Video 37

37. Katha Upanishad | Mantras 2.2.13 - 14 | Swami Sarvapriyananda

foreign [Music] together may the Lord protect us by giving us the results of knowledge may we attain Vigor together let what we study be Illuminating maybe not caved at each other oh peace peace peace so we are studying the the cut upanishad and we are in the second chapter the structure of the upanishad is the two chapters each with three sections so three cantos so we are towards the end of the second chapter's second canto last time we did this Mantra the 12th mantra there are verses but you know it's uh if it's in the Gita or other texts it will be called a shloka but if it is these verses are in the upanishads in The Vedas they will be called mantras so these mantras the 12th one we did it last time and today we'll go to the 13th one the 12th one was [Music] what does that mean Eternal peace is for those and not for others so for those who can discern and who realize in their hearts that reality who being one the controller the inner self of all makes from a single reality multiple realities anyway we discussed this in detail last time and we will go on to the 13th one let's just remember these are the teachings being given by Yama the Lord of death to the little boy najiketa who asked about the ultimate mystery what is the real what am I what's the reality of this universe what's beyond death and Yama gives him the highest teachings of the upanishads the non-dual vedanta that there is one non-dual reality non-dual means no second this world is a world of Multiplicity it appears as so many things and yet the claim in vedanta the first bombshell is actually it isn't many there is an underlying I won't even say Unity identity this is one reality underlying all of this and although it appears as many it's no two non-dual means no two that means though it appears as many is actually one which is which is without a second the second bombshell of uh advice of advaita vedanta the stunning claim is that this non-dual reality is you um not you distinctly from everybody else separate from everybody else but that there's one non-dual reality and that is what we are um you are that so this this is the same and this scene will be repeated again and again in these mantras these mantras are very powerful they are direct powerful and highest pointers they're directly pointing us towards the reality stick with any one of them they will give you um realization enlightenment I'm gonna say stick with it I don't mean repeating it like a mantra so when you repeat a mantra like um that you're supposed to repeat that this is not something that you're supposed to repeat you can't repeat it if you like it's a nice exercise but the point is this is something to be understood first you understand it through the intellect and then you see it as a fact so that's how you use this Mantra and we will see a whole point of studying this and teaching this is to to help people to see understand it and then see it as a fact as an obvious fact in fact already accomplished always there foreign one let's see come on [Music] Eternal peace is for those and not for others who are Discerning and who have realized in their hearts him who being Eternal among the ephemeral Consciousness among the conscious alone dispenses the desired objects to to many all right let's break this down and see what it's what it is saying it's saying the same thing but what we saw last time and what we have been seeing all the time it's saying the same thing but in a different way the 13th mantra it's talking about among the changing among the ephemeral among the ever-changing display of this universe yeah it is the unchanging now everything in this universe changes changes means things are born or they are created and they change or evolve they age and they deteriorate and they die or are destroyed that's what we see living beings non-living things from the tiniest mosquito which is born today to die tomorrow to the to the you know the Stars themselves which live for billions of years but they are equally created and they equally change and they equally die also one day and indeed our own bodies they're continuously changing Anita Anita means there was a time when it was not an entity was not there before creation or birth and there will be a time when it will not be after destruction or death in this vast Ever Changing reality which which we experience he says the king of death Yama the Lord of death he says the one unchanging in this ever-changing display what is that it's not that that there is something called Atman Brahman which is one item among all items there are millions of things in this universe and they are all changing and now we are claiming that among these millions of things there's one thing called the Atman which is not changing that's what we are talking about no no if you look for it the one unchanging among all the changing never find it because there's nothing like that in that case what does he mean what he means is that which is appearing to us which we experience as the continuous changing universe external World always changing every entity continuously changing appearing and disappearing our own thoughts arising playing around for a while and disappearing thoughts emotions memories our experiences all of that continuously changing that that which constitutes it that which is its reality is unchanging um what does that mean it's like you know um it's like say the clay which was in a you know like a mound of clay and then the Potter came and made different kinds of jars and pots out of it and one day those pots will you know they'll be there for a long period of time maybe one day they will break again but all throughout before the pots were made it was Clay and one day when the pots break it still will be clay and during the existence as various kinds shapes sizes of thoughts it's still the clay the same clay the clay as Clay is unchanging the names changed the shapes changed the use changed at first you called it clay just a lump of clay then you called it a pot or a jar then you called it pot shirts or you know broken pieces of pottery but it is the same substance all it is literally the same thing that same thing did not change or like the gold and ornaments example the same gold which may be a brick of gold which was melted and made into a necklace then it was again melted and you wanted a bracelet you the the Goldsmith made that same thing it melted your necklace down and made a bracelet and gave it to you now notice what happened that that same item that same same substance the same material you called it a necklace earlier now you call it a bracelet you called it it looked like this earlier now it looks like this you know the shape changed and you put it on your neck earlier now you put it on your wrist so the name change the shape changed the user change but did the material change no it's your goat unless the Goldsmith was a little dishonest in which case he might have pilferred a little bit of your gold away when he changed it melted it and made it into a different ornament but it was literally the same material now can we say in the midst of the changing necklace and bracelet in the midst of the lump of clay and the jar or pot is there one unchanging same material same gold same clay yes we can say that and notice it does not mean when it says the one unchanging amidst all changing it does not mean um that among all the pots which are created and they exist and they are destroyed there will be one Eternal part no that's crazy there's no such thing it does not say that among all the jewels the ornaments you have got golden ornaments um they're all changing they can be melted they can be made into different forms but there's one Eternal uh ornament an eternal necklace or Eternal bracelet no no no no you'll never find it that way but what it means is the substance Remains the Same the reality Remains the Same well that's great you might say but in that case what about uh what about our experience in this world I understand clay and pot I understand gold and the neck necklace but in this world of changing you know all things born they exist they change and they disappear what's Constant what is the material I understand that you're pointing to the same thing but there is one reality which is unchanging but what is that reality which is unchanging you only see change so vedanta will say but most of us we know it will say that it is existence itself being itself existing things are born existing things or existing beings they change they age they are damaged or injured or they age um and they die or they are destroyed but existence itself is not born existence itself doesn't age existence itself does not die existence itself does not change existence itself Remains the Same that one reality so this is called sat pure being or existence itself somebody might complain here that sounds awfully theoretical you know I understand what a pot is and I understand what uh necklace is I understand what a man or a woman is a star or a you know like a grain of sand is but what is existence itself existing things we understand but what is existence itself it's isn't it sort of a theoretical abstraction well from a vedantic perspective it's just the opposite it's like saying I understand what is the necklace and a bracelet but what is this gold isn't it an abstraction no no no God is the reality in fact compared to Gold your necklace and bracelet or abstractions it is the reality called the gold which is which is framed into which is fashioned into a necklace or a bracelet so the reality is always the gold itself the reality is existence itself being itself and we impose names and forms and functions and we call them existing things from a vedantic perspective advaithic perspective existing things are like abstractions existence itself is the reality and what reality is that it will he will say later atmastham you are that reality that's the next second devastating thing advaithic Insight you are that pure being you are that existence you are that that means what that what that sat that pure being which is the one unchanging which appears as all changing things so the one unchanging among all changing things and then next the one Consciousness among all conscious beings so there is we are all conscious here we are all of us are we are listening to this class we are sitting here we're all conscious and we are surrounded by conscience that the people there are animals and creatures all around us which are conscious but they are not conscious by themselves there is something that lends Consciousness to them they shine in borrowed consciousness and this we know through our vedantic inquiry that I am conscious but what exactly am I this Consciousness not the body I am conscious of the body not even the mind because I'm conscious of the mind at this point someone might say hold on not so fast the mind is conscious absorb Consciousness study studies the mind so mind is conscious well yes and no according to vedanta the Mind thoughts feelings emotions ideas even the sense of I the ego it's all they are not conscious in themselves these are movements of the mind they are shining in borrowed Consciousness borrowed from whom but from Consciousness itself borrowed from you you are the one Consciousness you shining thoughts feelings emotions are lit up by your light and they appear conscious to you what is the proof well the proof is that we are aware of our thoughts feelings emotions if you are aware of them there are as much objects as this physical body there are as much objects as this piece of cloth I'm aware of it it's an object I'm aware of this body it's an object similarly I'm aware of thoughts I'm aware of emotions I'm aware of ideas they are also objects that which is aware is consciousness now it is the one Consciousness among all conscious entities what are conscious entities all living beings are conscious you know until recently scientists did not consider even the higher animals to be conscious I mean that's so crazy we intuitively know that higher animals are conscious and scientists would tell us no no uh this they didn't I mean to begin with they had absolutely no idea what Consciousness is and even now they don't but at that time I would say that oh you know animals are not conscious human beings are conscious but whatever Consciousness is now it is that everybody accepts all scientists except that your dog is conscious you might say I always knew that you did but the scientists doubted it but now they all agree every living being is conscious at least all the Higher Living beings are conscious and probably all living beings are conscious that's what scientists already accept now there are theories theories which say that even non-living things there might be a basal level of Consciousness in all non-living things anyways too what upanishad is saying whatever you consider to be conscious all around you living beings not whatever you consider to be conscious among them there is one thing which is consciousness itself things which are not conscious by themselves shankarachary and his commentary will say for example fire in things which are not fire like water and yet water can behave like fire it can become scalding hot just like fire burns water can burn why because when you heat up the water the fire enters into the water the heat goes into the water and the water bubbles and boils and that water which is not supposed to be hot by itself is like fire it can burn just like fire similarly there are objects which are not conscious in themselves but which can borrow Consciousness and behave as if conscious what are these objects living beings living bodies living brains and nervous systems and more precisely Minds subtle Body Mind see even in this body it is not conscious by itself it's borrowed its Consciousness from the mind and even the mind is not conscious by itself it's borrowed its Consciousness from you the one consciousness to put it very simply in all conscious entities there is one thing which is consciousness itself just like in all existing entities there is one thing that is existence itself existing entities change birth growth aging death but existence itself does not change conscious entities change more conscious less conscious unconscious at apparently waking dreaming deep sleep Restless mind Calm Mind emotional mind peaceful mind all these are changes in so-called conscious entities but behind them is one unchanging consciousness and then he says one amidst the many among all these existing entities millions and billions of human beings non-living non-human beings and who knows if there are aliens in other stars and other planets and all among all these living and non-living things there is one existence is one similarly among all conscious entities so many living beings so many Minds so many conscious in every mind conscious thoughts emotions ideas memories among all of them Consciousness is one amidst the many now this one existence among all changing existent existing things one unchanging existence among all changing existing things one unchanging Consciousness among all changing conscious entities the one reality in this variety of realities this one thing the first one is the unchanging among the changing is called sat pure being the one Consciousness which lends Consciousness to all conscious entities is chit pure consciousness no also what is implied here is it is that one unchanging which is itself appearing as all changing entities just as it is the one gold alone which appeared as the necklace which now appeared as your bracelet it is that one lump of clay alone which now appears as so many kinds of pots and jars similarly it is that one existence alone which appears as many existing things it is that one Consciousness alone which gives us all kinds of conscious experiences that's what is being said here another implication where do I find this one existing thing where will you find this one gold which is in all ornaments well you'll find it in the ornaments itself where will you find this one Consciousness which is behind all conscious experiences just like that you will find it in all conscious experiences itself where will I find the one I can see the mini you will find the one in the many itself just like that so this is this is very important you guys close with eyes open there's just one reality underlying all our variety of experiences and then switch so this is talking about the Brahman existence consciousness then he says come on this surprising switch that one which grants all wishes so you see the structure of this first line he's talking about nirguna Brahman pure Consciousness brahmandir Ultimate Reality existence consciousness to Swami you are not mentioning Bliss why are you so um so miserly about Bliss you're talking about infinite existence infinite Consciousness but what about infinite Bliss it's coming hold on next next Mantra so infinite existence Consciousness the absolute reality well understood but now in the same line he switches to saguna Brahman The God Who fulfills all our desires one who loves us sustains us guides us protects us come on that one who grants us all our wishes so that same one who is Guna Brahman is also saguna Brahman um they said we Hindus worship a Transcendent imminent God Transcendent pure being pure Consciousness Beyond everything imminent in and through this entire universe the Creator preserver and destroyer of this universe so always you will see this same structure even if you look at the earlier Mantra which we did last time notice exactly the same thing the structure of the Mantra is the same let me read out the two together the 12th Mantra was so it is Brahman the one who was the inner self of all beings existence Consciousness place or pure Consciousness drink the The Seer the witness consciousness the one underlying reality which appears as multiple forms in this universe you can call this nirguna Brahman although the moment you talk about one appearing as the many already saguna Brahman ishwara but then he makes it very clear vashi the inner controller inner controller that means God who is the inward controller of all beings that is clearly the god of religion saguna Brahman so the first line in the 12th Mantra was Ultimate reality of this universe in the 13th Mantra you see nityanityanam the one unchanging existence among all changing existing things the one Consciousness which gives Consciousness to all conscious entities one which appears as the many but the one which Grand summer desires so immediately goes from the Brahman to saguna Brahman same structure you see it the first line of the 12th Mantra first line of 13th Mantra they're talking about the same thing um the impersonal personal Transcendent imminent in the arati song which we sing in our ashram everywhere there there is a Transcendent beyond all qualities pure being pure awareness existence itself awareness itself Bliss itself but also guramaiah that that reality is surrounded by Maya the power of Maya and the producer of this universe here it says vashi controller of all and the one who gives us all whatever we wish for God of God of religion moving on next line is here is the great identity that reality which is the self as grounded in the self that reality which we are talking about which is the one unchanging existence among all existing things which is the one Consciousness which gives Consciousness to all conscious entities which is the one which is appearing as the many in the universe which is also the god of the universe that one you see as atmasi I am that these words are so you know what would I say compact they they include so much means seeing seeing means you're realizing knowing but Anu Anu means that means after after what how do you see this after the upanishads that means learning this from the teacher just like the little boy the Chiquita is learning from Yama it's like we are learning from a teacher you don't see it with your eyes you don't hear it with your ears the senses cannot objectify it you cannot think about it or you can't argue your way intellect cannot understand it by arguing you cannot argue your way to it it's the reality revealed by the upanishads taught to us by the teacher and in that way when we come to see it we get it of course it's not a question of believing just because the teacher said katopanishad is saying this I must believe it no no I must come to see it myself but see it in the way it is being pointed out that's the use of a teacher in the text it's like a pointing you see like this but everybody can do it no no no there are qualifications of the students dheera here literally means the spiritual hero the patient one and the one who has got the requisite qualifications and we know what the qualifications are the six-fold disciplines Treasures viveka discernment between Eternal and non-eternal where a dispassion for the non-eternal the six-fold treasures and say how many times is he going to say this well as many times as it is required and plus one more time beyond that also six-fold Treasures shama quietness of the mind control of the Mind dhamma Control of our senses then spiritual toughness that I will pursue this no matter what troubles the world and the body and the Mind through at me then um so this resoluteness you know in the face of problems a kind of gathering in literally means flowing out and enjoying the world having a party what's the word having a blast having a blast it's just the opposite of having a blast uparati pulling back and then um samadhana once you've pulled back you have got time and peace of mind and energy left over settled down settle down take time quieten down slow down withdraw and then settle down on your spiritual Pursuit here just settle down on vedant and then our shaddha shaddha is the that Faith which will sustain us until enlightenment one teacher put it beautifully shaddha the faith in the beginning it is you can call it faith that I believe this teaching and the teacher and the tradition I take it seriously that much is necessary and once we have a breakthrough once it becomes real for us the change the faith continues you no longer call it Faith or shaddha you will now call it nishita nishta means um how do I put it stabilization dedication it becomes a way of life for you it becomes your reality then nishta did I get all six Sharma dhamma pritiksha uparati samadhana the six treasures and then Mom intense desire to be free no it's that's a tall order I must be honest I don't have that intense desire to be free I have a little desire to be free but not much more then what do I do those earlier ones the six Treasures those ones are things which we can cultivate and as we cultivate this the intensity of our desire for Freedom will grow so the person who is equipped with these is called dheera so that to begin with a person has to be a hero who's qualified um to transform this knowledge into enlightenment and as we make a breakthrough as this becomes real and a fact then the meaning of dhira changes the meaning of dheera is the one who can patiently apply himself or herself to living this truth if it is true that I am the one Consciousness which illumines the mind the Mind shines by and the light borrowed from me I am not the mind then I am not upset with the upset mind I am not impatient with the impatient mind I am not restless with the Restless mind I am that ever even unbroken consciousness now can I live that and believe me the world is going to help you to do that the world is going to give you so many challenges and more than that your own mind is going to give you so many challenges will be a very nice place to learn like a gym a spiritual gym where we can live this truth and we try to be centered in it when you try to be centered in it it is called dheera you are trying to be dheera and then final meaning of jeera will be the the enlightened one who is effortlessly this Brahman that I I know that I am that already and uh it's it's a sahaja like a natural state which comes then Shanti shashwati for such ones those who are qualified Seekers those who patiently live this truth as they make the Breakthrough and there is naturally embody it finally as a jivan mukta fully enlightened one teisham for them what is their reward Shanti shashwati Eternal peace what kind of Peace this is the Everlasting peace it's not the peace which goes into pieces it's the Everlasting unbroken piece which is our very nature this Shanta in the manduki upanishad seventh Mantra demandition your name is shantam shantam Shivam shantam Shivam advaitham means non-duality this non-dual uh peace itself this piece is eternal because it's your real nature because it's the one unchanging among all changing things there's the same thing as the piece itself it is the one Consciousness by whose light everything is lit up it is the one thing which appears as the many it's the one piece which appears as the Restless mind the upset emotions the ever-changing Restless violent world it's the same piece which appears in this way you see the how crazy is that well it's crazy and it's wonderful you know that monk paramam's a monk who came to dakshineshwar when SRI Ram Krishna was there SRI Ram Krishna mentioned him this is like a as simple as a little boy very pure and always smiling always remained in his heart but would come out and laughed delightedly at the world and would say wow that was wonderful Glory what is the glory what is wonderful about it it's this how pure Consciousness is appearing as so many conscious experiences seeing hearing smelling tasting thinking loving hating quarreling Desiring peaceful Restless how that one existence is appearing as all the living and non-living things from the river ganga to the every grain of sand in the Bank of the river to the dakshineshwa temple all of the sky and the Earth all of that is that one existence how the one homogeneous non-dual reality is appearing as the many in the midst of the many that is the wonderful thing and this monk would laugh enjoy sometimes he would roll on the on the in the uh you know the sand of the bank of the river enjoy it's an amazing thing it's an incredible thing and the beauty of it is all this amazing displays one with you it's you you are appearing as all this exactly as much as whatever amazing thing whatever awful thing you see in a dream is literally you and not one thing other than you so just like that this is peace peace is not just a calm state of the mind it is this is peace no matter what the state of the world no matter what the state of the body no matter what the state of the Mind what the state of the emotions you are peace is not that at peace you are peace itself for them is peace eternalesha not for the others who are the others shankaracharya explains this is the commentary on the earlier verse the 12th verse [Music] the others who do not get this reality why do they not get this reality because they are so attached to the to the world [Music] so attached to the world my wealth my health my um father mother husband wife children friends Society um my popularity my political or economic power or you know status and all of these attractive things in the world gadgets places clothes what not all of this I'm so involved in all of this my intellect is involved in this intellect says These are nice things and next thing the moment I say these are nice things in Sanskrit is the term for this shobhana means in in Indian languages means nice um what should I say not even Pleasant um beautiful appealing beautiful yes appealing a beautiful appealing um and the moment it's beautiful appealing shobhana means superimposed I impose that beauty that appealing nature on the world which is neutral actually the moment I do that I'm attracted to it the moment I'm attracted to it I want it the moment I want it I am engaged in action to get those things and the moment these some things are great and nice and shobana for me appealing for me they're bound to be things which are not nice for me not appealing for me unpleasant for me terrifying for me and so that's it foreign then what happens if you are so involved in the world the next result the inner result is Vivek the power of discernment I am unable to discern the good from the bad and deeper philosophically Eternal from the non-eternal the one existence the gold in the midst of the ornaments I'm so fixated on the ornaments I don't see it in all the ornaments it's the same reality the one Consciousness behind all conscious experiences I'm so fixed up with my exp messed up with my own experiences I like these experiences this is what I want to see that I don't want to see I forget behind the both seeing both is one Consciousness which is appearing as this and that also that evenness of mind the sameness of vision that is lost inability to discern this is called ignorance because I am enable unable to discern the veil of ignorance remains constant and that I am unable to see that underlying non-dual reality I'm unable to see the gold underlying the ornaments the one clay underlying all Pottery the one Consciousness underlying all conscious experience is good and bad so such people iteration such others they will not get that Eternal place now what about Bliss itself let's go to the next one the 14th one he's going to talk about bliss now today [Music] what is the English translation how shall I know that Supreme unspeakable Bliss which they realized directly as this is it self-effulgent does it Shine distinctly or does it not all right do this properly it would take at least one class for this one particular mantra but let me do as much justice as I can let's break it up and see separately okay the Sanskrit words that means that means this know it understand it realize it who realized it the enlightened ones those who have we have been speaking about in the 12th month and the 13th mantra what do they realize they realize that as this what is that that is God pure Consciousness with the power of Maya which creates this vast Universe omniscient omnipresent omnipotent ishwara bhagavan what is this it is consciousness itself illu meaning one mind and one body that is this this realize this this one Consciousness which I am is the same one with the power of Maya is the creator preserver and destroyer of the Universe I and God are one consciousness my story cards beautiful you know he says the ground of God and the ground of my soul are one in the same ground he's talking about the ground here those wise ones see that as this burger what is that he says is that inconceivable ultimate Bliss so Anand the Bliss and Limitless Bliss nicely in Hindi you know there is Limitless jaw here infinite Joy what do I say loot is the English word literally it has come from the Hindi word actually Lotus to to take as much as you want it's free grab it all here is this Limitless Joy what is this Limitless Joy which is we call God sachidananda Limitless joy that Limitless Joy is exactly this that is this what is this this Consciousness not body not mind the witness awareness which I am this is Limitless happiness how so we do not know what that is and therefore that Limitless happiness is and therefore we Chase it we change it in so many ways we try to get it in this world outside through our bodies and minds and through the world there is one way of getting it is karma pleasure seeking pleasure as much as possible eat drink be merry go to parties um you know what is is called binge watch television serials um browse on the internet whatever you call it or social media or all of these is bhog is is enjoyment trying to enjoy and why do I do that because it makes me happy I want endless happiness I want Limitless happiness but I don't get it it comes a little bit and it disappears and I'm left with exhaustion like Somerset mom he says you know that uh if you chase pleasure single-mindedly Chase pleasure very soon you will find nothing pleasing anymore if you single-mindedly chase pleasure very soon you find nothing pleasing anymore this is the problem with Boga trying to get happiness through sense enjoyment some kind of contact with the world outside with people outside with objects outside with desirable things and situations and places that's one way another way is a little more little better way is artha that means there's a joy in in accumulation I have seen people who read pretty simple lives they are not partying at all they are in fact working quite a bit um but they are accumulating large amounts of wealth they are engaged in working what do they call 24x7 24x7 but what are you getting out of it a lot of wealth more and more money more and more shares more and more property and there's a joy in that so they seek happiness in that way again that Joy is not Limitless it is subject to coming and going it's exhausting and it increases and decreases it's more or less I get this much and my neighbor has got that much I remember this person who was very interested in spiritual life and he came and talked with me and we're talking about spiritual practices and he was going on a cruise with his wife um and he said yeah I've had enough I'm I'm very I've done well in life I've got whatever I wanted much more than that I don't need anymore there's no end to it then he came back from the cruise and he said actually it was much months later actually he's changing his job for a better job and why because the whole thing turned out that in the cruise he met some people who were obviously rich and very well to do and they thought about a better opportunity a better um you know house in the suburbs and um you know better pay options and stock options but maybe just that much more I can do it it's within my reach see this is what happens so accumulation working hard to accumulate that's another source of Joy but there's no end to it more and more and more as they say even if you win the rat race you are a rat at the end of it that doesn't mean that you won't work that doesn't mean that you don't need money that doesn't mean that you don't need a good lifestyle but one must be intelligent enough to see where it is enough that whatever remains after this is just they say in Hindi Hindi speech 1920 19 or 20. it's just a little different a little better more of just a little more of this but time is going away energy is going away just to get a little more of the same thing then there are those who are not after pleasure who are not after accumulating money and shares and property but they maybe they are very engaged in doing what they are that's even better we call them our colleagues work colleague 24x7 why not I mean they're getting money it's good money but really I enjoy what I'm doing and that can be great there are people so these are different ways but though that happiness also is limited the Gita analyzes this in three ways thomasic happiness rajasek happiness satwik happiness there is a themasic happiness the happiness of being lazy the happiness of sleep and indolence and Indulgence are the happiness of endless social media and TV that's also tamasik because the definition of thomasic happiness is mohanam delusion delusion there is nothing positive in it at all you're not really getting anything out of it just wasting your time and energy so that all the social media happiness and everything it's all delusion thomasic better than that is rajasik happiness what is rajasik happiness that comes out of contact with desired things These are nice things appealing things I will chase them these things these activities these people this kind of food that kind of place so all of these these activities so rajasik definition of rajesy happiness that which is like nectar Amrita at the beginning like poison at the end all these happinesses which I chase in the world actively they are very enjoyable to begin with they give pleasure but they end up being exhausting and they end up leaving me with no positive you know nothing permanent no sense of enrichment at the end higher than this the Gita says satwik happiness what is the definition of satwik happiness it is which seems like poison in the beginning but it is like nectar in the end so any kind of higher Pursuit you want classical music as distinguished from pop music or rock music to enjoy classical music we need training we need a frame of mind cultivation for rock music you really don't need that to sing it you need but those people you can see kids go there and start jumping and dancing immediately they don't need training for that but that which requires training uh literature philosophy science creativity you know in art dance any kind of Reading Writing all of these things at first it's hard work you need to apply yourself to it but in all of these Pursuits you get a higher deeper Joy a pure joy the joy of a scholar Joy of an artist Joy of a scientist this is satwik it's a born of cultivation of the mind and the senses but even there it's still not spiritual it's the joy of the Gods in Heavens devathas still not spiritual because that also comes and goes that also increases and decreases that also ultimately goes away it's much better than the earlier one yeah the tamasik or rajasik and the satwik joy leaves you feeling enriched it's often this kind of spiritual cultivation reading texts that can also be certificates actually satwik activity but beyond this what he's talking about is paramam sukham he is not rajasik satwik or tamasik sukha happiness it's not the happiness of accumulation not the happiness of Indulgence in pleasure seeking it's not the happiness of you know just being lazy and laying around or being a workaholic none of these yeah it's that it's that it's the self itself it is pure Consciousness itself is the sheer unlimited nature of our existence that I am Limitless being I am limitless awareness this realization itself that itself is uh Limitless happiness right that's difficult to understand that's why he is asking um how do I get that happiness is it um experienceable and it is is it manifested in different ways that's the question let's see the um let's see the answer he gives in his uh commentary he says for an ordinary person for a person who is not a spiritual Seeker who has not studied and understood vedanta for that person this is beyond language Beyond thought it's it's beyond the capacity to understand it at all it like this because it's not an object this Bliss is not apprehended as you know as I am feeling this Bliss of the Atman if you're feeling it it might be Bliss it might be happiness but it's not the Atman whatever is objective is a manifestation it's a manifestation of same thing of that Ultimate Reality but it's not that Ultimate Reality by itself um just as existing things are not pure existence Just Dance all our conscious experiences thoughts feelings perceptions they are not Consciousness itself just like that all kinds of happinesses in the world whether accumulation will study art music whatever it is or work they are not Ananda they are not at infinite place then what is the relationship that pure being just as that pure being sat is present in all existing things just as it is that one Consciousness which lights up all our conscious experiences similarly it is that one Ananda itself which is experienced in all other kinds of happiness in the world and which is your own nature it's another example let me give you the question he asks is is it manifest or not is it knowable is it experienceable or not this question of Ananda is asking is it first of all realizable the infinite Bliss second is it specifically realizable in in you know like I get a joy of eating a cookie I get the joy of reading a book or watching a movie like that can I get the joy of the Atman Brahman that's the question he's asking it's like watching your face in the mirror or in the camera I can see my own face in this um Zoom app it's the camera is taking a picture and showing me now the mirror supports the reflection your face in the mirror is not actually your face it's a reflection but it's not other than your face also this is very important to realize the face which you see in the mirror is not your real face actually your real face is here basically I'm seeing in the computer it's not my real face the real face is here however it's not other than my real face because it depends on my real face which my real face is reflected there or it's pictured there those ones have the advantage the reflections of the advantage that we can see them the original face my real face it cannot be seen directly similarly pure being it cannot be appreciated directly it cannot be objectified but it is seen in all existing beings pure existence is appreciated in all existing existing things pure Consciousness is never an object but it is that which makes all objective conscious experiences possible pure Bliss is never one type of objective happiness like eating a cookie or reading a book but it is that which makes all happiness possible more important if that doesn't sound very satisfactory more important it is you what is that pure being it's you what is that pure Consciousness it's you what's that pure Anand the Bliss it's you that pure being is without limit the pure Consciousness is without limit and that pure Bliss is also without limit it is you yourself that's what he's trying to say here he says but for those who are who have not cultivated who are not dheera who do not have the qualifications for them it is beyond language it is beyond mind why because all that their minds and language is capable of grasping is object to them it appears as if completely non-existent but for the enlightened one the one who sees this one who understands this what happens is just the opposite he says this pure being pure Consciousness pure Bliss those ones the enlightened ones those who understand what is being said here those who see where it is pointing for them protection ever as if direct it's like seeing it's like hearing spelling tasting touching it's like it's more than seeing Vivekananda said that Ultimate Reality your nature it cannot be known but you must not go away with the feeling that it is unknowable it is more than knowable so for the ones who see this for them protection protection means directly perceptible it's the one thing that exists it's as clear as daylight itself what is clear as daylight that I am Immortal existence that I am the one Consciousness which lights up the the universe of my experience that I am limitless blissed which is sometimes reflected in the you know the poultry happiness which close by which I experienced through my senses or my mind and therefore I am complete there is nothing this world can give me which will which can add a little bit to me nothing that the world can even take away from me nothing in therefore in the world can tempt me or terrorize me because the world cannot take this away from me if you shattered the mirror in which the face is reflected well the nice reflection will be gone but that's nothing to the original face it's exactly as it was always similarly if my happiness which is reflected in the mind if it is shattered all my happiness goes away some problem happens in the world it's still nothing to me because what I was experiencing in that happy mind is nothing other than the original is always with me it's always there I am that always that is very clear to the enlightened one but to be like that shankaracharya he gives who are these people who can realize this he says foreign does not mean the caste brahmins it means the spiritual Seekers men women whoever they are American Indian those who are spiritual Seekers of what kind of means desire nivrita means which have um be has seized have have been wiped out what are these desires fundamentally this is the word eshana is a technical meaning three fundamental desires this is from the upanishads from literally the desire for children so therefore um you know marriage and sexuality children all of that comes in there the desire for that second with literally means money wealth Prosperity success you know stuff in the world whatever kind it could be literally be money it could be honor it could be power all of that I'll be a billionaire I'll be the president of USA wait a minute I'll be both right so um that's with teishana and Third location um the desire to go to heaven after death so this is remember the original um The Vedic culture there is a technical meaning to all of these I'll just mention it for completion's sake desire for children is not literally what we take it to be to and there is a Vedic meaning for that so from The Vedic context the desire for children was your children will perform The Vedic shraddha it's all in The Vedic context The Vedic ritual which will ensure that in the next life you get a human birth so this is a ritual the Hindus perform for their ancestors that's why you need children it's all related to The Vedas why do you need children so that the children will perform the the ritual after my death so that I get heaven after death and and come back to the human world next time they'll get a good human birth so children the invitation I hear is a technical meaning the witta means wealth but what is the wealth in in The Vedic context in The Vedic context wealth is that which is used for Vedic fire sacrifices um the karma Kanda which ensures that not we like not only I will get a human birth in my next birth but also after this death I go to heaven The Vedic Heavens not the spiritual level The Vedic Heavens I have a wonderful post-mortem existence not in the morgue but in heaven so that's that's the meaning of wealth in The Vedic context it enables me to perform um rituals which will ensure I go to heaven after death and then location location here means um the the highest spiritual Heaven which is brahmaloka that which comes through certain particular meditations Vedic meditations all of them are still uh within the realm of Desire because even there if they go to Brahma local they'll still come back they don't realize that they are the infinite Brahman they come back to this world so these three things have to be renounced in a literal simple straightforward way desire for children progeny that kind of which is karma lust passion that is one second greed Salam Krishna used to call it less than greed greed which is accumulation in the world stuff wealth power position second third look none of them are bad in the entirely in the worldly context not at all that's what constitutes the world but now you are trying to transcend the world so this the second one is that and third one is the desire for heaven I remembered once the Swami was teaching us we were novices in our monastery so you have to give up the desire for heaven and we were all nodding vigorously and we're all young monks and he said don't not not so um easily it these days people modern people we don't believe in heaven that's why we said oh I give up the desire for heaven no he I still remember he joked you lot you can't give up on rasgulla also that means the sweet Bengali sweet and you're going to give up Heaven it's just because you don't believe in heaven that's all that's why you say I'll give it up I don't I don't want heaven so giving these three up that's what sets us free and then the vedantic teaching takes hold I wanted to complete there's only one more verse left one more Mantra but that Mantra is so famous it's maybe one of the most famous upanishadic mantras and they are this uh sun moon stars lightning and fire shine not that shining everything else shines bites light everything is lit up literally Swami Vivek on this favorite upanishadik mantra so we'll do it next time all right let me now see there are comments and questions quickly gaurav says when we investigate changing and unchanging grid pressure Vivek there is still some sense of easiness if we investigate further we'll find that the sense of unchanging eyes also appearance in the same condition which mental space energies are appearing true but that I is appearing to what that the pure subject without any objective content that that never changes that is not in the realm of changing or unchanging it's beyond change so that's what they're talking about pure Consciousness itself Girish says Microsoft is paying 30 billion dollars to buy open AI com company that dreams close to creating artificial general intelligence Penrose say they're skeptical because Consciousness is not computable actually mentioned this in the last class I think I mentioned I heard a talk by Penrose about this if human consciousness is universal Consciousness reflected in the hardware of the mind could not silicon based Hardware also reflect Universal Consciousness it could and somebody asked me so is it possible to have Consciousness artificial Consciousness artificial intelligence is different artificial Consciousness is different um Dr Anil said pointed out that deep blue the computer very intelligent it can beat chess Grand Masters but it does not feel anything it is not it's not conscious but a mouse which cannot wait a chess Grandmaster the mouse can feel it can feel pain for example it's conscious so Consciousness and intelligence are not the same thing however the question here which Girish is asking is human consciousness is universal uh Consciousness reflected in the hardware of the Mind so can we in principle can we generate Hardware which will reflect that universally present Consciousness and can become conscious exactly what was being said here the one Consciousness behind all conscious entities now it does not say that the conscious entity has to be a living being can it not be an artificial being a construct I think in vedanta there is no objection to that after all even living beings are constructs or biological machines from a vedantic perspective there's nothing particularly great about a living body it's it's a very extraordinary kind of biological machine that's all you are not the body you are not even the mind even the mind is a construct according to vedanta or sankhya Anya in fact all the Indian philosophies none of them take mind to be spiritual they take mind to be a construct an object which is illuminated in animated by the presence of consciousness so why not why not uh some kind of Hardware need not be silicon based could be based in something else but some kind of artificial Hardware which can be lit up it so you would not be creating Consciousness that's what advice would say Consciousness cannot be created however um in Consciousness studies in robotics we are not concerned with such lofty metaphysical things we are concerned with that can we practically create a conscious entity would say why not practically you can again it also doesn't violate what Penrose is saying because in that case the Consciousness which would be reflected in describe in this Hardware it would still be not computable still be not computable the hardware part of it is computable but the Consciousness reflected there also still would not be computable Penrose if I remember correctly he was talking about the collapse of the wave function and that's not computable in physics and that he says is related to Consciousness which is also not computable all right against very esoteric physics and so beyond my um knowledge Rick says Where can we find those six Treasures are there in vedanta yes yes there and vedans are they are in um Vivek chauramani many of the introductory texts are they talk about each of these six treasures and they Define all of them also one by one original Source where are they from they are from the upanishads not in one place they have been collected from the upanishads you just saw in this upanishad talks about dheera that's it it doesn't give details of the six treasures and so on this dheera that word is used how do you get those six-fold Treasures you look at the kind of tests that nachiketa was put through by Yama and then you see what kind of qualities Yama wanted in a Seeker anuraga says what is the meaning of Shiva is it peace it is peace um shantam Shivam is auspiciousness is um if you look at the commentary I think it is beyond all suffering so shantam Shivam advaitam you look at the talks which were given about the seventh Mantra there we have discussed it in detail sriram says realize say that both his own faces image in the mirror so as to advice kind of double conscious not double consciousness the enlightened being knows that I am pure Consciousness and the body continues for a while and it is one of the reasons why the enlightened being in the world jivan mukta's important is then you have an enlightened person who is teaching you if I realize I am pure Consciousness and that's the end of the body and the body disappears at that moment like in Magic but the problem will be then we will never have any enlightened people teaching us so jivan mukti is actually the goal of advaita velanta everything continues as it is this body also continues as it is till its death but you realize that you are Brahman and the external life body everything just goes on prakyat says once this Limitless Anand is realized does it remove the desired attraction with Thomas equations yes it does it does an outline might remain so sridhama Krishna liked jilipi the Bengali that sweet jalebi and uh Swami Vivekananda liked ice cream so that outline of the desire might remain with non-binding it's non-binding they talk about a burnt rope a rope has been burned still looks like a rope like a black outline of the Rope is there but if you try to really bind somebody with that robe it'll just fly away into ashes it just blow and it flies away and crashes so the enlightened person their life is no longer defined by these constructs which were gathered over you know lifetimes past before enlightenment whatever the shape of the mind and the body it will continue the physical shape of the body will be the same after Enlightenment even the construct of the mind will be the same after Enlightenment but you are no longer the mind and body and they no longer can bind you anymore is when you say animals are conscious do you mean they have self-awareness as you look not as humans maybe but they have self-awareness anybody who is a dog lover or a cat lover will say that the cats or the dogs are aware of others and of themselves also in some way in some limited way Jennifer says if we acknowledge the possibility of artificial Consciousness does not erode the entire Hindu vedantic worldview hierarchy of beings transmigration or Soul Etc it can erode but notice it doesn't do any harm to the advantage worldview the advantage word views that there is one Consciousness appearing in all of these forms and if suddenly the appearance becomes partly artificial partly you know the jivas which have been appearing for for Millennia or from lifetimes earlier still from an advertic perspective the reality Remains the Same the reality Still Remains the Same yeah but it will play Havoc with the dualistic worldview the general theistic God World Jiva that will be shaken up Nila Boris is our individual Consciousness part of the universal hologram you can think of it that way the universal hologram is ishwara of God and the jivas Consciousness is part of that Universal hologram but uh advaita vedanta says forget all that your individual Consciousness is not individual and is conscious that limitlessness non-individuality of that Consciousness that's all that advaita vedanta wants to point out your living we think nobody doubts that we exist but our problem is we think it's a limited existence limited means it begins and ends I will die I was born then vedanta comes and tells you wait a minute you exist that's the truth but this second part of it is not true you think you are born and you think you will die this existence which you are you think it at the beginning it will have an end because of the body you have taken the existence of the body as your existence so rather you are existence the body has a beginning and an end yes I know I am Consciousness but that doesn't help me this because of Consciousness I suffer I have a Pleasure and Pain and waking dreaming deep sleep depression anxiety all kinds of humiliation all kinds of failure all kinds of suffering because I'm conscious so how is consciousness so good the vedanta comes and tells you look the Consciousness itself is unlimited it enables all the appearance of all of these but you as Consciousness you are never anxious Consciousness is not anxious it's a mind which is anxious and you are not the Mind Consciousness is not unfulfilled it's the mind which is unfulfilled and you are not the Mind Consciousness is not scared or humiliated it's the mind which feels scared or humiliated Consciousness enables it to do that but you as Consciousness you are not even the might so the limitlessness of Consciousness the limitlessness of existence with existence and Consciousness we always feel that is shown by vedanta and that's already an accomplished fact okay let's wrap it up um [Music] [Music]