Video 4

Astavakra's Teachings, Part V

[Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] [Music] now [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Music] she [Music] is [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] oh [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] i [Music] [Applause] [Music] no [Music] [Applause] [Music] thank you very much it is very moving very sublime hymn of shankaracharya which in sixth stands us captures the whole of advaita vedanta and the teachings of ashtavakram in very beautiful poetry thanks let us start with the prayer from the upanishads om [Music] [Music] [Music] i pray to the divine lord that all parts of my personality including the body mind sense organs the prana shakti and strength may all increase and function in perfect harmony this whole physical universe the cosmos infinite as it seems to be is nothing other than the ultimate reality described as brahman any upanishads may i accept this truth and proceed in this life to experience the truth may i not reject this truth explain in the scriptures verified experienced by innumerable sages and signs of all times and places as i am engaged in experience this lofty truth in experiencing my divine nature may all the virtues described in the upanishads come to me and reside in me all the virtues such as truthfulness purity strength and straightforwardness may all those virtues come to me and reside in me home peace may there be peace and joy in our hearts may there be peace and joy in our hearts and may there be peace everywhere in nature good morning this him was very moving and there one should come we have been studying the teachings of ashtavakra last time janaka was explaining his experience of his divine nature janaka was a brahmadyani and ashtavakra in the first chapter gives him instructions on how to [Music] experience brahmadyanam how to experience veda liberation and self knowledge three things and then janaka proceeds to explain his own experiences experiencing his own divine nature as a brahmagyani this experience cannot be explained in words any other experience also cannot be experienced in words but much more so this experience of one's own divine nature is beyond it is beyond the domain of words and thought it has to be known only by experience this you have studied before in various scriptures this experience of one's own divine nature which you are not having now we are only experiencing our body mind the outermost is layers of our personality but deep within is the divine presence in all of us in the same way no more in some no less in others some are more aware of it some are experiencing it some to a less extent and some not at all so when janaka was experiencing his experience was describing his experience as a brahmagyani this is what he says i shall read a few verses from the second chapter janaka says [Music] means this whole cosmos world which you are experiencing through mind and sensors [Music] which are which are a means inquiry when we inquire into the truth of what we are experiencing instead of simply experiencing the outer presence visible if you inquire deeply into what it is that i am seeing i am seeing all the people essential objects body mind everything pain pleasure appearance and happiness what is all this is it as it appears to be or is it something else that is which are deep inquiry into all our experiences and everything that we see here touch taste and smell which are wisdom this whole universe when you enquire what is this universal visual world so many other worlds are there other galaxies other beings are there what is all this is it as they appear to be or is this something different when the deep inquiry is made which are which are is the main discipline in vedanta which are it disappears this moment i am seeing the world everything real people experience pain pleasure when i deeply inquire none of this is real dream like reality appears to be real when it is happening and i am experiencing but when i look deeper and inquire none of this is absolutely real how can this be whatever you are seeing is all superimposed names and forms on one ultimate reality namely sachidonanda called brahman in the upanishads pure infinite consciousness that's what only is there just only thing that is that but what i am seeing with my sense organs is only appearance of names and forms when these names and forms are removed by which are then [Music] all the material everything disappears only brahman remains that's what he's saying here it gives a nice example means a place of clock you have a piece of cloth here and it appears very solid and tangible but what is it if you analyze look deeper these are all with the wharf and wolf made of cotton are submitted and if you remain the warfare move what remains nothing empty space in the same way all objects in this universe including our body mind and everything which appears so tangible and mistakenly tangible if we inquire deeply with within penetrating vision piercing through the shallow appearance letting all the names and forms disappear only the self remains when you deeply examine it to something not just be satisfied with superficial appearance then in the same way this whole world which is so real tangible experiencing every moment all of the disappears what remains only the vast expanse of pure consciousness brahman and sagar that is what we truly are not the body and the mind that's what janaka explains too knows this is the teacher but experiencing his own explaining his own experiences then we go to the next verse but vichara has to be done the main discipline in vedanta is vicharam which are means accurate inquiry to be able to do that without distraction by your feelings and desires and thoughts and fears if you do which are effectively properly we have to prepare the mind an ordinary mind unprepared bind full of all kinds of impressions cannot do if which are effectively mind has been prepared this was shankaracharya says the first mind has to be prepared to do which are how to prepare the mind you all have many of you know that one so then described in the vehicle when those disciplines are practiced that they continue to be practice there is no end to that one then vijayara becomes effective when vichyara is done all the cloudy disappears only atman remains subastro they produce some result karma karma fella but true knowledge dawns only when we do which are with the prepared mind the whole names and forums disappears and only atman remains just as when all the threads are removed the warfare involves what remains only space but put them together it appears as a cloth that is the whole world is like that one remove the names and forms remove the three gunas saturation what remains your consciousness that is itself so in the next verse in second chapter janaka continues the description of his experience of his divine nature whole world is so tangible real pain and pleasure good and bad enjoyment suffering everything parasite shines appears to be so rebuilt so tangible unquestionably real when it happens when we don't know the truth but atma gyanath when the truth dawns through the power of our true self about the atman dawns in our hearts where is the world the gyani exclaims when he reaches this experience this moment this whole world was there very real pain and pleasure other people praise and blame you but so many things fantastic thing one moment it is there next moment when a knowledge dawns all of that disappears as a dream disappears [Music] knowledge dance if you wake up where did this one go this this previous moment i was seeing people were there good bad pain pleasure body kingdom where did this world disappear it was there that is exclamation when the knowledge dawns all names and forums and everything disappear only the self remains due to ignorance ahiri bhatti you don't know about the rope you're only saying or he means the snake the rahir body the snake is there why because of ignorance i don't know it is a rope i'm seeing this thing so real frightening snake appears frightening snake disappears the world is like that the world is like a snake frightening so much suffering birth death old age sickness pain pleasure so real it appears very real i'm experiencing it why because i'm not aware of the truth behind it i'm not aware of the rope i'm only seeing the snake frightening when i become aware of the rope raju jannat this world is so real we are experiencing every moment of our lives so real unquestionably real the moment self knowledge dawns moment i know i am the atman i'm not the body and the mind whole package disappears only the self remains bliss and successful pure bliss and joy all pain pleasure praise and blame good and bad disappears in a moment when knowledge or knowledge of the self comes so this is what janaka is explaining to ashtavakra he's not informing ashtavakra he's explaining his own experiences then the next verse janaka says [Music] just as the water pot made of clay pot made of clay dissolves into clay when the it is broken form is taken away namon form is taken away becomes only clay which it always works just as the jug water pot dissolves into clay just as a wave dissolves into the water wave is going up and down full of energy rising and falling making noise clashing with each other innumerable number of waves on the surface of water when the waves subside there's no noise only water prevails deep calm ocean clay becomes spot we are all like that only sachitan on the superimposed names and forums oh this is human being this is man this is woman this is child this animal this is good this is bad it's some this is the moon all names and forms superimposed on one reality pure consciousness searches remove the superimposed names and forms what remains only pure consciousness on and the satire and the brahman remains this whole world is simply a superimposed view of the same reality there are no two realities there is no snake and rope separately two different things rope is there putting names and forums snake appears remove names and forums no only rope is that harmless for me this whole universe has eliminated only universe merges back into me only i remain i mean not body very easy to understand this one supposing i go to sleep at night i'm alone in the bedroom so one is there nothing is there and start dreaming in the dream the whole world appears so many people come good things happen bad things happen partying enjoyment suffering tire comes rubber comes yelling and screaming fear enjoyment party all things happen and after some time they are all very real i don't know it i don't notice them experiencing and crying a laugh in them people have nightmares they cry and they laugh and the dream disappears everything goes away then only i find that i myself i am here i was alone before i was alone when the whole world was appearing dream was appearing when the dream up disappears i am alone nobody came nobody went no tiger came no party was there no fighting was there no rabbi came i was alone all the time in the meantime this whole world appeared dream played for some time disappears so the entire universe world life everything so real now i'm experiencing it the moment this dream ends all these things will disappear in the twinkling of an eye i am only brahmana i was only alone nobody came nobody went no world no pain no suffering i'm always been successful anything else that is the true knowledge of the self dawns whole world disappears [Music] when all the waves subside only water remains calm and blessed when the waves are there so much noise and movement energy then in in the next verse very nicely the same thing is explained janaka says [Music] not only this earth the solar system this galaxy other galaxies black hole everything the web telescope is revealing so many millions of galaxies which are not being seen before millions of light years away they're all there but they all disappear whole package disappears when i realize i am brahman no name no form no worry no suffering no enjoyment where do all this come from where did this world come from this life from myself you know either external source [Music] means a wave jiva means a being one individual being it can be a human being animal plant or any other being millions and trillions of beings jivabi chaya ham which each wave is a being a person or animal or a plant many infinite number of them within them they come into existence they arise from mere from the self within there's no other external so i create my own world i live in my own work that cry myself create when knowledge dawns whole thing disappears i thought i was a swami i thought now i thought i was in the vedanta center and silver spring but then i thought i was in india before that whole package disappears nobody came nobody went no swami nothing only atman was there before it is said now it will be there forever all these other beings so appear appear so real now they did not come they did not go they did not exist but they are illuminating like dream in dreams everything is real before the dream started nobody was there nothing but when the dream goes away the thing will be left only i was there even when the dream was going on only i was there nothing else was there but i perceived all those things they're all real in dream the world is like that one which appears so real it's only a dream like reality these waves the jeeves were yankees they come into existence they arise they die all beings come into existence all being go to the well everything is born everything dies people's animals plants planets sun moon star galaxy they come into existence they go out of existence they exist for some time and when they are existing for some time kalanthi they play people get together so many people party enjoyment they're fighting also sometimes when the whole thing disappears nobody came nobody went that's the power of maya how do these things appear when only i am there and what do they say dude when they disappear into all power of maya why these things happen my creation happens is explained by shankara surya elsewhere and there's a very similar verse in the make sure harmony very similar [Music] everything happens in me only self is there not body mind utman only that is only thing that's always existence has no beginning has no end does not change no voltage no birth no death no sickness nothing always there all these changes happen to the body man and other things infinite number of universes that astronomy astrophysics also tells us though so many other infinite number of galaxies are there each galaxy is so vast billions of stars are there in each galaxy dissolve galaxies come disintegrate disappear stars come exist shine for some time disappears earth comes exists for some time disappears that's the fate of the visible world with virgin day religion day of all these things happen who makes this happen this creation only self is there maya maratha causes the whole universe of waves to come into existence only ocean is dead and by the same power of maya the wind of maya all the waves and universes and beings disappear from where they came that is the experience of a brahman nothing is real the thing is permanent then when janaka was explaining like this his experience of brahmadyanam ashtavakram challenges him registered objection it's a it's a conversation between two brahman they're playing with each other ashtavakra says hey you are a brahmadyani then if you are a brahmagani how come you are having all these things you have a kingdom your queen your horses and elephants and treasury and you enjoy rule the kingdom are you if you're brahma ghani why are you engaged in all these worldly things how come objects really is giving us understanding how a birmingham can do all these things can stabilize unaffected by any of these things that's my intention so let us see astral across objection when king janaka thus described his experiences as a brahmagyani noah brahman ashtavakra asks him if you are a brahmagyani you are a brahmayani then why are you interested in administering the kingdom janaka was a king emperor whose kingdom was there why are you interested in experiencing administering the kingdom possessing everything property treasury horses chariots army everything the queen the palace and all the wealth that you possess royal wealth how come knowing that you are brahmana how is it that you are enjoying all the comforts and pleasures of a king just like any ordinary person worldly person and engaged in the work of ruling the kingdom and brahman why all these things ordinary people do this they want property they want power they want to administer something a department or a company they want to be ceo their family children enjoyment property money entertainment but you are a brahmagani how come you are doing all these things just have a press question and then janaka gives a very satisfactory answer janaka explains becomes brahman he's always brahman he realizes he's brahman not a nerdy person he appears to be an ordinary person from the outside but he's not that person that we take him to be the brahman himself assuming that limited human form so when you're doing all these things when a brahmanagani how can you like an ordinary person you're also engaged in action doing something protecting this and enjoying the under royal pleasures and everything palace how come you're a brahman why are you doing these things janaka explains janaka says a knower of brahman can possess everything even a kingdom not just a small house and a small job you want to possess the kingdom can be an emperor whole empire he can have brahmajyani like any other king and yet be totally unattached to anything no attachment to possessions wealth and kingdom and power unto the work of rule in the kingdom does not do it for selfish purpose does not do it for enjoyment to gain something he goes through the emotions of administering the kingdom ruling the kingdom protecting the subjects fighting against enemies royal pleasures all going through the emotions but inwardly he's not doing anything that's the beauty of a brahman outwardly he seems to do all the actions eating walking sleeping talking ruling administering justice punishing the wicked rewarding the um good at the same time inwardly naive in chief what am i doing nothing i'm brahman no action no karma no karma inwardly how can this be understood for us all actions are real all positions are real body is real pain pleasures are real present blame or real we actually go through these things experience but even he has a body people praise him people blame him yes property kingdom everything inwardly i'm brahman nothing i don't have anything nothing but it i don't not attached to anything i'm always always being brahman brahman brahman means sachin ghana brahma infinite eternal pure consciousness that i am not the embodiment that people mistake me to be see what the outside people see as a person body human body where king is grown into royal dress and everything as a palace and elephant and everything that's what people see from the outside that's how he appears brahmacani but inwardly is none of these things he's the atman always 24 hours he is experiencing his divine nature never mistaking himself to be a body and mind and kingdom servant whatever that's the beauty of abraham again then jennifer explains like any other king a brahmagan can rule a kingdom and yet be totally unattached to anything he can have possessions wealth kingdom loyal treasury he can do the work of administering the kingdom ruling the kingdom at the same time he can remain internally absorbed in the bliss of brahman such as another uninterrupted enjoyment a brahmana inwardly we don't see that when we see the outward activity only he's also eating talking walking like any other anybody else outward appearance that's not the truth at the same time he can internally remain absorbed in the bliss of brahmana and over a brahman does the same activities as a worldly person and outwardly appears to be engaged in work an ordinary person becomes attached to everything to body property possessions work and it results suffers greatly due to ignorance desire when people praise he becomes happy when people blame he becomes unhappy angry ordinary person bharama ghani he does the same thing he also eats he also works he also sleeps he also talks difference between them when all these activities are going on at the body mind level brahman ghani is totally unattached his am the self always take not only awareness that experience is there but for the onlookers from the outside he seems to going to going through all the activities of life how is it possible this we know from the bhagavad-gita explanation is in the github how can a brahmagyani appear to be active on doing various things that all other people do and still remain observed in the brahmana as no kartratva has no bhaktaratwa he does not feel that i am the door no agency for action and is not experiencing the fruits of karma good and bad free free from karma karma inside outwardly activities going and is not lazy very active so we studied this one and it be the gita those of you who are studying github please remain your let us remain the results of two verses in this chapter five fifth chapter sloka verses 8 and 9 there bhagwan shri krishna explains clearly how a brahmajani can be so active more active than an ordinary person and yet remain absolutely free free from know the truth truth is that he's the brahman he's experiencing the truth of it i'm not doing anything he says but is he not doing anything like everybody else maybe more than everybody else is active not for oneself one's one pleasure but to help other people to serve as a model guideline for other people is active for lok sangra is active doing what passion one expression jig [Music] people do animals do people also eat and sleep and come and talk in their own language people also eat and sleep and talk in their own language they fight they love all these sorting johnny does same thing however when we have the notion of agency i'm doing all these things when i'm speaking i'm speaking when i'm eating i'm eating and i must feel good from this action order any person's view i'm doing karma i want the benefit of karma attached to karma my work attached to karma i want the benefit of this work attachment to karma for ordinary person same activities nyani does but he remains totally unattached to karma karma how is how can you do this one he says [Music] ninth verse of chapter five all actions are happening in the in the body of the mind of the gyani how indriyani sense organs mind is also a sense organ mind says i want to do this drink water hand grabs the cup of water takes you to the mouth the mouth shifts the water water goes in digestive system takes care of it all these actions are happening body organi drinks water again it drinks water but johnny cheetah says not doing anything oh but you're drinking water now who drank the water indriya sense organs mind says i want to drink water mind is sense organ hand grabs the water sense organ water is sense object interaction of sensor organ one or more sensor organs one and more sense objects that is called action karma happens in all these things where am i there's no eye at all am i the mind just now you're saying he says i made a hand or i made the water i made a table on which water is cup is there and then there is no eye at all again it does not put i where it does not belong i remain free from action action is happening where body mentions certain subjects i'm none of those things i'm free no karma no karma for you but agnyani assumes that he's the body main sensor god i'm the mind i am the hand ammunitions are done the cup is mine i am mine so i am doing the action i am drinking water so result of action comes to him agni does bad action suffers again it does good action enjoys but a gyani no action no good no bad no suffering no enjoyment absolute peace and joy atma jana enjoying infinite peace and joy atma brahmananda always absorbed in it uninterruptedly it's not sporadic experience all the time that is what jamaica is explaining here a number of brahman appears to be engaged in the same worldly activities like other ordinary person and yet inwardly remains totally unattached to anything and remains absorbed in the place of self-knowledge admiral that is how janaka explains when ashtavakra is saying you are a brahmagani why are ruling all the kingdom administering queen and palace no no i am not doing anything it's happening i am the atman within action appears to happen at the body mind level test i am the atman no karma no karma for me that is how janaka explains very nicely his experience as a brahmagyani while yet he is engaged in the ruling of the kingdom then one more explanation jennifer agnewski this whole world and all the activities of an ordinary person or a king whatever a person does administering a kingdom or working in an office or a bank or a family person husband by all these roles john is playing they're all mobile eliya only a play just happening the game for him not real um he gives an example he's always aware of the divine presence of his divine nature while going through the emotions of life a gunman can be an office clerk he can be a wife cookie doing cooking cleaning again it can be the mahabharata you see that lady who was cooking cleaning when as soon as he came she gave biksha sent him to the butcher that story i remember and swamiji's karma yoga bucket is there wife how lady can be able to makiani playing your own life or just ordinary housewife or if brimagani can be a king emperor like janaka whatever role that person is playing is only at the embodiment level utman he or she is free from any action no karma pala absolutely absorbed all the time uninterruptedly absorbed in the bliss of brahman he gives an example an ordinary person has the same divinity with him god is present in ibrahim god is present in ignorant person god is present in all equally in the same way that you know from gita many times in the gita bhagavan she krishna says i am present in the hearts of all servants 15 15 easy to remember [Music] in all the beings sarvesh bhutan like people animals and plants and trees samamtishtantam parameshwaram the lord is sitting in the same way supreme lord only very small number of people are aware of god's presence within them majority people are not aware of the divine presence they think they are the body men and those when the whole life under the impression they are the body made a few ghanais and a few bhaktas they you know you know this body meant only outer covering like the garment i'm wearing the lord is present within me i am that alhambra must only few so to explain this one gives a nice example he says so that means a deluded beast of burden elsewhere sankara said there a donkey or a mule carrying a load on its back it's used as a vehicle to carry a load the donkey is carrying a huge bag heavy load on its back and the person is leading it to take the load from one person that bag contains very precious gold diamond and very expensive specials special stones valuable precious stones are there in the back the donkey has no awareness whether it is carrying a bag of coal or carrying some uh used clothes to be washed like a washerman's donkey or carrying a load of gold diamond and precious elements it is not aware of what it is carrying simply carrying the load donkey that's fate of an ordinary person we all go through the day-to-day life getting up in the morning and going to work eating coming back home and watching tv and next day next day vacation sunday we go through the whole series of things totally unaware of god's precious presence of god with him that the donkey does not know what it is carrying on its back simply going from place to place for ordinary person is like that one between such an ordinary person in whom the same divinity is there in the same way goes through the whole life totally unaware of god's presence within thinking is the body and the between that person and a brim again he also goes through the same motions of life you know ghani also gets up in the morning if he has a job he goes to work he eats and he takes rest and he plays with children same activity but inside what is there atman ghani is fully aware of it experiencing it this person cannot experience divine presence go through full of life suffering enjoying this life that life there's the drama of human life we all have the same divinity all of us everybody has the same divinity in the same way only very few people become aware of it experience it and for to them the whole world is just a play allah the whole world is again not real for us we are the same divinity present god is present in all of us in the same way as in the gyani they are not aware of it oh i'm the body i'm the mind i'm a person i am a young man i'm an old person i'm sick i'm an engineer this new problem is coming my family in this way an ignorant person spends the whole life although the same divinity is present in the ignorant person in the same way as in beginning that's the difference between a gyani and an ordinary person so this interplay to ashtavakra's question why are you doing all these activities administering enjoying pleasure i am doing all these things outwardly going through the emotions but every moment i know i am not the doer i'm not i don't have karthratwa i don't enjoy i don't suffer action is happening through the body mind i have to do the action because duty has been given to me i go duly on the actions but i am not the doer i'm not the both true i'm not the enduring action and it is being done as a duty for lukas not for myself but inwardly i am fully aware i am that atman brahma ghana i have a big difference between a brahman and an ordinary person in this way janaka continues to explain uh answer ashtavakra's question which was if you are a brahmagani why are you doing all these things administering kingdom queen and fighting with enemies and money treasury why are okay no no there is no difference outwardly pramba gyanis do the same thing again do the same thing world of difference brahmagani has no character auction is happening at the body main sense organ level in riyani india i am not involved in it i am neither the doer nor the enjoyer of the fruits affection no court ritual no book or any person who i'm doing everything i'm this person i'm a child i'm i'm an old man i have this body problem i lost my job my wife is not treating me well originally person story of life so how beautiful this explanation is this segment of hashtag is very very nice to read that one this description continues let me see if there is one concluding uh statement here the brahmagyani appears to live in the world like everyone else he or she is totally in effect unaffected by the joys and sorrows of life inwardly abides in the bliss of brahman outwardly going through the emotions of life as we saw the yanis also eat and talk and walk and go to work and do things but outwardly inwardly absolute peace and joy nothing affects them no action touches them no karma politics absorbed in the bliss of brahman that is what janaka's experience was and he was explaining this explanation continues for a few more slokas and will continue that next time and now we shall stop here and study a closing prayer home [Music] is may all be free from ill health and other problems they all realize and practice what is noble dharmic and auspicious may no one be subject to any kind of suffering or misery home peace may there be peace and joy in our hearts may there be peace and harmony amongst all beings [Music] so next week you are having labor day retreat so sunday september 4 and september 5 two days program september 4 september 3 we have ram nam sankirtan for saturday right and then sunday september 4 program begins at 11 o'clock there'll be bajans and pravra krishna puranaji is coming from santa barbara she will give the discourse and there will be a panel discussion after lunch sunday panel discussion will feature three swamis atmakyanandajeeb chaitbrahmanji and vasudhanandiji and monday eleven o'clock chidbrahmalanjaji i will give his discourse at 11 o'clock lunch and panel discussion there will be uh pravrajika krishna chronology and myself evening there will be already byzantine break everything all of you please come and this all thing is going to be online you can either watch from home or if you feel comfortable you can come here and personally participate thank you all for coming hope to see you all next week stay well and see you next week god building