Video 52

52. Bhagavad Gita I Chapter 4 Verses 23-24 I Swami Sarvapriyananda

[Music] guru so we are studying the um [Music] so we are we are studying the fourth chapter of the bhagavad-gita and there we were on the 23rd verse 22nd has been done we'll do 23rd onwards the 24th verse which is coming is a very important verse this section itself is very important it brings together the teachings of on the atman that you are existence consciousness place and on how to live life an enlightened life in this world so it started this section started from the 18th verse very paradoxical language action and inaction uh expressing the core teaching of vedanta that you are that and then it proceeded to show how to live in this world based on that enlightenment and this section will come to an end with the 24th verse again a very important uh verse these two verses are like bookends one side is the 18th verse and the other side is the 24th verse and in between all these teachings are there 18th verse very important 24th verse very important we're going to come to that 23rd gatasangas [Music] verse he who is devoid of attachment free whose mind is established in knowledge and who does work as a sacrifice for the lord his entire action melts away what does that mean a mind which is enlightened literally it means the mind in which uh knowledge is there or knowledge is firmly established what knowledge knowledge that i am brahmana not that we have read about it it's absolutely an indubitable fact ever shining effortlessly i am not the body i am not this little personality the mind uh i am unlimited existence consciousness bliss and i'm shining through this body and mind this knowledge is there in this mind so that kind of mind because of that mukta mukta means jivan mukta enlightened free while living mind is still there the body is still there your life is still there but this enlightenment shines through that so this enlightened free while living this is called mukta and such a mukta mukta of this free person free while living complete detachment is there for everything that appears in this world just as the movie screen is not attached to any movie you can play a tragedy you can play a comedy you can play good movie bad movie whatever the movie screen is not attached to it does not stick to it because it's not real similarly in that consciousness entirety of life plays out and you are not attached to a person or a thing or a job or a position even for the most precious body and mind we are not attached they are appearances they they are not there they appear and then they disappear we are fine with it such a person does this person act in the world is this person involved in the world as we saw maybe or may not be it could be a monk who has absolutely pulled out of any kind of engagement with the world and remains absorbed in brahman that was one the other one which krishna prefers and is actually because he's teaching arjuna who is involved in the world can be a gyani who is a great a householder in the midst of the world um with spouse and children and and friends and and money and possessions and job and responsibilities all of that in the midst of all of that gatta sangha not attached how does this person act in the world especially the person who is engaged in the word such an enlightened being and yet still engage with the body and mind still engage in the world what is that attitude karma all work all activities are performed as if in a great yagya and that requires a little bit of explanation is a word which we are familiar with uh in from it comes from ancient hinduism which is still there in uh prevalent in hinduism it means the fire sacrifice yagya here refers to the vedic fire sacrifice that was the prototype of ritual what kind of ritual the primary kind of ritual in ancient hinduism was the fire sacrifice so there'll be an altar a fire is lit and offerings often this ghee is poured into it uh and with the accompaniment of the chanting of vedic hymns and the purpose was like all kinds of ritualistic religion mass religion the idea was whatever you want in life you are given that by the performance of these rituals and they were regarded as duties nithya karma as the mandatory duties of anybody following the vedic religion now what krishna is going to do so is krishna saying here that after an enlightenment you just sit in front of a fire with a fire pit and keep pouring ghee into it now what he's saying here is the kind of ritual that arjuna is familiar with so arjuna is familiar with for arjuna religion would mean that's the kind of religion that arjuna is familiar with now krishna is taking that prototype that model that paradigm and changing it completely says now imagine the higher religion spirituality as a ritual so the entirety of life the entire engagement with life family um community job everything becomes for this person it's not a ritual when you light a fire and sit in front of it and poor um oblations chant mantras that's the ritual itself now imagine the entirety of life itself as this so that's what's going to happen this person now sees the whole life as an appearance the reality is brahman which he or she is and now in that brahman this entire life appears how do you how do you relate to it as a yagya as you know like a ritual you are performing it so it is so life uh itself becomes life itself becomes a spiritual practice then not a practice to get anything as an expression of one's enlightenment karma engaged in life in this way doing karma in this way one is not bound by the effects of karma our bondage one way of understanding bondage in samsara is we do karma with some desire and we get the results of that and that propagates it becomes a wheel desire is there we do karma with desire then we get the results if we do karma according to dharma to morality then the results will be good and we have some pleasant experiences if we act immoral immoral way prompted by fear or selfishness or desire then the result will be pop or or be merit and there will be unpleasant experiences but in either case dharma dharma papa or punya we're still in samsara it will keep on going either a better kind of samsara or a worse kind of samsara this person is not trapped here itself in this life karma comes to an end so now he will conclude this this section with the famous verse 24th verse this is one of the most well-known verses special especially i think because it is chanted before food so this verse is immediately followed by food so you are warned after this you might feel hungry in many ashrams some homes also they chant this 24th verse fourth chapter but a very very important person one of my favorite persons not just because it's followed by food but also because of its philosophical significance 24th verse brahmarapanam is brahman the oblation is brahman it is offered by brahman in the fire which is brahman brahman alone he attains who sees brahman in action all right we need to dwell on this what i'll do is i'll explain the general philosophical background of the verse and um then get into a little technical discussion of how this meaning emerges from this verse it's a little technical the philosophy is involved here and then um i will also i will not forget that it's related to food so i will connect it later on to food also later on all right first what is this verse and why is it so important here krishna unique vocally talks about the highest advaita the ultimate teachings of advaita that everything is brahman including all beings living non-living all actions every experience is nothing other than brahman so the highest non-dual uh teaching non-duality not only in samadhi but in actual day-to-day experience of life when you're walking talking eating working thinking doing religious activities and secular activities everywhere non-duality is there how in the midst of so much duality so much plurality actually non-duality is maintained intact how so in the second chapter the essential teaching about advaitha velanta about vedanta was given the teaching about atman that that is the first step the first step is to see that to challenge the idea that we are this body and mind to challenge the idea that i am only this person server priyanando i am this man or woman no you are not the body not the mind body and mind are there but you are not that you are not limited to that you are the atman what is the art one body i understand flesh and bone here mind i understand thoughts feelings likes dislikes memories personality that's the mind what is utman if it's not body mind then what is it it's awareness it's consciousness chaitanya it's that let's call it business awareness existence and awareness same thing that existence awareness how do i know that for that we have studied we have been studying vedanta for quite some time so we know various processes are there there is the drig drishya viveka the analysis of seer and the scene there is the panchakosha viveka the analysis of the five layers of the human personality there is the avastat the analysis of the three states of experience waking dreaming and deep sleep all of them they take you to the same conclusion not body not mind beyond body and mind right here within the body and mind pervading it but something apart from them separate from them body is changing continuously mind is changing continuously but i the awareness and not changing all changes are in body and mind birth childhood middle age old age death body disease body happiness desire lack of fulfillment mind misery mind frustration mind not me i am the experiencer of all of that i am the knower of all of that i am the illumina revealer of all of those things but i am apart from it consciousness does not have old age consciousness is not fat or thin consciousness is not sick does not get covered consciousness it does not get frustrated consciousness needs nothing consciousness never is limited that it needs something else to become fulfilled no unlimited ever fulfilled never changing this awareness we were led to appreciate this second chapter you are the atman you cannot be killed by the sword you cannot be drowned by water you cannot be dried up by wind so and so forth you can't be burned by fire so and so forth krishna said that so this is the first step to realize that your consciousness immediately a thought comes to us all right i am consciousness but here are so many people so are there many consciousnesses just like in this body and mind i understand that i am a consciousness not uh as a part of the body and mind but shining through this body and mind pervading it enabling it to function when the body and mind are there i enable this body and mind to function just like electricity in um you know in in lights and fans and computers but when the body is dies i'm i'm not dead i still exist except that i cannot function i can't talk and walk and you know eat if the body is not there i cannot think or imagine or remember that the mind is not working but i am still there so that uh immortal consciousness i am correct but so many bodies so are there separate consciousnesses and we have gone through this a number of times we take it as a second big step first step i am not the body mind and consciousness very important step but that's not uh advaita that's just the beginning of advaitha still multiplicity is there i am consciousness but other than consciousness there are so many things what things mind in senses body universe billions of entities apart from consciousness so it's not non-dualism the multiplicity is there now the second stage will come when second step we take when we ask the question how many consciousnesses so am i one consciousness and father mother husband son and daughter are they separate consciousnesses seems to be so advaita vedanta makes the startling claim these are stunning claims that you are not the body and mind first second big claim you are one consciousness not many consciousnesses and you have gone through the arguments many times what are the arguments advaita vedanta reverses this question why do you think there are many consciousnesses see why do you think there are many bodies look at swami look at the pictures there's so many separate bodies you count them why do you think they're separate minds everybody has different thoughts opinions feelings you ask them you will get different answers so clearly bodies and minds are different no doubt about it why is consciousness different so here there's an argument with sankhya philosophy which holds that consciousnesses are different and all their arguments fall flat we will not go into that ultimately advaita vedanta says you cannot show by any means that consciousness is differentiated in beings though it seems to be different but there is no logical reason to suppose that it's different every logical reason you give to differentiate between consciousnesses in everybody's separate consciousness it falls flat so there is one consciousness in all bodies thirteen chapters krishna says you do you feel consciousness that you are conscious conscious in that body arjuna will say yes like that there is consciousness in every body and mind yes and that one consciousness shining through every body and mind i am krishna says i am the consciousness shining through everybody and mine which by the way he saying they're tattooing because he's saying i i krishna brahman i am the consciousness in all bodies and minds and you are the consciousness so you and i are the one thing at the same consciousness anyway advaita vedanta says one atma sankhya says many consciousnesses many purusas advaita vedantas is one purusa one atma one brahman one consciousness in every body and mind just as by the way the biggest objection we have to this you know what the objection is i know what is in the mind uh it it is interesting you must confront this objection the objection to one consciousness in all bodies and minds is this tell me if i'm right or wrong we feel inside as i know the happenings of this mind and body if i am the consciousness in all of those minds and bodies then i should know everything but i know only this body and mind i have got only one perspective through this body and mind i am seeing through these eyes i am smelling and tasting to these this nose and these this tongue i'm touching to these hands i'm thinking with this mind i know the thoughts and personality of this person but not all of you so if i have one consciousness in all i should know everything right i should it should be revealed to me isn't this the doubt what do you think no you don't have the doubt then you are extraordinary many yeah many of you are nodding so this doubt is there he's saying it's one consciousness and maybe logically i cannot logically i cannot argue with but does not feel like that does not feel that i am a consciousness in all bodies you know why it's like this suppose you are looking in a barber shop many mirrors are there haircut so many many mirrors are there in each mirror is your reflection of your face and if you say to one of the reflections you alone are in all mirrors the reflections will say that no i am only in this mirror and that reflection is in that mirror and that reflection is in that mirror but i am not in all mirrors true the reflection belongs to the mirror each reflection is unique to the mirror you are the one reflected in all mirrors that's correct now the one which says i know the contents of this mind and body i am aware of this point and body is the reflected consciousness is not you the pure consciousness that's what's happening that is a crucial point we try to distinguish it may be difficult that is that is one of the the places where you can if you make a breakthrough it is it leads to the first step the enlightenment i am not body and mind that will become clear right now the one which objects i know this mind i know this person it's the reflected consciousness in this mind it is the reflect reflected face in one mirror clearly the reflected face is not same in all mirrors that's absolutely true but you the original face you are the prototype for all reflections clearly if you can make that jump from that reflected consciousness to you the real consciousness then the work is done what work is done step one is accomplished one step one is accomplished step two will come very easily that i am in all minds and bodies so after accomplishing step one someone may ask will i be able to know uh the contents of the minds of everybody again you're speaking like a reflected consciousness all right so the second big step is atma is one one consciousness in all bodies and minds now even now it's not because bodies and minds are different consciousness is one but bodies and minds and the world in external world is different there are many many bodies and many many minds and many many non-living things in the world the last step which is accomplished here in this uh brahmatranam ramahavi is this that this world which appears to that one consciousness external universe from quasars to quarks uh bodies uh men and women and children and plants and animals and kovid and everything from elephants to virus all these bodies they and minds thoughts feelings personalities all subtle subtle is mind mind level and growth physical is the level of the body and the universe all of them are appearances in consciousness are not apart from that one consciousness entire jagat world pra pancha the universe is an appearance in consciousness in you the atman and not accountably separate it's like all the ornaments are in gold only it's a strange way of speaking we say gold is in ornaments clay is in the parts but that's not really true it's rather that the ornaments are in gold they are names and forms given to gold pot jar names and forms given to clay becomes even more clear when you think about water the waves are in water it's not that the water is in the ways so all this external universe is an appearance in consciousness not separate from consciousness has no existence apart from consciousness this appearance nature of the universe it shows that the universe is nothing but this consciousness this one consciousness which is the ground the adhishtanam rather the basis of this entire universe this is called brahman brahman literally means the vast the infinite what is it it is existence what is it it is awareness and infinite existence awareness that infinity of existence and awareness itself is called ananda bliss and that thou art you are that this is the third step usually i speak about it in two steps you realize you're the atman apart from body and mind and then second step atman is the only reality it's brahman but it's easier to take it in three steps you are not the body and mind you are the atman step one this was taught in second chapter we immortal the unchanging atmosphere ever referral jantatman beyond suffering and sorrow then next you are the atman in all beings one consciousness in all beings a come that also was taught in the second chapter that we start then that atman alone is real everything else which you are seeing is not separate outside the atman it is in the atman and nothing but the atman the entire universe is an appearance in you the atman just like movies are an appearance in the screen they are nothing apart from the screen screen itself appears in the form of the movies just like dreams are appearances in the mind they have no existence apart from the mind so this entire universe has no existence apart from the consciousness remember i am not saying just like the dream whatever is was in the dream as nothing other than mind in the same way whatever is in the waking universe is nothing other than your mind i'm not saying that that's an entirely different philosophy that's called subjective idealism uh in the buddhist viganova philosophy is that the object is not different from the cognition or in western philosophy bishop barkley um and the subjective idealists so that is different that's not advaith in fact shankaracharya painstakingly refutes that this world is not a creation of your individual mind advaitha never says that but world body and mind they are all appearances in the consciousness which you are there's a very big difference because mind and consciousness are not the same thing dream is a creator individual dream is a creation of your mind which we know individual dreams are the creation of our individual minds but the world is not a creation of our individual mind the world is an appearance in consciousness don't ask individual consciousness or no no no there's no individual consciousness consciousness alone is the reality this is third step in third step alone non-duality is achieved advaita because there is nothing apart from this brahman whatever is experienced in the world is an appearance in brahman and not apart from brahman though it seems to be apart from brahman we seem to have no experience of the so-called brahman and all that we see is the world and here advaita says the opposite whatever you see is an appearance and the reality is brahman itself is appearing in all these forms just like a rope is appearing as a snake now additionally one more thing has been implied here the word of karma brahma karma samadhi is important so all activities are also brahman this is important because we are talking about how to bring this spirituality this realization of non-duality into our day-to-day lives so everything that we experience in day-to-day life karma means every transaction in this world is brahman walking talking eating working loving hating whatever is done in this world is actually brahman appears to be these things that is the message of this 24th verse this verse is now one may just ask here that um wait a minute something so abstract as consciousness how can it appear as a solid world rocks and trees so bill conrad often says he quotes when samuel johnson when he was told about bishop berkeley's philosophy that everything is the product of the mind is a projection of the mind mind alone is the reality so samuel johnson apparently he said i refuted thus and he kicked the rock and kicked her off he by kicking it he says i refuted see a solid rock and kicking it how can it be the mind of course that's not a correct refutation you can kick a rock in your dream and the drug would be a product of your mind but but consciousness how can consciousness become a rock or a tree or something very good example is the dream example you see people and rivers and sky and plants and rocks hard substance soft substances everything is there in the dream when you wake up all of it is nothing but the mind correct all of it's nothing but the mind mind alone is appearing in all these ways mind can appear exactly like that in consciousness consciousness alone is appearing you know as as the physical universe no matter how hard or solid as a mental universe no matter how diverse all of it is none other than consciousness you may say there ah but in dreams the mind does not become you know rocks or trees or people it's just imagination exactly that's what advaita vedanta is saying not that consciousness has become a universe it appears as this universe there is no real universe apart from consciousness not that a real universe emerged from consciousness and is not standing apart from it no it is still only consciousness now this verse is directed towards arjuna who is so this is meant for an enlightened person who is engaged in the world that's why the verse has been put in such a way so an enlightened person who is going to office and who is going to maybe school taking care of a family and many responsibilities so how does that happen that's also mentioned in this verse this verse says that all the actions are also brahmana everything involved in the action see for example the action which has been described there is a yakya they have to imagine a vedic time fire sacrifice so there would be a fire which is lit there would be a ladle a wooden spoon big wooden spoon that is called akpana by which the hobby the the ghee or the oblations the offerings would be taken and offered into the fire by whom by the priest and they would chant mantras so exactly like that so and it says that the wooden spoon the ghee which is offered the fire itself the one who is offering it all of them are nothing but brahman similarly every action that we do and all the factors of that action and the results of that action in sanskrit kriya karaka kriya karakophalam we are means action suppose you're driving then what is the korea driving what is the karaka all the factors associated with the driving what are the factors the car and the gps and the fuel and the road and the person driving all of them are factors involved in the action of driving and the result you get to a destination kriya kara kapalam everything involved in action the action itself all the factors involved in the instruments the place and everything and finally the result of that action all of them are nothing but brahman that's what is being said in the midst of all activity not in samadhi not in nirvikalpa samadhi but in the midst of all activity which seems to be so dualistic i am different the car is different the road is different my destination is different that's why i'm driving your car to my destination in the midst of all this dualistic activity um action as a beginning a middle and an end in the midst of all this dualistic activity the enlightened one sees one brahman only just as you would see one screen or at least notice or understand it's one screen only in which the entire movie is being played out lot of activity going on in the movie the movie lot of action maybe the cops are chasing the rubbers lot of action shooting going on car chase but if you go and touch the screen nothing is going on there you know you don't have to touch the screen you know that nothing is going on so in fact the screen should not do anything the screen also gets excited and starts chasing the robbers then the movie will be spiked screen should stay still so that the movie can split can play skeet screen should not take part in the movie similarly consciousness brahman which is existence consciousness that is the ground of all experience it makes all experience possible that's the attitude of the gyani enlightened one who is in um in the world engaged in the world agrihasta does not have to withdraw from the world in the midst of all worldly activities brahmadrishti nondual vision in the midst of dualistic activities the person sees everything is brahman brahma i am jagat all the entire universe appears as brahma is brahman is known to that person therefore good and bad also in the movie hall comedy and tragedy in one sense they are the same to you because they are you know they are movies the only reality there is the screen and the sound and light satchitanas is the only reality and here good and bad are movies tragedy is also a movie comedy is also a movie the uniting factor there that they are not real that's the saving grace so the gyani enlightened one who can be engaged in action in the office or like arjuna in the battlefield has to have this vision of brahman in every activity why would this person act look at the difference between this gyani and the aggyani the enlightened one and the only enlightened one the unenlightened one engages in action whether religious action or secular action can do a ritual like a vedic fire um or a puja religious action or secular action can go to the office and work in a job in all of that the only enlightened person has certain objective to attain what is the objective i must earn money i must get my salary i must get a promotion i must buy black friday i need money for buying things on black friday everybody knows today's black friday they have to buy things so this is an objective why in that case i will be happy if i do not buy i'll be unhappy guaranteed in both cases you'll be unhappy but anyway that's the samsara so this is the objective of the unenlightened person in puja in rituals also the unenlightened person why do they do it it could be that i want something let my child do well in examinations let me go to heaven after death or even if i do not audit that the disease be cured even if i do not have any specific desire let all things be all right with my samsara things go well nothing wrong in all of this this is the this is the characteristic of a religious dharmica person a religious person a moral person ethical person absolutely all right but unenlightened does not realize the reality it still thinks i am this body and mind the enlightened person does the same activity but not for the desire for any kind of fulfillment because fulfillment is already there i am the infinite brahmana what do i need so why does this person do activities loka sangraham for the welfare of others maybe just to set an example or maybe just this body and mind is supposed to do this work this is the dharma that it do or it could be like some great action like vivekananda is engaged in you know taking care of so many people establishing schools hospitals welfare of the world so the not for one's own sake there's nothing to be gained for that enlightened person what does the infinite what does brahman have to gain what does the screen have to gain from the movie nothing it just gives the joy to everybody by playing the movie similarly the gyani enlightened person engages in all activities whatever is necessary while maintaining brahmadrishti equal non-dual vision at all moments effortlessly not that he's trying to think i must think it is all brahman i must think an unenlightened enlightened person effortlessly it is it knows do you have to maintain while watching a movie do you have to keep reminding yourself it's a movie it's a movie it's a screen it's a screen it's a movie it's a screen you spoil the experience of the movie you keep doing that enjoy the movie you know that it's just nothing can go wrong there it's just a movie so you can enjoy it the enlightened person also effortlessly realizes i am brahmana all of this is brahman i and this are one and same reality no problem at all this is the sub my substance of the message of this verse now what has happened here is um by the knowledge of brahman by realizing this the world has been falsified and chagat with kyoto you see world is an appearance like a movie like a dream included in this world is karma all activities so all activities are also appearances like a movie all activities are done like the screen is doing nothing but tremendous activity can go on in a movie similarly i brahman do nothing but tremendous activity can go on in my life if necessary not that you have to be a workaholic brahman has to be a workaholic not necessary can remain immersed in peaceful meditation also so all activities are fully compatible with complete non-activity how this is where that insight comes from the 18th verse seeing in action in the midst of all activity karmani karma yakashita at the body-mind level at the movie level lot of activity is possible but at the screen at the screen level no activity is going on at the level of brahman atman i do not do anything the real eye otherwise a lot of activities going on at the body mind level which is not real for me this seeing the unreality of of activity of action of karma seeing the unreality of karma through the realization of brahman brahma gyanera karma mithyaptvarishti by realizing that i am brahman you see the falsity of karma this is called karma sannyasa this is called karma sannyasa i'll repeat karma sannyasa renunciation of action is seeing the falsity of karma which is consequent upon realizing i am brahmana which is consequent upon realizing jagat mitt yatra falsity of the word pulsation of the world means pulsating of karma falsity of world how does it come by realizing i am brahman brahma implies includes karma that karma with its falsity the falsity of karma is what is meant by karma sannyasa how is that accomplished by ghana by knowledge what am i trying to say here if you notice the name given to this chapter by shankaracharya gana karma sannyasa yoga you see the name given to this this chapter is chapter four is this is what this chapter is known as how does this name come by knowledge what knowledge ahamram has me and what is that kind of what is that brahman brahma pranam ramahabi and so on everything is from everything is not brahman alone is by that knowledge what happens world is falsified world becomes an appearance karma is falsified and that karma falsification of karma alone is understood as karma-sanyasa not the actual giving up of karma not the actual giving up of karma so does an enlightened person give up karma or not may if he's a monk may not could be someone like krishna or like even a monk like shankaracharya like vivekananda may be engaged in tremendous activity it is in this sense it's a very profound statement yoga yoga the spiritual knowledge spiritual practice of knowledge which results in the enlightenment which results in the falsity of the world which results in the falsity of karma which is equivalent to giving up karma while actually doing karma with body and mind if you look at this verse it is nothing other than brahma satyam jagat mithya jivabram think about it everything is brahman brahma the world is an appearance who are you you are thou you are brahman which is beyond all action while performing all action you are still beyond action jiva brahman opera that central teaching of advaita ram vedanta brahman alone is real the world is an appearance you are none other than brahman this itself is the meaning of brahma panam ramgabhi very profound verse one more point i'm just reminded that wonderful exchange between swami vivekananda and and mary yes bill has got it right bill yeah bill hale mary hale yes so she wrote to vivekananda they're saying in this points in virgo and this poem sits there saying that what you are saying that uh i understood that you have said all is god and that's the meaning of are you not saying everything is brahman and vivekande said not at all i never meant that see it is very important to understand brahmarapanam vivekananda says i never said all this god such queer teachings strange teaching how strange this is what you're teaching that all is god guitar itself says that no i said god only is nothing else is means brahman alone is the ladle is not the fire is not the ghee which is offered is not the priest is not it is brahman alone the action of the puja the yagya that is not it is not that in the movie there is actually a cop a cop a car of the cop and the getaway car of the robber and the bank robbers are running away with cash and these are actually they are chasing and this is shooting none of it is actual only actuality there is the screen not that there are real robbers and cops there but it appears in that way they are not in the same level this is where the two level of truth the viva hadika and param article absolute level paramatica brahman only webarika level all activities are going on no problem level the level of the dream the level of the movie all right so this is the basic basic idea now i promised a little technical note here see it goes like this um look at the words how do you interpret the words here is something called bad very big and fancy word but it's important to understand very profound concept you have to get a little bit of grammar in here what he said is a sentence may be vedic what does it mean sentence has many words now the question is do those words refer to different subjects different entities or do all the words many words but they refer to the same entity how does this matter the dualist will say that look sentences refer have many words everybody has to admit that yes so and the words they are different different words refer to different entities if you say yes then the dualist will say our case is proof there are multiple entities language itself says there are multiple entities where is your one non-dual brahman multiple words each word refers to multiple different entities the different words are referring to different entities that means there are many entities there is non-duality simple i mean a very simple kind of argument this is called vyadhikara vedhikarna means different words referring different words are referring to different entities words refer to entities so there is a let me use the glasses to read a book so i am using glasses to read a book i refers to me sarva-priyananda glasses refers to this book refers to this three three words three entities therefore a reading one more action four words referring to four entities where is non-duality then non-relative means that there's only one entity so language itself proves that nonduality is not possible and the non-duality non-dual teacher comes in and says advaitan say wait a minute there are sentences in which there are many words but they all refer to one entity such sentences are called samana karanam samana means same adi karna means the ground or basis the basis that means the words are the basis for referring to same entity how many of our pranam mantras vishwam vishnu vashad kaara bhuta bhabhiya bhavat prabhu thousand names of vishnu vishwam vishnu vashitka how many entities do they refer to one entity vision only are they different names yes different names pranam mantra in the bhagavad-gita so many words they all refer to krishna so this these such entity such sentences are called samana many words referring to one entity so it is possible for sentences to refer to one entity saman adhikarana sentences now our contention is non-dualist contention is when you say brahmarpanam urbana means ladle now you know what what what why are you suddenly talking about a ladle or a spoon it's the vedic ritual in which the wooden spoon was used to offer ghee so brahmarpanam two words are there brahma and arpanam what is the relationship are they two different things brahman is the creator of the little who will say that dualist the ladle is a part of brahman who will say that vishishta dwight a qualified modest what do we say there is no relationship between the two words they are one and the same thing they refer to one and the same thing brahman only brahma arpana brahma refers to brahman upon reference to brahman how how is that possible so far you're clear there's a sentence there's a type of sentence called samana recon where all the words refer to one entity and we are trying to prove when you say brahmarpanam it means one entity brahman how how is this possible there are four types of saman of the current there are many types actually 16 types are there but we'll take four types four types of samana the karna this many words referring to one entity four types can be possible one is ikea samana karna one is um means identity samana economy then there is the the second one adjectival one is identity second is adjectival third is upasana karanam third one is for meditation identity then adjectival then for meditation then for correction or negation which one we are aiming for the fourth one what are these four very simple actually i'll give you the examples you will immediately understand the first one identity when two words are used but they mean the same thing so we will see this in that omasi when we read about of that word classic example is this is that devadatta that they were whom i saw in mumbai whom i saw 20 years ago now i see that there was a thing in manhattan today in 2020. so that they were young is now old that there was a lot of hair is now bald so many differences but this and that they refer to the same person this is called one they are one that is devadatta this is also devadatta the same they are not two developers so is isn't this brahmar param like that not at all brahman is not a wooden spoon wooden spoon is brahman no brahman is not a wooden spoon you are not one in the same thing all right second one adjectival what is adjectival classic example is nilot blue flower or red flower or you can say orange shirt orange shirt orange and shirt or red and flower they refer to the same entity flower is it refers to the flower and the orange refers to that orange flower only so that flower itself it's the color of that flower so it is it is an adjective a property of that flower orange no it need not be color only tall man fast runner big house big tall fast color these are all properties and they belong to that object orange shirt orange is a property belongs to this shirt so brahmarpanam is it adjectival um remember how is this one then you say how can orange and the shirt be one how can big and house be one what it means is they both refer to the same entity one is the property one is the entity itself subject the the object itself so shirt and orange they both refer to this in that sense they are one because the orange cannot hang in the air without the shirt so they are referring to one entity so they are one in that sense is it like that is brahmar param wooden ladle a property of brahman not at all brahman has nothing to do with the wooden ladle brahma hobby is ghee a property of brahman not not at all so it cannot be adjectival identity adjectival samadhikarnam the third one upasana this shiva linga is shiva meditate on shiva linga as shiva you go there and imagine the shiva link and meditate and worship it as shiva it's a stone symbol it's a stone symbol but you are for the purpose of a spiritual practice you are meditating on it as shiva you are identifying it in your mind this is shiva are you being asked to do that meditate on the ladle as brahman this ladle is brahman just think about it like that some people may think that's what we are being asked to do not at all not at all the third one is what we are trying to do third one is like snake and rope what you think is the snake is actually rope what are we doing correct the error it is not a snake it's a rope and shankaracharya says when brahmapanam brahman is the wooden little it is not a wooden ladle it is not urpanam it is brahman it is not a snake it is brahman it is not a snake it is a rope similarly it is not a wooden ladle it is brahman brahma it is not ghee it is brahman brahma no it is not fire it is brahman how are you getting this meaning by correcting the error snake and rope are the same thing what does it mean does it mean that there's a snake and rope they're one and the same like devadatta no does it mean that the snake is a property of the rope no does it mean that you have to meditate on the rope as a snake no it what it means is it's not a snake it's a rope when you say arpada brahmarpana it's not an arpana it's brahman up it can for every activity so the fire it's not fire and not a snake rope it's not fire it is brahman brahma hobby brahman it's not a ghee not a snake it's a rope it's not ghee it is brahman similarly it is not a priest but it is brahman so it's a correction like not a snake it is a rope that is what is being told to us snake is an appearance rope is the reality wooden ladle is the appearance name form function but the reality is brahman existence awareness ghee is the appearance name form function but the reality is brahman existence awareness fire is the appearance name form function it's called fire looks like fire functions like fire but it's what is it made of it is uh existence awareness brahman brahman is the reality it's not fire it's brahman this is the in form of enlightenment through bada badasama nadikaranyam we are able to decode see it's cool it's cool to say everything is god how is everything god when you are working on a computer doing your your assignment or your your dead meeting a deadline so if you say computer you are is and the the deadline is brahman and your boss is brahman very difficult boss is brahman and the work that you are doing is brahman and the result of all of that is also brahman whether you get a scolding or you get a promotion brahman how the only way it is not a snake it's a rope it's not a computer it's business awareness it's not a boss it is brahman so bos already thinks that he's brahman but that's different but it's brahman it is not the activity of typing it is brahmana swami vivekananda's instruction to mary hale that no i never said all is god i said god only is all is not that is badass what did mary hill think all this god there is all there is god and they're one and the same thing or she thought upasana you are you are supposed to meditate try to feel all these things are god that is the seven of the name of upass and the third type no swamiji is denying all of that actually it is this shiva gyane jivaseva the motto of the ramakrishna order from the advertising perspective will give a different perspective if you began a vedanta perspective but i'm just saying from shankara's perspective shiva gana jivaseva jiva is not shiva alone is that is the nature of the gyana then the seva that karma it becomes nothing other than shiva karma is not jiva is not shiva alone is that is the meaning badass [Music] technically now one more point and then i'll take a few questions i i remember i mentioned food so food has to be related how is it related to food here i am taking this from swami ram sugdasti in hindi she's made six points how do you practice it while eating it's become a practice remember when it says brahma karma samadhi the one who sees brahman in all activities activities are not brahman alone is that's the knowledge such a person in all activities not just eating so it's in all activities eating is a good good prototype but it should it should go driving and working and talking and reading all of those active activities you can do this brahmapanam brahmavi but specifically for eating six points as mentioned will quickly go through it that by which you offer that hand or that spoon or fork which you are offering food into your mouth that hand of the fork or spoon that is brahmana in india people eat with their hands so the hand is brahma by which you are offering like the wooden ladle with which you are offering fire into the fire that hand with which you are offering food into the mouth that hand is brahmana and the beauty of ram suggestions has given references from other parts of gita where krishna is actually saying those things gita 13.13 you can write down those who are taking down notes 13.13 thirteenth verse thirteenth chapter sarvat of panipatha everywhere are the hands and feet of that lord that lord the hands are which hands are we seeing hands everywhere like some spell hollywood special effect no our hands our hands the same consciousness acting through all these hands everywhere is the hand is my hand in the hand of the lord um i'm reminded of maradona passed away the hand of god those who know football history all right second what you're eating that is brahman the rice and the dal and the bread and the what you're drinking all of that is brahman that is like the oblation being offered into the fire the food that you are offering inside that is brahman again he gives a reference gita chapter 9 16th verse 9.16 i alone am the offering krishna krishna says sixteenth verse of ninth chapter ahmedabad jim i alone am the offering god is offering offering you to what food we are putting in the mouth third point the one who is eating is also brahmana so gita 15th chapter seventh verse 15.7 mamma evangel okay an aspect of mine has become a jiva so the eater is also i am i the eater i'm brahmana then the fire agni the fire is brahmana so the fire in the stomach the fire of hunger fire of hunger is brahman krishna actually says that in um 15th chapter 14th verse 15.14 the fire of hunger in the the digestive fire in the stomachs of all living beings i am i god i am brahmana i am that then number five the activity of eating that means offering the food to the fire of hunger like you offered the ritualistic offerings into the fire in yakya that is also brahman the whole whole activity of eating is brahman how in chapter 9 16th verse 9.16 aham i am the sacrificial offering i am the activity of you know havana and those who do the brahmatis those who see eating in this way remember we are specifically thinking of how to apply to eating those who consider eating those who are mindful of eating in this way they attain to brahman the one who sees this nondual brahmana in all dualistic apparently dualistic activities attains branham in eating how in gita chapter 4 31st verse 4.31 krishna says those who eat the prasada they attain to me very beautiful statement those who eat the offerings after an ayaka basically the practice is whatever we eat whenever we eat anything whatever we eat mentally offer it to god and take it as prasada when we offer food to god ritualistically and take get prasad from it let every action of eating whatever we eat even snacks you are taking a cup of coffee mentally offer it to god and then then take then take it and he says the one who eats prasad only prasad yanti brahmathanam remember this is a very beautiful practice to be done by eating but remember this is not only for eating it is for all activities the it is not a little it is the non-dual brahman it is not the offerings it is non-dual brahman it's not a fire it is the non-dual brahman it's not the one who is the priest who is doing the activities but it is the non-dual brahman the whole activity is itself brahman the one who in the midst of all active swami vivekananda said intense activity in the midst of uh intense activity there is eternal calm in the midst of all dualistic action appearing your samsaric life is going up you see nondual brahman that one attains to brahma attains to brahman already has realized me okay that was wonderful now let me see the activity in the chat so brahman in the chat the barbershop example and yes um i have seen this in one of the commentaries of ananda giri more than a thousand years ago he gives the example of many mirrors rick says that's like saying one light bulb in the house should know what's going on in all the electrical correct uh bill that it is all reflected in consciousness not prove that there is no existence apart from consciousness right so this is the big thing our ordinary um understanding is that things exist apart from myself they exist and then i come to know them i know them and i do not know them when i know them they also exist in a certain sense in my mind but externally apart from my mind they exist so this is the uh i this is this is why it's difficult to identify existence and consciousness then you have to think about the dream example notice in the dream example i'm going about and looking at people in the park and there is a lake and the sky and the tree and i'm thinking what a beautiful what a beautiful of all colors now notice what is happening there is it feels like there is a p there is something outside fall colors and tree and people and lake that's outside i'm thinking it's beautiful it's inside inside my mind but if it's a dream and i wake up i realize all that seemed outside and all that seemed inside they were all products of one mind only and that that which seemed outside and seemed to exist apart from me they do not exist apart from me apart from me the dreamer's mind okay this dream example should be clear now the objection will be yeah that's true in a dream but how do we know that's true in the waking that's obviously what separates dream from waking see what is true of mind and dream is true of consciousness and its objects i've given you the sutra think well upon it that which is true of mind and dream advaita insists that is true of awareness and its objects objects of awareness have no existence apart from that awareness this is the whole trust and it's not in the common sense thing not at all it's dramatically against common sense that was the whole trust of the mandukya the whole manduka was an effort to prove that to us i've given you the examples of so the this is bill conrad's old uh uh question somebody told me swami you can't solve it so fast here i had this question before you were born so his question is that how do you say everything is in your mind how do you say everything is in consciousness for he's not distinguishing between mind and consciousness suppose we say swami we put a camera in this room and record it and we go out of this room we are not in this room when we come back and we look at the film in the camera the room will be there everything will be there we are not there so that proves that the room exists where the experiment proves that the room exists apart from my thing it will not that will not be true of a dream when you wake up from the dream everything is gone but here when we left the room we were not imagining the room thinking about the room the room still exists your film shows it so my answer to it was in your consciousness you devised this experiment in your consciousness or awareness you put up the camera in this room in your awareness we all left the room in your awareness we have all come back into the room in your awareness you are checking the camera and getting the proof of independent existence apart from awareness it's still in your awareness it's not it's a very simple truth but when you are not obvious that awareness and existence are the same thing what is the difference between ishvara and brahman vedansa class you are not attending vedansara class we that's what we were discussing in vedanta right um plus my uh limited through my ishwara we are discussing that precise definitions are there rama is asking swamiji it's also isn't the knowing and contents of knowledge that are in the mind the reflected consciousness only enables the knowing yes though we are the pure consciousness and since the knowing happens through the mind minds being different in different individuals only the contents of the absolutely it's right that's right yes what is the difference between mind and reflected consciousness it's exact the difference between reflected face and mirror you've seen rishi viveka this was clearly discussed consciousness appearing in the briti is reflected consciousness what is the difference between reflected face and mirror notice one thing about a reflected face and mirror they go together whenever there is a mirror there will be a reflection of your face and you cannot separate the reflection from the mirror it belongs to the mirror but it also belongs to you in the sense that it's your reflection so consciousness appears in the mind is it is it the real consciousness is it ultimate reality no it is a property of the mind it is still something at the level of the mind that's why it comes and grows [Music] itself it is the mind itself not apart from the mind no it's not apart from the mind the mind of it because of its nature of sattva has the peculiar capacity of call it channelizing or reflecting or using consciousness so how is that possible if you ask if mind and consciousness are entirely different how is mind interacting because the whole question which fox descartes this was very certainly discussed in vedanta even in with buddhism also vedanta has no problem with that see ultimately mind is also not separate from consciousness isn't it mind body entire universe what did we just learn brahma pranam ramahavi they are all appearances in consciousness so it's not that two entities are interacting then you have to explain how consciousness is interacting with mind that might be a questioning first step or even in the second step which we did third step this problem is resolved because the mind body everything is an appearance in consciousness then karma sandhya said giving up karma fella ah careful karma sannyasi equals giving up karma karmas and yes means renunciation of action here is the is the meaning is giving up the results of the action selfish results of the action when we start actions with trying to get individual fulfillment that is a sign of an unenlightened mind those results are given up because we don't want it anymore but if the action is done for the welfare of others that's the whole purpose nothing else yes so it equals giving up the results of the action you mentioned krishnamurti okay he sayings shaker you mentioned a few weeks ago that this verse can be interpreted as non-bhaktive to perform karma yoga yes so this today is what i explained how non-bhaktive i am the one consciousness in which the body-mind or appearance is an acting there is no question of any bhakti involved here the bhakti way would be god is in everything and i am serving god by my actions i am converting my actions into puja into yagya that would be the bhaktive but this is not the bhaktivi this is the highest advaita and it shows how action at the level of body and mind action at the level of the movie is not opposed to non-action at the level of the screen in fact it is the non-activity of the screen which makes the activity in the movie possible it is the absolute nature of brahman which makes the relative world possible ultimately all our appearances [Music] ultimately appearances or appearances brahman of course is not an appearance and so brahman is not an is the reality show bhaji says it makes sense now about the concept that there's only walking eating working but there's no walker um there's only witnessing of the world and witnessing of the world and all the activities in it correct there is no walker eater or worker in reality but there is walking eating working now be careful this is what the buddhists teach advaita vedanta would say there is no walking working eating talking and there is no walker eater talker worker so that's not there it's a it's as you said there's only witnessing of the world and all the activities in it you are awareness shining forth in all these ways no walker no talker no eater but walking talking eating is happening that's a peculiarly buddhist approach because they have the anathema approach they want to dissolve the individual self only rodrigo says is it correct to say that only turya um realizes really realizes that the self-realization is consciousness asserting itself yes but turia need not realize anything the realization happens at the level of the individual mind individual mind which was in ignorance gets enlightened now see all this brahmarpanam brahmavi all this stuff it is true only of the enlightened person so it's not true of brahman in general brahman in general we are brahmana in general and that brahman does not need enlightenment enlightenment is localized to the mind of the enlightened person that's why we all need to make efforts to get enlightenment in each of these minds ignorance is in this mind that is why this mind is creating samsara caught in samsara we need to clear it out here my guru's enlightenment will not help me yeah prabhupada we're saying is buddhi in shankara intellect or reflected god no it is inter intellect and reflected consciousness is always there in that intellect so nivan satakam sankaracharya is not mentioning reflected consciousness he's just mentioning the four aspects of the antarctic the first line i'm not the mind i'm not the buddhi i'm not the memory i'm not the ego these are functions of the karana and in these functions especially in the buddhi consciousness is reflected that is not mentioned on bill's question sangeeta is asking bill's question context once more is it okay to say that there is always somebody's rather than your awareness that it is still sangeetha [Music] i was wondering uh the fact that this question uh you know keeps coming on a loop is it possible that the reason we are not able to see it clearly is because when the camera is on and it's being recorded it means it's still in somebody's awareness even though it's not in my active awareness no no you don't have to say that you don't have to say that see when you say it is not in my awareness that fact is also in your awareness that there is a camera somewhere which is not in awareness now it i come back into the room now i open up the camera now i see the film all of it is in your awareness see that is not in my awareness that's also a thought is which is near awareness right that you have to think about it shweta is saying it is the world whole world not appearing in my own mind one who is experiencing it can you please explain aka jiva father little different from advaita vedanta it's not different from advaita vedanta but that's a very radical form of advaita vedanta and we don't want to go into it but there's going to be a discussion between me and professor um professor swaneshwar timal sina on advaitha vedanta and kashmir shaivism our swami harinamanji in san diego is organizing it now i don't know if ekajiwabado will come up there but he is an expert on that prophet sustaneshwar timothy he has written books seeing his reality seeing and appearance he has written a book on he is in he's in san diego so i would if you are interested in such things you can attend that that that dialogue it's happening in the middle of december sometime how do we enlighten people apply 24 the 24 by 7 bill oh how do we apply the 24th verse how do we apply 24th verse yes so we this gives us the perspective of the enlightened person we try to get enlightenment and also our application is that we know even when we do not feel it and we don't do not realize it we know that this is the underlying reality that it is that reality try to understand that and try to get that feeling while engaged in action also also it explains many things that you don't have to actually withdraw from action brahma karma every action is not is brahman um um so yes inactivity and in no action also in both cases you can be remain centered in brahman but for us of course at our level we'll have to make the effort until it becomes a clear effortless realization i think krishnamurti has a hand up yes so we we've discussed or you've taught in the past that objects that actually appear to us objects of the world they are brahmana and that that that makes sense i'm wondering how to understand uh the statement that the actions are also uh brahman or or you know even the vedic sentence giveaway vishnu so you know the selfless action performed is uh vishnu so how how can how can we understand actions as brahman take a simple example um two examples one is the dream example one is the movie example isn't it true that not only all the objects in your dream the people and the places and the sky and the earth and the river they're all your mind actually though actually if in the dream itself you start digging into a road you will not find the mind if you take water from a lake you will not find the mind but they are all mine their appearances in mind similarly all activities suppose you are walking through the park or you are eating talking in your dream all the activities they are also the mind only what are they made of are there real people doing real actions no that's all imagined in the mind similarly all activity also must be in in consciousness and nothing other than consciousness in that sense this is i'm talking from an ultimate ultimate sense and from from an advocating perspective all right then you really run out of time today but good i was able to cover all the points that i wanted to talk about this is a very very wonderful verse if you're feeling hungry it's time for dinner all right [Music] foreign