Maniṣā Pañcakam

Commentary by Svāmi Paramārthananda

Published by

Arsha Avinash Foundation

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Svāmi Paramārthānanda’s Classes on Śankara’s Maṇīṣā Pañcakam
 Svāmi Paramārthānanda’s Classes on Śankara’s Maṇīṣā Pañcakam

SWAMI PARAMĀRTHĀNANDA

VERBATIM TRANSCRIPTION OF SWAMIJI’S CLASSES

ON THE MĀNĪṢA PAÑCAKAM

VERBATIM TRANSCRIBED BY
RAMU, NANA NANI HOMES, PHASE I, COIMBATORE

(with Sānskrīt texts and with Diacritic transliteration marks in Unicode)

࿘ 24h February, 2024 ࿘

Published by:

Arsha Avinash Foundation

104, Third Street, Tatabad,
Coimbatore 641 012, India
Ph. 91 94873 73635
Email: arshaavinash@gmail.com
www.arshaavinash.in

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 Svāmi Paramārthānanda’s Classes on Śankara’s Maṇīṣā Pañcakam

SWAMI PARAMĀRTHĀNANDA

His Holiness Swami Paramārthānanda, senior-most disciple of His Holiness Dayānanda

Saraswati studied Vēdānta and Sanskrit under him for a period of three years at
Sandeepany Sādhanālaya, Mumbai. After his studies and initiation he came to Chennai
and started teaching Bhagavad-Gita, Upaniṣads and other Vēdāntic texts. He has been
conducting several weekly classes in different parts of Chennai since 1978. He is well-
read in the śāśtras and is a great Sanskrit scholar. His talks are known for their clarity,
simplicity and are an excellent guide for practical use of Vēdāntic truths in daily life.

This is verbatim transcription of Swamiji’s live-classes conducted on Manīṣa Pañcakam.

 Svāmi Paramārthānanda’s Classes on Śankara’s Maṇīṣā Pañcakam

NOTE:

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 Svāmi Paramārthānanda’s Classes on Śankara’s Maṇiṣā Pañcakam

Transliteration Guide:

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 Svāmi Paramārthānanda’s Classes on Śankara’s Maṇiṣā Pañcakam

Contents
Transliteration Guide: .............................................................................................................. 6

Class 1 ........................................................................................................................................ 8

Introductory Verse 1........................................................................................................... 11

Introductory Verse 2........................................................................................................... 13

Class 2 ...................................................................................................................................... 19

Introductory Verse 2 contd. ............................................................................................... 19

Verse 1.................................................................................................................................. 21

Class 3 ...................................................................................................................................... 30

Verse 1 ................................................................................................................................. 30

Verse 2.................................................................................................................................. 33

Class 4 ...................................................................................................................................... 41

Verse 2 & 3 contd. ............................................................................................................... 41

Verse 3.................................................................................................................................. 43

Class 5 ...................................................................................................................................... 54

Verses 4 and 5 ..................................................................................................................... 54

Verse 4.................................................................................................................................. 56

Verse 5.................................................................................................................................. 63

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 Svāmi Paramārthānanda’s Classes on Śankara’s Maṇiṣā Pañcakam

Class 1

In these sessions, I will take up a very popular work attributed to Ādi Śaṅkarācārya
himself. The word pañcakam means group of five. Any group of five can be called
pañcakam – where it is five people, five houses, trees etc. In this context it is five verses.
In this it is slōka-pañcakam.

And through these verses Ādi Śaṅkarācārya brings out the essence of vēdānta in the
form of a commentary on the four mahā vākyams. The word Manīṣā means wisdom
or jñānam. Manasaḥ īṣṭē iti manīt. That which rules over the mind is called manīt.
Intellect is the ruler of the mind. Vijñānamaya kōśa is the controller or the master of the
mind. That is why our problem of saṁsāra is in the form of emotions or mental problem
and ultimately we conquer samsara only through wisdom which is Vijñānamaya kōśa.

In fact, the entire spiritual sādhana is vijñānamaya conquering manōmaya. In the first
chapter Arjuna suffered emotional problems only.

sīdanti mama gātrāṇi mukhaṁ ca pariśuṣyati |

vēpathuśca śarīrē mē rōmaharṣaśca jāyatē || 1-29||

Whether it is depression or any of the saṁsāric problem. And ultimately the solution
was

naṣṭō mōhaḥ smr̥tirlabdhā tvatprasādānmayācyuta |

sthitō:'smi gatasandēhaḥ kariṣyē vacanaṁ tava || 18-73||

By gaining knowledge my problems are gone.

And what is the logical connection between the emotional and rational intellect?

The saṁsāra problems are experienced at the emotional level; whether it is rāga dvēśa
kāma or krōda all of them. How do we connect that problem to the intellect? The step
is like that. The vēdāntic perception is, all emotional problems are caused by delusion
or confusion. Delusion is caused by ignorance. The ignorance and delusion are both
problems at intellectual level.

Therefore, the root is at the intellect or in the intellect; but, the tree is experienced at
the emotional level. Generally in life. That is why in psychology also they are coming up
to a therapy called cognitive therapy. The problem can be solved only by

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understanding whether it is health, family or any other problem. It is the lack of right
thinking /understanding which the cause of all our problems is. Manōmaya kōśa faces
the problem and the root is in vijñānamaya kōśa in the form of ignorance and delusion
are errors; ajñāna and adhyāsa. If you have to remove the problem at intellectual level,
then the solution has to be intellect level alone.

Thus, knowledge removes ignorance; the removal of ignorance removes delusion and
the removal of delusion removes all emotional problems.

Therefore, vijñānamaya has to handle manōmaya. That is why Arjuna said naṣṭō mōhah
smr̥tirlabdhā tvatprasādānmayācyuta. So thus, all these explanations I gave for
conveying the significance of the manīt or buddhi. Manīt means master of the mind.
Manasaḥ īṣṭē iti manīt. And manīṣā means that which is connected with the intellect
and wisdom is connected with intellect. And finally the word Manīṣā means wisdom or
jñānaṃ or prajña.

Manīṣā Pañcakam means not five knowledge; knowledge is one only. Five verses on
one knowledge. Jñānam ēkam ēva. Jñāna viṣayaka slōka pañcakam or jñāna janaka
slōka pañcakam. It is Manīṣa Pañcakam.

Even though it is named Pañcakam, if you see the book you will find seven verses are
there. Seven verses of Manīṣā Pañcakam. How is it? It is a contradiction. So the idea is,
the first two verses are only introductory verses. They are written by Ādi Śaṅkarācārya.
Only the last five verses are supposed to be the verses of Ādi Śaṅkarācārya himself.

In the first two introductory verses, we get the occasion which led to the composition of
these five verses; just as Gīta first chapter presents the context or occasion in which Gīta
teaching took place.

Similarly, the first two verses present the context or occasion. What for these verses
were written is given in the first two verses. Why did he write the poem?

In College, we complain. Wordsworth wrote something because he did not have

anything else to do and we have now to get it byheart, with punctuation marks. He wrote
and gone. Daffodils, and many more. And we have to byheart it! When we look back, it
seems the poems are very good, but during college days, you know, it was a drudgery.

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Like that, why did Śankara write? For this they tell a story which occurs in Śaṅkara
Vijayam, the biography of Ādi Śaṅkarācārya. Whether it actually happened or not we do
not know. It seems Ādi Śaṅkarācārya was in Kāśi during parivrājaka movement. And
after taking bath in Kāśi /Vārān̩āsi he was coming out with his disciples. At that time in
front of him came Lord Śiva himself in the form of a canḍāla, a man of low caste. The
caste system was very much prevalent there. And they say now also it is there. Whether
it is good or bad, I do not want to discuss. But Śiva in the form of canḍāla came in front
of Ādi Śaṅkarācārya just to test Śaṅkarācārya it seems; as to whether He still sees only
the external-differences or does he see the oneness of all. It seems Ādi Śaṅkarācārya
was still observing the differences. That is why we say whether it really happened or not.
But when see the teachings of Śankara we do not have any doubt, that it did not happen,
and in the test he would have won.

But in the story, Ādi Śaṅkarācārya was observing the difference and therefore, when
canḍāla came he said, “gaccha gaccha” which means go away. Don’t come in my way.

Then the canḍāla, who is none other than Lord Śiva himself, asked Śankara a question
what do you want to go? Which one you want to go away? Because every individual is
consisting of two parts ātma-aṁśa and anātma-aṁśa. You are also a mixture of ātma
and anātma; śarīram and śarīri and I am also (I who is telling, Canḍāla) a mixture of
śarīra and śarīri. Do you want śarīram to get away from śarīram or śarīri to get away
from śarīri? Are you understanding the question? You want body to get away from the
body or do you want ātma to get away from ātma? Either way, you are in trouble. You
cannot ask one body to get away from another body because, at body level all bodies
are impure only. There is no such thing called pure body. Because both or all bodies
are made up of pañca bhūtas only. Śarīrayōḥ pāñca bhaudikatvāt.

In fact, the very word śarīram they say in that sīryamāna svabhāvaṁ, that which
putrefies. That which decays, and therefore smells also and that is why we have to take
bath as often as possible. And not only take bath, but do we spray and it is to cover up
with so many things. One śarīram cannot be superior to another śarīram and then why
do you want to separate one body from the other. Therefore, the first option of
separating one body from another is ruled out.

The second answer possible is separating one ātma from another. Canḍāla asks the

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question one ātma from another? And if you say one has to be separated from another,
it means you don’t know what is ātma - that ātma happens to be one all- pervading
principle, which is ever pure. Aśuddha śarīrāt, aśuddha śarīrasya gamanam is useless.
Śuddha ātmanah, śuddha ātmanaḥ gamanam is also useless. Therefore, why do you
use the expression gaccha gaccha.

The moment Ādi Śaṅkarācārya heard this, he understood that canḍāla is not an ordinary
person and he understood that he was Lord Śiva himself and it seems the four vēdās
had come in the form of four dogs. Then Ādi Śaṅkarācārya remembered the whole
teaching and he offered prostrations to Canḍāla and composed the five verses
bringing out the essence of the teaching. The first two verses give the essence of the
story part.

Introductory Verse 1

आर्या वत्त
ृ -

अन्नमयादन्नमयमथवा चैतन्यमेव चैतन्यात् ।

यततवर दूरीकततुं वाञ्छसि ककिं ब्रूति गच्छ गच्छे तत ।

āryā vr̥tta -

annamayādannamayamathavā caitanyamēva caitanyāt |

yativara dūrīkartuṁ vāñchasi kiṁ brūhi gaccha gacchēti |

You are to imagine the context while reading this verse. Ādi Śaṅkarācārya stands here
after bath and Canḍāla is standing there in front of him. Ādi Śaṅkarācārya has already
said to him ‘gaccha gaccha’. The gaccha gaccha is understood and it is not said in the
verse. So this verse is from Canḍāla. So Canḍāla is now addressing Ādi Śaṅkarācārya. He
addresses Ādi Śaṅkarācārya as dvija varaḥ. He seems to say to Śankara, that you seem
to talk with a lot of brahmaṇa abhimāna that I am Brahman.

According to Bṛhadāraṇyaka upaniṣad, Brāhmaṇa is defined as one who knows

Brahman. If you know I am Brahman, where is the question of differentiating one
person from the other. Therefore he addresses appropriately, dvija varaḥ. Dvija means
the one who is born again. He is the one who has the second birth through sacred
thread ceremony. Whoever has been initiated by sacred-thread ceremony is called
dvijaḥ.

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Manu smṛti tells this.

māthuragrēti jananam, dvitīyam mauñji bandhanāt |

tatrāsya māta gāyatri, pitātu ācārya ucyatē ॥

When I am born to my parents I am an ordinary human being without any values

without any culture; my life is governed by rāga-dvēs̩a - Kāmavāda kāmācara
kāmabaks̩ah, it is called. Kāmavada means you will talk whatever you feel like; then think
about what is said. That is called Kāmavada. Kāmācara means kāma ācāraḥ, doing
whatever I feel like doing. In Tamil they say, kanḍatē kākṣi, kondatē kōlam; Kāma
baks̩ah means eating anything and everything available, without any restriction. That
means a life of licentiousness, without any restrain. That is called prakṛta-purus̩ah.
Initially I am a wild human-being, as good as an animal.

Then vēda comes and tells you cannot afford to do that. You should be a responsible
person and therefore, your life cannot be governed by rāga-dvēs̩a and your life has to
be governed by dharma adharma. Even if I like to do something, if it is adharma I should
say ‘no’. Even if I dislike to do something, if it is dharma I have to do it. It is not whether
you like to do or not but the question is whether you should do or not do it.

When I decided to live a life governed by dharma-adharma, I have become a

responsible, cultured, grown-up, tamed, matured-individual which is like the second
birth of myself. Svāmi Chinmayānanda uses the expression from animal-man you grow
to become man-man. Only if you become man-man you can hope to become god-man.
Godman is not that is written about in paper; they write about many people as Godman.
an animal-man can never become a god man. There is a corridor between animal-man
and God-man. That corridor is dharma-śāstra, dharmic way of life. Whoever accepts
values, he is born second time. It is symbolised by sacred thread, whether you wear
sacred thread or not it does not matter, but which my life is governed by dharma-
adharma, I am born again from prākr̩ ta-purus̩a to saṁskr̩ ta-purus̩a. Animal-man to
God-man. Such a cultured person is called dvijah. He is twice-born. Dvē janmani yasya
saḥ, dvijaḥ. Twice-born.

Teeth are also called dvijah. We all have first (milk) teeth and then they are replaced by
other teeth, at the age of six or seven. Therefore, it is dvijah. They stopped with that.
Nowadays we have to give another name: trijah because this also falls and you put

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dentures.😄 They did not know at that time. Anyway teeth are called dvijaḥ. Birds are
also called dvijaḥ. First it is born in the form of egg and then it comes out of the egg.

Now Canḍāla addresses Ādi Śaṅkarācārya and tells him you are not only dvijah but also
dvija varaḥ. Varaḥ means a śrēṣṭaḥ; you are a great brāhmaṇa. Dvijaḥ literally does not
mean Brahmin; all the three, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vyśya have sacred thread. All these
three put together is dvijaḥ. You are not dvija by initiation, he says to Ādi Śaṅkarācārya
that you are a learned person also, dvija varaḥ. Therefore, you are dvija varah. Please
answer my question.

Annamayāt annamayam dūrīkartuṁ vāñchasi. Do you want to separate my annamaya

from your annamaya [the physical body]? Do not ask what annamaya means, you are
supposed to know those things. Annamaya means the physical body, annamaya kōśaḥ.
So do you want to separate one physical body from another physical body? Or
caitanyaṁ ēva caitanyāt dūrīkartuṁ vāñchasi (you have to read this twice), or do you
want my consciousness to be separated from your consciousness? Which one do you
want to separate or segregate? How gaccha gaccha iti vākyēna? Caitanyaṁ ēva
caitanyāt dūrīkartuṁ vāñchasi, which one do you want to separate or segregate? How
gaccha gaccha iti vākyēna (it is understood), by the expression gaccha gaccha (within
quotes), which one do you want to separate? Canḍāla is quoting Śankara. By using the
expression gaccha gaccha, which one do you want to separate? Kiṁ bṛuhi, please tell
me, which one. Ādi Śaṅkarācārya might have been stunned, and he might not have not
expected such an intelligent question from a person walking with dirty clothes. Then
Canḍāla himself gives the answer also. The next verse is by Canḍāla only. We will read.

Introductory Verse 2

शादूू ल तवक्रीडित छन्द -

śārdūla vikrīḍita chandas -

तकम् गंगाम्बतडि कबिंतबतेम्बरमणौ चंिाल वाटि पयः

पूरेचा अन्तरमस्तत कांचनघिी मृत्कतम्भयोवाुंबरे? ॥
प्रत्यग्वततततन तनततरङ् गििजानन्दावबोिाम्बतिौ
तवप्रोऽयं श्वपचोऽयडमत्यतप मिान्कोऽयं तवभेदभ्रमः ।

kim gaṁgāmbudhi biṁbitēmbaramaṇau caṁḍāla vāṭi payaḥ |

pūrēcā antaramasti kāṁcanaghaṭī mr̥tkumbhayōrvāṁbarē? ||

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pratyagvastuni nistaraṅgasahajānandāvabōdhāmbudhau |
viprō:'yaṁ śvapacō:'yamityapi mahānkō:'yaṁ vibhēdabhramaḥ |

So he had presented two options. Whether do you want to separate body from body or
ātma from ātma is his question. Of those two option, for the first option the answer is
not mentioned in the ślōka. This we have to supply. Canḍāla has answered for the first
option. Ādi Śaṅkarācārya let us suppose that he wants to separate body from body and
he says I don’t know your body to touch me. For that what is the answer, which is not
said here. For that the answer is not given. We have to supply. What is the difference
in the body? All bodies are made up of the same elements: pañca baudhika śarīram.

As far as nature is concerned, the body is the same. Even īśvara’s śarīram is also ‘asti
jāyatē’ and is subject to change and death. Īśvara’s body also disappears whether it is
Kṛṣṇā’s or Rāmā’s śarīram. As far impurities and diseases are concerned all bodies are
the same. This is Canḍālā’s reply to Śankara. Why do you differentiate one body from
the other? So thus the first option is ruled out.

Now we have to take to the second option. Ādi Śaṅkarācārya says that I am not talking
about the body because I know you are not the body I am not the body, because we
are all jñānis. Therefore, I am only talking from the standpoint of ātma. This must be
Ādi Śankarācārya’s second option.

If Ādi Śaṅkarācārya offers the second option, for that the Canḍāla gives his reply thus -
this verse is a reply by Canḍāla, if Ādi Śaṅkarācārya takes the second option in the
context of ātma I am separate. For that the answer is this. You know the answer.

First of all there is no question of two ātmās at all. There is only one ātma. Then how
come we experience many ātmās? Here is one ātma and there is another ātma, here is
also caitanyam and there is also caitanyam. In between, I don’t experience any
caitanyam. Canḍāla replies that there is only one consciousness which is reflected in
every body-mind-complex. It is like one sun reflecting in many reflecting media.

Canḍāla argues the reflecting-media may be different and he gives the example of a
pool of dirty water in the slum colony. Coovam River is there in Chennai! And Ganga
River is also there. Imagine the sun reflecting in Coovam River and the Ganges River.
The differences belongs to the reflecting-media but the sun is not polluted by wherever
it is reflected.

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Similarly, my ātma - ātma obtaining in this body and the ātma obtaining in a Canḍālā’s-
body or in a mosquito-body; ātma remains the same unpolluted. Then, where is the
question of separating the ātma from ātma. This is the idea.

In the first two lines, two beautiful examples are given.

In the first example, the ātma is compared to sūrya, the sun and the body is compared
to two different reflecting-media. One pure reflecting-medium and another is impure
reflecting-medium. The idea that is conveyed here is purity and impurity may belong to
the reflecting-medium or there may be a gradation of purity in the media but the sun is
not affected or not tainted by the conditions of the reflecting- media. The sunlight is
ever pure.

Similarly

na puṇyaṁ na pāpaṁ na saukhyaṁ na duḥkhaṁ

na maṁtrō na tīrthaṁ na vēdā na yajñāḥ .
ahaṁ bhōjanaṁ naiva bhōjyaṁ na bhōktā
cidānaṁdarūpaḥ śivō:'haṁ śivō:'ham .. 4..

na mē dvēṣa rāgau na mē lōbhamōhau

madō naiva mē naiva mātsaryabhāvaḥ |
na dharmō na cārthō na kāmō na mōkṣaḥ
cidānaṁdarūpaḥ śivō:'haṁ śivō:'ham || 3||

All rāga-dvēs̩a, kāma krōdās etc., impurity belongs to the mind alone which is a
reflecting-medium. The mind can be pure or impure, but the caitanya that is reflecting
in the mind does not have rāga-dvēs̩a etc. Therefore, he gives this example.

Aṁbaramaṇau biṁbitē. Suppose there is this sun. The sun here is compared to the
jewel in the sky, maṇiḥ means a gem in the sky, and aṁbaram means sky. What is gem
in the sky is the Sun. Because the gem shines and the sun also shines. Aṁbaramaṇiḥ
means sūryaḥ. Suppose the sun biṁbitē is reflected, reflected where? through two
reflecting-media are presented here; gaṅgaṁbuni means gaṅga jalaṁ, aṁbu means
jalaṁ, this is one reflected media and what is the other one; caṁḍāla vāṭi payaḥ
pūrē, (up to pūrē, it is one word – there should be a hyphen at the end of the first line)
and caṁḍāla vāṭi means water in a slum area, low class people, impure people,
uncultured people, given to kāma vāda, kāma ācāra kāma bakṣa; that is called caṁḍāla
vāṭi. And payaḥ pūraḥ means a pool of water. And what type of water it will be, impure,

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because it is not a clean place. And they are often defined as svapacaḥ, dog-eaters.
payaḥ pūraḥ means a pool of water, caṁḍāla vāṭi means in the slum area. caṁḍāla vāṭi
payaḥ means in dirty water. In simple language, dirty water. Gaṅgāṁbu means pure
water. In pure as also in dirty water the sun is reflected but in the sun, there is no
difference at all.

Similarly, here also Ādi Śaṅkarācārya’s body may be reflected in Ganges water and
Canḍālā’s body may be reflected in Coovam jalam and the difference may be in the
body; but, at the ātma-level there is no difference at all. So payaḥ pūrē
biṁbitēaṁbaramaṇau, in that two reflected suns, antaram asti kiṁ? Is there any
difference in the sun? Antaram means difference. This is a question that also holds the
answer. There is no difference at all. This is example number one. In this example,
ātma is compared to the sun.

Now, a second example is given, in which ātma is compared to the sky or space. These
are the two popular examples in the śāstra. Ākāśaḥ and prakāśaḥ. The more you
compare these two, the more similarities you will find. Take sūrya prakāśa. How many
sunlights are there. Sunlight is not the soap. 😄 The all-pervading Sunlight is only one.
Ātma is one caitanyaṁ.

Sunlight is formless. Solar disc has a form, but the sunlight is formless. Consciousness
is formless; sunlight pervades - consciousness pervades; sunlight illumines and
consciousness also illumines. Sunlight is unaffected by the impurities and
consciousness is unaffected by any impurity. The more you study, the more the
similarities. Asaṅgatvam, ēkatvam; sarvagatatvaṁ, śuddatvam, prakāśakatvam,
akṛtṛtvam, abhōktrṭvam. I think you understand. Sunlight is neither karta, nor bhōktā.
In sunlight, people do activities. But sunlight as such is neither a karta nor bhōkta. And
therefore sun is taken as an important example for Ātma. In the upaniṣads itself:

Sūryō yathā sarvalōkasya cakṣuḥ

na lipyatē cākṣuṣai bāhya dōsaiḥ ।
ēkastatā sarvabhūtāntarātma
na lipyatē lōka duḥkhēna bāhyaḥ ॥ Kaṭōpaṇiṣad ॥

In the Gita 13th chapter.

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yathā prakāśayatyēkaḥ kr̥tsnaṁ lōkamimaṁ raviḥ |

kṣētraṁ kṣētrī tathā kr̥tsnaṁ prakāśayati bhārata || 13-34||

Here Canḍāla also gives the example of ākāśa and prakaśa.

Similarly if you take ākāśa also, space and consciousness are similar in so many cases.
Both are formless, both are all pervading, both are indivisible, both are only one; both
accommodates everything; both are actionless. Then why can’t you say Space is Ātma.
You cannot ask that. They are similar in many respects. But the main difference is one
is jaḍam and the other is cētanam. One is jaḍam means which one; do not tell Ātma is
jaḍam. Ātma is cētanam and ākāśa is jad̩ah.

Here ākāśa example is given by the upaniṣad, Gīta, etc. Canḍāla also gives the same
example. He says there may be space enclosed in golden vessel, because space is all-
pervading. Therefore in a golden pot also space is there as also in the mud pot. And the
mud-pot may be used as a spittoon even. Dirty pot and in the golden pot, something
nice like pannir or honey may have been kept. Even though there is difference in the
containers, the content-space is one and the same. There is no question of pure-space
and impure-space.

Similarly, Canḍāla -śarīram is one container and dvija-śarīram is another container.

Perhaps, the body-containers- may have gradation; but, the content, that is, the ātma
and the caitanya, there is no difference at all.

Why do you feel Canḍālā’s-ātma is inferior and Ādi Śaṅkarācārya’s-ātma is superior?

Therefore, kāṁcanaghaṭī mr̥tkumbhayōrvāṁbarē. Earlier he said maṇi; now he is
saying about aṁbaram. Maṇi means the gem in the space, that is the sun. And the
second example, aṁbarē, in space. Two types of space; one is kāñcana ghaṭi, the space
enclosed in a golden pot, or kāñcanam means gold, ghaṭi means pot; and mr̥tkumbhaḥ
means mud pot. So kāṁcanaghaṭī mr̥tkumbhayōrvāṁbarē. The aṁbara, saptami
dvivacanam; the space which is in the gold pot and in the mud pot, what is the difference
in space. Here also the question contains the answer, there is no difference in space
between one pot and the other.

If this is understood by you, Caṇḍāla is addressing Śankara, (you see here: Śankara was

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teaching the whole world and that Śankara the Caṇḍāla is cornering!); if you know this
this example very well, then the same is applicable to ātma also; whether you take the
example of reflection or whether you take the example of enclosing. Technically we talk
about the pratibiṁbavāda, and avacchēda-vāda. Whether you take Pratibiṁbavāda
example (what is that – the reflected sun – this is called pratibiṁbavāda or abhāsa vāda)
and the enclosed space example is called avacchēda- vāda. Whether you a r e a follower
of the pratibiṁba-vāda or whether you are the follower of avacchēda-vāda, the net
result is what? ātma is one and the same. That is said in the third and fourth lines of this
slōka. And the first two lines are dṛṣṭānta; third and the fourth is the dārṣṭānta.

Now Caṇḍāla is defining the Ātma. What type of Ātma it is.

Pratyag vastuni nistaraṅga sahaja ānanda avabōdha āṁbudhau; both words indicating
ātma. What type of ātma; vastuni, vastu can be taken as sadrūpē ātmani. Ātma which is
of the nature of existence. Vasati asti iti vastu. Vastu is derived from the root √ vas; vas
means to dwell, to live, to exist. So vāstu means what that which exists eternally. In short,
sadvastu. So vastu means sadrūpa ātmani. Later you find the word avabōdha; means
cidrūpē ātmani. Ātma which is the nature of existence, Ātma which is the nature of
cidrūpam means consciousness and ānanda. If you join these three words, in the ātma
which is saccidānanda svarūpaḥ.

And further what type of ātma it is? Niśtaraṅga sahaja; niśtaraṅga means without any
division, nirvikalpaḥ. In caitanya, in consciousness there is no division at all. Indivisible,
undivided consciousness ātma. And sahaja should be added to sat- rūpa, cit-rūpa and
ānanda-rūpa. So the Ātma, whose nature is nature existence; natural consciousness
and natural ānanda. Sahaja means natural, innate, intrinsic. Why does Śankaracārya
add this adjective? Why do we talk about natural beauty, etc.? We talk about natural
because we know a lot about artificial beauty. S o t h a t i s b o r r o w e d b e a u t y . That
means what? When that person is dressed up wonderful. You visit that person at home
without prior appointment, you would not like to see him. Borrowed beauty. Since there
is these two, borrowed property: incidental borrowed property. Another won is natural,
we call it, innate, intrinsic. In Sānskrit they are known as āgantuka dharmaḥ and
svābhāvika dharmaḥ.

When the body is sentient, the sentiency of the body is āgantukam or svabhāvikam?

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so the sentiency of the body is incidental or innate? It is incidental; how do you know?
If you wait for some time, you will know. When the body dies it becomes insentient. If
sentiency is innate, the body, what will happen; it will never die. Body will be eternally
alive. Therefore body has got āgantuka caitanyaṁ; whereas ātma has got svābhāvika
caitanyaṁ. So cit is innate to ātma; sat is innate to ātma; ānanda is also innate to ātma.
And therefore ātma is defined as sahaja saccidānanda rūpaḥ. And it is compared to
aṁbudiḥ means ocean. Ātma is ocean of existence, consciousness and pūrṇatvaṁ. And
what type of ocean. Nistaraṅga; divisionless ocean.

More in the next class.

Class 2

Introductory Verse 2 contd.

annamayādannamayamathavā caitanyamēva caitanyāt |

yativara dūrīkartuṁ vāñchasi kiṁ brūhi gaccha gacchēti ॥

kim gaṁgāmbudhi biṁbitēmbaramaṇau caṁḍāla vāṭi payaḥ |

pūrēcā antaramasti kāṁcanaghaṭī mr̥tkumbhayōrvāṁbarē? ||
pratyagvastuni nistaraṅgasahajānandāvabōdhāmbudhau |
viprō:'yaṁ śvapacō:'yamityapi mahānkō:'yaṁ vibhēdabhramaḥ |

When Ādi Śaṅkarācārya asked this Canḍāla to get away, the Canḍāla who is none other
than Lord Śiva, asked a question whether the annamaya should get away from
annamaya or whether the body should get away from body or whether ātma should get
away from ātma. One cannot say body should get away, because there is no difference
in the body, all bodies being equally pañca-bhautikam and equally impure. From the
standpoint of ātma there is no difference at all.

That idea is explained in the second verse. Pratyagvastuni nistaraṅga

sahajānandāvabōdhāmbudhau vibhēdabhramaḥ kaḥ. Vibhēdaḥ means division or
difference. Where is the difference in the ātma? What is the nature of ātma?
Saccindānanda svarūpa ātma? The word vastu indicates sat and the word avabōdha
indicates cit, the word ānanda is ānanda. Saccidānanda ātmani kaḥ bhēdaḥ? There is
no Brāhmaṇa-ātma and there is no Canḍāla-ātma at all.

There are further descriptions regarding ātma. One word is aṁbudhau; ambhudhiḥ
means ocean; so aṁbu dhīyatē, nidhīyatē asmin iti aṁbudhiḥ. Dhiḥ means reservoir.
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Aṁbu means water. A huge reservoir of water, namely ocean.

So Ātma is like the ocean, in the sense that it is all- pervading and it is non-dual and
all the pluralities in the ocean are nāma-rūpa alone. Wave is nāma-rūpa, bubble is nāma-
rūpa, ripple is nāma-rūpa. Ocean is the only substance. Similarly, ātma is the only
substance; everything else is nāma-rūpa only. That is signified in this example.

And what type of ātma it is. Nistharaṅga aṁbudhiḥ. It is a waveless-ocean. It is

divisionless-ocean because divisions are purely nāma-rūpa division which cannot be
counted at all.

Third-adjective is pratyag-vasthuni; the ātma which is pratyag. It means ‘within’. Within

means the innermost-core of the individual. It is only an expression. It should not be
taken literally, because if I say ātma is inside the body, then it will mean ātma is smaller
than the body, because whatever is inside, something is smaller than that something.
We are inside the hall, because we are smaller than the room. Mike is inside, Chair is
inside; fan is inside. You cannot say mountain is inside, for it cannot be accommodated.
If you really take ātma is inside, then it will become smaller than the body, right? The
word ‘inside’ Ādi Śaṅkarācārya beautifully translates as upalabdhi stānam. Ātma can be
discovered inside but is present everywhere.

sadā sarvagatō:'pyātmā na sarvatrāvabhāsatē |

buddhāvēvāvabhāsēta svacchēṣu pratibimbavat || ātma bōdha 17 ||

Ātma is not inside. It is discovered inside. It is present everywhere.

And therefore “Inside” is figurative. So this inside, ocean-like, waveless, saccidānanda

ātma. Where is the question of brāhmaṇa and Canḍāla? Both are in saptami vibhakti,
Pratyagvastuni nistaraṅga sahajānandāvabōdhāmbudhau ātmani vibhēda kathaṁ. If
the division is not there, still we see the vision it must be, what: bhramaḥ or illusion.
Why then is the confusion of differences?

It is not an ordinary difference but it is a mahān, very big difference, because it is the
confusion about the big ātma. So mahān vibhēdabhramaḥ kōyam; You are a dvija varaḥ;
you are supposed to have learned so much. Why do you have such a confusion - asks
Canḍāla to Ādi Śankarācārya? That confusion is restated ‘ayam vipraḥ’; ’ayaṁ svapacaḥ’
iti bhēda, it should be connected like that. This is vipraḥ means Brāhmaṇa ātma. What

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is the difference between dvija and vipraḥ. If one person gets sacred thread initiation
he becomes dvijah and if he studies the vēda and also follows vēdic way of life, that dvija
is raised to the status of vipraḥ. Vēda pāṭēna viprasyāt, Brahmaṇō Brahma vēdanāt.
When Brahma-jñānam is attained, then alone one deserves the title Brāhmaṇa. Before
that he is ‘would be brāhmaṇa’ or pseudo-brāhmaṇa. He is only dvijah. So ayaṁ vipraḥ,
ayaṁ Canḍālaḥ iti mahān bhibhēda brahmaḥ kaḥ. Why such a confusion? To call
oneself Brāhmaṇa or Canḍāla is the result of confusion alone. Hearing this Ādi
Śankarācārya’s eyes are opened as it were. He comes out with ātma-jñānam in the
following five verses. Hereafter alone Manīṣā Pañcakam begins. The introduction is
over.

Verse 1

जाग्रत्तवप्नितषतप्ततषत तफतितरा या िंतवदुज्जृम्भते

या ब्रह्माटदतपपीसलकान्ततनतषत प्रोता जगत्िाक्षिणी ।
िैवािं न च दृश्यवस्ततत्वतत दृढप्रज्ञातप यतयास्तत चे-
च्चाण्िालोऽततत ि तत तिजोऽततत गतरुररत्येषा मनीषा मम ॥ १॥

jāgratsvapnasuṣuptiṣu sphuṭatarā yā saṁvidujjr̥mbhatē

yā brahmādipipīlikāntatanuṣu prōtā jagatsākṣiṇī |
saivāhaṁ na ca dr̥śyavastviti dr̥ḍhaprajñāpi yasyāsti cē-
ccāṇḍālō:'stu sa tu dvijō:'stu gururityēṣā manīṣā mama || 1 ||

In some books ccāṇḍālō:'stu reading is also there. That is also OK.

Now in the first four verses Ādi Śaṅkarācārya brings out the meaning of the four maha
vākyaṁs occurring in the four vēdās.

We have seen the definition of mahā-vākyaṁs. One definition is jīvātma paramātma

aikya bōdhaka vākyam mahā vākyam. A statement which reveals the oneness of jīvātma
and paramātma. Jīvātma is the essence of the micro, the individual and paramātma is
the essence of the macro, the total. This is one and the same. Just as the essence of
the wave - micro and essence of the ocean - the macro; the essence is one water alone.
Like the essence of the individual is called jīvātma and the essence of total is called
paramātma. Both are one. Any statement that reveals this identity is called mahā
vākyam.

There is another technical-definition also which I don’t̩ want to elaborate. It is for your
information. Akandārtha bōdhaka vākyam, mahā vākyam.

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In the vēdās, we have got countless mahā vākyams. We should remember that mahā
vākyams are not four alone. Mahā vākyams are four thousands or four lakhs and many
are there. We choose one mahā vākyam from one vēda, as a sample to show that all
the vēdās are uniform in their teaching. To show the uniformity, to show gati-
sāmānya-nyāyah (in Brahma-sūtra language), all the vēdās teach uniformly without
contradicting themselves; to show that we take one example from each vēda. From .Rg
vēda, the mahā vākyam taken is Prajñānam Brahma. This occurs in Aitarēya upaniṣad.
From Yajur vēda, mahā vākyam sample is Aham Brahma Asmi. This occurs in
Bṛhadāraṇyaka upaniṣad. From Sāma vēda, the mahā vākyam sample is Tat Tvam Asi
taken from Cāndōgya upaniṣad. From Atharvaṇa vēda, the sample mahā vākyam is
Ayam Ātma Brahma, occurring in Mān̩dūkya upaniṣad.

The commentators point out that, for Manīṣā Pañcakam also there are two
commentaries. They are elaborate. These commentators point out that each verse is
written keeping in background only one maha vākyam.First verse explains the r̩ g
vēda mahā vākyam Prajñānam Brahma.

Then why should there be Manīṣā Pañcakam? The fifth one is conclusion with phala
śruti.

First I will give you the essence of the first slōka. Each verse is significant. You can talk
any amount. Each one brings out the entire vēdāntic teaching. Vēdāntic learning has to
take place in stages.

The first stage of the learning is understanding the nature of consciousness because of
which the body is alive and sentient. This is the first lesson in vēdānta. Learning the
nature of consciousness which makes the body alive, sentient, cētanam. What is the
lesson we learn from the scriptures?

I have talked about this several times. I will remind that.

Number one is consciousness is not a part, property or product of the body.

Conciousness is not a part of the body like the nail or hair, a property like the colour
weight etc. or a product of the body like various enzymes blood such alike of the body.
There is no consciousness-enzyme producing glands. It is not a product also. This is
Number one. It is the most unique one, because as far as scientists are concerned still

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they are not clear about relationship between consciousness and matter. Consciousness
is the biggest puzzle in science. They do not even know in which branch of science it
should come. I read a book; each scientist is so confused and he wants to give the baby
to the other science, you many ‘ologies’ you have isn’t it? Every science is confused.
Vēdānta gives a revealing statement that consciousness cannot be connected to any
form of matter. So it is not part, property or product of matter.

Number two is consciousness is an independent entity which pervades and enlivens

the body. It is an independent entity which pervades and enlivens the body. This is the
second lesson.

The third lesson is that this consciousness which is different from the body and which
pervades the body is not limited by the boundaries of the body. That means it
pervades and it extends beyond the body the peripheries of the body and therefore
only, it does not have the shape of the body; in short it is shapeless. That is the corollary
we get. It shapelessly-extends beyond the peripheries or boundaries of the body.

The fourth lesson is that this consciousness continues to exist even after the
body is destroyed. Brain is destroyed; cells are destroyed. Neurons are destroyed. Even
after all the parts of the body is destroyed, consciousness survives.

And the fifth and for the time being final lesson is this surviving consciousness cannot
interact with the world, not because it is absent, but because the medium of
interaction is gone or is not functioning.

Just as when the bulb is fused, we don’t say there is no electricity. Power is present, but
the medium through which it expresses itself through the bulb is not there. If you want
to test, do it; by placing the hand. Instant realisation; vidēha mukti. So, therefore, non-
transaction is not the end of consciousness.

At the time of death, only the transaction ends, but not the consciousness. That is
why we say, death is exactly like sleep. In sleep transaction ends. Are you gone? No.
You get up early. That is why you happily go to sleep, in the middle of the class also😥.
It is because you know that in sleep, I may stop my transactions but the non-transacting-
I is not the non-existent-I. Thus, consciousness is of such a nature.

So remember, Consciousness is not part, product or property of the body.

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Consciousness is an independent entity which pervades and enlivens the body.

Consciousness is not limited by the boundaries of the body. Consciousness continues to
exist even after the death of the body. That surviving-Consciousness does not transact,
not because it is absent, but because it does not have the medium of transaction.

The transacting-consciousness is called vyakta-caitanyam and when the body is not

there, the caitanyam obtaining is avyakta-caitanyam. Vyakta rūpēṇa vā avyakta rūpēṇa
vā caitanam sarvada sarvatra asti. This is the primary lesson, Lḳg of vēdānta. This
caitanyam is called Prajñānam in Aitarēya upaniṣad and jñānam in Taittirīya upaniṣad.
Satyam jñānam anantam Brahma. That jñānam of Taittariyam and Prajñānam of
Aitarēya refer to this consciousness alone.

Then the next Kg. Ukg or Lkg. Whatever it is. The next lesson is that this consciousness
which enlivens the body, not only enlivens this body, it is the same consciousness which
enlivens all the bodies. So there is only one indivisible all-pervading consciousness,
which enlivens all the bodies. Yā Brāhmādi pipīlikānta tanuṣu prōta; we are going to see
later. Secret. That alone enlivens the microbes also and Brahmāji’s four-head also. So
caitanyaṁ sarvagataṁ. This is the second lesson.

The third lesson, which we do not use here, but I am just adding, to complete the
teaching. The first part is what? This caitanyam alone is real; there is no matter at all,
other than this caitanyam. The entire matter is mitya nāma-rūpa and it is non-
substantial. Matter is non-substantial and the only substance is this Prajñānam.

Normally what we experience? Matter seems to be tangible and substantial; and

consciousness seems to be non-tangible and non-substantial. Vēdānta comes to the
opposite conclusion. See the daring of Vēdānta. Vēdānta says only substance is
consciousness.

If someone asks the question, how can the non-tangible consciousness appear as
tangible-matter, our answer is ask the science itself: how come non-tangible energy
become or appear as tangible-matter? If non-tangible energy can appear as tangible-
matter, why cannot non-tangible consciousness also appear as matter? So what is the
third lesson? Caitanyam satyam; sarvam anyat mitya. Jaḍam sarvam mitya. Only in the
third lesson, advaita-siddhi takes place. Till then we are in dvaitaṁ only. So the third
lesson is the culmination lesson which is, generally, elaborately, taught in Māṇḍūkya

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upaniṣad. Third chapter is Advaita Prakaraṇam, kārika No.48.

न कक्षिज्जायते जीवः िम्भवोऽतय न तवद्यते ।

एतत्तदुत्तमं ित्यं यत्र तकस्तञ्चन्न जायते ॥ ४८ ॥

na kaścijjāyatē jīvaḥ sambhavō:'sya na vidyatē |

ētattaduttamaṁ satyaṁ yatra kiñcinna jāyatē || 48 ||

मृल्लोितवतफतसलङ् गाद्यैः िृतियाू चोटदतान्यथा ।

उपायः िोऽवताराय नास्तत भेदः कथञ्चन ॥ १५ ॥

mr̥ llōhavisphuliṅgādyaiḥ sr̥ ṣṭiryā cōditānyathā |

upāyaḥ sō:'vatārāya nāsti bhēdaḥ kathañcana || 15 ||

Consciousness alone is. This is third and final lesson.

Now, in this slōka, Ādi Śaṅkarācārya confines himself to the first two lessons. What is
that? Consciousness is different from body and that consciousness is all pervading.

Now let us see how Śankarācārya deals with this. Saṁvid ujjr̥ mbhatē – saṁvid means
caitanyaṁ. So this consciousness is evident in the body and in our life. In our day-to-day
experiences, conscious is ujjr̥ mbhatē means evident, means prominently evident. You
are conscious of every word I am talking. The first word is evident because of what;
because you are a conscious being. The second word is evident because you are a
conscious being. Every moment you are conscious of every word and it is because of the
availability of consciousness. Just like when I am reading, every letter on the book is
evident, because of what? The sunlight. When is sun light evident. When I am seeing
this wall or this wall? When I am seeing this wall, this wall is not evident. When I am
seeing this wall, this wall is not evident. But Sun light is evident, when I am seeing this
wall; and this wall also. What is the reason? Because the very wall is evident because of
the sunlight only.

Similarly, when I have knowledge number one, consciousness is evident. Knowledge

number two, consciousness is evident. So what is the answer to the query when is
consciousness evident? If somebody asked when is consciousness evident? What
should you answer? You should not answer. You should ask a counter-question, when
is consciousness not evident?

Do not say, during sleep. Even during sleep also, never say consciousness is not evident.
because in sleep if nothing is evident, the non-evidence of everything else is evident,

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because of consciousness. The absence of every experience in sleep is evident or not?

It is evident because having woken up I say: I experienced nothing. That means what:
you start with I experienced. The object alone varies. In jāgrat and svapna, the object of
experience is something and in suṣupti, the object of experience is nothing. So that
means what: You experience either something or you experience nothing; you continue
to experience. That experience is the caitanyam.

Therefore Śankarācārya uses the word what: ujjṛṁbatē; prominently evident.

Kēnōpaniṣad uses the expression: pratibōdha viditaṁ mataṁ; beautiful statement. Ok.

This consciousness is evident in which state? Jāgrat, svapna or suṣupti avasta? Some
people say that No No No it is experienced only in samādhi avasta. And therefore they
sit tightly in samādhi.

Śankarācārya says: aśadu, acchupicchu; So jāgratsvapna suṣutpiṣu sphuṭatarā, it is

evident in jāgrat avasta; Śabda sparśa rūpa they vary in jāgrat avastā.

शब्दतपशाूदयो वेद्या वैडचत्र्याज्जागरे पृथक् ।

ततोतवभक्ता तत्िंतवदै क्यरूतयान्न क्षभद्यते ॥ ३॥

śabdasparśādayō vēdyā vaicitryājjāgarē pr̥ thak |

tatōvibhaktā tatsaṁvidaikyarūpyānna bhidyatē || 3||

This is how Vidyāraṇya begins his Pañcadaśi. First lesson of Pañcadaśi is this. So saṁvid,
jāgrat, in the waking state it is evident. And suppose suddenly you start dreaming: I
hope not😄. But you start dream of Madras (because you are caught up in cold here
and you dream that it would have been better being in Madras), 😄. So when you are
dreaming, my words become non-evident, but that dream is evident because of what?
Consciousness. So svapna suṣuptiṣu. In sleep also the blankness is illumined by
caitanyaṁ.

There is an important law in Vēdānta. The law is: nissākṣika śunyatā nāsti. I will explain.
It is a very important law. What is that?

You cannot talk about ‘nothingness’ without witnessing ‘nothingness’. Suppose you say
in the class when I came early, nobody was there. How do you know? If you are talking
about nobody in this hall, it is only because you came and witnessed. Otherwise I can
never say nobody was there at 9.30 in the class. Why, I never came here. I can guess

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there might not be anybody. But I cannot assert that nobody was there, unless I had
witnessed the no bodiness. That means what?

If witness is necessary to talk about nothingness, the so-called nothingness, is with a

witness. If knowledge of nothingness requires a witness and when there is no question
of nothingness without a witness; the conclusion is what: there is no such thing called
nothing at all. Because whenever you talk of nothingness, there is a witness. Therefore,
nothingness only means there is nothing other than me, the witness.

Remember always. Nothing always means there is nothing-other-than-I-the-witness-

consciousness was there. So when he said: Nobody was there in the hall, what did it
mean? Nobody other than Me was there. That is the only meaning. Not absolute
nobody. Somebody is there. Therefore in suṣupti never say nothing is there: in suṣupti,
nothing other than I the witness consciousness was there. Therefore in suṣupti
consciousness is evident, making the nothingness evident to you.

Therefore, jāgrat svapna suṣuptiṣu, in all the three states, saṁvid, the consciousness,
ujjṛṁbatē; is evident, how? Sputatarā; very clearly evident. So you need not work for
the experience of ātma. One experience you need not work for in life.😄 Every other
blessed-experience you have to work for. For every mystic-experience you have to work
for. You may get or you may not get it. If there is one anubhava you need not work for,
it is ātma-anubhava. Unfortunately many sādhakās are working for ātma-anubhava.
Swāmiji, that anubhavam did not come; when will it come. When you are hit on the head
with the knuckles. One thing you need not work for is ātma-anubhava or Brahma-
anubhava. That is why Dayānanda Swāmiji repeatedly says: we do not require the
experience of Brahman; we have to work for only understanding of the ever
experienced Brahman, because we have got some misconceptions regarding the ever
experienced consciousness. Those misconceptions we have to remove.

Therefore Śankara says: jāgrat svapna suṣuptiṣu saṁvid sputatarā ujjṛṁbatē. Ujjṛṁbatē
means prominently evident. Lesson No.1 over. That there is Conciousness in all the
three states of experience.

Then the second lesson is what? That this consciousness, which is within my body, is
the same consciousness which is in every body. That is said in the second line. Yā, the
same consciousness, prōtā, is inherent, informed, pervade; where:

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brahmādipipīlikāntatanuṣu, tanuḥ means śarīrams. So in all bodies beginning from

Brahmā. Brahma means Hiraṇyagarbha, or Brahmāji (not Brahman, careful – Mr.
Saraswathy – OK!) pipīlikānta, pipīlika means ant (ant is very small! but the name is so
big you see!). So brahmādipipīlikāntatanuṣu prōtā, prōtā means it is inherent. Sūtrē
maṇigaṇā iva, and therefore only jagatsākṣiṇī. The consciousness is not only the witness
of the microcosm, the same conciousness is the witness of the microcosm also.

When the Conciousness is witness of the microcosm, from that angle you call it jivātma;
and when the very same Consciousness when it is seen as the witness of the macro
universe, the same caitanyam, you call it paramātma. By itself what is it. It is neither
jīvātma nor paramātma. Then what? It is only ātma. So caitanyaṁ is ātma, from
micro-standpoint it is jīvātma and from macro-standpoint it is paramātma. Just what
you have in your mind.

Just as someone calls, what is this place called. This is Risikēsh, because you have so
many other places in your mind. If you are keeping that in mind, this is ṛiṣikēśh. Suppose
we are talking about the various States of India, in which it belongs do you know?; this
is UP (now different).

Then suppose we are talking about different nations, what is this. The space remaining
the same, you say this is India. Then you are talking about continent; then it is Asia;
Planet, then this is earth. Galaxy; this is Milky Way. So place remaining the same, what
boundary you are keeping in mind that will determine the name that you attribute.

Similarly, Consciousness is one, but when you keep this body in mind, it is Jīvātma, but
when you take the entire universe, it is called paramātma.

That consciousness which is the witness of everything from Brahmāji to the ant is
Aham Asmi. That consciousness I am. And therefore, he combines both and t h e mahā
vākyam comes in the third line, sā ēva ahaṁ. This is called mahāvākyam. Sā ēva ahaṁ.
Sa means what; that Conciousness which is the witness of the entire creation, that
paramātma caitanyaṁ, brahmādipipīlikāntatanuṣu prōtā yā saṁvid vartatē, sa saṁvid
ēva āhaṁ asmi. That I am.

What is the meaning of the word-I. Not the stūla sūks̩ma or kāran̩a sarīra, but I means
the caitanyaṁ, which is five points: which is different from the body, which pervades the

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body, which enlivens the body, that which survives the death of the body, that I, the
caitanyaṁ, is the All-Witness.

And na ca dr̥ śyavastu, I am not anything-experienced. I am ever-the-experiencer, dṛg

ēva, na tu dṛśyatē, never the-experienced. I am ever the-seer, never the-seen. Ever the
experiencer, never the experienced. The world comes under the experienced- category
and the body comes under experienced-category, mind comes under the experienced-
category and every thought comes under experienced-category; I am none of them. na
ca dr̥ śyavastu, iti. Up to this is quotation. This particular fact one should know.

In life if something is worth knowing, this particular fact, one should know.

And not only one should know, dr̥ ḍha-prajñā. It should be my conviction. So if
somebody asks two questions, I should not become vague, you know. Are you sure? I
think. No. There should not be any vagueness in this knowledge. All the mananams are
done for my conviction.

Remember, we are not doing mananam to convince other people. We have no duty to
convince others. If you try that, you will be in trouble. There are some people, who wants
to be convinced. What do you do? Because they have fallen in love with their doubts. So
therefore never attempt to convince others. You have to do all the attempt to convince
others. And that is called dr̥ ḍha-prajñā. This is the sthita prajñā of the second chapter of
the Gīta.

Śankaracārya says whoever has got this conviction, he is great, irrespective of his jāti,
irrespective of his āśrama, irrespective of that person’s gender, irrespective of
everything. This knowledge makes the person great.

So Śaṅkarācārya says: iti dr̥ ḍha-prajñā yasya asti; whichever person has this conviction,
saḥ mama guruḥ. I consider that person to be my guru. That means I revere that
person. I will not hesitate to do sās̩tāṅga namaskāra to that person. And I will not
enquire what the gōtram or what sūtram, because we are used to that caste-abhimāna.

So even when they meet a sanyāsi, they try to indirectly find out what gōtram he is.
Thereafter only think of doing namaskāra to him. So to even a sanyāsi they do not want
to do namaskāra, because we are great Brāhmānās. And this person does not know
Gāyatri properly. 😄. Brāhmaṇa abhimāna without Brāhmaṇa guṇaḥ. That is improper.
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On the other hand, if you have Brāhmaṇa guṇa, whatever be your jāti, (we have analysed
this in cātur-varṇya context).

So Śankarācārya says Canḍālaḥ astu; let him be a Caṇdāla, sa tu dvijaḥ astu, let him be
a dvija, let him be a jāti- brāhmaṇa or karma-brāhmaṇa, saḥ mama guruḥ. He is a jñāni
(whenever I say He it includes She also – do not feel bad, whether He or She – that is the
new thing that there should not be any ‘gender-discrimination’. And we do not have a
single pronoun for including both – that is the trouble! 😥; so every time he or she, he or
she; - I think She is better, because He is included; I think that is the nice word). So She is my
Guru. Iti ēṣa, mama manīṣa. This is my niścayaḥ. This is my conviction.

More in the next class.

Class 3

Verse 1

kim gaṁgāmbudhi biṁbitēmbaramaṇau caṁḍāla vāṭi payaḥ |

pūrēcā antaramasti kāṁcanaghaṭī mr̥ tkumbhayōrvāṁbarē? ||
pratyagvastuni nistaraṅgasahajānandāvabōdhāmbudhau |
viprō:'yaṁ śvapacō:'yamityapi mahānkō:'yaṁ vibhēdabhramaḥ |

jāgratsvapnasuṣuptiṣu sphuṭatarā yā saṁvidujjr̥ mbhatē

yā brahmādipipīlikāntatanuṣu prōtā jagatsākṣiṇī |
saivāhaṁ na ca dr̥ śyavastviti dr̥ ḍhaprajñāpi yasyāsti cē-
ccāṇḍālō:'stu sa tu dvijō:'stu gururityēṣā manīṣā mama || 1||

Inspired by Lord Śiva, who came in the form of a Canḍāla, Ādi Śaṅkarācārya brings out
his wisdom in these five verses giving the essence of the mahā vākyas. In the first verse
he brought out the essence of r̩ g vēda maha vākyam Prajñānaṃ Brahma. And I said in
this verse, the first two lessons of vēdāntic teaching have been introduced.

The first lesson is recognizing consciousness as an independent-principle, separate

from the body-mind-complex. So thus, I am the consciousness different from my body-
mind-complex is the first lesson.

The second lesson is that I, the consciousness, which is different from body-mind-
complex; is the same consciousness which is behind all the bodies and minds.

Yā brahmādipipīlikāntatanuṣu prōtā jagatsākṣiṇī saṁvid vartatē, sā saṁvid ēva mama

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avasta traya sākṣi rūpēṇa aparōkṣataya sarvada prakāśatē.

These are the first two lessons.

And yesterday I said the teaching is incomplete because, even when I come to recognize
one consciousness distinct from all matter, still I continue to be in duality, because there
is a witnessed-world, which is a matter; and the witness-consciousness, which is the
spirit. Thus still we are continuing within dvaitam alone.

And therefore, a third lesson is required, in which matter and consciousness separation
should be removed, in which alone advaita-siddhi is possible, and therefore, that lesson
will be introduced in the next verse. Ādi Śaṅkarācārya goes step by step.

Having introduced this much, Śankara says: whoever has got this conviction, whether
he is a Canḍāla or Brāhmaṇa, he is wise and great and therefore, I offer my prostrations.
I look upon him as my very guru himself.

Before going to the second verse, I would like to have a small diversion and answer a
possible incidental-question.

In the first verse that is given by Canḍāla (pratyagvastuni); also and in the first verse of
Manīṣā Pañcakam also (jāgrat-svapna), we have seen no difference at all in anyone.
Everyone is none other than caitanyaṁ, in which there is no caste difference; kōyam
bhibhēda brahmaḥ. The very distinction is a bhrama, a confusion.

This may lead to a question - does that mean that śāśtra permits everyone to do every
karma without restriction? That is, brahmacāri gṛhastha vānaprastha and sannyāsa,
these four aśramas, distinct karmās are prescribed. Similarly for four varṇās, kṣatriya,
brāhmaṇa, śūdra and vyśya, and for each one varṇa dharmas are also prescribed.

Rājasūya yajna can be performed only by ks̩atriyas. Brahmaṇa however learned and
great he may be cannot perform Rājasūya. Similarly, Vyśyastōma is a yāga which can be
performed only by a vyśya and it cannot be performed by brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya.

In karma-kān̩d̩a there are instructions for each varn̩a and each āśrama; should we
accept those distinctions? Or based on Manīṣā Pañcakam and we can rule them out and
say that brāhmaṇa is also nirgun̩a-ātma and kṣatriya also is a nirgun̩a-ātma and
brahmacāri is also nirgun̩a-ātma. Can everyone perform every karma? Because
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everyone is what? caitanyam basically.

Thus, the basic question of karma-kāṇḍa vidhi-nis̩ēdās will come whether they are ruled
out by this ślōka. In fact, in his Gīta Bhāṣyam Śankarācārya in his commentary for this
slōka: Vidyā vinaya saṁpannē brahmanē gavi hastini; śuni caiva śvapākē ca panditāḥ
sama darśinaḥ, has raised this question and asks: Does Advaita darśanam mean that
everyone should be treated alike or should differences be recognized at vyāvahārika
level. Should differences be recognised and treated accordingly at vyāvahārika level or
in the name of advaita, should everyone and every person be treated alike.

Ādi Śaṅkarācārya himself answers that question saying that at vyavahārika-level,

transactional-level, differences do exist and therefore, our conduct must be in keeping
with that. Samāsamābhyam viṣama samē bhujātaḥ.

Ādi Śaṅkarācārya gives this example also. In yāga śala four Brahmaṇās are there.
There is one caturvēdi, one trivēdi one dvivēdi and ēkavēdi. Caturvēdi is one who has
read all the four vēdās and another knows only three and two and one respectively. Ādi
Śaṅkarācārya stops with that and now we have to add another one who knows nothing.
😄. In Śankarā’s times, minimum they knew one vēda. Ādi Śaṅkarācārya says in the yāga
śālā, tāra-taṁyam scholarship / education should be recognized and daks̩iṇa should be
accordingly. You cannot say Cchāndālōstu ...etc.; all are ātma. Then Śankara will ask why
give dakṣina to Ātma. If you are talking in terms of Ātma, why dakṣina at all.

Once you have come to karma, you have come to anātma. In ātma, there is no
vyavahāra. All the vyavahāras are in anātma and in anātma differences are there. I have
to accept those differences. I have to treat accordingly. That is dharma.

That is why Ādi Śaṅkarācārya says elsewhere:

bhāvād dvitam sada kurvāt; kriya dvaitaṁ na karhicit ।

advaitaṁ triṣu lōkēsu, nadvitam guruṇa saha ॥

Bhāvād dvitam sada kurvāt, in your understanding advaita-dr̩ s̩ti should be there, but
kriya dvaitaṁ na karhicit. Once you have come to transactional-level, it is all anātma;
differences have to be accepted. Advaitaṁ triṣu lōkēsu, advaitic-vision should be there
everywhere, but nadvitam guruṇa saha. After advaitaṁ study, do not go to your guru
and say: Oh! Gurō, until now, I did namaskāra to you; but for a change why can’t you do

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one for me! It is all advaitaṁ you know. Na gurur na siṣyaḥ. Why all this. So Śankara
wants na advaitaṁ guruṇa saha.

And that is why even the greatest advaitins when given biks̩a he knows that the plate is
also Brahman and rot̩ t̩ i is also Brahman. But when he eats, he only eats! thank God rot̩ t̩ i.
We have problems. Or we all will have brahma darśanam.

Imagine all of you have brahma-darśanam. If you take a plate what will happen? Plate
and food are different. In vyavahāra, plate is plate, food is food. Therefore, Varn̩a
āsrama bhēdās have to be acknowledged and accepted and implicitly followed in
vyavahāra. Manīṣā Pañcakam does not refute the basic dharma śāstra. What it talks
about is the parāmārthika dṛṣti.

This is an aside corollary. Many people quote Manīṣā Pañcakam and justify the akramas
they try to do. It cannot be. One must follow śāstram. Tasmāt śāstram pramāṇam tē
kārya akārya vyavastithau. Vēdānta is not pramāṇam for vyavahāra and dharma śāstra
is pramāṇam for vyavahāra.

Now we will turn to the second verse of the Maniṣa Pañcakam but the fourth verse of
the whole text.

Verse 2

ब्रह्मैवािडमदं जगच्च िकलं डचन्मात्रतवतताररतं

िवुं चैतदतवद्यया तत्रगतणयाऽशेषं मया कस्तल्पतम् ।
इत्थं यतय दृढा मततः ितखतरे तनत्ये परे तनमूले
चाण्िालोऽततत ि तत तिजोऽततत गतरुररत्येषा मनीषा मम ॥ २॥

brahmaivāhamidaṁ jagacca sakalaṁ cinmātravistāritaṁ

sarvaṁ caitadavidyayā triguṇayā:'śēṣaṁ mayā kalpitam |
itthaṁ yasya dr̥ḍhā matiḥ sukhatarē nityē parē nirmalē
cāṇḍālō:'stu sa tu dvijō:'stu gururityēṣā manīṣā mama || 2||

Here Ādi Śaṅkarācārya gives the essence of yajur vēda mahā vākyam occurring in
Bṛhadāraṇyaka upaniṣad; and that is Aham Brahma Asmi. Bṛhadāraṇyaka upaniṣad
belongs to śukla yajur vēda and therefore, it is taken as yajur vēda mahā vākyam. Even
in Kr̥ ṣṇa yajur vēda mahā vākyam, it is there. What is it: sa yaścāyam puruṣē; yasca
vāditytē, sa ēkaḥ. It comes in Taittirīya upaniṣad. Here, śukla yajur vēda is taken.

And as I said, in this alone Ādi Śaṅkarācārya brings out the final essence that is advaita-
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siddhi. In the previous verse we had seen that I am the conscious which is evident in
jāgrat svapna suṣupti. And I am different from this body mind complex.

This I, the consciousness, am, the observer not only here but I am the observer behind
all the bodies. That means I am one consciousness, the eternal-subject and everything
else is object-matter. The matter is subject to division or changes etc.

Thus, the entire world is matter-objects. The body is matter-objects; mind is also
matter-object. And why do we say body and mind are matter; these are fundamental
lessons, I take for granted; because stūla śarīram is made up of stūla pañca-bhūtas
and sūkṣma śarīram is made up of sūkṣma pañca-bhūtas; either way both are made
up of pañca bhautikams, and bhūtānam jaḍatvāt pañca bhautika śarīratyāpi jaḍatvam
vaktavyam. So thus, we have reduced the whole world into two; dr̩ k and dṛśya; that I-
the-sentient-subject and everything else is insentient-object; ātma-anātma; cētana-
acētana and in English it is the spirit and matter (do not take any other spirit😥); the
consciousness and matter.

As I said even now we are in dvaitaṁ. Therefore, we have to find out what is the
relationship between consciousness and matter; ātma and anātma; cētanam and
acētanam. This is the fundamental question of all sciences.

All the darśanams also discuss this alone fundamentally. Some people say that matter
is fundamental and consciousness is property. In fact, Naiyāyikas, vaiśes̩ikās are
materialists. Even modern science is materialism. Matter is fundamental and
consciousness is a property, they say.

Only in Saṅkhya philosophy, they developed further and they separated consciousness
and they do not say consciousness is a property of matter; they say consciousness is an
independent entity: puruṣa-tatvam. The matter they call prakṛti and puruṣa; and prakriti
they separated and both are independently-existent and they are also dvaitins.

Are you able to see the three stages?

First stage is, matter is fundamental and consciousness is property;

Next development is what: Consciousness is independent and matter is independent

and both are eternal. Eternal.

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Whereas in advaita alone we say consciousness is fundamental and matter is incidental.

From materialism to spirituality - How do you arrive at that? How do you remove the
division or duality which is in the form of consciousness and matter or ātma and
anātma? This relationship we can never be understand by our observation. Science
cannot resolve this issue.

In fact, some scientists have even said that consciousness is beyond our observation. It
is out of our syllabus. Some scientists have agreed. Others are hopeful of finding out
what exactly it is and what the relationship with the matter is. Vēdānta says they can
never discover out, for it is apauruṣēya viṣaya; it is beyond the human instruments of
knowledge.

What is beyond the human instruments of knowledge? The relationship between

consciousness and matter. Ātma-anātma, Brahman and jagat, and wherever we cannot
know, we have to simply and humbly go to śāstra.

Pratyakṣēna anumithyēnō vā yastōpāya na vidyatē।

Ēnam vidanti vēdēna, tasmāt vēdasya vēdatā ॥

If we want to know the relationship between the two. The very definition of vēda is what
human instruments cannot understand; in those cases we approach vēdās. And what
does vēda say: Vēda says:

tasmāt vā ētasmāt ākāśa saṁbhūtaḥ, ākāśāt vāyuḥ; vāyōr agniḥ, agnīr āpaḥ, adhya pṛtvī;
pṛtviyāt ōśadayaḥ, ōṣadibhyō annaṁ; annāt puruṣaḥ;

Vēdas and upaniṣads clearly say that ātma is kāraṇam because everything else is
kāryam, the effect.

The entire material universe is kāryam. It is a product; it is an effect. It begins from what:
space onwards. What a great statement! According to śāstra, space is also a product.
We think space is eternally there and products came. No. Space itself is a product.

So, what is the relationship between ātma and anātma (consciousness and matter), if
you ask, the śāstra says the relationship is kārya-kāran̩a-sambandha. Jagat brahma
kāryam. Rāma is Daśarathā’s son and Daśaratha is Rama’s father. Jagat is Brahma-
kāryam and Brahman is jagat-kāraṇam. Do you require a Phd for that.

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From this what do you get. Everything you get. Once you know Brahman is kāraṇam
and world is kāryam, we can arrive at an important corollary and that is kāryam does
not exist separate from kāraṇam. Kāraṇam vyatiriktam kāryam nāsti. Like what? There
is no pot separate from clay. Clay is cause and pot is effect and pot, the effect does not
have a substantial-existence of its own; the effect-pot exists only in your words,
vācāraṁbanam vicārō nāmadēyam; mṛtikēva satyam. There is no substance called pot.
There is no substance called desk. We say so because there is no such thing called desk
other than wood.

Swāmiji you are doing great akramam. You are using the desk, and you do not have a
sense of gratitude! You say there is no desk at all! We say yes and we mean because
there is no such ‘thing’ called desk, other than wood. There are no ornaments other
than gold; there are no rivers other than water.

In short, there is no effects separate from clay and effect has got non-substantial
dependent-existence which cannot be counted.

If you say wood number one and desk number two, I will ask what is the weight of
the wood is and desk is. Wood 10 kg and desk 10 kg. So how much it should be? 20 kgs.
Weight of the wood is the weight of the desk; desk has no weight and it is only nāma-
rūpa. Weight of desk is weight of wood alone and desk does not have separate weight
at all. Ornaments do not have separate weight other than the gold; with which the
ornament is made of. You give five kilo and then the ornament has been made and you
should have additional weight; if the weight is not reduced, you are lucky. 😄

Therefore, kāryam mitya. Kāran̩am satyam. Mitya means that which has non-substantial
dependent existence. Therefore, only it cannot be counted. Mitya cannot be counted.
Satyam alone can be counted and therefore, between cause and effect, kārya kāran̩a
sambandha or satya mityā sambandhaḥ. Here what is kāryam and what is kāraṇam?
Caitanya-consciousness is kāraṇam and matter is kāryam and according to vēdānta,
matter does not have any weight at all. We think all the weight belongs to matter! What
a surprise. According to vēdānta, matter is non-substantial. It does not matter. 😄

So what is satyam? Consciousness is satyam. Matter is mitya. Consciousness is kāraṇam

and matter is kāryam.

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In the previous ślōka, we have seen I am consciousness; (I think you have not forgotten)
saivāhaṁ na ca dr̥śyavastviti dr̥ḍhaprajñāpi yasyāsti cē-, so that means the upaniṣad

says I am the kāraṇam and everything else is kāryam. I am the only satyam; everything
else is mitya. Maiēva sakalaṁ jātam, mayi sarvaṁ pratiṣtitam. Mayi sarvaṁ layaṁ yāti,
tat bhrāmadvyam asmyaham.

Now the question is: “Swamiji it is all nice....😄 to hear. How can I swallow this blessed
idea that I am the creator of the universe, (I do not see it) because creation existed
long before I was born. How can I be the creator of the universe? “ I feel I am a
creature in the universe and afflicted by tormented by and persecuted by the universe”.

Since it is difficult to swallow this idea, upaniṣad itself gives an example.

Just because you feel something, it need not be true. You feel so many things. Feelings
cannot be the truth. Therefore, never go by your feeling, but enquire. And it wants to
show that you can be the creator and still you can fe......el that you are a creature
because of some problem. You can be the creator and still f....eee..ḷ that you are a
creature, because of some problem.

In fact, it regularly happens to you. Are you able to understand where I am coming to?
It happens in the dream. Who is the creator of dream? I am the sr̩ s̩t̩ i kartā of dream. I
am the creator of dream-space, dream-time, and dream- objects with the help of nidrā-
śaktiḥ called vyaṣti avidya with the help of micro–avidyā, I create this dream-world.

And having created many things in the dream, I create a special body for myself also. In
some places, when they serve, there will a seat where none will be seated. At last the
server will say it is for me. I create so many things in dream and I create a body for
myself. Sō kāmayata; bahusyām praja yēyēti, tadapōtapyata; tatapatvatvāt, idaguṁ
sarvaṁ aśṛjata, yadidaṁ kiñca, tad śṛtvā; tadēvānuprāviśat.

Having created a dream- body, what do I do? I- the-waker myself choose to identify
with the dream-body. What type of dream body? A body which exists within the dream-
world and it is a limited-finite located- creature is the dream-body. And what do I do? I
identify with the dream-body and from the creator-status, I have come down to what?
Entering the dream I have become a creature in dream. Creature means a limited-
individual in dream.

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And the tragedy is, the moment I identify with the dream-body, somehow I forget the
fact that I am the creator. Ok Out.

Now the dream has become as good as waking. In the dream, all the transactions are
so serious. And I myself create thief in the dream and I make him chase me. I am
frightened of the very thief I have created (Frankenstein you call) and I run away and he
chases and I hit against something and fall and I wake up. Then I say my thief threatened
me. All this is because I identify with dream-body.

And how do I wake up? When I dis-identify with the dream-body, I wake up to discover
that I am not an individual-creature, a created-being; I am the creator myself. The
shift from created, to the creator, is purely by waking-up. Ya sākṣāt kurutē prabhōda
samayē svātmana ēvā dvayam.

The shift from created to the creator is not a physical transformation; it is not physical
event and it is mere waking-up. Prabōdaḥ ēva. If this is possible in our dream, the
upaniṣad says this blessed-world also is another type of dream alone created by who;
the very same you, the very same aśadu you.

And you the creator with the help of the macro avidyā (for creating dream-world - Micro-
avidya is nidrā) and to create this world you use what? macro-avidya called māya. You
yourself with help of your own māya have created this world, created time, created
space, and created a body for yourself. Could you have not created a better one! Ok.
Leave it. 😥 You have created a body for yourself. All wonderful! because it is all your
vibhuti.

But the tragedy is what? Having created, I have chosen to: tat śṛśtva, tad ēvānuprāviśat.
I, the creator, am now identified with one of the created bodies and I have become a
created-being, threatened by, isolated by, and tortured by ādhyātmika, ādibhautika and
ādhidaivika tāpa.

Then what you should I do then? Vēdānta says, uttiṣṭata, jāgrata, prāpya varān
nibōdhata. Just by learning the scriptures, with the help of the scriptures, may you learn
to dis-identify from this body and own up the consciousness which alone has created
this world.

And imagine in the dream, you come to know you are the creator of the dream. Normally
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it does not happen. When you know the dream as dream you have woken up. B u t
imagine a state in which you continue to be in the dream but you know that I have
done the whole thing myself. Then you will thoroughly enjoy the dream and even
congratulate yourself for such creation and say: What all things I am able to create! Even
if the dream-body is threatened, you will not be worried. Why, only dream body. I will
exist anyhow.

In the same way, when I get the wisdom, that this is a creation of the macro-avidya
called māya, and I-the-consciousness have created and I have identified that I am
transacting and on waking-up they all resolve into me alone. If I know this, then I am
sthiraprajña, I am a jñānī; ccāṇḍālō:'stu sa tu dvijō:'stu. This is the essence of this atom-
bomb ślōka! Very powerful.

Now look at the slōka. Aham brahmaiva. I am the Brahman, the creator consciousness.
The kāraṇa caitanyaṁ.

Then what about this world? Idaṁ sakalam jagat visthāritam. This entire universe is
projected by me, just as I project a dream-world, without any effort, because the entire
dream-world is in my mind in what form; vāsana rūpēna; they are all there; I have only
to throw out. Magnify. In the same way in the macro-avidya called māya, the whole
universe is there in what form? In potential form. Just as the dream-world is in my mind
in vāsana-form, tonight’s dream is already in your mind, but in what form; dormant
form; thank God! That is why you are awake! The moment you go to sleep that is thrown
open.

Similarly, in the macro-avidya it was there and that is vistāritam; magnified and thrown
out or projected. What? Idaṁ sakalam jagat.

With the help of what? Cinmātra. With the help of the pure consciousness. In Mānḍukya,
Vaitatya prakaraṇam.

कल्पयत्यात्मनात्मानमात्मा दे वः तवमायया ।
ि एव बतध्यते भेदातनतत वेदान्ततनियः ॥ १२ ॥

kalpayatyātmanātmānamātmā dēvaḥ svamāyayā |

sa ēva budhyatē bhēdāniti vēdāntaniścayaḥ || 12 ||

The same idea here. Cinmātra vistāritam. For this projection of the world, I need an

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assistant, just as for the dream-projection the assistance required is nidra.

Now nidradēvi is not there I hope, and that is why you don’t sleep. The moment the
nidradēvi envelops you, you are able to project your dream. Now here also this entire
universe is supported by what: Caitad avidyayā kalpitam. This entire universe is
projected with the help of avidya. Avidya is macro-avidya and it is called māya. And what
type of māya; triguṇaya; which has got satva guṇa, rajō-guṇa and tamō-guṇa.

And why do we talk about three guṇās? Because, in the created world, we see three
faculties: (a) as the faculty of knowing, represented by sattva-gun̩a; (b) the faculty of
doing, represented by rajō-gun̩a and (c) the faculty of inertia, which represents the
absence of both of them. When a person does not know anything or do anything, we
say he sits like a stone. It is called dravya śaktiḥ. It is the faculty of inertia in which the
kriyā-sakti and jñana-sakti are not there. Anything you take, all the three guṇās are there
in different proportions.

In fact, within one human being himself, these three faculties vary. Now throughout the
class, which faculty is functioning? Or which is supposed to be functioning? 😥 The
knowing faculty. You are not doing anything. But you are knowing.

In the night neither you know, nor do you act; for, in sleep, dravya-śakti is the tamō-
guṇa which is active.

Since three faculties are there in the creation, the māya should have them in potential
form. It is known as sattva rajas tamō-guṇaḥ. Triguṇaya, avidyaya, māyaya ētat sarvaṁ
kalpitam. All are created by me, aśēṣam; without exception. There is no exception at all.
Maya kalpitam. Maya by me. What type of Me? Not the physical body, (because that is
created) not by the mind; it is me, means the Bramaivaham, that Me. Brahma rūpēna
maya. Brahman within me. The whole thing is in quotation.

Thereafter Śankara says: itthaṁ yasya matiḥ; this fact who knows. This is the top-most
secret you should know. I am the creator, sustainer and resolver. Ahaṁ vṛkṣasya rēriva.
Kīrti pṛṣtam girēriva. This truth, yasya, matiḥ means jñānam, so the one who has such a
knowledge, with regard to what: sukhatarē nityē parē nirmalē. With regard to his
Brahman nature, and what type of Brahman? Sukhatarē which is all ānanda, nityē, which
is eternal, parē, which is absolute, nirmalē, and which is pure. All viṣaya saptami. Going

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along with matiḥ. So in this form, the one who has knowledge, with regard to, (when
you say viṣaya saptami, you have to translate as with regard to) Brahman, which is
sukhataram, nityaṁ, paraṁ and nirmalaṁ.

And not only has he had the knowledge. dr̥ ḍhā matiḥ. The knowledge in his case is free
of doubts. Doubtful-knowledge is as good as ignorance. Therefore doubtless knowledge
is called dṛdhā matiḥ. Yasya, means whichever person, whoever he be. He who has this
knowledge. Saḥ Canḍālaḥ astu.

From this, it is very clear that the liberation does not depend upon your caste. Caste
does not stand in the way of knowledge and liberation.

The reverse also we should take. Suppose there is a Canḍāla who has wisdom and a
dvija who does not have any wisdom, who is liberated and who is free. the Canḍāla will
be liberated. Dvija will be bound.

So itt is not the aśrama that matters, not the varn̩a that matters, it is not even the gender
that matters. Then what matters? Knowledge. It is the knowledge alone that matters.
Therefore whoever has this knowledge, saḥ guruḥ. He is my guruḥ.

Of course, Śankarācārya has some other guru from whom he has already learned.
Therefore he is my guru means what: he is as adorable as my guru. Iti mama maniṣa. It
is my strong conviction.

More in the next class.

Class 4

Verse 2 & 3 contd.

annamayād annamayam athavā caitanyamēva caitanyāt

yativara dūrīkartum vāṁchasi kim brūhi gaccha gacchēti

The next three verses we will read it together.

kim gaṁgāmbudhi biṁbitēmbara maṇau caṁḍāla vīdhī payaḥ

pūrēvā antaramasti kāṁcanaghaṭī mr̥ tkumbhayōrvāṁbarē?
pratyagvastuni nistaranga sahajānandāvabōdhāmbudhau viprō
ayam śvapacōyamityapi mahān kō ayam vibhēda bhramaḥ?
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jāgratsvapna suṣutpiṣu sphuṭatarā yā saṁvidujjr̥ mbhatē

yā brahmādi pipīlikānta tanuṣu prōtā jagatsākṣiṇī,
saivāhaṁ na ca dr̥ śya vastviti dr̥ ḍha prajñāpi yasyāsticē
ccaṇḍālōstu sa tu dvijōstu gururityēṣā manīṣā mama

brahmaivāhamidaṁ jagacca sakalaṁ cinmātravistāritaṁ

sarvaṁ caitadavidyayā triguṇayāśēṣaṁ mayā kalpitam
itthaṁ yasya dr̥ ḍhā matiḥ sukhatarē nityē parē nirmalē
caṇḍālōstu sa tu dvijōstu gururityēṣā manīṣā mama

In the first two verses, Śaṅkarācārya has given out the essential teachings of vēdānta.
The teaching Being: I-the-experiencer-am of the nature of consciousness; everything
else I experience is inert in nature, which includes the body mind complex as well as the
world. I-the-experiencer alone exist independently and everything else depends upon
me for its existence. Therefore it is said aham satyam jagan mitya. This is vēdānta.

I-the-consciousness am the only reality; and everything else I experience is mitya and it
is unreal. If someone asks what about god? God is satyam or mitya? Because you say,
I-the- consciousness am satyam; the entire experienced-world is mitya. Please tell me,
what about my dear god? If anyone asks me such a question, I will ask a counter
question. Is god identical with me-the-consciousness or do you mean by the word god
any experiencable object?

If a person says god is a person to me experienced, then that experiencable god also
can be experienced also will come under objective-universe and therefore, I will boldly
say that god also is mitya. Swāmiji it is difficult! Sorry.

yadīśiturvīkṣaṇamīkṣitāraṁ
avīkṣya tanmānasikēkṣaṇaṁ syāt|
na draṣṭuranyaḥ paramō hi tasya
vīkṣā svamūlē pravilīya niṣṭhā ||22||

Saddarsanam – Rāmaṇa Maharṣi.

Ramaṇa Maharsi says a god seen by you other than you is also mitya, why, dṛśyatvāt
ghaṭavat. Poor god is reduced to a pot. Dṛśyatvāt ghaṭavat.

On the other hand, if you define god as the Consciousness, (as we saw in the morning,
adṛṣṭam aśrutaguṁ śrōtru, amataguṁ amatam mantru, if you say God is the
Consciousness the subject, I would say God is real. Reality and non-reality is based on

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the criterion, whether it is the subject or object. Subject is real and object is mitya. If god
is equal to the subject, god is saved and god is real. If god is another objective-thing in
Vaikunṭa, Brahmalōka or anywhere, that Lord also has to be sympathized with and it is
vyavahārika-satyam.

Therefore, what is the essence of vēdānta: aham satyam, mad anyat sarvam mitya.

What do you get out of this? For that, the answer is: this knowledge takes all the fear of
world from me. We are constantly afraid of world. What is in store tomorrow? What will
happen to me? Persecution-complex it is called.

So this constant fear from the world goes away because mitya cannot affect satyam.
Nahi adhyas tasya guṇēna dōṣēna vā, aṇumātrēṇa api na badhyatē. As ācārya says in
adhyāsa-bhaṣyam, mitya cannot affect satyam.

Therefore. What is the advantage? Fearlessly I can watch the drama of life. It is exactly
like experiencing the dream with the knowledge that it is dream. I experience the world
like a dream without being threatened. Na bibēti kutaścana. In fact with the first two
verses, the essence of vēdānta is over.

In third verse Ādi Śaṅkarācārya does something else which we will see now.

Verse 3

शश्वन्नश्वरमेव तवश्वमखखलं तनक्षित्य वाचा गतरो-

र्निंत्यं ब्रह्म तनरन्तरं तवमृशता तनर्व्ाूजशान्तात्मना ।
भूतं भातव च दुष्कृतं प्रदिता िंतवन्मये पावके
प्रारब्िाय िमर्पिंतं तववपतररत्येषा मनीषा मम ॥ ३॥

śaśvan naśvaramēva viśvamakhilam niścitya vācā gurō-

rnityaṁ brahma nirantaraṁ vimr̥śatā nirvyājaśāntātmanā |
bhūtaṁ bhāvi ca duṣkr̥taṁ pradahatā saṁvinmayē pāvakē
prārabdhāya samarpitaṁ svavapurityēṣā manīṣā mama || 3||

Grammatically the whole verse is one sentence. Śaśvan onwards up to sva vapuḥ. So
for grammar students these are all nice slōkās for analysing. I would not do that. Do
not get frightened. It is nice.

In this third verse, generally, the commentators point that Ādi Śaṅkarācārya brings out
third mahā vākyam, the Sāma vēda mahā vākyam, occurring in Cāndōgya upaniṣad; the

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mahā vākyam being Tat Tvam Asi.

Even though it is presented in this manner, really speaking Śaṅkarācārya does not
analyse Tat Tvam Asi in this verse at all. He only indirectly hints at this mahā-vākyam.
This verse is not really analyzing this mahā-vākyam and this verse only indirectly hints
at Tat Tvam Asi mahā-vākyam.

Then there is this question, if it does not analyse mahā vākyam, what does it do? Here
Śaṅkarācārya talks about the entire spiritual journey of the sādhaka. It is a complete
verse, where the spiritual journey begins and where it ends. All the stages are
beautifully presented here. In fact, we get from this verse what vēdic life is. I will give
you the gist of the ślōka first.

As I had said before, when we are born, initially our life is governed by our rāga-dvēs̩a.
Whatever we want to do, kāmācara kāma-vāda and kāma-bakṣaḥ. It can be said in one
word as prākṛta purus̩ah. In fact, the word śūdraḥ means such a person alone.
Svaccanda-cāri Śudraḥ, means one who lives as he likes (man-mani in Hindi).

Even if one is a brāhmaṇa, if his life is governed by his rāga-dvēs̩a, he is śudraḥ by

guṇataḥ, and everybody is born a śūdra, janmanā jāyatē śūdraḥ; because we live
according to our rāga-dvēṣa.

Then vēda interferes. Vēda addresses the human beings and says: you cannot live an
animalistic-life and then waste this precious-human life. You can accomplish the infinite.
And I would like to guide you, if you are interested. Like in the Rly station. May I help
you? Mostly no one would be there. In our life journey also, vēda puts a board: May I
help you? If you accept the help of the vēdās, you are vaidikaḥ. You have got śraddha.
You are humble. In fact you are intelligent. When help is available, why do you look for
platform number? Ask when the train will come, where is platform No.13, etc. So first
is: will the train come, then when? 😄

So life is such a complicated thing that even to know what is our goal, it will take ninety
years and when I know it is goal of life, it is time is to quit. Why do you get confused?
Vēda tells I will help you. Accepting vēdic-guidance is symbolically stated in sacred-
thread ceremony wherein I indicate my willingness to be bound and accept vēdic-vidhi
nis̩ēda: Tasmāt śāstram pramāṇam tē; kārya akārya vyavasthitau. Do this, don’t do this.

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Thus starts the vēdic-life of karma yōga. Accepting to live by vēdic-guidelines. The vēda
as a part of karma yōga, initially prescribes two types of karma. Karma can be divided
differently in different contexts.

For our convenience, we will divide it into kāmya and nis̩kāma-karma. What are these
two karmās?

Kāmya-karmas are those karmās which are meant for material benefits; ārtha-kāma
pradhāna karmāṇi. For getting artha purus̩ārtha, ārtha means money, security etc., and
kāma-purus̩ārtha, all types of entertainment. so television, video, tapes etc. give us
entertainment. These are kāmya-karmas whether it is loukika-karma that I am doing or
śastra-vihita karma; they are all kāmya-karmas.

The beauty is: vēdās accepts that every human being will not seek mōkṣa from birth.
Even if Iśvara calls and tells: free of cost I give mōkṣa means we will say we will take it
later and we are not in a hurry. We would like to go around the world once; get married
get children and grandchildren; Should we not enjoy Swāmiji! and get money etc., and
we want to enjoy the world. Vēda says wonderful. Nothing is wrong. It is not a sin to
enjoy and it is not a sin to go after ārtha-kāma and śāśtra accepts it as purus̩ārtha.

In the Gīta Kṛṣṇa says I will give whatever you ask.

yō yō yāṁ yāṁ tanuṁ bhaktaḥ śraddhayārcitumicchati |

tasya tasyācalāṁ śraddhāṁ tāmēva vidadhāmyaham || 7-21||

sa tayā śraddhayā yuktastasyārādhanamīhatē |

labhatē ca tataḥ kāmānmayaiva vihitānhi tān || 7-22||

I will bless you with whatever you want. I will encourage him: says Kṛṣṇa. In Iśvarā’s
mind, there is something else. It is like the sugar-coated tablet. The child takes it as a
chocolate but inside it is medicine. Mother gives it as medicine and the benefit expected
by mother is health but the baby expects pleasure.

Similarly, when the sense-pleasure thinks are given, the receiver of the sense-pleases
think of the pleasures, but Īśvara expects what medicinal effect you know: vairagyam.
After seeing everything, let vairagya come when it comes. This is the one set of karmās
or kāmya-karmas permitted by the vēdās. Therefore, initial part of human life kāmya
karma-pradhāna life.

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But Iśvara gives only one suggestion. What is that suggestion? You do all those
kāmya- karmas and get all those benefits also; you need not give Me a single pie. Take
all of them for you; but remember Me when you receive that. At least put Lord’s picture
when you build a house and dedicate the house to Lord. Iśvara will not come and
occupy; don’t worry. At least under the staircase you have a puja room, because nothing
else can be done there. At least under the staircase put a 2”x2” photo. Enough.

This is called prasāda-buddhi. Enjoy everything, not as your accomplishment, but take
it as Iśvarā’s-compassion or gift. But one thing; even when it is kāmya-pradhāna life,
you have to do some compulsory nitya-naimittika karmas, which we call nis̩kāma-karma
and they are not meant for material benefits.

Sandhyāvandanam, certainly is not meant for increment in salary. No officer will say:
whoever does trikāla sandhyāvandanam will get a promotion or increment. He will
never say that. Pañca-mahā yajña, I don’t̩ want to go into that. This is to be performed.
They come under nis̩kāma-karma and none will have interest in nis̩kāma-karma initially,
for he does not know what benefit he will get out of the karmas, just likethe child does
not know the benefit for going to school. But why does the child go; because the mother
forces. Certain things the mother does and the child does not know the benefit and
child even considers it bad to go to school. Exam also comes. Similarly, śruti
compulsorily asks as us to do Pañca-mahā yajña which will not give concrete material
benefit, but will give invisible internal-growth.

Even though it is done, mechanically, it will give the benefit. It is nice that in Rishikesh
you do very seriously. Nice to see it. Generally it is done mechanically and even if the
mechanical 1-1/2 minute sandhyāvandanam with wrong gayatri-svara; does not matter,
it will give unknowingly citta-śuddhi. What is citta-śuddhi? One does not understand.
Does not matter and you do that. It is the first stage of karma-yōga.

The only thing that makes the karma-yōga is the result is received as prasāda. After
sometime because of this citta-śuddhi, buddhi becomes more and more sattvic.

Sattva-gun̩a dominates and rajō-guṇa comes down. Then he will begin to understand
Peace, Security and Happiness (PSH) do not depend on what I have, but they
depend upon what I am. This discovery takes time. It is a very important discovery.
Depends on my personality. Whether I am a materialistic person or a spiritual

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personality.

Once I discover that citta-śuddhi becomes more important. Money and material are
given importance; not that they are not required (without money nothing happens); but
when the comparison is done between material-growth and citta-śuddhi or inner
growth, the inner-growth becomes more important and money is subservient to or
secondary to the inner-growth.

Once he comes to this stage, he begins to understand the importance of nis̩kāma-karma

more. Sandhyāvandanam becomes more important. Pañca-mahā yajña becomes more
important. Kāmya-karma becomes lesser and apradhāna. From kāmya-karma
pradhāna, karma-yōga it shifts to the nis̩kāma-karma-pradhāna karma yōga.
Māmōpatha samasta durita kṣaya dvāra, Sri paramēśvara prīthyartham, ... kariṣyē.
Earlier, we have a list to fill our wants. Like dānyam, dhanam, paśum, bahu puthra
lābham; śata saṁvatsaram, all these things are very carefully written. Later that list
becomes understood. But māmōpatha samasta durita kṣayam; that is most important.
Duritam means rāga-dvēṣa. All types of obstacles to spiritual life is duritam. They should
go, On! Lord; therefore, durita kṣaya dvāra Sri paramēśvara prīthyartham becomes very
important before every karma, even if you are dipping in Ganges. There also your
concern is: I should become tadātmani niratē ya upaniṣadsu dharmāḥ tē mayi santu. Do
you feel that you have heard this somewhere? That is one of the śānti pāḍās. Tadātmani
niratē ya upaniṣadsu dharmāḥ; whatever qualifications are prescribed for self-
knowledge, may I become rich, not in money, rich in that qualifications. Let me be rich
in sādhana catuṣṭaya saṁpatti.

Thus kāmya karma pradhāna karma-yōga; then niṣkāma-karma pradhāna karma-yōga

is initially practised and by this way of life, there is a directional-change in life. From
anitya-anātma, my priority becomes nityam-Brahma. If Iśvara comes and asks me:
please choose one boon (do not worry, he will not come and ask!) Imagine that
Bhagavān comes and asks. Then if I will choose mōkṣa or Brahman, that means I have
got spiritual direction. This is the first karma-yōga stage.

We talked about two stages in karma-yōga; but in general, it is called karma-yōga and
it gives direction from materialism to spirituality. Priority changes from material things
to knowledge.

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Then when spiritual knowledge or growth is the top priority, I should get all the
necessary qualifications for that. All the disciplines or preparations are called śama,
dama, uparama, titikṣa, śraddha samādānam and all the values of amānitvam,
adambitvam, ahi̇ ṁsa, śāntiḥ, abhayam jñana-yōga vyavasthithi, dhānam, dama etc. I
hope you remember at least all of that. All are given in 16th chapter first 3 verses and
13th chapter, middle 4-5 verses of the Gīta. All these are qualifications.

In fact more time is required for preparation, than actual gaining knowledge. Guru
has to say Tat Tvam Asi and the light burns and here the light is wisdom. Actual
knowledge takes no time and preparation alone takes time.

Therefore, the next stage is gaining all the qualifications like śama-damādi and for this
alone as̩tāṅga-yōga is prescribed. Yama, niyama, etc.; the ten commandments of
Hinduism we saw, which includes the capacity of the mind to focus: dhāran̩a dhyāna
samādhi.

Samādhi also means what. Samādhi is nothing but a focused mind. If you can listen to
one hour class without distraction you are in samādhi. Don’t imagine samādhi is a kind
of a mystic stage. Samādhi means samādānam which means capacity to do śravan̩am
without distractions. Suppose I am attentive throughout the class and only when the Tat
Tvam Asi is said, I am looking elsewhere, my mind is somewhere.

Like the example of the student in the school when an important theorem was being
taught. The student was watching a rat entering the classroom from the next classroom
through the wall or something. When the teacher asked, whether did it enter, the
student said that only the tail is remaining. He is in rat; the teacher is in theorem.

So communication will work only when samādhi or samādānam is there. Thus, as̩tāṅga-
yōga and all other methods (I do not want to go into that) are to be acquired, a prepared,
disciplined, integrated, organised, focussed, sharp intellect to receive the ātma-jñānaṃ
This is the second stage. Śamādhi ṣatka saṁpatti; even upāsanās are all meant for that.
Karma-yōga pradhāna to upāsana-pradhāna.

Then having acquired all the qualifications, the final stage of spiritual progress is only
through jñana-yoga or else called śravaṇa manana nididhyāsanam. Śravaṇam means
listening to the guru. I have told you in the class several times, it is systematic and

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consistent study of scriptures for a length of time under the guidance of a competent
ācārya. Sadguru. You have to be careful when you write in English. If you write: s a d g
u r u, after sometime you read it as sad guru. If guru is sad, what will he give to his śiṣya?
Therefore competent teacher. This is called śravaṇam.

Then mananam is removing of all the intellectual obstacles, which are in the form of
doubts. Ask a question, am I convinced I am Brahman? I may be Brahman and all is
story; it will not work. Somehow the Swāmiji is saying. Am I convinced that I am
Brahman? If I am not convinced, intellect should tell why? Vague. I am not convinced.
Is not correct? Is it because you don’t accept the śruti-pramāṇaṁ, then we will deal
with that. Then we will deal with that. It is called prāmāṇya niścaya.

We have got answers for all the technical doubts the intellect has; like pramāṇa
śaṁśaya and pramēya- śaṁśaya. Therefore, the intellect must get convinced, which is
removal of intellectual obstacle, in the form of doubt. That process is called mananam.

And then comes nididhyāsanam which is the removal of emotional-obstacles. Otherwise

I will say I am convinced I am brahman̩; but my worries are not leaving me. Nimmadi is
not there, even after telling Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi! I don’t get peace of mind.

So there seems to be a gap between knowledge and the emotional state - fear, anxiety,
tension, depression, jealousy, anger. All of them seem to continue at emotional-level;
even though I am convinced I am Brahman. In fact, even I can teach others.

So unless emotional-obstructions go, the process is incomplete. Nididhyāsanam is a

process of handling the problems at emotional-level. If these three are practiced, then
you get the knowledge, which is called apratibandha-jñānaṃ; a knowledge which is free
from both intellectual and emotional-obstacles. Obstacle-free knowledge is called
apradibadda-jñānam.

Thus, karma yōga, upāsana, jñāna-yōga; all these Ādi Śaṅkarācārya just hints here. Just
drawing a line. In one slōka he has covered all these.

Then he talks about the phalam of this knowledge. What will happen if I get that
knowledge or if I become jñāna-nis̩ta, or I become a sthira-prajña? The phalam
Śaṅkarācārya says: sañcita karma is burnt. Sañcita karma is all the karmas, pun̩ya-pāpa
we have acquired in the countless number of past lives. Huge Godown; special
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godowns; not normal godowns. All the sañcita karmas are burnt down. Pradahatā, he is
going to say. Pradahanam means jñānāgni sarva karmāṇi bhasmasāt kurutē tatha.
Sañcita karma goes away.

What about future pun̩ya-pāpa? Since jñānī does not have ahaṁ-abhimāna, dēha-
abhimāna, tatvavittu mahābāhō guṇakarma vibhāgayōhō; guṇā guṇēṣu vartantē, iti
matva na sajjatē. Naiva kiñcit karōmīti, ... all that you know. Since he does not have
abhimāna, in fact, he is comparable to an animal in the positive sense.

Whatever karma animals do, they will not get pun̩ya-pāpa. That is why cows in Chennai
just go across the road and violate the rules. No police charges the cow. So it acts; it
does not have pāpa and if the cow gives milk for abhis̩ēkam, no puṇyam. Cow does not
get any pun̩yam, and the owner of the cow, instead of drinking coffee, he gave to the
Lord, and he gets pun̩yam. Drinking coffee will give pāpam very careful. Do not fear!
Animals do, but don’t acquire. A jñānī is exactly like an animal with regard to the non-
acquisition of pun̩ya-pāpa. In that respect, paśvātibhisca aviśēsāt. He is like a paśu only.
Because extremes always resemble. Sañcita burnt and āgāmi avoided.

What about prārabdha? It will certainly affect a jñāni also. There is no escape from
prārabdha. In Tattva Bōdha: prārabdhasya bhōgād ēva kṣayaḥ. And that is how different
jñānis have got different types of life. Some are honoured all over the society and enjoy
everything. Some jñānis are in some corners and some are healthy and some are sick.
All the differences are due to prārabdha.

Does it mean that jñāni will suffer from prārabdha? Śankarācārya says: since jñāni does
not identify with his body, even though experiential sufferings are there, he does not
have sorrow because of the suffering. Suffering is biological and sorrow is
psychological.

Like a baby suffers, it cries due to biological-pain and baby does not worry about the
disease, suppose this is cancer. Baby does not care about hospital bills. It does not
worry, but it suffers. Even vēdānta cannot stop its biological problems. Because of
biological problems, the mind worries, will I die, what will happen, etc. etc. to my
children, my disciples; who will take care of the institution, etc. That is sorrow. That is
called samsāra. Jñāni might go through biological situations. Allow prārabdha to take
the body. Since he does not identify, there is no sorrow; there is no anxiety and there is

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no depression. Prārabdhāya samarpitaṁ vapuḥ he says. Prārabdha take this body and
do whatever you want to do. Because that is your job. Otherwise you will be
unemployed. Therefore better you do what you have to do. But since he does not
identify, there is no sorrow, depression, anxiety. This is called jīvan-muktiḥ.

And when this prārabdha-karma is exhausted, then, the body goes away and all the
three bodies, stūla-sukṣma and kāran̩a śarīram:

gatāḥ kalāḥ pañchadaśa pratiṣṭhā

dēvāścha sarvē pratidēvatāsu ।
karmāṇi vijñānamayaścha ātmā
parē-'vyayē sarvē ēkībhavanti ॥ Munḍaka 3.2.7॥

In Munḍaka Upaniṣad we saw; all the three śarīrams merge into the corresponding
total. What happens to jñāni? Nothing.

Nothing happens to the jñānī. Jñānī is Brahman̩. Previously he was Brahman with a body
(round). Now that particular-body is gone. Brahman continues to be even after the
destruction of the body. It is like pot-space remains even after the destruction of the
pot. There is a change in name. Previously you called it pot-space; now the name is
gone, but space continues. Similarly, jñāni as Brahman was, is, and will be. It is
beginning from karma-yōga to jñāna-yōga to vidēha-mukti. In just one sweep,
Śaṅkarācārya deals with it in one slōka. Look at the slōka.

What is the first stage? Śaśvat naśvaram ēva viśvam iti niścitya. You have to supply
karma-yōgēna. By the practice of karma-yōga one should discover the fact. Niścitya
means one should clearly, doubtlessly, convincingly know. What should he know:
‘akhilam viśvam naśvaram’; the whole world is impermanent, fleeting.

Therefore, it is insecure and I cannot seek security from another insecure-thing. How
can a drowning-man catch hold of a straw to save himself? In this case, both will drown.
Therefore, I cannot afford to seek security from any blessed-thing in the world or any
blessed-person in the world. This I should know. Dhruvam adhruvēṣu iha na
prāthayantē. Our mistake is seeking wrong-thing from wrong-place. You go to a shoe-
shop and ask for dress. How can you seek security from insecure world? Therefore that
he comes to know.

So Akhilam viśvam; viśvam is world; akhilam means the entire. The entire world is
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naśvaram. Perishable, anityam iti arthaḥ. World is anityam now? no; śaśvat, always; it
was in the past and will be anityam in the future. And the greatest tragedy is that I do
not know when it will go away. At least if we get an advance notice, it will be OK. Without
notice Īśvara can dismiss anything from the world.

They say in America, one can be dismissed from job without advance notice. Here they
say, one month, two and three months etc. And the notice is in yellow paper it seems.
So everyday first job is to see whether the yellow sheet is there. That is galta. You are
dismissed.

So yellow is inauspicious for them. But for us, it is auspicious, maṅgalam. Like that
without notice Bhagavān can dismiss anything.

Iti niścitya. It is karma-yōga sādhana getting direction in life.

Now look at the second line. I am rearranging for our convenience. Nirvyāja śanta-
ātmana; so one should become by upāsana and as̩tāṅga-yōga become nirvyāja śānta-
ātma. Here ātma means mind. What type of mind? Nirvyāja. The mind should be without
any kapatam. It should be honest. It should have integrity. Mind should not have
double-personality. Not a hypocrite mind. Ullondru vaithu puram ondru pēsuvār. It
should not smile outside and curse inwardly. The heart should be clean.

And Śānta-ātma means tranquil; it represents śama dama uparama titikṣa; all that
Śaṅkarācārya has indicated. The mind should be ever calm and quiet. Nirvyāja indicates
all values. Honesty, truthfulness, Compassion, all are indicated by the word nirvyāja. So
this is the next stage of sādhana which is called upāsana-stage or as̩tāṅga-yōga stage
or Ādi Śaṅkarācārya calls it samādhi-yōgaḥ.

The second stage is over. Next stage is what? Nityam Bramha vimr̥ śatā. He takes to
vimarśanam. Vicāraḥ means enquiry or analysis. Athātō Brahma jijñāsa. Jijñāsa
ityarthaḥ. Vicāra of what? Not the stock market. That we are doing daily! Nityam Brahma
vicāra. The eternal Brahman, because the world is non-eternal.

And when does he enquire? Camp after camp. Yearly once? Nirantaram. Continuously.
That’s why I said consistent and systematic study for a length of time. Like planting a
tree. Just poured water Swāmiji 3 months’ before. That plant would not survive. Only
you have to give the right amount of water. So nirantaram, constantly.
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He enquires into eternal Brahman, how? Not independent enquiry. Not closing the eyes
and asking: Who am I? It would not work. You would get an answer. Already known
answer. I am son of so and so, etc. this gōtra and this nakṣatra, etc. I failed in this
examination this much time. All these information would come from inside. So gurōḥ
vāca, with the help of guru-vākyam.

What about śāstram? Guru, if he is worth the name, would teach only through śāstra
pramāṇa. If there is a guru who does not take śāstra pramāṇam, he is the most unsafe-
guru in the world. Śankaracārya uses a very strong word in his commentary,
asaṁpradāyavit mūrkavat upēkṣaṇiya.

If a guru says I have got a new method, and I have realized and I will teach you that, do
a namaskāra and run away from him. Never go to him again. Guru is a guru when he
comes in unbroken saṁpradāya. Therefore, guru includes śastram and śastram
includes guru. They are inseparable. So gurōḥ vāca means with the help of guru-
vākyam, he enquires into nityaṁ-Brahma constantly. Jñāna-yōga part is said here.

Now you have to assume that he has succeeded. He has now become jñāna-nis̩taḥ. All
these are not said in the slōka and we have to supply. As a jñāna-nis̩taḥ, what does he
do. Bhūtaṁ bhāvi ca duṣkr̥ taṁ pradahatā; Bhūtaṁ means sañcitam karma, duṣkr̥ taṁ
means karma; in fact, you have to add sukṛtam ca; or else the puṇya would be sticking
to you. Therefore duṣkr̥ taṁ (pāpam) includes sukṛtam (puṇyam) also. Bhūtam means
sañcita puṇya-pāpam. Bhāvi means āgami puṇya-pāpam. Both sañcitam and āgāmi
pradahatā, he burns down.

Ok. Where is the fire? What is the fire? Saṁvinmayē pāvakē. here saṁvid means not
caitanyaṁ. Here saṁvid means Brahma-jñānam. saṁvinmayē, brahma-jñāna mayē.
Pramāṇa janyē. Akhaṇḍākhāra vṛtti rūpē, pāvakē. In Jñāna fire. To remember Gīta
expression, jñānagniḥ sarva karmāṇi.

Ātmānam araṇiṁ kṛtva, praṇavaṁca uttarāraṇiṁ; jñāna nirmadhanāt dyāsa, pāśam dahati
paṇḍitāḥ.

In this context, jñāna yōga is compared to the churning to produce the fire, the fire of
knowledge. This comes in Kaivalya upaniṣad.

And then what happens to prārabdha? It continues. Then jñāni picks up his body and

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gives it to prārabdha. You can do whatever it is, he says to Prārabdha. Suppose you’re
aṅgavastram gets caught in the car, when you get down. And the car starts. What do
you do? Instead of getting pulled, you discard it; that is what jñāni does. To the
prārabdha-car he hands over the śarīra-aṅgavastram. After all, śarīram is what?
Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni. Any how it is jīrṇam. Like the lizard. When somebody chases, it cuts and
drops its tail. And that animal would be playing with the cut tail also. Exactly like, body
is jñāni’s tail. Prārabhda is the wild animal coming to attack. Body he hands over to it.
Therefore prārabdhāya samarpitaṁ svavapuḥ. So his body is offered to prārabdha,
which means there is no abhimāna.

And then you have to supply: such a jñāni canḍālaḥ astu, dvijaḥ astu; saḥ mama guruḥ.
Guru samānaḥ. Iti ēṣā mama maniṣa. Vidēha mukti is not mentioned here that we have
to supply. After prārabdha he enjoys vidēha mukti.

Here ‘Tat Tvam Asi’ mahā-vākyam is hinted by the expression gurōḥ vāca. There only
Tat Tvam Asi is there. So Guru teaches the disciple with the statement Tat Tvam Asi. Thus
the expression Gurōḥ vāca indirectly indicates the Tat Tvam Asi mahā vākyam.

Sākṣāt tattvamasi iti vēda vacasā yō bōdhayati āśritān.

With this, the third mahā vākyam is over. More in the next class.

Class 5

Verses 4 and 5

annamayād annamayam athavā caitanyamēva caitanyāt

yativara dūrīkartum vāṁchasi kim brūhi gaccha gacchēti

The next four verses we will read it together.

kim gaṁgāmbudhi biṁbitēmbaramaṇau caṁḍāla vīdhī payaḥ

pūrēvā antaramasti kāṁcanaghaṭī mr̥ tkumbhayōrvāṁbarē?
pratyagvastuni nistaranga sahajānandāvabōdhāmbudhau viprō
ayam śvapacōyamityapi mahān kō ayam vibhēda bhramaḥ?

jāgratsvapna suṣutpiṣu sphuṭatarā yā saṁvidujjr̥ mbhatē

yā brahmādi pipīlikānta tanuṣu prōtā jagatsākṣiṇī,

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saivāhaṁ na ca dr̥ śya vastviti dr̥ ḍha prajñāpi yasyāsticē

ccaṇḍālōstu sa tu dvijōstu gururityēṣā manīṣā mama

brahmaivāhamidaṁ jagacca sakalaṁ cinmātravistāritaṁ

sarvaṁ caitadavidyayā triguṇayāśēṣaṁ mayā kalpitam
itthaṁ yasya dr̥ ḍhā matiḥ sukhatarē nityē parē nirmalē
caṇḍālōstu sa tu dvijōstu gururityēṣā manīṣā mama

śaśvannaśvaramēva viśvamakhilaṁ niścitya vācā gurō-

rnityaṁ brahma nirantaraṁ vimr̥śatā nirvyājaśāntātmanā |
bhūtaṁ bhāvi ca duṣkr̥taṁ pradahatā saṁvinmayē pāvakē
prārabdhāya samarpitaṁ svavapurityēṣā manīṣā mama || 3||

In the first two verses, Ādi Śaṅkarācārya gave the essence of vēdāntic teaching by way
of commenting upon the two maha vākyams, Prajñānam Brahma and Aham Brahma
Asmi.

In the third verse Ādi Śaṅkarācārya talks about the entire sādhana- life or spiritual-life
of an individual which is given by both vēda-pūrva and vēda-anta. When we talk about
spiritual-sādhana, vēda-pūrva also should be included because karma-yōga comes
under vēda-purva alone. Karma-yōga is not part of vēdānta. Upāsana is not a part of
vēdānta. Both of them come under vēda-pūrva. ’

If karma and upāsana come under vēda-pūrva, then what is vēdānta? Vēdānta is purely
deals with jñānam only. Even in upaniṣad, wherever karma portion comes you should
take it belongs to vēda-purva alone, like āvahanti hōma occuring in Taittariya, or
saṁhṛta, vyahṛti, upāsanas occurring in upaniṣad; they all should not be taken as
belonging to vēda-pūrva and jñana-part alone belongs to vēdānta.

So whenever the entire sādhana range comes, upāsana and jñānam, we have to take
the whole vēda. Thus the third verse is the summary of the entire vēda. So when he said:
śaśvannaśvaramēva viśvamakhilaṁ niścitya, where the vēda pūrva way of life is indicated,
athātō dharma jijñāsa. Know dharma and live dharma.

When you know dharma and live dharma, you will get citta-śuddhi. When you know and
practice upāsana, you get the nirvyāja śānta-ātma. Here ātma means qualified-mind.
You get the qualified mind to gain ātma-jñānam. That is why we say gṛhastha-āśrama
is karma-pradhāna and vānaprastha-āśrama is upāsana-pradhāna and sanyāsa-āśrama
is jñāna-pradhāna. It is the vēdic-design.

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If you choose to remain in gr̥ hastha-āśrama, within gr̥ hasthā-āśrama itself, you can be
a vānaprastha, when you reduce poking your nose into the others’ affairs. Once the
children are grown you interfere less then you are vānaprastha. Still less you are
sannyāsi. Thus the āśrama change need not be that much physical and the very
readjustment of lifestyle is change of āśrama.

All this Ādi Śaṅkarācārya has indicated in the third verse.

Having changed the lifestyles accordingly, one should change the sādhana also
accordingly.

Then remaining in any āśrama, he can come to jñānaṃ. He can be a jñāna-nis̩ta by

remaining in grahasta-āśrama or vānaprastha or sanyāsa-āśrama or brahmacarya-
āśrama. And that jñāna-nis̩ṭa gives him liberation. That is jīvan-mukti in which sañcita
and āgāmi are destroyed and he gets insulated against prārabdha.

Prārabdha does not end. Prārabdha he gets insulated. It does not affect him. He is like
an electrician standing on a wooden stool and he is unaffected by the electricity. He may
even wear the glove of ātma-jñānam. Similarly prārabdha-live wire will continue. You
have put the gloves. What is the gloves? What is the gloves? Knowledge.

Once we have jñānaṁ-insulation, prārabdha continues to inflict upon its onslaught on

the body but jñāni is untainted and this is called jīvan-mukti and when prārabdha also
ends he gets vidēha-mukti.

Thus the third slōka was a general verse of sādhana rather than mahā-vākya vicāra.

But still we say, Tat Tvam Asi is the content because it is hinted through guru’s vāk.
Having completed everything, normally it should be over. Sādhana has been talked
about. Jñānam has been talked about. Phalaṁ has been talked about. One should have
completed the Camp. Then why does he continue. Here he wants to talk about phala-
śruti in the next two verses. It was hinted in the previous verse. He wants to talk more.

Verse 4

या तिययङ्नरदे विाभिरहमित्यन्िः स्फुटा गृह्यिे

यद्भासा हृदयाक्षदे हतवषया िान्न्ि स्विोऽचेिनाः ।

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िाां िास्ययः तितहिार्यिण्डलतनिाां स्फूर्ििं सदा िावय-

न्योगी तनवृयििानसो तह गुरुररत्येषा िनीषा िि ॥ ४॥

yā tiryaṅnaradēvatābhirahamityantaḥ sphuṭā gr̥hyatē

yadbhāsā hr̥dayākṣadēhaviṣayā bhānti svatō:'cētanāḥ |
tāṁ bhāsyaiḥ pihitārkamaṇḍalanibhāṁ sphūrtiṁ sadā bhāvaya-
nyōgī nirvr̥tamānasō hi gururityēṣā manīṣā mama || 4||

The commentators point out that this verse brings out e s s e n c e o f the fourth maha
vākyam, Atharvan̩a vēda mahā-vākyam occurring in Mānḍukya upaniṣad Ayam Ātma
Brahma. sarvaṁ hyētadbrahmāyamātmā brahma sō:'yamātmā catuṣpāt || āgama
prakaraṇam 2 ||

Here we find that in the first three lines, the essence is almost the same as in the first
verse. Jāgrat svapna suṣuptiṣu is almost repeated in content.

Then Ādi Śaṅkarācārya wants to talk about nididhyāsanam and its phalam in this verse.
So we will first take the third and fourth line. Yōgi sphurtim sadā bhāvayan. Yōgi means
this sādhaka; it is not particularly aṣṭāṅga-yōgi, but the yōgi here means the spiritual
aspirant the sādhaka, having come through all the stages of karma-yōga pradhāna life
then upāsana-pradhāna life and vēdānta śravaṇam and mananam done successfully.
Now he does not depend upon guru also. He has studied everything and he does not
depend upon śastram for he has grasped the essence of śastram.

Now his job is to dwell upon the teaching and invoke his real free nature. And this
constant invocation of the real-nature as revealed in vēdānta is called nididhyāsanam.
This is what the yōgi does. Yōgi bhāvayan. Bhāvayan means meditating upon. Not
forgetting.

This is of two types. One is sitting meditation in which I deliberately invoke the teaching.
Manō buddhya ahaṅkāra, cittāni nāham; I invoke my nature. Not only I remember
ātma satyam and more importantly I remind anātma is mitya. That is also meditation.

Remember, Vēdāntic meditation involves anātma dhyānam also. Anātma is mitya i is

equally important necessary vēdāntic meditation. In fact according to Swamiji that
meditation is more required, than Aham Brahma Asmi.

So therefore, sitting, I invoke and more than that, during the transaction also, whenever
required, vēdānta must come to my rescue. When there is scope for reaction, worry

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or scope for getting depression; these are times when we habitually come to dēha-
abhimāna. When you sit on the shore and watch Gaṅga, you don’t have dēha-
abhimāna. That time Aham Bramha Asmi dhyanam is not required. Suddenly you
think of counting down and think of going back and this and that, then you have to
remind. What to remind.

In anātma saṁyōga and viyōga will be there. So therefore, vēdānta being available
whenever needed is niṣṭa. During the transaction I make sure that I am alert to the
teaching, not allowing rāga-dvēs̩a to dominate. I should not allow saṁsāric-responses
to come alive. Duḥkhēṣu anudvigna manāḥ; ....ya sarvatra anabhisnēha tat tat prāpya
śubhā śubham. Paśyan śrṇvan....., indriyāṇi indriyārthēṣu vartantē, guṇāḥ guṇēṣu
vartantē. All these vēdāntic teaching should come to me and be available whenever I
want. Not that you should remember all the time, but it should be available in need. If I
ask you your phone No. how niṣṭa you have got. Not that you are sitting in the class and
saying: My phone No. is .... etc. You are not meditating. But when it is required, it should
prop-up. Similarly, this teaching should be available when it is needed, it is called niṣṭā.
And therefore sadā bhāvayan. Constantly should be alert and not forget the teaching
and lead a vēdāntic friendly life. They say so many friendly, we can add vēdānta-friendly
life. A life which should not contradict vēdāntic teaching.

So yōgi sadā bhāvayan. Bhāvana here is dhyāyan, nididhyāsanam, meditation. And

what does he meditate upon. Spurtiṁ. Spūrti means ātma caitanyaṁ, which was called
saṁvid in the first verse, jāgratsvapnasuṣuptiṣu sphuṭatarā yā saṁvidujjr̥ mbhatē. That
saṁvid is here known as spūrtiḥ, both mean caitanyaṁ. He meditates upon the
caitanyaṁ. What is there to be meditated upon? Caitanyaṁ.

As I said 5 points. Caitanyaṁ is not part, product or property of the body. It is unaffected
by and it is all pervading; etc., and in the end, that caitanyaṁ, I AM. That is called
bhāvana.

And the caitanyaṁ is described here in the first 2-1/2 lines. Yā; yā refers to sphūrti;
sphūrti in the third line is feminine gender and therefore yā is feminine. And where is
that Consciousness.

Tiryaṅnaradēvatābhir gr̥ hyatē; this Consciousness is grasped by all living-beings.

Tiryaṅg, nara, dēvatābhiḥ; tiryaṅg means animal, nara means human, devatā means the

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gods, Indra Varuṇādi. So by all beings consciousness is understood, gṛhyatē means

jñāyatē, anubhūyatē. In what form?

Āhaṁ iti, in the form of ‘I’ the first person singular. That is why whichever person I ask
who you are, the answer starts with: I am. Then the story follows. His bio-data comes.
But whatever be the following bio-data, it starts with I, which is the cit, am which is ‘sat’
the existence.

Everybody starts with I am, which means we are all fundamentally saccidātma only and
what varies: all the attributes which belongs either to stūla śarīra (78 kgs!) or it belongs
to sūkṣma śarīram (BA, MA Phd- the educational qualifications). Therefore, They are all
incidental superficial-attributes.

But what is commonly grasped by all is I the sphūrtiḥ, the saṁvid caitanyaṁ. Aham
iti gr̩ hyatē. What is constantly recognised as I, I, I. Where?

Antaḥ, antaḥ means in the antaḥkaraṇē; yō vēda nihitam guhāyāṁ paramēvyōman.

Sarva vṛtti sāks̩i rūpēn̩a vritti abhāva sāks̩i rūpēn̩a ca gṛhyatē.

And is It vague? No No No. Sphutā gṛhyatē. There is no doubt whether I am here or not.
Whether other things are here or not there is doubt. There is no doubt as to whether I
am here or not. So this is very similar to what?

Yā brahmādipipīlikāntatanuṣu prōtā, 1st verse, 2nd line. That he is repeating here. And
yat bhāsa, by the light of that consciousness alone, bhānti, means vilaṅgaratu in Tamil,
shine. They are known, they are evident. What are evident?

Hr̩ daya aks̩a dēha vis̩ayah. Hr̩ dayam means mind. Akṣa means sense organs; dēha
means body and vis̩aya means objects. That means consciousness lends its
consciousness to the mind; then the mind is known; mind lends consciousness to the
sense organs; then sense organs are known and shining; sense organs lend
consciousness to the body. So thus, consciousness gradually flow as it were from kōśa
to kōśa and thus, all over there is consciousness and therefore, they are all known. Both
are synonymous. There is consciousness in the body means body is known or awared.
And then the consciousness has got the body and sense organs as the spring-board
because from here it goes through the sense organs to śabda sparśa, five beams. Nāna
cidra gadōtara sthita mahān. So five beams of consciousness come out through five
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senses. And within whichever beam the world falls, they are known. So if I am looking
like this, whatever range my vision falls in the stream of consciousness, that is known.

Similarly, from ear another stream goes, depends upon my audibility. So if I have got
powerful ears, beam goes and understands what is being talked in the Office!

So five beams of consciousness come in contact with sense objects and then sense
objects become known. But by itself it is inert and still it is known because of caitanya
sambandha. That is what is said here. Svataḥ acētana, even though the objects are inert
by themselves, they means mind, body sense-organs; they are insentient by themselves,
because of the ātma lends consciousness and they become sentient because of that
others are also known.

I give an example which you should recollect in this context. Imagine this is a dark room.
All the doors are closed. No tube light. There is sun up above. You keep a huge mirror
in 45’ angle, and the mirror facing the door and the door is open.

First the sun illumines the mirror and the mirror becomes an illumined-object and not
only it becomes illumined-object, simultaneously it gets a new status of an illuminator.
It is not only illumined, simultaneously it becomes illuminator of what: not the sun, that
sunlight which is reflected in the mirror and falls into the room and therefore the
mirror with borrowed-light is the illuminator of the room. So the non-luminous mirror
becomes luminous because of the sun and gets the capacity of illumining the room.

My mind is like that mirror. The world is like the dark room. Ātma is like the sun. So the
insentient mind becomes sentient because of ātma, and this sentient-mind is capable
of knowing the external-world. That is what he is saying. Svataḥ acētana santaḥ,
hr̥ dayākṣadēhaviṣayā, yat bhāsā, ātmanaḥ bhāsā, bhānti. Tamēva bhāntam anubhāti
sarvam.

So for grammar students, yat bhāsā, is tritiya vibhaktiḥ, ēkavacanam, sakārantaḥ, stri-
liṅgaḥ, bhāsa śabdaḥ. Bhāsā, bhāsē, bhāsāḥ, bhāsām, bhāsē, bhāsāḥ. Bhāsayā,
bhāsābhyām, bhāsābhiḥ. Bhāsa means because of the light of that, all these are shining.

Then the third line, tāṁ bhāsyaiḥ pihitārkamaṇḍalanibhāṁ, he says that this
consciousness illumines all the organs and thus, the organs are indebted to ātma,
because Ātma is blessing them with consciousness. And therefore, the organs should
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be grateful to ātma.

But Śaṅkarācārya says they are doing akrama. Instead of doing a favour to ātma, they
are creating problems. What is the problem; these very organs cover the ātma as it were.
and become obstruction in recognizing the ātma. And that is why each one is called
kōśa. Here, kōśa means cover.

Thus annamaya receives favour from ātma and it is doing a ‘dis-favour’ to ātma. They
obstruct one to gain ātma-jñānam. For that, an example is given. What is the example.

Imagine there is a cloud covering the sun. During daytime huge cloud covers the sun.
Now the very existence of the cloud is revealed by what: the sun. That is why you don’t
recognize the clouds in the night. If sun is also not there, the moon is not there, how do
you recognize the cloud? Therefore the existence of the cloud is revealed by the sun and
therefore, cloud has received a favour from the sun and in return what does it do: it
covers the sun.

It is just like I hear. In some universities, some professors take the discoveries of the
students and publish it as their own. Two things. Glory he has taken away from the
student, he covers the glory of the student. Is this not akramam?

Śaṅkarācārya says all the organs are doing the akramas; and they borrow sentiency
from ātma; they behave as though they have their own sentiency and the originally-
sentient ātma is not at all known by us.

And therefore, Śaṅkarācārya says just as the illuminator-sun is covered by the illumined-
clouds, the illuminator-ātma is covered by the illumined-pañca-kōśas. Therefore, bhāsai,
So by the illumined cloud; pihita, covered, what is covered, the orb of the Sun, the solar
orb. Nibhām, similar to that. So Ātma is similar to the sun which is covered by the clouds
which are illumined by the sun. Ok.

Now the next question is how organs can cover the ātma. Because Organs are limited;
ātma is limitless. Where is the question of limited-organs limiting, limitless ātma? A
cover should be bigger than the covered one. If the table cloth should cove the table, it
should be bigger than the table.

For that we answer, the organs cover the ātma as though... How do they cover, as

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though. By drawing our attention to them. By distracting me, I am absorbed in

annamaya; I am worried about either annamaya, or prān̩amaya etc. means after some
time, hunger, etc. Or most of the time I am worried about manōmaya or of course,
Vijñānamaya. If all these 4 worries are not there, where will I be? I will be in
ānandamaya, sleeping. S o all the five kōśas take my entire life and thus distract me
from ātma. Bālastāvat krīdā sāktaḥ, taruṇastāvat taruṇi sakataḥ, vṛddhastavat
cintāsaktaḥ, paramē brahmaṇi kōpina śāktaḥ.

To give an example, it is like the screen being covered by the movie. The movie
characters do not cover the screen-physically, but I am so absorbed in the movie
characters or movie shadows, the hero, heroine, the villian, the plot, etc. , th e Titānic,
I am so absorbed in the characters, that I lose sight of the existence of the screen
behind, even though all the time I am seeing what? The screen. Paśyannapi na paśyati
mūdaḥ.

Like that Consciousness is not covered and remember what do we say when asked
what is here: We say the hand is there, the fingers are there, etc., the nails are
there, the dirt is there, the lines are there, etc. etc. I don’t say light is there. You
say everything. Therefore, your observation of hand distracts you from the most
important thing, because of which hand is seen; that light is lost sight of. Therefore,
we figuratively say that the hand is covering the light, by way of distraction.

Similarly, here, pihitārkamaṇḍalanibhāṁ, this is in the case of an ajñāni. Jñāni has

understood the subject. After knowing the fact, just as for a wise man movie cannot
confuse; he knows even though the hero dies, in the next show again he will come alive.
Because we know, screen ēva satyam.

We are realized-movie-goers and convert this world is also like another movie. And what
is the screen; viśvam darpaṇa dṛśyamāna nagari̇ tulyam. Caitanya is the screen, and all
the events are the shadow and light. Remember the screen, and enjoy the movie. You
are allowed to shed tears, for a tragic-movie, but only for a few moments. Enjoy the
movie and cry at that time for two minutes. After coming home, you should not be
continuously crying. So enjoy the movie, and cry at that time. it is because you want to
cry, because seeing the bigger tragedy of the movie, my tragedy looks smaller.
Therefore, I just go and see, nothing wrong. But I am not going to permanently cry.

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Similarly, you are allowed to laugh, allowed to cry and then get over and enjoy the
movie. So this yōgi who is absorbed in the screen-of-consciousness is nirvr̩ ta mānasah.
As a mind, which is totally-relaxed. This yōgi enjoys a relaxed mind or peaceful mind and
such a yōgi, Canḍāla vā astu dvijaḥ vā astu, mama guruḥ.

Verse 5

यत्िौख्याम्बतडिलेशलेशत इमे शक्रादयो तनवृूता

यस्तच्चत्ते तनतरां प्रशान्तकलने लब्ध्वा मततनर्निंवृूतः ।
यस्तमन्न्नत्यितखाम्बतिौ गसलतिीब्रूह्मैव न ब्रह्मतवद्
यः कक्षित्ि ितरेन्रवन्न्दतपदो नूनं मनीषा मम ॥ ५ ॥

yatsaukhyāmbudhilēśalēśata imē śakrādayō nirvr̥tā

yaccittē nitarāṁ praśāntakalanē labdhvā munirnirvr̥taḥ |
yasminnityasukhāmbudhau galitadhīrbrahmaiva na brahmavid
yaḥ kaścitsa surēndravanditapadō nūnaṁ manīṣā mama || 5 ||

Having given the essence of four maha vākyams, here Śaṅkarācārya talks about the
phalaṁ, as in the previous verse, and then concludes the teaching. In all the mahā
vākyams, the identity between jīvātma and paramātma is brought out, either by
focusing, sat as its essential nature or cit as the essential nature.

In Prajñānaṃ Brahma, Ayam ātma Brahma, etc., you are equating jīvātma and
paramātma, by showing the essential nature of consciousness. Jīvātma is also caitanyam
with limited nāma-rūpa and paramātma is also caitanya with big nāma-rūpa.

In Tat Tvam Asi, the identity is revealed by focusing upon the ‘sat’ as the essential
nature. Tat Tvam Asi prakaraṇam beings with tad ēva saumya, idaṁ agra āsīt. Brahman
also is sat and you are also sat; therefore, Aitatādma idaguṁ sarvaṁ, tattvamasi
Svētakētō. So Sat is pointed out as the essence. Sat means what: existence. Either you
focus on existence as common to micro and macro ,or you point out consciousness as
common to micro and macro.

And Śaṅkarācārya did not get much chance of talking about ānanda svarūpam. That is
important, isn’t it? Therefore, in this ślōka he brings out the ānanda nature of ātma.

There is one mahā vākyam in which ānanda is focused. It is not one of the four mahā
vākyams. There is another one. Sa yaścāyaṁ puruṣē | yaścāsāvādityē | sa ēkaḥ |
(Brahmānanda Valli 8.5). That comes in ānanda-mimāmsa portion at the end in

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Taittirīya upaniṣad. Those who have seen can remember. Those who have not seen, can
wait to see. So there, ānanda in the individual and ānanda in the total both are one, it is
said.

Śaṅkarācārya wants to talk about the ānanda svarūpam. So he says:

yatsaukhyāmbudhilēśalēśata imē śakrādayō nirvr̥ tā; all the sense pleasures of the world
are only an infinitesimal-part of Brahmānanda. So śakrādayaḥ means Indra etc., Enjoy
the sense pleasures.

And here Śaṅkarācārya is keeping in mind the ānanda-mimāmsa portion wherein it is

said that human being has got one unit of ānanda and then manus̩ya gandharva has
got hundred times more; dēva gandharva still more for the Dēva Indra Br̩ haspati
Prajāpati and Hiran̩yagarbha. Higher the being, greater is the sense pleasures. Highest
sense pleasure is for Hiran̩yagarbha.

Thus the graded-sense pleasure is talked about, then the upaniṣad says all the graded-
sense pleasures are only a drop of Brahmānanda. Therefore śakrādayaḥ, Indira, etc
nirvṛtāḥ, enjoy the sense pleasures only from lēśa-lēśataḥ, a portion of a portion, of the
ocean of Brahmānanda. You can now imagine how great is Brahmānanda.

Not only that. Who will enjoy this Brahmānanda? Yaccittē nitarāṁ praśāntakalanē
labdhvā munirnirvr̥ taḥ. Muniḥ labdva. The wise man alone gets the original

Brahmānanda. Others get a poor-xeroxed copy of ānanda. Copy of the copy of the copy.
So this person gets the original version. Muniḥ labdva, muni attains the Brahmānanda.
Yat refers to Brahmānanda, which was said in the first line, as the saukhya aṁbudhiḥ,
means ānanda sāgaraḥ.

That ānanda sāgara is attained by the muni. What type of muni or where does he find
that ānanda? Nitarāṁ praśāntakalanē, in a mind which is totally tranquil. A restless
mind cannot get Brahmānanda. So praśānta kalanam means śānta manaḥ. Kalanam
means calanam, restlessness. So praśāntam, kalanam yasmin manaḥ tasmin.

And what type of tranquility? Nitarām. Totally tranquil.

So Brahmānanda is that whose smallest portion only is enjoyed by all the people in the
form of sense pleasures. Brahmānanda is that which is enjoyed by the muni in a totally
tranquil mind.
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And then yasmin nitya sukhāṁbhudau Brahmānanda galitadhīḥ, (galitadhīh should be

a compound word, therefor there should be no gap - printing correction). Galitādhīḥ
yasya saḥ, galitadhiḥ.

So Brahmānanda is that falling into which, dipping into which the wise person becomes
one with Brahman. Into which he falls and becomes that. Galitadhiḥ stands for the wise
person. Galitā dhīḥ yasya, jñāni ityarthaḥ.

So Brahmānanda is that falling into which jñāni becomes Brahmaiva. And thereafter he
is not Brahmavid, he is not the knower of Brahma, but he is Brahman himself.

And that is why the Vaiṣnava bhaktās are all called āzhvārkal. Those who are immersed
in, āzhinthu irukkirtu (in Tamil). They have merged into that Brahmānanda. And that is
the glory of Brahmānanda. That is the glory of the wise person also.

And Śankara says: ya kaścid, whoever has fallen into Brahmānanda and who has
become Brahman itself, whoever he may be, Canḍāla vā vipraḥ vā; who has fallen into
Brahmānanda and who has become one with Brahman, saḥ sūrēndra vanḍita padaḥ, is
one whose feet are worshipped by even Indra. So when Indra can worship such a
person, why can’t I worship and why should I say gaccha gaccha.

So when Indra is willing to come and worship such a Canḍāla, why should I try to get
away. I don’t have reservation or hesitation and I will happily do sāṣṭaṅga namaskāra
to that person. Sūrēndra vanḍita pādaḥ iti nūnaṁ mama manīṣā. This is my strong
conviction.

So thus, in this verse, Brahmānanda, that ānanda is presented as the svarūpam of

Brahman. All experiential-pleasures are compared to a reflection, of that original-
Brahmānanda.

And an incidental-note and an important note that you should add is: Since Brahman’s
svarūpam is ānanda, it means ātma-svarūpam is ānanda; it is because Brahman and
ātma are one and the same. And since ānanda is svarūpam of ātma, the svarūpa-ānanda
is something which is always there. It does not arrive. Svarūpa-ānanda is natural to ātma
and it does not arrive.

Then what arrives: Not svarūpa-ānanda but it is only secondary reflected-ānanda which

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alone arrives which is reflected in the calm-mind. We call it pratibiṁba-ānandaḥ. And it

is this reflected-ānanda which is experienced, whenever the mind is calm, just like I
experience my face in the mirror. Similarly, every experiential pleasure is reflected-
pleasure.

If someone asks how can svarūpa-ānanda be experienced, what will be our answer? Our
answer is svarūpa-ānanda is not a matter for experience. Svarūpa-ānanda is not a
matter, for experience but it is a matter for owning-up; therefore owning up, I am the
svarūpa-ānanda.

What can you experience? Reflected-ānanda I can experience. Like I see the original eye
through a mirror alone. Eyes cannot see the original eyes. If the eyes have to see, they
can see what: only the reflected-eye in the mirror. Seeing of the reflected-eyes is time-
bound and it is conditional. When mirror is there, reflection comes; when mirror is dull
reflection is dull; and when the mirror is gone; reflection is gone. Therefore, reflected-
eye only can be perceived. The original eye can never be perceived by the eye itself.
Therefore, Svarūpa-ānanda never try to experience.

Then work for, if you want, you can work for reflected-ānanda, but reflected-ānanda can
never be permanent. Because it depends upon the reflecting-medium and the
reflecting-medium is subject to change.

And therefore, own up the svarūpa-ānanda and be free. And enjoy reflected-ānanda
whenever available. Just like as and when you get you can see your beautiful-face😇.
When you get mirror look at the face. When the mirror is gone, you don’t worry the
face is gone. Xerox copy is gone. Let it go.

Similarly, enjoy experiential pleasure when available; and when it goes don’t worry. The
original master copy is not with you, but it is you. You are the master. If you are
convinced of that, this is Manīṣā. Ādi Śaṅkarācārya has got that conviction and I hope
you also have that conviction.

ॐॐॐॐॐॐ

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