Video 106

106. Bhagavad Gita | Chapter 9 Verses 3-4 | Swami Sarvapriyananda

Guru [Music] [Music] so in this class we are studying the bhagavad-gita we are on the ninth chapter and we have just started the 9th chapter nine chapters called The Royal secret and the Royal knowledge yeah The Yoga of the royal knowledge in the Royal secret what is this Royal knowledge and Royal Secret it is this in the eighth chapter Krishna talked about God what God the god of theistic religion the personal God the God who is the creator preserver destroyer of the universe The God Who whom we pray to so that God the god who's Incarnation Krishna himself is krishna's Incarnation Avatar of God so that God in technical language in vedanta this is called God or Brahman with attributes now in the and what you do with that God you pray to that God you worship that God you meditate on that and at the end of our Lives if we are if we are truly devout and Pious and we want God and nothing but God then we go on um to live in the presence of God after the death of this body basically I'm to put it very simply oversimplifying if you are devoted if you are truly believing faithful then after that you get to go to heaven so that's the conventional idea of God and religion which you find in most in all theistic religions that was the conclusion of the eighth chapter now Krishna is saying but that's not the end of the story there is something deeper some a deeper secret to learn or a deeper truth about God to learn and that's coming in the ninth chapter one give me a second here let me just turn this off what is this deeper secret it is the Ultimate Reality of the universe is not this triangle of God universe and sentient beings so we are there we are sentient beings and here is this material Universe all around us and religion tells us that there is a God a powered behind all of this uniquely among religions is saying that there is a deeper reality a higher reality an absolute reality and it calls it nirguna Brahman without any qualifications whatsoever without any adjectives added to it um so that nirgun Abraham which can only be talked about either I mean the closest approximation you can get is pure being existence itself the reality of this universe itself um pure awareness that which makes possible all our conscious experiences and pure Bliss which is the whole point of all of this universe so sat kit on and the existence Consciousness place even more accurately it can only be described pointed out negatively um not this not this in in theology this is called the apathetic method that you point out something which cannot be said in language so you just say what it is not if you cannot specifically say what it is the Ultimate Reality you can at least say what it is not the ultimate Secret we uh absolute truth the highest truth the final thing that you know what we have discovered in human civilization that's the that's the Royal Secret um that's the how do you get that how do you realize that that's the Royal knowledge that's what Krishna is going to talk about so big theme there's no theme bigger than this see Krishna has already talked about it in the first six chapters in the self-inquiry I'm not the body not the Mind inquiring within yourselves you come to this pure Consciousness Consciousness without content what you are awareness itself or Consciousness itself that was the process of self-inquiry in that it's a Sanskrit called Atma vichar inquiry into oneself the same truth we're going to come to Now by an investigation or inquiry into what is God so that's what's going to happen that's the Royal secret he's going to talk about the same truth and um in the first two verses which we have seen last time Krishna said I shall give you this most secret knowledge and the realization Guyana and vigyana knowledge and realization or as we saw last time another meaning of Gyan and vigyana can be realization of myself or oneself as pure Consciousness and then everything else as that pure consciousness um that one and by the knowledge of which you will be free from samsara that was the first verse second verse praise this knowledge you know advertised it sold it to us by saying the knowledge which I'm going to give you is the highest secret is the Royal knowledge it is the most purifying of all the most purified knowledge that which destroys all the impurities of samsara um it's Direct protection this is I I mean the term it means this is direct and evident this is a very big selling point I think in in my book because everything else that was talked about in the eighth chapter it depends on on your belief on faith on you all right I accept what the great teachers say I accept other books say I would like to believe it and so I believe it but here it's not a question of belief if you get what they are saying it's it's a matter of just the direct statement of fact it's protection of a government it's it's uh you just see it for yourself and it is Dharma it and this is spirituality you know um sometimes people have doubts when you talk about non-dual vedanta well I signed up for religion is this religion actually say these things or is it some kind of weird philosophy or some kind of very subtle metaphysics if I wanted this I could have joined the you know NYU philosophy class but I'm coming to you for religion this is religion this is what religion is all about must be very difficult then it's only for the super brainy types or it's super hard susukam it's easy and it's enjoyable sometimes religion is is taught and it's you get the sense that it's going to be dry and boring and hard but but it's he says it's easy and it's enjoyable and if it's easy then we have this sneaking suspicion nothing really worthwhile could be that easy so easy come easy go you know so if I get it easily it won't lead to any kind of lasting result permanent Eternal result it sets you free from samsara forever samsara will never come back again so with this kind of advertisement who could uh who could resist and to back it up in the third verse he says right now you take it on faith and you will see for yourself what I mean very soon third verse yes [Music] persons wanting in faith in this teaching or sculpture of foes return to the path of this mortal world without attaining me so this is a strategy of teaching first he shows you how great it is how easy it is how wonderful it is and after all that one might still say nah I'm not interested well you're good asking for trouble now it's going to scare you the next verse says that if you don't take this up then you will fall back into samsara endlessly he says so what's wrong in the path of samsara it's good enough life is good he says it's death it's ceaseless death being born is death aging and disease and they all culminate in death and at that point no matter how good a life you have led and whatever whatever fun you have had in this life all that disappears into nothing if the culmination is not happiness culmination is not fulfillment and culmination is just degeneration and decrepitude and death so this is samsara therefore this is being offered to you this highest teaching um we take it with faith that this is something serious in the sea all of this spiritual paths not just the non-dual path all paths they begin with faith you might say that aren't you contradicting yourself you just said the dualistic religion the theistic religion what was talked about in chapter eight that's Faith yeah this is direct true direct but it's not direct right now is it if it were direct right now you wouldn't be in the class you would be an enlightened being or you might be in the class just for fun you know just listen to what you already know but for most of us for a long time it's not evident or even if I get it what what is being taught I'm not getting the results of that I'm still suffering in life it's indirect a one must admit it's to some extent if it is theoretically to some extent it is I'm taking it on faith that there is something to all this um even if I say I've got it I am for all practical purposes enlightened are you getting the full benefit of all of that if full benefit means I would overcome all sorrow are you fully enlightened are you a mini Vivekananda or ramakrishna or Ramana maharshi and one would have to be pretty Advanced or pretty deluded to say yes so we must admit that there's still some short form there is it's still it could be better in that case take it on faith that there is something to this I have told this story earlier I'll repeat it um there was this um in vrindavan which is you know classically the place of Sri Krishna in India so it's a place of devotees of Krishna and monks and bhaktas lovers of Krishna who spend the lives I had seen in so many places people spending their lives in you know repeating the name of Krishna and in devotion very dualistic very bhakti oriented loving I have seen in ashram with the tiny huts on set on the sand just enough for one person to stretch out you know that's all not much bigger than a typical bed here so in those huts and there are monks who've been living there for 10 years 20 years so in that place of Devotion to Krishna one Monk and there are non-dualists there too so we are everywhere um so one of the monks thought that I haven't enough of this believing God and love Krishna and all that this non-dualism sounds good let me go there and sign up for the non-dualist class so he goes to a monk teaching non-dualism and then in the first class they talk about the qualifications required for vedanta what should you develop and in that you you know the six-fold treasure one of them is so you have to develop faith and immediately this monk were joined up joined the non-dualism classes would come from a very devotional background he said Faith here too here to have to believe in something then what was the fault of my dear Krishna um what harm did gopala do to me that I I have come here so yeah of course there is a difference in a devotional theistic setting it's basically faith and that's why in America the religion is called Faith which which Faith you belong to whereas it would be a little odd to call say advaita vedanta faith through and through it starts with some amount of Faith but I always say if you if you find if you if that makes you uneasy it shouldn't it's just the amount of Faith you have when you sign up for say a physics class or you know a mathematics class in Columbia University here you have some faith in the textbooks that it's not all fake news you have some faith in your teachers and professors that they know what they're talking about I don't our attitude might be in those classes I don't get it yet but there is substance in these books and what these super knowledgeable professors are talking about there is some sense in that let me try I'll get it eventually that much faith is that's all foreign persons without that much Faith also they do not attain me so when Krishna talks attaining me here he does not mean me as the as the person Krishna standing in front of Arjuna we'll see that very soon he's not at all talking about that he's talking about this unlimited existence Consciousness place so they do not attain to the unlimited existence Consciousness Bliss which is their own nature your own nature don't attain that and these these unfortunate people they return they that means they keep coming back again and again to samsara all right now comes Verses 4 and 5. the most important verses in this entire chapter and here the direct non-dual truth extraordinary verses I'll read both of them and then explain them four of them is so this is five I read both four and five translation four all this is pervaded by me of unmanifest form all beings are in me but I am not in them then number five nor are the beings in me behold my Divine mystery though the sustainer and the protector of beings yet by myself is not in these beings okay very interesting verse Krishna here says that I pervade everything all beings everything in this universe is in me but I am not in them and then he goes on to say but all beings are not in me yes just say it exactly the opposite of what he said in the fourth verse and by saying these two things together and meaning them entirely that all things are in me and then saying all things are not in me he is pointing to a maybe the greatest mystery of creation here what's going on here is trying to point out all right by me this entire universe is pervaded and by Universe he means not only this physical universe but all living beings also our bodies even indeed our minds everything is pervaded by me he says by me what me Krishna we you know the charioteer of Arjuna standing in front of Arjuna giving him lessons on the Gita by me that's obviously wrong you're a man standing in front of me you don't no matter how overweight you are you can't pervade everything you might as at the most pervade one chair you know like occupy one full chair or two chairs if you're really grossly overweight but no matter how big we are physically we can't even pervade a single room we can't occupy a single room let alone the universe you Krishna obviously clearly I can see it perceptually this is not you don't mean you as the person you don't pervade the universe you are right here and there is this vast Universe everywhere even as an incarnation of God if I have to take you as incarnation of God but Incarnation is a beginning and an end you know all incarnations of God they have a beginning and an end there was a time when the Krishna Incarnation was not there there'll be a time when the Krishna Krishna Incarnation will not be there at least in a manifest Krishna form physical form and then you do not pervade space even as the Incarnation of God you are right here in front of me you're not all over the universe so obviously not in the Manifest physical human form you don't when you say I pervade the universe all of this not in that form then in what form in your in your real nature as existence Consciousness Bliss um I mentioned this earlier but they Christian Theology and David Bentley heart who is is one of the leading uh theologians in the world today uh I I uh Harvard Professor once told me that I asked him so are you acquainted with his work because he speaks about vedanta so the Harvard professor said yes I've never met a more quarrelsome person and he said more pugnacious person he's a very polemical person and he wrote this book pretty polemical against the new atheists against say Richard Dawkins Sam Harris Daniel Dennett and Christopher Christopher Hitchens the book is called experience of God being Consciousness Bliss and the names of the chapters if you open that book names of the chapters that sat chit Ananda and there he says when you're going to fight against religion for God's sake don't fight against the kindergarten of religion if you want to have debate science you know don't go to a grade school and talk with the kids there talk to the real scientist you know uh so in this in that sense if you want to debate religion debate religion at its deepest at its highest at its best most sophisticated and say okay then what's the most sophisticated idea of religion he says the most sophisticated idea of religion is found in all religions he is clear about that it's found in Christianity it's found in Judaism it's found in Islam it's found in in Buddhism uh in um you know all the religions of the world but then it says most clearly and explicitly it is found in um the vedanta of Hinduism and that's why he says I'm using the terms from vedant it's it's mainstream in Hinduism it's most explicit and it's fully developed there so those are the names of the uh chapters name of the author David Bentley Heart the book is he has many books he has many books he's very prolific but this particular book where he talks about the danta is um is the knowledge the experience of God the experience of God all right and recently he being very outspoken so he's made it clear that he prefers vedanta over you know all the various branches of Christianity that he has come across I saw it in a in a review of one of his books recently um all right so why am I saying this the real nature of God what's the best reading that we have in human civilization this is this idea of pure being pure Consciousness pure Bliss I mentioned this again and again you'll keep coming across such pure being to Pure Consciousness and on the pure weakness which struck me and recently something that's obvious and that's been staring at me in their face for a long time it struck me that satjit Ananda are the answers to the deepest questions of philosophy think about it philosophy has three broad branches one is what's real metaphysics or a new name for that is ontology used to be called metaphysics earlier ontology what's real what's the truth the second branch of philosophy is how do you know anything so that's epistemology and the third branch of philosophies what's the what's good beautiful valuable the point of it all the meaning of it all and that used you know there's a subject matter at various branches ethics and Aesthetics and so on they've all been clubbed together under one name now axiology so three names three branches of philosophy ontology epistemology and axiology what is real how do you know anything at all and what's the point what's the what's good what's good what's beautiful what's right how do you distinguish right from wrong and what's the purpose goal all of that under axiology now you can see where I'm leading with this because the answers to these three questions are such Ananda you think about it what is real pure being its existence itself and then of course the details that comes later how do you know anything knowledge is made possible by Consciousness chit is the answer to that and what's the point of it all ethics Aesthetics all of that Ananda Bliss so it just struck me are the um answers to the philosophical quest of humanity since ancient times anyway my point here is when Krishna says I pervade everything how not as the person Krishna not even as the Avatar Krishna but as the absolute reality of Krishna which is our absolute reality Krishna is is suchit Ananda but you are Sachin Ananda I am searching then can I say if if I were to know myself as such can I save it with Krishna Krishna that I pervade the entire universe by my unmanifest form all beings exist in me and yet I do not exist in all because I say these verses saying I you can actually that's the amazing thing about advice but then your individual identity now will dwindle into a drop I mean you become you are the past you see yourself as the best so he says by which Murthy means form so by which form do you do you pervade the universe not the Krishna form obviously well he says but I'm an unmanifest form and manifest is meant something that is that is so subtle that is not the object of sense organs it's not like this physical form of Krishna you can see this but you cannot see my real nature you cannot hear it smelled it taste it touch it [Music] you cannot even conceive of it with your mind saguna Brahman God of this universe you can conceive of it with mine you know omnipotent omnicient omnipresent things like that you can say all loving all benign creator of the universe the preserver and destroyer of the universe all of these things can say about God so you have a conception of God no matter how vast and incredible it is still you can think about it talk about it and religions talk about it Ad nauseam incessantly but here the absolute reality is you cannot even conceive of it let alone talk of it why because it's subtle and a deeper answer is not just because it's subtle because it is not an object it's not an object of the senses it's not an object of thought not an object of language cannot refer to it for reasons I will not go into it will take us far afield the Mind cannot conceive of it and senses obviously cannot objectify because it's not an object so by that um pure subject the underlying reality of this universe by that I pervade this manifest Universe by my unmanifest form I pervade this manifest universe um how does that work it's like all golden ornaments are permeated by gold in that sense because every bit of that in all the golden ornaments gold gold is there if you say it's a golden ornament gold must pervade those in all Earthen pots in Pottery pots and jars whatever shape and size Earth must be their clay must be there in that sense I pervade this universe and My Mind by unmanifest form as sat chit Ananda in what sense you know um I just say this and move on but very interesting I if I look at Urban Pottery pottery and you tell me it's all pervaded by Clay I will say okay get what you mean yeah I see it I can say I can I see it I get it all golden ornaments are pervaded by gold yeah I get it I get what you mean but all things are pervaded by sachidan what do you mean foreign it's an important question why is it important the objection will be this this is the objection to the old objection to pantheism pantheism is um is a theological philosophical perspective which says that um this universe this world this universe is God but there's an object to that that objection would be this is cheap here is this world that you are seeing and you're just calling it God what good does that do it's still a material universe and there are atoms and protons and stuff like that and still there is a solid liquid and gaseous matter and there are these living beings which are suffering all its imperfections and evil and misery in this universe and you're now giving it a name God so what good did that do did you learn one thing extra did you get any benefit from it whatsoever but it's cheap isn't it in fact the objection against pantheism is that this is as good as atheism because then you are not believing in something called God you're just saying this world is God so that's the objection so not in that way no it's not that you're taking the world and you're calling it God no and rather look at this universe notice that there's one thing that runs through all of it like clay through all Pottery like gold through all golden ornaments what is that one thing that runs through all existing things in this universe the answer is there in my language existing things yeah not the things themselves they come and go they change each thing is different from the other stones are different from air and whales are different from shape they are different but all of them have something in common they exist this very existence itself this existence of the universe yes Reika just got it you've got the answer existence of this universe I do not Tire of drawing your attention to it it's the most it is the background it is the most common thing underlying our experience that is everywhere you find this business and we always Overlook it because it's always there yeah things are interesting because they come and go people are interesting living beings are interesting pain and pleasure are interesting but the existence itself it's always there but that existence a hidden in plain sight so I mean we work on the culture the Open Secret here is God hidden in plain sight being itself which makes possible the existence of existing things I'll repeat that existence makes possible the existence of existing things just as gold makes possible the existence of golden ornaments clay makes possible the existence of clay pottery water makes possible the existence of waves and form and Surf and you know water drops and so on similarly vedanta talks about such pure being which makes possible all beings pure existence which makes possible all existing things okay that sounds kind of cruel as American uh Americans would say what good does that do me in the chanduki upanishad comes the bombshell you are that existence that thou art the very existence of this universe you are it's because of you that this universe exists it's depending on you for its existence just like every part depends on the clay for its existence every golden ornament um piece of jewelry depends on the underlying gold for its existence similarly the all real things depend upon existence for their existence you can see that this language is a bit weird because language was never meant to refer to existence it's always meant to refer to existence is existence existing things this is what the German philosopher Heidegger ran up against when he sort of came very close to this idea he he touched it if you touch it either you become a non-dualist or you go crazy um another way so so you can see existence pervades everything where here look around look around you there's an ocean of existence that's where Krishna is as existence of all things yeah we will explore this further as consciousness as awareness you know it's not that things are existing rather you are having experiences what's our life we have experience it's not that there is a table there is a person there is a computer isn't that so no it isn't better description would be I experience a table I see a computer I talk to a person I experience and feel my body all of it is one thing in common in all what is that not just existence experience of existence now I'm going to Consciousness as you can see so experience of existence is an even better way of describing our experience of life we experience all the time all our life is experience and all experience experiences are all different from each other every experience moment to moment we are having having a series of experiences all the time choicelessly so it cannot but be so and each experience comes and goes each experience is different from the other one each experience is good or bad Pleasant or unpleasant or mixed or neutral but underlying all of that is one common thing it is consciousness and awareness I'm using the terms in a broad way I'm referring to the Sanskrit pure Consciousness chit or chaitanya just as existence pervades everything Consciousness to pervades everything existence permits all existing things Consciousness pervades all experience the thing is the brilliant Insight of advaita vedanta was this pure Consciousness this pure existence are one and the same thing there's a new term common which is being popularized in um some direct path teachings these days they use the term presence I like that presence because when you say presence with a capital p no there are two elements to it there is a sense of existence and there's a sense of awareness a presence is a being is-ness but also aware it's not a dull dead is this it's a presence so this presence which is existence Consciousness awareness Krishna is saying by that all things in this universe are pervaded all right going moving on I mean I can go on and on about this because this is like a core in sight but there are deeper and richer things to come next then he says something startling is it says that first he said I am in all beings yeah I I pervade all beings I am in all beings this is wait a minute I am actually not in all beings rather it's more accurate to say all beings are in me and again if you use the clay and part example is it that there's a part and there is clay in it it's like if you say there's a pot and there's water in it that makes sense if um there is a golden pot for example and you put um water in it there's a water in it but in that golden pot is gold in it is it full of gold coins no no no rather here is another Insight change of paradigm the part is in the clay that's a weird way of speaking it's more true the the ornament is in the gold the wave is in the water if you look at the waves in the ocean you see that wave is more water this wave has less water rather better description is the waves are in water why would you say that well notice that before the wave arose the water was there and when the wave water arose as the wave the wave is there and the water is still there and when the wave subsides the water is still there the water exceeds the wave in space and in time similarly the clay the Earth pre-existed the pot that exists during the existence of the pop and exists after the destruction of the part so the clay in the pot the water in the wave rather you should say part is in the clay what a wave is in the water ornaments are in Gold he says in that exactly in the same way all beings are in me the universe is in existence existence is not in things is there a table when you say table is do you first is there a table and then you add some easiness to it no you can have a table and then you can add you know you can paint it red or brown you can do that you can have a table and then you can change the color properties of an existing table can be added or removed or modified but the existence is not added to a table rather table is added to existence a table is a name and a form imposed upon existence just as a necklace is a name and a form and a function imposed upon gold jar or a pot is a name and a form and a function imposed upon clay clay exists similarly you are existence you are aware this you are presence now upon you is imposed a mind a sensory system a body and a world similarly upon Consciousness itself presents itself with this Cosmic presence itself is imposed an entire Cosmos that is the deeper secret about God it's mind-blowing you know but but the stunning thing about it is talking about something right here in front of our eyes and behind our eyes also this is the deeper secret about God and here you and God are one reality tough Pharmacy you are that reality too as much as Krishna is oh in what sense are you not the same as God Krishna is an avatar of God with qualities that is you are not I am not we are not avatars we are sentient beings in this world of appearance but as pure being pure awareness what Krishna is what Rama is what Jesus and Buddha and they're all the great Masters are we also are not less not a fraction we are exactly the same it's an undivided reality means indivisible there is no part of it so we are one at that level only at that level however you know I will go and deeper into that so here is pointing out something interesting that I am not in them I do not stay in these beings because there's always the idea of you know you know the preliminary ideas that um the most crudest ideas God is out there but as we advance in religion we realize God is within Krishna is saying that's also crude God is not within I am not within you I am your reality I am in entirely all of your reality it's just as Clay is not within a pot you can put water in a pot then your gold is not within an ornament it's not that the ornament exists and you filled it with code so that's why the language which is often used I am this body and this mind is the temple of God In My Heart Is God all good not wrong but Krishna is giving you a higher deeper point of view every bit of you is God not that in your heart in a subtle way somewhere accessible only in meditation as we are taught often talk that's what kind of language this is given to us because that's a good way of meditation but he's giving a deeper deeper meaning so you're already already gone to two stages first stage was I'm in all of you in all this universe in everybody equally I am there second stage was not in you every bit of you is me so um I'm not in you now he's going to give us the hammer blow you are you are all in me he says that so the deeper meaning is you are all in me just as Clay is in Pottery is in clay gold is in ornaments are in Gold waves are in water you are in me now the hammer blow is going to come next he's going to say but you are not in me none of this universe is actually in me what is what he means is I and only I exist God and Only God exists what you think of as a separate existence of the universe what you think of as a separate individual existence that's the ego it's a ghost it doesn't exist all your existence all our existence is actually God foreign no no they don't exist outside me so three levels look at the three levels and it's quite quite stunning what uh he just says here first he says in all beings I am and the next he says I'm not in those beings they are in me second thirdly says they are not in me what does that mean I alone exist now let's try to understand this with the clay and pot examples so you're given a thought it's a thing a pot a clay pot now we are told you know in this clay there is in this part sorry we're given a pot so in this part there is something called clay so in this part yes in this part there is something called clay in all parts in fact and why should I be interested well that the clay has a certain advantage over the pot each part is different from the other part yeah but the clay is the same in all parts each part has characteristics advantages and disadvantages some are big Parts some are small pots some are inferior Parts some have superiority but they're big Parts no big shots like big Parts they have got superiority complexes no part is equal to me so but the clay is exactly the same in all the parts not only that paths are mortal they are created they exist and they they are destroyed they are born and they die they can be broken they can be damaged it Clay is exactly the same all throughout all right so when we say wow this clay thing sounds very impressive where is this clay well all the Clays in the pot you see the pots and all the pots the clay is in the pots step one step two when we look look at the part where I want to see this clay I can see the pot but I want to see the clay I want to I want to know what where the clay is look in the pot well I looked in the pot there's no clay in there no no no no what are you holding if you look inside the part you will not find clay you might find milk or water or um you know cookies or something but the pot itself look there you will find what you are touching this clay the material itself is Clay the bottom of it is Clay the top of it is clear inside of it is three through and through this part is clay in fact I will now modify my statement it's not that there is clay in the pot rather the pot is in clay second step thought is in clay third step there is no part at all there's no part in the clay at all where's the part what do you mean I'm holding apart well show me the part other than the clay take the Clay Away and show me a pop you're using two words clay and pot and you have admitted what I'm holding is Clay through and through every bit of it is clear good now you use the word pot take the Clay Away show me the pot you can't once you you have the clay drishti once you see the pot as clay you cannot find a separate a second countable entity called part countable count clay as one then you can't count anything else as part because it's done then what is the part you can't deny the days apart well you you cannot but the part has a very unique status it has a form it looks like this it has a use you can put stuff in it and it is a name thought this is called form is called Rupa user function is called debajara and the name is called nama nama Rupa vivahara this is constitutes a part and it is given existence and reality and support by Clay and so all right so there is something called name Form and Function no it's not a thing you can't say something because there's no existence of its own that you might say you're driving me crazy is the part a thing or not the answer is that's the amazing thing about it you can't deny its existence entirely but you can't say it's a real thing either when you cannot say it's a real thing either you cannot deny that in some sense it exists this is called uh inexpressible either as existing or as non-existing in Sanskrit sad Assad you want a simpler term mithya mithya is equal to falsity the part name Form and Function are false the word name Form and Function is the world it's false false in the sense of what not that it doesn't exist it's a false in the sense it's an appearance it has no existence of its own it is no absolute existence absolute existence belongs to that is the absolute existence we might say good for Ananda where am I in this deal I'm going to look out for I me myself am I that weird neither existing nor non-existing kind of thing or am I the reality well congratulations you are the reality that sachidananda is you but what you consider your body what you consider your sensory system your your mind your limited personality that belongs to the category of name Form and Function that's an appearance needn't bother you can put on as many appearances and dispense with them as you please and that's perfectly all right you are the absolute reality of not only this body mind you're the absolute reality of this universe as absolute reality of the universe you are called Guna Brahman Brahman without attributes as the absolute reality of this person right now you are called the Atman and they are exactly the same thing they're going to Brahman and Atman are exactly the same thing this is the Royal secret which Krishna was hinting at he's talking about it now let me run through that very quickly using the pot example and Brahman example what is like the universe Clay is like Brahman so first you are given a pot and you're given on this side the universe the part is just to explain things now you are introduced to the concept of of clay this is clay in the pot pervading the part Krishna says I pervade the universe then when we look into the pot and be fine where's the clay there is milk or cookies or there's a flower in the pot but there's no claimed and you're told no no no not the contents of the pot you have to examine the part itself and you will find it's through and through clay similarly when we look at this universe where is Krishna is he contained in the universe like a like a cookie in a jar of cookies no I don't find anything you know I told you imagine Krishna in your heart but you're imagining I will visualized well you're visualizing where is Krishna actually right now you promised direct protection direct experience of Krishna well here is Krishna just as you find clay upon examining the material of the pot similarly upon examining the material of the universe you find existence itself being itself business itself upon examining the material of your experiences which experience every experience of life including the one you're having right now if you're excited about this great if you are interested great with your bored great if you're inspired great all these experiences excited interested bored inspired all of them have Consciousness as their basis awareness that existence that awareness you find in every bit of this universe the the existence of this universe is found everywhere then the next Krishna says that all beings I'm not in them they are in me and here the clay is not in the pot the pot is in the clay and similarly the entire universe all beings are in existence existence is not in them all experiences are appearing in Consciousness not that the experiences have a little bit of Consciousness sprinkled in it when Krishna finally says none of these beings are in me in reality they're all names forms and appearances just as there is really no second entity called a pot in clay we said the part isn't clay clay is not in the pot good third step there is no part in the clay I'm holding apart so I'm denying that there's a part what you're holding is clay so what is the part then it's a name and a form and a function and they have no reality apart from the clay that is a kind of like magic and like uh call it Shakti Maya whatever you call it similarly in the universe there is no universe there are no living beings there is a no but not in the sense of absolute reality the universe planets and stars and beings and life and samsara their appearances in God in Brahman this is the dramatic stunning claim the the teaching given by Krishna this is the Deep Secret how does that help it is you it's not just navatar called Krishna not that just the person standing in front of um Arjuna it is you your real real nature and he says I am the origin the support of all beings and so Mama Atma he says myself only talking about it says as we ignorant people talk my real self my Atman my pure existence not my real self it's not like my kidney or my heart or my um you know liver it's I you have to make that switch so when he says my real self he's talking just like we talk right now we'll be excused for saying my real self my Atman but shankarachary and his commentary makes the point that you have to switch to the idea that you are that real self you are the support of all beings now we understand how how it is possible support of all beings just as click and say I am the support of all paths gold can say I am the support of all ornaments golden ornaments can say I am the support of the appearance of all the universe and I am um the the Buddha bhavana the Creator the projector of all of that just as all names and forms all Pottery is projected in a sense by um that by by clay or I will put it this way here is talking about saguna Brahman remember and saguna Brahman are the same reality in its nature as saguna Brahman as the god of the universe is the projector of the universe is the sustainer of the universe of this entire universe that's why God is called the Creator but God is Creator only in the sense Clay is the creator of all the pottery only in the sense that gold is the creator of all ornaments because it gives existence to all of it when we come to saguna Brahman one more thing is introduced um you know the technical terms and what is called the uh the material cause and the intelligent cause what is this universe made of God it's the material cause who made this universe God so this is which who are we talking about saguna Brahman Brahman with attributes the Creator preserve and destroyed the world um what is but if you say the world is an appearance only God is or only Brahman is then you're talking about nirguna are the two the same yes in eighth chapter and ninth chapter is not talking about two different things eighth chapter is talking about the God of religion saguna Brahman nine chapter is talking about a deeper reality of the saying God just as when I talk of you as a person and when I say talk or try to point out that you are pure Consciousness I'm not talking about two different people I'm not talking about something called Popular Consciousness something called a person I'm talking about the same reality the surface of it is a person upon investigation it's pure consciousness and they are not equal realities pure Consciousness is the reality is the truth about you your personality body mind is the appearance is a transactional like the part of the golden ornament I want to read out a line from um one of the the greatest commentary on the bhagavad-gita is the sense of sheer depth and extension and bulk so this is madhusudan saraswatis gurat Deepika the lamp of lamp which illumines the hidden intent which illumines the hidden intent phone not relevant they'll just mention it what all sorts of things I'm called upon to talk about you won't believe it it was called upon to talk about Bitcoin today and they're making a document your Bitcoin I can't reveal all of it but anyway so what does non-duality talk about say about Bitcoin I was at a loss I I hardly any idea yeah somebody said mithya falsity yes but uh but you have to say what is the Sanskrit word for that didn't have to say literally you know means wealth money anyway is meaning so in that let me point out what madhusudan Saraswati says in this just one line very profound and beautiful language I liked so much I'll just read it out and translate for you and we'll take questions I feel I've just touched about half of what I wanted to say today if you will notice this Sunday I have a talk it's called it from bit from chit so I'll explain the mystery of that title in the talk but it's also this if you look at it it this Cosmic Universe this is cosmos what does it come from bit mind information what does that come from Pure consciousness so it from bit from chit is more or less what Krishna was telling Arjuna here but more on that on Sunday but let me read out what madhusudan Saraswati 600 years ago one of the greatest non-dualists said he says what Krishna means here is I'll read out to Sanskrit and translate for you very powerful concise philosophical and very elevating Sanskrit remember he's talking about Krishna he's talking about you he's talking about us our deepest reality Maya I am not in anything I'm not contained by anything nothing is contained in me and yet I am in all beings and all beings are in me this is my extraordinary Maya I'm not in anything yet I am in all in everything nothing is in me I am pure existence Consciousness please and yet everything is in me it's not difficult to understand it's not just being Zen or cool about it it's it's very very interesting easy to understand you just take um gold and ornaments the goal can say I am not in anything is gold contained in a necklace is there a you know or suppose it is a Golden Bowl so is the Golden Ball Bowl filled to the brim with gold no no it could be filled with milk and cookies or whatnot but gold is not in a bowl a made of gold so gold is not in something okay and uh is something in the gold when you look at the Golden Bowl in that gold is something there no it's is there a bowl inside the gold you should look at this part of the bowl there is a bowl it's the this part of the gold is the bowl in that gold no it's just good and yet can we not say in the bowl everywhere there is gold can we not say that uh in the bowl exists in Gold yes we can and look at this extraordinary magic just in front of our eyes this is exactly like that if you take myself me as existence everything in the universe I am not in anything nor is anything in me because I'm just existence I'm being and yet I am in everything otherwise they won't exist and everything is in me otherwise they won't exist then one more line happy foreign in this way in which way as God the creator of the universe as God the support of the Universe I am I am the one indivisible material of the universe and the creator of the universe just the idea of God yet ma my real nature what is my real nature which is my absolute nature what's what's that made up pure being pure Consciousness pure Bliss without the slightest um space for anything else see here when sadhu in the you'll understand this appreciated in Hindi said the universe and God where is the space foreign Universe he says [Music] he says this universe is packed tight with existence awareness Bliss as it is where is the tiniest place for a universe to exist so in that sense it is existence Consciousness place there is every bit of it is God and nothing else foreign then what is the universe it appears like a movie on the screen it appears like a dream in the dreamer's mind and just as a dream can't harm you a movie doesn't you know destroy the screen or burn up the screen or anything it's not a real appearance does not affect reality similarly existence Consciousness Bliss is not affected by samsara though samsara the universe universes appeared play around and disappear on uh on the screen of Brahman foreign so I do not exist you know in beings in reality nor do these beings exist in me in reality what exists I alone God alone you alone but not you the person you have to be careful it's absolute reality Beyond limitations of person okay that was powerful let me look at the comments quickly I'll try to answer them fast all right I'll try from the bottom upwards because the bottom comments are the most recent ones Bill the word in has two different meanings in this contrast one is made of another is held by true and both are wrong in this context is let me ask you is the pot made of gold you see of course and yet if you look closely of course not because if you say there is or it is the part made of clay so of course not because there's no part there's no second thing made of means a cause has produced an effect has clay produced a pot it hasn't that's the idea of causality that advaita vedant is pushing that it's a name and a form and a function imposed on Clay the clay hasn't changed into anything else so a clay hasn't been made a pot hasn't been made awfully because nothing has been made of anything clay still exists and um held by so is there a pot held by the clay not at all because there's no part at all that's the point he's making so in both cases both meanings of the word in apparently both meanings are valid and then both meanings are dispensed with they're negated Forex business Lisa says 1980 no Bitcoin yes um vishwanath says for Bitcoins everybody's against Bitcoin Swami is the third state same as absolutely absolutely this is uh manduka this is pure Mandu Cuban or karika gaurav the final conclusion of Adventures there is no cessation of the universe because there is no beginning of the universe there is nobody in bondage nobody practicing spiritual disciplines to get out of bondage there's nobody seeking Liberation and indeed there's nobody liberated what's this nonsense it's the ultimate truth 1400 years ago and it's yet it's perfect this is the way it has to be anything less than this will be imperfect um is existence a famous pure Consciousness yes pure being and pure Consciousness is the same this is the conclusion of advaita vedanta quickly how could you understand that normally doesn't seem to be so in our waking state I exist and I'm conscious but I can see so many things here the table and the chair and all they seem to exist without conscious it seem to one good way of understanding is the dream example in the dream you are conscious you're walking around in a dream and there seem to be many things tables and chairs which seem to be not conscious and not mental but when you wake up you realize everything there um conscious beings non-conscious beings all that made up your mind because your mind produced the dream similarly here also Consciousness and existence are the same how does existence appear as existing things big big question wait for Sunday eat from bit from chit this is the question Girish is asking it means existing things yeah and kit is existence itself how does that appear as existing things Brahman pervades all beings but doesn't dwell in them I don't get the distinction the distinction has to be made at two levels first level pervades all beings God is in all beings it's like saying Clay is in all parts but is that true isn't it better to say all the paths are in clay it's not that there is a path and in which place there is a discussion about this this is called here um shankaracharya talks about it are all beings like vessels in which God is contained is there a tiny God in every one of us not in that sense although the language is often used and meditation techniques are prescribed in that way it's helpful but no Clay is in all parts but really not in all parts the pots are in clay and then you go even further the pots are not in clay similarly all beings are in God it's not that God is in all beings Gall beings are in God and then all beings are not God Alone is so three stages first is Brahman pervades all beings Brahman is in all beings step one step two Brahma is not in all beings all beings are in Brahman step three all beings are not in Brahma David Bentley heart uh the Rick has mentioned his atheist delusions his very polemical book against the new atheists yes bill says saguna Brahman is also omnipotent and omnipresent not just yes so omnipotent omnipresent omniscient all these are qualities of saguna Brahman but you cannot say that they are qualities of nirguna Brahman because literally means without qualities so omnipresent everywhere so is everywhere no no no so there are particular places that Brahman is not there no there is no place space is an appearance in need gun Abraham it's not that Brahman is in space but when you once you accept space that means you have accepted this universe then Guna Brahman for you already has become saguna Brahman and saguna Brahman is present everywhere imminent in this universe similarly omnipotent all-powerful so you will say that Brahma is not all powerful is no there's no concept of strength or weakness see strength is itself the concept of strength is itself a weakness why do you need power only in an imperfect Universe where things have to be done you need power but there is nothing to be done it's perfect from that perspective no power is needed the very presence of power shows imperfection somebody is writing Namaste from Santa Barbara Convent bookstore so oh all right so it's got three hours behind so they might be there good that was great there are more messages at the bottom Amit sales with all this this reality does it still make sense to visit temples churches and participate in all prayers festivals uh help to share the details you know Sunday talks absolutely it does be very careful if you're asking this is the reason why this this is called the Royal secret and the Royal uh um knowledge because it can can be devastating that's why it's a secret it can destroy all religion it can destroy all faith and then it just it is not helpful in that case so everything let everything go on I like that Tibetan with this teaching which is very applicable in this case it is true that you and your Guru are one reality never fail to show respect to your Guru it is true that God exists with eyes closed and with eyes open never forget to meditate eyes closed uh it is true that God is in the cities and God is in the forest but never for never give up an opportunity to go into a retreat um similarly like multiple um you know warnings so does it make sense it makes sense and uh um and you don't have to take me at this at my word you just have to look at the behavior of enlightened beings who apparently never went to Temples he used to regularly go to the temple in the nearby town the only reason he stopped was I was reading that he started getting mobbed when he went to the temple and people worshiped at this this walking Shiva you know so he saw this is disrespect to the temple and the deity in the temple so he stopped going it's not that he was at all against it he would be overcome with bliss and joy when he went into for them it's a living reality Shiva says are you against Bitcoin I thought I was without knowing much now I'm a convert because the people who talk to me they are big supporters of Bitcoin they have sold me on bitcoin whatever it is I don't understand much of it at all right Clay is not the cause of the pot Clay is the real nature of the part exactly in the example Brahman is not ultimately the cause of the universe brahmana is the reality itself and you want that factor Mercy that's a very nice point to end on um [Music]