Video 22

22. Katha Upanishad | Mantras 1.3.10 - 12 | Swami Sarvapriyananda

may the lord protect us both teacher and thought may the lord nourish us both by giving us the results of this knowledge may the lord make our study illuminating uh may be attained bigger together and maybe not careful at each other home peace peace peace so in the catholic yama has the lord of death has started answering the little boy nachiketa's question about the nature of the atman what is our real nature who are we or what are we and there he has introduced uh the famous chariot analogy um in order to teach us about our real nature which is very subtle difficult to grasp so he starts where we are and to help us to make it easy and uh entertaining he says think of yourself as an suv you know what what do you see yourself as a chariot like a car a limousine or something this body is the chariot and the uh senses especially the sense organs so why the sense organs you know one one might ask this question if you're just saying body mind is a chariot isn't everything included in the chariot if you say the body is the chariot the senses are also their mind is also their intellect is also there why mention them separately because there's a point to this analogy it's not just to describe the body mind it is to describe the body mind in such a way that the teacher yama can lead us step by step into subtler and subtler realms of our being and finally point out who we are so here is the chariot i mean by and large on the whole it's this body then notice something the horses which pull the chariot they are the five senses these are the ones which pull us outwards into the world and these senses run on roads like the horses run on roads on lanes what are the roads they run on the five sense objects no i see form ears hear sound nose smells tongue tastes the skin touches and so on and then these senses are controlled by the mind so the mind is uh is the one instrument which is called the inner instrument anta current the inner instrument through which we control the senses notice eyes may be open but if you if you're not attentive you won't notice what's in front of you the ears are open sound is coming in and not attentive you won't hear what is coming in so mind is important all the senses will take the information from the world from the sense objects it will internalize those sense objects sight a form sound smell taste touch all will be internalized and dumped in the mind so the mind is the instrument where the senses all coalesce together and where you can control the senses you can direct the senses see this hear that don't see that don't hear this all of this is done by the mind it is like the rains holding the senses then um deeper than that is so the mind is like the reins which can control the horses and who is the holding the reins it's like the driver driving the limousine has the steering wheel in his hand so the reins which hold the horses are in the hands of the charioteer the charioteer is compared to our intellect the capacity to understand it's the same we might say mind and intellect aren't they the same thing in our instrument yes but remember again we are dividing and subdividing with a purpose there's a design to this example this analogy which is to take us to subtler and subtler aspects of our being so body physical body then the sensory system more subtle far more subtle sensory system even more subtle than that the inner instrument mind by the way why in an instrument why are we calling it inner the senses of these two aspects the senses contact the external world and they are also in touch with your our internal world isn't it the senses can see forms which are out there and then they are they're bringing it into us into our inner awareness they hear sound from out there and then bring it into our inner awareness they smell and taste and touch external world but they're also inward turned because they bring it the world into ourselves but inside the mind the mind only contacts the senses the mind cannot directly contact things in the world outside so mind is called inner instrument senses will dump their information in an instrument more subtle than that yes buddhi intellect is also an inner in a part of the inner instrument but it is the faculty by which we understand things where this vedanta which we are understanding that is buddhi so buddhism compared to the charioteer who holds the reins of the chariot who holds the steering wheel just like the mind is used buddhi uses the mind to control the senses the charioteer uses the reins to control the horses to direct the horses great that's it no that's not it none of this this is the claim of vedanta none of this is actually you all of this is meant for you but you are distinct from all of this you are the passenger you have called an uber you are not the uber the car you are not the uh the engine or the instruments you are not the steering wheel you're not even the driver you're not any of it you are the unconcerned person who sits at the back the the whole machinery and the driver and everything activity is going on is for your sake so that you can reach the goal so you are the the sentient being the jeevathma who's sitting in the chariot in this body-mind complex and this whole activity of life which is going on is for your sake so that you reach your goal where do you want to go uh you want to go to your own real self so how amazing and poetic it is the journey is from yourself to yourself one christian mystic i think spiritual journey he says it is the flight of the alone to the alone first alone is small a we are alone basically our life basically we are alone although we think we are with a lot of people we are utterly utterly alone we surround ourselves with activities and people and relationships and problems and goals of life none of them were there earlier none of them will be there later and god happen says that which was not there earlier that which will not be there later also does not exist now it's a dream you are utterly alone that's very scary nothing nobody i can contact but spirituality is the flight of the alone to the alone the other alone is capital a alone capital a alone is a kaha the one one reality brahman existence consciousness place this flight this journey is the spiritual journey but vedanta says it's an entirely internal journey from you who does not know yourself to you who will know yourself from the small self to the capital self then what kind of journey how how is it it can't be going to a place because i am here right here it can't be waiting that i will the real self will come later no real self must be here because i am here now i am here here in this place i am here now and i am myself so it cannot be a journey from one place to another place it cannot be a journey from one time to another time it cannot be a journey from one object myself to something else it can only be a journey from ignorance to knowledge from not knowing what i am to knowing what i am what i truly am that is the journey but it is imagined as a chariot journey like an uber ride or like that you have to go from one place to another um then some their disciplines were given by yamaha before he gives the actual code teaching which we will see now he gave the disciplines we have already read that what are the disciplines the senses must be trained they must be bought under control first sense control just the horses must be trained then the second the mind must be attentive attention must be trained mindfulness literally that word is used so the reins must be tight and under control otherwise you cannot control the horses if the steering wheel is loose you throw it this way and that way the vehicle does not respond then you are in trouble and the driver cannot do anything the the reins must be tight and fixed to the horses the mind must be attentive this is the practice of mindfulness training of attention then third one is the intellect the charioteer must know the driver must know where you want to go so the intellect must have vedantic knowledge of who am i see doesn't datman require you i require that knowledge why should the intellect have it no i am the witness consciousness knowledge is the function of in uh intellect thinking is the function of attention and thinking is a function of mind perceiving is the function of the five senses so these are the different functions and they are all for me yes the knowledge is for me but actual work will be done by intellect so the intellect must be informed with vedantic knowledge the mind must be controlled and trained to pay attention mindful and the senses must be trained purification of the senses we discussed last time the elephant and the mouth and the elephant how the elephant can be trained only by repetition nothing else basically this is the same structure of sadhana which we have talked about again and again in vedanta you see the matrix of the threefold sadhana one is karma yoga gives purity of mind then upasana gives concentration of mind ekagarata and then gana yoga gives through shavanamaranan nidhiddhyasan the vedantic knowledge of who am i to the intellect so these three stages of sadhana now what happens when all the conditions are fulfilled he says in the mantra number nine which we have done so if your senses are disciplined and under control if the mind is attentive and the my intellect is well informed charioteer when knows where to go what to do the reins are tight and in the hands of the charioteer the horses are well trained then the passenger will reach the goal is destination what is the goal in this case the highest abode of vishnu now immediately shankaracharya comments here here vishnu means the existence consciousness place and highest abode of vishnu is not going to heaven is not vaikuntha going to some other place not the dualistic kind of religion which you know when you say highest abode of vishnu sounds like oh you have to go to after death you will have to go to heaven and stay with vishnu like the dualistic theistic religion no shankaracharya makes a very pertinent comment observation before starting the next mantra he says that now that goal which you are supposed to go to and going is also in the secondary in a symbolic sense you're not actually going anywhere that goal which you're supposed to go to that highest abode of vishnu what is that he says it has to be realized that highest abode of vishnu has to be realized as your inner self what does that mean it's you vishnu the highest abode of vishnu sat chidananda the absolute existence consciousness bliss is you this has to be realized the goal now is to realize this so the teaching starts now all of this was to set the stage now the core teaching the instruction to the charioteer the teaching to the intellect the vedantic teaching will be given so much effort was to make sure that the chariot is in good shape horses are in good shape all the equipment is working nicely now you have to tell the intellect tell the buddhi about our real nature the real vedantic instruction will now start the mantra number 10 superior to higher than the senses are the sense objects i'm translating now higher than the sense objects is the mind higher than the mind is the intellect higher than the intellect is the cosmic mind or the negative and higher than the math will come next i'm reading the next one also translation higher than mahat is the unmanifested object the purusa is higher than the unmanifested there is nothing higher than the purusa that purusa is the culmination that is the highest goal okay a lot has been said here first of all i want to make a comment about sri krishna and the bhagavad-gita you almost verbatim quotes this the third chapter see why i want to make this observation we always say what krishna teaches in the gita is basically the upanishads and sometimes he's actually quoting original mantras the upanishads so what krishna quotes in the third chapter of the gita i think it is the 40 second verse yes krishna quotes in 3rd chapter gita chapter 3 verse number 42 indriyani the senses are said to be superior to their objects superior to the senses is the mind superior to the mind is the intellect that which is superior to the intellect is the self it is atma okay first we shall see what the upanishad said you can see he has slightly changed krishna has slightly changed the mantra we'll first see what the upanishad said and why it's a little difficult and we'll see how sri krishna has simplified it in the bhagavad gita but the same thing same teaching what did the open issues say the senses higher superior to the senses subtler than the senses so higher means more pervasive more inward and more subtle than the senses are the sense objects here itself will run into an into a problem what how can the objects be more inward than the senses how can the objects which are gross and outside be superior to the senses always in philosophy you'll see the subtler is more powerful than the cross physical body more powerful than that nervous system more powerful than that my mind more powerful than that intellect subtler and subtler but that the powerful one is controlling the other one how are the sense objects in any way superior to the senses what i taste or see these objects how is it superior to the eyes or the tongue or the ears so what is meant here is actually the sense objects are the subtle things which are which are grasped by the senses by sense object it does not mean so i'm looking at the pen here it does not mean that the pen is superior to the eyes not that way what it means is when the eyes look at the pen they they grasp the form and that form is internalized that's what the senses generate so in that sense the sense objects the forms the sounds the smells the tastes touch grasped by the senses already internalized yeah that one is superior to the senses themselves because those are the ones which will guide the senses which which the senses are trying to grasp and they will pull us i want to see that form i want to hear not the particular object itself which is outside it is the subtle form of that object which is already grasped by the senses and internalized more deeper meaning of this why when you'll see now why vedanta sara is very useful how are sense objects superior to the senses what is meant by the sense objects are the tan matras the form sound smell touch which we take we we grasp which we experience they are not the physical uh earth water fire air space rather you remember in vedanta we studied panchi karanam panchi karanam means from the atma emerged sky and fire air and fire and water and earth but we were told those are the subtle forms of the five elements then those subtle forms were mixed together to make the gross forms of the five elements out of the gross forms of the five elements entire universe physical universe is formed which we see now in sanskrit when the five pancha bhuta five elements first emerged they were in a subtle form so the space fire air which which i talked about are not the physical space fire air which we see right now we experience right now they are a subtle form and out of those subtle forms they are mixed together to make the five gross elements now remember in vedanta it was said out of those subtle tanmatras the tanmatra means the subtle elements what are the subtle elements subtle space subtle fire circle air circle water subtle earth they're not anything at all like the physical things which we experience out of them what were produced the antakarana was produced out of that mind intellect memory the five senses were produced out of that senses means the five sense powers and then the objects which the senses will sense they were produced out of the gross five elements so panchayat the panchayat are mixed up to form the senses and the mind and intellect and all that so at so these subtle elements they are superior to the senses why it is out of these subtle elements that the senses are made now when upanishad says higher than the senses are the but it are the sense elements the tanmatras the tanmatras are definitely superior to the senses because the sense powers are built out of those tan matras and superior to the sense powers the tanmatras are the mind in which they are in which all the perceptions are finally dumped by the senses the mind is superior to the sense of objects that the tan matras and higher than the mind because the mind itself is objectified and grasped the is it is that is the terminology which comes out of titanium punisher senses especially the karmendriyas motor organs are part of the pranamaya kosher and the gyan indriyas are part of the manomaya and the gyanmaya kosher so the vigna maya kosha is superior to the manomaya kosha superior in the sense of three things it is um [Music] vaster more pervasive um antara more inwards and more subtle and one can control the other the mind can control the senses and the intellect can control the mind so the mind the intellect is superior to the mind buddhist superior to the manas now one more complication is there it says that superior to the buddhi is the cosmic mind hiranyakara but it calls it math this is sort of sankey and terminology suddenly we have gone from the individual so far individual body senses mind intellect and suddenly to the vast it says that your intellect began my kosher is a tiny tiny part of a vast ocean of mind mind intellect all of that a vast ocean called the cosmic mind here in niagara of which a tiny part is your mind and this this cosmic mind is endowed with the three powers the ability to know knowledge the ability to will and create the ability to act all these powers emerge not in sachidan and in pure consciousness they emerge at the level of mind cosmic mind and we have a tiny bit of that power also so know that so higher than superior to faster than subtler than your individual intellect is the cosmic mind hiranyakarpa the next higher than superior then subtler than more internal to cosmic mind is maya object and higher than subtler than superior to the maya is consciousness purusa okay this seems to be an unending train what's next what is higher than superior to subtler than nothing consciousness is the highest reality the final reality and your goal which goal ultimate goal why ultimate goal because there is no return from that goal na niva attaining which there's no return to this world anymore so that's your final goal now so what do we have here the upanishad is giving us the vedantic yama is giving us the core vedantic idea to be applied we'll see how to apply it but first of all start with the senses the senses are there superior to them are the subtle elements out of which the senses are made superior to that is the mind superior higher inward to that is the intellect superior higher more inward to that is the cosmic mind hiranyakarpa superior higher more inward than that is maya objector the unmanifest it's called unmanifest because everything is unmanifest at that level at the level of mind things become manifest superior higher finally is consciousness itself okay this is the teaching um now notice what krishna has done with the teaching just as a you know an aside in the third chapter 42nd verse krsna's has completely you know has remarkably simplified the teaching made it very clear and elegant he says krishna says 42nd verse senses are superior to their objects what do the upanishads say objects are superior to the senses then we have to give a very technical meaning to the word object because clearly this object is not superior to the senses we have to give us meaning that it's subtle than matras sukhmatan matras are superior to their senses which are constituted out of the sukhmatan matras that meaning we are to give but here shri krishna says your senses first is the object higher than that subtler than that in more inward than that is your sense power which can experience the object then indriya param mana superior to all the five senses is the mind who directs attention to the senses controls the senses and which all the information from the senses is dumped that is the mind it is higher higher superior inwards subtler higher than superior then more inwards to subtler than mind is intellect the power of understanding and then higher than that your buddhist that which is higher than the intellect is consciousness is the atman you the witness consciousness finished see at each stage we can track it with our own experience start with object go to the senses from there go to the mind pay attention to the mind from the mind to the understanding intellect beyond that the witness consciousness notice he has left out few interesting things for all for the sake of clarity and simplicity he did not introduce that complication of these subtle tanmatras are more superior to the senses that is an additional complication he dropped that then the intellect beyond from that you go to the cosmic mind hiranya garbha he dropped that beyond that you go to the blankness the maya he dropped that that which is experiencing your thoughts activities of your thoughts and yes the absence of your thoughts in deep sleep for example all of that is experienced by you the consciousness that consciousness you are that is purusa so this is what kashi krishna has done same teaching but a little more simplified more elegant and direct but it comes at a cost you know what the cost is the cost is you have lost something in this in this process i'll give you the most serious problem here the upanishad opened up to the cosmic mind you you see your own intellect your understanding sense of understanding which we are using to understand vedanta that's just a part of the all the intellects all the minds of the universe and then from there you go to what is beyond the mind what happens to us in deep sleep blankets from there the cosmic vine what is behind the cosmic mind maya the power of maya object in the unmanifest beyond that is the consciousness which is experiencing it which consciousness you now the advantage of this is already you are operating at a cosmic level one big problem you've avoided the if you don't do it the way three question is showing you then you will end up by feeling okay here are the objects here is the senses here is the mind here is the intellect beyond that i am the witness consciousness good but now two problems will remain one is how many witness consciousnesses are there so there's so many bodies so many minds so many intellects so are there many many consciousnesses and what about god what about this power behind the entire universe that those problems will remain and what sri krishna has shown is a very it takes you to the sankhya level of understanding whereas the upanishad by going to you know from using the vigna my question as a door to the cosmic mind it already has brought in the cosmos the oneness when you realize consciousness is the witness of maya already you are one with ishwara there the you know the unity that is one consciousness which is behind all minds not just one mind that probably that question will not arise anymore oneness is the message so shri krishna will have to work later in 13th chapter he will have to say imam with this i am the one consciousness one purusha behind all minds this is the extra work he has to do later on which the upanishad accomplishes at one stroke all right now let's see some unique nature of all of this so what is the teaching here notice at each step i am not it i am not the objects of the senses very clear i am not the senses themselves from the perspective of the mind when you say from the perspective of the mind so you just start with the object themselves um here is an object i'm showing you the essence of the teaching here is an object and here are the eyes seeing the object now ask yourself where am i am i there the object or am i here seeing it common sense what does it feel like it feels like i am here seeing it the self is the senses and the object is not self anatma what is anatma not self that which is appearing to the self what is this pen is something that is appearing to the eyes what is an appearance name and name and form appearance is the name form and function nama rupavahara it's a name pen it's a particular form and it has a particular function that's it name form and function by themselves and they are what is called mithya appearance name form and function is very definition of mithya so if this is an appearance it cannot be anything other than the sensory system itself a very subtle point is being made here by you might say no no there is a pen outside by the time you are seeing the pen it is nothing more more than a sensory input true or not after all what is involved in seeing the pen even modern physiology will tell you um the light is reflected of the pen then it goes into your eyes and an image is formed and optic nerves will carry electrical impulses to the brain center and somehow there you get a visual perception of a pen by the time it comes to your eyes there's no pen only light correct of course if the pain actually came to your eyes you'd be blind if the pen entered my eyes it would be blind only light enters the eyes the eyes can only take light suppose there is a huge car crash and you hear a thunderous sound or or like a drill working in the street outside you hear a hammering sound what enters the ears not the jackhammer not the drill you die dive that happen only sound waves it enters the eyes the the light and after that is no longer light an image is formed on the retina and then it's no longer an image only tiny bursts of electricity in our neurons racing to the brain center by the time it goes there just tiny neuronal activity and finally it is nothing more than a perception of a pen that perception of the pen is nothing other than the sensory activity itself even modern physiology will agree with that that the object you are directly perceiving right now doesn't matter whether it's outside or not object that you're directly perceiving right now is nothing other than the activity of your senses this is called pravila panam merging emerge the object back into the senses now consider the senses higher than the senses is the mind from the mental asper mind if you consider pay attention to the eyes or the ears or the nose you will find they are objects they are instruments they are not you when i use the pen pen is an object and the instrument for me it's not me i am not the pen when you are experiencing the eyes opening eyes closing eyes from the mind perspective where are you are you in are you the mind or are you the blinking eyes you will feel i am the mind aware of the blinking eyes correct so the eyes are not me not self mind is the self eyes are not self um anatma what is anathema appearance to the self not self means it's an appearance to the self what is an appearance name form and function what is the form this is the eyes what is the name eyes what is the function this is opening closing all these things it is seeing focusing these are the functions and they are nothing but name form and function means mithya appearance no not an independent existence by the time the senses are being follow this carefully by the time the senses are being experienced by the mind in the mind they are nothing other than these mental modifications you have a mental activity cognition of the form of visual perception you have the mental activity or cognition of the form of auditory perception in the mind there is no eyes or ears or nose or tongue it is cognition in the mind its cognition only true or not once something comes into the mind it is mind only not that in the mind there is a mind and one more eyes is there the information which was visual information in the brain centers has now become a thought in the mind what is in the mind must be mind only so this is the merging of sensory perception back into mind what did we do earlier we merged objects into sensory perception sensory perception now we are merging back into mind thinking this is called pravilla merging now all these thoughts feelings emotions memories they're all being understood cognized or they're they're objects to the intellect which is basically higher function of the mind on for for our purposes we are just dividing is subtler you are able to understand all this mind becomes not self the mind becomes an object intellect becomes the self i am the intellect understanding these objects i'm understanding my own mind i'm understanding don't we say that's what you do in a you know psychologist a counselor's office counselor will tell us let us now try to understand our emotions our thought processes what is trying to understand thought processes intellect there's a whole most popular form of therapy now is cognitive behavior therapy what is cognitive cbt what is cognitive behavior therapy you take the you don't call patient anymore you take the client and ask the client's own intellect to understand the problems and solutions of the client's own thoughts and behavior language and behavior this is what you are doing this is what you are saying this is how you are feeling and thinking now logically analyze this who will do the logical analysis you are the intellect of the client the faculty of understanding that means intellect is making the mind into an object then where are you are you the mind or are you the intellect i am the intellect the mind becomes anathema not self anatma is an appearance to the self the mind is appearing to the intellect and this appearance is nothing but name form and function nama rupa give a heart name form and function is another name for maya or bithya it's an mythia it's a false appearance of appearance it's not a reality apart from the intellect it's nothing other than intellect or understanding now the intellect itself i am now not going into the uh the [Music] the subtle and difficult moves moves that the upanishad is making cosmic mind and then maya and all so the intellect itself is is observed is illumined lit up by consciousness this is the purusa purusha is called consciousness i the consciousness i light up my own intellect i'm aware of my intellect then who am i am i the intellect or am i consciousness what is the self the intellect becomes an object if i understand something i'm aware of understanding if i don't understand something i'm aware of not understanding i'm aware of the functioning of the intellect the intellect is an object where am i am i on the side of the intellect on the side of consciousness i am consciousness and i'm aware of the intellect so intellect is not self not self means an appearance intellect is an appearance to consciousness or in consciousness appearance means name form and function which is another way of saying false it's not an independent separate reality it is nothing other than consciousness which is appearing in the form of intellect i am consciousness and everything that appears to me is it's an appearance it's mithya it's false what is that what does what appears to me intellect and through the intellect the mind through the mind the five sense organs sends inputs through the five sense inputs the entire world all of this is nothing other than name form and functions nothing other than mithya nothing other than appearances in me who am i i am the self purusa consciousness awareness so also note that the object the unmanifest which we did not discuss it corresponds to the anandamaya quotient so if you want to classify the indriyas will correspond roughly to pranamaya and manumia kosha the mind corresponds to the manomaya kosha the intellect corresponds to vigyana my kosher and the object the unmanifest corresponds to anandamaya kosha beyond that is consciousness which is you [Music] now he says the purusha the transcendent conscience consciousness supreme consciousness is beyond maya beyond the anandamaya kosha purushan naparam kinchi there could be something beyond that anything higher he says no ah he comments here it is the cause of all causes which is pure consciousness it is the innermost self why can't there be anything inert to pure consciousness because if there is anything in her then that would become the self and then consciousness would become an object but consciousness can never be an object consciousness is that to which everything is an object isn't that the definition of consciousness anita you cannot classify consciousness as this every object can be classified as this consciousness itself can never become an object if you say there is something more inert to consciousness i am that the self is inner to consciousness more subtle than consciousness then consciousness will become not self it will become an object but consciousness cannot be an object physical objects are objects sensory activities are objects mind thoughts are objects intellectual understanding is object even blankness is an object deep sleep but all of these are objects to you the consciousness consciousness itself cannot be an object so it is the inner most there's nothing inner than that it's [Music] in order to negate the possibility that someone might say this might be something higher than consciousness he says no that's why the upanishad says there is nothing higher subtler more inward than consciousness because it is the highest himself says because there is nothing subtler than consciousness nothing vaster more pervasive than consciousness nothing more inward than consciousness therefore it is kash takashi means the final the ultimate beyond which there can be nothing more then he says when the upanishad says that's your ultimate destination destination of whom the chariot where is the chariot going to consciousness the highest consciousness the inmo it's an inward journey shankaracharya beautifully says here so for all those who travel what a nice way putting it for all those who travel where are they traveling some sort of lifetime to lifetime here is the final resting place where is the final resting place for me you are your own final resting place your own higher self and he quotes from gita here in the upanishad commentary he quotes so in the bhagavad-gita it is said 15th um chapter 15. um sixth verse i think yeah yes attaining which one does not return anymore now a question may be asked um if you go to some place you can always come back now this is seems to be a silly question but it's a it's a common question is realization enlightenment final after all if you're saying from ignorance we went to knowledge you can come back to ignorance again we are thinking about in terms of worldly knowledge and ignorance you learn something you can forget it we forget so many things so isn't it possible you become enlightened i understand you realize you bruh your brahman but maybe you forget it maybe you fall back into ignorance again so he says the question he raises is so if there is attainment if there is a journey you can say return also it's possible you can you can come back from it why are you saying it you don't come back from it why are you saying it's final why why why not impermanent it could you can realize something and forget it again shankaracharya says no this fault does not arise naisha though what a very important point he makes simple and very important point here journey goal all of this is a symbolic way of speaking what is meant here understanding realization is meant here why because sarvasya pratyagatmatwa this consciousness is the innermost self of everybody that means it is always there it is you right now it must be there it is there all the time everywhere and it is you yourself so it cannot be a journey in space it cannot be a journey in time it cannot be a journey from you to something else so in the christian mystics language during the flight of the alone to the alone small a to the capital a which is also the smallie and the capital are the same in the munda copanishad version the two birds the lower bird is hopping up and up to the higher bird but then finally what happens it's lost in the radiance of the higher burden realizes there was no lower bird at all so shankaracharya says this you cannot fall from it because you're never fallen this is the interesting thing you realize [Music] because notice the language of the operation it talks about senses and then the mind then the intellect and inward and inward sets with the innermost self that means it is you yourself it's not talking about some god out there some heaven out there some goal out there it is we're talking about you so it is not a journey and then he gives a very beautiful quote from a very obscure source i'll first give you the quote the quote is so beautiful and does say the openations parisha those who want to go beyond samsara they do not walk on roads anardvaga their path is as a pathless path it's literally the language used by judo krishnamurti he said truth is a pathless path so this is not a traveling on any path the ones who want to go beyond all paths the ones who want to go beyond all travelling they do not travel by road they do not travel by paths so that means it's not a journey from one place to another from one state to another state from one time to another time no it's a realization basically then the next mantra is also beautiful let me just read it and we'll conclude um so this is the teaching twelfth and how to do it he will give a technique later is [Music] he is hidden in all beings and hence he does not appear as the self of all but by the seers of subtle things he is seen through a pointed and fine intellect okay so what was said here where is this atman this purusha sarveisha bhute atma is in all beings but so it should be clear what it should be more clear than i am me myself so no it's not clear guru ha it is hidden hidden where in everybody most it's called the open secret it's openly there but hidden it's not clear it's not revealed it's not known by though it is their innermost being it's not known by these beings shankaracharya comments here very heartfelt comment i'll read out to you the very soaring and you know sorrowful language [Music] how profound and deep and unfathomable and strange is maya why yet i am saying [Music] so all these beings if they are given the highest teaching like we just did that you are brahman aham paramat mighty naganiha they don't i am immortal being i am pure consciousness i am ever fulfilled everything is perfect and all right they don't grasp it then on the contrary though body senses mind and intellect are things he says like a clay pot just as you would not concern yourself with this little object it's a thing this body is a thing the sensory system is a thing our minds thoughts are so precious memories ideas the things our intellect is a thing even our understanding is a thing it's an object it is not you you're just objects like all other objects you are always free of it completely free of it and yet we take it as i am this body i am this mind i am this intellect he says nobody has told you you are body mind intellect and the son of so-and-so and the husband wife of so and so and this no you are infinite awareness existence consciousness place even without being told this that you are the son of so and so you are this body you are this mind you take it naturally they take it to be so that i am a body i am the mind i am this is my father mother father mother is of the body misery glory insult of the mind not you at all when sadhu and uttarakhand don't displace anything or monk whatever belongs to their don't put things put things where they belong illness tiredness you know sickness body unhappiness depression lack of fulfillment anger mind illness is not of you the consciousness old age is not of you the consciousness it belongs it's there it belongs to the body they put put it in the body don't misplace it what is misplacing it old tired miser you know sick body listen no i am old i am tired i am sick no you are aware of the body being tired old and sick put it back where it belongs to belongs to the body give it back to the body not mine how can consciousness be old then mind misery frustration anger i am angry i am sad i have sorrow i have depression no they belong to the mind you are misplacing it put it back where it belongs without being told also shankaracharya says they accept it naturally and body mind and all the relations of the world even after being taught you are satchitananda brahman you don't understand why [Music] because it is so profound unfathomable alas so powerful is is maya but cannot can it it can be seen by what either mind by the intellect by intellect you can see by the mind you can see immediately objection somebody raises the objection just a minute so many places it has been said that it is beyond the mind cannot be seen by the mind says that which the mind cannot understand by which the mind is illumined know that to be brahman not some object what you think is this is brahman which you worship as an object not that that which is the witness of the mind that is brahman ken openishad said now you are saying that righteous can be known by the mind upanishad says it cannot be known by the mind now here you are saying it can be known by the by the mind how can you reconcile these two and another place upanishad says by the mind alone it can be not known and in another place openish it says um that among it cannot be known by the mind and speech how is it that it can somehow sometimes it is said it cannot be known by the mind how is it that sometimes it is said it can be known by the mind only what how will you reconcile you can reconcile in at whichever level you want to understand simplest way of reconciling is by the prepared mind by the cultivated and trained mind it can be known by the unprepared impure untrained mind it cannot be known that is mentioned here agra buddha agya buddha means by the sharpened mind agra means sharpened which has been whittled and sharpened and pointed by karma yoga upasana by that that sharpening of the mind says shankaracharya says sanskrit purified mind cultivated cultured mind sriram krishna says by the pure mind atman can be realized it cannot be realized by the impure mind it can be realized by the pure mind it cannot be realized by the distracted mind it can be realized by the focused mind concentrated mind so focused concentrated pure mind can realize that's one way of reconciling deeper way that um the what the mind can do and what it cannot do the mind cannot actually realize brahman because brahman is is that which objectifies the mind mind cannot objectify consciousness the mind cannot actually realize consciousness then what can the mind do the mind can remove the ignorance about our real nature the ignorance about our real nature is where in the mind knowledge about our real nature will arise there in the mind and that knowledge will not reveal brahman to you the technical point here that knowledge will remove the ignorance about brahman brahman is ever shining forth so suppose i don't know this person i'm looking around i heard that one person called say vinod has come then you introduced me swami this is vinod now what happened this knowledge did it enable me to see we know i was already seeing vinod the knowledge you gave me removed the ignorance from from my mind about what i was seeing what was being seen continues to be seen now i know oh this person who is already seeing is vinod when it comes to the knowledge understanding of brahman comes i am brahman i realize oh this which i was already experiencing that knowledge did not give me a new experience of brahman it removed the ignorance about what was always continuously available i didn't see it at all now i see it that knowledge did not enable me to see brahman it removed the ignorance brahman enabled me to see brahman so that is the second level of understanding of what what mind can do and what mind cannot do why is it sometimes said mind can see brahman why is it sometimes said that mind cannot see from because of this mind cannot see brahman correct because the mind cannot illumine brahma mind can see brahman correct because the mind can remove the ignorance about brahman which is preventing me from realizing drama even deeper analysis those who have done vedantas are again you'll see why vedantist are is useful there was a section at the end of vedanta a question was raised that upanishads say by the mind alone it can be realized and open should say it is beyond the mind how do you reconcile these two do you remember the terms correct some of you are nodding and smiling yes you remember those who don't remember you have to go back and look at the text and the lectures there very technical the epistemology of enlightenment what happens during enlightenment minute tracking of that as far as possible it is shown what the mind can do what can it do virti what the mind cannot do for brahman for everything else with tib jab can call up their necessary for knowing anything in the world but for realizing brahman with tibet is necessary is not possible for brahman not necessary brahman is swap prakash self-effulgent what does this mean with tibdyapti palabdyaptis of prakasha not the time today you have to it's already there in the vedanta classes then it says not only sharpened mind sukshmaya subtle mind what is subtle mind shankaracharya says [Music] that which can assert in the subtlest reality why subtlest reality notice every reality which we have talked about world senses mind intellect even the unmanifest maya they are all objects but that final turn from the object to the subject that requires a very subtle kind of mind and that subtlety doesn't have anything to do with intellect many people may be very intelligent high iq still don't get it some may have average iq but very purified mind um swami bhutashans used to say it's by subtle intellect what is meant here is a purified intellect as the desires are purged from the mind mind becomes calm quiet mature and that mind can grasp quickly even some of the most intelligent philosophers today i was talking with some nyu students about um descartes who went to the furthest that one can go by inquiry everything is false may may not be true body also but what cannot be doubted is that i am aware i'm aware of my own thoughts therefore i am there cogita orgasm because my thoughts are are there therefore that proves that i am there but further than that he did not go what is that i who is always there he says but we can't do anything about it he says how strange this is the exact quote from descartes meditations how strange it is that that which i am most certain of i do not know anything about it and that which i know so much about i am not at all certain of it what is it that i know so much about world but i can't be certain is it real how do i know it can be doubted what cannot be doubted awareness consciousness i but i don't know anything about it why not what is the problem he didn't investigate further then he did other things you cannot know anything about it because you think our knowledge is objective you're trying to objectify it you can't you know he's right he he got it correct it cannot be objectified therefore he thought i can't do anything about it because our idea is to objectify objectify means see with the senses see or hear or think with the mind or understand with the intellect or express with the words this is objectification that cannot be done to consciousness consciousness is behind all objectification it makes objectification possible hume another extraordinary philosopher david hume the scottish philosopher he's sitting and thinking what is this self where people talk about when i observe myself most keenly i find sense perceptions thoughts memories emotions ideas but no self say mr hume you are looking in the wrong direction what about the one who is looking one to whom these sense perceptions uh ideas memories thoughts are coming and going the one who is aware of this procession of ideas thoughts and feelings that one but that one is not an object [Music] notice how just by common sense and inquiry he's using almost the same language which yama used yama is using saying like things like indriya mana buddhi what did hume say sense perception thoughts ideas but then you stop that suksmaya that subtle turn is necessary to reveal to you that i am the witness of all of this now at this point we have sort of got what what it is being pointed towards because we are all veteran without the students we know what yamas was going to teach now next will be an interesting mantra where he will give a technique how to if you have got the theory right now how to make it a living realization also says the the way to enlighten the realization of what of what has been taught till now it should become a living reality i am not the body-mind shivoham how to come to that that is next time um let me look at the comments rick says is purusha discussed here synonymous with brahman yes exactly it's brahman brahma says in a charitable example passenger jivat may say ego with the reflected consciousness is my understanding right no it is you who is actually brahman right now under conditions of ignorance you are the sentient being ego is part of the um let's say the charioteer it's part of the vigyanamma kosha and reflected consciousness is on your side yes and you are really none other than um brahman so that is the jihad it's a provisional entity which we find ourselves as where does this jimatma fit when we go from sense organs to the pure consciousness yes that's what we were doing that was the journey do you remember what i did here is the object here is the eye eyes on which side am i the self the self is the jivatma which is the jeevakba is it this pain or is it here i am here see how it feels check your own experience do it simple i am here i am looking at that thing now blink your eyes the senses like the eyes you open your eyes close your eyes the physical eyes and with the mind you pay attention to it doesn't the eyes also feel like an object and you feel i am the mind where is the jivatma now mind where was the earlier senses now mind now consider the mind thoughts feelings who is understanding all this vigna my kosher or the buddhi where is the jivatma now buddhi what is the mind it is not self not jivatka it back and then the buddhi itself is revealed to you the consciousness where is pure consciousness so the jivatma which is identified with the whole chariot and all now is taken step by step back into its real nature as consciousness only alpana says in is purusa in 13.21 as bhokta referred to jivatma the purusha we are speaking about um purusha in 13.21 let me just see s remaining in the midst of the products of prakriti what are the products of prakriti intellect mind senses body remaining in the midst of this becomes the bhokta the experience purusa becomes now the jivatma notice jivatman purusha the same thing itself at the level of experiencer and doer it is the jivatma as pure consciousness it is always purusa rodriguez says what happens when anathema is ishwar itself will you still call it anatma so ishwara is an atma or not is not self this is advaith glory ishwara god is ultimately yourself you make issuer into anatma you'll become an object and it'll become false then you are pure consciousness ishwar is pure consciousness now if you think of yourself as jiva same pure consciousness within individual body mind is jiva then that pure consciousness with cosmic body mind becomes ishvara god of this universe then you can have a devotional relationship but ultimately it is not an atma ishwar is not an atma krishna clearly says this in 13th chapter the verse imam with this know me as the indwelling consciousness in all body minds in all chariots krishna says to our children i am the passenger in all the chariots so you and that means but you say i am the passenger in this chariot but krishna is saying i am the passenger are the two passengers no a single ride i and krishna are one that is it's not anathema not not self abhijit says does the seven fold ordering in mantras one point three to ten to eleven correspond to jagat chidbila sachin levels which are mentioned in your talks yes yes certainly you can match it with that dima says do i understand it right that the self is actually not self aware as the concept of self awareness appears only on the level of the mind correct is it then then the self is dependent on the mind for self awareness but it's not dependent on the mind because the mind is dependent on the self see in only in sankhya consciousness depends on nature for everything is nothing other than the power of consciousness so the mind is your power intellect is your power the senses are your power physical and universe is your glory you are not depending on that they are dependent on you yes you are dependent on that for the self-awareness like you the original face are dependent on a mirror for seeing your face no doubt patrick says although you can't fall again can ignorance come back and make it appear that you have no it won't then ignorance once dispelled by knowledge does not arise again and not like our ordinary knowledge here we can forget something punita says if we really understood we understand today's teaching in the core of our heart won't we be there here and now absolutely absolutely and if there is still shakiness it will be there for most of us the technique which he will give next how to make it how could how to become brahmanista centered in brahman that he will show us next sean lee says how can you negate the object body mind intellect once you understand that your consciousness how can you put it where it belongs you just mentioned that a pure mind can overcome the object ignorance fulfillment can be realized how can you negate the body mind and intellect indeed how can you negate it's worth thinking about it's very simple it's worth thinking about let me just give you one example oh i didn't read out one line of shankara oh he says this after giving that technique next but he says there all of this body object body mind intellect they are he he says these famous advertising examples radjus rope snake [Music] mirage water and akasha akasha mala let's say blue sky so these are appearances these are not real but one one example will suffice how can i negate a body so you're walking around talking with your friend there's a body there are senses there are objects having a cup of tea and then suddenly you wake up you say oh it was a dream what happened to the body and the friend and the cup of tea in the dream they're negated you experienced it but you realize oh there's nothing other than my dreaming mind something like that happens to the enlightened person not that the world will disappear but you realize it's nothing other than id consciousness if you want more detailed practice of that you should see the non-dual meditation which i did in the garrison retreat which is which has been uploaded as non-dual meditation part one how do you merge one level back into a subtler level a settler level back into a even subtler level there's more direct and simple teaching is given krishnamurti says yes again and again this mahavak is repeated god says i am yourself jeshri says so the power of consciousness maya powers the world and the world is a reflection of brahman is this correct yes the world is a reflection of brahman no doubt maya contributes name form and function brahman contributes reality awareness and value satchit ananda asti bhati priyam on that very high note let's conclude that's [Music] foreign [Music]