Video 7

Astavakra's Teachings, Part VIII

indeed which some of you are studying with swamiji [Music] um [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] um I pray to the Divine Lord that all parts of my personality including the body mind sense organs The Prana Shakti vitaliforce may they all increase and function in perfect consult this whole universe creation visible to the Mind through the sense organs is nothing other than the Ultimate Reality called Brahman in the upanishads may I always keep this truth in mind and strive to experience this truth in this very life may I not reject this Truth May there be no rejection of this truth yes I am engaged in this Noble task of expressing of experiencing my divine nature saying everything is Brahman may all the virtues described in the upanishads come to me and reside in me I think all the virtues such as truthfulness Purity strength and straightforwardness may all those virtues come to me and reside in me home peace peace be within us all peace and Harmony be amongst all beings and peace be everywhere in nature good morning let us continue our study of the teachings of in the previous session we saw explains to janaka how a brahmatiani an hour of brahmana a person who has given up his erroneous impression that he is the body and the mind and his experience things divine nature as Brahman itself that means I am Brahman referring to all individuals operation says Brahma this whole universe is brahmana there is only Brahman nothing else is there but we are saying many many things multiplicity infinite number of things of infinite variety so upanishad says what you are saying is not real it is like a dream which we see many things in the dream and really nothing is there so Brahma gyani is one who has experienced this who has experienced the unreal nature of the world mere appearance not substantial and who is experiencing is the way nature as Brahman itself such a person does not become attached to anything in the world the thing attracts that person nothing turns him off with nothing that affects him the Brahma gyani in any way how can this be done we are affected by everything a very small thing that happens in our environment within us outside of us of exercise sometimes very deeply we are affected by the events around us what other people do what other people say what happens in the world you're all very vulnerable we are we are affected by them but a Brahma canal no matter what remains unaffected absolutely calm and peaceful though there is turmoil all around how can this be done by him explains one thing notices that everything other than the self Atman pure consciousness is in agglomeration of things conglomeration means composite made of many many different things like a like a automobile thousands of parts are there is not one thing they are all held together brought together held together they function together for some time then what happens the the after some time the parts Begin to Fall Apart the its deep cars is just a function that is the fate of all that is composite in nature the whole world is composite in nature there is not one thing that is you homogeneous or one they are all made up of many things our body is made up of so many different parts is held together surprising that everything is held together in functioning together so well because many things can go wrong and after some time the whole mechanism it seems to function well for some time begins to fail and the parts component parts fall apart and the whole thing scissors to function Caesars to exist that is effective everything that is composite in nature there's only one thing which is not and that is consciousness other than Consciousness which is one infinite expanse pure Consciousness is not made up of any parts it's only one that alone remains Unchained there's nothing to fall apart it's all only one always present everywhere represent no attributes no qualities no nothing that's the true self that's what we truly are but we are not aware of that truth and we are seeing multiplicity all around us including our own body and Minds our minds are made up of so many different thoughts the thoughts are coming and going constantly changing much as we like to study mind calm in meditation won't want to bring so many thoughts keep one third difficult so many thoughts keep coming and going coming and going disturbing that's the nature of the world so brahmudani notices this the whole universe is what is called a sanghata you see in the 13th chapter the Gita this whole body is different things brought together held together and functioning together for some time everything in this world you think of anything is not one it's made of many different parts so any any composite entity made of many different parts all functioning together is sure to disintegrate into its component parts sooner or later there is a fate of all creation whole creation which functioning now people animals plants things events world this planet other planets our solar system other solar systems our galaxy our galaxy all our changing constantly because all composite they're all made up of innumerable parts so noticing that this constantly changing and inevitably disintegrating nature of this whole universe of this whole world the gyani remains unaffected because it can't depend upon anything today it is there tomorrow it is not there people are like that bodies are like that today it is functioning tomorrow it begins to malfunction and then it seems to exist because made up of so many different parts gel function together only for some time that's why that's how the ghani says this is not true only pure Consciousness which is one not my type of part that I am no change No Beginning No End free totally free no attribute no suffering no enjoyment absolute peace and calmness absolute peace and cognition that is what I am the thing disturbs me not attached to anything that is how a brahmagyani a number of the self who's experiencing his divine nature remains totally common peaceful and affected by anything that happens in the world around him or her sanghata everything is a composite one one way the second way how a ghani remains unaffected by anything in the world does not become matters to anything is well the world is like a bubbles formed on the surface of the water of the ocean he says ocean is there infinite expanse of water deep and profound on on the surface of devotion in some places a lot of bubbles for mere Buble's form and this world is like that Brahman is like the ocean when the infinite expanse of consciousness and the world is like the collection of homes on its surface collection of bubbles the bubbles are very temporary they form and they disintegrate tell you for a short time summer small some are big some are floating around some are collecting together and they form how do they follow from the water where do they live on the water whether they disintegrate into into the water their water the Xmas certain shape different shapes they float around for some time they collide with each other and then they disintegrate go back into the water bubbles become water which it which they were before you wouldn't list like that everything that we see in the world living beings inanimate objects whole of nature people enables plants things our bodies might they're all like bubbles on the surface of the ocean constantly farming and disintegrating constantly farming and disintegrating living for a short time moving about learning with each other so this is I'm not the bubbles I'm the ocean ocean has no change does not change profound deep and calm bubbles come and go they change the world is like the bubbles so thus separating the world noticing its Ever Changing nature it's ephemeral nature coming and going not constant The ghani Remains unaffected on the test no attachment to anything everything all other people in our lives they come play a part and live all associations were temporary all positions are temporary including our body didn't have their body before it came it's their function for some time then Begins the malfunction underscore six changes that we have seen before and then sees us to function and disappears that's the nature of all bodies I am that I'm not that one on the self I am unchanging Eternal infinite absolutely pure and calm Immaculate free from attributes this limit me and I am that self like experiencing this nature of oneself again remains totally calm peaceful unaffected by anything that happens around him or her another way remains unaffected unchanged does not undergo any ups and downs in his mind are there any people we are always our minds are changing one moment I am happy the experiment I am unhappy sometimes me laughing sometimes I'm crying I think good things happen bad things happen I'm affected by every small thing that happens in me around me to other people in this world No Such Thing affects technology absolutely and mood because he sees the world as not absolutely real it appears very real to us but if you clearly open your eyes and see the thing is mentioned this very often in his teachings SRI ramakrishna said constantly practice discrimination viveka he gave that instruction several times by that what did he mean by discrimination discerning the difference between the real and the unreal there is only one reality in this universe and that is pure Consciousness do not change does not come does not go does not increase does not decrease infinite Eternal free from attributes unlimited that's the only thing that is real means always present and changing eternally infinite everything else the whole world and everything that we see that we are we think we are is unreal and real means Not absent completely it is there right now but it is impermanent ephemeral comes and goes and between coming and going it constantly changes undergo six changes as we saw before so that is not real you can't depend upon anything something on which we learn to depend upon lean upon for comfort for happiness is taken away from us without previous notice things good things come good things go bad things come bad things nothing is concerned that thing is permanent that's the nature of life nature of world and to understand the unreal nature of this world in substantial nature of this world the classic example is given a rope appearing like a snake gun uses that example what we are saying as the world is a snake frightening but if you really open our eyes and look carefully there's no snake at all Europe is there Europe is harmless it is not move it does not bite it is simply there that is reality but we don't see the Rope we see the snake the superimposed why because of imperfect imp perception our minds are not able to perceive truth clearly it seems it says one things understand something else common daily experience we misunderstand everything we don't know how things work we Misery the situations and people and get into trouble we don't see consider reality properly that's the nature of the Mind when the Mind becomes pure Filipino blemishes it has lust anger greed Etc then what we see is what is there the concealed truth as it is not as it appears until then we are misleading you whole place believing something that is not relatively real Etc so mistaking the Rope for a snake is the mistake that we do only Brahman is there that is Brahman in this example but you don't see brahmanu received full of infinite names and forms constantly changing infinite variety some good some bad that's what we are seeing that's what we are experiencing this is snake part of it it's not there because we are not reading perceiving the truth properly our minds are not pure enough to see Europe as a rope we will see the Rope as a snake because our perception mind is not clear but when you purify their mind by doing some sort of devotional spiritual exercise then our perception becomes clear receive truth as it is we see Brahman everywhere not the world of names and forms good and bad that's for the Brahma Gandhi does is not misguided by the world appearance of the world so you know not affected by good and bad remains unaffected absolutely calm and peaceful in spite of disturbances all around there is an ordinary person every small thing affects us what happens someplace else affects us here what other people say affects us not the way people do a success one way or the other sometimes they do things which make us happy sometimes they do things which make us unhappy because we allow our result to be affected by one by their actions again it does not do that he sees everything as an object and real object a snake is just like it's not real so it appears there's only rope is there that's the perfect knowledge Clarity of perception so he remains unaffected when attached to anything and one more thing says see this whole book is a conversation between magnanis so they are explaining what brahmagana is what does it do how did the bromechanism feels experience what does he see what is experience that's what they're explaining so the fourth thing is always equanimous unaffected by good and bad the pain and pleasure whatever happens nothing affects the person remains absolutely common peaceful that no activity no event nothing that happens in the world around him changes anything in spite of many different things happening a person remains absolutely calm and peaceful and practices Equanimity means remains remains equanimous and pain and pleasure in gain and loss in prison blame and happiness and unhappiness absolutely come anything what happens we are happy for some time anything bad happens you are unhappy we suffer we have not experiencing peace Causeway some turmoil in our mind that is the difference absolutely common peaceful samathram yoga which is krsna says the essence of yoga is remaining common success and failure 248 with the Gita the brahmagani is always practicing samatva experience not practicing experiencing samatva practice stages over experience absolutely peaceful and affected by anything enjoying total peace and Bliss unconditional Eternal pleasure so that is explains the experience primary then after that janaka begins to explain this explained with various examples however Brahman gives a potassium to all the things which are not the self nonsense Body Mind sense organs other people good and bad Happiness and happiness nothing affects that person absorbed in absolute peace and calmness that nothing disturbs it's what a novel Brahman is experiencing goes one step forward and says that for a Brahma gyani does nothing to give up there's nothing to accept for an ordinary person People Like Us we are given many instructions by our teachers vedanta teachers give up attachment to sense objects do not depend for happiness and sense objects other people wealth Fame Etc pleasure Etc they are not permanent give give a attachment to these things practice detachment give up something accept this truth only selfie the true infinite Eternal pure contraceptive or practice that and your attachment to ever changing sense objects experiences things that is what we are practicing giving up something accepting some accepting the Eternal change of the self try to experience it and rejecting the sense of objects experiences pain and pleasure that the world is offering so we are in that process of rejecting something and accepting something but foreign there is nothing to reject there's nothing to accept him because there's nothing at all only the salt is there for foreign for us we are saying multiplicity we are saying the world other people good bad Happiness and happiness pain play we're all experiencing all these things we are experiencing the multiplicity but pramaghani has no such absolutely obtain undisturbable undisturbed peace peace and calmness like an ocean so janaka explains this Brahma Gandhi remains totally calm and peaceful under all circumstances he gives he explained this with some examples he says um to give up we are supposed to give up anger jealousy lust and greed give these things foreign foreign and nothing to accept you are told to accept this accept the truth accept the presence of God there's no foreign space has no Dimension at all no Beginning No End everywhere it is there unchanging special no qualities especially no color it's not green or yellow it's colorless it is free from attributes it is infinite everywhere it is like the space which is infinite Eternal very very present John is like that we are limited I am limited to this one particular body one particular personality I am this and we have attributes I'm happy I'm unhappy I'm sick I'm well I have I have money I don't have money but no such attributes no limitations at all infinite [Music] like this like occurs or like space everywhere present and then what about the world is limiting gatta means the pot we have one gallon pot it contains space inside it it's empty that means it has space inside it outside the part there is space the space inside the pot and the space outside the part are well in the same space they appear to be separated this place in the apart appears to be different from separate from the space outside the pot but really not space cannot be divided into compartments is one unbroken continuum infinite expands space this world is limiting like a pot it is nothing to give up for this space there's nothing nothing to accept they tend to give up free from all such upadhis non-self so space is an attached so everything is in space everything that that we see that exists all objects including the sun and stars and the moon and the whole galaxies everything and all of us everything is in space but whatever though this infinite number of things of inferiority or in space space is remains specially mentioned affected by any of them my present does not affect this space the table but is present in space does not affect the spacy treatments and affect it in the same way the whole world is there in our minds we create our own world in our mind we think the world is there a name a part of that one I am 80 would know the world is in me this Brahma Gandhi is our own world that is true literally true what is my world you know I was born at a certain my parents in uh in India on a certain time many years ago and I grew up there I came here and things here and I'm happy I don't know this is my work and all the people here with whom the good person to associate they are part of my world who recreated this one myself whole we live each when I first create creates our own world and we live in the world that we create this will literally true how did they happen to be important to that particular set of parents in India there are so many millions of parents having children but I happen to be born into one that one particular set of parents now how did that connection happen it's not a random connection by all my own Karma my karma my parents Karma brought us together and who created the karma myself so I decide in which family to be born next time we have to be born by doing what I am by my actions right now this purpose determined My Prayer by my previous actions to be born it's all in my eye create my world you all create our own world we live in the world that we create the world in which a journey lives is nowhere little there is no objective only self is there infinite Bliss Eternal Bliss unbroken please the word that we create is full of good and bad sometimes happiness sometimes unhappiness sometimes pain sometimes pleasure it's what we go through so ghani remains totally ineffective like space in the jar remains constructed by what happens to the jar Edan participated green space inside department does not become green it remains colorless if the space is broken into two pieces space is not broken into two pieces it Remains the Same in the same way Yani who thinks he's not the container he is the content of all beings we think we are the container empty body body mind are the containers we think so no we are the content the pure Consciousness in the body that is what I am but I mistake they continue to be myself it's the mistake we make we make we think I'm the body and the mind sense organs so these undergo change they come and go good and bad things happen but the gyani does not make that mistake you know the self in this space in the job is not the job your space has no qualities no good no bad No Beginning No End absolutely free that's how the gummy remains unaffected by anything that is there is no beginning there is no end there's nothing to accept there's nothing to reject for a journey that is how explains the totally unaffected nature of the north of Brahman then he explains further foreign Johnny thinks foreign this this world means this worldwide world is called propancha it has so many names is called propancha means it is possible to the five sense organs Pancha that's why we call it the world propension which is like a wave in the ocean the honey is like the ocean the world is like foreign what's the difference between the ocean and the and the wave ocean is calm peaceful unchanging profound waves are coming and going constantly changing their shape they arise from the water they move and they merge it to each other they merge back into the ocean they disappear constantly appearing disappearing and moving in the time it's not constant wave is constantly moving it's not stable stationary it's not stationary world is like that everything in the world is like that coming and going constantly changing but God is like the ocean does not change there's no beginning for Brahman for the body there is beginning at the middle and there and then end but for a pure Consciousness there's no beginning no middle no end no change he is that one The singardi Remains absolutely common peaceful he says right this self I am like the great ocean and the universe is like a wave this is self-knowledge they're nothing to be renounced they think they will accepted the thing to be dissolved totally unaffected by anything and then he janaka explains further however Gandhi remains totally calm and peaceful unaffected by anything is I am indeed in all beings and all beings are in me this is self-knowledge there is nothing to be renounced to be accepted or to be dissolved like space pure Consciousness is in everything and everything is in pure consciousness so we are not the objects in the in in nature we are that pure consciousness that's where the Brahma ganet is different from ordinary person brahmagani thinks she's the pure Consciousness Eternal infinite no attributes no good no bad no limitations always present no coming no going which are good and bad which are pain and suffering which come which go which change constantly body is changing every moment body is changing sometimes pain sometimes pleasure there's a fate of the ordinary person thinks I am the body suffers enjoys go comes and goes the only things I am not the body mind I am the pure Consciousness no coming no going no chain No Beginning No End no levitation absolutely common peaceful yes there is only the self even without a second there is nothing else other than the self to be renounced to to be accepted or to be given up there is only one rope there is no snake at all then there is no question of accepting a reject in this snake another person sees a snake oh this is true not is dangerous I don't want to accept it want to run away from that one something unpleasant frightening undesirable monsters or avoided run away from it but there's nothing to be afraid of nothing to run away from absolutely peaceful and joyful calm there's a difference between an ordinary person and a nor of Brahman janaka explains all these things then continuing his description goes on to explain that the things that are happening in the world events that are happening around us in our life and in the environment around us and in whole world any small event or big event has the potential to affect us what is going on somewhere in some distant part of the world and we are affected by that one or what the person living next to me he says he does that affects me I'm so vulnerable every small thing affects us one way good in good ways are bad some things make me happy some things make me unhappy the same thing that makes me happy when at one time makes me a nap at another time so this is how we are tossed around in this world not stable no calmness no peace constantly turmoil in our minds sometimes somebody sad sometimes somebody happy sometimes I'm angry sometimes I'm peaceful every small event in us in our mind what happens and outside in our body and outside in environment in society in the family where a person lives in his country where a person lives when the world whatever happens every event has a potential to affect the ordinary person in different ways some things make him happy something make him unhappy vulnerable nothing affects no matter how much disturbance is going on that person remains absolutely calm unaffected and peaceful even if somebody comes and beats him up he is not affected by it that one for us we are so sensitive we are so under somebody's so much I say something uh not scolding or anything it was something that is not nice about us we become upset we want to hear only good things about us we are so vulnerable you are affected by what other people say and think actually the an example is given a real example many are there like that word there was another uh in Maharashtra in a place called shegaon a small town no it's Big Town and there may be under 150 years ago lived Beyond gone beyond the brahmacharya student stage householder stage one of the stage sannyasa everything has transcended is free totally free and absorbed in the self gyani such a person does not follow doesn't have to follow any social convention whether he's a dress properly or not whether he ate or not whether he's to birth or not where does he live under a tree or does not matter totally free foreign place and he was unaffected he used to uh not him many have many clothes on his body just when towel or shawl or something in the body and he would be always very happy joyful within oneself no pressure blame affected him whether it or not did not affect him or whatever people thought about did not affect him and he had a Chillum you used to constantly like this joyful space face Chillum observed in total Joy that's how his picture his photo is like that one what other people did they say nothing affected them you just sit down somewhere and be absorbed in total Joy not depending upon anything for happiness I am happy if some good food is there people say good things about me I'm happy otherwise if you were a headache I'm not happy no such thing for me totally free always absorbed in the infinite joy of the self does not have care what happens to their body so there were detractors as always some people thought he was a fake pretending like that they were talking ill of him he didn't bother him he was absorbed in his own self not depending on what were people think for his happiness totally absorbed any self alone totally joyful unconditionally joyful so they detractors they wanted to give him trouble they hired a few thugs and gave them some money and told them to go and beat this Maharaja these people they don't know anything they wanted some money they went with sticks and started beating him they won't turn beating him nothing happened to me simply there you tell them they're beating the sticks broke and they became tired nothing happened to you they came third or then they understood this is the Mahatma they fell at his feet and begged forgiveness and went away like that one now nothing disturbs them people call him mad doesn't matter people call him wise man does not matter shiram Krishna like that when he was doing sadhana rolling on the ground crying mother or mother and dakshineswar people thought he was a Madman they thought he was not married so uh that's why he is unhappy didn't affect him he went out totally unaffected by what happens in the world or name what other people think or do nothing so that's what janaka explains in the next section he says foreign [Music] things like this one money I am like a vast infinite version means infinite great ocean I'm like that one and what is the world it's like a boat traveling on the ocean is a boat or a small ship it's moving here on the water note that boat keeps on moving brahmati wherever the wind carries the sailboat keeps moving in that direction not stable on the surface of the water is whatever in whatever way the boat moves on the surface of the water boat is constantly changing its position moving back and forth swaying side no side to side boat but its movement of the the movement of the boat does not affect the water in the least water remains unexpected so many boards are there used to like in Chicago Lake Michigan and so many in summers people are go there for boating so many sailboats moving on the on the water but the lake remains unaffected no matter how many boats are there which way the boats are going how they move does not affect the lake at all the problem again he says and a great ocean undisturbed by what happens by the board movement or the boards that are selling on me that bad always observed in the joy of the self as opposed to that an ordinary person is affected by every small thing what happens to the body affects me the body has fever I am sad the body is feeling good I am I'm happy whatever other people say if people see are you are a good Sami no you are nice I am happy people say you don't do anything I'm unhappy we are so vulnerable to a very small thing some event happening in the far as a place like India I know read the party news and I become either Disturbed or happy something is happening Iran I read the news and I became affected by that one so they are so vulnerable as opposed to they say brahmagyani no matter what happens it remains totally unaffected absolutely absorbed in the joy of the self like the ocean remains unaffected by the movement of the various ships boats on the on the on the surface of the water then the status of a primadya name is explained by Swami Vivekananda in this a song of a song of the sannyasi so one stands up goes like this in the song of sannyas in which he wrote in the in 1895 when he was in Thousand Island Park and Upstate New York he says he then no more her body loser goes its task is done let Karma float it down that one put garlands on another kick this Frame say not no praise or blame can be where prayers are praised and blamer blamed are one this pillow comes in bold say oh that is how the description of the brahmagyani instruction to us from from which be like that one eat then no more nobody lives our gospel you are so much sensitive to the condition of the body a little bit pain disturbs me like that it starts kiss them that Karma followed down the body is all the result of karma only our body is a result of our problem the karma depends upon my past Karma my body is functioning right now how long is it function how does it function however not so good depends on Karma let it take its course why should I worry if something happens to the government you're not worried about it if somebody brings a green color and puts green on this your saffron color it does I don't become green and the government become green it doesn't affect me foreign just as the government is for an ordinary person the status of the government does not affect the person in the same way foreign chapter 2 sloka 22 222 easy to remember compares the body mind typically government we are wearing whatever changes happen to the government dude where are the government is not affected by that one it becomes Old Government becomes old and unfit abusive it's thrown away and the new garment is acquired Assam foreign foreign that example came earlier it comes again and again comparing the world to you to your will be on the ocean surface with the ocean one more example uh genetic argues foreign this whole world that is so real to us appears like a magic show end result I mean it's a magic show in a magic so what happens the magician like David Copper failed or somebody like that they perform fantastic magic tricks none of them is real one commented that magicians do they cut a lady into two parts with a song they actually see that one on this stage but uh actually what happens after some time billy gets up and walks away they separate the pieces too that is the world is like that so many things are happening fantastic everything appears so real unbelievably real good and bad pain and suffering is so real cannot be dispute the reality of the thing experience that I am going through every moment but this all foreign he's like a magic show his circulars looks at it enjoys it you know nothing is happening there is no good there's no bad there is no this pain and there's no suffering everything is only ocean of joy and peace so that way how a brahmagani remains totally unaffected absolutely calm and peaceful no matter what happens in the world around him or her that is how janaka explains the status of a brahmatiani now before I conclude these are all attributes you are studying any conversation between Starbucks but in the Gita we see same attributes are there foreign describing the qualities of a devotees SRI Krishna says give the same description that gives foreign number 15 in chapter 12. they're describing the nature of a devotee foreign [Music] [Music] does not disturb the you piece of the devotee what the events in that happen in the world in society in in one's life and anywhere is not Disturbed yes by whom the only remains unaffected whatever the devotee does do not affect any inconvenience because difficulty for others in the world foreign blame him he remains an effective so all the people devotee having pure devotion to God is there pregnancy was was established in sameness seeing the Divine in all and Abrahim who knows that he is himself not the body and name and his Brahman they all have the same attributes concludes his presentation we shall stop here and continue next time you want to sing or before you begin this song uh next week is coming from Saint Louis and he'll be speaking next Sunday at 11 o'clock I'll be speaking on the spiritual teachings of Swami brahmananda so all of you are invited to attend nishpapananda he has been here before several times from Saint Louis [Music] foreign foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] tomorrow [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] energy boys [Music] [Music] [Music] yeah yeah thank you you wondered 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