goes
cold.
Now similarly I want to find out what is my intrinsic nature. If you analyse, my
puruṣatvam; that I am a human being, that an Intellectual or emotional; all these
attributes that I posses, they are incidental attributes; experienced in jāgrat and
svapna.
In suṣupti, all these attributes are shed and still I exist. My physical personality is
shed; emotional personality is shed, intellectual personality, everything is gone; what
is there? I, the caitanyaṁ tatvam alone remains. That I remain as caitanyaṁ: what
is the proof? That I am able to talk about the absence of everything in sleep itself is
indicative of my cētana svabhāva and therefore the cētana svabhāva alone is real;
and whatever acētana aspect I experience, that is unreal.
And once I establish the unreality of my physical aspect and the emotional, I can
extend it to the world also; because, the very proof for the world is my physicality;
only when I am identified with the physical body; I am experiencing the world;
therefore the physical body and physical world are of similar nature; therefore the
physical body is proved to be unreal; I can extend it to the physical world also.
Therefore Śankarācārya goes by that approach; prove the unreality of the body in
suṣupti. Then you have proved the unreality of the physical world; why, body and
Page 1073

world have got similar status. What is similar status? this is also pānca boudika; that
is also pānca boudika. Pānca boudika sarriram is subject to arrival and departure and
therefore it is unreal; pānca boudika prapañja also must be of the same nature. Of
course this is not a proving logic. This is a supporting logic for what the śruti has
already talked. The exact meaning we will see in the next class.
Hari Om.
Page 1074

083. Verses 234 to 237
ईश्वर वस्तुतत्�ो न चाहं तेष्वविस्थ |

न च मत्स्था भूतानीत्येवमे व्यचीक्लृप ||२३३||
य�द सत्य भवेद्�वश् सुषुप्तामुपलभ्यता |
यन्नोपलभ्य �किञ्चदतोऽसत्स्वप्नवन ||२३४||
īśvarō vastutattvajñō na cāhaṁ tēṣvavasthitaḥ |
na ca matsthāni bhūtānītyēvamēva vyacīklr̥pat ||233||
yadi satyaṁ bhavēdviśvaṁ suṣuptāmupalabhyatām |
yannōpalabhyatē kiñcidatō:'satsvapnavanmr̥ṣā ||234||
In the Mahāvākya, Tattvamasi, first we analysed the words occurring in the

mahāvākya, which is called pada-vicārah; and thereafter we analysed the whole
sentence to arrive at the meaning; which is called vākya vicārah.
And in pada vicārah, sometimes tvam pada is taken in the beginning, sometimes,
tad pada is taken in the beginning; there is no sanctity about the order; in any
order, we can do the pada vicārah.
In Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi, tvam pada vicārah has already been done by doing pañja kōśa
vivēka. And that was done from verse No. 210 to 222.
And thereafter tad pada vicārah is going on; which is from 223 to 240.
And in tad pada vicārah, we understand the nature of Brahman as satyam; and jagat
as mithya. Brahma satyam jagan mithya is to be understood through tad pada
vicārah.
And to understand this idea, we talk about the relationship between Brahman and
the world; and the relationship is revealed by the śruti as kārya-kāraṇa saṁbandah;
particularly kārya upādhāna kāraṇa saṁbandah.
And once we know that Brahman is kāraṇam; and world is kāryam, we are ready for
deriving a very important corollary; and what is that? Kāryam does not exist
Page 1075

separate from kāraṇam; kāryam is not a substance; kāryam is only nama rūpa;
which depends upon kāraṇam.
And since kāraṇam is a substance existing independently, it is called satyam; and

since kāryam is mere nāma rūpa, existing independently it is called mithya. So
Brahma satyam, jagath mithya.
This is presented in the form of a logical statement; jagath mithya, kāryatvāt

ghaṭavath. This is the anumāna vākyam; jagath mithya, kāryatvāt ghaṭavath.
And having logically established that, Śankarācārya points out that the mithyatvam
of the world is supported is śruti pramāṇam also; smr̥ti pramāṇam also; and as śruti
pramāṇam he quoted Mundakopāṇiṣad; which says, everything is nothing but
Brahman alone; there is no world other than Brahman.
And after giving the śruti support; Śankarācārya gave smrti support also, in the form
of Gītā vākyam; matsthāni sarva bhūtāni, na ca matsthāni bhūtāni. The world is in
me apparently, but in reality, the world is not there in me.
And now in the present verse, which I introduced in the last class, Śankarācārya
gives our experience also in support of the mithyatvam of the world.
And what is the experiential support? We experience dream world very tangibly. We
experience the dream world very tangibly. And the dream world is very real; when
we are in dream. And it is capable of giving all the emotions which the waking world
can give. It can produce rāga, dvēṣa; kāma, krōdhaḥ, above all; bhayaṁ, whether
anything else is there or not, the dream can produce fear also. So that means what?
The dream has got utility; the dream is capable of producing every emotions that
the other world can create; and the dream is tangibly felt also. And still that dream
we know is false. And why is it false? Because on waking; it disappears. On waking,
it disappears; and therefore we use a logic in vēdānta; what appears and disappears
is unreal. Yatu vyabhicarat swarūpam; technical word used is vyabhicarat svarūpam;
what appears and disappears is unreal; what is the example, svapna prapañja; and
extending this logic, Śankarācārya argues that jāgrat prapañja is also exactly like
svapna prapañja.
Page 1076

So this world is also tangible; this world is also useful; and this world is also capable
of generating rāga dvēṣa, kāma krōdhaḥ, and above all, bhayaṁ. So it enjoys the
same status as the dream world, which we call as vyabhicara svarūpam.
And therefore what is the logic? Jāgrat prapañjaḥ mithya; vyabhicarath

svarūpathvaat svapnavat. So this argument is used by Gaudapādācārya very
elaborately in Mānḍukya kārika, second chapter, vaithathya prakaraṇam. That is the
idea that Śankarācārya also uses in one verse, yathi satyam bhavēt viśvaṁ,
suṣupthō upalabhyatām. If the world is real, like caitanyaṁ. So caitanyaṁ is real;
and it is available in which state, it is available in which state, you should ask a
counter question; it is not available in which state? Therefore caitanyaṁ which is
real, is available in all the states; whereas svapna which is unreal, is available only at
certain times.
So what is unreal is partially available; what is real is ever available.

Keeping this maxim; this is called vyāpthiḥ in logical language; Śaṁkarācāryā gives
this maxim; What is the maxim? What is unreal is temporarily available; what
is real is permanently available.
And applying this maxim, Śankarācārya asks, if jāgrat prapañja is also real; it should
have been permanently available. But what is our experience. He says yati viśvaṁ
satyam bhavēt. If the world is real; suṣupthō upalabhyatām. Let it be available in
suṣupti avastha also. So let it be available in suṣupti avastha also, like what? We
have to remember: caitanyavat. Like the caitanyaṁ; which is available in suṣupti.
That the caitanyaṁ is available in suṣupti is proved how: the very fact that we are
talking about suṣupti is the proof for the availability of caitanyaṁ. But the world is
not available in suṣupti.
Therefore Śankarācārya says: suṣupthō upalabhyatām. Let it be available; but what

is the fact? Kinchit na upalabhyatē. But our personal experience is kinchit na
upalabhyate. Nothing is experienced in suṣupti. That we have to supply. Sushupthau
kinchit na upalabhyatē. So in suṣupti, deep sleep state, nothing is experienced.
And when we say nothing, it should include dēśa, even space is not experienced;
kālaḥ, even time is not experienced; we are really dēśa athītha and we are kālaḥ
athītha; and when dēśa and kālaḥ are not there; what to talk of things, because
Page 1077

things can exist only in dēśa kālaḥ. Therefore dēśa, kālaḥ, padārthāḥ, all these are
gone.
That means what? they are all subject to arrival and departure, like what?
svapnavath. Or another example, rajju sarpavath; our rope-snake is always handy.
Two things, svapna and rajju-sarpa; rope snake. Yathu, in the second line, first
word, yathu means since, yasmāt, because of this reason. Because of which reason?
since jāgrat prapañja is not experienced in suṣupti, what is the conclusion? athaḥ,
therefore, asath mr̥ṣā; asat means it is unreal; it is dependently existent. It is
dependently existent; dependent on what? Consciousness.
So the essence is nothing can be proved to be existent without the support of the
consciousness. To say that something is existent, what is the first thing needed?
somebody has to be aware of that.
Can you talk about the existence of something without being aware of that? I need
not be aware; I am saying, somebody has to be aware; that means, it should fall
within the scope of consciousness. Suppose you accept the existence of something,
without falling within the scope of consciousness; then what will be tragedy;
suppose you say things are existent, even if it is available for consciousness; then I
will say: in this room, there is an elephant; Svāmiji how do you say that there is an
elephant? Just to say that there is an elephant; but I do not see; No No No; this
elephant nobody can see; nobody can hear; nobody can smell; nobody can taste,
nobody can interact; at least will it make some changes in the scientific equipments.
No. it will not make any change also. Now will you accept the existence of such an
elephant? Elephant; not necessarily an elephant, it may be anything. You do not
accept the existence of something, if it is not available for knowledge through some
means or other; either perceptual knowledge or inferential knowledge or any of the
six pramāṇaṁs or five pramāṇaṁs.
This is the vēdantic maxim called mānādēna mēya siddhi; mēya means object. Any
object is proved only if it is knowable. And knowledge requires what? Conciousness.
Therefore existence of any thing depends on knowledge. Knowledge depends on
what? Consciousness and therefore any existence depends upon consciousness.
Therefore, asat, asat means the entire jāgrath prapañja is asat; because it depends
on what? Depends on my perception. And he wants to prove that by giving example;
Page 1078

svapnavat mr̥ṣā; it is unreal like the svapna. It is mr̥ṣā means unreal; unreal means
dependently existent like svapna.
So the details are in vaithathya prakaraṇaṁ; I do not want to go to that here. But
Śankarācārya hints at it.
अतः पथ
ृ ङ्नािस जगत्परात्म
पथ
ृ क्प्रती�त मष
ृ ा गुणा�दवत् |
आरो�पतस्यािस �कमथर्वत्त-
�धष्ठानमाभा� तथा भ्रम ||२३५||
ataḥ pr̥thaṅnāsti jagatparātmanaḥ
pr̥thakpratītistu mr̥ṣā guṇādivat |
ārōpitasyāsti kimarthavattā:'-
dhiṣṭhānamābhāti tathā bhramēṇa ||235||
So he is winding up the discussion that the inert matter depends upon consciousness
for its existence. Any inert thing depends upon the consciousness for its existence.
And inert matter is the jagath or world; consciousness is Brahman and therefore the
world depends on Brahman for its existence and therefore world is mithya; Brahman
is satyam.
That is what is said here. Athaḥ; so because of the śruti pramāṇam, because of the
smr̥ti pramāṇam, and also because of yukti pramāṇam, logic and when I say logic, it
is not a dry logic; śruti supported logic; and also finally our experience also. What
experience? Jāgrat, svapna, suṣupti experience. Therefore śruti, smr̥ti, yukti
anubhava. Because of this four supports, ataḥ, jagath pr̥thak nāsti. The world does
not exist independent of, separate from.
We do not say world is not there and put full stop. Very careful. We have to always
say: world does not exist independently. I do not say the desk is not there; I will say
the desk is not there separate from wood. So here also, the world does not exist:
prithak; prithak means separate from, parātmanaḥ; parātma means Brahman. So
that means world is mithya, Brahman is satyam.
But I do experience it separately, if somebody says Śankarācārya says, it is born out

of your confusion. Because we give a separate name, we think that it is a separate
Page 1079

object; this is our orientation. I have given the example. When we take the
inventory of things in a room; whatever are there, we will write a list: table, chair,
radio, television, almirah. If you have got 10 items in the list; the names are ten and
correspondingly what will be in your mind; the objects are also ten. Nāmas are ten;
therefore you conclude what? nāmis or padārthās are ten. This is our normal
orientation. More names; more objects.
But what vēdānta says is: it need not be true always. You can have two nāmas and
you need not have two substances. The example is mud and pot; wood and desk.
Gold bangle, chain, ring; how many names? gold bangle, chain, ring; four names are
there; but how many substances are there? There is only one. So thus, always many
names do not prove many objects. This is true especially when one word refers to
kāraṇam and the other word refers to kāryam; the words are many, substance is
one. Vēdānta wants to say: Brahman and world are like that; two words only but not
two substances. World is another name for Brahman. Just as desk is another name
for wood; bangle is another name for gold; world is another name for Brahman;
because it is the product of Brahman.
Therefore he says: pr̥thakpratītistu; the idea of duality; the idea of plurality, the idea
of difference; the notion of difference; caused by what? because of many names.
These names have created problems. We invent new names and we get into trouble.
In fact now for every object, there is an American word; there is a British word. Now
India is in transition period.
We were under the grip of British English; now gradually all our children are in
America and they go there and come here and you find that lift is elēvator; biscuit
they say cookies; lorry they say truck; petrol pump is gas station; for us gas is LPG;
gas station means petrol pump.
Now the words can create problems and in fact, according to vēdānta, the ultimate
saṁsāra is verbal. The ultimate saṁsāra is verbal alone. So prathak pr̥thakpratītistu;
the idea of duality; the consequent limitation; the consequent birth; you call a wave,
you are a samsāri; because you will talk about birth of a wave; and when you talk
about birth of a wave, death also should come. You use the word wave, your mind
has the thought of mortality. You use the word water, then the thought of mortality
is gone; immortality has come.
Page 1080

So how difference in a word, brings about the difference in the very concept itself.
That is why do not say: what is in a name? There is a lot in a name. That is why
they are changing the names also. Undeveloped country you cannot say: under-
develped country you cannot say; that is insult; you should say developing country.
what it means; words; hearing impaired; you cannot say deaf; hearing impaired;
barbar shop you cannot say; hair dressing saloon; words make the difference.
Similarly we have invented words and we are trapped by the same words. But at the
same time, we should have different words for transaction. If I use the same words,
there will be confusion.
Therefore what Vēdānta says is; let there be words for transaction, but you
remember that words are only for transactions; words have got only transactional
reality; this is called vyavahariha satyam. Bangle is bangle, chain is chain, bangle is
different from chain; chain is different from bangle; this is called what? vyavahārika
satyam; empirical reality; because it serves a empirical purpose; but use it only or
empirical purpose, do not take deep into your heart; if you take deep into your
heart; every birth and every death will cause saṁsāra in your mind.
And therefore pr̥thakpratītistu; means the plurality; the notion of plurality is mr̥ṣa; is
an error; it is a confusion; it is a misconception. Like what; guṇāti vat; there is an
alternative reading, which is better; instead of guṇāti, it can be guṇāḥ; ha kāra;
guṇāhi vat; guṇahi means rajju-sarpa. Guṇaḥ means rope, ahi means snake, guṇa
ahi means rope-snake.
So rope snake is seemingly different from rope; but there is no substantial snake
other than the rope. And what is the reason? It says: arōpitasya arthavattha kim
asthi. Can a superimposed thing have substantiality. Arthavattha means
substantiality. Can a superimposed thing have substantiality? Like what? can bangle
have substantiality; can chain have substantiality? Bangle chain, etc. are
superimposed nāma rūpa. So arthavattha kim asthi. So it is not a question. It has
got an answer. Can it have substantiality if you say what it means; it can never have
substantiality.
Then what is the appearance? He says: athiṣṭānam ēva tathā abhāti. It is one
substance which is appearing in manifold manner. Athiṣṭānam, it is one substatrum,
one substance alone, which is appearing pluralistically. In a manifold manner. So
therefore use the plurality; do not lean upon plurality; remember, card board chair.
Page 1081

You can use for Navarātri, do everything with a card board chair, except what?
sitting over it. What will happen if you sit; head will break. Remember. Similarly, the
whole world is a cardboard chair only. It does not have substantiality of its own;
there is only one basic substance and that is Brahman; the consciousness principle.
So athiṣṭānam ēva tathā abhāti, because of what; brahmēna, because of confusion;
because of aberration.
भ्रान् यद्यद्भ् प्रती

ब्रह् तत्तद्र �ह शुिक्त |
इदंतया ब्र सदै व रूप्य
त्वारो�पत ब्रह् नाममात्र ||२३६||
bhrāntasya yadyadbhRāmataḥ pratītaṁ
brahmaiva tattadrāja taṁ hi śuktiḥ |
idaṁtayā brahma sadaiva rūpyatē
tvārōpitaṁ brahmaṇi nāmamātram ||236||
yath yath pratitam tat tat brahmaiva; whatever is experienced by us is Brahman.

Just like in the ocean, whether you experience wave, whether you experience
bubbles; whether you experience froth, all are nothing but what? One water alone;
which is called ocean; which is called wave; which is called bubble; which is called
froth; they are all different names for one substance.
Similarly Brahma arpaṇam; Brahma havihi; Brahmāgnau, Brāhmaṇa hutam;

Brahmaivai tat amrutham pursthātat Brahma pascāt; all you should
remember. Yat Yat prathitaṁ, whatever is experienced, brahmataḥ; because of
brahma; confusion. So whatever is experienced pluralistically because of confusion,
tat tat; all those things are Brahmaiva, is nothing but Brahman only.
Like what? He gives an example; rajataṁ hi śuktiḥ; śuktiḥ means the mother of
pearls is called śuktiḥ. So that is the shell which is there in the beach; that shell
which is white, which is shining, and which can reflect the sunlight, appears as a
silver coin. So it is called shell-silver. In vēdānta, these two examples, they give
repeatedly; rope-snake and shell-silver. And why two examples? Rope-snake is the
example given to show how an unreal snake can frighten me; and create dvēṣa in
me. Rope-snake produces dvēṣa or hatred; how do you know hatred is produced?
Page 1082

run away. Nivr̥ttiḥ; and shell-silver is the example to show how an unreal produces
rāga or pravr̥ttiḥ.
So dvēṣa and nivr̥tti dyōdanārtam rajju sarpaḥ; rāga and pravr̥tti dyōdanārtam shell-
silver. Thus unreal can produce rāga and dvēṣa. And the whole world is like rope-
snake or shell-silver. Remember: whatever you say you like in this world is all shell-
silver. Vēdānta says; even your dearest son, for vēdānta is shell-silver. And even
your worst enemy, according to vēdānta is rope-snake. Then what is the reality.
�वद्या�वनयसम्पन ब्राह् ग�व हिस्त� |

शु�न चैव श्वपाक च पिण्डता समद�शर्न ||५- १८||
vidyāvinayasampannē brāhmaṇē gavi hastini |
śuni caiva śvapākē ca paṇḍitāḥ samadarśinaḥ ||5- 18||
There is neither scope for rāga, nor is there scope for dvēṣa. There is only one
Brahman, which is neither an object of rāga, nor is an object of dvēṣa. Ahēyam
anupāthēyam Brahma. In Lalitha Sahasranāma, you would have read, hēyōpathēya
varjitha; ahēyam anupāthēyam; there is nothing to be rejected; there is nothing to
be acquired also.
But I have many things to acquire and reject. Śankarācārya says: bhrāntasya. As
long as we have things to be acquired and rejected, according to Śankarācārya, you
come under bhrānta category; bhrānta means what? Deluded; confused. idaṁtayā
brahma sadaiva rūpyatē.
So here another beautiful idea is brought out. When a person sees rope-snake; He
shows his hand; he says: “This is a snake”. In this statement, there are two parts.
One is this and this part refers to what; whatever is there right in front. What is right
in front? The rope; Therefore this refers to the rope which is perceived by the eyes.
And therefore relatively speaking, 'this' is real. 'This' means what? This part of the
statement. Are you understanding. This_ness which I am saying is something
perceived by the eyes, which is called sāmānya aṁśa; that this part is real. And
what about is part? Is also real. This is real. Is real. Because both of them are
revealed by eyes; and therefore they are real. What is the second part of the
statement and what is unreal? The snake when I say, the snake-part is unreal. So in
the statement, the first part consisting of 'this' and 'is', is real; which corresponds to
Page 1083

the rope and the snake-part is unreal. This-part and is-part is real; snake-part is
unreal, how do you know?
When you take a torchlight, and go nearby, in the statement, which part will get
negated. Only snake-part will get negated. You retain the word 'this', which was
perceived; you retain 'is', which was perceived; you only negate the word 'snake'.
Therefore what is negatable is unreal; what is unnegated and unnegatable is real.

Very interesting. Great research has gone by. We have got so many advanced
granthās, to just studying rope-snake for hundreds of pages. Only keeping. rope-
snake analyse, analyse, analyse. So this is real; snake is unreal.
Now Śankarācārya says: when you say "This is world", in that statement also, there
are two parts. What is that? This is; there is something existent; that part and what
is the second-part; world.
Śankarācārya says in this also the world part is unreal; because it will be negated
when you study vēdānta. Vēdantic knowledge will negate the world; but what will be
retained? 'This' is retained. World will be replaced by what: Brahma. This is Brahma,
this is Brahma, that is Brahma, he is Brahma, she is Brahma; and therefore in any
error, the first part is real; the second part is unreal; there is no such thing called
total error because, total error is impossible, because every error must have a reality
underneath.
Therefore Śankarācārya says: when you say This is chair; 'This is' is real; What is
wrong; chair part is wrong; That is_ness reveals existence which belongs to
Brahman. Therefore he says: idaṁ tayā brahmaiva grihyate. You are grasping
Brahman alone, whenever you, this is. You are grasping Brahman alone, without
knowing it is Brahman; you are grasping Brahman alone. When you say This is;
exactly like that. When you say: This is a snake, what are you really perceiving?
Perceiving the rope alone; but not totally; you are only partially grasping the rope.
Suppose you do not grasp the rope completely; in the pitch darkness, you do not
grasp anything, snake cannot appear. If it is totally bright, you are going to grasp
the rope completely; then also there is no snake. Complete grasping of rope; there
is no snake. Complete ignorance of the rope, there is no snake.
Page 1084

When does snake appear. Partial grasping of the truth; then alone, the snake
appears. Similarly, when you are grasping the world, falsely, there you are grasping
the truth also partially. And what is that truth; Brahman. Therefore Śankarācārya
wants to say: everybody is grasping Brahman partially. Through what statement?
This is, when you say, you are only grasping Brahman; but what we do? When we
complete the statement, our foolishness comes out. Instead of saying: This is
Brahman, we end up saying: This is world.
So therefore he says: sadā ēva; always Brahmaiva rupyatē; Brahman is alone is

grasped and expressed also. By what? Idam taya; by the expression: this is pen; this
is pencil; this is table; this is chair; in all this is this is this is, what is that you are
grasping; you are only grasping Brahman. Then ārōpitaṁ brahmaṇi nāmamātram;
and whatever is the later part of the sentence; what is that: this is pencil; this is
book; this is my father; this is my mother; this is the ākāśa, this is ākāśa; in all
these. What is the later part; ākāśa, ākāśa, pen, pencil; they are all what: nāma
māthram. They are all mere nāmas; nāma means what: not that which Ayyangārs
wear; that represents Brahman, OK; nāma means name. So they are all mere
names, superimposed, like our snake. They are mere names superimposed, where,
on Brahman.
Therefore we all have got Brahman grasping. So never say: I have never
experienced Brahman. If you do not experience Brahman, you cannot mistake
Brahman, because mis_taking requires taking. You miss and take; you are grasping.
You cannot mistake in emptyness; therefore we all have got grasping of Brahman.
But upon the grasped Brahman, we have superimposed some extra thing; remove
those extra things, what is left is Brahman.
अतः परं ब्र सदद्�वतीय

�वशुद्ध�व�ानघ �नरञ्जन म |
प्राशान्तमाद्यन्त�वह�न
�नरन्तरानन्दरसस्वर ||२३७||
ataḥ paraṁ brahma sadadvitīyaṁ
viśudda vijñānaghanaṁ nirañjanam |
prāśāntamādyantavihīnamakriyaṁ
nirantarānandarasasvarūpam ||237||
Page 1085

Śankarācārya continues the description of Brahman further. But there is a change in

the mode of description.
In the śāstra, the description of a thing is said to be two-fold. Two methods of

describing a thing. One is called tadastha lakṣaṇam and another is called swarūpa
lakṣaṇam.
Tadastha lakṣaṇam is describing a thing in terms of other things; or from the stand
point of other things, which is called indirect description. Like describing Rāma as
the husband of Sītā; son of Daśaratha; brother of Lakṣmana; father of lava kusa; all
are Rāma's description; but from extraneous angle; from extrinsic angles it can be
termed to be extrinsic description. Extrinsic means what: from the standpoint of
things which are not integral part of Rāma. Sītā is not an integral part of Rāma. If
Sītā is an integral part of Rāma, Ravaṇa could not have abducted her. So when you
describe a thing, through other things, which are not integral to that object, it is
called indirect description.
Then there is another description; description through intrinsic features. To talk

about Rāma's height; weight, his complexion; Ajānu bāhu; aravinda dalayadākșam;
etc. and again his character; satyatvan mahāaparākramaḥ; they are all what?
intrinsic features of Rāma; from relative angle; not vēdantic angle; from vēdantic
angle these are not intrinsic; relative angle. So thus, until now, Brahman was
described as jagath kāraṇam; the cause of the world, it was revealed in terms of the
world; which is not an intrinsic part of Brahman.
And therefore what lakṣaṇam it is? tadastha lakṣaṇam; indirect description.

Description through extrinsic features; and that is the method used for the first time.
Always in the beginning, you have to do that; in the beginning you have to go
through the known through the known.
And then comes the second description; description of Brahman from its own
standpoint, in terms of intrinsic features; which is called svarūpa lakhanam. And the
following verses 237 onwards we get the same Brahman topic; but svarūpa
lakṣaṇam predominantly. Until now, tadastha lakṣaṇam.
And tadastha lakṣaṇam is important, because in tadastha lakṣaṇam alone, Brahman

is said to be the kāraṇam; world is said to be the kāryam. Unless the world is taken
Page 1086

as the kāryam, mithyātvam of the world will be established. In Svarūpa lakṣaṇam,

jagath mithyātvam will not come at all. Are you understanding.
In svarūpa lakṣaṇam, the mithyatvam of the jagath cannot come, because in

svarūpa lakṣaṇam, you do not Brahman is kāraṇam, therefore world will not become
kāryam and if the world is not a kāryam, how do you prove the mithyātvam?
Therefore in tadastha lakṣaṇam alone, Brahman is revealed as kāraṇam and then

alone world is kāryam; then alone mithya. Therefore jagan mithyātvatva siddhayē
tadastha lakṣaṇam uktam; itha param Brahaṁanaḥ svarūpa lakṣaṇam ucchyatē. All
these four verses talk about the Brahman's svarūpa lakṣaṇam, which we will see in
the next class.
Hari Om.
Page 1087

084. Verses 237 to 240
ृ ङ्नािस जगत्परात्म
अतः पथ
पथ
ृ क्प्रती�त मष
ृ ा गुणा�दवत् |
आरो�पतस्यािस �कमथर्वत्त-
�धष्ठानमाभा� तथा भ्रम ||२३५||
भ्रान् यद्यद्भ् प्रती
ब्रह् तत्तद्र �ह शुिक्त |
इदंतया ब्र सदै व रूप्य
त्वारो�पत ब्रह् नाममात्र ||२३६||
अतः परं ब्र सदद्�वतीय
�वशुद्ध�व�ानघ �नरञ्जन म |
प्राशान्तमाद्यन्त�वह�न
�नरन्तरानन्दरसस्वर ||२३७||
ataḥ pr̥thaṅnāsti jagatparātmanaḥ

pr̥thakpratītistu mr̥ṣā guṇādivat |
ārōpitasyāsti kimarthavattā:'-
dhiṣṭhānamābhāti tathā bhramēṇa ||235||
bhrāntasya yadyadbhramataḥ pratītaṁ
brahmaiva tattadrāja taṁ hi śuktiḥ |
idaṁtayā brahma sadaiva rūpyatē
tvārōpitaṁ brahmaṇi nāmamātram ||236||
ataḥ paraṁ brahma sadadvitīyaṁ
viśudda vijñānaghanaṁ nirañjanam |
prāśāntamādyantavihīnamakriyaṁ
nirantarānandarasasvarūpam ||237||
Śankarācārya is talking about the nature of Brahman in these verses, beginning from
223 onwards; and the nature of Brahman is described from two different angles;
one is called tadastha lakṣaṇam in which Brahman is described with the help of an
external factor. A factor external to Brahman. And for tadastha lakṣaṇam, an
example is given in the śāstra.
Page 1088

When there are so many houses which are very very similar in a colony, and you
want to know the house of Mr. Rāma, Rāma grihaṁ kiṁ and you cannot describe
the features of the house, because all the houses have the same features; then you
see a crow is seated on Rāma's house and it is not there on other houses. If on each
house on crow is sitting, there is no use. There is a crow on Rāma's house, then you
say, the house on which the crow is perched, kākavat grihaṁ, dēvadutta grihaṁ.
Here the house is described with the help of a crow; which is not an intrinsic feature
of the house. And once with the help of the description, you have understood the
house; then in your buddhi, you understand the house without the crow in your
mind. You do not include the crow in the house; intellectually you eliminate the
crow; not physically. How do we know that we have intellectually eliminated the
crow? Because next time when we come, we do not look for the crow again. Today
there is no crow and therefore this house does not belong to Rāma you should not
argue. Today also you know this as Rāma Grihaṁ, even though the crow is missing.
That means you have understood with the help of an extraneous factor and this way
of definition through an extraneous factor or through an extrinsic factor is called
tadastha lakṣaṇam. The word tadastha means what? tadē sthiṣṭathi iti tadasthaḥ;
that which is not intrinsic is called tada; tada means what? distantly, away, without
involvement. So crow is sitting on the house, without involvement means what?
Without being an intrinsic part of the house, the crow is perched. And therefore it is
called tadasthaḥ; asaṅgaḥ, unconnected itiarthaḥ.
Similarly according to Vēdānta, the world is not an intrinsic part of Brahman.

Brahman is not an intrinsic part of Brahman. If world is an intrinsic part of Brahman,
then Brahman will have śāvayatvam, it will have divisions; modifications, etc. and
therefore world is like the crow. Brahman is like the house. So when you show
Brahman, the house with the help of the crow-like world, then it is called tadastha
lakṣaṇam, because in this lakṣaṇam, you understand Brahman with the help of the
world alright, but once Brahman is understood, the world has to be intellectually
removed; masthāni sarva bhūtāni na masthāni bhūtāni. Introduce world,
understand Brahman, negate the world. Introduce the crow, understand the house,
then delete the crow from your intellect and this method is called tadastha
lakṣaṇam. And what is the tadastha lakṣaṇam of Brahman? jagath kāraṇam Brahma.
And this was given up to verse No.236.
And now from 237, Śankarācārya comes to svarūpa lakṣaṇam wherein Brahman is
described in terms of its own intrinsic features. Like the description of Rāma 's
Page 1089

house, in terms of his own walls, its owns windows, its own colours, etc. and that
description is called svarūpa lakṣaṇam; so verse No.237 onwards, we get svarūpa
lakṣaṇam; intrinsic definition or direct definition. So ataḥ param Brahma; the verb is
missing in this verse; we have to take the verb from the next verse and supply here.
Brahma cakāsti. Cakāsti means prakāśatē; shines.
And here the verb shines should not be taken literal, it means evident, is recognised,
is understood; because after tadastha lakṣaṇam alone, we go to svarūpa lakṣaṇam.
Svarūpa lakṣaṇam will not work in the beginning stages, we have to start with
tadastha lakṣaṇam; thereafter we should go to svarūpa lakṣaṇam. That is why
Śankarācārya uses the word Ata param. In tadastha lakṣaṇam, adhyārōpa is used
and in svarūpa lakṣaṇam, apavāda takes place.
Now we will see the features of Brahman; every word gives a description. The first
word is Brahman itself which means infinite; the biggest; sat, we have seen before,
sat means of the nature of existence as a noun; not as an adjective.
What is the difference between adjectival-existence and noun-existence? When you

understand existence as an adjective, then it is not independent, it has to depend
upon a noun; like the tallness is an abstract noun; but this tallness reveals a
property which cannot exist independently; it should always go with what? tall tree;
tall man; tall woman; tall_ness does not exist independently.
Similarly, we know the word existence as a part of something; man is existent;

woman is existent; tape recorder is existent; we know existence as an adjective
belonging to a noun; a property belonging to a substance; that is called relative
existence. Vyāvaharika sat. But Brahman is defined as the absolute sat; which is the
noun and not an adjective. Which is not dependent on substance; on the other
hand, all substances are dependent on that Brahman. That existence. So sat means
Existence with capital E; and therefore only advitiyaṁ; advitiyaṁ means without a
second. Non-dual. So why it is non-dual? If Existence is the property of an object,
then as many objects are there; so many properties also. Like if there are two tall
trees; there is the first tree which is tall; which is an independent property belonging
to tree No.1; and again tallness is the property of No.2 second tree also; so the
tallness are the distinct properties, distinct substances and in between two tress; the
tallness does not exist.
Page 1090

Similarly, if existence is understood as an adjective, then it will be pluralistic

existence; because tape recorder is, pen is, man is, book is; but what do we say?
not adjectival-existence; but existence as a noun; and therefore it is non-dual. In
fact it is one existence in which all the pluralistic names and forms are loaded or
embossed. Therefore it is advitiyaṁ.
And Śankarācārya describes this, he keeps the Upaṇiṣadic statements in mind,

because you should remember, pure existence is not available for human derivation.
It is not humanly derived idea; it cannot be perceived through senses; nor can you
derive scientifically or logically. This existence is revealed by the śāstra; we can use
intellect and perception only to assimilate the revelation; not to derive the
revelation. That is the difference between deriving-logic and assimilating-logic. We
never use deriving logic it is only assimilating logic.
And therefore what is the Upaṇiṣadic revelation kept in mind. Chandagōya upaṇiṣad;
sixth chapter, second section 6.2.1. Tadēva somya idam agra asēth; ekam
ēvadvidiyam. So before creation, pure existence only was there, without any
division. That is said here: advitiyam sat.
And viśuddha vijñāna ghanaṁ; and which is a pure mass of consciousness; pure
consciousness; here Śankarācārya is keeping Taittariya Upaṇiṣad; Satyam, jñānaṁ
anantaṁ Brahma. So viśudda vijñānaṁ means what? consciousness as a noun;
not consciousness is an adjective. Our empirical experience reveals consciousness
only as a property. We say the body is consciousness-body; sentient-body. So thus
consciousness is only experienced as a property of matter; never have we seen
consciousness as a noun; is not that you put matter in test tube and burn; the body
in a test tube; burn and let it evaporate and get the retort and another beaker;
trickles of consciousness comes!
So we have never been and we will never be able to separate consciousness from
matter and the experience it independently. Therefore, our knowledge of
consciousness is as what? property of matter. Consciousness as a separate entity
how do we know? The śruti reveals: vijñāna ghanaḥ. That ghanaḥ means what? it is
the consciousness itself. Viśuddaṁ means what: unmixed with matter. Viśudda
vijñāna ghanaṁ and therefore only nirañjanam. Nirañjanam means what? without
any impurity. Asaṅgatvāt nirañjanam. Like space which can never get tainted by
anything. This is also nirañjanam; without impurity.
Page 1091

Prașanthaṁ; ever tranquil; sound does not disturb it; ādyanta vihīnam; without
beginning or end; both space-wise and time-wise. So beyond time and space.
Transcending time and space.
Then akriyaṁ. You can understand; akriya means what: kriya rahitam, without any
action. Even the word ‘Brahman creates’ is not a correct thing, because if you say
Brahman creates a world, then Brahman is doing an action. So then how do we say
Brahman creates the world. It is a "as though". Krishna says beautifully: Tasya
karthāram api mām vidyā karthāram avyayaṁ; I am the creator of the world;
at the same time, I am not creator of the world; just as create the dream world
without motion; motionless sleep; lying down I create a dream world and the dream
world dances about in me; without touching me. Similarly, Brahman is actionless.
akriyaṁ.
Then Niranthara Ānandaḥ rasa svarūpam. It is ānandaḥ rasa svarūpaḥ; it is of the

nature of ānandaḥ; pure ānandaḥ. That rasa indicates unmixed with sorrow. And
niranthara means without any gap, which is a pūrṇa; pūrṇa ānandaḥ svarūpam.
Here often I have said that you should always remember, whenever Brahman is
defined as ānandaḥ, the word ānandaḥ should not to be translated by any word
indicating experiential pleasure.
Whenever the word ānandaḥ is used for Brahman, never use any expression which
will indicate experiential pleasure. Like joy is a word indicating experiential pleasure.
That you cannot use. Happiness you cannot use; ecstasy you cannot use; bliss you
should not use at all; because all these words indicate what? experiential pleasure.
And why do we say so: the moment you use an experiential word, it is indicative of
time; because all experiences are time-bound. There is no time-less experience.
Time-less experience is a oxi moron; it is a contradiction in terms. There is no time-
less experience, because the avastha is changing.
Any experience depends upon mind and since mind is a constantly fluctuating entity,
even if you experience something continuously, assume that you are keeping a
photo of the Bhagavān and looking at it without blinking the eyelids; after some time
it will be over and you sleep. So even if throughout the waking state, you are able to
Page 1092

manage and experience, it will go off when sleep comes and even if you go to a
state of samādhi and continuously experience, from samādhi you will come out.
Therefore, Brahman, whenever is defined as ānandaḥ, translate it as ananthaha.

Ānandaḥ is equal to ananthaḥ; Ananthaḥ means pūrṅatha; which is a non-
experiential world. It is its nature; fullness is the best translation. Fullness in English;
and anantha in Saṁsr̥kt. Never use an experiential word.
And a result of this knowledge, the mind will get fullness, which is experiential; that
is a different thing. As a result of this knowledge, the mind experiences pūrṇataḥ,
because I know Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi; the phalam of knowledge is experience, but not
Brahman itself. So therefore, niranthara ānandaḥ; that is why the word niranthara
becomes very important. Niranthara means what? unbroken ānandaḥ. Then it has to
be what; anantha alone. So niranthara anandha rasa, rasa is the same as ghanaṁ
we used in the second line; ānandaḥ ghana svarūpam. So cakāsti verb you have to
supply, such a Brahman, becomes evident; becomes understandable; is available for
knowledge.
�नरस्तमायाकृतसवर्भे
�नत्य सखं
ु �नष्कलमप्रम े |
अरूपमव्यक्तमनाख्यम
ज्यो�त स्वय �किञ्च�दद चकािस् ||२३८||
nirastamāyākr̥tasarvabhēdaṁ
nityaṁ sukhaṁ niṣkalamapramēyam |
arūpamavyaktamanākhyamavyayaṁ
jyōtiḥ svayaṁ kiñcididaṁ cakāsti ||238||
With the svarūpa lakṣaṇam of Brahman, Śankarācārya says; nirasthamāya krta

sarvabhēdam. It is non-dual, free from all differences; sarva bhēda rahitam. And
sarva bhēda means what: three-fold differences; sajātīya, vijātīya; svagata. Taking a
tree, the difference between one tree and another is called sajātīya bhēda, because
both trees belong to the same tree species.
The difference between a tree and a human being is called vijātīya bhēda; because
the tree belongs to the tree species and a human being belong to the human
species.
Page 1093

And then within the tree itself, when you talk about the internal differences, it is
called svagata bhēda.
But remember, even this distinction is a relative distinction only. Suppose somebody
asks, between a tree and a human being, is there a sajātīya bhēda or vijātīya bhēda;
what should you answer. You should not answer. You should ask the question: what
species is kept in mind? If you are going to keep in mind tree species or human
species, then between tree and human being, there is a vijātīya bhēda; but suppose
in your mind you have got cētana-acētana bhēda; sentient species and insentient
species; you are keeping in kind.
What will happen? Are you able to follow? Between tree and human being, there is
sajātīya bhēda; because both come under chetana or sentient; whereas between
tree and stone, it will be vijātīya bhēda. Therefore remember even this sajātīya-
vijātiya bhēda is a relative concept for understanding; there is no absolute.
Do you want one more example? Between a male and a female. Sajātīya bhēda or
vijātīya bhēda? What should you answer: you should not answer. What species you
are in keeping in mind? If you are keeping male species, in which all males are
included, female species as another species, between one male and one female, will
be vijātīya bhēda; but when you are taking the human species and animal species;
then man and woman will be in what bhēda; man and woman will be sajātīya bhēda
only. Therefore if male-female species are kept separately, then it will be vijātīya
bhēda; and if it is human species and animal specifies, then it will come under
sajātīya bhēda; therefore according to the context, the bhēda has to be talked
about. As far as Brahman is concerned, any way you look, there is no bhēda.
Therefore sarva bhēdam.
And why there is no bhēda? Because there is nothing other than Brahman to have
sajātīya, or vijātīya. And what about internal differences in Brahman? That also we
have said is not there.
And what about sat, chit and ānandaḥ as three parts of Brahman. Svagata bhēda is
there in Brahman: sat is there, chit is there; ānandam is there. Then I will ask you
which part is sat, which part is chit and which part is ānandaḥ? Suppose one part
you call as sat, then the other two parts, chit and ānandaḥ will be without sat; then
Page 1094

what will it become; it will become asat. Therefore remember, sat, chit, ānandaḥ are
not three parts of Brahman, but they are three names for the same Brahman from
three different angles.
So therefore sat, chit, and ānandaḥ are not parts of Brahman; but they are natures
of Brahman; as seen from three different angles; like a person being called father,
brother, and son. The whole person is father from one angle; whole person is
brother from one angle; whole person is son; not his head is father, stomach is
brother and leg is son; that is not. And therefore Brahman is svagata bhēda rahitam
and therefore sarva bhēdam is nirasthaṁ; nirasthaṁ means free from.
And why is it nirasthaṁ, free from all the divisions? because māya kr̥taṁ; all the
divisions are caused by māya. And caused by māya means what: it is only apparent
division; seeming division; not real division. Like svapna. OK. Just as in svapna,
there are so many divisions. Like that.
Then Nityaṁ. Nityaṁ means eternal; timeless.
Sukhaṁ. Some of the ideas are repeated also. Sukhaṁ is the same as ānandaḥ; but
here also you should remember that once you use the word sukham for Brahman, it
should never be translated by any experiential word; it should be translated as
pūrṅaṁ; anantaṁ; it is fullness. An experiential word is used here; but you should
understand not in terms of experience.
Then niṣkalam. niṣkalam means without division; which is the corollary of sarva
bhēdam which was said earlier; this is the extension of that; it is niṣkalam or
niravayavam. So that is why personal God is only an intermediary stage for knowing
Brahman. Personal God is only an intermediary stage; because personal God has got
all the avayavās; hands are there; legs are there; eyes are there, and that is why we
say; we have go beyond the personal God, if you want to know the truth.
And that is why in Kenopāṇișad, the teacher said: netam yatitam upāsate. All
personal Gods you worship are not the ultimate reality and that does not mean that
personal Gods should all be condemned. You cannot go that extreme. Through
personal God alone, you go to the impersonal. Here we are talking about the
Impersonal one; niṣkalam.
Page 1095

Apramēyaṁ. Another beautiful word; Apramēyaṁ is not an object of knowledge.

Why it is not object of knowledge; you can give several explanation; just one simple
one I will give. If it is an object of knowledge, it will fall within the division of
knower-known-the knowing means or instruments. If Brahman is pramēyaṁ; there
will be a pramāta and there will be a pramāṇam also. Pramātru-pramāṇa-pramēya
bhēda will come.
In the first line only, we have said nirastamāyākr̥tasarvabhēdaṁ; from that itself
pramātru-pramāṇa-pramēya rūpa bhēda rahitatvaat aprmēyam Brahma. It is not an
object of knowledge. And we have to always add even though it is not an object of
knowledge, it cannot be known but it need not be known as an object also, because
a question will come, if it can be never be known, how to prove its existence,
because you prove the existence only through knowledge. How do scientists prove
there is a star? Before saying there is a star, they have used Chandra telescope;
because there was a great scientist; Chandrasekhar. Now that is discovering so
many wonderful things. First condition to prove existence is what: you should know.
If you say that you cannot know Brahman, then how to prove its existence. Basic
question will come.
The real answer to that question will come later. Because he is going to say: Tat
tvam asi. You cannot know; you need not know, because it is the very essence of
the knower. Therefore it need not be proved at all; that is Brahman. That he is going
to say later. That secret I am not saying now; but I have already disclosed that
saying that I am not disclosing! Never mind; but that is kept in mind. Aprameyaṁ;
unknowable.
Then Arūpaṁ. Arūpaṁ means formless; because one there is a form; there is
division; there is limitation and if Brahman is divisionless; it has to be necessarily
limitless. Again you have to keep in mind, the Kathopanișad:
अशब्दमस्पशरपमव्यय
तथाऽरसं �नत्यमगन्धव यत् ।
अनाद्यनन् महतः परं ध्रु
�नचाय् तन्मृत्यमुखा
ु प्रमुच् ॥ १५॥
aśabdamasparśamarūpamavyayaṁ
tathā:'rasaṁ nityamagandhavacca yat |
Page 1096

anādyanantaṁ mahataḥ paraṁ dhruvaṁ

nicāyya tanmr̥tyumukhāt pramucyatē || 15||
So all those you should remember.
Avyaktam; avyaktam means indriya agōcaram; not available for sensory perception.
And therefore only not available for inference also. Because inference is based on
sensory data. Where data are not available, inference is also not possible; therefore
only ananumēyam. So avyaktam.
Then anākhyam. without name; nameless. So really speaking, it cannot be given any
name at all; but you are saying it is Brahman; you are saying it is ātman; so many
names you have given! All these names are from the standpoint of the relative
world. When you talk about Brahman as infinite, it is because you have the concept
of finite from experience, you are able to define as infinite. Similarly, every other
name is from the standpoint of worldly experience, empirical experience. Therefore
the real name of Brahman is what? maunavyākhyā prakaṭita parabrahmatattvaṁ
yuvānaṁ. Then silence is the name? What should I do? What should I do? J?ust to
keep quiet. Because the moment I say silence, it is no more Silence. Therefore
anākhyam. anāmakam arūpam. In Mānḍukya Kārika we saw. anākhyam. Nāma
rahitam.
Then Avyayaṁ. Avyayaṁ means that which cannot decline. Decayless. Apakṣaya
rahitam. Growing old etc.; senility for Brahman is not there.
Then Jyotiḥ; svayaṁ jyotiḥ; self-evident; Self-evident. It does not require any other
proof at all. Because later it is going to be revealed as consciousness. If one thing
does not require proof, what is that? Consciousness does not require a proof
because every thing is proved by consciousness.
And if consciousness requires a proof, you require what? Again to prove the
consciousness you require another consciousness. So therefore being of the nature
of consciousness, existence does not require a proof.
A particular existence requires proof. So sound existence requires ears. Form

existence requires eyes. Particular existence requires particular instrument. Pure
existence does not require proof; because it is consciousness itself. So all these are
Page 1097

beautiful revelation. You can just tie the whole teaching together and it is worth
meditating on and on and on, until you are able to tie up all these definitions.
All these definitions have inter-connections. You can start from any definition and
reach any other definition. And not only you should go to different definitions and
you should able to see all the definitions in one sweep, because definitions are
many; but the defined thing is one alone. Like Sahasranāma; sahasranāmaa may be
there; but about whom we are talking? The nāmi is one, Viṣṇu, we should know.
And if you can see all the definition, in one sweep; and later that defined entity as
myself. Or else what is the use seeing the definitions? That definition should become
my definition.
Now we are saying these as definitions of Brahman; from mahā vākya vicāra, we
have to come back to these definitions and see arūpam is myself; anākyam is
myself; nirastamāyākr̥tasarvabhēdaṁ is myself. Each one is myself myself myself.
All these Śankarācārya is going to do.
So svayaṁ jyotihi. Svayaṁ jyothi means self-evident. idaṁ Kiñcid cakāsti. So this
Brahman. Why he says kincid? Because we have to ultimately say something
because you cannot clearly and categorically define Brahman, because definition is
only from relative standpoint not from absolute standpoint. To say absolute
standpoint itself is a contradiction. Absolute is that in which there are no standpoint.
We are talking so many things; because we talk about relative standpoint, you have
to use the word absolute standpoint. Therefore from absolute standpoint, no name
can be given. Therefore Śankarācārya says: Kincid; something, that Brahman
cakāsti. It shines.
ृ ेय�ानशून्यमनन् �न�व्
�ात� र कल्पक |
के वलाखण्ड�चन्मा परं तत्त् �वदब
ु ुर्धा ||२३९||
jñātr̥jñēyajñānaśūnyamanantaṁ nirvikalpakam |
kēvalākhaṇḍacinmātraṁ paraṁ tattvaṁ vidurbudhāḥ ||239||
So the svarūpa lakṣaṇam, Śankarācārya says: jñātrjñēyajñānasūnyaṁ. Previously

the word apramēya was used. The corollary is this; Jñātru is knower; jñēyam means
known; jñānaṁ means the knowing instrument; the pramāṇam. So pramātru
pramāṇa pramēya sūnyaṁ; rahitam, without. So without that: then anantaṁ; and
therefore only anantaṁ.
Page 1098

So then how do we talk about knowing Brahman? So if you say Brahman is without
jnaata, jnaatru jneyam; and how do you talk about Brahma jñānaṁ. If you talk
about Brahaṁ jñānaṁ, then Brahman becomes an object of knowledge. Then you
say Brahman is not an object of knowledge. So you have to remember:
Kenōpāṇiṣad.
नाहं मन्य सुवेदे�त नो न वेदे�त वेद च । यो नस्तद्व तद्वे नो न वेदे�त वेद च

nāhaṁ manyē suvēdēti nō na vēdēti vēda ca | yō nastadvēda tadvēda nō
na vēdēti vēda ca.
Knowing that Brahman is not an object of knowledge is knowing Brahman. You do

not know Brahman as an object. Knowing Brahman in the form that it is not an
object of knowledge is knowing Brahman. And if it is not an object of knowledge;
what is it? That is the I, the subject. All those things we have dealt with; perhaps in
some other context, we can elaborate more.
So jñātru-jñēya-jñāna sūnyaṁ. Anantaṁ; Anantaṁ we have seen. Without any limit;

antha means limit; and limit is two-fold; timewise limit and space-wise limit and
property-wise limit also. Every property is a limit. Any property is a limit, because to
have one property is to exclude the opposite property. If not other properties, we
exclude opposite properties.
And therefore Brahman cannot afford to have any property, even goodness cannot
be there in Brahman. If you say Brahman is good; that is removed. That is why, in
all systems of philosophy, evil is a difficult concept to explain. So all philosophies,
they have to discuss one chapter; what is the chapter. What is evil? And especially
the theological systems, because evil is kept outside God; God becomes limited. If
evil is included in God, God loses his Godness. Every God is glorified as God only
because he is supposed to be embodiment of goodness. Therefore if evil is taken
out, Bhagavān will be limited. Evil if included, Bhagavān will not become Bhagavān
at all. What to do? This is the problem in all philosophies.
What is our solution? Paramārthika/vyavahārika. Evil is ignorance. We define evil as

ajñānaṁ, According to vēdānta, there is no other evil other than ignorance, and
ignorance belongs to vyavahārika satyam; it is superimposed on Brahman, but not
part of Brahman.
Page 1099

To put in theological language, evil is superimposed on God, not a part of God.

Anyway that is some other thing; but what you should remember is: Anantaṁ
means Brahman cannot be even called Good; because it will be limited. So there is
no spatial limitation; time-wise limitation; even property-wise limitation is not there.
So dēśa, kālaḥ, vasthu parichhēda sūnyaṁ anantaṁ. Vasthu paricchēda means
property limitation.
Then kēvalakhaṇḍa chinmātram; all these we have seen. Viśudda vijñānaṁ ghanam
it came. 237 the same idea is repeated here. Kēvala akhanda chinmātram. It is pure
consciousness, which is non-dual and divisionless. So sajātīya, vijātīya, svagata
bhēda rahita caitanyaṁ.
Param tatvam. And which is the absolute reality. Which is beyond the relative. Which
transcends the relative. And when I say it is beyond the relative, the word 'beyond'
does not mean it is far away spatially. Like saying Adayar is beyond Mylapore; there
spatial distance. Here the word beyond has no idea of distance. Beyond means
belonging to a different order of reality. Just as the screen is beyond the movie I can
use. There beyond means screen is in and through the movie; but is not affected by
the movie, because movie is nāma rūpa; or the waker is beyond the dreamer or
dream world, which means waker is in and through the dream; but not having the
same order of reality. So param tatvam; pramārthika satyam ityartha. budhāḥ viduḥ;
such a person the wise people know. Wise people know; they know without
knowing. There is a Tamil song; ெசால்லாம ெசால்ல, ேகள்காம ேகட், அறியாமல
அறிந்தா; How is that?
अहेयमनुपादेयं मनोवाचामगोचरम ् |
अप्रमेयमनाद्य ब्र पूणर्मह महः |२४०||
ahēyamanupādēyaṁ manōvācāmagōcaram |
apramēyamanādyantaṁ brahma pūrṇamahāṁ mahāḥ ||240||
So in the second line most of the words are repetition; apramēyam we have seen
before; in verse 238 second line apramēyam has come. Not an object of knowledge.
anādyantaṁ also we have seen before in verse 237, 3rd line; ādyanta vihīnam;
without beginning or end; then Brahma we have seen the word. Pūrṇam means the
same as anantaṁ; that which is full.
Page 1100

Then go back to the first line, ahēyam anupādēyaṁ. It is neither an object of

rejection, nor an object of acceptance. You cannot accept it; or you cannot reject it;
because our entire life is nothing but a series of taking and giving. In fact, every
time you go to a shop what do you do; take something, give something. Whole
vyavahāra is give and take.
Brahman is not available for give and take. It is beyond transaction. It is not an
object of transaction at all. Therefore do not think, in Mōkṣa I will get Brahman or I
will go to Brahman.So these are all are very very childish concept of Mōkṣa.
Vaikuntha I will go and stay; Kailasa I will go to say; or that world I will go and stay;
etc. So they are all the concepts of mōkṣa belonging to the LKg order of religion and
philosophy. Good. Lkg is necessary but one should not stay there itself. Therefore
mōkṣa is not going anywhere. ahēyam anupādēyaṁ; hēyam means that which is
rejectable. Ahēyam means not rejectible; not subject to rejection; anupādēyaṁ
means taking. ெகால்ல� ��யா�, தள்ள� ��யா�; they say in Tamil. That is it.
Then manōvācāmagōcaram. It is very famous expression, which is beyond the scope

of mind and words. Thoughts and words; inconceivable; therefore inexplicable;
inconceivable and therefore inexplicable. Having said inexplicable, he has given out
three slōkas. Ok. Though it is explained as inexplicable, and how inexplicable it is,
and what is the reason for its inexplicability; to explain all these we are going on
taking classes.
manōvācāmagōcaram Brahma. Then ahaṁ mahaḥ is there; or there is an alternative

reading. Mahān mahaḥ. Brahma pūrṇam mahān mahaḥ. And I would prefer the
second reading Mahān mahaḥ. It means the greatest illuminator Mahān mahaḥ
mahaḥ means jyotihi; Mahān mahaḥ means mahā jyothi; the greatest illuminator.
Why I prefer this reading I will tell you later.
Hari Om.
Page 1101

085. Verses 241 and 242
�ात�
ृ ेय�ानशून्यमनन् �न�व्
र कल्पक |
के वलाखण्ड�चन्मा परं तत्त् �वदब
ु ुर्धा ||२३९||
अहेयमनप
ु ादेयं मनोवाचामगोचरम ् |
अप्रमेयमनाद्य ब्र पूणर्मह महः ||२४०||
jñātr̥jñēyajñānaśūnyamanantaṁ nirvikalpakam |
kēvalākhaṇḍacinmātraṁ paraṁ tattvaṁ vidurbudhāḥ ||239||
ahēyamanupādēyaṁ manōvācāmagōcaram |
apramēyamanādyantaṁ brahma pūrṇamahāṁ mahāḥ ||240||
From 223 to 240, Śankarācārya talked about the nature of Brahman, which topic is
concluded with 240 and there the last word that we saw was Brahmapūrṇam mahān
mahaḥ. I said that there is an alternative reading also; Brahma pūrṇam ahaṁ
mahaḥ. That reading is also right; but I would not prefer that reading in this context,
because if Brahaṁ ahaṁ is mentioned itself, then jīvātma paramātma aikyam topic
will be over. But the aikyam topic is going to come hereafter alone.
So still we are discussing Ātma separately, Brahman separately; we have not come
to the topic of aikyam; and therefore instead of brininging the word ahaṁ, the
better reading would be mahān mahaḥ. Mahān mahaḥ means the greatest light.
mahaḥ means jyothiḥ and mahāt mahaḥ means jyotiṣām jyothiḥ; the illuminator of
everything; because Brahman being consciousness, it illumines everything in the
creation. And therefore the reading can be Brahma pūrṇam mahān mahaḥ.
Now having defined Brahman hereafter, we are entering into Jīva Brahma aikyam,
which is the main topic of vēdānta, which starts from next verse onwards.
तत्त्वंपदाभ्याम�भधीयमान
ब्रह्मात् शो�धतयोयर्द�त्थ |
श्रुत तयोस्तत्त्वमस सम्यग
एकत्वमे प्र�तपाद् मुहुः ||२४१ ||
tattvaṁpadābhyāmabhidhīyamānayōḥ
brahmātmanōḥ śōdhitayōryadīttham |
Page 1102

śrutyā tayōstattvamasīti samyag

ēkatvamēva pratipādyatē muhuḥ ||241 ||
So from this verse that is 241 up to 253, we get jīva-brahma aikyam; the identity or
oneness of the individual self and the universal self. The identity or oneness of the
essence of jīva and the essence of Brahman. And what is the essence of both of
them? The essence of jīva is also consciousness; the essence of Brahman is also
consciousness.
Similarly the essence of both of them is existence also. Sat chit seems to be the
essence of both of them and therefore they are one and the same. And this oneness
between Jīva and Īśvara is revealed through the well-known statement in the śruti;
Tat Tvam Asi. And any statement which reveals the jīvātma-paramātma aikyam is
called mahāvākyam. Mahāvākyam is a technical name. It is a statement of an
equation. So somebody nicely translated Mahāvākyam as the Great Equation. Like
the matter-energy equation, E = Mc2, which is considered to be a revolutionary
discovery.
Similarly the Great Equation of vēdānta is Jīva-brahma aikyam. And that is

introduced here, we will see. Brahmātnōhō ekatvam pratipādyatē. So the oneness
of the Brahman and ātman is revealed; where śrutyā pratipādyatē; it is revealed
through vēda pramāṇa; because it can never be understood through perception, it
can be never be known through inference or science and therefore this topic is
considered to be apauruṣēya viṣaya; apauruṣēyaṁ means what; that which is not
accessible to the human means of knowledge. Therefore śruti chooses to reveal this
fact; and therefore śrutyā brahmātmanō ekatvam pratipādyatē. And how? Samyak
pratipādyatē; it is very clearly revealed without any vagueness.
And through what statement? Through statements like Tattvam asi; Ayaṁ ātma
Brahma, Prajñānam Brahma, Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi; every Vēda has got many such
mahāvākyams. So in Mānḍukya upaṇiṣad of Atharvana Vēda, we have ayaṁātma
Brahma, the mahāvākyam. So in the Aithereya Upaṇiṣad of Rik Vēda, we have
Prajñānam Brahma; in the Chandōgya Upaṇiṣad of Sāma Vēda, we have Tat Tvam
Asi. And in the Brihadārnyaka Upaṇiṣad of the Yajur Vēda; we have got Ahaṁ
Brahmāsmi. These are the four sample mahā vākyams; we take from each Vēda; but
we should remember these four are only sample mahā vākyams; but there are many
mahā vākyams.
Page 1103

And another well-known mahā vākyam is Sayascāyaṁ Puruṣe, Yascāvasadityē;

Sa ēkaḥ. In Taittariya Upaṇiṣad it comes. And therefore it is not a vague statement
but it is a deliberate revelation. Therefore samyak pratipādyatē tattvamasi iti.
And how, not once, muhuḥ; muhuḥ means again. Again means repeatedly it is
revealed in the Chandōgya Upaṇiṣad, Tat Tvam Asi statement occurs eight or nine
times; and when the teacher makes the statement, he is aware of the fact that
student will not swallow this statement that easily; and therefore before repeating
the statement, several examples are given to show the possibility of such aikyam. It
is not impossible; if only you are able to think in the line of the śruti; it is possible.
Only we should raise ourselves to the level of the śruti; then we can grasp the
teaching. In fact, we do that very often.
When I say You are a fat person; according to the context, you understand as the
physical personality, the body. And again when I say You are a happy person, then
in the context, the finger penetrates the physical body and goes to the emotional,
the mental personality and when I say: You are understanding, grasping my
statement, it goes to the intellectual. As I use the same word You, but according to
the context you understand. That when I say you are all pervading, then you know
where the finger should stop.
And for that alone, the Upaṇiṣad has already done the pañja kōśa vivēka; and it has
introduced the Conciousness also; and if the finger goes up to the consciousness
principle, then naturally the limitations of the body mind, etc. will not be perceived
at all; and when I say you are whole, you understand that instead of h.. o.. l.. e..,
you understand w…h…o…l…e, whole.
And therefore what is required is cooperative listening. Cooperative listening; not

inimical or hostile listening, which is done by a pūrva pakṣi. Dvaitin listens with that
attitude; a viśiṣṭādvaitin listens with that attitude; because his very approach is
what: how not to accept? But if we are ready to do the cooperative listening; then
the śruti will neatly fit into our intellect and therefore the śruti takes the pain. So
many examples are given. Nine or eight examples are given and he says: therefore
Tat Tvam Asi. Therefore Tat Tvam Asi; muhuḥ therefore ēkatvamēva pratipādyatē;
between tayoho brahmātmanōḥ; between Brahma and Ātma.
Page 1104

Brahma means paramātma; ātma means jīvātma. Brahmātmanōḥ means

paramātma-jīvātmanō. And who are they. Tat Tvaṁ padābhyām abhidhīyamānayōḥ;
which are revealed by the two words; tat and tvam; adjective to brahmātmanōḥ.
abhidhīyamānayōḥ means referred to, indicated by, denoted by; by what; tat, tvam
padabhyam, tattvam should not be taken as one word; tat, tvam, padābhyām;
revealed through tat pada; and revealed through tvam pada; What are revealed?
Brahma and ātma; between these two; oneness.
And that also, how should be done? śōdhitayōr; which are well clarified; well
understood, clearly understood; And what do you mean by śōdhana? It is going to
be explained in later slōkas. We are going to understand that the oneness between
the jīvātma and paramātma can never be at the body level.
If you are going to talk about jīvātma at body level, oneness is never possible,
because at body level, jīvātma is finite and mortal; whereas paramātma is said to be
infinite and immortal; how can Brahman and the individual ever be the same? And
therefore the jīvātma should be understood in its proper meaning; and that proper
meaning is called śōdhitatvam padārtam; it is a technical word, which will become
clear only after we see some more verse. Which has been grasped in its proper
meaning is called śōdhana; which is free from misconception; which is free from
misconception.
So this verse is like the introductory verse for Mahāvākya vicāra; this is a pratijña
slōka. This verse alone is going to be elaborated in the following verses and
therefore after studying the following verses you have to come back to this verse
and re-read and understand. And īttham; the word īttham which has been discussed
in the previous verses in this manner; that is the word Tvam reveals the jīvātma; the
word Tat reveals Brahman; both we have seen before. And how we have seen Tvam
pada; through pañja kōśa vivēka, we have already analysed Tvam padārta, the
jīvātma; and we have already analysed Tad padārta; how; by discussing the
tadastha lakṣaṇam and svarūpa lakṣaṇam of Brahman.
So he is just reminding all those that were discussed before; இப்ப ெசால் பட்ட;
that means pañja kōśa vivēka tvam padārtam was discussed; and through tadastha
lakṣaṇam, svarūpa lakṣaṇam tad padārta was discussed. Thus ātma has been talked
about; Brahman has been talked about; the bride is ready; the bridegroom is ready;
what is required? Tat is ready; Tvam is ready; now we have to tie both of them.
Page 1105

māngalya dhāraṇam; and this māngalya tantu; tantu means the string; what is that?
asi padam; in the tat tvam asi; the word asi is the string; the auspicious string which
brings together tat and tvam. Therefore Tad pada vicāra is over; Tvam pada vicāra
is over; now we are entering asi pada vicāra, which is called aikya vicāra. How? We
will see that.
A small correction and a note has been added. In the second line, last word, in the
book that I have given, yatitam; that vi is long letter; so the reading should be
yaditam; vi should be short letter; and it should be split as; yat and ittham; and that
word yad should be picked from the previous verse and should be added to this
verse, and therefore these words will grammatically read yad aikyam tad tayōr
lakṣitayōr bhavathi na vācyayōḥ. It is how grammatically it should be read. Only
note this much that yad should come in this verse. That is all.
एक्य तयोलर्��तयोन वाच्ययो

�नगद्यतेऽन्योन्य�वरुदणोः |
खद्योतभान्वो� राजभतृ ्ययो
कू पाम्बुराश्य परमाणुमेव�ः ||२४२||
ēkyaṁ tayōrlakṣitayōrna vācyayōḥ
nigadyatē:'nyōnyaviruddhadharmiṇōḥ |
khadyōtabhānvōriva rājabhr̥tyayōḥ
kūpāmburāśyōḥ paramāṇumērvōḥ ||242||
Now here Śankarācāryā is entering into the Mahāvākya analysis and we have to
know certain principles of interpretation or analysis and only then the mahāvākya
analysis will be clear. Śankarācārya also talks about this in the later verses. But I feel
it will be easier for us to understand if we see it in the beginning itself.
And the basic principle is: every word can have more than one meaning. Every word
in any language can have more than one meaning and the method by which a word
conveys its meaning is called Vr̥ttiḥ technically. The method by which a word
conveys its meaning is called Vr̥ttiḥ. We can translate it as verbal function; the
function of a word; verbal means not the function of the verb; function of a word.
And this has been very elaborately analysed in our śāstras because our śāstras are
primarily concerned with analysing the scriptures. Since we have to get all the
knowledge from the scriptures and scriptures are in the form of words, we have to
Page 1106

thoroughly study how the words communicate. And therefore this has been
elaborately analysed. This is called śabda pramāṇa vicāraḥ. Analysis of words as a
means of knowledge. And this study has to be so through because what the words
reveal in the scriptures are those not available for cross-verification.
If they are available for cross-verification, then you need not concentrate on the
words, because if I say there is a temple and it is 4.5 kms away. You need not listen
very well because approximately around 4.5 or 5 there is a temple and you go there,
the sense organs, the eye is also going to reveal the temple. Therefore the temple is
known through two means of knowledge; through words you know; and you can
further corroborate or know through perception also.
But the scriptural words are different. They do not deal with a subject matter, which
is available for other means of knowledge. The words are an independent means of
knowledge, which are giving unique knowledge, which is not accessible to other
means. It is like the colours revealed by the eyes. When the eyes reveal the colour, I
can get the knowledge only through the eyes. I cannot say I will verify it through the
ears; through the nose, through the tongue, because eyes are revealing something,
which are accessible to the eyes alone. In fact, the very definition of a means of
knowledge is that which reveals a unique thing, which is not available for other
means and therefore if I am not very clear about the object revealed by the eyes,
what should I do? If I do not understand clearly what I saw with the eyes, what
should I do? Can you say that you will hear it through your ears? No. If it is not
clear, you have to use the eyes alone more clearly, by going a little nearer; or going
a little farther; or to clean the eyes; you can do varieties of things, but remember,
the knowledge of colour can be gained through the eyes alone. Therefore you can
work more and more on the eyes alone. You cannot cross verify the colours; with
any other instrument.
Similarly, śāstram is a cakṣuḥ, which reveals a unique subject matter, which is not
accessible for cross-verification, and therefore I have to use the śāstram for clearly
understanding what the śāstra has to reveal? And if there is vagueness in that
knowledge, what should I do? I cannot go to science and verify; I have to go to
again śāstram and if there is still vagueness, again śāstram, still there is vagueness,
again śāstram. How long? Until I gain a unique knowledge, which is neither verified
by other means of knowledge, nor contradicted by other means of knowledge. Till
you get that unique knowledge, you have to continue to study the śāstras. How
Page 1107

many days? till it comes. you can take as many janmās as required; but śāstra has
something to tell you; which can never be revealed or contradicted by other means.
And therefore we have done a very deep analysis of how to extract the unique
knowledge given by words and there only we talk about vr̥tti. Vr̥tti means what? the
method by which; literally vr̥tti means pravr̥tti; pravr̥tti means function; function of
what? a word; and they talk about different types of vr̥tti. One vr̥tti is called abhidā
vr̥ttiḥ; abhidā vr̥ttiḥ, the primary function of a word by which a word gives its most
primary and popular meaning. Abhidā vr̥ttiḥ means primary function of a word, by
which it gives the primary and popular meaning. That is also called rudiḥ;
prasiddārtha.
Then the next type of vr̥tti is called lakṣaṇa vr̥ttiḥ. Lakṣaṇa Vr̥ttiḥ means the method
of implication, which is a secondary function, by which the same word can give a
secondary meaning also. So abhidā vr̥ttiḥ; lakṣaṇa vr̥ttiḥ.
These two are alone are important for our study here; then they talk about gauni
vr̥ttiḥ; figurative use of a word; like saying he is a lion; singa kutti he is; what is
singa kutti? nothing to do with lion but it is a figurative expression; which is called
gauni vr̥ttiḥ.
Then there is something called vyñjā vr̥ttiḥ. Thus there are so many vr̥ttis talked
about in the śāstras. We will focus on two vr̥ttis. They are abhidā vr̥tti and lakṣaṇa
vr̥tti.
When a word communicates its meaning through abhidā vr̥tti, then that meaning is
called vāchyārthaḥ. Vāchyārthaḥ is the primary meaning conveyed through abhidā
vr̥ttihi. Are you able to differentiate between Vr̥ttiḥ and arthaḥ? Vr̥ttiḥ is the name
of the function; arthaḥ is the name of the meaning revealed through that function.
Similarly when the meaning is communicated through lakṣaṇa vr̥ttihi; then that
meaning is called lakṣārtha. Thus every word can have vācyārtha and lakṣārtha.
Every word can have primary meaning as well as secondary meaning or implied
meaning. It is not only in śāstra, but in our regular communication also, we use any
number of words which will have primary meaning as well as secondary meaning.
Page 1108

Now the question is: when a word has got primary and secondary meaning, will it
not be confusing, because words are meant for communication and if the same word
can have two meanings, primary and secondary, will it not be confusing? Because I
might be using in one meaning and you might be taking in another meaning. Then
there would be communication break down.
For that the śāstras say that: when we listen to a speech or read a book, our job is
to first job is to apply primary meaning alone, because primary meaning is powerful,
because it is primary. Primary meaning is powerful because it is popularly known.
Therefore always the rule is apply the primary meaning. And that is why, the word
abhidā Vr̥ttiḥ is sometimes called mukyā Vr̥ttiḥ also. Mukyā to indicate that that is
mukyam. Therefore primary meaning has to be applied.
Then where do you apply the secondary meaning? By applying the primary meaning,
if the sentence does not make sense; if the sentence does not communicate
properly; if there is a contradiction, or if it becomes nonsensical; then what are we
supposed to do? Either to dismiss the speaker as drunk; or what do you do; if the
speaker is a sane person; he cannot talk nonsense. There must be some sense; but
the primary meaning does not make sense and therefore, we have to take the
secondary meaning.
So this is all said by Śaṁkarācāryā in his well-known work: vākya vr̥tti.
ु ्याथर् प�रग्र ।
मानान्तर�वरोध तु मख
ु ्याथ�ना�वनाभूत प्रती�तलर्�णोच ॥ ४७॥
मख
mānāntaravirodhe tu mukhyārthasya parigrahe ।
mukhyārthenāvinābhūte pratītirlakṣaṇocyate ॥ 47॥
Apply the primary meaning and see the sentence. And if the sentence makes sense,
no problem. But applying the primary meaning, if the sentence does not make
sense; then what should you do, you should apply the lakṣāṇā vr̥tti; secondary
meaning.
OK. Now the question is how to arrive at the secondary meaning. How to arrive at
the secondary meaning? Because this is the description of communication. In fact,
all our transactions are verbal. In our life, we do more talking; whatever else we do
Page 1109

or not do; we are continuously talking; whether spoken language or written

language.
In fact, majority of our problems are: you told me like that that day and that is still
irritating my mind. Families break down; wars break. All because of words; we do
not know the importance of words, and that is why long before other cultures
analysed language, India, the analysis of language has been so deep, because
Vēdas were there in BC; or 5,000 or 6000 or 3,000 and therefore deep analysis of
language has been done.
So now the question is: what should be the norms in applying the secondary
meaning? The first norm given in the secondary meaning should be closely
connected to the primary meaning. It should be connected to the primary meaning.
Sakya vācyārtha sambhandē lakṣaṇa. You should take a meaning which is connected
to the primary meaning. OK. When we apply this norm, the scriptures point out that
there are three possibilities. So when you apply a secondary meaning, closer to
primary meaning, there are three possibilities. What are the three possibilities?
The first possibility is you drop the primary meaning totally and then take a new
meaning which is related to the primary meaning. You drop the primary meaning
totally; and take a secondary meaning which is connected to the primary meaning;
and this method of implication is called jahatī lakṣaṇa. Jahatī lakṣaṇa. What is the
example? When I say Australia is coming to India for a cricket match; What is the
meaning? Australia primary meaning is what? a geographical place, it is a land, it is
a huge continent in fact. Imagine a huge continent coming to India. Continental trips
happening. Will it happen? You know that Australia cannot come to India and
therefore the vācyārtha does not fit in.
What to do then? You give up the vācyārtha and then you take the implied meaning;
instead of taking the land, you take the cricketers; the players. So instead of saying
the country comes or continent comes; the players. but what players; not West
Indies players. The players should be connected to vācyārtha. What is the
vācyārtha? Australia. Therefore the Australian players are coming to India. Therefore
what is the name of this lakṣaṇa. You have dropped the vācyārtha completely and
you have the lakṣārtha, that is the cricket players; but not any cricket players, but
cricket players associated with Australia, the vācyārtha. This is called jahatī lakṣaṇa.
Page 1110

Then the second one is called ajahatī lakṣaṇa, in which you take the vācyārtha, the
primary meaning also; and in addition to that, for making sense, you add a new
meaning also. Vācyārtha plus some addition for making sense, in the context. Then
that is called ajahatī lakṣaṇa. You can see any number of examples. You can see
daily. When you go to hotel and order for Idly; What does he bring? only Idly? Along
with Idly he brings Chutney, Sambaar, Podi etc. Did you order, you didn't. So Idly
means chutney sahita idly; sambar sahita idly and more basic plate sahita idly. He
brings the plate. So therefore all these additional things are communicated by the
word Idly. By which lakṣaṇa; jahatī or jahatī; suppose he takes jahatī lakṣaṇa, what
will happen. Guess what will happen. He takes jahatī lakṣaṇa; Chutney will come;
saambar will come; plates will come; but Idly would be missing!! But you want Idly
also to come, along with some more items. Therefore it is ajahatī lakṣaṇa.
When you say auto is running on the roads, imagine scooter is running on the roads;
scooter is coming we say; what is the meaning; remember, scooter can never run;
Thank God. If Scooter can run, when you go out of the class you would find that
your scooter would have gone somewhere. There scooter means what scooter sahita
driver. Like that, in fact, every word that you use has got these lakṣaṇas. Bring
Water we say. He brings water along with cup.
And therefore when you take the primary meaning and add something more, it is
called ajahatī lakṣaṇa.
Then what is the third possibility? You do not give up the primary meaning totally;
you do not take the primary meaning totally; in jahatī lakṣaṇa what we did; we
dropped the primary meaning completely. In ajahatī lakṣaṇa what did we do, we
kept the primary meaning fully, Idli we kept; and then we added something more.
In the third one, the primary meaning is neither totally given up nor totally retained;
we keep part of the primary meaning and we give up part of the primary meaning,
which is called bhāgaḥ-tyāga lakṣaṇa or jahatī-ajahatī lakṣaṇa; jahatī-ajahatī lakṣaṇa
is called bhāgaḥ tyāga lakṣaṇa.
So I will give you an example. In the scriptures they give different example. I am
giving day-to-day example, so that you can remember. So when you ask somebody
to bring a mango; or banana; he brings the banana or mango; what is the primary
meaning of mango or banana? He knows the mango is there; along with the seed
Page 1111

inside. All that together is mango. And banana means with the skin you use the
word; banana. When you ask a person to bring mango, he brings the mango fruit;
and when you say I have eaten mango, then what do you understand? Whether he
ate it with the seed? You see the context and you understand mango means the
fruit minus the seed. So there you take off certain portions from the primary
meaning, because the context is eating the mango.
Similarly suppose I go to a place, in which a new building has come, previously it

was a garden; and I use the expression; in this place alone, I was sitting and
enjoying. Now when I talk about this place, now this place is associated with new
building; the place includes the building, but when I say I was sitting here enjoying
before, what do you do mentally; you take the place minus building or shrubs,
whatever it is. And therefore to take the primary meaning but the part of the
primary meaning you give up, which is called bhāgaḥ-tyaga lakṣaṇa.
Similarly another example if I have to give: suppose I say I am worried; I say:

normally when I use the word I, the word I includes my body, my mind, my sense
organs, my intellect; and of course my consciousness. All put together I use the
word I. But when I say I am worried; what is the meaning of the word I? Is body
worried; or the sense organs worried; there the word I does not mean the full
primary meaning of the word I; you eliminate body part, you eliminate sense
organs; you keep what: I is equal to only the psychological-personality of I.
And it will come under which lakṣaṇa; it is not jahatī lakṣaṇa; if jahatī, whole I is
gone; it is not ajahatī lakṣaṇa; it is not that I keep the whole I and add something
more; I take part of I, and give up take part of I; which part I take; you take the
mental part; and which part you drop; all other parts; and therefore I am worried is
what lakṣaṇa? Bhāgaḥ-tyaga lakṣaṇa. I am fat; what lakṣaṇa? Bhāgaḥ-tyaga
lakṣaṇa. Because fatness belongs to only the physical body; your emotions is not fat
or lean.
In fact, everytime you use the word I, you are using bhāgaḥ-tyaga lakṣaṇa, because
you are referring to either body-part or mind-part or intellect-part; in fact, you do
bhāgaḥ-tyaga lakṣaṇa efficiently; and in fact you are not even aware of that.
In fact if you go and analyse, everytime you say I am seated in the hall; the word
hall is bhāgaḥ tyaga lakṣaṇa; you know why; the hall means the whole hall; and if
Page 1112

you say I am seated in the hall, it means you should be spreading all over. But what
I am supposed to understand? Hall means a part of the hall. What lakṣaṇa; bhāgaḥ-
tyaga. I dipped in Gaṅgā. What lakṣaṇa? Bhāgaḥ tyaga lakṣaṇa.
But we understand it without even thinking because according to context, we know

that this must be the meaning. Only thing is that we are analyzing that in the
context of Mahāvākya and in the context of mahāvākya, what does the śāstra say?
You are God. You are God is mahāvākyam.
And what is the primary meaning of the word You? The primary meaning, I include
the body, mind, the pañja kōśas, to put in technical language, plus consciousness
also.
And God means what? God means again Brahman we saw with his creative power;
because he is the jagath kāraṇam; which creative power is called māya śaktiḥ.
Power of creation.
Now if you take the primary meaning of Jīvātma and paramātma, certainly they can
never become one and the same. Because I, along with all these things when I am
taken; I am finite or infinite; I am finite individual; I am not the cause of the
creation; I am mortal human being; whereas paramātma is: we saw the description;
it is jagath kāraṇam, it is eternal; it is immortal; and therefore, in the case of mahā
vākyam; abhidā vr̥tti cannot take place. Vācyārtham cannot be taken. And therefore
what we have to take? Lakṣyārtham only.
And once we accept that lakṣyārtham has to be used; then what is our problem?
Which lakṣaṇa should I use? Jahatī lakṣaṇa or ajahatī lakṣaṇa; or jahat-ajahatya
lakṣaṇa. Or I have to frighten you by saying all these; they will do namaskārams and
go away. jahatī lakṣaṇa. In fact, we do it daily. And we are going to conclude that,
in the case of mahā vākya, jahatī lakṣaṇa will not work, ajahatī lakṣaṇa will not
work; bhaga-tyaga lakṣaṇa; otherwise called jahat-ajahatī lakṣaṇa alone will work.
And if you apply that, jīva will mean the pure consciousness minus the pañja kōśa.
Īśvara will mean the pure consciousness without his creative power. Remove the
creative power of God; remove the created body; removed the created body and the
creative power; what is left out is? Pure consciousness. And from that angle, both of
us are one and same. In fact, the word both of us, is not correct, because there is
no both at all; ēkaṁ Advitiyaṁ Caitanyaṁ ēva.
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And once I claim that consciousness as myself, then the advantage is: I can say: I
alone appear as limited jīva also; I alone appear as the creator also; by myself I am
neither the creator nor the created. I am the adhistānam of creator and the created.
This is our destination, which we have to reach, in the following classes, the details
of which we will see later.
Hari Om.
Page 1114

086. Verses 242 to 244

�नगद्यतेऽन्योन्य�वरुद्धध |
खद्योतभान्वो� राजभतृ ्योः
From verse No. 241 up to verse No.253, Śankarācārya is analysing the mahāvākyam
Tattvamasi, which reveals the identity or oneness which means jīva and Īśvara. Tat
refers to Īśvara, tvam refers to jīva; tat tvam asi means, the You the Jīva are
identical with Īśvara. This is called jīva-Īśvara aikyam. And Śankarācārya wants to
explain to us, how we have to understand this aikyam. When you take the primary
and popular meaning of the word jīva and Īśvara, we know that jīva is a conscious
being with inferior attributes. Like limited knowledge, limited power, and many
defects also; like pāpam, etc., whereas Īśvara is a conscious being, with superior
attributes. Naturally, we will wonder how can there be oneness between jīva and
Īśvara when they have got totally opposite attributes; one with inferior and other
with superior; one is worshipper another is worshipped; one is created and the
another is creator. One is daśa another is svāmi. Thus between jīva and Īśvara,
there are diagonally opposite attributes; how are to we assimilate the oneness
rēvealed by śruti.
And therefore Śankarācārya says that if you take the primary meaning you will never
be able to accept the oneness of jīva and Īśvara and therefore you should go for
secondary meaning and which is called lakṣaṇa and of the three types of lakṣaṇa we
saw in the last class, in one particular lakṣaṇa what do we do? We remove part of
the primary meaning. So the secondary meaning will be attained by removing part of
the primary meaning. So what is primary meaning of jīva? Conscious being with
inferior attributes. What is the primary meaning of Īśvara? Conscious being with
superior attributes.
Page 1115

Now to arrive at the secondary meaning, what do you do; you remove the parts of
primary meaning, which part, not any part, you have to judiciously remove the
relevant parts, here the attributes are responsible for the differences between jīva
and Īśvara. One has got inferior and the other has superior attributes. It is the
attribute which differentiate jīva and Īśvara and therefore removes the
differentiating attributes.
And once you remove the differentiating attributes, jīva will be conscious being, sat
chit tatvam; and Īśvara will also be a conscious being; sat chit tatvam; between the
sat chit of jīva and the sat chit of Īśvara, there is no difference at all. It is exactly like
saying bangle and chain are the same. When I say bangle and chain are the same,
the first response will be what? How can bangle and chain be the same? One name
is different; form is different; even function is different; one decorates the hand;
another decorates the neck; so they are different; how do you say bangle and chain
are same? But still I am saying, because it is quarrel between two brothers in
property division; that is the context. So when the property quarrel is there, we are
not bothered about what is the ornament? We are bothered about what? how many
sovereigns of gold is in that? When I say bangle and chain are same; what are you
supposed to do; bangle is gold with certain attributes; chain is gold with certain
other attributes; as long as you keep the attributes in mind, your mind sees the
differences; separate the attributes; remove the attributes; leaving the gold behind.
If you remove the gold also; it will become jagatī lakṣaṇa; you do not remove the
total chain; but you only remove the attributive part of the chain; and what is the
attribute? nāma rūpa karmāṇi. Name, form and function of chain; name, form and
function of bangle; there are differences; intellectually remove. You need not melt
them. Intellectually remove the attributes; what is left behind is what? Gold. In the
same way, jīva is conscious being, Īśvara is conscious being; there are incidental
attributes which make them different. And therefore remove the attributes. And
once you remove the attributes, it is called bhāgaḥ-tyaga lakṣaṇa and retained
consciousness, it is called the secondary meaning of jīva śabda; and secondary
meaning of Īśvara śabda.
This is the way of grasping mahāvākyam; the details Śankarācārya is giving. We

were seeing verse 242. So tayōḥ vācyayōḥ aikyam na nigadyatē; tayōhō vācyayōḥ
aikyam na nigadyatē; oneness is never talked about for the primary meaning of the
word jīva and Īśvara. Primary meaning is the popular meaning of jīva and Īśvara.
And why we do not take the oneness of the popular meaning? Because when you
Page 1116

take the popular meaning of jīva, you retain the attributes of jīva and you retain the
attributes of Īśvara also; because daily we are doing Archana; sarvajnaya namahā;
sarvaśaktaye namaḥ; anantha kalyana guṇagaṇa sampannaya namaō; constantly we
are seeing the attribute. And there is a prayer also. I am useless; I am pāpi; I am
this and I am that. Thus constantly I invoke my attributes and constantly I invoke
Īśvara's attributes and therefore our mind is soaked in the attributes of jīva and
Īśvara. And as long as the mind is soaked in the attribute, you will see what?
difference alone. That is when I say you are God; you raise your eyebrows; Svāmiji
what happened to you? Till now you were alright. Why does your mind rebel to that
idea, because Lord means you have got only attributes in mind; you do not take the
pure consciousness minus attributes; you take only the creative power; the
sustaining power; they are all what? Attributes of God. Consciousness is neither
creator nor created. So creative power is an attribute; sustaining power is an
attribute; blessing power is an attribute. In fact, whatever you see in Lord is
attribute alone.
And when you look yourselves what comes to your mind. Not You, the
consciousness, but your miserable attributes come to your mind; and therefore from
attribute angle they are what? Anonya viruddha darpino. So they are endowed with
mutually opposed attributes. What have mutally opposed attributes? Primary
meaning; vācyārtha has got mutually opposed attributes. What are the examples?
jīva is alpajñaḥ; limited knowledhe; Īśvara is sarvajñaḥ; jīva is alpaśaktimān, Īśvara
is sarvaśaktimān; jīva has got alphaguṇāḥ (doubtful) alphaguṇāḥ; Īśvara has got
sarva guṇāḥ. Satyakāmaḥ; satyaśaṅgalpaḥ; and Jīva is alpha vyāpi; that is why he
has to come to Anna Nagar by travelling, because alpha vyāpi; Īśvara is sarva vyāpi.
Jīva is daśaḥ; Īśvara is svāmi; jīva is created; Īśvara is creator; thus in every
respect; anyōnya viruddha dharmiṇōḥ; and how dare you claim the oneness of jīva
and Īśvara? That is why many people are angry with advaitin. He is an arrogant
person; he claims that I am God.
So Śaṁkarācāryā says: why can't you sympathise with me and try to understand
what I want to convey. The problem is they are not willing to listen. If you listen,
there is no problem. That is what he says. In the primary sense they are viruddha
dharmiṇōḥ. Like what? He gives four examples. khadyōtabhānvō; khadyōta means a
glow worm; what is a glow worm you know, in the night a particular insect will fly
with light in its body; khadyōtam it is called; khē ākāśe dyōtate iti khadyōtam;
shining in the sky. I do not know whether you have seen; used to be seen in the
Page 1117

villages; I do not think that you ever get glow worm in Madras. You have to see. So
glow-worm; in Tamil; மி�மினாம �ச்ச Minuminaa poochi. That name is exactly what
it does; it is a �ச்ச; glow worm. In Hindi; जुग्न Jugnu; that also jugu jugnu;
sparkling, shining, etc. therefore that must be derivation. And then bhānuḥ; bhānuḥ
is also a luminary in the sky; the glow worm is khadyōtaḥ; bhānuḥ is khadyōtaḥ;
that also shines in the sky; can you ever equate them. It is impossible. When the
glow worm shines, the darkness is never dispelled; whereas the Sun rises, the
darkness is dispelled. And similarly jīva is like a glow-worm; Īśvara is like sun;
when; when you take the vācyārtha; you have to remember that.
Then the second example is rāja bhr̥tyayōḥ; jīva is like a servant; Īśvara is like a
Rāja; they are diagonally opposite; one is ruler; another is ruled over.
Then the third comparison is: kūpa amburāśi. kūpa means a well; amburāśi means
an ocean; between well and ocean; what oneness is possible; it is impossible.
Similarly Jīva-Īśvara aikyam is impossible; when? When you take vācyārtha;
remember this in all cases.
Then paramāṇu mērvōḥ; paramāṇu means atom; mēru means Mount Himalayas.
Can you ever compare an atom and Mount Himalayas They are diagonally opposite.
Similarly jīva and Īśvara are diagonally opposite; and therefore aikyam na nigadyatē.
The oneness is never talked about from this angle.
Then from which angle it is talked about. Lakṣitayōḥ aikyam nigadyatē. So

Lakṣitayōḥ aikyam nigadyatē. Aikyam nigadyatē you have to read twice. vācyayōḥ
aikyam na nigadyatē; Lakṣitayōḥ aikyam nigadyatē. Do not misplace the na.
Vācyayōḥ aikyam nigadyatē, Lakṣitayōḥ na, it is not. There is no identity from the
standpoint of primary meaning; there is identity from the standpoint of secondary
meaning.
Now what is the secondary meaning is the question, which Śankarācārya himself
explains in the following verses.
तयो�वर्रोधऽयमुपा�धकिल्पत
न वास्तव किश्चदुपा�धरेष |
ईशस् माया महदा�दकारणं
Page 1118

जीवस् काय� शण
ृ ु पञ्चकोश म ||२४३||
tayōrvirōdhō:'yamupādhikalpitō
na vāstavaḥ kaścidupādhirēṣaḥ |
īśasya māyā mahādādikāraṇaṁ
jīvasya kāryaṁ śr̥ṇu pañcakōśam ||243||
A correction in the fourth line. Instead of pañja kōśam, pañja kōśāḥ is the better
reading. So now Śankarācārya explains further. Tayōrvirōdha, so the differences
between jīva and Īśvara are caused by what, attributes. It is attributing differences;
both are essentially what? Conscious principle; in that there is no difference, it is
only in the attribute.
Now do these attributes belong to the consciousness intrinsically or not is the

question. If these attributes intrinsically belong to the consciousness, then they are
intrinsically different; but Śankarācārya says that the attributes are not natural to
consciousness. Then it is incidental caused by some external factor. And the external
factor is called upādhi. Therefore Śankarācārya says ayaṁ virodhāḥ upādhi kalpitaḥ.
This distinct attributes are caused by extraneous factors not natural to
consciousness.
If you want an example, several examples we can give. I told you about the śāstrik
example of crystal which is colourless; but it appears in different colours because of
the upādhi; like a flower, a cloth, etc. Another example we can give is suppose there
is a dance programme. We have seen in school anniversary dance programme; you
find that there will be one person with a focus light, which light does not have any
particular lamp; and they have got a device with different colour paper; yellow
colour, green colour, etc. and it would be hanging in that so that it can be easily
adjusted. You might have seen or you might have been danced. Or played some
drama, and then you find that he keeps on changing, then the light become yellow
light falling on the persons and the light itself is what? free from the colours; colours
belong to the paper.
Similarly here also Śankarācārya wants to say that consciousness is Nirguṇam. It

does not have any attribute at all. Then the attribute is transferred from the upādhi;
how many upādhis; two upādhis; one for Īśvara; one for jīva. And Īśvara's upādhi is
superior upādhi and therefore it transfers the superior attributes to consciousness;
whereas jīva's upādhi is inferior upādhi; like five watt bulb and 500 watt bulb;
Page 1119

electricity is the same, superior bulb, superior light, inferior bulb; bedroom lamp
smaller. Can you say electricity is partial? It is giving only little here.
If you want another example, imagine you have a convex mirror; and the concave
on two sides; then what do you get? you have a longish face in one and the fattish
face on the other; these differences are caused by the mirror-upādhi; convex and
concave mirrors are different; and therefore the caused attributes are also different.
My face is longish or flattish. Neither. Flat means it is seen like this. Not there.
Similarly, consciousness is neither sarvajñaḥ nor alpajñaḥ; neither sarvaśaktimān nor
alphaśaktimān. Neither sarvēśvara nor alphēśvaraḥ. Neither creator nor created.
Anyathra dharmāth anyathra adharmāth; anyathra asmat kr̥tākr̥ta.
Neither kāryam nor kāraṇam. And therefore he says upādhi kalpitaḥ. It is imagined
by or imagined because of upādhi. Upādhi means external factors; that transfer their
attributes to consciousness seemingly; not real transfer. Crystal does not really
become red; the redness is seemingly transferred to the crystal. That is very very
important. It is not really transferred. If it is really transferred, you have to scrap the
red colour. How do you remove the red colour? Not by scrapping; not by washing;
not even by removing the upādhi. Some people will say remove the flower. It is by
knowing that red colour need not be removed because there is no red colour
belonging to the crystal. Red crystal is notional; you need not do anything;
understand it only; because the flower is near it is seen as red; just because it is
seen reddish, it does not become red. The appearance of redness does not mean
having an attribute. Like that, you need not remove the attribute, you need not even
remove the upādhi, you have to only remove the notion from the mind by
understanding crystal is colorless. Whether flower is there; or whether flower is not
there. Presence and absence of a flower cannot make any distinction in the nature
of crystal. Caitanyaṁ is like crystal. That is why in the śāstram itself: śudda spatika
saṅkāśam is the first word in the Rudram. When a person starts Rudrābhiṣēka, the
description of Lord Shiva, you know how it begins.
śudda spatika saṅkāśam, attributeless consciousness. But nobody will understand.

Therefore, trinētram pañja vakthrakam. Trinētram means what? Lord with three
eyes. Lord with five heads; and you feel you are doing Rudrābhiṣēka. So śudda
spatika saṅkāśam, it is attributeless-consciousness like a colourless crystal. So
upādhi kalpitaḥ.
Page 1120

Then what are the two upādhis? Look at the third line. Īśasya upādhi māya bhavathi.
Word upādhi you have to supply. The upādhi of Īśvara is what? māya; the māya
śaktiḥ and what type of māya śaktiḥ? which is the cause of mahāt, etc. So mahāt is
a technical word for Hiraṇyagarbha, which is the first product of the creation. That is
why Hiraṇyagarbha is called in śāstra, prathamajaḥ. So Hiraṇyagraba etc. Māya is
the kāraṇam; thus Īśvara has got what attribute? creative attribute; creative power
is because of what? māya upādhi. And that is why in Saundaryalaharī is what: �शवः
शक्त् यक
ु ्त य�द भव�त शक्त प्रभ�वत śivaḥ śaktyā yuktō yadi bhavati śaktaḥ
prabhavituṁ; the highest vēdānta he has put in the language of saguṇa. Nirguṇam
brahma is personified as Mr. Śivaḥ. Māya śaktiḥ is personified as Mrs. Śivaḥ. And
Śankarācārya says Mr. Śivaḥ cannot do anything without the support of Mrs. Shiva,
so that all the wives will be happy. But do not imagine that there is a male sitting,
female sitting and then helping all sorts of things Śivaḥ means nirguṇaṁ brahma and
māya means creative power; minus creative power it is not possible.
Then what is jīva upādhi? Jīvasya upādhiḥ; you have to supply the word upādhi; the
upādhi of jīva is kāryam; kāryam means what? kāryam means the product; whatever
is created in the form of pañja kōśaḥ; the created body is the upādhi of jīva. And
body is here represented as pañja kōśaḥ. So māya is Īśvara upādhi; śarīraṁ is the
jīva upādhi; and as long as these two upādhis are kept near; Īśvara will have
superior attributes; jīva will have inferior attributes. Remove them, then jīva is also
pure consciousness, Īśvara is also pure consciousness; and it does not mean there
are two pure consciousnesses. Because if you say that there are two pure
consciousnesses, then each will have limitation; and limitation will become an
attribute; this is upto this size; that is up to that size; form will come into picture.
And therefore there are no two consciousness; there is only one consciousness,
which was called the jīva, which is called the Īśvara; like ghatākāśa and kōṣtākāśa.
Both ghata and udaram are both like the same! Ghatākāśa means pot space;
udarākāśa means stomach space. Ok, therefore both being almost the same; better
we take kōṣtākāśa. Similarly here also. OK.
Then the question comes. Ok. You say that there is one pure consciousness which is
attributeless. And māya upādhi brings Īśvara's attributes; śarīra upādhi is responsible
for jīva's attributes and because of the attributes, there seems to be some superior
Īśvara and inferior Jīva; these are not there; both are caused by māya and śarīraṁ.
Then a doubt may come. Then if there is consciousness; there is māya, and there is
Page 1121

śarīraṁ; are not there three entities now. One consciousness; No.2 māya which
gives superior attributes; another is śarīraṁ which gives inferior attributes; three are
there. Two upādhis and one consciousness.
And if you accept two upādhis and one consciousness, where is your advaitam? You
may forget but I will not forget. You have said advaitin you are. I am ready to
accept the attributes are superimposed; but to superimpose the attributes you
require what: upādhis. Śankarācārya knows an intelligent student will raise that
question.
And therefore in the second line he gives the answer; kaścid yēṣaḥ upādhi na
vāstavaḥ. This māya and śarīraṁ are mithya; enjoying a lower order of reality.
Therefore they cannot be counted along with consciousness. For empirical purposes,
you can count; one consciousness and there is one superior upādhi and one inferior
upādhi; superior upādhi gives superior attributes and inferior upādhi gives inferior
attributes. Like convex mirror and concave mirror and one face. You can say that.
But ultimately seeing, we cannot count māya and śarīraṁ because they are of a
lesser order of reality. Therefore he says: upādhi mithya.
एतावुपाधी परजीवयोस्तयो
सम्यङ्�नरा न परो न जीवः |
राज्य नरेन्द् भटस् खेटकः
तयोरपोहे न भटो न राजा ||२४४||
ētāvupādhī parajīvayōstayōḥ
samyaṅnirāsē na parō na jīvaḥ |
rājyaṁ narēndrasya bhaṭasya khēṭakaḥ
tayōrapōhē na bhaṭō na rājā ||244||
So thus we have got one consciousness and two upādhis; māya and śarīraṁ;
superior upādhi giving superior attributes; inferior upādhi giving inferior attributes;
and therefore we say difference jīva and Īśvara.
And then what is your job for recogning Mahāvākayaṁ? Śankarācārya says
temporarily remove the upādhi; not physically. You cannot do that. That if you have
to physically remove the upādhi, body has to be removed; where will you remove
the body? Therefore remove means intellectually remove; which is called bhāgaḥ-
Page 1122

tyaga lakṣaṇa; by applying bhāgaḥ-tyaga lakṣaṇa, in your mind, remove. Like saying
electricity is one; even when you see a 5 watt bulb and 5000 watt bulb; even when
your eyes continues to see the difference between the bright light and dim light; but
intellectually you remove the bulb and brilliance and see the oneness of the
underlying electricity. I do not say consciousness is electricity. Do not extend it too
much. Just to a limited extent.
Therefore Śankarācārya says: remove the upādhi. tayōḥ parajīvayōḥ; ētāv upādhi.
parā means Īśvara. jīva means jīva; for Īśvara and jīva, ētāv upādhi. These two are
the upādhis. Conditioning factors. Upādhi is very very difficult to translate. Therefore
the definition of upādhi is that which seemingly transfers its attributes to a nearby
object. That is the definition of upādhi; that which seemingly transfers its attributes
to the nearby objects. The flower is an upādhi for red crystal, because the flower
seemingly transfers its redness to the crystal. So for Īśvara and jīva, ētāv upādhi;
these two are the upādhis.
These two means which two? you have to go back to the previous verse. Māya and
pañja kōśa. In simple language śarīraṁ. In technical language they call it kāraṇa
upādhi and kārya upādhi.
And then what is your job? Samyaṅnirāsē. So once you totally negate them, by
understanding that both of them are of lesser order of reality; and therefore from
the standpoint of consciousness, they are as good as not there. So this is called
nirāsaḥ, niṣēdhaḥ or bhāgaḥ tyāgaḥ.
And what do you discover to your surprise? na paraḥ. Minus māya consciousness
cannot be called Īśvara. Īśvara loses Īśvaratvam status minus the māya upādhi.
Once māya upādhi is absent, na jīvaḥ, jīvā loses the jīva status; what is jīva status?
subject to birth, karma, old age, disease, death; travel from one lōkha to another,
śraddhā, tarpaṇam, andyakriya. All these are headaches of jīva. Do I have children?
Male children, that also; and they should śraddhāḥ karma; whether they would do?
All these are whose lot; jīva's lot. Whether there is any śraddhāḥ for Brahman, or
Tarpaṇam, etc? So along as I am ajñāni, I am anxious about these things. And once
you remove the śarīra upādhi, na jīvaḥ; there is no jīva; jīva loses its jīvatvam.
Then what is left behind? only one pure consciousness. Like wave and ocean. As
long as you see the nāma rūpa, wave has got its waveness; ocean has got its
Page 1123

oceanness; ocean is cause, wave is effect; as long as you focus on nāma rūpa.
Intellectually remove the nāma rūpa, wave minus waveness is pure water; ocean
minus oceanness is pure water; then what is left behind; one water; where the
cause, where is the effect. Where is two? Cause and effect relationship is there only
when there are two. In fact, relationship requires two. There are no two. There is
only H2o. Similarly in caitanyaṁ where is the cause where is the effect? Therefore na
paraḥ na jīvaḥ.
And Śankarācārya gives another example. I gave wave and ocean example.
Śankarācārya says: So there are two people. One is called rāja and another is called
bhaṭaḥ. What difference do I see; both are human beings. And how do I know one
is rāja and one is bhaṭaḥ. Rāja has got the siṁhāsanaṁ, representing the rājyaṁ,
or the sceptre and because of the presence of sceptre, the human beings enjoys the
status of what: rāja. And bhaṭaḥ, bhaṭaḥ means a police or a soldier is a soldier
when he has got his khēṭakaḥ; khēṭakaḥ means what? the armour; like the uniform
of a police. In the presence of the armour, he is called a bhaṭaḥ. And not only that,
the moment I hold the sceptre, not only I enjoy the status of Rāja, I become the
controller and the one with armour becomes bhaṭaḥ; and he becomes what?
controlled. Wherever the rāja asks the bhaṭa to go; he has to go. So if he has to
fight the Kargil he has to do that. Siachin glacier, he has to do. He has to listen to
the Rāja; the supreme commander of the three forces. How long? as long the
sceptre is there; the human being is rāja, as long as the armour is there, he is
bhaṭaḥ; remove the sceptre and remove the armour; both are one and the same
human being. Cannot command.
Police Man showed the hand. One boy said it seems. My father is so powerful. He
shows just one hand, he can stop hundred cars. Cars he can stop with one hand.
Then the claim should come in Guinness Book of records. Then we ask; what is your
father? Traffic Policeman. When does he gets the power? show the hand somewhere
else; hand would be lost; You put that Uniform; that uniform makes you powerful.
Remove the uniform; you shake the hand, the head, etc. or anything at all; nobody
would stop.
And therefore Śankarācārya says: Narēndrasya Rājyaṁ Upādhiḥ. For a king, the
kingdom, the sceptre, the royal insignia, is the upādhi. Upādhi is the conditioning
factor that gives the kingship. bhaṭasya upādhiḥ khēṭakaḥ; so the upādhi for the
bhata; so that which gives bhaṭa the bhaṭa status; upādhi means that which gives
Page 1124

status; that which gives king status to a king; and that which gives a soldier status
to a solider, is only these two external factors. Nobody is intrinsically a king.
Suppose kingness belongs to the human being intrinsically, what will be the result?
he will be eternally a king. You ask Nawaz Sheriff, you will know. You have to just
enough; a few days before where was he; and a few days after the whole table is
turned; Nawaz Sheriff was Rāja, Musharaf was bhaṭaḥ; taking orders from Sheriff.
Now the whole table is turned; poor Sheriff is not even a bhaṭaḥ now. Where he
exists now nobody knows; appears now in Courts; miserable fate. All a difference in
what. Upādhi bhēda; Rāja to daśa in our life also. മാളിക പുറത് ഏറിയ മന്നന
േതാളിൽ മാറാപ് ചാര്ത ന്നത ഭവാൻ {Māḷika purathu ēriya mannandē, thōḷil
mār̥appu chār̥thunnathum Bhavān). So one day I am in the Palace, next day I am in
the street; all caused by upādhi.
Therefore Śankarācārya says; tayōrapōhē; remove the two upādhis; the sceptre and
the armour; na bhaṭaḥ; there is no soldier; na rāja; there is no king also. So
similarly, from absolute standpoint, jīva and Īśvara are not there. That is why some
people think that vēdantins are nāstikas people. Because they dismiss Īśvara also.
Remember, they are not nāstika people, they do not dismiss the Īśvara from
empirical worldly angle. As long as I am operating through the body-mind-complex,
as an individual, I have to accept I am a jīva and I have to accept the superiority of
the Īśvara.
That is why when Śankarācārya writes a vēdānta grantha, the beauty is the content
of the book is I am God; but in the beginning Śankarācārya writes a prayer: Oh Lord
you should bless me to complete the book. Does it not seem to be a contradiction?
If I am God, why should I pray? In fact, this aspect many people are not able to
understand. Namaskāram he is doing; he is writing the book; and he is writing
what? that I am God. Then why should he do namaskāra to some other God.
And they start āsramas and to start āsramas, there is a Pūjā: Oh Lord: this Āsrama
should function well. After building the Āsrama, what is the content of the teaching;
there is no God. There is no jīva, and for these teachings, they seek the blessing of
God himself. Thus advaita seems to be the most contradictory teaching. You have
understood Advaita well, when you do not see any contradiction. As long as you not
see contradiction, you have to learn.
Page 1125

And the day you can do namaskāra to Lord also and also equally say Ahaṁ
Brahmāsmi; then you have no problem. Until then, what should I do: study further.
And what is the bhēda. The difference is Vāchyārtha-lakṣyārtha bhēda; Vyavahārika-
pāramārthika bhēda.
The details in the next class.
Hari Om.
Page 1126

087. Verses 244 to 248
ु ाधी परजीवयोस्तयो
एतावप

Śankarācārya is explaining the Mahāvākyam from verse 241 to 253. Mahāvākyam is

revealing the identity of jīva and Īśvara; jīva Īśvara aikyam is the subject matter.
And Śankarācārya pointed out that if you take the popular meaning of the word jīva
and Īśvara; then their oneness is never acceptable, because the popular meaning of
the word jīva is a conscious being with inferior attributes.
And Īśvara is understood as a conscious being with superior attributes. And when
the attributes or so totally different, how can we talk about the oneness is the
question. Śankarācārya said that as long as you focus on the attribute you will see
only the differences; you can never see the oneness; just as you can never see the
oneness of wave and ocean; as long as you are focusing on their name and form. If
you have to see one water in wave and ocean, it is possible only if your vision;
temporarily drop the nāma rūpa amsa and focuses on the water amsa.
Similarly here also, we have to temporarily separate jīva and Īśvara from their
attributes; which are technically called upādhi and once upādhis are removed, jīva is
conscious being: sat chid ātma; Īśvara is conscious being; sat chid ātma; jīva and
Īśvara are one and the same. Cannot say jīva is small sat chid ātma; Īśvara is big
sad chid ātma; you cannot say because, as long as you use the word small and big,
they also come under attributes only. Therefore smallness also is removed from the
jīva; bigness is also removed from Īśvara; there is only one sad chid ātma, which is
Page 1127

free from all the attributes. And that is why we use the word ananthaḥ. ananthaḥ
means what: that which is free from division.
And Śankarācārya gives the example of the Narēndraḥ and bhaṭaḥ; king and the
soldier; both of them are essentially human beings; to differentiate them when king
has got the sceptre, he has got Kingship; and when the soldier has the armour, he
gets the name soldier. Solider's soliderhood is incidental; King's kingship is
incidental; once the upādhis are removed, the incidental kingship is gone; the
incidental soldiership is gone; there is only the free human being. But we should
remember, do not extend the example too much, because in the example, even
after removing the soldierhood and the kingship, the soldier and king, as human
beings, they stand separately. Division continues; but the king-soldier; ruler-ruled;
controller-controlled division is gone; but they are two separate individuals; but in
the case of jīva and Īśvara ; once the attributes are removed, there is no question of
two consciousnesses even; there is one caitanyaṁ. This is called akhaṇḍa artha
jñānaṁ. Akhaṇḍa means what: without any division. Up to this we saw in the last
class.
अथात आदे श इ�त श्रु� स्वय

�नषेध�त ब्रह् किल्पत द्वय म |
श्रु�तप्रमाणानुगृह�त-
त्तयो�नर्रा करणीय एव ||२४५||
athāta ādēśa iti śrutiḥ svayaṁ
niṣēdhati brahmaṇi kalpitaṁ dvayaṁ |
śrutipramāṇānugr̥hītabōdhā-
ttayōrnirāsaḥ karaṇīya ēva ||245||
So in the previous verses we saw, to understand Mahāvākyam, we have to take jīva;

that is conscious being with inferior attributes; we have to take Īśvara which is again
conscious being with superior attributes; and to see their oneness, temporarily or at
the level of understanding, we have to remove the attributes, which alone we called
bhāgaḥ-tyaga lakṣaṇa. Why it is bhāgaḥ-tyaga lakṣaṇa? We do not remove the total
jīva and total Īśvara; we only remove part of jīva and part of Īśvara; the attribute
part of jīva and attribute part of Īśvara are removed.
Page 1128

Then a question may come, how can you remove the attribute? Because whenever
we understand a substance, we always understand the substance along with
attributes only. How can I remove the attributes alone from a substance? If I ask
you to think of a particular person, immediately along with the person, what comes
to your mind; his height and weight and complexion; male or female; all the
attributes also come, along with the substance. Since attributes are to be taken
along with the substance, how can you remove the attributes from jīva and Īśvara.
That will be the question, for which Śankarācārya is giving the answer.
Attributes are of two types. Attributes are of two types. One is called intrinsic
attribute; natural attribute; innate attribute; svabhāvika dharmaḥ. And the second is:
incidental attribute. Incidental attribute or agantuka dharma, which is not intrinsic at
all. And the intrinsic attributes can never be removed; why because it is intrinsic.
Incidental attributes can be negated because they are incidental. And therefore we
have to ask the question, what is the intrinsic attribute or nature of jīva and Īśvara;
and which are not intrinsic.
And when you analyse that we come to know that all the attributes other than sat
and chit; all the attributes other than sat and chit; are not natural and intrinsic
attributes of jīva and Īśvara. They are incidental attributes; they are superimposed
attributes; they are kalpita dharmā. Exactly like snakeness is attributed to the rope
that is seen by me. When I say this is a snake and then go on adding this is cobra
snake, this is poisonous snake, and this is wild snake, all those things are not innate
attributes, because on enquiry, I find that they are all negatable, negated attributes.
Or the attributes that I have in dream.
I am getting an Award in dream; Bharath Rathna award; let us have it; why a half
rājyam in the manōrājyam? A person said I imagine I am getting half a kingdom;
You idiot; after all you are imagining; why not imagine that you are getting a full
kingdom. Similarly I am getting Bharath Rathna attribute in dream; that will get
negated on waking; therefore negatable attributes should not be included in the
substance. This is the law. Negatable attributes cannot be included in the substance,
because negatable attributes are incidental, they are intrinsic.
Now the question is how do you know what are the negatable attributes and what
are the unnegatable attributes? Can you put a lot and decide? This is nice. This I will
keep. There is no question of your liking or my liking. Whenever we come to the
Page 1129

topic of caitanyaṁ or Brahman, it is not available for our instruments of knowledge

to know and therefore we have to take the help of what? śāstra pramāṇam alone.
And therefore śāstra tells what are the negatable attributes and what are not.
What are the negatable attributes? Śāstra says: all the objectifiable attributes are
negatable. Whatever you can objectify; either sensually or intellectually; mentally;
whatever you can conceive of, they are all objectifiable attributes and they are all
kalpitam. So this is said in Brihadāranyaka Upaṇiṣad. Murthāmurtha Brāhmaṇam.
Murthāmurtha Brāhmaṇam. In this the Upaṇiṣad talks about the nature of ātma, and
while defining the nature of ātma, the upaṇiṣad uses the word nēti, nēti. Na iti; na
iti. Iti means anything objectifiable and whatever you can visualise or objectify, they
do not belong to ātma. Then after negating everything, whatever is left behind is
ātma.
That is said here: śrutiḥ svayaṁ niṣēdhati. Śrutiḥ itself negates. Kalpitam dvayaṁ;
all the dualistic attributes, differentiating attributes, in what form? In the case of
jīva, what is the attribute, inferior attributes like what: limited knowledge, and in the
case of Īśvara , limitless knowledge; limited power, limitless power. These are all
differentiating attributes called dvayaṁ; all of them śruti negates. In Kathopanișad:
Anyathra dharmāth, anyathra adharmāth. Īśvara is good or bad? Generally we say
Īśvara is good; Jīva is bad. Even that is a differentiating attribute; Therefore the
Śruti says: goodness of Īśvara is also superimposed, badness of Jīva is also
superimposed; there is only one consciousness which is beyond goodness and
badness; anyathra dharmāt, anyathra adharmāt. So śrutiḥ kalpitam dvayaṁ
niṣēdhathi. And how does it do that? Athatha ādēṣaha iti. "Athatha ādēṣaḥ", within
quote, occurring in Murthāmurtha Brāhmaṇaṁ, Second Chapter, IIIrd section of
Brihadāraṅyaka.
Here Śankarācārya quotes only the beginning and this quoted portion is not relevant
to us. The unquoted portion is relevant to us and that unquoted portion is: nēti, nēti.
Yam nēti nēti vachanaiḥ nigama avōcan, tam dēva dēva ajaṁ acchutham
ahūr agrayaṁ.
Page 1130

Prāthasmaraṇa Manthra; nēti nēti vachanaiḥ nigama avōcan. Nēti means, na plus iti;
iti means this: this refers to anything that you can objectify. And all attributes are
objectifiable attributes.
Can you imagine an attribute which you cannot objectify? If there is an

unobjectifiable attribute, you will not know it. If you do not know that, how can you
talk about an unknown attribute? Suppose you know a new attribute, that new
attribute is known or unknown. Moment you know a new attribute, it becomes a
known attribute, which means it is an objectifiable attribute; at least mentally
conceivable attribute.
Śruti says: that attribute does not belong to jīva or Īśvara. Whatever you can
conceive of in the mind, you have to negate. Then who will be left out? The
conceiver will be left out. All the concepts will be dropped. Concept-less conceiver
is Brahman. Vēda says: whatever you conceive, drop it. Whatever you conceive,
drop it.
Then what will be left out? The one who is aware of all the concepts. And that one
will be conscious one or inert one? The very fact that I am conceiving indicates I am
a conscious being, therefore consciousness alone will be left behind. So this is called
niṣēdha mukha pramāṇam; revelation by negation. And therefore svayaṁ kalpitam
śrutiḥ niṣēdhathi.
And therefore what are we supposed to do? Fourth line, tayōrnirāsaḥ karaṇīya ēva.
And therefore to understand mahāvākya, you have to negate both of them.
tayōrnirāsaḥ karaṇīya ēva. You have to negate both of them. Both of them means
what: both the superior attributes of Īśvara, called upādhi, as well as inferior
attributes of Jīva, called jīva upādhi; both you have to negate. As what? less real;
not as real as consciousness is.
And to do that, whose help you have to take. Śruti pramāṇa anugrahīta bhōda; with
the help of the knowledge, bhōdaḥ means knowledge, which is gained with the help
of śruti pramāṇa. With the help of the knowledge, which is gained with the help of
śruti pramāṇa, you have to negate the inferior and superior attributes of both Jīva
and Īśvara.
Page 1131

नेदं नेदं किल्पतत्वा सत्य

रज्जुदृष्टव्यालवत्स् |
इत्थ दृश् साधय
ु ुक्त् व्यपोह
�ेयः पश्चाद ेकभावस्तयोय ||२४६||
nēdaṁ nēdaṁ kalpitatvānna satyaṁ
rajjudr̥ṣṭavyālavatsvapnavacca |
itthaṁ dr̥śyaṁ sādhuyuktyā vyapōhya
jñēyaḥ paścādēkabhāvastayōryaḥ ||246||
Now Śankarācārya talks about the status of the two attributes. These are all
technical verses. He talks about the status of the two attributes of jīva and Īśvara.
Whatever is real is existent, cannot be negated. Whatever is existent can never be
negated. Why it cannot be negated, because it is existent. Whatever is non-existent,
need not be negated. Why? Non-existent. Whatever is existent, cannot be negated,
because it is existent. Whatever is non-existent, need not be negated, because it is
non-existent.
Then what can be negated is the question? The existence cannot be negated. The
non-existent need not be negated. Therefore whatever is negated must be
something different from existent and non-existent. Do you understand? Existent
cannot be negated. Non-existent cannot be negated; therefore whatever is negated
should be other than existent and non-existent. ரண்� ெகட்டா. It means,
inbetween. Only the intermediary thing.
In Saṁsr̥kt existent thing is called sat, non-existent is called asat; sat cannot be
negated; asat cannot be negated; therefore whatever is negated should be sadaśat
vilakṣaṇam. Sadaśat vilakṣaṇam. Vilakṣaṇam means different.
And in Vēdānta, whatever is sadaśat vilakṣaṇam is called mithya; is called mithya.

And if at all you want the nearest translation in English, we have to translate it as
seemingly-existent. Seemingly-existent. A seemingly-existent thing can be negated.
And that is why the rope-snake will come under what? Not-existent; existent rope-
snake cannot be negated; non-existent snake need not be negated. Which snake
you negate? a snake which is neither existent; nor non-existent, but seemingly
existent. That alone we call mithya; anrutham, etc.
Page 1132

The Upaṇiṣads says that Īśvara's and Jīva's attributes are negatable and therefore
they will come under what: mithya. Therefore he says: na idaṁ satyam kalpitatvat.
Īśvara's attribute is not Sat; we do not say Īśvara is not Sat. We say Īśvara's
superior attributes cannot come under Sat, why because it is negated by the śruti.
Where is this negated? Nēti, Nēti iti vākyai.
Then what about Jīva's attributes? Na idaṁ; jīva's attribute also is not Sat; why
because it is negated.
Then can you say they are asat? If they are asat, Śruti need not negate at all. Then
they come under what category? they are seemingly-existent. And therefore he
says: Na satyam. Both of them are not satyam. Both of them are mithya; both of
them are seemingly-existent.
And Śankarācārya himself gives two examples. Rājau dr̥ṣṭa (here you have to make
a correction, in the book that I have given; it is rajju dr̥ṣṭa; it should be rājjau dr̥ṣṭa;
even though rajju dr̥ṣṭa is grammatically right, the meter will not come properly, if it
is rajju dr̥ṣṭa, therefore we have to correct it to rājjau dr̥ṣṭa vyālavat). So vyāḷaḥ
means what? Snake. It is like the snake, superimposed on rope, and svapnavāca;
and it is like the dream superimposed on the waker. That means what? both of them
are unreal or mithya. So very difficult to assimilate. Īśvara's omniscience is unreal.
And Jīva's limited knowledge is also unreal.
And if you find it difficult to swallow, we can present it in another way also. When I
say dream is unreal; when can you accept that fact? You can happily accept the fact
that the dream is unreal only after waking up. When you are in dream; and when
you are afraid of the chasing tiger and running; you have a nightmarish dream and if
anybody comes and tells the dream is unreal; he will never accept. So then what
can we do? We can say dream is real; waking is super real. We can keep it that way.
Now that everything is named super, super, etc. Put like that. So if you call dream as
real, then waking is more real; realer than dream. What we want to emphasise is:
the degree of reality between dream and waking are different. One is of a higher
order of reality and the other is of a lower order of reality; and dream has got a
lower order; and waking has a got a higher order. If you say waking is real; I will
say dream is unreal; if you say dream is real; I will say waking is super real.
Page 1133

Similarly, this world is unreal. And its attributes. When you look from which
standpoint? Brahman's standpoint, we say this world is unreal. But suppose you are
looking at the world from body standpoint, what should we say? this world is real;
then Brahman should be what: super real.
I am not bothered what word we use; I am only interested in communicating the

idea that one is of a higher order of reality and the other is the lower order or
reality. What is higher order? Consciousness is higher order; what is lower order, all
the attributes are lower order.
If you understand, omniscient is also an attribute, limited knowledge is also an

attribute; whatever differences you talk about, they are all at the level of lower order
alone.
And therefore Śankarācārya says: itthaṁ, in this manner; dr̥śyaṁ vyapōhya; one
should negate all the objectifiable differentiating attributes. Differentiating between
whom and whom? Jīva and Īśvara. Whatever differentiating attribute you see, you
negate. They are unreal. So dr̥śyaṁ sarvaṁ vyapōhya; one should negate. And then
once all the attributes are negated, what is left behind? the attributeless
consciousness is left behind.
And once we come to the consciousness, we do not arrive at two consciousnesses;

because once you negate jīva's and Īśvara's attributes and come to consciousness
level; there are not two things, because number also is an attribute you should
remember. This is one; this is two; this is the first; this is the second; therefore this
is jīva caitanyaṁ; this is Īśvara caitanyaṁ; this is one; this is two; if you count, this
is also an attribute only. Remove the numeral attributes also; then what is left out?
There is only one consciousness. And we say we should not even use the word:
there is one consciousness, because that one also becomes an attribute. It is called
one because you had seen second, third, fourth, etc. From the standpoint, second,
third, fourth, etc. you say one. Otherwise it is not even one and that is why the
Upaṇiṣad uses the word advayaṁ; instead of using one; it says it is secondless,
without a second. So therefore tayoho jīvaīśvarayōryaḥ, ēkabhāvaḥ; ēkabhāvaḥ
means oneness; jñēyaḥ; has to be understood; has to be recognised; has to be
owned up; I am the non-dual consciousness: yat sākṣāt kuruthē prabhōda
śamayē, svātmāna ēva advayaṁ.
Page 1134

And here we should remember when I talk about the negation of the attribute and
the negation of the duality; I need not negate their perception, negation is only at
the level of knowledge. After knowing, I can continue to see the attributes; but only
I should remember the fact: What fact? these attributes are all of lesser order of
reality.
And with that knowledge, I can handle the attributes; I can perceive the attributes,
like seeing a movie, after knowing that the whole movie is what: light and shade. I
need not stop the movie. Let the movie continue. But what should I understand?
The movie and the characters are of a lesser order of reality, compared to what? the
screen.
And what is the advantage of that? I know movie cannot affect the screen. Like that,
like a movie, all the attributes, all the duality dance about, jñāni knows Ahaṁ
Satyam; Jagan Mithya.
And therefore paśyañśr̥ṇvanspr̥śañjighrannaśnangacchansvapañśvasan; guṇāḥ

guṇeṣu vartantē, indriyāṇi indriyārtēṣu vartantē; you need not stop anything; let
everything continue, with the knowledge, I am of higher order of reality; whatever I
experience is of lower order of reality.
The lower order world cannot disturb the higher order Me. Me means which Me; not
stūla śarīraṁ Me; not sūkṣma śarīraṁ Me; stūla sūkṣma kāraṇa śarīrāth vyatiriktaḥ
avastha traya sākṣi, pañja kōśa vilakṣaṇaḥ, satchidānandaḥ svarōpaḥ.
sādhuyuktyā, is there; sādhuyuktyā means with proper reasoning. And what do you
mean by proper reasoning? If Śankarācārya should do say: proper reasoning, he
gives an adjective proper reasoning, so there must proper reasoning. Otherwise you
can just say: He is telling.
Dayānandaḥ Svāmi used to say: he is a good sādhu; sādhu itself means நல்ல;
good; நல்ல sādhu means you have got some other sādhu in mind. Therefore
adjectives should have significance. So since you talk about proper logic; there is an
improper logic also. What is proper logic and what is improper logic? Proper logic is
that which goes in line with the scriptural revelation. Śruti sammadaḥ yukthi,
sādhuyukti; śruti asammadaḥ yukti is asādhu yukti.
Page 1135

That is why we always say śruti yukti. Śruti and yukti, we add both and say.
ततस्त तौ ल�णया सुल�यौ

तयोरखण्डैकरसत्व�सद |
नालं जहत्य न तथाऽजहत्य
�कन्ूभयाथार्ि
त कयैव भाव्य म ||२४७|
tatastu tau lakṣaṇayā sulakṣyau
tayōrakhaṇḍaikarasatvasiddhayē |
nālaṁ jahatyā na tathā:'jahatyā
kintūbhayārthātmikayaiva bhāvyam ||247|
So after negating the attributes, you have to retain the consciousness. So in English,
there is an expression; throwing the baby with the bathwater. Like that you cannot
negate Īśvara totally; only the attributes-part you negate and retain the śudda
caitanyaṁ. In Tatva Bōdhaḥ itself, we all saw this. So Upādhi vinirmuktham;
śuddham caitanyaṁ; tvam pada lakșārthaḥ. Similarly upādhi vinirmuktham,
śuddham caitanyaṁ, tad pada lakșārthaḥ. All these we saw in Tatva Bōdhaḥ itself.
So tau; tau means what; śuddha caitanya rūpa jīva Īśvarau, the pure jīva, without
attributes, and pure Īśvara, without attributes have to be lakshau; have to be
grasped; tataḥ; tataḥ means what? after dropping the attributes, one has to pure
jīva and pure Īśvara. That means what: attribute is impurity. Which attribute is
impurity? Good attribute or bad attribute?
From vēdantic angle, good tribute is also an impurity. That is why at the end of the
Gītā, sarva dharmān api parithyajya; tatha vidvān puṇya pāpē vidhuya. We have to
go beyond puṇyam and pāpam.
And therefore, sulakṣyau, we have to arrive at the pure consciousness, by what

method? lakṣaṇaya; by using the lakṣaṇa vr̥tti; the method of implication, which I
discussed in the introduction itself. So by using the method or function of
implication, one has to arrive at pure consciousness after dropping the differentiating
attributes.
Page 1136

And why should you do that? tayōrakhaṇḍaikarasatvasiddhayē. To arrive at the total

oneness of jīva and Īśvara; akhaṇḍa ēka rasatvam. Sajātīya, vijātīya, svagata bhēda
rahitatvam. Akhaṇḍa ēka rasa; three words; three words indicate total freedom from
all distinctions.
And remember, we are not bringing the consciousness together. You should not
think that jīva is sitting here; and Īśvara is sitting here; jīva has got some attributes;
Īśvara has come attributes, you remove them; thereafter bringing them together
and bind it well with Fevicol. Do not think that you are joining together.
You are never joining together, because they were never separate. So therefore
merger means dropping the notion of their difference. So akhaṇḍa ēka rasatvatvam
nāma bhēda brahma tyāgaḥ. I drop the idea that we were ever different. That I was
different from Īśvara; is a very big notion; that notion I have dropped. So dropping
the notion is called ēka rasatvam. And siddhayē; for accomplishing this oneness, we
have to remove the attributes and retain the consciousness.
And what type of lakṣaṇa is applied here? In the introduction I said, we are not
applying jahatī lakṣaṇa here; ajahatī lakṣaṇa here; but we are using only bhāgaḥ-
tyāga lakṣaṇa. I have explained this; I am expecting you to remember; If you do not
remember, go back and read. It is a big topic by itself. Therefore jahatya na alam;
by using the jahatī lakṣaṇa, we will not be able to arrive at the oneness. Jahatī
lakṣaṇa is unfitting; it will not fit properly; tatha ajahatya api na alam; by using
ajahatī lakṣaṇa also, we will not be able to get oneness; then what should we use?
Bhāgaḥ tyāga lakṣaṇa; otherwise called jahatī-ajahatī lakṣaṇa, which is here called
ubhayārthātmikayaiva. So ubhayārthātmikayaiva means jahatī-ajahatī lakṣaṇaya;
bhāgaḥ-tyaga lakṣaṇāya ēva bhāvyam; that alone must be applied. And what is
bhāgaḥ-tyaga lakṣaṇa? As I said; part is removed; part is retained.
स देवदत्तोऽय�मती चैकता
�वरुद्धधमा�शमप कथ्यत |
यथा तथा तत्तमसी�तवाक्य
�वरुद्धधमार्न �हत्व ||२४८||
sa dēvadattō:'yamitīha caikatā
viruddhadharmāṁśamapāsya kathyatē |
yathā tathā tattvamasītivākyē
Page 1137

viruddhadharmānubhayatra hitvā ||248||
Śaṁkarācāryā gives an example here for bhāgaḥ tyaga lakṣaṇa. It is a very famous
example; often given in the śāstra. In fact this is the popular example given. And
that stock example is: sōyam dēvattaḥ. Sōyam dēvattaḥ. Very important example
given for understanding mahāvākyam. OK.
You should remember the context. Imagine that two friends are together; Rāma
and Lakṣmaṇa in a place. Then a third person comes; he is Dēvatta. Dēvatta is a
name. We require a name; In English you can say; Tom, Dicken and Harry. So in
śāstra they have Dēvatta, Viṣṇudatha, Yajñadatta; that is our Tom Dicken and Harry.
OK. Dēvadatta an X person comes.
Now Lakṣmaṇa already knows Dēvadatta, because he has met him before, but the
only problem is Lakṣmaṇa had met Dēvadatta 25 years before. They were college
mates. And within 25 years, what all changes would have happened. Married,
children, thereafter ageing, and so many things; and therefore his physical body has
totally changed. He had luxuriant hair before; and now 75% bald and whatever little
hair is there; that is also grey. So many changes. Therefore Lakṣmaṇa could not
recognise him. Therefore Rāma introduces: this is Dēvadatta. Then more interaction
takes place and then he talks about the college days and then Lakṣmaṇa remembers
that when we played together that day; he reminds all those things of the college; Is
it that one; He says: Sōyam Dēvadattaḥ. That Dēvadatta, who did all the mischief,
jumping over the wall; and to see a movie or something; here he cannot even walk
now; jumping over the wall and now not able to walk even. Now saha ayaṁ
dēvadattaḥ. If you expand this statement; it means that Dēvadatta is this Dēvadatta.
Now in this sentence, if you are going to take the literal meaning; vāchyārthaḥ,
vāchyarthaḥ, direct meaning, there is a contradiction because, that Dēvadatta refers
to a person belonging to a different time, 25 years before, different place, college;
and also different attributes. That Dēvadatta has got totally different attributes.
This Dēvadatta when you say, it refers to a different set of attributes. This time, this
place, as well as these present attributes. And are these attributes same or different.
It is different; time is different; space is different; attributes are different. When
both are different; how can you use the expression that dēvadatta is this Dēvadatta.
Page 1138

Even grammatically it is not acceptable because, that means beyond perception, this
means within perception; how can you equate two? But still that person
understands. How does he understand? Soyam Dēvadatta when you say how does
he understand.
So when Lakṣmaṇa listens to the statement, temporarily he drops the place, he

drops the time difference also, and he drops the hairy differences also; hairy
differences, you take appropriately; skin differences; then it was pala pala; now dry;
all these differences; having removed the changing attributes, he has taken only the
Dēvadatta person; and once you understand that person; he is one and the same.
And this is called Bhāgaḥ-tyāga- lakṣaṇa, which bhāgaḥ is given up, the
differentiating attributes are given up, what is retained, the person, the jīva is
retained. And this method is called what? Bhāgaḥ tyāga lakṣaṇa. That is said in this
verse. The exact meaning we will see in the next class.
Hari Om.
Page 1139

088. Verses 248 to 250.

�नगद्यतेऽन्योन्य�वरुद्धध |
खद्योतभान्वो� राजभतृ ्ययो
तयो�वर्रोधोऽयमुपा�धकिल्प
न वास्तव किश्चदुपा�धरेष |
ईशस् माया महदा�दकारणं
जीवस् काय� शण
ृ ु पञ्चकोश म ||२४३||
एतावुपाधी परजीवयोस्तयो
अथात आदे श इ�त श्रु� स्वय
�नषेध�त ब्रह् किल्पत द्वय म |
श्रु�तप्रमाणानुगृह�त-
त्तयो�नर्रा करणीय एव ||२४५||
नेदं नेदं किल्पतत्वा सत्य
रज्जुदृष्टव्यालवत्स् |
इत्थ दृश् साधय
ु क
ु ्त् व्यपोह
�ेयः पश्चाद ेकभावस्तयोय ||२४६||
ततस्त तौ ल�णया सल
ु �यौ
तयोरखण्डैकरसत्व�सद |
नालं जहत्य न तथाऽजहत्य
�कन्तूभयाथार्ित्मक भाव्य म ||२४७||
स देवदत्तोऽय�मती चैकता
�वरुद्धधमा�शमप कथ्यत |
यथा तथा तत्त्वमसी�तवाक
�वरुद्धधमार्न �हत्व ||२४८||

Page 1140

tayōrvirōdhō:'yamupādhikalpitō
na vāstavaḥ kaścidupādhirēṣaḥ |
īśasya māyā mahādādikāraṇaṁ
jīvasya kāryaṁ śr̥ṇu pañcakōśam ||243||
athāta ādēśa iti śrutiḥ svayaṁ
niṣēdhati brahmaṇi kalpitaṁ dvayaṁ |
śrutipramāṇānugr̥hītabōdhā-
ttayōrnirāsaḥ karaṇīya ēva ||245||
nēdaṁ nēdaṁ kalpitatvānna satyaṁ
rajjudr̥ṣṭavyālavatsvapnavacca |
itthaṁ dr̥śyaṁ sādhuyuktyā vyapōhya
jñēyaḥ paścādēkabhāvastayōryaḥ ||246||
tatastu tau lakṣaṇayā sulakṣyau
tayōrakhaṇḍaikarasatvasiddhayē |
nālaṁ jahatyā na tathā:'jahatyā
kintūbhayārthātmikayaiva bhāvyam ||247||
sa dēvadattō:'yamitīha caikatā
viruddhadharmāṁśamapāsya kathyatē |
yathā tathā tattvamasītivākyē
viruddhadharmānubhayatra hitvā ||248||
Śankarācārya continues with the topic of Mahāvākya vicārah and here he is talking
about how to arrive at jīvātma-paramātma aikyam through the Mahāvākya. The
Upaṇiṣad clearly reveals the aikyam by saying that Tat Tvam Asi. Tat is also
nominative case, Tvam is also nominative case.
In Saṁsr̥kt language, when both are put in the same nominative case, it indicates
that there is no preposition coming in between. Like Rāmasya Griham. So Rāmasya
is in genitive case; and Grihaṁ is in nominative case; therefore Rāma and Grihaṁ,
the house, are not identical; they are different entities and they are related entities;
the relationship is indicated by the preposition; the house of Rāma.
Page 1141

So when we have got different cases, two ideas are conveyed, the first idea is that
these are two separate entities; and not only they are two entities; but they are
related also, and the relation is indicated by the preposition, water from Gaṅgā;
water for abhiṣēkam. In all things, prepositions are used to indicate relationship. But
here the Upaṇiṣad is using Tat Tvam Asi; and we do not find any case-difference at
all; between Tat and Tvam; both are used in the same nominative case, which
indicates the Upaṇiṣads does not introduce Tat and Tvam as two separate entities.
And therefore only there is no question of a relationship between them; because

relationship is possible only between two separate entities. When I say I am related
to; I can never say myself. When I say I am related to, I have to add something
else. So by putting in nominative case, the Upaṇiṣads clearly indicate Tat and Tvam
do not reveal separate entities; related entities; both of them together reveal only
one entity; You are Brahman. Brahman is You.
Then what is the relationship between You and Brahman? When I say You are
Brahman, and Brahman is You, what relationship between Brahman and You can be
talked about? There is no relationship because, relationship requires two separate
entities and if they are not related, what is the conclusion? Both are one and the
same. The names are different; but the objective revealed by the two names is one
and the same. This is called jīvātma-paramātma aikyam.
But here we find that there is a problem; because we have understood Brahman as
infinite; or Īśvara and we have understood ourselves as Jīvātma; we will not be able
to assimilate the aikyam, even though the śruti tells so; because I am seeing
differences between them; and how can I talk about the oneness? For that alone,
we interpretted; when we talk about jīvātma-paramātma are identical; we have to
take the essence of jīvātma; and the essence of paramātma.
And having taken the core or essence, we have to remove all the non-essential part;
exactly like what: wave is ocean when I say, the identity is possible only under one
condition; what is that. When I say Wave, you should take the core of the Wave,
that is water; you should take the core of the Ocean, that is water; wave and ocean
are nothing but one water; and whatever differences I see, they are all non-
consequential unimportant differences.
Page 1142

And this taking the essence and dropping the non-essence is called bhāgaḥ-tyāga
lakṣaṇa. And to convey this idea, Śankarācārya is giving the example, sōyam
Dēvadattaḥ; that Dēvadatta who was our college friend, that Dēvadatta is this
Dēvadatta; with a grey beard, wringled face, with pot belly.
Now in this statement, essentially there is a contradiction, even in the language,

because ‘that Dēvadatta is this Dēvadatta’ when you say; That refers to a different
place and different time; this refers to a different place and different times and they
Dēvadatta had certain attributes and this Dēvadatta has got certain other attributes;
therefore dēśa bhēda, kālaḥ bhēda; dharma bhēda. Property difference. Even
though, space, time and property are different, we are equating that Dēvadatta with
this Dēvadatta and how do you do that? Only by one method; you forget the time
difference; you forget the space difference and you forget the superficial attributes
difference also.
Once you remove the space, time attribute differences, then you get only one
person Dēvadatta which is called the aikyam between that Dēvadatta and this
Dēvadatta. That is what is conveyed here.
Saha Dēvadattaha ayaṁ iti. You have to repeat the word Dēvadatta twice. Saha
Dēvadattaḥ ayaṁ Dēvadattaḥ iti iha ekāta kathyatē. Ekata means what? oneness or
identity is revealed and how are we are we to arrive at the identity?
viruddhadharmāṁśamapāsya; apāsya is by trimming; by removing; forget the grey
beard now and the dark hair now; intellectually shave him off; not physically;
mentally shave him off; off what? the grey hair and the dark hair. That is called
bhāgaḥ-tyaga lakṣaṇa shaving. Mental shaving is called bhāgaḥ-tyāga lakṣaṇa.
So why we have to do that? Necause the attributes are different. Therefore Viruddha
Dharma aṁśam; that word aṁśam is significant; because he wants to show bhāgaḥ-
tyāga lakṣaṇa. Therefore, you have to remove the portion, which portion? Not any
portion you like; those attributes which bring out the differences between them.
Only the differentiating attributes you have to remove; not the non-differentiating
attributes. So virudda dharma amsam apaasya. Apaasya means having eliminated;
kadyate, is revealed. What is revealed? ekatha; ekatha means oneness.
Having talked about the example, now Śankarācārya comes to the mahā vākyam,
yatha tatha; as in the case of soyam Dēvadatta; in the same way, Tat Tvam Asi, eti
Page 1143

vaakye api. You have to apply the same bhāgaḥ-tyaga lakṣaṇa, with regard to Tat
tvam Asi vākya also. And how do you do that. viruddhadharmāṁśamapāsya
kathyatē; remove the opposite attributes which are present in both of them. And
what are the opposite attributes. Īśvara has got all knowledge; I have got limited
knowledge; therefore you have to remove the all-knowledge of Īśvara and limited
knowledge of Jīva. Similarly, all power of Īśvara and limited power of Īśvara. And
Īśvara having the status of cause and Jīva having the status of effect, the cause
effect attributes also you should remove; like what? wave and ocean; if you are
looking at the wave and ocean superficially; what is their relationship? Ocean is
cause, wave is effect. But forget the nāma-rūpa; and look at the water; where is the
cause, where is the effect; there is only one water all the time. And therefore
causality is an attribute; effectness is also attribute? In fact all the attributes you
have to remove.
Then what will be left out? You cannot say nothing is left out; after removing all the
attributes; what will be left out; sat chit alone will be left out. Chit means what? Pure
consciousness. Consciousness is different from knowledge. Consciousness is
different from knowledge; knowledge is always with regard to an object. When I am
a conscious being, I do not have any knowledge, but when I operate my mind and
sense organs, I acquire knowledge. So knowledge is an attribute acquired; but
consciousness is something, which was before acquiring knowledge, which is during
the presence of knowledge, and it will continue even after the removal of
knowledge. As in deep sleep state, all knowledge is removed; I am not
knowledgeable in deep sleep state; but still consciousness continues. And therefore,
chit, the awareness, and sat, the existence; except these two; everything will go
away. Brahman is defined as sat; Jīva is defined as Chit; sadēva chit; existence is
consciousness; consciousness is existence.
संल�य �चन्मात्र सदात्मनो

अखण्डभाव प�रचीयते बुधैः |
एवं महावाक्यशते कथ्यत
ब्रह्मात्मनोरैक्यमखण ||२४९||
saṁlakṣya cinmātratayā sadātmanōḥ
akhaṇḍabhāvaḥ paricīyatē budhaiḥ |
ēvaṁ mahāvākyaśatēna kathyatē
brahmātmanōraikyamakhaṇḍabhāvaḥ |249||
Page 1144

This slōka is the continuation of the previous slōka, because the previous slōka is
grammatically incomplete; because it ends with the words hitvā. hitvā means what?
Having removed the opposite attributes. Naturally the sentence has to continue.
Having removed the opposite attributes, what am I to do? you have to take the
attributeless core of each one of them, which is said in this verse. Chinmātraya
saṁlakṣya. Once you remove all the attributes, then what is left out śuddha
cinmātratayā; chit means consciousness; paramātma caitanyaṁ attributeless;
jīvātma caitanyaṁ attributeless; this attributeless consciousness alone will be implied
by the words tat and tvam. Just as wave implies water; ocean implies water; once I
have arrived at the water essence of wave and water essence of ocean; the next
stage is what? tayoho aikyam.
Therefore he says: sadātmanōḥ akhaṇḍabhāvaḥ. Sat means paramātma, ātma

means jīvātma; so sat ātmanōḥ means jīvātma paramātmanōḥ; akhaṇḍabhāvaḥ
means aikyam or oneness, which we call essential oneness; budhaiḥ paricīyatē; that
oneness is discerned by the intelligent people. Recognised by the intelligent people;
intelligent people because we have to do the exercise of Bhāgaḥ-tyaga lakṣaṇa.
And if I do not know how to do it; then the word Tat tvam asi, will not reveal
aikyam; but it will reveal something else. The other systems of philosophy who also
comment upon this; they say Tat Tvam Asi should be taken as Tasya Tvam Asi.
Tasya tvam Asi means what? You belong to the Lord. So that means what? they do
not want to accept; they want to say Bhagavān is total; you are a part of Bhagavān;
like when you say, Tamil Nadu is India. What does it mean? Tamil Nadu is also
India. That means what: Tamil Nadu is a part of India. How is it? Tamil Nadu is
India should be translated as Tamil Nadu is also India; is equal to Tamil Nadu is part
of India. It is not totally identical; this idea some people give. And there are some
other people who interpret; it is a very interesting grammatical interpretation; Tat
Tvam Asi mahāvākya comes at the end of a long sentence. Ayi Tadātmyagum
idaguṁ sarvaṁ. Tat Satyam; sa ātma; Tat Tvam Asi Svetakheto. So sa
ātma, Tat Tvam Asi. And they say: sātmātattvamasi should be read together.
How? sa ātma, gap should not be given. sa ātmāttvamasi you have to read together
and having read you have to apply the rule of combination, sa ātmāttvamasi if you
split; sa ātma asatvamasi Swetakheto; How is this? Because according to Saṁsr̥kt
rule of combination, aa + aa is also aa only. So ātma and plus asatvamasi is ātma
Page 1145

asatvamasi. Therefore the Upaṇiṣad is telling You are Not Brahman. How are you
interpreting this like this, they ask.
So there are lot of interpretational problems. To get out of intellectual confusions;

and arrive at the appropriate meaning, a person must have buddhi; and therefore
Śankarācārya says budhaiḥ; intelligent people alone will arrive at the meaning.
And then Śankarācārya says: this Tattvamasi cannot be taken as a casual statement.
A casual statement will not have validity; just I told in some hurry; do not take
seriously, he can tell. Śankarācārya says; vēdānta is full of many such Mahāvākyās
indicating that Upaṇiṣad is not casual about this revelation.
Therefore he says: ēvam mahāvākya śatēna. There are hundreds of mahāvākyams.

So very careful. We have to note here. Popularly they say: there are four
mahāvākyams. Now Śankarācārya very clearly says, it is not four mahāvākyās;
hundreds of mahāvākyas. Then why do people talk about four mahāvākyās. Because
we want to take one mahāvākyam sample from each Vēda. Since four vēdas, we
have got four sample mahāvākyas. Therefore we should always say: sample
mahāvākyas are four; but mahāvākayaṁs are how many; śatēna; hundreds.
And how do you know what is mahāvākyam and what is not Mahāvākyam? If there
is a description of paramātma, it is not mahāvākyam; if it is a description of jīvātma,
it is not a mahāvākyam; if it talks about the oneness of jīvātma and paramātma, that
alone is called mahāvākyam. Like that there are hundreds; I have given you samples
before also. Mahāvākya śatēna kathyatē is revealed, what? Brahmātmanōḥ aikyam.
So the oneness of Brahman and ātman; paramātma and jīvātma.
And here the word aikyam also can create a confusion. So Śankarācārya is worrried.
Often the word aikyam is translated as union; merger. Coming together. And in the
Purāṇās also, we have mōkṣa as jīvātma merging into paramātma. If you see the
movies also, they will show, this great devotee will die and from the chest the soul
will come out; a flame; and the soul will travel, travel, travel, travel; no traffic jams
and all for the soul; and there will be the local temple; and in that garbha griha,
Īśvara will be there; and then it merges.
Page 1146

So by seeing such movies and such statements in Purāṇās, we may consider aikyam
as our merger into paramātma as a future event and therefore Śankarācārya wants
to clarify aikyam does not mean merger.
Then what is aikyam, aikyam means understanding the fact that they are non-
different; they do not require merger. Dropping the notion of physical merger.
Dropping the requirement of physical merger by understanding that jīvātma is
paramātma; paramātma is jīvātma; the words are two. But the substance is one.
That is why the word aikyam is ekasya bhāvaḥ aikyam. Substance is one; nāmas are
two. And that is conveyed here: akhaṇḍabhāvaḥ; non-difference between jīvātma
and paramātma is revealed. Therefore the word aikyam is equal to akhaṇḍabhāvaḥ.
अस्थूल�मत्येतदसिन्न
�सद् स्वत व्योमवदप्रतक् |
ृ ामात्र�म प्रती
अतो मष
जह��ह यत्स्वात्म गह
ृ �तम ् |
ब्रह्माह�मत �वशुद्धबुद्
�व�द स्वमात्मानमखण्डबो ||२५०||
asthūlamityētadaśannirasya
siddhaṁ svatō vyōmavadapratarkyam |
atō mr̥ṣāmātramidaṁ pratītaṁ
jahīhi yatsvātmatayā gr̥hītam |
brahmāhamityēva viśudda buddhyā
viddhi svamātmānamakhaṇḍabōdham |250||
In this verse, Śankarācārya is talking about another type of mahāvākya. Mahāvākya

is of two types. One is called vidhimukha mahāvākyam; positive revelation of
aikyam; or direct revelation of aikyam; the second is called niṣēdha mukha
mahāvākya; negative or indirect revelation of aikyam. And the direct revelation is
talked about tell now. Now in this verse, indirect revelation is talked about. What is
the method used?
The Upaṇiṣad tries to reveal Brahman by negating all the objects of experience. The
Upaṇiṣad reveals Brahman by negating all the objects of experience and leaves as it
is. If all the objects of experience are negated, what will be left out. If all the objects
Page 1147

are negated, what will be left out? Only the subject will be left out? and therefore
indirectly the Upaṇiṣad says Brahman is what remains after negating all the objects.
It is like, if there are two children; and the parent says: elder son is a very brilliant
student; and keeps quiet. There is a second idea conveyed indirectly negatively
without telling. What is that. The second son is not a brilliant student.
And whether you tell or not, the child understands. That is how the child gets into
problems also. Never praise one child in front of the other one. Either praise both or
do not praise either.
Similarly here also, there are two things in the creation: object and subject. Inert
and Cētanam. By inert or object what do you mean: the entire objective universe;
the physical body; the mind; everything comes under Kṣētram or anātma. And the
observer of all of them; world, body and mind; the observer comes under Kṣētrajna
or ātma. These are the only two things in the creation.
So what does the scriptures do? While revealing Brahman, the scriptures negate all
the kṣētrams or anātma; and keeps quiet. Once the kṣētram is negated; object is
negated, indirectly the Upaṇiṣad has conveyed that Brahman is the kṣētrajnaḥ; like
conveying what? the second son is unintelligent. ெசால்லாம ெசால்லற.; this is
only called Mouna Vyakya. ெசால்லாமல் ெசால்.
But remember, if mouna vyakyanam should function, the first statement is required.
What is the first statement? This boy is intelligent; and thereafter you have to keep
quiet. If from beginning itself I keep quiet, you will be looking at me. I have to make
some statement, and keep quiet and the rest is understood. Similarly two people are
there and both of them want to come along with me; I just called one of them and
say you please come along with me. What does it mean? The other one is said
without saying: you need not come. This is called niṣēdha mukha pramāṇa.
And how does the upaṇiṣad negate the objects? Several methods are used. One
method is negating all the attributes. All the objectifiable attributes are negated by
which the objective universe is negated. And that is done in Brihadāranyaka
Upaṇiṣad called Akṣara brāhmanaṁ. Śankarācārya is referring to that. Asthulaṁ;
analo, ahr̥svam; adhīrgam, alōhitam; asnēham; acchāyaṁ; athamahā; ākāśa;
anākaśam; asaṅgam, arasam, agandham, acakṣu, asrothram, avāk, amanaḥ,
Page 1148

amukham. Enough. Goes on negating. It is neither big nor small; it is neither good
nor bad; what all attributes you can conceive of.
Those you have experienced and those you have not experienced; all the
conceivable, experienceable, objectifiable attributes are taken and the Upaṇiṣads
uses the word aa; aa means not; astūlam. It is not gross; it is not subtle; it is not
long; it is not short; all these are things which your mind can conceive of.
Or another method, we have seen before, Nēti, Nēti. Or there is another method
used in Kēnōpāṇiṣad; Anyadēvatāt vidhithādat atho aviditāt; Brahman does not
come under known; Brahman does not come under unknown category also.
So then what is the only thing let out. If I say X is other than seen and unseen; the
only thing other than seen and unseen is the eyes; eyes will not come under seen
category; the eyes will not come under unseen category also. Unseen is used for
something which can be seen in future. And therefore what is other than known and
unknown has to be the knower; subject-consciousness only. This is another method
of niṣēdhamukha revelation.
And therefore astūlam iti etat asan nirasya; asad means objective universe; abhrama
iti arthaḥ; anātma, dr̥śyam; jaḍaṁ; anything you can take. So by negating every
experiencable thing, which includes body and mind; that is why we say in
meditation, if you experience anything extra-ordinary, that also will come under
what: an experienced object. The only difference is what: it is an extra-ordinary
object. Extra-ordinary object is also; what? object. Extra-ordinary object is also
object.
Therefore never mistake the mystic experience as Brahman. If at all you get mystic
experiences; if you do not get, you are saved; but if by mistake you get mystic
experiences; what should you say: I, the consciousness, which was before the
mystic experience, which continues during the mystic experience, and which will
continue even after the disappearance; that I, the non-mystic consciousness, that
non-mystic consciousness; which is the illuminator of mystic experiences and
ordinary experiences; that consciousness is Brahman.
Page 1149

And where is that consciousness? Uou should not search; I am that consciousness.
Therefore nirasya; keep on negating; anything comes; did you experience, that is
not. So nirasya.
Then if you have negated everything; how do you know I am left out? Suppose
somebody asks; after negating all the people; Svāmiji how do I know, I will be in
the hall; after negating everything; that I am left out does not require any proof at
all; that is why I am called Self; the definition of Self is that which is self-evident.
The very definition of Self is that which is self-evident. And therefore svatō siddhaṁ.
So the consciousness is self-evident; You need not close your eyes to say that I am
in the hall; you need not use your ears to say I am in the hall. To say that I am
here, you have to use your eyes; whether Svāmiji is there or not. Even if you do not
use your eyes, you ought to use your ears; you are hearing my sound; but to say: I
am here in the class, which sense organ you use; Do you use logic. I must be
existent; because I am hearing the talk; so it is not even logically proved; because
the logic itself is possible because I am there.
Therefore, the only thing which exists, without requiring a proof, is nothing but I,
the consciousness; and therefore, svataḥ siddhaṁ.
And vyōmavat apratharkyaṁ. It remains like the ākāśa; ākāśa means sky or space.
Space remains after eliminating everything from this hall. But the most interesting
thing is every body takes the space for granted. How do you know that? after
removing every object; if I ask you what is in the hall? What is your answer? There
is nothing. So what do you mean by Nothing. Nothing means nothing other than
space, which is unnegatable.
Similarly if you remove all the thoughts; and come to a blank state; and you say that
there is total blankness; blankness means what? consciousness, which is the
illuminator of blankness, which can never be removed at all.
So just as unremovable space remains; similarly, the unremovable consciousness

remains. Therefore vyōmavat. Vyōma means ākāśa.
Page 1150

And what type of consciousness it is. Apratarkyam. It is not available for scientific
study; logical study; perceptual study; because consciousness can study everything;
but consciousness can never become an object of study; because subject is never
subject to objectification. And therefore apratarkyam means beyond logic. And you
do not require any logic to prove consciousness because consciousness is self-
evident. Why do you require logic? You require logic for everything else. Not for
ātma. And therefore apratarkyam. Not available for instrument of knowledge.
In fact, these two lines should be connected with the next two lines, the essence of
that, is that self evident consciousness should be identified with Brahman. Why?
Necause śruti has started defining Brahman and while defining Brahman it has
negated everything else; and it has kept quiet and therefore after elimination;
whatever is left out must be understood as Brahman. And therefore siddhaṁ svatō
vyōmavadapratarkyam caitanyaṁ must be owned up as Brahman.
And thereafterwards what should we do? Athaḥ, idaṁ pratītaṁ śarīraṁ jahīhi.
Śarīraṁ understood; thereafter give up your identification with the body. Having
owned up the consciousness disown the body-shell; disown the mind-shell; use the
body; but don't own the body. That is the difference between owning and using.
Owning up means taking up as myself.
Therefore Śankarācārya says; Athaḥ; thereafter, idam prathitaṁ; prathitaṁ; that

which is experienced, that which is an object of experience, jahīhi; you give up. And
what type of body it is? svātmataya grihitam; which has been till now mistaken as
myself. It has still now taken as myself, because the entire bio-data I give is
connected with either physical body or subtle body. So svātmaya grihitam idam
śarīraṁ jahīhi and why you should give up? mr̥ṣā māthram; this body is mithya; it
does not have any independent existence.
And why this body is mithya? That you will understand only if you remember, the
previous discussion, in which it was pointed out Brahman is kāraṇam, everything
else is kāryam; which means the body is also kāryam only. Kāryam means what: a
product; and we have already seen that any product is nothing but nāma and rūpa.
There is no substance called product. Like the example I gave. There is no
substance called desk. Desk is nothing but nāma rūpa. Then what is the substance.
Wood alone is the substance. Similarly, body is non-substance, mind is non-
Page 1151

substance; world is non-substance, in fact, whatever I experience is non-substantial;

what a height of teaching. Whatever I experience is non-substantial.
What about God? Then I will ask you the question, which God are you talking? Do
you talk about any God who is experienceable God. If you are talking about God as
an experienceable object, that experienceable God is also non-substantial.
Very difficult to swallow; but Vēdānta is relentless. Kēnōpaṇiṣad. Nētam yēditam

upāsate. Any objectifiable God is also non-substantial.
Then what is the substance? There is only one substance. The experiencer-I is the
only substance. After Vēdānta, I am substance, and the world depends on me.
Before Vēdānta, I depend upon the world; after Vēdānta, the world depends on me.
If you have a doubt, is it possible Svāmiji, it looks like too much idealistic. Vēdānta
gives the example of dream; when I am in dream, I am an individual within dream
depending upon the dream world for my survival. But the moment I wake up, I no
more depend upon the dream world. On the other hand, what? the dream world
depends upon Me, for its existence. This world also, as long as I am in the dream of
ignorance; I depend upon the world; but when I know I am the caitanyaṁ, the
world depends on me. Therefore why are you holding on to the non-substantial
body.
And that it is not non-substantial everyday you are seeing; it is growing old; and in
front of you, many are disappearing. You are seeing in front of your eyes; body,
body, body you are thinking; but in one Malayalam song, it is said:
tilakaṁ chārthi, you have decorated your head with all vibhoothis, chandanam,
kumkum, and hairstyle, etc. Oh My God, so much time is spend; വില പിടിയാെത്താ
തലേയാടായി (vila pidiyaatha oru thalayodaayi ~you have ended as a worthless

skull); it all ended on a mere skull; a piece of bone it has become. Why are you
holding on to the non-substantial anātma. Why do not you own up the substantial
ātma, the caitanyaṁ. So this is the one. More...
Hari Om.
Page 1152

089. Verses 250 and 251
अस्थूल�मत्येतदसिन्न
�सद् स्वत व्योमवदप्रतक् |
अतो मष
ृ ामात्र�म प्रती
जह��ह यत्स्वात्म गह
ृ �तम ् |
ब्रह्माह�मत �वशुद्धबुद्
�व�द स्वमात्मानमखण्डबो ||२५०||
asthūlamityētadaśannirasya
siddhaṁ svatō vyōmavadapratarkyam |
atō mr̥ṣāmātramidaṁ pratītaṁ
jahīhi yatsvātmatayā gr̥hītam |
brahmāhamityēva viśudda buddhyā
viddhi svamātmānamakhaṇḍabōdham ||250||
Śankarācārya is analysing the mahāvākyam and how it reveals jīvātma paramātma

aikyam. And Śankarācārya points out that the upaṇiṣad reveals this aikyam in two
fold ways: one is a direct or positive method and the other is an indirect or negative
method.
Direct positive method is defining Brahman positively as jagat kāraṇam and then
showing that Tat jagat kāraṇam Brahma tvam asi. That cause of the universe
Brahman is none other than you. And in this method alone, we have to apply
bhāgaḥ-tyaga lakṣaṇa and through that: from the Brahman, kāraṇam status has to
be removed; from the jīva, kāryam status has to be removed; and we should arrive
at pure existence and unconsciousness which is inherent in kāraṇam and kāryam;
but in itself is neither kāraṇam nor kāryam. Just as water is inherent in kāraṇa ocean
and kāryam wave and this water is inherent in kāraṇa kāryam but water by itself is
neither kāraṇam nor kāryam.
And this elimination of kārya and kāraṇa status is called upādhi elimination, because
upādhi alone gives this kāraṇam-kāryam status and this partial elimination of upādhi
and the consequence status is called bhāgaḥ-tyaga lakṣaṇa. And this is the direct
revelation we saw.
Page 1153

Now Śankarācārya is dealing with indirect revelation, in which the upaṇiṣad does not
say ‘Brahman you are’ in explicit words. On the other hand, the upaṇiṣad introduces
the definition of Brahman and when we are looking for Brahman, it goes on negating
everything that we can conceive of. Everything that is concrete is negated;
everything that is subtle is negated; any concept you can conceive of is negated. It
consistently goes on negating. And after negating everything, the upaniṣad drops.
And from this we have to understand: what is left out after negating everything?
What is left out after negating everything? The only thing that will be left out is the
pure consciousness principle which remains after every negation; which is the
witness of all the negation. Or we can put in another language; the negator is not
negated. The negator is not negated.
Therefore the unnegatable negator remains and that remainder consciousness, we

need not objectify to realise that remainder consciousness, we need not objectify to
realise. On the other hand, it has been self-evident all the time. It is not that it
becomes evident after negation. No. It has been self-evident all the time. That self-
evident consciousness alone remains. Exactly like what? I see many people sitting in
the hall; but it is blended with the light which pervades. If I dismiss from the hall,
everything that can be dismissed; what is left behind is the light principle. Previously
the light illumined the people; now the very same light illumines the absence of
people. The light was self-evident before also. The light is evident now also.
Previously people were there to distract my attention. After dismissing the people,
there is nothing to distract my attention.
Similarly, consciousness is there, when thoughts are. Consciousness is there, when

thoughts are negated. Consciousness is evident at both times, but consciousness is
lost sight of, when thoughts are there. Therefore the Upaṇiṣad asks you: Negate
everything and leave at that and what remains is self-evident consciousness.
And since the context is Brahman definition, we should connect these both; that left
behind consciousness is Brahman. And that Brahman I am. So therefore, the jīvātma
paramātma aikyam is revealed indirectly by negation; that is what we were seeing in
the last class.
Asthūlam iti ētad asannirasya. So negate everything that is asat. Asat means non-
Brahman. Sat means Brahman. Asat means non-Brahman. Negate everything that is
Page 1154

non-Brahman or not-self or anātma; and then what is left behind? Svatāḥ siddhaṁ.
Only this self-evident consciousness remains. Like what? Wonderful example:
vyōmavat; like the space. So when every object is removed, we generally say:
nothing is there in the room. But you cannot say nothing. You should say what?
Space is there. In Chidambaram that is the rahasyam; they are worshipping the
space itself; you generally take the space for granted and in the space, you look for
a śiva linga or something; when nothing is kept there; what is our tendency? To say
that there is not even a thing. No No No; what is left behind is space. Worship that
space as Brahman. Ākāśaḥ Brahma. In the same way, after negating every thought
from the mind, we say the mind is blank and what you call blank is not blankness,
but the blankness pervaded by the self-evident consciousness. Dayānanda Svāmi
calls it Silence-awareness, with capital S.
And therefore vyōmavat apratarkyam; vyōmavat means space-like consciousness is

left behind, which is apratarkyam, which consciousness is not available for regular
study. What is regular study? The scientific method of study. What is the scientific
method of study? Collecting data; forming hypothesis, extrapolating and then
arriving at a theory; a theory of consciousness. Śankarācārya says: that story is not
possible here. It is beyond logical postulation and that consciousness you have to
own up.
And how should you own up? That is said in the last two lines which we did not see
in the last class. Brahmāhaṁ itiēva viddhi. In fact, the first two lines should be
connected with the last two lines: that is how grammatically it is connected. So the
first two lines should be connected with the last two lines; first two lines talked
about the remainder-consciousness: the remainder-consciousness is technically
called in Vēdānta, niṣēdha-avadhiḥ; it is a very important term; niṣēdha-avadhiḥ.
avadhiḥ means the culmination. Culmination of what? All negation. What is the
culmination of all negation? The culmination of all negation is the unnegatable
remains. That is the culmination of any negation. Like if I want to remove everything
from this hall, what is the culmination. First I have to ask everyone to move out;
thereafter carpets removed; chair is removed; this is what? Negation. What will be
the culmination of negation? We will say: nothing will remain. We say, the
unremovable remaining, as the remainder. What is that? Again, nothing you cannot
say. Ākāśaḥ. So ākāśaḥ being left out is the culmination of evacuation. Ākāśaḥ being
left out is the culmination of evacuation.
Page 1155

Similarly in Vēdānta also, the culmination of all negation is what? Consciousness

being left out. And what should I do? That consciousness I own up. How do I own
up? Brahma ahaṁ iti ēva viddhi. Own up that unnegatable consciousness as I am
Brahman. That Brahman I am. And what is the nature of that? Svam ātmānam;
which is one's own real nature, which is the real self. All others are incidental
tenements or incidental dress. Just as the dress is removable; the physical body is
also vāsāmsi jīrnāṇi; removable; the mind also is also removable; daily we remove
the mind; when; when asleep; often even when awake mind is not there, but that is
a different matter. So when asleep, no mind. So after removing everything, what is
the unremovable one? I, the witness. That is svam ātmānam viddhi. May you know
that Brahman as I, which is one's own true nature, and which is akhaṇḍa bōdhaḥ;
which is undivided consciousness. It is not the property of the mind.
Two views are there. Some people take consciousness as mind. That is why they use
the expression, mind and matter. From that what do you understand? When they
say mind and matter, from that itself it is assuming that mind is not matter. So this
is called kṣaṇika vijñāna vādha; the Buddhistic theory; there mind is taken as
consciousness.
The second group takes consciousness as the property of the mind or brain. Either
way, if the mind is taken as consciousness, or consciousness is taken as the property
of the mind, either way consciousness will be limited. Because if mind is
consciousness, I have one mind; that means what? Here one consciousness. You
have a different mind, is it there not? Say yes, or I will be in trouble. So you have a
different mind; she has a different mind; therefore as many minds are there; so
many consciousnesses. Therefore Śankarācārya wants to demolish that idea by
saying: akhaṇḍa bōdham; consciousness is neither the mind nor is it the property of
the mind; but consciousness is something all pervading, which pervades the mind
also. And therefore what is it called? A…khaṇḍa bōdham. Kāndam means: divided;
Partitioned; A…khaṇḍa means what? undivided consciousness. Therefore how many
consciousnesses are there in this hall, if you ask, the answer is Ekam.
�नत्य सवर्गत स्थाणुरचलोऽय सनातनः ||२- २४||

अव्यक्तोऽयम�चन्त्योऽयम�वकाय�ऽयमु |
nityaḥ sarvagataḥ sthāṇuracalō:'yaṁ sanātanaḥ ||2- 24||
avyaktō:'yamacintyō:'yamavikāryō:'yamucyatē |
Page 1156

Consciousness is one; minds are many. Thoughts are many. Bodies are many.
Therefore do not own up the khānda śarīraṁ; but own up the akhaṇḍa śarīraṁ.
And after combining first two lines and the last two lines, thereafter we should read
the middle two lines. The middle two lines I have dealt with in the last class. But I
would like to repeat it; because middle two lines should be read after reading the
four lines from the beginning and end.
So what is the meaning of the middle two lines? mr̥ṣā māthram idam pratitam;
svātmataya grihatam jahīhi. May you give up the abhīmānam. After owning up the
consciousness, may you give up the abhīmāna; obsession; identification. With what?
idam. This body. This body requires care alright; but this body does not require
obsession. If you are obsessed with the body; then you will have problem. What
type of body it is? Mr̥ṣā māthram; pratitam; the body which is an object of your
experience and therefore only which is unreal like the dream; because for dream-
transaction you use dream-body; for waking-transaction, you use the waker's-body.
Therefore both are unreal bodies used for incidental transactions. You are neither
the dream-body nor the waker's-body. And if you argue that this body appears very
real, Śankarācārya will argue for that matter, dream-body also appears very real in
dream.
For appearing as reality does not confirm reality. And therefore, mr̥ṣā māthram;
which is mithya, that śarīraṁ; yat svātmataya grihitam; which makes it more
difficult; which you have identified with, for years together. So when you are using a
pen for a few years; you get sentimentally attached. This pen is rāśi; lucky; that
also! That broken pen and it is also not writing; but still it is lucky. So we are so
much sentimentally attached. Imagine how many years, how much we have bathed
it; washed it; treated it; pampered it; decorated it; meditated upon it; watched it in
the mirror for hours. Svāmiji you are saying Drop Drop this body. Is it possible?
What do you know? You will say that and go also. Then Śankarācārya will say; padu
maname padu; suffer.
It is not that I am interested in your dropping of the abhīmāna. If you do not want
to drop the abhīmāna, you are free to have it; but I want to give you only additional
information. As long as abhīmāna is there; saṁsāra cannot go away. Do not cry
tomorrow; I am old; this person is dead; that person is dead; this person left me; do
not cry; do not come to me and cry; I would not have no sympathy for you. Because
Page 1157

I have given statutory warning; Abhīmāna is injurious to mental warning. Statutory

warning I have given and if a person chooses to smoke and then attract cancer what
sympathy I will have? I cannot any have sympathy. And therefore Śankarācārya
advices here; Jahihi; give up your abhīmāna. Dēha-abhīmāna.
मतृ ्काय सकलं घटा�द सततं मन्मात्रमेवा�

ृ
तद्वत्सज्ज� सदात्मक�मद सन्मात्रमेवा�ख |
यस्मान्नाि सतः परं �कम�प तत्सत् स आत्म स्वय
तस्मात्तत्त् प्रशान्तम ब्रह्माद यत्पर म ||२५१||
mr̥tkāryaṁ sakalaṁ ghaṭādi satataṁ mr̥nmātramēvāhitaṁ
tadvatsajjanitaṁ sadātmakamidaṁ sanmātramēvākhilam |
yasmānnāsti sataḥ paraṁ kimapi tat satyaṁ sa ātmā svayaṁ
tasmāttattvamasi praśāntamamalaṁ brahmādvayaṁ yatparam ||251||
So in the following two verses Śankarācārya concludes the entire vēdantic teaching
by condensing the upaṇiṣadic teaching. These two slōkas are very nice capsule
verses in which the upaṇiṣadic essence is presented. I will just give you the gist of
the slōka.
First the upaṇiṣad defines Brahman as Sat, the pure existence. And then the
upaṇiṣad points out that the entire creation is the addition of nāma-rūpa to that
existence. So the pure existence becomes nāma-rūpa sahita existence. Exactly like
what? The creation of furniture is nothing but one wood plus additional of what:
name and form. In fact you have not added even an ounce of matter. Because
matter cannot be created or destroyed. Therefore the basic substance is pure
existence and upon the existence is addition of nāma, rūpa and karma. Nāma means
name, rūpa means form, karma means function. Desk nāma and rūpa will have a
particular function. Desk function, which is different from the function of a chair.
Thus nāma rūpa karma are added; but what is inherent in all of them? The basic
substance wood. Similarly what is the only substance of the creation? Existence is
the only substance. Existence with capital E. And what is creation? The addition of
nāma-rūpa. And what is dissolution? When you destroy a desk; what happens?
Nothing happens to wood; destruction of desk is removal of that particular nāma,
rūpa and therefore that function also has been reduced to blank. So therefore nāma
rūpa addition is sr̥ṣṭi; nāma rūpa resolution is pralaya. But what is the constant
factor? The substance. Sat, Sat, Sat, it continues. And that is why, whatever you
Page 1158

experience, you are experiencing the existence as an intrinsic part; like experiencing
wood, intrinsically with every furniture. It is wooden desk; wooden chair; wooden
table; that wooden adjective indicates what? The substance. The wooden adjective;
very careful; wooden adjective indicates what? The inherent substance. Or you say;
golden bangle; golden chain; golden ring; herein the golden adjective reveals what?
the inherent substance Gold.
Similarly vēdānta says: existence ākāśa. existent ākāśa; existent vāyu. existent agni;
existent 14 lōkaḥs; existent man; woman; animal; the existent adjective reveals
what: just as the golden adjective reveals gold, the substance; wooden, the
adjective reveals wood, the substance, the existeNT adjective reveals what: the
existenCE, the substance.
And therefore, by enquiring into the creation, instead of focusing on the variable
nāma rūpas, learn to focus on the substance; what is that? the existence substance.
Yasyaiva sphuranam sadātmakam asad kalparthakam bhāsate;
So this teaching of Brahman as existenCE is done in Chandōgya Upaṇiṣad. Sadēva

somyma idamagra aseeth. Ekam ēva adveetheeyam.
And thereafterwards the creation is talked about, when creation comes, existence is
not replaced. When creation comes it is superimposed on the existence. Just as the
furniture cannot replace the wood, the substance, the entire world cannot replace
the existenCE, the unreplaceable; undisplaceable existence you focus. This is the
first part of Vēdānta.
And if the existence is inherent in all of them undisplaceably, the very same
existence must be inherent in Me also. Would we say that except in me existence is
there in everything else?
When it is said that existence is there Everywhere, it is in Me also. So the very

existence inherent in Me, undisplaceably and in what form can I experience that
existence, if you ask, the Upaṇiṣad says: you are experiencing the undisplaceable
existence; constantly you are experiencing only in one way; and what is that way?
Consciousness: I am an awareful sentient being. In jāgrat avastha, I am a conscious
entity; in svapna avastha, I am a conscious being; in suṣupti also, consciousness is
there; witnessing the absence of everything. So what is the common thread in Me.
Page 1159


When I say I am and add my various features, I am a boy, I am a youth, all the
other features are subject to change; physical features are changing, emotional
features are changing, intellectual features are changing, even cell features are
changing, because according to the biological study, almost every cell is replaced,
within 12 years or so. We have got a totally replaced body. Even brain cell. That
what is the only constant factor in me, which makes me say I am, I am, I am. That
constant factor is that consciousness. Therefore the Upaṇiṣad says that existence is
satyam, and that satyam is ātma, the caitanyaṁ, and that caitanyaṁ you are. Aitat
ātmyam idagum sarvaṁ. Tat Satyam; sa ātma. Tattvamasi Svetakheto.
So the Sat is now what? Chit and what is that Chit? I am the conscious being. And
once I own up the Sat as Chit, then whatever be the glory of Sat, is the glory of the
Chit, is the glory of Myself. Myself means Real Self. And therefore I can say before
creation, I was: In what condition? Without nāma rūpa. And then what happened?
Upon Me the consciousness, nāma rūpa got added and before nāma rūpa addition, I
was undivided consciousness; therefore no transaction. Transaction requires what?
duality. Therefore before sr̥̄ṣṭi, I was in undivided form, as in what? sleep. Then
what happened? All the nāma rūpas were added; and in nāma rūpa addition, I
become as-though divided. Exactly like what? In dream, I divide myself into the
dream-transactor-I; the dream-brother; the dream-sister; dream-husband, dream-
wife; who got multiplied; I-the-waker.
Similarly, I was originally the consciousness; I multiplied myself by the addition of

nāma rūpa; and became the triputi; or become the subject-object duality. And then I
do transaction, exactly as I do it in dream. In dream-transaction also, we fight, isn't
it? There also we shout at people. Who is the listener of my shouting? I myself.
Who is shouting; the shouter also I am; the shouted at also I am; the pacifier also I
am; the pacified also I am; when, in dream. Śankarācārya says the waking is also
not much different.
maiēva sakalam jātam, mai sarvaṁ prathishtitham
Page 1160

mayi sarvaṁ layaṁ yāti, tat brahma dvayaṁ asmyahaṁ.
Therefore the Upaṇiṣad concludes saying. Tat Tat. Tvam Chit; Asi. That existence is
You, the Consciousness. If this is understood and assimilated, vēdānta is over. This
is the essence, beautifully presented. First he gives the example.
Mrtkāryam sakalam jadāthi. Pot, jug, plate, etc. are all, sakalam, mrtkāryam; they
are all products of clay. They are all products of clay.
And what is their nature? Even though we use the word pot, what is the adjective
we give? It is clay pot; or earthen pot; and by saying it is clay pot, what am I
indirectly conveying? There is no pot other than clay. When I say this is woodden
desk, what do I mean. There is no desk other than wood. When I say it is golden
bangle, what do I say? there is no bangle other than gold. And therefore
Śankarācārya says Mrn māthram ēva. So all these products are nothing but clay.
They have got only verbal existence. Vāchēraṁbaṇaṁ vikārō nāmadēyaṁ; pot exists
only in your tongue; there is not even one ounce of substance called pot; then what
is the substance? clay was, clay is. In the place of pot, you put the word existence.
In the place of clay, you have to put the word existence. In the place of pot you put
the word World. Therefore, clay pot is similar to existeNT world. In clay pot, clay is
the only substance; pot is not substance at all. In the existent-world also; what is
the substance?
World is substance, you cannot say. That is why I have given the clay pot in the
same order. In Clay pot, LHS; what is that LHS; left hand side word; reveals the
substance; RHS reveals the non-substance. ExisteNT world when you say, which is
the substance, which is not substance.
Here only we put in upside down. We take the world to be the substance. Upaṇiṣad
says: Do not do that mistake my boy; When you say Clay pot, clay is alone the
substance. Similarly Existent reveals the substance. So mr̥nmātramēva. There is no
substance other than Clay.
Ahitaṁ. Instead of the word ahitaṁ, there is another alternative better reading;
Abhitaḥ; mr̥nmātramēvāhitaṁ; Abhitaḥ means everywhere; totally. So that means
what? the top portion of pot is clay; the middle pot is clay; the bottom portion is
Page 1161

clay; the outside portion is clay; inside portion is clay. Similarly, Abhitaḥ.
Everywhere.
Now we have to extend it to the world also. Tatvadh. In the same way; sajjanitaṁ
sadātmakamidaṁ. In the same way; this world also; idam means what; idam jagath;
is sajjanitaṁ, born out of pure Existence; with capital E. and therefore sadātmakam;
has existence as its essence; as its content; as its core. How do you know it is
sadātmakam? The very language we use will reveal it. When you say, it is golden
bangle, what does it convey; Gold is the essence. Wooden chair; wood is the
essence. Similarly you say, the existeNT world, or the world is existeNT; which
reveals existence is the core, the sāra of the universe. So idaṁ jagath, sad janitaṁ,
is born out of existence, here the word existence is used as a synonym of Brahman;
remember that, is born of Brahman, the existence, and therefore what? akhilam
sanmātramēva; therefore everything is nothing but existence alone. There is not
even a milligram of matter outside the pure existence. Exactly like what? there is no
ounce of pot other than clay, the substance.
And therefore, third line, yasmāt sataḥ paraṁ kimapi nāsti; other than that pure
existence, nothing else is there, substantial. Other than the pure existence, there is
nothing else, substantial.
Then what is pot? It is non-substantial nāma rūpa karma. At the total level, the total
nāmas; the total rūpas, the total karmās. At the cosmic level is called māya; the
non-subtantial nāma-rūpa karma is called māya. So there is nothing substantial
other than Brahman.
And therefore what? tatsatyaṁ; therefore Brahman is called satyam. Satyam means
what? Independently existent. Just as clay is satyam; because clay is independently
existent; independent of pot; whereas pot is what? dependently existent; you
destroy the pot; clay will continue. But without clay, pot cannot continue. And
therefore Tat Satyam. What is substantial is called real; what is non-substantial is
called mithya.
For mithya, an appropriate translation is not there. In the translation, we use, it is

only a compromised translation, the word unreal; the word illusory; all those are not
exact translation. Therefore what is the best way to solve the problem. You say
Mithya. Write in English: m.. i.. t.. h.. y.. a. That's all. Therefore everything else is
Page 1162

mithya. Existence alone is satyam; then where is that satyam? If that satyam
existence is the core of everything; it is the core of yourselves also, which is called
ātma. Therefore saha ātma. That existence is the ātma, the self, which is your core,
the consciousness principle. Isn't it? The only common factor in all of us is what? We
are all conscious being. Anything else you take, this is common. Therefore that
existence is nothing but the core of every individual; the consciousness called ātma.
Then you will ask the question: where is that consciousness? Svāmiji, where to
search? Up to consciousness we will come. Then we will start the consciousness-
search project. Like searching for Veerappan. Even Veerappan you may catch; but
consciousness you will never catch because the one who wants to catch
Consciousness is Consciousness and therefore he says: Tat tvam asi. That existence
which is consciousness is the real You; all others are your fake veṣam. You have to
come to play a drama upon the earth; and the drama has turned serious. Why
because, we have forgotten that we are playing the role of a beggar. We wanted to
act very well. Good actors, they will study and research; how the beggar cries; why
he is calling, etc. they will research. And the actor wanted to identify and having that
what happened? The identification was so total, that he forget that he is playing a
role.
Therefore the entire life becomes a drama that you play. Play the roles very well;
but remember that you are playing a role. And therefore, tasmāt tat tvam asi;
therefore that consciousness existence you are, which is Brahma, which is called
Brahman. Because sat alone is called Brahman. That Brahman you are and what
type of Brahman it is? So many adjectives of Brahman; praśāntaṁ, amalaṁ;
advayaṁ; param; Brahma tvam asi.
You can understand the meaning. Praśāntaṁ, means ever tranquil. Existence is
undisturbable. Body can be disturbed; mind can be disturbed. Once you understand
that it is the nature of the body to get disturbed, you accept disturbance as part of
the system; and then disturbance will not be called disturbance. Because the body
will have to respond to the situation; summer the body will respond, winter the body
will respond, cold will come; cough will come; we do not call it disturbance; it is
dēha dharma, manō dharma; thought is never a disturbance; it is the nature of the
mind.
Page 1163

And therefore once you accept the body and mind as they are, and once you own up
the consciousness as You are, then You are ever tranquil. Amalaṁ, amalaṁ means
śudda brahma you are. Then ādvayaṁ, you can understand; Non-dual; undivided
Brahman;
And param; param means absolute; absolute means that will not fall within the pairs
of opposites. Existence cannot come as one of the pairs of opposites. Why, you
know, it is very interesting thing. When there is a pair of opposites, then the arrival
of one will displace the other. Darkness and light; they are pair of opposites. So thus
any pair of opposite will be displaced by its corresponding opposite. If existence is
one of the pairs of opposites, what will happen? The moment that comes, existence
will be displayed. Imagine this clip is taken to be the opposite to existence. Then the
moment clip comes, then what will happen? Existence will be displaced and will be
left out. Clip. Now, can you imagine a clip, without existence; because existence is
displaced. It is never possible. That means what? Nothing can displace existence, or
consciousness.
The same rule can be applied for consciousness also. That means there is no
opposite to existence. And that which does not have opposite is called absolute.
That which has the opposite is called empirical. That which does not have opposite is
called absolute; in Saṁsr̥kt, it is called param.
So existence is absolute. You can extend the same principle for consciousness also.
Nothing can replace consciousness. Suppose something has replaced consciousness.
You will tell Svāmiji this book has pushed away consciousness. Idiot. If you are
saying the book has replaced consciousness; to say that you require what? Nothing
can replace existence; nothing can replace consciousness. Therefore they do not
have an opposite. Therefore they are not empirical entities. In fact, I am saying
They; 'They' is not there. Existence is consciousness. Therefore it is param brahma;
that Brahma I am. This is the essence of Vēdānta. In fact Vēdānta is over, if you
understand. Or else what to do? You have to study again. Hari Om.
Page 1164

090. Verses 252 to 254
मतृ ्काय सकलं घटा�द सततं मन्मात्रमेवा�

ृ
तद्वत्सज्ज� सदात्मक�मद सन्मात्रमेवा�ख |
यस्मान्नाि सतः परं �कम�प तत्सत् स आत्म स्वय
तस्मात्तत्त् प्रशान्तम ब्रह्माद यत्पर म ||२५१||
mr̥tkāryaṁ sakalaṁ ghaṭādi satataṁ mr̥nmātramēvāhitaṁ
tadvatsajjanitaṁ sadātmakamidaṁ sanmātramēvākhilam |
yasmānnāsti sataḥ paraṁ kimapi tatsatyaṁ sa ātmā svayaṁ
In these two verses, 251 and 252, Śankarācārya is winding up his mahāvākya
vicārah through which one has to get the knowledge of jīvātma paramātma aikyam.
This topic started from 241 onwards. And in the 251st verse, Śankarācārya
summarised the sixth chapter of the Chāndōgya Upaṇiṣad, where the mahāvākyam
Tat Tvam Asi occurs and wherein Brahman is introduced as pure existence and jīva
is revealed as of the nature of consciousness. Thus the mahāvākyam points out that
the existence which is the essence of the creation and the consciousness which is
the essence of the individual, both the Sat and Cit are one and the same. Now the
same idea Śankarācārya repeats in a different form, which we will see.
�नद्राकिल्पतदेशकाल�वषय�ात सव� यथा

�मथ्य तद्व�दहा� जाग्र जगत्स्वा�ानकायर्त |
यस्माद ेव�मद शर�रकरणप्राणाहमाद्यप्
तस्मात्तत्त् प्रशान्तम ब्रह्माद यत्पर म ||२५२||
nidrākalpitadēśakālaviṣayajñātrādi sarvaṁ yathā
mithyā tadvadihāpi jāgrati jagatsvājñānakāryatvataḥ |
yasmādēvamidaṁ śarīrakaraṇaprāṇāhamādyapyaśat
Taking the example of svapna prapañja, Śankarācārya points out that the jāgrat
prapañja also is mithya exactly like svapna prapañja. And both the jāgrat prapañja
and svapna prapañja which are mithya are resting upon the Sat, Chit ātma alone,
Page 1165

which is the substratum of both, and that Sat Chit ātma alone I am. This is going to
be the pointed out.
Nidrā kalpita dēśa kāla viṣaya jñātrādi sarvaṁ mithyā. In dream we experience all
these things. What are they? Dēśaḥ. So we experience space; kālaḥ, time; viṣayaḥ,
sense objects, and jñātā, the experiencer. So viṣaya can be taken as objects and
jñātā can be taken as subject. So thus space, time subject-object division all these
are intimately experienced by us in dream. After waking up we say it is nothing but a
thought disturbance. It is nothing but an imagination. All these are possible after
waking up. But remember, during dream, they are all intensely real. And the
distance between subject-object also is real; and the kālaḥ, the time also is real; all
these things are clearly experienced. This is to show that experience does not prove
the reality.
You cannot claim that the world is real because I intimately experience it. Vēdānta's
question is: dream also you intimately experience; does that mean that it is real?
You yourselves accept after waking up, that it appeared real, but it is not. So
Śankarācārya says dēśa, kālaḥ, viṣaya, jñātru, ādhi; ādhi means the rest, the
instrument of experience also you can include; pramātru, pramāṇam, pramēyam;
dēśa, kālaḥ, sarvaṁ; all of them, nidra kalpita; which are projected in the dream; in
sleep, nidra means sleep. So which are all projected in sleep or projected by sleep;
all of them are mithya. Mithya means what? They are experientially available; but
factually non-existent. That is called mithya. Whatever is experientially available, but
factually non-existent, is called mithya. So they are all mithya.
Tadvad. In the same way, exactly as in dream; iha jāgrati api; here in the waking
state also, the story is not much different; even though we vehemently claim that
the waking is different from dream; unfortunately or fortunately, it is another higher
level of dream; that is all. And therefore iha jāgrati api; here in the waking state
also; jagat; jagath means this world. When Śankarācārya says this world, you have
to include those four; dēśa, kālaḥ, viṣaya, jñātā. This world consisting of this dēśa,
this kālaḥ, this viṣaya, and this jñātā; all of them; and you have to supply the world,
mithya. So you have to read the word mithya twice. Yathā sarvaṁ svapnē
mithya, tatha sarvaṁ jāgrati api mithya bhavathi.
And what is the reason for saying it is mithya? Ājñānakāryatvataḥ; because it is born
out of ignorance. Ignorance of what? When I am taking the dream as real; that the
Page 1166

reality of dream is also caused by ignorance only, what ignorance; ignorance of

myself as a waker. When the nature of the waker is concealed, the dream becomes
real; therefore, what is the reason for the reality of dream? Concealment of,
covering up of the nature of the waker; that is why during dream, I do not know I
am lying down on the bed; I am very comfortable; I do not have any problem. that
nature; let us call it Higher-I. I do not know my higher nature, therefore the lower-
dream becomes reality.
Śankarācārya says similarly this world, this subject-object division also appears real
because of the concealment of still higher nature. And what is that higher nature?
Brahma svarūpam. Therefore we require second waking up. In the first waking up
dream is falsified; in the second waking up, the waking itself is falsified. That second
waking up is called wisdom.
And therefore ājñānakāryatvataḥ; because of the ignorance of the higher nature,

from the standpoint of the dreamer; waker is higher nature; from the standpoint of
the waker, what is higher nature. Sleeper is higher nature you should not say. From
the standpoint of the waker, ātma is of the higher nature. From the stand point of
taijasa, visva is higher nature; from the standpoint of viswa, turiyam is higher
nature. So therefore ājñānakāryatvataḥ; being caused by the concealment of the
higher nature.
Yasmāt ēvam. This being the fact; which being the fact; the jāgrat prapañja is also
as much mithya as svapna prapañja. Svapna prapañja is called prātibhāsika mithya;
jāgrat prapañja is called vyavahārika mithya; the details are discussed in Mānḍukya
vaithathya prakaraṇam; I do not want to go to the details here. Since both of them
are mithya; what about my body-mind? Śankarācārya says: when we are falsifying
the whole universe, how can this body mind complex escape, because the body-
mind-complex is also an integral part of the waking world.
How do you say that the body is an integral part of the waking world? How do you
know? Only in waking, you experience; in dream or in sleep, you do not experience
the physical body at all and therefore Śarīra kāraṇa prāṇa ahaṁ ādhi api asat. So all
these are also mithya. Śarīra; Śarīra means body; kāraṇa; kāraṇa means all organs;
totally 11 organs are said, five jñānēndriyas; five karmēndriyās and antha kāraṇa.
So 11 indriyās; and then prāṇa; the pañja prāṇa; and ahaṁ; ahaṁ means
Page 1167

ahaṁkāra, the empirical=I; the relative-I, which is connected with the external world
is called ahaṁkāra.
The difference between ahaṁ and ahaṁkāra is that the ahaṁ is the turiyam; which
is not connected to anything. But when that ahaṁ comes down to the lower level;
identifies with the body, and become a subject and relate myself to the world, that
relative-I; because of my identification with the body; that is called ahaṁkāra.
And when I go to dream, I identify with the dream body; and there I become a
dream-observer relating to what? Not this world; as a dream-observer, I relate
myself to the dream-observed. So this relating-I; the relative-I, is called ahaṁkāra;
(it is called kāra because it is kāram, meaning in Tamil; therefore only tears will
come); whereas ahaṁ without kāra is neither pramātha, nor pramāṇam, nor
pramēyam.
Nantha prajñām, na bahi prajñām, nobhayatha prajñām, na prajñāna

ghanaṁ, na prajñām nā prajñam.
I am neither the subject, nor the object, I am the substratum of the subject and
object. And therefore śarīra kāraṇa prāṇa ahaṁ.
Here prāṇahaṁādhi is to be split as prāṇa, ahaṁ, aadhi; and the word ahaṁ should
be understood as ahaṁkārah. Ādhi means etc.; everything else you can include. All
these are asad; asad means mithya. Mithya from what stand point? Very very
careful. Dream is mithya only from waker's standpoint. Dream for the dreamer is
real, because for every dream problem, he has to make use of the dream remedy
alone. Therefore, we can never say, dream is unreal in the absolute sense; dream is
unreal from the standpoint of the waker. Similarly, this world is real from the
standpoint of the observer. But from the standpoint of consciousness, this is also
asat; mithya. Tasmāt; therefore, Tat tvam asi. So you are that consciousness. And
what is that consciousness? Beautiful description; repetition of the previous verse,
fourth line; I have explained. There You are that Consciousness which is
praśānthaṁ; ever undisturbed. Amalaṁ, ever pure; advayaṁ, ever non-dual; param,
ever absolute. Absolute means I explained in the last class. That which is beyond all
the pairs of opposite is called param and which is known in the śāstra as Brahma,
the infinite one. So that infinite Brahman you are.
Page 1168

यत भ्रान् किल्प तद्�ववेक

तत्तन्मा नैव तस्माद्�व�भन् |
स्वप् नष्ट स्वप्न�वश �व�चत्
स्वस्मा�द् �कन्न दृष् प्रबो ||२५३||
yatra bhrāntyā kalpita tadvivēkē
tattanmātraṁ naiva tasmādvibhinnam |
svapnē naṣṭaṁ svapnaviśvaṁ vicitraṁ
svasmādbhinnaṁ kinnu dr̥ṣṭaṁ prabōdhē ||253||
So this is the last verse of Mahāvākya vicāra. So Śankarācārya points out here:
yathra bhrandtya kalpitam tat vivēkē, tat tan māthram bhavathi. So here the method
of vēdānta is talked about. Vēdānta does not directly negate the world. It uses the
method of adyaropa-apavāda nyāya. I have talked about this before. First accept the
world, because negation of the world is not that easy. And even great philosophers
do not accept the negation of the world, because it is not that easy. On the other
hand, if the teacher goes on negating the world, the student instead of negating the
world, he will negate, what? the teacher. You please go away, he will say to the
teacher. So therefore the teacher knows.
And therefore what do you do? Initially at the adyāropa time, the world is to be
accepted, like accepting the pot in the first stage.
And in the next stage, I introduce Brahman as the second entity. Only if I negate
this world, student may, what you call, resist. He will not resist if I add one more:
God. I should have properties. If I am going to add, I do not mind. Do not take
away what I have. Therefore what does advaitin do? In addition to the world, he
introduces Lord or Brahman. It is like introducing the clay in addition to pot.
And when we introduce the clay, then the student is with a strong notion; that there
are now two things; clay which the teacher has introduced, and the pot which I am
attached to all the time.
And the teacher also temporarily accepts these two. Even though in teacher's mind,
advaitam alone is there; but he comes down to the level of the student; and
temporarily accepts the duality in the form of clay and pot. World and Brahman;
kārya and kāraṇa. And accepting the duality, the teacher says: May you do a vivēka
Page 1169

of Brahman and the world. Vivēka means what? this discriminative study. Intense
study. Scrutinisation of these two which is called ātma anātma vivēka. Dēha-dehi
vivēka, jagath-brahma vivēka. Thus I will say, we have got two things now. One is
called clay. Another is called pot.
And our orientation is what? as many words are there; so many objects must be
there. It is our orientation. So when you take an inventory of things that you have,
in the note book you have got seven items. What do you say? You do not say seven
names are there; you say seven things or objects.
And here also, we have got God and World; two words are there; therefore two
objects you can say. Ātma and anātma; consciousness and matter; two are there,
isn't it. So then on enquiry, what happens? I will come to know that clay and pot are
two words, there is no substance called pot separate from clay; then pot loses its
substantiality. On enquiry, pot loses its substantiality. It becomes what?
Vācārambanaṁ vikhāraḥ nāmadēya māthraṁ, it is the word used for the sake of
transaction. So it has got a transactional reality; it is not a substance at all.
And once I know pot is not a substance; I do not want to count pot as No.2,
because I am counting the substance. While counting the substance, non-substance
should not be counted and therefore what happens? Pot gets discounted.
Discounted means; mithya.
From that you can understand that all the discounts you get; they are all mithya
only! So increase the price and give discount and you are so happy; millennium
discount, they will say. So therefore the very word discount means what? cannot
count it; it is mithya.
So now you started with what pot. At the time clay was never there in your mind.
But you ended up with what: clay. And you have dismissed what: Pot. Similarly, we
accept the world; introduce Brahman, hold on to Brahman, and make the world,
non-substantial. And that Brahman is Myself; therefore I am the only one which is
worth counting. I means not this body; not this mind, not this intellect; I the
consciousness alone is count-worthy; worthy of counting; all others are discounts.
The whole world is a discount given by the Lord.
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Now look at this. Yatra bhrāntyā kalpitam. Suppose there are two things; one is
satyam and the another is mithya. Like clay and pot; like rope and snake; like waker
and dream. Suppose there are two things; one is sathyam and the other is bhrāntyā
kalpitam. Yathra refers to the adhiṣṭānaṁ. So adhiṣṭānēe bhrāntyā kalpitam, tat
vivēkē. When you sort out this pair; which pair; sathya-mithya pair when you sort
out, vivēkēsathi.
What will happen? Tat tan māthram; that adhiṣṭānaṁ alone remains bhrāntyā
kalpitam, will be discounted. Exactly like what dream? In dream whatever I see,
after vivēka, I do not take into account. If I have earned Rs.1 lakh in dream, I
cannot take even a single paise why because, there is no dream other than the
waker. Tat tan māthram means what adhiṣṭānaṁ asthi; adhiṣṭānaṁ vyatiriktha
adyastham nāsti.
And when we say nāsti what do we mean? we do not negate the experience; the
advāitin's negation is very peculiar negation. When we negate the world; we do not
negate the experience of the world. Many philosophers have misunderstood advaita,
thinking that we are negating the experience of the world. And they ask the
question, after negating the world, why are you teaching Vēdānta? Because to teach
vēdānta, you have to see minimum some students. So therefore, jagat prathitiḥ na
niṣadyathē; jagathaḥ svayaṁ sattaḥ niṣadyathē. The factuality, the substantiality of
the world is negated; but not the experience or the experientiability of the world.
Exactly like when I say, I negate the Sunrise; I am not negating the experience of
Sunrise; even after negating sunrise, sun will rise, experientially for me. So negation
is in terms of wisdom. Not in terms of experience.
So therefore tat tan māthram; tasmāt vibhinnim viśvaṁ nāsti. There is no world
separate from. So here it is not world; generally. There is no adhyastam kalpita
vasthu other than the adhiṣṭānaṁ.
So here in the first two lines, Śankarācārya is generallising; there is no kalpita vastu,
separate from adhiṣṭānaṁ. Later we have to apply this general rule to any particular
thing, including the universe. So therefore tasmāt, other than the adhiṣṭānaṁ,
vibhinnim vasthu, a separate entity is not there.
And what is the example? Vichithram svapna viśvaṁ svapne. So the svapna viśvaṁ,
the dream universe, which is seen in dream, which is experienced in dream, is
Page 1171

naṣṭam. Naṣṭam means what is lost, is gone. When; prabōdhē; on waking. So

prabōdhē sati, svapnē dr̥ṣṭam svapna visvam naṣṭam bhavathi. On waking,
the dream world disappears. What type of dream world, vicitram dream world, which
is as wonderful as this jāgrat prapañja. There also śabda sparśa rūpa rasa gandha.
There also all the transactions; there also music; there also dance; there is also
working; there is also salary; there is also children, grand children. In fact, whatever
you experience here, you experience there. And not only that, that is capable of
giving joy also. Please say: Svāmiji I saw Venkitachalapathy in dream. They are so
happy. They do not say that dream Venkitachalapathy. No. Even in dream, if I see
the Lord, I am certainly happy, which means the dream is capable of giving sukha,
duḥkhaṁ also.
But in spite of all this, I discount the dream as mithya. And what is the reason? why
do I say it is mithya? Prabōdhē svasmādbhinnaṁ kinnu dr̥ṣṭaṁ. On waking, do you
see the dream world, as separate from you, having an existence independent of
you? You do not see. That is why, if you are rescuing someone who has fallen into
the well and in the process of rescuing, you woke up. Then do you sit and worry
that I did not rescue that person fully. What would have happened to him. What
would have happened to him? We go to dream again and again rescue that person;
if you close your eyes for that purpose, another dream may come. So you cannot
get back to the person again, you need not get back to the person again, because
you know that he does not exist separately. The same thing is yas sākṣāt kurute
prabōdha śamaye svātmana mēvadvyayaṁ. But only one difference, you will have
to note here. Because as I have said, whenever we give an example, between the
example and the original; there are certainly common features, that is why we are
giving it as an example. But remember between the example and the original there
are many uncommon features also. You should never apply the example with regard
to the uncommon feature. This is the mistake done by several philosophers, when
they argue against advaitha. Every one of the example, they take; and they choose
very meticulously what? the uncommon features. They use all their intelligence to
use the uncommon features and ask, this is like this? What should we do? Just laugh
and keep quiet.
So what is the difference between the dream example and this? We said Brahman
jñānaṁ is also another form of waking up. Dream is falsified when you wake up
once; and the waking is falsified when you wake up the second time, which is called
wisdom.
Page 1172

What is the difference here? Very important difference. When you wake up from
dream, dream is falsified and the dream experience also goes away. After waking
up, you no more see the dream; dream is falsified and dream experience also
disappears.
But in the second waking up; in Brahma jñānaṁ; this world is falsified; but the
experience of the world does not disappear; the experience of the world continues;
with regard to the continuity of the experience; dream example will not suit. Dream
example is only to understand this much; what is what? both are falsified.
And if you want to know about the continuity of the experience, I will change the
example. We will drop that; so oh ho; you are coming from there; I will come from
this side.
So therefore what is the example? I have got sun rise example, wherein even after
knowing that sun does not rise, I continue to have the prathīti. Even after knowing
that the earth is round, what is my experience? it is flat. Even after knowing earth is
moving very fast; my experience is what? earth is stationary.
So therefore, a particular experience can continue, even after gaining the knowledge
against it; there is no harm. Similarly dvaita prathīti continues, even after advaita
jñānaṁ. But one consolation is: dvaita prathīti; prathīti means experience, cannot
disturb advaitha jñānaṁ. Sunrise experience does not disturb my knowledge that
sun does not rise. Or else what will happen? Sun rise experience disturbs, I should
not see; I will not see; I know that the sun does not rise; if I watch the sunrise my
knowledge would be disturbed. Remember, knowledge cannot be disturbed by a
different experience. The scientists know that this is non-tangible energy. What is
the whole world? It is nothing but non-tangible energy. But what do we experience?
Tangible matter. Experience of tangible matter does not disturb the knowledge that
every thing is nothing but non-tangible energy. Why? Because my knowledge of
science is so thorough.
So thus, experience will continue with regard to this, dream experience should not
be extended. That is why we have got two words; sādharmyaṁ and vaidharmyaṁ;
between the example and the original; there are always sādharmyaṁ; sādharmyaṁs
means what: common features; vaidharmyaṁ; means what? Uncommon features.
Page 1173

Never look for the uncommon; always look for the common features. Why? Because
that is the function of the example. That is the function of the example.
Therefore he says: prabōdhe sati; on waking up the dream disappears, and the
dream does not exist separate from me.
So therefore what is the vēdantic teaching now? The essence of vēdantic teaching in
the simplest form is I am the only reality and everything else other than Me has got
a lesser order of reality.
And the greatest advantage of this is what? Everything of lesser order of reality is
available for my experience; I can see clearly; it is a free channel; Bhagavān has got
free channel; two channels; like DD 1, DD 2; Bhagavān has given this wonderful
experience of the world; but since the world is of a lesser order of reality; I
experience the world; but the world cannot touch me. Which me? Not body-me;
cannot touch me, the ātma-Me.
Therefore experience and simultaneously be free also. Like watching a movie; like
watching a TV programme; you know after all it is nothing but light and shades; you
can switch off also.
Therefore ahaṁ satyam jagan mithya, tasmāt ahaṁ nitya mukthaḥ asmi.
This is the essence of vēdantic teaching, which Śankarācārya concludes in this verse
No.253. In fact, the vēdantic teaching is over with this verse.
Now we are going to enter a totally different aspect in the vēdānta sādana from the
following verse onwards. We will read.
जा�तनी�तकुलगोत्रदूर
नामरूपगुणदोषविजर्त |
देशकाल�वषया�तव�तर यद
ब्र तत्त्वम भावयात्म� ||२५४||
jātinītikulagōtradūrāgaṁ
brahma tattvamasi bhāvayātmani ||254||
Page 1174

So the 253rd verse, Śankarācārya has completed the vēdantic teaching. In fact this
process is called śravaṇam. And if a person does this śravaṇam properly, under the
proper guidance of a competent ācārya, the śravaṇam is capable of giving the clear
knowledge ahaṁ brahma asmi. In fact, jñānaṁ is over.
And what type of jñānaṁ? Not parōkṣa jñānaṁ; the knowledge is aparōkṣa jñānaṁ;
because parōkṣa jñānaṁ is indirect knowledge of a remote object. Parōkṣa jñānaṁ
is indirect knowledge of a remote object. The Upaṇiṣad has talked about Brahman;
In what way? How far it is? Brahman is in how much distance? Brahma tattvamasi
praśāntamamalaṁ; the upaṇiṣad has never presented Brahman as a remote object.
Therefore there is no question of indirect knowledge of Brahman; Brahman is
intimately available as ever-evident-consciousness. Therefore Brahma jñānaṁ is
parōkṣam or aparōkṣam? It is aparōkṣa jñānaṁ. Because Brahman is evident when?
If I ask Brahman is evident when? What should you do? do not answer; you ask a
counter question; tell me Brahman is not evident when? Jāgrat svapna suṣiptiṣu
sphutathara yaśamvith vrijrimbhate. And therefore if jñānaṁ is clearly received; it is
aparōkṣa jñānaṁ. And if aparōkṣa jñānaṁ is clearly received, a student will never
ask for Brahman experience.
Any student who asks for Brahman experience has not listened properly. Because
the very teaching is what? Brahman is not experienced as the end-product of your
effort. If I have to experience that, that experience is the result of my sensory
operation. I have to turn my head; I have to see through my eyes; my eyes should
work; so it is the end product of an operation. Every other experience is an end-
product of an operation. There is only one experience, which is not an end product
of an operation. You know what? The consciousness. Consciousness is one thing
which is experienced all the time, without requiring a particular operation; and the
śruti is revealing that ever-evident-consciousness as Brahman; then where is the
question of struggling or working for Brahma anubhava?
Therefore any attempt for Brahmānubhava indicates inadequacy of śravaṇam. Any

attempt for Brahmānubhava only indicates the inadequacy of śravaṇam. If any
student asks, how to experience Brahman? What will the teacher say: go on coming
to the class. He will answer this way. Diplomatic answer. And how long he will say?
until the student does not ask that question. Thereafter the student also will not ask
and the teacher also will not speak. They both will know. So therefore, there is no
Page 1175

question of Brahma anubhava; brahma jñānaṁ is attained by śravaṇam; and that

Brahma jñānaṁ is what: the ever evident consciousness-I is am Brahman.
Now what? Now what? One has to say Pūrṇamadaḥ and get up and go? So, why are
to sit? OK. For this Brahma jñānaṁ, śāstra promises certain phalam. For this Brahma
jñānaṁ, śāstra promises certain phalams; which together is called jīvan muktiḥ. And
this jīvan mukthi or jñāna phalam is presented in the śāstra as:

दःखे
यः सवरत्रान�भस्नेहस्तत्त शुभाशुभम ् |
ना�भनन्द� न द्वेिष तस् प्र प्र�तिष् ||२- ५७||
yaḥ sarvatrānabhisnēhastattatprāpya śubhāśubham |
nābhinandati na dvēṣṭi tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā ||2- 57||
Freedom from attachment, freedom from hatred; freedom from jealousy; freedom
from anger; sense of fulfilment; sense of contentment; all these are pointed out.
There are some people who discover the jñāna phalam simultaneously with jñānaṁ.
There are some students who discover the jñāna phalam. What is that jñāna
phalam? Freedom from rāga, dvēṣa, fear etc. sense of contentment, etc. They
discover the jñāna phalam also simultaneously with jñānaṁ. But there are some
students who discover the jñānaṁ; but the jñāna phalams seems to elude them.
That means what? They claim and they seem to understand the teaching very well,
but they say: Nimmadi is not found. So I do not feel, I do not experience the jñāna
phalam. So if a student does not experience jñāna phalam, then there is some
obstacle; a gap between jñānaṁ and jñāna phala anubhavaḥ. There is a gap
between jñānaṁ and jñāna phala anubhavaḥ.
So what is required now therefore? One has to gain the jñāna phala anubhava;
How? By removing the obstacles which stand in between jñānaṁ and jñāna phala
anubhavaḥ.
Page 1176

And the rest of the vivēkacūḍāmaṇi deals with the obstacle removal for jñāna phala
anubhava. Not for Brahma anubhava; very careful. The following portion is not a
means for Brahma anubhava; there is no question of Brahma anubhava, but the
following portion is an exercise for removing the obstacle for the sake of jñāna phala
anubhavaḥ.
And the obstacles are at two levels. One is at the intellectual level itself and the
other is at the psychological, emotional level; both types of obstacles have to be
removed if the jñāna phalam has to be enjoyed. That is going to be the topic. The
details of which we will see in the next class.
Hari Om.
Page 1177

091. Verse 254
In the last class, I pointed out that the Vēdantic teaching is over with verse No.253.
And the study of these verses is vēdānta vicāra; otherwise called śravaṇam. And
through śravaṇam or vēdānta vicāra itself a person can get aparōkṣa jñānaṁ and a
person should get aparōkṣa jñānaṁ. Because mahāvākya reveals Brahman as the
most intimate thing in my life; that being the very consciousness itself.
And after hearing mahāvākyam; I can never think Brahman as an object away from
me. If I think Brahman is an object away from me, it only means I have not heard
the Mahāvākyam as it should be heard. If a person hears the mahāvākyam properly,
Vidyāranya Svāmi says in his Pañjadaśi: Sarvathra mahāvākya vicārath
aparōkṣa jñānaṁ.
And if the aparōkṣa jñānaṁ of Brahman happens through this study, thereafter one
will not work for Brahma anubhava separately; because the aparōkṣa jñānaṁ means
knowing Brahman as the ever evident consciousness. It is ever experienced
consciousness. In fact, everything else is experienced because of the ever-
experienced-consciousness, which consciousness is called Brahman. And therefore a
person who has received aparōkṣa jñānaṁ will never look forward to Brahma
anubhava separately. But that person can look for another anubhava, I said; which
is not Brahma anubhava, but Brahma jñāna phala anubhava. The experience of the
benefit of Brahma Jñānaṁ, which is in the form of śanthi, pūrṇatha, tr̥pti, abhayaṁ,
positively. And also freedom from rāga-dvēṣa, kāma-krōdhaḥ, lobhaḥ-mōha; these
are mental states, which are not jñānaṁ, but which are the result of jñānaṁ. Śāntiḥ
Page 1178

anubhava is not Brahma anubhava; śāntiḥ anubhava is Brahma jñāna phala

anubhava.
And how do I work for Brahma jñāna phala anubhava? I said in the last class, that,
whatever is the obstacle for the experience of Brahma jñāna phalam, those
obstacles I remove, like opening the tap. When there is water in the water tank, and
when the pipeline is there; the water should flow down through the tap. In fact, it is
a natural thing because water naturally flows by the law of gravitation; I need not
request the water to flow. But if the water does not flow through the tap, what is
the problem? There is an obstacle in the tap; once I turn the knob, turn the tap; I
am not producing the water; I am not even forcing the water down; I am not even
pushing the water; the pushing is already there by the law of gravitation; I need not
produce the water; I need not push down the water. What is my job? just remove
the obstacle, the natural flow will be there.
Similarly here also, what we require is the removal of the obstacle; then the jñānaṁ
will naturally express in the form of śāntiḥ, tr̥pti, pūrṇata etc. and therefore after
vēdānta vicāra; all our sādhanās are in the form of obstacles removal. We are not
producing a new knowledge; we are not producing a new mystic experience; we are
only removing an obstacle; by which we get śāntiḥ anubhava. And śāntiḥ anubhava
is not a mystic experience; it is something we already know. Only thing is our śāntiḥ,
our present peace comes in pieces. So śāntiḥ is not unknown to us; abhayaṁ is not
unknown to us; but we want to enjoy them, as an enduring fulfilment. Ātmanēva
ātmana tușṭaḥ; when I look at myself I can say happily, boldly, I am full and
complete; I do not lack anything in life. Kurai ondrum illai; they sing you know. It
should not remain at the level of music; it should come from the heart, I have no
kurai.
Now the next question is what are the obstacles? And as I said in the last class, the
obstacles are at two levels:
One is the obstacle at the intellectual level. Rational level. Because of which I am
not convinced of the vēdantic teaching itself; problem in that itself. I am not
convinced of the vēdantic teaching, consisting of the three essential teaching:
Brahma satyam; jagan mithya, jīvō Brahaimva na paraḥ. I am not convinced of the
teaching, because intellect raises many questions. It is purely an intellectual
problem.
Page 1179

And if the obstacle is intellectual, you cannot the problems sitting in meditation,
becuase while sitting in meditation, the intellect does not sort out its problems. So if
the problem is intellectual, we have to remove the problem intellectually only and
therefore begin mananam which is defending the advaitic teaching against the all
the pūrva pakṣās or objections raised by the intellect. I should ask the intellect why
you are not convinced tell me. You put any number of questions; any number of
obstacles, I will answer. And that is why we have got a series of textbooks called
siddhi granthās, which are exclusively meant for defending the teaching, against not
only the regular intellect; but also other systems of philosophy. In Brahma Sūtra, a
particular chapter is exclusively dedicated for defending the teaching. The chapter is
called avirodha-adhyaya. Avirodha-adhyaya means what? establishing that this
teaching does not go against our perceptual knowledge, this teaching does not go
against all logic; this teaching does not go against science; this teaching does not go
against śruti; smr̥ti, ithihāsa, purāṇa. This is required for whom? Only those people
who are not convinced of the advaitic teaching.
For conviction, meditation is not solution; for conviction, reasoning is the solution.
Therefore, the Upaṇiṣads says, srothavyaḥ, manthavyaḥ. Mananam kartāvyam;
reasoning should be done, because intellect knows only one language. And what is
that only the language of reasoning.
Tarka pradhana the intellect is: So therefore mananēna, intellectual ostacle removal.
That mananam part is not given in the Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi. Because it is taken for
granted that our students do not have any problem with regard to conviction.
In fact many students tell, when we go on raising questions in some classes, Svāmiji
we are convinced, why are you raising further questions. So therefore conviction is
there for many people; and therefore Śankarācārya does not deal with that and also
because Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi is considered to be a beginner's grantha.
And therefore too much of reasoning if you enter into, the student may run away.
So this is intellectual obstacle removal by mananam.
Then comes another obstacle which is psychological or emotional obstacle.

Everybody need not have the same obstacle. Some people have both; that is a
different matter. And some people say: Svāmiji intellectually I am convinced; but I
Page 1180

am miserable in life. I am so convinced that I can teach Vēdānta to others; but I get
down and sit and cry: see how my life has become like this. In fact by my teaching
others get liberated. And I continue to be bound. So many problems internal.
So this is a totally different type of problem. Emotional or psychological problem.

And therefore we have to remove that obstacle not by logic. So when a person is
emotionally upset, do not use reasoning. When a person has lost some near and
dear one, and so upset, or you know in the airport, after hijacking, you go and talk
to the person, that law of karma will work; and every union will have separation; all
these are logical; but if you go near them and talk like this, you will get a solid
beating. When a person is emotionally upset, never use reasoning. That is the most
unreasonable approach; to use reason because emotional problem belong to a
different level. We have to sympathise with that person and if possible, shed a few
tears along with the other person. Snigdajana samvibhaktham khalu
sahyavēdanam bhavathi. Kalidāśā tells that when a person is upset, you also
share the grieve. Therefore emotional problems belongs to a different level.
Mananam is not the solution; the solution is nidhidhyāsanam. Nidhidhyāsanam is the
solution, when a person has psychological problems and nidhidhyāsanam is not
meant for Brahma jñānaṁ, mind you; nidhidhyāsanam is not meant for Brahma
anubhava; let it be very clear. Nidhidyaśanam is only for removal of the
psychological obstacles; the removal of which obstacles will bring in not jñānaṁ or
brahma anubhava; but the removal of the obstacle will bring in what? Brahma jñāna
phala anubhava. Śāntiḥ, tr̥pti, pūrṇata, abhayaṁ. Remember this is the benefit.
Now the question is what should be the nature of nidhidhyāsanam? What should be
the nature of nidhidhyāsanam, is the question. The answer will depend upon the
nature of obstacle. What do you mean by psychological obstacle or emotional
obstacle? And you will be surprised, if you try to know what is the psychological
obstacle, really speaking, the emotional or psychological obstacle is nothing but the
lack of sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti.
He has entered the Vēdānta through backdoor; because Śāstra says: vēdānta will
bless a person only if he has passed the entrance examination, consisting of four
papers: you know the entrance examination, consisting of four papers: vivēka,
vairāgyaṁ, ṣamādi ṣaṭka saṁpatti, mumukṣutvaṁ.
Page 1181

One student was attending my Brahma Sūtra class: and one day after attending
many classes; he was coming and asking me, Svāmiji, you are repeatedly telling
Sūkṣma Śarīraṁ; what is that? Then I said generally I take an introductory text book
called Tatva Bōdham, have you heard that. Then he said: What is Tatva Bōdham? A
person does not come through the proper route, then it is like constructing a
building without a foundation; the building cannot be constructed, and even if it is
constructed, it will not be strong enough.
And that is why, Śankarācārya really does not deal with Nidhidhyāsanam very much
in his Gītā, Upaṇiṣad, Brahmasūtra Bhāṣya. Śankarācārya does not deal with
nidhidhyāsanam because, in Śankarācārya's mind, nidhidhyāsanam is not at all
required for a person, if he comes through the regular path; sādhanā catuṣṭaya
saṁpatti a person has; śravaṇam, and maximum mananam, is more than enough.
Nidhidhyāsanam is not compulsory; not required. But when Sādhanā Catuṣṭaya
saṁpatti is lacking; physiological problems will obstruct; not knowledge, it will
obstruct what? jñāna phala anubhava, it will obstruct and therefore what should
Nidhidhyāsanam consist of: acquiring the sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti, which I did
not acquire before.
And in sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti also, the most important part is kṣamādi ṣaṭka
saṁpatti. If any one of you ask what is kṣamādi ṣaṭka saṁpattiḥ, again it means the
similar problem. You have not come step by step. I am not going to deal with that
here now. Let us assume, we have learnt all those things. In Vākya vr̥ttiḥ,
Śankarācārya says: if Vēdānta śravaṇam does not bless a person, let him
concentrate on sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti; especially kṣamādi ṣaṭka saṁpatti and
listen a second time.
अहं ब्रह्मे�तवाक्याथर यावद्दृढ�भवे ।

शमा�दस�हतस्तावदभ्यसेच्छ्रवणा ॥ ४९॥
ahaṁ brahmētivākyārthabōdhō yāvaddr̥ḍhībhavēt |
śamādisahitastāvadabhyasēcchravaṇādikam || 49||
In fact, repeated śravaṇam is enough; concentrating on sādhanā catuṣṭaya

saṁpatti; then the very study will give both jñānaṁ as well as jñāna phalam.
Therefore the focus is on what: removal of the obstacle and what do you mean by
removal of obstacle? Making sure that sādhanā catuṣṭya saṁpatti is there.
Page 1182

Ok. Now the next problem is: the lack of sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti varies from
individual to individual. It is not uniform and therefore I cannot present the solution
also uniformly. For some people sādhanā catuṣṭya saṁpatti is zero; for some other
people, they have got moderately vivēka, vairāgyaṁ, śāmādi ṣaṭka saṁpattiḥ. Or to
put in another language, for some people physiological problems are serious. For
some people, they are not so serious. And therefore, the method of nidhidhyāsanam
will depend upon the seriousness of the problem. The method of nidhidhyāsanam
will depend upon the seriousness of rāga, seriousness of dvēṣa, seriousness of
bhayaṁ; seriousness of anger; seriousness of all these things.
And therefore, nidhidhyāsanam also can be in two different ways depending upon
the intensity of the psychological problem like during a disease. When the patients
go to a doctor, the doctor does not deal with all patients uniformly. Imagine they go
to a doctor, heart specialist. The doctor checks up and says: OK, you do not have
any problem; high BP; cholesterol or whatever it is; therefore do some walking and
then take care of your diet; do not take too much of coconut oil; too much of ghee
etc. Do some exercise; and take the tablets also perhaps; You can go back. Certain
pathyās; dos and do nots are given and he is asked to be careful about the health.
So be alert and follow certain dos and do nots; you can leave. Here the case is
what? minor only and therefore this is enough.
For some people, after checking the heart, threadmill test, this test and that test,
etc. then he says you have to go through angiogram also; and then he says you
have to get immediately admitted in the hospital. So there the treatment is more
intense; the problem is more intense. And in fact, in hospitals are there are two: I C
U; and ordinary. Why it is called I C U? Because the doctor says: I see you
constantly. Watching always. I see you, I see you, and then I not need not so
often, therefore go to the general ward. Thereafter I need not see you at all;
therefore discharge.
In the same way, if our problems are only milder, nidhidhyāsanam consists of only
alert living. What do you mean alert living? Do not lose sight of the essential
vēdantic teaching. In and through the transactions, be aware of this teaching. In the
back of your mind, this teaching should be there; manōbuddhi ahaṁkāra cittani
nāhaṁ; nacha srothra jihve; the life will have ups and downs; some yōga and viyōga
are natural; body has got six vikhārās; asthi, jāyate, vardhate, vipariṇamathe,
apakṣiyathe, vinaśyathi; when you see the first grey hair; and when you get shock,
Page 1183

apakṣiyathe word should come to your mind. So whenever there is a possibility of a

samsāric reaction, then the teaching must come, if not remove the reaction at least,
dilute the reaction.
Therefore alert life is a form of nidhidhyāsanam. Being in touch with śāstra. Either
by reading; or by writing; or by sharing; or by repeated śravaṇam. again and again
śravaṇam; or again and again reading; that is also a form of nidhidhyāsanam; śāstra
anusandhānaṁ.
That is why Śankarācārya said: abhyāsēt śravaṇādhikam gauna puṇyēna śravaṇam

kuryat; Again, again and again you hear. Thus repeated śravaṇam is a form of
nidhidhyāsanam. And being alert during the transaction is a form of
nidhidhyāsanam; and then satsaṅga, that is association with people who are in this
field; either they are sādakas or they are siddhās, jñānis themselves. Satsaṅgaḥ;
association. These all are forms of nidhidhyāsanam, together we call it
Brahmābhyasaḥ. Brahmābhyasaḥ.
Tat cintānam, tat kathanam, anōnyaṁ tat prabhōdhanaṁ; ēva mēva

parathvam ca Brahmābhyasaḥ vidhur bhudāḥ; And what is the uniqueness of
Brahmābhyasaḥ? It does not require sitting in one place; you can continue every
activity of yours as before; the only thing is what? Observe these rules. What is
that? Being in touch with śāstra, being alert during transactions, and also being in
contact with the people who are in this line. And if this is observed, one can attain
Brahmajñānā phalam.
And therefore this one should try, if psychological problems are there as obstacles.
And suppose the problem is still more serious, it is a psychiatric case you may take,
those require therapy type of treatment; there is a strong wound in the mind, my
son left me, or daughter did not like that; or father did not like that; these can
create serious problems; and casual treatment, i.e. OPD is not sufficient; it requires
that; admittance; I C U.
This the serious form of nidhidhyāsanam, which we call Manōnigrahaḥ rūpa

nidhidhyāsanam, wherein a person should sit in one place and drop all other
activities and concentrate on the mind and the thought; the pattern of thinking
which particular thought is nagging me; disturbing me; hurting me; I have to do
that; which is called Manōnigrahaḥ rūpanidhidhyasana, which is sitting meditation.
Page 1184

And for this Manōnigrahaḥ rūpa nidhidhyāsanam alone, we make use of the aṣṭanga
yōga; that is, dhāraṇa, dhyāna, samādhi of aṣṭanga yōga. We apply or employ for
ICU cases; ICU cases means what? serious problems, we have to practice dhāraṇa,
dhyāna, samādhi abhyāsa, which is given in aṣṭanga yōga. That method is adopted
for practising this Manōnigrahaḥ.
And this Manōnigrahaḥ rūpa dhyānam alone we find in the sixth chapter of the Gītā,
wherein Krishna says śamamkāya siro greēvam dhārayan acalam sthirah. Sit
in proper posture, keep your body, neck and head erect and close your eyes
properly; properly means what; so you have look at the tip of the nose, etc. and
then very carefully withdraw from all the external world, then you have to focus on
Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi which you have studied in the class. Nothing new; whatever you
have learned; and focus on that and forget all other things, that I am father you
drop, I am mother, you drop. In fact whichever role disturbs you most. If you are
upset more as a father, then focus on that. If you are upset as a mother, focus on
that. If you are brother or employer, focus on that and see that is mithya; that is
kathai. These are all stories, and karma which has to do with my real personality;
because I am not, na mātha, na pita, na bandhu, na mithram, na guruho na śiṣyaḥ.
How can I be obsessed with these particular incidental roles; I see the mithyatvam
of that particular role and then I invoke the satyatvam of my svarūpam; ātma
svarūpam; and I dwell on that, not for a second, minutes together; I say my
fatherhood is mithya; my ātmatvam is satyam.
This is called Manōnigrahaḥ rūpa nidhidhyāsanam, dealt with in the sixth chapter of
the Gītā, and also in Māndūkya Kārika, 3rd chapter towards the end,
Gaudapādācārya deals with Manōnigrahaḥ for serious psychological problems. This is
not a compulsory sādhanā for all the people.
This is for whom? By Brahmābhyasa nidhidhyāsanam; are you able to follow,

Brahmābhyasa nidhidhyāsanam means what? being alert; being in touch with śāstra,
and having satsaṅga; if this itself does not help, then, one has to concentrate on
Manōnigrahaḥ rūpa nidhidyaśana and Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi following portion is going to
focus on Manōnigrahaḥ rūpa nidhidyaśanam, very elaborately, which is not done,
generally in the other text books. But in Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi, Śankarācāryā concentrates
on Manōnigrahaḥ rūpa nidhidhyāsanam. Dhāraṇa, dhyāna, samādhi rūpa
Page 1185

nidhidhyāsanam. And dhāraṇa dhyāna samādhi; these three put together is called
ātma samyamaḥ.
According to Pathanjali's language; these three put together is called ātma

samyama. Trayaṁ ekathra samyamaḥ is Pathanjali Sūtram. Trayaṁ means
what?dhāraṇa, dhyāna samādhi; ekathra means put together, is called samyamaḥ.
That is why the sixth chapter of the Gītā is called alternatively as ātma samyama
yōgaḥ also.
And what you should remember is. This is not presented as compulsory sādhana for
all; if śravaṇam and afterwards mananam and if the Brahmābhyāsa, the general
alertness, if all these things do not help, then, in addition to that, one has to practice
manonigrahaṁ also. That is why Gaudapada says:
Manasō nigraha yatham abhyam sarva dehinām; duḥkha kșaya

prabōdasca avi kșayaya śāntirēva ca.
For some people śānti depends upon this manō nigraha practice. And commenting
upon those verses, Śankarācārya clearly presents, this is not a compulsory sādhana
for all the people; this is only for those who have not got the knowledge very clearly
and who have got these problems.
Therefore from verse No.254 to verse No.417; how elaborate you can see, 254 to
417; is for serious psychological cases; ICU nidhidhyasana; intensive care unit
nidhidhyasana. And whether I need it or not, who should decide? Whether I need it
or not, I have to decide. As far as guru is concerned, his advice is what: If after
talking so much, if it is not enough, do that. If the śiṣya feels that the teaching really
blesses by this much, then this Manōnigrahaḥ rūpa nidhidhyāsanam is not required.
This is the topic.
Now the following 10 verses have got the uniform fourth line; ब्र तत्त्वम भावयात्म�;
brahma tattvamasi bhāvayātmani. It is a beautiful section. Svāmi Chinmayānanda's

favourite section and the tune also is His tune; he likes this tune.
So the first three lines defines Brahman. So Brahman is dash dash dash given in the
first three lines in every slōka. And then Śankarācārya says: Tat Tvam Asi. This
wonderful Brahman, which is sorrowless; which does not have any problem; Na me
Page 1186

dvēṣa rāgau; na me lobhaḥ mōhau; Mado naiva me naiva mātsarya

bhāvaha.
Suppose a person says: I am Brahman, but my problem is fear: you can see how he
is confused. When he says I am Brahman; he is very clear about the meaning of the
word I; but when he says I have fear, the meaning of the word I, is different. I am
Brahman when you, I means what? stūla sūkṣma kāraṇa śarīrat vyathiriktha
caitanyaṁ. I have got fear when you say, I has then gone quietly to what? What
śarīraṁ; sūkṣma śarīraṁ.
That is the biggest confusion is the sliding between ātma and anātma. For some
time when you are saying I, you are meaning the ātma; then for some time you
mean the anātma when you say I. This is the confusion.
Therefore Śankarācārya says: why are you kozhappifying. Why are you confusing
yourselves? Tat Tvam Asi. You are that witness of all these things. And you are not
able to be steady in this without slipping down; bhāvaya. Bhāvaya means, dwell
upon this until it sinks into your personality; until you are soaked; like the pickle; the
pickle has to remain in that liquid for what purpose; it is in its name itself: ūrukāi
ஊ�க்கா. So ūrukāi, the pickle is doing what? nidhidhyāsanam. And then you take
it out and bite any part, that liquid you can get. And therefore, this dwelling is called
bhāvanam; manō nigrahaḥ; dhyānam, vēdantic meditation; etc. Bhāvaya. May you
dwell.
And you have dwell on what? The very teaching; and both part of teaching is very
important. I am caitanyaṁ also is important. In fact more important than I am
caitanyaṁ, is I am not the body; I am not the mind; I am not the kāraṇa śarīraṁ;
and all of them are mithya; non-substantial entity; jagan mithyatvam should be
meditated more than ahaṁ satyatvam. Because all our worries are because of one
mithya aspect or another mithya aspect. Any worry, any anger, any jealousy; any
hatred is directed towards one mithya object or other.
Ajaṁ sarvaṁ anusmrutha, jātham naiva thu paśyati. Gaudapāda beautifully

says that one should not see the world at all; see the world at all means What? it is
as good as not there. Just as the table is not there, when I focus on What? Focus on
the wood.
Page 1187

So bhāvaya. And dwell where; ātmani; ātmani means in the mind; ātmaa here
means anthakāraṇam or mind, because dwelling upon the teaching is a form of
thought process only. How do you dwell upon something? I tell you please dwell
upon your Badrināth visit. What do you do? You entertain thoughts which are
dealing with Badrināth. That is mental dwelling and therefore Bhāvanam means
vr̥tti; Bhāvanam is vr̥tti pravāḥ; vr̥tti means thought flow; bhāvanam is thought flow
and thought flow takes place; Where. In the mind or ātma; amma amma, ātma�க்
thoughtஉம உண்ேடா? So ātma does not have thoughts; mind alone has thoughts.
Therefore bhāvanam means thought flow occurring in the mind.
Therefore vēdantic meditation requires mind; do not transcend the mind; keep the
mind. And do not stop the thoughts; entertain thoughts; stopping the thought is
yōga form of meditation; which we do not approve of. Śankarācārya clearly tells:
yōgic meditation has to culminate in cessation of thought; vēdantic meditation does
not culminate in the cessation of thought; vēdantic meditation is the flow of vēdantic
thoughts alone.
And this flow itself is graded as dhāraṇa, dhyāna samādhi. In dhāraṇa, I entertain
the vēdantic thought, manō buddhya ahaṁkāra cittāni nāhaṁ. So that bringing the
mind to the vēdantic field is dhāraṇa, and then trying to continue that flow is called
dhyānam.
And how do I continue the flow? Not allowing the other thoughts to interrupt.
Vijātīya pratyaya anantharita sajāthīya pratyaya pravāḥ. Similar thought flow,
unobstructed by dissimilar thought. When I say I am śuddah, nithyaḥ, buddhaḥ,
muktaḥ etc. and also a pauper also. Nithya, śuddha, muktha, buddha; all in one
level but when you say pauper, you have come to somewhere else. So you need not
have the same thought. You should have only similar thought; nithya thought can be
changed to śudda; śudda can be changed to asaṅgah; asaṅgha can be changed to
pūrṇa; pūrṇa can be changed to adhiṣṭanam, which can be changed to satyam.
Thoughts can change; but all should be centred on ātma. If anātma vr̥tti comes, it
becomes vijātīya vr̥tti.
And this flow is called dhyānam; and then if that flow becomes effortless. I do not
have to use my will and effort. It is observed in that, wherein distraction becomes
impossible. We use an expression in general parlance: you are lost in thought. What
it means? When you say: Food is ready; come. He does not come at all; or you say:
Page 1188

I am calling only You; he does not respond at all. So then we say what? you are lost
in thought. Lost in thought means what? you yourselves have merged; you
yourselves in the object of your thoughts. But generally we are lost in thought
means worry. In vēdānta also, samādhi is nothing but being lost in this vēdantic
thought is called absorption or samādhi. It is not unknown to us. We all have gone
through the dhāraṇa, dhyāna samādhi; in anātma viṣaya.
When you watch cricket, the last ball and the last person and two runs are there for
victory; and India against Pakisthan. Every cricket fan experiences samādhi. He does
not know what is happening? You are absorbed. In that time, if any one calls him,
he gets angry. Samādhi is not unknown. So this dhāraṇa dhyāna samādhi abhyāsa,
otherwise called ātma samyamya; otherwise called manōnigrahaḥ is here prescribed
as what: Ātmani bhāvaya. May you practise this.
And what is the nature of Brahman? As I said, every slōka defines Brahman in the
first three lines. jātinītikulagōtradūragaṁ; I am not going to elaborate on this
because this is only reminding what has been already taught in the first 253 verses.
So Brahman or ātma is free from jāti, Brāhmaṇa kṣatriya vaiśa śudra belongs to
ātma or śarīraṁ? The jāti is only for the body only you know; even sūkṣma śarīraṁ
does not have jāti; what to talk of ātma.
Then nīti; nīti means dharma-adharma. Because dharma and adharma belongs to
the akartā ahaṁkāra; because dharma is proper action; adharma is improper action;
proper and improper action belongs to whom: the actor akartā, Brahman is what:
aakartā; therefore anyatra dharmāth anyathra adharmāth, Nīti is not there.
Then Kulaṁ, kulaṁ means family. Brahman family. Sr. Brahman, Jr. Brahman is it
there; No. it is not there. There is no family for Brahman.
Then Gōtraṁ; this person is always having the habit of telling the abhivādhaye;
other people do not know what is the Gōtraṁ and all those things; so those who are
used to Gōtraṁ, etc. and if they see anyone now, that is reflex action; the hands will
go near the head and then they do namaskārams; even now, what is happening.
abhivādhaye, āngirasa, ambarikṣa, ... this gōtra; this sūtra, Sarma namahām
asmibhōḥ. This gōtra identification is so much.
Page 1189

So he says: gōthra durakam; they are all far far away from Brahman. Nama rūpa
guṇa doṣaḥ varjitham. So you can understand, it is free from nāma, free from rūpa,
name and form, guṇaḥ, and doṣaḥ; Guṇa means what? Virtues and doṣaḥ means
vices or negative attributes; positive and negative attributes. So Brahman is good or
bad; if anybody asks what to reply; it is neither good nor bad. Guṇa doṣaḥ varjitam;
it is free from.
And dēśa kālaḥ viṣaya ativarti; it is beyond, which transcends, ativarti, what: desha,
kālaḥ and viṣaya. Time, space and objects; It does not have dēśa pariccēda; kālaḥ
pariccēda and vastu pariccēda. And vasthu pariccēda means attributewise limitation;
all these three are not there; that is Brahman.
And then do not admire that Brahman. Brahman is not for admiration. Tat Tvam Asi.
I am admiring you; do not look here and there; I am admiring you; own up that
glory. Tat Tvam Asi; you are that; drop all your complexes; you have got a few
years; enjoy your glory; but Svāmiji I have knee pain; so remember, knee is not ni.
So knee in English means knee. Tamil ni means You. Knee is not ni. Therefore knee
pain would be there; prārabdha has to be exhausted through some one. Let it be
exhausted. So Tat Tvam Asi ātmani bhāvaya. Sit in a place and dwell on this and
enjoy this glory, so that during the day-do-day transaction also, this will be there.
Hari Om.
Page 1190

092. Verses 255 to 257
From this verse onwards, 254, the Śankarācārya begins the longest topic of
Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi, namely Nidhidhyāsanam. Nidhidhyāsanam is here called bhāvana;
Ātma or Brahma bhāvana. And in these 10 verses, the first three lines gives the
definition of Brahman and May you meditate upon that Brahman as yourselves.
And this is important because, in this alone we are breaking our orientation. It is
very easy to say Brahman is all-pervading. Without any conflict, very comfortably,
very happily we will say Brahman is all-pervading. But what is required is since
Brahman is revealed as ahaṁ, I should be able to say equally comfortably that I am
all-pervading. Similarly Brahman is eternal is easier. I am eternal; I am divisionless; I
am relationless. Thus converting the third person singular into first person
singular is nidhidhyāsanam. When it is third person singular, singular means it is
one thing; when it is converted into first person singular, singular because it is
advaitam; there is no second thing. And therefore Śankarācārya repeats Tat Brahma
tvam asi. It is not enough that I repeat ten times, but you have to see this particular
fact.
यत्पर सकलवागगोचरं
गोचरं �वमलबोधच�ुषः |
शद्ध�चद्घनमन
ु वस्त यद
ब्र तत्त्वम भावयात्म� ||२५५||
yatparaṁ sakalavāgagōcaraṁ
gōcaraṁ vimalabōdhacakṣuṣaḥ |
śuddhacidghanamanādi vastu yad
Page 1191

The first three lines; Brahma yat param; Brahman is param; that which is beyond
the empirical world; that which is not a relative entity is param; the word param has
got several meanings; another meaning is dēśa, kālaḥ, vastu, pariccēda śūnyaṁ;
that which is without the three fold limitation caused by time, space and attributes.
For time-wise limitless, space-wise limitless; attribute-wise limitless. That also is the
meaning of the word param.
Sakala vāg agōcaram; it is beyond all description. Vāg means either organ of speech
or words and agōcaram means not accessible in words, indescribable.
Then the question is: if it is indescribable, why should the scriptures write so many
words? Scriptures are full of words alone, and the teacher is also going on
conducting classes after classes and you keep saying that it is indescribable. For that
we answer: it is not directly describable, but it can be indirectly communicated;
saying without saying.
I have given you examples before. When there are two people standing, I ask one of
them: you please come with me; then the other person understands that I am not
supposed to come. Or you glorify one of them; this boy is very intelligent; the other
boy is upset. Upset for what; I have not said anything about that boy; I only said
that this boy is intelligent. Why should the other boy get upset? Because there is an
unsaid idea; what is that; he is not so. Similarly here also, Brahman can be
communicated indirectly by negating the whole objective universe; nēti nēti
vachanai; niṣēdha mukha pramāṇēna; the Upaṇiṣads negates everything; then an
intelligent student understand that what is left behind; it is called Niṣēdha-avadhiḥ.
After everything is negated, what remains unnegatably; so the unnegatable

remainder is Brahman; which I reveal without using words. - And therefore it can
only be indirectly revealed; it cannot be directly revealed; therefore it is called śabda
agōcaraṁ. So sakala vāg agōcaraṁ.
gōcaraṁ vimalabōdhacakṣuṣaḥ. Even though it is not accessible to words, still when

the indirect description is given, an intelligent student will grasp the idea; because a
dull student requires a direct description, whereas an intelligent student will know
the implication of the description, and therefore he will be able to grasp the teaching
Page 1192

and that is called jñāna cakṣuḥ. Bōdhaḥ cakṣuḥ means jñāna cakṣuḥ. The eye of
wisdom.
And what is that wisdom? Ahaṁ Brahma asmi. I am that Brahman; for this eye of
wisdom, divya cakṣuḥ, bōdhaḥ cakṣuḥ, which is vimalaṁ; vimalaṁ means pure; it is
accessible to the eye of clear knowledge or clear understanding. What do you mean
by pure wisdom?
What is purity of wisdom if you ask, the impurity in any knowledge is doubt and
vagueness. So doubt, error and vagueness. Error means what? wrong understanding
is one type of impurity; and another worse type of impurity is doubt or vaugeness;
because several people say several things; there is a vishiṣṭa advaita interpretation
of the same upaṇiṣad; there is a dvaitic interpretation of the same upaṇiṣad; and of
course there is advaitic interpretation and I do not have the capacity to sort them
out; and I have heard all those Ācārya are great ācāryas also; what to do? can I say
all of them are right; I cannot say because they are teaching diagonically opposite.
Therefore there is no way of reconciliation also; certainly I have to reject the others.
And if I do not have the guts and power and intellectual honesty, I should not have
an emotional attachment to a system; then knowledge cannot take place. The most
important virtue of a student is freedom from emotional hang ups to a person, or to
a system or to a saṁpradāya. We should be ruthless when it comes to knowledge.
Just because Śankarācārya has said I need not accept; just because Rāmaanuja said
that I need not accept; I should be able to use my own discretion; and accept and
reject others, which is called uhā āpōha vicakṣaṇatvam. The capacity to sort out.
And if I do not have the intellectual honesty, intellectual sharpness and I have an
emotional attachment to all those people also; then I will try to somehow connect:
somehow connect; this is called tying the bald head and the knee cap (�ட்�க்
�ழம்கா�க் ��ச் ேபாடற� ~ Mottaikum mozhamkaalukkum mudicchu
podarathu). The bald head and the knee cap; you try to connect; is it possible. No, it
will slip away. Like that if you try to reconcile the impossibles, it means there is
confusion in the intellect. And that is not vimala bōdhaḥ; it is sandigda bōdhaḥ. And
therefore free from all set of doubts.
And that is why we have got all kinds of analytical text books, where every ācārya is
discussed without any emotional favour or prejudice. And all the great ācāryas
during Śankarācārya's time, he discusses. So we should have an open discussion.
Page 1193

Otherwise truth will not come out. That is the problem. So for the vimala bōdhaḥ
cakṣuḥ; for the eye of wisdom; gōcaraṁ.
What is gōcaraṁ? Brahaman is accessible to the eye of wisdom, which is

represented, symbolically by the third eye; jñāna cakṣuḥ. Siva is supposed to have
the third eye with which alone he burns Manmadaḥ; kāma dahanam or all
philosophical symbolism. Kāma is what? Manmadaḥ is personified; but kāma or
Manmadaḥ represents are desires born out of what? Sense of apurṇatvam. Kāma
represents apurṇatvam; apurṇatvam represents ignorance. Therefore kāma and
ignorance can be burned by what: netti kannu can only burn it; what is that neeti
kannu; and that is jñāna cakṣuḥ. So vimala bōdhaḥ cakṣuḥ is in the sixth case;
shasti vibakthi; tasya gōcaraṁ.
Then śuddha cidghanam. So Brahman is a mass of pure awareness, without sajātīya

vijātīya svagata bhēda; it is space like, pure consciousness. So from this it is very
clear that our scriptures do not look upon consciousness as a part of the body, as a
property of the body, or even a product of the body; it is the basic substance itself.
That is why the word used is ghanam; it is a mass of consciousness. That is the
basic stuff of the creation.
And when did this consciousness come? So the materialistic sciences will say what?
from matter consciousness emerged out; it is an emergent property, it is the
scientific view of consciousness.
But what is the śāstrik view? Anādi vastu. It is the beginningless vasthu;
beginningless reality; matter manifests and dissolves into consciousness.
consciousness does not evolve out of matter; on the other hand, the matter
manifests out of consciousness; and resolves. So anādhi vasthu. And that anādi
vasthu is Brahman and just do not merely appreciate that Brahman; but remember,
Tat Tvam Asi. Because in Chāndōgya Upaṇiṣad, the teacher tells nine times;
therefore Śankarācārya wants to imitate Chaandogya upaṇiṣad teacher: Uddalaka-
Svetaketu Samvaada. Therefore he repeats Tattvamasi; Tattvamasi; Iti bhāvaya;
May you meditate ātmani. Here ātma means mind; Ok ātmani bhāvaya; May you
meditate in your mind.
षड्�भरू�मर्�भरय यो�गहृ-
Page 1194

भा�वतं न करणै�व्
र भा�वत म |
बुद्ध्यवेद्यमनवद्य यद
ब्र तत्त्वम भावयात्म� ||२५६||
ṣaḍbhirūrmibhirayōgi yōgihr̥d-
bhāvitaṁ na karaṇairvibhāvitam |
buddhyavēdyamanavadyamasti yad
Again the description of Brahman. ṣaḍbhir ūrmibhir ayōgi. The word urmi literally
means a wave in the ocean; a wave in the ocean especially a huge wave. And in this
context, the word urmi means, the pain in human life. In this life, urmi means a
pain. So here in this symbolism; our saṁsāra is compared to a vast ocean, which is
filled with ignorance; and the consequent confusions and the consequent sañcita
agāmi prārabha karma. And in that ocean of saṁsāra, we are floating and if it is a
Pacific ocean; śānta samudraḥ, we will enjoy floating. But the problem is what? It is
not so; violent tidal waves are formed and they lash me and one wave throws me in
one direction and another wave takes to another direction; and certain waves drown
me; and if I die, at least problem is solved; but I do not die also; again surface. So
thus helplessly tormented by, afflicted by the waves. You imagine a person.
Śankarācārya says every human being is going through the same suffering.
And how many such waves are there? Infinite waves are there. But the main waves
are supposed to be shad or six; ṣad urmihi; ṣad urmiḥ. And this is given in the
Brihadāranyaka Upaṇiṣad.
Yaha aśanāya pipāse, sokam mōham; jarām-mruthym atyeti --

Brihadārnayka upaṇiṣad, third chapter, fifth section: Kapōla Brāhmaṇam.
Aśanāya pipāse means hunger and thirst; these are the first two urmis; because to
the hunger and thirst alone, we have a big chunk of life dedicated for that only.
Imagine we do not have hunger and thirst. As Śankarācārya says: Udaram
nimittham bahukrita vēṣaḥ. Almost 50% of our time, we only bother about hunger
and thirst now; or we are worried about the hunger and thirst in the old age;
whether the son will give food; or the daughter will give food; that doubt; and
therefore you want to provide for that and unfortunately I do not know how long I
will live after retirement. If it is advance notice given: 25 years; then we can
calculate and live; that also I do not know.
Page 1195

So hunger and thirst is the grossest form of saṁsāra at the level of the prāṇamaya
kōśa. And then at the annamaya kōśa level; there are two pains; jaaram-mrtyum;
old age and death. This is another constant fear. Old age: what will happen? And
above all, fear of death, that is at the level of annamaya kōśa. So jara mruthu
annamaya kōśa urmi; aśanāya pibhāśā prāṇamaya kōśa urmi; then sōkam-mōham
ca; sōka means sorrow; mōha means conflicts; confusion; and that is at the
manōmaya vijñānaṁaya level; we can club both of them. So all types of grief is sōka
and all types of conflicts. So I want to be herein in India; but my children are in
America. And I am getting old, whether to go there and settle or be here.
Svāmiji, they are calling us. What to do? So going also there are advantages; staying
here also, Svāmiji we will miss your classes. So therefore conflict: to be or not to be;
to go or not to go; all kinds of confusions. So this is the manōmaya-vijnāmaya
confusion. These are considered the sad urmihi, which are universal.
And what is the glory of Brahman? It does not have all the six. Therefore sadbhi
urmibhihi ayōgi; ayōgi means not connected. asambhandaḥ. So yuj, to be united, or
connected; a_yōgi ; not connected or not suffering from this six-fold problems.
And yōgi hrtbhāvitham. Together one word; Yōgi hrtbhaavitham. Bhavitham means
meditated; dyātam; meditated where; yōgi hr̥t; in the heart of the yōgis; yōgis
means jñānis. Iti dyasakās. Not aṣṭāṅga yōgis. Because aṣṭaanga yōgis do not
accept advaitam also. They are clean dvaita philosophers. So here yōgi means
vēdantibhihi. Vaidikaihi bhāvitham; where it is invoked; hr̥t bhāvathim; invoked in
the hrdayaṁ, in the mind, as the sākṣi of the presence and absence of thought.
Even thoughconsciousness is all-pervading, the invocation of consciousness is done

in the mind. Just like the all-pervading Lord is invoked in a śiva liṅga or a salagrama;
the all-pervading consciousness in invoked in the mind. In what form? Not as the
mind, not even as the thoughts but as the witness of, the presence as the absence
of thoughts. Vr̥tti bhāva abhāva sākṣi rūpēṇa Bhavitham.
And who is the sākṣi of the vr̥tti; myself. So sākṣirūpēṇa means ātma rūpēṇa
bhāvitham. And na kāraṇaihi vibhāvitham; at the same time, it is not available for
any instrument of knowledge. Kāraṇam means instrument, either mind or sense
organs; it is not objectified.
Page 1196

Then if it is not objectified; how are you going to meditate upon it? So by
meditation, we mean not objectification; by meditation we mean owning up
thoughts. Our thoughts are not to illumine Brahman; our thoughts are in the form of
owning up the ever evident consciousness; as ourselves. So therefore, there is only
owning up thoughts; not objectifying thoughts. So, na kāraṇāihi vibhāvitham.
Then buddhi avedhyam; it is not an object of the intellect also. So intellect also does
not objectify Brahman; on the other hand, intellect itself is known because of
Brahman. Yan Manasa na manute, ena ahute; manō matam. Then if intellect cannot
objectify, why do you use the intellect? again the same answer. Intellect is not used
for illumining Brahman; intellect is purely used for owning up of the fact, that this
ever evident consciousness is Brahman, which is myself. So therefore buddhi
abedyam.
And that is what we technically call, vr̥tti vyatham; owning up is vr̥tti vyāpthi;
objectification is phala vyāpthi; there is no phala vyapthi, the objectification; there is
vr̥tti vyapthi; which is owning up Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi.
And anavadyam asthi. Avadyam means doṣaḥha. Any doṣaḥ is called avadhyam;
literally avadhyam means unspeakable; vadh; to speak; vadhyam means speakable;
avadhyam; unspeakable; what is unspeakable? Any evil; any doṣaḥ is unspeakable;
And anavadhya means what? free from the doṣaḥs. So the final meaning is ś uddam.
Anavadhyam is equal to ś uddam. So therefore only it is worth owning up.
Nirdoṣam hi śamam brahma, tasmat Brahmani te sthithaḥ; In the Gītā, fifth chapter,
Krishna beautifully says: Brahman is worth owning because it does not have any
problem. And anything other than Brahman you get associated; you had it; you have
to pay the price. If you say, I do not mind paying the price, Ayuṣmān bhava, wish
you all the very best.
We are not insisting that you should own up Brahman. Vēdantin is one who never
wants to insist on anything. Identifying with the body, you are comfortable; no
problem. You say I can accept old age, I can accept disease; I can accept
separation; I can accept death; if you can do all those things and happily live, we
say you do not require vēdānta. In fact, we will discourage him from the study of
vēdānta. But when a person cannot stand the problems, caused by, my finitude, my
Page 1197

separation, my old age, my disease, if not my disease, by my relative's disease; all

these are there, isn't it; and I am forced to see those things; if you say they are
problematic; better come to Vēdānta. Try. We will only say; you try. Therefore
anavadhyam. Vēdānta solves the problem. That is the experience of every serious
student who has used it. They will give the certificate: vēdānta-worth.
Therefore anavadhyam asti yath; That Brahman Tvam Asi; You are that Brahman, iti
bhāvaya ātmani. Thus may you meditate.
भ्रािन्तकिल्पतजगत्क
स्वाश् च सदसद्�वल�ण म |
�नष्कल �नरुपमानव� यद
ब्र तत्त्वम भावयात्म� ||२५७||
bhrāntikalpitajagatkalāśrayaṁ
svāśrayaṁ ca sadaśadvilakṣaṇam |
niṣkalaṁ nirūpamānavaddhi yad
These verses are not for reasoning. You should remember that when a person has
come to nidhidhyasana level; his problem is not one of conviction. Conviction has
already come through mananam. So if a person does not have conviction,
nidhidhyāsanam would not work, because when I say Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi; in one
corner of the intellect will say; who knows? who has seen?
Therefore until I am convinced, nidhidhyāsanam would not really work. When

conviction is lacking what you require is reasoning. Buddhi has to function; you have
to ask the intellect, why you are not convinced? And whatever objection intellect
raises, the buddhi has to answer. When I come to nidhidhyasanam, conviction part
is over. I am only remembering, what I am already convinced of. Therefore these
meditations are not for logical analysis but seeing the fact that I have gathered
during śravaṇam mananam. And therefore all these words are just reminding the
teaching. These words are not the teaching themselves. These words are only
reminding the teaching that has taken place. That is why I am also not spending
time to explain the words, because that is what we have seen. It is fact for me. And
if you say it is not fact, then go back and make it through. For that only we have got
so many works.
Page 1198

And therefore, bhrāntikalpitajagatkalāśrayaṁ brahma: Brahman is the aṣrayaṁ, the

adhișṭānam; Adhiṣṭānam of what? jagatkalā; the finite world; kalā, literally means a
part; and by extension it means, a finite thing. And jagatkalā means the finite world;
alpam jagath; paricchinnam jagath.
And how has the world come into existence? Bhrāntiḥ kalpitam; so it is because of
ignorance; which is born out of ignorance. So bhrāntiḥ means here ajñānaṁ;
bhrāntiḥ means ajñānaṁ; kalpitam means created, produced. So the world is
created by ignorance. Exactly like what, the desk is created by ignorance; there is no
such thing called desk. So when a person says desk IS; it is a solidified form of
ignorance. So when knowledge is there, what will be say? he would not say desk IS:
it will be converted to what: wood IS. Similarly ajñānā crystalised appears in the
form of world IS: jñāna crystalised appears in the form of Brahman; not even
Brahman is: Brahman alone IS.
Dr̥śyate sruyate yadyath, Brahmanonanna tat bhaveth;

Brahmaanyet bhaathi chet mithya yatha maru maruchika.
Śankarācārya beautifully tells in ātma bōdhaḥ. Whatever see, whatever you here is
nothing Brahman. Therefore the world is projected by or created by ignorance and
for that, projected world, that non-substantial world Brahman is the adhișṭānam.
aṣrayaṁ; OK.
Then the next question will be the what is the aṣrayaṁ for Brahman? So Brahman is
the aṣrayaṁ for world. When we say, God is the father of all; any child will
immediately ask, who is the father of God? Two year old child can ask this question;
it is a natural question.
And therefore, Śankarācārya says; svasrayaṁ. So Brahman itself is the asrayaṁ for
Brahman; that means Brahman remains unsupported by anything else. Brahman
does not require support. So svasrayaṁ; sve mahimni prathiṣṭāḥ; in the Chāndōgya
Upaṇiṣad.
And what is the nature of that Brahman. Sad asad vilakṣaṇam, which is beyond
both; the murtha amurtha prapañja; the formed and the formless creation; gross
Page 1199

and the subtle creation. So in this context, the word Sat means gross and subtle
creation.
Very careful; that is why vēdānta is confusing. In some places, we say sat is
Brahman. Sad ēva sowya idam agra asīth. And in some context, we say, Sat is gross
creation. Like what? the desk, the table, the chair, etc. So what a wide difference in
meaning. One place it is a Sat is satguṇam Brahma; and the other is: Sat is the
manifest world. Why the Upaṇiṣads and the scriptures confuse you like that. When
you Sat is Brahman, that is from the standpoint of right understanding, because
ultimately Brahman alone is. And therefore from the standpoint of a wise person, Sat
is only Brahman. What is existent is only one.
But when you look from ignorant person's standpoint, he does not accept anything
invisible. God is not there; why, because I did not see. Whatever is invisible, he
says, is not there. He will keep the milk in hand but he will say there is no butter. If
he uses a little buddhi, he can see the potential butter in that milk; that he does not
know. Therefore from the gross-minded ordinary people, a transactable object
alone, he accepts as existence. And therefore, from worldly angle, a tangible object
is Sat. From vēdantic angle, the ultimate reality is Sat and therefore the word is used
from both angles. Then according to context, we have to take.
Here the word Sat is from the standpoint of worldly point. What is Sat? the tangible
gross murtha prapañja.
And what is Asat? The opposite of that: the intangible. The subtle creation. And why
is it called Asat? Because the worldly people do not accept that. No scientists will
accept the sūkṣma śarīraṁ itself. Let alone kāraṇam śarīraṁ and ātma. Keep it
aside. If I tell that there is a sūkṣma śarīraṁ, which survives the death of the body,
after brain is dead, after body is burned; sūkṣma śarīraṁ survives, it travels, if you
say, he will say that it is all cock and bull story. Very difficult, why because I do not
see the mind, I do not see my father going here and there after death; that is why
shrādham is going away, because why waste money on shrādam. I will do some
poor feeding; because the poor people are visible. The sūkṣma śarīraṁ tathhaa is
invisible. Therefore tathhaa Asat. The old age homes Sat. Therefore I am feeding
them. So therefore whatever is not accessible to the regular instruments of
knowledge, he concludes sūkṣma śarīraṁ is asat and Brahman is what: beyond
both: Sat stūla prapañja and Asat sūkṣma prapañja. Brahman is beyond both.
Page 1200

Sadaśad vilakṣaṇam, kārya kāraṇa vilakṣaṇam, murtha amurtha vilakṣṇam; stūla

sūkṣma vilakṣaṇam.
And then Niṣkalam; that which is without divisions; or parts. Like space, Brahman is
partless; partless means svagata beda rahitam; without any internal division; and
also it means niravayayaṁ; it does not have any limbs, because when there are
limbs, every limb becomes a part. Hand is a limb, therefore it becomes a part of my
body. Therefore when a thing is partless, it is limbless also. And that is why
ultimately we say the Lord does not have eyes or ears; and therefore any personal
God, we do not accept as ultimate truth.
And this where the emotionally-attached devotee gets disturbed. I told you know
that one great Guruvarappan bhaktha. He writes a poetry in a magazine. Hey
Guruvayoorappa, do not take me to Vēdānta. Kindly do not take me to Vēdānta. A
vēdānta which negates your beautiful face, which negates wonderful eyes; which
negates your flute and which negates your beautiful butter. No No Bhagavāne. So
guruvayoorappan negating vēdānta I do not want. I want my kocchu
guruvarooppan. Kocchu means small. So when you are emotionally committed to a
particular form, transformation is difficult. Transformation somebody said:
transformation is transcending the form. Trans form. Difficult, but there is no way.
Whenever there is form, it can get deformed. If you remember that, you will get
transformed. Do you want to get deformed or transformed? So if you love to be
deformed, 20 years you were like this. Now how are you? so you are going to like
that deformation, it is fine. But if you do not want that; better transform; and what
is the transform? Niṣkalaṁ; without all the forms.
acakṣu srothram tad apāni pādam; nityam vibhūṁ sarva gatam

susūkṣmaṁ, tat avyayaṁ; yat bhūtā yoni pari pasyanthi dhīrā.
Then nirūpamānavath. You can understand. Upamānam means comparison.

Nirūpamānam means without comparison. Incomparable. Nirūpamaḥ; why it cannot
be compared? Can give several reasons. The main reason; there is no second thing
at all for comparison. And if you accept second thing, it is finite; and it is less real
also. Unreal also. And therefore it is nirūpamānam.
And that Brahman you are. It is not only enough that you appreciate that Brahman
but you also own up that Brahman. Ok.
Page 1201

More we will see in the next class. Hari Om.
Page 1202

093. Verses 258 to 262
भ्रािन्तकिल्पतजगत्क
स्वाश् च सदसद्�वल�ण म |
�नष्कल �नरुपमानव� यद
ब्र तत्त्वम भावयात्म� ||२५७||
bhrāntikalpitajagatkalāśrayaṁ
svāśrayaṁ ca sadaśadvilakṣaṇam |
niṣkalaṁ nirūpamānavaddhi yad
Śankarācārya is talking about nidhidhyāsanam, which he calls here Brahma bhāvana

or Brahma bhāvanam; bhāvana or bhāvanam means dwelling, mentally dwelling
upon. What is the object of dwelling; Brahman. We can call Brahma dhyānam or
Brahma bhāvana or Brahma anusandānam. Various names are used. Even the word
Brahma abhyāsaḥ; brahmābhyasaḥ. All these are different words for
nidhidhyāsanam.
And as I said since Śankarācārya uses the word bhāvana, dwell or think, it means
thought is involved in nidhidhyāsanam; it is not merely the remaining in silence. Only
in yōgaḥ, the culmination or the aim is cessation of thoughts; citta vr̥tti nirōdhaḥ;
here we should not give importance to cessation of thoughts. In Vēdānta importance
is always for direction of thoughts.
Now the thoughts are in a particular direction; anātma direction; that we are turning
to ātma direction.
And when you entertain thoughts centered on ātma or Brahman, that thought flow
is called nidhidhyāsanam; Brahmākāra vr̥tti pravāhaḥ; or ātmākāra vr̥tti pravāhaḥ or
akhaṇḍākhāra vr̥tti pravāhaḥ; the flow of thoughts. And we can dwell on the
teaching of Brahman contained in the Upaṇiṣads. Thus any upaṇiṣad can be taken
for nidhidhyāsanam. But Śankarācārya gives a sample meditation. It need not be
exactly in this manner; any form. In Kaivalya upaṇiṣad; Maiēva sakalam jātam, mayi
sarvaṁ prathiṣṭitam; apāni pādōha acinthya śaktiḥ, pasyāmacakṣusa srunōti karṇaḥ.
Page 1203

Thus the Upaṇiṣads themselves give certain forms of meditation; Śankarācārya gives
a sample; keeping this sample, we can improvise the meditation in any way we
want. We have seen up to 257.
जन्मवृ�द्धप�रणत्-
व्या�धनाशन�वह�नमव्यय |
�वश्वसृष्ट्यव�वघातका
ब्र तत्त्वम भावयात्म� ||२५८||
janmavr̥ddhipariṇatyapakṣaya-
vyādhināśanavihīnamavyayaṁ |
viśvasr̥ṣṭyavavighātakāraṇaṁ
In the first three lines, nature of Brahman is given. Janma vr̥ddhi pariṇati apakṣaya
vyādhi nāśana vihīnam. Up to this one single word; vihīnam means free from.
Brahman is free from these five factors; what are they; janma; you know, janma
means birth; vr̥ddhi means growth; parinati means transformation; apakṣaya means
decay or declension; and vyādhi means disease and finally nāśanam; nāśanam
means maraṇam. So Brahman is free from birth; growth, change, decay, disease
and death.
If you remember, we have seen these as the ṣad vikhāras; the six-fold modifications
of everything in the creation. The only difference is in the ṣad vikhāras; we normally
use the word asthi, jāyaye, vardatē; there the asthi is taken and in that place vyādhi
is added, because that is frightening. Asthi is not frightening; vyādhi is frightening;
therefore Śankarācārya mentions. The essence is ṣad vikhāra rahitam. Free from the
six fold modifications.
And avyayaṁ; and therefore only eternal. I am not only that: visva sr̥ṣṭi avavighāta
kāraṇam. It means jagat sr̥ṣṭi sthithi laya kāraṇam; which is the cause of the
creation; preservation and the dissolution of the world. Visva means the world; sr̥ṣṭi
creation; ava means rakṣaṇam; vighāta means nāśaḥ; destruction. Kāraṇam; it is
the cause; jagat kāraṇam iti arthaḥ. This is the nature of Brahman. And that
Brahman is what? Tvam asi. That Brahman you are: ātmani bhāvaya. May you dwell
upon this fact.
Page 1204

And as I have often said, we should remember, Śankarācārya assumes that we are
convinced of these facts. If we are not convinced of any one of them,
nidhidhyāsanam would not work; we have to switch back to what: Mananam; the
job of mananam is getting conviction by using śruti pramāṇa, by using yukti
pramāṇa, and by using anubhava pramāṇa. śruti, yukti anubhava pramāṇai we have
to get convinced before coming to nidhidhyāsanam. The job of nidhidhyāsanam is
dwelling upon convinced facts and that is why Śankarācārya enumerates them
without proving them, because according to Śankarācārya, these are already proved.
May you meditate upon this truth.
अस्तभेदमनपास्तल�
�नस्तरङ्गजलरा�श�नलम ् |
�नत्यमुक्तम�वभक्तमू यद
ब्र तत्त्वम भावयात्म� ||२५९||
astabhēdamanapāstalakṣaṇaṁ
nistaraṅgajalarāśiniścalam |
nityamuktamavibhaktamūrti yad
Again the first three lines definition of Brahman. Asthabhēdam; it is free from all
types of differences, divisions; astha means without, bhēda means division. We have
talked about before sajātīya bhēda, vijātīya bhēda and svagata bhēda. The
difference between a man and animal is specie-wise difference; difference between
one man and another man is the difference between members of the same species;
and the difference within a single member of a specie that is the internal difference
is called svagata bhēda. Astha bhēdaḥ means Brahman is free from sajātīya, vijatīya
svagata bhēda.
And anapāsta lakṣaṇaṁ; lakṣaṇam means svarūpam; essential nature, consisting of

existence and consciousness. sat chid svarūpam. In fact I should not say, existence
AND consciousness, because according to us, existence and consciousness are one
and the same nature, looked from two different angles. And this sadchit svarūpam is
called lakṣaṇam; and anapāstam means which is never negated. So anapāsta
lakṣaṇam means with a nature which is never lost; which is eternal. Which is eternal
existence consciousness. Apāstham means negated. Anapāsta means unnegated;
unnegated means ever existent.
Page 1205

Because all the other status of Brahman are negatable, like Brahman as jagath
kāraṇam, the cause of the universe, is only an incidental nature of Brahman, from
the standpoint of the nāma rūpa prapañja. When the world is negated, then the
kāraṇam status of Brahman is also negated.
Thus Brahman has got incidental features also, intrinsic features also. Causal status
is incidental feature, whereas existence is not in incidental but intrinsic. Intrinsic is
indicated by the word Anapāsta lakṣaṇam.
And then nistharaṅga jalarāsi niścalam. That Brahman is ever nischala. Unchanging;
steady; Comparable to what: jalarāsi vat niścalam. Like huge ocean; vast ocean;
apūryamāṇam, acala pratiṣṭam; that ocean and that too what type of ocean;
nistharanga. Like an ocean without waves. Just as the waveless ocean remains like
Pacific, śānta samudraḥ. Pacific ocean in Saṁsr̥kt is called śānta samudraḥ; Brahman
is like śānta samudram; ever calm.
Nitya muktam; you can understand. Nitya muktam means ever free. So if it is ever
free, why should we work for freedom? That I should not discuss. Even this has
been discussed before; if I discuss it will come under mananam; therefore if it is
ever free; why should we work for freedom? We are not working for freedom, we
are only working for elimination of the notion that I am not free. So bondage notion
is removed; freedom is never attained. Vēdānta removes the notion. That is why I
said, liberation is a job which is taking place in the intellect because from the
standpoint of ātma, liberation cannot and need not take place. Bondage being an
intellectual delusion, liberation has to be what? dropping the intellectual delusion
and how do you do that? By doing and studying. And after study and knowledge, I
do not say I am now liberated; if you do not study properly; I say that I thought I
was bound, now I know that I was not bound, I am not bound and will never be
bound. Therefore nitya muktham.
avibhaktamūrtim. So the one whose nature, murthy means nature, svarūpam is

undivided; homogeneous, which is almost the same as astha cēdam. Many ideas are
repeated also in these ten verses. So when it is repeated, how do you solve the
problem. These are commentators' problem. Because according to the rule of
writing, same slōka an idea should not be repeated. Here we find astha bhēda and
avibhaktamūrtim. Astha bhēdam means division; avibhaktamūrtim means without
Page 1206

division. Now what to do? Without division; without division; saying that he has
divided.
Therefore, to justify this we will say, that we asthabhēdam; there we are negating
sajātīya vijātīya bhēda; whereas avibhaktamūrtim, we are negating the svagata
bhēda.
And suppose there is a third word, repeating the same, then what do we do? One
for sajatīya; one for vijātīya; one for svagata. Suppose fourth is repeated; we will be
in trouble. Generally it would not happen be like that.
So Nitya muktham; avibhaktamūrtim, yat Brahman, that Brahman You are. Tat
Brahma tvam asi. So here the word tat tvam asi is repeated. We should remember
that the word Tat Tvam; I have told you before, has got two meanings. In one, tat
tvam consists of two separate words; tath, tvam; tath means that paramātma, tvam
means You jīvathma, asi. Tat tvam asi. Then there is another Tattvam, where the
word Tat is followed by tvam; that tvam does not mean You; it is a suffix tvam,
which means the abstract noun; manuṣyatvam; mumukṣutvaṁ; paśutvam;
keetatvam; vrikṣatvam. That tvam is a suffix. And when Tat Tvam has this division,
then we call it as Thatness of anything; thatness means svarūpam. Therefore
Tatvam can mean: That and You; or Tatvam can mean the svarūpam of anything.
So according to the context we have to take the meaning. In these ten verses, how
to split the word tattvamasi. Tath and Tvam should be taken as two separate words.
Tvam is not suffix tvam; tvam means You. Therefore Tath Brahma tvam asi. Instead
of reading it as tatvam; better way of reading will be Tat brahma tvam asi; You are
only that Brahman. And what should you do? Ātmani bhāvaya. May you dwell on this
fact.
एकमेव सदनेककारणं
कारणान्तर�नरास्यकारण |
कायर्कारण�वल�ण स्वय
ब्र तत्त्वम भावयात्म� ||२६०||
ēkamēva sadanēkakāraṇaṁ
kāraṇāntaranirāsyakāraṇam |
kāryakāraṇavilakṣaṇaṁ svayaṁ
Page 1207

Again first three lines definition of Brahman. Ekamēva. Brahman is only one. That
means there is nothing other than Brahman, which means even the world is not
there; other than Brahman. And what is the nature of this Brahman? Sat, which is
pure existence; Tadēva sowmya ithamagra asēth; ekamēva advitīyam. So this is
unique to vēdānta. We do not take existence as a property of a substance; but we
take existence itself as the basic substance.
And the whole world becomes the property of that existence; like golden ornament
when you say. The adjective is the substance; even if you use the word golden as
the adjective, the adjective is not property; but it is the substance. Similarly
existence is not the property of the world; existence is the very substance. And that
existence is how many? Ekam. And what does that existence do?
Aneka kāraṇam; that one existence is the cause of anēkam. Anēkam means what
many? In short, the entire creation. And from this indirectly Śaṁkarācāryā indicates
that plurality is only a product, and any product is only name and form, because
substance can never be produced by the law of conservation of matter. Substance
can never be produced. Thus what is produced? Nāma rūpa. Configurations alone
are produced and therefore the entire creation is what? nāma rūpātmakam;
therefore mithya. All understood. OK.
If Brahman is the cause of everything, naturally the question will come; what is the
cause of Brahman, because human intellect always extends? If I have a father, I
know that my father has got his father. And I know that his father has got his
father. Thus generally in the creation, any linear process goes on and on. Therefore
our mind thinks what is the cause of Brahman and therefore Śankarācārya says:
Brahman itself does not have a cause. It is the causeless cause of the creation. He
is the fatherless father of the creation; motherless mother of the creation.
So humurous poet writes: the Lord alone does not have the parents-in-law problem.
He alone can enjoy; why? without the father-in-law; parents-in-law. See that way. I
think he would have suffered!
So therefore He is causeless cause; kāraṇāntara nirāsa; in this book nirāsya is

printed; better reading is nirāśā kāraṇam; it is cause, which negates or which is free
Page 1208

from all the other further causes. Nirāsā means free from; kāraṇāntara means what?
further cause, which means the cause effect chain ends with Brahman.
Then he ends, kārya kāraṇa vilakṣaṇam svayaṁ. This causal status of Brahman is
not intrinsic status. It is only an incidental status of Brahman. As long as you see the
creation; Brahman is called kāraṇam; once you have negated the creation as mithya;
Brahman's status also becomes mithya. Isn't? Brahman's kāraṇam status becomes
mithya. Brahman does not become mithya. Careful. If you are writing notes, write
carefully. Do not write Brahman becomes mithya. Brahman's kāraṇam status
becomes mithya, because the status is from the stand point of the mithya kāraṇam.
When the unreal money makes me rich; my richness is what? the richness that I
enjoy is also unreal; if the money is fake Rs.500 note which I got plenty and I
thought I was rich, I was rich, I was rich. So richness is now what? vyavahārika
satta and then I discovered all of them are fake. Then what happens to my richness
status? That is also fake. I am not fake. my richness status is fake. Similarly, when
the world is proved mithya, there is no world kāryam; and there is no kāraṇam
status. Therefore what is Brahman? Kārya kāraṇa vilakṣaṇa svayaṁ.
Here Śankarācārya is keeping the definition of Turiyam in Mānḍukya; i.e. in

Mānḍukya Viswa and Taijasa are called kārya pāda; Prājña is called kāraṇa pādaḥ;
and Turiyam is called kārya-kāraṇa vilakṣaṇa pāda. So Mānḍukya and again
Kathōpanișad also: anyathra dharmāt, anyathra adharmāt; anyathra asmāth, kr̥ta-
akr̥tāt. All these mantras are kept in mind. In fact we can do a wonderful homework,
if we have studied the Upaṇiṣads. Every idea given here, we have to trace to the
Upaṇiṣads. Of course it is only an academic drill; but if you want to enjoy, seeing the
upaṇiṣadic source, you can trace every idea.
So therefore kārya-kāraṇa svayaṁ. Svayaṁ means what? by itself. So kāraṇatvam is

tadastha lakṣaṇam; but it is not swarūpa lakṣaṇam. And that Brahma you are. May
you meditate on this fact.
�न�वर्कल्पकमनल्पम
यत्�रा�र�वल�ण परम ् |
�नत्यमव्ययसु �नरञ्जन
ब्र तत्त्वम भावयात्म� ||२६१||
nirvikalpakamanalpamakṣaraṁ
Page 1209

yatkṣarākṣaravilakṣaṇaṁ param |
nityamavyayasukhaṁ nirañjanaṁ
Again the first three lines; the definition of Brahman.
Nirvikalpakam. Vikalpa means division. And generally the word vikalpa is used in the
context of the well-known triputi; the three-fold factors consisting of the
experiencer-the subject, the experienced-world-the object, and also the connecting
medium or link, the kāraṇam. Akartā, karma, kāraṇam. Jñātā, jñēyam, jñānaṁ.
Abōktha, bhōgyam, bhōgaḥ; In fact the whole creation can be reduced to Pramātru
pramāna pramēya vikalpaḥ.
And Śankarācārya says Brahman is that in which this vikalpa is not there. And you
should remember nirvikalpa is of two types; one is nirvikalpa as a state of
experience; and nirvikalpa as a fact to be known.
Nirvikalpa as a state of experience is incidental; subject to arrival and departure. The

best example for nirvikalpa experience is what? Sleep. Sleep is the natural state of
nirvikalpa; samādhi is the artificial state of nirvikalpa; and all of them are called
experiential nirvikalpa. Therefore subject to arrival and departure.
But when we say Brahman is nirvikalpa, there it is not a state obtaining at some
time, but it is the very nature. Brahman was nirvikalpam; Brahman is nirkalpam and
Brahman will be nirvikalpam. It is not a state to be arrived at. But it is a fact to be
owned up. It is not a state to be arrived at; but it is a fact to be owned up.
Then the next question is: in fact I should not go. Question if you say, it goes to
Mananam. But I am tempted. Therefore just I will add a point here. How can
nirvikalpa be a fact; when vikalpās are experienced. How can nirvikalpa be a fact,
when vikalpās are experienced? Vikalpās means, do you understand? In the jāgrat
avastha, I am the experiencer, you are the experienced; so vikalpa is there.
Therefore how can you say nirvikalpa is a fact. Should not it be called a state which
I have to arrive at? For that answer that we give is: vikalpās are mithya; which do
not disturb the fact that I am nirvikalpa.
Page 1210

Just as dream divisions are mithya; which do not disturb the fact, that the waker is
alone in the room; and therefore, experiential vikalpa does not disturb the fact that I
am eternally nirvikalpa Brahman and if I know this fact, I need not eliminate the
vikalpās; I have to only remember that these vikalpās are mithya. Vēdānta requires
remembrance of mithyatvam. Only Yōga śāstra requires elimination of the vikalpās.
So therefore, nirvikalpam Brahman.
Analpam. And if there are no divisions; there is no limitation in Brahman. Because

where there is division, there is limitation. Pramātru, pramāṇa pramēya triputi is
there; triputi means group of three; triad; pramātha is different from pramāṇam and
pramēya and therefore pramātha will be limited, because he has to give place for
pramāṇam. When I alone am driving on the road, I am free. But the more the
number of vehicles, now my movement is restricted. So restriction comes with
plurality; Restriction goes along with plurality. Therefore nirvikalpatvat triputi
rahitatvat, analpaṁ.
Here Śankarācārya is keeping the Chāndōgya upaṇiṣad mantra; yathra nānyath

paśyati; nānyat srunōti; nānyat vijānāti; saha bhōma. Yo vai bhōma tat amrutham;
na alpam sukham asthi. The very significant mantra occurring in the seventh
chapter, very elaborately discussed there; that idea is brought in here. So analpam.
Akṣaraṁ. Akṣaraṁ means which is eternal or changeless. Free from decay; free
from destruction; free from changes; nirvikāraṁ, we can say.
Then yat kṣara-akṣara vilakṣaṇam. Here Śankarācārya is keeping the fifteenth

chapter of the Gītā in mind. In the fifteenth chapter Brahman is called
Purushottamahā and this Brahman is revealed in the fifteenth chapter by dividing
the entire universe into three factors.
The first division is the manifest gross matter; vyaktha acētana prapañja is one thing
that is there.
And the second factor is unmanifest matter. Avyaktha acētana prapañja.
And both of them are subject to mutual transformation. Unmanifest matter becomes
manifest matter. Manifest matter again goes back to unmanifest condition. Like the
matter and energy in Science. Matter can be converted to energy; energy can be
Page 1211

converted into matter. The manifest matter is called world; the unmanifest matter is
called māya. Prakr̥tiḥ. So manifest matter is called prapañja and unmanifest matter
is called māya; prakr̥ti etc.
Then there is a third factor; what is that? the consciousness principle which is the
substratum for both manifest and unmanifest matter. And what is happening in the
creation? The consciousness remains the same all the time. Like a screen and upon
the consciousness substrum, matter is getting converted to energy; and energy is
again getting converted to matter; prapañja to māya; māya to prapañja; or
vyaktham to avyaktam and avyaktam to vyaktham.
अव्यक्ताद� भूता�न व्यक्तमध्य भारत |

अव्यक्त�नधनान् तत का प�रदे वना ||२- २८||
avyaktādīni bhūtāni vyaktamadhyāni bhārata |
avyaktanidhanānyēva tatra kā paridēvanā ||2- 28||
अव्यक्त व्यक्त सवार् प्रभवन्त्यहर |

रा�यागमे प्रल�यन तत्रैवाव्यक्तस ||८- १८||
avyaktād vyaktayaḥ sarvāḥ prabhavantyaharāgamē |
rātryāgamē pralīyantē tatraivāvyaktasaṁjñakē ||8- 18||
What is pralayaṁ? Matter going to unmanifest condition. What is sr̥ṣṭi?. Again the
unmanifest coming back to manifestation. Both of them are happening where: in Me
the consciousness principle. I am the witness of the manifestation as well as the
unmanifestation, and unaffected by this phenomenon. And if you want to know, how
it happens, we have got a miniature version for daily experience. To understand the
macro, we have got stimulation. They call it stimulation for experience; even the
atom bomb explosion, you can stimulate that experience.
For people who want to go in rocket to the atmosphere, they artificially create that;
and make the astronauts stay there for some time. It is a stimulated condition. After
going there, you cannot call on phone and say it is not OK and all. I am coming back
to earth, it is not possible. Therefore you have to see your body stand; my mind
stand; that is called stimulation. Similarly Bhagavān has given the stimulated form of
macro version; what is that? avastha trayaṁ.
Page 1212

Jāgrath and svapna is manifestation of matter; suṣupti is unmanifestation of matter.

And I am the witness of the manifestation and unmanifestation. March-pasting.
But somehow I get involved. Therefore problems. Seeing the cinemas repeatedly, I
get identified with the hero; and what is that hero; this physical-body-complex is the
hero. Svāmiji Chinmayānanda nicely says: who is the hero of your auto-biography.
You are the hero, you know. So therefore, the hero of your auto-biography, your
body-mind-complex, you get so much absorbed in; that you start making the life
into a saṁsāra.
Anyway, Kṣarā is the manifest matter. Akṣarā is the unmanifest matter. In the
fifteenth chapter, they are called kshara puruṣaḥ and akṣarā puruṣaḥ.
द्वा�वम पर
ु ुष लोके �रश्चा� एव च |
�रः सवार्� भूता�न कूटस्थोऽ� उच्यत ||१५- १६||
dvāvimau puruṣau lōkē kṣaraścākṣara ēva ca |
kṣaraḥ sarvāṇi bhūtāni kūṭasthō:'kṣara ucyatē ||15- 16||
kūṭasthaḥ means māya. kūṭasthaḥ māya, unmanifest matter is akṣaram. Then what
about Brahman.
उत्तम पुरुषस्त्व परमात्मेत्युधाह uttamaḥ puruṣastvanyaḥ paramātmētyudhāhr̥taḥ

That is pointed out here. kṣaraḥ-akṣaraḥ vilakṣaṇam. Beyond prapañja and māya.
And therefore called param; param means Uttama puruṣaḥ. And if you want to
extend it to mānḍukya upaṇiṣad; visva and taijasa will be kshara puruṣaḥ; prājana
will be akshara puruṣaḥ, turiyaṁ will be uttama puruṣaḥ.
Then Nityam avyaya sukham. These are repetitive words we have seen before; it is
eternal, unbound by time; because time is in matter alone; not in consciousness.
Time cannot influence consciousness.
So nityam; Avyaya sukham. Avyaya sukham means what: it is the inexhaustible

ānandaḥ. Nitya ānandaḥ. Sasvatha ānandaḥ. And Ānandaḥ in the context of
Brahman, always means Ānandaḥ. Ānandaḥ in the context of mind means
pleasurable experience. Ānandaḥ in the context of Brahman should not be translated
Page 1213

as pleasurable experience; but it should be translated as Ānandaḥ. Therefore

sukham means pūrṇam.
Then nirañjanaṁ. Anjanam means blemish. blot; impurity; so nirañjanaṁ means

nirmalam, śuddhaṁ, which is ever pure. Brahma tatvamasi bhāvayātmani.
यद्�वभा� सदनेकधा भ्र-
न्नामरूपगुण�व�क्रया |
हेमवत्स्वयम�व�क सदा
ब्र तत्त्वम भावयात्म� ||२६२||
yadvibhāti sadanēkadhā bhramā-

nnāmarūpaguṇavikriyātmanā |
hēmavatsvayaṁavikriyaṁ sadā
The same meditation continues. Further features of Brahman are mentioned here.
Brahma sat; Brahman is pure existence and anekadha vibhāti. Even though it is one
existence, it appears as though it is many. He is going to give the example of gold;
even though the gold is one, but it appears as several ornaments, because of nāma
and rūpa. So Sat brahma anekadha vibhāti; it appears manifoldly because of nāma
rūpa.
And how does it happen? Bhrāmat; because of confusion. And what is the
confusion? Seeing plurality as nāma rūpa is not confusion; seeing plurality as
substantial is confusion. We need not stop seeing plurality. Let us see. In fact variety
is always fine. How long can you eat the same rice. The more type you make; idli;
dosai; uttampam; whatever dishes are possible. Because you want change. Similarly
Bhagavān has made nāma rūpa plurality possible; why can't you enjoy the
provision? But when you enjoy the provision, only remember the fact idli, dosas, and
kozhakattais are many, arisi ekamēva satyam. Vacāraṁbanam vikhārō nāmadēyam
mr̥tika itiēva satyam.
Remembering if you see plurality; plurality becomes entertainment. Without

remembering this if you see plurality, plurality becomes persecution. Whether
Page 1214

plurality is persecution or entertainment; it is in whose hands; your own; do not

blame the world.
Therefore anēkadha bhramāt. Because of my confusion, there is plurality; there is no

plurality.
Then what is the reason for this appearance: nāma rūpa guṇa vikriyātmana; it
appears in different nāmas, names, rūpa, forms; guṇa, properties, vikriya,
modifications. Ātmana means in the form of, by means of. By means of nāma, rūpa,
guṇa and vikriya; vikriya can be called avasatha also. Just like one water has got
three avasthas; solid state, liquid state and gaseous state. And with regard to each
state, we have got a different name also. Ice, Water, Steam. But just because there
are three different names, there are no three different objects. Avastha bhēda; one
Brahman appears as many. But itself what? svayaṁ avikriyam. Itself it is changeless;
because all the changes are superficial changes; the changes which need not be
reckoned at all. He gives the example like gold. We do not mind changing one
golden ornament to another ornament form. You know why; from bangle it is
converted to chain. You do not mind, why, because I know that the loss of one form
and the gain of another form has not made any essential change in the goldness of
the gold.
Similarly, let there be modifications in the world. A jñāni is not concerned about it
too much, because these changes are non-substantial. Brahman is svayaṁ
avikriyam. Essential features are intact. What is not in fact is what? Non-essential
features. So what? It does not matter. Hema vat; hema means gold. Like gold, it is
svayaṁ. Svayaṁ means intrinsically. Swarūpa dr̥ṣṭyā; sadaa avikriyam. It is ever
changeless; that Brahman, you are. May you remember this fact; so that when the
body gets deformed in old age, you will not consider it as a serious problem. Let the
hair turn grey; you do not worry. Because they are all non-essential features. Then
what is my essential feature. Sat chid.
Hari Om.
Page 1215

094. Verses 263 to 266.
�न�वर्कल्पकमनल्पम
यत्�रा�र�वल�ण परम ् |
�नत्यमव्ययसु �नरञ्जन
ब्र तत्त्वम भावयात्म� ||२६१||
nirvikalpakamanalpamakṣaraṁ
yatkṣarākṣaravilakṣaṇaṁ param |
nityamavyayasukhaṁ nirañjanaṁ
यद्�वभा� सदनेकधा भ्र-

न्नामरूपगुण�व�क्रया |
हेमवत्स्वयम�व�क सदा
ब्र तत्त्वम भावयात्म� ||२६२||
yadvibhāti sadanēkadhā bhramā-
nnāmarūpaguṇavikriyātmanā |
hēmavatsvayaṁavikriyaṁ sadā
Śankarācārya is dealing with the topic of nidhidhyāsanam; very very elaborately;

beginning with verse No.254 and up to verse No.417; because Śankarācārya feels
nidhidhyāsanam is extremely important, because nidhidhyāsanam is the only process
by which knowledge is used to transform one's life and one's behaviour. Otherwise,
knowledge remains in the intellect; and a person's behaviour continues to be as
before and not only the person does not benefit; but the others also begin to
wonder whether really vēdānta is worthwhile or not.
And if such a doubt occurs, this portion is the answer; wherein Śankarācārya says
transformation is impossible without appropriate effort. And effort for transformation
is different from the effort for study. Study requires a particular form of effort and
transformation requires another form of effort.
Page 1216

And this form of effort is called nidhidhyāsanam; and by this effort, I am not gaining
the knowledge or improving the knowledge; both are not the aims; I am only
removing my old habits. Viparītha bhāvana nivr̥tti. My samsāric way of behaviour, I
have to very deliberately remove, because no habit naturally dies. However informed
we are against the habits; however informed we are against the habit; no habit will
have a natural death; it requires very very deliberate effort. In fact, acquiring a new
habit is relatively easier; but removing the old habit is extremely difficult. It often
looks impossible.
And this effort required is of two types; depending upon the person. If a person has
come to vēdānta, after sufficient karma yōga and upasāna; with sādhanā catuṣṭaya
saṁpatti; then that student has tremendous advantage, because he has prepared
sufficiently as a sādaka itself. In fact a sādana catuṣṭaya sampanna is as good as a
transformed person without knowledge, because he has developed amāntivam,
adambitvam, ahiṁsā, kṣāntihi. In fact, he looks like a jīvan muktha puruṣaḥ and
therefore for a qualified person, effort for study alone is required more; effort for
transformation is not required much, because even before coming to Vēdānta, he
has been a dharmic person, following values, etc.
But the problem is when a person has not qualified very much, sādana catuṣṭaya
saṁpatti is heavily lacking, then the nidhidhyāsanam effort has to be the double the
effort for study. And Svāmi Vidyāraṇya, one of the great vēdantic authors, in his
jīvan mukthi vivēka text writes, that in Kali yugā; 99% of people come to vēdānta,
without qualifying themselves. He calls them akritōpāsthiḥ. Qualified people he calls
kritōpāsthiḥ. Kritōpāsthiḥ means what? karma yōga and upāsana, they have
followed. Akritōpāsthiḥ means both of them are not there and therefore for such
people nidhidhyāsanam effort required is much more, which is in the form of
removing our habit.
Viparītha bhāvana nivr̥tti; it is very very elaborately studied. First he talks about the
role of dhyānam in the ten verses, which we were seeing; and in this I invoke my
higher nature; non-saṁsāra nature I invoke.
Because nidhidhyāsanam consists of both; one is invoking my higher nature; another

is rejecting my lower nature. Lower nature means what: anātma nature. Ahaṁkāra
nature. Visva taisaja prājña nature I negate. And turiya nature I invoke, invocation is
also important. Rejection is also important. If I am Brahman invocation is important;
Page 1217

I am not a father; I am not a mother, I am not a husband, I am not a wife, that

rejection is also important. Otherwise, both will parallelly exist. I am Brahman also;
and I am also a husband. If both co-exists, vēdānta will not work. It requires both
very very importantly invocation of I am Brahman, and the very deliberate rejection
mentally; you should not go to your wife and say that you are not my wife! Mental
rejection; or else it will become a family problem. Mental rejection; then it becomes
a role playing.
And role playing will be like the drama; otherwise it will not be role-playing; roles will
become real; then sorrow also will be equally real. So in the vēdantic class I study, I
am ānandaḥ svarūpa, and at home, I invoke what? sorrow; sorrow; sorrow.
Therefore Śankarācārya wants to emphasise both the invocation of the higher; and
the rejection of the lower. Now in these verses, we are invoking our higher nature.
We have seen up to verse No.262.
यच्चकास्त्यन परात्पर
प्रत्यगेकरसमात्म ल |
सत्य�चत्सुखमनन्तमव
ब्र तत्त्वम भावयात्म� ||२६३||
yaccakāstyanaparaṁ parātparaṁ
pratyagēkarasamātmalakṣaṇam |
satyacitsukhamanantamavyayaṁ
Like the previous verses, in this verse also the first three lines define Brahman. Yat
cakāsty; Brahman is that which shines self-evidently; which is known at every
moment; pratibōdhaḥ viditam matham; jāgrath svapna suṣuptiṣu sputatharam,
bālyādhiṣvapi jāgradādhiṣu tatha, etc. Brahman being the very consciousness itself,
it is evident all the time.
No effort is required for experiencing Brahman, because it is because of Brahman,

every thing else is experienced. Therefore cakāsty, means prākāśate; svayaṁ jyothi
svarūpēṇa prākāśathe.
Page 1218

Then anaparaṁ; Brahman is that which does not produce any effect. Brahman is
beyond kāraṇam; it is akāraṇam. In Gaudapada kārika, in the third chapter, it is
called ajāthi vādaḥ. Brahman is ajāthihi; means Brahman does not produce a
creation. In the beginning stages of vēdānta; Brahman is the cause of the creation;
and later we say, Brahman is not even the cause. Kārya-kāraṇa vilakṣaṇam svayaṁ;
Brahma tatvamasi; we saw in verse No.260; that idea we have to remember.
And why we do we say Brahman is not kāraṇam? Because the world is unreal; and
from the standpoint of an unreal kāryam; the status of kāraṇam is also unreal. If I
have got an unreal son; my fatherhood is also unreal. I am not unreal; but my
fatherhood becomes unreal.
Similarly, Brahman has got an unreal effect; then Brahman is not a real cause; the
causal status is also unreal. If its causal status is unreal; then what is the real status
of Brahman? It is not a cause. Therefore it is called anaparaṁ. This word is taken
from Brihadaranyaka; tadetat Brahma apūrvam; anāparam; anantharam; abhāhyam.
In Madhu Brāhmaṇam; it is a very famous quote. Aparam; it is kārya rahitam;
akāraṇam.
Then paratpāram; it is beyond māya; which is the cause of everything. Parāt means
māyayaha, param means beyond, which is beyond māya. Which is the very
substratum of māya; unaffected by māya.
Prathyak ekarasam. Ekarasam means it is homogenous consciousness, without any

second thing. Ekarasam; svagata bhēda rahitam iti arthaḥ.
And where is that Brahman? Because when you say paraat praaram; beyond māya,
etc. we will think that he must be, the Lord must be beyond; when you say beyond,
you start looking up. So therefore Śankarācārya writes, it is not far away; but
pratyak; it is very much within oneself.
So there is a well known song also. Parātpara Paramaīśvara; See the beauty.
Parātpara when you say it is nirguṇam Brahma; Paramaīśvara; then the next word is
what; Parvathi pathe. How they are mixing saguṇa nirguṇa? Because according to
the level of the student; parātpara if you do not understand; you can keep Parvathi
pathe. So if you are have already assimilated Parvathi pathe, then you have to
understand parātpara. So Parama īśvara is in the middle. See. parātpara on the left
Page 1219

side; and Parvathi pathe on the right side. One is nirūpādhika Paramīśvara and
another side sopadika; nirguṇa saguṇa; māya sahita; māya rahitam; so parātparam.
Pratyagēkarasam; which is the very essence within. Ātma lakṣaṇam; which is of the
nature of ātma; whose definition is ātma. So according to grammar, the word ātma
is derived in four different ways; and all those definitions of the word ātma fits into
Brahman. And therefore Brahman has the definitions belonging to ātma, which
means Brahman and ātma are identical.
Of the four definitions, I do not want to go the details here; One definition is what?
apnōti sarvaṁ iti ātma; ap means to pervade. apnoti means all pervading. And this
definition fits into Brahman and therefore Brahman is ātman and ātman is Brahman.
And what is its svarūpam? Satya chit sukham; it is of the nature of sat chit ananda;
sat means existence as a noun; chit means consciousness as a noun; not as an
adjective; adjective means associated with matter; noun means it is not associated
with matter; it is independent. When you say Clip IS. Here ISness existence is
associated with the clip matter. And when I say my body is conscious, consciousness
is associated with body, the matter. When existence and consciousness are
adjectives, both of them are associated with matter. And when I say both are noun,
it means they can exist independent of matter. Even after body goes, consciousness
survives. Even after clip goes, existence survives. But the only difference is:
existence and consciousness in its pure form is not visible.
Matter associated existent-consciousness alone is experienceable. When it is not

associated; pure is not useful. Like pure gold. They say pure gold cannot be used for
ornaments. It is too malleable; so you have to mix some copper. Brahman is like
Gold. Pure Gold is useless. Pure Brahman is useless. You can say without fear. You
may have difficulty saying that; but the Upaṇiṣads have said so. Avyavahāryam. Pure
Brahman is utterly useless. Have to mix the copper called māya; then it is useful for
everything.
And therefore it is by iself; pure existence; pure consciousness and pure ānandaḥ.
Not experiential ānandaḥ; because experiential ānandaḥ is again matter associated;
mind associated; thought associated; time associated; we are not talking about that
experiential pleasure. That is not Brahman; but pure ānandaḥ, which is not available
Page 1220

for experience; which is translated as anantaṁ. Anantaṁ means what? Limitless.

Sopādhika ānandaḥ is experienceable; nirūpādhika ānandaḥ is not experienceable.
So satyachit sukham; anandham. See. That sukham alone is otherwise called

anantaṁ. Anantaṁ means limitless; and therefore only avyayaṁ. If it is experiential
pleasure, it will get exhausted. To say that it is not experiential pleasure, Ācārya
uses the word avyayaṁ. It is not exhaustible ānandaḥ. It is not exhaustible
existence. It is not exhaustible consciousness. It is eternal existence consciousness.
Pūrṇatvam. And that is Brahman. And what is your job? Tat Brahma tvam asi. You
are that Brahman iti bhāvaya.
उक्तमथर्�मममात् स्वय
भावयेत्प्र�थतयुिक्त�भ� |
संशया�दर�हतं कराम्बुवत
तेन तत्त्व�नग भ�वष्य� ||२६४||
uktamarthamimamātmani svayaṁ
bhāvayētprathitayuktibhirdhiyā |
saṁśayādirahitaṁ karāmbuvat
tēna tattvanigamō bhaviṣyati ||264||
Here Śankarācārya concludes a sample meditation package that he wanted to give.

He concludes in this verse. Imaṁ artham bhāvaye. So one should meditate upon this
teaching; which teaching; ahaṁ brahmāsmi teaching; one should meditate upon.
And what type of teaching it is? Prathitayuktibhiyuktam; a teaching which has been
made clear and convincing through mananam already. So yukthiḥ means reasoning
which stands for mananam, and prathita yukti literally means well-known reasoning;
which is well-known in the śāstram. So thus when we are practising the meditation,
doubt should not be there, because as I said, meditation cannot remove the doubt;
if we go to meditation with doubt, meditation would not remove it; meditation will
get only disturbed. Because I will say I am satyachit sukham; I am sukha svarūpam;
we feel doubtful to say that: Me, the crying Me? the sukha svarūpam? How am I
sukha svarūpam?
So therefore with doubt if I go to meditate it would only disturb. Vēdantic meditation

I am talking. You can do Īśvara pūjā mediation; japa meditation. For doing all that,
Page 1221

vēdantic clarity is not required. But vēdantic meditation has to be practiced, which is
called nidhidhyāsanam, which is called ahaṁ brahmāsmi; not even a iota of doubt
should be there. If doubt is there, what should I do; stop meditation and go back to
mananam. Ask your intellect why am I not able to accept I am Brahman. Any
objection that intellect raises, right from the fundamental-most objection, why
should I believe in the upaṇiṣads? Basic doubt. Many people do not say it outside
but if it is said like this it would be better. But we have that doubt. It is a very very
fundamental doubt. Why should I accept the śāstram as a valid means of
knowledge. Or even if śāstram tells something now, in future it may be negated;
that doubt may come. If śāstram is valid, how come different ācāryas interpret
differently. Maybe Vishiṣṭadvaita Ācāryas are also great; dvaitic ācāryas are also
great; therefore which one is correct.
So intellect is very powerful. And if any doubt is there; stop meditation. You can do
other meditation. Namaṣvāya; Nārāyaṇāya; Manāsāpūjā, etc. Manāsa japa. But
vēdantic meditation is possible only after conviction.
Therefore Śankarācārya tells prathita yuktibhi yuktam artham. A teaching has been
thoroughly established by sufficient reasoning, which is convincing. And such a
convinced teaching; ātmani bhāvaya. It cannot be shaken by anyone. And such a
teaching, may you dwell upon. Bhāvayēt.
Where should you dwell upon? Ātmani. In your own mind. So from this also, it is
very clear, vēdantic meditation is not stopping the mind; not going beyond the mind,
vēdantic meditation is entertaining thoughts in the mind. Vēdantic meditation is
entertaining thoughts in the mind; what type of thought, the thought connected with
vēdantic teaching. Therefore ātmani bhāvaya. Re-living the class. In the class, you
have to put VCR; OK; and nidhidhyāsanam, you have to put VC, what? P. So VCR is
called śravaṇam, VCP is called nidhidhyāsanam.
If VCR has not worked, what is the use of pressing VCP. Nothing will come. After
recording in VCR, but you have not played it; what will happen? Nothing. No use.
Therefore VCR is necessary; that is you should come regularly to the class; VCP is
also important; ask question to yourselves: How much time I give to re-live the
teaching? At least you should try to read your own notes, to see whether it is
understandable! That should be read, isn't it. That is important. Nidhidhyāsanam.
You sit and read the notes, it is nidhidhyāsanam. Do not think that you have to close
Page 1222

your eyes and śamam kāya śirō grīvam; all that is not necessary. Even if you are
lying down in the bed and reading the notes, that is also nidhidhyāsanam. And
therefore, ātmani bhāvaya svayaṁ; by yourselves; without the requirement of guru
and śāstram.
For śravaṇam you require guru; for nidhidhyāsanam you do not require because,
what you have already registered, you are bringing out; therefore both are not
required. That is indicated by the word: svayaṁ.
So dhiyā bhāvah, dhiyā means with your own mind; in your mind, with the help of
your mind, may you, or may one. Meditate.
Then what will be the benefit of that meditation? He says: Tattvam nigamahā
saṁśaya adi rahitam bhaviṣyati. Tatvam nigamahā means, the conviction regarding
Brahman or knowledge regarding Brahman; Brahma jñānaṁ will become saṁśaya
adi rahitam; free from both doubt and viparītha bhāvana; negative habits; ādhi
means etc. Etc indicates negative habits. Samsāric habits. Of these two, doubt is
removed by mananam, habits are removed by nidhidhyāsanam; both do not give
knowledge.
You should remember always. Mananam cannot give knowledge. Nidhidhyāsanam

cannot give knowledge. Both are meant to clean up the mind. Śravaṇam and
Śravaṇam alone can give the knowledge.
So tatva nigamahā saṁśaya adi rahitam bhaviṣyati. Saṁśaya adi rahitam is adverbial
usage; it is indeclinable word, qualifying bhaviṣyati. Like what? An example is given.
Kara ambuvat; Like the cold water kept in your hand; you can never miss the water.
Would you have any doubt whether the water is there in your hand or not? Just as
the cold water in the hand you can never miss; similarly this knowledge can never
be missed by that person.
सम्बोधमात प�रशुद्धतत्
�व�ाय संघे नप
ृ वच् सैन्य |
तदाश्र स्वात्म सवर्द िस्थत
�वलापय ब्रह् �वश्वजात म ||२६५||
sambōdhamātraṁ pariśuddhatattvaṁ
Page 1223

vijñāya saṁghē nr̥pavacca sainyē |

tadāśrayaḥ svātmani sarvadā sthitō
vilāpaya brahmaṇi viśvajātam ||265||
So Śankarācārya continues to explain the nidhidhyāsanam. So the first job is

pariśuddha tatvam vijñāya. It is a beautiful slōka. All the stages of sādana are
beautifully presented here. Pariśuddha tatvam vijñāya; one should recognise the
pure consciousness first. That is the first job.
So sambōdhamātraṁ means pure consciousness, pariśuddha tatvam is the pure

Reality. So the pure consciousness which is pure Reality or mere consciousness
which is pure Reality; that consciousness first one should learn.
And as I have said before, consciousness is also experienced all the time; body is
also experienced all the time, we do not require a new experience; we only require
sorting out the mixed up experience. That is why I give the example, you are
experiencing hand and light; you are not lacking light-experience or hand-
experience; I want to only sort out and tell; light is an independent entity; hand is
an independent entity; one is not the property of the other. Therefore my job is not
giving a new experience; my job is sorting out the already available mixed up
experience.
Like that ātma anubhava we have; anātma anubhava we have. But ātma-anātma
vivēka we do not have. And therefore in the beginning of Vēdānta, the teacher has
to say that the consciousness which you are experiencing in the body (if you have
doubts, pinch yourselves) is yourself.
Svāmiji I am consciousness of the pinching; conscious of your words; so

consciousness is not unknown. Thus I have to teach you what? those five steps.
Consciousness is not part of the body, etc. This first stage is presented here as
sambōdhamātraṁ vijñāya; discerning the consciousness as an independent entity.
Where is it present? saṁghē; which is very much inherent in; very much
interpenetrating, like the light which is inherent, very intimately associated with the
hand. That is why we get confused. Light is sitting here; hand is sitting here; if it is
like that; there would be no confusion. But both are together; like the rasagula;
there the syrup is interpenetrating that tasteless chakkai; Have you seen that? you
Page 1224

should really crush it and eat it alone; then you will know that it is tasteless. If you
have not tried, try it; that is called anātma! So it is sweet; remember, it is never
tasty; remember, it is that syrup. Like that, in the body-rasagula, there is the syrup
of consciousness. If you have doubts, see the dead body. So therefore saṁghē,
saṅgaḥ means śarīraṁ; it is an assemblage of body, prāṇa, mind, sense organs, etc.
Therefore body is called saṅgaḥ; because it is an assemblage of different kōśas;
assembly of different organs. In this assembly of organs is consciousness inherent;
discern that consciousness. Like what? Like discerning a king amidst many soldiers.
Sainyē, the king will be, the commander will be always different; how his dress will
be different; turban, kirīdaṁ will be different; he will have a sceptre, he will have a
special enclosure also. Therefore King always stands out.
So therefore just as a person discerns the King among all the soldiers, similarly one
should recognise the consciousness which is the king:
puram ekādaśa dvāram

ajasya avakra cētasāḥ;
anuṣtāya na śōcati;
vimuktasya vimuchyāte.
So caitanyaṁ is the king, amidst matter. How do you know? If the caitanyaṁ does
not bless the body, what will happen to the body? They cannot keep the body even
for days. So many injections they give and try to preserve the body. Now we do not
require all those things. What makes the difference? This is the live body. Just like a
country, in which king is there; it will be in condition; a country in which the ruler is
not there; everything will be disorderly. Therefore the king which keeps the body
mind complex orderly and functioning and that King of consciousness one should
discern.
And then what is the next stage? The next stage is: having sorted out these two; a
new training has to be given to the mind; and what is that new training? I am not
the body with consciousness; but I am the consciousness with an incidental body.
When you say body, it should pierce the mind very well; with an incidental body,
which will quit at any time. I am not the body with consciousness; but I am
consciousness with an incidental body; that should be understood very well. Tad
āsrasyaḥ; Tad āṣrayaḥ.
Page 1225

There are different readings for this slōka. I am just taking this particular reading,
which is also OK; Tad āṣrayaḥ; with that knowledge; resorting to that knowledge;
invoking that knowledge; tad means knowledge; āṣrayaḥ means depending.
With the help of that knowledge what should you do? Svātmani sthitaḥ. May you
always claim that I am the consciousness; not the body. I am the consciousness, not
the body. May you repeatedly claim that; until like the rasagula, this knowledge
soaks your personality; svātmani sthitaḥ; may you abide.
When? Why are you asking? When? Sarvatā. Kāraṇam tappinaal maraṇam; like that;
one moment you forget, you had it, because the higher-I, the moment it is
forgotten, the lower-I is waiting; the ego-I; the husband-I; the wife-I; each-I is
miserable with its own problems. And therefore do not allow the ego-I to be
dominant in your life. Let it have a functional role. In some house, they have the
servants; for specific jobs, like washing the clothes; cleaning the vessel; cleaning the
house; etc.; just comes, one hour and two hour, they clean the house and go away.
Like that, when necessary, for the minimum time, that ego-I comes and functions
and walks out.
Therefore do not allow the ego to dominate. Saṁsāra will over-power. Therefore
sarvata stithaḥ; this is the second stage.
Then comes the third and toughest stage. Viśvajātam Brahmani vilāpya. May you
resolve this world into yourselves. Vilāpaya means dissolve. Visvajātam means the
universe. Vilāpaya means resolve. How do you resolve? By understanding that there
is no world separate from I-the observer; which is Brahman.
Like what? remembering the dream example all the time; the dream world is very
much outside me; but on waking I know that it is only seemingly outside; but there
is no dream-world separate from the observer. I myself created a tiger out of my
mind; and I got frightened of the very same tiger. Similarly, I myself created the
world; out of my māya and I am getting frightened of this world. The dream world is
not separate from myself; the waking world is also ditto. And this topic is elaborately
discussed in the second chapter of Mānḍukya kārika, vaithathya prakaraṇam. This
has been discussed threadbare.
Page 1226

Therefore this dream example, remind yourselves; the world cannot touch me. The
only thing is when I say that world cannot touch me.
Which me? Again like the vēdālam, you should not come and sit in the body. So if
you are going to sit on the body, body will be affected by the world. Me means that
nr̥pavacca sainyē sambōdhamātraṁ; that caitanyaṁ is not affected. So this is the
third stage. It is called advaita siddhi. This is called resolving the world into
yourselves. Only when you resolve the mind, it is called the defanging the cobra.
You know. Cobra threatens you, as long as you it has got the poisonous fangs; and
if the poisonous fang is removed, cobra can like Lord Śiva; that is what Śiva is doing;
like Lord Śiva, you can wear. Similarly, the world also is defanged cobra once you
understand the world is mithya like svapnam.
बद् ु ायां सदसद्�वल�ण

ु गह
ब्रह्मा सत्य परमद्�वतीय म |
तदात्मन योऽत वसेद्गुहाया
पन
ु नर तस्याङ्गगुहाप्र ||२६६||
buddhau guhāyāṁ sadasadvilakṣaṇaṁ
brahmāsti satyaṁ paramadvitīyam |
tadātmanā yō:'tra vasēdguhāyāṁ
punarna tasyāṅgaguhāpravēśaḥ ||266||
So the same idea presented in a different language. All are known ideas; here he is
repeating as a part of nidhidhyāsanam. Brahma is sadaśad vilakṣaṇam; Brahman is
beyond cause and effect. Sat means effect; asat means cause or mūrthāmūrtha
vilakṣaṇam. Brahman is beyond both the formful and formless creation. Formful
referring to pr̥tvi, jalam, and agni; formless referring to ākāśa and ākāśa; both are
creation. And Brahman is beyond both.
And it is satyam; it is pure existence; param; beyond the pairs of opposites; and
therefore only advitīyam; non-dual; without a second.
And such a Brahman buddhau guhāyāṁ asthi. That all-pervading Brahman is very
much present in your buddhi guhā also; the cave of the heart. And why do we say
that it is there in the buddhi specifically? If it is everywhere, it is in the buddhi also.
Śankarācārya is referring to buddhi because in the buddhi alone it is recognisable as
Page 1227

the witness consciousness. Sākṣi caitanya rūpēṇa, buddau ēva upalabhyate. It is

present everywhere; but recognisable in the buddhi. Like electricity. It is present
everywhere; but recognisable only in specific places. When I want to know whether
there is power, I look at the fan or light; and if none is there, I have the plug point
where I have to test; even though electricity is all-over. Therefore buddau it is
available.
And what should one do? Tadātmana athra guhāyaṁ vase; one should remain as
Brahman, which is in the intellect as the witness consciousness; one should remain
as Brahman.
And what do you mean by remaining as Brahman? One should invoke that
knowledge, because when you are always Brahman, how can I advise you that you
remain as Brahman. You are Brahman; therefore remain as Brahman means what?
do not forget the fact that you are Brahman. Regularly invoke the fact that you are
Brahman.
Therefore tadātmanaḥ means Brahmātmanaḥ, atra guhāyaṁ; atra means budhau;

buddhau guhāyaṁ.
As what? sākṣi caitanya rūpēṇa. Because I cannot see Brahman outside; if I open
the eyes, I see only nāma rūpa is there; therefore I have to invoke in the form of
sākṣi caitanyaṁ; by which I am aware of the presence of thoughts; as well as the
absence of thoughts. That I, am Brahman.
Therefore for this meditation, there is no problem if the thoughts are there, or not
there. Why should you dismiss the thoughts? If thoughts are there, how do you
mediate? I am the witness of these thoughts; if thoughts are not there, how do you
mediate? I am the witness of the absence of thoughts. So do you require thoughts
or do you require thoughtlessness? Anyway it is OK.
That is why we say in Vēdantic meditation does not require removal of thoughts,
because it is invoking the vr̥tti bhāva abhāva sākṣi. And therefore atra vaśeth
guhāyaṁ.
Then what is the benefit? Tasya punaha aṅga guhā praveṣaḥ nāsti. Anga guhā
means śarīra guhā. The prison called the body. Body jail. Anga means śarīraṁ; guhā
Page 1228

means cave; cave here means what: it is the solitary confinement. OK. This is all
solitary confinement called the body; na praveṣaḥ bhavathi. He will not have entry
into another body, which means he will not have punarjanma. Punarjanma nāsti.
Which means vidēha muktiḥ labhyate.
Kasya? Tasya. Tasya means for that person; which person? Who always invokes the
brahma svarūpam; the one who invokes husband svarūpam; wife svarūpam; amma
svarūpam; appa svarūpam; again he will be born as amma, appa, tattha, pātti;
again and again punarapi jananam only. Therefore do not invoke them. But play the
roles when it is required, but do not be obsessed with that role. All this he is going
to elaborate very much. Very much practical form of teaching we are getting in this
portions; the details of which we will see in the next class.
Hari Om.
Page 1229

095. Verses 267 to 269
बद् ु ायां सदसद्�वल�ण

ु गह
ब्रह्मा सत्य परमद्�वतीय म |
तदात्मन योऽत वसेद्गुहाया
पन
ु नर तस्याङ्गगुहाप्र ||२६६||
buddhau guhāyāṁ sadaśadvilakṣaṇaṁ
brahmāsti satyaṁ paRāmadvitīyam |
tadātmanā yō:'tra vasēdguhāyāṁ
punarna tasyāṅgaguhāpravēśaḥ || 266 ||
Śankarācārya is very elaborately discussing the topic of nidhidhyāsanam, which

means dwelling upon the teaching; which has been convincingly received through
śravaṇam and mananam, and this dwelling is not meant for receiving knowledge, is
not meant for even confirming the knowledge; confirmation should come through
mananam alone; is not meant for any new experience also; it is meant for giving up
the old habitual ways of thinking and habitual ways of looking at one self and
habitual ways of looking at the world.
And this removal of the habit is important because this habit can be an obstacle in
enjoying the benefit of knowledge. It is not an obstacle for knowledge, because
knowledge has been already gained through śravaṇa-mananam but this is an
obstacle for enjoying the benefit of knowledge; jīvanmukthi pratibandaḥ. It is
pratibandaḥ for jīvamukthi and therefore elimination of these habits is pratibanda
nivr̥tti. And this elimination is not a sudden process but it is a gradual weakening
and this prathibanda nivr̥tti is presented in several ways in the śāstra. One way of
presentation is viparītha bhāvana nivr̥tti; elimination of unhealthy habits. Viparītha
bhāvana; like I am body; I am akartā, I am samsāri; I am abōktha. Now I am
baddha; later I will become muktha; all these are Viparītha bhāvana or viparyaya.
And elimination, Viparītha bhāvana nivr̥tti.
And there is another method of presenting the same topic. That is pratibanda nivr̥tti;
and that method is known as vāsana kṣaya manonāśā prakriya. Vāsana kṣaya manō
nāśāprakriya, which is used prominently in Yōga Vasiṣṭam.
Page 1230

Yōga Vasiṣṭam is a voluminous vēdānta grantha, teaching vēdānta through stories.

It is so voluminous that it is supposed to contain nearly 34,000 verses written by
Vālmiki and which is a dialogue between Rāma and Vasiṣṭa. This teaches vēdānta
beautifully and it uses certain methods known as prakriyas and one such prakriya is
called vāsana kṣaya manō nāśaḥ prakriya. And this talks about the practice of
vāsana kṣaya ṁ and manō nāśā after the thorough study of vēdānta. In the place of
nidhidhyāsanam, they use the word vāsana kṣaya manō nāśaḥ. So thus according to
that approach, śravaṇam, mananam, nidhidhyāsanam, vāsana kṣaya manō nāśaḥ.
The result of nidhidhyāsanam is vāsana kṣaya manō nāśaḥ, then jīvan muktiḥ.
And what is vāsana kṣaya and manō nāśaḥ I will briefly tell, because the author in
this grantha is adopting that prakriya. So from the following verses we are getting
the topic of vāsana kṣayaḥ; very elaborately discussed. We will read the verse and
then I will come to the topic.
�ाते वस्तुन्य बलवती वासनाऽना�दरेषा

कतार भोक्ताप्यह�म दृढ याऽस् संसारहेतुः |
प्रत्यग्दृष्ट्य �नवसता सापनेया प्रयत-
न्मुिक् प्राहुस्त मुनयो वासनातानवं यत् ||२६७||
jñātē vastunyapi balavatī vāsanā:'nādirēṣā
kartā bhōktāpyahaṁiti dr̥ḍhā yā:'sya saṁsārahētuḥ |
pratyagdr̥ṣṭyā:':'tmani nivasatā sāpanēyā prayatnā-
nmuktiṁ prāhustadiha munayō vāsanātānavaṁ yat ||267||
Vāsana can be translated as a habit which is formed in the mind, because of

repeated doing of any action. Any habit that is formed by the repetition of any
action. If you get up at a particular time for a few days, you get habituated. And at
that particular time, even without alarm, the body wakes up. In fact, you can adjust
the clock. And similarly, a type of language we use. If we get habituated without our
knowledge, that language come out. So thus, both at the physical level and verbal
level and mental level, because of the abhyāsa, a grue is formed in the mind.
Thereafter our actions and attitudes go in that grew and that is called vāsana;
saṁskāraḥ; they are synonymous. And these vāsanas and saṁskārās are preserved
in the anthakāraṇam in the sūkṣma śarīraṁ or anthakāraṇam which is known as
cittam.
Page 1231

We have seen before manō buddhi ahaṁkāra and cittam. Cittam is that part of mind
which stores all memories. In fact, we can define vāsana as the seed of memory.
Vāsana janyasmrithiḥ. In fact any time you remember anything it is the vāsana that
is activated.
And this vāsana is not visible because it is in seed form; it is not visible. And since
the vāsana is not visible, you have to only infer from the effect. Because it is a
causal seed, it has to be inferred from the effect.
And what is the effect of vāsana? The effect is: it makes a person to do impulsive
action. Vāsana is the cause of all the impulsive action; all the impulsive reactions.
Because an impulsive action is no more action, it is a reaction, because action is that
which is deliberately done after thinking. Action is that which is deliberately done
after thinking. An impulsive action is not an action, because the thinking is not
involved, the past is not taken into account; future is not taken into account, but
action emerges forth. Action means not only physical, even words are poured out.
So words just gush out without my deliberation.
So then what is the force behind the action? Not my planning, not by will, will is not
involved; judgement is not involved; planning is not involved; then what is the force
behind the action? habit; which is otherwise called vāsana. Therefore vāsana is
defined as
driḍa bhāvanaya tyakta pūrvāpara vicāranam;

yad ādhānam padarthasya, vāsana sa prakrīrthata.
That is called vāsana. What is called vāsana? Padārtasya ādhānam. Taking to any
object; any person; any action. Taking to any object or person or action; how?
tyakta pūrva apara vicāraṇam; without thinking of the past or future. So past
experiences we do not take for our usage. Even though we have done similar
actions and suffered before, we are supposed to be mature now and that maturity
should guide me in doing the action; but the past maturity is not available; therefore
pūrva vicāranam tyaktva. I did this mistake before; therefore I suffered; therefore I
should not do it again; all these are not there; that means buddhi did not work. Ok.
Not only pūrva vicāraṇam is tyaktam, apara vicāraṇam; what will be the
consequences. That also is not there. A deliberate action must be preceded by pūrva
Page 1232

apara vicāraḥ. Deliberate action is that action which is preceded by pūrva apara
vicārah; both are not there.
That means what? Impulsively spoken. Impulsively acted. OK. Like father scolding
the child donkey. The child is donkey; what will be father; that one should have
thought of before scolding. Sometimes they do not know also. So impulsive actions,
caused by what: driḍa bhāvanaya. Because of repeatedly doing that before. I have
used that language: donkey, donkey; I have used that language. Even the reaction
like: suppose a thing falls down and makes a big noise. That body shakes;
nettikarathu; even that is a habit. Even if something falls; normally it happens like
that; they will have a tray or something, there will be two glass bottles, one glass
bottle falls and breaks and what do they do? Oh! it has fallen and they drop the
other one also.
Now if I am a very deliberate person, I should be able to deliberately watch the one
breaking and then very carefully keep it down and then do whatever is required. I
am giving a very gross example. So driḍa bhāvana means what? bhāvana means
repetition. Abhyāsaḥ. Driḍa abhyāśāvaśāth, it has become a habit. And therefore it
does not require thinking. Like even morning going to toothpaste, toothbrush, etc.
Do we do dhyāna and do our washing the teeth. You do not have to do; why do you
do that. It has become a habit. So thus habit can function positively also; negatively
also. So driḍa bhāvanaya tyaktha pūrva apāra vicāraṇam, yad ādhānam padarthasya
vāsana sa prakīrthatha. The cause of any impulsive action is vāsana.
And what is the definition of vāsana kṣaya? The end of all impulsive action; the end
of mechanical living; the end of mechanical talking. The end of mechanical reaction.
If you hear a news; you should not say: Aaah; If you have to say that it should be
after half an hour after thinking. I am not saying that you should not say aah. But it
should not happen.
Even anger. If a person believes anger is required; let that person believe in anger;
but anger should be used deliberately. Anger as a reaction is never accepted.
Anger as an action; one can accept; one need not accept, because that is a
separate debate whether anger is required or not. But anger as a reaction is deadly.
Because I do actions for which I have to regret later.
Page 1233

Therefore what is the definition of vāsana? Cause of impulsive actions or habits is

vāsana and as long as this vāsana is there; even though ahaṁ brahmāsmi
knowledge is there; the day-to-day reaction is not based on ahaṁ brahmāsmi, the
day-to-day transactions are based on what: ahaṁ husband asmi; ahaṁ wife asmi;
ahaṁ tatta asmi; ahaṁ son-in-law asmi; they are all what; vāsana. According to
vēdānta, you are not husband; you are not wife; do not go and tell in the house,
you need not declare it; but that is the fact.
So all our responses are ego based response. Ego means relationship; I am so and
so. And various attributes given in bio-data. And when they determine my
responses, that is called vāsana-based response. Every response should be ahaṁ-
bhramāsi based response. Not akartā-abōktha-based response. Not pitta-mātha
based response. In short, not ahaṁkāra-based response. That ahaṁkāra based
response is because of habit; because until I came to vēdānta, ahaṁkāra was the
basis of response. In fact, any event, I read in the newspaper, my response is based
on what will happen to me, because of this, as an individual.
And therefore vāsana kṣaya has to take place. It is a very gradual process requires
tremendous alertness. Vāsana kṣayaṁ is not done sitting. Meditation is done sitting;
vāsana kṣayaṁ is not done sitting; vāsana kṣaya is done during our transactions by
alert living; which is called prathipakṣa bhāvana. Deliberately, entertaining the
opposites. Opposite means what? In place of I have got relationship, you have to
say: I am asaṅgaḥ. If you say, I am worried of my old age; then say: jara maraṇa
varjithaḥ. If you think that: I do not have anything at all and the others have
everything; then ahaṁ pūrṇaḥ. That deliberately opposite thought which is revealed
by vēdantic teaching has to be done, which requires initiative; will power;
commitment. It does not happen. Vāsana kṣaya does not happen. It has to be made
to happen by our alert living.
And the jīvan mukthi; that mental freedom that we enjoy is directly proportional to
vāsana kṣayaṁ. The more these vāsanas are; the more I am the hostage of; I am
hijacked by what? kāma, krōdhaḥ, lobhaḥ, mōha, madaḥ, mātsarya; all of them
hijack my piece of mind. And that is why vēdantic knowledge is there on the one
side and that at the same time, no piece of mind at the other side.
So śāstra people say what? Jñānaṁ only is not enough; vāsana kṣayaṁ is also to be
done. Do not neglect that, which is called nidhidyaśanam or alter living.
Page 1234

That is said here in this slōka as vāsana thānavam. In the fourth line of this verse;
thānavam means kṣayaḥ. Thanuḥ means thin; thānavam means making the vāsana
thinner and thinner. How is it now? as good and healthy well nourished it is; you
have to slim; not only physically; let that be aside; we have to do vāsana slimming is
a new exercise. And there also the śāstra says:
vāsana vividha proktha

śudda ca malina tatha;
malina banda hētusyāt;
śuddhaa janma vināśini.
We need not destroy all the vāsanas, because there are two; one is vēdānta-friendly
vāsana.
Now it has become a habit of using 'friendly' frequently; environment-friendly

means; they should not cut the trees. Vēdānta friendly vāsanas are OK. They are
called śuddavāsana and there is another vāsana called malina vāsana; durvāsana;
durvāsana or malina vāsana or aśudda vāsana. They have to be eliminated. So
vāsana dvividaa proktha; śuddaca malina thathaa; good and bad; good and bad
habits; a person has got the habit of getting up early and doing japa. japa vāsana is
good. Keep it. Of these two, malina banda hētuḥ; you can understand. malina banda
hētuḥ; is the cause of more and more bondage; śudda janma vināśini; or banda
vināśini. Therefore whenever we talk about vāsana kṣayaḥ, we mean durvāsana
kṣayaḥ. Ok.
Then the next thing which is not discussed too much in this text is manō nāśaḥ;
which was discussed in Mānḍukya kārika as amani bhavaḥ. Manasō amani bhaave,
dvaitam naivopa labhyate. And this word is a very very misleading word. Manō
nāśaḥ literally means destruction of mind; but we should carefully remember and
note, we do not mean it literally. No jñāni destroys the mind; no jñāni can destroy
the mind; as long as prārabdha is there; mind also will continue. Only when
prārabhda ends, vidēha mukthi comes, manō nāśaḥ; why? the entire sukṣma śarīra;
gada kalā pañjadaśa prathiṣṭāḥ,

dēvācha sarve prathi dēvatāsu
karmāṇi vijñānaṁayasca ātma.
Page 1235

vijñānaṁayasca ātma is mind; that also will go only in vidēha mukthi. During jīvan
mukthi, mind will be there.
Then what do you mean by manō nāśaḥ? Mind being incapable of going by
durvāsanās. Mind is no more capable of reviving durvāsana. That the durvāsanās
have become so weakened; that there is no scope of their revival. Which means
thereafter one person can relax. Until that, one has to be alert and deliberate. One
should not be over confident. I am niṣṭa, etc.; do not say like that; be careful. Only
it has been sufficiently weakened; one is incapable of the revival of any durvāsana.
That is called manō nāśaḥ.
And only when vāsana kṣaya and manō nāśaḥ takes place, it is called Brahma niṣṭa;
jīvan muktiḥ. This is going to be the approach.
Now look at the slōka. ēṣā vāsanā; so there is this vāsana in every one. And what is
that? the habitual-I; that I am so and so. That individuality. I am Mr. so and so
individuality and the consequence is ahaṁ akartā, I am abōktha; thereafter I am
husband, I am wife; everything, I am intelligent, I am dull, I am educated. In fact,
ultimately we say even: ahaṁ jñāni, is also from the standpoint of the intellect only;
because jñānaṁ takes place in the intellect. I am not even jñāni; I am jñāna
svarūpam.
Brahmaiva na Brahmavid ya kaschit sa surendra vanditha pado nunum

manishā mama;
In Maniṣa Pañjakam Śaṁkarācāryā says: he is not even brahma vid; he is

Brahmaiva. Because to claim I am a jñāni, you have to identify with the intellect. So
thus, this is called vāsana, individuality. And what is that vāsana? Its features are
described here.
Anādhiḥ; it is beginningless, because we have been having this abhīmāna, ahaṁkāra

abhīmāna from beginningless time; it is not begin in this janma; in pūrva janma if I
had been a buffallo, buffallo abhīmāna and buffallo wife abhīmāna; this is my wife;
so it has got that; and buffallo child. Therefore Anādhiḥ.
Page 1236

And balavadi; and therefore only it is very strong. How do you know that it is very
strong; the impulsive actions continue; impulsive worry is a habit. Fear is a habit;
jealousy is a habit; because worry continues; everything is understood Svāmiji, but
worry never leaves me. That is vāsana-based.
Therefore it is bālavadi; very strong; and dridhā; it is very firm. That is why
somebody nicely said, you take the word habit, remove h, a bit would be there;
remove a bit would be there; remove b, it would be there. So therefore,
howevermuch you struggle, it continues; therefore it requires long abyāsa.
Abyāsēna cha kountēya vaigargyēna ca griyate. And it expresses in what form;
akartā, bōktha ahaṁ iti vāsana. It expresses in the form of I am the karta, who
wants to influence my future in this manner. Everytime you are planning for the
future, you are planning as a akartā. Every planning invoke akartā; that is why they
say: the sanyāsa āsrama one should not even plan. Sarva saṅkalpa sanyāsi; you
should not plan at all; tomorrow what to eat you should not plan; to which house I
can go for bikṣai; because he does not have to plan for any other thing; because
Sanyāsi means minimum plan; what is that? bikṣa. So even for bikṣa he is not
supposed to; free from cooking; bikṣa and all is not real thing; it is not really correct.
Whenever hungry, go out and say bikṣaṁ dēhi; yadriccā lābha santhuṣtaḥ; of
course, I cannot prescribe that for all the gr̥hasthaas; you do not plan etc. it would
be deadly, because worldly success depends on planning and therefore plan but do
not allow that plan to bind you. A sanyāsi can drop plan. A gr̥hastha has to comprise
and the compromise is to plan but do not allow the plan to bind you.
And therefore, for karta ahaṁ iti; bhōkha ahaṁ iti ya vāsana. And this vāsana is so
powerful; he says. vasthuni jñātē api; it continues even after clearly knowing ahaṁ
brahmāsmi. In spite of clear knowledge, this continues. Vastuni means Brahmani;
Brahmani jñātē; sati sapthami; and this vāsana is asya saṁsāra hētuḥ; is the cause
of the saṁsāra continuation; worries, anxieties, fear, which makes us doubt the very
efficacy of vēdānta. Makes it doubt the guru himself. He told you know, that after
getting jñānaṁ, everything would be solved, etc. It is not seen!
So we begin to doubt vēdānta and the ācārya because we seem to know vēdānta
thoroughly; but we do not seem to enjoy the jīvan mukthi as described in the Gītā:
dukheṣu anudvignamanāḥ; jīvan mukthi has been defined and but anudvignamanāḥ
he cannot claim. Therefore the mistake is not with the jñānaṁ, the mistake is with
what; vāsana problem and therefore you have to handle that. do not go on
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increasing the jñānaṁ. There is no problem in the jñānaṁ. Remove the pratibanda.
That is why I give the example of putting sugar in coffee; after putting sugar in
coffee; this person tasted. It is not sweet. Then he got angry and called wife and
said you have not put sugar. And she said I have said; then put some more; put
another two more spoons; again tasted. So then only the wife enlightened him; she
was a jñāna niṣṭa; coffee jñāna niṣṭa; she said: adding sugar is not enough, it has to
mix with every drop of sugar; madhye sugar; dakṣiṇāthaḥ; uttarataḥ; adascha
urdhvam ca prasr̥tham sugar ēva; if it is like that you taste it everywhere.
Similarly, it is not enough that you do śravaṇa and manana, you have to do
sufficient exercise for stirring and assimilating. Until then, jīvan mukthi you cannot
enjoy. saṁsāra hētuḥ; it is the cause of saṁsāra. Therefore what should one do?
The solution is said here. Sa prayatnāt apanēya. That habitual living has to be very
deliberately given up. Physical and verbal; I consider verbal is more important,
because only in our specie, we find the non-vēdantic language; non-vēdantic tone;
sa prayatnāt apanēya. How? ātmani nivasata; by turning the attention to the
svarūpam. By dwelling in the ātma. By dwelling in the ātma; which is nothing but by
invoking the vēdānta jñānaṁ. By invoking the vēdānta jñānaṁ; by dwelling in the
ātma; pratyak dr̥ṣṭa; by turning the direction of our vision, within. Instead of
blaming the world; blaming the family members; instead of looking out, look within.
That is called pratyak dr̥ṣṭi.
That is bahirmuktavam tyaktva; antarmukhi bhūya; by becoming antharmukha and

dwelling upon the teaching, which means the person should have gone through
śravaṇam and mananam. Without going through śravaṇam, mananam, how can you
invoke the ātma svarūpam?
And therefore by practising that, vāsana has to be eliminated. When I say vāsana,
durvāsana remember.That vāsana thānavam. This is vāsana kṣayaḥ.
And this vāsana kṣaya alone mukthim prāhuḥ; this alone is called jīvan muktiḥ;
without that one cannot enjoy the jīvan mukthi benefit. However the clear the
knowledge may be, without the support of vāsana kṣaya, jñānaṁ is helpless.
Jñānaṁ becomes helpless without the support of vāsana kṣaya. It is like what? a
powerful bulb is burning and the room continues to be dark. How come? When the
light comes, darkness should go! When the light comes, darkness should go; then I
Page 1238

discover the light is covered by a thick black blanket or box. When I continue there,
the light is there; but darkness has not gone. light is burning; darkness has not
gone; the switch is there; I saw it is on and burning; but it is dark outside.
Therefore our effort is no more in making the light burn because it is already
burning; therefore concentration is no more in śravaṇa and mananam; after clear
knowledge, the concentration must be in removing the black box. And similarly here
also, in studying our ways of life.
Somebody wrote a book: durvāsana pratikāra daśakam. I took the text also
somewhere. Durvāsana pratikāra daśakam. From morning to night, how to be bright
and alert; so that I can avoid durvāsana based activities and that alone is
jīvanmukthi. And without that no jīvan muktiḥ. So here the word muktiḥ; particularly
refers to the jīvan muktiḥ.
अहं ममे�त यो भावो देहा�ादावनात्म� |

ु ा स्वात्म�नष् ||२६८||
अध्यासोऽय �नरस्तव् �वदष
ahaṁ mamēti yō bhāvō dēhākṣādāvanātmani |
adhyāsō:'yaṁ nirastavyō viduṣā svātmaniṣṭhayā ||268||
The previous slōka is the foundation slōka for the vāsana kṣaya topic and the
following slōka s are commentaries upon that elaboration of that topic. And all the
following slōkas have got only one theme, which is given in 267. Handle vāsana.
Handle your habitual ways of life.
What is that? Ahaṁ mama iti bhāvaḥ. So one type of vāsana is claiming the body as
myself; and thinking in that line. All our plans are based on our age. That means
what? body based planning. I do not say that it should not be done; but that
occupies our entire life and we are obsessed with that. And proportional to age we
think of our children, grand children; we only think of that only. Worrying about the
children initially and worrying about grand children. Svāmiji Grand children has this
problem; any pariharam you should advice. I do not say that this should not be
there. But when that becomes the dominant thought, vēdānta is only between 7-8;
in Garōdia Vivēkānandaḥ Vidyālaya. And therefore ahaṁ iti bhāvaḥ. And mama iti
bhāvaḥ; Mamakāra.
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So where ahaṁ comes, mama kaara comes; as long these two are dominant, one
thing is guaranteed; saṁsāra is guaranteed. In spite of knowledge. In spite of
knowledge. Therefore, this ahaṁkāra and mamakāra with regard to what: dēha
akṣaudau; dēha means body; ākaśa means sense organs; adhi means etc. etc.
means the prāṇās, the mind etc. And all of them are what: anātmani. They are all
anātmas. In the anātma abhīmānam, or dēha abhīmānaḥ, in simple language. Is
adhyāsaḥ. Is called error. Or adhyāsaḥ; superimposition; which has become a
vāsana now; it is adhyāsa vāsana. And this adhyāsa vāsana has to be nirastavyaḥ;
have to be repeatedly negated. All these statuses are incidental. All my relationships
are incidental. Because of Karma, saṁbandam has come and because of karma
saṁbandam will be removed.
riṇānu banda rūpēṇa paśu pathni suthaa dayāḥ;

riṇa kṣaye kṣayam yānthi, tathra ka paridēvana.
Prārabdha is the gum which is sticking all the relationship to us. And you know any
cellotape gum becomes weak after some time. It will fall off itself. So when the
prārabhdam is over, it will go away. Tathra ka paridēvana; do not be over-obsessed
with that.
Therefore nirasthavayaḥ vidhuṣa; by the wise person; this has to be handled

deliberately. How? svātma niṣṭaya; by dwelling upon the ātma; which is relation free
ātma. Which has no wife; no children;

Why is he saying this is: na bandhurna mitraṁ, you are saying that crying and
saying also shivōhaṁ shivōhaṁ; then what to do? suppose you cry and say. Ahaṁ
śivaḥ; ahaṁ śivaḥ. Why; na bandhurna mitraṁ; because I have left them you know.
Page 1240

So after rejecting them you have to own up ānandaḥ svarūpam; rejecting them
sorrowfully is not vēdānta. it should be born out of wisdom.
�ात्व स्व प्रत्यगात् बु�द्धतद्वृित्तसा� |

सोऽह�मत्ये सद्वृत्त्याऽनात्मन्यात ज�ह ||२६९||
jñātvā svaṁ pratyagātmānaṁ buddhitadvr̥ttisākṣiṇam |
sō:'hamityēva sadvr̥ttyā:'nātmanyātmamatiṁ jahi ||269||
Here Śankarācāryā says nidhidhyāsanam can work only after thorough śravaṇam
and mananam; neglecting śravaṇam and mananam, nidhidhyāsanam will be waste
of time. Therefore one should spend years in śravaṇam and mananam and through
śravaṇam and mananam I will get confirmed knowledge; what is that confirmed
knowledge? I am the witness-consciousness of my mind and the thoughts.
Prathyagātma ahaṁasmi. I am the inner-self, the consciousness.
And what type of consciousness? sākṣinam; which is the witness of buddhi tat vr̥tti.
You can understand. Buddhi means mind, tat vr̥tti means its thoughts; and you can
add one more; vr̥tti abhāva; and also the blank mind without thoughts. So mind with
and without thoughts, I am the sākṣi of. This jñātva; you have to gain knowledge,
not through meditation, but through śravaṇa, manana, nidhidhyāsana abhya jñātva.
In śravaṇa if jñānaṁ does not come, nidhidhyāsanam is never going to produce
knowledge.
Therefore having known in śravaṇa manana, thereafterwards, soham itiēva vrittya;

which is called nidhidhyāsanam. By practicing nidhidhyasanam; how; by
entertaining the sad vr̥tti, the noble thought, the sacred thought, you have to
entertain. Nidhidhyasanam is not thoughtlessness. Nidhidyasanam is a thoughtful
state. What type of thoughts; sad vr̥ittaya; sacred thoughts. And what is sacred
thought; soham;
Soham; (soham when you write in Tamil careful, because you do not have ha in
Tamil and you have to use ka for ha. sa is not there; you have to write ca; so
sōham will become cōkam; it will become sōkam; sorrow. Therefore sōkam masmi;
for that you do not have to study vēdānta; you are already that.) So Saha ahaṁ;
that Paramātma I am, iti sadvrittya; by that sacred vr̥tti; and also unnegatable; sat
also means unnegatable thoughts; anātmani ātma mathim jahi; May you give up the
I notion in the body. May you give up your ego. More in the next class.
Page 1241

Hari Om.
Page 1242

096. Verses 270 to 273.
The topic of nidhidhyāsanam is continued in these verses. And nidhidhyāsanam is

supposed to help in vāsana kṣaya and manō nāśa. Vāsana kṣaya meaning free from
or weakening of unhealthy baits, in the form of āsūri sampath, which was described
in the 16th chapter of the Gītā. In fact vāsana kṣaya is āsūri sampath kṣayaḥ
sampath only; otherwise durvāsana kṣayaḥ only.
And as far as śubha vāsana is concerned; those vāsanas need not be eliminated at
least in the beginning because they promote the assimilation of knowledge. And
even after the complete assimilation of knowledge; one does not eliminate śubha
vāsana; but the śubha vāsanas will continue, because of the practice. And that
continuation of śubha vāsana, jñāni allows. And they become non-binding śubha
vāsana. He does not deliberately eliminate śubha vāsana and he does not
deliberately promote also those śubha vāsanas; but the śubha vāsanas continue
without binding the person.
And how does the śubha vāsana continue? Because before gaining knowledge, as a
sādhaka, he has very deliberately promoted those vāsanas. As a sādhaka, before
gaining knowledge, he has diligently avoided āsūri sampath and cultivated daivi
sampath; that cultivated daivi sampath will continue; he is neither for it; nor is he
against it.
But even though he is neither for it nor against it; because of the past vāsanas, it
will continue like āhara habit. Svāmiji gives the example, if a Punjabi jñāni and
Tamilian jñāni, they are taken for a buffet dinner; one will go after parōtta, one will
go after idli sāmbhār; why? Vāsana; this is called bādhitha anuvr̥tti in technical
language; anuvr̥tti means what? Continuation of the taste. My tongue is used to
either parotta or idlis; at the same time it is bādhitham means it is weakened
vāsana; that means it is incapable of binding. So if that particular food is not
available, he is not going to sit and cry and when there is a choice, certainly he will
take to that. This is what I call non-binding vāsana. Like non-binding desire. And this
is called vāsana kṣayaḥ.
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So durvāsanas removed, śubha vāsanas made non-binding. And then manō nāśaḥ, I
said, is not literal destruction of mind; it is a state in which the mind is no more
capable of generating powerful durvāsanas. rasavarjam rasōpyasya param
dr̥stva athivarthathe; when the mind is incapable of generating powerful aśubha
vāsana. Aśubha vāsanas may come, but it may come in the mind, so feebly and it
will disappear, but not powerful enough to be expressed at the verbal and physical
verbal.
शक्नोतीहै यः सोढुं प्रार�र�वमो�णात् |

कामक्रोधोद वेगं स युक्त स सुखी नरः ||५- २३||
śaknōtīhaiva yaḥ sōḍhuṁ prākśarīravimōkṣaṇāt |
kāmakrōdhōdbhavaṁ vēgaṁ sa yuktaḥ sa sukhī naraḥ ||5- 23||
That vēga, the power for those durvāsanas should transform my life to affect my life
is gone; it may arise feebly, stay for some seconds or minutes and then disappear;
like catching cold for a few days. Krishna himself tells that in the 14th chapter of the
Gītā; प्रका च प्रवृित च मोहमेव च पाण्ड prakāśaṁ ca pravr̥ttiṁ ca mōhamēva ca
pāṇḍava. Even for a jñāni, the guṇa fluctuations take place; and there may be a
moment of rājas or tamas dominance; but they will not be dominant enough to push
him back into the saṁsāra itself. Like a cyclist losing the balance for a moment, and
then again managing it properly. Then he learns to adjust the handle bar and drives.
That mind is no more problematic mind; that they call technically manō nāśa.
And there are other significant steps also, which I do not want to discuss; I have
done that in Mānḍukya kārika IIIrd chapter, amani bhāva context, I have told that.
Here we have to note that vāsana kṣaya is one of the aims of nidhidhyāsanam.
ु तर्न त्यक्त त्यक्त देहानव

लोकानव ु तर्न म |
शास्त्रानुवत त्यक्त स्वाध्यासापन कुर ||२७०||
lōkānuvartanaṁ tyaktvā tyaktvā dēhānuvartanam |
śāstrānuvartanaṁ tyaktvā svādhyāsāpanayaṁ kuru ||270||
So the vāsanas are broadly classified into three; lōkā vāsana, dēha vāsana and
śāstra vāsana. Lōkā vāsana, dēha vāsana and śāstra vāsana. Lōkā vāsana means our
obsession with the set up; the surrounding and our worldly pursuits, of name, fame,
Page 1244

money, position; possession; status. So previously we were worried about that so

much; that it was all most an obsession occupying the mind all the time; which we
can easily know if we watch our mind, whenever we are free. So you are waiting for
some bus or train or flight; or there is a gap between lying down and sleeping; so
those free moments which powerful thought, you know, which occupies the mind.
From that you know whether it is lōkānuvartanaṁ; I am worried about my answer to
my relations if I son or daughter behaves like that. What will happen to my social
status? What will they think about me? All these thoughts are called
lōkānuvartanaṁ; dancing to the tune of the world.
And of course, we cannot totally negate that as long as we are in the society; that is
why many of these slōkas, that Śankarācārya writes here will be applicable to a
sanyāsi only. When you discuss serious nidhidhyāsanam; you will find that only
sanyāsi can ignore; but as long as we are in the society; we have to dance to some
extend; you cannot avoid dancing. So if a person is a gr̥hastha, we cannot prescribe
this 100% but we can say do not dance too much. Little Ok; but do not allow that
completely carry you away and make vēdānta feebler.
So therefore reduce to some extend you have to bother, but you cannot be
obsessed with that. Therefore Śankarācārya keeps in mind, a sanyāsi and writes
many slōka s. So we have to sort out and interpret in a way suitable to a gr̥hastha
and a sanyāsi. Therefore in simple language, avoid too much of worldliness. At least
gossip mongering; or at least being interested in hot hot news from other families.
What happened in that family? Some problem they said; are they still living together
or separated? What happened to you?
So therefore being interested in the juicy news of other families, is lōkānuvartanaṁ.

Interested in the private lives of others so much that even when they meet a Svāmi,
more than the present condition, their pūrvaāsramas they are interested, in which
place were you there; whether parents are there; that is called lōkaḥ vāsana. Cut
off; reduce; give up.
So lōkānuvartanaṁ tyaktva; so literally anuvartanaṁ, going along with; lōkā means

the ordinary mundane people of the world; Going along with the ordinary mundane
people of the world and discussing the same topic which they find absorbing. So
those topics in which they are absorbed; they should become stale for me. It is
difficult and sometimes you have listen to the stories, they just come and you cannot
Page 1245

drive them away; and they talk about everything, they are not going about the
jīvātma-paramātma aikyam and all; they will only tell the stories; therefore problems
for both. They also do not know how to relate to you; and you also do not know
how to relate to them; this will be there because you are a square peg in a round
hole. Therefore, we have to accept those problems. I am not telling that you should
be sanyāsi. What I am telling is: that you have to accept this difference because
majority in the society is interested only in name, fame, family, etc.; and therefore
try to give up either permanently or at least reduce.
Then the next one is dēha vāsana. And here ācārya says dēha anuvartanaṁ;
dancing to the tunes of the body. Being obsessed with the body; catering to the
need of the body; all the time, bothering about the conditions of the body; taking
care of the body all the time. We do not say that the body should be neglected; no
vēdantin would say that; even though a sanyāsi can give up so much pursuits; but
even for him, �ुद्व्या�ध �च�कत्स्यत प्र�त�द �भ�ौषधं भुज्यता kṣudvyādhiśca
cikitsyatāṁ pratidinaṁ bhikṣauṣadhaṁ bhujyatāṁ.
Even for a sanyāsi; proper bhikṣas, snānaṁs, etc. it is said. Therefore we are
recommending total neglect; but spending more time on the body and its condition
is called dēha anuvartanaṁ. Which is more difficult; because lōkaḥ is external
anātma; body is closer anātma. It is more intimate. Therefore more powerful.
And then what is the next vāsana? Śāstra vāsana. Śāstra vāsana means being
interested in śāstras for the sake of śāstra. Purely for intellectual thrill; being
academically interested in śāstra; without bothering what śāstra is trying to say.
And this also can be a problem because śāstras are anantaṁ;
anantha śāstram bahu veditavyam

alpascha kālu bahavasca vignāḥ;
yat sārabhūtām tad upāsitavyaṁ
hamsō yatha kśiramivambu misrāḥ;
Anantha śāstram, in vēdānta itself; we have that much literature, if you all the
vēdantic books, this room will not be sufficient. That much vēdānta granthās. Then
we have got equal number in tarka śāstra; mīmāṁsa śāstra; vyakāraṇa śāstra. So if
I begin to find the thrill in those studies, and go on more and more and more, I am
getting feel limited; I have not done this; I have not that; I have not finished this
Page 1246

book; I have not finished that book; and this is called abhīmāna vidhi buddhi. It is
buddhi abhīmāna. Śāstra vāsana corresponds to identification with the buddhi. And
we should know that no intellect can cover all the śāstra. A r̥̄ṣi called Bharadvāja
wanted to do that. And he got special boon that he should study 24 hours the whole
life. So he should not have hunger, thirst, nothing and he studied for one entire life
and was not satisfied and then he said I want another janma exactly like this. From
birth to death, I should study.
And then at the end of the second janma, we was not satisfied and therefore asked
for a third janma. This is a story occurring in Vēda itself. After the third janma study,
he wanted to know where he stands. He thought that 90-95% would have been
covered. Then that Lord, I think Indra or Brahmāji he calls and he shows: Do you
see the mountains there: yes, I see. Then bring three handfuls of mud or stones
from there, and put here; he said that is the wisdom: Ananthaavai vēdāḥ; the vēdic
wisdom is anantaṁ; and what you have studied is what: கற்ற ைகமண அள�,
கல்லாத உலகள� (kathrathu kaimann alavu; kallaathathu ulaga alavu).
Therefore if you are going to get identified with the intellect; and go on and on and
on; not only you will feel dissatisfied and even jealousy can come; because that
student has studied more than me; therefore I should compete. Competition can
come; jealousy can come; hatred can come; anger can come. That is why vēdānta
śāstra asks you to dis-identify from the intellect also. So śāstra must help you to get
out of śāstra-desire. Vēda itself says; do not get addicted to me also. You will be
worried about the protection of your note books. You should be worried about the
protection of your note books and casettes. Casettes will be erased after some time;
after some time you would not be able to read your own notes; all kinds of
headaches to write notes; but you should get detached from your notes also. That is
called śāstra anuvartanaṁ tyaktva. So stop dancing to the tunes of even the
śāstram.
In the case of śāstra vāsana it is a śubha vāsana only. Therefore Śankarācārya says
give up śāstra vāsana he does not say you stop studying, what he says is: Make it a
non-binding vāsana. If time and choice is given I will study śāstra. But situation does
not permit me to study śāstra and I am compelled to do something else; but I do
not have regrets.
Page 1247

As long as you have facility and time, continue in vēdānta; nothing wrong; but there
is a situation or a sickness, suppose; then you are not able to read or write or hear;
because if my hearing power goes, what will I do? So if I get addicted to hearing,
either the class or cassette; and once I lose my hearing power; God forbid; let it not
happen; but old age means anything can happen; then I should be able to vēdānta
vākyēṣu sadā rāmanthaḥ. I have heard so much; so hereafter no more VCR; but no
more recording; the recorded cassette must be replayed in your mind. Even at the
moment of death I should be able to do that.
And therefore let śāstra vāsana continue, because it is śubha vāsana; but let it not
be a binding vāsana. Therefore, śāstra anuvartanaṁ tyaktva; giving up; what should
you do? sva adhyāsā apanāyam kuru; may you remove the three-fold adhyāsa;
So the first adhyāsa; lōkaḥ adhyāsa; identification with the family; identification with
the house; identification with the nation; Indian is losing to Pakistan everytime; it is
being difficult; what to do? That is called identification with nation. So when we play
cricket you should become an Asian; then you know whoever wins; Asia it goes to.
So that is bhāhya anātma abhīmāna.
And dēha anuvartana; giving up is what? stūla śarīra adhyāsa tyāga; Śāstra
anuvartanaṁ giving up is sūkṣma śarīra adhyāsa tyāgaḥ. Adhyāsa means what?
abhīmāna; till the sūkṣma śarīraṁ abhīmāna is there; śāstra vāsana would be
powerful; because śāstra vāsana belongs to which organ, buddhi. Buddhi belongs to
which śarīraṁ? Sūkṣma śarīraṁ. Therefore if there are two jñānis meeting together;
and one jñāni is more scholarly, and another jñānis is less scholarly, let it be; there
are not going to have problems; why because both of them know that the
scholarliness belong to the intellect and both of them know that we are not intellect.
It is like one jñāni has got well-washed iron clothes; and the another jñāni has got
unwashed rag; what are they going to feel? the difference is only the clothes.
Similarly scholarliness is also an adjective to the intellect; both of have got sufficient
knowledge; sufficient scholarliness to dis-identify from the buddhi.
And the scholarliness or education required for dis-identification from buddhi is

limited. You need study only a little; you can dis-identify from buddhi. We are not
criticising scholarliness and therefore do not study vēdānta if we say, how can
jñānaṁ come? Therefore there should be sufficient scholarliness in the form of
śravaṇam and mananam; which is sufficient for what? removing my basic doubts.
Page 1248

However much is required to remove my basic doubt, that much scholarliness is

enough; you cannot avoid that.
Once I am convinced, more than that is bonus; you study, fine; you do not study,
fine; enjoy the study; and enjoy the non-study also. This is called adhyāsa
apanayaḥ; bāhya prapañja; stūla śarīra; sūkṣma śarīra adhyāsa apanāyaṁ kuru.
Apanāyam means may you negate the abhīmāna.
लोकवासनया जन्तो शास्त्रवासनय च |

देहवासनया �ानं यथावन्नै जायते ||२७१ ||
lōkavāsanayā jantōḥ śāstravāsanayāpi ca |
dēhavāsanayā jñānaṁ yathāvannaiva jāyatē ||271||
So why should I do this vāsana kṣayaṁ, if you ask? Śankarācārya says: without that
the knowledge cannot function and give you jīvan muktiḥ, by which we mean peace
of mind; fulfilment in the mind; etc. will not come. Jñānaṁ will appear theoretical.
Jñānaṁ will appear academic, and Vēdānta will appear impractical. Svāmiji, all that
will not work. To listen it is good; but it will not work.
So why we feel vēdānta does not work? He says: it is not that knowledge is not
there; it is not conviction is not there; it is not that experience is not there; I have
said Brahman experience is one which you need not get, because you are
experiencing Brahman only all the time. Therefore you do not lack Brahman
experience, you do not lack conviction; you do not lack knowledge. The only thing is
that the knowledge is the hostage of. Like a powerful person has been tied. Both
legs and hands have been tied. He is a very efficient person. If you release him for
an hour, he will do 10 persons job at one stretch. But what has happened? Hands
and legs are tied. So what is required? You do not require a new person; you only
require that person to be untied. Like that jñānaṁ is capable of giving you peace of
mind. And if jñānaṁ is able to do; these trivida vāsanas has tied the jñānaṁ from
doing its job.
Therefore he says: jantōhō; for this jantū, human being, jñānaṁ yathavat na jāyaye;
clear knowledge or the knowledge without obstacle; aprathibadda jñānaṁ;
unobstructed knowledge; free knowledge; na jāyate; does not take place, because
of these three powerful vāsanas.
Page 1249

What are they? Lōkaḥ vāsanaya, because of the obsession with the worldly
condition; bothered about the setup either family set up or office set up; or national
set up. When is there going to be ideal set up. It will not be there; by the time you
do this, something else come. By the time son is alright; daughter is trouble. By the
time both are alright, the son-in-law would be in troubles. Remember jāmātha
daśamo grahaḥ. Son-law is the tenth planet. Something would be there to trouble.
By the time all are extremely fine, your health starts failing. So you cannot
straighten dog's tail; like that you can never straighten the world; but do what you
can. It is a different thing; we do not say that; we do not say that you neglect the
family; that is never the advice; do what you have to do; do what you can but never
allow it to overwhelm this knowledge. Therefore as long lōkaḥ vāsana is there;
śāstra vāsana is there; dēha vāsana is there; jñānaṁ yatavat; apradibhaddataya;
means without obstacle, is never possible.
संसारकारागह
ृ मो��मच्छ-
रयोमयं पाद�नबन्धशृंखल म |
वदिन् तज्�ा पटु वासनात्र
योऽस्माद्�वमुक समुपै�त मुिक्त म ||२७२||
saṁsārakārāgr̥hamōkṣamicchō-
rayōmayaṁ pādanibandaśr̥ṁkhalam |
vadanti tajjñāḥ paṭu vāsanātrayaṁ
yō:'smādvimuktaḥ samupaiti muktim || 272||
So the same idea Śankarācārya presents in different languages. He dwells in this

topic, so that it will sink into our personality. Every time we complain that even after
learning śāstra, there is no use, whenever our mind complains; you should
remember this topic. The problem is not with the knowledge, the problem is
pratibanda nivr̥tti has not been done efficiently by me. And therefore he dwells on
this topic.
Saṁsāra kārāgriha mōha icchō; Suppose there is a person who desires, icchōḥ,
means a desirer, one who desires; desires what? mōkṣam, release. From where?
kārāgriha; kārāgriham means what? prison, jail; what type of prison? Saṁsāra
kārāgriha; and what is the crime committed, avidyā kāma and karma; avidyā kāma
karma, three crimes we have committed; for that crime only we have all been
Page 1250

imprisoned in saṁsāra; from that imprisonment, the one who desires release, for
him; ayōmayaṁ pada nibanda sriṇgalām.
What has happened, it is a very interesting example; so the release was given; OK;
so what has happened is that knowledge-key they used and that lock has been
unlocked; and the prison doors have been open. And they said you can go away.
Because avidyā lock is gone. But you see that fellow continues there. And he seems
to struggle to come out; he is not able to. On enquiry we found, on both his legs,
there are two powerful iron blocks. So even though the prison doors are open,
freedom has been given, I am not able to, because of the dead weight tied to the
leg.
Similarly, through śravaṇa-manana key, I might have opened the door of saṁsāra
kārāgriha; therefore I have clear knowledge. And there is no doubt regarding this
fact. In fact, I can teach others. Sometimes I feel that I am so confident, I can
teach, better than Svāmiji also. I do not say that you should not do that. What I am
telling is: so confident. Very good;
But what happened? Svāmiji problems continue. Why, there are three iron blocks
tied to our mind-legs; and what are three iron blocks? lōkaḥ vāsana; śāstra vāsana
and dēha vāsana.
Therefore he says, ayomayaṁ, not wooden; that we can drag it; ayomayaṁ, ayaha
means iron; iron sriṅgala, sriṅgala means iron chain has been bound to the legs.
pādanibandaśr̥ṁkhalam; and what are those three chains? because it is not the
physical chain is here; the chains are tajjñāḥ vadanti; the wise people who know
the scriptures, who know about bondage and liberation, those spiritual experts,
tajjñāḥ means spiritual experts, specialists, consultants; those spiritual specialists
say that vāsana trayaṁ is that sriṅgala.
So that the vāsana trayaṁ should be connected to what? second line

pādanibandasrmkālāṁ; so this vāsana trayaṁ is only pādanibandasrmkālāṁ iti, the
experts declare.
And that also, if this vāsanas are feeble we can permit it to remain; and what is the
difference between feeble vāsana and tīvraḥ powerful vāsana? Feeble vāsana can
only create thoughts only at the mental level; and then I recognise that it is not
Page 1251

healthy; and therefore I can nip in the bud itself; I should not nourish this pattern of
thinking. But when it is powerful, not only it generates unhealthy thoughts at the
mental level; they flow into verbal level and also into physical level. That is why we
say that vāsana need not be reduced to zero. It is neither necessary nor possible.
We have to only make it sufficiently feeble; I have given the example; your body has
to be sufficiently healthy to run your life. There is no question 100% healthy body.
Does not exist. Let some cold come; does not matter; as long as I have sufficient
impunity to tackle the cold and fever, and I am able to recover within a few days,
and continue my life; I am considered healthy.
Similarly, zero percent durvāsana or no vāsana are all idealistic approach, which will
create problems; it has to be made sufficiently feeble; that it can be nipped in the
bud, when it produces unhealthy behaviour.
And therefore Śankarācārya uses an adjective; paṭu vāsanātrayaṁ; paṭu means

intense vāsanas are enemies. Feeble ones you can neglect. You need not feel guilty.
As long as you have sufficient wisdom to handle them at the thought level, you can
be relaxed. So therefore, paṭu means tīvraḥ.
The tīvraḥ vāsanas, the sriṅgala, the chain, and therefore after opening the door of
the jail; a second process is required; what is that? removing the chain also.
Opening the door is called jñāni prāpthi; removing the chain is called vāsana kṣyaḥ.
Therefore Śankarācārya says yaha asmāth vimuktaḥ. Whoever is free from the
powerful influence of these vāsanas; asmāt means these three vāsana trayās; from
the grip of these three vāsanas; the one who is free; saha mukthim samupaithi. That
person enjoys jīvan mukthi. The mind fully enjoys the glory of knowledge, because
the obstacles are not there; ātmanēva ātmana tuṣṭaḥ, duḥkeṣu anudvidgamanāḥ; I
am relaxed not because I am free from problems in life; I am relaxed in spite of
problems in life.
जला�दसंसगर्वशात्प्-
दग
ु ्
र न्धधूताऽगरु�दव्यव |
संघषर्णेनै �वभा�त सम्-
िग्वधूयमान स�त बाह्यगन् ||२७३||
jalādisaṁsargavaśātprabhūta-
durgandhadhūtā:'garudivyavāsanā |
Page 1252

saṁgharṣaṇēnaiva vibhāti samya-

gvidhūyamānē sati bāhyagandhē ||273||
In these two verses, Śankarācārya is giving an example to show the role of vāsana
kṣyaṁ. Vāsana kṣaya does not produce knowledge. It cannot produce knowledge;
because pramāṇam alone can produce knowledge. Śravaṇam alone can produce
knowledge. And vāsana kṣaya cannot produce liberation also. Then what is the role
of vāsana kṣaya?
He wants to say that. The knowledge that we have attained by śravaṇa manana has
got the fragrance of freedom in it. The knowledge that we have acquired is like a
sandal wood piece which has the fragrance of peace, joy, fullness; but as long as
these vāsanas are there, they produce a foul smell.
/
And the foul smell of the vāsana trayaṁ; what does it do? It overpowers the
fragrance of jñānaṁ. Fragrance is there; but is not felt. Like a sandal wood, floating
in the kōvam. In fact he says that example only. agaru divya vāsana; agaru here
stands for any fragrant piece of wood; we can take it as sandalwood. agaru divya
vāsana; divya vāsana means what? fragrant smell; gama gama manakkarathu; divya
vāsana.
And this divya vāsana has been durgandhadhūtā; has been overpowered by the foul
smell. And foul smell comes from where; from the fungus which is formed over the
sandalwood; the fungus has been formed. So if you keep the chandanam, there will
be a colour change with a greenish moss black coating will come. And how did that
fungus form? jalādhi saṁsargavaśāt prabhūtā; because of the contact with water;
because of continued wetness of the sandalwood.
So therefore, the beauty of this example is this. The foul smell has been generated
from where; from the sandal wood only. And the fragrance belongs to what; the
sandalwood only; for both the cause is Me only. Similarly the fragrance of
jīvanmukthi is there in Me only; I have got the knowledge; and the foul smell is also
coming from Me only; because of the vāsana trayaṁ.
Therefore what should I do? Of these two, which one is natural to sandalwood and
which one is incidental? Thank God; fragrance is natural; foul smell is incidental.
How do you know; you rub the sandalwood, you will find that the fungus will go
Page 1253

away; the foul smell will go away; the sandal wood will continuously give its
fragrance. In the same way, rub with the help of nidhidhyāsanam or alert living.
Vēdānta friendly living; OK. Like environment friendly paper. Environment friendly
pencil. Environment friendly bag means what? Plastic should not be used. Plastic is
like Brahman; it will never degrade; non-destructible. After generations, it would be
like that. Accēdyōyam, adāhyōyam, aclaydyōyam; aśoṣyaḥ; nitya, sarva gathaha
also; everywhere you see, including party flags; OK. So therefore, that durgandha is
to be rubbed off. Then the sugandha will manifest. Look at the slōka.
jalādi saṁsarga vaśāt prabhūta durgandha dhūtā :'garu divya vāsanā; two lines put
together is one word. The whole thing is one compound word; for Saṁsr̥kt students
for exercise, these are the words for compound words splitting; So saṁsarga means
what; contact; whose contact with whom; the sandal wood's contact with water;
From that prabhūtām means what; generated; vaśāth, because of, because of the
contact of the sandalwood with water, is prabhūtām generated, durgandha means
foul smell, dhuta, dhuta means what overpowered. So overpowered by that foul
smell; is what: the divya vāsana. So you have to start from the end of the
compound. So the frāgance of the sandal paste, which is overpowered with the foul
smell, which is generated by the contact of the sandalwood with water, etc.
Now how to get back the fragrance? Do not bring another sandalwood; do not do
anything. saṁgharṣaṇēna; just rub against a rough surface and saṅgarshanena, by
rubbing the sandal wood.
What will happen? bāhyagandhē vidhūyamānē; bāhya gandham means what? the
incidental foul smell; which is extraneous to the sandal wood; it is extrinsic to the
sandal wood; extrinsic means what? not natural to it; so that is called bāhyagandhē
vidhūyamānē; when it is removed or eliminated or wiped out.
Then what happens? samyak vibhāti; what? You have to go to the second line, divya
vāsana samyak vibhāti. That fragrant smell comes out nicely. Therefore you need
not do anything; what you have to do is to handle the vāsana. Vēdānta is already
put in your mind through the Gītā śravaṇam or the upaṇiṣad śravaṇam. That jñānaṁ
is enough; you do not require any mystic experience at all. Mystic experience idea
came because what is the obstacle was not known. And therefore people think that I
have theoretical knowledge; because mystic experience I have not got, therefore I
am like this. thus they have a wrong notion. We do not require any mystic
Page 1254

experience; we require only handling the durvāsanas and as even they are handled;
we can experience, not the Brahman, we can experience the Brahma jñāna phalam,
in the form of śānti, in the form of pūrṇatvam.
That is why we have said Brahma anubhavaḥ is not there; brahma jñāna phala
anubhava is there; and what is the phala anubhavaḥ? There is a constant relaxation
throughout. So this is the sandalwood example. Śankarācārya has to extend this
example to us also. Now we are all what. Sandalwood. So what we have to do?
catch hold of you all and rub and rub!!
Do not worry; it is a different kind of rubbing, which we will see in the next class.
Hari Om.
097. Verses 274 to 277
Śankarācārya pointed out that in the case of some seekers there can be some
obstacles; between jñānaṁ and jñāna phala prāptiḥ. That is, in spite of gaining self-
knowledge, there can be obstacle in gaining the benefit of knowledge, in the form of
śāntiḥ, pūrṇata, abhayaṁ, etc. And this obstacle between jñānaṁ and jñāna phalam
cannot be there for all students or all seekers; it can be there only for some.
So when you say some seekers, who are those? Very simple. It has been introduced
in Tatva Bōdhaḥ itself: sādana catuṣṭaya sampanna adhikāri does not find any gap
between jñāna prāpthi and jñāna phala prāpti. In fact, both are simultaneous for an
adhikāri. In fact, as even he does śravaṇam, and as even he grasps the teaching, at
that moment itself, he discovers the fulfilment.
Only when a person comes to vēdānta, without jñāna yōgyatā, only in the case of
such people, jñāna prāpti and jñāna phala prāpti becomes two separate events, with
a big time gap also. And the time gap between jñāna prāpti and phala prāpti is
directly proportional to the lack of yōgyatā. Weaker the sādana catuṣṭaya saṁpatti,
longer is the gap between jñāna and jñāna phalam.
Page 1255

So what should such people do? So in Śankarācārya's language, such students are
ayōgya students. Ayōga payale, we say. So they are jñāna ayōgya students; what
should they do to reduce the gap between jñānaṁ and jñāna phalam? And that gap
is reduced only by nidhidhyāsanam, and the consequent viparītha bhāvana kṣaya,
other wise called vāsana kṣayaḥ.
And Śankarācārya pointed out this vāsana is three fold, lōkaḥ vāsana, which is the
strong identification with the external world, in the form of relatives, family, friends,
possessions, etc. Stronger the lōkaḥ vāsana, more difficult the phala prāptiḥ.
The second one is dēha vāsana, which is identification with the closer anātma called
the physical body. One is external anātma; body is closer anātma; and therefore
vāsana is going to be more intimate and stronger.
And still stronger and more intimate is śāstra vāsana, which is identification with
buddhi and scholarship. So this attachment and greed for scholarship itself can
become an obstacle.
Thus lōkaḥ, dēha, śāstra vāsana together is called vāsana trayaṁ. Since vāsana
traya is obstacle, vāsana kṣaya is the parihāra.
And then Śankarācārya says as even a person accomplishes this vāsana kṣayaṁ, not
that new knowledge is going to come; knowledge he has already gained at the time
of śravaṇam; jñāna prāpti already he has and therefore by vāsana kṣayaṁ what
happens? Nothing new is added; the jñānaṁ is released from its obstacle; and
therefore the very same good-old jñānaṁ which he got during śravaṇam, that
jñānaṁ becomes brighter and brighter and it sheds, it removes the gloom from the
mind and brings a bloom to the face.
So therefore, vāsana kṣaya can be called prathibanda nivr̥tti. And to convey this
idea, Śankarācārya is giving the example of the sandal wood having a coating of
fungus, because of its long contact with water. And this foul smelling fungus
overpowers the fragrance of sandalwood and therefore if we want to get the
fragrance of the sandalwood, what should we do. We need not generate fragrance;
we have to only remove the obstructing fungus.
Page 1256

And how do you do that? Rub against a rough surface. And when you rub, the
fungus goes away; foul smell goes away; and as it even it goes, the fragrance
becomes manifest.
In the same way, every student has to rub; rub means what? Do not think I am
going to rub you; here the rubbing is nothing but dwelling upon the teaching. That
he is going to tell in verse No.274. In 273, he has given the example, dr̥ṣṭāntha.
Now in 274 he gives the dar̥ṣṭāntha. What is saṅgarṣanaṁ and what is rubbing of
the vāsana trayaṁ? What is that?
अन्तः�श्रतानन्तदूरन्त-
धूल��व�लप्त परमात्मवासन |
प्र�ा�तसंघषर् �वशुद्
प्रतीय चन्दनगन्धव स्फुट म ||२७४||
antaḥśritānantadūrantavāsanā-
dhūlīviliptā paramātmavāsanā |
prajñātisaṁgharṣaṇatō viśuddhā
pratīyatē candanagandhavat sphuṭam ||274||
So paramātma vāsana has been acquired by a person through śravaṇam. So by

repeated listening; he has registered in his mind; I am not the body-mind complex; I
am not related to the external world; nothing belongs to me; I belong to none; I am
the asaṅgha caitanyaṁ. This he has listened and he has formed adhyātma
saṁskāra; spiritual saṁskāra, spiritual vāsana, one has formed by what? śravaṇam.
But what is the problem that is faced by this person? Even though there is the
fragrance of spiritual knowledge, unfortunately the other smell; what is that? dēha
vāsana and lōkaḥ vāsana, is producing the foul smell and when you measure the
relative strength of the foul smell of dēha vāsana and the fragrance of vivēka
cūḍāmaṇi; that gives a fragrance; when you weigh the relative strength, what is
dominant now? Śankarācārya says for some people, may not be for you, for some
people the vāsana trayaṁ is dominant, submerging or overpowering paramātma
vāsana. Therefore he says; look at the second line; paramātma vāsana viliptā; viliptā
means what; there is an overcoating. So there is a coating, over what: above
paramātma vāsana, there is a coating.
Page 1257

And what is that coating? Dhūlī; dhūlī means any impurity which can be compared to
the fungus; a dirt or the impurity, which is in the form of vāsana. Lōkaḥ vāsana,
śāstra vāsana and dēha vāsana; these three are the dhūlī is the foul smelling
impurity, which is coated over the vēdānta jñānaṁ now.
And why do we call vāsanas impurities? Because dūranta vāsana. dūranta means
that which produces a negative result. Unfavourable result. Sorrow producing
vāsanas, it means. Duḥkhaṁ, dūrantaṁ means dukha rūpam antham phalam yasya.
So they are called impurities because each one of them produces sorrow. How they
produce sorrow. We have already seen in the Gītā;

Every relationship has the potential to cause sorrow. This is lōkaḥ relationship and
the physical body has very much the potential to cause sorrow and what about
śāstra vāsana? Certainly causes sorrow because at no time can you complete all the
śāstra. And not only that, by the time you study ten texts, to remember all the ten is
itself is a struggle; when you read something from Kaivalya Upaṇiṣad, it seems like
you have not yet heard, you take the Kaivalya and start reading. By the time you
revise Kailvaya, Brihadāranya is like that. So how many things you can remember?
And many people are depressed that they are not able to remember everything.
Therefore śāstra also can bind, if we do not know how to handle that knowledge.
And therefore they are called duranta vāsana. They are binding vāsanas; and how
many such vāsanas are there? Anantha. Anantha means what endless. How can it
be called endless, previously only you said three; he has changed it; he said only
lōkaḥ vāsana, dēha vāsana and śāstra vāsana; three he said and how does he
suddenly say it is anantham? Because each one of them can be subdivided into
hundreds. Lōkaḥ vāsana can be identification with house; identification with every
relative; identification with dog, very important you know; so therefore whether we
love the family members or not, dog is loved more than God; that is called dog-
vāsana.
Page 1258

So lōkaḥ vāsana can be divided into thousands; dēha vāsana can be divided into
śāstra vāsana can be tarka vāsana mīmāṁsa vāsana, vyakāraṇa vāsana. Endless;
Therefore he says anantha vāsana.
And where are they? vāsana or saṁskārās are always in the sub-conscious mind.
You never know they are in you, because they are all hidden. They are potential.
Every vāsana is a potential hidden; you never know it is there. Then how do you
say, it is there? If you never know it is there, how do you know it is there? Because
when they generate sorrow, you can connect every sorrow to one of the vāsanas.
Vāsanas are inferred from the effects or the products in the form of memory, in the
form of worries, in the form of pain; in the form of action; and therefore
Śankarācārya says: antaḥśritā; they are all within the deep mind; subconscious
mind; unconscious mind, they are all there; you do not know what will come when;
that is why some people say, I do not know why, today I am not in good mood. And
that means other family members have a tough time. I lost my mood, others are in
trouble, because for no reason I flare up. So therefore anger is the tip of my nose.
And why I do not know? What is that? One of the vāsana is triggered; and therefore
antaḥśritā; śritā means sthitha.
So therefore, what is the essence of these two lines: The knowledge received from
the guru is often overpowered by our vāsana trayaṁ; our saṁsāra habits.
And therefore what is required? rubbing; and how do you do the rubbing? That is
said in the third line; prajñātisaṁgharṣaṇatō; saṁgharṣaṇa or rubbing in the form of
prajñaḥ; prajñaḥ in this context means nidhidhyāsanam. Prajñaḥ is equal to
nidhidhyāsanam. In Brihadaranyaka it is said: tamēva dhīrō vijñāya; prajñām
kurvītha Brāhmaṇaḥ. Prajñaṁ kurvītha means nidhidhyāsanam kurvītha.
And what is nidhidhyāsanam? Dwelling upon the teaching; revising the classes. To
put in crude language, revising the classes. Normally what happens? We touch
Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi book on just Monday and next time Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi is touched next
Monday only if there is class. If for any reason the class is cancelled that day, then
the next Monday. If vacations comes, out.
So there is no revision. And how do you expect the knowledge to become stronger?
So therefore I am expecting result without putting proportional effort. Any
Page 1259

accomplishment requires dedicated time and effort; therefore Śankarācārya says

there is no short cut for jīvan mukthi.
So therefore prajñaḥ; prajñaḥ ati saṁgharṣaṇataḥ; by the repeated rubbing of,

dwelling upon the teaching, either in the form of repeated listening or in the form of
writing notes at the end of the class; you can always summarise; writing notes or if
there is somebody available, you can share the teaching. In what you do, it does not
matter, you do not sit in Padmāsanam for nidhidhyāsanam. If you love
Padmāsanam, wonderful. But that is not compulsory. Sitting is not compulsory,
closing the eyes is not compulsory, what is compulsory is the mind should dwell
upon:
Na me dvēṣa rāgau; na me lobhaḥ mōhau;

madau me naiva mātsarya bhāvaḥ.
Na dharmo na chārtho, na kāmōna mōkṣaḥ;
chidānandaḥ rūpa shivōhaṁ shivōhaṁ.
Dwelling upon this teaching is called prajñaḥ ati saṁgharṣaṇam; not even ordinary
saṁgharṣaṇam; ati saṁgharṣaṇam, intense rubbing; why because fungus is too
much.
Then what happens? Nothing new happens. But the fungus goes away. Viśudda
paramātma vāsana. The word Viśudda should be connected to the paramātma
vāsana of the second line. So the paramātma vāsana will become brighter and
brighter. The relative strength will change. Previously vāsana trayaṁ was stronger.
Paramātma vāsana was weaker.
Now paramātma vāsana becomes stronger and vāsana trayaṁ becomes weaker and
weaker. That is why jīvan mukthi is not a sudden event; it is a gradual
transformation. Jīvan mukthi is not a flashy experience; but it is a gradual
transformation of the personality.
You cannot say I got jīvan mukthi on the April 1st. It can only happen on April 1st! If
you say on 1st April 2000, means what: April 1st it means. It never happens on a
particular moment; it is a gradual transformation. Just as your body acquired the full
growth; not that you were tiny baby, tiny baby, tiny baby and suddenly you
expanded to 98 kgs. No. It is a gradual; it is so gradual that a mother does not even
Page 1260

notice that; because daily she is seeing the child. Mother does not notice it. No.
Some visitor from outside comes and tells: Oh! the child has grown up. Similarly, he
may not even notice it in that prominent fashion; but transformation does take
place. It is a gradual process.
So viśudda pratīyatē; pratīyatē means what? manifests; what manifests? paramātma

vāsana pratīyatē; more evident it becomes. sphuṭam also you have to connect to
pratīyatē; sphuṭam means more clearly it becomes evident; more dominantly it
becomes evident; like what? like chandana gandhavat. Like the fragrance of
sandalwood.
अनात्मवासनाजालैिस्तरोभूतात्मवा |
�नत्यात्म�नष् तेषां नाशे भा�त स्वय स्फुट म ||२७५||
anātmavāsanājālaistirōbhūtātmavāsanā |
nityātmaniṣṭhayā tēṣāṁ nāśē bhāti svayaṁ sphuṭam ||275||
So the same idea is repeated. So Śankarācārya feels that every student must know
these facts very well or else he will lose his direction; he will think that he has got
knowledge; or he will think that I did not have any mystic experience. So he will
blame the mystic experience or he will blame the śāstra and he will do all kinds of
other things. If the problem is diagnosed, he does not look for all the wrong things;
what he should look for is what; gradual receding of this vāsana trayaṁ. And
therefore the consequent prominence of knowledge.
Since it is a very important fact to be remembered, Śankarācārya feels that here

ātma vāsana thirobhūtā; same idea; the ātma vāsana; the spiritual saṁskārās;
vāsana means samkaaras; ātma vāsana means spiritual saṁskārās. And how was it
acquired? By śravaṇam; remember; when you are talking about Nidhidhyāsanam,
śravaṇam is already over, we are assuming. So ātma vāsana has been acquired by
studying the scriptures for a length of time; but in spite of that study, what has
happened? Tirōbhūtha; he says: I understand Svāmi as ātma; but he adds what?
but; that but anātma vāsana. I understand means ātma vāsana has come but I do
not reap the benefit, because anātma vāsana jālai; by the habitual identification
called viparitha bhāvana and they are what? jālaḥ; jālaḥ means what? network of
vāsanas. So many strings are there and I am caught in that net and I find it very
difficult to disentangle myself from those net. Therefore jālaiḥ; he puts plural to
indicate that they are ananthaḥ; so jālaiḥ; what type of jālaṁ it is? Anātma vāsana,
Page 1261

which are in the form of anātma vāsana is one name for vāsana trayaṁ; lōkaḥ
vāsana, dēha vāsana and saatra vāsana all these three put together is called anātma
vāsana.
And in the Gītā 16th Chapter, they are called Āsūri Sampath. In the 16th chapter of
the Gītā, it is called Āsūri Sampath. Kāma, krōdha, lōbhaḥ, mōha, madaḥ, mātsarya;
they all come under vāsana trayaṁ; anātma vāsana; by that is tirōbhūta, is
overpowered; the ātma vāsana.
Therefore what are you supposed to do? Nitya ātma niṣṭaya. By dwelling on the
ātma; in keeping with the śravaṇam; I dwell on the ātma; I do not say ātma is free;
no use; ātma should be translated as Ahaṁ, because ātma means Self and self
means what: in the cheque when you want to withdraw money; what do you write?
Self. If I say that you will understand better. So you are confident in writing Self
because you know it comes to you. Therefore Self means first person singular.
Therefore Ātma is asaṅgaḥ; train yourselves saying I am asaṅgaḥ. Ahaṁ śuddaḥ;
Ahaṁ puṇyapāpa rahitaḥ; Ahaṁ aakartā; ahaṁ abōktha. This abhyāśā is called nitya
ātma niṣṭa. Nidhidhyāsanam, to put in another language. Adyaśa niṣṭa means
nidhidhyāsana abhyāsaḥ; otherwise it is called Brahmābhyaśaḥ.
Tat cintānaṁ, tat kathanam, anōnyam tat prabhōdanam;

ēvam ēva paratvam ca brahmābhyasam vidhur bhudāḥ;
It is also called brahmābhyasam, nidhidhyasanam, vāsana kṣaya; different names;

but the process is the same.
And what happens? Tēṣām nāśe. Teṣām means what? Vāsana jālanāṁ; that is why
gender is masculine; vāsana jālanāṁ nāśe; nāśe means when they become weaker
and weaker; they become feebler and feebler. It never becomes zero. You always
should remember, never expect to make it zero. It is idealism; it has never
happened; it can never happen. And if you expect zero; then that will create another
type of bondage and frustration; it should become feebler enough not to affect you.
It should become sufficiently feebler; that you can ignore that. They can maximum
come in the form of certain thoughts but they do not get concretised in the form of
words and actions. As a casual thought it can come; and as a casual thought, they
disappear also; without causing serious damage.
Page 1262

And therefore when they become feebler; then what happens? Ātma vāsana svayaṁ
sphuṭam bhavathi. ātma vāsana; the spiritual saṁskāra will become, more and more
prominent. Vēdantic way of life is no more deliberate for me, it has become
spontaneous. During nidhidhyasana time, vēdantic way of life is deliberate, it
required effort and in due course, it becomes spontaneous or natural.
And how can we know this progress? How can we know there is progress of not,
Svāmiji, will you give a certificate To Whomsoever it may concern; this student of
mine is a jīvan muktaḥ. Give me a certificate or something; how do I know I am
progressing or there is stagnation?
I have told you that we have got three parameters to know: what are they? No.1
study the frequency of your reactions, unhealthy reaction like jealousy, anger, fear,
frustration. How frequently it happens? Previously, in fact, it does not frequently
happen. In fact, I was in one of these. If not in anger, then in jealousy; if not in
jealousy, depression; if not in depression, fear. So I was travelling this one to that
one. That frequency becomes lesser and lesser. So reduction of frequency of
unhealthy responses to unfavourable situation is parameter No.1.
And what is the second parameter I have said? Intensity of this reaction. When the
intensity is high, the negative reaction expresses at three levels; thought, word and
deed. As Arjuna had sīdanti mama gāthrāṇi, mukham ca pariśuṣyati. Vepathusca
śarīraṁ me ..... For Arjuna, the intensity of reaction was so high, not only he was
extremely disturbed mentally; his mouth was parching; and he was having shivering
in the body; that is intensity. When the intensity is medium, there is no more
physical, mental and verbal. We will talk some rubbish and then later say sorry.
Thereafter tomorrow he continues with that itself. So it will become mental and
verbal. But when it is still feeble, it just rises in the mind, and I am able to manage
that in the mind level itself. That is the reduction of intensity.
And what is the final parameter I said? The duration of recovery period. After every
reaction, how long do I take to come back to normalcy. I have told you before.
Uttame kṣaṇa kōpasyāt,

madhyme ghatika dvayaṁ;
adhame syāt ahōrāthram,
pāpiṣte maraṇanthakaḥ.
Page 1263

Uttama puruṣaḥ anger may come, but it is kṣaṇa kōpaka; madhyme ghatika
dvayaṁ; in the madhyama puruṣaḥ it is for two ghatikas; a few minutes and
adhame syāt ahōrāthram. In the adhama puruṣaḥ, morning he gets anger,
throughout the day he can see that. And pāpiṣte maraṇanthakaḥ. He keeps the
anger so much that he tells that when I think of that person is dead and gone. If
and when I think of that person, you know, my blood boils. So that is called recovery
period is very high.
As the vāsana kṣaya takes places, all these three become lesser and lesser. And
again do not expect a flashy sudden change. And if you want to very strictly observe
the progress, the only method is diary writing; you have to see what all instances I
reacted. And what all I did? we have to examine our day-to-day behaviour. That is
the only way to find out where we stand; just as to know where do the children
stand, what do we have? school what we do? regular progress report. Schools the
teacher would give; here I do not want to give and observe you all and upset you.
So what I say is that you write your own progress report or ask one members of
your family to write it for you. Let them give; they are the fittest persons to give
your progress reports. I get both the reports. Some people say Svāmiji, my spouse
says that there is lot of change in you, therefore that person is encouraging and says
you go to the class, it is benefitting me. So when the spouse congratulates you, it is
your progress report. Or else problem. OK spouse may have a problem. That is a
different thing.
Here he says: sphuṭaṁ bhāthi svyaṁ. That means you do not have to do anything to
knowledge. Knowledge will become brighter, as the vāsana becomes feebler.
यथा यथा प्रत्यगविस मनः

तथा तथा मुञ्च� बाह्यवासना म |
�नःशेषमो�े स�त वासनानां
आत्मानुभू�त प्र�तबन्धशू ||२७६||
yathā yathā pratyagavasthitaṁ manaḥ
tathā tathā muñcati bāhyavāsanām |
niḥśēṣamōkṣē sati vāsanānāṁ
ātmānubhūtiḥ pratibandaśūnyā ||276||
Page 1264

Again the same idea is repeated in a different language. He says: yathā yathā
manaḥ pratyagavasthitaṁ, as even the mind practices nidhidhyāsanam more and
more; previously it is śravaṇa dominated sādhana; later it is nidhidhyasana pradhāna
sādhana. Initially śravaṇam is dominant, nidhidhyāsanam is less. And as time goes,
nidhidhyāsanam is more dominant; śravaṇam can be less. Therefore, as even this
nidhidhyāsanam begins to become more and more powerful. In what form?
pratyagavasthitaṁ, by the mind dwelling upon the ātma.
And ātma means what? my own true nature. Remember that always. My own higher
nature; my own real nature; my own beauty. My own greatness; I am so great; not
only Me; everyone of you can say: Why can't we own up? So that one's own
greatness; when the mind dwells; tathā tathā; as even this becomes stronger and
stronger, nidhidhyāsanam become stronger and stronger, bāhya vāsana munchati;
the renunciation of vāsana trayaṁ also becomes more and more. Munchati means
what? one gives up; one becomes freed from bāhya vāsana; bāhya vāsana is equal
to anātma vāsana, which is equal to vāsana trayaṁ. So nidhidhyāsanam is the
method of vāsana kṣaya and vāsananām niṣeṣa mokṣē sati. When the vāsanas are
totally eliminated; niṣeṣa mokṣē, totally eliminated.
Here we have to be careful. First of all I have made one point that you should
remember that we are bothered about durvāsana kṣayaṁ alone. When we say
vāsana kṣaya, we are only interested in durvāsana kṣaya. As far as śubha vāsanas
are concerned, they can continue.
So when durvāsanas are also gone totally, and totally means what? all most totally.
As I said never be idealistic. It is like the purity of an object. When they purify gold,
they use several process. Then the purity of gold is measured, 90% pure, 95%,
96%. When they want extremely pure gold, they use the electrolytic process and all;
and when they talk about its extremely pure gold, they will say 99.999999%, you
can infinite 9; they will never write 100.
There is no question of 100%, because Krishna himself tells this in the Gītā in the
14th chapter, prakāśam ca pravr̥ttim ca mōha mēva ca pāndava; even jñāni goes
through satva rājas tamas fluctuations; the only difference is in the case of jñāni,
satva is dominant; but even in his case, there can be moments of mōha; but it will
be so feeble; that it may just appear and disappear; without causing any permanent
damage to himself and others.
Page 1265

And therefore niṣeṣa mōkṣa, do not take literally; when they are as good as
destroyed. That means when their presence no more affects you. It has reached
such an amount of purity. Vāsanānām.
Then what happens? Ātma anubhūtiḥ; means self awareness. Which Self; not body
awareness or mind awareness or ego-awareness; but Self-awareness; that I am
different from all these things; this self-awareness becomes what? Continuous,
which they call as sahaja dhyānam; sahaja samādhi, etc. they use. What does it
means? Whatever I do in life, I do not lose sight of this fact. What is that? I am free.
I am free, not because there are no problems in the family; my freedom is not
because there are no family problem; my freedom is in spite of family problems; in
spite of company problems; in spite of physical problems; no joint works. So in spite
of physical problems, I am free. This is called self-awareness. Paśyan, Sr̥nvan,
sprasan, jihvan; indriyāṇi indriyārtheṣu varthanthe; guṇāḥ guṇēṣu vartantē; but
ahaṁ naiva kinchit karōmi. When, not during meditation; throughout the
transactions, the self awareness continues; that is called ātma anubhūtiḥ. Ātma
anubhūtiḥ does not mean a mystic experience. Very careful. It only means my Self
awareness.
What is that. Ahaṁ stūla sukṣma kāraṇa śarīrat vyathirikthaḥ; avasthaa traya sākṣi;
pañja kōśa vilakṣaṇa, sacchidanda svarūpaḥ asmi. Not that during transactions he
deliberately remembers that. Suppose you are doing some transaction. That is too
important; you are driving; that too Madras; Govindappan Naicken street. And there
while driving, even when all your sense organs are present and alert, you are in
trouble; while driving you say stūla sūkṣma kāraṇa śarīraat vyathirikthaat. So No.
What is constant self-awareness? Your mind is involved in deliberate worldly action

but in the back of the mind, there is the constant awareness. In the subconscious
mind, this is there constantly. So that is called prathibanda śoonya; without any
obstacle, there is the self-awareness.
So that is why ātma niṣṭa or jñāna niṣṭa should be defined in what form? Jñāna niṣṭa
is this. If the self-knowledge is available for your rescue, whenever you want, you
have got niṣṭa. If the self-knowledge like that fire service, 100, whatever it is; just
you call it comes; not that they say tyre puncture, etc. or else there is no water in
the tank; what is the use of fire service?
Page 1266

If it is immediately available for your rescue, like that jñānaṁ fire service, where;
sub-conscious fire station, jñānaṁ fire service is available; you do not ring them up
all the time; they will they put you in jail; you cannot recall the self-knowledge all
the time; you need not also; but whenever it is needed; if it is at your beck and call;
automatically it comes; depression comes, self-knowledge is activated. So in some
places in America or here; that if the smoke comes; automatically the alarm bell
rings; that is why the Indian people are not able to keep agarbathi in their American
homes; agarbathi you keep burning, the alarm rings and the Police comes. They
have to attend the pooja and go away. You can say that you called them to attend
the pooja! Anyway, it is automatically connected.
Similarly as even depression in the mind, fear rises in the mind, jealousy rises in the
mind; if it rises, we cannot help it, let it rise; but as even it rises, this knowledge
alarm ring should go; and this knowledge should go and handle that problem. That
is called self-awareness.
स्वात्मन् सदा िस्थत् मनो नश्य� यो�गनः |

वासनानां �यश्चात स्वाध्यासापन कुर ||२७७||
svātmanyēva sadā sthitvā manō naśyati yōginaḥ |
vāsanānāṁ kṣayaścātaḥ svādhyāsāpanayaṁ kuru ||277||
So therefore to enjoy jīvan mukthi, one has to do the vāsana kṣaya. It is imperative.
If your aim is jīvan mukthi; that is to enjoy peace of mind; to enjoy fulfilment, if that
is your aim; better you do this sādana; What is the sādana? Svātmanēva sadā
sthitva. May you dwell upon your own self. May you invoke your higher nature; May
you invoke the ātma; instead of ahaṁkāra, which is invoked all the time; may you
invoke your higher nature.
When? Sadā; always. Svāmiji how always: who will do our work in the home, do not
ask? So if one has no other work; OK. That is why I said, Śankarācārya keeps a
sanyāsi in mind; and therefore he says: sad sadā aa; for other people, we will
interpret as what? as often as possible. And nobody in the family speaks to you, do
not complain. Take it as an advantage. Because you can do nidhidhyāsanam.
Otherwise my son is not speaking to me at all! Very good; Thank the son; not
openly. But mentally thank the daughter in law; the daughter in law does not want
Page 1267

you to interfere in her affairs; well and good; you have got all the time for
nidhidhyāsanam.
Therefore as often as possible, may you dwell upon the self; which means, may you
practice nidhidhyāsanam and by way of that svādhyāsa apanāyam kuru. May you
remove your viparītha bhāvana. Sva adhyāsa means what: superimposition upon the
Self. False notions regarding the self. So svadhyāsa can be defined as viparītha
bhāvana or vāsana trayaṁ. So vāsana trayasya apanāyam; apanāyam means
weakening; you cannot suddenly take to whole thing; so thick is the dirt; that you
have to take layer by layer; and therefore svaadyaśa svasmin atmini adyaśaha;
svaadyaśaha; ātmani anātmatva buddhiḥ apanāyam kuru.
And by way of vāsana kṣaya, by what of that, what happens? Ataḥ vāsana kṣayaḥ
bhavathi. By that practice, vāsana will become feebler and feebler. So vāsana kṣaya
abhyasēna vāsana kṣayaḥ bhavathi.
And not only vāsana kṣaya comes, yōgi naḥ manaḥ naśyathi. The mind of such a
meditator gets destroyed. Manaḥ naśyati; the mind of such a meditator gets
destroyed; manō nāśaḥ takes place. Amani bhāva takes place.
What does it mean? I have told you before; do not take it literally. It is not jñāni's
mind is destroyed; if jñāni's mind is destroyed, he will be like a stone, because stone
is a stone why, because it does not have a mind. And a person minus mind is as
good as stone. Therefore jñāni's mind is not destroyed. It means the problematic
mind is destroyed. The binding mind is destroyed. The heavy mind is destroyed. And
in its place comes a beautiful light enjoyable mind.
How do you know jñāni has got a such a mind? Krishna says: santuṣta satatam yōgi;
advēṣtā sarvabhūtānam, maitra karuṇā ēva ca. Jñāni has got compassion; jñāni has
got contentment. Compassion where is it; in the mind or in the ātma? compassion
will be where; in the mind alone. Therefore jñāni has got a mind; and what type of
mind; compassionate mind. light mind. Then the previous binding terrible mind is
destroyed. Ignorant mind is destroyed. It is called manō nāśaḥ.
More details we will see in the next class. Hari Om.
Page 1268

098. Verses 278 to 281

ॐ
As a part of the nidhidhyāsanam topic, Śaṁkarācāryā is talking about vāsana kṣaya

and manō nāśaḥ which is the removal of the obstacles for enjoying jñāna phalam.
As I had said repeatedly, vāsana kṣayaṁ is not for jñāna prāphiḥ; manō nāśaḥ is
also not for jñāna prāphiḥ; vāsana nāśaḥ and manō nāśaḥ are only for jñāna phala
prāpti; which means a person must have attained jñānaṁ before, by the practice of
śravaṇam. Śravaṇam alone can give jñānaṁ.
And jñānaṁ which does not come through śravaṇam cannot come through any
other means. And since we are interested in jñāna phalam; Śankarācārya says: may
you pratice nidhidhyāsanam and thus attain vāsana kṣaya manō nāśārūpa
prathibanda nivr̥tti. And that he repeats in the following verses beginning from 277.
In eight verses, he uses the expression svādhyāsāpanayaṁ kuru. So the fourth
quarter of all these eight slōkas is the same; svādhyāsāpanayaṁ kuru. Svadhyāsa
means superimposition; mistake or viparītha bhāvana; sva adhyāsa can be
interpretted in two ways; svasmin ātmani anātmanaḥ adhyāsaḥ and anātmani
svasya ātmanaḥ adhyāsaḥ. Superimposition of ātma upon anātma and
superimposition of anātma upon ātma; which is called anyonya adhyāsaḥ; mutual
superimposition. In the rope snake example, when a person says: “this is a
poisonous snake”, THIS refers to the rope only and upon the rope which is not a
snake at all; there is a superimposition of snake as well as poison. So poisonous
snake is superimposed upon the rope. So rajjau sarpasya adhyāsaḥ.
And there is another imposition also; when we say there IS a snake; the snake does
not have existence of its own; existence belongs to the rope alone; that existence
which belongs to the rope has been transferred to the snake. And therefore there is
exchange of snakeness and existence; snakeness is given to the rope and the
existence of the rope is given to the snake. This mutual tranferrence of snakeness
and existence is called anyōnya adhyāsaḥ.
Page 1269

Similarly when a person says I am a human being, the humanness which does not
belong to the ātma, because ātma is not a human being or animal; the humanness
is superimposed on ātma and the AMness, i.e. when you say I am; AMness means
existence, the existence which belongs to the ātma is transferred to the human
being; who is really speaking non-existent. Thus existence is superimposed on
anātma; and anātma properties are superimposed on ātma. Properties
superimposition is anātma superimposition on ātma; existent superimposition is
ātma superimposition on anātma. Similarly consciousness also. So wherever
properties are involved, there you should say anātma is superimposed on ātma;
wherever existence or consciousness is involved; there you should say ātma
superimposition on anātma, which is called anyōnya adhyāsaḥ; that is indicated by
the word; svadyāsaḥ. That svadyāsaḥ indicates both superimposition. Svasmin
anātmanaḥ adhyāsaḥ and anātmani svasya adhyāsaḥ. In one, svasmin, sapthami
vibhakti; in the other svasya; śaṣti vibhakti. Thus it is sapthami tatpuruṣaḥ
śamaasena, and shasti tatpuruṣaḥ samāsēna, adhyāsa dvayaṁapi anēna padēna
ucyatē and May you remove this mutual superimposition.
And this being important, Śankarācārya is repeating this several times. We have
seen up to 277.
तमो द्वाभ्य रजः सत्त्वात्सत शुद्ध नश्य� |

तस्मात्सत्त्वमव स्वाध्यासापन कुर ||२७८||
tamō dvābhyāṁ rāja ḥ sattvātsattvaṁ śuddhēna naśyati |
tasmātsattvamavaṣṭabhya svādhyāsāpanayaṁ kuru ||278||
svādhyāsā apanayaṁ kuru. Apanaya means what: negation; elimination. Of what:

the anātma upon yourselves. So may you eliminate all the superimpositions that
you have taken upon yourselves; just as the elephant throws mud on its body. So
the elephant man; the mahout; takes the elephant to a river; and you can imagine
bathing an elephant and he gives an elaborate bath; in fact elephant enjoys the
bath; and it comes out; it is shining black now; and it is tied to a tree and the first
job that it does is take mud and put on itself. Elephant does it instictively because
they say it is required for temperature control. That is one of the methods of
controlling body temperature it seems. And therefore Bhagavān has given it the
instinctive capacity.
Page 1270

But if the elephant does that; it is wonderful; but when the human being does that,
it is problem. Already we have thrown the mud of stūla śarīra dharmās, sūkṣma
śarīra dharmas, kāraṇa śarīra dharmās, we have thrown. And the poor guru, takes
all the elephant śiṣyās to the river of vēdānta abhyāsa and washes; manōbuddhya
ahaṁkhāra cittani nathvam. When you teach, it should be nathvam instead of
naahaṁ. And he bathes them with this knowledge in the one hour class; so after all
the washing, the student puts on the chappal and the first job that he does is what:
put on all the attributes. And I become a father, mother, husband, son, mother,
employer, employee; all those things are again dropped.
Therefore Śankarācārya says; the teacher can wash only to some extent; the rest of
the job should be your responsibility and therefore may you wash off the three
guṇas and may you own up the nirguṇa caitanyaṁ. And the three guṇas also cannot
be washed in one sweep; he says tamōguṇa is washed off by rajōguṇa and satva
guṇa; rajō guṇa must be washed off by satva guṇa; and satva guṇa must be
washed off by jñānaṁ.
So tamō dvābhyāṁ; tamōguṇa naśyati; naśyati is at the end of the first line. Tamaḥ
naśyati. Here naśyati means it is negated, eliminated by dvābhyāṁ; dvābhyāṁ
means what; rajō and satva guṇābhyam. naśyati. Rāja ha satvāt naśyati. Rajō guṇa
is eliminated by satva guṇa and satvam śuddhe na naśyati. Satva guṇa is eliminated
by śuddha ātma or śuddha ātma jñānēna naśyati.
So the method here is when you want to remove the impurities from the body; what
do you do: you apply soap. The soap is meant to remove the impurity. But after
removing the impurities by the soap, then what do you do; the soap also has to be
eliminated by what: water. Then water also has to be eliminated by wiping; you
have to wipe. All the three are correct, isn't. Impurities by soap; soap by water; and
water by final wiping the body. This alone Krishna said in the Gītā also.
रजस्तमश्चा�भभ सत्त् भव�त भारत |
रजः सत्त् तमश्चै तमः सत्त् रजस्तथ ||१४- १०||
rajastamaścābhibhūya sattvaṁ bhavati bhārata |

rajaḥ sattvaṁ tamaścaiva tamaḥ sattvaṁ rajastathā ||14- 10||
Page 1271

Therefore satvam śuddēna naśyati. So Tamōguṇa pradhāna to rajō guṇa pradhāna

you come. Rāja guṇa pradhāna to satva guṇa pradhāna and satva guṇa pradhāna to
not nirguṇa pradhāna; nirguṇam you come.
Tasmāt, therefore, satvam avaṣṭabhya. By resorting to satva guṇa, by resorting to

satva guṇa; svadhyāsa apanāyam kuru; may you eliminate all the adyasās.
And here we have to note an important point. The scriptures talk about vāsana
kṣaya ha. And even it was mentioned aṣēṣa vāsana kṣayaḥ.
Now we should ask a question. It is possible to eliminate all the vāsanas absolutely.
Will there be a future event; when all the vāsanas are absolutely gone; nirguṇam
Brahma alone will remain. Will such a thing happen at all. Many people think that
the last vāsana will also go away and not only that they even assume that
knowledge itself will come only after all the vāsanas are gone.
In fact, if you are going to wait for the knowledge to take place; after the
elimination of all the vāsanas; it is alike samudra snānēna when there are no waves;
it is an impossible illogical impractical proposition.
So we have to understand this; vāsana kṣaya consists of two parts; because vāsana
is of two types. Śubha vāsana and aśubha vāsana. Aśubha vāsana is the one which
is responsible for unhealthy responses in life; kāma krōdhaḥ lobhaḥ mōha madaḥ
mātsaryam; they all come under aśubha vāsana or durvāsana.
So our first aim is weakening the durvāsana with the help of śubha vāsana.
Weakening the durvāsana by śubha vāsana is our first aim.
Śubhaaśubhābhyām mārgābhyām vahanthi vāsana sarith;

pauruṣēna prayathnēna yojaniya śubhē pathi.
So develop śubha vāsanas to weaken aśubha vāsana. And as even the aśubha
vāsanas are weakened, our negative responses will come down; which can be
measured through three factors; I have talked about these three factors; the
frequency of reactions come down; the intensity of reactions come down; and the
recovering period also comes down. If you get 20 times a day, it comes down to 19;
progress. So frequency comes down.
Page 1272

Intensity. And how do you measure the intense reactions manifest at three levels;
mind, word and body. Less intense reactions express at two levels; mind and
words; and the least intense reactions express only at one level: that is mind. So
when the reactions come down and it is only at the mental level; I do not hurt
others; by my words and actions; it is only purely a subjective problem; which I can
learn to manage conveniently. I am no more threat to the Society. Because my
negative responses are only inside and I only have to learn to manage it
conveniently. Then it is called weak response or intensity is limited. And finally,
recovery period also becomes minimum. I come back to my normalcy within a few
minutes even. So durvāsana can be made into minimum. Durvāsana cannot be made
into zero. Just as hundred percent pure gold does not exist; even the best
purification process can bring about only 99.99999999999..... % only. 100% pure
gold does not exist.
Similarly 100% durvāsana kṣaya does not exist and it is not required also. And that
is why Krishna said even for a jñāni there are moments of disturbances; prakāśam
pravr̥ttim ca mōham ēva ca pāndava. But those disturbances are so feeble; that it
cannot cause any permanent damage to either himself or others. They are only a
passing phenomenon. They give the example: like writing in waters. If you write in
water; will it be seen. You write; but it is not there at all. Therefore as far as
durvāsana is concerned, we make it as weak as possible.
And what about śubha vāsana. śubha vāsana is never eliminated; cannot be
eliminated, because if you have to eliminate śubha vāsana, you will have to replace
it by what. Durvāsanaya by śubha vāsana you replaced. Now if you have eliminate
śubha vāsana, then you have to come back to durvāsana. So śubha vāsana cannot
be and need not be eliminated. Why it should be eliminated. And the śubha vāsanas
are called satva guṇas and satva vāsanas, which cannot be and which need not be
eliminated.
Then comes the next question. Then how does Śankarācārya say: that you have to
eliminate all of them, including satva guṇa. How do we talk about sarva vāsana
kṣaya ha. Is it possible or is it not possible? This is the secret of vēdānta we
should know. The idea is: śubha vāsana is "also eliminated" within quote in a
different way. Satva guṇa is also eliminated in a different way. That "elimination"
should be within quotes.
Page 1273

And what is that way of elimination. Purely by shifting the "I" from the
anthakāraṇam. By shifting the "I" from the anthakāraṇam; the mind, I claim that I
am free from śubha vāsanas also.
I will explain it; understand it correctly. Jñāni's mind will have what vāsana; śubha
vāsana. But what does jñāni say. I do not have any vāsana at all.
How to reconcile this. can you understand. Jñāni's mind is full of satva guṇa; jñāni's
mind is full of śubha vāsana; jñāni also might have very very very weak aśubha
vāsana;
but jñāni says: I am free from all vāsanas. How does he say so. By claiming that I
am not the anthakāraṇam; anthakāraṇam has got vāsanas; I am stūla sūkṣma
kāraṇa śarīra vyathiriktha ātma asmi; and ātma has got which vāsana. Śubha
vāsana? ātma does not have śubha vāsana nor aśubha vāsana.
Therefore jñāni from ātma dr̥ṣṭi is totally free from vāsanas; whereas jñāni from the
standpoint of his mind, he is full of what vāsana, śubha vāsana. Anthakāraṇa
dr̥ṣṭyā, jñāni has got śubha vāsana; ātma dr̥ṣṭyā, jñāni has no vāsana.
Therefore remember, our vāsana kṣaya ṁ also must be up to some extent only.
After vāsana kṣaya ṁ to some extent; our aim should be what: no more vāsana
kṣaya ; but our aim should be to disown the vāsana.
Initially you weaken the vāsanas; durvāsanās; and thereafterwards, what do you do;
you should say why should I remove the vāsanas. In fact, as long as I want to
remove the vāsanas, I am identified with what: identified with my anthakāraṇam.
That means vēdānta has not been listened. The stronger I want to remove the
vāsanas; stronger is my identification with the mind. If I clearly know that I am the
ātma, ever free from vāsanas; why should I remove the vāsanas. Therefore vāsana
kṣaya is done in two stage. First weaken the durvāsanas; then later, disown all the
vāsanas.
And that last stage is pointed out here as satvam śuddēna naśyati. śuddēna means
by owning the vāsana rahita ātma; I drop my attempt for vāsana kṣayaṁ. And
therefore svadhyāsa apanāyam kuru.
Page 1274

.
प्रारब पुष्य� वपु�र�त �निश्चत �नश्चल |
धैयर्मालम् यत्ने स्वाध्यासापन कुर ||२७९||

prārabdhaṁ puṣyati vapuriti niścitya niścalaḥ |
dhairyamālambya yatnēna svādhyāsāpanayaṁ kuru ||279||
So this is a special advice to sanyāsi jñāni. In fact many of the slōkas are addressed
to a sanyāsi jñāni. In the case of a sanyāsi; he should not possess anything. And
therefore he does not have any security in the empirical sense of the term. He is not
supposed to possess any bank account; he is not supposed to save money; he is not
supposed to prepare people for his future protection; all these future plannings are
allowed for gr̥hastha. In the old age, who will take care of me. Hopefully the son
will take care; big hope. Otherwise plan for some old age home or something. And
nowadays the children are undependable; and we have to keep something in the
bank for ourselves. do not spend everything for the child; that is the new theory.
They say even if the son is good, what type of daughter-in-law will come; we do not
know. Therefore planning for the future is one of the common tendencies of human
being; and in the case of gr̥hastha; it is allowed to some extent.
Therefore prepare for the future. There also I say only to some extent, because
whatever preparations you do, whether it will succeed or not only your fate will tell;
the best example being Daśaratha himself. Even though he had all the gems of
children, at the time of death he had to die of putra sōkha. Instead of sons'
removing the sorrow, son became,what, the cause of sorrow itself.
And therefore even in the case of gr̥hastha, future preparation can be only to some
extent; the rest must be what: ananyāścintayantō māṁ yē janāḥ paryupāsatē; only
Bhagavān. The children may not be here, what to do. They are far away America,
Russia, Japan, etc. and if you phone, the phones are also not working; whether they
will be available for the emergency or not is not known; neighbour might have to
help me. How do you know who will help me. Therefore in the case of gr̥hastha,
50% puruṣārtaḥ and 50% Īśvara kripa has to take care of the future.
In the case of a sanyāsi; he is not supposed to plan for the future. That is what is
called ultimate saraṇāgathi. I do not want to take care of my future; whatever
Bhagavān wants to do through my prārabham; yadr̥cchālābhasantuṣṭō dvandvātītō
Page 1275

vimatsaraḥ; even for next time food he is not supposed to plan, you know. Advance
bhikṣa booking and all not correct. A sanyāsi should never do. When hunger; he has
to go to any place and ask: Bhavathi bhikṣāṁ dēhi. Whatever comes he is supposed
to live. If insult comes, take that also. Manāpamānayos tulyaḥ, and if in one house
they give bhikṣā with insult; and the other house, they give bhikṣa with pūjā, śāstra
says: go to the house where they insult you, so that you do not develop ego,
because if you get so much pūjā, ego can come. Therefore never give a scope for
ego. So these are the instructions. Therefore Śankarācārya is addressing those
sanyāsis; jñānis and say: do not bother about even your physical protection.
Prārabhdam vapuḥ puṣyati. Surrender to your prarabdam. Prārabhdāya śamarpitam
sva vapurithēṣa manēṣha mama, iti niscitya; have a firm conviction in that.
And why this jñāni sanyāsi should not use puruṣārtaḥ. Because all the puruṣārtaḥ
efforts are meant for mōkṣa prāpti, and since he has already attained jñānaṁ, what
more puruṣārtaḥ is there. Body is preserved for what purpose. Only for one
purpose. According to śāstra, body has to be preserved for only purpose; that is
jñānaṁ. And this person has attained jñānaṁ; because he is addressing the jñāni
sanyāsi; and therefore he says: why should you try to preserve this body. You
should not destroy the body; that also you have no right; whatever be God's will; if
God wills that this body has to serve the society, let it serve. If God thinks that body
has done its job, let God take the body away.
And Jīvithēna na maraṇē, krithim kuryāt. Neither attached to life nor attached to
death. May this be your attitude.
I am saying that this is an advice for a sanyāsi, because in the case of a gr̥hastha,
he will have to do some of the activities for the sake of the family. He has to
preserve his body. If not for his sake; suppose a jñāni gr̥hastha is there like you,
OK; if jñāni gr̥hasthas are there; even though he may not be interested in
preserving his body, he has to preserve for the sake of the other members. that is
OK. But sanyāsi cannot give any such excuse. Therefore he says: prārabdhaṁ vapuḥ
puṣyati iti niścitya; thus ascertaining in the mind, niscala bhava; may you not bother
about tomorrow; may you not bother about tonight; may you not bother about this
afternoon bhikṣa. May you not bother about next moment; live moment to moment.
Enjoying this knowledge and enjoying whatever happens in life.
Page 1276

And dhairyam ālambya yatnēna; and this requires tremendous courage. And as long
as dēhābhīmāna is strong; there is a fear of old age; disease and death. Stronger
the dēhābhīmāna, stronger the fear. And therefore Śankarācārya says: dairyam
ālambya; may you be bold; nothing will happen to you. If jñāna śāstram is there;
anything happens, you can meet. May you have faith in this knowledge. In fact,
greatest weapon is jñāna weapon alone. Nothing can give as much security as
jñānaṁ. So dairyam ālambya, resorting to courage born out of this wisdom;
svādhyāsāpanayaṁ kuru; So may you remove the habitual aśubha vāsana like
anxiety, worry about children, and even certain sanyāsi when they have a set up,
they might worry, after I go, what will happen to my this āśram; who will protect it.
So I went to North India with another svāmi ; and there one old sanyāsini lady; and
she has got a beautiful āśram; she is very old and she was interested in getting
somebody to take care of her āśram; and she has told about it to my friend Svāmi ;
and then my friend Svāmi took me to that place and she thought that I am the
candidate for that. And some extra respect; extra pūjā; somebody has at least
reached; how many Āsramas have offered their āsramās to me, do you know.
Because there are many svāmis; who are afraid or worried about the future of the
āsramās. Then what is the difference between sanyāsi and gr̥hastha. One is worried
about the company and another is worried about the family and another is worried
about the āsrama. I do not say that one should not have āsramas, very careful; and
I do not say all the svāmi s with āsramas are worried; but what I am saying is: if
one has a āsrama, one has to be alert, that the āsrama should not become a
bondage.
And therefore yatnēna; be very careful; not allowing anything that you have, to bind
you. Instead of worrying about the children, worry about śiṣyas. That is also worry.
Therefore yatnēna. Do not allow any blessed thing to bind you. whether you are a
gr̥hastha or sanyāsi.
.
नाहं जीवः परं ब्रह्मेत्यतद्व्यावृित्त |
वासनावेगतः प्राप्तस्वाध्यास कुर ||२८०||
nāhaṁ jīvaḥ paraṁ brahmētyatadvyāvr̥ttipūrvakam |

vāsanāvēgataḥ prāptasvādhyāsāpanayaṁ kuru ||280||
Page 1277

So whenever these worries come; either the worry is because dēha abhīmāna; I
worry about myself; or the next worry is about my belongings; mamakāra janita
worry; either ahaṁkāra janita anxiety, udvegaḥ; or I say I am not bothered about
myself; but I am worried about my wife or husband; if I go, how will she live or how
will he live. And children are not that responsible; I have done everything every
carefully; therefore who will die first; when one dies what will the other do; this is
the worry born out of what: mamakāra.
So when ahaṁkāra mamakāra generates anxiety, may you claim nothing belongs to
me. Nothing belongs to me; everything belongs to God or totality; and the loss of
karma will determine the future of everyone; as long as people and things are in my
hands; I can do what I can do; but I will not allow them to cause worry. This is the
biggest exercise, because even after the study of vēdānta; these basic worries do
not go away; and all the worries are born out of either ahaṁkāra or mamakāra. You
trace any worry back, it will go to either your worried about your body; or wife's
body or children's body; something or the other.
Therefore what should you say: Na ahaṁ jīvaḥ. I am not the jīvātma consisting of
body mind complex. On the other hand, param Brahma; asaṅgam Brahma;
saṁbanda rahitam brahma;

If you get family worry, chant this slōka 108 times! Family worry need not come
anew; it is always there permanently. So na mē mr̥tyuśaṅkā, it is my worry;
whether I will leave; that worry; pitā naiva mē naiva mātā na janma; pitā worry,
mātā worry, bandhu worry, mithram worry; claim cidānandarūpaḥ śivō:'haṁ
śivō:'ham.
Page 1278

So nāhaṁ jīva para Brahma asmi; I am Brahman iti atad vyāvr̥ttipūrvakam; more
than asserting what I am; we should spend negating what I am not. Otherwise
ahaṁ Brahma you would be repeating and crying.
Therefore ahaṁ Brahma is less important than I am not a father; I am not a mother;
I am not a husband; I am not a wife; that is called asad vyavrithi; vyavrithi means
what: elimination. Atad means what: everything other than Brahman. Brahma
binnam sarvaṁ vyavrithya.
And what is that: stūla śarīraṁ is asad; sūkṣma śarīraṁ is asad; kāraṇa śarīraṁ is
asad; So Sad means Brahman or asad means abrahma or anātma. Still it is easier.
Sad means ātma; asad means anātma; atad vyavr̥tti means anātma negation. So
with anātma negation; may you own up the ātma. vāsanāvēgataḥ
prāptasvādhyāsāpanayaṁ kuru; thus may you eliminate the habitual identification,
which is born out of heavy vāsana. That I am husband, and I am father; this vāsana
I have carefully nourished everytime I relate to my wife or husband, I am very
strongly invoking what: that I am husband or wife. Everytime I interact with my
children, I am invoking my fatherhood.
Thus through every empirical transaction, I have nourished and nourished and
nourished; this habitual identification. Therefore as many times I have nourished, so
many times I have to negate. If a nail has to be pulled out, the effort is directly
proportional to the effort I have used to drive the nail inside. The more I have
hammered, the more I have to pull strongly. Therefore vēdānta is not a joke. It
requires tremendous perseverance. And therefore he says: vāsana vēgataḥ; vēga
means the force. The momentum; the power of habitual reaction is so strong, that
you will have to deliberately eliminate that.
.
श्रुत यक
ु ्त् स्वानुभूत् �ात्व सावार्त्म्यमात |
क्व�चदाभासत प्राप्तस्वाध्यास कुर ||२८१||
śrutyā yuktyā svānubhūtyā jñātvā sārvātmyamātmanaḥ |

kvacidābhāsataḥ prāptasvādhyāsāpanayaṁ kuru ||281||
Page 1279

While Śaṁkarācāryā is emphasising nidhidhyāsanam, he is worried that a person

may lose sight of the importance of śravaṇa-mananam. Therefore he wants to once
again remind that consistent and long study of scriptures is as important as
Nidhidhyāsanam.
A casual study of scriptures is never sufficient. Long-study is important. And that

too consistency is important that too systematic, step by step doing is important; it
should be like a building in which every brick is kept one over the other, very
carefully. If you dump a lorry of bricks, it would not become house, you have to take
each brick, and one brick should be put over the other carefully.
Similarly, one idea No.1 sādana catuṣṭaya saṁpatti; then stūla śarīraṁ vicāra;
sūkṣma śarīra vicāraḥ; kāraṇa śarīra vicāraḥ; ātma vicāraḥ. Then stūla prapañja
vicāraḥ and sūkṣma prapañja vicāraḥ and kāraṇa prapañja vicāraḥ and Brahma
vicāraḥ. Then the ātma and Brahma aikya vicāraḥ. There is a order involved.
And that you can never neglect. Neglecting that you do any amount of meditation,
no benefit; therefore he tells in the first line, ātmanaḥ saarvaatmyam jñātva; before
nidhidhyāsanam, jñānaṁ must have come. Before the practice of vēdantic
meditation, one should gain knowledge. So ātmanaḥ ssarvaatmyam; saarvaatmyam
means Brahma bhāvaḥ; wholeness; completeness of oneself; jñātva, one has to
know very clearly, doubtlessly, with the help of three pramāṇams; śruti, yukthi and
anubhava.
Śruti means śāstra pramāṇa, yukthi means reasoning in keeping with śāstra, and
anubhavaḥ; anubhavaḥ does not mean Brahma anubhava. As I said, Brahma
anubhava you need not work for, because that is the only anubhava which
everybody has got all the time. Why, because Brahman is consciousness;
consciousness is one thing which we experience, when: even now we are
experiencing consciousness, because of which alone we are able to experience the
class. Therefore here anubhava means the knowledge in keeping with our daily
anubhava. Avasthathraya anubhava anusārēṇa.
That is why avasthathraya vicārah is part of vēdantic study. When śruti gives the
svapna example, the teaching is in keeping with our day-to-day experience. Suṣupti
experience is talked about all the time. svapna experience is talked about all the
time; therefore your knowledge should not contradict śruti; your knowledge should
Page 1280

not contradict reasoning; your knowledge should not contradict what: our daily
experience also. Therefore keeping these three factors; śrutyā yuktyā svānubhūtyā
jñātvā. First may you know Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi doubtlessly.
And after clear knowledge you have the problem of habit, because habit will
continue even after knowledge. I have given you the example before also. When
your tap is under repair, you know the tap is under repair and you yourselves by
habit go and open the tap. Is it caused because of ignorance or habit? Even though
knowledge is there, habit leads to that way of behaviour. And the tap was under
repair for many days. And therefore your regularly taking the bucket water and
washing. Now you have formed a new habit; what is that; you go for bucket water.
One day the tap is repaired. And you have fought with the plumber; and he has
asked for more money; you know now the tap is working; and again you look for
bucket.
That means what: knowledge does not eliminate habit; habit has to be eliminated by
separate effort. Therefore however much you Gītā and Upaṇiṣad, the habitual
problem cannot be solved; that has to solved by separate effort and what is that
effort; home work you have to do. Just attending the class is not enough at all; you
have to do home work; you have to study how often you react; on whom and all you
shout; for what you are shouting, you have to write in the dairy; and the ten
commandments discipline you should practice. There is no other go. And therefore
kvacid abhāsata prāpthaḥ; kvacid means anātmani; in whichever anātma you have
abhīmāna, may you remove. For one it is wife abhīmāna; for one it is child
abhīmāna, for another it is grandchild abhīmāna, which varies from individual to
individual; wherever there is strong abhīmāna, there you pay special attention. That
is called nidhidhyāsanam exercise.
More.
Hari Om.
099. Verses 281 to 284
श्रुत यक
ु ्त् स्वानुभूत् �ात्व सावार्त्म्यमात |
Page 1281

क्व�चदाभासत प्प्तस्वाध्यासाप कुर ||२८१||

śrutyā yuktyā svānubhūtyā jñātvā sārvātmyamātmanaḥ |
kvacidābhāsataḥ prāptasvādhyāsāpanayaṁ kuru ||281||
After comprehensively presenting the vēdantic teaching up to verse No.253, now

from verse no.254 onwards, Śankarācārya is dealing with the topic of nidhidhyāsana.
And I have said that the purpose of nidhidhyāsanam is not attainment of jñānaṁ;
because jñānaṁ and conviction, niscaya jñānaṁ have to come through śravaṇa
mananam only. And therefore we should be very clear about the purpose of
nidhidhyāsanam; it is neither for knowledge; nor for conviction. Knowledge comes
through śravaṇam; conviction comes through mananam.
Then what is the purpose of nidhidhyāsanam? Not any mystic experience also.
Vēdantin is never interested in mystic experiences; because all mystic experiences
are connected with mystic anātma. He is interested in ātma, which is not an object
of any particular experience. Therefore no experience is the aim; knowledge is not
the aim; conviction is not the aim; then what is the aim? As I said conversion of
jñānaṁ into jñāna niṣṭa. Conversion of jñānaṁ into jīvan muktiḥ.
Then the question comes, what do you mean by muktiḥ? Of course we have got two
forms of mukthi; jīvan and vidēha mukthi. Vidēha mukthi we need not talk about
now, because we are happily alive. In fact, once jñānaṁ is driḍam, vidēha mukthi
takes care of itself; we need not bother about that; about freedom from punarjanma
it is taken care of. We are more bothered about the saṁsāra while alive; and what is
the definition of saṁsāra while alive? Saṁsāra is nothing but kāma, krōdhaḥ,
lobhaḥ, mōha, madaḥ, mātsarya; aśānthi, fear, anxiety; these are the saṁsāra
expressed while we are living.
And this saṁsāra is experienced in our mind; fear is not something I imagine; it is
something experienced. Anxiety, frustration, jealousy; these are all experienced
emotional problems while we are alive. Therefore saṁsāra comes under dr̥ṣṭa plane,
it is within an experienced plane. And therefore what is the definition of jīvan
mukthi? Freedom from these experienced emotional problems, which is purely my
private problem, because nobody sees my anxiety. My anxiety is mine. My fear is
mine. All the other family members continue to sleep while I am spending sleepless
night. It is intensly mine.
Page 1282

Therefore if emotional problems are mine, freedom from those problems also, who
will experience? I have to experience, which is called jīvan muktiḥ, So jīvan muktiḥ is
an experienced, experienceable result in the form of freedom from all these regular
problems. And jñānaṁ has to give this benefit; duhkēṣu anudvigna manāḥ;
sukēṣu vigathaspruḥ, etc. This benefit the jñānaṁ has to give.
Therefore jīvan mukthi is something I can know intimately. If fear is something I

know intimately; as my experience, freedom from fear is also something which I
experience intimately. Therefore you should not ask, Svāmiji how will I know
whether I am a jīvanmukthan or not. Suppose I ask you the question, whether you
know you have fear or not; do you know or not; I know intimately experienced. So
freedom from fear also I know; in fact not I know; I alone know. And this freedom
from these psychological emotional problems is jīvan mukthi; jñānaṁ has to be
converted into that.
And logically speaking, jñānaṁ will naturally express in the form of jīvan muktiḥ. In
fact we should not be working for jīvan mukthi; because jñānaṁ at the intellectual
level has to naturally flow into the mind in the form of jīvan mukthi. Just as jalam if
it is there, should naturally come down. But if jñānaṁ does not naturally express in
the form of jīvan mukthi; there is some obstacle for this natural flow. Just like, if
water does not flow down; it is not the law is violated, the gravitational law would
always work; you have to look for what? What is that which is stopping the flow of
water and remove that. Then I do not have to request: Oh water: come down, come
down, etc. you do not have to invite; natural. Similarly, we have got certain mental
blocks or obstacles, which is not permitting jñānaṁ to express in the form of jīvan
muktiḥ and the removal of the block is nidhidhyāsanam. This block is generally
called viparītha bhāvana; durvāsana; dēha abhīmānaḥ; viparyayaḥ; these are all
various names given.
In this context, Śankarācārya uses the word. vāsana. Vāsana means what: my habit
of fearing, habit of anxiety. This habit becomes an obstacle. And therefore
nidhidhyāsanam is breaking my habitual ways of thinking. And it is called vāsana
kṣaya ṁ. And Śankarācārya presents this very same process in different languages.
You call it viparītha bhavana nivr̥tti; you call it vāsana kṣayaḥ and now Śankarācāryā
uses the word sva adhyāsaḥ. Sva adhyāsaḥ means what: habitual mixing up of ātma
and anātma.
Page 1283

Like saying I am very clear that I am Brahman; but my worry is only about my wife.
You just think about this sentence. So I know I am Brahman; I am worried about my
wife. What is the meaning of I in the first sentence; I know I am Brahman. So I
means Brahman. Second sentence what he says? I am worried about my wife. So
wife means Brahman's wife? So if you say I am Brahman, then Brahman's wife
means Brahman's wife. This mix up, we do not recognise at all. That I have to
explain even, you see. That there is a flaw in between the first sentence and the
second sentence, itself is not recognised by us, because we are slipping or we are
not, what to say, shuttling between I-the-ātma; and I-the ahaṁkāra unknowingly.
First recognising this problem itself is a part of nidhidhysanam. For what reason I am
worried. Each time I am worried, my I is shuttling; this information, knowledge
takes some time to sink in. In fact, once you have diagnosed the problem, then the
solution is relatively simpler. And therefore, Śankarācārya here says: sva adhyāsaḥ;
sva means sva means ātma; superimposition of ātma on anātma; superimposition of
anātma on ātma. superimposition of ātma on anātma and superimposition of anātma
on ātma. So svasya adhyāsaḥ; svasmin adhyāsaḥ. In short, mixing up of ātma and
ahaṁkāra.
And this is viparītha bhāvana. This mixing up is responsible for many of our habitual
worries. And therefore in nidhidhyāsanam, I learn to stand aside as ātma and learn
to look at ahaṁkāra objectively. In fact, objective perception of ahaṁkāra helps me
accept many of the so-called problems. I learned to look at them not as problems;
but as situations. A situation is called a problem, when there is abhīmāna. When you
read a obituary in the newspaper, death is a news. What happens to you? Nothing
happens. But when the very same death happens; little bit in closer quarters; death
is the same; previously death is a situation which is natural to creation; and now
death is a tragedy.
What converts situation into tragedy is ātma ahaṁkāra mix up. What converts
situations into tragedy is the mix up of ātma and ahaṁkāra. This mix up is the
habitual process, which Śankarācārya calls sva adhyāsaḥ.
Then what is the job? Weaken the sva adhyāsaḥ, which is a vāsana, which is a
viparītha bhavana. Therefore he is repeating sva adhyāsaḥ apanāyam kuru. Where
did he start? 277 he started, every slōka m you see, in the last sentene. svayadyaśa
Page 1284

apanāyam kuru; sva adhyāsaḥ apanāyam kuru; sva adhyāsaḥ apanāyam kuru. In
281 also sva adhyāsaḥ apanāyam kuru; learn to look at situations from ātma and not
ahaṁkāra stand point. From Ahaṁkāra stand point, what is seen as tragedy, that
same thing, seen from the standpoint of the ātma is natural situation; universal law.
That is why it is told of Buddha; when somebody came and complained that
somebody has died; what did he say? He said, go to one house in which no death
has taken place. What is the idea of this suggestion? When a person goes to every
person says somebody has died. Somebody has died means what? It is seen as
universal law. And once it is universal law, how can you call it a tragedy. And if you
call it a tragedy, who is going to suffer more. I am going to suffer because there is
no solution for the universal law. That means life-long I should suffer tragedies only.
Therefore with regard to universal laws, even prārabhdam comes under universal
law; I learn to look at many situations as ahaṁkāra's prārabhdam and prārabhdam
comes under Īśvara's law; and therefore I cannot complain; I should look upon it as
a situation. Just like in summer, heat is a situation. In winter; cold is a situation.
Conversion of jīva sr̥ṣṭi into Īśvara sr̥ṣṭi; conversion of viṣaya into padārta.
In Saṁsr̥kt there are two words: Padārta when you say it means an object. Viṣayaḥ
means a binding entity. Subjective if you see, it would be viṣayaṁ; but if you look at
it from objective standpoint, it would be padārtam. This is a time-consuming long
process. Converting every problem into situation.
Therefore he says: srutya yuktya sva anubhutya; sr̥ṣṭya means through śruti
pramāṇa, yuktya means through yukti pramāṇa, sva anubhūtya means anubhava
pramāṇa. Anubhava is not mystical experience. Anubhava is our own avastha traya
anubhava. Keeping that itself, we will come to know that the problem is in the mind;
not with me.
Rāgechha sukha dukhādhi

buddhau satyām pravartathe;
suṣupthau nāsti than nāśē
tasmaath budhesthu nātmanaḥ
How beautifully he says: rāga dvēṣa etc. are when the mind is functioning. In sleep
when the mind is not functioning, they are not there in me. So when mind is: I have
those problems. When mind is resolved; I do not have those problems. Therefore
Page 1285

those problems belongs to what? the mind and not me. So avastha traya
anubhoothya; you have to resolve and arrive at your nature. So anubhūthya śruti
yukta anubhava pramāṇēna ātmanaḥ sarvātmyam jñātva.
So having ascertained the Brahma bhāva; sarvātmatmyam means Brahmatvam;

infinitude; jñātva; having ascertained; again and again; so svadhyāsa apanāyam
kuru; may you remove all the habitual identification with the body-mind-complex. So
abhāsataha means which is mithya. So this mithya adhyāsa; may you eliminate.
And the most interesting thing is: in the initial stages of nidhidhyāsanam, my aim is
to remove the viparītha bhāvana, habitual ways of thinking; habitual ways of
worrying; and by deliberately breaking that habit; the habitual ways of thinking
becomes weaker and weaker. And how do you know it is becoming weaker? When it
is stronger, the problem at thought level expresses at the level of words and actions.
And the weakening of viparītha bhāvana means all the problems are only at thought
level. They do not come at the verbal or physical level. And once we have made the
viparītha bhāvana sufficiently weak, then we have to ask the question, does the
viparītha bhāvana belong to me; you have to ask this question; not initially; you
have to weaken the viparītha bhāvana for some time; then.
Having sufficiently weakend, when we have got last traces of viparītha bhāvana, our
aim should not be to totally remove the viparītha bhāvana; that is not possible at all.
After some time, we ask the question, does the viparītha bhāvana belong to me?
This has to be asked. Then what is the answer? Viparītha bhāvana is also a form of
thinking belonging to anātma alone and therefore being worried about viparītha
bhāvana, itself is a form of problem. That is the last viparītha bhāvana. Being
worried about viparītha bhāvana itself is because I am identified with what? I am
identified with the mind.
And once I am so clear that the viparītha bhāvana is the problem of anātma, if there
is a small scar on the body, am I worried? I am not worried about the complexion of
the skin or greying of the hair because of they belong to the anātma; so towards the
end our worry about viparītha bhāvana itself should end.
Not because viparītha bhāvanas are totally gone; but because of my understanding
that I do not have viparītha bhāvana also. I means, I the caitanyaṁ does not have.
Therefore, what is the last viparītha bhāvana. I have viparītha bhāvana to be
Page 1286

eliminated; this thinking you have, that is the last viparītha bhāvana. Let that
thought remain; what is wrong? In life there will be some problems. Make sure that
it does not create problems for others. Let it remain. Like 100% health is not
possible in the body, similarly at the mental level also, 0% viparītha bhavana is like
the ideal gas which does not exist. Some vestiges are OK. This is the ultimate thing.
Therefore, svādhyāsa apanāyam kuru; remove all the viparītha bhāvana.
अनादान�वसगार्भ्यामीषन्ना �क्र मुनेः |

तदेक�नष्ठय �नत्य स्वाध्यासापन कुर ||२८२||
anādānavisargābhyāmīṣannāsti kriyā munēḥ |
tadēkaniṣṭhayā nityaṁ svādhyāsāpanayaṁ kuru ||282||
So from this we come to know that this is a serious sādana which requires
commitment, because every time I have a problem; I have to diagnose; I have to go
back to vēdānta; study the situation from vēdantic angle; and learn to look at the
problem as a situation. This is a conscious deliberate process which requires quality
time. And therefore śāstra does talk about sanyāsa āsrama as a means of
nidhidhyāsanam.
So sanyāsa āsrama is of two types; one is called Vividhiṣa sanyāsa; another is called
vidvat sanyāsa. Vividhiṣa sanyāsa is a sanyāsa āsrama taken for śravaṇa mananam.
So which requires staying at one place with a guru and consistently studying and
removing all the doubts by a dialogue with the teacher. So this requires living in a
place; in an āsrama; in gurukula; having taken sanyāsa. Sanyasya śravaṇam kuryāt;
take sanyāsa and do śravaṇam.
Then suppose a person is able to manage śravaṇa mananam, remaining within
gr̥hasthāsrama only, then the śāstra asks: may you practice in Nidhidhyāsanam also
in gr̥hastha āsrama itself.
But suppose a person says: where is the time for nidhidhyāsanam in gr̥hastha
āsrama; if I listen to Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi class today, the next time I touch the book is
next Monday, if the class is there. So where is the question of nidhidhyāsanam? I am
not able to do that. Then śāstram says: if you want, it does not compel, you are
allowed to take sanyāsa for the sake of nidhidhyāsanam.
And that sanyāsa is called vidvat sanyāsa; why because, jñānaṁ is already there;
but why this sanyāsa? Not for jñānaṁ, not for śravaṇam; śravaṇam and mananam
Page 1287

has been done in gr̥hastha āsrama itself; so therefore nidhidhyāsanaartham

sanyāsaha is called vidwat sanyāsa; the famous example they give: Yajñavalkya's
sanyāsa. Yajñavalkya was already a jñāni and he was a gr̥hastha and he said I
would like to take sanyāsa. Maitreyi iti hovaacha yajñavalkyaha; budhya san
va arre ahaṁ asmanādasmi. Maitreyi, I am starting. So why Yajñavalkya should
quit gr̥hastha āsrama; certainly not for śravaṇam and mananam; he already has got
jñānaṁ; it was meant for nidhidhyāsanam. For nididhyaśanam, guru is not required
and therefore such a vidwat sanyāsi will be paravrāja ka sanyāsi; he need not live in
a place; he need not live with a guru; why because why are we staying with the
guru; for studying; that is over; and therefore a vidwat sanyāsi becomes parivrājaka
sanyāsi and he does not have any job other than what: watching his mind and
responses. And if at all he has some duty, it is the body belongs to Īśvara; because
he does not have any dēha abhīmāna. I do not have abhīmāna in this body; but
Īśvara has created this body; according to the law of prārabhda and Īśvara alone
can take the body; according to the law of prārabdha and until Īśvara takes away
the body, this body is under my care; I am the trustee. I am a trustee; I should be
extra careful; it is mine, I need not care that much; but trust fund if you say, I
should be more careful. Like that I take care of the body; śarīra yāthra. So doing
whatever is required for śarīra yāthra.
This vidwat sanyāsi spends his time in self-examination and self-reorientation and
such a vidwat is talked about in this slōka. He says: munēḥ. So vidvat sanyāsinaḥ;
parivrāja ka sanyāsinaḥ; kriyā nāsti. He has no other duty; no wife to be taken care
of; no husband to be taken care of; no children to be taken care of; grand children
for second baby sitting; two baby sitting; their own children and their children's
children; all those in social duties; wedding attend; saṣtiabhdapūrthi to be attended;
that death; this party; all those are not there; therefore he says: Ishasat kriya nāsti;
he does not have any activity; either lokikam vaidhkam. And the beauty is that the
society accepts such a person. Society does not complain. Why I say society accepts
is: the society gives him bhikṣa; it never says you are wasting your time so we will
not give you food; if they do like that; what to do. It is the unbiqueness of the
Indian society. Once a person puts ochre robes, the society gives him the full
freedom to pursue spirituality; even though he is not materially productive; the
soceity gives him or her, the needs of life. Because it is vēdic society.
In America it seems they say: There is no free lunch. That is the slogan. India is
supposed to be one of the poorest countries, maximum annadānam is in India; why?
Page 1288

because three āsramas depend upon one āsrama. That is the proporton; see that;
three āsramas depend upon one āsrama. Brahmachāri has to live on bhikṣa. Sanyāsi
has to live on bhikṣa. Vānaprasthā has to live on bhikṣa. Society accepts because, a
jñāni need not be materially productive. According to śāstra his very existence in the
society is a blessing to the teach. His very existence in a society is a blessing to the
society. He may be in Himalayan cave; blesses the whole area. And if he teaches;
then it comes a form of contribution to the Society and that is how the guru śiṣya
paraṁparā is maintained. Spiritually he is productive; not materially.
And therefore Śankarācārya says īṣat; means alpam; from that only the word
eshitindu irukku in Tamil has come about, I think. īṣat, indeclinable. munēḥ kriyā
nāsti; except to annādhana visarghābhyam.
So there is a different better reading; this reading is doubtful; annadhāna

visargābhyam; anna ādhānam; anna visargaḥ; visargaḥ means removal of waste, it
is a natural process and giving food to the body. anna adhānam means anna
swēkāram; bhikṣa grahaṇam.
So this is a upalakṣaṇa word to indicate the basic activities required for the
maintenance of the body. Śarīra yāthra māthram pravr̥ttiḥ is indicated by anna
ādhāna visarga like snānam pānam, etc. Other than these two, no other activity is
there. Suppose one is not a sanyāsi; suppose one is gr̥hastha; what to do? In the
case of gr̥hasthaa, the śāstrik advice is: he cannot give up all the activities; but
whatever activity can be trimmed, may you trim, so that you can find quality time
for nidhidhyāsanam. Learn to adjust. Which one to trim; that you have to decide. So
family members, one is Japan, one is Russia, if they are all calling; then, which is
required and which is not required; all those things.
And a person can take a vow and tell others also; at a particular age, one can
decide: hereafter I am not going to attend functions. Keep a goal. So we have got a
different type of sanyāsa called putichaka sanyāsa; putichaka sanyāsa means when
one is in the gr̥hasthāsrama itself, one does not go out for bhikṣā; but stays at home
and he can cut off the activities. And we can communicate to others.
So you find your own method of finding quality time for nidhidhyāsanam; but
nidhidhyāsanam is required for transformation of life; conversion of jñānaṁ into
mana śānthi. Without nidhidhyāsanam, jñānaṁ cannot get converted into śānthi.
Page 1289

Now how long this nidhidhyāsanam will be required? Svāmiji how many days, please
tell; I will take leave. It depends. You see your own mind; we have been learning
vēdānta; how much time it takes for you to transform. You can see. You yourselves
say: Svāmiji that days I used to worry so much; now that much worry is not there.
We do see a difference in our mental make up and all are not uniform. So people
say; recently somewhere in a talk, I was giving a talk elsewhere, and I got a
question; I had a Q&A session; so one question says that I have thoroughly studied
vēdānta and I have been in vēdānta for years; but mana śānthi is not there at all;
what to do? So there are people who complain that 20 years of vēdantic study has
not made any difference.
So how long it will take? and why it takes? What is the reason for some people it
takes more time; for some people immediately, they say; Svāmiji, I am so happy;
and they came just two months ago only. How do you differentiate? The answer is
this.
Before coming to vēdānta, if sādhana catuṣṭaya saṁpatti is reasonably present,

nidhidhyāsanam is not much required. When we come to vēdānta with a minimum
sādana catuṣṭaya saṁpatti, nidhidhyāsanam required is more. So the duration of
nidhidhyāsanam is inversely proportional to the intensity of sādana catuṣṭaya
saṁpatti; and it is true also. When a person has got good sādana catuṣṭaya
saṁpatti, nidhidhyāsanam, one need not have at all. You will find that śravaṇam and
mananam itself gives that śānthi. Therefore the time you did not spend on sādana
catuṣṭaya saṁpatti, you have to allocate to Nidhidhyāsana. If one had spend time
for that, it is not necessary now for nidhidhyāsana. It is not difficult to understand
that sādana catuṣṭaya saṁpatti is lacking. That is what Śankarācārya said: śamadi
sahita taavath abhyase shraavanadikham. After studying Vēdānta, if shanthi is not
experienced, it means sādana catuṣṭaya saṁpatti meter you please check. In that
meter it might be in yellow or in double lines; it would not be in green.
So anādānavisargābhyāmīṣan kriyā nāsti munēḥ parivarājaka sanyāsinaḥ; and

therefore what do you do? Since you do not have no other duty as sanyāsi,
tadēkaniṣṭhayā; give the full time; from amature to professional; So give you full
time; no more vēdānta is a hobby; weekly one time, one hour hobby. weekly two
hour hobby, not like that; that is my only life's agenda.
Page 1290

tadēkaniṣṭhayā; tad chindannam, tad kadanam, anyōnyam tad

prabōdanam, etat ēka paratvam ca, Brahmābhyaśa vidur bhudha.
May you be committed to that: nityam; all the time. And by way of doing that,
remove your habitual ahaṁkāra identification. Svadyaśa apanāyam kuru.
तत्त्वमस्या�दवाक्योत्थब्रह्मात्म |
ब्रह्मण्यात्मत्वद स्वाध्यासापन कुर ||२८३|
tattvamasyādivākyōtthabrahmātmaikatvabōdhataḥ |
brahmaṇyātmatvadārḍhyāya svādhyāsāpanayaṁ kuru ||283|
Svadhyāsa apanāyam kuru; identify less and less with your ahaṁkāra personality. So
I am father, mother, husband, wife, grandfather, grandchild; invoke that aspect a
little less. Invoke less of your ahaṁkāra. Invoke more of your svarūpam. So this is
called svadhayaśa apanāyam. And how do you do that? By invoking the knowledge
that you have heard; bōdhadatha; means by invoking the knowledge; by reminding
the teaching; by reading more and more; by writing more and more; by talking more
and more of vēdantic teaching. And talking less and less of your family personality.
So bōdhathaha; what bōdhaḥ or what knowledge; brahmātma ekatva bōdhathaha;
the vēdantic teaching of jīvathma, paramātma aikyam. By invoking my higher
nature.
And how did you get this knowledge? Tattvamasi vākya uttha; uttha means out of;
which knowledge was born in you out of vākyam; the mahāvākya śravaṇam; vakya
means vākya śravaṇam. So by listening to the mahā vākyam and what is the
mahāvākyam, tad tvam asi, etc. So which knowledge already come during
śravaṇam.
Now we are talking about nidhidhyāsanam process; in śravaṇam earlier itself you
have gained jñānaṁ; you can declare yourselves to be a jñāni; without doubt you
can declare, because you do not have problem with jñāna problem; your problem is
what: jñāna is not allowed to flow in the form of śānthi; to remove that, keep on
reminding.
For what purpose? Brahmani ātmatva dardhyaya; so for assimilation of the Brahma
ātmatvam. That is claiming myself to be Brahman. Should become natural. So I
when you say, primarily I should remember myself as Brahman. Like an actor,
Page 1291

whatever role he plays in the drama and acts well; moment the word I is said; what
primarily comes to him? He is the husband of so and so, in the green room; that is
in the sub-consciousness; like that when you say I, primarily you should remember
myself as Brahman. I am husband or wife or grand father or grand child, all these
things, be a role-I. They should become a role. Less significant than my nature.
Therefore brahmaṇyātmatvadārḍhyāya; for making I am Brahman spontaneous;

may you practice nidhidyāsanam. And svadhyāsa apanāyam kuru. So if I should
claim I am Brahman, I have to disclaim I am ahaṁkāra. It is like somewhere
Sureshvarācārya beautifully says: higher-I and lower-I are like the two pillars; I am
in the middle; by going towards one, automatically I am going away from the other;
closer to ahaṁkāra I am, naturally farther from ātma I am; I means in terms of my
thinking.
Therefore if ahaṁkāra and its problems is predominantly occupying your mind, then
vēdānta is nicely kept in the notebooks and the cassettes. If Vēdantic teaching
predominantly occupies your mind, then, problems will not be there, we do not say;
but it will be overpowered by the vēdantic thoughts. I give the example; just as the
stars during the day-time are not absent; but because of the sunlight, the stars' light
has been overshadowed. If ātma is predominant, ahaṁkāra problem would not
leave; ahaṁkāra will be overshadowed to such an extent that you do not feel its
existence; like what; you do not feel the stars now. Even though existent, it is not
felt at all. Like that ahaṁkāra problem will become, like the daylight stars; it will
become insignificant. Therefore svadhyāsa apanāyam kuru. Distance yourselves
from ahaṁkāra to own up the ātma.
अहंभावस् देहेऽिस्मिन्नःशेष�वलयाव |
सावधानेन युक्तत्म स्वाध्यासापन कुर ||२८४||
ahaṁbhāvasya dēhē:'sminniḥśēṣavilayāvadhi |
sāvadhānēna yuktātmā svādhyāsāpanayaṁ kuru ||284||
And how long this should be done? As I said, until ahaṁkāra is not strong enough to
give me serious troubles. It can give me only significant passing trouble. One
thought at one time, is not bad. But as I said, the frequency, remember the three;
frequency of problems should come down; intensity should come down; and
recovery period comes down. That is the statistical study of my progress; whether it
Page 1292

is in terms of worry, or fear or jealousy or anger or depression. It is not that it

should not come at all; but study the frequency intensity and recovery period.
And the lessening of all these three is weaking of ahaṁkāra. Lessening of all these
three; hope you remember, intensity, freqency and recovery period, should come
down. Get angry, does not matter; but in the next moment, you are able to just
recover yourselves; come to balance and start your vyavahārā. It is not a great evil;
like catching cold only it is. Once a while let it come; then it triggers the immunity.
So let it come, no harm; must these three must be less; as minimum as possible. If
you do that, ahaṁbhāvasya asmin dehe vilayaḥ; the I-notion in the body is the
ahaṁkāra is resolved. Resolution. Until the I-notion in ahaṁkāra force becomes
lesser and lesser, and it is removed totally. Total removal, do not take literally. Total
removal means it has become so insignificant that it is there for vyavahārā. Like
when you go for brushing your teeth, dēhābhīmāna do you need or not? Or else you
will be brushing someone's else's teeth. Isn't it. You do not have confusion. imagine
that. Sarvathra brahma bhāvana.
So you have got sufficient dēhābhīmāna for brushing the teeth; but it does not
require a deliberate abhīmāna, this is my body, my head is here; my teeth is here;
teeth has to be brushed; you do not require that serious abhīmāna requiring quality
time and deliberations. You have got sufficient ahaṁkāra for brushing the teeth.
Like that, a jñāni has got sufficient ahaṁkāra for all the vyavahārās; but it does not
require serious abhīmāna to create problems. That is called resolution of ahaṁkāra.
Sufficient ahaṁkāra for vyavahārās; but not strong enough to create problems.
Similarly for hunger. And we do eat; but at the time of eating; how many
vyavahārās we do; television is there; most of the business deals are struck during
eating time only. So therefore, you have sufficient ahaṁkāra for eating; but it does
not create any problem. That is called ahaṁkārasya niśeṣa layaḥ. It becomes non-
problamtic ahaṁkāra. In fact it becomes a bhushanam; no more a duṣanam. How
the snake is an ornament for Śiva without any problem, what is the snake for shiva;
it is an abharanam; like that for a jñāni, ahaṁkāra is no more a poisonous snake;
jñāni is like Shiva. For him ahaṁkāra the so-called poisonous ahaṁkāra has become,
ābharaṇam; become nāgābharaṇam. Ahaṁkāra abharanaḥ. So niśeṣa avadhi; until
ahaṁkāra beomes an ornament for you; you have to deliberately practice
nidhidhyāsanam; there is no escape.
Page 1293

And how; sāvadhānēna; with alertness. Otherwise mechanical life will take over. all
our problems are mechanicalness; Svāmiji says: ultimately nidhidhyāsanam is alert
life only. Whether you sit down or not, alert life, vēdantic teaching in backraound,
that is called, sāvadhānēna; avadhānēna means alterness. Non-mechanicalness;
deliberate, sāvadhānēna yukta aātma. Wth a disciplined mind; ātma means mind.
With a disciplined mind, endowed with alternness, svadhyāsa apanāyam kuru; may
you remove your habitual ways of living. May you be unlike other people; not
extending it to tādhi or hair, you do not have to do it at all. மழித்த� ேவண்டா.
ந�ட்ட� ேவண்டா. உலகம பழித்தை ஒழித்தி - mazhithalum veendaam, nittalam

vendaam. ulgam pazhithathai ozhithuvidu. -- Somebody said that. So we do not
want you to change physically; you do not have to change hairstyle; ways of
thinking. As somebody nicely said.
Watch your thoughts, they become words and actions.

Watch your actions, they become your habits;
Watch your habits, they become your character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
Ultimately your destiny is, because of your character, which is because of your habit;
which is because of your actions; which is because of your thoughts. Every thought
is a building block of your future. You cannot hope to change your future without
taking responsibility for your thoughts. Taking responsibility for my thoughts is
nididhyāsanam.
Hari Om.
Page 1294

100. Verses 284 to 289.
तत्त्वमस्या�दवाक्योत्थब्रह्मात्म |
ब्रह्मण्यात्मत्वद स्वाध्यासापन कुर ||२८३||
tattvamasyādivākyōtthabrahmātmaikatvabōdhataḥ |
brahmaṇyātmatvadārḍhyāya svādhyāsāpanayaṁ kuru ||283||
अहंभावस् देहेऽिस्मिन्नःशेष�वलयाव |
सावधानेन युक्तात् स्वाध्यासापन कुर ||२८४||
ahaṁbhāvasya dēhē:'sminniḥśēṣavilayāvadhi |
sāvadhānēna yuktātmā svādhyāsāpanayaṁ kuru ||284||
Śaṁkarācāryā continues with the topic of nidhidyasanam, which is nothing but the
removal of viparītha bhāvana; and when this viparītha bhāvana is receding
gradually, Brahma jñānaṁ will be converted into jīvan mukthi. And this jīvan mukthi
is Brahma jñāna phalam, and this jīvan mukthi is experienced in the form of freedom
from the general disturbances of the mind.
We know what are the general disturbances of the mind; like anxiety, worry, fear,
jealousy, anger, etc.; and freedom from these disturbances is something
experienceable. And this experience is jīvan mukthi phala anubhava. We are not
looking for a peculiar Brahman experience. As I have repeatedly said Brahman
experience is not there; but jīvan mukthi phala anubhava is there; and it is nothing
but freedom from the regular saṁsāra disturbances. And since this experience is
result of the removal of the obstacle, and since the obstacle goes only gradually, this
experience of peace also is not a sudden flashy experience, but it is a gradual
receding. Just like as the sun rises, the darkness recedes and withdraws gradually, it
is not that from pitch darkness, you get into bright daylight; similarly this jīvan
mukthi anubhava is not a sudden experience but gradual reduction in the mental
disturbances.
And this gradual disturbances we experience again in the form of less frequency of
the disturbances; and less intensity of these disturbance and also less recovery
period from these disturbances. And since it has to take place gradually,
Page 1295

Śankarācārya says it requires time. And therefore nidhidhyāsanam is not a sudden

action; but it is a regular abhyāsaḥ. That is why nidhidhyāsanam is otherwise called
Brahmābhyaśaḥ.
And this viparītha bhāvana nivr̥tti, freedom from the habitual notion is presented in
different languages by Śankarācārya, it is called viparītha bhāvana nivr̥tti, it is
otherwise called vāsana kṣayaḥ. And in these verses Śankarācārya calls it
svayadyaśa apanayaḥ. Svāyadyaśa is the vāsana kṣayaḥ means apanayaḥ. Sva
adhyāsaḥ means mutual mixing up of ātma and anātma. So sva means ātma;
adhyāsaḥ means superimposition. Sva adyaśaḥ means superimposition of ātma upon
anātma and superimposition of anātma upon ātma; you have to read two times; sva
adhyāsaḥ; super imposition of ātma; ṣaṣti tatpuruṣaḥ; and super imposition upon
ātma; and this sva adhyāsa has to be eliminated by nidhidhyāsanam; and how long
it should be done? Until it does not take place automatically. Nisēsa vilaya avadhi;
until it is totally gone, we have to continue that. It does not remain in the form of a
mechanical habit. Rasavarjyam rasōpyasya param dr̥śtva. That rasa nivr̥ttiḥ is
vāsana kṣayaḥ.
प्रती�तज�वजगत स्वप्नवद् यावता |

ताविन्नरन्त �वद्वन्स्वाध्यासा कुर ||२८५||
pratītirjīvajagatōḥ svapnavadbhāti yāvatā |
tāvannirantaraṁ vidvansvādhyāsāpanayaṁ kuru ||285||
Again he presents the same idea in a different language. Hey vidvān, so he is

addressing the student as a jñāni, because as we have seen before, jñānaṁ is
attained through śravaṇam and mananam itself. Śravaṇam gives jñānaṁ; mananam
removes doubt; and therefore through śravaṇa-manana, a person has become a
jñāni. And if he does not experience the jīvan mukthi phalam, it is not the lack of
knowledge; if we have got mental problems now; it is not because of lack of
knowledge. We need not have any doubt in claiming ourselves jñāni. We need not
hesitate. Our problem is not lack of knowledge. Our problem is the removal of the
habitual orientation. Therefore Śankarācārya addresses us as Vidvān; you are
already jñāni. You do not lack the jñānaṁ. Your problem is not ignorance. Your
problem is not even doubt; your problem is only habitual behaviour.
Remove mechanical life; vēdānta will be assimilated. Lead a deliberate life; vēdānta
will be assimilated. So this alertness alone is required and therefore Śankarācārya
Page 1296

addresses us Vidvān: Oh! jñāni; Svadyaśa apanāyam kuru; break the habitual ego;
break the habitual individuality; I am father, I am mother, I am husband; all these
things should recede. Your fatherhood should become feebler and feebler. Over
shadowed by your Brahmanhood.
Just as when the sun rises, I told the other day, the stars continue to be there, but
they disappear as it were. Similarly the fatherhood, husbandhood, motherhood, they
all should become feebler, or lesser and lesser; significance. And it should be
sufficiently significant to do the duty. But it should not be over significant to disturb
you day and night. Like brushing the teeth. You have got sufficient dēhābhīmāna to
put the brush inside your mouth instead of your nostrils or ears. Isn't? You have got
sufficient dēhābhīmāna; but that does not day and night thinking. Tomorrow I have
to brush; tomorrow I have to brush; No. You invoke that abhīmāna for doing that
job at that much abhīmāna is required in sufficient for doing the duty of brushing
the teeth. Similarly that much abhīmāna is sufficient for bathing the body. Similarly
fatherhood abhīmāna should be that much for doing the duty; but it should not
oversignficant to create worry to give you sleepless nights. This is jñāni's ahaṁkāra;
it is called a functional non-binding ahaṁkāra.
And this ahaṁkāra and this world Śankarācārya compares to svapna prapañja.
Therefore he says: svādhyāsa apanāyam kuru. Tāvat; so long you have to do. To
reduce all your worldly roles into insignificance roles, until you reduce. How do you
know whether they have become sufficiently insignificant? How do you know? That
you go to bed, until sleep comes, what all worries disturb you, you watch and every
worry will be connected with one personality of yours. Husband personality, father
personality, in-law personality; if you watch that; what it means; that particular ego;
that particular ahaṁkāra has not been still overpowered. And therefore keep that
ahaṁkāra and invoke ahaṁ brahmāsmi sufficiently and in front of ahaṁ brahmāsmi,
this ahaṁkāra also should become smaller. And when ahaṁkāra becomes
insignificant, ahaṁkāra based problem also will be insignificant. For that how much
time it will take? Nirantaraṁ; Continuously; Not a joke; it is very difficult. So you will
agree with Śankarācārya: what do you know; you do not know my problem; come to
my house and see. Śaṁkarācāryā never says that it is easy. In fact, because it is
difficult only, Śankarācārya says nirantaraṁ; you have to continuously struggle. It is
a struggle; but it is worth it. Even if you take janmas to accomplish it, it is worth it.
Page 1297

And what should be the significance of the world and your roles and your
relationships? He says the world should be reduced to svapna prapañja samāna. In
svapna prapañja vasthu, how much rāga and dvēṣa you will deliberate develop.
Neither strong rāga; nor strong dvēṣa in svapna prapañja. Similarly, this world also
may like svapna prapañja. That means this world should be incapable of invoking
powerful rāga dvēṣa in you. This world should be incapable of: I think Martin Luther
King only said: I do not remember the exact sentence: It is a wonderful statement.
I will not allow any person to make me hate him. i will never allow any
person to make me hate him. I will never allow any person to be
successful, however worst his or her behaviour be. I will never allow, even
if he wants me to hate him. I will not allow it.
It is possible only under one condition. Satyava buddhi in the world should
disappear. And satyava buddhi in the world will disappear only when you dwell upon
the adhiṣṭānam which is the satyam. How long the svapna will be real. How long the
svapna will be real? Until I discover svapna adhiṣṭānam-I. Until I wake up. In the
light of waker-reality; svapna will get reduced lesser reality. Similarly, I will dwell
upon Brahman sufficiently, to reduce world into, not svapna prapañja; svapna
prapañja samāna.
Therefore Śankarācārya says: jīva jagatōhō pratitiḥ. The experience of the world and
its capacity to produce rāga-dvēṣa in me; and the experience of jīva and the
consequenct relationship.
In fact, jīva experience will not create problems. It is the relationship which can
create strong rāga-dvēṣa. When you are walking on the road, so many jīvas are
walking. What happens to you? Nothing happens. You are all jīvan mukthas with
regard to those people. But ultimately among five billion population of the world,
how many people disturb your mind. Not five billion. In the five billion there are a
few; that few is not necessary. One is enough. Like one mosquito within the
mosquito net; how many mosquitoes are necessary to disturb your sleep. One
human being is enough to cause sleepless night for you.
And how does that person get the capacity, is only because of saṅgha; and the
consequent expectation. And expectations create rāga; and when the expectations
are not fulfilled; it creates strong dvēṣa. And therefore he says: jīva, the experience
Page 1298

of jīva also should be reduced into svapna samānaḥ. So svapnavat bhāti. Yāvatā;
until I am able to reach that stage.
And this also indicates another thing; when you are experiencing the svapna, your
mind occupies the thought of svapna. And after you wake up, the svapna world does
not occupy your mind. After your getting up, what svapna did I see; you do not
analyse it; it has got existence only at the time of experience; thereafterwards it
does not remain in the mind; and disturb you. Similarly, if the world is reduced to
present existence; and the experiences are not carried in the form of memory; then
the world is reduced to svapna samānaḥ. No carry forward. No experience is carried
forward. That is svapna samānatvam. And that is the wise person's mind; that
person scolded me; that person scolded me; person scolded me; when if you ask; in
1956. How powerful? We remember certain words uttered by certain people years
ago; decades ago; sometimes those people and they might have taken punarjanma
also. But still we manage. See the thing is vēdānta says: this world should be made
unreal. Now our accomplishment is what? What is unreal; because that is all gone;
the past which is unreal, by repeatedly remembering; we make it real. So what we
have thought real should have been made unreal; whereas what is unreal, we are
making it real. Really great accomplishers we are. That's why vēdānta takes lot of
time. Therefore he says: until that time, continue nidhidhyāsanam.
�नद्रा लोकवातार्या शब्दाद ेर� �वस्मृते |

क्व�चन्नावस दत्त् �चन्तयात्मानमात् ||२८६||
nidrāyā lōkavārtāyāḥ śabdādērapi vismr̥tēḥ |
kvacinnāvasaraṁ dattvā cintayātmānamātmani ||286||
So the principle is this. When I dwell upon the vēdantic teachings, the worldly
personality and roles becomes feeble; gets abhibūtham; overshadowed; and the
reverse is also true. When I am going to invoke the worldly personality more and
more, in front of the ahaṁkāra invocation, the vēdantic teaching, Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi,
gets overshadowed. So ahaṁ brahmāsmi when it grows bigger and bigger;
ahaṁkāra gets smaller and smaller; ahaṁkāra when it gets fatten; ahaṁ
brahmāsmi, gets feebler. Therefore the question is: which do you want to overpower
by which.
Now if you want to invoke ahaṁ brahmāsmi and you want that to be significant; you
should not invoke the ahaṁkāra deliberately. You should not dwell upon the
Page 1299

ahaṁkāra personality, more than the minimum required for vyavahāra. As I said the
minimum required for brushing the teeth; what ahaṁkāra invocation is there, that is
enough. So invoking ahaṁkāra should be reduced. Which will lead to what? vēdantic
forgetfulness. Therefore he says: vismr̥tēḥ avasaram adattvā; do not give a scope
for for the forgetfulness of the vēdantic teaching. Weakening of vēdantic teaching.
Vismreteh avasaram; chance it means. Do not give a chance for forgetting the
teaching of vēdānta. kvachit; at any time. Organise your life in such a way; manage
your transactions in such a way. It is worth the effort; worth reorganising your
lifestyle.
And the aim is what? The vēdantic teaching should not be made feebler, weaker,
forgotten. People say: Svāmiji in vacation, vēdānta is forgotten. How should it be
allowed? Cannot afford to do that. all the time we cannot expect guru to be taking
classes. So therefore, avasaram na dattva. Vēdantic forgetfulness happens because
of what all reasons? He gives some of the reasons which will overpower vēdānta.
One thing is: Nidrāya. In the nidrā; nidrā means what; sleep. In sleep, every
knowledge is forgotten; including Brahman knowledge. In sleep nobody is going to
say: ahaṁ brahmāsmi. Therefore do not allow too much sleep. Do not sleep is not
the meaning. Some people mistake; vēdantic student should not sleep. It is not like
that. sleep should not be in the class. Therefore do not like that; oversleep. So do
not allow oversleep to make your knowledge feebler.
Then what is the next one? Lōkaḥ vārthaya; worldly talk. worldly gossip; juicy
gossip; talking about neighbours and their vyavahāra and their this and all; stop
worldly talk; stop to that extent that is necessary. Therefore vāk tapas becomes
extremely important. Take to mounam; na athi vāthi bhavathi. Mundaka Upaṇiṣad
says. Therefore lōkaḥ vārtha; dvaita talk; worldly talk, is another one.
And the third one is: śabdādhiḥ; śabdādhiḥ is contact with the sense objects. That is
worldly transactions. Worldly interactions. That also should be confined to the
necessary thing. So of course there are choiceless transactions; we cannot stop. And
that is why, they talked about sanyāsa. You know sanyāsa was prescribed, because
they have the advantage of avoiding worldly transactions; but if we choose to
remain in gr̥hasthāsrama, we have to manage in such a way that we keep it to the
optimum required level. It is difficult; but what to do? Today is muhurtham day
Svāmiji; so near person; I have to attend the marriage; I cannot avoid it; OK. go
Page 1300

and attend the reception and show your head and come back. Frink a cola or
whatever it is and come back. So you have to do certain things, unavoidable. We do
to the minimum.
Therefore nidra No.1; lōkaḥ vārthā No.2; sabdhādhiḥ means worldly transactions;
lōkaḥ vyavahāraḥ, including sense pleasures. So the difference between lōkaḥ vārthā
and lōkaḥ vyavahāra is: Lōkaḥ vārtha is verbal; lōkaḥ vyavahāra is through all the
other organs. So through all of them, vismr̥tēḥ āvasaraṁ adattvā; Do not give a
chance for the forgetfulness of vēdānta. So that means reduce them. If you reduce
them, you get quality time.
And what should I do in that quality time? cintāya ātmānam ātmani. So may you
dwell upon the ātma, invoke your higher-I; the real-I; the imperishable I; the
ānandaḥ-I; ātmani is in the mind; First ātmānaṁ means in the ātma; second ātmani
means in the mind.
माता�पत्रोमर्लोद मलमांसमयं वपःु |

त्यक्त चाण्डालवद्द ब्रह्मी कृती भव ||२८७||
mātāpitrōrmalōdbhūtaṁ malamāṁśamayaṁ vapuḥ |
tyaktvā cāṇḍālavaddūraṁ brahmībhūya kr̥tī bhava ||287||
One of the powerful attachment that every seeker faces is; dēha abhīmāna;
identification and attachment to one's own body; because my relationship with the
body starts at the time of the birth itself. The attachment to all other things starts
later. And then you are not in permanent association also; any family member, you
are not permanently related. As a child, I do not remain permanently with my
parents, I go to school and college. Even with wife; not all the time; you go to
office; etc. Whereas with the body, I am there throughout the waking hours. And
not only that, I have carefully nourished the body; and its ups and downs are
intensely connected to me. When anybody else has got physical signals or
enjoyments; it is only an indirect connection; whereas this body is more intimately
connected. And I have nourished it; I have fed it; I have decorated it; the number of
hours I stood in front of the mirror.
So therefore naturally body attachment is extremely powerful and therefore very

difficult to give up. And not only I have developed deliberate attachment, there is
also a instinctive attachment for self-protection. Instinct also is there; and that is
Page 1301

why anything falls on the body, an insect falls, I do not have even to think what to
do; immediately the hands goes and pushes; and it goes and falls on the person
nearby; it is OK!; it should go from my body. This is called abhiniveśaḥ in yōga
śāstra. abhiniveśaḥ means instinctive dēhābhīmāna; and therefore instinctive fear of
death. So not only deliberate; but also natural thing is there; that is why they say
when the animals are taking for slaughter, they instinctively know; they do not
cooperate it seems. They can smell death also. So even animals have got it; what to
talk of the involved human being.
Therefore Śankarācārya says: it is not that easy. And therefore what to do? The
deliberate part of it; you can deliberately give up; just the instinctive part will
become weaker; because I do not deliberately nourish it.
And how do make the attachment weaker? So when attachment is so powerful; then
you have to remove it by creating dvēṣa initially. When rāga is so powerful; you
have to create dvēṣa; like you remove a thorn by another thorn; or they say when a
person has got lot of irritation or discomfort because of cold; all the rubbing things
you have vicks or amritanjan, etc. They say it works as counter irritation. So this
irritation over powers the other irritation. Like that, what to do?
Like that you create dvēṣa to the body; by dwelling upon the weakness, the
negativities of the body; and once rāga is reduced by deliberating creating
controlled-dvēṣa; like that injection you give to develop immunity; what do they do;
inject that very disease itself; but controlled. But dose in control. But the disease is
sufficiently created to produce immunity.
Similarly, you inject controlled dvēṣa. For what purposes; for removing the rāga
part; once the rāga has become feebler, then you remove dvēṣa also. And
Śankarācārya is using that method of dvēṣa-generation or to be still more precise
disgust generation. In Saṁsr̥kt it is called juguptsa. Tamil அ�வ�ப் Aruveruppu.
So he is talking about all the impurities in the body and the dirty things; so many
filth is there; this topic has come before; so much filth in the body; when it comes
out you do not want to go to that place.
You say toilet is juguptsa; but the very same thing is there in the middle of your
body. So somebody said that you are a walking toilet; storehouse of filth. why are
talking like this; if it at least helps generation of detachment.
Page 1302

Even though we are not supposed to talk, it is improper to talk, but we are violating
the propriety; commentator writes, Śankarācārya out of compassion, is deliberately
violating the propriety of language, and talks about filth, because his aim is the
generation of detachment, even using that method.
Therefore he says: mala malamāṁsamayaṁ vapuḥ; this body is full of flesh and
filth. And generated out of what: mātāpitrōrmalōdbhūtaṁ; and it is born out of the
flesh and filth of parent's body. Flesh and filth of parent's body has generated this
physical body; which is also full of flesh and filth; impurity; and this body you are so
attached!
So therefore taktva; give up this abhīmānam. cāṇḍālavad; or cāṇḍālavad, like a

chandala, an unhygienic person; if there is a unhygienic person, what do you do;
you stay far away; and he says, your own physical body is full of that only.
Therefore cāṇḍālavad dūraṁ tyaktva; so dūraṁ tyaktva means you cannot pluck the
physical body and throw away. dūraṁ tyaktva means what? Give up your abhīmāna.
Completely. And this should be meditated upon. How the body is born out of five
elements and how it is simple instrument; and how it has got wear and tear; and
how it will give as much pain in old age as much as it gave the happiness in young
age. Every part of the body which gave happiness in the beginning stage, that part
is going to create problems. Joints are very useful in young age to do the activities.
But the very joints are ideal for arthritis and other problems. So teeth are wonderful
to enjoy murukku, cheedai. The very teeth when they cause pain; they say the tooth
ache is unbearable.
So therefore dwell on that. And when you tend to have too much hatred, then you
have to neutralise it. This is Bhagavān's gift. It is a very important instrument. This
is a mōkṣa sādhanam. Therefore it is to be carefully preserved, etc. Therefore when
attachment comes, you see that, until you have a balanced mission. Neither rāga
nor dvēṣa. It is an instrument; it has got that much utility.
Therefore having done that, brahmībhūya; instead of claiming yourselves as a

human being, claim yourselves as a being; drop the adjective 'human'; the adjective
belongs to the body; the noun is your nature. What is the noun? human being;
being means Sat. Therefore do not be a 'human being' but be a 'being'. 'Human
Page 1303

being' you are in trouble. "Being" you are not in trouble. Therefore brahmībhūya
means being bhūya.
kr̥tī bhava; may you be satisfied; as a human being, full of complaints. Sometimes
we would have been happy if we were an animal; we feel like that. So therefore, kr̥tī
means dhanyaḥ bhava. May you be fortunate; may you be contended; may you be
happy.
घटाकाशं महाकाश इवात्मान परात्म� |

�वलाप्याखण्डभाव तूष्ण भव सदा मुने ||२८८||
ghaṭākāśaṁ mahākāśa ivātmānaṁ parātmani |
vilāpyākhaṇḍabhāvēna tūṣṇī bhava sadā munē ||288||
Nididhyāsanam consists of three parts; brahma satyam, jagan mithya; jīvō

bramhaiva na paraḥ. So in nidhidhyāsanam, the world also has to be brought to the
mind; forgetting the world is not nidhidhyāsanam. It is not by shutting off the sense
organs and thoughts. It is not that we want to escape from the world. You cannot
escape from the world. So in the meditation, you have to necessarily bring the world
into your mind deliberately.
In fact that you need not do. Whenever you sit in meditation, world thoughts will
come. Therefore, let the world thought come; even if it does not come, you invite
and having brought to the world in front of you, deliberately see the mithyatvam of
the world. Jagan mithya is also part of the meditation. Dēhaḥ mithya is also part of
meditation. If mithya does not make sense for you; anityam you meditate upon.
Relationships are anityam. Possessions are anityam. Body is anityam. We have to
deliberately see the anityatvam of the world; that is also meditation.
Then another part of meditation is: having seen the anityatvam of the body, I have
to see the nithyatvam of the consciousness pervading the body. And therefore he
says: ātmātman parātmani vilāpya. So turn your attention to the caitanyaṁ in the
body; rejecting, or negating or taking away your attention from the body; dwell
upon the caitanya amsa in the body. Remember in the example, when you look at
here, you can look at the hand also or you can look at and turn your attention to the
light also. If you are going to look at, you have one set of thoughts. If you are going
to turn your attention to the light, you have got a totally different set of thoughts.
Page 1304

Similarly use the word I and let the attention be not on the body. Not on the mind;
not even on the thought; but let I mean the caitanya amsa.
And having invoked the caitanya amsa; tell yourselves, this caitanyaṁ is not
confined to this body. The caitanyaṁ is all pervading Brahma caitanyaṁ. And
Śankarācārya gives a example. When you look into a hall or into the room; you can
look at any individual within the room; or you can turn your attention to the space in
the room. Your eyes are open. Your attention can be on any person within the hall;
or your attention can be on the space within the hall. When your attention is on the
space; your vision is that this space within the hall is identical with the space outside
the hall. There is only one space within and without. And in fact, what is there in the
end; it is not that space is within or without; but all the halls are within space.
The body is comparable to the hall; caitanyaṁ is comparable to jīvathma; the inside
caitanyaṁ; the outside caitanyaṁ is comparable to the external space. You see the
fact that I, the inside consciousness, is the same as the outside consciousness.
Therefore he says: ātmānam; inside ātmānam; parātmani; outside ātmani; vilāpya.
May you merge. You do not have to mix your hands and feet. May you understand
that the caitanyaṁ within and without are one. Like what? Ghatakāśā and
mahākāśā.
And then what is the meditation? I am the space-like consciousness; in which a spot
of body is floating, which body I consider to be extremely important, in the entire
cosmos! Not in the entire place; in the entire cosmos; most important thing is this
physical body. This body should never die. If it dies, it is a very very big news.
And all the people should talk about this body; it all looks ridiculous; it is a spot of
matter; floating because of some mistake called prārabdhaṁ. And this body has to
dissolve at any time; and it is not a big news. Supernovas take place in the cosmos;
which is not even a news. Astronomers put in the newspapers that there was a
supernova.
When supernova is not a news; this body growing and going, what is the big news
needed. It will become insignificant; your teeth ache, your heart problem, and your
pressure and diabetics; why are you talking about these all the time? what is that?
nidhidhyāsanam; of what: diabetics.
Page 1305

So therefore what is insignificant becomes significant, because of my wrong

orientation. Change the orientation; what was mistakenly taken as significant,
becomes insignificant. So vilāpya akhaṇḍa bhāvēna; so see the akhaṇḍa caitanya
ātma. space like ātma; which I am. So jīvātma-paramātva dr̥stva.
Thereafter what to do if you ask? keep quiet. Shut up. he says. tūṣṇīm bhava. How
much time; sadā; do not talk at all. So sadā tūṣṇī bhava; do not talk. That means
what: talk to the extent required; do not become a chatterbox. sadā tūṣṇī bhava, he
munēḥ. Oh thoughtful one! Oh wise person!
So from this it is very clear, the definition of Muni is what: the one whose talk;
maunaat muniḥ; the one whose talk is measured, meaningful, is called muniḥ.
स्वप्रकाशम�धष् स्वयंभू सदात्मन |

ब्रह्माण् �पण्डाण् त्यज्यत मलभाण्डवत ||२८९||
svaprakāśamadhiṣṭhānaṁ svayaṁbhūya sadātmanā |
brahmāṇḍamapi piṇḍāṇḍaṁ tyajyatāṁ malabhāṇḍavat ||289||
Sadā svaprākāśam adhṣṭānam svayaṁ bhūya. So you become Brahman. Become

within quote. By 'becoming' it means own up your Brahman status. What type of
Brahman. Svaprākāśam. That is self-evident; self-effulgent; adhṣṭānam, substratum.
When I look at myself as a wave, I am 'located' in the ocean; but when I look at
myself as water, I am 'not located' in the ocean; I am not located in the wave. In
fact I am the water in which ocean-nāma rūpa and wave-nāma rūpa are located.
In fact there is no ocean other than Me. Small shift; see the vision when you say: I
am wave; see the vision when you say: water; small shift. Similarly, I am body
means you are in trouble; I am caitanyaṁ when you say, you are the space like self-
evident consciousness. It is svayaṁ bhūya. You become like that. That by
yourselves.
And what is the significance of the word svayaṁ bhūya? You need not become that.
If you have to gradually become Brahman; meditation when you started, the
caitanyaṁ was at the body level; now after dhyānam, the caitanyaṁ is expanding;
suppose it that way; and then after 5 years' meditation; you pervade India; and
another 10 years mediation; Asian continent. Is it a process of expansion? We use
the word; they have expanded consciousness; etc. That word and all, very carefully
Page 1306

we should use, otherwise it is misleading. You need not expand; water need not
expand; water is already all pervading. And therefore you become Brahman by
yourselves means; you are already Brahman; own up that all-pervasiveness. You
need not expand; understand, own up your already expanded nature. Expansion is
not a process; expansion is your very nature; all pervasiveness is your nature.
Therefore svayaṁ bhūya sadā ātmana. In the form of ātma you have to own up
your all pervasive nature. Not in the form of body; in the form of body, you cannot
expand; and you should not also expand too much. You understand! Bodily
expansion should not be there! Even if you expand, restrict yourselves to a limit!
Therefore as body, I cannot expand. As mind also I cannot expand beyond a limit.
So therefore ātmanah, as caitanyaṁ, I own up my ever expanded space like nature
and having owned up this ātma svarūpam; what to do after that? The entire anātma
world may you disown; disidentify. yajyatām; may you not identify with pindāndaṁ,
your individual body or brahmāndaṁ, the total creation. Pindāndaṁ means vyasti
anātma; brahmāndaṁ means samaṣṭi anātma; Pindāndaṁ means vyaṣṭi matter;
brahmāndaṁ means samaṣṭi matter. Let them become valueless for you. May it not
create rāga for you; nor dvēṣa for you.
Like that story I told. That a sanyāsi got a very valuable diamond from the road
costing millions or trillions of dollars; Kohinoor you may take it; or whatever be the
costliest diamond. And this person went and asked: can you part with that: I would
like to get it. This person said; Ok; take it; this person took it; and overnight he
could not sleep. He was wondering how did this person, effortlessly give up this
valuable thing; it is possible only he possesses something much much more
valuable. If you give Rs.10 as gift, it is because you have got Rs.100. If you can
throw away Rs.1000 as gift; you must be a millionaire. If you have to throw the
costliest diamond, he must have something which is more valuable. Then that
person came back the next day to the Sanyāsi and returned the diamond and asked:
what is that which you have which is more valuable, he asked. Sit, I will teach you:
That is called Brahma jñānaṁ; brahma jñānaṁ is the costliest wealth; in front of
which all the wealth of the cosmos is insignificant pie. Therefore malabhāṇḍavat; like
throwing away the waste from the waste paper basket. Do you meditate for that;
should I throw it or not. Just as you throw away the filth or waste, may you throw
away all the wealth of the creation. May anātma become valueless, because of the
discovery of the most valued ātma.
Page 1307

Hari Om.
Page 1308

101. Verses 289 to 294
स्वप्रकाशम�धष् स्वयंभू सदात्मन |

ब्रह्माण् �पण्डाण् त्यज्यत मलभाण्डवत ||२८९||
svaprakāśamadhiṣṭhānaṁ svayaṁbhūya sadātmanā |
brahmāṇḍamapi piṇḍāṇḍaṁ tyajyatāṁ malabhāṇḍavat ||289||
Viparītha bhāvana nivr̥tti is the purpose of vēdantic meditation and in this we are not
even attempting to know anything new; we are only reviving the knowledge; or
dwelling on the knowledge, which we have already attained. The knowledge being, I
have a higher nature which is Brahma svarūpam; and which is free from all saṁsāra
problems. And I have got a relative nature; ahaṁkāra svarūpam; which is the lower
nature. Ahaṁkāra svarūpam being of relative nature, it has both sukham and
duḥkhaṁ. So either I should be prepared to accept both of them; or I should be
ready to reject both of them. If I love my ahaṁkāra, and I would like to remain in
ahaṁkāra, it is perfectly fine, I can choose to do that; but I should get the relative
strength to withstand the tragedies that the ahaṁkāra will have to face. Thus I
have to deliberately identify with ahaṁkāra and be prepared to accept the
consequences; or I have to deliberately shed or disidentify from ahaṁkāra and get
out of both the pleasures and pain.
If I say that I want to claim only the pleasure part of ahaṁkāra, and I do not want
to claim the pain part of ahaṁkāra, it is impossible. If I want to enjoy the possession
of this object, I should be prepared to suffer the pain of losing the object also. Either
I should disidentify with this object or use this as a mere working clip, without any
attachment. I should use this as a mere working clip; if it is there; fine, if it is not
there, manage the same job with another clip, full stop. So thus this is the called
detachment interaction. Use the object, but do not identify.
But when I have got extra attachment to this particular clip, then there is an extra
pleasure. A kick is there; the extra attachment will give me an extra kick alright; but
this goes away; it will also give another extra kick; that is the stinking bee; and
therefore which do I want; it is my choice. I have given the freedom to be attached
to things around me. Bhagavān says when they cause problems, be ready to face
Page 1309

also. If you say, I do not want that problem; then naturally, I have to disidentify
from them and use everything as a clip only. And what do you mean by using it as a
clip. Ever ready to be without the clip also. That is called detachment. Using the clip,
with a readiness to lose the clip, using with a readiness to losing. That is called
detached transactions. If I am not ready to lose it; it is attachment. Attachment
means pain. And this is vēdantic teaching; simple teaching only. I have ahaṁkāra,
which has got pleasure and pain. I have got ātma, which is beyond pleasure and
pain. Identify with ahaṁkāra, welcome both; or disidentify from ahaṁkāra and
reject both.
And this training, if you want to have a new possession, extra house, extra car,
nobody says that you should not buy; use it; that object has got what; a mixture of
both pleasure and pain. Either you reject both or welcome both. After buying the
car, it is getting repaired, the driver is not good, etc.; he is not coming at all; he is
stealing petrol; he is doing this and that; do not complaint. Have it and welcome the
attendant problems. So this is the inner strengthening to welcome pleasure and pain
or to reject pleasure and pain. This inner strengthening through ātma ahaṁkāra
vivēka is nidhidhyāsanam. Therefore he says: svaprakāśa adhișṭanam svayaṁ bhūtā
chidātmanaḥ. If you disidentify from ahaṁkāra or the body; and identify with
consciousness, then the whole world as well as the body will be seen as a bubble;
Brahmāndamapi pindāndaṁ; one is a bigger bubble; another is a smaller bubble.
And bubble means it will burst any time. Identify with the water; instead of bubble.
Therefore tyajyatāṁ. Give up both the vyaṣti śarīraṁ and śamaṣti prapañjam. So
visva and virāt, taijasa and hiranyagarbha, prājña and Īśvara; all these three pairs
you renounce and identify with turiyam.
�चदात्म� सदानन्द देहारूढामहं�धय म |

�नवेश् �लङ्गमुत्सृ के वलो भव सवर्द || २९० ||
cidātmani sadānandē dēhārūḍhāmahāṁdhiyam |
nivēśya liṅgamutsr̥jya kēvalō bhava sarvadā ||290||
So the training is withdrawing the ahaṁ from the lower-I and placing it on the
higher-I. This is the rehearsal. As much rehearsal as you do, so much assimilated
will be the teaching. If you have limited rehearsal, the drama will not work well.
Drama means life. If you go with good rehearsal, the drama will be successful, and
therefore he says: ahaṁdhiyam; take the ahaṁ, the I, ahaṁdhi, means the ahaṁ
vr̥tti, the I-identification, which is at present dēhārūḍhām; which is strongly
Page 1310

identified with the physical personality, the emotional personality, the intellectual
personality and also the relational personality; that I am father, mother, husband,
wife, etc.. This I, dēhārūḍhām ahaṁdhiya nivēśya. You have to pluck from the
anātma, the body-mind-complex, and you have to place it on chidātmani. nivēśya
means what? placing. Take it from this and place and keeping it there. Taking from
the lower-I, you to have to learn to keep it on the higher-I. That is why, in the well-
known meditation slōka, manōbuddhi ahaṁkāra cittani na ahaṁ, So many times I
would have said: I am the father of so and so; and especially when the child is very
brilliant; abhīmāna is so much; if I would have said one lakh times, I am the father;
you should say how many times I am not; as many times you have claimed. One
lakh times I am not the father, I have to tell. You may tell that it will take so many
days. OK, let it take, what is the problem. And that is why the sorrow also goes after
only one lakh time repetition. Otherwise whenever there is a problem in the son,
going to be affected, because saṅgāt duḥkhaṁ bhavathi. If you say No No No, I love
to identify with my son, then Bhagavān will say: Be prepared to face the sorrow
also, when the son has problems. It is your choice. Identify and suffer; or withdraw
and be free. It is your choice. Do not complain to the Lord.
And dis-identification cannot take place in one day; as somebody nicely said: if you
have driven a nail on a wood, and if you want to remove the nail; how difficult it
would be will determine upon how many times you have hammered. More number
of hammerings you have done; so much intense effort is required to take it up. Now
in our case, not one nail; I am father, nail 1; I am husband, nail 2; I am
grandfather, nail 3; I am owner of the house, nail 4; thousands of nails, we have
hammered day in and day out. Even in dream we love those things. And therefore
Śankarācārya says you have got a painstaking job, plucking and then you have to
enjoy saying ahaṁ brahmāsmi. So manōbuddhya ahaṁkāra cittani nāhaṁ. Na mē
mruthyu śankā, na mē jāti bhēdaha; pitta naiva me naiva, mātha na janma. I have
no father, means what, I am not a son. Mātha, I am not the son of a particular
women; and na bandhuḥ, na mithram; Svāmiji, it is fearful; Ok be in the saṁsāra
itself; then you have the other story, etc. Therefore it is a very peculiar choice. And
generally we would be like the slum colony people; a known devil is better than
unknown angel. Therefore Brahman is an unknown angel; saṁsāra is known devil.
Therefore people say, it is better to remain in saṁsāra because, when I cry for my
relatives, the neighbours are there to give company; because they are also crying
for their relatives.
Page 1311

So it is like remaining in hell with lot of friends, rather than remaining in heaven
alone. Like that mōkṣa is going out of the regular. And therefore he says, it is a job,
which you have to work for, if you want the benefit of it; therefore cidātmani, in the
ātma; which is chit and sadānande, and which is ever ānanda svarūpaḥ, nivēśya.
And then what should I do with my dēha? Liṅgam utsr̥jya; liṅgam means sūkṣma
śarīraṁ. May you disidentify with the sūkṣma śarīraṁ and also stūla śarīraṁ; stūla
śarīraṁ has been mentioned before; dēhārūḍhām; their stūla śarīraṁ is mentioned,
liṅgam usrjya; sūkṣma śarīraṁ abhīmāna also, utsr̥jya; kēvalō bhava; may you
become non-dual ātma. Become is again within quote. May you own up your non-
dual nature. And how often I should do this? As I have said, since I am invoking the
ahaṁkāra all the time, the invocation of ātma should be either more or equal.
Therefore Śankarācārya says sarvadā. We have to do it constantly, and the benefit
will be directly proportional to the imitative that I take.
यत्र जगदाभासो दप्

र णान् पुरं यथा |
तद्ब्रह्माह �ात्व कृतकृत्य भ�वष्य� ||२९१||
yatraiṣa jagadābhāsō darpaṇāntaḥ puraṁ yathā |
tadbrahmāhamiti jñātvā kr̥takr̥tyō bhaviṣyasi ||291||
yatraiṣa jagadābhāsō; the appearance of this entire universe; ābhāsaḥ means

appearance, manifestation; iṣaḥ, iṣaḥ means that is right in front of me;
pratyakṣataya anubhūtham, and this appearance of this universe is yathra; yathra
means in the caitanyaṁ; in the consciousness. So the whole world is appearing in
the consciousness, like what: yathā darpaṅa anthapuram; like the puram, the city in
the darpaṇam; darpaṅa means mirror. Viśvaṁ darpana dr̥śyamāna nagari tulyam. So
it is like the world appearing in the mirror. And the idea conveys the concept of
mithyātvam of the universe. The world appearing in the mirror cannot affect the
mirror; just as the movie on the screen, does not affect the screen; similarly the
appearance of the world does not affect the consciousness.
And having said that in the first line, he says in the second line Tat Brahma, that
consciousness which is infinite, is myself. Ahaṁ. That consciousness is myself. So
joining the first line and the second line, what is the idea conveyed. The whole world
is appearing in consciousness and the consciousness is myself and therefore the
whole world is appearing in myself.
Page 1312

Then naturally the question will come; how can I swallow this idea; the whole world
is appearing in me, how can I swallow the idea? For that, the example is what? the
dream world. When I am actually in the dream world, identified with the dream
body, then I become an individual in the dream; and the dream world is outside.
And the dream world is capable of hurting me also; why? because I am identified
with one of the creations in the dream, that is the dream body. And when I wake
up, instead of saying I am in the dream world, I reverse the whole thing; I am not in
the dream world on the other hand; the dream world abhāsa, svapna jagath
abhāsaḥ, is in Me. And this reversal took place because of what? waking. And how
do you define waking. Everybody knows waking. What is the mechanism of waking,
if you analyse; the mechanism is I have dis-identified from the dream body.
Identification with dream body is dreaming; withdrawal from the dream body is
waking up. So in dream body identification, I am within the dream world, when
dream body dis-identification takes place, the dream world is within me. Extend it to
this body also. Identified with this body, I am within the cosmos; dis-identifying this
body, I am not within the cosmos, the entire cosmos, including this body, is within
Me.
Or to give another example, as long as I identify with wave name and form, I am a
wave within the ocean; but when I identify with water, I am not within the ocean;
on the other hand, the ocean as well all the waves are within Me. So whether I am
within or others are in Me, it is by a small shift from nāma rūpa to water; from
dream body to waker. Similarly from waker's body to caitanyaṁ. And therefore Tath
Brahma ahaṁ iti jñātva, krita krithyaḥ bhaviṣyati. And by this mere shift, I have not
changed any set up; ocean continues to be ocean; wave continues to be mortal
wave only; I have not changed the nature of mortality; but hereafter, the mortality
of the wave does not affect me, because now I do not say I am mortal. What do I
say; wave is mortal; but I am not mortal; because I am not the wave. Similarly,
jñāni does not say I am mortal; he accepts body's mortality; and continues to say: I
am immortal. And this acceptance of the bodily limitation; bodily mortality; because
of objectivity is called kr̥takr̥tyaḥ. Total contentment; everything is OK as it is.
यत्सत्यभू �नजरूपमाद्
�चदद्वयानन्दमरूपयम ् |
तदे त् �मथ्यावपुरुत्सृ
शैलूषवद्वेषमुपात्तमात् ||२९२||
Page 1313

yatsatyabhūtaṁ nijarūpamādyaṁ
cidadvayānandamarūpamakriyam |
tadētya mithyāvapurutsr̥jēta
śailūṣavadvēṣamupāttamātmanaḥ ||292||
So when a person dis-identifies from ahaṁkāra what happens? Śankarācārya says

the more I disidentify from the ahaṁkāra and choose to identify with ātma, then all
the personalities I have, will become a vesha or a drama. The life will be reduced to
a drama. And when I watch, drama what happens. At the moment of watching, I do
go through the emotions in the drama. So when there is humour, I certainly laugh;
and when the drama or the movie is a tragedy, certainly I shed tears also; not that I
keep on smiling; certainly it creates the emotions. In fact, I go to a drama or movie
only for that purpose. And if the movie touches my heart, and if I also go through
the emotions, I say the movie is very good movie. But even though I go through all
the emotions, once the movie is over, I say it is a wonderful movie, and
thereafterwards, that is the end of it. It is not that it is going to create a permanent
scar. That person died; therefore I am worried; there is mourning period. All those
things are not there; I do have emotions, but does not create a deep, permanent
scar in my personality. I do not go through permanent depressions in life. I do not
talk of committing suicide. I do not say, why we should live at all. All those talks are
not there; say movie is wonderful; not that I do not have emotions; emotions are
there; but they have lost the capacity to permanently inflict an injury. This is called
impunity through ātma jñānaṁ. No event in life can create permanent psychological
trauma; no event can create a shock; no event can create a deep scar in the mind.
Gurunāpi duḥkēna na vicalyatē. Duḥkhaṁ is there; but there is no vicalanaṁ; like
the cyclist, when he loses the balance, the handlebar moves here and there; and
then again, he drives. He does not fall permanently. Similarly I do not permanently
fall in life; situation comes; emotion comes; the frequency, the intensity, and the
recovery period all these three come down, with regard to any violent emotions.
Whether it is fear, whether it is depression, whether it is anger, whether it is
anxiety; they are not permanent in him. And therefore life becomes a drama, either
a comedy-drama or a tragedy-drama; but it is a drama only.
Therefore he says: tadētya; third line, tad means what, ātma svarūpam ētya, so
coming to the ātma svarūpam, which is my green room personality, so my original
personality in the green room, before the drama started, I am an actor by a
Page 1314

particular name, what is the name of the actor? sathyam, jñānaṁ, anantaṁ Brahma.
SJA Brahman; that is my name. Sathyam, jñānaṁ, anantaṁ Brahma.
And what is the nature of this actor? Satyabhūtām; which will never die; which does
not have a birth; there is no date of birth, therefore celebrating the date of birth is a
drama. Therefore I should not be too serious about it; It should be like a movie. I
am happy, fine. And if I do not have a date of birth, no date of death also. Ahaṁ
nityaḥ. And nijarūpam; it is my real nature. Birthless consciousness is my nija rūpam
means svarūpam. And ādyaṁ; it has been there even before the world emerged.
Even before the time emerged, I was there; even before the space emerged, I was
there; tasmāt dva etasmāt ātmana ākāśa sambhuthaha.
And suppose I want to know who I was, before the emergence of time and space,
how was I? how will it be like? If you want to experience that, very easy. You can
very easily experience the timeless, spaceless, divisionless, locationless-I, you can
very easily experience; just you have to, what: sleep. In sleep am I there or not. I
am there; and is there time; space, individuality, division; nothing is there. Yatra
nānyat paśyati nānyat sr̥noti nānyat vijānāthi; all individually, personalities are not
there; from that I alone, the absolute-I, the relative-I was born in svapna and
jāgrath. And since the relative-I; relative-I means what: father-I, mother-I;
husband-I; wife-I; etc. Not that; since they are subject to arrival and departure, they
must be vesham. During sleep whatever be my nature, that is my real nature. What
we are thinking now? I that is in the waking state is the real-I; the sleeping-I is the
temporarily we are becoming something else. Vēdānta reverses that. Mr. You is
vesham. And during sleep whatever obtains is your svarūpam. And that is why in
sleep, there is ānandaḥ also.
And therefore ādyaṁ means dēśa, kālaḥ, utpathehe pūrvam varthamānam; before
the emergence of creation, which is there. The word ādyaṁ is kāraṇam also.
Therefore I am the cause of all; chid advaya ānandam; so chit, I am of the nature of
caitanyaṁ; I am of the nature of ānandam; ānandaḥ does not mean experiential
pleasure; ānandaḥ means pūrṇatvam. I do not lack anything, because everything in
Me. I do not lack anything. That freedom from missing anything is called ānandaḥ
here, so ānandatvam iti arthaḥ, which is advayaḥ means which is non-dual; cit
advaya ānandam, arūpam, arūpam means formless; and akriyam, free from all the
actions, I am akartā. And therefore the idea that sañcita has to be destroyed, āgami
has to be destroyed, even the idea that prārabhda has to be destroyed should not
Page 1315

be there; because prārabhdam also belongs to whom; ahaṁkāra-I alone. If I want

to destroy the prārabhda, it means I have got strong identification with ahaṁkāra.
The world may say I have prārabhda; but from my angle, in Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi itself,
Śankarācārya is going to say that; from jñāni's angle, he does not have prārabhda.
Only from ajñāni's angle, he has prārabhda because, ajñāni looks upon jñānis as
ahaṁkāra only, where jñāni looks upon himself as ātma. Therefore I have no
prārabhdaalso and therefore akriyam; aakartā, abōktha; akarthrubokthru svarūpam
ethya. I have to repeatedly invoke that I. And how far it goes inside is directly
proportional to the time that I spend in invoking the real I. Therefore ultimately the
amount of time that I put becomes important. And people may say that there is no
time, when there is a value for something; time comes from somewhere. So they
say in Kerala, in Trichur pūram, may be so much crowd, there may be no place for
the entry of one man. But when the elephant comes, somehow there is way! Like
that, when I have a value, I have the time for invoking my higher nature.
And having owned up my green room nature, what should I do?

mithyāvapurutsr̥jēta. There are two readings. mithyāvapurutsr̥jēta; or utsr̥jēta;
utsr̥jēithat or utsr̥jēta. Ultimately both mean the same. When it is utsr̥jēithat, it
should be translated as usr̥eja, ētat. parasmai pada. If it is usr̥ejeta, it is
ātmanepada; it is only grammatically different; content wise the same only. usr̥ejeta
means what; reduce the body into a vēṣam. So we all have vēṣams only. Din that in
your mind. Drive this point home.
So may you give up the mithya vapuḥ; false personality, like what: śailūṣavad
vēṣaṁ. śailūṣaḥ means an actor a nataḥ; called śailūṣaḥ. Upāttam vēṣam means a
role that he has taken. Upāttam means has taken. vēṣam means role, beggar role,
king role, minister role, etc. So just as an actor after that movie is over; he forgets
the role that he has taken. Otherwise his wife would have died in so many movies.
So for every wife in every movie, if he is going to cry; next cinema he cannot act at
all; but he is ready with a new wife in the movie. Therefore why because he is able
to reduce everything to a role playing. Therefore śailūṣavad upāttam vēṣam
ātmanaḥ; ātmanaḥ means your own vēṣam.
सवार्त्म दृश्य�म मषै

ृ व
नैवाहमथर् ��णकत्वदशर्न ा |
जानाम्यह सवर�म�त प्रती�
Page 1316

कुतोऽहमादेः ��णकस् �सध्येत ||२९३||

sarvātmanā dr̥śyamidaṁ mr̥ṣaiva
naivāhamarthaḥ kṣaṇikatvadarśanāt |
jānāmyahaṁ sarvaṁiti pratītiḥ
kutō:'hamādēḥ kṣaṇikasya sidhyēt ||293||
And here says, by rejecting these roles, by rejecting these worldly personalities, by
rejecting the ahaṁkāra, you are not going to lose anything, because they are all
fake; they are all unreal; they are mithya. Just as when I wake up from my dream
and disown my dream body, I need not worry, I had a wonderful dream body, I lost
it; I had a wonderful dream house, I lost it; I need not mourn; for the loss of the
dream body, because dream loss is no loss, because it is mithya. But you will know
it as mithya only after waking up. If I tell the same thing in your dream, you are
going to get upset. When your sitting near your dream wife, if the dream guru
comes and tells, you are going to be upset, within the dream because the dream
objects are real only. But from the waker's stand point, if you able to see, you can
disidentify without any difficulty; because you do not lose anything. Similarly having
owned up the higher nature; when you look at all your possessions, they are all
nothing but nāma rūpa, pañjabūtha modified temporarily is all the possessions and
all of them are going to be again bhasma avaseṣaḥ. Everything will be reduced to
bhasma or mud, whatever you call.
And therefore he says: Idam dr̥śyam: all these objects of your possession; which
you intensely identify as I and mine, ahaṁ and mama. So with regard to pañja
kōśas, the identification is called ahaṁkāra, with regard to the external world, the
identification is called mamakāra. Your attachment of the house expresses in the
form of my house, the attachment in the body expresses in the form of I am the
body. That is called ahaṁkāra mamakāra. And here he says: all these objects of
ahaṁkāra and mamakāra, I and mine; they are all mr̥ṣā ēva. They are all mithya.
They do not have the reality of their own. It is exactly like a pot, not having a reality
of its own other than clay. They are nāma rūpa. nāma rūpāḥ, mr̥ṣā ēva. And
sarvātmana, totally, without exception.
Our problem we are ready to reject the whole world, but we will say Svāmiji, except
a few things. And problem is what: every human being tells like that. Except me
and my family, everything is mithya. Neighbour says except me and my family,
Page 1317

everything is mithya. That would not work. Therefore Śankarācārya says;

sarvāthmana, totally, which includes your own intimate body. It is mithya.
And therefore, ahaṁ arthaha naiva bhavati. It can never be the meaning of the
word I. The perishable body cannot be the meaning of the word ahaṁ. Why,
kṣanikatva darśana. So because the body is kṣanikam; kṣanikam means finite,
temporary, fleeting. So here, if you take avastha thrayaṁ, in the jāgrat avastha, the
body is there; in suṣupti avastha, the body is not there for me; for others it is there.
For me, the body is not there. From this it is very clear, that body is only an
incidental extra in me. Exactly like what? the cloth. Therefore what comes and goes,
cannot be the I. I should be what? that which is always there.
And which aspect of mine is there with me always? Body is not there all the time
with me; my emotions are not all the time with me, my mind, my intellect, my
knowledge; all these are incidentals; I, the chetana tatvam alone is there in jāgrath
svapna and suṣupti. And therefore what is incidental is called vyabhicarath svarūpam
and what is intrinsic is called avyabhicarath svarūpam. Vyabhicarath svarūpam
cannot be me; avayabhicarath svarūpam alone must be Me. and therefore ahaṁ
arthaha naiva bhavati; none of them can be the meaning of ahaṁ, because they are
all kṣanikatva darśanath.
Jñānaṁithi sarvaṁ iti pratītiḥ kutō:'hamādēḥ; I am aware of all the three states; I
am the witness of all the three states; whereas body and the sense organs, cannot
be the witness of all the three states. Why they cannot be the witness of all the
three states; because in suṣupti, they all get resolved. Therefore sense organs
cannot be the witness of suṣupti; because suṣupti is defined as the non-functioning
of the sense organs. Mind cannot be the witness of the suṣupti because suṣupti is
defined as the resolution of the mind itself. Therefore, the temporary non-
functioning instruments cannot be the witness; then who can be witness. The
permanent-I, the caitanyaṁ alone can be the witness. Therefore he says: ahaṁ
sarvaṁ jānāmi. Here jānāmi means I am aware of. Everything, including the
resolved condition of the mind; resolved condition of the intellect; the absence of
time and space; and the absence of all the experience also, that also I am aware of.
And that I, will have to be different from all these things.
So iti prathitheehi; kshanikasya ahaṁaadhehe, kuthaha siddhye; it is never possible.

So here Śankarācārya is putting a question: How is it possible, we should translate it
Page 1318

as: it is never possible, for the kshanikam; kshanikam means what; temporary body-
mind-complex, which is called ahaṁkāra. ahaṁmaadhe means ahaṁkāra aadhe.
Body mind complex is here called ahaṁ ādēḥ. So this ahaṁkāra cannot be the
witness of the dissolved condition of, ahaṁkāra. Ahaṁkāra cannot be the witness of
the dissolved condition of ahaṁkāra.
When is the ahaṁkāra dissolved? In suṣupti; so in suṣupti ahaṁkaaa is resolved and

it cannot witness its own dissolved condition; just as the eyes cannot see the closed
eyes. Suppose I want to know. Somebody said you are a sleeping beauty. If you are
asleep you are very beautiful, somebody said. Now you want to see how you look
with closed eyes in your sleep. Try before the mirror; you can never see the closed
eye because closed eye is a condition in which the eyes cannot see. Therefore
ahaṁkāra cannot be the witness of the dissolved ahaṁkāra. And therefore who must
be witness. Someone else. The sākṣi ahaṁ.
अहंपदाथर्स्त्वहमा�दस
�नत्य सष
ु ुप्ताव� भावदशर्नात |
ब्रू ह्यज �नत् इ�त श्रु� स्वय
तत्प्रत्यग सदसद्�वल�ण ||२९४||
ahaṁpadārtastvahaṁādisākṣī
nityaṁ suṣuptāvapi bhāvadarśanāt |
brūtē hyajō nitya iti śrutiḥ svayaṁ
tatpratyagātmā sadaśadvilakṣaṇaḥ ||294||
So we have to accept that there is the ahaṁkāra sākṣi. Ahaṁkāra is the finite
located personality called ahaṁ. Mr. I, the ego, is called ahaṁkāra, which dissolves
in suṣupti. Other than this dissolving, emerging ahaṁkāra, we have to accept a sākṣi
ahaṁ with neither dissolves; therefore does not emerge also. No nēti nāsthamēth
eka; samvideṣa svayaṁ prabhā.
In dr̥k dr̥śya vivēka, Vidyāraṇya nicely says: No nēti nāsthamēth ēkaḥ. So that
witness, which is not a personality; that-I, which is the witness-I, is not a
personality; it is impersonal ātma. The problem is we love the personal-I; we are
worried to own up the impersonal-I. That would be tasteless. father-mother-
husband-wife if you say, it is nice. Without any personality, without eyes or ears,
nose, etc. that caitanyaṁ who wants, you may ask. If you do not like that higher-I;
vēdānta says that you be in the lower-I. But vēdānta warns do not cry, when the
Page 1319

personality-I has got personal problems. From Rāma onwards, Krishna onwards,
personality-I means a Kaṁsa will be there; a Rāvaṇa will be there.
So uncles will be there; problems will be there; are you ready to welcome them;
then you need not come to ātma. But if you are tired of that, parikṣya lōkaḥ, seeing
it nicely, and having suffered terribly. Why cannot I have a personality, without
problems; suppose somebody asks; Svāmiji if I am born as that person in the next
janma, you know he has got Bill Gates, OK. So why cannot I become Bill Gates in
the next janma and go and interview him. So you locate anyone in the entire world;
when I have said Rāma and Krishna, then what to talk of Bill or Gates; there is no
personality without saṁsāra. Therefore trying to retain the personality and reject
saṁsāra is impossible. If you have to reject saṁsāra, you have to reject any possible
personality. You should become impersonal ahaṁ. Therefore ahaṁ padārtaḥ; the
real meaning of the word-I is not the personality, ahaṁādhi sākṣi, which is the
impersonal-I; which is the witness of the personality-I.
And this impersonal I obtains nityam; it is immortal. suṣuptāvapi bhāvadarśanāt;

that impersonal-I; formless I, exists in suṣupti also. Why he quotes suṣupti? Suṣupti
is the only time when we are free from time. See what I am saying. It is the only
TIME when we are free from TIME. So, therefore I am timeless, impersonal-I in
suṣupti and this is supported by śruti also; brute śrutiḥ. Kathopanișad declares: Ajaḥ
nitya iti. Ajōnitya śaśvathōyam purāṇaḥ. I am birthless and deathless, impersonal-I.
Thus the śruti says and tat pratyagātma and that is your core nature, which is
sadaśad vilakṣaṇa, which is beyond all the cause and effect; sad means kāryam,
asad means kāraṇam, kārya kāraṇa vilakṣaṇa caitanyaṁ. Whether you want to own
up or not, it is your choice. Be a person, have saṁsāra or become impersonal and
BE FREE.
Hari Om.
102. Verse 294 to 298
अहंपदाथर्स्त्वहमा�दस
�नत्य सष
ु ुप्ताव� भावदशर्नात |
ब्रू ह्यज �नत् इ�त श्रु� स्वय
तत्प्रत्यग सदसद्�वल�ण ||२९४||
Page 1320

nityaṁ suṣuptāvapi bhāvadarśanāt |
brūtē hyajō nitya iti śrutiḥ svayaṁ
tatpratyagātmā sadaśadvilakṣaṇaḥ ||294||
With the topic of Nidhidhyāsanam, Śankarācārya points out that the primary task of
the seeker is learning to shift the ahaṁ or I from the ahaṁkāra to sākṣi. Ahaṁkāra
is defined as the mind plus reflected consciousness, mind plus reflected
consciousness is ahaṁkāra, which includes the body also, but we do not enumerate
the body because, it is subject to arrival and departure from janma to janma,
whereas the mind and reflected consciousness will not undergo change. It is not
replaced when janma is changed. So the mind that I had in my past janma is the
same mind alone I have in the present janma also. Therefore the mind is the same
entity, cidābhāsā is also the same entity; and therefore we say ahaṁkāra is the mind
cidābhāsā mixture. And this ahaṁkāra wears the physical body during one janma
and drops the physical body and takes another physical body in another janma.
Since the physical bodies are changed from janma to janma, we do not generally
include the physical body in ahaṁkāra. There is nothing wrong if you include the
physical body in ahaṁkāra, but we do not include because it changes from janma to
janma, whereas the mind-reflection mixture continues anādhi kālaḥ pravrittaḥ. And
therefore ahaṁkāra is sābhāsāmanaḥ. Sābhāsām means along with the reflection.
ābhāsa means reflection; Sābhāsām means with reflection; manaḥ means mind.
Sābhāsāmanaḥ is ahaṁkāra. And along with ahaṁkāra, the original consciousness
which is called sākṣi, that is also inherently present because reflection cannot exist
without the original. At least in the case of the face there is a physical gap between
the reflected face and the original face, the original face is here, reflected face is
there; there is a spacial gap; whereas in the case of consciousness, we should
remember there is no distance between the reflected consciousness and original
consciousness.
Therefore what I am arriving at is ahaṁkāra and sākṣi are always together. Yatra
yatra ahaṁkāraḥ varthate, tatra tatra sākṣi api varthatē. And therefore whenever I
use the word-I and refer to this individual, this individual is a mixture of both
ahaṁkāra and sākṣi, but as a seeker; my training is what? gradually learning to own
up the sākṣi part of the mixture; and gradually disown the ahaṁkāra part of the
mixture. I use the word ahaṁ; we need not change the word; therefore the word
ahaṁ is used all the time, but when I use the word ahaṁ, which part of the mixture
I am identifying more. If I am going to identify more of ahaṁkāra amśa of the
Page 1321

mixture, my saṁsāra will be dominant. And sākṣi will be somewhere. I will feel some
sākṣi is liberated; I am mahā samsāri. So instead of claiming the ahaṁkāra part, if I
dwell more upon the sākṣi part, if the time given is more for the invocation of the
sākṣi part, the ahaṁkāra loses its force, its impact. And thereafter also, ahaṁkāra
problems will continue, but the problems will not be felt more. The impact becomes
lesser. This is called ahaṁkāra abhibhavaḥ. I think I have talked about this before.
When you keep a candle light here, during midnight, you feel the presence of the
candlelight prominently. But when you put a powerful light, spotlight, or the sun
rises, that is enough for us. When the sun rises, the candle light is not put out, but
its presence is not felt. This is called abhibhavaḥ; abhibhavaḥ means you do not
destroy the light, but you make its influence less significant or insignificant. Jñāni
does not destroy ahaṁkāra. Jñāni cannot destroy ahaṁkāra, because as long as
prarabhda karma is there, mind will be there; body will be there; chidaabhasa will be
there, diseases will be there; loss will be there; victory will be there; failure will be
there; even jñāni cannot destroy ahaṁkāra, as long as prarabhda is there.
And then what does jñāni do? He lights up a powerful light, which is called
invocation of the sākṣi-I. This sākṣi thought, owning up of this sākṣi should be
become stronger and stronger and stronger. It is like the mercury light, which takes
time to become brighter, which becomes brighter little by little. Like that through
nidhidhyāsanam, ahaṁ-sākṣi sunlight, should become so bright, that the worst
problem of ahaṁkāra should appear insignificant. And the strength of
nidhidhasanam is measured in terms of the impact of the ahaṁkāra problem.
Stronger the nidhidhyāsanam, weaker the impact of ahaṁkāra; weaker the
nidhidhyāsanam; stronger the impart of ahaṁkāra problem. And therefore whether
ahaṁkāra problem should remain intense or weak, depends upon what your
intensity of nidhidhyāsanam. And therefore Śankarācārya is emphasising the sākṣi
ahaṁ more and more. Therefore he said,
nityaṁ suṣuptāvapi bhāvadarśanāt
turn your attention to the sākṣi which continues in suṣupti; do not turn your
attention to ahaṁkāra, which dissolves in sleep. Sleep-dissolving ahaṁkāra, do not
pay attention to; sleep-non-dissolving sākṣi, may you pay attention to.
Page 1322

And what is the glory of the sākṣi? Sākṣi means glory of you. It is there for you to
own up. brūtē hyajō nitya iti śrutiḥ svayaṁ. That sākṣi is ajaḥ, nityaḥ, śasvataḥ,
purāṇaḥ, pratyagātmā, sadaśat vilakṣaṇaḥ, kārya-kāraṇa vilakṣaṇaḥ; Visva-taijasa
kārya vilakṣaṇaḥ; visvan and taijasan will come in kāryan, prājñan will come in
kāraṇam, if you remember Mānḍukya; Sad corresponds to kāryam; which
corresponds to viswa-taijasa; asad corresponds to kāraṇam, which corresponds to
prājña; sadaśad vilakṣaṇa means viswa-taijasa-prājña vilakṣaṇa turiyaḥ. nantha
prajñām, na bahi prajñām, keep that in memory. Up to this we saw.
�वका�रणां सवर्�वकारवेत्
�नत्या�वकार भ�वतुं समहर्� |
मनोरथस्वप्नसुषुिप् स्फुट
पुनः पुनदृर्ष्टमसत्त्वम ||२९५||
vikāriṇāṁ sarvavikāravēttā
nityāvikārō bhavituṁ śamarhati |
manōrathasvapnasuṣuptiṣu sphuṭaṁ
punaḥ punardr̥ṣṭamasattvamētayōḥ ||295||
Why should I own up the sākṣi part and disown the ahaṁkāra part? Why can't I do
the other way round? If there is a mixture of both ahaṁkāra and sākṣi in the same
place, why are you asking me to disown ahaṁkāra; especially an ahaṁkāra which I
have fallen in love with? So once I fall in love, it is very difficult to get out of it. It
becomes an obsession or trait and therefore my intellect argues why can't I continue
my affair with ahaṁkāra. Why should I disown? What is the logic? The logic is sākṣi
is my swarūpam; ahaṁkāra is only my incidental nature. Sākṣi is svābhavika rūpam
and ahaṁkāra is agantuka rūpam; just like the fire has heat as its svabhāvika rūpam
and water has heat only as agantuka rūpam; aguntukam means incidental.
Therefore should I own up my intrinsic nature of sākṣi or incidental ahaṁkāra?
Naturally I should own up my intrinsic nature only.
Now the next question is: how do I prove that ahaṁkāra is my incidental nature?
What is the use of just talking? Why can't I take sākṣi as my incidental nature and
ahaṁkāra as intrinsic nature? In fact that is how I feel; 'I am father' is intrinsic I am
assumed. 'I am human being' is intrinsic I have assumed. How do I prove this is
incidental and that is intrinsic?
Page 1323

Again Śankarācārya gives the reasoning; whatever comes and goes is incidental.
What never comes and goes is intrinsic. Ahaṁkāra is there; only in jāgrat svapna; it
is not there, in suṣupti samādhi. In suṣupti, or its samādhi, ahaṁkāra is not there,
whereas only I wake up I the father comes; I-the-mother comes, I-the-finite
individuality comes; I-the-problems also come. Therefore, āgama payithvāt
ahaṁkāraḥ aguntukaḥ vyabicarath svarūpathvāt ahaṁkāraḥ aguntukaḥ;
anāgama pāyitvāth avyabicarath svarūpathvāt sākṣi svarūpa bhūtāha. Are
you able to understand? agaama paayi means what? that which comes and goes;
ahaṁkāra. Anāgama pāyi; that which does not come and go; sākṣi continues in
suṣupti; what is the proof? if sākṣi does not continue in suṣupti, you cannot
experience suṣupti itself. How can you experience the absence of ahaṁkāra, unless
there is a consciousness to illumine. Therefore that there is sākṣi in suṣupti is proved
by the very experience of suṣupti. And how do you prove ahaṁkāra is not there in
suṣupti? I do not have the sense of limitation; I do not have the sense of
localisation; I do not have the sense of individuality; that is the proof for the
dissolution of ahaṁkāra; and therefore Śankarācārya says it is wise to own up sākṣi;
and it is foolishness to own up ahaṁkāra.
And suppose a person says I will own up ahaṁkāra only; just because I should not
accept what you said, just out of adamancy, for that purpose itself, I will continue in
ahaṁkāra if you say, Guru will only say: suffer, you mind, you suffer. Anubhavi rāja,
anubhavi. Therefore suffer; I will you all the best. Guru is not going to be upset,
because if a person chooses to suffer, nobody can do anything. Maximum, some
vibhoothi he will give and he may also pray on your behalf; guru cannot do anything
better. Even the sympathy can only be a pretended sympathy, because a real
sympathy cannot come, it is not in guru's hand to remove the problem, it is like the
baby who pulls its own hair and cries. You must have seen better. Have you seen.
What can you do? When it pains seriously, it would have been pulling strongly.
Therefore drop and enjoy or hold on to and suffer. நிம்ம் உங்க choice ~
Nimmadi ungal choice. You know. OK.
So Śankarācārya says vikāriṇāṁ sarvavikāravēttā. So sākṣi is the illuminator, vēttā

means what? illuminator, literally knower or experiencer, I am using the word
illuminator, of what: sarva vikāra, all the modifications of vikāriṇāṁ, all the changing
things. So sākṣi is the illuminator of the changes of the changing things. So
vikāriṇāṁ, vikāravēttā. That means what? annamaya kōśa is a vikāri, vikāri means
what: changing things, and what are the vikārās of annamaya kōśa? Bālyam,
Page 1324

kaumāram, yauvanam, vārdhakyam and pop off; maraṇam. Asthi, jāyathe,

vardhathe. Prāṇāmaya kōśa has got vikhāras like aśanāya, pipāsa, hunger, thirst,
indigestion; all these are of prāṇamaya. Prāṇamaya has vikhāras like kāma, krōdhaḥ,
lobhaḥ, mōha. Vijñāna kōśa what are the vikhārās? ajñānā, saṁśaya, viparyaya;
jñānaṁ etc. ānandamaya's vikhāram is what? mōda, pramōda, priya. Thus we have
got five vikhāris and different types of vikhārās; all of them the sākṣi illumines.
And this illuminator sākṣi, what is his nature? āvikārō bhavituṁ samarhati. The
illuminator of the changes remains changeless. It has to remain changeless. If the
sākṣi is also changing, what will happen? To illumine the changes of the sākṣi, you
will require another illuminator, another illuminator; it will go adinfinitum.
Now, suppose the technical aspect, (I thought that is not necessary), aside technical
topic) - can a thing illumine its own changes, suppose somebody asks the question.
Can a thing illumine its own changes? Can X illumine the changes of the X itself.
Technical question.
We say No. It is not possible. A thing can never illumine its own changes. Why? The
reason is this. Changes is the property of a changing thing. Listen carefully;
interesting.
Changes is/or are the properties of a changing thing. Suppose the hand changes.
Hand is the substance. Changes are the properties. Now when we ask the question,
can a changing thing illumine its own changes; you have to reframe the question.
Can a substance illumine its own property. Because substance is what? the changing
thing. Its property is what? Changes. Can a substance illumine its own property?
And we answer, it is never possible because, if a substance has to illumine its own
properties, the substance should become subject, and the property should become
object. Substance should become the subject to illumine its own property and the
property should become what: object: and the property can never become an object
of the substance. The property cannot become the object of the substance; because
to become an object, it has to remain away. Like what? the eye cannot see its own
colour. The eyes cannot see the very colour of the eye, because to see the colour of
the eye, one has to pluck the colour of the eye from the eye and keep it at a
distance. But the property cannot set aside, for the substance to objectify. So one of
the basic laws of vēdānta is what? A substance can never objectify its property.
Page 1325

Observer can never objectify its own property. So if sākṣi has changes, the sākṣi's
changes cannot be illumined by the sākṣi itself; you will require what: another sākṣi.
Therefore, ultimately, what is the conclusion: sākṣi has to be changeless. OK. If you
understand, good, or else, keep aside, in other occasion, we will try to study it
deeply.
So nityāvikārō bhavituṁ samarhati; So the witness of the changes has to be

changeless. Remember this law, that is enough. Witness of the changes has to be
changeless. Nityaḥ āvikāraḥ; Śankarācārya discusses this topic in the thirtheenth
chapter, kṣētrajñam cāpimām viddhi, sarva kṣetreṣu bhāratha, Śankarācārya
analyses and brings this idea.
And āvikāraḥ, it is changeless; and therefore only nithyaha. If something is

changeless, it has to be nityaḥ because one of the changes is maraṇam. Isn't,
because in vikāraḥ, we have six; asthi, jāyate, vardhate, vipariṇamathe, apakṣyathe,
vinaśyati. What is the final change? maraṇam or death. So if a thing does not have
changes, it does not have the final change also; final change is maraṇam; and
therefore it does not have death; and therefore it has to be nithyaḥ. So yath yath
nirvikāraṁ, tat tath nityam bhavithum arhati. Therefore, he says: nityaḥ āvikāraḥ
sākṣi.
And when do you find this? When you do experience this; it is not just because
śāstra says. We do experience it regularly; that is why avastha thraya vicārah
becomes very important, because we experience this fact regularly.
Therefore Śankarācārya says sphuṭam dr̥ṣṭam; this fact is very clearly seen; which
fact, athayōhō aśaśvatvam; so the fleeting nature of these two; the fleeting nature
of these two; these two means which two; the changing substance, and the
changes; ahaṁkāra and ahaṁkāra vikāraḥ; ahaṁkāram, and ahaṁkāra's
modification, both are, arriving and departing; aśaśvatvam; punaḥ punaḥ dr̥ṣṭam;
we are repeatedly experiencing. That too how? sphuṭam, very clearly. The sākṣi is
permanence we are experiencing daily; and ahaṁkāra's impermanence we are
experiencing daily; that is why we repeatedly asset that we do not require any new
experience. Vēdānta's aim is not giving you any new experience; but vēdānta wants
to give you a new knowledge understanding based on the already available
experience. Vēdānta is not interested in giving you another experience. That is why
we do not emphasise samādhi.
Page 1326

Samādhi if you start taking about, everyone will start thinking that some fresh
experience is going to come about, etc. and thus they commit mistake. We do not
require any new experience. We only require a new insight based on the available
experience. And what are the available experiences? Ahaṁkāra's arrival and
departure, sākṣi's non-arrival and departure.
And what is the new knowledge that we have to derive? I am not the ahaṁkāra
amsa; I am the sākṣi amśa, which is a matter of understanding. Is it Intellectual
understanding, do not ask; understanding is always intellectual. There is no nasal
understanding.
After intellectual understanding, if your saṁsāra has not gone and you did not get
the anubhava, then, again go back to that. Our problem is not lack of Brahma
anubhava; our problem is lack of Brahma jñāna phala anubhava. This fact, you have
to din it inside repeatedly, or else, vēdānta will be confusion.
Therefore he says: sphuṭam dr̥ṣṭam; this fact we are very clearly experiencing.
When? Manō ratha svapna suṣuptiṣu. Manō ratha; in our day-dreaming, in our
imaginations; the imaginations example is given to show that the mind is changing;
I, the witness, am, changeless. Svapna, the dream, so dream is a state in which we
very clearly objectify the mind because, the entire world that we experience in
dream is nothing but thoughts of the mind.
And therefore the objectification of dream is objectification of our own mind

because, there is no dream other than our own mind. And therefore, manō ratha
reveals this fact. Svapna reveals this fact. Śankarācārya in his Upadeśa Sahasri,
writes one full chapter to reveal this fact, the chapter is called svapna smrithi
prakaraṇam. That he is hinting it here; manoratha svapna. All these states.
suṣuptiṣu; suṣupti means what; deep sleep state, where the objectified mind is
resolved, but the objectifier sākṣi continues. What more clarity you require than this.
Sphuṭam Dr̥ṣṭam. And therefore they are incidental. Sākṣi is my intrinsic nature.
अतोऽ�भमानं त्य मांस�पण्ड

�पण्डा�भमा�नन्य बु�द्धकिल् |
Page 1327

कालत्रयाबाध्यमखण्ड
�ात्व स्वमात्मानमुपै शािन्त म ||२९६||
atō:'bhimānaṁ tyaja māṁsapiṇḍē
piṇḍābhimāninyapi buddhikalpitē |
kālatrayābādhyamakhaṇḍabōdhaṁ
jñātvā svamātmānamupaihi śāntim ||296||
And therefore what is the task of nidhidhyāsanam. Nidhidyaśanam is dēha abhīmāna

tyāgaḥ. Drop your identification with the body and if you uses the word, body alone,
we may not identify and therefore he calls this body, māṁsa pindaṁ, which is a
piece of flesh, rotting flesh; which will become rotten flesh eatables by animals.
Unless one is able to create a disgust towards our own body, we will not be able to
drop at least a bit of our identification with the body. Then only there is a change;
therefore he uses the word māṁsapiṇḍaṁ, a bit of flesh; māṁsapiṇḍaṁ abhīmāna
tyaja.
Not only you shall give up your stūla śarīra identification, piṇḍaabhīmāninyapi; and
also may you give up your identification with the reflected consciousness. piṇḍa
abhīmāni here refers to the cidābhāsa, which has got the localised I-notion. piṇḍam
means śarīraṁ. Piṇḍa abhīmā ani means śarīra abhīmāni; which refers to the
cidābhāsa.
And where is the cidābhāsa formed? Buddhi kalpitē, which is formed upon the
intellect. Buddhi pratibimbitē ityarthaḥ. So even though cidābhāsa is closer to the
real-I; it is better than śarīraṁ; why, śarīraṁ is jaḍaṁ; whereas cidābhāsa is
effulgent. So when you compare mirror and the reflected sun, mirror is very different
from the sun, but the reflected sun is very closer to the original sun. Similarly the
reflected consciousness is closer to the original; therefore what would we feel? Our
identification with that will be more. Then what is he saying here. He says: drop that
also. Cidābhāse api abhīmānam tyaja.
Why should you give it up? Because chidaabhāśā is also is as impermanent as the
reflecting medium. If RM is perishable, RC is also perishable. RM means what?
reflecting medium. RC means reflected consciousness. If RM is perishable, RC is
perishable; therefore drop both; then to identify with what: OC; you get is OC; OK.
You identify with the OC, which is available as OC. Why should you pay a big price
for these two? You have to pay a very big price for RC and RM. OC is OC. Therefore
Page 1328

piṇḍābhimāninyapi buddhi kalpite; the sentence is incomplete, you have to

complete, abhīmānam tyaja. In short, ahaṁkāra abhīmānam tyaja. OK.
Dropping that to catch what? If you want to give up something, you have to catch
hold on to something else. Like a person giving up cigaratee and taking up paan
chewing. because human mind wants to hold on to something, if you want to hold
on to something, hold what? kālatrayābādhyamakhaṇḍabōdhaṁ
svamātmānamupaihi; may you claim; own up, identify with svam ātmanam; your
real nature, your higher nature, which is akhaṇḍa bōdham, unlocalised
consciousness; all pervading consciousness; indivisible consciousness; which is your
higher nature.
And not only that, kālatrayābādhyam, which can never be negated by kālaḥ trayaṁ;
negated in all the three periods of time; I need not be bothered about time flowing.
As long as I am having ahaṁkāraḥ, kālaḥ kridathi gaccath āyu; it is ageing; ageing.
As long as you are in Ahaṁkāra, Yamadharmaja will be chasing you; if you shift to
sākṣi, yamadharmaja cannot threaten you. In fact, on the other hand, you can
threaten Yamadharmaja c/o Kathopanișad, mruthyur yasya upasēcanam;
Yamadharmaja is the food for ātma; whereas Ahaṁkāra is the food for
Yamadharmarāja. So decide whether Yama has to eat you or you have to eat up
YAMA. This is the question. If you are in ahaṁkāra, you will be eaten; if you are in
sākṣi, you will be the eater.
Ātmanam upaiḥ; how to do that. Jñātva, mere understanding is sufficient, because

sākṣi is already your nature; you do not have to attain it; it is only a matter of
claiming your right. Jñātva. And not only that; owning up the sākṣi is owning up
śānthiḥ; Śānthim upaiḥ; May you enjoy permanent piece of mind; instead of floating
like a log of wood in the ocean; may you enjoy peace.
त्यजा�भमान कुलगोत्रन-
रूपाश्रमेष्वाद्रर्शव |
�लङ्गस धमार्न� कतर्ता�द
ृ -
स्त्यक भवाखण्डसुखस्वर ||२९७||
tyajābhimānaṁ kulagōtranāma-
rūpāśramēṣvārdraśavāśritēṣu |
liṅgasya dharmānapi kartr̥tādiṁ-
Page 1329

styaktā bhavākhaṇḍasukhasvarūpaḥ ||297||
So dharmi adhyāsa tyāgaḥ; dharma adhyāsa tyāgaḥ. Not only you should disidentify
from the body; also disidentify from the status of the body. I am male; I am female;
I am Brāhmaṇaḥ; kṣatriyaḥ; I have got this gōtra, I have got this sūtra; they are all
the properties of the body; by virtue of the parentage; because gōtra and all, based
on what? Parentage alone. And parents give birth to what? Only the stūla śarīraṁ.
And therefore give up all those abhīmāna; which belong to the body.
Now for body he uses another word. Previously slōka he used the word,
māṁsapiṇḍam; to see whether then at least whether you get some vairāgya.
Nothing is emerging. Therefore he uses still stronger word. The body is ārdra śavāḥ;
It is a wet corpse. It is not yet dried up. So it is going to be only the wood be: Like
the Pattinathar song; சத் ப�ணங்கை பாத், சா�ம ப�ணங்க அ�� {Chatta
pinangalai pathu, chaakum pinangalam azhuvathu}. So what is the difference
between a dead body and a living person? This person is a would be dead body; and
this is already dead body; that is the only difference. Just a matter of time. That is
why we say: death is joining the majority. And we are in the travel alone.
Therefore ārdra śavāḥ; the would be corpse; this body has got kulam; family;
gōthra; gōtram; nāma; name; rūpam; form; āsrama; stage of life; āsrama means
brahmachāri, gr̥hastha; vanapratha, sanyāsi, one of the āsramas; in all of them.
Therefore that I am a sanyāsi, everyone should do namaskāram, if you say, that is
problem; that is abhīmānam, therefore do not have a abhīmāna that I am a sanyāsi;
do not have abhīmāna, that I am a Brāhmaṇa; all of them you give up. If you do not
give up, your children will force you to give up by doing all kinds of intermixed
marriages are taking place. In fact, they teach you vēdānta. All abhīmāna will be
lost. There is no other way. Therefore Bhagavān will force you to give up that
abhīmāna if you have; ārdra śavāsiteṣu; āsramaneṣu; abhīmānam tyaja. These are
all stūla śarīra dharmāḥ; the properties of physical body.
Then the next abhīmāna is what? sūkṣma śarīra dharmā; that I am intelligent; I am
educated, all these things. So lingasya dharmān api tyaja. Liṅgam means sūkṣma
śarīraṁ. And what are the dharma? ahaṁ karta; ahaṁ bhōktha; ahaṁ jñātha;
pramāta; all those things. All these dharmas also kartr̥tādiṁ; kartr̥tvam, etc. also
tyaja.
Page 1330

Then what should I do? Akhaṇḍa sukha svarūpaḥ bhava. So may you own up the
akhaṇḍa sukha rūpam; the previous slōka akhaṇḍa citrūpam he said; so caitanya
rūpam you own up he said. We may not be interested in caitanyaṁ, etc.; you may
ask who needs it, etc. Therefore he quietly changes, ānandarūpam if he says; then
everyone will jump at it. Therefore he says; may you own up the ānandaḥ
svarūpam.
And you may say that I have already happiness I do not require the ātma nanda, if
you say; you have got the other happiness in the world, the problem is you do not
know when it will go away, because it is precariously balanced like a coalition Govt.
So the samsāri's happiness is a coalition Govt. With a lot of strain, it is precariously
balanced lot of happiness. Why do you hold on to that? akhaṇḍa sukha svarūpaḥ;
unthreatened ānandaḥ may you own up.
सन्त्यन प्र�तबन् पुंसः संसारहे तवो दृष्ट |
तेषामेवं मूलं प्रथम�वका भवत्यहंकार ||२९८||

santyanyē pratibandhāḥ puṁsaḥ saṁsārahētavō dr̥ṣṭāḥ |
tēṣāmēvaṁ mūlaṁ prathamavikārō bhavatyahaṁkāraḥ ||298||
So the metre is a peculiar metre, called viṣaṁa vrittam. So viṣaṁa vrittam means
those metres in which you cannot chant like a slōka; but you have to read like a
prose. All those irregular metres are generally called viṣaṁa vrittam. Viṣaṁa vrittam
is not the name of not one metre, but all those metres, which cannot be chanted like
a slōka. Whatever can be chanted like a slōka, it is called śama vrittam. So they
have śama vrittams; viṣaṁa vrittam, ardha śama vrittam; half and half; one half like
a slōka; one half like a prose; they are all there. This verse is a viṣaṁa vrittam to
read like a prose.
Here Śankarācārya says instead of asking a person to give up this and that; all these
objects of attachment; can be clubbed together and put in the form of one
abhīmāna, and that is ahaṁkāra. Instead of using the word puthra abhīmāna tyaja;
husband abhīmāna, wife abhīmāna, pēran, house, etc. all these abhīmāna, all the
abhīmānās put together is called technically by one word; ahaṁkāraḥ. And therefore
he says: puṁsaḥ anyē prathibandāhā sandhi. So for the seeker, there are many
other obstacles; in the form of many other forms of attachment. He can enumerate
a few samples like wife, husband, children, etc. but since there are innumerable
Page 1331

possessions, the abhīmānas are also innumerable. If you to enumerate all of them, it
would be endless. And every abhīmāna is saṁsāra hētuh. Any abhīmāna attachment
is saṁsāra hētuh. And vēdānta goes to the ultimate extend of even attachment to
guru, śāstra and Īśvara. Īśvara also. ஆைச அ�மின்க, ஆைச அ�மின்க,
ஈஶேனாடாகி�ம [Aasai arumingal; Aasai arumingal, Isanodaayinum aasai

arumingal].
Any attachment is the cause of saṁsāra. This is the vēdantic position and therefore
all these are obstacles to ātma ānandaḥ. Therefore saṁsāra hētavaḥ dr̥ṣṭāḥ; all
these obstacles in the form of attachment are the causes of saṁsāra. In fact, you
have any pain in your life, you can trace it to one attachment or the other. Any pain
in life is connected to or because of one attachment or the other. And of all these
attachments; what is the basic root one; ahaṁkāraḥ yēṣam mōlaḥ; because all the
other attachments are called mamakāraḥ; my wife, my child, my grandchild, my
house, my possessions, my degree; all the my-attachments has got the root in
what? ahaṁ. Mamakāra is the sixth case of ahaṁkāra.
And therefore tēṣāṁ mūlam prathama vikhāra; the first product is: ahaṁkāraḥ
bhavathi. So long as ahaṁ is there; mama would be there. So long as mama is
there, saṁsāra would be there. Are you willing to give up ahaṁ-mama. This is the
basic question? If you are interested in jīvan mukthi, Śankarācārya says: you have to
start giving both of them up. Hari Om.
Page 1332

103. Verses 298 to 302
सन्त्यन प्र�तबन् पुंसः संसारहेतवो दृष्ट |

तेषामेवं मूलं प्रथम�वका भवत्यहंकार ||२९८||
santyanyē pratibandhāḥ puṁsaḥ saṁsārahētavō dr̥ṣṭāḥ |
tēṣāmēvaṁ mūlaṁ prathamavikārō bhavatyahaṁkāraḥ ||298||
Śankarācārya is dealing with the topic of nidhidhyāsanam, which is nothing but the
elimination of all the obstacles which stand between jñānaṁ and jñāna phalam. And
as even these obstacles are removed, the seeker begins to experience the result of
jñānaṁ. Not that the seeker begins to experience Brahman, I have told you several
times; there is no specific experience of Brahman; but the seeker begins to
experience the result of jñānaṁ, which is in the form of mainly śamatvam of the
mind, śāntiḥ, abhayaṁ, etc. And this elimination of the obstacle is a gradual process
and therefore reaping the benefit is also a gradual process only. It is not going to
come as a flash. And this obstacle is generally called viparītha bhāvana of viparyaya
or vāsana etc. And Śankarācārya is presenting this viparītha bhāvana itself in various
forms. In the following slōkas, beginning from 298 he is presenting the viparītha
bhavana in a technical form.
And that is ahaṁkāra is the biggest viparītha bhāvana. If you want to put in grossest
language, viparītha bhāvana is presented as habitual kāma krōda lōbhaḥ mōha, that
is the gross form of viparītha bhāvana. If you put in technical form, all these habitual
emotions are because of the I as we have been claiming. Ahaṁkāra is responsible
for all the sense of limitation, and because of ahaṁkāra alone, paricchinna buddhi
comes, because of limitations alone, kāma comes, because of kāma alone, krōdhaḥ
comes, lobhaḥ comes, asuya comes, everything. So here he is presenting in a
technical form ahaṁkāra.
That means even though through vēdānta, I have known I am not ahaṁkāra, I keep
forgetting this fact, and I act as though I am ahaṁkāraḥ. This self-forgetfulness and
doing vyavahārās as ahaṁkāra is the problem. No doubt, we have to do vyavahārā
as ahaṁkāra only, because there is no vyavahārā for ātma. Therefore as ahaṁkāra
alone jñāni also does vyavahārā; but the only difference is, even as jñāni invokes
ahaṁkāra, he does not forget the fact that ahaṁkāra is only my incidental lower
Page 1333

nature, it is only a vēṣa. Just as an actor, identifies with the role and also brings out
all the emotions and sometimes even tears he brings out, natural tears, not onion or
glycerine caused tears, natural tears he brings out, but in and through intense acting
also, he does not lose sight of the fact that it is a role; similarly, jñāni does not
forget the status of ahaṁkāra. If I forget this status of ahaṁkāra, that it is
vyavahārika and mithya, then saṁsāra is the result in spite of ātma jñānaṁ.
And therefore Śankarācārya says one should learn to handle the ahaṁkāra. Pay
attention to your ahaṁkāra, because that is the mūlam for all the other relations.
Ahaṁ, when it is relating to people, gets converted into mama. So if you study most
of our worries, you will find that it is because of some relationship or the other;
some saṅga or the other; some saṁbanda or the other. And the relationship is
expressed as what? mama. And mama is a modification of what: ahaṁ. So I gets
converted into mine, mine gets converted into all types of emotional struggles.
Therefore you can reduce emotional struggles into mamakāra, and mamakāra can
be reduced to ahaṁkāra; therefore Śankarācārya says, ahaṁkāra is the root of all
the problems. And this can be proved experientially also. During waking and dream,
ahaṁkāra arises.
Diyaśa hodhethi diyasthamethi,

lōkaḥsthatho deepsprathibhastha yeṣaḥ
deelōkaḥ janmakṣaya dhāma pūrṇam
satvasthu janma kṣaya soonyam ekam.
That is why in all Rāmana Mahārshi's work, he will attack the ahaṁkāra. He does not
go to any other thing; attack ahaṁkāra, because it is the kingpin. So when the
ahaṁkāra rises in waking and dream; mamakāra also parallelly rises, and all the
relationships and the consequent struggles and saṁsāra also arise. And in deep
sleep state, ahaṁkāra resolves. All the mamakāra also resolves and the consequent
saṁsāra also resolves. Ahaṁkāra satve, saṁsāra satvam; ahaṁkāra abhāve,
saṁsāra abhāvaḥ; tasmāt ahaṁkāraḥ ēva kāraṇam.
Therefore he said: tēṣam ēvam mūlam. So for all viparītha bhāvanās, the root is
ahaṁkāra only. And why? Because prathama vikhāraḥ bhavathya ahaṁkāra; the first
product from ātma is ahaṁkāra.
Page 1334

And without the first person singular, there is no question of second person. Without
the first person singular, there is no third person also; second and third persons
arise only when the first person comes.
And therefore ahaṁ is said to be the prathama vikhāraḥ. Here vichāra means
product; prathama kāryam. In adhyāsa bhāṣyam also, this is called ahaṁkāra
adhyāsa, which is prāthamika adhyāsaḥ; primary super imposition and all others are
secondary superimpositions, because without the primary ahaṁ, the mama etc.
would not come.
So this will be topic. In the next twelve verses, ahaṁkāra handling or management
is talked about. So from 298 up to 310, he says: ahaṁkāra is the biggest enemy of
a spiritual seeker. Up to this we saw.
यावत्स्यात्स सम्बन्ऽहंकारेण दरु ात्मन |

तावन् लेशमात्रा मुिक्तवाता �वल�णा ||२९९||
yāvatsyātsvasya sambandhō:'haṁkārēṇa durātmanā |
tāvanna lēśamātrāpi muktivārtā vilakṣaṇā ||299||
We should remember the definition of ahaṁkāra. Ahaṁkāra is the body-mind-

complex, with reflected consciousness is ahaṁkāra. The body-mind-complex with
the cidābhāsa is ahaṁkāra; the original consciousness is ātma. And you should
remember when there is an individual, he is always a mixture of ātma and
ahaṁkāra. Until death, the body is going to continue. Mind will continue, reflection
also will continue. Therefore one is jñāni or ajñāni, ahaṁkāra will be there, because
ahaṁkāra means what? Body mind complex with cidābhāsa, whether the jñāni has
body-mind-complex or not? It is there, isn't. Therefore ahaṁkāra-ātma mixed
together is every individual. Whether one is jñāni or ajñāni, when I refer to this, it is
a mixture of both and all the transactions are done by the mixture alone. Pure
ahaṁkāra cannot exist without the ātma because, ahaṁkāra requires reflected
consciousness; reflection requires original consciousness. Therefore mere ahaṁkāra
cannot exist without ātma. And mere ātma cannot transact without the medium of
ahaṁkāra. That is why in sleep, ahaṁkāra is resolved; ātma cannot function at all.
Therefore remember, every jīva is a mixture of ātma and ahaṁkāra. And what is
here nidhidhyāsanam is, that even though the mixture is transacting, I should give
importance to the ātma part of me alone, the ahaṁkāra is not given significance.
The more significance a person gives to ahaṁkāra, the more powerful the saṁsāra
Page 1335

will be. The less significance a person gives to ahaṁkāra, less the problem will be.
And how do you give lesser significance to ahaṁkāra. Only by the wisdom that
ahaṁkāra is mithya. It is fleeting. It is perishable. It will have asthi, jāyathe,
vardhatē, vipakṣiyatē problem. It will have some yōga. It will have viyōga. Ahaṁkāra
has problems, is not the word, ahaṁkāra is the problem.
Therefore the more I understand the problems of ahaṁkāra, the less significance I
give and therefore my attitude towards ahaṁkāra should change and that is what is
here said by Śaṁkarācāryā. Ahaṁkārēna durātmana; See the title he gives to
ahaṁkāra. durātmana Ahaṁkārēna. Durātmana means duṣta svarūpaḥ. It is a
defective entity. It is a problematic entity. It is a headache entity. Saṁsāra is
inherent in ahaṁkāra. There is no question of ahaṁkāra without saṁsāra, because
ahaṁkāra is saṁsāra. And therefore so long as you hold on to ahaṁkāra, saṁsāra
also you have to hold on. You cannot drop it. This must be well entrenched in you.
Therefore ahaṁkāraḥ durātma. Duṣta svarūpaḥ; or duḥkhaa svarūpaḥ.
And therefore what should you do? Svasya sambhandaḥ. I should never have
serious connection with ahaṁkāra. I should not give too much importance to
ahaṁkāra by invoking, by dwelling upon it; by planning how all ahaṁkāra can be
improved. In fact, throughout our life, all our plans and programs are what:
improving what: ātma? No, ahaṁkāra. All our struggles are for improving ahaṁkāra,
and our hope is what: one day the set up, the conditions will be so ideal, that
ahaṁkāra will enjoy all the peace. In fact, by the time the set up is ready, it is time
for quitting. Transfer order has come; from whom? Yamadharma rāja. So you work
for 95 years and the set up is ready; you have to quit. You means what? the
ahaṁkāra part, and therefore ahaṁkāra cannot have mukthi. There is no mukthi for
ahaṁkāra.
And therefore yāvat sambhandaḥ syāt ahaṁkārēna. As long as your life is, ahaṁkāra
oriented life, ahaṁkāra oriented plans, ahaṁkāra oriented preparations; so long you
are skating on thin ice. This is an idiom I read in newspaper recently. Skating on thin
ice, means what? anytime you will sink in. Like walking on ice; you do not know
where there is a deep gorge. I do not mind, if you say, wish you all the best.
Remember, Vēdantin does not want impose anything. If you say I love ahaṁkāra, I
will work for it; in fact, what vēdānta will say is; go to karma kānda. Karma kānda
will assist you. And improve the ahaṁkāra. Go and get struck. And then come back.
There is no hurry at all. Number of janmas are there. If I am not there, my śiṣya
Page 1336

would be here. OK. If I am not there, my śiṣya will be there to teach you. Śiṣya is
gone, no problem, grand disciple would be there. So just as the samsāri paraṁparā
is there; the śiṣya paraṁparā is also there. Though Śankarācārya is no more there,
did vēdānta vanish. No. His paraṁparā is thriving. So therefore nothing to worry. As
long as you want to experiment with ahaṁkāra, you do it; but the day you
understand, ahaṁkāra saṁbanda, ahaṁkāra oriented life is a problem; learn to go
higher and own up the ātma.
Therefore he says: yāvat svasya; svasya means ātmanaḥ; for the higher nature,
ahaṁkārēna, with the lower nature, sambhandaḥ asthi. As long as the higher-I
wants to have a partnership company, with the lower-I; seriously, tāvath, so long I
am promising one thing, mukthi vārtha nāsti. There is no chance of even using the
word mukthi. Leave aside that there is no mukthi; even the word mukthi; talk of
mukthi is not possible as long as you are seriously linked to ahaṁkāra. How much is
not there? lēśa māthra api; lesa māthra api, even a bit, even a remote possibility of,
even talking about liberation is not there, vilakṣaṇa, which liberation is totally
different from saṁsāra. Here vilakṣaṇa means saṁsāra vilakṣaṇa.
Then does that mean that you should give up ahaṁkāra. Very careful, ahaṁkāra
cannot be given up, because all the transactions are through ahaṁkāra; even if a
jñāni wants to teach his disciple, he takes the role of a teacher, only through what:
ahaṁkāra; ātma cannot be even a guru. Therefore, ahaṁkāra cannot be dropped.
Ahaṁkāra has to be used; but we should not get hooked to ahaṁkāra. Detached-
use of ahaṁkāra; loose-use of ahaṁkāra is what is indicated. பற் இல்லாம
அஹம்காரத் functionalஅ ெவச்�க்ே. The best example is: actor and the vēṣa.
vēṣa you wear; but do not take it seriously.
अहंकारग्रहान्मु स्वरूपमुपपद् |
चन्द्रवद्� पूणर् सदानन्द स्वयंप् ||३००||
ahaṁkāragrahānmuktaḥ svarūpamupāpa dyatē |
candravadvimalaḥ pūrṇaḥ sadānandaḥ svayaṁprabhaḥ ||300||
So the question will come. If I break my association or relationship with the

ahaṁkāra, will I not become incomplete. Previously there were two; I, the ātma and
ahaṁkāra; if I break my relationship with ahaṁkāra, will my life not become
miserable, can be the question, for which Śankarācārya says: By dropping
ahaṁkāra, you are not going to miss anything, because ahaṁkāra is not required to
Page 1337

improve your status. Ahaṁkāra is not required to improve your status, because
without ahaṁkāra, ātma is pūrṇaḥ, nityaḥ, śuddhaḥ.
In fact, the very existence of ahaṁkāra is because of your blessing, remember, the
example in the Gītā, if the rivers threaten the ocean, by saying if you do not respect
me, the river, I will not give you waters, because the rivers alone flow into the
ocean, you know. Therefore if the rivers claim that the ocean is complete, because
the rivers are blessing the ocean with water, what will the ocean say? It will not
even talk to the river. Because the ocean knows, the very arrival of the river is
because of the ocean. Everything has gone from me alone. Water evaporated is the
cloud, cloud pours down as rain; and rain alone becomes river and therefore
āpūryamāṇamacalapratiṣṭhaṁ samudramāpaḥ praviśanti yadvat; therefore
ahaṁkāra is not required for my pūrṇatvam. Ahaṁkāra can maximum help in
expressing my pūrṇatvam. In fact, jñāni uses the ahaṁkāra, not for getting
pūrṇatvam; but for expressing his pūrṇatvam as compassion; as love; as
fearlessness; as generosity. In fact, ahaṁkāra does not make me complete. In fact,
if ahaṁkāra goes, my position is only better.
Therefore he says, ahaṁkāra grahāt muktaḥ. So freed from the graha, hold, graha
means the hold of ahaṁkāra, freed from the grip of ahaṁkāra, svarūpam
upāpadyate. A person discovers his superior nature; contrary to his thought, his
status has not come down; but has increased. So svarūpam upāpa dyate means,
discovers his svarūpam and what is his svarūpam; vimalaḥ; a svarūpam which is
pure; ahaṁkāra only gave me impurity in the form of sañcita, āgami, prārabhda
puṇya pāpa. By my association, my life never improved; it only became worse.
Therefore vimalaḥ.
Pūrṇaḥ, I discover that I am pūrṇaḥ. Ahaṁkāra only created a sense of limitation. In

fact, even without coming to vēdānta, it is very clear. During waking and dream,
ahaṁkāra-I is active; then what is my feeling? Limitation. That is why the moment I
wake up, activity begins. This has to be done, that has to be done, etc. etc. What
does it mean? If only I do that, my life would become complete. What is that? Miles
and Miles to go. That poetry, have to go miles and miles; because ahaṁkāra is so
small; so many things to do. To be dones are many. That is why we call him dunes;
OK. Because dunes is one for whom there are many to be dones.
Page 1338

So when ahaṁkāra pradhāna life comes, so many incomplete things and sākṣi
pradhāna life is in which state, in suṣupti avastha, my personality is ātma pradhāna
personality; because ahaṁkāra lies low in suṣupti; and in ātma pradhāna life, who
am I; pūrṇaḥ; ānandaḥ svarūpaḥ. That is why, I love sleep. And therefore pūrṇaḥ.
And sadā ānandaḥa. And it is sādhanāndaḥ; sādhanāndaḥ means permanent
ānandaḥha. Ahaṁkāra never gets permanent ānandaḥ. Even if it gets ānandaḥ, you
have to some how hold on to ānandaḥ, and make sure that it does not go away; big
struggle. As somebody said, first you struggle for status, then you struggle for
status-quo. After the coming of status, you have to seek for quo. thereafter it will
become go. Therefore struggle. Yōga is always followed by kshema problem.
Ahaṁkāra is always caught up in either yōga or kshema. And constant fear also. I
have told you earlier. If everything is working fine, dr̥ṣṭi will fall, that is the fear. If it
is not working fine, of course, anxiety. If someone says that everything is fine with
you, then we immediately take chillis and do the circling and put it into the fire!
Dr̥ṣṭi. So chilli will come. So therefore, sadānandaḥ.
Then syayaṁ prabhaḥ; you know; syayaṁ prakāśaḥ. And it is like what? a beautiful
example is given. Chandravat. It is like the chandra, which is freed from grahaṇam.
So ātma is compared to chandra, and saṁsāra is compared to grahaṇam; ahaṁkāra
is compared to Rāhu; so ahaṁkāra Rāhu has caught ātma-chandra; and therefore
there is grahaṇam and grahaṇa-khāle it is supposed to be so many evils coming;
and that is why asked to do; lot of japa. Another doubt; Svāmiji they say: Grahaṇa
puṇya kāla, also they say. Grahaṇam is bad, they say; they also say that it is puṇya
kālam also. How can you reconcile these two statements? Is it good or bad.
Grahaṇam is bad for all the loukika activities; it is good for all the religious and
spiritual activities. And therefore grahaṇam is supposed to be bad and because of
the ahaṁkāra grahaṇam, the ātma has got bad time and what is the bad time;
saṁsāra kālaḥ. The only thing is the local grahaṇam will be for 3 hours, 4 hours, 5
hours; but the samsāra grahaṇam is anādhi kālaḥ pravrthaḥ; but when the ātma
jñāna comes, grahaṇa mukthi. Therefore chandravath. Why he gives the example of
Chandra? Because all the four will fit; It is śuddaḥ; pūrṇaḥ; when grahaṇam is there,
it will be only apūrṇam; chandra becomes pūrṇaḥ; sadānandaḥ; when the moon in
its full brightness, it gives you ānandaḥa; whereas the Sun when it is very bright, it
is hot; therefore he did not take the surya grahaṇa. Very intelligently Śankarācārya
took chandra grahaṇam, because pūrṇa chandra gives you coolness. So himāmṣuḥ;
chandra is called himāmṣuḥ; cool rayed one; and svayaṁ prabhaḥ; it is self-
Page 1339

effulgent; relatively self-effulgent, do not extend it too much. Therefore freed from
ahaṁkāra, be freed from saṁsāra.
यो वा पुरे सोऽह�म�त प्रती

बद
ु ्ध् प्रक्लृप्तस्तमसाऽ�त |
तस्यै �नःशेषतया �वनाशे
ब्रह्मात्म प्र�तबन्धशू ||३०१||
yō vā purē sō:'hamiti pratītō
buddhyā praklr̥ptastamasā:'timūḍhayā |
tasyaiva niḥśēṣatayā vināśē
brahmātmabhāvaḥ pratibandaśūnyaḥ ||301||
So how was ahaṁkāra dominating a person's life? Ahaṁkāra dominates in the form
of I-notion; which is placed on the body-mind-complex. Saha ahaṁ iti pradithaḥ.
Saha means what? the body, परु े pure, puram means śarīraṁ; puram
ekādaśadvāram, navadvapa puram, etc. we have seen. So here puram means
śarīraṁ; पुरे, in the body, saha ahaṁiti pratitaḥ. Ahaṁkāra expresses in the form of I
am this body. I am this mind. And therefore only these are my children; this is my
house; these are my possessions. So first notion is I am the body; and through the
body, all the connections; remember my example, a person marries a girl only.
Three knots is connection with a girl only; but with that connection, simultaneously
he gets how many inlaws. Only one wife; brothers-in-laws, sisters-in-law; father-in-
law; mother-in-law; so many inlaws. Through one relationship, one saṁbanda, mahā
saṁbandam, like that. We are only getting married to ahaṁkāra, but the inlaws are
the entire creation. Therefore पुरे, sarire, ahaṁ iti prathithaḥ. In the form of I-notion,
first the marriage takes place. And what is the muhurtham? Ajñānā khāle. So the
muhurtham is not śōbhana kālam; ajñām khālē; it would be interesting if we publish
a patrikai of this. How the patrika can be made? Somebody can work on it! ātma
ahaṁkāra wedding muhurtham. OK. You can work on it.
So ahaṁ iti, this came. And who is the tarakar; broker, so who is the broker; all
wedding connection. Ati mūḍhayā buddhyā; so the buddhi which is extremely
deluded is the broker; who has suggested such a terrible jātakam. OK. atimūḍha
buddhya; and how is it atimūḍha; tamasa; because of tamō guṇa, the buddhi is
atimūḍha and because of that ahaṁ iti pratitaḥ. Praklipthaḥ means decided by;
Page 1340

visualised by; governed by, caused by, you can take it that way, caused by this
deluded intellect, this ahaṁkāra was prominent in the samsāri's life. So ahaṁ
Brahman is there. Something higher than this is my real nature; kasthvam, kōham,
kutha ayāthā, ka mē janani, is this the real-I or is there something more real than
this. Just to think like this even, your whole life is being held hostage in the
ahaṁkāra.
And what is the remedy? So we have to have a divorce, even though it is not
allowed in our tradition, in the vēdānta only it is allowed. So tasya niḥśēṣatayā
vināśē. That ahaṁkāra should be totally destroyed. Tasya, tasya means
ahaṁkārasya niḥśēṣatayā; can we keep a little you cannot ask, niḥśēṣatayā vināśē.
Only when it is totally destroyed, that is why they say ultimately even saying I am a
bhaktha is a form of ahaṁkāra. I am a sanyāsi, another form of ahaṁkāra, I am a
guruḥ, another form of ahaṁkāra; I am a jñāni, is also a form of ahaṁkāra, because
to say jñāni you have to get related to mind and thought etc. And therefore jñāni
does not even claim that I am a jñāni. Brahaimva na brahmavid sa kascit
surendra vanditha padā nunum maniṣā mama; and therefore tasya vināśē ēva.
Only in its total destruction.
And what do you mean destruction? Very careful. These are all the cases where
confusion can come. Here Śankarācārya uses the word destruction of ahaṁkāra and
from that we will talk about the ahaṁkāra nāṣa, manō nāṣa, etc. and then we
conclude, jñāni does not have ahaṁkāra.
Now the question is if the jñāni does not have ahaṁkāra, how will he transact?
Therefore ahaṁkāra nāśaḥ is equal to ahaṁkāra mithyatva niścayaḥ. Falsification of
ahaṁkāra is called the destruction of ahaṁkāra. Exactly like destroying a pot,
without touching it. What is the vēdantic destruction of the pot; that is different
section. What is the regular destruction of pot? Throw it down and break it. What is
vēdantic destruction of pot; enquiry and through enquiry what do you understand;
there is only clay in the past, in the present and future; pot is vācārambaṇam
vikhāro nāmadēyam; pot is nothing but a name and form; it does not have existence
of its own; understanding this is destruction of pot. Thereafter you handle the pot;
but you know there is no such thing called pot; because what is the weight of pot?
there is no weight of pot other than weight of clay. So therefore, ahaṁkāra nāśaḥ is
equal to ahaṁkāra mithyātva niścayaḥ. Vidyāranya gives this definition; Na pratiti
Page 1341

tayor nāśaḥ; kinthu mithyatva niścayaḥ. Ahamkāra is destroyed means is to

understand it as mithya. Therefore vināśē, mithyatva niścayē sati.
Then Brahmātma bhāvaḥ; so then the life will be ātma oriented life; the I gets a
different shade altogether. What dominates my mind is the thought of ahaṁ pūrṇaḥ,
ahaṁ nithyaha; ahaṁ śuddaḥ; ahaṁ abhayaḥ; ahaṁ mukthaḥ; these thoughts will
be dominating the mind; now and then the role of ahaṁkāra is played. So
brahmātma bhāva takes over; prathibanda sūnyaḥ; without any obstacle; just as pot
cannot obstruct the vision of clay. Because I saw the pot, clay was not visible; No,
pot can never obstruct the vision of clay because, there is no pot at all as a
substance; at least the clip can cover the vision of the hand; but pot is not a
substance, which will cover the vision of clay. There is no second thing at all; and
therefore ātma vision is never covered by ahaṁkāra. Prathibanda sūnyaḥ bhavati,
which is called jīvan muktiḥ.
ब्रह्मानन्द�न�धमर्हाबलवताऽहंकारघोर
संवेष्ट्यात् र�यते गुणमयैश्चण्डेि�भमर्स्तक
�व�ानाख्यमहा�सन श्रु�तम �विच्छद शीषर्त्
�नमूर्ल्या�ह�म �न�धं सुखकरं धीरोऽनभो
ु क्तुं�म ||३०२||
brahmānandanidhirmahābalavatā:'haṁkāraghōrāhinā
saṁvēṣṭyātmani rakṣyatē guṇamayaiścaṇḍēstribhirmastakaiḥ
vijñānākhyamahāsinā śrutimatā vicchidya śīrṣatrayaṁ
nirmūlyāhimimaṁ nidhiṁ sukhakaraṁ dhīrō:'nubhōktuṁkṣamaḥ ||302||
Śankarācāryā conveys the same idea through a beautiful imagery. Highly poetic
imagery. That in highest vēdānta topic also poetry can be brought. That is the
beauty of Śankarācārya. So here the jñāna phalam of ānandaḥ is compared to a
treasure. The jñāna phalam of ānandaḥ, Brahmānandaḥ is compared to a nidhi or
treasure. And a seeker who has done śravaṇam and mananam and who has got
jñānaṁ, he has certainly found the treasure. So a person who has gained ātma
jñānaṁ has already found the treasure of Brahmānandaḥ. He has to only take the
treasure. So jñānaṁ has come, jñānaṁ phalam is ānandaḥ, therefore I have to only
take the treasure home.
But I find that the treasure is surrounded by a snake. This is a traditional belief; a
mythological belief; that every treasure will be protected by a poisonous snake. It is
Page 1342

a mythology. Not ordinary snake, if it is ok. Poisonous snake and the snake has got
three hoods. So three hooded poisonous snake is protecting. So there is a slip
between the cup and the lip; what is in your hand, you are not able to take it to
your mouth; therefore I am a jñāni. brahma ānandaḥ I have found, I have only to
enjoy the result; but between jñānaṁ and the jñāna phalam, the treasure, a snake
is standing in between; the snake is the obstacle, between jñānaṁ and jñāna
phalam. Śankarācārya says, ahaṁkāra snake. The habitual ahaṁkāra; the habitual
individuality, which I have nourished through the milk of varieties of karma, I have
nourished the ego-snake is protecting.
And what are the three hoods? guṇamayi; the three guṇas; the satva guṇa; rajō
guṇa and tamō guṇa; sātvica ahaṁkāra, rājasa ahaṁkāra, tamāśā ahaṁkāra;
sometimes sātvica ahaṁkāra is dominant; sometimes rājasa ahaṁkāra is dominant;
sātvica ahaṁkāra means what: the ahaṁkāra which has done good service: I have
done great social service; I have got Padmasree; Padmavibūṣan, etc. this is sātvica
ahaṁkāra. Rājasa ahaṁkāra means: I have started my business from scratches and
now I am a Bill Gates. OK. Rājasa ahaṁkāra. Tamasa ahaṁkāra means what? I have
destroyed so many people.
Idaṁ madyama maya labdaṁ; imam prāpse; 16th chapter of Gītā, you see. These
three ahaṁkāra, takes the hood; takes turns; like a relay race, and it protects; three
shift; one hood takes care of one shift; 8 hours; another hood another 8 hours;
another hood another 8 hours; and this is preventing us from enjoying the
Brahmānandaḥ. Svāmiji I understood Vēdānta but no nimmadi, if you say; then that
snake is the cause.
So what to do? Using the Nididhyāsanam sword, cut that snake; destroy that snake
through vijñānaṁ, nidhidhyāsanam and then Brahma ānandaḥ nidhi is yours. That is
the idea.
Look at the slōka. Brahmānandaḥ nidhi; the treasure of Brahmānandaḥ. Rakṣyate, in

the second line, is protected by ahaṁkāra ghōra ahina; ahi means snake; ahiḥ
means sarpaḥ; ghōra ahihi means fierce, frightening; bayaṁkarāmāna sarpam; and
what is that sarpa? ahaṁkāra ghōra ahina; and how does it protect? ātmani
saṁvēṣtya; so surrounding the Brahmānandaḥ, keeping with its own coils; ātmani
within its own coils; surrounding with its own coils; it protects,
Page 1343

with what? tribhirmastakaiḥ; with the three poisonous hoods, which are caṇḍai;
caṇḍa means what? fierce, frightening, bayankaraḥ. So caṇḍēstribhirmastakaiḥ,
which are in the form of guṇamayai, in the form of three guṇās. So you can also
imagine; you need not even touch it; as even you go near, it hisses. Therefore even
sends the poison far away.
So what should you do? one way is: vijñānākhyamahāsinā; So with the great sword
of vijñānaṁ; vijñānaṁ can mean either nidhidhyāsanam, or jñāna niṣṭa; abhyasaḥ;
so with the help of the great sword of vijñānaṁ, nidhidhyāsanam, śrutimatā; so
which is chastened by, sharpened by śrutiḥ; śrutiḥ means what? śāstram. Therefore
śāstram is the sharpening stone; in which it should be sharpened.
There is another reading also; dhūyti matām, dhūyti means shining; so the shining
sword, shining indicating what? it is very sharp, with the shining sword, śīrṣatrayaṁ
vicchidya; you cut off the three hoods; the three guṇas; 14th chapter you have to
keep in mind. Nānyam guṇebya karthāram, guṇān yēthān athithathreen. Cut of the
three guṇas; transcend the three guṇās and ahim imaṁ nirmūlya, and thus having
totally destroyed this snake; because once the hoods are cut; snake is dead.
So having destroyed the snake; by cutting off its three hoods; then sukhakaraṁ
nidhiṁ; so nidhi which is capable of giving ānandaḥ; so sukha sādhanam, which is
the source of ānandaḥ; that nidhi called jñāna niṣṭa, jīvan muktiḥ, etc.
dhīrō:'nubhōktuṁkṣamaḥ; only a dhīra, a man of determination, a person of
sincerity; perseverance, a vivēki alone is kṣamaḥ, kṣamaḥ is fit; and capable of
enjoying. Only a person of perseverance is capable of destroying the snake and
enjoying the Brahma ānandaḥ. And therefore what should you do. Take the sword
and destroy ahaṁkāra. And enjoy ānandaḥ. Or looking at the ānandaḥ and sitting
here, you will be more miserable.
Hari Om.
Page 1344

104. Verses 303 to 306
ब्रह्मानन्द�न�धमर्हाबलवताऽहंकारघोर
संवेष्ट्यात् र�यते गण
ु मयैश्चण्डेिस्त्र�भमर
�व�ानाख्यमहा�सन श्रु�तम �विच्छद शीषर्त्
�नमूर्ल्या�हमं �न�धं सखक
ु रं धीरोऽनभो
ु क्तुं�म ||३०२||
brahmānandanidhirmahābalavatā:'haṁkāraghōrāhinā
saṁvēṣṭyātmani rakṣyatē guṇamayaiścaṇḍēstribhirmastakaiḥ
vijñānākhyamahāsinā śrutimatā vicchidya śīrṣatrayaṁ
nirmūlyāhimimaṁ nidhiṁ sukhakaraṁ dhīrō:'nubhōktuṁkṣamaḥ ||302||
Nidhidhyāsanam as a means of viparītha bhāvana nivr̥tti is being discussed very

elaborately by Śankarācārya. This topic begins from 254 and Śankarācārya deals
with this up to verse 417. So you can imagine how much importance Śankarācārya
gives to nidhidhyāsanam. And viparītha bhāvana nivr̥tti meaning the elimination of
all habitual ways of thinking, which obstructs the enjoyment of the benefit of
vēdantic study. Because we are not studying vēdānta, just claim that I have studied
vēdānta also; not to get title or scholarship; scholar status; but we are studying
vēdānta to enjoy the benefit of vēdānta and this benefit is possible only when
habitual ways of thinking are gone and the habitual ways of thinking, which is called
viparītha bhāvana is presented by Śankarācārya in several different ways and one of
the methods of presentation is ahaṁ mama bhāvana. Ahaṁ mama bhāvana means
having the I-identification in the body-mind-complex. Taking the body mind complex
as I is ahaṁ bhāvaḥ. And once I claim the body as myself, anything related to the
body will become my relation. And I have said before, when a person gets married
to a woman, not only he gets related to that woman, but thereafter through her, any
of her relations will automatically become in-laws; see it has come in plural. In the
same way, once ahaṁ is associated with the body, anything connected to the body
will be indirectly connected to me. This indirect connection is called paraṁparāḥ
sambhandaḥ; saṁsarga sambhandaḥ; mamakāra sambhanada.
Direct connection is called tādātmaya saṁbandanda; sākṣāt saṁbandaḥ, which is

called ahaṁkāraḥ; indirect connection is paraṁparā or saṁsarga or mamakāra
saṁbandaḥ. And this ahaṁ and mama are interconnected.
Page 1345

Wherever ahaṁkāra is there; mamakāra will be definitely there. Kēvala ahaṁkāra

never exists; it always exist with mamakāra. And as long as this ahaṁkāra
mamakāra are there, one can never get the benefit of ahaṁ brahmāsmi jñānaṁ.
Because there are several problems, directly connected with ahaṁkāra, like body-
mind-complex, in the form of old age, disease, death, etc. is ahaṁkāra caused
problem. I am worried about my old age, worried about my diseases my death,
because it is connected to this. And when you say I am worried about my wife's old
age, my wife's disease, my wife's death, etc.; they are all mamakāra based worries;
in fact, all the worries can be traced to mamakhaara and ahaṁkāra. And therefore if
the worries should go, ahaṁkāra mamakāra should be handled.
Now we cannot eliminate ahaṁkāra mamakāra because, as long as prārabdha is

there, transactions cannot be avoided. And as long as transactions are necessary,
ahaṁkāra-mamakāra are necessary. Otherwise, even eating I would not know, in
whose mouth I should put the food. So I have to put the food in my mouth, I should
know the difference between my body and other body.
Therefore transaction requires ahaṁ-mama, but jīvan mukthi is obstructed by ahaṁ-

mama. What to do now? We are struck. If we have to transact, we need ahaṁ-
mama. jīvan-mukthi if one needs, ahaṁ-mama has to be dropped; has to leave. And
suppose I want transactions also, jīvan mukthi also, what to do; we are cornered.
Therefore the only way is: I do not eliminate ahaṁ-mama; I can't eliminate ahaṁ-
mama, I make ahaṁ-mama, so insignificant that they have only sufficient strength
for transactions. I make the ahaṁ-mama so insignificant, that they are sufficiently
strong for transaction only.
I have given the example, like eating. For eating, you do not require strong
dēhābhīmāna. You will find that without your deliberate will, hand knows what to
do; mouth knows when to open; no confusion is bound to come; when the hand is
down in the plate you open the mouth and when the hand is near the mouth, the
mouth is closed; no, it never happens. There is no such confusion. You are watching
the TV; perhaps quarrelling with your wife, I do not know. So all these things
happen; but the hand knows what to do; mouth knows what to do; that is called the
instinctive ahaṁkāra. In fact, with instinctive ahaṁkāra itself, most of the
transactions are possible. Early morning bath, wiping and all such things. You do not
have to invoke a deliberate conscious powerful ahaṁkāra.
Page 1346

In fact, most of the life's transactions do not require strong ahaṁkāra. So therefore
make ahaṁkāra weaker; and keep it only to that extent; that is required for doing
your duty, in whatever āsrama you are. And even between these two ahaṁ and
mama, Śankarācārya says ahaṁkāra is further stronger because it is the root of
mamakāra. Without ahaṁkāra, mamakāra cannot come and therefore learn to
handle that.
And therefore, ten verses to handle ahaṁkāra. Not even ten; more verses are given,
which we are seeing now; which goes up to 310. And in this verse, which we have
just completed, 302, Śankarācārya gives a beautiful imagery where ānandaḥ is
compared to a treasure Brahmānandaḥ; and ahaṁkāra is compared to a poisonous
snake; with three hoods in the form of satva, rājas, tamō guṇās; and this jīva wants
to enjoy Brahmānandaḥ; and this ahaṁkāra-snake is preventing you from enjoying
the Brahmānandaḥ.
Therefore with this sword of nidhidhyāsanam, with the sword of vijñānākya

mahāsina; here vijñānākya means nidhidhyāsanam.
Tamēva dhīro vijñāya prajñaam kurveetha Brāhmaṇaḥ. Nanudyayat

bhahoon sabdān vacho viklapinam hi tat;
says in Brihadārnayaka Upaṇiṣad. That nidhidhyāsanam is the vijñānaṁ or

prajñānam also it is called, with the sword of nidhidhyāsanam, śīrṣatrayaṁ vicchidya.
So cut off the three guṇas of ahaṁkāra, and then the Brahmānandaḥ treasure is
available, you can enjoy.
If you say I love ahaṁkāra and I want loukika sukham, it will be poison mixed
sukham; which means duḥkha misritha sukham it will be and if you say I am happy
with that, wish you all the best. That is all Śankarācārya can say.
यावद्व यित्किञ्चद्�वषदोषस्फू�तर चेद्दे |

कथमारोग्या भवेत्तद्वदहन्त यो�गनो मक
ु ्त् ||३०३||
yāvadvā yatkiñcidviṣadōṣasphūrtirasti cēddēhē |
kathamārōgyāya bhavēttadvadahantāpi yōginō muktyai ||303||
So here it is a viṣaṁa vrittham; an uneven meter. Therefore we have to read this

verse like a prose.
Page 1347

Now suppose a person asks: why can't I retain some abhīmāna, which I love very
much. I am ready to give up ahaṁkāra and mamakāra with most of the things in
life; like people asking; I am ready to detach from everything; but one or two
important items I will keep attachment; just one or two only. So why can't you give
an exception.
Śankarācārya says: to the extent attachment is there; to that extent pain also will be
there. If you are willing to go through that pain; you have it. But if you do not want
pain, even an iota of ahaṁ-mama abhīmāna should not be there. It is like poison.
Potassium cyanide, three drops not necessary; only two drops are enough; it is like
saying like that. So whether poison is one drops, two drops or three drops, poison is
poison. Even if there is a little bit of poison in the system, the system cannot be
healthy. When they talk about hormonal imbalance and all; total measure is only
little bit. 0.05 or 0.05 grms is only difference. And you will find that fellow is
eternally depressed. So how a small change in the physical body, changes the status
of your health. Similarly ahaṁ-mama, even if an iota is there; your spiritual health is
gone.
And therefore he says: yāvad, as long as viṣa dōṣa sphūrti dēhē asti; so the viṣa
dōṣam; so the defect of viṣaṁ, viṣaṁ means any toxin in the body. So as long as
there is any toxic material in the body, a little bit dust in the eye you suffer a hell; a
small piece of hair gets into the stomach, what problems you suffer. Therefore even
a little bit of toxic matter is in the system; viṣa dōṣa sphūrtiḥ, sphūrtiḥ is what? Its
manifestation; its presence you can take; dēhē asti cēd yatkiñcid; any amount, need
not be big amounts, even a small amount, is there; kathamārōgyāya bhavēth. How
can you enjoy health? You can never enjoy health. kathamārōgyāya bhavēth. And
therefore the poison should not be there. This is the example.
Now dārṣānta; the original. In the same way, ahantha is also toxin. Sātvika
ahaṁkāra will have sātvik attachment, like attachment to even to guru-vāsana,
śāstra-vāsana; all these also have been classified as attachment. I am attached to
guru also will cause pain. It will be called sātvika ahaṁkāra. Money attachment will
be called rājasa ahaṁkāra. Drug alcohol smoking etc. will be called tāmasa
ahaṁkāra, and therefore there is no question of noble poison. How is it? Noble
poison. Exalted poison is not there. Wherever you have attachment, you will have to
pay the price.
Page 1348

But what we do is: we use rājasa ahaṁkāra to transcend tamāsā ahaṁkāra; then we
use sātvika ahaṁkāra to transcend rājasa ahaṁkāra. Then we use nidhidhyāsanam
for transcending sātvika ahaṁkāra also. That is why in Manīṣa pañjakam,
Śankarācārya says: I am jñāni is also a form of ahaṁkāra, because to claim I am a
jñāni you have to identify with your intellect. Because ātma is neither jñāni nor
ajñāni. Ātma is neither jñāni nor ajñāni; to claim I am a jñāni you require buddhi
tādātmyam. Plus jñānaṁ is a vr̥tti; remember that. Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi is a vr̥tti; a
thought and vr̥tti belongs to buddhi or ātma? Any vr̥tti belongs to buddhi only. And
therefore when you say jñāni, it is a form of ahaṁkāra only. If you go to a jñāni and
ask him whether you are a jñāni, what will he answer? No. Then you cannot ask
him: are you then ajñāni? No. Then who; ātma; brahmaiva na brahmavid; यः
किश्चत सरु ेन्द्रविन्द नन

ू ं म�नषा मम yaḥ kaścitsa surēndravanditapadō nūnaṁ
maniṣā mama. In that yaḥ kaścit, you have to include that jñāni-ahaṁkāra, sanyāsi
ahaṁkāram should also not be there. Therefore yatkiñcid, even a weebit of
ahaṁkāra is there; yōginha muktyai katham bhavēth; how can that suit, be
conducive for the jīvan mukthi of that yōgi? yōgi means seeker. So katham bhavēth,
you have to supply. How can that ahaṁkāra be conducive to the enjoyment of jīvan
mukthi? So it is not a question; how can it be conducive, means what? It can never
be conducive.
अहमोऽत्यन्त�नवृत् तत्कृतनाना�वकल्पसंहृ |
प्रत्यक्तत्त्व�ववेका�ददमह �वन्दत तत्त्व ||३०४||
ahaṁō:'tyantanivr̥ttyā tatkr̥tanānāvikalpasaṁhr̥tyā |
pratyaktattvavivēkādidamaḥ masmīti vindatē tattvam ||304||
Therefore ahaṁahā atyanta nivr̥ttyā; therefore ahaṁkāra must be put in its own
place; it should become insignificant. It should be there only to the extent possible.
Exactly like I told you, eating. Once you have done that, you are not going to go
back and think about it; I did that I did this etc. and you do not dwell on that.
Similarly, any transaction also if I can invoke that father-ahaṁkāra mother-
ahaṁkāra, at the time of transactions; after that it does not hover around my mind.
The father-ahaṁkāra hovering; son did like that; did like that; mother-ahaṁkāra
hovering around; it should not hover around. When it is necessary, that ahaṁkāra I
can invoke and then forget it. If I can do that, it does not take a mind a hostage.
That ahaṁkāra should not be invoked automatically; I should choose to invoke
Page 1349

father ahaṁkāra, mother-I, husband, wife-I; owner-I; employer-I; employee-I; if

these ahaṁkāras do not get automatically invoked. If that happens, there is a
problem.
But if I can invoke, I am the master of the ahaṁkāra, which means ahaṁkāra is
feeble. Whether, it is feeble ahaṁkāra or strong ahaṁkāra, how will you know? If I
invoke it, it is feeble, because I am the master. But if it gets automatically invoked:
Svāmiji wherever I go, this is only running circles in my head; if you say, that means
I am under the control of that ahaṁkāra; that means it is powerful enough to cause
sorrow for me. That is the indication of the strength of ahaṁkāra. And therefore
ahaṁahā atyanta nivr̥ttyā. So that master-ahaṁkāra should be totally eliminated and
the slave-ahaṁkāra should replace. So slave-ahaṁkāra should not replace māster
ahaṁkāra. Do you understand? Slave ahaṁkāra should replace māster-ahaṁkāra.
Did you understand what did I mean? Ahaṁkāra should not master me. I should be
the master of ahaṁkāra. Ahaṁkāra means, understand it as various roles. Ahaṁkāra
here means father role, mother role, husband role, wife role, etc.
The ultimate question is: whether those roles come when it decides; or when I
invoke them. Who will know that? Only You know. So better you find, which comes
and bothers you; if it bothers you, then that ahaṁkāra is strong; that abhīmāna is
strong; catch that and cut that; there is no other way. You have to invoke that
abhīmāna in your meditation; for one it is husband-wood; another it is father-hold;
grand-father hood, you have to handle that. If you do not do that; you suffer. There
is no other way.
Therefore ahaṁahā atyanta nivr̥ttyā; the master ahaṁkāra should be totally

eliminated; and once the ahaṁkāra is handled; tatkr̥tanānāvikalpasaṁhr̥tyā; all the
secondary products which can be taken as mama-kāra; caused by tatkr̥tam; means
ahaṁkāra kr̥tam; those mamakārams which are created by the ahaṁkāram; nāna
vikalpa. Every role is a mamakāra; every relationship is a mamakāra. And what is
the nature of ātma. asaṅgōḥ ayaṁ puruṣaḥ.

Page 1350

guru is also a saṁbanda; śiṣya is saṁbanda; father is saṁbanda; mother is

saṁbanda. saṁbanda is not there he says: gururnaiva śiṣyaḥ, cidānandarūpaḥ
śivō:'haṁ śivō:'ham.
The last sambandās are supposed to be three: final saṁbanda. These three
sambandās should swallow all other sambandās; and these sambandṣs are with
guru, śāstra and Īśvara ha. These three you have to keep till end, and even that you
have to cut it in the end. No other go. Guru śāstra Īśvara saṁbanda. The kudumi
indicates that, it is said. So the Brahmachāri tuft is supposed to indicate and sanyāsa
symbolises cutting that final holds. And why the śāstra indicates on cutting that.
Because śāstra feels that sambhandā is also a saṁsāra. Sātvika saṁsāra. And
therefore tat kr̥ta nānā saṁhr̥tyā; samhritḥ means cutting, eliminating mamakāra
saṁhr̥tyā. And as this is cut, by repeatedly dwelling, you have to give time for that;
there is no other way, it will never automatically happen. Each one you have to
deliberately invoke and give a cut. OK. cut-put. There is no automatic elimination;
deliberate invocation and elimination is called nidhidhyāsanam. You have to invoke
father-hood and cut it; you have to invoke mother-hood and cut it; husband-hood,
wife-hood, guru-hood, śiṣya-hood, etc. etc. because each one is a hood. OK: each
on is a hood; they are all hoods of ahaṁkāra; there is no other way.
That is why nidhidhyāsanam is a long process and as you go on doing that, the very
vēdantic teaching which did not give much impact before, the very same vēdantic
teaching gives stronger impact. Earlier Tattvamasi if I say; you think that he is
saying something; pāvam; and the words do not have the penetrating capacity why
because the powerful ahaṁ mama is standing in between.
So therefore it hits and ahaṁ-mama, and the tattvamasi goes back to the Guru
himself. Ricocheting; it hits the śiṣya's head with the ahaṁ mama thick skull, it hits
and rebounds and hits the guru and tattvamsi is understood very nicely by the Guru!
Thinner the ahaṁ-mama, iron curtain; more penetrating will be tattvamasi. Ahaṁ-
ānandaḥ svarūpōsmi, as even you hear this, yes, that is it, and then you shake your
head. Now, what is this Svāmiji saying; he has not understood me correctly; that is
Page 1351

why he is saying: You are ānandaḥ svarūpōsmi, etc. He does not understand the
story of my house, that is why he is saying like that. My house story means what:
ahaṁ-mama; remember, your family story is equal to ahaṁ-mama curtain.
And therefore pratyaktattvavivēkād; pratayak tatva vivēkam means ātma vicāra.

Pratayak tatva means ātma, inner reality, means ātma; vivēka means vicārah; so
ātma vicārath; śravaṇāth, or even you yourselves invoke the teaching. Either you
continue to hear from the guru, or you have stopped hearing; but you continue to
invoke the teaching; as the ahaṁ-mama becomes feebler and feebler; the invocation
of the teaching will become more and more intense. Vivēkāt, ahaṁ idam asmi iti
tatvam vindatē. So he owns up the tatvam.
What tatvam; stūla sukṣma kāraṇa śarīrāt vyathirikthaḥ; avastha thraya sākṣi; pañja
kōśa vilakṣaṇaḥ, sacchidānandaḥ svarūpaḥ san ya thiṣṭathi; so that tatvam; ātma
tatvam; ahaṁ idam asmi iti vindatē, this caitanya tatvam I am. That idam indicates
aparōkṣataya bhāsamānam. அபேராக்ஷம இ�க்கி ைசதன்யே நான {Aprokṣamāka
irikkira caitanyaṁe naan} vindatē, it becomes a walk over for this person. Therefore
the reception of vēdānta is directly proportional to the thinning down of the ahaṁ-
mama obstacles.
अहंकारे कतर्यर्ह�म म�तं मञ

ु ् सहसा
�वकारात्मन्यात�तफलजु�ष स्विस्थ�तमु |
यदध्यासात्प्र ज�नम�त
ृ जरादःखबह
ु ु ला
प्रतीचिश्चन्मूत सुखतनोः संस�त
ृ �रयम ् ||३०५||
ahaṁkārē kartaryahaṁiti matiṁ muñca sahasā
vikārātmanyātmapratiphalajuṣi svasthitimuṣi |
yadadhyāsātprāptā janimr̥tijarāduḥkhabahulā
pratīcaścinmūrtēstava sukhatanōḥ saṁsr̥tiriyam ||305||
Therefore Śankarācārya advises all the mumukṣūs, Oh! Śiṣya, this is a tough job; but
you cannot avoid it. So there is no alternative method of exception; if you belong to
BC, SC, ST there might be some exception; that kind of concession you would not
get here; everyone has to do the job. What is the job? ahaṁiti matiṁ muñca. Give
up the I-notion; muñca means give up; throw up; ahaṁiti matiṁ; the I-notion of
identification; in what? ahaṁkāre akartāri; in the ahaṁkāra, the kārtha-bōktha.
Page 1352

And what is the definition of ahaṁkāra? Remember, body-mind-complex, with

reflected caitanyaṁ; cidābhāśā sahita śarīraṁ; stūla sūkṣma śarīraṁ; is ahaṁkāra.
Live-body-mind-complex is called ahaṁkāra and therefore in that ahaṁkāra, the I-
abhīmānam, muñca; give up. When should I give up? Can I keep it for the next day;
after seeing a good day; after seeing the horoscope; etc? When you have got
intense headache, and suppose there is a tablet which will remove the headache,
will you like to take the tablet instantaneously or you go on searching for the
triganita pañjaṅgam or vākya pañjaṅgam; headache you want to get rid off;
therefore sahasā; sahasā means what: instantaneously, drop like a hot potato. Drop
it; because it has been burning you all the time. It continues to hurt you all the time.
Therefore sahasā muñca, ahaṁkāre akartāri.
And what type of ahaṁkāra it is? Vikhārātmani. These are all the explanations of
ahaṁkāra to indicate how it deserves throwing.
For what purposes you should drop it? For that purpose; hētu garbha viśēṣaṇāni; he
wants to give up some association; please do not move with that person. If you say
just like that, he is not going to listen. Therefore you have to tell all the duṣta
svabhāva of that person; and therefore give up. Dussaṅgaḥ sarvadā tyājya. Like that
ahaṁkāra abhīmāna is Dussaṅgaḥ. Why ahaṁkāra is duṣta payal. Why he is duṣtaḥ;
vikhārātmani; it is of the nature of modification; it is of changing nature; ātma
means nature; vikhāra means changing; vikārātma means changing nature; and
therefore, if it becomes a happy, it can never remain happy all the time. So the
adjective-happy which is connected with ahaṁkāra, will never permanently stick to
ahaṁkāra; happy-ahaṁkāra will change. Happy-ahaṁkāra change; happy-ahaṁkāra
if it chances; what is the chance of it changing it to any other adjective other than
happiness? And therefore duḥkhi. And what you call, old, young, all adjectives are all
constantly subject to change; vikhārātmani vikhāra svarupē; ātma pratiphala jushi; it
does not have original consciousness. It enjoys only reflected consciousness. Ātma
prathiphalam; prathi phalam means reflection; ātma prathiphalam means, the
reflection of ātma caitanāyam is only there in ahaṁkāra. So the consciousness in
ahaṁkāra; that is the consciousness in the body is borrowed. What is the proof?
what is the proof? death is the proof because body becomes inert at the time of
death. And therefore ātma pratiphala is equal to pratibhimba caitanyaṁ;
abhāśācaitanyaṁ; jushi means endowed with; jush dāthu; jushātē; sēvate;
prāpnothi; to be endowed with; and it is ātma prathiphala jush sabdhaha,
sakāraṇathaha pullingaha ātma prathiphala jush sabdhaḥ, sapthami vibhakthi ēka
Page 1353

vachanam; adjective to ahaṁkāra. OK. So give up your identification in the

ahaṁkāra, which enjoys only borrowed consciousness.
And svasthitimuṣi; this is only important; swasthiti means what? natural relaxed
condition is; svasthi; in Tamil you say: ஸ்வஸ்த இ�க்கிற {svasthama
irukkararathu}; being at peace; being relaxed in myself; or still better idiom; being
at home; is svasthiti. And what is this ahaṁkāra doing? svasthiti mush; it steals
away; it robs away your relaxation; it is stress creating.
Ahaṁkāra mamakārās are stress creating. As long as they are there; a person will
have stress, in various degrees. Either it will be intense stress; or there will be a mild
stress; it will be continuously there. In fact, according to śāstra, other than jñānis,
the whole world is in stress alone. Like the psychiatrist will say; the whole world is
problematic. Whoever they test, they will say that there is some problem. Only there
are some sane people; they are the jñānis; leaving aside them, everyone has some
piri ilakiyirukku; slight piri is loose. When everyone has got the same amount of
madness; they become normal. So what is the definition of normalcy? Majority has
the same thing. When everyone starts behaving the same way, then it becomes
normal! Like that stress will completely go only under one condition. Ahaṁ mama
have to be dropped. If you think there are alternative methods, you can try. Then
you can come back in the end; we will be sitting under the same tree; you will
please go round and round and come; any stress management course you attend.
And you meet the organisers of stress management; the organisers of stress
management are stressed in organising this; this should work well; Svāmiji please
bless us.
So therefore, svasthitimuṣi; it takes away your easeness. That is called disease.

What is disease? you are not at ease. So swasthihi mushi, which removes your
ārōgyam. And such an ahaṁkāra, an abhīmāna in such an ahaṁkāra, sahasā
muñca; you should go back to the first line; drop your abhīmāna in that type of
ahaṁkāra; give up.
If I do not don't do; what will happen? Will you arrest me? If you do not give up, we
need not arrest you, because already you are in jail; why should guru come and
arrest the śiṣya, if he does not give up. We are already in the jail called saṁsāra;
saṁsāra kārāgriha mōkṣam micchu. So therefore whether you want to be released
from this jail is the question; so do not ask the condition whether you will arrest me.
Page 1354

Therefore he says yad adhyāsāt prāpthām; yad adhyāsāt means ahaṁkāra

adhyāsāt; which means ahaṁkāra abhīmānāt. Because of this ahaṁkāra abhīmāna
alone has come this mess. So this mess which are you already in; what is this mess?
Iyam saṁsr̥tiḥ; in the fourth line; iyam saṁsr̥tiḥ; so this saṁsāra, you are already
stuck; as prāptha; has come, has happened, yad adhyāsath, because of ahaṁkāra
adhyāsath alone.
And what is the definition of the saṁsāra? janimr̥tijarāduḥkhabahulā; which is

saturated with janiḥ, janiḥ means birth, repeated births; mr̥tiḥ, means what
repeated births if it is there, what will be there? repeated deaths; and birth is
followed by you know you grow and enjoy, and you die suddenly, but generally it is
not, jarā is torture; third degree torture, second degree torture, yama dharma gives
varieties of problems, for which the medical science does not have any cure. Not to
do anything. So this is called torture. You are not allowed to die; and you are forced
to go through varieties of physical problems; that is called torture, jarā and duḥkam.
Duḥkam means in between varieties of psychological pain. Children not being to my
expectations; no one is listening; they do not come and talk to me; they do not write
letters; they do not even ask whether I am alive or not; all these are pain.
Therefore duḥkha bahulā; bahulā means saturated; striliṅgam, because adjective to

saṁsr̥ti; duḥkha bahulā saṁsr̥ti iyam; which has come to you only because of
dussaṅga. You are associated with a wrong entity; what is the wrong entity?
ahaṁkāra entity. And if you give up the ahaṁkāra entity, from where will I get
ānandaḥ, if somebody asks, Śankarācāryā says, you need not get ānandaḥ from
anywhere, why because, the spring of ānandaḥ is in yourselves.
Therefore he says; pratīcaḥ; for you, who are the inner self; caitanya svarūpam; also
ṣaṣti vibhakti, Therefore he says; pratīcaḥ; for you, who are the inner self; caitanya
svarūpam; also ṣaṣti vibhakti, pratīcaḥ; adjective to You, thava, that word, adjective
to You, thava, that word, for you who is the inner self. cinmūrtē, again ṣaṣti vibhakti,
adjective to thava; who is of the nature of consciousness, cinmūrtē means what?
caitanya svarūpam; whether caitanya is there or not, you may ask who wants it?
sukha tanōḥ; sukha svarūpasya, ānandaḥ rūpasya; again ṣaṣti vibhakti adjective to
thava, for you who is of the nature of consciousness, who is of the nature of
ānandaḥ, who is the inner self of the body, for you this saṁsāra has come because
Page 1355

of ahaṁkhāra saṁbanda alone. That thava should be connected with iyam samśruti
praptha. This saṁsāra has come to you, because of ahaṁkāra saṁbanda.
सदैकरूपस �चदात्मन �वभो-

रानन्दमूत�रनवद्यक�त |
नैवान्यथ क्वाप्य�वका�रणस
�वनाहमध्यासममुष संस�तः
ृ ||३०६||
sadaikarūpasya cidātmanō vibhō-
rānandamūrtēranavadyakīrtēḥ |
naivānyathā kvāpyavikāriṇastē
vināhamadhyāśamamuṣya saṁsr̥tiḥ ||306||
So here Śankarācārya says: by yourselves you do not require any assistance to be

happy. Dayānanda svāmi beautiful says: for happiness you require only yourselves.
For happiness you require only yourselves. Because you are wonderful ones; what is
your nature? sadaikarūpasya; sadā ēka rūpasya; you are always of the same nature;
unchanging nature, uniform nature, and what is that uniform nature, cidātmanaḥ;
which is in the form of caitanyaṁ; sada eka rūpasya cidātmanaḥ and vibhōḥ; and
what is the size of that caitanyaṁ? vibhōḥ, which is all pervading; sarva vyapakasya;
so you are ever the same; you are of the nature of consciousness, you are all
pervading; ānandaḥ murthe; you are the embodiment of ānandaḥ. In fact, if you
want to have duḥkam, you cannot have; that is the duḥkam, duḥkam if you want, it
cannot be got in ātma, that is the duḥkam.
So therefore ānandaḥ murthe, ānandaḥ rūpasya; so all these are ṣaṣti vibhakti,
adjective to the in the third line, means for you, உனக் unakku; and not only that,
anavadyakīrtēḥ; and you have got a glory which is wonderful; blemishless glory.
Spotless glory you have, the glory being sat svarūpam, chit svarūpam, ānandaḥ
svarūpam, ānandaḥ svarūpam, all these pure glory; anavadyam, spotless,
blemishless. Kīrtēḥ means glory and avikāriṅaḥ; and you are avikāri; you can
understand, avikāri means changeless. ते means for you; who has got such a nature;
saṁsr̥tiḥ naivānyathā; saṁsāra is never possible; naiva in the third line, saṁsr̥tiḥ in
the fourth line, naiva understood, there can never be saṁsāra for you; other than
under one condition. It is only under one condition you can have saṁsāra; and what
is that: ahaṁ adhyāsam vina; other than ahaṁ adhyāsa, I notion; ahaṁ adhyāsam
Page 1356

vina; without or other than, in what? amuṣya, you can take sapthami meaning,
amuṣh in the ahaṁkāra.
So without the I-notion in the ahaṁkāra, without ahaṁkāra abhīmāna you can never
have saṁsāra; that is the only problem. Quapi, at any time. Therefore the only
cause of saṁsāra is ahaṁkāra adhyāsa alone. And ahaṁkāra adhyāsa has come
because you are not aware of the fact that I am somebody else, different from and
superior to ahaṁkāra. If something better is there, who is going to go for this
miserable thing. yavanarthe udapaane sarvata sampludodakai; pure water lake is in
the backyard. I own a lake; pure water lake; and in the local water, so much is
mixed up. you just have to utter Nārayaṅa and drink; including sewage is mixed; this
is there; that is there; who will be after that; if you enjoy the lake of pure water.
Similarly, because of the ignorance of higher self, I am sticking to the lower ego;
therefore give it up. you can enjoy mōkṣa. More...
Hari Om.
Page 1357

105. Verses 306 to 310
सदैकरूपस �चदात्मन �वभो-

रानन्दमूत�रनवद्यक�त |
नैवान्यथ क्वाप्य�वका�रणस
�वनाहमध्यासमषम ् संस�तः
ृ ||३०६||
sadaikarūpasya cidātmanō vibhō-
rānandamūrtēranavadyakīrtēḥ |
naivānyathā kvāpyavikāriṇastē
vināhamadhyāśamamuṣya saṁsr̥tiḥ ||306||
In these verses Śankarācārya is pointing out that to enjoy jīvan mukthi, that is the
benefit of ātma jñānaṁ, one should very carefully handle ahaṁkāra. Self-knowledge
is always in the form ahaṁ Brahmāsmi; wherein the word ahaṁ means, the
consciousness, the sākṣi caitanyaṁ.
And what vēdānta teaches is I-the-sākṣi-caitanyaṁ is my real nature, whereas for all
the transactions we have to use ahaṁkāra. As long as prārabhdam is there, we
cannot avoid transactions and interactions, and every transaction and interaction;
however sacred it might be, requires ahaṁkāra. Even to play the role of a śiṣya,
ahaṁkāra is required, because ātma is neither guru, na gurur naiva śiṣyaḥ. To play
the role of a bhaktha, you have to invoke ahaṁkāra.
Ātma is not a bhakta also. In fact, not even Bhagavān. Because Bhagavān is also a
relative role of creator-hood from the standpoint of the world; therefore even
Bhagavān's status belongs to the big ahaṁkāra of Bhagavān.
Therefore whether it is secular transaction or sacred transaction, ahaṁkāra is

required. And since we have to use ahaṁkāra all the time, invoke ahaṁkāra all the
time, Śankarācārya says that the chances are that we forget the higher nature and
unknowingly slip down to ahaṁkāra nature. And once the ahaṁkāra nature becomes
prominent, saṁsāra becomes a serious problem. What started as a drama ends as a
tragedy.
Page 1358

And therefore one of the important aspects of nidhidhyāsanam is learning to keep

the ahaṁkāra at subdued level. That means what? It should have enough life for
performing my duties. Because I cannot be an irresponsible citizen. If I am a
paramahaṁsa parivrājakācārya wandering in the forest, then my duties and
responsibilities are minimum; śarīra yātra mātram only. But once I am in the society,
whatever varṇa I belong to, whatever āsrama I belong to, I have a series of
responsibilities. So I have to invoke the ahaṁkāra, sufficiently to discharge my
duties; but it should not become too prominent to cause anxiety; to cause worry; to
cause tension.
And therefore it is walking on the rope, you cannot throw away ahaṁkāra fully; then
you will become an irresponsible citizen; you cannot take the ahaṁkāra fully; then
the worry of family; worry of children, grand children, everything. National worry;
for many that problem is not there, but for some people; so therefore why our
country is not like that; that is another form of ahaṁkāra. Dēśa bhakthi is one thing;
dēśa ahaṁkāra, bondage is quite another.
So therefore Śankarācārya says one should learn to handle ahaṁkāra and if that is
not done, he says saṁsr̥tiḥ ēva bhavēth. You will have saṁsāra. In fact, whether
ahaṁkāra has become prominent or not, how do we know. Even if you experience
an iota of saṁsāra, in the form of anxiety, tension, fear, jealousy, irritation; even an
tinch of saṁsāra means ahaṁkāra has become prominent. You have to keep it
under control always. Up to this we saw.
with the same ahaṁkāra handling topic, Śankarācārya says:
तस्मादहंकार�मम स्वशत्
भोक्तुगर् कण्टकवत्प्रत |
�विच्छद �व�ानमहा�सना स्फुट
भुङ्�वात्मसाम्राज् यथेष्ट म ||३०७||
tasmādahaṁkāramimaṁ svaśatruṁ
bhōkturgalē kaṇṭakavatpratītam |
vicchidya vijñānaṁahāsinā sphuṭaṁ
bhuṅkṣvātmasāmrājyasukhaṁ yathēṣṭam ||307||
Page 1359

Tasmāt; so therefore, therefore means wherefore, since strong invocation of

ahaṁkāra creates saṁsāra, therefore you have to keep ahaṁkāra at subdued level.
Tasmāt, therefore, ahaṁkārasya saṁsāratva kāraṇatvat, imam ahaṁkāram; this
ahaṁkāra, which can be compared to a beautiful comparison is given: bhōktur galē
kaṇṭakavat pratitam. It is a beautiful example.
Suppose you like a particular dish very well. It is a costly item; somehow you have
managed to get that item. And you have put in your mouth also. Now you have to
only swallow. But in the throat, there is some thorn, something stuck to the throat,
gale kaṇṭakaḥ, thorn or thorn like food particle article also; may be murukku bit you
can take, or any eatables, it is there, stuck. And therefore you are not able to
swallow that. What will be the condition? Exactly like that, getting the jīvan mukthi
dish is very difficult; somehow you have got manuṣyatvam, somehow you have got
mumukṣutvaṁ, somehow you have got guru; somehow you have got śāstram,
somehow you manage to come to the class; and somehow you are understanding
also; against all your imagination. I thought I would not understand Svāmiji, but
somehow I understood it; what to do? So therefore, against all expectations,
somehow I understood also; up to jñāna prāpthi I have come; I have to only
swallow the jīvan mukthi; but not allowing me to swallow, what is the problem?
Various ahaṁkāra vāsanas problems, are not allowing me to enjoy the jñāna
phalam. Between jñānaṁ and jñāna phalam, the ahaṁkāra vāsana is serving as
obstacle.
Ahaṁkāra is not serving as an obstacle, because through knowledge I have known

the mithyātvam of ahaṁkāra. Ahaṁkāra is mithyai Svāmiji; I do understand; but
during vyavahārā, the ahaṁkāra vāsana makes the ahaṁkāra real. And during that
moment, when the ahaṁkāra is real, the ahaṁkāra problem is also real. And
therefore saṁsāra is overwhelmingly real. All because of what? Not ignorance, but
vāsana. What vāsana? Ahaṁkāra is real; I have transacted like that only; even
though I know its mithyātvam; but during problem, ahaṁkāra seems real.
And therefore bhōktu galāḥ means throat. galē kaṇṭaka means thorn; galē
kaṇṭakavat pratītam. Ahaṁkāra is experienced like the thorn in the throat; not
allowing me to swallow jīvan mukthi ānandaḥ. Not allowing me to enjoy the benefit
ānandaḥ of vēdānta.
Page 1360

Therefore ahaṁkāra is svaśatrūm; it is an enemy for jīvan mukthi anubhava; śānthi

anubhava; samatva anubhava. Very careful I am not using the word Brahma
anubhava; I do not accept Brahma anubhava; I am talking about Brahma jñāna
phala anubhava; which is enjoying peace, which is enjoying the abhayaṁ. And I am
not able to enjoy. Therefore ahaṁkāra is śatrū.
But here we should remember, ahaṁkāra is śatrū, not in the total sense of the term
because for doing the duty, you have to invoke the ahaṁkāra. Even when a person
is a guru, if he has to duty towards his śiṣya, what is the guru's duty? It is to teach;
therefore guiding the śiṣya; even to play the role of that particular gurutvam,
ahaṁkāra is be invoked. Therefore ahaṁkāra is not totally śatrū; but when it
becomes too prominent, it becomes śatrū.
And therefore we have to say prominent ahaṁkāra, which is the śatrū. And such a
śatrūfor me, vicchidya, you have to destroy, destroy means you have to falsify at
regular intervals. Whenever a particular worry overwhelms; invoke that worry; and
see the cause of that worry, invariably it is connected to father-ahaṁkāra, or
husband-ahaṁkāra, or wife-ahaṁkāra, or mother-ahaṁkāra. A particular ahaṁkāra
has become too real; therefore causing worry; therefore go back to the height of
ātma and from ātma-level when you see, the ahaṁkāra becomes so insignificant;
that the worry gets abhibhūtām.
Do you remember the word abhibhūtām, I said? Abhibhūtām means what? When a
thing becomes too insignificant, in the presence of something else, it is called
abhibhava; what example I had given; when the sun rises, the stars are very very in
the sky, the sun does not destroy the stars, but the stars become as though not
existent; becomes too insignificant.
Similarly, ahaṁkāra will continue; and the problem will continue; but when you
invoke your higher-I; the ahaṁkāra and the problems will become too insignificant.
That you do not mind them. That is called taking in the stride. All these will be
there; if it is life, prārabdhaṁ will come; this will come; that will come; you would
not get seriously disturbed by that. This is called abhibhavaḥ. Sañcita is destroyed,
āgami is destroyed; prārabhdasya abhibhavaḥ bhavathi. Prārabhdam is not
destroyed, but it will become insignificant for a jñāni. And that is called vicchidya;
making it insignificant; making it mithya; making it subdued.
Page 1361

By what? Vijñānaṁahāsinā; with the sharp sword of vijñānaṁ; the vēdantic

teaching, because vēdantic teaching alone can make the ahaṁkāra smaller. It is like
imagining the huge galaxy and from the standpoint of the galaxy, when you look at
the earth, what will happen; earth will continue to be the same, but in the vision of
that, the earth has become insignificant. In the earth, a particular continent,
particular state, particular village, particular street, particular house, particular room;
particular chair; and a particular particle; how important it is. Dust particle,
disturbing the entire society. Everyone's eyes are disturbed. It disturbs everyone.
So therefore, the only method of making ahaṁkāra insignificant is vēdānta. Any

other field you go, ahaṁkāra will be nourished. To serve the society, you will get the
award, you will get Padmasree, Padma bhuṣan, Bharath Rathna; the chest has come
forward. I am so and so. Anything else you do, ahaṁkāra is nourished. The only
thing which will make ahaṁkāra emanciated is vijñānaṁ mahāsi. So asi means
sword. So with the sword of knowledge, and here knowledge means
nidhidhyāsanam. So with the sword of nidhidhyāsanam, may you cut this ahaṁkāra
kaṇṭakam.
How? Not vaguely; sphuṭam vicchidya. I should be convinced that ahaṁkāra is

insignificant. Not that guru says; Not that, śāstra says. I should be able to see the
worthlessness of ahaṁkāra. And if I do that, what is the advantage? Śankarācāryā
says, I am not going to get anything if you obey my advice; if you follow my advice,
the benefit is going to be for you, and I am not going to get even a single challi-
kāsu; I do not want anything in return, is a pure advice given out of compassion.
Therefore Śankarācārya says, bhuṅkṣvā, you enjoy. And I am telling you because I
am enjoying. Śankarācārya saying. I am enjoying the ātma sāmrājya sukhaṁ and I
want you also to enjoy, because you have come to my fold, therefore I am telling
you. Therefore ātma sāmrājyasukhaṁmeans jīvan mukthi anubhavam. bhuṅkṣvā
enjoy. Yathēṣṭam; yathēṣṭam means freely, there is no competitor; any other field
you field you find that there are many competitors; any field. If there is one field,
where you need not be frightened of competitor, Svāmiji, when we came to this
area, we had a bore well; and in 20 meter, 30 meter we used to get meter. Now
what happened? So many buildings have come; everyone is putting borewell; how
can I stop the water from going to that territory? Now all the waters are shared by
so many people, that we are not able to completely enjoy. Therefore every house
comes in the neighbourhood, I am worried. Competitor, including Bhagavān's water.
Page 1362

So Brahmānandaḥ is one thing, which will not become lesser, a few more people are
going to share. And therefore yathēṣṭam means without the fear of reduction of
ānandaḥ; by others' sharing; you enjoy.
ततोऽहमादे�वर्�नवत् विृ त्त

संत्यक्तरा परमाथर्लाभात |
तूष्णी समास्स्वात्मसुखानुभू
पूणार्त्म ब्रह् �न�व्
र कल् ||३०८||
tatō:'hamādērvinivartya vr̥ttiṁ
saṁtyaktarāgaḥ paramārthalābhāt |
tūṣṇīṁ samāssvātmasukhānubhūtyā
pūrṇātmanā brahmaṇi nirvikalpaḥ ||308||
Tathaḥ; so therefore and thereafter, paramārtha lābhath saṁtyaktarāgaḥ bhava; by

owning up the paramārtha; labhyāḥ means attainment; here there is no attainment
of paramārtha because I myself happen to be the paramārtha. Paramārthaḥ means
mōkṣaḥ. Parama puruṣārtaḥ; two meaning; Paramārthaḥ means the ultimate
substance, Brahman. Arthaḥ means substance. The second meaning of arthaḥ is
goal. Therefore paraḥ arthaḥ means ultimate goal.
So whether you translate it as ultimate substance, or ultimate goal, both ways,

paramārtha means ātma only. Ultimate goal means mōkṣa; and mōkṣa is nothing
but I myself. And paramārtha lābhaḥ means attainment of myself; and attainment of
myself means owning my higher nature. Paramārtha lābha; What is the benefit?
saṁtyakta rāgaḥ; you drop all your attachments; all your desires; all your
expectations; ahaṁkāra leads to expectations.
I have expectation from people and even though I advice and say that I am telling
this for your own good only; but in the heart of hearts, we want our people to do
something that we like; even though we say for your own good only, but in the
heart of heart, I also will be happy only if you follow my advice.
We are advising. But we expect them to follow the advice, because if they do not
follow the advice, we are going to be unhappy. And that is why the advice is not like
advice, it becomes a commandment. And it becomes trusty and it becomes
Page 1363

enforcement; and the relationship gets strained; everything happens because even
though it is presented as for your own good; in the heart of heart, I want that to
happen. So therefore, no expectation means, my advice is the most relaxed advice. I
think this is the best thing for you. And you think pros and con and ultimately you
choose this course of action, and you hope to be happy; I wish you all the best. We
do not say advice should not be given; we do not say correction cannot be done; but
what we say is we can do it as a suggestion; never as commandment.
What about children? Even children up to a particular age commandment is possible;

and thereafterwards the other day one girl is asking: Svāmiji my mother is not
permitting me to do that. I think up to 18 I cannot do anything. Is it Svāmiji? She
says I will wait up to 18 and once I become major I can do anything I like. Then I
just for fun I asked, supposed they refuse to give you money to follow, what would
you do? Svāmiji in the bank there is some money in my name; I can claim it;
children! So even legally, morally, even śāstrically,
rājavat pañja varṣāni

daśa varṣāni dāsavath;
praptē tu ṣōdase varṣe;
puthram mithravat ācārēt.
Once the child has become sixteen, puthra has become mithra. Your right to
command is gone. You command and you get into problem. That is because
expectation. So suggestion, plus expectation is equal to commandment; otherwise
problem. So therefore Śankarācārya says saṁtyaktarāgaḥ; drop all ideas of
commandment, by dropping all the ideas of expectation. When you are relaxed and
give suggestion, chances are the other people will take, because otherwise they
often do; but you know, often they do, when they want their children married; often
the parents use the expression: somehow my duty will be over, so that I can be
relaxed. If that is said to Svāmiji in private, it is OK; but in front of the children,
when this is said, what do the children conclude? The parents are interested in
somehow finishing of the duty. That means what? their action is governed by their
benefit; and therefore they are concerned whether they will be really serious about
the completing their duties. Somehow to finished it off; that is the thought.
Therefore never use this expression; you may have in the mind; does not matter;
but never use that, because it will only create doubt, especially in modern children,
who are very very intelligent and independent thinking.
Page 1364

So therefore, I should never approach in terms of what I will get out of my advice or
out of my action. I should talk in terms what you will get if I do that. And that is my
primary concern and incidentally my duty is over. That is incidental. But my primary
concern is you should be settled and your future should be good; that is the thing.
But there is a problem. What is the problem? Expectation. Therefore
saṁtyaktarāgaḥ; give up all expectations. And ahaṁadaḥ kritim vinivarthya; turn
your vr̥tti, vr̥tti means functioning or identification with ahamādē; ahaṁkāra, etc.;
ahaṁkāra and mamakāra; from ahamkāra and mamakāra, vr̥ttim vinivarthya; vr̥ttim
means over attention; over involvement; being carried away by ahaṁ mama
activities. May you not be immersed in ahaṁ-mama; may you not be submerged
drowned in ahaṁ-mama. Let it become incidental.
So samtyaktarāga paramārthalābhāt; that is the advantage you will get; once ahaṁ-
mama is no more overwhelming, you have got lot of inner leisure; the mind finds a
sudden peace. Tūṣṇīṁ samāsva. May you remain relaxed, when you are not
engaged in duties. Now our time is going; either in doing the duties or worrying
about the duties; these two only are being done by us. Either we do or I worry;
there is no time for vēdānta.
Now he says that now you will only do your duty; but you will not go on just
dwelling on it. Therefore tushnim śamaasva; may you remain relaxed. May you
enjoy inner leisure.
Dayānanda Svāmi gave a talk; activity and inner leisure. Activity will never disturb
you. And when you are relaxed, what occupies your mind; not ahaṁ worry and
mama worry; but ātma sukhānubhūtyā; remain relaxed, enjoying ātma sukham,
enjoying ātma ānandaḥ; enjoying pūrṇatvam. I am full; I am complete; I am
contended as I am; I do not lack anything in life is called ātma ānandaḥ anubhavaḥ;
pūrṇatva anubhavaḥ; relaxation.
May you enjoy pūrṇātmana, in the form of pūrṇātma; in the form of purnātma
means what? limitless ātma. May you remain relaxed, in what? Brahmani. May you
remain in Brahman; that means may your thoughts be centred on ahaṁ brahmāsmi;
ahaṁ pūrnōsmi; ahaṁ asaṅgōsmi; ahaṁ nityatripthōsmi; ahaṁ nirvikārōsmi;
chidānandaḥ rūpaḥ śivōhaṁ, śivōhaṁ; there are so many.
Page 1365

You can dwell on all these things. Nirvikalpaḥ; Nirvikalpaḥ means what; without any
division; subject-object division-less. So Nirvikalpaḥ san tvam; so you have to supply
grammatically, you have to supply the subject tvam, because samāssvātma is
madhyama puruṣaḥ ekavachanam; sam aas daathu, ātmane pathi, lot madhyama
puruṣaḥ, ēka vachanam; samāssvā; subject is tvam, Nirvikalpaḥ is adjective to the
subject tvam; so Nirvikalpaḥ tvam; pūrnātmanaḥ Brahmani ātmana sukhānubhūtyā
samāssvā is the anvaya.
समूलकृत्तोऽ� महानहं पुनः

व्युल्ले�ख स्याद्य चेतसा �णम ् |
संजीव् �व�ेपशतं करो�त
नभस्वत प्रावृ वा�रदो यथा ||३०९||
samūlakr̥ttō:'pi mahānahaṁ punaḥ
vyullēkhitaḥ syādyadi cētasā kṣaṇam |
saṁjīvya vikṣēpaśataṁ karōti
nabhasvatā prāvr̥ṣi vāridō yathā ||309||
Śankarācārya here points out that we have been functioning as ahaṁkāra for so
long, that we are addicted to ahaṁkāra and nidhidhyāsanam is nothing but de-
addiction project, which will take a long time because we have been drunk,
ahaṁkāra-drunk, not for one year or two years; not one decade or two decade, and
not only throughout this janma, but even anadi kālaḥ pravruttaḥ.
Therefore even when I deliberately withdraw from ahaṁkāra, the ahaṁkāra vāsana,
the tendency for re-addiction is there. During the process of de-addiction, the
tendency for re-addiction is always there. And therefore if we are not alert even for
a moment, any particular worry is a particular ahaṁkāra. Any particular relationship
you think of; is a particular ahaṁkāra, employer-employee, etc. And when you
initially think that ahaṁkāra, father-husband-grandfather, that ahaṁkāra slightly
comes, and if we are alert and immediately say; that ahaṁkāra will have its
prārabdha, I have got my own course of action plan; and Bhagavān is there;
whatever has to happen will happen; I will do my best; and I am ready to face the
consequence; if you drop that; once you drop, it is fine.
If you do not drop, but go on thinking; this is called build-up. Thought build up is
nourishment of ahaṁkāra. A particular thought pattern, about grand-child, about
Page 1366

son-in-law, about daughter-in-law; about the neighbour, about the government or

about the company; go on building up the thought, that is inflating, each thought is
like inflating the tube. Pumping; like that; each thought inflates ahaṁkāra. And
again that ahaṁkāra becomes so strong, and naturally worry, fear, etc. also takes
you over. And on the one side you say: Svāmiji vēdānta I am thorough; but the
other side, this problem also continues. Thus you have got the peculiar situation;
there is rain and shine; like that; one side knowledge would be there; other-side
extreme something serious; butterflies in the stomach; all those things comes. Even
they can be stopped or reduced, if you are able to spot and stop the thought build
up in the beginning.
So therefore he says: mahānahaṁ punaḥ vyullēkhitaḥ syād; this powerful ahaṁkāra;

mahān ahaṁ; here the word ahaṁ means what? ahaṁkāra, which is very much
there in vāsana rūpam; rasavarjam rasopyasya; in the form of vāsana like a person
who has been de-addicted but still there is a tendency to get back into addiction.
That state; dry drunk.
So when that is there; mahān, the word mahān is not in the positive sense; here
mahān means the powerful ahaṁkāra, vyullēkhitaḥ, when it is invoked, re-invoked
by our thought build-up, you on go on thinking of the future; what will happen in
2005? what is to be done today is forgotten? what is going happen in 2005? 2010?
you do not know whether you are going to survive at all; but we go on building up
castles; therefore vyullēkhitaḥ means what? reactivated; re-invoked; so vyullēkhitaḥ
san, mahān ahaṁ punaha, punaha means re; punaḥ vyullēkhitaḥ; when it is is
reactivated; saṁjīvya; it comes to full life again; like Rakthabhijāsura; this ahaṁkāra
is a great Rakthabhījā. Have you heard, Rakthabhījā means when that asura is cut,
destroyed with the sword, suppose a drop of blood falls down; from that another
Raktha bīja comes. Ahaṁkāra is like that. When you are destroying one particular
ahaṁkāra-based thought, when that comes; out of that single thought, the full-
fledged ahaṁkāra will be reborn. If you have doubt try it. Do not try. You are
already doing it.
Therefore saṁjīvya; it comes to life; samūla kr̥ttō api; even though you have
destroyed the ahaṁkāra through knowledge, the vāsana continues; ahaṁkāra-
vāsana continues. kr̥ttaḥ means what? Destroyed; samūlam, along with root;
uprooted. So even if ahaṁkāra is uprooted, that powerful ahaṁkāra, when invoked
through a worldly thought, will again become full-fledged ahaṁkāra.
Page 1367

And how do you know that? Vikṣēpaśataṁ karōti; it leads to thousands of mental
disturbances. śatam means hundreds; vikṣēpa means fluttering in the mind;
rumblings of the mind; disturbances in the mind; it creates; like what? an example is
given; just as the wind brings the rain bearing clouds together; and causes rain; just
as the wind: nabasvān means wind; and what is the job of the wind? all the rain
bearing pieces of clouds; it has to bring together; otherwise rain would not come. It
has to bring the cloud together; and the cloud should become sufficiently big and
once it has become big, the rain condenses. In the same way, pieces of ahaṁkāra
will be all brought together by the wind of what? Your invocation. That thought build
up is wind; and ahaṁkāra is the cloud and mental disturbances is the rain.
So you are drenched in worry; nabasvatā prāvr̥̄ṣi; prāvr̥ṣi means rainy season.
During summer season, this will not happen. So summer season is jñāna niṣṭa. Once
jñāna niṣṭa has come, nothing can do anything. But if you are in the inbetween
situation; I have got knowledge, but it is still not well-rooted. During that
intermediary period only, the problem. That is called the rainy season. Vāridhaḥ
means rain bearing clouds. yathā, like.
�नगह्
ृ शत्रोरहमोऽवका
क्व�चन देयो �वषयानु�चन्तय |
स एव संजीवनहेतुरस्
प्र�ीणजम्बीर�रवाम्ब ||३१०||
nigr̥hya śatrōrahaṁō:'vakāśaḥ
kvacinna dēyō viṣayānucintayā |
sa ēva saṁjīvanahēturasya
prakṣīṇajambīratarōrivāmbu ||310||
So up to this verse is the discussion of ahaṁkāra. As pointed the prominent

ahaṁkāra is an obstacle to nidhidhyāsanam and assimilation. Therefore ahaṁkāra
must be kept subdued. Now, here he says; what will invoke the ahaṁkāra.
So the topic is gradually being shifted, Until now, the focus was ahaṁkāra. Now the
focus is the cause of the invocation of ahaṁkāra, so that we can handle the cause,
so that the ahaṁkāra will not be invoked. And he says; dwelling upon any worldly
thing; more than required. Nothing in the world should occupy the mind; beyond a
Page 1368

limit. Nothing in the world; it should occupy your mind, only to the necessary extent;
not beyond that. That's why Krishna said: sparśān kritva, bahir bāhyān, caksūr
caivantarē druvō. So this is a favourite verse of Dayānanda Svāmiji.
Here I will give you just an aside point. Krishna tells, during meditation, keep the
world outside your mind. Then Svāmiji asked the question. Why should Krishna give
this advice? World is outside only. Why should Krishna advice keep the world
outside? Krishna advises because even though the world is outside, we do not allow
the world to be there, we are carrying the whole world, and Svāmiji beautifully says:
When we are travelling in a bus or car, for every one person, ten people are
travelling without ticket. He is carrying the father, the child, and Svāmi will say, the
mother in law will definitely occupy; all these people are there; wherever we go; the
whole family is travelling. So they are not at home; even when people come to the
camp; the application form, there are only 100s; but in every camp, there are 400-
500; the only thing is that they do not require accommodation or food; that is why I
am saved. Everybody carries. How do I know? Night you look for the phone call
booths; there is a big queue. What happened? This happened to that person. Daily
phone enquiry; or else next class you cannot attend. That means what? They are all
occupying the mind.
So therefore, the world, if it occupies your mind, beyond necessary time, giving
scope for the invocation of ahaṁkāra. Therefore Śankarācārya says here: viṣaya
anucintāya; by dwelling upon or allowing the viṣayaḥ; viṣayaḥ means what? an
external object to occupy your mind or thinking of an external object, invokes
ahaṁkāra.
Very careful. These are all the verses, which can mislead also. Here Śankarācārya
does not say, that you should give up your house and your employment and all of
them, and you should sit in a cave and carefully close your sense organs and then
should not think of the world at all. Sit in nirvikalpaka samādhi permanently. This is
not the advice.
So here the word is very important. Anu cintāya; there is a difference between cintā
and anucintā; cintā means you think to the extent required. Anu cintā means what?
repeatedly and constantly thinking which is really speaking a worry. As somebody
nicely said; in the name of planning for the future, most of the time, we are
worrying about the future. There is a difference between planning and worrying.
Page 1369

Planning is a deliberate action which requires a particular duration of time only. And
you can choose the time. I want to plan for a pilgrimage; it requires some time,
some enquiry and you can say first I will go to this place and that place, etc. It is a
deliberate action; and it is done within a time limit. But worrying is not deliberate,
and it happens and does not have time limit. Worrying is not based on time. Do you
say: Svāmiji between 7 and 8 am daily I will worry; No. If worrying is a deliberate
action that you do, try to fix up a time and worry from 7 to 7.30 and at 7.31 you
should not worry. Does it happen? No. Therefore most of the people in the name of
planning, they are worrying. We should know to separate planning and worrying.
Planning makes you efficient; worrying makes you deficient.
Śankarācārya is not against thinking of the world, as planning, but what he says is:
anucintā; worry; cintā nāstikila tēṣām cintā nāstikila. It is a beautiful song by Sadaśiva
Brahmēndra. So viṣaya anucintāya; by allowing the world to occupy your mind; and
here the word viṣaya is not confined to objects alone; it includes people. In fact,
people is more powerful viṣaya. And situations. So by repeatedly dwelling upon
people, things and situations, that ahaṁkāra is invoked, and therefore he says;
viṣaya anucintāya ahaṁ mahā avakāsaḥ na dēyaḥ. Avakāsaḥ means scope;
ahaṁmahā means what? For the ahaṁkāra. na deyaha; never give. So never give
scope for the rise of ahaṁkāra by dwelling upon the viṣayās too much. Never give
scope for the rise of ahaṁkāra by allowing the world and family to occupy your mind
more than required. kyachit, means at any time on any day. Because ahaṁkāra is
waiting; the camel example. Camel enters the tent; soon the whole camel would be
inside the tent. And the people would have to go outside. You just allow the
ahaṁkāra to enter your mind a little bit, it will fully take over.
And how do you do that? nigr̥hya, nigr̥hya means what? by being alert and
deliberate. By channellising your thoughts; by watching your thoughts. By
monitoring your thoughts is called nigrihya. And why you should not allow
ahaṁkāra? Śatro; because it is your ṣathru.
And if you are not going to be alert, what will happen. Sayēva asya sanjīvana hetuh;
sa ēva; this mechanical thinking process alone is the cause of what you call
rejuvenation; resuscitation of ahaṁkāra; sanjīvanam; again bringing back to life. So
resuscitation or revival; that is another word; revival of ahaṁkāra. Sanjīvana hetuh;
like what: prakṣīṇa jambīra tarōr āmbu iva; like a drying tree; jambīra is a type of
tree; jambīra vrikṣam; which is prakṣiṇam means what; drying and dying; and when
Page 1370

it is dying; suppose you pour water; what will happen; the dying tree will again
come to life. Similarly the ahaṁkāra dying tree will be revived by pouring which
water; the mechanical thinking water; because most of our worries are mechanical;
nobody need train; automatically that train of thoughts will continue. Ambu means
water.
Hari Om.
Page 1371

106 verse 311 to 314
समूलकृत्तोऽ� महानहं पुनः

व्युल्ले�ख स्याद्य चेतसा �णम ् |
संजीव् �व�ेपशतं करो�त
नभस्वत प्रावृ वा�रदो यथा ||३०९||
samūlakr̥ttō:'pi mahānahaṁ punaḥ
vyullēkhitaḥ syādyadi cētasā kṣaṇam |
saṁjīvya vikṣēpaśataṁ karōti
nabhasvatā prāvr̥ṣi vāridō yathā ||309||
�नगह्
ृ शत्रोरहमोऽवका
क्व�चन देयो �वषयानु�चन्तय |
स एव संजीवनहेतरु स्
प्र�ीणजम्बीरतरो�रवा ||३१०||
nigr̥hya śatrōrahaṁō:'vakāśaḥ
kvacinna dēyō viṣayānucintayā |
sa ēva saṁjīvanahēturasya
prakṣīṇajambīratarōrivāmbu ||310||
Śankarācārya is discussing the sādana of nidhidhyāsanam from various angles.

Nidhidhyāsanam can be defined in different ways. Until now he pointed out that
nidhidhyāsanam is leading such a way of life, in which ahaṁkāra is not invoked too
much. Ahaṁkāra is not allowed to dominate in one's life or even in one's mind. We
have to use this expression because ahaṁkāra cannot be totally avoided; because all
transactions require ahaṁkāra. Even if one takes to sanyāsa, ahaṁkāra cannot be
avoided because the ahaṁkāra is required to maintain sanyāsa dharma. Unless I
am aware of the fact that I am a sanyāsi, aware of vyavahārika fact that I am a
sanyāsi, I cannot maintain sanyāsa dharma. And a sanyāsi has to maintain sanyāsa
dharma because lōkha saṅgrahārtham, or yadyat āccārathi sr̥eṣtah iti nyāyēna, he
cannot, he should not violate. So what I want to say is: whatever be the position in
society, ahaṁkāra is required and therefore the job of a nidhidhyasaka is allowing
the ahaṁkāra to function; but not allowing it to dominate my life.
Page 1372

And this he talked about elaborately in the previous verses; up to 310 and now he is
approaching the same thing from a different angle. He is now analysing how
ahaṁkāra gets invoked. How does ahaṁkāra becomes dominant in life? It is a
beautiful analysis of psychology. Ahaṁkāra is the subject of the counter-part of the
objective world. Object-subject are interconnected, interrelated; one cannot exist
without the other. That is why in jāgrath avastha, the subject is there, the object is
also there. In svapna avastha also, pramātha-pramēyam, abōktha-bhōgyam; this
dvanda is there. Whereas in suṣupti when the objective universe resolves, I as an
individuality is also resolved in suṣupti; from this we come to know that subject and
object are mutually dependent. And therefore nourishing one of the pair will
automatically nourish the other. If abōktha becomes stronger; bhōgyam also will
also become stronger; vice-versa also. When the bhōgyam is stronger, abōktha also
will become stronger. When you are invoking or thinking of the son, the more you
are invoking the son, unknowingly you, the parent is invoked. You can never think of
the son, without invoking the counterpart of parent. Similarly, wife and husband;
they are mutually complimentary concepts.
And therefore Śankarācārya says: when my mind is obsessed with bhōgya prapañja,
when my mind is obsessed with bhōgya prapañja, the sense objects, the abōktha
will be invoked strongly. And therefore he said, viṣaya anucintā. Viṣaya means any
external entity. It may be an object, it may be a person; it may be a situation. We
have to interact with them; but being obsessed with that. Allowing that to hover in
your mind all the time, you are making it more and more powerful. dhyāyatō
viṣayānpuṁsaḥ slōka is kept in mind by Śankarācārya.
So when I look at the world, it is a padārta; and the more I dwell upon it, I see a
connection between the object and myself; and I develop either a dvēṣa towards the
object or a rāga towards the object by repeatedly dwelling; and once I develop
either rāga or dvēṣa, it is capable of giving me two-fold experiences; either
happiness or unhappiness. That means the object has invoked the abōktha in me; or
I have allowed the object to invoke the abōktha in me. And once abōktha is invoked,
the previous stage is akartā, invocation of abōktha is invocation of akartā, which is
the invocation of ahaṁkāra, which is the invocation of samsāri; which brings tears
and depression.
Wherever depression comes, tears come; metrological department also; when there
is depression what comes? rain. Similarly in your mind also, when there is
Page 1373

depression, tears come. Both in the macro level and micro level, law is there.
Depression and water both come together.
Therefore he said, even though you have carefully handled the ahaṁkāra in the
vēdānta class; you are responsible for its invocation and therefore it will be revived
like a tree; like a dying and drying tree; which is revived by waters. And who is
pouring the water. I am pouring the water.
How? viṣaya anucintā. Therefore now the topic is what? viṣaya cintānam, as the
cause of ahaṁkāra revival. This is the topic. Viṣaya cintānam, being obsessed with
the world, as the cause of the revival of ahaṁkāra.
Next few verses are will be of the same topic. We will see that.
देहात्मन संिस्थ एव कामी

�वल�णः काम�यता कथं स्यात |
अतोऽथर्सन्धानपरत्व
भेदप्रसक् भवबन्धहेतु ||३११||
dēhātmanā saṁsthita ēva kāmī
vilakṣaṇaḥ kāmayitā kathaṁ syāt |
atō:'rthasandhānaparatvamēva
bhēdaprasaktyā bhavabandahētuḥ ||311||
In this verse, Śankarācārya shows how world obsession invokes ahaṁkāra, which he
has indicated in the previous verse. Now he is clarifying, elucidating that idea. He
says viṣaya anucintānam leads to rāga and kāma, keeping the Gītā verses in mind,
dhyayato viṣayān puṁsa, saṅgaḥ; saṅga is feeble kāma. So kāma in plant form is
called saṅga; Kāma in tree form is called kāma. So
ध्यायत �वषयान्पुंस सङ्गस्तेषूपजाय | सङ्गात्सञ्जा कामः dhyāyatō
viṣayānpuṁsaḥ saṅgastēṣūpajāyatē |saṅgātsañjāyatē kāmaḥ; that means

he becomes a kāmi. And when he is becoming a kāmi; he is invoking what? the
enjoyer of the sense-objects; that means he is becoming a bōktha; invocation of
kāmithvam is invocation of bhōktr̥tvam. So viṣaya cintānam has led to kāma, kāma
has made me a kāmi, and kāmi is always a bōktha. Because is for what? for
experiencing the sense objects and therefore kāmi has to be an experiencer and
Page 1374

then Śankarācārya says: a bōktha has to be dēha abhīmāni alone; because pure
ātma cannot be a bōktha.
So if I am invoking bhōktrutvam, I have identified with my body-mind complex,

because any experience requires identification with the I. If I want to enjoy forms
and colours; similarly identification with other sense organs and mind. Therefore
abōktha means dēha abhīmāna vān. Indriya abhīmāna vān. Manō abhīmāna vān.
Which means that the viparītha bhāvana has been invoked, which is the obstacle.
Therefore he says: dēhātmanā saṁsthita ēva kāmī bhavathi. Brahmātmana

samsthitaḥ kāmi naiva bhavathi. The one who abides in the knowledge Ahaṁ
Brahmāsmi can never be a kāmi. On the other hand, prāja hāti yatha kāman sarvān
partha manōgathaan, ātmanēva ātmana tuṣṭaḥ. So Brahaṁātmanaḥ samsthita
akāmi, dehātmana samsthithaḥ kāmi bhavathi. Dehātmana samsthithaḥ means the
one who is identified with the body.
And here body indicates what? stūla śarīraṁ and sūkṣma śarīraṁ; both of them. And
vilakṣaṇaḥ; vilakṣaṇaḥ means the other one. And who is the other one?
Brahmātmana samsthitaḥ. The one who is aware of his pūrna svarūpam; asaṅga
svarūpam; nitya tripta svarūpam. I do not require the world to be full and complete.
If I have this knowledge, I need not be. Why I need not be, I will not be enamoured
by anything. Appreciating is wonderful. When somebody describes an experience, I
just appreciate that. I look at a flower, I appreciate that; that is one thing. But the
moment I think that I need that object, I need the permanent possession of the
object to be full and complete, saṁsāra has come.
As I said, as long as you say it is wonderful; no problem. You are in safe distance.
Sliding from that is the problem. 'It is wonderful' to 'it is worth having' to 'I want it'
to 'without that I cannot survive'. Complete booked, packed and sealed. Therefore
wonderful Īśvara sr̥ṣṭi. Everything is the vibhoothi of the Lord. What is wrong in it;
because I have not invoked dependence in that appreciation. So to put in another
language, an appreciation in which dependence is invoked is saṁsāra appreciation.
An appreciation in which there is no dependence invoked, while seeing it is Ok. I am
leaving if you say, OK, or goes away, it is wonderful. That is freedom.
And therefore Śankarācārya says: Vilakṣaṇana Brahmātmana samsthitaḥ katham

kāmayithasyāt. How can he crave for anything in life.
Page 1375

नैव तस् कृतेनाथ� नाकृतेनेह कश्च |

न चास् सवर्भूतेष किश्चदथर्व्यपा ||३- १८||
There is no dependence on any factor. Athaḥ; therefore, therefore means

wherefore, dehātmana samsthitatvam is saṁsāra, brahmātnatva saṁsthititvam is
mōkṣa and therefore your aim should be what: to maintain brahmātnatva saṁsthiti.
And anything which will obstruct that brahmātmana saṁsthiti should be handled in
the beginning itself. Therefore he says: ataḥ; therefore, artha saṅgānaparatvam ēva,
bhava banda hētuḥ. Therefore what is the problem which brings the bondage of
saṁsāra? Artha saṅgānapara. Artha means what? The world of objects and people
and situations is called artha; and saṅgāna means being obsessed with them.
Allowing them to occupy your mind permanently. Wherever you go you carry them;
the family members, your company, your employees, your employers. So carrying
them in your mind all the time, is artha anusandhāna phalatvam. So we are talking
about obsession with the world; very careful. We are not saying that we should not
think about them at all. There must be sufficient thoughts to do my duties towards
the world. Otherwise you will think of nirvikalpa samādhi sitting all the time. We
never recommend nirvikalpaka samādhi. Our jīvan mukthi is paśyan sr̥ṇvan spr̥śan,
jihnan aśnan gacchan, naiva kinchit karōmiti; our jīvan mukthi is living in the world;
not withdrawing.
What Śankarācārya is telling here is balanced interaction. Therefore arthasandhāna

paratvam. That word is significant. Sandhāna means dwelling. Fixing, sandhā means
to connect, to fix what: in what: fixing the mind on the world. And to what extent?
Paratvam. All the time being obsessed with that is sandhāna paratvam.
Then if at all you have to be obsessed, according to vēdānta, it should be Brahma

sandhāna paratvam. Brahmānusandhānam, Śankarācārya wrote a work. If at all you
want to be obsessed, be obsessed with your higher nature, which is ever free; which
is ever secure, but not the world and if I am going to be carried away, what will
happen; Bava banda hētuḥ. That is going to be the cause of banda. Bava means
saṁsāraḥ. So it is the cause of samsāric bondage.
Page 1376

And how does it become the cause of saṁsāra? By creating the duality of bōkhru-
bōgya relationship. Therefore he says: bhēdaprasaktyā; by bringing in the division of
bōktha and bhōgyam and once the bōktha-bhōgyam relationship comes, there is a
constant worry of maintainting that relationship. Not allowing the object to be lost;
insecurity problem.
So first I have to strike the relationship; then my next worry is to retain the
relationship. First yōga problem; then kṣēma problem. And it has gone to such an
extent, that the discussion in books are how to keep the husband-wife together; that
has become a topic. Because previously that was one relationship which was
considered prārabdha; prārabdha means as long as; I am not telling in the bad
sense; OK; prārabdha means yāvat jīvam, just as you are tied down to your body,
spouse is considered to be like that. But now even that has become a threat; and
therefore many articles are on how to retain the spouse. What all to do. See!
Therefore the struggle to maintain the bhōktru-bhōgya saṁbanda itself becomes a
pain. Therefore he says bhēda prasaktyā bhava banda hētu.
कायर्प्रवधर्नाद्बीजप प�रदृश्य |
कायर्नाशाद्बीजनाशस्तस्मात �नरोधयेत् ||३१२||
kāryapravardhanādbījapravr̥ddhiḥ paridr̥śyatē |
kāryanāśādbījanāśastasmātkāryaṁ nirōdhayēt ||312||
So previously he talked about viṣaya dhyānam as the cause for the invocation of
ahaṁkāra. So viṣaya dhyānam to bōktha invocation; bōktha invocation to kartā
invocation. I am using the word invocation. I hope you are able to get the idea; it is
a word which cannot be replaced; invocation you can take it as revival or activation.
Waking up the sleeping-ahaṁkāra and nourishing it well is called invocation; just as
the Lord's invocation. The Lord is present all over. Now it is in avyaktha form. When
you install the idol and chant dhyāna slōka and say dhyayāmi āvāhayaṁi; then the
dormant Lord has been activated; that means what? you can worship the Lord in
this place. That is called invocation. So there invocation is in the positive sense, but
here I am talking about the invocation of ahaṁkāra as a cause of bondage.
Invocation, waking up, making up it dominant.
So therefore, viṣaya anucintānam is one cause of invocation; and the second

Śankarācārya says is over-activity. Getting immersed in vyavahārā. Getting carried
away by waves and waves of activity, because activity means karthr̥utva invocation.
Page 1377

When I think of the world, bhōkthr̥uvam is invoked, when I am thinking of activity,

karthr̥uthvam is invoked; bōktha is also ahaṁkāra, kartā is also ahaṁkāra; both are
two facets of one and the same ahaṁkāra.
At the same time, Śaṁkarācāryā is careful. We cannot avoid activity. In some

āsramas activities may be more; in some āsramas, activity may be less; āsrama
means brahmacārya, gr̥hastha, vānaprastha, sanyāsa; activities cannot be avoided.
Śankarācārya's aim is not to destroy all the activities. Śankarācārya says domination
of activity in life will again cause the invocation of ahaṁkāra. Therefore activity also
should be balanced. That means I should be able to spend at least some time to
remind me that ahaṁkāra is a vēṣa; and all the activities are part of a big drama;
which drama will go on and on, which is within the māya screen alone; therefore it
cannot be given more importance than it deserves. Not zero importance. It should
be given sufficient importance. But not over importance to make me forget my
higher nature. Playing a role is good as long as I do not forget the fact that it is only
a role that I am playing. If playing the role becomes so serious, that I forget my
original nature, it has become a problem.
And therefore restrain your active life. Not stop; very careful. Restrain. To what
extent? That you have to decide. When does it go out of control? When does it
cause obsession? When does it cause sleepless nights? When does it require
sleeping pills? When does it require anti-depressants? If all these starts coming, if
these things come, that means things are going out of control. Go to R̥̄ṣikēṣh and
spend some days. You may think that here things will go wrong or worse; but I tell
you really speaking without you things will function better. You, including Me; do not
mistake; I will say, including US. So therefore do not think you are maintaining the
whole creation; like the lizard, they say the lizard which is on the ceiling has got the
idea that it is supporting the ceiling. I am holding it up. Gopuram thāngum
bombaikal. Think that it is supporting; but we know the fact. Similarly do not think
that you are getting things going by your activities; No.
And therefore he says: kārya pravardhanād bījapravr̥ddhiḥ paridr̥śyatē; he gives an

example. When a tree becomes bigger and bigger, expands and spreads more and
more, proportionately the root also becomes stronger and thicker and vaster.
अधश्चोध् प्रसृतास् शाखा
Page 1378

गुणप्रवृ �वषयप्रवाल |
अधश् मूलान्यनुसन्तता
कमार्नुबन्धी मनुष्यलोक ||१५- २||
adhaścōrdhvaṁ prasr̥tāstasya śākhā
guṇapravr̥ddhā viṣayapravālāḥ |
adhaśca mūlānyanusantatāni
karmānubandhīni manuṣyalōkē ||15- 2||
Where does it come? In the Bhagavat Gītā! So the root becomes thicker and
stronger; when the trees spread more and more. Similarly, when the karma expands
more and more, kartr̥tvam root, the ahaṁkāra root also becomes thicker and
thicker. That is why when they want to uproot a tree; first they cut off the branches
and all. Thereafter it is uprooted.
Similarly here also. Kārya pravrthanāt. By becoming a workholic; kārya pravrddhi.

Here in this first line, kāryam means tree example; a product; here it represents a
tree, because of the expanse of the tree, bīja pravriddhihi; bīja stands for the root;
pravriddhihi means it becomes bigger and stronger.
Paridr̥śyate; it is seen fact; it is an experienced fact. Extending the same principle,

kārya nāśaḥat, bīja nāśaḥ. When the kāryam is destroyed, the tree is destroyed; the
effect is destroyed; the cause becomes weaker; the root becomes weaker; and it
can be easily uprooted. So here the approach is different. Normally, what we say.
You destroy the kāraṇam, kāryam will go.
Now Śankarācārya says that the other thing is also true, when the kāryam becomes
weaker, kāraṇam can be easily uprooted. So cause and effect are mutually
dependant. So the concept given here is mutual dependence.
Therefore increase of ahaṁkāra, increases the activity; and increase of activity

increases the ahaṁkāra also. Both are connected. Because of Ahaṁkāra; karma;
because of karma, more ahaṁkāra. More ahaṁkāra, more karma; more karma,
more ahaṁkāram. They are mutually dependant. And therefore kārya nāśāth, bīja
nāśaḥ.
Tasmāt: therefore, kāryam nirōdhayēt; May you restrain the expanse of your
activity. So do not get lost in worldly vyavahārā. Do not allow them to dominate your
Page 1379

life. Do not allow them to suppress the vēdantic knowledge; you have very painfully
gathered. Painfully means what spending time. Travelling, spending money. So let it
not go waste and therefore let vēdānta give you the benefit.
वासनाव�द्ध
ृ काय� कायर्वृद्ध च वासना |
वधर्त सवरथा पुंसः संसारो न �नवतर्त ||३१३||
vāsanāvr̥ddhitaḥ kāryaṁ kāryavr̥ddhyā ca vāsanā |
vardhatē sarvathā puṁsaḥ saṁsārō na nivartatē ||313||
So this mutual dependence between ahaṁkāra and karma is talked about here.
Generally ahaṁkāra is supposed to be the kāraṇam; and karma is supposed to be
the kāryam, the product. Here Śankarācāryā says vice-versa is also true.
When the karma increases, ahaṁkāra also fattens. And that is why to uproot
ahaṁkāra, the śāstra talks about the reduction of karma, even Krishana's advice of
sarvadharmān parithyajya. And according to śāstra, even the noble service activity,
can fatten ahaṁkāra. The only thing is that it will fatten noble ahaṁkāra. Ahaṁkāra
both types; tāmasic ahaṁkāra, rājasic ahaṁkāra; sātvic ahaṁkāra. When I do
service, the ahaṁkāra can be: “I have taught so many people”. “I have got so many
students”. Thus ahaṁkāra can get. When somebody gets more students, then there
is a competition between this teacher and that teacher and it can hurt me. Because
in the relative field somebody can be better teacher; and he might have better
number of following; again the same problem; what I am teaching? Ahaṁkāra is
dangerous.
What is my worry? That teacher is teaching better; that ahaṁkāra is dangerous. I

tell you: Even sanyāsa āsrama can cause ahaṁkāra; teacherhood, guruthvam status
can cause ahaṁkāra. Anything can cause ahaṁkāra; the only difference is: this
ahaṁkāra is called sātvik ahaṁkāra; but sorrow is the same. Somebody said: I do
not know whether it is true or not; in Saudi Arabia, when a member from the King's
family commits the mistake, and he is to be given capital punishment, his head is cut
with gold-sword. What? What will be the difference between losing the head; with
the iron sword and gold sword? No difference. Similarly, any ahaṁkāra hurts.
And whenever I have hurt, I should begin to think whether I am nourishing the ego.
And therefore here Śankarācārya says: vāsana vr̥ddhitaḥ kāryam; here vāsana
means ahaṁkāra vāsana vr̥ddhitaḥ.
Page 1380

And here also an incidental point we have to note. Before a person comes to
vēdānta, ahaṁkāra is known as ahaṁkāra. And because of his increased activity,
ahaṁkāra is nourished, we call it ahaṁkāra vr̥ddiḥ; whereas after the study of
vēdānta, and a person has understood thoroughly also; and when he has got the
ahaṁkāra during the activity; that is called ahaṁkāra vāsana. A terminological
difference. When a jñāni is entertaining ahaṁkāra, that ahaṁkāra is called
ahaṁkāra vāsana. When ajñāni has got ahaṁkāra, it is called ahaṁkāra.
And Śankarācārya wants to say: just as ahaṁkāra of an ajñāni can cause saṁsāra,
the ahaṁkāra vāsana also of a jñāni can cause saṁsāra if it is not careful in handling
that. That is the vākyam here. Ahaṁkāra vāsana vr̥ddhitaḥ. If it is allowed to
dominate. I am a jñāni; I am a sanyāsi. I have got so many śiṣyas; and they do so
many things to me and my name and fame as Guru is spreading all over. Feeling
nice, you know. That is called ahaṁkāra vāsana of a guru; vr̥ddhitaḥ; when it is
allowed to dominate, I begin to enjoy that status; and I even want that status;
subconsciously; and sometimes verbally I say I am not interested, but in my heart of
hearts, I have an euphoria, nice feelings, feeling good, if you feel, then ahaṁkāra
vr̥ddhitaḥ kāryam, kāryam means vr̥ddhi. The activities also will increase, because
you want to expand your name and fame.
And here also athrupthi can be there; because somebody has got more expanded
one. Therefore kārya vr̥ddhi; karma vr̥ddhi; vyavahārā vr̥ddhi. And the vice-versa
also; kārya vr̥ddhya ca vāsana. And as the vyavahāra increases, as the activities
increases, if a person is not careful and alert, ahaṁkāra can get fattened and
nourished.
And remember, when Śankarācārya said this, it is not for us to judge other people.
Therefore suppose a particular Svāmi or jñāni is very active, do not say therefore, he
must have stronger ahaṁkāra. The increase in activity has a tendency and the
capacity to increase ahaṁkāra. If I have the skill to increase the activity, without
fattening the ahaṁkāra, well and good; go ahead. But Śankarācārya is giving a
warning. It is not that if you increase the activity, ahaṁkāra will be invariably
fattened; you cannot say that; this is the general rule. You should be warned.
If you are able to keep the balance like fast driving and rash driving. You be a fast
driver, nothing wrong; but be careful, because the differentiating line between fast
Page 1381

driving and rash driving is very very thin. Slow driving is better; but if fast driving is
required, be alert. Like that, increase of activity may lead to fattening of ahaṁkāra,
if you know how to handle it is fine; but otherwise be warned.
That is the idea here. Kārya vr̥ddhi vāsana; here vāsana means ahaṁkāra vāsana
vardhatē. Vardhatē from the second line you have to connect to the first line.
And sarvathā. Sarvathā by all means. It will be either fattening of tāmasic ahaṁkāra
or rājasic ahaṁkāra but in the case of jñāni, it will be the sātvik ahaṁkāra. Never
allow even the sātvik ahaṁkāra to dominate. Otherwise what will happen is: there
will be lot of name and fame which will I enjoy; the name and fame belongs to
sātvik ahaṁkāra; but you will find parallelly there will be criticisms also. If there are
so many people to glorify you, there are equal number of people to criticise you
also. Even Rāma is not left; Krishna is not left; Śankarācārya is not left; Gandhiji is
not left; which indicates what?
Therefore if you enjoy the name and fame, when the apamāna comes, you will be
disturbed. Because you valued mānam, apamānam will disturb. Therefore best way
is what: māna apāna dau api tyājyatām. Never value mānam. Valuing mānam
mānam means what? honour, valuing mānam is digging my grave, because valuing
mānam is allowing the apamānam to disturb.
That is why Gītā says: mānāpamānayor sthulyaḥ; it will necessary come; people will
be talking; that means; do not get carried away. Therefore sarvathā; by all means
the vr̥ddhi takes place and once ahaṁkāra rises and becomes stronger; saṁsāraha
na nivartatē. Saṁsāra does not go away and the tragedy is I know vēdānta and still
I am a knowledgeable samsāri. Who wants that? Ignorant samsāri is cheaper than
knowledgeable-samsāri. Puṁsaḥ means for the individual, for the jīvaḥ.
संसारबन्ध�विच्छत् तद द्वय प्हेद्य�त |

वासनाव�द्धरेत
ृ ाभ् �चन्तय �क्रय ब�हः ||३१४||
saṁsārabandavicchittyai tad dvayaṁ pradahēdyatiḥ |
vāsanāvr̥ddhirētābhyāṁ cintayā kriyayā bahiḥ ||314||
Therefore the conclusion is: ahaṁkāra is fattened because of two activities. One is
obsession with the world; viṣaya anucintānam; another is obsession with karma;
karma niratatvam; niratatvam means what? Getting immersed; lost, carried away.
Page 1382

So viṣaya anucintānam and vyāpāraḥ; or kriya; both of them. Śankarācārya says the
difference is kriya is expressed at the external level; visible, tangible, bodily level;
whereas viṣaya cintānam is at the internal level. These two factors; the internal
factor of obsession with the world and the external factor of getting involved in
activity. These two are responsible for the revival of ahaṁkāra vāsana.
Therefore he says: tad dvayaṁ yatiḥ pradahēd; yatiḥ literally means sanyāsi; and
here sanyāsi indicates the one who is dedicated to: I have told you very often;
sanyāsa āsrama is designed for committed pursuit of vēdānta. And therefore
whoever has committed pursuit of vēdānta, that person is yatiḥ. Serious seeker it
means. Therefore yatiḥ; a committed, a serious seeker. Tad dvayaṁ pradahēd; and
therefore he should manage or conquer, literally pradahē, means burn; burn those
two things; what are those two things? viṣaya anucintānam and kārya pra vr̥ddhiḥ;
both of them; a serious seeker should manage; saṁsāra banda vicchittyai; for the
sake of cutting the knot of saṁsāra. If he is serious about enjoying the benefit of
vēdānta, he should be serious about these two problems.
And that is explained in the second line. And why I am saying so? yētabhyam
vāsanam vr̥ddhiḥ bhavathi. yētābhyam means through these two processes.
And what are the two causes? The internal cause of obsession with the world; the
external cause of involvement in indiscriminate activity; reckless activity. So
yētabhyam cintā kriyābhyam; vāsana vr̥ddhiḥ; vāsana means ahaṁkāra vāsana
vr̥ddhiḥ; the individuality is invoked. What vēdānta says is: you are not an individual;
then who are you? you are Brahman in whom all the individuals rise and set. How
can you choose to be an individual? I am saying; you are water; you love to be a
wave; What can I do? therefore if you love to be a perishable wave, then I cannot
help you. but I am telling you are the water in which all the waves arise and fall.
Then why are you too much bothered about the wavy status?
Therefore he says: cintāya bahiḥ kriyayā. So cintāya, which is internal; cintāya

means which is viṣaya anucintānam, which is internal; antaha understood and
kriyaya, through activity, which is external. External means visible to others.
Cintānam is not visible. He might be sitting cross-legged within your room; but
throughout the day, cintānam of everything except your beauty. It is visible; other is
invisible; cintāya bahiḥ kriyayā; yētabhyam vāsana vr̥ddhiḥ bhavathi. Therefore
restrain both of them.
Page 1383

Page 1384

107. Verses 314 to 320
वासनाव�द्ध
ृ काय� कायर्वृद्ध च वासना |
वधर्त सव्
र थ पंस
ु ः संसारो न �नवतर्त ||३१३||
vāsanāvr̥ddhitaḥ kāryaṁ kāryavr̥ddhyā ca vāsanā |
vardhatē sarvathā puṁsaḥ saṁsārō na nivartatē ||313||
संसारबन्ध�विच्छत् तद द्वय प्रद हेद्य |

वासनाव�द्धरेत
ृ ाभ् �चन्तय �क्रय ब�हः ||३१४||
saṁsārabandavicchittyai tad dvayaṁ pradahēdyatiḥ |
vāsanāvr̥ddhirētābhyāṁ cintayā kriyayā bahiḥ ||314||
The topic of nidhidhyāsanam is being discussed from various angles and from all
these discussions, we have to understand one thing; and that is primarily
nidhidyaśanam is an alert way of living only. Sitting nidhidhyāsanam is secondary
only; compared to an alert living.
And alert living after vēdantic learning is like rope walking because one has to
handle the strong ahaṁkāra and mamakāra. One cannot totally neglect ahaṁkāra
and mamakāra because, worldly transactions and performance of duty requires
ahaṁkāra and mamakāra; because once the topic of duty comes, it is the duty
related to me. If one is in gr̥hastha āsrama, duty is connected to wife and children
and therefore performance of duty requires the invocation of ahaṁkāra; I belong to
this family; and this family belongs to and therefore it is my duty to take care of
that. Therefore the very duty requires ahaṁkāra and mamakāra invocation. At the
same time, nidhidhyāsana means not allowing ahaṁkāra and mamakāra because
nidhidhyāsanam is invoking vēdānta and vēdānta destroys ahaṁkāra and
mamakāra. Because vēdānta reveals the ātma which does not have any relation at
all; asaṅgōhi ayaṁ puruṣaḥ.
न मे मतृ ्युशङ् न मे जा�तभेदः, �पता नैव मे नैव माता न जन् ।

न बन्धुन �मत् गुरुन� �शष्य, �चदानन्दरू �शवोऽहं �शवोऽहम ् ॥ ५॥
na mē mr̥tyuśaṅkā na mē jātibhēdaḥ, pitā naiva mē naiva mātā na janma |
Page 1385

na bandhurna mitraṁ gururnaiva śiṣyaḥ, cidānandarūpaḥ śivō:'haṁ

śivō:'ham || 5||
Nidhidhyāsana means invocation of vēdantic teaching; which means suppression of

ahaṁkāra and mamakāra. Performance of duty means invocation of ahaṁkāra and
mamakāra. Therefore how to handle both. If I invoke duty vēdānta is suppressed; if
I invoke vēdānta, duty cannot exist at all; because I have no wife, children, guru or
śiṣya; nothing. And therefore it is a rope-walkng; because I have to invoke the
ahaṁkāra and mamakāra sufficiently to perform the duty. And once I have invoked
and done the duty, I should not allow the ahaṁkāra and mamakāra to continuously
remain in the mind; hover in the mind, and it should not become too big to cause
worry, tension and frustration.
Therefore before the performance of the duty also; after the performance of the
duty also; I should not allow ahaṁkāra and mamakāra to be nourished by me.
Exactly like a cinema actor, identifies with the role intensely and does what he has to
do and once that job is over; he gets out of the role, in fact he is ready for the next
movie. And this controlled invocation of ahaṁkāra and mamakāra is nidhidhyāsanam
which is the toughest job. Sitting for 15 minutes and chanting Nirvāṇa ṣaṭkam is
very easy. Svāmiji I do nidhidhyāsanam; 10 minutes I sit; kada pida;
manabuddhya.... cidānandarūpaḥ śivō:'haṁ. 15 minutes sitting meditation does not
make nidhidhyāsanam. Even if it is not done does not matter, what is more
important is careful and controlled invocation of ahaṁkāra.
And Śankarācārya discussed, when will the ahaṁkāra mamakāra invocation go

beyond control? When will it go out of control? When will fast driving become rash
driving? Difference is very subtle.
Śankarācārya said that there are two things which can cause uncontrolled invocation
of ahaṁkāra. One is cintā; being obsessed with the world; any part of the world
beyond a limit. Allowing any part of the world, including family or factory or
neighbourhood or anything to remain in the mind too much. That is called viṣaya
cintā. And the second thing which can cause the uncontrolled invocation of
ahaṁkāra is getting carried away by activities or kriya, karma. Workholism; being
too much engaged in activity, without time for invoking the teaching. Getting lost in
vyavahārā. We can say over vyavahārā. So thus viṣaya cintā and kriya; these are the
Page 1386

two things to be carefully taken care of and Viṣaya cintā is inner cause, and kriya is
outer cause and therefore Śankarācārya gives the warning in verse No.314.
vāsanā vr̥ddhir ētābhyāṁ cintayā kriyayā bahiḥ; antaha cintayā and bahih kriya;
antha cintā and bahiḥkriya.
That is what in Bhaja Gōvindaṁ also Śaṁkarācāryā says: vriddastāvat cintāsaktah;

whereas when bālaḥ and tarunaḥ; kriya is the invoker of ahaṁkāra and mamakāra.
As I grow old, I am incapable of external vyavahāra, and I compensate external
vyavahāra, by internally; why did the son do like that? why did the grand child do
that? why does this person do that? I just go on. Kimahāgum sāduna karavam;
kimahām pāpam akaravamithi. Go on bringing everything that is within the mind and
worry about that; all the vēdantic study goes to zero.
An ordinary person worrying is understandable, because he did not have the benefit
of vēdānta; but after vēdantic study, if I lie down and worry, it is a greater tragedy;
it is like going hungry with food in front. And therefore, Śankarācārya said handle
cintā and kriya.
ताभ्या प्रवधर्म सा सूते संस�त

ृ मात्मन |
त्रयाण च �योपायः सवार्वस्था सवर्द ||३१५||
tābhyāṁ pravardhamānā sā sūtē saṁsr̥timātmanaḥ |
trayāṇāṁ ca kṣayōpāyaḥ sarvāvasthāsu sarvadā ||315||
सव्
र सवर्त सवर्ब्रह्ममात्राव |
सद्भाववासनादाढ्र्यात् लयमश्नुत ||३१६||
sarvatra sarvataḥ sarvabrahmamātrāvalōkanaiḥ |
sadbhāvavāsanādārḍhyāttattrayaṁ layaṁaśnutē ||316||
These two verses should be read together. Tābhyāṁ pravardhamānā; tābhyāṁ

means chintā, kriyābhyām; because of obsession with the world and also obsession
with activity; world action obsession; obsession with constantly thinking about that
only. That is called obsession. Because of that, sā pravardhamānā, sā means
ahaṁkāra mamakāra vāsana; because the more I think of the children; the more
parent vāsana is nourished. The more I think of the grand children, the grand parent
vāsana is nourished. The more I think of the possession, the ownership vāsana is
Page 1387

nourished. Thus every external object nourishes a particular form of ahaṁkāra,

because I am related to these objects. And therefore ahaṁkāra pravardhamānā,
ahaṁkāra vāsana pravardhamānā; it grows. And what is wrong, if it grows? he says,
if it helps in performing my duty, it is wonderful; because that is required; but the
problem is when it is invoked more than required, samśrutim sute; it only causes
anxiety; concern; worry; fear; depression; anger; jealousy; frustration; all kinds of
saṁsāra come. If any of these come, we can understand ahaṁkāra and mamakāra
have been over-invoked. How do you know when they are under check? If I am able
to do my duty, but I am not disturbed by them, it means I have got balanced
invocation.
Suppose I do not invoke ahaṁkāra mamakāra at all; the other extreme, then I will
become an irresponsible person; I would not do, what is required in a particular
condition. I should do my duty; but at the same it should not be a burden for me.
This is balanced controlled invocation of ahaṁkāra.
And if it is not done, Śankarācārya warns samśrutim sūtē; sūtē means it generates
Samśrutim. Samśrutim means mental problems. Psychological problems. For whom?
Not for the world; not for the children or grand children. So when I am over invoking
ahaṁkāra, it is not the children who are worried; I am the one who am worried. And
therefore ātmanaḥ; ātmanaḥ here is reflexive pronoun; not satcidānandaḥ ātma; it
creates worry for myself. And therefore what? do not invoke ahaṁkāra, mamakāra
vāsana by these two causes.
Now the question is: if there is an over invocation of ahaṁkāra mamakāra vāsana;
they are not supposed to do that; by suppose it happens. Like sugar rises. What
should I do? I am not supposed to allow the sugar to go beyond the level; but
suppose it increases what am I supposed to do. Doctor will see; keep this tablet
ready; whether it is sugar, pressure or chest pain.
Like that, Śankarācārya says that you should have a tablet ready. And what is that
tablet? Invocation of vēdāntic teaching. When worry is assailing you, when
relationships are frustrating you; causing fear and tension; drop those things for
some time, sit quietly, invoke the teaching and see that all these things are
incidental and mithya drama only. Invocation of vēdānta alone is the solution.
Śankarācārya calls it sadvāsana invocation. For ahaṁvāsana, neutralising medicine is
sadvāsana. And what is that? he says trayānam ca kṣaya upāyaḥ; the remedy, the
Page 1388

solution for the neutralisation; kṣaya means what? neutralisation; destruction, of

trayanām, of all the three; all the three means what? viṣaya cintā and kriya and
ahaṁkāra vāsana which is nourished by these two. So vāsana plus cintā plus kriya.
These three are here called trayanām. Vāsana, cintā, kriyānām. Kṣaya upāyaḥ.
Remedy is what? So you have to look at the first line of the next verse, sarva
brahma mātra avalōkanaiḥ. Only seeing Brahman as the truth of all these things.
Brahma mātra avalōkanaiḥ; there is no world; there are no people, there are no
houses, all these are nothing but nāma and rūpa; these nāma rūpas are false; nāma
rūpas are subject to change and therefore I should not lean on those perishable
nāma rūpa; I should lean on their content, which is Brahman.
So from wave dr̥ṣṭi you have to change to water dr̥ṣṭi. This dr̥ṣṭi partivarthanam,
which Krishna presents in the Gītā as
ब्रह्माप ब्र ह�वब्रर्ह्म ब्रह् हुतम ् |

ब्रह् तेन गन्तव् ब्रह्मकमर्समा ||४- २४||
brahmārpaṇaṁ brahma havirbrahmāgnau brahmaṇā hutam |
brahmaiva tēna gantavyaṁ brahmakarmasamādhinā ||4- 24||
By becoming Brahma karma samādhi. That is said here; Brahma mātra avalōkanam;
avalōkanam means what: perception, seeing or awareness. And Brahma mātra
means Brahman alone is there; nothing else is there other than nāma rūpa.
And this when should you do? sarvāvasthāsu. Under all circumstances. sarvadā; at
all times; that is in the 315 second line; sarvāvasthāsu, sarvadā at all times;
sarvatra, in all places; sarvataḥ, by all means; Brahma māthra avalokhanai,
remembering the screen you will make the movie incapable of hurting you.
Whenever movie hurts you; what I am supposed to do. By seeing this screen, make
the movie pith less and incapable of hurting you. This he calls sad vāsana.
And by this what will happen? Sadvāsana bhāvana dārḍhyā; once this sadvāsana
becomes stronger, by long practice, by long alert life, it becomes spontaneous to
you. This alone they call sahaja samādhi. These are all mysterious words but what it
conveys is what? I never forget vēdantic teaching. Whenever it is required, if it is
available, I am in sahaja samādhi. With regard to your house address you are in
sahaja śamadhi. You know what does it mean. Whenever you want the address; you
Page 1389

can without any effort, you are able to retrieve that knowledge; any knowledge
which is retrievable without your effort, is called niṣṭa; and if that niṣṭa is there, with
regard to Brahma jñānaṁ, I am in sahaja samādhi alone.
And therefore sadbhāvavāsanādārḍhyā; sadbhāvaḥ means Brahma bhāvaḥ. So that

everything is Brahman. When such a bhāvana becomes firm, tat trayaṁ layaṁ
aśnutē. All those three factors, vāsana, cintā and kriya are naturally controlled.
Thereafter even if I have more vyavahārā no problem. I should reduce my
vyavahārā until I get into that niṣṭa. Like a cyclist has to confine to the play ground,
until he gets cycle niṣṭa. Not that he should permanently drive only in the
playground. Then what is the use of learning. Later he must be able to come to
Govindappan Naicker Street. Remember; thereafter also, whatever he does; paśyan,
sr̥nvan, spr̥san; jighnan; no problem. Therefore control of vyavahārā is required until
niṣṭa; afterwards, whatever he does nothing happens. So during nidhidhyāsanam,
one should be alert. Therefore tat trayaṁ layaṁ aśnutē.
�क्रयाना भवेिच्चन्तानाशोऽस्माद्वासन |
वासनाप्र� मो�ः सा जीवन्मुिक्त�रष् ||३१७||
kriyānāśē bhavēccintānāśō:'smādvāsanākṣayaḥ |
vāsanāprakṣayō mōkṣaḥ sā jīvanmuktiriṣyatē ||317||
So this alert lifestyle should continue until the niṣṭa comes. Spontaneity comes. And
he therefore defines this spontaneity here; kriyā nāśē. By reducing the activities, at
the time of nidhidyaśanam. In fact, the very sanyāsa āsrama is prescribed for the
reduction of activity only. Even if a person does not take to sanyāsa āsrama, in
gr̥hastha āsrama itself, if he has got controlled activity, Krishna calls it kṣamaḥ.
आरुरु�ोमुर्नेय कमर कारणमुच्यत |

योगारूढस तस्यै शमः कारणमुच्यत ||६- ३||
ārurukṣōrmunēryōgaṁ karma kāraṇamucyatē |
yōgārūḍhasya tasyaiva śamaḥ kāraṇamucyatē ||6- 3||
So the graph goes like this. Initially an active life; then reduction of activity; and
commitment to śravaṇa-manana-nidhidyaśanam and this will lead to niṣṭa. And after
gaining niṣṭa, even if a person wants to again get into karma, what karma? not for
Page 1390

his own sake; lōkaḥ saṅgrahārtham karma, even if that sanyāsi becomes violently
active; travelling all over the world, going from place to place; nothing will happen.
Therefore action, withdrawal, niṣṭa, and again you can get into activity. For the sake
of the world, it will not harm you. But that is not compulsory. One can but one need
not. But that sādhana time, initial activity and later withdrawal are compulsory. And
after withdrawal and niṣṭa, again getting into activity is optional.
And that is what? Kriyā nāśē; by reducing the activity; sarvadhārmān api
parithyajya; having withdrawn, cintā nāśaḥ bhavathi. When the activities are
reduced; worries are also reduced; because more activity; more relationship with
more number of people; more number of things; more number of situation. And
therefore all of them have to occupy your mind. Therefore, larger the field of
activity, bigger the scope for pre-occupation of the mind. And therefore when kriyā
is reduced, cintā is automatically reduced. When kriyā and cintā come down, vāsana
kṣyaḥ bhavēth. Ahaṁkāra, mamakāra vāsana also will be neutralised. Neutralised to
such an extent that they will not come again.
And vāsana prakṣayaḥ. Once I am confident, that ahaṁkāra and mamakāra will not
revive again. Like certain diseases. Doctor says: the convalescence period is over;
and the extra that you have to take is also over; now you can be normal. But there
is an intermediary stage; disease is gone, but he cannot be normal; that is the
nidhidhyāsana period. And thereafterwards doctor says: eat anything, drink any
water; not Madras; OK. Nothing will happen. Your immunity is strong. So this
person vāsana prakṣayaḥ; once he gets the vāsana prakṣayaḥ; ahaṁkāra mamakāra
vāsana prakṣayaḥ; that alone is called jīvan muktiḥ.
And once he attains this, even if he is involved in vyavahārā, it is always detached

vyavahārā. Its success also does not affect him; its failure also does not affect him.
He may be moving with people intensely; their presence is also welcome; their
absence is also very comfortable. So
नैव तस् कृतेनाथ� नाकृतेनेह कश्च |

न चास् सवर्भूतेष किश्चदथर्व्यपा ||३- १८||
Page 1391

Such a person can again get into activity; no harm or he wants to remain quiet; no
harm. Either way, he is free. So vāsana prakṣayaḥ ēva mōkṣaḥ.
And sā; such a condition; such an internal immunity, immunity against worry;
immunity against anxiety; tension; that internal immunity is called jīvan muktiḥ;
iṣyatē. And therefore until jīvan mukthi comes, you have to learn to handle these
three. Be careful about your activity; be careful about your thinking; and be careful
about the invocation of ahaṁ-mama vāsana. Do not allow it to go beyond control.
सद्वासनास्फू�तर्�वजृम स�त
ह्यस �वल�नाप्यहमा�दवासन |
अ�तप्रकृष्टाप्यरुणप
�वल�यते साधु यथा त�मस् ||३१८||
sadvāsanāsphūrtivijr̥mbhaṇē sati
hyaśau vilīnāpyahaṁādivāsanā |
atiprakr̥ṣṭāpyaruṇaprabhāyāṁ
vilīyatē sādhu yathā tamisrā ||318||
So in the following verses 318, 319 and 320, Śaṁkarācāryā talks about developing
vēdānta vāsana to neutralise saṁsāra vāsana. Neutralisation of saṁsāra vāsana,
which is otherwise ahaṁ-mama vāsana, by sadvāsana, vēdānta vāsana; like they are
thinking of flushing out the coovam water with the help of the good or ocean water.
Displacement method. Because if the mind does not have anything higher to think,
the mind will naturally think of what? All these worldly things. Suppose you enjoy
studying vēdānta; writing notes; talking about it; sharing with other people; that is
you do not allow any dull moment. And you love, whatever you love; your mind will
think of that only. Even if night, you are not getting sleep; at that time you have two
options; one is worrying about the family; another is dwelling upon Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi.
If I love dwelling on that; I am nourishing vēdānta vāsana.
Śaṁkarācāryā says train your mind. It requires will-power. It requires interest.

Vēdānta cannot be a hobby; a hobby approach of vēdānta cannot give you full
benefit, you should be serious about that. Therefore in three verses, Śankarācārya
emphasises nourishment of vēdānta vāsana. So he says: sadvāsana
sphūrtivijr̥mbhaṇam. Spūrti means the light; prakāṣaḥ; what type of prakāṣaḥ; sad
vāsana prakāṣaḥ. The light of Brahma vāsana; vēdānta vāsana; śāstra vāsana; the
Page 1392

śāstrik teaching; śāstrik example. That is why it is nice to learn at least some
vēdantic slōkas byheart. Even if you do not learn everything, some nice verses which
you can enjoy all the time, you just learn byheart. Why I am saying so is when you
do not get sleep you cannot take the book and switch on the lights, etc. because
others will be disturbed. So you may be liking to be free from saṁsāra and in the
process you create saṁsāra to others; you have no right to do that. Therefore you
need not switch on the light, you need not do anything; let this particular thought be
in your mind. How nice it will be and therefore he says: vēdānta vāsana
sphūrtivijr̥mbhaṇē, vijr̥mbhaṇam means what? nourishing; growing, should take
place. It is your hard work; guru cannot do that; gurus spend more time in vēdānta;
who will benefit; guru will benefit and śiṣya touches the Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi text only on
Monday, then you will get the benefit but you cannot expect the full benefit.
And therefore he says: nourish the vēdantic thought, vijr̥mbhaṇē sati. Once the
vēdantic thoughts occupy your mind; most of the time; not that you should not do
your duty; always remember, tāsmat sarvēṣu kālēsū Krishna said: Maṁ
anusmara yūdhyaca. We are not prescribing irresponsible life. Unnecessary worry
should be replaced by vēdantic thought. And as I have often said, often in the name
of planning for the future, we are only successfully worrying about the future.
Planning for the future does not require this much time; whereas worrying about the
future, any amount of time is not sufficient. Planning, you do whatever is required to
do; and thereafter let things take shape; you have to keep quiet. Keep my fingers
crossed. What is use of thinking; if this reply comes what to do; that reply comes;
what to do; etc. just go on worrying; no use at all. Therefore, mechanical thoughts
should be replaced by deliberate vēdantic thoughts.
And vijr̥mbhaṇē sati, once that is said: what will happen? ahamādivāsanā hyasau
vilīnā. Ahaṁādi vāsana; the other vāsana; the asad vāsana; what are they?
ahaṁkāra, mamakāra; and the cintā and kriyā; all these four; unnecessary worry;
unnecessary obsession; unnecessary activity; all of them, vilīnā bhavathi. They no
more occupy your mind to create worry. And this Ahaṁādi vāsana can be compared
to darkness. So darkness, anthakāraḥ.
So when the vēdānta vāsana light is switched on in the mind, saṁsāra vāsana
darkness is displaced. Like what? An example is given. Aruna prabhāyām; just as
once the sun light comes in the horizon; sun rises; aruna prabha means suryōdhaya
prakāśaḥ; once the light of sunlight spreads over the earth, tamisrā sādhu vilīyatē.
Page 1393

Tamisrā means what: anthakāraḥ; darkness. sādhu vilīyatē. Is totally dissolved.

atiprakr̥ṣṭa api; atiprakr̥ṣṭa is an adjective of tamisrā. atiprakr̥ṣṭa means very intense;
which means even though the darkness is very intense, deep darkness; dense
darkness, even that will go away; once the sun rises. In the same way; even the
worst worry, which you think, uneliminatable or eliminable, even that worry cannot
stand, if you switch on vēdantic light.
तमस्तमःकायर्मनथर्ज
न दृश्य सत्यु�दत �दनेशे |
तथाऽद्वयानन्दरसानुभू
नैवािस् बन्ध न च दःख
ु गन्ध ||३१९||
tamastamaḥkāryamanarthajālaṁ
na dr̥śyatē satyuditē dinēśē |
tathā:'dvayānandarasānubhūtau
naivāsti bandhō na ca duḥkhagandhaḥ ||319||
So the example of the previous slōka is elaborated in this verse. dinēśē uditē saty;
dinēśaḥ means sūryaḥ; uditēsaty; once the sun rises, tamahā na dr̥śyatē. Thereafter
darkness is not at all there. Darkness is gone. And not only darkness is gone; tama
kāryam api na dr̥śyatē; the consequence of darkness also is gone. What are the
consequences of darkness? Imagine the road light is not there and you are walking
on Indian roads. So what is the kāryam? You do not the see the properly; you may
hit against a wall and there may be a manhole and you may fall into a fit or falling,
hitting, hurting etc. are all the results of what; tama kāryam. In short, pain is the
consequence of darkness. Hurting myself is the consequence of darkness. Even at
home when the power is not there; even though it is known place, we go on hitting,
and therefore tama kāryam is anarthajālaṁ; anartham means pain. Hurt; jālaṁ
means series. Series of pain and hurt, which is the consequence of darkness, will not
be there, once the light has come; once the road light is there; I know where there
is pit, where there is stone, I can avoid.
Similarly, in life also, vēdānta says: it is a beautiful thing, life is like a journey; and
why we are hitting against people and suffering; hitting not physical hitting; every
relationship causing hurt is because of what? Our whole life is covered in darkness.
And what is the darkness? self-ignorance is the darkness, because of which all our
transactions are becoming painful. Just as when I drive in darkness, the very driving
Page 1394

is painful; life is painful, when I am leading the life in the darkness of self-ignorance.
Light up the road, driving is smooth; get self-knowledge; any relationship you have,
it will not cause problem. It will never hurt you.
Therefore dinēśē uditē na dr̥śyatē tathā; in the same way, advaya ānandaḥ rasa
anubhutau satyām; once a person gets the knowledge, anubhūtiḥ, means jñānaṁ,
and the consequent fulfilment, ānandaḥ rasa anubhūtiḥ; anubhūtiḥ means the
experience or aparōkṣa jñānaṁ of ānandaḥ rasa; ānandaḥ rasa means fulfilment,
śānthiḥ.
The word anubhūti can be translated as experience, if it refers to jñāna phalam.

Jñāna phalam is a matter of experience. Brahman is not a matter of experience. So
you should know the difference. Brahman experience is not possible. But as a result
of Brahman owning up, the śānthiḥ that comes is a matter of experience. Therefore
here ānandaḥ rasa anubhūtiḥ means, the experience of fulfilment, purṇatvam, which
belongs advyayaṁ Brahma.
Rasa anubhūtāu sathyām; once that tr̥pti comes, satisfaction comes, pūrṇatvam
comes, bandaḥ naiva asthi. Thereafterwards I do not have any bondage at all;
because there is no dependence, because I am ātman ēva ātmana tuṣtaḥ. Therefore
the world cannot threaten me; blackmail me. The whole life is blackmailing only.
Therefore the world cannot blackmail me; na bandaḥ; na cha duḥkhagandhaḥ.
There is not even an iota of sorrow. There is no sorrow. And therefore, what is the
advice? Śankarācāryā advices:
दृश् प्रती प्र�वलापयन ्

सन्मात्रमानन् �वभावयन ् |
समा�हतः सन्ब�हरन्त वा
कालं नयेथाः स�त कमर्बन् ||३२०||
dr̥śyaṁ pratītaṁ pravilāpayansan
sanmātramānandaghanaṁ vibhāvayan |
samāhitaḥ sanbahirantaraṁ vā
kālaṁ nayēthāḥ sati karmabandhē ||320||
So what is the advice? During the time of nidhidhyāsanam, what should one do?
Dr̥śyaṁ pratītaṁ pravilāpayansan; literally it means dissolve the experienced world.
Page 1395

Dissolve the experienced world or dissolve the world of experience. And the word
dissolve is a technical word, which means see it as mithya. Mithyatva darśanam is
called dissolution. It is like dissolving the pot into clay by knowing that there is no
pot at all; other than clay. Pot has got only a verbal existence; vācārambaāam
vikharō nāmadeyam; there is no substance called pot; this vision is called
falsification of the world; reducing the world into nāma rūpa; making the world non-
substantial.
And once the world is made non-substantial; it loses its capacity to create either
rāga or dvēṣa. That is what is called in English a paper tiger. There is an idiom; that
person is a paper tiger; means what: for look he is a tiger; but just as paper tiger
cannot really frighten you, because you know it is nothing but paper. Similarly,
reduce the world into a paper tiger. When there is paper tiger; you will admire its
beauty. Well painted; beautifully painted; but it does not create fear; you enjoy the
tiger; it does not frighten. Similarly appreciate the glory of Brahman; appreciate the
varieties of nāma rūpa but do not give a hook to the world to create either rāga or
dvēṣa. Attachment is also dangerous; hatred is also equally dangerous. Never allow.
Therefore put the world in its place. When some people create problem; we have an
English idiom; put that man in his place. He is lifting his head too much; just make
him sit in his place. Similarly the world is creating too much of a problem; put the
world in its place. That is called pravilāpaṇam.
And how do you do that? Sanmātra ānandaḥ ghanam Vibhāvayan. By seeing the
truth of the world. Pot is understood as nāma rūpa; only when you recognise the
clay. Until you recognise the clay, pot is considered as a substance by itself; once
clay is known, the inner essence is known; the outer thing will become superficial.
Similarly, the world can be made mithya only by invoking the satyam Brahma.
Therefore he says: sanmāthram ānandaḥ ghanaṁ vibhāvayan. By dwelling upon; by

invoking the teaching of vibhāvanam; repeated thinking is called vibhāvanam.
Repeated śravaṇam is vibhāvanam. Repeatedly listening to cassettes is vibhāvanam.
Writing notes is vibhāvanam. Trying to read your notes, is vibhāvanam. Anything
you do in which you invoke the teaching is vibhāvanam. Vibhāvayan sanmātrayan
means what: Brahman is pure existence; ānandaḥ ghanam; which is pure ānandaḥ;
sat cidānandaḥ rūpam Brahma Vibhāvayan; and śamahitaḥ san. Abiding in that
vision; means not forgetting that. So abiding in that vision, even when you are
Page 1396

involved in worldly transactions; never deviate from that. bahihai antharam va; both
within and without. Outside do not be carried away by activity; inside do not be
carried away by thoughts. do not allow the thoughts to hurt you; do not allow the
world to hurt you. Therefore abiding in that vision; within and without; kālam
nayētha; spend the rest of your life. Karma bande sati; as long as the prārabdha
karma is there, because the duration of life is determined by what? prārabdha. So
therefore, as long as the prārabdha wants to keep the body going, you go ahead,
but do not allow the world to disturb you.
Page 1397

108. Verses 321 to 325
दृश् प्रती प्र�वलापयन ्

सन्मात्रमानन् �वभावयन ् |
समा�हतः सन्ब�हरन्त वा
कालं नयेथाः स�त कमर्बन् ||३२०||
dr̥śyaṁ pratītaṁ pravilāpayansan
sanmātramānandaghanaṁ vibhāvayan |
samāhitaḥ sanbahirantaraṁ vā
kālaṁ nayēthāḥ sati karmabandhē ||320||
As a part of nidhidyaśanam, Śankarācārya is pointing out how a nidhidhyāsaka

should carefully lead his life. It is not enough he studies the scriptures very well; it is
not enough he spends some time in sitting meditation; but more than these two, he
should give extreme care to his very way of life itself. And the very way of life
consisting of his thought life as well as the life of activity; with regard to the inner
life and external life; inner life, meaning the thought life; cintā; viṣaya cintā; and
external life meaning kriya or activity. If he is not very careful about it; then he may
get obsessed with the world; the external world. If there is an obsession with regard
to external world, which includes the family; remember, for vēdānta, even family is
external world; in fact, one's own body is external world only. If he allows such an
obsession that obsession will invoke and revive the ahaṁkāra-mamakāra vāsana.
And once the ahaṁkāra-mamakāra vāsana becomes stronger, then ahaṁ
Brahmāsmi knowledge is made weaker. Brahma vāsana is not formed. And if the
knowledge is weaker; again his life will become a life of saṁsāra only. And therefore
one should be aware of these three factors; kriya, cintā and vāsana. So handling the
kriyāand cintā is required, to handle the vāsana.
And then Śankarācārya gives a positive exercise; to handle these three factors; and
that positive exercise is developing Brahma vāsana; which he calls sadvāsanā
sphūrtiḥ. In verse No.318; sadvāsanā sphūrtiḥ; by dwelling upon the teaching, as
repeatedly as possible; ahaṁ Brahmāsmi vāsana or vr̥tti must be made stronger and
stronger; then dehātma vāsana will become feebler and feebler. And again therefore
śāstram ēva śaraṇam. Satsaṅgaḥ ēva śaraṇam; because jñānis are those people in
whom the sadvāsana is stronger.
Page 1398

And therefore association with them will induce the sad vāsana in us also. And if we
cannot physically associate, at least we should mentally associate by being in their
teaching. And therefore he emphasises the nourishment of sadvāsana in verse
No.318, 319 and 320. Now Śankarācārya is entering into another topic in the next
verse.
प्रमा ब्रह्म�नष्ठ न कतर्व् कदाचन |

प्रमा मतृ ्यु�रत्य भगवान्ब्रह सुतः ||३२१||
pramādō Brahmaniṣṭhāyāṁ na kartavyaḥ kadācana |
pramādō mr̥tyurityāha bhagavānbrahmaṇaḥ sutaḥ ||321||
Now Śankarācārya is talking about carelessness, or negligence of a sādhaka as a

serious defect or obstacle. Either because of the lack of value for this advice or
because of over confidence, if a person is negligent with regard to nidhidhyāsanam,
it can gradually bring him back to the original saṁsāra level. He will become as bad
or even worse than an ajñāni. And therefore let no vēdantic be complacent. Let no
vēdantin be negligent; one should lead an alert and careful life.
Dayananand Svāmi uses the word: mechanical life is a threat to vēdantic progress.
Therefore alert living means every response to my situation, either physical or verbal
or even mental response. I should be monitoring and it should be such that it should
not nourish ahaṁkāra-mamakāra vāsana. Not to allow it to be nourished is the
vēdantic living. It is like maintaining health.
And negligence is called pramādaḥ. pramādaḥ. The opposite of pramāda or

negligence is avadhānam. Śankarācāryā in his Bhaja Gōvindaṁ mentions kuru
avadhānam mahāt avadhānam. Spiritual life means non-mechanical life. Therefore
avadhānam kuru means be alert and that too not ordinary alterness; mahāt
avadhānam kuru; great alertness is required. From that alone the word has come:
Sāvadhān. In Hindi; I think in Tamil also we say: Sāvadhānama pō; Sāvadhānam.
Imagine a person is driving a car in Badrnināth route. It is called death road. The
very road is called death road; because it is so steep and very narrow often and so
dangerous and a person cannot say; I was careless only for a second; one minute,
one second you are careless you will reach the other Badrināth. Lord. So a driver
cannot afford to be negligent. Exactly like that.
Page 1399

Therefore they say Pramāda is death of a spiritual seeker. Pramāda is destruction of

a spiritual seeker. Pramādaḥ, I am repeating; you should think of the Tamil meaning
in this context. In Tamil Pramādam means wonderful; how was the pāyasam?
Pramādam. In Tamil Pramāda is wonderful; in Saṁsr̥kt, Pramāda means negligence.
And therefore about Pramāda, Śaṁkarācāryā wants to give a warning in a few

following verses.
So he says: brahmaniṣṭhāyāṁ Pramādaḥ kadācana na kartavyaḥ. With regard to

Brahma niṣṭa; with regard to jñāna niṣṭa, with regard to nidhidhyāsana; or to put it
in the latest language, with regard to viṣaya cintā and kriyā, one should never be
negligent. Pramādaḥ na kartavyaḥ. And if you ask when should I be careful. At least
in driving and all; in certain places only they put Sāvadhan. Other places you can be
loose. Not only that, they give even what is that rumblers, or what is that? speed
breakers, or car breakers; breakers they put.
Śankarācārya says with regard to spiritual sādhana, kadācana na kartavyaḥ.

Throughout the waking hours, one should be alert. kartavyaḥ kadācana. If I am
careless, what will happen? Śankarācāryā says: pramādō mr̥tyurityāha. Pramāda
itself is destruction of the spiritual seeker. Pramāda means mr̥tyuḥ; kāraṇam
thappināl maraṇam; that he is saying here. Pramāda is mr̥tyuḥ. And Śankarācārya
says that this is not my opinion; this is the teaching of Sanatjutāḥ, who is one of the
great sons of Brahma, who is one of the Sanakādhi ṛṣi. So Brāhmaṇaḥ sutaḥ;
Brahmāji's Putrah, Bhagāvan, you have to supply, Sanatjutāḥ. And there is a famous
vēdantic work attributed to Sanatjutāḥ, which is called Sanatsujātēyam, for which
Śaṁkarācāryā's commentary is also there. And in that Sanatsujātēyam, the teacher
warns pramāda means death.
And of course here death is not the physical death that is talked about, the death is
spiritual death. Spiritual destruction is the idea. The same is going to be elaborated
in the following verses also.
न प्रमादादनथ�ऽन �ा�ननः स्वस्वरू |

ततो मोहस्ततोऽहंधीस्त बन्धस्त व्यथ ||३२२||
na pramādādanarthō:'nyō jñāninaḥ svasvarūpataḥ |
tatō mōhastatō:'haṁdhīstatō bandastatō vyathā ||322||
Page 1400

Pramādaḥ anyaḥ anarthaḥ nāsti. There is no danger for a spiritual seeker other than
negligence. There is no threat for a spiritual seeker other than the threat from
negligence. So pramādāt anyaḥ anarthaḥ; anarthaḥ means danger, evil, threat,
enemy; any word you can use. Anyaḥ. Negligence with regard to what?
svasvarūpatah; negligence with regard to remaining in his own nature. Svarūpa
niṣṭhataḥ; jñāna niṣṭhataḥ. Negligence with regard to jñāna niṣṭa.
The idea conveyed is this. In the vēdantic classes, I as the sākṣi caitanyaṁ is taught;
in all the transactions I am invoking my ahaṁkāra personality. Therefore there is a
constant contradiction. In the class I am sākṣi caitanyaṁ; outside during
transactions, I am ahaṁkāraḥ; which is original and which is vēṣam; that I should
remember all the time.
In the initial stages of vēdānta, my general idea is ahaṁkāra is my original nature;

during the class we are putting the vēṣam; ahaṁ brahmāsmi. So ahaṁ brahmāsmi
as vesham; ahaṁ father-asmi; mother-asmi; wife-asmi; husband-asmi as the original
we have taken.
Now the idea is the whole thing should be reversed and that reversal process is
nidhidhyāsanam. Until that reversal is complete, that all my worldly roles are only
vēṣam; that should be deep in my mind, until that time, one should be careful. And
negligence with regard to this reversal is pramādaḥ. Therefore svasvarūpataḥ
pramādaḥ; slipping from the higher nature and falling into ahaṁkāra nature; this fall
is the biggest fall for a vēdantic student. Falling from ātma svarūpam to ahaṁkāra
svarūpam is the worst fall that can happen.
And how do I know whether I have fallen or not? Whether I am in charge and
control, or whether I have fallen, whether I have deliberately come down, or
whether I have fallen down; how do I know? When Bhagavān comes down, it is
called avathāra; when a jīva comes down, it is called pathanam; in both what is
common? coming down is common.
Then what is the difference between avathāram and pathanam? What is the
difference between descending and falling? Descending is a deliberate process with
control; falling is a happening in which I have no control. So during my day-to-day
transactions, have I descended to ahaṁkāra or have I fallen down to ahaṁkāra
level; how do I know? If I have consciously descended down; I am in charge of life;
Page 1401

rāga will not afflict me; dvēṣa will not afflict me; kāma krōdhaḥ, lōbhaḥ mōha, no
violent emotions will assail me; torment me; frustrate me. Any time I am a slave of a
violent emotion; that is the red light burning and the śāstra is telling you; instead of
descending down to ahaṁkāra, you have fallen. And therefore better go to the
green room; better remind; better tell where you are; see where you are; that is the
clue: saṁsāric emotions is the clue.
And therefore he says: slipping from ātma svarūpam to ahaṁkāra svarūpam is the
worst enemy of a vēdantic student and once he slips down to ahaṁkāra level, then
what all will happen. Or once he gives into negligence, once there is negligence,
what all stages will happen. That is said here.
Tataḥ mōhaḥ; So from pramādha, what happens immediately is mōhaḥ. mōhaḥ

means delusion or confusion. With regard to what? whether I am ahaṁkāra or ātma.
In the class, I am very sure, I am only ātma; not ahaṁkāra; so sure and I can even
communicate it to the others and once there is negligence, what is the next falling
down; a small wavering or doubt, whether I am ātma in the vēṣam of ahaṁkāra, or
whether I am ahaṁkāra in the vēṣam of ātma; doubt will come.
Then what is the next fall. Tataḥ ahaṁdhī. From doubt, I come to the conclusion.
What conclusion; wrong conclusion; because of the continuous negligence. Once the
doubt comes itself I should be alert, I should remind śāstra and come back to ātma.
But if my negligence is continued, from doubt, I will come to the conclusion; what is
the conclusion? wrong conclusion. And what is that? tataḥ ahaṁdhī. I am ahaṁkāra
only. That is, my individuality has overwhelmed me. That is called ahaṁdhī. I-the-
father has become dominant. No more vēṣam. I-the-husband has become dominant.
In fact, husbandhood has possessed me. Wife-hood has possessed me. That is
possession.
Then what is the next fall? Each one is falling down. Pramāda, mōha, ahaṁkāra,
ahaṁdhī means ahaṁkāra, then tataḥ bandaḥ. Then comes inevitable bondage. All
negative emotions; anxiety; tension; fear, frustration; all these possess me and I try
to repeat; just verbally I try to repeat; cidānandaḥ rūpaha śivōhaṁ śivōhaṁ; it
would not work; you have to nip in the bud itself. Once the emotion has taken over,
vēdānta would not work.
Page 1402

Before it comes to strong emotional level, I have to see in the beginning itself, as
Svāmiji beautifully says: any violent emotion is not a sudden happening; it is a
thought build up. Any violent emotion is a thought build up. The first thought I have
been negligent; then it has become little bit more stronger; I have neglected; and
allowed it, like the Corporation allows the pavement encroachment and get into
problems. Can't they do anything in the beginning itself. No. Then there is a writ,
they go to court; that there is a temple or church in the middle of the road; and we
have got a funny Constitution that once it has been installed, you cannot remove it.
It is there in the temple. Here it is saṁsāra.
Therefore he says: tatō saṁsāraḥ; you will be a slave of emotions. You will be a
slave of emotions; emotional slavery is called bandaḥ.
And then what is the next stage? Tatō vyathā. And all the emotions will uniformly
lead to pain alone. Duḥkhaṁ alone; anger also leads to duḥkhaṁ; fear also leads to
duḥkhaṁ; attachment also leads to duḥkhaṁ. Anxiety also leads to duḥkhaṁ.
vyathā means pain. Just like diseases may be of varieties, but what is common
factor in all diseases? Duḥkhaṁ. Whether it is kidney disease or brain disease, or
whatever be the type of disease. Physical pain is common factor. Similarly all violent
emotions will lead to only one problem; that is called sorrow. Therefore vyadhā. And
for this fall, what is the beginning? Pramādaḥ. So pramādaḥ, mōhaḥ, ahaṁkāraḥ,
bandaḥ, duḥkhaṁ; this is the five runged ladder through which we fall down.
�वषया�भमखं
ु दृष्ट �वद्वांसम� �वस्मृ�त |
�व�ेपय�त धीदोषैय�षा जार�मव �प्रय ||३२३||
viṣayābhimukhaṁ dr̥ṣṭvā vidvāṁśamapi vismr̥tiḥ |
vikṣēpayati dhīdōṣairyōṣā jāramiva priyam ||323||
Śankarācārya wants to give further mechanism with regard to pramādha causing

problem. How pramādha works? He says: viṣayābhimukhaṁ dr̥ṣṭvā; as long as a
person is alive, he has to face the world. Unfortunately, we cannot avoid the
perception of the world and because of our prārabdha karma, we have to face
different situations that Śankarācārya calls viṣayaḥ. Viṣayaḥ means anātma
prapañjaḥ.
And anātma prapañja includes people, objects and situations. So the first stage is
viṣayābhimukhaṁ dr̥ṣṭvā. This jñāni is facing the anātma prapañja. Vidvān;
Page 1403

Śankarācāryā uses the word Vidvān, to indicate what? this person has jñānaṁ
alright, but he has not got jñāna niṣṭa. A jñāni is liable to fall into saṁsāra again; a
jñāna niṣṭa alone will never fall. This is the difference. A jñāni has saved himself
from the ocean of saṁsāra; but jñāni may fall; but jñāna niṣṭāḥ will never fall. And
therefore a jñāni cannot be complacent until he becomes jñāna niṣṭa.
And if you remind our previous teaching, śravaṇam and mananam will make me only
a jñāni. Only nidhidhyāsanam will make me a jñāna niṣṭa. Therefore let us imagine a
person who has done śravaṇam and mananam well. Therefore he is a jñāni; but he
has not become a jñāna niṣṭa. What is the problem? Śankarācārya wants to say: he
is liable to fall, if he is negligent. Pramāda problem is there. Therefore he says:
viṣaya abhimukhaṁ dr̥ṣṭvā. Let us suppose a jñāni is facing the world.
Then what will happen? Vismr̥tihi vidvāṁsaṁ api vikṣēpayati. Because of the
powerful nature of anātma, the jñāni is liable to forget the teaching for a moment.
The possibilities are very very high. Because of the powerful anātma; when I am
looking at a star it may not happen. But when I look at a car, it may happen. Or
when I look at a cinema star, it may happen.
So certain aspects of anātma can be so powerful and I might have certain weakness
in my character also; and because of that, temporary forgetfulness can happen. So
Vismr̥tiḥ bhavathi. Vismr̥tiḥ can happen for whom; not for jñāna niṣṭaa; but for jñāni.
OK.
What is wrong with that? That Vismr̥tiḥ is pramādaḥ. And what will that do?
vikṣēpayati. That temporary forgetfulness disturbs the mind of even a jñāni. That
temporary forgetfulness, if he is negligent, can disturb the mind of even a jñāni.
Disturbing in the form of creating emotions beyond his control. Uncontrollable,
unmanageable emotions is called vikṣēpaḥ. We do not criticise emotions; we criticise
only uncontrollable emotions. Emotions are part of life. There is no life without
emotions. Jñāni also has emotions. Jñāna niṣṭa also has emotions. The difference
being jñāna niṣṭaḥ does not allow any emotions to overpower him. That is the idea
here. But in this case, vikṣēpayati. It violently makes the mind turbulent, dhīdōṣair
means samsāric emotions. Powerful rāga, powerful dvēṣa; powerful krōda; powerful
jealousy; all these are dhīdōṣaḥ; diseases of the mind. And he gives an example.
yōṣā jāramiva priyam. Just as a woman disturbs an immoral man. Just as a woman
disturbs the mind of an immoral man; a careless man, who does not have the
Page 1404

appropriate value and attitude towards a women. Such a person is called jāram
priyam. Jāraḥ means a person who does not have an appropriate attitude towards
woman. A man who does not have an appropriate attitude, with regard to women
and a priyam means a person who is susceptible to attachment. So a man of
attachment, who does not have an appropriate attitude; how such a man will be
disturbed by any woman in the world. Similarly, any object in the world will disturb
the mind of even a jñāni, if he does not have an appropriate attitude towards the
world.
In the example, Śankarācārya is talking about the inappropriate attitude towards

woman; but in the case of a jñāni, Śankarācārya is talking about the inappropriate
attitude towards the world. And what is the inappropriate attitude? Giving reality to
the world is the worst enough appropriate attitude.
mā kuru dhana jana yauvana garvaṁ

harati nimēṣātkālaḥ sarvam |
māyāmayamidamakhilaṁ hitvā var budhvā
brahmapadaṁ tvaṁ praviśa viditvā ||11||
If that is not there, vēdānta based attitude is not there, it is inappropriate.
Once the inappropriate attitude comes, the world is capable of disturbing me;
exactly like as a woman is capable of disturbing me, if I do not have a proper
attitude. That is the significance of the example. yōṣā means woman; jāra means a
person, a man who has inappropriate attitude.
यथापकृष्ट शैवालं �णमात् न �तष्ठ� |

आवणो�त
ृ तथा माया प्रा वा�प पराङ्मुख म ||३२४||
yathāpakr̥ṣṭaṁ śaivālaṁ kṣaṇamātraṁ na tiṣṭhati |
āvr̥ṇōti tathā māyā prājñaṁ vāpi parāṅmukham ||324||
So here Śankarācārya says no doubt the jñānaṁ born out of śravaṇam and
mananam will eliminate ignorance; ahaṁkāra vāsana; both of them, it will eliminate;
but the problem is it will not totally eliminate, because of the power of ignorance
and the vāsanas. He uses the word māya instead of ignorance. So māya and the
ahaṁkāra vāsana are so powerful that even if you eliminate them, they tend to
come once again.
Page 1405

So just like he had given an example before, certain trees you think that you have
destroyed the tree. And you can see even the trunk and branches dried up. And you
think that it has gone. But after some time, after a rain, you find that from the
dryest branch, green leaves appearing. Some of the diseases like cancer also. They
say it is completely gone. And this person is regularly checking up also. And
sometimes after 10 years/15 years, one cell was there and this gradually multiplied
and it came.
Exactly like that, this ahaṁkāra vāsana can raise its hood at any time again. And
Śankarācārya gives another example. It is like the moss on the lake or pond. When
the moss is covering the pond, the water you could not see your face, therefore for
seeing the face, you removed the moss. You did not remove, that is the mistake.
You just pushed the moss aside, pāśi; that top green layer. And after pushing it
aside, you think you have removed; but when you remove the hand, what happens?
The moss again comes back.
Now you do not know whether you have temporarily removed or permanently
removed. Pushing aside, you may think you have permanently removed; but when
you take the hand off, it comes again.
Similarly, when you are in vēdānta, in touch with the śāstra, people say that: Svāmiji
I think that during the vacation I got converted again as a samsāri; I feel that. So
therefore you find as long as the satsaṅga, the classes, everything continues, things
appear to be fine, and even there is a confidence; but once you leave this for
sometime, it looks as though the whole thing has come again.
And it is indicative of what? I have not totally removed the vāsanas. And
Śankarācārya wants to say that total removal requires long nidhidhyāsanam. Total
removal requires long nidhidhyāsanam, for majority of people. And therefore he
says: kṣaṇa māthram apakriṣṭam śaivālaṁ; the moss which has been temporarily
pushed aside; kṣaṇamātraṁ, for a moment, apakriṣṭam, pushed aside; na thiṣṭathi,
does not remain in its place; na thiṣṭathi, does not remain in its place; but what does
it do? āvr̥ṇōti; once again it comes back its original place. And what is the proof?
You cannot look at your face, because the water has been covered. You are no more
able to look at your face. Similarly how do you know that the ahaṁkāra-mamakāra
śaivālaṁ moss has come to your life, you find the peace of mind gradually going
Page 1406

away, which comes from ātma svarūpam, which comes from vēdānta; that vēdantic
peace which you enjoyed gradually recede. And all the old problems seems to come
again and therefore āvr̥ṇōti; the moss covers again.
Tathā, in the same way, māya, so similarly the powerful māya; that is how they give
the example of Jada Bharatha and all; his vairāgyaṁ and commitment was so
thorough; that he gave up his kingdom and he went to the forest and he was fully
involved in Bhagavān. And then he saw a dear you know. The baby dear, the
orphaned dear, and the dear become dear to him. That is why it is called dear. And
that is also wonderful because a jñāni does not mean that he should have so much
vairāgyam that he neglects the dear; no. He can certainly bring up the dear; nothing
wrong. But he should remember that it should be limited. Once he has taken care to
some extent, then he should have left. But he started a new meditation; What is the
meditation, in Bhagavatham you have to read the description: Paśyan, Sr̥nvan,
spr̥śan; that words are not said there; but I am saying that; he was doing varieties
of activities; only one object was hovering in mind; no more God; God is replaced by
dear. That even at the time of death, he was worried, who will take care of the dear.
And ended up as what? a dear in the next janma.
So these are all the stories to indicate one should be alert. Therefore he
Śankarācārya says: prājñām api māya āvr̥ṇōti; māya, the powerful māya, that is the
ahaṁkāra mamakāra vāsana, māya here represents ahaṁkāra mamakāra vāsana,
which is born of ignorance, prājñām api āvr̥ṇōti; āvr̥ṇōti, you have to supply; blinded
or blinds even an enlightened person. Prājñām who has done śravaṇam and
mananam. But what is the mistake he did? parānmukhaṁ, who has temporarily
become, extrovert that is obsessed with anātma. This anātma obsession is called
parānmukatvam; bahirmukatvam. Giving more reality than it deserves. The world
deserves a certain degree of reality; that is why I said I have to do my duty, and to
perform the duty to the extent reality has to be given, that has to be given. If
somebody is sick, you do not say sickness is mithya, therefore suffer. You do not
have to say like that. When somebody is sick, you can certainly go to the doctor, you
can give medicine, you can do susruṣa; everything is fine; but if it overpowers that is
the problem. This is the Śankarācāryā's warning.
ल�यच्युत चेद्य� �चत्तमीष

ब�हमुर्ख सिन्नपतेत्ततस् |
Page 1407

प्रमाद प्रच्युतके�लकन्
सोपानपङ्क् प�ततो यथा तथा ||३२५||
lakṣyacyutaṁ cēdyadi cittamīṣad
bahirmukhaṁ sannipatēttatastataḥ |
pramādataḥ pracyutakēlikandukaḥ
sōpānapaṅktau patitō yathā tathā ||325||
So repeats the same idea in a different form. Śankarācārya deliberately repeats this;
because he feels that it has to go to the mind of every serious seeker because it is
guru's responsibility to warn the disciple. Therefore he says: cittamīṣad
lakṣyacyutaṁ cēd; if the mind trails away from the goal, even for a moment, what is
the goal? Jñāna niṣṭa is the goal; jīvan mukthi is the immediate goal; from that goal
of jñāna niṣṭa; cittam, the mind, cyutaṁ means what? strayed away; if the mind
strays away, even a weebit from the goal, it is like the railway track, when it has two
- bifurcated; one to Delhi and another to Calcutta; in the beginning stages, the gap
between the tracks is only one inch; or half a centimeter; but gradually increases
and by the time we go to the destination, one is eastern tip and another is northern
tip. Similarly when I slip away, the initial slip appears to be so negligent that we
neglect it. That is what īṣad, alpaṁ iti arthaḥ; alpaṁ api cyutaṁ; suppose it
deviates; cyutaṁ can also mean deviates from the goal.
Then what will happen? Tathaḥ bahir mukhaṁ sannipatē; then some other things
will become more important. Because once the original goal is neglected, some other
anātma goal will preoccupy your mind; because mind should have some goal. If you
drop a good goal; some other goal would occupy. So that obsession with other goals
is called bahirmukhatvam. So the mind will become anātma niṣṭaḥ. If ātma niṣṭa is
dropped, the mind will become anātma niṣṭaḥ; bahirmukhaṁ.
And it will be like what? An example is given. kēlikandukaḥ pramādataḥ pracyuta;

suppose a ball is dropped from the hand because of negligence and you are on the
top of a staircase, you are on the top of the staircase, you have carefully come to
the top with the ball, ball means the mind, and what did you do? you were just
playing with the ball and because of carelessness, the ball was dropped.
Immediately it falls near your feet; then it goes next step; next step, next step, next
step; and then because the pull of gravitation, the ball will stop only after reaching
down.
Page 1408

So pramādataḥ; pramādata, because of carelessness, pracyuta, dropped,

kēlikandukaḥ means a ball used for game; a ball; kēli means play, kandukaḥ means
play, viḷayāttu pandu; dropped where; sōpānapaṅktau; sōpānapaṅkta, the flight of
staircase, patitō dropped, fallen, yathā; just as it continuously falls, until it reaches
the bottommost part.
Similarly the mind also falls further and I am negligent and falls further and falls
further and it has fallen to such an extent, that it becomes almost impossible to
retrieve the mind. Therefore be careful in the beginning. More ....
Hari Om.
Page 1409

109. Verses 326 to 328
ल�यच्युत चेद्य� �चत्तमीष

ब�हमुर्ख सिन्नपतेत्ततस् |
प्रमाद प्रच्युतके�लकन्
सोपानपङ्क् प�ततो यथा तथा ||३२५||
lakṣyacyutaṁ cēdyadi cittamīṣad
bahirmukhaṁ sannipatēttatastataḥ |
pramādataḥ pracyutakēlikandukaḥ
sōpānapaṅktau patitō yathā tathā ||325||
Śankarācārya is presenting the topic of sādhana of nidhidhyāsana from various

angles and here he points out that nidhidhyāsanam is nothing but keeping the
ahaṁkāra mamakāra vāsana in a subdued form. Śankarācāryā does not talk about
eradication of ahaṁ and mama, because vyavahārā requires a little bit of ahaṁ and
mama. For the maintenance of the physical body, the dēha yātra mātram, a jñāni
must know that this body is different from all other bodies; for snānaṁ, pānaṁ,
anna āhāra etc. sarīre ahaṁ abhīmāna is required and is present. And with regard to
a few possessions and relations like śiṣya guru etc., otherwise he will not know who
is his guru and who is his śiṣya and he will start doing namaskāra to his śiṣya and
will expect namaskāra from his guru. So to avoid all these confusions, minimum
mamakāra is also required. And if that jñāni happens to be a gr̥hastha jñāni, then
certainly he should not have confusion with regard to his children, and neighbour's
children, etc.
Therefore vyavahārārtham, ahaṁ-mama are required; but they should not become
too prominent to harass me. And this is what I say keeping ahaṁ mama in subdued
condition. And to keep the ahaṁ mama vāsana in subdued condition, Śankarācārya
suggested two important methods; one is keeping the viṣaya cintā also in subdued
form. Viṣaya cintā means obsession with the world. which includes family; which
includes the company in which you work; which includes your money balance; so
with regard to all these things, sufficient thoughts must be given but they should not
occupy the mind and therefore viṣaya cintā also should be subdued.
Page 1410

And the next suggestion he gave is kriyā; kriyā means worldly activities, which are
all again viṣaya oriented. Either in the form of viṣayē pravr̥ttiḥ or viṣayāth nivr̥ttiḥ;
pravr̥tti and nivr̥tti activities also make your mind obsessed with that particular
object. In one dvēṣa is the cause; I think of that object and nourish my hatred; in
the other pravr̥tti, I think of the object and nourish the attachment. So pravr̥tti and
nivr̥tti are based on viṣaya rāga and dvēṣa. Therefore pravr̥tti and nivr̥tti nourish
viṣaya rāga and viṣaya dvēṣa. And to nourish the viṣaya rāga and dvēṣa; I am
nourishing satyatva buddhi in them, because I cannot have rāga-dvēṣa without
entertaining satyatva buddhi. And therefore over-activity also can create or nourish
ahaṁ-mama vāsana. And therefore what is nidhidhyāsanam? Keeping these three
factors subdued; activity, thought of the world and ahaṁ-mama vāsana. So this is
called vāsana kṣayaḥ or vāsana control.
And then Śankarācārya points out that this sādana should not be taken lightly. A
person cannot be complacent with regard to this, if a person is negligent with regard
to sādana, whatever he has studied may go away; may go away means what: will
be as though destroyed. In fact, it will lead to spiritual destruction. And therefore
negligence with regard to nidhidhyāsanam is spiritual destruction.
And Śankarācārya quoted the Sanatsujātiyam: Pramādo vai Mr̥tyuḥ; Pramādaḥ

means what: negligence. Mr̥tyuḥ means spiritual fall. Often many people become
yōga braṣtās only because of the negligence with regard to nidhidyaśanam. They
have done sufficient śravaṇam. And because of their intelligence, mananam is also
good; but because of over confidence, they neglected the nidhidhyāsanam aspect
and ended up yōga braṣṭa; the only thing is: mōkṣa is postponed by one more
janma; that is all; whether you think it as a great thing or a small thing.
And therefore Śankarācārya says: do not be negligent with regard to

nidhidhyāsanam and then points out that this spiritual fall is not a sudden fall that
you recognise. If it is a sudden fall at least you may recognise but like the gradual
poisoning through smoking, smokers do not know the seriousness of the problem;
because not that by one cigarette they die; it is a gradual poisoning of the system.
Or like drinking which is gradual toxification of the system. Similarly negligence also
will not suddenly destroy; it will be a gradual fall.
Page 1411

And to indicate this gradual fall, he gives the example of a ball in the hand, which I
did not carefully hold and because of the negligence, the ball slips from my hand;
ball is like mōkṣa; the mōkṣa which was in your hand, did not reach your mouth.
So the mōkṣa ball which is in my hand for my anubhava got slipped, because of my
negligence and just as the ball gradually falls, on a flight of steps, sōpānataḥ
pracyutakēlikandukaḥ; sōpāna paṅktau patitō yathā tathā; sōpāna panthiḥ means a
flight of steps. How each time, the gravitational force increases and the next step it
falls and before I could recognise further down, further down, further down; where
will it stop. It will go to the rock bottom, from where it cannot go further down. In
the same way, a careless jñāni can fall and therefore until one becomes jñāna
niṣṭaḥ; when he is incapable of falling. Until that time, better be warned. Sāvadhan,
you know; the road they put. Up to this we saw in the last class.
�वषयेष्वा�वशच्चे संकल्पय� तद्गुणान |

सम्यक्संकल्पनात् कामात्पुंस प्रवतर् ||३२६||
viṣayēṣvāviśaccētaḥ saṁkalpayati tadguṇān |
samyaksaṁkalpanātkāmaḥ kāmātpuṁsaḥ pravartanam ||326||
In the previous verse Śankarācārya talked about the gradual fall by giving the
example of a ball slipped down on a flight of steps. That is the example. Now he
comes to this spiritual fall of the sādhaka. In the example you know, what is each
step? If there are five steps on the ladder, you know that from fifth one, it will fall
down to the fourth, the third, the second and the first; but in the spiritual field, how
does the gradual fall happen?
What are the stages into which a person will fall, so that we will know what is
happening? The mechanism and to convey this idea; Śankarācārya is taking the help
of the Bhagavad Gītā where the spiritual fall of a sādhaka is beautifully depicted.

Page 1412


So Śankarācārya borrows from the Bhagavad Gītā, with slight modifications here and
there. In all of them, what is the first stage? viṣaya cintā. In Krishna's language, it is
viṣaya dhyānam. He also does dhyānam, but the only problem is what? the object of
dhyānam is not ātma but anātma. Therefore the first stage is viṣayēṣvā viśaccētaḥ.
Here also we should be careful. Śankarācārya does not say you should not think of
the world at all; No. It is not possible, because you have to think of the family, you
have got the spouse or children, if you are a gr̥hastha; if you are sanyāsi also, there
are a few little thing, there might an āsrama, and there would be few śiṣyas; and
viṣayas are there; we cannot avoid thinking. Śankarācārya is not against thinking;
but Śankarācārya is against repeated dwelling upon them.
That is why I am using the word obsession. Morning thinking about the son;
afternoon son; evening son; night son; dream son; this is called obsession. Svāmiji,
no sleep is coming. Thoughts of this chap only. This is called problem. So think to
the extent required, because I have got svadharma and therefore as a parent or
grand-parent or wife, I have to do the duty, and having thought sufficiently required
for the performance of the duty, rest of the time, I am a sanyāsi; I tell ந� யாேரா; நான
யாேரா (niyaaro; naan yaaro); only this song has to be sung; all are only the children
of God; we do not have any relationship at all; it is a temporary relationship caused
by prārabdha, for spiritual growth and this relationship is going to go away also.
rina anubhanda rūpēṇa paśu pathni suthādhayaḥ;

rina kṣyē kṣayaṁ yāti, tatra ka paridēvana.
Because of some prārabdha debt, relationships are formed; once the prārabdha is
exhausted, everything is going to go away. After the performance of duty, I only see
everyone related to God alone. No one belongs to me; and I do not belong to
anyone.
This Śankarācārya puts beautifully in his Gītā introduction; saṁsāra is ahaṁ yēṣām
mama yēthē. Remember this good word; ahaṁ yēṣām; I belong to these people; 3
sons; 4 daughters; 25 grandchildren; you the village of people, and you repeatedly
Page 1413

say: I belong to them: ahaṁ yēṣām. And what is the next one: mama yēthē; not
only I belong to them; all these people belong to Me.
First I am nominative case, they are śaṣti, genitive case; and thereafterwards, they
are nominative cases, I am genitive case, which means mutual relationship.
Śankarācārya in Gītā introduction says that is saṁsāra. Ahaṁkāra and mamakāra
means what: I belong to them; they belong to me.
In fact, Śankarācārya says this one idea alone is indicated throughout the first
chapter of the Gītā, by one expression: svajanaṁ; Gītā 1st chapter, I do not know
whether you remember, svajanaṁ, svajanaṁ, he repeatedly uses the word; sva
indicates what? I and mine.
And this ahaṁkāra-mamakāra alone gets nourished by repeated worrying about

family or all other things. And Śankarācārya says give that up. Suppose I do not do.
If I am going to worry about all the time, what will happen? He says this is what will
happen? Viṣayēṣu āviśaccētaḥ; cētaḥ, the mind, Viṣayēṣu āviśath; first dwells upon
the objects of the world. āviṣtath means penetrating, getting obsessed. That is why
the word used is āviṣtath; āviṣtath; means āvēśam; in Tamil you use āvēśam, அவன
ஆேவஶமாக இ�க்கன (avan āvēśamāka irukkan); that is called obsession; and

thinking of that object; tat guṇān saṅkalpayati; the mind first thinks of the object
and thereafter it thinks of the virtues of that object. Tat guṇān; guṇān means what
virtues.
The first you say, the object is very nice. No problem; no harm; the object may be
very nice. The glory belongs to the Lord. Jñāni also says that; it is very beautiful; but
the problem is what: you go on saying that it is very nice; very nice; very nice, and
then change into it is ‘worth possessing’. Without your knowing fall has started.
Then you go on repeating ‘worth possessing’, ‘worth possessing’, ‘worth possessing’;
and then start adjusting the budget, so that in the seventh month or 7th year, I do
not know, depends upon the object, if it is Mercedes benz; perhaps 7th janma,
acquire that amount of money; and therefore you thought worth possessing; worth
possessing and then you say: I want that object; I want that object. So from the
object, it has become self-centred. And I want it; i want it; I want it; and what is the
fourth stage? without that object, I cannot live. And that is what is said here; Tat
guṇān saṅkalpayati. Saṅkalpa again means repeated thinking.
Page 1414

Samyak saṅkalpanāth kāmaḥ; saṅkalpa is the seed form of desire. If Saṅkalpa is the
seed, kāma is the tree. And once the kāma comes, to filfill the kāma, you have to
work; pravr̥tti starts. Kāmāth puṁsaḥ pravarthanam; this is not in the Gītā; that
Śankarācārya adds. In the Gītā what is the order. Kāmath krōdōbhi jāyathe; he has
directly to krōdhaḥ. Here Śankarācārya says kāma leads to pravr̥tti; means activity.
Then what happens further? Now in the book that I have given to most of you, the
next two slōkas are missing; where the ladder of fall is completed; two more verses
are there; but somehow they are missing. In some other books, they are there; so I
will just read and give you the meaning. If you do not have these verses, you can
just listen to.
ततः स्वरूप�वभ् �वभ्रष्ट पतत्यध |

प�ततस् �वना नाशं पुननार्रो ई�यते
संकल्प वजर्येत्तस्मात्सवार् कारणम ् ||३२८||
जीवतो यस् कै वल्य �वदेहे स च के वलः
अपथ्या� �ह वस्तू� व्या�धग्र यथोत्सृजेत ॥
tataḥ svarūpavibhraṁśō vibhraṣṭastu patatyadhaḥ |

patitasya vinā nāśaṁ punarnārōha īkṣyatē
saṁkalpaṁ varjayēttasmātsarvānarthasya kāraṇam |||328||
jīvatō yasya kaivalyaṁ vidēhē sa ca kēvalaḥ |
apathyāni hi vastūni vyādhigrastō yathōtsr̥jēt ||
These two verses are found in some other books and also in the Sringeri Matha
book; which has Saṁsr̥kt commentary of one of the Śaṁkarācāryās. In that book
also, these verses are given. Simple verses; I will just give you the meaning.
Tataḥ svarūpavibhraṁśa. Once you are involved in activity, thinking is stopped. Once
you are involved in activity, karma suppresses your thinking power. So krita
mōhadādau, pathana kāraṇam, phalamaśāśvatam gati nirōdhakam.
So karma is like a whirlpool. So once you are involved in the karma, you are busy
thinking of the various accessories required for the karma, planning the place of
karma, planning for the money, planning for the people, worrying about the
consequences. In short, vēdantic thinking is suppressed. Once you become a
Page 1415

workholic. Work is wonderful, until a person reaches a certain level of maturity; but
after certain level of maturity, karma is very very big bondage.
And therefore Śankarācārya says tathaḥ, tathaḥ means what? from that; what is
that? you have to go to the previous slōka; pravarthanāth, because of the
involvement in activity, svarūpa vibhraṁśa, one falls from his higher nature, ātma
svarūpāth vibhraṁśaḥ; slip happens. And why do you say so? ātma is akartā and the
aakartā ātma and karma can never go together. They are like the square peg and
the round hole. You know. In English we have an idiom, a square peg in a round
hole. How will you fit?
So when karma is dominant, aakartā ātma will recede to insigificance and akartā
ahaṁkāra will become more and more nourished. And if it is a vaidika karma,
ahaṁkāra has to be nourished by talking about your gōthra, you have to do the
saṅkalpa, you know, so the priest will ask, what is your gōthra? what is your sūtra? I
am the grandson of so and so; and I am the son of so and so; so gōthra, suthra, all
these belong to ātma or ahaṁkāra? All belong to ahaṁkāra. What about ātma?
yathat adreśya agrāhyam agōthram, avarṇam; what varṇa? what gōthra?; jātī nīthī
kula gōthra durakam, nāma rūpa guṇa doṣaḥ varjitham. Karma nourishes ahaṁkāra;
karma overshadows ātma.
And therefore tathaḥ svarūpa vibhraṁśaḥ; ātma will peel into insignificance. This is
called slipping from the svarūpam.
Then so what? So what? Vibraṣṭaḥ tu athaḥ pathathi. Once I have come to

ahaṁkāra, I have fallen into saṁsāra, because ahaṁkāra can never be liberated.
Ahaṁkāra can never be away from saṁsāra. In fact, ahaṁkāra does not have
saṁsāra. Ahaṁkāra is saṁsāra.
Why do you say ahaṁkāra is saṁsāra? Because it has got all the limitation.
Timewise limitation, space-wise limitation; property-wise limitation; all kinds of
family problems, endless family problems. Ahaṁkāra is the father, ahaṁkāra is the
mother, ahaṁkāra is the son; ahaṁkāra is the daughter. Is there a perfect father,
perfect mother, perfect son. Some Rāmāyana would be there always. Son is alright,
daughter is not alright; if both are alright, inlaws are terrible; in-laws are wonderful;
grandchildren I am worried. When is ahaṁkāra free from saṁsāra. Ahaṁkāra and
mōkṣa are like light and darkness. And therefore once you slip into ahaṁkāra, you
Page 1416

have fallen into worry alone. Therefore vibraṣṭasthu pathathi athaḥ; pathitasya
nāśaḥ bhavathi. The one who has fallen into ahaṁkāra is spiritually destroyed.
So pathitasya nāśaḥm bhavathi. And nāśaḥ vina; without spiritual destruction,

because it will go up to that; in between you cannot stop. It is like an avalanche of
the ice; you know the landslides; when the rock comes down, what can you do? you
try to go and stop it; it would not; you have to allow the rock to reach the bottom.
Similarly, once the fall happens, you cannot stop in between. If you want to stop,
stop it in the beginning; nipping in the bid; if you are complacent, until you reach
the rock bottom, nothing can be done. but does not matter; but after reaching
down, again start clambering.
Therefore naśam bina; without reaching the rock bottom; punaḥ arōhaḥ na ikṣyatē;
it is impossible to climb again. Without reaching the bottom. After reaching the
bottom alone, you will climb again. That is the idea. Not that you cannot climb
again. The idea is inbetween climbing is difficult. Allow the thought and you again
start.
And then the next slōka also. The advice. Gītāchārya also gives the advice. Similarly
the Śankarācārya gives the advices to. These are all advice to jñāni, Ok; who has
not yet become a jñāna niṣṭa; jñāni is one who has gained the knowledge, but still
liable to fall. That person is called jñāni here.
And what is the advice? We read the slōka before, the meaning I will give. Tasmaat
saṅkalpaṁ varjayēt; Therefore watch your thought pattern. Nidhidhyāsana means
monitoring the thought-pattern, which includes monitoring the talk patterns also;
talk means what? Your words also monitor, because words indicate your thought-
pattern. And then also monitor your action-pattern, because action is the grossest
representative of your thought. I have told you before:
Watch your thoughts, they become your words

Watch your words, they become action
Watch your action, they become a habit
Watch your habit, they become your character
Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.
Therefore the destiny is based on character, which is based on habit, which is based
on action, which is based on word, which is ultimately based on the thought alone.
Page 1417

Like a river, when a watch the Gaṅgā or Yamuna originating, it would just be a
stream or a trickle; but you go to Bihar during rainy reason; it is 10 kms wide.
Similarly at thought level, it is two feeble; but if you leave it; it becomes too strong.
Therefore, saṅkalpa saṅkalpam varjayēt. May you avoid obsession with anātma.
Whether they are your relatives or whether they are your possession; or whether
they are your jobs. May you not have obsession. And why you should not have?
Sarva anarthasya kāraṇam; obsession, obsession I hope you understand, obsession
is repeated thinking, going round in the same thing; which is sarva anarthasya
kāraṇam, which is the cause of all the negative consequences.
Even after vēdantic study; that is the tragedy. If the other people fall, we need not
feel bad. Because they are already samsāri. But having come this much; manuṣya
tvam, mumukṣutvaṁ, mahāpuruṣaḥ saṁśrayaḥ, śāstra vicāraḥ; after all these, if you
fall, that is the tragedy. Like bringing a very valuable diamond from 3 km down the
ocean and in the beach you lose it. What a great loss it is. So therefore be careful.
Like what? apathyāni hi vastūni vyādhigrastō yathōtsr̥jēt; like a patient, vyādhi

grasthaḥ a person who has got a certain congenital disease, like pressure. So
therefore doctor has said; do not take too much of pickle, pickle is too much of salt;
therefore salt is not good and vadam, karuvadam, etc avoid it; these are all
apathyam for you. But this fellow loves avakkai; and after taking them suffers also.
Therefore why do you do that? In the beginning itself, say No. Stand in front of the
mirror.
In life one of the most important thing we should know is: to say No. Practice No.
For many things, you should say No. And therefore he says: vyādhigrastaḥ; similarly
for a diabetic, when it comes to a wonderful mysorepa; gulabjaamun, he has to say
No. There is no way out; otherwise what: suffer. So you decide whether you want to
suffer or not; but after eating when you suffer, do not complain to God. Bhagavāne,
do you have no eyes, or ears, etc. do not complain. You are responsible for your
saṁsāra.
Therefore he says: vyādhigrastaḥ, apathyāni vasthuni, those objects, which are not
good for him, which are poison for him, for other people sweet is fine. But for him it
is poison. So apathyaani vasthuni, usr̥jēt, he has to carefully give up; in the same
Page 1418

way, a vēdantin has to give up certain apathyam. And what is the primary
apathyam? Repeated thinking of any anātma.
(now it is available in this book)
अतः प्रमादा परोऽिस् मतृ ्यु

�ववे�कनो ब्रह्म� समाधौ |
समा�हतः �स�द्धमुपै सम्यक
समा�हतात्म भव सावधानः ||३२७||
ataḥ pramādānna parō:'sti mr̥tyuḥ
vivēkinō brahmavidaḥ samādhau |
samāhitaḥ siddhimupaiti samyak
samāhitātmā bhava sāvadhānaḥ ||327||
Now the question is if I am going to avoid this regular worldly thinking, which is my
favourite subject, and we are experts in worrying. Now if I am asked to give up all
those pet subjects, and pet topics; now the mind has got free time.
Now the problem is: what will the mind do? Remember, the mind cannot remain
suspended permanently. The mind can remain thoughtless permanently, the mind is
a dynamic instrument, it has to spend thinking only. Therefore what I am supposed
to do? Till now I was thinking of anātma and enjoying and suffering also. Now you
are taking away my anātma. What will I do?
Śankarācārya says I will give you something more interesting and better, in which
your mind can dwell. That is why we say even vēdantic meditation also is not a
thoughtless state, we never prescribe thoughtless state, we only say that shift the
field of thinking. There are so many things of non-samsāric thinking which will not
promote saṁsāra, but which will only promote mōkṣa. And what is that? ātma
viṣayaka cintanam, śāstra viṣayaka cintanam, dharma viṣayaka cintanam. Any
dhārmic thought will not be a saṁsāra. Dwell upon dharma. Dwell upon mōkṣa.
Dwell upon śāstra and we have got so many text books. If you have studied so
many text books and you have got lot of time, we have got another 10000 baakki.
In fact you study 24 hours a day, 7 day a week; and all the weeks in a month, and
all the months in the year, and all the years in your life, the books cannot be
Page 1419

exhausted. Enjoy. One book or the other; and if you are not interested in the
vēdantic tarka, vyakāraṇa; vyakāraṇa creates sometimes saṁsāra; so if you are not
able to spend time in that, dharma is there, value, what is satyam? what is
duty?dwell upon those wonderful things or Īśvara viṣayaka cintānam is there. And
we have got varieties in non-binding field. And which Śankarācārya calls samādhiḥ.
Samādhiḥ means dwelling upon the non-binding śāstras. Vēdānta dharma śāstra,
even bhakti granthās also OK. So that should be the field in which the mind is
occupied.
And if the mind is not occupied in the non-binding śāstra, the bind will cement to
these things only. And therefore he says: Brahmavidaha vivēkinaḥ Samādhiḥ;
Samādhiḥ, do not translate as trance. Remaining with eyes closed. Samādhiḥ means
literally placing the mind. Samyak manasaḥ ādhānam, samādhi. Not trance. aaha
means what? placing the mind; samyak means what: strongly; samyak manasaḥ
ādhānam, Samādhiḥ;
And how do you place the mind on an object? It is not literally you pluck the mind
and place; placing the mind on an object is directing the thought towards the object.
Placing the mind means thought direction. Therefore Samādhiḥ means directing your
thoughts and in what? all the non-binding śāstras. Dharma śāstra is OK. bhakthi
śāstra is OK. Vēdānta śāstra is OK. Śamādau.
And if that is done, what will happen? Śamādau pramādāth, paraha mr̥tyuḥ nāsti.
So samādhi is a positive sādhana. And the negligence of that sādana is the worst
enemy. Therefore samādau pramādaḥ; samādau pramādaḥ. Pramādaḥ means what?
negligence. Samādau means with regard to samādhi sādhana, which can be
translated as nidhidhyāsana. Negligence, with regard to nidhidhyāsanam, is the
destruction. Negligence with regard to nidhidhyāsanam is destruction; but
Śankarācārya presents it in a double negative language. There is no worst
destruction other than negligence with regard to nidhidhyāsanam. pramādāth, paraḥ
mr̥tyuḥ nāsti. There is no worst destruction; other than negligence, with regard to
nidhidhyāsanam.
In whose case? Vivekinaḥ brahmavidha. With regard to that person, who has done
śravaṇam and mananam. We are not prescribing nidhidhyāsanam to lay persons,
very careful. This nidhidhyāsanam is prescribed for whom? The one who has
attended the vēdantic classes; not for a day or two; for a length of time. After a long
Page 1420

duration of vēdānta śravaṇa only, one should attempt to do vēdānta dhyānam.

Before that, you can practice meditation; but the meditation is what? Saguṇa, Īśvara
nāma japa, saguṇa, Īśvara pūjā; but vēdantic meditation, one should practice only
after listening to vēdānta for a length of time. And that too consistently and
systematically.
And therefore Śankarācāryā says: Brahmavidhaha; brahmavith means vēdānta

śravaṇa manana kartā. The one who has done vēdānta śravaṇam, and mananam
and the one who has understood his nature. Even who has gained knowledge. As I
have said you should remember, nidhidhyāsanam is not for gaining knowledge. You
should remember this always. Meditation is not for self-knowledge. Meditation is not
for self-experience also; neither we seek knowledge through meditation, nor we
seek a new experience through meditation; meditation is only to subdue ahaṁkāra,
mamakāra, vāsana. Ahaṁ and mama should become insignificant. The whole
creation should become insignificant. What about family. Whole creation should
become insignificant, if you say, except my son? Whole creation should become
insignificant, in front of higher nature. So brahmavidaḥ; vivēkinaḥ; and who is
discriminative? Discrimination between what? Ahaṁkāra and ātma. The one who
knows the difference between the lower-I and the higher-I. So that in meditation,
he can rise to the level of higher-I and in the presence of higher-I; the lower-I will
become insignificant. Like when the sun rises, the flame becomes insignificant.
Hari Om.
Page 1421

110. Verses 328 to 331
अतः प्रमादा परोऽिस् मतृ ्यु

�ववे�कनो ब्रह्म� समाधौ |
समा�हतः �स�द्धमुपै सम्यक
समा�हतात्म भव सावधानः ||३२७||
ataḥ pramādānna parō:'sti mr̥tyuḥ
vivēkinō brahmavidaḥ samādhau |
samāhitaḥ siddhimupaiti samyak
samāhitātmā bhava sāvadhānaḥ ||327||
Nidhidhyāsanam is presented by Śankarācārya in two different ways; one way of

presentation is subduing the ahaṁkāra-mamakāra vāsana; that is ahaṁkāra and
mamakāra are sufficiently present for the performance of one's duties.
Once the duty aspect is taken care of, my mind should not be occupied by ahaṁkāra
and mamakāra, because once my mind is obsessed or occupied with ahaṁkāra and
mamakāra, then saṁsāra cannot be avoided; however learned a person may be.
And this is a delicate task because we cannot totally eliminate ahaṁ and mama,
because every transaction right from eating food requires ahaṁkāra-mamakāra.
Otherwise, without ahaṁ and mama, I will have confusion whether the food should
go into this mouth or any one of the other mouths.
How can a jñāni choose to put the food in his mouth? Because he has got sufficient
ahaṁ-mama to differentiate his body and mouth from others. Therefore the most
basic activity requires ahaṁ-mama; therefore they cannot be eliminated. Permanent
sleep is not possible; permanent samādhi is also not possible.
Permanent śamādhi may come later, the śiṣyās may make that, you know; that
samādhi, after the jñāni is dead and gone the samādhi others may build. But as long
as prārabhda is there, you cannot sit in samādhi all the time, to destroy ahaṁ and
mama. Whenever the transaction is involved, ahaṁ-mama will have to be invoked.
And therefore Śankarācārya's advice is to invoke it to the extent necessary to
Page 1422

complete your duty. But once the ahaṁ-mama begin to cast saṁsāra or worry, then
you can see that it is the red-light, it is getting more importance than it deserves.
Therefore, keeping the red-light monitor is the only solution. And Śankarācārya gave
two methods of subduing ahaṁkāra and that is the reduction of viṣaya cintā and
bāhya kriyāḥ; obsession with the world, constant thinking of the world is one cause
of over invocation of ahaṁ mama, and the second is too-much extroverted activities
also can invoke ahaṁ-mama too much.
And therefore reduce viṣaya cintā and bāhya kriyā. And by way of that, subdue
ahaṁ-vāsana and mama-vāsana and thus be free from viparītha bhāvana janya
duḥkhaṁ or saṁsāra. This is one method of presenting nidhidhyāsanam. Subduing
ahaṁkāra. There is another method of presenting nidhidyaśanam, and that is make
the ātma more and more pronounced in your life. Reduction of ahaṁkāra is one
method or one side of the nidhidhyāsana coin; and the other side of the
nidhidhyāsana coin is what? ātma should become more and more pronounced. Ātma
must be more and more invoked.
Thus weakening of the ahaṁkāra aspect of I, and strengthening the ātma aspect of
I, put together is nidhidhyāsanam. Ahaṁkārasya durbali kāraṇāma, ātmana prabhali
kāraṇam. And this should be done to such an extent, that as Krishna said: Paśyan,
sr̥nvan, spr̥śan, jihnan, aśnan, gacchan. In and through all the vyavahārās,
ahaṁkāra remains so subdued, that I never forget my higher ātma svarūpam.
Krishna says guraṇa api duḥkhēna vicālyate. Even when the worst tragedy happens
in life, the remembrance or the invocation of the higher I will help me to see the
tragedy as belonging to the ahaṁkāra alone and ahaṁkāra can never escape
tragedies and comedies. In fact, the very existence of ahaṁkāra is to go through
tragedies and comedies; in fact, more tragedies than comedy.
Till now, ahaṁkāra reduction part is talked about, hereafter, gradually Śankarācārya
is going to emphasise ātma promotion. Promote your higher Self. And that he said in
verse No. 327, which we saw in the last class, śamāhita siddhim upaiti samyak,
śamāhitātma bhava sāvadhāna. Śamāhitātma means a person who is committed to
the invocation of the higher-I. Śamahita means abiding in; dwelling upon; ātma
means anthakāraṇam, so śamāhita ātma means a mind which is generally and
Page 1423

mostly dwelling upon the higher-I; rather than getting obsessed with the lower-I.
And this requires savādhāna; it requires a lot of alertness.
And that is why Śankarācārya want pramadhaḥ mr̥thyuḥ. In spirituality, mechanical

life is destruction. In spirituality, mechanical life is destruction. That is why
Dayanānanda Svāmi defines nidhidyaśanam itself as alert living. It is not a 15
minutes closing the eye job, which anybody can do; and repeat Nirvaṇa ṣaṭkam
three times in Rājadhāni speed, you know; manobuddhya ... ṣivānandaḥ rūpa
śivōhaṁ, śivōhaṁ; you can rattle off all the ṣaṭkams and ṣaṭkams; close your eyes
and sit for 15 minutes; then come out and then shout at everyone around.
Therefore nidhidhyāsanam is not a 15 minute sitting job; but constant alert living;
monitoring every response of mind, especially when situations are going haywire.
And that is called sāvadhānaḥ bhava; kuru avadhānam, mahād avadhānam. Up to
this we saw.
We will read 328 and the next line also; that is the first line of 329. According to this
book, that I have given.
ततः स्वरूप�वभ् �वभ्रष्ट पतत्यध |

प�ततस् �वना नाशं पुननार्रो ई�यते ||३२८||
संकल्प वजर्येत्तस्मात्सवार् कारणम ् |
tataḥ svarūpavibhraṁśō vibhraṣṭastu patatyadhaḥ |
patitasya vinā nāśaṁ punarnārōha īkṣyatē ||328||
saṁkalpaṁ varjayēttasmātsarvānarthasya kāraṇam |
These three lines should be read after verse No.326, because there alone these
three lines fit properly into the flow of idea. And therefore after 326 second line, you
have to read 328 and also the first line of 329, i.e. saṁkalpaṁ varjayēt tasmāt. And
I read these three lines there. I said it is not there in this book; it has come in a later
part. So I have given you the meaning of these three lines. Only thing is there is a
fourth line also, which is missing in this book, I do not whether it will come
elsewhere, I read there; that line is
अपथ्या� �ह वस्तू� व्या�धग्र यथोत्सृजेत ॥

apathyāni hi vastūni vyādhigrastō yathōtsr̥jēt ||
Page 1424

These four lines should be after 326; however, I have given the meaning of these
lines.
And the context is how the obsession with external world causes the spiritual fall of
a person. And I also pointed out that this portion is very similar to the second
chapter of the Gītā; dhyāyato viśyān puṁsaḥ; that gradual fall is indicated in these
lines and therefore Śankarācārya's advice is saṅkalpam varjayēt. May you not dwell
upon any anātma more than required. That is the essence of these verses. Now we
will go to the next verse, 329.
जीवतो यस् कै वल्य �वदेहे स च के वलः |

यित्किञ्च पश्यत भेदं भयं ब्रू यजुःश्रु� ||३२९||
jīvatō yasya kaivalyaṁ vidēhē sa ca kēvalaḥ |
yatkiñcit paśyatō bhēdaṁ bhayaṁ brūtē yajuḥśrutiḥ ||329||
So the first line is an incidental note given to us; and that is only nidhidhyāsanam
can give jīvan muktiḥ. Without the process of nidhidhyāsanam, śravaṇa manana
sādana is not complete in itself. If a person merely confines to śravaṇa manana, he
can claim himself a jñāni; one who is well-informed in vēdānta; but jñāna niṣṭa is not
possible. Nidhidhyāsanam alone will convert jñānaṁ into jñāna niṣṭa. Now the
question is: if jñānaṁ is not converted into jñāna niṣṭa, what is the harm. It is
enough that I get the jñāni title; I am not interested in jñāna niṣṭa. Why should I
have? Because Svāmiji I do not have time for nidhidhyāsanam; are you like you:
nothing to do in life. You are sanyāsi, nothing else to do; we have got umpteen
responsibilities; even sitting one hour in the class is difficult; that is why many
people run even before Pūrnamadaḥ is finished. So busy we are; where is the time
for nidhidhyāsanam.
Śankarācārya says: perfectly alright; but I will add a note: without nidhidhyāsanam,
there is no jñāna niṣṭa; and without jñāna niṣṭa, you would not get the benefit of
jñānaṁ. Jñānaṁ can benefit you only when it is converted into niṣṭa; just as the
vegetables are eatables; normally; I am not talking about salad buffs; who will eat
all vegetables as it is; I mean normally who have got some tongues. Vegetables are
not eatable unless they are converted into some kind of dish. Similarly, jñānaṁ
converted into niṣṭa alone will give me peace of mind; jñānaṁ cannot give śānthi
without converting into niṣṭa. Jñānaṁ cannot give you what you call pūrṇatvam;
without converting into niṣṭa. Therefore are you interested in title; or are you
Page 1425

interested in mental transformation. If your aim is mental transformation; freedom

from worry; anxiety, tension; fear, depression; all these things if you want freedom,
then better you have nidhidyaśanam.
And therefore he says: jīvathaḥ kaivalyaṁ bhavathi. Through what? nidhidyāsanēna;

jīvathaḥ ēva kaivalyaṁ bhavathi; kaivalyaṁ means what? Mōkṣaḥ; that is mental
transformation; duḥkheṣu anudvigna manā, remaining calm in crisis, sukheṣu vigata
spr̥haḥ, not getting lost, when things are going well; vitha rāga bhaya krōdhaḥ,
freedom from attachment from everyone, even the most intimate relationship; no
attachment; and therefore freedom from fear; whether I will lose this person or not;
that fear. And krōdhaḥ, anger, if I want to freedom from all these things,
nidhidhyāsanam is compulsory. If you say time is not there, better you make time.
And if you still say I cannot make time, Bhagavān will say better luck, in the next
birth. There is no other way; therefore jīvataḥ kaivalyaṁ bhavathi.
And not only that, Śankarācāryā says: yasya jīvathaḥ kaivalyaṁ; whoever has jīvan
mukthi, he alone can attain vidēha mukthi also. Saha ēva, vidēhaḥ kēvalaḥ san;
vidēhē sati, muktaḥ bhavathi. vidēhē means maraṇa anantharam; after dropping this
body. Kēvalaḥ means muktaḥ bhavathi. So yaha jīvan mukthaḥ bhavathi; saha ēva
vidēḥ mukthaḥ bhavathi. And what do you mean vidēha mukthi? Freedom from
pūṇar janma. And therefore better you get jīvan mukthi. And if you want jīvan
mukthi, better you do nidhidhyāsanam.
Then after showing the incentive for nidhidhyāsanam, like free spoon, free davara,
free kodai; so many free things, as an incentive for nidhidhyāsanam, Śankarācārya
is giving a warning also. And what is the warning. Negative incentive. If you do,
you will get this; if you do not practice nidhidhyāsanam, what will happen?
Śankarācārya says yathkinchit bhēdaṁ paśyatā, if a person sees even a little bit of
duality; bhēdaṁ means what? division; and when does division comes? When
ahaṁkāra is invoked, division comes. Like in an ocean, when you are seeing a wave,
from the dr̥ṣṭi of the wave, you will see only division because, when you see one
wave, there are going to be other waves also; one wave will be the grandfather
wave, and the other one middle sized wave father, another one, new born, just born
baby wave; therefore yatrā yatrā wave dr̥ṣṭi tatrā tatrā dvaita dr̥ṣṭi; not only
dvaitam; tāra tamya dr̥ṣṭi; tāra tamya means superior-inferior; jealousy etc. will be
there. But suppose I am seeing water, where is the question of big water or small
water; there is only one water. In the same way, yatrā yatrā ahaṁkāra dr̥ṣṭiḥ;
Page 1426

ahaṁkāra is comparable to wave; tathra tathra bedha dr̥ṣṭiḥ; whereas yatrā yatrā
ātma dr̥ṣṭiḥ; ātma is comparable to water; ātma is not water, careful, careful, ātma
is comparable to water, tatrā tatrā abēdha dr̥ṣṭi.
And therefore yatkincit bhēdam paśyathaḥ; if a person sees; then what is the
consequence? Yajuśrutiḥi bhayaṁ brūtē; at once there is an insecurity problem.
Ahaṁkāra is never free from bhayaṁ. Constantly there is a fear of somebody's
death, or my death; constantly there is a fear of somebody's old age or my old age,
and constantly there is fear of losing something or the other; ahaṁkāra is never free
from fear. Dvidiyaa vai bhayaṁ bhavathi. And who says that? yaju śrutihi bhayaṁ
brūtē. Yaju śrutiḥ here refers to the Brahaṁānandaḥ valli, the second chapter of
Taittariya Upaṇiṣad. It belongs to yajur vēda. And what is the mantra there?
udaram antharam kurute; adha tasya bhayaṁ bhavathi. Bhiṣāsmāt vātha

pavatē, bhishodethi suryaḥ;
and the beauty is: Upaṇiṣad says: where there is duality, even God is the cause of
fear only.
We think in duality, God is there to give me to support and refuge, the Upaṇiṣad
makes the ultimate statement, in duality even God is the cause of fear. You may
wonder how can God be the cause of fear? Because he is supposed to be the sthithi
akartā, sthithi akartā means the one who supports and sustains everything and
therefore, isn't he the source of support. The Upaṇiṣad says: you are forgetting one
thing; the Lord is the sr̥ṣṭi akartā; wonderful, you like, because you have recently
got a new born grandchild; God is sthithi akartā wonderful; but there is a third thing
that you forget. What is that; the very same God is laya akartā also. And that is
what Bhagavān shows in the 11th chapter of the Gītā; Bhagavān shows the mouth
of himself; and Arjuna sees all the people are entering भीष्म द्रो सूतपुत्रस्तथ
सहास्मद�यैर� योधमुख्यै bhīṣmō drōṇaḥ sūtaputrastathāsau sahāsmadīyairapi
yōdhamukhyaiḥ. All my near and dear ones, Oh Lord, in the form of kālam, you are
swallowing; crushing them into death, and in the next verse Arujna says that you do
not have any regret also; you seem to enjoy these dishes. ले�लह्यस ग् मानः lēlihyasē
grasamānaḥ, lēlihyasē means what? relishing whatever you eat. You just lick your
lip. Wonderful. Therefore tell me: Bhagavān is terrible death or not. Therefore as
long as you are in duality, there will be time and space, and wherever there is time
Page 1427

and space, Bhagavān will act as old age, disease and death and therefore even
Bhagavān is the cause of fear.
If Bhagavān should not be the cause of fear, it is possible only under one condition;
even the distinction between me and Bhagavān should go away. adr̥śyē, anātme,
anirukthe, anilayane; abhayaṁ prathiṣṭam vindatē.
And therefore ahaṁkāra means dvaita; dvaita means bhayaṁ; ātma means
advaitam; advaitam means abhayaṁ. Now you can decide whether you want to
invoke ahaṁkāra or not. Therefore he says: yath kinchit bēdaṁ paśyatā; which
means even jīva Īśvara bēdaṁ paśyataḥ puruṣasya, one who sees even the slightest
duality; yajur vēda mentions bhayaṁ. And that is going to be elaborated in the next
verse.
यदा कदा वा�प �वपिश्चद े

ब्रह्मण्यनन्तेऽप्यणुम ा |
पश्यत्यथामु भयं तदै व
यद्वी��त �भन्नतय प्रमादा ||३३०||
yadā kadā vāpi vipaścidēṣa
brahmaṇyanantē:'pyaṇumātrabhēdam |
paśyatyathāmuṣya bhayaṁ tadaiva
yadvīkṣitaṁ bhinnatayā pramādāt ||330||
Dvaita darśanam of two types. One is dvaita darśanam before the study of vēdānta,
which is purely because of ignorance. Because I think there is duality. Then there is
a second dvaita darśanam, which is after the study of vēdānta. And that is called
dvaita vāsana. So one is dvaita darśanam because of ignorance, later it is dvaita
vāsana because of habit.
And Śankarācāryā wants to say, both will create equal amount of saṁsāra. Whether
you see dvaitam as real before the study of vēdānta, or whether you see dvaitam as
real as a habit, after the study of vēdānta, dvaitam will cause saṁsāra. Therefore
after the study of vēdānta, if dvaita vāsana should go away; the only remedy is
what? do not stop with study; but continue to dwell on the teaching, until you are
soaked in that.
Page 1428

And that is why he uses the word vipaścid? Vipaścid means even a learned person,
who has done śravaṇam. This is based on the Taittariya vākyam: tatve va bhayaṁ
viduṣaḥ amanvānasya. Viduṣaḥ means one who has done śravaṇam and
mananam. Svāmiji I have been listening to you for 18 years; but sorrow does not go
away. Anger does not go away; depression does not go away; this does not go
away; that does not go away, if you say, Śravaṇam you have done; perhaps the
little bit of mananam; doubtful, but Śankarācārya says that is not enough, you have
to commit yourselves to nidhidhyāsanam. If you do not that, what is the tragedy?
He says: vipaścid; even a śravaṇa manana akartā but who is not an nidhidhyāsana
kartā.
And what is nidhidhyāsana kāraṇam, whatever is the source of your mental

agitations, you have to deliberately falsify and disown. You have to tell it is mithya,
whatever is the source of your agitations; you have to specially bring that objects, or
that person into your mind and concentratedly attack; this is mithya; this is nāma-
rūpa; and I am asaṅga-ātma; I am not related to anyone in the creation. Moment
relationship comes, ahaṁkāra is invoked. Therefore I have to deliberately falsify the
object and I have to deliberately negate that relationship. Pittha naiva me naiva
mātha na janma; na bandur na mithram gurur naiva śiṣyam; even the guru
has to be negated; gurur naiva śiṣyaḥ; unless I deliberately negate the reality; and
unless I deliberately negate the relationship, saṁsāra will afflict me.
Therefore he says, yadā kadā vāpi, bhēdaṁ paśyati. Saṁbandam paśyati. It

is my house, my money, my wife, my children; aṇumātram api; even a little; even a
weebit of duality and saṁbanda, yadā kadā vāpi, whenever, the moment you invoke
worry will come. Therefore yadā kadā vāpi vipaścid, even a vēdantic student of
years of time; aṇumātram api; aṇumātram bhēdaṁ is based on the yaju śrutihi,
which he mentioned in the previous slōka; and what is the yaju śrutihi? udaram
antharam kurute; adha tasya bhayaṁ bhavathi; udaram word means aṇumātram.
and antharam is the word used there; that is translated as bhēdaṁ. Udaram
antharam is equal aṇumātram bhēdaṁ; a small relationship not much; then
Bhagavān will say only a small worry; not a big one; not that much. And the
intensity of the worry is directly proportional to the intensity of relationship,
ownership and attachment and the intensity is indicated by the number of hours you
invoke that relationship. Raavu pakalu, raavau pakala saṁsāra will be there.
Therefore aṇumātram bhēdaṁ paśyati; where? anante Brahmani, in that Brahman,
where there is no division at all.
Page 1429

Then what are the divisions that I am seeing? Only nāma rūpa divisions which are
mithya divisions, superficial divisions only, Brahman does not have any division at
all.
Then what is the consequence? paśyati means he sees the duality; adha, adha
means tathā; co-relative of yadā, yadā paśyati tathā; adha means tathā, amuṣya
bhayaṁ bhavathi. For that person, there will be fear. If that person is very nice the
fear will be such a nice person I may lose. If that person is terrible; I am worried
that he will come to me. If that person is wonderful, my worry is that person will go
away. Nice object, fear of going away; terrible object, the fear of that object coming
to me. Therefore either by way of arrival; the world causes sorrow, or by the way of
departure, the world causes sorrow. The world will cause you pain; as long as you
see it as world. Then see what? Brahmārpaṇam, Brahma haviḥ; Brahmagnau,
Brāhmaṇa hūtam; only from wave angle arrival and departure, water never arrives
and departs. So amuṣya, amuṣya means what? this so-called wise man, there is
fear, vipascidaḥ bhayaṁ bhavathi.
And what is the cause of fear? yath bhinnataya vīkṣitham, tathēva bhayaṁ bhavathi.
So here in my book tadaiva reading is there; there is another reading, tad ēva;
instead of two horns, tadēva one horn, that has got advantages gramatically. I am
not dwelling on the advantage and taking that reading. Tadēva bhavyam bhavathi.
That object is the source of fear; yath bhinnataya vīkṣitham, which object is seen as
different from me.
Any object that is bhinnataya vīkṣitham; and how is the source of fear? remember
this: very important, worth meditating upon. Either it causes fear by way of arriving;
or it causes fear by way of departing. Paṇam; arrival I think there is no fear; I do
not know. Certainly departure causes fear. Disease, arrival causes fear, departure
gives happiness. Any object in the world, by arrival or departure, causes fear.
And why this wrong darśanam? why this wise man sees duality? Because ignorant
man seeing duality is understandable; but here the upaṇiṣad is talking about the
wise man seeing duality. Vipaścid word is used.
And therefore Śankarācārya gives the reason; pramādāt. He is a wise person but he
has not done sufficient nidhidhyāsanam to assimilate the wisdom. So here wise man
Page 1430

means what? jñāni but not jñāna niṣṭa; and if jñāna niṣṭa is not there; pramādāt;
pramādāt means by habit; by negligence; by viparītha bhavana, the relationship is
reminded, in the class he tells everybody is Brahman. But once the vyavahāra starts,
Brahman is forgotten; wife is wife; husband is husband, child is child; money is
money; everything becomes the nāma rūpa pradhāna and therefore by habit, sorrow
also comes.
Therefore pramādāt means here the viparītha bhāvanayath. How is the gRāmatically
the anvayaṁ; grammer student; yath pramādāt bhinna taya vīkṣitham, tad ēva
bhayaṁ bhavathi. We have to supply bhayaṁ bhavathi again. yath pramādāt bhinna
taya vīkṣitham, tad ēva bhayaṁ bhavathi. So two sentences. Yatha dwaitam
vīkṣitham, tatha bhayaṁ bhavathi. whenever you see duality, there is fear; second
statement is whatever is seen is different, that is the cause of fear.
श्रु�तस्मृ�तन्यायशतै�नर
दृश्ये यः स्वात्मम� करो�त |
ु प�र दःख
उपै�त दःखो ु जातं
�न�षद्धकत स म�लम्लुच यथा ||३३१||
śrutismr̥tinyāyaśatairniṣiddhē
dr̥śyē:'tra yaḥ svātmamatiṁ karōti |
upaiti duḥkhōpari duḥkhajātaṁ
niṣiddhakartā sa malimlucō yathā ||331||
Śankarācārya is reminding the wise man. Haven't you studied vēdānta very well.
Haven't you written down nice notes; haven't you listened to the cassettes again and
again. Where did all these go? Why are you shedding tears? Therefore he says: śruti
smr̥ti nyāya śataiḥ niṣiddhē; during your śravaṇam and mananam this body has
been negated; falsified as mere nāma rūpa; non-substantial unreal pithless entity.
So driśyam means what: anātma, especially the body-anātma. So this dr̥śya śarīraṁ,
niṣiddam has been negated by pointing out, you are not the body, you are not the
body; it is an incidental nāma-rūpa that has arrived; it has been done, with the help
of śruti pramāṇam.
In Taittariya, Pañja kōśa vivēka, anyōnthara ātma prāṇamāya, ananyōnthara ātma

manōmaya, each one has been negated. Not only śruti has negated; smr̥ti. In the
Bhagavad Gītā Krishna has repeatedly said you are not the dēha, but you are the
Page 1431

dēhi. Na hanyatē hanyamēne śarīraṁ. Body will be destroyed by kālam, but body is
only a shell; vāsaṁsi jērnāṇi yatha vihāya; body is like a cloth; once it is old, it will
be dropped, you are the dehi which is nityam.
Thus vēda has said, Gītā has said and nyāya śatai; and we have given enough
reasonings also. Reasoning to prove what? you are not the body; and what is the
main reasoning? main reasoning is: dr̥k dr̥śya vivēka nyāya; the experiencer is
different from the experienced. I am the experiencer, body is the experienced and
therefore it is different from me. Thus this smr̥ti nyāya satai; hundreds of classes;
hundreds of slōkas; hundreds of sessions; hundreds of cassettes; in Śankarācārya's
times it was not there, I have to add that; casettee śataihi. So niṣidde has been
negated; the body is.
In Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi itself he said: body is mala bāndam; what more you need. So it
contains such things which when it comes out, you do not want to go near. Isn't.
When it comes out, you do not want to go near. But the very stuff we are carrying.
Do we think that? He is trying to induce Vairāgyam somehow. Therefore the Ācārya
wants to say something. At least if by this will he give up the dēhābhīmāna?
Thyajyatām mala bāndavath; Śankarācārya said in Vivēkacūḍāmni itself. Therefore
śruti; smrti, nyāya śatai; niṣiddhē dr̥śyē; in this such a body, svama mathim karōthi.
There are these people who have ātma abhīmāna. Strong identification that I am
this body; Ahaṁ iti buddhiḥ. And this abhīmāna is for two people: ajñāni also has
got dēha abhīmāna; and even jñāni, until he gets jñāna niṣṭa, even a jñāni gets into
this abhīmāna because of what? vāsana or viparītha bhāvana or negligence, he has
got this abhīmāna.
Then what is the consequence? How do we know whether we are jñānis or jñāna
niṣṭās; Svāmiji I do not know; will you give a certificate, that to whomsoever it may
concern. Hereafter this student is jñāna niṣṭa; how do you know. I have given you
some context of three factors; whenever negative reactions are there, observe the
frequencies of negative reactions, observe the intensity, intensity means body level,
verb level and mental level; and in the all the three levels it comes; intensity you
watch; and then the recovery period; if you are crying for some loss; how many
days you cry.
And by watching these three; we can see whether you are journeying towards jñāna
niṣṭa or not; closer to jñāna niṣṭa you are, more reduced will be all these three.
Page 1432

And as long as jñāna niṣṭa has not come, duḥkhaṁ upari dukha jātaṁ bhavathi. If
you do not practice jñāna niṣṭa; then sorrow after sorrow; anger after anger;
depression after depression; worry after worry; repeatedly above; dukhōpari dukha
jātaṁ; frequency; he is generally unhappy; now and then he is happy also.
This will be the condition; but expert in Vēdānta. No doubt in that. What is the use.
Sankara says: dukhōpari dukha jātaṁ upaithi. Like what: niṣiddhakartā sa malimlucō
yathā. Like a person of any wrong action. niṣiddhakartā means what? A person of
wrong action; in this context, what is the wrong action; dēha abhīmāna is the wrong
action. So dēha abhīmāna akartā suffers. Like a person who does any niṣiddhakartā;
here niṣiddha karma is dēha abhīmāna.
And example is given in the śāstra itself and the example is malim lucaḥ; malim
lucaḥ means a thief; a robber; the one who has stolen anything; chōraḥ; stēnaḥ, is
called malim lucaḥ. The literal translation is mali san lochani ithi malim luchaha; the
one who moves about with a negative intentions is called malim lucaḥ; mali means
what? negative intentions; அ�க்(azhukku); malam ithi asthi iti; malam means
mental impurity; lucaḥ means what? the one who moves about; robber alone moves
about with a negative motive to find out which house is locked, where there is only
one member, which lady is wearing too many ornaments; all negative motives, who
moves, the thief.
Therefore malim lucaḥ means the one who moves with negative intentions is a thief;
like a thief; such a person will suffer. What is that thief example? It comes in
Chandōgya upaṇiṣad, sixth chapter, towards the end, taskara dr̥ṣtanta it is called.
Chandōgya upaṇiṣad uses the word taskaraḥ; taskaraḥ means what? malim lucaḥ;
malum lucaḥ means taskaraḥ. That means a thief.
And what is the Chandōgya story. There is a story there; that is said in the next
verse, which we will see in the next class.
Hari Om.
Page 1433

111. Verses 332 to 336
श्रु�तस्मृ�तन्यायशतै�नर
दृश्ये यः स्वात्मम� करो�त |
उपै�त दःखो
ु प�र दःख
ु जातं
�न�षद्धकत स म�लम्लुच यथा ||३३१||
śrutismr̥tinyāyaśatairniṣiddhē
dr̥śyē:'tra yaḥ svātmamatiṁ karōti |
upaiti duḥkhōpari duḥkhajātaṁ
niṣiddhakartā sa malimlucō yathā ||331||
Until now, Śankarācārya presented nidhidhyāsanam as a way of keeping the three

fold vāsanas under control or restraint. One is ahaṁ-mama vāsana and the other is
viṣaya vāsana and the third is kriyā vāsana or kriyāḥ. We cannot avoid all these
three, because as long as prārabdha is there; we have to be active in the world; and
according to our varṇa and āsrama, duties are also there. And therefore
Śankarācārya said you cannot eliminate them but keep them under check. Do not
allow them to overpower you. And now in these portions, Śankarācārya is presenting
the positive side of that; the only way of keeping ahaṁ-mama vāsana under check is
constantly invoking ahaṁ brahma iti jñānaṁ. The only way of balancing dēha
abhīmāna is by invoking brahma bhāvaha. And in fact, more we invoke dēha
abhīmāna, to neutralise that you have to spend more time invoking Brahma bhāva.
And if that is not done, the ahaṁ-mama vāsana will overpower and it will create
duḥkhōpari duḥkha jātaṁ; problems after problems of saṁsāra and to convey this,
Śankarācārya gave an example, malim lucaḥ yathā. Like a thief, taskaraḥ; and in the
last class, I pointed out that here Śankarācārya is referring to the example occurring
in Chandogya Upanishad, sixth chapter towards the end. This example comes, which
he has hinted in this verse 331. The example will be explained in the next verse,
which we will read now.
सत्या�भसंधानरत �वमक
ु ्त
महत्त्वमात्मीयमुप �नत्य म |
�मथ्या�भसन्धानरतस नश्ये
Page 1434

दृष् तदेतद्यदचौरचौरयो ||३३२||

satyābhisaṁdhānaratō vimuktō
mahāttvamātmīyamupaiti nityam |
mithyābhisandhānaratastu naśyēd
dr̥ṣṭaṁ tadētadyadacauracaurayōḥ ||332||
The example that occurs in Chandōgya is as follows. A person is brought in front of

a king; with an accusation that he has stolen something. He is only accused of
stealing. It has not been proved at all. And therefore the king wanted to find out
whether the accusation is true or not. And for this purpose, the king asked the
people, his attendants to bring a hot piece of iron; tapta paraśuḥ; literally the word
paraśuḥ means an axe, which is made of iron you can take any hot iron material.
That is why this example is also called tapta paraśu dr̥ṣṭānta; or taskara dr̥ṣṭānta
because of these two. And tapta paraśu is kept in front and then the king asked a
question to the accused person. Now you have to make statement. What is that? I
have not stolen or I have stolen, you have to make a statement. And normally no
accused person will accept the accusation. Therefore he will say I am not a thief. I
am not a thief he is going to say. Now this statement that he has made is going to
be either truth or untruth, which nobody knows. He has made a statement, I am not
a thief. It has to be either satyam; or mithya. Now the king says, we will soon prove
it. How? You have to hold the tapta paraśu with your hand and what is the belief;
the belief is if the statement is truth, the very truth will give him an insulation.
Satyam is capable of insulating a person; this is the belief. And therefore if his
statement is true, the very satyam will serve as a protection and when he takes the
tapta paraśu, it will not burn him. And what is protecting him? What is giving the
kavacham? The satyam. And not only he will not be burned by the paraśu, the king
will congratulate him, glorify him and he will be released also. Two things, first
thing, there is no burning; and second thing, he will be released also. Adahaḥ ca,
thāpa nivr̥tti ca and mukthi ca. Tapa nivr̥ttiḥ and muktiḥ, muktiḥ means what
freedom from jail vāsa; imprisonment. Therefore tapa nivr̥tti and muktiḥ are the two
phalams for a person who is satya abhisandaḥ. Sataya abhisandaḥ means what?
committed to truth and suppose this statement is false; because he has said: I have
not stolen, but in fact, suppose he has stolen, his statement will become mithya
statement; and falsehood cannot serve as a kavacham.
Page 1435

And since it will not serve as a kavacham or insulation, the moment he takes the
tapta paraśu, he will be burned. Therefore the first problem is what: tāpaḥ, and not
only tāpaḥ, is this enough, no, not only tāpaḥ, the king is going to put him in prison
and therefore imprisonment also.
Now the upaṇiṣad gives this example for a person who says: Ahaṁ jīvaḥ; instead of
claiming ahaṁ brahmāsmi, suppose a person says ahaṁ jīvaḥ, now the upaṇiṣad
asks the question, which one is satyam, which one is mithya. And here the tapta
paraśuḥ is the world of duality, which we are embracing. The hot iron is what? the
world. And ahaṁ jīvaḥ person also embraces the world, ahaṁ brahmāsmi person
also embraces the world; the upaṇiṣad says, whoever claims ahaṁ brahmāsmi, and
comes in contact with the world, he will have tāpa nivr̥ttihi; the world tapta paraśu
cannot create the trividha tāpam. In this place, tāpah; there in the example, tāpah
means burning; here tāpaḥ means what? adhyātmica, ādhiboudika, ādhidaivika
duḥkham. The three-fold duḥkham will not burn this person even though he is in
contact with the world. Why? He has the kavacham made of what truth; ahaṁ
brahmāsmi truth. Whereas whoever says ahaṁ jīvaḥ asmi, I am so and so, gives a
bio-data, right from date of birth, the abhivādhaye bio-data. This is my gōthram, this
is my suthram, I am Brāhmaṇa, I am kṣatriya.
Now this statement is true or false, how to know? Try to interact with the world as a
jīvah, because jīvatvam is false, because that statement is false, that false idea
cannot give you the kavacham. And what is the proof for that? Every interaction with
the world will give you tāpam. In the house tāpam, in the office, bigger tāpam.
Wherever you go, tāpam, why, because we are not protected. Why we are not
protected. What we are holding on to is ahaṁ-jīvaḥ.
And therefore if you want to enjoy jīvan mukthi, be satyādhi sandaḥ, which is ahaṁ
brahmāsmi, do not be anruthāthi sandaḥ, which is ahaṁkārōsmi. That is the
essence. Satya abhisandāna rasaḥ. So the one who is committed to satya
abhisandanam, abhisandānaṁ, constant remembrance, commitment. Not one hour a
week. All the time, like a tanpura śruti for a musician; throughout the music
programme, even though he is involved in all kinds of rāgas and all kinds of taalas;
and rāgam taanam pallavi, the most complicated thing. Throughout he has in the
background the tanpura śruti, he does not get out of: That is called abhisandānaṁ.
Anusandānam. Always in the background; that is called anusandānam. Commitment.
And for such a person, vimukthaḥ. He will never be imprisoned in another physical
Page 1436

body. Existing in the physical body is imprisonment, because we are confined to this
body. So this person is released from the body imprisonment.
And not only that, ātmīyam nithyam mahātvam upaithi; and that person claims the
glory which is ever his glory. Natural glory, like that person who was accused. He
was a satyārthi sandhāna; even though a temporary blemish, because people
accused; and when he is released, he claims his own original glory; that he is a
satya sandhah; that he is not a thief. So ātmīyam mahātvam; nityam; mahātvam.
nityam should go with mahātvam. Upaiti, he claims, whereas vidyā abhisandāna
rathaḥ; that person in whom Brahman remains subdued and ahaṁkāra remains
dominant; individuality remains dominant; personality is prominent. For that person;
naśyē; he will be spiritually destroyed; emotionally destroyed; he will face saṁsāra
problem. Sandāna rathasthu naśyē. And what is the example? Tad etat dr̥ṣṭam.
So these two cases are seen from the example of Chandōgya, acauracaurayōḥ,
acaura or in some books acaura is also there; both are one and the same; acaura
mean what; a non-stealer; a truthful person; and cauraḥ means the one who has
stolen. When acaura says I am acaura he is protected. When cauraḥ says I am
acauraḥ, that very falsehood destroys him. It is a lie-detector of the olden days.
Now they have lie-detector machines.
They say that when we utter a falsehood, in the mind there is a stress; there is a
strain taking place, because what I know is one thing and what I say is other thing;
because of the incongruity of the fact and the statement, there is something
happening in the mind, in the body language itself, there is a discomfort. So the
mental strain is expressed at the level of the physical body; based on that principle,
they have lie-detectors. In those days, what is the lie-detector. Tapta paraśu is the
lie-detectors. Do not try these days.
य�तरसदनुसिन्ध बन्धहेतु �वहाय

स्वयमयमहमस्मीत्यात्मदव �तष्ठेत
सुखय�त ननु �नष्ठ ब्रह् स्वानुभूत्
हर�त परम�वद्याकायर्दुः प्रतीत ||३३३||
yatirasadanusandhiṁ bandahētuṁ vihāya
svayaṁayaṁahāmasmītyātmadr̥ṣṭyaiva tiṣṭhēt
sukhayati nanu niṣṭhā brahmaṇi svānubhūtyā
Page 1437

harati paRāmavidyākāryaduḥkhaṁ pratītam ||333||
So nidhidhyāsana is trying to make ahaṁ brahmāsmi prominent in life and the

ahaṁkāra and mamakāra less pronounced, less prominent. It should be too
insignificant to disturb me. And for this practice, a person can change the lifestyle if
you want.
For making the ahaṁ brahmāsmi prominent, and the ahaṁkāra-mamakāra less
prominent, the śāstra gives an optional change in the life style and that optional
change in the life-style is sanyāsa āsrama. A person can optionally take to sanyāsa,
in which the advantage is the scope for invoking ahaṁkāra is lesser and lesser,
because the husband-I does not exist; wife does not exist; grand-father-I, brother-I,
employer-I, employee-I; very many societal transactions, he breaks. All the
relationship he breaks. In short, he removes as many roles from him as possible and
confines to minimum role, he is a devotee of the lord, he is a śiṣya or he is a guru;
other than that, there is no other saṁbanda, and therefore ahaṁkāra invocation
scope is limited.
And here Śankarācārya talks about that person who has taken sanyāsa and
therefore he uses the word yatiḥ. And since it is optional a gr̥hastha also can
nidhidhyāsana but gr̥hastha has to put extra effort. Therefore he requires more time
for nidhidhyāsanam. In fact the tragedy is what: sanyāsi does not require much
nidhidhyāsanam; but he has more time. A gr̥hastha requires more nidhidhyāsanam,
but he has less time. Why he requires more niddidhyaśanam? Why he requires?
because he is invoking: I am husband, I am father, I am grandfather; I am son, I
am son-in-law; all these come under what: ahaṁkāra. So therefore a gr̥hastha has
to do more nidhidhyāsanam than sanyāsi. If 10 minutes you have been father, 10
minutes you have to compensate by saying I am not father. na mē mr̥tyuśaṅkā
na mē jātibhēdaḥ, pitā naiva mē naiva mātā na janma, na bandhurna
mitraṁ gururnaiva śiṣyaḥ.
As that example they give; if you turn the rope to the right hand side hundred sides,
the make the rope normal, you have to turn the rope to the left: how many times?
100 times. Therefore, everytime you say father, it has to be compensated by saying,
I am not father, because you are not father; that is the truth. The fatherhood
belongs to an incidental, temporary body.
Page 1438

And therefore Śankarācārya says a nidhidhyāsaka who should be either a yati; yati
means sanyāsi; yati means not the Himalayan monster; that is Y E T I, yati; do not
say all the sanyāsis are yetis; Ok. I do not know whether you know about that. It is
not truth that such an animal is there; the abominable snow man; it is yeti. OK. Not
that yeti; yati here means sanyāsi.
asadanusandhiṁ vihāya; he gives up the ahaṁkāra invocation; as much as possible.

I am using the word invocation; I hope you understand the meaning; invocation
means energising; to rekindle; nourishing, that is invocation, by repeated thinking of
my fatherhood, I am father, I am father, and the associated ramifications, which is
asad. Asad here means mithya. So mithya anusandhiṁ; mithya dēha abhīmānam,
vihāya, he gives up totally, or if he cannot give up, he regularly neutralises. There
are people who are very health conscious; they will always measure the calorie;
whatever it is; calorie they measure. And if they have taken one extra chocalate,
they measure, then that extra kilometre walk, so that you burn down that extra
energy you have consumed. They are very particular about the neutralising that. In
the same way, if you have done extra invocation of ahaṁkāra, that day you have to
do, extra neutralisation walking, what is the walking? nidhidhyāsanam, walking.
So why you have to neutralise that? Because banda hētum. Ahaṁkāra invocation
means bondage. It is adjective to anusandhihi. So a sanyāsi; a nidhidhyasaka gives
up the ahaṁkāra invocation which is the cause of bondage. And then what does he
do? Svayaṁ ayaṁ ahaṁ asmi iti tiṣṭhēt; he neutralises that ahaṁkāra by invoking
what? Ayaṁ ahaṁ asmi. So ayaṁ means what: paramātma. So I am paramātma,
not ahaṁkāra; I am sākṣi; not ahaṁkāra, I am Brahman. Iti ātma dr̥ṣṭyā ēva tiṣṭhēt;
he should ever remain in ātma dr̥ṣṭi. Ātma dr̥ṣṭi means ātma jñānaṁ. It should be
there behind in his mind all the time.
And is it worth doing this? If you ask, Śankarācārya says; this is worth because the
benefit is immeasurable. Brahmani tiṣṭa, sukhayati nanu niṣṭhā; so this abidance in
Brahman; this invocation of my true nature, sukhayati, gives me joy; because ahaṁ
nithya śuddha; I do not have puṇyam, pāpam, na soukyam, na duḥkham;
cidānandaḥ rūpaḥ shivōhaṁ, shivōhaṁ. How can I develop depression with this
knowledge? Depression and this knowledge can never go together. After this
knowledge, depression can come only in the Bay of Bengal; never in my mind.
Therefore sukhayati; it releases me from all strain; because of svānubhūtyā;
because of the experience or owning up of the pūrṇatvam, which this knowledge
Page 1439

gives. svānubhūthi means pūrṇatva anubhūti; jñāna phala anubhūti; because of the
pūrṇatvam, the fulfilment that it gives. And not only that, avidyā kārya duḥkhaṁ
harati. Not only it gives ānandaḥ, but it eliminates sorrow also. When the whole
world thinks that I have enough reason to be unhappy. In fact, some people like to
point out; that problem is there, that problem is there, you should have been
unhappy; so even when the whole world comes and sympathises; your son is like
that; daughter is like that; inlaws are like that; they keep on invoking, but nothing
affects me.
Therefore avidyā kāryam duḥkhaṁ harati. It removes the sorrow which is a product
of avidyā. Ignorance; avidyā kāryam duḥkhaṁ, which is what: pratītam; which is
only a notion. Sorrow is not a fact, but it is a notion; which we have generated by
repeated wrong thinking; and we are experts in generating the impossible. So we go
on thinking: this happens tomorrow. Psychologists say: 70% of our worries are
based on certain future events, which will never happen. But we imagine suppose it
happens; suppose it happens; and as you gone on imagining, it goes more and more
real; and then I shiver. And therefore, he uses the word: pratītam. pratītam means
appearing sorrow; not real sorrow. It is built-up sorrow; it is worked-up emotion; it
is super-imposed pain; and that duḥkhaṁ harati; and how? It harati; param harati;
param means totally; adyantam; absolutely it eliminates. It is not a temporary
forgetfulness, it is not an escapism from sorrow. There are other methods; by going
to the movie, you forget the sorrow; because heroes have got more sorrow that
yourselves. Then some temporary relief for you. So some happiness. I am better.
But the problem is that you have to come back home. You cannot sit in the movie
theatre. All the other methods are palliatives, temporary relief only, whereas ātma
jñānaṁ will totally eliminate.
बाह्यानुसिन् प�रवधर्येत्फ
दव
ु ार्सनामे ततस्ततोऽ�धका म |
�ात्व �ववेकैः प�रहृत बाह्य
स्वात्मानुसिन �वदधीत �नत्य म ||३३४||
bāhyānusandhiḥ parivardhayētphalaṁ
durvāsanāmēva tatastatō:'dhikām |
jñātvā vivēkaiḥ parihr̥tya bāhyaṁ
svātmānusandhiṁ vidadhīta nityam ||334||
Page 1440

On the other hand, if I do not invoke my real nature, I am going to constantly think
of the bāhya anātma only. And what damage it will cause, he reminds. bāhya
anusandhiḥ; obsession with the bāhya padartha; beginning from the very physical
body; obsession with the physical body. Obsession with family; obsession with your
business; obsession with anything; it gets gradually more reality than it deserves.
Like the dream; what is the present thought alone; becomes the dream; dream is
also nothing but my own thoughts only.
But because of my waking repetition alone, it comes in dream. And when it comes
in dream, it has become more real; and not only that the waker has become what?
unreal: See to which extent it goes. I-the-comfortable-waker has become the
dreamer; and the dream nightmare has become so strong, that the nightmares can
disturb me, throughout the waking state and we have to special chanting sthorams,
Anjaneya sthothrams, this sthothrams, that sthothrams, all for what? I am afraid;
afraid of dream; what is dream; my own thought.
So a thought which cannot harm me at all; because it becomes so real and disturbs
me. So this reality which is generated by repeated thinking, is called anusandhiḥ,
which I am translating as obsession; passion; involvement, getting lost.
This bāhya anusandhiḥ; durvāsanam phalam parivardhayē. It will increase the

consequence of ahaṁkāra vāsana. Because with regard to every external object, a
corresponding ahaṁkāra has to be invoked. If it is family obsession; I have to invoke
father-I; husband-I; wife-I, mother-I; there is a corresponding ahaṁkāra; similarly,
business obsession means that there is corresponding designation for me; manager,
president, or clerk or officer; this or that. Every anātma outside invokes a
corresponding ahaṁkāra, which Śankarācārya calls durvāsana.
And why it is durvāsana? Ahaṁ brahmāsmi is the fact. So I am so and so asmi is the
durvāsana alone; it nourishes and how much? tathaḥ tathaḥ; more and more it
nourishes. The ahaṁkāra tree becomes stronger and stronger; adhaścōrdhvaṁ
prasr̥tāstasya śākhā; so vast is the ahaṁkāra tree. And therefore what should you
do? Knowing these consequences, jñātva; so having discerned and understood the
consequences of ahaṁkāra invocation, bāhyam parihr̥tya vivēkai. So vivēkaḥ means
a discriminative person. Here vivēkaḥ you have to carefully understand; normally
vivēkaḥ means discrimination; but here it does not refer to discrimination; but the
people who have discrimination; discriminative people; vivēki ityarthaḥ. vivēkhibiḥ
Page 1441

bāhyam parihr̥tya; having given up, having reduced the obsession with anātma; sva
anusandhiṁ vidadhīta; it should be replaced with ātma anusandhiḥ; ātma
anusansandhānam; which is otherwise nidhidhyāsanam. Therefore may you practice
nidhidhyāsanam.
So in Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi, Śankarācārya writes almost 150 verses or so exclusively

about nidhidhyāsanam. In all other vēdantic texts, nidhidhyāsanam is mentioned in
one line; because it is a job to be done by the student. Therefore what can the
teacher do? it is like a telling exercise. You have to do exercise. What more can be
other than that?
Normally in vēdantic text, nidhidhyāsanam is dealt with in one slōka or two slōkas.
The uniqueness of Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi is that Śankarācārya considers nidhidyāsana to
be extremely important, therefore he writes more than 150 verses starting from 254
or so. It is going to go up 415 or something, because he considers it as important.
Therefore, nidhidhyāsanam vidadhīta. How long? nityam; Uou can stop only along
with that. Because otherwise even if you become a sanyāsi; sanyāsa ahaṁkāra will
come.
Do everyone does namaskārams to me? Do they address me with respect, etc. Do I

get pāda pūja; sanyāsa ahaṁkāra is another problems. So when śiṣyās comes, guru
ahaṁkāra; I have got so much śiṣyās; guru ahaṁkāra. The ahaṁkāra is so terrible
that one form or the other, the ultimate ahaṁkāra is ahaṁ jñāni, because I am not
even jñāni because, jñāni is a status I have from the standpoint of the buddhi, which
is also anātma. Then who am I? Brahmaiva na brahmavid. The last ahaṁkāra is
jñāni ahaṁkāra. So ahaṁkāra can come in one form or the other, nidhidhyāsanam is
a life-long exercise.
बाह्य �नरुद मनसः प्रसन्

मनःप्रसा परमात्मदशर्न |
तिस्मन्सुदृ भवबन्धनाश
ब�ह�नर्रोध पदवी �वमुक्ते ||३३५||
bāhyē niruddhē manasaḥ prasannatā

manaḥprasādē paramātmadaḥrśanam |
tasminsudr̥ṣṭē bhavabandanāśō
Page 1442

bahirnirōdhaḥ padavī vimuktēḥ ||335||
So Śankarācāryā says: really speaking, nidhidhyāsanam is not a job that we have to

do; because dwelling upon something that we like is natural to the mind; dwelling
upon something we like is natural to the mind. Now that I am ānandaḥ svarūpa is
something I like or dislike; who will dislike that? So vēdānta is telling me something
which is very very interesting; happy news.
While everybody says that you are useless; you are fool, you are good for nothing;
when everyone is scolding; vēdānta is the one which says you are Nityaḥ; buddhaḥ,
śuddaḥ, aparichinnaḥ; ānandaḥ. All beautiful things.
So if a person has done śravaṇam and mananam, he has got the most wonderful
topic in the creation. And since this person has to love this, nidhidhyāsana is
something which is very natural to the mind, but this natural thing is obstructed
because of our pre-occupation with worldly activities.
And therefore Śankarācārya says, nidhidhyāsanam need not be done; you only
remove the obstacle of too much preoccupation with vyavahārā. And if you reduce
that; which is vyavahārā and over pre-occupation; nidhidhyāsanam you need not do;
it will happen. Like a river flowing. And we have built a dam. And the dam is
obstructing the flow of the river. Now if the river should flow; we have to only
remove the obstacle, we need not do anything special to make the water flow. On
the other hand, if the water has to flow up; not only the obstacle should be
removed; if there is an obstacle in the pipe, it should be removed; then you have to
switch on the pump. Two jobs. So for the water to flow up, you have two jobs,
remove the obstacle from the pipe and also give extra energy for the water to go
up. But when the water has to flow down from the tank, your job is what? only
remove the obstacle by the law of gravitation; the water will flow.
Similarly, what is the law? Human mind dwells upon a think it likes. And śravaṇam
and mananam has given me the most enjoyable topic in the creation. And therefore
if I have the time, nidhidhyāsanam will happen. If nidhidhyāsana does not happen, it
is only because the mind is pre-occupied with two many obsessions and therefore
Śankarācārya says; bāhyē niruddhē; somehow remove the extra pre-occupation;
obsession with the world; obsession with the vyavahārā. So nirōdhaḥ means what?
restraint; reduction; of what? bāhya; the external world which has entered my mind;
Page 1443

the moment there is five minute free time, so many things come to the inside of my
mind. So many things are there in the mind. Svāmiji always says: a person buys
tickets for only one person; but when he travels, the whole family travels. Whole
family travels in your head; wife travels; children travels; all these people travel. Do
not say it is imagination. Imaginery wife also causes equal and more amount of
sorrow; than the physical real wife. She need not be physically present. The thought
is capable of increasing BP. Wife is only an example; do not mistake me.
And therefore remove all those things from the cluttered head; bāhyē niruddhē
manasaḥ prasannatā; so the mind is free now; relieved now; Krishna talks about it in
the fifth chapter of the Gītā. Before starting nidhidhyāsanam, he says: sparsan kritva
bahi bāhyan, cakṣur chaivantare brūvō. First thing you do is: your mind is cluttered
with the whole world; so keep it all outside at least for 15 minutes. At least become
a mental sanyāsi for 15 minutes. And if you mentally become sanyāsi,
nidhidhyāsanam you need not do, because it is a knowledge that you have
gathered; enjoy your knowledge, it will surface, naturally; manasaḥ prasannatā, the
mind is relaxed and relieved.
And mana prasadē, and when the mind is empty, just as air enters a bottle, or water
enters into a empty vessel; in the same way, when the mind is emptied, paramātma
darśanam, the ātma jñānaṁ you have gathered from the teacher will occupy your
mind; will be naturally invoked. So when ahaṁkāra is evacuated, the vacuum will be
naturally filled up with the ātma darśanam; ātma jñānaṁ.
Not new ātma jñānaṁ; very careful; the ātma jñānaṁ which I have gathered during
śravaṇam, which was there deep inside, but it was not coming out, because of our
worries; what you have learned but it was not possible to think about it because of
the worries; worries over worries; when they are kept aside that side, vēdānta will
naturally occupy your mind. Paramātma darśanam automatically. Here darśanam
means smr̥tihi; paramātma smr̥tihi; recollection of the teaching will gush into your
empty mind. And tasminsudr̥ṣṭē, when the ātma jñānaṁ remains in the mind for
long time, then you get soaked in that.
And therefore what happens? Bhava banda nāśaḥ. Because in the light of vēdānta,
what you call as serious problem is really insignificant. From ahaṁkāra dr̥ṣṭi, every
problem is significant. From ātma dr̥ṣṭi, every problem is significant. Just like in
dream every problem is too serious; and on waking, they lose their significance,
Page 1444

because they lose their reality; become insignificant means what? what was thought
as satyam is reduced to mithya; so insignificance means mithyātvam.
So therefore bhava banda nāśaḥ; the bondage of saṁsāra; that overwhelming

problems will become, I would not say, the problems would disappear; that is why
we use the word abhibhava. Remember that word; the flame of candle has got the
same amount of light, but when the sun rises, the power of the sunlight is so much,
then the candle light does not go away; but it has become significant. But when
there is night all around, the very same candle light appears to be powerful. When
the ātma jñānaṁ sunlight, all your problems are candles; they do not deserve that
much worry; but right now we are sitting with both hands on our head; isn't it; that
action would not be required; I have a problem, I have to solve it. The problem is
too much; I think committing suicide is better; all those things will disappear.
Overwhelming things that would not be there. Bhava banda nāśaḥ bhavathi.
Therefore, what is the method of nidhidhyāsanam? you need not do
nidhidhyāsanam, remove the obstacles for nidhidhyāsanam, which is over-
involvement with the world. Therefore, bahir nirōdhaḥ, getting carried away; getting
lost; getting obsessed; you have to reduce, nirōdhaḥ, checking, moderation; dilution
of ahaṁkāra, is the only padavī, padavī here means sādhana, only means for
vimuktiḥ. You enjoy the benefit of vēdantic study. You have to do that. There is no
alternative to that.
कः पिण्डत सन्सदसद्�ववे
श्रु�तप्र परमाथर्दश |
जानिन् कुयार्दसतोऽवलम्
स्वपातहेतो �शशुवन्मुमु�ु ||३३६||
kaḥ paṇḍitaḥ sansadaśadvivēkī
śrutipramāṇaḥ paramārthadarśī |
jānanhi kuryādaśatō:'valambaṁ
svapātahētōḥ śiśuvanmumukṣuḥ ||336||
Here Śankarācāryā says: once a person understands this value of nidhidhyāsanam,

and the consequential benefit; he can never ignore nidhidhyāsanam. Therefore he
says, paṇḍitaḥ, paṇḍitaḥ means one who has studied the scriptures, how can he
ignore nidhidhyāsanam? That is the question; paṇḍitaḥ, one who has studied the
scriptures; a layman in society will not come to this because he does not know the
Page 1445

value. In fact, he will say vēdānta is waste of time; and in that time, I will earn
Rs.10; he will know the value. But paṇḍitaḥ, an informed person, scripturally
enlightened person, Sad-asad vivēki; the one who has measured the relative value
of the ātma and anātma; satyam and mithya, that the world is mithya, that we
cannot lean upon the world; that it cannot give security; that it cannot give
pūrṇatvam; that it will desert me.
If I clearly understand the world cannot support me; give me security; and ātma
alone can support; suppose a person knows this difference, sadasad vivēki, śruti
pramāṇaḥ, suppose; suppose there is a person who has got the śruti pramāṇam,
śruti pramāṇam means what? the vēdantic teaching to support him, and paramārtha
darśi; the one who has understood the teaching; so such an informed person, who
has been committed to vēdānta for a length of time, who knows everything every
clearly, after knowing all these, jānan, kaha and mumukṣu, that also we can add;
the one who knows the value of liberation also; such a person asadaḥ avalambam
kaha kuryād.
How can he still hold on to the mithya ahaṁkāra and the mithya world? After
knowing all these things, how can such an knowledgeable person, informed person
jānan, knowing very clearly, asadaḥ avalambham, asad means mithya vasthu,
mithya ahaṁkāra, mithya prapañjaḥ, avalambaṁ means what? support, how can he
take the support of mithya prapañja having known it is useless? And not only it is
useless; svapātahētōḥ; not only it cannot give security, it gives more insecurity,
because previously I was worried about my security only; but now I have more
possessions for the sake of security; now I am worried about the security of those
possessions. So therefore possessions give me security or more insecurity? Double
insecurity. Earlier I was worried about myself and now more about my wife and
children, grand children, money, whether they give security or more insecurity.
svapātahētōḥ; which is the cause of falling into more saṁsāra. So svapātahētōḥ is
adjective to asadaḥ. The cause for own's own fall, the cause is mithya ahaṁkāra,
the support of ahaṁkāra; avalambaṁ, who will take, support of such useless
ahaṁkāra. And if a person takes, śiśuvat; only a childish person will again fall into
mithya ahaṁkāra, because child does not know.
Hari Om.
Page 1446

Page 1447

112. Verses 337 to 340
कः पिण्डत सन्सदसद्�ववे
श्रु�तप्र परमाथर्दश |
जानिन् कुयार्दसतोऽवलम्
स्वपातहेतो �शशव
ु न्मुमु�ु ||३३६||
kaḥ paṇḍitaḥ sansadaśadvivēkī
śrutipramāṇaḥ paramārthadarśī |
jānanhi kuryādaśatō:'valambaṁ
svapātahētōḥ śiśuvanmumukṣuḥ ||336||
Continuing the topic of nidhidhyāsanam, Śankarācārya points out that

nidhidhyāsanam is nothing but a way of life, in which satyam Brahma alone becomes
dominant in a person's life; and the mithya anātma or jagat is not dominant,
because it is mithya. And therefore one should be aware of the difference between
satyam and mithya, both at the subjective level as well as at the objective level. At
the subjective level, dehātma-abhīmāna, ahaṁkāra-mamakāra comes under mithya
and I the sākṣi caitanyaṁ is satyam. Therefore, during vyavahāra ahaṁkāra-
mamakāra should not become so dominant to overshadow the ahaṁ sākṣi
awareness or fact.
Similarly at the objective level also, my absorption in nāma-rūpa prapañja should not
overshadow the fact that behind the nāma-rūpa, the sat, the existence alone is
Reality. So sat in the external world should not be forgotten; chit in the in the
internal world should not be forgotten. Sat is the sāra outside, chit is the sāra inside.
The sāram should not be forgotten.
Śankarācārya uses the word sat-asad; Sat represents the Reality; asat representing
mithya. And sat anusandhiḥ or abhisandhiḥ is important; asat abhisandhiḥ;
abhisandhiḥ means what? obsession, commitment, getting carried away, is
abhisandhiḥ. Therefore where my abhisandhiḥ is that becomes very important.
And if I am going to be asat-anusandhiḥ, then I am destroying myself spiritually,

which is a childish one. A child can put the finger into the finger; a child can do that
Page 1448

because the child does not have the discrimination; that is why it is called
childishness. We do not do that, why, because, we know what agni will do?
Similarly, asad abhisandhiḥ is like playing with fire. And if you are going to do that,
you are a childish person. This is what Śankarācārya's direction of discussion is. We
will go to 337
देहा�दसंसिक्तमत न मिु क्त

मक
ु ्तस देहाद्य�भमत्यभा |
सप्तस
ु नो जागरणं न जाग्र
स्वप्नस्तयो�भर्न्नगुणाश् ||३३७||
dēhādisaṁsaktimatō na muktiḥ
muktasya dēhādyabhīmātyabhāvaḥ |
suptasya nō jāgaraṇaṁ na jāgrataḥ
svapnastayōrbhinnaguṇāśrayatvāt ||337||
So here Śankarācārya points out that one cannot have ātma-abhīmānam and
anātma-abhīmānam simultaneously. One cannot hold on to ātma and anātma
simultaneously, because holding on to one is automatically the rejection of the
other. So satya abhisandhiḥ is mithya abhisandhi tyāgaḥ. If I know that this screen
alone is the reality behind the movie, then naturally I know all the characters are
shadow. There is nothing wrong in watching the characters, but I cannot take them
to be substantial. They are reduced to what? not substantial shadow.
Therefore when I am established in the screen, movie becomes shadow, asat; on

the other hand, the more reality I give to the characters, the screen recedes and it is
lost sight of. That is why, they say, மரத்ை மைறத்த் மாமத யாைன; மரத்தி
மைறன்த் மாமத யாைன (marathai maraithathu maamadaḥ yaanai; marathil

maranthathu maamaada yaanai). Once you are the seeing the wooden elephant, the
wood aspect is lost sight of; but the moment you recognise the wood, aspect, the
elephant is no more an elephant, it is only a work of art incapable of threatening.
You will use the word elephant. Kulu is coming. The elephant is wonderful you say.
But it loses the capacity to threaten you, which means it has lost its reality. You
cannot have both dr̥ṣṭi; elephant satyatva buddhi and wood satyatva buddhi
together is impossible.
Page 1449

And therefore Śankarācārya says, dēhādhi samsakthi mathaḥ; if a person has strong
dēha abhīmānam, obsessed with this physical personality, his physical life; his
longevity, etc. becomes extremely important for him; for that person, na muktiḥ;
liberation is out of the question. That is why Krishna said in the Gītā, klesodikara
thēṣam avyaktha saktha cētasām, avyakthādhi gathir duḥkhaṁ, dēhavatbhir
avāpyadē. Dēhavathbhi means dēhavath abhīmāna; the one with strong dēha
abhīmānam, vēdānta will not work.
Therefore he says: dēhādhi samsakthi mathaḥ; samsakthi means obsessions; all the
time bothered about the physical personality and the modern fashion trends are
such that you have to be all the time bothered about what? your height, your
weight, your figure, your complexion, and they are creating a sixth kōśa; already
struggling with five kōśas, one more kōśa called the dress. So dress has become so
important. It is required for protecting the body, but it has become an industry; and
the fashion industry is designing are giving so much important to the sixth kōśa; and
if you are having abhīmāna, then the six kōśa must be really strong.
And Śankarācārya says that those people will never got mōkṣa; why na muktiḥ?
ātma abhīmāna they cannot have. Abhīmānam means owning up.
And the other way around also, mukthasya, the one who is free, one who is
liberated, he is incapable of dēhābhīmānam. A liberated person is incapable of
dēhābhīmānam; but what puthrābhīmānam, you cannot ask. The putraābhīmānam
comes only through dēhābhīmānam, because putra is your putra, only from the
standpoint of dēha. In the pūrva janam, you did not have this dēha; and therefore
we sing the song: ந� யாேரா, நான யாேரா (neeyaaro, naan yaaro), to the child. ஆரா�,
ந� யாேரா, நான் யாேர aarrari, neeyaaro, naan yaaro); you are some one, I am
someone, because of some prārabdha, we have come together. Therefore, a
liberated person cannot have dēhābhīmānam, and therefore family abhīmāna also he
cannot have. But as I say, family abhīmāna cannot be there; what I mean is:
enough abhīmāna for doing the duties, not enough abhīmāna for getting disturbed
by the family situations. And if there is disturbance, what should I understand. The
disturbance due to family condition is an acid test for what? abhīmāna. And how
much abhīmāna? So it is directly proportional to the disturbance. Who says; if I say
you may wonder: Śankarācārya says, mukthasya; mukthi and dēha abhīmāna can
never go together. So mukthasya, dēhādhi abhīmathi, is as same as abhīmāna,
obsession, abhāvaḥ.
Page 1450

It is like what: a wonderful example Śankarācārya says: It is like keeping awake and
sleeping, can they ever go together. So sleeping you should keep awake. You should
try. Sleeping you should keep awake. Is it possible? Asleep means you are not aware
of the external world; you are aware of the external world means you are not
sleeping. Just as svapna and jāgranam can never go together. Liberation and
dēhābimāna can never go together. You have to chose only one of the two. What a
terrible choice? Do you want abhīmāna attachment or do you want mōkṣa? And if a
person says: attachment is more important to me, then śāstra says, drop vēdānta,
go to karma kānda, do lot of rituals, dhyānam, dhānam, bahu puthra lābham, bahu
puthri lābham, sata samvatsaram dhīrgam ayuhu; vēdānta and attachment cannot
go together. You have to choose one of them. You need not tell it out. Inside you
have to chose.
Therefore suptasya jāgaranam na; for a sleeping person, waking is not possible.
Supthasya, jāgaraṇam no; no is emphasis, naiva sambhavathi; na plus u; u is naiva;
not possible. And similarly, jāgrathaḥ, na svapnaḥ; svapna, we have to take from the
fourth line and add the third line; jāgrathaḥ refers to the person, jāgrathaḥ
puruṣasya, for a waking person, svapnaḥ, here svapna does not mean dream, it is
sleep, na sambhavathi; we can take dream also; if you are awake, dream cannot
come.
And why they cannot happen? Tayōhō bhinna guṇa aṣrayatvāt. That is jāgaraṇa
svapnayōhō, waking and sleep are based on two opposite guṇas. One is tama
pradhāna; sleep is tama pradhāna, tamō guṇa aśritaṁ, whereas jāgrat and svapna
are satva and rajō guṇa aśritaṁ; since they belong to opposite guṇas; how can they
co exist? Or to give another example, tama prakāśayōhō iva. Like light and darkness.
अन्तबर्� स्व िस्थरजङ्गमे

�ात्वाऽऽत्मनाधारत �वलोक् |
त्यक्ता�खलोपा�धरखण्ड
पूणार्त्म यः िस्थ एष मुक्त ||३३८||
antarbahiḥ svaṁ sthirāja ṅgamēṣu
jñātvā:':'tmanādhāratayā vilōkya |
tyaktākhilōpādhirakhaṇḍarūpaḥ
pūrṇātmanā yaḥ sthita ēṣa muktaḥ ||338||
Page 1451

So this idea has been given in the Bhagavad Gītā also. The only thing is what is
given in the Gītā and Upaṇiṣads, just in a nutshell form, here Śankarācārya puts it in
a very very magnified form; In Gītā, the verse is
या �नशा सव्
र भूताना तस्या जाग�तर संयमी |
यस्या जाग्र भूता�न सा �नशा पश्यत मुनेः ||२- ६९||
yā niśā sarvabhūtānāṁ tasyāṁ jāgarti saṁyamī |
yasyāṁ jāgrati bhūtāni sā niśā paśyatō munēḥ ||2- 69||
Same idea is given here. jāgraṇam and svapna; day and night can never co-exist.
So therefore you have to choose.
And Śankarācārya assumes that we have seen the problems of attachment enough.
Śankarācārya is very optimistic. Even though he asked us to give our vote,
Śankarācārya assumes that we will vote for mōkṣa. Because generally the one who
comes to vēdānta, is assumed to be one who has seen the problems of attachment;
Parikṣya lōkān karmacidān, brahmānano nirvēda āyāt; family attachment, husband
attachment; wife attachment, children attachment, after seeing and experiencing all
these, and suffering and wanting to come out of all these, have come to vēdānta.
Having seen the problems of attachments, one who has seen the attachment, has
come to vēdānta; Śankarācārya assumes.
And therefore he advises, since you are interested in mōkṣa; better follow my
advice. What is the advice? svam jñātva; do not hold on to ahaṁkāra and mamakāra
but own up your asaṅga ātma svarūpam. Not husband-I; wife-I; father-I; grand-
father-I; they are all problematic-I-s; therefore dropping them; may you own up;
svaṁ means what; asaṅgaṁ ātmānaṁ; na stri puman napumsaka ēka bījaṁ.
So you are none of these personalities. Therefore svaṁ asaṅgaṁ ātmānaṁ, jñātva.
And where do you recognise this ātma? antarbahiḥ; which ātma is inside the body
and also bahiḥ;, outside the body and sthira jaṅgamēṣu; in the form of
consciousness, understood; in the form of caitanyaṁ; my nature is both inside and
outside; and sthira jaṅgamēṣu. sthiram, sthavam, like plants, the caitanyaṁ is there;
is the non-moving plants, the caitanyaṁ is there; and jaṅgamēṣu; in the moving
animals and the human beings. So in all moving and non-moving living beings the
ātma is there; in the form of caitanyaṁ.
Page 1452

In fact, you can extend further, even in the inanimate object, ātma is there; but the
caitanyaṁ aspect is not manifest there; it is not absent; it is not manifest there; but
what aspect is manifest? The Sat existence is manifest. Therefore in the desk chit is
not there, if asked, what to say, you cannot it is not; in the desk chit is there; but
not manifest. whereas the Sat is manifest. Therefore Satcitrūpēṇa I, the ātma, am
both inside and outside, in moving and non-moving, in the animals and inanimate, iti
jñātva.
Having recognised, owned up this fact, ātmana; atmanādhāratayā vilōkya; he

himself, as the very ātma of this universe. Ātmanaḥ means what? As the very
essence of the universe. Just as a wave imagine, recognises itself to be water, what
will that wave say. I, the water, am the substance behind, not only this wave, but I
am the ātma behind all the waves; not only all the waves, I am the ātma essence of
even the ocean; all the rivers; so ātmana, itham bhāva, thritīya; as the substratum.
And therefore only ādhāratayā without Me the world does not exist; not that without
the world, I do not exist; this was what I was thinking before, that the world only
was saving me; it is not that without the world I cannot exist; but the truth is what:
without Me, the world cannot exist. Without water, the ocean cannot exist. So when
I look myself as wave, I said: I said I depend on the ocean. Look.
When I look at myself as a wave, I depend on the ocean. But when I know myself
as water, what do I say? Ocean depends on me. Why, because ocean is a nāma,
whose essence is water. Therefore whether I depend upon the world or the world
depends on me, is dependent on what? My understanding of the meaning of the
word ahaṁ. Therefore having understood yourselves, see yourselves as the ādhāram
of the universe.
And this requires what? tyaktākhilōpādhi. If you are going to take yourselves as the
body, upādhiḥ here means the body; if you take yourselves to be as the body, you
will have to depend on the world, because you require food, clothing, shelter.
Therefore if you are the body, you have to depend on the world, therefore if you
should become independent of the world, you have to disown the body. So
tyaktākhilōpādhi; do not have dēha abhīmāna. Dēha abhīmāna leads to world
dependence. Dēha abhīmāna leads to world dependence. Therefore give up dēha
abhīmāna.
Page 1453

In fact you can challenge the world; because the world threatens in what from?
giving some harm to you; harm to you means which you; you, means the body; and
when the body is only mithya, anātma for me, the world can threaten, the worst
that can happen to me at the body level is death; and death itself is not a tragedy
for me. That is the worst harm a person can do and therefore tyakta akhila upādhiḥ;
upādhi means the anātma.
And here Śankarācārya says; give up the body; very careful; give up the body, if you
take literally it will be committing suicide; therefore you have to interpret it as akhila
upādhi abhīmānam tyaktva; give up the body means give up the abhīmāna in the
body. Attachment to the body. Obsession with the body; give up. So tyakta akhila
upādhiḥ; and therefore only akhaṇḍa rūpaḥ; so akhaṇḍa rūpaḥ means with
undivided nature; from the body's standpoint I am khaṇḍaḥ; khaṇḍaḥ means
separated from the world.
In fact, psychologically speaking, khaṇḍatvam is a form of saṁsāra. khaṇḍatvam

means what? Being separate from the world. And the sense of separation expresses
in the mind in the form of rejection. In fact, one of the worst form of fear is feeling
rejected by others; even as children will find if the other friends are not taking this
children for game, the child feels isolation; friends are not keeping me company; are
not taking me into the team for playing; that means what? Sense of isolation. And as
we grow old, the same sense of rejection is there; whether family will accept me in
the fold, and when I earn I feel everybody loves me; and when I stop earning, I feel
that I do not have that much worth in the family; whether they reject or not; I begin
to feel; I think they do not have that much respect for me. All these psychological
pains that children are not respecting, previously they used to ask for permission for
everything, now I do not know what is happening? moreover my ears have become
little short of hearing now, so that my hearing has become come down, I do not
even hear their conversation, and I feel that in the discussion, they are leaving me
out. That leaving out is called khaṇḍatvam; physical khaṇḍatha, psychological
khaṇḍatha, even though you are fed very well in the family, the feeling that I am not
in the fold, is a form of saṁsāra.
And how will this saṁsāra go? The only way is what? As long as you are a body
mind complex, the khaṇḍatha will be there. Own up the ātma svarūpam; no one can
reject me. Can any wave, reject the water. Can ocean reject the water. Can rivers
Page 1454

reject the water. In fact they cannot reject the water because, rejecting the water,
they do not exist; therefore they very existence requires inclusion of the water.
Similarly, once I know I am the ātma, nothing in the world can reject me.
Brihadaranyaka Upaṇiṣad beautifully brings out the points;
Brāmatham parādāt, yōnyanthra ātmanō Brahmavēda; kṣathrantham

parādāt, yōnyanthra ātmanaḥ kṣatram vēda.
Unless you know the ātma, the sense of rejection will never go away. Idam Brahma,
Idaṁ Kṣātra, Ime lōkaḥ; imē dēvāḥ; imāni bhūtāni, idagum sarvaṁ, yadayaṁ ātma;
that is the only way out. And therefore, beautiful akhaṇḍa rūpaḥ; I am the undivided
ātma, the essence of the world; and therefore only purnātmana; sthithaḥ bhavathi.
So since khaṇḍathvam, khaṇḍathvam means division; division means apūrṇatvam;

having given up apūrṇatvam, may you remain as pūrnātma.
Ekānte sukham māsyathām paratharē cheta samādhiyathām,

pūrnātma samēkṣatham jagaditham, tad badhithāam dr̥śyathaṁ.
So this is nidhidhyāsanam; and the one who remains never having the idea that I
should be wanted by others. That is the biggest saṁsāra. I should be wanted by
others. First saṁsāra is I want others. Gross saṁsāra. Subtle saṁsāra is what? I do
not want others; that much courage has come; but I want to be wanted by others.
Invitation card, they did not send me; never sent me invitation; having the want of
being wanted is mukthi. Therefore saha ēva mukthaḥ. That is why jñāni is able to
remain in a corner of the universe also; even though; ேகள்வ ேகள்பா�ல் (kelvi
kelpaarille) that idiom in Tamil; no one to enquire about you; nobody to see whether
I am there or gone; should not somebody come and see whether I am alive or dead;
I do not care even that. Whether I am alive or dead; whether people care about that
or not; I do not care about. Very tough, it is easily said; the very extremely difficult;
but worth attempting. It is worth certainly attempting.
सवार्त्म बन्ध�वमुिक्तहेत
सवार्त्मभावा परोऽिस् किश्त् |
दृश्याग सत्युपपद्यतेऽ
Page 1455

सवार्त्मभावोऽ सदात्म�नष्ठ ||३३९||

sarvātmanā bandavimuktihētuḥ
sarvātmabhāvānna parō:'sti kaścit |
dr̥śyāgrahē satyupāpa dyatē:'sau
sarvātmabhāvō:'sya sadātmaniṣṭhayā ||339||
So this vision, this perceptive, so this awareness, which awareness, I am pūrṇa

ātma; I do not depend on the world; and I do not depend on the world depending
on me also; so this vision; this awareness not feeling the sense of isolation;
segregation, separation, rejection, this perceptive; this maturity is called sarvātma
bhāvaḥ. A very deep significant expression for mōkṣa. So sarvātma bhāvaḥ.
Śankarācāryā says; this sarvātma bhava alone gives you freedom. Then alone you
are complete. Then alone your mission in life is accomplished. So therefore
Śankarācārya says: sarvātma bhāvāth, paraḥ banda vimukthi hētuḥ nāsti.
There is no other means of liberation other than this sarvātma bhāva. Banda
vimukthi hētuḥ means what? Means of liberation. Paraḥ nāsti; double negative;
there is no other means; other than sarvātma bhāva. Positively put it means what?
sarvātma bhāva alone is the means. And not only this is the means sarvātmana;
absolutely; doubtlessly; if you think there is any other means, you try. Either try to
depend on others and see the misery; and another misery is what? being wanted. All
the time watching whether they are depending on me; depending on me; so watch
that. That is still worse misery because the tragedy is nobody enjoys depending on
me.
So if I enjoy others depending on me, I am going to be miserable because I enjoy

others depending on me and others are struggling for what? to get out of my
dependence. Children are rebels after thirteen; teenage is terrible why, because they
want independence. Nations want independence. And imagine I want them to
depend on me. How will it work? Therefore before their independence, better you
become independent of, wanting them to be dependent on you. Am I quibbling with
words are you able to follow that? Wonderful.
Old age is thrill if you attain this state of mind. Because as we grow old, world finds
us useless. Naturally, because we are not productive. At least eyes are good, they
will keep as watchman and watchwomen. If you are lying there, at least, the thief
may not come. If sense organs do not function, world does not find any utility in us.
Page 1456

And whether you like or not, world is utility oriented. When they find us useless,
they will maximum for important days they may come and do namaskārams and go.
Not more. So if I am not ready for this, old age become miserable. Not only I
should be ready for this, I should positively enjoy this, because I have got the time
to dwell upon sarvātma bhāva.
And therefore there is no doubt about this. Sarvātma bhāvāth paraḥ; bhāva is
pañjami vibhakthi, because the word paraḥ governs pañjami vibhakthi; anyaḥ
sarvātma bhāvath; other than sarvātma bhāvāth, there is no other method.
Now the question is what do you mean by sarvātma bhāva? Is it that everywhere I
will stand ātma standing? Sarvātma bhāvath, literally translated means what: sarvaṁ
ātma iti jñānaṁ, sarvātma bhāvaḥ. A vision which means everything is ātma, or
seeing everything as ātma is sarvātma bhāvaḥ; bhāvaḥ means bhāvana. That vision
that perspective.
Now what do you mean by that? Seeing everything as ātma means; suppose I am
seeing this clip. To see that ātma which do I do? So it is easily said but what do you
mean by that? Śankarācāryā is going to explain that in the latter portion, but I will
just briefly dwell upon that. For our practical approach.
Sarvaṁ; sarva ātma bhāva means or sarva ātma darśanam means sarva anātma
mithyātva darśanam. Everything is ātma means, everything other than ātma is nāma
rūpa or mithya. So sarvathra ātma darśanam is equal to sarva anātma mithyātva
darśanam.
And sarva anātma mithyātva darśanam means what? sarva anātma rāga dvēṣa
abhāvaḥ. Sarva anātma rāga dvēṣa abhāvaḥ. How? Try to see the logic behind it;
rāga and dvēṣa can be only towards a real thing. Even a thief, when he snatches the
chain; chain-snatchers; snatches the chain and he runs and he very carefully holds
it; and later he discovers that this lady is intelligent and the real chain she has kept
in the safe deposit valut. And then for the sake of wedding or something, she has
got the 2-1/2 rupees chain.
Now the moment the thief knows that it is worthless, what will he do? He will drop
it; he will not be interested in it. Therefore in a fake ornament, even a thief is not
interested. Therefore, where mithyātva darśanam is there, neither rāga can come
Page 1457

towards that; nor can dvēṣa come. So rāga-dvēṣa abhāva, with regard to the entire
world is sarvātma bhāvaḥ. Rāga-dvēṣa abhāvaḥ.
And how do I know that, whether rāga-dvēṣa or not? Wherever rāga-dvēṣa is, the
mind is violently disturbed. Violent disturbance of the mind is the symptom of strong
rāga-dvēṣa. Strong-rāga-dvēṣa is the symptom of satyatva bhuddhiḥ. Satyatva
buddhi of the world is symptom of sarvātma bhāva abhāva.
Therefore ultimately watch your mind, whether it enjoys samatvam or not. I do not
say that you should not have emotions at all; very careful; there is no violent
disturbance. Like good road and bad road. Good road car will not violently shake.
Not that car will not move at all. Then the car will not move at all. But when the
road is full of pot-holes, our roads will be like that; what will you say more? You find
that it goes up and down. Therefore sarvātma bhāvaḥ means samatva buddhi. And
therefore this is the approach. But Śankarācārya is going to present it in a different
way.
dr̥śyāgrahē satyupapadyatē. ātma sarvātma bhava is possible only in sarva anātma

tyāgaḥ; I used the word; anātma mithyātva darśanam. Śankarācārya uses the word;
anātma tyāgaḥ.
So dr̥śya agrahaṁ; all technical words; they should be very carefully understood or it
can mislead. Dr̥śyaṁ means anātma, the world of objects. Agrahaṇam means not
grasping; not grasping means what? renunciation; that is tyāgaḥ; so driśyam means
anātma; agraḥ means tyaga; driśyam agraḥ means anātma tyāgaḥ. So does it mean
that I have to give up my house, car, and then the chappal, etc? Ok something I can
give up. Even by becoming Sanyāsi, I can give many things; but remember, total
anātma tyāgaḥ is not possible because, living requires possessing some anātma.
Body you cannot give up. That is anātma. And dress you cannot give up. Chappal
you cannot give up.
Therefore anātma tyāgaḥ means anātma abhīmāna tyāgaḥ. Therefore anātma

abhīmāna tyāgē sati ēva upapadyatē. Only when you give your attachments to your
possessions; it will work.
And if you are a great devotee; you can have an alternative approach. A religious
approach; a philosophical approach. Śankarācārya is giving a philosophical
Page 1458

approach; what is the philosophical approach? Give up your abhīmāna in everything;

ownership in everything; because it is all mithya; fake, unreal, empty; problematic.
Worthless. Therefore give up. This is the philosophical approach, called mithyātva
darśanam. If the philosophical approach you are not able to have, we have got an
alternative religious approach, and what is that approach? Everything belongs to
God only. Many people find it comfortable; Ok. does not matter. We are interested
only in the end product. You should not have ownership. That is the end product.
Philosophical approach is everything you own is mithya; religious approach is what?
everything you own really belongs to the Lord alone; Lord has given to you
temporarily; use it; and then return it with thanks.
And throughout life you remember, this is to be returned; this is to be returned;

what about wife? returned to God; What is death; giving back to God only; children,
return to God; money, return to God. What about your own body; so everything
belongs to God; that is another approach. Either way, never have ownership with
regard to anātma.
And only in that, upapadyatē. Is possible? What is possible? Sarvātma bhāva is

possible only when you give up ownership. Abhīmāna tyāgaḥ. And when he gives up
all the anātma, what will be left behind; when you give all the anātma, what will be
left behind? ātma.
Therefore sadātma niṣṭaya; by remaining in the ātma; by giving up all the anātma,
by remaining in the ātma; what type of ātma? Satya ātma; sadātma means what?
satya ātma niṣṭaya, mithya anātma tyagena; sarvātma bhāvaha asya bhavathi;
sarvātma bhāva will take place. And if that sarvātma bhāva is there; I am a free
person. A very big project, Śankarācārya has given; you will have to accomplish;
there is no time limit. It is not like a contract to finish it by a particular time. No. You
take janmās, we do not care. but without sarvātma bhāva, no freedom. Ok.
दृश्यस्याग कथं नु घटते देहात्मन �तष्ठत

बाह्याथार्नुभवप्रसक्तमनसस्तत् कुवर्त |
संन्यस्ता�खलधमर्कमर्�वषयै�नर्त्यात्म�न
तत्त्व� करणीयमात्म� सदानन्द ेच्छु�भयर्त ||३४०||
dr̥śyasyāgrahaṇaṁ kathaṁ nu ghaṭatē dēhātmanā tiṣṭhatō
bāhyārthānubhavaprasaktamanasastattatkriyāṁ kurvataḥ |
Page 1459

saṁnyastākhiladharmakarmaviṣayairnityātmaniṣṭhāparaiḥ
tattvajñaiḥ karaṇīyamātmani sadānandēcchubhiryatnataḥ ||340||
So here Śankarācārya says abhīmāna and sarvātma bhāva can never go together.
Abhīmāna or attachment and sarvātma bhāva can never go together. So he is giving
a description of an abhīmāni. A typical abhīmāni is described here. Dehātmana
thiṣṭataḥ. A person who remains with dēha abhīmāna all the time. His description,
his bio-data is heavily towards body oriented and he is so much attached to those
bio-data. Dehātmanaḥ thiṣṭa; which is called otherwise ahaṁkāra.
And once I have got strong ahaṁkāra and individuality; naturally, I enjoy a
personality, which finds certain part of creation, favourable to me. Because I have a
personality, I have got a rāga towards a particular set up, which is in the form of
certain likes and certain dislikes. Therefore bāhyārtha anubhava prasakta manasa;
that person has got a mind which is strongly attached to a particular set up; which
he has meticulously created.
And stronger your personality, so particular about the set up you want. So how
many chairs should be there; and how many TVs should be there; how it should be
kept; everything I am very meticulous; it looks that I am a perfectionist; it is
wonderful; and you see the perfectionist people are generally disturbed people
because always something or the other is not up to the mark. If that thing is not in
that place, shouto shout. So there is a volcano at home. What is that? The pen
which I had kept in that place is missing.
There is nothing wrong in being meticulous. But if it is disturbed, I am disturbed, it

means meticulousness is convenient for vyavahārā but if meticulousness disturbs, it
is a bondage. You should not mistake this. Svāmiji; therefore hereafter, I will put
everything; shoe will be in the kitchen, because you have said that you should not
be meticulous; No; be meticulous about everything; wonderful; orderliness is
wonderful; harmony is wonderful; discipline is wonderful; but are you hooked to
that; to such an extent, that it is capable of enslaving you. That means serious
problems.
And that is what Śankarācārya uses the word: prasakta manasa; prasakti means
what? you are extremely particular; to that extent that without that you are seriously
disturbed. It comes because of what? strong dēhābhīmāna. Dēhābhīmāna leads to
Page 1460

set-up abhīmāna; dēhābhīmāna leads to set-up abhīmāna. Set up reversed means

what? Set-up reverse; what it becomes? upset; they have put it correctly; set up
reversed is upset.
If I extend the class further, you may get upset.
Hari Om.
Page 1461

113. Verses 340 and 341
दृश्यस्याग कथं नु घटते देहात्मन �तष्ठत

बाह्याथार्नुभवप्रसक्तमनसस्तत् कुवर्त |
संन्यस्ता�खलधमर्कमर्�वषयै�नर्त्यात्म�न
तत्त्व� करणीयमात्म� सदानन्द ेच्छु�भयर्त ||३४०||
dr̥śyasyāgrahaṇaṁ kathaṁ nu ghaṭatē dēhātmanā tiṣṭhatō
bāhyārthānubhavaprasaktamanasastattatkriyāṁ kurvataḥ |
saṁnyastākhiladharmakarmaviṣayairnityātmaniṣṭhāparaiḥ
tattvajñaiḥ karaṇīyamātmani sadānandēcchubhiryatnataḥ || 340 ||
As part of nidhidhyāsanam topic, Śankarācārya is dealing with sarvātmabhāva, and

he pointed out that without sarvātmabhāva one cannot attain freedom.
Sarvātmabhāva seeing everything as ātma; sarvaṁ ātma iti bhāvaha darśanam. And
if we want to look at the sarvātmabhāva itself from another angle, we can say that
sarvātmabhāva is sarva anātma mithyātva darśanam. Seeing everything as ātma
means, seeing anything other than ātma, that is anātma, as mithya. So sarva
anātma mithyātva darśanam; sarva nāma rūpa mithyātva darśanam. Then what is
the indication of anātma mithyātva darśanam? We know that anything mithya,
unreal does not deserve either rāga or dvēṣa. Just as a fake ornament does not
deserve attachment. A counterfeit Rs.500 note does not deserve attachment,
because it is fake.
Similarly, a fake tiger does not deserve dvēṣa or bhayaṁ also; because it is a fake
tiger. So since the whole anātma is mithya; the mithyātva dr̥ṣṭi should remove my
rāga and dvēṣa towards the world. Therefore sarvātma bhāva expresses in the form
of dilution of rāga and dvēṣa. So we can put in practical language: Sarvātma bhāva
is rāga-dvēṣa neutralisation.
And how do we know that rāga-dvēṣa has been neutralized? When rāga-dvēṣas are
neutralised, intense and violent negative reactions subside. All negative reactions
like anger, fear, depression, jealousy; they are all expressions of rāga-dvēṣa only.
When rāga-dvēṣa is managed naturally this violent reactions come down; there is
samatvam; this samatvam is the indication of successful sarvātma bhāvaḥ. The
Page 1462

śamatvam of the mind, a balanced mind, a tranquil mind, a peaceful mind, a mind
which is free form violent negative reactions is the indication of sarvātma bhāva.
And therefore Śankarācāryā in these verses is highlighting the importance of

sarvātma bhāva. In this particular verse, which we have seen partly, Śankarācāryā
says this anātma mithyātva darśanam is very difficult, when ahaṁkāra is dominant.
Dēha abhīmāna is dominant. Naturally family abhīmāna, then that part of the world
which is connected to my family, like my house, my car, my land, etc. ahaṁkāra-
mamakāra will become powerful; more powerful the ahaṁ-mama, the more difficult
it is anātma mithātva darśanam.
Therefore Śankarācārya says; dēhātmanā tiṣṭhataḥ; suppose a person has strong

dēha abhīmāna; tiṣṭhataḥ puruṣasya, it refers to this unintelligent person;
dehātmana, ahaṁ dēhaḥ ēva iti sarvadha tiṣṭhataḥ; because of the strong
abhīmāna, family abhīmāna etc. bāhyārtha anubhava prasaktha manasaḥ; she wants
to order the external conditions; because she knows which particular external
condition is favourable to ahaṁkāra; therefore he has got a clear specification;
family conditions should be like this, working condition should be like this; he has
got clear specifications regarding the external world, and therefore all the time
bothered about what, adjusting the wife knob; husband-knob, child-knob, grand-
child knob; each one he is struggling to adjust. What is the purpose of adjustment?
He wants a condition which is most comfortable and cosy for the ātma. Therefore
his mind is obsessed with what? External adjustment. Bāhya artha anubhava
prasaktha manasa; his mind is prasaktham; obsessed, all the time committed to,
bahyārtha anubhavaḥ; experiencing a particular favourable external conditions.
Bāhya artha means external conditions; consisting of people, consisting of objects,
including the temperature in the room; I am very particular it should be 18.3. That
should be that.
And like a barometer, when the temperature goes up and down, his mind also goes
up and down; and therefore Bāhya artha, objects, people and situations are called
bāhyārtha; anubhava; he wants to experience in a particular condition; and
prasaktha manasa. This is the name of the person; bahuvrihi samāsa; prasaktham
manaḥ yasya puruṣasya tasya puruṣasya for a person who is obsessed with
adjusting external conditions; and therefore naturally he is very busy, because he
has to run up and down; to catch hold of the mechanic, or this person or that
person, getting anyone of them is more difficult than mōkṣa. Therefore you
Page 1463

somehow manages one and adjust; by that time there is breakdown somewhere
else. By then, you again run and run and adjust this and that; and something else
goes wrong; and therefore busy; busy all the time.
Therefore tatham kriyām kurvatham; all the time busy with the respective activity.
What is the respective activity? Whichever bāhyārtha he wants to order,
corresponding to that, relevant to that, whatever action is required, he is busy with
that action. And naturally, is he going to be that successful. No. Therefore there is a
constant irritation in the mind. Irritation need not come for him. Why, only if it has
gone away, it has to come. There is a running constant irritation in the periphery;
that anybody utters any word, எ�ன்ஜ வ�ழற� (erinju vizharathu) in Tamil; I do not
how to translate into English. He flares up in the least provocation. Because it is
never possible to keep the conditions perfectly.
Therefore tat tath kriyam kurvatham. For such a miserable person; for such a slave
of external condition, dr̥śyasya agrahaṇam katham ghatathe. How can he have
anātma mithyātva darśanam? Or to put in positive language, how can he have
sarvātma bhāvaha.
So dr̥śyasya means anātmanaḥ; agrahaṇam means mithyātva darśanam; non-

perception of anātma; his not seeing anātma as satyam; not seeing anātma as
satyam means seeing anātma as mithya. Therefore dr̥śyasya agrahaṇam means
anātma mithyātva darśanam is difficult. Or to put it in another language, being
indifferent to external conditions. Not being overly bothered or worried or obsessed
about external conditions. It is impossible, as long as you have got strong dēha
abhīmāna. Up to this we saw.
So in the third and fourth line, Śankarācārya presents a remedy. Therefore what
should one do? One aim is reduction of dēha abhīmāna; reduction of all the other
abhīmāna like family, company, etc. and abhīmāna tyaga does not mean, not caring
for the family. Attachment and care are totally different; we are not saying that one
should not care for the family; love the family or express compassion to the family;
or doings duty to the family; that is all one thing. Here attachment part is alone
criticised. Therefore dēha abhīmāna tyāga; family abhīmāna tyāga; not-giving more
reality to them than they deserve. And for this purpose, the śāstra uses a optional
method, which I talked about in the last class.
Page 1464

One of the optional life-styles the śāstra prescribes to help this to taking up sanyāsa
āsrama. Because the sanyāsa āsrama and life style of sanyāsa āsrama and the
duties of sanyāsa āsrama are designed in such a way; that there is no much scope
for attachment. He has to cut all relationships. He should reduce going to this place,
that place, that meeting, and all those things. Constant involvement with a person is
not allowed. Constant involvement with a set up is not allowed. Anything that can
generate attachment, they are to be dropped in sanyāsa āsrama.
And therefore here Śankarācārya says that ideal life-style, which is prescribed by the
śāstra, one can optionally take to reduce attachment. But due to some reasons, if it
is not possible, one need not take to external sanyāsa āsrama, but try to internally
detach from situations. So here Śankarācārya is talking about sanyāsa āsrama.
Therefore what can one do? Saṁnyastā akhila dharma karma viṣayai; one can
renounce all the dharma, karma and viṣaya. Dharma means all the vēdic rituals are
called dharma. Śāstrik activity. Sāstriya karma is called karma. Then karma, karma
means what? loukika karmāṇi, social activity; which are not prescribed in the vēdas;
but we ourselves voluntarily take to. Dharma means vaidika karma; karma means
loukika karma; renounce all of them.
And viṣayaiḥ; viṣaya means what? All possessions; give up all the possessions so
that we need not bother about maintaining them and the attendant duties also.
Therefore, every relationship brings in a bunch of duties; direct and indirect duties;
all of them, renounce. So this is also bhahuvrihi samāsa, referring to the person; so
one should renounce all the karmās and possessions; and nityātma niṣṭhāparaiḥ.
Naturally a lot of time is saved. Many duties are not there; social duties are not
there; family duties are not there; national duties are not there; and as far as
individual duties are concerned, optional. You can adjust. So therefore a lot of
quality time is achieved by that.
And what should one do? nitya ātma niṣṭhāparaiḥ. So one should invoke the śāstrik
teaching more and more and try to abide in the nitya ātma. So subdue ahaṁkāra
and invoke ātma, because ritualistic and worldly duties require ahaṁkāra invocation.
In every ritual I have to invoke ahaṁkāra, by mentioning my gōthra, by mentioning
my sūtra; I am the son of so and so; grandson of so and so; great grand son of so
and so; three generations. So therefore gōthra sūthra and varṇa āsrama; so every
vaidika, loukika karma requires invocation of ahaṁkāra; and this sanyāsi need not
Page 1465

invoke his fatherhood or sonhood or husbandhood and therefore he can invoke

what? other I; ahaṁ nithya śuddha buddha muktha caitanyaṁ Brahma asmi.
And therefore nityātmaniṣṭhāparaiḥ. So making the ahaṁ brahmāsmi prominent;

ahaṁ individual-asmi is made less and less prominent. It has to fade away. So now
ahaṁ brahmāsmi is in faded letters. But the others are prominent; the moment I say
I, my personality-I is prominent. That is made less prominent and tatvajai; so this be
practised by those people; who has already done śravaṇam and mananam for a
length of time consistently. So this tatva niṣṭa; this abhyasa cannot be practiced
directly, one should study the scriptures for a length of time, and be convinced of
the teaching. So śravaṇa, manana should have been done, by those people;
tatvajnaiḥ. All these are adjectives to the sādhakās. So the sādhakās should do all
these things.
And sadānandēcchukai. What type of sādhakās; sādhakā who is interested in jīvan

mukthi; who is serious about liberation; who is a tīvraḥ mumukṣuḥ. If he is very
serious about mōkṣa, these things are not required; he can be involved in ahaṁkāra
based activities; and suffer saṁsāra also. But Śankarācāryā's statement is: but do
not complain to me; Saṁsāram is tormenting me. Moment you say it is creating
problems; I will advice these things. There is a remedy; but how serious you are
with regard to the remedy.
Therefore he says: sadā ānandaḥ icchubhiḥ; those who are intensly serious about
mōkṣa ānandaḥ; ātma ānandaḥ; so by these people, karaṇēyam; karaṇēyam you
have to supply the word dr̥śyasya agrahaṇam karaṇēyam; the following practice
should be done; and what is the practice; dr̥śya agrahaṇam; anātma mithyātva
darśanam. Dr̥śya agrahaṇam; anātma mithyātva darśanam has to be practised
sincerely; ātmani; in oneself. And yathnataḥ; yathnataḥ; with effort, with sincerity it
has to be practised.
सवार्त्म�सद �भ�ोः कृतश्रवणकमर |

समा�धं �वदधात्येष शान्त दान् इ�त श्रु� ||३४१||
sarvātmasiddhayē bhikṣōḥ kr̥taśravaṇakarmaṇaḥ |
samādhiṁ vidadhātyēṣā śāntō dānta iti śrutiḥ ||341||
From this particular verse, Śankarācārya is entering into another topic, as a part of
the nidhidhyāsanam discussion; and that topic is samādhi abhyasaḥ. Samādhi
Page 1466

abhyāsaḥ; practice of samādhi which he will name as nirvikalpaka samādhi later.

Samādhi abhyāsaḥ or nirvikalpaka samādhi abhyāsaḥ is the next topic, which is a
part of nidhidhyāsanam topic only; and this is going to be very elaborately discussed
from this verse 341 up to 417th verse. 341 to 417 is going to be the topic of
samādhi abhyāsa rūpa nidhidhyāsanam.
Now what is this samadhi abhyāsa we should carefully understand because it is a

widely discussed topic and there are lot of discussions also. Therefore we should
carefully understand this. Till now we talked about nidhidhyāsanam as leading an
alert life and dwelling upon the śāstram, which we have heard from the Guru. This is
the type of nidhidhyāsanam we have highlighted till now. What is nidhidhyāsanam?
leading an alert life. And what is an alert life? a life in which rāga-dvēṣa never
becomes over-dominant. And leading to kāma-krōda lōbhaḥ mōha etc. which is a
non-vēdantic response.
So therefore duḥkhēṣvanudvignamanāḥ sukhēṣu vigataspr̥haḥ; the stithaprajñaḥ

lifestyle, a jñāni life-style is talked about in the Gītā-2nd chapter, in the 12th
chapter; in the 14th chapter, in the form of sthitha prajñaḥ lakṣaṇāni; in the form of
para bhaaktha lakṣaṇāni; in the form of guṇāthētha lakṣaṇāni. In 3 places Gītā talks
about jñāni's response to life's situations.
How does a jñāni live in the world? Having got those descriptions, I just monitor my
day-to-day behaviour and response and see how much gap is there between the
jñānis's lifestyle and my lifestyle and my aim is what? By an alert living, I try to
reduce the gap. Māna apamānayo thulyaḥ; thulya mithra ripakṣayō; sarvarambha
parityāgi; guṇathētha sa ucyatē. So by alert living; reduce the gap the sthitha
prajñaḥ lakṣaṇa and my day-to-day behaviour; which means lot of introspection is
required; lot of auto suggestion is required; it is a constant monitoring of every little
behaviour of mine, which we call alert living, which is an important form of
nidhidhyāsanam, which is compulsory.
And the second part of nidhidhyāsanam we have highlighted is: being in touch with
the teaching. So through śravaṇam and mananam, whatever I have gathered, I try
to be in touch with the teaching, and how I keep in touch is my option. The aim is I
should keep in touch with the teaching; I can do that by repeated śravaṇam itself; is
a form nidhidhyāsanam. Therefore repeated śravaṇam can be in keeping touch with
the teaching. Or even if I do not do śravaṇam, I do reading of the scriptures; śāstra
Page 1467

abhyāsaḥ; so revising the upaṇiṣadic teaching, the Gītā teaching within myself. That
is also a form of nidhidhyāsanam. Or I have discussion with other seekers, who have
also studied. Tad cintānam; tad kadanam; anyōnyam tad prabōdhanam. Instead of
going to the teacher, I go to another student and I just share the teaching; that
sharing is also another form of nidhidhyāsanam. Or I preach what I have learned; I
teach to someone else. This very teaching becomes a form of nidhidhyāsanam.
Therefore you teach or you talk with your friends, which kind of friends, vēdantic
friends; and talk not about family affairs; but vēdānta; but happened today in the
class. What is your understanding? What is my understanding? This mutual sharing,
teaching, reading, continuous listening or writing. Śankarācārya would have said
that: nowadays only it is available; and listening to the cassettes śravaṇam. In any
form; the aim is what? dwelling upon the śāstrik teaching. That is also
nidhidhyāsanam. So these two forms of nidhidyaśanam have been highlighted up to
now; but hereafter, the topic is going to be another form of nidhidhyāsanam.
Now the previous two forms of nidhidhyāsanam, itself may be sufficent for most or
for many of the people to get jñāna niṣṭa. A person can get jñāna niṣṭa, a person
can become a sthitha prajñaḥ, a person can get jīvan mukthi; with these two forms
of nidhidhyāsanam themselves. And how do your measure your jīvan mukthi?
Reduction of three things; what is that? intensity of negative reaction; frequency of
negative reaction; and what is the third one; the recovery period from negative
reaction, if they become considerably less; even if negative reactions rise in your
mind, it does not go beyond your mind; it rises and before long, it settles down.
That is niṣṭa. And this niṣṭa, this jīvan mukthi, a person can attain by this alert life
and remaining in the śāstra by one method or the other.
But suppose there is someone, who finds that he is not able to get the full benefit in
spite of this sādhana; this much sādana means what? whatever I have said.
Repeated reading, repeated śravaṇam or trying to lead an alert life; if all these
things have not given the benefit, then for the sake of such people, another form of
nidhidhyāsana is mentioned here, which is called samādhi abhyāsa. Therefore we
should remember that samādhi abhyāsa is not compulsory for all the people.
Samādhi abhyāsa becomes necessary for those people who finds these forms of
nidhidhyāsanam inadequate for them; because of their intense viparītha bhāvana.
Some people have got serious psychological problems, because of their early life;
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early life in this janma itself; or in the previous janma; therefore certain problems
are very very dominant.
And when these problems are very dominant, and they are not able to get over that
at all; then this samadhi abhyāsa is talked about; and what is this samādhi abhyāsa;
in this you try to create a specially designed atmosphere. Previously, we did not
prescribe the atmosphere. He says we should be in touch with śāstra, whether the
room is OK or not; you can go to the beach and all; or you go to any room and
discuss the śāstra, we did not insist upon the atmosphere or the surrounding
condition.
In the samādhi abhyāśā form of nidhidhyāsanam, we insist upon the conditions also.
So like a secluded place, there should be no noise at all; and the surrounding must
be such and such and you should sit in any way; you should have a proper āsana;
and you should not sit on the ground; you should have a special āsana for you; and
special posture; and you should keep the head, body and neck straight; how should
your eyes be. These are all what? prescribing the atmosphere.
What is our aim? Not the atmosphere; the aim is what: dwelling upon the śāstra
alone is important, but in samādhi abhyāsa the other aspects will also become
important and thus creating a specially designed atmosphere is condition No.1 for
samādhi abhyāsa.
Then the second condition for samādhi abhyāśā is: your dwelling upon the śāstra is
a focussed dwelling; in which you select a particular portion specially designed for
you. Depending upon your psychological problem. If the psychological problem is
fear of death, some people have got that, so even walking out they are afraid. Going
in aeroplane they are afraid. Going in train they are afraid; the fear of death is
intense for some people; then, which aspect of the teaching should be emphasised.
Not ātma śuddhaḥ etc. Ātma is amr̥thaḥ; ātma is immortal; that aspect you take.
And if a person's problem is that I do not possess many things; I have got only less
possessions; my neighbour has got more possessions and therefore sense of
limitation; pariccēda bhuddhi; or apūrṇa buddhi is there; which aspect of the
teaching will become important for you; pūrṇatha bhuddhi. So thus you have to take
a particular portion.
Page 1469

If you are worried about some negative actions you did in the past; some mistakes
and that too secretly; the mistake done in secret can be a very big problem. And
they can torture the mind. So the sense of pāpam, sin when it affects, then the
meditation should be what: puṇya pāpa adīthatvam. Na puṇyam na pāpam, na
saukyam na duḥkham; that puṇya pāpa adītatvam.
Thus what is the first condition? The atmosphere must be specially designed. Second
thing is what: the portion of the śāstra to be dwelt upon is also focussed dwelling.
And these two, for practising these two, vēdānta makes use of the yōga śāstram,
because yōga śāstra specialises on these two things. Which these two things?
providing an ideal atmosphere and learning to focus on something. For these two
things, yōga śāstra gives a beautiful technique or method known as aṣṭanga yōga;
yama, niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, dhāraṇa, dhyāna and samādhi. A
beautiful system is presented by Pathanjala Yōga which will help in providing two
things; providing the atmosphere and providing an object for focussing. I am not
going to dwell upon the aṣṭanga yōga topic; I have dealt with it in the 6th chapter of
the Bhagavath Gītā. In the introductory portion I have elaborately dealt with. I do
not want to give the details; but the idea is what? you create an atmosphere; where
there is no distraction at all.
And in this aṣṭāṅga yōga, this concentrated focussing, is presented in four stages,
known as dhāraṇa, fixing the mind upon the field in which I want to dwell and
dhyāna, trying to retain the mind in that field; first fixing, then retaining, and
thereafter, savikalpaka samādhi; deliberate absorption in the field; here the field is
what: the śāstrik teaching; deliberate absorption called savikalpaka samādhi; and
then the fourth, the culmination of the these three stages, nirvikalpaka samādhi,
effortless absorption. So the difference between the third and fourth is: in the third
stage, it is a deliberate absorption; will and effort are involved; in the fourth one,
effortless absorption means what? there is no will involved.
And in effortless absorption, I will become incapable of distraction. In the deliberate

absorption, I am capable of distraction; I have to struggle for absorption. Distraction
is natural; absorption effort is required. But in the fourth stage, absorption is
natural; distraction cannot take place. This fourth one is called nirvikalpaka samādhi.
And in the Yōga śāstra, the object of samādhi is different. Nothing to do with
śāstram. They talk about various cakras of the body; and asks you to keep your
Page 1470

mind in mūladhāra or svadhișṭāna or manipūaka or ājña cakra etc.; but vēdantic

meditation, we are not interested in any cakra because, cakra is anātma. It will take
you to chakkar only. Therefore we are not interested in cakra, with due respect, we
do not go to that. With due respect, we do not go that and then we want to absorb
our mind in what: the vēdantic teaching; which I heard. So I will call it focused
recollection in a specially designed atmosphere. What is samādhi abhyāsa? Focussed
recollection; recollection of what? the teaching in a specially designed atmosphere.
And in the yōga śāstra, they present nirvakalpaka samādhi is the goal of that
practice. In the yōga śāstra, they present nirvikalpaka samādhi is presented as the
goal of that samādhi abhyāsa; but in vēdānta, our goal is not nirvikalpaka samādhi;
whether nirvikalpaka samādhi happens or not, that is not our care, but in the
process of aiming at nirvikalpaka samādhi, we are dwelling upon the śāstra; that
dwelling upon the śāstra is more important. The process is more important; but not
the nirvikalpaka samādhi itself.
I will give you an example. When I was a very small boy, I was taught yōgasanās by
my father. There are several yōgāsanas; one āsana is ardha matsyēndra āsana; it is
a beautifully specially designed āsana, in which one learns to twist the spinal cord;
that the āsana is itself called spinal twist āsana. Therefore you put one hand behind
and one hand in front; and then keeping the hand, you are supposed to take one
shoulder behind and another shoulder forward. Then one shoulder is turned behind
and another shoulder is turned forward, the spinal cord gets the twist which is the
aim of ardha matsyēndrāsana. When I am taught as a boy, we do not know what is
spinal cord, etc. then what is the twisting the spinal cord, etc.; therefore how it is
presented; my father used to ask me to sit in that posture, and he will say, that
there is a switch board in the wall there; he will say that you have to look at the
switch board. Now naturally the switch board is behind. Now, you want to look at
the switch board and it is not possible; you have to keep that posture, therefore, go
on turning and turning and turning; so what is the presented aim? Looking at the
switch board behind. And I thought that the ardha matsyēndrāsanam means looking
back at the switchboard. To such an extent that I cannot practice if there is no
switchboard there.
And what do I do? Since that is my aim, what tried to do is instead of turning the
spinal cord, I tried to turn my neck and looked at the switchboard, because I do not
know what is the primary purpose? And after turning the head also, when I cannot
see what do I; I try to turn the eyeball and try to see that. But if I am smart, my
Page 1471

father is smarter; even by turning the neck and eyes also, I will not be able to see;
therefore I would be forced to twist the shoulder and try the see. And then after
attempting when I am not able to see; when I am able to come up to a particular
level only; I am disappointed and I tell my father that I could only reach this much;
while I am disappointed, my father says: does not matter. My father is not
disappointed why: because he knows that the aim is not actually looking at the
switchboard. In the process, when you are attempting to look at it; you are twisting
the spinal cord.
Therefore presented aim is looking there; the intended aim is what? the process of
twisting the spinal cord. Similarly, the presented aim is nirvikalpaka samādhi; but
remember, nirvikalpaka samādhi is not the aim of vēdantic meditation; nirvikalpaka
samādhi is the aim of yōgic meditation.
Then what is the aim of vēdantic meditation? For the sake of nirvikalpaka samādhi,
absorption purposes, you are dwelling upon what? dwelling upon what? recollection
of the teaching and that too what type of recollection? focussed recollection; and
that too in what condition? in a specially designed atmosphere; and this recollection
in a specially designed atmosphere will give a very great impact to the mind.
And this impact is the assimilation of the teaching. And this is required not for all. If
the previous two methods have failed; what are the two previous methods? alert
living and being in the śāstra, either by repeated śravaṇam or by repeated reading
or just remembering it by own way or writing; all these things do not work, a person
can optionally take to samādhi abhyāsa method, in which the nirvikalpaka samādhi is
presented as the goal. And the intended goal is what? the dwelling upon the śāstra.
And it is this samādhi abhyāsa which is presented here in the following portion from
341 and that topic Śankarācārya introduces here.
So he says: śrutiḥ samādhim vidhadāthi; second line; śrutiḥ, the vēda, samādhim
vidhadāthi, prescribes samādhi abhyāsa, by adopting the yōga method; aṣṭanga
yōga method; the samādhi abhyāsa, śrutiḥ vidadāthi; śruti prescribes. In which
mantra? There is a Brihadāranyaka Mantra: Śāntō dāntaḥ iti; śāntaḥ and dāntaḥ is
the beginning of the Brihadāranyaka mantra. śāntaḥ dāntaḥ uparatha thitikṣuḥ
sraddhā vittō bhutva ātmanēva ātmanam paśyati is the full mantra. It occurs in the
Sāriraka Brāhmaṇam, 4th chapter, 4th section of Brihadāranyaka. The śruti
Page 1472

prescribes samādhi abhyāsa. For whom? Bhikṣō; Bhikṣūḥ literally means sanyāsi;
and sanyāsi means the one who is serious about nidhidhyāsana pursuit, because the
very taking of sanyāsa is for what purpose. Serious nidhidhyāsana only.
And therefore Bhikṣūḥ means whoever is serious about nidhidhyāsana is bhikshu and
krita śravaṇa karmaṇā. This is also very important. Nidhidhyāsana cannot be
practised without śravaṇam and mananam and therefore Śankarācārya says for a
person who has already gone through śravaṇam and mananam. That means a few
years must have been spent in the consistent and systematic study of scriptures;
that is compulsory. So krita sravaṇa karmaṇā; bahuvrihi samāsa. It refers to a
person who has done śravaṇam and mananam; and who is serious about the
nidhidhyāsanam; for him the samādhi abhyāsa is prescribed by the vēda; for what
purpose? Sarvātma siddhaye; for getting sarvātma bhāva. Or to put it in another
language, Sarva anātma mithyātva bhāva; or to put in another language, rāga dvēṣa
neutralisation; or to put in another language, to enjoy the samatvam of the mind all
the time. Śāntiḥ. Śāntim paramām prāpnōti. So śrutihi vidhadāthi.
So here there is a very interesting point to be noted. The śruti quoted here is śāntō
dāntaḥ iti śrutihi. Really speaking, this vēda vākyam, Brihadaranyaka vākyam is
quoted in a different context, which Śankarācārya is adapting in a different context.
Now what is the context in which the śruti is quoted? śāntō dāntō uparata titikṣu
shrādha vittho bhutva ātmanēva ātmanam paśyati. This śruti; śruti means the vēdic
statement, is referring to the six fold qualifications known as śāmādi ṣaṭka saṁpatti.
So really speaking, this vēdic statement is talking about the qualifications to be
acquired before śravaṇam itself. Śama, dhama, uparama one should have gained
even before coming to vēdānta śravaṇam. That means what? If a person has
acquired this qualification, vēdānta śravaṇam is enough; if a person has not acquired
this qualifications; śravaṇam will not be sufficient. Therefore after Śravaṇam he has
go back and acquire those qualifications. All upside down; and acquiring those
qualification is called samādhi abhyāsaḥ.
Therefore samādhi abhyāsa is not for knowledge or mōkṣa; samādhi abhyāsa is only
for fulfilling the deficiency of samādhi ṣaṭka saṁpatti. And when the samādhi ṣaṭka
saṁpatti is acquired by this samādhi abhyāsa, naturally the teaching we have heard
before will have become more and more powerful. And therefore samādhi abhyāśā is
Page 1473

going to be talked for anadhikāri; or deficient adhikāri samādhi abhyāsa; the details
of which we will see in the later classes.
Hari Om.
Page 1474

114. Verse 341 to 344
सवार्त्म�सद �भ�ोः कृतश्रवणकमर |

समा�धं �वदधात्येष शान्त दान् इ�त श्रु� ||३४१||
sarvātmasiddhayē bhikṣōḥ kr̥taśravaṇakarmaṇaḥ |
samādhiṁ vidadhātyēṣā śāntō dānta iti śrutiḥ ||341||
Śankarācāryā is dealing with the topic of nidhidhyāsanam very elaborately and while
discussing the topic of nidhidhyāsanam, we should always remember and regularly
remind ourselves that nidhidhyāsanam is a discipline which is prescribed only for
those people who have gone through śravaṇam and mananam. And by śravaṇam
and mananam, I mean consistent and systematic study of the scriptures for a length
of time under the guidance of a competent ācārya; until there is intellectual
conviction regarding the teaching. This much is taken for granted while we discuss
nidhidhyāsanam and now in this topic of nidhidhyāsanam, we have been seeing that
there are three aspects of nidhidhyāsanam, the first one being alert life monitoring
our day-to-day behaviour and this alert life monitoring one's day-to-day behaviour is
very important and this alertness indicates that trying to make our behaviour closer
to the behaviour of a sthitha prajñaḥ as mentioned in the śāstra. My behaviour and
sthitha prajñaḥa's behaviour, even especially in the Gītā, I should try to match. To
put in simple language, imitating a jīvan muktha, faking his behaviour is one part of
nidhidhyāsanam. Imitating a jīvan muktha, faking his behaviour, even if it is a
faking, it is part of nidhidhyāsanam. I think I have told you before, you fake it; and
make it. This is a very very important aspect of nidhidhyāsanam, which I am calling
alert life.
Then the second aspect of nidhidhyāsanam we emphasise is regularly dwelling upon

the śāstrik teaching, which we have already received through śravaṇam and
mananam. This dwelling can be in any form; it can be reading; it can be writing; it
can be hearing; it can be discussing; it can be teaching. Reading; reading what? not
Ananda vikatan; reading vēdānta śāstra, with due respect of Ānandaḥ vikatan.
Whatever it is; reading vēdānta śāstram, writing the summary or notes or whatever
it is; or hearing again and again; or discussing with equals or teaching the inferiors;
inferiors means what? those who have not learned. All these five forms come under
dwelling on the śāstra; and any form of dwelling also comes under nidhidhyāsanam
Page 1475

aspect No.2. And in fact, in these two types of nidhidhyāsanam itself, a person can
get jñāna niṣṭa; ātma niṣṭa, brahma niṣṭa, jīvan mukthi; sthira prajñaḥ, whatever
you call.
If these two types of nidhidhyāsanam are not successful and if a person continues to
have serious problems, emotional problems, behavioural problems, if they continue
in spite of these two forms of meditation or these two forms of nidhidhyāsanam,
then we are entering into a third serious form of nidhidhyāsanam. Like admitting
into hospital.
Till now we are just observing some pathyam and taking some medicine. pathyam
and medicine stand for nidhidhyāsanam No.1 and 2. If this general medication and
pathyam do not solve the problem; temperature continues and pain continues, admit
into the hospital. That hospital admission is the third form of serious or intense
nidhidhyāsanam; you may call it, ICU; see it is correct; I am seeing You; again an
ahaṁkāra, I C U; intensive care unit; here also.
And this third form of serious nidhidhyāsana alone I called samādhi abhyāsaḥ. And
what is the definition of samādhi abhyāsa. I told you in the last class, focussed
recollection in a specially designed atmosphere; aiming at effortless absorption is
samādhi abhyāsa. Focussed recollection in a specially designed atmosphere aiming
at effortless absorption. Even term is very significant. First term is focussed
recollection.
By focussed recollection what I mean is: I choose a particular portion of vēdānta,

which is more relevant for me to solve my specific emotional problem, because
different people have got different types of emotional problem. To solve that
particular emotional problem; for one it may be depression; for another it may be
anger; for another it may jealousy; for another it may be inferiority complex. So you
take the relevant portion of sthitha prajñaḥ lakṣaṇam. Or any part of vēdantic
teaching. And you recollect that part of teaching only, for a length of time, which
they called focussed recollection. Ahaṁ asaṅgōsmi, nityosmi, śuddhōsmi,
nirvikalpōsmi, nirākārōsmi, which part will be useful to me. This is focussed
recollection; recollections means what? remembering. You have collected the
teaching during the śravaṇam; and nidhidhyāsanam, what are you doing; you are
recollecting the teaching. Śravaṇam if you do not do, how can you recollection;
Page 1476

recollection without collection? So nidhidhyāsanam is recollection; śravaṇam is

collection of the śāstra; so remembering. this is the first part.
The second part is in a specifically designed atmosphere, and we want to design the
atmosphere to create an impact of the teaching. Like they say: certain movies
Svāmiji, we have to go to theatre and see. There only full impact. We see in a video
or in a open air theatre; no impact. you have to see in a closed theatre; what is
that? Jurassic park; Godzilla; so many films. So that noise, that sound, that utter
darkness; that impact is important.
Similarly the same teaching only; the same śāstrik statement only; you put in your
brain, in a designed atmosphere; which we saw in the sixth chapter of the Gītā;
which atmosphere is provided by the aṣṭanga yōga technique and there I talked
about eight fold antaraṅga sādana; this 8-fold antaraṅga sādana; described in the
sixth chapter of the Gītā will provide the atmosphere. That is choosing space, dēśa,
dēśa means a secluded place you choose, a proper place you choose, a proper seat
you choose, proper posture you have; proper sensory position, position of eye etc.;
and proper breathing you have, and proper mental withdrawal you have, and proper
intellectual conviction. Dēśa, kāla, āsana, śarīra sthithi, indriyanigraḥ, prāṇa nigraḥ,
manō nigraḥ, buddhi niścayaḥ; 8 fold factors you take care of. I do not want to go
to the details; care of the sixth chapter.
If you take care of these eight factors, which we named antaraṅga sādana, you are
providing what? a specially designed atmosphere. And what is the purpose of this
atmosphere? To create an impact out of this vēdantic statement, which you have
heard during the class, during the śravaṇam. This is the second part of samādhi
abhyāśā and the third part is what? Aiming at effortless absorption, which alone we
call nirvikalpaka samādhi.
And I told you in the last class, nirvikalpaka samādhi is only the presented goal; but
the intended goal is not nirvikalpaka samādhi; whether the nirvikalpaka samādhi
happens or not; we are not bothered. When we keep nirvikalpaka samādhi as the
aim, the focused recollection will be like a stretching exercise, which is more
important. Aiming at nirvikalpaka samādhi, we are intensely dwelling upon focused
recollection. We are intensely working on focussed recollection. That focussed
recollection is important. Nirvikalpaka samādhi happening is OK; not happening is
OK. So this is the third part; effortless absorption and this samādhi abhyāsa is going
Page 1477

to be elaborately talked about; and the ācārya praises this form of nidhidhyāsanam
in these portions.
Therefore he introduces this topic in verse No.341; samādhiṁ vidhadhāti; samādhim

means the third aspect of nidhidhyāsanam. Samādhi abhyāsa; the śāstra prescribes
for the special cases for whom hospital admission is required; for whom I C U is
required; for them, this is prescribed. Other people should take medicine regularly;
what is the medicine, śāstra; and what is the pathyam; imitating, jīvan mukthi. If
you follow this, you will be free of the disease. Or you have to go to this.
आरूढशक्तेरह �वनाशः
कत्
ुर न शक् सहसा�प पिण्डतै |
ये �न�व्
र कल्पाख्यसमा�ध�नश्
तानन्तराऽनन्तभ �ह वासनाः ||३४२||
ārūḍhaśaktērahaṁō vināśaḥ
kartunna śakya sahasāpi paṇḍitaiḥ |
yē nirvikalpākhyaśamādhiniścalāḥ
tānantarā:'nantabhavā hi vāsanāḥ ||342||
So here Śankarācārya points out that there are many people who require the third
form of intense nidhidhyāsanam. There are many people who require third form of
intense nidhidhyāsanam and whether one requires or not, who has to decide.
Whether you hunger is gone or not, who will decide. You have to watch your
feelings; then ahaṁ pūrṇaḥ stomach-wise pūrṇaḥ or na va I have to decide. It is not
seven dosai or three dosai or 24. Similarly, whether I require this intense
nidhidhyāsanam or not, I have to decide; but Śankarācārya says many people
require this form of meditation. And for many people without this form of
nidhidhyāsanam, the problems do not go away.
Therefore he says: ārūḍhaśaktērahamō vināśaḥ; the destruction of ahaṁkāra; ahaṁ

mahā; ahaṁkārasya vināśaḥ; the destruction, destruction means what? not physical
destruction; falsification of ahaṁkāra, i.e. making the ahaṁkāra in significant. So it
has got sufficient existence to perform the duties but it does not have that much
importance to create saṁsāra for me. That balanced existence I call the insignificant
existence of ahaṁkāra. Ahaṁkāra being put to its place. And that management of
ahaṁkāra, putting the ahaṁkāra in its place, is called vināśaḥ, mithyātva niścayaḥ;
of that ahaṁkāra.
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And what type of ahaṁkāra, ārūḍhaśaktē; so whose intensity has increased by our
past life. Because all the time, before coming to vēdānta, we have been only
nourishing ahaṁkāra. In fact, every exercise, every activity in our life for nourishing
what: ahaṁkāra. When a person gets married; bachelor-I wants to become married-
I; it is improvement; I do not know whether it is improvement or not; OK;
improvement of ahaṁkāra or transformation; let us be safe; transformation of
ahaṁkāra from bachelor-I to husband-I; father-I; BA-I, MA I; Doctor-I; owner-I;
employer-I; every activity of our life, including religious activity. I am a great
devotee who has donated Rs.1 lakh. So even religion has been only nourishing the
ahaṁkāra. Therefore a person comes to vēdānta, ahaṁkāra is how: it is very very
fat; nourished ārūḍhaśaktē; it has become well nourished; ārūḍha pravr̥ddha śaktiḥ
yasya saha.
And therefore that powerful ahaṁkāra which we ourselves have nourished cannot be
easily tackled. And the intense ahaṁkāra includes our failures in life. Our complexes
in life; if we have been cheated by someone, that wounded ahaṁkāra, frustrated
ahaṁkāra, guilty ahaṁkāra are all nourished by what? Guilt; frustration; complexes,
etc. Therefore it is not easy.
And therefore Śankarācārya says, sahasā kartunna śakyaḥ. So the destruction

cannot be easily accomplished. The destruction of the grown up ahaṁkāra cannot
be easily accomplished. So we use a phrase when somebody creates problems; I
have given you that much freedom that is why now that you are threatening me
myself. We just tell people. Similarly ahaṁkāra I have nourished and now I want the
ahaṁkāra to go; ego; ego means what? ee that old English; e means You; e.. go;
and I have given you space in my home; like a rented person, I want you to vacate
that person who has been in your house for 25 years. And you say this is my house,
you go he says: I won't. Give me Rs.10 lakhs compensation or give me a free house.
Something or the other and you feel terribly wounded; and my house I cannot claim.
Similarly, ahaṁkāra becomes a terrible tenant and therefore sahasā kartum na

śakyaḥ; it is impossible to evacuate him; by whom? paṇḍitaihi abhi; even by those
people who have done śravaṇam very well; who have done mananam very well;
those who are very convinced and even capable of giving wonderful lectures; and
even making others' jñānis. That is the greatest tragedy. I have the capacity to
make you jñāni; but I continue to be a samsāri. What a tragedy? Therefore paṇḍitaḥ
Page 1479

here means what: not jñāna niṣṭaḥ; here paṇḍitaḥ means those who have done
śravaṇam and mananam and even by those people ahaṁkāra cannot be destroyed.
And it can be destroyed by whom? Ye nirvikalpākhya samādhi niścalāḥ; so those

people who have practised; who have been committed to: niścalāḥ means what?
who have been steady in the practice of what: nirvikalpaakya samādhiḥ; what is the
translation? you can have some form; this is my definition; focussed recollection in a
specialised designed atmosphere aiming at effortless absorption; this practice I call it
samādhi abhyāsa; or nirvikalpaka samādhi abhyāsa; niścalāḥ means who are steadily
doing this abhyāsaḥ. Only by them, the destruction of ahaṁkāra is possible.
Thaan antarah; for people other these people, other than these samādhi
practitioners, for other people, it is not possible. So tānantarā; other than these
people, these people means which people, samādhi practitioners; nidhidhyāśakās;
antarā means other than; tān means samādhi practitioners. Then you have to
complete the sentence by adding anyaiḥ na śakyaḥ. So the destruction of ahaṁkāra
is not possible for those people other than samādhi practitioners. Therefore anvaya
should be ye nirvalkapaka samādhi niścalāḥ tānantarā paṇḍitaiḥ api; after tānantarā
paṇḍitaiḥ should be read, tān antarā paṇḍitaiḥ api ahaṁ mahā vināśaḥ kartum na
śakya. This will be the anvaya.
And why? this samādhi abhyāsa becomes required for many people. It is not
compulsory for all. I am emphasising this intense samādhi abhyāsa is not
compulsory for all; for many people it is required; why? He gives the reason,
anantabhavā hi vāsana, because their habitual problem like habitual jealousy,
habitual anger, habitual depression, inferiority complex, habitual wound is called
vāsana.
This habitual viparītha bhāvanaḥ anantabhavā; anantabhavāḥ, means are born out
of countless janmās; bhavaḥ means janmā; and anantha means what? Countless
janmas. So thus so many vāsanas we have developed, not only in this janma, but in
previous janmās also and some of them developed from previous janmās, reasons
are all certain emotional problems; and they are not able to solve this and they do
not know how it came about.
Even psychology is at a loss. That is why Dayānandaḥ Svāmi gave a talk psychology
does not have a solution. In vēdānta, there is no problem. So therefore, you cannot
Page 1480

explain certain forms of emotional, what you call, happenings in the mind and in
such cases, we have to try only intense nidhidhyāsanam. So anantha bhāvaḥ vāsana
is a separate sentence. He means because, because the viparītha bhāvanās are
manifold, many people require samādhi abhyāsa.
अहंबुद्ध्य मो�हन्य योज�यत्वाऽऽवृतेबर्ला |

�व�ेपशिक्त पुरुष �व�ेपय�त तद्गुणै ||३४३||
ahaṁbuddhyaiva mōhinyā yōjayitvā:':'vr̥tērbalāt |
vikṣēpaśaktiḥ puruṣaṁ vikṣēpayati tadguṇaiḥ ||343||
So in the following verses Śankarācārya takes a small diversion before further

discussing samādhi abhyāśā and the purpose of diversion is to show that śravaṇam
and mananam one should have gone through before seriously thinking of
nidhidhyāsanam. Śravaṇam and mananam, one should have seriously gone through.
And to convey this idea, Śankarācārya is using a technical language. Our habitual
problems are caused by a power of ignorance called vikṣēpa śaktiḥ; habitual
problems are caused by a power known as vikṣēpa śaktiḥ and if this vikṣēpa śaktiḥ
should be active, it requires the cooperation of another power of ajñānaṁ.
And the other power is called āvaraṇa śaktiḥ which is self-ignorance. So ajñānaṁ
has got two powers; we have seen earlier; āvaraṇa śaktiḥ and vikṣēpa śaktiḥ; and
both together serve as mutually complimentary friends and together alone they can
cause saṁsāra. And we are trying to break this unholy nexus; unholy combination
between the vikṣēpa śaktiḥ and āvaraṇa śaktiḥ. And of these two, we have to first
attack directly āvaraṇa śaktiḥ alone. We have to attack the āvaraṇa śaktiḥ alone;
and this is done by śravaṇam and mananam. This āvaraṇa śaktiḥ part, which is one
of the two friends, we have to attack and destroy with the help of śravaṇam and
mananam. And the naturally, the vikṣēpa śaktiḥ has become weaker. Therefore the
first job is weaken the enemy by dividing: divide and rule. Exactly as the British
people did. Pr̥tviraj Chauhan and Jayachandra you know. Two Rajputs. As long as
they are together, they cannot be tackled. Therefore divide them and destroy them.
So if you try to attack vikṣēpa śaktiḥ, you will never succeed because, the
nourishment of vikṣēpa śaktiḥ is coming from āvaraṇa śaktiḥ. Therefore, first, just as
they try to destroy the communication installation; even when a thief comes to rob
or steal, first job he does is what; cut the telephone wire; because what is your
strength; you are good for nothing he knows; do not mistake me; physically what
Page 1481

can we do; we cannot get if we sit and we cannot sit if we get up. What can we do
with the thief. We will call the police or neighbours or relatives. Therefore how to
weaken you? first cut of your support. Then you are half finished; then if at all there
is some resistance; tap on the head; you fall down. Therefore he can easily tackle.
So we are using the technique. Āvaraṇa śaktiḥ is the powerful support of vikṣēpa
śaktiḥ. Therefore by efficient śravaṇam and mananam, cut of the telephone lines.
Of course, we need not cut off; rarely we use. There is one person; started a big IT
company in Tidel park and then he just said I want your blessings and you should
visit this and that. And then I visited fantastic arrangement and all. Thereafter for
some reason I wanted to contact him; OK; Tidel Park, Residence, any phone you
dial; no response. IT specialist. You are not able to inform anything. This is the
condition of India. Here it may not be required. That is a different thing.
What I want to say is: cut off the telephone line; āvaraṇa śaktiḥ by śravaṇam and
mananam; and once you do that; vikṣēpa śaktiḥ has become weaker. It is not
destroyed. And that weakened vikṣēpa śaktiḥ you handle by what? Simpler method
of called nidhidhyāsanam. Nidhidhyāsanam is capable of handling the weaker
vikṣēpa śaktiḥ. And if nidhidhyāsanam fails, it is only because you have not cut off
the lines; āvaraṇa śaktiḥ is still continuing. You are not very sure, I am Brahman or
not. You are practising what meditation: Ahaṁ brahmāsmi; ahaṁ Brahmāsmi; ahaṁ
brahmāsmi; and in one corner of your mind says: who has seen it? Svāmiji Says:
books are saying: pavam sympathise with Svāmiji; he is trying to change us; a big
challenge for him. So therefore I should have conviction. Conviction is destruction of
āvaraṇa śaktiḥ.
And therefore Śankarācārya here says: avr̥tērḥ balāḥ; with the help of the āvaraṇa
śaktiḥ which is the most powerful help; balam, in Sansr̥kt means the army also; the
vikṣēpa śaktiḥ has got the army of āvaraṇa śaktiḥ. So with the help of āvaraṇa
śaktiḥ, vikṣēpa śaktiḥ puruṣam yōjayitvā. Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ connects a person to
ahaṁkāra. Ahaṁ buddhya yōjayitvā. So vikṣēpa śaktiḥ connects a person to
ahaṁkāra by taking him away from what? taking him away from ātma; it invokes
more and more of ahaṁkāra. It does not allow me to invoke ahaṁ brahmāsmi; it
always forces me to invoke ahaṁ husband asmi; wife asmi; most of the time, the
personality-I is invoked.
Therefore vikṣēpa śaktiḥ supported by āvaraṇa śaktiḥ, yōjayitvā connects a person,

with what: ahaṁbuddhya; ahaṁkārēna; ahaṁ karthāsmi; abōkthasmi. And what
Page 1482

type of ahaṁkāra? mōhinyā; which deludes a person; which deludes a person; so

the ahaṁkāra events in life, becomes so significant. From vēdantic angle any event
in life is insignificant. Why, mithya. Any event in life is insignificant from vēdantic
angle, mōhaḥ means every event; or at least some of the events, becomes more
significant than it is. That assumption of over significance of any event is called
delusion. And therefore that ahaṁkāra creates the delusion; and therefore ahaṁkāra
is called mōhini ahaṁkāra. The deluding ahaṁkāra is activated and events in life
become over significant and activation of ahaṁkāra is done by what: vikṣēpa śaktiḥ
and supported by what: āvaraṇa śaktiḥ. Do you understand the stages. Āvaraṇa
śaktiḥ supports vikṣēpa śaktiḥ. Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ activates ahaṁkāra. Ahaṁkāra gives
over significance to the events of life. Over significance to the events certainly
causes saṁsāra. This is the mechanism of saṁsāra. Therefore where should you
start. First cut of the āvaraṇa śaktiḥ by śravaṇa mananam; handle vikṣēpa śaktiḥ
through nidhidhyāsanam and if simple nidhidhyāsanam does not work, go in for
intense nidhidhyāsanam. So vikṣēpa śaktiḥ; so vikṣēpa śaktiḥ; vikṣēpayati. It
disturbs. By making life's events over significant. Looking at it as it is absolute
reality; by making the life's events over significant, puruṣaḥm vikshapayati; the
vikṣēpa śaktiḥ disturbs the mind; does not allow you to be calm. There is no
nimmadhi. You require sleeping pills.
All these becomes necessary; you require counselling; you require all those things;
that vikṣēpayati; how, tad guṇaiḥ; tad guṇaiḥ means what: ahaṁkārasya guṇaiḥ;
either through satva guṇa it binds; or rajō guṇa it binds; or through tamō guṇa it
binds; all the three guṇas belong to ahaṁkāra or ātma; they belong to the
ahaṁkāra. And how each guṇa binds, I do not want to discuss now. We have
already seen that in the 14th chapter of the Bhagavad Gītā;
सत्त् सुखे सञ्जय� रजः कम्र � भारत |

�ानमावतृ ् तु तमः प्रमा सञ्जयत्य ||१४- ९||
sattvaṁ sukhē sañjayati rajaḥ karmaṇi bhārata |
jñānamāvr̥tya tu tamaḥ pramādē sañjayatyuta ||14- 9||
Krishna writes or Vyāśā writes 18 verses on how each guṇa binds a person. That is
reminded here. Tad guṇaiḥ vikṣēpayati.
�व�ेपशिक्त�वजय �वषमो �वधातुं
Page 1483

�नःशेषमावरणशिक्त�नवृत्त्यभ |
दृग्दृश् स्फुटपयोजलवद्�वभा
नश्येत्तदावरणमात् च स्वभावात |
�नःसंशयेन भव�त प्र�तबन्धशू
�व�ेपणं न �ह तदा य�द चेन्मृषाथ ||३४४||
vikṣēpaśaktivijayō viṣamō vidhātuṁ
niḥśēṣamāvaraṇaśaktinivr̥ttyabhāvē |
dr̥gdr̥śyayōḥ sphuṭapayōjalavadvibhāgē
naśyēttadāvaraṇamātmani ca svabhāvāt |
niḥsaṁśayēna bhavati pratibandaśūnyō
vikṣēpaṇaṁ na hi tadā yadi cēnmr̥ṣārthē ||344||
So if nidhidhyāsanam fails; it is often because the vikṣēpa śaktiḥ is very powerful.

And if vikṣēpa śaktiḥ is very powerful, it is because āvaraṇa śaktiḥ has not been
taken away from vikṣēpa śaktiḥ.
And āvaraṇa śaktiḥ has not been taken away often because śravaṇam itself has not
been properly done. Attending some stray classes here and there, can never become
śravaṇam. Either non-śravaṇam, or inefficient śravaṇam, might be the cause and
therefore better handle that problem.
And as long as you do not handle that problem through śravaṇam, vikṣēpa śaktiḥ
will be terrible and any amount of nidhidhyāsanam will not work. Therefore he says:
āvaraṇa śaktiḥ nivr̥tti abhāve; second line, if the āvaraṇa śaktiḥ has not been
removed away from vikṣēpa śaktiḥ; niśeṣam; totally, so if the āvaraṇa śaktiḥ has not
been totally removed.
And how do you know whether the āvaraṇa śaktiḥ is totally removed or not? total
removal of āvaraṇa śaktiḥ is total conviction that I am Brahman. I am Brahman does
not require any more proof for me. So therefore, not requiring any more proof to
accept ahaṁ Brahmāsmi as fact is the indication of āvaraṇa nivr̥ttiḥ; and as long as I
seek some proof, one proof if I get, I will be totally convinced. As long as you seek
any form of proof, some people seek proof in the form of experiences, some people
seek proof in the form of some powers; it should have thought reading, they are
expecting; some siddhis people expect; varieties of proof we seek; absolutely, I
should not seek any more proof. That is called total āvaraṇa nivr̥tti.
Page 1484

And if this total āvaraṇa nivr̥tti has not been done; vikṣēpa śaktiḥ vijayaḥ vidhātuṁ
viṣaṁaḥ. It is difficult to conquer vikṣēpa śaktiḥ; through meditation;
nidhidhyāsanam; it is difficult to conquer vikṣēpa śaktiḥ through meditation; if
proper śravaṇam and mananam have not been done and conviction has not been
attained. OK.
Then what should I do in śravaṇam? Doubt has arisen in śravaṇam itself; and this
fellow is practising nidhidhyāsanam! And I tell him that without śravaṇam mananam,
nidhidhyāsanam is useless and he asks the fundamental question: what is
śravaṇam?! Like a Brahma sūtra student who has been telling that: your classes are
wonderful: then one day he asked the question; when I used the word sūkṣma
śarīraṁ; Svāmiji what is the sūkṣma śarīraṁ? and I said I have taught in Tatva
Bōdhaḥ; Svāmiji what is Tatva Bōdhaḥ? Like that, this fellow wants to do samādhi
abhyāsa, and I tell that it will miserably fail without śravaṇam and mananam, and
then he asked the fundamental questions: what is śravaṇam and mananam.
Śankarācārya should have punched his nose; but being a jñāni, compassionate jñāni,
he is redefining śravaṇam. All these he should not do at all; now he is redefining
śravaṇam.
What is śravaṇam? Dr̥kdr̥syayōḥ sphuṭa payōjalavad vibhāgēḥ. What is śravaṇam;

clearly distinguishing vibhāgaḥ, separating, distinguishing, discrimination of dr̥k
dr̥śyayōḥ; dr̥k, the subject, ātma; and dr̥śya the object anātma stūla sūkṣma kāraṇa
śarīraṁ; śarīra sarīri vibhagaḥ or ātma-anātma vivēkaḥ; should have been done; that
is called śravaṇam; we have to supply, with the help of guru-śāstra-upadeśa. So
guru-śāstra upadēsena dr̥k dr̥śya vivēkaḥ śravaṇam. And this discrimination should
be done how: sphuṭam; sphuṭam means very clearly. உள்ளம் ெநல்லிக்கன�ேப
ullankai nelli kani pol; crystal clear; I am consciousness, I am not body or mind; I
am consciousness, I am not body or mind; should be crystal clear by guru-śāstra
upadeśa. And he gives an example; payōjalavat. Like separating water and milk. And
vibhāgaḥ is called what? śravaṇa-mananam process. And vibhāge; once this
discrimination is done, once śravaṇa-mananam has been done; āvaraṇam ātmani
naśyet; āvaraṇa śaktiḥ will naturally svabhāvāt, you need not request and all;
naturally, svabhāvat āvaraṇa śaktiḥ naśyet; where; ātmani, in yourselves.
Therefore what is the essence: practice śravaṇam properly. Many people are so
much interested in meditation; either they never come to śravaṇam, or they do அைர
Page 1485

�ைற (araikorai śravaṇam), improper śravaṇam, and give importance to

nidhidhasanam; without giving due importance to systematic study and they criticise
systematic study; it is an intellectual exercise; you have to transcend the intellect;
why do you want to spend so much time on śāstra. Are you going to become a
paṇḍit; they will criticise as paṇḍit.
Therefore Śankarācārya says: it would not work; you have to study śāstra seriously;
then alone āvaraṇa śaktiḥ will go away. And then yati mrshaarthe, 5th line, yati
mr̥ṣārthē vikṣēpaṇam naśyāt. Because of the destruction of āvaraṇa śaktiḥ; what
happens. Ātma-anātma vivēka happens. I know what is ātma; what is anātma.
And what is my knowledge; ātma alone is satyam; anātma is mithya. Therefore

anātma is called what: mr̥ṣārthaḥ; mr̥ṣārthaḥ means what: insignificant. anātma; it
is not worth worrying over; it is not worth getting obsessed with; it is not worth
losing sleep over; nothing in the creation; no event in the creation is worth loosing
the sleep over; if you that disturbs my sleep, it means you have given more satyatva
buddhi, you have not clarified the mithya.
So if śravaṇam is proper, naturally it will all become mrshaa, mrshaa means

insignificant, vikṣēpaṇam nahi bhavathi; disturbance because of them does not
happen. So once that happens, vikṣēpaṇam disturbance does not happen. And once
vikṣēpaṇam is tackled mental worries are talked, by seeing them as insignificant.
pratibandhaśūnyaḥ bhavathi. You have to supply the subject; vikṣēpa śaktiḥ vijayaḥ;
the victory over vikṣēpa śaktiḥ becomes without any obstacle; unchallenged.
Prathibanda śūnyaḥ means unchallenged.
So you have to know very clearly what is the vēdantic procedure. Study of the
scripture; seeing the mithya vasthu as mithya vasthu, and removing the over
significance given to them and getting out of the undue worry over them. This is the
process and when you succeed in that, the victory is unchallenged.
So tadā; only then; the vikṣēpa śaktiḥ is unchallenged; and that too niḥsaṁśayēna;
niḥsaṁśayēna means what? Doubtlessly; the victory is yours. You can boldly say: I
have conquered the vikṣēpa śaktiḥ also.
And that is when the three practical things happen: all the reactions, negative
reactions to the life, will get the transformation; three things are reduced; what?
Page 1486

Frequency of negative reactions come down; intensity of negative reactions come

down; which means they rise in mind and settle down; no more it comes to action;
and finally recovery time also comes down; I was extremely upset and I was
extremely angry; that has come down. That is called vikṣēpa śaktiḥ vijayaḥ, which is
called jīvan mukthi.
Hari Om.
Page 1487

115. Verses 345 to 349

ॐ
�व�ेपशिक्त�वजय �वषमो �वधातुं

�नःशेषमावरणशिक्त�नवृत्त्यभ |
दृग्दृश् स्फुटपयोजलवद्�वभा
नश्येत्तदावरणमात् च स्वभावात |
�नःसंशयेन भव�त प्र�तबन्धशू
�व�ेपणं न �ह तदा य�द चेन्मृषाथ ||३४४||
vikṣēpaśaktivijayō viṣamō vidhātuṁ
niḥśēṣamāvaraṇaśaktinivr̥ttyabhāvē |
dr̥gdr̥śyayōḥ sphuṭapayōjalavadvibhāgē
naśyēttadāvaraṇamātmani ca svabhāvāt |
niḥsaṁśayēna bhavati pratibandaśūnyō
vikṣēpaṇaṁ na hi tadā yadi cēnmr̥ṣārthē ||344||
In these verses Śankarācārya is taking a small diversion from the main topic of
nidhidhyāsanam in the form of samādhi abhyāsa and the purpose of this diversion is
to show that one can seriously attempt nidhidhyāsanam only having gone through
śravaṇam and mananam thoroughly. Without śravaṇa and mananam, one can
practice meditation, but it cannot be vēdantic meditation. The meditation can be
saguṇa dhyānam or saguṇa japa, saguṇa pūjā or saguṇa pārāyaṇam; other forms of
meditations can be practised, before vēdantic study. And all those forms of
meditations are called upāsana. Upāsanās are possible before śravaṇa mananam but
nidhidhyāsanam otherwise called vēdantic meditation; ātma dhyānam can be
practised only after thorough comprehensive and systematic study of vēdānta. And
attempting nidhidhyāsanam, without śravaṇam and mananam will miserably fail.
And to convey this idea, Śankarācārya is technically approaching the subject matter.
He presents in a very beautiful way. He points out that through nidhidhyāsanam we
are trying to avoid the ahaṁkāra-mamakāra vāsana, i.e., the habitual identification
with the body mind complex; and habitual relationship with the surroundings known
as mamakāra is called ahaṁ-mama vāsana. And this ahaṁ-mama vāsana alone is an
Page 1488

obstacle for jīvanmukthi. Therefore nidhidhyāsanam to eliminate the ahaṁ-mama

vāsana and elimination means making making ahaṁkāra insignificant.
I have told you repeatedly ahaṁkāra must be that much significant to do your duties
but it should not become over significant to hurt your mind and you lose your sleep.
Worry causing ahaṁkāra we have to eliminate. That ahaṁkāra necessary for duty
we have to preserve. And this is the aim of nidhidhyāsana making ahaṁkāra
functional or insignificant in vēdantic language; mithatva niścayaḥ. And this
Śankarācārya calls this as handling the vikṣēpa śaktiḥ of ajñānaṁ. So elimination of
ahaṁ-mama vāsana, he calls handling the vikṣēpa śaktiḥ.
And then Śankarācārya points out that vikṣēpa śaktiḥ is nourished by āvaraṇa śaktiḥ
which is called self-ignorance. Āvaraṇa śaktiḥ of ajñānaṁ, which is called self-
ignorance and he says since vikṣēpa śaktiḥ is getting supply from āvaraṇa śaktiḥ;
nourishment from āvaraṇa śaktiḥ, before attacking vikṣēpa śaktiḥ you have to stop
the supply to the vikṣēpa śaktiḥ; just as in a war also first job you have to do is you
have to try to cut off the arms supply to the soldiers. Even communication
installation they try to destroy, because they are all supply.
Similarly vikṣēpa śaktiḥ gets supply from āvaraṇa śaktiḥ and therefore it is too
powerful; you attack it and it again comes because āvaraṇa śaktiḥ keeps on
nourishing it. Therefore an intelligent method is you have to first cut off the supply
that is the āvaraṇa śaktiḥ.
And how do you remove that āvaraṇa śaktiḥ? The only method of removing āvaraṇa
śaktiḥ is vēdānta śravaṇam and mananam. Vēdānta śravaṇam, it appears a
redundant intellectual exercise. Śankarācārya says never take śravaṇam for granted.
Never take śravaṇam loosely. Listen to a little bit here and there and then do intense
dhyānam; many do that; many people think that make some casual study and then
practice intense meditation. Śankarācārya says your intense mediation would be
'tense' meditation. ‘IN’ will be out.
And therefore śravaṇa-mananam you have to practice. Āvaraṇa śaktiḥ has to be

removed; and how do you know āvaraṇa śaktiḥ is removed? I have conviction that
ahaṁ brahmāsmi. Before I enter samādhi abhyāsa, I should have the conviction, we
should not think samādhi is another proof that we require for conviction.
Page 1489

We are not approaching samādhi; as a proof for ahaṁ brahmāsmi. We are not
looking for an extra ordinary experience; as a proof for ahaṁ brahmāsmi; ahaṁ
brahmāsmi should be fact for me; through śravaṇam mananam themselves, I do not
require nidhidhyāsanam as a proof; nidhidhyāsanam cannot prove also.
Then what is the purpose of nidhidhyāsanam? Removing the habitual identification.

Nidhidhyāsanam does not provide a proof for advaitam. Nidhidhyāsanam eliminates
habitual abhīmāna. And therefore Śankarācārya wants to emphasise śravaṇam and
mananam.
And therefore in these verses, from 344 he is back to śravaṇa manana itself which
goes up to 352; reminding us of the importance of śravaṇam.
सम्यिग्ववे स्फुटबोधजन्
�वभज् दृग्दृश्यपदाथर्त |
�छनित् मायाकृतमोहबन्ध
यस्माद्�वमुक्त पन
ु नर संस�तः
ृ ||३४५||
samyagvivēkaḥ sphuṭabōdhajanyō
vibhajya dr̥gdr̥śyapadārtatattvam |
chinatti māyākr̥tamōhabandaṁ
yasmādvimuktastu punarna saṁsr̥tiḥ ||345||
The process of śravaṇa mananam is talked about here, taking a diversion from the
main topic of nidhidhyāsanam. And what is that process? Samyagvivēkaḥ; a crystal
clear understanding that I am the sākṣi caitanyaṁ and I am not ahaṁkāra;
ahaṁkāra vyathiriktha sākṣi caitanyaṁ ahaṁ asmi.
What is the definition of ahaṁkāra? Body mind complex with reflected consciousness
is called ahaṁkāra. Cidābhasa sahitha stūla sūkṣma śarīraṁ is called ahaṁkāra. So I
am neither the body, nor the mind, nor the reflected consciousness; then who am I?
I am the original consciousness who am lending the reflection to this body-mind
complex. This is called ahaṁkāra sākṣi vivēkaḥ.
And how is it born? Sphuṭabōdha janya; it is born out of clear bōdhaḥ, clear
thinking, clear analysis or clear study. Study of what? Vēdānta śāstram; because if I
have to know about myself, the only means available happens to be vēdānta.
Page 1490

Remember the example, if I want to see my own eyes, I have only one method, I
have to use a mirror. And not only I have to use the mirror, I have to clean the
mirror very well, cleaner the mirror, clearer is my vision.
Similarly, śāstram is the mirror, which I have to use to know me more and more and
every word analysed is what: wiping the mirror. You should not mistake it as mere
scholarship. Mere paṇḍitry. They are all paṇḍits. So we should not mistake the
thorough study of every word of śāstra as an intellectual gymnastics; every word has
to be observed; otherwise why should Śankarācārya struggle writing elaborate
commentary.
Śankarācārya's aim is not to make us scholars; Śankarācārya's aim is to make us

free. And because he considers thorough study is important, he writes elaborate
commentary. Otherwise he need write only one verse; meditate. For him is also no
problem, because teaching is a headache. Because until the student has not
understood, it is a struggle.
Why should Śankarācārya take so much struggle to analyse every word. It is

important. The more you look into the words, you are more looking into the word
mirror; more you are looking into the mirror, the more you are seeing what: your
own image. And therefore sputa bōdhaḥ janyaḥ; born out of the clear
understanding, of the śāstram is the clear understanding of myself. Śāstra jñānaṁ is
ātma jñānaṁ. If the śāstra jñānaṁ is vague, ātma jñānaṁ is also vague.
And therefore sputa bōdhaḥ janyaḥ; samyak vivēka; the clear discriminative
knowledge; between what and what? Dr̥kdr̥śya padārta tatvam; discriminating
between dr̥k; Dr̥k means what? the sākṣi caitanyaṁ; the observer; and dr̥śyam, the
object observed. I am different from every object experienced by me. In fact, this
everybody knows: I am not the world, which is observed by me, I know. The crucial
thing is the body mind complex, whether it should come under observer or whether
it should come under the observed one. With regard to the clip I have no doubt, this
is observed and I am the observer; I am not the clip.
But crucial problem is with regard to body. Am I the observer of the body, or am I
the body itself. Therefore lot of analysis regarding the body ahaṁ vivēka and mind
ahaṁ vivēka, śarīra vivēka; Dr̥k dr̥śya padārta tatvam; these two principles vibhajya;
vibhajya means clearly distinguish; when; in śravaṇam.
Page 1491

And because of the discrimination; what happens? chinatti; so the vēdantic student
chinatti; destroys; the mōhabandhaṁ; the bondage caused by delusion; bondage
caused by delusion;
And how is the delusion caused? Māyākr̥ta mōha; māya means ajñānaṁ; so
māyākr̥ta mōha means ajñānā janya mōha. So the vēdantic student destroys the
delusion caused by ignorance.
And what is the ignorance? I am not the body I do not know; that is the ignorance.
And what is the delusion born out of that? I am the body. So I am not the body, I do
not know. And therefore what do I conclude: I am the body. I am not the mind, I do
not know; that is called ignorance. Therefore I conclude I am the mind; that is called
delusion. So this ignorance caused dēha abhīmānam chinatti. This person will
destroy.
And what does one get out of that? Yasmād, Yasmād means mōha mōhabandhāt
vimuktasya, for a person who has freed from this delusion; mōha bandhāt
vimuktasya; śarīra abhīmānāt vimukthasya; for a person who has freed himself from
this delusion; punaḥ saṁsr̥tiḥ na bhavathi; there cannot be saṁsāra again. And
therefore śravaṇam is important. Even before you attempt meditation.
परावरैकत्व�ववेकविन्
दहत्य�वद्यागह ह्यशेष म |
�कं स्यात्पु संसरणस् बीजं
अद्वैतभाव समुपेयुषोऽस् ||३४६||
parāvaraikatvavivēkavanhiḥ
dahatyavidyāgahanaṁ hyaśēṣam |
kiṁ syātpunaḥ saṁsaraṇasya bījaṁ
advaitabhāvaṁ samupēyuṣō:'sya ||346||
Śankarācārya continues with the summarisation of śravaṇam process. This śravaṇam

he has already elaborately discussed in the first two hundred and fifty three verses
of Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi. Therefore if a person is not very clear about the process of
śravaṇam, after coming to nidhidhyāsanam, if he gets a doubt regarding, he has to
go back to Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi No.1 to 253. And if he remembers that portion very well,
Page 1492

he is fit to enter nidhidhyāsanam. If he has not gone through, he should go through

again. And what is the essence of that portion, No.1 to 253; that essence he is
giving: parāvaraikatvavivēkaḥ; the essence of śravaṇam is discovering the fact that
I, which is the truth behind this body, and Brahman which is the truth behind the
universe; both are one and the same. Just like the water which is the truth of an
individual wave, and water, which is the truth of the total ocean; the truth of micro
and the truth of macro; both are one and the same. Jīvātma paramātma aikyam
alone.
So parāḥ. parāḥ means Brahman the truth of the world; paramātma; and āvaraḥ
means jīvātma which is the truth of the individual body. Avastha traya sākṣi, pañja
kōśa vilakaṣana, etc. we saw. So para means paramātma, avara means jīvātma,
ekatvam means their oneness. So this is the knowledge we should have gained
before meditation.
Biggest misconception is: people think that this knowledge has to come through
meditation; but what we are asserting is this knowledge must have come before
meditation, through what: śravaṇa and manana. That is why vēdānta is important.
And therefore this vivēka should have.
And vanniḥ; it is like the fire; this knowledge is like fire capable of destroying.
Knowledge is compared to fire because of two reasons: fire has the capacity to
illumine an object which is in darkness. This is the positive capacity of fire; if the
room is very dark, we have fire we can see; why fire, a flame is enough. So one
capacity is illumining capacity. Knowledge is compared to fire; because knowledge
also has illumining capacity. So prākāśakatvāt agnihi.
Similarly, fire has got another capacity; what is that? Destroying capacity. Nāṣakatva
capacity. Previous one is what prākāśakatvaat; what is another faculty? Nāṣakatvam.
यथैधां�स स�मद्धोऽिग्नभर्स्मसात्कुरु |
�ानािग्न सवर्कमार् भस्मसात्कुर तथा ||४- ३७||
yathaidhāṁsi samiddhō:'gnirbhasmasātkurutē:'rjuna |
jñānāgniḥ sarvakarmāṇi bhasmasātkurutē tathā ||4- 37||
Page 1493

Tathā. Just as the fire has the destroying capacity, knowledge also has the capacity
to destroy; destroy what? avidyāgahanaṁ; the forest of ignorance, avidyāgahanaṁ;
means deep forest; wild growth. So avidyāgahanaṁ.
And here avidyā includes all the confusions born out of avidyā, all the doubts born
out of avidyā; they are all included; this avidyāgahanaṁ dahathi. What? jīvātma
paramātma aikya jñānaṁ dahathi. And how much does it burn? aśēṣam dahathi.
Totally, completely it destroys; ignorance.
And once the ignorance is destroyed, advaita bhāvaṁ samupēyuṣō:'sya; fourth line,
this jñāni has come to the state of advaitham. Previously he was seeing jīvātma
paramātma bhēdam and therefore there is what? dvaitam; that is dvaita philosophy.
That is why they symbolise by showing this; two fingers: If you use it as a victory
sign; no problem. But if it is shown as dvaitam; God is different; I am different;
world is different; as long as dvaita bhāva is there; saṁsāra will be there; udaram
antharam kurute adadasya bhayaṁ bhavathi; dvitiyaatvai bhayaṁ
bhavathi.
So clearly Brihadaranyaka has said: duality means fear; but still there are
philosophers who claim that dvaitam alone is clear; why, because proper śravaṇam
and mananam has not been done. And if they are done, advaita bhāvam; this
person claims advaitam; non-difference between jīvātma and paramātma, sam
upeyushaha; has attained; accomplished; is called perfect participle; rare usage; not
often used; samupeyushaha; shasti vibhakthi. Adjective to asya; advaitva bhavam is
objective of that. For a person who has accomplished advaitham. That is the
meaning of the fourth line. For a person who has accomplished, discovered
advaitam; saṁsaraṇasya bījaṁ syāti kiṁ; will there be any cause of saṁsāra. For a
person who has arrived in advaitam, can there be a cause of saṁsāra. This is not a
question. It has got the answer in itself. There is no cause of saṁsāra at all.
And if after śravaṇa mananam saṁsāra continues, the problem is not because of
ignorance, it is purely because of habit; in fact, many of our problems are habits like
worry; we are all experts in worrying; why, because we have deliberately worried for
so many years, that if we do not have anything to worry, we are worried. There is
nothing at all to worry, Svāmiji! what to do.
Page 1494

And even if you are not worried, the family members are worried. After vēdānta, you
have become careless. You have become irresponsible. What is the logic? Because
you are not worrying. Therefore you are considered to be a responsible gr̥hastha;
you are considered to be a caring gr̥hastha; you are considered to be a
compassionate gr̥hastha, only if you worry. You have to say: I did not sleep at all. If
you sleep well, then it will cause worry in others, because you have become
careless. And all because of that Svāmiji; the blame is now on my head. You can
care for person without worrying. That is vēdānta. Caring without worrying.
Compassion without passion. That is jīvan muktiḥ. So kim syāt saṁsāranaṣya bījam;
syāt kim; will there be a cause of worry is the question. The answer is: there will not
be.
The next two verses have got a rare meter and therefore cannot be chanted like a
verse; it should be read like a prose. It is called viṣaṁa vrittham. So viṣaṁa vrittham
means uneven meter. So verses with viṣaṁa vrittham we have to read like prose.
Verses with śama vrittham we can chant.
आवरणस् �नविृ त्तभर्व �ह सम्यक्पदाथर्दशर |

�मथ्या�ान�वनाशस्तद्�व�ेपज�नतदुःख�नवृि ||३४७||
āvaraṇasya nivr̥ttirbhavati hi samyakpadārtadarśanataḥ |
mithyājñānavināśastadvikṣēpajanitaduḥkhanivr̥ttiḥ ||347||
So he is talking about the mechanism of śravaṇam and mananam; how does the
śravaṇa mananam remove the āvaraṇa śaktiḥ? He wants to point out that śravaṇam
and mananam gives the knowledge of an object and when the knowledge is
produced, the āvaraṇam of darkness goes away. So in the midnight, if there are no
lights here, the objects in the room are covered by darkness. Anthakāra avrutham.
That is called āvaraṇam. And when you switch on the light, what happens? The
āvaraṇasya anthakāra rūpa āvaraṇasya nivr̥ttiḥ bhavathi; by the lights.
Similarly, before coming to vēdānta, the āvaraṇa śaktiḥ has covered our true nature;
and when the vēdānta light is lit up,
तेषां सततयक
ु ्ताना भजतां प्री�तपूवर् |
ददा�म बु�द्धयो तं येन मामुपयािन् ते ||१०- १०||
तेषामेवानुकम्पाथर्महम�ान तमः |
Page 1495

नाशयाम्यात्मभावस �ानद�पेन भास्वत ||१०- ११||

tēṣāṁ satatayuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prītipūrvakam |
dadāmi buddhiyōgaṁ taṁ yēna māmupayānti tē ||10- 10||
tēṣāmēvānukampārthamahamajñānajaṁ tamaḥ |
nāśayāmyātmabhāvasthō jñānadīpēna bhāsvatā ||10- 11||
The jñāna dīpam removes anthakāra āvaraṇam. That is why guru is called ajñānā
thimirānthasya jñānjana śalakaya; etc.
Therefore he says: samyak padārta darśanathaḥ; because of the clear knowledge of

the padārta; samyak darśanam means clear knowledge; clarity, doubtful knowledge
is as good as ignorance. It is only knowledge, nām ke vāsthe, knowledge is
knowledge, only when it is doubtless.
If I ask you, do you accept that I am infinite is a fact; or do you require some more
proofs for that. Suppose you say, I have 99% accepted Svāmiji; but some more
proof I get; some kind of mysterious experience; then that last 1% doubt will go, if
you say, you have problem.
So therefore samyak darśanam means I do not look for any proof including
mysterious experiences; I have got that clarity through śravaṇam and mananam.
And clarity which cannot come through śravaṇam mananam can never come
through any other process. Therefore samyak darśanataḥ; śravaṇa manana janya
samyak darśanataḥ; because of that, nivr̥tti bhavathi. Nivr̥tti means what? the
destruction, the elimination, the withdrawal; of what? āvaraṇasya, the āvaraṇaśaktiḥ
of ajñānaṁ; the veiling power; of ignorance is gone.
And once the āvaraṇa śaktiḥ is gone; vikṣēpa śaktiḥ also is eliminated; mithya jñāna
vināśaḥ; mithya jñānaṁ means erroneous knowledge. Erroneous knowledge is
different from ignorance. Erroneous knowledge is not ignorance; erroneous
knowledge is born of ignorance.
So āvaraṇa śaktiḥ is different; vikṣēpa śaktiḥ is different. I do not what is there, is

ignorance. But if I say there is snake, it is erroneous knowledge. Ignorance can be
common to five people. Five people are standing here; all the five do not see the
rope. Ignorance is common; but error need not be common; One person says it is a
Page 1496

snake; another person says it is a māla; another person says it is a stick; these are
called errors; errors vary from individual to individual; ignorance is uniform.
So ignorance is āvraṇam; and vikṣēpa śaktiḥ is here called mithya jñānaṁ.

Adhyāsaḥ; in technical language. And therefore ignorance goes away; error also
goes away; through what: through knowledge. So you need not destroy ignorance
through one method; and error through another method; not required. One
knowledge itself is capable of destroying ignorance; destroying error and not only
error; tad vikṣēpa janitha dukka nivr̥ttihi; same knowledge can destroy the sorrow;
disturbance caused by error.
So three levels; ignorance, the child of ignorance is error; the child of error is mental
disturbance. First I do not the know the rope; first level; I see the snake; second
level; and once I see the snake, sweating happens in my body; that disturbance is
the third level; all the three are destroyed by one knowledge. Therefore vikṣēpa
janitha adyaśa janitha mithya jñāna janitha dukha nivr̥ttiḥ bhavathi.
एतित्त्र दृष् सम्यग्रज्रूप�व�ानात |

तस्माद्वस्तुसतत �ातव्य बन्धमुक्त �वदष
ु ा ||३४८||
ētattritayaṁ dr̥ṣṭaṁ samyagrajjusvarūpavijñānāt |
tasmādvastusatattvaṁ jñātavyaṁ bandamuktayē viduṣā ||348||
Śankarācārya gives examples here that one knowledge can destroy three
generations. What are the three generations? the ignorance, the grand parent; the
error, the parent; and sorrow, which is the child of error. So sorrow is the grand
child of ignorance and it is the child of erroneous perception. All these three
generations, one knowledge can destroy. What is the example? rope ignorance
leading to snake error; leading to mental disturbance.
Therefore he says; etat tritayaṁ ajñānā mithya jñāna duḥkhāni; ignorance, error
and disturbance. These three, dr̥ṣtam; we see in the case of the rope. And not only
we see, we also see the elimination of all these three. So etat tritayaṁ, the
elimination also; ajñānā nāśaḥ; mithya jñāna nāśaḥ; and duḥkha nāśaḥ; these three
also we see; how; samyak rajju svarūpa vijñānāt; happening because of the clear
knowledge of rope. So I only have to take a torchlight, I first say: I know this is
rope. So rope ignorance is gone. My next statement is what: therefore this is not a
snake. Error is also gone. What is the next statement? Since there is no snake at all;
Page 1497

why should I be afraid? Fear is also gone. So therefore samyak rajju svarūpa
vijñānat etat tritayaṁ dr̥ṣṭam; tasmāt.
Therefore what is important? vasthu satatva jñātavyam; all our problems are also
the three generational problem. Our entire saṁsāra also consists of these three
generational problem. The only difference is: in the example, the ignorance of the
rope only. But in the context of saṁsāra, the ignorance is of the self. Ātma ajñānaṁ
is the foundation. And what is the next generation? Dēha abhīmāna error is the
second generation.
And the third generation is what? the entire saṁsāra. The family of sorrows. Every
relationship is born out of error. Ātma does not have wife. Ātma does not have
husband. Ātma does not have children. Ātma does not have grand children. Ātma
does not have neighbours. Ātma does not have hunger, thirst. Therefore ātma does
not have water problem.
Now all these are because I have become ahaṁkāra and therefore how to remove
all the problems. You have to eliminate the first tier. Here also three tier you see,
not only in the trians; Here also three tier. Therefore you can eliminate by what
knowledge; ātma jñānēna, we have to remove. Therefore tasmāt vasthu satattvaṁ
jñatavyam. Vasthu satattvaṁ means ātma.
So vasthu satattvaṁ jñātavyam; ātma svarūpam jñātavyam; vastu means ātma;

satattvaṁ means svarūpam; vastu satattvaṁ means ātma svarūpam jñātavyam.
And what is the ātma svarūpam.

अजो �नत्य शाश्वतोऽय परु ाणो
Page 1498

That is my nature.
And why should I do that? bandhamuktayē. If you want to freedom from worries in
life; you want a carefree life; if you want a stress-free life; if you want a anxiety free
life. You take to vēdānta. If you have started enjoying your worries; go ahead.
Therefore bandhamuktayē. For freedom from bondage, this has to be done by

viduṣa; an intelligent person, who has diagnosed the problem. If problem is not
dignosed, you seek peace of mind everywhere else; other than vēdānta.
If problem is not diagnosed, you seek nimmadi, everywhere except vēdānta. And
when you see elsewhere; the consequence is utter failure. Peace does not come,
even if it comes, it is only a piece of peace, which goes to pieces soon. It is only a
fake peace of mind, real peace of mind, you cannot get.
In fact, it is only forgetting the worries; like a person drinking to drown his worries.
You do not say it is elimination. It is only suppression; it is only escapism. Any other
method is escapism only. The only solution is vēdānta. If you do not believe, try
other methods, and come. Try all pathies and you come to Venkitachalapathy, you
know. After trying all the pathies, try every other method.
अयोऽिग्नयोगा�द सत्समन्वया
मात्रा�दरू �वजम
ृ ्भत धीः |
तत्कायर्मेत��वत यतो मष
ृ ा
दृष् भ्रमस्वप्नमनोर ||३४९||
ayō:'gniyōgādiva satśamanvayān
mātrādirūpēṇa vijr̥mbhatē dhīḥ |
tatkāryamētaddvitayaṁ yatō mr̥ṣā
dr̥ṣṭaṁ bhramasvapnamanōrathēṣu ||349||
the same topic of śravaṇa and mananam, in which ātma anātma vivēka is clearly
done, through which I am taught, that I the observer alone am real; and everything
observed is mithya; mithya means incapable of disturbing me.
And for this Śankarācārya takes up an example. The example is dream example. I
go to bed alone in a room; suppose. I am advaitam, non-dual; and I go to bed; and
Page 1499

out of my mind, I project a triputi, consisting of the observer; the observing medium
and the observed world. Mātrādi trayaṁ. Mātra means pramātru; pramātha,
pramāṇam, pramēyam; all these three I generate out of mind.
And are they really there or only a projection? They are only projections. Real tiger
is not there. Real water is not there; I project an apparent triputi, with the help of
my mind. And as long as I am in dream; they become very real and disturbing and
the moment I wake up all these three are resolved, along with the time.
And vēdānta says; this waker's world is my projection only. I have got another
higher power called māya; this dream world is projected through nidra śaktiḥ;
whereas waker's world is projected through māya śaktiḥ.
So I with the help of my māya śaktiḥ have created this world and now there is a
triputi in which I am transacting. And when I am actually in this world it appears to
be real; just as the dream appears to be real as long as I am in dream. Wake up
from that dream; triputi gets falsified. Wake up from this dream; uttiṣṭatha,
jāgratha, prāpya varān nibōdatha; this triputi also goes away.
Therefore jāgrath triputi is also mithya; svapna triputi is also mithya; both are to be
dismissed by waking up. And the nidrā śaktiḥ project the dream world; only when I
the consciousness am there; to bless that. Otherwise svapna prapañja would not
come. I have to bless that for its arrival.
Similarly, my māya śaktiḥ also will project this world only when I the consciousness
the māya śaktiḥ. Therefore who am I; I am the consciousness, who bless the māya
śaktiḥ to project the waker's world; and I am the consciousness who bless the nidra
śaktiḥ to project the dream world.
And he gives an example. Just like an iron ball or a piece of iron burning your hand.
When the iron piece is there; it cannot burn the hand. Suppose you have put the
iron piece into the fire; now the iron bar has got the fire principle inherent in the
iron. That is how it is red hot; hot iron. Now, when you catch hold of the iron; what
burns? We say iron is burning; but it is not the iron; iron is blessed by the agni
tatvam; blessed by agni; the iron burns you.
Page 1500

Similarly hot water gives you heat. Water does not heat; heat blessed by fire, the
water heats your body. Similarly, blessed by ātma, māya projects this world; blessed
by ātma; nidra projects the dream world.
Now look at the slōka. ayō:'gniyōgādiva; just as the iron bar has the burning power;
because of contact with the fire; ayah means iron bar; yōgaḥ means saṁbandah,
contact, blessing. So just as an iron piece has the burning power, because of the
contact with fire; similarly, dhīḥ vijr̥mbhatē; dhīḥ means, the samaṣti intellect, the
māya śaktiḥ. Here dhīḥ means samaṣti buddhi or māya śaktiḥ; the total intellect;
otherwise called māya; mātrādirūpēṇa vijr̥mbhatē, it projects the world in the form
of māthrādi; mātru means pramātha; pramātru, ādhi means pramātha, pramāṇam,
pramēyam; triputi rūpēṇa vijr̥mbhatē; māya has become the world; māya has
become the body; the māya has got the cidābhāsa; everything has come;
vijr̥mbhatē dhīḥ; the jāgrat triputi comes.
Tat kārya mēthat vithayaṁ mr̥ṣā; so all these products; products means what?
prāmātha, pramāṇam, and pramēyam.
There are two readings. One is dvidayaṁ; another is tritayaṁ. If it taken as

dvidayaṁ; it means subject-object duality; if it is taken as tridayaṁ; it means
subject-object-instrument triad. So whether you take two or whether you take three,
all mr̥ṣā; mithya only.
And how do you know? Yathaḥ; brahma svapna manō ratheṣu dr̥ṣṭam. This has
been clearly experienced by us; in the case of brahma; brahma means what?
delusion; in delusion you see things which are not there; so brahma, svapna, dream
and manō ratha, imagination. Fantasising. In all these things, the non-dual
projecting duality is seen. Similarly, ātma projects duality.
Hari Om.
Page 1501

116. Verse 350 to 352
अयोऽिग्नयोगा�द सत्समन्वया
मात्रा�दरू �वजम
ृ ्भत धीः |
तत्कायर्मेत��वत यतो मष
ृ ा
दृष् भ्रमस्वप्नमनोर ||३४९||
ayō:'gniyōgādiva satśamanvayān
mātrādirūpēṇa vijr̥mbhatē dhīḥ |
tatkāryamētaddvitayaṁ yatō mr̥ṣā
dr̥ṣṭaṁ bhramasvapnamanōrathēṣu ||349||
Śankarācārya introduced nidhidhyāsana in the form of samādhi abhyāsa in verse

No.341 and 342; and he wants to elaborately discuss this topic of samādhi abhyāśā
but before entering into that, he takes a small diversion to add an important note.
And that diversion is from 343 up to 352. And in this portion, what Śankarācārya
points out is: nidhidhyāsanam in the form of samādhi abhyāśā will work only if a
person has gone through vēdānta śravaṇam for considerable time. Unless
systematically and thoroughly vēdānta is studied from an ācārya; vēdantic
nidhidhyāsanam is impossible.
As I said in the last class, we can practice meditation in the form of japa, pūjā, etc.
manasa pūjā does not require śravaṇam; manasa japa does not require śravaṇam;
anybody can practice; but if ātma dhyānam otherwise called vēdantic meditation;
otherwise called samādhi abhyāsa has to be done; one should have thoroughly gone
through śravaṇam and mananam. And through śravaṇam and mananam, one gets
the teaching of vēdānta very clearly; one gets ātma jñānaṁ very clearly. And as I
pointed out in the last class, ātma jñānaṁ is not gained through samādhi abhyāsa;
samādhi abhyāsa is never meant for ātma jñānaṁ; ātma jñānaṁ is through vēdānta
śravaṇam and mananam. Vidyāraṇya tells in his Pañjadaśi;
tābhyam nirvichiktsētē chētat stabhita yat; ekatānatvamēttathḥ

nidhidhyāsana mucyatē.
Page 1502

Conviction must have come through śravaṇam and mananam themselves, even
before nidhidhyāsanam is started. Not only I have ātma jñānaṁ; but I have ātma
niścayaḥ jñānaṁ. Nirvichiktsētē arthe; saṁsārahitha jñānaṁ I should get.
And what is that ātma jñānaṁ gained through śravaṇam and mananam?
Śankarācārya summaries the ātma jñānaṁ in these verses 343 to 352. In the ātma
jñānaṁ summary, which is gathered through śravaṇa mananam, even before
starting samādhi abhyāsa. And this ātma jñānaṁ can be presented in several ways;
but Śankarācārya presents this in a particular form, which is very close to the 13th
chapter of the Gītā; प्रकृ� पुरुष चैव �वद्ध्यना उभाव�प prakr̥tiṁ puruṣaṁ caiva viddhyanādī
ubhāvapi; in that portion, the teaching is very compactly given.
What does it say? Before the creation originated, there were two basic principles
known as puruṣaḥ and prakr̥ti. Puruṣaḥ is nirvikāra satya chetana tatvam. Puruṣaḥ
represents a principle which is changeless and absolutely real consciousness.
Nirvikāra means changeless. Satyam means absolutely real; cētana tatvam means
consciousness. And prakr̥ti is just the opposite. Savikāra, mithya achetana tatvam.
Savikāra means changing; mithya means unreal; and acētana tatvam means matter
principle. So this puruṣaḥ and prakr̥ti were there even before the creation. And
therefore both of them are considered anādhiḥ. Puruṣaḥ is also anādhi;
consciousness is beginningless; matter is beginingless; Consciousness is changeless;
matter is changing; consciousness is real; matter is unreal; this is the beginning.
And from this mixture, which we generally call Īśvara; Śankarācārya does not use
this word, this puruṣaḥ-prakr̥ti combination is called Īśvara; from that alone, the
world evolved. So from that combination alone, symbolically represented as
ardhanārīśvara tatvam; So the male/female principle representing puruṣaḥ prakr̥ti
tatvam. And from the prakr̥ti aspect, the entire material creation has come. By
evolution, by gradual modification, prakr̥ti evolved into this universe. To remember
the Gītā slōka, �वकारांश् गुणांश्चै �व�द प्रकृ�तसम्भव vikārāṁśca guṇāṁścaiva viddhi
prakr̥tisambhavān.
And what are the evolutions of prakr̥tiḥ? The entire objective universe is a evolution
of prakr̥ti, because that is matter. The world I see is matter; and all the physical
bodies are evolutions of prakr̥tiḥ; or evolutes of prakr̥tiḥ; which is also material in
nature. World is matter, and changing; therefore product of prakr̥ti; body is matter;
Page 1503

and changing; any doubt? Body is matter and changing; therefore product of prakr̥ti;
and finally even the mind is matter and changing therefore product of prakr̥ti;
therefore world is prakr̥ti's modification; body is prakr̥ti's modification; mind is
prakr̥ti's modification; therefore all of them are essentially prakr̥ti only.
Then what happened to the puruṣaḥ during this time? The puruṣaḥ being changeless
principle, puruṣaḥ the consciousness principle continues to be the same. Before the
evolution of prakr̥ti, Puruṣaḥ was same. After the full fledged evolution of prakr̥ti,
Puruṣaḥ continues to be the same. And now also we have got both the principles;
the prakr̥ti principle in what form now available? In the form of world body and
mind; we are experiencing prakr̥ti, which prakr̥ti was before; the very same prakr̥ti
we are experiencing; even now; in the modified form of world, body and mind.
Now the question is: where is this puruṣaḥ? The puruṣaḥ is very much there. And it
is the consciousness principle and it is the changeless principle and where is that
nirvikhāra, satya, cētana tatvam puruṣaḥ? The Upaṇiṣad comes and tells: never
search for that puruṣaḥ; however much you search, you will never find the puruṣaḥ
because whatever you experience is prakr̥ti alone. Then what is puruṣaḥ? the
upaṇiṣads says the experiencer you; the very subject you is the nirvikhāra satya
cētana tatvam. And therefore who is puruṣaḥ? Tat tvam asi.
And when I say tvam; my finger should not go to the body; because the body is also
prakr̥ti; therefore it should penetrate your body, my finger should not go to the mind
also; because mind is also prakr̥ti; therefore my finger should go beyond your body,
beyond your mind; and it should go to what? the consciousness principle, which is
experiencing the body; which is experiencing the mind; which is otherwise called
sākṣi caitanyaṁ.
And once I have done the śravaṇam through the upaṇiṣad, thereafter I should
radically change my idea about myself. And what should be the change in my self-
perception? I am no more the body with consciousness; I am no more the mind with
consciousness; but I am the consciousness who am incidentally operating through
the body prakr̥ti and mind prakr̥ti. I am neither the body prakr̥ti, nor the mind
prakr̥ti, but I am the consciousness puruṣaḥ.
उत्तम पुरुषस्त्व परमात्मेत्युधाह |
Page 1504

यो लोकत्रयमा�व �बभत्यर्व ईश्वर ||१५- १७||

uttamaḥ puruṣastvanyaḥ paramātmētyudhāhr̥taḥ |
yō lōkatrayamāviśya bibhartyavyaya īśvaraḥ ||15- 17||
So what is the essence of the teaching gained through śravaṇam. I am the nirvikāra,
cētana, satya, puruṣa asmi.
And what is this body? Prakr̥ti; What is this mind? Prakr̥ti. And with regard to this
teaching, I should not have any doubt. If I try to samādhi abhyāsa with a doubt in
this knowledge, in meditation doubt alone will go around. You will say cidānandaḥ
rūpa sivōham; and one corner of mind will tell; who has seen it? Who knows
whether right or wrong? may be brain washing; may be conditioning; therefore you
cannot go to nidhidhyāsanam before conviction; conviction must come through
śravaṇam and mananam. And that conviction is talked about in these verses. We
saw up to 349. Śankarācārya continues in the following verses also 350.
ततो �वकाराः प्रकृतेरहंमु

देहावसाना �वषयाश् सव� |
�णेऽन्यथाभा�वतय ह्यमीष-
मसत्त्वमात तु कदा�प नान्यथ ||३५०||
tatō vikārāḥ prakr̥tērahaṁmukhā
dēhāvasānā viṣayāśca sarvē |
kṣaṇē:'nyathābhāvitayā hyamīṣā-
masattvamātmā tu kadāpi nānyathā ||350||
So these ideas should be gathered during śravaṇam and what is this idea?
ahaṁmukhā dēha avāsanāḥ vikāra. Vikāraḥ means all the products; all the
evolutions; Vikārāḥ means karyam; prakr̥tiḥ is kāraṇam; Vikāra is karyam. And what
are the karyas? ahaṁ mukhāḥ; ahaṁ here means ahaṁkāra, which means buddhiḥ
or mind. Mind alone is called ahaṁkāra when it is pervaded by the consciousness
principle. Mind plus consciousness is called ahaṁkāra.
Therefore here I am using the word mind in the sense of anthakāraṇam.

Manōbuddhi citta put together. So ahaṁmukhā means beginning from the mind or
the vijñānamaya kōśa, dēha avāsanāḥ; up to the end of annamaya kōśa. So
vijñānaṁaya kōśa to annamaya kōśa; and I hope you would not ask what is
Page 1505

vijñānaṁaya kōśa; and annamaya kōśa. We have seen in the beginning part of
Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi itself. So annamaya prāṇamaya manōmaya vijñānaṁaya; in simple
language, the body-mind-complex.
So they are all what? products. Not only they are the products, evolutions, sarve
viṣayāḥ cha; all the external objects, the five elements and as well as the
elementals, all the fourteen lōkaḥs; in fact, everything in the external world together
is called here viṣayaḥ. This alone I said in the introduction, world plus body plus
mind. All these are what: tathaḥ prakr̥tiḥ bhavanti. They are all born out of prakr̥tiḥ.
They are all born out of prakr̥ti.
How do you know that they are born out of prakr̥ti? Because they have got the same
features of prakr̥tiḥ. Like we say; this must be your child, why? looks like you only;
just like you have been replicated; the child resembles the parents; kāryam
resembles the kāraṇam; kāraṇa guṇāḥ karyē anuvarthantē; therefore all the features
of prakr̥ti we see in these three; in these three means, world, body and mind. What
are the features? No.1 prakr̥tiḥ is acētana tatvam; all these three also are acētanam,
jaḍaṁ. Physical body is also jaḍaṁ only.
Svāmiji how do you say so? Do not ask; it appears to be cētanam now; it is only
borrowed life is there, in the body, intrinsically the body does not have cētanatvam.
If body has life naturally, what will be the consequence? There will not be a dead
body. The very fact that I am seeing a dead body indicate, body does not have
natural consciousness, it had borrowed consciousness for 40-50 years; or 90-100
years; and a day came when the borrowed consciousness was gone. Therefore body
is jaḍaṁ, mind also is jaḍaṁ, because it is made up of a similar material.
Therefore one common feature is jaḍatvam. Prakr̥ti is jaḍaṁ; prapañja is jaḍaṁ.
The second common feature is prakr̥ti is also savikāraṁ, subject to modification and
the world-body-mind product also is savikāra.
And the third and final feature, prakr̥ti also is mithya, mithya means what? Does not
have independent existence; natural existence prakr̥ti does not have; it is dependent
on what? Puruṣaḥ.
Page 1506

In the same way, this world and body also are mithya, having dependant existence,
not natural existence.
How do you know? Body does not have natural existence. How do you know that;
how do you prove that; if body has natural existence, it will be eternally existent;
because what is natural is never lost. Fire has got natural heat, it is never lost.
Water has got artificial heat; artificial means what? borrowed heat; therefore it is
lost.
Therefore the very fact that body dies one day, it indicates it does not have natural
existence. Gaudapada establishes this in his Kārika;
आदावन्त च यन्नािस वतर्मानेऽ� तत्तथ

�वतथैः सदृशा सन्तोऽ�वतथ इव ल��ताः ॥ ६ ॥
ādāvantē ca yannāsti vartamānē:'pi tattathā
vitathaiḥ sadr̥śāḥ santō:'vitathā iva lakṣitāḥ || 6 ||
Na satau vidyāte bhāvaḥ, all those ideas you have to bring here. Therefore, the
world has got the three features of prakr̥ti, jaḍatvam, savikāratvam, and
mithyatvam; that is what is said here. Sarve viṣayāḥ ahaṁ mukhāḥ dēhāvāsanāḥ
vikhāraḥ; ahaṁ mukhāḥ; mukha means beginning, from, avāsanaḥ means ending
with, vikhāra means products; products beginning from vijñānaṁaya kōśa and
ending with the annamaya kōśa, all of them are prakr̥tēḥ bhavanti; born out of
prakr̥ti, as well as the external world.
And therefore what? kśanē anyathā bhāvitayā hyamīṣā; since all these products are
constantly changing, kśanē, every moment, our body is changing, thousands of cells
are dying in our body; and then thousands of new cells are made in our body; within
every few years, we have a got a fresh body. We think that it is the same from the
birth. No No No; Constantly cells are removed and added; therefore Śankarācārya
says: kṣaṇē:'nyathābhāvitayā, since every moment, all these three are changing,
body-mind-world, hyamīṣāmasattvam; they are subject to constant birth and death;
and therefore they have only borrowed existence; not natural. And therefore they
are called a sat; sat means natural existence. asat means without natural existence;
which is called mithya. For example, pot is called mithya, because it has got
existence borrowed from where: clay.
Page 1507

Therefore pot is called asat; furniture is called asat; because it does not have natural
existence; its existence is borrowed from wood. Similarly the whole creation is asat;
or mithya. OK.
If this is the nature of prakr̥ti, what is the nature of puruṣaḥ? Śankarācārya says:
ātma tu, kadāpi na anyatha; ātma, the puruṣaḥ, the Conciousness, that is the I, who
am the observer of the body, who am the experiencer of the mind, that I, the ātma
the puruṣaḥ, na anyatha; I never undergo change. Na anyatha means nirvikāraḥ
asmi;

all those things you have to remember here. kadāpi ānyathā na bhavathi.
These are all what? Teachings to be gathered from śravaṇam, before attempting
nidhidhyāsanam. Without attempting these sincerely, if you sit for nidhidhyāsanam,
you will get only a good sleep.
�नत्याद्वयाखण्ड�चदेक
बुद्ध्या�दसा सदसद्�वल�ण |
अहंपदप्रत्ययल��ता
प्रत् सदानन्दघन परात्म ||३५१||
nityādvayākhaṇḍacidēkarūpō
buddhyādisākṣī sadaśadvilakṣaṇaḥ |
ahaṁpadapratyayalakṣitārthaḥ
pratyak sadānandaghanaḥ parātmā ||351||
Page 1508

Śankarācārya has talked about the prakr̥ti, both in its original form as well as in its
evolved modified form, consisting of world-body-and mind. He said prakr̥iti both in
its original as well as evolved form is jaḍa savikāra mithya.
Now what about our Puruṣaḥ? The nature of puruṣaḥ is talked about. So this is a
clean puruṣaḥ-prakr̥ti vivēkaḥ; very much close to the 13th chapter, puruṣaḥ prakr̥ti
vivēkaḥ;
य एवं वेित् पुरुष प्रकृ� च गणैः

ु सह |
सव्र थ वतर्मानोऽ� न स भूयोऽ�भजायते ||१३- २४||
ya ēvaṁ vētti puruṣaṁ prakr̥tiṁ ca guṇaiḥ saha |
sarvathā vartamānō:'pi na sa bhūyō:'bhijāyatē ||13- 24||
About 10-12 verses, Krishna beautifully presents puruṣaḥ prakr̥ti vivēka. You can
compare this portion, with that portion. So what is this puruṣaḥ? Nithya advaya
akhaṇḍa cidēka rūpaḥ. This puruṣaḥ is I, the consciousness principle, which is cidēka
rūpaḥ; which is of the nature of consciousness only, unmixed with matter. Caitanya
mātra svarūpaḥ.
And what is the nature of this caitanyaṁ? Nitya, nitya you can understand, which is
eternal, which is not afflicted by time. In fact, this consciousness is the witness of
the presence of time as well as the even the absence of time. When do you
experience the absence of time? In sleep. So time arrives; time departs; I the
consciousness am, therefore timeless I am.
Then advayaṁ. Advayaṁ means what? Without division; or without duality; akhaṇḍa
is there; that can be without duality; advaya can be without a second consciousness.
So bodies are many; minds are many; but consciousness are not many; there is only
one consciousness, in and through all the bodies. So therefore, advyaya; One
consciousness only.
Then akhaṇḍa, undivided consciousness; partless consciousness, that is why it is

often compared to ākāśa; space can never be divided. If space can be cut and you
can bring a portion, when you are travelling in plane, you will see vast stretches of
empty land; nobody is there; you can cut a big chunk of space; in city there is
always space problem; you can add in your 500 sq.ft. apartment. You cannot do
that, because space is akhaṇḍam.
Page 1509

Similarly, cidākāśa rūpaḥ, is that puruṣaḥ tatvam; and where is it? buddhyaadhi
sākṣi. It is never an object of experience, but it is ever the experiencer-I. So sākṣi;
the witness consciousness, the experiencer consciousness, experiencer of what?
buddhi ādhi; experiencer of the mind, ādhi padāt, etc. the body and the world. But I
do not see the sākṣi you should not say; you cannot see the sākṣi because you are
the very seer and the seer can never be the seen. The eyes can see everything, but
eyes can never see themselves. Then what is the proof that I have got eyes?
The very existence of the ‘seen’ is proved because of the seer only; therefore even
though it is never experienceable, its existence is never questionable. It is
unexperiensable but it is unquestionably existent. Like camera; any number of
photos you have camera will not be in any of the photos; but you never doubt the
existence of camera, why? Because the photos are because of the camera.
Therefore buddhyādisākṣī dr̥k svarūpaḥ; sat asat vilakṣaṇaḥ. It is beyond temporary
existence and temporary non-existence. Sat means vyavahārika sat. Asat means
vyavahārika asat.
So ātma is beyond temporary existence and temporary non-existence; it means

what? It is permanent existence. What is temporary existence? Pot existence is
temporary; chair existence is temporary; when I say pot existence, you invariably
visualise a day when it will become non-existent. But when I say Brahman or ātma is
existent, you cannot think of a day when it will become non-existent. And that is
called permanent existence. Therefore ātma is permanent existence, which is
beyond temporary existence and non-existence. Or we can give another meaning
also. Sat and asat. Sat means kāryam; asat means kāraṇam; sat asat vilakṣaṇa
means it is beyond kāryam and kāraṇam. Prakr̥ti is kāraṇam, world is kāryam,
puruṣaḥ is beyond prakr̥ti or other than prakr̥ti; and the prapañja. So prapañja is
sat; prakr̥ti is asat; means asat; Puruṣaḥ is kārya prapañja kāraṇa prakr̥ti vilakṣaṇaḥ
puruṣaḥ. Therefore sadasad vilakṣaṇaḥ.
Then ahaṁ pada pratyaya lakṣitārthaḥ; and this puruṣaḥ, the consciousness is
implied meaning of the word ahaṁ, I; secondary meaning of the word I. lakṣitārthaḥ
means what? secondary meaning.
And why is it called secondary meaning? I will put in a simple language, so that you
can understand. I said that the body is prakr̥ti; mind is prakr̥ti, jaḍatatvam; and
Page 1510

consciousness is puruṣaḥ. And every individual is a mixture of what? The body mind
complex and puruṣaḥ. Everybody is a mixture of puruṣaḥ and prakr̥ti. When
everybody is a mixture of both; we can use the word I; either to refer to the prakr̥ti
aspect or you can use the word I to what? the puruṣaḥ aspect, because in our
common parlance, we use the word I in different meaning. And the other person is
not confused, because he knows the context. When I say I am very fat, which part
you take; body or mind; you take only body part; I have mind or not; if I do not
have mind, I would not say I am fat. Even when I say I am a fat, I do have a mind,
but you do not take the meaning of the I, as the mind part; only body-part you
understand.
When I say I am intelligent, which part you understand. Not body; the mind part;
therefore the word I, can either refer to the body part; or refer to the mind part; in
short, it can refer to the prakr̥ti part, which is very very common. And whatever is
common is called primary meaning. 99% of the people use the word I to indicate
either the body or mind part; prakr̥ti amśa.
But there are some rare people who have studied the vēdānta and who have
understood the vēdānta; and afterwards they also use the word-I; and they do not
refer to the body part; they do not refer to the mind part, but they refer to which
part; only the consciousness-part.
And when you refer to the consciousness part, it is said to be the implied meaning of
the word-I; or secondary meaning; why it is called secondary; because it is not
popularly used. We can take it as unpopular meaning of the word-I is consciousness.
Regular meaning of the word-I is body mind. And that is why jñāni alone is able to
say I am nithyaḥ; and I am sarvagathaḥ; and I am eternal; why because he also
uses the word; but in its special meaning; therefore in ahaṁ pada prathyaya;
prathyaya means thought or vr̥tti; so ahaṁ padasya lakṣitārthaḥ and ahaṁ vr̥ttēḥ
api lakṣitārthaḥ. It is the secondary meaning of the I-word and I-thought.
And where is it? Pratyak; it is behind; it is the very substratum of every body-mind-
complex. So pratyak; it is the very inner essence; substratum; and sadānandaḥ
ghanaḥ; you can take it as sat ananada ghanaḥ; or sadā ānandaḥ ghanaḥ; you can
take it both way; it is of the nature of the sat; and it is of the nature of ānandaḥ
also.
Page 1511

And ānandaḥ is not experiential pleasure, because experiential pleasure is finite in

nature; when we are talking about ātmānandaḥ, we are never referring to
experiential pleasure at all; ātmānandaḥ is equal to ananthaḥ. Ananthaḥ means
what? It is limitless principle. It does not lack anything. So I am ātmānandaḥ means
what: I do not lack anything in life; I do not miss anything in life; I do not want
anything in life. That non-wanting; non-lacking; non-missing nature is called
ānandaḥ or ānandatvam.
And the word ghanaḥ means unmixed with sorrow; because worldly pleasures are
pleasures but invariably you have to pay the price. Anything you want; you have to
pay the price. But ātmānandaḥ is one ānandaḥ which is ghanaḥ, which is solid,
saturated ānandaḥ, without the mixture of duḥkhaṁ; therefore, ānandaḥ māthraḥ;
and it is called what? Parātma; it is also paramātma.
उत्तम पुरुषस्त्व परमात्मेत्युधाह | ...... ||१५- १७||

uttamaḥ puruṣastvanyaḥ paramātmētyudhāhr̥taḥ | ...... ||15- 17||
उपद्रष्टानुम च भतार भोक्त महेश्वर |

परमात्मे� चाप्युक् देहेऽिस्मन्पुर परः ||१३- २३||
upadraṣṭānumantā ca bhartā bhōktā mahēśvaraḥ |
paramātmēti cāpyuktō dēhē:'sminpuruṣaḥ paraḥ ||13- 23||
Gītā Upaṇiṣad sāra is there in Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi.
इत्थ �वपिश्चत्सदसद्�व
�निश्चत तत्त् �नजबोधदृष्ट |
�ात्व स्वमात्मानमखण्डब
तेभ्य �वमुक्त स्वयमे शाम्य� ||३५२||
itthaṁ vipaścitsadaśadvibhajya
niścitya tattvaṁ nijabōdhadr̥ṣṭyā |
jñātvā svamātmānamakhaṇḍabōdhaṁ
tēbhyō vimuktaḥ svayaṁēva śāmyati ||352||
So he concludes the śravaṇam topic here. So thus in this manner, before attempting
vēdantic meditation, one has to start with this type of śravaṇam. It should go for
years; not just listening for an hour on a day or on two days. Nidhidhyāsanam is
after years of study alone.
Page 1512

And therefore itthaṁ, in this manner; vipaścit; an intelligent person, a discriminative

person, vivēki ityarthaḥ; what should he do? Sadasadvibhajya; he differentiates Sat
and asat; prakr̥ti and puruṣaḥ; māya and Brahman; anātma and ātma; he
differentiates.
And what is the differentiation? I am not the body, which is prakr̥ti; I am not the
mind, which is prakr̥ti; I am not the world, which is prakr̥ti; but I am the witness of
all of them; which is puruṣaḥ;
And what is that Puruṣaḥ? Whatever has been said in the last slōka has to be
remembered: nityaḥ; advītīya; akāndaḥ; ānandaḥ ghanaḥ; all these are whose
nature; my nature; do not think that we are talking about somebody else. I am all
these things; iti vibhajya, vibhajya, having discriminated puruṣaḥ and prakr̥ti, dr̥k
dr̥śya vivēka also is called; and tatva nischitya; and one should get conviction
regarding his real nature as puruṣaḥ. Niścayaḥ jñānaṁ, if you are not convinced
what do you require; not meditation; if you are not convinced; mananam is
required; because lack of convinction is because of doubt; doubt is the problem of
the intellect; and it only goes away by appropriate reasoning. If somebody comes
and tells that this particular Tamil Nadu express is 9 a.m. and another person says it
is 10.00 I get a doubt; what do I do; I sit in meditation; Tamil Nadu express 9.00
a.m. 10 a.m. what will happen? Nothing will happen. I should find out which is the
source of 9 am information and which is the source of 10 am information. If there
are two railway guides, check up which is the latest, etc. which is the old one; these
are all what? not meditation; enquiry, analysis, intellectual process.
Therefore conviction is only by questioning and answering. This is called pūrva pakṣa
siddanta method of analysis. And this person says; as I am not convinced, therefore
for conviction, I am sitting in meditation; it is meaningless.
And therefore tatvam niścitya; but has to get conviction, only through mananam.
And nijabōdhadr̥ṣṭyā; and how does he get this tatva jñānaṁ? Through the eye of
wisdom. Bōdhaḥ dr̥ṣṭi; through jñāna cakṣu; which is symbolically presented as a
third eye. So do not imagine, that you will get a third hole gradually as you listening;
no holes; some people say that the tilakam also symbolically represents the jñāna
cakṣu. Whatever it is; bōdha dr̥ṣṭi means jñāna cakṣu. Nija bōdha dr̥ṣṭi. I can know
Brahman through whose jñāna chaksu; nija; my guru's jñānaṁ will not benefit me;
Page 1513

therefore one's own jñānaṁ, one gets conviction; and what is that conviction? jñātva
svam ātmānam; thus having clearly known one's own real nature; as described
above; which is akhaṇḍa bōdham; undivided consciousness.
So having been thoroughly convinced; I do not expect any more proof. Many people
think that after meditation, one will get the mysterious experience that experience is
the final proof and meditation is practised for the final proof is the general
misconception. We never go to samādhi abhyāsā for the sake of final evidence.
Final evidence is what? śravaṇa manana śāstram alone is final evidence.
Then what is the samādhi abhyāsā for? Not for final proof you are going; it is only to
remove our habitual behaviour, which is so entrenched, because we have been
taking ourselves to be what? Prakr̥ti. That prakr̥ti based behaviour is very strong
orientation; breaking the orientation is the purpose of samādhi abhyāsa; we are not
seeking any more further proof and nidhidhyāsanam can never be a proof for
conviction.
And therefore Śankarācārya says; niścayaḥ must be over; even before one practices
samādhi abhyāsa. And once that niścayaḥ comes: Tēbhyo vimukthaḥ; so one
becomes vimukthaḥ; detached from; tēbhyaḥ; tēbhyaḥ means what? all the prakr̥ti
products, which was enumerated in verse 350; that is the vijñānamaya kōśa,
manōmaya kōśa, etc. and viṣayāḥ; all the objects of the world; the entire anātma
prapañja. Body-mind world; from all of them, one gets detached.
Detached means what? Not that physically detached. So I do not want to be in the
world; therefore I want to go beyond the world. Where will you go? Anywhere you
go, the world is there; there is prakr̥ti; therefore detachment is not physical moving
away; physically ātma cannot move anywhere; why, all pervading. Therefore what is
detachment? Intellectually dropping dependence on them is detachment. I am not
them; and I do not depend on them; for my pūrṇatvam; for my security; for my
existence. This understanding is detachment. That is why you can go to Badrinath
and be attached to your house. That is why any camp you go; constant STD has to
be functioning; the first day of the camp you have to see the STD booth; queue is
that long; I am OK; are you OK; everywhere. So you can physically move anywhere;
but you can still be hooked on to anātma.
Page 1514

On the other hand, physically you need not move anywhere; you can be amidst all
the people and still be unhooked; this unhooking is called vimukti. So in the bus
when you travel, if you travel, I do not know; there are so many people they are
almost sitting on your thigh. So they are physically hooked to you; but mentally? No
attachment. Because he is somebody, I am somebody; you are perfectly
jīvanmuktha with regard to that person.
So physical closeness has nothing to do with attachment and detachment; it is in the

mind; therefore jñāni is no more hooked to prakr̥ti and therefore svayaṁēva
śamyati.
Naturally, there is a relaxation. Prakr̥ti's burden is no more my burden. Prakr̥ti's

problems are no more my problems. In fact, most of the so-called problems are not
problems at all; it is prakr̥ti's nature. Svāmiji knee pain from Prime Minister onwards;
OK. So ni means what? as long as ni if you are ni, Tamil and English, mixture, ni if
you are ni, knee joint will give pain. if not knee joint, some other joint.
So therefore what you call as problem of old age, death, separation, etc. you do not
see as problem, because that is what prakr̥ti is; things will join; things will go away.
things will grow; things will decay. Things will be born; things will be gone.
Once I have understood them, as the sheer nature of prakr̥ti, resistance goes away.
Protests goes away. Complaints go away; grumblings go away; That is called
śānthiḥ; Before that he was a chatterbox; now he is silent. Svayaṁ ēva śamyati.
Hari Om.
117. Verses 353 to 355
इत्थ �वपिश्चत्सदसद्�व
�निश्चत तत्त् �नजबोधदृष्ट |
�ात्व स्वमात्मानमखण्डब
तेभ्य �वमक
ु ्त स्वयमे शाम्य� ||३५२||
Page 1515

itthaṁ vipaścitsadaśadvibhajya
niścitya tattvaṁ nijabōdhadr̥ṣṭyā |
jñātvā svamātmānamakhaṇḍabōdhaṁ
tēbhyō vimuktaḥ svayaṁēva śāmyati ||352||
Sanakarācārya wanted to talk about the necessity of śravaṇam and mananam before
Nidhidhyāsanam; if śravaṇam and mananam are not done, or they are improperly
done, then Nidhidhyāsanam will not be of much use, because in nidhidhyāsanam we
are trying to handle the vikṣēpa śaktiḥ of ajñānaṁ. In śravaṇam and mananam, we
are handling the āvaraṇa śaktiḥ of ajñānaṁ.
Without properly handling the āvaraṇa śaktiḥ, you cannot successfully handle the
vikṣēpa śaktiḥ. This is the technical reason for emphasising śravaṇam and
mananam. So this small diversion he ended in verse No.352. After emphasing
śravaṇam and mananam, now Śankarācārya comes back to the nidhidhyāsanam
topic itself; that too the samādhi abhyāsa nidhidhyāsanam topic. He comes to from
the following slōka; we will read.
अ�ानहृदयग्रन्थे�नर�वलयस्तद |
समा�धनाऽ�वकल्पे यदाऽद्वैतात्मदशर् ||३५३||
ajñānahr̥dayagranthērniḥśēṣavilayastadā |
samādhinā:'vikalpēna yadā:'dvaitātmadaḥrśanam ||353||
I had pointed out before that nidhidhyāsanam has several forms. Leading an alert
life is itself a form of nidhidhyāsanam, in which I constantly monitor my behaviour
and my behaviour should be as close to the sthitha prajñaḥ lakṣaṇāni given in the
Gītā; as much as possible; which I call imitating a jīvan muktha. By watching my
behaviour itself is a form of nidhidhyāsanam which is the most important form of
nidhidhyāsanam, compulsory for all.
Then I said the second form of nidhidhyāsanam is being in touch with the śāstra in
any way; by hearing, by reading, by writing, by discussing, by teaching; all these are
different methods, by which my mind is in the śāstram. This is the second form of
nidhidhyāsanam. And I said a person can confine to these two nidhidyaśanam forms
themselves and that is enough for assimilation; but for some people, these two
forms of nidhidhyāsanam are not sufficient and for those people the third form of
nidhidhyāsanam becomes relevant and important, which I called samādhi abhyāsa
nidhidhyāsanam and I defined samādhi abhyāsa as focussed recollection of the
Page 1516

teaching, in a specially designed atmosphere, aiming for absorption. So focussed

recollection of the teaching, which means in samādhi abhyāsa, we are not aiming at
thoughtlessness. This is not vēdantic approach. Vedantic nidhidhyāsanam involves
entertaining thoughts. The thoughts are based on the teaching that I receive, manō
buddhya ahaṁkāra, cittani nāhaṁ, ... cidānandaḥ rūpa śivōhaṁ. Name dvēṣa rāgau
... cidānandaḥ rūpaḥ.
So therefore it involves thoughts and the thoughts are not family thoughts or
election thoughts, the thoughts are I use the word: recollection. Recollecting the
teachings. And of these different thoughts, you can choose a particular thought that
is relevant to you. If rāga dvēṣa is your problem, na me dvēṣa rāgau emphasise. If
bandu mitra is the problem, you meditate upon na bandur na mithram. If guru is the
problem, I hope not!, if guru is the problem, na gurur naiva śiṣya. Therefore, choose
the form of thought, asaṅgōsmi, nityasōmi; śuddhōsmi, amrutōsmi, etc. That is what
I say, focussed recollection. Therefore thought is involved.
Then the second part is in a specially designed atmosphere, by which I mean sitting
in a proper posture, having an āsana, ṣaila ajina kuśottaram; put a proper āsana as
said in the Gītā 6th chapter, sit in Padmāsana, keep your body straight, keep your
neck straight; adjust your prāṇa; prāṇapānau śamau kritva. Thus 8-fold antaranga
sādana I discussed in the 6th chapter of the Gītā; observing or following those 8-fold
steps becomes the specially designed atmosphere. Going to a quiet place. So thus
focussed recollection in a specially designed atmosphere. Then what happens?
As I repeat the thoughts, my concentration becomes more and more and I get more
and more involved in the thoughts, which in Yōga śāstra they call dhāraṇa, dhyāna,
samādhi. First arrive at the required thought, then I keep on repeating this particular
thought and then I gradually get involved in the thought and then when I am so
much involved, I forget the entire surroundings;
dhāthru dhyāne parityajya krāmāt ekaika gōcharam;

nivāśādeepvat cittam samādhi abhidhiyate.
In Pañjadaśi Ist Chatper, Vidyāranya defines. In Samādhi, I do not have to

deliberately entertain the thought, because of the very momentum of deliberate
thinking, after some time, the mind itself rotates the same. And it is not an extra
ordinary thing. If you have attended akhaṇḍa nāma bhajana, like Om Namasivaya or
Page 1517

Hare Rāma for one hour, not even one hour; half hour is enough; that throughout
the day, without your will, Om Namasivaya continues in your continues. When a
thought continues without your will it is called effortless absorption, wherein the
ahaṁkāra has withdrawn. The will has withdrawn, the dhyāta has withdrawn. And
when the will has withdrawn, the thought of the Will also becomes sūkṣma vr̥tti.
The difference between stūla vr̥tti and sūkṣma vr̥tti is deliberately entertained
thought is called stūla vr̥tti, whereas non-deliberate thought, that goes.
Even now many of you might have some thought in the background. Today may be
an important function and that being so important for you after years it is
happening, even though you listen, I have to go there, I have to go there, that is
called sūkṣma vr̥tti, that which takes place in the sub-conciousness mind, that which
takes place in the background, like the tampura śruti, that which does not require
your deliberate thinking, such a vr̥tti is called sūkṣma vr̥tti, so this vēdantic vr̥tti
becomes sūkṣma and sūkṣma vr̥tti means it is not dominant.
So therefore, the dhyānam process also has become less dominant, because it is in
the form of sūkṣma vr̥tti, dhyāta is withdrawn, dhyānam is not dominant, the vr̥tti is
there; but it is not dominantly felt. Then once these two are withdrawn; what is left
behind; dhēyam. What is dhēyam? The object of meditation alone is dominant. And
here what is the object of meditation; Brahma. So
dhāthru dhyāne parityajya krāmāt ekaika gōcharam;

nivāśādeepvat cittam samādhi abhidhiyate.
This is called total absorption or nirvikalpaka samādhi. And Vidyāranya points out
very clearly that in nirvikalpaka samādhi also, thoughts are there.
Vr̥ttayasyasthu tadānim ajñātha adyātma gōchara;

smaranāth anumiyanthe, buddhi tasya samuddithāt.
In Pañjadaśi, Vr̥ttayaḥ, ahaṁ Brahmāsmi, or Nityōsmi or śuddōsmi, whichever

thought you deliberately entertained before, that will continue to hover in your mind,
in sūkṣma rūpam. Therefore we say in nirvikalpaka samādhi, there is sūkṣma vr̥tti.
And this is called absorption.
Page 1518

And what is the advantage of this nirvikalpaka śamadhi? As I said before, in

nirvikalpaka samādhi, we are not acquiring a new knowledge, we are only
recollecting the acquired knowledge. Therefore remember, nirvikalpaka samādhi is
not meant for a new knowledge.
Then what is the advantage? When the whole environment is quite, because I have
forgotten the world, sense organs are withdrawn, even the deliberate-will is not
involved, in that ideal, undistracted atmosphere, when I recollect the teaching, the
impact of the teaching is over. It is purely to increase the impact of the teaching.
When you hear a news which may have radical changes in your life, a good or bad
change, you want to know the consequences of that, what do you do? you go to a
quiet place and think what are the consequences in my life, why can't you do it at
home, to feel the impact, you will require a what; a quiet atmosphere. Therefore,
vr̥tti remaining the same, in nirvikalpaka samādhi, the ahaṁ brahmāsmi vr̥tti has
more impact, which is required for some people. Many people say: Svāmiji we
always like the classes in the Camp. I take the same slōka; have I improved in the
camp. I hope not. I continue to be doing the same thing; you are also the same
person. Suddenly sādana catuṣṭaya sampatti is getting more. No; everything
remaining the same, the atmosphere contributes to the impact; even though the
knowledge is not new.
Similarly in nirvikalpaka samādhi, nothing new; but the same knowledge is brought
in a special atmosphere, so that the mind will deeply absorb that. And many people
require this to eliminate many of the strong viparītha bhavana; when emotional
problems are very strong.
And how do you define strong emotional problems? Those emotional problems
which I cannot control are called strong. When depression comes, Svāmiji, I
remember Vēdānta. I tell that I should not worry. I am Brahman I keep on saying; I
am ahaṁ brahma, these are all mithya; but in spite of my repeated assertions, mind
continues to worry. Now mind is no more under your control; which means the
subconscious is controlling.
Similary, anger; many people when they are angry, they become mad; what
happens to the mind, even the body, they have no control; and they are experts
vēdantin. They can give lectures also. They can write new books also. But from
Page 1519

anger you have to keep safe distance. Thus a mind or a emotion, which is beyond
my management is called tīvraḥ viparītha bhāvana. When we have a tīvraḥ viparītha
bhāvana, nirvikalpaka samādhi abhyāsa will be useful. Whether absorption takes
place or not, the very attempt for absorption is very good. As I said, absorption is
not important. But the very process is important. Because according to śāstra,
nirvikalpaka samādhi depends upon so many factors, including one's prārabdha also.
Some people have such prārabdha; they get nirvikalpaka samādhi quickly. Some
people never get. It depends on so many factors and therefore we need not have it;
but attempt is in our hands. This also Vidyāranya says in the first chapter, Pañjadaśi.
Vr̥ttinām anuvr̥ttistu prayatnāth prathamādapi;

adr̥ṣta asakrut abhyāsa; saṁskārā sachivādbhavet.
Even adr̥ṣṭam is required for nirvikalpaka samādhi. We are not interested in

changing our prārabdha for that purpose; that is why I said; aim for absorption, the
very attempt is an exercise, which will be useful for what? tīvraḥ viparītha bhāvana
nivr̥ttihi. Tīvraḥ rāga, tīvraḥ dvēṣa; tīvraḥ bhayaṁ; some people have got bhayaṁ
problem.
One person came and told, early morning I do not know why, I get into a grip of
fear. I have tried my best. I say God is there; I say ahaṁ brahmāsmi; I say mind is
mithya; so many things; then I ask him what happens; it remains for some time,
and as the noon time comes, that fades. What to do? It is my mind, I advise mind
not to have to that; I reason out; there are certain emotions which do not seem to
be under our control; there only we should remember that it is coming from the sub-
conscious mind.
Sub-conscious mind problem, if they are simple ones, you can ignore; it will be there
for some time and it will fade away. But it is a problem. Just do not create problem
for others; silently suffer a headache. But if it does not go, then attacking the sub-
conscious is a method, and nirvikalpaka samādhi is a method of attacking deep
subconscious problem.
So therefore Śankarācārya tells here, avikalpēna samādhina, second line, by

samādhi abhyāsa, advaita ātma darśanam; one should invoke or recollect advaita
ātma jñānaṁ; darśanam means jñānaṁ, and advaita ātma darśanam means
dwelling upon the advaita jñānaṁ. Any one you can take; ahaṁ śuddhōsmi;
Page 1520

buddōsmi; nityōsmi, ānandōsmi; which one depends upon what viparītha bhāvana
disturbs you; different people have different kavalais.
Just leave them a little free; tell them to talk; they will slowly start pouring out their
things one by one; first through the mouth, then through the eyes tears come. What
happened? In 1953, 40 years back, this scar has been there. Not that everyone has
it; but many have it because, in life, we go through so many experiences, many of
them are traumatic experiences, trauma is deep wound only; and therefore I have to
choose depending upon my problem.
When I do that? yadhā; when that samādhi abhyāśāis done, tadha; tadhā means
then, ajñānā hr̥dya granthēḥ, niṣēṣa vilayaḥ; then there will be the elimination,
niṣēṣa vilayaḥ means total elimination of the hr̥dya granthiḥ; the knot of the heart;
and what is the knot of the heart; ajñānaṁ; ajñānaṁ ēva hr̥dya granthiḥ; in the
form of ajñānaṁ, in the form of viparītha bhāvana; ajñānaṁ includes viparītha
bhāvana. Śankarācārya often says avidyā vāsana.
So therefore if it is required you practice. As I said, this is not a compulsory advice

for all. If a person feels the need, he can certainly practice it. It will be useful. But
the other two forms of nidhidhyāsanams, the first two, that is required for all;
remaining in touch with śāstra and alert life, it is for all; but samādhi abhyāsa is
required, one has to take.
त्वमह�मद�मतीय कल्पन ब�द्धदोषा

ु
प्रभव परमात्मन्यद् �न�वर्शेष |
प्र�वलस समाधावस् सव� �वकल्प
�वलयनमप
ु गच्छेद्वस्तुतत्त्वाव ||३५४||
tvamahāmidamitīyaṁ kalpanā buddhidōṣāt
prabhāva ti paramātmanyadvayē nirviśēṣē |
pravilasati samādhāvasya sarvō vikalpō
vilayanamupagacchēdvastutattvāvadhr̥tyā ||354||
So he talks about the process of nirvikalpaka samādhi. It is called nir…vikalpa

because in this state, the divisions are resolved. Vikalpakaḥ means divisions.
Divisions in the form of pramātha, pramāṇam, pramēyam; dhyāta, dhyānam,
Page 1521

dhyēyam; karthā, kāraṇam, karyam; the triputi vikalpa. In English, subject-object-

instrument connecting them.
Therefore he says: tvam ahaṁ idam iti iyam kalpanā; kalpana means vikalpaḥ. So
you, this I, that is the first person, second person, third person; these vikalpās,
prabhāvati, they arise paramātmani; they arise in the paramātma; buddhi dōṣāt,
because of the ajñānaṁ; which is the defect of the intellect. Buddhi dōṣaḥ means
intellectual problem; that is why I repeatedly say; the problem is intellectual;
therefore the solution has to be intellectual only. Therefore buddhi dōṣāt;
buddhigata ajñānāt; because of ignorance, duality arises in the ātma. What type of
ātma? Nirviśēṣē advayē paramātmani. In the ātma which is without any viśēṣam;
attributes. And all also advayē; without any second thing, in the non-dual
attributeless ātma, the plurality arises because of ignorance.
And what are we trying to do? In samādhi, samādhau pravilasati sati; pravilasati;
sati sapthami; it is the seventh case. pravilasati sati; when, when the samādhi is on;
in samādhi state. Literally it means when samādhi is shine. Samādhi does not shine.
When samādhi is on; at the time of samādhi; sarvaḥ vikalpaḥ vilayanam upagacēd.
All these divisions or dualities, pluralities are resolved, and how do you resolve? Not
by remaining thoughtless; so the thoughtlessness as samādhi, we do not
recommend. Here what is samādhi? vastutattvāvadhr̥tyā; by ascertaining the nature
of the vastu, ātma svarūpa avadhr̥tyā, by ascertaining the nature of the ātma, the
paramātma, the duality is resolved.
And what do you mean by that? Ahaṁ satyam jagan mithya. Just as whatever I
experience in svapna is born out of me and resolves into me. Similarly, whatever I
experience in jāgrat is born out of me and resting in me. There is no difference
between jāgrath avastha and svapna avastha.
And you should not ask, how is it true? We are supposing you have done enough
śravaṇam and mananam. In Mānḍukya kārika, second chapter, exclusively dedicated
to show that jāgrath and svapna are essentially the same. Svapna appears real,
when you are in svapna. Jāgrath appears real when you are in jāgrath. In svapna
avastha, jāgrath is not there; svapna jāgrath, do you understand the meaning,
svapna is dream; jāgrath means waking; suddenly the doubt has come to me; in
dream waking is not there; in waking, dream is not there; who is common to both;
I, the observer alone am common; therefore ahaṁ satyam, jagan mithya. It is
Page 1522

experienced, but exerience does not prove reality. Svapna is experience, but it is
unreal. From that it is very clear, that experience does not prove reality. Similarly,
�वश्व पश्य� कायर्कारणतय स्वस्वा�मसम्बन

�शष्याचायर्त तथैव �पतप
ृ त्
ु द्यात्म भेदतः ।
viśvaṁ paśyati kāryakāraṇatayā svasvāmisambandhataḥ
śiṣyācāryatayā tathaiva pitr̥putrādyātmanā bhēdataḥ |
mātha, puthri; husband-wife; all these are what: स्वप् जाग्र वा य एष पुरुष मायाप�रभ्रा�म
svapnē jāgrati vā ya ēṣa puruṣō māyāparibhrāmitaḥ. So in my invocation of my

higher nature, all these relations, all these triputi must dissolve.
And that is what is said here; vastutattvāvadhr̥tyā; avadr̥thi means recollection.

Literally it means ascertainment and why do we use the word ascertainment. During
śravaṇam, I have already known this fact, the known fact I am ascertaining. I am
asserting. And by this assertion, all relationship, all pluralities will be reduced to
mere nāma and rūpa. They become insignificant.
That means what? They lose their capacity to deeply disturb me. Like the movie.
Seeing the movie, I may shed the tears upon the heroine. So I may shed the tears
seeing the hero or heroine; but does not create a deep scar. When I come out of the
movie, I know that it is a movie; the very same dead actress is going to act in the
next movie. Kathai (Story). So the whole thing is a kathai (story). We should be able
to do that. Svāmiji, it is difficult. Who said it is easy? I never said it is easy. It is
difficult, but it is worth it. Otherwise, suffer. Oh Mind you suffer for your foolishness.
Suffer, there is no other way.
शान्त दान्त परमप

ु रतः �ािन्तयुक् समा�धं
कुवर्िन्नत कलय�त य�तः स्वस सवार्त्मभाव |
तेना�वद्या�त�मरज�नतान्सा दग्ध् �वकल्पान
ब्रह्माकृ �नवस�त सखं
ु �निष्क् �न�व्
र कल् ||३५५||
śāntō dāntaḥ paramuparataḥ kṣāntiyuktaḥ
kurvannityaṁ kalayati yatiḥ svasya sarvātmabhāvam |
tēnāvidyātimirāja nitānsādhu dagdhvā vikalpān
brahmākr̥tyā nivasati sukhaṁ niṣkriyō nirvikalpaḥ ||355||
Page 1523

Yatiḥ samādhiṁ kurvan. Yatiḥ literally means sanyāsi. As I said, Sankarācārya has
assumed that the seeker has come to sanyāsa. Śankarācārya always expects
everyone to become a sanyāsi. Therefore either at the time of śravaṇam, you should
have become or by the time of mananam you should have; if not at least
nidhidhāsanam time you should have become. Therefore he is too optimistic.
Therefore he says, yatiḥ; we will translate it as a serious seeker. Yatatē iti yatiḥ;
yatatē means what: the one who struggles. The one who is obsessed with; the one
who considers vēdantic pursuit is top priority. Such sincere, involved, obsessed,
serious committed seeker is called yatiḥ. Not a casual amateurish approach. Such a
yatiḥ, samādhiṁ kurvan. He does the samādhi abhyāśā to remove the habitual
emotional problems. samādhiṁ kurvan; practices samādhi.
And not only at regular intervals; this is also an important value; at regular intervals;
he checks up whether sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti is there properly. In the end,
fundamental itself would have been in doubt, because the vēdānta begins with
sādana catuṣṭaya saṁpatti. I am not going to explain, OK. In the sādana catuṣṭaya
saṁpatti also, the third one, the samādhi ṣaṭka saṁpatti being extremely important,
this person should watch whether he has śamaḥ; therefore he says: śāntaḥ; what do
you mean by śamaḥ? having a balanced mind; free from violent emotions.
What is the definition of violent emotions and non-violent emotions? violent

emotions is an emotional which takes place at the level of three instruments;
manaḥ, vāk and kāya, śarīraṁ. Rises in the mind, and overflows and he starts
blabering, grumbling, he starts pouring out his story to whoever he sees whether
anybody is listening to or not; emotional has overpowered, exactly as Arjuna, went
on and on and on. Not only it overflows into the mouth in the form of words, later at
the physical level also, sīdandi, do you remember, mama gāthrāṇi mukham ca
pariśuṣyati, vepathusca sarīrēme; psychosomatic conditions come. So a violent
emotion goes beyond mind. Then we are seriously lacking śama. If we have śama,
emotions will come; anger will be there; but they will rise at the mental level and
before they flow out, I am able to handle and manage. That is called a balanced
mind. Śamatvam is sānthi. Similarly, dāntaḥ; management of sense organs,
especially the mouth, eating mouth and talking mouth. These are serious problems.
Therefore dāntaḥ; sensory discipline. Uparathaḥ; uparathaḥ means what?

Withdrawn from an extroverted life; when the life is too much extroverted, too much
Page 1524

active life, I am involved; naturally there is no time for leisurely activity, which you
call as fast life. That is what is happening? As the advancement comes, people does
not have a relaxed mind. Everything they want fast life. Workholism. Such a person
cannot relax. Any study requires leisurely mind. A stress free mind; therefore
uparathaḥ means stress-free; relaxed, leisurely, not a restlessmind, and that should
be param; param is a very important things, so it means totally or very well quiet.
And many people translate uparati as sanyāsa. So therefore leisurely life means
what sanyāsi life is leisurely life. Nothing else to do. What else? in the morning when
you get up vēdāntam, afternoon vēdāntam, evening vēdāntam, rāthri vēdāntam; no
family, no duty, therefore uparathi; they translate as sanyāsa, but we can translate
as a leisurely relaxed deep-minded. What they are trying in the TM and all. What
they are trying to do is: find out the deep inner relaxation. And they say that half an
hour relaxation is equal to hours of sleep. Generally even in our sleep, our body is
not relaxed.
Therefore uparathi means relaxation; then kṣānti; kṣāntiḥ titikṣaḥ; all coming in the
sādana catuṣṭaya saṁpatti; śama, dama, uparama, titikṣaḥ, titikṣaḥ means what?
not perturbed by opposite experiences; not allowing the environment to disturb me.
People's behaviour; people's languages, conditions at home; everybody need not
behave as you want. Not need not; will not behave, because if you say, I want you
to behave as I want; then what will happen? if if I tell you that I want you to behave
as I want; immediately that person will distort, I will do that if you will behave as I
want. Are we ready?
We want to behave as we want; we want others to behave as we want. This is

called your money is my money; my money is my money; that is the problem. If you
say your money is my money and my money is your money, it is OK. Equal.
Therefore nobody will behave as you want. If that happens, you have got a
temporary good prārabdha. That's all. That will change in some days. Therefore,
learn to brush aside these disagreements are pinpricks and ignore them; kṣamā;
then śraddha is not mentioned here; samādhim. So samādhi means citta
samādhānam; or samādhi abhyāśā kurvan. So therefore samādhi abhyāsa is here
defined as practising the sixth qualification of shamaadhi ṣaṭka saṁpatti. Very
carefully understand. Samādhi abhyāśā is nothing but what? practising the 6th
qualification of samādhi ṣaṭka saṁpatti. From that what you understand? If before
coming to vēdānta, I have śamādhi ṣaṭka saṁpatti, I do not require śamādhi
Page 1525

abhyāśāt all. If sādana catuṣṭaya saṁpatti is weak for a person, for him only
samādhi abhyāsa is necessary. That is why I said it is not meant for all. So
samādhiṁ kurvan, and when does he practice, nityam, constantly, regularly,
consistently. Yatiḥ kurvan.
And what does he do in samādhi abhyāsa? svasya sarvātma bhāvam kalayati;

kalayati means what? He recollects; he invokes, he brings to his mind. So that
means he has to entertain thoughts; and what thought he should entertain during
samādhi abhyāsa? Svasya sarvātma bhāvam. So my sarvātmabhāva, I have to
invoke.
What is sarvātmabhāva? You are not supposed to ask; I am not supposed to explain
also. In śravaṇa mananam, you should have understood. So if you want the
meaning, sarvaṁ ātma iti bhavaḥ; I am everything. I plus different names and forms
is equal to world. I plus various names and forms is equal to world; just as svapna
prapañja is nothing but the waker plus nāma rūpa alone. So पश्यन्नात् मायया ब�ह�रवोद्भू
यथा �नद्र paśyannātmani māyayā bahirivōdbhūtaṁ yathā nidrayā. So I am everything.

This he has to invoke.
Then what is the advantage? When it is done, which I called focussed recollection, in
a specially designed atmosphere; what is the advantage? the impact is very very
intense. And because of that impact, tēna, tena sarvātamabhāva abhyāsēna; so by
invoking this sarvātmabhāva, vikalpān sādhu dagdhvā; so he burns down all the
pluralities.
Literally burns down and what do you mean burning down? They are reduced to
nāma rūpa; they are not substances at all. So sādhu means thoroughly, totally,
comprehensively, fully; he burns all the pluralities, because avidyā thimira janithān;
because the pluralities, that is the triputi is born out of avidyā thimiram. Because of
the thimiram called avidyā. So when we have got some eye problems, everything
will be seen as two. Two things are there; problem is with the eye. You need not
have even problem; keep your finger here; you all will be seen as two; this is called
aupādhika bhēdaḥ. Similarly, avidyā thimiram has created a seeming plurality out of
one; and when that finger is removed, both of you, both of you means what; the
seeming duality is merged. Similarly, the triputi is dissolved. So avidyā thimira
janithān vikalpān sādhu dagdhvā.
Page 1526

Then what does he say? Since there is no plurality, I alone am there; the non-dual I
alone am there. Just as waking from dream, I come to know I alone am there in the
room, the thief I got frightened of is non-different from mind, tiger that chased me
is non-different from my mind. Similarly, I am advaitam; brahmākr̥tyā; I abide in the
form of Brahman. Akr̥tyā means rūpēṇa; brahmākr̥tyā means brahma rūpēṇa saha
yatiḥ nivasati.
Not that in nirvikalpaka samādhi it is Brahman and during the other times he is not
Brahman; it is not like that. I have been Brahman, but in nirvikalpaka samādhi, I
recollect that higher nature of mine.
It is like you go to a hospital suppose, and there you see many people having
diseases and struggling you come to know that health cannot be taken for granted.
Just when you have got everything, you take for granted. And when you go to some
hospital and see, suddenly you will get some respect for your body. Two days it will
be there. My God, I am able to move my hands freely; my legs are functioning fine,
etc. I am able to breath properly; my heart is still beating. So you when you think
you are whole, peace; not that newly got health; which you have ignored, you
invoke and you feel full. Similarly in nirvikalpaka samādhi, I invoke my fullness and
abide. So brahmākr̥tyā sukhaṁ nivasati; sukhaṁ is adverbial qualifying nivasati;
sukhaṁ nivasati; comfortably remains.
And what do you mean by that? niṣkriyāḥ; without any kriyā and nirvikalpaḥ;
without any duality. If I am a waker, jāgrath prapañja will be there; if I am a
dreamer, svapna prapañja will be there; if I am a sleeper, suṣupti prapañja will be
there; if I am turiyam; nāntha prajñām, na bahi prajñām.
Therefore nirvikalpaḥ means triputi rahitaḥ ahaṁ ēva asmi. So this is śamadhi
abhyāsa. More will be seen in the following slōkas. Śankarācārya deals with this
topic very elaborately as I said; up to 417th verse. Nirvikalpaka samādhi he will talk.
Details in the next class.
Hari Om.
Page 1527

118. Verses 356 to 360
शान्त दान्त परमुपरतः �ािन्तयुक् समा�धं

कुवर्िन्नत कलय�त य�तः स्वस सवार्त्मभाव |
तेना�वद्या�त�मरज�नतान्सा दग्ध् �वकल्पान
ब्रह्माकृ �नवस�त सुखं �निष्क् �न�व्
र कल् ||३५५||
śāntō dāntaḥ paramuparataḥ kṣāntiyuktaḥ samādhiṁ
kurvannityaṁ kalayati yatiḥ svasya sarvātmabhāvam |
tēnāvidyātimirāja nitānsādhu dagdhvā vikalpān
brahmākr̥tyā nivasati sukhaṁ niṣkriyō nirvikalpaḥ ||355||
Śankarācārya is elaborately dealing with the topic of nirvikalpaka samādhi and when
we study this topic we should very clearly know the role of samādhi, because there
are different views regarding the role of samādhi. (1) Some people point out
samādhi is the only means of getting self-knowledge or self-realisation. (2) There
are some others who contend that the samādhi is one of the methods of getting
self-knowledge or self-realisation. (3) A third set of people point out that samādhi is
the only method, which provides the ultimate proof to confirm the knowledge gained
through śravaṇam. Samādhi is the only method which gives the ultimate proof to
confirm the knowledge gained through the study of books. This is the third view. (4)
And some others point out samādhi is a compulsory exercise for attaining jīvan
mukthi.
These are all different views regarding the role of samādhi; samādhi alone gives
knowledge; or samādhi is one of the methods of giving knowledge; or samādhi is
the ultimate proof for the intellectual knowledge gained through scriptural study or
samādhi is a compulsory exercise for jīvan mukthi; all these different views, we
reject.
We do not accept any one of these four views. Our approach to samādhi is it is an
optional exercise useful for removal of habitual reactions or habitual identification
with the body. Samādhi is one of the optional exercises for the removal of habitual
dēhābhīmāna, habitual ahaṁ-mama vāsana.
Page 1528

Since we accept as an optional method, if a person practices samādhi we are not

going to be against it; but we will never prescribe as a compulsory exercise. If
samādhi is an optional exercise for viparītha bhavana nivr̥ttiḥ; what are the other
options available. I have already pointed out the other options; two of them: one is
living an alert life itself will remove viparītha bhavana. Monitoring our thoughts,
monitoring our words, monitoring our reactions is one imitating the sthira prajñaḥ of
the Gītā is one optional method.
And the other option is being in touch with the śāstram, either by reading, or writing
or discussing or teaching. These are dwelling in the śāstra; the very dwelling in the
śāstra will dilute dēhābhīmāna. Śāstra is so powerful and along with that samādhi is
presented as an optional method.
And Śankarācārya is here highlighting the samādhi part of the nidhidhyāsanam;

which we are seeing now in the 355th verse.
śāntō dāntaḥ paramuparataḥ kṣāntiyuktaḥ samādhiṁ

kurvannityaṁ kalayati yatiḥ svasya sarvātmabhāvam
In Vēdantic samādhi abhyāsa, we are not remaining thoughtless, but we are

invoking the sarvātma bhāva, received from śravaṇam. I am everything; everything
else is nāma-rūpa, superimposed upon me. Maiēva sakalam jātham, mayi sarvaṁ
prathiṣtitham; and by dwelling upon this thought constantly, as I said focussed
recollection in a specially designed atmosphere, this thought gets momentum, and
after sometime, even without my effort or will, the thought continues with they call
sūkṣma vr̥tti. Sukma vr̥tti is the name of a vr̥tti, which goes on without our will or
effort.
Not only vēdantic, even worry. When you are pre-occupied with something, if there
is a background worry, that worry is sūkṣma vr̥tti. So sūkṣma vr̥tti is possible in
anātma viṣaya; in family viṣaya; in health viṣaya; in vēdānta viṣaya also.
And this sūkṣma vr̥tti is called nirvikalpaka samādhi and because of this sūkṣma vr̥tti,
there is an impact in the intensity of that knowledge. And this impact will do what?
avidyā thimira janithān vikalpān dagdva. So all the viparītha bhāvana, dehātma
vāsana will be destroyed as by radiation. Like removing the tumor cells thorugh
Page 1529

radiation. This samādhi abhyāsa will be radiation session. And what are the
dangerous cells? The ahaṁkāra mamakāra vāsana. Up to this we saw.
समा�हता ये प्र�वला बाह्य

श्रोत् चेतः स्वमह �चदात्म� |
त एव मक
ु ्त भवपाशबन्धै
नान्य तु पारो�यकथा�भधा�यनः ||३५६||
samāhitā yē pravilāpya bāhyaṁ
śrōtrādi cētaḥ svamahāṁ cidātmani |
ta ēva muktā bhavapāśabandaiḥ
nānyē tu pārōkṣyakathābhidhāyinaḥ ||356||
So these meditators, these nidhidhyaśakās, śamāhitha, remain in samādhi; or

remain in akhaṇḍākara vr̥tti or ahaṁ brahmāsmi; the vr̥tti, pravilāpya; by dissolving
all the triputi. So pravilāpya, by dissolving the triputi.
And what are the constituents of the triputi? Bahyam; bahyam means the external
world No.1; śrōtrādi cētaḥ; so the internal and external organs; srotrādhi refers to
the bāhya kāraṇam, cētaḥ refers to the anta kāraṇam. So the kāraṇams, also they
dissolve and svam ahaṁ; their own ahaṁkāra; which refers to the subject. So
bāhyam means the object; śrōtrādi cētaḥ means the instrument; ahaṁ means the
ahaṁkāra, the subject. The subject-object-instrument triputi; karta-karma-kāraṇam
triputi pravilāpya; they dissolve.
Where? Cidātmani; in the cidātma; their own higher-I. The word ahaṁ refers to
ahaṁkāra, and the cidātma refers to sākṣi; ahaṁ is the lower-I; cidātma is the
higher-I; the lower-I is resolved into the higher-I. The cidābhāśā is resolved into the
cit.
And having resolved, what do they do? samāhithā, they remain in that condition, for
as long a time as possible. That is you invoke your higher nature and remain for long
time.
And when you invoke your higher nature, then the ahaṁkāra will become what?
insignificant; like looking at the earth from the moon. Now the earth is a very very
big planet; but when you look from the moon, earth will appear like what? Moon.
Page 1530

And the earth itself becomes moon, what to talk of Asia; what to talk of India;
shrunk; what to talk of Madras, shrunk, what to talk of Anna Nagar, still shrunk,
what to talk of your street; nothing; what to talk of your house; insignificant; and in
that corner, what about your ego? and you have got tooth ache.
So you forget the total perceptive, the smaller one will appear big; when you go to
higher-I, the ego and its tragedies are ignorable tragedies; but they are not
tragedies, they become pin-pricks. This is the method of samādhi.
And te ēva muktā; because of repeated invocations of the higher-I, the bhava pāśā;
bhava pāśā means what? The worldly ties; I, my family, my children, my grand-
children, my house, my dog; it is important, more important than your family
members; all of them, they just break off.
Therefore bhava-pāśābandēhai; te ēva muktā; they alone become liberated. The

idea is you should spend more time in the higher-I; then alone nidhidhyāsanam
works. If 23 hours I am going to invoke my husband-I or wife-I or father-I and
weekly one hour between 7-8 a.m., I invoke the higher-I; naturally, it is very very
feeble; the smallest problem will make you forget. What is vivēka? And what is
cūḍāmaṇi? Everything will go away.
And therefore, te ēva; those who invoke more of ātma alone are free from bhava
pāśābandaḥ. Bhava means saṁsāra. What about others. Anyē. Those who approach
vēdānta casually, now and then, they are only pārōkṣya kathābhi dhāyinaḥ; for them
vēdānta is a mere lip service.
Pārōkṣya kathā; it is an objective story dealing with some ātma; it is not dealing with
themselves. They will say: There is an ātma; which is ever liberated; what about I? I
am a samsāri. For them, mōkṣa appears a possibility. They claim themselves to be
an eternal sādhaka. Mōkṣam will be postponed for ever; they can at no time claim: I
AM FREE. Therefore what is the method of freedom. More invocation of the higher-I,
which is called here, samādhi abhyāsaḥ. So anyē na; nānyē should be split as anyē
na; and you have to complete the sentence by adding; anyē bhava pāśā bandaihi
muktā; the others are never liberated; they are not tall talkers of vēdānta. Pārōkṣya
kathābhi dhāyinaḥ means they talk of vēdānta; they have not internalised the
teaching. To put in our language, they have jñānaṁ; not jñāna niṣṭa.
Page 1531

उपा�धभेदात्स्वयम �भद्यत
चोपाध्यपोह स्वयमे के वलः |
तस्मादुपाधे�वर्लय �वद्वान
वसेत्सदाऽकल्पसमा�ध�नष् ||३५७||
upādhibhēdātsvayaṁēva bhidyatē
cōpādhyapōhē svayaṁēva kēvalaḥ |
tasmādupādhērvilayāya vidvān
vasētsadā:'kalpasamādhiniṣṭhayā ||357||
Here Śankarācārya points out that I enjoy a personality only because of the upādhi.
Intrinsically I do not have a personality at all; I do not have an individuality at all;
any individuality attributed to me is either because of stūla śarīraṁ proximity; that I
am a male or female; I am young or old; fat or lean; stūla śarīra dvāra.
Similarly because of sūkṣma śarīra association, I have got the attributes like rāgi,
krōdhi, dvēṣi, kāmi, etc. And similarly with kāraṇa śarīraṁ I am seen as the sleeper,
ajñāni etc. But if I look at myself from my own standpoint I am personality-less.
Therefore Śankarācārya says: upādhi bhēda; because of distinct upādhi, śarīraṁs we

can understand as body; svayaṁ ēva bhidyate, I-the ātma seem to be a specific
individual with my own private personality, differentiating me from every other
individual; they say that our thumb impression is the most unique in the world; how
great Bhagavān should be. 5 millions human beings are there; but still we have got
a uniqueness. It is caused by what? Śarīraṁ.
And therefore upādhi apōhē, when I look at myself, separating me from the upādhi,
upādhi apōhē, when the bodies are negated, when in samādhi abhyāsa. So I
deliberately withdraw from my physical body, in samādhi abhyāsa, and deliberately
withdraw from my sense organs; and deliberately withdraw from my mind and
thought, each one is upādhi āpōhaḥ.
And when I withdraw from all the upādhis, what is my personality? Just as in sleep, I
do not have any personality; in samādhi also, I do not have any personality; the only
difference is in samādhi abhyāsa, I entertain the thought that I-am-the attributeless-
sākṣi. The experience is the same in both; but here, I invoke the thought, akhaṇḍa
ākāra vr̥tti; I am the attributeless consciousness.
Page 1532

Therefore upādhi apōhē sati; sati sapthami, svayaṁ ēva kēvalaḥ; I am the non-dual
consciousness. Attributeless sākṣi. And I do not have any location, āsēno durō
vrājathi, śayāno yāti sarvathā; I do not have any location; any limitation; any form
or shape also, I do not have, and therefore what do you do? tasmāt vidvān;
therefore the wise person; and here what is the meaning of the word Vidvān? who
has become jñāni through śravaṇam and mananam, but he has not become jñāna
niṣṭavat. If there is niṣṭa, no samādhi abhyāśā required.
So since he is not jñāna niṣṭaḥ, what should he attempt? Upādēḥ vilayayāya, for the
sake of negating the upādhi, or for the sake of withdrawing from the upādhi; manō
bhudhya ahaṁkāra cittāni nāhaṁ, na sr̥otra jihve, etc. deliberately he withdraws
from every personality. For the sake of that withdrawal, sadā vase. He should
constantly remain in, remain in what? akalpa samādhi niṣṭaya. Akalpa samādhi
means nirvikalpaka samādhi. So nirvikalpaka samādhi niṣṭaya vaset; as often as
possible. Let him dismiss the worldly personalities; let him see the worldly
personalities are temporary; perishable, sorrow giving; rinānu rūpa bandēna paśu
pathni sudhādayaḥ; because of prārabdha, the personality comes; once the
prārabdha goes away, that goes away. So dismissing the worldly personality let him
invoke his real personality which is not a personality.
And what is that? Brahma svarūpam. Samādhi abhyāsam kuryat; that is the essence.
So in all these verses, there is only one: Practise samādhi. That is the one essence.
स�त सक्त नरो या�त सद्भा ह्येक�नष्ठ |

क�टको भ्रम ध्यायन भ्रमरत् कल्पत ||३५८||
sati saktō narō yāti sadbhāvaṁ hyēkaniṣṭhayā |
kīṭakō bhRāmaraṁ dhyāyan bhRāmaratvāya kalpatē ||358||
Here Śankarācārya points out that whichever personality you dwell upon most of the
time, that becomes your prominent primary personality, as good as your second
nature. And all other personalities become a vēṣam. We can decide which one
should be primary, and which one should be vēṣam; drama. If you want to invoke
the husband-hood, constantly think of wife-dhyānam.
Page 1533

Then you will find, husband-personality becomes prominent; the father-hood and
officer-hood, vēdantic studenthood, they all will become drama. Class attending is
drama.
Then who are you really. Father, mother, etc. Therefore which one should become
prominent and which one should become insignificant, you choose. A samādhi
abhyāsaka has chosen to invoke the vēdantic-I; he wants to reduce the others to
mere role-playing and the primary condition required for that is the time that you
dedicate and the sincerity that you have.
And for this Śankarācārya gives an example known as brahmara kīṭa nyāyaḥ. Worm-
wasp example. This is based on a particular theory; we do not know whether it is a
fact or not; it seems the wasp brings a small worm; and it puts within its nest or
whatever you call it; the worm tries to get out but the wasp does not allow; it
remains on the top. And whenever the worm tries to come out, it gives a stink; and
because the worm receives a stink of and on, the worm has got only one thought;
what is that? when will it stink; it does not know and therefore it has got sadā
brahamara dhyānam. What has got brahmara dhyānam? kīṭa, means the worm. And
because of constant brahmara dhyānam, after sometime, the kīṭa becomes
brahaṁara. As you think, so you become. Remember, that proverb,
watch your thoughts, they become your words,

watch your words, they become your actions;
watch your actions, they become your habit;
watch your habits, it becomes your character;
watch your character, it becomes your destiny.
It becomes your destiny means what? you become that. This is called brahmara-kīṭa
nyāyaḥ.
In the 17th chapter, Krishna says, yoyat śraddhāḥaha sa ēva saha. And similarly
nidhidhyāsaka applies the brahmara-kīdaḥ nyāya; and this nidhidhyāsaka is
comparable to a worm. Now we are all worms. That is true also. Because all the
time affected by situations; all the time afraid of predators. And what is brahmaram
or wasp? Brahman is the brahmaram; do not ask me: Is Brahman brahmaram?
Comparable to. And just as the worm thinks of the wasp all the time, of course there
the reason is what; stinking. Here Brahman will not stink you; but deliberating when
Page 1534

I think of Brahman, invoke the Brahmatvam of mine, that becomes prominent in my

life.
And what is the indication of the prominence of ahaṁ brahmāsmi? Paśyan, sr̥nvan,
spraśan, jihnan; even in the worst tragedy, I am not overpowered. Not that I will
become emotionless, we are not talking about emotionlessness; we are not
overpowered by situation, that is called Brahma niṣṭa.
So thus, in these two verses, brahmara kīṭa nyāya is applied. Śankarācārya says
here; sati saktō naraḥ. So a seeker who is committed to Brahman thought, literally it
means attached to Brahman, obsessed with Brahma Niṣṭa, so Sat means Brahman,
sati is locative case, sati means Brahmani saktaḥ means attached. And what does he
mean by attachment? samādhi abhyāsa. So if I am attached to someone, how does
it get expressed itself. All the time, my mind thinks of that object of attachment. If I
am attached to Brahman, whenever free time comes, I do not worry about other
things, an aspect of vēdānta takes hold of my mind. If sleep does not come; some
aspect or the other of vēdānta alone takes hold of my mind; that is called
attachment. In your free time, what the mind thinks, watch that; we will know what
we are attached to. Very easy to find out.
Such a person who is a samādhi abhyāsaḥ, sadbhāvaṁ yāti. He attains brahma

bhāvaḥ; which means he becomes brahma niṣṭaḥ. He does not have hesitation to
say I am nitya muktaḥ; he does not feel it is an arrogance; he does not have a
hesitation; he can boldly and strongly say, ahaṁ brahma asmi. Instead of saying
Brahmāsmi, ahaṁ muktaḥ asmi; and he does not say: But. Svāmiji ahaṁ brahmāsmi
but if you say, again problem. Put a full stop. Even if the whole world does not
believe that, he has conviction and that is called sadbhāvam yāti.
And how does he achieve? Eka niṣṭaya; by samādhi abhyāsa. Eka niṣṭa means
brahma niṣṭa; brahma niṣṭa means samādhi abhyāsa. Like what? An example is
given. Kīṭakaḥ bhramaraṁ dhyāyan. kīṭakaḥ means what? a worm, brahmaraḥ
means a wasp. Dhyāyan, meditating upon the brahmara; what happens to the
worm? Bhramaratvāya kalpatē; the worm itself becomes a vasp.
So we also study the four stages of that wasp and some of the other ones;
butterflies and all. first seed, caterpillar, pupa, butterfly, etc. They have also got four
āsramas! Remember 4 āsramas are there for that also. So we have seen the
Page 1535

caterpillar; thereafter pupa, I do not remember, pupa stage. And then jīvan muktha
is what: flying, like attractive colourful butterfly. That is why jīvan muktha attracts
everyone. Butterfly. Is it correct? Four āsramas for everything.
�क्रयान्तरासिक्तम क�टको
ध्यायन्न�लत ह्य�लभावमृच्छ |
तथैव योगी परमात्मतत्त
ध्यात् समाया�त तदेक�नष्ठय ||३५९||
kriyāntarāsaktimapāsya kīṭakō
dhyāyannalitvaṁ hyalibhāvamr̥cchati |
tathaiva yōgī paramātmatattvaṁ
dhyātvā samāyāti tadēkaniṣṭhayā ||359||
Brahmara-kīṭa nyāya is explained here. So in the first two lines, the example is
explained and then the vēdantic situation. kīṭaḥ apāsya. The worm drops all the
other pre-occupations from where it came, what was its condition; what was the job,
all those things; it apāsya, it gives up; kriyāntarāsaktim, its attachment to
preoccupation with all the other actions.
Kriyāntarā means other actions; āsakti means pre-occupation. When a person is

caught as a hostage, imagine, a person is kidnapped as a hostage, what will be the
thought; that is why they talked about the Stockholm syndrome. When somebody
kidnapped by someone; the people thinks of the kidnapper only all the time. Initially
they look upon the kidnapper as an enemy, as a dreadful person; and then because
of constant thinking of that person; because he is the only one available and we do
not know what he will do next; will he release me or kill; or to take to another place;
what will he do; what will he do; what will he do; and they say; the victim becomes
attached to the kidnapper. And they begins to glorify. He becomes a hero. They call
it: Stockholm syndrome; It is true. In the case of kīṭaḥ, it has become the hostage
and who is the kidnapper, the brahmara and therefore it begins to think of that.
How? kriyāntarāsaktim; the hostage will not have any other thought; all the other
future programmes of life drop; only one thought; when will this person release me?
Will this person release me? In the same way, dropping all the other thoughts,
alitvaṁ dhyāyan; this worm thinks of the aliḥ; aliḥ here means wasp; alitvaṁ
dhyāyan; what happens? ali bhāvam r̥cchati; itself becomes a wasp.
Page 1536

This is the example; tatha ēva; in the same way, the obsessed seeker, spends as
much time, as possible, yōgi; yōgi means the meditator; the nidhidhyāsana akartā;
what does he do; kriyāntarāsaktimapāsya; that we have to supply; allots some time
to drop all his personalities; I am not a husband; I am not a wife; I am not a father;
this is an incidental vesha; this is not of a serious consequence. After a few years,
the whole things becomes a story. The next generation will remember for a few days
and thereafter, in Malayalam they say: നാമാവേശഷമായി (nāmāvaśeṣamāyi).
nāmāvaśeṣamāyi; means reduced to just name. And perhaps three generations for
tarpaṇa they might remember. Thereafter who remembers this relative worldly
personality. And we are spending so much time to nourish that ego; and this person
forgets all these stories; all these biographies, he throws away into waste paper
basket.
So yōgi apāsya. Drops all your future plans. Imagine, do not worry, I am dead
now. Do not worry. What will be the future plans. All over. That is how it happens.
When anybody dies, he has got a big list. That Poonthanam, jñānapaana is a
beautiful Malayalam slōkam; we forget that. This person plans this is coming, pongal
is coming, that is coming, this is coming, and ചത് േപാകുന് പാവം
വൃതാ; all over; what? out. This is what life is.
So therefore drop all the things for at least 15 minutes and for at least 15 minutes
imagine, you are going to die; if you are afraid, then you are not fit for this
meditation. Imagine you are going to die; then what is left; all the stories; out. Then
what do you invoke; paramātma tatvam dhyātva; when all the stories are over; what
remains is the biographyless ātma, which is called paramātma tatvam dhyātva;
samāyāti; this person becomes paramātma; becomes within quotes; becomes
paramātma as it were; for him that becomes prominent. Life becomes a drama; it
has been played well. Roles should be properly played. We are not talking about
complacency or indifference. Roles have to be played but remember that it is only a
drama for a few years. All this happens because of what: tadēkaniṣṭhayā, by
samādhi abhyāsa. So therefore practice samādhi; die to yourselves.
अतीव सू�मं परमात्मतत्त

न स्थूलदृष् प्र�तपत्तुमह |
समा�धनात्यन्तसुसू�मवृत
Page 1537

�ातव्यमाय�र�तशुद्धबु�द ||३६०||
atīva sūkṣmaṁ paramātmatattvaṁ
na sthūladr̥ṣṭyā pratipattumarhati |
samādhinātyantasusūkṣmavr̥tyā
jñātavyamāryairatiśuddhabuddhibhiḥ ||360||
So here Śankarācārya says why for some people, the impact of the knowledge is not
very much during śravaṇam. The teacher's teaching remaining the same, in some
minds, statements, in Tamil; தைறக்கற (taraikkarathu); it just pierces the heart of
some students; but for some, may be thick skinned, it does not pierce. And
therefore, just like when the wall is thick, the arrow does not stick to the wall, it hits
and falls. But if it is a soft target, the arrow hits and stays there.
Therefore, for some minds, because of insufficient preparations, the vr̥tti that takes
place is stūla vr̥ttihi; it is not powerful. And therefore Śankarācārya says here:
paramātma tatvam adīva sūkṣmaṁ; paramātma tatvam; Brahman is extremely
subtle. And it is this Brahman that is revealed by the teacher through the
statement; YOU ARE THAT: and I should receive it as what; I AM THAT. You should
not tell the teacher: YOU ARE THAT; do not laugh; I AM THAT.
And when I say, I AM THAT: what is the meaning of the word I. I should not dwell
on my physical personality, emotional, intellectual, any personality; I should mean
only the consciousness. But because of some grossness of the intellect, the student
says I am that: but because the other personalities are overpowering because of
worries; fatherly worries; motherly worries; husbandly worries; wifely worries; my
English, not in Dictionary. Therefore I am that does not have the expected impact.
That is called stūla vr̥tti. Therefore Śankarācārya says: sthūla dr̥ṣṭyā na pratipattum
arhati; a mind which is pre-occupied with worldly worries; family worries; individual
worries, receives the teaching, but it does not have the impact; it would be just like
seeing a svapna in a class. Pratipattum na arhati sthūla dr̥ṣṭyā.
And that is called asādhana catuṣṭaya saṁpannaḥ. Stūla dr̥ṣti means in the end,
stūla tvam means either vivēka is lacking or vairāgyaṁ is lacking; that vivēka
vairāgya will not be problem; kṣamā dama uparama etc. might be lacking and
therefore listening is not clean.
Page 1538

Therefore such people require what? They necessary require samādhi abhyāsa;
which they deliberately put aside the family worries; put aside the worldly worries;
individual worries they push and keep at bay. Keeping them at bay, they again
invoke samādhina ātyanta susūkṣma vr̥tyā. So by the practice of samādhi, and by
the practice of the same ahaṁ brahmāsmi vr̥tti; but now it is susūkṣma vr̥tyā;
because I have deliberately pushed aside the worry. If I do that before śravaṇam, as
I say, when you keep your chappals outside, along with that, keep your wife;
husband; the family personality also there; the very śravaṇam becomes samādhi
abhyāsa.
If I do careful śravaṇam, I die to the world and family, and listen the very śravaṇam
will give sūkṣma vr̥tti; but if I do not do that; the vr̥tti is stūlam, then I have to
separately redo the śravaṇam, forgetting family and everything; and again bring the
class. Keeping at bay, when I invoke the teaching, the impact becomes powerful.
Therefore Śankarācārya says ātyanta susūkṣma vr̥tyā. So by invoking the extremely
subtle ahaṁ brahmāsmi vr̥tti; which is attained by what? Repeating; by that; āryai
jñātavyam; āryai, by the intelligent seekers, the ahaṁ brahmāsmi has to be
internalised, grasped thoroughly. Jñātavyam means internalised. Grasped; with ati
śuddha buddhibhiḥ; with the help of pure mind, which has kept aside, rāga, dvēṣa,
etc. And therefore practice samādhi.
More. Hari Om.
Page 1539

119. Verses 361 to 365
अतीव सू�मं परमात्मतत्त

न स्थूलदृष् प्र�तपत्तुमह |
समा�धनात्न्तसुसू�मवृत्
�ातव्यमाय�र�तशुद्धबु�द ||३६०||
atīva sūkṣmaṁ paramātmatattvaṁ
na sthūladr̥ṣṭyā pratipattumarhati |
samādhinātyantasusūkṣmavr̥tyā
jñātavyamāryairatiśuddhabuddhibhiḥ ||360||
Śankarācārya points out that when a person entertains vēdantic vr̥ttis, at the time of
samādhi, those very vr̥ttis will be extremely sūkṣma vr̥ttis because of freedom from
distraction. And when these vr̥ttis are extremely subtle, sūkṣma vr̥ttis, it will have a
tremendous impact in the mind of the meditator. And since this impact will be useful
in eliminating the ahaṁ mama vāsana. If a person enjoys undistracted mind, at the
time of śravaṇam itself, then the very śravaṇam will give the same impact. And
such a student will not require separate samādhi abhyāsa for getting the impact; but
if the student's mind is distracted in śravaṇam, then he will require a separate
abhyāsa, in which he is replaying the śravaṇam, which I call entertaining vēdānta
vr̥ttis again; but in an undistracted atmosphere and the advantage is sūkṣma vr̥tti
and sūkṣma vr̥tti means intensity and intensity will help in the elimination of
dehātma bhāvana. And the elimination of dehātma bhāvana will help in
experiencing, not Brahman, but experiencing the Brahma jñāna phalam. And the
experience of Brahaṁ jñāna phalam is the śāntiḥ, the santōṣaḥ; the tr̥pti, etc. This is
what Śankarācārya is conveying through all these verses.
यथा सुवण� पुटपाकशो�धतं

त्यक्त मलं स्वात्मगु समच
ृ ्छ� |
तथा मनः सत्त्वरजस्तमो
ध्याने सन्त्य समे�त तत्त्व ||३६१||
yathā suvarṇaṁ puṭapākaśōdhitaṁ
tyaktvā malaṁ svātmaguṇaṁ samr̥cchati |
tathā manaḥ sattvarāja stamōmalaṁ
dhyānēna santyajya samēti tattvam ||361||
Page 1540

As we have been seeing the purpose of nidhidhyāsanam or samādhi abhyāśā is to

eliminate viparītha bhāvana, ahaṁ mama vāsana, dehātmana bhāvana, so we are
not acquiring anything new, but we are only removing the impurities. And since
samādhi abhyāśā is a form of impurity removal, Śankarācārya compares this process
to the purification of gold.
How is gold purified? It is heated in a crucible and when it is heated or any metal for
that matter, the impurities will come on the top in the form of a scum. I think they
call it melting process or something; and when the impurities come on the top, the
impurity is called scum; they will remove that; then the gold becomes pure. And the
purity of the gold is experienced in the form of shining and this shining is not a new
acquisition but it is only the discovery of the natural shining by the elimination of the
obstacle.
Similarly jīvan mukthi anubhava, or śānthi anubhava is not a new thing we have to
acquire, but as even the viparītha bhāvana goes out in the form of scum; then we
become jīvan mukthaḥ. Śankarācārya tells this in ātma bōdhaḥ also:
श्रवणा�द�भरुद्दीप्त�ानािग्नप� ।
जीवः सवर्मलान्मुक स्वणर्व�योत स्वय म ॥ ६६॥
śravaṇādibhiruddīptajñānāgniparitāpitaḥ |
jīvaḥ sarvamalānmuktaḥ svarṇavaddyōtatē svayam || 66||
So there he takes jñānaṁ as the fire, śravaṇam etc. as fanning; here he takes
nidhidhyāsanam or samādhi abhyāśā as the heating process. So we are heating
ourselves; smelting ourselves in the heat of samādhi abhyāsa; and many people
take it literal; you will get heated up in meditation; and so many things; it is only a
symbolic language; not that there is heat or anything; and in this heat, this will go
away. This is the idea.
Now look at the slōka; suvarṇaṁ puṭapākaśōdhitaṁ. śōdhitaṁ means purified in

what: spuṭapākaḥ; suptam means the crucible, which is a special vessel which can
withstand high degrees of temperature. Any such special vessel or crucible is called
sphuṭam; spuṭapāka means the process of heating in the crucible. So crucible heat is
called spuṭapākaḥ, śōdhitaṁ means purified by the method of crucible heating.
Page 1541

What does the suvarṇaṁ do? Malam tyaktvā. So all the impurities because of which
the gold had lost its shine; those obstacle impurities tyaktvā, the gold gives up and
then what does it acquire, it seemingly acquires svātmaguṇaṁ samr̥cchati. It attains
its own original shine. That shine represents ānandaḥ. A glooming face; a radiant
face indicates what: inner ānandaḥ. Otherwise the face is what? gloomy; swollen
face; that is covered by ahaṁ-mama vāsana.
So svātmaguṇaṁ, svātma is reflective pronoun; its own original nature of shining;

samr̥cchati; tathā; exactly in the same manner; dhyānēna, by the practice of
samādhi abhyāsa; manaḥ malam santyajya; the mind also drops its impurity. It is
very clear in this verse, samādhi abhyāsa is not for a new experience or a new
knowledge, neither we expect new knowledge, nor we expect a new proof; nor we
expect a new experience, the expectation is the removal of the impurity; santyajya;
and what is the malam here; satva rāja s tamō malam. The viparītha bhavana, the 3
forms of viparītha bhāvana, sātvic, rājasic, tāmasic viparītha bhāvana; sātvic, rājasic,
tāmasic bondages which was elaborately discussed in the 14th chapter of the Gītā.
And what is the ultimate sātvic bondage? Sātvic bondage is the notion that 'I am a
jñāni' is also a viparītha bhāvana. You know how it is a viparītha bhāvana. Jñāni
means he has got knowledge and knowledge belongs to ātma or buddhi. Awareness
belongs to ātma. I am talking about knowledge born out of pramāṇa-vicāra; by the
operation of pramāṇa, whatever new knowledge is produced, that produced
knowledge, called vr̥tti jñānaṁ, belongs to buddhi or ātma? It belongs to buddhi
only, because vr̥tti belongs to buddhi only. Therefore jñānaṁ also belongs to buddhi
only; therefore the jñāni status belongs to buddhi only. I, the ātma, is not the jñāni
also.
And Svāmiji, are you ajñāni? I am not ajñāni. So jñānitvam is satva adhyāsa;
ajñānitvam is tama adhyāsa; kartr̥tvam is rāja adhyāsa; thus satva, rāja, tamō
adhyāsaḥ; they are all called malam. And all of them are gone; that is what
Śankarācārya says in Manēṣa Pañjakam, Brahmaiva Na Brahmavid. He is not
Brahmavid; then what is he? Brahmaiva. The ignorant people look upon him as
Brahma vid; but wise person looks upon him as Brahman.
And having removed these three forms of superimposition, tatvam samēti, he

discovers his own original nature which is nirguṇa, satya, jñāna, ananada brahma
tatvam. So literally samēti means he acquires; but 'acquisition' is within inverted
Page 1542

commas, just as the gold seemingly acquires the shining; really speaking it does not
acquire the shine, only the obstacle to the shining has gone. Similarly, my acquisition
of Brahman is dropping of the notion that I am not Brahman. Abrahmatva
nivr̥ttiḥēva brahmatva prāpti rūpēṇa upācāryathe. So thus samādhi abhyāśā is
purification process.
�नरन्तराभ्यासवशात्त�द
पक्व मनो ब्रह् ल�यते यदा |
तदा समा�धः स�वकल्पविजर्
स्वतोऽद्वयानन्दरसानुभा ||३६२||
nirantarābhyāsavaśāttaditthaṁ
pakvaṁ manō brahmaṇi līyatē yadā |
tadā samādhiḥ savikalpavarjitaḥ
svatō:'dvayānandarasānubhāvakaḥ ||362||
And here Śankarācārya says that this samādhi abhyāsa will culminate in nirvikalpa
samādhi only by long and consistent practice. So he says, niranthara abhyāśā
vaśāth; because of continuous consistent regular practice; and also with the support
of prārabhdam; that is said by Vidyāranya in Pañjadaśi, by the support of this
abhyāsa, itthaṁ, itthaṁ means in the manner mentioned above.
So in this manner. Manaḥ pakvaṁ; the mind becomes pakvaṁ manaḥ, the mind
becomes a disciplined mind; an experienced mind; a disciplined mind is better
because if you say experienced, you will think of some other experiences; a
disciplined mind it becomes.
And what do you mean by disciplined mind? I am defining disciplined mind as a

mind, which is able to entertain ahaṁ brahmāsmi vr̥tti effortlessly, because of
repetition that vr̥tti becomes effortless, without requiring a will, which is called
absorption or nirvikalpaka samādhi. As long as will is required, it is called savikalpaka
samādhi, because duality is prominent. So when the will recedes, the meditator
recedes to the background, because he does not play a prominent role.
When does the meditator play a prominent role? When effort and will are required.
And initially both are required. But because of repetition, when the will and effort
gradually recede, the meditator recedes; and meditation as a wilful process recedes;
Page 1543

because when will is not there; it is no more a wilful process; then what remains is
dhēyam alone; dhyāthru dhyānē parityajya kramāt dyēyaiva gōcharam.
The object of meditation which is the subject here, that alone remains and such a
mind is called pakvaṁ manaḥ; observed mind; trained mind, prepared mind;
Brahmani dhiyatē; it is absorbed in Brahman. Brahman means what? Its own
svarūpam. I am not the mind, but I am the awareness illuminating the mind. I am
not the thoughts, but I am the awareness illumining the thoughts. I am not even the
blankness, but I am the awareness, illumining the blankness and this is called
absorption.
Even in this absorption vr̥tti or thought is very much present, but it is called sūkṣma
vr̥tti, because your deliberate will is not you. And as I have said repeatedly, a vr̥tti in
which will is not involved, is called sūkṣma vr̥tti.
So Brahmalayaṁ prāpnoti tadah; at the time of absorption, savikalpa varjithaḥ

samādhiḥ; one is in nirvikalpaka samādhi. So instead of using the word, nirvikalpaka,
Śankarācārya says savikalpa varjithaḥ; varjithaḥ; means what? Nir. If you are using
the word, varjithaḥ, it might come at the end; if you are using the word nir, it should
come at the end. So nirvikalpaka samādhi; a person is in.
And svataḥ; in that samādhi a person is entertaining what vr̥tti; the vr̥tti is ahaṁ
advaya ānandaḥ rasaḥ asmi. So it is a stage in which a person invokes
anubhavakāḥ, invoking, invoking what? the fact that ahaṁ advyaya ānandaḥ rasaḥ
asmi. I am of the nature of advaya ānandaḥ rasaḥ; the word rasaḥ means it is
without the mixture of sorrow. Ānandaḥ ghanaḥ. Dukkha amisritha ānandaḥ rasaḥ
asmi. So it is that fact I have invoked. I have brought to my mental surface; such a
nirvikalpaka samādhi, a person remains in.
समा�धनाऽनेन समस्तवासन-
ग्रन्थे�वर्नाशोऽ�खलकमर |
अन्तबर्� सवर् एव सवर्द
स्वरूप�वस्फू�तर्रय स्यात ||३६३||
samādhinā:'nēna śamastavāsanā-
granthērvināśō:'khilakarmanāśaḥ |
antarbahiḥ sarvata ēva sarvadā
Page 1544

svarūpavisphūrtirayatnataḥ syāt ||363||
So what happens as a result of this samādhi abhyāsa? Śankarācārya points out what
type of transformation it brings about in the life of a person. He says the
transformation is ahaṁkāra becomes less and less prominent; less and less
significant. Similarly mamakāra also become less prominent and significant and as
they become less prominent and significant; all the mental disturbances caused by
the prominent ahaṁ mama, those disturbances also gradually gets diluted. This is
what I call jñāna phala anubhava. Not brahma anubhavaḥ; but jñāna phala
anubhavaḥ. Receding of the mental disturbance caused by prominent ahaṁ mama;
and it being a gradual process; you are not going to see any sudden and jerky
change.
Till yesterday, you were intensely sorrowful; and you had a samādhi last night
12.37; at the time of 12.37 and morning you find all bliss o bliss floating all over. Do
not imagine any such jerky transformative thing to happen. It is a gradual receding
of the mental disturbance caused by the prominence of ahaṁ-mama, which is called
jīvan mukthi anubhava and that is why they talked about brahma vid vara, variyaan,
variṣṭa. Because it is a gradual process, you put comparative degrees; superlative
degress, lessening; like the brightening of the day; as the darkness of the night
gradually withdraws, the day becomes gradually brighter. Not that it was pitch dark
at a particular time, and in the next moment, it is very very bright, it is not like that;
at 5.00 am. you will find vaguely the outlines of the buildings and the people you
see; then you see that it is a man coming; previously you did not know this is a man
or woman; now you know that it is a man; and then you do not know who is that
man; and then after some time, you know who that man is.
Similarly, the darkness of ahaṁ mama vāsana recede; the mind feels more and
more contended; relaxed; comfortable, at ease, with itself. Life is no more a
burdensome affair. This is what is said here beautifully; ananēna samādhina.
So by this nirvikalpaka samādhi abhyāsa; śamastha vāsana granther vināśaḥ

bhavathi. So the knots of vāsana. Vāsana can be understood as dehātma vāsana or
ahaṁ mama vāsana. Habitual ahaṁkāra and habitual mamakāra; and all the
consequent reactions also are included. So therefore śamastha vāsana granthiḥ.
Page 1545

Śankarācārya tells elsewhere, they are called knots, because they cannot be easily
removed. The gordian knot, it cannot be easily removed; therefore they are
compared to knots. They are very knotty. Knotty knots. So vināśaḥ bhavathi; they
gradually recede or disappear. So nāśaḥ means disappearance; vacating, evacuting
your mind. So granthēḥ nāśaḥ bhavathi, which is felt by us in what form; the
intensity; I have told you before: the frequency, do you remember, the intensity,
and the recovery period of all your negative emotions will become smaller and
smaller. And this reduction of these three in a gradual manner will take place. That
is the indication that vēdānta is working for me. And also useful for other family
members also. They get indirect result of your attending the classes. And I get some
extra credit also. Svāmiji, I am happy that my husband or wife is attending your
class. Ok. And they tell you that you please go to the class. OK.
So therefore, granthēḥ vināśaḥ bhavathi akhila karma nāśaḥ; all the karmaas are
also destroyed; sañcitās karmās are burned, āgami karmās do not come; prarābhada
karmās will be as good as not there. Prarābhada will give its trouble. But they are as
good as destroyed, because they have lot their stink or poison; they are like
defanged cobras. Slithery beauty; when fang is gone. So akhila karma nāśaḥ;
bhidyate hr̥daya granthi, cidante sarva saṁśayāḥ; kṣiyantē casya karmāṇi.
All those mantras you should remember in this context. I am not going to the
details. And not only that, antaḥ bahihi svarūpa visphūrti syāt. He is aware of the
presence of ātma, both inside and outside. He is effortlessly, ayatnataḥ he is
effortlessly aware of the presence of ātma, both within and without. Just as a movie
goer is aware throughout the movie, that it is a motion picture happening on a
screen which is not affected by the picture. So antaḥ bahiḥ; sarvathāḥ, everywhere;
svarūpa visphūrti means the ātma svarūpam is evident; visphūrti means what?
Evident. Just as when we handle the ornaments, we use the word bangle chain ring,
but one fact is evident to us throughout the transaction; what is that? gold ēva
pursthāt; gold ēva pascāt; gold is the essence. Do we forget? We do not use the
word gold; we use the word ornament.
Similarly I use the word husband or wife or children, house, everything, but I do not
forget the essential fact. What is that? everything is ātma with different nāma and
rūpa. So svarūpa visphūrtiḥ; ayatnataḥ syāt; antaḥ bahihi sarvathāḥ; and in the
external world ātma is not evident as the caitanyaṁ; but it is evident in the form of,
Page 1546

in the form of what? existence rūpēṇa. यस्यै स्फुरण सदात्मकमसत्कल्पाथ भासते yasyaiva
sphuraṇaṁ sadātmakamasatkalpārthakaṁ bhāsatē.
When I say there is a book, my focus is on the book, but I lose sight of the is_ness
which is the aspect of Brahman. So the bookness covers the is_ness but after
samādhi abhyāsa, my transaction with book does not make me forget the existence
aspect of Brahman very much inherent in the book. This non-forgetfulness of Sat
outside is niṣṭa. And when it comes to within, not only Sat is evident, what else is
evident? Chit is also evident; that is why I say: I AM; I indicating the consciousness
and AM indicating existence. I AM is never forgotten. Father, mother, husband, wife;
I may use all these expressions; but they are what: nāma rūpa additions on I plus
AM; that is satchidātma. As long as I do not forget that. I have got niṣṭa. Therefore
ayatnataha svayaṁ vispurthihi syat; in another language, jñāna niṣṭa syaat, or to
use second chapter Gītā language, sthira prajñaḥ syāt.
श्रुत शतगणं
ु �वद्यान्मन मननाद�प |
�न�दध्यास ल�गण
ु मनन्त �न�व्
र कल्पक ||३६४||
śrutēḵ śatakuṇam vityānmananam mananātapi |
nitityāsam lakṣakuṇamanantam nirvikalpakam ||364||
So because of the abovementioned reasons, and because of the foregone

discussions, Śankarācāryā wants to emphasise the importance of śravaṇam,
mananam, nidhidhyāsanam and samādhi abhyāsaḥ, because all the four exercises
have their own contributions. And each one has got its own unique contribution,
which is irreplaceable by the other exercises.
And therefore he says: śrutēḥ śataguṇaṁ mananam vidyānam. śrutēḥ means

śravaṇam; śravaṇam is extremely important. In fact, vēdānta begins with śravaṇam.
Vēdānta begins with śravaṇam. Spiritual sādhanā begins with karma yōga. Spiritual
sādhanās begins with karma yōga; but jñāna yōga sādana begins with śravaṇam.
Therefore first give due importance to śravaṇam. And what is the definition of
śravaṇam. Do you remember. Consistent, systematic study of the vēdantic scriptures
for a length of time under the guidance of a competent guide. That is the definition
of śravaṇam. Never forget that.
Page 1547

This śravaṇam is extremely important. And then Śankarācārya says: Mananam is

equally or even more important. So mere śravaṇam will contribute its prayōjanam
but that is incomplete. There will be so many intellectual obstacles in the form of
doubt. How can I be Brahman of all the people? And how can I be one with God?
And how can the tangible world be unreal? And the most technical question is why
should I believe vēdānta? Might be somebody's opinion.
Why should I accept somebody's opinion? These are all very serious and deep
intellectual questions and as long as these questions are there; I can only say, I may
be Brahman.
Therefore every question must be answered to my conviction. And therefore

mananam is more important than śravaṇam; therefore Śankarācārya says:
sataguṇam. Sataguṇam means hundred times more powerful or important sādhana
than śravaṇam.
So mananam, anvaya is mananam śrutēḥ śataguṇaṁ vidyāt. Mananam is hundred

times more important than śravaṇam. śrutēḥ pañjame vibhakthi than śravaṇam.
Here śruti does not mean scripture; very careful; śruti has a meaning of vēdam; but
here the word śruti means vēda but it is the śravaṇa sādhana. Śravaṇam of the
vēdas.
Then mananāt nidhidhyāsanam lakṣam guṇam. Then nidhidhyāsanam is 1 lakh times

more important than mananam, because nidhidhyāsanam alone removes emotional
obstacle, because our emotional personality is more dominant than intellectual
personality. That is why we repeatedly say I know that I should not get upset
Svāmiji; I know; means what: buddhi is satisfied; but my emotional mind does not
listen to my buddhi. In fact, it is just showing the fingers like that. And it continues
to go through every emotion, right under my nose, even as I repeat ahaṁ
brahaṁāsmi, nityōsmi, śuddhōsmi, muktōsmi, etc. The mind says buddhu asi; not
buddhōsi. Therefore, all the transactions are prominently done by the emotional
personality very rarely is the intellectual personality backing the emotional mind.
That is why many great intellectual breakdowns when certain crucial situations of
attachment comes. And therefore nidhidhyāsanam is important to remove emotional
obstacles, which we call viparītha bhāvana.
Page 1548

And what about nirvikalpaka samādhi? He says I do not know how many zeros I
should add; ānandam nirvikalpakam, nirvikalpaka samādhi is countless number of
times superior to even the nidhidhyāsana and why do we say so. As I have said, the
emotions are also two-fold, superficial emotional problems, deep internal scarf of the
mind; certain traumatic experiences of loss of money, or deep insult or somebody's
death etc. they will create deep scars in the mind, which will last perhaps throughout
the life. That wound; I can never forgive that person. That person has died and
taken birth another birth as a donkey. But still when I think of him. So these are
called the deep childhood or early life; early in this life, which many people have
because life gives many shocking experiences. Very rarely people are normal.
Everybody has got some experiences; but deep traumatic experiences are there for
some people and if they also should go away; and they can eternally obstruct jīvan
mukthi. Because only I should remember; and streams of tears will flow down.
Therefore how to remove that? Samādhi abhyāsa will alone remove the deeper scars
of the emotional personality and since they are like thorn in the throat, gale
kāndakavath; in the śāstra they give the example; gala kāndakam; if there is a thorn
in the throat, everytime you swallow, there is a pain. Similarly if these emotional
scars are there; every emotional experiences is; the interesting thing is even the
nice, happy experiences come, he will say: if only that person had lived now.
Somebody will say I will die; which I am not able to accept after 20 years; if he was
there; everybody would be laughing and this person would be pouring out tears.
That means what: every experience, pleasurable or painful will bring that trauma. So
that can go only by samādhi abhyāsa. Deeper invasive surgery is required for that.
Therefore anantaṁ, nirvikalpakam.
�न�व्
र कल्पकसमा�ध स्फुट
ब्रह्मतत्त्वमव ध्रुव |
नान्यथ चलतया मनोगतेः
प्रत्ययर�व�म�श्र भवेत् ||३६५||
nirvikalpākāśamādhinā sphuṭaṁ
brahmatattvamavagamyatē dhruvam |
nānyathā calatayā manōgatēḥ
pratyayāntaravimiśritaṁ bhavēt ||365||
Page 1549

So here Śankarācārya says why he considers Nirvikalpaka samādhi as a powerful

exercise. What makes him say so? The reason he gives is: in nirvikalpaka samādhi,
since a person deliberately removes all other thoughts, he has come down to his
own deep most and total mind. Since he has very deliberately removed all other
distractions and diversions and personality, the mind that obtains is deep and
complete mind; whereas at other times, the mind available is superficial and
incomplete mind. That is why they are talking about listening skills. Now it is a very
big science is coming. Developing listening skills. Why this science should come?
Because all the time we are all listening; others are talking. The fact is: we do not
listen. This is the fact. It is very vague superficial mind and incomplete mind, I am
using these two words, one is in terms of depth, it is not there; and also in terms of
percentage, 100% mind is not involved. Unless a person undergoes a special
training, he does not listen. And that is why often in the family arguments or any
argument, even if you have answered a question, you will find the person will repeat
the same thing; you know why, he has made the question; but he has never listened
to the answer. In fact, he does not want the answer. He is happy with the
questioning. Therefore you will find that the same thing will be repeated; and do not
think that you are better; you are also exactly like that. Whatever you say or
whatever the other person says; you also have not listened.
Therefore nirvikalpaka samādhi is a process, in which we try to discover deep and

complete mind. So some scientists did research and they found that there is a
method of teaching called Teaching in hypnosis. They put the students in hypnotic
sleep and in the hypnotic sleep, it looks as though the person's mind is not listening
to the surrounding. In fact, it is in a deep condition and it is exposed and they say
whatever suggestions you give to that mind, the mind receives. And the receptivity
is supposed to be very deep and poweful. They are experimenting to find out
whether that method can be utilised to give suggestions. There what they are doing,
they are making you to go to that deep mind, the other one is you yourselves learn
to totally; in fact, die to the world; and discover the deep and complete mind; and in
that complete mind, whatever vr̥tti you entertain, is very very powerful; like a small
flame kept in pitch darkness. It will be seen even miles away, if it is pitch darkness.
Similarly, he says nirvikalpaka samādhina, when a person practices nirvikalpaka

samādhi, he has created a deep and complete mind, which is at the disposal of
ahaṁ brahmāsmi vr̥tti, exclusively. Therefore, sphuṭam; extremely brilliantly,
extremely radiantly; brahma tatvam avagamyatē; brahmākhāra vr̥tti is invoked;
Page 1550

brahma tatvam is recollected; brahma tatvam is remembered. My nature is invoked

with what type of mind; a total and the deep mind. So Dayānanda Svāmi when he
used to do guided meditation; he uses a technique. Somehow I have not used that;
he uses a technique. What he does is he gives a mental sum for you; he says: seven
plus five; now you have to apply the mind; he says minus three; plus fourteen; he
gives such a list; you have to listen and find out the answer; you cannot be vague. I
am only saying certain statements you can sleep off; nothing will happen. I am not
saying that you all sleep off; they are all sentences. But I am giving a mental sum
and after giving that you will ask for answer and give you mark, he says.
Now in this mind which you have used for doing this mental sum; with this mind,
listen to what I am saying; you should have discovered for doing this mental sum,
that deep and complete mind is required. Therefore sphuṭam evidently, the vēdānta
vr̥tti is invoked; druvam; it is definite. Which is not very definite during śravaṇam.
We will be seeing all round; what is the time, who is sitting there or near; etc. and
therefore who is coming in front, some one has not come, what happened, they
wanted to go to Bangalore; poor Svāmiji is the vēdānta and one full class is gone
and hope is that at least some people would be listening throughout the class. It is
not that easy unless we have developed listening skills. Training is required.
Upāsana is prescribed for listening skill training only. And this person has never done
that also. Therefore nirvikalpaka samādhi abhyāsa is only to reinvoke that; definitely
in nirvikalpaka samādhi vēdānta vr̥ttis are entertained.
Na anyatha. Not otherwise. It is not at other times. So śravaṇakāle, deep listening is

doubtful. Mananakāle, doubtful. Other type of nidhidhyāsana kāle, doubtful; but
samādhi kāle, it is doubtlless.
That is what he says: na anyatha; not at other times. Why, manōgatēḥ calatayā;
because of the highly fluid state of the mind. Mind suddenly remembers the family;
it is very difficult, not to; suddenly remembers the office; suddenly remembers the
health. Canchalam hi mana Krishna, prāmādhi balavat driḍam. So manōgatēḥ
calatayā, because of the fickle nature of the mind, the clear invocation does not take
place anyatha; anyatha means at other times, other than samādhi.
And what happens because of the fickleness of the mind? pratyayāntaravimiśritaṁ

bhavēt. And other times like śravaṇam and mananam, pratyayāntaram other worldly
Page 1551

thoughts will get very much mixed up with vēdantic thoughts. It is an adulterated
vēdānta, whose impact is heavily minimised or it is neutralised. So
pratyayāntaravimiśritaṁ bhavēt. Therefore śamadhi abhyāsa becomes a powerful
impact giving exercise.
More. Hari Om.
Page 1552

120. Verses 366 to 369
र कल्समा�धना स्फुट
�न�व्
ब्रह्मतत्त्वमव ध्रुव |
नान्यथ चलतया मनोगतेः
प्रत्ययान्तर�व�म भवेत् ||३६५||
nirvikalpākāśamādhinā sphuṭaṁ
brahmatattvamavagamyatē dhruvam |
nānyathā calatayā manōgatēḥ
pratyayāntaravimiśritaṁ bhavēt ||365||
Śankarācārya points out what the difference is between the ahaṁ brahmāsmi iti
vr̥tti, which takes place at the time of śravaṇam; and the same vr̥tti which is
repeated at the time of samādhi abhyāsa. There is no difference in the vr̥tti. It is
ahaṁ brahmāsmi only and there is no difference in the source of the vr̥tti also.
Śāstram is the source. If the type of vr̥tti and the type of the source both remain the
same, what is the difference if vr̥tti between during śravaṇam and vr̥tti during
samādhi abhyāsa?
Śankarācārya tells the difference can be this. When a person listens to something
and grasps, either a person has the total mind and a deep mind at the time of
listening; or a person has a superficial distracted mind and it is not fully involved
mind. That is a very big chunk of the mind is worried about so many other problems.
So when the mind is not totally available and deeply available, then the vr̥tti that is
entertained in the mind happens to be feeble. That is why sometimes we listen to
certain things and it never gets registered. Or sometimes it is partly registered. Or
sometimes still worse, it is distortedly registered. That is why in one class itself, the
teacher makes the same statement, but if there are 50 people, some people miss
the statement, because they had a trip to T.Nagar and back in their mind, some
people get partly and some people hear statements which I have not mentioned.
They will tell that I said it. I cannot imagine such statements in my entire life itself.
You only said it Svāmiji! I have to thank God take precautions. I have to prove it
through the tape, because the mind is a dynamic instrument, because it is not like
the tape. Tape will record only what is spoken but mind is a dynamic entity.
Page 1553

Therefore unless there is a focused śravaṇam, deep śravaṇam, fully involved

śravaṇam, there are chances that ahaṁ brahaṁāsmi vr̥tti is not that powerful. And
that is why Vidyāranya tells jīvan mukthi vivēka. There is a text, which he divides the
students into two types, kritōpāsthi; and akritōpāsthi; the one who has practised
upāsana by which he knows how to withdraw the mind from all the external field
and channelise the mind into a focussed field; which I said is a listening skill. If
channelisation is for listening, it is skilful listening and when kritōpāsthiḥ with skilful
listening listens to vēdānta, he enjoys a deep focussed and hundred percent mind,
for him śravaṇam is samādhi abhyāsa.
And therefore śravaṇam itself produces the ahaṁ brahmāsmi vr̥tti, which has got the
fullest impact. Like sleep itself; a disturbed sleep will not give a full rest; but if you
know how to relax the body; in fact, we require training for sleeping. And if we know
how to enjoy deep sleep, they say one hour sleep is equal to several hours of
disturbed sleep.
And Vidyāranya in his Jīvan Mukthi Vivēkagrantha says majority of people are the
akritōpāsthi type, which means total mind is generally not available; deep mind is
generally not available. Therefore rarely the registration takes place. You will feel
that you have heard it somewhere; that is all it happens. I will that I have heard.
Therefore for akritōpāsthi, upāsthi means upāsana, akritōpāsthi na kritōpāsthi ēna

saha. A person who has not developed a deep and complete mind. For such people,
samādhi abhyāśā will give a deep and complete mind. Because in samādhi he is
deliberately striving to withdraw the mind, which means die to the world; he trains
himself saying I am not father, I am not mother, I am not husband, this has to go
deeply and then he entertains the vr̥tti; then the impact is so powerful that the
viparītha bhāvanās gets flushed out or burned down.
Therefore he said ānyathā calatayā manōgatēḥ. That is the crucial word. During
śravaṇam mind is highly fluid mind. Up to this we saw.
अतः समाधत्स यतेिन्द् सन ्

�नरन्तर शान्तमना प्रती |
�वध्वंस ध्वान्तमनाद्य�वद
Page 1554

कृतं सदेकत्व�वलोकने ||३६६||

ataḥ samādhatsva yatēndriyaḥ san
nirantaraṁ śāntamanāḥ pratīci |
vidhvaṁsaya dhvāntamanādyavidyāyā
kr̥taṁ sadēkatvavilōkanēna ||366||
If you technically differentiate kritōpāsthiḥ and akritōpāsthiḥ, the one with the
capacity to completely and total listening and the one who has got incomplete and
superficial listening, we can say, the one who is kritōpāsthiḥ, with the total mind, is
the one who enjoys the samādhi ṣaṭka saṁpattihi of the sādhana catuṣṭaya
sampathiḥ completely. And there also the śamaḥ, damaḥ, uparamaḥ; the word
uparamaḥ means what? he is mentally and totally asaṅgaḥ and titikṣaḥ śraddha
samādhānam; samādhānam indicates the depth of listening or depth of the mind
available for listening and uparamaḥ refers to the totality of mind. Not that one part
of mind is bothered about the mind and the financial conditions, and another part
mind is bothered about the family and financial conditions and another part of the
mind is worried about the first generation children; another part of mind is worried
about second generation children; second generation means grand children. So each
part of the mind is stuck in various parts of the world and not only in India, one is
in America, one is in Russia, one is in Japan; etc.; all over it is given and poor 1% or
2% is for Svāmiji and he has to manage with that!
Śankarācārya says that you have to do samādhi; no way out. So therefore, uparama
and samādhānam; uparama indicates no part of mind is left anywhere in the world;
that is asaṅgaḥ; sanyāsi mind it means. Sanyāsi mind is a mind which mind enjoys
total availability. Similarly the word samādhānam indicates the depth of the mind
available for śravaṇam and these two are not available for akritha upāsthi. He will
have vivēka, he will have a vairāgyam; he will have even mumukṣutvaṁ. śamādhi
ṣaṭka sampath in the third list is the trouble; and there also uparama and
samādhānam are in trouble and all such people require samādhi abhyāsa.
That is what Śankarācārya's contention is. Athaḥ, therefore to get a total and deep
mind, samādhatsva. May you practice samādhi abhyāsa. Learn dying to all
relationships. Both animate and inanimate. He is going to tell; he is going to tell; he
is going to thrash; it is a boxing bout. So samādhatsva; practice samādhi, how
yethendriya san; having withdrawn the sense organs from all the other fields. That
8-fold steps which I discussed as antharaṅga sādhana in the 6th chapter of the
Page 1555

Bhagavath Gītā, that is what is kept in mind by Śankarācārya; withdraw the sense
organs; and śanta manāḥ; not only you should have damaḥ, but you should also
have śamaḥ; śanta manāḥ means the mind is also withdrawn from the external
mind; and mind is generally struck with the things with which we are related. Some
form of mamakāra is there. Either with regard to certain people mamakāra or with
regard to certain possessions; mamakāra. Mamakāra keeps the mind struck; please
make it unstruck. Pull it out; it is difficult; is mōkṣam easy? Mōkṣa is not that easy.
Therefore śanta manāḥ; withdrawn with a śama, yatīndriyaḥ means damaḥ; śanta
manāḥ means śamaḥ. Enjoying these two qualifications, prathīcī, samādhatsva.
Śamādhatsva should be connected to prathīchi. prathīchi means in the pragātma; in
your inner self. So practice samādhi abhyāsa in your inner self; which means focus
your mind totally on your own true nature. prathīchi is sapthami vibhakthi.
Prathyang; prathyangchou; prathyangchaha; pratheechi, pratheechoho;
prathyangshu; means prathyagātma.
And when should I do? once, every year? or once a month? Śankarācārya says
nirantharam, because ahaṁkāra and mamakāra have been diligently nourished by
us and therefore both of them have become huge aśvatta vrikṣa, with śākās above
and roots below. Therefore it requires a long process. Therefore nirantharam
samādhatsva. Practice samādhi abhbyāśā for long time.
And what will happen by this? Come to the fourth line. Sadēkatvavilōkanēna. And by
dwelling upon the non-dual Sat or ātma, Sat means ātma, because ātma is Sat chit
ānandaḥ svarūpa; therefore the word Sat refers to ātma; what type of ātma?
ēkatvam; the non-dual ātma. I am without a second. There is no one other than me.
And whatever I am seeing outside, is nothing but me with different nāma rūpa. Just
as my dream world, does not exist independent of me. Similarly, this world also does
not exist other than Me; maiēva sakalam jātham. This is called Sadēkatvavilōkanam;
vilōkanam means what? Appreciating this fact; entertaining that thought.
So here vilōkanam involves a thought process. So samādhi is not a thoughtless

state; it involves the thought process, I am the non-dual ātma; asaṅgōsmi; advaitaḥ
asmi, etc.
Page 1556

By this process, what should you do. Śankarācārya says, vidhvaṁsayat dhvāntam;
remove all the darkness from your life. Dvantam means darkness. So darkness here
represents ignorance; may you totally remove. And ignorance born gloom in your
life; which disturbs your mind; in short saṁsāra. धुनोतु ध्वान् नस्तु�लतद�लतेन्द�वरव dhunōtu
dhvāntaṁ nastulitadalitēndīvaravanaṁ; So in Soundarya Lahari dhunōtu dhvāntaṁ;
may you remove darkness. That is the dhvāntaṁ here.
And how has the darkness come to my life; Anāndi avidyāya kritham; which
darkness, which gloom, which saṁsāra, is born out of beginningless ignorance. So
thus it requires a long practice for the mind to get out of this habitual worries, etc.
योगस् प्रथमद्व वाङ्�नरोधोऽप�रग् |

�नराशा च �नर�हा च �नत्यमेकान्तशील ||३६७||
yōgasya prathamadvāraṁ vāṅnirōdhō:'parigrahaḥ |
nirāśā ca nirīhā ca nityamēkāntaśīlatā ||367||
In this verse, Śankarācārya talks about certain conditions which will make samādhi
abhyāśā possible. Certain conditions which will provide the infrastructure, which will
provide ideal atmosphere for nidhidhyāsanam or samādhi abhyāsa. Without these
conditions, samādhi abhyāśā is not impossible, but it may not be that effective. For
it to be effective, what are the conditions?
What is the first one? He says, yōgasya pradhama dvaram. Yōgaḥ here means
samādhi abhyāsaḥ. So for samādhi abhyāsa, the prathama dvāram; the first
gateway, is vaṅgnirōdhaḥ; stop too much of blabbering; let us not tell blabbering;
talking. As long as the mouth is too busy, the mind is very rarely available for
serious jobs. Therefore, learn to control your mouth. This is the first step in vēdānta.
vaṅgnirōdhaḥ.
And the mouth when we say: Two fold mouth; the eating mouth; and the talking or
speaking mouth; both should be controlled; because jitham sarvaṁ nithe rathe.
நாவ அடங்கிநா, நா�ம அடங்� (Na adanganil, naalum adangum). Once the tongue
is controlled, all the other sense organs are managed.
Every vegetarianism is prescribed from that angle only. For samādhi abhyāsa,
vēdānta vicārah etc. not only the quantity of food should be looked into; but even
Page 1557

the quality of food and that is why strongly they recommend vegetarianism. Because
that also has tremendous positive influence on the mind and non-vegetarianism has
got a negative influence on the spiritual mind; and therefore vaṅgnirōdhaḥ is No.1
discipline or condition.
The second condition is avarigraḥ. Reduction of possession. Reduction of

possessions. parigrahaḥ means acquisition. Yōgaḥ.
And why do we say so? Yōga is always followed by what? remember; kshema;
acquisition means maintenance. Maintenance means worry. Therefore by acquisition
mamakāra is being nourished; whereas for sāmādhi abhyāśā we say we have to get
out of mama-kāra. And therefore reduce your parigraḥ. And when we talk about
reduction of parigrahaḥ, the ultimate reduction is sanyāsa āsrama; but if we are not
taking to sanyāsa, a simple life, in gr̥hastha āsrama is aparigraḥ. That is why we
have a saying simple living and high thinking. Otherwise it will be high living and low
thinking. Low thinking means what? What are the best eatables available.
That means physicalised thinking. Physical level thinking. And even then, you cannot
avoid possessions totally, because living requires some possession. Even a sanyāsi
has got some possessions.
Then what should you do? With regard to those possessions, do not develop strong
ownership; let it be the trusteeship concept is beautiful. I am like a trustee; it is
God's possession; or it belongs to God; I am using. And as long as I say I am using
it; I do not mind losing it. Owning, if you say, I cannot lose it; it will disturb me if I
lose it. If I say, I am using this, I do not mind, losing it because, Bhagavān's
property it is; and therefore he has the right to take it away, even without advanced
notice. This mind which is prepared to lose anything at any time is called sanyāsi
mind; such a qualification is called aparagrahaḥ. This is condition No.2.
Then the third one is Nirāśā. Nirāśā in certain languages is used in a very negative
sense. In Tamil also, it is called disappointment. നിരാശയായി. Nirāśāyāyi. In
Malayalam it is used; became despondent; disappointment, frustration.
But here nirāśā means vairāgyam or niṣkāmatvam. Freedom by binding desires.

Freedom from binding desires. I do not want to go into the details. We have dealt
with this in the Gītā, third chapter, towards the end. Kāma yēṣa krōdhaḥ yēṣa, rajō
Page 1558

guṇa samudbhavaḥ; we have dealt with the topic of kāmah. So I do not want to deal
with that. Nirāśā means niṣkāmathvam, which means freedom from binding desires.
Then the next one is nirīhā. Iha means karma; and nirīhā means niṣkarmatvam;
absence of two much of karma. Because karma also makes the mind heavily
extrovert and also it does not give you time for vēdantic pursuit.
And not only that, even if we have got some time, during that time, we will only
think of planning about the present situation of various undertaking; taking stock of
the situation; projecting the future; therefore, even if there is time, inner leisure
would not be there.
And therefore reduce the karma. Therefore of all the five-fold karma, first get rid of
niṣidda karma; then try to reduce kāmya karmās; then try to reduce prāyascitta
karma; up to this a gr̥hastha can go. He can confine to nitya naimittika karma;
duties required for discharging my responsibility as a householder. Husband is there;
wife is there; children are there; I have to be active to handle them. So reduce to
the nitya naimittika karma.
And the next step of reduction is possible only by taking to sanyāsa āsrama; in
which nitya naimittika karmās are avoided; but the essential principle is let not
karma become an obstacle for your intense śravaṇam or samādhi abhyāsa.
Therefore nirīhā cha.
And next one is, how much is over? vāng nirōdhaḥ is one; aparigraha is next, and
third is nirāśi, and then nirīhāḥ;
And nityam ekānta śilātha. Learn to remain alone in seclusion, at least for some
time. Not with TV or recorder. Alone means you are with yourselves. Do not try to
escape from yourselves by various distractions; just be with yourselves, invoking
your svarūpam. Instead of invoking the relative-I; who is related to various people
and situaton, be single.
As Svāmi Chinmāyanda beautifully says: Alone to the alone, all alone is spirituality.
You have come alone; and your life's journey is always alone, because all your
deepest emotions, nobody can share. Innermost emotions, you can try to
communicate.
Page 1559

That is why everybody complains that my family members do not understand me.
After 35 years of marriage, this complaint; what does it mean? your innermost
personality nobody can share; from that level, you are alone; in most unique one;
and you are going to Brahman which is alone. So alone to the alone; all alone;
therefore I should learn to be alone; without feeling loneliness. Feeling of loneliness
is a strong weakness of the mind.
And that is why, Krishna repeatedly says: viviktha dēśa sevithvam. And in Kaivalya
Upaṇiṣad; vivektha dēśa sukhā sthanastha. And here Śankarācārya says: ēkāntha
sīlatha. So they talk about the ēkanta sēva for Bhagavān. It is full of crowd. I do not
know; poor Bhagavān. We will allow him to sit alone. ēkāntha sīlam. How often?
nityam. As often as possible. And in fact, when we get old, we get lot of opportunity,
because we are retired; therefore we do not have much of an interaction, family
members, generally do not like to talk to us; because they are busy; or they are not
around, all settled abroad; make use of it. So consider it as a blessing; instead of
saying; nobody is there; nobody is there; do not cry; let it be a joy. Aloneness is
very good; loneliness is the problem.
So these are the five conditions which will give ideal atmosphere for samādhi
abhyāsa.
एकान्तिस्थ�त�रिन्द्रयो हेतुदर्मश्चेत
संरोधे करणं शमेन �वलयं यायादहंवासना |
तेनानन्दरसानुभू�तरचल ब्राह सदा यो�गनः
तस्मािच्चत्त�न एव सततं कायर् प्रयत मुनेः ||३६८||
ēkāntasthitirindriyōparamaṇē hēturdamaścētasaḥ
saṁrōdhē karaṇaṁ śamēna vilayaṁ yāyādahaṁvāsanā |
tēnānandarasānubhūtiracalā brāhmī sadā yōginaḥ
tasmāccittanirōdha ēva satataṁ kāryaḥ prayatnō munēḥ ||368||
Here he gives reasons for choosing these five conditions. So why do I insist on these
conditions. Not because I am a sanyāsi and therefore alone; like the monkey which
lost the tail; you know the story. The monkey lost the tail. And it became jealous of
all other monkeys which had the tail. Therefore he started propagation. Without tail,
it is very nice. All the other monkeys also cut the tails. Like that, sanyāsi does not
have anyone around. All other people are enjoying family life; there make them
Page 1560

change to our party; is it because Śankarācārya wanted to pull all other people; He
says: No No No; I have got reasons for saying what I say.
He says: ēkānta sthithiḥ. Seclusion will help in the calming down of sensory activity.
So instead of being in a glaring market place, where śabda sparsa etc. onslaught I
cannot escape, because that is the philosophy of marketing; they have to constantly
bombard you. Previously advertisement were there for various programs; many
people watch the news only. Now in the news also; they have. Now a time has
come, not that you have got advertisement between programs, it is programmes
between advertisements. Therefore what do you mean advertisement. Constant
bombarding of this is good; that is good; this is good; that is good; what to do; TV
do not on it; I am not telling; you can decide what you want to do.
Śankarācārya says: ēkanta sthithi will help you in Indriya uparamanam. Subsiding.
Quietening of sense organs. Hētuh; hētuḥ means the cause. Seclusion leads to
sensory quietitude. So ēkanta stithiḥ, indriya uparamaṇe hētuḥ bhavathi; in Saṁsr̥kt
the word hētuḥ governs sapthami vibhakthi. Therefore indirya uparamane hētuḥ;
OK.
Then if the sense organs quieten down; what is the consequence? He says, damaḥ,
cētasāḥ samrodhe kāraṇam. Quietening of the sense organs will lead to the
quietening of the mind; because sense organs alone make the mind turbulent.
Arjuna said in the Gītā; Indriyāṇi pramādhini haranthi prasabham manaḥ. And
therefore damaḥ; damaḥ means what? quietening of sense organs. Cētasāḥ
samrōdhē; in saṁrōdhē, sapthami vibhakthi; kāraṇam; sensory quietitude is the
cause for the mental quietitude. saṁrōdhē means what? Withdrawal. subsiding. OK.
Then quietitude of mind will lead to: he says: samēna. Each one is a grammatical
sentence. Hētuḥ. Full stop. Then kāraṇam, kāraṇam is there; kāraṇam also means
kāraṇam. Full stop. Then samēna. By the quietitude of the mind, ahaṁ vāsana
yāyadh; the ahaṁkāra mamakāra will also weaken. Because ahaṁkāra and
mamakāra are nourished by our thinking process only. That is why for nour̥̄ṣing any
relationship, you have constantly keep it alive by not only thinking of the object and
persons; verbally you have to keep it interacting; I love you; I love you; I love you;
honey, etc. I love you honey, you have to repeat. And regularly you have to write
cards; cards o cards. Card business is the best business now. You have to note all
the birthdays; and you have to call for that. Then Valentine days; then mother's day.
Page 1561

Father's day; then some day will come; and then you have to invoke what: that
particular ahaṁkāra; pour water and grow it; that particular mamakāra you invoke;
they are all very good individually for loukika vyavyahāra; what good? they are
necessary for loukika vyavahara. But when you are going towards mōkṣa; one has to
constantly get out; because even if I do not get out; Yamadharma rāja will force me
to get out. Why Yama should do it; can't you do it yourselves. Instead of
Yamadharmarāja forcibly taking you out, why can't you nicely grow out of that.
And therefore when you reduce these mental invocations, which nourish ahaṁ and
mama, then ahaṁ vāsana yāyād. yāyād means what; it will go away; yaa dhathu;
second conjugation; parasme padi; ......prathama puruṣaḥ; ekavachanam. It is verb.
Then what will happen. Tēna ānandaḥ rasaanubhūti acala. By that you can enjoy the
ānandaḥ which is your own very nature. So by this you can dwell in yourselves.
Invoke your ānandaḥ swarūpa. Cidānandaḥ rūpaḥ śivōhaṁ, śivōhaṁ.

not only we cut off all relations; na guruḥ; which is considered to be the most
sacred; the śāstra says, that is also a saṅgaḥ; that is śāstra is not asking you to cut
off family relations only; any saṅgha is a cause of saṁsāra. So it is ruthless
sometimes you get angry with śāstra and then you say Svāmiji I have cut off saṅga
with śāstra. If I keep the śāstra only, it says cut off all the sangha with all others; so
I am cutting of the relations with the śāstra!!
Then what śāstra says you know. In fact, that also I want to do ultimately do.
Śāstra vāsana abi tyaktavya. Therefore śāstra is never partial. It says give up sangha
with everything. And ultimately I want you to give up saṅga with even śāstra
because, a time may come, when you may not be able to read. Then if you have
Page 1562

attachment to śāstra, you will feel that I am not able to read, I am not able to read,
etc. you will feel. If you are a listening type, you feel that your ears are not hearing;
then pain in not able to listen. So therefore śāstra is impartial. Any saṅga is saṁsāra.
Ok.
So therefore tēna ānandaḥ rasānubhūti; May you invoke the ānandaḥ rasa which is
your own. Own true nature; and achala; which is achala means what; which is
unshaken; undisturbed by the events of life. Guruṇāpi duḥkhēna na vicālyathē;
because all the events in life will be seen as the natural fluctuations happening in
anātma; I do not look upon them as tragedy. So this achala ānandaḥ rasānubhūti
and ānandaḥ belongs to whom: Brāhmi; Brāhmi means what: not some oil!; do not
say Śankarācārya has talked about the oil etc.; it belongs to Brahman.
And this ānandaḥ; such brahmānandaḥ yōgi naḥa sadā bhavathi. Bhavathi
understood; for a yōgi; who is a yōgi here; samādhi abhyāśāakartā; for such a
practitioner; ānandaḥ is permanent; he does not curse loneliness; he says
தன�ைமேய இன�ைம; tanimaye inimai; enjoy. And at the same time, very important,
he does not hate people. Then that becomes a saṁsāra. Enjoy being alone; and
enjoy being with people also. That is called freedom from any form of dependence.
When people are there; for Deepavali, so many relations have come; enjoy; and
after the function; all of them go back, enjoy; both.
Tasmāt; therefore, citta nirōdhē prayatnaha kāryaḥ; and therefore a person should
put forth effort in samādhi abhyāsa. Citta nirōdhaḥ means yōga abhyāśā or samādhi
abhyāsa.
So we use the Pathanjali's Aṣṭanga yōga for this purpose. Since we are making use
of Pathanjali's system; we are using the word occurring in the Pathanjali system
itself; yōgaḥ citta vr̥tti nirōdhaḥ. Only that much.
So many other things we do not agree. Only this part. Citta nirōdhe in sandhi, it has
become nirōdhaḥ; if you split into nirodhe in the practice of samādhi abhyāsa,
prayatnaḥ kārya, effort must be put. Ēva also he has put; for this alone; all the other
exercises should become secondary in your life.
Page 1563

And satatam. And as often as possible. For the effort; munēhē; for the mūni, mūni
means the spiritual seeker. Mumukṣuḥ; the one who has done śravaṇam and
mananam.
वाचं �नयच्छात्म तं �नयच्

बुद् �धयं यच् च बु�द्धसा�� |
तं चा�प पूणार्त्म �न�वर्कल्
�वलाप् शािन्त परमां भजस् ||३६९||
vācaṁ niyacchātmani taṁ niyaccha
buddhau dhiyaṁ yaccha ca buddhisākṣiṇi |
taṁ cāpi pūrṇātmani nirvikalpē
vilāpya śāntiṁ paramāṁ bhajasva ||369||
So therefore may you practice samādhi abhyāśā and enjoy permanent peace in life.
That is the essence of this verse. And Śankarācārya composes this verse, borrowing
words from a Kathopanișad mantra.
This is to show that all the teachings are not Śankarācārya's private philosophy, but
they are all based on vēdānta. It is basic teaching. Time tested teaching. Not an
individual's experimentation on us; not a guinea pig. Śankarācārya does not want to
use us as an experimental animal. So in Kathōpanișad there is a mantra,
yacheet vaang manasi prājñāḥ, tad yacheet jñāna ātmani;

jñāna ātmani mahāti niyacheet, tat yacheet shaanta ātmani.
And the next mantra is uttiṣṭatha jāgratha prāpya varān nibhōdatha; made popular
by Svāmi Vivēkānandaḥ. Just before the uttiṣṭatha mantra; I think first chapter III
section it comes. I do not remember the exact number; Śankarācārya borrows those
words.
He says; vācaṁ ātmani niyacca. May you withdraw the vaag indriyam into your
mind; that means what: observe silence. Ātmani carefully note; here ātma means
manaḥ; manasi niyaccha. Full stop. Tam ātmānam; that mind buddhau niyaccha;
may you resolve in the buddhi. What does it mean; mind represents saṁśayaḥ;
sankalapa vikalpātmakam manaḥ; therefore the mind always has a doubt; am I
Brahman or is it a conditioning by repeating? Am I getting conditioned by the so
Page 1564

called ācāryas? Is it some kind of a conspiracy. Suddenly these kinds of doubts can
come; and the doubt will go away only by operating your rational faculty; therefore
by using the rational faculty; may you quieten your doubting Thomas mind.
Therefore resolve your mind into your buddhi. That means what? resolve your doubt
by your knowledge, conviction.
Then what should you do next? Iyaṁ buddhi sākṣini yaccha. May you resolve the
intellect also in the buddhi sākṣi. That is the ātma. May you resolve the intellect into
the sākṣi. That is the ātma, the caitanya svarūpam. And what do you mean resolving
the intellect into the sākṣi; resolving the intellect here means may the intellect
entertain these thought that I am not buddhi; but I am the sākṣi caitanyaṁ.
Manō buddhi ahaṁkāra cittāni nāhaṁ. நான �த்த இல்ை; நான ஸாக்க தான; I am
not the buddhi; I am the sākṣi. That is the resolution of the buddhi. So you should
entertain this thought; that I am sākṣi svarūpam.
Then what should you do? taṁ cāpi pūrṇātmani. And may you resolve individual
ātma into the total ātma; which is the substratum of the entire creation. May you
resolve jīvātma into paramātma.
May you resolve tvam pada lakṣyārtha into tadpada lakṣyārtha. Mahā vākyam. So
purnātma means Brahman or Tadpada lakṣyārtha.
And what do you mean by resolving? Taking Jīvātma and putting it into paramātma
and mixing it well? Resolving jīvātma into paramātma is entertaining the vr̥tti that I
am non-different from paramātma. Ahaṁ Brahmā asmi Vr̥ttiḥēva; this thought
process is called resolution.
There is no other merger other than dropping the notion that we are different. I
have told you repeatedly. Keep it always in memory. There is no other merger other
than dropping the notion that we are different between jīvātma and paramātma.
What type of paramātma it is? nirvikalpa te paramātmani vilāpya. May you resolve.
So here tam means jīvātmānam purnātmani is equal to paramātmani; nirvikalpe is
adjective to paramātma; divisionless paramātma; vilapya. May you resolve.
Page 1565

Then what should I do? paramām śantim bhajasva. And entertaining this ahaṁ
brahmāsmi vr̥tti, may be enjoy the consequence of this thought; and what is the
consequence? parama śantiḥ. Total peace of mind, may you enjoy. Here bhajasva is
not worship. bhaja means may you enjoy; accomplish.
Hari Om.
Page 1566

121. Verses 370 to 375
वाचं �नयच्छात्म तं �नयच्

बुद् �धयं यच् च बु�द्धसा�� |
तं चा�प पूणार्त्म �न�वर्कल्
�वलाप् शािन्त परमां भजस् ||३६९||
vācaṁ niyacchātmani taṁ niyaccha
buddhau dhiyaṁ yaccha ca buddhisākṣiṇi |
taṁ cāpi pūrṇātmani nirvikalpē
vilāpya śāntiṁ paramāṁ bhajasva ||369||
Śankarācārya continues with the topic of samādhi abyāsa; which becomes

compulsory for many people who have got strong ahaṁ and mama abhīmāna. And
the presence of such a strong abhīmāna expresses in the form of mental
disturbances, emotional problems; in spite of clear understanding of vēdānta. When
clear knowledge and emotional problems co-exist; we have to understand the strong
presence of ahaṁ mama vāsana. And for such people, samādhi abhyāśā becomes
necessary by which ahaṁ mama vāsanas are diluted.
This is the topic in these verses and Śankarācārya points out that this is supported
by the Upaṇiṣads also; especially in Kathōpanișad, in two three places, samādhi
abhyāśā is indicated. One is in the mantra
यच्छेद्वाङ्म प्रा�स्तद्यच्छ आत्म� ।

�ानमात्म� मह�त �नयच्छेत्तद्य च्छेच आत्म� ॥ १३॥
yacchēdvāṅmanasī prājñastadyacchējjñāna ātmani |
jñānamātmani mahati niyacchēttadyacchēcchānta ātmani || 13||
This comes in Kathōpanișad, Ist Chapter, IIIrd section; and again this is repeated in
the second chapter IIIrd section also:
यदा पञ्चाव�तष्ठन �ाना�न मनसा सह ।

बु�द्ध न �वचेष्टत तामाहुः परमां ग�तम ् ॥ १०॥
तां योग�म�त मन्यन् िस्थरा�मिन्द्रयधार ।
Page 1567

अप्रमत्तस भव�त योगो �ह प्रभवाप् ॥ ११॥

yadā pañcāvatiṣṭhantē jñānāni manasā saha |
buddhiśca na vicēṣṭatē tāmāhuḥ paramāṁ gatim || 10||
tāṁ yōgamiti manyantē sthirāmindriyadhāraṇām |
apramattastadā bhavati yōgō hi prabhavāpyayau || 11||
Thus in three verses samādhi abhyāśā has been recommended by the upaṇiṣads
also; and Śankarācārya wants to indicate the upaṇiṣadic support and therefore in
verse No.369; which we saw in the last class, Śankarācārya uses the upaṇiṣadic
expression themselves.
So yaccheet vāṅg manasi is the upaṇiṣadic verses; he uses the word vaacham
niyaachya and later words are also borrowed from the katha mantra. Up to this we
saw in the last class.
देहप्राणेिन्द्रयमनोबुद्ध्या�द�भर |
यैय�वर्त्तेःसम
ृ ायोगस्तत्तद्भ यो�गनः ||३७०||
dēhaprāṇēndriyamanōbuddhyādibhirupādhibhiḥ |
yairyairvr̥ttēḥsamāyōgastattadbhāvō:'sya yōginaḥ ||370||
Here Śankarācārya points out how the ahaṁ vāsana other called the ahaṁkāra,
otherwise called the ego becomes dominant for a person. Ego represents the worldly
or relative personality and each personality comes because of our identification with
one kōśa or the other.
When I am identified strongly with annamaya, the physical personality becomes

dominant. Naturally that I begins to worry about the physical-I. What will happen to
my health? Will I pass away without lying in the bed for long. If I fall sick, will I have
sufficient money to take care. Will the children take care of me and even if they are
willing, will the daughter-in-law or son-in-law will allow? we have got a train of
thinking. Sometimes for hours these worries take over. And all these worries are
centred on one I; and that is physical I; bothered about jarā, vyādhi, etc.
Similarly, we have got the prāṇamaya kōśa identification; which leads to another
train of worries; I use the word train, because many compartments. So it is with a
long one with many compartments of worry.
Page 1568

Similarly, I have got the manōmaya kōśa abhīmāna, invoking or evoking the
emotional personality; when I call Svāmiji physically I am fine; children are taking
care of, food is given very well; but they do not spend time with me. Emotional
problem. I want people around me to spend time; ask how are you, வ�ச்சாய��க்க
vichaayirukkaya, some words are there; how are you, are you fine; so emotional
deprivation.
And then finally comes, the intellectual-I, which is very rare. In the first three, we
will be finished, but in some please, the intellectual-I is there, bothered about the
various mysterious of the creation; why we are born; why Bhagavān creates;
created; he could have remained quiet; so all kinds of mysterious questions; either
regarding apara vidyā as in the case of scientists or with regard to para as in the
case of many philosophers. Philosophical and scientific questions torment the mind;
that is the intellectual-I. These four-I_s; some of them dominant; some of them less
dominant; they constitute the ego. Therefore he says: Upādhibhi vr̥ttēḥsamāyōgaḥ
bhavathi. With the various upādhis or kōśas, vr̥ttēḥsamāyōgaḥ there is the
connection of ahaṁ vr̥tti or ahaṁ abhīmānaha.
So here vr̥tti corresponds to abhīmāna vr̥tti; I am the body; I am the mind, iti
abhīmāna vr̥ttēḥsamāyōgaḥ; fact arises with what; upādhibhi, with various anātmas,
the kōśas; and what are those upādhis, dēha; annamaya kōśa, prāṇa; prāṇamaya
kōśa, manaḥ, manōmaya kōśa; buddhi; vijñānamaya kōśa; ānandaḥ maya kōśa is
not enumerated, because ānandaḥ maya kōśa does not invoke the ego, it only
resolves the available ego.
And therefore four kōśas are the culprits. Indriya is also enumerated, because we
are worried about our sense organs also. Eyes should see properly; ear should hear
properly. Therefore extra abhīmāna. So upādhibhiḥ saha vr̥ttēḥsamāyōgaḥ bhavathi.
And yaihi samāyōgaḥ, with whichever upādhi, the abhīmāna takes place, I become
one with that upādhi. I do not consider it as an object of my knowledge, I reach
such a tādātmyam; I get into such a tanmayatvaym; that I become like itself. Like
watching a movie or a serial; watching the character, I become one with the
character to such an extent, that whatever emotions and conditions the character
goes through, that I also. This is called tadātmyam, tanmayatvam;
tādātmyābhyāsaḥ. And therefore, tat tat bhāvaha. Bhāvaha means what? aikyam;
tādātmyam; tanmayatvam.
Page 1569

Asya, asya puruṣasya bhavathi. So tādātmyam; total identification with that kōśa
arises for an individual with whichever kōśa the abhīmāna takes place.
So grammatically the connection should be aiḥ aiḥ vr̥ttēḥsamāyōga, tat tat bhāvaḥ.
ஏந் ெயன் ேகாஶத்�தட அப�மானம ேயர்ெ�கிறேதா, அந் ேகாஶமாகேவ
ஆகிவ��கின்ட்ர. அதாகேவ ஆகிறான (yenda yenda kōśathudan abhīmānam

yerpedukiratho, antha kōśamaakave aakivividukindraan. athaakave ākiran).
Becoming. One with that.
And if these four kōśas have got a nice and comfortable journey, you are lucky. But
unfortunately, these four kōśas are never comfortable because they are constantly
tormented by adyatmika, ādhiboudika, and ādhi daivika tāpa. Therefore life's journey
becomes a journey or a drag. This is the normal biography of a layperson.
And this has been diagnosed by the vēdantic student; he has understood that
abhīmāna is the problem and therefore in samādhi abhyāsa, what does he do? He
deliberately neutralises that abhīmāna. Whatever he claimed as I-before, he
deliberately disclaims. Manō buddhi ahaṁkāra cittāni na ahaṁ; with however much
stress he did that, with that much stress he has to do the negation also. I am not
the body; I am not a husband; I am not a wife; I am not a father; he has to
practice. That is called samādhi abhyāsaḥ. And that samādhi abhyāsa is going to be
said in the next verse. The word yōgi naḥ must be connected with the next verse.
The word asya refers to ayōginaḥ puruṣasya; samsāri puruṣasya; the word yōgi naḥ
must go to the next verse. We will read.
तिन्नवृत्त मुनेः सम्यक सव�परमणं सुखम ् |

संदृश्य सदानन्दरसानुभव�वप्ल ||३७१||
tannivr̥ttyā munēḥ samyak sarvōparāmaṇaṁ sukham |
saṁdr̥śyatē sadānandarasānubhavaviplavaḥ ||371||
munēḥ, yōginaḥ samyak tannivr̥ttyā. So munēḥ means a wise person, who has gone
through vēdānta śravaṇam and mananam. So śravaṇa manana kartuḥ; or kritasya
munēḥ; and not only he has practised śravaṇa and mananam, yōginaḥ, yōgi refers
to samādhi abhyāśākartuḥ; nidhidhyāsana kartuḥ. So for such a seeker, who has
gone through śravaṇa manana and who is practising nidhidhyāsana, what happens?
tannivr̥ttyā; that strong ego; which is nourished through deliberate abhīmāna, that
strong ego is deflated. He has got the pin to puncture the ego balloon. What is the
Page 1570

pin? manōbuddhya ahaṁkāra cittāni nāhaṁ; punctured. Then I am male, I am

female; I am this and I am that; that gets deflated. Therefore tannivr̥ttyā ahaṁkāra
nivr̥ttyā, catuṣ kōśa abhīmāna nivr̥ttyā; samyak, samyak means what; thoroughly,
totally, completely; he retains it only sufficiently for performing the duties. Therefore
that ego has to be retained, but it is not retained that much to create problem; it is
put in its place. That is called functional ego. So having a functional ego, he
withdraws from all of them and the withdrawal from the ego leads to sarva
uparamaṇaṁ sukham. Along with each ego is attached a multitude of worries, like
the ants surrounding sweets. So each sweet is surrounded by so many ants; you
take the sweet; ants climb all over and bite you; every abhīmāna is one one sweet;
ants are naturally; ants are worries; connected. In all kōśas, there are each set of
ants; not in the black small ganapathy ant; but the red one, which bites; the black
small ones do not bite; it is nice only.
So therefore sarva uparamaṇam; all those ants are gone, because he has dropped
the sweets. So sarva uparamaṇaṁ, uparamaṇaṁ means what? Quietening,
subsiding; which is nothing but the sukham, the ānandaḥ born out of quietitude;
ānandaḥ born out of withdrawal; tam viddhya duḥkhaa samyōga viyōgam sukham.
Sandr̥śyathe; what is the proof if you ask, he says: what proof should I give you?
You try and seek for yourselves. It is not a posthumous practice that you practice
this and after your death, you will get ānandaḥ, No. You see it for yourselves,
sandr̥śyathe. It can be experienced in what form? sadā ānandaḥ rasa anubhava
viplavaḥ; you can enjoy the jīvanmukthi rasam, which is ānandaḥ rasaḥ; the syrup of
ānandaḥ; ok; it is all poetic; do not imagine it will be syrup, can drink and all; it is an
idiom; rasa indicates unmixed with sorrow. Śuddha ānandaḥ; duḥkkḥ rahita
ānandaḥ; anubhavaḥ experience; jīvan mukthi sukham, which is viplavaḥ; which is
saturation; literally viplavaḥ means flooding; soaking; saturation. So the saturation
of jīvan mukthi anubhava you can see for yourselves.
And as I have repeatedly said; what is jīvan mukthi is brahma jñāna phala
anubhavaḥ; we do not talk about brahma anubhava; it is not an object of
experience; but brahma jñāna phalam, in the form of santōṣa, śānthi, tr̥pthi, tyāga;
vairāgyaṁ; it is a mental state one can experience. And that is what is said here;
ānandaḥ rasa anubhava viplavaḥ.
Page 1571

In Malayalam viplavaḥ means revolution; it means problem; it is used in the context

of terrorists, militants, etc. Here, it is not in that context; plu dhātu; plavaḥ means
flooding; so here saturation.
And when does he enjoy that? sadā; because which tr̥pthi is born of jñānaṁ. It is
not born out of a particular time; particular place or particular avastha; if the
ānandaḥ is dependent on an avastha like nirvikalpaka samādhi, the ānandaḥ will be
only during samādhi. But this ānandaḥ is not determined by dēśa, kālaḥ or avastha;
this ānandaḥ is the result of wisdom.
And wisdom is one thing which you enjoy in all the time, in all the places, in all the
avastha also. 2+2 is equal to 4. And once you know that, in Madras, do you have
that knowledge 2+2 is equal to 4. America what is knowledge? 2+2 = 4. When you
are very sorrowful; 2+2 = What?
Knowledge does not depend on any condition. Therefore tr̥pti born out of jñānaṁ is
always eternal. That is why we insist on understanding and we dismiss all other
conditions. Therefore jñāna janya pūrṇatvam sandr̥śyathe.
अन्तस्त्य ब�हस्त्या �वरक्तस्य युज्यत |

त्यजत्यन्तबर्�हः �वरक्तस् मुमु�या ||३७२||
antastyāgō bahistyāgō viraktasyaiva yujyatē |
tyajatyantarbahiḥsaṅgaṁ viraktastu mumukṣayā ||372||
So there is a small mistake. tyajatyantarbahiḥsaṅgaṁ viraktastu mumukṣayā; it

should saṅgam.
In the following verses, Śankarācārya is taking another small diversion, of course

closely connected with the central topic of samādhi abhyāsa. So nidhidhyāsanam or
samādhi abhyāśā is the central theme, but he discusses all allied subjects also. In
these verses, 372 to 377 he discusses the topic of vairāgyaṁ; which is a very
important factor required for the success of samādhi abhyāsa. So whether it is the
nidhidhyāsanam or samādhi abhyāsa; whatever you call, without vairāgyaṁ, it would
not work. That is why, Arjuna said in the 6th chapter of the Gītā, He Krishna, I am
not able to focus the mind at all.
Page 1572

चञ्चल �ह मनः कृष् प्रमा बलवद दृढ म |

तस्याह �नग्र मन्य वायो�रव सुदषु ्कर म ||६- ३४||
cañcalaṁ hi manaḥ kr̥ṣṇa pramāthi balavad dr̥ḍham |
tasyāhaṁ nigrahaṁ manyē vāyōriva suduṣkaram ||6- 34||
How come I am not able to dwell on the teaching?
योऽयं योगस्त्व प्रोक साम्ये मधस

ु ूदन |
एतस्याह न पश्या� चञ्चलत्वाित्स् िस्थरा म ||६- ३३||
yō:'yaṁ yōgastvayā prōktaḥ sāmyēna madhusūdana |
ētasyāhaṁ na paśyāmi cañcalatvātsthitiṁ sthirām ||6- 33||
“I am intellectually bright enough to grasp the teaching. So I have no difficulty with

vēdānta. But I am not able to keep it in my mind, so that it will sink into me and I
can derive the benefit. So I have got prajñaḥ but not sthira prajñaḥ. Then what was
the solution prescribed by Krishna?” अभ्यासे तु कौन्ते वैराग्ये च गह्यत
ृ abhyāsēna
tu kauntēya vairāgyēṇa ca gr̥hyatē. Samādhi abhyāśā goes with vairāgyaṁ. Without
that it would not work. And therefore the role of vairāgyaṁ is discussed from this
verse up to 377; 6 verses.
And you should remember, the word vairāgyaṁ should be understood as

transcending both rāga and dvēṣa. Even the word vairāgyaṁ literally means freedom
from attachment, but we should always see attachment and hatred as two sides of
the same coin. They are twin brothers; that is why in the purāṇās also, generally the
rākṣasās are twins. śiśupāla-dhantavakra; hiraṇyakaśipu-hiranyākṣa; hiraṇyākṣa,
madhukaidabha; rāvana-kumbharaṇa; khara-dhuṣaṇa; they come in twins; they all
represent the villians inside, the rāga-dvēṣa are known as Kāma yēṣa, krōdhaḥ
yēṣa. kāma krōdhaḥ. Unless these two are managed, we do not talk about
eradication; it does not happen; unless these two are managed, I am master of
them; indriyasya indriyasārthe, rāga dvēṣau vyavasthithau; that will be there; thayōr
na vasam āgachē; do not be enslaved by rāga-dvēṣa.
This mastery over rāga-dvēṣa is called vairāgyam, because as long as rāga and
dvēṣa are there; the mind will naturally gravitate towards, either the object of hatred
or the object of attachment. Whatever you hate that will come repeatedly. Certainly
people you cannot stand. Whenever you close your eyes; their faces would be inside
Page 1573

your mind or certain people, you are attached immensely; those people also will
constantly be there. Krishna says sparśān kritvā bahir bāhyān, all the family
members are not in your house; they are all occupying your big and empty; then
only they can occupy, mind, they are occupying. Therefore the moment you close
your eyes, these people are floating in your mind; where the ahaṁ brahamāsmi will
come. Some space should be there for that! Therefore empty them; empty the mind
of them; then you can practice this. Therefore vairāgyaṁ.
And not thinking of them does not mean not caring; Only we say do not worry; but
we do not say, become indifferent. Do what you have to do; but do not keep them
in your mind eternally. Pasyan, Sr̥nvan, spr̥san; jihnan, whatever you be doing, they
will be in your mind. Do not allow that to happen. But Svāmiji it is very difficult. We
never said it is not difficult; only but it is worth attempting, because the benefits are
immense. And ultimately you have to pay the price for anything and if mōkṣa is the
one you want to buy, the price will be appropriate price. Therefore six verses on
vairāgyaṁ.
And Śankarācārya should not be talking of vairāgyaṁ here because in the

introduction sādhanā catuṣṭaya sampatti he has talked about vairāgyaṁ. Therefore
naturally we all must be having vairāgyaṁ. But why Śankarācārya talks again.
Because he knows vēdānta has been taught; but the problem is in the fundamentals.
I am M.Sc mathematics; on 2+5 doubtful; this is our condition. Therefore he repeats
the topic again.
What is vairāgyaṁ/ Antaḥ tyāgaḥ; bahiḥ tyagaḥ. Tyāgaḥ here means saṅga tyāgaḥ.
Giving up of saṅga or attachment towards the things within and the things without.
What are the things within and what are the things without; he himself will explain
later. Therefore we will be patient. In the next verse he is going to answer.
So antah bahihi saṅga tyāgaḥ; giving up of attachment towards things outside and
inside; virakthasya yujyatē is possible only for a person who has transcended rāga
dvēṣa. Who has become mature; who has grown up. Only for that person
renunciation of attachment is possible. yujyatē. And second line virakathaḥ tu antaḥ
bahihi saṅgam tyajati. So a mature person; a sadhana catuṣṭaya sampanna gives up,
attachment, clinging, which expresses in the form of constant worry; the sign of
saṅga is worry. In the form of worry it expresses. So this saṅgam both within and
without virakathaḥ tyajati.
Page 1574

And what is the purpose of this saṅga tyāga? He says mumukṣaya. Because he is a
mumukṣu, he is the seeker of mōkṣa. So mōkṣa and saṅga can never go together. If
you want saṅga better give up your desire for mōkṣa. Drop it; renounce mōkṣa.
You cannot have both as somebody nicely said: Rāma and kāma cannot co-exist. So
therefore, mumukṣaya, because of his earning for mōkṣa he renounces this
attachment. That he explains further.
ब�हस्त �वषयैः सङ्ग तथान्तरहमा�द�भ |

�वरक् एव शक्नो� त्यक्त ब्रह् �निष्ठत ||३७३||
bahistu viṣayaiḥ saṅgaṁ tathāntarahaṁādibhiḥ |
virakta ēva śaknōti tyaktuṁ brahmaṇi niṣṭhitaḥ ||373||
So here explains what are the external objects of attachment and what are the
internal objects of attachment? External objects are viṣayaiḥ bahiḥ saṅga. External
objects are the sense objects, it consists of both the inanimate possession, like
house, etc. and also people, in the form of, all kinds of relationship, all of them come
under viṣayaḥ. And the very word viṣayaḥ is derived from the root vi si to bind; that
is why it is called bandukkal; bandam it creates. How cruel vēdānta appears? Isn't.
We have got high regard, but vēdānta ruthlessly says bandhuḥ means bandaḥ.
Therefore all the viṣayās are bandās and with those bandās one has to cut those
attachment. And what about internal objects. Ahaṁ ādhibhiḥ; internal attachment is
attachment with the ego and its accomplishment. The physical accomplishment. I
am young. I am youthful; I am beautiful; I am healthy. So that is the physical and
similarly prāṇamaya kōśa accomplishments; similarly manōmaya kōśa
accomplishments; and of course finally the vijñānaṁaya kōśa accomplishments; with
each one of them, I am proud. That pride is abhīmāna. That is called the ego. And
that is why Krishna in the 10th chapter pointed out none of your so-called glories are
your glories. Buddhir buddhimatham asmi; balam balavatham asmi; yaśasvinām
yaśaḥ asmi; and in Kenopāṇished, Dēvā had to pay the price for their abhīmāna.
And therefore give up your internal abhīmāna also, which is called ahaṁ ādhibihi.
Ahaṁ means ahaṁkāra. And its glories. Is glories there for you is doubtful; if there,
give up abhīmāna in that glory. And this is not easy. The greatest problem is saṅga
tyāgaḥ. Tyāga is most difficult thing and unfortunately tyāga is the only route to
Page 1575

liberation; na karmaṇā na prājaya na danēna, tyagē naikē amr̥tatvam anaśuhu. So

without saṇga tyāga, it is impossible.
And if you are afraid now, you can postpone it; but you cannot avoid it. Postpone.
Svāmiji I want all these people; embrace; children and grandchildren; one on the left
thigh; one on the right; one on the right shoulder and one on the left shoulder, etc.
on the head; one on the back.
Vēdānta is never in a hurry to impose detachment upon you; vēdānta says if

detachment is frightening, do not think of detachment, think of growing. By
understanding more and more vēdānta, as you grow, urvāruiva bandanāt, mr̥thyōr
mukṣīya. As you grow, things will follow. Like a ripe fruit, naturally falling. Do not
concentrate on falling; concentrate on ripening. Without ripening, falling will be
fateful; you have to pluck; even if you pluck, from the tree, tears will come. That
liquid is tears. But once the fruit is ripe, you need not pluck, it naturally happens.
Therefore do not concentrate on vairāgyaṁ if it is frightening; concentrate on vivēka
ripening. But you have to. There is no choice. Therefore he says virakthaḥ ēva
śaknōti tyakthum. Only a detached person, grown out person can give up the saṅga.
Attachment or abhīmāna. And he is able to do that because he is holding on to
something higher.
Like when you are climbing a staircase; you step on a particular step; and then you
do not give up, leave that step without stepping on the higher one; take one leg and
step on the next higher one, then you are ready to leave the lower. Without keeping
your step on the higher rung, what will happen if you try to leave the lower one?
you will fall down only with heavy breakages. So therefore do not attempt leaving
both; keep one up and leave the lower one. Like that hold on to something higher.
And that is why I always say: world dependence to God dependence to Self
dependence. Become a bhaktha; then become a jñāni. Becoming first we are
rakhtha to bhaktha to jñāni. Rakhtha means what rāgi. Holding on to world.
Become a bhaktha means what? hold on to God and leave the world. Intermediary
step. And then discover that God is non-different from me; and then hold on to I;
God also as an object is renounced. Nētam yatitham upāsatē; that is what he is
saying. Brahmani niṣtitaḥ; abiding in Brahman, the higher-I, give up your lower-I.
Niṣtitaḥ means niscayēna stithaḥ. Holding on to your higher-I; give up your lower-I.
Page 1576

वैराग्यबोध पुरुषस प��वत्

प�ौ �वजानी�ह �वच�ण त्व म |
�वमुिक्तसौधाग्रलता�धरो
ताभ्या �वना नान्यतरे �सध्य� ||३७४||
vairāgyabōdhau puruṣasya pakṣivat
pakṣau vijānīhi vicakṣaṇa tvam |
vimuktisaudhāgralatādhirōhaṇaṁ
tābhyāṁ vinā nānyatarēṇa sidhyati ||374||
So here he says: vairāgyaṁ must be given as much importance as the importance

given to jñānaṁ. We emphasise the role of jñānaṁ very much. Jñānēna ēva
kaivalyam. Tam ēva vidvān amr̥utha iha bhavathi; gatasun agatasun nanu socanti
paṇḍitāḥ; we emphasise jñānaṁ very much; but after initially talking about
vairāgyaṁ in Tatva Bōdhaḥ, like forgetting our 8th standard lesson, after
examination is over, we generally forget the role and significance of vairāgyaṁ in
Tatva Bōdhaḥ that is over; sadāna sampanna adhikāriṇa is over! The role of
vairāgyaṁ continues until a person gets jīvan mukthi.
The learning is over with Tatva Bōdhaḥ. But practising is not over with tatva
bōdhaḥ; but it has to be nourished and preserved. Therefore Śankarācārya says: do
not undervalue the significance of vairāgyaṁ; it should be taken as important as
jñānaṁ.
And to convey this idea he gives a beautiful example, a bird can fly only when it has
got two healthy wings. And if somebody asks which wing is important, both wings
are equally important. Even if one wing is missing; the bird cannot fly.
Similarly, all the samsāris are like birds and they should maintain both their wings;
then alone they can fly to the mōkṣa palace. Mōkṣa is compared to a saudhām
palace; if you want to fly you have to make sure, both wings are healthy. And that is
why Śankarācārya in his well-known Annapūrna sthothram, at the end he says:
Annapūrne sadapūrne Śankarācārya prāṇa vallabhe, jñāna vairāgya (both wings you
give me). See he has correctly chosen that two. Jñāna vairāgyaṁ siddhyartham,
bhikṣām dehi ca Parvathi. Anna bhikṣai is there always; we are eating nicely; but this
bhikṣa you give me. Because it is difficult, we seek the support of God.
Page 1577

Therefore he says vairāgya bōdhaḥu puruṣaḥsya pakṣau iva. Pakṣaḥ means wing;
pakṣau means the two wings; what are they, vairāgya bōdhau; detachment;
otherwise called renunciation; both are synonymous; so detachment and knowledge,
bōdhaḥha means jñānaṁ. Both of them are like the two wings pakṣau; iva, iva
understood, are like the two wings, puruṣasya, for a seeker, pakṣivath, as in the
case of a bird, iti vijānīhi. May you note this; may you underline this. May you
remember this. Tvam vijānīhi, he vicakṣaṇaḥ, vicakṣaṇaḥ the teacher addressing the
student; Oh! intelligent one; on and off one has to pat the student; Oh! intelligent
one; Oh! smart one; vicakṣaṇaḥ.
And which one is important? Śankarācārya wants to say: do not ask me which one is
important; both of them are equally important. If you are missing jīvan mukthi, one
of them or both of them must be missing! If you find you have understood vēdānta
thoroughly, but you do not have the benefit, the problem is the vairāgyaṁ is loose. I
am loose, it means. Or vairāgyaṁ is very thorough Svāmiji. Knowledge is missing.
Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi they are saying, I am not very sure about it.
And therefore he says: thābhayaṁ vina, fourth line, without these two wings,
vimukthi saudhau agra tala adhirohanam na siddhyati. It is not possible to reach the
top of the palace of mōkṣa. Just figurative expression. Vimukthi saudhaḥ; means
vimukthi palace; mōkṣa place, agra tala means the topmost floor, the penthouse,
whatever you call it; the top most floor of the vimukthi palace, adhirōhanam means
reaching, so reaching the topmost part of mōkṣa palace, na siddhyati, is not
possible. In fact, jīvan mukthi is not possible.
Tābhyam vina. Without those two wings. Anyatarena, even with one of those two
wings, it is not possible. One cannot manage, with one; he says it is not possible. So
both of them are equally important.
अत्यन्तवैराग्य समा�धः
समा�हतस्यै दृढप्रब |
प्रबुद्धतत �ह बन्धमुिक्
मुक्तात्म �नत्यसुखानुभू�त ||३७५||
atyantavairāgyavataḥ samādhiḥ
samāhitasyaiva dr̥ḍhaprabōdhaḥ |
Page 1578

prabuddhatattvasya hi bandamuktiḥ
muktātmanō nityasukhānubhūtiḥ ||375||
And here Śankarācārya points out that jñānaṁ and vairāgyaṁ are mutually
complimentary. Each one nourishsing the other. You cannot clearly pinpoint which is
the cause which is the effect. Each one is the cause for the other, and each one is
the effect of the other. So you require a little bit learning to develop vairāgyaṁ and
once you develop vairāgyaṁ, you can do more learning and when you do more
learning, you get more vairāgyaṁ; that is how it goes. It is like you require a little
bit money to make more money. Even to get lottery, you have to spend at least one
rupee. Similarly, you require a little amount of vairāgyaṁ even to come to vēdānta.
That is why apēkṣika vairāgyaṁ is one of the qualification in sādana catuṣṭaya

saṁpatti; only then he will have some interest in Vēdānta. And when through
vēdānta he discovers pūrṇatvam; the vairāgyaṁ will become total, because now I do
not need anything to support myself. So therefore relative vairāgyaṁ leads to
knowledge and knowledge leads to total vairāgyaṁ. apēkṣika vairāgyēna jñānaṁ,
jnaanena atyantika vairāgyaṁ. So therefore he says: atyantya vairāgya vadhaḥ
samādhi.
For a person who has got vairāgyaṁ, intense vairāgyaṁ alone samādhiḥ. The
practice of samādhi abhyāsa is possible. Because if vairāgyaṁ is not there, the mind
will run towards the object of attachment. You should remember, what I have told
you before. The mind would run towards the objects of attachment. If the mind has
to be plucked away and fixed on the teachings, then vairāgyaṁ is required. So
vairāgyaṁ leads to śravaṇam also, mananam also and samādhi abhyāsaḥ.
And samādhitasya ēva, driḍa prabōdhaḥ. Only through samādhi abhyāsa, jñānaṁ
will sink into the personality, percolate into the innards into the personality, dridha
prabōdhaḥ. So we do not say samādhi produces knowledge. Very careful. Samādhi
can never give knowledge. Samādhi can convert prabōdhaḥ into driḍa probōdhaḥ.
Knowledge comes from where? Vēdānta śravaṇam. Samādhi gives the impact. So
driḍa probōdhaḥ. Prabuddha tatvasyaḥ banda muktiḥ. Only driḍa probōdhaḥ
assimilated knowledge will lead to liberation from bondage. See how he is
constructing everything step by step. Vairāgya leads to samādhi abhyāsa, samādhi
abhyāśā leads to sthira prajñaḥ, sthira prajñaḥ leads to banda mukthi. Freedom from
bondage and mukthātmanaḥ nitya sukhānubūdhiḥ. Only when there is banda mukthi
Page 1579

or jīvan mukthi. A person can get śāsvathi śānthiḥ. Nitya sukhānubhūtiḥ, the
experience of lasting peace; lasting ānandaḥ. Therefore where is the beginning.
Vairāgyaṁ. Therefore do not neglect vairāgyaṁ.
Hari Om.
Page 1580

122. Verses 376 and 377
अत्यन्तवैराग्य समा�धः
समा�हतस्यै दृढप्रब |
प्रबुद्धतत �ह बन्धमुिक्
मुक्तात्म �नत्यसुखानुभू�त ||३७५||
atyantavairāgyavataḥ samādhiḥ
samāhitasyaiva dr̥ḍhaprabōdhaḥ |
prabuddhatattvasya hi bandamuktiḥ
muktātmanō nityasukhānubhūtiḥ ||375||
Śankarācārya has been talking about the role of samādhi abhyāśā in deriving the full
impact of the vēdantic teaching, because in samādhi abhyāsa, we keep the vēdantic
teaching in our mind, which is withdrawn from the entire external world and
therefore it is the deep and total mind which is keeping the teaching.
When the teaching is kept in such a deep and total mind, the impact of the teaching
is intense. And this intensity alone we call sthira prajñaḥ and this intensity is capable
of removing deeper problems at the emotional level, which I called traumatic
experiences, which could have created problem like insecurity, fear of death,
anxiety, etc. which problem may be triggered at any time by any incident. Those
deeper sub-conscious emotional problems will be either neutralised or at least
weakened by this abhyāsa.
And since this is useful for many people, Śankarācārya is dealing with this samādhi
abhyāsa, and now he has taken to a small diversion in which he talks about the
utility of vairāgyaṁ, as a support for samādhi abhyāsa. So vairāgyaṁ as a sahakāri
kāraṇam for samādhi abhyāsa. Previously we have talked about vairāgyaṁ as a
support for śravaṇam. Now Śankarācārya is emphasising vairāgyaṁ as a support for
samādhi abhyāśā also. Thus vairāgyaṁ plays a very important role throughout the
spiritual sādhana.
And to emphasise this, Śankarācārya gave an example of the two wings of a bird.
How both are required for the flight of the bird. Similarly, for the mumukṣu to fly to
Page 1581

mōkṣa, he requires both the wings equally strong. And those two wings are bōdhaḥ,
driḍa bōdhaḥ and vairāgyaṁ.
And in the 375 verse, he talked about the mechanism, how vairāgya plays an
important role in samādhi abhyāsa. The mechanism is like this. When I do not have
vairāgyaṁ, naturally I have got rāga and dvēṣa problem. Towards certain objects, I
have got deep attachment and towards certain objects, I have got deep hatred. This
is rāga dvēṣa problem.
And as long as there are objects of attachment and hatred, mind will naturally
gravitate towards either of them. If you generally observe the mind, either it is pre-
occupied with an object of attachment, or it is pre-occupied with the object of
hatred. That is why in the Bhakthi literature, they talk about śathru bhakthi also.
They are able to talk about ṣathru bhakthi because a person who looks upon God as
enemy, he will also think of God all the time, because hatred also takes the mind
towards the object of hatred. Ideal example given is Kaṁsa and even śathru
bhaktha gets mōkṣa, they say. We will not go into the details, but the idea is this.
Therefore as long as vairāgyaṁ is not there, total withdrawal of mind is impossible.

And as long as total withdrawal is not possible, a chunk of the mind will be outside.
A big portion of the mind will be outside. Therefore for samādhi abhyāsa, the
available mind is only a very very small portion. And since the total mind is not
available, a deep mind is also not available, because totality and depth go together.
Are you able to differentiate between totality and the depth? By totality I mean
extensiveness; the area, the width. By intensity, I mean depth, I mean intensity. So
total mind and deep mind is the complete mind.
And only a mind with vairāgyaṁ can find that totallity and depth and only in that
mind, samādhi abhyāśā can be efficacious and only if samādhi abhyāśā is
efficacious, prajñaḥ will become sthira prajñaḥ and only if sthira prajñaḥ is there,
you can get over even deep most emotional problems, which is otherwise called
jīvan mukthi.
That is what he beautifully said: atyantavairāgyavataḥ samādhiḥ; samāhitasyaiva

dr̥ḍhaprabōdhaḥ. Nicely step by step, he gives the development.
prabuddhatattvasya; prabuddhatattvasya, dr̥ḍhaprabōdhasya, hi bandhamuktiḥ and
muktātmanaḥ nitya sukhānubhūtiḥ; therefore this stepping stone is vairāgyaṁ.
Page 1582

And I want to repeatedly remind you, vairāgyaṁ does not mean disenchantment
with the universe. Vairāgyaṁ does not mean hatred of the universe. Vairāgyaṁ does
not mean disgust with the universe. Vairāgyaṁ does not mean frustration with the
universe. Vairāgyaṁ does not mean resentment. They are all negative traits.
Resentment, hatred, disgust, they are not there. It is freedom from rāga and dvēṣa.
Up to this we saw.
वैराग्यान परं सुखस् जनकं पश्या� वश्यात्म

तच्चेच् द्धतरात्मबोधस� स्वाराज्यसाम्राज् |
एत�वारमजस्रमुिक्तयुवतेयर्स्मात्त्वम
सवर्त्रास्प सदात्म� सदा प्र� कुर श्रेय ||३७६||
vairāgyānna paraṁ sukhasya janakaṁ paśyāmi vaśyātmanaḥ
taccēcchuddhatarātmabōdhasahitaṁ svārājyasāmrājyadhuk |
ētaddvāramajasraṁuktiyuvatēryasmāttvamasmātparaṁ
sarvatrāspr̥hayā sadātmani sadā prajñāṁ kuru śrēyasē ||376||
Śankarācārya talks about the glory of vairāgyaṁ in this verse. He says vairāgyaṁ
can give two types of benefits; one is the benefit given by vairāgyaṁ itself, before
getting self-knowledge. Kēvala vairāgasya phalam and then he talks about the
benefits of vairāgyaṁ, which goes along with jñānaṁ. Jñāna sahita vairāgyasya
phalam.
For example, sādhana catuṣṭaya sampanna, a qualified person has got vairāgyaṁ, as
a part of sadhana catuṣṭaya saṁpatti. That vairāgyam is with jñānaṁ or without
jñānaṁ? Sādhana catuṣṭaya sampannasya vairāgyam is with jñānaṁ or without
jñānaṁ. He has not yet come to vēdānta. He has got admission. He has not yet
completed śravaṇa manana nidhidhyāsana. And therefore a qualified person's
vairāgyam is kēvala vairāgyam; and after śravaṇa manana nidhidhyāsanam, the
vairāgyam is jñāna sahita. So I will call it jñāna-rahitha vairāgyam and jñāna-sahita
vairāgyam.
And Śankarācārya says: jñāna rahitha vairāgyam itself gives tremendous peace of
mind. By simple vivēka, a person can get vairāgyam, and that simple vairāgyam
itself will give tremendous peace of mind; which we call apēkṣika śānthi. So jñāna-
Page 1583

rahitha vairāgyam gives apēkṣika ṣānthiḥ; relative peace and jñāna sahitha
vairāgyam will give atyanthika śānthiḥ; absolute peace.
So from this, what the scriptures want to emphasise is peace of mind need not come
from outside at all. That is what is the topic of ānandaḥ mīmāṁsa in Taittariya
Upaṇiṣad; it is a beautiful study; the Upaṇiṣad talks about the higher ānandaḥ of
people with higher possessions. And a grade is given; one unit ānandaḥ; one
hundred unit, ten thousand unit; million unit and then the Upaṇiṣad says; the same
ānandaḥ can be attained by a person without possessing any such thing, by sheer
development of contentment born out of discrimination; sr̥ōthiyasya ca
agakāmahatasya; same ānandaḥ.
From this what do we understand? Like fasting; when you fast, they say initially
after a few hours you begin to feel hungry. And you want to eat something you
know. That restlessness born out of hunger, because the system wants food. And
suppose you continue fasting; there are people who fast for weeks or even months,
one month two month and all.
The system would ask for food from outside, but once you deny food, the system
knows how to draw food from the reserve in the body. But it would not do it initially.
First it will ask for food from outside. But suppose you deny, it has got reserve.
Therefore it will start drawing energy.
Apply the same principle with regard to ānandaḥ or triputhi also. We ask for triputhi
outside and suppose you refuse to give to the mind, initially the mind will protest,
exactly like the system becoming restless. And suppose intelligently you deny and
say No; you will find that the mind has got reserve in itself; and we do have trupthi
in ourselves. Purṇatvam in ourselves. Ānandaḥ in ourselves. We are only learning to
tap that purṇatvam from inside. But initially we will not be allowed to tap. Just as
hunger for food, the hunger for external thing will pressurise. There is an
intermediary struggle; but if one wins over the struggle; he will discover the fact
that purṇatvam and ānanda does not require any possession at all. Ātman ēva
ātmana tuṣtaḥ. All you require for ānandaḥ is what? yourselves.
That is what this vivēki is doing. He is tapping from the inner reserve. That is
beautifully pointed out here. Vairāgyāth param sukhasya janakam nāsti. There is no
Page 1584

better source of ānandaḥ other than vairāgyaṁ. There is no better source of

ānandaḥ or contentment or tr̥pti, other than vairāgyam.
So sukhasya janakam and whenever I say vairāgyam gives ānandaḥ, you should
understand, in vairāgyam I am tapping ānandaḥ from my own inner source, because
in vairāgyam, I stop external sources, allowing the inner source to take care of. So
sukhasya janakam na paśyāmi.
And there also, vēdantin first admits there are two sources of ānandaḥ; one is the
external source; another is internal source. This is the initial approach. Then the
next stage he will say that internal source is a better source than the external
source, because maintaining the external source is highly cumbersome, problematic,
expensive, traumatic and anxiety causing, concern-ridden. Therefore first admit two
sources. Then we say inner source is better. And what is our final thing you know?
Really speaking inner source alone is there; the so-called external source is really
not external source at all, because even when we claim that there is an external
source, it is exactly like dog getting blood from the bone. How is it getting? Dog
getting blood from the bone is only a seemingly external source, but even the so-
called source is indirect internal source only.
So why should you go in for indirect internal source? You can go to direct internal
source. This is our ultimate attack and therefore here he says: there is no better
source of ānandaḥ other than vairāgyam. But for whom? Vaśyātmanaḥ. The one
who resists the initial temptation. Exactly like the fasting person. There is a
particular period when the system is highly restless and it wants an external source
of food and at that time of pressure, we should not give the external food; then
alone the internal reserve will open. And this requires vaśyātmatvam. Vaśyātmatvam
means what; mastery over oneself. Mastery over oneself or the capacity to say NO
when the whole world is suggesting, why can't you go after external source; peer
pressure, neighbour pressure, advertisement pressure, so much pressure. In spite of
all these, if I have to say NO, it requires tremendous self-mastery, the one who has
that is called vasyātma. Here the word ātma means the body mind complex. Vaśya
means master. Vaśyaḥ ātma kārya kāraṇa sangātaḥ yasya saha vaśyātmanaḥ. One
who has will power. So he gets ānandaḥ from vairāgyaṁ.
Page 1585

Here what type of vairāgyam we are talking. Jñāna rahitha vairāgyam itself; without
wisdom. By simple discrimination a person gets detachment; that itself gives great
ānandaḥ.
And when mere vairāgyam can give ānandaḥ, what to talk of wisdom tempered
vairāgyam. Therefore he says; tat śuddhatara ātma bōdhaḥ sahitham cēt. If that
vairāgyam is further reinforced; with what? śuddhatara ātma bōdhaḥ; clear self-
knowledge.
And what do you mean by clear self-knowledge? Conviction; a knowledge which is

free from all forms of doubt. So ahaṁ brahmāsmi is not a hypothesis; ahaṁ
brahmāsmi is not the view of the scriptures; ahaṁ brahmāsmi is not a theory
propounded by sages; but ahaṁ brahmāsmi is an inner most fact for me. That is
called śuddha tala saṁśaya rahitha ātma jñānaṁ; misritham with that. If vairāgyam
is mixed with that doubtless self-knowledge.
So what should I do to get the first vairāgyam? How to get that vairāgyam, he has
not said here. He only says, kēvala vairāgyam gives peace of mind. How to get that
vairāgyam he has not mentioned here; but we have to supply karma yogena,
vivēkēna. Parikṣya lōkān karmachitan Brahmanō nirvēda māyāt. So a religious life of
karma yōga will give jñāna rahitha vairāgyam.
Then how will you add jñānaṁ to that? When it is later followed by jñāna yōga also,
it will become jñāna sahitha vairāgyam. So karma yōgena jñāna rahitha vairāgyam.
Jñāna yogena jñāna sahitha vairāgyam. And by that what benefit I get? Svarājya
sāmrājya dhuk; It blesses or bestows upon the sovereignty, the kingdom of mōkṣa.
Svarājya means mōkṣaḥ. Svayaṁ prakāśatvam. Emperorhood. Soverignity is called
svarājyam. Sāmrājyam is the kingdom. It is not the physical kingdom but it is a
figurative kingdom. Dhuk means giver.
So here jñānaṁ is jñāna sahita vairāgyam is compared to a cow. And dhuk means
that gives milk; dhoghdi iti dhuk. So it milks: what type of milk, it milks, it milks
mōkṣa milk it gives. Dhugdam Gītāmrutham mahāt. Similarly mōkṣa amrutham
dhōgdi. In short, jīvan mukthim dadāthi.
Page 1586

And therefore ētad ajasra mukti yuvatēr dvāram; so another figurative expression.
So jñāna sahitha vairāgyam is the gateway to mōkṣa. Nitya mōkṣaḥ. Etad dvāram.
Gateway to ajasra muktiḥ nithya mōkṣaḥ.
And mōkṣa is compared to a woman. And attainment of mōkṣa is compared to a

wedding. Therefore mōkṣa is getting wedded to the wife of jīvan mukthi. And why
this comparison is made?
Of course that is becoming less and less relevant nowadays; because in those days,
once a person is married to a wife, she is a life-long compāṇion. Marriage means
life-long. Not only life-long compāṇion, wherever he goes, she will also go. Like Sita
went with Rāma. And because of this mukthi; that is why the word mōkṣa is not
used here.
In Saṁsr̥kt the word mōkṣa is masculine gender, whereas the word mukthi is
feminine gender; and therefore mukthi is compared to a woman and by jñāna yōga
you get married to mōkṣa woman, mukthi woman, who will live with you
permanently and will serve you; will give you peace of mind. And that is why there is
a beautiful slōka.
Satyam mātha, pitta jñānaṁ

dharmo brādha, daya sakā,
śāntiḥ pathni, kṣamā puthraḥ
ṣad ētē mama bhāndava.
If you want relatives, you should have the following ones. Whether the other
relatives are useful or not useful; sometimes often they become problems; but if you
want problem free relatives have these people. You can understand.
Sathyam maatha, may truth be your mother. May you be the child of truth. Pittaa
jñānaṁ. May you be the child of knowledge. So they are the couple. The parents;
mother and father. And who is your brother? Dharmō brādhā. May your brother be
dharmahā. Dayā sakhā. You can understand. Daya means compassion be your
friend, sakhā.
Next one is relevant for this slōka. Śāntiḥ pathni. Śāntiḥ refers to jīvan mukthi
Śāntiḥ. śāsvathi Śāntiḥ. Mukthi rūpa śānthiḥ. May she be your wife. And then who
Page 1587

should be your child. Kṣama puthraḥ. So may forgiveness, patience, forbearance be

your child or son. And may these six be your bhāndava. ṣad ētē mama bhāndava.
Your life is wonderful. You never feel lonely. And therefore he says: may you get
married.
शािन् �वदेह सुत सहचा�र

दहरयोध् नगर �वहार�
मोह महाणर् तरकका�र
राग द्वे मुखसुरम�र
śānti vidēha suta sahacāri
daharayōdhya nagara vihārī
mōha mahārṇava tarakakāri
rāga dvēṣa mukhasuramari
It is a beautiful prayer written by Svāmi Sadāśiva Brahmēndra. Rāma is compared to

a jñāni who always moves with śānthi, who is her sahacāri, who is a vidēha sudhā.
It is a beautiful concept. The same idea is brought here. So ētat ajasraṁ mukthi
yuvatē. A marriage which will never have separation or divorce. A divorceless
marriage; a separation less marriage, with jīvan mukthi, if you want, vairāgyam
should be broker who brings out this alliance.
Yasmaat, since this is the truth, this is a fact; asmāt, therefore. So gramatically, the
anvaya should be yasmāth ētat ajasraṁ mukthi yuvathē he dvāram bhavathi,
asmāth, therefore, param aspruhāya; may you develop intense vairāgyam,
independence, detachment; param goes with aspr̥hāya, aspr̥ḥ means vairāgyam,
param aspr̥ha means tīvraḥ vairāgyam. May you develop tīvraḥ vairāgyam towards
what? Everything. So ultimately they go to the extent of vairāgyam towards the
śāstram, because that is also anātma. Vairāgyam towards guru; even guru as a
person is anātma and vairāgyam towards even God as a person. God as yourselves
is different, God as a personal external objective entity.
So that well-known statement in Tamil: ஆைச அ�மின்க, ஆைச அ�மின்க,
ஈசேனாடாய��ம (Asai arumingal, Asai arumingal, Isaanodaayinum); but do not ask,

whether I should start there; we have not started there itself! Therefore, first let us
have rāgam towards Him and thereafterwards you can think of vairāgyam. So first
start with attachment with God; that will give detachment towards the world;
Page 1588

development attachment to God and get detached from the world; and then
discover your inner strength, then you grow out of personal God also. Wisdom alone
helps you in accomplishing this and therefore may you develop that vairāgyam.
Then what do you do? Sad ātmanami prajñaam kuru. So with this vairāgyam may
you practice samādhi abhyāsa; may you practice recollection of the vēdantic
teaching. So here prajñaḥ means samādhi abhyāsaḥ. This is a word used in
Brihadāranyaka upaṇiṣad: tamēva dhīroo vijnāya prajñām kurvitha
Brāhmaṇaḥ, nānudhyayāt bahoon sabdhān vachō viklapaṇam hitath; after
gaining this knowledge, you do not even go to fuரther scholarship. Even scholarship
is considered an obstacle, because it is an intellectual thrill.
Even that can be a problem because after some time intellect becomes dull; as it is it
is questionable. Anyway, after sometime intellect becomes dull. Therefore if you
depend upon on intellect on ānandaḥ, that also becomes a problem. Therefore, may
you not get attached to even scholarship. Na anudhyaath bahōn sabdhān vachō
viklapaṇam hitath.
Then what do you do? prajñaḥam kurvītha. That is Brihadaaranyaka, 4th chapter,
4th section it comes. And that word is used here. Prajñaḥam kuru.
And when should I do that. Sadā. So sadā, always. Then you look at him and say:
What are you talking. sadā if you say, who will do all other work at home.
Remember, Śankarācārya is writing all the slōka assuming a sanyāsi in mind. And
that too not a busy sanyāsi; now even that you have to qualify; so sometimes
sanyāsis are busier than Gr̥hastha. So after jñānaṁ, that is a different thing. So a
vividiṣa sanyāsa is kept in mind; who is working for niṣṭā and therefore sadā; and if
you are a gr̥hastha, we have to put a clause; as often as possible. As often as
possible prajñāṁ kuru; all for what: śrēyasē.
Śankarācārya says: I am not going to get anything out of it; I do not ask for a share
of your peace, from what is given to you, out of that 5% royalty; I am not going to
ask for any share at all. Full thing is yours; for your own good, I am suggesting.
śrēyasē means mōkṣāya; tava maṇgalāya kuru.
Page 1589

आशां �छिन् �वषोपमेषु �वषयेष्वेषै मतृ ्यो कृ�त-

स्त्यक् जा�तकुलाश्रमेष्व�भम मुञ्चा�तदूराित्क् |
देहादावस�त त्यजात्म�धषण प्र� कुरुष्वात्
त्व द्रष्टास्यमन �नद्र्वयप ब्रह्म यद्वस्तु ||३७७||
āśāṁ chinddhi viṣōpamēṣu viṣayēṣvēṣaiva mr̥tyōḥ kr̥ti-
styaktvā jātikulāśramēṣvaBhīmā tiṁ muñcātidūrātkriyāḥ |
dēhādāvasati tyajātmadhiṣaṇāṁ prajñāṁ kuruṣvātmani
tvaṁ draṣṭāsyamanō:'si nirdvayaparaṁ brahmāsi yadvastutaḥ ||377||
Again glorification of vairāgyam. So how to learn to be independent? You have been

a baby, a baby uses that cart for walking or mummy hand for walking, you have
used, you have the potentiality to walk on your own feet; you need not eternally
hold on to others' hands or crutches but if you want to learn to walk independently,
you have to start dropping the hands of the mother. I will fall. You have to fall a few
times. Easily you may fall; but later you will never regret the dropping of the hands
of the other people and dropping the Natavandi; perambulator, whatever it might
be, you will never regret dropping that because you have the freedom to walk on
your feet. Similarly, you have been a psychological baby holding on umpteen things,
which are all unpredictable dependences and therefore learn to drop them. You will
fall, you will be psychological hurt for a few moments, but you will find that you
have the inner resources to be of your own. That is his udgoṣana. āśāṁ chinddhi; so
may you cut off all psychological dependences. As he sings in the cinema song;
யாைர நம்ப நான ப�றன்ேத, ேபாங்கட, ேபாங் ( yaari nambi naan piranden; pongada
ponagu). All of you get lost; I do not depend on any one of you; I can stand on my
own psychological feet. And thank God, I have this additional wisdom now.
For āśāṁ chinddhi; may you cut off all the strings of attachments and conditions and
what type of dependences they are. viṣōpamēṣu viṣayēṣu; they are all viṣayās;
sense objects and when we say sense objects, it includes people also.
In Vēdānta, the word viṣaya is used to include both sentient and insentient; the
human including the pet dog. All are serious problems; some people are attached
more to the dog than their child and wife. Therefore all of them are called viṣaya,
because by definition, viṣaya means anything that causes attachment. Pāśam is
called viṣaya and therefore viṣa upamēṣu; so which is subtle poisoning; slow
poisoning, because it kills me psychologically and spiritually. So the independent
Page 1590

man in me is destroyed by these objects. Because I grow from dependence to more

dependence and therefore those objects are destroying the independent man, which
is he potentially, and it does not directly and suddenly destroy, it is a gradually
growing attachment and dependence. And therefore they are compared to slow
poisoning in vēdānta.
Whatever we think as a great blessing, vēdānta sees it ulta. See that. That is why
many do not like vēdānta, because I am very carefully started loving and holding on
to things and this Sanyāsi like the monkey with lost-tail who does not have anything,
he asks me to drop everything and threatening, frightening me. Vēdānta says if you
do not accept my statement discover those facts for yourselves. We do not want to
impose our ideas. They are all eternal facts given for you to discover it in your own
way.
Therefore any attachment is slow poisoning. So viṣōpamēṣu viṣayēṣu, in the sense

objects, which are comparable to poison, may you drop attachment. And why they
are compared to viṣaṁ. Poison, because ēṣaiva mr̥tyōḥ kr̥ti. So this āśa alone is the
cause of spiritual death or destruction, because it destroys the free person in you. So
we are not talking about physical death. We are talking about the spiritual death,
because the free spiritual-I, I am never able to discover. So ēṣa ēva mr̥tyōḥ kr̥ti;
kr̥tiḥ means kāraṇam, is the cause of spiritual death and when this is said you
should remember the Gītā second chapter:

स्मृ�तभ्रं ब�द्धन
ु ा ब�द्धन
ु ाशात्प्र ||२- ६३||
From where the prāṇāsa has come; that is mr̥tyuḥ, that is what he says. spiritual
death.
Page 1591

Then not only that; tyaktvā jāti kula aśramēṣu svabhīmatiṁ; not only you have to
destroy your attachment to the external world, drop your attachment towards your
own body and its attributes. That I am the male, I am a born Brāhmaṇa, jāti, I
belong to Brāhmaṇa jāti and you are only śūdra jāthi, I am superior person, you are
inferior; all these differentiations. So if you are śudra, give your complex born out of
that. inferiority complex; if you are a Brāhmaṇa, give up the superiority complex.
Any complex is a complex problem.
And therefore jāti abhīmānam, kula abhīmānam, I belong to such and such family;
that āsrama abhīmānam, I am a sanyāsi, you all should do namaskārams to me; that
is another problem; everything is dropped, but not the sanyāsi abhīmānam; the
deadliest abhīmānam. Therefore āsrama abhīmānam; abhīmatiḥ means
identification, tyatkva; may you give up.
Then kriyāḥ atidūrāt muñcā; all those activities born out of such abhīmāna;
abhīmāna based activities and āśa based activities; may you give up. And any āśa
based or abhīmāna based activity is binding activity. So if at all you are active, after
wisdom, OK, after wisdom if you are active, it is neither āśa based nor abhīmāna
based, it is lōkaḥ sangrahārtham, it is prārabdha based activity. And therefore,
kriyāḥ, may you give up all binding activity. muñcā. Give up.
And that too how? atidūrāt; throw them far away. Do not stand near them. And if
you start something thinking that you do not have attachment, and later you find
really speaking there is a subtle attachment, I think I do not have, but I really have.
How do I know? This is the biggest problem. Imagine I am without that. Imagine
the think of the imaginary loss of that. If that is disturbing; then it indicates
attachment. In the case of attachment, I cannot even think of even imaginary loss;
what to talk of real loss. And therefore may you give up all attachment based
activities.
And then what is the next thing? All part of vairāgyam. Different expressions of
vairāgyam are pointed out. Asati dēhādau ātma diṣaṇām tyaja. May you give up
your identification with the body. What type of body? asat body; mithya śarīraṁ;
perishable śarīraṁ; decaying śarīraṁ; asati; mithya sarire iti arthaha; ādau, adhi
padāt indriyaḥ, buddhi, manaḥ pañja kōśeṣu ahaṁ iti abhīmānam tyaja.
Page 1592

So what is the difference between this line and the previous line? Previously jaati
āsrama kūla; they are the properties of the body. So may you not identify with the
properties of the body in the previous line; here may you not identify with the body
itself.
So previously dharma adhyāsa; now it is dharmi adhyāsa; previously it is property

abhīmānam, now he is talking about substance abhīmānam. Neither be attached to
the substance, nor be attached to the property. Tādātmya adhyāsa and saṁsarga
ādhyāsa; both you give up.
ātmadhiṣaṇāṁ; ātmadhiṣaṇā means ahaṁ abhīmāna; ātma means ahaṁ; dhiṣaṇā

means abhīmāna. So ātma dhiṣaṇā means ahaṁ abhīmāna, identification may you
give up.
OK. Having give up all these things, what should I hold on to; everything you have
plucked away from me; give me something; I will give you something, far far better
he says. ātmani prajñaḥam kuruṣva. May you hold on to your ātma, real svarūpam;
through samādhi abhyāsa. Ātmani prajñām samādhi abhyāsam kuru.
Nidhidhyāsanam kuru; dhyānam kuru. So I have snatched away from you all these
things; not to leave you high and dry and miserable; my motive is noble; I have
taken away one rupee note from you, only to give you, anything you can say,
million, trillion, etc. Similarly, I have given you the higher Self.
What type of higher self? Tvaṁ draṣṭāsi. So you are the sākṣi caitanyaṁ, which you
hold on to. Dr̥aṣṭāsi, amanōsi; there is another better reading, amalōsi; amanōsi is
also OK; but amalōsi means nirmalaḥ, you are pure; you are witness consciousness,
you are pure consciousness,
Nirdvaya asi; you are non dual; secondless, incomparable, matchless you are. So
nirdvaya.
Then param brahmāsmi; you are the ultimate stuff of the universe, you are Param
Brahma, from which all the nāma rūpas come; in which all the nāma rūpa reside;
into which all of them resolve. In fact you are the only substance of the universe.
Rest of them are the you-shaped world. How beautiful it is? Whether it is truth or
not, it is good to listen at least. So when you discover this fact, what a beauty it is.
Therefore param brahma asi.
Page 1593

And I am not saying these nice words, like the funeral speech. When somebody
dies, all the politicians would have scolded Jyothi Basu the previous day; but
retirement or death, only glorification. So it is not I am giving a speech like that to
be given after your death, but vastutaḥ; this is the fact. Own up the fact. So you
are the inheritor of infinite riches.
Hari Om.
Page 1594

123. Verses 378 to 382
आशां �छिन् �वषोपमेषु �वषयेष्वेषै मतृ ्यो कृ�त-

स्त्यक् जा�तकुलाश्रमेष्व�भम मुञ्चा�तदूराित्क् |
देहादावस�त त्यजात्म�धषण प्र� कुरुष्वात्
त्व द्रष्टास्यमन �नद्र्वयप ब्रह्म यद्वस्तु ||३७७||
āśāṁ chinddhi viṣōpamēṣu viṣayēṣvēṣaiva mr̥tyōḥ kr̥ti-
styaktvā jātikulāśramēṣvaBhīmā tiṁ muñcātidūrātkriyāḥ |
dēhādāvasati tyajātmadhiṣaṇāṁ prajñāṁ kuruṣvātmani
tvaṁ draṣṭāsyamanō:'si nirdvayaparaṁ brahmāsi yadvastutaḥ ||377||
Śankarācārya is dealing with the topic of nidhidhyāsanam which is in the form of

samādhi abhyāśā and while dealing with this samādhi abhyāśā topic, Śankarācārya is
taking a small diversion in which he deals with a supporting discipline, a supporting
value, in whose presence alone, samādhi abhyāsa can be effective and in whose
absence, samādhi abhyāśā will not take place effectively and that value is nothing
but vairāgyam.
No doubt, we have seen the value of vairāgyam before; even at the time of
śravaṇam itself, a person should enjoy sādhana catuṣṭaya sampatti, in which
vairāgyam is included. Śravaṇa kāle ēva vairāgyam apēkṣitham.
But what Śankarācārya wants to emphasise here is we have to focus our attention
on vairāgyam, because it is required throughout the vēdānta sādhana. So Śravaṇa
kāle, manana kāle, ultimately even nidhidhyāsana kāle, one has to enjoy vairāgyam.
And therefore to highlight the importance of vairāgyam, Śankarācārya writes six
verses from verse No. 372 to 377; dealt with the topic of vairāgyam.
And as I said in the last class, we should always remember, vairāgyam does not
mean hatred to the world; vairāgyam does not even mean indifference to our duty.
Vairāgyam should not be misinterpretted as indifferent or as an irresponsible
behaviour, especially if a person is gr̥hasthaḥ. Naturally as long as a person has
certain duties to perform, in the name of vairāgyam, he should not ignore. What is
said by the word vairāgyam is, it should not create a burden in the mind. It should
Page 1595

not be the cause of worry in the mind. It should not become an obsession in the
mind. Without worry, without obsession, what you have to do, you do.
And how to get rid of this worry, if we ask; several methods are said: Krishna has
given the answer in the Gītā.

Hand over to the Lord so that the mind is free from obsession caused by either by
rāga or obsession caused by worry. And having dealt with the topic of vairāgyam,
now Śankarācārya comes back to the topic of samādhi abhyāśā once again.
ल�ये ब्रह् मानसं दृढतर संस्थाप बाह्येिन्द

स्वस्था �व�नवेश् �नश्चलतनुश्चोपे देहिस्थ�त म |
ब्रह्मात्मैक्यम तन्मयतय चाखण्डवृत्त्याऽ�
ब्रह्मानन् �पबात्म� मद
ु ा शून्यै �कमन्यैभृर्श ||३७८||
lakṣyē brahmaṇi mānasaṁ dr̥ḍhataraṁ saṁsthāpya bāhyēndriyaṁ
svasthānē vinivēśya niścalatanuścōpēkṣya dēhasthitim |
brahmātmaikyamupētya tanmayatayā cākhaṇḍavr̥ttyā:'niśaṁ
brahmānandarasaṁ pibātmani mudā śūnyaiḥ kimanyairbhr̥śam ||378||
Here Śankarācārya deals with the steps of nidhidhyāsanam, which includes the
immediate preparations to be taken care of just before meditation; to use the Gītā
language; antaranga sādanāni. In fact, the best chapter of the Gītā, for the topic of
samādhi abhyāśā is the sixth chapter of the Gītā. Krishna has comprehensively dealt
with samādhi abhyāśā topic there. And all these verses are elaboration of the sixth
chapter only. There we saw what are the bahiraṅga sādhanā; what are the
antaraṅga sādhanā, what is dhyāna svarūpam and what is dhyāna phalam and what
is dhyāna prathibanda parihāra; five topics we saw.
Here in this verse Śankarācārya talks about the Antharanga Sādhanāni, which means
the immediate preparations to be taken care of just before meditation, which is
followed by the dhyāna svarūpam, the actual practice of dhyānam.
Page 1596

First we will take the second line, word niścalatanu; niścalatanu means May you be
seated in a comfortable place. As Krishna describes, may you chose a quiet and
clean place and may you spread your āsanam which is neither too soft not too hard;
which is neither too high nor too low; such an āsana you fix up and over the āsana
may you be seated and there you keep your body steady. samam kāya sīrō grīvaṁ
kārayan acalam sthirah. That samam kāya sīrō grīvaṁ, Śankarācārya translates as
niścalatanu; steady body. So physical posture is the first step of samādhi abhyāsa.
Then the next level is the sense organs. So which can easily travel in any direction
and receive stimuli from the external world and hand over to the mind; sense organs
do not keep with themselves; they hand over to the mind and then mind meditates
upon an ant running on the wall. So therefore he says: bāhyēndriyaṁ svasthānē
vinivēśya. May you withdraw the sense organs from the external world and let them
remain in the physical body itself. svasthānē means in their own respective gōlakam.
I hope you remember the difference between indriyam and gōlakam; indriya is the
power of perception belonging to sūkṣma śarīraṁ; whereas gōlakam is the
corresponding physical part. Sthōtra gōlakam is the visible ear; sthōtra indiryam is
the invisible hearing power. Now Śankarācārya says withdraw the hearing power
from going to the external world and let them remain in sthōtra gōlakam; cakṣur
gōlakam, nāśā gōlakam, which is here called svasthānē. He uses the word sva
because each one has got its own respective gōlakam. So vinivēśya.
That is the second antaraṅga sādhana. First antaraṅga sādhana is steady sitting.
Second one is sensory restraint.
Then what is the next one. dēhasthitim upēkṣya. Second line last portion, I am
rearranging for the sake of chronological order. dēhasthitim upēkṣya. May you drop
worry about or worrying over your own physical body. The future of the physical
body, old age, diseases, death, security, financial resources, whether the children
will help or not, it will go in a chain; we will think of one, it will take to next one,
next one, next one. And from the son, you think of the daughter-in-law and son is
good; or daughter is good but son-in-law is not; and thus it will go on and on. And
therefore ignore the physical body. Let prārabhda take over the body; to put in
Śankarācārya language in Maneeṣa Pañjakam, prārabhdaya śamarpittam sva vapūḥ,
ityeṣa maneeṣa mama. Hand over the physical body to prārabhda, because as we
Page 1597

grow older, puruṣārtaḥ will become weaker. And therefore body will show its
symptom. Therefore stop worrying about the body.
And why Śankarācārya mentions only the body and not the family? Because, I hope
you remember. When Śankarācārya writes about samādhi abhyāsa, he keeps in
mind a sanyāsi who has left everything and who has got only one agenda in life.
What is that? Manana nidhidhyāsana jñāna niṣṭa. And Sanyāsi does not have any
other worry; except maintaining the body. Śarīra yātra. And since he does not have
any other worry, he can converge all the worries into one worry. No worry,
therefore, all the worry can be centred on one body because, who will take of care
of me in future, since I have dropped everything. I do not have bank balance, I do
not have family members, I do not have children.
Therefore Śankarācārya says first qualification to become a sanyāsi is you should

learn to drop your physical worry. Without that sanyāsa can become more terrible
than gr̥hastha āsrama. And therefore he says, leave the body to the Lord. If
gr̥hastha can also practice that, it is fine. And what about children? Leave the
children to God. He will take care better than us. That is why I said ananyās
cintāyan thōma, during every time meditation, start with this, so that the worry will
not be there. Therefore dēha sthithi means survival. Physical survival, upēkṣya
means ignore. Let the longevity be decided by the Jāthakam; you need not go to the
astrologer to find out. OK. The jāthakam decides. Therefore, dēhasthitim upēkṣya.
And why does he prescribe that in the seat of meditation? Because if that worry is
there, I will think of that and I will not think of the object of meditation. And
therefore withdraw the mind from worry. That is the third antaraṅga sādana; and at
least become a mental sanyāsi, if not physical. That is the third stage.
And then comes the actual meditation. So these are the antaranga sādhana; that is
what is actual meditation? Lakṣyē Brahmani mānasaṁ dr̥ḍhataraṁ saṁsthāpya.
Having gone all these preparation, then direct your mind, focus your mind on
Brahman, which is the object of meditation. Here lakṣyaṁ means dhyēyam. So upon
the dhyēyam brahma, may you fix the mind that too how? Driḍataraṁ samsthāpya;
unwaveringly, undistractedly may you fix your mind.
And then what is the continuation of that meditation? Nrahmātmaikyamupētya;

Third line, when you fix your mind on Brahman, you should not visualise Brahman as
Page 1598

an object, you should visualise Brahman as the very ātma; therefore

brahmātmaikyamupētya; taking to the oneness of ātma and Brahman. Seeing the
object of meditation as the subject of meditation. Soham asmi; Soham asmi; Soham
bhaavena pūjāyet. Soham. Very careful if you are writing in Tamil. It will become
ேசாகம, do not write, in Tamil ஸா and சா no difference. And ஹா is often not there.
So Mōhan if you ask them to say, they will say Mogan; ha becomes ga and ga
becomes ha. Bhagavān if you ask them to say, they will say bhahavān; Mōhan
becomes Mokan; bhagavān becomes bhahavān. So sōham can end up sokam; it is
not sokam, saha ahaṁ bhāvena. That is called Brahātmaikyam upētya.
And how do you do that? akhaṇḍākāra vr̥ttyā; Brahmāt aikyam is invoked through a
thought. It is important. Many people think it is a thoughtless state. Many people
mistake it as a thoughtless state. Śankarācārya very very clearly mentions that it is
not a thoughtless state; there is a vr̥tti. And what type of vr̥tti. Akhaṇḍakāra vr̥ttyā
Brahmātmaikyam. In meditation, you are not bringing ātma and Brahman together.
You need not bring ātma and Brahman together, why, they are already one.
Therefore the unity is not your job, because unity is an eternal fact. Our job is
invoking that unity through a thought process. So problem is not unification; our
problem is invoking the fact of the unified status, by a thought. And what thought it
is called. Akhaṇḍa ākhāra vr̥tti, I have been Brahman will be before, I will be
Brahman later; but my job here is remembering that fact; invoking that fact;
assimilating that fact and remembrance is a thought; invocation is through a thought
and here the thought is called Akhaṇḍa ākhāra.
And why do you call Akhaṇḍa ākhāra? Because in this thought, subject object
division is not there; because I say saha ahaṁ asmi. The object of meditation is the
subject of meditation. The meditated is the meditator. And therefore khānda means
division; and here division between subject and object; akhaṇḍa means subject-
object division free thought. Through such a thought, Akhaṇḍa ākhāra vrittya
Brahmāt aikyam upētya. Here upētya means what invoking; bringing to your
conscious mind.
So when I ask you your experience about a pilgrimage, that experience or that
knowledge is there dormant in your mind, but when you describe you are bringing to
your conscious mind, what has been there all the time. Similarly, what has been
listened to during śravaṇam, that knowledge you bring to your conscious mind. You
Page 1599

are not acquiring any new knowledge. You cannot acquire any new knowledge. The
acquired knowledge is resurfaced consciousness and that surfacing process is here
Brahmāt aikyam upētya.
And then aniśam; so you repeat that sōham vr̥tti; ahaṁ brahmāsmi vr̥tti and get
gradually sucked into, absorbed into, lost in that thought. tanmayatayā. May you
become tanmayaḥ. Normally we become tanmaya in our worries. That we know;
you go on thinking, thinking, and then somebody comes, your hand is on the head,
that worry is always there. So we know samādhi in kavalai, worry; worry-samādhi
we know. Śankarācārya says change the topic. Samādhi you know; change the
topic. Instead of getting absorbed in the family worry, get absorbed in that fact.
Therefore tanmayatayā refers to nirvikalpaka samādhi. And what is the definition?

You should remember. Effortless absorption wherein you do not require the will to
retain the thought. If you require the will, it is savikalpaka śamadhi. If you do not
require the samādhi, it is nirvikalpaka samādhi.
And what is the benefit? In this absorption, what do you enjoy? Brahmā ānandaḥ
rasam piba. Getting absorbed in this thought is nothing but drinking brahmānandaḥ,
because what is the thought? Ahaṁ brahma asmi. And what is the nature of
Brahman? ānandō brahmēti vijānāt. Ānandam brahma ahaṁ asmi, irrespective of
family, physical, financial situations and therefore Brahmanānandaḥ rasam piba.
Here piba means may you own up the fact I am ānandaḥ svarūpa. Drinking is
owning up.
And where do you own up? Ātmani. In your own mind, may you own up this fact.
And he says, mudā, mudā means happily. May you happily drink this
Brahmānandaḥ, these are two words; one is मुदा mudā; another is मध
ु ा mudhā; fourth
धा. If the word is mudā, it means may you happily drink. If it is mudhā, the fourth
dhā धा, it should be combined with the next portion, mudhāshōnyaihi anyaiḥ kim.
mudhā means unnecessarily; what is the use of engaging in any other activity?
Nothing else is worthwhile in life. Nothing else is worthwhile; other than
यस्त्वात्मर�त स्यादात्मतृप् मानवः |

आत्मन्य च सन्तुष्टस् काय� न �वद्यत ||३- १७||
yastvātmaratirēva syādātmatr̥ptaśca mānavaḥ |
Page 1600

ātmanyēva ca santuṣṭastasya kāryaṁ na vidyatē ||3- 17||
Nothing else in life is worthwhile. Therefore, anyaiḥ śūnyaiḥ; śūnyam means what?
empty activities; hollow pursuits; mokōhaśaḥ mokha karmāṇaḥ, mōka jñāna
vicētasāḥ; what is the use of all those empty, fake, unreal, worthless, hollow
activities? Kim.
And if the word is the mudhā is the fourth dha, it should be put here. mudhā
unnecessarily what is the benefit of other activities? Mr̥ṣām; done very very
seriously; Intensely; wholeheartedly; it is all empty.
In some books, kim anyaiḥ brahmaiḥ is there; that meaning is also OK. bhramahā
there means wanderings. So what is the use of knocking about here and there? Sit
in one place and enjoy ātma ānandha.
अनात्म�चन्त त्यक्त कश्मल दःखक

ु ारणम ् |
�चन्तयात्मानमानन्द यन्मुिक्तकारण ||३७९||
anātmacintanaṁ tyaktvā kaśmalaṁ duḥkhakāraṇam |
cintayātmānamānandarūpaṁ yanmuktikāraṇam ||379||
So these verses are only the elaboration of samādhi abhyāsa; almost repetition of
the same idea. May you enjoy ātma ānanada. May you revel in your nature. May you
not waste time unnecessarily worrying about anything, because worry is not going to
make any difference at all. So presented in different languages. All simple verses,
you can understand. anātmacintanaṁ tyaktvā; may you stop worrying about;
dwelling over and over again on anātma. anātma starts from our own body-mind-
complex. Then it extends to the bodies and minds of friends and relatives. Let
anything happen to me; but nothing should happen to them, that is my worry.
extension to the family. From there extension to all the other things. All of them
come under anātma only. Please give up this obsession with anātma, which is
kaśmalam, which is an impure thought from the standpoint of vēdāntic thinking;
vēdāntic teaching because it leads to worry only. Because at anātma level, nothing is
perfect at any time. There will be always some hole or the other; some problem or
the other, some deficiencies or the other; some threat or the other; some
blackmailing or the other, some unpredictability of the other; anātma means
kaśmalam. Kaśmala means what: impurity.
Page 1601

And he himself defines: why it is called impurity? Duḥkha kāraṇam. It is the cause of
mental disturbance. And therefore to the extent that you can avoid, you avoid, to
the extent it is needed, carefully handle and get out. to the extent it is required, you
have it.
And what should I think of? Ātmanam ānandaḥ rūpam cintāya. Think of the truth;
think of the ātma, which is ānandaḥ. And even if you want to think of anātma, you
think of the mithya nature of anātma, rather than superimposing satyatvam. Either
do not worry about the world; or if you want to see, see the mithyātva m very
clearly. So ānandaḥa rūpam ātmanam cintāya.
And what is the advantage? Yat mukthikāraṇam. This is the only thought which can
give you relaxation; which will be wipe you into activity. So mukthi kāraṇam; so
anātma cintānam banda kāraṇam; ātma cintānam mukthi kāraṇam. Therefore
anātma cintānam be judiciously done.
एष स्वयंज्यो�तरशेषसा
�व�ानकोशो �वलसत्यजस् |
ल�यं �वधायैनमसद्�वल�-
मखण्डवृत्त्याऽऽत्मतयाऽनु ||३८०||
ēṣa svayaṁjyōtiraśēṣasākṣī
vijñānakōśō vilasatyajasraṁ |
lakṣyaṁ vidhāyainamasadvilakṣaṇa-
makhaṇḍavr̥ttyā:':'tmatayā:'nubhāvaya ||380||
In the second line, it should be vijñānakōśē; in some books it is printed vijñāna

kōśaḥ; better reading is vijñānakōśē. So if I have to think of the ātma, how should I
think? The ātma svarūpam is described for giving us the line of thinking. The pattern
of meditation ēṣa svayaṁjyōtiḥ; the ātma is self-evident consciousness.
Aśeṣa sākṣi; it is the witness of the entire drama of life. Therefore if at all you want
to think of the world and life, may you see it as a drama; in which your own mind
and body are role players. Your own ahaṁkāra is a vēṣa dhāri and as long as you
keep yourselves aloof and see the drama as drama, it will not hurt you seriously.
You may along with the drama, smile along with the character and sometime even
shed a tear along with the character, but that shedding the tear is only at the time
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of watching. Once you come out, it is not going to cause a scar, maximum you will
say that person acted very well.
Similarly vēdānta does not say you should not be sentimental, you should not be
emotional, you should not get upset, vēdānta does not say that, may you be part of
the creation, like watching a movie, if emotions are there, let them be there; but let
not these emotions create a deep scar and go out of control. I should be able to
wipe those emotions as I do while waking out of the theatre.
And then next your worry is what? Something car puncture or something. Similarly
continue with your life; which is governed by prārabdha, let not any instance create
any traumatic experience, deep scar. This is possible only if you say the life as a
drama. That is the truth also. And therefore Aśeṣa sākṣi; may you be a watcher, the
witness of the drama of life.
And where is that ātma located? vijñānakōśē vilasati. That is the balcony. So already
everyone has been given a very comfortable chair to be seated and you are seated
in your own chair called vijñānamaya kōśaḥ. And everyone has got one one chair.
There is no standing; it is not required; as many jīvātmas are there, so many
vijñānamaya kōśas are there. Therefore vijñānamaya kōśē sākṣi rūpēṇa vilasati.
Vilasati means shines, it is present.
And when is the drama? Is it matinee show or is it night show or is it morning show?
Ajasraṁ; continuously the drama goes from early morning till you go to sleep and
the drama is switched off when you go to sleep and morning again the drama starts.
Therefore may you watch the drama and appreciate the glory of the ātma which can
give you varieties of tragedies, comedies, tragicomedies, comey-tragedies; all kind of
things, that ātma can project through the power called māya śaktiḥ. And no tickets,
you need not pay all. All the time you can watch.
And since you keep forgetting this fact, since the drama becomes very serious, once
in a while, you should remind this is a drama, this is a drama, this is a drama; you
have to keep reminding yourselves.
Therefore he says. Yēnam lakṣyaṁ vidhāya. So focussing on this observer once in a

while, because all the time you are focusing on what? The drama. And we forget the
Page 1603

observer. Therefore once in a while, switch off the drama and then focus your mind
on the observer of this drama, lakṣyaṁ vidhāya means focussing. What? Yenam, this
ātma, aśēṣa sākṣīnam; aśēṣa sākṣī means sarva sākṣī, sarva sākṣinam lakṣyaṁ
vidhāya.
And what is the nature of that ātma? asad vilakṣaṇam; which is different from the
observed asat drama, asat means what? changing drama. It moves all the time, isn't
it. Scene after scene it comes; what is permanent? ‘I am’ seated permanently;
therefore I am sat, the changeless, and the entire life's drama is changing; therefore
I am the changeless upon the changeless sākṣi, may you focus.
And ātma taya anubhāvaya. May you think of the sākṣi, the observer as yourselves.
Do not say, there is the sākṣi. Drop that language. Never say that there is the sākṣi.
Change your language. I am the sākṣi. Therefore ātma taya anubhāvaya;
Anubhāvaya means what? may you think. May you entertain the thought. May you
think of that sākṣi as yourselves. With the help of what? akhaṇḍavr̥ttyā, with the
help of akhaṇḍa ākāra vr̥tti. So this is also important, which indicates that samādhi
abhyāśāis not a thoughtless state, because it is such a big misconception and I am
repeating again and again. Vēdantic meditation involves thinking throughout the
meditation. Even in nirvikalpaka samādhi, akhaṇḍa ākhāra vr̥tti continues. The only
difference is; there is no will involved in the perpetuation of that thought.
एतमच्छ�न्न वतृ ्त् प्रत्ययान्तरशू |

उल्लेखयिन्वजानीयात्स्वस्व स्फुट म ||३८१||
ētamacchīnnayā vr̥ttyā pratyayāntaraśūnyayā |
ullēkhayanvijānīyātsvasvarūpatayā sphuṭam || 381 ||
And whom should you practice the meditation? He says acchīnnayā vr̥ttyā ētam
ullēkhayan, may you invoke that ātma. May you recollect; may you think of the
ātma; ullēkhanam is a beautiful word which means invocation. So you invoke that
ātma with the help of acchīnnayā vr̥ttyā means unbroken flow of thoughts.
Ājya dhāraya srothasa śamam,

sarala cintānam viralata param.
Like the flow of ghee, any viscous liquid, like thick liquid, when you pour from one
vessel to another, you have a got a continuous flow; similarly. So dhaara rūpaya
Page 1604

vr̥ttyā. Pratyayāntara śūnyayā; without being distracted by any other thought. All
definitions of meditation. Vijātēya prathyaya ananthara sajāthēya prathyaya
pravāhaḥ. In English if you translate this; the flow of similar thoughts, without being
distracted by dissimilar thoughts is meditation. Flow of similar thought. Similar
thought means what; every thought being connected with ātma only. Same thought
you need not have. But it should be similar. Ātma śuddhaḥ, or ahaṁ śuddhaḥ. You
can change the thought to ahaṁ nityaḥ to ahaṁ asaṅgḥ. Ahaṁ pūrṇaḥ; thoughts
are different but they are similar because they all belong to what? All are centred on
ātma. Suddenly if you say I am grandfather, that is called vijātēya vr̥tti. Therefore
the flow of similar thoughts to the exclusion of dissimilar thought is dhyānam. May
you practice that.
And vijānēyāth. May you meditate. So here vijānēyāth you should not translate as
knowing the ātma. You should always remember, meditation is not for the
knowledge of ātma. Meditation can never give any knowledge, including self-
knowledge. Ātma jñānaṁ is gained through vēdānta śravaṇam only; because
vēdānta is the pramāṇam; pramāṇam alone can give knowledge. Therefore
meditation is not for knowledge, but meditation is for remembering the knowledge
gained at the time of śravaṇam. Therefore here vijānēyāth means may you recollect,
may you remember, invoking the ātma.
And that too, how should you invoke? svarūpathaya vijānēyāth. May you think of the
ātma as yourselves. As your very nature. As I said, we start with I am the body; and
after initial vēdantic study, we say, I am the body, and I have an ātma. Some
progress; earlier I am the body only. We stopped at that. And after some vēdantic
study, we say I am the body, I have an ātma. Then our nidhidhyāsanam is what:
reverse this; not I am the body and I have an ātma; but I am the ātma; I have a
body. This itself is a big thing; there is one more step further.
There is one more step further. I am the ātma; I have no body also. Because bodies
being mithya, its presence is as good as its absence. masthāni na masthāni. I have a
dream body and since dream body is mithya, unreal, I do not have dream body.
There is the fourth stage; we can see that later. At least first three stages itself is a
great achievement. And how should you do that? sphuṭam. Let it be very clear;
without any vagueness, without any doubt, may you practice this.
Page 1605

अत्रात्म दृढ�कुवर्न्नहमा� संत्यजन |

उदासीनतया तेषु �तष्ठेत्स्फुटघटात् ||३८२||
atrātmatvaṁ dr̥ḍhīkurvannahaṁādiṣu saṁtyajan |
udāsīnatayā tēṣu tiṣṭhētsphuṭaghaṭādivat ||382||
So if I have to claim ātma as myself, whether I like it or not, I have to disclaim the
body. I cannot claim both of them. You cannot keep both. You have to choose.
Claiming one presupposes disclaiming the other and therefore Śankarācārya says
ahaṁ ādhiṣu ātmatvam samtyajan, giving up the I-notion in the body; ātmatvam
you have to read twice. ahaṁādhiṣu ātmatvam samtyajan. Ahaṁ here means
ahaṁkāraḥ, which means vijñānaṁaya kōśaḥ. And ādhi means manōmaya kōśaḥ,
prāṇamaya kōśaḥ, annamaya kōśaḥ. Therefore ahaṁādhiṣu kōśēṣu, ahaṁādhiṣu
sarīrēṣu ātmavam tyajan. Give up the abhīmāna.
And then alone atra ātmavam dridikurvan. And may you claim the ātmatvam with
regard to atra; atra means this ātma which I have been describing. So atra means
sākṣini. Chaitanye. Asaṅge; nirvikhāre; nitya śuddha buddha muktha svabhāve;
brahma abhinne; ātmani ātmatvam; claim that.
So when you have something greater to claim, why should you claim the miserable
body? Therefore like the Government building houses for the slum people, and the
slum people rent that house and continue in the slum.
Similarly we are living in the slum called the body and vēdānta has build up a
wonderful palace called ātma; and even after that, we love to dwell in the slum.
Drop that slum, he says. Therefore atra ātmatvam dridhi kurvan. Re-emphasising;
firmly disclaiming the ātmatvam in the body.
Then what should I do with regard to the body? Am I supposed to destroy it; am I
supposed to throw it away; am I supposed to hate it; he says No No No; thēṣu
udāsinataya thiṣtē; may you be objective with regard to them.
And what do you mean by objectivity? Neither rāga nor dvēṣa. Body has to be
protected. It has to do its duties; these things I do. Therefore udāsīnya
apēkṣyathām janakripa naikurya usrijyathaam; Śankarācārya said in Sādhana
Pañjagam. Udāsīnya apēkṣyathām; may you be indifferent; not in the negative
sense; uninvolved may you remain; thēṣu means what; ahaṁ ādhiṣu kōśēṣu.
Page 1606

Exactly like that; sputa ghātāthi vath; or in some book, ghata phātāthi vath; either
reading is OK; like any third object in the world, you are indifferent; so many houses
are there; so many people are going; you have neither rāga nor dvēṣa, you are
neutral. Just as you are neutral with regard to many of these, may you be neutral
with regard to your own body. Thiṣtē.
If the word is sputa, you have to understand it as: just as you are very clear that the
pot is not you; even though body looks like pot; you know that pot is not ME; in the
same way, may you look at the body-pot as another clay product. Any doubt. Body
is also another refined clay product. Therefore just as you see the pot clearly as an
object, may you see your own kōśas clearly as an object.
Hari Om.
Page 1607

124. Verses 383 to 387
अत्रात्म दृढ�कुवर्न्नहमा� संत्यजन |

उदासीनतया तेषु �तष्ठेत्स्फुटघटा�द ||३८२||
atrātmatvaṁ dr̥ḍhīkurvannahaṁādiṣu saṁtyajan |
udāsīnatayā tēṣu tiṣṭhētsphuṭaghaṭādivat ||382||
Śankarācārya continues with the topic of samādhi abhyāśā which is nothing but
training to shift the I from anātma to ātma. And because of this training or shifting,
the very way I look at the universe will undergo a change. And this change in
perspective is called jīvan muktiḥ and the change that I acquire by this is objectivity
is with regard to my own body-mind complex. And by objectivity I mean whatever
be the law of karma, or whatever be the prārabdha karma, that I accept with regard
to the body mind complex. Ultimately, accepting prārabdha karma is jīvan muktiḥ.
And therefore this training shifting of the I is important. Therefore Śankarācārya

says atra ātmatvam dridhikurvan. So the I idea should be placed in the caitanyaṁ. I
should claim the caitanyaṁ as myself; and ahaṁādhiṣu ātmatvam samtyaja. The I-
notion in the four kōśās, ahaṁ refers to the vijñānaṁaya kōśa, ahaṁādhi refers to
the four kōśas; or the fifth kōśa also we can include, in the entire anātma giving up
the I-notion, udāsinataya tēṣu thiṣtē. Look at the very five kōśas as part of the
anātma prapañja.
And an example is given sputa ghatādhivat. Just as we do not have any confusion
with regard to the pot, that I-the-experiencer of the pot, am different from pot is
very clear to me, similarly the I-the-experiencer of the body, am not the body. So
reduce the body also to something similar to a pot. Up to this we saw in the last
class.
�वशद्धमन
ु करणं स्वरू
�नवेश् सा��ण्यवबोधमात |
शनैः शनै�नर्श्चलतामुपान य
पूण� स्वमेवानु�वलोकयेत्त || ३८३ ||
viśudda mntaḥkaraṇaṁ svarūpē
nivēśya sākṣiṇyavabōdhamātrē |
Page 1608

śanaiḥ śanairniścalatāmupānayan
pūrṇaṁ svamēvānuvilōkayēttataḥ || 383 ||
Here Śankarācārya is giving the methodology of shifting the-I. So from the pañja
kōśa, shifting the-I has to take place gradually only. Because among the five kōśas,
annamaya kōśa is the grossest one and ānandamaya kōśa is subtlest one. And ātma
is subtler than even ānandamaya. And therefore shifting from annamaya to ātma
directly is impossible, because we can never travel from the grossest to the subtlest.
And therefore the methodology is annamaya to prāṇamaya to manōmaya to

vijnāmaya to ānandamaya to ātma. So since it is to be gradually done, Arundathi
darśana nyāyēna, śākā chandra nyāyēna, this has to be gradually done. śanaiḥ
śanaiḥ uparamētē. Lord Krishna tells the same thing in the sixth chapter of the Gītā;
śanaiḥ śanaiḥ, gradually may you withdraw. As you shift from grosser to subtler
kōśas, the mind also gets sensitised. And when you come to ānandamaya kōśa, your
experience is total blankness. What is ānandamaya kōśa after all? That in which all
the divisions are resolved. This is what people say, coming to blankness. And they
say we do not know what to do next; we are waiting for ātma it never comes; all
problems. They have come up to ānandamaya kōśa or kāraṇa śarīraṁ level, which is
the subtlest kōśa, it is not śūnya avastha or blankness, but it is everything in
unmanifest form.
And to appreciate ānandamaya kōśa, I require a sensitive mind, because it is

appreciation of blankness as a positive entity. Not as śūnya but as a positive entity;
exactly like appreciating space as an elastic form of matter, you know. What is
space? In science, this is the toughest thought. For some time they thought in one
way and they thought that it is blankness or śūnyatvam and now they say it is not
blankness because space produces matter; then how can it be blank? So to
appreciate space as one of the elements, a positive entity, what kind of sensitive
subtle mind you require? Subtler than the space is ātma.
Similarly I come to ānandamaya kōśa blankness which is the subtlest form of matter,
from that I have to the consciousness which is the observer of the so-called
blankness. And that observer ātma I do not try to observe, because I try to observe
the observer ātma, it will not more be the observer, it will become observed.
And therefore the observer ātma is appreciated not in the form of a specific
observation; observer ātma is appreciated in the form of Ahaṁ Observer Asmi,
Page 1609

which is a thought and this thought is in the form of owning up the observer. It is
not a thought objectifying the observer, but it is a thought which is in the form of
owning up the observer. And that is called technically vr̥tti vyāpthi thought, without
requiring phala vyāpthi. It is required for owning up, but it is not required for
objectifying, because you do not objectify. And therefore it requires a gradual
withdrawal.
Therefore he says viśuddam anthakāraṇam, so the sensitised mind, svarupe nivesya,

you have to gradually withdraw into your svarūpa; turn towards your svarūpa; direct
your attention to your svarūpa. How? śanaiḥ śanaiḥi, gradually.
So first prāṇamaya kōśa ātma, anyōnthara ātma prāṇānamyaḥ; then anyōnthara

ātma manōmayaḥ; then anyōnthara ātma vijñānaṁayaḥ, etc. śanaiḥ śanaiḥ niveśya.
The word śanaiḥ should be connected with niveśya; gradually you withdraw and turn
towards your svarūpam.
What type of svarūpam? Avabōdhaḥ māthre sākṣini svarupe. In the svarūpa which is
pure witness consciousness; ever the observer, never the observed; ever the
experiencer, never the experienced.
In that ātma, niveśya. May you direct or fixing. Fixing the mind upon ātma is
entertaining the thought regarding ātma. If I ask you to fix your mind upon an
object, fixing the mind is not a physical job of plucking the mind from your head and
then fix on that object, not like that. Fixing means entertaining a thought regarding
that object. Similarly the mind should be fixed on ātma, does not mean place the
mind over the ātma, placing the mind over the ātma means, entertaining the
thought which corresponds to ātma. Ātmakhāra Vr̥ttiḥēva manasaḥ ātmani
stāpanam. And therefore niveśya.
And what type of thought you entertain? A thought which is in the form of owning
up the self evident consciousness as myself. I am the self-evident consciousness. In
this form, fix your mind. And in Krishna's language, it is ātma samstham mana
kritva. And then what do you do? Niścalatām upānayan. And let the mind remain
observed in ātma, which means let the thought connected with ātma continue as a
flow. So let the ātmakhāra vr̥tti continue to flow in your mind like, taila dhāra vat
anuvarthathām vr̥tti pravāhaḥ. And Niścalatām upānayan, let not the mind entertain
any distractive thoughts.
Page 1610

So ātma samstham manakritva na kincidapi cintāye. So there Krishna says do not

think of anything. And there what should we understand? Do not think of anything
does not mean a thoughtless state, do not think of anything means do not think of
anything other than the ātma svarūpam.
And therefore niścalatām upānayan means anātma vr̥ttim tyajan. Give up anātma
vr̥tti. Entertain ātmakāra vr̥tti. And what type of ātma you should own up? Pūrṇam
svam ēva avalōkayē. Own up the sākṣi caitanyaṁ which is pūrṇam. So here the
word pūrṇam is as a sample. You can have pūrṇa ātma, ahaṁ asmi thought, or you
can change into nithya ātma ahaṁ asmi; or you can change into śudda ātma ahaṁ
asmi. Buddha ātma ahaṁ asmi; muktha ātma ahaṁ asmi; any feature of ātma you
can bring to your mind. That is your choice.
So here pūrṇatvam is pointed out, because our fundamental problem is apūrṇatvam.

Always we have something missing and therefore Śankarācārya emphasises the
pūrṇatvam. And pūrṇam is sweet also; isn't it. Therefore pūrṇam and do not say
ātma is pūrṇam; learn to say ahaṁ pūrṇaḥ. So svamēva. svam means what, the
self; I myself.
And this ātma anuvilōkayē; may you perceive such an ātma, the word 'perceive'
must be within quotation. Do not imagine the word ātma, pūrṇa ātma standing in
front of you; and you having darśanam as in temple, and coming back; do not think
like that. So here anuvilōkayēt means what; own up the fact. There is nothing to
see; there is nothing to objectify, but something to own up or claim up. Tataḥ,
thereafter. Thereafter means after withdrawal. So this also is based on the well-
known Kathōpanișad mantra,
यच्छेद्वाङ्म प्रा�स्तद्यच्छ आत्म� ।

�ानमात्म� मह�त �नयच्छेतद्यच्छेच्छ आत्म� ॥ 1.III.१३॥
yacchēdvāṅmanasī prājñastadyacchējjñāna ātmani |
jñānamātmani mahati niyacchēttadyacchēcchānta ātmani || 1.III.13||
Based on this alone, Krishna also has presented in the Gītā, Śankarācārya also
presents here.
Page 1611

देहेिन्यप्राणमनोऽहमा�द�
स्वा�ानक्लृप्तैर�खलैरुपा� |
�वमुक्तमात्मानमखण्ड
पूण� महाकाश�मवावलोकयेत् ||३८४||
dēhēndriyaprāṇamanō:'hamādibhiḥ
svājñānaklr̥ptairakhilairupādhibhiḥ |
vimuktamātmānamakhaṇḍarūpaṁ
pūrṇaṁ mahākāśamivāvalōkayēt || 384 ||
So the same idea is further refined here. Ātmānam avalōkayēt. So this is the main
sentence. May you visualise or think of the ātma during samādhi abhyāsa. And what
type of ātma? An elaborate description is given. upādhibhiḥ vimuktam; that ātma
which is unconnected to any of your upādhi. So vimuktam means unassociated with.
Because withdrawal from anātma involves two fold exercise. Our first problem is: I
am the body. This is called ahaṁkāra adhyāsa, which creates serious problem. After
some time, we understand I am not the body, but we claim the body as something
possessed by me. Therefore instead of saying I am the body, I begin to say I have
the body. But even I have the body is a saṁsāra because, when I say I have the
body, I entertain a relationship with the body.
And relationship is called mamakāra saṁbanda. And you should remember,

mamakāra saṁbanda produces as much saṁsāra as ahaṁkāra saṁbanda. So when
I have a few possessions, those possessions also give headache. In fact, possessions
give more headache. And therefore not only I should become different from the
body, I should not have even a relationship with the body as something belonging to
me. So therefore the first is called ahaṁkāra adhyāsa or tādatmya adyaśa, the
second one is called mamakāra adhyāsa or saṁsarga adhyāsa. So I am not the body
and I do not have this body also or this body does not belong to me. So this is called
upādhibhiḥ vimuktam; I am free from all types of relationship with the upādhi.
And what type of upādhi? Upādhi means various instruments or media of

transaction. And what are those instruments or upādhi? Dēha, indriya prāṇa manaḥ,
ahaṁ. Dēha means annamaya kōśa, prāṇa means prāṇamaya kōśa, manaḥ means
manōmaya kōśa, ahaṁ means vijñānaṁaya kōśa, ādhi represents ānandamaya
kōśa. And indriya is not a separate kōśa, indriya belongs to prāṇamaya and
Page 1612

manōmayādi kōśās. So in short, in pañja kōśas. So may you break your relationship
with the pañja kōśās.
So can I keep relationship with at least one? Akhilaiḥ upādbiḥ. Each kōśa is a
headache. So akhilaiḥ upādhibiḥ vimuktham. Have to see yourselves as unconnected
with all of them.
And why you should disconnect yourselves from five kōśas? Because, svājñāna
klr̥ptair; born out of ignorance or māya which means they are mithya of a lesser
order of reality. The pañja kōśas belong to a lesser order of reality; you belong to a
higher order of reality, how can you have saṁbanda with a lesser order of reality?
Just as how can a person belonging to waker's plane, marry a person belonging to
dream. Imagine a parent is not able to find a son-in-law in the waking state.
And therefore what did she do? And very much worried; and therefore in dream one
son-in-law came and got married; it would not work. Saṁbanda requires śamaana
sattagatva niyama. This is called two objects belonging to the same order of reality
alone can have relationship and I unfortunately or fortunately cannot have
relationship with any blessed thing in the creation. What is the reason? Because
everything I experience is of a lower order of reality. The only one higher order of
reality is what is that? I, the experiencer. And that is why: asaṅgōhaṁ; asaṅgōhaṁ,
asaṅgōhaṁ pūna pūnaḥ. Exactly like dream. Every object I experience in dream is
available for experiencing; but available for relationship. I can enjoy the dream but I
can never have relationship with the money in the dream and become a rich person;
children in the dream and become a parent.
Therefore he says vimuktam paśya; may you meditate upon yourselves as asaṅgaḥ.
So observing the world, no problem. Saṅga is the problem. So may you meditate
upon the asaṅga ātma. So you can translate vimukta ātma as asaṅga ātma. And
how many asaṅga ātmas are there. Akhaṇḍa rūpam, which is one divisionless
observer.
And what about Īśvara? Īśvara is higher order of reality, or lower order of reality? It
all depends. Do you consider Īśvara as the observer or the observed? You tell me,
then I will give the answer. Therefore the status of Īśvara will depend upon the
classification of Īśvara; if Īśvara comes under an observed being, Īśvara is also a
Page 1613

lower order of reality. If Īśvara is equated to I, the observer, then Īśvara is "also"
also within quotes, then Īśvara is paramārthika.
And therefore akhaṇḍa rūpa, there is not even jīva-Īśvara bhēda; there is not even
jīva-jagat bhēda. Īśvara, jagath everything is of lower order of reality; and I am the
satyam.
And therefore only pūrṇam. You can understand. Pūrṇam, I am full and complete.
And what is the example. And the nearest example of ātma is what: mahākaasam
iva. Like the all-pervading space.
I have told you the similarity between ātma and ākāśa. Both begin with ā; that itself
is a similarity. ātma and ākāśa. And more you think of it, you have to open your
mouth: aah; both for ātma and ākāśaḥ. What are the similiarities? both are infinite.
Both are only one; one ākāśa and one ātma; both are formless; both are indivisible;
both accommodate everything; sarva ādhāraṁ; both are asaṅga. These are some of
the common features; you can think of more. Asaṅgatvam, akhaṇḍavtvam,
pūrṇatvam, sarva adhiṣṭāntvam; nirvakalpatvam; these are the common features.
Then what are the uncommon features? That also we should know. The uncommon
features are ātma is ajanyam, it is not subject to origination; whereas ākāśa has a
beginning. Tāsmat vā ētasmāt vā ātmanaḥ ākāśa sambhūdaḥ.
Then ākāśa comes under jaḍa anātma; whereas ātma is chetana dr̥k tatvam. So
these are the main differences; but there are so many common features. Therefore
the nearest example for ātma is ākāśaḥ; therefore ākāśavat. That is why cidākāśa
word is used. Chidambaram word is to convey that idea is only. Ahaṁ cidaṁbaraḥ
asmi. Iti avalōkayēt. May you dwell upon this idea for a length of time.
घटकलशकुसूलसू�चमुख्यै
गगनमुपा�धशतै�वर्मुक्तमेक |
भव�त न �व�वधं तथैव शुद्
परमहमा�द�वमुक्तमेकमे ||३८५||
ghaṭakalaśakusūlasūcimukhyaiḥ
gaganamupādhiśatairvimuktamēkam |
bhavati na vividhaṁ tathaiva śuddhaṁ
Page 1614

paramahāmādivimuktamēkamēva ||385||
In the previous ātma was compared to ākāśaḥ. That ākāśaḥ example he connects in
this verse. And as I said between ātma and ākāśaḥ many similarities are there; but
one particular similarity Śankarācārya emphasises.
What is that? Even though ākāśa is only one undivided whole, because of different
containers, ākāśaḥ seems to have being divided into many. Even though ākāśaḥ is
undivided and one, it has got seeming division. Like the big pot having big space;
and small pot having limited space. In fact, we even use the phrase only limited
space is available. The very fact that you use the expression limited space is
available, it appears as though there are limited spaces and also limitless space.
So this is called seeming division. In Sansr̥kt it is called aupādhika bhēdaḥ.

Aupādhika bahutvam. Seeming plurality; seeming limitation, etc. are there for ākāśa,
caused by what; containers.
Now Śankarācārya says consciousness also is exactly the same. It is undivided and
one but the consciousness seems to be divided and limited. That is I have got
consciousness pervading my body; the ant has got one dot of consciousness. In fact,
we even use the word, spark of consciousness. Now you see the word spark, what
would be your concept? Here is one spark, there is another spark and in between
there is gaps. Once you use the word of spark of consciousness, the misconception
is complete; because I think that there are so many sparks of consciousness
pervading the creation.
He says the idea is only caused by the container or upādhi and here what is the
container. Body is the container.
And therefore he says: gaganam upādhi śatair vimuktam. The space is really free
from all the containers; free from means unaffected by all the containers. Containers
means enclosures.
So not affected by the enclosures sataiḥ, upādhi sataiḥ, thousands and hundreds of
enclosures, like what? Ghaṭa, kalaśa, kuśula; sūci. ghaṭa and kalaśa, both mean pot
only; only difference is size. ghaṭa means bigger pot; kalaśa means smaller pot.
kuśula means a granary where the grains are stored; so which is bigger in size, so
Page 1615

kalaśa has got limited space, small space; ghaṭa has still bigger space; kuśula,
granary has got still bigger space and then sūci, a needle, especially the eye of the
needle. How much space is there? A dot of space, for the thread to enter. It should
be there, isn't it.
So thus we have got sūchi ākāśa, kalasa ākāśa, ghaṭa ākāśa, kuśula ākāśa; four
spaces are there; first one is smallest space, the last one the biggest in the list.
Mukhyaiḥ means etc.
And even though because of these enclosures, space seems to be many and limited,
really speaking, vimuktam, space is unaffected by these enclosures, an enclosure
cannot slice the space into two. Suppose I take a knife and cut the space. Is it
possible to cut; it is not. And even if you keep a wall, it is not that the space on this
side of the wall and the other side of the wall. Really speaking space is this side and
the other side wherever the wall stands, there itself space is there, because wall is
able to stand there, only because of the availability of space. And therefore, space is
unaffected by the enclosures. And therefore ekam; it is indivisible; non-dual; svagata
rahita bēdaṁ ityarthaḥ; it does not have internal divisions.
So ēkam bhavathi, in the third line. Vividham na bhavathi. Gaganam is the subject of
the sentence. Gaganam means space. Gaganam ēkam bhavathi. Gaganam vividham
na bhavathi. Space is never many or pluralistic. This is the explanation of the
example.
Now Śankarācārya comes to the ātma. Tatha ēva. Exactly like space.
śuddhaṁcaitanyaṁ api. śuddhaṁ refers to ātma caitanyaṁ. So the pure ātma
caitanyaṁ also is param; param means beyond all divisions. Sajātēya, vijātēya,
svagata bhēda rahitam. Free from all forms of divisions.
And ahaṁ ādhi vimuktam; I am free from all the four kōśas or containers; or
enclosures. So ahaṁ here means vijñānamaya kōśa. Very careful. Ahaṁ here means
vijñānamaya kōśa; ādhi refers to the other four kōśas. Vimuktam, I am free from. So
free from pañja kōśas means unaffected by pañja kōśas. I am not divided by the
pañja kōśas. That is why I am the consciousness within the body and I am the
consciousness outside the body and I, the consciousness, am there in the very same
place where the body is present. And therefore how many I_s are there. ēkam ēva.
I am this non-dual ātma.
Page 1616

ब्रह्मा�दस्तम्बप मष
ृ ामात् उपाधयः |
ततः पूण� स्वमात्मा पश्येद ेकात्म िस्थत म ||३८६||
brahmādistambaparyantā mr̥ṣāmātrā upādhayaḥ |
tataḥ pūrṇaṁ svamātmānaṁ paśyēdēkātmanā sthitam ||386||
So in the first line mr̥ṣāmātrā. In my book, the letter mā is not very clear. It should
be mātrāḥ.
So in the previous verses Śankarācārya has been talking about advaita darśanam,
seeing myself as advaitam by way of negating dvaitam. Now here a question may
come that I the consciousness maybe one only. Previously, I thought that
consciousnesses are many, each one having one one consciousness; this is what I
thought; not only I; even great philosophers like saṅgya philosophers, even they talk
about many consciousnesses.
Now Śankarācārya has negated that idea; I am non-dual consciousness. So this is

called sajātāya bhēda niṣēdhaḥ. Consciousness is one.
Now the doubt is, even though consciousness is one, I cannot say that I am
advaitam because there are so many enclosures which are the material ones. Just as
space maybe one, but there are so many containers. So even though the content
space is one, you cannot talk about advaitam because there are two things, one is
the content space and there are many containers. So there is again dvaitam. One
consciousness and so many body containers are there. There is one cētana tatvam;
there are many acētana tatvam; so cētana acētana division continues. So again we
again in dvaitam. This is called vijātēya bhēdaḥ.
And therefore Śankarācārya says that these containers cannot be counted along with
consciousness. Matter cannot be counted along with consciousness. Even though
matter is experienced. Vēdānta accepts the experience of material world or matter;
but vēdānta says matter cannot be counted along with consciousness.
What is the reason? Śankarācārya says: upādhayaḥ mr̥ṣāmātrā; matter does not
have an independent existence of its own; and therefore it does not have reality. So
we do not deny the experience of matter; we do not deny the utility of matter; but
we deny the reality of matter.
Page 1617

And therefore since matter is mithya, I cannot count a second thing along with real
ātma. Just as you do not count your shadow along with yourselves. Just bring two
cup coffee; one for myself and one for my shadow, you do not ask. Shadow is
experienceable but not countable. Your image in the mirror is experienceable but not
countable. World is experienceable but not countable. Therefore seeing the world, I
should say I am advaitam.
So dvaita darśanēna saha ahaṁ advaitam iti vadāmi. Therefore he says: brahmādi
stambaparyantā upādhayaḥ; all the bodies beginning with Brahma, the Brahmāji's
superior body, well refined container, and stamba means the lowest form of living
being, so here stamba is not the pillar; for pillar the word is stambhāḥ, fourth bha भ,
here it is third bha ब, and it refers to the lowest form of living being, a micro
organism. upādhayaḥ means śarīrani; all the bodies beginning form Brahmāji 's body
to the smallest jīva's body; all of them are mr̥ṣāmātrā; they are only objects of
experience; not to be counted, like what? exactly like dream objects of experience.
They are all tangibly experienced during dream.
And they are tangibly useful also during dream. Remember that also. Not only they
are experienced. Dream water is very useful during dream to remove dream thirst.
And not only dream water is useful; dream water alone is useful. Even though
waker's water is of a higher order of reality, waker's water is superior; even the
superior waker's water cannot remove dream thirst. You require what? dream water
only.
Similarly, the world is experienceable and useful. But just as dream water and
inspite of its utility and experinceability is understood as mithya and real. Similarly,
the waker's world in spite of its experinceability and in spite of its utility, we have to
see it only as mithya. And therefore mr̥ṣāmātrā; brahma sathyam jagan mithya,
ahaṁ brahmaiva na paraḥ.
tataḥ pūrṇaṁ svamātmānaṁ paśyēd; So tataḥ means after negating the world as
mithya, so it is better to retain the word mithya as mithya, because if you translate
the word would be confusing. So the world is real from the standpoint of the waker's
body. Just as dream world is real from the standpoint of the dreamer's body;
Page 1618

similarly the world is real from the standpoint of waker's body; but the world is
unreal from the standpoint of the ātma.
Since standpoint is important, better you do not translate as real or unreal; we use
the word mithya and mithya means what; useful in its place, but from absolute
angle, it is mithya only.
So tataḥ mithyātva niścayaḥ anantharam; pūrṇam svātmānam paśyet. One should

see oneself as pūrṇaḥ; and ekātmana sthitham. And remaining as non-dual ātma.
यत भ्रान् किल्पत तद्�ववेक

भ्रान्तेना भा�त दृष्�हतत्त्
रज्जुस्तद्वद्�वश्वमात् म ||३८७||
yatra bhrāntyā kalpitaṁ tadvivēkē
bhrāntērnāśē bhāti dr̥ṣṭāhitattvaṁ
rajjustadvadviśvamātmasvarūpam ||387||
So in the first line, the last word in mybook, it is tadvivēkē, but a better reading is
yadvivēkē.
What Śankarācārya wants to point out here is the essential teachings of vēdānta.
These things should be very very clear. After knowledge a mithya vastu continues to
be available for experience. After knowledge, a mithya vastu continues to be
available for experience; but since it is not countable, it is mithya. Nobody calls that
mithya vastu by its name; but he understands the mithya vastu only by the name of
satya vastu.
So therefore what I termed world before; after jñānaṁ the very same world in my
vision is Brahman. So what I termed ornaments before, after knowledge in my vision
is nothing but gold alone. Because I know ornaments does not exist as a substance,
because ornament does not have substantiality. It has got nāma rūpa and function;
and therefore for transactional purposes, I use the word bangle, chain, ring, etc. but
I know they have got only a transactional existence; but there is no such substance
called bangle, chain.
Page 1619

Similarly, in the vision of wise man, what exists is Brahman? The only substance is
Brahman; everything else is trayaṁ va idam nāmarūpam karma. Brihadārnyaka
beautifully defines the world as trayaṁ va idam nāmarūpam karma. And after
understanding world as non-substantial, even if he uses those words for
transactions, he knows that they have only verbal existence; not substantial. This he
beautifully presents. He says: yad yatra bhrāntyā kalpitaṁ; whatever is falsely seen
upon a substance.
So here world is falsely seen upon the substance called Brahman. So the substance
is Brahman. What is the mistake I commit? I see the substance as the world. So
thus world as a substance is superimposed on Brahman which is really the
substance, because of what? Bhrāntyā, because of confusion; delusion.
So yad kalpitaṁ tadvivēkē. Vivēka sati, sati sapthami, after wisdom, the very same
world loses its substantiality, because it is handed over to the substantiality is
plucked from the world and it is handed over to what? Brahman.
Just as after wisdom, the substantiality of the pot is plucked from the pot; ‘is
plucked’ and all is only language, do not imagine that you are going to pluck it and
hand over to clay. In my intellect, it happens. I know that there is no substance
called pot. Substantiality belongs to clay. Just as there are two words; but the
substance is only one. Clay is one word, pot is one word; words are two; but
substance is one. So vivēkē sati, tad tanmātram bhavathi, means adhistāna mātram
bhavathi.
Here clay mātram bhavathi. No pot; no jug; no pitcher, etc. Tad tanmātram naiva
tasmād vibhinnam. So there is no world different from Brahman. Just as there is no
pot different from clay; tasmāt adhiṣṭānāth vibhinnam kalpitaṁ nāsti.
And an example is given: bhrāntye nāśēḥ sati dr̥ṣṭa ahi tatvam rajjuhu. So when a
person sees a rope-snake because of bhrānthi, after vivēka or discrimination, the
snake does not exist; ahi tatvam ēva varthatē. Ahi tatvam means what? the
substance or the inner essence of the snake alone exists.
You know when the white ants, sometimes it eats the wooden material. Beauty is
superficially the door will be there; whole inside is taken. Similarly, the ahi, the
snake seems to be solid things; jñānaṁ is like the white ants; it enters and takes
Page 1620

away the essence; what is the essential stuff; the ahi; ahi means pampu, the snake,
the essence is the rope; rope is the substance; substantial rope is separated and ahi,
the snake, loses its substantiality.
Tadvad, in the same way, the entire universe is reduced to non-substantial nāma-
rūpa and I Brahman alone remains as the substance. I am the substance of the
world. This is the wisdom.
Hari Om
Page 1621

125. Verses 388 to 392
यत भ्रान् किल्पत तद्�ववेक

भ्न्तेनार् भा�त दृष्टा�हतत्
रज्जुस्तद्वद्�वश्वमात् म ||३८७||
yatra bhrāntyā kalpitaṁ tadvivēkē
bhrāntērnāśē bhāti dr̥ṣṭāhitattvaṁ
rajjustadvadviśvamātmasvarūpam ||387||
Having highlighted the importance of samādhi abhyāsa, now Śankarācārya talks

about the content of meditation, because meditation has been defined here as
dwelling upon the vēdantic teaching received during śravaṇam. I have repeatedly
mentioned vēdantic meditation is not thoughtlessness or stilling the mind; vēdantic
meditation involves entertainment of vēdantic thoughts consistently for a length of
time without distraction.
And I also pointed out that any aspect of vēdantic teaching can be taken at the time
of nidhidhyāsanam. Śankarācārya himself gives some of the main features of
vēdantic teaching. In these lines, one can meditate.
And in these verses, the main point that Śankarācārya wants to highlight is ahaṁ
satyam jagat mithya. So I am the only substance of the creation and the entire
creation is nothing but nāma rūpa itched on me. And if we have got any doubt, we
can take the example of dream. Just as I myself appear as the manifold dream
objects, it rises from me, it rests in me and it resolves into me. Similarly this waking
universe also rises from me; 3_Rs; Rises, Rests and Resolves.
And what is the substantiality of the world. It does not have any substantiality at all.
It is mere nāma and rūpa and if at all there is any tangibility, it is given by me alone.
So what is normally set as Brahma satyam jagan mithya is here converted as Ahaṁ
satyam jagan mithya. Of course this meditation is possible only if I am totally
convinced of this teaching. Ahaṁ satyam jagan mithya is not a easy meditation. It
should not appear as a joke for you. I am a useless little creature struggling to find
Page 1622

my feet on the ground and how can I say that I am satyam? If even an iota of doubt
comes in the remotest corner of your brain, meditation will become joke. This
meditation is possible only when śravaṇam and mananam have been so thorough
that I do not have any iota of doubt.
And Śankarācārya assumes that we all have that doubtless knowledge. And
therefore he says: Bring to the surface of your mind this conviction which you
already have. And "bringing in to the surface of the mind", is an enjoyable thing, it is
about my glory. As we have seen in śīkśavalli.
ृ स् रे �रवा । क��त� पषृ ्ट �वरे�रव । ऊध्वर्प�व वािजनीव स्वमृतमिस । द्र� सवचर्स म ।

अहं व�
ahaṁ vr̥kṣasya rērivā | kīrtiṁ pr̥ṣṭaṁ virēriva | ūrdhvapavitrō vājinīva svamr̥tamasmi
| draviṇa savarcasam |
And again in Taittariya itself.

अहमन्नमहमन्नमहमन् । अहमन्नॊद३ – अहमन्नाद३ – अहमन्नाद
ahamannamahamannamahamannam | ahamannodō3 – ahamannādō3 –
ahamannādaḥ.
I am everything. And I do not mind accommodating the mithya world in me,

because it will not cause problems for me. Imagine you accommodate some guest in
your house. Just help that person. And having entered the house, he begins to
dictate terms. Then you will naturally get wild. I allowed you to stay and you are
sitting on my head. Naturally you will try to push him out.
So here as Brahman I have accommodated and I am willing to accommodate the

world because world which is of a lesser order of reality can never affect me at all.
So thus not only I am jagat adhișṭānam, but I am also asaṅga puruṣaḥ; then the
world and events will become a drama. Sometimes a tragedy drama, sometimes a
comedy drama; but either way it is only a drama. So this is the highest form of
vēdantic meditation. You can ever think of.
So Śankarācārya says: yatra bhrāntyā kalpitaṁ tadvivēkē, tattanmātraṁ naiva

tasmādvibhinnam. So just as the snake is non different from rope, which means it
has got dependent mithya existence and therefore this snake cannot affect the rope,
Page 1623

similarly the snake like universe does not exist separate from the rope like me and
this world cannot touch me at all. So meditate on this and enjoy your glory.
But one thing you should remember. When I say I am accommodating the whole
universe, what is the meaning of the word I? Stūla śarīraṁ or sūkṣma śarīraṁ;
which śarīraṁ? None of them, very careful. I am just asking you to test you. It is
neither stūla śarīraṁ, nor sūkṣma śarīraṁ, nor kāraṇa śarīraṁ, these three śarīraṁs
are miserable creation. This nobody doubts, but I the caitanyaṁ am the jagath
adhișṭānam. Up to this we saw in the last clause.
स्वय ब्रह स्वय �वष्णु स्वय�मन् स्वय �शवः |

स्वय �वश्व�मद सव� स्वस्मादन् �कञ्च ||३८८||
svayaṁ brahmā svayaṁ viṣṇuḥ svayaṁindraḥ svayaṁ śivaḥ |
svayaṁ viśvamidaṁ sarvaṁ svasmādanyanna kiñcana ||388||
In the previous verse Śankarācārya said: there is no world other than me; I alone
am appearing as the world with varieties of nāma rūpa; that was the topic.
Now in this verse Śankarācārya points out, that not only the world does not exist
separate from me, that is the self, even the dēvathās do not exist, as a second
separate entity. Even though normally in the karma kānda, we are used to see the
dēvatās as superior ones whose blessings we require, and therefore daily we
worship, but once we come to the height of vēdānta, it is not the dēvatās who have
to bless us or bless me; we say I am the one who am lending existence to the very
dēvatās, because if a dēvatā is, it is because of the existence and consciousness,
which have been lent by me alone. And therefore this vēdantic meditator says: I
alone am all the dēvatās also.
Brahma vā idaṁ agra asēth tadātmanamēva abhēdahaṁ Brahmāsmi iti, tasmāt tat
sarvaṁ abhāvath, tad yōyō dēvānām prāthya udyathat thaēva tad abhāvāth, tatha
riṣīṇām tatha manuṣyānām. Tad tai tat pasyan r̥̄ṣin vamadēva prathipethē; ahaṁ
manurabhāva thum suryasca.
In Brihadāraṇyaka, there is a beautiful vākyam. After wisdom Vāmadēva r̥̄ṣi says: I

am all the dēvatās also. And that aspect Śankarācārya is brininging Brihadārnyaka
1.4.10. Very important Manthra. Mahāvākya mantra it is.
Page 1624

So here he says: svayaṁ Brahma, svayaṁ means I myself. I myself am Brahmāji ,

the creator, with a set of nāma rūpa. And svayaṁ Viṣṇuḥ; I myself am Viṣṇu also;
with another set of nāma rūpa I appear as Viṣṇu; and svayaṁ Indraḥ. I am Indra
dēvatā also. In Kaivalya also we have similar mantra.
Sa brahmā, sa śiva sēndra, sōkshara paramasvarāt.

Sa ēva Viṣṇuḥ sa prāṇaḥ, sakālōgni sa chandrama
The same idea. So Svyam Indraḥ. Svayaṁ śivaḥ. And svayaṁ idam viśvaṁ. I myself
am the entire creation also. In fact, svasmāt anyath kaschana nāsti. There is nothing
which exists independent of me. And in keeping with this wisdom only, we say:
Gurur brahma gurur viṣṇuhu, gurur devo mahesvara, etc. are based on the idea that
guru has discovered his svarūpam, which is brahmatvam, viṣṇunatvam, śivatvam.
This is called sarvathabhāva meditation. I am everything mediation.
अन्त स्वय चा�प ब�हः स्वय च

स्वय परु स्तात स्वयमे पश्चात |
स्वय ह्यावाच्य स्वयमप्युद�च्
तथोप�रष्टात्स्वयमप्यधस ||३८९||
antaḥ svayaṁ cāpi bahiḥ svayaṁ ca
svayaṁ purastāt svayaṁēva paścāt |
svayaṁ hyāvācyāṁ svayaṁapyudīcyāṁ
tathōpariṣṭātsvayaṁapyadhastāt ||389||
Same topic. I am everything. I am all. So previously I used the word all (ஆள) in
Tamil; this person, this person. Change that into English; that is Vēdānta. I am All.
Tamil (ஆள) all to English all is Vēdānta.
Now here what do you do? Never give the description of Brahman, you apply that
description to yourselves, because I am Brahman and therefore whatever be the
glories of Brahman I feel as my glories comfortably. It is very easy to say Brahman
is everything. Very comfortable. Anybody can say. It is easy is say that God is
everything. But what is difficult and what is wisdom is I should be able to say
equally comfortably, I am everything. And therefore Śankarācārya applies a mantra
occuring in Mundakopāṇiṣad.
Page 1625


�वश्व�मद व�रष्ठ म ॥ 2.II.११ ॥

viśvamidaṁ variṣṭham || 2.II.11 ||
That is the description of Brahman that Śankarācārya applies to myself. So what is

the content of that verse?
It says svayaṁ anthaḥ; svayaṁ bahihi ca. People are asking me my address. How
can I give my address; Anna Nagar, T. Nagar and all. I am inside; I am outside also;
simultaneously. Otherwise you will think that I am inside when I am at home and
when I come out I am outside. No. Simultaneously I am inside and outside. Svayaṁ
here means I myself.
Svayaṁ purasthāt svayaṁ ēva paśchāt. I am in front; that is in the eastern side.
Generally in the scriptures, the word front refers to the eastern side because, in the
Karma kānda ritualistic section, most of the rituals are done sitting, facing the east;
generally; and therefore, front becomes the East. Therefore purasthāt in the eastern
side.
Then paśchāt will be what? if the front is east; western side I am. Svayaṁ hi
avācyam. Avāchi means southern side; dakṣiṇāthaḥ cha; along with Mundaka
mantra; brahma pursthāt; brahma paśchāt, dakṣiṇāthaha cha uttarēṇa. Dakṣiṇāthaḥ
here avāchyām; for Saṁsr̥kt students; ēkhārantha stri liṅgaḥ avāchi śabdaḥ;
sapthami eka vachanam, it goes along with directions. Saṁsr̥kt direction is feminine
direction. Therefore avāchyam dhiśi ahaṁ asmi. dhiśi understood.
Then svayaṁ api udīchyām. Means what? we have covered three directions. So
parisesha nyayena, udichi means northern side. So udīchyām api svayaṁ api I alone.
What about top and bottom? Tatah paristhāt. I am above all; svayaṁ api adhasthāt;
I am below also. In short, I am everywhere, I am everything.
तरङ्गफेनभ्रमबुद्बु
सव� स्वरूप जलं यथा तथा |
Page 1626

�चदे व देहाद्यहमन्तमेत
सव� �चदेवैकरसं �वशुद्ध ||३९०||
taraṅgaphēnabhramabudbudādi
sarvaṁ svarūpēṇa jalaṁ yathā tathā |
cidēva dēhādyahaṁantamētat
sarvaṁ cidēvaikarasaṁ viśudda m ||390||
So the same idea continues. Here Śankarācārya gives an example to clarify this.
Imagine that a wave or bubble in the ocean is capable of thinking. Give temporary
life to wave or bubble and imagine waves assumes itself to be a wave; and naturally
it will say I am a wave, located here, and different from ocean; bubble etc.
But imagine the very wave has understood that I am nothing but water; then the
waves loses its location, I am everywhere in the ocean; not only I am everywhere, I
am every thing also. I myself the water appear as wave, I myself appear as bubble.
In fact, even the Lord of everything, the ocean, even the ocean does not exist
separate from me. Who says? Wave. So what a courage wave should have to say
that Ocean does not exist separate from me. So when the wave says, ocean does
not exist separate from me, how do you understand the statement? If you
superficially look, it is the arrogance of the wave to say that there is no ocean.
Should be the statement given by ocean. How can the wave say that there is no
ocean different from me? But the statement can be true, if it is understood properly.
When the wave knows that I am water, even ocean is mithya, nāma rūpa only, there
is no such thing called ocean other than water.
Therefore Śankarācārya says if a miserable wave can make such a statement,

similarly the so-called miserable jīva can shift the I from the nāma rūpa to caitanyaṁ
and say I am everything. This is neither arrogance nor delusion, nor sacrilege; it is
wisdom. There are so many bhakthi schools of thought; bhakthi schools of thought
means, various systems of philosophy, which gives importance to bhakthi. All those
schools of philosophy says: That advaitin is making a sacrilegious statement,
because he says: there is no Īśvara separate from me. And he even goes to the
extent of saying, Īśvara himself has got satta and spurthi, from me, the caitanyaṁ.
And why he says like that? Because he takes the superficial personality of the
individual, then the statement appears sacrilegious; but when it is understand, it is
the height of wisdom.
Page 1627

And that is what is beautifully given here. He says: taraṅga phēna bhrama
budbudādi, this is the example part. Taraṅga means a wave. phēnam means foam;
nurai, it is called phēnam; that is why in Saṁsr̥kt they call a soap phēnakam. Now
there is a group of people who want to make Saṁsr̥kt the spoken language. The
problem is you should have words. During Kalidaśa's time, there was no soap or
shampoo. So you would find in Śankarācārya bhāshyam, words for all these things.
There only adhyāsam, brahma and ātma will only be there. But if you want to
converse, you need words for regular. Therefore they have stated coining words for
every ordinary thing. And for soap, Saṁsr̥kt word they have coined is phēnam. Why
it is called? That which produces foam or froth; phēnam janayathi iti phēnakam.
Beautiful word. Therefore phāna. Here it is not soap. Phēnakam is soap. Phēnam
here is froth.
Then Bramahā; bramahā means whirlpool; whirlpool. So here also it should be very
careful. The word bramahā has different meanings in different contexts; when you
have confusion also it is called bramahā; and a whirlpool in a river; whirlpool in
tamil, churzal. That whirlpool etc is called bramahā. So how can confusion and
whirlpool both be called by one word bramahā? Because in confusion also, you have
chakkar. Hindi Chakkar. So therefore bramahā means going round and round;
therefore whirlpool.
Then budbudāḥ; budbudāḥ means a bubble. Onamentopia; onamentopia word;

onamentopia have you heard. A word which is based on the very nature of the
object is called onamentopia in English. So when you use the word whisper; you say
whis whis, etc. So there the very sound of the whisper is the base for coining of the
word whisper. Any word; humming; it is an onamentopic word, because the sound it
makes is what? humm; therefore the word itself is called humm. Similarly the word
budbudam means what? The sound it makes you know. Therefore it is called
budbudāḥ.
So taraṅga, phēna, bramahā, bhubuda, ādhi, etc. etc. can be river, well, etc. All of
them svarūpēṇa jalam. All these are essentially water only. That means they do not
exist separate from water. That means they are mithya; that is the essence of it.
They are mithya only. Tatha, in the same way: cidēva ēthat; one caitanyaṁ alone is
in the form of jīvas; one caitanyaṁ alone is in the jagat; one caitanyaṁ alone is in
the form of dēvatās also. And not only at the macro level, in the micro individual
level also, caitanyaṁ alone appears as all the kōśas also. Dēhādhi ahaṁ antham.
Page 1628

Dēhaḥ means annamaya kōśa; ahaṁ you have to carefully note. In this context,
ahaṁ means vijñānaṁaya kōśa. Ahaṁkāraḥ. So dēhādhi ahaṁmantam means from
annamaya kōśa to vijnāmaya kōśa. ēthat; all these. Sarvaṁ cidēva. Everything is
chit only.
And in short, in the creation, eka rasam viśuddam chidēva sarvaṁ. So the third line
is talking about the micro world. Fourth line is talking about the macro world.
Sarvaṁ means samastha prapañjaḥ api. Not only the four kōśas at the vyaṣti level,
but the whole universe at the samaṣti level, sarvaṁ api, viśuddam eka rasam ekam
cidēva. These are all śuddha caitanyaṁ only. And chit means what? I myself. In
meditation, you have to replace the word chit with ahaṁ. Therefore I am everything.
So this is I am all meditation; sarvātma bhāva dhyānam, which requires lot of
conviction.
सदे वेदं सव� जगदवगतं वाङ्मनसयो

सतोऽन्यन्नास्त प्रकृ�तपरसीि िस्थतवत |
पथक्
ृ �कं मतृ ्स्नाय कलशघटकुम्भाद्यवग
वदत्ये भ्रान्तस्त्वम मायाम�दरया ||३९१||
sadēvēdaṁ sarvaṁ jagadavagataṁ vāṅmanasayōḥ
satō:'nyannāstyēva prakr̥tiparasīmni sthitavataḥ |
pr̥thak kiṁ mr̥tsnāyāḥ kalaśaghaṭakumbhādyavagataṁ
vadatyēṣa bhrāntastvamahāmiti māyāmadirayā ||391||
So in all these verses, Śankarācārya is not introducing any new topic, because all the
essential features of vēdānta have been already taught. Śankarācārya wants to only
selectively choose some of the important topics which have to be brought to the
surface of the mind at the time of nidhidhyāsanam. Therefore this is only helping the
recollection; no new idea is contained in all these verses. And that is why I am not
elaborating also too much; because these ideas we have discussed before.
He says: sarvaṁ jagath idam sadēva. So the whole creation is nothing but sad
brahma; and moment he uses the word Sat, we should remember, the entire sixth
chapter of Chāndōgya Upaṇiṣad which begins with sadēva sowmya idam agra asēth.
So there Brahman is called by the name sat. That he reminds us, idam sarvaṁ
jagath tadēva. vāṅmanasayōḥ avagataṁ, which is known with the help of vāk and
manas. So which is objectified or known, comprehended with the help of vāk and
manaḥ. So this is a peculiar adjective, which can be taken as an adjective for the
Page 1629

world also, it can be taken as an adjective for Brahman also; both ways you can
interpret. It is nice interpretation. So I will give you both.
So first we will take the world, which is comprehended by vāk and manaḥ. Because
the world is known through mind, we perceive the world with the help of sense
organs. And not only that, the world is describable through words also. So vāṅg
manasa viṣayaḥ. So vāṅg manasayōhō should be converted into thritiya vibhakthi.
vaang manasābhyam avagataṁ. That which is comprehended by words and mind.
That is true.
And here only you have to understand, the vāk and mind, as ordinary speech and
ordinary mind. So the world is comprehended with the help of ordinary speech and
ordinary mind.
Now the same expression can be taken as an adjective to Brahman also. This world
which is comprehended through ordinary speech and ordinary mind is nothing but
Brahman, which is comprehended through mind and speech. Not ordinary speech
and ordinary mind, through extra-ordinary speech and extra-ordinary mind. OK.
What do you mean by extraordinary speech? Extra ordinary speech means guru-
śāstra vākyam. That is not ordinarily available in physics book and chemistry books;
therefore the word vāk means śāstra vākyam and guru vākyam. Guru śāstra
upadeśa. And with the help of this extra ordinary speech, coming from śāstra and
guru, and also comprehended through extra-ordinary mind, and what is
extraordinary mind? Sādhana Catuṣṭaya Sampannam manaḥ. Dr̥śyatetu agraya
buddhya sūkṣmaya sūkṣma darśhibhiḥ.
Therefore you can say world is comprehended by mind and speech. You can also
say Brahman is comprehended through mind and speech, with a slight difference.
World is comprehended through ordinary speech and mind; Brahman is
comprehended by extra ordinary speech and mind.
And therefore the commentator; I told you that there is a Saṁsr̥kt commentary for
this Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi, written by one of the Śaṁkarācāryās. Therefore he says vāṅg
manasayōhō avagataṁ jagath, vāṅg manasayōhō avagataṁ Brahmaiva bhavathi.
This is only an interesting expression but the essential point to be remembered is

what: World is nothing but Brahman.
Page 1630

And that means what? sataḥ anyath nāśyēva. There is nothing other than
sadbrahma. There is no jīva separate from Brahma; there is no jagath separate
from Brahma, there is not even Īśvara separate from Brahma. Anyath nāsti ēva;
emphasis.
And what type of Brahman it is? prakr̥tiparasīmni sthitavataḥ sataḥ. So this is the
explanation of Brahman. prakr̥ti parasīma means the ultimate material cause. Para
seems means the ultimate limit. Pinnacle; the apex is called para sīma. And prakr̥ti
means upadhāna kāraṇam, material cause. So prakr̥ti para sīma means, the ultimate
material cause. Brahman is said to be the ultimate material cause.
Why do you use the word ultimate material cause? Because you have got the other
non-ultimate material causes are there. I hope you do not forget the fundamentals:
what is material cause, do not ask. I have to take second sanyāsa! So when you
talk about an ordinary desk, desk itself has got the material cause, which is the
wood. But wood itself has got its material cause; that is the tree; tree itself has got
its material cause, that is the earth. Therefore all these are material causes, not the
ultimate material cause, because earth itself has got its cause; what is that? śāstra
wise, it is jalam. Jalam is the material cause alright, but not the ultimate because,
jalam has got agni. Therefore, ultimate material cause is defined as: that material
cause which is never an effect, which does not have another material cause. So in
short, causeless cause is called ultimate material cause. Kāraṇa rahitha kāraṇam,
otherwise called moola kāraṇam, which was discussed in Mundaka upaṇiṣad, Yasmin
Vijṅāte sarvaṁ idam vijnātham bhavathi. We call it moola kāraṇam or kāraṇa rahitha
kāraṇam or in this slōka, the ultimate cause is called prakr̥ti parasīmni sthitavataḥ
Brahma. sthitavataḥ means remaining. Remaining at the top of the material cause
list.
And it is pañjami vibhakthiḥ. Sthithavat śabdha. Sakārantha, napumsaka liṅgaḥ,

sthithavat sabdhaḥ; pañjami eka vachanam. It is adjective to sathaha. And the word
sathaha is also pañjami vibhakthi; sakāranthaḥ napumsaka liṅgaḥa, pañjami
ekavachanam, because it is followed by anyath. Whenever the word anyath comes,
that nearby word should be pañjami vibhakthi. This is for grammar students. Others
can be blissfully ignorant; do not worry at all. So there is nothing beyond Brahman.
Page 1631

And why does Śankarācārya mention this here. Remember, he will not make any
casual statements. Whatever he says it must have some thing, some significance,
somewhere. We have to think. Śankarācārya says Brahman is the ultimate cause,
because he wants us to remember the law.
A very important law; what is that law? No effect exists separate from the cause.
No ornaments exists separate from gold. No furniture exists separate from wood. So
if Brahman is the ultimate cause and everything including space and time has come
from Brahman. Brahman being the ultimate material cause, we can be convinced
that there has been no world, separate from Brahman. Therefore, these kinds of
adjective is called hētu garbha viśēṣanam. So prakr̥ti parasīmni sthitaḥvatah, is the
hētu garbha viśēṣaṇam for tataḥ.
And he himself gives the example to support that. mr̥tsnāyāḥ pr̥thak kalaśa ghaṭa
kumbhādi avagataṁ kiṁ Can you ever experience pot, etc. separate from clay. It is
not a question. Can you ever experience pot, etc. separate from clay. mr̥tsna means
clay. mr̥tēva mr̥tsna. Why can’t he use the word mr̥t. because the metre will not; it
is a simple reason.
mr̥tna; and kalaśaḥ ghaṭaḥ kumbhāḥ; all these words indicate pots of different sizes.
So kalaśa is a small pot, kumba is a medium pot, ghaṭa is a bigger pot. In English
you can say; jug, jar, pitcher; all are different products of earthen wares. So
kumbhādhi is two separate words; kumbā adhi pr̥thak avagadam; pr̥thak means
what? Separate from clay, avagadam kim, can you ever comprehend like that. It is
not a question, answer is contained in that. Can you ever know pot separate from
clay? The answer is you can never know.
And then how come people are seeing duality, when there is only one clay? How
come there are many substances; pot one substance, jug one substance; even
though substance is only one: clay. Why people see plurality? Śankarācārya says:
because of lot of clay in the head!! Śankarācārya did not say that: I only said that: It
is because of the confusion in the mind; therefore people give such answers.
He says: bhrāntaḥ vadathi; a confused person, in Malayalam they say: Brānthan;

bhrāntaḥ vadathi. How he is bhrāntaḥ? Not because he has taken liquor, Braandy,
etc. you know. Brandy has also come from bhrāntaḥ only. Bhrānthihi ēva vidyāthe.
Page 1632

And what kind of brānthi he has taken. Māya mathiraya. Every body drunk with the
brāndy called Māya.
Māya mathira means liquor. Mathirā; in Saṁsr̥kt, Liquor. The liquor in the form of
māya, has made every body bhrāntaḥ, drunk, these is drunk people.
Śankarācārya says in another work, the whole earth is a mental hospital.

Brānthālayē bada janāḥ viharanti. World is brānthālaya, why everybody drunk, with
what; māya mathiraya.
And what does he say? ēṣaḥ tvam ahaṁ. Three words in quotation. ēṣaḥ, next word,
tvam, next word, ahaṁ. ēṣaḥ means what: this person. tvam means you. Ahaṁ
means I. In English grammar, third person, second person, first person. Thus
plurality in the form of third person, second person and first person. In short,
divisions are uttered or seen by the deluded person. And in vēdantic meditation, I
knock of tvam, ahaṁ and ēṣaḥ. And here the word ahaṁ which is mentioned is
ahaṁkāra rūpa ahaṁ. The small-I is talked about here; which is different from tvam
and ēṣaḥ.
And you have to own up the bigger-I ahaṁ; which does not have any division. So
ahaṁ itself two; one is ahaṁkāra which involves division; this is called small-I; in
English it is crooked-I; small i is crooked, isn't it. And there is another vēdantic
ahaṁ, lakṣyārtha ahaṁ, which does not have the division of first person, second
person or third person. In meditation you knock of this small-I and see the big-I.
This is division free.
And here also in first line, sadēva idam he said. In meditation, this sat must be
translated as ahaṁ. Therefore I alone am everything; there is nothing other than
me; because I am the ultimate material cause. Brahman is the ultimate material
cause was said in Meditation. In Meditation, I am the ultimate material cause.
�क्रयासम�भहार यत नान्य�द� श्रु� |

ब्रवी द्वैतरा�हत् �मथ्याध्यास�नवृत् ||३९२||
kriyāśamabhihārēṇa yatra nānyaditi śrutiḥ |
bravīti dvaitarāhityaṁ mithyādhyāsanivr̥ttayē ||392||
Page 1633

So Śankarācārya feels that he must give śruti support for all these important ideas
that he is mentioning. Otherwise it will be taken as an arrogance and philosophy
created by Śankarācārya, it would be misunderstood.
Therefore Śankarācārya says I am everything is not an arrogant statement of an

illiterate person; but this is the teaching of the Upaṇiṣad. Therefore upaṇiṣad will not
teach you something which is the cause for arrogance or worry. And therefore only
you need not feel bad also to say: I am God. I am everything; we need not have any
complex at all, because when I am saying this, I am concurring with what? śruti
itself.
And in the śruti, śruti means the upaṇiṣads, there are hundreds of such statements;
I told you: ahaṁ vrikṣasya rēriva is one statement; and another, is ahaṁ annam,
ahaṁ annādaḥ; the second example. Mai ēva is sakalam jātham, is another
example. In fact, you can go home and read the upaṇiṣads and find that there are
hundreds of such examples. Here he gives one example from Chandōgya upaṇiṣad.
Bhūma vidyā. 7th Chapter. There is a very important statement. Yathra nānyat
paśyathi nānyat sr̥nōthi, nānyath vijānathi, saha bhūma.
So there Brahman is named Bhūma. That is why in that chapter, 7th chapter of
Chāndōgya upaṇiṣad, the teaching is called Bhūma vidyā. And in that chapter, the
most important statement is this. And there is the previous chapter, 6th chapter,
which is also equally important. In that chapter, Brahman is known by the name Sat.
So in the previous slōka he used the word Sat. So what you have to appreciate is:
whatever Śankarācārya writes he has got some upaṇiṣad or the other in mind.
The previous slōka what was in his mind? Sadēva idaṁ. 6th chapter of Chāndōgya,
where Brahman is called Sat and therefore the teaching is called Sat vidyā, in the
6th chapter. Bhūma vidyā is 7th chapter. And in the 6th chapter the most important
statement is: Tat Tvam Asi. Yaitadātmyam idagum sarvaṁ tat sathyam sa ātma
tatvam asi svētakētō. In the 7th chapter, the important statement is given here.
Yathra nānyat paśyathi nānyat sr̥nōthi, nānyath vijānathi, saha bhūma.
So Brahman is that in which one does not see any object at all. Brahman is that
subject in which one does not see any object at all. In the form of nānyat paśyathi,
an object of the eyes; nānyat sr̥nōthi; an object of the ears; nānyath vijānathi, an
object of the mind.
Page 1634

So Brahman is that in which a person does not see any object of any sense organ or
mind. The upaṇiṣad could have easily said, one does not see any object. But the
upaṇiṣad wants to emphasise. Therefore one does not see the object of eyes; one
does hear the object of the ears; objective of nose, objective of tongue; this is called
kriyā samabrihāra. kriyā samabrihāra means what; different forms of verb are
mentioned here.
In what form? na paśyathi na sr̥nōthi, na vijānathi. Repeating different form of verbs

instead of combining all of them and saying that there is no object; but it repeats;
what is the purpose of repetition? It is to emphasise. Ithi śrutiḥ vadathi. So Brahman
is that in which one does not see any object. Incidentally, the statement has created
a misconception, we should be very careful. Brahman is that in which no object is
seen. It is said here. Therefore some people conclude, in nirvikalpaka samādhi
alone, Brahman is there; because Brahman is defined as what? That in which no
object is seen. In samādhi alone, one does not see any object. And therefore people
interpret Brahman obtains in nirvilkalpa samādhi.
So if Brahman is obtained only in nirvikalpaka samādhi, that Brahman will be time

bomb. Therefore remember Brahman is that in which no object is seen as reality. In
Jāgrath avastha, Brahman is that entity and whatever I see is not satyam; that is
Brahman. iti śrutiḥ vadathi.
And by this statement what is revealed. Dvaitha rāhithyam bravīthi. By such

important śruti statement, the absence of duality is revealed. So dvaita rāhithyam is
the absence of duality is braviti. Śrutihi is the subject. bravīty; śrutiḥ dvaita
rāhithyam bravīti.
For what purpose? mithyādhyāsa nivruthaye. So for the sake of elimination of the
mithya from prapanḥ; for the sake of negation of mithya prapañja. And what do you
mean by negation of mithya prapañja? Not the negation of the perception. Let the
perception continue. Negation of the reality that I have intellectually attributed.
Therefore I have to change by way of thinking. Continue the perception of world.
You cannot stop the perception. But the reality that you have attributed; that is to
be negated. Then allow the world convert the tiger into a paper tiger.
Hari Om.
Page 1635

126. Verses 392 to 395
�क्रयासम�भहार यत नान्य�द� श्रु� |

ब्रवी द्वैतरा�हत् �मथ्याध्यास�नवृत् ||३९२||
kriyāśamabhihārēṇa yatra nānyaditi śrutiḥ |
bravīti dvaitarāhityaṁ mithyādhyāsanivr̥ttayē ||392||
Nidhidhyāsanam is a process in which we bring to our mind certain important

teachings of the vēdānta; and we ourselves can choose any aspect of vēdānta which
is particularly relevant to us, depending upon our personality and depending upon
our specific viparītha bhāvana problem any aspect we can take up.
But Śankarācārya to assist us is taking some aspects of vēdantic teaching, which we

have to revive in the mind. And in that, the highest form of meditation that we can
think of is: I am everything. The most difficult but it is the ultimate truth. It is
ultimate truth if the meaning of the word I is very clear to me. If the word I refers to
any one of the śarīraṁs, it is not true. It is a false meditation. If the word I refer to
even cidābhāsa, it is a false meditation. If I can ignore śarīraṁ and abhāsa, and I
can place my I in the chit, the original caitanyaṁ, and meaning that as I, if I say I
AM EVERYTHING, it is perfect truth; it is the ultimate truth and this is the essence of
vēdantic teaching. And this form of meditation is sarvātma bhāvaha. And what this
bhāvana means is: I alone am appearing as everything by assuming different nāma
rūpa. And therefore what we know as the world is nothing but name and form. I am
the substance behind all the names and forms.
And since I am the substance, all the names and forms are mithya alone. And
therefore, divisions are mithya, non-division alone is sathyam. This is sarvātma
bhāva meditation. Having pointed out that in verse No.391, Śankarācārya wants to
show that this form of meditation is not Śankarācārya's view of philosophy; this form
of meditation is based on valid vēdantic teaching. And therefore he refers to the
well-known chāndōgya vākyam: yathra nānya paśyati; nānyat sr̥nōti; nānyath
vijānāti, sa bhūma.
Brahman is that in triputi in the form of dr̥asta, darśanam, dr̥śyam; vijānātha,

vijñānaṁ, vijnēyam; these triputi is are not there; that is Brahman. So thus the
Page 1636

meditation is vēdantic meditation only, it is not individual speculation, it is not a form

of brain washing, it is not a form of conditioning, but it is a valid wisdom based on
the highest śruti pramāṇam. Up to this we saw, in the last class.
आकाशविन्नमर्ल�न�वर्क
�नःसीम�नःस्पन्दन�न�वर्का |
अन्तबर्�हःशून्यमनन्यम
स्वय परं ब्र �कमिस् बोध्य म ||३९३||
ākāśavannirmalanirvikalpaṁ
niḥsīmaniḥspandananirvikāram |
antarbahiḥśūnyamananyamadvayaṁ
svayaṁ paraṁ brahma kimasti bōdhyam ||393||
Based on this śruti statement, Brahman is the only stuff of this creation; and that
Brahman fortunately happens to be I myself. And therefore Śankarācārya says
svayaṁ param brahma. That param brahma which is called bhūma in the 7th
chapter of Chāndōgya, which is called sat in the 6th chapter of Chāndōgya, that Sat
bhūma is svayaṁ. Svayaṁ means what? I myself.
And what is the nature of that Brahman? First three lines gives the description of
that Brahman. ākāśavat; the nearest example for that Brahman is ākāśaḥ; because
ākāśaḥ and Brahman has got so many features in common.
And what are those features? Nirmalam; you can understand, nirmalam means
what: śuddham, free from impurity, space is ever pure, unsullied and unsulliable and
similarly consciousness is unsullied and unsulliable. So each feature here given is
common to ākāśā also, caitanyaṁ also. A beautiful slōka to remember, to common
features between space and Brahman. In śāstra common features are called
sādharmyaṁ. Sādharmyam is called common feature, more the sādharmyaṁ better
the example is. If you have to give an example, between the example and the
original, minimum there must be one common feature. Like saying that he is the
pillar of organisation. When you say that what is the minimum common feature?
Support. So without the pillar, the building falls; without that person, the
organisation collapses. That is the only one feature. In all other respect, he is not
round like pillar, he is not inert like pillar, he is not stationery like pillar. So an
example should have one sādharmyaṁ minimum, but more the sādharmyaṁ are
Page 1637

better the example is. In English, a good example is called a germane example.
Ākāśa is the best example because the sādharmyaṁs between ākāśā and Brahman
are so many. Some of the sādharmyaṁs are mentioned here.
So first one is nirmalam, śuddham. Second one is nirvikalpam. You can understand.
Space is indivisible. With a knife you cannot cut space and make a big chunk. In the
home there is not enough space. lot of sofa sets, etc. no space to walk. While going
in the train, lot of space, can we cut from there, and put it in our house; not
possible. So nirvikalpam, akhaṇḍa ityarthaḥ.
The next sādharmya is niḥsīma. Sīma means what? boundary or limits. or extremity.
And nissīma means what: boundaryless; boundless, which means all-pervading. So
the boundary of a country is called sīma. So sīma.
And niḥspandana means what? vibration or motion; niḥspandana means motionless,

vibrationless.
So we should be very careful. Consciousness does not have any vibration at all,
because in some context, in the scriptures themselves, it is said that the whole world
is nothing but vibration of consciousness. This expression is used: caitanyaṁ
spandanam ēva jagath. Especially in mānḍukya kārika, this example is used. But we
should be very careful; there is no question of vibration in consciousness, because
vibration is possible only for a finite limited thing. Just as the limitless space can
never have vibration, limitless consciousness never has vibration, and if at all we talk
of caitanyna spandanam, we should always add an adjective: mithya spandanam, as
though vibration.
And many people have missed this subtle difference and they have taken the
vibration seriously and in fact philosophies have been formed based on this
spandanam. There is a work called spanda kārika itself. They formed a philosophy
with this point of spandanam itself, forgetting the fact that no spandanam is
possible. How do you know? Because this line niḥspandanam.
Then nirvikāraṁ. This is a beautiful slōka worth remembering, because

akāśābrahma; what are the comparisons. All we get in one slōka. Nirvikāraṁ, you
can understand. Free from modifications. You cannot talk of ageing space; you
Page 1638

cannot talk about decaying space. Therefore nirvikhaaram, changeless modification

less.
Then antar bahi shoonyam, which is free from outside and inside. You cannot talk
about outside space because the very concept of outside is a concept which can
happen within space alone. Outside the hall is possible; outside the country is
possible, because country is limited. But outside the space is not possible, because if
there is an outside, that must be what? a space again. And since outside is not
possible, you cannot talk about inside also, because inside is a concept as related to
which can be conceived of, as opposed to outside. If outside space is not possible,
inside also you cannot talk about. Therefore it is inside-outside free. So antarbahi
śūnyam. Similarly Brahman does not have inside or outside. So antharbahi
shoonyam.
Then ananyam. Ananyam means without a second thing. So without a second thing;
so without a second space. So this sādharmya will not perfectly fit in with space. You
cannot say that there is nothing other than space. Other than space, things are
there. Or we can give this explanation. OK; we can give this explanation, we will
see.
Now we cannot say there is nothing other than space from one angle. How? You
remember Taittariya; Tasmāt dva ēthasmāt ākāśa sambhūthaḥ; ākāśa is born first
out of Brahman. Then thereafter, ākāśāt ākāśaḥ, vāyor agniḥ, etc. So that means
what: ākāśa is the cause of everything that has come later. Ākāśa, agni, āpah, pr̥tvi,
all the elements as well as all the elements. Therefore we can say ākāśa is the
kāraṇam of the entire creation, which is existing in ākāśa. Since ākāśa is kāraṇam,
and jaagath is kāryam, we can say there is no jagath, the kāryam, separate from
ākāśa, the kāraṇam. Therefore ananyam.
And similarly we can say Brahman is also ananyam because Brahman is cause of
everything including; including what: ākāśaṁ. So therefore both are ananyam. So
without a second thing.
Then advayaṁ. Avadyam means that it is the consequence of ananyam. Because

there is no second thing, it is advyam or non-dual. How many spaces can be there?
So thus, in all these aspects Brahman is ākāśavath. Space like. That is why often
consciousness is referred to as cidākāśa; cidambaramḥ etc. There in the
Page 1639

Cidambaraṁ; place itself is called Cidambaraṁ; the lord is called cidambaraḥ. Here
the Lord is worshipped as Consciousness which is similar to ākāśaḥ. Ākāśa liṅgam.
And according to Shiva devotees, Cidambaraṁ is the centre of the entire universe.
Vaiṣnavās say that it is Sriraṅgaṁ, OK!
So in this context, Cidambaraṁ is the heart of the universe. Whether the

Cidambaraṁ, the local space is heart or not, cidambaraḥ ātma Brahman is the heart
of the universe. Vēdantically it is true; that has been symbolised religiously also. So
do not stop with glorifying Brahman. Śankarācārya says Svayaṁ. That Brahman, I
am. This is the meditation.
And this being so, bodhyam kim asthi; what else is there to be known in my life?
Vijñātva nēha bhōyanyath jñātvyam avaśiṣyatē; yasmin vijñātē sarvaṁ vijñātam
bhavathi. So what else is there to be known. That means what? Nothing else is there
to be known. This is the ultimate knowledge. And may you meditate. That is to be
supplied. May you meditate upon this fact.
वक्तव् �कमु �वद्यतेऽ बहुधा ब्रह् जीवः स्वय

ब्रह्मैतज्जगद नु सकलं ब्रह्माद्�व श्रु� |
ब्रह्मैवाह� प्रबुद्ध संत्यक्तबाह् स्फुट
ब्रह्मी वसिन् सन्तत�चदानन्दात्मनैतद्ध ||३९४||
vaktavyaṁ kimu vidyātē:'tra bahudhā brahmaiva jīvaḥ svayaṁ
brahmaitajjagadātataṁ nu sakalaṁ brahmādvitīyaṁ śrutiḥ |
brahmaivāhamiti prabuddhamatayaḥ saṁtyaktabāhyāḥ sphuṭaṁ
brahmībhūya vasanti santatacidānandātmanaitaddhruvam ||394||
Śankarācārya says I have exhausted everything that I have to say. I do not have
much to say at all. This is the essence of my teaching, which is of course borrowed
from the śruti. My only request or commandment is may you soak in this syrup of
wisdom like rasagula; may you soak yourselves in this wisdom, because this is what
is done by all the great ācāryas of yore. All the past ācāryas have enjoyed
themselves, revelled themselves in this teaching; may you also do that.
Therefore he says: atra bahuda vaktavyam kimū. What is there more to say in this
regard? So what is there more to say in this regard with regard to teaching? The
essence is the following. What is the essence? Jīvaḥ svayaṁ Brahmaiva. So the jīva
Page 1640

that means You the listener are none other than Brahman; understand it; accept it;
assimilate it; enjoy this fact and I am telling this not for any benefit of mine; I am
not getting a naya paise; out of sheer compassion I am sharing with you.
Śankarācārya says jīvaḥ svayaṁ brahmaiva. Every jīva is none other than Brahman.
Not only every jīva is Brahman, the entire jagat is also Brahman. So cara prapañjaḥ
as well as achala prapañjaḥ Cētana prapañjaḥ as well as acētana prapañjaḥ; the
experiencer as well the experienced; everything. So jagad and what type of jagad?
ātataṁ jagad. This vast universe. Extensive universe. ātataṁ means what: extensive
vyāptham. Tan dāthu; to pervade; tatham means pervaded. This vast and extensive
universe which is inert is nothing but consciousness, which is the most difficultiest
idea to swallow. Because how can this inert matter be consciousness. It is mind
blogging but that is the fact. When the scientists say that the whole creation is
nothing but invisible energy in motion, we are not able to swallow initially. It
requires so many years of repeated listening. Why, even the first scientist said that
the Sun is not going round the earth; but the earth is going round the Sun, nobody
was willing to buy this idea. It is such a gross fact. Now the science is advanced to
that extent. That fact is grossest fact is most of the people did not accept and those
scientists were even persecuted. And then it has become now everyday truth.
Similarly when the scientists say that the tangible matter is nothing but vibration of
intangible energy; it is a wonder, how the intangible energy in motion appear as
tangible matter. But if you dwell in such science for sufficiently long time, it will
gradually begin to sit in your brain; and you will become comfortable. And that is
why to study science is little bit useful. And once you have accepted the fact, that
the tangible matter is the intangible formless energy, we are ready for vēdānta; to
go to the next stage; that the world is not even intangible energy but it is intangible
formless consciousness. Therefore it is very difficult but that is unfortunately or
fortunately the fact. Therefore ātataṁ jagad caitanyaṁ Brahmaiva. Sakalam also
goes with jagath. Sakalam ātataṁ jagad; the entire vast universe is Brahman.
And therefore Brahma advitīyam; therefore Brahman is secondless; without a second

thing. So the previous idea is the reason for that. Why Brahman is without a second
thing? Because jīva is also Brahman, jagad is also Brahman, there is no jīva separate
from Brahman, there is no jagad separate from Brahman and there is no Īśvara also
separate from Brahman and therefore sarvaṁ Brahma mayaṁ jagad. Therefore it is
adviteeyam. Brahmaivēdam viśvaṁ idam variṣṭam, we saw in Mundaka upaṇiṣad. So
Page 1641

Bramaiva advitīyam. iti śruti. So iti understand. Thus reveals the scriptures. Ithi
śrutiḥ vadathi.
Where it is said? You ask where it is said and I have to ask where it is not said. As I
said Mundaka itself Brahmaiva idam amrutham pursthāt etc. and in the Bhagavad
Gītā there is a well known verse which we are using in a wrong context.
Brahmārpaṇam Brahmahāviḥ; wrong context I say because, we are hungry, before
eating we say. So we have got only food cintanam. Brahmāparṇam is kadapida.
Brahmāparṇam is the highest teaching of vēdānta. Therefore śrutihi smr̥tihi ca
vadati. Brahman alone is everything.
And then Śankarācārya says: Do not stop with saying Brahman is everything,
Brahman is everything; Brahaiva ahaṁ. So learn to say that Brahman I AM. I should
be able to say that boldly and if I can say that boldly, it indicates I have got clarity in
my knowledge; I have got conviction in my understanding. If anybody says: Svāmiji
I can say God is everything comfortably, I am not that comfortable, something is
itching, I am not comfortable in saying: I am everything, that means knowledge is
not ripe. I do not say that we should not say: God is everything. I should be
comfortable with both statements. Therefore Śankarācārya is not going to leave you
without making you say that. He wants to bring that out of your mouth. Therefore
he says: utter that. Brahmaiva ahaṁ. I am Brahman. Iti prabuddhamatayaḥ; thus
declare or understand, prabuddhamatayaḥ means wise people; people of awakened
intellect; enlightened intellect; prabhuddha mathiḥ yēṣahaṁ te, prabuddhamatayaḥ;
those whose intellect has woken up. Woken up from where; uttistatha, jāgratha,
prāpya varān nibōdatha. Those intellects which have woken up from this dream of
vyavahārika universe; so those people Brahmaiva ahaṁ iti vadanthi. They know and
declare I am Brahman. And they declare I am Brahman they are very clear that the
word I does not refer to stūla śarīraṁ; sukṣma śarīraṁ, kāraṇa sarīram; or even
cidābhasam. Therefore all these four, they have rejected as mithya; they do not
identify with them. Therefore saṁtyaktabāhyāḥ; saṁtyaktabāhyāḥ means samtyakta
anātma abhīmāna. They have given identification with śarīra trayaṁ and cidābhāsa,
because they know that if I identify with them and say ahaṁ Īśvara ha asmi, it does
not make me a wise person, it makes me an asura person. Sākṣara bhavathi;
rākṣasa khila. Sākṣara reversed is what: rākṣasa. OK. Sākṣara means what?
enlightened people. What is the reverse? Rākṣasa; what is the difference between
Sākṣara and rākṣasa?
Page 1642

So when I identify with anātma and say I am Īśvara ha. Hiranyakaśipu said that; I
am Nārayaṇa and everybody should worship me. And then here we say that is
wisdom; there we say Hiranyakaśipu is rākṣasa. So a rākṣasa also says that I am
Nārayaṇa. Therefore why can't we say that he is a wise person. And in the Gītā such
people are called rākṣasas. Isvaroham ahaṁ bhogi, siddoham balavan suchi.
In the sixteenth when Krishna is giving the description of an asura or rākṣasas,

Krishna says that all the rākṣasas claim that I am Īśvara. How is this? And here
Śaṁkarācāryā is teaching claim I am Īśvara. Should we become asura? Very careful,
because Viśistādvaitins and dvaitins, heavily criticise advaitin saying that they are all
asūrās, because they claim: I am Īśvara. Claiming Īśvara is āsūric sampath.
So when I identify with śarīra trayaṁ and cidābhāsa, and say I am Īśvara or
Brahman, I become rākṣasa, whereas if I am identifying with chit, and say that I am
Nārayaṇa, Sōhamasmi, Siva ēva sada jīvaḥ if I say, I will become Sākṣaraḥ. So
ahaṁkāra dr̥șṭyā ahaṁ brahmāsmi is rākṣasatvam; ātma dristya ahaṁ brahaṁāsmi
is Sākṣaratvam. God reversed is dog.
And that is why Śankarācārya carefully says saṁtyaktabāhyāḥ; saṁtyaktabāhyāḥ

means without ahaṁkāra abhīmāna.
Sphuṭam, so sphuṭam means very clearly. They do not have any doubt at all. And
that is why when they come to down to ahaṁkāra plane and start acting in
vyavahārā, they know that from ahaṁkāra angle, I am not Nārayaṇa; therefore I
require the blessing of Nārayaṇa. That is why even such mahā jñānis when they
want to teach this wisdom to their disciples, when they take up the role of a teacher,
ahaṁkāra is teaching or ātma is teaching? Any doubt? How can ātma teach?
Therefore the moment I take up the role of a teacher, guru is one ahaṁkāra, śiṣya
also is another ahaṁkāra alone, and therefore if I should be successful as a teacher,
and if I should be able to complete my teaching, I require what? sahana vavathu,
sahanau bunakthu, sahaviryam karavavahe, tejasvinau athitha masthu, Oh Lord, let
me remember all the upaṇiṣads, and let me remember where I left in the last class;
I have to remember that first, or I would be taking the same slōka of the last class.
So I require all these things. Therefore I am the greatest devotee; greatest bhaktha,
when I play the role of an ācārya. Therefore in advaita, there is no confusion. We
understand the standpoints clearly. And therefore saṁtyaktabāhyāḥ is very
Page 1643

important adjective; sphuṭam vadanti. They clearly declare. So declare, we can

supply, vadanti.
And not only that, Brahmībhūya vasanthi. In this form, by repeated owning up of
this teaching, they become one with Brahman. So Brahmībhūya vasanti, so they
become one with Brahman.
Again you should remember, there is no question of becoming one with Brahman
because I am already Brahman, becoming one with Brahman means they do not
forget the fact of their essential nature throughout their life. This is what we call:
sahaja samādhi. Sahaja samādhi means what? it is nothing but non-forgetfulness of
my nature; throughout my transaction and this non-forgetfulness gives a refinement
to my transaction; a polish to my transaction; a value addition to my transaction;
that is called jīvan muktiḥ.
And that polish comes only by repeated abhyāsaḥ; nidhidhyāsana abhyāsaha. While
cooking they say; whether it is true, after the thing is cooked, it has to remain in the
vessel for sometime; they say it has to get the pāthra pākam; I do not know
whether it is scientifically true or not; they say it has to remain in the pāthraṁ, then
it will have an extra taste. Similarly vēdānta too. It is there in our pāthra called
mind; and that pāka, ripening will come;
ācāryat pādam ādhatte,

pādam śiṣya svamēdhāya
pādam brahmachāribhyaḥ;
pādam kāla kramēna cā.
You have to remain in vēdānta for some time; very time itself will give some
refinement. And therefore Brahmībhūya vasanthi. When santataṁ; that is why I use
the word: sahaja samadhi, it is always there. Santataṁ means always they remain in
Brahman. Tat bhuddayaḥ, tad ātmanaḥ, tad niṣṭāḥ; tad parāyaṇaḥ, etc. we saw in
Gītā.
And in what form? Cidānandaḥ ātmanaḥ. So in the form of cidānandaḥ rūpaḥ

shivōhaṁ, shivōhaṁ. The word ānandaḥ is indicated to show that remaining in your
svarūpam is not a miserable condition. What to do? Svāmiji is asking me to remain
Page 1644

as Brahman! So it is something to be complained about; it is remaining as ego is

bhaaram. Therefore how can you complain?
Svāmiji should we remember vēdānta all the time, as though it is a miserable news.
He says I am asking you to be all the time smile o smile. So therefore,
ānandaḥātmanaḥ. maja maja; enjoy your life in the form of the very ānandaḥ. These
people remain dhruvam; definitely, certainly; it is not an empty promise. So this is
what wise people have done in former times. May you also do the same thing.
cidānandātmanaa; iti nityam bhāvēth; in the form of cidānandaḥ they remain. ētat
dhruvam; is a separate sentence. This is certain.
ज�ह मलमयकोशेऽहं�धयोत्था�पताशा
प्रसभम�नलकल �लङ्गद ेहेऽ� पश्चात |
�नगमग�दतक��त� �नत्यमानन्दमू�
स्वय�म� प�रचीय ब्रह्मर �तष् ||३९५||
jahi malamayakōśē:'haṁdhiyōtthāpitāśāṁ
prasabhamanilakalpē liṅgadēhē:'pi paścāt |
nigamagaditakīrtiṁ nityamānandamūrtiṁ
svayaṁiti paricīya brahmarūpēṇa tiṣṭha ||395||
In the previous verse he pointed out May you disidentify from the inferior ahaṁkāra,
and may you identify with superior and pleasant ātma. And in this verse,
Śankarācārya says, so the proposal that I give you is only a happy proposal; you do
not have anything to complain about. But what generally happens is, even if
something is not really good for us; it appears to be good; when we get addicted to
that for some time.
This is the human psychology; the mind's capacity to form an addiction. First out of
mōhaṁ I seek goodness in what is really not good. Initially it happens because of
mōhaḥ; and because of the mōhaḥ I take to that unhealthy habit and thereafter, the
mōhaṁ is gone. I know that it is not good; but I have by that become addicted to
that. Therefore in spite of my best intentions, I am not able to drop. Like any
addiction; like cigarette. Initially because of some misconception a person takes to
smoking or drinking.
Page 1645

Initially, even though it is not good, he had an idea, it is good; that is called
shōbhana adhyāsaḥ. It is very good for me. This wrong thing; upon a thing it is not
good; that is good. And I just take to that and after sometime it has started
affecting my health. Cigarette smoking is supposed to be most dangerous. And I
know that I should be giving up. But because of sheer addiction, I refuse to give up;
that is why when such a person reads a magazine which repeatedly asks you to give
up, at last gives up what? reading that magazine.
And if you advice, he will give you up. Similarly, ahaṁkāra which is really the cause
of all my problems out of mōha, I initially thought ahaṁkāra is nice. And after taking
to ahaṁkāra for long time, I have become an addict with regard to my own
ahaṁkāra. Ahaṁkāra means what? my biography; my personality.
And now I have got wisdom; vēdānta has enlightened me; I suppose. So therefore
now I want to drop ahaṁkāra, Svāmiji, my intentions are good; but my addiction to
ahaṁkāra does not allow me to do that. And Śankarācārya says I can understand.
But you have to use your willpower and you have to decide in giving up any
addition. First thing that is required is the cooperation of the victim. In Anonymous
Alcoholics, that is what they do. First he has to accept that I am helpless with regard
to this particular thing and I want to give up; I am helpless and therefore I am
willing to take the help of God; introduce God.
Exactly, in the same way, he should be willing to give up ahaṁkāra. My cooperation

is required. That is called willpower. Will-power is cooperation. Once the cooperation
of the student is there, Īśvara anugraha, guru anugraha and all other anugrahas will
follow. Therefore Śankarācārya says that you put the first step; I am willing to guide
you.
Therefore he says, ahaṁdhiya utthāpita aśāṁ jahi; may you give up your addiction,
attachment, obsession, utthāpitā; born out of ahaṁdhiḥ, ahaṁdhiḥ means what;
ahaṁkāra, the I-abhīmāna; strong identification. So the addiction or attachment
born out of strong identification in what? malamaya kōśē; in your pañja kōśas or
śarīra trayaṁ.
And what type of kōśa? Just as we say cigarette smoking is injurious to our health;
similarly he says your abhīmāna in the body, what type of body? malamaya kōśē;
the body which is full of impurities; full of defects; full of imperfections, which
cannot be improved upon, unimprovable kōśa. In that and that too not in one
Page 1646

corner, he says: malamayaṁ, that means what? wherever you see; not in one part
of body; whole body is malam; that is why perfume industry is thriving. Otherwise
why should you have perfume? all over spray. You do not require spray. Therefore
malamaya kōśē, ahaṁdhiya utthāpita aśāṁ jahi; throw your attachment.
Prasabham; prasabham means completely, so prasabham goes with jahi, adverbial;

prasabham jahi, drop totally, without any doubt. That is why when they serve food
in festivals, marriages, etc. they used to ask: sandēhatthukku annam;
sandēhatthukku payaśam, etc. food for doubt, etc. they ask. So we say, No. But that
No is not strong. So if they force and put one more, I am willing to eat. So when I
say no with the hand, I leave some space in the glass or the plate free!! Like that
prasabham jahi; let the NO be a strong No.
And not only in stūla śarīraṁ, kōśa here means annamaya kōśa, liṅga dēhē api jahi;
the first line should be repeated. malamaya kōśē liṅga dēhe api, malamaya kōśē
ahaṁdhiyōtthāpitāśāṁ jahi. Similarly give up the attachment in the sūkṣma śarīraṁ
also, which is full of impurities and in which addiction has been formed through long
chronic addiction. Chronic it is.
And what is the impurities of linga śarīraṁ? Rāga dvēṣa kāma krōdhaḥ, lōbhaḥ
mōham; and when should you do that?
Paścāt; paścāt means after stūla śarīra abhīmāna tyāga. Then you come to sūkṣma
śarīra abhīmānam. So let it be a gradual; let each one take 10 years. Do not say
Svāmiji I will not live that much. But assuming that we are eternal, let it be a long
term project and not only that, we have got next janma to continue; so what? so
take your own time, to win over different kōśas. Go from stūla śarīraṁ to sūkṣma
śarīraṁ and then by giving up this addiction, initially it may appear that your life will
become vacuum. The smoker has smoked for 50 years; he will think that cigarette is
Brahman, because that gives existence; Isn't it right. That gives him the very
existence; sattapradātha. And that is true for him; we laugh at it; but for that person
it is very very serious problem, the withdrawal are so terrible; for psychological and
physiological. And therefore you may think that without the ahaṁkāra what is life?
He says life is not going to be empty; there are so many people surviving without
cigarette happily. Better happiness.
Page 1647

In the same way, without ahaṁkāra, not only you can survive, you have infinite
ānandaḥ; having dropped that, nithichāla sukhamā; tamasu manu gaṅgā sthānamu
sukhamā; koovam sthanamu sukhamā? So Thyagarāja beautifully sings. Though he
says: nigama gadita kīrtiṁ nityam ānanda mūrtiṁ svayamiti paricīya. May you own
up, that you claim Brahman as yourselves. There would not be any vacuum, because
nature abhors vacuum; because ahaṁkāra is emptied; that vacuum will be filled with
what: ātmānandaḥ. Therefore svayamiti paricīya; may you own up Brahman as
yourselves.
What type of Brahman? nigama gadita kīrtiṁ; whose glories are revealed in the
vēdas. Nigamē vēdhē gatihāḥ kērthayaḥ yasya; nigama means vēdaḥ. gadita means
revealed; kīrtiṁ means the glories; what are the glories; nithya, śuddha, buddha,
muktha, satyam, jñānaṁ, ānandam; all of them. So that Brahman whose glories are
revealed in the scriptures, and nityam ānanda mūrtiṁ; that which is eternal
ānandaḥ; not the miserable ever-complaining ahaṁkāra. You ask ahaṁkāra. Are
you satisfied: It will never say: Ok. Something will be there. So therefore ātma is
eternal ānandaḥ, and that ānandaḥ mūrtiṁ; that Brahman, these two are description
of Brahman, such a Brahman svayaṁ iti; svayaṁ means ahaṁ iti paricīya. Literally
paricayaḥ means familiarise. May you get familiarised with Brahman as ahaṁ asmi.
Parīci dātu. So having owned up, claimed that Brahman as ahaṁ, ahaṁ iti, Brahma
rūpēṇa tiṣṭha. Then remain in your life. Live your very life as Brahman itself.
You need not tell everyone. Who are you? Brahman. Bus conductor; or railway
ticket; what; Brahman; you need not tell; let this be inside like the tampura śruti; let
it be there; and let your life be a music with this wonderful tampura śruti of ahaṁ
brahma asmi.
tiṣṭha; Śankarācārya is commanding; You be like that; because you have come as
my disciple and I have right to command, you should be like that only.
Hari Om.
127. Verses 396 to 401
ज�ह मलमयकोशेऽहं�धयोत्था�पताशा
Page 1648

प्रसभम�नलकल �लङ्गद ेहेऽ� पश्चात |

�नगमग�दतक��त� �नत्यमानन्दमू�
स्वय�म� प�रचीय ब्रह्मर �तष् ||३९५||
jahi malamayakōśē:'haṁdhiyōtthāpitāśāṁ
prasabhamanilakalpē liṅgadēhē:'pi paścāt |
nigamagaditakīrtiṁ nityamānandamūrtiṁ
svayaṁiti paricīya brahmarūpēṇa tiṣṭha ||395||
We saw that samādhi abhyāśā is an exercise in which one turns his focussed
attention on any important aspect of vēdantic teaching and tries to remain absorbed
in that teaching, so that it is well assimilated. And any aspect of the teaching can be
taken, and Śankarācārya here gives the highest form of meditation possible; the
height or climax of vēdantic teaching and what is that teaching: I AM EVERYTHING;
ahaṁ ēva idagum sarvaṁ; there is no second thing at all other than me. And
whatever second thing I experience, it is only a seeming second thing like my own
reflection in the mirror and I am never frightened of my own reflection. A dog will
have a problem. If a mirror is kept in front, seeing another animal of the same
species, the dog cannot withstand and it will bark.
And the interesting thing is that when this dog barks, the other one in the mirror
also barks; which means there is a challenge to my status. And territorial integrity is
questioned by another dog. It becomes more wild and barks more. And more this
dog barks, the other one in the mirror also. The dog can afford to do that; not the
human being. Similarly, a bird you can see. If a mirror is kept, the bird will peck at
the mirror. Not knowing that what is in front is my own apparent manifestation. In
the same way, an ignorant person alone assumes there is a second thing limiting
me, a wise person sees
Matto Nānyat-kinchid-atrāsti Viśvam

Satyam Bāhyam Vastu Māyōpakritam
Ādarśa-antar-bhāsamānena tulyaṁ
Māyyadvaite Bhāti Tasmāchhivōhaṁ
You can understand the meaning. mathaḥ anyat kincit viśvaṁ nāsti. Satyam bāhyam
vasthu māyōpa kritham; it is a seeming duality, like what; ādarṣantar bāśamānasya
tulyam; just as in mirror my own reflection comes, similarly the world is. And this
form of meditation is called sarvātma bhāva meditation, I said.
Page 1649

And while talking about this sarvātmabhāva dhyānam, Śankarācārya is taking a small
aside or diversion and that diversion is sarvātmabhāva is possible only when
dehātmabhāva becomes weaker. Stronger the dehātmabhāva, weaker the
sarvaatmbhāva. And weaker the dehātmabhāva, stronger will be sarvātma bhāva,
which means sarvātmabhāva and dehātmabhāva can never co-exist.
And therefore in verse No.395 and 396, Śankarācārya is asking us to remove the
obstacle of dehātmabhāva. And we saw verse No.395 in the last class and I only left
out one word in the verse. I do not know whether you noted but I noted later. I
thought I will explain the word anilakalpe in the second line. prasabhamanilakalpē
liṅgadēhē:'pi paścāt. So there Śankarācārya says you give you your abhīmāna
towards stūla śarīraṁ.
Similarly, abhīmāna towards sūkṣma śarīraṁ also. In that context, he gives an

adjective to sūkṣma śarīraṁ. Sūkṣmā śarīraṁ is anila kalpam. Anilam means what?
wind. And anila kalpam means what? ākāśa sadr̥śam. And ākāśa sadr̥śam means
what? unsteady, anytime it can leave you. And it is compared to that because, the
main component to sūkṣma śarīraṁ is prāṇaḥ. And prāṇaḥ is somehow remaining in
the body and that too a body with 9 holes as Dharmaputra said. If a balloon has got
air filled inside it, there is no wonder. But suppose there are 9 holes in the balloon
and still the air is inside, isn't it wonder.
Similarly, we are all balloons; any time pop off; and there are nava dvaram or
ēkādaśam dvāram according to Kathōpanișad and the prāṇa ākāśa is within, we are
alive, that is wonder. Any time the prāṇa ākāśa can choose to go; such unsteady is
our life. न�लनीदलगत जलम�ततरलं तद्वज्जी�वतम�तशयचपल | nalinīdalagata jalamatitaralaṁ
tadvajjīvitamatiśayacapalam. Such an unsteady sūkṣma śarīraṁ, do you want to
identify with? Never do that. And therefore he said; anilakalpē athitharale, aticapalē
sūkṣma sarīrē, abhīmānam tyaja. Up to this we saw.
शवाकारं यावद्भज मनुजस्तावदशु�च

परे भ्य स्यात्क्ल जननमरणव्या�ध�नलय |
यदात्मान शद्
ु कलय�त �शवाकारमचलम ्
तदा तेभ्य मक
ु ्त भव�त �ह तदाह श्रु�तर ||३९६||
Page 1650

śavākāraṁ yāvadbhajati manujastāvadaśuciḥ

parēbhyaḥ syātklēśō jananamaraṇavyādhinilayaḥ |
yadātmānaṁ śuddhaṁ kalayati śivākāRāmacalam
tadā tēbhyō muktō bhavati hi tadāha śrutirapi ||396||
So the same idea is repeated. Dehātma bhāva is obstacle to sarvātma bhāva. So it is

for you to choose which one you want. You cannot choose both of them.
And so Śankarācārya says: yāvat śavākaram bhajati, śavākaram means śarīraṁ. As

long as person holds on to the body, and what is the name given to the body, so
that we will get disgusted. He uses the word savākaram; the body which is a
potential corpse, சத் ப�ணங்கை பார்த, சா�ம ப�ணங்க (sattha piṇaṅgalai pārthu,
sākum piṇaṅgal), somebody sings. So one is dead corpse, another is living corpse,
not much of a difference, soon it is also going to join that only. After death, decay is
faster; before decay is not absent; it is slower. Only the rate of decay is different.
After death and before death, which means the body is corpse only. Therefore he
says: śavākāram śarīraṁ. And therefore only what? aśuciḥ. So śarīra saṁbanda is
itself aśuciḥ, impurity.
We think we have got impurity or pollution, only when you go near a dead body or
house of death. We think there is pollution. Śankarācārya says, not house of death,
even now when you have śarīra saṁbanda, there is aśuciḥ only; why? we have to
regularly take bath.
Therefore śarīraṁ śavākaram and śarīraṁ aśuciḥ and yāvat bhajathi; as long as a
person holds on to this body, the person also will be polluted. Manujaḥ means a
person. So yāvath manujaḥ śavākaram śarīraṁ bhajati, thāvat aśuciḥ bhavathi. As
long as dēha abhīmāna is there; so long aśuciḥ, impurities will be there.
So here the word bhajathi very careful. Bhajathi, not that bhakthi, here bhajathi
means abhimanutē, identifies with. Bhajathi is equal to abhimanutē, identifies with
ātmatvēna grinnathi, takes as himself, and not only he will be polluted, parēbhyaḥ
klēśōsyāt. The body is at the mercy of every external and internal factor. So
parēbhyaḥ klēśaḥ, in some books, the word klēśaḥ is not printed properly, klaśaḥ is
put, you can make corrections required. klēśaḥ means trouble, pain, batterings will
be there, because body is subject to time onslaught, because of time: asthi, jāyatē,
Page 1651

vardhate, viparinimathe, however much you try to cover up your age, how long you
can cover up. So many new methods are come up; but you cannot, beyond a limit.
As I said the other day, you can never cheat a staircase. Do you understand? You
walk up staircase, the age will be known. And not only time, and of course
prārabhda onslaught. Disease onslaught. Weather onslaught. People around
onslaught; in fact why ultimately even graha, rāhu daśa, kētū daśa, bhuda daśa,
body can never escape from external factors.
That is why we say you can never give security to the body. You can never give
security to the body. Body is ever insecure, ātma is never insecure. This wisdom is
the only security. And therefore parēbhyaḥ klēśaḥ ca; you will be in trouble.
somebody will do something. In the body, some part, whether it is the tooth, head,
joint knee, etc. would pain. All these will be there.
And not only that, janana marana vyādhi nilayaḥ. This is one reading. There are
other reading also. This reading is also OK. Therefore I am taking this reading.
Jnāna maraṇa vyādhi nilayaḥ; this person is the house of all diseases. He is a house;
storehouse, the abode of all diseases, vyādhi nilayaḥ; and not only vyādhi, janana
maraṇa. As we have seen in the Gītā, janma, mr̥thyu, jara, vyādhi duḥkha dōṣaḥ
anudarśanam.
So this is next consequence of what: dēha abhīmāna. And if you want sarvaatbhava,
what should you do. Yadā śivākāram kalayathi. How nicely he has put. Previously
what did he say? śavākāra bhajati. Dropping that, what to do. śivākāraṁ kalayathi.
When a person identifies with the ever auspicious ātma; only इ E is difference. There
अ ah, here E. śivākāram kalayathi; kalayathi also means abhamanutē; identifies with,
owns up, claims.
And what is that; ātmānam, the ātma, which is beyond stūla sūkṣma kāraṇa śarīra,
and which is śuddam. Every word should be connected, or contrasted with the
previous word, śavākāram, śivākāram. Their aśuciḥ, here śuddham. Which is ever
pure.
And acalam, as opposed janma maraṇa vyādhi nilayaṁ. Jananam maraṇam means
what; coming and going of the body; whereas ātma does not come; does not go
away also. Therefore acalam. janana maraṇādhi rahitam. Ātmānam kalayathi; when
Page 1652

a person owns up, then tadā tebhyaḥ mukthaḥ bhavathi. Then he is free from all the
onslaught; tebhyaha means what; para klēśebhyaḥ. So that is why, they think: நாள
என்ெச�; ேகாள என்ெச�; வ�ைனதான என்ெச� (nāḷ eṉceyum; kōḷ eṉceyum;
viṉaitāṉ eṉceyum); what can stars do to me, what can śani daśa do to me, what can
rāhū daśa do to me, Me, means what? not śarīraṁ. Śarīraṁ will be subject to rāhū
kēṭū ādhi daśa. When they say graha can affect me, me is the ātma, remember, no
devotion or no jñānaṁ can protect the body from navagraha. Even vēdānta jñānaṁ
cannot protect the body from navagraha; that is why we say: prārabdhasya
bhogādhi ēva kṣayaḥ. Jñānaṁ cannot protect the body; but still a jñāni says no
planet can do anything; because he refers to the ātma as himself. And therefore
mukthaḥ bhavathi. He becomes freed from para klēśaḥ; troubles caused by dēśa,
troubles caused by kālam, troubles caused by family members, troubles caused in
business field, troubles caused in all field. Mukthaḥ bhavathi.
And not only this is logically true, it has got śruti support also. So Śankarācārya says
śrutiḥ api tadaḥ. So the śruti vākyās also say the same thing. Here Śankarācārya is
keeping in mind two statements occuring in Chāndōgya upaṇiṣad; one statement is:
nahavai saśarīrasya tataḥ priyāpriyāhō āpathirasthi, which means as long dēha
sambhanda is there, dēha abhīmāna is there; problems like death, diseases, etc. one
cannot never get over. Priyam will be there; and apriyam will be there; because
body has ups and downs. And then the very same upaṇiṣad makes another
statement, aśarīraṁ va vasantham, na priyāpriyā spruśathaḥ; the one who has
transcended dēha abhīmāna, for him, priya and apriya will not affect at all. And
these statements, saśarīratvam saṁsāraḥ; aśarīratvam mōkṣaḥ. Śarīra abhimānaḥ
saṁsāraḥ. Śarīra abhīmāna tyāgaḥ mōkṣaḥ. The upaṇiṣad also has said.
स्वात्मन्यारो�पताशेषाभासवस्तु�नर |
स्वयमे परं ब्र पूणर्मद्वयम�क् ||३९७||
svātmanyārōpitāśēṣābhāsavastunirāsataḥ |
svayaṁēva paraṁ brahma pūrṇamadvayaṁakriyam ||397||
So therefore dēhābhimāna or dehātmabhāva is the obstacle to sarvātma bhāva.

Therefore having negated dehātmabhāva, may you remain in sarvatha bhāva. That
is the advice here. svātmanyārōpitāśēṣābhāsavastunirāsataḥ; one word; compound
word,
Page 1653

vastunirāsataḥ; vastu means what; any object, especially here in the form of stūla
sūkṣma, kāraṇa śarīraṁ, is called vastu; and what vastu; abhāsāvastu; abhāśā
means mithya vastu; So this three body, which are mithya vastu, which are only
vyavahārika satyam, which is svātmani arōpitam, which is superimposed upon ātma;
like rope-snake is superimposed on rope; śarīra trayaṁ is superimposed on the
ātma; and therefore only we call it as mithya and all these bodies, aśēṣa; totally,
completely, nirāsataḥ, means what? negation. So by totally negating all the mithya
objects superimposed on the ātma. That is the first step.
By totally negating all the mithya objects superimposed on the ātma. And in short
this is dehātmabhāva tyāgaḥ. So negating the body means, negating the body
abhīmāna.
Then what is left out? Once dehātmabhāva goes out, what is left out is: svayaṁ ēva
para brahma. I am by myself; without any effort, naturally, param brahma; I am
Brahman. So the pāramāthmikam Brahma, which is pūrṇam, which you understand,
pūrṇam, advayaṁ, akriyam. pūrṇam means sarvaṁ. That is what sarvāthmabhāva; I
am everything; I am Brahman, I am non-dual and I am actionless; akriyam. So this
is sarvātmabhāva dhyānam or abhyāsaḥ. So the more you soak in these verses, in
the idea of these verses, we will find the so-called saṁsāra problem gradually
becomes diluted. It is like svapna trouble, which appeared to be very powerful
during svapna; how after waking up they lose their punch, they loose their impact,
the greatest problems of life will become insignificant, when this new-I becomes
more and more significant. This is what I call before abhibhavaḥ. Many of your
problems you will not be able to solve, because powerful prārabhdās do not have
any parihārās. You may do any amount of prāyascitta and of course many of your
problems will be solved by prāyascitta but there are unprāsyacittable problems.
Means what? prāyascittable money will be spent, the problem will be continued,
making the financial problems worse. If you ask why, because you spend the money
in prāyascittam. So remember, many of the problems will not go with regard to
those problems, the only solution is what? abhibhavaḥ.
What is abhibhavaḥ? When there is a candle, candle light in the midnight is very
very powerful; when the sunlight comes, candle light continues, but it is not felt
because of something else more powerful. You have not destroyed the candle light,
you have made it insignificant. This is called what: abhibhavaḥ. In fact, vēdānta
Page 1654

changes your mind and attitude that for that vēdantic mind, even the worst problem
of saṁsāra will appear insignificant. The world will be sympathising; are you
suffering so much? The world will be sympathising, and the problem will be true
also; but for vēdantic mind, that problem will become insignificant. In fact, this is
the only solution for some of the unsurmountable problems of life.
And therefore, advayaṁ akriyam when I see I grow out of the problem. When a
child loses balloon, child cries. And what do you say: it is balloon, let it be. Lose of
balloon remaining the same, for the child it is a tragedy, for you it is a insignificant
and you also argue, balloon will break my boy, balloon is that which will burst. You
are philosopher. It is called balloon-philosopher. In fact, everything in life is a
balloon only. So making everything is a balloon is maturity.
समा�हतायां स�त �चत्तवृत्

परात्म� ब्रह् �न�व्
र कल् |
न दृश्य किश्चदय �वकल्प
प्रजल्पम प�र�शष्यत यतः ||३९८||
samāhitāyāṁ sati cittavr̥ttau
parātmani brahmaṇi nirvikalpē |
na dr̥śyatē kaścidayaṁ vikalpaḥ
prāja lpamātraḥ pariśiṣyatē yataḥ || 398 ||
So by this adhyāsa, what happens? Nidhidhyāsana abhyāsa or samādhi abhyāsa,

what happens he says. Cittavr̥ttau brahmaṇi samāhitāyāṁ sati. So the citta vr̥tti, the
thoughts of the mind gets more and more absorbed in, committed to, Brahman. The
mind becomes Brahma vr̥tti pradhāna. Mind becomes satya vr̥tti pradhāna. So
mithya vr̥tti will lose its significance. Citta vritthau samāhitāyā; samāhitā means
what: absorbed in Brahman.
And what type of Brahman? nirvikalpē Brahmani. In nirvikalpam Brahman,

nirvikalpam means divisionless Brahman.
And when is Brahman divisionless? When is Brahman divisionless? You should be

very careful; many people mistake Brahman is divisionless in nirvikalpaka samādhi,
because the word nirvikalpaka is there. Remember, Brahman is divisionless all the
time.
Page 1655

Therefore, when the mind is absorbed in divisionless Brahman at all the time,
paśyan, sr̥nvan, spr̥san, jihran; he known that Brahman is nirvikalpakakam, in the
back of his mind, which we called sahaja samādhi.
And what is that Brahman? It is not an object outside; parātmani, which is my own
higher nature, which is my own real nature.
So thus a person practices absorption in divisionless-Brahman which is one's own

higher nature, that become more and more dominant.
Then what happens? Ayaṁ vikalpaḥ kascit na dr̥śyatē. All these superficial divisions
become insignificant. They are overlooked; they are ignored; they loose their punch;
they lose their capacity to disturb him; they loose their capacity to generate strong
rāga, and strong dvēṣa. No worldly objects can generate strong rāga dvēṣa.
As I said, preferences can be there; necessities are not there. Preferences reveal my
individuality; my personality, necessities reveal my slavery. Preferences reveal my
glory, necessities reveal my slavery. Have preferences, but necessity means you are
in trouble. Because you may not get; or still somebody else may get; even if I do not
get, others should not get, then mahā kopam; it all happens.
Therefore vikalpaḥ kaschit ayaṁ na dr̥śyatē. na dr̥śyatē very careful, it is not that
they are not seen; they are as good as not seen, because they are not valued.
I do not know whether you read an article was there in the newspaper this Sunday
or so. How our vision of the world is very incomplete. He has put a beautiful
experiment. A new person comes and he asks for some road direction. So how to go
to Anna Nagar from here. And you are giving the explanation. And while explaining
two people come, with a big screen; and they walk in between you and the person
who has asked for direction; and when the person goes, the original person who
asked for direction, he is replaced by another person. Because behind the screen, a
third person was coming. When the screen was removed, a new person who was
walking behind the screen, he stands in front of you and the original person who
asked the question he walks along with the screen. Are you able to understand? The
person is replaced. And we continue to give the directions. And that person's height
is different, weight is different, dress is different, hair is different, hair is not
Page 1656

different, hair is not there at all; but we have focussed on the question and the
answer, the person's replacement, you do not notice. Whereas a person who is of
the same age and interested in dress, hairstyle and fashion and all of them, that
person notices this.
And therefore even though a thing is right in front, what you notice is what you
value. So jñāni will see everything. The divisions are also there; but they are not
strongly registered in the mind; they are registered sufficiently for transactions, but
not too much to create disturbance. Therefore he says: na dr̥śyatē. Differences are
overlooked and then what are they. Prājalpa mātraḥ; all the differences are only
nāma bhēda; prājalpa means what? nāma; vācārambanaṁ vikhārō nāmadēyam. Just
as chair, table, etc. are what: nāma bhēdaḥ. What is the substance? it is only wood.
In the same way, ākāśa; ākāśa, similarly, man, women, table, chair all are mere
prajalpa mātraḥ, śabda bēdaḥ only; vasthuni one.
I told you about the Bhajan before. It is a beautiful bhajan. I am not going to sing.
Do not worry; I will give only the line. हर ् दॆ श ् मे त,ु हर ् वेष् मे तु, तेरा नाम ् अनेक्; तु एक् �ह हो. har deś
mē tu, har vēṣ mē tu, tērā nām anēk; tu ēk hi hō (Hindi Bhajan).
Advaita prakaraṇam of Mānḍukya is put in bhajan line. har deś mē tu, means in
every place you alone are; tu, not Tamil tu, hindi tu means you, har vēṣ mē tu, in
every vēṣa, man, woman, animal, it is also you only. Thēra nām anēk. Your names
are many, but tu ēk hi ho. Only difference we are making here is; what is the
difference? Name and major difference, instead of tu, we are going to say mai; in
hindi, mai, means me; har deś mē mai; har vēṣ mē mai, mēra nām anēk, mai ēak hi
hu. It is called sarvātma bhāva dhyāna. Prājalpa mātraḥ pariśiṣyate; words alone
remain, there is no world other than me.
असत्कल् �वकल्पोऽय �वश्व�मत्येकवस्त |

�न�व्
र कार �नराकारे �न�वर्शेष �भदा कुतः ||३९९||
asatkalpō vikalpō:'yaṁ viśvamityēkavastuni |
nirvikārē nirākārē nirviśēṣē bhidā kutaḥ ||399||
So the extension of the sarvātmabhāva dhyānam is ahaṁ nirvikalpaka asmi. So I am

everything; there is no second thing to divide me; therefore nirvikalpaka ahaṁ. It is
not a state of experience, but it is a statement of an eternal fact. Nirvikalpaka is not
Page 1657

a state of experience; fourth state or fifth state, they say you know; it is not a state
of experience, but it is a statement of eternal fact; obtaining in which state,
obtaining in all states. Ahaṁ nirvikalpaka asmi.
Then all about what the divisions; vikalpa means divisions. What about all the
divisions? Śankarācārya says: idaṁ viśvaṁ; this universe, idaṁ understood, this
universe, asat kalpaḥ, vikalpaḥ, is a division or plurality which is as good as non-
existent. Asat kalpaḥ means as good as non-existent. Asat sadr̥śaḥ means mithya.
Asat kalpārthagam bhāsathē; yasyaiva spuranam sadātmaka asat kalpārthagam;
asat kalpa means mithya.
And why do we say, as good as non-existent? Because it is experientially available,

only factually not available. Exactly like dream; it is experientially available, but
factually it is not existent. Similarly, all the vikalpās are asat kalpa. It is mithya, non-
factual. Appearing where; eka vasthuni; appearing in that one divisionless
substratum. And what is that divisionless substratum I, ahaṁ, and what is the
meaning of the word I; very careful, not stūla śarīraṁ, not sūkṣma śarīraṁ; not
even kāraṇa śarīraṁ. Sākṣi caitanyaṁ is me.
So that being so, kutaḥbhida. How can there be divisions in me? It is not a question;
it has an answer inbuilt. How can there be a differences means what; there are no
differences in me. What type of me; because Śankarācārya is worried, because ME if
you say, we may think of the body; therefore he qualifies that: nirvikārē; ME, who
am changeless consciousness; nirākārē, who am formless consciousness; nirviśēṣē,
who am attributeless consciousness. In such a me, how can there be any kind of
division. These are all meditations. These are all the forms of meditation.
द्रष्टुदशर्नदृश्या�दभावशून्यै |
�न�व्
र कार �नराकारे �न�वर्शेष �भदा कुतः ||४००||
draṣṭudarśanadr̥śyādibhāvaśūnyaikavastuni |
So ekavastuni, draṣṭu darśana dr̥śyādi bhāvaśūnyaikavastuni; the whole thing is

grammatically one sentence. I am trying to split out appropriately, it is not that easy.
Some how, can there be differences in Me. This is the one question, which he asked
in the previous slōka. How can there be differences in Me.
Page 1658

Now the question is; what type of Me? all the words adjectives to Me.
What is the first adjective? ekavastuni; who am the non-dual reality; how can there
differences in me, who am non-dual reality; which is draṣṭu darśana dr̥śyādi bhāva
śūnya; which is free from the seer, seen, seeing, etc. Triputi rahite; do you
remember the word tripui; triputi means what; triad consisting of the subject,
object, instrument. Hearer; hearing instrument, the heard object. Smeller, smelling
instrument, the smelt object. Whole creation is divided into the triad alone. In Me
the ātma, this triad is absent. Śūnyam means absent or without. So how can there
be differences in Me, which is without all forms of triputi.
And not only that, who is nirvikārē, all saptami vibhakthi, adjective to Me; So in Me,
who am non-dual, in Me who am free from triputi, in Me who am nirvikārē
caitanyaṁ, who am nirākārē caitanyam, who am Nirviśēṣa caitanyaṁ. These three
words I am not explaining. In the previous slōka, second line, you can see. I have
not given you sufficient time for forgetting. Therefore I am not explaining.
Therefore bhidā kutaḥ.
कल्पाणर इवात्यन्तप�रपूण�कवस्त |
र कार �नराकारे �न�वर्शेष �भदा कुतः ||४०१||
�न�व्
kalpārṇava ivātyantaparipūrṇaikavastuni |
Śankarācārya converts this into a nāmavali like thing, so that if you repeat, it is
useful for meditation. Close your eyes and chant; nirākārē, nirvikārē; you get it
byeheart. So that is the method here.
Here also the same thing. How can there be any differences or divisions in Me; then
all the words are adjectives, in Me, who am ēkavastuni, who am the non-dual
reality.
then atyantaparipūrṇa, who am totally full; who am totally full; atyanta paripūrṇa.
And kalpārṇava iva; and who is comparable to the pralaya kāla samudraḥ. During
pralaya kāla, the dissolution time, it seems samudra or the ocean will expand and
expand and swallow all the land. Because according to śāstra, the resolution will
always be in the reverse order. Pr̥tvi will be dissolved into jalam; jalam will be
Page 1659

ēvaporated in agni; agni will be reduced to ākāśa; ākāśa will be reduced to akāśā;
akāśā will be reduced to māya, because from that only akāśā was born.
And therefore pralaya kālaḥ samudram, pralya kālaḥ agni etc. are said in the
purāṇās. So all these are what: all pervading. Therefore he says I am the
consciousness who am all pervading like; all swallowing like, pralaya kālaḥ jalam.
pralaya jalam. Kalpa is the end of Brahmāji 's day; at that time only all the fourteen
lōkaḥs are dissolved in water, and in the purāṇās, they show also, Lord Krishna
alone floats in ஆலிைல; allilai; banian leaf, etc.
And not only that; nirvikārē nirākārē nirviśēṣē; in Me, who am nirvikāra, nirākāra,
nirviśēṣa caitanyaṁ. Therefore ahaṁ paripūrṇaḥ asmi; nirvikalpaḥ asmi; is the form
of meditation. Same idea will be repeated in some of the following slōkas also, which
we will see in the next class.
Hari Om.
Page 1660

128. Verses 402 to 406
कल्पाणर इवात्यन्तप�रपूण�कवस्त |
�न�व्
र कार �नराकारे �न�वर्शेष �भदा कुतः ||४०१||
kalpārṇava ivātyantaparipūrṇaikavastuni |
As a part of samādhi abhyāsa, or nidhidhyāsanam topic, Śankarācārya is taking up a

few important teachings of vēdānta, and the meditator can dwell upon these
essential teachings. So one aspect that he pointed out before was I am everything.
Ahaṁ ēva idagum sarvaṁ. Idam sarvaṁ. This is one aspect of teaching. Now he is
presenting another aspect which is almost same as previous one, ahaṁ nirvikalpa
svarūpōham, I am divisionless consciousness, in which pramātha, pramāṇam,
pramēyam triputi is not there.
And as I said in the last class, what we are interested in is owning up the fact that I
am all the time nirvikalpaḥ. We are not seeking divisionlessness in a particular state
of experience; we are not interested in going to a turiya state to arrive at nirvikalpa;
that is yōgic approach. Yōga wants to arrive at nirvikalpa by going to samādhi,
whereas vēdānta is totally different.
Vēdānta is owing up this fact, that I am nirvikalpa in all the states of experience. I
need not go to a special state, to become nirvikalpa, I am always nirvikalpa,
nirvikalpa means what divisionless. And naturally the question will come.
How can I claim that I am divisionless in the jāgrat avastha? in turiya avastha, I can
claim because there is no world; I have suspended my thoughts; I have suspended
my sense organs. Only in the fourth state I can claim that I am nirvikalpa. How can I
claim I am divisionless in jāgrat avastha.
This is the biggest question. Most important question, which has to be understood. I
am nirvikalpaḥ in spite of the division that I experience in jāgrath avastha.
Experienced division cannot disturb factual divisionlessness. This is the essence of
vēdānta. When you understand this, vēdānta is over.
Page 1661

Experienced division cannot disturb the factual divisionlessness. Experienced dvaitam

cannot disturb factual advaitam. So experience cannot alter the fact. This is essence
of vēdānta. Experience cannot alter the fact and we have any number of example,
which I have given often.
We experience that the earth is stationary. But we know that the earth is violently
two ways; around its own axis at around 1000 miles per hour or something. And
around the sun, it is moving, thousand miles per hour or so. But what do you feel,
that earth is called terra comma. And we experience the Sun is moving around the
earth. That was the beliefs for centuries, until one scientist has to come and he was
laughed and he was persecuted. So just because millions of people sunrise and
sunset and just because millions of people reject this statement, it cannot be
altered. Even when I experience the sun-rise, my knowledge that Sun does not rise
is not disturbed. Knowledge canot be disturbed by an opposite experience.
And that is why we always give more importance to knowledge, rather than
experience. Whereas nowadays people are emphasising experience more than
knowledge. Let experience come; experience should come; tell me whether he is
experienced, etc. Experience is being overemphasised.
But what we say is? do not use the word experience, experience; clear knowledge is
important; knowledge cannot be shaken by opposite experience, whereas
experience can be shaken by right knowledge.
Like what? all these things. Star is very small; that is our continued experience. Sky
is blue; continued experience.
And therefore, Śankarācārya asks how can there be division in me, even though I
experience a division which means my experience is bhrāndhiḥ or it is mithya.
Mithya experience cannot disturb satyam. And therefore nirvikārē nirākārē nirviśēṣē,
sthitha budhāḥ. The eyes report division, because they are meant to report that.
That has got its own innate limitations. If the eyes sees the star as a small thing,
that the nature of eye, its intrinsic limitation is what? it cannot be dependent upon
totally. It will show the star as small only. That does not mean that we have to
discard the eyes. Eyes are useful, therefore keeping the eyes, we get our things
done, and we know that eyes cannot be dependant to know the truth or reality,
Page 1662

when the dimension of the star, the eye cannot report. How can I take the eye
reported division as a fact? It is never a fact.
तेजसीव तमो यत प्रल� भ्रािन्तकार |

अद्�वतीय परे तत्त् �न�वर्शेष �भदा कुतः ||४०२||
tējasīva tamō yatra pralīnaṁ bhrāntikāraṇam |
advitīyē parē tattvē nirviśēṣē bhidā kutaḥ ||402||
bhrāntikāraṇam tamaḥ yatra pralīnaṁ; the ignorance which is the cause of delusion;
tamaḥ means ignorance, bhrānti kāraṇam, which is the cause of delusion, that is
pralinam Brahmani. That has been dissolved in Brahman; that has been destroyed.
It is dissolved in Brahman, exactly like what: tējasi iva. Just as the darkness of the
night dissolves into the Sun on sunrise. Just as the darkness resolves; gets
destroyed; similarly, ignorance is gone in the case of a wise person.
And it takes time, because the knowledge that vēdānta gives is diagonally opposite
to our experience. And all the time we have been relying on our experience so
much, that when vēdānta gives a diagonally opposite knowledge, we will not be able
to swallow, exactly like sunrise, sunset. In history, it is a very big event. They call it
geocentric universe. And heliocentric universe. Geocentric universe means, earth is
the centre, and all the planets including the sun are going around the earth; that is
what is taken. Heliocentric universe means what? The Sun is in the centre, all the
planets including the earth is going round. So when first this information was given,
it was so diagonally opposite, because daily we still write: sun rise, sun set, etc. So
initially, the society, the humanity did not accept.
If the simple physical fact itself is like that, how am I going to accept that easily; I
am the all-pervading Brahman in which divisions are not there. Will we accept; we
will never. And maximum out of sympathy for the teacher's throat, pāvam, he is
talking in spite of the cough, let us not disappoint him, for that we can nod, but for
the heart to nod and say: Yes, it is the fact, I am the only reality, it will not go away.
But it has to go away in due course.
So tamasi; that is why the darkness also, does not suddenly dissolve into the Sun;
first that Śankarācārya tells beautifully, in Ātmabōdhaḥ:
Page 1663

अरुणेने बोधेन पूव� सन्तमस हृत ।

तत आ�वभर्वेदात् स्वयमेवांशुमा�न ॥ ४३॥
aruṇēnēva bōdhēna pūrvaṁ santamasē hr̥tē |
tata āvirbhavēdātmā svayamēvāṁśumāniva || 43||
So when the sun slightly rises, the darkness is not totally destroyed, there is a semi
darkness. Then, gradually it goes, and the bright daylight comes much after.
Similarly, initially we receive vēdānta. But still we hold on to idea that I am samsāri
only and that I am a muktha is told to me by Svāmiji, but I am still a samsāri, I am
still a samsāri, and I have been telling that for long, but I now feel that a little bit of
that feeling has left me. That certificate I will get; and my family member will also
say so. So gradually it takes place and be established in that. It takes time; but once
it is gone totally, advitīyē parē nirviśēṣē tattvē kutaḥ bhidā. In that Brahman how
can there be difference. In that Brahman, in which Brahman, connect to the first
line, yatra, in which Brahman ignorance got dissolved, in that Brahman how can
there be difference. Grammatically, yatra tamaḥ vilīnam, tatra advitīyē kutaḥ bhidā;
tatra understood.
And what is the nature of that Brahman? advitīyē; non-dual, parē tatvē, which is the
ultimate stuff of the universe, and nirviśēṣē, which is free from all the attributes in
the form of pramātha, knowerhood is an attribute. So Brahman cannot be a knower
also. Similarly, pramēyatvam, the knownhood is also an attribute. So pramātrutvam,
pramāṇatvam, pramēyatvam; all these are not there; as said in Mānḍukya; nāntha
prajñām, na bahi prajñām, na ghana prajñām. There is no division.
एकात्मक परे तत्त् भेदवातार कथं वसेत् |

सष
ु प्त
ु सख
ु मात्राय भेदः के नावलो�कतः ||४०३||
ēkātmakē parē tattvē bhēdavārtā kathaṁ vasēt |
suṣuptau sukhamātrāyāṁ bhēdaḥ kēnāvalōkitaḥ ||403||
The same idea continues. ēkātmakē parē tattvē; in Brahman, bhēdavarta; how can
there be a talk of division? Even verbally you cannot talk about division, where is the
question of actual division. bhēdavārtā kathaṁ vasēt, or in some books katham
bhavēth is there. In fact, bhavēth is better reading. And what type of Brahman?
ekātmakē Brahmaṇi, that Brahman which is non-dual, of non-dual nature, sajātīya,
svajātīya svagatha bhēda rahithē Brahmaṇi and which is the pare tatve, the ultimate
Page 1664

reality, how can there be bhēda vārtā? And in support of that Śankarācārya points
out if the divisions were natural to you, then it would have been there all the time.
What is natural will never be lost in time. If knowerhood is natural to me, I will be a
knower all the time; but in suṣupthi, I drop my knowerhood, I am not a knower at
all. If I had been a knower, there would have been a known there; since it is total
blankness, no object is there; it is very clear that my knowerhood has been shed in
suṣupti. And in jāgrath and svapna, I again put on knowerhood status. Therefore it
is put on and put off. And therefore it can never be my nature.
Then what is my nature? divisionless; pramātru rahitha akhaṇḍa caitanyaṁ ēva

mama svarūpam. That is what he is saying here.
Suṣpthau kēna bhēdaḥ avalōkithaḥ. Who experiences divisions in suṣupti? So who

experiences divisions in suṣupti; in deep sleep state. kēna avalōkithanām means
experience. This is not a question; it has an answer in itself. Who experiences
divisions in suṣupti, means what? nobody experiences division in suṣupti. If you say,
no Svāmiji, I see dream; if you see dream, it is not suṣupti; if you see dream, it is
called svapna avastha; we are talking about dreamless sleep. In dreamless sleep,
who experiences division; who experiences division. This is mentioned for what
purpose? Division is incidental.
Long before I have talked about two types of properties; intrinsic property and
incidental property. In Saṁsr̥kataḥ, svābhāvika dharmaḥ and agantuka dharmaḥ.
Intrinsic property is that which is never lost. Incidental property is that which is lost.
In fire, heat is intrinsic property, in water, heat it incidental property. Water acquires
heat; water loses heat, therefore it is incidental; fire neither acquires heat; nor loses
heat; therefore intrinsic. Knowerhood is not by intrinsic nature; knowerhood comes
in jāgrath and svapna and it goes in suṣupti, whereas consciousness is intrinsic
nature because I am a conscious being in all the three states. And therefore
suṣupthau bhēdaḥ kēna avalokithaḥ.
And because there is no division, what is the experience in suṣupti? Sukha

māthrāyaṁ, which is nothing but one continuous ānandaḥ; which is mere ānandaḥ,
adjective to suṣupti. So in the state of deep sleep, where there is only ānandaḥ, who
experiences any division. So from this it is very clear, division is sorrow. Divisionless
is ānandaḥ. So whenever you are happy, divisions are resolved. Even in the waking
state, when you are happy experiences something, temporarily during that moment
Page 1665

of happiness, the division between the subject and object is resolved. That is why
we try to embrace. That you want to symbolise that the division is gone; how to
physically symbolise. You embrace, indicating what? for us both, there is no division.
And when you see the Lord in the temple, you have walked up Kedarnath, and when
you see and you have the same feeling, you want to remove the division by
embracing, but in temple they do not allow; but what to do? you close your eyes.
During the crucial moment, you close the eyes; the idea is what? you want to
remove the division between seer and seen. And therefore divisionlessness is
ānandaḥ; division is duḥkha; and that divisionless ānandaḥ is my svarūpam.
न ह्यिस �वश्व परतत्त्वबोधा

सदात्म� ब्रह् �न�व्
र कल् |
कालत्र नाप्य�हर��त गुणे
न ह्यम्बु�बन्दुमृर्गतृिष्णक ||४०४||
na hyasti viśvaṁ paratattvabōdhāt
sadātmani brahmaṇi nirvikalpē |
kālatrayē nāpyahirīkṣitō guṇē
na hyambubindurmr̥gatr̥ṣṇikāyām || 404 ||
The same idea, because these are all presented as nidhidhyāsana slōkas, and
therefore the uniqueness of nidhidhyāsana is what? Repetition. Nāmavali means
what: it is not carnatic music. If you say nāmavali, it is repetition. Similarly,
nidhidhyāsanam means repetition; adhyāsaḥ. Puna punaḥ and therefore
Śankarācārya repeats the same idea only in different patterns.
He says: in the para tattva bōdhāt viśvaṁ nahi asti. As a result of the knowledge of
para tatvam, Brahma jñānāt, para tatvam, Brahman, bōdhaḥ means jñānaṁ, as a
result of Brahma jñānaṁ, as a consequence of Brahma jñānaṁ, viśvaṁ nahi asti.
There is no universe at all.
Where? Sadātmani Brahmaṇi nirvikalpē; no universe at all in Brahman, which is

nothing but the real-I. Otherwise we will think Brahman is some other entity; that is
why he is reminding you on and off. Brahman which is ātmani, which is myself; and
he is not very sure; because if Śankarācārya says: in myself, again myself if you say,
in cheque, self, Self, etc. that self we will take.
Page 1666

Therefore, here is not the stūla sūkṣma kāraṇa śarīra self; but it is sadātmani; it is
stūla sūkṣma kāraṇa śarīrāt vyathiraktha ātmani. Sadātmani means which is of the
nature of caitanyaṁ and existence. So sadātmani means in the real there is no
division or no universe at all.
And when we say no universe, we do not deny the experience of the universe; we
only deny the substantiality of that universe. Exactly like what? after knowing the
clay, I hold the pot and I hold even water in the pot; but I boldly say there is no pot
at all. That means what? pot is not a substance; it is only a new name given to the
good old clay. Similarly, what I see is nothing but Brahman, world is only another
name given to Brahman; there is no substance called world. Nirvikalpē; nirvikalpē
means in the divisionless Brahman.
And he gives the example here: kālatrayē api guṇē ahiḥ nāpy īkṣitaḥ; guṇaha here
means a rope, rajjuḥ; ahiḥ means snake, upon the rope, snake is never seen or
seeable, is not present, kālatrayē api, in all the three periods of time; there is no
snake on the rope, so this is very important. Normally what do we think; after going
near the rope, and seeing the rope very clearly, we say the snake goes away. In the
wake of rope-knowledge, we say the snake goes away.
In fact, this is a terrible statement. Superficially it looks fine, but it is a terrible

statement because, when I say in the wake of rope knowledge, snake will go away,
what is the impression that you will get, until rope knowledge, snake was, and only
when I got the rope knowledge, snake went away. But what is the fact? when I go
near the rope and know the rope, I say there is no snake; more than that I say
there was no snake before also. Therefore in the wake of knowledge, I negate the
snake; in all the three periods of time. That is the extremely important.
Similarly after knowledge, dvaitam goes we say. But in division of jñāni, there is no
question of dvaitam going away; because it was not there, in all the three periods of
time. That is why when you go to a jñāni and ask him, whether now saṁsāram is
gone for you, are you liberated now, if you ask; jñāni is ashamed to say: I am
liberated now. That is why when ask him: are you liberated now. He does not want
to say: I am liberated now, because if he says, I am liberated now, what does not
mean; I was bound before, and either he does not answer. Somebody came and
asked in my ear; Svāmiji are you liberated. People ask questions: are you realised
Page 1667

Svāmiji; are you a srotriya or brahma niṣṭa; I will never answer those questions. If
any one of you have plans of asking, better I openly say; because to say I am
liberated NOW is to prove that I am to be ignorant, because where is the question of
arrival of liberation. A confusion, which was there is gone. That is all. No more
confusion.
And therefore, kālatrayē, I am giving the significance of the word kālatrayaṁ api na
gūṇē ahiḥ ikṣitaḥ; and another example: mr̥ga triṣnākyāṁ ambu binduḥ nahi kasthi.
In mirage water, there is not even a drop of water. In mirage water, there is not
even a drop of water, ambubinduḥ; ambu means water, bindu means drop.
mr̥gatr̥ṣinaka means the mirage experience. So it is not there; for a jñāni, the entire
saṁsāra.
शोषणं भव�सन्धॊश �ापनं सारसंपदः ।

गरु ो पादोदकं सम्यक तस्म श्रीगुर नमः ॥ १० ॥
śōṣaṇaṁ bhavasindhośca jñāpanaṁ sārasaṁpadaḥ |
gurō pādōdakaṁ samyak tasmai śrīguravē namaḥ || 10 ||
मायामात्र�म द्वैतमद्वै परमाथर्त |

इ�त ब्रू श्रु� सा�ात्सुषुप्तावनुभूय ||४०५||
māyāmātramidaṁ dvaitamadvaitaṁ paramārthataḥ |
iti brūtē śrutiḥ sākṣātsuṣuptāvanubhūyatē ||405||
So if dvaitam is not there in all the three periods of time, then what I am
experiencing, because what is not there, cannot be experienced. What is not there
cannot be experienced? Therefore how do you say the world is asat, non-existent.
For that, we answer; world is not there; but is still experienced. And that is why, we
say it does not come under non-existent category; it does not come under non-
existent category; because if by saying it comes under non-existent category; you
will ask the question, how am I experiencing.
Therefore I say, it does not come under non-existent category. Then you will
immediately jump: Oh Ho, I now understand, if it does not come under non-existent
category, then it should come under existent category; it is not that also. It does not
come under existent category also.
Page 1668

Then you will ask the question: then to which category it belongs. You say it is not
non-existent category; it is not existent category; then what is it? that is called in
between category; sadaśad vilakṣaṇam, which we call as mithya, māya.
This is the most unique concept in advaitam, which no other philosopher accepts or
acknowledges. The most unique concept is mithya. That they never accept. Whether
it is visiṣṭadvaitins or dvaitins; they do not this category at all. Therefore they can
never accept advaita.
And we say that this is not a new concept that we have brought in. If you analyse
our dream also, it will come under this inbetween category. Dream is existent or
non-existent? What will you answer? Dream money. You have Kon Banega
Crorepati. One crores. In dream you got one crore. Is that money existent or non-
existent? If you say money is existent after waking up, you can build a big palace.
But you know that it is not available. Then can you say the dream money is non-
existent. If it was non-existent, you would not have experienced. You clearly
experienced Amitabh Bacchan giving you the cheque and you showing to everyone
with pride. Focus and shown to show your name and signature, etc. So all those
cheque is tangibly felt by who is in dream. So it is tangible. Therefore you cannot
say non-existent. It is worthless after waking; therefore you cannot say it is existent;
therefore it is called seemingly existent category. We have a third category; what is
that: seemingly existent category.
What will come under non-existent category? Non-existent category which will never
be experienced. Hot icecream. It is asat. Rabbits-horn; vandhya puthraḥ; the son of
a vandhya; square circle; all these are what? Never experienceable at any time.
That is called asat. And Brahman comes under sad.
But all the other things neither non-existent, nor existent, but seemingly existent.
For that only we use the word māya māthram idam sarvaṁ. So this entire
experienced world is mithya. Dvaitam; dvaitam means duality.
Then what is satyam? Advaitam paramārthataḥ; so the advaitam, the observer is

satyam. The observed is mithya; this is vēdānta. I the observer alone am sathyam;
whatever I observe is mithya.
Page 1669

And that is why we extend the question to God also. God is sathyam or mithya, if
you ask; what will be advaitin's answer? He will ask a counter question. For you God
comes under observer category or observed category? If you say God comes under
observed category, we say the observed God is mithya. If God is sathyam, God as
the observer is sathyam.
यद��शतव
ु ��णमी��तारं
अवी�य तन्मान�सके�ण स्यात्
न द्रष्टुर परमो �ह तस्
वी�ा स्वमूल प्र�वल �नष्ठ ॥२२॥
yadīśiturvīkṣaṇamīkṣitāraṁ
avīkṣya tanmānasikēkṣaṇaṁ syāt|
na draṣṭuranyaḥ paramō hi tasya
vīkṣā svamūlē pravilīya niṣṭhā ||22||
In Saddarśanam Rāmana Mahārshi says: any perception of God in any form is only
mithya perception. Real God can never be perceived because real God as a
perceived entity is not there; real God is there only as the perceiver. Na
draṣṭuranyaḥ; draṣṭuḥ anyaḥ Īśvara ha nāsti. There is no Īśvara other than the
observer-I.
So therefore, advaitam paramārthadaḥ, this line occurs in Mānḍukya kārika. But here
it is written ithi śrutiḥ brutē. Perhaps this line occurs in some of the minor upaṇiṣads
also. There are some Mānḍukya kārika slōkas which are borrowed from some
smaller upaṇiṣads; perhaps, keeping that in mind, Śankarācārya has written śrutiḥ
brutē; it is there in Mānḍukya kārika.
And how do you prove that? It is very easily proved. Go to sleep. suṣupthau
advaitham anubhuyatē. Go sleep; not now; in suṣūpthi advaitam is very clearly
experienced. Directly experienced; aparōkṣa jñānaṁ, not theory; aparōkṣa jñānaṁ.
So that is why I repeatedly say, advaita anubhava we have got. Dvaita anubhava we
have got. We do not require any new anubhava.
Vēdānta is not meant to give you dvaita anubhava; because we have. Vēdānta is not
meant to give you advaita anubhava; because we have got. Vēdānta is meant to
Page 1670

educate you. Educate what? whether the dvaita anubhava is my real nature; or
advaita anubhava is a real nature, which is real, which is incidental; which is
vesham, which is original; waker is the original and sleeper is the vēṣam? or sleeper
is the original, waker is the vēṣam? This is an intellectual confusion. We do not have
an experiential problem at all; we have got a cognitive problem; intellectual problem.
Vēdānta has to come resolve that cognitive problem. And I have to claim that I, the
advaita is satyam, this dvaita anubhava is vēṣam. As some author nicely said: you
are not a human being with a spiritual experience; but you are a spiritual being with
a temporary human experience. We want to be human being and want to get
spiritual experience. As long as you continue to be a human being sitting in
meditation, taking to spiritual experience, there is a fundamental flaw. Knowing that
I am spiritual being, having incidental human experience, is a cognitive change;
ātma jñānaṁ is a cognitive change. Experientially no change is brought out. If at all
experiential change has to take place, the experiential change is in ātma jñāna
phalam.
As a result of this knowledge, which is purely intellectual and cognitive, the result
comes; the result is experiential. Jñānaṁ is intellectual; the result is experiential;
what is the result? śāntiḥ; abhayaṁ; the earlier bhayaṁ has left us. Whether I will
be gone; whether I will be gone; whether I will be gone; OK, if I go, let me go.
There is no fear. There is no tension. Tensionlessness is not jñānaṁ. It is jñānaṁ; it
is an anubhava. Neither Brahman is anubhava; nor brahma jñāna is anubhava,
brahma jñāna phalam is anubhava. Brahman is a fact; Brahma jñānaṁ is an
intellectual understanding; Brahma jñāna phalam is an experience, we can see for
ourselves. So therefore, suṣupthau advaitam anubhuyatē.
अनन्यत्वम�धष्ठानादारोप �नर��तम ् |
पिण्डत रज्जुसपार् �वकल्प भ्रािन्तजी || ४०६ ||
ananyatvamadhiṣṭhānādārōpyasya nirīkṣitam |
paṇḍitai rajjusarpādau vikalpō bhrāntijīvanaḥ ||406||
So here he concludes the nirvikalpōhaṁ meditation. Sarvaḥ ahaṁ or sarvātma bhāva

was the previous meditation. Then the next meditation is nirvikalpa bhāva; ahaṁ
nirvikalpaka asmi. In fact the advaitam is synonymous with nirvikalpam. advaitam
and nirvikalpam both mean the same thing. So that topic is being concluded here.
Page 1671

He says why we do not take world as a second thing. Why can't you count the world
as a second thing. I, the observer, am the No.1; observed world No.2. I, the subject
is No.1; world, the object, is No.2. Subject-object is there two. Why can't we count?
Śankarācārya says I would not allow you to count. You can the see the world but
you cannot count. Exactly like what? Your image in the mirror. You see your image
in the mirror; but you will not count as a second entity; because it is mithya; it does
not exist separate from me.
In the same way, the observed-world does not exist separate from the observer.
The observed world does not exist separate from the observer; so the observed
world is superimposition on the observer. So observed world is called ārōpitaṁ, the
observer is called adhiṣtānaṁ.
Then you may ask: Svāmiji do you say that this world does not exist separate from
me. It is unbelievable. It is unbelievable only; so is your dream world also. When
you were in dream, you would never have believed that this dream world is non-
separate from me. You recognise clearly when? On waking up. Waking is called
wisdom.
Similarly, in the wake of wisdom, you clearly know that this is non-separate from
me. Of course the example should not be extended too much. When you wake up
from the dream, the dream disappears. But when you gain Brahma jñānaṁ here and
wake up, this world is not going to disappear, therefore it is exactly like, waking up
and to dream.
Suppose you dream, knowing that it is dream; how will it be? Like that. So therefore
he says: ārōpyasya ananyatvam, a superimposed thing is non-different from its
substratum. A superimposed thing is non-different from, does not separately exist,
from the substratum. iti nirīkṣitam, we have experienced this. In the case of rope
snake, in the case of shell silver, in the case of mirage water, in the case of dream
also, I know, there is no dream world separate from me. Extending the same
principle, you have to come here.
So he gives the examples here. rajjusarpādau paṇḍitai nirīkṣitam. First sentence up

to that. ārōpyasya adhiṣṭhānāt ananyatvam, rajjusarpādau paṇḍitaiḥ nirīkṣitam, this
fact is recognised by all intelligent people in the case of rope-snake, shell-silver,
Page 1672

waker-dream, etc. And from this, what is the conclusion? vikalpō bhrānti jīvanaḥ,
any superimposition has only fake existence. Any superimposition has got only a
fake existence and what is the nourishment for that? who is nourishing every fake
thing? your confusion is the nourisher of the existence. You are nourishing it.
That is why even in a family life and all, sometimes we have a misunderstanding
about a person. A person must have done something with some other motive and
you attach a particular motive and then you misunderstand, you conclude that; that
person does not love me. For everything that alone is the conclusion. That person
does not love me or like me.
Now once we have done that, now every action that person does later, every action
that person does later, I will inject; he is doing like that; like this you see; etc. I
myself flourish. And it becomes bhūdākāram. Just as our own dream becomes a
Frankenstein.
Similarly this world is inflated by our delusion. Delusion is the helium by which the
balloon of saṁsāra is inflated. Delusion-helium or hydrogen has inflated the
saṁsāra-balloon. Vēdānta is bringing the pin. With the vēdānta pin, guru wants to
prick it; but the problem is filled up with hydrogen; and it is going up and up and the
guru has to run and prick. Śiṣya does not allow. Guru will prick and it has to burst
one day.
So vikalpaḥ, every superimposition is bhrānti jīvanaḥ; having nourishment or food in

your delusion. And therefore duality is fake, non-duality is truth; and that non-dual I
am is the second form of meditation. Then he is changing the topic from the next
verse; which we will see in the next class.
Hari Om.
129. Verses 407 to 410

ॐ
We saw that samādhi abhyāśā is a form of nidhidhyāsanam and in which samādhi

abhyāsa, a person dwells upon any aspect of vēdantic teaching and by dwelling
Page 1673

upon that, that particular aspects sinks into his personality and it gets totally
assimilated.
And the benefit of assimilation is non-forgetfulness of vēdānta, during transactional

problems. All transactions involve problems. In fact, transaction is problem. And
transactional problem will not be problem if vēdantic teaching is not forgotten.
Therefore non-forgetfulness is the benefit of assimilation and assimilation is the

benefit of samādhi abhyāsa. And any aspect of teaching can be taken. And here
Śankarācārya is talking about the highest teaching of vēdānta which is I alone am
everything. I am all; ahaṁ ēva idam sarvaṁ.
What do you mean ahaṁ ēva idam sarvaṁ? It means I alone am appearing as
seeming plurality; just as gold alone is appearing as all ornaments; I alone with
varieties of nāma rūpa, AM appearing as the world.
And what is the advantage of this meditation? The advantage is once I know that
there is no world other than me, the advantage is the world cannot persecute me.
The world cannot harass me. The world cannot blackmail me. The world cannot limit
me. The world cannot threaten me. The world cannot reject me. The world cannot
corner me. In fact, all saṁsāra are because I look upon the world as something
independently existent. So this is the sarvāthma bhāvaḥ. This is the meditation. And
this brings about change in my perspective a change in my mind. A change in
perspective.
What is the perspective change? The world does not exist independent of me, is the
new perspective and that change is a change in the mind. And therefore mental
transformation is what is required.
What type of mental transformation? Assimilation based mental transformation. Not

mere repeating I am all; I am all; it is not a matter for japa. It is like a equation in
science. An equation is a matter for understanding, not for japa. We should know
the difference between japa and knowledge. Mantra japa who need understand at
all; mere śabda avr̥tti will bring about a purification. But I am everything is not for
japa; it is a matter for conviction.
Page 1674

And therefore Śankarācārya is emphasising this mental transformation through

samādhi abhyāśā in these verses in which we have seen up to 406. Now we will go
to the next verse.
�चत्तमूल �वकल्पोऽय �चत्ताभाव न कश्च |

अतिश्चत् समाधे�ह प्रत्यग परात्म� ||४०७||
cittamūlō vikalpō:'yaṁ cittābhāvē na kaścana |
ataścittaṁ samādhēhi pratyagrūpē parātmani ||407||
So here he points out mind is the cause of all problems. Manaēva manuṣyānām
kārṇam banda mōkṣyayōhō. And therefore what we have to treat is not the external
world but the mind.
Whose mind? Not somebody else's mind. Do not try to transform somebody else's
mind. You will miserably fail and be disappointed. If at all you want to transform,
transform your mind.
And for that he says: citta mulāḥ ayaṁ vikalpaḥ. vikalpaḥ means division, duality;
which represents saṁsāra. Dvaitam means remember saṁsāra. Ayaṁ vikalpaḥ, this
plurality, which is nothing but saṁsāra is citta mūlaḥ; is caused by the mind.
Bahuvrihi: cittam mūlam yasya saḥ; cittamūla vikalpaḥ.
So mind is the cause of plurality and consequent saṁsāra. And how do you prove
that? We prove that by the method of anvaya and vyatirēka. I have talked about this
before. Anvaya and vyatirēka. When the mind is active, problems are also there;
when the mind is resolved in sleep, problems are also resolved. So mind is:
problems are. Mind is not: No problems. Therefore, mind is the cause of problem.
Yat tattve: yat tattvam; yad abhāvam: yad abhāvaḥ; tat, tasya kāraṇam. This is
called anvyaya vyatirēka method.
And that he says: ayaṁ vikalpaḥ citta mūlaḥ, because citta abhāvē; this is called
vyatirēka nyāya. In the absence of citta, na kaścana. There is no division. In deep
sleep state, divisions are not there. OK. This statement is a true statement.
But if we do not understand this statement properly, it can create a big problem
also. If you do not understand, this statement can be dangerous statement. How?
The statement says when the mind is there; problems are there, when the mind is
Page 1675

dissolved temporary in sleep, problems are also dissolved; therefore mind is the
cause of saṁsāra; therefore for mōkṣa what should you do; destroy the mind. This
is the wrong philosophy many people have arrived at. A very unfortunate corollary
has been derived by people, what is that: destroy the mind: Manō nāṣam kuru.
And not only they have concluded that: they say all jñānis have no mind. All jñānis
have no mind. Who is operating? God is operating. So many things they say and
they have justify the things by further things.
But if destruction of the mind is mōkṣa, then it will mean the moment a person gets
mōkṣa, he loses the mind. Once the mind is gone, there is no difference between a
living person and a dead person. Or a person who is a vegetable in hospital. Some
people with all over tubes, technically alive, because mind does not function.
Imagine mōkṣa is either losing the mind or making the mind inoperative; will any
person like that mōkṣa? Therefore remember we do not aim at the destruction of the
mind. We do not want a vegetable like living. We want a mōkṣa in which mind is
very much alive and operative. Not only mind must be alive and operative, we want
a mind which is far superior to a samsāri's mind; which is beautifully described in the
Gītā; adveṣṭā sarvabhūtānām maitra karuṇā nirmama, nirahaṁkāraḥ. All these
virtues talked about in the Gītā, all the virtues of a jīvan muktha, like compassion,
belong to what? ātma or mind; compassion belongs to ātma or mind? Basic doubts I
hope you do not have. Ātma does not have any compassion, because it is nirguṇam,
niṣkalaṁ, nirākāram. niścalam, etc.
So when you say jñāni is an embodiment of compassion, it means he has a mind

and that too a beautiful blessing mind. And therefore remember whenever we say
mind is the cause of problem, it means an ignorant mind is the cause of problem.
Mind is not the cause. Ignorant mind is the cause of problem. Or doubting mind is
the cause of problem. Ignorance is gone; but there is doubt; or the third forgetful
mind is the cause of problem.
After study of vēdānta, if I am suffering from saṁsāra, it is not ignorance, because I

have studied well; it is not even doubt; Why, Svāmiji I do not have doubts? I do not
have anything to ask? So our saṁsāra is not caused by ignorant mind, not caused by
doubting mind, only caused by the forgetful mind; which at the moment of crisis
forgets the teachings, which means it is not totally internalised.
Page 1676

Therefore, what should we destroy? The ignorant mind should be destroyed; and we
should enjoy a wise mind. Doubting mind should be destroyed and we should enjoy
a mind of conviction and forgetful mind should be destroyed; and we should enjoy a
non-forgetting mind. Therefore let the mind be there; only the ignorance, doubt and
forgetfulness in the mind should go. Forgetfulness is called viparītha bhāvana. And
therefore Śankarācārya says here: ataḥ: for you here Śankarācārya is addressing an
advanced student.
Therefore Oh Students your problem is not ignorance, because we have attended

vēdānta classes sufficiently; your problem is not even doubt; because you can
remove even the doubts of others, so thorough you are; so your problem can be
what: only habitual identification.
Your problem can be only viparītha bhāvana sahitham manaḥ; is your problem.
Therefore ataḥ; Viparītha bhavana; prathibanda satvāt; cittaṁ samādhēhi. Therefore
may you practice samādhi abhyāsa. May you practice samādhi abhyāsa.
And samādhi or absorption in what? pratyagrūpē parātmani; may you remain

absorbed in your own higher nature. You are invoking your lower nature for all
transactions. You are invoking your ego for all transactions. Even in places where
ego should not come; there also, in temple also, it is to remove the ego we go to the
temple; but in that field also, we say: I have donated Rs.5 lakhs; therefore I want
the first row. I have donated Rs.3 lakhs; therefore I want; there also what: the ego
comes. So since all the transactions invoke our ego and sometimes even in vēdānta,
I have studied Brahma sūtra, therefore I am superior; you did not study brahma
Sūtra, therefore you are inferior; What does the man who studied Brahma Sūtra say,
I have studied brahma Sūtra bhāṣyam? Another ego. Another person says: Brahma
sūtra bāṣya tēkkā. Thus anything can trigger the ego.
Therefore spend some time, you are not even a knower-I; knower-I is ego because
knower-I has got limitations. What is the limitation? It knows many things; and it
does not know many more things. And therefore drop your even knower-I; you drop
and get absorbed in pramatru vilakṣaṇa sākṣi caitanyaṁ.
Therefore, pratyagrūpē parātmani, in your higher Self, which is the inner nature;
pratyagrūpam means pratyak svarūpam; para ātma means the higher Self, as
opposed to apara ātma; apara ātma is the ego. May you practice this meditation.
Page 1677

And how to do that. Śankarācārya need not do that; but again he is telling how to
invoke your higher nature.
�कम�प सततबोधं के वलानन्दरू

�नरुपमम�तवेल �नत्यमुक् �नर�हम ् |
र कल्
�नरव�धगगनाभं �नष्कल �न�व्
हृ� कलय�त �वद्वान ब्र पूण� समाधौ ||४०८||
kimapi satatabōdhaṁ kēvalānandarūpaṁ
nirūpamamativēlaṁ nityamuktaṁ nirīham |
niravadhigaganābhaṁ niṣkalaṁ nirvikalpaṁ
hr̥di kalayati vidvān brahma pūrṇaṁ samādhau ||408||
How a vēdantic student does samādhi abhyāsa; three beautiful verses; in all these
three verses 408, 409 and 410, the fourth line is the same. So we will see the fourth
line first.
vidvān samādhau hr̥di pūrṇaṁ brahma kalayati. Kalayati means thinks of, invokes,
meditates upon. Kalayati is equal to dhyayati. Where does he meditate? hr̥di; in his
heart, or in his mind, in his mind he invokes the pūrṇam brahma; Brahman the
caitanyaṁ which is pūrṇam. Because in the mind two things are constantly there;
one is a constantly changing thought; in the form of rāga-dvēṣa kāma krōda etc. and
in the form of the consciousness which illumines. Remember the example. Here in
this hall, there are so many varieties of things and being and there is there is one
changeless thing; that is the light in which every changing object is bathed or
soaked. The objects are moving; but the light is not moving. And our mind always
pays attention to what? a moving thing alone. Mind is always meant for that.
Therefore when a person want to turn the car, he has the beeping light. Anything
moving, attention is drawn. Some students get up and sit. Everyone will look there; I
am also. Mind. So if you look at the mind, there is the changeless consciousness
because of which every changing thought is known, and also the changing thought
but we always turn our attention to the thought and not the prathibōdhaḥ
vidhitham. Samādhi abhyāśā is turning the attention to the caitanya amsa. That is
way they say: this is the principle of the rāśākrida also.
Aṅganā Aṅganā antharēṇa mādhavaḥ; mādhavam mādhavam ca antharēṇa Aṅganā;
Page 1678

Aṅganā means gōpi, which represents thought. Mādhava means Krishna which
represents caitanyaṁ. First your focus is on the thoughts and you say between two
thoughts there is one caitanyaṁ. Thought is important first. So many gopies there;
in between all of them Krishnan. Later, you say, it is not caitanyaṁ is in between
thoughts, but thoughts are raising in one continuous mādhavam mādhavam ca. The
two Aṅganās are different; one gōpi is different from another gōpi; but Mādhavaḥ
Krishna is the same.
So when you turn the attention from from the changing thought to the changeless
consciousness, and claim that consciousness I am; what is turning the attention?
turning the attention is entertaining a thought.
And what is that thought? this ever evident consciousness I am. Sākṣi caitanyaṁ
ahaṁ asmi. This vr̥tti pravāhāḥ is called hr̥di kalayati. vidvān hr̥di kalayati. the wise
person, here vidvān means what? the one who has gone through śravaṇam and
mananam sufficiently. So śravaṇa manana kartāvidvān, nidhidhyāsati. nidhidhyāsati.
And he is absorbed in what? Pūrnam Brahma, the sākṣi caitanyaṁ which is nothing
but Brahman. And what type of Brahman; pūrnam Brahma. So this is the job done in
samādhi abhyāsa. This is repeated in all the three slōkas and the rest of the three
slōkas is the description of pūrnam Brahman.
What is that Brahman? Go to the first line. Kimapi satata bōdham, which is nothing
but the non-fluctuating consciousness. Satata bōdham, always remaining the same;
however violent the thought may be. Even in the most violent mind, consciousness
the calmest consciousness. It cannot be disturbed. That undisturbed caitanyaṁ I
am. Satata bōdham.
Khēvala ānandaḥ rūpam, which is of the nature of ānandaḥ, which is free from all
the duḥkhaṁ; disturbances; duḥkha rahitam; duḥkhaṁ means finitude. So free from
finitude;
Nirūpamaṁ; upama means comparison; matching; nirūpama means without

comparison; matchless, incomparable. Why it is matchless? Infinite can be only one;
there cannot be a second thing other than infinite. Therefore nirūpamaṁ,
incomparable, na vidyāte upama yasya tat; upama rahitam ityarthaḥ.
Page 1679

Ativēlaṁ; vēla means boundary. Limit; ativēlaṁ means limitless, anantaṁ. And when
we say limitless, space-wise, time-wise and property-wise, dēśa, kālaḥ, vastu
pariccēda sūnyam. Ativēlaṁ; vēla means limit; Na vidyāte vēla; sīma; yasya
nissīmaṁ.
Then nithyamuktaṁ ever free. Not that through vēdantic study you got freedom. If
you say I got freedom through vēdantic study means you did not understand,
because if you say you got free through something, freedom becomes a result of
some action. And if it is a result, it will have a beginning and end. And therefore I
did not get liberation through śravaṇam; I did not get liberation through mananam, I
am not going to get liberation through nidhidhyāsanam. And then why I am doing
all these things. Through śravaṇam, I come to know that I need not get liberation.
How, through śravaṇam I come to know that I need not get liberation. Why,
hopeless case? No; because I was never bound, bondage was a misconception.
Dropping the misconception and expectation is the purpose of meditation. Dropping
the misconception and expectation; when will it come? when it will come? Svāmiji
will I get in this janma; all these stupid questions; for dropping all these only
meditation. So therefore nithya muktaṁ, .
nirīham; nirīham is free from īha; īha is equal to icchāḥ; or karma; both meanings
are there; therefore nirīham means free from both; two meanings you can take;
icchāḥ rahitam; karma rahitam. So Brahman, pūrṇa Brahma is desireless and
actionless.
Then niravadi gaganābham. Previously he said it cannot be compared. But if you are
particular about comparison, we can give one comparison.
What is that? Gaganābhaṁ. ābhaṁ means similar to; comparable to; gaganam,
gaganam means what? ākāśaḥ. So the nearest comparison for Brahman is space;
because there are so many features common to ākāśa and brahma. Do you
remember? Both are ēkam; both are asaṅga; both are nirākāra; both are sarva
ādhara; all these; both are indivisible; nirvikalpatvam; asaṇgatvam; ēkatvam; sarva
ādharatvam. All these are common. And therefore gaganābhaṁ. gagana tulyam.
What type of gaganam? Niravadhi; the boundless, limitless space. That is why they
say cidākāśaḥ, cidambaraḥ; all these words are because of this alone.
Page 1680

Then niṣkalaṁ. niṣkalaṁ means free from all the kala, division or limbs; avayava
rahitam. So kala literally means part and therefore we can safely say: partless and
kala can mean limb like hand, etc. That is also not there. So niṣkalaṁ.
Nirvikalpam. So without any vikalpās; without any superimposition. Kalpanā rahitam,

prapañja rahita itiarthaḥ. Niṣprapañjam. In Mānḍukya prapañja upaśamam; all the
upaṇiṣadic ideas are culled together in one place. And such a Brahman the meditator
invokes; not as an object; Tad brahma aha asmi.
प्रकृ�त�वकृ�तशून भावनातीतभावं
समरसमसमानं मानसम्बन्धदूर |
�नगमवचन�सद् �नत्यमस्मत्प्
हृ� कलय�त �वद्वान ब्र पूण� समाधौ ||४०९||
prakr̥tivikr̥tiśūnyaṁ bhāvanātītabhāvaṁ
śamaraśamasamānaṁ mānasaṁbandadūram |
nigamavacanasiddhaṁ nityamasmatprasiddhaṁ
hr̥di kalayati vidvān brahma pūrṇaṁ samādhau ||409||
So if you want a change in meditation; you say that same meditation is boring. So
Śankarācārya says I will give out another set of nature of Brahman, you can think in
these lines. Fourth line is the same. So vidvān samādhau hr̥di pūrṇam brahma
kalayati. The wise person meditates upon such a Brahman.
What type of Brahman? prakr̥ti vikr̥ti śūnyaṁ; a Brahman which has neither cause
nor effect. Prakr̥ti means kāraṇam, vikr̥ti means kāryam; śūnyaṁ means without.
Prakr̥ti vikr̥ti śūnyaṁ; means kāraṇa kārya rahitam. That means what? Brahman
does not have any cause. So Brahman is not produced out of anything.
Similarly Brahman does not have any effect also. That means Brahman is not a
cause of anything. Here alone you can get a doubt. If you do not, I will create. You
say Brahman does not have any effect. But in all the upaṇiṣads, including Brahma
sūtra, you define Brahman as what? Jagad kāraṇam. Shamelessly you define
Brahman as jagad kāraṇam, which means what? the world is an effect of Brahman.
And here you say Brahman has no effect.
Page 1681

How do you contradict yourselves? We say both statements are say. When we say
Brahman has got an effect or a product, we mean Brahman has got an apparent
product; unreal product.
And when we say Brahman does not have product, we mean Brahman does not
have a real product. So a real world is not born; an unreal world is born. Therefore
when you say: is born, what to include; unreal world; is not born when you say,
what to include; a real world is not born. An unreal world is born. Therefore both
statements are equally correct.
Exactly like what? a real snake is not born out of rope. At the same time, an unreal
snake is born out of rope. A real dream world is not born of waker. An unreal dream
world is born. So born is also correct; not born is also correct. What; is what is to be
filled appropriately.
So a real world is not born out of Brahman; bhāvan ātīta bhāvaṁ. So having a
nature which is unconceivable, of unconceivable nature. Bhavana means what?
conception; concept is called bhāvana. Bhāvana ātītam means what? beyond
conception; unconceivable or inconceivable, whichever be the correct English. You
note. Inconceivable. Bhāva means svarūpam. So the final meaning is acintya
svarūpam. Bhāvanātīta bhāvam is equal to acintya svarūpam or inconceivable
nature. It cannot be objectified. That is why in meditation you should not look for
Brahman. You will get struck.
Then samarasam. So which is everywhere; śamam; harmonious is called samarasaḥ;

samaḥ rasaha svarūpaḥ yasya. Of uniform nature. I am not explaining this; we have
seen this plenty of times in the Upaṇiṣads; in the Gītā; vidyāvinaya sampannē
Brahmaṇē gavi hasthini, samam sarvēṣu bhūtheṣu tiṣṭantam paramēsvaram; several
times we have seen; therefore I do not want to repeat.
Then asamānaṁ. asamānaṁis the same as nirūpamam of the previous verse;

Matchless. Na vidyāte samānaṁ yasya tat asamānaṁ.
Then māna sambandha dūram. It is beyond all instruments of knowledge. Māna

means pramāṇam; Sambhanda means contact. dūram means beyond. Beyond the
contact of, beyond the access of, all the instruments of knowledge; sarva pramāṇa
agōcaraṁ. In simple language, apramēyam. Unobjectifiable. So why, it cannot be
Page 1682

objectified. You should not say, now I know the reason; It is not there at all; that is
why it cannot be objectified. If I know, not because it is not there, because it is in
the form of the very I, who is the objectifier.
Remember the law, the objectifier cannot be the objectified. The camera cannot be
photographed, by the same camera. Do not say we have done it. Camera cannot be
photographed by the same camera. So therefore māna sambandha dūram.
Then nigama vacana siddhaṁ. But it is revealed through the words of the śāstra.
Śāstra pramāṇa prakāśitam. So it is revealed by nigama; nigama means vēdaḥ.
Nigama vachana means vēda vākyaṁ. Vēda pramāṇam. So that which is revealed
through vēda pramāṇa.
How vēda pramāṇam can reveal, if it cannot be objectified by any instruments of

knowledge, if you ask, remember the example, even though the eyes cannot see
themselves, there is one method of seeing the eye. Remember, the mirror. If at all
you want to see, the eyes cannot never see themselves, but the nearest possibility is
when we use the mirror. Similarly I can never know my nature, but if at all I want to
know, there is only one method, vēda darpaṇaḥ. Śāstra-mirror you use and I know
who I am. Thefore nigama vachana siddham.
And how is that Brahman available? Nityam asmat prasiddhaṁ. Which is ever
evident in the form of I, the conscious principle. That is the secret. Ever evident.
There is no time when you do not experience Brahman. You are experiencing
Brahman all the time, as what: I am conscious being, I am conscious being. So that
consciousness is Brahman.
So asmat prasiddhaṁ means what? prasiddhaṁ means evident. Asmat means what?
as the very I.
बाल्य�दष्व� जाग्रदा�द तथा सवार्स्ववस्थास

ु ्र भद्र
स्वात्मा प्रकट�करो भजतां यो मद
तस्म श्रीगुरुमूत नम इदं श्रीद��णामूतर ॥ ७॥
Page 1683

svātmānaṁ prakaṭīkarōti bhajatāṁ yō mudrayā bhadrayā

tasmai śrīgurumūrtayē nama idaṁ śrīdakṣiṇāmūrtayē || 7||
That idea is said here. Fourth line I am not explaining, we have seen.
अजरममरमस्ताभाववस्स्वरू
िस्त�मतस�ललरा�शप्रख्यमाख्या�व |
श�मतगण�
ु वकारं शाश्वत शान्तमेक
हृ� कलय�त �वद्वान ब्र पूण� समाधौ || ४१० ||
ajaramamaramastābhāvavastusvarūpaṁ
stimitasalilarāśiprakhyamākhyāvihīnam |
śamitaguṇavikāraṁ śāśvataṁ śāntamēkaṁ
hr̥di kalayati vidvān brahma pūrṇaṁ samādhau || 410 ||
So the fourth line is the same. The wise people practice samādhi. Absorption in
Brahman. What type of Brahman? The description is given.
Ajaram amaram; you can understand. Ajaram means jarā rahitam, without decay or
old age; amaram means marana rahitam, without death; jarā maraṇa varjitham.
And then, the next word you should split properly. Asta abhāvavastu svarūpaṁ. So
in my book, there is a different reading. Asta abhāva is one reading; instead of
abhāva, better reading is abhāsa. sa khāra instead of va kāra. So asta abhāsā vastu
svarūpam. Amaram asta abhaśā vasthu svarūpam. Vastu svarūpam means endowed
with a nature. absolute nature. Pāramārthika svarūpam, which is asta abhāsam. Asta
means free from; asta means free from; disappeared; surya astamanam, from that
word only. Surya astamanam, Sun has disappeared.
Therefore means free from; abhāsā means all false appearances, mithya vasthu;
abhāsaḥ means mithya vastu and real thing. And astha abhāsā means free from all
the appearances of duality. And you can understand abhāsā as all appearances
means what; the entire world is appearance only; therefore asta abhāsā can be
understood as asta prapañja; asta prapañja can be understood as prapañja rahita.
So what is the final meaning? Prapañja rahita vastu svarūpam; of the nature in
which there is no world at all. Advaitam iti arthaḥ. It is world free; it is duality free;
prapañjōpa śamam. So astabhāsā vastu svarūpam.
Page 1684

Then, stimitasalilarāśiprakhyam; another example is given. Salilarāśi means ocean; a

huge reservoir of water; rāśi means reservoir; salilam water; salilarāśi; reservoir of
water, an ocean.
And what type of ocean? stimitam; stimitam means still, calm, tranquil; śanta, so
stimitam salilarāśi is equal is equal to śanta samudraḥ. Prakhyam means comparable
to. So Brahman is comparable to a calm ocean in meditation. During vyavahārā it is
comparable to a stormy ocean; and now, it is comparable to śanta samudraḥ;
tranquil ocean; waveless ocean; prakhyam means similar to.
Then ākhyāvihīnam; it is nāma rahitam. akhya means name. Vihīnam means free
from. So nāma rahitam; it does not have a name at all.
Then what about all the names? They are pseudo names. So they are all names
given; only from relative standpoint; but from its own standpoint, no name can be
given. That is why in Mānḍukya we will see: Turiya pāda is named as silence. Silence
is not another word. Amātra caturtaḥ, because any name, naming is limiting. To
name is to limit. So no name can be attributed. Therefore nāma rahitam.
Then śamitha guṇa vikhāram. Guṇa vikhāra means all the products of the three
guṇās. vikhāra means kāryam. Guṇa vikhāra means triguṇa kāryam. And what is the
triguṇa kāryam; the entire universe. So the external world is also a product of three
guṇas; internal thought, every thought is either sātvic, rājasic or tāmasic. Satvic is
called śanta vr̥tti, rājasic vr̥tti is called ghōra vr̥tti; tāmasic vr̥tti is called mūdha vr̥tti.
Thus all our thoughts are śantha, ghōra, mūdha vr̥ttayaḥ.
Pañjadaśi fifteenth chapter, these three types of vr̥ttis are analysed. So the internal
world of thought is guṇa vikhāra; external world of object is guṇa vikhāraḥ;
Brahman is free from both of them. śamitham, அடங�ன�; ஓ�ங�ன�; means all of
them are resolved; calmed down. That in which all the products of guṇas are
resolved.
Then Śāśvatam, Śāśvatam means eternal. śantam, understand, therefore only

tranquil.
Page 1685

Why tranquil; śamita guṇa vikāratvāt śantam. śantam, śivam advaitam caturtham
manyante, sa ātma sa vijnēya. All Mānḍukya idea. Turiya pāda is exactly described
here.
And how many such Brahmans are there? ēkam. And what is that Brahman? I
myself. You should not leave that. So ēkam brahma. Such a Brahman, vidvān hr̥di
kalayati. All these slōka as are nidhidhyāsana slōkās.
So nirvāṇa ṣatkam is there; Śankarācārya is separately written nidhidhyāsana slōka

as. Nirvāna daśakam is there; nirvāṇa ṣatkam is there; Advaita pañjakam are there.
There are so many such meditation slōkas. But in some vēdānta grathās like
Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi also, he has incorporated some. Even if you do not study that
separate, these can be learned byheart and as even we chant, we see that as our
glory.
Meditation on self-glory. Isn't arrogance; do not ask. If you claim glory to your ego,
it is arrogance. Your ego does not have any of the glories. And not only that for
every glory, it has got a weakness. For every good work, you have done 15,000
akramams. So therefore, it is arrogance, if I claim ego has got all these things. What
is the definition of Ego? Caitanya pratibimba sahitha śarīraṁ. Caitanya pratibimba
sahitha śarīraṁ does not have any glory. If you claim the glory as belonging to the
caitanyaṁ, it is not arrogance; firmly you can claim, I am nityaḥ, I am śuddhaḥ, I
am sarvādhāraḥ; it is not arrogance, it is wisdom. May you practice this meditation.
Hari Om.
Page 1686

130. Verse 411 to 416
Śankarācārya pointed out that the mind is the problem of saṁsāra and therefore one
has to handle the mind. And what do you mean handling the mind? The mind has
three-fold problems and if these three problems are taken care of, the mind is a
harmless mind; not only it is a harmless mind, it is a blessing also.
And what are the three problems in the mind? One is ignorant regarding my higher
nature; ajñānaṁ. The second is the saṁśaya; doubt regarding my svarūpam, higher
nature. And the third one is viparyayaḥ; the forgetfulness regarding my higher
nature. Ignorance, doubt and forgetfulness; these are the problems. Ignorance has
to be handled through systematic study of the scriptures, doubt has to be handled
only by answering every question raised by the intellect. Doubt is because of
incomplete knowledge, and they have to be answered and which is called mananam,
and self-forgetfulness has to be handled only through nidhidhyāsanam. Dwelling
upon the teaching as often as possible.
And we saw nidhidhyāsanam is of various types, reading is a form of

nidhidhyāsanam, writing is a form of nidhidhyāsanam; discussion is a form of
nidhidhyāsanam, teaching is another form of nidhidhyāsanam and samādhi abhyāśā
is also a form of nidhidhyāsanam. Of this samādhi abhyāsa is presented here by
Śankarācārya as one of the methods of nidhidhyāsanam for assimilation. Assimilation
is to avoid self-forgetfulness. And how to practice this samādhi, he has been talking
about; it is invoking the different features of my own higher nature, so that my
lower nature becomes so insignificant that its problems do not occupy the mind too
much. Problems have to be dealt with; that is wonderful. If the problems become an
obsession; if the problems lead to preoccupation of the mind, it means the problems
stop me from living my life.
A preoccupied mind does not allow me to live. I do not live? Why I do not live? My
mind is not available. I would be talking without talking; I would be seeing TVs
without seeing; I would be eating without eating; I will be attending the class,
without attending. Why? All the time pre-occupied. Preoccupied is caused when the
Page 1687

smaller-I becomes dominant. Therefore the I, the smaller-I has to be put in its
place. And that is called assimilation.
And different features of ātma were mentioned in verse 408, 409 and 410 and
Śankarācārya has said, vidvān pūrṇam Brahma kalayati. So the wise person invokes
the higher self in his samādhi abhyāsa. Up to this we saw.
समा�हतान्तःकरण स्वरू
�वलोकयात्मानमखण्डवैभव |
�विच्छिन बन्ध भवगन्धगिन्ध
यत्ने पुंस्त् सफल�कुरुष ||४११ ||
samāhitāntaḥkaraṇaḥ svarūpē
vilōkayātmānamakhaṇḍavaibhavam |
vicchinddhi bandaṁ bhavagandhagandhitaṁ
yatnēna puṁstvaṁ saphalīkuruṣva ||411 ||
As mentioned in these previous three verses, May you think of your higher nature in
a tranquil mind. Look at the second line. Ātmānam vilōkaya. May you think of your
higher nature; vilōkaya literally means perceive, see, here seeing is not a sensory
perception, here seeing is appreciation, invocation, recollection of the teaching,
because the higher nature has been revealed during śravaṇam, whatever has been
revealed; to bring all that into mind. Like cud chewing by the cow. Therefore
ātmānam vilōkaya.
What type of higher nature? Akhaṇḍa vaibhavam; whose glory is limitless, boundless
glory, because all the glories belong to the ātma only; sr̥ṣṭi, sthiti, layaṁ; all these
are the glories of the ātma, maiēva sakalam jātam, mai sarvaṁ prathiṣtitam, mai
sarvaṁ layaṁ yāti tad brahmadvayaṁasmyahaṁ. So may you see your glory.
And where do you see? samāhita antharakāraṇa svarupē; in your mind, which has
been made tranquil in the seat of meditation. Samahitam means quietened;
focussed; so in a quiet mind, a focused mind, antakāraṇa svarupē, the whole word is
one compound word, after antakāraṇa, there should not be a gap; it is a continuous
word. Here the word samāhitam, refers to śamadhau varthamanaam. The mind in
samādhi. And when I use the word: samādhi, do not think of any peculiar mystic
state; samādhi means a quiet silent, silent mind which is capable of absorption.
Page 1688

Samādhi should be understood as a state in which hundred percent mind is available

for any job that you want to do.
That 100% mind, now they are teaching special courses are held for listening skills.
What we are thinking is that we are listening to so many things. But on research
they find that we do not listen. And I have discovered it; it is a fact; most of my
announcements are either not listened or half listened or wrongly listened. I am
really terrified; because if this is the condition of the announcements itself, what is
happening in the classes is a great concern for me.
So it is truth that we do not listen with 100% mind. And if you can do that; you are
in samādhi. Samādhi is nothing but making 100% mind available for any task that
you want to perform. In that 100% mind, ātmānam vilōkaya. Akhaṇḍa vaibhavam;
the ātma, the infinite glory; bahuvrihi samāsa; akāndam vaibhavam yasya ātmānaḥ
tam ātmanaḥ; and having invoked your higher nature, what do you do? may you
forget all the bonds belonging to your lower-I; the ego-I; May you not dwell upon
them. May you not get pre-occupied with them.
Therefore bandhaṁ vicchinddhi; may you break or destroy all your bonds;
bondages; strings; ropes or chains, may you break all the chains belonging to the
ego, the lower-I, the ahaṁkāra.
What is the definition of the ego? You will always remember the technical definition;
not the ego that we talk about in regular basis; that ego is arrogance. In vēdānta,
ego is the anātma plus reflected consciousness. Live anātma is called ego.
Pratibhimba caitanya sahita anātma is called ego. So may you neither be interested
in anātma; nor be interested in the reflection in the anātma, may you own up the
original consciousness.
And why should break this ahaṁkāra bond? Because bhavagandhagandhitaṁ.

Ahaṁkāra has got the foul smell; it has got a stinking smell; he has to use all
methods to see whether you will then at least drop it; all kinds of disgusting words,
so that you may drop; we are saying we will drop, and he has also tried; what is the
foul smell? the foul smell of saṁsāra; rāga-dvēṣa-kāma-krōda, they are the foul
smells belonging to sūkṣma śarīraṁs; and the foul smell belonging to stūla śarīraṁ,
one need not talk about it; that is why varieties of perfumes are created; for what
Page 1689

purposes? because the stūla śarīraṁ has got foul smell. Therefore bhava gandha
means saṁsāra gandhaḥ.
Which is afflicted by, stinged by the impurities of saṁsāra; and it is not going to be
easy, that he accepts, yathnēna; yathnēna should be connected to the third line,
yathnēna vicchinddhi, may you drop obsession with your ego; with effort, any
amount of effort is worth. And if you do that, what is the great achievement in it? He
says पुंस्त् सफल�कुरुष puṁstvaṁ saphalīkuruṣva; may you make your human birth
meaningful; purposeful. Puṁstvaṁ means puruṣatvam; puruṣatvam here means
manuṣya tvam; manuṣya tvam means manuṣya janma. And saphalīkuruṣva means
what: make it meaningful and purposeful. If you do not accomplish this, any other
accomplishment is meaningless.
Remember Kenopāṇiṣad; ihacēd avēdi atha satyamasti, na cēd iha avēdi mahāti
vinaṣti. If you gain this knowledge, the life is meaningful. If you do not gain this,
whatever else you gain, the loss is infinite loss. That is here hinted at.
सव�पा�ध�व�नमुर्क् सिच्चदानन्दमद्व |
भावयात्मानमात्मस न भूयः कल्पसेऽध्व ||४१२||
sarvōpādhivinirmuktaṁ saccidānandamadvayaṁ |
bhāvayātmānamātmasthaṁ na bhūyaḥ kalpasē:'dhvanē ||412||
And for this purpose, for making life meaning and fruitful, ātmanam bhāva. Almost
repetition of the previous slōka. Look at the second line. Ātmanam bhāvaya. May
you invoke, think of your higher nature, as often as possible. May you think of your
higher nature, the more you think of your higher nature, the less significant the
lower nature will become.
And what type of ātma? that ātma is described. Sarvopādhivinirmuktam; that ātma
which is free from all relationships. Any relationship belongs to the ego only.
Therefore the more you dwell on relationships, the more you are in the ego level.
And when I say relationship, relationship with things, relationship with people, and
relationship with situation. Any form of saṅga belongs to ahaṁkāra; ātma is asaṅga
svarūpaḥ. Therefore may you invoke your asaṅga svarūpam, so that all the saṅgās
Page 1690

will become insignificant. So sarva upādhi; upādhi means association; stūla sūkṣma
kāraṇa vinirmuktam.
And satchidānand advayaṁ. Your higher nature, which is sat chit and ānandaḥ; I am
not explaining; you know very well. We have seen very often; which is of the nature
of sacchidānandamadvyam, which is non-dual and ātmastham; which is appreciated
in the mind; even though ātma is everywhere, it can be recognised only in the mind
and that too in one's own mind; I can understand ātma only in my mind.
And how do you recognise the ātma? As the witness consciousness of both the
presence of thoughts as well as the absence of thoughts. Citta vr̥tti bhāva abhāva
sākṣitrupēna. So in the form of sākṣi ātmastam, located in the mind.
So here the word ātma means mind. See two ātmas are near; bhāvaya ātmānam
ātmastham. ātmānam means the sacchidānandaḥ ātma. When you say ātmastham,
there the word ātma means the mind. And stham means what? obtaining. Therefore
ātmasthham means what? antakaraṇē varthamānam. antakaraṇē sākṣi rūpēṇa
varthamānam. Yo vēda nihitham guhāyām; guhā nihitham.
And if I do it sufficiently and once the ego becomes less and less significant, my
subconscious mind also gets flushed off ego-oriented thinking. Once the ego-
oriented thinking becomes weaker and weaker; all the kāma, what should be my
future? So when I talk about my future, future belongs to ātma or ego; past,
present, and future; all these are only from the standpoint of the ego; not from
ātma standpoint. And when I am less and less bothered about the future, how am I
going to be bothered about the next birth?
Therefore even my pre-occupation with next birth also becomes weaker; in short,
ego loses it battery. Battery becomes weak. Who is charging the ego battery? We
are only doing it. So like pedalling the cycle. If you stop pedalling the cycle, it will
run for sometime, then it stop. That is why we say that ego is not even bothered
about punarjanma; and therefore it does not have rebirth.
And therefore bhūyaḥ adhvanē na kalpate; you will not be fit for punarjanma. You
will not be fit for punarjanma, because fitness is caused by obsession with next
birth. Where is it said, in Mundakopāṇiṣad.
Page 1691

कामान ् यः कामयते मन्यमान स काम�भजार्यत तत तत । पयार्प्तकाम कृतात्मनस् इहैव सव�

प्र�वल�यि कामाः ॥ २ ॥
kāmān yaḥ kāmayatē manyamānaḥ sa kāmabhirjāyatē tatra tatra |
paryāptakāmasya kr̥tātmanastu ihaiva sarvē pravilīyanti kāmāḥ ||III.2.2 ||
When a person dies with strong unfulfilled desires; this has not been done, this has
not been done, when he dies with that thought, kāmān yaḥ kāmayatē manyamānaḥ,
then because of the very urge and force, the ego survives. In fact kāma is the
crystalling water; water of crystallisation. Once the kāma is gone, the ego becomes
melted or powdery; so when kāma is here; saha kāmabhir jāyatē tatra tatra; so
kāma pushes him to fulfil that desire. Paryāpta kāmasya krithātmanastu, then no
more obsession; then the ego loses its binding force, the gum, the sticking force is
removed; ihaiva sarve praviliyanti kāma; here itself the ego is dissolved into the
śamashti Īśvara or hiranyagarbha.
Therefore here Śankarācārya says: you will become unfit, unqualified in eligible for
what? adhvanē, adhva means what? journey of saṁsāra. Literally adhva means
mārgaḥ. And in this context adhva means the journey of punarapi jananam and
punarapi maraṇam; fourth case, nakāranthaḥ, adhva, advaano, avaanaha; adhvane,
chathurthi vibhakthi, for the sāmsāric journey you will become unqualified, ineligible.
Bhūyaḥ; for the repeated journey. So na kalpatē means you are ineligible; unfit.
छायेव पुंसः प�रदृश्यमा-

माभासरूपे फलानभू
ु त्य |
शर�रमाराच्छवविन्नरस
पुननर संधत् इदं महात्म ||४१३||
chāyēva puṁsaḥ paridr̥śyamān-
mābhāsarūpēṇa phalānubhūtyā |
śarīraṁārācchavavannirastaṁ
punarna saṁdhatta idaṁ mahātmā ||413||
So by the practice of nidhidhyāsanam and by the invocation of the higher-I, the

lower-I becomes less and less significant; the pre-occupation with the ego also will
become lesser and lesser; and the physical body which is an integral part of the ego;
the physical body also becomes less and less significant. At least previously, as a
seeker he had to give importance to the body because, even for jñāna prāpti, body
is important. Not only a materialistic person has to bother about the body, because
Page 1692

to eat nicely, one has to be healthy, and therefore at least for material pleasures he
has to protect. Even for a spiritual seeker, body is important because for śravaṇa
mananāni, body is the means, but once a person has gained mōkṣa or knowledge,
body is neither necessary for material goal nor is it necessary for spiritual goal. It
has served its purpose.
That does not mean that he will hate the body or ill-treat the body or abuse the
body. The body is the creation of the Lord, and until now I claimed the body as my
property; now I look upon the body as the Lord's property. Therefore the
attachment part is gone; it has to be cared for until prārabdhaṁ is exhausted. But
he does not have obsession. And therefore śarīraṁ nirastham. The body is negated,
disowned or disclaimed, dis-identified. Śarīraṁ nirastham, I no more claim the body
as myself.
And how far I have come from the body? ārācchavavannirastaṁ; disidentified
totally; I have come far away from the body. Far away when you say, it is not a
physical distance; it is psychological distancing, it is done from the body.
And to re-emphasise Śankarācārya uses a strong word, śavā vat; looking upon the
body as śavam; a corpse; relatives are seeing me, they have started thinking,
therefore we cannot stand; you can straight away for creation; till just now, they
were saying, mine, mine, mine, etc.; Bārya bibyati tasmin kāyē.
Śankarācārya says. Wife herself fears her husband's body. Once the life is gone,
even the dearest wife is afraid to be near the body for long. Śankarācārya tells
many bitter truths. In the Bhaja Gōvindaṁ, that is why, you can sing bhaja
gōvindaṁ, but if you understand the meaning, it is a terrible hammering slōka, every
statement is a truth, but bitter truth. Here also Śankarācārya says that, śava vat
nirastham. According to him, this body is potential ṣavā only. So therefore, he uses
so that we will not have attachment. Strong word is used only to take away the
strong attachment.
If the attachment is weaker, he will not use the strong word. Attachment is stronger,
he also uses strong words. Śava vat, this body is disowned.
And what type of body it is? it is described as: ābhāsarūpēṇa paridr̥śyamāna, which
is only false expression of the higher self. Which is only a fake expression of the
Page 1693

higher self. It is pratibimba caitanyaṁ. So therefore abhāsārūpēṇa, abhāsam means

what: appearance. so which is only a fake, a reduplicated or an imitation; that is the
word I was looking for, imitation jewellery, imitation diamond, imitation ornaments;
which is only an imitation form; abhāsā means fake, mithya, imitation; in the form of
the false I; paridriśyamaanam.
And why it is appearing like the I? the original-I has got consciousness. The ego also
has got consciousness. The Conciousness of the ātma is bhimba caitanyaṁ; the
consciousness of the ego is pratibimba caitanyaṁ. And you know pratibimba m
resembles bhimbam and therefore ego is masquerading as the real-I.
And the wise man has understood that this fellow is an imitation one. And therefore
he threw it away. Or else he would have kept it locked in the box, inside another
box, inside another box, etc. Then he knew that it costs only Rs.2-1/2; that the
diamond is Rs.2-1/2; and why should he keep it in the bureau; not necessary at all.
Therefore abhāśārūpēṇa paridriśyamānam,
And it is like what: puṁsaḥ chāya iva; like the shadow of a person. The shadow is
fake; shadow is unreal; but the shadow resembles the original. So puṁsaḥ chāya
iva; abhāsā rūpēṇa paridriśyamānam, that is one adjective of śarīraṁ.
And the next adjective is śavavat ārat nirastaṁ śarīraṁ; which is disowned like a
corpse, and how does one disown the lower one? Remember a lower inferior one
can be disowned only when you get something superior. And therefore phala
anubhūtya; by enjoying the benefit of knowledge and what is the enjoyment of
benefit of knowledge; poorna ahaṁ. So owning the poorna ahaṁ he is ready to
disown the dirty apūrṇa ahaṁ.
Before owning pūrṇa ahaṁ, apūrṇa ahaṁ is something better than nothing. If good
food is not available, what do the poor people do: so go out and in the dust bin,
whatever they get, they eat; why? When there is hunger, whatever is available from
the dust bin and eat; how long you will do? we do not do that; why? because we
have got good food. Similarly, the ego is the crumb from the streets and we are
eating that ego because we have not enjoyed gulabjaan of ātma which is dipped in
the syrup of ānandaḥ. Ok. because that is not available, we are eating whatever is
available in the streets.
Page 1694

And having enjoyed that, suppose, that beggar, who was eating from the road, got
lottery. And he has started eating good food; and after enjoying the good food,
suppose you call him back, come back for one day, why can't eat the food from the
streets, will he do that. Similarly a jñāni can never value the worldly pleasures
thereafter.
Therefore mahātma; so the mahātma, the wise person, who has enjoyed
aātmānandaḥ, brahmānandaḥ, punaḥ idam na sandatte; he will not resort to, take
to, idam; this ego, this body once again. Which body, that body which has been
rejected before, the rejected body he does not take to again.
So the whole slōka is grammatically one sentence. puṁsaḥ chāyēva abhāsā rūpēṇa
paridriśyamānam phalanubhūtya ārāt śavavath nirasthaṁ idam śarīraṁ, இப்ப reject
பண்ண�ன ஶ�ரத்; this rejected body, mahātmā punaḥ na sandatte; the wise
person does not take to again.
सतत�वमलबोधानन्दरू समेत्
त्य जडमलरूपोपा�धमेत सुदरू े |
अथ पुनर�प नैष स्मयर्त वान्तवस्
स्मरण�वषयभूत कल्पत कुत्सना ||४१४||
satatavimalabōdhānandarūpaṁ samētya
tyaja jaḍamalarūpōpādhimētaṁ sudūrē |
atha punarapi naiṣa smaryatāṁ vāntavastu
smaraṇaviṣayabhūtaṁ kalpatē kutsanāya ||414||
Almost the same idea, presented in a different form. So having owned up the higher
Self, never turn back to the lower-I. So satata vimala bōdhaḥ ānandaḥrūpam
samētya; so having accomplished; having come to satata vimala bōdhaḥ ānandaḥ
rūpam; hope you are understanding; the ātma, which is of the nature of ānandaḥ,
rūpam means svarūpam, ātma understood, the ātma which is of the nature of
ānandaḥ, bōdhaḥ, which is of the nature of consciousness, bōdham means
caitanyaṁ, and vimala, which is pure; satatam, always.
So the ātma which is eternal, pure consciousness and ānandaḥ, having accomplished
such an ātma, tyaja; may you throw away, reject; and what should you reject? the
lower-I; what type of lower-I? jaḍa, mala rūpa upādhi. The opposite of ātma; ātma
Page 1695

bōdhaḥ rūpam we said; opposite to that is; jada rūpam, that is caitanyaṁ, this is
jaḍaṁ.
And it is vimalam, pure; whereas this is malam. Jada mala rūpa. And one more you
have to add; there it is ānandaḥ rūpam; opposite here, it is dukha rūpam; jada mala
duḥkha rūpa upādhim; such an upādhi, upādhi means śarīraṁ.
ētam śarīraṁ sudūrē tyaja. May you throw far away. So these are all not physical
throwing away. Psychological distancing, which is nothing but freedom from strong
attachment. Freedom from obsession with the body; all the time, worrying about the
body. megalomania; they say. Like that all the time worrying about the body; and he
has all the time some sickness or the other; after reading all the books. Sickness
book you read, you go on. Now medical dictionaries are coming where all the
diseases are described. Any disease you read, you feel that you have it; same
symptoms. It is terrible. What the doctors do? Let the doctors do often; ignorance is
bliss.
So tyaja śarīraṁ sudūrē; and after rejecting, punarapi, third line, yēṣaḥ naiva
smaryathām; after rejection, never look back; run away; never back into your body;
never recollect; never remember, never dwell upon and an example is given; terrible
example. Like what? vāntavastu; whatever you have vomited; and after vomitting
what do you feel? A great relief; you wash your mouth and run away; do you want
to carefully see the details of the vomit; unless the doctor wants to study it for some
symptoms; but we do not want to even see that. Śankarācārya is trying to see
whether you will get vairāgya by saying this at at least. Therefore he says:
vāntavastu; vāntam means vomitted object; smaraṇa viṣaya bhūtām; when it is
remembered, when a vomitted object is remembered by you, what is your feeling?
kutsanāya kalpatē; it only leads to disgust; அ�வ�ப்; aruveruppu; it will only lead
to disgust. Similarly, after leaving saṁsāra, detecting saṁsāra, do not dwell upon
the saṁsāra which you have rejected.
समूलमेतत्प�रदाह वह्न
सदात्म� ब्रह् �न�व्
र कल् |
ततः स्वय �नत्य�वशुद्धब-
नन्दात्म �तष्ठ� �वद्व�रष् ||४१५||
samūlamētatparidāhya vahnau
Page 1696

sadātmani brahmaṇi nirvikalpē |

tataḥ svayaṁ nityaviśudda bōdhā-
nandātmanā tiṣṭhati vidvariṣṭhaḥ ||415||
So therefore what does the wise person do? So vidvariṣṭhaḥ, vidvariṣṭhaḥ means
jñāna niṣṭaha; so they talk about three levels of brahmavid; brahmavidvaraha;
brahmavid varēyan; brahmavid variṣṭaḥ; depending upon the number of obstacles.
If saṁśaya and viparītha bhāvana, two obstacles are there, then Brahmanvid varaḥ
he is; and if saṁśaya is gone; only forgetfulness is there; then he is called variyān.
There is no doubt also; there is no habitual identification also; he is called variṣṭaḥ.
So the one who is free from all forms of obstacles is called Brahmavid variṣṭaḥ; here
the word used is vidvaristaḥ;
What has he done? yētat samūlam paridāhya; he has burnt the ego along with the
root; so etat; etat means this; it is a pronoun; this can refer to either ego or refer to
śarīraṁ; or to saṁsāra itself. Therefore this ego samūlam, he has burned along with
root;
What is the root of the ego? Ignorance. Therefore ajñānā sahitam ahaṁkāra
paridāhya;
He has burned in the fire of what? sadātmani vahnau; in the fire of ātma; so here
ātma means ātma jñānaṁ; in the fire of the knowledge of sadātma;
And what is the nature of sadātma? Brahmani; sadātma means the higher-I. The
ego is called asadātma; lower-I; fake; asad means fake; sat means real. Satātma
means the real higher I; which is Brahman, and nirvikalpē, which is divisionless.
So in the knowledge of the ātma, this person has burned the ego along with the
root; and once he has come to the sadātma, what is the state of mind? tataḥ; nitya
viśudda bōdhaḥ ānandaḥ ātmana tiṣṭathi. Thereafterwards he remains in the form of
ānandaḥ ātma.
So when you ask how are you; he does not come up with a big Rāma yanam of
problems and creating sorrow for others; disturbuting freely; it is not; nandati,
nandathi nandatyēva.
Page 1697

योगरतो वाभोगरतोवा
सङ्गरत वा सङ्ग�वह�न |
यस् ब्रह् रमते �चत्त
नन्द� नन्द� नन्दत्य ||१९||
yōgaratō vābhōgaratōvā
saṅgaratō vā saṅgavihīnaḥ |
yasya brahmaṇi ramatē cittaṁ
nandati nandati nandatyēva ||19||
So happiness is waiting in his lips to come out. He does not smile without some
occasion because, if he smiles without occasion, people will put him in Kilpauk
Mental Hospital. So therefore he does not express his ānandaḥ all the time, it is
there inside. Any occasion, just give a tap, you get ānandaḥ. So ānandaḥātmana
thiṣṭati. Saturated with purṇatvam. What type of ānandaḥ? Nitya Viśudda bōdhaḥ.
Not only of the nature of ānandaḥ, he is of the nature of pure awareness; which is
eternal; So nitya viśudda caitanyaṁ; nitya viśudda ānandam. This is his nature.
So this is called jīvan muktiḥ; this is the result of what? The nidhidhyāsana abhyāsa;
leads him to this state of mind; ānanda ātmana ittham bhāve hr̥diyāt; in the form of
ānandaḥ, he remains.
प्रारब्धसूत्र शर�रं
प्रया वा �तष्ठत गो�रव स्र |
न तत्पुन पश्य� तत्त्ववेत-
अऽनन्दात्म ब्रह् ल�नविृ त्त ||४१६||
prārabdhasūtragrathitaṁ śarīraṁ
prayātu vā tiṣṭhatu gōriva srak |
na tatpunaḥ paśyati tattvavēttā-
a:'nandātmani brahmaṇi līnavr̥ttiḥ ||416||
So the jñāni's attitude towards his body is talked about. He does not have either
rāga or dvēṣa for the body. He is not bothered how long it is going to live. He does
not want to live for long also and at the same time, he does not invite death also.
Let it have its own course. Politicians say; the law will take its course. Like that; let
the law of prārabdha takes its own course. Let my life be for another one year; or
Page 1698

one hundred years; or one thousand years. Either way, I am neutral. This is called
audāsēnyam. Neutrality towards the body.
Therefore, śarīraṁ prayātu vā tiṣṭhatu; you can understand; let this body go away or
let it remain. And why he is not bothered? Because he knows śarīraṁ is governed
by, not his desires, but prārabdha sūtragrathitaṁ; this body is kept together by the
string of prārabdha. So it is the prārabdha string which keeps the body from
disintegrating. So such a body, let it remain, or let it go away. It is comparable to
what: gōriva srak; So in some book gōrivaa srak; vaa is printed long; I think better
reading is: gōriva short and srak a separate word. And it should be split as gōhō
sruk iva; gōhō sruk iva. Sruk means a māla; a flower garland or any garland. And
goo ho means what put on a cow.
So if you put a garland on the neck of the cow, what does the cow know? Cow is not
going to ask you to ask why mala is made for me. For māttu poṅgal we do it. It does
not even recognise the presence of māla; and suppose somebody takes away, it is
not going to protect also. Just as the presence and absence of the māla does not
make or do not make any difference to the cow; for the wise person also, he is like
is not the meaning; do not take the wrong example; the example rightly understand.
Maadu like he has become. He does not care for the presence and absence of the
body. So sruk means māla; so here the English Translation, they have taken some
other reading, I would not suggest that. More in the next class.
Hari Om.
Page 1699

131. Verses 417 to 420
While talking about nidhidhyāsanam in the form of samādhi abhyāsa, Śankarācārya

talks about the transformation that takes place in the nidhidhyaśaka; the one who
practices nidhidhyāsanam. The transformation is see new I; that is the sākṣi rūpa-I,
which is revealed by the śāstra, becomes more dominant because of his repeated
remembrance or invocation. And when the new-I, which is the ātma, becomes more
and more dominant, naturally, these small-I, which is in the form of ego; the
individuality, becomes less and less dominant; it becomes insignificant.
And it has got sufficient existence for transaction. But it does not have that much
domination to create saṁsāra. I have talked about this before. So during our day to
day transaction also; we do invoke different personalities in us; the father-I; or the
mother-I; the husband-I; the wife-I; the employer-I; the employee-I; there also,
certain roles and certain personalities are so dominant, that most of the time that
preoccupies the mind.
Suppose there is some problem with relationship with husband or wife; then the
husband-I or the wife-I is so dominant because there are problems; that most of the
day, that particular-I is hovering around in your mind, whereas there are some other
personalities which are utilised during transactions; but you do not even remember
that particular role because there is not much of a problem. So even during worldly
transactions, we find certain-I_s are dominant and creating problems also;
obsessions also. In the case of nidhidhyaśaka, all the relative-I_s, all the
personalities become insignificant; they are only temporarily invoked for the sake of
transactions, once the transaction is over, it does not remain in the mind causing
hurt or anxiety or worry, it does not cause.
And naturally which-I is dominant at other times. The dominant-I is the I revealed in
the śāstras, the enlightened-I, the I which owns up the ātma. Once the ego-I
becomes insignificant, the attachment to the physical body which is connected to the
ego-I; that attachment also goes.
Page 1700

And therefore Śankarācārya pointed śarīraṁ prārabdha sūtra grathitaṁ. The physical
body is seen very very objectively according to the laws of the Lord. I never look at
the physical body in terms of my personal agenda or programs in life. Normally we
look at the body from the standpoint of what: how many jobs are to be done; how
much work has been completed; and all those things are taken into consideration;
which is subjective view of the physical body.
A jñāni looks at the physical body purely as prārabdha sūtra grathitaṁ. It has come
to the existence by the force of prārabdha and by the same force, it has to be go
through a certain number of sukham and duḥkhaṁ. And as long as it has not gone
through them, it will survive. Even if the worst disease comes, even if the doctor
says only few hours, and even if all the family members silently pray for death,
openly they would not pray, because it would not be nice; therefore silently pray for
death, that person does not dies, prārabdha is still there.
On the other hand, another person, even if the whole prays for that person's
survival; in all the temples what all mr̥tyunjaya hōmās have to be done, you do
everything, prārabdha is over, the person collapses. Riṇa anubanda rūpēṇa, paśu
pathni suthādhayaḥ; Riṇa kṣayē kṣayaṁ yānti tatra kaa paridēvana. We are all
indebted to the world and the society; we all have to contribute to the world and
family members to some extent, determined by prārabdha. Till that is given, till that
debt is cleared off, he will survive. Once the riṇa is gone, kṣayaṁ yānti.
This vision, this understanding of the law of the Lord, which is called the law of
karma, is dominant. If you look at the body from the standpoint of karma, you have
got objective vision. Therefore jñāni says: body is tied to the prārabdha string and
let it continue as long as prārabdhaṁ requires.
And he gives an example like the garland which is put on a cow's neck. Cow is
neither proud of the garland, mattu pōṅgal pūja, cow is neither proud and if the
garland falls, the cow is not going to be worried about that. So this detachment from
one's own body is one of the most important benefit of nidhidhyāsanam. Sarīrē
rāgaḥ nāsti, most importantly, dvēṣaḥ nāsti. Up to this we saw.
अखण्डानन्दमात्म �व�ाय स्वस्वरू |

�क�मच्छन कस् वा हेतोद� हं पुष्णा� तत्त्व�व ||४१७||
akhaṇḍānandamātmānaṁ vijñāya svasvarūpataḥ |
Page 1701

kimicchāḥn kasya vā hētōrdēhaṁ puṣṇāti tattvavit ||417||
There are two factors which are responsible for the survival and maintenance of the
body. One is the law of karma or God; God wants to keep the body going, because
the law of karma requires exhaustion of puṇya pāpa. Therefore God is interested in
protecting the body. Not because God is personally attached to a particular body,
but God wants to maintain the law of karma; and law of karma requires that this
body survives 60 years, 70 years. Therefore, God wants to protect the body.
The second is individual wants to protect the body. Especially in the case of a human
being, he wants to protect the body deliberately; in the case of animals, it is
instinctive, I am not bothered about that; in the case of human beings, we want to
preserve the body. For what purposes? It is not meant for prārabdha exhaustion,
that is only the concern of the Lord; because he has to maintain the law; but the
individual wants to protect the body because, he requires the body for the
accomplishment of his puruṣārtaḥ. Because he has got puruṣārtaḥ, or goals to be
achieved, and to achieve those goals; he requires the physical body. Whether it is
artha puruṣārtaḥ, I have to earn money; I have to live for earning money; therefore
for money sake; or for kāma sake, we have to survive to enjoy, or dharma or
mōkṣa.
Therefore puruṣārtaḥ siddhyartham manuṣyaḥ śarīraṁ rakṣithum icchāti. People

want to protect the body for accomplishing puruṣārtaḥ. God wants to protect the
body for what purpose? not for getting any puruṣārtaḥ; he does not have any; for
maintaining the law of karma; universal order.
In the case of jñāni what happens? He does not have any puruṣārtaḥ to be
accomplished. He does not have any puruṣārtaḥ to be accomplished. Why he does
not have any puruṣārtaḥ to be accomplished? Even when he came to mōkṣa, he
started seeking mōkṣa, he became mumukṣu, he lost his interest in
dharmārthakāma; therefore, he does not have interest in dharma, artha, or kāma
puruṣārtha because of vairāgyam. Therefore he came to the śāstra only for one
purpose; what is that? mōkṣa siddyartham.
And therefore until he gained mōkṣa, or until he gained mōkṣa, he is bothered about
the well-being of the body. That is why, every class he says: sthiraiḥ angaiḥ
sthuṣtuvā stha tanubhiḥ; Oh Lord! Let my body be healthy, so that I can do
Page 1702

śravaṇam, mananam, nidhidhyāsanam. āpyayanthu mamāṅgāni vāk pāṇi cakṣu;

prāṇa cakṣu sr̥otram; let my body be, let my sense organs be capable of functioning
and therefore mumukṣu did not have dharmārtha kāma puruṣārtaḥ, because he had
vairāgyam towards them; but still he wanted to protect the body for the sake of
mōkṣa prāpti.
But in the case of a jñāni, even mōkṣa prāpti he need not work for. Why, jñāni need
not work for mōkṣa? Why, any big doubt; because jñāni is one who has understood
the fact that I am nithya muktha svarūpaḥ; therefore jñāni does not want dharma,
artha, kāma or mōkṣa. Therefore he has no interest in preserving the body.
At the same time, he does not want to destroy the body also; because then that
becomes what? Another motive; for he does not want to preserve the body, he does
not want to destroy the body; therefore he leaves the responsibility to the Lord. Oh
Lord, according to your prārabdha, whatever be your prārabdha, your prārabdha
means what? your vision of my prārabdha, whatever be the longevity required, he
gives, whenever he wants to take away the body, he can take away. And what is
your personal wish, if you ask; what is your reply?
Suppose God asks, what is your personal wish, choice, he will say personally I have
no puruṣārtaḥ to be accomplished therefore anything is OK. If you want, you can
take me now. I am ready to drop everything that I am doing now and come; comes
means what I am ready to die now.
And therefore Śankarācārya says: akhaṇḍa ānandam ātmānaṁ vijñāya; jñāni has
recognised the ātma which is akhaṇḍa ānandaḥ, pūrṇa svarūpaḥ; which is indivisible
and pūrṇam. And how does he recognise the ātma? svasrūpathaḥ; as his higher
nature; as his real nature; as his very svarūpam. And since he has gained this
knowledge of the higher-I; kimicchān. What other desire does he have in life.
Because for this alone, he had acquired sādhana catuṣṭaya saṁpatti, he came to the
śāstra, he asked for a guru; and he did śravaṇam, mananam; that has been fulfilled;
therefore what further desire he has.
Then why cant he have desire for dharmārthakāma, do not ask. Two reasons: first
of all even before coming to vēdānta, he has lost his interest in the finite result, that
is reason No.1 and the second more important reason is: mōkṣa includes dharma
Page 1703

artha and kāma. Because all the finite pleasures are included in the infinite ānandaḥ
of ātma. That is why Krishna said in the Gītā:
यावानथर उदपाने सवर्त सम्प्लुतोद |

तावान्सव�ष वेदेषु ब्राह्म �वजानतः ||२- ४६||
yāvānartha udapānē sarvataḥ samplutōdakē |
tāvānsarvēṣu vēdēṣu brāhmaṇasya vijānataḥ ||2- 46||
When a person has a huge lake of pure water, at his disposal, will he go after bore
well, and that too salty water; not going to be interested in miserable bore well;
when he has got a huge lake of pure water.
And therefore, mōkṣa includes dharma artha kāma also; therefore kimicchan; what
further desire can he have. And therefore kasya vā hētōḥ; for the accomplishment of
which goal should he protect the body. What is the desire? Not a question. There is
an answer. What desire does he have? What goal does he have? If he has any
desire or goal, for accomplishing that, body has to be protected because body is the
only means of fulfilling your desires. And therefore since there are no desires, he has
no attachment to the body. So tattvavit, the wise person, dēhaṁ puṣṇāti. Nourishes
the body. For what purposes does he nourish the body. He does not.
Then why should he take bikṣa snānam etc? If that question comes; if at all he
keeps the body goes, it is only because of the law that according to the law of
prārabhda, the body has to gone on until the prārabdha is exhausted. Therefore
until then, this body becomes the property of the Lord. When I want to accomplish
my goal, body becomes my property; my means and therefore I have to take care;
once I have nothing; this body becomes the property of the Lord and I have no right
to destroy Lord's property. Lord has given this, produced this according to prārabdha
and Lord alone has the right to destroy it and therefore kimicchān tattvavit dēhaṁ
puṣṇāti. There is no reason at all.
सं�सद्ध फलं त्वेतज्जीवन्मुक यो�गनः |

ब�हरन्त सदानन्दरसास्वादनमात् ||४१८||
saṁsiddhasya phalaṁ tvētajjīvanmuktasya yōginaḥ |
bahirantaḥ sadānandarasāsvādanamātmani ||418||
Page 1704

With the previous verse, the topic of nidhidyaśanam is over, which is the most
elaborately discussed topic of Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi. So this nidhidhyāsanam topic he
started you know where; verse No.254; 254th started nidhidhyāsanam he finishes in
417; you can calculate how many verses.
So Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi is the unique book in which nidhidhyāsanam topic has been

maximum magnified. And there also I pointed out Nidhidhyāsanam is of several
types, because the essence of nidhidyaśanam is keeping the mind in the śāstrik
teaching. The definition of nidhidhyāsanam is what? the mind should remain in the
teaching as often as possible. So dwelling on the teaching is the definition of
nidhidhyāsanam and I said this can be done in several ways. Repeated śravaṇam is
a form of nidhidhyāsanam. Hearing is nidhidhyāsanam. And reading is
nidhidhyāsanam. Writing is nidhidhyāsanam. Discussion with people who are really
interested in the śāstra; that is nidhidhyāsanam. Even teaching other people is a
form of nidhidhyāsanam, because in all of them, hearing, reading, writing,
discussing, teaching; in all of them my mind is dwelling on the śāstra. All of them
are nidhidhyāsanam we should remember.
But in addition to all of them, is the samādhi abhyāsa form of nidhidhyāsanam, in

which I exclusively spend time on the teaching; in a specially designed atmosphere.
I dwell on this specific aspect of the śāstra and I try to get absorbed in the teaching.
This is samādhi abhyāśā and we should remember this is only one optional form of
nidhidhyāsanam. Samādhi abhyāsa is one optional form of nidhidhyāsanam; it is not
that everybody has to compulsorily go through samādhi abhyāsa. Even without
samādhi abhyāsa, even without going to savikalpaka samādhi or nirvikalpaka
samādhi, a person can assimilate the śāstra, by other forms of nidhidhyāsanam.
Assimilation is possible, even jīvan mukthi is also possible.
And therefore we should clearly know our approach to samādhi. We purely present it
as an optional exercise and with it also a person can assimilate; without that also a
person can assimilate. We do not say samādhi abhyāśā should not be done; we do
not say it should be done. If you feel it is required for you, practice it. If you feel
you do not require, we can happily practice other forms of nidhidhyāsanam; what is
it; repeated listening; repeated reading, discussing, writing, teaching; they are all
different forms of nidhidhyāsanam only. With this the nidhidhyāsanam topic is over.
Page 1705

And now from the next verse, i.e. this verse, 418 onwards, Śankarācārya deals with
jñāna phalam. Or jñāna niṣṭa phalam. Śravaṇam gives jñānaṁ; mananam removes
doubt; nidhidhyāsanam makes jñānaṁ a niṣṭa. And what is the definition of jñāna
niṣṭa? If the teaching is available for you; at any time, without effort, you are jñāna
niṣṭaḥ. Especially during problems in life; During crisis. During loss of life and
property; during loss of health and relationship. These are all testing times in life;
when such times comes; is the teaching available for you without your deliberate
effort? Or do you feel that vēdānta is forgotten during crisis; and I think that I
should reflect on it, but it is not coming to my mind, etc. if that is the situation, you
have jñānaṁ, but it is there in some deep corner.
Pustha hastā ca yā vidyā, para hastē ca yat dhanaṁ,

avaśya kālē samprāpthē, na sa vidyā, na sa dhanaṁ.
The knowledge in the books and the money in the banks; you are hungry now; you
require some money, what will you do? So similarly, if effort is required to access
the teaching, then you have got jñānaṁ, but not niṣṭa; if it is effortlessly accessible
whenever you want, that is called jñāna niṣṭa.
Not that you have to all the time say Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi; Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi; Ahaṁ
Brahmāsmi. Suppose I want your phone No; and I ask you: what is your phone No;
then you say: Svāmiji wait for a minute, let me do meditation, do you say so; you
reel out your phone no. But does that mean that all the time you are saying: this is
my phone No; this is my phone no; that too when the class is on; 499.. 499..., etc.
No. You do not consciously think of that; but the moment it is required, it naturally
comes.
Similarly, ahaṁ brahamasmi you do not repeat all the time, when you are travelling
in the bus or car, etc. you do not repeat consciously; but whenever required, if it can
automatically comes, it means that you are jñāna niṣṭaḥ.
And if you have this jñāna niṣṭa, which is the result of what: śravaṇam, mananam
and nidhidhyāsanam, if you get this jñāna niṣṭa, what practical benefit, do you enjoy
in life, is jñāna niṣṭa phalam. And this jñāna niṣṭa phalam Śankarācārya is giving
from verse No.418.
Page 1706

And what is the phalam that is going to be pointed out? jīvan muktiḥ. Total freedom
from all forms of psychological problems. So total freedom from all forms of
prārabdha; psychological problems, because of which our mind becomes a burden
for us. What is the difference between saṁsāra and mōkṣa? In Saṁsāra, my mind
becomes a burden for me. Aśantasya manaḥ bhāraḥ. Therefore I have to look for
different methods of escaping from the mind; different forms of entertainment and
when it becomes worst, people take to drugs, drinks and all those things; and many
people go to different places to escape from problems. And even vēdānta classes
and vēdānta camps are sometimes used for escaping from family problems; whether
you understand vēdānta or not. So thus the whole life is one of escapism and
escapism from where; the tragedy is from what: I want to escape from my own
mind.
And at least when I use sleep to escape from the mind, sleep does not come. I want
to escape at least by sleeping, and when the burden is so much, even sleeping pills
fail.
So therefore, saṁsāra is that state in which my mind is bhāram for me; mōkṣa is
that state in which my mind is an entertaining instrument for me. I consider my
mind a blessing. Enlightened mind is lightened mind. There is no burden. And this
light mind you enjoy is called jīvan muktiḥ. And this jīvan mukthi is the phalam of
what: jñāna niṣṭa.
And this Śankarācārya is going to present up to verse No. 470. 4.. 7.. 0. 418 to
470. See how many verses. This Lord Krishna also gives in the Bhagavat Gītā; if you
remember the second chapter; sthitha prajñaḥ lakṣaṇani; Dukhēsū anudvidgṅa
manāḥ, sukhēṣu vigatha spr̥haḥ, etc. 2nd Chapter in the name of stitha prajñaḥ
lakṣaṇāni; then in the 12th chapter, in the form of para bhaktha lakṣaṇani, and then
in the 14th chapter in the form of: do you remember: guṇāthētha lakṣaṇāni; Krishna
talks about jīvan mukthi. Śankarācārya borrows from all those portions and he is
presenting it here.
What is jīvan mukthi; he says: saṁsiddhasya etat phalam bhavathi. So saṁsiddhaḥ

means a person who has successfully practised śravaṇam, mananam and
nidhidhyāsanam for a length of time. He is called saṁsiddhaḥ. Until then he is
known by the name: sādhakaḥ. And as a sādakā, he practices śravaṇa manana
nidhidhyāsanam, and when assimilation is sufficient, it is called saṁsiddhaḥ.
Page 1707

And for him, śāstra uses another word, jīvan mukthasya; he is called jīvan mukthaḥ
and he is also known by another name: yōgi na. He is called real: yōgi. So the
sādakās are called sādaka yōgi; siddah is called siddah yōgi; from this only they
started saying siddah yōga meditation; etc. the title is taken from the śāstra, but
what do they do, we do not know. It is accepted in the śāstra; siddah yōgaḥ or
siddah yōgi; for him, yetat phalam. The following is the benefit or advantage.
And what is the phalam? sadā ānandaḥ rasa asvadhanam. He is ever fulfilled; he is
ever contented; he is ever happy with himself. Krishna's definition; ātman ēva
ātmana tuṣṭaḥ. And when? Not at a particular time; sadā ānandaḥ rasa āsvādanam
he enjoys, he relishes the ānandaḥ or fulfilment; juice of ānandaḥ rasam; like the
pineapple juice, apple juice, orange juice, etc. He has got ānandaḥ juice; he drinks:
when? All the time.
Then does it mean that he does not have problems in life? I have told you before:
problems will continue, not that family members are going to change. Family
members will continue to be like that and often the company condition may also
continue like that. All that need not change and physical body conditions also may
change. But what is happening is: in the appreciation of the higher ānandaḥ, the
problems at these levels, become insignificant.
Like a person escaping from earthquake with a fracture. Is he happy or unhappy:

what will you say; that he escaped from death gives him so much happiness; that in
front of this higher happiness, the fracture in the leg will become: insignificant. And
at other times, the fracture may appear big. But when he knows that he is saved
himself, it becomes so important, so big is that ānandaḥ, that this becomes
insignificant. Therefore problems continue, but they are pinpricks or mosquito bites.
Therefore sadā ānandaḥ rasa āsvādanam, ātmani, ātmani means in himself, in his
mind; here ātma means mind. In his mind, he enjoys ātmānandaḥ.
And ātmānandaḥ coming from where? Bahirantaḥ; ātmānandaḥ coming from the
external world, as well as from himself. Because ātma is inside or outside?
Fundamental doubt should not come after your coming to Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi 418
verse. So do not say ātma is inside. That is the mistake committed by the yōgis who
want to sit in samādhi all the time. Yōgis who want to sit in samādhi, they mistake;
ātma is inside; therefore sitting with closed eye, ānandaḥ will come from inside. For
Page 1708

a vēdantin, ātma is inside and outside; therefore he does not want to close his eyes;
paśyan, sr̥nvan, jihnan, spr̥san. Therefore closed-eye ātmānandaḥ; open-eye not
anātmānandaḥ; ātmānandaḥ only. So bahirantaḥ; both inside and outside is the
ānandaḥ only.
वैराग्यस फलं बोधो बोधस्योपर�त फलम ् |

स्वानन्दानुभवाच्छािन्तरेषैवोप फलम ् ||४१९||
vairāgyasya phalaṁ bōdhō bōdhasyōparatiḥ phalam |
svānandānubhavācchāntirēṣaivōparatēḥ phalam ||419||
vairāgyasya phalaṁ bōdha, you can understand. First a person has to get vairāgyam
by the practice of karma yōga. We have to supply karma yōga. Karma yōgasya
phalam vairāgyam. Karma yōga means a religious way of life. The entire religion has
got only one purpose: vairāgyam.
And what is the vairāgyam? That the world cannot give peace, security and
happiness. This fundamental has to be understood. The world cannot give peace,
security and happiness. This wisdom, this vairāgyam.
So karma yōgasya phalam vairāgyam. Vairāgyam should lead to that; what;

vairāgyam should lead to vēdantic enquiry and knowledge. From religion to
philosophy. Religion should take you to philosophy. Karma yōga should take you to
jñāna yōga, which gives you jñānaṁ. Karma yōgasya phalam vairāgyam;
vairāgyasya phalam jñānaṁ. Of course, we should very carefully understand:
Vairāgyam will not directly produce jñānaṁ. Vairāgyam will make him look for
something higher. And that will lead him to śāstra,that will lead him to guru; that will
lead to śravaṇam, mananam, nidhidhyāsanam; that has to be supplied by us.
Through śāstra prāpti, guru prāpti; śravaṇa prāpti, manana prāpti, nidhidhyāsana
prāpti; this intermediary station will take you up to jñānaṁ. All the others are
intermediary stations.
And what will jñānaṁ lead to? Bōdhasya uparathiḥ phalam. uparathiḥ means
relaxation; the feverish activities of life; this has to be done; after that that has to be
done, after that this, a huge agenda is there in our life. And we thought that the
number of things should be done, will become lesser and lesser as we grow older
and older. But what I find is previously I had only agenda for myself; but when I
grow up, since I have got a huge family, I have got agenda or programme for great
Page 1709

grandson, what should be done, that is also in my list. So thus you find the
programme is increased. The agenda increases; the plans increases; and before that
I should not die; somehow I should finish; and does it happens, if you ask, it never
happens. Jñāna puts an end to the feverish programming in life, which is the cause
of stress; I am worried whether I will be able to complete the task.
There is stress; I have to attend stress management courses, and stress that this
stress management programme should be conducted nicely. So the people who
conduct stress management are stressed that the course should be conducted
properly. So therefore the whole life is tension, stress, anxiety, loss of sleep;
increase of sleeping pills; that will go away.
Dayānanda svāmi beautifully says that there is an inner leisure; there is an inner
relaxation. The inner fever subsides. So somebody asked, recently there was a Press
meet. Dayānanda Svāmi was talking about a AIM programme to the serve the
society. One of the press persons asked: Svāmiji are you confident that your project
will succeed. Then Svāmiji said: I do not have the pressure to succeed. Pressure I
hope you understand. I do not have the feverishness, anxiety or stress to succeed,
whether I will be able to complete the task; I am already 70 years old; will I survive,
nothing like that. This project is an agenda, if it takes off, wonderful; does not take
off; wonderful; if it is successful; wonderful; if it is not successful; wonderful.
Therefore, there is a inner leisure whether external activity is there or not.
There are two types of jīvan mukthās; one set of jīvan mukthās with external
activities and another set of jīvan mukthās without external activities. External
activities may be there or may not be there; but what is uniform in all the jīvan
mukthās is what: internal relaxation; peace, freedom from stress. That is said here
as uparathihi. Uparathihi means inner peace. Inner quietitude is the phalam of what:
Jñāna niṣṭa. So karma yōgasya phalam vairāgyam, vairāgyam phalam jñānaṁ; or
jñāna niṣṭa; jñāna niṣṭāyaḥ phalam uparathiḥ. Lasting inner peace.
And what is the phalam of uparathi? Uparatēhē phalam śāntiḥ. The benefit of
uparathi inner relaxation is śāntiḥ means total fullness; purṇatvam; sense of
fulfilment; I have accomplished what I have to accomplish through the human birth.
I feel that my birth is purposeful, meaningful. I have achieved what is to be
achieved. Remember my example, when there is a five test series, and whoever
wins the three cricket matches, and imagine we have won the first three; then next
Page 1710

two are played; because tickets are all sold; so many records to be broken; 300
wickets; 200 runs, records are to be broken; and therefore they want to play the
game; but what is the state of mind of that team which has won the first three; Do
they play or not; they play; And do they put the effort or not; they will put the
effort; but there is an inner sense that our job has been done. Imagine that. That is
jīvan mukthi.
Only thing is that that team has got jīvan mukthi only with regard to that series of
cricket and anything else. He has thousand eight problems at home. That is not
solved. Imagine in the entire life, I have got that. That is exactly that. Therefore
jīvan mukthi is not unknown to us. We have experienced that in specific fields but
extend it to entire life; that is mōkṣaḥ.
Therefore he says: uparatēḥ phalam śānthiḥ; the sense of fulfilment. And fulfilment
comes in what form? Svānandānubhav; because of the experience of ānandaḥ.
Ānandaḥ coming from whom; sva ānandaḥ; because of the experience of the
fulfilment, there is śāntiḥ; there is tr̥ptihi. In the Gītā, Krishna uses the word: Ātman
ēva ātmana tuṣtaḥ; that tuṣti is here called śānthiḥ. That is the phalam of uparathiḥ.
ू र्पूवर्न �नष्फल म |
यद्युत्तरोत्तराभ पव
�नविृ त्त परमा तिृ प्तरानन्दोऽनुप स्वत ||४२०||
दृष्टदुःखेष्वनुद् �वद्याया प्रस्त फलम ् |
yadyuttarōttarābhāvaḥ pūrvapūrvantu niṣphalam |
nivr̥ttiḥ paramā tr̥ptirānandō:'nupamaḥ svataḥ ||420||
dr̥ṣṭaduḥkhēṣvanudvēgō vidyāyāḥ prastutaṁ phalam |
In fact the three lines together can be taken as one verse, because meaning-wise
these lines go together and of these lines also, the first line is not there in some
books, but that line can be included because it fits in the topic.
Here Śankarācārya points that the series I talked about that is karma yōgasya
phalam vairāgyam, vairāgasya phalam jñānaṁ; jñānasya phalam uparatiḥ;
uparatēhe phalam śāntiḥ. He says each one is interconnected. Without the former
one, the later one is impossible. And without the later one, the former one is
worthless. That means what? karma yōga will lead to vairāgyam; that he does not
say here; we can supply that; karma yōga leads to vairāgyam; without karma yōga
Page 1711

vairāgyam is impossible; and without vairāgyam, karma yōga is meaningless or

worthless.
Similarly without vairāgyam, jñānaṁ is impossible, and without jñānaṁ, vairāgyam is

worthless. Similarly without jñānaṁ will lead to what? uparathihi. So without
jñānaṁ uparathi is impossible; and without uparathi jñānaṁ is worthless. You
cannot say: I will have jñānaṁ as also tension. Who wants that jñānaṁ? Jñānaṁ is
worthless if you do not enjoy that relaxation. Similarly without uparathi, śāntiḥ is
impossible, and without śānthi, uparathi is worthless. You get the idea.
Uttara uttara abhāvaḥ cet, pūrva pūrvanthu niśphlam. Without the later
ones, the former ones are redundant; worthless, meaningless. Therefore you should
make the series complete. That is the idea. uttaram means later one. Pūrvam means
former one. So without the latter one, the former ones are redundant and you have
to supply without the former ones, the latter ones are impossible.
Hari Om.
Page 1712

132. Verses 420 to 423
ॐ
Śankarācārya has completed the topic of nidhidhyāsanam also; which is the final
stage of spiritual sādhana. And naturally nidhidhyāsanam is going to lead to jñāna
niṣṭa and jñāna niṣṭa alone is called jīvan muktiḥ; and a jñāna niṣṭa puruṣaḥ is no
more a sādhaka, but he is a siddha puruṣaḥ; and therefore siddha puruṣa's jñāna
niṣṭa or jīvan mukthi is being talked about from verse No.418 and it will go up to
470th verse.
And there we were seeing verse no.420; where he is referring to a series, which he
mentioned in verse No.419; the series consists of vairāgyam, bōdhaḥ, uparathiḥ and
ānandaḥ anubhavaḥ. This is the series. Vairāgyam means detachment, bōdhaḥa
means knowledge, uparathiḥ means relaxation or tranquillity; and ānandaḥ
anubhavaḥ means the experience of fullness or fulfilment. Śankarācārya says all
these four have the relationship of cause and effect. So one is the cause; two is the
effect; two is the cause, three is the effect; three is the cause, four is the effect.
Thus there are three pairs having cause-effect relationship.
And whenever we have cause-effect relationship, we have to remember the two

general rules; without the cause, the effect is impossible; without the effect, the
existence of the cause is redundant.
So as I used to say with regard to karma yōga and jñāna yōga; without karma yōga,
jñāna yōga is impossible; without coming to jñāna yōga, karma yōga is incomplete;
therefore purposeless.
So detachment leads to knowledge, knowledge leads to tranquillity of mind, and

tranquillity leads to the experience of fullness. Tr̥ptihi; not experience of Brahman,
very careful. We never talk about the experience of Brahman. Experience of fullness,
which is the result of jñāna phalam. Jñānaṁ. So jñāna phalam is an experienceable
thing and that experience is I do not lack anything in life. There is a popular song;
�ைற ஒன்� இலைல (kuṟai oṉṟum illai); beautiful song. Rājagopalacāri has written;
�ைற ஒன்�ம் இல; I have no lack at all.
Page 1713

And in these series, Śankarācārya says; uttara uttara abhāvaḥ yathi, pūrva
pūrvanthu niṣpalam. If the latter ones do not arise, the former ones are meaningless
or purposeless. Vairāgyam is meaningless, if it does not lead to knowledge.
Knowledge is meaningless, if it does not lead to tranquillity. Tranquillity is
meaningless, if it does lead to the sense of pūrṇatvam. Therefore uttarottara abhāve
pūrva pūrvanthu niṣpalam. And this line should be read along with the previous
slōka. And then the next two lines should go together. So the number has to be
slightly reshuffled; yadyuttarōttarābhāvaḥ should be read with 419. And then nivr̥ttiḥ
paramā tr̥ptihi and the next line dr̥ṣṭaduḥkhēṣvanudvēgaḥ; these two lines should
together form verse No.420 because idea is compact here.
So here Śankarācārya says; Vidyāyāḥ prastutaṁ phalam; result of knowledge is

following. Vidyāyāḥ phalam is prastutaṁ is the glorified; the result of knowledge is
glorified in this manner.
What are they? Nivr̥ttiḥ; we have to go back to the previous line Nivr̥ttiḥ; Nivr̥ttiḥ
means withdrawal or restraint. So inner leisure. Freedom from inner pleasure to
accomplish things for the sake of fulfilment. So when you want to accomplish
something, so that you can become better or more powerful, there is a powerful
expectation. There is a powerful pressure is there. That inner pressure of
accomplishing things will be there; as long as I have a sense of incompleteness. As
long as I am ignorant, this is a series, as long as I am ignorant, I feel incomplete. As
long as I feel incomplete, I have a pressure to complete myself. As long as I have a
pressure to complete myself, I will get into heavy extroverted ambitious life of
achievement; one after the other; conquering thing, in different fields. And as long
as this karma is there; there will be karma phalams, sukham duḥkham saṁsāram.
And all these will end when: this pressure based activities goes. I am used the word
pressure; not BP; I am talking about the psychological pressure. The first benefit of
this knowledge is the psychological pressure is gone. The rest of the life may be one
of achievement, may not be one of achievement, I have achieved the thing to be
achieved, what is that? ahaṁ pūrṇaḥ asmi; and to be pūrṇa, I do not have achieve
any worldly thing. To be pūrṇaḥ, I need not achieve any worldly thing. I have to
achieve only one thing. What is that? Wisdom; knowledge.
And therefore nivr̥ttiḥ; freedom from the psychological pressure to achieve. Freedom
from the want in the want to get into rat-race of the world. The whole world is in a
Page 1714

rat race; somebody said, I do not; somebody said: why should I be a rat? So he
stops to be a rat. So that he need not be in a rat-race of worldly accomplishment.
That is called nivr̥ttiḥ. A big relief. The world will say that he has not accomplished.
This person will give a smile. That is all.
And why there is freedom from inner pressure, because parāmā tr̥ptiḥ; this freedom
from inner pressure; remember inner pressure leads to earthquake; volcano is
because of pressure; earthquake is because of inner movement; and our life is full of
psychological earthquakes and volcanoes; all because of inner pressure; that is
gone; no more quakes; no more volcanoes. Svāmiji says: smoke coming through
ears and nose. That is inner pressure; that is gone; why? parāmā tr̥ptihi; total
contentment.
And remember total contentment is not an obstacle to our contribution to the world.
There is a misconception that once total contentment comes, that person's life is
over; because he cannot do anything or any contribution; No; after total
contentment alone, real contributions start. And that contribution comes out of
contentment. All the accomplishments of our mahātmas; whether it is Nārayaṇam
padmabhuvam, vasiṣtam śaktim ca tat putra parāsaraṁ ca; all these great ācāryas
have contributed to this world; we are studying this Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi is because of
the real contribution born out of compassion. Compassion can come; true
compassion can come only when there is no motive. Jñāni of total fulfilment alone
has no motive. Therefore every action of his comes out of compassion; which is the
result of pūrṇatvam. Therefore we can never say that contentment is an obstacle to
your service or contribution. Our argument is, real service starts only after
contentment, because real service is selfless service; selflessness can come only
when ātmanēva ātmana tușṭaḥ. And therefore paramā tr̥ptiḥ.
And because of paramā trupthiḥ, ānandaḥ anupamaḥ; he enjoys an ānandaḥ. What

type of ānandaḥ? Anupamaḥ; which is matchless ānandaḥ. So which is jīvan mukthi
ānandaḥ; mōkṣa ānandaḥ; jñāna phala rūpa ānandaḥ that he enjoys.
So this is also remember, the experience of jñāna phalam. We do not mind the
usage of the word experience in the context of jñāna phalam; soukmya you can use
it. Only in the case of Brahman, we should be very very careful. So anupamaḥ
ānandaḥ; matchless ānandaḥ.
Page 1715

And in what way it is different from worldly ānandaḥ? So when people enjoy worldly
ānandaḥ, they also say: It is great, it is matchless, it is wonderful; classic; fantastic;
etc. So many words they use.
What is the difference; svataḥ; svataḥ means ānandaḥ coming from oneself. Not
conditional; not because some objects are there; not because he enjoys some
relationship; not because of certain physical condition; it is an unconditional
ānandaḥ; and therefore there is no question of losing the ānandaḥ. Sukham
ātyantikam. The ānandaḥ is wisdom based ānandaḥ. Not external condition based
ānandaḥ.
External conditions will certainly go away with change. The only thing that will not
change is what? wisdom. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi now; after five years? From ahaṁ
brahmāsmi, whether some 4-5 letters would drop? No; Ahaṁ brahmāsmi is now;
ahaṁ brahamāsmi is after 10 years; ahaṁ brahmāsmi is also at 99 years if I
continue to survive; ahaṁ brahamāsmi holds good. It is irrespective of the physical
conditions, it is irrespective of the environment.
Therefore wisdom based ānandaḥ alone will be permanent. Permanent means what?
as long as you live and therefore, svataḥ; svataḥ means it is coming from oneself.
So nivr̥ttiḥ, tr̥ptiḥ, ānandaḥ, then the fourth one; dr̥ṣṭa duḥkhēṣvanudvēga. This is
also very important. This ānandaḥ that he enjoys so complete and so powerful; that
the incidental sorrows that takes place because of prārabdha will become
insignificant. The incidental sorrows; which are bound to come because prārabdha
includes prārabdha pāpam also. Therefore because of prārabdha pāpam, jñāni also
goes through challenges and upheavals in life. In his physical body itself, diseases
can come. In his set up, there can be lot of upsets; set up becomes viparītham; so
among the śiṣya guru or the āśram you do not have to ask; and in the āśram etc.
there are employees, and all those things, and national calamities can happen, etc.
They are all caused by what? Prārabdha; Nobody can stop it. Jñānaṁ cannot stop
prārabdha. We have seen that in Tatva Bōdhaḥ itself. Prārabhdasya bhogadēva
kṣayaḥ. Even if he is a mahā jñāni. Prāradbha caused ups and down will be there.
These ups and down will appear like a mustard seed in front of wisdom based
ānandaḥ. It has not become small; but in his vision it has become small. I have
given the example of Anjaneya.
Page 1716

गोष्पद�कृ वार�शम ् मशक�कृत रा�सम ् ।

रामायण महामाला रत्न म वन्द अ�नलात्मज म ।।
अंजनानंदनम ् वीरम ् जानक�शोकनाशनम ् ।
कपीशमत्थहत्तार वन्द लंकाभयंकरम ् ।।
gōṣpadīkr̥ta vārīśam maśakīkr̥ta rākṣasam |
rāmāyaṇa mahāmālā ratnam vandē anilātmajam ||
aṁjanānaṁdanam vīram jānakīśōkanāśanam |
kapīśamatthahattāram vandē laṁkābhayaṁkaram ||
For Anjaneya the human ocean became a small puddle or pool of water. To cross a
small pool of water, what effort should you take? Just a feet. As even you walk
talking, you will cross it; You do not take breath like weight lifting and go back and
jump; nothing; ocean was the same. There was no change in ocean; but in
Anjaneya's perceptive, the ocean became a pool. Maśakīkr̥ta rākṣasam; each rākṣasa
was a giant; rākṣasa anyway; for him the rākṣasa become what? mosquito. To kill
the mosquito how much effort you take. As even you listen to the class, you finish it
off. So rākṣasas have not become small; but for him because of his Rāma bhakthi.
Replace Rāma bhakthi with ātma rāma jñānaṁ. In fact Rāma bhakthi means Rāma
jñānaṁ, iti jñāna bhakthi; and Rāma means ātmarāma.
For a wise person the oceans of crisis in his family will become pools of water which
he effortlessly faces. And other situations also will become maśakaḥ.
And that is why said here: dr̥ṣṭaduḥkhēṣhu, dr̥ṣṭaduḥkhaṁ means what? the sorrows
fade or difficulties fade, because of prārabhda; they are called dr̥ṣṭaduḥkham; the
inevitable prārabhda caused difficulties, challenges in life, anudvēgaḥ, will not
produce a tension or stress in his mind; udvēgaḥ means stress and strain; tension;
after tension for some time, it becomes BP; heart attack; all those are called
udvēgaḥ. So an udvēgaḥ means freedom from stress and strain; when he faces
prārabhda based challenges in life. Relaxed he faces. And the chances of solving the
problems are more, because there is a beautiful saying, freedom from anxiety to
solve the problem is a pre-condition for solving the problem. The very important and
truthful statement. Freedom from anxiety to solve the problem, it is a pre-condition
to solve the problem. That is why jñāni is. Therefore, dr̥ṣṭaduḥkhēṣhu anudvēgaḥ;
all these four, so nivr̥ttihi, freedom from inner pressure, total contentment, total
Page 1717

ānandaḥ or fulfilment and freedom from stress and strain when facing lively
challenges in life.
These are the four benefits of vēdantic study. From this it is very clear that vēdānta
is very practical, it is not talking about running to forest or going to some place after
death. Vēdānta gives an extremely practical result; all these four are wonderful
psychological result. Vidyāyāḥ prastutaṁ phalam.
यत्कृत भ्रािन्तवेला नाना कमर जुगुिप्सत म |

पश्चान्न �ववेके न तत्कथ कतुर्महर् ||४२१||
yatkr̥taṁ bhrāntivēlāyāṁ nānā karma jugupsitam |
paścānnarō vivēkēna tatkathaṁ kartumarhati ||421||
So after knowledge, pressure-based; remember I am using the word pressure as

psychological pressure based pursuit, or śāstrik based or kāmya karmās end. There
are no more KĀMĀS; therefore there are no more COMMAS in life. Comma, comma,
comma, after this what? After this what? So kāmya karmās end.
And thereafter, a jñāni may not get into any other activity or if at all he gets into any
activity, it is not PRESSURE based activity, it is COMPASSION based activity. And
compassion based activity is not will-based. It is not the will that I want to do;
compassion makes me do. Just as a compassionate person helps someone and when
that someone thanks, he does not want to take the thanks because, it was not a
deliberate will-based act, because compassion pushed him into doing what he is
doing now. That is why in the śāstra it is said that jñāni's activity is not backed even
by will. For him ego itself does not exist. Ego means what: that ego is not there;
Enlightened ego exists; but not the ego which pushes him into activity. But what
pushes him into activity; or compassion or empathy; whatever you call.
And therefore, bhrāntivēlāyāṁ nānā karma kr̥taṁ; before bhrāntivēlāyāṁ, at the

time of bhrānti; bhrānti means delusion; ajñānaṁ, ignorance and delusion; so when
he has lot of selfish motive, when he has lot of psychological pressures, that is called
bhrānti vela. You can also say bhrāntivēlā. It is also. OK. So bhrānti vēlā; vēlā means
time; at the time of delusion, confusion; when he has not sober, when he was not in
his senses at all. nānā karma kr̥taṁ; varieties of karmās were done; all for the sake
of pūrṇatvam.
Page 1718

मोघाशा मोघकमार्ण मोघ�ाना �वचेतसः |

रा�सीमासरु �ं चैव प्रकृ� मो�हनीं �श्रत ||९- १२||
mōghāśā mōghakarmāṇō mōghajñānā vicētasaḥ |
rākṣasīmāsurīṁ caiva prakr̥tiṁ mōhinīṁ śritāḥ ||9- 12||
Varieties of kāmya karmās were done.
And not only kāmya karmās, still verse, varieties of niṣidda karmās, jugupsitam;
jugupsitam means what; detested by; hated by, disliked by, noble people; decent
people; cultured people. So those activities, which cultured people cannot even
think, that type of work, I did, which cannot be expressed or told to others. So the
jugupsitam, karma and that too varieties kr̥taṁ: when? bhrāntivēlāyāṁ; that is why
a drunkard does not know what he does; and later he will say that I did not know
what I did; maximum he will say: I am sorry. And then until he gets the next drink;
then again the akramam; then sorry. This cycle also goes.
And here Śankarācārya asks; will the same drunkard, will do the same action, after
he becomes sober. After a drunk will not do the same action, after he becomes
sober. A samsāri is a drunk. Vēdantic angle, drunk. Māya mathira pīthā; māyā liquor,
he is drunk with. So Sankarācārya asks: paścāt; after the liquor drinking stops; after
the liquor effect goes; after the hang-over; nidhidhyāsana vēla is what? hangover;
śravaṇam mananam is the stage where drinking is stopped; hangover is the
nidhidhyāsana phase. One has to be careful; or else one can again start drinking
again; that is why he requires all kinds of Alcoholic Anonymous; all are required; our
classes are what? Alcoholic anonymous only.
So therefore paścāt; afterwards, after becoming sober, naraḥ, till that he was
vānaraḥ, now that the vā tail has gone, that naraḥ, that human being, vivēkīna; with
soberness, that person with soberness kathaṁ kartumarhati.
How can he repeat the same action which he did, because now he feels ashamed?
Did I do that? did I utter those words? if it is recorded or told to, he is going to feel
only ashamed; how can he think of deliberately doing such action. It is simply
impossible.
Therefore vivēkēna tat, tat means what: tat means nānā jugupsitam karma; those
detestable activity; and what is detestable activities? kāmya, niṣidda karma. Tat is
Page 1719

equal kāmya; sarvān pārtha manōgatān; ātmanēva ātmana tușṭaḥ, stitha prajñaḥ
tadōchyatē.
�वद्याफल स्यादसत �नविृ त्त

प्रवृित्तर�ान तद��तम ् |
तज्�ा�योयर्न्मगतृिष्ण
ृ
नोचेद्�वदा दृष्टफ �कमस्मात || ४२२ ||
vidyāphalaṁ syādaśatō nivr̥ttiḥ
pravr̥ttirajñānaphalaṁ tadīkṣitam |
tajjñājñayōryanmr̥gatr̥ṣṇikādau
nōcēdvidāṁ dr̥ṣṭaphalaṁ kimasmāt || 422 ||
So what is the difference between samsāri and an asamsāri, if you ask? Samsāri
enjoys or suffers from ajñānā phalam; asamsāri jñāni enjoys jñāna phalam. That is
the only difference. One has got ajñānā phalam; another has got jñāna phalam.
Now the question is: what is ajñānā phalam? what is jñāna phalam? He says
vidyāphalam asadaḥ nivr̥tti. The benefit of knowledge is not running after mithya
anātma. Vidyā phalam is not running after; not being obsessed with; not depending,
that is the most important thing; not psychologically depending upon mithya
anātma. The greatest tragedy in life is relying upon the unreliable. The greatest
tragedy in life is relying upon the unreliable.
And all the scriptures uniformly declare, other than Brahman, or in religious
language, other than God, nothing is reliable. Not because people are good or bad,
it has nothing to do with goodness or badness; it is because of the mithya nature of
the world. Therefore the physical body of the people change; changes or dies; the
mind of the people changes. And therefore depending upon the changing body,
changing people, changing mind, changing circumstances; in short, mithya padārta,
the unreliable one, you rely, that is the tragedy. And that reliance ends.
So asataḥ; asat means mithya anātma. Right from physical body up to everything in
the creation is asat. Asataḥ pañjami vibhakthi; from mithya padārta, nivr̥ttiḥ;
niVr̥ttiḥmeans: stopping the reliance; not hating; but stopping the reliance.
Page 1720

It is like when two people are walking, both are using walking stick. Or they call it
baton. One uses the walking stick for leaning; heavily leaning; another uses the
shorter one, not for leaning, for something else; still I do not know what is the
purpose? I do not know; I am still finding, for beauty, or dog fear, Ok. dog, OK.
When I do not lean and when I do not use it for leaning, for the walk, for the first
person, the walking stick falls; what happens? Finished; he has to fall.
For the second person; the stick falls; nothing happens. That is the difference. Both
are in the same world. What I want to say is: jñānaṁ does not mean that you
should reject the world; jñānaṁ does not mean you should run away from the
world. Convert the leaning stick into the holding stock, that is all. That conversion;
remember this example; conversion; strengthen the leg; thereafter you can use the
stick as a stylish stick; it will add to your glory; it will reveal your independence
rather than your dependence.
And therefore, non-reliance upon the mithya anātma is called nivr̥ttiḥ. I am

explaining the word because the dictionary meaning of the word nivr̥ttiḥ is
withdrawal. If you take the literal meaning, you may understand withdrawal as going
away from your home, village, etc. and going to the forest; withdrawal is
psychological; cessation of dependence or reliance.
Then what is the ajñānā phalam? Just the opposite. Pravr̥ttiḥ ajñāna phalam.
Pravr̥ttiḥ means what? running after; reliance upon mithya anātma. Reliance after
reliance. Dependence obsession, attachment, craving, yearning, all those things.
Pravr̥ttiḥ ajñānā phalam; tyāj; we have to supply the verb tyāj; and full stop.
Next sentence. tad ajñana jñayōhō mr̥gatr̥ṣṇikādau īkṣitam; he gives an example. I

gave you the example of walking stick. Śankarācārya gives an example. Imagine
there is mirage water. Mr̥gatr̥ṣṇikā. mr̥gatr̥ṣṇikā means mirage water. Mirage water
is not real water you know. It is mithya jalam. Mithya jalam remaining the same,
imagine two people are seeing them; both people see; one knows mirage water as
mirage water. Means what? mithya jalam. Another does not know that it is mirage
water; therefore for him he takes it as sathya jalam; so one is jñāni another is
ajñāni. jala jñāni. another is ajñāni who runs after. In fact they tell; I do not know to
what extent it is true, the dear, that is why it is called mr̥gatr̥ṣṇā; mr̥gam means
dear; so the mirage water is called mr̥gatr̥ṣṇā, the desire of a dear because it is the
dear mistakes mirage water as real water and runs. And when it runs, where it
Page 1721

stands there is no water, and it looks forward, there is water. Again runs; looks
forward water, and again runs; runs, runs, runs, runs and runs and dies. A very
pathetic story; the more you think of the dear, it appears and you can feel that pain;
but every jñāni sees every samsāri in the same light, because samsāri is doing the
same thing; from 10th year to 20th year he has been running like that. Now so
much aged; Planning for another 10-20 years ahead, without knowing whether you
are going to be alive or not. And hope that 2010, I will be pūrṇaḥ. And jñāni sees all
this and says: pāvam pāvam, pāvam. And he is calling to teach; but we have no
time; because I have to rush and meet the pūrṇatvam in 2010; Svāmiji every hour is
precious; how can I use lose that precious hour by attending your classes; therefore
2010, 2010 I have to finish that work. What can jñāni do? he has the compassion to
give; but these people do not have the time and are deaf. So this is the tragic
biography of every ajñāni.
Therefore, mr̥gatr̥ṣṇikādau; mr̥gatr̥ṣṇikā etc. tad īkṣitam; this difference is seen.

Which difference? pravr̥tti-nivr̥tti; one running after; another not running after
mithya vasthu; this difference is seen in the case of whom; tajjñā ajñānayōhō;
tajjñā means what? That person who knows mr̥gatr̥ṣṇikā is mithya; who knows
mirage water is mithya; tajjñā; and ajñānaḥ means the one who has not yet
recognised that the mr̥gatr̥ṣṇikā is mithya.
And according to vēdānta, the whole world is mr̥gatr̥ṣṇikā. The whole anātma is
mr̥gatr̥ṣṇikā. The whole world is mirage water. All the accomplishments in the
anātma prapañja is mr̥gatr̥ṣṇikā. All the dharma artha kāmas are mr̥gatr̥ṣṇikā. The
entire prēyas is mr̥gatr̥ṣṇikā. Srēyas-mōkṣaḥ-ātma alone is the real water, which is
trickable and which will quench your psychological pressure.
Therefore tajjñājñayō; mr̥gatr̥ṣṇikādau; tad īkṣitam; tad means pravr̥ttiḥ nivr̥tti is

seen. Nōcēd. If this result, if this is not the result, this means what? Nivr̥tti, not
relying upon anātma, independence; if this independent is not the result of jñānaṁ,
dr̥ṣṭaphalaṁ, visible result, if this independence is not the visible result of jñānaṁ,
kim asmān, what other result can be there? Other than this result, what any other
visible result is imaginable.
Are you able to get? mr̥gatr̥ṣṇikā one who has understood and the one who has not
understood; what is the visible result? What is happening inside, I do not know. The
only thing is: I should see whether one is running or not; that is the most tangible
Page 1722

result; one runs after and the other just stands. And by running, he not only does
not get water, but he gets cramps also.
So therefore running after and not running after; this difference alone is the visible
result; one is in rat race; another is not a rat at all. That is the visible result. One is
full of stress and stain; another is the embodiment of inner leisure. That is the visible
difference. One is smiling; the other is the terribly tensed up. These are the visible
results.
So nōcēd; if this is not the result; vidāṁ, for the wise people; vidāṁ, for the wise
people means jñāni; for the wise people, asmāth anyath, anyath should be
understood; asmath dr̥ṣṭaphalaṁ, kim; other than this result; which other result can
be there. This is the only result.
अ�ानहृदयग्रन्थे�वर यद्यशेषत |
अ�नच्छो�वर्ष �कं नु प्रवृत् कारणं स्वत || ४२३ ||
ajñānahr̥dayagranthērvināśō yadyaśēṣataḥ |
anicchōrviṣayaḥ kiṁ nu pravr̥ttēḥ kāraṇaṁ svataḥ || 423 ||
So the entire process of saṁsāra we should clearly remember. Then only the
teaching of mōkṣa will be clearly understood. Here saṁsāra is presented in a
particular way. What is saṁsāra? Running after; take the example itself; running
after mirage water is saṁsāra. Why it is saṁsāra? Two fold pain; one is the thirst
will not be quenched. It is futile. Running after mirage water is a pain because it is
futile.
And the second tragedy is what? Running gives extra thirst! Running gives extra
thirst. Therefore thirst increases because of running and there is no scope of
quenching also. But behind him is flowing tap water; that he is not seeing. So
therefore pravr̥tti is saṁsāra.
And this pravr̥tti is caused by what? His desire for water; his desire for water; and
the pravr̥tti in that direction; that is in the direction of mirage water is because of
the ignorance of the fact that mirage water is not the real water, the real water is
elsewhere.
Page 1723

Now apply to the saṁsāra here. I am ignorant of the fact; ignorant of the fact that
pūrṇatvam is in myself. So there is ignorance. And because of this ignorance I have
a sense of apūrṇatvam; second thing. I have a sense of apūrṇatvam. And because
of the sense of apūrṇatvam; I want to get pūrṇatvam from outside, desire.
So ignorance leads to sense of apūrṇatvam; apūrṇatvam means �ைற kurai; sense

of inadequacy; missing things; missing peace; companionship; missing love; all
these things. So ajñānaṁ, apūrṇatvam; kāmaḥ, desire for pūrṇatvam; and the kāma
leads to pravr̥ttiḥ; pravr̥ttiḥ means what? running after. So ajñānaṁ, apūrṇatvam,
icchā kāmahā, in this slōka it is called icchāḥ, pravr̥ttiḥ; ajñānaṁ apūrṇatvam icchā,
pravr̥tti; and pravr̥tti is called saṁsāra.
And why it is saṁsāra? Double fold pain; you would not get pūrṇatvam also; you will
get tired also; tired of running. In the case of jñāni, What happens? the basic one is
removed; but the first one in the series; ajñānaṁ; once the ajñānaṁ is gone; the
sense of apūrṇatvam is gone; once the sense of apūrṇatvam is gone; desire for
pūrṇatvam is gone; and once desire for pūrṇatvam is gone; pravr̥ttiḥ is gone;
activity with inner pressure; remember, pravr̥tti is gone. Once pravr̥tti is gone; it is
called nivr̥tti.
So nivr̥tti is the end product of the end of the cycle. The cycle consists of these four.
ajñānā; apūrṇatva, icchāḥ, pravr̥tti; these four are the problem. These four once you
finish, the result is called nivr̥ttiḥ; nivr̥tti is called mōkṣaḥ. This is the mode of
presentation in this verse. See.
ajñāna hr̥daya granthēhē vināśaḥ. So ajñānā vināśaḥ. First the first member of the
series is destroyed. Ajñānā vināśaḥ.
How is it not said? Śankarācārya thinks that it is so simple and you will know.
Ajñānaṁ is destroyed by what? Jñānaṁ. OK. So therefore do not ask me the
fundamentals.
Then once the first member of the series is gone, the second member is gone; what
is the second member; hr̥daya granthīḥ; hr̥daya granthīḥ means knot of the heart,
and what is that? The sense of apūrṇatvam; self-misconception; misconception with
regard to myself.
Page 1724

What is the misconception? Ahaṁ pūrṇaḥ, instead of that; I say Ahaṁ apūrṇaḥ; the
sense of inadequacy is called here hr̥daya granthīḥ; error; adyasaḥ; error or bhrāntiḥ
or adhyāsa.
This adhyāsa only Śankarācārya writes in his Brahma Sūtra introduction. hr̥daya
granthīḥ; what is the basic problem; a sense of apūrṇatvam. We do not say
apūrṇatvam is the cause of problem. Why because we do not have apūrṇatvam. So I
cannot say apūrṇatvam is the cause of problem; then what is the problem? the
sense that I am apūrṇaḥ; we say that it is a non-sense. Sense of apūrṇatvam is non-
sense.
You understand that. So hr̥daya granthīḥ vināśaḥ; the second member is destroyed;
yati aśēṣataḥ; if these two destructions takes place completely, then what happens:
aniccho; icchāḥ nāśā takes place. icchā nāśaḥ means what? kāma nāṣa. What is the
kāma, desire for pūrṇatvam; when will I become complete.
Svāmiji said that day: While wearing a particular suit, I am a complete man. So he
wants completeness through a miserable suit. And that too in Madras in the month
of May. What more stupidity can be there than this. Remove them, become
complete. Ok. anyway, if they hear it, they will get angry.
So icchā nāśā takes place, which means that person becomes anicchū; anicchū
means what? desireless. Then anicchōr; śaṣti vibhakthi; for that desireless person;
Pravr̥ttēḥ kāraṇam kim; what cause can be there for pravr̥tti? That means what?
there is no pravr̥tti also; pravr̥tti nāśaḥ. Instead of saying Pravr̥tti nāṣam positively,
he puts in a different language; what cause can be there for pravittiḥ; what does he
want in life? Nothing. Therefore he is ātmanaēva ātmanatușṭḥ. Details in the next
class.
Hari Om.
Page 1725

133. Verses 423 to 426
There is a correction in this verse; in the second line, the second word is given as
viṣayaḥ in some books. It should be viduṣaḥ; instead of kāmaḥ; the word should be
viduṣaḥ. So in this verse, Śankarācārya points out how some saṁsāra arises in the
case of an ajñāni, and how it is absent in the case of jñāni. He points out that in the
case of ajñāni, the first thing that happens is hr̥daya granthīḥ; ajñānā hr̥daya
granthīḥ; ajñānā means self-ignorance. And hr̥daya granthīḥ means self-error caused
by self-ignorance. By self-error I mean mistake with regard to oneself. So the fact is
that I am limitless and when I am not, I do not know my limitlessness and I commit
a mistake and the mistake is invariably: I am limited. This 'I am limited' mistake is
here called hr̥daya granthīḥ.
And once hr̥daya granthīḥ, which literally means knot in the heart, once the error
arises in the mind, the next stage is, iccaḥ or kāmaḥ. And kāma or desire comes
becomes once I mistake myself as a limited person, naturally there is a struggle to
make myself limitless, because I cannot accept limitation.
And therefore the struggle starts to remove my limitation and to become limitless
and this struggle is called kāmaḥ. And this kāma expresses in several forms; one
person thinks that I will become complete by buying a house, another person wants
to become complete by getting married; another person wants to complete himself
by getting children; and another person wants to buy a particular coat; Svāmiji that
day said: Complete Man; particular coat makes him complete. Another person wants
to become complete through a coat. In short, the desire to complete myself is called
icchāḥ or kāmaḥ; what I desire varies, but that ‘I desire’ remains. And this is called
icchāḥ in this verse.
Therefore ajñānaṁ leads to adhyāsa or error; we will put in English itself; ignorance
leads to error; error leads to desire; and desire leads activity. Because once I get a
desire to complete myself, through something or the other; it can be fulfilled only by
activity. And therefore pravr̥tti, the struggle is the fourth stage; and pravr̥tti is called
saṁsāraḥ.
Page 1726

Of course Śankarācārya stops with pravr̥tti, we can go further also; pravr̥tti

otherwise called karma leads to karma phalam, karma phalam leads to sukham and
duḥkhaṁ, and later it leads to punarjanma and again this cycle continues. But here
Śankarācārya stops with pravr̥tti as saṁsāra.
And then if pravr̥tti is saṁsāra, what is mōkṣa? Nivr̥ttiḥ is mōkṣaḥ. Nivr̥ttiḥ is paramā
tr̥ptiḥ; end of all struggles; the end of rat race; the end of knocking about. I have
told you, which is called auto biography. Auto biography means what? the one
whose biography is similar to the auto's biography. autorickshaw. Here to there; and
from there to another place; savāri; then to another place; then round and round;
that is auto biography.
Now Śankarācārya says vidhuṣaḥ; in the case of vidvān, first ignorance is destroyed;
by jñānaṁ, once ignorance is destroyed, like the foundation of the building is
destroyed, the other three floors also collapse.
What is the next floor? Error is the next one that goes. Once error goes, desire to
complete goes; anicchōḥ; anicchūḥ means icchāḥ rahitaḥ. So ajñānāsya vināśaḥ,
first layer gone; hr̥daya granthīḥ vināśaḥ, second layer gone; anicchōḥ, third layer is
gone; pravr̥tteḥ kāraṇam kim; fourth layer is also gone. What force is there to
persuade him to act? So pravr̥tteḥ, svataḥ pravr̥tteḥ kim kāraṇam varthatē; it is not
a question; it has an answer in itself. What cause is there to force him into activity.
What was the cause before? icchāḥ. Now he is anicchu; since icchāḥ is gone, there
is no more activity.
Of course we should remember when we say jñāni does not have activity, we have
to carefully understand, desire prompted activities are not there. An activity for
completion is not there; kāmya karmās are not there; but we do not say that jñāni
will not have activity at all.
As Krishna said in the Bhagavad Gītā: lōkaḥsangrahaṁēvāpi sampaśyan karthum

arhasi. Compassion born activities can arise in the case of a jñāni. But when such
activities arise, they are not for the sake of fullness, but they are out of fullness.
And therefore all those activities will be non-binding activity; whatever be the
consequence of the activity, it is not going to affect the jñāni; the activity is
Page 1727

successful; the jñāni is pūrṇaḥ; activity is unsuccessful, the jñāni continues to be

pūrṇaḥ;
आपूयर्माणमचलप्र�त
समुद्रमा प्र�वशि यद्वत |
तद्वत्का यं प्र�वशि सव�
स शािन्तमाप्नो न कामकामी ||२- ७०||
āpūryamāṇamacalapratiṣṭhaṁ
samudramāpaḥ praviśanti yadvat |
tadvatkāmā yaṁ praviśanti sarvē
sa śāntimāpnōti na kāmakāmī ||2- 70||
Ocean is always full whether the rivers join the ocean or get dried up. Therefore he
does not have binding activity. And binding activity is called saṁsāraḥ. Up to this we
saw in the last class.
वासनानुदयो भोग्य वैरागस् तदाव�धः |

अहंभावोदयाभावो बोधस् परमाव�धः |
ल�नवतृ ्तैरनुत्पित्तमर्यार्दोपर सा ||४२४||
vāsanānudayō bhōgyē vairāgasya tadāvadhiḥ |
ahaṁbhāvōdayābhāvō bōdhasya paramāvadhiḥ |
līnavr̥ttairanutpattirmaryādōparatēstu sā ||424||
Here Śankarācārya points out that a jñāna niṣṭaḥ who has practised nidhidhyāsanam
sufficiently, he will enjoy all these virtues in full measure. Three virtues are
mentioned here. Vairāgyam, that is dispassion; bōdhaḥ means knowledge, and
uparathiḥ, uparathiḥ means quietitude, tranquillity; non-extrovertedness is
uparathiḥ; all these three a jīvan muktha or jñāna niṣṭaḥ will enjoy in full measure.
So here we should understand carefully, even a sādhaka who wants to come to
vēdānta should have vairāgyam. So here it is said jñāni has got vairāgyam.
Then what is the difference between the vairāgyam of a sadhaka who is fit for
vēdānta and the vairāgyam of a jñāna niṣṭa, who has gone through śravaṇa manana
and nidhidhyāsana?
Page 1728

Śankarācārya points out the difference is in the degree or intensity of vairāgyam.

The one who comes to vēdānta might have vairāgyam; but that vairāgyam is a
fragile vairāgyam. So when a person wants to give up some addiction, he knows he
will be able to give up; but even after giving up, in the mind there is a chāpalyam;
chapalatha. Here in the case of an addict; the person gives up smoking or drinking
or coffee and then if it is not in front, he will be able to go without.
First problem is what? that particular time comes, he has to smoke or drink or take a
coffee. But he has to resist; lot of struggle. And thereafter, even if the time comes,
he does not want. He is able to be without it. But the thing is: nobody must be
around, smoking or drinking or with coffee. If he sees; he will get the memory.
So the problem is what? if he sees problem, if not OK. So previously even if he does
not see that, time comes, that particular thing is triggered. Now he has progressed
sufficiently, he can be without that; but if it is in front, or somebody offers, cigarette
keep it, then he is tempted; then he has to reach a stage of vairāgyam; when even
if the other people or smoking or drinking, he must not be tempted. That is total
freedom from vāsana.
Similarly, bōdhaḥ, each one is beautifully defining. bhōgyē vāsanānudayaḥ. Not

being tempted by any sense pleasures, even if it is available right in front. And even
if nobody is watching; one thing is like that! Nobody is seeing, so it is OK, let me
have it! Even if nobody is in front, they say your true character is what you are when
nobody is watching you. We are all very good when people are around. Imagine
when nobody is around, and temptations are there and I am able to say, No. That
vairāgyasya āvadhiḥ; āvadhiḥ means what? climax, final limit.
So vāsana ānudayaḥ. Vāsana means desire for that object. Bhogha saṁskārā
anudaya, without record to bhōgyē, sense objects.
And similarly Bōdhasya parāma āvadhiḥ. So what is the height of knowledge, the
height of knowledge is ahaṁbhāva udaya abhāvaḥ; ahaṁ Brahmāsmi has reached
the height, when ahaṁ dēhōsmi notion never arises seriously. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi has
become strong enough, when ahaṁ dēhōsmi or ahaṁ husband asmi or wife asmi or
pitta asmi; that ego does not arise strongly. There is a functional ego; remember.
Functional ego is there; but rāga-dvēṣa causing ego never arises.
Page 1729

So there is a intermediary stage, which every sādhaka faces. Vēdānta is understood

very well. And I say I am nithya buddha śuddha svabhāvaḥ and all. But when a crisis
or serious problem comes, then only vēdānta flies far away and the samsāri-I come.
Then what is the height of knowledge? Even in crisis, that samsāri-I does not come,
that means my knowledge is thorough. I do whatever is required in crisis; action is
there as Svāmiji beautifully put; Action is there; reaction is not there. Reaction
means deep mental disturbance. I have talked about this before. Any situation can
invoke three types of responses in us; one is reaction, another is inaction; another is
action. Reaction is one extreme, where a person is extremely disturbed, extremely
angry; extremely upset, that is one extreme, reaction. The other extreme is a person
does not responsibly take any action. Indifferent. The other extreme is total
indifference, where I am supposed to do something, when there is problem. So
indifference is inaction. And what vēdānta says is: indifference is also wrong;
reaction is also wrong; you have to take steps when steps are to be taken; but
internally, you are free from adverse responses.
Therefore a jñāni does what is to be done; but at the same time, ahaṁbhāva-based
disturbances are not there. And therefore Sankara says; ahaṁbhāva anudayaḥ. We
have to translate it as binding-ego does not arise. Functional ego is required,
because otherwise no vyavahara is possible. Otherwise at the end of the class, you
will not even know what is your chappal.
Why because to identify your chappal you require what? functional ego; does
Brahman has chappal? I am Brahman and where is the chappal for me; so if you use
someone's else chappal, it is inbetween case. And you have to go to your house
only; going to someone's else house and asking for breakfast, you get beaten. For
all of them, even Svāmiji, he must know what is his Āśram and somebody else's
āśram, etc. should he not know. And therefore, functional ego is there; binding ego
is absent. And therefore this non-arising of the binding ego is the height of
knowledge.
And how do we know that? Whether I have a functional ego or binding ego; how to
know? you see the face and you know; very easily identifiable! Binding-ego produces
rāga-dvēṣa, kāma, krōdhaḥ, lobhaḥ, mōha, a swollen face; a gloomy face it
produces. Functional ego, there is a cheerful face all the time. Ātmanēva ātmana
tușṭaḥ. So this is the height of knowledge.
Page 1730

Then what is the height of uparatiḥ? uparatiḥ means nivr̥ttiḥ; līnavr̥ttair anutpattir;
līna vr̥ttiḥ means the resolution of extrovertedness. Vr̥ttiḥ here means pravr̥ttiḥ;
pravr̥ttiḥ means extroverted activities; feverish activity.
And feverish activity means an activity with stress and strain; with anxiety, with BP,
is called extrovert activity; feverish activity; when a person came to vēdānta, he
reduced the feverish activity; līna Vr̥ttiḥ and that should not arise again. So non-
emergence of feverish activity once again, because feverish activity is also a form of
addiction.
Now they have coined the word: what? Workaholic. It is workaholism. So there are
some people who from that for some time, and they think that they are free from
that; but later they can again get into that; even Sanyāsi may get into that problem.
Initially he withdrew for the sake of learning; got into gurukula and then after he
came out and started some activity and of course he thought that it is for lōkaḥ
sangraḥ and he thought, that is the problem, he thought that it is for the sake of the
world, and he thought that he has a non-binding activity only; but sooner or later,
he finds even though he is a sanyāsi, he is trapped into āsrama bondage. Bigger
bondage. For all of you, house, 500 sq. ft bondage only. But Āsrama means huge
amount is involved, huge number of people, he cannot go away, he cannot get into;
and he wants to hand over to some people. How many people have offered Āsramas
to me; from that I have come to know that. They want to give away the āsrama;
and somebody said where is the head of this āsrama? He has to gone to another
āsrama for peace of mind. Imagine his own āsrama has become a bondage for him.
Therefore we cannot be complacent, even if one has to come to nivr̥tti, if a person
enters into non-binding pravr̥tti, he must be very careful, because a non-binding
pravr̥tti can unknowingly, gradually become a binding pravr̥tti.
So when a person will never get into binding pravr̥tti again, that is called height of
nivr̥ttiḥ. And what is the indication? He is ready to drop everything at any time. That
is called non-binding activity. So līnavr̥ttair, so here is a correction līnavr̥ttair, in my
book vr̥ttai is there; vr̥ttai, anudpathi, binding activity should never arise again.
And for that constantly ask the question: can I drop this particular activity at any
time. The mind says: OK. I have nivr̥tti totally; and such a state of mind, is uparatēḥ
maryāda. maryāda means limit. The height; the climax; the culmination; the
Page 1731

superlative state of what: uparathi. All these three, the one who enjoys, he has got
jñāna niṣṭa.
ब्रह्माकार सदा िस्थततय �नमुर्क्तबाह्याथ-

रन्यावे�दतभोग्यभोगकल �नद्रालुवद्बाल |
स्वप्नालो�कतलोकवज्जग� पश्यन्क्व�चल्ल-
रास्त किश्चदनन्तपुण्यफलभुग् स मान्य भ�ु व ||४२५||
brahmākāratayā sadā sthitatayā nirmuktabāhyārthadhī-
ranyāvēditabhōgyabhōgakalanō nidrāluvadbālavat |
svapnālōkitalōkavajjagadidaṁ paśyankvacillabdhadhī-
rāstē kaścidanantapuṇyaphalabhugdhanyaḥ sa mānyō bhuvi ||425||
In the case of some jñāni, because of their prārabdha, they do not come to the
world of activity at all. So whether is an active one or a passive one; depends upon
the type of prārabdha. And whatever be the type of prārabdha, there is no gradation
in his liberation, because the knowledge is ahaṁ pūrṇaḥ; and how many gradations
are possible in pūrṇatvam?
There is no gradation and therefore there is no difference; but here Śankarācārya is

talking about those jñānis whose prārabdha is totally different and therefore they do
not come to the world of activity at all. They love to remain in some cave; or some
in Himalayas or āsramas they remain. And they are always absorbed in the teaching
in the knowledge in samādhi.
So Śankarācārya is talking about those samādhista jñāni. And there itself, in some
scriptures, we do not find this topic in the upaṇiṣads but in some scriptures like Yōga
Vāsiṣtha, etc. Those samādhistha jñānis are also categorised into three, depending
upon their prārabdha. Those samādhistha; samādhistha, those who remain in
samādhi; those who do not come down to the society at all; because that is their
prārabdha. And what are the three grades?
Here Śankarācārya does not talk about three grades. But in those books three are
talked about. One type of person who enters the samādhi, and comes out only now
and then, purely for the sake of śarīra yāthrā, bhikṣa grahaṇam; and that too if
somebody offers food. So they talk about two types of madhukari; madhukari means
a bee; a bee for the sake of honey will go from one flower to another. Similarly,
Page 1732

some type of jñānis, sanyāsis, they go from one house to another; take bikṣa and
eat. that is called madhukari vr̥tti; or madhukara vr̥tti; honey-bee lifestyle. Not
stinging; OK. Only honey.
Then the other one is what? ajagara vr̥ttiḥ. ajagaraḥ means a python; ajam grathi;
that which swallows even a goat; goat swallower; goat swallower in this place, it is
python; and what does the phython do? it does not go from one place to another in
search of food; it only remains in one place with the mouth open. That is very
important. Thus various creatures while they go think that it is a beautiful dwelling
place. Pondu; it will go inside; it will close the mouth and remain there for weeks
and once that is digested, what next? Open; called ajagara vr̥tti; and there are some
sanyāsis, their philosophy is: prārabdha will keep my body going. If my body has to
survive, it is God's responsibility to bring bikṣa through some one or the other. And
when someone comes and offers bikṣa, they eat. So thus they remain in samādhi,
they wake up, and if and when bikṣa comes, they eat and again go to samādhi. This
is type No.1, who gets out of samādhi by themselves.
Then they talk about the second category. They get into samādhi and they do not
wake up by themselves. Come up by themselves. Only when somebody goes and
wakes up; shake and whatever is offered, they eat. This is the second type of jñānis;
Then the third type is what? the one who is always in samādhi; who does not come
up by himself and who does not come up even if somebody else shakes him or
wakes him up. Thus they divide into three types. We do not know, whether such
people are around. Because they will not be in the soceity. These three are said in
the vāṣiṣitāthi grantha.
Here Śankarācārya is talking about those people generally, who do not come to the
society; who remain in samādhi. Therefore he says: Brahmākāratayā sadā
sthitatayā; so they remain all the time in the form of Brahman. Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi iti
vr̥tthau; in the vr̥tti; they entertain only this thought all the time, without coming to
the society. If you ask about lōkaḥ sangraḥ, they will ask the question: where is the
lōkaḥ? Lōkaḥ should be there for sangraḥ? Then what is there in front?
Brahmārpaṇam brahmahāvhi; for us Brahmārpaṇam reminds us of our lunch;
Brahaivatat amrutham purasthāt brahma paścāt, brahma dakṣiṇāthasca, uttarēṇa.
Therefore where is the lōkaḥ for sangraḥ? Therefore their vision is totally different;
therefore they are ever in the thought of Brahman. And therefore nirmukta
Page 1733

bāhyārthadhī. Therefore they never think of anātma at all. Because in their vision,
there is no anātma. And whatever anātma is seen, it is like mirage water, it is
mithya. Svapnavat, it is like svapnam. So bāhya artha means external objects,
external objects is anātma vasthu or anātma viṣaya, dhīhi means thought, nirmuktha
means free from. Free from anātma thought.
Then they are engaged in what thought? ātmakhāra vr̥tti alone they entertain.
Anātmakāra vr̥tti they never entertain at all.
Then what about their āhāra etc.? Anya avēdita bhōgya bhōgākalana; they are
endowed with the worldly experience of eating etc. only when forced by others. As I
said ajagara vr̥ttayaḥ. So anya vēditaḥ, informed by others, persuaded by others,
anya avēditam, persuaded by others, bhōgyabhōgaḥ means viṣaya bhōga, viṣaya
here means the minimum things like food or clothing. So they are not bothered
about even clothing themselves. The society feels that they clothe fine. If you have
the sense of decency and you want to see me dressed, dress. It is your problem. As
far as I am concerned, I do not care. Udāsēnaḥ. So therefore bhōgyabhōgaḥ
kalanaḥ, kalanaḥ means endowed with only such bhōgās which are persuaded and
given by others.
Like what? Like whom? Example, nidrāluvad bālavat; like a person who has gone to
sleep without eating food. And then imagine a man went to bed because wife was
not around and he had gone out; and he was tired and therefore he went to sleep.
And wife came and she feels that he has gone without eating food; he has to eat
food, very important, some health problem; therefore he is woken up and given the
food; how it will be. Exactly like that. So nidrāluvad; or bālavat; or like a bāla; a child
does not know when to eat; when not to eat; mother decides the time for food.
Similarly, this person never bothers about whether I should eat; when I should eat.
If body has to go on because of prārabdha, food will come, in some form or the
other. So nidrāluvad; bālavat. Remember, it does not mean that you should start
attempting that. OK. From today you want to start this, and perhaps you may not
get food at all! So therefore it is all determined by prārabdha. As far as we are
concerned, whatever be the situation brought out by prārabdha, we try to do the
best in the situation, our primary puruṣārtaḥ is what? keeping the knowledge alive.
Rest of our lifestyle, let prārabdha take care of. So nidrāluvad; bālavat.
Page 1734

Then what is the attitude towards the world? Svapna ālōkita lōkavat idam jagat
paśyati. He looks at the world, like the dream world. So svapna ālōkita lōkaḥ. The
world which is seen in dream; ālōkita means seen. So this world is like the world
which is seen in the dream; which is like svapna prapañja; which means what? it is
mithya. You need not be over obsessed with this world. Even the idea of lōkaḥ
sangraḥ, service, etc. you need not get over obsessed. As long as you are in the
society, you do what you can do; but remember you are not going to convert the
world into a heaven. Rāmās have come; Krishnās have come; Śaṁkarācāryās have
come; but the world continues. Therefore do not be over enthusiastic. You will get
frustrated.
Therefore lōkaḥ sangraḥ also should not become a bondage. And therefore do not
be obsessed with the world. It is mithya. Do not allow rāga and dvēṣa to arise in
your mind. So svapna ālōkita lōkavat idam jagat paśyan.
Then where is his mind? If it is not obsessed with the world; he is obsessed with
what? kvacit labdhadhī; his mind is elsewhere. So he remains āstē; the fourth line,
rāstē is there; if you split the sandhi, it is āstē, he remains with his mind absorbed
elsewhere. Elsewhere, what Śankarācārya does not say; we have to complete,
elsewhere means satyavastu, brahmavastu, adiṣṭānavastu, his own svarūpam. He is
immersed in satyam. He is indifferent to mithya.
And Śankarācārya says kaschit; this is not every jñāni. We should not take this as a
standard. Only those people who are sitting in samādhi; they are jñānis, you should
not say. Therefore Sankarācārya says: kaścid, in the case of certain jñānis, whose
prārabhda is like that. But there are many other jñānis who continue to be paśyan
(that is Gītāi) śr̥ṇvan spr̥śañ jighrann aśnan gacchan svapan śvasan naiva
kiñcitkarōmīti yuktō manyēta tattvavit.
Therefore activity does not prove wisdom. Inactivity also does not prove wisdom.
Then what proves wisdom? Wisdom proves wisdom. Activity or inactivity has no
connection with wisdom. I am stressing because based on this verse, you should not
say, this man is busy, so he is ajñāni. That man is sitting there and sleeping;
therefore he is a mahā jñāni, etc. and doing pāda pūja and abhiṣēkam, etc. He
might be indolent one also. So therefore never judge a person from activity or
inactivity. That is why ultimately whether a person is jñāni or not who knows. Only I
do. And therefore there are active jñānis and there are passive jñānis.
Page 1735

And saha; such a jñāni, anantha puṇya phalabuk, is the enjoyer of anatha puṇyam,
to remain immersed in Brahman, he must have done so much puṇyam; and
remember again, not that an active jñāni has done less puṇyam. That even if you
are going to say active-jñāni has less puṇyam, imagine for argument sake. You say
active-jñāni has got less puṇyam; the jñāni who is sitting in samādhi has got more
puṇyam, etc. you say, what will be the answer of jñāni, you know. He will say:

ु
न मन्त न तीथ� न वेदा न य�ाः ।
अहं भोजनं नैव भोज्य न भोक्त
�चदानन्दरू �शवोऽहं �शवोऽहम ् ॥ ४॥
na puṇyaṁ na pāpaṁ na saukhyaṁ na duḥkhaṁ
na mantrō na tīrthaṁ na vēdā na yajñāḥ |
ahaṁ bhōjanaṁ naiva bhōjyaṁ na bhōktā
When we say there is no puṇyam at all, where is the question of more puṇyam or
less puṇyam. Therefore puṇyam etc. is the measurement from the standpoint of an
ajñāni, not from the standpoint of jñāni himself. And therefore from worldly angle,
Śankarācārya says, such a person is puṇyavān, the enjoyer of anantha puṇyan or his
past janma. And saha dhanyaḥ; and such a person is indeed blessed; he is literally
dhanyaḥ means the wealthiest person. Dhanavān; dhanyaḥ; what wealth he has
got? not worldly wealth; the wealth of wisdom; the wealth of sathyam he enjoys.
And saha mānyaḥ; that person is to be revered, honoured, worshipped on earth. So

thus Śankarācārya gave the description of a passive jñāni, who is described in Yōga
Vāsiṣṭa, etc. It is elaborately discussed. But we generally do not get into those
descriptions, because what is important is jñānaṁ, not samādhi. Our approach is we
never give importance to samādhi. Because samādhi is an incidental possibility.
Therefore we do not want to emphasise. If a person is in samādhi, wonderful.

Another person is not in samādhi; wonderful. Always focus is on understanding. Our
focus is always on right understanding. We never want to be obsessed with the
concept of samādhi because, it has created very big problems, lot of misconceptions,
Page 1736

lot of confusions, let there be samādhi; after-death-samādhi is going to be there;

that is enough.
Therefore let us not bother about samādhi while living. That is our approach all the
time. We do not say samādhi is not there; but we do not consider it as an important
aspect of vēdānta. That is an incidental aspect of vēdānta. Śravaṇam is important,
mananam important, nidhidhyāsanam important, samādhi is incidental.
िस्थतप् य�तरयं यः सदानन्दमश्नु |

ब्रह्मण �वल�नात्म �न�व्
र कार �व�निष्क् ||४२६||
sthitaprajñō yatirayaṁ yaḥ sadānandamaśnutē |
brahmaṇyēva vilīnātmā nirvikārō viniṣkriyaḥ ||426||
So such a person becomes a sthitha prajñaḥ. So the one who has gone through
śravaṇam, mananam and nidhidhyāsanam, and the one who has gone through
optional samādhi abhyāsa, he becomes a sthitha prajñaḥ.
And this you should remember, samādhi abhyāśā is one type of optional
nidhidhyāsanam. What are the other types of nidhidhyāsanam I have said? Hearing
continuously is a form of nidhidhyāsanam; reading is a form of nidhidhyāsanam;
reading not Ānandaḥ vikatan; reading the śāstra is another form of nidhidhyāsanam;
writing, of course, with your mind in it, is another form of nidhidhyāsanam, and
discussing with people who are interested is another form of nidhidhyāsanam;
teaching is another beautiful form of nidhidhyāsanam. I say beautiful form because
student can in the middle of the class come in; but if I have to teach for one hour, I
have to remain in the subject matter. I have got forced samādhi abhyāsa as it were.
Or I will forget I said. So therefore I feel teaching as another form of
nidhidhyāsanam. Thus a person can practice any form of nidhidhyāsanam. Samādhi
abhyāsa is only an optional form of nidhidhyāsanam. So by practising any form of
nidhidhyāsanam, a person becomes sthithaprajñaḥ.
And this stitha prajñaḥ, who is a yatiḥ; yatiḥ literally means a sanyāsi. Just
Sankarācārya assumes all vēdantin students as sanyāsis. Would he have known that
all these things would happen here now? Because their tradition is vēdānta should
not be taught in public. Because it may be misunderstood and a person may falsely
claim as a jñāni, and then do akramams also. Possible. Na buddhibet janayēt;
Krishna said.
Page 1737

But now we have to bring to the public because Gurukulams are not there. Even in
Gurukulās in Himalayas etc. vēdantic teaching is not taking place. They are all
making agarbathis and selling. Āsramam? And they are making Ayurvēda medicine
and selling.
When Himālayan Āsramas are not teaching Vēdanta, so naturally in Madras, we are
teaching. Somebody went to some āsrama in R̥̄ ṣikesh from Madras and then
approached that Svāmiji there and said that I want to learn Vēdānta. And that Svāmi
said it seems, in Madras classes are going on; you please go back. I do not know
that Svāmiji; but he has come to know about our classes. So imagine if Āsramas do
not teach śāstra, we have to bring the śāstra to the Society; in Śankarācārya's time,
public teaching was not required because qualified people knew where to find the
teaching. Gurukulams were there; āśrams were there. Therefore during
Śankarācārya's time, those who taught vēdānta were sanyāsis. Now we have to
translate Yatihi as a committed teacher. Sanyāsa means commitment. And such a
yati who is Brahmani ēva vilīnātma, whose mind remains in Brahman, who does not
forget the teaching. So Brāhmaṇa ēva vilīna ātma; whose mind is resolved in
Brahman, who does not have the problem of forgetfulness, nirvikhāraḥ; one whose
mind is without disturbance, tranquil minded;
and viniṣkriyaḥ, without feverish extrovert activities, nirvikāra is at the mind level;
viniṣkriyaḥ is at the body level; and such a sthitha prajñaḥ. What does he get out of
all these disciplines? sadā ānandaḥ vastutē; he is always pūrṇaḥ; he is always
complete in himself.
Hari Om.
Page 1738

134. Verses 427 to 431
After elaborately dealing with the topic of nidhidyaśanam, up to verse No.416, now
from verse 417 onwards, Śankarācārya is talking about the phalam of śravaṇa
manana and nidhidhyāsanam. We should always remember nidhidhyāsanam will be
efficacious only if it is preceded by śravaṇam and mananam for sufficient length of
time. So thus if proper quality and quantity of śravaṇam and mananam are not
there; then nidhidhyāsanam will not give the expected result; and therefore we
should always see all these three together; śravaṇa, manana nidhidhyāsanam.
And in Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi, nidhidhyāsanam has been focused. That is the only

difference. That does not mean śravaṇam and mananam are less important.
Having dealt with these three, now we are in the phalam of all these exercises, and
the phalam is Śankarācārya points out sthiraprajñaḥ. Prajñaḥ means wisdom; sthira
literally means firm; firm wisdom; what do you mean by the word ‘firm’? With regard
to wisdom; firmness indicates freedom from two fold obstacles. Wisdom can give the
full phalam of śāntiḥ only if the wisdom is not obstructed by anything. Just as lighted
lamp can remove the darkness only if the lamp is not covered by any obstacle. So if
the lamp even though it is lighted, even if the lamp is covered by a thick cloth, that
too a black cloth and if two clothes are there; then the lamp is burning alright, but
we do not receive the prayōjanam; anthakāra nivr̥tti.
Similarly Guru and śravaṇam can certainly light the lamp of wisdom, in the mind of
the student, but often even after the lamp of knowledge is lit, the student's mind
continues to have the gloom, the darkness of saṁsāra. Not that knowledge is
lacking. He has done sufficient śravaṇam and still the problem do continue, making
him doubt the very efficacy of vēdānta. I have studied well but depression has not
left me or anxiety or fear for which the śāstra says; it is not the lack of knowledge
but it is because of the presence of obstacles which is in the form of intellectual
obstacles and emotional obstacles; intellectual obstacles or in the form of lack of
conviction. And emotional obstacles are in the form of habitual reactions. And
therefore sthiraprajñaḥ is that wisdom which is freed from the two fold blocks of
intellectual lack of conviction and emotional habitual reaction.
Page 1739

And that is why we have the three-fold exercise. Śravaṇam like the lamp; mananam
removes black cloth No.1; what is the No.1 black cloth? lack of conviction. It is not
believable, because buddhi is rational. And the second black cloth is habitual anger,
habitual depression addiction to the emotions. That is if the emotions are not there,
we will have withdrawal symptoms. That we have habituated. This is the second
cloth, which also has to be removed. That is why we say: mananam and
nidhidhyāsanam are only for the removal of obstacles. Śravaṇam is for the lighting
up of the lamp.
So when a person goes through these three exercises, he has got prajñaḥ through
śravaṇam, it become sthira, sthira means what? free from the two-fold black cloth,
because of manana nidhidhyāsanam and therefore we add the adjective sthira.
Pratibanda dvaya rahita prajñaḥ. So what is the meaning of sthiraḥ? Pratibanda
dvaya rahita prajñaḥ. So he will become; that wisdom is called sthira prajñaḥ. The
person is called sthira prajñaḥ िस्थतप्. Short and dot, if you put, it represents the
person; िस्थतप्र long means the wisdom; the one who has िस्थतप्र sthira prajñaḥ is
called िस्थतप् sthira prajñaḥ; that is the phalam which was mentioned in 426.
And Śankarācārya wants to point out that sthira prajñaḥ alone is jīvan muktiḥ. We
do not even say sthira prajñaḥ gives jīvan mukthi; we say sthira prajñaḥ is jīvan
muktiḥ. And therefore he is going to point that out in the following verses.
ब्रह्मात् शो�धतयोरेकभावावगा�हनी |
�न�व्
र कल् च �चन्मात विृ त्त प्र�े कथ्यत |
सुिस्थताऽस भवेद्यस िस्थतप् स उच्यत ||४२७||
brahmātmanōḥ śōdhitayōrēkabhāvāvagāhinī |
nirvikalpā ca cinmātrā vr̥ttiḥ prajñēti kathyatē |
susthitā:'sau bhavēdyasya sthitaprajñaḥ sa ucyatē ||427||
Śankarācārya himself defines the word sthira prajñaḥ otherwise known as sthitha
prajñaḥ. Both words are same only. One is sthira and another is sthitha; both
readings are OK. To divide the compound word into two separate words, one is
prajñaḥ and another is sthira. So first he defines prajñaḥ. What is prajñaḥ? Prajñaḥ
means knowledge. It is wisdom. We do not use the word experience; very careful.
Page 1740

We reserve the experience only for phalam of knowledge, which is śāntiḥ, tr̥ptiḥ.
Jñānam phalam is an experience; whereas jñānaṁ we translate as knowledge.
So what is prajñaḥ? He says: Vr̥ttiḥprajñaḥ iti kathyatē. Any knowledge including

self-knowledge is in the form of a thought modification. When I know a pot in the
mind, there is ghata akāra vr̥ttiḥ; it is called anthakāraṇa parināma, a relevant
modification should take place in the mind. If you learning things in the class, what
is happening is; as even I am talking, the words are entering into your mind as
śabda pramāṇam and the śabda pramāṇam is bringing out a relevant modification
where? Not in the ātma; it can never produce modification in ātma; why: ātma
unfortunately happens to be nirvikāraḥ; therefore the words have to produce a
modification; in Saṁsr̥kt it is called antakāraṇa parināmaḥ in your mind, in your
buddhi. Whether you are using pratyakṣa pramāṇa, anumāna pramāṇa or upamāna
pramāṇa or śāstra pramāṇa, it has to generate a relevant citta parināma, which is
called vr̥ttiḥ. And in the case of spiritual knowledge also, guru's words should
produce a relevant vr̥tti in the buddhi, that is why we say self-knowledge requires
buddhi.
By transcending the buddhi, you cannot get any knowledge including self-
knowledge; Self-knowledge requires buddhi. That is why in the Upaṇiṣads it is
repeatedly said:
Eshonurātma cētasā vēditavyaḥ; manasa ēva idam aptavyam. Dr̥śyate tu agraya

buddhya sūkṣmaya sūkṣma darśibhiḥ.
Buddhi is required. Not ordinary buddhi; sadhana catuṣṭaya sampanna buddhi if you
have, then śabda will generate that vr̥tti. And in the case of anātma jñānaṁ, it is
anātmakhāra vr̥tti; in the case of ātma jñānaṁ, it is called ātmakhāra vr̥ttihi.
And therefore he says: Vr̥ttiḥprajñaḥ. And what type of vr̥tti it is? Cinmātra vr̥tti. A
vr̥tti which is associated with, which is related to ātma. Cinmātra means what? pure
ātma. Ātmakāra Vr̥ttiḥ itiarthaḥ. And why ātmakara? Because here the knowledge is
ātma jñānaṁ.
And not only it is ātmakāra, relevant to ātma, of the nature of ātma, and it is also
nirvikalpa; it is divisionless.
Page 1741

And why divisionless? Because ātma is nirvikalpa; so ātmanaḥ nirvikalpatvāt, Vr̥ttēhē

api nirvikalpatvam.
And what is this vr̥tti related to is further talked about in the first line. ēka bhāva
avagāhinī. It is vr̥tti which grasps the oneness; eka bhāvaha means aikyam;
avagahini means grasping; just as ghatakāra Vr̥ttiḥ grasps the ghataḥ, it is called
ghata jñānaṁ. In English also we use the word grasps; are you able to grasp the
meaning: grasp means, it is not physical grasping; intellectual grasping; every vr̥tti
grasps an object in the form of knowledge. You grasp this thing in the form of
knowledge of the subject matter. Similarly, this vr̥tti grasped in the form of
understanding, in the form of cognition, in the form of knowledge, it grasps: avagha
means grasp.
Literally avagha means to fathom: to delve deep into the sea and understand its
depth; that is avagha. So here in this context, it is grasping the oneness; oneness
between what and what: Brahma ātmanōhō; between the jīvātma and paramātma.
So jīvātma paramātma aikya prakāśaḥ vr̥ttihi. A vr̥tti which reveals the oneness of
jīvātma and paramātma; but jīvātma-paramātma aikyam is possible only if you
remove the upādhi or the reflecting medium. Because paramātma has got macro
reflecting medium, it is called macro upadhi, samaṣṭi upādhi; jīvātma has got vyaṣti
upādhi; keeping that upādhi if you look, you will not be able to see the aikyam;
therefore, jīvātma and paramātma should be separated from their upādhi.
And once you separate; then what is left behind? ātma; jīvātma, minus individual
śarīraṁ is ātma; paramātma minus total śarīraṁ; total śarīraṁ means the world is
also called ātma, minus the upādhi; both the adjectives are gone. What is the
adjective in Jīvātma? jīvaḥ; what is the adjective in paramātma? parama; once you
remove the upādhi, the jīva adjective and parama adjective will go away; what is left
behind is one consciousness and therefore śōdhitayō; śōdhitayōhō means
what?separated from the upādhi. So the oneness of jīvātma and paramātma which
are separated from their respective reflecting media.
And this separating is called bhāgaḥ tyaga lakṣaṇa; I do not know whether you
remember, jagad lakṣaṇa; ajahad lakṣaṇa; bhāgaḥ tyāga lakṣaṇa. So here śōdhitayō
means separated from the upādhi by the method of bhāgaḥ tyāga lakṣaṇa; that
aikyam, avagāhinī; revealing vr̥tti is called prajñaḥ.
Page 1742

Therefore wisdom is a vr̥tti. Therefore we call it vr̥tti jñāna. Therefore whenever we

talk about Brahma jñānaṁ, we should remember it is called Vr̥ttiḥ jñānaṁ, jñānaṁ
which involves a vr̥tti and therefore jñānaṁ which involves mind also. OK. This is
prajñaḥ part.
Then the second part is sthira prajñaḥ, what is sthiraḥ? He tells in the next line, asau
susthitā bhavēd. This vr̥tti is generated how: only by vēdānta vaakya śravaṇam;
mahāa vākya śravaṇam produces this vr̥tti and śravaṇam done. What is the
definition of śravaṇam? A systematic consistent study of the scriptures for a length
of time under the guidance of a proper ācārya is śravaṇam. This śravaṇam including
mahāvākya generates this vr̥tti parināma; that alone is called jñānaṁ.
And once that jñānaṁ is generated; what is our next exercise? Susthita bhavēd; that
knowledge must be allowed to remove the gloom from your mind. The whole mind
is dark. That is why we say: he looks gloomy; the face is not bloomy, but only
gloomy. So if the gloom still continues, you need not improve the knowledge, you
need not look for a new experience, no experience needed; no improvement of
knowledge needed, only the removal of two-fold pratibanda; by asking the question;
Oh intellect, why do not you accept this knowledge. Why are you not convinced? Let
intellect bring in its own rational obstacle. Every question that intellect puts, I have
to answer, that is called removal. As far as jñāna is concerned, it need not do
anything. Let it remain there. Only cloth removal, which is called mananam. In
mananam, we are not attacking the lamp; in mananam, we are attacking the cloth
alone, and even after removing the intellectual obstacle, as I said habitual emotions
will never go away; 'never' I cannot say; dangerous; will not easily go away and
therefore it requires a dedicated life of nidhidhyāsanam, which we elaborately
studied, which also does not improve the knowledge, which also does not give you a
new experience of Brahman, which only removes your emotional weaknesses;
removal of your erroneous zones.
One Wayne Dyer wrote two beautiful books; many books he has written; one is Your
Erroneous zone; another book, Sky is the Limit; removal of the erroneous zone is
sādhana catuṣṭaya sampatti; Sky is the Limit, is pūrṇatva prāpti. Vēdānta he has
written without understanding it. Anyway that is a different thing.
Once the second obstacle also is removed, the prajñaḥ seems to become bright. I
have given you the example. The full moon seems to be less bright during the
Page 1743

evening, but the very same full moon seems to become brighter and brighter and
brighter as midnight comes, is not that moon is becoming brighter, but the obstacle
in the form of sunlight is receding. Similarly, jñānaṁ seems to keep your brighter.
And as the jñānaṁ seems to become brighter, you will have more and more
experience, not experience of Brahman; but experience of jñāna phalam; and what
is the phalam; śāntiḥ. Tr̥ptiḥ; non-wandering mind, I have made my life. That
pūrṇatvam comes and yasya asau; prajñaḥ susthitha bhaved through mananam and
nidhidhyāsanam, saha, that person is sthitha prajñaḥ ucyatē. That person is called
stitha prajñaḥ or sthira prajñaḥ.
यस् िस्थत भवेत्प् यस्यानन् �नरन्तर |

प्रपञ �वस्मृतप्र स जीवन्मुक इष्यत ||४२८||
yasya sthitā bhavētprajñā yasyānandō nirantaraḥ |
prapañcō vismr̥taprāyaḥ sa jīvanmukta iṣyatē ||428||
So in the following verses Śankarācārya says a sthira prajñaḥ alone is called a jīvan
mukthaḥ. So other than wisdom, nothing is required to enjoy freedom. Knowledge is
power is very very clearly shown. So yasya prajñaḥ sthitha bhaved. Suppose a
person's wisdom has become firm, mean obstacle-free; has been converted into
conviction.
And remember, you need not convince anybody in the world, as it is not possible to
convince everyone also. And there are many people who do not want to be
convinced. They like doubts. Doubt lovers are there. Therefore, it need not be and it
is not possible also. You have to convince your intellect. And if at all you are trying
to convince other people, it is because you have hurt down; if they have doubt,
sometimes they may get jñānaṁ, I am doubting.
If I am very clear, I do not care whether the other person accepts or not; and
therefore the one who has convinced his intellect and therefore yasya ānandaḥ
nirantharaḥ and therefore who constantly enjoys ānandaḥ. Ānandaḥ means what?
pūrṇatvam, which is wisdom based pūrṇatvam. Not set up based pūrṇatvam; setup
based pūrṇatvam means what: upset, set up reversed is; upset Remember. Wisdom
based pūrṇatvam will be permanent because wisdom can never go away.
Page 1744

Knowledge is knowledge; whatever be the external condition. Two plus Two is equal
to four; when? When you are rich or when you are poor? Two plus Two is equal is
four; Two plus Two is equal to four, whatever be the external condition. Your body
is healthy, 2+2 =4; body is sick 2+2=4.
Similarly, I am Brahman, when? When my body is healthy? No. So therefore since

this pūrṇatvam is wisdom-based, and since wisdom cannot fluctuate because of the
fluctuations in the situations, wisdom-based-pūrṇatvam can never be disturbed. And
therefore yasya ānandō nirantharaḥ.
Suppose somebody asks: OK I might have wisdom-based-ānandaḥ. But I may also

have a health-based duḥkhaṁ; then what do to? Wisdom-based-ānandaḥ is there;
health-based duḥkhaṁ can it be there. Son-based duḥkhaṁ may be there; or
daughter-in-law based duḥkhaṁ may be there. What to do? The glory is: wisdom-
based-ānandaḥ is sooooooo big compared to the other anātma-based duḥkhaṁ, that
they will become so insignificant, compared to this pūrṇatvam. Therefore they will
be there; but they will be abibūtham, I have used this word; abibūtham, like star in
the sky now. In the sky are there stars now or not; you will say it is not there; the
stars are there in the sky; even now, but we do not see, not because of their
absence because their power is overpowered by sunlight.
And therefore prārabdha janya duḥkhaṁ will come; nobody cannot say it will not
come; why it will come, because prārabdha is there; what to do? Therefore
prarabhda janya duḥkhaṁ will come even for a mahāa jñāni; but prārabdha
duḥkhaṁ will be like the stars in the presence of the sunlight. Therefore for him it is
as though it is not there. The world will sympathise. Pāvam he is suffering from cold;
this disease; disease that come. The world will sympathise and chant Mr̥thunjaya
mantra. It is OK for him; no problem. Therefore yasya ānandō nirantharaḥ; prapañjō
vismr̥tho prāyaḥ; and the world is as good as forgotten; because in his vision, the
world is mithya.
Now the satyatvabuddhi has been replaced by the mithyatva buddhi; and therefore
if at all it has relevance or importance, it is only he has adhoc importance, like
watching a movie. At the time of watching a movie, it has got some relevance; it is
capable of generating emotions and you allow yourselves for the generation of
emotions; but how long; 2-1/2 hours. Thereafter the moment you come out, it has
lost its importance, because you know it is a movie. You know the hero is still
Page 1745

surviving, because in the next film he is going to come. It does not mean because of
your mithyatva buddhi you do not have emotions; you have all the emotions; nava
rasās you enjoy.
Similarly a jīvan muktha also goes through the emotions like movie emotions; they
are only ad hoc, which means they are not carried forward. There is no hang-over
after the events. Therefore prapañjaḥ vismr̥ta prāyaḥ; why the others are
traumatised because of that experience; and they do not forget that experience,
repeatedly dwell upon and cry; a jīvan muktha does not have that problem. vismr̥ta
prāyaḥ; it is as good as forgotten; saha jīvan mukthaḥ ucyatē. Such a person is
called jīvan mukthaḥ.
ल�नधीर�प जाग�तर जाग्रद्धमर्�वव |

बोधो �नवार्सन यस् स जीवन्मुक इष्यत ||४२९||
līnadhīrapi jāgarti jāgraddharmavivarjitaḥ |
bōdhō nirvāsanō yasya sa jīvanmukta iṣyatē ||429||
A correction. That is jāgrat dharma varjitaḥ is enough; vi is not required. Or if you

like vi, victory sign, then you have to remove, yō; either one has to go; then only
the meter will fit in. Both readings are ok.
līnadhīrapi jāgarti jāgraddharmavivarjitaḥ; you have to read or else līnadhīrapi

jāgarti, yo jāgratdharmavivarjitaḥ; one of these letters to go. We will retain yo and
we will remove that vi; jāgrad dharma varjitaḥ; I prefer that reading because in the
second line saha jīvanmuktha comes; therefore yaha saha will be there and it is
proper.
Now here Śankarācārya gives a technical definition of a jīvan muktha. līnadhīrapi

jāgarti; this jīvan muktha is very much awake; at the same time, his mind is
resolved. Līnadi means what? he has a resolved mind; dissolved mind; at the same
time, he is awake. So he is a puzzle to be solved, because when the mind is
resolved, we are in which state, we are in suṣupti avastha. Suṣupthi avastha is called
layaḥ because the mind is resolved. So if the mind is resolved; there is no waking; if
there is waking, the mind is not resolved. But Śankarācārya says wise person is
awake; at the same time, his mind is resolved. How do you resolve this puzzle? For
which we say resolution is of two types. We can resolve or destroy or dissolve a
thing in two different ways. I have discussed this before.
Page 1746

The pot can be destroyed in two different ways. There is one type of destruction
which everyone knows; drop it down; on someone's head! So you just put it down;
the pot is resolved. It disintegrates. This is one destruction, which alone majority of
the people know.
But we talk about another type of destruction, which is purely caused by

understanding. Cognitive destruction. Jñāna nāśaḥ. Jñāna nāśaḥ means will be
problematic! jñāna nāśaḥ; not śaṣti tatpuruṣaḥ; jñanasya nāśaḥ it is not. jñānāt
nāṣa. jñāna nimitha nāśaḥ. The destruction caused by knowledge. Do you know
what is that? I have discussed this before. jñāna nāśā has not come to you; I have
discussed this before. What is that?
By analysing the pot, you come to know, there was no pot before, there is no pot
now; there will never be a pot; what is there is nothing but what? clay. And when
clay has been given a particular form; we have chosen to baptize and convert; here
also conversion, you see; baptize and convert it with a new name; of course it is the
same clay only; and you have changed the religion of clay and you have named it
pot.
And if you want to reconvert it; again you have to break. So pot is only a nāma;
there is no substance called pot. And this is called destruction through falsification.
Destruction by removing the substantiality. Substantiality removal dissection. In
Vēdānta, we destroy everything; Of course Brahman do not include, we destroy
everything; purely by knowledge; how removing the substantiality; by reducing the
world to vācārambanam vikāro nāmadēyam. It is nothing but a word. In the world,
remove the L. World minus L is what: word only.
Jñāni does not destroy the mind; resolve the mind by going to sleep or samādhi.
That is done by unintelligent people because they think mind is a problem; and
therefore they resolve the mind; how? To sit in the corner and make it inactive. So
they resolved the mind by going to samādhi or sleep or drink or drugs; but vēdantin
never destroys the mind by going to sleep or samādhi; but retaining the mind, he
understands that mind is also nothing but Brahman, the substance. There is no mind
other than Brahman.
Page 1747

And this person who has destroyed the pot by knowledge, what is the advantage for
him, he can continue to use the pot. See. The other person destroys the pot; and
pot is no more useful for him. But this intelligent person has destroyed by
falsification and continues to use the pot; and all the time says: there is no pot; see
how intelligent he is. Use it and says it is not there.
Similarly, jñāni uses the mind; beautiful mind, loving mind; compassionate mind;
generous mind; peaceful mind; he uses; he never resolves the mind by sitting in one
place; paśyan; sr̥nvan, spr̥san, jihran; all vyavahārās he is doing, he says: there is
no mind; mind has been resolved into what? Brahman. So līnadhi is the one who has
resolved the mind in Brahman by wisdom; keeps himself away. That means uses the
mind.
And jāgrat dharma varjithaḥ. And even though he is awake and using the mind, he
does not have the saṁsāra caused by the mind; unlike the other people. The other
people keep the mind in transaction and every transaction is a head ache. So jāgrat
dharma means what? saṁsāraḥ. Caused by what? Waking mind; so the saṁsāra
caused by the waking mind is not there; because mind by itself is not a problem.
If the mind is a problem, you have to destroy the mind. Not only that; jñāni has also
has got a problem; because jñāni has got a mind or not? Any doubt? jñāni has mind
or not? jñāni has got a wonderful mind. I told you compassion, love, generosity is
there.
Therefore mind itself is not the problem. Then what is the problem? Unenlightened
mind is the problem. Unenlightened mind is the burden. Aśāntasya manōbhāraḥ.
When will the mind become burdensome; śānti if it is not; mind will become bhāram.
Aśāntasya manōbhāraḥ.
And an enlightened mind is what? lightened mind; it is light. That goes for a fit shoe
is a blessing. A fit shoe or chappal is a blessing. But an unfit shoe is terrible.
Therefore shoe itself is not a problem. Fit or unfit is the issue.
Similarly, an enlightened mind is a blessing; whereas an ignorant mind is a curse.

Therefore jāgrat dharma varjitha; he does not have the burden caused by the
waking state.
Page 1748

And bōdhō nirvāsanō; bōdhaḥ, every knowledge or perception that he has, because
he is transacting in the world; he does sit in samādhi like the yōgis. In yōga
philosophy mind has to be resolved for happiness. That is difference between yōga
and vēdānta. Yōga requires samādhi for peace of mind; Vēdānta requires only
wisdom for peace of mind. Therefore vēdānta allows transactions. And since he is
transacting perception continues.
And what type of perception he has? Bōdhaḥ; every perception, every cognition,
nirvāsanaḥ; does not generate a vāsana in the form of rāga vāsana or dvēṣa vāsana.
So nirvāsanaḥ. A perception becomes a problem, if it generates either rāga or dvēṣa;
because once it generates rāga or dvēṣa; that object occupies your mind. Any
object; towards which you have rāga or dvēṣa; that has occupied your head; how to
know; when you sit in meditation you know. You sit in meditation, that person will
come. And every such object sitting in your small head; somehow burdensome it
will be. But you see how many people on the road. Do they sit in your head. They
do not. Why, because you have neither rāga or dvēṣa.
That is why Śankarācārya said: audāsīnya mapēsyathām janakripa naithurya

muthsrjyatām; when you have a perception without rāga or dvēṣa, it is called
audāsīnyaṁ. audāsīnyaṁ means you perceive the object; but do not allow the object
to sit and crush your head. And for jñāni whatever he sees; it does not sit and crush.
So nirvāsanaḥ. Saha jīvan mukthaḥ ucyatē. Such a person is said to be jīvan
mukthaḥ.
शान्तसंसारकलन कलावान�प �नष्कल |

यस् �चत्त �व�निश्चन् स जीवन्मुक इष्यत ||४३०||
śāntasaṁsārakalanaḥ kalāvānapi niṣkalaḥ |
yasya cittaṁ viniścintaṁ sa jīvanmukta iṣyatē ||430||
śānta saṁsāra kalanaḥ. So he is a person in whom the disturbances of saṁsāra have

subdued. kalanam means disturbances; impurities, blot; they are all śāntam. So like
a lake in which all the waves have subsided. It is like the śānta samudrah. Pacific
ocean is called śānta samudra. Pacific is what? relatively compared to the other
oceans, this is supposed to be śāntam; you know why, because it is deep. Deepest
portion in the ocean is in the Pacific ocean only. which is 30000 feet deep in one
place. This means what? that if you keep the Himalaya there; it will drown it;
submerged; how deep it must be. so deeper it is; more śāntam it is.
Page 1749

Similarly this jñāni has a deep wisdom; therefore all the disturbances are quietened.
kalāvānapi niṣkalaḥ. This is a just a pun in the language. OK. kalāvān; the word kala
has two meanings; one is division; and kalāvān means what? from the standpoint of
the body-mind-complex, from vyavahārika angle, from ego angle, he has got a
division. Like what? hands, legs, head, etc.
And second meaning of kala is art; art; the one who has got different kalās; he is
very learned person; so like painting music or dance; 64 arts are enumerated in our
tradition; so he knows all of them; or he has got divisions superficially; but from his
own standpoint; from the standpoint, from the standpoint of his real nature;
niṣkalaḥ Brahma he is. So niṣkalaḥ means what? divisionless. So without knowledge.
Because knowledge is from the standpoint of buddhi only; ātma dr̥ṣtya, he cannot
be called a jñāni.
I have told you before, hope you remember. That I am a brahma jñāni is also from
the standpoint of ahaṁkāra only. That I am a brahma jñāni is also from the
standpoint of pramātha ahaṁkāraḥ; as ātma or Brahman, I am not even
Brahmajñāni.
Brahmaiva na brahmavid ya kascid surēndra vanditha padai; nunam

manēṣa mama, in Manēṣa pañjakam
Śankarācārya beautifully says: Jñāni does not claim that he is a jñāni. Then he says:
I am Brahman. And therefore niṣkalaḥ. Nirjñānaḥ.
And because of this reason only, yasya cittam viniścintaṁ. In some books,
viniścintaṁ reading is there; I feel this reading is better. viniścintaṁ. viniścintaṁ
means what? cintā rahitam.
So vigahatāḥ niścayēna chināthāḥ; or viśēṣēṇa nirgatāha chintāḥ yasmat tat; that

mind from which all the cintās are gone; vini means what? without; cintā means
what? worry; viniścintaṁ means without worry; worryless. There is a beautiful slōka
which says:
�चता �चन्त द्वयॊरमद् �चन्त एव ग�रय�स

�चता दह�त सजीवम ्, �चन्त ज्नानयुत िजवयुतम वपुहुः
Page 1750

citā cintā dvayormadyē cintā ēva garīyasī

citā dahati sajīvama, cintā jñāna yutama jīvayutama vapuhuḥ
New year talk I said this. So chitha means what: funeral fire. cremation fire; cintā
means worry; this slōka says: both of them burn the body; worry also burns the
body; funeral fire also burns the body. Of these two fires, which one is more
powerful. Worry alone is a powerful fire, because worry burns live body; whereas
funeral fire burns only dead body. So see how much powerful worry is: That is why
we say worry is burning.
So therefore, this person is free from the fire called worry. yasya saha jīvan muktha
īṣyatē. In all these slōkas he is going to repeat that. sa jīvan muktha īṣyatē.
वतर्मानेऽ� देहेऽिस्मञ्छायावदनुव�तर |
अहन्ताममताऽभाव जीवन्मुक्त ल�णम ् ||४३१||
vartamānē:'pi dēhē:'smiñchāyāvadanuvartini |
ahantāmamatā:'bhāvō jīvanmuktasya lakṣaṇam ||431||
Even after jñānaṁ, the physical body will continue, for some more time, because of
prārabdha karma. And where will be the body? wherever he goes; wherever the
jñāni goes; the body also goes. So asmin varthamānē dēhē; So this body continues
to survive; and anuvarthini, unlike other things; somethings you can leave at home
and come; there are family members, you have left at home and come. Like that
you cannot say: Svāmiji, only buddhi is necessary in the class; require only sūkṣma
śarīraṁ; why physical body; you cannot drop; it will also come.
So anuvarthini; like what: chāyavat; chāya means what? not tea; in some people's
case tea also is anuvarthini; anywhere you go, tea they need; like the Kerala people.
Chāyavat; like the shadow it goes everywhere.
And in that body, in that surviving pursuing body, ahantha mamatha abhāvaḥ; jñāni
does not have I-notion, nor my-notion; he does not say I am the body; he does not
say body is mine. Both are not there.
Then how does he look up the body? As an integral part of the anātma prapañja; it
has come out of pañja bhūtāas; and after dancing about for sometime, it has to go
back to pañjabutha. If at all it is a property, it is the property of the Lord; I am only
Page 1751

a trustee; trustee cannot be the beneficiary from the Trust. It should be for only the
public benefit. Lōkaḥsangrahārtham; iti ahanta mamata abhāvaḥ; very careful, you
should not take bhāvaha; abhāvaḥ. So the one who does not have ahaṁkāra and
mamakāra with regard to his own body, he is a jīvan muktha and that is the
definition of a jīvan mukthaḥ. More in the next class.
Hari Om.
Page 1752

135. Verses 432 to 436
As a result of śravaṇa, manana and nidhidhyāsana for a length of time, a person

attains the knowledge which is free from all forms of obstacles, which the śāstra
calls sthira prajñaḥ and the person who has got such a sthira prajñaḥ is called sthira
prajñaḥ. And this sthira prajñaḥ alone is otherwise called jīvan mukthaḥ, because we
do not differentiate wisdom and jīvan mukthi.
For jīvan mukthi, a separate sādhana is not required other than wisdom. Wisdom
does not even cause jīvan mukthi. We say wisdom is jīvan muktiḥ, because the very
content of the wisdom is that my very nature is nithya muktha svarūpam. So a
person cannot say I have wisdom and I am waiting for mōkṣa, he cannot say
because the very content of wisdom is that mōkṣa is my nature; which need not
come as a future event. And therefore jñānaṁ and jīvan mukthi are synonymous
and therefore we can say that every jīvan muktha is a jñāni.
Naturally the question is: how do we know a person is a jñāni or jīvan muktha? This
doubt often comes. This came to Arjuna also. Sthithaprajñaḥsya kā bhāṣa. What is
the description of a jīvan mukthaḥ?
Since jñānaṁ is not visible to our eyes, we can never say whether another person
has jñānaṁ or not, because jñānaṁ belongs to intellect. Intellect belongs to sūkṣma
śarīraṁ; sūkṣma śarīraṁ is invisible. Therefore jñānaṁ is invisible. So whether a
person has jñānaṁ or not, who knows? Only one person knows. I know whether I
have jñānaṁ or not.
And therefore whether a person is jīvan muktha or not, nobody else in the world will
know, I alone have to know whether I am a jīvan muktha or not. But still people are
very curious. They want to find out which all students have become jīvan muktha.
More interested in others than ourselves. And even if you meet Svāmis, you want to
categorise which svāmis are jīvan muktha and in some vēdānta grantha, they even
grade jīvan muktha Brahmavid varaḥ; varēyān, variṣṭaḥ, etc. that category is
Page 1753

different, which means you have an extra responsibility of finding out to which
category this person falls.
So even though we should never be interested in judging other people, still out of
academic interest, these scriptures point out certain indications; general indications
of a jīvan muktha in terms of his conduct; in terms of his response to life's
situations. This has been given in the Gītā, in 3 different places; one is in the second
chapter end portion; in the form of sthira prajñaḥ lakṣaṇāni; then in the 12th
chapter end portion; in the form of para bhaktha lakṣaṇāni; and in the 14th chapter
end portion, guṇāthītha lakṣaṇāni. All the three are synonymous. Sthira prajñaḥ,
parā bhaktha and guṇāthītha. So Śankarācārya borrows from those portions and he
is elaborately dealing with jīvan muktha lakṣaṇani.
And as I said before, we should not utilise this to judge others but we should utilise
it to judge ourselves and in which direction our sādana should go, which weakness
of ours requires extra attention. So our interest is only in improving ourselves; not
categorising others.
And that is why Śankarācārya beautifully says: whatever is given as the nature of
sthira prajñaḥ, they should become a special sādana of a seeker. Therefore I
regularly watch whether I enjoy these characteristics and if I do not, I do whatever
is required. And this Śankarācārya deals with elaborately from verse No.417 up to
verse 470. 17 to 70; we have seen up to verse 431. Now we will enter into the next
verse.
अतीताननुसन्धान भ�वष्यद�वचारण म |
औदासीन्यम� प्राप जीवन्मुक्त ल�णम ् ||४३२||
atītānanusandhānaṁ bhaviṣyadavicāraṇam |
audāsīnyamapi prāptaṁ jīvanmuktasya lakṣaṇam ||432||
So what is the jīvan muktha's attitude towards the past; and also towards the
future? Whether we like or not, we all have a past. I am not talking about the past
janmas; because even though past janmas are there; fortunately they are not
known to us. Because Bhagavān understood, we are not able to handle the
immediate past itself; if we remember pūrva janma saṁbanda also, it will be a great
burden, therefore we are covered; concealed.
Page 1754

So when I talk about the past, I am only talking about the past of the present life.
The past can pass by itself is neither good or bad. Past by itself is neither good nor
bad; whether it is good or bad also depends upon how we utilise our past. Past can
be used for gaining maturity. Past can be used to generate guilt; guilt means what
guilt. So the mental disturbances caused by the mistakes that we have done in the
past.
Taittariya Upaṇiṣad says: kimadum sāduna karavanam; Kimahām pāpam karavaṁ

iti. Why I did such actions; why I did not do such actions? We call it; omission and
commissions based guilt. It can be the biggest burden. If past is used to create guilt
in the mind, past becomes a curse, and not only it becomes a curse, it becomes a
burden, which becomes an obstacle for your future journey. It is like a big iron ball,
tied to your leg and I am asking you to walk.
Football size iron ball in both legs; one is omission based worry; another is
commission based guilt. How can you walk? So in such case, past becomes what: a
retarding force. But if I am going to utilise the very same past, for learning from my
mistakes; you can call it experience, you can call it as polishing the personality.
As Chinmayānanda beautifully says: If you want to shine a knife, you have to rub it
against not a soft surface; against a rugged surface. So we take the past pains as a
rugged surface in which we got turned, sharpened very well. Therefore sthira
prajñaḥ is one for whom past does not have a retarding force; but past is only a
promoting catalyst, because it has led to his maturity.
One scientist, Edision or someone, who invented the bulb, he did the experiment
900 to 1000 times; and they asked him: aren't you bored; tired; then he answered it
seems: I have learned 900 times of how not to do that particular thing. If there is a
change in the bhāvana alone, it is not a burden at all.
So therefore for a sthitha prajñaḥ, past is a blessing. In the same way, future also is
neither good nor bad. But future can be a big problem, depending upon how we
look at the future. One is future can be a cause of anxiety, because we want the
future to happen in a particular way alone. We do not even give a choice to
Bhagavān; either this way or that; it should happen like this only. The moment you
are extremely particular about the future; it becomes the cause of anxiety. So future
can be an anxiety producer or future can be used to plan in the present
Page 1755

appropriately. So if future is used for appropriate planning in the present, future has
got a positive effect on the present. Thus past can produce a positive effect in the
form of what? Maturity. Future can produce a positive effect in the form of what?
intelligent planning. Similarly past can produce a negative effect, in the form of
what: guilt. Future can produce a negative effect in the form of anxiety. Both the
Past and future; how are we using; whether positively or negatively. It is in whose
hands? You only.
And therefore, here jīvan muktha lakṣaṇam he said: athīta ananu santhānam; a jīvan
muktha forgets his past. Never allows his past to become a burden on his mind.
And the problem is even if we are ready to forget, the other people; you said this
that day; you did that that day, etc. in 1913 this happened, etc. they remember that
but last week's Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi class is forgotten; but 1913 statements are
remembered red lettered they keep. People will remind; inspite of that we have to
forget. Athīta ananu sandānam. Anusandānam means brooding, brooding over the
past. anusandānam. ananu sandānam; not brooding over the past.
Similarly, bhaviṣyad avicāraṇam, vicāra means what? entertaining anxiety;

avicāranam means not entertaining anxiety with regard to future; bhaviṣyad means
future; bhāvi kālaḥ.
Then audāsīnyam api prāptham; there is one prāptham; prapthē is better reading.
So instead of prāptham, prāpthē; prāpthē means varthamāna kālaḥ, the present.
With regard to the present also, jñāni does not have over rāga or dvēṣa. Because
whether past and future disturbs you or not, is to a great extent determined by your
attitude towards the present. Because after all, what is past? Past is nothing but
which was present in the past. Then what is future? which is going to become
present. Therefore if we do not have appropriate attitude towards the present, we
will certainly not have appropriate attitude towards the past and future also.
And therefore you cannot try to change your attitude towards past and future;
without changing your attitude towards the present. And what is the change of
attitude? Avoid two much of rāga or dvēṣa with regard to any condition of the
present. If everything is fine, do not be over attached to that. ma kuru dana jana
youvana garvam, harithi nimeṣāt kāla sarvaṁ.
So if you are over-attached to the present favourable condition, then you are going
to worry about the future. How will you worry? This favourable condition, should
Page 1756

continue, should continue. That becomes the worry. I have told you: first you want
status, then quo; quo means what? status quo.
And therefore anybody congratulates you; you are worried about dr̥ṣṭi. So dr̥ṣṭi is a
typical case of attachment to the present favourable condition; saying this you fear
that you will lose that condition. So therefore never have rāga, if it is favourable.
Similarly never have dvēṣa also.
And this neutralisation of rāga-dvēṣa is called audāsīnyam. Audāsīnyam literally

means indifference. Neutral attitude. It is called audāsīnyam. And indifference in
English is used in a negative sense. And therefore you should understand
aaudaseenyam as absence of rāga-dvēṣa.
And when we say absence of rāga-dvēṣa; an aside point you should remember,
because in the Gītā, Krishna has said rāga-dvēṣa cannot be avoided, because
everybody wants to be healthy. That is natural! And nobody wants to be sick!
Therefore rāga towards health and dvēṣa towards ill-health is very very natural and
universal.
Indriyasya indriyaśārthe rāga-dvesho vyavasthithau; tayor na vasam agacche,
So therefore whenever we say absence of rāga-dvēṣa; what we mean is absence of

binding rāga-dvēṣa. Even if rāga-dvēṣas are there; they are converted into
preferences. I would be likely to be healthy throughout life. That is a preference. but
how do I know what is my prārabdha. So therefore if Lord's will and my prārabdha
are different, I am going to be prepared for that also.
Similarly, I would like my family members to be healthy and around. Not only
healthy and around.That is natural preference. Nothing wrong in it. But at the same
time, as I say, hope for the best; hope of the worst? and be prepared for the worst.
This is called audāsīnyam. Have preferences; but not needs. OK. That is
audāsīnyam. This is called jīvan mukthasya lakṣaṇam.
गण
ु दोष�व�शष्टेऽिस्मन्स्वभ �वल�णे |
सव्र समद�शर्त् जीवन्मुक्त ल�णम ् ||४३३||
guṇadōṣaviśiṣṭē:'sminsvabhāvēna vilakṣaṇē |
sarvatra śamadaḥrśitvaṁ jīvanmuktasya lakṣaṇam ||433||
Page 1757

So jñāni or sthira prajñaḥ has got such an attitude towards the world and the
present; because he knows that the creation is a pair of opposites. That is why it is
called dvandvam.
In the Gītā, Krishna repeatedly uses the word dvandva; dvandvai vimukthaḥ;
nirdvandvaḥ; dvandvātīthaḥ; dvandva means pairs of opposites. And what is the
main pair of opposite? Guṇa and doṣaḥ. Anything in the creation has got advantage
and it has got disadvantages also; and in equal number; as many advantages are
there; so many disadvantages are also there.
And the basic advantage and disadvantage is this. Let us assume that a thing has
got all the advantages only; for argument sake; all advantages only; + + + + +; all
pluses. Then there is one basic disadvantage, that object with all +, being bound by
time, it is subject to loss. So when it is subject to loss, that object is going to create
an effect; the more number of pluses, the more will be the pain caused. So please
repeatedly remember; nice nice, and nice. And crying thinking about this; thinking
about that; thinking thinking and crying; there is one type like that; because you
have seen so many positive points and one source of crying. Therefore there is how
many positive causes of happiness, so many positive causes of sorrow also will be
there. Therefore it will be there; guṇa doṣaḥ viśiṣṭaḥ idam jagath.
And therefore when they are available, enjoy them, nothing wrong. And you need
not enjoy their departure; at least you can learn to accept their departure. Enjoy the
presence, accept their departure. And similarly, enjoy their absence; some of them
are enjoyable when they are absent; some people when they come, you are happy;
but some people when they go, you will be happy. They also give us happiness.
how, by going away. So enjoy their absence, and what: accept their arrival also.
This is called healthy living.
And therefore guṇa doṣaḥ viśiṣṭam jagath and svabhavēna vilakṣanē and in the
world every object is different from every other object. It is a world of plurality. No
two things will be alike. No two finger prints; even finger prints are not alike. So if
there are five family members; each one will have one. So like Parliament, any issue
you take, there will be difference of opinion; it will be there; so different people
having different rāgas different dvēṣas.
Page 1758

So we have to learn to survive in spite of differences. The consenses; if it happens,

it is good. Very rarely it happens. And that is why we never believe in? One head is
required; hundred people can give hundred opinion; one head should decide one
thing or the other. Democracy; hung Parliament; what to do? all those problems will
be there.
Therefore svabhavēna vilakṣanē; naturally everything is different from everything.

And in all of them, sarvatra sama darśitvam; the wise person sees there is only thing
that is uniform in all of them.
To accept the differences, we should stand upon the non-difference; abedha. To

enjoy the changes, your feet should be on a changeless substratum. Only when you
catch, the changeless, you can enjoy the change. Even in relationship. All the other
relationships come and go; if you have to enjoy that, you should have at least one
relationship which is steady and trustworthy. Or else if something happens to
everyone, we will go mad.
And that is why in religion, they say, have God as your basic relative; trustworthy,
reliable. And then you can accept all the changing relationships.
Similarly jñāni is able to enjoy the changing universe because his feets are rooted on
the changeless reality. And therefore sarvatra samadarśitvam. He has got the vision
of seeing the uniform; the inherent; what is the inherent one? Brahman. It is the
changeless thread. How does Brahman pervade the universe? Yasyaiva spuranam
sadātmakam, in the form of sad rūpēṇa; in the form of very existence and among
the living being, in the form of caitanyaṁ, sad chit rūpēṇa, sarvatra
anuvarthamānam. samadarśitvam. That is called Iśāvāsyam idam sarvaṁ, yat
kinctya jagatyam jagath. That vision of Īśvara should never be lost sight of in and
through all relationship.
And if that is done, tēna tyaktēna bhunjīthaḥ; only through that vision, you can
protect yourselves from calamity in life. The only protection is samadarśitvam;
Īśvara darśanam. Darśanam means not seeing with the physical eye. It is the eye of
wisdom. Jīvan mukthasya lakṣaṇam.
इष्टा�नष्टाथर्सम्प समद�शर्तयाऽऽत्म |
Page 1759

उभयत्रा�वका�रत जीवन्मुक्त ल�णम ् ||४३४||

iṣṭāniṣṭārthasamprāptau śamadarśitayā:':'tmani |
ubhayatrāvikāritvaṁ jīvanmuktasya lakṣaṇam ||434||
As we had seen before, jīvan muktha also has got prārabdha karma. Sañcita karmās
are burned by jñānaṁ, āgami karmās are avoided by jñānaṁ, but prārabdha karma
can never be stopped. And in fact different jīvan mukthās has got different life
conditions; some of them are very popular; some of them unknown; in some cave
somewhere in the Himalaya. Why one is unknown and the other is popular?
Prārabdha. Even name and fame are connected heavily to prārabdha; that is why
you find that some people have got great faith; and you see that person has nothing
worth. Then you understand that it is sukra daśa; that he has got. And the other
person all the qualifications are there; but no name; why, some other daśai. So
therefore you do not see the connection between qualification and fame often.
And why? Prārabdha. Jñānis also famous jñānis; I would not say notorious jñānis;
non-famous jñānis; notorious jñānis cannot be there; non-famous jñānis; why?
because they have also prārabdha. And because of the prārabdha what happens;
iṣṭāniṣṭārthasamprāptau; favourable and unfavourable conditions artha literally
means objects, here we can take as condition.
At the grossest level; health and diseases. Jñāni also gets diseases. Similarly honour
and dishonour.
Samprātau; ātmani ubhayatra avikāritvam. Ātma here means mind. Avikāritvam

means balanced state of mind. So he sees it as the role of prārabdha and he accepts
the opposite experiences and ubhayatra, ubhayatra means in both conditions,
favourable and unfavourable. All these have come in Gītā;
ु सुखः स्वस् समलोष्टाश्मकाञ् |

समदःख
तुल्य�प्रया� धीरस्तुल्य�नन्दात्मसंस् ||१४- २४||
मानापमानयोस्तल्यस्तुल �मत्रा�रप�य |
सवार्रम्भप�रत्य गुणातीतः स उच्यत ||१४- २५||
samaduḥkhasukhaḥ svasthaḥ samalōṣṭāśmakāñcanaḥ |
tulyapriyāpriyō dhīrastulyanindātmasaṁstutiḥ ||14- 24||
mānāpamānayōstulyastulyō mitrāripakṣayōḥ |
Page 1760

sarvārambhaparityāgī guṇātītaḥ sa ucyatē ||14- 25||
14th chapter. So ubhayatra adhikāritvam; balanced condition of mind. How does he

enjoy the balance? What is the secret of his keeping the balance? samadarśitaḥ;
because he does not forget his svarūpam. The samam Brahma. So samadarśananam
nāma Brahma darśanam. Ātma darśanam. So because of the vision of the higher
nature; just as even a nightmarish dream, on waking up the dream effect may be
there; some sweat or so; but he knows that it is all only dream. Therefore because
of the higher vision avikāritvaṁ; he enjoys balance. That is jīvan muktasya
lakṣaṇam.
And you should always remember this transformation in the form of enjoying a
balanced mind is not going to be a sudden thing. If it is a sudden thing you can say:
till yesterday I was samsāri; and yesterday night at 12.45 jīvanmukthan I became.
Remember, even though we are describing the jīvan muktha as though black and
white division, remember, it is not a sudden transformation.
As Chinmayānanda nicely says: it is not a revolution; it is an evolution. And I have

given the clue; always keep in mind the disturbing reaction; we have to watch
ourselves; and three factors to be taken into account.
And what are the three? the Frequency; the Intensity; and the Recovery period.
They become gradually lesser and lesser. Frequency means number of times the
mind gets disturbed. For some people number of times cannot be counted, because
throughout, then how can you count, if it is in between, you can count. General if it
is like that, how can you count? The possibility of counting itself is a progress. As
somebody said: Peace is the gap between two wars. So therefore the Frequency
gets reduced and if you are serious, you can count. diary and all. how many times I
got disturbed.
And intensity I have told you how to measure. Intense disturbances expresses at
three different levels; less intense expresses at two levels; least intense feeble
disturbance expresses at one level. What is that? Three levels means; thought, word
vācikam and kāyikam. As Arjuna had
सीदिन् मम गात्रा मुखं च प�रशुष्य� |
Page 1761

वेपथश्
ु शर�रे मे रोमहषर्श जायते ||१- २९||
sīdanti mama gātrāṇi mukhaṁ ca pariśuṣyati |
vēpathuśca śarīrē mē rōmaharṣaśca jāyatē ||1- 29||
Intense emotions means you may get bodily symptoms also; psychosomatic. If this
bodily symptoms continue only, it becomes psychosomatic diseases. So for some
people constantly the eyes throb; continuously they do; it can come because of
mental pressure also. Do not start checking your eyes. Ok. If you start checking, you
may feel that you are having that problem.
Less intense means, physically you do not do anything. Mouth would not keep quiet.
you will talk to yourselves; alone in the bathroom, etc. while walking etc. That
means more pressure. Not to that extent.
And then least one is what? Itt arises in the mind, I am able to manage that. In fact,
only when it is least intense, it will come to manageable condition. So thus reduction
of intensity, and what is the last one; recovery period.
How long this disturbance continue? If there is a traumatic experience, how many
days you cry and you make others also cry. Free distribution of your sorrow,
because they have said that you should do dānam. So I have chosen to distribute
my worries as dānam!
So therefore recovery period becomes lesser and lesser and you can make it finer
and finer and finer; it is a life-long exercise. There is no question of zero. No zero
reaction; zero intensity; zero recovery period; that is not there; and we do not aim
for that also. Therefore you enjoy reducing these things.
And therefore avikāritvaṁ etc. should not taken as absolute. There is reduction of
mental disturbances. There is no question of zero disturbance. That will happen only
in vidēha mukthi. That is not our aim also.
And not only that. In this I will add one more point. Once we have reduced these
three sufficiently, we will find that you do not disturb the world. When our
disturbance is beyond a particular limit, your disturbance is transferred to others.
This is a serious problem, because why should others suffer because of my anger.
But once you have reduced sufficiently, the disturbance confine to myself. And
Page 1762

thereafter, these sādana is different. And that is even these disturbances belong to
anātma only.
So why should I be so much obsessed with reducing them to zero. If I am

overobsessed with the reaction, that is another type of reaction. That is also not
good. If I am over worried about the worry, over obsessed with mental reaction,
that is also a problem. Krishna tells that in the 14th chapter, prākāśam cha pravr̥ttim
cha mōham ēva ca pāndava.
The desire, that my mind should always be in satva guṇa, is also an attachment.
Work for a satva mind; but that also should not become an obsession; some amount
of rājas and tamas, let it come; and let it come and go. Therefore after some time,
nidhidhyāsana, is I should not be worried too much about viparītha bhāvana. Too
much worried about viparītha bhāvana is another type of viparītha bhāvana.
Therefore you relax. And last traces gets reduced if you become indifferent to them.
If you relax and take a stand, Let it remain and go; that reduces.
But note. Just note. As they say; that when you go to particle level, even the very
observation of the object changes its nature. Similarly in psychology also, when the
disturbances are so minute, we have reduced, we need not work on them; just
being aware of them itself will change. Therefore sarvatra avikārtvam must be
properly understood.
ब्रह्मानन्दरसास्वादासक्त� यतेः |
अन्तबर्�हर�व�ा जीवन्मुक्त ल�णम ् ||४३५||
brahmānandarasāsvādāsaktacittatayā yatēḥ |
antarbahiravijñānaṁ jīvanmuktasya lakṣaṇam ||435||
So once the mithyātva buddhi becomes sufficiently strong, his eagerness to improve
the mithya also is reduced. Initially there is some eagerness to improve the mithya.
In fact, even vēdānta vāsana is eagerness to improve what: your mind; you want to
convert your ignorant-intellect into wise-intellect. That is also an eagerness to
improve the mithya-intellect.
Therefore we should have eagerness to improve the mithya up to a particular level;

because you want to convert tamas into rājas; rājas into satva reasonably and
thereafter even over-eagerness to improve mithya. That becomes another problem.
Page 1763

Because when you are too much worried about changing the mithya, constant
dwelling upon them, mithya will get converted into satyam. When you are worrying
about a future situation, it may come. It has not yet come. But you go on dwelling
upon that; if that comes, what will happen; if that comes, what will happen? The
moment you repeatedly dwell, that future thing which does not exist at all; it gains
because of sheer momentum of thinking, it gains a reality, a prathibhaathika,
gradually becomes vyavahārika.
And how do you know it has become real? Because you begin to react to that. And
the reaction is vyavahārikam or prāthibhasikam? Reaction is vyavahārikam; for a
prāthibhasika thing and blood pressure and for a thing which has not come at all. So
therefore our mind has the capacity to convert an unreal thing into real thing; great
people we are, by repeatedly dwelling. Therefore even the obsession, which the
improvement of mithya, should not go beyond. Therefore he wants to spend more
time. If at all he wants to be obsessed with, let me be obsessed with what? Satyam,
because it is worth.
Therefore brahma ānandaḥ rasa asvāda sakta cittaī; beyond a certain level of
anātma improvement, jñāni is more concerned about owning up claiming his
svarūpam. Cittam asaktam. Sthira prajñaḥ's mind is more concerned asaktam,
interested in brahma ānandaḥ rasa. The ānandaḥ rasa means the pūrṇatvam. So the
rasa, the taste of pūrṇatvam of what: Brahman, which is his svarūpam; so he is
more concerned about owning the svarūpam; he does not want to get over-
obsessed with transforming the mithya.
Whatever he can do; for the body, medicine has to be taken, he has to take. If
society requires some form of service, he does not have anything to do; because
mōkṣam has come; time is there; what to do; so he might do something to
contribute to the society; but he is not going to think I am going to make earth a
heaven. That delusion is not there. Because Rāma has come and gone; Krishna has
come and gone. Vyāsa come and gone; Śankarācārya come and gone. When those
people could not convert the world into heaven; what could we do? If we do not
convert it into hell, that would be better and it would be our Contribution.
So therefore there is no delusion of revolution of the world and everybody. Svāmiji

was telling yesterday “When I started the courses, I thought that I can convert
Page 1764

everyone; change everyone; and now I have understood that I cannot change
anyone; in fact, they have changed me”. There is no such delusion.
So because of his, what you call, involvement of, because of his, what to say, āsakta
cittaḥ, since his mind is more established in this knowledge, of his real nature,
anthar bahihi avijñānaṁ. He is not obsessed with over worried about; does not allow
situation to cause sleeplessness, requiring sleeping tablets. That is not there. Antaḥ;
Does not worry too much about what is inside; in his mind, and bahiḥ; he accepts
mind also has to go fluctuating satva, rāja s and tamas. Avijñānaṁ jīvan mukthasaya
lakṣaṇam. Non-concern about the inner anātma and outer anātma.
देहेिन्द्रय कतर्व् ममाहंभावविजर्त |

औदासीन्ये यिस्तष्ठे जीवन्मुक्तल� ||४३६||
dēhēndriyādau kartavyē mamāhaṁbhāvavarjitaḥ |
audāsīnyēna yastiṣṭhētsa jīvanmuktalakṣaṇaḥ ||436||
As I said before, as long as prārabdha karma is there; jīvan muktha has a body; and
as long as there is a body, in that body, there is the ahaṁkāra is going to be there,
because ahaṁkāra's life is going to be determined by prārabdha. If ahaṁkāra is not
there, body will fall dead. Therefore jñāni also will have definitely ahaṁkāra and that
is also the reason why when this stomach is hungry, he feels hungry. If the
ahaṁkāra is not there, what will happen? I-buddhi has come everywhere, so
whoever is hungry, I am hungry. And like that if anybody is also sick, it would not
happen. Similarly, if mosquito bites someone, I will scratch here, and say that I feel
that the mosquito is biting someone. These are all mystic interpretations of vēdānta.
That all is not there. If the mosquito bites me, it will irritate me; and not others and
vice versa.
So therefore ahaṁkāra will be there; but it is an enlightened functioning non-

burdensome ahaṁkāra. There is no binding ahaṁkāra. It is like the ahaṁkāra
required for eating. So when you are eating, should you very deliberately think
where is the mouth, where is my body, etc. and where is the mouth, and I have to
order the hand to take the food, and very carefully put it into the mouth; or else it
will be a problem if it is put into somebody else's mouth. You have sufficient
ahaṁkāra which you may call even instinct, by which you are able to eat, you are
able to brush your teeth, you do not put the toothbrush in someone's mouth; you do
it only in your mouth; like that jñāni has got sufficient identification to do what he
Page 1765

has to do. If he is a family person, sufficient identification to know who are his
children and who are neighbour's children. And what are his chappals and what are
other's chappals. At the end of the class, if you all become ahaṁkāra less, tomorrow
the complaints will come to me. Svāmiji my chappal is not seen; and I would be
worried about my chappal also!
So therefore I know what are mine; that much ahaṁkāra will be there. Therefore
jñāni does not have a binding ahaṁkāra. That is said. Dēha indriyādau; ahaṁ
varjithaḥ; jñāni does not have a binding identification with the body and sense
organs. So ahaṁbhāva is to be connected with dēha and indriya. And because of the
functioning ahaṁkāra, which you call empircal ahaṁkāra, enlightened ahaṁkāra,
there will be duties also. Ahaṁkāra if it is there; you are part of a set up. Even
sanyāsi, if he is amidst the society, he has certain duties. And if he is part of the
creation, he has the duty to the environment even. Even if he is in the forest.
Therefore as long as ahaṁkāra is there; duties also will be there. With regard to the
duties, jñāni does not have binding mamakāra. This has to be done; this has to be
done; duty has to be finished; that duty becomes a burden. Since you are too much
concerned about the duty, you want to survive somehow; because you can leave
only after finishing the duty.
So therefore jñāni is also aware of this duty and if he has got śiṣya, duty towards
śiṣya, big duty; he has to be made to understood. And if he has a set up, duty to
that Āsrama; and he has make sure the next incumbent should be proper; select
him; all those things will come. So jñāni is aware of his empirical duties depending
upon his āsrama. But he does not have strong mamakāra, because both of them
belong to anātma. Ahaṁkāra and mamakāra belongs to anātma; therefore they are
mithya; therefore they would not be given absolute reality. You should give
sufficient reality to do your duty; but not sufficient reality to bind you, to burden
you.
So they give an example, in a different context, but which we can use. When the cat
lifts the baby, from one place to another, certainly with the help of mouth/teeth.
How strong it should be? It should bite; because it has to lift; it should be sufficiently
intense, so that the baby will not fall. But it should not be too strong a bite; baby will
be hurt. Śāstrik example you should understood. It should be that much. Similarly,
sufficient reality must be given so that you are not a irresponsible person. You
cannot drop everything and say let whatever should happen, happen. That should
Page 1766

not be. At the same time, it should not be too much to hurt you. So that much ahaṁ
mama is there; but not binding one.
And this attitude is called audāsīnya bhāvaḥ. Enjoying a non-binding ahaṁkāra; yaha
tiṣtē. So when there are many duties, while the samsāri is anxious, this jñāni is not
anxious; And when jñāni is not anxious, others will scold him. That person is not
concerned at all. Because according to worldly definition, only if have kavalai, worry,
you are a responsible person. The equation according to the world is there.
Responsibility and kavalai should go together. If you are the most responsible
person, you should have maximum kavalai. And jñāni is one who is trying to be
responsible without being anxious. But the ajñāni does not that. He measures
responsibility in terms of worry; kavalai. So the other people want to measure your
responsibility in terms of your worry; and if you do not worry; this person is without
responsibility! So therefore you will have problem in the society. They will scold you;
they will think that you are an irresponsible person.
Therefore if you want to harmony in the family, learn to act, as though you have a
worry. Yes boy, what to do; life is like that, etc. Svāmiji, is it hypocrisy, do not ask. I
would say that it is not hypocrisy, because you do not want to cheat people; you are
coming down to the level of the other people, like when your own child draws
Ganesha and it is like Anjaneya; but what do you say: appa, you have drawn
beautifully. Is it hypocrisy? No it is not. Therefore if the motive is not negative, you
might have to do some drama. That is why Śankarācārya has become a sanyāsi.
Sanyāsi you are not becoming. So therefore better learn to do some vēṣaṁ. More...
Hari Om.
Page 1767

136. Verses 437 to 441
देहेिन्द्रय कतर्व् ममाहंभावविजर्त |

औदासीन्ये यिस्तष्ठे जीवन्मुक्तल� ||४३६||
dēhēndriyādau kartavyē mamāhaṁbhāvavarjitaḥ |
audāsīnyēna yastiṣṭhētsa jīvanmuktalakṣaṇaḥ ||436||
Jñāna phalam of jīvan mukthi is being dealt with by the Ācārya in all these verses,
beginning from 417 up to 470th verse; and how a jīvan muktha transacts with the
world and how a jīvan muktha responds to the various experiences of life, because
as long as prārabdha is there; body is going to survive, and as long as body is there;
instinctive abhīmāna with the body will be there. And because of the instinctive
abhīmāna, by which the biological feelings are there like pain, hunger, thirst, etc.
there is a functioning ahaṁkāra also. So jñāni continues to be an entity and
therefore he has got an ahaṁkāra caused by prārabdha.
And as long as the prārabdha and ahaṁkāra are there, then there is a functioning
kartr̥tvam as well as functioning bōkhtr̥tvam and the kartr̥tvam will depend upon the
varṇa and āsrama that he belongs to or his social status. If he is a gr̥hastha, then
certainly there is a family ahaṁkāra of wife, children, etc. And similarly in society or
in an institution, he has that duty or kartr̥tvam. And kartr̥tvam will necessarily lead
to bōkhtr̥tvam, because whatever duties he will perform, there is sometimes
appreciation, there is sometimes admiration and often times, there is criticism also.
So thus a functioning akartā-bōktha will continue to be there.
Then what will be difference between jñāni and ajñāni, if you ask, Śankarācārya
points out that they have got only a functioning role, they do not have a binding
role. They mean kartr̥tvam and bōkhtr̥tvam. That is why in śāstra they give the
example of bharjita bhīja, roasted seed. So roasted seed continues to be a seed and
it is roasted seed. So roasted seed continues to be a seed and it is used for several
purposes and it is supposed to be tastier also in certain cases; but it cannot do one
thing, it cannot germinate; sprout.
In the same way, jñāna agninā, by the fire of knowledge, the ahaṁkāra seed has
been roasted for a jñāni and because of the roasting, the jñāni's ahaṁkāra is tastier;
Page 1768

tastier means that he can eat. Tastier means that his ahaṁkāra has wonderful
virtues like satyam, karuṇā, tuṣṭi, dhairyam, dhr̥tiḥ, purṇatvam, ānandaḥ; these are
the taste added to the roasted ahaṁkāra. But one thing it cannot do; it cannot
germinate into saṁsāra; it cannot generate bondage.
Therefore he said: audāsīnyēna yastiṣṭhē; the ahaṁkāra plays the role but nothing is
carried forward and it is not that he spends sleepless nights, over anxious about his
akartā-role or abōktha-role. A prominent akartā or abōktha means they occupy the
mind all the time. When you are worrying about your responsibilities or duties, it is
the akartā that is causing burden. And when you are worried about what your family
members will do to you; or the institution will do to you; then it is the abōktha-I,
that is becoming a burden. So it does not preoccupy his mind. It has got an adhoc
existence at the time of performance and thereafter it stands aside. It means the
akartā, abōktha ahaṁkāra. And this attitude is called audāsīnyaṁ.
So audāsīnyaṁ looks as though he is indifferent to the problems of the family,

because the society always measures your responsibility. As I said in the last class;
society measures your responsibility in terms of the amount of worry that you do.
Therefore society expects you to worry. Because when everybody is worrying
samsāri, and if you refuse to worry, you naturally become a black-sheep. Therefore
even if you do your duty, if you refuse to worry, the family members will criticise
that you are irresponsible; but in fact, the truth is jñāni is responsible without worry;
that is vēdānta. Responsibility minus worry. That is called audāsīnyaṁ. It is a
beautiful word. In English, often it is translated as indifference; but indifference has
got an idea of irresponsible behaviour. No. audāsīnyaṁ means responsibility without
worry; tension, anxiety, BP; sleepless night, sleeping pills, without all these
responsibility is audāsīnyaṁ. Up to this we saw in the last class.
�व�ात आत्मन यस् ब्रह्मभ श्रुतेबर्ल |

भवबन्ध�व�नमुर्क स जीवन्मुक्तणः ||४३७||
vijñāta ātmanō yasya brahmabhāvaḥ śrutērbalāt |
bhavabandavinirmuktaḥ sa jīvanmuktalakṣaṇaḥ ||437||
Ātmana brahmabhāvaḥ vijñātaḥ. So the Brahman status of himself has been

recognised by the jñāni. So as I have often said, Brahman is not a new entity which
we have to find, because we use the word as a noun, and we describe Brahman as
sathyam, jñānaṁ, anantaṁ, etc. Often there is a misconception that there is a entity
Page 1769

called Brahman which we have to experience, know, come across, find, etc. But on
real enquiry we will know that Brahman is not a new entity; but it is a new status of
I, the already known evident ātma. So the entity is I; and Brahman is the status of I;
and what is that status; limitlessness. Therefore, jñāni has recognised the limitless
status of himself and limitless meaning dēśa, kālaḥ, vastu pariccēda sūnyatvam;
freedom from the limitations caused by time, space and attribute or properties. So
Brahma bhāvaha, pūrṇatvam ithyarthaḥ, pūrṇatvam of himself; vijñāthaḥ; has been
known.
And how did the jñāni come to know that? Did he have anything special; sr̥utē balāt;
with the help of the śruti or the upaṇiṣadic teaching, which is already available in the
creation. So with the strength of śruti. Here the strength means the teaching. So
śruti pramāṇēna ityarthaḥ.
And when Brahma bhāva of oneself is recognised, jīva bhāva otherwise known as
apurṇatvam status gets displaced. Before coming to vēdānta, I enjoyed jīva bhāva or
apūrṇatvam. And after grasping the teaching, there is another new property given;
what is that? pūrṇatvam or Brahma bhāva.
But here the peculiarity is: previously I had apūrṇatvam; śruti gives me pūrṇatvam;
can I retain both of them; the earlier apūrṇatvam also I will retain because it was
there till now; let us not give it up and let us be grateful to apūrṇatvam; so I will
retain apūrṇatvam; and upon apūrṇatvam I will add pūrṇatvam, can you say? You
cannot say: Not, why? Because remember, opposite properties cannot co-exist. So
when I know I am tall, and somebody says I am heavy also, both can co-exist. I can
be tall and heavy; because tallness and heavyness are not contradictory attributes.
Whereas apūrṇatvam and pūrṇatvam; jīva bhāva and brahma bhāva can never co-
exist. Therefore as I grasp the Brahma bhāva, pūrṇatvam, I have to necessarily
renounce; give up, jīva bhāva or apūrṇatvam.
This is called displacement of adhyāsa by knowledge. In technical language.

Displacement of adhyāsa; adhyāsa means what? False apūrṇatvam, superimposed
apūrṇatvam by knowledge. Knowledge of what? Pūrṇatvam, jñānaṁ.
This is the essence of Śankarācārya's adhyāsa bhāṣyam. Once I come to know the
ropeness of the object, naturally the snakeness will have to be displaced. I cannot
say it is rope also; it is snake also, it is not possible.
Page 1770

And therefore bhava banda vinirmukthaḥ, because of the arrival of pūrṇatvam;

bhava bandaḥ. Bhavaḥ means saṁsāraḥ; saṁsāraḥ means apūrṇatvam. And
apūrṇatvam is a bandaḥ, is a bondage. I am tied to what? I am tied to dēśa and
kālaḥ; that is the bondage. I am spacially limited, I am time-wise limited; and
therefore punarapi jananam; punarapi maraṇam cycle, I am bound to. So from that
apūrṇatva bondage, vinirmukthaḥ; the jñāni is totally free. And remember, this
apūrṇatvam is not a property which I remove. Apūrṇatvam is not a property that I
remove, because if apūrṇatvam; apūrṇatvam, do you understand, apūrṇatvam
means limitation; if apūrṇatvam is my property, it can never be converted into
pūrṇatvam; because finite by any amount of processes can never become infinite.
Therefore remember apūrṇatvam I do not eliminate, apūrṇatvam notion in the

intellect, I drop. So there is only an intellectual change. No physical change. No
spiritual change, because unfortunately, spirit, the ātma, can never undergo change.
Therefore, there is no spiritual change as well as physical change also is not there.
No change is happening outside, a changing is happening only in your thinking. And
what is that change? I thought I am apūrṇaḥ, and I know now that it is a notion;
and therefore intellectually I am dropping a misconception from the mind.
It is a cognitive change; it is a change at the level of knowledge. That is why

Upaṇiṣads repeatedly says: buddhi is the instrument required for jñānaṁ and
elimination of notion. Dr̥śyate tu agraya buddhya sūkṣmaya. The whole thing is in
your knowledge.
And therefore bhava banda vinirmukthaḥ means free from the notion of
apūrṇatvam. And such a person is called jīvan mukthaḥ.
देहेिन्द्रयेष्वह इदंभावस्तदन्य |
यस् नो भवतः क्वा� स जीवन्मुक इष्यत ||४३८||
dēhēndriyēṣvahaṁbhāva idaṁbhāvastadanyakē |
yasya nō bhavataḥ kvāpi sa jīvanmukta iṣyatē ||438||
dēhēndriyēṣu ahaṁbhāvaḥ no bhavati. The jñāni never entertains, the I-notion, in

the body, sense organs, etc. Etc. means mind-intellect. So when I entertain I-
abhīmāna in the body-mind etc., I have got a localised-I; a finite-I; a divided-I; an
Page 1771

isolated-I. This is called ahaṁbhāvaḥ; means segregated, isolated-I. And once my I

is confined to a small area, that is the body, etc., naturally there are many things
outside me, because I means I am located here. Therefore there are infinite things
which are referred to as idam. So tad anyake means what; upon everything else.
Everything else means what? other than body, mind and sense organs. Upon
everything else, what is the notion? Idam. Idam means what? This is a table, this is
mike, this is desk, this is earth, this is man, this is chair. And the word Idam in
grammar is a third person. By using the third person I am indirectly declaring that
they are all other than me. They are all away from me. Thus I create a clean division
in the world, in the form of first person, second person, third person. The first
person is ahaṁkāra, which allows second and third persons.
If the first person is Brahman, there cannot be second or third persons; why; why
there cannot be? Brahman includes everything. Therefore ‘I’ will include ahaṁ
annam, ahaṁ annādhaḥ; ahaṁ lōkaḥkrutu, ahaṁ ēvam idagum sarvaṁ. So the real-
I cannot accommodate second and third person; it is the ego-I that accommodates
second and third persons. Once the second and third persons come, then comes all
kinds of problems.
I want to expand myself by getting things, I want to reject some of things and there
is more important desire is I do not want to be rejected by the world. Already when
I feel that I am a small individual; I am a spec of a person; I feel so small, that my
existence itself is doubtful to me. Because the vaster the world, the smaller-I. And
therefore there is a constant fear of rejection from the world. And that is why I want
everybody to talk to me. Everybody to enquire about me; so that I am sure, I am
existing. If no one is talking, we will ask: can't you ask whether I am existing or
gone? This is one of the biggest physiological problems, which grows more and
more intense as we grow old, because young we contribute something to the society
and family and therefore I am proving myself. And as I grow old my contribution to
the family and society becomes lesser and lesser and therefore I myself doubt
whether I am there or not; and as my contributions become lesser, others also are
not interested in me.
यावद्�वत्तोपाज सक्त
स्ताविन् प�रवारो रक्त |
पश्चाज्जीव जजर् देहे
वाता� कोऽ�प न पच
ृ ्छ� गेहे ||५||
Page 1772

yāvadvittōpārjana saktaḥ
stāvannija parivārō raktaḥ |
paścājjīvati jarjara dēhē
vārtāṁ kō:'pi na pr̥cchati gēhē ||5||
As long as you earn, you are VIP. Once you stop earning, you are IP. I.P you know;
tāvatpr̥cchati kuśalaṁ gēhē; they will enquire.
One of the fundamental expression of saṁsāra is the fear of rejection by people and
this fear will continue as long as a limit I am a limited isolated person. Jñāni does
not have this problem. He is aware that no body can reject me because the entire
world is existing in Me. How can mithya prapañja reject sathyam adiṣṭānam?
Suppose the dream people struggle to reject the waker. Is it not stupidity? The very
dream is existing because of the waker.
Therefore I know: maiēva sakalam jātam, mayi sarvaṁ pratiṣṭitham; therefore I

have no fear of rejection at all. And even the desire for approval seeking; approval
seeking is another psychological problem. All these problems are because of
isolation. These two are not there for a jīvan muktha.
Therefore I-notion in the body, and this-notion in the world is no bhavatha; no

means naiva bhavathaha; never happens; at least in a weak moment, will it happen.
kyāpi; at any time it does not arise. Saha jīvan mukthaḥ īṣyatē.
न प्रत्यग्ब्रह् कदा�प ब्रह्मसगर |

प्र� यो �वजा�न�त स जीवन्मुक्तल� ||४३९||
na pratyagbrahmaṇōrbhēdaṁ kadāpi brahmasargayōḥ |
prajñayā yō vijāniti sa jīvanmuktalakṣaṇaḥ ||439||
In fact this verse explains the previous verse, why jñāni does not have the three
persons; first person, second person and third person. He says: he does not see any
division between three things.
And what are those three things? jīvātma, paramātma and jagat. So he never sees
any gap, any separation, any division between these three; pratyag brahmaṇōr
bhēdaṁ na vijāniti. pratyag means jīvātma, brahma means paramātma, bhēdam
means divisions, separations. na vijāniti, kadāpi, at any time, why? because he
Page 1773

knows jīvātma is sacchidānada svarūpaḥ; paramātma is sacchiddānandaḥ svarūpaḥ;

and therefore they are two names for the one and the same caitanyaṁ.
And if you ask why two names when caitanyaṁ is only one, we say two names are
given from the referential standpoint, just as a person is called a father in the
context of family; and he is called MD, managing director, from the standpoint of the
institution or company; the person is the same, the angle of observation.
Similarly, one and the same caitanyaṁ, vyaṣti dr̥stya jīvathma iti ucyatē; samaṣti
dr̥ṣṭyā paramātma iti ucyatē; svarūpathaḥ, there is no difference at all. And
therefore, they are two names but one entity. And just as there is no difference
between jīvātma and paramātma, brahma sargayo; he does not see any distance
between Brahman paramātmā and the world. He does not see any difference
between Brahma, means paramātma; and sargaḥ means the world; the created
universe.
And why he does not see any distance between paramātma and the world? Because
he knows one is kāraṇam, the other is kāryam; therefore the kāryam world cannot
exist separate from the kāraṇa paramātma. Tat ananyatvam ārambaṇa
samdādhibhyaḥ.
In Brahma Sūtra, one full section is used to talk about that. That means Paramātma
plus nāma rūpa is equal to world. Paramātma plus nāma rūpa is equal to world.
There is no substance called world other than paramātma. So therefore there is no
jīvātma separate from paramātma; there is no world separate from paramātma.
Therefore what is there is only one paramātma. Iti vijānāti.
And how does he know that? Prajñāya; through the eye of wisdom; which is
generated; here means jñānaṁ; guru śāstra upadeśa janya jñānēna vijānati; saha
jīvan mukta lakṣaṇa. He is called jīvan muktha.
Of course, most of these descriptions are such that only a person will know that
whether he has this knowledge or not; there are two types of description; certain
types of descriptions other people cannot know. Whether I have got ēkatva buddhi
how will I know? You have to only assume, because that is internal; but
Page 1774

दःखे
etc. There are certain characteristics we can find out, because it will come out at the
external level; like śāntiḥ in crisis; the balance, when there is māna, apamāna, etc.
Some of them, they will flow at the physical and verbal level; but many of them are
only at the mental level. Therefore you cannot judge others. And as I had often said,
this description is not for judging others, but only to know where I stand.
साध�ु भः पूज्यमानेऽिस्मन्पीड्यमान दज
ु र्नै |
समभावो भवेद्यस स जीवन्मुक्तल� ||४४०||
sādhubhiḥ pūjyamānē:'sminpīḍyamānē:'pi durjanaiḥ |
śamabhāvō bhavēdyasya sa jīvanmuktalakṣaṇaḥ ||440||
Śankarācārya himself feels that; he wants to give some other characteristics which
will be to some extent visible outside. Face is the index of the mind; for there are
certainly inner mental conditions which will reflect at the physical and verbal level.
So Śankarācārya gives one such example. Pūjyamānē sādhubhiḥ, when this sādhu is
glorified, honoured, worshipped by other seekers or noble people, because he knows
jñānis are respected by only spiritual people. The materialist people are not going to
respect jñāni because, what will he get from jñāni? They are not interested in
Saraswati. They are interested in Lakshmi. Therefore they will only go in for other
people.
That is why Śankarācārya carefully uses the word sādhubhiḥ pūjyamānē, the jñānis
when they are worshipped by spiritual seekers, śama bhāvaḥ. This jñāni does not
feel elated; seeing the honour, pūjā, respect, photos and all those things; he is not
enamoured, he is not carried away by such honours. Even that is relatively easier.
That is also difficult. That is relatively easier.
But the other side, durjanaiḥ pīḍyamānē; when he is oppressed by, harassed by,
taunted by, durjanaiḥ; those non-spiritual people, who do not recognise the glory of
a jñāni. That the very existence of a jñāni in society, நல்லா ஒ�வர உளேரல (naalar
Page 1775

oruvar ularer); the only condition is that such a person should exist; he need not do
any service, teaching or anything, his very existence in some corner of the society, it
will bless the society. But that blessing is invisible blessing; not a material
advantage.
So this nāstika people who have the eyes for only material benefit, they will not see
any benefit in their existence. In fact, they will say there is another extra mouth to
be fed; and they are not contributing; but he is actually having bikṣa at regular
times. So therefore durjanai are only going to criticize only, because they do not
know. Will the donkey know the smell of camphor? Like that will the donkey know;
No.
So in both of them, śama bhāvaha; the one who enjoys equanimity. So he knows
when pīḍa comes.
When I see the word pīḍa, sometimes I remember the newspaper, when they refer
to Śankarācārya s and all; there is a word; Pīṭādhipathiḥ; pīṭam means what? an
institution; a centre; adhipathi means head; Sriṅgeri, Kānci, or Puri, Pīṭādhipathiḥ. In
Tamil four letters are not there; Ta, Tta, da, Dha, are not there; so they will
pronounce as pīḍathipathi. At least when they translate into English, can't they can
make it t..h..a..; when they write t..e...e...t...a... So pīda adhipathiḥ becomes what?
it is a terrible thing. Therefore we should know the difference pīda and pīṭa; pīda
means harassment, oppression, etc. Is he the adhipathi for that! So what does he
thing. So when pīda comes from the society, he looks upon it as the exhaustion of
some pāpa prārabdha. And when he becomes popular; gets garland, pāda pūjā,
namaskāra, and all those thing, he takes it as the exhaustion of some of the
prārabdha puṇyam. And because of that, sama bhāvaḥ. And it is not a wonder for
him because, the very life is meant for what? Exhaustion of puṇyam and pāpam, so
which is a normal course that is happening.
Some people see me as wonderful; and same people after some time see as terrible
also. The same people who said Wonderful, they after some time tell, terrible. What
if you ask, they will say; Ok, it has come from puṇya to pāpa ; that is only that. So
he sees everything as prārabdhāya śamarpittam sva vapuḥ ityēṣa manēṣha mama.
Saha jīvanmuktha lakṣaṇaha. Such a person is called jīvan mukthaḥ.
Page 1776

And incidentally, an aside note also; a karma yōgi is also supposed to have sama
bhāvaha, because karma yōga is defined as śamatvam yōga ucyatē.
सुखदःखे
ु समे कृत्व लाभालाभौ जयाजयौ |
ततो यद्ध
ु यज
ु ्यस नैवं पापमवाप्स्य ||२- ३८||
sukhaduḥkhē samē kr̥tvā lābhālābhau jayājayau |
tatō yuddhāya yujyasva naivaṁ pāpamavāpsyasi ||2- 38||
So if karma yōgi has got samabhāva; and jñāni also has got ātmabhāva, both seems
to be one and the same.
If both are one and the same; why should I become a jñāni? I can remain as karma
yōgi; and becoming a jñāni is a headache; literally headache; jñānaṁ has to take
place in the head. Sādhana catuṣṭaya saṁpatti is itself a headache; thereafter
śravaṇam has to be done, mananam has to be done, classes have to be attended;
the place has to be perfect. So all those things; so why can't I continue as a karma
yōgi.
Remember, the samabhāva of a karma yōgi is a precariously existing shaky

samabhāva, because it does not have the firm support of jñānaṁ. Karma yōgi does
not have a firm support of jñānaṁ; therefore his samabhāva is like the balancing of
the cycle by a person who has recently learned to ride; just by looking you can
understand; the L board type; just see his face; and there will be tension and he is
somehow balancing. One mātuvandi comes, 50' away, he will get down from the
vehicle or he will fall. So karma yōgi's samatvam is called āpēkṣita samatvam; and
jñāna yōgi's samatvam is called āthyantika samatvam.
And Dayānanda Svāmi uses a beautiful pair of words, karma yōgi's samatvam is
deliberately practiced samatvam. There is a will involved. Effort involved; and often
failure is also involved.
Whereas jñāni yōgi's samatvam is no more deliberate; it has become spontaneous

samatvam; there is no effort; there is no will; it has become a second nature. Like a
cyclist who has been driving for years and who leaves both the hands also; from the
handlebar and talks to the neighbour; you might have seen in the road; one should
be like that. Thus he has got samatvam niṣṭa.
Page 1777

यत प्र�वष �वषयाः परे �रता

नद�प्रवा इव वा�रराशौ |
�लनिन् सन्मात्र न �व�क्रय
उत्पादयन्त् य�त�वर्मुक् ||४४१||
yatra praviṣṭā viṣayāḥ parēritā
nadīpravāhā iva vārirāśau |
linanti sanmātratayā na vikriyāṁ
utpādayantyēṣa yatirvimuktaḥ ||441 ||
Vimuktaḥ is only correct. So in this verse, Śankarācārya is paraphrasing the well

known Gītā verse,
आपूयर्माणमचलप्र�त
समुद्रमा प्र�वशि यद्वत |
तद्वत्का यं प्र�वशि सव�
स शािन्तमाप्�त न कामकामी ||२- ७०||
āpūryamāṇamacalapratiṣṭhaṁ
samudramāpaḥ praviśanti yadvat |
tadvatkāmā yaṁ praviśanti sarvē
sa śāntimāpnōti na kāmakāmī ||2- 70||
In the 2nd chapter, towards the end a beautiful definition of Jīvan Muktha by
comparing him to the ocean. Ocean is deep; ocean is ever full. Similarly, jñāni is also
deep and full. And that is why he is calm also. നിറകുടം തുള�മ്പി (nirakutam
tullimbilla); empty vessel make maximum noise.
Now Krishna says varieties of rivers enter the ocean. And ocean continues to be full;
it does not overflow; and not only it is full; it is not polluted also. Of course,
scientifically some pollution is taking place, but not that easily; and really we have
to do so much akramaṁs to pollute the ocean. Like huge oil tankers submerging and
oil is released. Nucelar waste pollution; all those things. Otherwise ocean is pure
only; whether Gaṅgā enters or our notorious Kūvam enters. And if the rivers feel
that they are giving water to the ocean; and keeping the ocean full; what will be the
reply of the ocean? Ocean will not even chose to reply; it will only smile; because
ocean knows the rivers themselves have got water; only from the ocean.
Page 1778

In the same way, jñāni is like an ocean. And varieties of experiences comparable to
the rivers; they enter him; śabdha rūpēṇa; sparśa rūpēṇa; rūpa rūpēṇa, rasa
rūpēṇa; gandha rūpēṇa; varieties of experiences enter. And normally a samsāri is
disturbed by everything that enters. Either out of happiness, his mind overflows;
that is called elation; and he loses his balances, or because of unhappiness, he
becomes dry like many rivers and tanks; either overflowing because of athivr̥iṣti; or
becoming dry because of anāvr̥iṣti. This is samsāri, who is like a pond.
In the case of jñāni, athivr̥iṣti or anāvr̥iṣti; athivr̥iṣti means excessive rain; anāvr̥iṣti
means no rain. Here it is the rain of ānandaḥ.
So when the ānandaḥ comes from the world, pleasurable experiences one after the
other; good news after good news is coming. And this person hits the ceiling and
then a few days no good news or bad news after bad news. He has hit the ceiling;
he is flat on the ground.
Jñāni knows there is no ānandaḥ outside. Whatever ānandaḥ the sense objects give;
that is also reflected ānandaḥ only. If you remember Taittariya Upaṇiṣad, we have
seen. Satyapriyamēva siraḥ; mōdō dakṣiṇā pakṣaḥ; there is not even an iota of
ānandaḥ in the world. Anybody giving ānandaḥ is just as ocean getting back its own
waters; similarly I am getting my own ānandaḥ coming through the external world.
Remember the example of the dog biting the bone. It gets its own blood.
Therefore sometimes my own ānandaḥ comes in a circulated fashion; like in the

fountains and all; water goes up but again it is cycled; my own ānandaḥ alone.
And therefore he says: viṣayāḥ yatra praviṣṭā. Varieties of sensory experiences enter
the jñāni; yatra means jñāni or jñāni's mind. And what type of sensory experiences?
parēritā; para īritaḥ has two meanings; one meaning is which are brought about by
others; caused by others; para prēritaḥ; and the second meaning is para uktāḥ;
which are uttered by other people.
So when you take the first meaning, brought about by others; then the word,
viṣayāḥ means all sensory experiences caused by other people. But when you take
para īritaḥ as uktāḥ, then the sensory experiences refer to only the words that is
spoken by other people. In the place of uktāḥ, viṣayāḥ will mean only śabdhāḥ;
Page 1779

when īritaḥ is taken as caused by; then viṣayāḥ means śabda, sparsa, rūpa, rasa,
gandha.
Now the question is why should Śankarācārya say: sensory experiences caused by
others? It is because jñāni is not after any sensory experiences, because he does not
have any desires; therefore he is not after them. If there are musicians galore; he is
not interested in going and listening; No, because he is happy; without music also.
But what happens; there will be devotee musicians; they will say: Svāmiji, I have a
desire to sing for you. So therefore what he does? Para īritaḥ viṣayāḥ; and
sometimes there are good musicians; both are there; some terrible; and then he has
to listen patiently; and if he does not know music OK; but if he knows some music;
he has to tolerate; and at the end, he cannot say, it is not good; not good if you say
hurt; good if I say, they will say, I will sing more; more dangerous. So therefore
whatever be the experiences, good music or terrible music; it is not he is after them;
but it comes because of other people, which is nothing but prārabdha.
So prārabdha vaśāth, viṣayḥ praviṣṭāḥ bhavanti; experiences enter the mind of a

jñāni; and like what? example is given; nadhi pravāhaḥ vāri rāśau iva; so just as
streams of rivers; pravāhaḥ means streams; praviṣṭāḥ to be supplied. Just as
streams of rivers enter, vāri rāśiḥ; vāri rāśiḥ means ocean; rāśiḥ means huge
reservoir; vrāśiḥri means water; so vāri rāśiḥ means reservoir of water. A huge
reservoir of water; which means ocean here.
And as they enter with so much speed; you have to see the Amazon river and all; so
forcible; it enters; whatever be the momentum of the river; the moment it enters
the ocean; it all subsides.
Similarly, all the sensory experiences linanti; linanti means layaṁ prapnuvanti; they
resolve without disturbing the mind. Without shaking the mind; either positively or
negatively; positive shaking is what? being carried away by elation. There also we
lose the balance. And negative shaking is what: being carried away by pain or
problem.
Therefore there is no shake at all; so linanti, layaṁ prāpnuvanti; lee dāthu, ninth
conjugation. So fourth conjugation is līyatē; ninth conjugation is: lināthi, linēthaḥ;
linanti; plural number because viṣayāḥ.
Page 1780

So they all resolve; as what? sanmātrataya; because what does jñāni do. Jñāni
removes the nāma rūpa, as soon as it reaches him. The first job is what? Nāma rūpa
he dismantles; because he knows that varieties belong to nāma and rūpa; essentially
every experience is nothing but satcidātma alone and what is that satcidātma
himself.
Like Gaṅgā, Kāveri etc. is nothing but water plus nāma rūpa. We say Gaṅgā is
entering; ocean will not call it Gaṅgā; in the vision of the wise ocean; imagine the
ocean as a living being; in the vision of the wise ocean; it is not Gaṅgā entering or
kūvam entering; he sees everything as water entering. And I am that full water;
whose fullness will not be: Na karmaṇā vardhatē, no kanēyan; neither subject to
increase or decrease; therefore sanmātrataya; as pure existence. They are not seen
as experiences but they are seen as satcidātma.
Svāmi Chinmayānanda nicely tells; one devotee was in great poverty; and he
wanted to sell his four idols; he was a Rāma bhaktha; Rāma; Lakṣmaṇa, Sīta and
Anjanēya; and he handed over to that person who handles gold. And for him these
four people are Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa, Sīta and Anjaneya. And who is most valuable one?
Of course, Rāma, he is the Lord. But that person who is the goldsmith, for him
Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa, Sīta and Anjaneya, etc. sarvathra what dr̥ṣṭi; Gold dr̥ṣṭi. And he
will price it according to what? not Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa, etc. but for him, everything is
balanced, and Anjaneya had the gadha. It had more weight; I will give more price
for that. My God Anjaneya is a dāsa; Rāma is a Svāmi ; how can you give you less
price; how can you give more price; this is called confusion between nāma rūpa and
content.
In the same way, the wise man, he never ceases differences in terms of
experiences. When the experiences are crushed and made they are nothing but
Brahma arpaṇam, Brahma havihi; Brahma agnau; Brāhmaṇa hutam; everything is
Brahman. Therefore sanmāthrataya means sanmāthra rūpēṇa ekibhavanti. And
which means vikrēyam na utpādayanthi.
As long as they are nāma rūpēṇa prādhana, they can shake your mind. When they
are Brahma pradhāna; they can never shake your mind; therefore vikriyām na
utpādayanti. And such a person ēshaḥ yatiḥ; such a person; and as I said:
Śankarācārya sees every seeker as a Sanyāsi only; therefore such a sanyāsi, sanyāsi
Page 1781

as I said, take it as a detached person; such a virāgi puruṣaḥ is vimukthaḥ; is a jīvan

mukthaḥ.
More. in the next class.

Hari Om.
Page 1782

137. Verses 442 to 446
यत प्र�वष �वषयाः परे �रता

नद�प्रवा इव वा�रराशौ |
�लनिन् सन्मात्र न �व�क्रय
उत्पादयन्त् य�त�वर्मुक् ||४४१||
yatra praviṣṭā viṣayāḥ parēritā
nadīpravāhā iva vārirāśau |
linanti sanmātratayā na vikriyāṁ
utpādayantyēṣa yatirvimuktaḥ ||441||
Śankarācārya has given a comprehensive picture of vēdantic teaching and he has

elaborately dealt with the sādhanās also; consisting of śravaṇam, mananam and
nidhidhyāsanam. And the topic of nidhidhyāsanam was very uniquely and
elaborately dealt with up to 417th verse. And from 418th verse onwards,
Śankarācārya is dealing with the phalam or the benefit of this knowledge, jñāna
phalam. And this jñāna phalam is presented in the śāstra as mōkṣaḥ or muktiḥ and
mukthi is the topic that we are seeing now and this goes up to verse 471st verse.
418 to 471 is the jñāna phalam.
And when we talk about the jñāna phalam we have got two-fold approach in the
śāstra. And this must be clear to us; otherwise there can be confusion regarding
mōkṣa. Until we come to vēdānta, the word I had only one meaning and that is I,
the śarīra thrayaṁ, which has the borrowed consciousness. Cidābhāsā sahita śarīra
thrayaṁ; otherwise called ahaṁkāra; that is the meaning of the word-I. And as
ahaṁkāra, I have got birth, I have got karma, I have got karma phalam, I have got
prārabdha, at the end of prārabdha, I lose this physical body; then I travel and take
another physical body. Thus the word-I has only one meaning; that is the limited
akartā bōktha ahaṁkāra-I.
And therefore the scriptures talk about mōkṣa also; in a general term; you will be
free form sorrow; you will be free from duḥkhaṁ; you will be free from punarjanma
etc.
Page 1783

But once we have thoroughly studied the vēdānta, we come to know that the word-I
has got two different meanings. One is the popular meaning which I had understood
even before coming to vēdānta, that is the I-the individual, the ahaṁkāra.
But after the study of vēdānta, I know that the ahaṁkāra-I is a relative emperical-I;
but the real-I is the sākṣi caitanyaṁ, the original consciousness, which
consciousness is nothing but Brahman which is all-pervading, which is asaṅgam,
which is nirguṇam, which is śuddham, etc. So this is the second meaning of the
word-I; which I came to know after the study of vēdānta.
So there are two aspects to my I; one is the ahaṁkāra part of the I and the other is
the sākṣi-I.
And whenever we are transacting which I is involved, if you analyse, we come to

know that always the ahaṁkāra-I and the sākṣi-I are present together. They cannot
be physically separated. Ahaṁkāra cannot be separated from sākṣi; Why? because
sākṣi is all-pervading; how can ahaṁkāra be taken away from sākṣi. And similarly,
sākṣi also cannot be separated from ahaṁkāra, because ahaṁkāra cannot exist
without the presence of sākṣi.
And therefore the word-I is a mixture of ahaṁkāra-I and the sākṣi-I. And since it is
mixture of both ahaṁkāra, which is the relative-I and the sākṣi, which is the
absolute-I; at any time, I can refer to any one of them. So when I am referring to
ahaṁkāra -aspect, I will use the ahaṁkāra pradhāna ahaṁ and when I am referring
to sākṣi it is what type of I; sākṣi pradhāna ahaṁ. So when you say that particular
person is a jñāni; when you say a particular person is a jñāni, are you referring to
the ahaṁkāra pradhāna ahaṁ or the sākṣi pradhāna ahaṁ. What answer? jñāni, the
adjective refers to the ahaṁkāra pradhana I or sākṣi? Sākṣi cannot be jñāni also,
because jñānaṁ belongs to the anthakāraṇam, which is ahaṁkāra. So therefore and
at another time he says ahaṁ brahmāsmi; which ahaṁ is referred to? ahaṁ-
pradhāna ahaṁ or sākṣi-pradhāna ahaṁ; ahaṁ brahmāsmi when you say that ahaṁ
refers to the sākṣi alone; because the sākṣi caitanyaṁ alone is Brahman; ahaṁkāra
which is śarīra traya cidābhāsā can never be Brahman.
And since these two angles are there, mōkṣa can be described, from the standpoint
of ahaṁkāra pradhāna-I or sākṣi-pradhāna-I.
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So when you described a jñāni, as one who had got compassion, love, etc. adveshta
sarvabhūthānam maitraḥ, karuṇaḥ, nirmamaḥ, nirahaṁkāraḥ, śamadukha sukhaḥ,
vitharāga bhaya krōdhaḥ, there are no more negative emotions, he has got all the
positive virtues; when you describe, it is the description of which-I?; which I;
whether sākṣi has got all these virtues, compassion and others for whom? Sākṣi or
ahaṁkāra? Therefore ahaṁkāra alone.
And suppose you are talking about the residual vāsana; the residual viparītha
bhāvana, debātma buddhi continues, viparītha bhāvana continues when you say,
that viparītha bhavana continues for which I? Sākṣi or ahaṁkāra? Ahaṁkāra only.
Therefore one way of looking at mōkṣa is from the stand point of ahaṁkāra; one
way of looking at mōkṣa is from the stand point of sākṣi.
When you look at mōkṣa from ahaṁkāra standpoint, it is a gradual phenomenon;

you will have to talk about the gradation of mōkṣa, because first jñānaṁ is gained,
that is from the stand point of what: ahaṁkāra, thereafterwards doubts are
removed, doubts belong to ahaṁkāra or sākṣi. Ahaṁkāra and even after the removal
of doubt, there is lot of viparītha bhāvana, again belongs to what: ahaṁkāra.
Therefore when you study mōkṣa from ahaṁkāra standpoint, it is a very gradual and
graded process.
So jñānaṁ, then jñāna niṣṭa and first I am a jñāni, then I become a better jñāni as I
remove the doubt, and then even after the removal of doubt, I have habitual anger,
habitual depression, habitual worry, that is also gradually removed. Thus mōkṣa
becomes a gradual process from the standpoint of what? ahaṁkāra.
And not only it is a gradual process, we have to talk about two types of mōkṣa, one
is jīvan mukthi, when ahaṁkāra is associated with the present body, it is jīvan
mukthi. And what is the vidēha mukthi? When the present body is gone, and a new
body does not come; it is called vidēha mukthi.
So thus from ahaṁkāra angle mōkṣa has got gradation, because the obstacles are
gradually removed, I find that my anger does not go suddenly one day, there is a
half-jīvan mukthi, 3/4th jīvan mukthi and you can never clearly point out that this
person is jīvan muktha, this person is not.
That is why I gave you the example, exactly at what time the day breaks I can never
say. At 5 o clock it is slightly light; at 5.10 it is little bit more. So from ahaṁkāra
Page 1785

angle, mōkṣa will have graduation and you will never be able to clearly say: I am
muktha or not. Because as even you say I am mukthaḥ, you will remember
yesterday I got angry. This morning I got depressed. How can I say muktha? Doubt
will persist. Because nobody will be totally free from all these emotional upheavals.
Therefore we can only have some kind of a vague definition; problems are not there
much. Even if psychological problems are there; I am able to handle them; they do
not create serious problems. So mōkṣa will have gradation.
That is why some śāstra talks about Brahmavid, brahmavid varaḥ; brahmavid
varēyan; brahmavid variṣṭaḥ; all from the standpoint of ahaṁkāra.
And not only that, you will have to divide mukthi into two also; jīvan mukthi when
this body is there; vidēha mukthi when this body is gone.
Whereas when I look at mōkṣa from sākṣi-I; tell me when do I get mōkṣa? When do
I get mōkṣa? After studying vēdānta, do I say that now I have got mōkṣa. I can
never say now I have got mōkṣa, my understanding is: I was, I am and I ever will
be mukthaḥ. And how much viparītha bhavana I have? I mean the sākṣi I am
talking; how much viparītha bhavana I have? I do not have bhāvana at all; where is
the question of viparītha bhāvana nivr̥tti; problems belong to anātma; anātma will
have various situations; my mōkṣa has no connection to viparītha bhāvana nivr̥tti.
My mōkṣa has no connection to viparītha bhāvana nivr̥tti.
Then what about freedom from punarjanma? Will have I punarjanma or not? When
doubt arise? What reply? Freedom from Punarjanma means what: freedom from
rebirth. But my knowledge is: ātma does not have even one birth; where is the
question of; re is possible only when there is the first birth. And therefore I do not
have the very question of rebirth. And therefore mōkṣa is not a gradual process from
sākṣi dr̥ṣṭi. The moment I understand I am sākṣi clearly, thereafterwards, there is no
gradation at all. And also there is no question of jīvan mukthi and vidēha mukthi
difference; because jīvan mukthi, vidēha mukthi difference is from ahaṁkāra
standpoint.
As far as sākṣi is concerned, it is ever free from body. In fact, all the bodies are
resting in Me the sākṣi caitanyaṁ. One body arriving; and one body departing does
not make any difference; in Me the sākṣi caitanyaṁ, hundreds of bodies rise and go;
but I am not associated with anybody. Every body exist in me; but at the same time,
Page 1786

I am not associated with any body; either I am nithya sadēhaḥ; or I am nithya

vidēhaḥ. Vidēhatvam is not a future event. So therefore whenever we get the
description of mōkṣa, we should always know which is the description from
ahaṁkāra standpoint; which is the description from sākṣi standpoint.
If I have to enjoy absolute mōkṣa, I have to look at from standpoint only; from
ahaṁkāra standpoint, there will be always what? something or the other would be
there. So this we should remember as we are studying the mōkṣa description.
With this background, we will go to verse No.442.
�व�ातब्रह्मतत् यथापूव� न संस�तः

ृ |
अिस् चेन् स �व�ातब्रह्मभ ब�हमुर्ख ||४४२||
vijñātabrahmatattvasya yathāpūrvaṁ na saṁsr̥tiḥ |
asti cēnna sa vijñātabrahmabhāvō bahirmukhaḥ ||442||
So from the sākṣi stand point, from the real-I standpoint, Śankarācārya points out
that the moment you clearly understand that I am sākṣi, thereafterwards there is no
question of getting mōkṣa, because sākṣi happens to be ever mukthaḥ; liberation
does not arrive; it is my nature. My nature, when you say, what is the meaning of
the word My: sākṣi ātma.
Therefore vijnāta brahma tatvasya; for a person who has clearly understood I am
not ahaṁkāra; but sākṣi; yatha pūrvam samsrithi na; there is no question of
saṁsāra; as it was superimposed before. It is not that before knowledge, sākṣi has
saṁsāra. Before knowledge I thought there is saṁsāra; after knowledge I know that
there is no saṁsāra for me. And suppose a person says: I know I am sākṣi; but still I
have saṁsāra; this is very very common.
Svāmiji, the teaching is very very clear. You are a wonderful teacher. I have
understood very clearly ahaṁ brahmāsmi. My only problem is: my son is not alright.
Who am I? Brahman? Who is not alright? My son. That means what? Brahman's son
is not alright. Can you see where is the snag? I am Brahman when we say; we are
very clear about the meaning of the word-I; but the next moment we slip down from
sākṣi-I to ahaṁkāra-I and then remember the mamakāra son and then worry comes.
Worry comes to sākṣi or ahaṁkāra? Worry comes to ahaṁkāra and then we say how
can I claim that I am liberated? Thus we are dangling, oscillating between sākṣi and
Page 1787

ahaṁkāra; this discrimination as long as it is not clear, there will be vagueness

throughout.
And therefore Śankarācārya says: If a person says I know I am Brahman but I have
problems in my family, Śankarācārya says that this statement: I know I am Brahman
is confusion. The one who says I have problems has not understand vēdānta. So he
says: asthicēt; though a person says: I know vēdānta, I know Brahman, and I have
problem also. I have jñānaṁ also; I have saṁsāra also. Suppose a person says:
Śankarācārya says: saha na vijnātha brahma bhāvaḥ; he does not know what he is
saying. It is a statement but he does not mean what he says. It does not come from
his heart. It is coming from his lips alone; he does not mean what he says. And
therefore jñānaṁ and saṁsāra can never co-exist. So saha na vijnāta brahma
bhāva; he is not a jñāni; then who is he; bahirmukhaḥ; he is extrovert; what do you
mean by extrovertedness? Here extrovertedness has got a very fine meaning;
extrovertedness does not require looking at the world; coming from sākṣi to
ahaṁkāra, itself is extrovertedness. The very individualisation of I, looking at myself
as an individual itself is an extrovertedness, because my real nature is sākṣi; coming
from sākṣi to ahaṁkāra is an extrovertedness.
And therefore bahirmukhaḥ. He looks at himself only as an individual; even he

studies mōkṣa as an individual-I; that is not what the teaching of vēdānta is.
प्राचीनवासनावेगाद संसरती�त चेत् |

न सदेकत्व�व�ानान्मन भव�त वासना ||४४३||
prācīnavāsanāvēgādaśau saṁsaratīti cēt |
na sadēkatvavijñānānmandī bhavati vāsanā ||443||
So the student does not understand what Śankarācārya is trying to convey. What
Śankarācārya wants to convey is that the moment I know I am sākṣi very clearly and
once it is doubtless fact, ahaṁkāra's conditions are not my condition. And therefore
I never look at myself from ahaṁkāra standpoint. The moment it is very clear to me
that I am sākṣi. Once I look at myself as sākṣi the caitanyaṁ, mōkṣa is not even
immediate, but it is an eternal obtaining fact.
This is what Śaṁkarācāryā is trying to convey. But the student is looking at mōkṣa
from ahaṁkāra standpoint only. Śankarācārya is trying to train us to look at mōkṣa
Page 1788

from the standpoint of sākṣi as an eternal fact; but the student wants to look at
mōkṣa from ahaṁkāra standpoint.
Therefore what does he say? Svāmiji I know I am Brahman. But my emotional

problems continue. I have knowledge but my emotional problems continue. That
means what? Still when he says my emotional problems continue, he is looking at
himself as what: ahaṁkāra only.
Since the student wants to look at mōkṣa only from ahaṁkāra standpoint,
Śankarācārya also comes down. OK. You have not understand. Therefore I will
comprise and I will also start describing mōkṣa from ahaṁkāra standpoint. And then
what do I say. That you will not get mōkṣa immediately after knowledge, because if
you are looking from ahaṁkāra standpoint, jñānaṁ is not sufficient, jñāna niṣṭa is
required. Because even after knowledge, ahaṁkāra can suffer because of vāsana.
Are you able to see the difference? When look at from the standpoint of ahaṁkāra,
jñānaṁ alone is enough; jñānaṁ is not sufficient; because even after jñānaṁ, the
emotional, habitual problems will continue; and therefore you have to do further
sadhānas for elimination of ahaṁkāra's problems. And you have to eliminate
ahaṁkāra's problem, because you want to look at mōkṣa from ahaṁkāra's
standpoint.
And therefore student asks the question: Hey Guru, I am a jñāni; when I say I am
jñāni, who is this person? ahaṁkāra. Even though what is the jñānaṁ? I am not
ahaṁkāra, what is the jñānaṁ? I am not ahaṁkāra. How spectacular this is! The
jñānaṁ is I am not ahaṁkāra and he says I am a jñāni; very interesting, wonderful
topic for meditation. So I am a jñāni, enlightened ahaṁkāra, but still I have got
problem. Problem because of what: pracheena vāsana vegāh; because of the force
of old vāsanas. vegāh means what momentum, we give the example of any vehicle,
even after switching off the vehicle, it would run for some distance. Even after
switching of the fan, the fan will go round for some more time. Therefore because of
dēhātma vāsana, asau saṁsārati. So this person suffers; suffers from what?
reaction; rāga, dvēṣa, kāma, krōdhaḥ, all these reactions belong to whom, ahaṁkāra
or sākṣi; again ahaṁkāra. And those reactions of ahaṁkāra, I consider as my
problem. Samsarti iti cēt.
If that is the problem, Śankarācārya says OK; I am taking you hereafter as

ahaṁkāra. I wanted to look at you as sākṣi; but you are not permitting me to do
Page 1789

that; therefore hereafter I am going to describe mōkṣa only from the standpoint of
ahaṁkāra. Therefore what you have to do; you have to eliminate the vāsana.
And how to eliminate vāsana? Nidhidhyasanēna. So by constantly saying, I am not

the body. I am not the mind, I am the sākṣi. This has to be repeated. Sadēkatva
vijñānāt. So because of Sadēkatva, Sad means Brahma, eka means non-duality; by
vijñānaṁ, here vijñānaṁ means nidhidhyāsanam, by dwelling upon the non-dual
Brahman, that is I; what will happen, the vāsanās; he does not say that it will be
eliminated. Remember, ahaṁkāra can never be free from vāsanas totally.
There is no total freedom from vāsanas, because vāsanas have been gathered in
infinite janmās. Therefore what is possible? You can try to reduce the impact of
vāsanas.
And there also we talk about śubha vāsana and aśubha vāsana; śubha vāsana will
have lesser problem; aśubha vāsanas will have more problem; therefore try to
eliminate all the aśubha vāsanas; and śubha vāsanās you try to reduce their impact.
So if you have got a śubha vāsana of getting up early in the morning and taking
bath and then you know putting vibūthi and all those things, and you light up the
lamp; it is a wonderful vāsana; but suppose in the family other members do not do
that; they continue to sleep till 9 a.m.; and they continue in the night dress day
dress difference have come now; only one dress; so therefore they continue in the
night dress itself throughout; and there is no snānēna; all these are not there; these
persons with śubha vāsana is extremely irritated by seeing these modern people.
Śubha vāsana is sukha kāraṇam or duḥkha kāraṇam? It irritates him; because you
cannot see other people doing like that. This is called golden bondage.
Therefore as long as ahaṁkāra is there; there will be vāsana, śubha or aśubha, and
they are going to create problems. Then what can you do? You can try to reduce. So
therefore by nidhidhyāsanam, mandhi bhavathi; mandhi bhavathi means what? the
vāsanas will become weaker and that is what I have said before; three things will
gradually come down; do you remember three things; frequency of your negative
reactions; intensity of our negative reactions; and then the recovery period.
And what is the intensity? the most intense reaction is at the three levels; thought,
word and action. Then less intense reaction, at the level of thought and word and
Page 1790

the least intense reaction is at the thought level only. I do not utter words, I do not
do anything; that is called mandhi bhāva. In the level of the mind only, some anger,
jealousy, will come; but it will go away. Only that much is possible, with regard to
what: ahāmkāra dr̥șṭya mōkṣa can be only reduction of these three problems.
Therefore, sadēkatvya vijñānath vāsana mandhi bhavathi. It gets weakened.
अत्यन्तकामुकस्य विृ त्त कुण्ठ� मात�र |

तथैव ब्रह् �ाते पूणार्नन् मनी�षणः ||४४४||
atyantakāmukasyāpi vr̥ttiḥ kuṇṭhati mātari |
tathaiva brahmaṇi jñātē pūrṇānandē manīṣiṇaḥ ||444||
So all these are from ahaṁkāra dr̥șṭya; what happens? how our reactions get a
transformation. That is the description. The more I practice nidhidhyāsanam of satya
brahma, the world's mithyātvam becomes prominent. The more I meditate on satya
brahma, the more the mithyātvam of the universe become prominent. The world will
lose its reality.
I gave you the example, as the Sun rises, a flame which is kept outside, gradually
seemingly becomes dimmer and dimmer. Not that the light becomes dim; but the
sunlight is so bright, that it loses its impact. And you would not even know the
presence of light; that flame in the mid afternoon. But during the midnight you enter
this compound and if there is one candle light in the middle, as even you enter, it
becomes bright.
Similarly, Brahma bhāvana weakens the reality of the world. When the reality of the
world comes down, our reactions of rāga and dvēṣa towards a mithya vasthu will
also come down. So weakening of rāga-dvēṣa takes place. This is called perspective
change. There is no change in the world; but there is a change in the perspective.
Krishna tells in the Gītā, na prahr̥ṣyētpriyaṁ prāpya nōdvijētprāpya cāpriyam.
Previously one good news I jump to the top of the ceiling and one bad news I cry
for days. But now the very same event takes place, na prahr̥ṣyēt; there is neither
elation nor depression; there is no change in the world but there is a change in the
perspective and therefore the reaction also.
Therefore Śankarācārya says: Brahmani jñātē; second line; pūrnānandē brahmani

jñāte; when that Brahman which is poorna ānandaḥ svarūpam is known, Brahman
becomes more and more real to me and the world becomes more and more mithya
Page 1791

to me; maniṣinaḥ; for that wise person you gradually becoming jñāna niṣṭaha;
maniṣinaḥ here means what? jñāna niṣṭasya;
And how it becomes? Because of constant nidhidhyāsanam. So when I mōkṣa from

ahaṁkāra angle, nidhidhyāsanam becomes extremely important. Ahaṁkāra dr̥ṣṭyā
mōkṣa requires constant nidhidhyāsanam.
And for that nidhidhyasaka buddhya, vr̥ttiḥkuṇṭhati. The reactions weaken; gets
blunted. The vr̥ttiḥ means what? the thoughts in the mind. Kuṇṭhati; they become
blunt. So like a sharp knife, which is rubbed against a rough surface, it becomes
blunt and a blunt knife cannot wound others. Similarly sharp reactions, sharp words,
sharp actions, wounding words, etc. will be blunted; vr̥ttiḥ kuṇṭhati; means blunted.
Even the displeasure is not expressed very strongly; I say that it would have been
nice, if you would had done that. Or else it is ... ; then there is and all those things,
all of them will go away. Sharp reactions go away. And an example is given. What is
that example? Atyanta kāmukasya; suppose there is a person who is full of passion;
kāmukaḥ means a passionate person; a person who is given to kāma; even for that
kāma soaked, kāma dominant person, mātari, when he looks at his own mother, he
can never have an inappropriate response.
Even the worst kāmi cannot have inappropriate response, because the perspective is
what: she is my mother. In the same way, the jñāni has a totally different
perspective. Therefore the world is incapable of generating passion. So strong kāma,
strong krōdhaḥ, strong lobhaḥ; strong mātsarya; none of them the world can
generate. That is the description given in the Gītā. दःखे
वीतरागभयक्रो duḥkhēṣvanudvignamanāḥ sukhēṣu vigataspr̥haḥ; | vīta rāga bhaya

krōdhaḥ; but can the reactions become zero. Very careful; ahaṁkāra dr̥șṭa they can
never become zero; they can become so mild that they would not tell upon my life.
They would not create a deep scar but you can never make them zero. Zero is
possible where; from sākṣi dr̥șṭya, I am absolutely free from all these; but ahaṁkāra
dr̥șṭya, even rāga-dvēṣa cannot become zero.
That is why Dayānanda svāmi nicely says: if you have got one jñāni from one one
State of India; representative jñānis and you keep a buffe lunch, and you have got
dishes of all the states, then what will happen? Buffe. If you serve, he will eat
anything; that is a different matter. If it is a buffet, the jñāni from a particular state
Page 1792

will go after the food of a particular state. But if you serve any other thing he will
eat; but that is a different thing. But if choice is given, indriyasya indriyasya arthē,
rāga dvēṣau vyavasthithau. Ahaṁkāra will have its rāga dvēṣa. Krishna will love to
play flute; Saraswati will love to play not flute, veena only. So therefore ahaṁkāra
dr̥șṭya, total emotionlessness is not possible. Then what is possible. Kuntibhāvaḥ is
one word; mantibhāvaḥ; they can be made non-consequential. They can be made
non-consequential.
�न�दध्यासनशीलस बाह्यप्र ई�यते |

ब्रवी श्रु�तरेत प्रारब फलदशर्नात ||४४५||
nididhyāsanaśīlasya bāhyapratyaya īkṣyatē |
bravīti śrutirētasya prārabdhaṁ phaladarśanāt ||445||
So Śankarācārya says therefore from ahaṁkāra angle, there will be scope for ups
and down in life; and therefore there will be scope for varieties of responses also.
Uniform response from ahaṁkāra is not possible. And when it becomes milder; for
that milder reactions, it is not shown outside; therefore in the face, calmness is
there; in the language also, the calmness, one is able to maintain; but at the mental
level, things will be there. But it will not be damaging, either to oneself or to others
also.
And therefore Śankarācārya says nidhidhyasanasīlasya; even for a person who is

constantly practicing nidhidhyāsanam; he cannot sit in samādhi permanently.
Permanent samādhi is done by others. Do you understand? Permanent samādhi
means; it is the samādhi constructed by the disciples. Even for politicians they do
the samādhi; that is a different matter. So, as long as I am alive; I cannot sit in
nidhidhyāsanam and samādhi throughout life and therefore there will be time, when
I have to interact with the world. And even if I run away from the society and
transactions and I sit in the forest; there will be mosquitoes. There will be animals;
there will be weather conditions; and therefore bāhyapratyaya īkṣyatē; there will be
responses with regard to the external world. Bāhyapratyaya means what?
transactions born responses and reactions you cannot never avoid.
So bāhyapratyaya īkṣyatē; pratyaya means what? Thoughts. So if you are reading

newspaper, again, you will find that in so many places, so many things are
happening; the king and queen of Nepal shot dead; whether it is accident or
deliberate, fact remains they are dead. So many things happen. Even if you are not
Page 1793

involved in anything, adharma is growing, dharma is going, how can the mind
remain neutral. When there is suffering somewhere, the mind picks up the suffering
of others; and there is the empathetic strain; cannot be avoided; can’t avoid that.
Therefore bāhya pratyaya will be there.
And therefore what does the śāstra say? Ahaṁkāra of even a jñāni will be influenced
by his prārabdhaṁ. Jñāni's ahaṁkāra can never be uniform. If there are 10 jñānis,
and they will have different conditions and therefore different emotional responses
also; one jñāni may be surrounded by happy people; one jñāni may be surrounded
by unhappy people; that will create the corresponding thoughts; response in the
mind. How can you be happy when all over people are crying? Not my problem; but
I am surrounded by that. Therefore ahaṁkāra picks up the pains and pleasures of
others. It is influenced by what: prārabdhaṁ.
Therefore jñāni has got prārabdhaṁ or not; if you ask, what is the answer? what
should you be your answer? You should not answer; you should ask the question;
from what angle you are talking. Sākṣi pradhāna jñāni or ahaṁkāra pradhāna jñāni.
As long as you define jñāni as ahaṁkāra, that jñāni ahaṁkāra has got prārabdhaṁ.
And therefore Śankarācārya says śrutiḥ ētasya; ētasya jñānina ahaṁkāra rūpa
jñāninaha; prārabdhaṁ bravīthi. We talk about prārabdhaṁ. Do not ask me; what is
prārabdhaṁ. Do you remember. What is prārabdhaṁ? what is sañcitam? what is
āgāmi? I hope you remember all that. I am not going to go to that. That would
become a very bad prārabdhaṁ for me. So therefore prārabdhaṁ will be there.
What is the proof? phala darśanāt. Because we are seeing the result of prārabdhaṁ,
one jñāni is healthy; another jñāni is sick; one jñāni has got lot of name and fame;
another jñāni is unknown. One jñāni writes lot of books. another jñāni does not do
anything. One jñāni gets lot of students; another jñāni no students at all, something
problem. Why prārabdhaḥ? Whose prārabdhaṁ? Your prārabdhaṁ also. Therefore
ahaṁkāra dr̥șṭya jñāni will have all ups and downs; what about reactions? reactions
can be minimised by nidhidhyāsanam.
So prārabdhaṁ asti; what is the proof? phala darśanāt; His very biography is the
proof.
Page 1794

सुखाद्यनुभव यावत्तावत्प्रारब्ध� |
फलोदयः �क्रयापू �निष्क् न �ह कुत्र�च ||४४६||
sukhādyanubhavō yāvattāvatprārabdhamiṣyatē |
phalōdayaḥ kriyāpūrvō niṣkriyō na hi kutracit ||446||
So what is the proof for prārabdhaḥ? Sukha duḥkha anubhavaḥ is the proof for
prārabdha. And ahaṁkāra is bound to have sukha duḥkha anubhavaḥ; even if the
world is very nice to him; even if he gets a wonderful set of people; for all obedient
wonderful does whatever he says; all wonderful śiṣyās like you, let us take it like
that; so there is no problem from external world; even if you manage to avoid all the
external problems; by ordering your life in such a way, the prārabdha will begin to
do its job through the body. Because prārabdha has to give sukha and dukha; if you
manipulate the world, the prārabdha will start working through the body; therefore
body will go through varirties of experiences. If prārabdhaṁ is good, healthy body,
healthy life; healthy old age and peaceful death; but if prārabdhaṁ is not like that;
even the jñāni śarīraṁ will go through the biological pain and the mind also will
certainly be influenced by body conditions; strong nidhidhyāsanam can reduce the
adverse reactions to the pain. Again reduce the adverse mental reactions to the
pain, by seeing that prārabdha will have to be gone through. Therefore what is the
use of reacting to that? You can reduce; but you can never make it zero, because
mind is part of nature; mind will be affected by the condition of the body also. The
mental reactions be mandi bhavathi. It can be made mandhi bhāvaha; but you can
never make it zero.
And therefore sukhādhi anubhavaḥ yāvat; as long as sukham duḥkhaṁ experiences

are there; prārabdhaṁ īṣyatē. You have to infer prārabdhaṁ, because prārabdhaṁ
is adr̥ṣṭam, invisible; we have to arrive at prārabdhaṁ only through inference;
And what is inference? jñāni going through biological conditions is the proof for the
presence of prārabdhaṁ.
And this prārabdha is born out of what: phalōdayaḥ kriya pūrvaḥ; this prārabdha is
preceded by good and bad actions, in the pūrva janma. Because prārabdha is what?
karma phalam. Karma phalam is preceded by what? Big question you see; karma
phalam is preceded by what? karma. Therefore phalōdayaḥ means karma phala
udayaha; is always preceded by karma. He need not have done evil actions after
Page 1795

jñānaṁ. He need not have done evil actions even in this birth. Some evil actions
done in some past birth can choose to give diseases in this janma.
Therefore kriya pūrvaḥ; and niṣkriyaḥ kutracit na. And there is no ahaṁkāra which is
actionless. Ahaṁkāram should act; and therefore its result it has to enjoy. If
ahaṁkāra has been without action, there would not have been prārabdha. But
actionless ahaṁkāra does not take place. Niṣkriyaḥ means karma rahita ahaṁkāraha
kutracit nāsti. Therefore ahaṁkāra dr̥ṣṭyā jīvan mukthi means what? making the
reactions feeble; sākṣi dr̥ṣṭyā he can be absolute.
Hari Om.
Page 1796

138. Verses 447 to 453
सुखाद्यनुभव यावत्तावत्प्रारब्ध� |
फलोदयः �क्रयापू �निष्क् न �ह कुत्र�च ||४४६||
sukhādyanubhavō yāvattāvatprārabdhamiṣyatē |
phalōdayaḥ kriyāpūrvō niṣkriyō na hi kutracit ||446||
Śankarācārya has come to the final topic of the vēdantic teaching, viz., jñāna
phalam, which is called mukthi or mōkṣaḥ, liberation. This topic he has started from
verse 418 and it will go up to 471; and I pointed out in the last class that the nature
of mōkṣa can be studied from the standpoint of ahaṁkāra, and also from the
standpoint of sākṣi. Before coming to vēdānta, we know to look at everything; only
from the standpoint of ahaṁkāra; but on the basis of vēdantic teaching; we should
look at the mōkṣa from ahaṁkāra standpoint as well as sākṣi standpoint.
And I pointed out that from ahaṁkāra standpoint, mōkṣa in the absolute sense is
not possible. From ahaṁkāra standpoint, absolute freedom from saṁsāra does not
exist. From ahaṁkāra standpoint, mōkṣa can be only defined as the reduction of the
saṁsāra and reduction of the impact of saṁsāra that alone is possible. Whether it is
fear, or anger, or depression, whatever you call as saṁsāra, generally negative
reactions can only be reduced. There is no question of zero fear for ahaṁkāra; zero
anger for ahaṁkāra, etc. does not exist.
And therefore at any time, a person can refine and improve and go on reducing
these negative reactions. And since only these negative reactions can be reduced
and at any time a person can be called muktha also; a person can be called not a
muktha also. Imagine I have reduced my fear by 70%. Am I muktha or not. Since I
am free from 70% fear, I am mukthaḥ of 70% fear. But at the same time, I can also
say that I am not mukthaḥ from 30%. Therefore tell me am I mukthaḥ or not, I can
never label myself as either mukthaḥ or amukthaḥ, it all depends on the angle from
which I look. And therefore as far as ahaṁkāra angle is concerned, our aim is not
labelling, whether I am muktha or not; this labelling is highly subjective, highly
relative. So from ahaṁkāra angle, our aim is only enjoying the process of reduction.
Enjoying the refinement. Enjoying the relative growth of ahaṁkāra alone is our aim.
Page 1797

But while we are refining the ahaṁkāra, and reducing the negative reactions,
parallely we have another sādhana and what is that? Really speaking I am not the
ahaṁkāra at all. Even while the ahaṁkāra refinement is going, I am only refining
ahaṁkāra for vyavahārika purposes, for transactional purposes. To make the life I
am refining the ahaṁkāra; but ultimately I should not be obsessed with ahaṁkhāra,
because that is also vyavahārika satyam only; that is also only not going to be
eternal. If ahaṁkāra is also eternal like Brahman, then there will be dvaitam. And
therefore parallelly I have to learn to look at myself that I am not the ahaṁkāra;
Manobuddhya ahaṁkāra cittāni nāhaṁ. Then who am I? I am sākṣi.
And from the sākṣi angle, how much percentage saṁsāra, I have to remove? 20%
or 30%? or 70% and which level of liberation I am. From sākṣi standpoint there is
no question of removal of saṁsāra; there is no question of progressing towards
mōkṣa; mōkṣa is the very fact. So I have to remind the teaching; otherwise I will
always look at mōkṣa only from ahaṁkāra standpoint. And if I doing that only, the
vēdantic teaching has become futile; because aim of vēdānta is not eternal
refinement of ahaṁkāra; aim of vēdānta is to tell you that ultimately you are not
ahaṁkāra also.
So refine; but before that you have to understand you are neither the unrefined-
ahaṁkāra, nor you are the partially-refined-ahaṁkāra, nor you are the greatly-
refined-ahaṁkāra, you are the unrefinable-eternally-refined-sākṣi. And therefore
mōkṣa can be studied from both the angles.
And similarly we can study mokṣa with regard to the karma also. If mōkṣa is defined
as freedom from karma; can I get absolute freedom from karma or not because
karma is the cause of saṁsāra? By karma I mean puṇya-pāpa karma. Can I get
absolute freedom from karma, because mōkṣa is defined as freedom from karma?
Then do I get absolute freedom? Śankarācārya wants to say: here also the answer
depends upon whether you look at it from ahaṁkāra or sākṣi. If I am going to look
at myself as ahaṁkāra, absolute freedom from karma is not there; ahaṁkāra can
never be absolutely free from karma, ahaṁkāra can destroy sañcita karma,
ahaṁkāra can avoid āgami karma; but ahaṁkāra can never destroy or avoid
prārabdha karma.
Therefore from ahaṁkāra angle, absolute freedom from karma is not possible, even
for the greatest jñāni. Then what is freedom; freedom from sañcita; and freedom
Page 1798

from āgami; these two I can get out of. And we saw in Tatva Bōdhaḥ; prārabdhaysa
bōgādēva kṣayaha. And that is why jñānis also go through upheavels in life;
including bodily sickness and all.
But at the same time, if I look at jñāni from sākṣi angle, mōkṣa can be defined as
absolute freedom from karma, because sākṣi has got sañcita or āgami or prārabdha.
Sākṣi has got which karma. Karma is possible for akartā, and sākṣi being akartā;
there is no question of freedom from karma itself. In fact, the very word freedom
from karma is a wrong word; because to talk about freedom from karma, I have to
accept I have karma.
Therefore Śankarācārya says from one angle, jñāni has prārabdha; from another
angle, jñāni has no prārabdha. Ahaṁkāra dr̥șṭya, jñāninaha prārabdhaṁ asthi; sākṣi
dr̥șṭya, jñāninaḥ prārabdhaṁ api nāsti. So this analysis of prārabdha, is the
discussion from verse 445 which I introduced in the last class and this topic goes up
to 463.
And what is the topic? Does jñāni have prārabdhaṁ or not and what is the answer?
Yes and No; depending upon whether you look upon jñāni as ahaṁkāra or sākṣi.
Similarly if you ask a question, do I have prārabdhaṁ or not, what should be
answer? how do I look at myself? Do you claim myself still as ahaṁkāra, then better
I tell that I have prārabdhaṁ; let me suffer; go through. If you have owned up the
sākṣi svarūpam, we can say where is the question of prārabdhaṁ? If I have done
karma in any other past janma, there is the question of prārabdha; I never had
janma, therefore I never was a karta, where is the question of prārabdha; therefore
I am karma traya rathithaḥ. So both answers Śankarācārya is going to give in the
following portion.
So first he says: jñāni has got prārabdhaṁ. So sukhādhi anubhavo yāvat; thāvat
prārabdhaṁ īsyatē; phalōdaya kriyapūrvaḥ; niṣkriyō na hi kutracit.
From ahaṁkāra angle, jñāni had previous janma; and in this janma, he did sādana
as ahaṁkāra and even though he will not have future karmās, the past prārabdha is
going to give him sukhādhi anubhava. And therefore prārabdhaṁ īsyatē. You have
to accept prārabdha.
Then what about the other karmās, sañcita and āgāmi?
Page 1799

अहं ब्रह्म �व�ानात्कल्पको�टशतािजर् |

सिञ्चत �वलयं या�त प्रबोधात्स्वप्न क ||४४७||
ahaṁ brahmēti vijñānātkalpakōṭiśatārjitam |
sañcitaṁ vilayaṁ yāti prabōdhātsvapnakarmavat ||447||
So jñāni the ahaṁkāra, the enlightened ahaṁkāra, the informed ahaṁkāra, has got
prārabdha karma. That was said before. Now what Śankarācārya is saying is about
sañcita karma. I hope you know what is sañcitam, āgāmi and prārabdhaṁ. Sañcita
karma is all the puṇya-pāpa accumulated in infinite past janma; whereas prārabdha
is that small portion of sañcita which is ready to fructify in this janma; not ready to
fructify; but which has already started the process of fructification. The mature
deposit of karma is called prārabdhaṁ. Prārabdhaṁ cannot be avoided; whereas
sañcita is totally destroyed.
Therefore Śankarācārya says: ahaṁ brahmēti vijñānāt. So because of the powerful

knowledge ahaṁ brahmāsmi, sañcitam vilayaṁ yāti; all the sañcita karmās are
burned down; just as radiation treatment destroys all the cancerous cells; similarly
ātma jñāna radiation will destroy all the sañcita karmās. And what is that. kalpa kōti
satha ārjita; the sañcita karmās which have been accumulated in kalpa kōti satham;
hundreds of crores of kalpas. Kalpa means ages; Brahmāji's day is called kalpam.
One kalpam consists of 2000 catur yugās is called Brahmāji's day, that is called here
kalpa. So many janmas whatever you have acquired; all of them will be destroyed.
And an example is given. Like what. Prabhōdāt svapna karmavat.
Just as all the karmās done during dream are destroyed the moment one wakes up
from dream. Suppose I have done pāpam or I have committed some crime; and I
am about to be imprisoned; I am taken to prison; and there is 12 years of 25 years;
as even I enter; I fall down there in the prison and disturbed I wake up; how many
years I should spend in prison? If you ask; all of them gone. Similarly jñāna
matrēṇa; all the karmās are destroyed. Prabhōdam means waking up; svapna karma
means dream karma. That example, Śankarācāryā himself explains.
यत्कृत स्वप्नवेलाय पुण्य वा पापमुल्बण म |

सुप्तोित्थत �कन्तत्स्यात्स् नरकाय वा ||४४८||
yatkr̥taṁ svapnavēlāyāṁ puṇyaṁ vā pāpamulbaṇam |
Page 1800

suptōtthitasya kintatsyātsvargāya narakāya vā ||448||
The svapna example, which was explained in the previous slōka is explained in this
verse. Svapna vēlāyā kritam; suppose during svapna varieties of karmās are done by
a person. What type of karmās? ulbaṇam puṇyam; ulbaṇam pāpam. ulbaṇam means
great puṇya karma; and ulbaṇam pāpam means great or worst pāpa karma;
superlative puṇyam and superlative pāpam, a person has done. Normally in svapna,
a person would have done produced puṇya phalam and pāpa phalam; imagine in the
middle he wakes up. Supta uttitasya; suppose a person has woken up from the
dream; tat kim syāt; what kind of phalam that puṇya karma and pāpa karma can
give? So kim syāt; kim prayōjanam syāt.
So it is a good news also; it is a bad news also. It is a good news because pāpam
will not produce suffering; that is good news; and from another angle, it is bad news
also because puṇyam also will not produce good phalam. All the puṇyam, pāpas
everything is gone. Therefore svargāya va syāt; will it lead to svarga; narakāya va
syāt; will it lead to narāga; neither will it produce svarga; nor will it produce narāga.
A person should not ask for Padmasree; Padma Bhushan, or Bharatha Rathna; etc.
for the service done in dream; in dream I have done; why can't you give me, if you
ask; they will say you can take it in dream itself. It cannot give you. Similarly, here
also.
स्वमसङ्गमुदासी प�र�ाय नभो यथा |

न िश्लष्य च यिक्किञ्चत्कदा�चद्भा�वक ||४४९|
svamasaṅgamudāsīnaṁ parijñāya nabhō yathā |
na śliṣyati ca yakkiñcitkadācidbhāvikarmabhiḥ ||449|
So with the previous slōka, the sañcita topic is over. Śankarācārya said prārabhaṁ is
there for a jñāni; then he said sañcitam is destroyed for a jñāni; now he wants to
deal with āgami karma. So jñāni is doing varieties of activities; and most of them are
noble actions and in spite of him he might commit some mistakes also; if not,
deliberately, at least, unknowingly he can hurt other people and because of that, will
he get puṇyam and pāpam.
Śankarācārya says since jñāni does not have abhīmāna in ahaṁkāra. Since there is
no ahaṁkāra abhīmāna, since he is not doing any of them for getting puṇyam or
Page 1801

pāpam, since he does not have any saṅkalpa of getting name or fame; those karmās
are resolved. Krishna tells in the Gītā:
गतसङ्गस मुक्तस �ानाविस्थतचेतस |

य�ायाचरतः कमर समग् प्र�वल�य ||४- २३||
gatasaṅgasya muktasya jñānāvasthitacētasaḥ |
yajñāyācarataḥ karma samagraṁ pravilīyatē ||4- 23||
All the karmās, dissolve there itself, without producing either puṇyam for jñāni or
pāpam. There is only dr̥șṭam phalam. The society gets the benefit of the actions; but
the adr̥ṣṭam phalam of puṇyam and pāpam do not go to him.
And therefore he says: svam asaṅgam udāsīnaṁ parijñāya. Jñāni has clearly known
that I am akartā ātma. So svam means what? himself. Parijñāya, he has clearly
known as what? asaṅgam udāsīnaḥ; asaṅgaḥ means what? without any relations;
without any connection; with either instruments of karma; the object of karma or
the result of karma and udāsīnaḥ; udāsīnaḥ means ever akartā.
So again in the Gītā Krishna presents beautifully:
प्रकृत �क्रयमाणा गुणैः कमार्� सवर्श |

अहङ्कार�वमूढात् कतार्ह�म� मन्यत ||३- २७||
prakr̥tēḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ |
ahaṅkāravimūḍhātmā kartāhamiti manyatē ||3- 27||
whereas
तत्त्व�वत महाबाहो गुणकम्र �वभागयो |

गुणा गुणेषु वतर्न इ�त मत्व न सज्जत ||३- २८||
tattvavittu mahābāhō guṇakarmavibhāgayōḥ |
guṇā guṇēṣu vartanta iti matvā na sajjatē ||3- 28||
Jñāni never claims I am doing karma. And therefore udāsīnaṁ parijñāya.
And I am udāsīnayaḥ akartā is like what? an example is given; yathā nabhaḥ; just as
the space does not do any action. But all actions can take place only in space. You
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cannot space is not doing anything. Therefore let me avoid it; you cannot say.
Similarly I do not do anything; but in my presence, all actions happen. Therefore I
am space-like consciousness. This knowledge is firmly there in that jñāni. This is
called abhīmāna abhāvaḥ; freedom from abhīmāna. Therefore no expectations also.
Whether my family will acknowledge my contribution? Whether children will
recognise my service to them? Will they take care of me in my ripe old age? will the
society will admire me for completing my duties? All these expectations also are not
there; abhīmāna abhāvaḥ.
And therefore what happens? vikarmabhiḥ na śliṣyati. The jñāni is never tainted by,
sullied by, those karmās and here karma refers to what? the āgami puṇya pāpa
phalam. So āgami puṇya pāpa phalaiḥ naiva śliṣyati. kiñcit; even a little bit of puṇya
pāpam does not come to him; kadācid; at any time; also it does not come. In short,
jñāni does not accumulate fresh karmās. That is explained further.
न नभो घटयोगेन सुरागन्धे �लप्यत |

तथात्मोपा�धयोगे तद्धम�न �लप्यत ||४५०||
na nabhō ghaṭayōgēna surāgandhēna lipyatē |
tathātmōpādhiyōgēna taddharmairnaiva lipyatē ||450||
So to point out sañcita karmās will be destroyed, Śankarācārya gave svapna

dr̥ṣṭāntaḥ; example of dream. Now to point out āgāmi will not come, he is giving
space example. In the previous slōka, space example was briefly mentioned; now in
this verse, he is explaining the example.
So he says nabhaḥ surā surāgandhēna na lipyatē. surā means liquor or any foul
smelling liquid. And within that pot ākāśa is there; and imagine that pot is removed
from there; ākāśa continues to be there in that place. After the removal of the pot
and the object, the liquid, suppose you smell the space; will the space have the
smell of that. If you still find the smell; it is the air; the air can smell but the space
never gets polluted. And just as the space is not affected by the object, jñāni also is
not.
Therefore he says: nabhaḥ surāgandhēna lipyatē. What type of surā? ghaṭayōgēna.

So in surā which is there kept in the pot. Ghaṭayōgaḥ; ghaṭa saṁbandēna; it is
never tainted or polluted; tathā; in the same way; ātma upādhi yōgēna; similarly this
jñāni jīvaḥ, here ātma refers to the jñāni jīvaḥ; dharmaiḥ naiva lipyatē; is not
Page 1803

affected by āgami puṇya pāpam. Similarly the jñāni jīvah is not affected by āgami
puṇya pāpam; even if he is associated with the upādhis, because the body
continues, sense organs continues and therefore he continues to act in the world;
lōkaḥ saṅgraḥ karmāṇi he does. So even though he is associated with upādhi; and
also lōkaḥ saṅgraḥ karma, the jñāni jīva is not affected is not affected by āgāmi
puṇya pāpa.
�ानोदयात्पुरारब् कमर्�ानान नश्य� |

अदत्व स्वफल ल�यमु�द्दश्योत्सृष्टब ||४५१||
jñānōdayātpurārabdhaṁ karmajñānānna naśyati |
adatvā svaphalaṁ lakṣyamuddiśyōtsr̥ṣṭabāṇavat ||451||
So in some books they have ṣiṣyaḥ uvāca. I think it is not required. It can be taken
as continuity of the teaching. So in some books śiṣya uvāca is added. In some other
books it is not added. It is better that is deleted.
So guru is coming back to prārabdha once again for elaborate discussion. He has
briefly mentioned prārabdha in verse 445 and 446, pointing out that jñāni has got
prārabdha.
Now Śankarācārya feels that it requires some more elaboration and therefore after
negating āgāmi and sañcita, he is coming to prārabdha topic once again and he is
reasserting that jñāni has got prārabdha. But we have to keep a note; jñāni has got
prārabdha; when you look at jñāni from: ahaṁkāra angle. You have to keep a note
of it aside.
Therefore he says: ārabdhaṁ karma jñānat na naśyati. ārabdhaṁ karma means

prārabdhaṁ karma. This prārabdha karma is that which has already started
functioning and when has it started functioning. Jñāna udayāt pura; even before a
jñāni has become a jñāni; because he has become a jñāni only in the middle of the
life; middle not exactly at 50; at any age, may be 20; may be 10; but prārabdha has
started functioning when? At the time of conception itself; jātakam indicates the
beginning of prārabdhaṁ. Jātaka whether it is śani, rāhū, nakṣatra onwards, the
prārabdha has started eroding.
And therefore jñānōdayāt pūrvam means janma khālē, utpatti khālē ēva prārabdha
has started; whereas sañcita has not started. Similarly, āgami also has not started.
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So unlike sañcita and āgami, prārabdhaṁ has got the momentum. Like the fan
which has got a momentum now. I may switch off the fan; but the already existent
momentum I can never stop by switching it off; the fan will go around. Similarly,
jñānat prārabdhaṁ na naśyati. And how long it will continue? Until its momentum, it
force lasts it will continue.
Therefore svaphalaṁ adatvā, without giving its results; the result can be in the form
of name and fame; the result can be in the form of success or failure; if jñāni starts
an institution it can be successful, if he starts writing a commentary, it can be a
success or failure; he may write a book, it may reach the public or not; how many
books have been lost? Therefore from the stand point of jñāni's effort it is only a
failure if it does not reach the public.
And therefore it may give sukha duḥkha, māna apamāna, jaya parājaya; all these
are caused by prārabdha. So svaphalaṁ; svaphalaṁ means prārabdha phalam in the
form of varieties of experiences; adatvā; without giving; you have to go back to the
first line, without giving, na naśyati. It will never end. Like what? he gives an
example.
For three karmās, three examples; all beautiful. For sañcita what is the example?
svapna dr̥ṣṭāntaḥ; āgami what example, ākāśa dr̥ṣṭānta; for prārabdha he is going to
give the example of an arrow which is already released from the bow. A released
arrow is compared to prārabdha karma and all the other arrows which are there in
the container, the quiver; but they are not released; unreleased arrows are like
sañcita but released arrow is compared to prārabdha. Imagine I have released an
arrow thinking that it is a tree or fruit or some object. And once the arrow has
started moving, I came to know that in that place it is not a tree or a inert object,
but a baby is standing. The arrow has started moving; I have got pin-buddhi;
wisdom has come; what can you do? you can never do anything; the arrow will
move according to the laws of creation; and the arrow will hit the target and
whatever be the consequence, it will happen.
Similarly prārabdha has started and if I have to live for 70 years whether I like or
not, I will live. And in the old age what all sickness have to come; they have to
come; I may be jñāni or ajñāni, because prārabdha has started weakening the liver,
weakening the heart; which will be weakened when? God knows. All governed by
what; not my will; not even my jñānaṁ; the prārabdha has created a time bomb in
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every organ. So knee joint pains starts at different age. We never knew that we had
a knee joint before. Now you feel only knee joint is there. And in that one knee is
relatively better and when that knee has been produced, prārabdha has kept an
inbuilt time bomb, that can never be defused; it will be gradually released. That
even the jñāni cannot stop; like what; utsr̥ṣṭa bāṇavat; like an arrow which has been
released uddiśya; in the direction of lakṣyaṁ. A target. So bāṇadr̥ṣṭāntaḥ.
And now that example is going to be explained. So in every case, in one slōka, he
mentions the example, in the next slōka he explains the example. Now the example
is going to be explained.
व्याघ्रबुद �व�नमुर्क् बाणः पश्चात् गोमतौ |

न �तष्ठ� �छनत्ये ल�यं वेगेन �नभर्र म ||४५२||
vyāghrabuddhyā vinirmuktō bāṇaḥ paścāttu gōmatau |
na tiṣṭhati chinatyēva lakṣyaṁ vēgēna nirbharam ||452||
You can understand. Vyāghra buddhyā vinirmuktō bāṇaḥ. So this person thought
that the animal which is prowling, moving amidst the trees is that man-eater tiger;
imagine a person has come to know that a tiger has become man-eater; they say
once a tiger becomes a man-eater, you can never refine it; by saying nice words;
please do not eat human beings; you can restrict yourselves to some deer; cow; fox
or something; you can never refine a tiger. There is only one solution; it has to be
killed, it seems. Imagine this person thought that the man-eater tiger is moving, it
has to be killed; and thinking so he released the arrow.
So Vyāghra buddhyā; man-eater tiger buddhya; bāṇaḥ vinirmuktaḥ; then what

happened? he discovered after releasing the arrow; that it is not a tiger. You know
Daśaratha story; that he thought that it is an elephant drinking water and released
the arrow; later he discovered that it is Śravaṇa Kumara. Helplessly he got the
śāpam and his life became a tragedy, because of the released arrow.
Similarly here also, paścāt tu gōmatau; later I got the knowledge that it is a cow; an
innocent cow; and a holy cow. And in our tradition; gōhatya is considered a mahā
pāpam. So gōmatau; mathiḥ means jñānaṁ. So gō mathiḥ means cow knowledge;
cow-knowledge arose in his mind after the release of arrow. Then he started saying;
Oh Arrow; stop moving, do not move further; do not move further. So by my
request the arrow is not going to stop. na tiṣṭhati; bānaḥ, subject you have to
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supply; bānaḥ na tiṣṭati, the arrow is not going to stop, even though I am the one
who has released the arrow.
On the other hand, what does it do? Vēgēna lakṣyaṁ chinatyēva; with its force; with
its momentum, it strikes the lakṣyaṁ; what is the lakṣyaṁ now. Unfortunate
lakṣyaṁ that is a cow. Nirbharam forcibly it strikes the cow and it kills. That means
our freewill has no access at all. Similarly prārabdhaṁ has to be suffered. But we
should remember we are talking about a jñāni's case here.
We should not extend this example with regard to a person who is an ajñāni, who
has not come to the field of jñānaṁ. In the case of an ajñāni samsāri also;
prārabdha is there; and he can for the sake of getting knowledge, he can always try
to reduce the power of prārabdha by prāyascitta karma. So this slōka is not to
negate the prasyascitta karma in the case of ajñāni puruṣaḥ; in the case of a jñāni
puruṣaḥ, since he has no more puruṣārtaḥ to be accomplished, a jñāni is dissuaded
from doing prāyascitta karma.
But as far as an ajñāni is concerned, he has to protect his life; he has to come to a
guru; he has to come to śāstra, and therefore for protecting the life, he can do
prāyascitta karma; and prāyascitta karma has the power to either eliminate
prārabdha if it is a weaker prārabdhaṁ, or mitigate or reduce the prārabdha if the
prārabdha is stronger. Therefore prāyascitta karma can change prārabdha, that is
one topic; in the case of an ajñāni samsāri.
Now we are talking about whom? A jñāni who is not bothered and who is supposed
to worry about. He has given up nithya karma, naimittika karma; niṣidda karma;
prāyascitta karma. Therefore in the case of a jñāni since prāyascitta karmās are not
done by him; we say prārabdha is there; but in the case of ajñāni, prāyascitta karma
we do not negate; he can do and prāyascitta karma can change the prārabdha.
Therefore do not take this topic and extend it to the regular thing.
We are discussing a unique topic of a jñāni. Therefore he does not, even though
prāyascitta; he allows the ahaṁkāra to go through the prārabdha karma. And
therefore nirbharam chinatyēva.
प्रारब बलवत्तर खलु �वदां भोगेन तस् �यः
Page 1807

सम्यग्�ानहुताशन �वलयः प्राक्सं�चतागा�म न |

ब्रह्मात्मैक्य तन्मयतय ये सवर्द संिस्थता
तेषां तित्त्र न�ह क्व�द�प ब्रह् ते �नग्
ुर ण म ||४५३||
prārabdhaṁ balavattaraṁ khalu vidāṁ bhōgēna tasya kṣayaḥ
samyagjñānahutāśanēna vilayaḥ prāksaṁcitāgāminām |
brahmātmaikyamavēkṣya tanmayatayā yē sarvadā saṁsthitāḥ
tēṣāṁ tattritayaṁ nahi kvacidapi brahmaiva tē nirguṇam ||453||
So here also in some books, gurur uvāca is added in the beginning and in some
books, it is not there. So I prefer to remove that gurur uvāca, because that topic is.
And this verse has been divided into two parts; the first part is the first two lines;
and from the second part, next topic is going to start.
In the first two lines, Śankarācārya is consolidating the karma discussion, which he
has done until now; and what is the discussion now?
Does jñāni become freed from karma or not? What should be answer? We said that
we have got two answers, depending upon whether you understand the jñāni as the
enlightened ahaṁkāra or whether you look upon the jñāni as sākṣi ātma. Now we
are looking at the jñāni as what? Enlightened ahaṁkāra. And from that angle, our
answer is what: jñāni is never totally free from karma; he is only partially free from
karma. Some part of karma is free; some part of karma is not free. Which part of
karma is free? sañcita, āgami part is free; prārabdha part is not free.
This is the consolidated report; this is the white paper with regard to jñāni's karma.
Therefore he says: prārabdhaṁ balavattaraṁ; of these three karmās, prārabdhaṁ is

the most powerful, because it is not even amenable to jñānaṁ. It is immune to even
jñānaṁ treatment, which is supposed to be so powerful; but prārabdha is
balavattaraṁ; stronger than the other two. And therefore vidāṁ; for jñānis, bhōgēna
tasya kṣayaḥ; prārabhda will get exhausted only by going through experiences. So
bhōgēna; ups and downs; experiences alone; tasya prārabdhasya kṣayaḥ bhavathi;
for whom, vidāṁ, vith means jñāni; brahmavēttī; brahmavid ityarthaḥ.
Whereas jñānaṁ is utterly futile; jñānaṁ is powerful with regard to the other two
karmās. So he says prāk saṁcitā āgāmina. So if there is a game between jñānaṁ
Page 1808

and prārabdha who will win the challenge. Prārabdha will win. But if there is a game
between jñānaṁ and saṁcitām, jñānaṁ will win; if there is game between jñānaṁ
and āgāmi, jñānaṁ will win; but when it is between jñānaṁ and prārabdhaṁ,
prārabdha alone will win; when it is strong.
Therefore he says; prāk saṁcita āgāminām; whereas with regard to sañcita karmās,
which are accumulated in the prāk; in the past; in the past means, not only in this
janma, but in the past janmās also. And also āgāminām; with regard to āgami also;
vilayaḥ; total destruction will take place; jñānaṁ will be victorious. And therefore
jñānaṁ will destroy, burn down. Because this is comparable to what? hutāśanēna;
hutāśanēna means agniḥ; that which consumes oblations; hutam means oblations or
offerings; aśanaḥ; receiver, consumer; therefore who receives offerings; agni alone
in the yāgaḥ; and here what is the fire? Samyak jñānaṁ. Because of the fire of clear
knowledge, sañcita karma and āgami karma will be burned down. But prārabdhaṁ
you cannot win at all. And therefore jñāni never gets total freedom from karma. This
is the consolidated discussion, from the standpoint of ahaṁkāra.
Now from the third line onwards, Śankarācārya is changing the topic. Suppose you
look at jñāni from ātma angle. Similarly suppose I have done sufficient
nidhidhyāsanam; to disown my ahaṁkāras and own up my ātma svarūpam. Instead
of going on refining ahaṁkāra, which is endless and almost impossible, if I have put
forth effort in a different direction, what is that direction? manō buddhya ahaṁkāra
cittāni nāhaṁ, and I claim ahaṁ brahmāsmi. So jñāni as Brahman is absolutely free
from, not only sañcita, not only āgāmi, even the question of prārabdha does not
come at all. Because prārabdhaṁ is karma phalam, karma phalam belongs to karta,
ātma is akartā; how can aakartā ātma ever have sañcita, āgami, prārabdha.
Therefore those jñānis who claim ahaṁ brahmāsmi, they say I am absolutely free.
Even when the society says, jñāni is suffering sickness, jñāni is suffering from
diseases etc. the jñāni says I do not have any diseases, because I am not the
diseased body; I am not the sick ahaṁkāra, I am the ever free sākṣi.
That is the discussion from the third line, which we will see in the next class.
Hari Om.
Page 1809

139. Verses 453 to 457
प्रारब बलवत्तर खलु �वदां भोगेन तस् �यः

सम्यग्�ानहुताशन �वलयः प्राक्सं�चतागा�म न |
ब्रह्मात्मवे�य तन्मयतय ये सवर्द संिस्थता
तेषां तित्त्र न�ह क्व�चद� ब्रह् ते �नग्
ुर ण म ||४५३||
prārabdhaṁ balavattaraṁ khalu vidāṁ bhōgēna tasya kṣayaḥ
samyagjñānahutāśanēna vilayaḥ prāksaṁcitāgāminām |
brahmātmaikyamavēkṣya tanmayatayā yē sarvadā saṁsthitāḥ
tēṣāṁ tattritayaṁ nahi kvacidapi brahmaiva tē nirguṇam ||453||
While talking of jñāna phalam as a part of this topic, Śankarācārya is dealing with
the topic of prārabdhaṁ; whether jñāni has prārabdhaṁ or not. This topic began
from verse No. 445 and it will go up to 458. 445 to 458. And Śankarācārya is going
to answer that jñāni has prārabdhaṁ is also correct; jñāni does not have
prārabdhaṁ is also correct; which means there are two answers; and there are two
answers depending on how you look at a jñāni. For that we should remember the
previous teaching, in which we saw that every individual is a mixture of the sākṣi
aṁśaḥ, the pure consciousness and the ahaṁkāra aṁśaḥ, which is the mind plus
reflected consciousness, the sentient mind. A sentient mind is called ahaṁkāra and
the pure consciousness which lends sentiency to the mind, that is called sākṣi.
And this sākṣi and ahaṁkāra are inseparably mixed together and therefore every
individual is a mixture of both of them. So no transaction can be done by the pure
ahaṁkāra nor can any transaction be done by pure sākṣi. First of all pure ahaṁkāra
cannot be there; because ahaṁkāra has reflected consciousness and the reflection
cannot come unless there is sākṣi, the original. Therefore ahaṁkāra cannot exist
even without the sākṣi. Therefore pure sākṣi alone cannot do any transaction,
because pure consciousness is free from all forms of changes. Therefore what is the
meaning of I? Whenever I use the word-I, you should remember it is a mixture of
the ahaṁkāra amsa; amsa means part, and the sākṣi part put together. Whether
one is ajñāni or whether one is jñāni, one is a mixture of both; the only difference is
an ajñāni does not know this fact; jñāni is able to know this fact. And when I say
jñāni knows this fact, there also who knows. Sākṣi or ahaṁkāra; answer is again the
Page 1810

mixture alone knows; the mixture was ignorant in the ajñāni, and the mixture alone
gains the knowledge later.
So therefore I have got ahaṁkāra amsa and sākṣi amsa; and what is the most
important point to be remembered is: vēdānta repeatedly points out that the
ahaṁkāra amsa is mithya, it has got only an empirical reality; a vyavyahaarika satta;
and when a jñāni dies; again jñāni dies from the standpoint of the mixture; the
ahaṁkāra part will merge or disappear.
Therefore the ahaṁkāra part is anityam; in vidēha mukthi ahaṁkāra will disappear.
So ahaṁkāra is mithya or vyavahārika sathyam, whereas I-the-sākṣi is the
pāramārtikam sathya aṁśaṁ and therefore eternal liberation belongs to ahaṁkāra
or sākṣi. Eternal liberation can never belong to ahaṁkāra because, ahaṁkāra itself
will disappear for a vidēha muktha. Therefore nithya mōkṣa when you talk about, it
is only from the standpoint of sākṣi.
Now having understood these two aspects, after gaining jñānaṁ, I talk about
liberation. And when I talk about liberation, it can be from the standpoint of
ahaṁkāraa amsa or from the standpoint of sākṣi amsa.
If we are going to talk about liberation from ahaṁkāra amsa, we should remember
ahaṁkāra can never get absolute liberation. Ahaṁkāra can never get absolute
liberation. Ahaṁkāra can refine itself. It becomes stronger and stronger. It can be
more and more clearly enlightened and it can improve its response to the life
situations; and this improvement is a gradual one and it can never be absolute.
Because ahaṁkāra means mind is involved, mind means vāsanās are involved; mind
means several subconscious problems are involved; and ahaṁkāra means pūrva
janma karma is also involved.
Since ahaṁkāra is a akartā, ahaṁkāra will have the karma phalam and even by
knowledge ahaṁkāra can remove sañcita karma, ahaṁkāra can avoid āgāmi karma;
but ahaṁkāra has no way of escaping from prārabdha karma. And therefore
liberation is not absolute; from ahaṁkāra angle. If you ask a person whether he is
jīvan muktha or not, it is a relative answer. As I said in the last class, if he has
reduced anger 10% or 50%, he is muktha from the standpoint of 50% anger; and
he is not muktha from the standpoint of the other 50%. And even if he has avoided
90%, he is 90% muktha but 10% problem is there. And one person may be able to
Page 1811

tackle anger; but he might not be able to tackle depression. Depression belongs to
sākṣi or ahaṁkāra? Again ahaṁkāra. And for another person it may be a problem of
inferiority complex and each one will be able to transform only in different rate for
them. For one it is tortuously slow; for some others it is fast. And therefore absolute
purity from the standpoint of ahaṁkāra does not exist. Absolute refinement does not
exist. Absolute freedom from problem does not exist. And therefore ahaṁkāra's
liberation is relative; not absolute.
Therefore from ahaṁkāra angle, our aim can be only improving as much as possible.
And there is no limit to that improvement and you can go on refining; until death
you can improve. Like cleaning a place. You can go on washing and you say it is
clean, and if you look at with microscope there will be some dirt; 100% pure gold
does no exist. They write 99.99%. Similarly 100 free ahaṁkāra does not exist. Even
the greatest jñāni in the world, if you look at from the ahaṁkāra angle, there will be
problems at different levels or degrees. May be it is 1% for him and for me it is
60%; but 1% problem does exist.
And therefore Śankarācārya says prārabdha is there for jñāni from ahaṁkāra angle
and therefore even though he reduces reaction, he cannot totally avoid reactions like
sorrow or anger or some conflict, etc. will be there.
On the other hand, if you look at yourselves form sākṣi angle, for which alone
vēdānta is struggling, ahaṁkāra improvement is not the aim of vēdānta because, it
is like improving the physical body; you can improve and improve and improve, but
you cannot go beyond a limit. Therefore ahaṁkāra improvement is only an incidental
benefit visualised by śāstra, but the ultimate benefit śāstra aims is to understand I
am not ahaṁkāra. Dropping the obsession with ahaṁkāra.
Let there be a detached effort, in the improvement of ahaṁkāra, but may you not
get obsessed with the ahaṁkāra, which will be again you are identified with
ahaṁkāra part. And those people, who have learned to detach themselves from
ahaṁkāra, they will say, I do not have sañcita, āgāmi and I do not have prārabdhaṁ
also. So thus up to the second line of 453, ahaṁkāra dr̥șṭya mōkṣa was talked
about; and from the third line; sākṣi dr̥ṣṭyā is going to be talked about and
ahaṁkāra dr̥ṣṭyā what is the answer? jñāni has prārabdha, whereas now look at the
third line.
Page 1812

Brahmātmaikyamavēkṣya tanmayatayā yē sarvadā saṁsthitāḥ. So there are some

people who have refined ahaṁkāra to a great extent but who know that ahaṁkāra
cannot be absolutely refined, because the ahaṁkāra's refinement is not totally under
my control. I have got only a contributory role; but it depends upon so many
factors; lot of psychology is involved; lot of unconscious is involved; and lot of pūrva
janma vāsanās are involved. Therefore you cannot refine beyond a limit; and
therefore what do they do? They turn their attention to Brahma ātma aikya apēkśya.
So they dwell on the vēdantic teaching of I the sākṣi, which is free from all the
karmās. So brahma ātma aikyam; ātma means sākṣi; caitanyaṁ, brahma means sat,
the jagat adhiṣṭānam, I-the sākṣi caitanyaṁ, am the jagat adhiṣṭānam Brahma, iti
avēkṣya tanmayatayā saṁsthitāḥ. So predominantly they invoke the sākṣi part only.
They are not over obsessed with ahaṁkāra part, not that they neglect ahaṁkāra but
they do enjoy refining ahaṁkāra like keeping a fit body; jñāni does not mean you
should ignore your health; you can always do our best to keep the body healthy; but
we should remember whatever we do; the body has got its own problems. And it is
not only determined by my effort; it is also determined by prārabdha. You may call it
genetics. How much can you refine. Therefore keep your body, but do not be
obsessed.
Similarly, enjoy improvement of ahaṁkāra, but do not be obsessed with ahaṁkāra.

If you want to be obsessed with something, it should be what? sākṣi must be the
one which is the real-I; therefore tanmayatayā; tanmayatayā means what? they are
absorbed in that. they would like to predominantly dwell upon sākṣi; so
tanmayatayā, yē sarvadā saṁsthitāḥ; there are some people who are able to spend
more time on sākṣi.
And even for that prārabdha, you must allow. There are some people who have lot
of vyavahārās; there are some people who have got little vyavahārās; even Āsramas
you cannot say; there are gr̥hasthaāśrams who have more vyavahārās and who
have less. And among sanyāsis also there are; those who have more vyavahārās and
those who have less. Therefore even prārabdha is going to decide the availability of
time.
So thus there are some people who are able to remain or abide in the sākṣi all the
time; tēṣāṁ; for those people, I will call them sākṣi pradhāna people; sākṣi oriented
people; sākṣi focussing people; and for them tēṣāṁ tattritayaṁ kvacidapi nahi;
Page 1813

tattritayaṁ means what; the three fold karmās; sañcita, āgāmi; prārabdha; all the
three karmās kvacidapi nāsti; it is not there at any time. They did not have in the
past also. In fact we say jñāni has removed sañcita karma; whereas this jñāni says
where is the question of removing sañcita karma; I never had sañcita karma to
remove and there is no question of avoiding āgāmi karma, because if I am a akartā,
āgami is going to come and therefore he does not talk about the removal of karma
at all. To talk about removal of karma is to accept that I have karma. And to accept
that I have karma is that I am a akartā. And to accept I am a kartāis to be identified
with ahaṁkāra. For sākṣi it is a joke; he does not bother about that. tēṣāṁ
tattritayaṁ nahi kvacidapi; at any time. Then who are they. tē nirguṇam brahmaiva.
They are none other than nirguṇam brahma.
उपा�धतादात्म्य�वह�नके-
ब्रह्मात्मनैवा �तष्ठत मुनेः |
प्रारब्धसद्भ न युक्त
स्वप्नाथर्संबन्ध जाग्र ||४५४||
upādhitādātmyavihīnakēvala-
brahmātmanaivātmani tiṣṭhatō munēḥ |
prārabdhasadbhāvakathā na yuktā
svapnārthasaṁbandakathēva jāgrataḥ ||454||
So while describing such a jñāni, sākṣi pradhāna jñāni, Śankarācārya uses the word:
munēḥ. That the word muni refers to sanyāsi. And by the word sanyāsi,
Śankarācārya means that person for whom vyavahārā are minimum. Because many
vyavahārās, vyavahārās means what? Transactions or relationship-based. So each
relationship bring in the responsibility and duties, and therefore the more the
number of relationship, the more the transactions are and not only relationship with
the people, but relationship with the object also; possessions also; and each
possession also invokes the relevant corresponding vyavahārā, transactions.
And when vyavahārā pradhāna is life, sākṣi is dominant or ahaṁkāra is dominant:

more the vyavahārā, the more will be the domination of ahaṁkāra. In fact I do not
have even time to think of sākṣi. If I sit, I will doze off; because so much activity I
am tired.
Page 1814

Therefore for vyavahārā pradhāna people, ahaṁkāra will be dominant; and therefore
for them mōkṣa should be defined as what? improvement of ahaṁkāra; learn how to
react; avoid reactions towards the people; refinement of ahaṁkāra becomes more
important for those who are transaction-oriented people. And therefore I will say do
more nidhidyaśanam, so that the rāga-dvēṣa-kāma-krōdhaḥ will not afflict you and
even if there is failure you would not be upset; even when somebody insults you,
you will not get upset. So I have to talk about what: ahaṁkāra refinement for
transaction oriented people.
Therefore mōkṣa definition also will vary, whereas munēḥ; who has done sarva
dharmān parityajya; who does not have any transaction.
सुर मं�दर तर मूल �नवासः

शय्य भूतल मिजनं वासः |
सवर प�रग् भोग त्याग
कस् सुखं न करो�त �वरागः ||१८||
sura maṁdira taru mūla nivāsaḥ
śayyā bhūtala majinaṁ vāsaḥ |
sarva parigraha bhōga tyāgaḥ
kasya sukhaṁ na karōti virāgaḥ ||18||
He does not own place. If one place you own, that connected activities will come.
Licence etc. this, that, he stays somewhere and lives somewhere. And he does not
have a kitchen; kitchen means you have to plan so many things. So whenever
hungry he asks for food from some. Bhavathi Bhikṣām dēhi; and happy with
whatever he gets. And he does not have institutions and all those things, and he can
do what: between lunch and dinner; between breakfast and lunch; he is owning up
the sākṣi.
And therefore munēḥ; vyavāhara rahitatya. For him alone, what is talked about;
brahmana tiṣṭhataḥ. The one who spends more time invoking the sākṣi svarūpam.
The one who has more time for vēdānta. And where ātmani; in his quiet mind,
relaxed mind, withdrawn mind; ātmani antakaraṇē tiṣṭhataḥ; or svarupē tiṣṭhataḥ.
And what type of ātma? upādhi tādātmya vihīna; an ātma or sākṣi which is not at all
connected with the body mind complex, which has no saṁbanda. You cannot say I
want to take care of my body, because when you use the body, it refers to
Page 1815

relationships. And sākṣi can never say it is my body because sākṣi is like space; it is
not related to anybody. In fact if it is to be related either it should be related to all
bodies, because sākṣi is all-pervading. So which is my body; if I am the sākṣi, either
all bodies are my body; or no body is mine. How can I claim one body as mine? Only
ahaṁkāra can claim a particular body as mine; but sākṣi can never say a particular
body as my body. And therefore upādhi tādātmya means saṁbhanda; vihīna;
without that; kēvala brahma, kēvala means what? pure consciousness; pure
Brahman I am.
So in this fact, a jñāni dwells upon and for such a jñāni, prārabdha sadbhāva kathā
na yuktā; it is not at all logical to talk about prārabdha karma for sākṣi pradhāna
jñāni. For an ahaṁkāra pradhāna jñāni, vyavāhāra pradhāna jñāni, prādhabha plays
a very important role, because his transactions also will become successful or not
depending on prārabdha. All this his transactions, even though he is a jñāni, there is
no guarantee that his transactions would be successful. When he tries to build an
āśram, it may come or it may not come. Just because he is a jñāni, it need not be
successful; it can fail also. And therefore prārabdha plays an important role for an
ahaṁkāra pradhāna jñāni.
So for sākṣi pradhāna jñāni, prārabdha sadbhāva kathā; so the idea of the existence;
sadbhāva means existence. So the concepts or the idea or the existence of
prārabdha is not at all logical.
Like what? it is like what? svapnārtha saṁbanda katha iva jāgrataḥ. When you talk
of prārabdha for a sākṣi pradhāna jñāni, how does he look at that. It is like a person
who has woken from dream; and you talk to him about his dream relationship; he
had a dream son; and who was giving problems and he went to some upāsaka, in
the dream, and he said you should visit some temple in Tanjavur, dream Tanjavur;
for seven weeks; and you have to light up or something for the improvement of the
son.
And then had done thrice and he woke up; and then you ask him to continue; he
says: Svāmi, I do not have wife at all; where is the question of my child. You only
say three times you have gone to Tanjavur; now complete that prarthana, if you say
what will he do? he will only smile! Similarly, if to a sākṣi pradhāna jñāni you talk
about family problems social problems and all these communal problems, for him all
Page 1816

the so-called problems are joke and joke alone and therefore svapnartha saṁbanda
katha.
So it is like the idea of relationship with a dream object or person; arthaha means
object; or a person; or the dream house, the vāstu person came; vāstu is now the
in-thing; so in the dream house the vāstu person came and said the kitchen should
be not there; convert bed room into kitchen and kitchen into bedroom; and all the
construction work started and it is all a mess because one day they came and for the
next fortnight they did not come; and he was quarrelling with that person Engineer
while the house was being changed he woke up.
And if you want continue with another Engineer, you would only laugh at vaasthu or
house, or kitchen or engineer, etc.; whole thing is joke for him. So never talk about
social problems and communal problems and family problems to a sākṣi pradhāna
jñāni. Therefore svarpnārtha saṁbanda katha iva. jāgrataḥ; for which person; not
for a person who is in dream. For him it is important. He has to continue the vāstu.
For this person jāgratah who has woken up, for him, they are all irrelevant.
न �ह प्रबु प्र�तभासदे
देहोपयो�गन्य� च प्रपञ |
करोत्यहन्त ममता�नदन्ता
�कन्त स्वय �तष्ठ� जागरेण ||४५५||
na hi prabuddhaḥ pratibhāsadēhē
dēhōpayōginyapi ca prapañcē |
karōtyahantāṁ mamatānidantāṁ
kintu svayaṁ tiṣṭhati jāgarēṇa ||455||
So he explains the example. So imagine a person who had suffered a lot and who
has been suffering a lot in dream and in the middle of suffering, which was the
physical suffering experienced in the dream body, and he woke up while the
treatment was going on; only partial treatment was over; and he got up. How will he
relate to the sick dream body? Exactly like that will be the treatment of sākṣi
pradhāna; you have to remember that; sākṣi pradhāna jñāni.
Even after jñānaṁ, you want to give importance to ahaṁkāra, then you will have to
continue the dream treatment, everything. Therefore it all depends upon what is
prominent in your life. Therefore he says: prabuddhaḥ an awakened up person; a
Page 1817

woken up person; pratibhāsadēhē ahantāṁ na karōty. So pratibhāsadēhē; then you

have to go to the third lane, karōty ahantāṁ, then you have to take the na from the
first line; pratibhāsadēhē ahantāṁ na karōty; he does not identify with the dream
body appearance.
During the dream body was very important. The sickness of the body was very
serious. And the treatment was equally important. We do not say it is unreal; it is
very very real when you look from the dream standpoint. Similarly, this body is
important or not; it is very very important from ahaṁkāra angle.
From sākṣi angle, ahantāṁ na karōty; he does not identify and he does not care
even if the body dies. He does not bother about the death of the body because
mithya śarīraṁ.
And there is no ahaṁkāra in the body and there is no mamakāra in the objects of
the dream world. So upayōgi ni prapañja means what? The world around; the
house, the relations, the vehicles, the phone, the car; all those things; which one,
dream ones, dream car, dream house, which was useful for the dream body and you
will own up the dream car as long as you are in dream; when you wake up in the
dream car, you do not have mamakāra. So dream śarīrē ahaṁkāraḥ nāsti; dream
car_ee, dream vāsanē mamakāraḥ nāsti.
So prapañca here means possessions. And what type of possessions? Dēha upayōgi
ni; which are very useful for the body. I possess various things for what purpose? To
protect the body; We want to own a house for the sake of body; sākṣi has to be
protected by what: sākṣi has to be protected by what? you cannot have a house for
a sākṣi; sākṣi cannot be housed anywhere and therefore dēhōpayōgini; all those
things which are useful for the body, he does not identify with; so therefore
mamatām na karōty. So dēhōpayōginy api ca prapañcē; So dēhē ahantāṁ na karōty;
prapañcē mamatām na karōty.
And all other objects; what will be my attitude? nidantāṁ; nidantā means what?
when I talk about this body, I claim as I. When I talk about this clip, I say this is my
clip. But when I talk about this tape-recorder, I do not say I; I do not have the
problem, I do not even say my tape-recorder; I say this tape-recorder. Thus there
are three forms of expressions; ahaṁ, mama, and idam.
Page 1818

And all the three are absent for a sākṣi pradhāna jñāni. So ahantaam na karoti;
mamatā na karōty; nidantāṁ na karōty. And why there is no idam? This is not there.
Because for him everything is Brahma, Brahmārpaṇam, Brahmahāvi; Brahmāgnau,
Brāhmaṇahutam; so where is the question of anything other than Brahma. Kinthu,
on the other hand, what does he do; svayaṁ jāgarēṇa tiṣṭhati; he remains in the
waking state only.
This is the explanation of the example. Therefore this slōka is talking about a man
who has woken up from dream; a man who has woken up from dream is being
talked about and therefore he does not even talk about the dream as I, mine or
even this, because busy dealing with this world; therefore he does not even think of
the dream world. Similarly for a jñāni, this world is as good as a dream world.
Svayaṁ tiṣṭhati jāgarēṇa.
न तस् �मथ्याथर्समथर्ने
न संग्रहस्तज्जगत दृष् |
तत्नुविृ त्तयर् चेन्मृषाथ
न �नद्र मुक् इतीष्यत ध्रुव ||४५६||
na tasya mithyārthaśamarthanēcchā
na saṁgrahastajjagatō:'pi dr̥ṣṭaḥ |
tatrānuvr̥ttiryadi cēnmr̥ṣārthē
na nidrayā mukta itīṣyatē dhruvam ||456||
So continuation of the example. We are not talking about a jñāni here. we are giving
the example of a person who has woken up from dream. Any ordinary person after
waking up from dream what will his attitude towards the dream objects.
Of course when I give the dream example, you should be very careful. In the case
of the dream, when I wake up the dream will disappear from my experience,
whereas in the case of spiritual awakening, my attitude towards the world will be
exactly like the attitude towards the dream; but there is a very big difference; this
world will not disappear. Therefore you should not argue; because an example is
always given only for a particular aspect; you should never extend the example.
Here the dream example is only to show that it becomes mithya on waking up. But
there is a difference; there on waking up, svapna disappears; here on waking up,
the perception of the world continues; but the reality is sucked out.
Page 1819

And if at all you want another example, it should the example of the rising sun. So
before knowledge, I saw the Sun is rising; and I thought the sun is rising; after
knowledge, I know the Sun does not rise; the earth alone is going around; but even
after I know this, the experience will be what: the sun rising. But I know that sun
rise is a myth or a false thing. Similarly, I know that this world is mithya; but the
experience of the world will continue. That difference you should remember.
So tasya; the one who has woken up from dream, mithyārtha samarthana icchāḥ na;
he does not want to validate the existence of the dream object. Validate or prove.
After waking up, he does not want to prove the existence of dream object, because
he knows that the dream objects do not exist; they were nothing but some mental
disturbances or thoughts only. In fact, he does not vehemently argue regarding the
existence. So mithyārtha means svapnārtha; artha means object; samarthanam
means proving the existence. Icchāḥ nāsti; and if somebody is strongly saying that
here is an elephant, he is to say: I know that elephant is an imagination and there is
no elephant here; he repeatedly argues; what do you do? you will tell once or twice
and if he still continues to argue, you will withdraw from argument and you will
admit that person in a mental hospital. In fact, if you continue to argue with that
person, it means you also have problem.
Similarly, a jñāni does not vehemently argue. In fact, one of the sign of
enlightenment is what: reduction of arguments. If you are ahaṁkāra-pradhāna
person; world is real; nothing to argue. If you are ahaṁkāra pradhāna world is real,
because from ahaṁkāra angle, world is real.
From sākṣi-pradhāna the world is as good as non-existent. If I am talking from sākṣi

angle, and you are talking from ahaṁkāra angle, it is like argument between two
deaf people. Therefore there is nothing to argue; we never argue, mithyārtha
śamarthana icchā nāsti.
And therefore only na saṁgrahaḥ; he does not want to acquire more or the dream
object. He was busy earning money; and buying real estate; he has to repeatedly
say real real real estate, because it is doubtful, whether it is real estate or unreal
one; therefore he has to accumulate things; because from ahaṁkāra angle,
accumulation is required, because ahaṁkāra is ever insecure. And therefore he has
Page 1820

to acquire; whereas from sākṣi angle, no security is required; and therefore na

sangraḥ; saṁgrahaḥa means what acquiring, amassing; na saṁgrahaḥ.
tajjagatō:'pi; jagat means the worldly possessions; he does not want to get also.
Neither he wants to get things, nor does he want to get rid of things; if there is
dream gold, he does not want to acquire that after waking up; if there is a dream-
snake, he does not want to drive it away also. After waking up, he does not go and
beat it with a stick. Suppose he keeps a stick and he wants to drive the dream
snake, he does not do that. jagatō:'pi dr̥ṣṭaḥ. And suppose he still continues to do
that; serious pravr̥tti and serious nivr̥ttiḥ continues, he has not understood vēdānta.
That is what he is saying: tatra mr̥ṣārthē anuvr̥ttiyadi. And if a person continues to

seriously react to the worldly events; so mr̥ṣārthē means what? svapnārthē, dream
ārthē, with regard to the dream events; even after waking up, he continues to react.
Then what does it means; na nidrayā mukthaḥ; it only means that he has not woken
up completely from the sleep, because if he is still sees the dream suffering; still he
sees the dream enemy and he still sees the dream thief; he wants to ring up the
police also; it only means that he has not woken up. The stronger the reaction, more
confirmed is the saṁsāra or dream. So tatra anuvr̥tti; tatra means in strong pravr̥tti
and nivr̥tti. There is anuvr̥tti; na nidrayā mukthaḥ; he has not woken up; iti dhruvam
īṣyatē; this is definitely proved.
Strong rāga-dvēṣa is an indication of attaching reality to the world. Strong rāga-

dvēṣa is the indication of attaching reality to the world and reality to the world is
directly proportional to my identification with ahaṁkāra, because from ahaṁkāra
angle, world is real. Let it be very clear. From ahaṁkāra angle, world is real. World
is unreal only from sākṣi angle.
तद्वत्प ब्रह् वतर्मान

सदात्मन �तष्ठ� नान्यद��त |
स्मृ�तयर् स्वप्न�वलो�कता
तथा �वदः प्राशनमोचना ||४५७||
tadvatparē brahmaṇi vartamānaḥ
sadātmanā tiṣṭhati nānyadīkṣatē |
smr̥tiryathā svapnavilōkitārthē
tathā vidaḥ prāśanamōcanādau ||457||
Page 1821

So whereas when you look at the sākṣi pradhāna jñāni; so this is the explanation of
the jñāni, the previous two verses were not the explanation of a jñāni; he is only
clarifying the example of a person who has woken up from dream; an ordinary
person who has woken up from dream. Here we are talking about a sākṣi pradhāna
jñāni, who has woken up from the dream of ignorance. So for him pare Brahmani
varthamāna, for whom sākṣi is in the focus, pare Brahmani, sākṣi, which is none
other than parambrahma, he has woken up to that.
And sadātmana tiṣṭhati; and who always remains, who always looks at himself as
the sākṣi only; sadātmana, as the real ātma; satcidānandaḥ ātmana tiṣṭhati; not that
ahaṁkāra is not invoked; but that is that does not play a prominent role.
We also have so many roles to play. But you will find all the roles do not occupy
your mind. There are only certain roles, which occupy your mind. Whether as a
parent; whether the children are not alright; as a spouse you are worried if a spouse
is not alright; therefore a particular role alone bothers; other roles you play, but it
does not become a burden. Similarly for a jñāni, all roles are played but no particular
role occupies the mind. So every role is a fleeting or an impermanent thing. When it
is necessary, it is invoked, when it is not necessary, it is not invoked.
And therefore sadātmana tiṣṭhati; anyat na īṣatē; he does not see anything else. And
again like what? The example of dream only. Several things I have experienced in
dream; but they do not occupy my mind, which means they do not produce rāga
and strong dvēṣa. In fact, rāga-dvēṣa is the ideal indication or clue to find out
whether I am ahaṁkāra-pradhāna or sākṣi pradhāna.
Therefore he says, svapna vilōkita arthē yathā smr̥tir. Just as a person remembers
an object seen in dream; without strong rāga or dvēṣa; with an audāsīnya bhāva;
that attitude is called audāsīnyam; neutrality; in the same way, tathā vidaḥ, vidaḥ
means for a jñāni also; prāśana mōcanādau smr̥tihi; he also recollects or remembers
his activity but not with strong rāga or dvēṣa; but with a neutrality. There is neither
elation nor depression; prāśanam means what eating, mōcanam means evacuating;
which are the regular activities of life; these two represent all other activities;
inevitable activities, he does them. Do you remember brushing the teeth? do you
recollect, strongly have rāga or dvēṣa? No; not that you do not do it; you do it; but
neither there is rāga or dvēṣa. So everything is like that. For whom, sākṣi pradhāna
Page 1822

jñāni. Whereas if you are ahaṁkāra pradhāna jñāni; then the mōkṣa description will
be quiet different.
Hari Om.
Page 1823

140. Verses 458 to 461
तद्वत्प ब्रह् वतर्मान

सदात्मन �तष्ठ� नान्यद��त |
स्मृ�तयर् स्वप्न�वलो�कता
तथा �वदः प्राशनमोचना ||४५७||
tadvatparē brahmaṇi vartamānaḥ
sadātmanā tiṣṭhati nānyadīkṣatē |
smr̥tiryathā svapnavilōkitārthē
tathā vidaḥ prāśanamōcanādau ||457||
Śankarācārya has been discussing the topic of jñāna phalam, viz., jīvan muktiḥ from
verse No.418 onwards; which topic will go up to 471. And while discussing jīvan
mukthi, taking the topic of prārabdhaṁ with regard to a jīvan muktha jñāni, because
the scriptures have clearly said, jñānaṁ destroys all the karmās. Jñānagni
sarvakarmāṇi bhasmasēt kurutē tathā. The fire of knoweldge destroys all the karmās
it is said. So the question is: what do you mean by all the karmās? Does it mean all
the three karmās; sañcita, prārabdha and āgāmi or does it mean only two karmās;
i.e., sañcita and āgāmi and prārabdha continues? So this topic whether jñāni
destroys all the karmās or whether jñāni destroys only two karmās leaving
prārabdha undestroyed is the question. In short whether jñāni has prārabdha has
not, for which Śankarācārya gives the answer from 445 to 463. Such an elaborate
discussion is not found elsewhere, whether jñāni has prārabdhaṁ or not, discussed
in 19 verses by Śankarācārya.
And the Śankarācārya's answer in both statements are correct. Jñāni has
prārabdhaṁ, that also is correct; jñāni does not have prārabdhaṁ, that is also
correct; it all depends upon the definition of the jñāni that you give.
And jñāni can be looked as an enlightened ahaṁkāra. When you look at jñāni as an
enlightened ahaṁkāra, he becomes ahaṁkāra pradhāna jñāni. And what do I mean
by ahaṁkāra, you should never forget the definition of ahaṁkāra. The mind with
reflected consciousness is called ahaṁkāra. Cidābhāsa sahita antakāraṇam is called
ahaṁkāra. So jñāni is look at as ahaṁkāra, for whom mind is an integral part. So
this ahaṁkāra pradhāna jñāni.
Page 1824

And another way of looking at jñāni is: jñāni never identifies with ahaṁkāra,
because he says I am stūla sūkṣma kāraṇa śarīrāt vyathirikthaḥ and therefore body
does not belong to me, mind does not belong to me, even cidābhāsā does not
belong to me; I am the chit consciousness, which is called sākṣi; therefore jñāni can
be defined as sākṣi also. So when you look at jñāni as sākṣi, he is a sākṣi-pradhāna
jñāni.
Therefore, whether I am ahaṁkāra pradhāna jñāni, highlighting my ahaṁkāra

aspect, or I am a sākṣi pradhāna jñāni, highlighting my what aspect, the sākṣi
aspect is the question. If I am going to look me as an enlightened ahaṁkāra, then
we should accept that ahaṁkāra has prārabdha karma. And because of the
prārabdha karma ahaṁkāra continues to be associated with the physical body and
because of the prārabdha karma, ahaṁkāra has to interact with the world and
because of prārabdha karma, even the enlightened ahaṁkāra faces favourable and
unfavourable situations, enlightened ahaṁkāra faces diseases, because ahaṁkāra is
associated with the mind, through the mind ahaṁkāra is associated with the body;
therefore ahaṁkāra has diseases also; that is also how the jñāni also as ahaṁkāra
have to go through diseases and other problems.
And therefore that ahaṁkāra has to respond to the situations and the responses also
varies as the jñānaṁ gets more and more assimilated, the reactions become
gradually lesser and lesser. But however reduced the reactions will be, ahaṁkāra
can never be totally free from negative reactions; anger can; be reduced and
managed, cannot be totally wiped out. From ahaṁkāra angle, similarly sorrow can
be reduced and managed, cannot be wiped out.
And therefore ahaṁkāra pradhāna jñāni has prārabdha, has problems and he learns
to manage the problems. And that ahaṁkāra will merge into Brahman at the time of
vidēha mukthi and thereafter alone ahaṁkāra is free from problems, because in
vidēha mukthi alone, ahaṁkāra is totally wiped out; and therefore no punarjanma,
therefore there is no interaction; and therefore no sorrow; janma, mr̥tyu, jarā,
vyādhi.
And this freedom from problems will be only a gradual reduction; ahaṁkāra cannot
become suddenly free from all reactions; ahaṁkāra gradually reduces the negative
reactions and the reduction takes place, never it reaches to zero. This is the
Page 1825

biography of ahaṁkāra pradhāna jñāni. But when you look at the very same jñāni as
sākṣi pradhāna jñāni, he never talks about prārabdha karma because prārabdha
karma is for a akartā. And I, the sākṣi am nithya aakartā, and where is the question
of prārabdha karma for me. And therefore I do not have an association with the
physical body also; body can be associated only with ahaṁkāra, body can never be
associated with sākṣi. Just as ākāśa cannot have connection to anything in the
creation; similarly I the space-like consciousness, am not associated with any body;
therefore where is the question of I having a body and I having another body.
Therefore karma I do not have, śarīra saṁbhanda I do not have, therefore

interactions with the world also, I do not have; and in my presence body mind
interacts with the world; I the sākṣi do not interact with anyone.
When I do not have interaction, where is the question of positive reaction or

negative reaction? So there is no question of na puṇyam, na pāpam, na saukyam, na
duḥkhaṁ, and name dvēṣa rāgau, name lōbhaḥ mōhau; there is no question of
reducing the viparītha bhāvana also, because even the viparītha bhāvana belongs to
the mind, why should I bother about viparītha bhāvana. Therefore there is no
question of negative reactions; there is no question of handling negative reactions;
there is no question of even removing sorrow from me; because ātma does not have
sorrow at all for removal.
And therefore for sākṣi-pradhāna jñāni, liberation is instantaneous. For ahaṁkāra

pradhāna jñāni, liberation is a gradual process, and it can be absolute. For ahaṁkāra
pradhāna jñāni, liberation is a gradual and relative, never absolute liberation. For
sākṣi pradhāna jñāni, liberation is instantaneous and also absolute. So therefore
Śankarācārya talked about the liberation of the ahaṁkāra pradhāna jñāni, up to the
second line of verse 453. You can choose anyone. You can be a ahaṁkāra-
pradhāna jñāni, but be clear about your goal; it is what? relative and gradual
liberation alone, but you would never be absolutely free from problems. but if you
are sākṣi pradhana jñāni, you can say I am absolutely free; in fact, it is not 'I am
absolutely free'; in fact, 'I was, I am and I ever will be absolutely free'.
And that instantaneous and absolute liberation of sākṣi-pradhāna jñāni was

discussed from the third line of verse 453; and that topic is. And how does sākṣi
pradhāna jñāni look at his problems. The problem of anger, the problem of various
Page 1826

situations, family situations, social situations. Śankarācārya said that he looks at all
those problems, exactly as a person looks at the dream world after waking up.
Just as a waker looks at the dream world, a sākṣi pradhāna jñāni looks at the waking
world also; and since all the problems are like dream; he does not feel like even
solving the problem. Attempting to solve the problem is taking the problem as
reality. And taking the problem as reality is I have not woken up. Imagine I continue
to take the medicine for the dream diabetes after waking up. I have woken up; I
know that there is no diabetes, but I would like to continue the medicine for safety.
That means what? he has not completely woken up. And therefore sākṣi-pradhāna
jñāni does not attempt to solve any problem; including the problem of viparītha
bhāvana because, even viparītha bhāvana is mithya vāsana belonging to mithya
antakāraṇam, satya ātma does not have vāsanas also.
Therefore he said svapna vilōkita arthē; verse 457, which I completed in the last
class. Svapna vilōkita arthē yathā smr̥tir; just as a waker remembers the dream; and
what is his attitude towards dream problem; the same is the attitude of a sākṣi
pradhāna jñāni, with regard to family, society and all those problems. They are jokes
for him; he can never take them very seriously.
कम्
र ण �न�मर्त देहः प्रब्ध तस् कल्प्यता |
नानादेरात्मन यक
ु ्त नैवात्म कमर्�न�मर् ||४५८||
karmaṇā nirmitō dēhaḥ prārabdhaṁ tasya kalpyatām |
nānādērātmanō yuktaṁ naivātmā karmanirmitaḥ ||458||
So in the previous verses Śankarācārya said that sākṣi pradhāna jñāni never owns
up prārabdhaṁ, because always claims I am sākṣi the ātma; which is aakartā;
therefore there is no question of exhausting the prārabdhaṁ at all. The very idea of
exhaustion of prārabdhaṁ is accepting prāradbha. Acceptance of prārabdha is
accepting karma phalam. Accepting karma phalam is accepting kartr̥tvam, I am
karta; to accept I am karta is to have strong identification with body mind complex.
And since jñāni has removed that foundation of kartr̥tvam itself, there is no question
of prārabdha exhaustion. Therefore sākṣi pradhāna jñāni says prārabdhaṁ does not
belong to me.
Page 1827

And naturally the question will come, if prārabdhaṁ does not belong to you, the
sākṣi pradhāna jñāni, then prārabdhaṁ belongs to whom is the next question, for
which Śankarācārya is going to give two answers.
One is a relative answer and the other is the ultimate answer. The relative answer is
prārabdhaṁ does not belong to me, the sākṣi, but prārabdhaṁ belongs to the body,
or the body-mind-complex, the anātma.
Let us put in simple language; prārabdhaṁ belongs to anātma. Prārabdhaṁ does

not belong to me; the ātma, statement No.1.
Prārabdhaṁ belongs to anātma is the next statement.
And since I am not identified with anātma; I do not claim myself as anātma, I am
not bothered about that; just as there is a problem in Kenya; how do you look at it;
you read the newspapers and then you are absolutely jīvan muktha, because no
abhīmāna at all. You do not even know where exactly that country is. Similarly, just
as there are so many anātmas of which you are not at all bothered, this is another
anātma floating for sometime and it is going to disappear. If I have to worry for
anātma, I have to worry for all the anātmās in the world and and if I do not bother
about anātma, I should not bother about this anātma also. So this is answer No.1;
prārabdhaṁ belongs to anātma.
Then what is the ultimate answer. The ultimate answer is: prārabdhaṁ does not
belong to anyone; because there is no such thing called anātma itself. When the
anātma itself is dismissed as mithya, where is the question of any attribute
belonging to anātma. When the very noun itself is dismissed, where is the question
of an adjective belonging to noun. Prārabdha is adjective, the property and what is
the noun; the anātma is the noun. After dismissing the noun, how can you accept
the adjective and therefore for a jñāni the very existence of prārabdhaṁ is
ridiculous.
And therefore what is the final answer. Prārabdhaṁ is also as mithya as anātma is.
Prārabdhaṁ is also as mithya as anātma is and therefore just as anātma cannot be
counted; similarly prārabdha also cannot be counted and seriously thinking of
prārabdha again indicates non-assimilation of vēdānta. Because I am more focussed
on mithya and to the extent I am focused on mithya, the satyam goes out of focus.
Page 1828

Like taking a picture. Find that there is beautiful mountain in the background; and in
front your friend is standing. If you are focusing on the friend, the background
mountains, snow-capped mountains goes. If you focus on the mountains, person in
front goes out of focus. You can only focus one thing at a time.
Therefore whether you want to focus on your ahaṁkāra aspect as a jñāni or

whether you want to focus sākṣi aspect as a jñāni, it is for you to decide. And
depending on that, your jīvan mukthi also; your approach to jīvan mukthi and your
self-assessment, everything will vary according to your focus.
And therefore Śankarācārya gives the first answer; Prārabdhaṁ belongs to dēha.
Prārabdhaṁ tasya kalpyatām; may you attribute prārabdha to the anātma; body.
When I say body; stūla sūkṣma śarīraṁ; both of them I am including, body mind
complex, prārabdhaṁ kalpyatām; may you attribute. May you connect.
And why prāradbha should be attributed to the body? Because karmaṇā nirvidhaḥ
dēhaḥ, because body is a body of karma. Karma means karma phalam, remember.
So the word karma can stand for action also; it can stand for karma phalam, which
is known as puṇyam and pāpam. So body is made up of karma phalam, which is
puṇyam and pāpam.
Then a doubt may come, how do you say: body is born out of karma? We have seen
in Tatva bōdhaḥ that body is made out of pañja bhūtāas. Pañjaekrita pañjamahā
bhūtāihi kritam. So tell me whether body is born of karma or pañja bhūtā. Here you
say body is born out of karma. Tatva Body you say body is born of five elements; tell
me which is right. Which is right; both are right. Body is made out of both pañja
bhootas as well as karmās. Pañja bhootas are called sāmānya kāraṇam; which is the
general raw material; which is used for the creation of all the body.
Then what is the role of karma? Then karma is said to be viśēṣa kāraṇam; this
viśēṣa kāraṇam determines what type of body it should be. Whether it should be
plant body; whether it should be animal body; whether it should be human body;
among humans also male body or female body. The type of body is determined by
what; karma.
And that is why in Tatva Bōdhaḥ itself he said: Pañjīkrita pañjamahā bhūtai kritam
satkarma janyam. So one is samānya kāraṇam and another is called viśēṣa kāraṇam.
Page 1829

Śankarācārya is here emphasising the viśēṣa kāraṇam, which has determined the
nature of the body. So this body is born out of puṇya pāpa karma. And therefore
prārabdhaṁ belongs to this body only.
Not only the birth of the body is influenced by karma; during the course of life, what
all experiences I have to go through, that is also influenced by karma.
And what is the longevity of the body that is also influenced by karma. Here also you
should very careful. I do not say the type of experiences are determined by karma; I
do not say. If you say the entire life is determined by karma, that is prārabdha
karma, that means what? I do not have any freewill at all; everything is pre-
determined, old-age is pre-determined, sickness is pre-determined; death is pre-
determined; I will become fatalistic; prārabdha karma has an influence over my life;
but by using my freewill I can deflect the prārabdha or reduce the impact of the
prārabdha, that is true. But prārabdha karma has got a role to play. With regard to
what? With regard to the biography of the body.
But prārabdha karma can never influence another thing; what is that? prārabdha can
influence the body; but prārabdha karma cannot touch the ātma, the caitanyaṁ and
therefore prārabdha belongs to the body alone. So prārabdhaṁ dēhasya
kalpyathām. Ātmanaḥ anādēhē na yuktam. We have to supply the word
prārabdhaṁ. Prārabdhaṁ anādēhē ātmanaḥ na yuktam; prārabdhaṁ can never
belong to the ātma; which is birthless; so janma rahitasya ātmanaḥ prārabdhaṁ
naiva yuktam.
In fact, the type of prārabdhaṁ that you are going to have is indicated by your time
of birth. The type of prārabdhaṁ that you are going to have is indicated by the time
of birth; and that is why based on the time of birth, they chart your horoscope. So
this nakṣtram; this rāśi, time and all those things; and therefore horoscope is
indicating what? indicating your prārabdhaṁ.
Not God's will. God does not have any interference in my life; my prārabdhaṁ is
indicated by the horoscope. Horoscope is indicated by the time of birth; and for
ātma what time of horoscope would be there? What type of horoscope; it will be
based on the time of birth; and what is the time of birth of ātma?; anādhiḥ;
therefore when I am ātma, how can you talk about my horoscope and how can you
talk about my good time bad time, etc.
Page 1830

So for a sākṣi pradhāna jñāni, horoscope is ridiculous. But for an ahaṁkāra

pradhāna jñāni horoscope is very important.
Therefore you want to be ahaṁkāra pradhāna jñāni or sākṣi pradhāna jñāni is your
choice. Therefore anādēhē ātmanaḥ prārabdhaṁ naiva yuktham; there is no
question of prārabdha? Why? ātma naiva karma nirmithaḥ. So ātma is never born
out of karma.
अजो �नत्य शाश्व इ�त ब्रू श्रु�तरमोघवा |

तदात्मन �तष्ठतोऽस कुतः प्रारब्धकल ||४५९||
ajō nityaḥ śāśvata iti brūtē śrutiramōghavāk |
tadātmanā tiṣṭhatō:'sya kutaḥ prārabdhakalpanā ||459||
So the ātma does not have prārabdhaṁ, for ātma does not have janma is reinforced
in this verse and ātma does not have janma, what has jñāni to do with that, if you
ask, Sākṣi pradhāna jñāni predominantly looks upon himself as sākṣi. In fact most of
the time, he is never focussed on ahaṁkāra pradhāna personality; for him even if
ahaṁkāra pradhāna personality is functioning, there he does not have a strong
abhīmāna, just as you brush your teeth; not with strong abhīmāna, these teeth
belong to me; and I am brushing the teeth, with all the focus, you are not going to
do; in fact you worry about the family when you are brushing the teeth.
So just as you do those activities without strong abhīmāna, and once that brushing
the teeth is over, forget it for good, you are ready for the next and not going to
dwell upon that; the sākṣi pradhāna jñāni does not dwell upon his fatherhood, does
not dwell upon the motherhood; grandparent hood; husband hood; all those things
are not; they are not prominent in his life.
And that is why Śankarācārya tells, for a sākṣi pradhāna jñāni, sanyāsa āsrama will
be ideal; because ahaṁkāra roles like father mother etc. are not there. A gr̥hastha
has to be ahaṁkara pradhāna jñāni, because he has to invoke ahaṁkāra during
vyavahārā. And therefore depending upon āsrama, we emphasise sākṣi pradhāna
jñānaṁ or ahaṁkāra pradhāna jñānaṁ.
Page 1831

That is why Śankarācārya is always sanyāsi pradhāna. So whenever the pronoun he

comes, Śankarācārya says he is equal to sanyāsi. For him this is so because he
emphasises sākṣi pradhāna jīvanmukthi.
And therefore ajō nityaḥ śāsvathaḥ iti śrutiḥ brūtē; śruti tells that I am birthless and
therefore I do not have parents; so where is the question of duty to my parents. And
if I do not have parents, where is the question of wife? And where is the question of
duties to the wife; all these things are meaningless. Therefore ajaḥ, nithyaḥ,
śāśvataḥ iti śrutiḥ brūtē; the Upaṇiṣads, Kathōpanișad,

So the same verse occurring in Bhagavad Gītā also; but here we should take
Kathōpanișad only because Śankarācārya has used the word śrutiḥ brūtē. Therefore
it is Kathōpanișad. Ajaḥ means what? birthless. Nityaḥ means deathless. śāsvataḥ
means eternal; who, I the sākṣi. Iti śrutiḥ brūtē; and how do you that statement is
right; he might not said something to just pacify me; just like mother tells certain
statements which are not true also; just to pacify the child.
So Śankarācārya says do not take this as a casual statement of the Upaṇiṣads,

amōghavāk, the Śruti which always tells the truth; amōghavāk means satya;
amōghavāk mean satyavāk, ever valid śruti; reveals my svarūpam as sākṣi. And this
jñāni is what type of jñāni? tadātmanā tiṣṭhatō:'sya; this jñāni is a sākṣi pradhāna
jñāni, who is not identified with his ahaṁkāra.
In fact, he does not claim that I am a jñāni because even to claim that I am a jñāni,
I have to identify with what? my buddhi, because jñānaṁ belongs to the intellect.
And therefore sākṣi pradhāna jñāni says, I am not a jñāni also. Then are you a
ajñāni. I am not an ajñāni also. I am neither a jñāni, nor an ajñāni, I am the
Page 1832

illuminator of the mind which has jñānaṁ, I am the illuminator of the mind, which
has got ajñānaṁ also. And therefore tadātmana tiṣṭhataḥ; tadātmanaḥ means what?
sākṣi rūpēṇa. So that person who always looks upon himself as sākṣi; kutaḥ
prārabdha kalpana. Where is the question of prārabdha at all; Therefore he does not
believe in the exhaustion of prārabdha.
प्रारब �सध्य� तदा यदा देहात्मन िस्थ�त |

देहात्मभाव नैवेष्ट प्रारब त्यज्यताम ||४६०||
prārabdhaṁ sidhyati tadā yadā dēhātmanā sthitiḥ |
dēhātmabhāvō naivēṣṭaḥ prārabdhaṁ tyajyatāmataḥ ||460||
So on the other hand, the prārabdha is to be very accepted from the standpoint of
ahaṁkāra or śarīraṁ; therefore after jñānaṁ also, if you love to look upon
yourselves as an enlightened mind, even after gaining jñānaṁ, if you are going to
look upon yourselves as an enlightened mind, then you should be bothered about
how the mind reacts to situations and how the mind reacts to the physical conditions
of the body. You must be worried about the reactions of the mind, because you
continue to be identified with the mind.
Whereas Sākṣi pradhāna jñāni is not even bothered about reactions of the mind;
because mind itself is mithya. Therefore he says: yatha dehātmana stithiḥ; if you are
identified with the dēha, even after jñānaṁ, i.e., your ahaṁbhramāsmi is verbal, but
for all practical purposes, you are worried about your mental conditions only.
So therefore you are worried about your mind and you are worried about how the
mind reacts to the situations and you are worried about how your mind reacts to the
family conditions and that reaction is right reactions wrong reactions, all these
worries why, because you look upon the mind as yourselves and it is this strong
mind abhīmāna that makes you judge yourselves from the standpoint of the mind.
And therefore as long you do that; dehātmana yatha stithihi; as long as you are
identified with the body-mind-complex, then prārabdhaṁ siddyati. Your mental
reacions are determined by your prārabdhaṁ also.
That is why as a jñāni you say I should not worry; I should not worry; I should not
worry; but as even you are worried about that, your mind continues to worry,
becuase your worry cannot be totally eliminated by jñānaṁ, because a certain
amount of worry is caused by prārabdha influenced worries also there.
Page 1833

And when there is a prārabdha powerful prārabdha influenced worry is there in the
mind, how can jñānaṁ totally eliminate that because some of the problems are bio-
chemical problems. Many of the things, and the bio-chemistry is determined by
what? by birth, that biochemistry is there. And when that bio-chemical takes place,
mood disorder, this disorder and that disorder happens. And thus moodly he says:
ahaṁ brahmāsmi.
So therefore as long as you are identified with your mind, prārabdha also will
influence your reactions. You can challenge your prārabdha only when you are a
sākṣi pradhāna jñāni. Identified with your mind, you can never challenge prārabdha,
because when you challenge prārabdha on certain occasions you can conquer
prārabdha; there are certain occasions prārabdha cannot be conquered is like two
tennis players; in one match this person wins; Agassi wins; in another match
Sampras wins; and one match Viswanathan Anand wins; and another match Gram
Nick wins. They say: today is his day. They themselves say in vēdantic language.
That means what? his prārabdha was strong. Therefore mind and prārabdha is in
eternal match; and jñāna will certainly influence the mind and support the mind; but
sometimes prārabdha is so powerful that inspite of jñānaṁ, the mind goes through
emotional fluctuations.
Therefore as mind, you can never totally conquer prārabdha. So therefore if you
want to totally conquer prārabdha what is the method? Claim I am not the mind.
Claim I am not the mind; let prārabdha fight with the mind and let sometimes mind
wins; sometimes prārabdha wins; but whoever wins; I am the illuminator of the
success of the mind, and I am the illuminator of the failure of the mind sometimes.
And once you have that relaxation, and the glory is what you know; once you are
detached from the mind, mind becomes more successful. That tennis player will be
successful more when he is not too much anxious about success. The more you are
anxious about success; the very anxiety for success becomes an obstacle to success.
Freedom from anxiety for success is one of the influencing factors for success.
Similarly a sākṣi pradhāna jñāni often conquers prārabdhaṁ than an ahaṁkāra
pradhāna jñāni because sākṣi pradhāna jñāni is not even bothered in the mind's
failure sometimes. Let the mind fails in spite of jñānaṁ. That Dayānanda svāmi calls
inner space. You should be detached from your mind also; and accept the mind's
failure sometimes.
Page 1834

And therefore dehātmana sthitiḥ yatha bhavati; when you are identified with your
mind, prārabdha is going to affect your mind often. And if you want to conquer
prārabdha what should you do? dehātma bhāvaha naiva ēṣṭaḥ. If you want to real
conquering of prārabdha, if you want real victory over prārabdha, do not identify
with your mind also.
Therefore dehātmabhāva, identification with the body-mind-complex, naiva ēṣṭaḥ,

because you will be anxious with regard to mind's victory over prārabdha.
And it is not going to happen all the time. Sometimes you know that you should not
be depressed; but depression is: sometimes you know that you do not want to be
angry; but anger is. Sometimes these things happen. You can reduce the anger but
there are situations when anger overwhelms.
And now you have got two-fold anger. What is that? I am angry; I am angry with
that person and later I am angry with the mind, which got angry. I am Gītā student,
Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi student, anger should not have come to me, now that it has
become double sorrow. One is anger; and another is anger over the anger or
depression over the anger or worry ove the anger.
And therefore if you are sākṣi pradhāna, you say OK this time prārabdha won over
the mind; sabhāsh prārabdha, wonderful. So dehātmabhāva naiva ēṣṭaḥ. It is never
never never desired by a true seeker.
And therefore what prārabdhaṁ tyajyatām ataḥ and therefore give up your
identification with prārabdhaṁ also, by disidentifying with the body. So you can drop
prārabdhaṁ only when you drop body mind complex.
शर�रस्या� प्रारब्धकल भ्रािन्त �ह |

अध्यस्त कुतः सत्त्वमसत् कुतो ज�नः |
अजातस् कुतो नाशः प्रारब्धम कुतः ||४६१||
śarīrasyāpi prārabdhakalpanā bhrāntirēva hi |
adhyastasya kutaḥ sattvamasatyasya kutō janiḥ |
ajātasya kutō nāśaḥ prārabdhamasataḥ kutaḥ ||461||
Page 1835

So what is the question? Prārabdhaṁ belongs to whom? So first statement we

made: prārabdhaṁ does not belong to ātma and therefore sākṣi pradhāna jñāni who
always claims himself as ātma never accepts prārabdhaṁ for him; he boldly says I
do not have prārabdhaṁ. And if you ask him what about your suffering? Then he
will ask what do you mean by 'your suffering'? You have got temperature now.
Temperature is for the ātma or body. Temperature is for the body; because body
has got prārabdha. So I the ātma does not have the raised temperature, reduced
temperature, therefore prārabdhaṁ does not belong to ātma is statement No.1.
Then next he said prārabdhaṁ belongs to anātma. This is from verse No.458 to 460.
Up to 457, he said prārabdha does not belong to ātma. 458-460 prārabdha belongs
to anātma or he uses the word dēhaḥ. Now from this verse 461 onwards,
Śankarācārya says prārabdhaṁ is not for anātma also. This the height of jñānaṁ.
This is the height of jñānaṁ. This is for uttama adhikāri.
And why prārabdha does not belong to anātma or the body also? So he gets wild
that you are going on talking so long; this is what Gaudapada does in Mānḍukya
karika. The real vēdānta is given there only. Why we say. To say prārabdha belongs
to the anātma or the body, you have to accept the existence of the anātma, and
Śankarācārya says where is the question of accepting the existence of anātma,
because for an enlightened person, anātma does not exist at all, just as for an
awakened person, dream world does not exist.
So therefore, then what about all these things, if you ask. In his vision:
Brāmaivaidam amrutham pursathāt, brahma pascāt; brahma dakṣiṇāsca

uttarēṇa; adaśca urdvaṁcha prasrutham; brahmaivēdam visvāmi dam
variṣṭam.
The one who has recognised water, he does not have wave at all in his vision,
because in front there is water. Behind there is water. When you talk about the birth
of a wave, for a person of water vision, nothing is born; what is there? water, what
is there? water. Birth of a wave is a misconception, because same amount of water
was there before also; later also; not even a 0.001 mg of matter is added.
Then how do you talk about the birth of a wave? When there is no birth of a wave,
where is the question of death of a wave, water was, water is, water will be, not
Page 1836

even a iota of substance is created. Therefore ātma was, ātma is, ātma will be: na
kascit jāyaye jīvaḥ.
So the second chapter and third chapter of Mānḍukya upaṇiṣad or Mānḍukya kārika,
if you feel comfortable. Then this portion will be assimilable portion. Śankarācārya is
bringing that topic here. Where is the question of anātma; and therefore where is
the question of prārabdha belonging to anātma? Therefore he says: śarīrasya api
prārabdha kalpana braandhi hi ēva; to say prārabdha is there for anātma is also
educated delusion. Therefore it is a delusion which comes after half-cooked vēdānta.
Arai-korai vēdantin will say that: prārabdha is for their body; it is also brāndhihi.
So śarīrasya prārabdha prārabdhakalpanā bhrāntirēva. Why? Because adhyastasya

kutaḥ satvam; because for a vēdantin who has assimilated vēdānta, the entire world
is an adhyāsaḥ.
Adhyāsaḥ means what? superimposition. It has got a status which is exactly like
rope-snake or dream. And what is the existence for a dream object or rope snake
that is the existence for this world also.
But what about my experience of the world? That is vēdantic assimilation.

Experience does not prove existence of a thing. Experience does not prove the
existence. What is the example? In dream, you experienced solid people and they
were tangible. Tangible enough to frighten you. Just because tangibility is there, just
because experience is there; just because utility is there; it does not prove
existence. Because on waking up, you know that the frightening object, the useful
object is non-existent. Similarly for a jñāni, body is not there; nēha nānāsti kincāna.
Na puṇya-pāpē mama nāsti nāsō na janma dehēndriya buddhir-asti || 22||

Na bhūmir-āpo na ca vahnir-asti na ca-anilō me-asti na ca-ambaram ca |
Kaivalyopāṇishad
I do not have a body, I do not have sense organs. If we can assimilate this, there is
no question of prārabdha. Until then, we have got compromised sādhana. What is
that: Accept that you have body; accept that you have mind, and assume that you
are still the mind and accept you have viparītha bhāvana and therefore you have to
drop off viparītha bhāvana; therefore sit in padmasanam, close your eyes; look at
the tip of the nose, and then practice all kinds of meditation and rub off viparītha
Page 1837

bhavana. What viparītha bhāvana; mithya viparītha bhāvana. Imagine rubbing off
the snake; go on rubbing, so that the snake will go. Thus all nididhyāsanam is
rubbing of rope-snake. And you consider rubbing off rope-snake is an important
sādhana for you, practice for some time and once vēdānta is assimilated, see how
ridiculous all these things are.
Hari Om.
Page 1838

141 Verses 461 to 469
शर�रस्या� प्रारब्धकल भ्रािन्त �ह |

अध्यस्त कुतः सत्त्वमसत् कुतो ज�नः |
अजातस् कुतो नाशः प्रारब्धम कुतः ||४६१||
śarīrasyāpi prārabdhakalpanā bhrāntirēva hi |
adhyastasya kutaḥ sattvamasatyasya kutō janiḥ |
ajātasya kutō nāśaḥ prārabdhamasataḥ kutaḥ ||461||
Śankarācārya is dealing with the topic of prārabdhaṁ with regard to a jñāni; and he
has taken up this special discussion because there are two approaches with regard
to prārabdhaṁ.
With regard to sañcita karma, all the people uniformly agree that jñāni does not
have sañcitam; jñāna burns all the sañcita karma. Therefore two opinions are not
there. And similarly with regard to āgami karma also, there is only one view; and
that is there is no āgāmi karma for a jñāni. Only with regard to prārabdha karma,
there are two approaches and it depends upon how you look at a jñāni; or how a
jñāni looks at himself. Jñāni clearly knows that I have got two aspects or amśās; one
is I, the ahaṁkāra aṁśaḥ; consisting of mind and cidābhāsa, and the other is the
sākṣi aṁśaḥ, which is the pure consciousness.
Of this ahaṁkāra is vyavahārika satyam, sākṣi aṁśaḥ is parāmarthika satyam. And

after gaining knowledge, which part of me, I invoke more; from which angle I look
at myself; can vary from jñāni to jñāni. If I am going to claim myself as vyavahārika
ahaṁkāra, I will certainly say I have studied vēdānta; I have done śravaṇam and
mananam and nidhidhyāsanam; I have got jñāna niṣṭa also. And there are some
problems for me caused by viparītha bhāvana and I have prārabdha caused
problems; all these are from the standpoint of whom? Ahaṁkāra.
But the very same I, if I look from the standpoint of sākṣi I, I have never done any
sādhana at all. I have never done śravaṇam, I am incapable of doing śravaṇam,
because śravaṇam is by pramātha, I, the sākṣi, am, apramātha. And where is the
question of mananam or nidhidhyāsanam? where is the question of emotional
Page 1839

problems or viparītha bhāvana and where is the question of prārabhdam or

exhaustion of prārabdhaṁ and where is the question of punarjanma discussion
because the topic of punarjanma can come only when I accept the present janma?
When I do not accept the present janma itself, where is the question of punarjanma.
Thus my approach will be totally different, if I am sākṣi pradhāna jñāni.
In fact, sākṣi pradhāna jñāni does not say I am a jñāni also. Because to claim to be
a jñāni, I should identify with the ahaṁkāra amśa of mine. And therefore, for an
ahaṁkāra pradhāna jñāni, prārabdhaṁ is there; for a sākṣi pradhāna jñāni,
prārabdhaṁ is not there. The difference is not in prārabdhaṁ but the difference is
in the way that I look at myself.
And then the question comes, the prārabdhaṁ belongs to whom. So he gave three
answers, he is giving three answers; first he said; prārabdhaṁ does not belong to
sākṣi. Then the next statement he gave was: prārabdhaṁ belongs to ahaṁkāra or
the body, because body is an integral part of ahaṁkāra.
Then the third and final statement which he gives now here is: that prārabdhaṁ
does not belong to the body also, because in the vision of a jñāni, body itself is
negated. And when from sākṣi dr̥ṣṭi, when sarvaṁ sākṣi mayaṁ jagat is his vision,
where is the question of the body having a property? When the noun itself is
falsified, how can the adjective retain its existence.
And therefore he said in verse No.461, śarīrasyāpi prārabdha kalpana bhrāntirēva.

As long as I say prārabdhaṁ belongs to the body, I am accepting the existence of
the body and acceptance of the body is acceptance of dvaitam; in the vision of jñāni,
body is as good as a dream. And therefore he says adhyastasya kutaḥ sattvam;
where is the existence for a body, which is similar to a dream. That is adhyāsaḥ; and
asatyasya; or there is another reading also; asatvasya kutō janiḥ; where is the
question of the birth of a body.
Talking about the birth of the body is like talking about the birth of the rope-snake.
We have been elaborately talking about rope-snake because for a ignorant person,
rope-snake has a validity; therefore for some time, I accepted the existence of rope-
snake, its arrival, its nakṣatram, its brand of snake, whether it is krait whether it is
python, etc., but after knowing that it is nothing but rope, how can I discuss the
characteristic of such a snake.
Page 1840

Similarly, for a jñāni, prārabdham discussion indicate the continuation of the

delusion. Therefore asatvasya, for a non-existent śarīraṁ, where is the question of
janma. Then ajātasya kutō nāśaḥ; for a non-existent body, and the unborn body,
where is the question of nāśaḥ; nāśaḥ means what? maraṇam or death and that is
why he says: na jāyate mriyate va kadācit; nāyam bhūtva bhavitha va na bhuyaḥ;
there is neither janma or maraṇam and if both are not there; prārabdhaṁ asataḥ
kutaḥ; how can you talk about the prārabdhaṁ of a birthless and deathless body.
And therefore there is no question of prārabdhaṁ for a jñāni, if he is a jñāni worth
the name.
�ानेना�ानकायर्स समूलस् लयो य�द |

�तष्ठत्य कथं देह इ�त शङ्कावत जडान ् ||४६२||
jñānēnājñānakāryasya samūlasya layō yadi |
tiṣṭhatyayaṁ kathaṁ dēha iti śaṅkāvatō jaḍān ||462||
समाधातुं बाह्यदृष् प्रारब वद�त श्रु� |

न तु देहा�दसत्यत्वबोधन �वपिश्चता म ||४६३||
samādhātuṁ bāhyadr̥ṣṭyā prārabdhaṁ vadati śrutiḥ |
na tu dēhādisatyatvabōdhanāya vipaścitām ||463||
Now comes the final question. If the scriptures say and Śankarācārya argues that
there is no prārabdha at all for a jñāni, then how come in certain Upaṇiṣads it is said
that jñāni has got prārabdhaṁ. In the Chandōgya Upaṇiṣad, there is a statement
which accepts prārabdhaṁ for a jñāni.
Tasya Tavedēva ciram yavāna vimokṣē atha sampaśyē, is a very popular

statement, because this is the statement which proves the existence of prārabdha
for a jñāni.
So here Śankarācārya says there is no prārabdhaṁ for a jñāni and the Upaṇiṣads
says that there is prārabdhaṁ for a jñāni; how do you resolve this contradiction?
Aren't you negativing the upanṣad vākyam.
For that Śankarācārya says I am not contradicting the upaṇiṣad vākyam, at all,
because there, the upaṇiṣad is talking to an ignorant person. And the ignorant
Page 1841

person very much remains in vyavāhārika dr̥ṣṭi only. And he can never accept the
fact that there is only Brahman and there is nothing else other than Brahman. In
fact, even vēdantic students find it difficult to swallow the statement. Sarvaṁ
brahma mayaṁ jagat.
Then what to talk of the ignorant person. Therefore ignorant people take jñāni not
as Brahman but they look upon jñāni as the śarīraṁ only. And as long as the śarīra
dr̥ṣṭi is there, the upaṇiṣad has to give an answer according to that dr̥ṣṭi.
And therefore the Upaṇiṣads comes down to the level of the ajñāni and says, yes,
there is a body. Like talking about the origin of our snake. As long as you are seeing
the snake, I have to talk about the origin, as long as you give reality to the dream, I
have to give you slōka for dussvapna parihāra. I know you know svapnam is mithya;
but as long as you are afraid of the svapaṇam, I have to give you Anjaneya slōka or
Govinda slōka; all of them for removing what problem; svapna problem.
Similarly, as long as ajñāni looks at jñāni from śarīra dr̥ṣṭi, he should be told how the
śarīraṁ continues. And therefore the upaṇiṣads say jñāni has got prārabdhaṁ and
prārabdhaṁ is sustaining the body, and because of the prārabdhaṁ, sukham is
there, duḥkhaṁ is there, jñāni also suffers from diseases and he will live as long as
the prārabdha is there. All these answers the śruti gives to an ajñāni. And if you ask
a jñāni, he will say,
न मे द्वेषराग न मे लोभमोहौ
मदो नैव मे नैव मात्सयर्भा ।
न धम� न चाथ� न कामो न मो�ः
�चदानन्दरू �शवोऽहं �शवोऽहम ् ॥ ३॥
na mē dvēṣarāgau na mē lōbhamōhau
madō naiva mē naiva mātsaryabhāvaḥ |
na dharmō na cārthō na kāmō na mōkṣaḥ
Page 1842

Guru pūrnima is itself not there, why because when the guru itself is not there,
where is the pūrnima? na gurur, what about śiṣya? śiṣyaḥ. Then what is there:
cidānandaḥ rūpa śivōhaṁ śivōhaṁ.
But he will not tell this outside, because they will think that he is mad and therefore
he goes along with the people and accept plurality in vyavahārā.
Therefore Śankarācārya says. This is the first line of this verse 462 is within
quotation: The thought of an ignorant person. The doubt or a question of an
ignorant person. What does it think? Jñānēna samūlasya ajñānā karyasya layaḥ
bhavathi. In Vēdānta it is said that the whole creation is born out of ajñānaṁ,
exactly like the rajju sarpam is born out of rajju sarpa, rope ignorance. We also have
heard that when jñānaṁ comes ajñānaṁ also goes and the products of ajñānam
also will go away. So Jñānēna, ajñānā nāśaḥ and ajñānā kārya nāśaḥ.
So when rope knowledge I gain, rope ignorance goes away, and rope ignorance
born snake also goes away. So similarly, when a person gains jñānaṁ, ātma
jñānaṁ, advaita jñānaṁ, two things must go away. One is advaita ajñānaṁ must go
away. And all ajñānaṁ caused dvaitam also must go away. And dwaitam means
what? the entire universe. And therefore for a jñāni, ignorance should go away; the
whole universe also must disappear: ya sākṣāt kurutē, prabōdha śamaye svātmana
ēva dvayaṁ. The world should go away. And the body is within the world or outside
the world? Any doubt? Body is within the world. Since a jñāni negates the world, a
jñāni should have negated the body also.
Therefore logically speaking, jñāni should not have a body. What is the logic? Body
is duality. Duality is born out of ignorance. Ignorance is gone; therefore duality
should go; therefore body also should go.
But what is our experience? Even after jñānaṁ, the body continues to exist for a
jñāni. So now the question is then how come you explain the continuity of the body
of a jñāni.
Page 1843

To this logical question, the upaṇiṣad gives the answer; even though jñānaṁ
destroys the ajñānaṁ and destroys all the duality also; the prārabdhaṁ continues
for some more time. It is exactly like what? Even after switching of the fan, logically
fan should not move; because the cause of rotation, electricity is withdrawn.
Logically fan should not move, but still because of the momentum, the fan moves for
some more time. Similarly because of the momentum of ignorance, the ignorance is
gone, but the effect of the ignorance, what is that? a little bit of prārabdha karma
continues.
And how long it will continue? It will depend upon the momentum. it will vary from
fan to fan. And similarly here also, some people live for 50 years; 20 years; 10
years; it will vary from individual to individual and that will satisfy a ignorant person.
And that question will not come for a jñāni because jñāni does not see the continuity
of the body; because in the vision of a jñāni, there is no body; what we call body is
nothing but Brahman.
And therefore Jñānēna ajñānā karyasya layaḥ bhavathi. This is the thinking of an
ordinary person. By knowledge the product of ignorance; what is that? The body in
this context. the product of ignorance, viz., the body, samūlasya, along with
ignorance, layaḥ, the negation or destruction takes place, bhavathi. So by
knowledge, ignorance and the product of ignorance, viz., the body should be
destroyed.
Yadi; Yadi means if this is the truth, if this is the logic, ayaṁ dēhaḥ katham tiṣṭhati.
How come jñāni's body continues. So how come jñāni's body continues.
Then suppose you say: jñāni's body is not born out of ignorance; let us take it like
that; only if it is born of ignorance only, it should be destroyed when ignorance
goes. Why can't we accept jñāni's body is not born out of ignorance? Then what will
be the problem? Anything that is not born out of ignorance is satyam.
And if jñāni's body is not born of ignorance, body will become satyam and if body is
satyam, there are two satyams, Brahman and body; then where is the question of
advaitam? Advaitam can be established only when you say that body is born of
ignorance. And if body is born of ignorance, how come it does not go by knowledge?
Page 1844

This is the logical question. Iti; up to this is question. Iti śaṅkāvataḥ. So there are
many people who have got such a doubt.
And why they have got doubt? jaḍān; because of their dull intellect. Because of their
non-assimilation of vēdantic teaching. So because of half-cooked vēdānta, so jaḍaḥ
means mandāḥ, manda buddhayāḥ, they have such a question. And then what śruti
has to do? Śruti should not tell that they are mandāḥ; already coming to vēdānta is
very difficult; and you tell the student that you a dull intellect, next class he will not
come.
And therefore instead of saying that you have not understood vēdānta, śruti comes
down to the level of ordinary people and samādātum, to answer those people, bāhya
dristya, from superficial angle, śrutiḥ prārabdhaṁ vadathi. Śruti temporarily accepts
the continuation of prārabdhaṁ after jñānaṁ.
Therefore only from superficial angle or vyavahārika dr̥ṣṭi, prārabdha continues, after
jñānaṁ, from paramārthika dr̥ṣṭi, there is no continuity of prārabdhaṁ; where is the
question of continuity. There is no existence of prārabdhaṁ and therefore there is
no question of continuity.
So samādhātuṁ; samādhātuṁ means to satisfy the dull intellect, śrutiḥ prārabdhaṁ

vadathi. Bāhya dr̥ṣṭi means vyavāhārika dr̥ṣṭya.
Then what is the pāramārthika dr̥ṣṭi? na tu dēhādisatyatvabōdhanāya; by accepting

the continuity of dēha, the śruti does not want to accept the paramārthika
satyatvam of the body. So dēhādhi satyatvam; satyatvam here means
Pāramārthikam satyatvam bōdhanaya na vadhathi; śruti does not want to convey
the absolute reality of the body, but it is only from vyavahārika angle.
And paramārthika satyatvam is negated from whose angle, vipaschithaam; for the
really intelligent people śruti will not give that answer; śruti will say what: there is no
śarīraṁ also; there is no prārabdha also.
So for the intelligent people, the śruti does not want to give the pāramārthika
satyatvam, but for the mediocre people, śruti accepts vyavahārika satyatvam of the
body.
Page 1845

प�रपूणर्मनाद्यन्तमप्रमेयम�व |
एकमेवाद्यं ब्र नेह नानािस् �कञ्च ||४६४||
paripūrṇamanādyantamapramēyamavikriyam |
ēkamēvādvayaṁ brahma nēha nānāsti kiñcana ||464||
So with this verse 463, Śankarācārya concludes the discussion of prārabdha and his
answer is for the ordinary people prārabdhaṁ is there for jñāni; but for jñāni's angle
itself, there is no prārabdhaṁ at all.
Then what is jñāni's vision? That is to be given in the following verses, from 464
onwards, jñāni's vision is given up to 471. And here you will find in all these verses
the second line is repeated. So this is the vision of a jñāni.
And what is that? ekam ēva advayaṁ brahma. In jñāni's vision, Brahman alone was
and is and will be. And what type of Brahman? ēkaṁ ēva advitīyaṁ, which means
sajātēya vijātīya svagata bhēda rahitam.
So what do you mean by that? So in this context you should remember Vijātīya
bhēda means other than Brahman, the consciousness, there is no matter at all. In
the vision of a jñāni, there is no chetana tatvam and achetana tatvam; sarvaṁ
cētanam Brahmaiēva. Vijātīya bhēdaḥ nāsti. Then similarly, there is no sajātīya
bhēdaḥ. sajātīya bhēdaḥ means what? There is no second consciousness other than
Brahma caitanyaṁ.
So other than caitanyaṁ, there is no other matter. Other than caitanyaṁ, there is no
other caitanyaṁ; there is only one caitanyaṁ. sajātīya bhēdaḥ nāsti. Similarly, within
the caitanyaṁ itself, there are no internal differences like top of caitanyaṁ, middle
of caitanyaṁ, bottom of caitanyaṁ. So thus caitanyaṁ alone is there. Ekam ēva
advayaṁ Brahma.
And to emphasis that, the śruti says nēha nānāsti kiñcana. And other than this
caitanyaṁ, there is not even an iota of consciousness or part of consciousness. This
is the highest vision of advaitam; which most of the people find extremely difficult to
swallow. If this statement we can make, without any intellectual conflict, then our
understanding of vēdānta is thorough. Looking at the world, seeing with both eyes, I
should be able to say:
Page 1846

Brahmaivetam amrutam purasthāt, brahma pascāt, Brahma

dakṣiṇāthasca, Brahma uttarēṇa. Adasca urdvam ca prasrutham
brahmaivēdam viśvaṁ idam variṣṭam.
or Krishna tells in the Gītā. Brahmārpaṇam Brahmahāvihi Brahmagnau Brāhmaṇa

hūtam.
Other than Brahman, nothing is there. It is so difficult to accept; that is why great
philosophers reject this teaching. Sānkya, Yōga, nyāya, Visēṣika, Pūrva mīmāṁsa, D
aitam, Visitadvaitam, all these people reject this teaching; because it is extremely
difficult to say: consciousness alone is there; there is no matter at all; when: not
now, in all the three periods of time.
And Śankarācārya says: there are some rare people who are able to understand and
assimilate. And what do they say? Ekam ēva addviteeyam Brahma. This is a
quotation from Chāndōgya upaṇiṣad. Sadēva sowmya idam agra asīth; ekam ēva
advitīyam.
Then nēha nānāsti kiñcana is a quotation from Kathōpanișad and Brihadāranya

upaṇiṣad. Nana means plurality. Kiñcana means even a wee bit; a iota of plurality of
matter, na asthi iha, iha in this Brahman. Not there at all.
Then what about prārabdhaṁ? When I am saying that there is nothing at all; you
are asking about prārabdhaṁ! So how does the body survive; where is the body?
How come there are students? Where are the students; How come you say there is
a teacher? where is the teacher.
That is why they say: when this jñāni went with the śiṣya and there was an elephant
running amok and it was coming, and this jñāni ran away. So then the śiṣya asked,
you say there is no elephant at all; today morning only you taught that; and why did
you run away from the elephant? You said there is no elephant at all; everything is
Brahman. Why did you run away? He is said running also is Brahman; there is no
running also; there is no elephant also; there is no body which is running also.
Then how come I experience? Experience does not prove the reality. If you do not
understand this, advaitam cannot be understood. Experience does not prove reality,
because svapna is experienced, very tangibly and we know that it is only experiential
Page 1847

but non-factual. Similarly, elephant prārabdha, body, running, all these are
experientially there; but they are not factually there. That is the teaching.
Then what is that Brahman? Paripūrnam. Paripūrnam means what? It is infinite;

anādhi antham; these are meditation slōkas; there is nothing to teach afresh,
because we have seen all these words before. Here we are only bringing these
words to seeing the words here; anādyantam; without beginning or end;
apramēyam; which is never an object of experience. And avikriyam; which is never
subject to modification. This changeless Brahman alone is there; and that Brahman I
am; mattō nānyat kiñcit athrāsthi viśvaṁ. There is no world other than Me; just as
there is no dream world, other than Me the observer.
सद्घन �चद्घन �नत्यमानन्दघनम�क् |

एकमेवाद्वय ब्र नेह नानािस् �कञ्च ||४६५||
sadghanaṁ cidghanaṁ nityamānandaghanamakriyam |
So sadghanaṁ. There is only one Brahman which is pure existence. Ghanaṁ means
pure; unadulerated existence. cidghanaṁ, pure consciousness; not existence AND
consciousness; if you say existence AND consciousness, there will be two things; and
if you say one part of Brahman is existence and another part is consciousness, that
is also mistake, because we have said Brahman does not have part at all; and
therefore what do you mean Brahman is pure existence which is pure consciousness
also.
Similarly ānandaḥ Ghanaṁ, which is the pure ānandaḥ also; not expereintial
ānandaḥ, but non-experiential original ānandaḥ. Experiential ānandaḥ is a reflection
of the original ānandaḥ; in the mind.
Therefore sadcidānandaḥ svarūpam and nityam; eternal; akriyaṁ; without any

karma or action; ēkam ēva advitīyam brahma. That Brahman alone is neha naanāsti
kinchana. There is no plurality at all and the beauty is what.
In this statement itself, there are so many letters and words; plurality is not there is
a statement. In that itself there is plurality. And that is what is confusing all
dvaitins. Advaitin says: plurality is not there; plurality is not there; for saying that
statement itself, he requires what: a mouth is required; and behind the mouth, mind
Page 1848

is required; and is in some place; and there are some students listening. Isn't
contradicting; I do not have a tongue. Svāmiji said that you know. I do not have a
tongue. my father is a nitya brahmachāri etc. That means full of contradictions; how
can an advaitin say; even the very word advaitam consists of aah, dvai, tam.
Therefore remember, advaitam is not non-perception of dvaitam; advaitam
is in spite of perceiving dvaitam. Continue to perceive and experience and assert
that there is only advaitam. And that is why Krishna himself said, if people do not
understand advaitam, there is no wonder. In fact, if a person understands advaitam,
all the time seeing dvaitam, if a person can asset advaitam, it is the greatest
wonder. Ascaryaḥ vakthā; kuśōlasya labhda; ascaryo jnaatha, kuśalānu ṣiṣtaḥ;
Viewing the dvaitam you have to say that dvaitam is not there; without seeing
advaitam one has to say that advaitam alone exists. Seeing dvaitam you have to say
no dvaitam and not seeing advaitam you have to assert advaitam alone is. How
difficult it is. And that is why we say that the jñānaṁ is the greatest.
प्रत्यगेक पूणर्मनन् सवर्तोमुख म |

एकमेवाद्वय ब्र नेह नानािस् �कञ्च ||४६६||
pratyagēkarasaṁ pūrṇamanantaṁ sarvatōmukham |
Śankarācārya is worried, because in all the previous slōkās, he said Brahman alone
is: there is nothing other than Brahman. ēkam ēva advitīyam brahma, nēha nānāsti
kiṅcana.
Therefore listening to this, a student may say: there is a Brahaman alone, that
Brahman alone is the ultimate truth; that Brahman is the essence of the creation;
and all the time saying that Brahman, that Brahman, he will reduce Brahman into
some object somewhere.
And if Brahman is an object somewhere, then again there will be a duality. A

Brahman and the person who is talking about that Brahman.
So therefore Śankarācārya says: never say "there is Brahman". Learn to convert that
Brahman into Brahma ātma ahaṁ. So therefore it is not Brahman alone is there. I
alone am. The subject alone is. There is no object at all. This alone is elaborately
analysed in Mānḍukya IIIrd chapter, advaita prakaraṇam, which is called ajāti vādaḥ.
Page 1849

And when I say I, the subject alone, am alone there, and there is no object, the
status of being the subject is also gone. Because I can get the name subject only
from the standpoint of an object and therefore subject-object-vilakṣaṇa ahaṁ mēva
asmi.
Therefore Śankarācārya says: pratyag; Pratyag means ātma, I. That Brahman is

nothing but I, the conscious principle, the observer, which is eka rasam, without any
second thing; unmixed with anything. Pūrnam, we have seen before. which is full
and complete. Anantaṁ; limitless; one can be taken from dēśa dr̥ṣṭi, another can be
taken from kāla dr̥ṣṭi. Dēśa dr̥śya pūrṇaḥ; kāla dr̥ṣṭi anantaḥ; and sarvatō mukham:
which direction the consciousness is facing. It is like asking which direction the plane
is facing: you can not talk about direction at all; sarvatōmukham; it is turned in all
directions; in short, it is all-pervading. ēkamēvadvyam Brahma, nēha nānāsti
kiñcana.
So the nearest experience if you have to talk, experientially it is what we experience

in suṣupti. So sajātīya, vijātīya, svagata bhēda rahitam. If you want to experientially
see how it is, you need not extraordinary mediation and all; even in the class, if you
doze of for a second, it is enough. Even in middle of the class you doze for a second,
there is no sajātīya, vijātīya, svagata bhēdam. Therefore experiential advaitam is not
difficult. Cognitive advaitam alone we require all the sādhana.
Therefore all the time we are working, not for advaita experience; we have it all the
time. Advaita anubhava we have. Advaita jñānaṁ requires lot of study. And
therefore ēkamēvadvitīyam. Second line is repetition.
अहेयमनप
ु ादेयमनादेयमनाश्रय |
एकमेवाद्वय ब्र नेह नानािस् �कञ्च ||४६७||
ahēyamanupādēyamanādēyamanāśrayaṁ |
Ahēyam anupādēyam; that Brahman can neither be received taken by me; nor can it
be given up by me. It is neither available for reception nor is it available for
rejection. Why, because it is in the form of very I. An object other than me can be
received by me; an object other than me can be rejected by me. But the subject can
neither be received by me. Suppose you say, I am going to the railway station; for
what: for receiving; receiving whom; I want to receive myself.
Page 1850

There is someone what will he do; what happened to you? When you say I am going
to railway station or airport to receive, invariably what do you think, to receive
someone other than you. And therefore reception is possible with regard to an
object and rejection also is with regard to an object. The receiver cannot be
received. The rejecter cannot be rejected. And therefore I the Brahman is ahēyam;
unrejectable; and anupādeyam; unreceivable.
That is why in Lalitha Sahasranāma, one of the words is: hēyō pādēya varjitha. Even
though it is a simple stōthram, if you read regularly, it has got the highest vēdānta
in it; hēyaṁ upadēya varjitha; means what? ahēyam anupādēyam. Even though we
worship Goddess as an outside object, one of the nāma is what? Goddess is not an
object, Goddess is myself, who is neither available for reception or rejection.
Then anādēyaṁ anāsrayaṁ. It is neither a thing which is a supported one; nor is it a

supporter of something. So it is neither an adēya vastu, suppose I keep a watch on
my hand, the watch is supported; therefore it is called adēyam; the hand is the
supporter; it is called asrayaṁ. Brahman is neither supported nor is Brahman a
supporter. Why, because to have supporter-supported relationship, you require
duality.
As long as you accept ātma and anātma, dvaitam, you will talk about ātma being
supporter of anātma, or anātma being supporter of ātma; for how long; till ātma and
anātma dvaitam is there. In the height of advaitam, there is no anātma at all;
sarvaṁ ātma mayaṁ jagath; therefore who is to support whom? Therefore
anādēyam, it is not supported; anāsrayaṁ means it is not a supporter also.
Then what is it? ēkamēvadyayaṁ Brahma. So here is a correction also in some

books. anādēyam अनादेयम ् in my book they have printed third dha दे; anādēyam, it
should be fourth dha धे. अनाधेयम ् ādhēyam that which is supported object;
anādēyam means that which does not have a supported object. And anāsrayaṁ
means that which does not have a supporter also.
�नग्
ुर ण �नष्कल सू�मं �न�व्
र कल् �नरञ्जन म |
एकमेवाद्वय ब्र नेह नानािस् �कञ्च ||४६८||
nirguṇaṁ niṣkalaṁ sūkṣmaṁ nirvikalpaṁ nirañjanam |
Page 1851

nirguṇaṁ; without any attributes; niṣkalaṁ; without any parts; like organs; hands,
legs, etc. Niravayaṁ ityarthaḥ. sūkṣmaṁ, the subtlest one; subtlest means not
available for objectification; the more gross a thing is: the more visible perceptible
knowable it is. As the thing goes subtler and subtler, it is difficult to know and
Brahman sūkṣmatamaṁ because it is never knowable, because it is ever the
knower-principle. It is self evident knower; never an object of knowledge. Just as
the eyes are self-evident perceivers; but the eyes themselves are never perceived by
me. I do not have a doubt about the existence of my eyes; but one thing I can
never see my eyes. So sūkṣmaṁ.
nirvikalpaṁ; divisionless. Division in the form of knower-known-knowing; seer-seen-

seeing; hearer-heard-hearing; the triputi rahitam.
And nirañjanam. Without any blot it does not have even the impurity called māya or
avidyā; even though we have been talking about māya or avidyā in Brahman, but in
spite of māya and avidyā, Brahman is blotless because māya and avidyā belongs to
vyavahāriक्a satyam, Brahman is paramārthika satyam, the impurity of a lower order
of reality can affect an object of a higher order of reality. Therefore Brahman is ever
free from māya; Brahman is ever free from avidyā also. And therefore nirañjanam;
which is ever pure; ēkamēvādvayaṁ Brahma.
अ�नरूप्यस्व यन्मनोवाचामगोचर म |
एकमेवाद्वय ब्र नेह नानािस् �कञ्च ||४६९||
anirūpyasvarūpaṁ yanmanōvācāmagōcaram |
anirūpyasvarūpaṁ is one word; there should not be a gap in between. Nirūpya

svarūpam means inexplicable nature. Of inexplicable nature and why is of
inexplicable nature, because manōvācaṁ agōcaraṁ. To explain something, first it
should become the object of my mind; and then the mind experiences that object;
and whatever I experience, I try to communicate through the words. So since
Brahman is neither an object of mind, and nor an object of the organ of speech, na
tatra cakṣur gaccati, na vāk gaccati, nō manaḥ; or yatō vāchā nirvartantē aprāpya
manasa saha; and therefore you cannot talk about that.
Page 1852

In fact whatever definition we give is only vyavahārika definition based on

vyavahārika experience. Even the word nityam we can give, from the standpoint of
anityam prapañja.
You can use the word consciousness from the standpoint of matter; once you have
negated matter; even the word consciousness I cannot use. It is consciousness, but
I cannot use the word because the word is meaningful only if you know what is
matter.
Therefore Sat you cannot say; na Sat nāsana ucyatē; cit you cannot say; acit you
cannot say. That is why Sadāsiva Bramēndra sang a song: kiṁ vacanīyaṁ; kiṁ
avacanīyaṁ; kiṁ paṭanīyaṁ; kim apaṭanīyaṁ; what can I do? I can only observe
maunam. So therefore anirūpyasvarūpam, because it is manō vācam; manaḥ means
mind; vāk means organ of speech; agōcharam; agōcharam means inaccessible.
ēkamēvādvayaṁ brahma nēha nānāsti kiñcana. More in the next class.
Hari Om.
Page 1853

142. Verses 470 to 473
ॐ
Śankarācārya talked about the prārabdha karma with regard to a jñāni and from one
angle we said jñāni has prārabdhaṁ and from another angle, we said jñāni does not
have prārabdhaṁ. Whether you focus on the ahaṁkāra aspect of jñāni or sākṣi
aspect of jñāni. I used the word ahaṁkāra pradhāna jñāni and sākṣi pradhāna jñāni.
Of course, a doubt may come, how can you say ahaṁkāra-pradhāna-jñāni, because
jñāni is one who has owned up the sākṣi and ahaṁkāra is pradhānam for ajñāni
only. How can you say ahaṁkāra-pradhāna jñāni? It seems to be a contradiction.
Of course this word is not used in śāstra, only I have used to convey a particular
idea; and when I use the word ahaṁkāra-pradhāna-jñāni, what I mean is: even
after gaining knowledge, a person continues to judge himself from the standpoint of
ahaṁkāra. Ahaṁkāra-based self-judgement continues. He is still very particular
about, obsessed with ahaṁkāra refinement. Even though he continues to use the
word ahaṁkāra is mithya, the word mithya is used verbally alright; but still the
obsession and the emphasis continues to be given to the ahaṁkāra. And there is a
self-judgement based on ahaṁkāra.
And even the jīvan mukthi is measured based on ahaṁkāra. While the teaching is
that I am nityamuktha svarūpaḥ and there is no gradation in mukthi at all; instead of
owning up the nithya muktha svarūpam of sākṣi, he continues to measure the jīvan
mukthi in terms of the ahaṁkāra interaction with the world. How the ahaṁkāra acts
in the world and how the ahaṁkāra receives the experiences in the world and based
on ahaṁkāra transactions, he continues to measure jīvan mukthi, that I am not
totally muktha; I am a little bit muktha; some more improvement is required in
mukthi; all these are from the standpoint of the ahaṁkāra only.
And not only there is a self-judgement and there is another new type of vēdantic
saṁsāra also, based on the judgement of ahaṁkāra. Previously I was complaining
about the world, now I am complaining about myself; based on the ahaṁkāra's
performance. Therefore complaint and worry continues; previously I said world is
not OK; now I say I am not OK. Somebody is not OK; therefore saṁsāra continues.
Page 1854

Therefore for ahaṁkāra pradhāna jñāni, the self-judgement and struggle and the
problems continue and to explain that problem you have to introduce prārabdha
karma also, whereas for a sākṣi pradhāna jñāni, he never judges himself based on
ahaṁkāra performance. He says I am nitya mukthaḥ. And I am not obsessed with
ahaṁkāra, because when I see the whole world as mithya, how can ahaṁkāra alone
be satyam? Ahaṁkāra is also mithya.
In fact everybody initially becomes an ahaṁkāra-pradhāna jñāni only and gradually

only a person shifts from ahaṁkāra-pradhāna-jñāni to sākṣi-pradhāna-jñāni.
And therefore Sankarācārya concluded saying that a sākṣi-pradhāna-jñāni never

talks about saṁśaya, viparyaya; all those things, because viparītha bhāvana belongs
to anātma and therefore I am ever free from problems.
And therefore he talked about the vision of such a sākṣi pradhana jñāni from verse
No.464, he says nēha nānāsti kiñcana. There is no triputi at all. So where is the
question of improving the ahaṁkāra? I do not accept the very existence of
ahaṁkāra; why should I be obsessed with the removal of the viparītha bhāvana of
ahaṁkāra. I do not accept the existence of the mind itself; where is the question of
removing the old habits of the mind? In fact, his very vision is totally different.
And therefore in few verses in second line is repeated, Śankarācārya said

ēkamēvādvayaṁ brahma nēha nānāsti kiñcana. Initially we say vēdānta is for
improving transactions. Later we say in vēdānta jñānaṁ, transactions themselves
are negated.
So there is a drastic difference between improving the transactions and negating the
transactions. The height of vēdānta is negation of transactions from his vision. So
transactions will continue, but in his vision, they are as good as non-existent.
Then what is existent? That only we are seeing. anirūpyasvarūpam yat manōvācāma
gōcaram, ēkamēvādvayaṁ brahma nēha nānāsti kiñcana. Up to this we saw in the
last class.
सत्समृद स्वतः�सद शुद् बुद्धमनीदृ |

एकमेवाद्वय ब्र नेह नानािस् �कञ्च ||४७०||
satsamr̥ddhaṁ svataḥsiddhaṁ śuddhaṁ buddhamanīdr̥śam |
Page 1855

So the second line is the repetition as we saw in the previous verses; there is only
one Brahman, which is free from another consciousness, which is free from matter
as the second entity, because everything other than Brahman is of a lower order of
reality and therefore I can never emphasise its existence. And therefore sajātīya
vijātīya svagata rahitam brahimvai asthi, nēha nānāsti kiñcana. Nānā means dvaitam
or plurality or duality is not there at all.
And remember we have to always remember this: when there is no dvaitam at all, it
does not mean jñāni does not see perceive dvaitam. Perception of dvaitam will
continue, but what he is negating is a dvaitam which enjoys the same order of
reality as I enjoy. So samāna satthaḥa dvaitam is negated. Exactly like we do not
deny the perception of dream, but we do not accept a dream, which has to be
counted along with me.
Similarly jñāni will perceive dvaitam, jñāni will interact with dvaitam; paśyan, sr̥nvan,
spr̥san, jihnan; everything will happen as it was before; but he is not obsessed with
that dvaitam, because it is as good as not existent. Therefore nēha nānāsti kiñcana
means it does not have factual existence.
So the first line of this verse is the description of the nature of Brahman. Sat
samr̥ddhaṁ; two separate words; Sat means which is pure existence only. Existence
not as an adjective, but a noun. Normally we do not know an existence as an
independent entity, we know it along with object only; a table is existent; an
existent-table; table is a noun; existence is an adjective. Exactly like consciousness.
We know consciousness only as an adjective of the body. Similarly we take distance
as an adjective of matter; but Brahman is existent as a noun itself. Sat samr̥ddhaṁ;
samr̥ddhaṁ literally means rich and here richness means pūrṇatvam; not lacking
anything.
Just as a rich man does not have any want in life. Similarly Brahman is so rich that it
does not lack anything. Therefore rich here means pūrnam brahma. Then
svataḥsiddhaṁ. It is self-evident as ahaṁ. So it does not require any pramāṇam to
prove its existence; svayaṁ prakāsa ityarthaḥ. svataḥsiddhaṁ.
Page 1856

Śuddham; it is ever pure, because there is no impurity; enjoying pāramārthika satta.

All the known impurities beginning from ajñānaṁ onwards; then ahaṁkāra, then
rāga-dvēṣa, then puṇya-pāpa karma, sukha duḥkhaṁ, all these impurities is enjoyed
is vyavahārika satyam. We should remember even ignorance cannot pollute ātma,
because ignorance is vyavahārika satyam; ātma or caitanyaṁ is pāramārthika
satyam. If ignorance is also pāramārthika satyam, what will happen? Just as
pāramārthika satyam caitanyaṁ cannot be removed, eliminated, if ignorance is
pāramārthika satyam, even that will not be eliminated; that will be as eternal as
Brahman.
And therefore we should remember ajñānaṁ is of a lower order of reality; it cannot

pollute caitanyaṁ when it exists. It cannot pollute caitanyaṁ after negation. So this
is the beauty. Ajñānaṁ cannot pollute ātma; even in an ignorant person. Ajñānaṁ
cannot pollute ātma even in an ignorant person, because ātma is paramārthikam,
ajñānaṁ is vyavahārika; impurity of lower order cannot pollute a thing of higher
order.
If in an ajñāni itself, ajñānaṁ cannot pollute ātma, what to talk of a jñāni? There is
no question at all. Therefore it is śuddam. Ajñānā khāle api śuddham. jñāna khāle
api śuddham. Saṁsāra khāle api śuddham. Mōkṣa khāle api śuddam.
Then buddham; buddham means caitanya svarūpam; of the nature of

consciousness. And anīdr̥śam. anīdr̥śam means without any comparison; matchless;
incomparable; anupamam, nirūpamam, upamāna rahitam. So there is nothing which
can be compared to ātma, or Brahman and that Brahman alone is there; and that
Brahman I am. nēha nānāsti kiñcana.
Now Śankarācārya concludes the jīvan mukthi discussion in the next verse.
�नरस्तराग �व�नरस्तभोगा
शान्ता सुदान्त यतयो महान्त |
�व�ाय तत्त् परमेतदन्त
प्राप् परां �नवर्�तमात्मयोगा
ृ ||४७१||
nirastarāgā vinirastabhōgāḥ
śāntāḥ sudāntā yatayō mahāntaḥ |
vijñāya tattvaṁ paramētadantē
Page 1857

prāptāḥ parāṁ nirvr̥timātmayōgāt ||471||
So until now, the jñāna phalam of jīvan mukthi was described. Now Śankarācārya
says what will happen to this jīvan muktha at the time of death? So jīvan muktha will
continue to exist as long as the prārabdha karma is there; and when I say jīvan
muktha will continue to exist, as long as prārabdha is there; I am talking from
ahaṁkāra-dr̥ṣṭi or sākṣi-dr̥ṣṭi? Everywhere you have to see it from two angles.
From sākṣi-dr̥ṣṭi, jīvan muktha is going to eternally exist, because sākṣi is ever-
existent. But we generally look at jīvan muktha from ahaṁkāra angle only, we have
to accept prārabdha, because jñānaṁ cannot destroy prārabdha karma and
therefore jīvan muktha's ahaṁkāra. Of course which will get more refined and more
refined and more refined; but there is no perfect ahaṁkāra in the world; so he can
go on improving. And this ahaṁkāra will survive and interact and because of
prārabdha karma, he can go to a ripe old age and also there may be diseases and
there may not be diseases; there may be suffering or no suffering; there may be
treatment or no treatment. It may be published in newspapers or may not be. All
these depends upon the jīvan muktha ahaṁkāra's prārabdha.
And then when the prārabdha karma is over; the ahaṁkāra cannot survive, because
ahaṁkāra survival is purely because of the karma oil; the flame of ahaṁkāra will
burn as long as the oil of karma is there.
Now at the end of prārabdha karma, the entire oil is gone; sañcita karma is
destroyed long before, āgami karma is never acquired by a jñāni, only prārabdha
limited oil was there; fresh oil supply is not there. Then it was running on reserve oil.
In auto ricksaws and all it is there; I do not whether it is in scooters; etc. So it was
in the reserve oil; that is called prārabdhaṁ; nice example. And once that is also
gone, there is no more petrol pumps; petrol pumps if it were there, you can add and
continue the next janma! No more petrol pumps, all the petrol pumps are mithya,
gone.
And when prārabdha ends, what happens? All the three śarīraṁs will disappear. So
kāraṇa śarīraṁ is gone; because kāraṇa śarīraṁ is made of avidyā and sañcita
karma; ignorance and sañcita karma are gone; and sūkṣma śarīra is sustained by
sūkṣma and stūla śarīra or sustained by prārabdha karma; when prārabdha is gone;
sūkṣma śarīra also gone; gone means what? it merges into the śamaṣti. That is
Page 1858

Īśvara. Kāraṇa śarīraṁ merges into māya or Īśvara; sūkṣma śarīraṁ merges into
Hiranyagarbha and stūla śarīraṁ, of course, merges into the virat, śamaṣti stūla
prapañja. All the three śarīraṁs are gone.
And therefore a jñāni's death is called parānthakālam, because only in the case of a
jñāni's death all the three śarīraṁs go away. In an ajñāni's death, only one śarīraṁ
goes. Only stūla śarīraṁ goes; sūkṣma śarīraṁ and kāraṇa śarīraṁ survives and they
travel also. Here there is no question of travel.
And this parāntakhāla, at the time of parāntakhāla, what happens? So here

Śankarācārya says at the time of parāntakhāla, jīvan muktha attains vidēha mukthi;
He attains vidēha mukthi; which means what? Śarīra trayaṁ is gone; and what
happened to ahaṁkāra? Ahaṁkāra is also gone. So if ahaṁkāra and the śarīra
trayaṁ are gone, then doesn't mean that the jīvan muktha is totally destroyed. No
No No, even though ahaṁkāra and śarīra trayaṁ are gone, there is one thing of
jīvan muktha which remains; everyone forgets that; that is the caitanyaṁ and that
caitanyaṁ continues to exist as Brahman. It is no more encased within this body;
and therefore that particular name is also not there; jīvan mukthaḥ name is not
there; we give him the new name: vidēha mukthaḥ.
Somebody asked me the other day: will vidēha muktha come and bless his disciples
later. Will be give darśanam to the disciples in that particular form. Can
Śankarācārya, Adi Śankarācārya come and bless me? Does he appear in the dream
of people and bless them. These are questions asked and some people claim also
that I have been helped by such people. These are all confusion.
Remember, after jñāni's death, they never have an individuality to separately come
and bless the disciples. After vidēha mukthi, there is only Īśvara; there is no Adi
Śankarācārya, there is no Ramaṇa, there is no Rāma krishna; whoever is gone;
there is no individuality; and if at all a Bhaktha gets the darśanam of Śankarācārya
or someone, it is not the Śankarācārya who comes but Bhagavān can give darśanam
to a devotee in the form that he worships. If Bhagavān can give darśanam as Rāma
or Krishna, why can't he give darśanam as my guru? My guru means what? if the
guru has died and gone. Bhagavān takes the form of that jñāni; that jñāni never
gives darśanam because jñāni is not there as an individual to bless the devotee; and
therefore at parantakāla, there is no more jñāni, he is one with Brahman. This is
called vidēha muktiḥ; vidēha mukthi means freedom from punarjanma. Punarjanma
Page 1859

rāhityam vidēha mukthi. So thus jīvan mukthi culminates in vidēha mukthi. And this
is described here.
And how did he come to this vidēha mukthi? It is not easily accomplished goal; he
has made a very very long journey to attain this vidēha mukthi. And entire journey is
presented in a nutshell.
Where did the journey start? Nirastha rāgā; even the longest journey, starts with
the smallest step only. And what is the first step? Nirastha rāgā; so reducing the
rāga-dvēṣa; neutralising rāga-dvēṣa by the practice of karma yōga. So rāga indicates
rāga-dvēṣa; whereas two types of rāga-dvēṣa. Illegimate rāga-dvēṣa, immoral rāga-
dvēṣa are removed, eliminated, and legitimate rāga-dvēṣa, which are not immoral,
like I like idli, I look dosai; I like chappathi, it is not a pāpam; they are called what?
legitimate rāga-dvēṣas are neutralised by reducing them to non-binding rāga-dvēṣa.
Fulfilled, fine; not fulfilled, also OK. That is called handling or management of rāga-
dvēṣa through karma yōga; religious life is the first stage.
Then vinirastha bhōga; then gradually removing the obsessions for artha kāmas in
life; of this four puruṣārtaḥs, gradually importance to given to dharma and mōkṣa;
importance for artha kāma is reduced. We generally begin our life emphasising
artha-kāma, artha kāma means what? Money and entertainment, virirastha bhōgaḥ
means gradual withdrawl from those desires; vinirastha bhogaha;
Then sudhāntaḥ; sudhāntaḥ means the management of sense organs; so sense

controls they develop, that is the next stage.
So dhamahā, dhama yuktāḥ
and thereafter suśāntāḥ; so śāntāḥ means what? Mind control; when I say control,
remember, it is not suppression he talks about, control means directing; śāntāḥ,
sādhana catuṣṭaya saṁpatti yuktaḥ; they acquire; which is a very big initial project.
Like CA Entrance exam. How many times we have to write, like Ghazni Mōhammed?
27 times or 17 times, whatever it is. Like that, sādhana catuṣṭaya saṁpatti itself
requires several attempts and then yatayaḥ; literally yati means sanyāsi. And
sanyāsa means what? external sanyāsa is taking to the fourth āsrama; internal
sanyāsa is developing detachment. And what is the definition of detachment. The
Page 1860

mental preparedness to lose anything in life. By looking at the loss; how do you lose
things.
How to prepare. The preparation is: you look at every loss as handing over lord's
property back to Lord. So you redefine your loss as returning Bhagavān's property:
तन ्, मन ्, धन ्, सब् कुच् तेरा । तेरा, तेरे अपर्; tan man dhana, saba kuca tērā | tērā, tērē
arpaṇa; what is yours I have been using, I am handing back to you.
This is called; this preparedness is called sanyāsa mind. And greatest advantage is
anxiety is gone. And an anxiety free mind alone can apply itself in vēdānta. A stress
free mind alone can apply itself in vēdānta and yati means a stress free mind. A
leisurely mind; a relaxed mind, which has got the whole life in front to pursue
vēdānta, because it does not have any other commitment or priority, it has got only
one point programme. And such a person is called yatiḥ. That is the next stage.
And mahāntāḥ; such qualified people, great people, continued the journey, it is the
end of the journey; acquiring all these qualifications makes him fit for vēdānta.
And what was the next stage? Up to this karma yōga and upāsana are over.
Then they go to param tatvam ētat vijñāya. So having become sanyāsi, mental
sanyāsi committing themselves totally to vēdānta, śravaṇa, manana and
nidhidhyāsanam; they all get the knowledge, vijñāya.
What did they know? tatvam. The ultimate truth of the world is neither prathibhāsika
svapna is the tatvam; nor the vyavahārika jāgrat is tatvam; both of them are equally
mithya. The waking world is not much better than the svapna prapañja. It is only
another channel of svapna; two channels in svapna. One is J channel; do not think
of something else; jāgrat prapañja; OK. I have to say clearly in Tamil Nadu. J
channel is jāgrat prapañja channel and S channel is svapna prapañja channel. Both
are mithya. Then what is satyam? Brahma ahaṁ pāramārthika caitanyaṁ; so param;
param means pāramārthika satyam.
And where is that? ētat; we will think it is somewhere; ētat means what? in this
paramarthika satyam; I, the closest consciousness, is the ultimate tatvam, vijñāya.
Page 1861

So they came to know through śravaṇa, manana nidhidhyāsana and enjoyed their
jīvan mukthi. Even though initially they were obsessed with the ahaṁkāra
performance; initially I told you that I will be ahaṁkāra pradhāna jñāni; therefore
initially I am worried about the krōdhaḥ, lobhaḥ, mōha, etc. Initially I am ahaṁkāra
pradhāna jñāni. After refining ahaṁkāra to some extent, I will know that even
obsession with ahaṁkāra is a form of saṁsāra and therefore I drop that obsession
also.
In fact when I drop obsession with ahaṁkāra, ahaṁkāra is closed. Often health
improves, if you are not too much worried; megalomania they say. Megalomania
means all the time worried about diseases and health. And they read medical books,
which symptom and which diseases. And you read the books and you find that all
symptoms you have and there are some people who self-medicate also; this tablet
also; vitamins; all the time they say that they have this disease and that disease.
They say this vēdantin becomes ahaṁkāra megalomania; all the time complaining, I
have not lost krōdhaḥ, I am not lost mōha, etc. this and that; that over obsession
with ahaṁkāra is dropped; ahaṁkāra improves. And therefore he enjoys jīvan
mukthi without obsession of even ahaṁkāra.
And having enjoyed that until prārabdhaṁ is over, at the end of prārabdha, they die;
they within quote, the ahaṁkāra part of them dies and what happens to them?
pāram nirvr̥tim prāpthaḥ; parā nirvr̥tim means vidēha mukthi. The absolute freedom;
absolute mōkṣa called vidēha mukthi; which is otherwise called punarjanma
abhāvaḥ. Because of what? ātma yōgāt; means ātma jñāna; yōgaḥ here means
jñānaṁ; because the power of knowledge, they get jīvan mukthi as well as vidēha
mukthi. That means what? jñānaṁ alone gives jīvan mukthi; jñānaṁ alone gives
vidēha mukthi also.
So with this, the jīvan mukthi topic that is jñāna phalam topic is over which started
from verse No.418. So from 418th verse, up to 471, very elaborately, Śankarācārya
dealt with jñāna phalam, otherwise jīvan mukthi.
Up to this is guru's upadeśa. And now guru is advising his disciple. Oh! disciple, you
also follow the same path.
Page 1862

भवानपीदं परतत्त्वमात्
स्वरूपमानन्द �वचायर |
�वधूय मोहं स्वमनःप्रकिल
मुक्त कृताथ� भवतु प्रबु ||४७२||
bhavānapīdaṁ paratattvamātmanaḥ
svarūpamānandaghanaṁ vicārya |
vidhūya mōhaṁ svamanaḥprakalpitaṁ
muktaḥ kr̥tārthō bhavatu prabuddhaḥ ||472||
With the previous verse, the teaching part is over. The teacher has no more
teaching to be given, because he has talked about jñānaṁ, talked about jñāna
phalam, he has talked about jīvan mukthi; he has talked about vidēha mukthi, also.
Since nothing more to teach the guru gives a personal advice to his śiṣya. So guru
upadeśaḥ. This is from 472 to 478; guru's personal advice to the śiṣya.
He says: bhavānapīdaṁ vicārya. There is another reading also, which is better

reading. Instead of vicārya, nicāya; nicāyya means jñāna prāpya. You also know this
ātma in keeping with my teaching; clear knowledge or conviction is indicated by the
word nicāyya; nicāyyati means niścayyaḥ jñānaṁ prāpnōti.
Like whom; like the people described in the previous verse. śantāḥ, Udāntāḥ,
yatayaha, mahāntāḥ, like them you also gain knowledge.
What knowledge, ātmanaḥ paratatvam; your own higher nature. Instead of

remaining in your lower ahaṁkāra nature, you raise yourselves to your sākṣi
svarūpam, which is nothing but shifting the identification. So ātmanaḥ paratatvam,
svarūpam. So ātmanaḥ word should go with svarūpam. Ātmanaḥ svarūpam which is
paratatvam. Your own nature, which is the ultimate substance.
And what is that nature? ānandaḥ ghanaṁ, which is nothing but unalloyed ānandaḥ;
unalloyed purṇatvam; absolute purṇatvam; vicārya; may you ascertain; through
śravaṇam, through mananam, through nidhidhyāsanam, may you ascertain.
And thus prabhuddaḥ bhava. And thus may you become an enlightened person. A
woken up person; who does not continue in the jāgrat dream; in the dream called
jāgrat prapañja; may you wake up from that. And remember all the relationship that
Page 1863

we talk about are all from mithya prapañja only. So viśvaṁ paśyati kārya
kāraṇataya svasvāmi sambhandathaha, śiṣya accharya taya tadēva pithru
puthrādya ātmana bhēdataḥ. Husband wife children grand children inlaws
brothers sisters property; all are mahā svapnam, may you invoke that. Therefore
may you wake up, reducing them to a svapna. So prabhuddhaḥ bhava.
How do you know whether you have woken up or not? It is determined by the
amount of obsession you have for the dream. If your obsession with the dream
continues, it means you have not woken up completely.
Similarly if your obsession with the surroundings continue, then waking up is

incomplete. Then what to do? Again study vēdānta. What else can be done?
Therefore prabuddhaḥ san mōhaṁ vidhūya; all relationships are mōham, because
ātma does not have relationship with anyone.
न मे मतृ ्युशङ् न मे जा�तभेदः, �पता नैव मे नैव माता न जन् ।

न बन्धुन �मत् गुरुन� �शष्य, �चदानन्दरू �शवोऽहं �शवोऽहम ् ॥ ५॥
na mē mr̥tyuśaṅkā na mē jātibhēdaḥ, pitā naiva mē naiva mātā na janma |
na bandhurna mitraṁ gururnaiva śiṣyaḥ, cidānandarūpaḥ śivō:'haṁ śivō:'ham || 5||
Therefore all relationship are mōhams vidhūya; but you need not tell it to your
family members. So one man was telling his wife in front of me: When you die, I
would not cry. Should you say that: because he wants to claim that he is a jñāni.
And he calls his wife and says when you die I won't cry. So therefore vyavahārā for
others requires relationship. So when they are not there, you can tell that I am
missing you, etc. when are you going to come back. Remember all these are drama,
vesham only. If that is not the vision what will happen. Saṁsāra will continue.
And therefore vidhūya mōham, reduce the whole life into a drama; so mana
kalpitam; because all these relations and duality are mana kalpitam caused by your
own mental identification. Elevating the vyavahārika into pāramārthikam is your
contribution. Elēvating the rope-snake into a reality is your contribution. Elēvating
svapna into reality is your contribution. Similarly, elevating this vyavahārika prapañja
to pāramārthikam status is your contribution. Therefore destroy that. It is mōham,
delusion.
Page 1864

So mana kalpitam mōham vidhūya; vidhūya means wipe it out. It is a choice; again
vēdānta never enforces. If you refuse to do that; be prepared to suffer. I will not
eliminate also; and I do not want suffering also, if you say, it is like the Malayalam
example I quote always. A person went to the King and asked the king to fulfil his
vision. The king said OK. And he said: I want to get on to the top of the elephant.
King's elephant; Rāja said OK, I can allow you; then he said ambāri should be
placed, which is the King's insignia; King said I can loan it for a day. No problem.
Then on the elephant I should go through the market; Govindappan Naiken Street,
whatever it be; the most crowded place; the King said OK I can arrange for that
also. Then what is your next wish; no one should see me; or look at me; is it
possible. When an elephant comes everybody is going to see; on the top of it there
is the ambāri, then everybody will see and you are sitting amidst people will certainly
see. This is called unintelligent expectations.
I want to have all relationships also; and I should not have relationship caused
problems. That is impossible. Either have both or reject both. Sambhanda saṅga and
duḥkhaṁ go together. Accept saṅga and duḥkhaṁ or reject both saṅga and
duḥkhaṁ; you have a choice. But you can never say: I want saṅga only; but
duḥkhaṁ part I do not want; if you say, Bhagavān also will be helpless. Even the
omnipotent Bhagavān cannot help. He says reject both; or accept both.
So therefore mōham means saṅga. Saṅga mōham vidhūya; muktaḥ bhava; May you
become free. Asaṅgōhaṁ asaṅgōhaṁ asaṅgōhaṁ; it is not for regular chanting in
kada pida speed, and 'finish' it. It is not for mere chanting or verbalisation, it is for
seeing the meaning of that word. Therefore I am asaṅgaḥ is muktaḥ; be free.
And kritārtho bhavathu; may you be kritārthaḥ; absolutely satisfied with yourselves.
May you be self-sufficient.
समा�धना साध�ु व�नश्चलात्म

पश्यात्मतत् स्फुटबोधच�ुष |
�नःसंशयं सम्यगवे��तश्-
च्�त पदाथ� न पुन�वर्कल्प् ||४७३||
samādhinā sādhuviniścalātmanā
paśyātmatattvaṁ sphuṭabōdhacakṣuṣā |
niḥsaṁśayaṁ samyagavēkṣitaścē-
Page 1865

cchrutaḥ padārthō na punarvikalpyatē ||473||
And here the Guru says; Hey Śiṣya, you do not want śravaṇa and manana sādhana,
you do not require because already I have taught you vēdānta. So if at all you have
problems, it is not because of lack of śravaṇa mananam, it must be only the lack of
assimilation of the teaching and therefore may you spend time for dwelling in the
teaching. You spend lot of time for saṅga; in fact in every transaction you are
invoking one relationship or the other.
And when I say relationship I do not mean only the human being; it includes pets
also; there are people who cry more for the death of the pet than their own kith; so
it can be relationship with animals; it can be relationship with objects also. svasvāmi
sambhandataḥ; so I am the owner of this corporation, this house, this property.
Therefore when I say saṅga, it means both type. Every transaction reinforces the
saṅga and therefore it has to be neutralised by invoking the asaṅga svarūpam. In
fact the more the transaction the more nidhidhyāsanam should be. Therefore he
says: samādhina; by the practice of samādhi, I have talked about the samādhi
abhyāśā before. Or by the practice of samādhi abhyāśā or nidhidhyāsana abhyāsa,
viniścala ātmana, in which the mind keeps quiet; leisurely, relaxed, withdrawn from
transactions.
So with a withdrawn mind; viniścala ātmana; here ātma means mind; viniścalam
means calm mind; not with a fixed time; I have got 12-1/2 mts; always with an eye
on the watch and doing dhyāna; so therefore if you have to enter into vēdānta
constantly looking at watch; even in the class you are always looking at the watch to
see when the class would be over. So that is why last 15 minutes you cannot hear.
That is why I stop the class at the right time, because the mind gets switched off
10-15 minutes before itself often. Then after 8 p.m. what is the hope of having the
mind? I would be talking to the curtains and the walls; and I do not want to do that.
So therefore without looking at the watch, without bothering about the next
engagement, must be like an sanyāsi; there is nothing more to be done; that way
you have to practice dhyānam. Absolutely relaxed; not anxious about the next
engagement; that is called viniścala ātma; calm, relaxed, samādhina, by dwelling on
the teaching you have all the time on the earth. It is not sandwiched between two
anxious engagements.
Page 1866

You have got all time on earth; with that mind, spuṭa bōdhaḥ cakṣuṣa, and in that
mind, you should bring in the teaching. So with the eye of clear understanding and
here understanding means what? Recollection of the teaching gained during
śravaṇam and mananam. So the eye of wisdom; sputa bōdhaḥ cakṣuṣa; the eye of
clear understanding; ātma tatvam pasya; may you dwell on; see your own higher
nature, which is never busy; which has no more duties to be completed.
Which has no more relationship, every relationship introduces a bunch of duties; one
relationship you remember, the uncompleted duties come to the mind; and then you
feel like stopping the meditation and completing the duty; because miles and miles
to go; like that saying of Jawaharlal Nehru; that also he quoted somebody else. I
have miles and miles to go. This has to be done; that has to be done; this has to be
completed; whether I will survive till then. So that is all ahaṁkāra's incomplete
journey. ahaṁkāra's incomplete duty; therefore without relationship and duties and
the consequent tension; relaxed and see who you are.
Now it has become 8. You have to run.
Hari Om.
Page 1867

143. Verses 474 to 476
ॐ
Śankarācārya has presented the entire vēdantic teaching through the mouth of the
guru and the teaching was completed in verse No.471 and in this not only the
teaching of the vēdānta was presented, the sādhana required to receive this
teaching completely also was pointed out, sādhana being śravaṇam, mananam, and
nidhidhyāsanam and uniquely in Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi, nidhidhyāsanam aspect was very
very elaborately taught; running into nearly 150 or more verses. And having taught
jñāna sādhana in the form of śravaṇa manana nidhidhyāsanam, Śankarācārya
presented jñāna phalam also in the form of jīvan muktiḥ; which was also elaborately
given from verse No.418 to 471. In no book the jīvan mukthi is so elaborately
presented.
And now from verse No.472 up to 478, the teacher is giving upadeśa to the student.
And if a student has received the vēdantic teaching convincingly, there is only one
sādhana to be followed and that is nidhidhyāsana, otherwise called, samādhi
abhyāsaḥ. And I told you that nidhidhyāsanam can take several forms, even
repeated hearing is a form of nidhidhyāsana, writing is a form of nidhidhyāsana,
discussing is a form of nidhidhyāsana, or reading or writing or even teaching is a
form of nidhidhyāsana.
And if a person is not satisfied with all these forms of nidhidhyāsana, he can
optionally take to the meditative form of nidhidhyāsana also, in which a person sits
in a particular place and follows all the rules of meditation given in the sixth chapter
of the Gītā: samam kaya sirō grīvam, etc. But this form of meditative
nidhidhyāsanam is not compulsory for all if a person feels the necessity, one can
take to that. But there are other forms of nidhidhyāsana which one can follow. And
therefore the teacher advises the student, Oh! student, take to any one form of
nidhidhyāsanam and assimilate the vēdantic teaching. And as the vēdantic teaching
is assimilated, there is a transformation in the way that I interact with the world, the
old behaviour is flushed out and the new behaviour is replaced, which alone is
discussed in the Gītā, in the form of sthira prajñaḥ lakṣaṇāni, para bhaktha lakṣaṇāni
and guṇātītha lakṣaṇāni. Note these three portions, wherein they give the behaviour
of a person who has assimilated the vēdantic teaching. And constantly check your
behaviour and the behaviour of the jīvan muktha, so that the gap between my
Page 1868

behaviour and the gap mentioned in the śāstra should become lesser and lesser.
The gap between the jīvan muktha lakṣaṇa and my conduct; the gap should become
less. And here the teacher in the 473rd verse is referring to one form of
nidhidhyāsana which is called samādhi abhyāsa rūpa nidhidhyāsanam. Meditative
nidhidhyāsanam, in which a person focuses on vēdantic teaching to the exclusion of
all other thoughts.
Therefore he said samādhina sādhu viniścalātmana. May you take to samādhi

abhyāsa as given in the 6th chapter of the Gītā, which is one form of nidhidhyāsana;
may you take to. And what is the aim of samādhi abhyāsa? Not thoughtlessness. We
never prescribe thoughtlessness, we prescribe focussed vēdantic thought.
And therefore sputa bhōdha cakṣuṣa; may you invoke the vēdantic thoughts, which
have been created during śravaṇam. So the vēdantic thoughts, which have been
created during śravaṇam. What is that? Brahma satyam, jagan mithya, jīvō
brahmaiva na parā. I am the only reality, the entire world is superimposed on me
and the world is incapable of affecting me. Any thought which is centred on this
basic is vēdantic thought.
And sending the focussed vēdantic thought is here samādhi abhyāsa. And by this
pasya ātma tatvam. May you see again and again, the validity of this teaching.
Remember meditation is not meant for proving vēdānta. There is no more proof
required or expected. Meditation is only for making this vēdantic thoughts well
entrenched in my heart. Therefore paśya.
And niḥsaṁśayaṁ samyag avēkṣitaścē; if you dwell upon the teaching convincingly,
with conviction. Even if there is a slightest doubt, meditation cannot work; if there is
a doubt, we have to switch over from mediation to mananam. Many people think
that meditation is to clear the doubt. Mediation is never meant to clear the doubts.
Doubt can be clearly only my mananam.
Mananam means what? ask yourselves why you do not accept the teaching. The
intellect can raise any number of questions and they should be answered by what?
again by thinking only; and that is why we have got manana granthās, which are
specially meant to answer all the logical questions. Therefore doubts are born out of
wrong logical thinking, doubts are removed by right logical thinking.
Page 1869

Therefore, nisaṁśayam avēkṣitaścēt; may you see this fact, very clearly, without any
doubt regarding its validity and the fundamental doubt may be why should I accept
vēdānta.
Why should I accept vēdānta even for that we should have an answer? So many
people are writing so many books; why I should accept vēdānta. Pramāṇa
saṁśayaḥ; prameya saṁśayaḥ. We have got doubts themselves categorised. And
categorised doubts and categorised answers we have got granthās; they are called
siddhi grathās.
But generally people do not think that much, even for limited logic people are
running away. If we introduce such siddhi granthās, nobody will come. But if there
are such doubts, we have to answer them.
So nissaṁśayam samyagavēkṣitaścēt. If we get the conviction. Then srutaḥ

padārtaḥ. Then the teaching, padārtaḥ means here the teaching. And what is the
teaching; Brahma satyam, jagan mithya, jīvō brahmaiva na parā. Brahman is the
only reality, jagat is only an appearance on Brahman and that Brahman, the reality
is none other than I myself. This is the essence of the teaching called padārtaḥ. This
padārtaḥ srutaḥ, which has been received through śravaṇam.
So this vēdantic essence padārtaḥ received through śravaṇam, srutaha punaḥ na

vikalpayathē, is never doubted again. Let any rational person question me; let any
logical thinker question me and in Brahma sūtra other philosophers are allowed to
question. Sāṅkya, Yōga, Nyāya, Viseshika, Pūrva Mīmāṁsa, Boudha, Jaina; every
single person is allowed to challenge the vēdānta, and no challenge can stand in
front of this teaching. So na vikalpyatē. There is no weebit of a doubt.
And if you do not answer those doubts, what will happen is: you have to suppress
the intellect and go by blind belief. We do not want to convert vēdānta into a belief
system, where there is no scope for reasoning at all. Vēdānta is not a matter for
belief, but it is a matter for understanding. To convert it into belief, you have to
suppress the intellect. Suppressing the intellect is the greatest tragedy because
Bhagavān has given the human being alone the intellect, to think and know and
therefore we have to allow the intellect to question and we should be satisfied
Page 1870

intellectually also. Therefore vikalpaḥ nāsti means, intellectual satisfaction is there in

this teaching.
स्वस्�वद्याबन्धसम्बन्ध-
त्सत्य�ानानन्दरूपात् |
शास्त यिु क्तद��शकोिक् प्रमा
चान्तः�सद स्वानुभू�त प्रमाण ||४७४||
svasyāvidyābandaśambandamōkṣā-
tsatyajñānānandarūpātmalabdhau |
śāstraṁ yuktirdēśikōktiḥ pramāṇaṁ
cāntaḥsiddhā svānubhūtiḥ pramāṇam ||474||
So in this verse, the teacher points out the sources of this knowledge, the three
factors which determine and govern this knowledge, viz., śruti, yukti and anubhava.
Therefore if there is any vagueness regarding this knowledge, you have to take all
these three factors into account, śruti, yukti and anubhava.
Therefore he says, svasya avidyā banda saṁbanda mōkṣat satya jñāna ānandaḥ
rūpa labdhiḥ. What is our goal in the spiritual sādhana? Ātma labdhiḥ is the goal;
attainment of my own svarūpam. Ātma means my real nature. Labdhiḥ means
attainment. And what is my svarūpam? Satya jñāna ānandaḥ rūpa ātma. The ātma
which is satyam, satyam means what? Immortal or immortality. So immortality is my
svarūpam, and therefore I need not go after immortality. I need not go after
security. In fact, most of the time, our life is dedicated to the pursuit of security. In
the form of gold, in the form of possessions, in the form of money, even in the form
of people. Security is one of the primary agenda. Vēdānta says: security is my very
nature. Ātma is ever secure; anātma is never secure, because kālaḥ is eternally
attacking the body and things. We can never protect any possession from, what you
call, the attack of kālaḥ and therefore ātma is ever secure and that ever secure ātma
I have to get.
Then jñānaṁ which is of the nature of jñānaṁ, caitanya rūpam, nithya caitanya
rūpam and ānandaḥ; ānandaḥ means pūrṇatvam; freedom from want; freedom from
self-inadequacy, at the physical level or emotional level or intellectual level, at all
levels. Freedom from want is called ānandaḥ, pūrṇatvam. These three together form
Page 1871

the nature of ātma. Satya jñāna ānandaḥ rūpa ātma labdhiḥ, attaining that ātma is
the goal.
And how do you attain that ātma? You never attain that ātma because it is your very
nature and therefore there is only a figurative attainment as though attainment.
And how do you do that? By discovering the ātma; by the removal of ignorance.
Therefore avidyā banda saṁbanda mōkṣa. Mōkṣaḥ means giving up. So in this place,
mōkṣa does not mean mōkṣa liberation. In this context mōkṣa means tyāgaḥ.
Tyāga of what? avidyā banda saṁbanda. Saṁbanda means association. So giving up

the association with avidyā bandaḥ; association with ignorance. So they are our
primary bandus. So we have struck a relationship with ignorance. What a bandu.
Avidyā is the mother, out of whom all the saṁsāra has started and bandaḥ; bandaḥ
means bondage. Therefore ignorance and bondage are our twin relationship. Give
up these two relationship. So avidyā saṁbanda and banda saṁbanda or avidyā
banda saṁbanda, mōkṣa you give up.
And once you give up ignorance, by what? That is understood. Ignorance is given
up, only by knowledge, that we have to supply; jñānēna avidyā banda sambandhāt
mōkṣāt, you remove the covering of ignorance. Then already available ātma is
discovered.
And discovery of ātma is said to be the attainment of ātma. And for this discovery,
you have got three means going together; what are they? śāstram, yuktiḥ;
desikōktiḥ; sva anubhūthiḥ cha pramāṇam. Śāstram stands for śruti pramāṇam,
which includes desikōktiḥ, which includes the words of the guru; dēśikaḥ means
aācāryaḥ; a guru. Yuktiḥ, the words, the commentary, the explanations, the
teachings. So the words of the guru must go along with the śāstra, because śāstra
cannot fully communicate without the words of the guru. Because many ideas in the
śāstras are only implicitly present; they are hidden; they have to be made explicit.
And therefore they should go together.
Remember the example of the cassettes and tape recorders. The cassette might
have all the music and talk but if the music should become explicit, audible to me, I
cannot keep the audio cassette and keep on my ears. What will I hear? Nothing. The
cassette should enter the mouth of the tape recorder and then it comes out. So if
Page 1872

tape recorder or cassette player is important, then we can have the player only. If
player is important, suppose you have player alone and no cassette, therefore no
use.
Therefore dēśikaḥ is like the player; śruti is like the cassette only when they join
together, it becomes śruti pramāṇam. Otherwise they are nothing words and words
and words and sounds only. Therefore śāstram and desikōktiḥ together is called śruti
pramāṇam.
Then Yuktiḥ; Yuktiḥ means what? Logic or reasoning. That is why I say, vēdānta
never asks us to suppress the intellect. Dayānanda svāmi talks about modern
vēdānta. They are many people who ask us to suppress the intellect; and they think
that using the intellect is academic study of vēdānta, intellect is not useful in the
field of vēdānta, because ātma is beyond buddhi; and therefore suppress or remove
the intellect and sit in meditation and realise the nirvikalpaka samādhi is the
teaching. Very unfortunate teaching.
You should never transcend the intellect; you should never suppress the intellect;
you should never remove the thought; you have to use the intellect and use the
logic.
Who says? Śaṁkarācāryā says: yuktiḥ. Then why do we say intellect is useless? We
say mere intellect is useless. The intellect along with the śāstra is useful. Śāstra
sahita buddhi is what we are talking. Śāstra rahita buddhi we criticise; we condemn;
we throw away. Never throw away the buddhi totally.
Then what do you do? You reinforce the buddhi with śāstra pramāṇa. Kathōpanișad
very clearly says: dr̥śyate tu agraya buddhya; through buddhi alone you have to
attain ātma jñāna. dr̥śyate tu agraya buddhya; manasai vēdamāptavyam;
yeshonurātma cētasā veditavyaḥ.
And once you have decided to use the intellect, you have to bring reasoning because
buddhi knows only the language of reasoning.
And therefore yuktḥ pramāṇam is very important. Mere intellect is to be criticised

but śāstra sahita intellect is very very necessary. Yuktiḥ.
Page 1873

Then the third one is anubhūtiḥ. Anubhavaḥ; and this is also another important word
often misunderstood; anubhavaḥ is not any mystic experience we are talking about;
it is not about any Brahman experience we are talking about; because we have
already said Brahman is never an object of experience and therefore Brahma
anubhava does not exist.
Then what do you mean by anubhavaḥ here. The anubhava that we already have.
So śruti and yukti must be analysed based on our already existing experiences;
because śāstram uses our regular experiences themselves for understanding
vēdānta. Śāstra never prescribes any extra-ordinary experiences for this jñānaṁ.
Śāstram uses the already available experiences.
And what are the already available experiences used? Two experiences are very
primarily used. Very ordinary experiences; but primarily used, and they are suṣupti
and svapna. To understand the vēdānta itself, two important anubhāva; two main
anubhāvas that we use is svapna and suṣupti.
In Brihadaranya Upaṇiṣad, there are two sections known as Svayaṁ jyoti

Brāhmaṇam and Śarīraka Brahmaṇa; one of the best sections presenting the
teachings so comprehensively, they use the svapna anubhava and suṣupti anubhava.
Svapna anubhava is to show that a false duality can appear as real. The best
example to show that the false duality can appear as very real; what is the example?
svapna anubhava. Svapna is real or unreal? When? In svapna, it appears very solidly
real; but we know it is not.
Suṣupti anubhava is to show that duality is not our intrinsic nature. If it were an
intrinsic nature, it would have been there all the time with me. The very fact that
dvaitam goes away during suṣupti indicate dvaitam is incidental.
By analysing suṣupti and svapna like this, you analyse with what? your blessed
intellect. So using the intellect, with the help of the śāstra, we have to conclude that
dvaitam is incidental; advaitam is intrinsic.
My knowerhood is incidental; consciousness is intrinsic. My doership is incidental;

incidental means what? it is only superficial; what is the anubhava required for this?
Page 1874

svapna and suṣupti; and of course to listen to the class, you require what avasthā?
Do not ask whether that avastha is required or not. I am assuming that you are all in
jāgrat avastha, because I am analysing svapna and suṣupti in which avastha. Not in
samādhi, not in svapna.
Therefore in jāgrat avastha you have to analyse avastha traya anubhavaḥ. The
entire Mānḍukya is avastha traya anubhava vicāra. Therefore you require what?
śruti, yukthi and avastha traya anubhavam. You should have slept; that is the
qualication. You should have had the experience of suṣupti.
And if you do not have, the vēdantic teacher himself gives; sometimes in the class
itself. So therefore he will never lack it. Therefore sva anubhūtiḥ.
Sva anubhūtiḥ means avastha trayādhi anubhavaḥ, which is antha siddha. Which is
there within you. In you obtaining all the time, jāgrat avastha, suṣupti avastha, or
you can reduce into two anubhava; dvaita anubhava. Jāgrat and svapna stands for
dvaita anubhava. Suṣupti stands for advaita anubhava. We have dvaita anubhava;
we have advaita anubhava. Vēdānta is not meant to give you dvaita experience or
advaita experience, because both experiences we have.
Then vēdānta is meant for what? Which one of these two is real? And which one is
incidental and superficial? This understanding which has to take place in the intellect
is given by vēdānta śāstram. Therefore antha siddah anubhūtiḥ cha pramāṇam; śruti
yukta anubhāvas are the pramāṇam.
बन्ध मो�श् तिृ प्श् �चन्ताऽऽरोग्य�ुधाद |

स्वेनै वेद्य यज्�ान परेषामानुमा�नकम ् ||४७५||
bandhō mōkṣaśca tr̥ptiśca cintā:':'rōgyakṣudhādayaḥ |
svēnaiva vēdyā yajjñānaṁ parēṣāmānumānikam ||475||
And by using śruti, yukti and anubhava, I have to be convinced that ahaṁ satyam
jagan mithya. This conviction is something belonging to the intellect and whether
the conviction is there or not who knows. Whether I am convinced or not, only I
have to know.
Page 1875

And therefore Śankarācārya says nobody can tell whether the other person is a jñāni
or not. It is only a probability that we arrive at, based on the context of a person,
by using various other parameters we say he might be a jñāni.
There is no way of knowing; suppose I have to know whether you are hungry or
not; how do I know. If you say I am hungry, I can never contradict it; and if you say
I am not hungry, that also I cannot contradict, because they are called svata siddah;
which obtains within oneself; the others cannot directly know them. Therefore he
gives a list of them.
So what are the things which one has to prove by oneself only? Bandaḥ. Whether I
am a samsāri or not; who knows? Only I know. And even if I repeat hundred times,
you are liberated; you are liberated, and suppose you do not accept and at gun
point I say, you are liberated, accept that. Out of fear I say, OK, I am liberated,
kindly leave me you will say. And I want to be liberated from you; that I have to
say! You might say that: but whether you utter or not, the idea I am buddha or
muktha who has to prove. I only. Therefore bandaḥ mōkṣasca. The sense of
freedom; there are all subjective. He wants to say that they are all subjective.
Tr̥ptiḥ, Tr̥ptiḥ is not jñānaṁ, Tr̥ptiḥ comes under jñāna phalam; which is an
experience. Only we say Brahman is not an experience. Brahma jñānaṁ is not an
experience. But Brahma jñāna phalam is an experience. And one of the phalams,
result of brahma jñāna is what? Tr̥ptiḥ; I am satisfied. Even if Yamadharma comes
right now, I am ready to say bye bye to the world and go. Nothing missing in life; I
am OK; everything is OK. That is called Tr̥ptiḥ.
Then Cintā; the opposite of it; worry; cintā means worry; whether you have worry or
not I can never know. Seeing the face, I have to infer; but you can always train
yourselves to keep worry inside and smile outside; like the Air-hostess; or sales
representatives; you are not supposed to be gloomy, then the product will not move.
You have go and smile; therefore face is often not an index of the mind. They say
there are intelligent people who pass the examination of the lie-detector test. I do
not know whether you have heard. There are some efficient liers; and they can lie
and the lie detector will not detect it. They say when we tell a lie, there is a strain in
our personality because we have a double personality. And even that slightest strain
in the mind, will indicate biological changes. And that is what the detector is trying
to study. But if we are a regular expert liers, there is no conflict also; and it would
Page 1876

not detect. So therefore outside action need not indicate the internal condition.
Therefore only I will know them. Cintā.
Then ārōgyam. Whether I am healthy or not, who knows; there are people who are
physically very fit on the face of it; but all the possible diseases are there. And there
are some people who look very sick, but they are the healthiest also. So ārōgyam
also is a subjective thing.
Then �ुध् ṣud means hunger. �ुधादयः; should be split as �ुध् आदयः and there is a printing
mistake here; they have put ṣudā �ुदादय; द = d, they have put third dha in some
books, it should be fourth dha ध = dh; �ुधादयः. ādhi means etc. In short, all emotional
conditions, like peace, ānandaḥ etc.
svēnaiva vēdyā; one has to know by oneself only. Others can never know whether I
am muktha or baddhaḥ. Tat jñānaṁ, parēṣām anumānikam bhavathi. Whereas these
inner conditions only be inferred by others. So your inner conditions I can never
know; I have to infer and my inner conditions you can never know, you can only
infer. And inference may not be always correct also.
Therefore parēṣām anumānikam. That is why if somebody asks you, Give me a list
of liberated people. Somebody asked our Svāmiji. Who are the liberated mahātmas
in the world? We are not able to detect a liberated person who is alive. Now I am
asked to answer whether Rāmakrishna Paramahamsa is liberated or not; when I
have not even seen that person; where is the question. Rāmaṇa Mahar̥ṣi is liberated
or not.
Never ask such embarrassing questions. Nobody can know. We can only talk about
the probability. And if their teachings are available, perhaps I can check up the
teaching, with the śāstrik teaching, and if there is a contradiction, it will only create
a doubt, and if there is no contradiction perhaps they have understood. But there
are also I can write exactly as śāstra has written. How do we know? Therefore we
can never say whether the other person is liberated or not; but thank God we need
not know whether the other person is liberated. And therefore svēnaiva vēdyā
yajjñānaṁ parēṣām anumānikam. anumānikam means inferred.
तटिस्थत बोधयिन् गुरवः श्रुत यथा |
Page 1877

प्र�य तरेद्�वद्वानीश्वरानुगृह� ||४७६||

taṭasthitā bōdhayanti guravaḥ śrutayō yathā |
prajñayaiva tarēdvidvānīśvarānugr̥hītayā ||476||
So here the ācārya tells that guru and śāstram can have only a limited contribution
in the spiritual pursuit. A lot of cooperation is required from the student also. It is
unlike lifting a person from one place to another. Suppose a person has to be taken
to the gate; then we can say that you please come there. And he can cooperate and
get up. And even if that person does not have strong legs, at least he holds to the
other person and slowly walks holding to the hands. And suppose that person
refuses to come and says: I will not cooperate with you; then three people can
physically lift and take. Or recent stories I do not want to go; police stories; OK. If I
about that, what to do if I am arrested. All those things can happen. But taking to
mōkṣa is not like that. Chinmayānanda often used to say: I am not a mule to carry
you the disciples to mōkṣa; it is not possible. Guru is not a mule to carry the
disciples to mōkṣa. If it is a physical job, Guru would have done. It is a question of
understanding and therefore guru can provide the input; the necessary things for
understanding; śiṣya must be able to receive and assimilate. And if qualifications are
required, śiṣya has to acquire them. If mananam has to be done, śiṣya has to do
that; if nidhidhyāsanam has to be done, śiṣya has to do. Even the teaching guru can
teach; whether śiṣya's mind is in the class or not, it is a very big hope. Whether the
mind is here or not, what can the guru do? Therefore Śankarācārya warns; they can
play a prominent role; but you have to play your role. Therefore he says: taṭasthitā
bōdhayanti; an example is given. To convey this idea, it is a beautiful idea. Suppose
a person is on a boat in the river; and that person is caught up in the river and he
does not know how to take the boat to the shore and there are so many dangers;
rocks are there; whirlpools are there; and this person has got the oar; the oar is
there; but he does not know how to operate and come to shore. There is another
person who knows how to do that; but he cannot go to the boat; he is on the shore,
because in between there are so many dangers. Now this person shouts from the
shore, how you have to bring the boat to the shore. Do this, do that, he is giving the
instructions. The instructions can be given by the person on the shore, but the other
person has to act according to the instructions.
In the case of vēdānta, it is not acting, nothing to do; but he has to think in those
lines. Guru is giving the direction of thinking, but the śiṣya has to travel in that
direction. And therefore he says: taṭasthitāḥ; this is the example. taṭasthitāḥ, the
Page 1878

people who are expert oarsman; they are standing on the shore and they can guide
a person who is on a boat. Yathā to be supplied. Just as such people guide from
distance, similarly guruvaḥ.
And śrutayaḥ; gurus and śrutis can give the direction of thinking; yathā is there in
the slōka; tathā we have to supply. Yathā taṭasthitā bōdhayanti tathā guravaḥ
śrutayaḥ ca bōdhayanti. And you should be able to go along the lines. And if you are
not able to go along the lines, then you are not going to be convinced of advaitic
teaching.
Even though Śankarācārya's commentary, sub-commentaries are all there; do you

think that the entire humanity is convinced of advaitic teaching. There are so many
people; they say I am not convinced. Vishiṣṭadvains themselves are not convinced.
Dvaitins are not convinced. There are so many other religious people who are not
convinced. Guru can never take a vow that I will convince the śiṣya. If guru's aim is
convincing the śiṣya, guru will go mad.
Never have the aim of convincing other people. You can only give the necessary
arguments and supporting reasoning, that alone is in your hand; karmani ēva
adhikāraste; after all these things going inside; whether the śiṣya is going to be
convinced or not, it depends upon so many factors. Many factors over which guru
has no control. And therefore even at home also, if you are arguing with your
spouse, if you want to convince your spouse or children; forget it; never going to
happen; you can give your arguments in favour of such conclusions. Whether such
arguments convince the others or not, it is never in your hands.
If you know this very well, you will not be frustrated in life. Otherwise you will shout;
you will raise your voice; logic is no more working. So when logic fails; tantrums,
shouting, banging the table. If logic cannot convince, how can banging the table and
shouting convince. And the other person nods the head, not out of conviction; but
your shouting the other person is not able to stand.
Therefore you shout the other person down; but as somebody nicely said: silencing
a person is not convincing a person. Silencing a person is never convincing a person.
A person can be silenced by several methods including raising the voice. And
therefore no guru has got the agenda of convincing the disciple. Every guru wants to
help the disciple discover. If the śiṣya is convinced, he is lucky; otherwise guru will
Page 1879

pray for the disciple also. If not in this janma, next janma. And some students come
and tell the teacher himself; I am not convinced. Previously I used to get frustrated.
But now I just smile. You do not understand; that is your problem.
Therefore, prajñaḥ ēva tare Vidvān; so a vidvān, an intelligent student should cross
and reach the shore; taraṇam here means reaching the shore, in keeping with the
example. An intelligent should reach the shore of mōkṣa; only by the application of
his own intellect. That is why going back to the other example.
Śāstram is like a mirror; a mirror can help me in seeing my own face; but remember,
mirror can also help only if my eyes are in good condition. So not only I require eyes
of good condition, I require mirror also. And not only I require mirror, I require good
eyes. Similarly, my buddhi is like the eye, śāstram is like the mirror, intellect and the
śāstram must go hand-in-hand.
The guru will take care of the śāstra part, the śiṣya has to be take care of the fine
tuning of his intellect. And therefore prajñayaiva; only with a fine tuned intellect, the
śiṣya has to cross the ocean of saṁsāra. And not only he should have an intellect,
that is called puruṣārtaḥ; fine tuning the intellect, is using your free will. Because by
your effort alone, you fine tune your intellect. Fine tuning means what? Sādhana
catuṣṭaya saṁpatti.
And Sankarācārya adds even that is not enough, Īśvara anugr̥hītayā. Īśvara anugr̥ha
is also required. So guru, śiṣya's intellect and Īśvara anugr̥ha; if all these three are
joined together; there the communication will culminate in successful jñānaṁ.
Page 1880

144. Verses 477 to 480
After completing the teaching with verse No.471, now from the 72nd verse onwards,
Guru is giving his final parting advice to the disciple. And the guru points out that I
have done everything that I have to do as a guru. And as a guru my job is making
the śruti pramāṇam available for your use, because the śiṣya does not know how to
make use of the śruti pramāṇam, because it has to be made use of only in a
particular way. And since śiṣya does not know that, a guru is necessary and as I
have often said, guru does not give any teaching of his own, but he makes the
śāstra pramāṇam available for the student. It is exactly similar to holding a mirror in
front of another person. I do a play a role alright; it is nothing but holding the mirror
properly, but ultimately, you face only in the mirror. Mirror alone has the capacity to
help you see your own face. I cannot reflect you; I cannot reflect your face but I can
help you with the mirror. I cannot help you to see the reflection in the mirror.
And that method of showing the mirror alone is systematic teaching. Teaching is
helping the student to see the verbal mirror. And then as I said in the last class,
even if Guru shows the mirror properly, śiṣya can benefit from the mirror only if she
has got a pair of eyes. And not only he should have a pair of eyes; it should be in a
reasonable or reasonably good condition. And whether the eyes are in good
condition or not, who will know? Only the śiṣya will know. When the doctor tests
your eye, he puts different glasses and he can never tell whether you are seeing
clearly or not, after fixing a glass he is only asks you: are you able to see clearly. So
therefore, whether you have a pair of eyes, and whether your pair or eyes are able
to see clearly, only you have to take care of, that is your responsibility and if there
are deficiencies in the eyes, giving the proper treatment also is in your hands. If you
want to take treatment, doctors will help. But the decision to take treatment must be
yours. Similarly guru is holding the śāstra mirror and your eyes are nothing but the
intellect or mind. To see the physical body, you use the fleshy eyes, but when the
teaching is your very svarūpam, you require prajñaḥ; that is what Śankarācārya
said: prajñayaiva tarēdvidvān; prajñaḥ means buddhi, vivēka śaktiḥ, discriminative
power.
Page 1881

Not only you should have it, but you should properly use it also; when guru shows
the mirror you are looking in the other direction, what can Guru do. That having the
appropriate eye of wisdom, is in your hands, and whether the eyes are in good
condition or not, I can never know, I can always be optimistic that you are seeing.
Similarly, you alone know whether you are able to grasp the teaching properly, and
if there are deficiencies in the prajñaḥ cakṣu, which you alone will come to know; if
there are deficiencies in the prajñaḥ cakṣu, those deficiencies have to be rectified by
you and you alone. And the deficiencies in the eyes in the form of cataract, long
sight, short sights; various deficiencies are there in the eyes; there is the science of
ophthalmology. Similarly for vēdantic buddhi the deficiencies are in the form of lack
of vivēka, lack of vairāgyam, lack of ṣamādi ṣaṭka saṁpatti, lack of mumukṣutvaṁ.
In short, deficiencies in sādhana catuṣṭaya saṁpatti.
And if those deficiencies are there, the student alone has to chose to rectify. The
moment student chooses to rectify, the śāstras and gurus are there to find out what
are the eye drops; karma yōga drops; upāsana drops; and some surgery; all types of
sādhana, ophthalmology is there. The entire vēda pūrva bhāgaḥ is ophthalmology
alone. It is meant only to rectify your buddhi.
Vēda pūrva bhāgaḥ makes your buddhi effective. And vēda anta bhāgaḥ shows the
mirror. Vēda pūrva refines your eye, vēda anta shows the mirror. And here the guru
says: where you have to take responsibility, you have to take. A passive approach to
vēdānta putting all the responsibility on the guru only would not work and therefore
Śankarācārya said prajñayaiva, by developing proper buddhi. In Kathōpanișad,
dr̥śyatētu agraya buddhyā sūkṣmaya. A sharp and subtle intellect is required.
And of course Śankarācārya adds, in and through all these treatment, even though
the doctor has found out the deficiencies, and has decided to give the treatment,
before you take the treatment; you go to the Lord and seek the grace of the Lord.
Even the best doctor can falter and commit mistake and therefore Śankarācārya says
Bhakthi or surrender to the Lord is one inevitable common factor; there is no secular
vēdānta.
A vēdānta student has to be necessarily religious in nature; otherwise vēdānta will

become pure academic philosophical force and therefore puruṣārtaḥ is also required,
Page 1882

Īśvara anugraha is also required; guru's teaching is also required and therefore Oh!
disciple, do what you have to do. Up to this we saw.
स्वानुभूत् स्वय �ात्व स्वमात्मानमखिण्ड |

सं�सद् सम्मुख �तष्ठेिन्न�वर्कल्पात्मन�न ||४७७||
svānubhūtyā svayaṁ jñātvā svamātmānamakhaṇḍitam |
saṁsiddhaḥ sammukhaṁ tiṣṭhēnnirvikalpātmanā:':'tmani ||477||
Having received the teaching, in the form of śravaṇa and manana, the student's role
is nidhidhyāsanam; as I said nidhidhyāsanam is the primary responsibility of the
student; because teacher can never do nidhidhyāsanam for the student. At least in
śravaṇam, there is 50:50; the teacher has to teach; and the student has to make the
quiet-mind available. It is 50:50 responsibility, whereas in the case of
nidhidhyāsanam, it is 100% responsibility of the student. And if the student says I
have no time, Guru can only pray for the student.
And therefore here guru says: svayaṁ jñātva. So the śiṣya has to no by himself,
using the śruti pramāṇam, he has to know by himself, svānubhūtyā; svānubhūti
means aparōkṣa taya; in the form of self-evident consciousness. The student has to
know himself as the self evident consciousness, which is experienced not at the time
of meditation, but which is experienced at all times. Prathibōdhaḥ vidhidhataya;
svānubhūtyā means what: as the self-evident consciousness obtaining in all the
avasthas; in simple Saṁsr̥kt; aparōkṣataya.
Having discovered oneself aparōkṣataya as the self-evident awareness and what

type of self it is? Akhaṇḍitam svamātmānam, he has to know himself; own up
himself as akhaṇḍa caitanyaṁ; akhaṇḍitam means undivided consciousness, which
means I am not even a knower. As long I remain as a knower, there is knower,
known, knowing or instrument division, which is called triputi or vikalpa. Therefore I
have to claim myself as the pure consciousness, which is not even a knower.
Consciousness gets knower status only when it is associated with the intellect.
Intellect association gives me knower status by myself, I am not even a knower.
And how do I prove it. In jāgrat avastha and svapna avastha, waking and dream, I
am associated with an active intellect. Therefore I become a knower and triputi is
there. In suṣupti, the active mind has become passive, it is no more a thinking mind,
Page 1883

it is a resolved potential dormant mind, and therefore I drop my knower status. And
therefore I do not experience the triputi of knower, known and knowing also.
And therefore when buddhi is active, I am knower; when the buddhi is resolved; I
am not a knower; therefore knowerhood is only an incidental status of mine. Then
what is my intrinsic nature; it is pramātru, pramāṇa, pramēya vilakṣaṇa caitanyaṁ.
Nantha prajñām, na bahi prajñām, na prajñaḥ na ghanaṁ caitanyaṁ; viswa taijasa

prājna vilakṣaṇam caitanyaṁ; turiya rūpam caitanyaṁ, is here called akhaṇḍitam.
And then saṁsiddhaḥ. And this becoming an accomplished person. saṁsiddhaḥ
means a siddha puruṣaḥ; siddha puruṣaḥ means the one who is no more a sādhaka.
A sādhaka is one who wants to know. Having known myself very clearly, I loose my
sādhaka status and the sādhaka alone becomes siddaḥ. When you leave your house
to reach this particular hall, you are a sādhakaḥ. Sādhakaḥ means the one who has
to accomplish a particular goal.
And here the goal is what? Reaching this hall; the moment you have the reached the
hall and become seated, you are no more a sādhaka with regard to in Saṁsr̥kt we
call: siddha puruṣaḥ.
Do not think siddha puruṣaḥ means that you have to materialise things. That does
not mean a man of miracles. Siddha means the one who has accomplished the goal;
that he has set up for himself.
When you are hungry and you want to eat, you are sādhaka with regard to the
eating; and once you have completed the eating and your stomach is full; with
regard to that goal; you are siddaḥ.
Similarly once I have known, I am akhaṇḍa caitanyaṁ; I am called saṁsiddhaḥ. An

accomplished person. A siddhaḥ; a jñāni; a jīvan mukthaḥ; whatever word you can
use.
And if I have understood my akhaṇḍa svarūpam, how will I remain in the world?
sammukhaṁ tiṣṭhē. In fact there is another reading, which is a preferable reading;
instead of sammukhaṁ, there is another word, susukhaṁ; that fits in with this
context and therefore I will take this reading. Susukhaṁ tiṣṭhē; one remains totally
Page 1884

at peace with himself. Ātmanēva ātmana tuṣṭaḥ. Yasthu ātma rathi rēvasyāt ātma
tr̥pthaśca mānavaḥ, ātmanēva ca santuṣṭaḥ.
Susukhaṁ means I feel that my life's mission is accomplished. And all other duties
that I have in the vyavahārika plane, their fulfilment and non-fulfilment have nothing
to do with my purṇatvam. Because in vyavahārika plane, you can never complete
your duty. So at any time, you die, there will be some duties completed and some
duties incomplete.
Even if you live for 200 years and do everything that you want, at the time if there is
an interview asking whether anything is left to achieve. It is said Shivaji Ganesan
said that he has played all the roles, but still he had one kurai; he wanted to play
the role of Periyār, EV Rāmaswamy naicker. I do not want to say whether it is a
good desire or bad desire; I do not want to judge; but he had one desire unfulfilled.
I am not saying that you have such a desire. Always there will be something in
vyavahārika field.
Another interesting example is that one of the Śankarācāryas of Sriṅgēri wrote a

commentary on this Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi. And his commentary is not complete. He had
written commentary up to verse No.481. Rest of the commentary is incomplete.
Therefore vyavahārika dr̥ṣṭyā, the task that he had taken is incomplete. Whether he
deliberately left it incomplete or it was God's will, we do not probe. There are always
incomplete tasks in vyavahārika plane. My pūrṇatvam has nothing to do with the
apūrṇatvam of the ahaṁkāra-I; my pūrṇatvam is that of sākṣi's pūrṇatvam. And
therefore Susukhaṁ tiṣṭhē; he owns up sākṣi's pūrṇatvam rather than complaining
about ahaṁkāra's apūrṇatvam.
And nirvikalpa ātmana; in the form of nirvikalpa ātma he remains. Nirvikalpa ātma
means what? akhaṇḍa ātma of the first line, which means divisionless-I; trupti-less I,
he remains and when we say that this wise person remains in Brahman, he abides in
Brahman; there also a person may think of duality, because I am using the
expression, he remains in Brahman; then what happened? Like the water remains in
the cup. Two. So there is water and there is the cup. This is called ādhāra ādēya
saṁbanda. Like that Brahman is down below; jñāni is up above; and the jñāni is
remaining in Brahman. We may think and therefore Śankarācārya writes ātmani
tiṣṭhē; he remains in himself. That means there is not even ādhāra ādēya bhāva.
Because he is ātma.
Page 1885

वेदान्त�सद्धान्त�नरुिक
ब्रह् जीवः सकलं जगच् |
अखण्डरूपिस्थ�त मो�ो
ब्रह्माद्�व श्रुत प्रमाण ||४७८||
vēdāntasiddhāntaniruktirēṣā
brahmaiva jīvaḥ sakalaṁ jagacca |
akhaṇḍarūpasthitirēva mōkṣō
brahmādvitīyē śrutayaḥ pramāṇam ||478||
So the teacher says: Oh Student, I will condense the whole teaching for your
benefit. vēdāntasiddhāntaniruktiḥ; niruktiḥ means sāraḥ; the essence; sūtra rūpam
is niruktihi, in this context. Normally niruktiḥ means definition. In this context,
niruktihi means gist, capsule of what? vēdānta siddhānta, essential teaching of
vēdānta śāstra. siddhānta here means tātparyaṁ, the central teaching, the pith, the
core of vēdānta.
And what is that? ēṣā; is the following. So first line goes for the introduction.
Following is the essence of vēdānta.
And what is that? sakalaṁ jagat jīvaḥ ca brahmaiva; the whole universe as well as
all the living being, the jīva in the universe, so sakalaṁ jagat refers to the achetana
prapañja, and the jīvaḥ refers to the chetana jīvas, living being, occupying this
universe, bōkthru, bōgya prapañjaḥ.
Sakalam, without exception, including Īśvara. So Īśvara is also chetana or achetana.

Īśvara is cētana; is nothing but what: Brahmaiva; Everything is nothing but
Brahman, which means there is no Īśvara other than Brahman; there is no jagat or
world other than Brahman; there is no jīvah other than Brahman. Brahman plus
nāma rūpa No.1 is Īśvara; Brahman plus nāma rūpa ni.2 is jīva. Brahman plus nāma
rūpa No.3 is jagat. Divisions belong to nāma rūpa; substance is only Brahman.
That is why I repeatedly say: in the vision of vēdānta, there is no matter. Matter is
nothing but name and form; substance is only consciousness. So this is sarvaṁ
Brahma mayaṁ jagat. Idam sarvaṁ brahmaiva; brahmaiva idagum sarvaṁ is
Vēdānta.
Page 1886

And then Śankarācārya gives a warning; when the upaṇiṣads says: Brahmaiva
idagum sarvaṁ, we may conclude; there is some Brahman, which is everything.
Therefore the śāstra replaces the word Brahman by ātma; ātma ēva idagum sarvaṁ,
which means what? the consciousness is not an object. The conscious principle is
you, yourselves.
Therefore instead of saying Brahman is all; I should be able to say I am everything.

So I put on the vesham of Īśvara, I put on the vēṣam of jīva; I put on the vesham of
jagath; that alone is said in Taittarīya; Ahaṁ annam; ahaṁ annādaḥ; ahaṁ Slōkakr̥t.
So I am the knower; I am the known; and I am the combining, connecting link also.
Slōkakr̥t means the linking factor. Therefore do not stop with Brahman is everything.
You have to convert into I am everything.
And that is said in the second line; akhaṇḍarūpasthiti; remaining with the
knowledge, that I am the undivided consciousness; akhandrūpa sthitiḥ; I am that
undivided consciousness called Brahman. Remaining with this knowledge all the
time. Not that deliberately you remember. Initially it is remembered deliberately.
Later this wisdom must be there behind you; like the tampura śruti for a musician.
Remember that. Musician does not listen to tampura śruti for 2-1/2 hours. After
listening to which they may say that the concert is over. No. 2-1/2-3 hrs he sings;
but all his songs are in keeping. And your singing is what? leading your life. So live
in the world; but there be the tampura śruti; I am all.
And mōkṣaḥ. That alone is called mōkṣa. Not knowing is saṁsāra; or not
remembering is also saṁsāra. Not studying Vēdānta is saṁsāram; not remembering
vēdānta after studying is saṁsāram; two forms of saṁsāra. People say: during
vacation we forget vēdānta. How can you do that? So one is educated-samsāri;
another is uneducated samsāri; ப�க்கா ேமைத; ப�யாத ஸம்ஸா (padikyātha
medhāi; padikyātha samsāri). Therefore Śankarācārya warns never forget this
teaching. That alone is mōkṣa. Non-forgetfulness of vēdānta is mōkṣa.
And what is the source of this knowledge. Where do you get this knowledge. Do you
get it in nirvikalpaka samādhi? Do you get in meditation. Do you get it through
intuition. No No No. We do not accept anything as the source of knowledge; other
than vēdānta śāstra śravaṇam.
Page 1887

So śrutayaḥ; Patanjali is the greatest author of Aṣṭanga Yōga and who will be
certainly an expert in nirvikalpaka samādhi; because this very teaching of aṣṭanga
yōga and nirvikalpaka samādhi is done by him only. Therefore as the initiator he
must be expert; but even that expert samādhi practitioner Pathanjali came to the
conclusion that everything is dvaitam. From that it is very clear that nirvikalpaka
samādhi abhyāśā can give you advaita jñānaṁ. If that has to give advaita jñānaṁ,
Pathanjali must be the greatest advaitain; but unfortunately Pathanjali is a dvaiti
alone.
From this it is very clear; the source of knowledge is not samādhi; the source of
knowledge is śruti; vēdānta śāstram and Śankarācārya knew that there will be
confusion in kali yugā; therefore he wrote this Pramāṇam. Source of knowledge for
what: brahmādvitīyē; source of knowledge for the non-dual Brahman or with regard
to non-dual Brahman. Viṣaya sapthami; brahmādvitīyē; is the seventh case, it is
called viṣaya sapthami.
With regard to this knowledge, śrutayaḥ pramāṇam; śruti, especially vēda anta is the
source and you operate the śruti pramāṇam through systematic śravaṇam. There is
no other way.
इ�त गर
ु ुवचनाच्��तप्रमा
परमवगम् सतत्त्वमात्मयुक |
प्रश�मतकर समा�हतात्म
क्व�चदचलाकृ�तरात्म�नष्ठतोऽभ ||४७९||
iti guruvacanācchrutipramāṇāt
paramavagamya satattvamātmayuktyā |
praśamitakaraṇaḥ samāhitātmā
kvacidacalākr̥tirātmaniṣṭhatō:'bhūt ||479||
In the previous verse 478, the Ācārya summarised the whole vēdantic teaching. This
summary alone is given elsewhere by Śankarācārya that Brahma satyam jagan mithya,
jīvō brahaimva na paraḥ. Anēna vēdhyaṁ tat śāstram iti vēdānta dindimā; vēdānta diṅdimā
means vēdānta dandōra; the drum beating which is used for the declarations or
announcements. Similarly vēdantic declaration from housetop is what: Brahma
satyam jagan mithya, jīvō brahaimva na paraḥ. That is the most popular
Page 1888

summarisation of vēdānta. The very same has been put in a different language in
478. And after some summarising the vēdantic teaching; the guru goes to silence.
So the final parting advice is over with 478. And then you may ask, how come
Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi continues? Bhavamāna you should sing. Remember Guru observed
silence, not the śiṣya; śiṣya is sitting; therefore śiṣya wants to say his own parting
remarks, his own expression of gratitude; so his own thanks giving he wants to do
and since Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi and the teaching is very long; śiṣya's parting thanksgiving
is also proportionately long.
So that is from verse No.479; that is the present verse to verse No.519; 479 to 519.
40 or 41 slōkas; guru enjoying and he is grateful to the Lord; grateful to his own
puṇyam; grateful to the śāstram; grateful to the Ācārya; all these are expression of
his excitement.
And this he did after spending some time in Nidhidhyāsanam. There is a small gap of
nidhidhyāsanam. And we cannot give that gap and say one month vacation and all.
So therefore we continue. After a small gap of nidhidhyāsanam, if this verse had
come just before the vacation I could have given the gap.
So he says: iti guruvacanācchrutipramāṇāt; this is the statement given by an

intermediary reporter; because śiṣya goes for a short gap of nidhidhyāsanam and
therefore in intermediary reporter comes and sees. śiṣyaḥ understood, param
satattvam avagamya; in the second line; the śiṣya avagamya; grasped; param
satattvam; the absolute reality; satattvam means reality; param means absolute. So
param satattvam Brahma ityarthaha; he grasped Brahman, with whose help; guru
vacanāt; with the help of Guru's teaching; śruti pramāṇāt; guru did not teach his
own philosophy.
If any guru says: I have a philosophy, what is our attitude in our tradition? Do
namaskāra from distant and walk off; anyone who claims his own original teaching,
we do not accept because, any original teaching, coming from human intellect,
would be defective; we have proved in Brahma sūtra. We have studied all possible
original teaching; coming from fertile intellects. Sāṅkya is one such system; 11
darsans; sāṅkya, yōga, nyāya, visēṣika, bhoudha, all these people were giant
intellect; and they all arrived at various systems; in Brahma sūtra Vyāsācārya
Page 1889

analyses and he establishes logically that logic will never work. He logically
establishes logic will never work and therefore human intellect knows only illogic.
And therefore human intellect through logic can never arrive at the truth. Therefore
anyone wants to teach his own philosophy, our request is: I do not want to criticise
your philosophy, but I do not want that. As Nachiketas said: everything is wonderful;
keep it with you itself. Buddha I revere; his system I reject. Similarly, all other.
Pathanjali I reverse but yōga philosophy; not yōga practice. It is nice. and therefore
śruti pramāṇāt. So with the help śruti and guru vākyam and not only guru and
śāstram; ātmayuktyā; by using his own intellect also.
So here also we should remember, when we reject the intellect, we only reject the
independent intellect; but we certainly want the intellect to work along with the
śruti. When I say eye cannot see themselves, I do not reject the eyes totally,
because I have to introduce the mirror and to use the mirror again I need the eyes.
Independent eye cannot see itself; but the mirror assisted-eye can see itself. This is
our approach. Independent eye can never see itself; a mirror assisted I can see
itself. Similarly independent intellect can never know the truth of oneself but the
śāstra assisted intellect is required. Therefore ātmayuktyā; using his own
discrimination also; param satattvam avagamya; the śiṣya grasped the teaching and
not only that; what did he do; praśamitakaraṇaḥ; he felt the necessity of
nidhidhyāsanam.
As I had often said: nidhidhyāsanam is an optional exercise. If I feel require it; and
even if I require nidhidhyāsanam, there are so many options of nidhidhyāsanam,
sitting nidhidhyāsanam you can do, as given in the sixth chapter of the Gītā, or
nidhidhyāsanam in the form of repeated śravaṇam, or writing or sharing or
discussing or teaching; keeping the mind in the śāstra, in any way you like. It is not
that one should sit in Padmanana and close the eyes; then only it can be called
nidhidhyāsanam. There is nothing like that.
So therefore the student felt the necessity of nidhidhyāsanam for him. Therefore
praśamitakaraṇaḥ; so having withdrawn the sense organs from the loukika activity,
kāraṇa means all the organs, praśamita means withdrawn; so he felt the necessity of
quality time.
Page 1890

And samāhitātmā; and he also focussed his mind upon the teaching. How? That is
how you can fill up in any way. By repeated śravaṇam, because when you do
śravaṇam, you withdraw your sense organs from worldly activity; for one hour you
are focussing the mind upon my words, I suppose! So therefore you are all doing
nidhidhyāsanams. First few classes are śravaṇam; later classes get converted into
nidhidhyāsanam; guru-assisted nidhidhyāsanam.
Therefore samāhita-ātmā means focus. ātma here means the mind; so with the
focussed intellect,
And acalākr̥tirātiḥ; acalākr̥tirātiḥ; without any distractions or disturbance; without

being disturbed; acalam means what; without being calam; without being disturbed;
therefore he remains undisturbed, he remained undistracted, undistractedly focussed
he remains.
kyacid; somewhere. So do not ask where; because we are not interested in those
details. Whether he sat there itself or whether he went to the veranda or he went to
behind; we are not interested in those details; he spent sometime for internalisation.
And having gone through for sufficient length of time, as required,

ātmaniṣṭhatō:'bhūt. So he became ātma niṣṭaḥ. brahma niṣṭaḥ; jñāna niṣṭaḥ. By
which we mean effortless remembrance of the teaching at all times. If you have to
define jñāna niṣṭa, in common terms, it means effortless remembrance of the
teaching at all times. It is accessible. Like liquid cash; solid cash; money is available:
two types of money; One type of money; if you want to get, even if it is your
money, you need to get, it is difficult. There is another type of money which is
available right now. Otherwise you have to say: Svāmiji it is there; but you have to
wait for some time, I will give. I have to wait to mature of FD; I have to get that
cheque; is my money; but not available. That is not what we want. We want ready-
cash-knowledge; available even in the worst crisis of life. That is called jñāna niṣṭa.
So ātmaniṣṭhaḥ; acalastitiḥ; and ātma niṣṭhaḥ abhūt. In short, he became sthira

prajñaḥ. So this is whose words; neither guru nor śiṣya. It is report by a journalist
may be Śankarācārya himself. Then what happened.
�किञ्चत्का समाधाय परे ब्रह् मानसम ् |
Page 1891

उत्था परमानन्दा�दद वचनमब्रवी ||४८०||

kiñcitkālaṁ samādhāya parē brahmaṇi mānasam |
utthāya paramānandādidaṁ vacanamabravīt ||480||
kiñcitkālaṁ samādhāya; you can understand. So dwelling upon this teaching for
sometime, practising nidhidhyāsanam for sometime, practising samādhi abhyāśā for
some time, in what? Pare Brahmani mānasam; mānasam samādhāya; that is the
connection; focussing the mind; focussing the mānasam, means the mind; pare
Brahmani; in param brahma as revealed in the śāstras. So parēbrahmaṇi mānasam
samādhāya.
So this gives another proof also that vēdantic meditation is not remaining silent;
vēdantic meditation is not blankness or thoughtlessness; vēdantic meditation is
converging your thoughts into Brahman. Streamlining your thoughts into Brahman.
Streamlining the thought into the field of Brahman. It is directing the thought; not
stopping the thought. So mānasam parēbrahmaṇi samādhāya. Then he felt that
jñānaṁ has been internalised and therefore uttāya. So then he came out of the
nidhidhyāsanam; that he is no more a sādhaka, he is not even a nidhidhyāsana
sādhaka; he never felt the need of nidhidhyāsanam also thereafter. Then naturally,
paramānandaḥ; So he enjoyed the parama ānandaḥ; the greatest satisfaction or
fulfilment and paramānandaḥ is what: Brahma jñāna phala anubhavaḥ.
I have told you Brahma jñāna does not exist. But brahma jñāna phalam we can
clearly experience. Whether I am satisfied mentally or not, I can experience or not?
my own experience; and I have no way of knowing are you satisfied or not. How do
I know; there is no way of knowing. I can experience my fulfilment.
So paramāndāt uttāya; idam vacanam abravīt. That is the śiṣya went back to this
guru. Again reported by an intermediary person; may be Śankarācārya himself.
Because Śankarācārya alone introduced Guru and Śiṣya. 49th verse. I do not know
whether you remember. 49th. Khōnāma bhanda katham ēsha āgataḥ; saptha
praśnās; seven questions the śiṣya asked the teacher. So Śankarācārya has
introduced the guru and the śiṣya. So Śankarācārya is giving the report.
So having come back to the gurum again; idam vacanam abravīth. He uttered these
words to his guru. Exactly as in the Gītā; so whenever Arjuna was speaking in
between, he was only complaining that I have this doubt and that doubt; but only in
Page 1892

the 18th chapter Arjuna said naṣtō mōha smr̥ti labdhdā; I have no more confusions;
the teaching is very clear.
Not only śiṣya is relieved; guru is also appāda! Similarly here also you find śiṣya
expresses his relief. How does he express. Now that is given from: idam vacanam
abravīth. The śiṣya uttered the following. Idam means the following. Following
means what; from 481 to as I said 519. Up to that is śiṣya vacanam. These two 479
and 480 are the intermediary reporting given by Śankarācārya himself. So what did
the śiṣya say?
That we will see in the next class.
Hari Om.
145. Verses 481 to 484
�किञ्चत्लं समाधाय परे ब्रह् मानसम ् |
उत्था परमानन्दा�दद वचनमब्रवी ||४८०||
kiñcitkālaṁ samādhāya parē brahmaṇi mānasam |

utthāya paramānandādidaṁ vacanamabravīt ||480||
After completing the vēdantic teaching, the teacher gave parting advice to the
disciples, which was given from verse No.472 to 478, and the teacher pointed out
that you have nothing to do other than assimilating this teaching and therefore may
you spend the rest of your life assimilating this teaching. And now the disciple is
going to respond to the guru's advice and also express gratitude for giving this
teaching. And Śankarācārya introduces that subject matter in 479 and 480 and from
481 onwards, the śiṣya's words begin. Therefore these two slōkas 479 and 480 are
Śankarācārya's words.
And Śankarācārya pointed out that the disciple spent some time kiñcitkālaṁ, how
long it is not said; because it varies from individual to individual; he spent sometime
dwelling upon this teaching and then he got jñāna niṣṭa. Of course, as I have often
Page 1893

said, jñāna niṣṭa is not a sudden event that is going to take place, it is a gradual
assimilation, as our reactions or response to life situations change gradually. So the
intensity of negative reactions come down, the frequency comes down, the recovery
period comes down, and therefore jñāna niṣṭa is not a sudden event that takes place
but we use the expression that this student got jñāna niṣṭa. And therefore
paramānandaḥ uttāya. He was extremely happy that he could receive this
knowledge and then he uttered following words to his guru, idaṁ vacanam abravīt.
idaṁ vacanam refers to the following verses beginning from the next verse 481 and
which goes up to 519th verse. These are the expressions of gratitude by the
student.
बु�द्ध�वर्न ग�लता प्रवृित

ब्रहत्मनोरेकतयाऽ�धगत् |
इदं न जानेऽप्य�नद न जाने
�कं वा �कयद्व सुखमस्त्यपार ||४८१||
buddhirvinaṣṭā galitā pravr̥ttiḥ
brahmātmanōrēkatayā:'dhigatyā |
idaṁ na jānē:'pyanidaṁ na jānē
kiṁ vā kiyadvā sukhamastyapāram || 481||
So the student talks about the benefit that he has gained through this knowledge;
brahmātmanōhō adhigatyā; adigatiḥ means jñānaṁ. Jñānaṁ of what?
brahmātmanōhō; the knowledge of Brahma, the paramātma, and ātma the jīvātma.
Brahma should be translated as paramātma and ātma should be translated as
jīvātma. Through the knowledge of paramātma and jīvātma.
And what type of knowledge? ēkatayā; I have understood them as one and the
same. They are neither two distinct entities nor are they related entities, because if
you talk about a relationship between these two, they will be different. Therefore
they are neither distinct entities nor are they related entities; both are one and the
same; only with two names; nāma bhēdaḥ varthathē; nāmi bhēdaḥ nāsti. Therefore
ēkatayā; ēkata means aikyam.
So through the knowledge of jīvātma paramātma aikyam, the benefit I have got is
buddhiḥ vinaṣṭa. So I have lost the buddhi. Buddhi is gone. Looks funny. If buddhi
is gone, knowledge also will go away. Is this is a benefit, or is it a loss? So we have
Page 1894

to carefully understand. By this knowledge I have understood Brahmaiva satyam, tat

bhinnaṁ sarvaṁ mithya. So the entire anātma is mithya, I have understood and the
anātma includes stūla śarīraṁ, annamaya kōśa, prāṇamaya kōśa, manōmaya kōśa
and vijñānamaya kōśa which is buddhi; buddhi means vijñānaṁaya kōśa; all these
kōśas are anātma; therefore they are mithya.
And seeing the anātma as mithya, is the negation of anātma; mithyātva darśanam is
their negation. When I know the svapna prapañja is mithya, I do not give existence
to that; I should not give undue reality to that; that means I do not allow that to
disturb me. Therefore mithyātva niścayaḥ is equal to negation; negation means I do
not allow the negated object to disturb me.
So it is like a defused atom bomb or bomb. Once you defuse it, it is there; but it
cannot hurt me. Similarly, every object in the creation enjoyed reality before
because of my ignorance; and since I attached reality to those objects, they were
able to hurt me. And once you remove that reality, see them as mithya, every object
loses its capacity to hurt me. And not only the external objects hurt me, my own
pañja kōśas are capable to hurting me, as long as I attach reality to that. So if I
attach too much reality to the physical body, then its old age, disease and the
possible death will be frightening thing.
Once physical body is seen as mithya, mortality will not frighten me. Similarly as
long as I attach reality to the mind, the mental conditions will disturb me. And once
I remove that reality, even emotional conditions are incapable of hurting me.
Similarly intellect also can disturb me, because all the time, I am worried about the
knowledge I have and intellectual saṁsāra can be created by intellectual limitations
and once I falsify the intellect, then the intellect is also incapable of hurting me.
And this negation of the intellect as mithya is called buddhi nāśaḥ or manō nāśaḥ.
Manasaḥ mithyātva niścayaḥ; buddhe he mithyātva niścayaḥ. I no more judge
myself in terms of intellectual accomplishments positively, and I do not judge myself
negatively also in terms of my intellectual limitations. That is called buddhi nāśaḥ.
Intellect is no more a burden.
Then galitā pravr̥ttiḥ. And since I do not attach reality to the mind and intellect, I no
more feel a sense of limitation. Limitations are based on the anātma, so anātma
Page 1895

based limitations I reject or I accept as they are. And every activity or struggle in life
is caused by a sense of limitation. Apūrṇatvam leads to desires. Every desire is
forced by a sense of apūrṇatvam and therefore apūrṇatvam leads to kāma; kāma
leads to karma; once apūrṇatvam is gone, all the kāmas are gone. Prājahāti yathā
kāman sarvān partha manōgathān; all the desires are gone and if at all there are
desires in the mind, they are non-binding desires for lōkaḥ saṁgrahaḥ; but not
desires for purṇatvam. Desire for lōkaḥ sangraha is not a binding desire. Desire for
my purṇatvam is a binding desire. Even if I have a desire for lōkaḥ saṅgraḥ, for the
sake of my purṇatvam! suppose you say I want to do lōkaḥ saṅgraḥ so that I will
find purṇatvam, then it is called lōkaḥ saṅgraḥ, it is called ātma saṅgraḥ. Because
even through that action, what am I expecting? My purṇatvam.
Therefore desire for lōkaḥ saṅgraḥ without being motivated by pūrnatva icchāḥ; that
is non-binding desire. Non-binding desire can be any number, but binding desires
are gone. And once the kāmas are gone, galitā pravr̥ttiḥ; kāma prompted struggles
in life; running about in life; rat-race in life is also gone. So therefore all the
struggles, kāma prompted activities are also gone; because ātmanēva ātmana
tușṭaḥ.
So pravr̥tti is replaced by nivr̥tti. Therefore galitā; galitā means it has slipped off me.
We cannot forcibly drop these desires and activities. If you forcibly drop, as Krishna
said in the Gītā, externally I drop my pursuits, but internally the desires continue,
then there is a conflicting personality, Krishna called it mithyācāra. Externally a
virāgi, but internally fantasising, if this were there; if that were there how it would
be, etc. etc. dreaming; that is very dangerous. The activities should drop by
themselves. I should not push any of them. Even desires we can never forcibly drop.
They should drop by themselves. Just as ripened fruit falls without anybody plucking
it or throwing stones at it. Therefore these are all natural consequences; not forced
thing. Until then, if desires are there, we need not push them out; we can happily
fulfill those desires, as long as they are dhārmic desires. adhārmic if it is, throw it
out of your system. Adharmic should never be fulfilled; dharmic desires we can
happily fulfil; we can do sakāma karma, we can take vrathams for material benefit;
everything we can do; we should never forcibly drop them. And that is why the
student uses the word; galitā; it is a beautifully expression.
Galitā means they drop. And what is the sign of their own natural dropping? I do not
feel any pain when they are gone. I do not miss those things at all. Even though the
Page 1896

world sympathises with me; Poor Svāmiji, you do not have a TV; I will get it for you;
shall I get it; they are disturbed. So therefore because for many people life without
TV is life without food. So therefore the whole world may sympathise, you do not
have this, you do not have that. But you sympathise with them. You do not miss
anything. So thus things should drop and I should not miss. That is called evolution;
that is called growth. And growth should happen. It can never be forced. You can
never grow a tree; the tree has to grow by itself. You can only provide the
conditions for the growth. The growth should happen. There are some plants which
will grow very fast; there are some plants which will grow very slow; you can never
force the process. Therefore this expression is very beautiful. Galitā pravr̥ttiḥ. The
competitive actions, desire prompted actions have dropped from me. Because of
what: by this knowledge. Therefore my concentration is on knowledge, not dropping
these things.
Then idaṁ na jānē, anidaṁ na jānē. So idaṁ and anidaṁ refer to the anātma
prapañja. So he says: I do not see the anātma prapañja at all; and this anātma
prapañja is divided into two; the one which is immediately in front of me; which is
visible; we can call it prathyakṣa anātma prapañjaḥ. So what are they? all these are
anātmas and they are visible to me. Therefore this is called idam. So idam means
what? that anātma prapañja which falls within pratyakṣa.
And there is another set of anātma prapañja which does not fall within the range of
my perception; everything else. America, it is not prathyakṣa; Japan, not pratyakṣa;
so many planets are there; stars are there; they are all called what? parōkṣa anātma
prapañjaḥ. In English we can say the immediate anātma or the nearby anātma; the
other one is remote anātma. Both of them I do not see at all.
So I do not see at all means what? You have some eye problem; did you develop
cataract through vēdānta? I do not see means what? It is not the loss the physical
sight; I do not look upon them as anātma. In my vision, everything else is ātma.
Brahmārpaṇam, brahma haviḥ; Brahmāgnau, Brāhmaṇa hutam; the ignorant people
think that there is anātma, but in my vision there is no anātma at all; ātma alone
with different nāma rūpas is appearing as the manifold universe. Ahaṁ annaṁ,
ahaṁ annādaḥ, ahaṁ slōkakr̥t; I alone am everything. There is nothing other than
myself.
Page 1897

Then how come previously I saw the world as different? Exactly like dream. In
dream I thought the dream world is different from me. Only on waking up, I knew
that the dream world was nothing but my own mind only. Similarly this world is
none that. It is not separate from myself. Therefore idaṁ na jānē:'pyanidaṁ na jānē
means I do not see any anātma other than ātma. So idaṁ sarvaṁ yadayaṁ ātma.
And because of this removal of anātma, everywhere I alone am there; there is

nothing away from me; therefore ahaṁ pūrṇaḥ asmi. I do not lack anything; and
therefore ahaṁ pūrṇaḥ. This pūrṇatvam alone is called sukham. So therefore I enjoy
sukham. Sukham means anantatvam or pūrṇatvam; which is apāram, which is
limitless, which is shoreless, that apāram sukhamēva asthi; pūrṇatvam ēva asthi;
ātma ēva asthi.
And if you ask me what is the nature of that purṇatvam, I can never define it; kim
vā asthi. So what is the nature of that purṇatvam, I can never describe, and
kivyadvā sukham; and what is the extent of that purṇatvam? I cannot describe. It is
limitless purṇatvam.
And what is that purṇatvam? not an object of experience. We are not talking about
experiential sukham, remember, experiential sukham is always apurṇam because,
experience is bound by time. Here the sukham is the very ātma; that itself is called
sukham, which is not an object of experience.
वाचा वक्तुमशक्यम मनसा मन्तु न वा शक्यत

स्वानन्दामृपूरपू�रतपरब्रह्माम्बुधे
त |
अम्भोरा�श�वशीणर्वा�षर्क�शलाभ भजन्म मनो
ु ाऽऽनन्दात्म �नवर्त
यस्यांशांशलव �वल�नमधन ृ म ||४८२||
vācā vaktumaśakyamēva manasā mantuṁ na vā śakyatē
svānandāmr̥tapūrapūritaparabrahmāmbudhērvaibhavam |
ambhōrāśiviśīrṇavārṣikaśilābhāvaṁ bhajanmē manō
yasyāṁśāṁśalavē vilīnamadhunā:':'nandātmanā nirvr̥tam ||482||
So he is admiring, appreciating the glory of Brahman, which he has understood as

himself and therefore he says. Look at the second line; para brahmāmbudhēr
vaibhavam; vaibhavam means the glory; the pūrṇatvam. The word vibhuḥ means all
pervading; vaibhavam means the all-pervading nature; all pervasiveness is called
Page 1898

vaibhavam; that is pūrṇatvam; the pūrṇatvam of what? para brahmāmbudhēḥ;

ambudhiḥ means ocean; para brahma ambudhiḥ means the ocean of Brahman. So
the limitlessness of the ocean that is Brahman; Brahman-ocean.
And ocean must be filled with water; and what is the water in the Brahman-ocean?
Ānandaḥ amr̥tha pūra pūritham; which is pūritham, filled Brahman, which is full of
pūram means abundance of ānandaḥ amr̥tham; the nectar of ānandaḥ. So the ocean
of Brahman is filled with the abundance of the nectar of ānandaḥ. Highly poetic
expression. The ocean of Brahman is full with the abundance, pūram means
abundance, over flows; saturation, you can say; the abundance the ānandaḥ
amrutham, the nectar of ānandaḥ. And where is that ānandaḥ, sva ānandaḥ, which
is my own very nature. So Brahman is filled with ānandaḥ, which is my very nature
and that ānandaḥ vācha vakthum aśakyaṁ. It can never be verbally described.
Then can you at least mentally conceive it. He says manasa mantuṁ va na sakyatē;
nor can it be conceived by the mind; in short, it is not objectifiable; then does it
mean it is available only for mystical experience.
This is where people bring in mystical experience. They say that since it cannot be
conceived intellectually or described verbally, it is only available for experience in
nirvikalpaka samādhi. Through that mystical anubhava. We totally refute that theory,
because if in nirvikalpaka you are going to experience, again it becomes what; an
object of experience only. So whatever sukham you experience is prathibhimbha
ānandaḥ alone; the original ānandaḥ is be owned up through knowledge I am that
ānandaḥ. It is available only for owning up through knowledge. I am that ānandaḥ.
If you are interested in experience, you can experience alright, but not the original;
but the reflected ānandaḥ. Reflected in what? in the mind. But that experienced
ānandaḥ will be subject to arrival and departure; it will belong to ānandamaya kōśa
only.
Using any mystic experience in a nirvikalpaka samādhi state; we do not deny the
possibility of mystic experiences; but what we say is: it has nothing to do with
brahmānandaḥ, because Brahmānandaḥ is I myself, who am there before mystic
experiences came and who will continue even afterwards.
Then how has it to be gained? It should be gained by the knowledge that I am that.
And therefore this Brahmānandaḥ which is myself, I cannot objectify. And then what
Page 1899

is the condition of my mind now? After gaining this knowledge, the beauty is I use
my intellect to gain this knowledge, because ātma cannot never gain this knowledge,
because ātma is apramātha. Therefore I use the intellect to gain this knowledge and
through the knowledge I dismiss everything as mithya; and not only I dismiss
everything as mithya, finally, the very intellect itself with which I dismiss everything
as mithya that intellect also is seen and understood as mithya.
Not that intellect will be lost. It will be experientially available, but cognitively in
terms of understanding I know intellect is mithya. Therefore use the intellect, falsify
everything and in the process, falsify the intellect also; like a particular ice-cream;
they have got cone ice-cream or something and it is a peculiar ice-cream in which
the very contained itself can be eaten. So but you do not eat that first. Then where
will be the ice-cream held. Therefore what do you do? Eat the ice-cream, then the
container also svāḥ. Therefore use the buddhi; falsify everything and falsify the
buddhi itself.
And therefore the student says my buddhi itself has been resolved into Brahman. My
buddhi or my mind itself has been resolved into Brahman by the knowledge that
there is no mind other than Brahman. And to convey this idea, he takes an example
and that example is the hailstone; you know what is hailstone; sometimes along with
the rain when the temperature suddenly comes down; you get small cubes along
with the rain. I do not what you call it in Tamil; ஆல்லான்க; ஆல்லான்க மைழ;
Alānkatti? Alānkatti mazhai? That is small ice balls as rain; that is called here
vārṣikam śilā. In English hailstone. Varṣam means rain; vārṣikam means associated
with rain. Śilā means stone; here the stone is ice-cubes. Varṣika śilā.
And imagine those hail stones or ice-cubes fall into the ocean. Thus it was raining in
the ocean. What will happen to those ice-cubes? Ice cubes is nothing but what?
Water only. Ice is also water only; but temporary because of some reason; cold
temperature, it was standing separate from the water or ocean; but as the cause of
that condition; what condition, the solid condition; as the cause goes away; the ice
cube becomes one with water. Previously was it different from water; really
speaking, previously also it was water only; H2O only. But because of our ignorance,
we thought that ice is different; water is different, even though both are essentially
one and the same; but gradually that water, that ice-cubes merged into the ocean.
Similarly my mind like the hailstone was appearing to be different from the ocean of
Brahman.
Page 1900

And by this knowledge, my mind has melted and become one with Brahman. And
again do not take literally; that as you study vēdānta your mind will go away; one
day you will not have mind; No; mind-merger is in terms of understanding. Just as
you know there is no pot at all, even when you continue to handle the pot; if you
have that clay-knowledge, then you know I am using the pot but there is no pot
other than clay. Similarly I will continue to use my mind but I know that there is no
mind other than Brahman.
Therefore this is not experiential disappearance, but it is a disappearance in terms of

understanding. Throughout we stress understanding, understanding, understanding.
Vēdānta is a cognitive progress alone.
And therefore he says: may manaḥ; my mind, bhajath; bhajanmē is there; if you
separate it, bhajath mē, bhajath means what? It has assumed; so my mind has
assumed the condition; bhāvam, the condition of vārṣika śilā, the hailstone. So my
mind has assumed the condition of a hailstone; means what? my mind is comparable
to a hailstone; that is the ice-cube and what type of ice-cube? viśīrṇam, which has
been scattered, where, ambōrāśi; ambōrāśiḥ means ocean.
So my mind is comparable to an ice-cube which has been scattered or thrown into

an ocean. What will happen to the ice-cube? It will stay there for some time, as
though it is different from the ocean; but sooner or later, it loses it individuality. This
example is to indicate the loss of individuality.
And therefore what has happened to that mind? adhunā vilīnam. So my mind has
dissolved; resolved. Like the ice-cube in the ocean; and in which part of the ocean;
imagine an ocean which is so vast; what is the space occupied by the hailstone?
even the huge iceberg are nothing comparable to the vastness of the ocean. When
the iceberg is itself insignificant, what to talk of an ice-cube. So that ice-cube melts
into the smallest part of the ocean. Similarly my mind merges into the smallest part
of Brahman. Therefore aṁśāṁśalavē; merged into a part of a part of a part of
Brahman.
So first aṁśāṁ means part and second āṁśa means part of the part; lava also
means part, therefore āṁśa āṁśa lava; part-of-the-part-of-the-part –of-Brahman.
Page 1901

That means what? It is so insignificant. So my insignificant mind has insignificantly

merged into that Brahman.
So here we are talking about the merger of the anātma; we are not talking of the
jīvātma merging into the paramātma. That is not the topic. We are talking about
anātma merging into ātma. And what is anātma merging into ātma? Its falsification
alone.
And once the mind has lost the individuality, the mental problems will become
insignificant. This is like elephant being bitten by a mosquito. So the mind or the
individuality has lost means, even the greatest problem, gurana api dukhene na
vicālyatē; therefore life is no more a bhāraḥ. Family is not a bhāra. So the business
is not a bhāra. Physical diseases not a bhāram, because in the infinite Brahman,
which is myself, all these are insignificant. Therefore the student says: nirvritham. I
am totally detached; I am lightened; I am stress-free. In what form?
ānandaḥātmana; remaining in the form of anantaṁ brahma, pūrṇam brahma. I
consider the very sr̥ṣṭi and pralaya as insignificant events in Brahman.
उपादानेऽ�खलाधारे जगिन् परमेश्वर ।

सगर्िस्थ�तलया यािन् बुद्बुदानी वा�र�ण ॥ ८॥
upādānē:'khilādhārē jaganti paramēśvarē |
sargasthitilayān yānti budbudānīva vāriṇi || 8|| Atmabodha
Śankarācārya says all the galaxies are like bubbles in the ocean of consciousness.
You know galaxy; galaxy means cluster of stars. Imagine how much stars are there?
how big is the universe. Śankarācārya says: the galaxies are like bubbles and the
arrival of bubbles and the departure of bubbles; they are not very big events for the
ocean. Similarly, for me Brahman, the arrival and departure of the cosmos itself is
insignificant event; then what will be the arrival one star? Insignificant. What will be
the arrival of one planet? Still more insignificant. One continent; still more
insignificant. one house, continent itself has become insignificant; then what to talk
of 700 sq.ft house? Then what about this body? So therefore the events of life can
never overwhelm. Therefore duḥkhēṣvanudvignamanāḥ sukhēṣu vigataspr̥haḥ; yaḥ
sarvatra anabhisnēha tattatprāpya śubhāśubham; all insignificant events of life; I am
not going to lose my sleep over the insignificant events. Therefore ānandaḥ ātma
nirvritham, what: my mind.
Page 1902

क् गतं के न वा नीतं कुत ल�न�मदं जगत् |

अधनु ैव मया दृष् नािस् �कं महदद्भुत ||४८३||
kva gataṁ kēna vā nītaṁ kutra līnamidaṁ jagat |
adhunaiva mayā dr̥ṣṭaṁ nāsti kiṁ mahādadbhūtām ||483||
So the disappearance of the world is the biggest mystery, because if you try to find
out what disappeared into what, you will find that it will be funny. Previously I said
pot was there; now I say clay alone is there; then somebody asked what happened
the pot? I used the expression; pot dissolved into clay.
Now try to understand the meaning of the statement. Pot dissolved into clay. If I say
salt dissolved into water; you are able to understand. Salt is a separate substance;
water is a separate substance; and gradually it merges. Similarly sugar dissolved into
milk. Now try to understand like that; pot dissolved into clay.
Is it a physical event; sugar dissolving is a physical event; salt dissolving is a

physical event; pot dissolving into clay is not a physical event; it is an intellectual
event. What is an intellectual event? Until now I thought, there is a substance called
pot; now I know that there is a substance called clay alone. There is no substance
called pot; pot of what? a word I use. Understanding this is dissolution of the pot.
Therefore I use the verb DISSOLVE; but it is a cognitive or intellectual process; it is
not an external event. Similarly when a jñāni says: world is dissolved into Brahman,
it is not an external event. So if you stand near a jñāni and see whether he is
dissolving slowly; whether the fan is slowly and totally disappears? The fan will be
fan; the wall will be the wall. There will be no change in the external event; the
change is in my understanding. Exactly like what? pot and clay. And therefore he is
dramatising it. kva gataṁ; Where did the world dissolve? Here it is not an actual
event; it is an understanding. Where did the world go? Where did the rope-snake
go? Did it go inside the rope or did it go underneath the rope or did it go under the
bush elsewhere; where did it go if you ask; what to say? we use the expression;
dissolved. Dissolved is also a verbal expression. Kya, go; where did the world go?
kēna vā nītaṁ; who took away this world? So somebody seems to have stolen this
world; who stole this world.
kutra līnam; where did this world dissolve. idaṁ jagat; jagat means the world. So
therefore it is inexplicable.
Page 1903

In fact it is dissolution of ignorance, misconception, erroneous perception has been

set right; correcting the vision is the dissolution of the world. It is a simple
opthalmologic exercise; correcting the vision;
ajñānā thimrāndasya jñānanjana ṣalākaya;

cakūur unmīlitam yēna tasmai sree guravē namaḥ.
With the vēdāntic needle or knife, the guru has only set right the vision. Where I
saw the world, in the same place, again I see; see means what: again I appreciate
Brahman alone.
And he says: adhunaiva mayā dr̥ṣṭaṁ; until now I had been seeing the world; kin
nāsti; did that world disappear? What happened to that world?
All presenting in a dramatic manner. Lot of dramatisation is there; exactly like the
visvarūpa darsana yōga in the eleventh chapter; to give the impact. Like in a movie;
a shocking news is given. Even though it is nothing but a change in the mind, but to
show that lot of background music; dadada the drum will go; but does it happen
when you receive a shocking news? nothing is like that; but how to show that
impact in a TV /drama or in a movie? So here it is poetic dramatisation. Where is the
world, where has it gone. What happened, etc. Nothing effect. quiet understanding.
Mahāt adbhūtām, it is the greatest wonder, that the world has been replaced by
Brahman. So even when we study science and when the science says that the
tangible matter is nothing but intangible energy; initially it is surprising only. You ask
a scientist he will say, it is nothing but energy in motion. And the next shocking
statement he gives is 90% of this thing is occupied by space. 90% is space here;
because electrons and protons so much space is there. Are we able to believe that
this is 90% empty and 10% energy in motion. That is the tangible thing. The
advanced science is itself unbelievable. Then what to talk of the next step. Vēdānta
says there is not even energy, it is nothing but consciousness. Consciousness in
"motion" motion within quotes, is energy. Consciousness in motion is matter. And
therefore mahāt abdhudam.
�कं हेयं �कमुपादेयं �कमन्यित् �वल�णम ् |
Page 1904

अखण्डानन्दपीयूषपू ब्रह्ममहाण ||४८४||

kiṁ hēyaṁ kimupādēyaṁ kimanyatkiṁ vilakṣaṇam |
akhaṇḍānandapīyūṣapūrṇē brahmamahārṇavē ||484||
So the student dramatises further. I do not know what to do? My legs and hands are
not running! I do not what to do, previously when I saw the world as world, not as
Brahman, I was dividing the world into favourable and unfavourable. Like the wave
looking at other wave and liking one wave and disliking another wave, until it knows
everything is nothing but water; it was dividing and also categorising as favourable
and unfavourable. Then once favourable and unfavourable classification comes, rāga
and dvēṣa and once rāga and dvēṣa comes, then comes pravr̥tti and nivr̥tti. Pravr̥tti
means what? Running after; nivr̥tti means running away. So all these struggles were
there; Heyaṁ and upādēyaṁ. Heyaṁ means things to be given up. That is things to
be run away from; and upādēyaṁ means things to be run after.
So all these things are not there because everything is nothing but Brahman and
therefore what is to be taken? What is to be given up?
So Svāmi Chinmayānanda tells that sometimes children quarrel; when they eat
biscuit; they have a particular variety; zoological biscuit; biscuit made in the form of
various animals. So when the child cries and says: I want lion biscuit; I want
elephant biscuit; and the mother says that there is only one lion biscuit. Then fight.
Then the mother talks advaitam. There is no lion; there is no elephant; all of them
are nothing but sweet māvu. If you have any doubt, put into your mouth and
dissolve the nāma rūpa; nāma rūpa she may not say; there is no difference she will
say; it is the same; difference is only superficial. When the children quarrel, we
laugh at but we are doing the same thing; whole world is a zoological biscuit made
up of Brahman māva; which is sweet ānandaḥ. Therefore he says: why should I run
away or run after? Kim heyam; kim upādēyaṁ.
Hari Om.
Page 1905

146. Verses 484 to 488
�कं हेयं �कमुपादेयं �कमन्यित् �वल�णम ् |

अखण्डानन्दपीयूषपू ब्रह्ममहाण ||४८४||
kiṁ hēyaṁ kimupādēyaṁ kimanyatkiṁ vilakṣaṇam |
akhaṇḍānandapīyūṣapūrṇē brahmamahārṇavē ||484||
From verse No.479, the student is appreciating the teaching of the vēdānta śāstra as
given by his guru and also he expresses his gratitude to the teacher. So appreciation
of vēdānta and expression of gratitude. This is what we find in this portion, which
goes up to 519th verse.
And the student says in this verse 484, which we were seeing in the last class: that I
see that the entire creation is nothing but Brahman; the plurality that I experienced
is only a seeming superficial plurality; like the differences seen among the
ornaments. And all the ornaments are nothing but gold alone; and therefore there is
no question of superiority or inferiority. And therefore kiṁ hēyaṁ kim upādēyaṁ; I
cannot have rāga towards one thing and I cannot have dvēṣa towards another. If
there is a rāga, that object becomes upādēyaṁ, upādēyaṁ means what? To be
taken and if I have dvēṣa; the object of dvēṣa becomes hēyaṁ, hēyaṁ means what?
To be given up. So rāga viṣaya is upādēyaṁ; and dvēṣa viṣaya is heyam; since I
have no rāga or dvēṣa; there is nothing hēyaṁ, nothing is upādēyaṁ. And I do not
have rāga or dvēṣa because everything is nothing but Brahman and Brahman alone.
So kiṁ hēyaṁ; kiṁ upādēyaṁ; kiṁ anyath kim vilakṣaṇam. There is no

second thing other than Brahman, either with sajātīya bhēda or vijātīya bhēda. I
have talked about this before. A second thing can be of two types. Suppose there is
a tree. If there is a second tree, then that second object enjoys sajātīya bhēda;
which means it is different alright; but belonging to the same tree species.
So when there is a second thing belonging to the same species, it is called sajātīya
bhēda but when the second thing is a human being, then the difference is called
vijātīya bhēda; when the second thing belongs to a different species.
Page 1906

Brahman is cētana tatvam; there is no second cētana vasthu; therefore sajātīya

bhēda is not there; and there is no second acētana vasthu, therefore vijātīya bhēda
is also not there; because in the vision of vēdānta, acētana vasthu is mithya;
therefore it is as good as non-existent. Therefore dvitiya cētanam is not there;
dvitiya acētanam is not there; and therefore sajātīya vasthu and vijātīya vasthu are
not there and therefore the student asks kiṁ anyath? Where is the second sajātīya
vasthu? A second thing belonging to the same species; kiṁ vilakṣaṇam; where is the
second thing belonging to or endowed with vijātīya bhēda? So sajātīya, vijātīya
bhēda sahita dviteeya vasthu is not there at all.
Then there is a third type of bhēda, which is called svagata bhēda; which means
internal differences. For example, there is a tree, if there is no second tree, sajātīya
bhēda is not there; if there is no second non-tree; like animal etc. vijātīya bhēda is
not there; but the tree has internal differences within itself, like what? branches,
twigs; flowers are there; roots are there; that is called svagata bhēda; and here the
student says: in the case of Brahman svagata bhēda is not there; akhaṇḍa ānandaḥ
piyūṣa pūrṇē Brahma mahārṇave.
There is only one ocean of Brahman, which is full of the nectar of akhaṇḍa
ānandaḥm, divisionless ānandaḥ. piyūṣa can be taken as water also. In the
Brahman-ocean, it is filled with the water of akhaṇḍa anandha and by the word
akhaṇḍa ānandaḥ, the student conveys there is no internal differences also.
Everywhere ānandaḥ ānandaḥ ānandaḥ only. Therefore svagata bhēda is also not
there. So therefore I have nothing to reject, I have nothing to accept. Therefore
there is no pravr̥tti; there is no nivr̥tti also.
न �किञ्चद पश्या� न शणो

ृ �म न वे�यहम ् |
स्वात्मन सदानन्दरूपेणाि �वल�णः ||४८५||
na kiñcidatra paśyāmi na śr̥ṇōmi na vēdmyahaṁ |
svātmanaiva sadānandarūpēṇāsmi vilakṣaṇaḥ ||485||
And since there is nothing other than Brahman, and since Brahman happens to be
the very subject, never available for objectification, the student says I do not
experience any object at all. I do not experience any object at all; because there is
only Brahman which is the subject. And therefore he says: kiñcidatra na paśyāmi; I
do not see any object; na śr̥ṇōmi; I do not hear any object; any object means any
sound; I do not see any form; I do not hear any sound; and you can extend I do not
Page 1907

smell any smell; I do touch any object; and vēdmyahaṁ; I do not know any other
object through the intellect also. So the previous one is the sense organs; na vēdmi
is intellect; I do not perceive anything through sense organs; I do not know anything
through the intellect; in short, there is no object at all. There is no pramēyam at all.
OK; this is based on the definition of Brahman given in the Chandōgya Upaṇiṣad;
Bhūma vidyā; yatra nānyat paśyati, nānyat śr̥ṇōti; na anyat vijānati sa
Bhūma. It is a very famous definition of Brahman given there. Instead of using the
word Brahman, the Upaṇiṣad uses the word Bhūma. In the seventh chapter of
Chandōgya which is a dialogue between Nārada the disciple and Sanatkumara the
teacher. And since Brahman is called Bhūma there; that chapter is called bhooma
vidyā chapter, which is the 7th chapter. There Brahman is defined as yatra nānyat
paśyati paśyati, nānyat śr̥ṇōti, na anyat vijānāti sa Bhūma. Keeping that in
mind, the student says I do not see anything, hear anything or know anything.
And this definition can create a problem because the student says that I do not see
or hear anything. And the student is supposed to have grasped vēdānta; he is a
realised person. He is a jīvan muktha and this jīvan muktha says I do not see
anything; and therefore what will be our natural conclusion? All the jñānis will not
see anything; hear anything. Because that is the definition given. Suppose we go by
this definition, what will happen? all the jñānis will not see or hear anything; and the
converse is what? whoever feels or hears anything, they are what? all the jñānis see
or hear; and therefore whoever sees or hears is not a jñāni. And all the gurus of
vēdānta, they see or not. The śiṣya has come or not, is not at all. Since all the gurus
are looking at the disciples, they are seeing the disciple and according to this
definition, they all must be ajñānis. Śankarācārya wrote Bhāṣyam seeing or not-
seeing. And when Krishna talked to Arjuna, Arjuna raised questions to Krishna;
Krishna heard or not. How will he answer without hearing? Sthithaprajñasya kā
bhāṣā he asked. Therefore Krishna must be ajñāni; Śankarācārya must be ajñāni;
we will get a wonderful ajñānā paraṁparā. Therefore never take this definition
literally.
And taking this definition literally only; many people have concluded that a jñāni
must not see anything and therefore only they extended this principle and decided
only those who are sitting in nirvikalpaka samādhi; those only are jñānis; why?
Because going by this definition, they decided jñāni should not hear anything; a man
in nirvikalpaka samādhi does not hear anything, see anything, because totally in
Page 1908

nirvikalpaka samādhi. Therefore many people concluded that a man in samādhi

alone is an advaita jñāni.
And this will create lot of problems; that to be a jñāni, rest of life what should you
do? In samādhi only you should sit; or else if you get up you become ajñāni! So all
these ridiculous extensions come, by not understanding the significance of the word.
How should we interpret this line? I do not see anything as absolutely real; I see the
world but I do not attach reality to the world. Similarly I hear, I smell; I transact,
just as I transact with the pot, with the full knowledge that there is no substance
called pot, the substance is what? clay alone. And do I handle pot or not. I will keep
the pot very safely; and keeping it safely and using it also, understanding that there
is no pot is wisdom. Seeing duality I should dismiss the duality as mithya; mithyatva
niścayaḥ is advaitam; it is not stopping the perception of duality. Perceived duality is
harmless; only the duality to which reality is attached, that alone is bondage. And
this is not a new thing also; I have given you several examples. I experience sunrise,
but I know that sunrise is mithya. I experience flat-earth, but I know that flat-earth
is mithya; earth is round. I experience stationary earth, but I know that
stationariness is mithya.
Similarly every jñāni continues to experience the world but he declares

Brahmārpaṇam, Brahma havihi; Brahmāgnau, Brāhmaṇa hūtam. Therefore the
transformation is not in experience; transformation is purely in understanding. That
is why we say it is a cognitive change; not a perceptual change. Vēdānta brings
about only a cognitive change not a perceptual change. Not a experiential change.
And Vidyāranya tells this in his Pañjadaśi. Negation of duality is not the negation of
the perception of the world. Negation of duality is not the negation of the perception
of the world; negation of duality is understanding that the duality is mithya. Nā
prathiti tayōr bādhaḥ; kintu mithyatva niścayaḥ. Therefore these slōkas are
very dangerous slōkas, in the sense, they give scope for lot of misconceptions. Not
only that even when he utters these verses, he must be looking at the teacher. If
the teacher had also disappeared, how would he have used these words! And not
only that, his body would have also disappeared, his mouth also would have
disappeared. In fact, this will become the last verse.
Page 1909

But the very fact that the Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi continues indicate body continues, guru
continues, perception continues, mouth continues, speech also wil continue. Then if
all these are mithya, what is satyam?
He says svātmana ēva sadānandarūpēṇa asthi. The whole world anātma prapañja
exists in the form of ātma only. So the entire anātma prapañja exists in the form of
ātma. Therefore ātma rūpēṇa ahaṁ asmi; and what type of ātma? sadānandaḥ
rūpēṇa, which is of the nature of saccidānandaḥ.
So svātmana sacciānandaḥ rūpēṇa, just as the pot exists in the form of clay alone;
not in the form of pot; ornaments exist in the form of gold alone. Similarly the world
exists in the form of ātma alone. Idaṁ sarvaṁ yadayaṁ ātma. And what type of
ātma it is? vilakṣaṇa; which is different from anātma. Anātma we have to supply;
anātma vilakṣaṇaḥ san ātma rūpēṇa ahaṁ asmi. Anātma vilakṣaṇaḥ means jaḍa
vilakṣaṇaḥ and jaḍa vilakṣaṇaḥ means caitanya rūpaḥ; as consciousness different
from matter.
नमो नमस्त गुरवे महात्मन

�वमुक्तसङ्ग सदतु ्तमा |
�नत्याद्वयानन्दरसस्वर
भूम्न सदाऽपारदयाम्बुधाम् ||४८६||
namō namastē guravē mahātmanē
vimuktasaṅgāya saduttamāya |
nityādvayānandarasasvarūpiṇē
bhūmnē sadā:'pāradayāmbudhāmnē ||486||
If I am enjoying this vision of ahaṁ satyam jagan mithya, the śiṣya means that the
whole credit goes to the guru alone. No doubt śiṣya has one sufficient puṇyam and
sufficient sādana and he has become a fit receptacle for knowledge, but the
receptacle has been filled with wisdom only by the guru. And therefore śiṣya is
eternally indebted to the ācārya and how can he compensate for what he has got?
Because what he has got is infinite Brahman, infinite Mōkṣa; therefore that he has to
pay also is infinite money. He himself is struggling for money; how is he going to
repay?
Page 1910

Therefore he says: it is impossible for me to repay. I can only offer you namaskāraḥ.
Therefore namō namahā guravē. And even namaskāra has to be infinite namaskāra.
For infinite mōkṣa, infinite namaskāra one has to do, itn't it? And even that I cannot
do, because already knee joint problem; one namaskāra is itself a great project. So
therefore I am verbally saying namō Namahā. As Arjuna said to Lord Krishna. Here
he says my repeated namaskārams to you Oh Gurō! Tē means You.
Now here śiṣya is addressing the Teacher, as You my teacher and if he uses the
word You, Guru must be where, far away or in front; in front. And if he is addressing
Guru as You in front, should he have not seen the Guru or not? He must have seen
the guru or not? He must have seen the guru. Last slōka what did he say. Kincid
atra na paśyāmi. If he has not seen the guru, how can he address like this.
From this it is very clear that Kincid atra na paśyāmi is only a figurative expression;
it should not be taken literally. So he continues to see his guru and he addresses Te
Guravē Namō Namahā.
Then he talks about the glories of the Ācārya. What are your glories? First you are a
guru. What is the meaning of the word guru? Many meanings are given; two
meanings are relevant. It is derived from the root Gr to teach; grināti ātma tatvam
upadiśati iti guru. So the one who communicates the śāstra and reveals the ātma
tatvam. And this teaching is figuratively presented as lighting the lamp of knowledge
in the mind of the student. So
नमोऽस्त ते व्या �वशालबुद्घ पुल्लार�वन्दायतपत् ।

येन त्वय भारततैलपूणर् प्रज्वा� �ानमयः प्रद� ॥२॥
namō:'stu tē vyāsa viśālabudghē pullāravindāyatapatranētra |
yēna tvayā bhāratatailapūrṇaḥ prajvālitō jñānamayaḥ pradīpaḥ ||2||
Every teacher is supposed to light the lamp of knowledge in the dark mind of the
student. Therefore teaching is compared to enlightening or lighting. And therefore a
second definition is given to guru, the word gu, who means darkness antakāraḥ; ru
means destroyer. So gu is darkness, ru means destroyer; therefore guru means
what: destroyer of darkness. Not the darkness of the destroyer. Do not interchange.
Destroyer of the darkness.
gukāranthakāro vai, rukāra than nivarthakaḥ;
Page 1911

anthakāra nirvarthitvāt, gururith abhidīyathē.
And how does he light the lamp. Through the verbal teaching. Therefore he is a
teacher and as a teacher, he lights the lamp in the heart of the student and removes
the internal darkness. And therefore Hey Gurō, my heart no more gloomy, my heart
is enlightened and also lightened. Free from sorrow.
And mahātmani. And how did you give the teaching. Not with a contract, that this
to be done; this much is the fees or something like that; just without any
expectations in return; Ahētuka dayasindhuḥ san, you just gave out, just as the Sun
gives the light without expecting even acknowledgment from the world.
We are supposed to acknowledge the gift of the Sun; that is why Prāthaḥ Sandhya
vandanam is there. In the West, they have got a manner; among flight manners;
any help you get you have to either say thank you, or sent thank you note. Even for
a lending a pen; they have to tell; they will tell the child; Say thank you; even when
the Svāmiji gives the prasādam. America child, the mother tells, say Thank you.
India nothing like that. Say Thank you to Svāmiji. Now how much thanks we should
offer to the Sun. That is Sandhyavandanam. You offer thanks to Lord Sun. And
nowadays nobody offers thanks, because nobody does sandhyavandanam. On
Avaniavittam every year, some people do, I think and even if I do not offer any
gratitude, just as the Sun gives, similarly Guru gives the wisdom, without expecting
anything, therefore his heart must be the embodiment of generosity. Mahātma.
Generous one; the one who has got a generous heart. The large hearted one; ātma
means hr̥dayaṁ. Mahātma means the one who has got a large heart; not enlarged
heart; large heart. Vimuktha saṅgāyā; and why he could do that, because he does
not have attachment to anything. So vimuktha saṅgāya; saduttamāyaḥ; and you are
the greatest among the sat puruṣās, noble people. So here Sat means Sat puruṣaḥ;
in North India, they say Sant: That Sant is here Sat; and uttamaḥ means utkriṣṭa
satpuruṣaḥ.
Nitya advaya ānandaḥ rasa svarūpine. You are of the nature of the eternal and
infinite ānandaḥ syrup; ānandaḥ juice; ānandaḥ rasa. Ānandaḥ nectar. So you are of
the nature of infinite and eternal ānandaḥ, which is to indicate that it is not
experiential ānandaḥ.
Page 1912

As I have often said, experiential ānandaḥ is never eternal; even if it is produced in

samādhi, samādhi ānandaḥ is also not Brahmānandaḥ, because it is produced at the
time of samādhi. Therefore that also comes under what: kōśa ānandaḥ; pratibimba
ānandaḥ.
Then original brahmānandaḥ how do I we experience? You never experience it;

because it is I, the experiencer. So such brahmānandaḥ svarūpam you are and
bhūmnē; and who are the infinite one; the word bhūmnē is derived from the word
bhūmā; which is the name of Brahman in the 7th chapter of Chāndōgya; because in
the previous verse the student has remembered the Chāndōgya, therefore he
continues that expression. Bhūma is Brahman.
Bhūmnē is caturthi vibhakathi. So Bhūma is for Saṁsr̥kt students; Nakāraṇathaha

pullingaḥ Bhūman śabdhaḥ, chathurthi ēka vacanam. Not Bhūma, Bhūmē, Bhūmāḥ;
you should not say that; Bhūmā, Bhūmānau, Bhūmānaḥ; Bhūmānam, Bhūmānaḥ,
Bhūmnam, Bhūmabhyaḥ, Bhūmabhyabi, Bhūmnē, Bhūmābhya, Bhūmābhiḥ;
chathurthi vibhakthi; because offering prostrations. Namaskāram to my guru who is
Brahman.
And sadā apāra dayā aṁbudāmnē; aṁbudāma means ocean; reservoir of water;
dāma means reservoir; aṁbu means water, ambudāma means reservoir of water,
that is ocean; and guru is the ocean of what; dayā aṁbudāmnē; the ocean of dayā.
Karuṇā vārāṁ nidhiṁ; Śankarācārya in Meenakshi Pañjaratnaṁ. Mēnakṣiṁ
praṇathōsmi santatamahaṁ, kārunya vārāṁ nidhiṁ. kārunya vārāṁ means kripā
sāgariṁ. Māta kripā sāgari; these words are very common in religious literature
where the Lord is addressed as ocean of mercy.
Therefore dayā sāgaraḥ. or what type of ocean? Apāra dayā sāgaraḥ; ocean which is
shoreless; so you are the shoreless infinite ocean of compassion; and that is why
you chose to teach my mara mandai; śiṣya is saying; you have also pushed it in me
itself! For that one extra namaskāram. Sadā means always; ever full. The idea is
even if he expresses compassion and gives the knowledge and ānandaḥ, because he
is an ocean, his knowledge and ānandaḥ do not get depleted because of giving.
Suppose it is going to become lesser and lesser, gradually he will measure.
After retirement, if you try to give dānam, you have to be always calculated;
because one way traffic. You plan for 10 and give 5; and you plan for 5 and give 1;
Page 1913

why because it is getting depleted. And I have no more income. And I am

functioning on the investment interest. The interest is also coming down; and I do
not know how long I will live. If I am going to die tomorrow, it is OK to give all; but
how many years I am going to live. similarly, always you have to ration, if your
possession can decrease, but for the guru that problem is not there; by giving
ānandaḥ, his ānandaḥ does not get depleted; and by giving knowledge, knowledge
does not become less. On the other hand, he will get more and more clarity only.
Therefore to that guru my namaskāraṁs.
यत्कटा�श�शसान्द्रचि-
पातधूतभवतापजश्र |
प्राप्तवानहमखण्डव-
नन्दमात्मपदम� �णात् ||४८७||
yatkaṭākṣaśaśisāndracandrikā-
pātadhūtabhāva tāpajaśramaḥ |
prāptavānahaṁakhaṇḍavaibhavā-
nandamātmapadamakṣayaṁ kṣaṇāt ||487||
So the student is becoming highly poetic. So he is comparing himself to a traveller,

who is walking under hot sun; the road is also hot; up hot; down hot; all around also
hot; he is extremely wearied and tired. And then it is a paurnami day. Even though
he suffered too much, because of the hot sun, during the night when the moon
comes, in poetical language, they describe the rays of the moon as cooling rays. It is
a poetic expression. The rays of the Sun are hot; whereas the rays of the moon
Chandra raśmi is supposed to be very cool to the body.
Therefore when the full moon rays fall on me, who am already tired because of the
hot rays of the sun, my weariness is completely gone and I feel totally relieved. This
is the imagery and here the student or any jñāni who has become a jñāni, he feels
that he has travelled in the life; scorched by the heat of three-fold sorrow.
So the traveller is the student and the hot Sun is the comparison for what? trivida
tāpa; tāpa double meaning; one meaning is literal heat of the Sun; and another
meaning is what: mental tapas; manas tāpaṁ; that is worry caused by adhyātmic
adhiboudika, adhi daivika tāpa and because of that my mind is scorched. And it has
been a long day. Long day means what? many janmas are compared to the long
Page 1914

day. And guru's arrival is the arrival of the poorna chandraḥ. So guru is compared to
the full moon; and his wisdom coming is compared to the cool rays of the moon and
the cool rays in the form of the wisdom teaching coming from the full moon Guru
falls on me and because of the cooling effect; all my weariness, tiredness with
regard to, or caused by the long journey is gone. That tiredness of the life's journey
is always indicated: when you ask the question; How are you? nobody happily says:
wonderful; just going somehow; OoKaay; irikkeen. In all languages chaltahai,
chaltihai; they will say; indicates what? I am tired of the life's journey. I do not mind
if Yamadharmarāja comes a little bit early.
So this is the condition of every traveller. But I am free from that weariness and that
is indicated here. Yath kaṭākṣa sāndra candrikā, pātadhūtabhāva tāpajaśramaḥ; is
one word, which is describing the student, he is referring to himself.
So what type of student I am? dhūta bhava tapajaśramaḥ; śramaḥ means the
tiredness, the weariness; caused by what? bhava tāpa; the saṁsāra duḥkhaṁ;
bhāva means saṁsāra. Tāpa means pain in the form of adyātmic, adhiboudika, adhi
daivika duḥkhaṁ; and all that śramaḥ is dhūtam means what? eliminated removed.
So I am one whose weariness caused by sāmsāric journey and the heat of suffering
has been removed by what? pāta; means by the fall of; by the shower of cool
shower; literally a water fall is called jala pātham. So I also had the fall, fall of what?
sāndra candrikā; the concentrated moonlight; śaśi means moon, candrikā means
rays; the concentrated moon light has bathed me and because of that all my
weariness has gone.
And what is that cool rays is nothing but katākṣam, which is in the form of your
glance, your compassionate glance which indicates the teaching; because by mere
seeing, the student is not going to get any benefit. People often say: Mōuna vyākya
all they will say. So therefore the guru did not utter anything and I got my doubts
cleared. How do you know that you have understood rightly or you have got your
own misunderstanding?
So mounam can never teach anything. It is only a figurative thing and mudra also
cannot teach anything; I have told you. If this mudra is shown; many people will
take it as only snub mudra; mukkupodi people will have this mudra always. So you
are going to interpret anything according to your ignorance and misconception only.
Dayānanda svāmi repeatedly says; one mounam can be interpretted as ignorance,
Page 1915

can be interpretted as disinterestedness; interpretted as inexplicability; therefore

remember mounam cannot convey anything. Often it conveys wrong things;
because our own misconception we attribute to the poor mouni guru; he only gave
this message, you do some great akrama and say he has certified it.
Therefore let it be very clear. Mounam cannot give any knowledge, glance cannot
give any knowledge; touch cannot give any knowledge, knowledge is given by only
consistent systematic teaching alone.
As I have repeatedly said if glance or touch or mounam can give wisdom; Lord
Krishna would have adopted that in the battle field. Because that is convenient in
the battle field; it is too crowed with so many people standing, etc. Teaching is
difficult there! Just touch on the head and instantly make Arjuna as a realised
person. The very fact that Krishna never used any one of them, it is very clear, they
are figurative; they are all artha vādhaṁ, just to show the mahima of the guru;
Single handedly he did everything means what? Is it that his one hand was tied
behind his back and he did everything? It is just an expression. Similarly glance
gives wisdom is an expression; mounaṁ gives wisdom is an expression; touching
gives wisdom is an expression; all of them convey only one thing. Teaching.
Therefore what is meant by kaṭākṣaṁ here; teaching.
Not stray teaching. Consistent step by step teaching as was done in

Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi; annamaya, prāṇamaya, manōmaya; step-by-step one has to teach.
One day talking about japam; another day for some time on Dhyānam, and third day
about karma; just stray floating discourses cannot be called teaching; systematic
step-by-step communication is here conveyed by the word katākṣa. So by that
katākṣa, which is comparable to the cool rays of the moon; I was bathed and my
weariness caused by the samsāric journey is gone.
And therefore praptavān ahaṁ. So I have attained, akhaṇḍa vaibhava ānandaḥ ātma
padam. I have attained ātma padam. The goal of ātma. padam means destination.
And what is the ultimate destination. Ātma. Ātma means what: myself. Therefore
after long journey, I have fallen back to myself. Therefore coming back to myself is
called mōkṣa.
So ātma padam and what type of ātma padam? Akhaṇḍa vaibhava ātma padam.
which is of infinite glory. Vaibhavam means mahimā or glory; vaibhavam; same in
Page 1916

Tamil Vaibhōgamē, they sing. vaibhogam, vaibhavam it becomes vaibhōgam.

Vaibhōgam is not that; vaibhavaḥ; akhaṇḍa vaibhavam means undivided infinite
indivisible glory.
And ānandaḥ, which is also of the naure of ānandaḥ. So I have attained the
destination of ātma which has infinite glory and which is of the nature of ānandaḥ.
And how much time it took? The student says; kṣanāt; because reaching ātma is
knowing ātma. In all other cases, knowing is never reaching. Knowing is one thing;
thereafterwards I have to reach by effort. Knowing Gangōtri is not reaching
Gangōtri. In fact, they often give this example wrong way. They will say: studying
the scriptures is just not enough; and they say knowing scriptures is only knowing
Brahman, knowing Brahman is not enough, you have understood Brahman in the
class; it is not enough that you study; you have to travel and travel and travel and
reach Brahman. We will also nod our head saying it seems OK.
And they give the wrong example. What is the wrong example? Knowing Gangōtri is
not enough. You have to travel. We have known Gangōtri in the map; map example
also they give; knowing Gangōtri in the map is not enough, you have to travel. And
they extend this wrong example to Brahman and say knowing Brahman is not
enough; you have to travel and reach.
So here what should we understand? In the case of Brahman, that example will
never work, because Gangōtri happens to be away from me; so when the
destination is away; knowing should be followed by separate sādhana; sādhana may
be walking; cycling, biking, flying; these are all different sādhanās; knowing should
be followed by separate sādhana, when the destination is away. But when the
destination is myself, knowing is an end in itself; after knowing I need not do
anything.
And if you say, after knowing I feel like travelling, means what: we have not known.
After understanding that I am Brahman but how many days I have to travel if you
ask, what does it mean? He has not known. Therefore in vēdānta alone, knowing is
an end in itself. After knowing; other than knowing, no other iota of sādhana is
required. And that is why he says: kṣanāt; jnāna māthrēṇa; brahma praptiḥ; yaha
brahma vēda; brahmaiva bhavathi.
Page 1917

धन्योऽह कृतकृत्योऽह �वमुक्तोऽह भवग्रहा |

�नत्यानन्दस्वरूप पूण�ऽहं त्वदनुग्रह ||४८८||
dhanyō:'haṁ kr̥takr̥tyō:'haṁ vimuktō:'haṁ bhavagrahāt |
nityānandasvarūpō:'haṁ pūrṇō:'haṁ tvadanugrahāt ||488||
So the more he things and he compares himself with the previous I. so how I was
before; and how I am now; it is like coming back home after a long ordeal. You
think of the suffering; now you see yourselves as free from that suffering. More you
think, the more you feel blessed or fortunate.
Therefore the student says: dhanyōham, indeed I am the richest person; most
fortunate person in the world; dhanyaḥ means dhanavān; dhanam asya asthi, the
one who is associated with dhanam; is dhanyaḥ; and here the fortune is not in the
form of physical wealth, fortune is in the form of the inner wealth of jñānaṁ,
vidyādhanam sarvadhanāt pradhānam. With that vidyā dhanam, I am rich.
Therefore I am fortunate; krita krityōham; therefore I am utterly fulfilled. I am no

more goaded by any incompleteness. I do not have any desire born out of
incompleteness. Even if I do any action, it is born out of fullness, it is not for the
sake of fullness. Therefore krita krityaḥ means pūrna triptaḥ
Vimuktōham. I am totally free from that inner pressure for the rat race of this life.
Everybody is caught up in a rat race of pravr̥tti, nivr̥tti and that rat race is indicated
by stress and anxiety. I am no more in the rat race of the world. Freedom from the
rat race is called vimuktiḥ.
Vimuktōham from what? bhavagrahāt; from the crocodile of saṁsāra. In fact, in the
Śankarācārya's biography also, in the story they say; Śankarācārya was caught by a
crocodile, many people interpret that it is not literal; but it is symbolic of saṁsāra
crocodile. Saṁsāra crocodile is called bhava graha. Therefore bhavagrahāt ahaṁ
vimukthaḥ.
And nityānandaḥ svarupōham; and therefore only I am of the nature of ānandaḥ or

fullness which is ever there. Because this ānandaḥ is born out of wisdom and as long
as wisdom last; wisdom based ānandaḥ also will last.
Page 1918

And pūrnōham; You can understand. I am full and complete; lacking nothing;
wanting nothing missing nothing in life. So when the student talked so much about
his own glory; so I am dhanyaḥ, I am kritakrityaḥ, I am vimuktaḥ, etc. the student is
worried whether arrogance will come to me, it will not come, because it is a fact that
he is stating; but still the student is afraid perhaps, therefore he adds an expression;
I have all these things because of your grace alone, Oh Guro; tva anugrahāt.
Therefore whatever credit I have, whatever glory I have, is all because of your
grace; dhānam by you, which you have kindly given me. And Guru if you ask; what
will he say: I did not give you anything, you got it from my guru. And originally it will
go to whom; the Lord alone. More.
Hari Om.
Page 1919

147. Verses 489 to 494
धन्योऽह कृतकृत्योऽह �वमक

ु ्तोऽह भवग्रहा |
�नत्यनन्दस्वरूपो पूण�ऽहं त्वदनुग्रह ||४८८||
dhanyō:'haṁ kr̥takr̥tyō:'haṁ vimuktō:'haṁ bhavagrahāt |
nityānandasvarūpō:'haṁ pūrṇō:'haṁ tvadanugrahāt ||488||
In these portions from 479 up to 519; the student is making his final remarks
expressing his gratitude towards the teacher and also owning up the teaching that
he has already received and therefore many of the verses are like nidhidhyāsana
slōkas, as the student is enjoying the teaching that he has received.
We saw that dhanyō:'haṁ kr̥takr̥tyō:'haṁ vimuktō:'haṁ bhavagrahāt.

nityānandasvarūpō:'haṁ pūrṇō:'haṁ tvadanugrahāt. He is happy that he has
received the teaching but at the same time, he does not want to take pride,
therefore he adds all these have been possible only because tvad anugrahāt, by your
grace I am what I am now.
असङ्गोऽहमनङ्गोऽहम�लङ्गोऽहमभङ् |
प्रशान्तोऽहमनन्तोऽहममल �चरन्तन ||४८९||
asaṅgō:'hamanaṅgō:'hamaliṅgō:'hamabhaṅguraḥ |
praśāntō:'hamanantō:'hamamalō:'haṁ cirantanaḥ ||489||
From the teaching, I have come to know my nature as this. Ahaṁ asaṅgaḥ, without
any saṅga or relationship. I am not related to anyone and why I am not related,
because I am of the nature of consciousness which is paramārthika satyam and
everything else right from māya onwards, everything else is vyavahārika satyam and
how can two things of two orders of reality be ever related. And therefore ahaṁ
asaṅgaḥ.
And we should remember, throughout these verses, the meaning of the word I is
not vācyārtha; if you take vācyārtha all these verses will look diagonally opposite,
because all the time I am talking about relatives and most of the time worried about
the relatives only and suddenly I say I have no relationship at all; it will look very
Page 1920

incongruous and therefore we should remember these slōkas are meaningful only if
I remember the lakṣyārtha of the word "I"; with vācyārtha it will not fit at all.
So asaṅgaḥ ahaṁ; anagaha. Aṅga means stūla śarīraṁ; and anaṅgaḥ means stūla
śarīra rahitaḥ. One of the words used for Manmatha is anangaḥ, because
Manmatha's physical body was burned by Lord ṣiva, and therefore he gets the name
anangaha. Similarly, I am stūla śarīra rahitha.
What about sūkṣma śarīraṁ; aliṅgōham; liṅgaḥ means sūkṣma śarīraṁ; I am free
from sūkṣma śarīraṁ also; and therefore only ahaṁ abhaṅguraḥ; ahaṁ nāśā
rahitaḥ; bhaṅga rahitaḥ; because destruction either belongs to the stūla śarīraṁ or
sūkṣma śarīraṁ; since I do not belong to both, I am free from both; I am immortal.
Praśāntaḥ ahaṁ; and because of that I am totally śāntaḥ; free from all disturbances,
because again all disturbances belong to stūla, sūkṣma śarīraṁ. And we should be
careful; when we say praśāntaḥ; it does not mean jñāni has a thoughtless mind. We
do not say the mind is śāntaḥ here. The mind may be with thoughts or without
thoughts; I am talking about myself, the ātma. So therefore jñāni is not going to
identify with either the thoughtful or thoughtless conditions of the mind; as long as I
am craving for thoughtless state, it indicates my ignorance continues. I crave for a
thoughtless state only because of my identification with the mind. If I am not the
mind, why should I bother about the presence and absence of thoughts.
Therefore my śāntis not because of the conditions of the mind. My śānti is in spite of
the conditions of the mind. Therefore ahaṁ nithya praśāntaḥ;
Ahaṁ anantaḥ; anantaḥ means limitless; without spatial and timewise limitation.
Ahaṁ amalaḥ. Means I am free from all impurities and even I am free from māya.
Often māya is presented as my śaktiḥ; my power to create. But we should
remember, the śaktiḥ māya is not my intrinsic nature, it is vyavahārikam.
In fact among the philosophers, there is a very big debate in Śaiva Siddanta and all;
they debate whether the Lord's power to create is as real as God or less real. And
they all claim that if God or Brahman is real, his power to create also must be
equally real; but in vēdānta, we do not accept that. If the power to create is also
real, then the creation also will be real; if the creation is real; the problems of the
Page 1921

creation also will be real; then saṁsāra also will be real and therefore, the creative
power of God is less real than the God himself.
Therefore māya is vyavahārikam only; sr̥ṣṭi stithi layaṁ shakthi is vyavahārikam

only; icchāḥ jñānaṁ kriya śaktiḥ are vyavahārikam only; caitanyaṁ alone is
pāramārthikam. And therefore I am not even tainted by māya. Therefore amaloham.
And cirantanaḥ; cirantanaḥ means I am eternal; not bound by time.
अकतार्हमभोक्ताहम�वकारोऽहम�क |
शुद्धबोधस्वरूप केवलोऽहं सदा�शवः ||४९०||

akartāhamabhōktāhamavikārō:'hamakriyaḥ |
śuddhabōdhasvarūpō:'haṁ kēvalō:'haṁ sadāśivaḥ ||490||
So all these are known words; ahaṁ akartā asmi. So I am free from all the karmās. I
have no karma saṁbanda.
And therefore only abōktha ahaṁ. I do not have karma phala saṁbanda also; and
karma phala alone is divided into sañcita, āgami and prārabdha. Therefore abhōkha
means I am karma traya saṁbanda rahitha; I do not have sañcita, āgami or even
prārabdha.
So the idea of exhausting the prārabdha is also because of ahaṁkāra abhīmāna. So

if a jñāni has fully understood vēdānta; he should not be concerned about even the
exhaustion of prārabdha because prārabdha does not belong to me for exhausting.
And therefore ahaṁ abōkhtha and therefore only ahaṁ avikhāraḥ. I am free from all
modifications caused by kartr̥tvam and bōkthrutvam.
So in the fag end of our life, we are extremely tired of life; because of what?
constant kartr̥tvam and constant bhōktrutvam; throughtout the waking hours, we
have to do things; duties are there; miles and miles to go; and while we are anxious
about completing our duties, we get meetings from the world in the form of
prārabdha. That is the puṇya-pāpa janya duḥkhaṁ and therefore for 40-50 we are
extremely tired.
Page 1922

And now that our contact with the world has expanded, now not only the immediate
surroundings; all over the world can give me meetings; like I read an article in
Readers' Digest, how to face to information overload, because it is constantly hitting.
Even if I go to the beach for relaxation, there is the cell phone. Through the cell
phone information comes and trashes and the advice he gives is switch off the cell
phone at least for one hour a day. They themselves invent cell phone; they will talk
about constant onslaught of problems and they will advice you please switch off the
cell phone for one hour a day.
Now constantly overtime becoming akartā and abōktha, I am completely deformed

physically and mentally, tired physically and mentally, but as ātma avikāraḥ. I do not
have karma phalam and the vikārās born out of them.
Then ahaṁ akriyaḥ. Akriyaḥ means free from all types of karma, which is an
extension of akartā; akriyaḥ means free from all types of karma.
In fact the chronological order should be avikāraḥ, akartā, akriyaḥ and abōktha.
Avikāraḥ means without change and therefore only I cannot do any karma; akartā;
and therefore I am free from connections with the kriyā, and therefore I am
abōktha. That should be the order of understanding.
Then if I am free from all these, what is my nature? Shuddha bōdhaḥ svarupōham. I
am of the nature of śudda bōdhaḥ; pure caitanyaṁ.
And kēvalōham. I am without a second thing. There is no second caitanyaṁ also;

because there is only one all-pervading consciousness; and not only that, there is no
second thing in the form of jada prapañja also. So sajātīya bhēda in the form of
second caitanyaṁ; no vijātīya bhēda in the form of matter also; because he has
understood that there is no matter separate from consciousness. Consciousness in
motion is called matter. If you remember the alātha śānthi prakaraṇam of
Mānḍukya. Therefore ahaṁ kēvalaḥ.
And sadā śivaḥ; I am ever auspicious; ānandaḥ svarūpaḥ; maṅgala svarūpaḥ. I do

not have amaṇgala saṁbandaḥ at any time.
The following three verses are in irregular meters and therefore it cannot be chanted
like a verse, so we will read it like a prose.
Page 1923

द्रष् श्रोतुवर्क कत्

ुर भ�क्तु�वर्� एवाहम ् |
�नत्य�नरन्तर�निष्क्रय�नःसीमासङ्गपूणर् ||४९१||
draṣṭuḥ śrōturvaktuḥ karturbhōkturvibhinna ēvāham |
nityanirantaraniṣkriyaniḥsīmāsaṅgapūrṇabōdhātmā ||491||
Ahaṁ vibhinnaḥ ēva; I am totally distinct from draṣṭuḥ śrōtuḥ, etc. From the seer
ahaṁkāra, from the hearer ahaṁkāra, śrōtuḥ; vaktuḥ; the speaker ahaṁkāra,
kartūḥ; the doer ahaṁkāra and bhōkthuḥ; the enjoyer ahaṁkāraḥ. Because seer etc.
are the statuses, because of the abhīmāna or the identification with a relevant
instrument.
Just as I am a writer only when I am associated with the writing instrument,

similarly identified with jñānēndriyaṅi, I become seer, hearer, etc. Karmēndriyani
identification speaker walker etc. Identified with the mind, thinker, feeler etc., but
from my own standpoint, I have no relationship with any one of these activities.
Therefore I am not ahaṁkāra, the vācyārtha, but I am the sākṣi, the lakṣārtha of the
word I.
And what is that I? pūrṇabhodātma. The entire second line is one word.
pūrṇabhodātma; I am the ātma which is of the nature of infinite consciousness.
pūrṇabōdhaḥ, which is asaṅgaḥ. So you have to travel from right to left.
Asaṅgaḥ means relationless; niḥsīmāḥ; niḥsīma means without border; sīma means
border; limitless; shoreless; niṣkriya; actionless; nirantara; without gap in between.
Gapless or continuous; so continuous or all pervading; and nitya, eternal
consciousness I am.
नाह�मदं नाहमदोऽप्युभयोरवभासक परं शुदम ् |

बाह्याभ्यन्तरशू पूण� ब्रह्माद्�वतीयमेव ||४९२||
nāhamidaṁ nāhamadō:'pyubhayōravabhāsakaṁ paraṁ śuddham |
bāhyābhyantaraśūnyaṁ pūrṇaṁ brahmādvitīyamēvāham ||492||
Ahaṁ na idaṁ; ahaṁ na adhaḥ. Idaṁ means any intimate object is called idaṁ;
prathyakṣa viṣayaḥ idaṁ. Not only the immediately surrounding object, the physical
body is also idaṁ; it is an object of my experience; that is why Krishna said in the
Page 1924

thirteenth chapter, idaṁ śarīraṁ kountēya, kṣētram ityabhidīyatē. Therefore body is

idam, mind is idaṁ, intellect is idaṁ; every thought is idaṁ; idaṁ meaning object of
my intimate experience.
And adaḥ means the object of a remote object of experience; anything that is far
away; and by far away, we mean beyond the range of sense organs. Parōkṣa
viṣayāḥ; anything beyond the range of my organs is called parōkṣa and if these
objects are beyond the range of my sense organs, how do I know there existence?
So they are known through inference; known through inference; known through
arthāpathi; other pramāṇams are there; or known through śabda pramāṇam. So we
are learning, we are knowing many events happening all over the world, they are
not within the range of my organs; but through newspapers I come to know; that is
adaḥ. And what about the svargādhi lōkha? Adaḥ. Thus prathyakṣa vasthu is idam;
parōkṣa vastu is adaḥ and here the student says, I am neither pratyakṣam nor
parōkṣam.
Then who am I? I am ubhayōhō avabhādagatam; I am the illuminator of the

pratyakṣa vasthu; I am the illuminator of the parōkṣa vastu.
Then how am I illumined? Then how am I illumined or known? Fortunately, I need

not know myself to prove my existence; I am self-evident. Therefore I am nithya
aparōkṣa rūpaḥ. So prathyakṣa vastūs are evident through effort; parōkṣa vastus are
evident through our effort, I the consciousness alone am evident without any effort
and therefore I am called aparōkṣa ātma.
That is why we repeated say; never work for ātma jñānaṁ. Working for ātma
jñānaṁ is the most ridiculous thing because, ātma is the only thing which is evident
and because of which everything we can come to.
Then what is ātma jñānaṁ, if we need not work for ātma jñānaṁ? If at all we have
to work for ātma jñānaṁ, it should be understood as removing the misconceptions
regarding the ever-evident ātma. So we define ātma jñānaṁ not as knowing a new
thing; we define ātma jñānaṁ as removing the misconception regarding the ever-
evident-I. Adhyāsa niṣēdhaḥ. It is called ātma jñānaṁ.
No new thing is known in ātma jñānaṁ. No new thing is experienced in ātma

jñānaṁ. No new thing is known in Brahma jñānaṁ. Why? Brahman is ātma. Svāmiji
Page 1925

only in ātma jñānaṁ only new things are not known, but in Brahma jñānaṁ,
whether a new thing is known? If you ask this at the end of Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi, what
to do?
So new thing is known in Brahma jñānaṁ, no new thing is experienced in Brahma

jñānaṁ; certain misconceptions are removed and therefore I am ever evident;
avabhāsakam, illuminator of prathyakṣa parōkṣa prapañjaḥ.
And paraṁ śuddhaṁ. I am supremely pure; because the illuminator is not tainted by
the illumined objects. The illuminator sunlight is not polluted by the illumined earth,
however dirty the earth may be. Therefore parōkṣa prapañja has impurities;
pratyakṣa prapañja like body mind have impurity; I the illuminator have no
impurities, that is why na puṇyam, na pāpam, na soukhyam na duḥkhaṁ, na me
dvēṣa-rāgau, na me lobhaḥ mōhau; because rāga-dvēṣa-lobhaḥ-mōha etc. are
impurities not belonging to parōkṣa ātma but they belong to prathyakṣa mānaḥ
alone.
And therefore param śuddham, bāhya abhanthara śūnyaṁ; so I am without a

second thing, within or without. There is no second thing outside me; there is no
second thing inside me also; between sajātīya, vijātīya svagata bhēda rahita ahaṁ;
bāhya abhanthara; pūrnaṁ Brahma, I am Brahaman which is ever full and complete;
not lacking anything. ādvitīyamēvāham; I am without a second. Secondless, non-
dual I am.
�नरुपममना�दतत्त त्वमह�मदम इ�त कल्पनादूर म |

�नत्यानन् दैकर सत्य ब्रह्माद्�वतीयमेव ||४९३||
nirūpamamanāditattvaṁ tvamahāmidamadaḥ iti kalpanādūram |
nityānandaikarasaṁ satyaṁ brahmādvitīyamēvāham ||493||
These are slōkas meant for nidhidhyāsanam. Just I repeat these words and see the
meaning of these words; and also most importantly I should see these words are as
words referring to me. Words which are my descriptions. With that bhāvana I have
to repeat these words.
So Nirūpamam anādhitattvaṁ. I am nirūpamam; upama means comparison;

nirūpamaḥ means comparisonless; matchless; incomparable; because everything I
experience is inert and I am the only conscious principle. Everything you look at is
Page 1926

inert. I am looking at you and you are inert Remember, whatever I am looking at is
inert; I am seeing the consciousness in you; I am seeing only the body part of you.
Remember body is inert. I do not see the consciousness in you.
Similarly you are looking at me, which me, the body part. Therefore I am seeing
your body which is jaḍaṁ; you are seeing my body which is jaḍaṁ; whatever seen is
jaḍaṁ; seer consciousness is never seen by anyone. Therefore seer is ever
matchless, because seer is the only consciousness principle. Therefore nirūpamaḥ.
Then anādhitatvam. I am the only reality which is beginningless. Because if I say

anādhi only, māya is also anādhi. Therefore the glory will go to māya also; therefore
the student is very particular anādhi tatvam. Tatvam means reality. Māya is anādhi
alright, but it is anādhi mithya. So therefore that is why I am not worried about the
eternal māya going distinct with eternal Brahman. I am not interested in destroying
the māya; and I cannot destroy the māya also; and I need not destroy māya
because, by the continuity of mithya māya, satyam Brahma is not going to be
affected and not only that if māya goes away, the wonderful drama of the world will
go away.
So all the time television screen alone you have to see. Won't you be bored. when
you sit in front of the television screen, you want of varieties of movies to go on;
and therefore I do want Māya to go; let māya continue eternally. But what I want to
remember is: whatever happens in Māya, it is not going to touch me. With this
awareness, I allow māya to continue.
So the destruction of māya is: seeing the māya as mithya. No other destruction of
māya is possible; no other destruction of māya is needed also; see the māya as
mithya and the whole biography becomes a story or movie; sometimes tragic movie;
sometimes comedy movie; but I appreciate more.
And generally the tragedy movies are appreciated better. The sweetest songs are
those that tell the saddest stories. It is the saying of one of the great English writer.
The sweetest songs are those that tell the saddest stories. Everybody wants to see
tragedy movie and like it. And therefore if a movie becomes tragedy, what is wrong
and why do you like tragedy movie? It is only movie. It is only movie. Similarly
reduce your biography into a movie, then you can accept whether it is tragedy or
comedy. The only way you can accept your biography is convert it into a movie.
Page 1927

And you can convert it into a movie only if you look at it from your real nature
standpoint. As an individual in the world, your biography will be real; as ātma alone,
your biography will be converted into a movie. Whether you want that conversion or
not, is your choice, otherwise the life will be a drudgery; a tragedy, a misery, a
problem, a burden. So why I said all these? Anādhi tatvam I am; māya is anādhi
atatvam.
And tvam ahaṁ idaṁ adaḥ iti kalpana dūram. So I am far away from all divisions.
Kalpana means divisions like what? tvam ahaṁ. So You I, idam, adaḥ, idam means
this adhama, that, therefore first person, second person and two types of third
persons; First person is only one; I. Second person is you. Third person is of two
types: one is this which is a third person nearby; and that which is a third person far
away. Therefore ahaṁ tvam, idam, adaḥ; all these divisions are not there in me.
They are far away. Dūraṁ.
Nithya ānandaika rasam. So once I and you comes: you said that. you said that;
constantly that is what we say that. Heated arguments. You did that. When you say
you did that, the other person says what? You also did that. Therefore this I you
quarrel will be eternally there; and if they are gone; nithya ānandaḥ ēkarasam; I am
an eternal ānandaḥ I am of the nature of eternal ānandaḥ, which is unmixed with
sorrow. Ēkarasam means what; it is a homogeneous mass of ānandaḥ, without the
mixture of sorrow. unalloyed ānandaḥ; satyam brahma. In the previous slōka,
Pūrnam Brahma; now he says satyam Brahma, Brahman which is the reality;
advitīyam ēvāhaṁ, which is non-dual.
नारायणोऽहं नरकान्तकोऽह
पुरान्तकोऽह पुरुषोऽहमीश |
अखण्डबोधोऽहमशेषसा�
�नर�श्वरोऽह �नरहं च �नमर्म ||४९४||
nārāyaṇō:'haṁ narakāntakō:'haṁ
purāntakō:'haṁ puruṣō:'hamīśaḥ |
akhaṇḍabōdhō:'hamaśēṣasākṣī
nirīśvarō:'haṁ nirahaṁ ca nirmamaḥ ||494||
So if the whole world and the events there is compared to a movie and the question
comes who are the actors. When I have said the whole world is movie, there can be
Page 1928

only one actor. And who is that actor? I am the actor. If the entire dream world is a
movie, who is the actor? I, the waker alone, am every member in the dream world.
Similarly, I am the only actor and since I am the only actor, all roles must be played
by me alone. So I am an expert actor, who can play different roles.
So all the cinema awards possible should be given to me only; and what all roles I
play. I become a miserable individual in the world struggling also; jīva also I am;
and also I play the role of Īśvara the creator.
Sa ēva māya parimohitātma, śarīraṁ maastaya karoti sarvaṁ;

striyannapaanadi vichitra bhogaaihi, sa ēva jāgrat pari tr̥pti methi.
I put a dirty vēṣa and become a jīva and I myself put on a great vēṣa and play the
role of Īśvara also. And therefore he says: I am jīva rūpēṇa and Īśvara rūpēṇa and
jagat rūpēṇa. What about the set? For cinema, cinema settings are required. Who is
the setting? I myself am the setting also in the dream, the inert objects are also I
myself only; therefore I am everything.
So ahaṁ Nārayaṇaḥ; so this is the one which disturbs many people. Especially if
they are used to Īśvara Bhakthi constantly saying: I am dāsaḥ, I am the grass; I am
the mud, I am the stone; I am worthless; and you are great; all the time saying, you
are great and I am useless, you are great, I am useless and in many other systems,
the more you say I am useless you are supposed a greater bhaktha. I am dāsaḥ,
one type of bhaktha. Daasadāśā if you say, another type of greater bhaktha.
Dāśādāśādāśāḥ if you say, you are the greater bhaktha. br̥thya br̥thya br̥thya if you
say greatest bhaktha.
So viśitādvaita is disturbed, when we say I am Nārayaṇa. Dvaitins are disturbed

when we say I am Nārayaṇa. They say vēdānta leads to arrogance and pride; we
should be humble and they say humility is the in-thing, I am dāsaḥ; whereas
vēdānta says humility does not mean you have to tell the untruth. Humility does not
mean you have to tell the untruth.
Telling the truth does not disturb your humility. Suppose you want to say: you want
to be humble and therefore you say I am a monkey. When I am a human being and
see that I am a human being, it is not, you know, against humility. So humility does
not mean you should bluff.
Page 1929

Vēdānta says I am Nārayaṇa is a fact; in claiming the fact, where is the question of
arrogance? If I claim body is Nārayaṇa; or infinite, it is a mistake because body is
finite. If I say mind is infinite, it is wrong. It is arrogance. When I say I-the-
caitanyaṁ am Nārayaṇaḥ, it is not only a fact, we have to learn to claim that. If not
today, one day we should be very very very comfortable in saying Nārayaṇaḥ ahaṁ
asmi. And only then we can comfortably claim vēdantic study is complete. You are
great when you say, study is incomplete. Therefore the student says Nārayaṇōhaṁ.
Narakāntōhaṁ. I am Lord Krishna with a different vesha. because Krishna is also

what: I, the satcidanānda ātma, plus Krishna nāma rūpa. And who is Viṣṇu? Again
Satchidānandaḥ ātma plus Viṣṇu nāma rūpa. How many satcidānandaḥ ātmas are
there. There is only one. Therefore I am with Viṣṇu vesha; I am with Krishna vesha
also. So all the avathārams I have taken.
Then purānthakōham. I am Lord Shiva also with another nāma rūpa. So with Shiva
nāma rūpa, I myself appear as Lord Shiva. So puraḥ means the tripura rākṣasās are
here referred to by the word pura and antakaḥ means the destroyer of the tripura
rākṣasās.
The rākṣasās who built the city. The gold city; the silver city; and the iron city. In
the purāṇa the stories is said and there are flying cities also. Imagine, flying cities
like the Skylab. You have skylab is a mini place which roams around. They had flying
cities. And Lord Shiva comes and destroys them. It is a very big story and there is
work called Tripura rahasyam also where the whole story is interpretted in a
philosophical manner and the three pūrās representing the stūla, sūkṣma kāraṇa
śarīraṁ. Puratrayi kriṭadhi yasca jīvaḥ.
So puratrayaṁ means the three śarīraṁs only. And the rākṣasās are nothing but
ahaṁkāra in the form of viśva, taijasa and prājñā, and destroying them is falsifying
them through discovering turiyam. And once you do that, I am tripurāri ṣivaḥ and
that is why śāntam śivam advaitam. All beautiful. Ok Pūrāntaka.
Then purūṣōham. I am the puruṣaḥ. The all-pervading one. Puraiti sarvaṁ iti
puruṣaḥ. And ahaṁ īśaḥ; I am the Lord of the entire universe. And then the student
is worrying.
Page 1930

When you say ahaṁ, what do you mean? Ayaṁ Nārayaṇa when you say, if I refers
to Mr. So and So, with a date of birth, it will become incongruous, therefore he says:
akhaṇḍa bhōdhōham. I, as consciousness alone, can claim all these glories.
So I am undivided consciousness, aśēṣa sākṣi; I am the witness of everything. How

can I be the witness of everything, suppose you get a doubt? I am witnessing
everything around here; but what is happening in America, I do not witness. Why
America, in T. Nagar, what happens I do not witness. How can I be the witness of
everything. We should remember, when I say, I am the witness, I means again
Consciousness and if there is a place called T.Nagar, and there is a person
experiencing that place, remember, I the consciousness through that mind am
witnessing that object. But I do not know that. When you say I do not know, what
do you mean? You are again referring to your mind. Your mind cannot register that
experience because your mind is limited; but I-the-consciousness through different
minds am experiencing different worlds. And through Indra, I am now witnessing
the dance programme, svarga lōkaḥ, and if you say I do not register that
experience, again remember, this mind cannot register the svarga lōkaḥ. Therefore I
am the consciousness, experiencing all the fourteen lōkaḥs through different sūkṣma
śarīraṁs. Therefore aśēṣa sākṣi.
nirīśvarō:'haṁ. I being the Lord of all, I do not have anyone who is my boss, my
ruler; I am the rulerless ruler; bossless boss of the creation. So nirīśvaraḥ means I
am the ultimate God; I do not have any other God to be worshipped.
One ācārya tells in another work; therefore I offer all prostrations to myself. Ahō
ahaṁ; how great I am; Namō Mahyam; prostrations to myself. Ahōahaṁ, namō
mahyam; I should be able to say this. I offer all namaskārams to myself. Very
difficult to understand this advaita. That is why very few people appreciate that.
Therefore nirīśvarō:'haṁ; I am without a God; because I am God.
And nirahaṁ ca nirmamaḥ. I do not have ahaṁkāra. That means what? śarīra traya
abhīmāna. I do not have śarīra traya abhīmāna; because I know they are mithya;
and I also know that abhīmāna is mithya makes the biography real and once the
biography becomes real, anxiety about life cannot be avoided. Therefore I am śarīra
traya abhīmāna rahita and nirmamaḥ and I do not have prapañja abhīmāna;
abhīmāna rahitaḥ. I do not have abhīmāna in the world. So abhīmāna in the
prapañja; abhīmāna means what identification. Identification in the body is always in
Page 1931

the form of I. Identification in the world is always in the form of my. So the house
we do not identify as I; my house; children, my children; parents, my parents. So
everything outside is mamakāra abhīmāna viṣaya. Whereas the three bodies are
ahaṁkāra ahimaana viṣaya.That is Krishna said in the Twelfth chapter, Nirmamo
nirahaṁkāraha.
And if I become nirmama and nirahaṁkāra, what will be the consequence? He is

putting it beautifully. samaduḥkha suka kṣami. Only when ahaṁkāra and mamakāra
goes, sukham duḥkhaṁ will not affect me. As long as these two are there; events of
life will torture me. And therefore nirahaṁ cha nirmamaḥ.

Hari Om.
Page 1932

148. Verses 495 to 499
While expressing his gratitude towards his teacher, the student is summarising the
teaching that he has received until now and therefore these portions do not contain
any new teaching; but it is only the fact that the student has received the teaching.
Therefore most of these verses are nidhidhyāsanam verses, wherein the student is
remembering what he is convinced of. And therefore he is invoking his real nature
which is the lakṣyārtha of the ahaṁ.
And when the student is invoking the lakṣyārtha, the real-I, it does not mean that
the student forgets the vācyārtha-I, because in all transactions we have to use only
the ahaṁkāra-I. Transactions means ahaṁkāra and therefore ahaṁkāra is not
replaced or removed; but the meaning of the lakṣyārtha -I is kept in the background
all the time. And that is done in the form of nidhidhyāsanam. And therefore all these
are nidhidhyāsana slōkas.
सव�षु भूतेष्वहमे संिस्थत

�ानात्मनाऽन्तबर्�हरा सन ् |
भोक्त च भोग्य स्वयमे सव�
यद्यत्पृथग्दृष्ट�म परु ा ||४९५||
sarvēṣu bhūtēṣvahaṁēva saṁsthitō
jñānātmanā:'ntarbahirāśrayaḥ san |
bhōktā ca bhōgyaṁ svayaṁēva sarvaṁ
yadyatpr̥thagdr̥ṣṭamidantayā purā ||495||
sarvēṣu bhūtēṣvahaṁēva saṁsthitaḥ; I alone reside in every being, Jñānātmana in

the form of one consciousness. So caitanya svarūpēṇa, I alone am in every being;
here the word bhūtēṣu means sarīrēṣu. So kṣētranjam cāpi mām viddhi sarva
kṣētrēṣu bhāratha; that is pointed out here. And jñāna ātmana bahirāśrayaḥ san. I
am the āśrayaḥ for the inner world as well as the outer world. So antar āśrayaḥ;
bahi āśrayaḥ. So the inner world means the body, mind, thoughts as well the
functions of all the organs. śrōtrasya śrōtram, manaso manaḥ, prāṇasya prāṇaḥ, etc.
and I am the āśrayaḥ of the external world also; that is also in two fold forms. In the
case of external living beings, I am the āśrayaḥ in the form of chidrūpaḥ and
Page 1933

sadrūpaḥ; but in the case of external inert world, the cidrūpa I is not evident; but
there I am evident in the form of sadrūpaha ahaṁ. So if you take a table, a chair,
etc. I am very much not manifest as chit plus, but manifest as sat. That is why
Śankarācārya said yasyaiva spuraṇam sadātmaka asat kalpārthakam bhāsatē.
Therefore the adhiṣṭānam for the inner and outer world. and Abōktha ca bhōjyam
svayaṁ ēva sarvaṁ. Everything which is divided in the form of abōktha meaning the
experiencer and bhōgyam meaning the experience; the entire world consisting of
experiencer-experienced division is svayaṁ ēva; is I myself. Therefore I alone
bifurcate myself as the subject and object with the apparent nāma rūpa; just as in
dream, one waker seemingly divides into subject and objects and does all dream
transactions. Similarly, I remaining indivisible make a seeming division in me, as
subject and object.
Therefore sarvaṁ svayaṁ ēva. I am everything. And what type of everything? Yath
yath idaṁ taya dr̥ṣṭam. Which world was seen as anātma before. Pura means before
knowledge; before coming to vēdānta; before assimilating this teaching; I saw
everything as anātma; now I see everything or every anātma as ātma. So idaṁ taya
means anātma rūpēṇa.
So here we have to see the teaching. In the initial part of teaching, we take lot of
pains to see that I am different from anātma. This is the first stage of teaching. I am
not the external world, external world is dr̥śyam; I am the dr̥k, the observer. And
annamaya kōśa I am not; it is an object of knowledge. Prāṇamaya I am not;
vijñānamaya I am not; we see initially I am the ātma different from anātma. And the
anātma includes the pañja kōśas also. This is what we say in the beginning. I am
different from all. In this I am a making a differentiation between matter and
consciousness. This is only the first stage of teaching, because duality continues in
this perception. I am the consciousness different from matter is a very important
step of knowledge, but not the culmination.
Then in the second stage, the scriptures say I am the cause of all. So first stage is: I
am different from anātma. anātma is matter; I am consciousness. The second stage
is: I, the consciousness, am the cause of anātma, the matter. This is the second
stage of learning. So I am different from all; I am the cause of all.
Page 1934

And finally, since I am the cause of all; I myself am everything, I am all. Therefore
again we come back to the idea, I am the body. Earlier I am not the body it started,
at the finishing stage what we say: I am the body.
But what is the difference? When I say I am the body in the beginning, it is total
identification and body is taken as real; but after wisdom when I say I am the body,
it means I am the consciousness which is apparently manifesting as the body also.
So I am not; I am the body, during ignorance. I am the body during knowledge also.
In between, I say I am not the body.
And another difference is, at the time of ignorance, when I say I am the body, I am
only the body. I am the body only. But during wisdom, when I say I am the body, it
means I am everything and therefore the body also. So I am the body only is the
ignorance; I am the body also is wisdom.
And that is what is said here. Ahaṁ ēva idagum sarvaṁ, which was idantayā purā
dr̥ṣṭam, which was seen as anātma before; pr̥thag, endowed with division.
मय्यखण्डसुखाम्भ बहुधा �वश्ववीचय |

उत्पद्यन �वल�यन्त मायामारुत�वभ्र म ||४९६||
mayyakhaṇḍasukhāmbhōdhau bahudhā viśvavīcayaḥ |
utpadyantē vilīyantē māyāmārutavibhramāt ||496||
So the entire universe is my own apparent manifestation. It is a game played by me.

It is a leela of mine. So viśvavīcayaḥ utpadyantē. So the waves of universes. So vichi
means wave; and what are the waves here? Viśva, the universe, or you can say the
galaxies of cosmos; utpadyantē; rise and vilīyantē; they resolve; fall, rise and fall in
Me; mayi; maiēva sakalam jātam; mayi sarvaṁ prathiṣṭitam; that Kaivalya mantra is
brought in here. Mayi utpadyantē; mayi vilīyantē.
And if I should look upon the whole world as a wave only, how much big I should
be. The universe is itself is very vast and that universe is seen as one of the waves,
that means I am infinite in my dimension; in my infinite dimension, the bubbles or
waves of universes rise and fall and when the world rises and fall, what damage is
done to me?
Page 1935

He says the world cannot cause any dent in my personality. Akānḍa sukha ambōdiḥ;
I am the ocean of boundless ānandaḥ which cannot be disturbed by even the rise
and fall of the world; what to talk about the birth and death of a few individuals.
So therefore if I have to say that the arrival and departure of world does not matter
to me; but I am crying, suppose my dog died; therefore when the world is nothing,
மல ��ங�ன மஹாேதவ�க் கத� ஒ� அப்பளா. (mala muzhungina
mahādēvanukku kadavu oru appalām). There is a saying like that. When a
mahādēva who is a voracious eater and his food is mountain; what will be the
appalām for him. All the doors of big doors of big big temples doors are appalām for
him. Therefore when I say world cannot create a dent; how can a few people
appearing and disappearing matter to me. It should matter to me. If it matters, it
means ahaṁkāra has become prominent and it has suppressed my real-I. In fact,
there is a constant tug-of-war between the ahaṁkāra and ātma.
The more I want to bring ātma into my life, the more ahaṁkāra will subjugated;
therefore there is a quarrel. And when ahaṁkāra dominant. Whenever we are upset;
ahaṁkāra has succeeded in changing the vēdānta set up. Vēdānta set up if you turn
it upside down, upset ahaṁkāra is dominant.
And therefore the student says I will not allow the ahaṁkāra to rule the roost;
because all these are happening because of what? not because of real
transformation in me; there are all superficial or apparent events caused by māya
māruta vibramāt; because of the wind of māya. Because ātma is compared to the
ocean; and the universes are compared to the waves; and the waves arise because
of wind.
Similarly the world should also arise because of some wind; what is the wind here;
māya mārutam; māya otherwise avidyā is the wind which is the cause of the waves
of creation. So māyāmārutavibhramāt; vibhramāt means motion; because of its
blowing.
स्थुला�दभाव म�य किल्पत भ्र-

दारो�पतानुस्फुरणे लोकैः |
काले यथा कल्पकवत्सर-
णत्वा दयो �नष्कल�न�वर्कल ||४९७||
Page 1936

sthulādibhāvā mayi kalpitā bhramā-

dārōpitānusphuraṇēna lōkaiḥ |
kālē yathā kalpakavatsarāya-
ṇartvā dayō niṣkalanirvikalpē ||497||
Here the student says: the whole world including all the bodies arise in me and they
are nothing but mithya nāma rūpa; and behind the mithya nāma rūpa, I am very
much there. I have to be there; because mithya nāma rūpa requires borrowed
existence. The very word mithya means that which requires existence by borrower.
And since mithya nāma rūpa requires to borrow existence; who will lend existence;
another mithya cannot lend existence. Therefore I have to be behind every mithya
nāma rūpa to lend existence. Therefore naturally, I am behind the body also.
And when I am behind the stūla śarīraṁ, lending existence to stūla śarīraṁ, it
becomes a ideal condition for mess up or mixing up; it appears as though that stūla
tvam, the grossness of the body appears to be my nature. Because I am closely
behind the body lending it existence, because of proximity, the virtues and the vices
of the body appears in me. And gradually, this body having borrowed existence
from me, becomes more and more prominent and the ātma, the real I becomes less
and less prominent. Stūla śarīraṁ becomes dominant; I the ātma is suppressed. And
therefore I am only there in the form of stūla śarīraṁ; the ātma is pushed aside as it
were.
As Dayānanda svāmi gives a beautiful example, originally gold alone was there; and
this goldsmith gives a particular form and that particular form is bangle form; and
we also give the name bangle. Nāma and rūpa are non-substantial; they do not have
their own existence; bangle is not a substance at all; and the gold gives
substantiality to the bangle. And we change the word to a golden bangle, in which a
big reversal has taken place. Bangle has become a noun and golden has become an
adjective.
By becoming an adjective, gold has become a dependent entity as it were; because

an adjective always depends upon noun. Really speaking, bangle is adjective,
because it is nāma rūpa, gold is the noun because it is the substance; but because
of some confusion or brahma, a noun is converted into adjective and adjective is
Page 1937

converted into noun. Bangle has become a substance as it were and gold has
become an adjective.
Similarly I use the expression, a conscious body. In this expression, body has
become noun and consciousness has become an adjective, which is the biggest
reversal caused by ignorance. In wisdom I know consciousness is the substance,
body is the apparent nāma rūpa. And therefore he says, stūla di bhāvaḥ, mayi
kalpitta. So the things which are stūla sūkṣma etc., gross and subtle entities are only
superimpositions on me, the consciousness. Consciousness is never an adjective of
the body; consciousness is eternally a noun, a substance.
And in this substantial consciousness, gross and subtle entities are superimposed.
Because of what? Because of Bhramā, ignorance or māya, and āropitta
anuspuraṇēna, and I the consciousness am evident or am known along with this
non-substantial body. I the consciousness, am experienced along with the non-
substantial body. So there are two things shining together, one is non-substantial
body and another is substantial consciousness. What do we do, we reverse this. The
body becomes substantial and consciousness becomes non-substantial. Even now
the scientists think that consciousness may be a fleeting phenomenon happening in
brain. That means the material brain becomes substances, consciousness becomes a
temporary phenomenon. This is the conclusion of science after research.
Vēdānta says do not say like that my boy, matter is a fleeting phenomenon in
consciousness. Thus the reversal of the substantial and non-substantial is called
confusion. What is the example? Golden bangle when we say, bangle has become
substantial, golden has become non-substantial adjective.
Like that, lōkaiḥ, by the people. So this kalpana, this reversal has been done,
because of what, bhrama, because of confusion. That is why nicely said: I am not a
human being with spiritual experience, I am a spiritual being with a very very
temporary human experience. So what is fundamental and what is fleeting is being
reversed by ignorance. That is its job. Therefore bhramāt; this has happened.
And of how all these things happen. An example is given. Kālē yathā. As in the case
of Kāla; Kāla means time. The real nature of time is niṣkala nirvalpaḥ. The time does
not have any division at all. Time does not have any division at all. Niṣkalam and
Page 1938

nirvikalpam means without division. Both are almost synonymous; niṣkalam and
nirvikalpam; both mean division; bigger and smaller division.
Even though kālaḥ does not have division for the sake of transaction, we create
divisions in kālaḥ, like what: kalpaka; kalpaka means kalpam; so kalpa is the
duration of Brahmāji's life. So kalpa itself is called kalpaka.
Then vatsara; vatsara means year. Then ayana; in some books ayaṇa is put, that is
not correct. It should be ayana. Kalpaka, vatsara, ayana, vatsara consisting of 12
months; ayanam consisting of six months, then ritu ādhyaḥ, ritu consisting of two
months, ādhyaḥ means etc. etc. means one months, then night, day, week, etc. All
these divisions are kalpitam by us.
When you keep our Sun in view, then you have got certain concepts of time. Now
what is one year, it is nothing but the duration taken by the earth to move around
the Sun. Imagine we are in another planet. One year would be what. It will be
different. Because another planet takes 12 years. Pluto takes 248 years to go round
the Sun once. There the concept of year will change and also our New Year, that is
the best example, to show that year is a myth. In India, itself, we have so many
New years. Tamil New year, Malayalam New year. From that it is very clear, there is
no question of year or anything; and again the day is based on sunrise and sunset,
and you know that sun does not rise or set. All these are concepts that we have
formed for the sake of our transactions.
What; there is no absolute kālaḥ. And when you go America, if you go, then they
have got their own concepts. Any function coming on week day is either postponed
to the next week end or advanced to the previous week end. From this what is
understood? There are no divisions. Kālaḥ is the principle which brings about the
change in every object. So that changing principle is called kālaḥ, there is no
division; it is heavily subjective. So therefore he says; just as kālaḥ does not have
division; consciousness also does not have any division at all.
आरो�पतं नाश्रयदूष भवेत्

कदा�प मूढैर�तदोषद ू�षतैः |
ना�द्रर्करोत्यूषरभू�म
मर��चकावा�र महाप्रवा ||४९८||
Page 1939

ārōpitaṁ nāśrayadūṣakaṁ bhavēt

kadāpi mūḍhairatidōṣadūṣitaiḥ |
nārdrikarōtyūṣarabhūmibhāgaṁ
marīcikāvāri mahāpravāhaḥ ||498||
Even though kālaḥ does not have any division, we should accept all the divisions for
the sake of transactions. I know that the Sun does not rise but I have to accept that
and also the time based on that and we have got a particular time as the basic time,
Green Mean Time is accepted. International date line is accepted. On one side of the
line one date is accepted. If you cross over, the date itself changes. But we have to
accept; in some big countries, when the season changes, the advance the clock and
all those things. So for transactions we have to accept all kālaḥ bēdha. Once the
karma kāndha comes, we should accept all that. That is why when we do saṅkalpa,
we say ritau, sukla pakṣē, śravaṇa māsa, sukla pakṣē, etc. We have to accept. But
what is important is we should remember that these are all imaginary divisions, but
they are not factual. Similarly when I the consciousness am obtaining within the
physical body for worldly purposes, I should accept my individuality. Because I am
the consciousness obtaining behind this temporary body, and therefore as long as I
am behind this temporary body, I have got a bio-data. There is a nakṣatram; there
is a jātaka, there is a daśa; there is a bhukthi; all those things for transactional
purposes.
But we should constantly remember all these are kalpitam, consciousness does not
have daśa; consciousness does not rāhu-kētu-ṣani; nothing. I am unaffected by the
body and its individuality. The moment you forget that, the body's jātakam becomes
a serious jātakam of consciousness. If you remember the teaching, I know that
arōpitam, āṣraya dūṣakaṁ na bhavēt.
The superimposed body can never disturb the real I; the ātma; na jāyate mriyatē va
kadācit. So arōpitam, the superimposed body, na dūṣakaṁ, can afflict or affect the
āṣraya. āṣraya means the adhișṭānam, the caitanyaṁ, which is myself. Kadāpi at any
time, even during the worst śani daśa, even during the worst sickness of the body;
why even during the death of the body, I, the ātma, am the asaṅgōham asaṅgōham
only. kadāpi mūḍhairatidōṣadūṣitaiḥ because the ārōpaṇam is done by;
superimposition of the body is done by mūḍhaiḥ, by the ignorant people.
Page 1940

What type of ignorant people? Ati dōṣa dūṣitaiḥ, who are affected of varieties of
misconceptions. Varieties of errors. So that means even when a samsāri claims that
I am suffering; even at the time of ignorance, ātma is not affected, even when I am
seeing the snake, the rope is not affected.
Not that a superimposition does not affect the adhișṭānam after wisdom.
Superimposition does not affect after wisdom and also before wisdom also. That I
am affected is only a notion in all the three periods of time. Therefore kadāpi
dōṣakam bhavēt.
An example is given. marīcikāvāri mahāpravāhaḥ; fourth line, so vāri mahāpravāhaḥ

means the flood of water which is mirage water, the flood of mirage water; so
marīcikāvāri mahāpravāhaḥ; not a drop, big flow of the mirage water, torrential flow
of the mirage water, na ārdrikarōty, cannot wet; just as in a dream if you have a
cyclonic rain, in dream, you think that if it comes in Madras it would be nice, etc.
Constantly thinking of that Bhagavān answered your prayers; but only in the dream;
but remember it cannot even wet the local dry well;
na ārdrikarōty, pūṣarabhūmibhāgaṁ; pūṣarabhūmi means barren land, dessert land,

mirage water cannot wet; in the same way, the whole universe is mirage water.
And I am like the dry land who am not affected.
And then why I am crying you should not ask; remember, even when you are crying
what is the affected is mind; mind is also anātma; mind getting affected by the
wordly events; you can reduce to a very great extent by wisdom; but remember
mind can never remain totally unaffected because mind is also anātma which is part
of mithya prapañja. Mithya prapañja will certainly affect mithya vasthu; therefore
nobody can avoid the world affecting the mind totally.
The world will affect the mind; all the jñānaṁ can reduce the impact, but when we
say world will not affect at all; it is applicable only with regard to ātma. I am
hundred percent not affected by the event, from the standpoint of ātma; from the
standpoint of the mind, all my effort is to reduce the impact, but it can never never
never become zero percent. That is why I always tell, from the standpoint of the
mind, you can reduce the frequency of your reaction from the mind's standpoint; I
said you can reduce the frequency and you can reduce the (3 do you remember,
what is then next one) intensity of reaction, from the standpoint of the mind and
Page 1941

you can reduce the third one is what? If you do not answer, I will react) the
recovery period. Mentally saṁsāra can be reduced, from the standpoint of ātma
saṁsāra is not there, was not there, and will not be there.
So from the standpoint of ātma we are discussing, even when you are profusing
shedding tears, what is affected by the world is the mind; but we are saying that I
am the unaffected ātma.
आकाशवल्लेप�वदूरगोऽह
आ�दत्यवद्भास्य�वल�णो |
अहायर्विन्नत्य�व�नश्चल
अम्भो�धवत्पार�वविजर्तोऽ ||४९९||
ākāśavallēpavidūragō:'haṁ
ādityavadbhāsyavilakṣaṇō:'ham |
ahāryavannityaviniścalō:'haṁ
ambhōdhivatpāravivarjitō:'ham ||499||
So this is a very beautiful slōka worth remembering and using for nidhidhyāsanam.
So in this four features of my real nature are mentioned. All these four are important
features of ātma; it is very useful for facing worldly crisis. And the slōka is still more
beautiful because, for each feature, an example is given. It is a very beautiful
nidhidhyāsana slōka.
Ākāśavat lēpa vidhurakaḥ ahaṁ. I am like space. Untainted by, unaffected by

anything. Lēpaḥ means sticking; nothing will stick to me. Nothing will taint or touch
me. So whenever we see people are insulting; people are looking down upon; and I
am helplessly caught in a set up, I want to get out and I am not able to get out and
constantly I have to face humiliating experiences, best is what? ahaṁ ākāśavat. And
all the words śabda is the property of ākāśa. In ākāśa, there will always be sound,
and all the scolding and humiliations are what: disturbances, sound disturbances;
therefore I am nirlēpaḥ.
That does not mean you should become a door mat; that is not the advice of
vēdānta. Vēdānta always tells: as long as you have a choice, use your choice; not
that you have to suffer humiliation; if you can avoid, get out and do that. But when
it becomes a choiceless humiliation, then start changing you. One thing is changing
Page 1942

the world or the other thing is to change ourselves. So when you are taking the
photo, suppose we want more distance, what do you do, ask that person to go
backwards; but behind there is a huge mountain; Kodaikanal photo, he will fall down
if he backs; so what do you do; you go back; therefore in life, there are only two
things; either you change the world or you change yourselves. And more often,
world cannot be changed. And therefore only I can change: what do you mean by
changing I accept whatever comes.
And how to accept, ākāśa tulya ahaṁ. I am like space; unaffected by even the worst
humiliating experience. That is No.1. ādityavadbhāsyavilakṣaṇō:'ham; I am different
from whatever I experience; bhāsyam means what? an object of illumination.
And this has to be very much used when we are dissatisfied with our body and
mind. And this often happens to vēdantic students. He does not have any complaints
against the world, but he starts complaining regarding body or even the progress of
his mind. So I disidentify from everything and strongly identify with the mind and
then I am upset. Progress is not coming; progress is not coming. There I should
remember, every mind has got its own rate of progress; and I should not identify
too much with my mind also; because there are infinite minds in the universe; all the
minds are existing in me, the consciousness. How can I be bothered about one
mind. If I am bothered about one mind, it shows I am identified with that.
Even worrying too much about punarjanma is a problem because punarjanma

belongs to whom; what is the definition of punarjanma, the mind going to another
body. Why should I worry about one mind going to another body or not; there are
millions of minds and this mind goes to another body or not;
Why should I care? I the ātma does not travel; whether the mind travels or not.
Therefore I am not even bothered; whether my sūkṣma śarīraṁ is going to survive
at the end of the prārabdha; whether the sūkṣma śarīraṁ will travel; why should I
bother. If I am bothered it means I am identified with it. Therefore whenever that
botheration comes, I have to tell I am the illuminator of sūkṣma śarīraṁ; I am
different from sūkṣma śarīraṁ, I am not bothered about the lot of the sūkṣma
śarīraṁ. Therefore 'my sūkṣma śarīraṁ'; that word itself is wrong, which is my
sūkṣma śarīraṁ. If I am the ātma; all sūkṣma śarīraṁs are my sūkṣma śarīraṁ. No
sūkṣma śarīraṁ is my sūkṣma śarīraṁ. If I am referring to a particular sūkṣma
śarīraṁ as mine, then it mean ignorance continues. Therefore practice this
Page 1943

meditation: what ahaṁ ādityavad, I am different from all the objects of illumination,
including the sūkṣma śarīraṁ.
Then the third meditation: ahāryavannityaviniścalō:'haṁ. Ahāryavat means

mountain. Hāryam which can be carried; ahāryam means what? which cannot be
carried. Mountains cannot be carried from one place to another. If it can be carry,
we can carry the western ghats from the present place. Because of its present place
only Madras has become the rain shadow region. It is not that is our prārabdha and
sañcita; it has nothing to do with our karma; it is a geographical condition. As long
as the Western Ghats are there; the other side will be rain shadow region. Therefore
Madras has not done any pāpam.
We have done pāpam to come and choose to stay in Madras. Madras has not done
any pāpa; whenever there is a mountain, on one side, there will be rain; and on the
other side, rain shadow region will be there. Therefore why we came here; it is our
prārabdha; if you are in Orissa or Bihar, it would be another story. What is the story?
flood.
So therefore, mountains cannot be carried. You can carry yourselves or body from
one place to another. So ahāryavat; like a mountain; like a immobile mountain;
ahaṁ viniścala; I am motionless. Therefore there is no question of I travelling from
one lōkha to another and I requiring this śrāddha tarpaṇa; will my children do
śrāddha to me; I do not have children; or I do not have a son; or I do not have a
believing son; son might be there; but he might not believe in doing these things;
what to do; all these worries you give up.
If the children do śrāddha, it is good for their citta shuddhi. Primarily śrāddha is kept
for what purpose; it is not that our forefathers need it or not; we do not know
whether they need or not, because what they are we do not know. śrāddha etc. are
primarily citta śuddhi sādhanāni. In the 41 samskārās, these are all included.
Therefore if the children do that; that is good for them. As far as I am concerned, I
do not need it; because I do not travel. And why I do not travel; because I am
niścalaḥ. I am motionless; all pervading consciousness.
Then ambhōdhivatpāravivarjitō:'ham. I am like the ocean, ever full and complete.

Apūryamāṇam acalapratiṣṭam; I am ever full; that means I do not require to
accomplish anything, to become a worthy person. I do not have to accomplish
Page 1944

anything to become a worthy person; I am a worthy person as I am. And similarly

by giving things, I do not get reduced also. That is why Krishna gives the example.
Rivers join the ocean is full; and water gets evaporated due to sunlight; still the
ocean is full. Let the things and people arrive; I am full; let the things and people go
away from me; I am full; pūrṇam adhaḥ; pūrṇam idaṁ.
So ambōdivat; ambōdihi means samudram; like the ocean, I am pāra vivarjithaḥ;

pāra means shore or limit; pāra vivarjithaḥ; means shoreless or limitless I am.
Any problem can be resolved by seeing the meaning of one of these four lines. Any
one line out of these four lines, you think of, you are fine. It is a wonderful slōka; for
nidhidhyāsanam.
Hari Om.
Page 1945

149. Verses 500 to 503
आकाशवल्लेप�वदूरगोऽह
आ�दत्यवद्भास्य�वल�णो |
अहायर्विन्नत्य�व�नश्चल
अम्भो�धवत्पार�वविजर्तोऽ ||४९९||
ākāśavallēpavidūragō:'haṁ
ādityavadbhāsyavilakṣaṇō:'ham |
ahāryavannityaviniścalō:'haṁ
ambhōdhivatpāravivarjitō:'ham ||499||
While expressing gratitude towards his teacher, the student is summarising the
essence of the teaching which he has received in all these verses and he points out
that I have known myself to be Brahman which is comparable ākāśaḥ, ādhityaḥ,
ahāryaḥ and ambhōdiḥ. Four comparisons are four examples for ātma; beautiful
examples.
Ākāśā example is given to show the all-pervasiveness as well asaṅgatvam. Between

ākāśa and ātma, several similarities are there; we have seen before. Ākāśā and ātma
are both ēkaḥ; non-dual, both of them are limitless, both of them are formless; both
of them are indestructible; both of them accommodate everything and both of them
are not affected by what they accommodate. ēkatvam, asaṅgatvam, nirākāratvam,
niravayavatvam, etc. So all these are my nature.
Similarly the second example is the adityḥ. Lord Krishna gives both these examples
in the thirteenth chapter of the Gītā. And aditya prakāśaḥ, surya prakāśaḥ is one
which illumines everything but is not affected by what it illumines. Similarly, I am the
consciousness aware of everything and I am not affected by what I am aware of.
Whatever I experience, I am not affected by.
And similarly the third example is that of a mountain. Mountain is steady and non-
moving and therefore I am viniścalaḥ, nityaḥ, sarvagataḥ, stanānuḥ, acālōyaṁ
sanātanaḥ; Krishna tells in the Gītā. The word acālaḥ means non-moving; a
mountain is also called acālaḥ. Venkatachalapathy, when you say, it is to be split as;
venkata + achala + pathy. Not venkata + chala + pathy; Venkata is the proper
Page 1946

name; and achala means mountain, a mountain is called achala; ātma is also called
achala. Therefore there is no question of my moving from one lōkaḥ to another
lōkaḥ, my moving from one body to another body; the question of rebirth and re-
death do not exist for me.
And the final example is ambōdhi; samudraḥ; which is also a wonderful example,
occurring in the second chapter of the Gītā; apūryamāṇam acala pratiṣṭam; varieties
of rivers enter into the ocean; ocean is not affected at all; the pure Gaṅgā merges
into the ocean; and of course our Kovam also merges into the ocean. Ocean is
unaffected and the holiness of the ocean does not get deteriorated. And because of
extra rain, ocean does not become bigger; and because of lack of rain, ocean also
does not become smaller. And in all these respects, the ātma is comparable to
ocean. Therefore ambōdivat pāra vivarjithaḥ ahaṁ. Each example is worth
meditating upon and the glory of this slōka is all the well-known examples are
brought in one verse. Up to this we saw.
न मे देहेन सम्बन् मेघेनेव �वहायसः |

अतः कुतो मे तद्धम जाग्रत्स्वप्नसुष ||५००||
na mē dēhēna sambandhō mēghēnēva vihāyaśaḥ |
ataḥ kutō mē taddharmā jāgratsvapnasuṣuptayaḥ ||500||
mē dēhēna sambandhaḥ nāsti. I do not have relationship with all the three bodies.
Dēhaḥ means body. In this context, stūla sūkṣma and kāraṇa dēhaḥ. And that is why
either I should say all the sūkṣma śarīraṁs are floating in me, or I should say I am
not related to any sūkṣma śarīraṁ. Either sarva śarīra sambhanda I should claim, or
sarva śarīra asambhanda I have to claim. If I claim sarva śarīra sambhanda, I am
Īśvaraḥ. If I claim sarva śarīra asambhanda, I am Brahman. Nirguṇam Brahma;
Either way, I have no saṁsāra. Either I should be Īśvara identified with whole
creation; no saṁsāra; or I should be Brahman not identified with anything.
All the problems come only when we identify with one set of stūla sūkṣma kāraṇa
śarīraṁ. Total identification you become Īśvara. In total dis-identification, you
become Brahman. Either be Īśvara or Brahman, no problem. Becoming a jīva is
being obsessed with one body. And when I am obsessed with one body, there is a
problem, because if I am associated with one stūla śarīraṁ, my worry would be
about old age, disease and death. If I am associated with one subtle body, I will not
have the fear of death alright, but my worry will be where will the subtle body go
Page 1947

after death. So previously my worry was about stūla śarīraṁ, now my worry
becomes about sūkṣma śarīraṁ, will it go to naraka, will it go to svarga, will my
children do śraddhā, all śraddhāḥ worries come, because we are worried about the
sūkṣma śarīraṁ's condition, because śraddha, tarpaṇa, etc. are meant for the well-
being of sūkṣma śarīra part lone. Stūla śarīra of the forefathers dead and gone.
Ātma does not require śraddha of course; all these worries about punarjanma is
because of sūkṣma śarīra identification. And here the student says: neither am I
identified with stūla śarīraṁ nor am I identified with sūkṣma śarīraṁ and of course
kāraṇa śarīraṁ is included.
Dēhē na sambhandaha nāsti. And he gives an example. mēghēna vihāyasaḥ ēva;

just as space does not have relationship with mēghaḥ; mēghaḥ means cloud. Space
does not have any contact with cloud. So here we should note that when we say
space is not connected with the cloud, we are not talking about a physical
distancing, it is not that space is far away, cloud is far away; there is no saṁbanda
at all between us; normally we think saṁbanda not there means we should be
physically away.
But here by the example the student shows that even though cloud is intimately
connected with space, still it is not affected by whatever happens to the cloud. It is
physically intimate but still unrelated. If it is physically intimate, how do you say it is
unrelated. Unrelated means not affected by whatever happens. Similarly I the ātma
and my stūla sūkṣma śarīraṁ are physically intimate alright, but still I am far away in
the sense, that whatever happens to them will not affect the caitanya ātma.
Therefore mēghēna vihāyasaḥ; we have to supply saṁbandaha nāsti. Vihāya means

ākāśaḥ. śaṣti vibhakthi.
So for the sky or space, sambhandaha nāsti, no relationship with mēgha. That is
why say, the real sanyāsa is not physical.
The real sanyāsa is not a physical sanyāsa because, even if we physically renounce
and go far away, mentally we can continue the relationship and worry. What
happened to them; what happened to them; what happened to them; I came
leaving them; I came leaving them, etc. Physical renunciation does not cut off
relations. Physical renunciation does not guarantee asaṅgatvam. The real
asaṅgatvam is purely internal.
Page 1948

And what is that internal asaṅgatvam? I the caitanyaṁ am not related to anyone.
And that is why Gaudapādācārya in Mānḍukya kārika gives a special name for self-
knowledge and that special name is asparśa yōgaḥ. It is a wisdom in which I see I
have no relationship with anyone in the creation. Just as the space has no
connection with anything in the creation. And that is why sky example is a beautiful
example.
Ataḥ, since I am not related to śarīra trayaṁ, kutēha mē tat dharma; I am not
related to their properties also. Tat dharmāḥ means śarīra dharmaḥ. So neither I
have connection with the body nor have I the connection with the properties of the
body.
And what are the properties? The stūla śarīraṁ has the properties like height,
weight, age, disease, all these are stūla śarīra dharmāḥ; that the student does not
mention, I have to supply. So na mē jarā, ārṣyam etc. Old age, disease etc. and I
have no relationship with the sūkṣma śarīraṁ and therefore no connection sūkṣma
śarīra dharma.
And what are the properties of sūkṣma śarīra? Sūkṣma śarīra has varieties of
properties. In this verse, the student refers to avastha trayaṁ; as the property of
sūkṣma śarīraṁ. Avastha trayaṁ means the three states of experience. And how do
you say, they are the properties of sūkṣma śarīra? Because when you analyse, when
the sūkṣma śarīra is fully functioning, that is jñānēndriyāṇi, karmēndriyāṇi, prāṇaḥ,
manaḥ, buddhiḥ, all of them are functioning, fully active sūkṣma śarīra is called
jāgrat avastha.
And what is the definition of svapna? The sūkṣma śarīra is partially withdrawn.
Jñānēndriyās do not function. They are all closed. In dream you do not use your
sense organs. Karmēndriyās are not used. And you do not learn anything afresh
also. Buddhi also does not function. Only memory, your sub-conscious mind alone is
busy; projecting an inner world. So whatever you have been dreaming for your
future, the house will be complete, grahapraveśam should be done; etc. if you say,
you will be doing it in svapna.
Page 1949

Whatever you want to do, or whatever you have already done, which are all
registered, they are all projected, which means only memory part of sūkṣma śarīraṁ
functions and therefore svapna is called partial activity of sūkṣma śarīraṁ.
And suṣupti is called total passivity of sūkṣma śarīraṁ, because in suṣupti even
memories are not projected and therefore pūrṇa vikāsaḥ; sūkṣma śarīrasya pūrṇa
vikāsaha jāgrat; sūkṣma śarīrasya ardha vikāsaha svapnaḥ; sūkṣma śarīrasya layaḥ
suṣuptiḥ. So poorna vikāsa, ardha vikāśā and layaḥ, these three faculties of whom?
not ātma; ātma does not have poorna vikāsam, ardha vikāsam and layaṁ etc. is not
there; sūkṣma śarīraṁ only has poorna vikāsa, ardha vikāśā and layaḥ and all are
there. Suṣipthisthu manō layaḥ.
That is the definition of suṣupti. Therefore all the three avasthās are faculties of
sūkṣma śarīraṁ only. And therefore they are properties of sūkṣma śarīraṁ only.
Therefore they are not the properties of ātma and I happen to be ātma. Therefore I
do not have jāgrat, svapna or suṣupti, which means I am neither viśvaḥ, nor
taijasaḥ, or prājñāḥ.
Do you remember? Viśvaḥ means related to jāgrat avastha, taijasaḥ means related
to svapna avastha, prājñāḥ means related to suṣupti avastha. When all these three
relations are gone, I am neither viśvaḥ, the waker; nor taijasaḥ, the dreamer; nor
prājñāḥ, the sleeper.
Then who am I? Nāntham prajñām na bahi prajñam. I am turiya caitanyaṁ. When;

the last question is always this. When, you should wait some more days Svāmiji you
should not say. Even now I do not have avastha traya saṁbanda. The student boldly
declares indicating that the teacher's communication has been successful. All these
the teacher is not talking. The student is saying. Tat dharmāḥ jāgrat svapna
suṣuptaya mē na śānthi.
उपा�धराया�त स एव गच्छ�
स एव कमार्� करो�त भङ
ु ्क् |
स एव जीयर्न �म्रय सदाहं
कुला�द्रविन्न एव संिस्थत ||५०१||
upādhirāyāti sa ēva gacchati
sa ēva karmāṇi karōti bhuṅktē |
Page 1950

sa ēva jīryan mriyatē sadāhaṁ

kulādrivanniścala ēva saṁsthitaḥ ||501||
So if I am such an ātma, what about all these activities that are going on, which we
claim as our great biography. What about this biography running about all over,
establishing so many things, getting married, children and grand children, struggling
to settle them; all these beehive of activities, all belong to whom. The student says:
nothing belongs to me. Upādhiḥ āyāti. It is the nature of the body to be active and
body is meant to be active; body can never rest as they say; if the body rests; it will
rust; or if you forcibly rust it; only one thing will happen; a totally resting body is a
dead body. And therefore upādhi alone comes and goes and it has to do that;
nobody can stop it. Therefore he says: Upādhiḥ āyāti. Upādhi means śarīra dvayaṁ
or śarīra trayaṁ.
So the physical body comes and goes, in one particular life, the physical body travels
heavily; and once the physical body falls; subtle body becomes active, it has to go in
search of another environment; subtle body travels and settles somewhere, and
there in the physical body, running and running, change this house to that, etc. and
settle, transfer, and again that body falls; and again sūkṣma śarīra travels. Thus
physical body has some travel in one life; subtle body has travel life after life;
therefore they come and sa ēva gacchati.
And since they come, they will have to go also. So there is no question of
permanently settling somewhere. There is no question permanently settling
somewhere. Like the policeman driving the hawkers. And if they go, they go to
another road side; and they shift from there. Bhagavān keeps the whip and says: go
to another place; go to another place; do not develop roots anywhere. If you enjoy
that, it is fine; otherwise if you are tired of travelling, there is only way, you have to
transcend the upādhi to put an end to the eternal travelling. Upādhihi āyāti gacchati.
sa ēva karmāṇi kurutē. All the karmās are done by the upādhi śarīraṁ alone.
And once the upādhi does the action, it becomes kartā and yaha kartā bhavathi,
saha abōktā api bhavathi. Karma phalam, the upādhi has to experience and some of
the karma phalam, we have prāyascittās, there are remedies; there are many karma
phalams, for which there will be and there are no remedies at all. Still there are
incurable diseases, challenging the medical science, indicating Bhagavān always will
have some incurable problems; only then the prārabdha karma can be exhausted.
Page 1951

We can never cheat Bhagavān. If we cheat through one remedy, bhagavān or Yama
dharmarāja will bring in another new disease; which would have no remedy. Or
there would be a peculiar medicine, and the doctor would say that you cannot take
this medicine because you have another disease, that disease will get aggravated if
you take this medicine for this medicine. If the medicine is not taken, this disease; if
taken that disease gets more; then only Bhagavān smiles, I am the karma phala
dāta, you can never challenge me.
Avaśya anu bōkhtavyam, krita karma śubha śubhaṁ;

na bukṣtam kṣiyatē karma, kalpa kōti sathairapi.
There are choiceless karma phalams which everyone will have to go through and
therefore sa ēva. That upādhi otherwise called ahaṁkāra will have to do action and
reap the phalam.
And what about ātma jñānaṁ. In ātma jñānaṁ also, sañcita will be destroyed;
āgami will be avoided; but remember, the ahaṁkāra will have to go through the
prārabdha. If you have to be free from prārabdha also; there is only one way. What
is the one way? You cannot cure the prārabdha. Prārabdha is attacking ahaṁkāra.
Ahaṁkāra can never escape prārabdha; therefore if you have to escape prārabdha,
you have to come away from ahaṁkāra. like the lizard. What does the lizard do?
when another insect or something tries to catch hold of the lizard, it catches the tail.
What does the lizard does? the tail has been caught by the other one; therefore it
drops the tail and escapes.
Similarly ahaṁkāra is our tail. And the animal which attacks is what: prārabdha; and
prārabdha will bite the ahaṁkāra, the only way to escape is the lizard-trick. That is
called ātma jñānaṁ. Drop the ahaṁkāra; ahaṁkāra means what; śarīrādhi.
Prārabhdhāya śamarpittam sva vapuritēṣsha maniṣa mama. Oh Prārabdha, do
whatever you want to do to the śarīraṁ, you do it;
But I want to cut off from my body, by the sheer wisdom that I am unaffected by; I
means which I; not ahaṁkāra; caitanyaṁ am unaffected. And therefore karoti
bhunkte, so therefore jñāni ahaṁkāra will go through prārabdha; jñāni the ātma is
free from prārabdhaṁ.
Page 1952

And sa ēva jīryan; jīryan means what jarā; another function of prārabdha is giving
jarā; jarā means what old age, through kālaḥ tatvam; कालः क्र�ड गच्छत्याय | मा कुर धन जन
यौवन गव�, हर�त �नमेषात्काल सवर् म |kālaḥ krīḍati gacchatyāyuḥ | mā kuru dhana jana yauvana
garvaṁ | harati nimēṣātkālaḥ sarvam |
So therefore jarā, you cannot avoid. And ultimately culminating in maraṇam or

separation; all these belongs to whom? sa ēva means upādhi. Upādhi ēva jeeryan;
means ageing; present participle. Jīryan; it dies ultimately.
Then what about me. The student says: ahaṁ sadā niscalaḥ. I am ever the same.

So ahaṁ sadā niścalaḥ ēva saṁsthitaḥ; I remain the same ever; like what:
kulādrivat. So like a mountain. In fact, Śankarācārya himself is explaining the
examples given in verse 499. Four examples he gave there, first line ākāśavat. ākāśa
example is explained in 500th verse and then ahāryarvat, third line, mountain
example is given and that has been explained in 501. There the word used is
ahāryaḥ; here the word used is kuladrihi; kulādri, ahāryaḥ, etc. means mountain.
न मे प्रवृित् च मे �नविृ त्त

सदैकरूपस �नरंशकस् |
एकात्मक यो �न�वडो �नरन्तर
व्योमे पूणर् स कथं नु चेष्टत ||५०२||
na mē pravr̥ttirna ca mē nivr̥ttiḥ
sadaikarūpasya niraṁśakasya |
ēkātmakō yō niviḍō nirantarō
vyōmēva pūrṇaḥ sa kathaṁ nu cēṣṭatē ||502||
Page 1953

Again the ākāśa example is further clarified. Mē pravr̥ttiḥ nivr̥ttiḥ ca nāsti or nāsthaḥ.
I do not have pravr̥tti, running after things; I do not nivr̥tti or withdrawal from
things. Only from the standpoint of ahaṁkāra, we have got pravr̥tti which is entering
into activity, we have got nivr̥ttiḥ which is withdrawal from activity. Ātma can never
withdraw from activity; why, ātma can never withdraw from activity, why, because it
has to be there for withdrawl.
Therefore gr̥hastha āsrama is from the standpoint of ahaṁkāra; sanyāsa āsrama is

also from the point of ahaṁkāra alone; ahaṁkāra alone has gr̥hastha āsrama and
ahaṁkāra alone has the sanyāsa āsrama. Ātma is beyond all the four āsramas.
न वणार न वणार्श्रमाचारध
न मे धारणाद्यानयोगादयोऽ� ।
अनात्माश्रयाहंममाध्यासहा
तदेकोव�शष्ट �शवः के वलॊऽहम ् ॥ २ ॥
na mē dhāraṇādyānayōgādayō:'pi |
anātmāśrayāhaṁmamādhyāsahānāt
tadēkō-vaśiṣṭaḥ śivaḥ kēvalo:'ham || 2 ||
What varṇa and what āsrama for me? none of them is there. Even meditation is not
there for me; because meditation is withdrawal of the thought activity. I did not
withdraw from thought? Why, ahaṁkāra has to withdraw the thought; ātma need
not withdraw the thoughts, because ātma does not have thoughts to withdraw.
Therefore remember, even meditation is from the standpoint of ahaṁkāra alone.
Therefore Śankarācārya says, in that daśa sloki, it is a beautiful verse called daśa
sloki, 10 verses only all of them is nidhidhyāsana slōka s; meditation verse it is; the
fourth line says: tadēkō-vaśiṣṭaḥ śivaḥ kēvalo:'ham. I am śivaḥ.
One great vēdantic ācārya, known as Madhusūdana Saraswathy, a very great

scholar, he just comments upon these ten verses and has brought out a huge book
on these ten verses only. A very advanced vēdantic book; it is called siddandha
bindu; just on 10 verses, vēdānta siddhandha bindu; and that book is so advanced
and beautiful that there are commentaries on that. From that one slōka is this.
Page 1954

na mē dhāraṇādyānayōgādayō:'pi |
Aṣṭanga yōga are all because of ahaṁkāra only. I do not have even that. That is
what he says here. Na mē pravr̥tti na cha nivr̥tti. Why I do not have both? because
my nature is such.
And what is my nature. That is beautifully described. In the second and third line,
sadā eka rūpasya; for me, who am ever the same. That is nirvikāraḥ. Because nivr̥tti
is withdrawal from mental activities or mental disturbances, where is the question of
disturbances in consciousness and therefore sadā ekarūpasya; which is changeless
ātma; where is the question of pravr̥tti or nivr̥tti. Niramsakasya; who am free from
all parts, constituent parts; or constituent limbs; avayava rahitasya. Because all the
activities require avayava. Whatever activity you want to do, you have to use
karmēndriyās; or jñānēndriyās; or pañja prāṇa; aṣṭanga yōga you want to do
prāṇāyama, you have to do prāṇa avayava; prathyāhāra you have to use the sense
organs; aasana, you have to use the body. I do not have any avayavam at all;
where is the question of practising pravr̥tti or nivr̥ttiḥ. None is there for me.
Ekātmaka; I am of non-dual nature, ātma means svarūpam; ēkasvarūpaḥ; advaita

svarūpaḥ ahaṁ asmi, which is nibidaḥ nirantharaḥ; which is nothing but
homogenous consciousness;
nididaḥ literally means dense. In this context, we can take it as homogeneous or

uniform consciousness.
nirantharaḥ, without any gap in between. So it is not that a what you a call a pool of
consciousness is sitting in this body; you know like the pool of water, here and
there, after a rain; another pool of consciousness in another's body, in between a
gap; it is not like that; nirantharaḥ means consciousness is continuously there. So
gaplessly homogenous consciousness I am.
And yōma iva pūrṇaḥ; which is infinite like the space. Pūrṇaḥ means sarva
vyāpakaḥ. Pūrayati sarvaṁ. Even the remotest galaxy is pervaded by ākāśa.
Similarly, I the ātma fill up the entire creation. That being my nature, katham na
cēstatē. How can I do any activity at all.
Page 1955

And activities subdivided into pravr̥tti rūpa activity or nivr̥tti rūpa activity; both types
of activities are not there. So fourth line should be connected with the first line.
Katham na cēstatē tasmāt pravr̥ttiḥ nāsti, nivr̥ttiḥ nāsti.
पुण्या� पापा�न �न�रिन्द्र

�नश्चेतस �न�व्
र कृते�नर्राकृत |
कुतो ममाखण्डसुखानुभूते
ब्रू ह्यनन्वागत�मत् श्रु� ||५०३||
puṇyāni pāpāni nirindriyasya
niścētasō nirvikr̥tērnirākr̥tēḥ |
kutō mamākhaṇḍasukhānubhūtēḥ
brūtē hyananvāgatamityapi śrutiḥ ||503||
Since I do not have any karma, pravr̥tti rūpa or nivr̥tti rūpa karma; I do not have
puṇya pāpa phalam also. Because pravr̥tti produced puṇyam and pāpam, nivr̥tti also
produces puṇyam and pāpam. How pravr̥tti means doing? when a person does an
action, which is vihitam in the scriptures, which is prescribed in the vēdas; vihita
pravr̥tti will produce puṇyam and suppose I do an action which is prohibited by the
scriptures, niṣidda pravr̥tti will produce pāpam. So pravr̥tti itself produces puṇyam or
pāpam, dependent on whether it is vihita pravr̥tti or niṣidda pravr̥tti; doing the don'ts
and do's. Similarly, nivr̥tti also can produce puṇyam and pāpam. When I withdraw
from the prohibited action; when I give up the prohibited actions, niṣidda nivr̥tti, I
am getting purer and purer.
On the other hand, when I am omitting what I am supposed to do, vihita nivr̥tti, or
vihita akāraṇam, in English called omission, omission and commission, omission not
doing, what is to be done. In such case, non-performance also produces pāpam.
Thus pravr̥tti also produces puṇya pāpam; nivr̥ttiḥ also produces puṇya pāpam;
depending upon whether they deal with vihitam or niṣiddam.
And here the student says: since I do not have pravr̥tti or nivr̥tti; where is the
question of puṇyam or pāpam.
Na puṇyam na pāpam na soukyam na duḥkhaṁ; na mantro na thirtho na

vēda na yajñaḥ; ahaṁ bhōjanam naiva bhōjyam na bhōktā; cidānandaḥ
rūpa shivōhaṁ shivōhaṁ.
Page 1956

This is called Nirvāṇa ṣatkam. Earlier one was daśa slōki; which has got another
name, and that is daśa slōki because ten verses are there; it is also called Nirvāṇa
daśakam.
Sankarācārya has written two similar texts, one is Nirvāṇa ṣaṭkam and another one
is Nirvāṇa daśakam. In daśakam, it is tadeko vasiṣṭaha ṣiva kēvaloham is repeated.
In Nirvāṇa ṣaṭkam, cidānandaḥ rūpaha ṣivōhaṁ ṣivōhaṁ. All these are
nidhidhyāsana slōkas.
In fact these slōkas are also not for explanation; because already it has been
explained earlier. You have to go on reminding yourselves repeatedly these verses.
reminding myself and owning up. Therefore where is puṇyam or pāpam for me. Why
I do not have all these, because that is my nature; and what is that wonderful
nature? Nirindriyasya; for me; who do not have any indriyam at all. There also,
karmēndriyās are meant for karma anuṣṭānam and jñānēndriyās for karma phala
svīkāraḥ. Karmēndriyās are meant for karmās; jñānēndriyās are meant for bh ō ga;
karmēndriyās make me karta; jñānēndriyās make me abōktā. Because I do not have
karmēndriyās and jñānēndriyās, I am neither a kartā. Therefore not a abōktā.
Niscētasāḥ. For me who am free from anthakāraṇam, the mind, which has to
activate the jñānēndriyās. When jñānēndriyās themselves are not there; why do I
require a coordinator, supervisor for jñānēndriyās. Mind is the coordinator of
jñānēndriyās. When jñānēndriyās are not there; co-ordinator has to be unemployed
only. Therefore just as they give forced retirement tickets in the companies, like
that, mind has no work, because no sense organs, niscētasāḥ; all śaṣti vibhakthi
which is the description of my nature, for Me, who am sense organless, for Me, who
am mindless; nirvikr̥tē; for Me, who am free from all modifications, nirvikāraḥ,
ṣadvikāra rahita; all you know, I do not want to go to details. Nirākr̥tē; for Me, who
am free from ākāraḥ; ākāraḥ means what: shape or form; formless; and
Then akhaṇḍa sukha anubhūtē; for Me, who is undivided consciousness and
ānandaḥ. Sukha anubhūtiḥ; anubhūtiḥ means caitanyaṁ; not experience. Why we
do not take experience? Because experience is subject to change. We are talking
about changeless one; therefore you should not translate it as experience. Any
experience is subject to change. Therefore anubhūti should be translated as
consciousness which is ever the same.
Page 1957

And what type of consciousness? sukha anubhutē; which is ānandaḥ svarūpam; it

means cidānandarūpam; anubhuti means chit, sukham means ānandam; so
chidānandaḥrūpa
And what type of chidānandaḥ? akhaṇḍa cidānandaḥ; undivided cidānandaḥ rūpaḥ.
And why does he use the word akhaṇḍa? It is very thoughtfully used. Otherwise you
will think chit is one part of ātma; ānandaḥ is another part of ātma, we will think
that way. Then ātma will have parts and division; it is kāndam.
Therefore by using the word akhanada what Śankarācārya means is chit is ānandaḥ;
ānandaḥ is chit, they are two words, but refers to only one entity. Like one and the
same person, being addressed by the child as the father, and addressed by his
father, as son. One and the same person is father and son; which part is father and
which part is son. That person is one whole person only. From the angle of
observation, two names are given. Only nāma bhēdaḥ; puruṣaḥ bēdaḥ nāsti.
Similarly, there is no division in ātma; from one angle it is called chit, from another
angle, the same one is called ānandaḥ. Therefore akhaṇḍa cid ānandaḥ rūpasya
mama.
So all these are adjectives for one mama. For nirindriyasya; niscētasāḥ; nirvikr̥tēḥ,
nirākr̥tēḥ, akhaṇḍa sukhānubhutēḥ; five adjectives and mama is the noun; all are
śaṣti vibhakthi, for such a me, puṇyāṇi pāpāni kutaḥ; how can there be puṇyam and
pāpam. For such a me.
And this is very clearly revealed in Brihadāranyaka Upaṇiṣad. Śankarācāryā says:

śrutiḥ brūtē. This nature the śruti reveals very clearly. In Brihadāranyaka Upaṇiṣad,
in the Svayaṁ Jyōthi brahmaṇam, 4th chapter, 3rd section, avastha traya is talked
about; and the Upaṇiṣad says: consciousness is in all the three avasthās, but
consciousness is not affected by all the three avasthās.
Ananvāgatam means not affected by. So the Upaṇiṣad vākyam is Ananvāgatam

pūṇyēna; Ananvāgatam pāpēna; jirnōhi sada sarvān sōkhān hr̥dayasya bhavathi.
Ātma is neither associated with puṇyam; anvāgatam means associated;
Page 1958

Ananvāgatam means unassociated; Ananvāgatam pūṇyēna; ananvagatam pāpēna,

jirnōhi sada sarvān sōkhān hr̥dayasya bhavathi.
And Brihadārṇaya gives an example which Śankarācārya enjoys quoting. Mahā

matsya dr̥ṣṭānta. Imagine huge matsya, fish is moving in the river. Sometimes it
goes near to one shore; it moves closer to one shore and at some time it moves
closer to another shore; at sometimes it moves in the middle. One shore represents
jāgrath prapañja, another shore represents svapna prapañja; middle represents
suṣupti. We are now like a fish in jāgrath prapañja; we are seeing everything. Like
sitting in the train in this side for sometime and on the other side window for some
time; so you see that. Svapna you have gone to the other side, watch the drama
going on there. Akramam in Svapna, that you watch.
And after some time, in the middle. In the radio, sleep knob is there; but even
though the fish moves nearer the two shores, fish is not affected by whatever is
there on the shore. Similarly jāgrat prapañja and svapna prapañja do not taint me at
all. jirnōhi sada sarvān sōkhān hr̥dayasya bhavathi. That mahā matsya dr̥ṣṭaanta for
avastha traya sākṣitvam is remembered by Śankarācārya in this fourth line;
ananvāgatam ityapi śrutiḥ brūtē.
Hari Om.
Page 1959

150. Verses 504 to 507
ु ्या� पापा�न �न�रिन्द्र

पण
�नश्चेतस �न�व्
र कृते�नर्राकृत |
कुतो ममाखण्डसुखानुभूते
ब्रू ह्यनन्वागत�मत् श्रु� ||५०३||
puṇyāni pāpāni nirindriyasya
niścētasō nirvikr̥tērnirākr̥tēḥ |
kutō mamākhaṇḍasukhānubhūtēḥ
brūtē hyananvāgatamityapi śrutiḥ ||503||
While expressing his gratitude to the teacher, the student is summarising the entire
vēdantic teaching which he has received through this Vivēkacūḍāmaṇi and the
primary or essential teaching is: That I have got a paramārthikam svarūpam, a
higher nature, and also I have a vyavahārika svarūpam, an empirical nature, the
paramarthika svarūpam is called ātma and vyavahārika svarūpam is called
ahaṁkāraḥ; and the vyavahārika ahaṁkāra is very much real in the field of
transaction and since it is very much real in the field of transaction, we call it
vyavaharika satyam. It has utility; it has got validity; it has got responsibility; all are
there for ahaṁkāra from vyavahārika angle. And that is why we give it the name
vyavaharika satyam.
But when the vyavaharika satya ahaṁkāra is looked from the standpoint of the ātma
the pāramārthikam satyam, then the very same ahaṁkāra is called mithya. So the
status of ahaṁkāra increases from the context of vyavahārā. The status of
ahaṁkāra increases from the standpoint of vyavahārā. The status of ahaṁkāra
decreases from the standpoint of ātma.
And that is why we use two different names for the same ahaṁkāra. From
vyavahārika field, the status increases. Therefore vyavahārika satyam, we give the
word and the status of ahaṁkāra decreases from the standpoint of ātma. Therefore
we call it mithya.
Page 1960

Ahaṁkāra is mithya, ahaṁkāra is insignificant; ahaṁkāra is invalid; ahaṁkāra is

unreal; ahaṁkāra is myth; ahaṁkāra is dream-like; all these statements I can give
only when my reference point is ātma.
Like the bowler and the batsman. When the team is batting, all the batsmen become
dominant and focused in the team. Much expectation is not there from the bowlers.
But when the very same is fielding, the bowlers become focussed and prominent.
Therefore who is important; whether it is Tendulkar or Venkatesh Prasad, depends
upon what the team is doing.
Similarly ahaṁkāra is to be highlighted or ahaṁkāra is to be put down depends upon

what is the field. And when it is vyavahārā pradhāna life, ahaṁkāra will definitely get
prominence and when it is not vyavahārā pradhāna, ahaṁkāra can be seen as
mithya.
And therefore in this verse which we completed in the last class, the student is
looking at himself as the ātma and therefore ahaṁkāra has become insignificant in
his vision. Therefore he says where do I have puṇyam? puṇyam is dominant when
ahaṁkāra is prominent. Puṇyam is associated with karta; because puṇyam is karma
phalam. Karma phalam comes into picture only where karta is there; in front of I,
the akarta ātma, puṇyam and pāpam have no relevance at all; just as barber and
comb have no relevance in front of a bald headed person. What relation with these?
Similarly na puṇyam na pāpam na soukyam na duḥkhaṁ. Therefore niścētasaḥ
nirvikr̥tēḥ, nirākr̥tēḥ; akhaṇḍa sukhānubhūtē mama puṇyāni pāpani kutaḥ. Whether
puṇya pāpa am is there or not; the sañcita, āgami prārabdha are not there, because
puṇya pāpams alone are classified into sañcita, āgami, prārabdha. And when they
are not there, where is the question of saṁsāra. And in support of this, the student
quoted the Brihadāranya vākyam, ananvāgatam pūṇyēna ananvāgatam pāpēna
thīrnōhi sadā sarvān hr̥dayasya sōkhān bhavathi. The one who has claimed ātma as
himself, he is asaṅgaḥ.
छायया स्पृष्टमुष वा शीतं वा सुष्ठ दःु ष्ठ वा |

न स्पृशत्य यित्किञ्चत्पु तद्�वल�ण म ||५०४||
chāyayā spr̥ṣṭamuṣṇaṁ vā śītaṁ vā suṣṭhu duḥṣṭhu vā |
na spr̥śatyēva yatkiñcitpuruṣaṁ tadvilakṣaṇam ||504||
Page 1961

As I said ahaṁkāra plays a very very important role, if you look at ahaṁkāra from
the standpoint of vyavahārā; whether it is family angle, whether it is business angle,
whether it is national angle, communal angle; any vyāvaharika angle you see,
ahaṁkāra is very very important and prominent and therefore your activities should
also be based on the prominence of ahaṁkāra.
Therefore you have to look at jātakam as ahaṁkāra has jātakam. And therefore you
have to talk about various kinds of remedies, prāyascitta; all of them also become
prominent, because ahaṁkāra is prominent; ahaṁkāra is prominent because I am
looking at it from the standpoint of vyavahārika prapañja.
And the moment I look at it from the standpoint of ahaṁkāra, from paramārthika
ahaṁ, it becomes a chāya. So chāyayā spr̥ṣṭam, ahaṁkāra is only a shadow; it is
only a myth; it has got only an unreal existence; ahaṁkāra is overwhelmed by the
ātma's status. And this is called ahaṁkārasya abhibhavaḥ; overpowering ahaṁkāra
and thus making it insignificant. Like what? the stars are there in the sky, even
during day time. Even now, in the sky stars are there, but the stars have become as
though non-existent. Can you say they are non-existent? No, because they are
existent. But what has happened during the day time? We say stars are not there
during day because, the light of the stars are over powered by the light of the Sun.
So if you cannot destroy the star, there is another method of destruction, the
indirect method of destruction is overpowering by something superior. Similarly, as
long as prārabdha is there; ahaṁkāra cannot be eliminated. Ahaṁkāra's problems
cannot be eliminated. The karma will affect the ahaṁkāra in the form of diseases,
loss, birth, death, mental agonies; all of them will be there.
Since you cannot destroy that ahaṁkāra, what is the best method; learn to look at
the same ahaṁkāra from the standpoint of a superior light of ātma. And when ātma
becomes the predominant I in my life, then the ahaṁkāra problems will be there;
but they will be not worth considering. They will be like mosquito bites or pin pricks.
That is why Śankarācārya uses the word, from ātma dr̥ṣṭi, ahaṁkāra has become
chaaya. Chaaya means what: a shadow of your body.
Now there are two things. Your original body is there. Your shadow body is there.
Śankarācārya asks the question: suppose your shadow is in contact with objects; not
you; your shadow is in contact with objects; chāyaya sprustam. What type of
objects? Usnam va Sheetam va; a hot object it comes into contact with fire; when
Page 1962

you are standing here; your shadow falls on fire. Or sheetam vā; your shadow falls
on ice. Or suṣhtu; your shadow falls on a good object; a fragrant object; or dushtu
va; your shadow falls or comes in contact with a dirty object.
So whatever happens to your shadow, you are not bothered because from your
angle the shadow is insignificant. You do not refute the existence of the shadow;
because you are able to experience it; you do not refute its contact with fire or ice
also; because the contact is there; but still you are not bothered because that is not
your real I; it is only shadow I.
In the case of a wise person, who has learned to look at himself as the ātma,
ahaṁkāra has got only shadow existence and therefore puruṣaṁ chāyayā spr̥ṣṭam
uṣṇaṁ śītaṁ va; puruṣaṁ na spr̥śati. It does not touch the real body; which has got
higher order of reality. Shadow has a lower order of reality. The real physical body
has a higher order of reality; what affects the lower order does not affect the higher
order. So na spr̥śati ēva.
In the same way, so puruṣaṁ na spr̥śati kiñcit puruṣaṁ; yat kiñcit means anything
and what type of puruṣaṁ, tad vilakṣaṇam, puruṣaḥ means the real body, the
physical body, which is different from tad chāya vilakṣaṇam. So chāya spr̥ṣṭam
uṣṇaṁ vā śītaṁ vaa chāya vilakṣaṇam puruṣaṁ, na spr̥śati.
So the whole slōka is with the example only. From that we have to extend,
ahaṁkāra is comparable to chāya, shadow, I, the ātma is to be compared to the real
body, and the world is attacking what: only the chāya-ahaṁkāra. All the stars, all
the planets, all the economic recessions, all the unemployment, all the diseases,
they are all attacking what; the chāya ahaṁkāraḥ. For ātma, நாள என்ெச�; ேகாள
என்ெச�;; there is no நாள, there is no ேகாள; because ātma belongs to a higher
order of reality and it is not enough you say ātma belongs to higher order of reality,
that will not help; I will say I am affected Svāmiji, my ātma belongs to higher order,
instead of saying ātma belong, I belong to a higher order; and therefore I am not
worried about the ahaṁkāra's up's and down's.
Even if I look for some remedy, not for my purpose, for the sake of family purpose,
worldly purpose, non-binding remedy pursuits may be there. But I am not seriously
bothered about the ahaṁkāra's biography. Because there is no perfect biography for
Page 1963

the ahaṁkāra. Even mahājñāni's ahaṁkāra does not have a perfect biography. You
may say mahā jñāni ātma has perfect biography. For that my answer is: not only
mahā jñāni's ātma, your ātma also has ever a perfect biography. Ātma has ever
perfect biography; ahaṁkāra has never perfect biography. It is like trying to perfect
the ahaṁkāra, is like straightening the dog's tail. Keep it like that, again one
problem went away; another problem comes. And therefore the student says: I do
not care.
न सा��णं सा�यधमार् संस्पृशिन �वल�णम ् |

अ�वकारमदु ासीनं गहध
ृ मार् प्रद�पव ||५०५||
na sākṣiṇaṁ sākṣyadharmāḥ saṁspr̥śanti vilakṣaṇam |
avikāramudāsīnaṁ gr̥hadharmāḥ pradīpavat ||505||
In the same way, just as whatever happens to the shadow does not affect the
person, the body. Similarly whatever happens to ahaṁkāra, does not taint the sākṣi.
Sākṣi dharmāḥ sākṣiṇaṁ na spr̥śanti. Sākṣyaṁ means what: anātma the object.
That is stūla sūkṣma kāraṇa śarīra trayaṁ is called Sākṣyaṁ and ahaṁkāra is also
called Sākṣyaṁ only; because ahaṁkāra is nothing but śarīra trayaṁ with reflected
consciousness. So therefore Sākṣyaṁ is ahaṁkāra which is equal to śarīra trayaṁ
plus cidābhāsā, reflection and whatever happens to that; sākṣinaṁ na saṁspr̥śanti;
does not touch the chit, the original consciousness, the bimba caitanyaṁ. When the
reflecting medium gets affected, the reflection also becomes dull; becomes bright; it
travels and it is distorted, the reflected consciousness may have distortion, RM and
RC can get distorted; RM means reflecting medium, RC means reflected
consciousness; RM and RC goes through distortions; but OC, the original
consciousness does not have any distortion. Why vilakṣaṇam, because it is distinct
from the sākṣyaṁ, the ahaṁkāra.
So vilakṣaṇam means Sākṣyaṁ vilakṣaṇam, ahaṁkāra vilakṣaṇam and because of

that only, the original consciousness, ātma is avikāram. Avikāram means changeless
modification_less;
And because of that only, udāsīnaṁ; udāsīnaṁ means ātma does not look for a
remedy also. If I am affected the heat; my body goes through the vikhāra of
sweating when there is extra heat; that is bhōktr̥tvam of the body; naturally from
the stand point of the body, I try to do something to face that; I switch on the fan, I
Page 1964

switch on the AC; or minimum I take a fan or something; bōktha will always look for
a remedy and become a kartā. Ātma being avikhāraḥ it is not affected by the set up,
and therefore only udāsīnaḥ, it does not work for a remedy also. Abōkthr̥tvāt akartā,
akarthr̥tvāt abōktā. So avikhāram udāsīnaṁ. udāsīnaṁ means akartā. So udāsīnaṁ,
he does not anything, including prāyascittam. So when I look for that I have to give
importance to ahaṁkāra, and therefore he does not look for even prāyascitta. That
is why even if he is in sanyāsa āsrama, he need not look for prāyascitta karmās
because whatever affects him is not going to affect anybody else, because he is
away from the society. But if a jñāni is a gr̥hastha, is a part of the set up, when he
has got a bad prārabdha, he has to look for prāyascitta karmās, because as long as
gr̥hastha jñāni is affected, it will affect the wife, children, grand children, business
and all; therefore a gr̥hastha jñāni will have to do look for remedy; if not for himself;
at least for the sake of the set up. But if he is a sanyāsi jñāni out of society and set
up, he can say, even if I fall dead tomorrow, it is not going to affect anyone,
because sarva sambhanda rahitaḥ ahaṁ. And therefore the life style of a gr̥hastha
jñāni and the life style of a sanyāsi jñāni can never be identical because a gr̥hastha
jñāni continues to have responsibility, because he is part of a set up and his getting
out will affect the set up but a sanyāsi jñāni is not bothered. But if a sanyāsi jñāni
starts an institution, then again he becomes part of the set up, and institution may
heavily depend upon him. Therefore that sanyāsi jñāni is for all practical purposes
like a gr̥hastha jñāni only because he will have to do things for the sake of the set
up. And if an astrologer comes and says; āsrama has got some problem; āsramas
have also got astrology; then that sanyāsi jñāni cannot say that why I should do
prāyascittam. No; he has become part of the set up and therefore hōmam, yāgaṁ,
and whatever is to be done is to be done.
And thus the life style of a jñāni depends upon what type of role he plays in society.
He cannot be an irresponsible person, from the standpoint of vyavahārā. If he is a
paramahāmsa parivrājaka, moving from one place to another place, sūra mandira
taru mūla nivāsaḥ; sayya bhūtālam ajinam vāsaḥ, his existence also does not make a
difference; non-existence also does not make a difference. Therefore jñāni has to be
responsible, from vyavahārika angle.
And he gives an example here. gr̥hadharmāḥ pradīpavat. gr̥hadharmāḥ means the

various conditions of the house, an orderly house, disorderly house, a clean house, a
dirty house, a gr̥hadharmāḥ, the conditions of the house are illumined by pradīpaḥ,
Page 1965

and the illuminator light is not affected by the conditions of the house. The light is
pure, whether the house is clean or unclean.
Just as the light is asaṅgaḥ, udāsīnaḥ, akartā, abōktā, nirvikāraḥ. Similarly I am the
light-like consciousness, who is asaṅgaḥ, nirvikāra, akartā, abōktā.
In the next verse, in the second line, there is a correction or a better reading, I
would like to correct that first, then we will read. Next verse, second line, वह्नेयर्
दाह�नयामकत्व म vahnēryathā dāhaniyāmakatvam, is there in some books. There is

another better reading. वा अय�स दाहकत्व.म vaa ayasi dāhakatvam. वा, vaa, one word,
अय�स, ayasi, short c, ayasi, दाहकत्व म daahakatvam, and वा vaa and अय�स ayasi, if you
read together it will become वाय�स vaayasi. We will read.
रवेयर्थ कम्र � सा��भावो

वह्नेयर् दाह�नयामकत्व म | वाय�स दाहकत्व म
रज्जोयर्थाऽऽरो�पतवस्तुस
तथैव कूटस्थ�चदात्म मे ||५०६||
ravēryathā karmaṇi sākṣibhāvō
vahnēryathā dāhaniyāmakatvam |
rajjōryathā:':'rōpitavastusaṅgaḥ
tathaiva kūṭasthacidātmanō mē ||506||
So the student said I am the ātma which is paramārthikam and everything else is
anātma, vyavahārikam. And I, belonging to the higher order of reality, do not have
and cannot have any relationship with anātma at all.
And because I do not have any relationship, I am absolutely unaffected by whatever

happens to anātma, because relationship alone affects a person. It is not an actual
event in the world that effects, but it is the type of relationship that you have that
affects. That is why several deaths are occurring in the world everybody but we find
in our life, no change happens. From this it is very clear that death as an event,
does not affect anyone, but the same event affects me, when it is connected with
me; as a family member, as a company member, as something or the other.
From this it is very clear that the events of the world are not responsible but it is my
relationship. And the relationship has got various intensities and depending upon the
Page 1966

intensity of relationship, there is the intensity of sorrow also, which we saw in the
first chapter of the Gītā. Biṣma's death or Drōṇa death, may not affect us at all; it
may appear in obituary column, we may not read; generally we start reading after
certain age; perhaps to make sure that my name is not there; but many of us do not
even do not read and even if we read it does not affect, but the very same death of
Biṣma nd Drōṇa even in its imaginary version, not real, even in its imaginary version
Arjuna could not withstand. Sīdanti.
Therefore is it the death that affects or is it the way of looking at that death. At that
particular death, vēdānta says it is my relationship and relationship based
perspective. And therefore yathra yathra saṅgaha, tathra tathra saṁsāraḥ.
And if one has to be freed from saṁsāra, there is no other way other than becoming
asaṅgaḥ. And ahaṁkāra can never be asaṅgaḥ; ātma alone can be asaṅgaḥ.
Therefore I have to see myself as asaṅgaḥ all the time.
Next Śankarācārya points out that even the asaṅga ātma has got some seeming
relationship, as though relationships are there, and based on that relationship, what
relationship, seeming relationship, apparent relationship, ātma is given some
relational name. There are certain names which are called relational names. What do
you mean by relationship names, can you understand? The word father; the word
Rāma is only a name. But the word father is a relational name. It shows the
relationship with children.
Ātma should not have any relational name at all; because ātma is free from all
relationship, but here the student says: even though ātma cannot have any
relational name, we give certain relational names to ātma; but we should remember,
those relational names are only apparent relationship; but they are not real
relationships. What are they? He gives three examples.
This is another beautiful slōka worth remembering and useful for nidhidhyāsanam.
So previously I told 499 is useful for nidhidhyāsanam and this is another beautiful
verse. In fact, each line can be used for one session nidhidhyāsanam. Not all the line
for one session. Each line can be used.
ravēḥ sākṣibhāvaḥ. Raviḥ means Sun. Sun means S u n, OK. This Sun Raviḥ is
called sākṣi of the world. Sākṣi means the witness. Sometime agni is called sākṣi. In
Page 1967

fact all the weddings are done agnisākṣi. Surya is also supposed to be a sākṣi,
suppose a person wants to take sanyāsa. Sanyāsa is to be received from another
sanyāsi. Another sanyāsi alone has got the right to give sanyāsa and suppose there
are no sanyāsis available around, and he wants to take sanyāsa and he knows the
rituals of sanyāsa also; then, according to śāstra, there is provision, because anyone
wants to take sanyāsa really, the provision must be there. Just because nobody is
there, he should not take sanyāsa. In such case, it is said he has to keep Surya as
the guru and sākṣi and he has to utter the mantras, remove the sacred thread, tuft,
etc. Therefore he has to read the mantra ucchāraṇam and for him who is the dīkṣa
dātha, dīkṣa guru; Surya Bhagavān becomes.
Just as for the wedding; agni is the sākṣi. For sanyāsa, Surya becomes the sākṣi.
Anyway that is all story.
What is relevant here; suryaḥ is called sākṣi, a witness. The word sākṣi is not an
absolute name, it is a relational name. Are you able to differentiate absolute name
and relational name. Krishna is an absolute name. Chair is an absolute name; but
the moment you say father, it is a relational name. When I say supporter, for the
chair if I say it is the support, the moment you call it a support, it becomes what? a
relational name, because it is supporting something. Aśraya-āśritha-saṁbanda come.
Similarly you say it is a seer. Relational name or absolute name. Seer means
relationship with seen has come. Similarly the Sun is called a sākṣi, which is a
relational name, because the moment you say Sun is a witness, you are relating the
Sun to the witnessed-sākśya-object. So therefore sākṣi is a relational name which is
attributed by us, by which we are bringining a relationship but on enquiry you find,
son does not have any relationship with any object.
How do you prove that the Sun does not have any relationship. We can prove in
several methods; sun witnessing the world is not a deliberate wilful action done by
the Sun; Sun continues to be the same; whether the earth is there or not. Therefore
witnessing is not a deliberate action done by the Sun and therefore you cannot call it
a witness at all. And the second reason if the Sun has a relationship with the object;
whatever happens to the object will affect the Sun. But we find whatever happens to
the object, the earth, the Sun is not affected at all.
Therefore Sun is asaṅgaḥ with regard to the earth. But even though it is asaṅgaḥ,
we are giving it a relational name. Therefore we should understand the relational
Page 1968

name is unreal. Therefore ultimately ātma is not a sākṣi also. Sākṣi is a false name
for ātma. Unreal name for ātma. So one ācārya beautifully says:
chētyo parāga rūpā mē, sākṣita vinatātviki,

phalakṣaṇa mēvēyam nishtharanga cidam budhēḥ.
People call me sākṣi from the standpoint of the world. When the world is negated, I
do not go away; but my sākṣi status goes away. And any status that goes away is
not my real nature. And therefore I am not a sākṣi also.
So ravēhē yatha karmaṇi sākṣi dāvaḥ; just as the Sun has got sākṣi bhāva with
regard to all the activities of the world, and the Sun is not affected by the activity;
similarly I am the witness of all the activities of the body, mind, sense organs, but
those activities do not taint me; paśyan, sr̥nvan, spr̥san, jihrnan, asnan, gacchan;
ahaṁ naiva kiñcid karōmi.
Then the second example: vannēhe yatha dāhakatvam. So we say the fire is burning
the fuel. Fire is burning the fuel. Or any object for the matter. Ayasi, ayas means a
piece of iron. So when a piece of iron or any object is there, the fire is said to be a
burner of the object, and the object is said to be burned; so a relationship has come.
What is the relationship; burner-burned relationship. Saṁsr̥kt it is called dāhya
dāhāka saṁbandaḥ.
And here Śankarācārya says really speaking fire does not burn anything,
deliberately, wilfully. If burning is an action done by fire, it will have beginning. Agni
would have to think, should I burn or not, this is baby putting the hand, pāvam
innocent baby, therefore I should not burn the baby, fire should think all of them.
But you find whether baby puts the hand or an elderly person puts the hand or
whether the hand is there or not, the fire is hot; but burning action is attributed to
the fire. An action which is not there in the fire. And since the burning action is only
an attributed action, the relationship is also attributed relation. Similarly, I am
supposed to be the illuminator but I am not doing the illuminating action.
Then the third one. rajjōhō yatha, ārōpita vasthu saṅgha. ārōpita vastu means a
superimposed object. So in the case of rope snake, snake is the ārōpita vastu, and
rajju is said to be adhiṣṭānam or āśraya; a substratum, a base. The word substratum
is an absolute name or relational name. The word substratum. Stratum has to be
Page 1969

there for sub-stratum. Therefore the word substratum is a relational name and that
is also an unreal relational name, because rope does not have any relationship with
snake; because snake is prāthibāsikam, rope is vyavāharikam. And therefore ātma is
not even an ādhāram. Ātma is not even an āśraya.
And therefore he says: yathā ārōpita vasthu saṅgaḥ. Saṅgaḥ means relationship and
relationship based problems. Any problem you analyse, it will be relationship based.
When it is the relationship with inert thing, problems are less, when the relationship
is with sentient thing, the problems get complicated. Sentiency also three levels;
lower sentiency plant; higher one animal; the highest one, human being. So inert
thing, plant animal, humans. As the relationship goes from lower to higher; the
relationship based problems also become more and more.
Any problem means saṅgaḥ only. Svāmiji says. One Svāmi came and introduced
himself to Dayānanda Svāmi it seems. And he said his name is: Sambandānandaḥ.
Svāmi said I was laughing within myself. Saṁbanda and ānandaḥ are oximoron; it
does not exist at all; saṁbanda is equal to saṁsāra.
And vēdānta's challenge is try to be free from saṁsāra and have saṁbanda. It is
never never possible. Therefore you should see saṁbanda as vyavaharika satyam,
and you should see your real I as asambandānandaḥ is possible. Asaṅga ānandaḥ is
possible. Saṁbanda and ānandaḥ can never co-exist.
Therefore rajju yathō ārōpita vastu saṅga, that is unreal. Thathaiva, like the three
examples, me, for me, there is no saṁbanda at all. Which Me, not ahaṁkāra me;
ahaṁkāra Me is all saṁbanda put together. For me, the ātma, kutastha cidātmanaḥ;
that is why asaṅgōhaṁ; asaṅgōhaṁ, which these nidhidhyāsana slōka, once in a
while I have to remind, I am not saṁbanda ahaamakara, I am asaṁbanda
ahaṁkāra. Kudastha means changeless, cidātma, ātma, the consciousness.
कतार्� वा कार�यता�प नाहं
भोक्ता� वा भोज�यता�प नाहम ् |
द्रष्ट वा दशर्�यता� नाहं
सोऽहं स्वयंज्यो�तरनीदृगा ||५०७||
kartāpi vā kārayitāpi nāhaṁ
bhōktāpi vā bhōjayitāpi nāham |
draṣṭāpi vā darśayitāpi nāhaṁ
Page 1970

sō:'haṁ svayaṁjyōtiranīdr̥gātmā ||507||
Another beautiful verse. All nidhidhyāsana slōka. So relational names do not belong
to me. Any name which invokes a relationship and that is why the very progress of
or progress in spirituality is, you start with strong worldly relationships and we all
suffer. Parikṣya lōkān; we all suffer.
And from total relationship, we can never go to total non-relationship; we cannot go.
And therefore remedy prescribed is: you replace the worldly relationship with some
thing superior or better relationship, which is medium. It is a bondage, but not that
serious. And it is not a perpetuating bondage. And what is that? They say to start
with worldly relationship, and a day should come when you should not lean upon the
world, I have told you before, give up world dependence and replace it with God
dependence.
We talk about three relationships. One is guru saṁbandaḥ; śāstra sambhanda; and
Īśvara saṁbandaḥ; it is an intermediary relationship, which we deliberately use.
Therefore drop world dependence, and convert into thes three-fold dependence; and
this is also not for permanent keeping; not always guru śāstra Īśvara; that becomes
sātvik bondage.
Therefore guru śāstra Īśvara saṅga is sātvika saṅgaḥ; all other saṅgās are rājasa
tāmasa saṅga. Any other relationship is rājasa tamāśā saṅgaḥ. These are all truths
which world does not like to hear. If you say, they will get angry. Relationship, wife,
children, grand children, husband, father, mother, etc. are all rājasa tāmasa saṅgam
if you say, they will beat you. People will get angry; but as Śankarācārya says in
Bhaja Gōvindaṁ, that is the truth.
यावद्�वत्तोपाज सक्त
स्ताविन् प�रवारो रक्त |
पश्चाज्जीव जजर् देहे
वाता� कोऽ�प न पच
ृ ्छ� गेहे ||५||
yāvadvittōpārjana saktaḥ
stāvannija parivārō raktaḥ |
paścājjīvati jarjara dēhē
vārtāṁ kō:'pi na pr̥cchati gēhē ||5||
Page 1971

Bhaja gōvindaṁ reveals that: all relationship other than these: guru śāstra Īśvara
saṁbanda; they are all rājasa tāmasa saṅga. And bhaja gōvindaṁ is advising a
person to develop sātvika saṅga. Govinda refers to what: guru śāstra Īśvara saṅga.
Then thereafter you have to drop even guru śāstra Īśvara saṁbanda. And you
should yourselves as asaṅgōham; asaṅgōham. Therefore he says ahaṁ na akartā; I
am not a doer; ahaṁ na kārāyitā. Nor am I an instigator; that is indirect doer. That
is I do not do; I make someone else do. That is also another type of doership. Why I
am neither a doer or instigator. Abōkthapi nāhaṁ, bhōjaithapi nāhaṁ; I am not an
enjoyer or experiencer nor am I an instigator.
So hētukartā in Saṁsr̥kt grammar; we use the word kartā and hētukartā;

பண்�பவ, பண்ண்ைவப் (pannupavan; panna vaippavan); कन�वाला, करानेवाला
(karnēvāla, karānēvāla); OK; then draṣṭāpi nāhaṁ, darśayitāpi nāhaṁ; I am neither

a seer, nor an instigator of another person to see.
And then who am I? Sōham svayaṁ jyothiḥ. I am the self-evident consciousness;

who am neither or none of them; and remember, all these three pairs are relational
names. kartā has got saṁbanda, kārayita saṁbanda. abōktha has got saṁbanda,
bhōjayitha has got saṁbanda. It becomes a great task for the mother to make the
child eat. When mother becomes bhōjaithri of the child, the child is not eating all she
says: she is suffering; there the mother becomes what: instigator of the child eating;
that is also relationship. So I have no relationship; I am svayaṁ jyothiḥ ātma asmi.
Anidrik means nirguṇaḥ. Nirguṇa ātma.
Hari Om.
Page 1972

151. Verses 508 to 513
कतार्� वा कार�यता�प नाहं

भोक्ता� वा भोज�यता�प नाहम ् |
द्रष्ट वा दशर्�यता� नाहं
सोऽहं स्वयंज्यो�तरनीदृगा ||५०७||
kartāpi vā kārayitāpi nāhaṁ
bhōktāpi vā bhōjayitāpi nāham |
draṣṭāpi vā darśayitāpi nāhaṁ
sō:'haṁ svayaṁjyōtiranīdr̥gātmā ||507||
The student while expressing his gratitude to his teacher is also summarising the
vēdantic teaching received by him and the essence of the vēdantic teaching is:
ahaṁkāra is vyavahārika satyam and ātma is pāramārthikam satyam. And ahaṁkāra
is nothing but the body-mind-complex with the reflected consciousness and my real
nature is not the vyavahārika ahaṁkāra but it is pāramārthikam ātma. During all
transactions I have to put on the ahaṁkāra cloak or vēṣa; and I have to play
different roles, but I should remember that none of these is my real nature, but I am
the ātma which is different from the ahaṁkāra; which happens to kartā and
kārayitā; abōktha and bhōjayitha, draṣṭā and darśayitā. Ahaṁkāra is actor and also
activator. Ātma neither acts nor activates anything. Ahaṁkāra is both the enjoyer
and also cause of others' enjoyment, whereas ātma is enjoyer nor does it cause
others' enjoyment. And similarly it is neither a seer nor one which makes others see.
Then who am I? Svyam jyothiḥ ātma ahaṁ asmi. I am the self effulgent
consciousness. It is anīdr̥g.
It is anīdr̥g means, it is unlike every object. īdr̥g means in this manner, referring to
any object, anīdr̥g means unlike any object, being the subject. So this has to be
understood as nirguṇam. Free from all the objective properties; all the properties
which belong to objects. Up to this we saw in the last class.
चलत्युपाध प्र�त�बम्बल-
मौपा�धकं मूढ�धयो नयिन् |
स्व�बम्बभू र�ववद्�व�निष्क
Page 1973

कतार्िस भोक्तािस हतोऽिस् हे�त ||५०८||

calatyupādhau pratibimbalaulya-
maupādhikaṁ mūḍhadhiyō nayanti |
svabimbabhūtaṁ ravivadviniṣkriyaṁ
kartāsmi bhōktāsmi hatō:'smi hēti ||508||
So here the student points out that ahaṁkāra is the reflected consciousness;
abhāśācaitanyaṁ, which obtains in the reflecting medium of body-mind complex.
The reflecting medium is called upādhiḥ. Upādhi is RM; the reflecting medium. And
when the reflecting medium moves, then the reflection is also bound to move and
undergo transformations; so when the reflecting medium undergoes transformations
movement, etc. it is bound to affect the reflection; but the student says; whatever
happens to the reflection does not happen to the original one. When my reflected
face is affected by the dots in the mirror, in the reflection also I see the dots; I know
that the dot belonging to the reflected face, really does not really belong to the
original.
Since this fact is not known, whatever be the defect of the reflection, I am falsely
attributing to I, the original consciousness, and because of this wrong attribution, I
struggle in the world saying that I am suffering; I am going through agony, I am
dying, I am getting separated from people, separation is only for pratibimba
caitanyaṁ; when the stūla śarīraṁ separates; but I the original consciousness does
not get separated from anyone, nor do I die when the reflected medium collapses.
Not knowing this, the people cry. So kartāsmi bōkthāsmi, hatōsmi, all the cries of
people, the student says.
Now look at the slōka. Upādhau calaty sati. When the reflecting medium of body-
mind-complex, calaty, is moving; so calaty, sati sapthami, 7th case of calat, not a
verb here, present participle, 7th case; upādau calaty sati, when the body-mind-
complex, reflecting medium is moving, pratibimbalaulya; pratibimba, the reflected
consciousness also has laulyam; laulyam means calanam.
So upādhi calanē pratimbimba calanam, when RM moves, then RC also moves and
this movement of the reflection is called aupādhikaṁ. aupādhikaṁ means what?
Caused by the reflecting medium. So reflecting medium induced movement is there
for the reflected consciousness also; and what do people do? Mūḍhadhiyaḥ sva
bimba būtham nayanti.
Page 1974

Mūḍhadhiyaḥ means indiscriminate people who cannot discriminate the reflected

consciousness and the original consciousness and here the problem is the reflected
face and the original face are physically apart. There is a distance of a few feet; and
therefore I can clearly show that only the reflected face is moving; the original face
is not moving, I can clearly show; because reflection and original has a physical
distance.
Similarly the Sun reflected in the turbulent water; sun is away; reflection is away,
therefore I can clearly discriminate; but when it comes to reflected consciousness
and original consciousness, the unfortunate thing is: there is no physical distance in
the mind itself, reflected consciousness is also there; in the very same mind
overlapping the reflected consciousness, the original consciousness is also there; and
therefore differentiation becomes difficult.
In jāgrat avastha, when I am experiencing localisation, localisation means what? I

am in this place; that localisation feeling is because of reflected Conciousness. In the
suṣupti also I have consciousness but I do not feel that I am located in Chennai or
Anna Nagar or a place. So I have consciousness, but not localised consciousness,
and therefore in the suṣupti I have the original consciousness; whereas in jāgrat
avastha, the original consciousness is there; but the localised consciousness makes
me feel that I am localised and the original consciousness is lost sight of.
Therefore if you have to recognise the unlocalised consciousness, what to do? You
have to sleep. But if you go to sleep, then you are not there to say that; therefore
using the localised consciousness, you should own up the unlocalised consciousness
which is obtaining in suṣupti. In jāgrat avastha you have to recollect the suṣupti
caitanyaṁ.
Therefore it is not an ordinary thing; and therefore mūḍhadhiyaḥ; those who cannot
differentiate the unlocalised and localised consciousness, nayanti, nayanti means
what, they transfer; they carry; they transpose; transpose what? pratibimbalaulyam,
the movement of the reflection, the movement which belongs to the reflection only,
they transfer to svabimba būtham. Third line. They transfer to the original
consciousness. So therefore grammatically the sentence should read as
mūḍhadhiyaḥ pratibimba laulyam svabimba būtham nayanti. Indiscriminate people
transfer the motion of reflected consciousness falsely to the original consciousness.
Page 1975

In fact transfer means attribute. It is not the physically they transfer the motion
from pratibimba to bimba. Just as we have the example of the red colour of the
flower, is falsely attributed to the colourless crystal; similarly, the motion of the
reflection is falsely is attributed to the motionless original consciousness and an
example is given. Ravi vat; Like the ravi; ravi means the original sun; which is like
the original sun, which is means the original consciousness, which is like the original
sun in the sky, which is viniṣkriyaṁ, motionless. So the original consciousness can be
compared to the original motionless sun in the sky; and the motion of the reflected
consciousness can be compared to the motion of the reflected sun in a moving
mirror; or in turbulent waters. So viniṣkriyaṁnayanti.
And how do we know that we have the mistake? What is the proof that one has
been indiscriminative; one has transferred; how do we know? He says from his
expression, we come to know. He claims ahaṁ kartāsmi, which he should never be
claiming. He should claim ahaṁ akartā, original consciousness asmi; he must be
claiming; but he always blames I am kartā. So he has taken ahaṁkāra seriously and
kartāsmi.
And even kartāsmi is OK; still worse, ahaṁ bōktāsmi; so I am a bōktā; all the time
battered by my prārabdha karma. I am trying to solve all my problems. And I am not
able to solve at all; problems after problems are coming. Keep my hand on my head
and all the time crying, which indicates that I have successfully forgotten that I am
none of these. Therefore ahaṁ bōktāsmi, with samsāri asmi it means. And
hathosmi; I am finished; my life is closed; hereafter I have no way out at all; my
case is a tragic case. So thus all kinds of thoughts; these are within quotation; and
hēti; hēti should be split as hā iti; hā means alas! Tamil அய்ேய Ayyō! Saṁsr̥kt hā;
ayyō amma appa, etc.
So thus because of indiscrimination alone, all the tragedies of life occur. Tragedies
are not because of events in life; tragedies are because of one event in our intellect;
and that intellectual event is confusion. Instead of adjusting the external events; we
have to only adjust one wrong event; and that is indiscrimination.
I just wanted to mention one thing; that in certain books, there is a printing mistake
in verse 508; that is in the third line, ravivad viniṣkriyaṁ; viniṣkriyaṁ; niṣkriya
means motion. viniṣkriyaṁ means motionless.
Page 1976

जले वा�प स्थल वा�प लुठत्वे जडात्मक |

नाहं �व�लप्य तद्धम�घर्टधम�न यथा ||५०९||
jalē vāpi sthalē vāpi luṭhatvēṣa jaḍātmakaḥ |
nāhaṁ vilipyē taddharmairghaṭadharmairnabhō yathā ||509||
So from the standpoint of ātma, there are no problems at all; and from the
standpoint of ahaṁkāra, there is no freedom from problems. We can only replace
one type of problem by another type of problem and in the case of prabhala
prārabdha, powerful prārabdha, even that replacement is not possible. Therefore the
only way out is what? Make the ahaṁkāra insignificant; appear small; so that the
problems also will appear smaller.
This is called counter-irritation method. For cold when you are highly disturbed in
the nose, they give you various ointments to apply. They do not give any remedy.
But this will produce a new irritation, in front of the other irritation becomes
insignificant. This is called counter-irritation method.
Of course vēdānta is not a counter-irritation. So what we are doing is, we are getting
a higher vision in front of which ahaṁkāra becomes insignificant. I have discussed
this elaborately before; and this is called abhibhava method. Once in the last class I
told you; when the sun rise, the sun light has become so brilliant, the stars are not
destroyed; the stars disappear from our sight, even though, even now the stars
continue to occupy the sky. Similarly, when the ātma sūryaḥ rises, ātma jñāna
sūryaḥ arises, the ahaṁkāra problems will not be considered worth talking about all
the time. To talk about this alone would not be considered worthy; they will appear
petty topic, not worth talking about.
Therefore he says: ēṣa jaḍātmakaḥ; so this inert body; from the ātma angle, one will
not even refer to the body as I, who has become 60 years old, 80 years old,
therefore I want to celebrate, śathabhiṣēkam, śaṣtyabhadapūrti, etc. so this body
has been so carefully watched and protected, and that body is referring to as: ēṣa
jaḍātmakaḥ; this insentient incidental bundle of flesh and blood and bone and
marrow, which will continue in this form, because of incidental prārabdha, let it
move about anywhere. Let it do whatever it has to do and go. luṭhatu; luṭhatu
means what? Move about. Let it knock about.
Page 1977

ēṣaḥ; he does not say; the sacred body; this bundle of flesh and that too dead flesh,
inert body; let it move about; not a very big issue.
jalē vāpi sthalē vāpi; either in water or in land; or in sky; let it move anywhere.
Ahaṁ nā vilipyē. I have no connection to this body at all. So I am unconnected to

this body and consequently taddharmair; not connected to its properties also; that it
is old; it is dying; or it is dead. All these properties I have no connection; ahaṁ
asaṅgaḥ asmi.
Exactly like what? Ghaṭadharmairnabhō yathā. Just as the space which is not
affected by the arrival and departure of pot and also not affected by the properties
of the pot. Even though the space is given a new name when the pot appears, you
give the name pot space, ghaṭākāśa; and when the pot disappears you remove the
name, but remember, even the addition and withdrawal of name does not make any
difference to the space; difference is only in our naming; but nothing happens to the
space. Similarly I am the consciousness within the body; like the pot, the body
appears and disappears; nothing happens to me. Therefore ghaṭadharmairnabhaḥ;
nabhaḥ means ākāśa; yathā nā lipyatē; not affected, so also.
ृ ्वभोक्तृत्वखलत्व-
कतर्त
जडत्वबद्धत्व�वमुक्त |
बद्धे�वर्क
ु न तु सिन् वस्तुत
स्विस्मन् ब्रह् के वलेऽद्वय ||५१०||
kartr̥tvabhōktr̥tvakhalatvamattatā-
jaḍatvabaddhatvavimuktatādayaḥ |
buddhērvikalpā na tu santi vastutaḥ
svasminparē brahmaṇi kēvalē:'dvayē ||510||
All the samsāric notion belong to the intellectual perception alone; everything is a
wrong intellectual perception. So the problem is a cognitive problem; and therefore
changing the perception alone is the solution.
So he says: kartr̥tvam; the notion that I am a karta, haunted by sañcita, prārabdha
and āgāmi, chased from janma to janma by these three karmās; that notion that I
am akartā, purely belong to the intellect; ātma does not have kartr̥tvam.
Page 1978

Similarly bhōktr̥tvam; I am affected by the bhōktr̥tvam; the enjoyment, the

experience caused by the karma, which is presented in various forms as affected by
the jātakam or affected by the śani, rāhu, kētu, they all indicate my bhōktr̥tva sense.
That one.
Then khalatvam; khalatvam means meanness, duṣtatvam; that I am duṣtaḥ; or I am

guṇavān; both of them; I am guṇavān or duṣtaḥ; that sense.
Then mattatā, I am confused; affected by mōha; mūḍatvam you can take it;
mūḍatvam. It is one compound word, you have read it continues in the second line
also; jaḍatvam; that I am dull or unintelligent, jaḍatvam;
then the last two main ones; baddhatvam; I am bound.
and vimuktatādayaḥ; the most surprising that I am liberated, is also; all of them are
buddhi's perception.
Ātma does not have liberation. Liberation from what? Where there is bondage, there
alone liberation can be there; since ātma never had the bondage, the very word
liberation is meaningless, it is like the person asking, from tomorrow onwards do not
meet your wife; OK; So if you OK, what it will mean; until now you are; if you say
you are liberated, it is foolishness because the day I am liberated you are accepting
the fact that I was bound till now.
Then therefore wise man will never say I am liberated; I do not require liberation,
because I never had bondage.
Then what about liberation? Liberation is freedom from the notion that I was bound.
And freedom from the notion is an intellectual phenomenon, it is not something
happening, either in the world, or in the ātma. Freedom from the notion is an
intellectual cognitive transformation; it is not a physical change, it is not a worldly
change, not even a change in ātma; but it is only an intellectual rational
transformation. And what about emotional change? All the emotional changes are
not freedom; they are all the result, the phalam of the cognitive change. So
emotional change, caused by cognitive change is called liberation. Emotional change
caused by intellectual understanding is called liberation. Therefore he says buddhēḥ
vikalpā; all problems are in your intellect only; there are all intellectual notions,
Page 1979

vikalpāḥ means notions; vastutaḥ na santi; none of them is there in the ātma, the
real You. So vastutaḥ means pāramārthikam dr̥ṣṭyā none of them is there. None of
them means what? You have to keep the list: kartr̥tvam, bhoktr̥utvam, khalatvam,
etc. None of them is there.
Svasmin, in oneself, the ātma, which is param brahma kēvalam advayaṁ. Which is
the paramārthikam Brahma, param means paramārthikam brahma,
which is kēvalam, kēvalam means without a second, and advayaṁ,
advayaṁ also means non-dual; kēvalam also means non-dual.
So the question comes why it is repeated? You have to take it as one is to negate
sajātīya duality and another is to negate vijātīya duality. Do you remember what is
sajātīya and vijātīya duality? Sajātīya duality means duality belonging to the same
species; like a man having a second man; is sajātīya dvaitam; and a man having a
stone, other than himself is vijātīya dvaitam.
From the stand point of ātma, till there is no second ātma, sajātīya advaitam is not
there; since there is no second anātma, vijātīya advaitam is not there. Therefore
there is no second ātma also and there is no an anātma also. Therefore kēvala
advayē Brahmani.
The next verse is an odd verse; it has got a viṣaṁa meter; a meter which cannot be
chanted. Therefore we will read it like prose.
सन्त �वकाराः प्रकृतेदर् शतधा सहस्र वा�प |

�कं मेऽसङ्ग�चतस्तै घनः क्व�चदम्ब स्पृश� ||५११||
santu vikārāḥ prakr̥tērdaśadhā śatadhā sahasradhā vāpi |
kiṁ mē:'saṅgacitastairna ghanaḥ kvacidambaraṁ spr̥śati ||511||
All these verses can be appreciated only when we look at ahaṁkāra from the
standpoint of ātma. Otherwise these verses very look very funny and unswallowable.
Because we are discounting all our problems as meaningless nothing.
When all our problems are looming so large and crises, imagine go and tell an
American, what is that WTC is mithya? He will immediately punch my nose.
Page 1980

Therefore remember, when you are looking at the world from the ahaṁkāra
standpoint all the problems are very very damn serious.
Therefore these verses can be appreciated only when you have spent minimum one
hour on the Mānḍukya ātma svarūpam caitanyaṁ and you are intellect must be
soaked in that pāramārthika field; not suddenly having solved a worldly problem,
come and sit here. Worldly problem is occupying and then I come and tell you it is
mithya, it would not be meaningful.
All these slōkas you can appreciate only when you come away a spend a lot of time
in the pāramārthikam and then look at it; you can discount them as nothing. And
that is why they often say: sanyāsa helps; because he does not deal with worldly
problems.
Sanyāsi can easily say; when a person gr̥hastha is soaked; he should become
temporarily a sanyāsi; temporarily detached from family company children and all
those things, spend some time only in the ātma; and then standing there you look
at, they will appear insignificant. Otherwise all these slōkas will appear meaningless
slōkas. He says all these things are mithya transformations; like dream.
prakr̥tēr vikārāḥ santum. Let prakr̥ti undergo all modifications. Biggest crisis is
nothing but a modification in prakr̥ti. What is the worst scenario of death of people?
For vēdantin, death is nothing but matter undergoing one of the six transformations.
asthi, jāyatē, (tatva bhōdha, six vikārams we have talked about); which is inevitable
transformation in matter. One such transformation is maraṇam. If you have to look
at maraṇam as one such transformation, in the death of anyone, it requires
tremendous time and energy; spent on ātma. Therefore time factor also becomes
equally important; how much we spend on ahaṁkāra, how much time we spend on
ātma; wherever we spend more time, that will be more real; wherever we spend
less time, that will be less real. If you spend time on ātma one hour a week, monday
morning 7-8 if class is there; ātma will be prāthibhāsikam, not even vyavahārikam.
Ātma will be prāthibhāsikam. All our crisis will be not even vyavahārikam;
pāramārthikam. So our problems are pāramārthikam now; and ātma is
prāthibhāsikam.
Page 1981

Now if ahaṁkāra should become prāthibhāsikam, and ātma should become

pāramārthikam, time factor become important, and therefore here student having
spent sufficient time on ātma says: Let there be modifications in prakr̥ti.
Daśadhā; so intense; tens of modifications; śatadhā; in hundreds; in tens or in

hundreds or in thousands; kiṁ mē:'saṅgacitaḥ; I have dwelt; I have spent time on
my real nature; not for minutes seconds or hours but for hours, days, months; I
have dwelt on my nature; asaṅga citaḥ.
kiṁ mē what is going to happen? staiḥ, staiḥ means what; vikhāraiḥ; asaṅga chitaḥ;
chit means consciousness; asaṅga means relationship consciousness.
And he gives an example, ghanaḥ ambaraṁ kvacid na spr̥śati. The cloud does not
affect the sky at any time. Even though it is intimately moving in space, it can never
wet the space; ghanaḥ means cloud; mēghaḥ; ambaraṁ means sky; it does not
affect at all.
अव्यक्ता�दस्थूलपयर्न्त
�वश्व यत्राभासमा प्रतीत |
व्योमप्र सू�ममाद्यन्तह�
ब्रह्माद् यत्तद ेवाहमिस ||५१२||
avyaktādisthūlaparyantamētat
viśvaṁ yatrābhāsamātraṁ pratītam |
vyōmaprakhyaṁ sūkṣmamādyantahīnaṁ
brahmādvaitaṁ yattadēvāhamasmi ||512||
So if vyavahārika ahaṁkāra should become insignificant, pāramārthikam ātma

should become more significant and real; and where you spend more time that will
be more real. And therefore spend more time in invoking the pāramārthikam ātma,
which is called nidhidhyāsanam. Therefore, time plays a very important role in
converting the order of reality.
And therefore he says: yat brahma tad dēvāhamasmi. That which is known as
Brahman, that Brahman I am. Spend more time in invoking that; that will make the
ātma pāramarthika and ahaṁkāra into prāthibhāsikam. Therefore in the three slōkas
Page 1982

512, 513, 514, Śankarācārya also repeats. Repetition indicates dwelling upon.
Dwelling upon indicates spending more time.
Svāmiji I do not have time, if you say, pray to the Lord. So śāstra has prescribed
sanyāsa āsrama for buying time alone; therefore if we do not take to sanyāsa
āsrama, we have to adjust the gr̥hastha āsrama in such a way, that we can give
time for dwelling on the truth; therefore it is your job.
Vēdānta does not say you should take sanyāsa because; there are some
paramānandaḥ śiṣyās who take sanyāsa and engage in some other activities.
Therefore sanyāsa āsrama also is meaningless if it is not utilised for invoking
pāramārthikam satyam.
Therefore changing the āsrama is not what we want. Are you able to spend quality
time on dwelling on the teaching; you have to do that. Afterwards once it has
become natural to you, that is what is called vidwat sanyāsa. Vidwat sanyāsa means
what? you have become internally a sanyāsi and therefore whatever you do;
wherever you go; paśyan, spr̥san, jihnan, asnan, srunvan, OK. But until that niṣṭa
takes place, giving quality time is inevitable. And therefore the student indicates that
repetition of the teaching.
So look at the fourth line, which is repeated in all the three slōkas. Ahaṁ tadēva
asmi; I am not the ahaṁkāra; I am not a father; not a mother; not a husband; not a
wife; not a son. So these all are ahaṁkāra's characteristics; I am none of them.
Ahaṁ advaitam Brahmaiva. I am the non-dual Brahman. You have to invoke

repeatedly and as often as possible and what type of Brahman? Go to the third line;
advaitam means non-dual.
I am that non-dual Brahman, vyōma prakyam; which is comparable to ākāśa. Ākāśa

tulyam. So that means I am formless; I have told you ākāśa and ātma have so many
common things; all those things I remember. Sūkṣmam; I am extremely subtle; that
means what: unobjectifiable.
ādyantahīnaṁ; without beginning or end. We have seen all these before, I am not
elaborating; without beginning or end; ādhi anta rahitam, hīnaṁ means without.
Page 1983

And yatrā; in which Brahman, Viśvaṁ pratītam. This entire universe appears; etat
viśvaṁ pratītam; what type of universe; avyaktādisthūlaparyantam. The universe
beginning from māya; avyaktam means māya; up to stūlam; stūlam means the
physical body. So the whole universe beginning from māya to the physical body is
appearing in which Brahman, that Brahman, the substratum I am.
And what type of world it is? ābhāsamātraṁ. Which is mithya; ābhāsaḥ means
mithya. So thus I am the spacelike substratum of the universe; everything happens
in Me; but nothing happens to Me. Everything happens in Me; but nothing happens
to Me. That Brahman I am.
सवार्धार सवर्वस्तुप्र
सवार्कार सवर्ग सवर्शून्य |
�नत्य शुद् �नश्चल �न�व्
र कल्
ब्रह्माद् यत्तद ेवाहमिस ||५१३||
sarvādhāraṁ sarvavastuprakāśaṁ
sarvākāraṁ sarvagaṁ sarvaśūnyam |
nityaṁ śuddhaṁ niścalaṁ nirvikalpaṁ
Śankarācārya also repeats to indicate the kālam, the amount of time you spend also
plays a very very important role in assimilation. Quality of attention is not enough;
quantity also plays an important role, unless a person has come heavily prepared in
this janma.
There are some people who have got that pūrva janma saṁskārā and therefore they
require only minimum time for the transformation, but for majority of people, it is
not so. Therefore the quantity of time also become equally important. Whether I
require more time or not how do I know. Am I am prodigy requiring limit time in
Vēdānta or am I an non-prodigy which requires more time, how do I know. See
whether the vyāvahārika problems are affecting you too much. If the vyāvahārika
problems are affecting too much, it requires more time in vēdānta. And if you find
you are able to withstand this crisis, and forget it and brush aside as pinprick, then it
means you do not require to spend time.
Page 1984

Therefore it is not an universal rule; that is why we say sanyāsa also is not an
universal truth. Whether one requires it or not, it all depends upon the assimilation
factor. And the assimilation is known by our mental balance in problems.
Therefore here the student says: fourth line is repetition. ब्रह्माद् यत्तद ेवाहमिस
brahmādvaitaṁ yattadēvāhamasmi; I am that Brahman. And what type of Brahman.

He puts in different language.
Sarvādhāraṁ, you know, I am the basic support of all; when we say support; ātma
has to be compared to ākāśa;
Then sarvavastuprakāśaṁ. I am the illuminator of everything, every object. So ākāśa

ahaṁ asmi; prakāśā ahaṁ asmi.
Sarvākāraṁ; all the ākārās or forms belong to me; because the entire world is nāma
rūpa resting on Me alone. There is no second substance to which the nāma rūpa can
belong; because there is only one substance and therefore all the nāma rūpas have
to rest on that one substance alone. That I am.
Sarvagaṁ, I am all pervading; and sarvaśūnyam; but really speaking; all the forms
and nāmas are not in Me. All the nāma rūpas are resting in Me but all the nāma
rūpas are not in me. What is the meaning. Just like the entire dream world is resting
in Me; but the entire dream is not really there. Similarly nāma rūpas are mithya, as
good as non-existent.
Nityaṁ; I am eternal; śuddhaṁ’ I am ever pure, niścalaṁ, I am motionless; and

nirvikalpaṁ; I am divisionless. Such a Brahman I am.
So the student says: I have given time; therefore I have assimilated. Have you given
sufficient time for vēdānta. That is the question. Now we have no time. 8 o clock.
Hari Om.
Page 1985

152. Verses 514 to 518
सवार्धार सवर्वस्तुप्र
सवार्कार सवर्ग सवर्शून्य |
�नत्य शुद् �नश्चल �न�व्
र कल्
ब्रह्माद् यत्तद ेवाहमिस ||५१३||
sarvādhāraṁ sarvavastuprakāśaṁ
sarvākāraṁ sarvagaṁ sarvaśūnyam |
nityaṁ śuddhaṁ niścalaṁ nirvikalpaṁ
Condensing the teaching given by the guru in all these verses, the student points out
that I clearly know the difference between the vyavahārika-I, the ahaṁkāra, as well
as the real-I, the ātma. And from the standpoint of ahaṁkāra, the vyavahārika-I,
saṁsāra cannot be eliminated totally. From the standpoint of the real-I, saṁsāra
need not be eliminated. From the standpoint of ahaṁkāra, saṁsāra cannot be
eliminated; from the standpoint of ātma, saṁsāra need not be eliminated. And that
ever saṁsāra free ātma I am.
So this one has to assimilate totally to get the benefit of the vēdantic teaching and
with this wisdom, when I look at the ahaṁkāra, and the ahaṁkāra's choiceless
situations, I know that it is an integral part of ahaṁkāra, I cannot do anything about
it. And this proper attitude towards ahaṁkāra will reduce the impact of the problems
that the ahaṁkāra faces. This reduction of the impact because of the changed
attitude towards ahaṁkāra alone is called jīvan muktiḥ. And therefore this has to be
repeatedly invoked. And to indicate that, Śankarācārya writes three verses. In all of
them, the fourth line is the same, brahmādvaitaṁ yattadēvāhamasmi. I am that
non-dual Brahman. Up to this we have seen in the last class.
यत्प्रत्यस्ताशेषमाया�
प्रत्यग प्रत्गम्यमान म |
सत्य�ानानन्तमानन्द
ब्रह्माद् यत्तद ेवाहमिस ||५१४||
yatpratyastāśēṣamāyāviśēṣaṁ
pratyagrūpaṁ pratyayāgamyamānam |
Page 1986

satyajñānānantamānandarūpaṁ
So the fourth line is the same. I am that non-dual Brahman of the above description.
The description of Brahman is given in the first three lines. Yat pratyastā aśēṣa māyā
viśēṣaṁ; viśēṣa means all attributes, guṇāḥ, and māya viśēṣam means the attributes
caused by māya and therefore the attributes which are mithya, unreal attributes,
vyavahārika attributes, not ultimately real. aśēṣa māya viśēṣam means all the unreal
attributes caused by māya.
And why does he add all the unreal attributes? Because from advaitic angle, the
positive attributes are also unreal; the negative attributes are also unreal, in which
we differ from the viśiṣṭadvaita system of philosophy. Viśiṣṭadvaitan points out that
whenever we say Brahman is nirguṇam, it only means Brahman is free from
negative attributes. But Brahman has got all the positive attributes like power or
compassion or love or beauty; whatever positive attributes we can think of, all of
them are really present in Brahman. This is Viśiṣṭadvaitan approach.
Therefore in Viśiṣṭadvaitan, total nirguṇam Brahman is non-existent. It only means

that doṣaḥ rahita brahma, but all the virtues are present. Whereas in advaita we
say, aśēṣa māya viśēṣam, Brahman has neither positive attributes nor negative
attributes; which means even omnipotence, omniscience, sarvajñātvam,
sarvēśvaratvam, sarva śaktimatvam; they are all as unreal as the other negative
attributes.
Therefore Śaṁkarācāryā adds here: aśēṣa māya viśēṣam. And what is the clue for
the advaitin to say that? On what basis does he say that? He has got the support
of the Upaṇiṣads, which says: anyatra dharmāt, anyatra adharmāt. Brahman is
beyond, dharma, the virtues, adharmās, the vices. And logic also supports us.
Because as long as a thing has an attribute it is always subject to modification,
because of the increase and decrease of the attributes.
And therefore we say it is aśēṣa māya viśēṣam. All positive and negative unreal
attributes caused by māya, pratyasta are not there; not really there in Brahman. So
pratyasta means free from; rahitam ityarthaḥ; so sarva guṇa doṣaḥ varjitham.
Brahman is that which is free from all good and bad attributes.
Page 1987

Pratyagrūpaṁ; and it is in the form of the very pratyagātma, the very subject, the
sākṣi the observer. Pratyagrūpaṁ, means ātma rūpam, dr̥k rūpam. And being the
very subject, pratyayāgamyamānam. It is never objectifiable truth by any thought;
acinthyam. So it cannot be illumined, objectified or known through any vr̥tti jñānaṁ,
it is ever the unknown, it is never the known because it is ever the knower.
Therefore pratyayāgamyamānam.
Then what is the nature. Satya jñāna ānandaḥ ānantaḥ rūpam. Satya jñāna
ānandam is one word, which is of the nature of satyam jñānaṁ ānantam. Satyam
means pure existence, not as an adjective but existence as a very noun itself.
Jñānaṁ means consciousness not as an adjective but as the very noun itself. And
anantaṁ means limitless. So limitless existence consciousness we have elaborately
seen this. The student is only recollecting the teaching. So satyam jñānaṁ ānantam
brahma.
And ānantaḥ rūpam, which expresses in the form of fullness in the mind. Ānandaḥ
expressed is ānandaḥ. So ānandaḥ rūpam yat brahma; so all these, when we learn,
we have to trace these words to one Upaṇiṣad or the other. When you say satya
jñāna ānandaḥ, you should remember Brahmānandavalli, satyam jñānaṁ ānandam
brahma. Ānantaḥrūpam when he says, we should remember Brughu Valli. Ānandō
Brahmēti vyajānāt; Ānandāt ēva khalvimani bhūtāni jāyantē. Then only we will know
that the whole teaching is extracted out of the upaṇiṣads only. And such a Brahman
I am.
�निष्क्रयोऽस्म्य�वकार
�नष्कलोऽिस �नराकृ�तः |
र कल्पोऽि �नत्योऽिस
�न�व्
�नरालम्बोऽिस �नद्र्व ||५१५||
niṣkriyō:'smyavikārō:'smi
niṣkalō:'smi nirākr̥tiḥ |
nirvikalpō:'smi nityō:'smi
nirālambō:'smi nirdvayaḥ ||515||
So all these can be used for nidhidhyāsanam. To find out whether a slōka is meant
for nidhidhyāsanam or not, what is the criterion? You may wonder; some of them
Svāmiji says nidhidhyāsanam. Whether he is putting the lot and taking it; how do we
Page 1988

know that a verse is meant for nidhidhyāsana? I will let out the secret so that you
yourselves can use the exercise.
Whenever Brahma or ātma is described, in third person, or second person, that

cannot be used for nidhidhyāsanam. Because it is saying Brahman is wonderful;
Brahman is free, what happens to me? I do not get benefit. No transformation will
take in me; by saying Brahman is great. My problem is what? I am miserable.
Therefore a transformation is required not in the third person, is not required in
second person; but A TRANSFORMATION IS REQUIRED IN THE FIRST
PERSON.
Therefore wherever the first person singular is used, while describing Brahman, all
such verses are nidhidhyāsana slōkas. And in Saṁsr̥kt, the word ahaṁ, if it occurs, if
the word asmi, asmi means am, so the word I, or the word am etc. occurs, you can
take all these verses as nidhidhyāsana slōka. Maiēva sakalam jātam, why do we say
it is nidhidhyāsana? Because mayi again first person singular.
Now in the previous three verses, in the fourth line, we found the word, asmi, I am
Brahman. So in this verse also, you see asmi mayaṁ. But you should know the
meaning of the word asmi, OK! Asmi means I am. So who am I? Not a miserable
helpless poor jātakam_ed person, with a miserable jātakam, that is the lot of
ahaṁkāra, jātakam belongs to ahaṁkāra or ātma; ahaṁkāra only has jātakam; let
my horoscope be miserable, but I the ātma am different from that.
Who am I? Niṣkriyaḥ asmi. I do not have any karma at all. Therefore no karma phala
at all. And therefore no śani daśa or rāhu daśa or kētu daśa, because all planets are
not influencing us. All planets are indicating our karma phalam only. The biggest
confusion running; people think that astrology says that planets influence our life.
Astrology never says planets influence our life; astrology only says planets indicate
the karma which alone influences the life. Karma alone can influence the life. So
when I do not have any karma, where is the question of karma phala influencing
me? Where is the question of astrology affecting me? Me means which me? Ātma
me.
What about ahaṁkāra? It will be affected and if you say Svāmiji from ahaṁkāra's
standpoint, can I do prāyascittam; perfectly OK. Ātma angle, prāyascittam is not
Page 1989

required; from ahaṁkāra angle, prāyascittam will certainly work, but any amount of
prāyascittam cannot remove all the astrological problems. one problem will go;
another planet will come. śani goes and something else will come.
Therefore we do not say prāyascittam does not work, we say prāyascittam can only
alleviate; but ahaṁkāra can never be absolutely free from the influence of the
karma, whereas I, the ātma, am the niṣkriyaḥ.
And why I am actionless? kriyā means action; why I am actionless; because avikāraḥ
asmi. I am free from all modifications or changes, because action involves change.
Calanātmakam karma. The very definition of karma is calanātmakam karma. If you
do any karma, the body should move; the mouth, the vāchika karma, the mouth
would have to move; kāyika karma, body will have to move; mānasa karma,
thoughts will have to move; ātma is motionless; where is the question of any karma.
Niṣkalōsmi, I am free from all divisions. So subject-object instrument division or any

other form of division, I do not have. Sajātīya, vijātīya, svagata bēdha also we can
say.
nirākr̥tiḥ; I am free from form. So in all these statements we should remember the
meaning of the word I is neither the body nor the mind; but I means that
consciousness and the four points that I say regarding consciousness you should
remember. I am not repeating.
Then nirvikalpaḥ asmi. I am free from all types of vikalpas. Triputi we can take. The
word niṣkala and nirvikalpaka are almost synonymous; so to differentiate, niṣkalaḥ
we can take as sajātīya vijātīya svagata bhēda rahitaḥ; and nirvikalpaḥ can be taken
as the triputi rahita; subject-object-instrument division free. Then therefore only
nityōsmi. I am eternal.
And nirālambaḥ asmi. I am without any support. ālambaḥ means support. I am

without support can be seen negatively also and positively also. There is nobody
there to support me; So I am miserable; I am helpless; I have no place to go; I am
Agathi. I am dependent on a few people; they let me down. I am supportless
because I do not need any support. I am the ultimate support of everything. So if I
am looking at myself from ahaṁkāra angle, I have to take the support of the Lord all
the time, that is why from ahaṁkāra dr̥ṣṭyā, bhakthi is the only solution.
Page 1990

Because ahaṁkāra will have eternal problems. That is what two avathārams
showed. For Rāma, only problems. What about Krishna? Problems from birth itself.
ahaṁkāra can never be free from problems. And ahaṁkāra is always helpless
because it is too feeble to face the mighty universe. The limited body mind intellect,
what can it do. Small earthquake we are not able to withstand. Ahaṁkāra will have
problems and ahaṁkāra is too feeble to face the problems.
Therefore from ahaṁkāra angle, bhakthi alone is the solution, all the time I should
remind myself, Bhagavān is there to support. Bhagavān is there to support. I am
helpless. Lakṣmi nr̥simha mama dēhi karāvalambam. Śankarācārya wrote. The very
same Sankarācārya who said I am the support of the whole universe, that
Śankarācārya writes Lakṣmi nr̥simha mama dēhi karāvalambam. Take me by holding
the hand. From ahaṁkāra angle, bhakthi is the only solution.
From ātma angle, we do not require any support, because first of all problems are
not there; and secondly I am the ultimate support of everything. I do not require
any support. And it is from ātma angle, Śankarācārya looks now. Therefore
nirālambaḥ, I am the supportless support of the universe. And nirdvayaḥ. I am non-
dual, without a second.
सवार्त्मकोऽ सव�ऽहं सवार्तीतोऽहमद्व |

के वलाखण्डबोधोऽहमानन्दोऽ �नरन्तर ||५१६||
sarvātmakō:'haṁ sarvō:'haṁ sarvātītō:'hamadvayaḥ |
kēvalākhaṇḍabōdhō:'hamānandō:'haṁ nirantaraḥ ||516||
Another nidhidhyāsanam verse. What is the proof? Ahaṁ. In the previous one asmi;
here ahaṁ comes. Ahaṁ sarvātmakaḥ; I am the ātma of everyone; everything. The
whole creation. So I am the essence of the whole creation. And in fact, sarvō:'haṁ. I
am the whole creation. So what is the difference between the two. When you say I
am the essence of the creation, a sense of duality is hinted. So there is something
called creation, and there is something called the essence and the essence of the
creation, if you say take two essences; two is there, after you remove the essence
what is left behind, chakkai, so that remnant is there; So the usage of the word
essence conveys the idea of duality.
Page 1991

Therefore first he says I am the essence of the world; and next he says, in fact,
there is no question of I being the essence of the world, I am the universe. Like
saying water is the content of the wave. Wave is one and the content of that is
water inside it; that idea comes. So first we say water is the content of the wave,
water is the truth of the wave, then we say water itself it the wave.
Similarly, ahaṁ sarvaḥ; and ahaṁ sarvātītaḥ; So when we say that I am everything,
then the question will come; so all the problems belonging to the world will belong
to you then. Because you say you are everything. That means whatever impurity is
there in the world; that will also belong to you.
So Śankarācārya says even though I am everything, I am not affected by

everything, I am beyond everything. Just like I myself am the dream world and I
am beyond the dream world also. So I am myself the dream world, and I am beyond
dream world; what does it mean. Dream world is an unreal manifestation of mine.
Similarly, I am beyond the world means, this world is Me only, but it is an inferior or
unreal manifestation of mine; exactly like the svapna is an unreal manifestation of
mine.
Therefore sarvātmakō:'haṁ sarvō:'haṁ indicates the immanent nature of mine, and

sarvātītō:'hamreveals the transcendental nature of mine. I am immanent and I am
transcendental. I am in and through all; I am untouched by anything. sarvātītō:'ham
advayaḥ; advaya we have seen; non-dual;
kēvalākhaṇḍabōdhō:'ham. I am the pure undivided consciousness; akhaṇḍa bōdhaḥ,

undivided consciousness; kēvala means pure. If consciousness is taken as an
attribute of the body, then it will be divided consciousness, because consciousness
as an attribute is there in this body; consciousness is there as an attribute in another
body; inbetween we do not see consciousness; therefore it appears to be a divided
thing.
So here Śankarācārya says it is a divided attribute; but it is an undivided substance,

which is there in the body and which is there outside the body also. If I do not
experience, it is not because of the absence of consciousness, but it is only because
of the absence of a medium for its expression. And therefore I am all-pervading
consciousness.
Page 1992

ānandō:'haṁ; I am ānandaḥ svarūpaḥ; not experiential pleasure. Always remember,

experiential ānandaḥ can never be ātma; experiential ānandaḥ is always a reflection,
unreal ānandaḥ; reflected in the mind. Therefore whenever we talk about
ātmānandaḥ, it is never an experience.
That is why Dayānanda Svāmiji always says: never use the word bliss for
ātmānandaḥ, because the word bliss in English indicates experiential pleasure only.
Any experiential word like joy, bliss, beatitude, anything which will convey
experience, never should be used for ātma ānandaḥ. We should use a non-
experiential word and that is why we generally translate as purṇatvam; fullness.
Therefore I am ānandaḥ svarūpaḥ means looking at myself, I do not miss anything

in life; �ைற ஒன்� இல்ை (kuṟai ondrum illai). They sing you know; it should
not be only in the song; it should spring from your mind. I have no �ைற (kuṟai) at
all.
What about ahaṁkāra; ahaṁkāra means �றேயா �ைற (kuṟai ō kuṟai). I, the ātma,
has no �ைற (kuṟai). Therefore ānandōhaṁ nirantaraḥ; nirantaraḥ means what;
without any gap in between. Homogeneous consciousness. Gapless consciousness.
Na vidyāte antharam yasya saha; nirantharaḥ.
स्वाराज्यसाम्राज्य�वभू�
भवत्कृपाश्रीम�हमप्रस |
प्राप मया श्रीगुर महात्मन
नमो नमस्तेऽस् पुननर्मोऽस् ||५१७||
svārājyasāmrājyavibhūtirēṣā
bhavatkr̥pāśrīmahimaprasādāt |
prāptā mayā śrīguravē mahātmanē
namō namastē:'stu punarnamō:'stu ||517||
The student looks at himself now. From ahaṁkāra angle, he is willing to accept
saṁsāra, which is inevitable. And the very acceptance reduces the impact of
saṁsāra. It is like when you catch a ball, which is forcibly coming, if you go to catch,
going forward, the impact will be so tremendous. So they are trained to catch; they
Page 1993

have to take the hand backwards; they should catch and take the hand backwards;
why; so that the impact of the force will be better.
Similarly, all the prārabdha are hitting; problems after problems. Your resistance
creates tremendous impact. When I understand the nature of prārabdha, the nature
of ahaṁkāra, and understand that saṁsāra is the intrinsic nature of the universe,
you do not call it saṁsāra; it is nature.
And the very reduction of resistance is the reduction of the impact. Therefore from
ahaṁkāra angle, acceptance is there; from ātma angle, understanding wisdom is
there; in this itself, there is a great relief. And this is called jīvan mukthi.
Ahaṁkāra dr̥șṭya acceptance; ātma dr̥șṭya understanding that I am ever free;

therefore the more student thinks of the reliefs that he got; he thinks of the person
who is responsible for this benefit. And I got this freedom from the burden of
saṁsāra, only because of the grace of the guru.
Bhagavān's grace is always there; it is eternal and everywhere; śāstra is also there;
all the time. But Bhagavān grace and śāstra grace will materialise only when a guru
is there to transfer that wisdom to me and therefore the śiṣya remembers guru's
contribution.
And when he thinks of the guru's contribution, he never thinks that he can ever
repay for what he has received. For infinite benefit, what should be the repayment?
Infinite. There is no second infinite to repay. And therefore śiṣya says: I can do only
one thing; what is that? namaskāra.
And the Guru also understands this fully well, because the Guru has done the same
thing to his guru. So therefore it is silently acknowledged process. Without any
noise, without any big show, a silent expression of gratitude and the guru never
misunderstands, because guru himself was a śiṣya before and he has seen the fact
that I cannot do anything to my guru and therefore I know my śiṣya also cannot do
anything. What to do therefore? Nothing. So it is his grace.
But the gratitude is always there; like our gratitude to our parents. So physically we
are what we are; physically. Physically we are what we are; because we survived by
Page 1994

the grace of our parents. Spiritually we are what we are, purely because of the
guru's contribution. And therefore there is a beautiful verse which says:
Ajĩvitham trayaṁ sēvyaṁ, vēdanto guru Īśvaraḥ;

ādau jñānapathye paścāt, kridagnatva nivr̥thaye.
You have to worship three things throughout life; ājīvitham; until your last breath,
three you have to worship; especially if you are a spiritual student. What are they:
vēdāntaḥ; which makes you what you are. Guruḥ; the teacher which makes the
vēdānta meaningful; Vēdānta work. If vēdānta is the bottle, like the cola drink, if it is
a cola bottle, guru is the opener. Someone has to open; therefore vēdānta is the
bottle; guru is the opener making the cola available; and Īśvaraḥ is the one who
provides the conditions or set up for vēdānta and guru to work. So Īśvara alone
provides the set up; bring all the three factors together. So these three, vēdāntaḥ,
guruḥ and Īśvara you have to workship till the last breath; ādau jñānadbhaye. The
first part of the life, you worship for gaining knowledge, then paśccāt; after gaining
knowledge, should I worship? Not necessary? After gaining knowledge, to express
gratitude; paśccāt krignatva nivr̥thaye. So first for knowledge, later for gratitude
expression.
So this gratitude namaskāra the śiṣya is doing here. Hey Guro, I am what I am,
because of your grace. Yēṣa svārājya sāmrājya vibhūtiḥ; this glorious gift, vibūthiḥ;
the glorious gift, and what is that gift; svarājya sāmrājyaṁ. Svārājyam means
mōkṣaḥ; sāmrājyaṁ means kingdom; Sovereignty. So the kingdom of mōkṣa. Mōkṣa
sāmrājyaṁ is the gift, the glorious gift. This glorious gift of mōkṣa sāmrājyaṁ, the
empire, sāmrājyaṁ means empire also, the empire of mōkṣa, third line, maya
prāpta; has been attained by me.
Now I have no more doubts whether I have muktha or not. And I do not have any
complex in claiming I am mukthaḥ. I should not have any reservation. If the other
people would not understand, I may not tell. When I ask myself, I do not have any
reservation at all; because I know ahaṁkāra is ever baddha, which I accept all the
time; I, the ātma am, ever mukthaḥ.
This distinction is clear to me. I never claim mōkṣa from ahaṁkāra dr̥ṣṭi, I never
claim bandha from ātma dr̥ṣṭi. This clarity of vision, at once releases me and that
inner freedom, I have got and hēy gurō; I do not want to take the credit myself. For
Page 1995

getting this inner freedom, I can never claim the credit; my role is only I have made
available. That is only thing. If the sunlight I should enjoy; I should go out and
stand. Making available is my effort. But the sunlight is the gift of the Lord.
Similarly, hēy gurō I have made myself available; that is my puruṣārtaḥ; but if I am
free now, it is your grace. prasādāt. prasādaḥ means grace. And what type of grace?
Mahima prasādāt is one reading. There is another better reading. Mahita prasādāt.
Mahitam means enriched, which is enhanced; value-addition. Then added value; and
the grace is enriched by what? bhava kr̥pāśrī. Sriḥ means the wealth; the richness of
your compassion; kr̥pā means compassion. So compassion enriched grace.
Compassion enriched grace, like various eatables; so many varieties of things are
added; dressing! so like that, the grace is the dish and for the grace dish; varieties
of kismiss and cashew and kumkumpu; all those things; what are they; compassion;
grace is the liquid; on that kumkumappu, paccha kalpooram; all coming from you,
by that compassion enriched grace I got this freedom.
And therefore what should I do in return? I cannot do and you do not want also.
That is also another problem, because Guru is already full and complete and
therefore he does not need anything and I cannot give anything. And therefore he
does not even ask for namaskāra. He does not even expect namaskāra; if he
expects namaskāra, then there is some problem, saṁsāra. Therefore he does not
even look in that direction. But for my satisfaction, I want to express my gratitude.
Gratitude is one of the unique virtues which makes a human being a human being.
And therefore hey guravē namōsthu. My namaskārams to you who are a mahātma.
The word Mahātma is indicated to show who is very generous. You have been very
generous in your grace. It is not a rationed grace. It is not a trickling grace. Like
water coming from some pipe. It is the flooding grace. And also he did not ration
because several students are there and every one has to be given! Like Tirūpati
laddu. I want to give one laddu to all of you. Similarly guru has got one litre of grace
and he has to share with thousands of students, there would be problem. But Oh
Guro, there was no shortage at all; floodgates of grace was opened. Therefore you
are generous in your grace. So mahātmane sri guravē; both are in caturthi vibhakthi.
Mahātmanē is adjective to sri guravē; and chathurthi vibhakthi because namaḥ
governs chathurthi vibhakthi. Praptha maya the sentence is complete. That is one
sentence. Next sentence is mahātmanē sri guravē namaḥ asthu.
Page 1996

Then how many namaskāras I should give. If I have got infinite benefit, I have to
give infinite namaskāras. Therefore he says namasthe tu. Again namaskārams to
you. punaḥ namasthē tu again namaskārams to you. He wants to do it verbally
because, he cannot do it physically repeatedly. Later he would not be able to get up;
because I have told you, one namaskāram is a project. how can I do several
namaskāram; therefore shortcut nāmaskārams; prostrations to you.
महास्वप् मायाकृतज�नजरामतृ ्युगहन

भ्रमन िक्लश्यन बहुलतरतापैरन�ु दनम ् |
अहंकारव्याघ्रव्य�थत�मममत्यन्
प्रबो प्रस्वापात्परम�वतवान् गुरो ||५१८||
mahāsvapnē māyākr̥tajanijarāmr̥tyugāhanē
bhramantaṁ kliśyantaṁ bahulataratāpairanudinam |
ahaṁkāravyāghravyathitamimamatyantakr̥payā
prabōdhya prasvāpātparamavitavānmāmasi gurō ||518||
Here the śiṣya remembers with gratitude, what the guru has done to him. So he
verbalises it. When somebody helps me out, we have to verbally express gratitude.
It is there always in the mind, you cannot say that.
The proper method is I have to mention that you have done to this me, and I am
indebted to you, he has to express and therefore he says; mahāsvapne
bhramantam; I was wallowing; I was moving about in the dream world of saṁsāra.
Mahā svapnam, the local dream lasts for only 1-1/2 mts or 2 mts; one hour, 8 hours,
that is the duration. But this saṁsāra svapna has started from ānādi māyaya suptaḥ
yada jīva prabhuddathi.
So I was bhramāndam means wandering, knocking about directionlessly; in the vast

dream world of saṁsāra, which was māya krita jani jarā mr̥tyu gahanam. It was a
deep gahanam. A dense forest; a saṁsāra forest, consisting of wild animals like
janihi, janma, jarā, old age, and attendant problems, old age has got all kinds of
physical and psychological problems; therefore jarā and finally mr̥thyu, maraṇam. So
all these are wild animals and saṁsāra forest is a deep and dense forest and how it
is created. Māya kritam, which is created, caused by māya or avidyā. So in this deep
Page 1997

forest of saṁsāra, which is nothing but a mahā svapnam, a vast dream,

bramāndam, I was wandering about.
And was it a enjoyable excursion. If saṁsāra is an enjoyable excursion, with popcorn

and cola in the hand and wearing the jeans and the cooling glass, cap, etc.; if it is
an enjoyable excursion, I would not have come to the guru. kliśyantaṁ, every
moment was a struggle; kliśyantaṁ means kaṣṭam anubhavantam. Like you have a
biting shoe. If you wear it, shoe bites; if you remove, the stones pierce your legs; or
hot tar road; which to choose; biting shoe or hot tar road; remove the shoe and run
for some time and again put. Thus every moment was a struggle. Problem in this
direction and in that direction. Bahulatara tāpai; struggling; tormented by tāpa;
adhyamatika, adhi boudika, ādhi daivika kliśyantaṁ. So problems at the body level;
problems from the family friends relatives and problems from natural courses. One
problem or the other was tormenting me. So bahula tara tāpaiḥ should be connected
with kliśyantaṁ. So suffering from all these. OK.
And what is the frequency of these problems? If it is like the mahā mahām; one
problem and next after only 12 years; OK; till that ānandam. He says; anudhinam.
It is daily; any phone call is dread; any letter is a threat; and now you cannot get
into flight also. Everywhere terrorist problem. So therefore, one problem in the world
because of globalisation; anything happens anywhere, affects everyone. Previously
one problem; next village what happens we did not know? Blissfully ignorant,
because of the internetting, world has become a village; great advantage; but
remember any problem any problem, I am going to be affected.
Therefore anudinam; there is another reading. Anukalam. Anudinam means every

day. Anukalam means every moment. Whichever you want to choose, you can
choose, both readings are OK.
And ahaṁkāra vyāghra vyathitam. I am concerned, frightened by a panther or tiger;

a man-eating tiger has come out. And I do not know where it is. Imagine. And what
is that man-eating tiger. Ahaṁkāraḥ. That is there; vyathitam, frightened; disturbed;
anxious, concerned. And such a miserable me, atyanta kr̥payā prabōdhya; you woke
up, you rescued me; by waking up from this dream called saṁsāra.
Because mahā svapna is used; he uses the word prabōdhya; means what? you woke
me up from that; so prabōdhya prasvāpāt, from the sleep; long sleep, you woke me
Page 1998

up. He guro, avitavānmāmasi gurō; you have protected me. How? rakṣanē; māmava
pattabhi Rāma; māmava meenākṣi; māmava; when you sing, you sing māmava;
māmava; it is mām ava; no māma or māmi; mām avithavān asmi; you have
protected me; param; completely. He guro.
Hari Om.
Page 1999

153. Verses 519 to 523
महास्वप् मायाकृतज�नजरामतृ ्युगहन

भ्रमन िक्लश्यन बहुलतरतापैरन�ु दनम ् |
अहंकारव्याघ्रव्य�थत�मममत्यन्
प्रबो प्रस्वापात्परम�वतवान् गुरो ||५१८||
mahāsvapnē māyākr̥tajanijarāmr̥tyugāhanē
bhramantaṁ kliśyantaṁ bahulataratāpairanudinam |
ahaṁkāravyāghravyathitamimamatyantakr̥payā
prabōdhya prasvāpātpaRāmavitavānmāmasi gurō ||518||
The student is expressing his gratitude to the teacher and also his summarised the
teaching that he received from the guru; and he is concluding his expression of
gratitude in these two verses 518 and 519th. Mām he Guro avitavān asi. Oh
Teacher, you have protected me from saṁsāra which is full of varieties of duḥkhaṁ
and which is full of wild animals like birth, disease, old age, death, etc. and which is
in the form of a long svapna or dream. From that saṁsāra you have saved me, just
by waking up. When the problems are created by nidrā and svapna, then the saving
is to be done only by waking that person up. And therefore the student said
prabōdhya prasvāpāt; you woke me up from the nightmarish dream of saṁsāra and
you have totally protected me; avitavān asi. Av means rakṣanē, avitavān means you
have protected; param means completely. Up to this we saw in the last class.
नमस्तस् सदैकस्म कस्मै�चन्मह नमः |

यदेतद्�वश्वरू राजते गुरुरा ते ||५१९||
namastasmai sadaikasmai kasmaicinmahāsē namaḥ |
yadētadviśvarūpēṇa rājatē gururāja tē ||519||
The student completes his expression of gratitude in this verse by offering the final
namaskāra and he looks upon the guru himself as param brahma. Because if the
guru has to teach, you are Brahman, guru will not have any doubt that he is
Brahman. Therefore He gurō, I do not look upon you as a person, I look upon you
as Brahman itself. Therefore he says: He Gururuja, tē namahā. So hēy gurō, who is
the king among the teachers, who is the best guru; guru rāja means guru śrēṣtaḥ;
śrēṣta guruḥ, because very student look ups his guru as the best guru. Mannātha sri
Page 2000

jagannathaḥ, madguruḥ sri jagatguruḥ. So who is the best guru. Every guru is best
guru only. But out of love and reverence a student looks upon his guru as the best
and therefore he says: he guru rāja, he srestha guro, te namaḥ, my prostrations to
you.
And what type of You? The description is given. Tasmai; to that guru; sadā ēkasmi;
who is non-dual Brahman. He does not look upon the guru as a person. He has
transcended the personality of guru. Every śiṣya has to do that. First he holds on to
guru as a person. Then he holds on to the guru as the teaching; then he holds to
the guru as the śāstra, the upaṇiṣad; then ultimately, he holds on the guru as the
very source of the śāstra that is Brahman itself. Thus the person, to the teaching, to
the śāstra, to the śāstra yoni brahma.
So every śiṣya has to come to that level; otherwise that will become another
relationship, which is as much as bondage as any other bondage. Therefore the
śiṣya here has transcended the guru's personality; therefore he says: sadā ēkasmai;
I look upon you as Brahman itself, who is ever non-dual; sadā means always;
ēkasmai means non-dual.
There is another reading also; sadēkasmai; sadēkasmai means the one who is
always non-dual; sad ēkasmai means the one who is the non-dual existence; sad
means existence. Both are OK.
And mahāsē namaḥ. Not only the guru is existence but mahāse; mahās means
caitanya svarūpāya. Literally mahās means light; the one who is the light of
consciousness and the one who is pure existence; that sadcid Brahma, I offer
namaskāra and kasmaicin; kasmaicin means some Brahma, literally it means some
Brahman, here the word some means inexplicable.
So when you say somebody has come; what does it mean? You do not know who
exactly that person is: when you cannot describe a person, you say somebody,
something. Here also kasmaicin means some inexplicable Brahman whose nature is
not describable; yathō vāchō nivarathantē, aprāpya manasa saha. We can say
anirvacanĩyam Brahma; vācāma gōcaram Brahma, you are.
And not only you are the transcendental Brahman, which is pāramārthikam, yathētat
visvarūpēṇa rājate. You the pāramārthikam Brahma alone through the power of
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māya are appearing as visva rūpa Īśvara also. So visva rūpēṇa; in the form of the
vyavahārika jīva; and vyavahārika prapañja, you alone are appearing, rājathe. So
which means paramārthika brahma also you are; vyavahārika Īśvara also you are. In
short, everything you alone are. To such a guru of mine, I offer my namaskāra.
So gurur brahma, gurur viṣṇuḥ, guru devo maheṣvara. That is vyavahārika guruḥ;
guruḥ sākṣāt param brahma, is pāramārthikam guru. In both ways, I look upon you
and offer my namaskāra. And with this namaskāra, the śiṣya concludes his
expression of gratitude.
Now what is the condition of the guru? Guru is extremely happy. Why he is
extremely happy. Śiṣya has left? Not because the śiṣya is leaving him, but the
communication has become successful. The very guru śiṣya relationship has been
struck not for any vyavahārika purpose, not for any worldly projects; they are all
worldly relationship meant for worldly projects, whereas this relationship is unique
and holy, which is meant for only one purpose and that is freedom of both, from the
very relationship itself. A relationship which is struck for transcending the
relationship and that has successfully happened and therefore guru is giving his final
āsĩrvāda to his disciple. Now I am letting you go free; because I am very confident
that wherever you go, whatever you do, you are a free person. And my blessings are
there with you all the time.
So thus now we are going to get the final parting āsĩrvāda of the guru. So śiṣya gave
the final parting gratitude; guru has to give what? final parting āsĩrvāda. And that is
the portion from 520 to 575. 55 verses of āsĩrvāda. We will enter into that.
इ�त नतमवलोक् �शष्यवय

सम�धगतात्मसुख प्रबुद्धतत |
प्रमु�दतहृ स दे �शकेन्द
पुन�रदमाह वचः परं महात्म ||५२०||
iti natamavalōkya śiṣyavaryaṁ
śamadhigatātmasukhaṁ prabuddhatattvam |
pramuditahr̥dayaṁ sa dēśikēndraḥ
punaridamāha vacaḥ paraṁ mahātmā ||520||
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Dēśikēndraḥ avalōkya; dēśikēndraḥ means the great teacher, because a teacher is

validating his teacherhood only when minimum one śiṣya becomes wise. Until he
converts minimum one śiṣya wise, the teacher has not validated his teacherhood;
scholarship does not make a guru. Writing books does not make a guru; even the
number of followers and admirers do not make a guru. Minimum one should have
become wise. Then alone like a parent is a parent only when minimum one child is
there. Dozens are not there. One child. Similarly the guru is very happy because his
gurutvam has been validated. Therefore the great teacher; dēśikaḥ means guruḥ.
Dis or upadiś means to teach. So dēśikaḥ means the teacher. So a person becomes
a teacher only when he consistently communicates the scriptures to someone for a
length of time; that is indicated by the word dēśikaḥ. And indraḥ means śrēṣtaḥ. So
dēśika indraḥ means guru śrēṣtaḥ or uttama guruḥ; sadguruḥ; this great teacher.
Avalōkya, he saw the student; a completely satisfied student; happy and free
student; who is offering namaskāra to him. So natham avalōkya, seeing the
prostrating disciple, natham avalōkya, and if the teacher is great, what about the
student. Student also must be equally brilliant, because however great the teacher
might be, the student should know how to grasp the teaching properly.
As I have often said, the greatest difficulty in vēdānta śravaṇa is what? Whenever
the teacher describes Brahman, the tendency of the student is to visualise Brahman
as some kind of a reality other than himself. This is called objectification orientation.
Brahman as something; Brahman is something, which I have to realise one day.
Brahman is something which I have to experience one day. This is the conclusion
many of the students make; they say I have intellectually understood Brahman, but
I have not yet experienced Brahman.
And as long as the śiṣya goes with that tendency; and plans to sit in 7-hour
meditation and 8-hour meditation, expecting Brahman to come face to face, it is not
only the failure of the student, it is the failure of the teacher also. All kinds of
expectations should drop, if the teaching is grasped thoroughly. So the completion of
learning is the end of expectation, including the end of expectation of any form of
mystic experience.
Mystic experience expectation is that which will come, if we listen to vēdānta with
objectification-orientation. Therefore the teacher has to regularly say: do not look
around; I am talking about You, the observer, who is the conscious individual. You
Page 2003

are ever the experiencer. Never an object of experience. By teaching you are not
knowing any new thing; by the teaching you are only dropping the misconceptions
about yourselves; the limitations that you think for yourselves; they are all dropped.
Dropping the notion is the completion of understanding. If this is not taught and and
made to understand, it is the failure of the teacher and if the student does not get
this, it is the failure of the student.
And here the student does not look for mōkṣa as a future event and therefore
Śankarācārya says the student is also a great student. As we see in Kathōpanișad,
āścaryo vakthā, kuśalōsya labhda. The teacher is also a wonder; the one who grasps
the teacher is also a wonder; therefore dēśika indraḥ and śiṣya varyaḥ. Varyaḥ
means great; śiṣya is also equally great, because he does not look forward to mōkṣa
as a future event.
Mōkṣa is never an event. And mōkṣa is certainly not a future event. Unless this is
understood, vēdānta is not complete. Śiṣya varyam śamadigata ātma sukham. A
śiṣya who has owned up the ātma ānandaḥ; śamadigataḥ; the one who has claimed
ātma sukham means ātmanānandaḥ; that is pūrṇatvam as his very nature; he has
claimed. And prabuddha tatvam. And the one who has awakened to his real nature.
Prabuddha means woken up. Tatvam means his own real nature. I am not the
vyavāharika ahaṁkāra, but I am the paramārthika sākṣi.
To this nature, the student has awakened and therefore only pramudhitha hrdayaṁ.
All these are the descriptions of the student, please note. Adjective to śiṣya varyam;
natham śiṣya varyam; śamadigata ātmasukham śiṣya varyam; prabuddha tatvam
śiṣya varyam. Pramudita hr̥dayaṁ śiṣya varyam. Because of his understanding, he is
so elated. So his heart is very light; so pramudita hr̥dayaṁ. The one whose mind is
extremely happy. All these are the description of the disciple; such a disciple,
dēśikēndra avalōkya; such a disciple the teacher saw.
Having seen such a disciple doing namaskāra, mahātma idam param vacha āha. So
that mahātma guruḥ; that dēśikēndraḥ uttered the following words. param vachaḥ;
great words, because it is going to be asīrvāda words. And therefore param. So
these following words, the guru uttered; punaha, once again.
So what does he say? We are going to get this up to 575 verse. We will read.
Page 2004

ब्रह्मप्रत्ययसन्त� ब्रह् तत्सवर्

पश्याध्यात्म प्रशान्तम सवार्स्ववस्थास |
रूपादन्यदवे�� कम�भतश्च�ुष्मत दृश्य
तद्वद्ब्रह् सतः �कमपरं बुद्धे�वर्हारास् ||५२१||
brahmapratyayaśantatirjagadatō brahmaiva tatsarvataḥ
paśyādhyātmadr̥śā praśāntamanasā sarvāsvavasthāsvapi |
rūpādanyadavēkṣitaṁ kimabhitaścakṣuṣmatāṁ dr̥śyatē
tadvadbrahmavidaḥ sataḥ kimaparaṁ buddhērvihārāspadam ||521||
So guru gives his asīrvāda and his benediction or blessing, the guru says: do what
you want. But whatever you do, never lose sight of the teaching. Never lose sight of
the fact that Brahman is in and through everything. So sarvaṁ kalu idaṁ brahma, so
that you never forget. You can continue to have worldly relationships. If you are a
gr̥hastha, worldly relationships will continue, and even if you become a teacher later,
you will get a relationship in the form of guru śiṣya relationship, you can have any
number of relationship, but remember, behind all the relationships, there is only one
Brahman, which is free from all relations. So never forget the relationless Brahman
in and through relationship-based transactions.
As long as relationless Brahman is remembered, relationships will not create

problems. It will be like handling electric live wires with proper gloves. So gloves if
you have and you have got a wooden platform and the earthing is properly done,
you can handle electricity, it will be useful; but if it is not there, you have not
protected yourselves. Electricity can be deadly. One movie was there; Saṁsāram oru
minsāram. Saṁsāram means I do not say about the wife; the whole creation is like
minsāram like electricity; every relationship is a live wire. If relationless Brahman is
remembered, the relations will not cause headache; otherwise every relation is a
pain on your neck.
And therefore he śiṣya, remember the saṅgātītha asaṅga brahma in and through all
saṅga. So that is beautifully said here. Jagad brahma pratyaya santatiḥ; jagad or the
world or the perception of the world is nothing but a series of perceptions of
Brahman. Jagad darśanam is Brahma darśanam only. Jagad darśanam is Brahma
darśanam only. Because whenever you look at the world, Brahman cognition,
Brahman perception is taking place, whether you like or not. Exactly like what? when
you are perceiving varieties of ornaments, you may call it bangle, you may call it
Page 2005

chain; you may call it ring; so you are seeing a series of things like bangle, chain,
ring, etc.
In all these cognitions, one thing you are perceiving continuously; whether you like
or not. What is that? It is golden bangle. Gold cognition is not replaced in bangle
perception; chain perception; ring perception. In all these perceptions, gold
cognition or perception is never replaced. Whichever perception is never replaced;
here what is not replaced. Gold is not replaced. Therefore gold is the reality behind
bangle, chain, ring.
So therefore it is called svarṇa pratyaya santatiḥ; pratyaya means what? Cognitive.

svarṇa pratyaya means what? Gold cognition or perception. Santatiḥ means flow;
gold perception flow is continuously there when you are seeing bangle, bangle to
chain, chain to ring; the perceptions are changing, but there is one changeless
factor, what is that? svarṇam. svarṇam; svarṇam.
So therefore vēdānta says; whichever cognition continuously persists, that is the

reality. Whichever cognition or perception is continuously persisting; that represents
the reality. Gold perception is continuous, therefore gold is reality behind the
ornaments. Water perception continues. When you see waves, ocean, bubble,
anything. Therefore water is the truth behind. Similarly, when you are perceiving the
world, there is one cognition, which is constantly flowing. What is that? we have to
find out. Can you say gold cognition is all over there? It is not there; because when I
look at the table, gold perception is not there.
Vēdānta asks the question, which pratyaya, which cognition persists through all the
perception of the world. If you analyse, there is only one cognition. What is that?
table IS: chair IS: pen IS: man IS: that IS_ness or existence is the only pratyaya
which is continuously there. So satta pratyayaḥ or Sat pratyayaḥ is consistently and
permanently there in and through all the perceptions and that Sat is called Brahman
and therefore here the teacher says: perception of the world is nothing but the
continuous flow of Brahman perception. Sat Sat Sat Sat; that is constantly flowing.
Exactly like what: in bangle, chain, ring what you see. Bangle-formed gold is
perceived, chain-formed gold is perceived, ring-formed gold is perceived. Continuous
flow is only one substance. And that is gold. Similarly, here also. World is nothing
but (see he is saying all these in the Asīrvādam). So for a great vēdantin even casual
Page 2006

talk involves profound truths. That is what somebody nicely said. It is a beautiful
slōka.
Sadbistu leelaya prōkthaṁ, sila likhitham akṣaraṁ

asadbhiḥsapathe nābhi, jalē likhitham akṣaraṁ.
When great people speak, even their casual speech is worth recording and writing
commentary upon. Sadbistu leelaya prōkthaṁ; casually talking while eating, while
eating, their casual statements are also śilā likhitham akṣaraṁ; there words are like
it is to be sculptured, etched on a rock, whereas asadbhiḥsapathe nābhi; the
ordinary mediocre people even when they speak very seriously, jalē likitham
akṣaraṁ; it is not worth remembering next moment; it is like letters written on
water.
For what purpose I am telling this is that he is giving the final blessing Asīrvāda, that
Asīrvāda also the first line is worth meditating, nidhidhyāsana line; perception of the
world is nothing but a series of existence-cognition. brahma pratyaya santhatiḥ
jagat. A very brilliant statement. Perception of the world is nothing but a series of
Brahman cognition, existence cognition. Only difference is what? existence with
different nāma rūpa. When I see ākāśa, it is existence plus one nāma rūpa. When I
see ākāśa, it is again existence plus another nāma rūpa. The nāma rūpa varies; the
inherent existence is constant. Adhaḥ; therefore Tad brahmaiva; and therefore the
world is nothing but Brahman. Just as ornaments are nothing but gold. Similarly, the
world is nothing but Brahama. Tad means jagat. That world is Brahman. sarvataḥ, in
all respects. And therefore what should you do. Just as a person who handles
varieties of ornaments carefully, he has got one awareness in the background. He
says this is bangle, this is chain, but in and through bangle vision; he has got one
awareness. This is gold; it is expensive. It is security for me. I have to carefully
protect. He does not the word Gold; he only says this is bangle, this is chain; but in
and through the vyavahārā, he does not forget the essence of gold. Similarly, Oh!
Student, handle any number of persons but remember, they are all nāma rūpas, the
substance is Brahman.
And when I have got a such a vision, it is called adhyātma dr̥ṣṭi. Therefore he says
in the second line, adhyātma dr̥śā. With this spiritual awareness, in the background,
like the gold awareness, while transacting bangles, chains, etc. with this spiritual
awareness, adhyātma dr̥ṣṭi; paśya, look at the world. Handle the world.
Page 2007

And how do I know whether I have got the spiritual awareness or not? Whether I
am absorbed in the nāma rūpa or existence; how do I know? He gives the clue here.
Praśānta manasa. As long as the spiritual awareness is in the background, mind will
remain relaxed. Tranquil; tension would not be there; stress would not be there. The
moment the BP is increasing, it is the red light burning and telling you, nāma rūpa
has become dominant and the content has receded. The movie has become
dominant; the screen has been forgotten. Therefore Praśānta manasa. Maintain the
inner leisure in and through your activity.
And if your mind is disturbed, instead of blaming the world, learn to blame
yourselves, that you have lost sight of the spiritual awareness. You have the
background, tampura śruti; which has stopped. Therefore anytime you are
disturbed, look within rather than looking for scape-goats, look within.
sarvāsvavasthāsvapi; this is true in all the conditions; even during the worst crisis of
money loss; health loss; people loss. Whatever happens, never lose sight of this. So
sarvāsvavasthāsvapi as Krishna said; paśyan, sr̥nvan, spr̥san, jihran. Never forget
vēdānta.
Like what? he gives rūpādanyadavēkṣitaṁ; there is another better reading. Instead

of avēkṣitam, it is better to have āpēkṣitaṁ. So if you are using the eye, the ordinary
eye, it will report only colours and forms; because eyes are meant for reporting
colours and forms. Therefore cākṣutmathām; when the people with eyes, operate
their eyes, they will not be seeing anything other than forms and colours.
So avithaha, all around; suppose, a dog is barking; and you look in that direction.
With the eyes what do you see? Do you see barking; barking you cannot see,
because eyes are incapable of reporting the sound. Even when you look at the
barking dog, you will see only the open mouth of the dog; you will not see anything.
So the eyes are capable of reporting only forms and colours. OK.
So what? we will get a doubt, why he is telling this. In the same way, if you look at
the world with vēdānta cakṣuḥ; śāstra cakṣuḥ, the eye of wisdom, which is physically
symbolised as the third eye, and with that third eye, you can never see sorrow. You
can never see deaths; you can never see disease, because the third eye of wisdom
will only see the ānanada svarūpam Brahma.
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Therefore what you see depends upon what instrument you use. Use prathyakṣa
pramāṇa, you will see saṁsāra all over; use śāstra pramāṇa, you will see freedom;
all over. Which eye to use is your choice? Therefore he says: rūpāt anyathum
āpēkṣitaṁ.
To see anything other than form, cakṣuṣmatāṁ dr̥śyatē kiṁ, is it possible for the
people who have got eyes; is it possible to see anything other than the forms and
colours.
Tadvad, in the same way, Brahmavidaḥ, for a wise person, who is using adyātma
cakṣu; in the second line, adyātma cakṣu is mentioned, that you have to bring here;
for a wise person who is using the śāstra cakṣu; there is nothing else to be
perceived.
Sataḥ paraṁ kim asthi. What is there; other than Sat Brahma. Buddhēr for his mind,
vihārāspadam, the field of experience.
So for the mind of a wise person, who is using the śāstra cakṣu; there is no other
field of experience, other than Brahman. Put in a peculiar way. Are you able to
understand. For a wise man, for the mind of a wise man, who uses the eye of the
scriptures, there is no other field of experience other than Brahman.
So what does it mean in simple language? If you do not forget the śāstra, ānandaḥ
will be there. If you forget śāstra, duḥkha will get inside you, because it is waiting to
get inside. Therefore vihārāspadam field of experience. And what is that? Nothing
other than Brahma. Sad means Brahman.
कस्ता परानन्दरसानुभू�-
मतृ ्सृज शून्येष रमेत �वद्वान |
चन्द महाह्ला�द� द�प्यमान
�चत्रेन्दुमालोक�य क इच्छेत ||५२२||
kastāṁ parānandarasānubhūti-
mr̥tsr̥jya śūnyēṣu ramēta vidvān |
candrē mahāhlādini dīpyamānē
citrēndumālōkayituṁ ka icchēt ||522||
Page 2009

So now we have choice. We can use the pratyakṣa pramāṇa which is reporting only
tragedies after tragedies; battles after battles, terrorists operations after terrorists
operations. So pratyakṣa pramāṇa will only report only saṁsāra around. And there is
another cakṣu, which is śāstra cakṣu, which will report only sad, chit, ānandaḥ. Both
eyes you have got now. Previously Bhagavan had given only one eye. That is this
eye.
Now the guru had given you the third eye, śāstra cakṣuḥ. Now we have got two; it is
your choice. Like two channels; in one some tragedy is being shown and in the
other, some comedy is being shown. You have got the remote control in your hand;
it is in your hand to chose which channel to see. Press one channel, saṁsāram o
saṁsāram. Press the other channel, nandathi, nandathi, nandatēva. I have given
you both channels; connection has been given. I have handed over the remote
control also. Now in life, whether you want to make a tragedy or comedy, is in your
hand. An intelligent person will choose ānandaḥ channel; only an unintelligent
person will choose will duḥkhaṁ channel. Therefore he says: para ānanda
rasānubhūtim ur̥tsr̥jya; which intelligent person will give up the ānandaḥ channel or
ānandaḥ of Brahman. So kaha which intelligent person; ur̥tsr̥jya will give up
parānandaḥ rasānubhūtiḥ; the experience of great ānandaḥ. So parānandaḥ rasam,
the drink, the amrutham of parānandaḥ, which is given by the śāstra chaksuḥ; which
intelligent person will give up. That means what; intelligent people will not give it up.
And if you give up that channel; what is the other channel left. If vēdānta you have
forgotten, any other channel you switch on; there is only tragedy after tragedy; and
even if things are going well, we have got; I have told you, when everything is fine,
our worry is: dristri will come. Kan dr̥ṣṭi vināyakar photo has come. A vināyaka who
is a special deity for evil eye. Kan dr̥ṣṭi means evil eye. So everything goes well, then
also tragedy because we are worried that we will lose it; we will lose it, etc.
And therefore here the teacher says: śūnyēṣu, all others which are all empty, hallow
things, worthless things, in such world of saṁsāra, kaha vidvān ramēta; which
intelligent person will revel; will enjoy. Can turn to. Therefore other than vēdānta,
nothing is worth thinking about. Ramēta Vidvān.
That does not mean you should drop all transactions. Here what the teacher says is
that you switch off all other transactions, he does not say; in and through all these
transactions, you should have this wisdom behind. And he gives an example, candrē
mahāhlādini dīpyamānē. On a pournami day, beautiful moon is up in the sky, which
Page 2010

is an eternal source of ānandaḥ and relaxation; mahāhlādini, a moon which gives

ānandaḥ, joy.
When that moon is there; a person does not see the original moon, and he is trying
to see the picture of a moon which is very very poorly drawn. Who will look into that
moon. Mutilated moon, when the original one is available in its glory.
citrēndumālōkayituṁ; citrēndum means what? the moon in the picture; which

represents vyavahārika satyam. When pāramārthikamsatyam is available, who will
go after vyavahārika satyam. When higher reality is available, who will go after fake?
When the original gold is available, who will go after the fake gold. Citrēndum
ālōkayituṁ ka icchēt, who will desire.
असत्पदाथार्नुभव �किञ्चन
न ह्यिस तिृ प्तन च दःखह
ु ा�नः |
तदद्वयानन्दरसानुभूत
तप्त
ृ सुखं �तष् सदात्म�नष्ठ ||५२३||
asatpadārthānubhavēna kiñcin
na hyasti tr̥ptirna ca duḥkhahāniḥ |
tadadvayānandarasānubhūtyā
tr̥ptaḥ sukhaṁ tiṣṭha sadātmaniṣṭhayā ||523||
Here the teacher says: the fulfilment that you get through vēdānta or this Brahma
jñānaṁ, you will never get through any other pursuit. This you have discovered even
before coming to vēdānta, but even after the study of vēdānta, this must be
constantly remembered. Otherwise the mind will again run after worldly fulfilment
and therefore the teacher reminds nothing other than ātma jñānaṁ can give
fulfilment. It is a challenge which is given by vēdānta. And if anybody claims that I
have got fulfilment through something or the other, vēdānta declares that it is a fake
fulfilment, it is not a real one. What is the proof? That fulfilment last for a few
seconds, a few minutes or few days or maximum few weeks; thereafter the very
person is after another pursuit, again for fulfilment.
In fact he has forgotten even the fact that he is possessing the object for which
worked. He thought house will give fulfilment. House was completed and he said the
mission is over; I am happy. And after a few days or months he forgets that he is
Page 2011

the owner of the house. And he is looking for the next thing which indicates that
there is no fulfilment even if it comes, it is only a fake one. And the proof is; a real
fulfilment will be continuous; a fake fulfilment will not be permanent. Therefore he
says: asad padārta anubhavēna kinchit tr̥ptihi na. Asad padārta means mithya
padārtaḥ. Through the worldly objects and relationship you will never get the real
tr̥pti.
Details we will see in the next class. Hari Om.
Page 2012

154. Verses 523 to 526
ॐ
The student has already expressed his gratitude and summarised the entire teaching
which he received from the ācārya. And now the ācārya is extremely satisfied to
allow the student to take his own course of life because the guru-śiṣya saṁbanda
has already fructified. And the very purpose of guru śiṣya saṁbanda is only for this
purpose of ātma jñānaṁ and once the student has attained this knowledge, there is
no necessity of physically preserving the relationship. By physical preservation, I
mean the śiṣya being associated with guru for śravaṇa-mananādhi, for the śiṣya to
continue as a antēvāsi. This antēvāstivam living near the teacher constant
interaction and as well as regular śravaṇam, these are all compulsory until the
knowledge takes place and once the knowledge has come, this need not be
maintained which means the internal guru-śiṣya saṁbanda alone will continue. Even
though they are not physically together, the śiṣya has eternal gratitude, because I
am what I am because of the grace of the guru and of course he can never forget
the role of the guru but he does not require physical interaction with the guru. In
fact, guru in the form of invisible teaching is all the time present in the heart of the
śiṣya. In fact, the śiṣya never misses the guru after knowledge.
And therefore guru is ready to permit the student to go his own way and just before
the śiṣya parts and leaves guru wants to give his final benediction. So I wish you all
the best; you have got the knowledge and if at all you have to work for something,
it is only jñāna niṣṭa, jñāna niṣṭa is an eternal refining process. Jñāna niṣṭa can never
be quantified and jñāna niṣṭa is not an event which takes place at one moment. As
we are soaking in knowledge, the knowledge will get assimilated.
And this assimilation will take place as long as the student is in association with the
śāstra and I have already told you that this association can be in any form. It can be
even continuation of śravaṇam, if he wants; it is an optional and in fact it is one
form of nidhidhyāsanam or the student can remain in touch by reading, by writing,
by discussing, by teaching, by meditating. These are several methods of being in
touch with śāstra.
And therefore here the teacher permits the student to go saying that you have to
soak yourselves in the knowledge, like the syrup or ūrukāi. The more it is soaked,
Page 2013

the more it is wonderful. But while the guru permits the śiṣya to go away, he wants
to only give one warning. And that warning is, the sādana catuṣṭaya saṁpatti
qualification is the one which is responsible for holding the teaching. In fact, that is
the locker in which the vēdantic wisdom can be maintained. So if a student becomes
negligent, then the sādana catuṣṭaya saṁpatti perhaps may be weakened and once
it weakness, knowledge also can weaken.
Once the knowledge weakens, knowledge will never be lost. But knowledge goes
behind the mind, then a person can again slip into saṁsāra. And therefore the
teacher advices him vivēka, let it be kept green all the time and what is the vivēka.
Other than Brahman, everything else is mithya. However wonderful, however
attractive, however sacred it may look, anything other than Brahman is mithya.
Therefore it is very good and it is very necessary for you to handle mithya, but never
try to lean on mithya padārtaḥ. Therefore your support is Brahman and Brahman
alone.
And this vivēka that the world is mithya and therefore the world cannot give real
pūrṇatvam. It does not have nityatvam. It does not have a sāra. It is hollow. If this
is not maintained in your mind, the chances are you will run after them. Therefore
have vivēka, and vairāgyam, bright in your mind all the time. In fact, vairāgyam is
nourished only with the oil of vivēka. In religious functions, when the light the lamp
in the beginning, they pour oil and at regular intervals they will check up whether
the oil is there or not. Otherwise lamp will go off. Similarly make sure that the
vairāgya lamp is kept bright, with a regular pouring of vivēka oil.
Therefore Śankarācārya says here: asad padārta anubhavēna. Asat padārtaḥ means
mithya padārtaḥ. And what is mithya padārtaḥ? Everything other than ātma. The
entire anātma prapañjaha. Anubhavēna. By holding on to it; kiñcin tr̥ptirna na hyasti.
You can never get real satisfaction. So they will give you only fake satisfaction but it
is never real. And not only it will not give you real fulfilment, na cha duḥkka hāni. It
is never a remedy for the grief of saṁsāra. The pains of saṁsāra, it is never a
remedy. When the fake fulfilment comes, the saṁsāra seems to be away for some
time, and when that fake satisfaction will go as it should, the saṁsāra duḥkka again
will come. Therefore this vivēka and vairāgyam, you should always have.
You need not hate the prapañja, you need not discard the prapañja; you cannot
because you have to live in the world with the people. What is important is when
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you need security; when you need fullness, when you need, ānandaḥ, you tap only
one source and that is ātma.
And therefore the Ācārya here warns: tad; third line; therefore.
tadadvayānandarasānubhūtyā; by resorting to advaya ānanda, which means
ātmānandaḥ. So enjoying, by claiming, by resorting to, by tapping the ātmānandaḥ,
tr̥ptaḥ tiṣṭha. May you always be contended. So may you ever have contentment
with yourselves; may you not try to hold on to the external thing. So tr̥ptaḥ tiṣṭha
and sukham tiṣṭha. And may you be relaxed and released. And how you get the
relaxation? Sadātmaniṣṭhayā; by ever remaining, abiding in sadātma. Sadātma
means ātma which is sadrūpam; satya svarūpam. And why there is total relaxation?
because satya ātma will never be subject to loss. Therefore you need never be
concerned about losing the ātmānandaḥ; whereas any other source of contentment,
there is a constant anxiety or concern, whether I will be able to preserve the set up;
preserve the relationship, a relationship born security is always under threat;
because relationship is always under threat, because relationship rests on two
people.
Even though you may do everything to maintain a relationship, the cooperation of

other person is also required; and you never know what the other person will do.
One day that person comes and says: I do not like you: what to do; and for likes
and dislikes; there are no logic at all. It is the whim and fancy and the subjectivity of
the mind; whether it is the preservation of the object, whether it is preservation of
the set up or whether it is preservation of a relationship; in all of them, things are
always unpredictable.
The only relationship which will not fail is: relationship with ātma. And it will never
fail because it is you yourselves. Until we discover the ātma we ask the student to
have relationship with the Lord, that is the next best relationship. Either have ātma
saṁbanda, or Īśvara saṁbanda; but never the unpredictable world saṁbanda.
Therefore tr̥ptaḥ sukham tiṣṭha sadātmaniṣṭhayā.
स्वमे सव्
र थ पश्यन्मन्यम स्वमद्वय |
स्वानन्दमनभुञ्ज
ु कालं नय महामते ||५२४||
svamēva sarvathā paśyanmanyamānaḥ svamadvayaṁ |
svānandamanubhuñjānaḥ kālaṁ naya mahāmatē ||524||
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So here the guru says as long as I am with you, I can give you regular reminders;
regular warnings; do not forget, be careful, etc. etc. Like as long as the children are
with you, you can regularly follow up and enquire, do this and do not do that; but
the children have to develop wings and they have to go their way. So how long you
can be behind them; advising them? So guru is also in a similar situation; Oh! śiṣya,
you were an anthēvāsi till now. Therefore I can correct you; but now hereafter I am
going to be the reminder only in the form of the teaching which I have put in your
heart. Therefore the teacher must be give the red light, whenever you are going of
the track. The vēdānta śāstram in your heart must regularly tell you. Therefore your
own responsibility; therefore he says, svamēva paśyan. So you should put forth
necessary effort to regularly remember the teaching. So here paśyan means what:
seeing the ātma svarūpam. Seeing is not physically seeing, but intellectually
remembering. So the world is only nāma rūpa which is fluctuating; I should not be
carried away by the fleeting nāma rūpas; I should always remember the essence
behind it; that is the ātma.
Sarva bhūtāstha ātmanam, sarva bhūtāni ca ātmani,

sampaśyan brahma paramam, yāthi nanyēna hētuna.
In your interaction with anātma, you should not lose sight of the ātma's screen.
While appreciating the movie, you should not lose sight of the screen behind the
movie. The more intense your forgetfulness of the screen is, the more real the
nightmarish movie becomes. And the more real the movie becomes; the more
moving it will be; that is why, it is called movie; it moves you. Moves you means
what? moves you from reality. Therefore the whole life is a movie taking place upon
the screen of ātma; do not forget that.
Therefore, svamēva paśyan; you have to manage to remind yourselves; when?

sarvathā, all the time, not only when situations are fine; in fact when situations are
fine, you need not remember vēdānta. Because there is no saṁsāra. When you
should take medicines; regularly?; you do not have to take medicines regularly; only
when the health goes to imbalance, medicine is required. Similarly only when the
saṁsāra, saṁsāra rōga is activated, or comes to relapse, then alone jñāna
aushadam has to be activated; when everything is fine; it is ok even if you do not
remember. When things are going haywire, then only the teachings must come to
you; therefore sarvathā; in all circumstances; at all times, all places and under all
conditions. Sarvēṣu dēśēṣu, sarvēṣu kālēṣu, sarvāsu avasthāsu; sarvathā paśyan.
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And manyamānaḥ. manyamānaḥ means doing mananam; that is dwelling upon the
truth of yourselves. So svam manyamānaḥ. So you should remember which is the
pāramārthikam-I and which is vyavahārik-I; ahaṁkāra and sākṣi must be always
segregated in and through transactions; svam advayaṁ. Advayaṁ means what: the
non-dual; real self. manyamānaḥ.
And when you own up the real self, the ātma, it is always ānandaḥ. Ānandaḥ does
not have even an iota of duḥkham; the more you invoke the ātma, the more you can
claim ānandaḥ. The more you invoke your ahaṁkāra, ahaṁkāra has got eternal
problems. I have told you repeatedly. Ahaṁkāra is never free from problems. That is
indicated by even avathārās; even avathārās face problems from birth to death.
Take Rāma, full of problems. Take Krishna, full of problems. Means what: ahaṁkāra
in the world will have problems, whereas ātma is ever free from problems.
Therefore svānandaḥ, ātmānandaḥ, anubhuñjānaḥ, owning up, claiming, kālaṁ naya

mahāmatē. Oh Student, Oh intelligent student, mahāmathiḥ. The student of great
intellect, sharp intellect, is called mahāmathi. Mahāthi mathihi yasya saha.
Sambōdhana prathama; hēy mahāmathe, kālaṁ naya. Spend your rest of the life in
this manner. Because as long as prārabdha is there, life cannot end. As long as
prārabdha is there, interactions cannot stop and take it as God's will and allow the
rest of the prārabdha to be exhausted. We have no other duty in life. So kālaṁ
naya. Spend your life.
अखण्डबोधात्म �न�व्
र कल्
�वकल्पन व्योिम पुरप्रकल्प |
तदद्वयानन्दमयात् सदा
शािन्त परामेत् भजस् मौनम ् ||५२५||
akhaṇḍabōdhātmani nirvikalpē
vikalpanaṁ vyōmni puraprakalpaṇam |
tadadvayānandamayātmanā sadā
śāntiṁ parāmētya bhajasva maunam ||525||
Whether one likes or not, even after knowledge, one has to all the time with mithya
anātma only and satyam brahma is never available for transactions. What is reality
to be remembered is never available for transactions and what is to be forgotten as
mithya that alone is all the time staring at me. So what is to be forgotten is staring
Page 2017

you in your face; what is to be remembered, cannot to be seen at all. This is the
difficulty a vēdantic student has to face.
And therefore the teacher says: you cannot help it; you have to transact with mithya
only. Here alone there is a difference between dream and waking.
When you wake up out of the dream, there is a very great advantage; you have
woken up from dream and the dream disappears from you, and you need not
interact with dream. You know the dream is unreal and you can forget the dream
and you need not even interact with the dream.
But in the case of vēdānta, you are waking up from this dream of world alright, but
the unfortunate problem is even after waking up, this dream will continue. This is a
very big difference between that waking and this waking. Even though ātma jñānaṁ
is compared to waking from dream; there is a very big difference; once you wake up
from the other dream; the nightmare is not there; it is out of sight; therefore out of
mind. Whereas this world, even after knowledge is never becomes out of sight. If it
is out of sight, we would not be tempted; you would not have to interact; you would
not have problems at all; but since it continues in sight, the tendency to attribute
reality to the world is all the time there.
And therefore we have to only intellectually tackle, expereintially there is no remedy;

the world will continue. And the problems at the worldly level will continue. Problems
at the physical level will continue. Biological upheavels will continue; economic
tragedy will continue. All these cannot be forgotten; because even after self-
knowledge, world continues to appear.
Therefore seeing the world, we have to intellectually remind constantly, I see it

alright; but it is mithya. Exactly like I see the sunrise, and I have to declare Sun
never rises; it is the earth that is going around. It is an intellectual thing,
experientially the sun will rise. Experientially the sun will set. Experientially the earth
will be flat. How is it to look? Flat only, but I have to intellectually convince myself;
even though expereintially it is flat; that is not the truth. Experientially earth is
stationary. What do you feel; except for a few seconds.
The other day, I forget the date, I missed the thing; except those few seconds,
when Chennai shook or tremor was there; the very fact that there was a tremor for
Page 2018

a few seconds, it means what: before that and after that; earth was steady.
Therefore we experienced a stationery earth; but intellectually we know, earth is
moving around its own axis; thousand miles per hour, and it is going around the
Sun, 60000 miles per hour. Because in 365 days it has to complete the round. So
this violent motion is an intellectual conviction; it is not an experiential event. There
is a disparity between experience and fact.
Similarly based on my vēdantic conviction, I have to tell; there is an experience of

duality; experience of gain and loss; experience of birth and death; experience of
growth and decay; experience of health and ill health; but they are all experiential
events; intellectual conviction when I confront the world. Therefore the teacher
warns, it is a very very tough task. But there is no alternative.
So he says; akhaṇḍa bōdhaḥātmani nirvikalpē; so in the ātma; which is akhaṇḍa

bōdhaḥ; undivided consciousness and the nirvikalpē; which does not have parts at
all; triputi rahitḥ. So akhaṇḍam can be taken as svagata bhēda rahitam; nirvikalpam
can be taken as sajātīya; vijātīya bhēda rahitam. Joined together, it does not have
all the three-fold divisions. I do not know whether you remember the three-fold
divisions. If you remember wonderful; otherwise generally note, divisionless ātma.
In that ātma, vikalpanaṁ; there are no divisions at all.
And whatever divisions I experience; it is like vyōmni puraprakalpanam; it is like the

imaginary world which is seen in the evening sky; which is full of clouds. Gandharva
nagaraḥ, I have told you before, do you remember, in the evening sky, the clouds
are there, with varieties of patterns; if you are in imagination, sometime it will look
like an elephant; sometime like few people walking; sometime it will look like city
with streets and markets; but we know they are all imaginary; there is no city at all.
This imaginary city in the sky is called gandharva puram. So here puram means,
gandharva puram; the city of the celestials; the imaginary city of the celestials;
prakalpanam; which is superimposed upon the sky. Vyōmni means upon the sky. So
viśvaṁ darpaṇa dr̥śya māna nagari tulyam nijāndargatam, paśyan ātmani mayaya
bahir rivō bhūtām yatha nidrayā. So just as the gandhara nagaram is only mithya;
similarly this creation also is mithya. This you have to keep always remembering.
Then what should I do, if the world is mithya; what should I do? May you spend
more time on the satyam. Tad; therefore, advayānandaḥ mayātmana; so may you
find more time. So gradually, rearrange lifestyle and make sure that you have more
Page 2019

time for satyam rather than mithya. Therefore advaya ānandaḥ mayātmana; may
you remain in the form of the advaya ānandaḥ ātma. So ānandamaya maya here
means ānandaḥ svarūpam; not ānandaḥ maya kōśa. So here maya refers to
ānandaḥ svarūpa ātma; may you remain sadā; that means what? Whenever you
have freetime, instead of worrying about unnecessary things, try to dwell upon the
teaching. So may you have some time management. And even when the duty calls
for worldly transactions, may you do the transactions in such a way, that you will
never forget the real nature; so let the whole life be like a drama. Therefore enact
very well; but remember that it is an enactment. Therefore sadā advaya ānandaḥ
rūpēṇa, śānthim parāṁ ētya. So may you attain; etya means attain; may you gain; e
daatu; ēvantam avyaya rūpam ētya; prapya ityartha; may you attain, what? pāram
śāntiḥm.
The more you remember, vēdānta, the more you get śānthi, the more you forget
vēdānta; the more there will be aśāntiḥ. So if you have to find out whether vēdānta
is remembered or forgotten, we have got a very very clear acid test: look at your
mind; there is a general tranquillity; vēdānta is fake. If there is lot of upheaveals,
vēdānta is under threat.
And as I have often said, upheavels, upheavels means mental disturbances cannot
become zero, there are reducing the three things; remember, the frequency of
disturbances should come down; the intensity of the disturbances comes down; then
what is the next one? the recovery period also comes down. So we never talk about
zero aśāntiḥ; aśāntiḥ will come; but it will not be a serious threat to your śāntiḥ. It is
like catching cold. Whether there is a state where you do not catch cold; no, cold
will come; but it is not life threatening disease. Not like cancer or something like
that. Similarly the disturbance can come; but it is not your spiritual life threatening
disturbance. Whereas other things will be a threat to spiritual life. So sāntim parām
etya; may you attain.
Then what should you do. He says keep quiet. Maunam bhajasva. �ம்ம இ�ன்
ஸுகம ெப�வ� எப்ப (Chumma irundu sukah peruvathu eppadi) in Tamil. So

maunam bhajasva means quieten down. So knocking about in the name of various
achievements enough; it is only pedalling the stationery cycle. So what have been
doing all the time in the name of progressing is: pedalling the stationery cycle. You
have done exercise all-right, but your movement is what: zero distance. Similarly all
the knocking about, running about in life, you are not progressing because you are
Page 2020

travelling from finite to finite only. If at all there should be some benefit out of the
life-pedalling, it should be the rise of vairāgyam in your life; then the life has been
worthwhile; vivēkam if it comes, worthwhile. Other than vivēka and vairāgya, no
other progress is possible by travelling because, a finite effort can only remain in
finitude. By no process can finite be converted to infinite. Understanding this, if you
reduce your jumping and running, it is good. Therefore maunam bhajasva.
Then why can't I teach vēdānta? Where do people have time; because they are all
busy running; therefore very very few people are really interested and if they are
some few genuinely interested people, may you share, otherwise do not impose
vēdānta upon someone who is not interested, because that vēdānta will not be
digested and undigested vēdānta is like undigested food.
Anabhyāse viṣaṁ śāstram; śāstra itself is a viṣaṁ, when it is not digested. Food is
good or bad; when it is digested it nourishes you; but if it is not digested, the very
same food becomes poison. Similarly for an unprepared person, vēdānta becomes a
headache. And therefore unless there are some people genuinely interested,
Gaupadapāda tells in Mānḍukya, jaḍavat lōkaḥ ācarēt. May you also live like other
samsāri. And when all of them are crying, whether you feel like crying or not, join
the cry. Otherwise they will think that there is something wrong with you. Therefore
jaḍavat means what? ajñānāni vat; you also enact a samsāri. Therefore maunam
bhajasva.
तूष्णीमवस् परमोपशािन्त
बद्धेरसत्कल
ु ्प�वकल्प |
ब्रह्मात ब्रह्म� महात्मन
यत्राद्वयानन्द �नरन्तर म ||५२६||
tūṣṇīmavasthā paramōpaśāntiḥ
buddhērasatkalpavikalpahētōḥ |
brahmātmanō brahmavidō mahātmanō
yatrādvayānandasukhaṁ nirantaram ||526||
So learn to handle your mind, which is capable of constantly building castles;

constantly attaching reality to the past and future; the dead past the mind dwells
upon, and even though the past is prātibhāsikam; prātibhāsikam means imaginary
reality; the mind is capable of pumping the reality to it; repeatedly dwelling; from
Page 2021

prātibhāsikam, it becomes vyavahārika; and then it is taken to the level of even

pārāmarthikam. This is the job of the mind. It converts prātibhāsikam into
pāramārthikam. So what happened 23 years before, it can come in front of your
mind and you can go on dwelling on that and you can find there is palpitation; the
body begins to react; and then even tears can role; for an incident which has
already gone, it got reality only by the mind recollecting and propping it up.
Otherwise the mind is capable of giving reality to the future; which has not come to
existence at all; it is another prātibhāsikam; called imagination, speculation. So
therefore, the mind is constantly busy, projecting the prātibhāsikam past and
prātibhāsikam future and thinking of those situations and responding to those non-
existent events. So he says learn to handle that mind. Learn to address that mind
and tell the mind; keep quiet for some time; சித் சிவேனன் இேரன (citta
shivanennu iren!)
प�रभ्रम �कं मध
ु ा क्वच �चत् �वश्राम्य
स्वय भव�त यद्यथ भव�त तत्तथ नान्यथ ।
अतीतमननस
ु ्मरन्न च भाव्यसंकल्पय
नत�कर्तसमागमाननुभवा� भोगानहम ् ॥ ६२॥
paribhramasi kiṁ mudhā kvacana citta viśrāmyatāṁ
svayaṁ bhavati yadyathā bhavati tattathā nānyathā |
atītamananusmarannapi ca bhāvyasaṁkalpayan
natarkitasamāgamānanubhavāmi bhōgānaham || 62||
Bhartr̥ihari tells in Vairāgya Satakam: You address your mind; Oh Manaḥ, oh mind,
kiṁ vrathā paribhramasi; why are you fluttering all the time; why are so restless;
why are so wandering. kvacana citta viśrāmyatāṁ. May you take some rest.
Bhagavān had given some sleep for the sake of that; but we have managed even to
lose the natural sleep. Bhagavān's gift itself we are capable of destroying. The sleep
is the most powerful thing; but we can create enough worry to knock off that sleep
also. kvacana citta viśrāmyatāṁ. Take some rest. svayaṁ bhavati yadyathā bhavati
tattathā nānyathā. How the future has to unfold, it has to unfold. You have no total
control over your future. You do have a free will; you can contribute to the future;
but you are not the controller. What is the difference between the contributor and
controller? Contributor means you are only one of the factors, which will determine
the future. You have a contribution like a vote. Your vote has a value; but your vote
is not the total decider of the outcome. Therefore do what you can do; but
Page 2022

remember, the future will unfold itself, which is totally unknown, unpredictable and
uncontrollable. When it comes, we will cross the bridge.
Then what should I do: atītamananusmaran; do not brood too much on the future; it
happened like that; it happened like that; Dayānanda Svāmi tells you know: one
person was thirsty in the train. And his wife forgot to bring water. So he was
constantly telling. I told you to bring water; you did not bring; next station is far
away; not a drop of water, I am thirsty, I am thirsty, I am thirsty; the wife cannot
even jump out, the train is on the move. And then at last the station came and she
made sure that enough water was brought. And she thought at least hereafter he
would not nag. Because thirst is gone. But later he started saying I was thirsty, I
was thirsty, I was thirsty, I was thirsty. So what can she do; jump off the train.
That is the only thing she could have done.
So therefore either we worry about the present; or we about the past; therefore
Bhartr̥ihari says: do not brood over too much. Because brooding cannot change the
past; atītamananusmaran. Then can I be concerned about future; that is also
useless. Planning is one thing; worry is quite another; planning is a deliberate
action; which is done within a time frame that I choose. When I choose the time and
deliberately think of the future, it is called planning. But when it is not deliberate,
and when it happens at any time, it is not planning, it is worrying. Worrying is
mechanical and the time is unpredictable. Whereas planning is deliberate and the
time is predictable. So next month, we are going to have a pilgrimage. You can
collect all the materials and sit and plan. What should the first place and what all
places you should visit there; where to lodge, where to eat; should we take it in
parcel, etc.; that is planning; sit and deliberately do and forget it. Whether that day
bandh will come? or the flight be hijacked really or unreally, now that two
highjacking is there. What can we do about it? We cannot do anything. That is called
worrying. Therefore api ca bhāvyasaṁkalpayan; do not worry about the future plan;
that is quite different. Then what do you do; atarkitasamāgamānanubhavāmi
bhōgānaham; whatever the prārabdha brings or Bhagavān brings, may you face
those situations as and when they come. That is the advice he gives here.
Buddhē, the mind, second line, what type of mind? asat kalpa vikalpa hētō; which is
the cause of mithya projection. Hētuḥ means cause, vikalpa means projection,
building up. So what kind of vikalpa? asat kalpaḥ; which is mithya; asat kalpa means
mithya; And why it is called asat kalpa, mithya is called asat kalpa because mithya
Page 2023

as good as non-existent. An unreal thing, is as good as a non-existent thing. Fake

money is as good as no money. I do not have no money at all; you have got a fake
Rs.500 note. What is the difference between us. You have got a fake rupee note and
I have got no note. And therefore fake money is as good as no money. Therefore
asat kalpa means mithya, vikalpa means projection, hētu means cause. So the mind
is the cause of mithya projections.
And what should be the job of vēdānta? Vēdānta should quieten such a projecting
mind. So in Tamil அலத்தின் இ�க்கி (Alattinde irukkara) mind is being quietened
a little. Tūṣniṁ avastha means quiet condition of such a projecting mind; pacification
of such a mind and the ultimate pacification can happen only by self-knowledge. All
other method can only temporarily quieten the mind. You can escape from the
activities and go to an āsrama. Going to an āsrama will quieten the mind alright; I
will not say will; may quieten the mind; otherwise a person can not only be
disturbed in the āsrama, he can disturb others also.
So therefore, somebody, I think Omkārananda was telling, somebody asked where is

the Svāmiji of this āsrama? And he was told that for peace of mind he has gone to
another āsrama! So for peace of mind, he has gone to another āsrama. So therefore
āsrama does not guarantee peace. Even if it gives peace, this is induced peace of
mind, and therefore it cannot stand permanently. When you come back, worry also
comes back. As it is we are keeping the cell phone with you. Worry contact it keep.
Wherever you go, you make sure that I do not miss my regular quota of worry; that
is called cell phone. My definition of cell phone is what? contact with regular quota
of worry. So switch off cell phones; so Tūṣniṁ avasthā means quietening the mind;
through knowledge alone is permanent quietening. Therefore it is called parama
upaśānti. That alone is called total śānthi. So the quietening of the mind,
classification of the mind, the inner leisure of the mind, or to put in negative
language, freedom from the constant stress. So freedom from stress. In Saṁsr̥kt it is
called anāyāsaḥ. So physically also there is relaxation; mentally also there is
relaxation. படபட்டப இல்லைமதான (padapaddappu illamai thaan)
paramōpaṣānthiḥ. Is the absolute peace and may you enjoy that peace.
Details in the next class. Hari Om.
Page 2024

155. Verses 526 to 529
तूष्णीमवस् परमोपशािन्त
बद्धेरसत्कल
ु ्प�वकल्प |
ब्रह्मात ब्रह्म� महात्मन
यत्राद्वयानन्द �नरन्तर म ||५२६||
tūṣṇīmavasthā paramōpaśāntiḥ
buddhērasatkalpavikalpahētōḥ |
brahmātmanō brahmavidō mahātmanō
yatrādvayānandasukhaṁ nirantaram ||526||
In these verses, beginning from 520, the teacher is giving the final parting advice to
his disciple. The teacher is happy that the disciple has grasped the teaching. But still
the teacher wants to give a warning to the student as it were. That whatever you
do, never lose touch with the śāstrik teaching, so that you will not slip back to
saṁsāra. And therefore some general advices are given. tūṣṇīm avasthā paramōpa
śāntiḥ buddhēr asatkalpa vikalpa hētōḥ; intellect is capable of creating a reality out
of unreality. Buddhi is capable of projecting mitya vastu and making the mithya as
reality. Just as we project a mithya dream; thereafter the dream becomes more real
than the waking, and the very dream becomes our nightmare.
So this capacity is called here asat kalpa vikalpa hētutvam. Asat kalpa means
mithya; so mithya is asat kalpa means as good as non-existent. And vikalpa means
projection. So asat kalpa vikalpa means mithya projection; hētuḥ means the cause
or instrument. Buddhi is the instrument of projecting unreal things and this buddhi
must relax subdue quietened. tūṣṇīm avastha; so the quietening of such a projecting
intellect, day-dreaming intellect is called parama upaśāntiḥ; that alone is total peace
of mind.
And here we do not mean that the buddhi should not think at all, because the word
tūṣṇīm avasthā can be misinterpretted; literally tūṣṇīm avasthā means maunam; the
buddhi becomes silent is the statement and some people interpret the silence of the
buddhi as total thoughtlessness.
Page 2025

And once you interpret silence as thoughtlessness, then the only sādana is sitting in
samādhi; because whatever else you do, the thought will come. Here we do not
want to interpret silence as total thoughtlessness. Silence is freedom from wrong
projections; wrong thinking. Attribution of absolute reality to the world is wrong
thinking. So seeing the world as it should be seen; is perfectly OK; therefore may
you entertain thought in keeping with the śāstrik thinking. There is no harm at all.
So śāstra anusāri cintanam is harmless. When you are listening to my class, certainly
you will have thoughts. My words are supposed to project or produce thoughts in
your mind. Does not it? Better. If your mind remains thoughtless for one hour it
means what: only I should be satisfied. Some recorders are there; at least there
would be some change in that recorders, that is all hope. Remember, when I am
talking, your mind is receiving the words and proportionately thoughts are generated
and these thoughts are not binding thoughts or samsāri thoughts, these are helpful
and liberating thoughts.
Therefore silence of the mind is freedom from binding thoughts alone; not freedom
from thoughts totally; it is freedom from binding thoughts. Binding thought is
attaching absolute reality to the world. And therefore freedom from such a thinking
is paramā upasāntihi; and if you enjoy such a mind, yatra, fourth line, yatra, in such
a state of mind, which is called vēdāntic silence; so vēdāntic silence is avoidance of
non-śāstrik thoughts; śāstra anusāri thoughts you can have.
Now we have got vēdantic silence. We are all using thoughts but it is in keeping with
saatra and since it is absent from, the mind is free form samsāric thoughts, it is as
good as silent, whereas yōgic silence is samādhi, which is total freedom from
thoughts. We never prescribe yōgic silence in the form of samādhi. We prescribe
vēdantic silence in the form of freedom from unhealthy ways of thinking.
And yatra, in such a vēdantic silence, in which mind is alert and active.
Brahmātmana, the mind always entertains the thought that I am Brahman, not in
the absence of thoughts, but I am Brahman, in spite of thoughts. Thoughts cannot
disturb my Brahmanhood, because thoughts belong to vyavahārika satyam, I
Brahman are pāramārthikam; this pāramārthikam is never disturbed by the
thoughts. I-am-body thought is against vēdānta, which will create problems. I-am-
Brahman is a harmless thinking.
Page 2026

Therefore Brahmātmana, in the form of very Brahman, as Brahman, entertaining the

thought I am Brahman. Advayānandaḥ sukham, the jñāni enjoys sukham bhavathi,
verb you have to supply, the jñāni enjoys because of the result of the vēdantic
thoughts, as a result of jñāna vr̥tti, the jñāni enjoys advaya ānandaḥ sukham. So the
ānandaḥ; advaya ānandaḥ.
So here the ānandaḥ sukham is repetition because ānandaḥ is sukham. Therefore

ānandaḥ sukham should be understood as ānandaḥ sukham. He enjoys the ānandaḥ
sukham which is non-dual. And here also, the word ‘enjoys the sukham’; we are not
referring to an experiential pleasure, but it is in the form of the knowledge that I am
ever ānandaḥ. It is jñāna janyam; because the difference between jñānaṁ and
anubhava is: anubhava is an event, and an event is time-bound. Jñānaṁ is not
taken as an event in vēdānta.
Experience is an event, it is a time-bound event, whereas in vēdānta, jñānaṁ is not

taken as an event, why; if jñānaṁ is an event, jñānaṁ will be there for some time,
and after sometime again jñānaṁ will go away; if jñānaṁ goes away; what will
come. Again ignorance will come. Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi jñānaṁ is continuously there;
just as you are the son of so and so knowledge is there constantly in your mind.
Therefore the knowledge that I am Mr. so and so is not an event because that
knowledge is there even when you attend the class. Do we have the knowledge or
not; you know who you are; you know your phone no. You know your name. All
these are knowledge. Knowledge is not technically an event.
I am not going to the details because it is a technical subject, but it is enough if you
remember that experience is an event, but jñānaṁ is not an event. That is why we
are avoiding the word ‘experience’ and we are insisting upon the word ‘jñānaṁ’. If
experience is equated to mōkṣa, mōkṣa also will be an event, because it is an
experience and if mōkṣa is also an event, it can never be eternal. If mōkṣa is
equated to jñānaṁ, jñānaṁ is always there. Therefore paśyan, sr̥nvan, jihran, sr̥śan;
thoughts are present or absent, I have jñānaṁ.
And therefore advaya ānandaḥ sukham; advaya ānandaḥ sukham nirantaram. That
word is important. Nirantaram means in the form in the jñānaṁ that ānandaḥ is
always there; which means even if there is a sorrow in the mind suppose, listening
to some tragic event of somebody's duḥkhaṁ, even if the mind is going to get
Page 2027

disturbed; the disturbance in the mind of a jñāni cannot affect, cannot displace the
jñānaṁ that I am ānandaḥ svarūpaḥ. That is the uniqueness of jñāna-janya
ānandaḥ, because the disturbance in the mind belongs to the vyavahārika
anthakāraṇa parināma. I am ānandaḥ is a statement regarding my ānandaḥ
svarūpa. In a disturbed mind, my ānandaḥ does not get reflected; the mind lacks
reflected ānandaḥ. But the absence of reflected ānandaḥ does not displace my
knowledge that I am original ānandaḥ.
Therefore jñāna janya ānandaḥ can co-exist with psychological disturbance. And that
psychological disturbance is also seen as prārabhada janya mithya fluttering; I am
different from even such conditions.
And that is why nirantaram, whereas psychological happiness is disturbed or

experiential happiness is disturbed by experiential sorrow. Experiential happiness is
displaced by experiential sorrow, whereas jñāna janya ānandaḥ, being not an
experience or an event, it is all the time there; whatever be the condition of the
mind. It is a very subtle difference; because no experiential pleasure can be
permanent.
This fundamental law you should remember; no experiential pleasure can be

permanent. Jñāna-janya ānandaḥ alone can be permanent, because jñānaṁ is
permanent and it is not in the form of an experience.
And such an ānandaḥ in the form of knowledge, Brahma vidaḥ, is there for the
Brahmavid, for a jñāni. When? Yatra is understand, when his mind is in vēdantic
silence. So hereafter I will use the two words, you should know the difference.
Vēdantic silence is in spite of thoughts; yōgic silence is absence of thoughts. We
never recommend yōgic silence. We always recommend vēdantic silence, which can
happily co-exist with the vēdantic thoughts.
So for that Brahmavid, at the time of vēdantic silence, it is there; and what type of
jñāni he is? mahātmanaḥ, who is mahātma; mahātma means whose jīvātma has
been converted into paramātma through knowledge. So ātma means jīvātma; mahā
means paramātma. So mahātma means the one whose jīvātma has been converted
into paramātma; not by a process of change, but by sheer knowledge. What
knowledge? The limitations of jīvātma are superimposed limitations; once I negate
Page 2028

them, I am paramātma. And for such a jñāni, the jñāna-janya ānandaḥ is always
there.
नािस् �नवार्सनान्मौनात् सुखकृदतु ्तम म |

�व�ातात्मस्वरू स्वानन्दरसपा�य ||५२७||
nāsti nirvāsanānmaunātparaṁ sukhakr̥duttamam |
vijñātātmasvarūpasya svānandarasapāyinaḥ ||527||
So I talked about the vēdantic silence which is free from saṁsāra thoughts like I am
mortal; I am worried about my relatives; all these kinds of thoughts are saṁsāric
thoughts; freedom from that thought is called vēdantic silence, maunam. And this
vēdantic silence is not immediately achieved because, even after jñānaṁ, because of
sheer habit, that saṁsāra vr̥tti continues. The lip will say asaṇgōhaṁ; asaṇgōhaṁ;
asaṇgōhaṁ; but the mind will worry about the surroundings, and therefore viparītha
bhāvana is an obstacle to the vēdantic silence.
And that is why we talk about nidhidhyāsanam as a method of handling the habitual
worry. And the viparītha bhavana is called vāsana. So this vāsana or viparītha
bhāvana or habitual worry is an obstacle to vēdantic silence; is an obstacle to the
entertainment of vēdantic way of thinking.
And what is nidhidhyāsanam? I have told you several times; remaining in touch with
śāstra in way or the other. The so-called meditative nidhidhyāsanam is only one
optional way; we do not say nidhidhyāsanam is closed eye meditation only; if a
person wants he can take to that; but nidhidhyāsanam can be repeated śravaṇam,
or reading or writing or discussing or teaching in one form or the other; be alive to
the vēdantic teaching.
And as this teaching soaks into my personality, the vāsana becomes weaker and
weaker and therefore the consequent vēdantic silence becomes deeper and deeper.
That means generally I am relaxed. Three things; the frequency of reaction, the
intensity of the reaction, and the recovery period, all of them become lesser and
lesser. And generally I am tranquil. And this general tranquillity; general freedom
from disturbance caused by unvēdantic thinking; that is called nirvāsana maunam.
So these lines are often interpretted by people differently. They go into the yōga
path, they interpret maunam means utter silence. That means mind should not have
Page 2029

thought at all. For that you have to remove all the vāsanas. I tell you the vāsanas
can never be removed, because vāsanas have been acquired from when onwards?
Anādi kāla pravr̥ttāḥ when are you going to remove all the vāsanas and stop the
thoughts. And even if you are going to stop the thought totally, you are going to
become a stone like person because a thoughtless mind is as good as no mind; no
mind means there is no difference between a rock and this mahā jñāni, because
rock also does not have a mind. Therefore are we struggling to become a rock like
vegetable-like person.
Therefore nirvāśā mounam is interpretted as total elimination of vāsana and

becoming a thoughtless person; permanently sitting in nirvikalpaka śamādhi; but
what we say is this is inappropriate insertion of yōgic philosophy into Vēdānta.
In Vēdānta we never talk about that. We only talk about viparītha bhāvana nivr̥tti.
Other than viparītha bhāvana, other thoughts need not be removed at all. When I
am looking at a wall and I say this is a wall, in what way it is a saṁsāra. I look at
the rain and say that the rain is coming and in what way it is a saṁsāra. Suppose
from the rain I think of a plan; some programme which I have planned and the
programme gets affected and then I go on building up; that is problem.
So appreciation of Īśvara sr̥ṣṭi without subject projection involves thoughts and that
Īśvara sr̥ṣṭi thought will not bind you at all. Not only it will not bind; in fact you enjoy
the Īśvara sr̥ṣṭi. Is there anywhere anything more beautiful that the rain? Can all the
people of the world produce such a rain? Imagine you have got that garden
watering can; like that somebody goes up in the sky and pours; it is unimaginable
creation and especially Madras people know thousands of lorry work; the rain
effortlessly does in half a day. Why I stop perceiving the rain and sit in nirvikalpaka
śamādhi? Enjoy Īśvara sr̥ṣṭi; avoid projections of ahaṁkāra. Remove jīva sr̥ṣṭi, you
are mukthaḥ.
And therefore vēdantic mōkṣa is not vāsanalessness, but removal of viparītha

vāsana. And vēdantic silence is not thoughtlessness; but is the removal of unhealthy
subjective projecting thoughts. So other than such a maunam; nirvāsana maunam,
sukha krithu nāsti; there is no other better source of ānandaḥ. Appreciation of Īśvara
sr̥ṣṭi as it is; other than that Śankarācārya writes sampūrnam jagadēva
nandanavanaṁ; the world becomes a garden. Sarvēpi kalpadrumāhā; every tree is a
wish yiedling tree; you know why, because you have no wish. Gāṅgaṁ vāri
Page 2030
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030. Verses 84 to 89 ........................................................................................ 370

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059. Verses 158 to 163 .................................................................................... 752

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090. Verses 252 to 254 .................................................................................. 1165

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119. Verses 361 to 365 .................................................................................. 1540

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148. Verses 495 to 499 .................................................................................. 1933

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001. Verses 1 and 2

सदा�शव समारम्भा शङ्कराचायर्मध्य म

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And it is beyond logic because logic is based on perceptual data whereas

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Thus we have commentaries also and I would be generally following the

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Now basic is sad-asat vivēkacūḍāmaṇi. This is the meaning of vivēka. Discrimination

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With this background, we will enter the test proper.

Ahaṁ sadgurum praṇataḥ asmi: I offer my prostrations to my sadguru. Guru means

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bhagavadpāda's guru is Goudapāda. He is well known because of Mānḍukya Kārika.

And what type of paramātma? Paramātma is described here as agōcaraṁ; tama

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Suppose somebody asks a person; In Taittariya Upaṇiṣad, what is said; I have

So therefore Annamaya kōśa is not tātparya viṣayaḥ, is atātparyam. Therefore, topic

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जन्तूना नरजन् दल र भमत पुंस्त् ततो �वप्र

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Self-confusion is also possible in manuṣya janma and that clarification of confusion is

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Acquiring human physical body is durlabhyam. Manuṣya stūla śarīra prāpthi is

More details in the next class.

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After offering his prostrations to his guru, Govindabhagavad pāda, Śankarācārya

यथाऽऽदश� तथाऽऽत्म� यथा स्वप् तथा �पतल

यथाऽप्स पर�व ददृश तथा गन्धवर्लो

छायातपयो�रव ब्रह्मल ॥ ५॥ Part II, Canto III.

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Among manuṣya janma also kathaḥ puṁstvaṁ? Puṁstvaṁ means manliness.

So we travel FROM WORLD-DEPENDENCE TO GOD-DEPENDENCE TO SELF-

Of course, śāstra allows temporary dependence as a stepping stone. Just as a child

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Everyone by birth is Śūdraḥ only. janmana jāyaye śūdraḥ; even a Brāhman is a

And the next one is तस्माद्वै�दकधमर्मागर् tasmādvaidikadharmaṁārgaparatā;

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And after śravaṇam, ātmanātma vivēcanam. Ātmanātma vivēcanam corresponds to

यस् नािस् स्वय प�ा शास्त तस् करो�त �कं ।

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Then what? ब्रह्मात संिस्थ�त brahmātmanā saṁsthitiḥ. Abiding in this knowledge

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jīvanmukthi. Both I say: ahaṁ brahmāsmi; nidhidhyāsanam ahaṁ brahmāsmi

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If puṇya is dēvānugraḥ and dēvānugraḥ is puṇyam, why do you use a different