Uddhava Gita

उद्धवगीत
UDDAVA GITA
Talks by Swami Paramarthananda
Transcribed by Sri A. Venkatesan
Part 1 upto Class No.63
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Abbreviations used:
UG/ UGA- Uddhava Gita

SVSSS- Sarva Vedanta Siddhanta Sara Sangraha
TB- Tattva Bodha
VC- Viveka Chudamani
TF- therefore
BMSC- Body, Mind, Sense Complex
DC- Dushta Chatushtayam
JAV- Jagrat Avastha
PBA- Pratibimba Ananda/ BA- Bimba Ananda
SCS- Sadhana Chatushtaya Sampati
PSH- Peace Security and Happiness
LHS- Left Hand Side/RHS- Right Hand Side
Sts- Sthula sharira/Sks- Sukshma Sharira/KS-Kaarana Sharira
HW- Homework
LKA- Lord Krishna
OC- Original Consciousness/RM- Reflecting Medium/RC- Reflected
Consciousness/PB- Physical Body
DS- Swami Dayananda Sarawathi
BTL- Bhaga Tyaga Lakshana
BGA- Bhagavad Gita
BS- Brahma Sutra
CBSC- Candidate, Benefit, Subject-matter and Connection
MC- mis conception
w.r.t- with respect to
MU- Mundaka Upanishad
ESNS- Eka Sara Nitya Satya
PORT- Possessions, Obligations, Relationship and Transactions
FIR- Frequency, Intensity and Recovery period of emotional disturbances
CCC- Calmness, cheerfulness, confidence (or courage)
YDR- Yama Dharma Raja
KU- Katha Upanishad
NTUC- Non-hurting, Truthful, Useful, Cheerful
PD- Pancadasi
LOK- Law of karma
PMY- Panca Maha Yagna
TFT- Triangular Format

Class 1- UG Introduction
सदा�शवसमारम्भा शङ्कराचायर्मध्य म ।
अस्मदाचायर्पयर्न् वन्द गुरुपरम्परा ॥
As announced earlier, we will take up उद्धवगीत(UG)for our study starting with a

general introduction. UG is a part of श्रीमदगवत परु ाणं just as the BG is a part of
महाभारतं. We have a vast puranic literature and 18 परु ाणा�न are generally
mentioned. All of them including भागवतम ् and महाभारतं are authored by the great
व्यासाचाय. परु ाणा�न are very big with each परु ाणा having 1000s of verses.
भागवतपरु ाणं itself has got about 18000 verses. In परु ाणा�नव्यासाचाय combines the
teaching of two sacred literatures- वेदा:and आगमा:. The teaching extracted from
the वेदा: includeवेद पवर
ू भाग called कमर काण् and वेद अन् भाग, the �ान काण्, the
उप�नषद. वेदा: don’t talk about temples.
आगमा: are also an equally vast literature and we have several आगमा: which focus
on worship of God in various forms. We have got शैवआगमा: a huge set of
literatures which focus on the worship of Lord �शव including worship at home on a
smaller scale and worship of Lord �शव in temples. This includes the types of
worship in �शव temples, the rules, regulations and disciplines to be followed by the
worshippers called �शवआचायार:, the festivals to be conducted, the main festival
called �ह्मोत्. आगम talks about �शव worship both in temples as well as at
home. Similarly, the equally vast वैष्णवआग books focus on �वष्ण worship and
again the rules and regulations, how �वष्ण temples should be built etc. Similarly,
we have शाक् आगम which deals with the worship of शिक् or देवी. All the types
of श् �वद्य पज
ू ा followed even now by many devotees. श् �वद्य पज
ू ा is done at
home. मेर आराधन etc. Thus, we have got vast आगम literature and vast वे�दक्
literatures.

परु ाणा�न extract teaching from both वेदा: and आगमा:. Earlier, all our religious
practices were heavily based on the वेदा:.वेद and वे�दक् fire rituals were prominent
and huge यागs were conducted running for days, weeks, months and years. They
built huge याग शाला:, did fire rituals and at the end the whole यागशाला was burnt
down. Earlier, worship was in the form of वे�दक् fire rituals. Gradually, वे�दक्
rituals started fading. Now we don’t even know the names of many of the rituals
like आप्तोयार,वाजपेयetc. which were huge यागs. That was replaced by आगम
based पज
ू ा:. Gradually more and more temples came and temple worship started
instead of अिग्नहोत, औपासन and संद्यावन्द which were dailyवे�दक् rituals. They
were replaced by �शवपञ्चायतनपूज, �वष्णुपञ्चायतनपू, शा�लग्र आराद्न म, मेर
पज
ू ा etc.
In the purana आगमपज

ू ा: are talked about more than वे�दक् rituals. व्यासाचाय says,
any form of worship or ईश्व आराधन is important whether in the वै�दक form or
आगम form. All types of worships are equally sacred and equally elevating and
good for all, including spiritual seekers of मो�.
Even आगम literature has its own stages just like our �ह्मचयार्, गह
ृ स्ताश etc.
They also have stages like चयार,�क्र, योग and �ानं. आगम literatures also have
philosophical or spiritual portions. Spiritual portion is the portion which talks
about मो�, liberation or freedom, called दशर्न. They have got पज
ू नं also consisting
of worship. वैष्णवस आगमा: talk about their दशर्न- मो� and means of attaining
मो�. शैवागाम also talks about मो� and मो�साधनं. There is a pronounced
difference between the spiritual portion of the वेद, which is called वेदान्तदशर् and
the spiritual portion of आगम like वैष्णवस दशर्न,शैवदशर्न etc. The question is,
which one should we follow, वै�दकदशर्न or आगमदशर्न? The tradition and
व्यासाचाय give us options to follow वै�दकआराधन also. If you want to do अिग्नहो,
wonderful! If you want to do various यागा:, wonderful! You want to replace it with

चण्डीहो?चण्डीहो comes under आगम. चण्डीहो is not based on वेद. It is आगम.
In fact, it is done everywhere now. TF, w.r.t ईश्व आराधन, ईश्व पज ू नं,व्यासाचाय
gives us options to follow either one for refining the personality, for purifying the
mind. When it comes to दशर्न and मो�, व्यासाचाय, Shankaracharya and all our
traditional आचायार:are very particular. In BS of व्यासाचाय these topics are
discussed. Based on that alone I am talking about the conclusion of the tradition
given by व्यासाचाय in his BS as wellas Shankaracharya in his commentary. What
is their verdict and judgment? W.r.t spiritualty and मो� we should go by
वै�दकमागर: as propounded in वेदान्, Upanishad and not by आगम. Our Saturday,
PD class दशर्न is based not on आगम but on वेद or वेदान्. Why do we differentiate
between वै�दकदशर्न and आगमदशर्न? Their approaches are different in the context
of their teaching regarding sadhana and मो�. आगमदशर्ना� talk only about द्वैत
throughout and the difference between जीव,जगत् and ईश्व. They never come to
अद्वैत whereas in वे�दक् teaching the final is अद्वैत. As the उप�नष�दक् student
would have recognized, ‘शान्त �शवं चतथ
ु � मन्यन् स आत्म स �व�ेय:.’ All the
आगमा: are द्वै प्रध whereas वेद initially starts with द्वैत but culminates in
अद्वैत. So, there is difference in content and in the very definition of मो� where
according to theआगमा:,मो� is always by going to some other लोक. If you are
�वष्णुभक् you will go to �वष्णुलो, �शव भक्ता�श लोक, कृष् भक्त कृष्णलो.
आगम says every भक्त will have to attain मो� by going to some लोक after death.
Then they talk about the भगवत: messengers coming with special vehicle to take
this भक्त. There also भगवान ् will be भगवान ्,भक्त will be भक्त,द्वैत, the
division will be maintained even in मो�. TFआगममो� involves going to some
लोकs and maintaining the difference. They never talk about oneness or the famous
तद त्व अ�स महा वाक्य. They will say talking about no difference is a great
sacrilege. भगवान ् should be भगवान ्,भक्त should be भक्त. You have to keep a
distance, never oneness.

In वै�दकदशर्न म,मो� doesn’t require travel after death. It talks about discovering
the oneness here and now through the well-known wisdom अहं ब्र अिस्.
कठोप�नषद declares अत ब्र समश्नुत इहै व तैिजर् सगर:. मो� is here and now. This
is the second difference between आगम philosophy and वै�दक philosophy. One is
द्वैत, another is अद्वैत. One talks about posthumous मो�, the other talks about
मो� here.
The third most important difference is they will say by practicing भिक्, द्वै
भिक् itself you surrender to God, worship God and you will get liberation. You
should go on chanting the नाम of the Lord and नाम संक�तर्न itself will get you
मो�. You don’t require any knowledge or शास्त. Just by mere भिक्and uttering
the नाम of भगवान ् one will get मो�. This is the approach of आगम. This is not
acceptable to वे�दक् teaching. वेद clearly says तमेवं �वद्वान्अमृतइ भव�त नान्
पन्त अयनाय �वद्यत - पर
ु ु सक
ू ्त. Is पर
ु ुषसूक् वेद or आगम? It is वेद and it
repeats- तमेवं �वद्वान्अमृतइ भव�तनान् पन्त �वद्यतेअना.It requires �ानं. What
�ान?ं Not द्वैत�ान. It requires अद्वैत�ान. BU declares द्�वतीयाद् भयं भव�त. As
long as duality is there, संसार will never go away. Division means time and space.
Time and space means mortality. TF,वेद insists अद्वै. �ानात्एचा मो�: and the
वेद declares this �ानं should be gained ultimately. In the beginning, it starts with
द्वै पज
ू ा. अरादनं,आगमपज
ू ा, worship, all these we should follow for purification.
वेद says, thereafter we have to come to अद्वैत�ान. All the upanishads insist it has
to be gained by going to an आचायर. तद �व�ानाथ� स गर
ु ुमेवअ� गच्छेत स�मत्पा�
श्रो�त �ह्म�नष्ठ. LK says, तद्�व� प्र�णपाद प�रप्रश् सेवया उपदे�यिन् ते �ानं
�ा�नन: त�वद�शर्:.Just by doing नामसंक�तर्नं�ान will not automatically come. LK
says one has to go to a guru and get exposed to the teaching of वेद, especially
वेदान्त. Through that �ानंमो� is possible. �ानं is not one of the methods. �ानं is
the only method. न अन् पन्त अयनाय �वद्यत. There are no other paths for मो�.

There are many paths for refining the mind. You can do वै�दक कम,र you can do
आगमकमर or any type of कमर but for मो�अन्: पन्त नािस्. There is only one-
अद्वैत�ानात्ए मो�:. In श्वेतास्व उप�नषद there is an interesting statement.
Without �ानं you can get मो� if you fulfill one condition- You have to roll the sky
like a carpet. You see the sky starting from one end of the earth like a dome. What
should you do? Go to one end of the earth and roll the sky and give it to भगवान ्.
Then भगवान ् will say ‘No jnana is required.’ It is वेदमन्त-यदा चमर्वदाकाश वेष्
इष्यिन मानवा तदा देवं अ�व�ाय द:ु खस् अन्त भ�वष्य�. You can never roll the
sky. That means, you can never skip �ानं.TF, when we study परु ाणा�न we should
remember it is a mixture of वे�दक् and agamic teaching. UG also gives methods of
doing पज
ू ा and methods of meditation upon LK all drawn from आगम. We can do
आरादन,ं we can do meditation but after refinement, one day or the other, we have
to come �ान योग. वेदान् श्रव, मननं, �न�दध्यासन. Through that we have to
getअद्वै �ानं. For पज
ू ा, आगम teaching is borrowed, for �ानं and मो�, not
आगमbut वे�दक् teaching. This is a very important thing in tradition. Unfortunately,
this point is rarely clarified. They talk about भागवतं and all and keep telling people
you need not do anything in क�लयग
ु , कलोकल्मष�च�ाना पापद्र उपजी�वनां
�व�ध�क्र �वह�नानां ग�तग��वन् क�तर्न. No कमर योग required, no �ानं is required,
no कमर is required, just keep chanting भगवान्ना and you will get मो�.
Unfortunately, that is not व्यासाचाय’s message because व्यासाचाय makes it amply
clear in several places. This is missed. That is why I thought it should be made
clear in the introduction to UG itself so that you don’t think I will give you a short
cut or tell you, “Chant कृष्, कृष् and you will get मो�.” If you are expecting
such things, you will get disappointed. Whether you want to come to my lecture or
not I am not going to give any crash course for liberation because व्यासाचाय
doesn’t give it, वेदs do not give it. It requires कमर्यो, it requires उपासना योग
which requires वे�दक् �ान योग also. We will be seeing this in the UG.

Now, let us come to UG. It is part of भागवत परु ाणांwhich is very famous among all
the अष्टाद परु ाणा�न. All over India भागवतंis very popular after the सप्ता version
and everywhere भावगत सप्ता goes on. The original भागवतपरु ाण consists of
18000 verses and is broadly classified into 12 स्कन्:. स्कन् can be translated as
section or parts. Each स्कन् is divided into several chapters or अध्या. In certain
स्कन्:, like दशमस्कन्, which is very huge, there are many chapters. अध्या is
further divided into श्लोक: or verses. UG comes in the 11th स्कन् of the भागवतं
towards the end of भागवतं. In all the previous स्कन्: we have many stories of
several kings, stories of भगवत: अवतारा:,भगवत्भिक,भगवत् आरादनं and
developing devotion to भगवान ्. Spiritual topics are also there in the previous
स्कन्: but in the 11th स्कन् alone we get concentrated spiritual topic. The 10th
स्कन् is also the most famous because it talks about कृष्णावता and कृष्णल�ल
stories. Generally, people like to hear how LK stole butter, how he did रासक्र�
because we need not think because we all used our brains until we had our
education. Thereafter, we kept our brains aside. TF, generally people love stories.
भगवत:अवतारं and all those things. They love those stories shedding
tears.दशमस्कन् is the most popular and the most unpopular is the 11th स्कन्.
That is why I am taking that. Because nobody likes it because it is concentrated
teaching arriving at the truth. Who is भगवान ् really? Who is भक्त really? What is
the world really? Enquiring into the truth of भगवान ्,भक्त and world. Enquiry
requires thinking.
The 11th स्कन् is the वेदान् दशर्न. This 11th स्कन् as thirty-one chapters. In
these 31 chapters two types of गीता are talked about. One is the UG and the other
one is जायन्ते गीता, a smaller गीता consisting of 4 chapters and around 200 and
odd verses only. UG consist of 24 chapters and 1079 verses. Bigger than even the
BG which has 18 chapters and 700 verses. UG is a very vast गीता. Vast in
different topics and equally deep also. It is vaster than BG and deeper than BG in
its teaching. So, four जायन्ते गीता chapters and 24 UG chapters which is 28
chapters out of the total 31. Three chapters are only preparation and conclusion.
Bulk of the 11th स्कन्, is all spiritual teaching. Of this the जायन्ते गीता, also
called नवयोगी संवाद, is from the second chapter of the 11thस्कन् up to the 5th
chapter. 2,3,4 5- that is four chapters. We are going to see UG from the 6th chapter
of भागवतं. 11th section, 6th chapter to 29th chapter including both 6th and 29th
अध्याs. As the very name shows, UG is a teaching received by उद्ध. भगवत्गीत
is a teaching given by भगवान ्. UG is not a teaching given by उद्ध but the
teaching received by उद्ध but given by the same भगवान ्. LK is the common
teacher of अजुर् and उद्ध in the MB battlefield and after MB is over. Both
students, अजुर् and उद्ध are very similar because both of them are related to
भगवान ्, both are friends of भगवान ्, both of them are भक्तs of भगवान ्. उद्ध who
is a relative-cum-friend, but more than that, भक्त of भगवान ्receives the teaching.
In the first chapter of the BG we get the background of MB battlefield and अजुर्
getting worried and surrendering to LK and LK teaching. A similar thing happens
in the भागवतं also for उद्ध. LK has completed most of the tasks he wanted to do
through कृष् अवतार because भगवत: अवतार, incarnation is for executing some
task-
प�रत्राण साधनू ां �वनाशाय च दषु ्कृता|धमर संस्थापनाथार संभवा�म यगे
ु यगे
ु ||
भगवान ् has certain number of tasks most of which he has completed. In the MB
battle भगवान ् has taken part and many of the असरु ा:, रा�सा: have all been finished.
Whoever has to be corrected will be corrected and those who cannot be corrected,
भगवान ् will finish. Like doctors either repair or amputate. They try to cure and
whenthat is not possible, they amputate. Similarly, भगवान ् also provides either
treatment or amputation. LK’S own family, the यादवा:, have become very
powerful and arrogant and a threat to धम.र भगवान ् makes arrangements for the
destruction of the यादवा: also.
A story in भागवतं first chapter says that �वश्वा�म काश्य दवार्

ु and other great
ऋषय: come to द्वार and visit LK, offer worship and return. While returning, a

few यादवा youths who had lost respect for the ऋषय: and other great people come
together with an intention to insult these rishis. One of these यादवा: youths is one
of the sons of LK himself. LK’S own son, have become arrogant and anti धमर.
Imagine. We wonder about our children but even LK himself faces this problem.
One of LK’s sons by जाम्भव� is सांभ.सांभ also joins this यादवा youth with an
intention to mock and insult these great rishis. This सांभ is very beautiful. He
dresses up like a young, pregnant girl. They bring her in front of the sages. They
say, “O sages, you are all great. You know the future also. What type of child will
be born to this girl who is about to give birth?” But the sages are �त्रक �ा�नन:.
You cannot cheat them. They knew this. They got wild and gave शाप- “Not only
you but the entire यादवाकुलंwhich has become adharmic will fight among
themselves and you will be killed and this girl will givebirth to an iron pestle.”
मसु ल: in Sanskrit, small one- pestle. These boys got frightened because they know
that rishis are powerful. They removed सांभ’s clothes and they found the मस
ु ल.
They got frightened and wenttothe king, LK’s father उग्रस. Theytold him all
about the शाप and मस
ु ल. They decided to powder the iron pestle and it throw into
ocean so that it would not be responsible for their destruction. The शाप was that the
pestle would be the cause of the destruction of the entire यादवाकुल. Though they
made a fine powder one piece remained. They threw the powder and the piece also
into the ocean. The iron powder came to the shore and got mixed with a type of
grass growing there called एरका grass which grows tall. The iron piece was
swallowed by a fish which was caught by a hunter who decided to use it as an
arrow head. Later, the यादवा: had some argument on the beach and fought and
used एरका grass to hit at each other. They all died because of the grass and the शाप
came true. The hunter who got the iron piece used it to shoot at what he thought
was a deer which was actually LK’s toe. LK was resting there and his toe was
jutting out. The hunter mistook it as an animal and shot and killed LK with the
same arrowhead. LK was also यादवा.
LK knew about this शाप and invited all elderly people to go to a sacred place
called प्रभ तीथर in Gujarat. The entire कुलं is going to die. Let us all do तपर् to
our forefathers because our forefathers will not get तपर्ण from here on because the
entire clan is going to die.
But before that all the devatas come down from heaven to invite LK back to वैकुण्
because according to our परु ाणा�न LK is the अवतार of �वष्ण and his original place
is वैकुण्. All the devatas including ब्रह �शव �शवगणा: ऋषय: and all इन्द्र
देवता: come down and address LK, “You have done your job. Please come back to
वैकुण्.” They address LK with a prayer before inviting him to वैकुण्. This is the
first chapter of the UG. UG starts with the celestialsoffering prayers to LK and
asking him to come back to वैकुण्.
LK agrees but wants to finish his task of offering तपर् along with allthe elders of
the clan. At that juncture उद्ध comesin front of LK. He says, “I have been very
close toyou. If you go to वैकुण् I can’t survive. I can’t imagine separation from
you. Take me also to वैकुण्.” In the BG first chapter, अजुर् was disturbed because
of possible separation from भीष् द्रand others. Here, उद्ध is disturbed. LK
says, ‘I can’t take you. You have your प्रार. I will teach you वेदान्त. Iwill teach
you UG, the spiritual knowledge. After gaining this knowledge go to
बद�रकाश्and spend your time in �न�दध्यासन.” It is believed that even now उद्ध
is there in बद�रकाश्. The first chapter gives this background but the actual
teaching starts from the second chapter onwards which we will enter into from the
next class.
In the next class I will start with a discussion or with a brief commentary on a
वे�दक् मन्, पणू र्म:पण
ू र्�मद. I gave the meaning of सह ना ववतु when we studied
TB butdid not give the meaning of पण ू र्म:पणू र्�मद. I forgot but one student
remembered it and caught me. TF, I thought I will fulfill my promise and in the
next class briefly, I will give you the essence of the पण ू र्मद: मन् and then we will
enter into UG proper.

Class 2- UG verses 1 to 5
I will give you the meaning of the शािन्मन्पण

ू र्मद पण
ू र्�मद before I begin UG. It
is a profound शािन्तपा which occurs in both ईशावास् उप�नषद as well as
बह
ृ दारण्यकउप�नष. I will try to give a simpler and easier meaning for that मन्.
Let us chant the mantra once. ॐ पण
ू र्मद पण
ू र्�मद पण
ू ार्त पण
ू र्मुदच्य| पण
ू र्स
पण
ू र्मादा पण
ू र्मेवाव�शष्य || ॐ शां�तः शां�तः शां�तः||
The essence of the मन् is the revelation of the relationship between God, the
creator of the universe, and the universe which is created by ईश्व. What is the
relationship between them and their statuses? This is what is revealed in this मन्.
The first sentence पण
ू अ
� द: means- अद: परमात्म, that परमात्म(PA), which is the
cause of the universe, is पण ू .� पण
ू � means, whole or complete or without any
limitations. So, PA, the cause of the universe is limitless or infinite. This is one
complete sentence अद: परमात्मापूण�भव�. Then what about the universe that we
are experiencing in front of us? This universe also- इदं. इदं means इदंजगत् अ�प
पणू भव
� �त is also whole, also limitless, also infinite because we can never know the
limit of space. You cannot say, ‘space ends here.’ It is limitless. TF God is
limitless. The world is also limitless. अद: पण ू भव
� �त. इदंपणू भव
� �त. What is the
relationship between God and world? This मन्त says पण
ू ार्त्पूण�उदच्.
पण
ू ार्त्ईश्वरा -from God the PA who is infinite, this universe, which is also
limitless, उदच्यत - emerges or originates. TF, the universe originates from God.
That means God is कारणं, world is कायर् म. What type of कारण?ं Not onlythe
intelligent creatorGod, he finds raw material in himself. TF God is material cause
also. Remembering the उप�नष�दक् example of the spider. Not only does the
spidercreate the web, but the raw material for the web is from its own fluid. The
spider gives the silk, thread and web. TF, a spider is not only the intelligent cause.
Spider is the very raw material with which the web comes. Similarly, भगवान ् is not
only the intelligence but also the very raw material out which the world is created.
God is कारणं, the world is कायर् म.

In TB classes we had talked about four features of the कारणं and four features of
the effect or product. I have given you a short form also. Whatarethe four words?
एक, सार,�नत्, सत्य. The cause is एकं . Forexample: the cause of gold and
ornament is एकं though products are अनेकं . The second cause is the सारं- the
essence, the content of the product. The product is mere name and form only.
Product doesn’t have substantiality of its own. Ornament is nothing but non-
substantial नामरू. The substance is nothing but gold alone. The weight of the
ornament is the weight of gold. TF, cause is substantial, product is not substantial.
Weightless name and form. So, कारणं is सारं, काय� असारं. The third description is
कारणं �नत्य. Before the ornaments came the gold was. After the origination of
ornaments gold is there. If gold disappears in the making of the ornament nobody
will make ornaments. People will be hanging lumps ofgold only. We generate and
create shape ornaments because we know gold continues to exist even after
theornaments come. Later, even after the melting of ornaments, gold will continue.
Thus, cause exists in the past, present and future but the product has got only a
limited existence between the manufacturing and expiry date. TF, कारणं �नत्य,काय�
अ�नत्य. So एक, सार, �नत्. The last is- कारणं is सत्य means it has an independent
existence of its own. The products, ornaments do not have any existence of their
own. They borrow the existence from the कारणम ्. When you say ornament is, the
very is-ness of the ornament doesn’t belong to the ornament. It is borrowed from
the gold. How do you prove that? Remove the gold, the ornament will lose its
existence. TF, कारणं सत्य, काय� is असत्य. TF, four-letter ESNS- एकसार�नत्यसत्.
Thus, कारणं is the ESNS orthe essence of the काय�. I have also jocularly said that
even though original spelling of essence is essence, its mobile phone spelling is
ESNS. TF भगवान ् is the essence of the world. Separate भगवान ् from the world,
world cannot have existence. TF, the मन्त says, पण
ू र्स्यपूण�आद. Here पण
ू र्स
shouldbe converted from षिष् �वभिक् to पञ्चम �वभिक्.पण
ू ार्त means from the
पण
ू र universe,पण
ू ार्त जगत:, from the limitless universe, पण
ू आ
� दाय. पण
ू � means
limitless God is आदा. आदाय- Sanskrit students should convert आद�यते चेत्
whichmeans suppose God is separated from the world. य�द

पण
ू र्परमात्मापूणर्:सकाशात् अ�दयते then what will be left? पण
ू र्ए अव�शष्यत.
पण
ू प
� रमात्म alone will remain. The world cannot have an existence of its own.
Whatever doesn’t have independent existence is called असत्य or �मथ्य. Whatever
has independent existence is called सत्य. TF, theessence of this मन्त is
ब्रह्मसत्यंजगिन. ईश्व: सत्य. जगित्मथ्. What is the corollary message for
the students of the मन्त.? If you want to hold on to something for your peace,
security and happiness, hold on to सत्य or भगवान ् only. Never hold on to the
world. Never hold on to anything in the world. Never hold on to any person in the
world. Use the world and the people only for serving and purifying the mind.
Family must be used for serving and purifying. Society must be used for serving
and purifying. Never use any one of them for PSH. If you hold on to any one of
them, it is at your own risk. वेद gives the message to humanity, hold on to the
world only at your own risk. To remind you of my own favorite example- The
whole world is a cardboard chair. A cardboard chair can be kept, decorated or kept
in showcase. You can do everything except sit on it. If you sit in that chair you will
break your head. वेद says the entire universe is cardboard chair. TF, discover God
and hold on to God. How to discover God? By studying the UG. Now, let us enter
the text.
Chapter one verse one-
अथब्रह्मात्मजैःदेवैःप्रजेशैरावृतोऽभ
भवश्चभूतभव्येशोययौभूतगणैवृर्६.१॥
The entire first chapter consisting of 50 verses gives the background story just like
in the first chapter of BG. The purpose of the background story is to bring the गुर
and �शष् together. Here, it explains the context in which the गुरLK and
�शष्यउद् come together and उद्ध becomes the disciple of LK, the गुर. This
context is always given to indicate that scriptures, especially spiritualscriptures,
should be studied only under a traditional आचायर because in many places it will
have to be interpretedappropriately. There will be many confusing श्लोक:.
Whenever we interpret scriptures like भागवतं, BG etc.we should remember they

are all based on the original source, theवेदा:. TF, we have to interpret it properly
based on वे�दक् background alone we otherwise we will misunderstand which is
worse than non-understanding. Once we misunderstand, the गर ु whom we will get
later, will have a tougher task because he has to first the erase the
misunderstanding. It will take 10 years to remove the misconception like a black
board with lot of scribbling. If it is a clean slate, the गर
ु s job is easier. Otherwise
the गर
ु will have a tougher task. That is why in olden days they always warned us
to never study scriptures in translation. Always study with a गुर. TF, गुर and �शष्
are always introduced to convey this message. The entire original भागवतं,
व्यासाचाय presents as a eaching given by शक
ु मह�षर to king पर��त्. UG is a part in
the 11th section of भागवतं. That means 10 sections have gone. The original भागवतं
is a teaching given to पर��त्. The story of पर��त् is that पर��त्, the king,
insults a great ऋ�ष by putting a dead snake on the neck of a ऋ�ष who was insitting
in meditation. The ऋ�ष gets angry and curses the king that he would die within
seven days due to a snake bite. पर��त् knows that there is no remedy for the
ऋ�ष’s curse. He welcomes and accepts that he has only 7 days to live. He decides
to gain AJ and get liberation within 7 days. Then comes शक
ु ऋ�ष who is the son of
व्यासाचाय himself. व्यास व�शष् नप्तार शकतातं
ु . शक
ु मह�षर has to give the
knowledge within 7 days. That is how भाग्वतसप्त originated. During the original
भागवतं. In keeping with that tradition now also people try to have भाग्वतसप्ताह.
Seven days are not enough for even reading 18000 verses.
TF UG also has शक
ु : उवाच due to the original dialogue between शक
ु and पर��त्.
Before उद्ध and LK come to the stage, शक
ु is addressing पर��त्giving him the
story. Within that the intermediary dialogue is going to be between उद्ध and LK.
The first few श्लोक: are enumeration of the whole group of people who are
entering द्वार. After reaching LK, they all glorify the Lord, both in his original
एकरू version, अनेकरू version and अरू version. In the scriptures भगवान ् is

described at three levels depending upon the spiritual evolution of the seeker. For a
beginner भगवान ् is a person, for a slightly advanced person, भगवान ् is
�वश्वरूपईश: and for the most advanced person, भगवान ् is neither एकरू nor
अनेकरू but अरूप, �नगुर्ण सिच्चदानन् ब्र. All these three are the glories of one
भगवान ्. Throughout भागवतं we get very many स्तुत: in which भगवान ् is
described in all these three versions.
We will first hear भगवत्स्तु� coming from this group of देवता:and other celestials
and शक
ु enumerates them and tells us who they are. अथ- so thereafter, means, after
the previous chapter which was the last chapter of जायन्तेयगीत. जायन्तेयगीत
was the last portion. TF अथ. ब्र- so the first one and the head of the team who
approaches LK is ब्र,चतुमुर्ब्र, the creator who went towards द्वारwith all
these people following. Who are they? आत्मज: आत्मज: means his own children
in the form of four ऋ�षs, called सनका�द मन
ु य:. These four great ऋ�षs were
created by ब्र by his mere संकल्. Theyare called मानस पत
ु . आत्म: means
पत्
ु :.आत्म here means mind. ज: means born out of ब्र’s own mind.
संकल्पपुत:सनक सनातन सनत्कुमा सनत्सुजा. Then देवै as wellas other celestials,
प्रजे: different प्रजाप: who preside over thecreation of all the other living
beings. Creation is delegated. �वष्णcreates ब्र and delegates the job of creation to
ब्र. ब्र, instead of directly creating, creates 14 प्रजाप: who do the rest of the
creation. They are called प्रजे:.आवत
ृ : surrounded by all these celestials.
भवश्.भव: means Lord �शव joins. As I said, �शव and �वष्ण have no problems.
Only the devotees quarrel asking who is greater. Everyone is equally great. भव:
means Lord �शव. भतभ
ू व् ईश: who is the Lord of the past and present. He also
joined the group. भतग
ू णैवर्त
ृ . Lord �शव is surrounded by his own भतग
ू णा:, his
own retinue. Lord गणेशा is the head of that team. That is why he is called गणेश
गणानां तव गणप�तं हवामहे .So, भतग
ू णैवर्त
ृ , surrounded by all of them. Then what
happened? This is the glory of परु ाणा�न where you have all kinds of descriptions

and you don’t have to think whereas TB is packed exercise for intellect. In
परु ाणा�न the advantage is you can relax, listen and in between doze also. This is the
difference betweenप्रक ग्रन: and परु ाणा�न. You will get variety and प्रस also
thus making it light and enjoyable and in between there will be hard core teaching
also. This is the difference. The list of people continues-
इन्द्रोमरुद्�भभर्गवाना�दत्यावसवो
ऋभवोऽङ्�गरसोरुद्रा�वश्वेसाध्याश्च६.२॥
All the other celestial groups also which occupy different colonies of heaven. They
are all given different names in the वेद and परु ाणा�न. Of them the main one is इन्:
भगवान ् because इन् is देवानां राजा, head of celestials. Other groups like मरुद्ग:
called वायु देवता:, 49 in number, आ�दत्:, the आ�दत्यद ेवत:, 12 in number. द्वाद
आ�दत्as we have during सयर
ू नमस्का �मत र�व सयर
ू भानु खग भष
ू �हरण्यगभ
मर�च्या�तद स�वत्र भास्करेभ् नम:the names of the 12 आ�दत्:. Then eight
वसव: presiding over the eight directions- 4 main directions and 4 intermediary
directions called अष्टवस:. The two अिश्वन means the two अिश्वन कुमार:
presiding over our health and breathing because we have two nostrils for breathing
in and out. The देवता: presiding over our health is called अिश्व�नकुमार, celestial
doctors. Another group of देवता: called ऋभव:, आङ्�गर: ऋ�ष, एकादश रुद:, the
11 रुद्रदे:, �वश्वेद ेव: who are supposed to be अनन्त:, countless, innumerable.
Then साध्य:देवता: means the �पतद
ृ ेवता: presiding over the �पतल
ृ ोक, in charge of
the departed souls, the ancestors. So those देवता: also joined ब्र. Thus, a huge
group is descending down on the earth and they go to द्वारक where LK is. More
visitors are added in verse 3-
गन्धवार्प्सरसोनागाः�सद्धचारणगुह्
ऋषयः�पतरश्चैवस�वद्याधर�कन्नर६.३॥

गन्धवा: belonging to intermediary world. भ:ू भव
ु : सव
ु :. भव
ु ल�क is where the
गन्धवा: are supposed to be there.Thenअप्सर:, celestial women who were born
during समद
ु मथनं. अप् सर: rising out of waters. अध्भ सर�त उधवती इ�त अप्सर:.
Then नागाः, serpent devata who occupy the lower लोक:. Then, �सद्धचारणगुह्यक.
�सद्ध is another group with extraordinary powers. Then the चारण:, theगह
ु ्यक:,
many देव ऋषय:of देवलोक and भल
ू ोक, then �पतर:, all the ancestors or देवता:
presiding over ancestors. �पतरचैव स �वद्याद �कन्न. �वद्याद is another group.
�कन्न is another group. All ties of celestial देवता: joined together and came down
to the earth. Then what happened? Verse 4-
द्वारकामुपसञ्जग्मुःसव�कृष्ण�दद
वपष
ु ायेनभगवान्नरलोकमनोरमः
यशो�वतेनेलोके षस
ु वर्लोकमलापह म्६.४॥
So द्वारका उपसं जग्म:. All these people came down to the earth and straightaway
went to द्वारक with an intention of having the दशर्न of LK, an incarnation of Lord
�वष्ण. What type of incarnation is it? Among all the incarnations of the Lord,
कृष्णअवता is supposed to be the one of the most beautiful अवतार of the Lord.
That is why the very word कृष् means the one whose forms attract everyone. कृष्
means the one with an attractive personality. सव�कृष्�ददृ�व, with adesire that
LK, येन वपष ु ा with which कृष् form, भगवान ्, the Lord was, सवर्नरलोकमनोर:,
the one whose form gave joy to all the devotees who had an opportunity to have
दशर्न of the Lord. मनोरम: means giving joy to the mind with the physical beauty
itself. LK was extremely handsome and with his exploits he spread his glory all
over the globe. यश:लोके ष�ु वतेने. यश: means भगवत: divine glory. Everything that
भगवान ् did was extraordinary and glorious which is called कृष्णल�ल, which has
been described in the entire tenth section, दशम स्कन of the भागवतंwhich is the
biggest स्कन containing countless chapters about the birth, growth and exploits of
LK. If you are interested in that, read simple translations of भागवतं. In fact, in our

culture many people have the habit of reading रामायणं and भागवतं at home so that
we know the glory of the Lord. LK says in the 4th chapter of the BG-
जन् कमर्चम �दव्यमेव यो वे�� त�वत:

त्यक्त दे हं पन
ु जर्न नै�त मामे�त सॊजुर्||
Whoever studies the glories of कृष्णअवता will ultimately get liberation. यश:
means glory, अवतारम�हमा�वतेन.े �वतेने means spread all over the world. That is
what is in our culture. Sculptures, temple sculptures, musical concerts and all the
songs are the glory of राम and कृष् and all talk about that only. Whether it is
dance or music or art or sculpture the whole Indian culture is imbued with
रामअवतार, कृष्णअवतारकथ. Not only in India, some of the eastAsian countries
also share the same story. Theysay 200 or 300 versions are there of the story of राम
and कृष्. TF यश:�वतेनेलोके ष-ु all over the world. What is the greatness of
कृष्णल�ल? He says सवर्लोकमलअपह- the very act of listening to stories of कृष्’s
exploits even without going to the philosophy that LK taught is supposed to
remove all the papam. That is why, in our culture wherever रामायण story is there,
कृष् story is there, even illiterate people throng. I have told you the anecdote. I
was teaching BG somewhere. In the neighbourhood, there was an Andhra lady
who did not know me but she would be the first person to come to the room. She
was an elderly lady. She would lean on the wall and even sleep in between. Why
does she come without even understanding what BG is and with the language
barrier? Because the faith is that the very श्रवof the sound of भगवान्ना will
purify. That is the faith of Hindus. This lady sent me a pin one day. I asked why.
She said poor ब्रह्मच, you are always adjusting your garments. She had watched
that while others were listening to me. She said, please give the pin to him, so that
he need not adjust the garments. She sympathized with me. So, mere श्रवis
supposed to purify. This is the line सवर्लोकमलअपह. मलम ् means impurities of the
mind of the entire humanity, अपहं - removes, when you listen to the story of the
Lord. Continuing,

तस्यां�वभ्राजमानायांसमृद्धायांमहद्र्
व्यच�ता�वतृप्ता�ाःकृष्णमद्भुतदशर६.५॥
As this entire group of people with a desire to see LK were coming through
द्वारक, they found the very city of द्वारक wasa city of abundance. Full of riches,
full of beauties. There was no dearth of anything because LK was presiding over
द्वारक. TF, the whole city was �वभ्राजमानाय. And महद्र्�ध� समद ृ ्धाया rich and
abundant in all form of resources. There was no poverty anywhere. व्यच�त- at
last this group of people looked at the most attractive form of LK. कृष्म ्अद्भु
दशर्न - wonderful form and sight of LK, व्यच�त -they looked at. LK was so
handsome that once the eyes fell on him, no one could look away. TF, अ�वतपृ ्
अ�: -eyes were never satisfied by looking at LK for one moment or one minute or
a few minutes. All eyes were stuck on the beautiful form of the Lord.
भगवत:अवतारs are wonderful.

Class 3- Verses 5 to 8
Page 2, verse 5-
तस्यां�वभ्राजमानायांसमृद्धायांमहद्र्
व्यच�ता�वतृप्ता�ाःकृष्णमद्भुतदशर६.५॥
In the 5th verse, all the देवा: including इन् and others have come to the palace of
LK and they are standing right in front of the Lord. Then the form of LK is
described. It is the most attractive, most glorious form. Through कृष्णावता the
Lord accomplished so many things including the teaching of the BG. भगवत:
glory is available in the world through कृष्णावता. Not only his glories are
extraordinary, it is said the very act of listening to the glory of God, the very
thought of the glory of the Lord is capable of purifying the mind सवर लोक मल
अपहं. For getting �च� शद ु ्�,वेद talks about several methods of कमर्यो in the form
of PMY etc. and other methods. One method of purifying the mind is reading the
glories of भगवान ् or listening to the glories of भगवान ् as narrated by the great
भक्त:. Up to this we saw in the last class. Continuing,
Verse 6-
स्वग�द्यानोपगैमार्ल्यैश्छादयन्तोयुद
गी�भर्िश्चत्रपदाथार्�भस्तुष्टुवुजर्ग६.६॥
All the devatas have come with beautiful garlands made out of extraordinary
flowers belonging to the heavenly world. All of them have got माला. So many देवा:
are there and imagine each one has got a माला and each one decorates the Lord
with माला and LK became invisible covered by so many मालाs.
स्वगर्उद्यानउपगैस्वगर्म ्means heavenly garden and obtaining these
extraordinary flowers and strung an extraordinary garland. With those मालाs
यद
ु �
ू मम्छादयन:छादयन्त म means they completely covered the body of the Lord
with all these मालाs. After offering the Lord and performing नमस्का they glorify

the greatness of the Lord in the following verses with extraordinary words. This
talks about the various features of the Lord taken from वेद, परु ाणा�न and
आगमशास्त:. Descriptions of the Lord are given in extraordinary words.
गी�भर: means referring to the following श्लोक: from the 7th to the 19th verse. 13
verses are ईश्वरस्तु:, glorification of भगवान ्,�चत्रपदाथार: गी�भर:. गी�भर: means
the words or the श्लोक:. What type of श्लोक:? �चत्रपदाथ: their meanings are
many and manifold, varieties of meanings because they are taken from different
शास्त:. Through those words जगद�श्वर, the Lord of the universe, तुष्टुब: all the
देवा: glorified भगवान ्. This is found in all परु ाणा�न in general and in भागवतं in
particular. On several occasions, several devotees individually or collectively talk
about the glory of ईश्व. These descriptions will have all the three versions-
एकरूपईश्, �वश्वरूपईश and अरू or अ�तरूपईश्:. अ�तरू: means transcending
all forms. The absolute ब्रह्. TF Lord as कृष्, Lord as �वश्वर: and Lord as
�नगुर्णंब्, all these three glories will be talked about in these श्लोक:. These
longer verses are significant and profound. Their Sanskrit construction is very
tough. I will not be going too much into the Sanskrit form but will give you the
important essence.
Verse 7-
श्रीदेवाऊचुःनताःस्मतेनाथपदार�वन्दंबुद्धीिन्द्रयप्राण
यिच्चन्त्यतेऽन्तहृर्�दभावयुक्तैमुर्मु�ु�भःकमर् मय६.७॥
The देवा: point out that they are offering साष्टाङ्गनमस् to you, O Lord, with all
the limbs of the body. We have so many forms of नमस्का. The simplest form is
just joining the hands and bending a littlebit. There is a shorter नमस्का called
पञ्चाङ नमस्का as done by the ladies. We have the complete version of नमस्का,
falling prostrate on the ground called साष्टाङ्गनमस्. अष् अङ् means all the 8
limbs of the body are used for prostration. The eight limbs used for

साष्टाङ्गनमस् are listed in a particular verse- उरका �शरसा दृष्ट मनसा वचसा
तता पद्भ्य कराभ्या जानभ्य
ु ा प्रणामोष्ट उच्यत.
1. उरक the chest, the front part of the body should fall on the ground, touch the
ground in front of the Lord
2. �शरसा- the head must touch the ground
3. दृष्ट- the eyes must see the form of the Lord
4. मनसा- the mind should think of the Lord . The thought also must be of the
Lord
5. वचसा - the organ of speech should utter the names of the Lord
likeनम�शवाय नारायणाय रामाकृष्णगो�वन.
6. पद्भ्य - the two feet must be on the ground
7. कराभ्या - he two hands are on the ground
8. जानभ्य
ु -ा the two knees are also touching the ground.
In short, the total body is on the ground. All the अष् अङ्गा� must beon the
ground for those who can afford to do that. Many people will do that and then need
two other people to lift them. TF, भगवान ् says, ‘I don’t want to lift you. If you can
do and get up, you do. Otherwise, do short नमस्का.’
Here, the देवा: also, are offering नमस्का with all the limbs of the body. हे नाथ, O
Lord who is the protector of the world. ते पदार�वन्दंनत स्. ते पदार�वन्द means
your lotus feet. Even though the entire body of the Lord is considered to be sacred,
the feet of the Lord, the feet of the guru etc. are considered very sacred. That is
why they do पादपज ू ा etc. According to शास्, feet represents those two limbs which
will take a person to the destination. The feet of the Lord represent the two factors
which will take a भक्त to the Lord. They are the two types of �वद्य called
अपरा�वद्य and परा�वद्य. अपरा�वद्य is that teaching which will help us in
purifying the mind and attaining �ानयोग्यताप्रा:. �ानयोग्यत means fitness for
attaining knowledge. परा�वद्य is that knowledge which will help me in gaining the
true nature of the Lord. Thus, अपरा�वद्य prepares the mind, परा�वद्य gives the

knowledge. Once I have gained अपरा and परा�वद्य the very knowledge takes me
to the Lord. Why do we say knowledge takes me to the Lord? According to शास्,
the Lord is never away from us. Due to ignorance alone we consider the Lord as
far away. The Lord is described as the all-pervading one. TF, the Lord is never
different from us, never distant from us. Due to ignorance, we have created a
distance between us and the Lord. TF, reaching the Lord doesn’t require
travelling. Reaching the Lord requires only removal of the distance caused by, not
time and space, caused by ignorance only. When the ignorance is removed, I don’t
look upon as God away from me. The Lord is one who is available as the very
आत्म, अहं आत्मागुडाके सवर भत ु शयािस्थ:. Reaching the Lord requires
knowledge and knowledge requires purification of the mind. अपरा�वद्य purifies,
परा�वद्य gives the knowledge. TF, the two feet of the Lord represent अपरा and
परा�वद्य. I worship this पदार�वन्द of the two �वद्यs. The two feet of the Lord are
often compared to अर�वन्द- lotus. Lotus is a flower which grows in slushy ground.
पङ्कज.पङ् means slushy water. The lotus blooms there but it is never
contaminated by either the water or the mud. TF, lotus represents purity. So,
पदार�वन्द means the pure feet of the Lord which is in the form of pure परा�वद्य
and pure अपरा�वद्य. Pure परा and अपरा�वद्य means a teaching which doesn’t
have any दोष. �नद�षवेदप्रमा is indicated by भगवान ्’s feet. �नद�षवेदप्रमा, Vedic
teaching. We worship that.
All the devatas offer worship with all the organs- बद

ु ्�धइिन्द्रयप्राणमन:.
बद
ु ्� – intellect, इिन्द- sense organs, प्र – life, मन:- mind, वच:- words.
Through all of them we offer नमस्का to you. These feet of the Lord are
worshipped by all types of भक्त:. In the BG, four types of भक्त: are enumerated-
आतर, अतार्�थ, िज�ासु and मम
ु �
ु ुभक्त. आतर worship the Lord for solving their
problems. अतार्�थर्भक worships the Lord for success in worldly ventures. There
are some rare भक्त: whoare interested in the highest spiritual goal of मो� for
which they study the scriptures. Those devotees are called मम
ु �
ु ुभक्त and
िज�ासभ
ु क्त. मम
ु �
ु ु means desirous of मो�. For the sake of मो�, they are desirous

of spiritual knowledge. मम
ु �
ु ु and िज�ासभ
ु क्त: worship the feet of the Lord for
the sake of freedom from कमर because कमर is responsible for
पन
ु र�पजननंपन
ु र�पमरणं cycle, helpless sufferings in the world. These devotes want
to rid themselves of the shackles of कम.र They also worship you. That is said here.
मम
ु �
ु ु�भ:. मम
ु �
ु ु means the seekers of मो�, freedom from रुपाशात, the powerful
shackles or chains made up of कम,र माया in the form of सं�चत, आगा�म and प्रार.
मम
ु �
ु ु�भ: want freedom from such bonds. यत् �चन्तय the lotus feet of the Lord are
meditated upon. अन्तहृर्�दभावयु:.अन्तहृर means within their own हृदय.
भावयक
ु ्त:. भाव means भिक् with intense devotion they meditate. Not that
meditation will give मो� but meditation on the feet of the Lord will purify the
mind and generate sufficient पण
ु ् for studying the scriptures, श्रवणम and
�न�दध्यासन. महा वाक् �वचारthrough that and gaining अहं ब्रह्मा and अद्वै
�ान.ं Then, liberation is accomplished. “O Lord,your lotus feet are worshipped by
such devotes. Those lotus feet we also worship.” Continuing-
त्वंमायया�त्रगुणयात्म�नदु�वर्भाव्यंव्यक्तंसृजस्यव�सलुम्प�
नैतैभर्वानिजतकमर्�भरज्यतेवैयत्स्वेसुखेऽव्यव�हतेऽ�भरतोऽ६.८||
Suddenly, in this profound verse, the देवा: describe भगवान ् as the creator of the
entire universe. Also, the process of creation which we saw in TB is summarised in
one pithy capsule verse. The entire process is very beautifully described. First, he
defines the nature of God described as two-fold principles. ब्रह्मा
सत्वरजस्तमोगुणाित्मकामायाअ. भगवान ् is mixture of 2-fold principles called
ब्रह् and माया. ब्रह् referring to the changeless, consciousness principle, माया
referring to changing, matter principle. You are a mixture of consciousness and
matter in your potential form. Both changeless consciousness and changing matter
put together is called भगवान ्. Both of them are अना�द
. The potential matter is called माया
and the changeless consciousness is called ब्रह्. Both of them are beginning-less
principle. This mixture alone is called ईश्व.

In that माया alone all the सं�चतकमार्� of all the जीवा: are in potential form. How
much सं�चतकमर is there? अना�द
कालत: from beginning-less time we have acquired
सं�चतकमार्�. All those कमार्� are there potentially in माया. When the right time
of creation comes, ब्रह् principle activates माया at the right time, माया gets
activated by the �चदाभास, which is a reflection of consciousness formed in माया
activates माया. So, �चदाभास, the ripening of the कमर in माया and the blessing of
ब्रह् in the form of �चदाभास or reflected consciousness put together activates
माया. From माया which has three गुण: -सत्वरजस्तमोग, the whole creation
evolves. सत्वगु and रजोगुण part of माया are responsible for the evolution of the
individual BMSC which are alive. Living BMSC evolves from the सत् and
रजोगणु part of माया where it evolves into all forms of bodies- plant body, animal
body, human body, celestial body. All these bodies with life principle gradually
evolve from the mixture of ब्रह् and माया together called ईश्व. From the
तमोगण ु part of माया the inert universe also evolves. जीव evolve from ईश्व, जगत्
also evolves. Both the experiencers and the experienced evolve and then it is time
for interaction. I am born. I see a universe of variety and even as I experience
them, I develop राग and द्वे. Likes and dislikes. Thereafter start all my कमार्�,
activities. I do good actions and bad actions to acquire a variety of things. Because
of कमर I get पण ु ्य म and पापं. They are आगा�म. I exhaust प्रार and acquire आगा�म
at the time of death, at which time part of the आगा�म joins सं�चत. Then again
पन
ु र�पजननं and पन
ु र�पमरणं goes on and on. When the प्र comes the entire
cosmos with infinite सं�चतकमार्� of all living beings go back to भगवत:माया. So,
भगवान ् swallows the whole creation into his माया and the whole universe remains
in प्र form for a length of time. Again, all the सं�चतकमार्� ripen during the next
creation and again the universe evolves and जीवा: and जगत् come, पण
ु ्यपा come.
Again, पन
ु र�पजननं.
Thus, “O Lord, you are सिृ ष्टकतार्िस्थ�तक and लयकतार. Not only do you do
सिृ ष्टिस्थ and लयम ्, you also give appropriate bodies to the जीवा: according to

पण
ु ्य म and पापं. In one जन् I get human body, in another जन् I get animal body.
In human body we have got choice. In animal body we are helpless. भगवान ् gives
enjoyments according to पण ु ्. भगवान ् gives sufferings also. Sometime the body
has congenital problems, physical or internal. When children with such problems
are born, we ask, ‘Why is भगवान ् so cruel?’ भगवान ् says, ‘I don’t choose the body.
I go according to the LOK.’ This goes on and on.
भगवान ् does all the कमर, जीवा: get पण

ु ्य म and पापं for their कम.र भगवान ् does these
कमार्� of सिृ ष्टिस्थ and लयम ् and not only that, he also allots pai and enjoyment
to people. भगवान ् does all these cosmic actions so what पण
ु ्य म and पाप does
भगवान ् get? He says, भगवान ् does everything but he doesn’t get either पण
ु ् or पापं
because भगवान ् is �ानी. We saw in TB that a �ानी doesn’t acquire any पण
ु ्य म or
पापं. Is भगवान्�ान or अ�ानी? If भगवान ् is also अ�ानी, where will he go? भगवान ्
being सवर्:, he is �नत्य�ान. TF, he does all these things without acquiring पण
ु ्य म
or पापं. All these ideas are packed in one capsule श्लोक. That is why you will find
that परु ाण can be completely understood only if we know वेदान्तशास्त. If you
read the श्लोक without TB, nothing will be understood. These are all based on
वेदान्तशास. त्वhere means not कृष्. त्वmeans you, the ब्रह्, the चैअन् त�वं.
�त्रगुणमायया- with the help of your inseparable मायाशिक् endowed with
सत्वरजस and तमोगुण:. सत्वगु represents knowing faculties, रजोगुण represents
doing faculties and तमोगुण represents resting faculties. Throughout the day we
only do these. Either you know, you do or you rest. You don’t have any fourth
action. TF, through these गुण: representing three faculties सजृ �सअव�सलम ु ्प�
(second line). सज
ृ �स means you create the macro universe, अव�स you sustain the
macro universe according to LOK. All the events determined by कम.र Individual
events are determined by individual कमर and macro events like floods, tsunami or
earthquakes where thousands of people die simultaneously are controlled by
समिष्टकम. Either individual कमर or the total कमर will determine. अव�स -you
protect or maintain, लम
ु ्प�- you destroy, you cut short the journey of the universe.

How do you do all these things? As �नगुर्णंब् you can’t do anything because you
are अकतार and अभोक्त. By forming �चदाभास in the माया you make the माया
active. By your mere presence you form the reflection in माया. Once �चदाभास is
formed in माया, माया becomes active. लम
ु ्प�तद्गुणस:. तद्गु- in मायागण
ु
remaining as �चदाभास. In the6th and 7th chapter of PD we studied about RC, micro
reflection, macro reflection etc. by giving the examples of 4-fold
आकाशघटाकाशमहाकाश मेघाकाश जलाकाश. Theyare all indicated here by the word
तद्गुणस:. Forming a reflection in माया, you make the माया active. तद्गुणस:
what will you create? The entire universe. व्यक्तंजग. You have to supply the
word जगत्, this universe which is व्यक्, perceptible. Why do you call it
perceptible universe? Because even at the time of प्रलय this universe will exist.
You should not say the world is not there in प्र because the world can never be
destroyed by anyone as matter can never be created or destroyed. Energy can never
be created or destroyed. The world can never be destroyed even by God. Even
during प्रलय the world is there in an invisible form as we experience during our
DSS. There is total blankness. Blankness during sleep is not nothingness.
Blankness represents everything in potential form. That alone is called माया. From
the माया you bring out the visible universe. It is द�ु वर्भाव्- mysterious and
inconceivable, even though it is visible because it is a product of माया. When
scientists study the universe, they find the world is only a bundle of elements
combined together. If you further enquire into the elements, you understand they
are nothing but atoms combined. You enquire into atoms and find they are made of
sub-atomic particles. Beyond this, you are unable to analyse and understand and
this tangible universe becomes an inexplicable energy field, which we call
मायाद�ु वर्भाव्. It means the more you probe into the universe, the more mysterious
it becomes. TF, it is called अ�नवर्चनीय. This is also a regular process -
सिृ ष्टिस्थ�तलय, then सिृ ष्टिस्थ�त, then what? सिृ ष्टिस्थ�त. When did all
this begin? अना�ध:. When will all this end? अनन्:.

So, “O Lord, you have been doing all these things. What पण
ु ्यपाप do you acquire?
You are never affected by any of these things.” भगवान ् has to see not only all the
beautiful things in creation but also all the sufferings. He witnesses all of them but
is never disturbed by them. TF,न इ�त-by all these repeated कमर्�:, activities, that
is सिृ ष्टिस्थ�तलया�दकमर:, भवान ्अज्यत. अज्यत means not contaminated, sullied
nor affected by all these things. अिजत: means you have won over the problem of
संसार, are never conquered by संसार. You are �नत्यमुक्तईश:, not only are you
unaffected, you always abide in your own absolute nature. स्वेसुख
अव्यव�हतअ�भरत. अ�भरत: means one who always remembers your own higher
nature. What is the higher nature? Not affected by माया. TF स्वेसुख. सख
ु ं means
your own आनन्दस्व: which is your own nature. अव्यव�हत whichआनन्द is not
away from you. But you abide, अ�भरत:, in your own real nature. In the BG, LK
says, ‘Not only am I never affected by my action, if you gain self-knowledge you
can also be exactly like me.’ भगवान ् is continuously engaged in action but never
bound by action. If you get knowledge of भगवान ् you can continue doing your
duties in life and not be affected by the कमर that you do or have to do. TF, I’m
ever-free. अनवद्: means free from all दोषा:. So, देवा: say, भगवान ् is free, such a
भगवान ् we worship.
Continuing-
शद
ु ्�धनृर्णांनतुतथेड्यदुराशयानां�वद्याश्रुताध्ययनदानतपः।
स�वात्मनामृषभतेयश�सप्रवृद्धसच्छ्रद्धयाश्रवणसम्भृ॥ ६.९॥
I will just mention the gist of the श्लोक. Here, देवा: point out that every spiritual
seeker doesn’t know and cannot know the nature of भगवान ् directly because his
real and higher nature is �नगुर्णब्which cannot be comprehended without a
prepared mind. TF, before ईश्वर�ान, first, शास्तgives a form toभगवान ् either
imagined by शास् or based on भगवान ्s अवतार for our worship. शास्त gives ब्रह
form चतुमुर् ब्रह similarly �वष्ण and �शव are given forms. Thus, a एकरूइष्
देवता form is given and we are asked to worship the Lord in that form even though
it is not the real nature of God. Initially ईश्वरपूज is done for purification of the
mind. Thereafter, we have to understand the Lord in his higher nature. Here दे वा:
point out the best way to prepare the mind is ईश्व आराधनं though there are many
other methods to purify the mind like service done in the universe or प्राणाय etc.
The best method to purify the mind, �च� शद
ु ्� is ईश्व आराधन.ं Through that we
come to �ान योग and through �ान योग we know ब्रह्. We know that ब्रह् to
be our own real nature, then we get freedom. Thus, ईश्व आराधनं or ईश्वरपूज to
ईश्वध्यान to मो� is the journey. पज ू ा�ानंमो�: is the essence of this श्लोक. We
will see the exact meaning in the next class.

Page 4, verse 9-
शद
ु ्�धनृर्णांनतुतथेड्यदुराशयानां�वद्याश्रुताध्ययनदानतपः�
स�वात्मनामृषभतेयश�सप्रवृद्धसच्छ्रद्धयाश्रवणसम्भृत६.९॥
व्यासाचाय, the author of all the परु ाणा�न including भागवतपरु ाणां and UG which is a
part of it, aimed to present the teachings of the वेदा:. All scriptures other than the
वेद are considered secondary scriptures called स्मातर्ग्:. These ग्रन: elaborate
and elucidate वे�दक् teaching. व्यासाचाय himself propagated the four वेदा: also
through his disciples. व्यासाचाय also wrote परु ाणा�न to present वे�दक् teachings and
so परु ाणा�न never go against Vedic teachings. वेदा: are the mother source.
व्यासाचाय always keeps in mind the two stages of the वेद, वेदपवर
ू ्भा and
वेदअन्तभा. The वेदपवर
ू ्भा is the religious part of Hinduism which is meant for
refining our personality. Even though वेद talks about various rituals and पज
ू ा: for
solving worldly problems and succeeding in worldly ventures, they are all
incidental teaching. The primary purpose of the religious way of life is inner
refinement which leads to greater desire for spiritual knowledge and becomes more
intense. It is the only means of liberation. Religious life prepares the mind,
spiritual wisdom liberates a person. This is the grand vision of the वेदा:. While
व्यासाचाय doesn’t lose sight of this, he does make a minor change in his approach
through परु ाणा�न. As the times were changing from कृतयगत्रेतायुगद्व
ु ापर to
क�लयग ु the वेदपवर
ू ्भा rituals were becoming less and less popular because वे�दक्
rituals are highly complicated. They needed the guidance of people whoare experts
in this field. Nowadays, most Hindus don’t even know the name of many वे�दक्
rituals. Every householder is supposed to practice सप् पात य�सप् ह�वयर्� सप्
होम य�but they don’t even know the names. TF,व्यासाचाय replaced the वे�दक्
ritualistic part which was becoming difficult and complicated with पज
ू ा: prescribed
in various आगमशास्त: in the परु ाणा�न.आगमशास्त: are also considered secondary
to the terse स्मातर्शास:. The specialty of आगमशास्त is that it prescribes पजू ा
instead of fire rituals. Not only that, even though originally God is one, all-

pervading and formless, आगमशास्त invokes this formless God in the form of
various deities. For many people who could not conceive of a formless principle, it
became easier to invoke the very same formless God in the form of deities with
many varied and attractive forms. �न�वर्शेष परम ् ब्र सा�ात् कतुर् म अनीश्वर: ये
मन्द: ते अनग
ु म्प्यन स�वशष
े �नरूपण:. Those people who cannot conceive of the
absolute formless God or ब्रह् are given simple methods of invoking the same
formless one in the formed deity. Like invoking the nation in a flag. The first
advantage of आगमशास्त is that the formless one is crystalized into formed
making it easier for beginners. The second advantage of आगमशास्त is that it
provides many forms of the Lord. The Lord is not invoked in one deity but
multiple deities in the form of �शव, �वष्ण, देवी, राम, कृष्, गणेश etc. Each
आगमशास्त: specializes in the पज
ू ा of one form. शैवागम concentrates on shiva
पज
ू ा.वैष्णवागम�वष्णुपू etc. So, we have various पज
ू ा: offered to deities again
meant for preparing the mind instead of वे�दक् fire rituals like अिग्नहो. For doing
AH a person has to kindle the fire at the time of wedding and keep it going for the
rest of his life. It has to be preserved at home which means one cannot go on long
tours at all. TF the वे�दक् rituals were being followed less and less. If you
remember M, a set of rituals are mentioned-
चातम
ु ार्श is a ritual of a गह
ृ स् we know only सन्न्याs चातम
ु ार्श्य. गह
ृ स् has got
चातम
ु ार्श्यम्आग rituals, certain वे�दक् rituals during pongal season. TF, the
advantage for a devotee is that he has a wide variety of options in
�शव�वष्णुद ेवीगणेशपूज: which he doesn’t have in अिग्नहो. In �नत्यपूज we have
got so many options. You can choose an इष्टद ेवत and learn simple पज
ू ा and
perform. TF, व्यासाचाय through his परु ाणा�न gradually replaced the वै�दकमागर of
refining the mind with आगममागर for refining the mind. Not only did व्यासाचाय
encourage the पज
ू ा: to be practiced for CS, he also talked about various deities,

their manifestation, their extraordinary deeds and how they help the भक्तs in
various manner stories of राम in रामायण,ं stories of LK in भागवतं and in the
परु ाणा�न. Stories of �शव in �शवपरु ाणां. Stories of Lord सभ्रम
ु in स्कान परु ाणां. In
all the परु ाणा�न, the stories of these deities were given. When the devotee read the
relevant stories of his इष्टद ेवत, the very same deity would come alive and be
attractive. They are not just pictures for the devotees, these deities come alive and
TF the devotee finds it more advantageous to relate to the Lord. In these stories
there are also many relationships. They talk about different types of relationships
where the lord is invoked as the father figure, the mother figure, the master figure,
the friend figure, the child figure. वात्सक भिक् शक् भिक्, varieties of भिक्s
where again we had varieties of choices to relate with God. This relationship again
made the �नत्यपूज also very welcome and attractive because it is like living with
someone with whom he has deep bonding, like friends meeting or family members
coming together. The पज ू ा became the opportunity to bond with the इष्टद ेवत.
परु ाणा�न make the deities real. पज
ू ा: make the relationship real. The stories make
the deities real. There are so many characters and even though it may appear
fictitious to others, for an involved person it is not fiction. It is real.If you read
Tyagaraja’s songs, Meerabai’s songs etc. they did not consider राम or कृष् a
historical or fictitious character. राम was a live member of his family more than the
other members. He talked and he did everything. When a भक्त of a deity develops
such a भिक्, naturally he finds that he is able to draw immense strength from this
relationship. The strength drawn by भक्तs is so much that his emotional
dependence on the finite worldly things gets loosened. He will serve everyone but
he is never emotionally dependent on anyone. He is able to say, even if no one is
around me, I am never alone. For a भक्त, there is no problem of loneliness and he
could happily declare let everyone everything goes away. Bharatiyar sang, ‘Let
everything go away,that smile of the Lord सब ु ्रह् will be enough. The bhakta
uses the same भिक् and पज
ू ा for acquiring internal refinement and strength. In our
कमलजद�यताष्टक we pray to Saraswathi �वद्यांशुद्ध चबद
ु ्�धंकमलजद�ते सत्वर
दे �ह मह्य. Thus, the very same भिक् based on आगमशास्त helped in purifying the
mind also. Later, we willsee in UG that the very same इष्टद ेवताभिक is used for
पज
ू ा and उपासना also. उपासना means meditation on the इष्टद ेवत. In the परु ाणा�न
we get the detailed description of the deities and this helps in concentrating on the
deity. Whether deity is fact or fiction is not important for us. The उपासना helps in
the concentration of the mind. Thus, for कमर्यो also इष्टद ेवपूज is useful and for
उपासनायोग also the very same इष्टद ेवत form is useful. ,
all these are very useful for
ध्यान. Later, the very same आगमशास्त expand the इष्टद ेवत into �वश् रूपईश्
also. Don’t make भगवान ् limited to a particular form. Even though you invoke in a
particular form, may youunderstand all forms are ultimately divine form
; so the same �वष्ण becomes �वश् रूपईश् as described in the
10th chapter of the BG. Thus, आगमशास्त became useful for इष्टद ेवतापूज and
इष्टद ेवताउपासन gradually expanding into �वश् रूपउपासन. As a person practices
more and more �वश् रूपउपासन, his अहंकार andममकारwill become weaker and
weaker because he understands I don’t own anything, everything belongs to ईश्व.
I am the user but not the owner. I am the contributor; I am not the controller. Thus,
अहंकार ममकार रागद्वे etc. will get diluted by seeing the very same इष्टद ेवत as
the entire creation. When a कृष्णभक् goes to �शव temple he willsee�शव as LK in
�शव costume. When he goes to देवी temple, the same LK comes in देवी costume. If
I am a देवीभक्त and go to �शवा temple, he can see देवी in �शव costume. Thus, not
only in the temple, he later extends it toother human beings also. I talked about a
bhajan. I won’t sing, don’t worry. हर ् देष ् मे तु हर ् वेश ् मे तु तेरा नाम ् अनेक तु एक् �ह
हो. O lord, you are in every place. You are in every वेषं the costume. Everyone that
is in front of me is the same Lord in costume of all these शहश्रशीष पर
ु ु:
सहस्रा�सहस्र. Thus, इष्टद ेवतापूज, इष्टद ेवताउपासन, इष्टद ेवत
bondingconverting in �वश् रूपउपासन all this happens in आगमशास्त. TF,
व्यासाचाय, through his परु ाणा�न, promotes this आगमशास्त based भिक्. भिक्
means bonding with the Lord because other bonds in life are temporary. Our
children are not going to be with us all the time. Previously we used to take
सन्न्य, now, children give us सन्न्य. Nobody is around and the only bond

which is reliable and lifelong is bonding with the lord called भिक्. That भिक् is
created, nourished and fully utilised based on the आगमशास्त methods.
आगमशास्त can only take us up to the maximum level of �वश् रूपभिक. All these
forms of भिक् will only prepare the mind but are not the ultimate knowledge as
we are only confined to the changing forms of God only. This is only the
empirical, relative माया form. So, इष्टद ेवत form and �वश् रू form are both माया
form alone. One has to go beyond the माया form and arrive at the absolute nature
of God, परम ् भवमजानत:. Without knowing the highest nature of God which is
called ब्रह्मस्, अद्वैतस्वर,अनन्तस्वर, our journey is incomplete. We use
आगमशास् up to �वश् रू उपासना, then we come to वेदान्तशास् called �ानयोग.
आगमशास् can replace वेदपवर
ू ्भा: only but can never replace वेदअन्तभा. We
finally have to come to श्रवणंमन and �न�दध्यासन.
व्यासाचाय includes वेदअन् also in परु ाणा�न. For CS, he borrows आगम. For
�ानम ्, he condenses वेदान्. Thus, परु ाणा�न are a very beautiful combination of
आगमशास्त for CS and वेदान्तशास् for self-knowledge. The deity is fully
described in the puranas and when we pray to God for CS, God is in the form of
various deities according to आगमशास्त. There also, the concentration is always
upon the feet of the lord. The two feet of the lord represent परा�वद्य and
अपरा�वद्य which have to guide me to मो�. TF, you will find पादपज ू ा, पादध्यान
and prayers addressed to the Lord so that his/her lotus feet of may purify our
minds. So, we have this wonderful श्लोक: where भगवान ् and भगवत: feet are
invoked for the purpose of getting SCS. Wherever there is an opportunity for such
prayers व्यासाचाय gives many such beautiful verses.
Here, we have a set of prayers offered by देवा:इन्द्रब्र. They have all come to
द्वार and are standing in front of the most attractive LK. These भक्तs are talking
about the glory of भगवत: feet which can purify our mind. In all these श्लोक: the
words पाद:शरणं and पादकमलं will be repeated. The idea is that आगमशास्त based

prayer for CS and while praying to the Lord, the stories of the Lord mentioned
elsewhere also will be connected to talk about the greatness of God. Keeping this
in mind you have to read the श्लोक. Only then we will find these श्लोक:
appealing.
In this 9th श्लोक, in the first two lines Vyasacharya or देवा: talk about the वे�दक्
rituals, वै�दकमागर of purifying the mind. In the third and fourth line he talks about
the आगममागर of purifying the mind. वै�दकमागर of purification means वे�दक् rituals
in the form of complicated याग. आगममागर is meditation upon the attractive,
beautiful form of the lord and praying to God �वद्यांशुद्ध चबद
ु ्�ध, O Lord, give me
SCS. Of these two मागार: which one is easier? आगममागर. TF, व्यासाचाय says, this
method is superior to that method. We are not bringing down the वेद but from the
standpoint of convenience, व्यासाचाय is glorifying the आगममागर.
Let us look the shloka now.ईड्- means, ‘O adorable Lord कृष्.’ Here the Lord is
worshipped as कृष्णपरमात्, the deity. �वद्याश्रुताअध्ययनद:�क्रया:,
through various methods prescribed in वे�दक् rituals we can purify the mind. �वद्य
-studying the rituals in पवर्मीम
ू ांस which talks about performing complicated rituals
of the वेद, स्मात rituals. श्रु- hearing about these कमार्� from the गर
ु , the teacher.
श्रु means श्रवणंवेदपूवर्प, अध्ययन,वेदपवर
ू पारायण,ं chanting the वेदा:. Nowadays,
how many study the वेद? Even the �हामणा: whoare supposed to be the custodians
of वेद themselves don’t study the वेद. They have renounced the वेद. Every one of
us is a सन्न्या. Of what? वेदसन्न्या. Even People don’t have time even for
daily गायत् chanting and संध्यावन्द. So, अध्ययन - study and पारायण.ं दानं-
varieties of दान done as apart of वे�दक् rituals. तप: varieties of austerities. �क्र-
varieties of rituals. �क्रभी:- through all these methods, नण
ृ ांशद
ु ्�: भव�त -CS can
be accomplished. That is not very easy. Whereas, O Lord, the easier method is to
meditate upon your attractive form and ask for purification of the mind. TF he
says, स:श्रद्- by developing greater श्रद and भिक्, faith and devotion to the

Lord in the form of any इष्टद ेवत and bonding with that Lord by, यश�सश्र
संभद
ृ या-by listening to the various stories of the lord talked about in the परु ाणा�न.
The more one reads or listens to those stories, the more the deity comes alive. पज ू ा
also makes the bonding more alive. Even now such practices are there. Many
people, whenever they have a problem, stand in front of the deity in the पज ू ा room
and talk and talk and cry, I don’t know how to handle these situations. I got full
faith in you. Please take me across this problem.” They shed tears. For them it is
not a simple picture. It is a live deity. It works for them and they are able to find
solace. That is why our temples are full and fuller. Go on प्रदोषपू in any �शव
temples and there is no space. Why do people go? If it were a waste of time people
wouldn’t go. They go because they are getting something out of it. They may not
know मो� or अद्वैत�ान म but they get peace and mental strength. This aspect is
promoted by व्यासाचाय. TFस:श्रद्- by noble श्रद and भिक् which have been
reinforced by listening to stories of भगवान्सत्वात्म for the भक्तs of the Lord, हे
ऋषभः -O great Lord, यद अस्यात-the CS that can be accomplished through this is
much more than the CS accomplished through complicated वे�दक् rituals. There
they won’t even have time to think of the Lord because rituals are complicated.
This method is far simpler. This is the message of the every involved श्लोक.
Continuing,
स्यान्नस्तवाङ्�घ्ररशुभाशयधूमकेतुः�ेमाययोमु�न�भराद्रर्ह
सात्वतैःम�वभूतयआत्मवद्�भव्यूर्हेऽ�चर्तःसवनशःस्वर६.१०॥
Here देव talk about the glory of the feet of the lord. They point out that भक्त: have
worshipped the feet of the Lord and meditated upon the feet of the Lord for
accomplishing all their prayers, getting worldly benefits like material prosperity
health etc. called �ेम. Later, for getting higher लोका: in next जन् also they
worshipped the same feet of the Lord. The devotees who wanted to ultimately
merge with the Lord and attain मो� also worshipped the same feet. That means of
भिक् of ईश्व can help us in the fulfillment of all types of desires. TF, he says,
तवअन्घ: अशभा
ु शयधम
ू केतुः.The Sanskrit used is really tough. धम
ू केतुःmeans a

meteor. Sometimes, when a meteor falls, it hits like a fireball and destroys a wide
area. Here the भक्त visualises the Lord’s feet as the fire ball and says, ‘Let the feet
of the Lord enter my head and in one stroke destroy all my impurities accumulated
in several जन्s. अशभा ु शय:. आशय: means वासना�न like रागद्वे कामक्रलोभ
मोह मद मात्सय. How many emotional impurities are there! O Lord, let your feet
enter my head like a meteor and in one stroke wipe out all these अशद
ु ्�. So
तवाङ्�अशभा
ु श् धम
ू केतःु .�ेमाय- may your feet give us all forms of well-being.
म�ु न�भ:- which is meditated upon by all the munis also. आद्रर्हृदाउह.आद्रर्-
with devotion steeped heart, with devotion-soaked heart they carry the
remembrance of the Lord. य:सात्वत: आत् �व�ध�भ:हे अ�चर्: -this Lord is
worshipped by the devotees on various व्यू.व्यू is a technical word used in
वैष्णवआग representing various expressions of God. They talk about four व्यूs of
Lord Vishnu - वासद
ु ेवसंकषर् प्रद्य and अ�नरुद. They worship the Lord on
these व्यू forms of the Lord and meditate meditating upon the Lord on these व्यूs.
तवनास:- regularly, 2-3 times a day व्यूहअ�चर्:. To what purpose? स् अ�तक्रम
सम �वभतय
ू च -to transcend all these स्वगा, lower लोका: and ultimately reaching
वैकुण्representing भगवत: and oneness with भगवान ्. So, to merge with the Lord
and attain all the glories which belong to ईश्व. For that, may my mind be purified.
This isa prayer offered by देवा: but it can be a regular prayer offered by us also if
we can read the श्लोक:. Reading the श्लोक: is very tough. We can read the
translation also because भगवान ् knows English. We don’t know Sanskrit but thank
God भगवान ् knows English. Continuing,
यिश्चन्त्यतेप्रयतपा�ण�भरध्वराग्नौत्रय्या�नरुक्त�व�धनेश
अध्यात्मयोगउतयो�ग�भरात्ममायांिज�ासु�भःपरमभागवतैःपर�ष६.११॥
The देवा: point out that the Lord has been worshipped by all types of भक्त:.
Remembering BG- आतर and अथार्थ�भक्: also have worshipped and िज�ासु and
�ानीभक्तs also have worshipped through different methods like वे�दक् methods or

आगम methods. Though the methods may vary the Lord worshipped is the same.
There is no separate वै�दकईश्व: and आगमईश्व:.प्रयतपा�ण:अध्वराग्. In
वै�दकमागर, when they do वे�दक् rituals they have to offer oblations to various
deities. Even though भगवान ् is one, भगवान ् is invoked as various deities in the याग
and oblations are also offered to all those different deities through the medium of
अिग्. Oblations are offered into अिग्, who then takes it to the respective देवताs.
The one performing the ritual meditates on the देवता before offering the oblations.
After chanting mantras इन्द्रदेवताम etc. they have to say इन्द्: स्वाहाइन्द्रा
न मम- “This oblation belongs to इन्, not to me.” One deity is invoked in the form
of various deities for the fulfillment of various worldly desires by the कम्
र काण्
people.
अध्वरअग् means the ritualistic fire in वे�दक् rituals. Upon that अिग्, भगवान ् is
�चन्त्य - meditated upon in the form of इन्द्र etc. They have to visualize and
follow त्रय �नरुक �वधन
ु ा strictly as mentioned in the वेद. The order and type of
oblations must be strictly followed. ह�वगर्ह�त्
ृ - holding oblations in their hands
they worship you for dharma, artha and काम. At the same time, there are a few rare
people who have transcended worldly desires and who are interested in spiritual
knowledge. िज�ासभ ु क्तs worship you for spiritual knowledge. अध्यातयोगे - in
the spiritual field also, यो�ग�भ: by the seekers of अद्वैत�ान म, िज�ासभी
ु : who are
interested in आत् �ानं and who want to understand the bondage that माया creates
and who want to transcend that माया. Those people are called परमभागवता:,
seekers of वेदािन्तकwisdom. By them also, you are worshipped because theywant
to know bothसगण
ु ईश्व and �नगुर्ईश्व. If you remember the 7 chapter of BG,
th
सगण
ु ईश्व is called अपराप्रकृ, �नगुर्णईश् is called पराप्रकृ. Our knowledge is
complete only when we know both the सगण ु version and �नगुर् version- the
changing version and changeless version. The time bound version and the
transcendental version, the relative version and the absolute version. Only when we
know both versions, our journey is complete. Many people do not understand this

fact. They think in remaining in इष्टद ेवत itself the job is over. इष्टद ेवत worship is
LKG of the वेदs. We can start with इष्टद ेवतापूज but our life cannot end with
इष्टद ेवतापूज. We have to graduate to doing पज
ू ा for CS, later graduate to asking
for self-knowledge and for a गर
ु for consistent and systematic study of वेदािन्तक
scriptures. त्वपद�वचारतद्प�वचारअ�स पद�वचारअहं ब्रह्मा wisdom. We have to
reach that level. Great seekers worship you for help in that pursuit. िज�ासभी
ु :परम
भागवतै: great िज�ासभ ु क्तs पर�ष्: you are worshipped. Thus, you are the
ultimate. God is the path and God is the destination, they say in Christianity. We
say the same thing. भगवान ् is the path and भगवान ् is the destination also.

Class 5 Verses 11 to 15
Page 5 verse 11,
यिश्चन्त्यतेप्रयतपा�ण�भरध्वराग्नौत्रय्या�नरुक्त�व�धनेश
अध्यात्मयोगउतयो�ग�भरात्ममायांिज�ासु�भःपरमभागवतैःपर�ष६.११॥
The main teaching begins from the 2nd chapter. The first chapter only prepares the
ground for the main teaching. उद्ध,the student and LK the teacher come together
later. Verse 7-19, that is 13 verses are देवस्तु� offered by देवा: including ब्रand
�शव who have come to द्वार to pray to LK inviting him back to वैकुण्. There are
many स्तु�s स्तोत्र occurring throughout भागवतपरु ाणम ्.
प्रह्लादस्ध्रस्तु�तकुिन्तस्त etc. Generally, all these स्तोत्र have very
difficult constructions. The verses are bigger and the construction is also involved.
Every श्लोक is a challenge and the content is also difficult because ideas are taken
from वेद पवर
ू भाग(VPB)the कमर काण्,ड वेद अनत भाग, परु ाणा�न and आगमशास्त:.
Different branches of scriptural literatures are employed in these स्तु� and if we
don’t know much about these, the स्तु�s will be tough. We will try our best to
understand the meaning. Even if we don’t understand the meaning, the स्तोत्र
are supposed to be very good for offering prayer, especially this देवस्तु� is
wonderful because in and through all these स्तोत्र, we are seeking the
purification of the mind. This purification of the mind is the toughest job.
Receiving the वेदािन्तक message is relatively easier if we have a little bit of grey
matter.If वेदान् has to transform our lives it requires a relatively pure mind. All
these स्तोत्र are wonderful to pray for mental purification.
In the last class we completed the 11th verse. There the देवा: point out that God is
worshipped by different types of भक्त:. First two types are called आथ्
र भक् and
अतार्थ�भक् who worship God for solving problems in life. They form 90% of all
bhaktas. All these people use VPB in which सगण
ु ईश्व is worshipped for worldly
benefit. The same भगवान ् is worshipped by other two types of भक्त: known as

िज�ासभ
ु क्त: and �ानीभक्त:. िज�ासु is one worships God spiritual benefits of
�ानम ् and मो�ा. They want to know ईश्व in his total nature. ईश्व as सगुण is
considered अपराप्रकृ and the same ईश्व in his higher absolute nature is called
पराप्रकृ. िज�ासभ
ु क्त and �ानीभक्त worship the Lord in his total सगण
ु and
�नगुर् स्वरू.They understand both. In the 4th line िज�ास�ु भ: परम भागवतै: are
supposed to be superior भक्त:.पर�ष्ट: means the lord is worshipped in his totality.
प�र -प�रता: in entirety, इष्:- worshipped. इष्: is derived from the root यज ् - to
worship. इष्: is past passive participle of यज्धात. Here, इष्: doesn’t mean like or
desire, it means here पिू जत:, worshipped. May that भगवान ् who is worshipped by
all types of भक्त: purify our mind. This is the prayer of even the देवा:.
Continuing,
Verse 12-
पयुर्ष्टयातव�वभोवनमालयेयंसंस्पा�धर्नीभगवतीप्र�तपत्न
यःसप
ु ्रणीतममुयाहर्णमाददन्नोभूयात्सदाङ्�घ्ररशुभाशयध६.१२॥
Here the grace of the Lord is described. भगवान ् receives the worship of the devotee
if it comes with श्रद and भिक्. भगवान ् doesn’t care what is offered-
पत्रंपुष्पम्फलम ्. Note that each word is in singular. भगवान ् doesn’t even ask
for many flowers, many leaves. Only one leaf, पत्, one flower as long as a person
offers with भक्त्. यो मे भक्त्प्रयच्. How they offer, with what attitude they
offer is more important than what is offered. Here the देवा: are referring to a
particular offering by great devotees. That is a garland, taken or made out of the
wild flowers growing in the forest, not any extraordinary or special flowers. These
flowers growing in the wild are all taken indiscriminately and made into a garland
called वनमाला. वन - flowers from the forest, माला - garland. The word वनमाला is
very often used in वैष्णव: literatures. वैष्णव:भक्त: also name their daughters
वनमाला. Since भगवान ् receives this वनमाला, he is also called वनमाल�. Devotees
offer this वनमाला even if it has become partly withered or faded and not in the best

of conditions. When devotees offer it with श्रद and भिक्तभगवान receives the
garlands and wears it, he lovingly keeps the वनमाला on his neck. The ultimate
essence of the श्लोक is that भगवान ् willfully, happily accepts any offering given
by the भक्त:. Then, an aside observation is made. Seeing this withered वनमाला on
the Lord’s neck which also flows down the chest of the Lord, Lakshmi Devi
becomes jealous. Lakshmi Devi thought that भगवत: chest is exclusively reserved
for her but now finds that there is a rival in the form of the वनमाल which occupies
that place. Though Lakshmi Devi became jealous भगवान ् keeps the वनमाला. Just
an imagination प�रउष्टयावनमाल्. पयुर्ष् - withered or faded वनमाला. Seeing this
वनमालाश्: संस्पा�धर्भव�त. भगवती श्: Lakshmi Devi becomes a competitor.
She looks at the वनमाला as a rival and becomes jealous of it. भगवान ् keeps even
the faded garlands because सप
ु ्रणीतंअमुयाअहर आददत्- this garland of faded
flowers has been offered by devotees with love and affection. अहर्ण means
पज
ू ा,सप
ु ्रणी – noble. पज
ू ा offered with भिक्,अमया
ु means with this faded garland
they have made the offering to the Lord. भगवान ् receives without complaining.
Like in the stories they say �वधरु offered the skin of the banana instead of the
banana and भगवान ् ate that and said, ‘Very tasty.’ शबर� offered half eaten fruits.
All these stories are to indicate that भगवान ् accepts whatever is offered with love.
Hearing these stories increases our love and devotion also. भिक् becomes more
real which increases our spiritual growth. The 4th line offers the prayer. अङ्�:
means the पादं, the lotus feet of such a Lord, असभा
ु शयधम
ू केत:ु may it become the
destroying fire of all impurities of the mind.
केतिु स्त्र�वक्रमयुतिस्त्रपतत्पताकोयस्तेभयाभयकरोऽसु
स्वगार्यसाधषुखलेिष्वतरायभूमन्पादःप
ु नातुभगवन्भजताम
ु ६.१३॥
This is also a similar prayer for purification. Here the lord is addressed in the 3rd
and 4th lines as भगवन ् and भम ू न ्. भगवन ् means the Lord, भम ू means infinite
ब्रह्. The word भम
ू is borrowed from छान्दोग्यउप�न 7 chapter, where in a
th

dialogue between नारद and सनत्कुमारब्रह is called भम
ू , endowed with the
nature of आनन्. व्यासाचाय borrows that word here. When he uses the word भम
ू न ्,
उप�नष�दक् students can remember the entire teaching of भम
ू �वद्य. O
भम
ू न्ब्रह्मन ् our prayer is भजतां न अघंपाद:पन
ु ात-ु May your feet purify and
remove all our अघं- पापम ्. पापम ् is two fold. One is the पापम ् that gives us the
worldly sufferings, pains, problems etc. वेदान्त talks about another type of पापम ्
which includes all obstacles to spiritual pursuit. This can even include the family
that obstructs and bars us from going to वेदान्त class or any form of obstacles
standing between us and our वेदािन्तक study is called spiritual पापम ्. May the Lord
remove all those obstacles अघं.
The Lord’s glory is talked about here based on another परु ा�णक् story of �त्र�व
वामनअवतार to contain Bali’s arrogance. महाबल�was an arrogant king. I am not
going to tell the whole story. I have one suggestion. Those who are studying UG,
read the entire भागवतं gradually. The Gorakhpur edition has wonderful English
translation. Before we complete UG in BVM, you can complete the reading. There
वामनअवतार is so beautifully described. भगवान ् comes in front of महाबल� as a
dwarf ब्रह्मच and asks for three feet of land. The arrogant महाबल� says, I can
give any amount of दानं. Though mischievous भगवान ् came as a dwarf, he
becomes bigger and bigger and bigger and with one �वक्:, which means strides,
he measured the entire lower लोका:, with the second �वक् he measures the higher
लोका: up to ब्रह्म (BL) and he asks महाबल�, ‘Where do I keep my third stride?’
महाबल� doesn’t have any other place. He says, ‘You step over my head.’ भगवान ्
pushes महाबल� down. Philosophically it means destruction of अहंकार. You can call
it destruction of महाबल� or destruction of अहंकार and महाबल� attains मो�ा because
of the grace of the Lord. That is the story part. First, he is वामन:. Then he becomes
�त्र�व:. In the �त्र�व story it is said that भगवान ् measures BL for whichhe has
to keep his foot up. You have to imagine भगवान ्’s footdown on the earth. Another
foot like the gymnasts, straight upwards with the two legs are in one straight line.
Now the देवा: give an imagery. The two legs of भगवान ् together is like a vertical
line which is starting from the earth and goes up to BL. It is compared to a
flagstaff. When the foot of the Lord reached BL ब्रji saw the foot of the Lord
and wanted to do पादअ�भषेकंपादपज
ू ा. He performed पादप्र�ालwith the water
from his कमण्डल. That very water after washing the feet of the Lord became the
glorious गङ्ग. This Ganga, �वष्णुपादोदक starting from BL flows in the higher
लोका: and flows down to the earth up to पाताललोक. भगवान ्’s feet together is the
pole and गङ्ग flowing is like banner. From a distance it looks like a cosmic flag.
What an imagery! केत:ु means the flag. �त्र�व यत
ु : the Lord’s feet which took
three strides. भगवत:पाद: alone is the flag staff. The banner is �त्रपदत्प.�त्रपत
is गङ्ग which flows in three लोका:,ऊध्व लोकमध्लोक and अधोलोक. What is the
glory of the feet of this Lord? यस्त भयाभयकर:असरु देव चम्ब. The feet of the Lord
remaining the same, causes fear for some and fearlessness for others. It is भयकारणं
and अभयकारणं. In �वष्ण सहश्रनामभयकृ भयनाशन:. It gives fear and destroys
fear. For असरु देवचम्ब.चमू means army. For the असरु s army भगवत: feet are the
destroyer and the cause of fear. For देवा: the very same feet of the Lord bring
fearlessness. भगवत: feet will give us fear or fearlessness depending on which
group we are. If we are देवा: भगवत: feet will give us courage. When भगवत: feet
are in my heart why should I be afraid of anything? How to become देवा:? Follow
the values mentioned in the BG 16th chapter. For us the source of courage is
भगवत: feet alone. So असरु देवचम:ू भयअभयकारणं respectively. TF
असरु चमभयका
ू रणंदेवचम:ू अभयकारण.ं स्वगार साधष
ु ख
ु लेषइ
ु तरायभम
ू न ् -the same feet
of the Lord alone will give देवलोक for धा�म्
र क people and give असरु लोक, lower
लोक for adharmic people because भगवान ् is कमर फल दाता. खलेषु means for
अधा�मर्क people, he is इतराय.इतर means नरकं , नरकंकारणं. For साधष
ु -ु noble
people, भगवान ् feetare स्वगार. स्वगर्कारणंभव. The bottom line is, ‘May that feet
of the Lord purify my mind and let me get SCS. So पाद:पन
ु ात.ु Continuing,

Verse 14-
नस्योतगावइवयस्यवशेभवि
ब्रह्मादयस् तनुभृतो�मथुरद्र्य
कालस्यतेप्रकृ�तपूरुषयोः
शंनस्तनोतुचरणःपुरुषो�मस६.१४॥
In the 4th line, the same prayer is offered पर

ु ुषो�मस्यचरन सं तनोत.ु पर
ु ुषो�: is
the name of the Lord, which has got a special meaning in the BG 15th chapter.
परु ुषो� is the name of ब्रह्, �नगुर्णंब्. In the 15 chapter the significance of
th
the titles �रपर

ु ु:अ�र: पर
ु ु: and उ�मपर
ु ु: are given. �रपर
ु ु: is the universe,
अ�रपर
ु ु: is माया, उ�मपर
ु ु is ब्र which transcends both the universe as well as
माया. It is absolute reality. May that भगवान ् whose real nature is ब्रह्, his चरण:
-feet, संतनोतु bless us with auspiciousness or मङ्गल. In the शास्त्रामङ always
means आनन्.आनन् is 2-fold. One is �वषयानन्, the otheris अत्मानन्.
�वषयानन् is temporary happiness, अत्मानन् is permanent happiness. May the
Lord bless us with permanent आनन् by giving us मो�:.
Again, more descriptions of the glories of the Lord. The first two lines say, भगवान ्
is the ultimate boss or controller of everyone. Within the world there are so many
controllers or bosses. In a company also, I have an immediate boss but he has
another boss, who in turn has yet another boss. Similarly, all human beings are
bossed over by the देवा:. देवा: are supposed to be powerful and can bless or destroy
human beings. They have greater powers than human beings but देवा: themselves
are bossed over by इन्. इन् is देवराज: and he is controlled by बह
ृ स्प�. बह
ृ स्प�
isइन्द् गुर:. Thus, you have many intermediary bosses in the world. Here they
say, भगवान ् is the ultimate boss who doesn’t have a boss, boss-less boss. ‘O Lord,
you are the ultimate boss who controls ब्र the creator, इन्, devatas and all
human beings. You control everyone through the LOK.’ According to शास्त,
ब्रह the creator is only occupying a position. ब्र is not the name of a person but

the name of a post. इन् is also the name of the post. Anybody can occupy इन्’s
post by doing पण
ु ्यकम. I can also become ब्र if I have sufficient पण
ु ्. I will
enjoy the ब्रji’s position as long as the पण
ु ् is there. Once the पण
ु ् is exhausted
that ब्र will be replaced by the next ब्र. All these ब्र as well as other living
beings are controlled by the LOK. ‘The LOK is wielded by you, O Lord, who is
not subject to the Law at all.’ To convey this idea an imagery of a person
controlling several bulls is given. गव: in thisश्लोक refers to bulls or bullocks.
When so many bullocks taken to a place, Jallikattu, how do they control and drag
them? They use a rope passing through the nostrils of all those bulls. That rope is
held by one person, the master who controls and directs all the bulls. Just as a
master controls and directs all the bullocks. That is why he is called पशप
ु �त - पशन
ू ां
प�त:.पशु means bullock. Similarly, all the जीवा: including the देवा:orब्र is like
the bullock. Even poor ब्र has been compared to a bullock. भगवान ् is पशप ु �त:
and he has passed the rope through all of them. Not through nostrils, it is an
invisible rope which is the LOK. That is why we areoften compared to puppets.
LOK takes me from one place to another. Six months here, another six months go
to America because childrenare there. We move from place to place. All controlled
by the LOK. ‘O Lord, you are the controller of both the जीव and जगत्.’
नस्योतग:.गव: means bullocks, stringed through the nostrils - न�स. नस ् means
nose. न�सओतगाव:.ओत means stringed bullocks. All the जीवा: including ब्र and
देवा: are यस्यवशेभविन- under the control of the cosmic boss. Here it is addressed
to LK as, ‘O Lord, youare the ultimate कपटनाटक शत
ु ्रधा. ब्रह्म: तनभ
ु ता
ृ :.
तनभु त्
ृ means all जीवा: from ब्र onwards. What are they doing? �मथु अद्र्यमा: -
quarrelling among themselves to find out who is more powerful. They don’t know
that the ultimate power is only in that Lord. अद्र्यमा: means fighting among
themselves. You O Lord, are not only the LOK, you are in the form of कालत�वं
also which is responsible for the ripening of the कम.र I may do different कमार्� at
different times. Each कमर has its own incubation period. That is why some good
कमार्� may ripen in this जन्, some won’t ripen now and I get the benefit only in
the next जन्. All these are determined by their incubation period. Like different

babies of different species have different incubation periods. Human जीवा: it is 9
or 10 months. In mosquitos it is immediate. Similarly, कमर also has an incubation
period. कमर is ripened by कालत�वम ्. Whose कालत�वं? ‘O Lord, you are काल also.
So कालस् ते प्रकृ पर
ू ुषय:परस् which is superior to and the controller of both
प्रकृ and पर
ु ु. Here पर
ु ु refers to जीवात्म,प्रकृ refers to जगत्. You, the Lord,
are the controller of both जीवा: and जगत्. At the time of creation, you bring जीव
and जगत् together and at the time of प्रल you swallow all the जीवा: and जगत्.
You are प्रकृ पर ु ुषस ईश्व: पर: superior. शंmeans मङ्गल. शंन तोत-ु may the
Lord bring the well-being to us. Continuing,
अस्या�सहेतुरुदयिस्थ�तसंयमान
अव्यक्तजीवमहताम�पकालमाहु
सोऽयं�त्रणा�भर�खलापचयेप्र
कालोगभीररयउ�मपर
ू ुषस्त्व६.१५॥
Here also the glory of the Lord is described in a different language. Only the glory
is mentioned, prayer is from the previous श्लोक. ‘May this glorious Lord purify us
and bring मो� to us.’ We have toadd the glories. What are the glories? Take the
first line. अस्यदयिस्थ�तसंयमानाम्त:ु in the form of कालत�वं. काल means time
principle. Here भगवान ् is visualised as time principle. In BG 11th chapter अजुर्
asked the question, ‘Who are you, O Lord?’, after �वश्वर दशर्न in which अजुर्
sees all soldiers on both sides being swallowed by भगवान ्. भगवान ् is not
vegetarian, not even NV, heseems to eat human beings also. When अजुर् asked,
LK answers, कालोऽिस् लोक�यकृत्प्रवृ लोकान ् समाहत्रुर् पप्रव:. In this
shloka we glorify the Lord as time principle. ‘Lord, you are the cause of
�श्रिष्टिस and लय:.’ अस् means प्रपञ् - of this universe.
उदयिस्थ�संयमानाम ्.उदय: means उत्प�, िस्थ� means existence, संयमा means
resolution or dissolution. You are the हेत:ु , the cause, for all these three. How often
does it happen? This process repeatedly happens. It is not one �श्रि, one िस्थ�

and one लय. �श्रिष्टिस्थ happens cyclically, without beginning and end-
�श्रिष्टिस लय�श्रिष्टिस्थ. Exactly like we go to sleep and wake up and we
do this repeatedly as the time principle.
This entire creation, before it originates, has to remain in potential form

somewhere. Nothing can be created or destroyed according to the law of
conservation of matter and energy. The universe also can never be created or
destroyed. भगवान ् never creates this universe. The universe, before its origination,
was in dormant form. That means we were also there, even during प्रल. We think
we have come after our DOB. Our स्थू स�
ू म शर�रा�ण were all there in the form of
कारण शर�रं as we saw in TB. All our पण
ु ्यपापकमार् were also existing. Where do
they all exist? That is called माया. So, what is the definition of माया? The whole
universe in potential form is called माया. Since it is in potential form, it is knownas
अव्यक् or invisible to sense organs. In that अव्यक अवस्थ time and space are not
available. If you want to know how that state will be, that is what we experience
regularly in सषु िु प्तअवस्. This sameexperience is called माया. We all experience
माया in सष
ु िु प्, deep sleep state. In this माया all these are potential. How do they
become manifest? Who activates the अव्यक् and converts it into the universe? The
श्लोक says, ‘O Lord, you are the one who activates this माया.’
अव्यक्तजीवमहतांअ. अव्यक -माया, जीव -all the जीवs who exist in the form of
reflected consciousness. Every कारण शर�रं has प्र�त�बम्भचैत. कारण शर�र
प्र�त�बिम्भतचैत is called जीव:. In TB, कारण शर�र प्र�त�बिम्भतचैत is
technically called प्र. We were all present as प्रा�जीवरू. भगवान ् converts प्र
into तैजस. Finally, by giving the body तैजस is converted into �वश्. ‘You, O Lord,
activate all the जीवs, all the जगत् and महतांअ�प. महत् means ब्र called
�हरण्यगभ. So, भगवान ् creates ब्र and delegates further creation to ब्र. Then he
goes back to LakshmiDevi and says, ‘Give me a cup of coffee.’ In short, ‘As काल,ं
you are the activator of matter.’ Now कालम ् is over.

Page 7, verse 15-
अस्या�सहेतुरुदयिस्थ�तसंयमानाम्अव्यक्तजीवमहताम�पकालम
सोऽयं�त्रणा�भर�खलापचयेप्रवृ�ःकालोगभीररयउ�मपूरुषस६.१५॥
Verses 7 to 19 is the देव स्तु� inwhich the Lord is glorified and looked upon from
three different angles. The scriptures present God in all these three versions. The
first version which is the most popular one is based on the story of परु ाणा�न and
आगमा: in which भगवान ् is a particular deity with a clear cut and finite form like
Lord �शव, Lord कृष्, �वष्ण, गणेश, सरस्वत, ल�मीन�ृ संह etc. They are all finite,
located forms of the Lord which I call as एकरूपईश्वरइष्टदेवतारूप. Many get
confused and believe Hinduism has many Gods forgetting that we don’t have many
Gods but many forms representing one infinite God. This form is for beginners, for
meditation, पज
ू ा etc. Here, the Lord is seen as LK which is an अवतार. The second
version of ईश्व is that Lord who includes all the forms of the creation which is
called �वश् रू ईश्व. The entire universe with infinite names and forms is also
ईश्व which is अनेकरूपईश्:, the second intermediary version. Then we have the
absolute description of God who doesn’t have anyattributes like form, colour etc.
which is generally described in the उप�नषद as अशब्द अस्पश अरूपमव्य तथारसं
�नत्य अगन्धवच्च्| That which is free from all attributes and TF changeless and
not available for any organ of perception- सवर्इिन्द्रयअगोचरंसवर्प्रमा which
is generally named in the उप�नषद as ब्रह्. Thus,
एकरूपईश्:अनेकरूपईश्:अरूपईश्: all three versions are described. According
to शास्, our knowledge of ईश्व is complete only when we know all the three.
Knowing any one of them is incomplete knowledge. One has to know all the three
versions.
TF in all the स्तु�s of भागवत we get all the three versions. We have to note which
is which version. When we talked about �त्र�व and वामनअवतार there God is one
particular formas वामन or �त्र�व. Finite, located, subject to arrival and subject to

departure also. TF that will come under एकरूपईश्:. In this series of श्लो we
have come to श्लो15 where God is described as �नगुर्णंब् which lends सत्and
�चत्, existence and consciousness to the entire material universe. The entire
material universe is inert by itself and is activated by that absolute ब्रह् alone.
ब्रह् is not performing any job here but by its mere presence ब्रह् activates
everything. That is the description here. अस्-अस् means अस्यप्रपञ, of this
vast universe. उदयिस्थ�तसंयमा.उदय means �श्रि, िस्थ� means िस्थ�,संयमा
means प्रल for �श्रि िस्थ�तप्र of the entire universe, हेत:ु means you are the
cause by mere presence, technically called �ववतर्उपादा कारणं of the entire
universe. In BG 9th chapter LK conveys the same idea-
That same word हेतु is used here also.
भगवान ् activates the entire universe in three stages. In the first stage, the universe
is in potential form which is called माया, or प्रकृ, or अव्यक् or शिक्:. All these
words mean the same. अव्यक्is said in the second line here. अव्यक् means
unmanifest universe, the inert version and जीव. In that माया, all the जीवा:, we the
living beings, were all there in dormant form with our सं�चतकमर acquired in the
previous �श्रि. How did that previous �श्रि come? Because of our सं�चतकमर
acquired in its previous �श्रि, a prior �श्रि.Thus, we don’t have the first creation
at all. It is अना�द- beginning-less cyclic process. The जीवा:, all of us, were also
there in dormant form. This जीवा: are also activated by भगवान ्. TF, अव्यक्तज
and महतां अ�प. From माया the first one born is called महत् त�वं or ब्र. ब्र is
the first creation and that ब्र is given the power to create the rest of the universe.
TF, allof them, कालम ्आहु:, कालम ् means the activator, the director - कालय�त इ�त
काल:. That कालत�वं alone, which also was there during the प्रल in unmanifest

form, takes different forms after the �श्रि comes. Certain forms of time are
determined by the movement of सयर
ू like sunrise and sunset determine day and
night. This is one type of कालम ्. There is another type of काल determined by the
movement of the moon. These are �त�थ like प्रथमद्�वतीयपौणर्�मअमा. So,
सयर्�न�म�का
ू : and चन्द्र�न�म�:. In कालत�वं, one of the काल mentioned often
in शास् is संवत्स:. संवत्स: means one year determined by the movement of the
earth संवत्सरका. This संवत्सरका is also divided into three segments with each
segment consisting of four months. Since the year has three segments of four
months each, it is also called �त्रणा:. �त्रणा: means three nodes or three
divisions or संवत्स:काल:. In the form of संवत्सरत�व काल makes us older by one
more year. भागवतं says, note that youare older by one year. Time is running out
and your life span is decreasing. Through this संवत्स, अ�खलअपचये. अपचय:
means making us decline, causing degeneration of every individual. First, you
walk very fast. The way you enter the lecture hall shows your age. When young,
we reach the gate as soon as पण
ू र्म is chanted. Gradually, it will take two-three
minutes. Later, after पण
ू र्म: we need five minutes to get up. All this indicating we
are ageing. It is the job of कालत�व, भगवान ्. TF अ�खलअपचय.प्रव: -that काल:
whose movement is so powerful that nobody can stop it. TF, it is called गभीररय: -
of unstoppable motion. As they say, time and tide do not wait for anyone. Such a
great Lord you are, known in the scriptures as उ�मपर ू ु: or पर ु ुषो�मत�व.
Continuing.
Verse 16.17.45
त्व�ःपुमान्सम�धगम्यययास्यवीय�ध�ेमहान्त�मवगभर्ममोघ
सोऽयंतयानगत
ु आत्मनआण्डकोशंहैमंससजर्ब�हरावरणैरुपे६.१६॥
In various stages of creation, they divide the cosmos into four layers. The grossest
layer is the universe which we are seeing is called प्रप: or �वराट. Before this
grosser layer manifests, we have a subtler invisible layer called महत्or
�हरण्यगभर्त� which consists of total mind, total प्रा etc. just like the mental

layer under our gross physical body. Similarly, at the cosmic level also there is the
�हरण्यगभर्त�, the स� ू म. Before the स� ू म comes all of them are in an invisible
unmanifest form. Just as in our sleep even the mind is not visible. It has gone into
unmanifest state. Similarly, the total mind, �हरण्यगभ also, will remain in
कारणअवस्थ, which is called कारणीश्व:. In माण्डूक,
�वश्वतैजसप्रा��वराट्�हरण्यगभर्अन or ईश्व:. Then, वेदान्त talks about
something beyond the कारणम ् called कायर्कारण�वल�ण- beyond cause and effect
because both cause and effect fall within the time principle. Cause is also subject to
time because of which alone it changes to produce the effect. Effect is also subject
to time. That is what again resolves into कारणम ्. कारणम ् becomes कायर्म्कायर
becomes कारणम ्. TF all these three layers are within कालतत्व. Then, वेदान्त talks
about thefourth तुर�यं. माण्डूक -नान् प्र न ब�हष्प् नो भयत प्र etc. कारणकायर
अतीतं कायर्कारण�वल�ण which is the absolute principle called तुर�यं.
In this verse, the देवा: point out the तुर�यं alone first blesses the कारणईश्व:.
कारणईश्व is nothing but माया with borrowed consciousness.
प्र�त�बम्भचैतन्यस�हतमाया:. TF, तरु �यं blesses the ईश्व who is the कारणत�वं.
That कारणईश्व creates the �हरण्यगभर्त�. That �हरण्यगभर्त� creates ब्रह्मा. So
तरु �यं blesses ईश्व. ईश्व blesses and produces �हरण्यगभ. �हरण्यगभ creates the
ब्रह्मा and in this ब्रह्मा alone all the 14 लोका:, living beings are all there. Look
at the श्लोक. Very involved verses. त्व� means from you the तुर�यं, addressing
Krishna. We are not looking at LK as Mr. LK because Mr.LK is subject to time
because there is a जन्माष्ट when he appeared and at the end of भागवतं LK is
going to disappear also. So here, we are looking at LK as the तुर�यत�वं. ‘O Lord,
you are the तुर�यं and from you, त्व: (तुर�यान ्) पम
ु ान ्अ�धगम्.’ पम
ु ान ् means
कारणईश्व: who got the reflected consciousness, RC, borrowed consciousness
justas the moon has reflected light borrowed from the sun. Similarly, ईश्व,
through the medium of माया, borrows the reflection. This माया+reflection is called
पम
ु ान ्here. पम
ु ान ् means कारणईश्व:. What does कारणईश्व do? यया. यया means

through the मायात�वंईश्व borrows the reflection. माया is like mirror and चैतन्य
gets reflected in the माया. With this ईश्व gets वीय�. वीय� means power to create
�हरण्यगभ. We saw this in the 14th chapter of BG.
The same idea.
वीय�, having got the power to create that ईश्व holds �हरण्यगभ within himself,
which he produces in the next stage. �हरण्यगभ corresponds to total mind principle.
That is said in the second line. महान्तंध�. महान्त means �हरण्यगभ otherwise
called ब्रह. You carry ब्रह in your womb as it were गभ� इव- like a mother
carrying a baby you carry the �हरण्यगभ within yourself. महान्तंध�.ध�े means you
carry. भगवत: pregnancy. He carries अमोघवीयर: with infinite power and infallible
power because with that power alone भगवान ् becomes omniscient and omnipotent,
capable of creating the magnificent universe governed by infinite number oflaws
operating at micro and macro levels. Remember, every cell of our body has its own
functions. Allthose cells do their duty without us remembering or even knowing
what they do. Each cell knows what to do. Immunity cells take care of immunity,
digestive factors take care of digestion. It is all inbuilt power. Who gave them the
power? अमोघवीयर:.भगवान ् with his omnipotence injects everything with its
capacity. All our research work is not for giving the power but only to understand
the power. Immunology is a major science with many fat books and yet we don’t
know what all happens inside. So many diseases are around us and yet we are
reasonably healthy because our immunity is taking care of every disease. Who
gave that power? अमोघवीयर:.अमोघ means infallible. वीय� means power.
What does �हरण्यगभ do in his turn? स: अयं- that �हरण्यगभ, otherwise called
ब्रह,तया अनगत
ु : continuing with the same मायाशिक्, आत्म:आण्डकोशंससज.
आण्डकोश means the ब्रह्मा consisting of billions of galaxies. Each galaxy has
billions of stars and each star is surrounded by many planets. Many planets are

capable of holding life also. The whole cosmos is called ब्रह्मा. Scientists
calculate that this ब्रह्मा came 13.7 billion years ago when the big bang
happened. They photographed that ब्रह्मा when they first got Hubble telescope or
something. Even though we are studying it now, we are seeing what happened 13.7
billion years ago because light generated at the time of big bang has been travelling
and it has reached us now. Originating 13.7 billion years ago and reaching us now.
All the books and pictures of astronomy show the picture of that time. There all
these fine planets have not yet come. It is the beginning of ब्रह्म. भागवतं says
�हरण्यगभ created that ब्रह्मा. आत्म: from himself, आन्डकोशंससज. आन्डकोश
means ब्रह्मा, the soup of galaxies. Theyare called है मं. है मं means golden egg.
Golden because it contains inbuilt information in itself. Every cell carries
information. Every DNA carries information. It is not an inert universe. Each one
carried information and when each one expanded,each one formed. One became
planets, another became stars. One has atmosphere, the other has no atmosphere.
The word ‘golden’ indicates that each one has embedded information. In modern
language it is called software. When you look at a CD you can only see a fine
surface. You insert it into a computer and UG talk comes out. That information is
stored there. Not visible but available for extraction. This extracted version is the
hardware. �हरण्यगभ carried the software. So है मंआन्डकोश.
ससजर means created. This ब्रह्म is supposed to be covered in eight concentric

layers. स�
ू मप�ृ थवी, the subtle earth, subtle water, subtle अिग्, subtle वाय,ु subtle
आकाश, स�
ू मपञ् भता
ू �न, अहंकार महत्अव्यक. This is Vedic cosmology. So
ब�ह:आवरणै:. आवरणmeans the layers of covering. उपेतं ब्रह्माण्डं. Continuing,
त�स्थुषश्चजगतश्चभवानधीशोयन्माययोत्थगुण�व�क्रययोप
अथार्ञ्जुषन्न�पहृषीकपतेन�लप्तोयेऽन्येस्वतःप�रहृताद�प�६.१७॥
This ईश्व has मायाशिक् with the help of which he creates everything. Generally,
we talk about two powers of माया. One is the creative power and the other is the
concealing power, veiling power. �व�ेप शिक् and आवरणशिक्. In the case of
भगवान ्, the मायया he employs �व�ेप शिक्, the creative power. Through the

creative power of मायाभगवान ् creates �हरण्यगभ and through �हरण्यगभर्ब्रह
and everything evolves. What about the concealing powerof माया? That concealing
power of माया doesn’t affect ईश्व: because he is ईश्व:. The magician’s magical
power will conceal his magical powers from the audience but he knows how it
works and is unaffected by it. Similarly, भगवान ् with his मा�यक् power creates
everything and he is not concealed by the मायाशिक्. TF, not only is he
omnipotent, he is also omniscient. He knows his real nature as the तुर�यत�वं. He
knows अहं ब्रह्मा and TF, he is not seduced or carried away by माया’s
attractions. In the case of human beings, and living beings, not only is the �व�ेप
शिक् operative, आवरणशिक् of माया also is operational. TF, we do not know, the
higher reality of brahman. This is called the self-ignorance. तुर�यत�वअ�ान.ं It is
this ignorance which is creating problems for us. We are enamored by माया which
is always changing and so it can never give permanent security. Hold on to
anything in creation, which is the changing माया and it can never give security. Yet
we hold on to that because of ignorance. In the case of भगवान ्, this problem is not
there. That is the essence of the श्लोक.
भवान ् – O Lord, अधीश: you are the lord and master of the entire universe. तस्थु:
the stationary thing as well as जगत:, the moving one like plants and animals.
Plants do not move from one place to another but they move remaining stationary.
Trees come under तस्थु:.जगत: means झङ्ग:. स्ताव झङ्ग. For the entire
universe, youare ईश्व:. Even when भगवान ् takes the body in the form of an
अवतार, will he be self-ignorant? We saw in the 4th chapter of the BG.
अजोऽ�प सन्नव्ययात भता
ू नामीश्वरोऽ� सन ्।
प्रकृ� स्वाम�धष्ठ संभवाम्यात्ममायया4.6।।
स्वा प्रकृ� अ�धष्ठा - being the Master, Iam born. भगवान ् takes अवतार but does
not have self-ignorance. TF भगवान ् functions in the world of माया but he is never

trapped, carried away or tempted by the attractive, powerful माया. The देवा: say, ‘O
Lord, youare not seduced, tempted by any one of them.’
Now it is the description of the अवतार. Suddenly from ईश्व he comes to LK as a

person, as an अवतार. Third line- अथार्न्जुषन्अ - as LK अवतार you also
experience varieties of attractive things and beings. How? माययात्
गण
ु �व�क्रयाउपनीता. The attractive things and beings presented by the three गण
ु s
of माया. So माययाउत्second line गुण�व�क्र. गुण�व�क्र means modifications of
the thee गुणs alone appear in the form of so many attractive things in the creation.
अथार्न्जुषन्अ. जुषन ्अ�प - even though he sees, he never falls in love. What we
call love, according to वेदान्त, is not atall love because we never fall in love. In
love we rise towards spirituality. According to वेदान्त love is the wrong name for
attachment. We are all subject to attachment problems. Any object that we use for
two days we are attached. If you occupy a particular chair for a few days, it
becomes your chair. Thus, our mind is full of attachment. He says, भगवान ् doesn’t
have this problem because attachment is caused by ignorance. हृषीकपतO Lord,
अथार्न्जुषन्अ. जष
ु न ् – experiencing, न�लप्: you are not attached to anything. Let
anything come, you use but when they go you will say आगते स्वागत कुयार्त गचन्त
न �नवारयेत् welcome on arrival, well-go on departure. Well-go is not in the
dictionary. न �लप्: not hooked to anything whereas, all other living beings,
especially human beings are full of strong attachments. अन्य means all other living
beings, प�रह्रुदात्अ �बभ्य� -not only they are attached to things and beings when
they are there, even after they have gone away, we keep memories of those people
andobjects and continue to grieve. Shastra allows us to grieve during the mourning
period. Cry for one day, two days, thirteen days, one year but you should know
how to grow out of mourning period. For some it is lifelong mourning. This is our
problem of attachment. प�रह्रुदा means those which have been dropped, अ�प
�बभ्य�- they are afraid of attachment. Whereas O Lord, you are absolutely free
from the attachment. How? That is described in the next श्लोक.

स्मायावलोकलवद�शर्तभावहा�रभ्रूमण्डलप्र�हतसौरतमन्
पत्न्यस्तुषोडशसहस्रमनङ्गबाणैयर्स्येिन्द्रयं�वम�थतुंकर६.१८॥
Here भागवतं talks about a disturbing thing. In the shastra, we talk about entering
गह
ृ स्ताश,a householder’s life, which is considered very important for practicing
service and non-selfishness. A ब्रह्मच is absolutely free. He can do annoying he
likes. When they get married, they have to learn to adjust their राग द्वेषा� with
the राग द्वे of the spouse also. They now have to consider not only their likes and
dislikes, but also of the spouses. Even if I don’t like something, I have to do it for
the sake of spouse. Similarly, even if I like something, for the sake of the spouse I
have to drop something. Sometimes we even have to drop the class for the sake of
somebody in the family. Otherwise there will be problems. Sometimes we have to
sacrifice. In fact, गह
ृ स्ताश is an opportunity to learn to sacrifice for others. TF,
they consider GA as very important for sacrifice and for serving the family,
theparents and society through PMY. But is called an आश्, which is meant for
spiritual growth and so we are supposed to use गह
ृ स्ताश for the next stage of
spiritual growth. Once we have the maturity from गह
ृ स्ताश, according to शास्,
we have to go to the next stage, वानप्र. TF, we are not supposed to get attached
to any family members.Serve without attachment. LK said in the 5th chapter of BG,
�ेयः
स�नत्यसंन्या
यो
नद्वेिष
नकाङ्��।
�नद्र्वन्
�ह
महाबाहो
सबन्धात्प्रमु।।
ख ं
ु 5.3।।
Don’t get attached to the spouse. Don’t get attached to children. Serve them, help
them grow. Let them find their independence and grow. We have not come
together and we are never going to go together. As Swami Chinmayananda says,
‘Spiritual life is a journey alone to the alone all alone.’ भागवतं says LK was a महा
गह
ृ स्त:. Why महा गह
ृ स्त? Because he has 16000 wives. This is symbolic to
convey that भगवान ् has many powers. One of the powers is represented as पत्न.
Each one of the wives attempted to keep LK in their pocket and they all tried
different methods to hook LK and make him attached to themselves. Here he says,
even though you had all of them around, none of them could cause any attachment

in you. This is the essence of the श्लोक. The various methods are described in a
highly poetic language. Very difficult to describe so I will only read the translation
itself as I don’t have experience.
“Thou whose mind sixteen thousand wives failed to unbalance with their love-
shafts and allurements. Their smiling glances expressing their ardour which
rendered beautiful their eyebrows from which love messages were sent forth
to strengthen those love-shafts. “
What is the essence? OLord, you were not attached to anyone. You gave time to
everyone and youmade everyone happy. They all depended on you but you were
never emotionally dependent on any one of them. All because of only one reason-
self-knowledge. That alone is the cure for the problem of attachment. TF, इिन्द्
�वम�थतं.ु इिन्द means sense organs and mind were never the slaves of any of the
family members. This is another glory of भगवान ्. More in the next class.

Page 9, verse 18-
स्मायावलोकलवद�शर्तभावहा�रभ्रूमण्डलप्र�हतसौरतमन्
पत्न्यस्तुषोडशसहस्रमनङ्गबाणैयर्स्येिन्द्रयं�वम�थतुंकर६.१८॥
The glory of the lord is described here from various angles- LK as अवतार, LK as
�वश्वर ईश्वand also LK as the ultimate reality called �नगुर्ण ब्र. एक रू कृष्:,
अनेकरूपकृष:अरूपकृष:. All these three are described in the 18th verse which we
saw in the last class. The देवा: say, ‘Oh Glorious Lord! Even though you are
surrounded by 16,000 wonderful wives and you do all your duties by them you are
not attached to any one of them.’ The Lord is not carried away by any of them
because the Lord happens to be �ानी. In the scriptures it ispointed out that there is
a difference between a जीव taking a body and भगवान ् assuming a body. We saw
this in the 4th chapter of the BG. When जीव takes the body, it is called जन्; when
भगवान ् takes the body, it is called अवतार. Certain differences are mentioned.
When जीव takes the body, it is born out of the पञ्चभूता�. Our bodies are made up
of पञ्चेकृतपञभत
ू ै: कृतं: in TB. Five elements have themselves come out of
भगवत:मायाशिक्. Thus, माया to भतं
ू to the शर�रं. TF, our bodies are called
भौ�तकशर�रं . When भगवान ् takes अवतार, he can come through पञ्चभूता� if he
wants or भगवान ् can take a body directly with the help of माया. Since in the
भगवत:अवतार, the intervention of the five elements is not there,
भगवत:अवतारशर�रं is called मा�यकशर�रं. भगवान ् can take a body, any body, at
will, at any time directly through माया. This is one fundamental difference.
भौ�तकं शर�रं जन्. मा�यकशर�रं अवतार. When जीव takes भौ�तकं शर�रं, it is brought
out helplessly for जीव because of जीवस्यपुण्यपापक. It is not based on our will. In
the past जन् whatever कमार्� we have done, based on them we find ourselves on
earth with one type of body. जीवशर�रं is कमर based. भगवान ् takes the body, not

because of his own कमर, but because of the prayers of all धा�म्
र क people when
अधमर goes beyond a limit. भगवान ् doesn’t have पण
ु ् or पापं, he is beyond पण
ु ्य and
पापं. भगवत:अवतार is not determined by पण
ु ्यपाप, it is not for exhausting his कम,र
nor is itfor getting मो�. The purpose is-
प�रत्राण साधन
ू ां �वनाशाय च दषु ्कृता म्
धमर्संस्थापनाथा संभवा�म यगे
ु यगे
ु ।।4.8।।
When धा�मर्क people pray to God that you should come and help remove अधमर,
भगवान ् takes the body. The type of body will depend upon the type of धमर्संस्थाप
he has to do, the type of the अधमर and the destruction he has to do. In the case of
the destruction of �हरण्यक�शप,भगवान ् has no choice, because he had to take
न�ृ संहशर�रं to circumvent �हरण्यक�शप’s boon. भगवान ् had to ingeniouslyassumea
body at the appropriate time- neither morning ornight but dusk. अवतारं depends
upon the need of the occasion. It is taken at will and not because of अ�ानं and कम.र
भगवत:अवतारं as LK is that of a �ानी right from the beginning itself. LK doesn’t

have to go to a गर
ु and acquire knowledge. Even if LK goes to गर
ु , it is not for his
own learning but to educate the other human beings. Since भगवान ् is a �ानी, he
plays different roles for various purposes, but he never gets attached to any of the
things around. The देवा: glorified LK in the 18th verse 4th line as करणै: इिन्द्
�वम�थतंु न �वभ्व: -nobody can hook the lord with temptations or attachments. We
studied till here in the last class. Now comes the last श्लो of deva stuti, verse 19.
�वभ्व्यस्तवामृतकथोदवहािस्त्रलोक्याःपादावनेजस�रतःशमला�न
आनश
ु ्रवंश्रु�त�भरङ्�घ्रजमङ्गसङ्गैस्तीथर्द्वयंशु�चषद६.१९॥
Very beautiful verses; highly imaginative and poetic also. Here the देवा: declare,
‘O Lord, there are two types of rivers associated with you. One river is the sacred

गङ्ग and the other is the scriptural river which is nothing but the glory of the
Lord.
गङ्ग is the most sacred river because of its association with भगवत: feet. We think
by dipping in the गङ्ग river, we can remove all our पापंs because गङ्ग is
associated with भगवान ्. The second river is an imaginary river which is scriptural
teaching. All the scriptures including वेदपवर
ू ्भागवे अन् भाग स्मृ� इ�तहास परु ाण
are all compared to another scared river. Whatare the waters carried by the
scriptural river? The देवा: declare they are the glory of the Lord- ईश्व म�हमा is
water of this river. म�हमा: are carried bythe scriptures because the scriptures are
the words which contain the meaning. What is the meaning of the word? भगवत:
�वभ�ू त. In the वेद पवर
ू भाग and other scriptures, some of the glories are the glories
of एक रूईश्वlike Rama, Shiva, Krishna, Vishnu etc. You have to always see
these three versions. Their glories, their अवतारंs are भगवत: glory in the form of
एक रूईश्व. Some scriptures carry the glory of the �वश्वर ईश्व. The उप�नषद
neither carry the glory of एकरू nor अनेकरू but अरूप�नगुर्णम्ब्रह:. Thus, all
scriptures are ईश्वर�वभू�. This is the second river. This scriptural river also can
purify us like the गङ्ग. Both the rivers called तीतर द्वय in the 4th line can purify us
only when we associate ourselves. Sitting in Chennai, I cannot expect गङ्ग to
purify me. I have to go and dip in the river or at least गङ्गाजल must come and I
should sprinkle. I can purify only by association. The association is also of two
types. If we haveto purify ourselves in गङ्ग river we have to take a dip. If we have
to purify ourselves in the scriptural river, we must listen to the scriptures. When
youare attending UG class, you are all taking a dip in the scriptural river which
carries the waters of the glory of भगवान ्. What an imagination!
Look at the श्लो. �वभ्व: means capable. Capable of what? Both types of rivers
are capable of purifying us. The first one- तव अमत
ृ कथा उद वहा- that which carry
the waters of your immortal stories. अमत
ृ कथा - immortal stories, उद means water.
The water in the form of your immortal stories. वहा: means carriers. Scriptures are

the carriers of the water of your glory. The second river is given in the second line
पादअवनेजस�रत:. स�रत: means the waters coming after touching your feet.
पादअवनेज after पादप्र�ालण or पादपज
ू ा. अवनेज means washing. The गङ्ग river
which comes down after washing your feet. पादअवनेजस�रत:पादपज
ू ाजला�न. Both
these rivers are �वभ्व:, capable. समला�नहन्तु.समला�न means all impurities in the
form of राग द्वे,प्रार and the ultimate impurity of अ�ान,ं ignorance of the Lord
also the scriptures can remove. अ�ान मलं कमम
र लं रागद्वेषमल, all forms of
impurities, the two तीतार्� can purify. हन्तु eliminate the impurities.
What is the first river? That is described in the third line आनश
ु ्र. आनश
ु ्: literally
means the वेदा: because वेदा: were never written down or printed in books and so
were not read but heard and transferred from the mouth of the गुर to the ears of the
disciple. The disciple carries the whole वेद in his brain. Not in CDS or internet or
cloud. They are all carried in the brain and transferred to next disciple. Because वेद
is transferred through कणर परम्प it is called आनश ु ्र. Here, the वेदा: represent all
the scriptures which form the first river carrying the waters of your glory. People
willassociate through श्रु�त: -through the ears they come in contact. That is why
they say that ears have got गङ्ग. What गङ्ग? वेदगङ्ग because of listening to
Vedic chanting. One गङ्ग in the ears, the other गङ्ग outside. Both of them purify
us. आनश
ु ्रश्रु�त:. श्रु means श्र इिन्द्, श्रो� इिन्द्- through the ears,
भक्त: come in contact with वेदगङ्ग. अङ्सङगै: अङ्�घ्- by taking a dip in the
river the भक्त: come in contact with the second actual गङ्ग. अङ् means dipping.
अङ्सङगै: अङ्�घ् refers to गङ्ग because it is born out of the feet of the Lord.
Thus people resort to तीतर द्वय. What typeof people? श�च
ु षद: in the 4 line.
th
श�च
ु षद: means those वै�दका: and आिस्तक: who abide by the Vedic path. तीतर
द्वयमुपस्प्रु. They resort to both types of rivers- one river by dipping, the
other by hearing. They get purified.

With this glorification of the Lord, the देवा: conclude their prayer. Then, शक
ु re-
enters the narrative as he is the original storyteller narrating the भागवतं to पर��त्
who has been cursed by the ऋ�ष to die within 7 days.
Now, शक
ु is addressing पर��त् and telling him what happened next-
श्रीबादराय�णरु
इत्य�भष्टूय�वबुधैःसेशःशतधृ�तहर्�र
अभ्यभाषतगो�वन्दंप्रणम्याम्बरम६.२०॥
ब्र, representing all the otherदेवता:addressed LK.शतध�ृ त: means �ह्, �वबध

ु ै
means all other देवता: and celestials, स ईश: means lord �शव. All �वष्ण भक्त: will
be very happy because Lord �शव has comeas �वष्ण भक्त and has glorified LK and
TF, �शव is subordinate to �वष्ण. You should not conclude that because, if you read
�शवपरु ाणा the story will be reversed and �वष्ण will be subordinate to Lord �शव.
This indicates there is no question of superior or inferior because �शव�वष्णगणेश
are all different forms representing one infinite ईश्व. Never compare various
forms. Choose whichever form you like as इष् देवता. Choosing इष् देवता is
wonderful but degrading other देवता: is maha पापं. Never do that.
स ईश: means along with Lord �शवशत ध�ृ भ: ब्र. Where was he seated? अम्बर
आ�श्: -according to the scriptures देवा: can never touch the ground. To touch the
ground, we require a certain amount of कम.र Only when that particular type of कमर
is there, we will have a type of body which can come in contact with भल
ू ोक. If we
don’t have that particular कमर we will not touch. देवता: have got higher पण
ु ्य, TF
they don’t touch the ground. They only float. अम्बर आ�श्: means occupying the
sky without touching the ground. ब्रह्माजीअ�भष- after completing the स्तोत from
7th श्लो up to the 19th श्लो and having glorified the Lord, प्रण- offering

prostrations to LK- गो�वन्द, अभ्यभाष means ब्रह्म addressed on behalf of all
the देवता:.
The following verses are all the story part.

श्रीब्रह्
भम
ू ेभार्रावतारायपुरा�व�ा�पतःप्र
त्वमस्मा�भरशेषात्मन्त�थैवोपपा�द६.२१॥
ब्र addresses LK. भम

ू �भा- O Lord, then he says- अशेषआत्मन. First, he means the
lord as the अवतार. Then he describes Lord as अशेषआत्मन. Suddenly he goes from
परु ाण to वेदान्त. “You are not the person with finite form. You are आत्मन, the
inner essence of not one body but अशेषआत्मन-सव�षां आत्मरू:. You are the inner
self of all the people.” अशेषात्मन भभ
ू �- “हे LK. परु ा �व�ा�पत: you have taken this
incarnation because long ago many देवता: approached you and asked you to save
the earth from all the अधमर and अधमर causing forces.” �व�ा�पत: means we
requested you. भगवान ् will take अवतार only when there is a collective request.
Collectively all भक्त: should approach the Lord and send an SOS- Save Our
Souls. The whole earth is full of अधम.र That FIR is here said as �व�ा�पत:. �व�ापनं
was submitted to you for भम
ू े: भार अवताराय- the earth was burdened with all the
अधा�मर्क people. Terrorists, criminals and all types of people. अवताराय- to rid the
earth of all these people. अस्मा�: by all of us. You came down as LK and
destroyed many असरु ा:. Read the 10th स्कन of भागवतं. LK’s regular job right
from the beginning is to finish one असरु ाafter theother. तत् ततैव उपपा�दतं - you
exactly did what we requested. You not only destroyed असरु ा, you protected the
noble people also. You also revived वे�दक् teaching through BG अनगीता
ु and now
UG. Through all of them you revived सनातन धम.र उपपा�दतं. This is all �वनाशाय च
दषु ्कृता. In the following श्लोक: प�रत्राण साधन
ू ां धमर संस्थापन are mentioned.
Verse 22-
धमर्श्चस्था�पतःसत्सुसत्यसन्धेषुव
क��तर्श्च�द�ु�व��प्तासवर्लोकमला६.२२॥
You rid the earth of all असरु ा:अधा�म्

र क people, materialism. असष
ु रु मते इ�त असरु ा:.
असु means sense organs, sensory pleasures, र means revelling in sensory pleasures.
Revelling in sensory pleasures is called काम परु ुषाथ. To satiate this, we need lot of
money. Now extraordinary pleasures are offered by the materialistic society. For
vacation not Ooty or Kodai, we need to go to Switzerland or Alaska. So many
temptations are there and if we have to enjoy all those sense pleasures, we need
more salary. What can we do with Rs.1500 salary? TF, you have to earn more and
more so we focus on making money through illegitimate means like taking and
giving bribes, lying, writing wrong reports. For काम प्रध we make अथर्प्र. We
do everything without any scruples. When अथर and काम become dominant, we are
called असरु ा:. असरु ा: doesn’t mean there should be रा�स. All materialistic people
who violate and compromise with values are called असरु ा:. For them, धमर्सत्,
honesty etc. are no more relevant. It is at that time, when materialism thrives,
धमरand मो� get depleted that भगवान ् has to come. Money is important, sense
pleasures are okay but not at the cost of धम.र What ever you can earn without
violating धम,र that alone you must keep. यल्लभत �नजकम�पा�ं. With legitimately
earned money whatever pleasures we can afford we must be contented with those
pleasures. अथर्का without violating धमर is called दै वी संपत्.अथ्
र का by violating
धमर makes us all असरु ा. भगवान ् has to eliminate all these असरु ा.
धमर्श्चस्था�पतःस. सत्स means among the humanity who wanted to follow धमर.
Now the problem is, even if want to follow धम,र other colleagues who violate धमर
will find us uncomfortable. They will pull us towards their side. If we don’t join,
we cannot survive in that company. When we teach our children धम,र they will ask
how to survive in the present society with धम?र This is a typical case of क�लयग
ु .
TF, भगवान ् has to take अवतार. Don’t ask me when he will come.

धमर्श्चस्था�पतःस - as LK you established धम,र सत्यसन्धे- among truthful
people. Telling a lie should disturb me so much that I should lose my sleep even
for a casual lie. When क�लयग ु dominates, lying becomes spontaneous and does not
cause any disturbance. He will justify by saying we should be practical. That is
typical materialism. त्वय धम:र स्था�पत: you established धमर through कृष्णावता.
�व��प्त�द�ुक��तर - through your extraordinary feats you spread your glory on the
earth. क��तर: means fame. In fact, all sculptures in temples, dance and drama in
India all deal withकृष्णकथ only. You see भगवत: अवतार म�हमा throughout the
land. Not only in India but even abroad. In one of the airports they have a picture
of समदु मथनं. If we display it in India, we will have a problem because we are a
secular country.
तवक��तर: your glory has spread all over theearth, �द�ु in all directions, �व��प् -
you have spread all over. By listening to the glory of the Lord, our sins also will be
washed off, सवर्लोकमलअप. Remember the two rivers. One river is the scriptural
river. By listening to the scriptures. I have told this anecdote earlier. One lady used
to regularly come and sit even though she did not know English. She was the first
student and she gave me a pin seeing me adjusting the angavastram. Why does
she come and sit for one hour without even knowing the language? Because her
belief is that if these words enter her ears, whether the meaning is understood or
not, it is पण
ु ्य. तव कथा अमतंृ त� जीवनं etc. TF सवर्लोकमलअप. मलम ् – impurities,
अपह – destroyer, पाप नाशकं .
अवतीयर्यदोव�शे�बभ्रद्रूपम नु
कमार्ण्युद्दामवृ�ा�न�हतायजगतोऽकृथ६.२३॥
You have taken several incarnations मत्स कूमर वराह न�ृ संह and now you have
taken the अवतारof LK in the lineage of यद.ु यदवं
ु शे. यदोव�श.े यद ु is one of the kings
in LK’sपरम्प. That is why they are called यादव. I am afraid to use the word यादव
because you may think of some other यादव. यदोव�सेयादवरूपे

अवतीत्याअन�
ु मंरूपं�वभ्. Your कृष् शर�रं is one of the most attractive forms
unsurpassed in beauty. The very word कृष् means कषर्� आकषर्� इ�त कृष्- one
whose form attracts all the devotees to himself. अन�
ु मंरूपं�वभ्. �वभ्र means
carrying, holding, assuming. उद्दामवृ�ा� कमार्� अकृथा- you performed
extraordinary feats which a normal human being can never, even think of like
lifting the गोवधर्नपवर् etc. We are not able to lift our own bodies gets difficult
after some time. भगवान ् lifted the entire गोवधर्नपवर् with his little finger.
उद्दामवृ�ा� described in the tenth स्कन of भागवतं. All अकृथा: you performed
for whose benefit? जगत: �हताय- for the wellbeing and benefit of humanity. Now
what is the request? Your job, purpose of अवतार is over so we have come here to
invite you back to heaven. That will be said in the following श्लोक: which we will
see in the following classes.

Page 11, Verse 23
अवतीयर्यदोव�शे�बभ्रद्रूपम नु
कमार्ण्युद्दामवृ�ा�न�हतायजगतोऽकृथ६.२३॥
ब्रह्म, representing all other celestials, is addressing LK. ब्रह्म says, ‘O Lord,
you are none other than the original Lord महा�वष्णor नारायण who has assumed
LK form with your मायाशिक् because of the prayer of devotees. With this
अवतारशर�रं , you have accomplished extraordinary things. Protecting all the धा�म्
र क
people, destroying अधा�मर्people and maintaining धमर in society, which is the
purpose of your अवतारं . By this अवतार and the exploits or course of the अवतार,
not only are the contemporaries of LK benefitted, even later generations benefit
simply by meditating on the form of the Lord, talking about the अवतार glories of
the Lord and the extraordinary feats of the lord. Thus, ‘O LK, you have blessed the
whole world, not only the current generation but future generations also.’ This was
the 23rd verse, which we completed in the last class. यदो: वंश अवतीयर- you took
अवतार in a यादव family. The form of the अवतार is unsurpassed form and the most
attractive form. Your ल�लाand activities also are extraordinary-
उद्दामवृ�ा�नकमार्. All this you have done for the sake of blessing the universe-
जगत:�हतायअकृथा:. Continuing-
या�नतेच�रतानीशमनषु ्याःसाधवःकलौ
शणृ ्वन्तःक�तर्यन्तश्चत�रष्यन्त्य६.२४॥
हे ईश O Lord, the controller of the whole universe. या�नतेच�रता�न- all these

extraordinary ल�लाof yours are available for humanity to talk about, to share, to
meditate upon etc. मनषु ्याःसाधवःमनुष्य कलौशणृ ्वन्. In क�लयग ु , all the noble
people, the devotees who follow the scriptures listen to the glories of the Lord and

talk about them. Due to these भिक्तसाध, which comes under कमर्यो, they will
be able to ultimately त�रष्यिन - cross over संसार. अञ्जस means definitely they
will cross over. तम: darkness or ignorance of the Self. Self–ignorance means
संसार, which all these भक्त: will be able to cross over. Naturally the question
arises- ‘Will they be able to cross over संसार by merely practicing श्रव and
क�तर्न?’ For that, our answer is no, no, no. By mere श्रव and क�तर्न of an अवतार,
which is the finite form of the Lord, we can only manage to get �च� श�ध
ु . This will
not directly give liberation. This will create desire for �ानयोग: and so आथर भक्त
and अथार्त भक्त will get converted into िज�ासु भक्त who will get a desire for
�ानयोग, the pursuit of Self-knowledge through श्र मनन �न�दध्यास. In due
course, these भक्त: will get a गर
ु through whom they will practice श्रव and मननं
and get self-knowledge. We should always add a note. कमर्यो or भिक् of the
Lord with a finite form will not directly give liberation. It can only give
qualification. Liberation requires the knowledge of the Lord or the knowledge of
theSelf which transcends माया. Lord कृष्णरू is मा�यक रूप. By knowing or
worshiping a form which is within माया, liberation is not possible. One has to
transcend the माया, which is called पराप्रकृ in the 7th chapter of the BG. Formed
God is अपराप्रकृ - the form that transcends the nature, that transcends the form
पराप्रकृ. Without knowing the higher nature of God, liberation is not possible.
We always must add this clause. Otherwise, people will get confused. Continuing,
यदवं
ु शेऽवतीणर्स्यभवतःपुरुषो
शरच्छतंव्यतीयायपञ्च�वंशा�धकंप६.२५॥
हेय पर
ु ुषो�- ब्र addresses LK as पर
ु ुषो�: which means the one who transcends
name and form which is withinमाया. पर
ु ुषो� is the transcendental Lord who has
taken a temporary मा�यक रूपin the family of Yadavas. When LK departs the earth,
what is his age? Even though in all the pictures of the Lord, we see LK as young
LK, dancing with gopis, LK was 125 years old according to भागवतं.

शरच्छतंव्यतीयायपञ्च�अ�धकं . शरत् – years, शतं - 100. 100 autumns. Autumn
here means years. पञ्च�वं- 25, अ�धकं - in addition. ‘O Lord, now it is time for you
to quit the earth.’ व्यतीया means 125 years are passed, crossed.
Verse 26-
नाधन
ु ातेऽ�खलाधारदेवकायार्वशे�षत म्
कुलंच�वप्रशापेननष्टप्रायमभू�६.२६॥
In all these verses, even though ब्र is glorifying LK’s form, off and on he refers
to the original nature of God by calling LK as अ�खलआधार. आधार – support,
अ�खल - of the entire universe. The entire universe includes even आकाश. If the
Lord is the supporter of the entire universe including space, then the Lord sitting in
Ayodhya is a temporary Mayic version. The original God is all-pervading. What is
the form of the all-pervading God? To have a form is to have limitations because
form indicates a boundary. If भगवान ् has a form, भगवान ् will have a boundary
also. To have a boundary is to have limitations. भगवान ् is described as अनन्ता
नम:.अनन्: means all-pervading. TF, the original Ishvara is beyond all forms.
Hence, he is addressed as अ�खलआधार. In VS Dhyana shloka it is said,
�वश्वाधारगगन सदृश. Your form is like the form of गगन,ं आकाश. What is the form
of आकाश? That is the form of the Lord. The question is �वष्ण is superior or �शव is
superior means both sets of devotees do not know the original form of �शव or
�वष्ण. How many infinites are possible? Only one infinite is possible so where is
the question of many Gods? Where is the question of quarrelling whether �वष्ण is
great or �शव is great? We claim to be Hindu but the actions of many of the
devotees show only the ignorance of our religion. To claim that I am a Hindu
without knowing what is Hinduism is only disrespect shown to Hinduism. If I
know what is Hinduism, I can never compare the so-called Gods because we don’t
have God. We have only a God represented by many names and forms. In भागवतं,
�वष्ण is great and �शव and ब्र are inferior. In �शवपरु ाण,ं �शव is presented as

great. The idea is that there is only one, who is infinite. TF अ�खलआधार, every
address is very meaningful. ‘O Lord who is the support of the आकाश itself.’ अधन
ु ा
देव कायर अवशे�षतम्नािस. All your tasks, for which you have taken the अवतार are
over. It is like भगवान ् has been brought by contract by the devotees. भगवान ् has
been given a contract job. What is the payment? भिक् is the payment. By their
भिक् the devotees have brought भगवान ् in the form of LK and they have given
him contract work. भगवान ् also obediently does all the work. Now ब्रह्म says,
all your jobs are over, so come back to वैकुण्. देव कायर अवश�े षतम ्.अवश�े षतम ्
means there is no task left. The ultimate task to be done is the destruction of the
very यादव family in which LK is born because all the यादवा: have now become
arrogant and adharmic which is indicated by their disrespecting all the ऋषय:.
Disrespect of the rishis is disrespect of the scriptures and of धमiर tself. Even though
the यादव family is LK’s own family, he does not have any special attachment.
Whoever takes to अधमर must be destroyed. That destruction also has been
arranged. Those ऋषय: cursed that you will destroy each other. That is indicated
here. कुलंच �वप्रशाप- by the curse of all those rishis, कुलं-your own यादवकुल,ं
नष्टप्र- is as good as destroyed because the mechanism has been activated. It is
only a question of time. They are going to fight soon and kill themselves. Theyare
not yet destroyed but as goodas destroyed. प्रा means as good as. अभत्
ू इदं. TF, the
final task is also over so you can now quit the earth. ब्र concludes his request to
the Lord. They are handing over the application form to भगवान ्.
ततःस्वधामपरमं�वशस्वय�दमन्य
सलोकाल्लोकपालान्नःपा�हवैकुण्ठ�कङ्कर६.२७॥
ततः – therefore, since your अवतार tasks are completed there is no purpose in
continuing in कृष् शर�रं. परमंस् धामा- your supreme abode which is your own
higher nature. �वषस् - may you come back or return to your own original place.

That too, य�दमन्यत - if youplease. That means we don’t have any power to
command you. We can only make a request but the ultimate decision is yours. TF,
they add a note carefully- य�दमन्यत. If it pleases you may you concede to our
request and come back to your original abode. Having come to your original
abode, स लोकान ् लोकपालान ् पा�ह-remaining there may you protect all of us the
celestials. लोकपाला: means various celestials who are in charge of various
functions of the creation like वरुणद ेवताइन्द ्रदेवताअिग्न etc. Each देवता
presides over the various functions of the universe. लोकपाला: देवता. लोकान ् means
all the citizens of the higher world who are वैकुण्ठ�कङ्करा. �कङ्करान are the
servants of the Lord residing in वैकुण्, the higher लोक. To that original abode,
may you come back. Here also, for the sake of this story, we are using this
expression that LK has to go back to वैकुण् and protect the people who are in
higher abodes. Actually, when LK gives up his LK शर�रं and takes his original
version, he is all-pervading. Now, the question is, how can the all-pervading Lord
travel from one place to another? As the भजन ् says, ‘akada unde pandurangudu
ikkada unnaru.’ The Panduranga who is in Pandarapuram is not really in
Pandarapuram because he is infinite and all-pervading. He is worshipped in
Pandarapuram but he is everywhere.
Remember, Puranic stories are stories for beginners. They are all symbols
representing higher concepts. If you take the stories literally you will have several
logical problems. To say that to reach the all-pervading Lord I have to go to वैकुण्
is a logical contradiction for a thinking mind. To reach the lord who is all-
pervading how many kilometres should I travel? How many meters should I
travel? How many centimetres should I travel? How many millimetres?
Remember, in all puranic stories, भगवान ् is represented as a finite thing. It is also
posturized as though the भक्त travels and travels and travels to reach भगवान ् who
is sitting somewhere or भगवान ् is also travelling towards the भक्त. These are all
symbolic representations. None of them can be taken literally because neither does
भगवान ् have to travel towards the भक्त, nor does the भक्त have to travel towards
भगवान ्. If the definition of भगवान ् is अनन्:, then reaching the Lord is nothing

but knowing that भगवान ्, is never away from me and I am never away from
भगवान ्. This knowing is the ultimate साधना. Until we understand this concept, we
will continue to hear stories of भक्तs travelling, भगवान ् travelling. All these are
stories but the whole journey is one of �ानं �ानं �ानं �ानं only because if you
think a little bit, it will not answer a logical intellect. Initially, we have to follow all
these things like pilgrimage etc.
There is a beautiful श्लो in which a भक्त says, ‘O Lord, I insulted you all the
time in the name of भिक्. By giving you a form, I limited you.’ It is not
glorification but it is an insult because the infinite God cannot have a form. Giving
a form is not glorification. The भक्त says, ‘I am limiting the limitless.’ The
infinite is beyond description but I did describe this un-describable God by using
so many नामs. You all please do अष्टोत and all. I am not saying don’t do it but that
ultimate wise भक्त says that attributing form and uttering नाम are insults. The
final insult was travelling in the name of pilgrimage. 108 �दवय्द ेश, 12
ज्यो�त�लर्ङ्ग in all these travels, I again made you located in one place. रूप रू
�वविजर्ता भवते ध्याना यत्किल्प श्रुत्या�नवर्चनीयत गरु ो ध्याना यत्किल्प
व्या�पत्व �नराकृतम भागतो य�ीतर्या�ीतर्यात्र �न्तव् जगद�श तित्वगलत
दोषत्र मत्कृत. In the name of भिक् I have really insulted you though it was useful
initially for purifying the mind. But, ultimately reaching the Lord is nothing but
knowing that we are not away. The difference between me and God is neither
space-wise distance nor time-wise distance. It is the distance caused by sheer
ignorance. If ignorance is the cause of distance how do you remove the distance?
Through Knowledge. अ�ान �त�मरान्धस �ानाञ्ज चलाकया च�ु: उन्मी�लत येन
तस्म श् गुरवे नम:. These stories are all symbolic and are all for the junior seekers.
I know you are all senior. But in UG, we will get the teaching for senior seekers
also. The real description of भगवान ् comes later. वैकुण्�कङ्करान- who are the,
servants of the Lord, residing in वैकुण्, you should come and protect us all. Now
भगवान ् is going to give his reply.
श्रीभगवानुव
अवधा�रतमेतन्मेयदात्थ�वबुधेश्
कृतंवःकायर्म�खलंभूमेभार्रोऽवता�रत६.२८॥
LK first acknowledges and approves all the statements of the devotees including
ब्रह’s statement. He says, यदात्थ�वबुधेश् addressing ब्रह who represents the
entire group. हे�वबधे
ु श्वहे ब्रह्माएत अवधा�रतं -whatever statement you are
making, they are all already in my mind. I am totally aware of everything that you
are seeing. अवधा�रतं means I am completely aware. काय� अ�खलंव:कृतं- I have
completed every task that has been given to me by all the devotees including you,
ब्रह. You entreated that I should take an अवतार which I took and completed the
task. भम
ू े:भार:अवता�रत: the earth had become burdened because of too many
रा�सा:, too many अधा�मर्क people including कं स and other asuras. I have removed
that burden and unburdened the earth. भम
ू े:भार: here the word burden means अधमर
which has been removed by removing these असरु ा:. I have arranged for the
destruction of the यादव कुलं but I want to preside over and make sure that the job is
completed. TF, I want to wait for some more time and make sure that the यादव:
quarrel also occurs true and they are all destroyed. In the process, as a member of
the यादव कुलं: I also must quit the body so that the शाप of the �हामणा: comes true.
That is how the arrow which is also part of the curse, has to be used. I will also
abide by the rules of the शाप. I have come down as one of the beings on theearth
even though I transcend the LOK. भगवान ् doesn’t fall within the LOK but when he
takes अवतार, he also goes by the law of �हामण शापम ्. So, he says, ‘I am waiting
for the final part.’ The last episode is yet to come. It needs one more week. That is
said in the next श्लोक. We will read.
त�ददंयादवकुलंवीयर्शौयर्�श्रयोद्
लोकं िजघ�
ृ द ्रुद्धंमेवेलयेवमहाणर६.२९॥
त�ददंयादवकुलं- this यादवा clan or family, though noble enough to have an अवतार
within the family, has become very haughty. इदंयादवाकुलम्वयर् म- they have got so

much power, शौय�- courage and �श्र- lot of wealth. As theysay, power corrupts
and absolute power corrupts absolutely. To understand this, we need not go
anywhere. We see it everywhere in our present society. Every MLA, every MP,
every CM has power which they use to get all forms of wealth through many
scams. Nobody can stop them because they can buy courts, they canbuy police,
they can buy auditors, they can buy everyone. They are unstoppable. They can
destroy the entire earth. The यादवा clan is an ideal representative of this corruption,
absolute corruption. TF, वीयर शौयर. शौयर indicates that they have no scruples in
doing अक् and anybody who stands between them and their money will be
finished off. TF, उद्धत -the haughtiest ones are the यादवाs, waiting to swallow the
whole country and the whole world. LK says, लोकं िजघ� ृ त्. िजघ�ृ त् means
swallow the entire world and bring it within their power. If they have not spread
further it is only because of one powerful force, that is LK. LK says, I am the one
keeping them under check. The moment I leave, they will spread all over and so I
should not leave the earth before them. I should make sure that theyare all finished.
मेरुद्.रुद् means they are kept under check. Like the shoreline of an ocean or a
lake, which keeps the lake within the boundary. I amlike the shore line, which is
keeping the यादवा ocean under check so that they don’t enter the whole universe.
महा अणर्:वेलया इव. वेला means the shore. Justas the shore keeps the ocean under
check- महा अणर्:. LK says,
यद्यसंहृत्यदृप्तानांयदूनां�वपुलंक
गन्तास्म्यनेनलोकोऽयमुद्वेलेन�वनङ्६.३०॥
इदानींनाशआरब्धःकुलस्यद्�वजशाप
यास्या�मभवनंब्रह्मन्नेतदन्ते६.३१॥
LK says, ‘If I leave the earth right now, it will be the most dangerous situation.’
यदन
ू ां�वपल
ु ंकुलम ्असंहृत. असंहृत means suppose I don’t make sure that they are
totally wiped out. यदन
ू ां- the यादवाclan who are �वपल
ु ंकुलम ्-many in number and
powerful also. दृप्तान - unfortunately, they are arrogant and corrupt and have no

scruples in violating धम.र There is no conscience pricking them. यदन
ू ां �वपल
ु ं कुलं
दृप्तानअसंहृत. If I don’tsee that theyare destroyed then अयंलोक:अनेन गन्त
अिस् the entire world will be encroached upon, attacked and conquered by the
entire यादवा clan. गन्तािस should go in the first line. गन्तािस means suppose I
vacate here without destroying the यादवाकुलं. अयंलोक:अनेन �वनङ्�य�. The entire
earth will perish because of this यादवा clan. Then there will be the destruction of
the entire humanity like उद्वेले इव - the ocean which crosses the shore line. TF, I
have to wait for some more time. The procedure, the mechanism has been
arranged. TF, इदानीं नाश: आरब्ध: it has already started. As they say, the coming
events cast their shadow in advance. That is described later. नाश: आरब्ध कुलस्
the destruction of the entire यादवा clan has already started. LK says, I am already
seeing these indications because of द्�व शापत: because of शाप. What am I going
to do is, एतत् अन्त -at end of this destruction, हे अनघ: हे उद्ध, O pure उद्ध,
भवनं यास्या� I will drop this कृष् शर�रं and go to वैकुण्. Going to
वैकुण्symbolically means I will remain in my original all-pervading nature,
discarding my individuality. This is my plan. Now, Brahma and others are
satisfied. At least the Lord has booked his ticket. Only the journey has to come.
More in the next class.

Page 13, Verse 31,
इदानींनाशआरब्धःकुलस्यद्�वजशाप
यास्या�मभवनंब्रह्मन्नेतदन्ते६.३१॥
यास्या�मभवनंब्रह. LK is addressing ब्रह्मasहे ब्रह्, तवभवनंयास्या�- I will

come back to your abode. When he addresses ब्र and says your abode, it means
ब्रह्म. From this it is very clear that ब्रह्म, �वष्णुलो and �शवलोक are all
synonymous. Only the names are different. Instead of saying, ‘I will go back to
�वष्णुलो’ he says, ‘I will go back to your लोक.’ Both are one and the same.
तवभवनं. भवनं means ब्रह्म, यास्या�- I shall depart. हे अनघ- O Sinless One,
एतदन्त - at the end of the destruction of यादवकुलं. Up to this we saw in the last
class. Continuing,
इत्युक्तोलोकनाथेनस्वयम्भूःप्र�णप
सहदेवगणैद�वःस्वधामसमपद्य६.३२॥
ब्रह्म was totally satisfied with LK’s reply and went back to ब्रह्म along
with all the other देवता:.लोक नाथेन इ�त उक्:.लोकनाथ: means Lord �वष्ण in the
form of LK. ब्र was addressed as स्वयंभ: by LK. स्वयंभ:means ब्रह. After
hearing the words, तं प्र�नप – ब्रdid नमस्का to LK and देव गणै: सह -along
with the other celestials including इन् �शव and others. Link देव: with स्वयंभ:, that
is ब्र. स्वधा means his own abode, ब्रह्म, संपद्य- went back. In the next
verse we will see what happened in द्वारक.
Verse 33-
अथतस्यांमहोत्पातान्द्वारवत्यांसमुित्
�वलोक्यभगवानाहयदुवृद्धान्समागता६.३३॥

शकाचायर
ु continues his report. LK wanted to address all the elderly people of
यादवकुलम ् pointing out that they cannot join the fight. He wants all the elders to
come along with him to a different place. Even as he was about to address the
यदवु द
ृ ्ध:, the elders, many events began occurring in nature. भागवतं doesn’t
mention the events but perhaps thunder or meteor showers etc. which indicate that
a huge calamity is going to take place in which hundreds and thousands will perish.
अथ तस्या द्वारवत्य. In द्वारकापुर, समिु त्थतमह उत्पातान्उत्पा means bad or evil
omen. महोत्पात: means very intense and very bad instances were appearing in
द्वारकापुर. भगवािन्वलोक- भगवान ् saw these events and यदव
ु द
ु ्धान समागतान ्
आह. Many elderly people of यादव वंश have assembled in front of LK’s palace.
समागतान ्- the assembled यादव elders were addressed in the following manner.
Verse 34-
एतेवैसम
ु होत्पाताव्यु��ष्ठन्तीहसव
शापश्चनःकुलस्यासीद्ब्राह्मणेभ्योद६.३४॥
एतेसम
ु होत्पात. उत्पात itself means a bad omen and महोत्पात means even worse.
सु means the worst omen I am seeing. In the olden days, vultures would begin
flying above, indicating many are going to die. They say animals have got a finer
sense and sensitivity and can future events. They say even before the tsunami
certain animals and birds behaved in a peculiar manner. Even now, when dogs start
howling in the night, some people say, somebody is going to die. Perhaps many
dogs were howling or vultures were flying above. The details are not given.
समु होत्पात इह in द्वारक, व्यु��ष्ठि -they are preparing. सवर्त - not in one area
but all over I can see these very bad indications. We also know that calamity is
coming because the ऋषय: have cursed the यादवकुल and that news has also spread
all over. शापश्चन कुलस्: LK says, the शाप has taken place for our entire कुलम ्.
LK says, nobody can stop this powerful शाप. It is not remediable. TF,

दरु त्यय.अत्यय means प�रहारं or remedy, दरु त्यय means that which has no remedy
at all. Even though I am the Lord myself, I also have to abide by the effect of the
शाप. भगवान ् doesn’t take any remedial measures. �हामणेभ्: refers to all the
ऋ�षs. �हामणेभ्: दरु त्ययःशा: न: कुलस्. न: means our, अस्माक न:.मम मे आवयो:
नौ अस्माक न: दकरन्: �त्र�लङ्गे नमान रू: अस्म शब्: षिष् �वभिक् बहु वचनं-
Sanskrit students should do homework. Identify what शब्, what �वभिक् in every
word. Similarly, आसीत् as धातु परस्म प�त लङ्ग प्र पर
ु ुषए वचनं. So,
दरु त्ययःशा:आसीत्| TF, what should we do?
Verse 35-
वस्तव्य�महास्मा�भिजर्जी�वषु�भरायर
प्रभासंसुमहत्पुण्यंयास्यामोऽद्यैव मा६.३५॥
LKsays, soon all the youngstersof the यादवकुल will get into a big fight and if we
don’t want to get caught in the crossfire and die, then the best plan is to escape
from this place and move to another place. अस्मा�िजर्जी�वषु�: by all of us who
don’t want to get caught in this warfare and die immediately. Later, they will also
die because of the शाप but death may be delayed a little bit. In English, delaying
the inevitable. िजजी�वष:ु means those who want to survive for some more time.
जी�वतंु इचु िजजी�वष:ु .हे आयर्क: is addressing the यादव elders. आयर means noble
one in the शास्त anddoesn’t refer to a particular race like आयर्न race or Dravidian
race etc. In the scriptures the word आयर means dharmic people who follow
scriptural injunctions. हेआयार:, dharmic people, इह न वस्तव्-we should not stay in
this place. What should we do? सम
ु ह: पण
ु ्य प्रभा. प्रभ is the name of a sacred
place which is slightly away from द्वारक. Even now प्रभासती is there in the
Saurashtra region of south-southwest Gujarat. It is considered to be very sacred.
समु ह: पण
ु ्यmeans extremely sacred. There is a pond there which is considered to be
sacred and taking a bath there is considered to destroy पापम ्. यास्या: let us go to
that place. When? अद्यै- today itself. We have to leave immediately because,

soon, the fight will start. TF, मा �चरं don’t delay, get ready. LK describes the glory
of प्रभासती.
Verse 36-
यत्रस्नात्वाद�शापाद्गृह�तोय�मणोद
�वमक
ु ्तः�किल्बषात्सद्योभेजेभूयःकलोद६.३६॥
To talk about the glory of प्रभासती, LK is referring to a past event which is talked
about in the mythological stories of the परु ाण. The story is given in the foot note of
this shloka. I will just read and don’t want to elaborate. This is the summary. Look
at the footnote on the top of page 15.
According to Hindu mythology चन् married 27 daughters of the पजाप�त द�. चन्
is चन्द्रदे, the moon God. It is mythological, so we must not ask too many
questions but read as it is. The 27 daughters refer to 27 constellations, न�त.
न�तin feminine gender is called तारा. These 27 are all children of द�पजाप�तwho
decided on one son-in-law for all his daughters instead of 27 sons-in-law.
द�cursed his son-in-law for his undue partiality towards his favorite wife, रो�हणी.
चन्was very attached to रो�हणीbut ignored the other wives. So, द� gave a शाप
that चन् will suffer from a particular disease in which his body will become
weaker. That is why the full moon gets smaller and smaller and became a small
digit. चन्wanted to get out of this disease so प�रहारं suggested was to take a bath
in प्रभासती. TF, चन् will get back his health but the problem is he will again go
back to full moon once again. That is said in the श्लोक. यत स्नात् -taking a bath
in प्रभासती,उडुराट is the name of चन्.उडु means न�त् or तारा, राट means
husband. उडुराटmeans न�त्राण प�त:, न�त भतार इत्यथ:.ताराप�त: is another name
for चन्. चन्: द�शापात् य�मणागह
ृ �त- because of the curse of द�,
य�मणागह ृ �तय�मा is the name of the disease. In English it is translated as
consumption which is a type of tuberculosis which would make a person weaker

and weaker. य�मणागह
ृ �त: means attacked or afflicted by य�मा. �किल्बषत
�वमक
ु ्:अभवत्- he got freedom from the disease because of स्नान in प्रभासती.
भय
ू :कलोदयं भेजे. कलोदयं means getting back the चन्द्. Every day he grew back
to his original size. कल उदयं भेजे. भेजे means he attained. बज ् धातु अत्मनेप� �लट
प्र पर
ु ु एक वचनं भेजे भेजते भेिजरे. Let us all go to that great पण
ु ् तीथ�.
वयंचतिस्मन्नाप्लुत्यतपर्�यत्वा�पतॄन्
भोज�यत्वो�षजो�वप्रान्नानागुणवतान६.३७॥
तेषद
ु ाना�नपात्रेषुश्रद्धयोप्त्वामह
विृ जना�नत�रष्यामोदानैन��भ�रवाणर्वम६.३८॥
In these two verses, LK refers to one of the practices in Vedic tradition. When a
person grows older and he knows that the time of death is not far away, generally
the thought of next जन् comes to the mind because in Hinduism, we believe in
पन
ु जर्न unless a person is a �ानी. We also know that the next birth will depend
upon the next bunch of कमर that are going to fructify. भगवान ् also gets ready
because he is the कमर्फ दाता. TF, भगवान ् prepares the next bunch of प्रार
extracted from the सं�चतकमर. Have you forgotten सं�चतप्रार and आगा�म
karmas? सं�चत is the कमर earned in the past, आगा�म is the कमर earned in the
present, प्रार is the कमर which is being exhausted. As a person dies, प्रार is
exhausted and आगा�म will have been partially exhausted. Some unexhausted
आगा�म will join the सं�चत and out of this, the next bunch of प्रार gets ready. At
the time when the जीव drops the current physical body, it is all a well-designed
arrangement. This body goes away, the next bunch of प्रार gets ready and
according to वेद, the next body also gets ready. At the time of death itself the next
body is formed in a very minute form. The जीव, which departs this physical body,
travels with next physical body, which is there in a rudimentary form. Because the
next body is in a rudimentary form, the departing soul cannot choose that physical
body, because it has not become a full-fledged operational body. The non-
operational body travels along with the जीव and the जीव is supposed to go through
several stages. In मण
ु ्ड उप�नषद, छान्दोग उप�नषद etc. the topic of पञ् अिग्
�वद्य is there where various stages are talked about. In each stage, the next
physical body becomes more and more mature and riper. In the 4th and 5th stage are
the body of the father and the body of the mother where the child’s body gets ready
and it comes. TF, old people who never thought about it until now suddenly begin
to think of the next birth. Whatever disadvantages I had in terms of bodily
conditions, parentage etc. at least I would like to avoid in the next birth to have a
head start. For this worry, वेद prescribes many प्रायिश्च�कमा during old age
which many people don’t know about nowadays. Many people start doing varieties
of प्रायिश karma or allocate money for that and ask the children, to do those
कमार्� at least during death or after death and give plenty of दानम ्. Charity is
considered to be one of the very good प्रायिश्च�. Similarly, तपर्ण to forefathers,
देवतपर्ण, �पततपर्ण
ृ , ऋ�षतपर्ण, �हामण दानं etc. are also considered to be प्रायिश,
a final attempt to make the next birth a better birth. LK is referring to that here. वयं
च तिस्मन्आप्लु. Even though LK doesn’t have सं�चतआगा�मप्रार etc. in
identification with all other यादवा:, भगवान ् says, ‘Let us all do these sacred
प्रायिश्च�कमा.’ The first one is तिस्मन्आप्लु- taking a dip in प्रभासती, then
तपर्�यत्- let us all perform तपर्ण so that we will get the blessings of the देवs
�पतऋ
ृ �षs etc. We can receive �पत्रूिन्, departed forefathers, सरु ान्सुरान refers to
देवतपर्ण. देवतपर्ण, �पततपर्ण
ृ in the �नत् is in ब्रह्म itself. Those तपर्णs are
inbuilt- सरु ान ्. Thereafter, �वप्रान्भोज�यत्वा: means giving to दानम ् to �हामणा:
who are elderly, cultured, dharmic people. In those days, �हामणा: could not earn in
any other manner and could live on whatever दानम ् and द��ण they get. Let us give
दानम ् to �हामणा. What type of �हामणा:? In BG, we talked about
जा�त�हामणा:कमर्�हामण:गुण�हामणा. Giving दानम ् to one who is a �हामणonly by
birth but doesn’t follow any of the disciplines is not useful. TF,
उ�शज:�वप्रान्उ�: means well qualified ones who have studied the scriptures,
who follow धमर and who lead a simple life. Those �वप्रा. उ�शज: means good

�हामणा:, not physically but well qualified. भोज�यत्व- let us do अन्नदान म and all
the other दानम ्s also. अन्नदान म also should be done as, May you make good food
and give the same as दानम ्. Not that we make one poor quality for दानम ् and the
other one for our use.
अन्धस means अन्न. A rare word. अन्धस्अकारान:नपंस

ु क �लङ्:अन्धस
शब्:ततीय
ृ एक वचन.ं अन्ने नाना गण
ु वता पञ् भ�य परमान्न let us prepare it well
and have variety of अन्न. We will propitiate the �हामणा:, not only with अन्नदान म
but varieties of other दानम ् also. तेषु पात्रे दाना�न उप्त्. पात- deserving candidates.
Let us give दानम ् to deserving candidates in the form of sowing the seed. LK is
using a beautiful expression. He says let us sow the seed in �हामणा. What do you
mean by sowing the seed? When you sow the seed on the ground, even though it
looks you are giving something to earth, it is actually crop that the earth is going to
give back ten times. Similarly, दानम ् is not loss of wealth but the best form of
investment. According to शास्त, दानम ् is the best investment for the next birth. You
sow here and you reap in later birth. This is all total belief based on शास्. Don’t
ask me if I have seen it. TF, उप्त् the root is वपु धातु and उप्is sowing. Sowing or
investing for our future wealth. महािन् वैnot ordinary but a big investment which
will give good birth next. विृ जनाना�नत�रष्या- it will destroy, all those पापा�न
which are responsible for an evil or inferior जन्. Let us cross over all our पापा�न.
दानै:through दानम ्like, नौ�भ: अणर्व म्इ. नौ: means a boat, अणर्: means an ocean,
river or lake. Just as one can cross over a river or lake with the help of a boat so
also our पापम ् can be crossed over with the boat of दानम ्. अणर्वम्त�रष्:.
Then what happened?
श्रीशुकउव
एवंभगवता�दष्टायादवाःकुरुनन्
गन्तुंकृत�धयस्तीथ�स्यन्दनान्समयूय६.३९॥

तिन्नर��योद्धवोराजन्श्रुत्वाभगवतो
The यादवा: belonged to Vedic society and so, they accepted वेदा as a valid source
of knowledge. They believed that whatever कमर was prescribed by the वेदाs or even
secondary scriptures, should be performed and would be useful. All these people
had श्रद. That is why those who accept knowledge in the form of वेदाs are called
आिस्तक. वेद प्रमा अिस् इ�त ये वदिन् ते आिस्तक:.वेदा is a प्रमा. प्रमाmeans a
valid source of knowledge. TF, we also believe in next birth and that it can be
influenced by our actions in the current birth. All the यादवा: accepted the
वेदाप्रमा, including LK, and they all accepted LK’s instructions. TF, all of them
decided to go to प्रभ तीथ�.
This report is given by शकाचायर

ु . शक
ु addresses पर��त्. एवं भगवता आ�दष्ट:.
आ�दष्ट:means instructed by LKin this manner. हे कुलनन्द. शकाचायर
ु is
addressing पर��त् as कुलनन्द:, the one who pleases his family because �पततपर्ण
ृ
is mentioned here. गन्तुंकृत�ध: they decided to leave द्वारक and approach प्रभ
तीथ�. It is not walkable distance. They had to take an appropriate vehicle, which
were chariots in those days. स्यन्दन ा अमययू ज
ु त्- they got all their chariots ready.
Checking the wheels etc, bringing the horses, connecting horses to the wheel. All
these are preparations. स्यन्द means रथ:. समयय ू ज
ु न ् a peculiar verb. सं+ यज
ु ् धातु
10th conjugation परस्म प�त लन्
ु बहुवचनंलन
ु ग् लकार. Simple translation is they got
the chariot ready for departure. At this very moment our hero, उद्ध, is going to
come. Of course, LK is also the hero but he is already there.
Verse 40-
तिन्नर��योद्धवोराजन्श्रुत्वाभगवतो
दृष्ट्वा�रष्टा�नघोरा�ण�नत्यंकृष्णम६.४०॥
�व�वक्तउपसङ्गम्यजगतामीश्वरेश्

प्रणम्य�श�रसापादौप्राञ्ज�लस्६.४१॥
Having studied the whole situation and visualizing what is going to happen very
soon in the future, उद्ध approached LK. तन ् �नर��य- having seen the whole
situation. Who is उद्ध? कृष्णंअनुव: an intense, sincere devotee of LK.उद्ध
was a relative, a friend and a devotee of LK. An inseparable friend and devotee
exactly like अजुर् in the BG.
हे राजन ् -शक
ु is addressing पर��त्. भगवत उ�दतं श्रुत. उद्ध was also listening to
all these instructions of the Lord given to all the other यादव. उद्ध also witnessed
all these terrible events happening around indicating a very big calamity. TF,
घोरा�ण अ�रष्टा�नदृष्.अ�रष्ट is same as उत्पात mentioned before.अ�रष्ट means
evil omens, negative indications. Nowadays they say, ‘negative vibrations.’ They
shorten it and say ‘vibes.’ All these people also felt negative vibes all around.
घोरा�ण terrible. For everything –“I don’t vibe well with you.” Moderncouples have
a big problem- thisvibing business. They vibe well and get married; they don’t vibe
well and get separated. Whole life is based on vibes. Nobody can see the vibes.
Another word- we don’t have good chemistry. So, if vibes mean physics, either
physics doesn’t fit well or chemistry doesn’t fit well. घोरा�ण अ�रष्टा�नदृष्.
�नत्य कृष्णंअनुव:. अनव्

ु : means भक्त:. �व�वक्:उपसङ्गम - quietly he took
LK away from the crowd and had a confidential conversation with LK. �व�वक्
means secluded separately, in private he approached LK. जगतां ईश्वर�श्व is not
ordinary LK. He is the Lord of all the Lords देवदेवो�माकृष्: he approached.
�शरसा पादौ प्रण- he did साष्टाङ नमस्कार to LK with this head touching
thefeet of the Lord. Then he got up and प्राञ्: -with folded arms तम ् अभाषत- he
addressed LK in the following manner. All the verses from 42 to 49 are उद्ध
addressing LK.

Page 16, Verse 40-
तिन्नर��योद्धवोराजन्श्रुत्वाभगवत।।
दृष्ट्वा�रष्टा�नघोरा�ण�नत्यंकृष्णम६.४०॥
�व�वक्तउपसङ्गम्यजगतामीश्वरेश्
प्रणम्य�श�रसापादौप्राञ्ज�लस्६.४१॥
In this first chapter the UG is preparing the ground for UG teaching, which will
start from the second chapter of this section. In this first chapter उद्ध who is a
devotee and relative of LK is going to approach LK and surrender to him. उद्ध,
the devotee, becomes उद्ध, the disciple. Then alone LK will be converted into
कृष्, the गर
ु , the teacher. Only when the गर
ु ु�शष relationship is struck can the
teaching take place. Always the teaching is between a गर ु and �शष्. In no other
relationships can teaching take place and even if it does, it will not be efficacious.
One should become a disciple. He should develop the attitude of discipleship in the
form of श्रद and भिक्. The disciple should also listen to the teaching which will
have to take place in a consistent and systematic manner. In the BG such a
teaching takes place between LK and अजुर्, a teaching running to 17 chapters. In
UG also a consistent and systematic teaching is going to take place in 23 chapters.
We should always remember that the गुर providesconsistent and systematic
teaching and the disciple shows consistent and systematic learning. This is called
गुरु�शष संवाद. For that, the गुर should accept to play the role of a गुर and �शष्
should accept to play the role of a disciple. Thenalone the channel for
communication opens up. The ground is prepared for उद्ध to surrender.
During the crucial juncture when the यादवhave to leave for प्रभ तीथ,र उद्ध
approaches LK.
Verse 42-
श्रीउद्धवउ

देवदेवेशयोगेशपण
ु ्यश्रवणक�त
संहृत्यैतत्कुलंनूनंलोकंसन्त्य�यतेभ
�वप्रशापंसमथ�ऽ�पप्रत्यहन्नयद६.४२॥
उद्धव: उवाच-उद्धव addressed LK. First, he talks about the glories of the Lord by
addressing the Lord with certain special names. देवदेवेश: O Lord who is देवानां देव:,
God of all Gods, which means you are the ultimate god. ईश: you are the ruler of
the entire universe. �श्रि िस्थ� लय कतार. Not only have you created and you
maintained the world, youare also योगेश:. If the जीवा: get tired of repeated जन्
and मरणं and want to transcend mortality भगवान ् has made provisions in creation
for leaving the संसार. This provision is called योग, the spiritual path presented
through the वेदा: by which a person can transcend mortality. योग consists of three
stages- कमर्यो+उपासनयोग+�ानयोग. All these three put together is called
योगमागर:. योगमागर is given by the Vedas and Vedas have been given by the Lord
himself. TF, the Lord is called योगेश:. This word was used in the BG also in the
last verse of the BG.
यत योगेश्वर कृष्ण यत पाथ� धनधर्र

ु
तत श्रॆ�वर्जयोभॊ� ध्रु नी�तमर्�तमर्||18- 78||
पण
ु ्यश्रवणक�: for following the spiritual path a person requires lot of पण
ु ्य म. If
sufficient पण
ु ्य म is not there, people will become devotees of the Lord alright but
they will use devotion only for materialistic purposes. अहंकार-centred prayers,
ममकार-centred prayers, family- centred prayers, business- centred prayers. We
call it materialistic भिक्. We require special पण
ु ्य म to convert materialistic भिक्
into spiritual भिक् so that during नमस्का we pray for spiritual growth. That
requires spiritual पण
ु ्य म. To get spiritual पण
ु ्य म also, ईश्वरभिक is the path. TF,
भगवान ् is given a special title, पण
ु ्यश्रवणक�. श्रव means listening to the glories

of the Lord. क�तर्न means talking about the glories of the Lord. The श्रव and
क�तर्न will give sufficient पण
ु ्य म to follow the spiritual path. TF, यस् श्र क�तर्न
च पण
ु ्यम:पण
ु ्यश्रवणक�: is a title given to the Lord. हे पण
ु ्यश्रवणक�, I know
what your intention is. उद्ध is disturbed after knowing the intention of the Lord
to quit भल
ू ोक and enter वैकुण्. उद्धव says, I have smelt your intentions. He says,
एतत् कुलं संहृत- after making sure that यादवकुलं is destroyed by mutual quarrel,
you are also going to receive an arrow shot by a hunter. On this pretext of the
arrow shot, you are also going to drop the body. भवान ्, you the Lord,
लोकसन्त्य�य. लोक means भल
ू ोक, सन्त्य�यmeansyou are going to leave, quit or
renounce. How does उद्ध know this? He says, ‘I have got a clue.’ He says, “Even
though the ऋषय: have given a शाप, youare the ultimate omniscient, omnipotent
God. You have enough power to neutralize �वप्रशा as you are more powerful than
ऋषय:. By your mere संकल् you can neutralizethe शाप but you have decided not to
use your power which means you will allow the शापं to take its own course.”
यत् means because I got the clue, �वप्रशापंनपरत्य. �वप्रशा means the शाप of the
ऋषय:, नपरत्यहन -you did not neutralize or remedy. प्र + हन ् धातु to stop. You
didn’t stop even though you have the power, समथर: अ�प,ईश्व: as the ultimate
God. This indicates your intention. The शाप will get fulfilled and all the यादवा:
will go along with LK who is also a Yadava. TF you want to die and quit. Whether
you like it or not, for me it is very sad news. उद्ध says, I cannot allow this to
happen.
Verse 43 –
नाहंतवाङ्�घ्रकमलं�णाधर्म�पक
त्यक्तुंसमुत्सहेनाथस्वधामनयमा६.४३॥
Just as in the first chapter of the BG, we got अजुर् �वषाद योग, here we get
उद्धव�वषा योग. In BG, अजुर् asked-

अज
उवाच
ुर्
कथं
भीष्ममह
संद्रो
चख
मध्य स
ु द
ू न
“How can I live on the earth without भीष् द्र and others?” Here उद्ध asks,
“How can I live in this world without your presence?” So, what is the basic
problem? Attachment is the problem. Attachment to अवतार is also a problem
because an अवतार is also subject to arrival and departure. उद्ध says,
तवअङ्घ्रीक हे के शव �णाथर्म� त्यक्त न उत्सह- I cannot afford to live even for a
half a minute, half a moment away from your lotus feet. अङ्घ्रीक - lotus feet,
त्यक् - having gotten away from, �णाथर्म�पअह न अमत्सह
ु - I will not be able to
survive. हे नाथ- O lord, who is my master. My request is either you don’t quit the
Earth or else get a ticket for me also. After all, tatkal tickets are available. You
arrange a tatkal ticket for वैकुण्. माम ् अ�प स्वधा नय.स्वधा – may you take me
also to your abode, वैकुण्.
Now, उद्ध talks about the glory of भगवान ् and his अवतार. The following श्लोक:
are भिक् म�हमा, the glory of भिक्. Here it being the context of कृष्णअवता,
कृष्णभिक म�हमा is talked about.
तव�वक्र��डतंकृष्णनृनांपरममङ्ग
कणर्पीयूषमासाद्यत्यजन्त्यन्यस्पृह६.४४॥
हे LK, if a person knows about your glory and also the fact that you are �नत्:, the
eternal one, gradually his love for �नत्यईश्:, eternal God, will increase. Even as
this love for �नत्म ् or eternal increases, as a natural and effortless consequence,
the love and attachment towards all अ�नत् वस्तू� will come down. Thus
ईश्वरभिक will easily give �नत्यअ�नतवस्त �ववेक:. Not only �ववेक: which will be

followed by (त�वबोध) वैराग्य. Attachment to �नत्म ् will increase which is called
मम
ु �
ु ुत्व, the fourth value. Attachment to अ�नत्य will come down, which is called
वैराग्य. Thus, ईश्वरभिक will give three qualifications- �ववेक, वैराग्य and मम
ु �
ु ुत्व.
What is the �ववेक? The world is ephemeral and impermanent. God alone is
permanent. Since the world is impermanent, emotional dependence on it is a risky
affair because the more I depend on the impermanent, more is the anticipatory
anxiety that all this will go away. When the impermanent goes away, the sorrow,
the shock become unbearable. A भक्त is able to understand. TF, he uses the
impermanent for serving and purifying. He never uses the impermanent for
emotional dependence but depends more dependence on ईश्व.
अनन्यािश्चन्तय मांयेजनाः
पयुर्पासत।
तेषां
�नत्या�भयुक्तान
योग�
वहाम्यह
ेमं म।।
9.22।।
When anybody asks, who is the security for you in the future, what should I name?
All the non भक्तs will name some family members or LIC because LIC claims
‘योग�ेमं वहाम्यह म’. All the worldly people depend on the insecure for their
security. भक्त will name only one. My security is भगवान ्. So thus, �ववेक, वैराग्य
and मम
ु �
ु ुत्व.
He says, जन: which means a भक्त. हे कृष् तव�वक्र��ड.�वक्र��ड means your

अवतार, your sports and your exploits in various अवतारं,नण ृ ांपरमङ्गल- is very
auspicious and holy for the entire humanity. Auspicious means purifier of the
mind, dropping our delusion that the world is the security for me. What is wisdom?
It is that भगवान ् alone can give security. भजगो�वन्द भजगो�वन्द गो�वन्द भज मढ ू
मते. संप्राप सं�न�हते काले न �ह न �ह र��त. मङ्गल means remover of the delusion.
कणर पीयष
ू ं आश्वाद - listening to the glories of the lord whichare like nectar or
अमतं
ृ for the ears. Nectar means आनन् प्र for the ears. जन: अन्यस्प् त्यज�-
भक्त will get gradual detachment from all finite, ephemeral things. Not hatred
towards them. We will do our duties towards them but emotionally we learn to
depend more and more on God. अन्यस्प् means worldly attachment. त्यज�
people will renounce. Continuing.
शय्यासनाटनस्थानस्नानक्र�डाशना
कथंत्वां�प्रयमात्मानंवयंभक्तास्त्६.४५॥
Here, उद्ध points out that उद्ध and a few other भक्त: have got special privilege
because they are contemporaries of LKand have the physical company of the Lord
whereas future generations cannot have LK’s physical company. They have to
visualise भगवत: glory. उद्ध says I haveenjoyed your actual physical company
bothas a भक्त and as a friend. In the 1th chapter of BG अजुर् says, ‘I have been
your friend. I have addressed you in singular as a friend, हे कृष्णह यादव हे सखा
इ�त.’ Similarly, उद्ध says, ‘I havebeen moving with you on different occasions.’
He gives a list - शय्य -often we have slept in the same roomas friends. We have
even shared a bed as close friends, we have shared the same आसन, seat also,
अटन-ं we have moved together all over, स्थान- we havestayed in the same place
for long time, स्नान- we have dipped in several rivers together, क्र�- we have
played together, अशनं -we have eaten together, perhaps shared the same plate as
friends. Having enjoyed such company for a long time how can I imagine a life
without you? वयंभक्त: your intimate devotees, कथं त्यजेम� -how canwe allow
this to be lost forever? Continuing,
त्वयोपभुक्तस्रग्गन्धवासोऽलङ्कारच
उिच्छष्टभोिजनोदासास्तवमायांजयेम६.४६॥
Not only have we enjoyed the relationship as friends, we have also become your
devotees and looked upon you as सा�ात् भगवान ्. We have enjoyed worshipping
you and taking प्रस from you. We could switch our roles both ways. Once a
friend and another time a भक्त. As भक्त we त्वय उप भक
ु ् स्र गन् वास
अलङ्का च�चर्त. When we worshipped you we offered you food. स्र means माला,
गन्धचन्द we offered to you, वासा: we offered you वस्त, अलङ्काvarious other
ornaments floral garlands etc. After offering you we received them back as ईश्व

प्रस. The same चन्दन, the same flower, the same माला, the food eaten by you.
We did not treat it as second hand or left overs. We took it as प्रस from the plate
in which you had eaten. This is called उिच्छष भोजन.ं When we take उिच्छष
भोजनं of other human beings it is not good but taking उिच्छष भोजनं after offering
to भगवान ् or great भक्त: or even �ा�नन: becomes a type of याग. अलङ्कारच�चर्
-we have decorated ourselves with those माला, flowers, चन्दन etc. During उिच्छष
भोजन: we looked upon ourselves as your दासा:, not as equal friends. We have
enjoyed.
Our aim in doing all this was तवमायांजयेम�ह-we ultimately wanted to cross over
your माया, माया representing संसार. We can cross over संसार by worshipping you.
For that we require your continued presence. So, please don’t quit or take us also
so that we continue the पज
ू ा and we can ultimately attain मो� also. Continuing,
वातरशनायऋषयःश्रमणाऊध्वर्मिन
ब्रह्माख्यंधामतेयािन्तशान्ताःसन्न्यासी६.४७॥
उद्ध says that of course for attaining मो� there is सन्न्यासमा prescribed by the
वेदा: in which either �ह्मचा�र: or गह
ृ स्त: quit the family and take to सन्न्य
आश्, practice their साधन and attain मो�. But that is a tough मागर which can be
followed by only rare ones. उद्ध says, let those people follow the tougher path
but we would like to remain in गह
ृ स्ताश and attain मो� by worshipping you.
First, he talks about सन्न्य मागर, the path of renunciation, taken by some rare
seekers.श्रम: means सन्न्या�:, those who follow, श्:, the tougher path. So,
श्रम:, these सन्न्या�:ऊध्वर्मिन् who follow ब्रह्म व्र by giving up
गह ृ स्ताशandवातरशना who live on air. वाता means air. Those who do not eat
much. Living on air is another way of saying, taking simple food. Don’t take it
literally as eating air. It means वातं अशनं एषां ते those who could eat air. The idea is
those who live on bhiksha and lead a simple life, who are शान्ता, whose minds are

very quiet. सन्न्या�: who take to सन्न्य आश्: and अमला: those who are
purified. They take to सन्न्यासमा and thereafter attain मो� called ब्रह्माख्य.
The abode called ब्रह्. Thus, there are some rare people who follow
सन्न्यासमा and attain ब्रह् or मो� but we are not ready or capable. TF, we
would like to stay here and practice कृष् भिक् and attain मो�. That is said here.
Verse 48-
वयंित्वहमहायो�गन्भ्रमन्तःकमर्व
त्वद्वातर्यात�रष्यामस्तावकैदुर्स्६.४८॥
उद्ध says we don’t want to that follow सन्न्यासमा which is very tough. We are
going to remain in गह
ृ स्ताश and practicing कृष्णभिक through which we want to
attain मो�. Whether it is possible or not is a different thing. He says, हे महायो�गन ्,
O great योगीयोगेश्व: who are we? कमर्वत्मर्सुभ् we are in the path of कम.र
कमर्माग means गह
ृ स्ताश. Always in the tradition, कमर means गह
ृ स्ताश as the
word कमर means वै�दककमर. वै�दककमर can be done only by गह
ृ स्. ब्रह्मच cannot
do वै�दककमर. He can only संध्यावन्द. स�मता दानं and most of the
वै�दककमर्ब्रह्मच:वानप्रस: andsanyasis cannot do. He says, we are very much
in गह
ृ स्ताश. So, we want to त्वद्वातर -talk about your glory. Not individually.
तावकै: सह along with similar भक्त:. We will join together and sing and talk about
your glories. Following this कृष्णभिक मागर we want to, दस
ु ्तरंत:त�रष्या.तम:
means अ�ानं. Previously the word माया was used. माया also means संसार. Here
तम: or अ�ान also means संसार. Following कृष्णभिक मागर we want to cross over
संसार. This is उद्धs proposal. He describes कृष्णभिक मागर further in the next
sloka also.
स्मरन्तःक�तर्यन्तस्तेकृता�नग�दत
गत्युित्स्मते�ण�वे�लयन्नृलोक�वड म्६.४९॥

In the previous sloka, the word त्वद्वातर was used. तवद्वाता means talking about
भगवान ्. त्व means you, the Lord, वातार means singing, talking, uttering etc. ते
कृता�न -all your exploits. We want to remember and talk about them. All the
कृष्णल�ल: described in the previous स्कन्, the entire दशम स्कन् is all
कृष्णल�ल:. ग�दता�न- also all that you have spoken during कृष्णावता including
BG, we want to remember and share. ग�ततं means words of the Lord. कृतं means
exploits of the Lord. Also all the other things you did in your life like ग�त- running
all over as LK, उित्स् -your beautiful smile. अदरं मधरु ं वदनं मधरु ं नयनं मधरु ं etc.
ई�ण means your glance. �वेल� means various fun or pleasantries that you had
with your भक्त:. In all these you have acted exactly like other human beings.
कृष्णावता is a मनषु ् अवतार so human beings can relate more to कृष् and राम.
नल
ृ ोक�वडंबनम ् means in which you have lived exactly like a मनषु ्. उद्ध
considers कृष्णभिक मागर to get liberation.
उद्ध has presented two मागरs for liberation. One is सन्न्यासमा in verse 47 and
कृष्णभिक्तमा of a गह
ृ स्त in 48 and 49. Now LK has to teach the entire UG and
we have to find out whether there are two मागरs for liberation. From उद्धवस
words it appears that he says, “Let the sanyasis do whatever they want as they have
no other work. We will have regular सीता कल्याण रादा कल्याण �दव्याना संक�तर्न,
dance and all that.”
We have to explore, study and find out how many मागरs are there for moksha. If
there are many मागरs, which मागर can we choose? That is what we have to find out
from the second chapter onwards. LK has not started the teaching. शक
ु , the MC,
master of ceremonies comes and concludes the first chapter.

एवं�व�ा�पतोराजन्भगवान्देवक�सुत
एकािन्तनं�प्रयंभृत्यमुद्धवंसम६.५०॥
शक
ु addressed पर��त्. Hey राजन ्- O पर��त्. भगवान्द वक�सतः
ु LK who is the son
of देवक�, एवं �व�ा�पता: was addressed thus by उद्ध. उद्ध wanted to accompany
LK or LK to remain here. उद्ध will practice कृष्णभिक to get liberation. Then,
LK उद्धवसमभाषत addressed उद्ध in the following manner starting from the
second chapter onwards. The rest of the UG is कृष्णस consistent and systematic
teaching. उद्धis described asएकािन्तन one who is an intimate devotee,
unflinching devotee of LK. �प्र- who was very dear to LK, भत्य
ृ who was aदास:
ready to serve and worship LK at any time. Such an उद्धwho is now a disciple
was addressed by LK in the following manner. We will see in the next class.

Class 11- Chapter 2 Verses 1 to 8
In chapter one, उद्ध surrendered to LK and made a request to LK to not leave the
earth and go back to वैकुण् or at least to take him along. उद्ध said, “With your
presence and the worship that we practice, we will be able to attain मो�.” In
chapter two, the Lord will respond and the actual teaching also begins here just like
in the BG. Chapter 2, page 20-
यदात्थमांमहाभागतिच्चक��षर्तमेव
ब्रह्माभवोलोकपालाःस्ववार्संमेऽ�भकाङ७.१॥
श् भगवान ् उवाच- The Lord addressed उद्ध. हे महाभाग that is उद्ध. महाभाग:
means fortunate one, भाग्यवान.उद्ध is भाग्यवान because he has association with
LK and he is getting the teaching from the Lord himself. O fortunate उद्ध,
यत्म आत् तद �चके षर्तमए you have understood my plan. You mentioned my
plan to me and it is very true. I am going to implement the plan to leave earth and
go back to वैकुण्. LK says that the request has come from ब्र -Lord ब्रह्म,
भव: -Lord �शव and लोकपाला: all the other celestials who preside over various
lokas, different देवता:. They all अ�भकाङ्��: - are desirous of, मेस्ववार्- here
स्ववार: literally means स्वगर्व where स्वग should be taken as वैकुण्:. स्ववार्स
means going back again to वैकुण् and living there. I am also in agreement. भगवान ्
will tell why he is in agreement in the next श्लोक.
मया�नष्पा�दतंह्यत्रदेवकायर्मश
यदथर्मवतीण�ऽहमंशेनब्रह्मणा�थ७.२॥
The Lord says, I am also in agreement with all these देवता: because the purpose of
my incarnation has been totally fulfilled. अत -on this earth. देवकाय�मया�नष्पा�दत.
काय� means all the work that has been given to me by the देवा:, the celestials, all of

them, मया�नष्पा�दत- I have accomplished through the कृष्णअवता. अशेषत:
completely. यदथ�अवतीणर:अहम ्|यदथ�-means for accomplishing the task given by
the देवता:,अहम ्अवतीणर: I have taken कृष्णअवता. It is called देवकाय�because
ब्रह:अ�पर्:- ब्र himself made the prime request for taking कृष् incarnation. I
completed all those tasks. The one remaining task which is arranged he mentions
in the next श्लो.
कुलंवैशाप�नदर्ग्धंनङ्�यत्यन्योन्य�व
समद
ु ्रःसप्तमेह्येनांपुर�ंचप्लाव�य७.३॥
कुलम ्-यादवकुलम ् including me which is शाप�नदर्ग् -which has been scorched or

afflicted by the curse of the ऋषय:. यादवकुल has already become weakened by the
impact of the शाप. It now has to only be formally destroyed.शाप�नदर्ग्
यादवकुलम्नङ्�यि. नङ्�य� soon it will find itsनाश:. नङ्�य� is the future form
of the verb न्श -to die. This is going to happen through अन्योन �वग्रहा. The word
�वग् has several meanings. An idol is called �वग्:. In Sanskrit, splitting a
compound is also called �वग्रहवा.क दशरथस् पत
ु : दशरथ पत
ु : is also called �वग्:.
In this context, the word �वग् means यद
ु ्ध or war. अन्योन्य�वग्र means
अन्योन्ययुद्धात्अन्योन्यक- because of mutual quarrel and fight the entire
यादवकुलम ् is going to perish. Not only is the कुलम ् is going to perish, the very
द्वारकापुर itself is going to be inundated by the sea, by a tsunami or something
and is going to submerge in the ocean. They have found avery big part of द्वारक
under the ocean. They have studied the remains and found many remnants of a
kingdom. TF, all these are historical facts also.
सप्तम अिह्य - on the 7th day after the destruction of the यादवकुल, a huge tsunami
(tsunami is not mentioned inthis श्लो. I am mentioning because Madras people
know what is tsunami), समद
ु :, the sea or ocean, theArabian sea, सप्तम अिह्य्न:
that day, एतां परु �ं प्लाव�यष्य.प्लाव�यष्य – inundate, causes the submerging of

द्वारकापुर. The word परु �ं refers to द्वारकानगर�. All these are going to happen in
the future. What should उद्ध do? Now comes LK’s specific advice to उद्ध
where he talks about the condition of the world. That is the rest of the area. What
will be the condition after everybody dies. What will happen when LK also quits.
यह्य�वायंमयात्यक्तोलोकोऽयंनष्टमङ
भ�वष्यत्य�चरात्साधोक�लना�प�नराकृ७.४॥
अयं लोक: मया त्यक: भ�वष्य� - soon, this world and this land will be left by me.
I will leave this area. The moment भगवान ् disappears from the earth, the earth will
become अमङ्गलोक: from मङ्गललो: because भगवान ् is describedas प�वत्राण
प�वत्र: मन्गलाणां मङ्गल- the embodiment of auspiciousness. Because of the
presence of this मङ्गलईश्: whatever inauspiciousness is there on theearth is
overpowered by भगवान ्’s auspiciousness. Once that all-auspicious powerful
भगवान ् goes, मङ्गम ् will also go away. The अमङ्ग will become more and
more dominant. TF, अयंलोक: नष्:मङ्ग:भव�त - the world will lose
auspiciousness in my form and will be dominated by अमङ्गल. अमङ्गल primarily
represents अधम,र अ�ानं,पापं and द:ु खं caused by पापं. All these things will become
more and more dominant which we can see if we read the newspaper. TF, he
says,अ�चरात्हेसाध. साधो - धा�म् र क्उद्, उद्ध and a few others will be
exceptional धा�मर्क people who will find themselves to be misfits. Like many
elderly people who follow values find it extremely difficult to transact with the
world because corruption is rampant. LK says the same thing to उद्ध. You will
be a misfit. You are साधो, youare धा�म्
र क but the world will be अधा�म्
र क.
अ�चरात्notlong after my departure,क�लना�नराकृतः अ�प भव�त- not only अधमर will
increase and धमर will decrease, the power of क�लयग
ु will be felt more. क�लना-
क�लयग ु , literally the dictionary meaning of क�ल is quarrel. So क�लयग ु is a यगु of
quarrel between country and country, state versus state, between neighbours,
within a family where brothers and sisters fight for property. Everywhere quarrel
will be dominant because मो� पर ु ुषाथ and धमर पर
ु ुषाथ will be less important. Only
two परु ुषाथा: will be dominant. अथ-र money,money, money and काम- all types of
newer and newer sense pleasures will be invented. TF, the human mind will be
absolutely materialistic and so they will need more and more money which leads to
more greed. TF, more corruption, scams. Says who? LK. क�लना�नराकृता: अ�प.
Here the word �नराकृतः has a contextual meaning. The dictionary meaning will not
fit here. �नराकृता: means reject as per the dictionary meaning. If क�ल rejects the
world, it is actually good. TF, �नराकृतः according to the commentators is आक्रा:
encroached by, overpowered by क�ल. So �नराकृतः means pervaded by क�ल, by
materialism. Whatever little religion parents practise, children will practise even
lesser. There will less interest in पज
ू ा, rituals, in महात्म:. Children will demand
scientific proof and demand justification. They all will be rationalistic. TF शास्
भगवान्धम मो� will all be thrown away for अथर and काम. Earn for five days, enjoy
for two days. Initially earn and enjoy, later, take loan and enjoy. What about
paying back? That is the bank’s problem. Let them write it off. क�लना�प आक्रा:
भव�त.
Continuing,
नवस्तव्यंत्वयैवेहमयात्यक्तेमह
जनोऽभद्ररु�चभर्द्रभ�वष्य�तक७.५॥
LK is talking about how the situation would be in the future. Look at the second
line first. He is addressing उद्ध as हे भद Oh, Auspicious One. भद means मङ्ग.
भद् कण��भ: शण
ृ या
ु म देवा:. भद: in masculine gender. उद्ध is considered
auspicious because he thinks of the Lord in his heart. TF,भक्त: also, will be as
auspicious as भगवान ् himself. Not because of भक्त: themselves but because they
carry the Lord in their heart. हे भद्रमङ्गलस्वरू. कलौयगे
ु the dominant
feature of क�लयग
ु will be जना:अधमर्रु:भ�वष्य�. Generally humanity will tend
more and more towards अधम.र The moment you start talking about some values
they will immediately say, ‘Enough of preaching and moralizing and stop the other
person from talking. Why? Due to अधमर्रु: people will have natural taste for

अधमर:.So जना:अधमर्रु: कालौयगेभ
ु �वष्य�. Whereas you happen to be
धमर्रु:.TF, you will be like a square peg in a round hole. So, LK advises उद्ध.
Go to the first line- त्वयाइन वस्तव्- Don’t stay in this society. नवस्तव् means
don’t live इह -here. मया मह�तले त्यक्- the moment I quit, you also quit. Only
difference is भगवान ् will be quitting the earth and going to वैकुण्, he instructs
उद्ध to quit society and go to Badrinath. उद्ध is supposed to be there in बदर�
even now. It is believed that he is still there and they worship him. Of course, it is
not said directly. He had said, enough of गह ृ स्ताश in the beginning itself. Now,
he talks about सन्न्य. Don’t take it literally. LK says enough of गह
ृ स्ताश. May
you quit गह
ृ स्त and become a formal सन्न्या or an informal सन्न्या and go in
pursuit of self-knowledge. Right at the beginning, LK starts with �ानयोग:. So,
from the 6th verse onwards �ानयोग teaching starts. In the BG also, LK, started
with �ानयोग,
In BG, LK taught solid �ानयोग from the 11th verse up to the 25th verse. Here also,
LK starts with �ानयोग indicating that �ानयोग is not an optional साधन. �ानयोग
is a compulsory साधन. What do you mean by �ानयोग? Gaining self-knowledge is
�ानयोग. This is achieved by going through consistent, systematic learning of the
scriptures for a length of time under the guidance of a competent आचायर. Scriptural
learning, enquiry into our real self and knowledge of the आत्म is called
आत्म�वद्, आत्म�ान. That is compulsory. If I find I am not ready for �ानयोग,
then LK talks about getting ready by following कमर्यो or उपासनयोग.
कमर्उपासन are for preparing the mind before going to �ानयोग. You can only
delay �ानयोग but you cannot avoid �ानयोग. उद्ध doesn’t seem to be aware of
this particular fact because at the end of the previous chapter, in verses 47, 48 and
49, उद्ध said, ‘O Lord, let the सन्न्याs practice �ानयोग,’ as though it is
optional. He says, “We गह
ृ स्त: will stay here and practice कृष्णभिक.” That is
singing the glory of LK, of कृष्णअवता, offering worship, flowers, taking back the
flowers and decorating ourselves. Just by कृष्णभिक we will cross over संसार.
Thus, उद्ध thought �ानयोगis the option for सन्न्याs and कृष्णभिक is the
option for गह
ृ स्त:.उद्ध’s misconception was that he could comfortably practice
कृष्णभिक and get liberation. In fact, this is not only उद्ध’s misconception.
Many people think �ानयोग is tough so we can avoid �ानयोगand by simply
practicing कृष्णभिक we can get liberation. LK attacks the misconception right in
the beginning by saying, उद्ध,�ानयोग is compulsory. If you are not ready
practice कृष्णभिक alright. The कृष्णभिक that youare talking about cannot give
liberation. It will only prepare the mind. After preparing the mind, whether you
take सन्न्य or not, whether you are formal orinformal सन्न्या, you will have to
come to self-knowledge one day or the other, in one जन्म or theother. LK starts
with compulsory �ानयोग. This is a very important point to be noted.
त्व तसु व� प�रत्यज- may you renounce all your attachment. सव� स्नेह:
meansattachment. May you renounce all your attachments either by physically
going away and taking up सन्न्य or you can continue to be a गहृ स् but take
internal सन्न्य which is compulsory. Internal सन्न्य means dropping
attachment to people. Continue to do your duty to your family members, continue
to serve them, contribute to them but do not emotionally depend on the family. For
your emotional comfort may you start depending on भगवान ्. World dependence to
God dependence. This is called िज�ासभ ु िक्: of the 7 chapter of the BG.
th
Remaining in God-dependence, you have to study the scriptures and come to the
self-knowledge by understanding that भगवान ् is very much available in my own
physical body in the form of the very आत्म. भगवान ् happens to be my own real
nature. Real self. TF from God-dependence, we have to progress on to self-
dependence. Spiritual journey is world-dependence to God-dependence to self-
dependence. World-dependence is called आथ,र अतार्थ�भिक, God-dependence is
called िज�ासभ
ु िक्:, self-dependence is called �ानी भिक्: in the 7 chapter of the
th

BG. LK says, every भक्त must gofrom आथर्अतार्थ�िज�ा to �ानी. LK says the
same thing here to उद्ध also.
स्वजन means your own people with whom you have intense attachment. बन्धुष
means extended relations. स्वजन means immediate relations, बन्ध means
extended relations. Theyare called बन्ध because according to वेदान्त theyare बन्.
बन् means shackles. Don’t tell anyone outside. These are all secret Classs of
BVM. According to वेदान्त, every बन्ध is a बन्if you have attachment.
Disturbing news. That is the fact of spirituality. LK said this in BG also. What did
he say? If you can remember the relevant BG श्लो. That verse असिक्
रन�भष्वङ् पत्रद
ु गहृ ा�दषु | Wife, children, house and pet. The pet is sometimes
more important than family. Get detached towards all of them. Having withdrawn
your mind from them, direct your mind towards ईश्व. Look at the second line.
म�य मन: आवश्.म�य means ईश्वर. Initially in the form of any इष्टद ेवत like LK,
Rama, Ganesha, Devi, any deity. आवेश् मय्यावेश मनो एमां (BG). Same
expression. One of theHome works that BG students can do is, find the parallels
between BG and UG. May you get attached to भगवान ्. Attachment to भगवान ् is a
spiritual virtue. Worldly attachment is spiritual obstacles. मन: सम्यक गां �वचरस्
may you move about in the world like a सन्न्या. May you move about in the
world with सम दृिष: with an equanimous mind. Here, equanimity means don’t
develop राग and द्वे. Do not have attachment to some parts of the world and
aversion to other parts. Neither attachment nor aversion. There is only one attitude
towards the entire creation. That is, the whole world is �वश्वर ईश्व: and भगवान ्
himself is manifesting. TF, I cannot hold on to anything because everything
belongs to भगवान ्. I cannot hate anything because everything is भगवान ्. समदृक
means without likes and dislikes. May you move about this way then the world
will not bind you. रागद्वे is the hook through which the world disturbs me. We
can see it in our own experience. Any neutral object in creation like a house across
the street, Kozhi idli shop, anything neutral will not incite राग or द्वे it doesn’t
disturb. What disturbs our mind is either an object of like or dislike. An object I

like disturbs when it goes away from me. An object of द्वे disturbs when it
comes. TF, the only way for peace of mind is to dilute your likes and dislikes.
The teaching starts here from verse 6. In BG the teaching begins in the second
chapter, 11th verse. In the UG, it begins in the second chapter 6th verse. Keep in
mind 2-6. Now and then I will say 2-6.
समदृिक्वचरस्वग. The word गाम ् is derived from the root word ‘गो’ which has
several meanings in Sanskrit. The most popular meaning of गो is Cow. It also
means sense organs, birds etc. Here, प�ृ थवी or earth is referred to by the word गो.
गोशब्: गौ गावौ गाव: गां गावौ गाव:.गाम ् is द्�वतीयाए वचनं प�ृ थवीं �वचरस्. May
you move about in the world. That is why सन्न्याs are called प�रव्राज: as they
don’t stay in one place because the moment youstay in one place, within afew days
you get attached. We have seen in the class itself that it is a problem once you sit in
a particular place, you claim ownership after a few weeks. If anybody comes and
sits in that spot, we ask them to get up. That ownership, ममकार, is a powerful
weakness of the mind. Nowadays सन्न्याs do not practice this but in the olden
days they continuouslywandered. Continuing,
य�ददं मनसावाचाच�ुभ्या�श्रवणा�द�
नश्वरंगृह्यमाणंच�वद्�धमायामनो मय७.७॥
Straight away,LK enters into profound वेदािन्तक teaching. �नत्यअ�नत्य�वव:. In

TB, they asked the question त�व �ववेक:क:? What is the discriminative knowledge
of the ultimate reality? तत्व means the reality. The answer we learnt in TB is,
आत्मासत्यंतदन्यत्सवर्िइ�त. आत्म, the Self alone is the ultimate reality.
आत्म - the self, the experiencer, the consciousness principle and whatever is
experienced by the consciousness, the entire experienced inert universe is not the
ultimate reality. It is �मथ्य. It is nothing but name and form with borrowed
existence. Suddenly, from nowhere he jumps- आत्मासत्, तदन्यत्सवर्िम्. This
is the essence of �ान योग. LK gives �ानयोगसार in सत्रश
ू ्ल. Very powerful

श्लोक. यत् इदं गहृ ्यमाण whatever you experience in the world. This is not only the
external world; it includes our own BMSC because I intimately experience the
physical body also. TF, this also comes under experienced object. It is an intimate
object alright but still an object. TF, the body is an object of experience. I know
whether my sense organs are functioning or not. We complain that our eyes are not
seeing properly, ears are not hearing properly. Who registers the bad news first?
We do. We experience the condition of the sense organs and our mental conditions
clearly. Mind is calm. Mind is intelligent. All these conditions. TF, the world is
दृश्, body is दृश्, mind is दृश्. All of them are दृश्. TF,य�ददंगह ृ ्यमाण. Through
what? मनसा- through the mind, वाचा- through the words. We may not experience
many things directly but we come to know through words uttered by others or
through newspapers etc. TF,वाचा, through शब्दप्र and through mind.
श्रवणा�द�. मनसा refers to अनम
ु ानप्रमा- by inference and through words.
च�ुभ्या -through eyes and श्रवणा�द� -other sense organs like ear etc. Whatever is
experienced internally or externally, �वद्� -may you realise, understand it is
मायामनोमयम ्. The external world is a magical world projected by माया.
मायाकिल्प देश काल कलना वै �च�त् �चत्रीकृ. Whatever is projected by माया is
like magic. It appears, stays for some time and disappears. TF, the external world
is मायामयं. Whatever we experience inside, the internal world that we imagine
either in the form of day dreaming or night dreaming, all internal fantasies are
called मनोमयं. One is व्यावहा�रकसत्, another is प्रा�तभा�सकंसत. Both of them
are equally �मथ्य, unreal but appear real at the timeof experience. The dreamer
experiences the dream world as real or unreal? The dreamer experiences the dream
world not as unreal but as महा real. Similarly, the waker experiences the waker’s
world also as real. Both are thought to be real but upon waking up both of them
become unreal. ब्रह्मस, जगिन्मथ् straight in the first class itself.
मायामयं �वद्�,मनोमयं�वद्�. Whatever is projected by माया will not be stable

because it is of the nature of नाम and रू. नामरू will not remain the same but
changes continuously. Our own physical body was wonderful and fit in the earlier
days. It was a shapely body but despite all efforts, the body is now out of shape.
मायामनोमयम्नस्वरं�वद. नस्वर means ephemeral. Before we know it, we have

become old. TF, use the world, serve the world, use it as a means but never as an
end in itself because everything is perishable. TF, इहअमताृ थर फलभोग �वराग:TB.
So, may you get detached from the world. Then, what is the end? You have to
come to आत्म. Continuing,
पंस
ु ोऽयक
ु ्तस्यनानाथ�भ्रमःसगुणदोषभ
कमार्कमर्�वकम��तगुणदोष�धयो�भद७.८॥
This world, which is a projection of माया and the mind is unstable. This world is
always a mixture of the pair of opposites-favorable and un-favorable, gain and
loss, success and failure, health and disease, birth and death, union and separation.
The whole world is a mixture of pairs of opposites which give pleasure and pain.
मात् स्पशार्स कौन्ते शीत उष् सख ु द:ु खदा –आगमा पा�यन: continuously
pleasurable and painful situations will come and people will always ask भगवान ्,
‘O Lord, why?’ When भगवान ् gives pleasurable experiences, we don’t even think
of God. Once a few problems come, questions start, ‘Why me?’ The problem, the
suffering, become worse when the neighbour doesn’t have that problem. Two types
of problems- one is one’s own adversity and then is the neighbor’s lack of
adversity. TF, the ‘why me?’ question comes. शास्त can give only one answer.
The world is not responsible for every experience. God is not responsible. My own
पण
ु ्य and पापं are responsible. How did I get पण ु ्य and पापं? शास्त says, we
ourselves generate through our कमर because the moment we are born a human
being, we have got free will to do either धा�म्
र क action or अधा�म्
र क action. Animals
are naturally धा�मर्क because theyare all programmed. They will never do अधमर.
Human beings alone have got choice, freewill. TF,शास्त gives a warning- ‘Don’t
do this action. It will generate पापं. Do this action. It will generate पण
ु ्य.’ In spite of
sastric warning, because of our own delusion, we compromise with धमaर nd take to
अधमर. That will create पण
ु ्यंपाप,सख
ु ं द:ु खं. All these things will happen. That is the
essence of the श्लोक. We will see the details in the next class.

Class 12 Chapter 2 Verses 8 to 9
Page 22, Verse 8-

पंस
ु ोऽयक
ु ्तस्यनानाथ�भ्रमःसगुणदोषभ
कमार्कमर्�वकम��तगुणदोष�धयो�भद७.८॥
उद्धव the devotee of LK has surrendered to LK and sought help from the Lord.
The Lord has accepted उद्धव as his disciple and is willing to play the role of a गर
ु .
He starts his teaching from the second chapter. The teaching that the Lord gives,
both in the BG as well as in the UG, is based on our original scriptures, the वेद.
वेदs are our original scriptures and all other scriptures are secondary scriptures
which borrow the message from the वेदs. When we study secondary scriptures, we
should always remember the primary teaching. In the वेद, the teaching has been
made very clear that the ultimate goal of human life is infinite or immortality.
Freedom from finitude and limitation called मो�ा:. The scriptures point out that
this मो�ा or freedom can be gained only by one method, that is self-knowledge
alone. We don’t have any alternative method. I remember mentioning the
श्वेतास्वexample. The उप�नषद says you can get मो�ा without self-knowledge
provided you fulfill a condition. You have this beautiful dome called the blue sky
which is a like a carpet. You have to roll the sky from one end of the earth
(because it is touching the earth somewhere) and give it to the Lord. Then Lord
will give you मो�ा without �ानं. That means you cannot get मो�ा by any
alternative method- �ानात् एव कैवल्य.
When we study the scriptures, we should remember that there are two types of
goals in life called एक साधना साध्य and अनेक साधन साध्यin Sanskrit. In English
we cancall them goal with multiple paths and goal with a single path. Single path
goal (SPG). Multiple path goal (MPG). We should know very clearly which one is
SPG and which one is MPG. When it comes to मो�ा as the goal, वेद is very clear
that मो�ा comes under SPG. SPG means there is only one path, that is, Self-
knowledge. To attain मो�ा we require SELF KNOWLEDGE.

The next question is, how to gain Self-knowledge? Can you get Self-knowledgeby
different paths or only through a single path? वेद makes it clear that मो�ा comes
under SPG, as does �ानं.वेद shows that �ानं also can be attained through only one
path. You do not have several methods to get Self-knowledge. Can I get मो�ा by
sitting in meditation? Can I get �ानं by somebody touching my back? Can I get
�ानं by शिक् पाद where somebody touches my head? Chinmayananda calls
spirititution like electrocution. Someone touches the head and �ानं descends. So,
do we have many paths? वेद is very clear- तद �व�ानाथ� स गुरुमे गच्छेत स�मत्पा�
श्रो�त ब्र �नष्ठ म. There is only one method. You have to become a humble
disciple and go to a spiritual guide who can enlighten you by consistent and
systematic communication. LK makes this clear even in the BG. तद्�व� प्र�णपाद
प�रप्रश् सेवया. A spiritual educational program is not optional, it is a compulsory
method. �ानं also is SPG only. There is only one path. मो�ा is only through
knowledge. श्रव, मननं and �न�दध्यासन are part of the program.
Consistently, scriptures answer the questions- Who am I? Am I the body? Am I the

mind? Am I the sense organs? If I am different from all of them, who am I? What
is the nature of real I? Scriptures teach very systematically. The गरु is able to
communicate it because the गर
ु himself was once upon a time a disciple of some
other गुर who is also a disciple of yet another गुर. That is why we do नमस्का to
सदा�शवसमारम्भा शङ्कराचायर्मध्य मा अस्मदाचायर्पयर्न् वन्द गुरुपरम्परा.
There is a परम्पर which has the traditional method of communication which LK
used in the BG, which he is also going to use in UG. TF, मो�ा is SPG. Lesson one.
�ानं is SPG, lesson 2. SPG is Single Path Goal.
Scriptures point out that to receive �ानं from the teacher, my mind must be
prepared and fit just as the land must be prepared before sowing the seed. The seed
may be the best seed, imported seed but it requires prepared land. Only then if it is
sown will the seed sprout, become a plant and produce beautiful fruit. Similarly,
गरु ’s teaching is sowing the seed in the land of �शष्यस mind. Whether the mind is
clayey soil, that is, whether the mind is prepared or not is very important.

Unfortunately, the गुर cannot do preparation of the mind. The �शष् will have to
work on refining and preparing the mind to receive this teaching and reap its
benefits. If the seed is sown in barren land, it will die a natural death. TF, mental
fitness is called अ�धका�रत्व. In TB, साधन चतुष्ट संपन् अ�धका�रणां.अ�धका�रत्व
means, mental fitness. So, my next goal is getting अ�धका�रत्व. Without that, even
if I am exposed to the teaching, the teaching will not give the fullest benefit. Is
अ�धका�रत्व MPG or SPG? Fortunately, scriptures say, अ�धका�रत्व is not SPG, it
is MPG- Multiple path goal. You can prepare the mind through any of the different
methods taught in the scriptures. If you remember the 4th chapter of the BG, LK
gave 13 different methods.
Right from प्राणाय, so many methods are given including food discipline. Food
can influence the type of mind that we have that is why it is always said that
spiritual seekers should avoid certain types of food. If you remember the 17th
chapter of the BG, LK talked about साित्वक राज�सक् and ताम�सक् food. Even food
can influence the character. That is why we say, non-vegetarianism must be
avoided by serious spiritual seekers. Liquor also must be avoided by serious
spiritual seekers even though in the newspapers it says that a little bit is good for
heart. TF,आहार �नयम प्राणाय दानं तप: पज ू ा pilgrimage, �दव् नाम संक�तर्नंराद
कल्याणंसीत कल्याण etc. All of them are different paths including Vedic rituals,
fire rituals like अिग्नहोत्रंऔपस etc. They are all साधना�न. Scriptures give us the
option to choose according to our temperament and resources. If you are rich, you
do दानम ्. If you are poor, you practice fasting. Very easy. Thus, anything can be
converted into अ�धका�रत्व. After getting अ�धका�रत्व one has to go to �ानं, which
is exposure to the teaching. Here, there is no option. नाम संक�तर्न cannot replace
the teaching. In fact, all the other साधना�न which are meant for mentalpreparations
are generally called कमर्यो. All योगा: that you know, whether you call it भिक्

योग or राजयोग or नादयोग all come under कमर्यो. They cannot replace �ानयोग.
They will prepare your mind for �ानयोग. Thus, may you prepare the mind through
any method and may you come to �ानयोग, which is consistent and systematic
study of scriptures. Through �ानयोग may you gain knowledge and through
knowledge may you gain मो�ा. This is the teaching given by LK also. In the
second chapter of BG he started with JY which is compulsory. In the UG second
chapter also, he starts with �ानयोग which is compulsory. This will be
summarized in verses 6 and 7 with profound �ानयोग which is ब्र सत्य जगन
�मथ्य जीवो ब्रह् न परा:. LK provides the essence of �ानयोग in verses 6 and 7.
Then उद्धव complains that he understands nothing. He says, “It goes way above
my head. I am not getting �ानं but I am getting sleepy.” LK says that is because
the mind is not prepared. I will give you the method for preparation. On one side,
you prepare the mind and on the other, you expose yourself to the teaching.
Preparation + exposure. Preparation outside the BVM and exposure in the BVM.
When I practise both, the mind gets more and more refined because of the
preparatory discipline. Initially, �ानयोग will not appeal to the mind. It will appear
too deep for us to understand. Even as the mind becomes more and more refined,
the teaching begins to appeal. Initially, I don’t understand anything but little by
little I understand 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%. “Swamiji, you are teaching better now.
You are improving, Swamiji.” “OK, wonderful. I am saying the same thing for the
past 40 years.” वेदान्त will become more and more meaningful.
LK is now teaching the compulsory �ानयोग which cannot be replaced by any

other method from the 6th verse onwards. In the 7th verse which we completed in
the last class,LK, said, the entire universe is a product of माया, very much like
thedream. Dream appears real for the dreamer. ‘Appears’ is important. The
waker’s universe appears real for the waker. Both of them ‘appear’ real in their
respective states for their respective experiencers. From the absolute standpoint,
both of them are not absolutely real. जगत् �मथ्य. Right at the beginning, he says,
जगन ् �मथ्य. नस्वर मयामनोमयं �वद्�. This �मथ्य universe is appearing because
of what? What is the reason for the appearance of the unreal dream universe?

When does the dream appear? The condition for the appearance of the dream is
sleep. �नद् is the basis for dream. What is the definition of �नद्? वेदान्त says, �नद्
is when I lose sight of my nature as the waker. I am a waker surrounded by this
world. I forget this fact about myself as a waker in sleep. When I forget my
waker’s nature, then, the dream appears. When will the dream disappear? When I
wake up. What is the definition of waking up? The definition of waking up is
understanding I am not the dream individual but I am the waker. TF, the waker-
ignorance is the cause for the appearance of the dream world. Similarly, this
universe also appears because of the ignorance of my higher nature, which I will
call super-waker. This is also another type of dream which appears because I have
slept to my super-waker nature, which is the real I, called ब्रह्. TF, ignorance of
my real nature is responsible for the appearance of the dream. TF, self-ignorance
creates the duality called the world just as during sleep, even though I am alone in
the bedroom I experience plurality in my dream. Similarly, ignoring my higher
nature is responsible for �मथ्याप्र. Unbelievable. That is whatLK says. पंस ु :
अयक
ु ्तस. अयक
ु ्: means one who is associated with self-ignorance. यक
ु ्: means
endowed with knowledge. अयक
ु ्: means not endowed with knowledge or
endowed with ignorance. So अयक
ु ्तस्यपु: for a person who is ignorant of his
higher, super-waker nature, नानाथ� भ्: there is the appearance of this dualistic
universe. Just as a sleeperwill experience afalse dream universe, this is another
type of dream. We are experiencing two dreams; both caused by self-ignorance
only. TF, he calls a spiritual sleeper अयकु ्तस्यपु:,भ्: a delusion of plurality.
नानाथ:र means plurality, a pluralistic universe which is an illusion, a delusion.
Once I experience a world of plurality or duality, naturally I divide the world as
pairs of opposites in the form of favorable and unfavorable शीत-उष्ण सख ु ं-द:ु खं
लाभ–नष् जन्–मरणम ्, youth-old age, association-dissociation, health-ill-health.
The whole life is pairs of opposites and we constantly aim to avoid the unfavorable
segment and work on consistently having favorable situations. Life is a struggle in
the form of getting the favorable and getting rid of the unfavorable. Getting or
getting rid of is our whole life but despite this struggle we constantly go through
the two-fold favorable and un-favorable experiences. A person who doesn’t want
to fall sick at all is a fitness freak, has a nutrition chart in the dining room,
exercises and regularly goes for a master check-up also. The doctor certified him
as the fittest person. This a true story. He came home, had a heart attack and died.
Another person violates all rules of health and yet lives on and on. Thus, in spite of
your effort you will find two-fold experiences. The good things I want don’t
happen; the bad things I don’t want keeps happening even though I am very good
person. I do पज ू ा regularly. I attend your class. Many people ask, ‘Why do good
people suffer and all our corrupt politicians thrive?’ This is an invariable question
in the all the question-answer sessions.
There are invisible factors which are responsible for these experiences. शास्त्
talks about another type of गुण दोष पण ु ्य म and पापं. पणु ्य म and पापं are the
invisible factors responsible for many of our experiences in spite of our efforts.
When you ask the शास्त् how do the पण ु ्य म and पापं come, शास्त् says, nobody
else is responsible. भगवान ् doesn’t give पण
ु ्यपाप. If भगवान ् gives them, you can
catch hold of भगवान ् and ask why doyou give me? भगवान ् doesn’t give, the world
doesn’t give. Then how do they come? It is my own past कम.र Once you go to कम,र
शास्त divides कमर itself into good and bad कमर which carry their own कमर फ़लम ्.
There is पण
ु ्यपाप, there are the pairsof opposites and so life goes on and on because
of कमर and कमरफलम ्. All this is because of the world of duality. TF, the Lord says,
स: गुणदोष: भाग्. स: means the world of duality, a mixture of good and bad which
is a type of dream. The ultimate good and bad are पण
ु ्यपापंकम. This is talked about
in शास्त् as कमर, अकमर and �वकम��त.All actions are divided in the scriptures
intothese three types. LK spoke about this in the BG 4th chapter-
कमर्ण
ह्य�
बोद्धव्
बोद्धव्
च�वकमर्
कमर means certain duties which we have to do compulsorily because we are
receiving benefit from the world which consists of different layers of
infrastructure. The immediate one is our family. We are receiving benefits from the
family, from the community, from the environment and from the nation. शास्त
says, you have to reciprocate. So, every human being is born with compulsory
duties called PMY. They are compulsory duties like paying taxes. One should not
ask why. For being a citizen, I have certain duties. Being a human being, I have to
do these duties called कमर which will produce पण ु ्य म. This पण
ु ्य म will produce

favorable experiences including मनषु ् जन्. पण
ु ्य म can give us human birth. In
fact, we are human beings because of previous पण
ु ्य मalone. Otherwise, we could
have been any other animal roaming around. Even among dogs, there is पण ु ्यम्पा.
There is a street dog and there is cinema actor’s dog which has an AC room,
special dress, special imported food. अकमर is neglecting one’s duties, omissions of
responsibilities. I have to contribute to the family, to parents, community, religion,
society and environment. I should not merely remember whatI can inherit from my
parents. I should remember my duties also. If I don’t remember or if I don’t do my
duties, it will produce a special पापं called प्रत्यवायप. कमर produces पणु ्य म. अकमर
produces पापं called प्रत्य. �वकमर means �वपर�तंकम.र Instead of contributing to
thesetup, I destroy theset up by wrong actions, by polluting the atmosphere,
polluting rivers, polluting roads, forgetting स्वच भारत्. All these are violation of
my duties and anything that hurts or disturbs the five-fold infrastructure from
micro to macro is �वकमर. I actually have to protect. If I don’t protect, that is one
type of पापं but if I harm that is another type of पापं. There aremany industrialists
who are letting all kinds of effluents into rivers without treating them. These are
educated industrialists who know their responsibilities but don’t want to spend the
money. When the PCB inspector comes, we have a short cut method- �हरण्यगभ
गभर्स् हेम बीजं इवाभसो. Give द��ण. Cheap. Instead of spending lakhs of rupees
for treating the waste, I can give a few hundreds or thousands. We are doing
महापापं. Whether an industrialist or a householder, when we violate the
government may not punish me but भगवान ् knows. This will destroy me. I must be
aware of that. This positively destructive action is called �वकम�र वपर�त
कमर�वरुद्द्धंकमर्�वप्र� कमर�न�षद्ध कमर whichproduces another type of पापं.
All these start from self-ignorance. Self-ignorance to plurality, good and bad,
पण
ु ्य म and पापं, कमर, अकमर, �वकम.र Thus all these things will go on. Then because
of the पण
ु ्यपाप what happens? पन
ु जर्न. In the next जन् what do I do? Again,
पण
ु ्यपाप, again पन
ु जर्न. Thus, the life of helplessness because I cannot see my
पण
ु ्य म and पापं. The future is unpredictable. Since I cannot see my future, I won’t
know which कमर will come and so my life is a struggle in darkness. Unknown
future, unpredictable future therefore, uncontrollable future. I feel helplessness. I
have told you before HAFD- helplessness, anger, frustration, depression. This is
called संसार- a life governed by कमर and hence helplessness. No doubt, there is
जातकं . The astrologer may talk about my future a little bit so I can do some
प्रायिश् and solve some problems but not all or even most of the problems. That
is why people complain,“I have done everything but the problem is not solved.”
Life under the spell of कमर is called संसार. The only solution is to transcend the
duality.You have to wake up from the dream ofduality. TF, the उप�नषद says,
उ��ष्ठ जाग् प्राप्यवार �नबोधत- O Human being, may you wake up to your
super-waker status. Super waker status is waking up from जीवात्म status to
परमात्म status. Triangular format to binary format. That is the only way to
transcend. नपण
ु ्यम्नपान शौक्य न द:ु खं �चदानन् रूप �शवोऽहं �शवोऽहं. LK says,
come to �ानयोग. Now or later.LK explains what �ानयोग is in the next verse. We
will read.
तस्माद्युक्तेिन्द्रयग्रामोयुक्त�च
आत्मनी�स्व�वततमात्मानंमय्यधीश७.९॥
LK condenses the entire spiritual journey called �ानयोग in this beautiful श्लो.
Your aim is attainment of �ानं and for that you have to receive the teaching and to
reap the benefit you have to prepare your personality. Just as a course requires
early preparation, �ानयोग also requires preparation. What type of preparation?
LK says, यक
ु ् इिन्द्रय:. ग्र: -group, इिन्द - sense organs. इिन्द्रय: means
the group of sense organs including पञ्च�ानेिन्द्र and पञ्चकम�िन्द्र. Start
disciplining your sense organs of perception and action. Don’t get exposed to
wrong things like wrong books, wrong movies, wrong TV programs etc. If you do,
all wrong ideas will enter the mind. Nowadays, children put games like bluwhale
on the mobile. Parents often do not know what children are getting exposed to.
Similarly, कम�िन्द्रय can do wrong actions. TF, start disciplining �ानेिन्द्रय
and कम�िन्द्रय. That is साधन number one. How do you spend your spare time?
That will indicate the direction of the journey. If there is one day holiday, we plan
immediately about what movie we should reserve the seats and in which theater.

What to plan for vacations? What do I do in my free time? May you start
monitoring. How to monitor? LK himself will tell you but that is the direction.
यकु ् means disciplined organs of knowledge and action. By doing that, यकु ् �च�:
the thoughts will also get disciplined. When we are constantly exposed to wrong
things, our mind gets preoccupied and saturated with those thoughts. So, we think
of these wrong things even when the mind is relaxed. Not only during waking
hours but even during dream also. Watch your dreams also because the types of
dreams also indicate what is in the SC mind. TF,यक ु ् �च�: means, may you start
managing your thoughts also. All these come under preparatory disciplines called
कमर्यो. The first line talks about कमर्यो- mental preparation and only then focus
on �ानयोग. Through �ानयोग, may you wake up to your super waker status.
When I know I am the super waker, which is called spiritual awakening, what will
be the type of vision? LK indicates that we can understand this the help of the
dream example. When I was a dreamer in the dream world, I looked upon myself
as an individual in dream. You have to be highly imaginative. Visualise yourself as
a dream individual in a dream. What does the dreamer say? He says that this is the
dream world that some God has created in which big world I am a small entity,
totally helpless because I don’t have any control over what will happen in the
dream. Even there I have terrible dreams. This is the dreamer’s understanding of
himself. Now imagine that the dream गुर comes and tells you that you have a
higher nature, the waker nature. So, you ask how to meet thatwaker, God the
creator. The गर ु says, youwake up. You will meet. Then the गर ु shakes you up.
Where? In thedream thedream गर ु is shaking the dreamer up and then the dreamer
wakes up. What does he understand? The world he thought before as, ‘I am in the
world’, gets completely reversed. He sees, ‘I am not in the world. On the other
hand, the world that I experienced was in me. It was born out of me, the waker,
sustained by me and resolves into me.’ Similarly, when there is spiritual
awakening, the super-waker, अहं ब्रह्मािस्म will be able to declare that this
second dream world is also not outside me. It is not created by some god. Who is
responsible for that? I myself. Remembering my favorite
कैवल् उप�नषद मन्त-

मय्ये सकलं जातं म�य सव� प्र�तिष्ठ |
मय सव� लयं या�त तद�ह्माद्वयमस्म|

I am not the body. I am not the mind. I am not the sense organs. I am the चैतन्
त�वं, the consciousness, the ultimate reality from which all of them come. With my
�नद् शिक् I project thedream world. With my माया शिक् I project the waker’s
world. Both are my own projections. LK says, आत्म� ई�त्- May you see the
entire world as resting in you, the infinite ब्रह्. We will see the exact meaning in
the next class.

Page22, verse 9-
तस्माद्युक्तेिन्द्रयग्रामोयुक्त�च
आत्मनी�स्व�वततमात्मानंमय्यधीश७.९॥
Right in the beginning of the teaching itself, LK wants to convey that self-
knowledge is the ultimate and only solution for the human problem of संसार. This
self-knowledge is not one of the optional methods but the compulsory method to
be followed by all people. Before coming to self-knowledge, we have to prepare
the mind using several optional methods like कमर्यो भिक्तयो उपासन योग
अष्टाङ योग etc. According to one’s inclination and resources one can choose any
one or more to prepare the mind. Once the mind is prepared everyone will have to
come to गर
ु and वेदान्तशास. With the help of श्रव, मननं and �न�दध्यासन one has
to come to आत्म�ान.What type of आत्म? अद्वैतआत्मा�ा. All human problems
are caused by the ignorance of अद्वैतआत्. When ignorance is the problem the
solution can only be knowledge. Ignorance cannot be removed by any other
methods. Not self-ignorance or worldly ignorance. If you want to know the result
of a particular cricket match you have to gain the appropriate knowledge to remove
the ignorance. You cannot say, ‘I will not work for the knowledge. I will remove
my ignorance by chanting VS.’ It won’t work. VS will give me �च� शद ु ्� alright
but cannot remove ignorance. Removal of ignorance is the only solution because
the present perspective that we have itself is also based on ignorance alone. LK
presents a summary in the 8th श्लो of the wrong perspective of life that we have.
We mistake ourselves to be the BMSC. This misconception is caused by
ignorance. Once I identify with BMSC, I take myself to be a जीवात्म, a जीव:
while the truth revealed by the उप�नषद is, I am not the individual जीव, I am none
other than अद्वैतंब् itself. When I don’t know the truth that I am ब्रह्, the first
misconception I have is अहम्जी: अिस्. What type of जीव? I am कतार्भोक्ताप्र
called अहंकार. कतर्त्वंभोक्तृ
ृ doership and enjoyership is the primary
misconception. With this misconception, I am going to confront a huge universe
which continuously gives me one problem or the other. The world is too much for
me. I am too small an individual. To solve my problems and fulfill my desires, I

have to keep doing one action after the other. Lifelong it is nothing but a series of
कमार. While many कमार्� are good, because of problems, many कमार्� are wrong
कमार्� also as I always compromise with values. I give excuses that in Kaliyuga
we should know how to be practical. Which is another way of saying ‘compromise
with values.’ TF, many कमार्� are adharmic कमार्� and are going to produce
पण
ु ्य म and पापं which are going to continuously give me सख
ु ंand द:ु खं. In spite of
many problems I continue and then question भगवान ्? ‘भगवान ्, why are you giving
me trouble? Youare supposed to be compassionate, omniscient, omnipotent.’
भगवत: answer is, ‘I am omniscient, omnipotent, compassionate alright. But I
happen to be कमारफल दाता, who has to give the results for our own good and bad
actions.’ As कमारफल दाता, when my actions are good, भगवान ् gives me good
experiences. Not because भगवान ् loves to give but because I have done पण
ु ्य म. If
भगवान ् gives painful experiences it is not because भगवान ् wants to give but
because भगवान ् has to give कम् र फल म. As we read in the newspaper, ‘14 years in
jail.’ It is not that the judge wants to give this result or that result. He has to
according to LOK. He says this what is deserved for such and such actions.
भगवान ् is like the cosmic judge and so he is going to give सख ु ं and द:ु खं. When I
face problems, I run to भगवान ्. This is called जीवजगत्ईश्व triangle. We may
have remedies for some of the problems but not for all. By the time wedo all of
them it is time to quit. Thereafter,पन
ु र�पजननं. पन
ु जर्न depending on neither god’s
will nor my will but determined by my कमार. Not भगवान ्, not me but the कमार
which I have already accumulated. This is called जीवजगत्ईश्व triangle in which
the most powerful factor are not जीव nor जगत् nor ईश्व. In the triangular format,
the most powerful factor is कमार. This कमार and कमार based संसार will continue as
long as I am in triangular format. Triangular format will continue as long as I look
upon myself as a जीव and this जीवभाव will continue as long as I identify with
BMSC. Identification with BMSC will continue as long as I don’t know that I am
different from all of them. If you remember TB, स्थू स� ू म कारण शर�रात्
व्य�त�रक:अवस्थात सा�ी पञ्चको �वल�ण:सिच्चदानन स्वर:. As long as I
don’t wake up to my higher nature, this dream triangular format will continue. The

जीवजगत्ईश्व triangular format dream will continue until I wake up to my higher
nature of अहम्ब्रह्म.
Upon this one ब्रह्, the ultimate reality, apparently divides into जीव which is
also ब्रह्+ name and form, जगत् which is also ब्रह्+ name and form and ईश्व
which is also ब्रह् +name and form. So, three types of names and forms are
responsible for the triangular division upon one ब्रह्, in which there is no
division.
�नरुप �नत् �नरं शकेऽप्यखण्डेम �च�त सवर �वकल्पना� शन्य
ू |
घटय�दजगद�शजीवभेदं त्वघ�डतघटनापट�यस माया||
Upon that division-less ब्रह्, जीव, जगत्, ईश्व triangular division has been
created because of ignorance. Our aimis to accept this division initially for
following spiritual साधन like कमर्यो and उपासन योग which require triangular
format. Finally, one has to come to �ानयोग, says LK.
Generally, these portions are blacked out and in उपन्न्य they don’t say this. They
say, do नाम स्मरण and everything will become alright. These are all facts of
भागवतं. These are the secret teachings of UG but are generally covered and kept
from the public. We have to go above the triangular format to the binary format. I
am अद्वैतब्. All the differences I experience belong to नाम and रू. अहम्सत्.
नामरूपा�ण�मथ्. दृक is सत्य. दृश् is नामरू. Plurality belongs to नामरू which is
called दृश्, called अनात्म, �मथ्य. नामरू doesn’t have an existence of its own.
Justas in one water, there is the division of wave, bubble and ocean. Wave doesn’t
have independent existence; bubble doesn’t have independent existence, even
ocean doesn’t have independent existence. What exists independently is water and
water alone. The one water is seen as bubble, wave, ocean etc. Similarly, one
ब्रह् alone with name and form is seenas जीवजगत्ईश्व triangle. In the final
�ानयोग, we have to discover this binary format. I and नामरू these are the only
two things. I, is the सत्य, नामरूप�मथ्. This knowledge is the ultimate
knowledge. Our scriptures give us enough time to come to this knowledge which is
very tough. You can postpone this knowledge but you cannot avoid this
knowledge. You can say I will gain this knowledge next month, next year, next
decade, next जन् or next सिृ ष् because in Hinduism, creationis eternal. But the
उप�नषद clearly says यो वा एतत् अ�रं गाग� अ�व�दत्व अस्माल्लोकात्प स
कृपण:अस् एतत् अ�रं गाग� �व�दत्व अस्माल्लोकात्प अ�व�दत्व स: �हामण: ब्र
�ानी. Without this अद्वैत�ान, मो� is impossible. TF, in these capsule श्लोs
from the 6th verse to the 12th, LK gives the condensed teaching of all the उप�नषदs.
TF, it is the toughest portion. Thereafter, उद्ध willsay, ‘I don’t understand.’ LK
is waiting for that. He will talk about many other साधनs like कृष् भिक्,कृष्
पज
ू ा,वणार्श धम,र ध्यान etc. but we should remember that they will not give मो�.
From those you have to come to this knowledge.
Look at the श्लो I introduced in the last class. It is the essence of उप�नषद.
तस्मात, TF, उद्ध, there is no short cut. Prepare your mind. यक ु ् इिन्द ग्र:
may you discipline your sense organs for receiving the knowledge because you
have to do श्रव, consistent study for a length of time. For that, your sense organs
must be prepared to receive the message. Thesense organs may be here but the
mind may not be here. यकु ् �च�: you should have an un-pre occupied mind. You
should know that, इदं जगत्आत्म�नई�स. What a profound statement. We think
that we are individuals located in the vast world. This is only an ordinary planet
called earth. There are so many other big planets which goaround the sun. This is
one solar system. There are so many solar systems in our galaxy, Milky Way,
which is again one of many galaxies. In this vast universe, who am I? Even सयरू is
invisible, what to say of me who is such a small individual? LK says you have to
reverse your perception. The vast universe is a small dot in whom? In me, the
आत्म who is none other than ब्रह्. मै एव सकलं जातं. LK says, इदं जगत्– this
vast universe is, आत्म�- in your higher nature. I gave you the example in the last
class. When I am in thedream, I look at myself as an individual in the dream world.
What is the dream world? It is so vast with stars, sun and moon. There, I am a
small individual. When I wake up from the dream, I discover that I am not an
individual in that dream world which was projected by me, including dream time
and dream space.Similarly, I am the आत्म in which all of these are floating

नामरूs. इ�तई�स्- you have to know that. �वदतंआत्मान - may you see the all
pervading आत्म which is nothing but the consciousness principle. Consciousness
is not a part, product or property of the body. Remembering all that, that
consciousness I am and in me, the whole material world is floating. This all-
pervading आत्म, may you see as none other than ब्रह्. So, आत्मानंम� अद�श्वर.
ईश्व: - here, ईश्व means परमात्म. May you see this higher जीवात्म as identical
with परमात्म, which is the सवर्जगत्अ�धष्ठा. In short, अहम्ब्रह्म �ानं you
have toget. Once you have that, you continue to be in the world, you continue to be
the body but your perspective is no more triangular. It is binary. If you remember
the BG by chance,
पश्यन श ्रृणवन्स्पृशिञ श्नन्गच्छन्स श्वसन्।5.8।।
प्रलपिन्वसृजन्गृह्णन्नुिन्मषिन्न
The BMSC is involved in various activities. I bless the BMSC but I myself am
free from all the कमर. नैव �किञ्चत करो�म. I am अकतार, अभोक्त. Body is a वेष, life
is a drama in which I am not really affected by any event. This is called जीवन
मिु क्. उद्द्, this is your ultimate destination. Continuing,
�ान�व�ानसंयक
ु ्तआत्मभूतःशर��रणाम
अत्मानुभवतुष्टात्मानान्तरायै�वर्ह७.१०॥
�ान�व�ानसंयक ु ्: one has to gain this knowledge in two stages. In the first stage, I
look at this body. Then, I understand the body is a conscious being. From the body,
I turn my attention to the consciousness principle. Then I understand,
consciousness is in the body. There is consciousness in the body because of which
alone the body is now alive. Minus the consciousness, the body will be inert. TF,
the body is blessed by the consciousness principle. What is the proof? That the
material body is alive is the proof for the existence of consciousness in the body. It
is like saying there is electricity in the fan. I don’t see the electricity but I know
that without the blessing of the electricity, which is like the आत्म of the fan, the
fan will not be moving. From the visible fan, I infer the invisible electricity. From
the visible light, I infer the invisible electricity. From the visible body I know the
material body is alive because of another principle which is making it alive. Thus, I
say there is consciousness in the body. Then I say, I am the body and I have
consciousness in me. After long श्रवणमनन�न�दध्या we have to reverse the
statement and say, ‘I am consciousness and I have a temporary body.’ As the
consciousness principle, I am eternal. The temporary body will come and go.
When the body ends, I don’t end. I simply don’t operate through this body
anymore. Thus, when I say I have consciousness, it is called �ानं. When I claim I
am consciousness, that is called �व�ान.ं TF, �ान�व�ानसंयक
ु ्: I can claim that I
am the चैतन्यआत्, the eternal formless consciousness, I am. I am only operating
through the formed body. I myself am the formless consciousness. इ�त संयक
ु ्: by
gaining this knowledge, आत्माभू: once I know I am the consciousness in this
body, I claim that not am I the consciousness in this body, I am the consciousness
in every other body also. Bodies are different but consciousness is one. Bulbs are
many, electricity is one. Gadgets are many, electricity is only one. Just as one
electricity pervades all electrical gadgets, one consciousness, आत्म alone blesses
all the bodies. This knowledge is called आत्माभू:शर��रणां- शर�र� means living
being. I am the आत्म behind all the bodies.
In the BG, LK says, सवर्भूतात्माभूतात. When I have this आत्माअनुभवतुष्टात,

आत्माअनुभ it means अपरो��ान,ं claiming I am the आत्म. By this very claim,
तुष्टआत्- my sense of limitation goes away. When I identify with body, there are
so many limitations. I am never happy with the body I have. What is the proof?
Beauty parlours are thriving. Why do we want to keep on adjusting? I am not
satisfied with my skin, my tooth alignment, my eyebrows, my hair. I am satisfied
with nothing. Physically I am अपण ू :र , sensorily, महाअपण
ू :र , mentally महा,
महाअपण
ू :र . “Swamiji, all the children regularly send emails, only one doesn’t do
that.” Disturbed and so emotionally Iam अपण ू :र , intellectually, I am अपण
ू :र and by
the time we come to UG, BG goes away. TF, knowledge-wise, emotion-wise, all-
wise as a जीव: I will never get satisfaction in life. Dissatisfied I am born.
Dissatisfied I live. Dissatisfied I die because at the time of death all people are not
around me. The only way for पण ू र्त् is आत्मा�ानात एव. I can say अहं पण ू :र because

आत्म alone is पण
ू :र and everything in creation is included in the आत्म. All
नामरूपा� are resting in the आत्म. When I claim, ‘I am a wave, I am अपण
ू :र ’.
Once I claim, ‘I am water’, I am पणू :र because bubble is included in water, wave is
included in water, ocean is included in water.
You ask ईश्व, are you satisfied? भगवान ् as भगवान ्, can he be satisfied or is
भगवान ् satisfied as अहं ब्रह्मा? Even भगवान ् as भगवान ् will have complaints.
भगवान ् has given धमर शास्त for the human being- सत्य वद, धम� चर, स्वाद्याया, मा
प्र:, मात ृ देवो भव. If you interview भगवान ्, he will hit his head and say, ‘I put
this human being in this world and they are doing आक् making me take all
difficult अवतारा:.’ So, भगवान ् also as भगवान ् will have more complaints than us.
पण
ू र्त् cannot comeas जगत्भा, as जीवभाव or even as ईश्व भाव. पण
ू र्त् is only
through अहं ब्रह्मा भाव which alone can give पण
ू र्त्. आत्माअनुभवतुष्टात-
claiming पण
ू र्त् as ब्रह्, सत्यं�ानंअनन् ब्र. अनभवत
ु षु ्टात्म अन्तराय
�वहन्यस- once you get this �ानं, there is no gap between �ानं and मो�. �ानप्राि
एव मो�प्राि: between �ानं and मो� there are no obstacles at all. अन्तरा: -
obstacles, न�वहन्यस – not obstructed. You will not be obstructed by any obstacles
once you gain this �ानं. Continuing,
दोषबद
ु ्ध्योभयातीतो�नषेधान्न�नवतर
गुणबद
ु ्ध्याच�व�हतंनकरो�तयथाभर्७.११॥
Here, LK is answering a possible rare question by some student or उद्ध. Nobody

has raised this question but LK comes up with a highly imaginative question and
gives the answer. According to शास्, a �ानी, even after �ानं, will continue to live
in the world for some time because of प्रारब्ध. The question is, will a �ानी
follow धमर or not? An अ�ानी is supposed to follow धमर for �च�शद
ु ्�,
�ानप्राि,मो� प्राि but a �ानी has already accomplished the result of
धमर्�च�शुद्�ध�ा etc. So, after he becomes a �ानी and जीवन्मुक: will he follow

धमर? शास् answers that a �ानी will continue to be धा�म्
र क . In the BG, we saw in
the िस्थ प् portion, गुणातीत portion etc. that a �ानी will follow धम.र That is the
गण
ु : and �ानी will avoid दोष: or पापं.
Now, the question that is imagined is, ‘If a �ानी isavoiding दोष or पापं and
following पण
ु ्यकम or गण
ु : he must be seeing गण
ु दोष (division) because गण
ु and
दोष are divisions only.’ Previously, LK said in the 8th verse that अ�ानी sees
गुणदोष division which means �ानी will not see गुणदोष division. If �ानी has to
follow गुण and avoid दोष, then the �ानी must be seeing गुण and दोष. Earlier LK
said that अ�ानी will see गुण and दोष verse 8, top line स:गुणदोषभाग्. So how do
you account for the �ानी following धमर and avoiding अधम?र If �ानी has
transcended division and gone toअद्वैत how can he do that?
For that, LK gives an ingenious answer. A �ानी doesn’t deliberately see गण

ु and
दोष because in his vision everything is ब्रह्alone. Even though he perceives the
world sensorily, in his mind it is सव� ब्र मयं only. If he follows धम,र it is not
followed deliberately but because of the धमर्वासनthat he has developed during the
time of साधन. अ�ान काले कमर्यो काले उपासनयोग काल,े he has practiced, धमर and
that धमर has gone into his sub-conscious mind. TF, spontaneously, naturally he
follows धम.र A साधक follows धमर deliberately. A �ानी follows धमर spontaneously.
A person who drives a car initially has to be careful to know which is the clutch,
the brake and all. After driving for several years, even when he drives in Chennai
he can automatically drive even when talking to another person. How? Not that he
deliberately does it but it has become his second nature. For a �ानी, following धमर
and avoiding अधमर is his second nature but in his vision, सव� ब्रह्म.
Look at this श्लो. उभयातीत: �ानी is the �ानी who has transcended धमर and
अधमर, he is उभयातीत-धमार्धम अतीत:,�व�ध �नषेद अतीत: beyond rules and
regulations. दोषबद
ु ्ध्या�नषेदा �नवतर्त. He doesn’t avoid अधम.र By seeing अधमर

deliberately as wrong, he doesn’t do that. He doesn’t do दोषबद
ु ्ध्. Then, how
does he do that? वासनया he does that. There is no deliberation involved. It is not
because of the deliberation and conclusion that अधमर is wrong. Naturally, he
avoids. Similarly, when he follows धम,र it is not with the idea that, if I follow धमर, I
will get पण
ु ्य. If I get पण
ु ्य, I will get �च�शद
ु ्�. If I get �च�शद
ु ्�, I will get गर
ु . If
I get a गुर I can do श्रव. If I can do श्रव, I can get �ानं and if I can get �ान,ं I
can get मो�. This series of thinking is not involved. He follows धमर because of
गुणबदु ्ध्. �व�हतं धमर् करो�त -he doesn’t do. Then he is like यथाअभर्: like a
baby, he does things instinctively. Baby doesn’t think of right and wrong and it
does. Baby lives because of its very स्वभा. �ानी also lives according to his
स्वभा. His स्वभा is what he has followed as a साधक during the अ�ान काल.
यथाअभर्: likea baby. He is childlike, not childish. He is not instinctive. Baby is
instinctive. �ानी is spontaneous. We change the word from instinctive to
spontaneity. Spontaneously he is good. Now, LK concludes that topic.
सवर्भूतसुहृच्छान्तो�ान�व�ान�नश
पश्यन्मदात्मकं�वश्वंन�वपद्येतवै७.१२॥
Because of the spontaneity of सवर्भूतसुहृ a �ानी is a non-selfish person.

Selfishness increases more and more when my देहअ�भमान is stronger and
stronger. During the देह, family अ�भमान becomes stronger. When अहंकार and
ममकार are stronger, violation of धमर becomes a forced thing. I compromise for my
sake or for the sake of my family. When अहंकार and ममकार are reduced, I follow
धमर naturally. TF, a �ानी is धमर्भूतसुहृ -he is a well-wisher of everyone because
for him the family is माता च पावर्त देवी �पता देवो महे श्व: बान्धव �शव भक्तश
स्वद ेश भवु नत्र. TF, he is a well-wisher for the entire universe. सवर्भू means all
living beings.

The greater the अहंकार and ममकार, more the राग and द्वे. More the राग and द्वे,
mor the number of complaints because events do not happen according to my
रागद्वे. And always w.r.t me or my family members there is something not
alright. रागद्वे is not tallying. TF, the mind is never relaxed. When अहंकार and
ममकार subside, रागद्वे get neutralized and शान्:. There is शािन् because of
�ान �व�ान �नश्च:. The foundation of �ानं and �व�ानं is ensures that greater the
�ान,ं lesser the अहं and मम. दषु ्टचतुष्ट, अहंकार, ममकार, रागद्वे all get diluted
when �ानं becomes stronger. पश्यन्मदात्मकं�व- he looks at the whole universe
as परमात्म. मदात्मक means परमात्मआत्मक , and which परमात्म is none other
than myself. TF, he can say, everything is भगवान ् or I am everything. In छान्दोग
उप�नषद्�नी says,अहमेव अधस्तात अहमेव उप�रष्ट अहमेव पश्चात अहमेव
परु स्तात्अहमे इदं सव�. सव� ब्रह्म जगत्. सव� आत्ममय जगत्. He can say that. TF
मदात्मकं�वषयंपश्य.
न�वपद्ये- thereafter, there are no more samsara, problems in life. संसार problems
are not there does not mean there are no problems but that problems are not looked
upon as problems. At the nama rupa level the LOK will bring in all types of
situations. मात् स्पशार्स कौन्ते शीतोष् सख ु दखु दा: आगमा आपा�यन: अ�नत्य:.
He has this capacity to look at every situation as a situation. Nothing is named
problem because of perfecting change. This is called जीवन्मुिक:. उद्ध, this is
possible only through knowledge. If you are not ready for that knowledge, I will
talk about something else.

Page 23, verse 12-
सवर्भूतसुहृच्छान्तो�ान�व�ान�नश
पश्यन्मदात्मकं�वश्वंन�वपद्येतवै७.१२॥
LK summarises the entire वेदान्त in 7 verses by saying after the initial spiritual
साधन of कमर्यो and उपासनयोगa person has to prepare the mind for self-
knowledge or the knowledge of the truth called �ान योग. This �ान योग is
exposure to a systematic, spiritual education program consisting of श्रव मननं and
�न�दध्यासन. �ान योग or self-knowledge means understanding that our current
idea about ourselves is a total misconception. It is the false self or pseudo self
wrongly named, जीवात्म. This जीवात्म bhava is to be negated as a misconception
and I have to recognise my own real higher self which is none other than the
परमात्म itself. In me alone, this entire universe rests and into me alone, the entire
universe resolves. That super waker, I am. मै एव सकलं जातं.उप�नषद statement
म�य सव� प्र�तिष् म�य सव�कयंया�त तत् ब्र अद्वय अस्म्य. This alone is
liberating knowledge. वेदान्त repeatedly says, उ��ष्ठतजाग्. May you wake up!
वेदान्त is singing suprabhatam for us asking how long we are going to sleep to
our higher nature? उ��ष्ठ:जाग्रातप्राप्य.वर: means गरु व: may you approach
the spiritual गुर and get spiritual education and wake up to your higher nature. This
is the ultimate spiritual साधन.
All the three योगs are compulsorily required. There is no question of choosing one
योग among the three. One can’t say, “I will choose कम.र Let him choose उपासना.
Let the unemployed सन्न्या choose �ान योग.” That is what उद्ध said. “Let the
सन्न्याs pursue �ान योग, I will just enjoy singing your glory.” उद्ध rejected
�ान योग and chose singing of LK’S glory as an अवतार. LK says that will not
work. There is no question of choice at all. Everybody requires कम+
र उपासनं+ �ान.ं

कमर्यो+ उपासनायोग+ �ान योग put together is called भिक् योग. भिक् योग is not
a separate fourth discipline. LK concluded in the 12th verse. Throughout UG, these
three योगs will be elaborated repeatedly but here, LK summarises just as he
summarized �ान योग in the second chapter of the BG from verse 12 to 25. Here
also, in the second chapter LK summarises �ान योग from verses 6 to 12.
Now, उद्ध understands that he cannot escape from �ान योग and hence becomes
desirous of self-knowledge. उद्ध also understands that he is not ready for self-
knowledge. The biggest obstacle for self-knowledge is strong attachment to the
body, the family and possessions. As long as one is attached to them one will be
busy in अथर and काम. Earning and settling the family and throughout the life we
are only busy settling people. By the time all others are settled, we become
unsettled, old and good for nothing. How is �ान योग possible?
बालस्तावत क्र� शकत: तरुणस्ताव तरुण शक्: वध

ृ स्तावत grandchild शक्:. परमे
ब्रह् को�प न शक्:. No time or mind for �ान योग.उद्ध understands his
problem and surrenders to LK. “I have strong attachment to myself and my family.
Hey LK, please help me get out of these attachments so that I will find some time
and some mind for deeper enquiry.” Now we will see उद्ध’s response.
इत्या�दष्टोभगवतामहाभागवतोनृ
उद्धवःप्र�णपत्याहत�वंिज�ासरच्य
ु ७.१३॥
The original dialogue is between पर��त and शख

ु ाचायर. TF, शख
ु ाचायर is reporting
now. शकः
ु उवाच. इ�त भगवता आ�दष्: in this manner, उद्ध was instructed by LK.
Pointing out that �ान योग is compulsory. You can postpone �ान योग but you
cannot skip �ान योग. उद्ध had absolute श्रद and भिक् in LK and so he
dropped his misconception instantaneously. What was उद्धs’s misconception?
�ान योग is for सन्न्याs. भिक् योग is for गह
ृ स्. Let सन्न्याs go through

tougher मागर. We गह
ृ स्त will go through easier मागर of taking some जपand नाम
संक�तर्न,राधा कल्याण,सीता कल्याण. उद्ध’s greatness is that he dropped his
misconception as soon as LK said �ान योग is compulsory for everyone-
सन्न्याs and गह
ृ स्त also. How do we know? Because उद्ध becomes
त�विज�ास:ु . He became a िज�ासभ
ु क्:. The word िज�ासु means the one who is
interested in pursuing �ान योग. TF,महाभागवत: the great भक् of LK, उद्ध,
dropped his misconception and got ready for �ान योग. He also expresses his
difficulty in pursuing the path due to his attachments. त�विज�ास:ु उद्ध: is in the
second line. उद्ध:अच्युतंप्र�णप- he did साष्टाङ नमस्का of अच्यु. अच्यु
means the Lord who never fails his devotees, who always comes to the rescue of
the devotees. उद्ध addressed the Lord in the following verses.
श् उद्ध उवाच
योगेशयोग�वन्यासयोगात्मन्योगसम
�नःश्रेयसायमेप्रोक्तस्त्यागःसन्न७.१४॥
उद्ध:उवाच-उद्ध addressed LK as हे योगेश- the Lord of योग. He glorifies LK as

the Lord of all the योगs, the greatest गुर of योग. योग here means at all the 3 levels.
कमर्यो which was originally taught in the कम्
र काण of the वेदा:. The UG and
भागवतं both borrow the teaching from the वेद. You should remember that वेद is
our original source. कमर्काण of the वेद deals with कमर्यो. उपासनकाण्ड deals with
उपासनयोग.�ानकाण्ड deals with �ान योग. All these three योगs are taught in the
वेद which is given by भगवान ् himself. The word योग can be translated as any
forms of spiritual disciplines meant for liberation. In fact, I need not say, ‘Meant
for liberation’, because all spiritual disciplines are meant only for liberation. हे
योगेश. योग�वन्न्य.न्या means the biggest treasure or the most valuable resource
for spiritual seekers. If you want to do Ph.D or any research you require resource
materials. These days so many people claim to give quick means of liberation.
Instant liberation. You will be given जीवन्मुिक certificate also in one week. Never

rely upon any general human being. Always rely upon वेद. वेद is not written by any
human being. It has been coming down as a परम्पर. TF, भगवान ् and the वेद are
the biggest resource materials. न्या: means the treasure under the earth. Here, the
treasure means the resource material is भगवान ् through the वेदs. We are seeing
भागवतं because भागवतं is based on the वेद. We do not accept any other book that
is not based on वेद. Theyare called वेदबाह्:.मनु स्मृ� declares या वेद
बाह्यास्स्म: याश् काश् कुदृष्: सवार्�दष्टा �नष्फ प्रे तमो �नष्टा�हत स्मृत.
Never follow any book which doesn’t follow the वेद. Any book that follows the वेद
is called स्मृ�:. भागवतं is also a स्मृ� or परु ाणं based on the वेद. TF,उद्ध says,
“You are the biggest resource material for spiritual seekers. योगात्मन- since the
words are your own words, the very teaching itself is an embodiment of you. All
words come from the Lord himself. योगात्मन means you are in the form of the
very teaching itself. योगसंभव: because you are the source of all on the spiritual
path. These four words are glorification of LK.
Then उद्ध says, “Hey LK, I am a comfortable गह ृ स् and your first advice to me
is to renounce everything? This is the toughest thing.” Where did LK say that?
Page 21, verse 6. The first thing he advised is to renounce everything and go in
search of god. उद्ध says, ‘You can easily say that, but I don’t think I can do even
imaginary renunciation let alone actual renunciation.’ It is very difficult.
According to all spiritual seekers, सन्न्य is compulsory even if we don’t take
physical renunciation or put on काषाय वस्त orgo to Rishikesh. At least, once the
children are settled, we should develop mental renunciation or detachment. LK
said in the 8th chapter of the BG- ‘Start remembering me now itself.’ Now you
remember all thefamily members regularly and meditate upon them all the time.
Introduce भगवान ् alsoas one of the things remembered along with so many family
members. Gradually, भगवत् स्मरण should occupy most of the mind most of the
time. तस्मात सव�षु कालेषु माम ् अनस
ु ्म यज्यस
ु . अन्:काले च माम ् एव स्मरन मक
ु ्त्
कलेभरं -at the time of death, we are supposed to remember ईश्व which is possible
only when we gradually detach from finite things and develop attachment to ईश्व.

But it requires reduction of अहंकार and ममकार. TF, उद्ध says, मे प्रोक: you
have asked me to take to renunciation. त्या: means renunciation. सन्न्यल�ण:
which is called सन्न्यासआ- the 4th ashrama. Even if we don’t take to external
सन्न्य, internal detachment is required. We have to hand over all the family
members under the care of भगवान ्. We are holding on to everyone thinking we are
taking care but we don’t know they will be better off without us. Like the lizard on
the ceiling thinks that I am supporting the ceiling. Let us do our duties and
gradually hand them over to भगवत: care. This is called detachment. This is called
सन्न्य:. हे LK, you have taught this but I can’t to do that because my attachments
are strongly holding on to me. Now, the 15th.
त्यागोऽयंदुष्करोभूमन्कामानां�वषयात्म
सत
ु रांत्व�यसवार्त्मन्नभक्तै�र�तमे७.१५॥३०.56
उद्ध is addressing the lord as भम

ू न ्. All the words are taken from उप�नषद
indicating that भागवतं is वेद based, उप�नषद based. भम
ू न ् is the title of ब्रह् in
छान्दोग उप�नषद, seventh chapter. That very chapter is titled भम
ू �वद्य. यत
नान्यत्पश् नान्यच्छृणो नान्यद्�वजाना स भम
ू ा -the ultimate non-dual reality
is called भम
ू न ्. उद्ध addresses LK as हे भम
ू न ्, ‘O, ब्रह्.’ So, LK वेषं is
temporary. The original nature of LK is ब्रह् himself. हे ब्रह्. अयं त्या:दषु ्क:
-this detachment from the world, detachment from the family, detachment from the
body, etc. is extremely difficult especially for those who have developed
attachment and made it deeper by thinking of the object of attachment all the time.
The attachment will get deeper and is directly proportional to the duration of our
thinking. उद्ध says, कामानांत्या:. काम means all the objects of attachment. काम:
means �वषय: it includes things and beings also. Not only do we get attached to the
family, we also get attached to our pets. You should not call it a dog. They get
wild. You have to call it Dickey, Tom, Marie, Curie something or the other. You
should not say ‘it'. They cry more for the pet than even some of the members of the
family. We want to replace one attachment with another. Why can’t we replace it
with God? TF, कामानांत्या: �वषयात्म�भ by those people who are immersed in

the worldly tide. It is extremely difficult. For these people, all the भिक्तशास् have
provided an easier method which is choosing one इष्टद ेवतand developing
attachment to that इष्टद ेवत gradually. This is a safer attachment, a superior
attachment to an इष्टद ेवत like कृष्णरा देवी etc. परु ाणs have stories of the deities.
The more we read the stories, more will those इष्देवता: become real. Initially, it is
fiction. For a भक्त, LK is not fiction. He will talk to LK regularly he will talk.
Thiyagaraja, Meerabai, all of them conversed with भगवान ्. For them it was real.
This attachment is a superior attachment, which will help in dropping the world.
When a monkey takes away some of our objects, like our spectacles, we request it
to kindly give it back. We address the monkey, “You don’t have short sight. I have
short sight.” Then, we take a banana and entice it. Monkeys love bananas so it will
come to the banana and unknowingly drop the spectacle. भगवान ् is like the banana.
Develop a higher attachment to drop the lower attachment. The problem is many
gruhastas don’t develop that इष्देवता भिक् also. When the इष्टद ेवत भिक् is
absent, then worldly detachment will become very difficult. TF, he says, हे
सवार्त् म, O Lord, who is the self of all. त्व� अभक्त: - those who do not develop
attachment to an इष्टद ेवत nor build up that attachment through regular association
like श्रव क�तर्न �वष्ण:पाद सेवनं अचर्न वन्दन दास्य साख्य आत् �नवेदनम ्. नव �वध
भिक् are all to gradually develop देवताभिक् temporarily. एक रू ईश्व expands
to�वश् रू ईश्व. From there you go to the absolute. उद्ध says, if we don’t
practice इष्टद ेवताभिक, then worldly detachment will become very difficult.
अभक्त: those who do not practice भिक्, सत
ु रांदषु ्क: means detachment is more
difficult. With इष्देवता भिक् itself detachment is difficult. When इष्टद ेवताभिक
itself is absent then detachment will become even more difficult. इ�तमेम�तः-this is
my view. Continuing,
सोऽहं ममाह�म�तमढ
ू म�त�वर्गाढस्त्वन्मायया�वर�चतात्म�नसानु
त�वञ्जसा�नग�दतंभवतायथाहंसंसाधया�मभगवन्ननुशा�धभृत्य७.१६॥

उद्ध confesses that he also has got the problem of deep attachment. Attachment
towards the body, BMSC attachment, is called अहंकार. Attachment to everything
else other than BMSClike family, house, possession, profession, including name,
fame etc. are called ममकार. Attachment means emotionally depending on them for
our peace, security and happiness. Doing our duty towards them is not called
attachment. Caring for them is not attachment. Being available for them when they
need our help is not attachment. In fact, these are to be done. What we mean by
attachment is, emotionally depending on them for our own peace, security and
happiness. Before we die, our emotional dependence on them should go away. If
they are around, wonderful. If they are not there also, it is OK, because, that is the
law of भगवान ्. People will come into your life and people will have to go away
from our life. Just as things come together and things gets separated. TF, I don’t
want to emotionally hold on to any one of them. If I hold on to them emotionally,
that alone is called attachment. Here, उद्ध says, I have this problem, सोऽहंउद्ध,
your devotee. Even though he was with भगवान ् all the time. That means proximity
of भगवान ् doesn’t mean that these will automatically go away. We have to
deliberately work on them. Intellectual conviction that emotional dependence is
injurious to my PSH is mandatory. Scriptures create an awareness program that
अहंकारममकार promotion is injurious to your peace. I should be intellectually
convinced about this and then work on my mind. Watch my mind, watch my
thoughts etc. Attachment will never go automatically. It requires lot of deliberate
effort. Every emotional disturbance is caused by one attachment or the other. You
constantly study your mind. Whenever there is emotional disturbance, the cause of
emotional disturbance is that part of the world where I have attachment. In any
other part, even if anything happens, what is my attitude? I don’t care at all. But if
something seems to happen within certain red-circled areas strong अहंकार and
ममकार gives rise to disturbance. I should watch my mind, understand and
deliberately practice detachment. We need not declare this to others. It is an
internal transformation, which is compulsory. उद्ध says I have this problem of
attachment. सोऽहं उद्ध: in spite of भगवत: presence all the time, my problem is,
मम अहंइ�त - I have got strong ‘I’ and ‘my’ notion which is called मढ ू म�त:. We
wrongly name our attachment as love. Love, by definition is taking care, doing the
duty and being available for help. That is called love. Attachment is emotionally
depending on those factors for our own peace, security and happiness. When they
lean on me there is no problem. When I lean on them, it is a problem. They leaning
on me, allow it, it is love but when I emotionally lean on them, it is not love. It is
attachment. We will get trapped. मम अहं इ�तमढ ू म�त:. Shankaracharya said,
‘भजगो�वन्दंभजगो�वन् गो�वन्द भज मढ
ू मते.मढ
ू म�त:, the deluded one, I am. �वर्गा:
means deeply immersed in, deeply attached to, आत्म�- (in the second line) means
BMSC. Attachment to the body is dangerous because we think that the body isour
possession. Remember,we are never the owners of the body. The body is a
temporary gift given by भगवान ् for rent or lease and the lease amount is called
प्रारब. भगवान ् has let us use the body for प्रार. After some time, when the प्रार
amount is over, he will make us vacate. Nowadays, you can go to court and extend
according to Indian law but you cannot use that method on भगवान ्. He will force
you to vacate the body. Remember that the body is a temporary instrument. Use
the body to know that आत्मand return to भगवान ् with thanks. If we don’t do that,
it is called attachment. आत्�न here means शर�रे . I have got अहंकार in the body. स
अनब
ु न्ध. अनब
ु न् means all the paraphernalia, including relations, possessions etc.
Theyare called अनब
ु न्. In those अनब
ु न् I have strong ममकार. So मम अहं
इ�तआत्�न सानब
ु न्.ध
What kind of body and world? मायया�वर�चतं- it is created by माया and TF, is
highly tempting. It is very attractive and seductive. मायया job is to tempt our mind
towards itself. The more we are lost in माया, the more we are going to mis the
other one, ब्रह्, the Lord of माया. Like seeing the movie and missing the screen
behind. माया�वर�चतं is world. The world has got beauty. It has got variety. It has
got novelty but it doesn’t have security because the world itself is insecure. TF,
मायया�वर�चतआत्म�.
Whose माया? त्वन्माय- your माया has created all these things. I hold on to माया
and miss भगवान ्. That is called संसार. TF, what should you do, O Lord? Help me
to gradually get out of this delusion of अहंकार and ममकार. Initially, अहंकार and
ममकार should be reduced. What is the indication of reducing अहं and मम?

Availability of time and mind. When अहं and मम are very strong, we don’t have
time for spirituality. Once I dilute them, I will reduce my worldly pursuits, reduce
my serial watching. Reduce all of them and find the time. Finding time is relatively
easier but the availability of the mind is very difficult. You can easily experience
that if you sit in जप for just 10 minutes. Other than the जप, everything else will
come to mind, do march past and go away. That is the power of the world.
TF, he says, त�ु अञ्जस �नग�दतंभवता. So, whatever you taught me, mentioned
now, in the form of �ानयोग and सन्न्य, I want to follow that but I don’t know
how. You help me so that I can also seriously follow �ानयोग. संसाधया�म means I
will also successfully pursue �ानयोग. In the future because may you teach me
whatever preparation is required.
So, what is the question? How to reduce attachment? That is the bottom line.
अनशु ा�ध -may you teach me. When he says अनश ु ा�ध you should remember
BG�शष्यस्तेऽ शा�ध मांत्वा प्रपन. Here also अनश
ु ा�ध. शा�ध means teach.
शा�ध,शात्धात second conjugationपरस्म प�त लोट मध्य पर
ु ु एक वचनं.शास्त �शष्टा
शाततु शा�ध �शष्टा �शष्: शाता�न शातव शाताम. A difficult root. शा�ध means may
you teach me. There अजुर् said, त्वा प्रपन. Here, उद्ध says, भत्य
ृ म- I am your
दास. I am your �शष्. I will obey your instructions. More in the next class.

Class 15 Chapter 2 verses 16 to 20
Page 24, verse 16-
सोऽहं ममाह�म�त मढ
ू म�त�वर्गाढस त्वन्माय �वर�चतात्म� सानब
ु न्ध ।
त�वञ्जस �नग�दतं भवता यथाहं संसाधया�म भगवन्ननुशा� भत्य
ृ म ॥७.१६ ॥
Self-knowledge is being and understanding that I am the आत्म, different from the
BMSC. I am not a located individual in the world but I am the infinite ब्रह् in
which the whole world itself is located. Verses 6-12 LK said that acquiring self-
knowledge is the main spiritual साधन. One receives this knowledge with the help
of गरु and शास् but we have to retain and assimilate the knowledge. In order to
derive the full benefit of this knowledge, our mind also must be ready. LK defined
that ready mind as a सन्न्य mind. सन्न्य does not mean physical renunciation
or putting on ochre robes. That kind of external सन्न्य is optional. सन्न्य
means the internal condition in which four obstacles or दषु ् चतुष्टय have to be
heavily diluted. अहंकार, ममकार, रागद्वे. अहंकार means strong attachment to our
own BMSC. We should remember BMSC is a temporary instrument. We have to
use it and return it back to भगवान ्. I am the user of the body but not the owner of
the body.
The second principle is the same and has to be extended to ममकार also. ममकार
isstrong attachment and ownership with regard to family and possession. Family
and possessions are also temporarily given by the lord for us to use. Serve the
family, purify the mind and grow out of attachment to the family. W.r.t the family
also, I am not the owner. I am only a temporary user. Neither can my family be
with me all the time nor can I be with the family all the time. Because of कम,र we
are all together. The very same कमर that brought us together will separate us. TF,
we have to doour duty. We have to love them, care for them but always
remembering that it is a temporary gift from the Lord. Constantly remembering
this fact will drive away attachment to family and possessions. This is called
ममकार dilution. With BMSC it is अहंकार dilution and w.r.t family and
possessions, it is ममकार dilution.

The third and fourth are राग and द्वे- strong likes and dislikes which lead to lot of
expectations. These things should happen for me. These things should not happen
to me. My family members should be like this. My family members should not be
like this. My children should be like this. My children should not be like
this.Strong expectations are the expression of राग and द्वे. I have to dilute my
expectations. Even if I choose to have some expectations, I should be always be
prepared for the failure of my expectations. That way, whether expectations are
fulfilled or not, I am not affected overly. I have to be mentally prepared. This is
like wearing a helmet while on a two-wheeler or a seat belt when I am in a 4-
wheeler. This condition of the mind is, रागद्वे diluted mind. Psychologically I am
prepared for the future. This mind is called sanyasi mind. Ever ready mind.
With this internal detachment, when I gain self-knowledge, it will be absorbed and
will become fruitful also. Without preparing the mind, if I receive self-knowledge
it is like sowing the seed in an unprepared land. The seed may be the best seed,
but in a barren land, in an unprepared land, the seed will die a natural death. TF,
�ान वैराग् �सद्ध्य भी�ां दे�ह च पावर्�. I should have �ानं. I should have वैराग्य.
When LK said all this, उद्ध responds to LK in a very desperate manner pointing
out that he does not have a संयसा mind at all. He says, “I have strong अहंकार and
ममकार w.r.t my body, my family and possessions. Oh, LK, I will do my best to
attain �ानं and वैराग्य but I need a lot of your grace.” One should not put all the
responsibility on भगवान ् and lie back. We have to work to attain both. Then,
भगवान ् will guide us like a mother guiding a baby. The entire UG is भगवान ्
guiding a disciple baby to मो� destination. But our cooperation is required. At the
least, we have to hold on to the mother’s hand. TF, उद्ध despaired in the 16th
verse whichwe completed in the last class.
मम अहं इ�त मढ ू म�त:. I have got deep delusion in the form of अहंकार and ममकार
and I am immersed in them. In fact, I have no interest in spirituality at all.Many
people are so much immersed in the artha, kama, earning, spending, family etc.
they think religion and spirituality discourses are only meant for unemployed

सन्न्या�: who do not have anything else to do. उद्ध says, “I am immersed in
worldly life. You have to pull me out of this deep mire. अनश
ु ा�ध मां. You teach me
in such a way that I will also have वैराग्य. I will also receive �ानं.’ Continuing,
Verse 17-
सत्यस ते स्वद आत्म आत्मनोऽन्यंवक्तार �वबधे

ु ष्व� नानच
ु �े ।
सव� �वमो�हत�धयस्त माययेमेब्रह्मादयस् तनु ब�हरथ्
र भावा ॥७.१७ ॥
उद्ध has clearly grasped that वैराग्य and �ानं are necessary. That there is no short
cut nor can he skip either. If I need this �ानं and वैराग्य, I need a spiritual guide.
उद्ध understands the necessity and importance of the गुर. Many people wonder
whether a गुर is required. All the scriptures including वेदगीता UG insist upon the
guidance of a गुर who has been guided himself by his गुर. उद्ध says, “Hey LK, I
would like to choose you as my गुर. I am the luckiest one because the very
incarnation of भगवान ् is available right here. I am selecting you as my guide for
my spiritual journey.”
Not only does उद्ध choose LK, he gives the reasons also. He says, “I have
looked around the world. Nobody is equal to you as a गर
ु .” The first and second
lines- अन्य वक्तार न अनच
ु �ेवक्त- means a गुर and the definition of गुर.वेदान्त
defines a गुर as one who communicates self-knowledge to his disciple for a length
of time. It involves consistent and systematic teaching. Many people understand
गुर as one who transfers some powers to the disciple. वेदान्त has nothing to do
with siddhis. In UG itself LK enumerates in one or two chapters all the various
powers, extraordinary siddhis and various disciplines by which we can acquire
those powers. Having enumerated all those powers, LK finally says, these powers
and spiritual wisdom have no connection at all. Powers have nothing to do with
self-knowledge. A person might have all these powers but without self-knowledge
he or she will be महा संसार�, jealous of another person who has greater powers. So
संसार will not go by acquiring powers. TF, never be interested in mystic powers.

We require a गुर who doesn’t talk about mysticism or extraordinary experiences at
all. We require a गुर who gives me this knowledge of myself and the world and the
relationship between me and the world. What we require is clear and thorough
knowledge. A knowledge which can be communicated by consistent and
systematic teaching. This teaching method has been designed in our scriptures. The
entire brahma sutra is nothing but providing the design for the teaching. TB is
nothing but a condensed version of that method of teaching. What is STS? What is
SKS? What is KSM? What is आत्म? What is world? What is ब्रह्? How are
both of them one and the same? We saw a clean teaching, systematically
developed in TB. The same teaching alone has to be given in a systematic manner.
The one who teaches systematically is called गुर. This is derived from the Sanskrit
root ग-ृ to communicate. गह
ृ ्णा� आत् तत्व उप�दश�त इ�त गर
ु .
तद्�वद् प्र�णपात प�रप्रश् सेवया ।

उपदे �यिन् ते �ानं �ा�ननस्त�वद�शर् ॥ ३४ ॥
LK never talked about mystic powers or about developing them. Throughout BG,
LK taught अजुर् consistently and systematically about कमर्यो
उपासनयोग�ानयोग. LK is going to give the same teaching in UG also. We require
is a spiritual education program. उद्ध says, ‘Hey LK, you are the ideal वक्त.’
वक्त means a teacher, a communicator. ‘Not only are you an ideal teacher, I don’t
see anyone else, not only among human beings, even among celestials, a better
communicator of spirituality than you, O Lord.’
He says, सत्यस्यस्:आत्म: a communicator, a teacher of that आत्म. What

type of आत्म? सत्यस -which is the absolute reality and स्वद: -which is of the
nature of self-revealing consciousness principle. Consciousness is always called
self-revealing because, how do we know that I am consciousness? It is self-
evident. I need not think and meditate to find out. Let me think and see whether I
amself-conscious or not. No proof is required. It is self- evident. TF, आत्म is
called स्वयंप्र:. आत्म is सत्: and of that आत्म, अन्यवक्तार- any teacher other

than you, नअनच ु �े- I don’t find, �वबधे
ु षु अ�प even among celestials. उद्ध says,
every other person is also a deluded, confused and ignorant person. I feel you are
the real acharya.सव�– all the other people are, �वमो�हत�धय: are confused in their
intellect. In कनोप�नषद we see इन् is also confused. It is only later that he gains
knowledge from Uma Devi. TF, even celestials are confused. All because of तव
मायया -because of your माया. People are interested in कमअ
र थर or काम. Nobody
knows what मो� is.
ब्रह्म: तनभ
ु त
ृ :.तनभ
ु त
ृ : means living being. ब�हरथ्
र भावा -they consider the
external world as reality whereas �ानयोग says the world is �मथ्य. The observer of
the world alone is सत्य. This nobody knows. Who says this? उद्ध says and gives
credit to LK. TF, उद्ध surrenders.
तस्माद्भवन्तमनवद्यमनन्तपारंसवर्�मीश्वरमकुण्ठ�वकुण ।
�न�वर्ण्णधीरह ह विृ जना�भतप्तोनारायण नरसखं शरणं प्रपद ॥७.१८ ॥
First, उद्ध says, my desire for spiritual wisdom is not a casual desire because I
have clearly understood that the external world is not reliable. The world itself is
insecure. Everything is subject to arrival and departure. Remember my favorite
example, the cardboard chair can be beautifully decorated and kept in the show
case but cannot be sat on. The entire world is subject to time and loss. Emotionally
leaning upon any perishable thing is a risky proposal. I have learnt this. I have
�नत् अ�नत् वस्त �ववेक:. TF, I am interested in the ultimate reality. I am detached
from the perishable universe. �न�वर्ण्ण not totally but at least partially.
अहं �न�वर्ण: third line. �न�वर्ण: means detached. All because I have got sufficient
kicks from the world. TF, विृ जनअ�भतप्. विृ जन literally means पापम ्. Here पापम ्
is the pain given by worldly things and beings. By emotionally depending upon
them, I have gone through varieties of pain and suffering. So अ�भतप्: means
scorched by worldly problems born out of my expectations. “Swamiji, I did so
much for that person but when I call him, he gives excuses. This is what the world
is. I do but nobody has gratitude.” TF, विृ जनअ�भतप्: I have suffered enough in

the word. I want to do something which is more reliable. For that purpose, I am
surrendering to you.
उद्ध then describes the glory of LK in the first two lines. भवन्तंअनवद् -O Lord,
you are free from all human frailty. अवद्य means weaknesses, erroneous
ideas.अनवद्य – �नद�षं, free from all human weaknesses. You will teach me
without expecting anything out of me. अनन्तपार- free from all limitations or
boundaries. पारं – boundary, अनन्तपार – one who has limitless boundaries, who is
limitless as ब्रह्. सवर्� - you are the omniscient भगवान ् who has taken कृष्
अवतार. ईश्वर- Master. Not only do you have the knowledge, you also have the
skill to transfer the knowledge. अकुण्ठ�वकुण्ठ�धष्ण -your original abode is
वैकुण् which is free from all the doshas. वैकुण् in spiritual language is none other
than ब्रह्. In भिक् शास्त,वैकुण् is presented as a place, a लोक somewhere. In
वेदान्तशास, वैकुण् is none other than ब्रह्, the original nature. “O Lord, you
abide in वैकुण्, which is your own original ब्रह् nature.” Such a Lord, you are.
You are an ideal गर
ु . I am an interested disciple. TF, I am surrendering to you.
नारायणंनरसखं -who is the friend and well-wisher of every human being. शरणं
प्रपद – I surrender. I do शरणाग�त. According to वेदान् the definitionof
शरणाग�त is surrendering to receive the teaching. Continuing,
प्राय मनज
ु ा लोके लोकत�व�वच�णाः ।
समद
ु ्धरिन ह्यात्मानमात्मनैवाशुभाशय ॥७.१९॥
श्रीभगवानुव- the lord responds to अजुर्नस request. He first points out that a
human being even without the help of a गर
ु can learn a lot from life with the
available resources themselves. The very life is a university and भगवान ् has given
us the sense organs through which we experience the world and an intellect to
analyse our experiences. From every experience, we can learn many Classs. With

the help of प्रत्य�प्, the sensory experiences, and अनम ु ानप्रमा, the
intellectual analysing capacity, we can learn a lot from our own experiences,
failures and sufferings. पर��यलोकान ् कमर �चतान ्. The उप�नषद says, even before
coming to वेदान्तगु, even before studying the scriptures, use your mind, sense
organs and intellect properly so you can learn many things.
We will soon see the story of an अवधत ू and how he learnt many lessons from
observing the world, events, nature, people etc. LK says, ‘You keep your eyes,
ears and mind open and you can be half jnani. You will get a lot of वैराग्य. Raise a
few children and you will get pucca वैराग्य.’ In fact, गह
ृ स्ताश is not meant for
developing attachment. गह
ृ स्ताश is meant for developing वैराग्य. This is what is
said by LK here.प्राय – generally, मनज
ु ा - people who are ready to use their
mind, intellect and sense organs and apply that in day to day life,
लोकत�व�वच�णाः -are experts or capable of learning a lot of facts about life.
समद
ु ्धरिन ह्यात्मानमातनं -from those lessons themselves, from what?
अशभ
ु आशयात्- from wrong thinking, wrong expectation, wrong conclusions etc.
We can learn from everything if we are open to learn. आत्मान आत्म: एव
समद
ु ्धरिन. Continuing,
आत्मन गर
ु ुरात्म पर
ु ुषस �वशेषतः ।
यत्प्रत्य�ानुमाना श्रेयोऽसावनु�वन् ॥७.२०॥
LK says, the very definition of the word गुर is the one who teaches, the one who
gives knowledge. गुर is the giver of knowledge. In गुरगीता, they give a beautiful
definition.गुकार द्वन्धकारो रुका तिन्नवथर:अन्तका �नव�तर्त्वा
गुरु�रत्य�भधीय- the letter गु represents अन्धका:,र means remover तिन्नवथ: of
that. What? That darkness. अन्धका:�नव�तर्त्वा whatever removes the internal
darkness of ignorance. अन्धका:�नव�तर्त्वात्गु�रर्त्य�भ-गर
ु means darkness
remover. A lamp is also a गर
ु , remover of external darkness. The teacher is also a

गुर who removes internal darkness. पञ् �ानेिन्द्रय are givers of knowledge.
शब् �ानं स्पश �ानंरूप�ानंरस�ानंगन्ध�ा. The sense organs give five-fold
knowledge. TF, technically speaking, sense organs are also गर ु :. Having collected
data through sense organs, we use our mind and infer. The mind is capable of
inferring. When I amwalking on the road, I hear the sound of a horn. So, the
प्रत्य�प् has given the knowledge of the sound. Based on that sound, I make an
inference. A car must be coming from behind. Then I move. That means, inference
or mind is also a गर
ु . Thus, all the six प्रमाणा are also गर
ु . The teacher is called
गुर because he serves as शब्दप्रम. Spoken and written language is called
शब्दप्रम. We have so many प्रमाs and some प्रमाs are within ourselves and
some are outside. So, we have two-fold गुर. Internal गुर within ourselves and
external गुर outside.
LK says every human being has been provided with his own internal गुर. TF he
says, आत्म: for everyone, आत् एवगुर: he himself can serve as his own गुर. By
employing his own sense organs and his own analysing intellect he can educate
himself. TF, who is our first गर ु ? We ourselves are our own first गर ु .
परु ुषस्य�वशे: -this is specially in the case of human beings because they have
well developed analysing capacity. Animals have inferring capacity too but it is not
very well developed. In the human beings, प्रत and अनम ु ान are very high and so
we can learn a lot from ourselves and our own instruments. LK says,
प्रत्नम ु ानाभ्या, by observing, inferring, analysing and learning from past
experiences. Many people ask, should the past be forgotten or remembered
because, it is said we have to live in the present. The past can be used positively or
negatively. If I go on thinking of my own past mistakes, if I continue to feel guilty
and bad, if I am not willing to move on in life, then the past becomes an iron ball
tied to my legs. I cannot move on. So, the past can be a burden or a baggage or I
can learn from the mistakes of the past and having learnt the lesson, forget the past.
This way, we use our intelligence properly and use past experiences also
judiciously. TF, प्रत्नम ु ानाभ्याश्र:. श्र: means future wellbeing, future
success, future prosperity etc. असौ अन�ु वन्दतa human being can accomplish all
this if he is willing to learn from life. We can make our life wonderful by reading

biographies of great people. अन�ु वन्दत -in addition to our internal गुर, we have
external गुरs also from whom also we can learn and attain success in life. We will
see those details in the next class.

Page26, Verse 20-
आत्मन गुरुरात्म पर
ु ुषस �वशेषतः ।
यत्प्रत्य�ानुमाना श्रेयोऽसावनु�वन् ॥७.२०॥
LK begins his teaching to उद्ध, by initially glorifying the human birth. He shows
how human beings are different from all the other living beings like animals and
plants which have sense organs for conducting their own life but their minds are
not developed to the extent of human beings’ minds. TF, with that rudimentary
mind, they only gather enough information for conducting their lives and their life
is primarily governed by instinctive programming. TF, theyare not going to study
the creation. Theyare not going to join schools and colleges or do research etc. nor
are they interested in such things. In the case of human beings, the mind or intellect
is well developed. They are capable of inventing tools with which sensory powers
can be extended. We can have microscope to study microbes, telescope to study
the stars etc. Having gathered data through the senses, we process the data and
learn much more. This is the unique capacity of the human intellect. शास्त्र also
talk about this extraordinary capacity of humans to process the data in different
methods. शास् has classified these methods into different types of प्रमा other
than प्रत्य�प् where we process data gained by प्रत्य.
The other methods of processing data are-

अनमु ानप्रमा
अथर्प��प्रम
उपमानप्रमा
अनप
ु लिब्धप्रम
Thus, one प्रत and four methods of processing the data are the five different
methods of acquiring knowledge. Each प्रमा is a source of knowledge. LK calls
every one of them as a गुर as the word गुर means the one who dispels ignorance.
शास् also talks about a sixth प्रमा which is not within us but outside. This
external प्रमा comes from other human beings called शब्दप्रम. I can learn from

other people or written books. This is considered to be a very powerful प्रमा.
शब्दप्रम is also divided into two- लौ�ककशब्दप्रम- spoken and written words
coming from human beings. Our physics, chemistry, mathematics, economics etc.
all come under लौ�ककशब्दप्रम as they come from human intellect. The second
type of शब्प्रमा is called वै�दकशब्दप्रम. It has not been given by any human
intellect but has been received by human intellect. It has been coming down in the
form of परंपरा and every acharya in the परंपरा will say, ‘I have not created this वेदा.
I am only a conduit, a channel for the perpetuation of the वेदा. The origination is
सदा�शव समारंभां शङ्कराचाय मध्यमा.’ This is called वै�दकशब्दप्र.
Thus, we have six gurus. लौ�कक and वै�दकशब् external गुर and five internal. TF
LK says, for a human being, he himself is a गुर by employing the first five
प्रमाणा available within himself. LK says, आत्म:गुर: for every human being.
आत्मै -his own BMSC holds five प्रमाणा. There is a book Swami
Satpraksananda called ‘Six Methods of Knowledge’ published by Ramakrishna
Mission.
LK said, पर
ु ुषस which means for a human being, he himself is the first गुर. यत्-
because, प्रतअनम
ु ानाभ्या -with the help of the प्रत्य�प and logical प्रम,
inductive logic, श्र: असौअन�ु वन्दत- a human being can attain his own future well-
being. This means, all the four human goals of धमर अथर काम and मो� can be
accomplished through them. अथर means security; anything we acquire for our
survival is called अथर. कामmeans after making sure I have the minimum for my
survival, I aim to have entertainment. I want to have a TV. TV is not for survival
but for काम, enjoyment, entertainment, relaxation and recreation. They all come
under काम. धमर is earning पण
ु ्य for the sake of the future well-being in the form of
next जन्. Finally, मो� which is freedom from repeated birth and death. All these
are together called श्र: here- the human goals, अन�ु वन्दत- aperson can
accomplishall these through गर
ु s. Continuing,

पर
ु ुषत् च मां धीराः साङ्ख्ययोग�वशारद ।
आ�वस्तरा प्रपश्य सवर्शक्त्युपबृं�ह ॥७.२१॥
Human प्रमाणा in the form of प्रत and अनम ु ान are so great that if we employ
them properly and analyse their capacity, we will come to another great realization
that प्रत and अनम ु ान have their own limitations. Nodoubt they can explore and
understand many things in life but there are areas where प्रत and अनम ु ान cannot
go at all. In fact, the most important thing which they cannot study is they cannot
study the very observer himself because all our sense organsare directed towards
theexternal world. They study the प्रम, theobject but none of them have the
capacity to study the very subject-observer behind the sense organs.
बहृ दारण्यकउप�नष says the observer cannot be observed. With your phone, you
can all the numbers in the world except your own number. It will be eternally
engaged. With the finger youcan touch everything except the finger itself. So, the
subject can never be objectified. TF, who am I, ultimately if I ask, प्रत can never
give the answer because they are all extrovert. परािञ् खा�न
व्यतृणत्स्वयम्भूस्तस्म पश्य� नान्तरात् म । This is the most fundamental
limitation of प्रत्य�प.
Whatabout the other प्रमाणा?अनम

ु ानउपमान अथार्प� अनप
ु लिब्.All the other
प्रमाणा are based on the data collected from प्रत. So, when प्रत itself cannot
access the आत्म with the help of the data collected, we can never study the
‘studier’, the student. Every branch of science will study the universe but no
branch of study can study the very observer. Thus, one of the great discoveries is
that प्रत and अनम ु ान have only limited scope. That is what YDR says in
कठोप�नषद-नैषा तक� ण म�दरापनेया - any amount of logical reasoning cannot take
you to the truth. TF, पञ्चप्रमाण are useless with regard to certain branches of
knowledge including self-knowledge.
Then how to gain the self-knowledge? You have to go to the 6thप्रमा called
शब्दप्रम. This is the only means by which we can learn about ourselves.

Remember, in शब्दप्रम ्,लौ�ककशब् is useless because theyare all based on
प्रत्य�अनु so if you want self-knowledge use वेदप्रमम ्. To know God or to
know आत्म, the first realisation is that it is not possible with प्रत्य�अनु.
वेदप्रमम ् alone helps us and reveals both God and आत्म thoroughly,
convincingly and elaboratelyonly if one goes through them in the prescribed
manner.
To know who is God, who is आत्म,वेद employs a method. The first method is
preparing the mind for this knowledge just as a child prepares for IIT from 7th or
8th standard. Then get exposed to Vedantic teaching which reveals जीवात्मसवरू
and परमात्मस्वरू. The first stage of preparation is called योगशास्त, योग meaning
कमर्यो:. Then, learning about the teaching of God and आत्म, साङ्ख् otherwise
called �ानयोग:. कमर्यो is called योग, �ानयोग is called साङ्ख्. The second
chapter of BG is called साङ्ख.
LK says, धीरा: - intelligent people who have realized the limitation of sensory
perception, modern science and all logical processes. These धीरा: know तकर and
also know the limitation of तकर . What do they do? साङ्ख्ययोग�वशारद - for God-
realisation and self-realisation they make use of साङ्ख and योग, together called
वेदप्रमा. Here, योग is called the first part of the वेद and साङ्ख is called the last
part of the वेद.वेदपवर
ू is योग, वेदअन् is साङ्ख. By following these two
साङ्ख्ययोग�वशारद – they are experts in these two योगs. Why they are they able
to do that? पर
ु ुषत्- because theyare human beings. You can prescribe वेद for
humans not for animals. These साङ्ख्ययोग�वशारद, by following the
वै�दकमागर,मांप्रपश्य- will come to discover me. मां refers to whoever is talking
which is now LK- श् भगवान ् उवाच. TF, मां means भगवन्त ईश्वर. They understand
भगवान ् at three levels. एकरू ईश्व for junior students, �वश्वर ईश्व for medium
student and अरू ईश्व सिच्चदाननआत् for the refined student. वेद gives the
knowledge of God thoroughly, convincingly and doubtlessly. आ�वस्तरा -means

clearly they discover and understand. हस् आमलकवत्पश्यिन. What type of
ईश्व? सवर्शिक उपब्रुिम्. That ईश्व who is omnipotent because of his
मायाशिक्. सवर्शिक उपब्रुिम्. उपब्रुिम् means associated with, endowed with
सवर्शिक - all powers including �श्रि शिक् िस्थ� शिक् लय शिक्:. How great it
should be? We cannot do it. We create children, �श्रि शिक् is there. िस्थ�शिक्-
we don’t know how to raise them properly. It is not easy to create, maintain and
resolve for us. Imagine भगवान ् does �श्रि िस्थ� लयं for the entire cosmos. Such
a भगवान ् one can know with the help of शास् प्रमा.
पञ् प्रमाणा teach a lot and whatever I learn through them is called अपरा �वद्य.
The sixth प्रमाis the capping as finally, through वेद when I know God, it is called
परा�वद्य. Continuing-
एकद्�व�त्रचतुस् बहुपादस्तथापद ।
बह्व् सिन् परु ः सषृ ्टास्तास मे पौरुष �प्र ॥७.२२॥
Our शास् talks about 84 lakhs species, not 84 lakhs living beings but 84 lakhs of
species of living beings of all varieties. To understand the vastness of the universe
and the greatness of God we have to watch all kinds of undersea animals etc. We
could have been any one of them. We could have been an octopus but we are in
BVM. So, to get a human birth, the chance is one in 84 lakhs. LK mentioned the
varieties of the living beings with पाद:, different number of feet. एक पाद: with one
foot, द्� पाद with two feet. �त with three, चतषु ्पाwith four, बहुपाद: more than
four and तथाअपाद:- living beings like reptiles which do not have पाद at all. That is
why in Sanskrit, reptiles are called उरग:. उरसा गच्छ� इ�त उरग:.उरस ् means the
front part of the body. It uses the front of its body to move itself. Without the help
of feet, they can move faster than many other living beings.
बह्व्यःप:�श्रष: the word परु : means living beings or physical bodies, शर�रा�ण.
Plural form. प:ू परौ परु : singular is प:ू रेपान्: स्त्री�:परु :् प:ू परौ परु :परु म्रौ परु :परु :
पभ्या
ू प�ू भर: इ�त रूपा�. Here परु : is प्र बहु वचन meaning शर�रा�ण, the bodies.
How many bodies? बह्व् 84 lakhs varieties of living beings but the crown of all
living beings is the human being. TF, भगवान ् says, among all of them, I love the
human beings. Initially he says so but later, after seeing our behaviour, भगवान ्
himself will wonder whether to love or not. Here he says, ‘I love the human being.’
तासां means among them, पौरुष -the human beings is मे �प्: because they alone
can fullyutilize their birth for the ultimate accomplishment of मो�. In the परु ाणा�न
they talk about मो� for many other living beings also. In Ramayanam we have
जटायम
ु ो�. Similarly, गजेन् मो� etc. There मो�: means freedom from the पापं
because of which they had such a birth. Their मो�: doesn’t mean spiritual
liberation. Spiritual liberation is not possible for any animals, plants etc. They all
should have human birth. In BS, all these topics are discussed. Upon the earth,
only human beings can get मो�. In higher lokas, it is said देवs can gain knowledge
and मो�. TF, the words गजेन्मो�,जटायम
ु ो� etc. should not confuse us as there
the word मो� means freedom from पापं responsible for that particular birth and its
limitations. It is not spiritual liberation which requires �ानं. What knowledge? अहं
ब्रह्मा �ानं which is possible only for human beings. These are all the
fundamentals of वेदान्त we should note. So, पौरुष�प्:. Continuing,
अत मां मागर्यन्त्य यक
ु ्त हेतु�भर�श्वर म ।
गह
ृ ्यमाणैगुर्णै�लर्ङ्गैरग्राह्यम ॥७.२३॥
LK continues with the topic of the glory of human beings. In this profound verse,
LK says that if a human being thinks well, even if he is not able to know the आत्म
completely, can still conclude that there is a mysterious principle in living beings
which makes the BMSC alive and sentient. He may not know what that mysterious
principle is, but he is capable of knowing that there must be something else that is
not accessed by the senses. How can he know that? A human being can employ
profound logic. The first step in that logic is, a person discovers that the external
world and our own BMSC have several similarities. I talk about five similarities
usually, which some of you may remember. दृश्यत भौ�तकत्व सगुणत्वंस�वकारत्
आगमापा�यत्व. I use the word OMACT as an abbreviation.

1. O – The world is also an object of experience, BMSC also is an object I
experience. I experience my body, different parts of the body, mind and
emotions, sense organs and limitations. They are created and so both come
under ‘object’ category.
2. M- both BMSC and the world are made up of matter. Materiality. These are
a bunch of chemicals like iron, potassium, sodium etc. The body consists of
only elements. Both of them are material in nature.
3. A- Both the world and BMSC have attributes, varieties of attributes like
form, colour, smell etc.
4. C- Both of them are changing. The body is changing, the world is also
changing. When you go to sleep, the world disappears and the body also
disappears for the sleeper. Not for others. Both disappear for the sleeper
indicating that both of them are similar in their character. They not only they
appear and disappear, even during a lifetime, the body is continuously
undergoing change. Every twelve years the body is completely revamped.
But ‘I’ continue to be there as a constant factor.
5. T- temporary, subject to arrival and departure. This is common to the world
and BMSC.
From these we come to know that both must be inert in their nature. The world
which is made up of matter and is inert and insentient. Body is also made up of the
same matter only. TF, that also must be जडं only. This is called logical reasoning.
Body is जडं. दृश्यत्वात्भौ�तकत सगुणत्वात सा�वकारत्वात आगमापा�यत्वात. So,
my reasoning makes me conclude that the BMSC must be intrinsically inert. But
our experience is that even though it is made up of matter, we are different from
the statue in marina. The statue is not sentient but this one is sentient. There is
some mysterious factor which makes this body alive. That is how Kenopanishad
begins –
के ने�षतं पत�त प्रे�षतं मनः केन प्राणः प्रथमः प्रै ।

के ने�षतां वाच�ममां वदिन्त च�ुःश्रोत्रं क उ देवो युनि१ ॥
The student gives the same statement to the ग–ुर‘The BMSC seems to contain some
mysterious ,देspiritual
व principle which makes this material body into a non-material,
sentient living being.’ Then the गbegins
ुर the teaching the non-material principle
called आत्म
, the consciousness. It is not a part, product or property of the body. Thus,
human beings can know this much- that every living being has a mysterious
spiritual principle which makes it alive. Modern science can tell whether the body
is alive or dead by seeing the physiological function but no one can explain why it
is alive ordead. That mysterious principle is called आत्म
आत्म, or देव: or ईश्व.
TF LK says, human beings can visualise the presence of divinity inside. Look at
this श्लो
. अत
- means in this material body which is madeupof five elements, मागर्यिन
-the human
beings. Every philosopher whether Socrates or Plato visualised some principle that
they named soul. In the western philosophy they named it soul. Speculatively they
imagined that this is soul, that is soul etc. Humans always think that there is
something extraordinary otherwise the material body cannot be alive. TF, -मागर्यिनthe
human beings look for a principle called soul in their language, or आत्म
in our language,
Atma, a spiritual principle. Having speculated or visualised that mysterious
principle, the aim of every human is to find out what that mysterious principle is.
There alone so many systems of philosophy come. Each one visualises the soul in
his own way. Here LK says, that principle is me. So अत्रम ा , मागर्यिन
people् search for
me meansभगवान
the Lord within. मागर्यन
Some sit in meditation. Some people try to raise kundalini. Some
people look for शिक्तपा.. शिक्तपा; means some गone ुर touches the head of
disciple and a powerful force enters etc. Different systems talk about different
methods. They all are trying to discover the spiritual essence of the individual. TF,
LK says -मागर्यिन
They search for .माम ्. माम ्means भगवान ्अद्धाअद् means straight
away हेतु�भ: यक
ु ्ता by using varieties of reasoning their thinking power they use.
मांईश्वम ्-माम ् and ईश्वम ् should be connected. Everyone is looking for God.
With the help of what? दृश्यमाणै गु: �लङ्ग: : by enquiring into their own
BMSC. Here the word गग ण ु ै ै:: means BMSC which gives the clue that there must
ु ण
be something else. Why because, a statue is not sentient but our body is alive.
There must be some principle other than matter. �लङ्ग : through those clues, they look
for me. :अन
-byम
ु ानत
using their own speculative logic. In BS all these things are there. Is
there or not? One discussion is what is the size of the atma आत्म
आत्म . One group of
philosophers say आत्म
is atomic. Another group of philosophers say आत्म is of the size of the
body. The third group says आत्म is all-pervading. अण
मध
BSु ् analyses all these speculative
systems. Once that analysis is over the next question is how many such आत्म s are there?
Does everyone have one आत्म each or is there one आत्म
common to all? If there is only one आत्म
,
then there are so many bodies? So many discussions are there. The human mind is

philosophical in nature. TF LK says, they go on analyzing because humans are
capable of analysis.
I will only introduce the next verse-
अत्राप्युदाहरन्तीम�म�त परु ातनम ् ।

अवधत
ू स् संवादं यदोर�मततेजसः ॥७.२४॥
Till now, LK has said human beings are the greatest among all living beings. He
also said humans can explore, learn a lot and improve their future using the five
instruments of knowledge within himself and the sixth external instrument. Each
one is called a गुर. Through all these गुरs, one can learn and improve the quality of
life. Hereafter, LK gives the example of someone who has utilised different प्रमा
and ultimately comes to know भगवान ् or आत्म itself. This is the example of a
great brahmana or rishi, whom LK is going to call अवधत
ू :. अवधत
ू : means a
सन्न्या who had renounced everything, left society and is living in the
wilderness. He doesn’t care about anything. He enjoys in his self-knowledge itself.
He doesn’t bother about society or anything including even wearing clothes.
अवधत ू : means the one who doesn’t even wear clothes. Like �दगंबर Jains. Such an
अवधत
ू : ऋ�ष or अवधत
ू �हामणा who has a dialogue with a great king by name यद:ु ,
यदम
ु हाराज:. LK is also from the same परम्पर. यादव वंश:. LK will next talk about
a dialogue between यद ु and अवधत
ू , a great �ानीसन्न्या. This अवधत
ू says, I
learnt everything with the help of all these प्रमाs. I learnt lot of things including
the ultimate wisdom, अहं ब्रह्मा. He has learnt from 24 different sources and he
calls every source a गर
ु . The 24 sources of his learning are called the 24 गर
ु s of
अवधत
ू . The अवधत
ू himself declares these 24 गर
ु s to यदम
ु हाराज. This
यदअ
ु वधत
ू संवाद:, dialogue, LK wants to give uddhava. So, we have the original
dialogue between शख
ु andपर��त्. Within that भागवतं there is second dialogue
between LK and उद्ध. Now, LK is introducing a third dialogue यदअ
ु वधत
ू संवाद.
It is one of the famous portions of भागवत known by the name अवधतगीता
ू . Within

Uddhava Geetha, we are entering the into अवधतगीता
ू which starts from the 24th
verse which we will see in the next class.

Page 28, verse 24-
अत्राप्युदाहरन्तीम�म�त परु ातनम ् ।

अवधत
ू स् संवादं यदोर�मततेजसः ॥७.२४॥
LK first talks about the glory of human life because human beings alone have an
advanced intellect with which they can enquire into the creation and also enquire
into scriptures. Only by using good intellect and knowledge, जीव gets freedom
from संसार. In human life alone, मो� can be our goal and we can direct ourselves
to be कमर्योग, उपासना योगी etc. None of the 84 lakhs of species of जीव can get
liberation other than humans. जटायम ु ो�गजेन् मो� doesn’t mean spiritual
liberation at all. It is freedom from a particular, painful status oflife because of
शाप. गजेन् became गजेन् because of शाप or curse. मो� is freedom from that
particular curse and not freedom from संसार. वेद is clear that मो� requires self-
knowledge. Self-knowledge requires a superior intellect which is available only for
human beings on theearth. I am not talking about devatas because theyare not part
of theearth though devatas can gain knowledge and liberation. On the earth, no
other living beingcan get liberation. If other living beings have to get their
liberation, they have to wait for their सं�चतकमर because all living beings have got
infinite स�
ू म शर�र acquired in some past human life. It is not enough to say past
life, you must say, in past human life. All living beings have acquired infinite
amount of सं�चतकमार्�. All the animals have to wait for a good part of
सं�चतकमार्� to fructify. If a cow or dog needs liberation, they have to wait for
good प्रारब to fructify. It may happen in the next जन् or after 10 जन्s. Every
animal has to wait for the next human जन्. As human beings, we have to desire
liberation. Desiring alone is not enough get the qualification, we need to pursue
liberation, do श्र मनन �न�दध्यासन. All these are possible for humans. That is
why Shankaracharya started his VC जन्तूना नर जन्दल
ु र्ब.
Here too LK wants to highlight the superiority of human birth. Because of his
superior intellect and sense organs he is able to acquire �ानं. Since the intellect

helps one acquire �ानं, LK treats the intellect as the first and foremost गुर of
oneself. With the help of intellect alone we are able to learn. Even if वेद is willing
to give this self-knowledge, वेद or an acharya can give self-knowledge only if one
has the intellect to process the teaching. A गर ु can become a गर ु only if my
intellect has the capacity to process the teaching. LK highlights the role of the
intellect in this portion. It is a very beautiful verse. If I have to look at my own
face, I need a mirror. If the mirror has to show me my face, I require eyes.
Similarly, यस् नािस् स्वय प् शास्त तस् करो�त �कं ? If a person doesn’t have a
refined, mature intellect, even the best गुर cannot give him knowledge. लोचनाभ्या
�वह�नस् दपर्: �कंक�रष्य�? What can a mirror do for a person who doesn’t have
eyes? A mirror can become a mirror only if I have eyes. गुर can become a गुर only
if I have the intellect to receive the knowledge and understand it. Uniquely, in this
portion LK gives more importance to the intellect, more than even the external
शास्त and गुर. शास्त and गुर are able to do their function only because of a
prepared intellect. Also, if the intellect is not mature, thevery teaching will be mis-
interpreted by the student and will generate a wrong tradition.
In छान्दोग्यउप�न, we have the story of इन् and �वरोचन, two disciples, who go
to ब्र. You can imagine the best गुर in the world can be ब्र only. ब्र teaches
both इन् and �वरोचनbut �वरोचन misunderstands the teaching and concludes the
physical body alone is the आत्म and also creates an उप�नषद्परम् called
आसरु परम्प. Remember, the best गर
ु can be a गर
ु only if the �शष् has a
processing intellect. इन् also commits the samemistake and concludes the body is
the आत्म but इन् is more sattvic than �वरोचन so he comes back and says आत्मis
the स�
ू म शर�र. Then he comes back a third and fourth time and finally gains the
knowledge. TF,ब्रह्म himself cannot do anything if the �शष् doesn’t have a
refined, processing intellect. The same उप�नषद has so many commentaries. While
we are able to arrive atअद्वैत, the highest teaching, some other आचायार: conclude
that the teaching of the उप�नषद is द्वैत. So, remember, even Bhagavan cannot help
us if we don’t have a refined and analytical intellect. TF, LKwants to highlight the

glory of the intellect as the first and the last गुरin this portion. This doesn’t mean
the external गुर is not required but means that even the external गुर can become a
गर
ु only if I, the student has a proper intellect.
To support this message, he gives an exclusive teaching which is called

अवधतगीता
ू . भागवतं has several गीता: like उद्धवगीत,जायन्तेयगीत which is
taught in आिस्त समाजं. Within UG itself, there are three गीता: - अवधतगीता
ू
which we are entering now, then, हं सगीता and the last one is �भ�ागीता.
ू is to show how a refined intellect can learn from the world, from every
human being, from nature and from शास्त also. All learning can happen only if our
intellect is not in a reactive mode but remains in a learning mode. Our mind can be
in one of these two modes. I need not react to every event. I can keep my mind
calm even during the worst calamity and just process the learning. We can learn to
process the worst events just like processing poison and inventing anti venom
against snake poison. We can use every experience and instead of reacting
violently, every experience can be used for learning. Thus, the greatness of the
human intellect is the message of अवधतगीता ू . LK begins teaching उद्ध this
ू through a dialogue between another pair. अवधत
ू is considered to be an
अवतार of द�ात्र. This द�ात्रेयअवध who is a संन्यास has renounced everything
including clothes and has gone out of society. Such an अवधत
ू was there in the
outskirts of the society and a great king यदम
ु हाराज met this अवधत
ू the
संन्यास,during his travels. Instead of criticizinghim or questioning him, यदम
ु हाराज
chooses to learn from अवधता
ू . He asksquestions and the अवधत ू says, ‘I have learnt
from so many sources. I am a liberated being. I don’t require possessions, relations
or anything because I am आत्मन एव आत्मन तुष्:’.I am happy with myselfas I
am. अवधतगीता
ू begins from verse 24 and consists of 18 verses and continues for
the rest of the second chapter, the third and the fourth chapters.
LK, says अत- with reference to this message. What message? A non-reacting an
open mind can learn from many things from nature.We can learn from every event

in life, from our own calamitous experiences. उदाहरिन् -w.r.t this message,
इ�तहासं परु ातनम ् - thisold इ�तहास or episode. What episode? अवधत
ू स्संवादं
dialogue between अवधत ू संन्यास and यदम ु हाराज who is अ�मततेजस: - a brilliant
king, not only brilliant physically but also in his personality and mind. I shall
share this संवाद with you. Continuing, 20.36-
अवधतं
ू द्�वजंकिञ्चच्चरन्तमकुतोभ
क�वं�नर��यतरुणंयदुःपप्रच्छधमर्७.२५॥
यदम
ु हाराज on his wandering met this अवधत
ू द�ात्र who is अवधतं
ू द्�वज. द्�व
means one who is a वै�दक: who has studied the वेद. द्�व: means twice born. The
first birth is natural, the secondbirth is after initiation into Vedic study. Since Vedic
studies transform the personality it is called the second birth of the individual.
Every person who has studied the scriptures and has transformed his inner
personality is called a द्�व:. So, अवधतं ू द्�वज. अवधत ू literally means a सन्न्या
who has renounced everything. His most important trait is अकुतोभयं – the one who
doesn’t have any fear or sense of insecurity because one of the definitions of संसार
is sense of insecurity which starts from birth and continues with fear of old age,
disease etc. As we grow old, insecurity doesn’t come down but only increases.
This isa typical expression of संसार. TF, the best definitionof मो� is freedom from
the sense of insecurity and this सन्न्या is in the forest doesn’t know where his
next mealis going to come from. If he falls sick, who will take him to hospital who
will give himmedicine? He is in a secluded life. His mental trait is beautifully put-
अकुतोभयं one who doesn’t have fear or anything. क�वं- all because he is a �ानी.
क�व: means सवर्:.क�वंपण
ू र्मनुसा�दतार if you remember BG 8 chapter, thereक�व:
th
means सवर्. Every �ानी is said to be सवर्: because एक �व�ानेन सवर �व�ानं
भव�त. That �ानी. तरुण. That is a surprise because generally people come to the
scriptures only after exhausting all their worldly activities, when everybody has
rejected one good for nothing. I am not criticizing senior citizens. Generally,
interest in spirituality is hard to get when one is young. It comes only in later
stages. यद ु says, surprisingly you are not old. तरुण- you are youthful. Seeing an

अवधत
ू सन्न्या, धमर्�वत्य: the यदम
ु हाराज who knows the value of धमर �ानं
addressed this अवधत
ू सन्न्या in the following verse. We will read.
श्रीयदुरु
कुतोबद
ु ्�ध�रयंब्रह्मन्नकतुर्ःसु�व
यामासाद्यभवाल्लोकं�वद्वांश्चर�तबाल७.२६॥
The glory of our country is that it has always produced great सन्न्या� and
�ा�नन who have been an example to the society by their very living. Generally,
the human mind thinks that to feel secure we require lots of possessions. This is
calledमोह: that we require अनात्म,external possessions, to feel secure. This is the
conclusion of the general humanity. Only when we see an exception will we
challenge our conclusion. The exceptions are those rare सन्न्या� who don’t feel
insecure, who are not disturbed even though they don’t have any possession at all.
No house, no bank balance, no insurance, no relations. Still, they don’t seem to
worry about their old age and death. When these exceptions are seen, at least some
thinking minds will wonder if really those possessions bring security? Many
people despite all their possessions are insecure. Our mind has to think- even with
possessions, people are insecure but some rare people are secure even without
possessions. So, is there a connection between possessions and security?
According to वेद, connecting possession and security is the greatest मोह.
भजगो�वन्द भजगो�वन्द गो�वन्द भज मढ
ू मते. Thinking that there is a connection
between possession and security is the greatest मोह.सवर भता
ू �न संमोहं सग� यािन्
परन्त. LK says in the BG that all living beings have this fundamental
misconception. What वेद wants to say is, the greatest security is आत्म�ान. न
�भभे�त कुतश्चने�.अभयं प्र�तष् �वन्दत. External possessions and security have no
connection. Security is connected to our internal possessions. The greatest
possession is �वद्य धनं सवर धनात् प्रधा. द्र�व सवचर्स म । सम ु ेधा
ृ ��तः ।�ानं alone can give security is the message of the वेद. Nothing outside
अमतो
can give security. The संन्यास is a model example. सरु मिन्द तर मल
ू �नवास:शय्य
भत
ू ल �मजनं वासः. He has nothing but he still feels secure.

Now, यद ु wants to know what is the source of security for this सन्न्या. हेब्रह्-
हे �हामणा or ब्रह्म�.According to the Upanishads, only a ब्रह्म� deserves the
title ब्राह:. कुत:स�ु वशारदाबद
ु ्�: - from where did you acquire this internal
wealth of �ानं?यद ु seems to know that �ानं is wealth. अकत:ुर even though you
don’t seem to pursue knowledge, you are satisfied with your presence in the place
that youare. You don’t even have a desire to move about. You are happy with
where you are. स�ु वशारदा - very clear knowledge. याम ्आसाद्: -acquiring this
knowledge you seem to freely roam. The moment you have some possessions, you
lose your freedom. I went to a pilgrim place upon a hill. There I saw a man who
had renounced everything. He had made his abode under an overhanging rock. He
had put a gate and a lock to keep his few possessions safe. He is afraid he will lose
them and so he has a key for security. I am not asking us to be like अवधत ू . I am
just thinking aloud that a human being can be secure without all these things also.
TF, यां आसाद्- having attained the greatest inner wealth, which he need not lock.
It is not as if someone can drill a hole and take away my ब्र�ानं.�ानं cannot be
stolen by anyone. So याम ्आसाद्भवान ् लोकं चर�त - you are freely moving about
on earth as a wise person, बालवत् -like a baby.Just as a baby enjoys itself
thoroughly you seem to enjoy life without wrinkles or lines on the forehead. Every
line indicates our anxiety. Continuing,
प्रायोधमार्थर्कामेषु�व�वत्सायांचमा
हेतुनव
ै समीहन्तआयुषोयशसः�श्र७.२७॥
यदमु हाराज talks about the unique trait of this �ानीसन्न्या by contrasting him
with the entire humanity which is busy running about and acquiring more and
more. Endlessly. प्र: means generally or mostly, मानवा: समीहन्त- the whole
humanity is leading a competitive life. They are engaged in pursuing
धमर्अथर्कामे.हेतन
ु ा- for one of the following reasons. आयष
ु : - long life, यशसः - for
prestige and good name in the society, �श्र proportional wealth also because if
am going to have a long life then the question is, ‘Will I outlive my savings?’ This
is human life but you don’t seem to care about all these things.

त्वंतुकल्पःक�वदर्�ःसुभगोऽमृतभाष
नकतार्नेहसे�किञ्चज्जडोन्म��पशाच७.२८॥
यद ु says that you have all the qualifications to work very hard in the world and
acquire more. त्व तु कल्: you are a fit and healthy human being. क�व: - you are a
well-educated person.द�: you are a skilled person. सभग
ु : - a handsome
personality, attractive personality. अमतभा
ृ षणः good communication skills, sweet
talking. नकतार -inspite of all these things you seem to waste your life without fully
utilizing all your assets. You don’t seem to be working for anything.न ईहसे
�किञ्चत- you don’t seem to have any desires also. प्रजहा यदा कामान ् सवार्न पाथर
मनोगतान ्. Youare moving about like जडउन्म��पशाचवत. जड: means a dumb
person. You look like a dumb person not utilizing your assets. उन्म means like a
mad person or �पशाचवत्. At least you could have marketed your knowledge. You
seem to be moving here and there without any plan. All these are यद ु addressing
अवधत
ू :. Continuing,
�ानेषद
ु ह्यमानेषुकामलोभदवािग्नन
नतप्यसेऽिग्ननामुक्तोगङ्गाम्भःस्थइव७.२९॥
Most of humanity is driven by two internal forces, काम, लोभ: which drive a
human being into one activity or the other. काम means endless desires. These days
we are constantly bombarded by all the ads. If you shop online, and you search for
something, ads will be targeted based on your search so that you are shown more
and more related products. Thus, advertisements are bombarding which means
your desires are whipped up and your desires increase. That is काम. That is
followed by लोभ, greed for still more. Still more. Still more. Desire and greed
spread among humans like दवािग्नन. दवािग् means forest fire. यदम
ु हाराज says,
�ानेषद
ु ह्यमानेष- “When the entire humanity is driven by desire and greed, you
seem to be a rare exception. Neither desire nor greed is scorching your personality
and you seem to be very relaxed.” No commercial seems to catch you. It is very
difficult to be impenetrable. When you see akshaya triteeya ads and designs of
ornaments, I myself get tempted. I don’t know why they are so attractive. He says,
“You seem to be very cool and unaffected by so many temptations in the world.”
अिग्नन मक ु ्त – free of the अिग् - the internal fire of desire and greed. They don’t
scorch you and you look like an elephant in the water during summer season when
all other animals are scorched. He gives a beautiful example. When the entre
humanity is scorched by desire and greed you are in the lake of �ानं. You are �ान
सारस. गन्ङ्ग अम्बस इव द्�व:. द्�व: means elephant in गङ्ग waters. Why
गङ्ग? गङ्ग waters come from the Himalayas and is very cool. Continuing,
त्वं�हनःपृच्छतांब्रह्मन्नात्मन्यानन
ब्रू�हस्पशर्�वह�नस्यभवतःकेवला७.३०॥
You don’t have any source of entertainment like TV, movie. You have no friends
or relatives, no relationship. There is no source of conventional joy like a
companion, children etc. but looking at your face, I don’t find you a deprived
person. You seem to be blooming with fullness. You don’t miss anything. You are
पण
ू :र and your face is full of आनन्. Please tell methe source of your आनन्.
नःपच
ृ ्छतात्व ब्रू -may you share your secret with me, says यद ु राजा.हे ब्रह् means
o ब्रह्म� आत्म� आनन् कारण-ं your source of joy. According to the scriptures
there are external and internal sources of joy. First, वेद talks about �वषयानन् and
आत्मानन. �वषयानन् means happiness coming from outside and आत्मानन is
happiness from inside. Then, वेद compares the two and says internal आनन् is
superior to the external one because the external is subject to laws. Finally, in the
highest वेदान्त, it says, there is no such thing as external source of आनन्. Even
the so-called external source is only a seeming source. It only serves as a mirror to
bring out your own internal आनन्. TF, the only source of आनन्, (remember the
five capsulesof वेदान्त) is the आत्म alone, which is the source of permanent,
peace, security and happiness. यद ु says, आत्म� आनन् कारणं –tell me what is the
source of your inner joy, even though स्पशर्�वह�न – you are not contacting the
external world through sense organs. We constantly we want to be in touch with

someone or theother. We will renounce everything except our mobile phones. That
is the आत्म. That is the contact to external world. You don’t seem to be having a
mobile phone स्पशर्�वह�न and केवलात्मन you don’t have any relationships
either. Tell me,how doyou enjoy within yourself. This is the question of यद.ु The
अवधत ू has to answer that. That is the अवधतगीता
ू which we will start in the next
class.

Page 30, Verse 30-

त्वं�हनःपृच्छतांब्रह्मन्नात्मन्यानन
ब्रू�हस्पशर्�वह�नस्यभवतःकेवला७.३०॥
The first chapter of UG ends with उद्ध telling LK who is ready to go back to
वैकुण् that he cannot live without LK and hence LK must take him along too. The
second chapter begins with LK telling उद्ध that he cannot accompany LK yet
and has to wait until his प्रार is over. LK says that the only out of संसार is
�ानयोग. Self-knowledge is the ultimate immunity from all problems of life. Other
methods may give temporary relief. They are like first-aid methods- palliative,
superficial solutions. The only way to confront life especially old age, disease,
death, loss of near and dear ones if through self-knowledge. LK says, self-
knowledge is understanding that I am the ultimate reality behind the entire
universe. अहं ब्र अिस्. Not only am I the ultimate reality but nothing in
creation can exist without my support. Justas the entire dream world is supported
by the waker, the entire waker’s world is supported by me who is the super-waker.
So, wake up to your higher nature, your super-waker status which supports the
entire universe which is like dream from the standpoint of the super waker.
To become eligible to realise the Self, one must prepare the mind by getting rid of
all attachments called raga and dvesha. LK says you should become a detached
person even while remaining in the family. LK condenses the entire �ानयोग as the
only solution to live in the world with minimum impact from life events which are
unpredictable and uncontrollable. उद्ध says that we are not qualified and seeks
LK’s help to get the knowledge �ानयोग्यत प्राि: and �ानप्राि:. We require
SCS disciplines for ignorancedectomy- removal of self-ignorance. उद्ध
surrenders to the Lord and says �शष्यस् अहं शाद� मां you please help me out.
Then, the Lord starts his teaching by glorification of human birth. Among the 84
lakhs species only human beings have the capacity to gain Self-knowledge. For
this reason alone, human birth is great. We have to be grateful to the Lord for this
human birth. Since human intellect is capable of gathering knowledge from life
and capableof removing ignorance, the intellect is the first and foremost गुर. All
our teachers are called गुर because they are all knowledge-givers and ignorance-
removers. By extending that, we said every प्रमा, instrument of knowledge is a
गरु . So, every sense organ is a गर
ु . The first and foremost गर
ु is our intellect. If a
teacher talks about UG eloquently to a buffalo, what is the use? A good teacher
cannot be a गर ु unless the �शष् has the intellect to convert the words into
knowledge. गुर converts his knowledge into words because गुर can never directly
hand over the knowledge. Then his words have to enter into intellect of the �शष्.
Then the �शष् must be able to reconvert every sentence into knowledge. In fact,
converting knowledge into words is relatively easier because that is a downward
journey of travel from higher plane to lower plane. But for a �शष्, it is an uphill
task of converting words into knowledge. That is why though there are many
students in a class, one says it was wonderful, I understood and another says
everything went above my head. TF, a गुर can become a गुर only when the �शष्
has the intellect to process the teaching. LK gives a unique message here, which is
not there in the BG. That message is that the most important गुर is one’s own
intellect. There is a beautiful श्लोक which conveys this यस् नािस् स्वय प्र
शास्त तस् करो�त �कं ?If a person doesn’t have the intellect to understand the
scriptures, what can the scriptures do? A beautiful example is given लोचानाभ्या
�वह�नस् दपर्ण �कंक�रष्य�if you keep a mirror in front of a blind person, it still
can’t help him see. The शास्त mirror can help a student only if he has got the eye
called intelligence to grasp. So बद
ु ्� is the first and foremost गुर. LK talks about
the glory of the human intellect which can learn from every experience, even from
old age. What is the learning? The body is not reliable. Don’t be over dependent on
the body. This important lesson we never learn when we are young. We take health
for granted, the body for granted, every organ for granted. Old age alone reveals
that they are not permanently available. So, even old age can teach a lesson if I am
in a learning mode.
To reveal the glory of the intellect, LK introduces a story in the form of another
dialogue called अवधतगीता
ू , within the उद्धवगीत, whichis between यदम ु हाराजा

and an अवधत
ू . The अवधत
ू has renounced everything including his clothes. Not
only is he a great संन्यास but a great �ानी too. He remains joyous even though he
doesn’t have any conventional sources of joy like food, house, fashionable clothes,
car, TV or smart phone. While we cannot imagine a life without social interaction,
without communication or without relationships, here is a joyous अवधत ू in a God-
forsaken place without any of the things we need. According to our materialistic
standards he must be the most miserable person in the world but to the surprise of
यदमु हाराजा he seems to be happier than people with all possessions, all relations
and all gadgets of sense pleasures. यदम
ु हाराजा asks him what is your source of joy?
He says, I have used my intellect to learn from life. One of the most important
lessons is emotional dependence on external factors including our body and sense
organs is the riskiest thing in life because none of them are permanent.
पर��यलोकान ् कमर �चतान ् �हामणो �नव�दमायात्. TF, I should use my intellect to
understand the limitation of the world which is called अपरा �वद्य and learn to
depend on myself.
सव� परवशं द:ु खं सव� आत्मवश सख

ु ं- dependence is sorrow, independence is आनन्:,
especially emotional independence. एतद्�वद् समासेन ल�णं सख ु द:ु खयो: this is
the definition of sorrow and happiness. Dependence is sorrow. Independence is
happiness. I should depend only on my own higher nature, which is the most
reliable entity, called सिच्चदानन आत् andnot depend on the perishable
component called the body, sense organs or the world.
With the help of intellect, I should know the limitations of the world and the glory
of self-knowledge. I should discover my higher nature. The अवधत ू says, I have
done that. Life mission accomplished. आत्मन एव आत्मन तुष्:in BG. अजुर्asked
LK, ‘What are the signs of a spiritually wise person? How does he walk? How he
does he sit? He thought there would be physical differences. Perhaps a �ानी will
walk backwards or sideways like a spider or he will have a halo around his head.
LK says no physical differences. The difference is only internal. प्रजहा यता
कामान ् सवार्न पाथर मनोगतान ्.He doesn’t desperately lean on anything. He is ready

to lose anything in life that is losable. The one who is prepared to lose the losable
is wise, according to वेदान्त.
In verse 30, यदम

ु हाराजा asks the अवधत
ू , the संन्यास, who is Lord द�ात्र. त्व न �ह
पच
ृ ्छता ब्रह्.यदम
ु हाराजा addresses the sanyasi as, हे ब्रह् हे �हामणा which can
mean a Brahmin or a �ानी. A �ानी no matter what his birth, can be called a
�हामणा. चाण्डा अस्तु तु द्�व गर
ु ु�रत्ये मनीषा मम|| Irrespective of his caste,
any person can be called a �हामणा if he has ब्रह्म�. जन्मन जायते शद
ु : कमर्ण
द्�व उच्यत वेद पाठे न �वप्रस्य ब्राह्मणो वेदान्त. Everybody is a शद
ु by birth.
A person becomes a real �हामणा only by ब्रह्म�. हे ब्रह्, �ानी, आत्मन आनन्
कारणं ब्रू- tell me the source of your happiness because your facial expression
reveals joy. The surprising thing is स्पशर्�वह�न- you don’t have contact with the
external world. You don’t have any things but you are very happy with yourself.
केवल आत्म: -upon your non-dual self. You are a संन्यास externally as well. The
अवधत
ू answers. LK is introducing that next.
यदन
ु वं
ै महाभागोब्रह्मण्येनसुमे
पषृ ्टःसभािजतःप्राहप्रश्रयावनत७.३१॥
श् भगवान ् उवाच-LK addressed उद्ध. Remember, this is a dialogue with a

dialogue. हेउद्ध, यदन
ु ा एवं पषृ ्: when यदम
ु हाराजा addressed the अवधत
ू in this
manner, (पषृ ्: in the second line). Here LK also talks about the glory of
यदम
ु हाराजाwho is ब्रह्मण. The word ब्रह्मis a very beautiful title. Lord
Subramanya himself is called शोभनं ब्रह्म यस् स:. ब्रह्म literally means a
king who supports all the �हामणा who are engaged in researching into various
branches of science and propagating education through varieties of गर
ु ुकुल. In the
olden days every गुरुकुल was a research centre. They talk about Nalanda,
dakshasila etc. where people from all over the world used to come to India and

study. India supported research into तकर मीमांसा व्याकरण म. So much research used
to happen because kings used to support research and research scholars were great,
dedicated �हामणा:. In the olden days, in India, all the ��त्र: understood the
importance of research. They promoted गर ु ुकुल like Nalanda Dakshasila all over.
We have so many theorms which are attributed to western scholars but were
already there in Sanskrit language. TF, �हामणा means promoters of knowledge.
The king used to visit every गर
ु ुकुल and meet the आचायर and would make sure they
were provided with everything they needed. So, यदम
ु हाराजा is called ब्रह्मण.
ब्रह्मण्येनसुम - यदम
ु हाराजा himself was an intelligent and learned king. Not
only did he ask प्र अवतनं -thereafter, in spite of being a king he did नमस्का to
the संन्यास. प्र अवतनं means with respect, bowing down to the अवधत
ू , he
asked. The अवधत
ू is called, महाभाग: द्�व: the fortunate one. द्�वज means a
�हामणा, सभािजतः means honoured, respected, worshipped. Continuing,
श्रीब्राह्म
सिन्तमेगुरवोराजन्बहवोबुद्ध्युप�श
यतोबद
ु ्�धमुपादायमुक्तोऽटामीहतान्शृ७.३२॥
The ब्राह,that is the द�ात्र अवधत

ू : उवाच -addressed यदम
ु हाराजा. हे राजन ्- O
King, मे भगव: गुरव: सिन् -I have so many गुरव: strewn all over the world.
यत्:बद
ु ्�म ् उपादाय- from whom I have gathered knowledge about so many things
including धमर शास्त and ब्रह्म�व ideas. यत: बद ु ्�म ्- the word बद
ु ्� should be
translated as knowledge not intellect. From them, I gathered valuable lessons and
having gained both धमर्�ान and ब्रह्म�,मक ु ्: अटा�म- means I have got moksha.
Split it as मक
ु ्: अटा�मइह otherwise you willread it as मक
ु ्तटा�म. Where is टा�म
coming from? It is not टा�म, it is मक
ु ्: अटा�मइह. तान्शृण. The अवधत
ू uses the
word बद
ु ्� उपा�श्र- they have become my गर
ु as I processed by my intellect. An
apple can become a गुर only when it goes through a processing intellect. A mere
apple cannot become a गुर. That event should pass through a thinking intellect. TF,

he uses the word बद
ु ्� उपा�श्र: depending on learning capacity. I have converted
them into a गुर. The word the बद
ु ्� उपा�श्र: is an important adjective. तान्शृण-
First, I will enumerate the गरु व: and then I will explain each गरु व: teaching. The
following two श्लोक: are the enumeration of the गरु व:. There are 24 गरु व:. From
the 37th verse we will get each गर
ु and the lesson. These two श्लोक: are just listing
out the 24 गुरव:. We will read.
प�ृ थवीवायरु ाकाशमापोऽिग्नश्चन्द्रमा

कपोतोऽजगरः�सन्धुःपतङ्गोमधुकृद्ग७.३३॥
मधह
ु ाह�रणोमीनः�पङ्गलाकुररोऽभर्क
कुमार�शरकृत्सपर्ऊणर्ना�भःसुपेशकृ७.३४॥
In the 33rd verse, line one, seven 7 गुरs are enumerated starting with the
पञ्चभूता�. The five elements themselves can give valuable lessons if you observe
them. प�ृ थवी the earth, वाय:ू the wind, आकाशं the space, आप waters अिग्: the fire,
चन्द् moon, र�व the sun. The second line lists six गुरs. कपोत: pigeon, अजकर:
python, �सन्:ध the river, sea or ocean, पतङ्: the moth, मधक
ु ृ त् honeybees, गज:
elephant. So, 7 + 6 = 13 गुरव: in verse 33.
In verse 34, line one, six गुरs are enumerated. मधह

ु ा- the one who collects the
honey from the honeycomb by driving away or killing bees, ह�रण: the deer, मीना:
the fish, �पङ्गल is the name of a woman, कुरर: is another type of fish eating bird,
अभर्: a baby or child. In the next line कुमार�- a young girl, शरकृत्- the one who
makes an arrow, सपर: a snake other than अजकर:. अजकर: is also a snake, but a
python. ऊणर्ना�- spider, सपे
ु शकृत् a type of worm called भ्र कृत. So, inthe
34thश्लोक6+5=11 गुर so totally 13+11=24. Now, he will take each one and point
out what lesson he learnt which we will study from the next class onwards.

Lesson 19 Chapter 2 Verses 34 to 37
Page 31, verse 33,
प�ृ थवीवायरु ाकाशमापोऽिग्नश्चन्द्रमा

कपोतोऽजगरः�सन्धुःपतङ्गोमधुकृद्ग७.३३॥
मधह
ु ाह�रणोमीनः�पङ्गलाकुररोऽभर्क
कुमार�शरकृत्सपर्ऊणर्ना�भःसुपेशकृ७.३४॥
In my introduction to गीता, I had pointed out that all the परु ाणा�न contain the
message which has been fundamentally given in the वेदा:, the original scriptures
called श्रु. All other Hindu scriptures are called स्मृ� which are derived from the
वे�दक् teaching and so they very closely follow the teachings of the वेद and
व्यासाचाय who is the author of most of the परु ाणा�न is called वेदव्यास:. His aim
was to promote वे�दक् teaching through परु ाणं and गीता. वेद has two portions called
वेदपवर
ू which focuses on धमर्शास् and वेदअन् which focuses on ब्रह्मशा.
धमर्शास् consists of three important exercises or activities in the form of

सद्कमार्, सद्गुण: and सद्भावन. सद्कमार् means noble actions, सद्गुण:
means noble values or virtues and सद्भावन: means noble attitudes. सद्कमार्+
सद्गुण: + सद्भावन is धमर्शास्. When a human being all these three together he
is called Hindu, or the traditional name, a वै�दक:. वै�दक: means the follower of the
वेदा: or वे�दक् teaching. If a वै�दक or Hindu follows this धमर्शास्, it promises
three-fold benefits. Each benefit is highlighted according to the level of the
student. The first benefit is avoidance of प्रत्यवायप. वेद prescribes धमर as a
compulsory duty. सद्कमार्, सद्गुण: and सद्भावन: are not optional things.
According to वेद, theyare to be followed by every human being, especially by
every वै�दक. To be a वै�दक, we have to compulsorily pay the tax of सद्कमार्,
सद्गुण: सद्भावन:. धमर is �व�हतं. धमर is �नयतं. Every वै�दक will have to

compulsorily do it. Violation of धमर is called �व�हत कम�, omission of duty for
which one will attract penalty. Penalty is पापं. पापं means forfeiting the human
birth. That means, in the current जन्, we will lose the advantageof being a Hindu,
being a वै�दक. Losing that advantage is one punishment. The second one is that in
the next birth we will not even get human birth. TF, वेद gives a warning. If you
want to enjoy the advantage of human birth in the current जन् and if you want to
get a human birth in the next जन्, you better follow this. The language of fear is
used because it usually works well. The first benefit of following धमर is avoidance
of प्रत्यवायप and the second benefit is material prosperity. धमर will give all types
of benefits. LK says श्र: परम ् अवाप्स्. श्र means all round well-being. The
third benefit is spiritual growth, which is an invisible, internal transformation.
Hereafter, whenever I say धम,र you should remember the equation धम= र noble
actions+ noble values+ noble attitude which gives three-fold benefits. The third
benefit, the spiritual benefit expresses in two-fold forms. One is desire for spiritual
knowledge which is not easy. There are so many people in Madras but not
everyone comes to गीता. The few people here could have spent the time on many
other pursuits like movies, beach etc. This very desire for spiritual knowledge is
because of a धा�मर्क way of life. If a person says, ‘Swamiji, I have not done in this
जन्,’ then, you would have surely done धमर in the previous जन्. The second
benefit is opportunity for spiritual knowledge. Many people have desires but no
opportunity. Many people have opportunity but they don’t even feel inclined to
even peep into the hall. They can at least come for some प्रसा but they just look at
it and move away. If both interest and opportunity come, that is the benefit of
धमर्शास. Once interest and opportunity come, spiritual knowledge is not far away.
Thus, धमर्शास् gives �ानयोग्यत. ब्रह्मशा gives �ानं. So, धमश
र ास्त+ ब्रह्मशा
= �ानयोग्यत=�ानं. �ानयोग्यत means fitness for knowledge, �ानं means
knowledge itself which is मो�: in this current जन् itself.
All the परु ाणा�न, and all the गीता: in the परु ाणा�न like RG,BG etc. focus on the
वे�दक् teaching of धमर्शास्+ ब्रह्मशा. गीताs contain both of them. These धमरs are

taught in the परु ाणा�न under some pretext or the other, through one story or the
other. The aim of the student is not only receiving these values but also to sincerely
implement these values. Instead of mechanically listening to them, I try to follow
them in my day to day of life of धम.र We need not bother about how much we
succeed. It may be 1%, 50% or 90%. The important thing is our sincere effort.
The अवधत
ू , the सन्न्या, is talking about the 24 गुरव: through whom he learnt
सद्कमार् सद्गुण: सद्भावन: and वेदािन्तक messages. We have to focus on what
he learnt so that we may also practice. Scriptural study is not for information but
for transformation, especially transformation in thought, speech and of course
actions. Self-transformation in thought, word and deed should be the aim.
In verse 35, the अवधत

ू will talk about each of the 24 गरु व: in the same order that
he mentioned them in Verse 33 and 34.
एतेमेगरु वोराजन्चतु�व�श�तरा�श्रत
�श�ाव�ृ ��भरेतेषामन्व�श��महात्मन७.३५॥
हे राजन ्, हेयद ु महाराजा,एतेमेगरु वो:आ�श्र: I have resorted to the above mentioned

24 गरु व: though they did not deliberately teach me. They cannot teach because
many of them are in the form of inert objects like प�ृ थवीवायज ू लं etc. The अवधतू
means that because of his intellect he has extracted the teaching by observing their
nature, functions etc. अवधत ू wants to convey that the human intellect is
fantastically endowed with the skill to learn from any experience. In fact, painful
experiences can teach more than pleasurable experiences if only one has a learning
mode to convert. TF, these are all indirectly glorifying the human intellect and
how it can convert life itself into a university. TF, he says आ�श्र: I resorted to
them and extracted the teaching. चतु�व�श�त- 24, आ�श्र:resorted to, एतेषां व�ृ ��भ: -
by observing their nature and functions. �श�ा:अन्व�स�. �श�ा; means lesson. �श�ा
means lesson but punishment is also called �श�ा because punishment is also
supposed to be given for teaching us a lesson. Punishment is not for punishment’s
sake. It is meant for reforming an individual. The primary meaning is lesson,

derived from the root �श�् first conjugation आत्मन पद �श�ते -to learn. अन्व�श�-
I learnt the following lessons from the functions of these 24. इह- in this life.
आत्म: for my own benefit, my own internal growth. Ultimately according to
scriptures, the quality of our life heavily depends upon what I am and not on what I
have. A person may have many properties and still be miserable because his
children are quarrelling before his death. TF, possessions do not give the quality.
The internal personality of liberated people called जीवन्मुिक whoare संन्या�स:
who do not possess anything have the best quality of life. They enjoy the best
quality singing अहं अन्न अहं अन्ना: अहं श्लोककृत मै एव सकलं जातं they don’t
know where their next meal will come from. Living on �भ�ा,vno bank balance, no
LIC, no medical insurance, nothing. They enjoy the biggest wealth of द्र�व
सवचर्सं�वद् दनं सवर दानात् प्रदा. They have the inner wealth which has
transformed their life. I am not asking you to renounce the possessions but the
message is, ‘What I am is more important than what I have.’ Continuing,
यतोयदन�ु श�ा�मयथावानाहुषात्मज
त�थापर
ु ुषव्याघ्र�नबोधकथया�७.३६॥
हे नाहुषआत्मज-नाहुषा: is यद ु महाराजा’s father whose original name is ययाती.

ययाती is called नाहुषा because he is the son of नहुषामहाराजा:. नहुषा is the
grandfather, ययाती is the father, यद ु महाराजा is the grand child. TF, he is called
नाहुषाआत्मज. हे यद ु महाराजा not only are you the king, पर ु ुषव्य: you are the
tiger among human beings indicating he was a great king both as a ruler as well as
a dharmic person. कथया�म ते - I shall talk about the lessons that I learnt from each
one of the 24 गुरव:. �नबोध- may you learn from me. यत्:यत्अन�ु श�ा�म -
whatlessons I learnt from which गुर, I shall enumerate, यथा गुरो: यत्- यत् means
�श�ा, lessons, अन�ु श�ा�म-I learnt, तत् तथा �नबोध - may you learn it exactly as I
mentioned. Hereafter, we are going to get the enumeration of each गुर and the
lessons learnt. The actual teaching starts from verse 37. All the 24 गुरव: will be
covered elaborately from verse 37 until the end of chapter two and in the entire

chapter three and 4th chapter up to verse 23. So, 2-37 to 4-23 is the enumeration of
the गुरव: and the lessons.
भत
ू ैराक्रम्यमाणोऽ�पधीरोदैववशानुग
तद्�वद्वान्नचलेन्मागार्दन्व�श�ं��ते७.३७॥
What he learnt from the first गर

ु earth, प�ृ थवी will be described in verse 37 and 38.
The first and main lesson he learnt is �मा or �ािन्: otherwise called �त�त�ा. This
is a very important virtue which every human being compulsorily requires. In the
BG, LK introduces this value which I am never tired of quoting. I have quoted it
so many times that you would have got the verse by heart by now.
A lot of people are chanting. I am very happy. What is the value of �त�त�ा? I
would like to define �त�त�ा as emotional immunity which is required exactly like
physical immunity. In medical science they talk about developing immunity. One
of the warnings they give is, a life of stress will damage the inbuilt immunity
which Bhagavan has given us right from birth. Now our scriptures say, we talk
about only the immunity of the body. Equally important is the immunity of the
emotional mind. Just as the body is facing a difficult atmosphere, our mind is also
exposed to all types of people, all types of behavior including family members’
behavior. The mind is continuously challenged by difficult people and difficult
behavior. If there is no emotional immunity, all these situations will cause
emotional disturbances in the form of stress, anxiety, fear etc. When emotional
disturbances continue for a length of time it affects the physical immunity. These
days, many diseases are caused by stress and our whole life is stress only because
we have deadlines for everything.
शास् talks about आध्याित् आ�दभौ�तक आ�ददै �वक adverse conditions.

आध्याित्म means problems coming from our own body in the form different
types of health problems. Our own mind in the form of past memories, regret etc.
All problems and afflictions coming from myself are called आध्याित्म. Problems

created by surrounding people and living beings including mosquitoes are all
called आ�दभौ�तक problems. आ�ददै �वक problems are problems caused by natural
situations like too much rain or no rain etc.We are born with our own प्रारब्ध
and so the job of our प्रार is to continuously bring आध्याित्, आ�दभौ�तक
problems. शास् asks what emotional immunity do you have to tolerate these? That
emotional immunity is called endurance power, tolerance power, patience etc. If
we do not have this emotional immunity, every pain from the world will create
varieties of emotional disturbances. Fear is one powerful disturbance, anxiety is
another, jealousy is yet another. If we are jealous, then it adds hatred then
bitterness. All these emotional disturbances are caused by lack of �मा. So,
building up of �मा is the capacity to go through these painful situations without
allowing them to cause negative thoughts. In VC, the capacity to go through
difficulties, सहनं, is the definition of �मा - सहनंसवर द:ु खानां the capacity to go
through painful situations, अप्रतीकारपूवर without developing the tendency of
revenge and hatred. Vengeful thoughts or hatred are natural consequences of
affliction. सहनंसवर द:ु खानांअप्रतीकारपूवर �चन्त �वलाप र�हतं. By constantly saying,
‘I have problems,’ we don’t know how to move on with life and the mind is
weakened. We may not able to do even our duties. If we have enough �मा, we can
withstand difficulties, move on with life and perform our duties properly. Recently,
we heard about the death of a great scientist, Stephen Hawking. At the age of 22
or something he got an incurable disease in which his muscles fail one by one.
Nothing in the body works except the brain. He lived for decades and instead of
self pity, complaints and anger towards God he managed to continue and also
made so many fantastic discoveries. He was one of the greatest theoretical
physicists. He used his time not for complaining but to discover great things.
Imagine a life where the whole body doesn’t work. Yet, we with our well-
functioning body complain about every small pinprick. When there is a will we can
keep all our difficulties aside, stop complainting and ask how to make the best out
of what is given to me. A person who can do that is a person of endurance. If this
endurance is not there, powerful negative emotions will disturb me. The most
powerful one is anger. Pain gets converted into anger and anger will lead to
impulsive reactions which are considered the most dangerous as we lose our
faculty to judge our response. We may do such things which we will regret later.
Ina moment of anger, we do things without thinking of the consequences. Lesser
the �मा, greater the anger. Lesser the tolerance, greater the anger. Greater the

anger, the more impulsive our responses. When we act without filtering, we pay
the price. Most of the time, impulsive responses are in the form of aggressive
responses, which means, �हसं ा, which produces more पापम ्. More पापम ् means
more suffering, more suffering means more anger, more violence means more
पापम ्.
Thus, I go through the cycle again and again, not getting out. The only method of
breaking the cycle is to restrain anger. Our response should always be a very, very
deliberate response. We should reduce aggressive responses because they will give
rise to पापम ्. An aggressive response should only be used as a last resort after
trying peaceful solutions. साम दान भेद दण्. TF,�मा is the most important value.
LK said यं ह�नं व्यतंत्ये पर
ु ुष पर
ु ुषभ: सम द:ु ख सख
ु ं धीरं स: अमतत्व
ृ ा कल्पत. The
धीरपर ु ु: is one who can control his anger even when there is pain. Aggressive
solution is like aggressive treatment, it amy cure the disease perhaps but there will
be powerful side effects. One should ask, ‘Am I ready for the side effects?’ LK
asks अजुर् to fight a warin the BG. Even a war is ok, a fight is ok but the condition
is, it must be the last resort and one must be prepared for the side effects of
aggressive response.
TF, the first and foremost lesson is to develop the capacity to restrain negative
emotions and for that, he takes the example of the Earth because earth is the one
which faces all the abuse of humanity. Human beings are continuously spoiling the
earth by digging, taking petrol products, exploiting all the resources and abusing
the earth. In spite of all our abuse, the earth has not yet started reacting violently.
Mother earth is like a mother- so patient. Even though the child throws so many
tantrums a mother can never hurt the baby. Similarly, mother earth, the universal
mothers withstands all our abuse and continues to give all the resources and
nourish humanity and fulfills her duty completely. Earth is called वसन्दरु . वसन्दर
ु
means holder of many riches. Earth holds and gives all riches. Earth nourishes the
humanity but in return, humanity only spoils the earth. So, like mother earth, we
should develop patience or endurance. Not only should we withstand, we should
also continue to give and do our duty. Look at the श्लोक-भत ू ै: आक्रम्य: अ�प.

भताू �न means all the living beings especially human beings. आक्रम्य: means
continuously affected, tormented, afflicted, which is common to earth and to a
dharmic person also. A person with �मा will go through all these difficulties of
life silently. We will never know that he is going through all the difficulties from
his demeanour. He is able to be patient and polite while silently going through his
difficult situations.
TF, भत ू ै: आक्रम्य: अ�प - when other people are giving him trouble, how does
he interpret the difficulties? He doesn’t blame that people. This is unique to the
Vedic culture. He never blames the people. He will say, ‘If I am going through
difficulty, neither the world is responsible nor the people are responsible. I am
responsible. My own past कमर alone is giving me trouble through that person. My
कमर.’ He says, दै ववशा अनग
ु ैः they are all governed by दै वं- Law of कम,र LOK. TF,
they behave in this manner towards me and I have to go through it. कमर cannot be
avoided. We have to go through certain quota of suffering. Our very जन् is to
exhaust our पण
ु ्य म and पापम ्. TF, somewhere along the way difficulties will come.
Let me learn to go through them आगमाप�यना अ�नत्य: तान ् �त�त�स् भारत. Not
only that. When the कमर changes you will find the person also changes. When कमर
changes, terrible ones become wonderful and wonderful ones become terrible. We
have to go through some interactions. Let us not bother about it too much. We
cannot change the world or people so let us learn to endure and move on and get
Self-knowledge.

Page 32 verse 37-
भत
ू ैराक्रम्यमाणोऽ�पधीरोदैववशानुग
तद्�वद्वान्नचलेन्मागार्दन्व�श�ं��ते७.३७॥
While studying the scriptures to take guidance in our spiritual journey, we should
remember that the scriptures talk about various disciplines for people at various
stages of their spiritual journey like beginners or those in the middle or even those
who are advanced seekers who don’t have any other worldly goals at all. Some of
them may have even taken to सन्न्यासआ, a monastic life style. TF, when we
receive the message, we should know how to filter the message properly and take
what is relevant for us.
A person who is in the beginning stage while he considers spiritual growth and
मो� important will still have interest in worldly pursuits like अथर and काम. He will
enjoy leading a comfortable life and enjoy some worldly pleasures which are not
immoral and are very much within the limits of धम.र वेद is very careful. वेद doesn’t
want to stop them from pursuing that just because they have come to spirituality.
वेद allows them to enjoy them and know their greatness as well as their limitations.
पर��य लोकान ् कमर �चतान ् go through them and enjoy them, learn from them and
learn their limitations also. To those beginning spiritual seekers, वेद has only one
advice- “When you fulfill your desires don’t violate moral values. Let it be within
the limits of धम.र Earn legitimately. Earn properly. If you want to amass wealth and
have a big house, expensive car, earn in a legitimate manner. Pursue अथर काम but
let it be through धा�मर्क method.
The second advice the scriptures give is, earn wealth but use that for पञ्चमह य�
which is extremely important for spiritual growth. पञ्चमह य� means contribution
to various segments. which have been into 5 segments which I don’t want to go
into. In simple manner earn wealth, contribute wealth. If possible, the contribution
should become more and more. Greater the contribution, greater the internal
growth.
The third equally important rule is, to continue to do scriptural studies like spiritual
teachings of the BG. Not chanting but studying the meaning of the scriptures to the
extent possible. Your interest may be casual but even then, attend the class.
Exposure is compulsory. Need not be उप�नषद and BS but atleast BG, UG etc. Let
exposure to spiritual scriptures be there.
When the student is more advanced, the scriptures will talk about the limitations of
worldlypleasures and comforts and will encourage one to start renouncing them.
For beginners, renunciation is not emphasized because if the scriptures emphasise
renunciation, the student may renounce the scriptures.
For the advanced, final stage students like सन्न्याs, scriptures talk even more
about renunciation and detachment. Detachment even from family members.
अशिक्: अन�भष्वङ: पत ु दारा गह ृ ा�दषु don’t be over-attached to your spouse.
These disturbing portions are also here but for now, you can close your ears to
them as they are not required now. Let us see later because now we love children,
we love our so-sweet grandchildren, our pets, TV programs etc. Detachment is so
impossible that even the very thought of detachment disturbs. That is why LK says
avoid over-attachment. We have to be detached even from our own body.
Especially for beginners and youngsters who regularly go to beauty parlours taking
care of eyebrows, teeth alignment and hair dos. So, those who are going to beauty
parlours, please go. Only for सन्न्या one hairdo. Hair don’t. TF, detachment
should gradually grow. It should not disturb me emotionally. Detachment should
give Ananda. It should not be forced detachment. It should not be suppression of
attachment. LK strongly criticises it by using the word �मथ्याचा इ�त उच्यत.Those
who take forcible सन्न्य and gotosome place and meditate, usually meditate on
the missing pleasures. सन्न्यासआ is a terrible one because there is only entry,
you can’t come out. In all other आश्र: you can enter and go out. From गह
ृ स्ताश
you can go to सन्न्य, from सन्न्य youcan’t come to गह
ृ स्ताश. Many
सन्न्या�: miss family life but they can’t come back and they keep on thinking of
that.TF scriptures strongly warn that detachment should be a natural growth. A
child plays with a balloon but we do not. So, with regard to balloon we have got
detachment and it is not disturbing detachment. Similarly, we have to grow out of
every attachment either through understanding or by going through them. TF, we

should know which value must be emphasized for which level of seekers.
Scriptures will talk about renunciation also, detachment also but beginners need
not be disturbed. Scriptures permit human beingsto have attachment but also want
us to gradually grow out of it by discovering the value of something greater. So,
when we study the 24 गुरs some of them will be like that. We should know what
we should follow now and what we can follow later. This is a general note because
all levels of students are attending the class. This is not only for now, you have to
note this all the time. The mind should outgrow. Mind should not have suppressed
feeling. Suppression is disastrous. Going out of attachment is called वैराग्य.वैराग्यis
talked about a lot in both BG and UG. We should understand it properly.
Now, the 37th श्लोक which we saw in the last class which spoke of �मा or
endurance with regard to the choiceless pains that we have to go through.
Choiceless difficulties-अप�रहायर अथर like old age. We may hope to die soon but it
is not dependent on our wish. The scriptures say we must endure choiceless
problems, remedy solvable problems but solve them after deliberation on whether
it is a धा�मर्क remedy or anअधा�म् र क remedy. Avoid impulsive solutions and before
using aggressive solutions, always try peaceful solutions. Use aggressive remedy
only as a last resort because all aggressive remedies will haveside effects which are
often more painful than the problem itself. If we follow these principles we have
�माभत ू ैराक्रम्यमाणोऽ�पधीरोदैववशानु. The word दै व is very important. All the
difficulties that we face in life is because of our own कम.र Nobody is responsible
for our problem. We are responsible, through our past कमर which works through
the world, through our so-called enemies, our own family members.पवर्जन
ू ्मकृ
पण
ु ्य पत्
ु ररू पवर्जन
ू कृतं पापम ् अ�प पत्
ु ररू. TF through family members also,
our कमर gets exhausted. TF, दै वं means our past कम.र Don’t forget. Then, the
scriptures say, even when these difficult situations come, your �मा must be to such
an extent that you should not violate धम.र Following धमर during pain is a great
virtue. It is easy to follow धमर when everything is favorable. What शास् says is, in
difficulties also, don’t violate धम.र The अवधत
ू says, �वद्वान - wise person, मागार्त
चलेत्. मागार्त means धमर्मागार्, न चलेत्- one should not stray even in poverty.
Don’t violate धमर to earn money. Go through poverty. If you want to get rid of

poverty, earn money in a legitimate manner because poverty tempts a person to
violate धम.र TF, never be tempted. TFमागार्त चलेत्. अन्व�श� -this lesson, I learnt
from प�ृ थवी the earth. Even though the earth is abused it continues to follow its धमर
of sustaining the living beings. Continuing,
शश्वत्पराथर्सव�हःपराथ�कान्तसम
साधःु �श�ेतभभ
ू �ो
ृ नग�शष्यःपरात्मताम७.३८॥
The extension of प�ृ थवी or earth is in the form of in the form of mountains and
trees. Here he talks about the lesson learnt from mountains and trees taking them as
an integral part of the earth. These two emphasise the value of परउपकार: - helping
others to the extent possible. परोपकार: and पराथर्जी�वत-a life dedicated to helping
others, which is not easy. Our natural tendency is selfishness, स्वाथर्,पराथर् म is
unnatural. We all feel, I should grab more and more, preserve more and more,
enjoy myself. If at all we may share with family members but not with others. This
is स्वाथर्. One of the values emphasized is gradually reduced स्वाथ. One may
gradually increase पराथर- living a life for others, contributing to community,
society, culture etc.
भतर्ह�
ृ writes a very beautiful श्लोक in नी�त शतकं dividing humanity into four
types- एते सत्पुरु: पराथर ग�ठता: स्वाथार् प�रत्यज्य. There are people called
सत्पुरु: who dedicate their life for others, ignoring their own need. TF,पराथर is
more than स्वाथ. The second group of people are called सामान् पर
ु ु:, normal
person सामान्यास् पराथर्मुध्यमभ: स्वाथा �वरोधेन ये ते, whowill help others but
only after making sure that their end is taken care of. If I am going towards a place
in my car and I have some extra seats, I will give a lift provided, that person is
going in the same direction as I am. I will not go away from my direction. While
the सत्पुरु:say, ‘I will drop you even if I have to travel two km extra, the सामान्
पर
ु ु: will drop you somewhere provided it is in the same direction. They will help
others सामान्यास् पराथर्मुद्यमभ:स्वाथ अ�वरोधेन without disturbing their need.

सामान्: तेsभी मानष
ु रा�सा: पर�हतं स्वाथार �नघ्निन ये. There is the third group of
people called मानष
ु रा�सा who want to fulfill their personal needs at the cost of the
comfort and gain of others. पर�हतं स्वाथार �वघ्निन for their benefit they destroy
the well-being of others like selling or making adulterated material which will
destroy the health of others. Indian industriesare asked to treat their wastage,
effluents etc but they never do. When the inspectors come to check, इदं तभ्यमह
ु
संप्रद ॐ तत् सत्. Give द��ण. Then, the inspector also doesn’t see. शास् says,
theyare “मानष ु रा�सा”. Theyareso selfish thatfor their own selfishness, they
destroy others. The fourth type is the one who destroys others’ well-being just for
the heck of it, even if they don’t gain anything. While in a garden they pluck all the
flowers, leaves, plants strew all over just for the sake of fun. They destroy. Take
graffiti also, for example. I don’t get any benefit but I destroy other things. भतर्ह�
ृ
says, I don’t know how to name them because he called previous one रा�सा:. ये तु
�वघ्निन �नरथर्क ते के न जानीमहे . I don’t know how to name them.
ये ते सत्पुरु: पराथर्घत्: स्वाथ प�रत्यज ये सामान्यास् पराथर्मुद्यमभ:

स्वाथार्�वरोध ये| तेsभी मानष
ु रा�सा: पर�हतं स्वाथार �वघ्निन ये ये �वघ्निन
�नरथ्
र क पर�हतं ते के न जानीमहे ||
What is the advice of the scriptures? If we belong to the fourth category, the
unknown type, then we have to climb to the third and learn not to spoil anything.
Next, I have to climb to the second and then, if possible, to the first type. When I
die, I should have given more than what I have taken. The balance sheet should
show that in my entire life my contribution has been more than whatI took from the
world. Whatare the bestexamples? The अवधत ू says look at the tree. There was an
article two weeks ago in the Sunday newspaper about how trees contribute so
much to the earth and take very little. What they contribute is more छायां मन्यस
कुवर्िन �तष्ठिन स्वय आतपे फलान्य� पराथर या व� ृ ा: सत्पुरु: इव.It stands under
the sun and gives shade to others and all its fruits are meant for distribution. It
remains useful even after it is destroyed. Theyalwayssay, increase the number of
trees and decrease the number of human beings. What do we understand from this?
That human beings are a burden. Trees are a blessing. शास् also says, ‘May you be

more like a tree than like ahuman being. Mountains also stop the wind and bring
rains. They take the rain water and gives us rivers also. So, what is the value to be
learnt from mountains and trees? परोपकार: पण ु ्या पापाय परपीडन.ं Help and don’t
disturb.
शश्वत्पराथर्स: all the activities of a tree and mountains are पराथर्सव ईह. ईह - their
functions. Thefunction of a mountain is to help others. They carry valuable
material also and that is why mountains are cut and destroyed also. In Madurai,
they have removed a mountain. A strong mafia with political clout is doing this
and if an inspector objects, he will be killed. Whole mountains have been cut down
for their granite rocks so they can be exported. The whole ecology is disturbed.
Thus, mountains are like सत्पुरु:. Every function of theirs is meant for पराथ-र
benefit of others, ईह – कमर, their function. पराथर्एकान संभव: -their very existence
upon the earth is for maintaining the ecological balance. Their very existence is a
blessing for others. पराथर्ए एक संभव: - their origination itself is for the sake of
others. साध:ू a person who wants to learn from nature should learn this परोपकार
value from the mountain. भभ
ू त्
ृ - mountain. साध:ू -a noble person.
नग�शष्: परात्मता.नग�शष्:,नग: - a tree. नग: is न गच्छ� इ�त नग: -that which

doesn’t move from place to place.A mountain is also called नग: but the mountain
has been already talked about. TF, here नग: means व� ृ :. व�ृ स् �शष्: -the
disciple of a tree means the one who wants to learn from the tree should learn from
परात्म. परात्म - living for the sake of others. People will ask, ‘What will I get?’
We may think that we are losers in life but वेद says, ‘You will get internal growth
when you give more.’ दानं is the giving of a गह
ृ स्, controlled giving, which gives
internal growth. सन्न्या gives uncontrolled contribution. He gives everything to
society without keeping anything for himself. He only takes one or two sets of
clothes. Eeven food he doesn’t store for for his future. Thus, the one who gives
more will have more internal growth. Initially SCS and finally the highest gain is
आत्म�ान itself. Once I discover the �ानं I don’t need anything else. TF, what is
the benefit I get? I give up the world and I get ब्रह्.

I usually tell this story that you might remember. A सन्न्या renounced all his
properties and went to Rishikesh. He became a very great �ानी and a very popular
�ानी also. He was travelling allover as प�रव्रा. Then the village in which he was
born wanted to honor him. The villagers wanted to claim that the सन्न्या
belonged to their village while the सन्न्या has given up all attachment of me and
mine. At the reception to honour him, they listed all the things he had renounced
like houses, properties etc. and garlanded him. In his reciprocal speech he said,
“Really I am not a great सन्न्या. You are the greater सन्न्या�: because, I
renounced the finite world for the sake of infinite मो� whileyou have renounced
the infinite मो� for the sake of the finite world. Who is greater सन्न्या then? So,
all these garlands are for you.”
Remember, by renouncing things we are not going to lose anything but actually
gain something far superior. न कमर्ण न प्रज न धनेन त्याग नैके अमतत् ृ मा नश:ु .
Giving to others is not a bad bargain. It is the best bargain. Thisis the teaching of
the scriptures. A materialistic society defines success as acquisition of more and
more. A spiritual society defines success as giving up of more and more. Taking
more is success in materialistic society. Giving more is success in spiritualsociety.
India is a spiritual society. TF, नग�शष्:परमात्मता -living for the others.
Continuing,
प्राणवृ�यैवसन्तुष्येन्मु�नन�वेिन्द्
�ानंयथाननश्येतनावक�य�तवाङ्मन७.३९॥
In verses 37 and 38, the अवधत

ू mentioned what he learnt from the first गुर of his
24 गर
ु s. The first गर
ु is प�ृ थवी, the earth and he enumerated the lessons he learnt
from theearth in those two verses. Now, he goes to the second गर
ु , वाय:ू and
describes the lessons learnt from वाय:ू in verses 39, 40 and 41. He learnt from the
पञ्चूता�
भ themselves.
वायू has two versions. One is the वायू outside which is called वाय:ू and the very
same वाय,ू when we breathe in, gets converted into प्राणवा: which is called pranic

energy which maintains our physiological systems. The very life itself is
maintained by पञ्प्राणवा-प्रअपान व्या उदान समान रू प्राणवा. प्राणवा is
called आध्याित् वाय:ू and the external वायू is called आ�ददै �वक वाय:ू . Here, the
अवधत
ू says, ‘I have learnt fromboth. The first lesson he mentions is from the
प्राणत�. What is the glory of प्र:? प्र means the very life principle because
death isdefined as departure of प्र from the body. प्र is the most important and
the greatest contributor in an individual. There are so many उप�नषदic stories that
talk about the glory of प्र. In one story, the पञ् �ानेिन्द्रय, पञ् कम�िन्द्रय
and चत्वा� अन्:करणा�न मन: बद
ु ्�: �च�ं and प्र all quarrel as to who is the
greatest and go to ब्रह to arrive at the decision. ब्रह says, ‘I don’t want to make
a judgment. You have to experiment yourselves and come to the conclusion. Each
one of you should take temporary leave from functioning and go away for a year.
All organsgo away in turns so this person loses that specific function temporarily.
He becomesdeaf when the ear goes away temporarily, becomes dumb when the
tongue goes, becomes blind when the eyes go etc. So, he loses the faculty of those
organs but continues to live. The उप�नषद says, even buddhi goes out but this
person continues. TF, even without buddhi, cittam, memory the person survives.
Then, प्र says he will leave and packs up but doesn’t actually leave. What is the
condition of a person in his fag end of life where his प्र is about to leave him?
Even before departure, when it is ready that person is not able to see. Tears come
from eyes. All these उप�नषद describes. TF, after this experiment all the organs
agree that प्र:एव ज्येष्ट श्रेष्. This प्र, even though the greatest of them
all, just asks for some minimum food for survival. Not only does प्र seek
minimal food, the अवधत
ू beautifully says, प्र doesn’t ask for tasty food but only
sufficient nutrition. Only the tongue wants taste, not प्र. It is so particular about
what type of coffee, how much milk, how much of filter decoction and in a proper
tumbler. So many conditions. All the रागs and द्वेs are only for इिन्द्. प्र
doesn’t demand anything. It doesn’t have राग and द्वे:. It takes the minimum
required for survival but contributes the most important life. So, who is a
साधपू र
ु ु:? He too is one who demands minimum. प्रव�ृ या एव -like प्र which

demands the minimum for survival, म�ु न: an enlightened person also doesn’t have
demand. He is happy with - यदृच् लाभ संतुष्: द्वन्द्वात �वमत्स: |सम: �च�ौ
अ�च�ौ च कृत्वा� न �नभध्यत||
The highest �ानी is one who has minimum रागद्वे. Even those minimum रागद्वे
are only preferences, not desperate need. He may say that it is preferable but if it is
not there, it doesn’t matter. This self suffciency and contentment is the lesson
learnt from प्र.
म�ु नन�वेिन्द्रय�प. �प्:इिन्द means sense organs which demands pleasant smell,
taste and sight. The eyes want to see decoration. Fruit cutting is an art which they
take hours to do. Why? Because the eyes want to see nice things, the ears want to
hear nice things. इिन्द �प्: म�ु न:न संतुष्टयेत-he doesn’t demand; not that he is
against them. They are simply not required for him. What is the advantage of that?
Greater the रागद्वे: the greater the emotional disturbance. I find many things not
to my specification since my likes and dislikes are so precise. If any object varies
even slightly from that my mind is disturbed. A person is presented with 134
choices. This person looks at all the 134 items and says I don’t like any of them.
He wants the 135th variety, not available in the shop. रागद्वे means one is never
ever happy at any time with any thing. Choosing what pleases me is wonderful but
after some time, if that particular things is not available, I can’t function.
Emotional dependence on external factors makes me miserable. सव� परवशं द:ु खं.
सव� आत्मवश सख
ु ं. TF, �ानंयथाननश्ये the advantage of reduction of रागद्वे is
that the mind is less and less disturbed. An undisturbed mind is available for श्रव
मननं and �न�दध्यासन. Even in the class, suppose youregularly sit in a particular
place and one day that seat is occupied by someone else, you get mentally
disturbed. You can’t focus on the class. Listening is also disturbed when this
specificseat is not available. TF, he says �ानंयथाननश्ये -Let the रागद्वे become
not an obstacle to the spiritual knowledge and assimilation. Throughout BG LK
says this,
रागद्वेष�वयुक्तैस �वषया�निन्द्रयैश्च
आत्मवश्यै�वर्धेया प्रसादम�धगच्छ�2.64।।
A calm mind is available for receiving, retaining and assimilating वेदान्त. To
enjoy the benefit of वेदान्त needs a mind which has lesser रागद्वे. Even that is
non-binding preferences. ननश्ये. When the mind is disturbed वेदान्त is not
available. न अवक�य�त वाङ्गम:. When I have got too many specifications for
fulfilling my रागद्वे, I have to spend more time and effort. TF, वाक् मनः, energy,
speech, time etc. get wasted more and more when रागद्वेष: increase. May you use
your time and energy for something more valuable in life using the example of
प्राणत�.

Page 33, Verse 39

�ाणवृ�यैवसन्तुष्येन्मु�नन�वे�न्�य��
ज्ञानंयथाननश्येतनावक�य�तवाङ७.३९॥
अवधूत, in dialogue with य� महाराज, is talking about the 24 गुरव:, from whom he
learnt several lessons. And many lessons are connected with धमर्शास consisting of
noble actions, noble values. And noble attitudes. And वेद considers this धमर, is
compulsory for all human beings. Especially those who are all followers of वेद.
Even मोक a person may seek or may not seek, वेद never compels everyone to seek
मोक. If a person is a spiritual seeker, वेद offers to help such a seeker. But वेद never
says, that everyone should become a seeker of मोक. When it comes to धमर, वेद
doesn’t give any such options. वेद says, every human being, and every follower of
वेद , the Hindus we are called now, require धमर, as a compulsory way of life. मोक is
optional. धमर is never optional. And वेद says, धमर is a verसत्ile thing which can
give all types of benefits to humanity. It can give, material or worldly well-being
and prosperity, which is the grossest result of धमर. And then in the next higher
level.धमर, can give internal peace, and happiness. The happiness that धमर, can give,
is unique and of a higher quality compared to the gross happiness, coming from the
external world. The subtle internal joy and peace, that धमर can give is, of a higher
quality. And TF, it can give, material well-being, it can give, inner peace and joy.
And then the third final and the most important benefit is the spiritual benefit
which a spiritual seeker, will enjoy. If the dharmic way of life goes alongwith
सत्स and scriptural study, then the very same धमर can give lasting and the greatest
benefit of मोक. Because धमर, with सत्स will , gradually take a person, to
वेदान्ता�वण. धमर will produce a desire for, scriptural study. तमेतं वेदानु वचनेन
�हामणा �व�व�दष�न् बृहदारण्य says . धमर will take a person to गु� and शास्�. And
the very same धमर, will make a mind, fit for receiving the knowledge of the
scriptures , the scriptural teaching धमर will help retain the teaching. धमर will helpin
assimilating the teaching. And finally धमर will help in deriving the benefit of
spiritual knowledge. Namely जीवन्मु�. All the spiritual benefits are the highest
benefit of धमर. The grossest benefit is material prosperity. Intermediary benefit is
mental peace and joy. And the highest benefit is self-knowledge and jiva मु��.

Thus धमर is a very, very, versatile way of life. TF ,all the scriptures empahsiseधमर,
along with self knowledge. If you remember the BG, in the 13th chapter the values
were highlighted by giving the name ज्ञा. एतत् इ�त �ोक्थ अज्ञा अततोन्या
अमा�नत्व अद�म्भत् , in the 13th chapter. And then in the 16th chapter, LK
enumerated them once again, calling them by the name दै वीसंपत्. A virtues or धमर,
is an inner wealth, which will convert a human being into a divine being, called
दै वीसपं त् means मनुष् will be converted into देव: eventhough physically he is a
मनुष्, a person with all the धमर is as good as a देव. The whole world will revere
him admire him. Worship him. And TF , theyare called दै वीसंपत्. And LK says,
दै वीसप
ं �त्वमोक्ष भव�त it will lead a person to liberation. And TF through अवधूत,
we are getting the list of दै वीसंपत्. Whether we remember the name of गु� or not,
we have to remember the virtues mentioned. From पृ�थवी certain virtues were
mentioned. First one was क्. The most important one. The endurance power to go
through choiceless ,painful situations, which every humanbeing will face now and
then. Incurable difficulties non remediable difficulties, will be there in life. We
have to learn to endure them, Incurable difficulties, non-remediable difficulties
will be there in life. We have to learn to endure them ,without getting lasting
internal scar. . And क् is the capacity to avoid impulsive responses to , painful
situations. And finally क् is the capacity to remain in moral way, inspite of
difficulties in life. Because in difficulties we will have temptations to violate the
values. Not violating the values, even when I am going through dire circumstances.
It requires internal guts. All these are together called क्. Another virtue we
mentioned was in and through all these things thecapacity to contribute to the
world, which contributes for my survival. Since the world is a cosmic
infrastructure which is contributing for my own survival on earth, it is my
responsibility to pay back to the animals to the human beings to the families to the
scriptures to the acharyas. Mere taking is not enough it should be compensated by
giving also. If giving can become more than I take, I become a saintly person. TF,
परोपकाराय �ह�न् गाव:परोपकाराय वह�न् नद: परोपकाराय फल�न् वृक्: परोपकाराथ�
इदं शरीरं . So much is talked about परउपकार. Even if I don’t have any resources to
contribute financial resources, knowledge resources, even physical help is not
there. Still you can contribute just by praying sincerely ,सव�भवन्तुसु�ख;
सव�भवन्तु�नरामय:; सव�भ�ा�ण पश्यन् मा क��त् �:ख भाग् भवेत् one of the fantastic
prayers which is incorporated in daily पूजा. Which we are supposed to do. If we
are doing पूजा, do doubt, pray for family members . But conclude पूजा by saying
स्व�स �जाभ् प�रपालयन्ता there सव�भवन्त सु�खन? This mental prayer everybody

can give, which is again a पर उपकार. This prayer if offered sincerely will certainly
benefit the universe. Thus परोपकार was highlighted. क् was highlighted not
swaying from धमर was highlighted all these are from पृ�थवी or earth after talking
about earth as a गु� now अवधूत has come to वायू as the गु�. 2 types of
वायू.External वायू.And internal �ाण वायू. What is duty of �ाण ? Housekeeping
function in big buildings there is a house keeper. Similarly �ाण is he housekeeper
which maintains the body, in health. This �ाण , even though it performs one of the
most important tasks, it only asks for minimum food for doing its jobs.
Whereas,the sense organs always demand. If the food is given to �ाण , I doesn’t
talk about taste. Tongue the sense organs report the taste. And TF the शास् says,
be like �ाण . Learn to live a, simple life. And never, allow the sense organs, to
become your master. Never be enslaved by, sensory demands. Initially the sense
organs, what it gives. Next day, it will demand the same item. And the second day
you give third day you give, after a few days the sense organs have become so
powerful instead of they being my instrument they become my master. If we don’t
yield to their demands, they will begin to throw tantrums. That morning if not
given ध्यानम will be coffee ध्यानम not Siva , or Vishnu ध्यानम coffee should be
given. Thus every sense organs. Eyes the ears the nose and tongue and the skin.
Skin also requires the right temperature in the atmosphere.We can’t sleep if it is
not there. Right temperature is very important for the body. Thus every sense
organs can become master if we do not know how to keep them in their place. That
is why we have got varieties of vratams and austerities. On these occasions, I say
no, to the sense organs. So that they listen to my commandments. Take food
without salt. Means just learn. What will happen you see. Similarly give up this or
that dish. Every vratam in our tradition is for mastery of sense organs. Otherwise
they will throw tantrums. And they will take the mind their hostage. Once the mind
becomes their hostage, the mind is not available for जप, it is not available. For
पारायणं it is not available. For �वणं not available.मननं not available. �न�दध्यासन
not at all available. Because mind is no more my instrument.If I do �वणं, and gain
ज्ञा, that ज्ञा will be frittered away. ज्ञानंअवक�य .अवक�रणं means, it gradually
goes out of my mind. And TF, never, make, the sense organs, your , master. This
is the lesson from �ाण वृ��.Up to this we saw, in the last class. Continuing..
�वषयेष्वा�वशन्योगीनानाधम�षुसवर्
गुणदोष�पेतात्मान�वषज्जेतवायुवत७.४०॥

So I said in the last class, that 3 �ोका are there dealing with वायू as the ग�
ु . V39,
40 and 41 is वायूगु�:.What is the next lesson learnt from वायू. Previously �ाणावायू ,
internal one is talked about. Now it talks about external बा�वायू. What is the
nature of वायू? It continuously blowing.That means it keeps moving from one
direction to another. In Sanskrit language the very word वायू is derived from the
root वा to blow. वा�त इ�त वायू: which keeps blowing. Which means it keeps
moving all the time.Never gets into stagnation. Similarly in life also, we have to
have one slogan. Keep moving on. Experiences after experiences will come. And
some of them will be pleasurable.Some of them will be painful. And if we are not
alert, the past experiences will become a burden the mind. Because we keep on
dwelling on them. In fact भगवान्, has kept a condition in the mind, .any experience
will fade away in time. Even the worst pain, will be forgotten in time. Our problem
is we won’t allow that painful experience to fade away. O the other hand justas we
claw the wound and make a drying wound into a raw wound again by scratching.
Almost it is healing. We did it again we will make it raw and feverish wound.
Similarly I the mind we do have so many wounds. What do we do? We keep on
mediating. Even if it we do ध्यानम, those events we bring to our mind. They
become stronger. They don’t allow the mind to move forward. Past should be used
for learning and growing more mature and moving on. If I don’t know, how to use
past intelligently, thepast instead of teaching me the past will become a burden.
Even for death and all, they have kept so many days theetu. Depending upon the
type of relationship, we have got in our tradition we have got theetu शास्�. Theetu
means pollution. 3 days for this people for those 7 day. For some 13 days. It is a
very big शास्� what is the concept of that? Any painful experience will disturb the
mind. We require a morning period. Because pain should not be suppressed.It will
cause deeper problems. TF cry, cry, cry.Not allowed 13 days you cry/ thereafter,
allow the departed one to move on. Because they also must move on, continuing,
their journey towards God.And I should also, move o, with my journey towards
God. In our grand journey towards God, many people will join us in time. And
many people will, leave in time. Like along train journey ,every station, afew
people will get down. We can relate to them we can get them coffee and takecoffee
fromthem when the stationcomes, every passenger has to get down, and do his
business. Similarly in life, people come and join us. And we have interaction,
relationships, and we do benefit. And we grow through that. When the right time
comes, we should allow them to, continue with our journey. We should learn to
move on, with our original purpose. What is the original purpose? Family is not
our goal. According to शास् family life is गृहस्ता�. A temporary state.We are
supposed to transcend family and goto वान�स्ता�. And finally we have to a enter
सन्या आ�म wherein we have relationships, only with three. All the remaining
things leave . I am disturbing you, I know. I will tell everything sitting here
because I am safely away from you. Remember we have to transcend all the
relationships. Because all relationships are temporary 3 relationships. One with
God. Another with ग� ु . Another with शास्�.That is the final thread after gaining
jnanam, even these three also. नशास्�नशास्� �श्सष् न गु�: न �शष्:, that is अद्वै,
our goal. Towards that we have to move on. We should not stick on to things
permanently. Learn to move on and on and on. Don’t hold on to anything. Don’t
hold on to any being. Don’t hold on to any pleasurable experiences. Don’t hold on
to any painful experiences, also. Just as वायू moves. And when it moves through a
garden it takes some fragrance for some distance. Afterwards वायू drops it. When it
goes through conservation Lorry, or fish lorry the वायू coming through that will
have.That kind of foul smell.But वायू doesn’t keep any one, permanently. It takes.
After some time, it drops. And then it moves on and on. Remember the goal. Goal
is God. Goal is मोक. Goal is spiritual wisdom. �वषयष े ुआ�वशन्योगीयोग a spiritual
seeker �वषयेषु आ�वशन्, going through varieties of things and beings and
relationships. And even position. I occupy a very great position in a company.
CEO of a very big company. Afterwards retirement. Gone. TF even positions will
come. And they also will go away. योगे enters, and what kind of things and beings.
नाना धम�षु each one having its own unique character. Some of them are wonderful.
Some of them are terrible. There is no perfect situation. नाना धम�षु सवर्: सवर्;
means in all, the directions. It may be in my work place. Or in any other place go
to, a temple it might be. I don’t want tosay party in aparty all types of other
relationships can come. Any other gathering.I have all types of धमर.
Experiences.what does this योगी do? गुणदोष�पेतआत्म. Some of them have got
गुण. गुण means, they are favorable towards me. Or I like that person. Or दोष. It
may be unfavorable. He doesn’t develop राग towards the favorable. He doesn’t
develop द् व towards the unfavorable. Moment the mind develops likes and dislikes
it becomes a hook. माया buys a person only thorough रागद् व hook. Once you drop
रागद् व, माया doesn’t get ahold. When there is hair, a person can hold a person by
hair. That is why sanyasis don’t have hair. You can’t hold them. TF never allow
the world to trap. The world can trap only two hooks. राग and द् व. रागद् व world
doesn’t generate. It is a non-alert mind which develops राग dvesas. Which the
world uses. And TF, गुणदोष�पेतआत्म.In the BG, second chapter LK says
रागद् वेष�वयु�ैस �वषयान् इ�न्�यै�रन अत्मवश्यै�व�देयात �सासदं अ�धगच्छ�. त�व

�व�ु महाभागो गुण कमर �वभागयो: गण ु गणु ेषु वतर्न् इ�त मत्व अ सज्जत . Such a mind,
is always tranquil. So गुणदोष�पेतात्म न �वषज्जे he never gets emotionally
hooked to, anything or anyone. Emotional dependence, is samsara. Emotional
independence is मोक. I have said this several times. The journey is world
dependence to ,God dependence to self-dependence. Is the journey.World
dependence is the riskiest one. Next level is God, because until I discover , inside
me, I have go a God in the form of इ� देवता. I j hold onto my इ� देवता.That is I
always tell this. Whenever the mind thinks of security always practice saying. My
security comes from God only. Never, name, any one in the family. Anxiety will
come. So God, dependence . Because family will be around when I have
money.When the money is not there, everybody hesitates to take care of me. And
TF, this person thinks, I don’t depend on any one of you. My support is Ishvara
and Ishvara alone.Thus bhakti must give, emotional security in the initial stage.
Finally I discover that Ishvara inside my very body. As the very आत्म. Once I
learn to depend on, the आत्म, आत्मन एव आत्मन तु�:.Then I don’t lean on
anything. So thus, na�वषज्जे. �वषज्जे should be split properly. B not �वष जेत. .
Not �वषं poison also. �व+सज्जे . सज्जे is the verbal form सङ. So �व सज्जे
means never develop सङ or attachment to , anything. Like वायुवत्, this is the
lesson from वायू. Continuing.
पा�थ�वे�ष्वहदेहेषु��व�स्तद्
गुणैनर्युज्यतेयोगीगन्धैवार्यु�रवात्७.४१॥36.11
The same idea only . Extended little bit more. In the previous �ोक he said never
get attached to anyone. That doesn’t mean we should not care for anyone. Not
getting to attached means we don’t emotionally depend on anyone. But we
continue to support others a who are emotionally dependent on us. TF we continue
to care for others. Care for family members. Give the support they they need. You
give support. That is called love. Yu don’t seek support. That is called freedom
from attachment. In attachment I seek support. In love I give support. Support
others. But don’t depend on others. And here in the previous �ोक he talked about
external things and beings don’t lean on. Use them, but don’t lean on them. Now
here he is extending that to the closest thing for every one. Ones own BMSC. At
least let us take the body. That also is a temporary gift given by God for using, for
a few years. We have seen this before. We should remember. Physical body is
neither me. Nor , am I the owner of the body. I am neither the body. Nor am I the
owner of the body. Then I am the user of the body. And who has given this body to

me? भगवान् has given. When did he give? At the time of birth? Or at the time of
previous death.When I dropped the previous body, this body has come. And after a
few years, I have to drop this body also, and भगवान् is going to provide with
another body. Body is a temporary rented house, rent being कमर. पुण्यम and पापम्
is the lease amount. I have given to भगवान्. For that he has given the body. Human
body is the best body in the world. Because in the human body, I can realise , I am
not the body. I am not the owner of the body. And I am, in fact , none other than
��न् the चैतन्य. This knowledge I can gain, only in human birth. TF our aim is
using the body, gaining the knowledge and give the body, back to Bhagavan, with
a thank you note. Instead of holding on to body and getting attached to the body.
Before death we should have done our job. When भगवान् comes in the form of यम
I should be ready to say, please take it. My job is over. Because I know अहं
��ा�स् .And TF he says, पा�थ�वे�ष्वदेहेषु this योगी, the wise person, enters the
पा�थ�वशरीरं. पा�थ�व means earthly body. Because body is born of earth.And other 4
भूता�न also.पञ्चभूता�. But earth is the main ingredient .Body comes from the
from the earth. And body goes back to earth.Thatis why we have got appropriate
mark on the forehead. Some people us the ashes �वभू�त to remind that the body
will be turned to ashes. And if a person is a vaishnava he uses what? thiruman.
The body will again go back to back earth. We are constantly reminded of the
status of the body. TF he says,पा�थ�वेषुदेहेषु��व�. Having entered this body as a
tenant for a few years तत् गुणा�यhe uses the body as costume for some time. For
doing all the trans actions. तत् गुणा�य : means resorting to the body for the sake of
worldly transaction. So here गुण refers to the body made up of the three गण ु s. So
तत् गुणा�य; योगीगण ु i; न युज्यत .He never gets identified with or attached to the
saगुणशरीरं. If you remember the BG
सकृते ��यमाणा�न गुणै कमार्� सवर्: अहंकार �वमूढात्म कतार्ह इ�त मन्यत .
त�व �व�ु महाभागो गुण कमर �वभागयो: गण
ु गुणेषु वतर्न् इ�त मत्व अ सज्जत.
Don’t be attached to three गुणs. Understand I am the आत्म. Which is endowed

with which गुण. आत्मhas got स�व रजस् orतमस्? आत्मis गुणातीत: we saw in the
14th chapter for UG students. Who have studied the BG, the homework is,
connecting UG , and BG.So TF गुणi; न युज्यत योगी. Like what? वायू; गन्ध: इव . So
like the वायू, not getting attached to the gandha. The good and bad smell in the
surroundings.वायूnever gets permanently connected. So similarly योगी, योगी

should be connected with आत्मा�क्आत्मा� means seer of the आत्म. ज्ञा
इत्यथ:.continuing. With this the second गु�वायू is over. Now comes the third one.
V42
अन्त�ह�त��स्थरजङ्गमेषु��ात्मभावेनसमन
�ाप्त्या�वच्छेदमसङ्गमात्मनोमु�ननर्भस्त्वं�वततस७.४२॥
So the third गु� is आकाश; or the space. Which is discussed in verses 42 and
43.Two verses. And first we should remember, that according to शास्, आकाश,
the space, is not mere absence of things. It is not a mere nothingness. Space should
not be understood s nothingness. If space is nothing, then it will mean that
between the two walls, when I say there is space, it will mean what? If space is
nothing, it will mean between two walls nothing is there. If there is nothing
between two walls, there will be no intermediary gap at all. Distance will be zero
only. TF remember space is space is not absence of things. Space is a positive
entity. Modern science is studying space. It is a big mystery for modern science.
When modern science is coming to the conclusion, that space is an invisible energy
field.They call it energy field from which spontaneously positive an d negative
things appear and disappear. TF according to शास्, space is the subtlest form of
matter. आकाशis , one of the पञ्चभूता�. It is the subtlest form of matter which
you may call energy or energyfold. And this space, which we are experiencing
everywhere is taken as an example for the spiritual truth called आत्म. आत्मis the
finest entity called reality. And grasping the आत्म is the toughest job. To
understand the आत्म, the scriptures give thee example of आकाश. Because,many
features of आकाश are similar to आत्म, the consciousness principle. And we have
seen the 5 features of consciousness. In this context we have to remember this.
Because, when you talk about an empty hall or empty pot, what do youth ink?
Empty pot means , there is pot and nothing else. वेदान्त says empty pot means ,not
a pot with nothing. It means a pot with nothing other than space. TF pot means
there are two things. One is pot as the container. Within the pot is enclosed what?
Space is there. Because of the space alone, things can be accommodated within the
pot. TF, just as, pot is the container, and the space is the content, every living
being, is a mixture of two things. Body is the container and within the body there is
a space like, content. Which people generally call nothing.Nothing means what?
Something called space. Nothing is there means space is there. Similarly the body
is like a container. And in the body container, there is a content called आत्म. And
what is that आत्म? आत्म is that principle which makes the material body, into a

sentient body. आत्म is that principle, which makes the body a sentient conscious
entity, and the nature of the आत्म, is consciousness principle, with 5 features.
What are those 5 features?

1. Consciousness is not a part, product, or property of the body.
2. Consciousness is an independent principle which fills up and pervades the
entire body. And makes the body, a sentient body.
3. And consciousness is not limited by the boundaries of the body. It is both
within, and outside. And the
4. Consciousness, will continue to exist even after the destruction of the body.
5. And the surviving consciousness is not available for any transaction.
Now to understand these 5 features our scriptures give the example of space.
The space is something within, every enclosures whether it is pot or hall. There
is an enclosed space. And the space pervades the entire hall, both inside. And
the space is not limited by the boundaries of the hall. It is inside and outside.
And space will continue to exist even when the whole hall or the room is pulled
down. And when, the enclosing walls are gone, now the pure unenclosed space
is not useful for any transaction. Suppose these walls are not there, it is no more
a hall. Wall becomes a hall not because of wall. Wall becomes a hall, because
of enclosed space. TF, hall is the name of the enclosed space. Once the wall is
gone, space continues. It is no more enclosed space. TF it is no more a Hall.And
when hall is not available, you cannot, do any vyavahara. That is why , you
have got a plot of land somewhere. Even though there the space is available,
you can’t go and stay there. If you want to occupy that what should you do
first? Even though space is there you have to convert unenclosed space into a
enclosed space. Kitchen drawing room पूजा room, every room is the name of
enclosed space. Enclosed space is available for transaction.
Similarly enclosed consciousness, can do all the transaction. I can talk to you.
You can talk to me. Once the enclosing body is not available, the consciousness
cannot do, any transaction. That consciousness principle which is other than the
body which is enclosed in the body is our real nature. Which is like what?
Space enclosed within the hall. TF the more you want to know the आत्म, the
more you meditate upon आकाश: and every feature of आकाश we can connect
to आत्म. And here in this �ोक , three features are highlighted. Space is,all-
pervading. And consciousness also is all-pervading. Second one is ,space is
indivisible. The wall can enclose the space alright. Wall cannot divide the space
into two. If , space can be divided by something and you can cut the space into
many pieces. What is the advantage? Go to the outskirts of Chennai. A take a
knife, you can cut the space and carry to Chennai. Remember space cannot be
parted or divided. Just as space is indivisible, consciousness also is indivisible.
आत्म, is also, indivisible. How many आत्मs are there? Normally we say many
जीवात्म: are there sitting in this hall. There is one परमात्म sitting somewhere.
Scriptures say all these are ignorance. Many जीवात्मare also not there separate
परमात्मis also not there. There is only one आत्मwhich is mistaken as many
जीवात्म: and परमात्म:etc. Because of the body.We mistake the आत्म as
many. TF what is the first feature? आत्मis all-pervading. Second
feature?आत्मis invisible. अखण्डंसवर्�ापकंअखण. Third one is, even though
आकाश accommodates everything because we are all moving about in space
only. Space is not contaminated by , polluted by anything. Space is always pure.
Similarly आत्म is also .always unpolluted by anything. This third feature is
called असङ: so आत्म is सवर्�ापक : सवर्�ाप; means all-pervading. आत्मis
akhanda; indivisible. आत्मis असङ: uncontaminated. Like what? Just as the
space is all-pervading, space is indivisible and space is un-pollutable, similarly
आत्म is. And jnani knows, this आत्म, is my , real nature. I am not the body,
the enclosure. I am not the enclosure body. I am the enclosed आत्म. Suddenly
अवधूत gets into an profound topic through आकाश example.

Lesson 22 Chapter 2 Verses 42 to 45
Page 34, Verse 42-
अन्त�हर्तश्चिस्थरजङ्गमेषुब्रह्मात्मभावे
व्याप्त्याव्यवच्छेदमसङ्गमात्मनोमु�ननर्भस्त्वं�वतत७.४२॥
In the last class, I said, space is taken as an ideal example for understanding
consciousness or आत्म because both have several similar features. Space is
formless, आत्म is also अरूप, �नरूप. Space is all-pervading, आत्म is also all-
pervading. Space is one, आत्म is also one. Even though space is one, it appears as
many because of different enclosures. We have pot space which is a small one. We
have hall space, which is big one. Thus, one space appears as many because of
many enclosures. Similarly, one आत्म, PAM, appears as several JAMS because of
the plurality of enclosures. There is seeming plurality. One PAM, enclosed in
every body appears as several JAMS as if inside you there is one JAM and inside
me there is another JAM. These are seeming pluralities because Vedanta says all
these are nothing but one all-pervading PAM. TF, both PAM and आत्म are one
but appear as many.
The next common feature is, space cannot be cut into several pieces. It is अखण्,ड
indivisible. Similarly, consciousness also is one indivisible अखण् चैतन्य. Space
accommodates all the planets, all the stars, all the people, all the halls and
everything. सवार्धा. Atma is also सवार्धार. आधारं means support. That is what we
find in the dhyana sloka of VSA. शान्ताकार भज
ु गशयनं पद्मनाभ सरु े शं �वश्वाधार.
�वश्वस आधारं like what? The example is गगन सदृश. Like गगनं or आकाश:. How
many similarities? Worth remembering each one. Formless, all-pervading, one but
seemingly many, all-supporting, indivisible. The last one is that even though
everything is floating in space, space is never affected by or contaminated by the
objects. Impure objects do not make the space impure. They cannot give impurity
to space. Fragrant objects cannot add fragrance to the space. Space is असङ्:.
Atma is like this space. A wise man is one who has gone through several spiritual
sadhana and reaches this culmination. This is our goal also. It is very difficult but
worth attempting. Normally we say, I am the body, the miserable body, the ageing
body, the growing body, the greying body and the going body. Growing, greying,
going. So, I am this body, mortal body and I have an atma inside me. Everybody
says and thinks, ‘I am the body.’ I have the eternal atma inside me. A Jnani goes
through several sadhanas like KYA UYA SHYGA MANYGA NIDIYGA through
all the yogas and revereses the above statement. The Jnani says, ‘I am the immortal
Self, the atma and I have a temporary, mortal body.’ Body will come and body will
go but I am the immortal atma. न जायते म्रीय वा कदा�चत. When the body is
available, I operate through this body. When this body goes and another body
comes, I continue to be there operating through a new body. The medium changes.
वासां�स जीणार्� यथा �वहाय नवा�न गह ृ ्णा�. Just as I change the clothes regularly, I
change the body also. I am not worried about the change of the body. It is not bad
news. Death is not something to be worried about. I should be happy. I am going to
get a brand-new body.
So, the muni claims, ‘I am the all-pervading atma, the consciousness present in
every living being, giving life to everyone. म�ु न: ब्रह्मा भावेन समन्वये. The
wise person, in the form of ब्रह्मा, the atman, परमात्म इत्यथ: in the form of
PAM, समन्वये -feels like a string; associated with every body just as a string is
associated with every bead of the mala. He looks upon himself as ब्रह्मा चैतन्य
present in every body. I alone enliven every body. समन्वये means inhering every
body, permeating every body, threading every body. अन्त�हर:- I am present inside
every body incuding िस्थ जङ्गमेष- mobile and immobile bodies. That means
bodies of humans, animals and birds and immobile bodies like trees. िस्थ
andजङ्ग means in the plant, animal as well as human bodies. अन्त�हर: सन ्
व्याप्नो. व्याप्नो - pervades all over. Through this pervasion, �वततत्स
आत्म: अव्यवचेद असन्गत् च अिस्. असन्गत् च अिस्. Because of this
pervasion, म�ु न:आत्म is अव्यवचेद whichmeans अखण्,ड indivisible. म�ु न:आत्म is
also असङ्ग म च- uncontaminated, unaffected by anything which is the nature of
�वततत्स आत्म:. Invisibility and un-contaminability is the nature of the all-
pervading atma, which is the jnani. Having understood this atma, we have to
meditate on this atma. म�ु न:भावयेत means as a vedantic student we should

meditate upon the atma which is नभ्स्त्,नभस्तुल् इत्यथ:, similar to आकाश:.
One of the exercises to be followed by a vedantic student is upasana or meditation
to make the mind sharper. One of the meditations to make the mind very sharp is
आकाश ध्या and while we meditate upon atma, we should see all these features of
the आकाश in it.आकाश is all-pervading. आकाश is one. आकाश is indivisible.
आकाश is all accommodating. आकाश is uncontaminatable. In TN, a group gives a
meditation called vetta veli dhyanam. Vetta veli means open space, आकाश. By this
meditation on space the mind will become very subtle. Using the subtle mind, you
should meditate upon pure consciousness, चैतन्य with five features. चैतन्य is very
similar to आकाश. Alomg with pure consciousness we should also meditate upon
pure existence. The value of meditation is highlighted here. भावयेत् means
dhyanam, one should meditate. This is the lesson from आकाश. Next, the same
thing is continued in another angle. We will read Verse 43,
तेजोऽबन्नमयैभार्वैम�घाद्यैवार्युने�र
नस्पृश्यतेनभस्तद्वत्कालसृष्टैगर्णैः
ु ७.४३॥
In the previous verse, several features of atma were talked about by comparing
atma to space. One important feature is असङ्ग म. संग means getting contaminated,
affected or afflicted and असङ् means not being affected by anything. While
talking about the five capsules of Vedanta, I mentioned this as a regular meditation
practice. Even if you have been studying for decades, these five capsules are the
bottom line. You consume these capsules through �न�धध्यासन.
1. I am of the nature eternal and all-pervading consciousness like the space.
2. I am the only source of permanent peace, security and happiness. The world,
family members or money will never give peace, security and happiness
when they themselves are insecure. Even if they give security, it is not
permanent, it is impermanent. The only permanent source of peace, security
and happiness, in religious language we say, is भगवान ् but later we will
convert and say that भगवान ्is residing in you as the आत्म.
3. By my mere presence, I give life to the material body and through the
material body I experience the material world.

4. In this shloka, the 4th capsule is relevant. I am never affected by any events
that happen either in the material world or in the material body. ‘I’ does not
mean the body or mind, ‘I’, the space like consciousness, am never affected.
5. By forgetting my real nature, I convert life into a burden. My future will
cause anxiety. By forgetting my real nature, I convert life into a burden. By
remembering my real nature, I convert life into a blessing. Why? Because
human life is an opportunity for claiming my glory. Without a body, I cannot
claim my glory.
What is the fourth capsule? I am never affected like the space. नभ: in the second
line, means आकाश:, the space, न स्पृश्यis untouched, unshaken, uncontaminated,
unaffected, unafflicted by तेजोऽबन्नमयैभार्:. What are the other things in the sky?
There are other elements like fire in the form of lightning, water in the form of
water-bearing clouds and pouring rains. तेजोभन्न-तेज:+आप:+अन्न, fire+ waters+
prithvi tattvam which means dust particles, pollution etc. All these objects भावै
पदाथ� मेघाद्यै�: -मेघ:means like cloud, lightning, water etc. which are constantly
moving and changing because of the wind. वायन
ु े�रतैः-the wind stands for प्रार
which keeps on changing all these things. Similarly, in the अनात्मalso they
continuously change because of प्रार. प्रार means पण ु ् पाप कमर which changes
the body, brings good news and bad news affecting the mind. All these are
continuously taking place but by all these things न स्पृश्य- space is not affected.
काल सषृ ्ट्: गुण:ै -गुणmeans the products of the three gunas, the BMSC. The
arrival and departure of the body etc. is caused by काल. There it is wind, here it is
काल:. Because of time, good and bad things happen but the आत् is never affected.
Just as space is not affected, a jnani who claims, ‘I am the आत्’ is also never
affected by all these. गर
ु ुण अ�प दखु ेन अिन्वचाल्य. Even if he is disturbed, he
may ask ‘what’ but the next moment, he will go to ‘So what?’ Life means things
will happen but let us move on, let us not dwell upon these events and drag
ourselves backwards. All these things are learnt from आकाश: Continuing,
Verse 44-

स्वच्छःप्रकृ�ततःिस्नग्धोमाधुयर्स्तीथर्भ
म�ु नःपन
ु ात्यपां�मत्रमी�ोपस्पशर्क�त७.४४॥
The अवधत
ू talks about his next guru, आप:, water, and its glory. The glory of water
is compared to the glory of a �ानी. Here, we should add a side note- whatever be
the glories of a �ानी, they become values for us to practice as sadhana. In the BG,
िस्थरप portion, Shankaracharya also adds a note, ‘Whatever be the natural
virtues of a �ानी, they should be taken as the value to be practiced by an अ�ानी
deliberately.’
The virtues of a �ानी are enumerated through जलं example. First, we will study the
glories of waters like river, ocean etc. स्वच:. Water, by nature, is pure. Rainwater
is always fresh. If it is impure, it is because of atmospheric impurities. Water by
itself is शद
ु ्:.प्रकृ: means naturally, effortlessly pure. िस्नग: means it is
capable of giving its nature or influencing others. Water wets everything it comes
in contact with. This is िस्नग:. The third one is माधयरु :. The taste of water is very
sweet and pleasant, even though we say water is tasteless. शास् calls the taste of
water मधरु ं . I have talked about this in TB. All the tastes originally belong to water
only. If you eat some sweet substance and experience the sweetness, it is not
because the substance is sweet, it is because of the water. Sweetness belongs to
water and the substance only manifests the sweetness which is already there
inwater. This is like the prism giving out different colours when white light passes
through it. The different colours are not the property of the prism but the prism
only brings out the properties which belong to white light. Similarly, sweetness
originally belongs to water. This is the argument of शास्त whether you accept it or
not, you have to keep it in mind. मधरु गण
ु :is the third one. The 4th one is तीथ्
र :भ .
All water bodies are sacred for the people of Vedic culture. That is why in the
morning prayer we recite, गङ्ग �सन्ध सरस्वत च यमन ु ा गोदावर� नमर्द कावेर�
सरयम
ू र्हेन्द्र चमर्ण्व वे�दका which are the names of the rivers in India. �शप्
वेत्रव महासरु नद� ख्याताचय गण्डक पण
ू ार्पूण ज�लसमद
ु स�हता कुवर्न्
नोमन्गल.We pray to the rivers and say कुवर्न् नोमन्गल let those waters bless us.

Even when we take bath in a bucket of chlorine-smelling water, we invoke the
rivers in them by chanting गङ्ग च यमन
ु े चैव गोदावर� सरस्वत नमर्द �सन्ध कावेर�
जल�िस्म सिन्न�ध कुर. May you all come so that I am purified. TF, the अवधत
ू
says तीथ्
र :भ , a place of sanctity, locus of sacredness.

Page 35 Verse 45,
तेजस्वीतपसाद�प्तोदुधर्ष�दरभाज
सवर्भ�योऽ�पयुक्तात्मानाद�ेमलमिग्न७.४५॥
Now, the अवधत ू has come to the 6 गुर, अिग्:, the fire principle. He talks about
th
various virtues of fire principle and says that they are all naturally present in a
saintly person, in a �ानी. We have to deliberately practice whatever natural virtues
are found in a महात्म until they become natural to us also. �ानीिस्थ्तप्
ल�णा�न ता�न मम
ु �
ु ु साधना�न saysShankaracharya in GB. Whatever be the
natural traits of a महात्म they become values to others to be diligently cultivated.
The virtues of fire are enumerated in verses 45, 46, 47 and 48. These four verses
are about अिग् as a गुर.
तेजस्व- this महात्म is resplendent, bright and brilliant. How did he get this
brilliance? By going to beauty parlour or applying some lotion? It is not an
artificial brilliance but a brilliance born out of a disciplined life of austerity, a life
of devotion. TF, तपिस्दप- brilliant because of his austerities. TF, he is तेजस्व.
दधर्ष
ु : just as fire is powerful and unstoppable, similarly, this �ानी also is powerful.
उदरभाजन:,अिग् has got only its own stomach as the holder of the food. It never
preserves the food elsewhere for consuming later. अिग् never stores food. What
ever oblations are offered, it receives within itself and doesn’t store elsewhere.
Similarly, a �ानी, not a गह
ृ स्त�ान, a सन्न्या�स�ा also, is not supposed to store
food for future need. Every time he needs food, he is supposed to go and ask for
�भ�ा in some house or the other. If �भ�ा comes, he takes otherwise he considers
that day to be एकादशी day. A सन्न्या is not supposed to store food or anything
else for that matter. उदरभाजन: stomach is the only vessel where he keeps the food.
सवर भ�: अ�प - अिग् also consumes all types of oblations done at the time of
various rituals. In big rituals all types of oblations are given. A forest fire

consumes all kinds of things in the forest. अिग् never gets food poisoning or
stomach upset. अिग् doesn’t require Gelusil or other kinds of antacids or लेह्य.
The �ानी also takes �भ�ा from all types of houses without looking at the source
etc. Even when he consumes �भ�ा from everywhere, he doesn’t get पण
ु ्य or पापम ्
caused by that अन्नग्र whereas for other people warning is given, ‘Don’t take
food from those houseswhere the money has been earned in a wrong way.’ That is
called प�रग् दोष:according to शास्. When the food comes from wrong source,
not only do we get stomach problem but also अदृष्टपाप. It is called असत प�रग्
दोष. In संध्यावन्द, a special prayer is offered- असाङ् प्र�तग स्वाह:. ब्रह्मच
has to do that because he takes food from others. I am talking about the olden days.
Now also we can say because ब्रह्मच doesn’t have a wife and so he eats in
different hotels which is worse than the ब्रह्मच of olden days. If you receive food
from all types of people, you get not only food poisoning, दृष दोष but also अदृष
दोष, पापम ्. The only प्रायिश् for that is ईश्वरनामस्मर or गायत् जप. When the
महात्म, a सन्न्या, takes food from everywhere he is not affected by the पापम ्
because his ब्रह्मध् �नगुर् ब्रह्मध् or सगुण ईश्व ध्यान will neutralize any
health problem. That is why in our tradition there is a habit of never eating any
food, whether it is made at home or elsewhere for a wedding etc. without first
doing ईश्वरस्मर. अन् पण ू � सदापण
ू � शङ्क प्र वल्लभ. Chant that श्लो or एको
�वष्णुमर्त्भ पथ
ृ क् भतान्यनेक
ु : VS श्लो or any prayer. Even if you don’t know
any श्लो or मन् at least say राम, राम, राम, कृष्, कृष्, कृष्. At least mentally
remember the Lord before eating.
सवर भ�: अ�प- even though he takes food from all types of houses, मलं न आद�े- he
will not get food poisoning nor will he get पापम ् like अिग् which consumes
everything andis never affected. This is because of यिु क् आत्म.यक ु ्तात् means
one who has practiced discipline of body, discipline of sense organs, discipline of
the mind, discipline of the intellect. One who has an integrated personality is called
यिु क् आत्म. It is a very nice idiom used by LK. यिु क्: means integrated, आत्म
means personality. Not at the physical level alone but at the sensory level, mind

level, intellectual level. Traditionally, we are not supposed to talk while eating. We
are not supposed to watch TV also because mental conditions affect our digestive
power. If we are emotionally disturbed, then we can’t digest the food properly.
मौनेन भञ ु ्जी is the शस् �नयम or if you want to say something, ईश्वउच्चारणे
भञ
ु ्जी- no food poisoning, no पापम ्. This is the glory of अग्न and the glory of a
महात्म. Continuing.
क्व�चच्छन्नःक्व�चत्स्पष्टउपास्यःश्र
भङ
ु ्क्तेसवर्त्रदातृणांदहन्प्रागु�७.४६॥
Again, अिग् is compared to a महात्म. Here अिग् referred to is the sacred fire
kindled in a होमकुण्. When rituals are performed fire has to be kindled in a
religious manner. There are rules for kindling. One is by friction of अदर उ�र अरणी
मथनेन or the other is to use a magnifying glass and kindle the fire from
सयर
ू ्भगवान. These two types of fires are considered sacred fire, which is referred to
here. क्व�चत्छ when it is not kindled for some time by oblations, then the priest
chants the मन् so that it becomes smoldering fire with ashes covering it. क्व�चत
means at times, the fire is छन्: -hidden by the ashes. It is there but you don’t feel
its brilliance. क्व�चत्स्: - when oblations are offered or it is moved and kindled,
it blazes forth and becomes very bright also. TF, sometimes dull, sometimes bright.
Similarly, a �ानीमहात्म also is full of wisdom and knowledge. When his wisdom
and knowledge are activated by the other people who approach him and ask
relevant questions seeking knowledge from him, then the महात्म’s wisdom comes
out. You have to invoke the wisdom of the महात्म otherwise his wisdom is inside,
not visible. He is a महा�ानी because �ानं is not visible to the eyes. When the
�ानी’s �ानं is not invoked by भक्त: or �शष्य:, his �ानं is छन्: like the fire
covered by ashes. क्व�चत्स्: when you invoke him by asking questions, then his
brilliance, his knowledge of वेदान्वेद पवर
ू तकर मीमांसा व्याकरण म धमर्शास etc. are
all kindled and blaze forth. श्रेयइच्छतांउप: that sacred fire is adorable fire. By

adoring we can get lot of पण
ु ्य and �च� शद
ु ्�. Just as the sacred fire is worship-
worthy, a �ानीमहात्म is none other than गुरुब्गुरु�वर्ष: गुरुद�व महे श्व: | भिु क्
मिु क् प्र ता च तस्म श् गरु वे नम:. That fire is adorable and so is the महात्म
adorable like God himself. Whoever knows the greatness of the महात्म alone will
fall at his feet. Others will say this is some pseudo सन्न्या. The others will not
know his value. Those who know the greatness of the �ानी will make use of his
presence श्र:इच्छता- those who seek श्र:, spiritual growth find this �ानीउपास्: -
adorable. When oblations are offered into the sacred fire, the sacred fire receives
the oblations and in return removes all the पापम ् of the one who offers. This is देव
य� performed in daily rituals which consists of offering oblations to the fire in the
form of �नत्यअिगहोत् etc. The sacred fire receives the oblations and in return
removes all the पापम ् of the one who offers. Similarly, the महात्म, like the fire,
also receives the �भ�ा offered by the गह
ृ स्. The सन्न्या receives the �भ�ा and
in return the पापम ् of the one who offers is wiped out. द�ु रत �यं takes place by
अन्नदान to anyone but especially �भ�ादानम ् to a महात्म removes the पापम ् of the
one who offers the �भ�ा. TF, he says सवर् दातण
ृ ांअशभं
ु . अशभं
ु means पापम ्. What
पापम ्?प्रा उ�र past पापम ् and future पापम ्. Both the past and future पापम ् of the
giver of the food �भ�ा to the महात्म are all wiped out. Thus, a महात्म is worship
worthy and offering�भ�ा to him is a great spiritual साधन. This is another glory of
अिग्. Continuing,
Verse 22.41-
स्वमाययासृष्ट�मदंसदसल्ल�णं�वभ
प्र�वष्टईयतेत�त्स्वरूपोऽिग्न�७.४७॥
A वेदािन्तक lesson is presented here using the अग्न example given in कठोप�नषद. अिग्नयर्थै

अ�ग्नयर्थैको भुवनं ��व�ो �पं �पं ��त�पो बभ ।
एकस्तथा सवर्भूतान्तरात्मा �पं �पं ��त�पो ब�ह९ ॥
Fire principle originally doesn’t have a form of its own. It is heat energy. Energy
doesn’t have form of shape. The original अग्नीत�वाना is considered to be all-
pervading. During summer, when you feel the humidity even in the night, you
experience fire principle. You don’t see the fire but you feel the fire. The original
अग्नीतत् burns even if it doesn’t have a form of its own. It happens to be अद्वैत
also as it is considered to be एकं . Fire doesn’t have any रूप but assumes a form
when it is lit up in a fuel. When you light the lamp, it is in the form of the wick.
When you burn firewood, the shape of the fire follows the shape of the firewood.
The formless fire takes the shape of the firewood or the fuel in which it manifests
शर�रं . The manifesting medium gives a shape to the fire. The original unmanifest
fire doesn’t have any shape. The non-located fire, the fire principle is all over but
appears to have a location based on the location of the medium. The formless fir
gets a form. The location-less fire gets a location. Even though fire is only one,
when there are many fire woods, fires also appear to be many. The non-plural
अद्वैत, appears द्वैत. So, three points are to be noted-
1. The formless appears to have a form

2. The location-less appears to have location
3. The non-pluralistic appears as plural
In the same way, आत्म or ब्रह्, the ultimate reality is consciousness principle
which is formless, location-less and division-less. Once all the bodies are created,
every body of a living being is like the firewood. The all-pervading, formless,
consciousness manifests शर�रं in every body making the body alive. Firewood, by
itself, is non-bright but because of the pervasion of the fire, the non-bright
firewood becomes bright. Similarly, the dead matter called body also becomes live,
bright and sentient because of the pervasion of consciousness. Although
consciousness has no shape, the shape of the body appears to be the shape of
consciousness.
The next quality is that location-less fire seems to have a location. If you light ten
lamps, fire is located in each wick so there are ten flames located where the lamp
and wicks are. The invisible अग्न becomes the visible fire by striking the match

stick. The invisible fire is in the atmosphere. By striking a match, the unmanifest
fire is manifested in a new location, the match stick. Then, you transfer that fire
into the wick so the wick becomes the location. So, the shapeless gets a shape, the
location-less becomes located.
The next quality. In the atmosphere, अग्नीतत् was one. When you strike a match
and light up ten lamps, one fire becomes ten fires. You can bring in as many lamps
and multiply- एकता बहुधा बभव ू . Similarly, one चैतन्य, has become so many
चैतन्यs. Everybody in this hall is a flame of life. The fire of consciousness is in
every body. So, to understand that आत्म is एकं but appears as अनेकं , you should
take the example of अग्न. अग्न is originally one but appears as many because of
the multiplicity of firewood. Each firewood is called a उपा�ध. उपा�ध is a technical
word, conveying the idea of manifesting medium. Fire is one but manifests in
many शर�रं so that appears as many. Fire is one, it doesn’t become many but
appears as many in the manifesting medium. What will happen to the flame if you
dip the wick into the oil? The manifesting flame becomes one with the
unmanifested. Flame cannot be destroyed because according to the law, matter
cannot be created or destroyed. Flame is matter in plasma state. TF, when you put
out the flame, the flame is not destroyed. The visible flame merges with the
invisible अग्नीतत्. The जीवात्म has merged into the परमात्म. जीवात्म is
compared to a flame. परमात्म is compared to अग्न. Suddenly, अवधत
ू gets into
deep वेदान्.
�वभ:ु means all-pervading consciousness principle called ब्रह् or आत्म which is

invisible and all-pervading. स् मायया -with the help of the मायातत्व, the
unmanifest matter principle. माया is the entire material universe in unmanifest
form, singularity form, in cosmology language. Before big bang the entire material
universe was in माया form as unmanifest matter, unmanifest energy. This माया was
within the all-pervading consciousness called ब्रह्. Then, the big bang occurred.
This is the origination of the universe governed by the LOK. At the appropriate
time, स्मायया- through माया, which is activated by कम,र इदं सिृ ष्ट. The entire
universe material universe including all the physical bodies and the mind,

सत्असत्ल�ण. सत्- visible matter called स्थू शर�रं, असत् - invisible matter called
स�
ू म शर�रं. Our mind is invisible matter. This body is सत्, the mind is असत्.
स्थू स�
ू मत्र | मतर
ू अमतर
ू प्रप सच्
. That is what is said here as सत् and असत्.असत्
त्यच्चा
means त्यत. �वभ:ु means ब्रह्, भगवान ् through his माया created this. This
created universe consisting of body, mind and world is material principle. TF, by
themselves they are जडं, inert, incapable of interaction. Body is also जडं, mind is
also जडं. The world is जडं. So, what does ब्रह् do? Having created these bodies,
the very same ब्रह् enters them as it were. That means blesses the body with RC
which makes the inert body into sentient body. ब्रह् makes the mind sentient by
donating RC just as the sun reflects in the moon. Moon doesn’t have light of its
own but becomes luminous because of borrowed light. Similarly, mind is like
moon which borrows consciousness from the all-pervading आत्म. Just as the fire
wood borrows the fire and becomes bright, just as the wick borrows the fire and
forms the flame, the mind borrows consciousness called �चदाभास and becomes
alive. This live, sentient mind is capable of entertaining the I-thought and hence
self- awareness arises. The mind says, ‘I am’ because of चैतन्य pervading and
enlivening. Then, having borrowed consciousness from आत्म, mind donates
consciousness to the body. आत्म doesn’t donate consciousness to the body, only
to the mind and mind, in turn donates to the body. TF, as long as mind is in the
body, body remains alive. BG 15th chapter-
मनःषष्ठानीिन्द्र प्रकृ�तस्थ कषर्�त ७ ॥ When the mind leaves the body at
the time of death, the body cannot borrow consciousness from the mind because
once the mind is gone, the body cannot borrow consciousness from the आत्म even
though the all-pervading आत्म is available, the body can’t borrow. TF, the body
becomes a dead body. Thus, one consciousness makes so many bodies alive. Just
as one fire becomes so many flames, one परमात्म becomes so many जीवात्मs
manifest in the physical body.
प्र�व: means entering the body as the RC-�चदाभास. ईयते- the forceless
consciousness seems to have it. Just as fire is manifest only in firewood but not
manifest outside, similarly, consciousness manifests in the body and seems to have

the shape of the body but is not manifest outside. तै�तर�य – तस् पर
ु ु
�वधतांअन्वय पर
ु ु �वध:. Consciousness seems to have a human shape in the human
body. What about ant? In an ant, a dot of consciousness and in an elephant, महा
consciousness. तत् सरू:भव�त.सरू: means having the form of the body.
Consciousnessof जीवात्मseems to have a particular shape also though it really
doesn’t have any shape. अग्न: एध�सइव like the fire seeming to have to ashape in
एध�स.एधस ् means firewood. यथैधां�स स�मद्धोऽिग in BG. एधस ् शब्:सकारान्:
नपंस
ु क�लङ्: एदस ् शब्: एद: एद�स एदां�स इ�त रूपा�. Its 7 caseis एद�स एदासो
th
एदस्स. Here, एद�स means in the fire wood, अग्न seems to have that shape.
Continuing,
�वसगार्द्याःश्मशानान्ताभावादेहस्यना
कलाना�मवचन्द्रस्यकालेनाव्यक्तव७.४८॥
कालेन ह्योघवेगे भता

ू नां प्रभवाप् |
�नत्याव� न दृश्ये अत्मनsग्नेयर्था�चर् || ४९
अग्नीगु is dealt with in verses 45, 46, 47 and 49. So, I will skip the 48th verse
which deals with next गर
ु and go to verse 49. अग्न has two versions-
अव्यक्तएकअग and व्यक्तअनेकअग - unmanifest, non-dual and manifest,
pluralistic. When you create friction with a match stick or any material, अग्नीतत्
becomes manifest. Of these two अग्न, one is अ�नत्य, the other is �नत्य. The
manifest flame is अ�नत्य and that is why you have to protect the flame. Sometimes
it flickers and finally gets put out. There is जन् and नाश for व्यक्तअग:.
अव्यक्तअग –throughout the currents सिृ ष्ट, अग्नीतत् will continue to exist
relatively. Manifest fire called flames arise from अव्यक्तअग:, continue for some
time and dissolve into अव्यक्तअग:. In the same way, every जीवात्म is

comparable to व्यक्तअग. Every जीवात्म is like a flame which will exists for
some time as long as the oil of प्रारब्ध is there. When the oil is exhausted, the
flame goes out. Similarly, when the कमर gets exhausted, the visible जीवात्म,
becomes invisible जीवात्म. Then, the next becomes active. Then he is reborn and
again becomes the visible, transacting and transactable जीवात्म. The manifest
जीवात्म has जन् and नाश. The जीवात्म, in his original nature as the original fire,
at the time of death doesn’t disappear but merges into the invisible परमात्म.
Where are we until we are reborn? We merge into परमात्म and then again
reappear like rivers merging into the ocean and again reappearing. Similarly,
अग्न:इव जीवात्म. परमात्म is our original nature. We come to manifestation
through कमर and again we become unmanifest. कालेन ओघवेगेन because of the
powerful movement or momentum of कालतत्व, the time principle. As the English
proverb goes, ‘Time and tide wait for no man.’ You can stop the clock by
removing the battery but you cannot stop time. Between the beginning of the class
and the end of the class, we are one hour older whether we note it or not. That is
called ओघवेगेन. ओघ:means a powerful torrential stream which cannot be stopped
and anyone who goes there will be swept off. काल ओघ वेग: powerful like the
moving stream, भता
ू नांप्रभवअप्. भता
ू नां means all the जीवात्मs appear and
disappear. �नत्य अ�प न दृश्य- TF, even though all the जीवात्मs are none other
than the परमात्म which is �नत्,it is not recognised. We go by appearance. We
think that when the fire appears in the form of flame, fire comes into existence and
when the flame goes out, fire is gone, extinguished. But really speaking fire is not
gone. It merges and remains as invisible fire. Similarly, all the जीवात्मs seem to be
born and die but really, we are none other than �नत्यपरमात्. आत्म: न दृश्य –
the real आत्म’s eternity is not recognised. Like गण:े अ�चर्षा: यथा - like the flames
of the fire, the जीवात्म is seemingly mortal but actually immortal. With this,
अग्नीगु is over.

I will introduce the next गुर by going back to verse 48 which is about चन्द्: or
the moon. We will see the verse in the next class. पौणार्� is very important in
Vedic culture. The moon seems to be waxing and waning, appearing and
disappearing because of obstacles in our vision. Similarly, every जीवात्म also
seems to be waxing and waning, appearing on DOB and disappearing on DOD.
The fact though is that we are like पौणार्� moon.
न जायते �म्रय वा कदा�चन्नाय भत्वाभ�व

ू त वा न भयः
ू ।
अजो �नत्य शाश्वतोऽय परु ाणो न हन्यत हन्यमान शर�रे ॥ २० ॥
We don’t have birth, growth, decay, disease or death even though we appear to
have all of them. They all belong to the body. I am the चैतन्यतत्, who is ever
पण
ू :र . That is why we close every class with chanting पण
ू र्म:.

Verse 48-
�वसगार्द्याःश्मशानान्ताभावादेहस्यना
कलाना�मवचन्द्रस्यकालेनाव्यक्तव७.४८॥
कालेन ह्योघवेगे भता

ू नां प्रभवाप् |
�नत्याव� न दृश्ये अत्मनsग्नेयर्था�चर् || ४९
अिग्a s a guru shows us that the visible flame merges into the invisible अव्यक
अिग् again.
अव्यक्ताद्व्य सवार् प्रभवन्त्यहर ।
रा�यागमे प्रल�यन तत्रैवाव्यक्तस ॥ १८ १८
॥
as we saw in the BG. From the unmanifest comes the manifest and again goes back
to unmanifest. In the same way, परमात्म is the all-pervading consciousness, and
invisible परमात्माचैतन् becomes manifest whenever there is oil and wick, the
स्थूलसू�मशर�र. Oil and wick are the medium in which the परमात्म manifests as
the visible transactable जीवात्म. As जीवात्म, we move about for some time, which
is called the flame of life. When the जीवात्म dies, the life principle, the
consciousnessprinciple, the �चदाभास principle do not die. जीव doesn’t end for
good. The जीवात्म, the visible one, merges into परमात्म, the invisible, all-
pervading consciousness and re-manifests as another body mind complex in
पन
ु जर्न. Consciousness manifests in the BMSC and when the BMSC dies,
consciousness doesn’t end, it simply becomes unmanifest.
एतेभ्योभूतेभ्यसमु�ायता एव अन�ु वनश्य� नप्रेत्यस अिस् अरे�वमी�त होवाच
या�वल्क:.
In verse 48 अवधत
ू introduces the sixth गुर,चन्:. चन्द् means moon. We learn
from the moon also. The original nature of the moon is पण
ू र्चन:. Every day is

पौणार्� because चन् is पण ू :र . Nothing happens to the moon during the dark
fortnight or bright fortnight. Something happens to our vision and because of this
obstruction, we feel that the पण ू र्चन is seemingly, not actually, waning after
पौणार्� and waxing after अमावाश्. अिस् जायतेवधर्त is waxing, growing. अिस्
जायतेवधर्त is the waxing phase of the जीव. �वप�रणमते between 40 and 60 years
when there is neither waxing nor waning. It is a straight line. Thereafter, the
waning starts. Thus, the जीवात्म seems to wax and wane when we are obstructed
by our identification with the body. This identification with the body is the
obstacle. आत्म by itself.
न जायते ��यते वा कदा�च�ायं भूत्वाभ�वत वा न भूयः ।

अजो �नत्य शा�तोऽयं पुराणो न हन्यत हन्यमान शरीरे ||
Even though we are really free from growing, greying and going, we appear to go
through all these conditions obstructed by self-ignorance. For a wise person, it is
�नत्यपौणार्. That is why we always chant पण ू र्म पणू र्�मद. I am always पण
ू र्आत्.
�वसगार्द्यास्मशाना: भावा. �वसगर means birth or उत्प�. We mark these by

celebrating milestones. जातकमर नामकरण अन्नप्र चौल उपनयनं �ववाह.All these
show gradual growth of the individual. �वसगार्द्:स्मशा अन्त:. श्मशान means
cremation ground. So, from birth to death. All these do not belong to me at all.
They all belong to the material body alone- देहस् भाव:.भाव: means भाव�वकारा:
they are the various conditions of the body but न आत्म:. Just as the moon doesn’t
have waxing and waning, the real I, does not have any growth, decay or death.
कालानां इव चन्द् like the various digits of the moon seemingly waxing and
waning because of कालेन-कालतत्व which brings अमावाश्यपौणार् and other �त�थ.
कालेन अव्यक वत्मर्. What type of movement? अव्यक वतर्म -whose trail or
path of movement is not visible to the eyes. When a car moves, you can see that.
When a flight moves you can see the trail of white smoke but when time moves,
the movement of time is not visible. Between the beginning of the class and end of
class we are one hour older and one hour closer to YDR. अव्यक वतर्म -of
invisible path. What is the message from the moon? Moon has got seeming
changes but doesn’t have any change. Similarly, I, the individual also am
seemingly changing but the real I do not undergo any change. I am �न�वर्का:
अिस्. Continuing.
Verse 50-
I am skipping V49, don’t ask me why. We will go to V50 and go to 7th गुर.
गण
ु ैगुर्णानुपाद�ेयथाकालं�वमुञ्च�
नतेषय
ु ज्यतेयो
ु गीगो�भगार्इवगोप�त७.५०॥
The seventh गुर is र�व, that is सयर

ू :, the sun. The value learnt from the sun by the
अवधत ू is to share everything with the world. Don’t grab things from the world.
Don’t hold on to things eternally. Take from the world and give back to the world.
Things must be continuously in motion. Nothing should be in stagnation. There are
various possessions in the world. They should come to me but should not remain
with me. It should depart from me and go to the next person also. Knowledge
gathered from the गुर should not be held on to. We have to give that knowledge to
the next generation. Never hold on to anything permanently because stagnation is
death. Is stagnating water healthy or flowing water? We know that flowing water is
healthy. In life also, the principle is don’t hold on to anything. No doubt we must
earn money and we need some money for our survival but do not amass wealth like
the politicians running into thousands of crores. Don’t amass. It is destruction. TF,
take it, give it.दानं
is avery important value.श्रद्
देयम ्
�द्धया देय । अ�द्धयादेय । ��या देयम् । ��या देयम् । �भया देयम् । सं�वदा देयम् ।
Give, give, give. Even when you have to take, the purpose of taking must be
giving. If someone asks, ‘Why are you earning money?’ we must not say, ‘I want
to retain it and enjoy.’ Then it is called कम.र वेद says, our answer should be, ‘I earn
for giving to the society in the form of PMY.’ Earn, spend. Thisis life. When I earn
and retain, I will have material growth. When I earn and give, I will have spiritual
growth. Spiritual growth is more important than material growth. However much
we earn and keep ultimately, theyare all going to go away.We cannot carry
anything. अथर गह ृ े �नवतर्न् स्मशान �मत बान्ध: धम:र एव गच्छन् अनग ु च्छ�. अथर
गह
ृ े �नवतर्न् after death all the wealth will be kept at home. If we are wearing

valuable ornaments, they will remove it even while crying. Very practical.
Emotionally practical or practically emotional I don’t know how to present it. अथर
गह
ृ े �नवतर्न् स्मशान �मत बान्ध:सक
ु ृ तं दषु ्क्रुतं only the पण
ु ्य म and पापं गच्छन्
अनग
ु च्छ�. Anyway, we have to drop everything here so why can’t we share it
with others? This is the lesson learnt from सयरू :. How does the sun teach the
lesson? The sun takes all the waters from water bodies and clouds are formed.
सयर
ू ्भगवान doesn’t want to retain the water permanently. At the appropriate time,
the rainy season, the water is again given back to earth. सयर
ू ्भगवान takes the water
and सयर
ू ्भगवान gives the water. He doesn’t retain. Similarly, यो�गन: are those
people who keep the minimum for themselves and give maximum in charity.
Insecurity is the problem. दानं is possible only when भिक् is stronger. WhenI
have more भिक्,I feel भगवान ् is there and I am secure in the hands of भगवान ्.
Then, I will not have insecurity and I can give donations. Otherwise any amount I
have, I always I feel this is not enough. 1 crore is not enough. 10 crores are not
enough. योगी –both कमर्योग and �ानयोगीगुण:ै गुणान ्उपाद�े. The first गुण:ै means
his BMSC. �ानेिन्द्रय कम�िन्द्रय are called गुणा: because they are all
products of the three गण
ु ा:.गण
ु ान ् means various worldly objects because worldly
objects are also products of three गण
ु ा:. There is only one पकृ�त. माया is endowed
with the three गण
ु ा:. That माया or पकृ�त alone has modified into the entire
universe. पचभता
ु �न were created, then the सत् गुण रजो गुण and various गुणा:
were converted into स्थू शर�रं स�
ू म शर�रं and the objects. The body and the world
both are products of गुणा: and so, both are called गुणा: here. The कमर योगी, with
the help of the गुणा:, the body, he takes various objects from the world and यथा
कालं �वमञ
ु ्च�- at the appropriate time he gives it to others. For example, he may
grow a lot of grains but he does not hoard. नतेषयु ज्यत
ु - he doesn’t hold on tightly
tothings. However muchwe hold on YDR is going to take everything away from us
one dayor the other. नतेषयु ज्यत
ु he doesn’t stick to them always. योगी can be both
कमर्योग and �ानयोगी. गोप�तःइव गोप�तः means सयर
ू :. The word गो has several
meanings including cow, the earth, etc. Here, the word गो means sunrays, सयर्रिश
ू :

and गोप�तः means the lord of the rays. गोप�तः सयर
ू गोभी through its own rays, गाह
इव, गाह means रिश् and also means water. The sun, through its rays, absorbs
water from theearth and gives it back to the earth. LK says in BG, तपं अहं
वषार्िम्नरुण्ना�मउत्स च अजुर्, I alone am there in the form of सयर
ू ्भगवान also.
In the form of सयर
ू ्भगवान, I heat the water bodies, �नगह
ृ ्ण्ना- I take the waters
from the earth and in the rainy season उत्सृजा�-I release the waters also. The
message is, ‘Don’t hold onto things. Lead a simple life. Have the minimum
required.’ The joy of sharing is more wonderful than the joy of possessing.
According to a psychological study, givers enjoy better mental and physical health.
If the scriptures say then it is not a scientific proof. They have to make a statistical
study with a control group and a neutral group. Only then you will believe. TF, दानं
is a great value is the lesson learnt from सयर
ू ्भगवान. This श्लोis about values of
धमर शास्त. The next one is a value from वेदान् शास्त. अवधत
ू covers both values
and spirituality. Values come under धमर शास्त्,spirituality comes under वेदान्
शास्त्.Values are वेदपवर
ू भाग,वेदान्त is अन् भाग.
बध्यतेस्वेनभेदेनव्यिक्तस्थइवत
ु
ल�यतेस्थूलम�त�भरात्माचाविस्थतोऽकर ॥७.५१॥
In the वेदान् शास्त we also talk about two versions of आत्म;आत्म meaning
consciousness principle. One is called परम ् आत्म, the other is called जीवआत्म.
This being a very subtle topic they give different examples to convey this idea. In
the context of अिग् we talked about two versions, अव्यक्तअि: and व्यक्तअि.
One is the invisible अिग्नत�व all pervading which manifests only when the
conditions are ideal. Similarly, अव्यक्तचैतन and व्यक्तचैतन which was
illustrated with the सयर
ू example. The original सयर
ू : is up above in the sky and is
onlyone. Yet, the same, single sun can be reflected in several mediums of
reflection like mirrors or pots of water. Every mirror or water body will have
प्र�त�बम्भस:. Now we have two सयर ू : �बम्भसूय: and प्र�त�बम्भस:, original sun
and reflected sun. I use the word OC and RCS. Here, OS- Original Sun and RCS-

Reflected Sun. OS and RCS have many differences. OS is एक:, RS is अनेक: OS is
always there, it doesn’t come and go. RS will appear only when there is a RM.
Here, the अवधत

ू is concentrating on one or two differences. He says, OC is one
and all pervading like सयर
ू :. सयर
ू example is given only help us comprehend the
concept of consciousness better. सयर
ू is used to show because it is one and can be
seen with the eyes. The example says, सयर
ू : एक:,चैतन्यंएक . OC can be reflected in
the appropriate RM. RM is our स� ू म शर�रं or mind. In the mirror of the mind, the
OC becomes RC and the inert mind, because of the reflection, becomes sentient
mind. The mirror which has no brightness of its own will become when it reflects
the sun. The non-luminous mirror becomes luminous mirror because of reflected
sun. Similarly, the inert mind which is matter reflects the OC and forms RC. The
RC will remain as long as the mind is there. When we go to sleep, the mind is
resolved and hence RC is also resolved. When the mind comes RC comes. The
जीव comes to manifestation. What is the proof? There is self-awareness, ‘I am.’
During sleep there is no self-awareness because जीव is resolved in sleep as the
mind has resolved and RC is resolved. Mind wakes up, RC wakes up, जीवात्म
comes up.
How many minds are there? Not how many consciousnesses? Everybody, every
one of you has a mind. In every mind there is consciousness, RC. Every RC is a
जीवात्म. As many mindsare there in thecreation, so many जीवात्मs are there. They
come along with the mind. They resolve along with mind. The moment you go to
sleep, the जीव is not available. During सष
ु िु प्तजी is resolved. During मरणम ्, जीव
gets resolved. During प्रल,जीव gets resolved. There is plurality of जीवात्म when
it is present in the mind as reflection but if you remove all the RMs, what happens
to the RC? The RC will resolve into the OC just as RS merges into the OS because
the reflection came from the original. When you destroy the medium, the reflection
goes back to the original. Reflected are many, original is one. This is the message.
स्वेअविस्थ:. स्व in the first line, अविस्थत: in second line. स्वेअविस्थ: when the
चैतन्य, consciousness is abiding in its original nature as OC,भेदेनन बध्यत
ु – it is
never seen as plural. भेदेन - many and varied it is not. It becomes one PAM.

स्वेअविस्थ: आत्माभेद ेन बध्यत
ु - When the आत्म abides in its own real nature it
is not recognised as plural. It is recognised as non-plural अद्वैत
. The �ानी abides in
अद्वैत आत्म because he looks from the stand point of OC. The very same
consciousness व्यिक्त- (Here, व्यिक means RM, the mind) is present in every
RM, in the numerous, countless RMs when consciousness is reflected. तद्ग: - is
present in the mind as the individual जीवात्म. Not only the individual जीवात्म, it
is also a travelling जीवात्म. At the time of death, the mind leaves the physical
body. When the RM moves like the mirror carried from one point to the other,
what happens to the sun? The reflected sun also travels along with the RM. The
reflection also travels. Though PAM doesn’t travel, the जीवात्म being the RC,
when the mind moves from one place to another, the जीवात्म also travels.
The direction of the travel depends on the कम.र When the जीवात्म is occupying the
rented body, our कमर is the rent. We have done so many good and bad कमार्� and
all of them will be very well pinned and registered in the mind as पण
ु ्य म and पापम ्,
in the form of वासना�न.वासना means habitual thinking like we think about money
all the time. पण
ु ् पाप and वासना�न are stored in the mind. When the mind leaves
the physical body,the जीवात्म called �चदाभास, along with पण
ु ् पाप कमर will travel.
पण
ु ्ये पण
ु ्यम्लो जय�त पापेनपापम ्उभाभ्या एव मनषु ् लोक. When पण
ु ् is
dominant, we travel to higher लोका. When पाप is dominant, we travel to lower
लोकाs. When theyare more or less the same, मनषु ्यलोक.
Thus, जीवात्म are many, जीवात्मs are located, जीवात्मs travel when theyare
present in the RM but the OC is अद्वैत only. तद्ग: भेदे नदृश्य अकर्वत- like the
सयर
ू :. This is a beautiful example to understand PAM and जीवात्म. Will the आत्म
travel? What should be our answer? You should ask which one you are talking
about? OC then परमात्म
cannot travel because it is all-pervading. If you are referring to the
RC, the जीवात्म, it will travel with the mind.

With this the 7th गुर, सयर
ू ्दृष्ट is over. Now we have to enter the 8 गुर, कपोत,
th
the pigeon from verses 52 to 74.

Page 38, verse 51,
बध्यतेस्वेनभेदेनव्यिक्तस्थइवत
ु
ल�यतेस्थूलम�त�भरात्माचाविस्थतोऽकर्७.५१॥
The dialogue between यद ु महाराज and अवधत

ु द�ात्र: is continuing. The अवधत
ू ,
the सन्न्या is talking about various lessons he learnt from his 24 गरु व:. We have
seen seven गरु व: until now. The seventh गर
ु was सयर
ू : or the Sun which was
discussed in verses 50 and 51. Two lessons were learned. One धमर्शास lesson and
the other वेदशास् lesson. In the 50th verse धमर्शास lesson was given which was
about not holding on and to keep giving just as the sun takes the waters from the
earth and gives it back as rain. An important value in life is to not simply keep
taking from the world but to match our taking with equal or more amount of
giving. Give and take is the value to be followed. वेदान्तशास lesson was that the
सयर
ू ्भगवान has two versions. One is the original सयर
ू : up in the sky which is non-
dual or अद्वैत. The same सयर
ू ्भगवान is reflected in various reflecting mediums like
ponds, lakes etc. as प्र�त�बसयर
ू :. As प्र�त�ब सयर
ू : it appears as द्वैत or many.
Between the अद्वैतसूय: and द्वैतसूय:, the original अद्वैतसूय: alone is सत्य and
the reflected सयर
ू : are �मथ्य. The reflected versions only appear when reflecting
mediums (RMs) are there. They will disappear when the RMs go away. Similarly,
परमात्म, the OC, is only one. That परमात्म gets reflected in every mind, in every
living being and becomes the reflected consciousness, RC, �चदाभास:, called
जीवात्म. In the form of जीवात्म the परमात्म appears as many and varied.
Pluralistic. But we should remember that the seeming plurality of जीवात्म is not
real plurality. All the जीवात्म: are nothing but versions of one परमात्म alone. So
this understanding of the real परमात्म behind the seeming plurality of जीवात्म is
the lesson we can learn from �बम्भसूय and प्र�त�बसयर
ू :. The entire हस्तामलक�य

of 11 or 12 verses are based on the सयर
ू ्दृष्ट alone. We saw until here in the last
class.
Now, we will see the 8th गुर, the कपोत or pigeon. The story of कपोत is given very
elaborately and a valuable lesson is conveyed to the student through this story. The
story begins from the 52nd verse until the 74th verse.
Verse 52-
ना�तस्नेहःप्रसङ्गोवाकतर्व्यःक्वा�पक
कुवर्िन्वन्देतसन्तापंकपोतइवद�न७.५२॥
Here, the lesson is that emotional attachment to others causes serious problems,
serious संसार or deep sorrow. Attachment is a very risky emotion and a person
should be very careful regarding attachment. Every human being has this problem
of attachment but it is predominantly present in a householder’s life, in गह
ृ स्थाश.
TF, अवधत
ू wants to give a strong warning to all the गह
ृ स्थ:. गह
ृ स्थाश is a
wonderful आश् which is much glorified in the शास्. In fact, the very word आश्
is given to a householder’s life to indicate that गह
ृ स्थाश can be utilised for
spiritual growth. गह
ृ स्थाश is later also called त्रैव�ग:.�त्रव means the three
पर
ु ुषाथा: - धमअ
र थर and काम which can be fulfilled in गह
ृ स्थाश. The first goal a
person can fulfill is अथर:.अथर: means security. Having a family to fall back on is a
great financial, moral, emotional and all-round security present in गह
ृ स्थाश.
TF,अथर्पुरुषा is fulfilled. In कामपर
ु ुषाथ, worldly desires are fulfilled in
गहृ स्थाश. Acquiring lot of possessions, having worldly relationships, having
children and grand children. All the common desires of a human mind can be
fulfilled in गह
ृ स्थाश. More than अथर and काम, वेद considers गह
ृ स्थाश the ideal
infrastructure for fulfilling धमप
र र
ु ुषाथ. One can acquire lot of पण
ु ्य म by doing
noble deeds because in गह ृ स्थाश a person has a team in the form of spouse and
children. With a team a lot of noble things can be done. Financial and human
resources are there so it is easy to do PMY. Among the four stages of life, three

stages are dependent on गह
ृ स्थ. The four stages of life are ब्रह्मगह
ृ स्थावानप्
and सन्न्य. ब्रह्मच, a Vedic student gets his food only from a गह
ृ स्थ by asking
भव�त �भ�ां दे�ह. At the time of उपनयनं, the ब्रह्मच starts seeking �भ�ा. The first
�भ�ा is given by the mother. Later, in the गर
ु कुलं, the ब्रह्मच has to go out and
take �भ�ा from all the गह
ृ स्थ:. He should not eat directly but hand over to the गर
ु .
Once the गुर permits, he can take the �भ�ा. Similarly, वानप्र who leaves the
गह
ृ स्थाश and goes to the outskirts of the society and spends more time in
meditation and less time on social duties and socialobligations like attending
wedding parties and all those things. He takes to उपासनप्रध आश् which is
वानप्रस्त. He also is supposed to take �भ�ा from the गह
ृ स्थ. The सन्न्या also
is supposed to live on �भ�ा. Thus ब्रह्मच वानप्र and सन्न्या, all three
आश्र: live on �भ�ा from the one remaining आश्, the गह
ृ स्थ who is said to be
the pillar of the Vedic society. He can give all दाना�न-अन्नदान वस्त्रद जलदान.ं
Most rituals can be done only by couples. ब्रह्मच cannot do most of the Vedic
rituals. वानप्रस cannot do most of the Vedic rituals because they don’t have
financial and human resources. 26 Vedic rituals are prescribed for गह
ृ स्थ but
modern day गह
ृ स्थ: do not even know the names - सप् पाद य�सप् ह�वयर् सप्
सोम य� 3*7=21. Then, सोम य� ह�वयर् पाद य� andपञ्चमह य�. 21+5 =26
rituals, all meant for the well-being of the society. Thus, वेद glorifies गह
ृ स्थाश as
an ideal opportunity for contributing to society य�ेन दानेन. Even though
गह
ृ स्थाश is a wonderful आश् in which one should do धम्
र कमार्, contributory
acts, and acquire lots of पण
ु ्य म which can be used for reaching heaven later or he
can accumulate the very same पण
ु ्य म for getting साधन चतुष्ट संप��. पण
ु ्य म can
also be utilised for getting a good गुर and the opportunity for consistent and
systematic study of all these things. We have to do lot of good karma to get श्र
मनन �न�दध्यासन.Thus, गह
ृ स्थाश is glorified in the scriptures but here, the
अवधत ू wants to talk about a pitfall in गह
ृ स्थाश. Constant association with a set of
family members can unknowingly create more and more attachment which is
called the problem of राग:. In the first chapter of the BG we saw how राग can
become a very big संसार by generating two-fold problems of शोक मोह:.
Attachment will lead to sorrow. When the family members go through their own
प्रार, we will not be able to withstand. The pain becomes doubled when our near
and dear ones got through their प्रार. Just because they are our children, they
can’t escape प्रार. Nobody can escape प्रार. If we don’t recollect these
teachings of शास्, attachment can lead to deep sorrow. This is one problem in
गह
ृ स्थाश. The second problem is a byproduct of राग, an intellectual problem of
मोह:. शोक is an emotional problem caused by attachment and मोह: or delusion is
an intellectual problem. Delusion is forgetting the very purpose of human life.
Forgetting that गहृ स्थाश is only a temporary infrastructure meant for our internal
growth. After attaining sufficient growth, we have to drop our attachment to
गहृ स्थाश and cultivate mental सन्न्य. Detachment should be developed and
सन्न्य must be developed. If possible, we are to renounce family life and enter
VPA and सन्न्यासआ. Vedic goal is सन्न्य. Even if we don’t physically
renounce the family, वेद expects usto grow out of attachment mentally. One can get
stuck with the family and remain preoccupied with family members. Initially
preoccupied with spouse, then, preoccupied with children, thereafter, preoccupied
with grandchildren and then, great grandchildren. This mental preoccupation with
family and the so-called activities of the family can take away our time and mind
and we may forget that human life is a unique opportunity for spiritual
enlightenment. गहृ स्थाश is only an intermediary station of life and not the
destination. The destination is self-enquiry and discovering the ever-free आत्म
which is free from all relationships. All relationships are temporary and based on
the physical body. This physical body is related to a few physical people. Previous
जन् our physical body was different and our relations were different. जन् to
जन् bodies come and go, relations come and go. I should never be stuck in
temporary, arriving-departing relationships. We should transcend every
relationship. This is very disturbing news because we get hooked to things and
beings. Sometimes we can reduce our attachment to family members but then we
get attached to a pet more than human beings. One man complained, “Swamiji,
when my wife comes back from your class, the first question she asks is whether I

fed the Tinky Pinky.” You should not say dog. “She never asks me whether I had
breakfast.” First, she asks about the pet. Thus, our mind can get hooked to one or
the other perishable object. Our scriptures warn us to be very careful w.r.t रागद्वे.
इिन्द्रयस्येिन्द् राग द्वेष व्यविस्थ. Attachment will come, you cannot
escape but may you beaware and may you learn to neutralize the attachment at
regular intervals.
Two methods prescribed by शास् to neutralize attachment. One is to develop

attachment to God. भिक् is considered to be one antidote for worldly attachment.
If you want to develop attachment, may you gradually get attached to भगवान ् so
that these worldly attachments get diluted. They won’t goaway but they will get
diluted. The ultimate antidote to attachment is self-knowledge. That is why LK
started the BG. In the entire first chapter, अजुर् cried and cried and so, LK gave the
solution-
अशोच्यानन्वशोचस् प्र�ावादां भाषसे ।

गतासन
ू गतासंशू ् नानश
ु ोचिन् पिण्डता ॥ ११ ॥
पिण्डत: means spiritually wise person. Spiritual wisdom alone can save us from
the problem of attachment. Attachment caused his grief and delusion. The अवधत
ू
wants to give this warning to every गह
ृ स्थ. It doesn’t mean that you ignore family
members. Continue to have them and it is an opportunity to serve and purify.
Family life is not meant for developing attachment but for serving, purifying and
growing out of attachment. For example, entering college is good news but we
should not say, “I love college so much that I will remain here permanently.” I
have to enter, learn, grow and grow out. This is called internal वैराग्य. If we do not
cultivate detachment, we will have many problems. The first is deep, incurable
sorrow. The second is, we will never come to वेदान्.बालस्तावत क्र� शक्:
तरुनस्ताव तरुण शक्: वद ृ ्धस्ताव �चन्त शक्: so we will never have time for
studying valuable, important lessons from the scriptures. We have a huge body of
knowledge consisting of BG, Upanishad and BS. At least start at some time or the
other. For thatwe should develop detachment. This lesson is now going to be
taught through a tragic story so that the lesson is well registered in the mind.

Now, the story. Here, human beings are represented by pigeons. These talking
pigeon are symbolic. First, the moral of the story is mentioned- न अ�त स्ने:. स्ने
means love or affection but love and affection unknowingly get converted into
attachment. Love is wonderful, affection is wonderful, caring is wonderful,
concern is wonderful but attachment is terrible. TF, the word अ�त is added. अ�त
स्ने: means over attachment at the mental level. प्रस: वा internal attachment
expressed at external level at the bodily level in the form of fondling etc. is called
प्रस:. Sensory attachment is constantly seeing, constantly hearing etc. Finally,
physical attachment is called प्रसङ्गस: at internal level.प्रस: at external level
वा न कतर्व: don’t be trapped in this. It is wonderful like an addiction of liquor or
cigarettes etc. That person enjoys extra dose, extra smoking. They give enjoyment
alright, excitement alright, thrill alright but they are destructive. TF,न कतर्व: -be
alert. क्वा�पकेन�चत at any time, with anyone living or non-living. This is a warning
for a spiritual seeker. We cannot say anything to worldly people.
कुवर्िन्वन्देतसन्- when a person gets into deep attachment he will get into संताप-
anxiety or sorrow. अजुर् is a good example. He said,
न �ह प्रपश्य ममापनद
ु ्याद्यच्छोकमुच्छोषण�मिन्द् ।
अवाप् भम
ू ावसपत्नमृद् राज्य सरु ाणाम�प चा�धपत्य म ॥ ८ ॥
अजुर् said, “Iwant to commit suicide.” Thatwas the intensity of grief for a loss
which has not yet occurred. Grief for the possible loss of Bhishma and Drona. This
intense reaction is called deep संसार.संतापं�वन्द े like the following story कपोत:
इवlike the कपोत. धीनधी which has a vulnerable mind. धीन धी means a weak mind
which doesn’t have the immunity of भिक् or �ानं. Emotional immunity is possible
only through भिक् and �ानं. Without these two everyone is vulnerable to the
emotional problem caused by attachment. धीन धी इव: संताप: भव�त.This is the
introduction to the story.

कपोतःकश्चनारण्येकृतनीडोवनस्प
कपोत्याभायर्यासाधर्मुवासक�त�चत्स७.५३॥
कश्चनकपो: उवास- Once upon a time there was a Mr. Pigeon who lived in,
कश्चअरण्य- in a thickly wooded forest, वनस्पतौकृतनी: on a particular वनस्प�
- tree. On this particular tree it had built its nest, कृतनीड. नीड: means house or nest
like we buy 3-BHK, 2- BHK with EMI etc.. It lived there कपोत्याभायर् स: with
made for each other कपो�त. कपोत्य- Mrs. Pigeon. स: साध� – along with, उवास -
lived, क�त�चत्समा -for some years.
कपोतौस्नेहगु�णतहृदयौगृहध�मर्
दृिष्टंदृष्ट्याङ्गमङ्गेनबुद्�धंबुद्ध्७.५४॥
कपोतौ –this pigeon couple, गह

ृ ध�मर्ण -they were following गह
ृ स्ताश्रम very
well. स्नेहगु�णतहृद -withtheir hearts mutually bonding together. स्नेहे गुणता-
bonding with affection and love. गु�णतं means bound or bonded. हृदय- their hearts
were bonded together. They were expressing their feelings at all levels- physical,
sensory and mental level. अङ्ग अङ्गे. अङ्: - शर�रं at thephysical level they were
bonding, दृिष्टंदृष- sensory bonding, बद
ु ्�धंबुद्ध- mentally also. They were
thoroughly bonding with each other.बबन्धतु - they were very affectionate to each
other.
शय्यासनाटनस्थानवातार्क्र�डाशना�
�मथन
ु ीभय
ू �वश्रब्धौचेरतुवर्नराि७.५५॥
They were so affectionate to each other that they never wanted to remain separate.
They always did all the tasks together. �मथन ु ीभय
ू - always together, �वश्रब- with
total trust between themselves, वनरािजषचे
ु रत:ु . वनरािज:- various traps or areas of

the forest, चेरत:ु - they moved about. Sanskrit students -चर ् धातु परस्मैप� �लट
प्र पर
ु ु द्� वचनं. In Sanskrit we have three numbers- Singular, Dual and Plural.
Since this story is about a couple, all the verbs should be in dual form. चचार चेरत:ु
चेर:.चेरत:ु means they did everything together. What all things? A list is given.
शय्य - sleep. Literally, शय्य means bed. They were together in bed. आसनं-in the
seat. They were together in one आसनं.अटन- when they were moving about, they
would do it together, स्थान -when they were waiting in some place they were
together and वातार- all the time the conversation was only among themselves.
Otherwise mobile or texting. Constantly either talking or texting. क्र� - playing
together, अशना�दकं -eating together. TF,�मथन
ु ीभय
ू �वश्रब्धौचे:. Continuing,
यंयंवाञ्छ�तसाराजन्तपर्यन्त्यनुकि
तंतंसमनयत्कामंकृच्छ्रेणाप्यिजतेि७.५६॥
Both had a wonderful, ideal philosophy of life suitable for a couple. It is a nice
lesson for every couple. Each one wanted to please the other. So, the aim was not
how to get happiness from others. It was how to give happiness to the other. Don’t
say, “Swamiji, what do you know?” It is a beautiful philosophy. The aim is to give
happiness to the other but it will work only when both have the same philosophy.
The कपो�त couple followed this philosophy. अवधत ू says, तपर्यिन्तकपो. तपर्यिन
- doing तपर्ण. तपर्ण does not only mean ritual for the departed soul. तपर्ण also
means pleasing the other. तप्
ृ , तपर्य� causal form तपृ ्य�ततपर्य that is why
तपृ ्यततृप्यततृप. मध्य पर ु ु बहुवचनं तपृ ्यतयूय. The children are supposed to
tell the ancestors ‘May you be pleased and happy.’ TF, it got the name तपर्ण.
Dictionary meaning of तपर्ण is pleasing the other. This कपो�त was giving joy to
कपोतall the time and so, the कपोत was also feeling very indebted and wanted to
fulfill all the desires of कपोती. कपोत constantly asked, ‘What do you want?’
तपर्यिन्त- the ever-pleasing कपो�त,अनक
ु िम्पत- so the कपोत: also was
considerate to the कपो�तall the time. ‘She is doing so much for me. I should also

try my best to fulfill every desire of hers.’ यंयंवाञ्छ� -whatever desire the कपो�त
had, यंयं refers to यंयं�वषयं, कामं -desire the कपोती had, तंतंकामंसमनयत्- all those
desired objects of the कपो�त, the कपोत:, कृच्छ्- he fulfilled somehow or the other
even if it was a difficult desire, कृच्छ्रेणसमन -he bought the desired objects.
The अवधत
ू addressed यद ु महाराज as हे राजन ्. He calls the
कपोतअिजतेिन्द:.अिजतेिन्द: means he is getting addicted to, enslaved by
attachment to the कपो�त. अिजत इिन्द: means he was not the master of his mind
and sense organs. He got addicted to doing that particular action whether �ानेिन्द
कमर or कम�िन्द् कमर. We will continue in the next class.

Class 26 Chapter2 Verses 56 to 74
Page 39, Verse 56-
यंयंवाञ्छ�तसाराजन्तपर्यन्त्यनुकि
तंतंसमनयत्कामंकृच्छ्रेणाप्यिजतेि७.५६॥
The अवधत
ू extracted different lessons from different गुरs. He has come to the 8
th
गर
ु in the form of कपोत:. In this story of the कपोत:, the pigeon is a गर
ु in a
negative sense because what we learn from this story of the कपोत is what not to
do. The कपोत becomes a counter example for a person. The message conveyed
through this story is that गह
ृ स्ताश should be utilized in an appropriate manner as
designed by the scriptures. Then it can be a spiritually productive stage of life and
will be highly useful for refining the mind, making the mind mature and readying
the mind for वेदान्तश् मनन�न�दध्यासन. If we don’t make use of this stage of
life appropriately then the very householders’ life can become spiritually counter
productive. We can develop increased attachment to worldly things and beings.
Every family member can become an object of emotional attachment. The greater
the attachment, the more they will occupy different areas of mind. This mental
preoccupation means that my mind will not be available for any constructive
operation. Even simple जप will become impossible. Attachment We will also not
have time because every object of attachment will demand our time and attention.
If we try to sit for ten minutes to study or revise वेदान्, the mind will challenge
you. अजुर् himself complains-
चञ्चल �ह मनः कृष् प्रमा बलवद्दृढ ।

तस्याह �नग्र मन्य वायो�रव सद
ु षु ्कर म ॥ ३४ ॥
By the time I am 50 or 60 many members of the extended family occupy and

reoccupy the mind that I cannot even remotely imagine spending some quality time
in श्रवणंमन or �न�दध्यासन. If my mind is kidnapped by राग and द्वे, after 60
years a kidnapped mind is not available for वेदान्. What the वेद envisages is by
the time we are 60 or 70 we should have raised the children well and given them
responsibilities so that we can take the mind away from the family and enter

mental वानप्र and mental सन्न्य. Instead, we are bogged down in thoughts of
spouse, children, grand-children and in-laws. गह
ृ स्ताश would have increased
रागद्वे and completely overpowered the mind. इिन्द्रयस्येिन्द् राग द्वेष
व्यविस्थ. Formation or development of attachment is very natural. It is our job to
gradually get out of them by reminding ourselves that गह
ृ स्ताश is not to get lost
in the family but to grow out of the family with a matured mind. If we don’t
carefully handle the mind and गह ृ स्ताश then the world will become a greater
संसार and family will become the greatest संसार. Doing your duty is wonderful,
caring for the family is wonderful but if we are mentally preoccupied all the time
with anxiety about one family member or the other, where is the time for वेदान्?
Thisis the warning to be given by the UG to all गह
ृ स्तs. LKA said it in one line to
अजुर्-असिक्तरन�भष्वङ पत्रदारगृहा�द
ु in BG 13th chapter.
The final two or three verses convey the message and all the immediate shlokas
only continue the story.
कपोतीप्रथमंगभ�गृह्णन्तीकालआ
अण्डा�नसुषुवेनीडेस्तपत्युःसिन्नधौ७.५७॥
In course of time the female bird laid some eggs in that nest in the presence of her
mate. Both of them had the good opportunity of enjoying a few off springs.
तेषका
ु लेव्यजायन्तर�चतावयवाहरे
शिक्त�भदुर्�वर्भाव्या�भःकोमलाङ्गतनू७.५८॥
In due season, the young birds with tender limbs and feathers grew out of those
eggs. This shows the inscrutable power of the Lord fashioning their features. While
talking about this natural course of how a baby is born and how the baby grows
etc. UG wants to remind us of this fantastic, natural phenomenon in which human
intervention is not involved. Everything is a natural process. The fetus develops
naturally, the mother’s body also undergoes appropriate changes to give birth and
feed the baby. All species have the instinctive capacity to give birth to young ones
and to take care of them. That aspect is highlighted by the word हरेः दर्�वर्भ
ु ाव्या

शिक्त� - because of the inscrutable power of the Lord, every species has got its
own natural capacity to give birth to the baby and the baby has the capacity to
grow naturally. Continuing,
प्रजाःपपुषतुःप्रीतौदम्पतीपुत्
ु
शणृ ्वन्तौकूिजतंतासां�नवृर्तौकलभा�षत७.५९॥
So, the happy pair, devoted to their offspring, reared the young ones, listening to
their chirping and delighted by their sweet accent. After the birth of the baby every
stage of its growth is a wonderful phenomenon. In the case of human baby, it lies
down looking up and at an appropriate time the baby knows how to turn. That
turning period is a fantastic development. Both the mother and father wait for that
event. When it happens the first time, they look at each other and appreciate not
only the baby, they appreciate themselves also as if they have done it. Nowadays,at
every stage they take a picture on their mobiles and have to show it to Swamiji and
everyone around. “See, see, see.” At an appropriate time, the baby makes varieties
of sounds, then gradually words. Even though we are not able to decipher, the
parents imagine, “See it says तत्वम�. It says अहं ब्रह्मा. अयं आत्म ब्र, all
that it says.” We also have to nod our head. Every stage of growth, every sound,
everything the baby does, is fantastic and worth appreciating. Appreciation is a
wonderful thing but unknowingly another thing also occurs which is called
attachment. Continuing,
तासांपतत्रैःसुस्पश�ःकूिजतैमुर्ग्धचेिष
प्रत्युद्गमैरद�नानां�पतरौमुदमाप७.६०॥
They were cheerful, their wings were soft to the touch, their warbling and graceful
movements and their going out gladdened their parents. Everything a baby does is
wonderful. Any baby, human or animal or bird baby is a wonderful thing to watch.
Here the कपोत couple enjoyed all these developments in their offspring.
Continuing.
स्नेहानुबद्धहृदयावन्योन्यं�वष्णु
�वमो�हतौद�न�धयौ�शशन्पुपुषतुःप्रज
ू ७.६१॥

The two birds with their hearts attached to each other in love, beguiled by the
Lord’s माया, reared their young ones with no higher outlook in life. He uses the
term beguiled by �वष्णुमाय. The scriptures say that a जीव’s birth to any parents is
not the first birth. Every जीव has already existed before and every जीव has been
continuously travelling. Every physical body is nothing but a short stage in the
journey of the जीव. The जीव consists of स� ू म शर�रं, कारणशर�रं, �चदाभास and �चत्
the OC which are all formless. If the जीव has to grow spiritually it requires a
physical body. Each body is given temporarily for the internal growth of the जीव.
Physical body is temporary and relationships with people are also temporary
relationships. Through two particular bodies, this particular जीव is born to
facilitate the जीव’s growth. After enjoying the relationships for a few decades,
each जीव will have to part. We all come together as a family for a few years and
when the appropriate station comes, each one will part ways. After our journey
together, when the next stage of growth comes, we all will have to separate. Thus
संयोग, by Law of कमर and �वयोग also by LOK. The intermediary stage should be
utilized, not to develop attachment, but for further growth in the spiritual journey.
The destination is not father, not mother, not children, not grandchildren. The
destination is मो� or ईश्व or भगवान ्. When I am lost in the family, I lose sight of
my destination, that is भगवान ्. The impermanent relations get me lost and I forget
the permanent ईश्व due to माया. Once I succumb to माया, भगवान ् is forgotten and
family becomes the only preoccupation. बालस्तावत क्र� शक्: तरुणस्ताव तरुण
शक्:वध ृ स्तावत �चन्त शक्:. Grandparents worry more about their grandchildren
than even their own parents. Our children don’t worry about their children but we
worry all the time whether our children are bringing up their children properly. We
take up additional responsibility of raising the grand children also not being
satisfied with the way they are brought up by their parents. What next? The great
grandchildren. Baby sitting your whole life. भजगो�वन्द भजगो�वन्द गो�वन्द भज
मढ
ू मते. �वष्ण माया �वमो�हत: -that is the warning given to the गह
ृ स्त. Continuing,
एकदाजग्मतुस्तासामन्नाथ�तौकुटुिम्
प�रतःकाननेतिस्मन्न�थर्नौचेरतुिश्च७.६२॥29.45

One day the pair went in search of food and roamed about in the forest for a long
time with this objective. Tragedy strikes as the young ones are left behind.
दृष्ट्वातान्लुब्धकःकिश्चद्यदृच्छा
जगह
ृ े जालमातत्यचरतःस्वालयािन्त७.६३॥
लबु ्धक - a fowler, a bird catcher, वने चर: - rambling in the woods at will saw
them. He caught them by spreading a trap, a net. Continuing,
कपोतश्चकपोतीचप्रजापोषेसदोत्स
गतौपोषणमादायस्वनीडमुपजग्मतु७.६४॥
The parent birds returned to their nest with food. Sanskrit students, the grammar is
worth noting; all dual numbers उपजग्मत: उपषत:ु . भागवतं Sanskrit is little bit
tougher but it is very beautiful also, very nice construction.
स्वनीडमुपजग्मतउपजगाम उपजग्मत: उपजग्म: both of them came back to their
nest. What is the sight they beheld?
कपोतीस्वात्मजान्वी�यबालकान्जालसम्वृ
तानभ्यधावत्क्रोशन्तीक्रोशतोभृश७.६५॥
The female pigeon finds her young offspring caught in the trap and weeping and
rushed at them, crying and much aggrieved. The baby birds were also screaming
trapped in the net. क्रो: is द्�वतीय बहुवचनं adjective to स्वात्मजा.आत्मज –
babies, क्रो: - screaming children कृश ् क्रोश-to scream, क्रोश कृशन्त क्रोश:
कृशन्त क्रोशन क्रो:. The mother approached the screaming babies not knowing
that the fowler was waiting to catch the parents also. भश
ृ दः�
ु खता- intensely
aggrieved.
सासकृत्स्नेहगु�णताद�न�च�ाजमायय
स्वयंचाबध्यत�शचाबद्धान्पश्यन्त्यप७.६६॥

The poor mother bird, fettered by the tie of love due to माया, herself fell into the
trap. Here the word ‘love’ means attachment by the lord’s माया. Trap is net. Even
though she saw the young ones caught in it, she was beside herself with grief and
so absorbed in the plight of her babies that she did not think of her own security
and that she might be trapped if she went near. The emotion is so strong that one
cannot think at all in times of seeing a young one in danger. That is indicated by
the word she was beside herself. That means to not be able to think at all. That is
called मोह: when the intellect is overpowered by emotions, it is called माया.
Emotion is good, love is good, sentiment is good, they become dangerous when
they suppress the thinking faculty. For human beings, the most powerful
instrument is �ववेक शिक्:�ववेक चडा ू म�ण:. Any emotion that suppresses
discrimination is considered to be spiritually destructive. LK said
कामात्क्रोधोऽ�भजा क्रोधाद्भ संमोहः

संमोहात्स्मृ�त�वभ स्मृ�तभ्रंशाद्बुद्:.
The अवधत
ू uses the word �वष्णुमाय which is the cause.
कपोतःस्वात्मजान्बद्धानात्मनोऽप्य�धकािन
भाया�चात्मसमांद�नो�वललापा�तदुः�खतः७.६७॥
The poor male pigeon too finding its young ones who were dearer to him than his
own self, as well as his beloved partner who was a fit match for him, wept solely.
That means the mother was also caught in the trap. The कपोत: is afflicted now and
is expressing the sorrow in the following verse. The following slokas are the
expression of grief by the कपोत:. The next three shlokas are within inverted
commas.
अहोमेपश्यतापायमल्पपुण्यस्यदुमर
अतपृ ्तस्याकृताथर्स्यगृहस्त्रैव�ग७.६८॥
Here, the pigeon is presented as a representative of a human being as it talks about

his गह
ृ स्ताश. गह ृ स्ताश is supposed to be primarily meant for three पर ु ुषाथा:. अथर

काम and more than that गह
ृ स्ताश is meant for धमर because धमर is the stepping
stone for मो�. The three पर
ु ुषाथा: are in गह
ृ स्ताश and so a householder’s life is
called त्रैव�ग: which means an infrastructure for accomplishing three पर ु ुषाथा:.
The pigeon says, “That infrastructure is gone. Alas, behold my calamity and
wicked that I am. Before I have been satisfied and have attained the consummation
of life, my home which was conducive to the threefold end of life is gone.” Even
though the language is peculiar, the message is my गह ृ स्ताश consisting of my
wife and children is completely gone. He says he is wicked in the sense that he
used all his life for अथर and काम and he didn’t think of धम.र We are always
postponing. We can do it afterwards. When we are young, let us thoroughly enjoy.
When we are old and good for nothing then we can think of UG BG. Generally,
people think spirituality is meant only for old people. Many youngsters feel
ashamed to say they are attending BG their friends will mock them. We forget that
scriptures are meant for young people so that we can direct our life. We should
plan our life in such a way that before death we can fulfill our अथ् र का but also
take care of धमर and मो�. Here कपोत says I didn’t do it properly and so uses the
word ‘wicked.’
अनर
ु ूपानुकूलाचयस्यमेप�तदेवत
शन्येगृहेम
ू ांसन्त्यज्यपुत्रैःस्वयार्�त७.६९॥
Now, that my wife who was a match for me, who was always agreeable and who
looked upon me, her husband, as God- प�तदेवता. The one who reveres her husband
has ascended to heaven with her virtuous children leaving me behind in this lonely
house.
सोऽहं शन्येगृहेद�नोमृतदारोमृतप्र
ू
िजजी�वषे�कमथ�वा�वधरु ोदःु खजी�वतः॥७.७०॥
For what purpose should I live in this deserted house, miserable and afflicted; a
widower with all my children gone to whom life would mean nothing but woe?
This idea is nothing but suicidal thought because of attachment. Wherever
attachment is intent and the object of attachment goes away the invariable thinking
is, ‘Why should I live?’ कपोत: also does the same thing forgetting the scriptural

lessons that everyone has to come to. Everyone has to continue in his own or her
own directions. Suicide is no solution to any problem, suicide being a पापकम.र
तांस्तथैवावृतािन्शिग्भमृर्त्युग्रस्तािन
स्वयंचकृपणः�श�ुपश्यन्नप्यबुधोऽप७.७१॥
Now, the अवधत

ू narrates what happened next. The कपोत had suicidal thoughts and
the कपोत also willingly jumped into the net of the hunter. Though it saw them
caught in the trap, struggling in that pitiful way, the male pigeon lost his senses
and alas, fell into it himself. He deliberately jumped into the net. As far as the
hunter is concerned, he is not going to be sympathetic and all. He is looking for his
lunch or dinner.
तंलब्ध्वालुब्धकःक्रूरःकपोतंगृहम े�
कपोतकान्कपोतींच�सद्धाथर्ःप्रययौग७.७२॥
The cruel fowler capturing the pigeons who were intent on family life with was
satisfied and went home. �सद्धअथ - his aim is fulfilled. Because he was a cruel
hunter, he was not able to imagine the condition of the कपोत and कपो�त. Anyone
who is a non-vegetarian must read this line and underline the word ‘cruel.’ To be a
non-vegetarian, one should have an extremely cruel mind. That is what
भागवतंsays. We should be sympathetic to other beings as they are also जीवs,living
beings, with their own आत्म. In Christianity animals do not have souls so it is
convenient to destroy them. In Hinduism, it is not so. Every animal has got a जीव
inside but the cruel hunter never considered this and the entire family ended in this
manner. With this the story part is over. Now अवधत ू gives important advice to all
the गह
ृ स्तs in the last two verses.
एवंकुटुम्ब्यशान्तात्माद्वन्द्वारामःप
पषु ्णन्कुटुम्बंकृपणःसानुबन्धोऽवसी७.७३॥

The miserable family man who is not exposed to scriptural instructions and doesn’t
use गह ृ स्ताश properly is completely lost within the family. Such an ignorant
family man is talked about who with his senses uncontrolled, taking delight in the
pairs of opposites, only focuses on maintaining his family and like the bird comes
to grief along with his belongings. So, this ignorant family man may not lose the
children and the spouse like the bird but ultimately everyone is going to go away.
All the time worrying about one family member either living or the one leaving.
All the time the mind is confined to a very narrow part of the entire cosmos. In one
corner of the cosmos, our earth is there, in one corner of the earth is our continent,
in one corner Chennai, in one corner Ranganathan Street, on the third floor, there is
a small family with a few members in it. Throughout my life, with my whole mind
I gets lost in that.
वेद says animals also have a spouse and raise children. That cannot be considered
the greatest accomplishment. That means I am a very good animal, that is all. We
are supposed to be human beings and our mind cannot be lost within a narrow
family. The mind has to expand- एकरु ईश्वउपासना �वश् रू ईश्वउपासन
ultimately, we have to discover the ultimate reality which requires lot of श्रवणंमन
and �न�दध्यासन. वेद strongly condemns one who ignores these despite being born
in Vedic culture. The concluding verse,
यःप्राप्यमानुषंलोकंमुिक्तद्वारमपाव
गह
ृ े षख
ु गवत्सक्तस्तमारूढच्युतं�७.७४॥
Now the अवधत

ू strongly criticizes those who have never had धमर and मो� in their
mind. य: मानष
ु ं लोकं प्रा -having got this precious human birth. Human beings
alone can come to धमप
र र
ु ुषाथ and मो�पर
ु ुषाथ. No cow or donkey will attend
अवधत
ू गीता class. We have a rare human birth among so many species due to we
don’t know what पण
ु ्य. के ना�प पण
ु ् कमर �वशेषण
े we have got human birth. The
glory of human birth is मिु क्तद्वारमपावृत. It is an open gateway to मो�. The
human birth is meant for मो�, scriptural study, scriptural साधन. That is the
primary purpose of human life. Having got this birth, if a person is only thinking of
earning, saving and providing one house each for every son, daughter and

grandchild, then you will not have time for anything else. TF, वेद criticizes
गह
ृ े षख
ु गवत्सक- like this pigeon completely lost in family and thinking of that
alone all the time. वेद doesn’t say you should not discharge the responsibilities. Do
your duty and find time for spirituality. If one doesn’t have the time or the mind,
that person is called, आरूढच्य: -having climbed the ladder of births with human
birth as the top most rung of the ladder with the next step being मो�, suppose he
falls to the ground. That is the lot of an unintelligent गह
ृ स्त. Always remember
कपोत:. Every householder is asked to learn from the pigeon. With this, the second
chapter and the eighth गुर is over. We have twenty-four गुरs to study. Those
details in the next class.

Class 27 UG Chapter 2 Summary
In the first chapter the background for UG was established. All the celestials come
to LK and point out that the अवतार duties are over and request LK to come back to
वैकुण्. LKA also acknowledges that and points out that it is almost over except for
his last task which is making sure that all the arrogant and adharmic Yadavas are
destroyed. He says that he has arranged for the शापं of the �हामणा: to take effect
very soon and once that is done, he will go back. The celestials go back and LKA
invites all the elderly persons and women to visit प्रभ तीथ,र a holy तीथर to perform
all rituals and propitiate their forefathers before they leave the earth. As they all are
getting ready, उद्ध, who is a relation as well as close devotee of LKA, addresses
LKA. He points out that he has been close to the lord all the time and in fact,
inseparable from the lord and can never imagine a future separated from LK. TF,
उद्ध requests the lord to take him also. Thus, ends the first chapter of the UG.
I will give you the main topics of the second chapter.
Verses 1 to 5- LKA points out that his decision has been made and he will leave
the earth and will leave उद्ध back on earth only.
Verses 6 to 12- The Lord gives instructions to उद्ध. He says, you have to
renounce everything and become a संन्यास and devote the rest of your life in the
meditation on the आत्म. LKA prescribes आत्माध्यान for उद्ध. He talks about
the glory of the आत्म. आत्म is the �श्रिष्टिस्थ कारणम ्. The world doesn’t
exist separate from आत्म. That आत्म is none other than you yourself. Your nature
is the आत्म. May you meditate upon this fact that everything is born out of me.
LKA gives entire वेदान् सार in these 7 verses. May you practice �न�दध्यासन that
the world is born out of, sustained by and resolves into me, the आत्म. The world
doesn’t exist separate from me. This is called �ानं and �व�ानं and may you dwell
upon this �ान�व�ानं for the rest of your life.

Verses 13 to 18- उद्ध points out that he does not have आत्मा�ान to practice
आत्माध्यान. Without knowing the आत्म, how can I meditate upon the आत्म? I
don’t think I am even fit for this knowledge because this �ानं requires very high
qualifications, the main qualification being reduction of अहंकार and ममकार. I
should drop my attachment to my own BMSC, to my family members. I cannot
even remotely imagine such a possibility. We are ordinary unrefined people. If we
have to enter आत्माध्यान, we require long education process. Somebody has to
educate us on the आत्म, train us in आत्माध्यान. To be trained in this, there is no
other गुर better than the Lord Krishna himself. ‘O Lord, even great celestials like
ब्र and others get the knowledge from you. When the greatest गुर is available,
why should I go elsewhere. I am going to become your disciple.’ Just as in the
BGA second chapter, अजुर् surrenders to LKA �शष्यस्तेऽ शा�ध मां त्वा प्रपन् ॥
७ ॥उद्ध also surrenders -नारायणं नर सकम्शरण प्रपद. Afterthis alone, the
गुरु�शष relationship is struck just as in BGA, before surrender, neither अजुर् was
disciple nor was LKA a गर
ु . Until now, उद्ध was भक्त and a friend. Only after
शराणाग�त,उद्ध becomes the disciple, the �शष्. उद्धवशराणाग� is from Verse
13 to 18.
Verses 19 to 23, LKA introduces an interesting and unique subject matter which is
not there in the BGA. LKA says, for every human being, the first गर
ु or teacher, is
he himself because भगवान ् has given us the resources to educate ourselves. The
five sense organs, the intellect to receive the message and process it. One’s own
intellect and resources like प्रत अनम ु ान उपमान अथार्प� अनप ु लिब् पञ्
प्रमाणा are all resources with which I can educate myself. If I am intelligent
enough, I can later discover that my own resources are incomplete and I can
receive knowledge from outside. भगवान ् has made several गुरव: available. They
are external sources of knowledge. To use external गुर, the internal गुर should be
humble enough to acknowledge that one needs other sources. If I am arrogant and
say that I will not bow down to anyone, it is foolishness. The first गुर can direct me
to the other गुरव: outside. आत्म: गुरुत्. आत्म is the first गुर is the message from

verses 19 to 23. Here the word आत्म does not mean स�चदानन्दात्; it means
oneself indicating sense organs etc. पञ् प्रमाणा.
Verses 24 to 31, LKA introduces अवधतगीता

ू . The entire अवधतगीता
ू has one
central message that आत्म is one’s own गर
ु . अवधतगीता
ू is in the form of a
dialogue between a king, यद ु महाराज and a great संन्यास, an अवधत
ू .अवधत
ू means
one who has renounced everything and has become a संन्यास. The
अवधत
ू संन्यास’s name is not given but the commentators mention that it is none
other than द�ात्र himself who is the son of अ�त and अनसया ू . अवधतगीता
ू
continues for the rest of the second chapter and the entire third and fourth chapters.
ू is a dialogue between यद ु and अवधत ू .
ू is a part of भागवतं in भागवतंएकादशस्कन. There is another
ू which is a totally independent text book which is also a teaching of
अवधत ू द�ात्र. We have two अवधतगीता ू . One is part of भागवतं and the other is an
independent work which is very profound consisting of eight chapters and 268
verses. It talks about the highest conclusions of Vedanta and is more a �न�धध्यास
ग्र like अष्टावक्रग. It begins with a famous line ईश्व अनग
ु ्रहात् पंस
ु ां अद्वै
वासना- the very desire to know the Advaitic truth comes only because of पण
ु ्य म
acquired and the grace of the Lord. That is the beginning of that अवधतगीता
ू . It is a
separate work but given by same गुरुअवधूतद�ात्.
यदमु हाराज asks this संन्यास- ‘Who are you? You don’t seem to have any
possessions, relations or any entertainment. As per worldly calculations you must
be the most miserable person. Without anything secure you are आत्मन एव आत्मन
तुष्ट.What is the secret of your wisdom?’ Verses 32 to 74 are the first part of
द�ात्र’steaching to यदम ु हाराज. The second part is in the third chapter and the third
part is in the 4th chapter.

द�ात्रेयअवध says that he has learnt a lot from the world and mentions 24 गुरव:
from whom he learnt very valuable lessons. First, he enumerates the 24 गुरव:. They
don’t directly teach like human beings but by observing them, their nature and
their lifestyle he has extracted the lessons. That is the glory of human intellect. We
can convert snake poison into a medicine against snake poison, antivenin. The
human intellect can do wonders. A confining universe can be converted into a
liberating universe; a miserable life can be converted into a happier life of
जीवन्मुिक, all by using बद ु ्� and knowledge.
Then the अवधत

ू mentions each guru and talks about the lessons he learnt from
verses 32 to 74. The second chapter consists of eight गरु व:. The third chapter has
nine गरु व: and the fourth chapter has seven गरु व:. 8+9+7=24 गरु व: are spread over
three chapters.
The lessons he learnt from eight गुरव: I will just enumerate. To help you remember
the eight गुरव: of the second chapter, I will rearrange the order. Theyare none other
than the पञ् भता
ू �न, five, then सयर
ू : चन्: and the last one is the कपोत:
representing the जीव:. If you look at the eight, they are enumerated as the eight
murtis of �वश्वर ईश्व as mentioned in the द��णाम�ू तर स्तोत where Lord �शव or
द��णाम�ू तर’s eight manifestations are mentioned. He is called अष्टमू�त ईश्व:.
भरू ंभास् नलो�नलोम्बर अहनार्थ �हमांसु पम
ु ान ्- these eight are mentioned in the first
line.भरू ंभास् नलो�नलोम्बरare the पञ् भता
ू �न, अहनार् isसयर
ू :, �हमांस:ु isचन्:,
पम
ु ान ् is theजीव:.From all the five elements, the sun, the moon and the जीव
represented by कपोत I learnt valuable lessons, said the अवधत
ू .
Now we will see the lessons learnt from each one of them in the order
आकाशवायअ
ू िग्नजलंपृ�थवीसूय:चन्:कपोत:. From आकाश, I learnt about the nature
of आत्म. आकाश and आत्म have several common features. Space is formless,
आत्म is formless. Space is all-pervading, आत्म is all-pervading. Space is one,
आत्म is one. Space is indivisible, आत्म is indivisible. Space supports the entire

cosmos with billions of galaxies and आत्म supports the entire universe including
the space. �वश्वाधार गगन सदृश. The last one is, although space holds everything,
space is not contaminated by anything that it holds. Fire cannot burn the space.
Water cannot wet the space अच्छेद्योमअ द् ाह्योऽमअक्लेद्
शोष्.
् Meditation on space
prepares the mind for meditation on आत्म. If all these similarities are there why
can’t we say space is आत्म? There are some uncommon features also like- आकाश
is जड त�वं as one of the पञ् भता
ू �न. In modern science space is energy field from
which particles appear and disappear. TF, it is जड, आत्म is चेतनं. Due to this
reason alone, आत्म is the observer of the space but space is not the observer of
आत्म. Space is always the observed and आत्म is ever the observer. जडं चेतनं दृक
दृश्. The last crucial difference is आकाश is one of the elements born at the time of
big bang, at the time of �श्रि. Before big bang we can’t talk about time space
coordinates. That is why वेद says तस्माद् एतस्मा आत्मा:आकाश संभत
ू : space
is the first-born element. आकाश is created whereas आत्म is uncreated. Due to
these differences we can’t say आकाश is आत्म; we can only say आकाश is like
आत्म because of the common features we enumerated.
The next गुर is वाय:ू and from वायू the अवधत

ू says he learnt two lessons. One
lesson from the external वायू is to never get stuck in life, never stagnate in life,
keep moving on. Life is a continuous journey of progress, don’t get stuck with the
past either past associations with things or people. People will come and go. Move
on. Living in the past is an obstacle for the future. We have to remember the past
only to use as a lesson for the future. Every past experience can teach us a lesson.
Learn the lesson and dispose the apps. Past becomes a burden. Even for the most
intimate relationships you are allowed to cry only for a certain number of days,
weeks, months or one year. With the first श्राद move on and allow the departed
जीव also to move on with his or her spiritual journey. Thus, वायsू lesson is to move
on.

The second lesson from वायू as the internal प्र त�वं is to not demand too
much.अवधत
ू says that प्र only requires somebasic food for its survival in the
body. It doesn’t demand too much. The sense organs alone develop राग द्वे
saying this food is nice, that food is not nice. I like coffee in this manner. There are
27 specifications for one cup of coffee! Sense organs are demanding whereas प्र
contributes to the very survival but lives a simple life. Similarly, महात्म is a non-
demanding person and contributes much to the universe. He is ready to adjust with
what is available. So, the two lessons are moving on and being non-demanding.
The third गुर is अिग्:. The first lesson is सवर भ� - swallows everything. During
the होम or याग, all kindsof oblations are offered and अिग् swallows everything.
Similarly, a person shouldlearn to swallow all types of experiences in life
otherwise he will become vulnerable and emotionally disturbed most of the time
because प्रार will bring unpredictable situations. Intelligence is �त�त�ा.
मात्रास्पशार कौन्ते शीतोष्णसुखदुःखदा ।

आगमापा�यनोऽ�नत्य:.
This सवर भ�त्व is learning to swallow things in life. The second lesson from अिग्
is learning about the two features of आत्म. आत्मत�व has two expressions- रू
द्वयत्. Fire has an invisible form as an all-pervading heat principle and is
everywhere withouta particular form. When an ideal occasion comes, like when
you strike a match or have some oil and a wick, then the invisible अिग् comes to
manifestation. अव्यक्तर and व्यक्तर. �नरुपा�धकरू and सोपा�धकरूप. अिग् has
visible and non-visible versions. Similarly, आत्म the चैतन्य, also has two
versions. One is the all-pervading consciousness which cannot be recognised by us.
The second is when we have BMSC. The body is like a lamp, the mind is like the
oil in that individual BMSC, then the अव्यक्तचैतन becomes manifest. TF, we are
able to appreciate consciousness. One is �चत्, the other is �चदाभास. One is non-
dual, the other is dual. Consciousness manifests in every body. Invisible अिग् is

एकं , visible flames are अनेकं ; परमात्म version and जीवात्म version. परमात्म is
�नरुपा�ध: JAMA is सोपा�धक:. This is learnt from अिग्.
The fourth गर
ु is जल-ं water. From the water we canhighlight two lessons. Water
by itself is शद
ु ्ध. Not only does it purify, it remains pure. It is शद
ु ्ध and शोधकं -
pure and purifier.Similarly, a महात्म is himself pure; by worshipping him, we can
purify ourselves. भगवान ्is also pure and भगवान ् purifies others. TF शद
ु ्धत् and
शोधकत्व are the two lessons from जल त�वं.
Then two lessons from प�ृ थवीत�वं. The first lesson is �मा, the value of
forgiveness. When I am wronged by others, instead of immediately thinking of
revenge, I give the benefit of doubt to others. I reason that this person may be
doing this out of ignorance. See whether we can correct the other person without
using aggressive methods. Never use aggression in the beginning. Usually, the
example of LKA and �शशपा ु लis given. LKA gives concession and says, ‘I will
bear your injustices until you commit 100 mistakes.’ If you continue to tolerate,
then �मा becomes misplaced �मा. �मा must be there but we have to draw the line
also. Beyond that we can take steps including aggressive stepsjust as LKA advised
अजुर् to fight. Earth puts up with all the abuse, अक्, being done by humanity.
Earth is still surviving but beyond a level, the earth will begin to respond. The
second lesson is परोपकार. The earth has resources solely meant for giving to
others. �मा and परोपकार are the two lessons from the Earth, the fifth गर
ु .
The sixth गर
ु is सयर
ू :. अवधत
ू mentioned many lessons from सयर
ू but I will mention
only two of them. One is अप�रग्: - not hoarding or keeping things for one self.
Take from the world and share with the others. सयर
ू ्भगवान absorbs waters from the
ocean during summer and releases the water during rainy season.
तपाम्यहमह वष� �नगह ृ ्णाम्युत्सृज च. I take the waters; I give back the waters. So,
don’t be a mere consumer, be a contributor also to use DS language. This virtue is
called अप�रग्.

The second lesson is learnt from the two versions of सयर
ू . One is original सयर
ू ,
�बम्भसूय:. The other is sun reflected in different mediums- प्र�त�बम्भस:. Every
pond, every mirror has reflected sun. Similarly, consciousness also has two
versions. �बम्भचैतन् is the original all-pervading one. The mind has
प्र�त�बम्भचैत called �चदाभास. So, two versions, रू द्वयत् .
The next one is चन्:, the moon from whom he learnt two main lessons. The first
lesson is the moon in its original nature is always पण ू :र . It never diminishes in size.
Due to extraneous factors, the moon is obstructed to ur vision and appears to
decrease and increase even though it is ever पण ू :र . The seeming waxing and waning
is the अपण
ू र्त आभास:. अपण
ू र्त् means limited. It appears to be limited on non-
पॊणर्� days but it is पण
ू र्त् स्वर:. Similarly, every जीव also appears to be subject
to decrease and increase physically, financially, intellectually and at all levels. वेद
says it is only appearance. I am पण
ू र्म पण
ू र्�मद like the moon. पण
ू र स्वर:अपण
ू र
आभास: are the two lessons learnt from moon.
The eighth गर
ु we just finished the elaborate story. The powerful message was
अ�तस्ने:संताप हेत:ु -over-attachment will lead to deep sorrow. Avoid over-
attachment. Keep some amount of attachment but be alert and careful because life
is unpredictable, uncontrollable and unsustainable. TF, like wearing a seatbelt or
wearing a helmet, may you wear the helmet of discrimination. Let the scriptural
wisdom be remembered that because of कम,र things will come together and go
away by the very same कमर. कमर leads to संयोग and कमर leads to �वयोग:. Like
winds bring clouds and the very same winds take away the clouds -वायन
ु ा नीयते
मेघ पनु : पन
ु : तेनैव नीयते.We are all subject to कमर and this awareness becomes the
helmet if it is there so that even if we have attachment, it will be controlled
attachment. The lesson from the pigeon is the value of detachment. With this the
8th गुर is over and second chapter is also over.

The dialogue between King यद ु and अवधत ू द�ात्र is primarily to show that the
human intellect is highly resourceful and skilled and can learn from every
experience of life, pleasurable or painful. Instead of having a reacting mode to
life’s experiences, if we have a learning mode, the intellect can learn a lot. This is
the primary message. अवधत ू द�ात्र is talking about how he learnt so many
valuable lessons by looking at nature, other human beings, animals and he presents
them as his 24 गुरव:. This is अवधतगीता
ू which is spread over three chapters. We
completed the second chapter and now we have entered into the third chapter and
the ninth guru. The third chapter will cover nine गुरव: in 44 verses. In the fourth
chapter we will have the last seven गरु व: so 8+9+7=24 गरु व:. Page 45-
सख
ु मैिन्द्रयकंराजन्स्वग�नर
दे�हनांयद्यथादुःखंतस्मान्नेच्छेततद्८.१॥
�हामण:उवाच. Here, the word �हामण refers to अवधत

ू द�ात्र. Perhaps he is born a
�हामण by वणर, caste or even otherwise, any ब्रह्म� is called a �हामण
irrespective of his caste etc. ब्रह्म�ानेन�ह: भव�त. In fact, बह
ृ दारण्यकउप�नष
says ब्रह्म� alone is the real �हामण. All the other �हामणs by birth, by
profession and even by characterare all secondary �हामणs. A �हामण worth the
name is the one who has got knowledge पािण्डत् �न�वर्द बाल्ये �तष्ठात बाल्यं
पािन्दत्य �न�वर्द अत म�ु न: अमौनंच मौनंच �न�वर्द अत: �हामण: | �हामण means
ब्रह्मजान इ�त �हामण: and on that score the अवधत
ू द�ात्र very much deserves
the name �हामण:. This �हामण:उवाच and introduces the 9th गुर in the form of
अजगर in verses 1 to 4. अजगर: means a python. अज – goat, गर: -swallower,
अजगर: - goat-swallower. A python is known by that name because it swallows all
the animals as its food. It doesn’t bite or chew. It straightway swallows even
human beings. अजगर: is given as an example for a type of सन्न्य.

A सन्न्या can follow two types of life styles with reference to his daily need of
food. A सन्न्या cannot have a set-up, a cook, a kitchen etc. He is supposed to
have renounced all of them. What is he supposed to do for his daily need of food?
Two options. One is called मधक ु रव�ृ �. The other called अजगरव�ृ �:. मधक ु रव�ृ �
means like a honeybee which goes from flower to flower and gathers a little bit of
honey. Similarly, a सन्न्या also goes to a few householders and says भव�त�भ�ां
दे �ह. Whatever food is offered as �भ�ा he accepts as यदृच्छाल संतषु ्: without
judging, without resenting. At the time of taking सन्न्य he makes a संकल्, ‘I
will seek �भ�ा from the first five, seven or nine houses and only a little bit from
each house.’ In India, every householder knows that giving �भ�ा to a सन्न्या is a
पण
ु ् कमर and removes any पापम ् that is there. गह
ृ स् पाप नाशानां is giving �भ�ा to
सन्न्या. Generally, an Indian गह
ृ स् who is steeped in Vedic culture will not say
no to giving �भ�ा. No Indian housewife will say ‘no.’ When Shankaracharya
seeks �भ�ा that poor lady doesn’t find anything and finds an old berry and offers it
as �भ�ा to the young Shankaracharya. The story goes that Shankaracharya sang
कनकधारस्तोत invoking the grace of महाल�मी and the poor lady was showered
with golden berries, Nowadays, people chant कनकधारस्तोत and look up for gold.
For the simple दानं she did she got this much. So, a गह
ृ स् will never say no to
giving �भ�ा. If a सन्न्या doesn’t get �भ�ा in the first few houses because of
some प्रार, he decides that day is एकादशी. This lifestyle is called मधक
ु रव�ृ �.
अजगरव�ृ �: is a more rigorous lifestyle where the सन्न्या does not even go for
�भ�ा but remains wherever he is during travel. When there is hunger someone or
theother will come and offer �भ�ा. The python never goes in search of food.Some
animalor the other will stray and enter into the open mouth of the अजगर. That is
प्रार arrangement. Whose प्रार? Both. The प्रार of the goat and the प्रार of
the python also. The अवधत
ू द�ात्र also happens to be a सन्न्या who remains in
one place and never goes in search of �भ�ा. If भगवान ् wants this body to survive a

certain number of years determined by प्रार, it is प्रारब्ध’s job or भगवत: job
to give अन्न म to the physical body for that duration.
Vedic philosophy is that the basic needs of the physical body will be provided by
भगवान ् though प्रार. भगवान ् will provide the basic, gross needs of every living
being as determined by his/its प्रार. When the प्रार is good, somehow good
�भ�ाwill come. When प्रार is so-so, food will come to maintain the body. Food
may not be पञ् भ�य परमान्न but will suffice for survival. So, you say भगवान ्
provides or प्रारब provides or you can say भगवान ् provides through प्रारब.
Here, अवधत ू द�ात्र makes one more interesting statement. Every living being has
to go through certain basic pleasures and pains through the sense organs and the
physical body called इिन्द्रयस and इिन्द्र:खं. You would have read many stories
in the newspaper about starving or ill-treated street dogs which will have a sudden
change of circumstances when someone adopts them and takes care of them. If it is
a rich person, then the dog will have a better life than us. It will have an AC room,
special, imported biscuits from Europe and you can see the dog in the back of the
car with its head and tongue out, nicely watching all of us walking. Why? प्रार.
वेद says प्रार gives the quota of pleasure and pain for every living being. That is
called gross सख ु ं and द:ु खंorकाम आनन्. काम means sense objects and sense
pleasures. we all get a certain quota of sense pleasures without working.
अवधत ू says human beings will also get that basic quota of sense pleasures and pain
and so, they should not work for sense pleasures. They will be provided without
asking because of प्रार. These sense pleasures come under gross type of आनन्.
Animalistic pleasures are meant for animals. No doubt humans are also a type of
animal but human beings have to use this life not for gross sense pleasures but to
achieve higher and refined आनन् that is not available to animals. Humans should
not focus on काम आनन् or इिन्द सख
ु आनन् too much. They should work for
two types of higher happiness- धमर आनन् and मो� आनन्. It has been introduced
in तै�त् उप�नषद आनन्दमीमांस. In the morning class we have entered श्रो�त्

चाकामहतस् which talks of various types of sense pleasures. उप�नषद says human
beings can get 100 times greater आनन् through धम,र a life of values, a life of
service or contribution. After experiencing the glory of धमार्नन, our scriptures
invite us to experience an even higher आनन् called �ानानन् मो�ानन् �वद्यानन
भोगानन् which is far more refined and enduring.
TF, गह
ृ स्s are advised, ‘You can have कामआनन् but don’t waste your entire life
in search of it. Use गह
ृ स्ताश for more धमर्आनन.’ Marriage is called सह धमर
चा�रणी संयोग or for practicing धम.र काम should not be the primary purpose.
In वानप्रस्त उपासन आनन् which is also a type of धमार्नन called योगानन्:.

उपासन is योग:. In सन्न्यासआ, a सन्न्या is to renounce all the lower आनन्s
and enjoy नन्द� नन्द� नन्दत्य �हमानन् all the time.
TF, अवधत
ू द�ात्र advises to not dedicate our life for sense pleasures but to spend
time on धमर and मो�. Even if you want to spend time on कामआनन्, let it be for a
limited time and spend more time on धमर and मो�.अवधत ू says, प्रार itself bring
those minimum sense pleasures that the body has to get even if we don’t seek the
sense pleasures actively. What is the proof that the सख
ु ं will definitely come to me
without my working for it? अवधत ू gives an interesting logic. What about sensory
pain? Do you work for it? You never work for painful experiences. In fact, you
work hard to not experience them and yet you go through your minimum quota of
pain. Even the richest person will have to go through that pain. So, just as pain
comes without asking for it, pleasure will also come without asking because the
ु ्य म and पापम ्. TF, he says, हे राजन ्, O King
life of every being is a mixture of पण
यद,ु ऐन्द्र�यकंस यत् -all sense pleasures which we all know, दे�हनां- for all living
beings, भव�तएव -they will definitely come even without working for it. Where
will it come? स्वग एव -in heaven and on earth also, नरके अ�प -even in the hell our
quota of pleasure will come. This person is taken from one chamber to another
where he has to go through varieties of pain. गरु परु ाणं gives graphic description

of different types of tortures one has to go through. These descriptions are to show
the result of पापम ्. TF, as a human being, don’t do any पापम ्. Don’t kill animals.
Don’t hurt people. Lead a life of अ�हस
ं ा because the �हंसा I am doing now will be
given back to me in the same coin. All the terrorists who kill people will be taken
to such लोक and taken from one chamber to another. One man sees another person
coming out from another chamber. Both have done अक्र together in the
बह
ृ दारण्य उप�नषद लोक. They recognize each other and in that one moment there
is a joy. This is called इिन्द्रयस of meeting one’s friend in नरकं .
नरके एव च -in नरकं also one will get one’s basic quota. What is the proof?
यथाद:ु खं -just as pain comes without invitation, pleasure also will come. The
message is, न इच्छे तद्बु: -intelligent human beings should not seek too much of
sense pleasures. As we grow older, we have to withdraw from them more and more
and spend more time in धमर and मो�. तस्मात- TF, उदाह -an intelligent human
being following Vedic culture. Now, what is happening in our modern,
materialistic society is, they are inventing more sophisticated and modern
machines and gadgets for sensory pleasures. Finer and finer sensory pleasures for
which more and more gadgets are invented. Thus, I earn and spend; five days earn,
two days enjoy. Earn and enjoy like an animal and die. Precious human life is
wasted in materialistic society. It is understandable because they don’t know
anything superior. वेद talks about धमर and मो�. अवधत ू द�ात्र says, ‘When this is
known, why do you waste your life?’ He doesn’t miss sense pleasures at all as he is
enjoying ब्रह्मा all the time. Continuing,
ग्रासंसुमृष्टं�वरसंमहान्तंस्तोकम
यदृच्छयैवाप�ततंग्रसेदाजगरोऽ�८.२॥
He is highlighting sense pleasures in the form of enjoying varieties of delicious

food. So many food melas are there which advertise 128 types of dosas and other
varieties of food. Don’t dedicate your entire life for the sense organ called tongue.
Learn to be happy with whatever food is available at home. Eating out is a very big
thing now.

The अवधत ू says, learn to manage the tongue. Even गह ृ स्s should learn to be
happy with whatever food is available at home. This is all the more true in the case
of a सन्न्या. He is never supposed to ask for this food or that food.
Shankaracharya writes in साधन पञ्चक ,
षद
ु ्व्या�ध �च�कत्स्यत प्र�त�द �भ�ौषदं भज्य
ु तांस्वा अन्नम तु याच्यता
�व�धवशात्प्राप संतषु ्यता.
Hunger is like a disease which makes you ill at ease. Hunger is called disease
because when there is hunger you are not at ease with yourself. It comes at regular
intervals like cold, fever etc. You take medicine to cure the disease. Just because
the medicine is sweet, you do not drink it for the taste. It is meant for the removal
of the disease. Similarly, food is meant to remove the disease of hunger. Don’t
convert into a great sensory enjoyment. ग्रासम ु षृ ्ट�वरसं. ग्रा - a few handfuls, a
few morsels of food. सम
ु षृ ्ट may be very delicious or �वरसं- may be tasteless.
महान्त स्तोकमे वा.महान्त- it may comein large quantities or small quantity.
यदृच् - by chance. Here, he is talking from the standpoint of a सन्न्या. For a
गह
ृ स् some relaxation is given in the rules but he is also warned not to be a slave
to his tongue. यदृच् means प्रारब्धवश whatever comes, ग्रसे- may you be
happy with that food. The one who follows this regularly is the अजगर: and also
meansa सन्न्या who follows a python’s way of life. That means not going in
search of �भ�ा. अ�क्: means no special effort for �भ�ा. The experience of all
those सन्न्याs is that they get food. Nobody has died of starvation. In India, no
सन्न्या has ever died of starvation. Food comes from somewhere or the other.
Continuing,
शयीताहा�नभरू ��ण�नराहारोऽनप
ु क्रम
य�दनोपनयेद्ग्रासोमहा�ह�रव�दष्टभ८.३||
Here the अवधत

ू advises those सन्न्याs who follow अजगरव�ृ �. Of course, these
are not relevant for गह
ृ स्. अजगर: is the lifestyle or the person who lives like

अजगर, python. Sometimes there will be a challenge or trying situations wherein
भगवान ् tests the resolve of that सन्न्या. Just as a python sometimes goes without
food for several weeks and gets very emaciated and yet follows its व�ृ �. At the
crucial time some food or the other comes. Similarly, a सन्न्या may face such
situations. Let him not give up his resolve. भगवान ् is testing the discipline.
भरू ��णअहा�न - sometimes many days may go by without food. भरू ��ण -
many.श�यता -let him remain. �नराहार:- it is continuous एकादशी. एकादशी is one
day but for him एकादशी can last for many days. �नराहार:अनप
ु �म: still he doesn’t
budge. He surrenders to भगवान ्. यद्यत्भव भवतु भगवान्पवर कमार्नुर.ू य�द न
उपनमेद ग्र: -even if the food doesn’t come, let him remain like महा�ह�रव. महा�ह
-another name for python, अ�ह: means snake, महा - huge one. महा�हइव �दष्टभुक
�दष्ट means प्रारब, (बह
ृ दारण्य उप�नषद)experiencing the प्रारब, let that सन्न्या
continue to surrender to भगवान ्. This is the extreme type of resolve mentioned
here. Continuing,
ओजःसहोबलयतं�
ु बभ्रद ्देहमकमर्कम्शयानोवीत�नद्रश्चनेहेतेिन८.४॥
The last श्लोof अजगर lesson is that even if this person is a young सन्न्या,
physically, mentally fit and capable of going out and getting food, he should follow
the resolve if he has taken the व्र. अवधत ू is not making it compulsory or saying
that everybody should follow this. It is not even compulsory for all सन्न्याs. If a
सन्न्या has taken this tough resolve to follow अजगरव�ृ �, then अवधत
ू says, stick
to your व्र however tempting it may be, because hunger will whip up the person
and make him go him in search of food. अवधत
ू says remain where you are.
Surrender to God. ओज:सहो बलयतं
ु - even if he has got all the faculties intact ओज:
-means इिन्द्रयश:, सह: means मनोबलं; बलं means शर�र शिक्. Body, sense
organs, mind, all these faculties are fully intact. He can go out and seek �भ�ा.
इिन्दवाना�प- even if the sense organs are functioning and he is capable of going

out. Still �वभ्रदे -let him keep his body in one place without going in search of
अन्न म, surrendering to भगवान ्. If भगवान ् wants this body to survive, let it survive.
If he doesn’t get food for a few days, naturally his body will grow weaker and
weaker and it may be difficult even to sit up. But अवधत ू gives very harsh advice,
‘Don’t sleep the whole day.’ वीत�नद:च- one should be alert. One should not
meditate on varieties of food. Very natural. When you are hungry, what meditation
can you do? अन्न्ध्या will take place. It should be a life of �न�दध्यासनंएकान्
सख
ु मस्यता परतरे एतत् समाधीयतां पण
ू ार्त् तु समी�यतां.Of course, it is very
difficult and it is one of harshest ways of living that only certain सन्न्याs take to.
अवधत
ू says, ‘I learnt the possibility of such a life by observing अजगर:. वीत�नदश्
-without going to sleep, but to remain in meditation, न हेत -he should not go out
seeking food. This is the ninth गुर. Continuing,
म�ु नःप्रसन्नगम्भीरोदु�वर्गाह्योदु
अनन्तपारोह्य�ोभ्यःिस्त�मतोदइवाण८.५॥
The 10th गर
ु is �सन्:ध - समद
ु or ocean, which is used often as an example, for संसार
is also an ocean. संसारसागर:. The ocean is also used as an example for मो� also to
explain the state of mind of a �ानी. A �ानी’s mind is compared मानस सरोवर or
कैलास मानससरोवर.
म�ु न: - a �ानी or a �ानी’s mind is,प्रस: - is calm. The biggest ocean in the world
is called Pacific Ocean indicating that it is शान्:.The Sanskrit word for Pacific
Ocean is शान् समद
ु :. Justas the ocean is calm, the mind of a �ानी is also placid
and calm. It is also गम्भी: - deep in its wisdom. You cannot see the depth of the
ocean. We can only see the top layer. The ocean is so deep that it can submerge
even Mt. Everest. Pacific Ocean has a trench called Mariana trench which is 30000
feet deep. Mt. Everest is 29,000 feet. So, if you submerge the Everest inside
Mariana trench, you will have whole 1000 feet of water above the peak of Everest.
Similarly, a �ानी's mind has enquired into the deepest part of the universe.

अन्योन्:. There is a discussion in बह
ृ दारण्य उप�नषद where गाग�, a great Vedic
scholar, asks या�वल्क, ‘What is its कारण?ं Its कारण?ं And its कारण?ं ’ She goes
deeper and deeper from element to molecules to atom to sub-atomic field to energy
to energy field etc. The deepest truth of the entire creation is the आत् त�वं, which
is the subtlest part. �ानी’s mind though it sees the grossest universe doesn’t miss
the deepest truth available in the form of सत् �चत्and आनन्. We appreciate नाम
रू everywhere. शब् स्पश रू रस गन् in and through the gross शब् स्पश but
there is the subtlest principle pervading all of them. वेदान् says in and through नाम
रूthere is the finest principle which you experience but refuse to notice. That is,
pure existence. A gross mind says, ‘I understand that word but I don’t know what it
is.’ म�ु न is one who has grasped this गम्भी-deep essence of ब्रह्in and through
creation. A �ानीs mind is deep and calm justas the ocean. His mind is capable
recognising the deepest truth. Calm in and through-
समदःु खसख
ु ः स्वस् समलोष्टाश्मकाञ् |
तल
ु ्य�प्रया� धीरस्तुल्य�नन्दात्मसंस् ॥ २४ ॥
We learn this सभा

ु �षतं in schools and colleges. Some of you may remember
संप�ौच �वप�ौ च महतां एकरूपत- the mind of a �ानी is uniform, equanimous and
same. संप�ौ- even when in संप�� prosperity, �वप�ौ च-in adversity like a financial
crash which happens because of प्रार. In the second line, a fantastic example is
given- उधये स�वतरक्:रक्तश अस्तमय तथा when the sun is rising, (the rising sun
indicates prosperity), and रक्तश अस्तमय तथा. अस्तमन -dying, setting moment.
The sun appears the same both at the time of rising and setting. रक्- reddish.
When you see a picture of a reddish sun, you can never say whether it is rising or
setting. That is called �ानीs mind. So, प्रस गम्भी:दरु त्य: - unfathomable. How
much knowledge he has you can never understand. He will never demonstrate or
show off his knowledge. When students come, he may bring out all his knowledge
but in common, worldly life, he will never show off his knowledge. TF,
unfathomable like the ocean whose depth we can never know. अनन्तपा: -the

shore is invisible. It isvast also. �ानी never prays for himself and his family. सव�षां
स्विस भवतु सव�षां सख
ु ंभवत.ु His mind is the universal mind. अ�ोभ्: never shaken
by any events in life like अणर्: �त�मतोद: -the calm waters of the ocean.

म�ु नःप्रसन्नगम्भीरोदु�वर्गाह्योदु
अनन्तपारोह्य�ोभ्यःिस्त�मतोदइवाण८.५॥
अवधत
ू द�ात्र continues with his list of 24 गुरव: and the lessons that he learnt from
them. In the second chapter, eight गरु व: have been enumerated. In the third chapter
he will detail nine गरु व:. Verses 1 to 4, the 9th गर
ु was mentioned in the form of
अजगर:, the python.
In the fifth श्लोक, which we entered into the last class, the 10th गुर is introduced in
the form ocean, समद
ु or �सन्ध verses 5 and 6. The अवधत
ू says that the mind of a
�ानी is like the ocean because the �ानी has understood the highestreality of ब्रह्
and has learnt to claim himselfasब्रह्. His mind has practiced identification of
himself with ब्रह्. The nature of the mind is that whatever it thinks of, it will get
a similar nature. That is, similar to the object he thinks of which we call
sympathetic vibration in physics. If you are talking to someone who is going
through lots of pain, you listen to his stories and his pain, our mind also gets into
pain. Even after that person leaves, if it is deep pain, it continues in the mind and I
find our mind also has a painful condition. If we speak to someone who is very
happy and shares his happiness our mind also reflects the same. As the object is, so
is the mind. The mind has the capacity to entertain �वषय आकार व�ृ �, a thought
mode which is similar to the object the mind thinks of. The �ानी is one who has
spent his entire life, dedicated his life for practicing श्रव मननं �न�दध्यासन, not on
the miserable objects in creation, but on the highest truth called ब्रह् which is
सदर
् , �चत्र: and आनन् स्वर:. Hemeditates upon that ब्रह् all the time, he
claims that ब्रह् as his very real nature and his mind has become very similar to
ब्रह् itself.
The similarity of the mind of the �ानी and the infinite ब्रह् is with the ocean.
Seeing the ocean, one remembers the mind of a �ानी, which is as vast, प्रसन-

calm like the Pacific Ocean, शान्तसमु:, गम्भी: - very deep. The �ानी’s mind
also is deep because he has understood the innermost essence of creation. य:
सा�ात् अपरो�ात् ब्र:य आत् सवार्न्:. The depth of his mind is, द�ु वर्गाह: -
very difficult for the other people to fathom. To understand the �ानी’s mind, we
should become a �ानी. द�ु वर्गाह: unfathomable, दरु त्यय -one which cannot be
crossed over or overpowered by any situation, अनन्तपा: which doesn’t have
limitations of time and space because his mind is true to ब्रह्. ब्रह् is अनन्त म
and अपारं . अनन्तपा we have to read twice न �वद्यत अनन्: न �वद्यत पार: च
यस्. अनन् indicates no time limitation, पार indicates boundary of space.
अ�ोभ्: unshaken by even the worst प्रार that he has to go through because �ानं
has given him the greatest immunity. There are only two types of immunity
against emotional disturbances. Physical immunity can be built through so many
methods- take this Omega acid, this contains oxygen, this contains that etc. but
every human mind is emotionally vulnerable. Every राग and द्वे can disturb me.
Objects that I like, disturb me by going away. Disliked objects disturb me when
they come. We have gathered many likes and dislikes in our life. TF, every human
mind is vulnerable. Even if certain events do not happen, our mind imagines the
possibility of the event and so gets emotionally disturbed. What is the immunity
for emotional disturbance?
According to Veda, there are two only two immunity injections. The first one is
भिक्: -surrender to the Lord and drawing strength from ईश्व whom I install in
my mind. आत्म त्व �ग�रजाम�त सहजरा प्रा: शर�रं गह
ृ ं . भगवान ् is everywhere,
भगवान ् is in my heart and that is the source of my emotional strength. भगवान ्
always has अभय मद
ु ्and वरस मद
ु ्.अभयं means, don’t fear, I am with you. TF,
भिक् gives emotional immunity. In the beginning stage of कमर्यो, कमर्यो काले
भिक्,gives the immunity. �ान योग काले what gives immunity is �ानं. भिक् is
regarding सगुणं ब्र,�ानं is regarding �नगुर्ण ब्र. First, take to भिक्, then come
to �ान.ं Because of this �ानं, �ानी is अ�ोभ्: not emotionally shaken.

�त�मतोद अणर्: इव. �त�मतं means the still waters of the ocean. The �ानी’s mind
remains still in ups and down like the still waters of the ocean. This is the lesson
thatwehave to learn from the ocean. The same idea is repeated in other words in
the next श्लोक.
समद
ृ ्धकामोह�नोवानारायणपरोमु�नः
नोत्सप�तनशुष्येतस�रद्�भ�रवसाग८.६॥
A �ानी will have to face a life determined by प्रारब्ध even after attaining
spiritual wisdom. In many systems of philosophy and theology, मो� is only after
death, a posthumous affair whereas वेदान्त alone says �ानं gives मो� here and
now. A student of वेदान्त can see for himself whetherit is true ornot. You can
experience the benefit of वेदान्त in this life itself. The other गुरव: are always safe
because they say, “You follow me and you will get मो� after death.” You cannot
come back and question me or take me to consumer protection court. So, all those
people can escape. The Vedanta teacher cannot escape because he says, “You
study and see for yourself. The benefit can be gained here and now.”
In वेदान्त, the �ानी will continue to live after �ानं based on his प्रारब्ध earned,
not in the current जन् but in the past जन्. In his past जन्, was the current a
�ानी or an अ�ानी? If he were a �ानी in the past जन्, then he would not have
cometo current जन्. TF, every �ानी was an अ�ा�न in all the past जन्s. During
that अ�ान काले, he has done good actions and wrong actions. As they say, ‘Every
sinner has a future and every saint a past.’ TF, even a �ानी’s प्रारब्ध is amixture
of पण
ु ्य म and पापम ्. So, he will have favourable and unfavourable प्रार. We find
that different �ानीs have different types of प्रार. Some are lucky that they get
every thing they need for survival easily, wonderful food- प्रार. He has devotees
or disciples giving him all that is needed. There are some other �ानीs who don’t
get devotees or disciples or even the basic needs of life. They are barely able to
survive.

अवधत
ू says, in spite of this difference in प्रार, a �ानी’s mind remains calm. Just
because the lucky �ानी gets all favourable things, he is not over excited. As LKA
says in BGA, न प्रहृष्येि प्रा. Don’t be over excited because all the favorable
things are coming. न उद्�वजेत्प् चा�प्रय don’t lose your heart because
unfavourable things are coming. िस्थरबुद्�धरसंमू ब्रह्म�वद्ब िस्थत ॥ २०
This is like the ocean. Whether the rivers join the ocean or not the ocean remains
the same. In the rainy seasons all the rivers are full and give to ocean and in
summers, the rivers run dry and give no water to the ocean.
आपयर्माणमचलप्र�त
ू समदु ्रमा प्र�वशि यद्वत । DS says that the संन्यासs
residing in Rishikesh have to take �भ�ा from many different centres which have
minimum budget. Swamiji says they get dal and roti in the morning and in the
evening the change is, they get roti and dal. Dal is just some water with some
grains of dal floating here and there. In fact, many sadhus fall sick also. Swami
Sivananda, who was a doctor from the south, saw many संन्यासs in Rishikesh
falling sick due to lack of nutritious food and so he started many centres and
hospitals to take care of them.
प्रार brings all situations. The �ानीs state of mind is described. समद
ृ ्धका -with
all the basic needs in abundance. Here, the word कामdoesn’t mean sense pleasures.
काम: means the basic needs of food, clothing and shelter, समद
ृ ्: - in abundance,
ह�नोवा -or lack of even basic needs. म�ु न: -this �ानी doesn’t meditate upon food,
sumptuous food. नारायणपरोम�ु नः -the म�ु नः dwells on the Lord. ‘O Lord, my
प्रार, I deserve only so much.’ No complaint against God. नारयणपर: -meditating
on either सगण
ु ईश्व or �नगुर्ण ब्र. The word नारायण can stand for both सगण
ु ं
and �नगुर्ण ब्र, म�ु न: meditates upon. न उत्सप�- he is not over excited because
of the richness of things, न शषु ्ये -nor does his mind dry up, that means, he is not
depressed because of such conditions, सागर: स�रद्�: इव –just as the ocean
remains full whether the rivers join or not. With this, the 10th गुर is over. Now the
11th गुर in verses 7 and 8.

दृष्ट्वािस्त्रयंदेवमायांतद्भावैरिजत
प्रलो�भतःपतत्यन्धेतमस्यग्नौपत८.७॥
The entire creation is borne out of two principles- ब्रह् and माया, �नगुर्णंब् and
सगण
ु ंमाया. This combination alone is called ईश्व. If you remember the 7 chapter,
th
ब्रह् and माया were called पराप्रकृ and अपराप्रकृ. The mixture is called ईश्व.
Both together is called the cause of the universe. According to the law of cause and
effect, the effect will have a nature very similar to the cause. As the cause is, so
will be the effect. An ornament created from gold will be golden ornament.
Similarly, children born from human parents will be human babies, though we may
call them monkey brands. If ईश्व is the cause of creation, the universe also must
be a mixture of both �नगुर्णंब्and माया. The universe is also a mixture of परा and
अपराप्रकृ. How to know which one is which? The माया part of ईश्व can be
recognised in the creation by seeing the nature of माया inhering in the creation.
माया is सगुणं:, full of attributes. मायाhas three गुणा:. शब्दस्पशर्र and गन् all
these attributes also belong to माया. माया is subject to change. Whatever is
changing in creation, is colorful in creation, is variety in creation are expressions of
�नगुर्णंब् or सगुणंमाया. I use the word beauty, variety and novelty because you
can see all the colours on the road, in the window shop, anything you see.
Evenसन्न्या�: get attracted, there are that many varieties of colours. Everything
is variety. TF, beauty and variety are the expressions of माया. Poor ब्रह् is also
pervading the universe but nobody notices just as in a movie, everybody notices
the hero, heroine, dance programs but in and through all these varieties there is
another all-pervading thing which nobody notices- the poor screen. It is ignored or
overlooked even though it is the most important one without which the movie itself
is not possible. Similarly, ब्रह् also changelessly, without attributes of form,
colour, or taste is blank. ब्रह् is अशब्दंअस्प अरूप अरसंअगन्.ध ब्रह् is always
blank. That ब्रह् also pervades the universe in the form of existence principle and
consciousness principle. सदर
् ूप �चद ्रुप्पेण�नग रूपे ब्रह् also pervades. माया
also pervades in the form of beauty, variety and novelty. Which of this pair of

ब्रह् and माया attracts the human mind? ब्रह् or माया?मायादेवी attracts the
human mind and keeps it engaged in माया. LKA says this in the BG-
�त्र�भगुर्णमयैभार्वैर सवर्�मद जगत् ।

मो�हतं ना�भजाना�त मामेभ्य परमव्यय म ॥ १३ ॥
Our entire life time we remain attracted to माया. बालस्तावत क्र�डाश: तरुणस्ताव
तरुण शक्: वद
ृ ्धस्ताव grandchild शक्: परमे ब्रह् को�प न शक्:. The
problem is not being attracted by माया and spending our life time with माया but
that this world of माया doesn’t have stability. It has beauty, variety, novelty but it
is continuously changing. Since it doesn’t have stability, you cannot hold on to it
for your emotional well-being, support, security etc. माया is never reliable for our
security. If I am attracted by माया and hold on to माया, I am going to suffer संसार.
Whatever I hold on to will leave me one day or the other, leaving me high and dry.
Crying and complaining to भगवान ् will not solve the problem. भगवान ् will say, ‘I
have given you enough warnings in the scriptures.’ A human being should never
be attracted or tempted by the world too much or to such an extent that his entire
life is dedicated to the finite, the अनात्म. We should know that the goal of life
should be to progress spiritually before death and to have �नत् अ�नत् वस्त
�ववेक:. We saw this in TB. All the students of BGA and UGA should go through
TB andif you have already gone through it, then you should keep on revising. TB
says human beings must develop �नत्या�नत वस्त �ववेक: Remember, the world
isattractive but perishable. Before death you should go after the �नत्यवस् and
cultivate अ�नत् वस्त वैराग्य. Don’t be attached to अ�नत्यवस्. Don’t be seduced
by अ�नत्यवस्, don’t be tempted by अ�नत्यवस्. May you gradually love
�नत्यवस्. In religious language �नत्यवस् is भगवान ्; in spiritual language
�नत्यवस् is ब्रह्. Gradually we should devote time for the pursuit of ब्रह्. If
we don’t use �ववेकशिक् carefully then we get tempted easily by the world and get
lost in the world, thus wasting this precious, human life. इह चेत्अवेद�त्

असत्यमिस discovery of truth is possible only in human life. Once this human
life is missed, we don’t know when the next human life will be. It all depends upon
next bunch of प्रार which is waiting in the queue. Next birth may be as one of the
mosquitoes in BVM. We should constantly remember not to be tempted by अथर
and काम of the worldly things. अथर and काम are important but our entire life
cannot be dedicated for अथर काम. We should have time for धमर and मो� also. If we
are not alert, we will be tempted by the world and fall into the world and die like a
moth drawn to a flame. The poor insect is attracted to the light and doesn’t know
that it is going to fly towards its very death. Similarly, the whole world of माया is
like the flame or oil. If a human being does not use his �ववेकशिक्, then he will be
like the moth attracted by sense pleasures and will fall victim to the lures of the
world by becoming an addict. Then, the entire life is irreversibly lost.
In this श्लो, various attractions of the world and its sense pleasures are
enumerated. अवधत ू says, attractions are different for different human beings.
Some are attracted by clothes, some by ornaments, it varies from individual to
individualdepending on their minds. Certain attractions are instinctive and
universal like attractions existing between the two genders of every species of
living beings. In all living beings, there is a mutual attraction between the male and
female. This gender attraction is not an acquired one, not a chosen one but is
instinctively present in every living being. भगवान ् never asks whether you want
this or not. If youare a living being it is simply there. It is instinctive. It is
universal. TF, it is extremely powerful also. So, अवधत ू warns that a human being
should know how to handle this particular attraction. This is a powerful expression
of मायाशिक्. If it is not handled properly, then it can become too powerful and
enslave a person. Once enslaved, the person may go astray and go in the अधा�म्
र
मागर also. This leads to the destruction of a human being and especially in the case
of a spiritualseeker, it means total spiritual destruction, an irreversible destruction.
TF, all scriptures give a strong warning to every human being in general and every
spiritual seeker in particular. Learn to handle it otherwise you will have to regret.
In the 7thand 8thश्लोs,अवधत ू refers to this and gives a very strong warning. One
should be intelligent enough not to avoid the attraction. It cannot be avoided
because it is instinctive and universal.We can only learn to handle it in such a way

that it doesn’t enslave me. This power is kept as an instinctive and universal power
because भगवान ् wants the continuity of the परम्पर of every species. Otherwise
why should भगवान ् keep it? It is a natural thing for the propagation of species, you
can’t curse it. Handle it appropriately for the appropriate purposes.Otherwise it will
over power and engulf and destroy a person spiritually and irreversibly.
दृष्ट्वािस –add the word पर

ु ुषंas the case may be स्त in thecase of males and
पर
ु ुष in thecase of स्त. Both are powerful expressions of देवमाया. माया is called
मो�हनी- deluding principle which is that which suppresses the discriminative
power. All the values, all धमर will be forgotten when it over powers the intellect. It
is called देव:ईश्व: माया. देव मायां. तद्भाव- by such पदाथार: or by such living beings
belonging to opposite gender,अिजतेिन्द: -a person who doesn’t have �ववेकशिक्,
intellect, to control the mind. The mind has to control the sense organs. If the
intellect is not alert, the mind will go wherever the wayward sense organs take
him. If youremember the कठोप�नषद example of the chariot. The human body is
compared to a chariot. The sense organs are compared to the horses. The mind is
compared to the reins which control the horses. The intellect is compared to
thedriver, the charioteer who holds the rope or reins and controls the horses. The
master sitting behind is the जीवात्म and the destination is परमात्म. जीवात्म is the
traveller, intellect is the charioteer, mind is the reins, sense organs are the horses
and the body is the chariot taking us on our journey of life to the destination-
परमात्म. We can reach परमात्म destination provided,
�व�ानसार�थयर्स् मनःप्रग्रहवा ।
सोऽध्वन पारमाप्नो� तद्�वष्ण परमं पदम ् ॥ ९ ॥,
the master has an intellect of an informed driver who handles the wayward mind. If
the mind doesn’t have the control, it will allow the sense organs also to roam all
over indiscriminately reading the wrong books, watching wrong programs on TV
and the internet. If the intellect doesn’t have restraint mind, sense organs and body
will all go astray. कठोप�नषद says this जीवात्म falls into संसार.

यस्त्व�व�ानवान्भ यक
ु ्ते मनसा सदा ।
तस्येिन्द्रयाण्यव दषु ्टाश् इव सारथेः ॥ ५ ॥
This is a very beautiful portion of कठोप�नषद.
Here, the अवधत

ू द�ात्र says don’t allow the sense organs to wander all over. Your
mind may be tempted to stray away from धम.र Even if there is a remote possibility
of temptation, don’t even go to such place. Why go there and get into trouble?
Have सत्सङ and avoid दस ु ्सङ and all such tempting areas. अिजत इिन्द: -when
the sense organs are not under my control I always see wrong things, hear wrong
things and think of wrong things which will overpower my intellect. अिजतेिन्द is
a person who has neither शम nor दम. दम means sense-mastery. शम means mind-
mastery. The mind will keep on saying, ‘Go there’, but the intellect should restrain
it with understanding. If you force it without understanding, it becomes
suppression. Suppression is dangerous. I should restrain it with the deep
understanding that giving in to temptations will cost me my spiritual life. This
conviction must be there.
Otherwise, अिजतेिन्द: -a man without sense control, प्रलो�भ -tempted by माया,

अन्ध तम�स पत�त -falls into अन्ध तप:, the dark pit of संसार. A licentious life will
be an animal life. Human birth but animalistic life. Swami Chinmayananda always
said, ‘Convert the animal man into man- man.’ When we develop शम and दम then,
we have converted animal-man into man-man. Only if I am a man-man can I
become God-man, the divine through कमर्यो and then through �ानयोग. TF, we
should ask ourselves every day- प्रत् प्रत्यव नरश्च�रतमात्: �कन्नुम
पश�ु भस्तुल् �कन्न सत्पुरु इ�त. ‘Do I live a life like an animal or do I live like a
सत्पुर? In भागवतं this topic is repeatedly discussed. In the BGA, LKA only
generally talks about sense mastery but भागवतं repeatedly emphasizes handling
male-female attraction properly.

Page 47, Verse 7-
दृष्ट्वािस्त्रयंदेवमायांतद्भावैरिजत
प्रलो�भतःपतत्यन्धेतमस्यग्नौपत८.७॥
One of the disciplines emphasized in the spiritual scriptures is the discipline of दम:
otherwise called इिन्द �नग्: or the capacity to manage our sense organs. Sense
organs and the mind are instruments given to us by the Lord. Both the mind and
sense organs are powerful instruments. Any instrument can become a blessing or a
curse depending upon how we manage it. A car is a wonderful instrument if we
know how to handle it well. If we don’t have control over the car, then that
instrument, instead of taking us to our destination, will take us either to the hospital
or इह लोक फलम ् or to higher लोका:लोक फलम ्. This is true of any instrument like a
knife which is very useful but can harm if we do not know how to handle it.
Human beings have two such powerful instruments. बाह् करणं -the external
organs and the अन्:करणं the internal organs. Both must be managed by an
informed intellect, preferably a scripturally informed intellect so that it will direct
the mind and sense organs to fulfill our ultimate पर
ु ुषाथ of मो� before we die.
TF all scriptures emphasize management of both sense organs and the mind.
Managing the sense organs is called दम:, managing the mind or thoughts is called
शम:. We saw शम and दम in TB. In puranas like भागवतं these disciplines are
highlighted. These are difficult to follow because the world is full of the products
of माया which have beauty, variety and novelty and present constant temptations to
keep our mind and sense organs engaged all the time so that we get lost in the
अनात् प्रप and miss the truth behind it, namely the आत्म, or ब्रह्.
TF, शास्तs give constant warnings. शास्त generally gives the example of different
living beings, which are slaves to one particular sense organ using which
weakness, human beings are able capture various animals. Human beings are
intelligent enough to know which animal is a slave of which particular sense organ
so they use that weakness of the animal to capture and often kill also. Thus, the
weakness becomes the cause of the very destruction of the animal. Animals are
slaves to one sense organ or the other whereas, the human being is a slave to all
five senses. You can imagine how human beings will be destroyed if not
physically, then spiritually, if they are unable to handle their weakness. Five
animals or living beings are given as an example in the परु ाणा�न. Shankaracharya
collects all these examples in one beautiful श्लोक in VC.
शब्दा�द�: पञ्च�भरे पञ् पञ्चत्वमा: स्वगुणे बद्ध:

कुरङ्गमातङ्गपतङ्ग भङ
ृ ्ग नर:पञ्च�बरिञ्: �कं म ्|
Living beings are slaves of either शब् स्पश रू रस or गन्. शब्– sound, स्पश-
touch, रू- form, रस – taste, गन् - smell. Due to the weakness of one of these five
senses pleasures, five living beings -कुरङ्गमातङ्गपतङ्गमीनभृ: are destroyed.
कुरङ् – deer which is attracted to beautiful music. मातङ् - elephant which has a
weakness for स्पश. The male elephant enjoys rubbing against the female elephant.
पतङ् - moth which is attracted by the bright form of the flame, रू. We have seen
शब्दस्पशर and the corresponding sense organs are श्रो त्वक्च:. The next animal
is मीनम ् – fish which likes to eat the worm which is fixed to the fishing rod. Its
weakness is रस – taste. It is attracted by the worm, bites and gets hooked for good
and becomes lunch or dinner for somebody else. The last one is भङ ृ ्ग- black bee
which is attracted by the beautiful fragrance of the flower and sits on it. By sunset
the flower closes and the भङ ृ ्ग is trapped and dies. So, its weakness is गन् –
smell. Shankaracharya says, नरा: -human being नरा पञ्च�:अिन्जत: - is
enslaved by all the five sense organs so what to say of his lot? He faces constant
challenge to the intellect, mind and sense organs as they pull him away from धमर
and मो� because they are अथर काम प्रध. Mind and sense organs try to draw the
intellect away. An intellect which is spiritually informed has to restrain the mind
and sense organs. Temptation pulls, intellect has to restrain. This is a constant tug
of war from birth to death. Success in spirituality depends upon who wins. All the
spiritual seekers are continuously told to manage the sense organs. In the BGA
LKA highlights it in several chapters. I will give you one or two samples-

Even an advanced spiritual student, even a well-disciplined, spiritual student is
constantly challenged by sense organs. Sense organs are the gateways to the
external world. If they are not shut properly it is opened wide and all kinds of
things gate crash through the sense organs and churn the mind making the mind
turbulent.भंम
When the mind is turbulent even Shastric knowledge will not be
accessible. All knowledge gathered will be totally lost at crucial times because
sense organs and mind win and take one away from धमर and मो�. We remain
trapped in अथर and काम.
Here, अवधत ू says, each one of these five animals is a गर

ु . We have to learn how
they are trapped and be warned against such temptation. The sense organ
highlighted here is च�ु: with the example of the पतङ्गवत which we saw in verse
seven. That idea is reinforced in the next verse also.
यो�षद्�धरण्याभरणाम्बरा�दद्रव्येषुमायार�चतेष
प्रलो�भतात्माह्युपभोगबुद्ध्यापतङ्गवन्नश्य�त८.८॥
He gives a list of external objects of temptation for the eyes – यो�षद्�हरण आभरण
अम्बराद. यो�षद literally means woman but it can be man or woman as the case
may be. �हरण्म ्- gold, आभरणं -ornaments, अम्बर –वस्त. अम्बरा� द्रव्य- all of
them are मायार�हतेष.ु Everyone is useful we are not asked to hate them or reject
them. Everything has its value and importance and we are not supposed to reject
any of them. Only be warned to not be enslaved by them and do not go from धमर to
अधमर. Every one of them is मायार�चतेष-ु born of माया, capable of temptation. मढ
ू :
- one who doesn’t keep the intellect of �नत्या�नत वस्त �ववेक:धमर्अधम�ववेक. If
that intellect is suppressed for even one moment, one will become मढ
ू :, deluded by
those objects. मढ
ू : प्रलो�भत्आत. प्रलो�भत – tempted, आत्म - mind and
intellect,उपभोगबद
ु ्ध् - with an idea of enjoying those sense pleasures beyond

limit or restrictions; ending up in indulgence and overindulgence in all of them.
नश्य� नष् दृिष: -his eye of discrimination is blinded by those objects and he
certainly perishes, physically but worse spiritually also. Physical destruction occurs
as over indulgence in anything will lead to the destruction of health -drinks, drugs
etc. Obesity problem is again over indulgence in junk food. It destroys life itself.
नश्य� is two-fold, physical and spiritual. What is the message? Beware. So, this is
from the stand point of च�ु�रिन्द्.Theother इिन्द् will come later. So, the 11th
गर
ु is पतङ्:, the moth which teaches us not to be like it. It is counter गर
ु .
Continuing, Verse 48,
स्तोकंस्तोकंग्रसेद्ग्रासंदेहोवत�
गह
ृ ान�हंसन्ना�तष्ठेद्वृ��ंमाधुकर�ंमु�८.९॥
So many of the topics are directly connected to a सन्न्या but with a modified
form so that even a गह
ृ स्त canget a relevant lesson. Here, the श्लोक is directly
dealing with a सन्न्या way of life. Earlier, we talked about अजगरव�ृ �, like a
python. He doesn’t seek food from outside, he surrenders to प्रार and thinks that
if the body has to survive, my प्रार will bring me food. This total surrender to
प्रार and भगवान ् is the toughest life lead by सन्न्या.प्रारब् सम�पर्त. The
other type is मधकु रव�ृ � where he seeks �भ�ा from one house holder or the other.
Here also, a rule is observed- instead of burdening one householder, he seeks a
little �भ�ा from different houses so that there is no burden on the गहृ स्त. The
आचायर said that before you cook for food for your family, take one handful of rice
and keep it aside. You won’t feel the burden. Otherwise you will say, ‘I can’t
afford to feed others.’ Just keep a little rice aside and when enough has been
collected, give it to a गुरुकुल or आश्, so that सन्न्याs can live on that. To
reduce the burden on householders, collecting a little from different houses like a
मधक ु र:, a bee.
स्तोकंस्तो ग्रसे ग्रा. ग्रा – food, ग्रसे - one should partake a little bit from
different families only for this day and not to collect extra food for tomorrow.

When water is kept in public places, we can either drink for our need or take a
huge bottle, fill it up and take it home. No, this is not correct. It has been kept for
people to quench their thirst and not for collecting water. So, a सन्न्या doesn’t
collect for others or for the future. He only takes that much as is needed to eat at
this current time. Whatabout next �भ�ा? Leave it to भगवान ्. This advice is not for
the householder but for a सन्न्या. देहो वत�त -for the survival of the body, यावत -
whatever is required collect that so that गह
ृ ान ् �हम्सान-गह
ृ स्तs are not burdened or
disturbed. This is called माधक
ु र� व�ृ �: led by some of the सन्न्याs. म�ु न: means
सन्न्या. The गुर here is, मधक
ु र:. The bee. Continuing,
अणुभ्यश्चमहद्भ्यश्चशास्त्रेभ्यः
सवर्तःसारमादद्यात्पुष्पेभ्यइवष८.१०॥
Verses 9 to 12 is the same topic of मधक ु र, the 12 गुर. A सन्न्या

ु ृ त् or मधक
th
should also dedicate his life for gaining knowledge. According to Vedanta, our
whole life is in four आश्र:. In �ह्मचयार्, one has to learn about the spiritual
journey and its stages. Learning the theory in �ह्मचयार्, he has to implement the
learning in each of the stages as they occur. There are three remaining आश्र: and
corresponding योग: .कमर्यो उपासनयोग �ानयोग.
कमर्यो stage of साधन is to be implemented in गह

ृ स्ताश. गह
ृ स्ताश is कमर्यो
प्रध. Not that he shouldn’t study वेदान्त. Come to the next class. �ानयोग and
उपासनयोग are not primary for a गह
ृ स्त. गह
ृ स्त is कमर्यो प्रध, serve the
society, contribute through पञ्चमह य�. Earn plenty, do not store. Earning is for
sharing. Give, give, give. पञ्चमह य�. This contribution to society is
कमर्योगप्र life. The next stage is वानप्रस्थ where कमर is gradually reduced
because he will be incapable also because the body is not young any more. Getting
up itself is a project, then where is the question of running about and serving? So,
more मानससाधन in the form of उपासन. उपासनरूपएकईश्वरउपा. �वश्वर
ईश्वउपासन. मानसकमर्प्र in वानप्रस्त, का�यक कम,र physical कमर at the

गह
ृ स्तशमार stage. सन्न्य आश् is next after कमर्यो has purified the mind and
उपासन has quietened the mind. The mind is pure and un-preoccupied. Pure means
राग द्वेष: are diluted and so the mind is calm and not preoccupied. For listening to
वेदान्त, you require a mind that is available. If you continue to worry about what
you have to do after going from class, then your mind if not available to listen.
Then, �ानयोग is impossible. In सन्न्य आश्, a सन्न्या’s mind is supposed to
be 100% available for �ानं. He has to gain two types of knowledge- अपरा �वद्य
andपरा �वद्य. He should know how to interpret scriptures properly through
मीमांसशास्त्, how to inquire into the nature of the world, the nature of God, one’s
own nature. तकर शास्त is designed to train us to think logically and properly. He
should have knowledge of Sanskrit as all our spiritual texts are in Sanskrit. I once
asked a person to type the summary of BGA chapter five, सन्न्य योग:.
Wherever I translated as ‘renunciation’, he typed remuneration. मो� न कमर्ण न
प्रज,मो� is through remuneration only! TF, we should know the language to
study तकर्शास्त्रम्मीमांसशास्त्रम्व्य so we can understand शास्त. TF, he
says, a सन्न्या should dedicate his life to learning. सन्न्य आश् is not for
serving, it is for learning and later for sharing. Many people think सन्न्य is for
getting money from people and establishing institutions. That is to be done by
गहृ स्त.सन्न्य is meant for �ानयोग- knowing and sharing because sharing is
considered to be the best form of �न�दध्यासन. Only then you will know whether
you have listened to properly. Suppose someone asks you what you learned in the
class but you are unable to reply, then what is the point? We should be able to
share at least a few points. That will show whether we have received the
information and have clarity and understanding. Share either orally or by writing. I
always suggest you write notes in the class. After going home, try to write
important points, especially new concepts. You will know whether you have
understood or not. When new concepts are introduced like कारणं and कायर् म etc.
and are later touched upon in UGA in the form of profound वेदान्त with references
from माण्डूक उप�नषद and माण्डूक का�रका,then we will know how much we
remember and understand. All the Upanishadic concepts are revisited time and
again in different texts. It is important to remember them. Learn the scriptures.
Spirituality doesn’t exist without scriptural study. Not only that, but also other
branches like language, logic, interpretation etc. must be there. When the गुर
interprets we should understand why such an interpretation is given and not any
other interpretation. It is a lot of intellectual operation. That is why many don’t
come here. They want to enjoy emotional operation only. If you want to use only
your emotional mind UGA is not for you. Go to रामायणं महाभारतं or भागवतं10th
chapter and listen to LKA did this and that. वेदान्त is not for emotional
satisfaction. It is for understanding the truth. Every human intellect at one time or
the other wants to know the truth behind his life. What is the truth behind this
creation? What is the truth behind God, if there is one? Intellect has these
questions. We suppress these questions but we must answer these questions.
Scriptures deal with the truth of जीव जगत् and एकईश्व which requires consistent
and systematic study for a length of time. One should be intellectually equipped
also. TF, अवधत ू says, learn.
If you are a spiritual seeker, go to a गर

ु and learn. Not in the form of attending
random talks here and there but through consistent, systematic and structured
learning. अवधत ू says, अणभ्यश्चमहत्भ
ु शास्त्र: study the scriptures. Short
scriptures like TBA and lengthy scriptures like BGA, UGA etc. which cover so
many concepts and topics like भिक् �ानं meditation, योगप्राणाया etc. It will
teach us what spiritual साधन gives which benefit and which साधन cannot give
which benefit. Crying, religious crying, can give you some solace but it cannot
give knowledge. मन्जप can give purity but not knowledge. Many say chanting
will give you मो� but we should not buy that statement. We should ask, ‘What is
the connection between नाम जप and मो�?’So that means, we should know the
definition of मो�. Nobody questions, ‘What is मो�?’ All this requires through
study. You may think, ‘Swamiji is promoting classes.’ No. You can choose to
attend or not but this is what the scriptures say. In our tradition we have a clean
syllabus also. ‘Swamiji, I want to start from BSA.’ and somebody asked, ‘Swamiji,
why is ब्र शद ु talked about?’ This person does not know the difference between
सत
ू and शद
ु . Our systematic syllabus starts with TBA to familiarize oneself with all
the terms and terminologies. Thereafter BGA, then उप�नषदs.

TF, go according to the syllabus and gather the knowledge in astructured well-
developed manner otherwise there will be more doubt and confusion rather than
knowledge. Unstructured study will give more doubts, confusion and
misconceptions. Structured study will give us free and clear knowledge which will
transform our life and which we can experience in this life itself.
शास्त्र: from the scriptures, अणुभ्: -from smalland महत्भ: -from big
scriptures, कुशलोनरः -an intelligent spiritual seeker, सवर्: सारं आदद्यात -he
should know what should be taken what should be filtered out. Not like eating the
skin of the banana and throwing away the fruit. In the scriptures also there are
portions which are like skin called अथर्वा in मीमांसशास्त्. सारं आदद्यात पषु ्पेभ:
इव -like the bee extracting the honey. षड्प - मधक
ु र: bee extracting the honey.
Very important श्लोक. Systematic study is compulsory for spiritual seekers. One
can postpone it to next year, next decade, even next जन् but one can’t skip
systematic scriptural study. Continuing,
सायन्तनंश्वस्तनंवानसङ्गृह्णीत�भ�
पा�णपात्रोदरामत्रोम��केवनसङ८.११॥
The word मधक ु र: has two meanings revealing two types of living beings. The first
is the black bee which gathers honey flying from flower to flower. This example
has been talked about for gathering food and knowledge from different शास्तs,
different sources, different गुरs, तकर्व्याकम्ममांस: वेदान्त आचायार:. That is the
black bee. The other मधक
ु र: example used here is the stinging honeybee to show
one should never store or hoard anything. In the case of a सन्न्या, the message is
don’t store food for the future. He has to take �भ�ा and finish it but he should not
store. A गहृ स्त may store food, though within limits. शास्त does not permit storing
cooked food because we do not take food without offering to God and we cannot
offer stale food that is kept in the fridge to God.

This also applies to possessions including money, property etc. Don’t gather and
hoard, it will lead to destruction. It is called प�रग् दोष or पापम ्. Whenwe have
gathered to some extent, we are supposed to share with others. Accumulating too
much causes mental preoccupation with maintaining the wealth and will not leave
one with any time for वेदान्त. It will also attract criminal elements. One feels
insecure and worries about kidnapping etc. अवधत ू says, a honeybee which gathers
too much honey invites destruction because human being who want to gather
honey will destroy the honeybee by smoking its hive and taking away the honey.
Another example is the silkworm which spins silk around itself which becomes the
cause of its destruction. Silkworm cocoons are dumped in millions and millions
into cauldrons of boiling water and killed immediately for their silk. We enjoy the
silk without realizing that we are causing huge �हंसा indirectly for our enjoyment.
TF, silkworm and honeybee are examples given to show that gathering and storing
too much will cause our own destruction. It causes, if not physical destruction,
spiritual destruction. Our own children will start fighting for the property and
going to court against their own siblings. Money which is good becomes a source
of family disintegration also. TF, अ�त सवर् वजर्ये is the lesson. We will see the
exact meaning in the next class.

Class 31 Chapter 3 Verses 11to 17
Page 48, verse 11
सायन्तनंश्वस्तनंवानसङ्गृह्णीत�भ�
पा�णपात्रोदरामत्रोम��केवनसङ८.११॥
While teaching उद्ध,LKA introduced an internal dialogue within UGA in the
form of a dialogue between यद ु महाराज and सन्न्या�सद�ात. Its primary purpose
is to show that a human intellect can learn from every experience, good or bad, in
life as long as the intellect is sharp, we are open minded and do not have a reacting
mind. A reacting mind cannot learn anything but a learning mind can become
mature very fast. Maturity alone will make a human mind turn spiritual. Maturity
comes from experiences. पर��य लोकान ् कमर्�चतान �हामणो �नवर्दमायात. That a
learning intellect can learn from every experience is the central message of entire
internal dialogue called अवधतगीताू .
We are looking at the 12th गुर out of 24 गुरव: from verse 9 to 12. The 12th गुर is the
मधकु ृ त्, which has two meanings. One is the positive example of the black bee
which goes from flower to flower and collects only that much honey as it requires.
This is to talk about a सन्न्या who collects �भ�ा from several houses so that he
doesn’t burden one family. The second meaning of the word मधक ु ृ त् is the
honeybee which stores honey. Storing too much of anything, amassing too much of
wealth and not sharing with others is not good for an individual. That message is
conveyed through the honey bee example. A strong warning is given to the
सन्न्या not to store anything. During सन्न्यासद�, the most important श्लो a
सन्न्या chants for himself is the famous verse of the BG 9th chapter-
अनन्यािश्चन्तय मां ये जनाः पयुर्पासत ।
तेषां �नत्या�भयुक्तान योग�ेमं वहाम्यह म ॥ २२ ॥.
A सन्न्या tells himself, ‘I don’t want to accumulate or store any food, money,
gold or land for my future. I am going to surrender to the lord because I am in
pursuit of the Lord. भगवान ् is not only the end. भगवान ् is also the path for me.

Whatever I need भगवान ् will give. भगवान ् has promised in the 9th chapter
योग�ेमं वहाम्यह म for those who have renounced everything.’ In the case of a
householder, भगवान ् need not take care of योग�ेमं because they are taking care.
भगवान ् says, ‘Why I should take care? You are strong enough for three
generations.’ In the case of a सन्न्या, he doesn’t depend on anyone or any
possessions and so भगवान ् says, ‘It becomes my responsibility to give the
minimum required for his survival.’ It is this promise of भगवान ्’s that the
सन्न्या totally relies upon.
Here he gives advice to सन्न्या. Never store anything for the future
सायन्तनंश्वस्तन. Not �भ�ा for the evening or �भ�ा for the next day.
नसङ्गृह्णीत�भ��त.�भ�ा should not be kept. There should be no vessel at all. A
सन्न्या has only two vessels- one पा�णपात्र, which means his two hands which
when joined together form a vessel for temporary use. So, only take as much �भ�ा
as can be taken in the hands. It is to be kept only until consuming. All flavours,
sweet, salt and sour are collected and mixed in the पा�णपात्र and retained only
until consuming. His second vessel is उदरअमत्- stomach पात्र. पा�णपात् and
उदरपात्रare the only two vessels allowed for a सन्न्या. We are not talking about
गहृ स्. सन्न्या rule is नसङ्ग् - should not preserve म��काइव -like the
honeybee gathering the honey and retaining. Why not? Look at the destruction of
the honey bee in the next श्लो.
सायन्तनंश्वस्तनंवानसङ्गृह्णीत�भ
म��काइवसङ्गृह्णन्सहतेन�वनश्८.१२॥
When the honey bee gathers honey and accumulates it, naturally it attracts other
people who want to gather honey and sell it. They drive away the honeybee by
smoking them. Destruction is the lot of the honey bee because of its wrong habit of
accumulating honey. Similarly, a सन्न्या who accumulates �भ�ा will also be
destroyed, not physically but spiritually because the moment of idea accumulation

comes, worry about the future comes. Once the mind gets distracted by worrying
about the future, then that mind cannot think of spirituality. TF, even for a गह
ृ स्,
the scriptural warning is don’t worry too much. We always doubt whether it is
enough. You may outlive your savings because you retire at 58 but due to advances
in medical science, you live many more years after retirement. Earlier, we
depended on our children, nowadays we don’t want to depend on them because we
are not sure if they are willing. TF, you can eternally worry about the future.
Surrender to God is the only way to drop our sense of insecurity. So, even for
गहृ स्अनन्य �चन्तयन् मां is very important. We don’t know how long we will
live, what types of diseases we will have, whether our children will be around or
not, nothing we know. The only way is to surrender to भगवान ् otherwise spiritual
destruction will be the result, especially for a सन्न्या. सह तेन म��काइव
�वनश्य�. With this the two types of मधक
ु ृ त् topic is over. The first, the black bee,
is a positive example, the second, the honey bee, one is a negative example.
Continuing,
पदा�पयवतीं
ु �भ�ुनर्स्पृशेद्दारवीम
स्पृशन्कर�वबध्येतक�रण्याअङ्गस८.१३॥
ना�धगच्छेित्स्त्रयंप्रा�ःक�हर्�चन्मृत
बला�धकैःसहन्येतगजैरन्यैगर्जोय८.१४॥
Scriptures consider दम or sense control as a very important and compulsory value.

In SCS, the first one is �ववेक: -�नत्या�नत वस्त �ववेक. I should know everything in
the world is perishable and not reliable. भगवान ् alone is eternal and TF reliable.
This �ववेक is very important. वैराग्य is also important. वैराग्य means to use the
world only as a means to attain God. The world has to be the means, God alone has
to be end. A person who thinks worldly things are ends in themselves will not
attain मो�. This understanding is called वैराग्य. The third important value is शमा�द
षड् संपा�त:. The mind and sense organs are very important instruments with
which we have to practice कमर्यो,उपासन योग and �ान योग for our entire

spiritual journey. TF, we have to make sure that not only that they are healthy but
that they are under our management. We should never be enslaved by sense organs
or mind. शम is mind or thought management. दम is sensory management. I told
you, the scriptures give five examples for five sense organs - कुरङ्, मातङ्,
पतङ्ग, मीन, भङ
ृ ्. कुरङ् – deer, मातङ् – elephant, पतङ्ग – moth, मीन – fish,
भङृ ् - bee. Each of these living beings is enslaved by one sense organ which
causes their destruction. Problem of human being is, he is enslaved by all the five
sense organs because he is surrounded by the tempting अनात्म. Weak sense
organs + temptations from outside create ideal conditions for sensory addictions
and slavery. TF, अवधत ू mentions each one of these examples. We saw the story of
a पतङ्ग, the moth as the 11th गुर in verses 7 and 8. In the 13th and 14th verses we
are getting the example of गज: or elephant. The पतङ्ग is the slave of the eyes.
गज: is a slave to the sense of touch. Three more examples will come later. We
have to note the essence which is to learn how to be the master of our sense organs
because the world is full of temptations. भागवतं asks every seeker to be extra
careful with sense organs, especially in the context of male-female interactions. An
additional, extra warning is given because therearethree adverse factors. The first is
weak sense organs, the second is external temptations, the third one is instinctive
desire in the case of male-female interactions. All the scriptures warn humanity in
general, the spiritual seeker in particular and the सन्न्या-seeker in महा particular.
The first strategy is to have intellectual conviction that sense control is required for
one’s spiritual growth. I should be convinced first. If the intellectual conviction is
not there, we won’t even attempt sense control. In a materialistic society, they
always question as to why sense control is necessary and that human freedom is
more important. TF, freedom and licentiousness get overlapped. A lot of thinking
is required. A lot of scriptural study is required to be intellectually convinced.
After intellectual conviction, a lot of training is required for the mind and sense
organs. Years of training is required to master the sense organs but the first step is
intellectual conviction regarding this. That is why LKA said इिन्द्रय मनो ब�ध ु
अस् अ�धष्ठा उच्यत. We have to handle three organs simultaneously. बद ु ्� must
be convinced otherwise, we will follow sense control in front of others for
appearance’s sake but won’t follow in private when there are no witnesses. TF,
following discipline in public and private is possible only when the intellect is
doubtlessly convinced. Develop conviction, then train the mind and sense organs
so that we do not become a slave and go astray.
ध्यायत �वषयान्पुंस सङ्गस्तेषूपजाय ।

सङ्गात्सञ्जा कामः कामात्क्रोधोऽ�भजा ॥६२॥
क्रोधाद्भ संमोहः संमोहात्स्मृ�त�वभ ।

स्मृ�तभ्रंशाद्बुद्� बद
ु ्�धनाशात्प्रण ॥ ६३ ||
LKA graphically presents the stages of the fall of a serious spiritual seeker. In
परु ाणा�न we have stories of even ऋषय: falling and slipping. When even the ऋषय:
find it very difficult, what to talk of us ordinary human beings? TF, extra alertness
is required. This is the essence of these two श्लोs.
The 7th and 8th verses talked about पतङ्ग, about being a slave to the eyes. Watch
your roving eyes and also learn to control भद् कण��भ: शण
ृ ुयाम देवा:भद्
पश्येमअ��: my sense organs so it will not pollute my mind. Swami
Chinmayananda says the five sense organs are gateways through which the world
gatecrashes into your mind. Once that happens, they begin to produce thoughts
then it can gradually pull me outwards and downwards. First, make sure that you
put a door keeping out trespassers. He gives a terrible example. ‘Don’t make your
mind into a public convenience for all types of pollutions to enter.’ That is the
message here that अवधता ू is giving in a gross language. We should take the
message from the गज and how it is caught. The male elephant is attracted to the
female elephant because it enjoys rubbing its skin against the other one. It comes
towards the female elephant and falls into the ditch and gets caught. We will take
the essence from this example. We need not go into the word by word meaning.
Continuing,
Verse 15-
नदेयंनोपभोग्यंचलुब्धैयर्द्दुःखसिञ्
भङ
ु ्क्तेतद�पतच्चान्योम धुहेवाथर्�व८.१५॥

This is almost a repetition of the previous example of the honey bee and over
accumulation of things. This is talked from the point of view of avoiding greed.
कामक्रोधलोभमोहमदमात् are the six internal enemies and obstacles for a spiritual
seeker. काम - attraction to the external world, क्र – anger, लोभ – greed or
stinginess, not sharing our possessions with others, not doing PMY, मोह- delusion
that the world, money, people, relationships will give security, मदं - arrogance and
haughtiness, refusal to learn froma गर
ु . तद्�वद् प्र�णपात प�रप्रश् सेवया the
first quality of a student is अमा�नत्व or humility. The opposite of that is मदं ,
मा�नत्व or haughtiness. Finally, मात्सय- comparing with others and feeling jealous.
All these enemies are brought out through various examples.
In this verse, stinginess, लोभ is highlighted using the example of मधह ु ा- a honey
gatherer. Honeybee collects the honey but it neither enjoys nor gives it to others.
Ultimately, this honeybee collects and somebody else takes it away and gets the
benefit. Somebody puts in effort but somebody else reaps the benefit. That is the
idea here. नदेयंन उपभोग्यंचलुब् य द:ु ख सिञ्चत.लन ु ्: is a stingy person who
doesn’t want to give. He is so stingy that he can’t even enjoy. लबु ्ध य द:ु ख सिञ्चत
-which has been collected with lot of pain and effort he doesn’t give to others. Old
people who have green betel leaves will not eat them but will want to use up the
old, yellowing betel leaves. Then, the green ones also turn yellow. So, daily he eats
only yellow betel leaves. Similarly, he eats only spoiled fruits. Why can’t he throw
away and eat good ones.? य द:ु ख सिञ्चतलबु ्ध:नदेयं -he will not give it to others, न
उपभोग्य -nor willhe enjoy himself. Ultimately, it will be taken by somebody else.
भङ
ु ्क्तेतद�पत अन्: all this accumulated wealth will be enjoyed by somebody
else. तच्अन्: मधह ु ाइव अथर्�व मध.ु Like मधह
ु ा- a honey gatherer. The honey that
has been painstakingly collected by the honeybee will be enjoyed by somebody
else. अथर्�व – by the one who notices where all these collections are. Similarly,
some गह ृ स्s also gather so much. They have neither given nor do they enjoy. That
is said in the next sloka-
सदु ःु खोपािजर्तै�वर्�ैराशासानांगृहा�शष
मधह
ु ेवाग्रतोभुङ्क्तेय�तव�गृहमे�धन८.१६॥

Like the honey bee there are some householders who collect and amass so much
but never give to others not enjoy themselves. Some worked so hard abusing their
health and by the time they became rich, they had health problems due to which
the doctors prohibit them from eating sweet, salt etc. A man spoils his health in
search of wealth, then he squanders his wealth in search of health and ultimately
loses both. People who have all the resources don’t have enough health to enjoy all
the good things. The ones who enjoy are his workers, his driver, his cook etc. The
अवधताू says the people of the other three आश् enjoy. भव�त �भ�ांदे�ह people
enjoy the food but the गह
ृ स् himself doesn’t enjoy or cannot enjoy. सद
ु ःु ख उपािजर्त
�व�ै:. All the wealth which has been earned with lot of pain and effort by
theआशासानांगह
ृ ा�शष:, those who want to enjoy all गह
ृ स्s property, गह
ृ ा�शष:
means all the wealth and enjoyments of गह
ृ स् life. No doubt their intentions are
enjoyment. आशासानां -they accumulate with desire, ब्रह्मचार�वानप्र and
य�त: enjoy his hard work. य�त: - a सन्न्या represents the other people who live
on �भ�ा. A गह
ृ स् works but सन्न्या benefits. गह
ृ मे�धनाम ्अग्:.सन्न्या gets
the first food. According to Vedic society, a गह ृ स् must cook good food but
should not eat first. He has to look for the other three people who are dependent on
गहृ स्. This is in Vedic society, not now. ब्रह्मच comes from गुरकुलं, ‘भव�त
�भ�ांदे �ह. वानप्रस्त comes from outskirts, ‘भव�त �भ�ांदे�ह and सन्न्या also
comes. The गह
ृ स् should first give �भ�ाय��शष्टा�शन सन्त मच
ु ्यन् सवर्�किल्बष.
That अन्नदान is called य�:. Then, he should receive the remaining food as
य�प्रस. The message is- Never store too much, share with others. Continuing,
ग्राम्यगीतंनशृणुयाद्य�तवर्नचरःक्
�श�ेतह�रणाद्बद्धान्मृगयोग�तमो�हता८.१७॥
This lesson is for controlling slavery to the sense of hearing. According to stories
in परु ाणा�न, deer are caught in the forest because of their attractions for certain type
of special sound or music. They say the hunter plays special music and deer get
attracted by that. He spreads a net and the deer get caught. Similarly, human beings
also may be attracted by शब् or music. There are two types of music. Divine
music is always wonderful where the lyrics are elevating. All our music, whether it

is North Indian or South Indian, is very beautiful and attractive. The lyrics are such
that even सन्न्या cansing because it is about भिक् वैराग्य etc. The second is
wonderful non-divine music, which may be attractive and romantic. The best
example is movie songs. Here theyare called ग्राम्यग. ग्राम्यग means not-
divine music which only kindles our passion, desires etc. The warning is given to
never listen to movie songs. Swami Shivananda of Rishikesh established an आश्
in Rishikesh. He did lot of service in spiritual field and also in other fields. He was
a doctor so he established hospitals for the benefit of सन्न्याs. He was a prolific
author and wrote many books. Many of his books are famous for giving advice to
spiritual seekers. His books are full of dos and don’ts and some of them are very
difficult to practice. His first advice is to never watch movies, never listen to movie
songs, never drink coffee or tea. I don’t know whether he has talked about TV
serials. I never give this kind of advice as many people will find them difficult to
practice and will feel guilty. They will then decide stop attending classes. TF, we
have to form our own dos and don’ts based on scriptural messages and our
discretion. Swami Chinmayananda also gave a lot of rules. DS gave no rules. His
policy was that students should assimilate the message and use discretion and
voluntarily follow the rules. When one decides to follow something based on
intellectual conviction, then the chances of following them is more. Otherwise, we
will practice for the sake of गुर and only when गुर is around. DS never gave any
rules in the आश् also. On the last day also no rules and regulations were given.
We are all coming out. In गर ु कुलं we were are all in protected environment so no
temptations or anything. Swamiji believed in his teaching and so he never gave any
rules. Based on our understanding we have to follow discipline. No control, no
overseeing either. Self-discipline is the best discipline. Those who wants dos and
don’ts, read Swami Shivananda’s books. He also asks you to write a diary starting
the morning with auto suggestion and ending at night with introspection of the dos
and don’ts were followed or violated. He also wants us to fix a punishment for
violation. One swami said that every time you lie, you donate Rs.5000 to the
ashram so that you will be very careful.
Here, अवधता
ू gives such rules. ग्रागीतं न शण
ृ यात्
ु योग. Don’t listen to such
romantic songs etc. This is very important for सन्न्याs य�त वनचर क्व�चत
वनचर:. The one who lives in the forest or the one who is in the outskirts of society
न क्व�चत -never do that. Learn from the deer. The deer gets trapped as he is a

slave to his ears. Similarly, we also will get trapped. �श�ेतह�रणाद्बद्. ह�रणाम ् –
deer, बद्ध - which is trapped. मगयो
ृ : गीत मो�हतात.मगय
ृ :ु - hunter.

Page 50, Verse 17-
ग्राम्यगीतंनशृणुयाद्य�तवर्नचरःक्
�श�ेतह�रणाद्बद्धान्मृगयोग�तमो�हत८.१७॥
अवधत ू द�ात्र has the intellectual capacity to extract valuable lessons fromhis
experiences with the world. He names his 24 gurus and explains the lessons learnt
from each of them. One of the important lessons he mentions is the discipline of
sense control, दम. If sense organs are not disciplined then they disturb the mind
and make the mind extroverted which renders it useless in the pursuit self-
knowledge. कठोप�नषद says, परािञ् खा�न व्यतृणत्स्वयम्भूस्तस्म पश्य�
नान्तरात् म । One of the major obstacles that भगवान ् himself has created is
making the sense organs extrovert so that we will be lost in the अनात्म and never
find time to turn towards the आत्म. किश्चत धीरा प्रत्यगा:मै�त् आवत
ृ च�ु:
अमतत्
ृ इच्छन. There are very few people who learn to turn their attention inwards
and discover the higher and real ‘I.’ An extroverted mind is an obstacle to
spirituality and so all scriptures insist upon managing the sense organs. In the
ल�लता सहश्रन there are two lines or two expressions अन्तमुर्खसमाराध्याब�हम
सद
ु ल
ु र्. अन्तमुर्खसमाराध- ल�लतादेवी is worshipped by those who are turned
inwards because ल�लतादेवी, in her real nature, is none other than our own Self.
अह�मत्ये �बभावयेभवानीं is the ध्या श्लो. While it is very easy for a mind which
is turned inwards, ब�हमुर् सद
ु ल
ु र्- it is extremely difficult to know and discover
Goddess for those whoare ब�हमुर् -turned extrovert. In the BGA, sense control has
been mentioned only in general terms. In the UGA, every sense organ is
individually dealt with and a specific example is given for each one of them.
Here, the 17th and 18th श्लोs talk about ह�रण:, the deer which gets trapped and
killed because of its attraction for a particular type of music. Hunters use that
music and hearing it the deer will run towards that music and get trapped in the net
spread by the hunters. The deer then gets killed and becomes food for the hunter.
Using this example अवधत ू says, human beings also should not listen to such music

or any such topics which will pull our mind downwards. सत्सं: is good, listening
to bhajans and other songs which have got elevating lyrics, either talking about
सगुण ईश्वlike the songs of Muthuswamy Dikshitar which talkabout �नगुर्ण ब्र
also. कमलांभां भजरे �न�वर्शेषचैतन्यरु�प. Though Mother Goddess is in a physical
form, Dikshitar describes her as �न�वर्शेषचैतन्यरु�प. Mother, in her real nature is
none other than pure consciousness. When we listen to such music, songs or
bhajans, our mind gets elevated. Never listen to music which deals with romantic
topics like movie songs which will pull you down and make you slip and fall.
TFग्रा गीतं न शण ृ यात्
ु य�त: वनचर क्व�चत. When they take to सन्न्य आश्,
these are some of the vows they have to take- ‘I will not go to parties. I will not go
to dances. I will not go to music.’ A गह ृ स्त has some freedom but theyare also
warned, especially if they are spiritual seekers. As I said, read the books of Swami
Shivananda, he willsay, ‘Don’t go to movies, don’t read newspapers.’ He bans
many things for serious spiritualseekers. I am using his words. I don’t want to give
such instructions. Many people may consider it is too much. “Why can’t we at
least have some entertainment?” This restriction should be voluntary and never
imposed. For sanyasis, it is imposed. अवधत ू says, य�त: वनचर:क्व�चत न शण ृ यात
ु -
if they get any doubt they should look at the life of a deer and withdraw from such
temptations. Up to here we saw in the last class. One more श्लो deals with the
same topic of श्रोत्रे�नग्:. We also have three symbolic monkeys indicating
that we have monkey minds which are very restless and tempted outwards.
Continuing,
नत्यवा�दत्रगीता�नजुषन्ग्र
ृ ाम्या�णयो
आसांक्र�डनकोवश्यऋष्यशृङ्गोमृगी८.१८॥
अवधत
ू द�ात्र gives the example of the ऋ�षऋष्यशृङ्गमु. In spite of being a ऋ�ष,
he was attracted and trapped by that attraction. This story of ऋष्यशृङ occurs in
the परु ाणा�न. According to the story, ऋष्यशृङ was living comfortably in the forest
with his father and wanted to dedicate his life to spirituality. He never desired to
leave the आश्र or forest and go elsewhere. Nearby was a kingdom called
अङ्गद े:. अङ्गद े was suffering from drought due to lack of rains for several

years. The king लोमपाद wanted to do some प�रहारं and called all the great
�हामाणा: to ask for a solution. They said that if he brought ऋष्यशृङ and
performed huge पज
ू ा or याग, then the rains will come. The problem is how to bring
ऋष्यशृङ because he doesn’t come anywhere. The king sends a group of
musicians, dancers, musical instruments to attract him. They plan it in such a way
that they reach the आश्र when the ऋष्यशृङ’s father was away and play
attractive, tempting music. ऋष्यशृङ goes there out of curiosity. He sees all these
wonderful things happening, he is attracted by the music. This team gradually
moves away and ऋष्यशृङ also moves along with them. He is not a grown up
ऋ�ष. He is a youngster, a boy. They gradually take him towards अङ्गद े’s capital.
ऋष्यशृङ is attracted just like our children going to other countries, यत्ग्त न
�नवतर्न् -they don’t come back. Everything is so wonderful. लोमपाद then gets his
daughter married to ऋष्यशृङ. He becomes a pucca गह
ृ स्त and settles there. This
is the story. अवधत
ू द�ात्र says ऋष्यशृङ: ग्राम्या�णनृत्यवा�दत्र the dance,
the music, instruments etc. from a team of male and females, यो�षताम ्.यो�षत् -
girls. ग्राम्यगीता�नजुषन ्. All their songs were not talking about वैराग्य but about
worldly life and its joys. जुषन ् - listening to that and following that आसांक्र�डन:
वश्यअभूत- he became their plaything, their toy in the sense that time he lost his
sense of �ववेक. If he deliberately decides to get into गह
ृ स्ताश, it is not wrong
because tradition accepts गह
ृ स्ताश. In the case of ऋष्यशृङ, it is not a deliberate
entry but happened without his knowledge. That is called bondage. TF, he uses the
word वश्: - under their control. ऋष्यशृङ: वश्:अभत् ू . All because of music
which trapped him. मगी
ृ सतः
ु – refers to the story of the origin or birth of ऋष्यशृङ.
In परु ाणा�न we read stories of several ऋ�षs and the peculiar, weird ways in which
they originated etc. to indicate that ऋ�षs do not come under the category of
regular humans. ऋ�षs are considered a type of extraordinary जीवा:. In BS, there is
a separate अ�धकरणं and theyare called आ�दका�रकपर
ु ुष: or आ�दका�रकजीवा:. That
means they are special जीवा: appointed by भगवान ् exclusively to discover and

perpetuate the वेदा:. आ�दका�रकपर
ु ुषs or आ�दका�रकऋ�षs are employed by
भगवान ्. To show that they are not regular संसार�जीवा: but theyare, in fact,
extraordinary, the stories related to themare also extraordinary. ऋष्यशृङ is
supposed to have been born to a deer. TF मगी
ृ सतः
ु - he has got a horn also.
ऋष्यशृङ. शक
ु मह�षर,the great teacher of भागवतं is supposed to be born to शक
ु :, a
parrot. All these peculiar stories are given to indicate that ऋ�षs are supernormal,
abnormal आ�दका�रकपर
ु ुषs. Some of the stories are so weird, that if we read them
without the guidance of a गुर, we can get disturbed because of their peculiarity and
even lose respect towards our scriptures and our श्रद in them. We may decide to
never read the scriptures and may even turn against them. We may turn महा
नािस्तक: if we read the scriptures. Not only वेदान्त, even परु ाणा�न read
independently may give awrong message. TF, we have to read the scriptures only
with proper guidance as the गर
ु knows how to filter and interpret properly and he
will teach valuable lessons through them. This will increase our श्रद in the
scriptures. Learn independently and lose श्रद or learn from a गुर and increase
your श्रद. Once we develop unconditional श्रद, we can read the original without
getting disturbed. That is how many other religions who are anti-Hindu are taking
selected portions from our scriptures and just translating them. Our own children
read those selected portions and turn against our own religion. Parents also don’t
know what to do. Reading the translation of परु ाणा�न is the greatest obstacle for
developing श्रद.
ऋष्यशृङ is supposed to be मगी ृ सतः

ु -born to a deer. Here, it shows that ऋष्यशृङ,
being born to a deer, inherited the weakness of a deer of getting attracted to music
and trapped despite being a ऋ�ष. The bottom line is, sense control is important.
Understand this and forget all the other details. मगी
ृ सतः
ु ऋष्यशृङ: वश्यअभूत- then
what to talk of us ordinary human beings? That is why we say सत्सङ सवर्द कायर:
दसु ्सङ: सवर्द त्याज. What is दस ु ्सङ:? Reading the scriptures with an aim to
criticize the scriptures. Continuing,

िजह्वया�तप्रमा�थन्याजनोरस�वमो�
मत्युमृच्छत्यस
ृ द्बुद्�धम�नस्तुब�डश८.१९॥
Now, we will see the 16th गर

ु in the form of the fish discussed in श्लोक: 19, 20 and
21. The story of the fish is to talk about the control of the fifth and final sense
organ, the tongue. The tongue is both �ानेिन्द् and कम�िन्द्. Tasting tongue is
�ानेिन्द् (knowing) and talking tongue is कम�िन्द्. We must know how to
manage both tongues. Here, the tasting tongue is highlighted. The talking tongue is
also talked about in VC where Shankaracharya says योगस् प्रथ द्वार
वाङ्ग�नरो:, so, first reduce the quantity of talking. In any assembly watch
yourself. Do you end up talking more? This is quantity control. In the 17th chapter
of the BGA, LKA talks about quality control with four parameters. अनवे ु दकरम ्
वाक्य सतय् �प्र �शतं शयत्. Here, the discipline of the eating tongue is talked
about. Now, especially after the refrigerator has come, we can eat 24 hours of the
day. TF, we needquantity control and quality control. Again, in the BGA-
यक
ु ्ताहार�वहारस यक
ु ्तचेष्ट कमर्स ।
यक
ु ्तस्वप्नावबो योगो भव�त दःु खहा ॥ १७ ॥
Quantity control, frequency control and quality control of all these are important. If
it is not done, a person will be trapped. The example is a fish which is captured
with the help of a hook that is connected to the bait which the fish is attracted to. It
bites the bait and gets hooked and becomes food for the fisherman. The fish
experiences physical death. We may not have physical death but शास्त talks about
spiritual death. I am not going into the details. छान्दोग्यउप�न talks about how
food influences our character. The aim of a spiritual seeker is to gradually convert
ताम�सक् personality into राज�सक् and finally to साित्वक personality by appropriate
आहार�नयम:.आहार सधौ
ु स�व श�ध
ु :. छान्दोग - स�व शधौ
ु ध्रुवास्म: स्मृ�तलब् सवर
ग्रन्थी �वप्रम:आहार.आहार or food can convert one into a साित्वक्राज� or
ताम�सक् person.

If we do not follow proper discipline, we may not have physical death like the
fishes but we will have spiritual destruction says अवधत ू द�ात्र.
िजह्वयअ�तप्रमा�थन. Once the tongue has tasted certain types of food, it may be
hooked and addicted to that. Non-vegetarianism is never acceptable for a spiritual
seeker. Once a person is hooked to that, it is extremely difficult to abstain because
the tongue will regularly demand. It will disturb the mind also. He says,
अ�तप्रमा�थन.प्रमाती means churning the mind, making the mind restless by
asking for food. I am not asking you all to stop coffee because I am worried you
may stop coming to class. I am giving that example to show how we get enslaved.
That is something we can watch in our own life and see for ourselves. The tongue
and through the tongue the mind also will demand. TF, it is called churning
tongue. So अ�तप्रमा�थ िजह्वय जना:रस�वमो�हतः. Many people are hooked to
certain types of addictive food. Our children get hooked to junk food even though
the nutritionist says that they are all harmful to the body. We are unable to wean
our children away from their addiction to junk food. रस�वमो�हतः deluded by रस.
रस means that particular taste, मत्युंऋच्छ
ृ . Here मत्यु
ृ means it can be even
physical death. A Rudraksha is kept on the food to see if it moves clockwise or
anti clockwise in order to classify it as harmful or safe. They classify this as
साित्वक राज�सक् and ताम�सक्.
We are talking about spiritual death. मत्युमृच्छ

ृ is to be read as मत्युंऋच्छ
ृ or
because of सं�ध.ऋच्छ� – गच्छ�, spiritual death, असत्बुद्:रस�वमो�हतः -a
person who doesn’t have simple discrimination between healthy and unhealthy
food. With the study of scriptures, we can even discriminate between साित्वक food
and राज�सक् food. Food is categorized into three types- positive, neutral and
negative. Let us not go into those details. Simple, traditional, limited vegetarian is
the healthiest. रस�वमो�हतः means अ�ववेक बद ु ्�:, without discrimination between
good and bad food so he goes to spiritual, यथा मीन: like the fish perishes, तु
ब�डशै:. ब�डशं -baited hook. Continuing,
इिन्द्रया�णजयन्त्याशु�नराहारामनी
वजर्�यत्वातुरसनंतिन्नरन्नस्यव८.२०॥

अवधत ू says how difficult it is difficult to discipline or restrain the tongue. He says
tongue is a unique sense organ. With control on food, we will be able to control the
other sense organs because it has influence on others. The other four sense organs
can be restrained by restraining the tongue. Actually, you can make it eight by
including the other four �ानेिन्द्रय and four कम�िन्द्रय. The problem is, you
cannot control the tongue. If you restrain the tongue by denying food, chances are
the tongue will become more powerful and having avoided food for a particular
period, it will later demand food with compound interest. I heard that people who
go to Sabarimala avoid liquor for 48 days during Sabarimala vratam to practice
control. Their thirst doubles thereafter.They will have darshanam and on the way
back, go all out. Knowing their weakness all along the road there are said to be
many liquor vendors. अवधत ू says, tongue can become doubly powerful. मनी�षणः -
those human beings, �नराहारा -who reduce their diet or control their diet, इिन्द्रय
जयिन् - will conquer the other sense organs like the eyes, ears etc. You know why
they get control? They will be very weak due to lack of food. If you try to read
UGA while fasting, you will only sleep. Due to sheer hunger the other sense
organs cannot function because of fasting. So, by fasting one may control the other
sense organs, रसनंवजर्�यत्- except the tongue itself. Not only is the tongue is not
controlled, अवधत ू says, तिन्नरन्नस्यवध -the desire of the tongue for eating such
food and for eating more will only increase. That is why blind fasting will not help,
it will lead only to suppression. What we require is not suppression, we require
transcendence by understanding. If we discipline the tongue with viveka, then there
will be no problem. Forced control is dangerous. That is the message. People fast
in varieties of ways. Some fast during Navaratri. I heard even our PM fasts during
Navaratri. Similarly, kanda shashti pople fast for six days. It is all very good but
any spiritual exercise should not be blindly forced. It may become suppression. It
should be practiced with understanding. Fasting should not be overdone either.
When we don’t eat for days together it will spoil our health. It should be practised
in moderation and it should be done with knowledge. That is why in our tradition,
we never had religious practices without scriptural study. They always insisted that
religion must be first understood and only then practiced. Blind practice of religion
without scriptural knowledge will not be of much help. People will give up or get
into problems. Unfortunately, people practice all kinds of religious exercises
including navaratri kolu etc. without understanding the goal of life. What is
कमर्यो? What is भिक्? What is पज ू ा? What is ध्या? What is जप? What is

पारायणं? What do I aim to achieve by doing these? Nothing is understood. Once
we know the role of karma, उपासन we finally come to आत्म�ान also. At the
minimum, BGA is compulsory.
ताविज्जतेिन्द्रयोनस्याद्�विजतान्येिन्द्
नजयेद्रसनंयाविज्जतंसव�िजतेर८.२१॥
Sense control will become complete only when tongue control isfinally
accomplished. अवधतू says otherwise it is incomplete and insufficient. �विजत
अन्येिन्द्रयपु- suppose a person has restraint over all the other organs other than
the tongue. (�विजता�न अन्या� इिन्द्रययेनस:. Beautiful compound बहु
व्रीसमास)तावत् िजतेिन्द्रयोनत्-he has not controlled the sense organ of
tongue, then his discipline is incomplete. न जयेत् रसनं यावत्- as long as the tongue
is not mastered, he is not a true master of the sense organs. That is why
Shankaracharya said that tongue should be the first. योगस्यप्रथमंद् -start with
food discipline. I will not eat in between two main meals. That itself is a great
discipline. I will not eat between breakfast and lunch, between lunch and dinner,
between dinner and next day breakfast. Nothing except water. Very difficult but
very interesting. First, I restrain between meals. Thereafter, I control how much I
eat during the main meals. Practise one by one. In parallel, watch the speech. How
much are we talking? What are we talking? To whom are we talking? Where are
we talking? We will soon find that that most of the time we are wasting our energy
talking to people who are not interested in listening to others. Talking is sheer
waste of energy and mind and increases extroverted behaviour.
TF, the first discipline is always eating and talking. Once this tongue is controlled,
he says, all the other disciplines will automatically follow. रसे िजता स�त |Here,रस:
doesn’t mean taste, it means tongue इिन्द्. Happiness is called रस,ब्रह् is called
रस:.रसो वै स:. The word रस has several meanings according to context. िजते स�त -
when that is mastered, सव� िजतं- all the other eight organs will follow suit. With
this the 16th गर
ु is complete and all five sense organs have been covered using the
examples of कुरङ्गमातङ्गपतङ्गमीनभ.

Class 33 Chapter 3 Verses 22 & 34-37
Page52 Verse 22-
�पङ्गलानामवेश्यासीद्�वदेहनगरेपु
तस्यामे�श��तं�किञ्चिन्नबोधनृपनन८.२२॥
गुरुअवधू द�ात्र introduces �पङ्ग, which is the name of a woman as his 17th
guru. The story of �पङ्ग is going to be elaborately told in 23 verses from verse 22
to verse 44.
�वदे हनगरेपरु ा�पङ्गलआसी त- In the नगरं- city of �वदेहor kingdom of �वदेह there was
a woman by name �पङ्ग. तस्यामे�श��त- whatever I learnt from her life, �नबोध
नप
ृ नन्द. अवधत
ू द�ात्र is addressing यदम
ु हाराजा as नप
ृ नन्द -O King, ‘May
you learn the lesson too.’ अवधत ू द�ात्र says, �पङ्गलानामवेश्याआसी. वेश्य -
prostitute. Even as we hear this very word, our body and mind will shrink feeling
uncomfortable. We may even wonder how a sacred परु ाणं like भागवतं can talk
about such people. परु ाणा�न talk about such topics also to convey certain important
messages. That message is, we should avoid certain people in society because of
their lifestyle, behaviour or certain wrongdoings. भगवान ् cannot reject anyone in
the creation because the whole creation belongs to भगवान ् and all living beingsare
भगवत: own children. TF,भगवान ् cannot and doesn’t reject anyone. In भगवान ्’s
vision, every living being is essentially the same आत्म, pure and sacred. Due to
अ�ानं, ignorance, राग and द्वे, जीवरा�सन may commit mistakes but भगवान ्
doesn’t reject anyone. भगवान ् doesn’t hate anyone, doesn’t condemn anyone. That
is why in Hinduism there is no eternal hell or heaven. Even the worst person who
will go to hell will also have an opportunity to reform, grow and attain ईश्व. In the
BGA, भगवान ् says, समोऽहं सवर्भूतेष न मे द्वेष्योऽि न �प्र. There is no hated by
me. I love everyone and I provide opportunity to everyone to reform. According to
the LOK there is infinite सं�चतं in the name of every living being. सं�चतं means our
accumulated पण
ु ्या� and पापा�न. At the appropriate time, भगवान ् will dust all the
files and even the worst sinner will get an opportunity out of some old
सं�चतंपणु ्यकम which is ready for ripening. To show that everyone can reform,
scriptures have several stories of such people. As the well-known English proverb
says, ‘Every saint has a past and every sinner a future.’ LKA repeatedly tells this
to अजुर् also-
अ�प चेत्सुदुराचारोभजत मामनन्यभाक ।
साधरु ेव स मन्तव्यःसम्यग्व्य �ह सः ॥ ३० ॥
‘अजुर्, nobody need feel diffident and guilty. Everybody has an opportunity to
reform.’ The moment a person decides to turn the direction of his life, he is साधु
एव. The very decision is called सद
ु े च्छ in वेदान् शस्. He is not on the धमर्माग but
the moment he understands that, he is rescued and he turns a new leaf. The
moment the decision is made, LKA says, he is महात्म. In BGA LKA says ��प्
भव�त धमार्त्-very soon he will become धमार्त्. We have heard stories of
वाल्मी�, a robber who turned into the greatest saint and has given us रामायणं.��प्
भव�त धमार्त् शश् शािन्त अ�धगिच् कौन्ते प्र प्र�तजानी न भक्: प्रणश्.
Nobody is permanently condemned by me. To convey this message परु ाणा�नare
full of such stories. In भागवतं we also have the story of अजा�मल. Once we read
such stories, we also get confidence that we can also progress in spirituality.
Whenever we hear about purification of mind etc., we are reminded of various
mistakes that we have committed and suffer from guilt. This guilt for our wrong
actions creates a complex and diffidence. We may wonder whether we are fit for a
spiritual journey. Many think that they cannot attain the highest goal because they
far away. These stories give us encouragement. Everybody commits mistakes.
Every single जीव commits mistakes because the most fundamental property of a
जीव is self-ignorance. Ignorance causes देह अ�भमान isthere which leads to
रागद्वेकाम क्र. In BGAअजुर् asks, ‘हे कृष्, why do people commit mistakes
again and again knowing that it is wrong?’ In fact, they decide to give up and again
take up on Vidyarambham Day. Then, after a few days, repeat the same thing.
Like that person said, ‘Giving up smoking is not difficult. Look at me. I have given

up several times.’ Every जीव is अ�ानी and every जीव has vasanas of the past.
Every जीव has रागद्वे काम क्र:.
काम एष क्र एष रजोगण
ु समद
ु ्भव ।
महाशनो महापाप्म �वद्ध्येन� वै�रणम ् ॥ ३७॥
Because of this desire, greed and anger, every human being commits mistakes. In
fact, it is the privilege of humans to commit mistake. I call it privilege because
भगवान ् cannot do that. TF, the lesson is, we all commit mistakes. We need not feel
bad about it. We have to only feel bad if we continue to make the same mistake.
Take a decision. Surrender to God. Seek help from the Lord. DS says, intelligence
is seeking help when we are helpless and weak. Once we do that, gradually, we can
come out of our weaknesses, grow spiritually and attain मो�. It is possible. That is
shown through the examples of वाल्मी� and अजा�मल.
�पङ्ग is an example that अवधत ू द�ात्र gives us. Her lifestyle was completely
away from normal society. She realised her mistake and decided to change the
course of her life and came to spirituality. This is the message. Learn from your
past mistakes and move forward. The past can be a burden if I constantly dwell on
the mistake but it can be a blessing if I learn the lesson and forget the past.
This story is divided into two parts. Verse 23 to 33 talk about her life and
experience. Parallel to मण
ु ्ड मन् पर��यलोकान ् कमर्�चतान. Examine your life and
experiences and a day should come when we turn away from अ�नत् and turn
towards �नत् ईश्व. TF experiences are talked about from 23 to 33. What
shelearnt and how she reformed by changing her train of thoughts is from verse 34
to 44.
Since the first partis only a story, TF I am skipping the portion from 23 to 33.
साधरु ेवस मन्तव: सम्य व्यविस्थ. व्यविस्थ- taking a resolve to not repeat my
mistake.
Now, we will study verses 34 to 44 where �पङ्ग shows that she is also a spiritual
seeker. Page 56, verse 34-

�वदे हानांपरु े ह्यिस्मन्नहमेकैवमूढध
यान्य�मच्छन्त्यसत्यस्मादात्मदात्का मम८.३४॥
In Vedantic language, �पङ्ग has �नत्यअ�नतवस्त �ववेक:. The knowledge of

what is �नत्म ् and what is अ�नत्म ्. The entire world, the people, everything is
अ�नत्य. That is कायर् म्अ�नत्. There is only one �नत्यवस् which is कारणं and that
is ईश्व:. TF, one should utilize one’s entire human life for the pursuit of भगवान ्.
At the time of उपनयनं, the boy is taught महे रणाय च�से योव: �शवतमो रस: तस्
भाजे यते हन: उशती�रव मातर: तस्म अरङ् मामव: यस्य�या िजन्व.At avery
young age, children are taught that the very purpose of life is attainment of �नत्
ईश्व.This requires आत्म�ान and आत्म�ान requires pure mind. The first half of
life is purification of the mind and the second half of life is discovery of भगवान ्.
This is the Vedic culture.
�पङ्गsays, ‘Not knowing that, I ranafter worldly people in search of security and
pleasure. I violated धमर for अथर and काम. I am the first अ�ववेक�.’ �वदेहानांपरु े -in the
entire �वदे ह kingdom, अहं एका एव मढ
ू �त - I am the only one who am deluded when
all the other people seem to be following भगवान ्. Instead of keeping ईश्व as my
goal, I have kept everything else as my ultimate goal oflife. We can have several
intermediary goals like money, family, education. But we should always remember
the ultimate goal is मो� or भगवान ्. अच्युतात्अयंइच्छि अिस्. अच्यु: -
�नत्यईश्:,कामात् in the second line. So many words mingle together; you must
split properly.या अन्य इच्छिन असती अस्मात्आत्मतात्कामम्अच्यु. आत्मतात is
the description of भगवान ्. If only we seek भगवान ्, भगवान ् doesn’t give things to
me, भगवान ् is ready to give himselfto me which means भगवान ् will merge himself
with the very भक्त. I left such a wonderful, infinite, giving भगवान ् and sought all
other things in the world. अन्यंइच्छि. अन्य -अ�नत् प्रप:, इच्छिन असती.
असती - ill informed; not even the knowledge of how to earn money properly.

कामंइच्छिन. काम - happiness. Iwas seeking eternal happiness from non-eternal
things and beings. Continuing,
सहृत्प्रेष्ठतम
ु ोनाथआत्माचायंशर��
तं�वक्र�यात्मनैवाहंरमेऽनेनयथार८.३५॥
The glory of the Lord is सहृत्प्रे

ु :. The Lords is the well-wisher of all the
beings. प्रेष्- dearest one who loves everyone in spite of our mistakes, in spite
of our rejection of the Vedic path. भगवान ् says सत्यंव. What do we do? सत्यंव.
वद means speak, वध means destroy. Yet, भगवान ् is willing to help and guide us
the moment we decide to turn to वै�दक धमर मागर:. TF,प्रेष्: means an
unconditional friend. सक
ु ृ त्प्रेष: -dearest friend, नाथ: - lord of the entire
creationas wellas िजवरा�शन:. Many theologies say that भगवान ् is far away in
वैकुण् and you have to die and travel to reach him. We don’t know whether there
will be traffic jam. Remember, they are all symbolic expressions. The travel
doesn’t involve any physical movement or time-wise movement because भगवान ् is
all-pervading. अच्युता नम: अनन्ता नम:. We say that regularly in आचमनं to say
भगवान ् is all-pervading and yet we want to go to भगवान ्.
�पङ्ग says भगवान ् is the very आत्म, the inner self of all beings available for
discovery, here and now, if only we are willing to turn inwards. Now she talks
about the Vedic teaching -अयंशर��रणां. शर��रणां - forall िजवरा�शन: he is the very
inner self the आत्म. I am going to do is, by surrendering everything, my body, my
mind, my intellect I want to surrender everything unto him. In religious language it
is called शरणग�त. It means dropping our attachment to अहंकार and ममकार with
regard to BMSC. Only when I withdraw from them, I can discover the Lord inside
myself. अहम ्अनेन, तं �वक्र� -by surrendering my अहंकार, I will get भगवान ्. She
uses the language of buying and selling. I will exchange. I hand over everything
finite, finite अनात्मand I will get भगवान ् in exchange. Body and mind, in
whatever condition, just handover all the अनात्म to भगवान ् and in exchange, he

will give you the very आत्म. What a fantastic exchange offer? We hold on to the
finite rejecting the infinite. �पङ्ग says, ‘My eyes are opened now. I am going to
take the exchange offer. Give the अनात्म, and take theआत्म. आत्मा एव
तं�वक्र�यार - hereafter I will enjoy the company of भगवान ्, the company of my
own higher nature. यथा रमा -just as Lakshmi Devi is permanently with भगवान ्.
Lakshmi and भगवान ् symbolize भक्त and भगवान ्. Of course, it is given a
physical symbolism. In Vedantic language, it refers to जीवात्मपरमात ऐक्य
because Lakshmi is not even physically away. She occupies भगवत: chest itself.
No distance. Continuing,
�कयित्प्रयंतेव्यभजन्कामायेकामदा
आद्यन्तवन्तोभायार्यादेवावाकाल�वद्८.३६॥
So �पङ्ग has got वैराग्य towards अ�नत् प्रप and developed राग or attachment
for �नत्यभगवान. She says it is not forced वैराग्य. ‘I know the defect and the
deficiencies of the अनात्माप्र. All the deficiencies are very clear to me.’ The
threefold दोषा of all worldly accomplishments. The three types of दोषा in all
worldly accomplishments is why they should not be taken as the ultimate goal or
you have to pay the price. द:ु ख �म�श्रतत. The world is also full of pain.
Accomplishing is pain. Preservation is more pain. Ultimately, everything will be
lost in time, whether it is objects or even the most intimate relationship. Everything
is ephemeral. When it is lost, then the pain will be directly proportional to the joy it
gave. We don’t want to remember that particular fact like the proverbial ostrich
which digs its head into the sand. We don’t want to think of future. If we are
intelligent, we will not hold on to anything perishable. I have often said whenever
somebody asks what is your future security, never name anyone because that
person himself is insecure. TF, always practice saying, ‘भगवान ् is my security.’
�पङ्ग asks what security and what joy worldly things and beings can give. They
cannot and even if they can, they will all dry up one day. �कयित्प्रयंतेव्य-
howmuch security and joy can worldly people and things give? There were floods
in Kerala and Chennai. So many people lost so many things. How can we hold on

to anything? Kama: means the desired, desirable objects of the world, or
कामदानराः - the people who offer things favorable to us or even देवा:, even Gods
can give us how much since Gods themselves are not eternal. देवता means इन्
वरुण etc. All of them come to their position because of their पण
ु ् कम.र When their
पण
ु ् कमर is exhausted, everybody will have to drop their positions. Even इन्द्
position is not permanent. The purana shows that इन् is the most insecure person
because when someone completes 100 यागs, he is a candidate. As a person does
more and more याग, इन् gets tensed, so he has to create some problem or the
other. He has got a group of people रम्ब उवर्श मेनका whose job is only that. So,
when इन् himself is insecure, how can he give permanent joy? TF, never depend
on any of them. We are holding on to नवग्रहश राहु केतु etc. because
आद्यन्तव:. LKA said in the BGA that all of them आद्यन्तव:कौन्ते नतेषु
रमते बध
ु :, they all have date of arrival and date of departure. So, you better be
prepared for that. देवा: काल�वद ्रुत. काल�वद ्रुत - driven by time, conditioned by
time. भायार्य- how much joy can they give to their own wives indicating that even
husband cannot give joy to the wife permanently or wife cannot give joy to
husband permanently. TF, Hold on to भगवान ्. Continuing,
नन
ू ंमेभगवान्प्रीतो�वष्णुःकेना�पकम
�नव�दोऽयंदरु ाशायायन्मेजातःसुखावहः८.३७॥
�पङ्ग says, ‘I have to give special thanks to भगवान ् because my प्रार must have
been very bad and that is why I took to a wrong lifestyle and suffered. In the midst
of all the प्रारs, there must have been at least one streak of पण ु ्य म, hidden
somewhere, because पण
ु ्य म is अदृष् because भगवान ् has taken that पण
ु ्य म and
turned my life around. At least now, भगवान ् has opened my eyes. She says,
भगवािन्वष्: नन
ू ंप्री: -Lord �वष्ण must have been very happy with me because of
some पण
ु ् कमर which I would have done in some जन् or the other. My mind has
transformed and this is the proof. That is why she uses the word, के ना�पकमर्ण. In

अव�न अ�वट्टसंकल we say, के ना�पकमर पण
ु ् �वशेषण
े इदानीं तनमानषु ्य द्�वजन
�वशेषं प्राप्:. I don’t know my past. I must have done some पण
ु ् �वशेषण
े
because I am attending UGA class. It is not easy for everyone and so, some पण
ु ्य म
must be fructifying. दरु ाशाया: अयं�नव�द:जात: -I have developed detachment from
all the finite things in the world. Detachment doesn’t mean hatred. It means
freedom from both राग and द्वे. I have defined वैराग्य before. Don’t over estimate
the world thinking that it is eternal whether it is name, fame, money, position or
possessions. Over estimating the world is thinking that it will be there permanently
with me, supporting me. At the same time, don’t underestimate the world and
reject the world totally either because we need the world. Not as a goal but as a
field of spiritual साधन. We should never use the world as a goal of life;at the same
time, never reject money. Money is very important not as an end in itself but as a
means for doing पञ्चमह य�. Do not reject family. Family is important. Wife is
important. Husband is important, children are important. Never reject but do not
keep them as permanent support because, none of them is permanent. Family is
also very useful as a field for spiritual साधन because in family life alone,we can
practice पञ्चमह य�. respect the family for spiritual साधन, including Navaratri
celebrations. A सन्न्या or a ब्रह्मच cannot have Navaratri.गह
ृ स् alone can do
noble कमार्�. Every service we perform to family members will help �च� शद ु ्�.
Don’t hold on to any one person because everything is fluid, unstable and can be
lost at any time. That doesn’t mean you should be frightened all the time. Just use
the world as a means, not as an end. This is called वैराग्य.
�नव�द: - वैराग्य from दरु ाशाया- all worldly desires. What kind of वैराग्य?सख
ु ावहः -
the moment I get detachment the greatest advantage is anxiety level comes down.
Greater the attachment, greater the anxiety about every member. वीत राग भय क्र:
greater the attachment, greater the fear. Fearlessness is possible only by
detachment. Care for everyone but attachment can be source of anxiety. �पङ्ग
says, ‘Now I don’t have any attachment. I am relaxed -सख
ु ावहः. More in the next
class.

Page56, verse 37-
नन
ू ंमेभगवान्प्रीतो�वष्णुःकेना�पकम
�नव�दोऽयंदरु ाशायायन्मेजातःसुखावहः८.३७॥
अवधत ू द�ात्र is talking of his 17 गुर, �पङ्ग and how she turned from a
th
materialistic, worldly lifestyle to spirituality. This turning point from materialism

to spirituality can happen to anyone at any time. It may happen gradually or it can
happen suddenly. It may be because of the पण ु ्य म of the current जन् or the
ripening of the past जन्. Even a person who is given to unethicalor immoral life
can suddenly become a भक्त and a spiritual seeker.
Materialism means a lifestyle in which a person depends upon अनात्म for peace
security and happiness, PSH. The entire universe of things and beings including
money, fame, name, position, possession, relations are all अनात्म. Everything
perishable is अनात्म. Depending upon the perishable for PSH is materialism. A
devotee who worships the lord for sake of accomplishing worldly things and
beings is only using his भिक् for the same perishable things of name, fame,
money, position and possessions because he thinks these things will give him PSH.
This भिक् is आथर and अतार्�थ भिक्. Spirituality begins when we choose to depend
on the �नत् वस्त, eternal entity for our PSH, whether you call it God,
आत्म,ब्रह् or मो�. All of them are synonyms for the eternal one. When I choose
the eternal for my PSH, then I have �नत्यअ�नत्यवस �ववेक:. Thereafter, even if I
live in the world among ephemeral things, I only them for purifying my mind but I
don’t depend upon them. This includes my family. The best book to convert a
materialistic person to spirituality is BGM. Shankaracharya warns us,
यावद्�व�ोपाजर सक् स्वात्मिन प�रवारो रक्: |
पश्चात्जीव जजर् देहे वाता� कोऽ�प न पच
ृ ्छ� गेहे |
As long as you have money, position and possessions, everybody will love you.
You think they’re loving you but they are really loving your money and your

contributions. Once you lose your capacity to earn, once you lose your money,
once you lose your capacity to contribute, one by one, everyone will slowly move
away from you. If you are a non-contributing survivor, then other people will begin
to complain, not openly but indirectly. You will be only a liability and no more an
asset. Your children will not want to keep you and will fight among themselves to
send you away. So, Shankaracharya says, भजगो�वन्द भजगो�वन्द. Never lean on
anyone. Some people understand this by using their buddhi, some people by
watching others and others never learn. They have to go through painful
experiences to learn this lesson.
Here, �पङ्ग says, now I have understood that the world is not dependable. The
world has beauty, variety, novelty but doesn’t have stability. She says, in this जन्,
I have not done any noble कमर. I have been leading an unethical and immoral life.
If my mind is changing towards God it must certainly be due to पवर
ू जन् पण
ु ्य म.
भगवािन्वष्: - भगवान ् is pleased with me not because of the current जन्.जन्कमर

के ना�प कम�ण -I don’t even know what पज
ू ा I did in which life. In this जन्, I
haven’t done anything. Some past कमर must be ripening now. भगवान ् has got the
account. He must have seen some file and some पण
ु ् कमर must be sticking that my
mind is turning to भगवान ् and not for worldly things but भगवान ् as the very goal of
life itself. �नव�द अयंदरु ाशायाजातः.�नव�द -वैराग्य or dispassion. Dispassion is not
hatred of the world. Use the worldly things but do not depend on them. Use them
as the means but not as an end in itself. Love your family, serve them but don’t
expect any security from them. दरु ाशाया:�नव�दं. �नव�द: अयं जात:. The very
dispassion -वैराग्य, gives me आनन्. �ानं gives infinite आनन्. Even mere
dispassion and detachment give happiness, you need not go up to �ानं. In तै�तर�य
उप�नषद there isa portion called आनन्दमीमां that talks about आनन् increasing
incrementally in each higher लोका:. If भल
ू ोक: has one unit of आनन्, भव
ु ल�क has
more units of आनन् because their body and sense pleasures are superior, महल�क
जनलोक in each higher लोका:,आनन् is superior. Then the तै�तर�य उप�नषद says,
all that happiness a person can gain here and now by merely learning to detach

from the world. श्रो�त् च अकामहतस् -not suppressed detachment but born out
of understanding �ववेक. �पङ्ग says, सख
ु ावहः -a dispassion which gives me mental
relaxation. Continuing, verse 38-
मैवंस्युमर्न्दभाग्यायाःक्लेशा�नव�दह
येनानब
ु न्धं�नर-हृत्यपुरुषःशममृच्८.३८॥
�पङ्ग makes a beautiful observation. Even pains in life can be a blessing if they
help me turn towards भगवान ्. Some people become atheists when difficulties
arrive in life. They cannot reconcile that despite being a भक्त, they have so many
problems. They think there is no benefit of having भिक्. Others turn spiritual. Yet
another type of spiritual turn some take is with drinks and drugs to drown the
misery. The pain remaining the same, different people may respond differently, but
a lot of पण
ु ्य is required if a person has to turn to God. अजुर् was with LKA for so
many years yet he never asked for ब्रह्म�व. In the battlefield, अजुर् went
through intense pain. That pain, अजुर्न�वषा योग: in the first chapter led to संख्य
योग कमर्यो ब्रह्म�. TF, pain can become a blessing when there is पण
ु ्य.
She says मन् भाग्या: मम -even for poor, unfortunate me who has taken to
immoral and unethical way of life, this painful experience has led to वैराग्य. क्लेश -
all the sufferings in life, �नव�दहेतवः -has become the cause for developing
detachment from the world and this detachment is worth any amount of pain. That
is why कुिन् prayed, ‘O Lord, please give me more and more trouble because the
greater the trouble, greater my भिक्.’ We need not pray for troubles; they will
come any way. �पङ्ग says pains have led to वैराग्य. The benefit of वैराग्य is येन.
When वैराग्य comes, अनब
ु न्ध �नर्-हृत- a person turns away from the world
towards God and मो�. अनब
ु न्- all bonds of attachment, आशा पाशा शतैर बद्ध:-
hundreds of attachment, �नर्-हृत -cutting all of them,पर
ु ु: समं ऋच्छ� -a person
attains mental relaxation. Continuing,

तेनोपकृतमादाय�शरसाग्राम्यसङ्ग
त्यक्त्वादुराशाःशरणंव्रजा�मतमधीश८.३९॥
Now I am going to move forward towards the Lord gradually, which he calls
शरणाग�त. I am going to surrender to God. के न उपक्रुतमाद -this great उपकारor
blessing that भगवान ् has given me, I am going to fully use that भगवत: अनग
ु ्:,
�शरसा -carrying on my head, दरु ाशाःत्यक्त- I am going to renounce all worldly
desires which are perishable, endowed with three दोषा:. I mentioned one other day
and left out the remaining two.
1. दख ु �म�श्रतत
2. अत्रुिप्तकर
3. बन्धकत्
दख
ु �म�श्रतत means theyare all mixed with pain also. अत्रुिप्तकर means any
amount will not satisy and will only create greed for more. बन्धकत् means, the
more I use them, the more I get addicted to them. They are all like dependence
causing drugs. I only become weaker and weaker emotionally, because without
those crutches I will not be able to survive. The more I depend on others, the more
crutches I am using. Ultimately, I should be able to be happy without any external
dependence. That is called strength. मो� is defined as यस्त आत्मर� रेवस्यात
आत् तपृ ्तस मानव: आत्म� एव च संतषु ्:. If you have things, wonderful. If you
don’t, that is also wonderful. That is called inner strength. Instead of seeking inner
strength, we seek more and more dependence. Here �पङ्ग says, I don’t want to
add to those crutches. दरु ाशाः -all those weakening desires, ग्राम्यसङ् -whichare
associated with worldly people. Wordy people have worldly desires which lead to
more and more dependence, त्यक्त- I want to renounce. In TBA this is called, इहा
मत्रा
ु फल भोग �वराग:. त्यक्तदरु ाशाः I want to hold on to the most powerful thing
which is eternal. तम ् अधीश्वर -the ultimate Lord of the universe, जगत्कार रू
ईश्वर अहं शरणं व्रजा -I am going to surrender. This is the beginning of
spirituality.

Surrender consists of pairs of spiritual sadhana. कमर्यो in the form of पञ्चमह
य�. All those कमार्�are done, not for depending on the world, but for getting
more वैराग्य and refinement. उपासनयोग is to develop more attachment to ईश्व.
TF, if you want to develop attachment, develop attachment towards the eternal.
That is done by उपासन योग:. Finally, शरणाग�त consists of श्रव, मननं,
�न�दध्यासन. I want to enter into that- तम ् अधीश्वर. In the beginning stages of
spirituality, I depend on God thinking that God is a person residing somewhere.
That is how शरणाग�त starts. भगवान ् is in वैकुण्. भगवान ् is in कैलास. भगवान ् is in
this लोक and that लोक. When we progress, we come to understand that भगवान ् is
not a located individual but all-pervading reality who is in me also. Then we
discover that भगवान ् is the very आत्म. अहं आत्मागुडाके सवर्भुताशयिस्:. So,
world-dependence to God-dependence to self-dependence is शरणाग�त. तम ्
अधीश्वर शरणं व्रजा. That is also the final teaching in the BGAश्लो-सवर धमार्न
प�रत्यज माम ् एकं शरणं व्, I will save you from all forms of sorrow. Surrender to
me. Continuing,
सन्तुष्टाश्रद्दधत्येतद्यथालाभे
�वहराम्यमुनैवाहमात्मनारमणेनव८.४०॥29.51
�पङ्ग is taking a resolve to follow a way of life which will gradually take her
towards ईश्व. अहम्न्तुष्सत् -I am totally contented with whatever I haveand no
greed for more and more. Shankaracharya says in भजगो�वन्द, यल्लभस
�नजकम�पा�ं �व�ं-whatever you can earn normally learn to earn and be contented
with what you have. Similarly, she says, ‘Instead of comparing with others (I have
only two BHK , he has three- BHK) and desiring more, I will be contented with
what I have.’ संतुष्ट and श्रद् अ�प- with full faith that this way of life will give
me PSH. Other materialistic people will always laugh at us. If you attend UGA
class, they will wonder why you are attending these classes so early in life. Only
when you are good for nothing you should come to this- this is slogan of the world.
We will also start wondering whether we are on the right path or not. TF, she says,
‘I will not stray because of others. I have faith in what I am doing.’ यथा लाभेन

जीव�त -I will happily live with whatever I have without comparing myself with
others. We saw in the BG- यदृच् लाभ संतुष्: द्वन्द द�तौ �वमत्स:.अहिम्हरा�म
– I will find and enjoy PSH in the lord only, in bhakti. Initially द्वै भिक् and
finally in अद्वै भिक्. अद्वै भिक् cannot be the beginning. In the beginning, in
द्वै भिक् we develop love and devotion to God in any particular form. We have
several puranas and each puranam describes a particular God. �शव परु ाणं will
promote �शव भिक्. देवी भागवतं will promote देवी भिक् and स्कन परु ाणं will
promote सब
ु ्रह् भिक्. Read those exploits and glories of the Lords. Even that
द्वै भिक् itself will give lot of security and contentment. There was a medical
study in America which found that people who had found God and had faith and
devotion had good immunity. Their faith gave them strength that भगवान ् is there to
take care of me. The very thought gave them immunity and so their duration of
stay in hospital was shorter. Finally, of course, अद्वै भिक्. �पङ्ग indicates both
of them in this श्लो. रमणेनवै�वहरा�म- I will revel and enjoy with the Lord who
gives me आनन्. रमण: means the one who gives आनन्. This refers to द्वै
भिक्. रमय�त इ�त राम- the word रमण: and राम:mean the one who gives joy to the
devotees. Initially, भगवान ् is different from me. Later I will discover आत्म and
that भगवान ् is none other than my own higher nature which is सत् �चत् and आनन्:
and I will enjoy with that भगवान ्. Continuing,
संसारकूपेप�ततं�वषयैमुर्�षते�ण म्
ग्रस्तंकाला�हनात्मानंकोऽन्यस्त्रात|| 37.15
When people go through mental disturbances, depression, anxiety and stress, they
visit psychiatrists who all prescribe meditation in which they asked to visualize.
This imagination or visualization is strength coming from outside using which you
fight against your external and internal enemies. For every session, they pay
thousands of rupees. Our puranas prescribe the same visualisation. भगवान ् is there.
सन्नद: कवची खड्ग चापबाणधरो यवा
ु रामर� स्तोत आपदद
ु ्धार.In राम स्तोत the
visualisation is that राम and ल�मण are walking in front of me and behind me with
arrows ready at the bow. When भगवान ् is around me, why should I get frightened?
Visualise this and this very visualisation gives you inner strength. How much do
you have to pay? What you get by going to doctor has already been given in the
bhakti sastras in religion. This very devotion will give me freedom from all
emotional disturbances. अहं संतुष् in the presence of भगवान ्. Continuing,
संसारकूपेप�ततं�वषयैमुर्�षते�ण म्
ग्रस्तंकाला�हनात्मानंकोऽन्यस्त्रातु८.४१॥
The only saviour I can find in my life is that Lord, the eternal one alone because
anything else in the creation is कालअ�हनाग्रस.काल अ�ह: the snake called
कालं.कालतत्व is visualised as a snake. You would have seen at home a lizard
which has caught hold of a cockroach or some other insect. It cannot swallow the
whole thing in one shot so it swallows slowly. Here �पङ्ग says, we are all some
such insect caught in the mouth of YDR, the serpent and are gradually being
swallowed until ultimately, स्वाह. We are all कालग्रस: gradually taken. We want
to depend upon another person but that person is also कालग्रस:. So, who can save
us? Only कालकाल: the swallower of time principle itself, who is भगवान ्. TF, hold
on to कालस्यका:. All these are symbolically presented in the puranic story of
माकर्ण्ड. माकर्ण्ड is attacked by YDR. माकर्ण्ड embraced the �शव�लङ्ग. When
YDR threw his noose, पाश, Lord Shiva comes out and kicks Yama. The idea is, by
surrendering to the lord, I discover I am the आत्म who is beyond time. He says,
आत्मान(second line) कालअह�न ग्रस -I am under the grip of कालतत्व, mortality
andconsequently a sense of insecurity is afflicting me. संसारकूपेप�ततं- I have fallen
into the well of संसार, �वषयी:म�ु षतई�ण.ं �वषय - various sense objects are tempting
me and I have lost my ई�णं -discrimination. ई�णंम�ु षतं - discrimination is stolen.
I am already insecure and I am holding on to other things which are insecure
themselves. Not knowing whom to hold on to, my discrimination is robbed by
worldly objects. I have mortality fallen into the well of संसार. Who can save me?

The only saviour is अधीश्व: -the Lord and none other than the Lord can save me.
All these are wise words coming from �पङ्ग. Continuing,
आत्मैवह्यात्मनोगोप्ता�न�वर्द्येतयदा�
अप्रम�इदंपश्येद्ग्रस्तंकाला�ह८.४२॥
�पङ्ग says when a person gets �ववेकं , understands the mortality and
impermanence of everything in creation and turns away from the entire world, he
wants to hold on to something like a drowning a person. ‘I also want to hold on to
something but am not able to hold on to anything in this world because I have
rejected all of them. At this moment the only one I can hold on to is भगवान ्.’
�पङ्ग says this is आत्म. आत्म means भगवान ्. अप्र: पर ु ु:. अप्र: -an alert
human being who learns valuable lessons from the painful experiences of life.
Every pain is because we depend upon a perishable thing. We must reach the
understanding that our pain is not because of the world but due to our emotional
dependence on perishable things. The problem is not outside but inside us. An
intelligent person understands this अप्र: - with alertness, यदा अ�खलाित्न�वर्द्,
a person turns away from the entire perishable world. Why does he turn away?
Because इदं जगत् काला�हनाग्रस- because he understands that the world is not
stable and TF, not reliable. With this perception, when a person turns away,
आत्मएवआत्म: भोक्त. The only protector is आत्म, which is भगवान ्. Initially
outside, later inside. TF, भजगो�वन्द भजगो�वन्द गो�वन्द भज मढ
ू मते. O deluded
individual. At least turn, इ�त �पङ्ग turns towards a new direction. Up to here are
�पङ्ग’s words. Now, अवधत
ू द�ात्र takes over.
एवंव्यव�सतम�तदुर्राशांकान्ततषर्ज
�छ�वोपशममास्थायशय्यामुप�ववेशस८.४३॥
�हामाणा: means अवधत

ू द�ात्र उवाच -addressed यदम
ु हाराज. एवं व्यव�सतम�: -in
this manner �पङ्ग took a firm resolve to turn to God hereafter. दरु ाशा�छ�व- she

got rid of, destroyed all her worldly desires, of seeking joy and security from
worldly-minded people. कान्ततषर्जा - expectations born out of desire for security
and happiness from worldly people. She decided not to seek that.
कान्ततषर्जामराशां �छत्व – the moment she dropped those desires, उपशमं आस्था-
instantaneously anxiety of the mind came down. उपशमं means quietude, peace of
mind attained. शय्यम ् उप�ववेश -she went to bed with peace of mind which she
never knew until now. Though she is not a wise �ानी, this very वैराग्य gave her
आनन्. The lesson we learn is that expectations cause disappointment.
आशा�हपरमंदःु खंनरै ाश्यंपरमंसुख म्

यथासिञ्छद्यकान्ताशांसुखंसुष्वाप�पङ८.४४॥
The lesson learnt through �पङ्गis, आशा�हपरमंदःु ख-ं all desires and expectations
from the world will lead to disappointment and sorrow. The events of the world are
not based on or governed by my desire and my expectations. Often, we consider
our expectations legitimate since we have done so much for others. I helped him
when he was in the hospital but he did not come when I needed him. We do so
much and so we think that other people will be grateful and reciprocate. If they do,
that is wonderful but it may or may not happen. In old age, we may be under the
care of our children or be stuck in senior citizens’ home. Others may enquire about
us or may not. TF, don’t expect. Depend only upon the ever-available support, that
is, भगवान ्. Drop expectations. Even if you have expectations, make them non-
binding. If it happens ok, not happens, also ok. Otherwise, there will be sorrow.
आशा�हपरमंदःु खंनरै ाश्यंपरमंसुख म -a life without expectations an attitude of, यद्य

भवतु भगवन ् पवर
ू कमार्नुरू. Whatever the Lord gives according to our कम,र I am
fine with that. यथासिञ्छद्यकान्ता -just as�पङ्ग dropped all her expectations,
सखु ंसषु ्वा - slept without any problem. आशा means you will lose sleep. Initially,
we may take sleeping pills. Later, even with pills we cannot sleep. Detachment is
the best sleeping pill and it doesn’t have any side effects either. This is the story of
�पङ्ग which teaches us the lesson of detachment sleeping pills detachment sans
side effects. With this, the 3rd chapter is over. Next class, I will briefly summarise
and we will enter the 4th chapter.

In the last class we completed the third chapter of UG. Now we enter the 4th
chapter. In the third chapter अवधत
ू द�ात्र continues the topic of the 24 गुरव:who
are not गुरव: in the conventional sense of the term. Conventionally, गुर is the one
who communicates verbally and teaches the disciples -गह
ृ ्णा�तउप�दश�इ�त गुर:.
Here, the 24 गरु व: mentioned are not regular teachers as they include animals, the
ocean, river etc. Yet they are called गरु because by observing them अवधत
ू द�ात्र
learnt lessons. They have indirectly taught valuable lessons.
In the second chapter, eight गरु व: have been talked about. In the third chapter, nine
गुरव:, that is totally 17 गुरव: have been covered. In the 4th chapter, we will have
seven more गुरव: to complete 24 गुरव:. अवधतगीताू is a part of UGA occurring in
three chapters -2, 3 and 4. In fact, we will get more Gitas later. The 8th chapter is
हं सगीता and later, �भ�ु गीता. Thus, there are several mini गीता: existing within the
major UGA.
In the 3rd chapter, nine गुरव: are mentioned of which the first four are connected
with sense control. Control over sense organs is a very important spiritual
discipline. It not only has incidental value like maintaining our health etc. it has
worldly benefits also but here it is emphasized primarily as spiritual benefit
because sense organs are gateways through which the world enters our mind. Once
the world has entered the mind, we don’t have any control. They occupy the mind
and create varieties of problems over which we have no control at all because the
nature of the mind is to rotate-
ध्यायत
�वषयान्पुंस
सङ्गस्तेषूपजाय।
It can start with a casual sighting, a momentary event. Like a time bomb it enters
our mind and starts growing and like certain viruses it enters into our system. It has
an incubation period after which it becomes a big problem. Don’t allow the world
into the mind indiscriminately. अवधत ू talks aboutone गर ु as an example of sense

control for each sense organ. The four गुरव: corresponding to the control of four
sense organs are पतङ्: -the moth for the eye as it is attracted by the sight of the
flame, गज: - elephant which loves having the touch of the other elephant and so a
weakness for touch, ह�रण: for श्र इिन्द्,sound, and मीन: for रसन इिन्द् as it
bites into the bait. All theseanimals are used as examples to beware of the lure of
the sense organs.
For the fifth sense organ, the भङ

ृ ् example is given but that is not mentioned here.
भङ
ृ ् is attracted by the smell of the flower, so it sits inside the flower not realizing
that the sun is setting. When the sun sets, the flower closes and the भङ
ृ ् dies.
The next is a group of two which are relevant only to the lifestyle of स्न्न्यs.
मधक
ु र: and अजगर:. मधक
ु र: is the honey bee which collects the pollen or honey
from the flowers. Similarly, some स्न्न्यs take to मधक
ु रव�ृ � to avoid burdening
one गह
ृ स्. They take a little bit from different houses. The next one is अजगरव�ृ �:,
a python which doesn’t go in search of food. It surrenders to its प्रार. If भगवान ्
thinks I should survive, भगवान ् will bring me food. It does not think but that is its
habit. भगवान ् does help the python. At regular intervals animals enter its mouth.
Similarly, some स्न्न्यs also surrender to भगवान ् and sit in one place and they
do get �भ�ा. In our tradition, गह
ृ स्s are told that giving �भ�ा to a स्न्न्य will
remove your पापम ्. TF, गह
ृ स्s always value giving �भ�ा to a स्न्न्य in general
and especially a स्न्न्य who doesn’t seek food. So, मधक
ु र: and अजगर: are
another two गुरव:.
Next, three more assorted गुरव:. They don’t form a group. They are �सन्:ध मधह
ु ा
and �पङ्ग. �सन्:ध - the ocean is used as an example of the mind of a �ानी which
is not disturbed by experiences, good or bad continuously entering like rivers
entering the ocean. There may be sacred rivers like Ganga, Yamuna, Cauvery or
may be rivers like our Cooum. All kinds of rivers enter but the ocean continues to

be sacred. The ocean doesn’t get disturbed qualitatively or quantitatively. It
remains पण
ू :र . LK said in the BGA –
आपयर्माणमचलप्र�त
ू
समद
ु ्रमा प्र�वशि यद्वत त्काम यं प्र�वशि सव�
Similarly, the �ानीs mind accepts all types of good and bad experiences caused by
प्रार. That doesn’t mean we should not work to improve the situation. We are not
talking about blind acceptance. We do have free will and we can try to improve our
experiences but despite our efforts, opposite experiences are bound to come
choice-lessly. सखु द:ु खे समेक्रुत लाभालाभौ जयाजयौ.मानं अपमानं will all be there.
A �ानी is one who is like the ocean. Our goal is to get that mind which maintains
equanimity in all conditions.
The next example is मधह

ु ा- honey gatherer. The honeybee accumulates so much
honey. It doesn’t consume itself nor does it give दानम ् to others. So, the honey
gatherer takes it all. Similarly, if we also hoard too many things, neither give दानम ्
nor enjoy ourselves, ultimately, it will go to somebody else. We won’t get even
पण
ु ्य म because when robbers rob, we don’t get पण ु ्य म. If you gift it to the robbers,
it will be पण
ु ्य म. TF, don’t hoard too much. That is going to be said in the next
chapter also.
The last one, the ninth one is the story of �पङ्ग. Half the chapter covered that
story. The essence of �पङ्ग’s story is that everybody can transform. As LKA said
in BGA, अ�प चेत्सुदुराचा: अजुर्- even if you are the worst, corrupt person, worst
immoral person, given to the worst crimes, even if you have made mistakes, we
need not lie down permanently feeling guilty. Simply learn the lesson, understand
its value, resolve not to repeat it and turn a new leaf. Even the worst sinner अ�प
चेत्सुदुराचा:, भजते माम ् अनन्यभाक साधरु ेव – even the very resolve makes a person
a saint. He has not yet started but has only taken a resolve. LKA says in the BGA

that this very resolve makes him a saint because �शप्रंभव धमार्त् -very soon he
will transform into a वाल्मी� who was a robber. If you read the biographies of
saints, they have a terrible past but they became great saints. We are not lost
people.we can be confident. उद्धरेत आत्मनात्मा नात्मानमवसादयेत.Never
downgrade yourself in the name of humility. Downgrading and inferiority complex
are obstacles. We need not be arrogant either. We always say, ‘I am confident that
I will be successful in my spiritual journey, not because I consider I am great but
because भगवान ्’s grace is behind me.’ Always talk positively. Never say,
‘Spirituality is difficult. I am far away. I don’t think I can make it.’ Even if the गर
ु
says you will succeed, they object to the गुर and tell him, ‘You are overconfident.’
Never look down upon yourself. That is the message from the story of �पङ्ग.
With this, the third chapter is over. We have covered nine गुरव: 4+2+3. One group
of four, another pair of two, the last three assorted gurus. Now we will enter the 4th
chapter where seven more गुरव: are going to be taught.
Page 59, chapter 4, verse 1,
प�रग्रहो�हदुःखाययद्यित्प्रयतम ंन
अनन्तंसुखमाप्नो�ततद्�वद्वान्यस्त्व९.१॥
We have to remember the background of Vedic teaching to understand this

message. According to वेदs, मो� is our ultimate goal in life. We have to dedicate
our entire life for moksha because it is a long journey. TF, our spiritual journey
should start early. First half of our life is कमर्योगप्र life. The second half is
�ानयोगप्रध life. वेद points out that both of them require appropriate
infrastructure also. कमर्यो requires an infrastructure which is generally prescribed
as गह
ृ स्ताश. In गह
ृ स्ताश alone, one can pursue अथ,र earn money for security and
काम- fulfill legitimate sense pleasures or sensory desires and earn lot of धमर or
पण
ु ्य म which will become more important for �ानयोग in later stages of life. TF,
the first infrastructure is for धम,र अथर and काम which cover basic security needs
and natural desires to enjoy. वेद says enjoy them legitimately and sooner or later,
you will know the limitations of अथ्
र का and understand the value of spirituality.
At that time, prepare for �ानयोग. The only preparation for �ानयोग is धमर
accumulation through पञ्चमह य�: -service to five areas. The infrastructure must
be suited for that and so a गह ृ स् must earn a lot of money because he has to not
only fulfill his family desires but also contribute to society. TF, earn, wonderful, no
harm but make sure that while fulfilling your अथ् र का needs you also contribute.
To use DS’s expression, ‘Don’t be a mere consumer, be a solid contributor.’ We
have varieties of दानम ्, some enumerate 16 types, other 21 types, all these दानम ्
are meant for धमर्पुण्य which will become useful when we turn to �ानयोग.
कमर्यो infrastructure consists of four factors, which I call PORT.

P – possessions; not for mere enjoyment but for पञ्चमह य�:
O- obligation; take on lot of responsibilities within family and society
R- relationship; develop more contacts to help others
T – transactions; service involves transactions
PORT is required for Karma yoga so we can contribute more and more. वेद says,
have PORT but warns that the very same infrastructure which is conducive for
कमर्यो will not be conducive when you want to dedicate your life to �ानयोग.
�ानयोग requires more time for self-enquiry- श्रव, मननं, �न�दध्यासन. Suppose
we are involved in PORT. We have a lot of possessions, say, five houses, then we
have to constantly worry about giving it for rent. The mind will have to manage
and maintain possessions whether money, land or jewellery. That requires time and
energy. Every responsibility is like a ton of load on the head. “Swamiji, one child
is not yet married.” Every responsibility is a burden and occupies our mind. Then
every R, relationship, means contact. You must maintain the relationship by noting
their birthdays, wedding dates, wish them, give gifts, all social responsibilities.
Finally, transactions. Each transaction involves time and often involves emotional
disturbance. TF, PORT, which is conducive for कमर्यो, is not conducive for
�ानयोग. After we get �ानं, we can do anything says PD, because पश्यन शणृ ्वन
स्पृशन िजघ्र we are notaffected. A �ान�नष्ठ can do any number of things but
until then one needs श्रव, मननं and �न�धध्यासन. To do them, we need time. If I

do श्रव, do I have time to revise UGA? I am not creating guilt in you. श्रव
requires time, मननं requires time, �न�दध्यासन requires even more time. Long
श्रव+longer मननं+the longest �न�दध्यासन is �ानयोग. TF, when you enter
spiritual field, gradually may you reduce your PORT. Increasing PORT is
required for कमर्यो; decreasing PORT is required for �ानयोग. This decreasing
process is called सन्न्य:. सन्न्य doesn’t mean काषाय वस्त because many
people take सन्न्य and start so many activities. सन्न्य is meant for �ानयोग.
TF, changing the cloth is not important but to gradually reduce PORT to the extent
possible. Complete all responsibilities, stop taking on more and more. This will
give you time to devote to �ानयोग. If you have more PORT, your mind will be
pre-occupied. Watch your own mind in class. “Am I able to listen without the
thought of family members or PORT crowding the mind?” PORT-crowded mind
is a pre-occupied mind, a shallow mind. So, its listening is shallow and absorption
is also shallow. It is superficial श्रव. Chappal on, UGA gone. So, can I have an
un-preoccupied mind? Can I have time to delve into स्थू स�
ू म शर�रात्
व्य�त�रक:अवस्थ त् सा�ी पञ्चको �वल�ण:? Can I dwell on that?
UGA says PORT reduction is useful for senior spiritual students. If a person says,
“I am not at �ानयोग level, I am only exposing myself to वेदान्त. I am still in
कमर्यो,” then preserve PORT and continue service. Once you feel you have done
enough service, move from प्रवृ to �नव�ृ �. In fact, our physical body is designed
that way. The first half of our life, our body has lot of energy. भगवान ् takes away
the physical energy in the second half hoping that at least then we will slow down
and spend more time on �ानयोग.
Here, अवधत
ू द�ात्र says, ‘Reduce your possessions.’ प�रग्:�ह द:ु खाय - over
possession will create lot of stress and pain. When it is lost, then more pain-अथार्ना
आजर्न द:ु खं आिजर्ताना र�णे द:ु खं नाशे द:ु खं.Shankaracharya says, ‘Too much
wealth means as we grow old, children will quarrel about who will get what.’
प�रग्:�ह द:ु खाय यद्यित्प्र. �प्रयत - possess whatever you like but not too
much, यद्यित्प्रतस्- we have to supply the word तस्. Own whatever you
like but not too many. Take the example of clothes. How many should we have
after all? �प्रयत नण
ृ ां. Otherwise it will give you pain. A person who has few
possessions has a mind free from burden because his possessions don’t occupy
external space or internal space. His mind is available for spirituality.
अनन्तंसुखमाप्नो- the joy is infinite when we are free and with fewer
possessions. अवधत
ू द�ात्र can say this because he doesn’t possess even the basic,
minimum clothing. They are �दघंबर in the forest. Of course, we need not go that
extent but at least some reduction will be useful. That is why I have defined
सन्न्य as PORT reduction. I gave a talk on what is सन्न्य. I gave two
definitions. One is PORT reduction. The second is CLASP rejection. You can
take the literal meaning of CLASP as holding on to things. Drop them. I have
given different meanings of the acronym. I will tell you in a different context.
अनन्तंसुखमाप्नो -infinite joy is enjoyed, तद्�वद्वा- by that wise person, that
�ानयोगी, य तु अ�कञ्च -अ�कञ्च: the non-possessor of things. Sanskrit students
बहुव्री समास न �वद्यत �कञ्च यस् स: अ�कञ्च:. Continuing,
सा�मषंकुररं जघ्नुबर्�लनोऽन्ये�नरा�मष
तदा�मषंप�रत्यज्यससुखंसम�वन्९.२॥
अवधत
ू द�ात्र says I learnt this lesson from a particular bird, कुरर:, who is the 18
th
गुर. कुरर: means a fish hawk which catches fish and consumes. This book has
translated कुरर: as osprey. We can take it as a type of bird that catches fish. What
did it do? After consuming enough fish, it wanted to have one extra fish for the
future. So, it was carrying the extra fish in its mouth and began to fly. All the other
bigger birds began chasing it for the fish in its mouth. It flies here and there but the
other birds also chase and attack. At first, it didn’t know why they were following
it.Then the fish realised that they all love the fish in my mouth. So, it dropped the
fish and all the birds flew towards the fish and left this bird in peace. Similarly, the
more you possess, the more people will come and claim their rights. It is a problem
if you give them and more problem if you don’t give them.
TF, he says, सा�मषंकुररं -the fish hawk with the आ�मष – meat, सआ�मषम ् - with
the piece of fish in its mouth, ब�लन: जघ्न:. ब�लन: -the other stronger, more

powerful birds, जघ्न: - attacked. Sanskrit students -हन ् धातु परस्मैप� �लट प्र
पर
ु ु: बहुवचनं जघान: जघ्नुत: जघ्न: is the unique form. जघ्न: means to kill also. In
this context जघ्न: means attacked this osprey. �नरा�मषा: -because they didn’t have
the required food. Instead of hunting for their own food they tried an easier
method. �नरा�मष:प��ण: attacked. The bird tried escaping by going here and there
and ultimately, तदा�मषंप�रत्यज- dropped that आ�मषम ्, that piece of meat or fish.
ससखु ंसम�वन्द- and so it was left alone for श्र मनन �न�दध्यासन. I am just
saying this. I will introduce the next verse and stop.
नमेमानावमानौस्तोन�चन्तागेहपु�त्रण
आत्मक्र�डआत्मर�त�वर्चरामीहबा९.३॥
The 19th guru, a child is mentioned in slokas 3 and 4. He says how an innocent
baby is free from all the worries about future. It doesn’t have a complicated mind
to judge people. It does not worry about who are coming to caress me, for how
long, who will lift me. It doesn’t have रागद्वे but smiles at everyone without
keeping anything in the mind. No मानअपमान, no रागद्वे, no anxiety or worry. It
enjoys a free and un-complicated mind. That is a �ानी’s mind also. TF, learn to be
like the child. Don’t judge people. He is like this and that. All these things will
complicate and confuse the mind. We will see more in the next class.

Page 59, chapter 4 verse 3-
नमेमानावमानौस्तोन�चन्तागेहपु�त्रण
आत्मक्र�डआत्मर�त�वर्चरामीहबा९.३॥
Continuing with the list of गुरव:अवधत ू द�ात्र talked about 18 गुरव: in the
th
previous two chapters and also in this 4 chapter. In verses 3 and 4, he talks about
the 19thगरु in the form of a baby or a child. A child’s mind is known for its
innocence, its simplicity, freedom from judging other people and not worrying
about the future. Simple, innocent, non-judging mind that is not worrying about the
future. As aperson progresses spiritually, one of the indications is that his mind is
closer to that of an innocent baby. A baby can be pleased very easily. If you just
wave your hand twice, the baby will start laughing. Pleasing a baby is very easy,
indicating the simplicity of mind. As we grow older, the mind loses its simplicity
and becomes complex. It is not at all easy for anyone to please us and so, most of
the time, our mind is displeased. The mind is always complaining. The mind is
never relaxed and peaceful. So, loss of relaxation, loss of peace is the consequence
of developing a complex mind. Spiritual growth is indicated by going back to the
innocence and simplicity of a child. A child doesn’t have any hidden motive. As
we grow older, our mind becomes more and more complex and we have more
hidden motives. Once our mind finds hidden motives in any transaction, in every
relationship, naturally we assume the other people also have hidden motives. As
our mind is, so we visualise others because we cannot see another’s mind. Once
my mind is complex with hidden motives, naturally, I will assume others also have
hidden motives. Then we try to find the motives behind others’ acts all the time. If
a person phones to ask how we are, we begin imagining all kinds of reasons for his
call. ‘Oh, he must have called for this,’ ‘Oh, or maybe that.’ In fact, we will do
more analysis of a person’s behaviour than we ever do w.r.t scriptures. In
scriptures we have a मीमांसwhich we never understand but we do more मीमांस,
analysis of every smile of a person. A person smiles today I want to see the motive.
Another day he did not smile. I have to see the motive. Thus, the mind becomes
more and more complex and the consequence is loss of peace of mind.
अवधतू द�ात्र says that I have got knowledge and spirituality. One of the most
important benefits of spiritual wisdom is enjoying it- childlike, innocent, non-

judging, avoiding hidden motives, non-motive hunting of others behaviour. These
are all beautiful benefits. Mind is so clean and light. The more complex the mind
is, the more burdened the mind. The simpler the mind is, the lighter it is. An
enlightened mind is a lightened mind. TF ,अवधत ू द�ात्र says that self-knowledge
has given him such a mind and he enjoys नमेमानअवमानौस्: - I am not seriously
hurt by or over-elated by the respect or disrespect others give. We always measure
ourselves and are very sure that we deserve respect from others. If we do not get
that degree of respect, we are deeply hurt. He says this problem is not there. I can
swallow both experiences मानापमानयो:तुल्: तुल्य �मत्रा प�यो:. Somebody
likes me, wonderful. Somebody doesn’t like me, that is also fine. If I can have likes
and dislikes, others also have also their own likes and dislikes. Thus, learning
toaccept the pairs of opposites w.r.t world and people. Both मान and अपमान do
not disturb me. न �चन्त- I don’t worry too much regarding गेह and पत ु . गेह –
house, children, family members etc. We have responsibilities and caring for
family members is our duty according to the scriptures, but worry is never given as
a duty. Caring is differentiated from worrying. Caring is duty, worrying is not duty.
LKA says, worry is the tendency of those people who have आसरु � सम्पत. In the
16th chapter is �चन्ता अप�रमेयांच प्रलयान् उपा�श्र. Those people with आसरु गण ु ,
non-spiritual bent of mind, tend to worry too much. Some amount of worry cannot
be avoided but अप�रमेयां �चन्ता- worrying about one thing or the other most of the
time. The only way to avoid worry is to surrender to God. Without ईश्व
शरणाग�त, worry can never be avoided. One of the indications of bhakti is
reduction in worry. How to know whether I am a true bhakta or not? Not the
number of temples I go to or the amount of puja. The indication of real bhakti is
reduction in worry. O Lord, यद्य भव्य भवतु भगवन ् पवरू कमार्नुर.ू My future and
my family member’s future will be determined by कम.र No doubt, I can influence
the future but I am not the sole deciding factor regarding the future. There is
another powerful, hidden factor called अदृष पणु ्य and पापं which influence my
future, my children’s future and I have no way of knowing what the कमर is. I know
this much that कमर is a mixture of पण
ु ्य and पापं because मनषु ् जन् itself is
because of almost equal amount of पण
ु ्यपाप. More पण
ु ्य means higher लोका:. More
पापं means lower लोका:. मनषु ् जन्म means almost equal. Life involves ups and

downs. I don’t know which down is going to come and when so I surrender to
God, ‘O Lord, give me what has to come as per my कमर but give me the strength
and capacity to go through that.’ Do whatever is necessary, undertake remedial
measures but remember to be ready as ups and downs are bound to come. A bhakta
is like the Eveready battery, ready for tomorrow, the day after, the next year, ever
ready. Whenever you get frightened of the future, you have to recharge your
batteries. Go to भगवान ्, surrender and seek strength. A bhakta and �ानी don’t
worry about the future, just like a baby. Planning is wonderful. Worrying is आसरु �
सम्पत. TF, न �चन्त. �चन्त – worry, गेहपत्रीण ु - this is a common worry for
householders. They always say, ‘I am not worried about me. Even if you don’t
bless me it is alright. Please bless my children.’ This worry about every member is
an indication of the absence of bhakti and �ानं. अवधत ू द�ात्र says, �चन्तानािस
�खलतेषां. �चन्तनािस् �खलis a very beautiful song written by Sadashiva
Brahmendra. It is worth reading and looking at the meaning. I do not know what
is worry. Here, गेहपत्रीण
ु refers to गह
ृ स्ताना who are endowed with house and
children. आत्मक्र: -to be happy like a baby. The mother has put the baby on just
a simple mattress and nobody is there. The child will never say, ‘I am lonely.’ You
watch the child. He just enjoys moving his hands and legs and gurgling with
happiness. A child only requires itself for happiness. A �ानी only requires himself
for happiness. TF, a �ानी and a child are described as आत्मक्र:- playing on their
own; for the child the toy is itself. आत्र�त: -it just revels within itself, बालवत्-
like that baby �वचरा�म - I move about in the forest as an अवधत
ू द�ात्र. No
company. No relationship. No TV. No mobile. Nothing. I am just happy with
myself. Continuing,
द्वावेव�चन्तयामुक्तौपरमानन्दआप्
यो�वमगु ्धोजडोबालोयोगुणेभ्यःपरंगत९.४॥
अवधत ू द�ात्र makes a beautiful statement. Among human beings only two groups
of people are always happy. The first group is children and the second group are
those who are like children. So, actual children and child-like adults. These are the
only two who are happy. All the others are always ridden with worry. They have

worry lines creasing their foreheads because of the constant worry. द्व एव-only
two types of people. We don’t talk about animals because they don’t know how to
worry. This problem of worry is a unique privilege of human beings which they
fully utilize. द्व एव�चन्तयामुक् -only two types are free from worry. If you
remember PD class, the last two stages are द:ु ख:�नव�ृ �: and आनन् तिृ प्तप्रा:.
द:ु ख:�नव�ृ � and परमानन् आप्लुत. Theyare soaked in परमआनन् like rasagulla
soaked in syrup. परमआनन्द -Sanskrit students सप्तम �वभिक्. In the syrup of the
highest आनन्, आप्लुत - they are immersed. A �ानी is आनन्:. Who are those
people? य:�वमगु ्:जड: बाल:. जड: - ignorant बाल. Why is the word ignorance used?
The more we get knowledge the more we know how to worry. Suppose we get a
physical problem, say, a boil and a fever. We will research these symptoms on
Google and get a list of 27 different diseases for which 250 tests have to be done.
Until now, we were blissfully ignorant. Now, we begin to imagine many things and
worry. TF, the more the knowledge, the more deadly things we imagine. Why can’t
we imagine wonderful things? We always imagine only the worst. A child which is
ignorant is blissful so जड: and �वमगु ्: innocent and simple. That बाल: - child is
�चन्तयामुक्तौपरमान आप्लु:. So, total ignorance is bliss, like the child.
य: गुणेभ्: परंगतः. गुणेभ्: परंगतः - a �ानी who knows the ultimate reality,
आत्म�ान is also equally blissful. We have worldly knowledge without आत्म�ान
which leads only to negative imagining capacity. So, total ignorance is bliss and
total knowledge is bliss. Intermediary situation is dangerous.
We always give the example of the rope. When the rope is seen in bright light, you
have total knowledge that it is a rope. No problem, because rope doesn’t harm. If
there is total darkness, again, not a problem because we don’t know that a rope is
lying there. Total ignorance, so no problem. Now, if we have partial knowledge
our wonderful mind will imagine a snake, a cobra and we get frightened.
Similarly, a child is in total ignorance. No problem. A �ानी has total knowledge.

No problem. Intermediary ones have a terrible life. TF, total �ानी is defined here
as गुणेभ्: परंगतः the one who has transcended all the three गुणा:. In the BGA 14th
chapter-

गुणत् �वभाग योग: नान्य गुणेभ्य कतार्र यदा द्रष्टानुपश ।
गुणेभ्यश परं वे�� मद्भाव सोऽ�धगच्छ� ॥ १९ ॥
गण
ु ानेतानतीत् त्रीन्द देहसमद
ु ्भवान ।
जन्म मृत्युजरादुःखै�वर्मुक्तोऽमृतमश ॥ २० ॥
UGA is very much parallel to BGA. We get the same topics. Just note this much-
गणु ेभ्: परंगतः means a wise person who has self-knowledge. So both of them are
free from worries. Continuing,
Verse 5-
क्व�चत्कुमार�त्वात्मानंवृणानान्गृहमाग
स्वयंतानहर्यामासक्वा�पयातेषुबन्ध९.५॥
The 19th गुर, बाल: or अभर्:is over in the previous sloka. From verse 5 to verse 10
we will cover the 20thगुर, a कुमार� -a young girl. अवधत
ू द�ात्र narrates an
anecdote or an episode in the life of a particular कुमार� through which he gives us a
value or a particular spiritual साधन. I will first talk about that साधन and then we
will see the story part.
One of the spiritual साधनs talked about in the scriptures is spending some time in
seclusion at regular intervals. �व�वक् देश से�वत्व. In the 13th chapter of the BGA,
LKA talks about 20 values one of which is learning to spend some time without
the company of any person either directly or through phone. Nowadays, most
people walk with a phone and talk continuously on the phone. Even a person riding
a bike also is driving and talking. We are unable to spend some time with
ourselves. One of the spiritual साधनs is to spend some time in solitude. It can be
just going for a walk alone or going to some ashrama and staying alone there for
two or three days. For a गहृ स् it is a difficult thing because he has interactions all
the time. TF, every गह
ृ स् is advised to spend some time, एकाक� because the

expressions of the human disease called संसार is fear, worry, sense of insecurity
and feeling lonely. Loneliness is an expression of संसार.
In fact, loneliness is a problem which becomes deeper and deeper as we grow old. I
have earlier used the acronym MBBS which signifies looking at life as M-
Meaningless, B- Burdensome, B- Boring, S- Struggles= MBBS.
I have also talked about the FEDEREL problem. FE means fear. As we grow old
fear increases. Fear is there all the time but it increases with age. DE means
depression, feeling that life is meaningless, no interest in anything. RE means
regret. At regular intervals, we recall the past, play the past like movie and TV.
Education. I could have done something else. Should I have got married? I should
have got married differently. We go on playing the past. Free video is available in
our subconscious mind. So, we go on judging and regretting the past. Because past
is long. When we are young, we think of the future more because it is longer. As
we grow older, the future is less and the past is more. So, RE- Regret. The last one
is L- Loneliness. Interestingly, it is a single letter here unlike the other three which
are double letters. Loneliness can come because we feel the younger generation
doesn’t understand us. We begin losing our few friends who were understanding.
We feel that there is no one to understand our conditions, concerns etc. This
loneliness is a very serious expression of संसार which comes now and then and
even during young age.
Generally, what we do is, we never to try to solve the problem, we always try to
escape from that problem by going out. One man said, “Swamiji, when I come
home, if nobody is at home, I can’t even enter. I cannot stay alone in the house.
Until somebody comes, I go for movie or do something.” TF, we try to escape.
वेदान्त says escape will not work because it will make old age miserable. Better
you confront and solve that problem for good. The best method of confrontation is
to deliberately spend time alone as a spiritual साधन. When it is a problem, it is
called loneliness. When you practice it deliberately, it is called alone-ness. Practice
alone-ness to fight the problem of loneliness. TF गह ृ स्त: are advised to go for a
walk alone. As for स्न्या�:, it is a compulsory rule- एकाक�चरेत्. A सन्यास
should learn to live alone. Don’t form a team or group. Be alone. When you travel
also, learn to travel alone. एकाक�चरेत्. एकाक�त्व is prescribed as a साधन. Not only
is it useful for spirituality, it can avoid several problems of relationships because

interaction with people can create lot of problems, fights, quarrels etc. You can be
yourself. Ultimately, मो�ा is defined as being comfortable with myself. This is
very important. People will come into our life and go away from our life. Life is
like a train journey. When you enter the train, people enter at every station people
and some people exit. In our life also, parents will be there and after some time,
parents pass away. Similarly, other relations also part and go away to make their
own lives. The closest one is the spouse. Disturbing news. One’s spouse also
cannot be with you all the time. We should be ready to lose. Either we take सन्या
or if you lose your spouse, take it as सन्या given by भगवान ्. TF, mentally be
prepared to be an internal सन्यास. This requires practice of एकाक�त्व. This is
given through a peculiar story of क्व�चत्कुमा.
There was a young girl who was to get married. An alliance was being planned. A
prospective groom’s family had decided to take this girl in marriage and planned to
come to the girl’s house at a particular time to fix the details. But they come to this
girl’s house at a different time when all the other members of this girl’s family
were away and the girl was alone. The girl wants to manage the situation. She
belongs to a poor family and they don’t have anything other than some paddy. She
wants to pound it and prepare something for the visitors. That is the beginning of
the story.
क्व�चत्कुमा-there was a girl आत्मानंवृणान. वण ृ ान ् - choosing as a bride, आत्मान -
herself. Here, आत्मान is not सिच्चदानन आत्म. आत्म is going to be the bride.
आत्म is neither bride nor groom. आत्म here is reflexive pronoun. Herself. They
have to come choose वण
ृ ान्गृह म्आगतान्स् तान ्अहर्यामा she opened the door
and welcomed the other members of the family. स्वयंतान्अहर्याम- welcomed and
seated them. We don’t know if the groom was there or not. क्वा�पयातेषुबन्धु -she
was forced to do that because all her family is away. Stories are unique to UGA.
BGA has no stories.
तेषामभ्यवहाराथ�शाल�न्रह�सपा�थ
अवघ्नन्त्याःप्रकोष्ठस्थाश्चक्रुःशङ्ख९.६॥

अभ्यवहार – offering guests something to eat, शाल�न ् -she wanted to make some
rice by pounding the paddy, शाल�न ्- rice, अवघ्नन्त् -she wanted to pound a small
quantity. हेपा�थर् - O King. Remember, this is a dialogue between अवधत
ू and यद ु
महाराज. अवघ्नन्त्. अवघननं - pounding the rice. She had worn शङ्खा- shell
bangles. When she was pounding the paddy, महत्सयं चक्: - they made noise
because they were clanging against each other. प्रकोष - the wrist. प्रकोष also
means a room but here it means wrist. प्रकोष्ठस्थाश.शङ्खावलय -shell bangles
made some noise. She wanted to do something about that sound. Continuing,
सातज्जुगुिप्सतंमत्वामहतीव्री�डत
बभञ्जैकैकशःशङ्खान्द्वौद्वौपाण्योरश९.७॥
सा -thatgirl, तज्जुगुिप्समत्व. तत् - that situation of bangles sounding loudly,

िजगुिप्सत- she considered indecent and inappropriate, महतीव्री�ड- she felt
ashamed. She was wondering what her future in-laws will think about the situation.
To reduce the sound, she removed the bangles बभञ्जैकैकश. बभञ्एकैक च
शङ्कान. बभञ् literally means she broke the bangles or she removed the bangles
and kept only two bangles in each hand thinking that two bangles will not make
any sound. दवौ- two bangles each, पाण्य: -in two hands. अशेषयत्- left as the
remainder. Then, what happened? Two are enough to quarrel, argue. You don’t
require many family members. Every couple knows that. TF, she found even द्वैत
will create disturbance. That is said in the next sloka. I will introduce and stop.
उभयोरप्यभूद्घोषोह्यवघ्नन्त्याःस्व
तत्राप्येकं�नर�भददेकस्मान्नाभवद्९.८॥
What was her solution? Even if there are only, there will still be problems. बहुत्व
also problems, द्�वत् also problems and so she ultimately removed the second one
and kept only one. What is the conclusion from this story? Disturbing conclusion.
गहृ स्ताश is बहुत्व, वानप्रआश्is द्�वत्, सन्यासआश alone is एकत्व. TF,

according to शास्, ultimately, we should all learn to be with ourselves. सन्या is
the goal of Vedic tradition. Don’t get frightened. I am not asking you to take
सन्या. Whether you take actual सन्या or not, we should all develop a mindset
where we will be comfortable with a companion and without a companion also.
Otherwise we will always be in संसार. This is the message. Details in the next
class.

Page 61, verse 8-
उभयोरप्यभूद्घोषोह्यवघ्नन्त्याःस्व
तत्राप्येकं�नर�भददेकस्मान्नाभवद्९.८॥
अन्व�श��ममंतस्याउपदेशम�रन्
लोकाननच
ु रन्नेतान्लोकत�व�व�वत्स९.९॥
Verses 5 to 10, अवधत ू द�ात्र talks about his 20 गर

th
ु , a कुमार�. Her experience is
talked about here through which a particular spiritual discipline is highlighted. We
saw the story in the last class. The girl was ashamed to show her future in-laws that
she was alone. They would come to know because her shell bangles were making
sound when she was pounding the paddy to offer them food. So, she removed most
of them and kept only two bangles in each hand but found that even two were
making noise. So, she removed one more bangle. From many she came to two and
from two she came to अद्वैत. एकमेव अद्�वतीय ब्र.द्�वतीयाद् भयं भव�त. The
highest Upanishadic teaching is given through bangle story.
उभयो: अ�प अवघ्नन्त: कुमायार: उभयो: शङ्कय: -from both the shell bangles of
that कुमार� who was अवघ्निन -pounding the grain. Adjective to that
कुमार�ईकारान्: स्त्री�:अवघ्निनशब्: षष्ट �वभिक्तए वचनं derived from the
root अवहन ् -to pound. Her bangles अभत्घो
ू :. घोष: - even those two bangles made
a sound when they were hitting against each other. TF, she decided to remove one
each - तत्रा एकं �नर�बदत्. एकं - one of the two bangles, fromeach hand, �नर�बदत्-
means broke it but commentators say it need not be broken, it can be removed.
When there was only one, एकस्मात द्व�:न अभवत्- there was no sound anymore.
As LKS says in the 13th chapter अर�तजर्नसंस�, a spiritual seeker, should not
mingle with others and get extroverted. The association can lead to exchanges,
differences, quarrels etc. TF, one should avoid company. Not only can it cause
problems it can also make our mind extroverted which is an obstacle to self-
enquiry.

अवधत ू द�ात्र says, the lesson I learnt is that too much of company, being an
extrovert, noisy revelry and friendship is not good. This advice is not for the
general public but for spiritual seekers. We should never talk about these values to
lay people. Let them enjoy a party, companionship, hanging round and still worse,
chilling. So many words are used. These are all OK for lay people because they
don’t have any higher goals in life. For such people neither is UGA relevant nor
these values. This is for people who want to use their life to discover something
superior, who want to grow spiritually. Especially if they have taken to सन्न्य.
This is special advice for संन्यासs and गह
ृ स्s who are spiritually inclined. Don’t
try to escape yourself through seeking company. Once in a while learn to confront
yourself. As DS says, if you cannot be comfortable with yourself, how can other
people find comfort in you? If you don’t like your own companionship, how can
others like your company? TF, now and then, enjoy your own company. Watch
your mind. What are your thoughts, worries, fears, mental state, etc. Never escape
from your mind. Squarely face your mind. Learning to face our own mind is the
beginning of spirituality. TF he says, तस्य:उपदेशं अहंअन्व�श� म. तस्य: -
कुमायार:,उपदे शं- not that she directly taught but from her activity we learnt the
lesson that many makes noise, even two can make noise.
�व�वक् देश से�वत्व advises LKA in the 13th chapter. Now and then, be alone
whether at home or going for a walk. Or go to an आश् alone without seeking any
company. In the 18th chapter LK advises एकाक� यत �च�ात्म �नराशीरप�रग्:.
एकाक� - spending some time with yourself.
So, here, इदं इमं उपदे शंअहं अन्व�श� म- I learnt. Loneliness is a problem and if we
have to learn to face the problem of loneliness, we must practice aloneness
voluntarily and learn to be comfortable with oneself. Later, when प्रार brings
loneliness in life, we will not be afraid or frightened. We would have learnt to take
advantage of loneliness and convert it into the spiritual practice of aloneness.
Aloneness is voluntarily practiced; loneliness is caused by प्रार which disturbs
the mind. I learnt this lesson, अ�रन्द-यद ु महाराज. अ�रन्द:means ‘Destroyer of
enemies.’ Enemies can mean both external and internal ones. The one who can
confront internal enemies within the mind itself. TF अ�रन्द, is addressing the

king. लोकान ् अनच ु रान एतान ्- I learnt the lesson when I moved about in society
with an intention of observing the ways of the world. Even though, as a sanyasi, he
was away from society, अवधत ू द�ात्र says, now and then I come to the society
and I watch the ways of the world with an intention to learn lessons from the
people. लोकान ् अनच ु रन ्- deliberately moving in society and watching the lifestyles
of worldly people. With what intention? त�व�व�वत्सय -with a desire to learn
valuable lessons from even ordinary people. त�व�व�वत्. �व�वत् - desire for
knowledge वे�दतंु इच्छ �व�वत्. त�व�व�वत् - learning facts about life. With this
we complete the 20th गुर. The lesson is learning to be alone now and then.
Continuing,
वासेबहूनांकलहोभवेद्वातार्द्वयोर
एकएववसे�स्मात्कुमायार्इवकङ्९.१०॥
Here, he concludes the 20th गुर by giving advice to all spiritual seekers, especially
स्न्या�:. He says बहूनां वास: कलह: -if many people are together for a long time,
it leads to quarrel. There are two types of सन्न्य-�व�व�दषासन्न्य and
�वद्वत्सन्न. In �व�व�दषासन्न्य, one renounces everything and takes to
सन्न्यासआ but he has not studied the scriptures. So, he goes to गर
ु कुलं as a
संन्यास with the desire to learn शास्. The गुरुकुल म will have many other ब्रह्मच
and स्न्या�:. Living there he learns from गुर. There also गुर advises, you have
come here to learn. Don’t form relationships, groupism and companionship with
other ब्रह्मच. Then, you will begin to enjoy mutual company and cut classes as
students in colleges do. Our Swamiji warned us that we would find one ब्रचार�
from our native place, go visit him often and make friends. You have renounced all
outside relationships but you form new relationships inside the गुरुकुल म. The aim
of गुरुकुल म is only श्रव मननं and �न�दध्यासन. Swamiji said you have
relationship with me and me alone. Don’t strike relationship with others. Talk to
them, discuss शास् if you want to but no more personal bonds. TF, in �व�व�दषा
सन्न्य also, there is a problem of developing attachment. The greatest problem

in spirituality is attachment. After �व�व�दषा सन्न्य he stays in the गुरुकुल म for
learning and once learning is over, all the students are asked to go their own way.
No taking down each other’s address, meeting in a hotel, having masala dosai. All
these are fine for worldly life. I am not asking you to follow but this is a rule for
sanyasi or for advanced spiritual seekers. Many of the advice are disturbing
because we have attachment to people. We want to hold on to people. Hold on to
relationships. They are all wonderful but they all can become deep shackles in the
mind.
अवधत
ू says, वासेबहूनांकलह:- when many people stay together for some time, there
will be quarrels and fights. कलह:भवेत् द्वय: अ�प वातार भवेत्.वातार - arguments.
First,conversation, then, debate, next, argument. Understand that marriage, family
etc. are meant for serving and growing, not for developing attachment. TF वातार
द्वय: अ�प.द्व:- even two can get into a quarrel. एक: एव चरेत्- may you live
alone is the advice to स्न्या�:.कुमायार:कङ्क: इव- like the shell bangle of the
कुमार�. Now, the 21st गुर.
मनएकत्रसंयुञ्ज्यािज्जतश्वासोिज
वैराग्याभ्यासयोगेन�ध्रयमाणमतिन९.११॥
The 21st गुर is introduced in three verses, 11 to 13. The गुर here is शरकृत्- the
maker of arrows. Making an arrow is a very skilled job. The shaft of the arrow
must be straight and the tip of the arrow must be very sharp. TF, the शरकृत् or
इषका
ु र has to have a lot of focus and attention. It requires concentration because if
you handle it wrongly, you may hurt your own finger also. The example of शरकृत्
or इषका
ु र: is used often in our tradition for focus and concentration as this is very
important for a spiritual seeker. A spiritual seeker has to acquire साधनचतषु ्ट
संप��. The four-fold qualifications are �ववेक: वैराग्य शमा�द शट् संप��: मम
ु �
ु ुत्व. I
will use this context to make a request to all students. The वेदान्त primer called
तत्वबो is a very important Vedantic book. All the students must study तत्वबो
and if you have already studied it, then revise it once in three months or at least

once in six months. There, शमा�द शट् संप��: is given as the third qualification
within which six disciplines are mentioned. शम दम उपरम �त�त�ा श्रद समाधान.
The first and the last are very important- शम and समाधान. शम: means मनो�नग्:,
the capacity to turn the mind away from the external world, to withdraw the mind
inwards at will. स्पशार्न्कृ ब�हबार्ह्यांश्च�ुश्चैवा भ्रुव । The mind is generally
preoccupied with the external world, especially the family, work etc. The mind is
generally a scattered mind. शम: means at will I should be able to bring the mind
from the external world to the mind itself which is called प्रत्या and धारण.
In अष्टाङ योग and in the 6th Chapter of the BGA, LKA, talks about that.
Withdraw the sense organs from the world and along with the sense organs, learn
to withdraw the mind also, especially family members, which is the toughest task.
Withdrawing the mind from external objects, things and relationships is शम: which
conserves the energy of the mind. This is like building a dam to avoid wastage of
water. Similarly, conserving mental energy by withdrawing from the external
world is शम:.
In समाधान the conserved mental energy is direct towards any object of meditation
which is called धारण ध्या and समा�ध. धारण means holding the mind steady on
an object of meditation. ध्या is remaining in that object for a length of time.
Finally, getting absorbed in that totally is समा�ध. समा�ध is the mental capacity to
get absorbed in any object that I want. During श्रव, my mind must be absorbed in
the words of the गरु , not for one or two minutes but for 60 solid minutes, which
requires tremendous focus. Otherwise, the mind will listen for five minutes and
then look around. TF, श्रव requires �च�समाधानम ्. तत्वबो defined समाधानम ् as
�च�एकाग्:. Before वेदान्ताश्र I learn to meditate upon ईश्व स्वरू. After
Vedantic study, I try to focus on आत् स्वरू. ईश्व ध्यान म is one type of focus
and आत् ध्यान म is another type. We should learn to develop this focus. We learn
from इषका
ु र: says अवधत
ू . He doesn’t focus on God but on the इष.ु For the spiritual
seeker it is सगुणंब्र initially and �नगुर्णम्ब later. This requires long practice. In

संध्यावन्द the boy is trained right at the beginning when he is initiated into
गयत्य जप.It is called संध्य उपासना. If there is no जप, no ध्यान, we don’t learn to
handle our own mind and it remains a scattered brain. It will have more
involuntary thoughts than voluntary thoughts and involuntary thoughts go out of
control and turn into fear of our future or our children’s future. Uncontrolled mind
will bring in fear, hatred, worry, anxiety and all kinds of emotional disturbances.
This is similar to how a cyclone is formed. First, there is a mild system called
depression. Then, the wind will slowly make it powerful. Similarly, in our mind
also ordinary thoughts come, slowly, they build up and cause mild disturbance.
Then, it becomes anxiety, then it becomes fear, then it becomes panic attack. All
these are nothing but uncontrolled mind.
ध्यायत �वषयान्पुंस सङ्गस्तेषूपजाय ।

सङ्गात्सञ्जा कामः कामात्क्रोधोऽ�भजा ॥ ६२ ||
क्रोधाद्भ संमोहः संमोहात्स्मृ�त�वभ ।
A simple, innocent thought can become deep fear or sorrow all because I am
unable to nip the thought in the bud itself. This mind can cause havoc if I don’t
know how to use the mind as my instrument. TF, meditation or जप etc. are
considered very important spiritual साधन. Take a simple नाम of भगवान ् like ॐ
नम�शवाय or ॐ नमो नारायणाय or ॐ नमो भगवते अनन्ता and spend 10-15
minutes daily to find out whether your mind is your instrument or not. Can you
bring your mind from all external fields? We need not even know the meaning. We
need not even think of God at that time. Initially, we think of the Lord. Then, we
can chant that mantra mentally and be aware of the chanting. Not mechanical
chanting but with awareness. If we can do that, it means we have enough will
power to direct the mind to one focus or the other.
This practice, अवधत

ू द�ात्र says, he learnt from शरकृत्इषका
ु र:. िजतश्वा:िजत
आसन: -daily learn to sit in one place for a few minutes without changing the
position of the legs. Training the body to sit in one posture for at least 10 minutes
is called िजतआस्सनत्. That is called अन्नमयको, the physical body discipline.
We go through the पञ्चकोश: one by one. Then go to प्राणमयक, breathing
discipline by making the breathing smooth and rhythmic using the method of प्र

वी�णं- observing the breath. It has great benefit because once you focus on the
breathing, your mind is withdrawn from the external world. Breath control is used
for withdrawing the mind from worldly thought as the mind is focused on slow
inhalation and exhalation. It also quietens the mind. Once the प्र becomes
rhythmic and smooth the mind is drawn inwards and it quietens. प्र बन्धनात ल�न
मानसं.एक �चन्तनात नाश वेदयत: in उपदेश सार रमण मह�षर gives this advice.
Quieten the breathing to quieten the mind. िजतश्वा: means win over your
breathing.
Once अन्नमयको and प्राणमयक are handled successfully then you go to a

tougher task. Try to make the mind मन: एकत्रसंयुज्य. While talking about
meditation in the 6th chapter of BGA, I elaborately talked about five types of
meditation-
1. Relaxation meditation
2. Concentration meditation
3. Expansion meditation
4. Value meditation
5. Vedantic meditation
Here, अवधत
ू is referring to concentration meditation. I talked about three exercises
to develop concentration. मानसपज
ू ा. मानसपारायण.ं मानसजप:.
The first practice is मानसपज

ू ा. That is how I introduced �शवमानसपज
ू ा. Look at the
meaning of the �शवमानसपज
ू ा. Even as I chantthe श्लो-रत्नैकिल्पतमास, I
visualise that I am providing an expensive diamond आसनम ् to the Lord.
रत्न:किल्पत. किल्पत - visualised. आसनं समपर्या� अघ्य समपर्या� पाद्य
समपर्या�. We can do everything mentally. Chant the श्लो. Visualise the पज
ू ा so
that the mind is withdrawn from अहंकार and ममकार for 10 minutes. This is called
मानसपज
ू ा.

Then, मानसपारायणं. Use the same �शवमानसपज
ू ा as पारायण.ं Don’t visualise
आसनम्नैवेद् etc. Only focus on the words of the �शवमानसपज
ू ा.
रत्नैकिल्प.शब्दप्रध. In मानसपज
ू ा it is अथर्प्रध. In मानसपारायणं it is शब्, the
words that we focus on.
Next comes मानसजप:. We don’t have many words to focus on. Take only one
नाम like ॐनम�शवाय or ॐ नमो नारायणाय. Chant in a whisper and initially hear
your own chanting. Once you have the pitch and the speed, stop whispering and do
the जप mentally in the same pitch and speed. This is called मानसजप.
All these are to develop focus and control over our mind. Before वेदान्त I perform
these upon सगुणईश्व in the form of any इष् देवता. It can be गणेशपज
ू ा,�वष्णुपूज
or देवीपज
ू ा. After studying वेदान्त is the next stage. Initially, we cannot go to that
extent. At the end of पज
ू ा, wetell ourselves, my relationship with ईश्व alone is
शाश्वत. This is the only reliable and stable relationship which I can depend upon to
help me all the time. No other relationship is permanent, stable and reliable. We
can beat loneliness by invoking our companionship with ईश्व:. This meditation
can help me bond with God so that even if no one else is there, we are not afraid at
all. We always have the company of ईश्व. He is all-pervading. अत्मात्
�ग�रजाम�त सहचरा प्रा शर�रं गह
ृ ं . Even if nobody else is there, Lord �शव is within
me. That is why I said the मन्अनन्ता. I chose the word अनन् - limitless power.
The most powerful ईश्व is with me so I need not be afraid of anything. Thus, this
meditation will help me in bonding with my इष् देवता. Any relationship has to be
formed and nourished. Even with your friend, if you want the relationship to be
stronger, you have to invite, you have to meet. Similarly, ईश्वसम्बन also you
have to regularly invoke to nourish. It is worth it because I am never afraid because
I am never alone. TF, मन:एकत्रसंयुज्यइष् देवता उपासन may you practice. How?
वैराग्य अभ्या योगेन. These two words are used in BGA also. Arjuna complains,
“हे कृष्, I try to sit in mediation-
चञ्चल �ह मनः कृष् प्रमा बलवद्दृढ”
LKA says that is the nature of mind and so you have to practice
अभ्यासे तु कौन्ते वैराग्ये च गह
ृ ्यत ॥ ३५ ॥
वैराग्य is remembering that no other relationships will be always available at my
beck and call. TF, do not use other relationships for security only for service and
�च�शद ु ्द्. वैराग्ये -refusing to rely upon this unstable, worldly relationships is
called वैराग्य. Developing a new relationship with God, इष् देवता is called
अभ्या:. TF वैराग्यअभ्ययोगेन �धयमाणं. Hold on to ईश्व.
अनन्तश्चाि नागानां वरुण यादसामहम ् ।
�पतॄणामयर्म चािस् यमः संयमतामहम ् ॥ २९ ॥
LKA has given a guarantee card to everyone. Valid for how many months?
भगवान ्’s guarantee card is eternally valid. He says योग�ेमं अहं वहा�म I will rescue
you. TF,�धयमाणं- holding on to the object of meditation, अतिन्द् - tirelessly. It
is not one-day practice. It must become part of our life justas we eat food regularly
to nourish the physical body.ईश्वध्यान is compulsory every single day. The
duration can vary according to the person’s availability of time but it is compulsory
if a person is a serious spiritual seeker.

Page 61 Verse 11,
मनएकत्रसंयुञ्ज्यािज्जतश्वासोिज
वैराग्याभ्यासयोगेन�ध्रयमाणमतिन९.११॥
Enumerating various गुरव:, अवधत

ू द�ात्र has now come to 21 गुर in verses11,12
st
and 13. The गर

ु that he mentions here is शषकृत्, an arrow maker. शषकृतor इषका
ु र
is an example given in शास् to talk about the concentration of mind and the
capacity of the mind to get absorbed in anything. That absorption can be so total
that one forgets the surroundings, one forgets oneself in the process of absorption.
This capacity of the mind can be developed by deliberate practice, by developing a
fit and obedient mindwhich is free from emotional disturbances. An obedient mind
is that which is able to direct its attention in any specific field that I want. An
obedient mind is that mind which is able to get absorbed in any field, that I want.
Such a fit and obedient mind is fit for meditation. It is useful both in कमर्यो and
�ानयोग. In कमर्यो, the meditation practiced is सगण
ु ध्यान म. In �ानयोग, the
meditation practiced is �नगुर्णध्यान. For practicing both types of meditation, a fit
and obedient mind is vital. To develop such a mind, a fantastic system called
अष्टाङ्गय: has been developed by Pathanjali Maharshi.
This श्लो mentions some of the steps mentioned in अष्टाङ्गय:. This is a

beautiful system which gradually helps a person to discipline the outer personality
initially and the inner personality later. First, अन्नमयको discipline, second
प्राणमयक discipline, then, मनोमयकोश discipline. It is a gradual development of
discipline. I have elaborated on this in the 6th chapter of the BGA. It is worth
remembering. In the अष्टाङ्गय the first two disciplines are general disciplines
dealing with our behaviour and interaction. It is a behavioral discipline, general
discipline called यम and �नयम. It is a moral and ethical discipline consisting of
five dos and five don’ts. The five यमs are अ�हस
ं ासत्यंअस्तेयंब्रह and अप�रग्र.
The five�नयम are शौचंसंतोष तप: स्वाध्य and ईश्व प्र�णद. In one New Year
talk I called this the ten commandments of Hinduism. We generally talk about ten

commandmentsof Christiantiy. We also have ten beautiful commandments to
develop a morally and ethically sound personality. Without morality and ethics, we
cannot have a calm mind. Character is also important to have a healthy mind.
TF,यम and �नयम are the first two steps.
The next six steps are specific disciplines to be practiced while doing meditation,
either सगुण ध्यान मas part of कमर्यो or �नगुर्णध्यान as part of �ानयोग. For both
types of ध्यान म we require discipline or our meditations will fail. In fact, with
closed eyes we worry more and quickly come out. The only difference will be that
earlier I used to worry as I was moving about. Now, I worry more with
concentration and in sitting posture. In fact, moving is better because if you are
sitting, the worry becomes more concentrated because the mind is not obedient.
The six steps for meditation indicated here are िजतआसन: िजतस्वा:. आसन
means developing a capacity to be seated in a particular place without any physical
disturbance. The next one is प्राण:. After paying attention to अन्नमयको and
making sure that the body is relaxed, steady and capable of remaining in one
posture for 15 to 20 minutes is called आसनजय:. That is indicated here as
िजतआसन:.िजतस्वा: means you enter into प्राणमयक from अन्नमयको. पञ्
प्रा:-प्र अपान व्या उदान समान can all be disciplined by disciplining one प्रा.
That is the breathing system. TF, I turn my attention to breathing and make sure
that the breathing is calm and rhythmic breathing. This is called प्राआयाम:. How
do you split प्राणाय? प्र आयाम:. आयाम: means disciplining.
So, for meditation आसन is step one and प्राण is step two. We don’t directly go
to the mind. First, we discipline the body. Then we discipline the breathing and
then we go to the sense organs. Mind discipline is impossible without body
discipline, breathing discipline and sensory discipline. These three disciplines are
preparatory disciplines.
Sensory discipline is called प्रत्या. आहार: means withdrawal.प्राआहार: means

withdrawing all the sense organs from the external world. This means when
meditating, eyes do not look in any direction, ears do not concentrate on
neighbour’s conversation, nose doesn’t focus on the kitchen. All the sense organs
are withdrawn. This is प्राआहार or प्रत्या:.

Next is धारण, withdrawal of the mind from the external world, the पञ् अनात्म
which keep our mind occupied. These are- possession, profession, family, body
and mind. Withdrawing from these is called temporary mental सन्न्य in कैवल्
उप�नषद. Dedicate everything to भगवान ् for 20 minutes. Having withdrawn the
mind from the world fix the mind on a chosen object.धारण means withdrawal of
mind. If it is सगण
ु ध्यान म, the mind is fixed on सगण
ु ईश्व. If it is �नगुर्णध्यान
the mind is fixed on �नगुर्णईश्. Depending on the type of ध्यान म, I bring the
mind to the object of meditation.Fixing the mind on the object is called धारण
which will vary from context to context. In the case of इषकाु र:, the arrow maker,
what is the object of meditation? The arrow. If a person is a chess player, his total
concentration is on those 64 squares.
We require concentration even for material pursuits. Only difference is in

spirituality, I make the obedient mind converge upon ईश्व. UGA assumes we are
all �ानयोग advanced students. TF our focus is not upon the world, not even upon
सगुणईश्व, but upon the very आत्म. स्थू स�
ू म कारण शर�रात्व�त�रक् अवस्थ
त् सा�ी पञ्चको �वल�ण सिच्चदानन स्वरू आत्म�. As LKA says in the 6th
chapter, आत्मसस
ं ्थ मन: कृत्व न �क�चता�प �चन्तयेत. Fixing the mind on either
ईश्व or upon the आत्म is called धारण.
What is ध्यान म? यम �नयम आसन प्राणाय प्रत्या धारण and now the 7thstage of
meditation is called ध्यान म. ध्यान म means holding the mind in that object where I
have fixed instead of fixing the mind and bringing it out. Fixing the mind is धारण,
holding the mind सजातीय प्रत प्रव:. When I try to hold the mind, the mind will
run away.
यतो यतो �नश्चर� मनश्चञ्चलमिस्थ ।

ततस्तत �नयम्यैतदात्मन् वशं नयेत् ॥ २६ ॥

The mind runs away and I bring back the mind. This process of tug of war, my
struggle to hold the mind on the object is called ध्यान म. ध्यान म involves
distraction. If the mind is getting distracted, we need not feel disturbed because
ध्यान म means struggle to bring the distracted mind on the object fixed. This is like
a baby who runs away from the lap of the mother. Mother brings the baby and
fixes on the lap, again the baby runs. This attempt to hold is called ध्यान म.
When this is practiced for some time and when the mind succeeds in being
absorbed in the object without distraction, no matter the duration, is called समा�ध:.
It is not an unknown thing. An इषका ु र is absorbed in the arrow. The batsman is
absorbed in the ball. A chess player is absorbed in the chessboard. We are
absorbed in TV serials. Everything else is dropped. TF, समा�ध is not an unknown
phenomenon. It is a capacity of the mind to remain absorbed in the field that we
love. Only difference is, in meditation we use that absorption capacity in either
सगुणईश्व or �नगुर्णईश् or आत्म. When it is practiced whatever is the object of
meditation it stays in the mind for a length of time. Advantage is it will go deeper
into our subconscious mind and get very well registered. It is this समा�ध that is
talked about in these three श्लोक: through इषका
ु र दृष्टा.
�ध्रयमम ् –holding the mind in the object of meditation which corresponds to

धारण and ध्यान म. अतिन्द: means tirelessly because the mind will run and again
and again you have to draw it back. Run-draw-run-draw will continue. TF, we
have to practice it tirelessly.योगो अ�न�वर्ण चेतस: in the 6th chapter.The
tirelessness is indicated by the word अ�न�वर्ण चेतस. That word is replaced here
by अतिन्द:. तन् means laziness. You attempt once. You are not able to
concentrate so you decide, I cannot practice meditation and stop attempting it. That
is called laziness or carelessness. Here, he says, don’t drop it. You have to spend
some time in trying. Upto this we saw. समा�ध is going to be talked about in verses
12 and 13. We will read.
यिस्मन्मनोलब्धपदंयदेतच्छनैःशनैमुर्ञ्च�तकमर्
स�वेनवद
ृ ्धेनरजस्तमश्च�वधूय�नवार्णमुपैत्य�नन९.१२॥

What happens to the meditator by the gradual practice of meditation is mentioned
here. मन: यिस्मन्लब्धपदंभ. यिस्मन should be connected with एकत in the
previous श्लो. There एकत means a chosen object either in the form of सगुणईश्व
or �नगुर् आत्म. Here, यिस्मन means �नगुर् आत्म�. अवधत
ू द�ात्र is referring to
आत् ध्यान. In the next श्लो, he uses the word आत्म� अवरुद:. So we know
that he is talking about आत् ध्यान. आत् ध्यान is possible only if I know what is
आत्. You cannot meditate on something you do not know. आत् ध्यान is part of
�ानयोग. �ानयोग consists of three stages. In श्रव I learn about आत्. In मननं, I
get conviction about the nature of आत्. After thoroughly understanding what the
आत् is, then I do आत् ध्यान, which is �न�दध्यासन. TF, this is meant for those
who have done श्रव and मननं for a long time. If a person hasn’t done आत्
�वचार, he need not practice आत् ध्यान, he can practice सगुणईश्व in the form of
any इष् देवता like in�शव मानस पज
ू ा. So, it can be सगण
ु or �नगुर्णईश्. By the
repeated practice of meditation मन: लब्धपदंभव�-mind gets fixed on that object
and will continue there. शनै:शनै: after long practice,योगअ�न�वर्ण चेतसा. LKA
says, you won’t be successful in on or two days. Don’t get dejected and
disappointed. Don’t look down upon yourself. Don’t say I am good for nothing. He
says it takes very long. That is why in previous श्लो, it was said वैराग्
अभ्यासाभ्य. अभ्या means regular and long practice is required. Then शनै:शनै: -
gradually after long practice, मञ ु ्ज�कमर्रेण- कमर्वासन will reduce. The mind is
never used to remaining quiet for any length of time because we are used to
activity every moment. This is called कमर्वासन or the extroverted-ness of the
mind. The mind is very rajasic.Then, if we sit for meditation after a day of heavy
activity, it goes into the opposite mode, तमोगुण. रजोगुण so now it is dozing and
lethargic. In meditation every one faces these two obstacles. Either the mind is
wandering or dozing. A non-wandering, non-dozing mind is called साित्व. It has
to be developed, says अवधत
ू द�ात्र. स�वेन वद
ृ ्धे- gradually स�वगण
ु increases.

To increase स�वगुण we have to practice यम �नयम आसन. Even हठ योग called
physical योगासन is a wonderful system because when you do any योग, you have
to keep your mind on the body unlike other exercises where you can even watch
TV and do it. You can do exercise without having your mind on the job. In योग,
you cannot do that. Whichever limb you are moving, you have to keep your mind
on that limb. If you lift your leg, your mind must be there. यत्र शर�रं तत्र मन:.
If a person practices योग he learns to discipline the mind. Mechanical योग is only
gymnastics. It is not योग. योग is योग only when mind also is with the body. यम
�नयम आसन प्राणाय प्रत्या all will improve स�वगुण. स�वेन वद
ृ ्धे.When
स�वगुण becomes dominant रजस्तमश्च�वध- रजस ् and तमस ् will become
secondary or subservient. As LKA said in the BGA,
त्रैगुण्य�व वेदा �नस्त्रैगु भवाजुर् ।

�नद्र्वन् �नत्यस�वस् �नय�ग�ेम आत्मवान ॥ ४५ ॥
स�वगुण should become dominant in a spiritual seeker. रजस्तमश्च�वध-literally

eliminating, diluting their influence. How do you know which one is influencing?
A non -dozing, non- wandering mind is स�व प्रध. These are all practice of धारण
and ध्या which will culminate in समा�ध:. समा�ध is also divided into स�वकल्
and �न�वर्कल. In स�वकल्प समा�ध I am absorbed but I am aware of the fact that I
am practicing meditation. Self-awareness is there and hence subject-object duality
is there. This is called स �वकल्. When I forget myself like when you watch serial
and movies. The movie becomes real and you forget who you are. �न�वर्कल
समा�ध. I forget myself. ध्या�द्रध् प�रत्यज क्रमाद्ध्येयकग �नवात द�पविच्च�
समा�धर�पधीयते. PD first chapter. I even forget myself, forget even the process, I
am totally absorbed. This �न�वर्कल् अवस्थ here he calls �नवार्णंउपै�. �नवार्ण
means mind has dissolved into the object of meditation. �नवार्णउपै� it merges,
dissolves, gets absorbed in the धेय वस्त because अ�नन्धन- the mind doesn’t have
any other matter to distract. Here इन्धन refers to रजस ् and तमस ्. When रजस्तमस

come down, the mind is absorbed. Sanskrit students, इन्धन is adjective to the mind
in the first line. बहुव्री न �वद्यत इन्धन यस्. अ�नन्धन roughly means without
distraction. मन: merges into the object. Another example is, the flame continues as
a flame as long as the oil is there. When the oil is exhausted the flame goes out. It
merges into the total अिग् त�वं, the invisible heat principle. व्यक अिग्: called
flame merges into अव्यक अिग्:. Similarly, the individuality of the meditator
merges into आत् or ईश्व, not permanently but for the duration of meditation.
तदै वमात्मन्यवरुद्ध�च�ोनवेद�किञ्चद्ब�हरन
यथेषका
ु रोनप
ृ �तंव्रजन्त�मषौगतात्मानददशर्प९.१३॥
तदा-at that time of �न�वर्कल् समा�ध which can be सगुण or �नगुर्. समा�ध is
possible in both सगुणध्यान म and �नगुर्णध्यान. तदा एवं आत्म� अवरुद्ध�: -in
this manner, as explained in the previous two verses, the mind is अवरुद्- fixed,
absorbed in आत्म� because he is talking about आत्मध्यान. TF, he uses the word
आत्म�. अवरुद् literally means fastened, tied, fixed with nut and bolts, totally
fixed. आत्म�नअवरुद्ध:. पर ु ु: ध्या बहुव्री again अवरुद्धं�च� यस् स:.
अवरुद: �च�: पर ु ु: at that time. नवेद�किञ्चद्ब�हरन्च-is not aware of anything
either external or internal. Neither is there an external world nor an internal world.
Normally, when we close our eyes, the external world goes away, but every family
member comes. We are always absorbed in either बाह् प्रप or आन्त प्रप. In
समा�ध, since the sense organs are closed, there is no external world and since the
mind is not projecting anything, there is no internal world also. TF, the meditator
doesn’t know anything external or internal. Except one thing. The object of
meditation. In fact, you cannot say he is meditating because he has become one.
नवेद. वेद means it is a verb; there is no �वसगर:. नवेद means न जाना�त.He doesn’t
know �किञ्चत ब�हर् आन्तर वा either externally or internally. In बह
ृ दारण्य an
example is given- तद्व्य �प्रय स्त्री संप�रष्वक: न बाह्य �कञ्च वेदनान्तर.
Here नवेद gives the same idea. Upto here समा�ध has been talked about.

Now अवधत ू द�ात्र comes to the गुर, यथा इषका
ु र: like the arrow maker was so
much absorbed. When he was doing that, the king himself had come to that
area.There were drums beating and there was sound and noise but the इषका
ु र is
unaware of what is happening. नप
ृ �तंव्रजन- The king , the retinue, the drum, the
conch all of them. व्रजन. इषका
ु र: नददशर. पाश्व. Sanskrit students,पाश्व should be
connected with व्रजन्तंनृप-the king who was moving nearby not elsewhere.
इषका
ु र: नददशर.
Once we were having a VC साधन camp in Uttarakasi for 40 days with Swami
Chinmayanandawho was a great disciplinarian. He wanted every student to get
completely absorbed in class. We had some military people around. There is a
military camp. They also came to hear Swamiji. When they came, they were
wearing shoes which made noise. Some of the brahmacaharis turned to look.
Chinmayananda shouted and said, a वेदािन्तक student, when he listens to वेदान्त,
even if the whole ceiling comes down he should not be aware of that, यथाइषका
ु र:.
That is what is said here पाश्व व्रजन्तंनृप�तं गता आत्म. आत् means mind. The
इषका
ु र: whose mind is absorbed in the इष.ु इषौ सप्तम �वभिक्. गतआत् means
with a mind absorbed in the इष.ु न ददशर. This kind of एकाग् which is called in
शमा�द षट् संप��: - शम दम उपरम �त�त�ा श्रद समाधानं, we saw in TBA.
समाधानं refers to this capacity to remain absorbed during श्रव, मननं,
�न�दध्यासन. न ददशर पाश्व. With this the 21st गुर is over. Now I will introduce the
22nd गुर.
एकचायर्�नकेतःस्यादप्रम�ोगुहा
अल�यमाणआचारै मुर्�नरेकोऽल्पभाषण९.१४॥
Verses 14 and 15 talk about the next गुर, the 22nd गुर of the total of 24. The 22nd
गुर is सपर: snake. We have to find the wonderful features of the snake. These
lessons are particularly directed towards a परमहं स सन्न्या and not relevant for
others. A सन्न्या is called परमहं स when he renounces everything, doesn’t own
anything, moves from place to place. He should follow these virtues of a सपर:
which are enumerated. The list we will see in the next class.

Page 62, verse 13-
तदै वमात्मन्यवरुद्ध�च�ोनवेद�किञ्चद्ब�हरन
यथेषका
ु रोनप
ृ �तंव्रजन्त�मषौगतात्मानददशर्प९.१३॥
In verses 11, 12 and 13, अवधत ू द�ात्र talked about his 21 गुर in the form of an
st
arrow maker. An arrow maker is so absorbed in his work of sharpening arrows that
no matter what happens in his surrounding, he is completely unaware, as though he
is dead to the surroundings. How much concentration he has is indicated by the
statement that a king passed by along with all his प�रवार, retinue but the इषका
ु र did
not even turn his head. When a king comes there will be lot of consternation. Then
the sounds of conch, bugle etc. Even though all these thingswere happening, he
was completely dead to that. This is a capacity which every mind has. We too
experience such an absorption in the field that we love the most. For example-
when watching a cricket match against Pakistan, it is the last ball, four runs are
required for winning and it is the last batsman also. Every cricket lover knows
what is �न�वर्कल् समा�ध, total absorption sitting at the edge of theseat. So, this
समा�ध is not an extraordinary phenomenon. It has nothing to do with mysticism. It
is a natural faculty which every mind has. We can use that faculty for religious
purpose as एकरू ईश्व उपासना and �वश्वर ईश्व उपासना to get absorbed in
एकरूप or �वश्वरू. In spiritual context, after वेदान् श्रव and मननं, we can use the
same capacity to remain absorbed in our higher nature which is other than the
BMSC, the आत् स्वरू. I know what is आत्स्वरू through श्रव and मननं. In
Vedantic meditation, I don’t work for new knowledge or a new experience.
Vedantic meditation is to bring up the teaching that I have already gained through
श्रव like the cow chewing the cud. I am �नत्: शद ु ्: असङ्:सवर्ग:, so many
features of my real higher nature. When I remain absorbed in this teaching to the
exclusion of all other worldly thoughts, they get deeply registered in the mind. It is
not superficial information received for a few minutes once a week but a deeply
registered fact for me. The more I invoke my higher self, the less my identification
with my lower self, my BMSC. Claiming the higher ‘I’ gets strengthened and
identification with lower ‘I,’ अ�भमान, gets weakened. I call it ब्र भाव प्रब
करणं जीव भाव दब
ु र्ल करणं. So, this is the benefit of absorption meditation. This we

can learn from a इषका
ु र. Nowadays, we don’t have इषका ु र around but we see any
person with concentration and learn from them. Even babies have that
concentration. When theyare crawling on the floor towards aninsect, youcansee the
baby’s concentration on it. Even if the mother tries to distract it, the baby will
single-mindedly focus on catching that insect and putting it in its mouth.
समा�ध.This is the इषका
ु र दृष्टा
to know what is समा�ध. Now, we will read page 63.
एकचायर्�नकेतःस्यादप्रम�ोगुहा
अल�यमाणआचारै मुर्�नरेकोऽल्पभाषण९.१४॥
In verses 14 and 15, the 22nd गर

ु is talked about. That is सपर:, a snake. अवधत
ू says I
learnt some important characteristics from a snake which are to be followed by a
प�रव्राजकसन्न्. Though this example is primarily given for a सन्न्या, we can
also take some important lessons. A सन्न्या has renounced everything and
doesn’t stay in one place. प�रव्रा: means constantly moves from village to
village. At the time of सन्न्य he takes a vow, सङ्कल, that he will stay in one
village for 3 days, 5 days or 7 days. He will stay in a temple or under the tree or
any other place that is available and depend on the village for his food. He will
have �न�दध्यास अभ्या. Then he will move on. What is the purpose of changing
the place? To avoid developing attachment. Attachment to the place, attachment to
the surroundings, attachment to the people in that place and attachment to a
particular families’ �भ�ा thus avoiding राग and द्वे. The mind has a natural
tendency to develop राग द्वे due to वासना�न, developed not only in the current
जन् but in पवर्जन
ू . Suppose I am born and brought up in a family of Carnatic
musicians. Naturally when I constantly hear Carnatic music, I will develop a liking
and wherever I go, if I hear Carnatic music, I will be attracted to it. This is the
वासना development in my childhood. It can be a वासना developed in पवर्जन ू .
According to शास्त, we carry the वासना�न of previous births. बह
ृ दारण्य declares
तं �वद्य कमार्� समन्वा भेदे पवर
ू प्र च.That is why some are born prodigies in
music, maths etc. पवर्जन्मवास
ू . Whenever the external surroundings are in
alignment with that वासना, naturally we develop राग. Thus, राग द्वे development

is natural to the mind. We need not feel bad if we are developing राग द्वे. Very
important point to be noted. We need not feel bad if we develop a natural liking to
a particular food, a particular place, particular colour, particular music or a
particular person. Liking is natural, says LKA.
इिन्द्रयस्येिन्द् रागद्वेष व्यविस्थ.

तयोनर वशमागच्छे� ह्यस प�रपिन्थन ॥ ३४ ॥
LKA advises- May you not become a slave to that, demanding that all the time,
holding on to that, never allowing that to be away from you. Never get addicted.
Never get enslaved by राग द्वे. Who is more powerful? The enslaved one or the
enslaving one? The enslaver is more powerful than the enslaved person. Once we
become a slave to राग द्वे, it gets sufficient power to cause emotional disturbance.
When that object is available, I am excited. When the object is not available, I am
disturbed. The addiction reaches such a stage that I cannot even imagine the
possible absence of that. Not even actual absence, even imaginary absence
disturbs. Thus, राग द्वे empowered will make my mind happy or unhappy
according to its condition. Who decides whether I should be happy or unhappy?
Not me. राग द्वे decides. TF, the warning given is not to get enslaved by that. Let
them remain as your preferences. If it is available, wonderful. If not, it is fine. This
should extend to every blessed thing in creation. I prefer having that but I am ready
to lose that. I prefer but I am ready to lose that also. If we have that kind of inner
strength, then we have disempowered रागद्वे. So, we are not disturbed or can get
over that disturbance very easily. Otherwise it will become a very big problem of
deep sorrow. The entire first chapter of BGA is Arjuna’s sorrow. Deep sorrow
caused by the possible absence of certain people.
A प�रव्राजकसन्न् will never say, he needs anything. He will only prefer some
things but will never desperately depend on anything in the world. What is the best
method to cultivate this attitude? Like transfers in government jobs to prevent
employees getting familiar with some people and breaking rules for them. So,
every three years, a government employee gets transferred. All the people in
transferable jobs are प�रव्राजकसन्न्s. They and their families can never get
attached because they move to a new place every three years.

Here, some of the similarities between a सपर and a सन्न्या are mentioned.
एकचार�is one who एक सन ् चर�तalways moves alone without getting attached to
another सन्न्या. Snake is also एकचार�. It moves alone. अ�नकेत: - no house of its
own. A snake doesn’t have a house of its own. It never builds a house. It uses the
house made by others like a rathole or anthill. अप्र: it is alert all the time so that
no राग द्वे gets converted into addiction. राग द्वेs are preferences but not a
desperate dependence. In the olden days they had some kinds of व्र during which
they had to forego certain comforts. षिष्टव्र for six days. Or Sabarimalaव्रत
for 48 days. We drop comforts when we undertake व्रत or go on pilgrimages. We
cannot demand the same kindof bedroom, same AC, same pillow, right
temperature. “Swamiji, if these are not there, I can’t sleep.” Thus,pilgrimages like
Sabarimala etc. are meant to remove our dependence on particular comforts. That
is called an austere life. Never get addicted to creature comforts. A person who
gets addicted to creature comfort will become a creature, not a human being. TF,
अप्र: and गुहाशयः. What is his house? A गुह is available and it becomes his
resting place. गुहाशयःएकाक� सन ्- as a single person. आचारै : अल�यमाणा: -he
behaves as though he is an ordinary being even though he might be a great महात्म
with extraordinary knowledge.
मनषु ्याणा सहश्रे किश्चत्यदद �सद्ध्ये

यतताम�प �सद्धाना किश्चत मां वे��.
Such �ा�नना are very rare. when they move about in the world, they move like any
other अ�ा�ननाwithout declaring or showing off their status or knowledge. आचारै : -
in their action, language, behaviour etc. अल�यमाणा: they never show off their
knowledge. They look very ordinary. When you look at a snake, you will not be
able to find out whether it is poisonous or not. Only an experienced herpetologist
will be able to identify. महात्मा: also move unidentifiably. अल�यमाणा: -
unrecognizable by others. म�ु न: - परमहंसप�रव्रा: एक: अल् भाषण:. अल् भाषण -
doesn’t flaunt his knowledge. Once we study a few texts, we feel like using all
those words in front of others. Quote left and right until the other person runs

away. अल् भाषण: is in the case of सन्न्या who does not show off but a गह ृ स्त
can also learn lessons. Even though you live with people, home and possessions
don’t develop too much attachment to any of them. Remember, whatever we have,
we are not the owner. There is only one owner in the entire creation. Who is the
only owner? �वश्वर ईश्व is the only owner. He has given me a house and he can
take it away at any time. He has given me the people and he can take them away at
any time. भगवान ् gives, भगवान ् takes away without notice. If I remember this fact,
I will never develop ownership. TF, may you be a सन्न्या inside. LKA says in
the BGA, a सन्न्या is not a person whowears an ochre robe. Even a गह
ृ स्त is a
सन्न्या if he knows how to manage his राग द्वे by converting राग द्वे into
preferences rather than addictions. A very important BGA shloka which every
गहृ स्त must remember-
�ेयः स �नत्यसंन्या यो न द्वेिष न काङ्�� ।

�नद्र्वन् �ह महाबाहो सख
ु ं बन्धात्प्रमु ॥ ३ ॥
BGA 5th chapter �ेयः स �नत्यसंन्या - even a householder is a सन्न्या if he

avoids deep attachment and addiction. Continuing,
गह
ृ ारम्भो�हदुःखाय�वफलश्चाध्रुवात
सपर्ःपरकृतंवेश्मप्र�वश्यसुखम९.१५॥
Just as a snake doesn’t build a house or a living place for itself and uses a place
built by others, a प�रव्रा स्न्न्य also never takes the trouble of building a
house, building a कुट�य or building an आश्. He does not want to build any of
them because he may get attached to a particular place.
He says गह
ृ ारम्: -a venture into building a house or purchasing one,
गह ृ ारम्भो�हदुःखा: -he considers a lot of pain is involved in getting one and more
pain in preserving that and tremendous pain in losing it. Either the house leaves or
I leave. TF, I am disturbed that I have to leave this wonderful house. अ�ह द:ु खाय- it

is painful, �वफलश् - it is not worthwhile as we are going to live for only a few
years. Manage somewhere or the other. Why do you have big plans for that? This
is the thinking of प�रव्राजकस्न्न. (I am not talking about a householder.) A
प�रव्राजकस्न्न doesn’t want to venture into that because अध्रुवआत. आत्म
means body in this context, अध्र - a perishable body. Why do you spend so much
time, money and energy for a temporary body? He thinks of a सपर: -a snake.
परकृतंवेश्मप्र�. परकृतंवेश् - an abode built or created by somebody else. A
�ा�न also uses a cave, a house created by God himself. That place is more than
enough. परकृतंवेश्मप्र� सख ु मेधते. So, he moves, he grows, he lives his life
without any tension or mental preoccupation. The aim is to avoid attachment by
developing ownership. Ownership is deadly. Ownership is responsible for
emotional disturbances. That is भगवत: punishment. You must have seen boards
written, ‘This is Mr. XYZ’s property and those who trespass they will be
punished.” भगवान ् also has the same board. ‘The whole universe is my property.’
भगवान ् says, never develop ownership w.r.t anyone because I am the owner.
Whenever youclaim ownership, youare encroachinginto भगवान ्’s property.
भगवान ् has also announced that whoever is an encroacher will be punished. The
punishment is mental worry and anxiety. यत्रयत्रमतत तत �चन्त. Worry
cannot be avoided. Worry is भगवत: punishment given to us for developing
ownership w.r.t भगवत: property. With this, the 22nd गुर is also over. Now comes
the 23rd गुर. The penultimate one.
एकोनारायणोदेवःपवर्सृष्टंस्वमा
ू ।
संहृत्यकालकलयाकल्पान्तइदमी।।कोनारायणोदेवःपवर्सृष्टंस्वमा
ू
The 23rd गुर is discussed from verse 16 up to verse 21 in six verses. The 23rd गुर is
in the form of a spider called ऊणर्ना�:. The name of the spider comes in the 21st
verse where the अवधत
ू mentions यथ:ऊणर्ना�भ.Those who have studied मण
ु ्ड
उप�नषद may remember the well-known example यथोणर्ना�भ सज
ृ ते गह
ृ ्णत च. The

spider example is to show what type of कारणम्भगवान is w.r.t this creation. In the
शास्त it is said that the entire universe is acreated world. Even modern science
accepts that. The world was created 13.7 billion years ago with a big bang. Before
the big bang, the world was not available as we experience. Since the world is a
product which has come in time naturally the question arises as to who is the
creator. Modern science doesn’task that question nor answer it. They onlysay that
there was singularity before big bang and we cannot know anything about that
because it is a state of no information. That means what? We don’t know but their
ego doesn’t permit them to say, ‘We don’t know.’ They declare it is a state of no
information and so we don’t know the cause of this world. शास्त talks about the
cause. भगवान ् is the cause of the universe. We have seen this elaborately in the
उप�नषद, in the BGA 7th and 13th chapters- प्रकृ� पर
ु ुष चैव �वद्ध्यना उभाव�प.
भगवान ् is the कारणं of the universe just as the spider is the cause of the spider’s
web.
The spider’s example is to convey a very important message. Whenever some

product is created, we talk about two types of causes. One is the intelligent
designer who creates the object. It may be a hall. It may be a cloth. It may be a
desk. There is an intelligent creator, the चेतनतत्व, sentient principle behind this
hall, this desk and this cloth which needs a builder, carpenter and a weaver, called
�न�म�कारणम ्.
The second cause is जड त�वं. जडं means अचेतन, insentient principle. However
intelligent the maker may be, he can only create something only when he has the
raw material. The builder must be provided with cement and bricks, the carpenter
requires wood and the weaver requires thread. TF, we require a raw material,
which is जड त�वं.
So, चेतनतत्व and जड त�वं are both required. Generally, चेतनतत्व and अचेतनतत्व
both contribute to the creation of the product but theyare two separate entities.
Builder is different, cement, brick etc. are different. Weaver is different, thread is
different. Carpenter is different and wood is different. चेतनं and अचेतनम ् are
separate entities. This is our general experience.

The उप�नषद chooses the spider example because the spider doesn’t look for any
raw material outside itself unlike, say, a bird building a nest looks for materials.
TF, �न�म�कारणम ् and उपादानकारणम ्, the raw material, the चेतनतत्व अचेतनतत्व
�न�म�उपादान कारण द्वय both are with one spider. It has got the raw material
within itself; whether it is in the stomach or mouth we don’t know. It is a चेतनतत्व
and it has the raw material also out of which it is able to spin the thread. If you
clean a spider web and you push the spider, it will fall down but it will never touch
the ground. It will be hanging like �त्रशन . It remains in the middle by a thread
connecting the ceiling. Suppose you touch it; it will go up. What happens to the
thread when it goes up? �श्रि कतार्िस्थ�तकत and लय कतार. It consumes
यथ:ऊणर्ना�भ सज ृ ते गह
ृ ्णत च it withdraws even as it goes up to the ceiling and
again next week you will find it amidst lot of cobwebs.
The spider is both �न�म� and उपादानकारणम ्. In the same way, भगवान ् also is both
�न�म� and उपादानकारणम ्. भगवान ् is a mixture of चेतनअचेतनतत् द्वय. In the 7th
chapter of BGA चेतनतत्व is called पराप्रकृ and अचेतन तत्व is called
अपराप्रकृ.In the 13th chapter चेतनतत्व is called पर
ु ु: and अचेतन तत्व is called
प्रकृ. Different names are used in उप�नषद where चेतनतत्व is called ब्रह् and
अचेतनतत्व is called माया. ब्रह् and माया together were there before the big bang.
So, what is singularity? ब्रह्मम mixture is called ईश्व and that is why ईश्व is
represented as अधर्नार�श्:, a mixture of two principles. Of these two principles,
ब्रह् is changeless. ब्रह् is �न�वर्कारचेतनतत्. माया is स�वकारअचेतनतत्व.
Bothwere there as one entity before creation and this माया contains the raw
material for the entire inert universe. All our स्थू शर�रा�ण, physical bodies,are
there in माया. All our subtle bodies arealso there in माया. All the three गुणा: - सत्
रजस ् and तमस ्, are also there in माया. सत् corresponding to knowing faculty,
रजस ् corresponding to doing faculty and तमस ् corresponding to resting faculty.
Knowing faculty in �ानेिन्द्रय, doing faculties in कम�िन्द्रय are called सत्
and रजस ्. सत्वरजस and तमस ् belong to माया not ब्रह्. What about पञ्चभूता�?

In माया. What about mountains and rivers? In माया. Thus माया is a महा repository
which contains all the 14 लोका:. All the यथोणर्ना�भःसृजत गह
ृ ्णत च, all our bodies,
mind, sense organs. And from that मायाalone the entire inert universe evolves.
What does ब्रह् do? ब्रह् just remains as �न�वर्कारचैतन्.
Scientists also talk about this evolution from singularity. At the time of big bang
what happens? Cosmology is wonderful science. Very interesting. What happens
in 1/1000th of a second? In 1/100th of a second? They talk about inflation theory
and how it suddenly expanded. There is a difference between the evolution the
scientists talk about and evolution that we talk about. Both of us talk about the
arrival and expansion of the world but for scientists it is a random phenomenon.
‘Why are the stars are formed?’ ‘Just like that. Don’t ask why.’ ‘Why is life
possible in certain planets?’ ‘Just like that.’ ‘Why are human beings are born?’
‘Just like that.’ Everything is one answer. ‘Don’t ask me. It is all random. The
whole evolution is a random phenomenon.’
This is where शास्त differs. Everything in the created universe is happening

according to law which modern scientists are now discovering. So, if everything in
the created universe is happening according to law which we are discovering, then,
evolution also must be according to some law, not random. You can say I don’t
know the law but don’t say random because our experience is that everything
happens according to law. शास्त says this is the law of कम.र Whatever कम,र
पणु ्यand पापम ् we acquire in the current �श्रि, in the current creation, it will
govern the next creation. Whatever we gather in the next creation will govern the
following creation. When did the first creation come? We said, creation is अना�ध:
and अनन्: एव. Scientists agree that matter can never be created as the law of
conservation of matter and energy shows. TF, you cannot say there was a time
when matter was not there and then, matter came. Matter has been always there in
one form or the other. TF, the creation also has always been there in one form or
the other. Before its arrival, it was in unmanifest potential form. Singularity is
potential form of the universe. They call it singularity. We call it माया. They say
there is no information. We say माया is अ�नवर्चनीय. They say, matter and energy
alone exist but we say, चैतन् तत्व also was there. This चैतन्य + माया is called एको
नारायण:. Look at the first line of the verse -एको नारायण:. Details in the next class.

Page 63, Verse 16-
एकोनारायणोदेवःपवर्सृष्टंस्वमाय
ू
संहृत्यकालकलयाकल्पान्तइदमीश
From verses 16 to 21, अवधत

ू द�ात्र is talking about the 23 गुर of the 24. This गुर
rd
is ऊणर्ना�: or the spider. The name ऊणर्ना�: comes only in the 21st verse but it is
indicated here. I described ऊणर्ना�: in the last class. It is a unique being which
creates its web without looking for any external raw material. It finds the raw
material for the creation of the web within itself. ऊणर्ना�: the spider, serves as the
intelligent cause, the चेतनतत्व. The raw material, चेतनतत्व is there within the
body itself. चेतनतत्व means conscious principle. अचेतनतत्व means inert principle.
Both are there within the same spider which is the projector of the web. The
मण
ु ्डकोप�नष, which अवधत ू द�ात्र borrows from says, भगवान ् is also like the
spider. Remember, भगवान ् is not the spider; भगवान ् is like the spider which means
he is a mixture of both चेतनतत्व and अचेतनतत्व. भगवान ् is neither pure चेतनं
consciousness alone nor mere matter alone. Consciousness + matter both put
together is called नारायण:. The consciousness principle is called ब्रह्. The inert
principle is called माया. The mixture is called ईश्व:. Within this माया alone, the
entire universe is in potential form because, the universe is also material principle,
माया also is material principle. The material माया part of भगवान ् alone evolves into
the material universe consisting of the 14 लोका:. Not only is the universe the
evolution of माया, all our physical bodies and all the minds also are an evolution of
माया only. According to वेदान्त, mind is also matter principle. Thus, the world, the
body, the mind, are all evolution of माया alone. Since माया has three
गुणा:सत्वरजस and तमस ्, the universe also has सत्वरजस and तमस ्. Our BMSC
also has got three गुणा: which alone express in the form of our three faculties.
सत्वगुण corresponds to knowing faculty, �ानेिन्द्रयप्. रजोगण
ु ा corresponds to
doing faculty, कम�िन्द्रयप्. तमोगण
ु represents the resting faculty when both
�ानेिन्द्रय and कम�िन्द्रय are resolved and resting. Thus, our whole life is
nothing but to know, to do and to rest. At any time, you are in one of the three
modes- knowing mode, doing mode or resting mode. In the class you are supposed
to be in the knowing mode. When you busily write notes, you are in doing mode.
When you are doing neither, you are in the third mode.
Vedic evolution is different from Darwinian or scientific evolution. Scientists talk

about evolution as a random phenomenon. वेद says nothing in the creation is
random. Evolution also is not a random phenomenon but governed by a huge
network of law called the LOK which works at the macro level also. Macro level
कमर works in the form of the higher लोका: because of पण ु ्यकम and lower लोका:
because of पापकमर. Higher लोका: means pleasure dominating, lower लोका: means
pain dominating. TF, कमर governs the 14 लोका: also.
At the micro level also, every one of us gets a body depending upon the LOK
alone. Out of 84 lakhs species of living beings, we have got a human body. This is
not an accident. We are not the mosquito in the hall. Every type of body and mind,
whether सत्वगुणाप्र mind or रजोगण ु ाप्रध mind are all governed by LOK. कमर
which is in potential form is called सिञ्चतकम. Within माया all the सिञ्चतकमार्
of all the जीवा: remains dormant. Just as we sleep, भगवान ् also has a sleeping
condition called महा सष
ु िु प्:. When we sleep it is called सष
ु िु प्: and when भगवान ्
is in प्रल, it is called महा सष
ु िु प्: or समा�ध:. How did the bunch of सिञ्चतकमार्
come at the time of प्रल?सिञ्चतकम at प्रल is what has been accumulated in
previous �श्रि; which is because of its previous �श्रि. How did the first�श्रि
come? There is no question of first �श्रि. �श्रि is अना�ध, a cyclic process. Like a
tree coming from seed and the seed coming from the tree. It goes cyclically.
Nobody can talk about the beginning. Whole cosmos also works cyclically. The
current one is because of the previous seed called सिञ्चतकम; previous सिञ्च is
because of the previous tree called the universe. न रुपमस्त् तथोपलभ्यत नान्त न
चा�भनर संप्र�तष. You cannot talk about आ�द or अन् like modern science saying
matter can never be created or destroyed. You should never ask, how did matter
come? Did matter come first or form? If you ask a scientist how did matter come,

he will say, matter never comes because it can never be created or destroyed even
by भगवान ्. When matter cannot be created or destroyed how can you talk about the
first creation? That is also illogical, irrational, unscientific. TF, there is no first
creation but we talk about the manifestation of the universe which was there in
dormant form. Now it is manifest, at the time of प्रल, it will not get destroyed but
will again go back to unmanifest matter and again it will become manifest.
अव्यक्ताद� भता
ू �न व्यक्तमध्य भारत ।
अव्यक्त�नधनान् तत का प�रदेवना ॥ २८ ॥
अव्यक् means unmanifest, व्यक् means manifest. व्यक् to अव्यक् it will go.
This is the lot of माया. What is the definition of माया? Unmanifest universe is
माया. Manifest माया is universe. This is what happens to the माया component of
भगवान ्, the inert component of भगवान ्. What happens to the चैतन्य component,
ब्रह् component of भगवान ्?ब्रह्-चैतन्य component doesn’t evolve because
evolution is transformation. Transformation is change. ब्रह्, the consciousness
principle, cannot undergo any change. TF, ब्रह् changelessly continues.

ू ।
The world appears and disappears.ब्रह् presents the medium in which all these
things happen but ब्रह् itself doesn’t undergo any change. It accommodates all
the changes but doesn’t undergo any change itself. Like a movie screen
accommodates the movie to go play but the screen doesn’t participate in the movie.
It doesn’t undergo any change either. When the hero is growing old or growing
young, the screen doesn’t grow old or young. It allows all the characters to
undergo change while remaining changeless. Thus ब्रह्, by its mere presence,
allows the माया, blesses the माया to evolve into universe. Again, the universe
dissolves into माया. ब्रह् changelessly is. Who is ईश्व? Neither pure ब्रह् nor

pure माया. The mixture is called ईश्व. Just as the spider is a mixture of चेतन and
अचेतनतत्व,ईश्व is also a mixture of चेतन, अचेतनतत्व.
That is said here. एकोनारायणदेव. एकोदेव:. देव: - चैतन्यतत् called नारायणोदेव: or

भगवान्नाराय:. This consciousness principle, नारायण, स्वमायय- has also got
मायातत्व or मायाशिक्,माया power also within himself. स्वमायय -through its माया
power, पवर्�श
ू ्रष्टंकालकलयस. पवर्�श
ू ्र - already created universe that is, the
current universe which has been already created and which is running now, संहृत-
he withdraws into himself. Through what power?कालकलय- through the कालतत्व.
काल, the time principle alone makes the seed grow into a tree. कालतत्व makes a
fetus evolve into a baby and makes the baby come out of the womb of the mother.
कालतत्व makes the body grow old. कालतत्व finally destroys the body. TF, काल is
responsible for both evolution and involution. This कालतत्व also is an integral part
of माया. Everything is hidden inside माया. कालकलय. काल means
शिक्तकाशक्त्. अजुर् asks LK regarding �वश्वरूपदश, “Hey LK, how are you
so ruthless?” In �वश्वर body LKA is swallowing all the people as �वश्वरूपईश,
including द्रो च भीष्म च जयद्र च कण� तथान्यान� योधवीरान ् ।
अजुर् says, ‘You look ruthless. Who are you?’ LKA says,
कालोऽिस्मलोक�यकृत्प्रव. I am the कालतत्व. Through the कालशिक्, I swallow.
कालकलय. पवर्�श
ू ्रष्टंइदंजगत्. कल्पन्. At the time of कल्, which is one day of
ब्रह्म. During the day of ब्रह्म’suniverse manifests and when ब्र goes to
sleep the universe resolves. That is called कल्प. कल् अन्त- at the end of a कल्.
ईश्व: should be connected with नारायण:. ईश्व: नारायण: देवसंहृत- resolves.
संहृत for Sanskrit students it is an incomplete verb because the sentence continues
in the next श्लोक: also. For our convenience we will convert incomplete verb into
complete verb संहर�त- resolves into himself. Continuing,

एकएवाद्�वतीयोऽभूदात्माधारोऽ�खलाश्९.१६॥
कालेनात्मानुभावेनसाम्यंनीतासुशिक्त
स�वा�दष्वा�दपुरुषःप्रधानपुरुषे९.१७॥
We will see the second line first.कालेनआत्माअनुभावे because of the power of

time principle which is an integral part of ईश्व. आत्माअनुभ:. अनभव
ु : means
म�हमा or �वभ�ू त:. महा अनभाव
ु : means म�हमा glory. Here, काल is आत्माअनुभ:. It
is the glory of भगवान ् that he has got कालशिक् through which alone he controls
the whole universe. काल controls कम.र कमर controls the universe. Thus, भगवान ्
through काल, controls and activates the सिञ्चतकम. Once सिञ्चतकम is activated
the whole universe comes. स�
ू मं is activated by कालतत्व. TF
कालेनआत्माअनुभावे. साम्यंनीतासुशिक्त.शिक् here refers to the three गुणा: -
सत्वरजस and तमस ्. According to both वेदान्ताशास and साङ्ख्यशास्, during
�श्रि, the three गण
ु ा: are in different proportions. The proportion of the three गण
ु ा:
get disturbed and they lose their equilibrium. The percentage of the three गुणा: will
vary from one object to other. If you take an inert wall, तमोगुणwill be 99.99 %. It
will also have रजस ् and सत्व but inert objects are predominantly ताम�सक्. In the
plant kingdom सत् and रजस ् are slightly more making them living beings but it is
still ताम�सक्. That is why plant doesn’t move from one place to another. Tree is
called स्थावर. स्थावर means it is a living being but it doesn’t move. In animals,
सत्वगुण is still more. While plants cansense the surroundings to some extent,
animals can sense more. Evolved beings have a higher proportion of सत्. In
human beings, सत्वगुण is supposed to be much more and even higher among
देवता:. Asthey come to स्वगर्लो: theyare all informed स्वयंभा वेदा:. They have
Vedic knowledge. Thus, in creation, सत्वरजस and तमस ् proportions will vary.
Thus, the three गुणा: in equilibrium is called �श्रि. In Sanskrit it is called गुणात्
वैषम्य �श्रि:. वैषम्य means in different proportions. What happens during प्रल?

All the three गुणा: will merge and come into equilibrium. Only one
conglomeration called मायाremains which isप्रकृ�तप्र where all the three गुणा:
are in equal proportion. TF, प्रल is called गण
ु ात्रयसाम्यं:.
गण
ु ात्रयवैषम्यं�श:.
अवधत
ू says साम्यंनीतासुशिक्त. शिक्तष means गण
ु ेषु when the three गण
ु ा: have
come into equilibrium because of कालशिक् of भगवान ्. The word सत्वा�दष is way
down and you have to connect it to the second line. सत्वा�दषुशिक्त
साम्यंनीतासुसत्. This is called स�त सप्तम in Sanskrit grammar. When the three
गुणा: come to equilibrium when प्रल happens, आ�द पर
ु ुष means भगवान ्,
प्रधानपुरुषे: (in the third line) who is the Lord of the universe and the Lord of all
living beings. प्रधा means universe, पर
ु ु: means all the जीवा:. भगवान ् is ईश्व:,
the Lord for both जीव and जगत्. He is called the Lord because he alone decides
which जीव should go to which लोका: and he alone connects them. भगवान ् decides
that we all should be in भल
ू ोक:but not according to his likes and dislikes but
according to the LOK. भगवान ् links जीव and 14 लोका:, not according to his likes
and dislikes but according to LOK. TF, you cannot complain to भगवान ्, ‘O Lord
why did you do that?’ भगवान ् never does anything according to his राग and द्वे.
In the BGA, LKA clearly says समोऽहं सवर भते
ू षु न मे द्वेष्योि न �प्:. I don’t
like or dislike anyone. Whoever deserves whichever लोका: whichever body. A
child is born handicapped is not because of भगवान ्’s cruelty. It is the LOK.
Another is child is born a prodigy not because भगवान ् likes but again LOK. TF,
प्रधानपुरुषई: शिक्तष. साम्यंनीतासुसत्.
Now, go to the first line. एक: एव अभत्
ू :. At the time of प्रल, the dissolution of the
whole thing, there is no more plurality. There is only one non-dual ईश्व:. एक:एव
अद्�वती:अभ�त
ू . That भगवान ् alone creates, supports and resolves the world.
भगवान ् supports the entire universe. Who supports भगवान ्? अवधत
ू द�ात्र says

आत्माधा:.भगवान ् supports himself. He doesn’t require any support. छान्दोग
उप�नषद says,स्व म�हिम् प्र�तिष: य�दवा बम�हिम् प्र�तिष:. That idea is
brought here. आत्माआधा: means he supports himself. अ�खलआश्: he supports
the entire universe also.
To understand �श्रिष्टिस and लयं happening according to LOK our scriptures

give the example of our own स्व or dream. Let us assume we go to bed alone
without any other members. अहं एक: एव अद्�वती:, a ब्रह्मच or संन्यास in his
bedroom. अद्�वती:आत्माएवइदंअग्रआस this person’s mind can be equated to
माया. Our mind is like the माया of भगवान ्. I am भगवान ् on the bed. What is my
मायाशिक्? My mind. Just as the entire world was there in the माया of भगवान ्, we
all can project a dream world which exists in our own mind in the form of वासना:.
All the वासना: in our mind are like the सिञ्चतकम. What do we do? We go to bed.
We go to sleep and activate the वासना: of the mind. Mind is like माया. वासना: is
like सिञ्चतकम. We create a full-fledged dream universeactivated byवासना. There
are mountains, rivers, आकाश, sun, moon, malls. We enter the mall full of people.
We create living beings, the world also. I am प्रधानपुरुषई:. They all have their
own environment. I also become one fellow. Thus, we create all of them. I create
the world with how much effort? सङ्कल मात्र सो कामयत. Our dream is not
based on our likes and dislikes. It would be wonderful if we can choose our dream.
I visited Badrinath; why can’t I dream of Badrinath? No. I dream of some road
accident. TF, I project a dream, not based on my रागद्वे but again according to
the वासना: and the LOK. Similarly, भगवान ् also projects a world not based on his
likes and dislikes but based on the सिञ्चतकम, LOK. I create the dream. I sustain
the dream. At the appropriate time as governed by LOK I resolve the dream.
During dream, there was multiplicity. The moment I wake up, I find nobody. I
alone am there. Creation is exactly like the dream. In UGA, this example will
come later. Whenever you get doubt about �श्रि, connect it your dream. एक:
एवअद्�वती:अभत्
ू became. Continuing,

परावराणांपरमआस्तेकैवल्यसं��त
केवलानभवा
ु नन्दसन्दोहो�नरुपा�ध९.१८॥
With प्र, the resolution of the entire universe the three गण

ु ा: are in equilibrium.
At that time, the lord consisting of ब्रह् and माया in equilibrium alone remains.
We do not count ब्रह् and माया as two separate things because they are not
physically separable. Just as I and my mind are together, ब्रह् and माया together
is counted as one. That ब्रह् or ईश्व is described as परावराणांपरम:. परम: - the
ultimate lord, परआवराणां -all the living beings which are in graded forms. पर
means superior, आवर means inferior. परावर means superior-inferior in graded
form. We say all living beings are in graded form because they are not uniform.
Plants are the lowest, animals are the next higher ones, human beings are still
higher and देवता: are still higher. Even among देवता:,इन् is higher. बह
ृ स्प� is
higherthanइन्. प्रजाप is higher than बह
ृ स्प�. �हरण्यगभ is higherthanप्रजाप.
Thus all the living beings are called परावरा:जीवा:. For all the जीवा:,भगवान ् is
परम:, the supreme Lord. That supreme lord आस्त and कैवल्यसं��त, and that
ईश्व alone is called मो�: also. So, attaining liberation is nothing but attaining
God. Why is it called कैवल्य? कैवल्य is derived from केवल:. केवल: means non-
dual. In non-duality, in अद्वैत, all the differences, all the संसार problems are
resolved and one remains in आनन्:. TF, he is कैवल्सं��तः and केवलअनभव
ु ,
आनन्दसंदो:. संदोह: means a pure homogeneous mass of अनभव
ु आनन्:. अनभव
ु :
in this context means चैतन्य. आनन्: means आनन्: �चदानन् रू �शवोऽहं
�शवोऽहं .�चदर
् ुप आनन्दरूप. How many consciousnesses are there?
केवलअनभव ु आनन्: अद्वैतचैतन्यआनन्दर भगवान ् remains. The same thing
happens to us also. When we are in dream, we have duality and problems and a
dog chasing us. We are running frightened and fall down. Then, we wake up. What
happens to the duality? In awakening, the dream duality is resolved, all the dream
problems are resolved. I am an awakened individual free from the problems that
doggedly chased me in my dream. What do I have to do to get out of the problems
of the dream? Wake up. Wake up from द्वैत to अद्वैत. Scriptures say this world is

also like this. For freedom from संसार, you require a second awakening called मो�
when I will become one again with भगवान ्. Once I become one with भगवान ्, how
manyremain? Again, अद्वैतआत्. केवलअनभव
ु आनन्दसंदोह�नरुपा� -without
any उपा�ध, without a second thing. Continuing,
केवलात्मानुभावेनस्वमायां�त्रगुणाित्म
सङ्�ोभयन्सृजत्यादौतयासूत्रम�९.१९॥
We project a dream, do a lot of things and when we wake up to ourselves the

dream resolves back into our own mind. Dream came from the mind and resolves
into the mind when we wake up. Again, in the night we project a dream. Dream is
not once. We create the dream. We resolve the dream. Next night we create and we
resolve. Sometimes in between also. TF, repeatedly project and repeatedly resolve.
Just as dream is a repeated phenomenon, भगवान ् also resolves the world and
remains in अद्वैत and again, after some time, out of the माया, the universe is
created. केवलआत्मअनुभावे. अनभाव
ु means म�हमा and refers to कालतत्व. With
the help of म�हमा called कालतत्व, सङ्�ोभयन.सङ्�ोभण म means again activating
माया. भगवान ् out of his माया mind सङ्�ोभय�. सङ्�ोभ activating. Activating
means disturbing the equilibrium of the three गुणा:. साम्य will be again made into
वैषम्य. Scientists talk about big bang. you ask why did the big bang happen? What
triggered the big bang? Why can’t it remain in that condition called singularity,
अद्वैत? Why should it be disturbed? What is their answer? Don’t know. वेद says,
we know the answer. भगवान ्, the ब्रह्मत has कालशिक् also. कालशिक् activates
the कमर. The सिञ्चतकम ripens in time TF, अनभावे
ु न, means
कालम�हम्नासङ्�ोभय. What does he disturb? स्वमाया म, the माया which has
equilibrium of the three गुणा:.�त्रगुणाित्म मायाम्सङ्�ोभयन्श्. श्रुज - he
creates a universe.
Creation is not a sudden appearance. According to big bang theory also there is
gradual formation of the universe. Whether it is cosmology or astronomy they have
a chart which shows what happened in 1/1000th of a second, what happened after

big bang. They give a time scale. Cosmic sop got condensed, stars and planets
formed etc. वेदा also has its own evolution.
The first creation is called �हरण्यगभ at macro level. Just as the sprout comes, the
plant comes. The seed is one and the plant is also one. One central trunk comes
initially and from there plurality comes. From ईश्व, one macro, �हरण्यगभर्तत
comes. From that, �वराट्तत् comes. From that पञ् स�
ू म भता
ू �न स्थू भता
ू �न
�ानेिन्द्रय कम�िन्द्रय,the huge tree comes. This is वेदािन्तक evolution.
We have another शास्त called साङ्ख्यदशर provided by क�पलऋ�ष: which also

talks about the evolution of the universe. Instead of using the word �हरण्यगभ and
�वराट theysay महत् तत्वor सत्
ू came from which अहंकार came. In BGA class 7
th
chapter I gave you a chart in which ईश्व: or माया, महत् तत्वंअहंका: are only one
up to that. From अहंकार, साित्वक राज�सक् and ताम�सक्अहंकार, then, पञ् स�
ू म
भता
ू �न �ानेिन्द्रय,कम�िन्द्रय अन्तकरण all evolve. What is the first one? महत्
तत्व otherwise called �हरण्यगभ, otherwise called सत्
ू . TF, he says, आदौ
सत्रंअसृज
ू . Remember this much- evolution continues to be open up to a particular
state. Then, macro becomes many micros. Details in the next class.

Page 65, verse 19-
केवलात्मानुभावेनस्वमायां�त्रगुणाित्म
सङ्�ोभयन्सृजत्यादौतयासूत्रम�९.१९॥
In verses 16 to 21, अवधत

ू द�ात्र is talking the about the 23 गुर, the spider called
rd
ऊणर्ना�:. Spider is a unique creature which happens to be both the intelligent as

well as material cause of its web. It is both चेतनतत्व and अचेतनतत्व. It finds the
raw material to create the web. In the same way, before the entire creation, भगवान ्
was alone there. भगवान ् is a mixture of चेतन and अचेतनतत्व. The चेतन part is
called ब्रह्. The अचेतनम ् part is called माया. ब्रह् part remains the same
without undergoing any change and because of the very presence of ब्रह्, माया
gets activated and is governed by the LOK. The LOK itself makes all the
सं�चतकमार्� of the जीवा: mature at the appropriate time. When the macro
सं�चतकमार of all living beings matures, then by the कालतत्व, the three गुणा: of
माया are disturbed. The equilibrium of the three गुणा: get disturbed. When the
disturbance takes place, out of माया, the universe evolves. Initially, the evolution
takes place at macro level itself. Multiplicity doesn’t come initially. Like from the
seed, the sprout comes first and then the trunk comes and much after a particular
level, branches evolve. Similarly, the initial stage is ईश्व or अन्तयार् which is
called the कारणवस्थ. From the अन्तयार्, the second stage comes called
�हरण्यगभ or otherwise called सत्
ू . �हरण्यगभर्सू is also a mixture of ब्रह् +
partially evolved माया. ब्रह्, the consciousness principle, doesn’t evolve at all.
Evolution means change. ब्रह् doesn’t undergo any change. It continues to be
same. माया changes partially to the स�
ू मअवस्थ. कारण state to स�
ू म state is called
�हरण्यगभ. In this स�
ू म state alone all our �ानेिन्द्रयget ready. All our
कम�िन्द्रय are ready. All our प्रा: are also ready but they are at the macro level.
So, इिन्द शिक् comes. प्र शिक् comes. मन शिक् comes. बद
ु ्� शिक् will
come. All of them are at macro level. That सत्
ू evolution is talked about in the 19
th
verse whichwe were seeing in the last class.
केवल आत्म अनभावे

ु न- by the glory of that ब्रह् or ईश्व which activates the
कालतत्व. By that कालतत्व, स् मायां �त्रगुणाित्म सङ्�ोभयन. The माया
component consisting of these three गण
ु ा:,�ोभ: - the equilibrium is disturbed.
आदौसत्
ू सज
ृ �त. सत्
ू means �हरण्यगभर्तत or मह�त्व evolves. हेअ�रन्द. अ�रन्द is
यद ु महराज.अवधत
ू द�ात्रis addressing यद ु महराजas अ�रन्द: - destroyer of
enemies, powerful king. अ�र means शत्:, दम: is the one who subdues or quells.
अर�न्दमय� इ�त अ�रन्द: अलक्
ु समास:. Up to here we saw in the last class. The
same topic of भगवान ् being both the intelligent and material cause of the universe
continues.
Verse 20-
तामाहुिस्त्रगुणव्यिक्तंसृजन्तीं�वश्वत
यिस्मन्प्रोत�मदं�वश्वंयेनसंसरतेपु९.२०॥
तां- that same principle known by different names as सत्

ू �हरण्यगभर्तत मह�त्व is
the second stage. Now he gives another name for that �हरण्यगभ. That is,
�त्रगुणव्यि. �त्रग means माया, व्यिक means first level of evolution in which
life principle gets ready. From that total life principle alone all the individual life
principles consisting of 84 lakhs of species will have to evolve. For that evolution,
the most powerful factor is प्राणतत.प्र means life principle because of which
every living being is called a प्रा. Here we are not talking about the individual
living being but total life principle called �त्रगुणव्य, the first level evolution of
माया. This �हरण्यगभ alone सज
ृ न्तीं�वश्वतोमुख.This one �हरण्यगभ alone creates
the multifarious universe. If you remember तत्वबो, up to this level there is only
स�
ू म principle, subtle principle, which is not available for sensory perception.
From �हरण्यगभ alone the gross creation comes in the form of visible principle. Up

to �हरण्यगभ, the universe is invisible. Only with the next stage comes the visible
universe called �वश्वर ईश्व, �वराट्ईश्. According to cosmologists, the entire
visible universe is only 4% of the total cosmos. There are billions of galaxies and
each galaxy has billions of stars of which one star is our sun and solar system.
Imagine the vastness of the universe. The visible cosmos is only 4%. The other
94% is called dark matter + dark energy. When both are dark what is the
difference? I am only blindly repeating what the cosmologists say. If you take the
total how vast it must be. Perhaps we can call the dark ones �हरण्यगभ and visible
one as �वराट perhaps.
�वश्वतोमुख म means multifarious visible universe which evolves out of �हरण्यगभ.

यिस्मन- in that �हरण्यगभ alone, the entire visible universe is supported like a माला
of beads. The beads are visible but it is maintained as the माला because of the
invisible thread behind the beads. माला is माला only because of the invisible
thread. Similarly, �हरण्यगभ is invisible सत्
ू and the universe is held together by
समिष्टप्राणत. यिस्मन्पम ् इदं�वश्व. The entire universe is maintained together
by this �हरण्यगभर्तत. At the individual level also, the same thing is true. Our
physical body, our organs are all functioning together as a life. A human being
because of the invisible प्राणतत at the individual level. समिष्टप् maintains total
cosmos. Individual प्र maintains our individual body. Suppose the प्र which
maintains all the organs leaves the body, the body cannot survive even for a few
hours. It will start decaying instantaneously. Before long we have to dispose it off.
What keeps the body alive and functioning is called प्राणतत. �हरण्यगभ at micro
level is called प्र. This is तैजस if you remember तत्वबो. At the individual level
�हरण्यगभ is called तैजस. तैजस keeps the body alive. येन because of this तैजस or
प्र alone पम
ु ान्संसरत, the जीव travels from one body to another body, uses the
next body for a few years and प्र again leaves the body. That body becomes dead.
पन
ु र�प जननं पन
ु र�प मरणं is because of प्राणतत्वं- because of that प्र at that
individual level पम
ु ान्संसरत. जीवtakes पन
ु र�प मरणं cycle.
Continuing,

यथोणर्ना�भहृर्द यादूणा�सन्तत्यव
तया�वहृत्यभूयस्तांग्रसत्येवंमह९.२१॥
अवधता
ू introduces the spider in this verse. यथाऊणर्ना�:. ऊणर is the Sanskrit name
for spiders’ silk or spider’s thread. ना�भ: means navel. According to the Sanskrit
word, that thread is already there in the navel of the spider in the form of an
appropriate enzyme or material. From that ना�भ, spider silk is brought out.
ऊणर्ना�: -the spider, हृदयात -from his own हृदय म, from his own ना�भ, brings out
the enzyme or the liquid material from its mouth. We don’t know modern
scientists’ view. शास् says from the हृदय म it comes to the mouth and from there it
comes out in the form of silk. Scientists say it has extraordinary quality. You can
research into that silk and get a Ph.D. They say if we can create that kind of thread
artificially, it will be useful to sports people as it is extremely lightweight. What
we take casually is actually an extraordinary creation. TF ऊणा� वक्त:
सन्तत.वक्त: -through the mouth it brings out ऊणर, the silk. तया�वहृत- it
becomes the house for the spider. It moves about on the silk for some time.
Thereafter, it consumes the thread also. Not all of it but some. तया�वहृत- moving
about through the web it has created, भय
ू : तां ग्रस -once again spider swallows
the silk. That means it is �श्रि कारण,ं िस्थ� कारणं and also लय कारण.ं एवं- in the
same way, महेश्व: -the Lord ब्रह् creates the entire universe and all the physical
bodies and then every physical body is occupied by the same ब्रह् as the all-
pervading consciousness. Each and every body becomes enclosed consciousness.
Body is what? मायाया: -products. माया is matter. Body is also matter. Whatabout
mind? Product of माया. माया is matter. Mind is also matter. Within the material
body mind complex, the all-pervading ब्र चैतन्य gets enclosed in every BMSC.
The all-pervading consciousness is called परमात्म and the very same
consciousness when it gets enclosed in each body gets the name जीवात्म. What is
जीवात्म:? Enclosed ब्रह् is called जीवात्म. The consciousness in our body
because of which the body has become sentient is nothing but the all-pervading
consciousness within the body. It is as though divided, but it is indivisible
consciousness alone. Where is ब्रह् available? Don’t go insearch of ब्रह्. That
ब्रह् is available within our material body in the form of our very consciousness.
What type of consciousness? Consciousness is not a part, product or property of
the body. Consciousness is an independent principle which pervades the body and
enlivens the body. Consciousness is not limited by the boundaries of the body.
Consciousness continues to survive even when the whole universe merges into
�हरण्यगभ and the entire �हरण्यगभ merges into अन्तयार्. The consciousness will
continue in the अन्तयार्. So, the ब्रह् component, the same consciousness will
survive. The surviving pure consciousness will not be accessible because there is
no medium for accessing it. TF, before सिृ ष् it is called परमात्म. After creation
the same परमात्म is available in the form of so many जीवात्मs. Every जीवात्म in
this hall is none other than परमात्म. You won’t believe it but वेदान्त wants us to
understand, ‘I am not the body. I am not the mind. I am the enclosed consciousness
named जीवात्म, non- different from individual परमात्म.’ This teaching is called
तत त्व अ�स महावाक्य. All that is not said here. In this context Iwas tempted to talk
about महावाक्य.
महेश्व: एव सव� करो�म. With this the ऊणर्ना� example is over. Now we have come
to the final गुर, the 24th गुर. We will read,
यत्रयत्रमनोदेह�धारयेत्सकलं
स्नेहाद्द्वेषाद्भयाद्वा�पया�तत�त्स्व९.२२॥
Before going to into this श्लो,I would like to make an aside note. अवधत
ू
enumerates 24 गुरव: and all of them are in the form of animals, natural principles,
etc. अवधत ू doesn’t mention वेदान् शास्त्र or वेदान्ताशास्त् उपदेशगुर. He
doesn’t talk about a Vedantic teacher or Vedantic scriptures and so, many people
think that we can get everything from these 24 गुरव: and do not require शास्त्र.
अवधत
ू doesn’t mention scriptures but we should note that while talking about the
23rd गुर,ऊणर्ना� example, he takes it from the उप�नषद. That means अवधत
ू has
learnt the scriptures. If he has to talk about सत्
ू (सत्
ू means the �हरण्यगभर्तत्वंम

तत्व three गुणा: etc.) it is very clear अवधत
ू has also studied scriptures from a गुर.
गुर and scriptural study is compulsory. We should not think that I will learn from
the bangle of a girl. We can never avoid गर
ु and शास्त्र. Consistent and
systematic study is compulsory. Reading the 24 गरु व:, we should not come to
wrong conclusion. In fact, we can learn from these 24 गरु व: only if we have
background in शास्त्र. So, my aside note is that study of शास् is compulsory.
What is the 24th गुर? Another very popular example given in शास्त्र very often is
भ्रमरश्रवणन:. भ्र: means wasp in this context. भ्र also means a honeybee.
श्र means a worm. In the olden days they observed a particular natural thing and
used it as an example but modern scientists say this is a wrong example because
based on superficial observation. A wasp picks up a worm and places it within its
nest or house made up of mud. The wasp is believed to imagine the worm will
emerge as a wasp after some time. It is proved to be wrong nowadays but the
imagination is like that. The wasp keeps on stinging the श्र. The worm feels pain
and gets frightened and is always anticipating in fear that the wasp will come again
and sting. The worm keeps on thinking about the wasp due to its fear. श्र मनन
�न�दध्यास. Not of आत्म but भ्र श्रवणम �न�दध्यासन म. Gradually thinking
of the wasp all the time, श्र gets converted into the भ्र. This conversion takes
place because of constant thinking. Just as श्र gets converted into भ्र because
of constant thinking, the जीवात्म has to constantly think of what? जीवात्म is the
श्र: the worm. गुरव: goes on stinging तत्वंअ� तत्वंअ� as गुर is already
परमात्म. परमात्म गुर keeps on stinging Sunday after Sunday. I hope it is not
giving you pain. जीवात्म �शष् also constantly thinks of परमात्म and one day, lo
and behold, all the जीवात्मs come out like the caterpillar coming out as butterflies.
All the जीवात्मs thinking of परमात्म constantly will get converted into परमात्म
in due course. This is called भ्र श्रवणन्न.
It is not that श्रवण worm becoming a wasp but the eggs of the wasp hatching.
Since we only see the worm going in and wasp coming out, we think the worm
changed into a wasp. The lesson is profound nonetheless. ब्र ध्याने ब्रह भव�त
तयो ह वै परमं ब्र वेद ब्रह् भव�त is the message. May you listen to the teaching.
May you revise and spend time thinking of your higher nature. You can discover
the fact that I am not a miserable जीवात्म. I am none other than the wonderful
परमात्म. Like a dreamer waking up from his dream. When I wake up, I know I am
not a creature in the dream but the creator of the entire dream. This is the idea of
गर
ु यत्र मनो दे�ह.Whatever the individual जीवात्म constantly thinks of, so he
becomes. यत्र मनो दे�ह धारयेत्. दे�ह मन धारयेत् -in whichever a field a person
fixes his mind constantly, सकलिम्धय. सकलम ् goes with mind. सकलम ् the total
mind is whole heartedly fixed. �धया means deliberately. स्नेहात्द्वेष भयात् द्वा�
constant thinking may be attachment or hatred also. In attachment or hatred also,
you think of the concerned objects repeatedly. We have the story of �शशपाु ल and
others who constantly thought of the Lord because of hatred and attained मो�.
TF, स्नेहात- out of like, द्वेषात- out of dislike, भयात् -out of fear also, द्वा� -if the
mind is constantly seeking तत्सरूपत या�त. That becomes one with that object or
very similar to that object. Whatever our mind constantly thinks of, our words and
deeds reflect that and we become like that. LKA says in the 8th chapter,
यं यं वा�प स्मरन्भा त्यजत्यन कलेबरम ् ।

तं तमेवै�त कौन्ते सदा तद्भावभा�वत ॥ ६ ॥
Whatever you constantly think of, that comes at time of death and your next birth
will be influenced by that thought. अजुर्, think of me constantly so that at the time
of death also you will utter the words of the lord and after death you will come to
me. The same idea is said here. तत्रूपता या�त. That is called सारूप मिु क्:.
Continuing,
क�टःपेशस्कृतंध्यायन्कुड्यांतेनप्रव
या�ततत्सात्मतांराजन्पूवर्रूपमसन्९.२३॥

Here, the गुर is क�ट: पेशस्कृतंध्याय. क�ट: means worm, पेशस्कृ means wasp.
भ्रमरपेशस्क is the name of wasp or भ्र:ध्यायन- the worm constantly thinks.
What type of worm? कुड्यांप्रवे� -which is brought into the wall where the nest
of the भ्र is. कुड्य literally means wall. You have to understand that it is the wall
with a wasp nest. कुड्या तेन प्रवे�श: placed inside, तत्सात्मतया�त -the worm
finally becomes the wasp itself. A complete transformation takes place. पवर
ू रूप सन ्
त्यजन without losing its original nature it becomes very similar to the wasp. It
becomes the wasp itself or it becomes very similar to that wasp. Similarly, जीवात्म
also becomes परमात्म. जीवात्म doesn’t become similar to परमात्म but becomes
परमात्म ultimately.
मो� is also divided into four types- सालोक् मिु क्: सामीप् मिु क्: सारूप मिु क्:
and सायज्यमुिक
ू : सालोक्य means if I am a �वष्ण भक्त I go to a �वष्ण लोक or a
लोक in which �वष्ण is residing. That is सालोक्य. �वष्ण’s लोक and my लोक will
become one and the same. Now I am in भल
ू ोक. I will go to �वष्ण लोक then both are
residing in same लोक called सालोक् मिु क्. This is based on the assumption that
�वष्ण is a person residing in a लोक. In वेदान्त we say they are all for beginners
because �वष्ण भगवान ् is not in a particular लोक. He is all-pervading. This is said to
beginners so they are happy. ‘We will go one day. Nice लोक.’ This is called
सालोक् मिु क्:.
�वष्ण लोक is a vast लोक in which I occupy some corner. Like PM in Delhi and I
am in Chennai. Some people say they don’t want सालोक्. They want to reside
near God. I want to constantly see him. This is another type of भिक् where भक्त
looks at God again as a person. TF he will go to भगवान ्’s place and be near God.
That is called सामीप् मिु क्. सामीप् means proximity. All this is talked about in
आगम संप्रद वैष्णव: and शैवा:. There somebody could be occupying the same

room as �वष्ण because of extra पण
ु ्य or you will be in the neighboring room and
you cannot see God. This is सामीप्यमुिक.
The next one is सारूप्यमुि:. सारूप्यमुि: means you get a body which
resembles भगवान ्’s body, the same complexion, शङ्काच all similar.
Finally, सायज्
ू मिु क्: where you can join God though not totally become one.
Join God like भगवान ्’s शङ्क etc.
आगम शास् describes मो� in all these forms but वेदान्त says they are all not the
ultimate. As long as there is division, there is finitude. That cannot be the ultimate
reality. You have to discover ब्रह् which is the absolute.
Here, अवधत ू says a person gets सात्म - similarity to God. Thus, all the 24 गुरs
are completed. He is going toadd one more later but for now he concludes that
topic. We will read verse 24.
एवंगुरुभ्यएतेभ्यएषामे�श��ताम�
स्वात्मोप�श��तांबुद्�धंशृणुमेवदतःप९.२४॥
एवंएतेभ्: गुरुभ:एषाम�तःमे�श��ता. एवं- in this manner as described in all these

verses of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th chapters, एतेभ्: गर
ु ुभ: - from these 24 gurus,
एषाम�तःमे�श��ता – all these lessons were learnt by me. Now, I am going to add
the 25th guru. Who is that? He says that he learnt by observing the bodies of all
living beings in general including human beings and from his own body in
particular. स्वात् उप�श��तां. The word आत्म means शर�रं or body. स्वात् means
मम शर�रं . From my own body, �श��तं बद
ु ्�ध- I learnt valid lessons by observing
the different states of body.
In the 13th chapter, LKA says, जन् मत्य ृ जर व्या� दख ु दोष अनद ु शर्न. At one time
the body is seen as an asset and a time will come when we see the very body as a
liability. Is the body an asset or liability? Don’t conclude just yet as everything in

the creation is an asset and a liability also. When it is seen as an asset, we develop
राग. Once it becomes a liability, we develop द्वे. May you understand your own
body is both an asset and a liability. You must derive �ववेक वैराग् SCSI, all
spiritual qualifications by studying your own physical body. अद्वैwill teach us
how to study the physical body and how to learn valid lessons from it. बद
ु ्�ध-
बद
ु ्�means lesson or knowledge, valuable knowledge. Here, बद
ु ्� doesn’t mean
intellect. बद
ु ्�here means knowledge or lesson. श्रु हे प्र- Listen, O, यद ु महाराज,
मेवदतः- as I am going to tell you in the following verses. From verse 25 to 30 we
will learn from the 25th guru, our own body, which we will see in the next class.

Page 67 v24
एवंगुरुभ्यएतेभ्यएषामे�श��ताम�
स्वात्मोप�श��तांबुद्�धंशृणुमेवदतःप९.२४॥
अवधत ू द�ात्र has covered all the lessons that he learnt from all the 24 गुरव: with
the 23rd verse. He concludes this topic in the 24th verse which we saw in the last
class. एवंएतेभ्: गर ु ुभ: एष म�त: मे �श��ता. In this manner from the above
mentioned 24 गरु व:, all these teachings have been received by me. Then he says he
would like to add the 25th गर
ु in the following verses.
Who is that गुर? स्वात्मोप�श��त बद ु ्�ध. आत्म means शर�रं, the physical body.
From the observation of my own physical body, I have learnt some valuable
lessons. उप�श��तां बद
ु ्�ध. Here, बद
ु ्� means �ानं or lessons. The lessons I have
received from my own body. हे प्र शण
ृ ु- May you listen, यद ु महाराजाज, मे वदतः.
वदतः is the adjective to मे. It is present active participle of the root वद in the sixth
case qualifying मे. It means ‘from the teaching me.’ May you listen from the
teaching me. Now the 25th गुर, the physical body, is introduced.
दे होगर
ु ुमर्म�वरिक्त�ववेकहेतु�बर्भ्रत्स्मस�व�नधनंसततात्
त�वान्यनेन�वमृशा�मयथातथा�पपारक्य�मत्यव�सतो�वचराम्यस९.२५॥
दे ह: ममगर
ु :. The body is also my गर
ु . It gives me two important values or benefits.
One is called �वरिक् or वैराग्य or detachment. The other is �ववेक: or discriminative
knowledge. Both �ववेक and वैराग्य, two very important qualifications for spiritual
wisdom are gained by observing the body. Two of the 4-fold qualifications of
�ववेक वैराग्य शमा�द षट् संप��: मम ु �
ु त्व are gained.
The body gives me detachment because of its very nature. What is the nature of the
body? He explains in the second line सत्व�नधनं�वभ्. I see every physical body is

subject to birth and has a beginning. Due to the very reason that it has a
manufacturing date, it will always have an expiry date also. Our body also carries
an expiry date also. Though we are not able to read it, we all know that it has an
end. TF, it is not stable. It is perishable. It is not reliable. TF, I should never get
attached to the physical body because it is subject to loss. Since I do not know the
expiry date, it can be any date. Don’t get disturbed. It can be tomorrow or after 25
years. People who look healthy just disappear suddenly. TF, the very
unpredictability of life gives me detachment from the physical body.
सत् �नधनं �वभ्र. सत्- existence or birth, �नधनं – death, �वभ्र - it carries these
two. Not only it has birth and death it is also subject to varieties of health
problems, major and minor. Minor as well as major problems. Even the healthiest
person is subject to varieties of health issues. Even as the temperature outside
changes, the throat changes inside. Cough, cold and fever. LKA said in the BGA,
जन् मत्य
ृ जरा व्या� दख ु दोष अनद ु शर्न. सत�ा� – always, आत्युर्दकर्मा – varieties
of health problems distress us. आ�तर – pain, problems or health issues, उदक� -
inclined to, subject to, having the potential for varieties of health problems. We
take varieties of medical insurance because we don’t know what will come. All
this indicates body is not reliable. It is very fragile in nature. So, this unreliable
nature of the body is the cause for वैराग्य or detachment, not for mechanical human
beings but for thinking, mindful humans. They will notice the unpredictability of
life itself. This will give वैराग्य only to the discerning people. Thus it is वैराग्यहेत:.
This is also the negative side of the body. That doesn’t mean you dislike or hate the
body. This very body is useful for learning many things. अनेन in the third line,
through this very physical body, using this body as the medium तत्वा� �वमश
ृ ा�म- I
am able to learn many valuable तत्व. I learn so many worldly and other worldly
तत्वs. By studying वेद पवर
ू भाग especially the initial part of the scriptures called
अथातो धमर िज�ासा, I get धमर अधमर �ववेक:. धमर अधमर �ववेक: is understanding what
is right and what is wrong. What is moral and what is immoral. I learn these
valuable lessons only by using the body as the medium. The physical body carries
the स�ू म शर�रं and provides the gate way to study the world and learn valuable
lessons. Especially the human body. Animals cannot learn lessons and only have
some instincts for survival, procreation and death. By following a dharmic way of

life, I can refine my mind. With the help of the same body, I can study the वेदअन्
and know सत् असत् �ववेक. वेद पवर
ू teaches me धमर अधमर �ववेक. वेद अन् tells me
what is real and what is not so real. ब्रह् or भगवान ् alone is the ultimate reality.
The world appears to be reality but it is not absolutely real. ब्र सत्म ् जगन ्
�मथ्य lesson also I can learn through this physical body only. धमर अधमर �ववेक,
सत् असत् �ववेक as well as worldly material lessons, all of them �वमश ृ ा�म, I
study, explore with the help of this body only. The moment the body dies, I cannot
learn anything. I can only learn in the next जन् when I get another body and that
too if I get a human body. See how valuable the body is? It gives me �ववेक:.
Thus, �वरिक्तहेत: and �ववेकहेत:ु . यथावत्- properly I can learn. Even though the
body is very useful, I can never claim the body as my own. I can never entertain
ownership w.r.t the body. भगवान ् is the owner of the body. He has given this body
for a few years looking at my प्रार कम.र I have done some पण
ु ्य म for human birth
and so भगवान ् gave this body when my पण
ु ्य म ripened. Once the पण
ु ्य म is over,
भगवान ् takes away the body. TF, I am not the owner of the body. I am only a user
of the body. I have taken this body for lease or rent. I may refuse to vacate a house
of brick and cement but that will not work for this house called body. The moment
भगवान ् decides, I will have to forcibly vacate this house.
अवधत
ू says, पारक्य. It means the body belongs to someone else. I am not the
owner. भगवान ् is the owner or the पञ् भता ू �न are the owners. अिग् is the owner,
because it burns the body. If the body is buried, the worms are the owners and they
have a nice �भ�ा. पारक्य इ�त: having understood that thoroughly, I have dropped
my attachment to the body. असङ्: without bodily attachment, �वचारा�म- I move
about in the world, ready to lose the body at any time. Continuing,
Verse 26-
जायात्मजाथर्पशुभृत्यगृहाप्तवगार्न्पुष्णा�तयित्प्रय�चक�षर
स्वान्तेसकृच्छ्रमवरुद्धधनःसदेहःसृष्ट्वास्यबीजमवसीद९.२६॥
In all these श्लोक:, द�ात्र is talking about the bitter facts about the body. There
are certain facts which are very better and so we don’t want to talk about them, but
the scriptures are ruthless. Bitter fact also is a fact and ignoring a fact can lead to
many problems. An intelligent person is one who never ignores facts. DS says,
‘Intelligent living is being alive to all the facts of life.’ Certain facts are pleasant
facts. You can dwell on them but we try to ignore bitter facts like an ostrich
burying its head under the sand. The job of scriptures is showcasing bitter facts and
warning human beings that ignoring them is risky.
भज गो�वन्द भज गो�वन्द गो�वन्द भज मढ

ू मते.
संप्राप सं�न�हते काले न �ह न �ह र��तडुकृञ्करण.
It is a beautiful work written by Shankaracharya.
Here, अवधत ू talks about how a human being acquires and spends for the sake of
the survival of the body, for the sake of the comfort of the body, for the sake of the
joy of the body. In BGM, Shankaracharya says, उदर �न�म�ं बहु कृत वेष:. If we
ask, ‘Why are you getting educated?’ a man will say, ‘If that I get good
qualifications, that will get me a good job and fetch me a 6-figure salary and I can
get a good wife also.’ She will interview you and ask you your salary. If you say
10,000, she will spit and go away. TF, money for a good wife, good house, good
home-theatre, swimming pools all for bodily survival, pleasure, entertainment and
enjoyment. I acquire all of them and maintain not because I love them but because
they cater to the comfort of the body which is me, according to me.
अवधत
ू द�ात्र says जाया. People acquire जाया–wife or husband, आत्म- children,
अथर- all forms of wealth, पश-ु cattle was considered wealth in those days. भत् ृ -
domestic help. The richer the person, more the number of helpers. Rich person is
one who has more domestic helpers than family members. I some times go to some
houses for �भ�ा and give some प्रस. I will give four or fivefamily members and
then the remaining 15 to 20 are assistants. All for what? Not out of love for them. I
care for them more because, without them, I cannot run my life. गह ृ : -extra quarters
are required for them also. आप्तवगार्- all other आप्त:, relatives, �वतन्वान- this
individual acquires all of them. Not only has he acquired them, पषु ्णा�- he

nourishes them by providing for them also. Each one has a cell phone because they
must be in contact. Nourish all of them. For what? यित्प् �चक�षर्य- for the well-
being of this body.
A person acquires all of them. स कृच् अवरुद धन:-to maintain all of them he
amasses a huge amount of wealth. अवरुद – stored, deposited, invested for not
only my sake but for the sake of all others also. स कृच् - with all kinds of effort,
with difficulty. All this for the sake of देह:, this fragile, perishable body. In spite of
all these things, the body will relentlessly grow old even though doctors are around
them constantly. He might be the president of America but even he cannot stop
growing, graying and going. The body, स् अन्त, when the time comes, this body,
अवसीद�त- will perish. No medical help can stop death. There are scientists who
believe we can make the body immortal and are researching how to stop ageing
and dying. There are gerontologists who do research on जरा and hope to make the
body immortal. शास् says, it is impossible. स् अन्त अवसीद�त. By the time the
body dies, it has produced enough कमर for पन
ु र�प जननं. So, अस् बीजं सषृ ्ट्- it
creates the seed. कमर- seed. Already we have सिञ्चतकम which is exhaustible and
we add more प्रारब even as we are exhausting our प्रारब which will join the सं�चतं
at the time of death. From the सिञ्च कम,र the next body comes by producing the
next bunch of प्रार. बीजं अवसीद�त बीजं सषृ ्ट् अवसीद�त like व� ृ धम.र Every tree
produces enough seeds which are the cause for the next seed. This is the nature of
the body which should give us वैराग्य. Continuing,
Verse 27-
िजह्वैकतोऽमुमपकषर्�तक�हर्तषार्�शश्नोऽन्यतस्त्वगुदरंश्रवण
घ्राणोऽन्यतश्चपलदृक्क्वचकमर्शिक्तबर्ह्व्यःसपत्न्यइव९.२७॥
Here, अवधत
ू द�ात्र gives a warning to all the human beings. This human body
gives वैराग्य which serves as a medium for learning many तत्वा�. It can give
�ववेक and the ultimate तत्व, the reality, ब्रह् also we can know with the help of
this body. आत्म�ान is possible, मो� is possible with the help of the body. It is the
most precious gift God has given us but the warning is that there are many sense
organs in us which can keep us busy in the pursuit of varieties of sense objects all
over the world. We have पञ् �ानेिन्द्रय, five sense organs of knowledge. There
are five fields or segments in creation, where sense organs can swallow, indulge
and get lost. We also have पञ् कम�िन्द्रय. TBA- वाक्पा�णपादपायूउपस. For all
the पञ् कम�िन्द्रय also there are five areas in which they can get either through
workaholism or through sensory indulgences. A materialistic society is one which
provides the maximum number of attractions and distractions. Even though the
scriptures say the absolute reality is available within you and so you must turn
inwards and search for the reality, a human being may get lost in an extroverted
life and may not have time for self-enquiry, self-knowledge.
In कठोप�नषद, the teacher is YDR. The Lord of death, himself is the गर

ु . न�चकेतस ्
is the disciple. YDR, says, परािञ् खा�न व्यतृणत्स्वयम्भूस्तस्म पश्य�
नान्तरात् म. Sense organs are extrovert and so one never asks the question, what is
the truth behind the perishable body and perishable sense organs. पराचः
कामाननय ु िन् बालास्त मत्यो
ृ र्ि
य �वततस् पाशम ्. They are lost in a perishable
world. A person goes from death to death. Nobody questions if there is an
imperishable reality behind the perishable world. The world is perishable both at
micro and macro level. The body is perishable, sense organs are perishable. Is
there a truth which is eternal and immortal? This enquiry can be made only in
human life. What is the job of sense organs? To make us extrovert so that we have
no time for self-enquiry. TF, if we are not alert, we will miss the bus. So, the
warning is given. Worldly activities are important, family life is important, having
children is very important. Everything is important but this materialistic life alone
is not the purpose of human जन्. It should be balanced by spiritual pursuit.
In Hinduism alone we talk about the four goals of human life. अथर काम धमर and
मो�. अथर means earning, very important. काम- entertainment, world tour. All these
are important. Have them but never dedicate your life entirely for अथर काम. धमर is
important and is meant for internal growth. External possessions are useful but
internal wealth, internal refinement comes from धमम र ् चर. After internal

refinement, you have to pursue the ultimate reality, न जायते �म्रय वा कदा�चत्.
That which is not bound by time and space.
अन्य धमार्दन्यत्राध न्यत्रास्मात्कृताक ।

अन्य भता
ू च् भव्याच य�त्पश्य तद्व ॥ १४ ॥
We have to know the reality. Then alone, the human life becomes meaningful.
अवधत
ू warns that sense organs will pull in all directions but may you be alert. पञ्
�ानेिन्द्रय are mentioned. िजह्व, tongue pulls people to different hotels. In this
hotel dosa is good. Especially during music season, we go to music academy, not
for music but because kasi halva is good there. Mylapore fine arts has good ghee
roast. The tongue has identified different hotels, different places so you travel,
dragged by the tongue.
अवधत
ू द�ात्र says in the second line श्रव, means the ears, music. Another is
dragged by ears to different types of music. The third line घ्र: - nose, घ्राणेिन्.
In the second line त्व ग- sense of touch. You have to split properly. �शश्न: अन्यत:
त्व ग. In the third line दृक- the eyes. त्वग्श्रवण: चपलदृक. Eyes want to see all
kinds of things. The five sense organs अपहषर्� -drag the human being from one
sense object to another. Thereafter, कम�िन्द्रय. वाक्पादपा�णपायूउपस. Here he
doesn’t mention all the कम�िन्द्रय only �शश्न:. �शश्न: means उपस्तइिन्द-
organ of reproduction or generative organ that represents all the कमि� न्द्रय. They
are also dragging people from one place to another. उदरं - stomach with तषर -
hunger and thirst is dragging us in different directions. He gives the example of a
polygamous man. In those days polyandry and polygamy were permitted,
especially for ��त्र:. Suppose a man has ten wives. Why ten? पञ् �ानेिन्द्रय
and पञ् कम�िन्द्रय. Each wife pulls the poor one husband in ten different
directions. One says, let us go to the beach. Another says, let us go to music
program. Another may say let us go to UGA class. Imagine one person pulled by
different wives in different directions. This is the condition of every human being.
The net result is that the poor husband cannot do what he wants to do and wastes

his precious life. TF, may you be alert. कुर अवधानं is how Shankaracharya
concludes भज गो�वन्द. गुर अवधानं महद अवधान.ं अवधानं means, may you be alert.
Never forget the purpose of human life. अथर काम are important but never at the
cost of धमर and मो�. In the 4th line बहव्:सपत्न:, many wives, एकप�त -one
husband, लन
ु िन् -they prick, they persuade him to do various things. Continuing.
Verse 28-
सषृ ्ट्वापुरा�ण�व�वधान्यजयात्मशक्त्यावृ�ान्सर�सृपपशून्खगदन
तैस्तैरतुष्टहृदयःपुरुषं�वधायब्रह्मावलोक�धषणंमुदम९.२८॥
Beautiful verses talking about the glory of human birth here. अवधत
ू द�ात्र says
भगवान ् created the world and 84 lakhs species of living beings. Even in one ant
itself there are so many varieties. भगवान ् never felt proud of himself when he
created all the living beings. Only when he created the human species, भगवान ् felt
I have created the best living being. भगवान ् might sometimes regret also but poor
भगवान ् initially thought that the human creation is his best creation as humans
alone can know भगवान ्, the creator. Not only human beings can know the creator
but they alone can claim, ‘I am the creator.’ Like what? Remember the example.
In the dream, I thought I am one of the creatures in the dream. I looked at the
wonderful dream world and wondered who was the creator. The dream गुर comes
and teaches that there is one creator who has created and sustained the world. The
dream �शष् asks the dream गुर how to find the creator of this world. गुर says,
‘Wake up and you will discover the creator.’ The गुर helped that dream �शष्
wake up and discover that he alone created the dream �शष्, dream गुर, dream
world and everything. This is possible only in human जन् in the form of spiritual
enlightenment or spiritual awakening.

He says, देव: in the 4th line. Sanskrit students have lot of work. देव: the Lord, then
go to the first line परु ा�ण सषृ ्ट्. परु ं means शर�रं परु ं एकादशद्वार नव द्वार परु े दे �ह.
परु ं means city and also body. परु ा�ण सषृ ्ट्. भगवान ् created �वधा�न all types of
bodies. अजयाआत् शक्त् -with the help of his extraordinary creative power.
आत् - his own power of creation. What is भगवत: power called? माया शिक्:.
भगवान ् created with the help of his माया शिक्. Who created माया? People think
भगवान ् created माया. अवधत
ू द�ात्र says nobody created माया because माया was
with भगवान ् all the time. भगवान ् is also birth-less, भगवान ्’s creative power also is
birth-less. He created व�
ृ - trees, सर�सप
ृ – reptiles, पशु – animals, खग- birds, दं श -
mosquitoes मत्स्या – fish, aquatic creatures but he never felt proud of them. पर
ु ुष
�वधाय. Only when he �वधाय -created, पर
ु ुष -human beings, not only male, अतषु ्
हृद: -the Lord who is never तषु ्, not proud in their creation. Details in the next
class.

Page 68, Verse 28-
सषृ ्ट्वापुरा�ण�व�वधान्यजयात्मशक्त्यावृ�ान्सर�सृपपशून्खगदन
तैस्तैरतुष्टहृदयःपुरुषं�वधायब्रह्मावलोक�धषणंमुदम९.२८॥
Up to the 23rd verse, अवधत

ू द�ात्र talked about his 24 गुरव:and then added one
more गर
ु , the physical body itself. That 25 गर
th
ु is discussed from Verses 24 to 29.
In the 25th verse अवधतू द�ात्र said that he learnt वैराग्य and �ववेक: by observing
the physical body. The body is subject to birth and death and is itself insecure,
unstable and unreliable. Though I should not be attached to the body, it is a very
valuable medium to learn and acquire �ववेक�ान.ं By observing the body, I get
detachment. By employing the body, I get �ववेक�ान.ं I can get धमार्धमर्�वव by
studying वेदपवर
ू ्भा. I can get सत् असत् �ववेक from वेद अनत भाग. TF, the body
is very useful for both �ववेक and वैराग्य. Having talked about both the plus and
minus points, अवधत ू द�ात्र warns us in verses 26 and 27 that our life span is very
limited but there are many distractions and if we are not alert, our entire life will go
in the pursuit of various other finite and perishable things. Then, we may miss the
original purpose of our human birth, मो�. Shankaracharya said in भज गो�वन्द,
बालस्तावत क्र�दाश:तरुणस्ताव तरुण शक्:

वध
ृ स्तावत �चन्त शक्:| परमे ब्रह् को�प न शक्:.
In verses 28 and 29, he talks about the glory of human birth which we began in the
previous class. �व�वधा�न परु ा�ण सषृ ्ट्. भगवान ् created 84 lakhs species of living
beings, परु ा�ण - शर�रा�ण like व�
ृ ान ्- plant kingdom सर�सप
ृ : -reptiles like snake,
lizard etc., पशन
ू ् –animals, खग:-birds, दंस - biting insects like mosquitoes, मत्स्या
- aquatic creatures. भगवान ् created all these with his unique creative power, आत्
शक्त् - his own power, मायाशिक्. Everyone asks, ‘Who created माया शिक्?’
अजया, अज - uncreated माया शिक्. भगवान ् also is uncreated, भगवान ्’s माया शिक्

is also uncreated. With the mixture of these two, everything else is created. After
creating all the living beings भगवान ् was not totally satisfied because all the other
bodies can only exhaust पण
ु ्य म and पापम ्. Animals have only भोक्त शर�रं and they
can employ their life only to exhaust their पण
ु ्यम्पाप but they cannot acquire
आगा�म कमर or �ानं. Their bodies have only a limited purpose. TF, तै: अतषु ्टहृ: -
भगवान ् was never satisfied with his created living beings and so he made the
crown of creation, the human beings.
Human beings also exhaust their कमर like animals but humans have two
advantages, one is creating आगा�म कमर which can improve the future and the
second advantage is to pursue कमर योग and �ान योग to ultimately attain liberation
or मो�:. TF,पर
ु ुष: -means human beings, men and women, �वधाय - सषृ ्ट्. After
creating humans, ब्र अवलोक �धषणां that alone is the glory of human beings.
ब्र अवलोक: means ब्र �ानं, �धषणा means intelligence and skill to gain ब्र
�ानं and मो�. This capacity is there only for the human body. Thereafter, मद
ु ं आप
देव:. देव: means भगवान ्, मद
ु ं आप means he gained joy. Of course, seeing man doing
all अक्र,भगवान ् may revise his view. Though the same human being can destroy
humanity, he is still superior because he can also attain मो�. TF,भगवान ् is happy.
Continuing,
लब्ध्वासदुलर्भ�मदंबहुसम्भवान्तेमानुष्यमथर्दम�नत्यम
ु
तूणयतेत
� नपतेदनम
ु त्युयावि
ृ न्नःश्रेयसाय�वषयःखलुसवर्तःस९.२९॥
भगवान ् gives an instruction through अवधत

ू द�ात्र. ‘Never take your human life
for granted.’ इदंसद
ु ल
ु ्
र भ मानषु ्य बहु संभव अन्त लब्ध्. Among 84 lakhs of species,
human species is one in 84 lakhs. We should remember we have gone through all
of them, aquatic creatures, insects, all of them we have gone through and finally
got human birth. If we miss this opportunity, then again there are chances of being
any one of them. बहु संभव. संभव: means जन्. अनेक जन् सं�सद्�: -at the end of
several births, सद
ु ल
ु ्
र भ -very rare, मनषु ् जन् लब्ध् -we have attained so don’t

take it for granted, अ�नत्य अ�प - the maximum human life is 100 years only.
Within these 100 years though there are many obstacles and limitations it is
possible to pursue and attain मो�. आयवर्ष
ु शतं नण
ृ ां प�र�मतं रात् तदथ� गतं. Half of
our life is gone in रा�त -sleeping or sleepy condition. तस्याधर् परस् चातर्मपर
बालस्व वद
ृ ्धस्व. In100 years, 50 are gone in sleep, another 25 years gone in
बालत्व and वद
ृ ्धत्. In वद
ृ ्धत् one is mature alright, but useless. So, we have only
25 years left. शष
े ं व्या� �वयोग द:ु ख र�हतं सेवा�द�भल�यते. Even in those remaining
25 years, so many obstacles like व्या� etc. are there. Within that we have to
manage spirituality. If we start spirituality, we are well off, because even if we
don’t complete it, next जन् will be human जन्म because LKA has promised in
BGA. TF, start spirituality, come to UGA class whether you understand or not so
that आध्याित् संस्का will build up. Even if we don’t complete our spiritual
journey शची
ु नां श्रीमत गेहे योग भ्रष्ट जायते. The first guarantee is that our next
जन् will be human birth. Next guarantee is human birth in Vedic culture. The
third advantage is we will be attracted towards spirituality.
अ�नत्य अ�प, even though human birth is limited, अथर् -capable of giving all the
four पर
ु ुषाथा:, अथर काम धमर and मो�, such a precious human body, लब्ध् धीर: - an
intelligent human being. You should remember the कठोप�नषद्मन् श्रेय प्रेय
मनषु ्यमेतस्तौसम्पर �व�वनिक् धीरः । We can attain finite goals and the infinite
भगवान ् also but we should remember that attaining भगवान ् alone is the ultimate
goal. इ�त धीर: - �ववेक� should not forget. TF, you should तूणर्म्यत- don’t
postpone. Start right now itself, whatever be your age, whether 30, 40, 50, 60 or
70. Those who come late always feel that they are too late. Never regret. Always
better late than never. Whatever age you come to this it is better than never coming
at all. तूण� यतेत. तूण� means start spiritual journey. यावत् पतेत्तेत. �न:श्रेय
means मो�. That is why in our tradition every stage of life is called आश्:.
ब्रह्म आश्: गह
ृ स् आश्: वानप्र आश्: सन्न्य आश्:. The title आश् is
given to indicate that in every stage you can do some साधना connected with
spirituality. In गह
ृ स्ताश, no doubt we have many duties but we can allot
sometime for पञ्चमह य�. In the पञ्चमह य�, one य� is ब्रह् which we can
perform by doing scriptural study. At least weekly once we can get exposed to
शास्. Convert whatever stage of life into an आश्.
Most important साधना that Shankaracharya prescribes is सत्सङ्गत �नस्सङ्गत-

have association with spiritual people or महात्म:. If they are physically available,
go there and have सत्सङ for some time. If they are not physically available, listen
to their speeches. We can take advantage of the internet where so many discourses
are available. So many books are available. सत्सङ through श्रव. सत्सङ
through पठनं. सत्सङ through direct meeting. That is very important because
सत्पुरु: will regularly remind you that earning is not the ultimate goal, getting
married is not the ultimate goal, having children and getting them settled is not the
ultimate goal. Even animals do these more effectively. In सत्सङ महात्म: will
remind that you have some other important goal- �न:श्रेय which means मो�:.
This body is अनम

ु त्य
ृ . अनम
ु त्य
ृ in the third line is adjective to मनषु ् in the second
line. मनषु ् शर�रं is described as अनम
ु त्य
ृ which means death is not going to happen
on the last day of your life. Death is happening every moment. Every moment our
cells are dying and getting replaced. We are growing, graying and going. Now it is
time to celebrate 2019 which is a wonderful way to remind yourself that you are
one year older. That means duration left is one year lesser. अनम ु त्य
ृ शर�रं- daily
dying body. यावत् पतेत्- before it falls dead. �न:श्रेय यतेत- may you strive for.
What about money, entertainment, sense pleasures etc. �वषयत: खलु सवर्: स्यात-
sense pleasures are available in animal births also. Animals also wallow in आहार
�नद्रा मैथन ु ं च सामान्यंएतत्रुषाथा:पश�ु बणर्राण. Animals also feed, sleep, protect
themselves and propagate the species. We don’t require a human birth for sense
pleasures. Human birth is meant for something superior. �वषयः -sense pleasures,
सवर्: स्यात- are available in other births also. With this, the 25th गुर, मनषु ् शर�रं is
over. Now अवधत
ू द�रेय concludes his teaching to यद ु महाराज:. He says,

एवंसञ्जातवैराग्यो�व�ानालोकआत्म
�वचरा�ममह�मेतांमक
ु ्तसङ्गोऽनहङ्कृ९.३०॥
Swami Chinmayananda conveys this particular message through a story. A king

ruled over a small kingdom. He did not have children so he wanted to select the
next king through a competition. He called all the people and announced his
intentions. He arranged a huge fair where he would hide. People would have to
search for and locate the king within one day between sunrise and sunset. Whoever
finds the king becomes the king. King वेद king एव भव�त. ब्रह् ब्रह् भव�त. So,
locate the king and become the king. People thought this was easy. How long will
it take to find the king? They all entered. It was a huge fair. Right in front there
was a restaurant offering delicious breakfast. The people thought, ‘It is early yet.
Why can’t we have breakfast first?’ After that they found many distractions in the
vast fair. There were games, shopping, food etc. Most of the people got trapped in
one distraction or other. By the time they moved through, it was lunch time. They
thought they would finish lunch and then look for the king. Anyway, we have time
until sunset, they thought. They had a brief nap after lunch. After the nap, they got
pulled into other distractions. Soon it became 5 p.m. They found a small temple
where पज ू ा was going on, bhajan was going on. Some of them got engaged in
bhajans and forgot their original purpose of finding the king. Of course, there was
prasadam. Thus, so many ताम�सक् राज�सक् and even साित्वक distractions were all
around. Only one person constantly told himself, ‘My aim is to find the king.’
Even though he liked food and all the other distractions and would enter those
places, he would suddenly remember that his only purpose was finding the king.
TF, he doesn’t waste much time and goes for looking for the king. He went to the
temple and reminded himself that though the bhajan was attractive he should not
get lost there. He searched in the गभर गहृ ं and found a huge �शव�लङ्ग. He realised
the �शव�लङ्ग was hollow but he didn’t know how to open it. It was covered with
Vibhuti and chandan. He pressed all over and then pressed the आ�ा चक. It
opened up and he find steps going down to the basement. There he found the king
sitting happily. It was almost 5.45 PM. He had found the king and so he became
the next king.
Swamiji says our whole human life is such a महा fair. We have so many duties, so
many enjoyments, so many attractions that we tend to postpone spirituality. वेदान्त

means post retirement. Only a few rare people remember मनषु ् जन् is to find the
king of the universe. ईश्व दशर्ने ईश्व: भव�त. That is the message of the story.
Remember the goal in and through all your pursuits.
TF, अवधत ू द�रेय says, एवं सञ्जा वैराग्:. I also developed detachment from all
the finite things in the world. I dedicated my entire life for the pursuit of infinite
ईश्व. सञ्जा वैराग्म ्: अहं बहु व्री संजातां वैराग्य यिस्मन स:. With detachment
�व�ानालोक आत्म� �वचारा�म- I have discovered the infinite भगवान ् as the very
आत्म within me. What type of आत्म? �व�ाना आलोक:. आलोक: means
ज्यो�:,�व�ाना ज्यो�:, चैतन्य ज्यो�:आत्म I have discovered. In that आत्म,
�व�ाना आलोके सप्तम �वभिक्, adjective to आत्मन. �व�ाना आलोके
आत्मिन्वचारा. I remain in, abide in that आत्म. मक
ु ् सङ्:अनहिम्क् एतं मह�ं
�वचारा�म. Sanskrit students, �व�ाना आलोके आत्म� िस्थ: सन ्- abiding in my
आत् स्वरू,मक
ु ् सङ्: -without ममकार, �नमर्:, अनहिम्क् means �नरअहंकार:.
ममकार is attachment to three external अनात्म:. अहंकार is attachment to two
internal अनात्. The three external अनात्म: are possession, profession and
family. These three are powerful objects of attachment. Staying with them is ok,
serving them is ok but never get attached to them because भगवान ् has given them
and भगवान ् will take them away at any time. TF, be a trustee but never develop
attachment. मक
ु ् सङ्: means �नमर्:. अहंकृती:means attachment to internal
अनात्म:. Internal अनात्म: are body mind complex. Again, no attachment. Use
them but never have ownership or controllership. I don’t own them. I don’t have
any control over them. एतम्मह�- -upon the earth, �वचारा�म- I move about as
परमहंस प�रव्रा:अवधत
ू रूपे, अहिम्वचारा�.
What is the definition of मो�? �नमर्: �नरहंकार: is the key word. In BGA LKA
repeatedly uses the word but detachment doesn’t mean renunciation of duties.
Duties towards अनात्म will continue but internally don’t lean upon any one of
them emotionally. Emotional leaning for peace, security and happiness is called
attachment. So, if I don’t lean upon them, where should I lean? Lean upon God for

peace, security and happiness after discovering God as the आत्म. Lean on the
आत्म itself. आत्मन एव आत्मन तुष्:. अत्मर�तरे स्यात आत्म तपृ ्तश मानव:.TF,
remember the journey of life. World dependence to God dependence to self-
dependence is our aim. Continuing,
Verse 31-
नह्येकस्माद्गुरो�ार्नंसुि स्थरंस्यात्सुप
ब्रह्मैतदद्�वतीयंवैगीयतेबहुध�षर९.३१॥
Here, अवधत
ू द�ात्र gives a side note. Our ultimate aim is finding the king. The
king in spiritual field is भगवान ् or ब्रह्. ब्रह्म� is the only means to become
one with ब्रह्. ब्र �ानं is compulsory and to attain ब्र �ानं, गुर is
compulsory. Now the question is, how many गुरs should there be? One or many?
Here अवधत
ू द�ात्र says, you can have many गुरs from whom you can gather
knowledge. एकस्मात गुरो: �ानं सिु स्थर न स्यात. �ानं will not be comprehensive
and complete if you gain knowledge only from one गुर. You should and can have
several sources of knowledge. सप
ु षु ्कल सिु स्थर �ानं. सप
ु षु ्कल – complete, सिु स्थर -
firm. Complete and firm knowledge. एकस्मात गरु ो:न स्यात- will not be there from
one गर
ु . We should have many गर
ु s.
There is a problem because in the next chapter, that is the 5th chapter, weare going
to get a message that we should have one गर ु otherwise it will be confusing. We
will have confusion even with one गुर, then what to say of having different गुरs?
Each will have his own style of teaching, his own examples, his own language etc.
It will be highly confusing. TF,गुर must be one says the 5th chapter. In the 4th
chapter he says many गुरs. Now that is another confusion.
The commentators write that the main teacher must be one from whom you
systematically learn until your foundation is clear. The main गुर must be one,
especially, initially. Thereafter, we can have many other sources for getting clarity

with regard to one aspect or the other. TF मख ु ् आचायर: has to be only one. In
schools, we have one class teacher and after that come the others. We will consult
many doctors but will have only one family doctor because he alone knows our
physical body completely, our background etc. Specialists will not know.
Similarly, ब्र �वद्य गुर has to be one only. Especially in the beginning, confine
to one teacher. When we entered गुर कुलम ्, the first advice Swamiji gave was to
stop reading all other books. The more books you read, the more confused you will
become. TF, during the course confine to my teaching. After you assimilate and
are clear, then you can read any number of books. You will be able to draw
messages from all of them and never get confused. TF, the main आचायर has to be
one only.
एतत् अद्�वतीय ब्र बहुदाऋ�ष�भ: गीयते. ऋ�ष�भ:बहुदा गीतं- this ब्रह् has been
talked about by several ऋषय: in several उप�नषद: and in several scriptures. It has
been talked about in manifold ways. You have to learn from all the उप�नषद: also.
Each Upanishad has one आचायर. We get a the comprehensive message from
different उप�नषद:. Here, the many गुरs represent the various Upanishadic आचायरs
found in मण
ु ्ड के न etc. Read many उप�नषद: but main गुर is one only. अद्�वतीय
ब्र एतत्बहुद ऋ�ष�भ:.
With this, the dialogue between अवधत

ू द�ात्र and यद ु महाराज is over. This
dialogue was introduced by भगवान ् while teaching उद्ध. Now भगवान ् addresses
उद्ध.
इत्युक्त्वासयदुं�वप्रस्तमामन्�यग
विन्दतःस्व�चर्तोरा�ाययौप्रीतोयथा९.३२॥
श् भगवान ् उवाच- the Lord addressed उद्ध. इ�त स �वप: स: गभीर�त �वप: यदं ु
उक्त्.�वप here means अवधत
ू द�ात्र who is गभीर धी:-a गुर of deep wisdom.
गभीर – deep, धी: -knowledge. This गुर of deep knowledge, यदं ु उक्त् -taught यद ु
महाराज in this manner stretching over second third and fourth chapters called
अवधत
ू गीता. Having taught यदं ु आमिन्त he took leave of यद ु महाराज. He wanted
to hank अवधत
ू द�ात्र by offering पज
ू ा and नमस्कार as गर
ु द��ण. विन्द
अभ्या�तर: रा�ा. अवधत
ू द�ात्र was worshipped and prostrated to by यद ु महाराज.
After receiving this worship, अवधत
ू द�ात्र, प्र: -was pleased, यथागतं ययौ -he
went away in the same manner that he came because he was परमहं स प�रव्रा:, a
monk in movement. What was यद ु महाराज feeling after receiving the teaching?
भगवान ् reports how the king was feeling. Last श्लोक.
अवधतवचः
ू श्रुत्वापूव�षांनःसपूवर
सवर्सङ्ग�व�नमुर्क्तःसम�च�ोबभ९.३३॥
अवधत
ू वचा श्रुत -after hearing the teaching of अवधत
ू द�ात्र,यद ु महाराज felt the
following. भगवान ् LKA says, यद ु महाराज is one of our ancestors as LKA comes in
the परम्प of यद ु महाराज. That is why LKA has got the name यादव, यद ु वंशे आगत:
यादव:.TF, he says, न ह पव�
ू षां पवर्
ू : -he is born in our ancestral family. That यद ु
महाराज instantaneously gave up all attachments to all his possessions and family.
सवर सङ् �व�नमुर्क: -he got detached. The immediate benefit of detachment is
सम�च�: - freedom from anxiety. Wherever there is attachment, the consequence is
emotional disturbance. LKA says in BGA, राग भय क्र: wherever attachment is
there, fear is constant. What will happen to me? What will happen to my children?
This anxiety cannot be avoided. The moment detachment comes, my attitude is,
‘With my limited free will, whatever I can do, I will do. What happens in the future
is not totally under my control. कमर्� एव अ�धकार:. I will do my duty. The future
comes according to the LOK presided over by भगवान ्. Whatever भगवान ् gives, I
am ready to undergo. O Lord, give me the strength to go through my future.’
Detachment followed by surrender gives instantaneous peace of mind. सवर सङ्
�व�नमुर्क:तस्मात एव सम�च�:यद ु महाराज discovered equanimity in mind
instantaneously. With this, अवधत
ू गीता part is over. The 4 chapter is also over.
th

Class 44- Chapter 4 Summary
Today I will give you the summary of the 4th chapter of the UGA which consists of
33 verses. The 4th chapter is a continuation of the अवधत ू गीता which is a गीता
within UGA. अवधत
ू गीता starts from the 28 verse of the second chapter and
th
finishes in the fourth chapter. This is a dialogue between अवधत

ू द�ात्र and यद ु
महाराजा. अवधत ू , the सन्न्या is talking about his 24 गरु व: from whom he learnt
valuable lessons.
The 2nd chapter mentions eight गरु व:, the 3rd chapter has nine गरु व: and the 4th
chapter has seven गरु व:and their teachingsfrom verses 1 to 23. Thereafter, he
introduces the 25thगुर, one’s own physical body. That is a bonus गुर mentioned.
With the 23rd श्लो all 24 गुरव: are covered.
The first three गुरव: deal with values centered on धमर्शास् or way of life. The last
four गुरव: refer to the वेदान्ताशास्, spiritual discipline associated with seekers of
मो�.
Of the three गुरव: dealing with the values of life, the first one is कुरारक or a fish
hawk. Fish hawk is a bird which catches fish and eats. When this bird carries a
piece of fish it is chased by many other birds. It faces competition for this one
piece of meat which leads to staring, fear and flying. The hawk gets tired of this
competition and decides to drop the piece of meat. Once it drops the piece it gets
peace. The indirect message is that competition can lead to lot of stress, strain,
heart burn, worry and hatred. Many negative thoughts are generated. In our
scriptures, competition is not considered a positive virtue though in modern days,
competition is encouraged in every field. It is considered to bring out the best in a
human being. Our शास्त says competition often brings out the worst in a human
being. It is considered a negative aspect. It is one of the six internal enemies काम
क्र लोभ मो� मद and the sixth oneis मात्सय, which means competition which
leads to jealousy. It can lead to corrupt practices which we read in newspaper. In
every field where there is heavy competition and the prize money is high, we find
corrupt practices. Corruption thrives in sports, politics even in music season. Try to

avoid competition is one of the messages for a spiritual seeker. It can bring
corruption and can lead to jealousy, hatred, anger and even murder. In a football
world cup match, one team failed and a player was killed. This happened because
of the need to win somehow or the other. It leads to lot of negative thoughts.
प�रग्: द:ु खाय- possessing something for which there is heavy competition can
lead to lot of problems. Of course, our whole life has become a big competition.
Our children face so much of tension due to competition. The fish hawk dropped
the meat and got out of cut throat competition. That is the lesson taught through
fish hawk.
The next गुर is a child. A child represents an innocent mind, an uncomplicated

mind does not know any manipulation. A manipulative mind, a scheming mind, a
complicated mind are obstacles to spiritual growth. TF, avoid all complications
and to enjoy a clean, honest, innocent, upright and straightforward mind. In the 13th
chapter LKA calls it आजर्व. The opposite of it is complication, dishonesty etc. Be
child like. This is the value taught through the child. Another वेदािन्तक value is
that a child enjoys being itself. आत्मक्: आत्र�त:. Ultimately, a �ानी also
enjoys, being himself. This is the lesson learnt from observing a child.
The next गर ु is a girl who was wearing several bangles which made a lot of noise.
She began removing them one by one to lessen the noise. Through the girl the
teaching given is that any groupism can lead to lot of mental issues. A group is ok
when the aim is सत्सङ:. सत्सङ: सवर्द कायर:. Being part of a group for the sake
of discussing noble and elevating things is wonderful. If it is for rumour-
mongering, gossiping etc., it becomes दःु सङ्:.All the time talking about others,
backbiting is to be avoided. Sometimes it happens here too before the class starts.
Avoid talking and if you do talk, discuss the previous class, not the neighbour,
daughter-in-law, mother-in-law, someone’s marital status, their children etc. All
these are rubbish. Never bring these to the mind. They all will be obstacles because
when we sit in meditation, only these stories will hover around. Avoid groupism.
In the 13th chapter of the BGA, अरा�दजर्नशंस�. Enjoying groupism is an obstacle.
The deadliest obstacle for spirituality is being in a group. एकाक� is the lesson, be
alone. If you are with people, discuss elevating topics of धमर शास्त or ब्र शास्त.

No other topic. अनयवाचा: �वमञ
ु ्ज. This is the lesson through the story of
Kumari.
The next one is सपर:. This is an advancement of the previous lesson. Avoid being in
groups as learnt from the bangles. Now, take this further and be like a सपर which is
always alone. Learn to take to seclusion at least now and then. �व�वक् देश िस्वत्
is the lesson through सपर:. �व�वक् देश िस्वत् – learn to be in a secluded place and
thus, confront yourself. If I cannot face myself, if I cannot enjoy my own company,
then how can I expect others to enjoy my company? With this, we finish four
gurus.
The next three are lessons in वेदान्त. The arrow maker, चरकृत. Just as an arrow-
maker handles the arrow very carefully with total concentration and sharpens it
without hurting himself, a spiritual seeker should learn to channelize his mental
energy in spiritual pursuit. श्रवणंमनand �न�दध्यासन need focus. Not only in the
spiritual field, success in any field require focus whether education, sports or art.
We cannot accomplish anything in any field without focus and commitment. The
best way to develop focus is ध्यान म or meditation. Start with simple जपध्यान म.
One need not think of ब्रह्मध्य and all that. Start with नामजप. Daily 15 -20
minutes I should be able to sit and exclusively chant something with the mind
focused upon what I chant. Many of us have the practice of chanting. We know
many श्लोs also. The problem is the mouth will chant but the mind will rant.
Chanting with the mind. Keep the focus on what I am chanting. Initially, chant
verbally and hear my own chanting and try to focus my mind upon what I chant.
Gradually, drop verbal chanting and try to chant mentally. मानसजप is the first
form of meditation which रमण मह�षर calls �च�जंजपध्याउ�मं. जपध्यान म is
called मानसजप: It is a very fine exercise. A person can practice to find out
whether his mind is obedient or not. This is channelizing energy especially now a
days when we are multi-tasking. Several jobs are combined together.
Even वेदान्ताश्र is done with CD on while I am doing something else. The poor
swami is talking while I am on the treadmill. It is wonderful. श्रव and walking,

श्रव and cooking. Many people ask how to make श्रव efficient? Is CD श्रव ok
or not? Do you know what my answer is? CD can be efficient like direct श्रव
under one condition. You create conditions of direct श्रव where you listen to your
गर
ु and don’t do anything else. Now, you are not talking on your phone. I suppose
you are not doing anything else. You are exclusively listening to me. CD श्रव
also can be efficacious if you do श्रव exclusively. Create a class-like atmosphere.
Close the door. Switch off the phone first. Keep the photo of गुर or swami. Sit in
front of it and have a table and imagine you are sitting in a class. Then you do
श्रव. Then, CD श्रव will be almost as efficacious as direct श्रव. The problem is,
we do many things including श्रव also. TF, there will not be any focus. Focus is
the most important thing for the efficacy of any task. It is called mindfulness. The
mind full of whatever you are doing.
Through the example of the arrow-maker, focus is highlighted. During कमर योग
ध्यान म is excluded or is a part as मानस जप etc. Once you come to वेदान्त,
�न�दध्यासन is जप or meditation on my own higher nature. ध्यान म is a very
important spiritual साधन. By ध्यान म I mean exclusive practice of focus on
something. That is चरकृत.
The next one is spider. The spider is a very important example given in the
उप�नषद indicating that भगवान ् is both is चेतन and अचेतन कारणं �न�म� and
उपादान कारणं. When we sayभगवान ् is �न�म� उपादान कारण,ं the consciousness part
of भगवान ् is responsible for चेतन तत्व of this creation. चेतन means all sentient
living beings. The माया part of भगवान ्, the अचेतन तत्व of भगवान ् is responsible
for the inert part of the creation. Inert part is भगवत:माया, sentient part is none
other than ब्रह्. Thus, the entire creation is a manifestation of either ब्रह्
aspect or माया aspect of the Lord. TF, the whole creation is ईश्व himself. This is
very important because initially whenwe are exposed to religion, भगवान ् is
introduced as some person beyond this universe.

In all theological systems and religions भगवान ् is introduced as some person, some
body beyond the clouds. Father in heaven, mother in heaven, �वष्ण in वैकुण्, �शव
in कैलाश, ब्र in ब्रह्म. We are conditioned to the idea that भगवान ् is different
from the world. That भगवान ् is away from the world. We are taught to believe that
if you want to have the vision of God, भगवान ् has to come down and give दशर्न
and then he will go away. Anybody meets a swami, their first question is, ‘Have
you seen God? How will he be?’ Everybody wants to know how to get ईश्व दशर्न.
This conditioning must go away.
With the example of the spider, वेद says भगवान ् is not someone who has to come
and give दशर्न. भगवान ् is the whole creation, the अवतार, the manifestation of Lord.
दशर्न of भगवान ् only requires changing my attitude towards my world. ईश्वरदशर्
is in the form of an attitudinal change. The change in attitude should be that what I
am experiencing and what I am calling as the world is none other than the
expression of ईश्व. So, I have ईश्व दशर्न all the time. I should develop the attitude
that I am experiencing ईश्व only all the time. We will see more of this in the
following chapters. How to see God by changing my attitude towards the world.
सहश्रशीष परु ु: सहश्र: सहश्रप. पाद is पादं. All the heads that I am experiencing
are the heads of ईश्व. भगवान ् has thousands of heads because every head is
भगवान ्s. सहश्र: सहश्रप. ईश्व दशर्न is in the form of my change in attitude
towards the world. This is conveyed through ऊणर्ना�:दृष्टा:. It revolutionizes
our concept of vision of God. We have several stories in परु ाण where bhaktas see
God as a person. We get stuck in those stories but theyare all for beginners. We
should not be carried away by those stories. What we require is not भगवान ् coming
and going. आयाराम ् गयाराम ् is not the real भगवान ्. Who is the real भगवान ्? The
one who is available all the time. This is a very important lesson learnt through the
spider.
The 6th and last one is the wasp. A क�ट:, an insect, gets converted into a wasp by
meditating upon it. भ्रमरकन्न्य:. The first stage is saying ब्रह् is जगत्कारण,

ब्रह् is beyond the world. The second stage, ब्रह् is not beyond the world,
ब्रह् is available in the form of the very world itself. परो�ईश्व becomes
प्रत्य�ई. The final stage is, not only is ब्रह् in the form of world, ब्रह् is in
the form of ‘I’ the experiencer. The जीवात्म is none other than परमात्म.
अहम्ब्रह्म. First, you say God is far away. Then you say, the world itself
isGod. Finally, you claim, I myself am none other than the परमात्म. Just as the
क�ट becomesa भ्र. The knower of ब्रह् ultimately claims I am ब्रह्. So
दासोऽहं to सोऽहं is the lesson through the wasp example.
That was the 24th and final गुर. Then he added one more गुर as the very body itself.
He said he learnt two lessons from body. One is that by observing the body, he
understands that the body is a perishable, a temporary instrument. So, I should not
rely upon the body for my peace, security and happiness. Before the body falls, I
should discover the immortal and imperishable. TF, the body gives me a lesson in
वैराग्य, detachment. Everything perishable will be an asset for some time and every
asset will later get converted into a liability. Our own body is the best example. Is
it an asset ora liability? Now you will say it is an asset but then a time comes when
the body becomes a burden, when it is full of diseases. Then people begin to pray,
‘O Lord, take away the body.’ Nothing in the world is reliable. Everything you
think to be an asset itself will turn into liability. Don’t get attached to the body.
Use the body as an instrument and before the body goes away, you should have
discovered the immortal आत् inside the body. Thus, the body is a गुर for learning
वैराग्य. This is the negative aspect of the body.
The positive side of the body is that it serves as an instrument for gaining the
highest knowledge. The human body is the rarest instrument which is useful for
discovering our real nature. These are the two lessons mentioned. Thereafter, he
talks about the glory of the human body. That it is a rare blessing. Make use of the
body before it dies to gain the highest and the best goal of life, मो�. Name, fame,
position, possession, everything will come and go. Relations will come. They also
will go away. पणु ्य and पापंalso will go away. धमर अथर काम are all perishable. Only
मो�: is imperishable goal. So, use this body for attaining मो�, spiritual

fulfillment. According to वेद, the first half of life is preparation for मो� and the
second half is for pursuit of मो�. Always remind yourself, even in the midst of
your duties, my purposeis भज गो�वन्द भज गो�वन्द गो�वन्द भज मढ
ू मते. संसारे
सं�न�हते काले न �ह न �ह र��त. Nothing can save you from संसार, fear of death etc.
The only solution is भगवान ् or मो�. Never forget it. That is why we are asked to
go to सत्सङ at least once a week. Attend UGA classes because it will remind you
of your goal of life. So, the value of human life was talked from verse 24 to 29.
From the 30th verse to the 33rd verse is the conclusion where अवधत
ू concludes his
talks on his 24 गुरs.
He took leave of यद ु महाराज because he was an अवधत

ू सन्न्या. यद ु offered
prostration to अवधत
ू in gratitude. After listening to अवधत
ू गीता, यद ु महाराज सवर
सङ्गअभवत- dropped all attachments. Remembering that the entire world, things
and people are all means only not an end. Use the world as a means by serving.
Help others. Do your duties to family, children and society but never use any one
of them for your peace,security and happiness. Hold on to only ईश्व. भगवान ्
alone must be the source of PSH. We must never hold on to any of them because
they are all subject to arrival and departure.
I give the exampleof गङ्ग स्नान in Haridwar. There they have channelized the
river with plenty of water and so the current is very fast. You hold on to some sand
or rock but that also will roll. They have kept a chain fixed to the banks of the
river. So, you first hold on to the chain. The current will be pulling you.Enjoy the
cool water. Enjoy any number of dips but never let go of the chain. Hold on to the
chain because that is the only stable thing. Life also is like taking a dip in a fast-
moving river. Everything will go away, will have to go away. The moment you
think they all will go away, you will have fear. Toavoid that sense of insecurity and
fear, the only method is holding on to God. This attitude is called detachment from
the world and attachment to God. Use the world to serve and purify. Hold on to
God for peace, security and happiness until you discover God is inside. After
वेदािन्तक study you realise that God is none other than our very आत्. So, world-
dependence to God-dependence to self-dependence. The moment I develop

detachment, शान्:अभवत्. मन:शािन् is the result of detachment. With this, the
ू is over. From the next chapter UGA will continue.

We will now enter the 5th chapter of UGA. Page 71, chapter 5, verse one.
श् भगवानवाच
ु
मयो�दतेष्वव�हतःस्वधम�षुमदाश्
वणार्श्रमकुलाचारमकामात्मासमाचर१०.१॥
In the previous 3 chapters LKA did not give his direct teaching but taught through
the अवधत ू गीता, i.e. अवधतू यद ु संवाद:. The main message conveyed through UGA
is that the human intellect is capable of learning from different sources if only it is
open and discerning. That doesn’t mean we don’t require गर ु and शास्त्. गर ु and
शास्त् are compulsory but we can learn from worldly experiences also. In fact, we
have to understand the limitations of the world only by going through worldly
experiences. It cannot be taught by others. पर��य लोकान ् कमर्�चतान- one has to
examine one’s experiences and learn the limitations. To convey this and the glory
of human intellect, LKA gave अवधत ू गीता.
From the 5th chapter LKA introduces the real teaching. Actually, LKA’s teaching
of the UGA begins from the 5th chapter only. In this chapter he gives a very
beautiful set of instructions for all spiritual seekers.
In this very important श्लो, he begins by saying, मदाश्र -once you become a
spiritual seeker, once you have understood the limitations of all the wordy goals,
you will fix भगवान ् as your goal. The world is ephemeral, भगवान ् alone is
permanent. We should not use भगवान ्, the permanent one, to attain the
impermanent. It is like giving your gold ornaments to purchase a few balloons. It is
a bad bargain because you use something of a higher value to purchase something
of a lower value. The intelligent approach is to use the ephemeral world for
“attaining” the infinite भगवान ्. A spiritual seeker is one who has the permanent
one, the stable one and the reliable one as his goal. In वेदान्त, the permanent goal
is मो�. In भागवतं, मो� is called भगवान ् himself. The one who has fixed भगवान ्
as the goal needs to know the way to attain भगवान ्. Not only he has to know the

way, he should also have the confidence that he can follow the path and achieve
the goal. If I am not confident, I will not even start. It is too much for me. We need
a source from which to draw courage, strength and confidence. LKA says here,
‘May you draw strength and confidence from me, the Lord himself. मदाश्र means
surrender to the Lord, seek support and confidence from the Lord himself. One
should regularly repeat as auto suggestion, ‘I can follow the spiritual path with
ईश्व अनग ु ्.’ When Sabarimalai people walk the very tough, 48 miles, climb
mountains, walk on rocks and thorns on bare feet, they draw courage by chanting,
स्व�मय शरणं अय्यप. TF, the first step is to draw confidence by surrendering unto
the Lord in the form of your own इष् देवता. LKA gives in the BGA also.
मय्यासक्तमन पाथर योगं यञ

ु ्जन्मदाश ।
असंशयं समग् मां यथा �ास्य� तच्छृण ॥ १॥
The same word मदाश्: is there also. Some people interpret surrender differently.
They think that once we surrender to the Lord, we need not put forth any effort.
We need not attend classes. We need not do any साधन. They think, surrender
means I have given the contract to भगवान ्, who, like a Swiggy agent, will shop for
you and bring it to you. They think भगवान ् will go to different places and bring
धमर अथर काम मो�. They don’t want to take responsibility. Vedantic surrender is
different. I seek the help of the Lord for doing what I have to do. I have to follow
कमर योग. I have to follow उपासन योग. I have to follow �ान योग. I take
responsibility. I take charge of my life. I surrender to the Lord to draw confidence
and strength. Surrender is not a substitute for freewill and effort. I retain my
freewill. I continue my efforts. For following the path. I draw strength from the
Lord. Vedic शरणाग�त is different from the theological शरणाग�त which is very
popular. There, the belief is to ask भगवान ् for anything and he will bring it. Give
me a cup of coffee. भगवान ् will give reduce my weight. भगवान ् will do some
exercise. Try that. Ask भगवान ् to do daily jogging and see whether your weight
will come down. Nothing doing. You have to take responsibility.
उद्धरेतात्मनात्म आत्मान अवसादयेत्. Surrender is not a replacement for our
efforts. Let it be very clear.

मदाश्: सन ्. मय्य उ�दतेषु स्वधम�ष अव�हत: I have given you several duties to be
performed for spiritual growth. I have given these in the two types of शास्त. One is
श्रु प्रमा, the other is स्मृ� प्रमा. Commentators take मय्य उ�दतेषु as स्मृ�
प्रमा or आगम शास्त which talks about इष् देवता पज
ू ा. Either be a �वष्ण भक्त
and follow �वष्ण आराधन in सा�लग्र or be a �शव भक्त and take to �शव आराधन
in �शव�लङ्. You can be देवी भक्त and follow श् �वद्य आराधन. Take to one पज
ू ा
or the other. May you start doing the daily worship of the Lord for �च� शद
ु ्�:.
मय्य उ�दतेषु स्वधम�ष. ईश्वरआरादरूपेषुस्वधम� अव�हत: may you pay attention.

Start getting up early in the morning. If you have a night shift, that is different.
Begin early with ईश्वरआराद or पज ू ा in any way that you know in a simple
manner. स्वधम�ष मय्य उ�दतेषु अव�हत: paying attention, समाचरेत्- may you
follow. You start the day with ईश्वआराधनto remind yourself that ईश्व is the goal
and guidance for your life. All the other things, going to office, earning money,
building a house, getting married are all not an end in themselves. Theyare only the
means for God as theend. We will be reminded of this when we start the day with
ईश्व आराधन. Spirituality is never possible without religious life. Religious life
means ईश्व आराधन. Not only is this स्मात कम,र it is श्र कमर also.
वणर्आश कुलाचारं समाचरेत्. वणर धम,र will be talked about very elaborately later in
UGA.
ब्राह ��त् �वशां शद
ू ्राण च परन्त ।
कमार्� प्र�वभक्त स् भाव प्रभवैगुर्ण४१॥
In the 18th chapter of the BGA, LKA talks about वणार श् धम.र Unfortunately, now
the वणार श् way of life has become obsolete. TF, whenever वणार श् is mentioned
we remember PMY, our duties to the five fold infra structure. TF PMY and कुल
आचारं . There are family traditions that our parents and grandparents followed
based on scriptural teachings. Many of our cultural practices are based on
scriptural teachings. Even an autorickshaw driver who would have not studied
scriptures will start his vehicle only after touching the screen and his eye. From
where did he learn? Culturally, things have been transferred to us. On आयधप ु जू ा
day we worship all our instruments. All these are learnt from कुल परम्प only. TF,
वणर आश् कुल आचार. May you follow the habits कुलाचारं. अकामात्म -Not for
benefitting you materially but for internal growth. May you remember the purpose
very clearly. साधन चतषु ्ट संप��. I will translate it as internal refinement. May
you समाचरेत्. Where does spirituality start? Remembering the Lord early in the
morning is the first step of spirituality. Thereafter PMY. Continuing,
अन्वी�ेत�वशुद्धात्मादे�हनां�वषयात् मन
गुणेषत
ु �वध्यानेनसवार्रम्भ�वपयर्१०.२॥
A very powerful verse in which LKA condemns materialistic life and materialistic
people who don’t believe in religion, in scriptures or in God. अथर काम प्रध पर ु ुष:
all materialistic people. Their day starts with mobile. Get up and watch. Instead of
कराग् वसतील�मी: but कराग् वसती mobile phone. Not Lakshmi, not Saraswathi,
not Parvati because they say, ‘We don’t believe in all these things.’ They believe
only in the visible world, visible sense objects and pleasures. Earn and entertain
yourself. This is materialistic life. LKA says watch them and understand. They live
an attractive life but they will never get lasting peace, security or happiness. All the
fundamental things, materialistic life cannot give. It may seem to give but it will
not give them happiness at all. अनु ई�ेत may you watch their life, their progress
and interview. �वशद
ु ्धात् – a spiritual seeker who has spirituality as his goal,
न्वी�े. दे �हनां �वषयात्मान -all other human beings who are given to �वषया:.
�वषया: means more and more sense pleasures. Partying. New Year means party.
Week end means party. All the time party, drinking and clubs. They know only
these things. If you talk about any of these things, they mock and laugh at us
saying, we are unintelligent people. �वषयात् is one committed to sense objects
and sense pleasures. They do that because गण
ु ेषत
ु �वध्याने they think that the
materialistic world made up of माया and the three गण
ु ा: is the ultimate reality.
गुणेषु means the world of sense objects which are born out of the three गुणा:. गुणा

�वषयेषु तत् ध्याने. तत्व- that alone is reality. According to वेदान्त the whole
world is born out of माया. TF it is �मथ्य. There is no reality. It is hollow and
empty. Superficially attractive but when you go near it will fizzle into nothing like
water in a mirage water. They don’t come to वेदान्त. For them the world is real.
Not only do they think that, तत्वत्धायन- they also do ध्यान म, money ध्यान म, not
�शव ध्यानिम्वष ध्यानम्ब ध्यान म.
Money is God for them. गुणेषु त�व ध्याने. Watch their life. Have their desires
been fulfilled? On the other hand, you will see that one desire leads to more and
more desires. They are submerged in that, never satisfied with any amount of
pleasures or any amount of money. TF, सवर आरम्. All their materialistic
undertakings give �वपयर्य- opposite results. Through there undertakings, they seek
peace, security and happiness but they actually get more insecure. More moneyed,
more insecure they are. You have to learn this from observing materialistic people.
You should never be enamored by that. सवर आरम्. आरम् - materialistic
undertaking, �वपयर्य - all counter productive. What do they end up with? When
they are growing old, their children quarrel for their wealth. So many factories,
shares, land for which children are in court. They are not on talking terms among
themselves nor with the parents because they gave a little extra to one of the
children. Continuing,
सपु ्तस्य�वषयालोकोध्यायतोवामनोर
नानात्मकत्वाद्�वफलस्तथाभेदात्मधीगु१०.३॥
Very profound, unique verse which we don’t find even in BGA. LKA says, the
whole world that you experience is like a dream. What we learnt in माण्डुक
का�रका and VS, here LKA very causally says, the whole world appears real but it
is not the ultimate reality. It is only a relative reality like dreams. Are dreams real
or unreal? You should never answer that question. You should ask, ‘For whom?’
For a dreamer who is in the dream, it is not a dream. He sees the dream as waking.
He experiences it as real. Only when he wakes up, he will realise it is not real.
Similarly, LKA says, we are all dreamers. For us, the dreamers, this dream is not
dream in dream. TF it appears real but on waking up or on enquiry this will also

become a relative reality. It doesn’t have substantiality of its own. The solid tiger
in the dream is nothing but a thought in the mind. The solid mountain in the dream
is nothing but a thought in the mind. Similarly, वेदान्त says, this solid world is
nothing but a thought or disturbance, in माया, which is the cosmic mind. I don’t
want to go into too much depth.
Here he says सपु ्तस �वषय आलोक:. सपु ्: - for a dreamer, there is a आलोक: -
experience of �वषया: -varieties of sense objects which are real for him as long as
he continues to sleep. The moment he wakes up, it will just dissolve into the mind.
सपु ्तस �वषयालोक: यथा -like, ध्यायतोवामनोरथ. ध्याय: - a person who is
involved in varieties of internal building of the castles. ध्याय means visualizing
or fancying in the mind. मनोरथः -he builds so many things in his mind like a house
which is not there. They are all apparent, not real. तथा -similarly, गुण:ै भेदात्मध: -
the perception of plurality through the sense organs in the waking state also.
भेदात्म - plurality. धी: - perception or cognition. Perception of plurality in the
waking state through गुण:ै .
In this context, the word गुण: means इिन्द्रय, sense organs. They are all
produced through the सत्वगु of the पञ् भता
ू �न. In TBA, पञ् �ानेिन्द्रय are
born out of the पञ् सत् गण
ु of the पञ् भता
ू �न. Since they are गण
ु काय�, sense
organs are called गण
ु . Whatever we perceive through sense organs as solid are all
नानात्मकत्वा - pluralistic in nature, they are all �वफल: - they will not serve your
purpose. �वफल: means they will not give you what you expect out of them.
This is not only वेदान्त even modern science says that all the solid world is
nothing but tangible atoms in motion which appears as the solid wall. If you have
got eyes to see the atoms or particles, all these will be particles in high motion.
According to quantum science, the world is nothing but atoms or energy in motion.
On enquiry, wall is not wall. Tree is not tree. Carpet is not carpet. Our body is not
body. They are all atoms in high velocity. गुण:ै what is perceived solidly by the
sense organs, we expect them to give us three fundamental things- Peace, Security

and Happiness. The world cannot give these. In BGA I gave the example of the
card board chair. The chair made of cardboard is wonderful and attractive. You can
keep it in the show case but you can’t sit on it. Similarly, the whole world is like
the cardboard chair. Never lean upon it emotionally or you will be in trouble. TF
�वफल:- cannot be reliable. Continuing,
�नव�ंक
ृ मर्सेवेतप्रवृ�ंमत्परस्त्
िज�ासायांसम्प्रवृ�ोना�द्रयेत्कमर्च१०.४॥38.49
If the world is not reliable or dependable, then what is the only reliable thing? God
dependence. May you gradually shift from world dependence to God dependence.
Initially, one will not know what exactly God is because God is the most
mysterious entity which we are unable to perceive with our sense organs. Neither
modern science nor our perception is able to clearly reveal what God is. Later we
will discover what is God’s nature. Until then, God may be represented by any
इष्टद ेवत. In mathematics, until you find the answer you start with supposing X is
the answer and then go through the steps and at the end you will nicely know what
X is. God is initially, X. Ultimately, you will know that God. You know the secret?
We will discover that God as the one which is our own body mind complex. अहं
आत्म गडाके
ु श सवर भता ु सयािस्थ:. We will discover that Lord in ourselves
ultimately but until then, let God be represented by X. In religion, X means Rama,
Krishna, Ganesha, Devi, any form you take. May you learn to transfer dependence
to God, इष्टद ेवत.
LKA says मत्प:. मत्प: - turning your attention to me. Here, it refers to LKA but
it can be Rama also, it can be Shiva also. May you develop इष् देवता भिक् and
hold on to that. Then your goal is discovering God from एक रू ईश्व to �वश् रू
ईश्व. भ:ू पादौ यस् ना�भ:. भगवान ् is not only in वैकुण् or कैलास but भगवान ् is
very much available in the form of �वश्वर ईश्व. Finally, भगवान ् is available in
the form of the very unobservable observer, the un-objectifiable subject as, चैतन्
रूपे च ईश्व: वतर्त. We have to come to this ultimately. Start your साधना with
प्रवृ त्यजेत. प्रवृ means all the worldly activities which are meant for worldly

goals, sense pleasures etc. प्रवृ means काम्यकमार् like all the पजू ा: जप etc. done
for worldly benefit. Don’t use religion for solving worldly problems. Then how to
solve worldly problems? Use your resources. भगवान ् has given a BMSC, use
whatever resources भगवान ् has given and use them to get worldly result.
Use भगवान ् for spiritual growth. Don’t drop the पज

ू ा. Change the purpose, the
संकल्. ममोपा� समस् द�ु रद �यद्वार धान्य धनं पशंु बहुपत ु लाभम ्. In the संकल्,
don’t mention worldly things, ask for साधन चतुष्ट संप��, ask for �च� शदु ्�, ask
for गुर प्राि, ask for श्र प्राि, ask for understanding the class. Religion can be
used for materialistic purposes or spiritual purposes also. Start using religion only
for spiritual purpose. When I use religion for worldly purposes, it is called सकाम
भिक्. When I use religion for spiritual purposes it is called �नष्का भिक्. May
you change from सकाम भक्त to �नष्का भक्त. Don’t get angry with me. It may
be difficult for a beginner.“Swamiji, when my problem is very serious, I feel like
running to God.” It is very difficult, irresistible. You need not immediately do it.
Try to gradually reduce सकाम भिक्. Anywhere, you do नमस्का, ask, “O Lord,
give me �च� शद
ु ्�.” Or if you want to pray for someone, pray, “सव� भवन्त स�ु खन:
सव� भवन्त �नरामया:” Can I say सव� and my son? When you say सव�, your son is
also included, your daughter is included, your spouse, everyone is included. TF, let
the prayer be सवार्थ a or �च� शद
ु ्ध्य. This is the first stage of spirituality.
प्रवृ. प्रवृ means काम्यकमार्, त्यजेत- may you gradually give up. Don’t give up
पज
ू ा itself. Convert the पज
ू ा into �नष्कामपूज. �नव�ंक
ृ मर means �नष्कामकमार्.
PMY, do service to the world and use that service for �च� शद
ु ्�. �नव�ंक
ृ मर्सेवे.
�नष्कामकमार्कुर. To use the 7th chapter language, reduce अथ्
र भिक, अथार्थभिक्
and increase िज�ासु भिक्: and िज�ासायांसम्प्र: so that the mind becomes
sufficiently refined. How do I know if my mind is refined? Worldly desires will
come down naturally. They are not artificially suppressed. Suppression is
oppression which will lead to depression. As long as you have desires, fulfill them
in a legitimate manner. When you do PMY and �नष्कामपूज, worldly desires will
come down.
As I said in New Year talk, �नष्कामभिक will give more आनन्द than
सकामसख
ु ं.कामानन्: धमार्नन: मो�ानन्:. I spoke about these three. I said
धमार्नन: is superior to कामानन्:. We will get joy without all those sense objects.
Once worldly desires come down, spiritual desire becomes deeper and there is a
desire for scriptural study. You will get the opportunity also. भगवान ् will give
desire for attending UGA. You all have come here when you could have done
something else. There is some पणु ्य म which brings you to this class, which itself is
a great thing. TF, he says िज�ासायांसम्प्र:. When desire for �ानयोग increases,
you can gradually change the proportion of कमर्यो and �ानयोग. Initially, do
more कमर्योग�नष्कामपू and PMY. Once the desire for �ानयोग increases, you
can reduce PMY and �नष्कामपूज and use the extra time for श्रव and मननं. Now,
we listen for one hour and touch UGA book only next Sunday before coming to
class, if you are coming to class. Instead of that spend some time in revising, श्र
मनन �न�दद्यास. Start कमर्यो. Graduate to �ानयोग. Reduce कमर्यो. You will
get the ultimate knowledge that I am the only source of permanent peace, security
and happiness. This discovery is the ultimate goal. Details in the next class.

Class 46- Chapter 5 verses 4 to 6
Page 72, verse 4-
�नव�ंक
ृ मर्सेवेतप्रवृ�ंमत्परस्त्
िज�ासायांसम्प्रवृ�ोना�द्रयेत्कमर्च१०.४॥
In this chapter LKA is giving instructions to those who are interested in making a
spiritual journey leading to मो� or the attainment of the Lord himself. First, he
talks about the materialistic approach of the worldly people due to ignorance. The
materialistic approach is choosing any goal which is within the universe and
therefore ephemeral in nature. These may be money, name, fame, position,
possessions or relations. All these worldly goals are ephemeral and TF, not worth
relying upon to give peace, security and happiness. We should choose and hold on
to something stable and eternal. We do not know what that eternal thing is and we
need to take the help of the scriptures to find out what that is. When we look at the
world based on our experience, there is nothing that is permanent. From the
smallest atom to the biggest star, everything is impermanent. We have no way of
knowing whether there is something permanent. Only our scriptures can point the
way to something stable and permanent. The scriptures introduce that permanent
reality through different names and based on that we have to fix that as the goal.
That �नत्यवस् is called ईश्व: भगवान ् or the Lord. In वेदान्त language the same
�नत्यवस् is called ब्रह् or मो�:.
Fixing भगवान्ब्रह or मो�: as the primary goal of life is the beginning of

spirituality. Do not reject the world, do not reject money, position, possession etc.
Use all of them, not as the ultimate goal but as a means to find that ultimate goal.
Money is also very useful for doing spiritual साधना. We need not stop earning
money but money cannot be an end in itself. It should be used for पञ्चमह य�. By
utilizing the money appropriately, I seek internal growth. Everything I do is
keeping मो� as the ultimate goal and use all other intermediary goals to reach it.
We should not mix up the ultimate goal and the intermediary goal. LKA says
money, marriage, children, work are all required but understand that none of them
is the ultimate. Use them for serving, purifying and moving on remembering that I
have to leave them or they will leave me.

LKA calls a spiritual person who uses the finite world to attain the infinite as
मत्प:. Others are religious-materialistic people who use religion and God for
finite worldly ends. It is foolish to use the infinite to purchase the finite. The
intelligent bargain is to use the finite to gain the ultimate. LKA calls them मत्प:.
LKA says, I am the ultimate destination for spiritualseekers. अहं एव, Sanskrit
students- बहुव्री समास अहं एव पर: यस् स:मत्प:.
Now a beautiful set of instructions follow for spiritual seekers. In the 4th verse
which we completed in the last class, LKA said मत्प: प्रवृ�ंत्यज. प्रवृ means all
the religious activities for finite worldly goals called काम्यकम, त्यजेत- may you
gradually reduce. When we go to temple do पज
ू ानमस्का, we should know what to
ask from the Lord. Going to भगवान ् and asking for a pumpkin, how meaningless it
is! The greatest things in the world are equivalent to a pumpkin only because they
are all perishable. If at all you do पज
ू ा, continue and learn to ask for appropriate
things like internal growth, maturity, the mind to seek youas the ultimate goal, the
desire to come to �ानयोग, the spiritual wisdom and through that मो�. Chanting
कमलजद�यताष्टक is the best prayer for a spiritual seeker. That is why I have
chosen that in our class also. Many of you may not know because you come to
class after we finish the chanting. If youcome early you cansee. It is the best prayer
worth chanting every day, not just Sunday after Sunday. �वद्या शद ु ्धा च बद
ु ्�ध
कमलजद�यते सत्वर दे�ह- May you give me a pure mind and spiritual wisdom. We
also seek a healthy body, not for sensual pleasures, दृ शर�रं so that I can do all
spiritual practices. Healthy body is also for मो�. Money is also for मो�.
गह
ृ स्ताश is also for मो�. That is why it is called आश्र:. TF, may you drop all
the काम्यपूजs and do all the पज
ू ाs as �नव�ंक
ृ म.र �नव�ं
ृ means �नष्कामपूज. �नष्का
means �च� शद
ु ्� काम:, with desire for internal purity. May you do all the daily
पज
ू ापारायणं etc. Performing पज
ू ा is until purity comes, until the mind becomes
mature. What is maturity? Desire for self-knowledge, अथातो ब्रह्मिज. Desire
to study उद्धवगीतor BGA or the उप�नषद should come. Often there will be desire
but there will be no opportunity. By भगवान ्’s grace we will get desire and we will

get the opportunity. Once desire and opportunity come, may you work for the
knowledge- श्रव मननं and �न�दध्यासन. LKA says, may you gradually reduce
पज
ू ापारायणं etc. In the second line he says, िज�ासायांसम्प्र: -once one is
dedicated more to spiritual knowledge one can reduce the duration of पज
ू ा, पारायणं
etc. They need not be and should not be given up but the quantity can be reduced
and the time saved can be utilised for मननं and �न�दध्यासन. Not TV watching.
LKA says, कमरचोदनां. All the religious activities can be, न आ�द्रये. You can
reduce. You need not give that much importance. Initially ritualsare more, study is
less. Later study is more, ritualsare less. The proportion must be gradually
changed. िज�ास - spiritual study, सम्प्र: -when a person is engaged more
कमरचोदनां, all the पञ्चमह य� instructions न आ�द्रये- need not give importance.
Keep it at the minimum level. Not in the beginning but later as we get purer.
Continuing. Verse 5-
यमानभी�णंसेवेत�नयमान्मत्परःक्व�च
मद�भ�ंगुरुंशान्तमुपासीतमदात् मक१०.५॥
Thereafter, we have to focus upon our own mind and treat the mind like a garden.
Gardening requires lot of effort. We have to plant flower, fruits or vegetable plants
and gradually remove all the weeds which are obstacles. In the mind also, may you
implant all the virtuesenumerated in the scriptures as दै वीसम्पत and remove all the
weeds called आसरु �सम्पत. BGA 16th chapter gives the list. Here also a big list is
given in the 14th chapter. BGA calls it दै वीआसरु �सम्पत, here it is called यम and
�नयम. यम: are all the negative things which should be diligently avoided, �नयम:
are the positives which should be followed. In योगसत्र
ू and �नयम are five each
but UGA gives us twelve यमा: and twelve �नयमा:. LKA doesn’t enumerate here
because theycome later. We will just read the list. When we come to the 14th
chapter, if we all survive, we will be study it elaborately. We will just read the list
of यम and �नयम on page 212, Chapter 14.

Verse 33 is the list of यम. Verse 34 is the list of �नयम:. अ�हस
ं ा अस्तेय असङ्: etc.
We will read the English translation. The Lord said non-injury, truthfulness, non-
stealing, non-attachment, shame, non-accumulation of wealth, faith in God,
chastity, silence, patience, forgiveness and fearlessness. These are virtues to be
cultivated, यम:. Non-injury should be read as giving up of injury. Truthfulness
should be translated as giving up of untruth.
Verse 34- purity of mind and body, repetition of the Lord’s name, austerity,
offering of oblations in the sacred fire, faith in oneself. This one is very important.
We should have faith in God, गुरुशास but most importantly, we must have faith in
our own capacity to follow spirituality. We have to repeat regularly, ‘I can.’
Hospitality, worshipping Me, visiting holy places, working for the good of others.
परोपकार is considered a very important discipline, contentment, service unto
teacher, आचायर उपासनं.
We have to attempt all these to the extent possible. There must be effort do not
bother about the degree of success. We need not compare ourselves with others.
One very simple value -non-hurting others physically or verbally by using rude
words. Being impolite. Not answering when somebody asks a question, not smiling
when someone smiles at you. These are all simple yet beautiful values. Having a
pleasant face, pleasant words. It doesn’t take too much time just simple alertness.
We can deliberately try to follow all these values. LKA says, यमान ्अभी�णंसेवेत-
morning I make a decision that I will be pleasant w.r.t handling others. I will be
gentle. अभी�णं – diligently, with commitment one should follow. Page 212, verse
33- यमान्सेवे. �नयमान ् , the other groups of virtues in the 34th verse, page 212.
मत्प: -if youare a spiritual seeker,: क्व�चत -to the extent possible you do without
being overcritical of yourself. Many people are too critical and always say, ‘I am
not able to do.’ Some people are overcritical of others. There are some very nice
people, they never criticise others. Their problem is they constantly criticize
themselves. LKA says that is also wrong. नात्मान नात्मानमवसादयेत. Never pull
yourself down. To the extent possible, you follow but you must attempt. All these
are for mental refinement. Mental refinement will not give spiritual knowledge but
it is a necessary step for gaining knowledge. Knowledge is possible only with the
help of a गुरो: consistent teaching. TF, may you approach a गुर with a desire to,
learn the scriptures. In the 4th of the chapter of BGA
उपदे �यिन् ते �ानं �ा�ननस्त�वद�शर् ॥ ३४ ॥
�ानं will not automatically happen. Any amount of पज ू ा we do will not give
knowledge. Meditation will not give knowledge. Following values also will not
give knowledge. All of them will make my mind a refined mind but ignorant. DS
says, previously he was impurely ignorant, now he is purely ignorant. Ignorance
will never go by itself. You have to gain knowledge. �ानं alone can remove
ignorance justas light alone can remove darkness. We have to diligently work for
�ान.ं The work LKA says is गर ु ुंउपासी. At the appropriate time, may you
approach a गर
ु and seek consistent and systematic teaching. All the उप�नषद: begin
with �शष् approaching the गुर and seeking knowledge. Kenopanishad begins
के ने�षतं पत�त प्रे�ष मनः,�शष् asks the गुर. The entire Upanishad is a consistent
teaching of the आत्म or ब्रह्. अद��ह भगवो ब्र �वद्याया व�रष्ट . BGA starts
with �शष्यस्तेऽ शा�ध मां त्वा प्रपन् ॥ ७ ॥ I surrender to you. Give me knowledge
not by touching the top of the head or bottom of the back. Knowledge will not
come by touching चा�ुषी द��ास्पश द��ा etc. These can only be initiation but that
should be followed by consistent and systematic teaching on the part of the गुर and
consistent and systematic learning on the part of the disciple. I call it spiritual
education program. That can never be replaced by any other method. Who says?
Not me. LKA says.
TF, गर
ु ुंउपासी- May you serve the गर
ु is indicating the attitude towards the गर
ु .
The attitude should be of श्रद and भिक्:. What is the qualification of the गर
ु ?
मद अ�भ�ं -a गर
ु who has clearly understood God in his total nature. Total nature
means three levels. एकरूपईश्in the beginning where God is visualised as a
person like Siva, Vishnu etc. That is the LKG God. Thereafter I have to refine my
understanding. God cannot be a perishable entity. God has to be infinite. The entire
universe is infinite. I should understand that the universe itself is the manifestation
of God. From there I have to go to the next leela. Beyond this is the next level of
God who is non-changing principle beyond time and space. अशब्द म अस्पश अरूप

अव्यय. अन्य धमार्त अन्य अधमार्त etc. That God in his absolute nature. So
एकरूपईश् - �वश्वरूपईश:- ब्रह्मरूप:. All these three levels we have to
know. Whoever has the knowledge of all the three levels of God is called मद�भ�:-
the one who knows me in my entirety. He is also शान्त- Not only he knows God,
he has derived the benefit of ईश्वर�ान, that is शान्त. Life is peaceful. There is no
tension, no worry, no anxiety, no fear. The greatest संसार is fear of the future. �ानं
gives me freedom from fear of the future. शान्त means relaxed, freefrom stress. So
गुरुंशान् and मदात्मक . मदात्मक , means which गुर is as good as ईश्व himself. The
शास् equates गुर to भगवान ् himself. गुरुब्र गुरु�वर्ष: गुरुद�व महे श्व:गुरसा�ात्
परम ् ब्र.LKA says treat your गुर as one with ईश्व himself. मदात्मक means
ईश्वररूपंगुरुंउपा -may you serve. In the olden days, when the �शष् went to
गरु कुल for learning the गर ु generally would not teach immediately. He would test
the student’s sincerity or is he there just for time pass. He would only then ask him
to stay in the गरु कुल,ं serving the गर ु कुलं in varieties of ways. He would ask the
student to do that for a year and then ask for knowledge. ‘If I know the answer, I
will give you’एकं संवत्सर संवत्स् यथाकामं प्रश्नान्प य�द �व�ास्याम सव� ह वो
व�याम इ�त ॥ २ ॥in प्रश्नउप� this is what गुर says. TF, may you serve and seek
knowledge. The गुर will give, if you are very sincere. Continuing,
अमान्यमत्सरोद�ो�नमर्मोदृढसौ
असत्वरोऽथर्िज�ासुरनसूयुरमोघवाक१०.६॥36.19
LKA mentions some virtues here which every disciple should follow. DS defines a
value. A value is a value only when the value of the value is valued by you,
otherwise सत्य वद सत्य वध. I know truthfulness is good but I don’t consider it as
that important. No. I should value every one of them.
The first value is अमा�नत्व. अमानी- freedom from superiority complex because a
disciple who comes for spiritual knowledge may be a very accomplished person in
the material field. He might have three Ph.Ds and he might be director of several
companies. He might have got awards and all. While one may be great in
अपरा�वद्य, once you come to परा�वद्य may you be humble and surrender to the
गुर. Even the kings in those days is to go to the गुरुकुल and do नमस्का to the गुर.
In the 13th chapter also, the first value is अमा�नत्व. Here also अमा�न means may
you be humble. So, humility is very important and one of the exercises given for
humility is नमस्का. When I am very arrogant, it is very difficult to do नमस्का.
How to bend in front of another human being? He is stiff necked. TF, learn to bend
and do नमस्का.
The next one is अमत्स:. मात्सय- entering into competition. Parents always tell the
children you must get the first rank. Children in LKG UKG face such heavy
competition which creates tension, comparison, jealousy, complex etc. In the
गुरुकुल, don’t compare yourself with another disciple and never feel either
superiority complex or inferiority complex. In the गुरुकुल, there was no
comparison. Every student enjoyed progressing at his own pace. गुर also did not
compare and create a complex.
Next, द�: - efficient, sincere, committed, not lazy, अनलश:. In the गुरुकुल schedule
is very tight. Morning we have to get up very early. No laziness and sleeping till 10
o’clock. From 4.30 a.m. to 9.30 p.m. continuous activities. No time for laziness.
Then, �नमर्:. Very important qualification. Never own anything, भगवान ् is the
owner of everything. I am the user of things that भगवान ् has given me and which
भगवान ् can take away anything from me at any time. Freedom from ownership.
Then दृढसौहृ. The students who come to गर

ु ुकुल are supposed to keep aside all
worldly relationships. ब्रह्मच remove their hair and keep a tuft with only few
hairs indicating few relationships. Only three relationships are to be given top
priority. All others are dropped. Those three संबन्ध are ईश्वरसंबन: - relationship
with God. Never forget. The second relationship is गुरुसंबन: -relationship with
गुर. The last one is शास्त्रसं: - the study of scriptures and understanding the
message of the scriptures. These three relationships alone give me freedom all

dependence. In worldly relationships I get attached and it becomes an emotional
bondage whereas these three relationships are the only relationships which free me
from bondage. I start depending on गुर. गुर makes me so strong that I become
independent of even गुरुसंबन: at the end of my study, I love my गुर. I revere my
गर
ु but I don’t even depend upon my गर
ु . His teaching gives me strength but I am
not physically dependent on the गर
ु . TF, दृढसौहृ means may you strengthen your
bonding with the गर
ु . सौहृद means गर
ु ुसंबन:,दृ: -may you make it strong. This
was especially important in गुरुकुल method because the disciple has come away
from family and society. In �ह्मचायार्, all the other relationships are dropped.
ब्रह्मच is in the गुरुकुल. He is related only to his गुर. In संन्या आश् also, all
worldly relationships are dropped. In the गुरुकुल only three relationships -
गुरुशास्त्र:
Then, असत्व:. असत्व: means freedom from impatience. We want everything

quickly, instantly. Food is also fast. Coffee is instant coffee. In temple also दशर्न
has two queues. One is धमर्दशर्. DS asks, “If it is धमर्दशर् then is the other one
अधमर्दशर्?’ We don’t have patience at all. गुर said, you seek patience from the
Lord. भक् went to Lord and said, O Lord give me patience right now.’
Remember, all forms of growth are always gradual. Even the ripening of the fruit
will take its own time. If you make it faster by artificial ripening it is not good for
health. Spiritual growth also cannot take place overnight. It is slow and gradual.
TF, relax and continue your साधना. Everyday don’t look whether मो� has come. It
is a process. Enjoy the journey without worrying about the goal or wonder whether
it is going to happen in this जन् or next जन्. Don’t ask any questions.
Then अथर्िज�ास:. अथर: means the ultimate truth behind the changeless truth behind
the changing universe. The changing universe is put in triangular format, जीव
जगत्ईश्व:, God, world and the individual. I want to know the truth behind all
these three. That one truth is what I want to learn. TF अथर िज�ास:ु is one desirous
of knowing अथर, reality.

अनसय ू :ु .अनसय
ू - without jealousy. We are all endowed with different mental and
intellectual capacities. I may understand certain things in the first class and another
student may not. Or he is able to understand and I am not. Never compare with
other students. Go at your own pace. Comparison will lead to jealousy. असया ू is a
very big problem.
The last value is अमोघवाक्. Never speak unless there is some purpose. Never
speak for speaking sake. Nowadays, everybody talks on the cell phone
continuously. You think they are mad. No, it is because they are alone. First
spiritual sadhana is reduce talking. First ask yourself if the other person is
interested in listening to me. I will tell you a truth. Nobody is interested in listening
to us. TF, let us not impose ourselves. You can just share one or two sentences and
if that person shows interest then talk more. Otherwise मौनं. अमोघवाक् means
reducing talking. More in the next class.

Page72, Verse 6
अमान्यमत्सरोद�ो�नमर्मोदृढसौ
असत्वरोऽथर्िज�ासुरनसूयुरमोघवाक१०.६॥
In this 5th chapter, an important chapter, LKA is giving a clean set of instructions
for all those who want to pursue the spiritual path. The whole teaching is based on
the वेदा:, whichare the original scriptures. We should remember that all the
परु ाणा�न including भागवतं UGA etc. are not the original scriptures but secondary
scriptures called स्मृ� ग्रन. All the स्मृ� ग्रन: borrow the teaching from the
original scriptures, वेदा:. LKA is presenting the Vedic teaching here. His message
is that मो� or liberation is possible only through self-knowledge. There aren’t
several methods or options. There is only one method for मो� and वेदा clearly says
तमेवं �वद्वान अमत ृ इह भव�त न अन्: पन्थ अयनाय �वद्यत. आत्म�ान is
knowledge of our own real nature. This is the message given in the final part of the
वेदा called वेदान्त or उप�नषद. वेदा says spiritual knowledge is possible only when
the mind is prepared and refined. TF, we should prepare the mind, refine the mind.
It is called �ान योग्यत प्राि:. When we refine our mind, we will naturally
develop a desire for वेदािन्तक study. Not only will the refined mind desire for
knowledge, it will also get an opportunity for gaining knowledge. Justas the
honeybees come when the flowers blooms, when we develop a sincere desire for
spiritual knowledge भगवान ् will give us an opportunity. Refine the mind, develop
a desire and the opportunity will come. Make use of the opportunity. Go through a
spiritual education program. Knowledge will come. This is the whole method that
LKA talked about in Verses 4 and 5. May you follow कमर्यो. कमर्यो is to use
your entire religious life for internal refinement. Whether you go to temples or do
पजू ा like राम नवमी or कृष्णाष्ट, instead of using the पज ू ा for material benefits,
convert all your पज
ू ाs, all your जप for internal refinement. Use your family life to
achieve internal refinement while serving the family. Let the goal be internal
refinement. Once sufficient refinement comes you will naturally develop a desire
to know more about spiritual teachings. So आथर्भिक and अथार्थ�भिक will

gradually get converted into िज�ासभ ु िक्. You will develop interest in सत्सङ, in
spiritual discourses. To be attracted to spiritual discourses in the midst of so many
distractions shows some kind of mental preparedness.
Next, LKA says never attempt spiritual knowledge by yourselves. Go to a गुर. In

the 5th गुरुमद�भ� गुरु शान्त उपासीत -may you get the spiritual knowledge from a
गर
ु who himself has got spiritual knowledge from his गर
ु , who himself has got
spiritual knowledge from his गर
ु . This is called a traditional गर
ु . LKA says,
मद�भ�ं गुरु शान्त उपासीत. Start exposing yourself to वेदािन्तक teaching. When we
first listen to the teaching, it will be abstract because our own higher nature
happens to be abstract. So, we will not be able to grasp many things. It doesn’t
matter. Get exposes to the teaching on one side and continue refining the mind on
the other side. You need not wait for complete purification and come to वेदान्त
because never will you feel you are completely refined. Let the sadhana continue
for mental refinement. Even as the mind gets more and more refined, वेदान्त class
will become more meaningful and appealing.
Some of the parameters indicating mental refinement were mentioned in the 6th
sloka which we saw three weeks ago. अमानीअमत्सरद: �नमर्:दृढसौह:असत्व:.
अमानी -be humble. Don’t be arrogant because you have many worldly degrees or
you occupy a high position. Without humility knowledge will not come. असत्व: -
be patient. Spiritual growth is not like instant coffee, instant idly nor is it not a fast
food restaurant. Internal growth is tortuously slow often creating diffidence in the
mind whether I will progress at all. Progress takes place but gradually. Swami
Chinmayananda wrote a beautiful book, ‘Hasten Slowly.’ अथर्िज�ास: maintain
your desire for knowledge. अमोघवाक्- reduce your talking. Don’t talk too much.
Continuing, Verse 7, page 73-
जायापत्यगृह�ेत्रस्वजनद्र�वण
उदासीनःसमंपश्यन्सव�ष्वथर्�मवात१०.७॥

This is an important and difficult instruction for a householder. You can have your
family, property, possessions etc. Utilize them for doing your duty. गह
ृ स्त्र is an
आश्, an opportunity to serve the family and allow them to grow. In the process,
we also must grow. If we are not very alert in गह ृ स्त्र, instead of loving and
serving them, unknowingly, we will develop attachment towards them. Love is
wonderful and helps in discharging duty and service but unknowingly love will get
converted into attachment. How do I know whether my love has been converted
into attachment or not? When the object of love becomes the object of emotional
disturbance, then you know your love is an attachment. If I constantly worry about
the family members, their futures, then it is an indication of attachment. Serving is
an indication of love, worry is an indication of attachment. With attachment, every
family member becomes an object of mental preoccupation. Every object of
attachment will occupy my mind. They are all inside. That means wherever I
travel, I carry them. DS says, ‘Even when we travel by train or flight, without
purchasing tickets, we will carry all of them.’ You go to Rishikesh, Badrinath or
any आश्र and sit in meditation, they will occupy your mind. This is the indication
of attachment. LKA says, leave the people outside-
स्पशार्न्कृ ब�हबार्ह्यांश्च�ुश्चैवा भ्रुव keep everyone outside your mind. This
problem of attachment is an obstacle for spiritual study because mind is not
available. I am here but I don’t hear Swamiji. All objects, people I am attached to
are circling inside my head so श्रव doesn’t take place, मननं is not possible,
�न�दध्यासन is impossible. LKA gives a very disturbing piece of advice- उदासीनः.
उदासीनः means avoid राग and द्वे especially राग or attachment towards जाया-
wife (includes husband) and अपत्य- children. You can add grandchildren also
since we constantly wonder whether they are being brought up properly in
America. अपत्य and गह ृ : of course, house or �ेत् -property, स्वज- all other
relations, द्र�व- money, shares, all of them. Not that we should renounce them.
LKA doesn’t say they are not required or that they are unimportant or that you
neglect them. LKA says give them enough importance. Don’t put your life and
mind into them. Then you will not pursue anything higher. We should remember
that we are all born with our own bunch of प्रारब्ध. In fact, our very birth is
because of the LOK. If you ask भगवान ्, ‘Why did you bring me to the world?
Why did you give me children and grandchildren?’ भगवान ् will give only one

answer- LOK. We each have our own प्रार. The spouse has his own or her own
प्रार. Children also come with their own प्रार. My control over them is not
absolute. I can contribute to their well-being. I can educate them and give them
good instructions. I am only one of the factors influencing their life and future.
There are so many other factors that will influence them. Once they grow up, they
have their own thinking. They go to schools and colleges and get influenced by
their friends. They are given a mobile also. They develop their राग and their द्वे.
We have our plans for their future, and they have their plans and भगवान ्his plans.
Three plans. Our plan, their plan, भगवान ्’s plan –कम.र All these three are going to
interact and their future will be the resultant of all these forces which we can never
know. When I do not know my own future how can I predict the future of my
family members? It is unpredictable, uncontrollable, un-sustainable. We should
what we can do and leave the rest to भगवान ् and their destiny and their choice. If
we do not understand this, we will think we have perfect control over every one of
the family members. When we try to control everyone and we are not able to, we
are shattered. TF, let us be very clear. We will do our best but be prepared for
anything that happens to myself and above all anything that will happen to our
family members. Don’t be over attached. This attitude is called उदासीन:. So
द्र�वणा�दषुउदासी at the same time doing one’s best with love and care but be
ready for any experience that भगवान ् wants one to go through.
समं पश्यन सव�षु अथ� आत्म: इव. Our ultimate पर

ु ुषाथ is आत्म or मो� because all
other things will come and go. The only stable thing is आत्म or भगवान ्. भगवान ् is
available in everyone. TF, don’t get attached to some people only. आत्म:अथ�. अथर
means पर
ु ुषाथ: goal which is भगवान ् or आत्म. सव�षु समं -is present in everyone.
Nobody deserves राग. Nobody deserves द्वे because the same भगवान ् is in
everyone. This may you remember. Continuing,
�वल�णःस्थूलसू�माद्देहादात्मे��तास्व
यथािग्नदार्रुणोदाह्याद्दाहकोऽन्यःप१०.८॥

Follow कमर्यो through values mentioned in the 6th verse. Make sure that I love
my family but don’t develop attachment to them. All these are preparations so that
we can prepare our mind. These values cannot give मो�. What is required is an un-
preoccupied mind I should apply myself to the study of scriptures and enquire into
आत्म, which is my real nature. आत्म�वचा: is the main pursuit called �ानयोग:.
कमर्यो is preparation. उपासन like पज
ू ा, जप, ध्यान are all preparations. None of
them give knowledge or मो�. We have to come to �ानयोग, self-enquiry.
How is self-enquiry done? Certain principles and laws are given by the वेदािन्तक
scriptures and the gurus. We have to apply the law using our बद ु ्�. Scriptural
study is not an emotional pursuit but an intellectual enquiry. Generally, when we
listen to Katha kalakshepam, our experience is that they will tell the story of राम
कृष् अवतार. Even in the भागवतं 10th chapter we listen to the stories of the deities
and we get emotional. Thus, whole Katha kalakshepam means emotion. �ानयोग
is not Katha kalakshepam. It is a clean, intellectual enquiry. We should be
prepared. We should use our intellect.
Self-enquiry has two important principles, foundation stones. The first principle is,
‘I, the experiencer of the world am different from all the objects of the world that I
experience.’ In simple language, the experiencer-subject is different from all the
experienced objects. I experience the wall; I am not the wall. I experience the
chair; I am not the chair. This is where we start वेदान्त. I am the observer,
experiencer, knower different from all the known. The experiencer is called आत्म.
The experienced is called अनात्. This is called आत् अनात्म�ववे:. We will find
the initial steps easy. I am not the world. I am not the river. I am not the mountain.
I am not the light etc. Then the scriptures ask, ‘What about the physical body? We
have never questioned this before. All the time we have been assuming, ‘I’ means
the body and body means ‘I.’ We have been treating the body as ourselves. When
the body is born, we don’t call it the DOB of the body. We always say it is my
DOB. When the body is young, we say, ‘I am young.’ When the body grows old, I
say, ‘I am growing old.’ When body is going to die, we say, ‘I am going to die.’
Thus, we have taken ourselves as the body without making any enquiry. ‘I am the
body. The body is me.’ वेदान्त says don’t take anything for granted based on the

popular experience. Humanity thought the sun goes round the earth for a very long
time. This was the conclusion based on universal experience. We see the sun is
rising, climbing upwards and setting in the west. So, the entire humanity
concluded. A scientist declared that even though it is experiential, it is not a fact.
The Sun doesn’t go round theearth. The earth is going round the sun. The whole
society mocked him, burnt his effigy and even locked him up. Remember, when
certain things are against the universal experience, we find it difficult to accept and
assimilate. वेदान्त shakes our conclusion saying body cannot be you just as the
wall cannot be you. Why is the wall not you? Because it is an object of experience.
Similarly, body also is an object of experience, an object of temporary experience.
In the waking state this body is available. Once I go to the dream state, I don’t use
this body at all. In fact, I use another body. In my dream I am very sure that the
dream body is myself. In fact, the dreamer doesn’t accept his dream as dream. For
him it is a waking state. Not only it is a waking state, he also looks upon his own
dream body as a real waking state body and concludes that he is this body. When
the dream body is hungry, he says, I am hungry even though he has gone to bed
after overeating. TF, on enquiry, we find this body is not only an object of
experience. It is a temporary object only utilised in waking state. For dream I have
another body. Like changing the dress, I change the physical body. TF, body is an
object and also an instrument of transaction. I am someone behind the body. When
this is taught in the beginning of वेदान्त, no student will accept. Out of sympathy
for the guru they will nod their heads but intellect cannot accept. We have to go on,
पनु र�प पनु र�प पनु र�प. We have to go on listening and reflecting. One day we will
know. LKA says स्थूलद ेहाित्वल: -I am different from this gross physical body.
During death also I don’t die. I am only dropping this physical body which is like a
cloth. Do you remember the famous BGA shloka? LKA gives a beautiful example-
वासां�स जीणार्� यथा �वहाय नवा�न गह

ृ ्णा� नरोऽपरा�ण ।
तथा शर�रा�ण �वहाय जीणार्न्यन्य संया�त नवा�न देह� ॥ २२ ॥
When the cloth becomes worn out, we purchase another cloth. Similarly, when the
body is worn out, not useful anymore, has been in the ICU several times and
doctors have found it irreparable we decide to change the cloth and take another
body. I should get conviction that I am not the body. This is the first lesson of
वेदान्त. We will say, ‘I am not the body,’ but to say it from our inner most heart

takes a lot of time. The indication of assimilation is you will be rid of the fear of
death. This is the first progress in वेदान्त. TF LKA says स्थूलद ेहात, �वल�ण:अहं .
What about the mind? That is the next lesson. The mind is still more intimate to me
than the physical body. It is so intimate that even when I drop the physical body, I
don’t drop the mind. Mind continues to survive the physical death of the body and
we carry the mind from birth to birth. The mind also is another intimate medium of
transaction but I am not the mind as mind is also another object of experience. I
experience my own mind. I experience the emotions coming in the mind. How can
I the observer be the observed mind? Not only is it an object of experience, it is
also dropped like the physical body when I go to DSS. I don’t employ the body or
the mind. Do I continue to exist or not in DSS without bodily or without mental
operations? I am existing without transaction in DSS. In waking, I transact. In
dream, I transact. In sleep, I exist but I don’t transact because I have set aside the
mind also. LKA says, mind is an intimate instrument. Use the mind alright but
don’t conclude that you are the mind. The mind is called स� ू मदेह:. We studied all
this TBA. You may wonder why I taught TBA before UGA. That is because in
UGA, LKA uses the word स्थू, स� ू म, etc. We talkedabout 17 instruments
belonging to स�
ू म शर�रं. What are they? पञ् �ानेिन्द्रय पञ् कम�िन्द्रय
पञ्चप्राण: बद ु ्�:. In TBA, we said they are all tools of operation. Operator is
not the tool. I use this screw driver to drive the screw but I am not the screw driver.
Similarly, I am also not the mind. स्थूलद ेहाित्वल:. स� ू मदे हाित्वल�:. �वल�ण:
means different to देह. What is that? आत्म. आत्म is the real I. The real self is
neither the body nor the mind. Who is the real self? ई��तभव�त. ई��त - the
awareness principle, consciousness principle, the सा�ीचैतन्य. As सा�ी, I am aware
of them. They come and go. They change continuously but I remain changelessly.
When the body was youthful, I was aware. I know I was young. When the body
was young, I the consciousness was the same. Now that body has been replaced
दे�हनोऽिस्मन्य देहे कौमारं यौवनं जरा । Body continuously changes but I, the
witness-consciousness principle continues to exist changelessly. TF ई��त means
सा�ीचैतन्य.
How do I know I exist? He says स्वदृ. Existence of आत्म is self-evident as I am.

I don’t require any proof to say I am here. You want a proof for everything in the
world. Is God there? What is the proof? Our own children now ask. Everybody
will ask for the proof of everything. We never ask the proof of one thing. Our own
existence. Our children will not come and ask, “Am I there or not?’ That ‘I’ is the
self-evident consciousness principle. An inert thing will not say ‘I am.’ That self-
evident, self-aware, non-proof requiring consciousness आत्म, I am. This is the
first lesson. That itself will not digest. We will get intellectual diarrhea.
There after we talk about the five features of that consciousness. ‘I’ the
consciousness principle which is different from the BMSC, is not a part of the
body, product of the body or property of the body. I the consciousness is distinct
from the body. I pervade the body and make the inert, material body, inert bundle
of chemistry into biochemistry. The third feature is I am not limited by the
boundaries of the body. I extend beyond the body. In fact, the very word आत्म is
derived from the root आप्, to pervade. आप्नो� व्याप्नो इ�त आत्म. आत्म means
all pervading. The 4th feature of consciousness is that ‘I’ the consciousness, आत्म,
will continue to exist even if the body goes away, even if the mind goes away.
Iwill be there even in महा प्रल when the world may dissolve, time may dissolve,
space may dissolve. I will continue to exist.
What will be my experience at that time when everything resolves and I exist? My
experience will be exactly like DSS where I am there without experiencing
anything or transacting. Srishti comes, I am there. Sthiti comes, I am there. Layam
happens, I am there. I am the eternal, all-pervading, consciousness principle. I am
using so many words and spending so much time, LKA covers in one line. He just
condenses in one line- आत्म ई�त स्वदृ. He gives an example. Fire burns every
object but the burnt object is different from the burning fire. TF, hesays यथा
अिग्:. The fire principle is all-pervading in the form of heat. That fire burns every
object. TF यथा अिग्:दाह्य:. दाह्य - burning fire is, दारु:दाह्यत्- is different
from दार- firewood, दाह्यत् - burnt by the fire. The burning fire is different from
that burnt firewood though fire and firewood are intimately together. You
experience the firewood and the fire separately, distinctly. Similarly, consciousness
and body are intimately together but theyare not one and the same. Theyare
distinct. The light is on my hand. The hand and light are together but hand is
different from the light. Even when the hand is removed the light will continue to
glow. TF अन्: प्रकाश:. The burning and lighting fire is different from the burnt

and illumined firewood. TF, I am not the body is the first lesson of spirituality. We
will continue in the next class.

Page 73 verse 8,
�वल�णःस्थूलसू�माद्देहादात्मे��तास्व
यथािग्नदार्रुणोदाह्याद्दाहकोऽन्यःप१०.८॥
LKA begins his real teaching from the 5th chapter only. In this important chapter,
LKA summarizes the entire Vedic teaching consisting of two stages of spiritual
साधना. The first stage is कमर्योगप्रधा and the second stage is �ानयोगप्रधान.
कमर्यो to purify the mind. This includes all religious exercises like पज
ू ाजपदानं
service etc. Even during कमर्यो we should be exposed to वेदािन्तक teaching,
�ानयोग but it is not given importance. Once the mind gets purified our interest in
�ानयोग increases and we can gradually reduce the time given for कमर्यो and
increase the time given for �ानयोग. That is what LKA has been saying in all these
श्लोक:. From the 8th verse onwards LKA gives us a taste of �ानयोग which
primarily consists of enquiring into our own real nature, आत् �वचार. For self-
enquiry we use two important principles as the foundations. The first principle is,
‘I am a conscious being who is the experiencer of everything. All the experienced
things are objects of experience and I am the subject, a conscious principle who is
the experiencer.’ When we study this process, we discover that, the experiencer is
different from the experiences. This is easy relative to all experiences but difficult
to apply to one’s own body and mind. Deep inquiry will reveal that the body is also
an object of experience. My body is not myself. It is only a temporary medium
through which I experience the world. It is a temporary medium because in the
waking state I use this body to experience this world. Once I am in dream state, I
don’t utilize this body. This is dropped on the bed. For dream experience, I use a
dream body to experience the dream world. Waker’s body and waker’s world are
available in the waking state. Dreamer’s body and dream world are available in the
dream state. Both of them are changeable and also mutually exclusive. In the
waking state, the other two are not available. In the dream state, this body and this
world are not available. TF, justas world is changing, the body medium also is
changing. TF, I am the user of the body not the body itself. LKA very casually
says, स्थूलात �वल�ण:.

Look at the sloka 8- स्थूलात देहाद �वल�ण:आत्म- I, the experiencing
consciousness am different from the gross physical body. Once we have seen this
particular fact, LKA says, extend it to the mind also which is called स� ू म:. स� ू म:
is the subtle medium called mind. The body is called gross medium because it is
tangible. Mind is called the subtle medium because it is not tangible or visible. It is
still a medium I use. With the help of the mind alone, you listen to my words. करणं
means instrument. Body and sense organs are बाह् करण,ं mind is अन्:करण.ं Both
are instruments. I am behind the instruments and the user of the instruments.
During DSS, I drop the body sense organs mind. The moment I drop all the
instruments, I don’t contact the world. Am I there or not? In DSS, the non-
transacting I, continues to exist. That non transacting ‘I’ is the consciousness
principle which is आत्म, my real nature. In waking and dream I use the
instruments and transact; during sleep, I drop the instruments. TF body and mind, I
am not. Initially, it will appear too abstract a topic. You have to keep on listening
to this dozens of times. Perhaps hundreds of times. Gradually, you will feel it is
true. पौनपण ु ्ये श्रव कुयार्त- You have to keep on listening. Through the first
principle I know I am the consciousness principle contacting through BMSC but I
am different from BMSC.
We then have to apply the second important principle of वेदान्त, which is that all
the attributes belonging to the object of experience do not belong to the
experiencer-subject. If I am experiencing the wall and the wall is yellow in colour,
the yellow colour belongs to the experienced world. It doesn’t belong to the
experiencer ‘I.’ Not that I become yellow when I look at the wall. So, experienced
attributes belong to the experienced object never to the experiencer-subject. I am
the conscious principle. If the body is six feet tall, the height belongs to the
observed body and doesn’t belong to the observer I, the आत्म. Height, weight,
complexion, DOB, old age, death all belong to the body. TF, I should learn to
distance myself from the bodily attributes.

ू ।
The same LKA says in the BGA, ‘You are never destroyed at any time.
Indestructible, observer consciousness आत्म you are.’ So, the second principle is,

‘I am free from the limitations belonging to BMSC. I am limit less आत्म.’ So, the
first lesson is, I am the observer आत्म. The second lesson is I am the limit less
observer.
So, body is located in BVM. Mind is hopefully located in BVM. Where am I

located? According to LKA, I am location-less आत्म. The very word आत्म
means यत् आप्नो� तत्आत्म. आप्नो� means that which pervades every where.
All this we saw in the last class. I am just reminding you as it is very important.
LKA gave the example of the fire and firewood to show that the subject is
different from object. Fire burns the firewood. The firewood is the object burnt.
Fire is the burner. The burning fire is different from the burnt firewood. LKA
extends this example- ‘Not only is अिग् a burning principle. It is also an
illumining principle.’ So, the illumining fire is different from the illumined
firewood. Like the light that is pervading all our body, the pervading light is the
illuminator. The body is illumined. The illuminator I light is different from the
illumined or illuminated body. The body has location. Light doesn’t have location.
The light pervades this hall. TF, I pervade the body. I illumine the body. I know
the body. I enliven the body. But I am not the body. हे उद्ध, may you know this.
First, I have to receive the message. I should retain the message and I should
assimilate the message so that I don’t have fear of death. At death, the body ends
but that is not the end of myself. After death I won’t transact through the body
because this body medium is not there but I will continue to transact through one
body or the other. This is the first lesson of वेदान्त. I am not the BMSC.
Continuing,
�नरोधोत्प�यणुबृहन्नानात्वंतत्कृतान्गु
अन्तःप्र�वष्टआध�एवंदेहगुणान१०.९॥
LKA continues with the example of the fire to teach the next lesson of �ानयोग.
According to scriptures fire principle is one of the five elements. आकाश वायु अिग्
जलं and प�ृ थवी. अिग्नतत् is one and all-pervading. Fire originally doesn’t have a
shape of its own. When you strike a match, the fire principle which was not visible
until now becomes manifest. Fire is not produced by striking the match stick.
According to law of science and वेदान्त nothing can be created or destroyed. What

do you mean by creation? It is only manifesting something which was already
there. अिग्नतत् was invisibly present. अव्यक रूपे पव ू � एव आसीत्. That
अव्यक्तअि:, when you strike a match stick becomes manifest in the medium
called match stick. Similarly, one invisible fire can manifest in many mediums.
When you light a lamp, it is one flame but you can multiply the flame by lighting
many wicks. Depending on the number of wicks, onefire appears as many. एकं एव
अनेकदा भा�त. अिग्नयर्थै भव
ु नं प्र�वष रूप रूप प्र�तर बभव
ू । कठोप�नषद. The
teacher says, ‘One अिग् in different mediums like wicks etc. appears as many.’ TF
plurality is seeming due to the medium. The size of the flame also will vary
depending upon the wick. When it is small, it is a small flame. If it is
Tiruvannamalai Deepam on Karthika Poornima, then it is a huge fire which can
be seen from miles away. TF, plurality and different attributes etc. appear for that
one fire. Though fire principle doesn’t have birth and death fire seems to be born
when a wick is lit and die when the oil is exhausted. Thus, birth and death appear
for fire which really doesn’t have birth and death. Similarly, one आत्म, eternal and
all-pervading, appears in many wicks. These wicks are each and every body -mind
complex. Body is like the wick, स� ू म शर�रं is like oil. So many flames are there.
One परमात्म appears as many जीवात्मा:. The आत्म is not born. Only the body-
minds appear and disappear. When they appear the consciousness also seems to be
born and consciousness also seems to die when they die. Consciousness also
appears to be plural. They are all apparent. Really speaking there is only एक:
�नत्: सवर्ग: स्थाण: अचलोयं:सनातन:.
Now, look at this shloka. �नरोधउत्प�. उत्प� means आत्म, the one परमात्म as
many जीवात्मा:, seem to be born and gone. So, उत्प� means birth, �नरोध: means
death. अण-ु ane जीवात्म appears to be अण,ु in the form of a mosquito. बह
ृ त् means
big जीवात्म like an elephant. नानात्व means plurality which also really doesn’t
belong to जीवात्म but to the body only. आत्म is only one परमआत्म. TF नानात्व.
नानात्व means plurality. All of them तत्कृतान गुणान ् –they are all attributes
belonging to the manifesting medium. अ�भव्यन्जकउपा. In वेदान्त the medium is
called अ�भव्यन्जकउपा. उपा�धs are many. उप�हतंआत्म is only एक:. तत्कृतान

गुणान ्अन्तप्र�:. अन्तप्र�: means entering the body or associated with the
body. In the case of अिग् it is wick. In case of आत्म the BMSC is the wick.
अन्तप्र�:आद�े-आत्म seemingly assumes. एवम ् means like अिग्नपर: means
परमआत्म which is एक:, देह गण
ु ान ् -assumes the attributes of the body also. When
the body is born, we say जीवात्म is born but the आत्म is never born. Continuing,
योऽसौगुणै�वर्र�चतोद ेहोऽयंपुरुषस्य
संसारस्तिन्नबन्धोऽयंपुंसो�वद्यािच्छदा१०.१०॥
This आत्म is my own original nature and is nothing but consciousness principle.
BMSC is like the wick, the container and the oil. So, as the manifesting mediums
for the आत्म, what are the body and mind made up of? What is the raw material
with which the body and mind are made? LKA says, अयं पर
ु ुषस देह:. असौ दे ह: -
this body is गुण:ै �वर�चत:- made up of the fundamental material substance called
माया. I request you all to revise माया or the introduction to वेदान्त so that you can
easily grasp these difficult portions. In माया we started ब्रह्मा सत् रजस ्
तमोगुणाित्मक माया अिस्.माया is the most fundamental material substance which
has three गुणा: -सत् रजस ् and तमस ्. These three गुणा: represent three faculties
which we enjoy and through which all life’s activities are possible. सत्व -
representing knowing faculty, रजस ् representing doing faculty, तमस ् representing
resting faculty. What is life? Know, do, rest. Either you know something or you do
something or you rest/doze. Entire life is nothing but KDR. All these three
faculties are in the BMSC because it is made out of three गुणा: of माया. TF, LKA
says गुण:ै �वर�चत:. This BMSC made of three गुणा: with three faculties is a great
blessing because through this alone you can do all activities. Even if I have to
claim I am the great आत्मis possible only when the BMSC is there. आत्म by
itself cannot claim, I am आत्म. Very important. It requires assistance of माया
which is called शिक्: in Soundaryalahiri first line is �शव: शक्त् यक
ु ्: य�द
भव�त शक्: प्रभ�वत.�शव can do anything only if शिक्is there. �शव: is आत्म

which cannot do anything without शिक् called माया or the three गुणा:. The BMSC
is a blessing as long as I use it as an instrument. LKA says, unfortunately, human
beings use the body and mind alright but they mistake it as ‘I.’ Using the pen is
wonderful but if you say, ‘I am the pen’, there is a problem. Once I say ‘I am the
body’, all the limitations of the body will become my limitations and not the
limitations of the body- अपण ू र्त्वंप�रच्: प�रिच्छन इवा �ानात् तन्नाश त�त
केवल:. The moment I identify with body, I become a limited human being subject
to जन् मत्य
ृ जरा व्या�. Limitations means संसार helplessness. Limitation is
mortality. Mortality is insecurity. The fundamental problem with देहा�भमान is a
sense of insecurity. Right from birth we are insecure. The child holds on to the
mother and the mother wants the blessing of Swamiji. Insecurity never goes away
even though I am an adult, have so many degrees, so many possessions, so much
money. In fact, as I grow older, insecurity becomes FEDEREL problem. LKA
says the only way to get out of the insecurity is to get out of देह अ�भमान. The
problem of संसार, expresses in several forms and the most powerful expression is
insecurity or fear. Relationships formed to remove insecurity themselves become
the problem of insecurity due to attachment. The fear is extended further. This is
called संसार.
LKA says संसार: अयम्तिन्नब:.तिन्नबन् means देहअ�भमान�नबन्द. �नबन्द is

caused by bodily identification. अयम्संसा: पंसु :. पंस
ु : means for this जीवात्म.
What is the solution? A mistake occurs due to ignorance which can be removed
only by knowledge. वेद repeatedly says �ानात् एव मो�:. How many methods are
there for getting मो�? According to वेद there is only one method to know I am
different from this mortal body and I am the immortal आत्म. Claim immortal
आत्मandaccept the mortal body as it is. All the other spiritual साधना�न like
कमर्उपासनाजपयो pilgrimage दानम्होमcannot solve the problem. Only self-
enquiry and knowing that I am the immortal आत्म will relieve me from the
problem of insecurity. Other spiritual साधना�न are not meant for solving the
problem but are meant for preparing to come to �ानं. TF, follow all the other
साधना�न, prepare the mind and once the mind is ready come to �ानयोग, which is

consistent and systematic study of वेदािन्तक scriptures for a length of time under
the guidance of a competent आचायर.
So, �वद्याआत्:. आत्म: �वद्य- self-knowledge alone is �छद. �वद्या�छ, split as

two words �वद्य is �छद. �छद means destroyer िच्छन्न इ�त �छद नाशकं इत्यथ:.
Destroyer of संसार which is nothing but आत्म: �वद्य. Self-knowledge is the only
destroyer of संसार. TF, you should start now itself. Start exposing. Initially, you
sympathize with poor swami. Doesn’t matter. You keep on listening, gradually it
will become clearer. You will say Swamiji is teaching better now. So,
आत्म:�वद्या�छद्भव संसारस् ना�शका भव�त. Continuing,
तस्मािज्ज�ासयात्मानमात्मस्थंकेवलं
सङ्गम्य�नरसेदेतद्वस्तुबुद्�धंयथा१०.११॥
All very important श्लोक:. LKA is advising all spiritualseekers to develop desire
for scriptural study. People practice all kinds of spiritual साधना�न but one thing
people do not do is consistent and systematic study of scriptures. Somehow people
think it is nothing but an intellectual exercise or they say it is one of the methods
suited only for those who like �ानयोग. I like भिक्तयो. I will do that only. Why
should I study scriptures? Another person loves कमर्यो and he says, I will do
service. Another will say, ‘I will do नाम संक�तर्न,’ कलौ कल्म �च�ानां. LKA
clearly says none of them can give मो�. They all can only purify the mind. You
should develop a desire for systematic scriptural study which LKA calls िज�ासा.
अथातो ब्र िज�ासा. In the BGA he says आथ� िजग्नासुरा�थ. िज�ासा means we
should love scriptural study.
िज�ासया -by developing desire to study the scriptures, आत्मानंपर म केवलं -you
should know सङ्गम is there insecond line सम्यक्�ात, you should repeatedly
study and come to know आत्म as my own self who is aware of my own body, my
own mind, my own thoughts and my own emotions. That aware-conscious I am

इ�त सङ्गम-सम्यक्�ात. What type of आत्म? केवलं there are not many आत्मs.
There are many bodies but आत्म is one and the same in all the bodies. आत्म is in
your body, in my body and inbetween the body also. Just as अिग् तत्व is in the
first wick, second wick and also in between. When you strike a matchstick अिग्
तत्व will manifest in between. Similarly, आत्म is all-pervading; manifest in the
body and the all-pervading principle परम ् केवलं आत्मान. आत्मस् –आत्म means
शर�रं . आत्मस् means शर�रस्थ आत्मान सङ्गम. Where is the आत्मस् obtained?
In every body including our BMSC.
Then, LKA throws a bomb shell. Not only should you know that the BMSC is a
temporary instrument, it is a product of three गुणा: belonging to माया. TF, BMSC
is माया product. Whatever is माया is a magical appearance. Really speaking and
upon enquiry, it is not there. Just like a dream world, it appears and when you
wake up it disappears. Similarly, this world also appears and upon enquiry it will
be माया. वस्त बदु ्�ध त्यजेत- don’t take this BMSC as absolutely real. After death it
will be reduced to a handful of ashes only. We do all these things to the body,
spending so much of money in parlours. How can you take this body as solid
reality? Drop the idea that body is सत्य. वस्त बदु ्�ध means सत्यत भावानां.सत्यत
अध्यास �नरसेत्- you should drop. अहं सत्यजगिन्मथ् is the ultimate teaching. यथा
क्र means gradually one by one you should understand that everything other than
आत्म is �मथ्य. More in the next class.

Page 74, verse 11-
तस्मािज्ज�ासयात्मानमात्मस्थंकेवलं
सङ्गम्य�नरसेदेतद्वस्तुबुद्�धंयथा१०.११॥
We have to intensely be aware of this संसार problem and have an intense desire to
solve it. We should know कमर्यो will never solve the problem and that �ानयोग
alone can do it. So, we should develop a desire for �ानयोग and seriously pursue.
अथातोब्रह्मिज�. LKA indicated this in verse 11 which we saw in the last class-
तस्माित्ज�ा. Here, the contextual meaning of िज�ासा is, enquiry done with an
intention to know my real nature. According to scriptures, the notion that I am a
mortal individual is based on self-ignorance. If only we really enquire into our
nature with the help of scriptures and गुर, we will be able to awaken like a dreamer
waking up from dream. When the dreamer wakes up from his dream, he
understands himself to be someone totally different from what he thought himself
to be in the dream. He discovers he is not a creature within dream but he is the very
creator of the dream. Creature to creator is not an ordinary transformation. With
the intention to bring about such a transformation, िज�ासय, one should enter into
an enquiry with the help of गुर and शास्त. गुर and शास्त are mutually dependent for
validity. गुर may not use the scriptures directly for teaching but it should be based
on शास्. िज�ासय आत्मान केवलं परं सङ्गम. Just as the dreamer awakens into his
waker nature, we have to get a second level of awakening. That super waker is
called the आत्म which is neither the body nor the mind but the consciousness
principle which is enshrined into the BMSC. केवलं परं चैतन् सवरूप आत्मान.
सङ्गम- means सम्यक �ात्व which requires consistent, systematic study of
scriptures for a length of time under a competent आचायर. I should also regularly
ask my intellect if I am convinced of this message. I should not simply nod my
head out of sympathy for the teacher. I should ask myself whether I am convinced
that I am not the body-mind but the सा�ी चैतन्य which is aware of the BMSC.

Among the five capsules of वेदान्त, the 3rd one is- I am the consciousness principle
who give life to the material body by my mere presence. Through the material
body, I experience the material universe. When the body goes ‘I’ the चैतन्यतत्
will continue to survive. I should receive and be convinced of this knowledge.
Having awakened to my higher nature, I should learn to look at the universe from a
different attitude. This universe, which is available in the waking state, is only
relative reality, not the absolute reality. Relative reality is defined as that which is
available only conditionally. The condition being I should be in the waking state.
The waker’s universe is available only when I am in the waking state. It has
experience-ability and is transactable in the waking state. All these are there only
under one condition- when I am a waker. This is called conditional reality. In
वेदान्त it is called �मथ्य. Conditional reality, empirical reality, functional reality is
called �मथ्य. This is exactly like the example वेदान्त gives -just as the dream
world is also a conditional reality so also is this waking world. Dream world has a
conditional reality. It is real so long as I am a dreamer. It becomes experienceable,
tangible and transactable. In dream you can count the 200 Rupee note taken from
dream ATM. You go to a shop and purchase things. When you have dream fever
you need dream Crocin. In fact, dream Crocin alone will remove the dream fever.
TF, dream world is real. Never say it is unreal. Dream world is real but it is a
conditional reality. It is called �मथ्य. वेदान्त says स्वप प्रप and जाग्रत्प
both are equally �मथ्य. Both have conditional reality with ETU in their respective
states. Both do not have absolute reality. In Sanskrit, absolute reality is called वस्त.
Normally we use the word सत्य पारमा�थ्
र क etc. Another word used in शास् is वस्त.
Whatever is relatively real is called अवस्त. वस्त and अवस्त. जाग्रत्प is अवस्त.
स्वप प्रप is अवस्त. अवस्त doesn’t mean unreal, it means conditionally real. If
both of them are अवस्त or �मथ्य, then what is वस्त? The absolute reality?
In the vision of वेदान्त, आत्मान केवलं परं. The केवल पर आत्म, the चैतन्य, the
consciousness principle alone is सत्य. That alone lends existence to स्वप प्रप
when I am in स्वप. The same consciousness alone lends existence to जाग्रत्प.
The waker’s universe borrows existence from the आत्म when I am awake.
Dreamer’s universe borrows existence from आत्म when I am in a dream. Thus,

one आत्म alone lends existence to the entire universe in each state of experience.
Very profound verse. Having understood आत्म as absolute reality, may you
understand the universe is not absolutely real. It is exactly like स्वप. Not only is
the universe �मथ्य. The body also is only real in a waking state. The dreamer’s
body is real in dream but not real in waking. Waker’s body is also real in waking
but not useful when we are in sleep. This body is not useful when we are in dream.
In dream we have to use another body. Similarly, if you go to heavens, this body is
not useful. You require a heavenly body which is real when you are in heaven.
Thus, all these bodies, all the minds and all the universes are conditionally real, not
absolute. TF,LKA says, वस्त बद ु ्�ध त्यजेत- may you renounce your notion that this
world is absolutely real. Drop the notion. Continuing,
आचाय�ऽर�णराद्यःस्यादन्तेवास्यु�रार
तत्सन्धानंप्रवचनं�वद्यासिन्धःसु१०.१२॥
This spiritual education program between the गुर and �शष् is presented with a
particular example here. Spiritual education program means consistent teaching on
the part of the teacher and consistent listening or exposure on the part of the
student. Consistency includes continuity and remembering the previous portion
done. So many concepts are introduced. What is absolute reality? What is relative
reality? What is स� ू म शर�रं, स्थू शर�रं? So many concepts are introduced. That is
why I use the word class, not discourse. It is like any physics, chemistry or
mathematics course. If you join a college in the middle of a program, you can’t
understand and will need extra sessions to catch up. A student of वेदान्त should
not only grasp the concept but should remember the concept over which the later
teachings are built. A crash course will crash within a week. The example given
here is the form of generating fire for performing a fire ritual as per Vedic
injunctions. A fire has to be kindled for performing the ritual. The kindling is also
a ritual. It is a sacred fire and depending upon the type of yaga मन्तs are used
appropriately for kindling the fire. There are two methods of kindling the sacred
fire. One method is using a magnifying glass and sunlight to kindle firewood
because सयर ू : is sacred. We cannot use lighters and such. The second method is
since fire is supposed to be all-pervading principle and is present everywhere
especially in the fire wood, they take two blocks of that firewood, one is called

lower अरणी- अधर अरणी kept on the ground stationary with a hole or a scoop in
the middle like the grinder. There is another wooden rod which is tied to a rope
like churning the curds for butter. As it is churned, due to friction between the
lower अरणी and the upper अरणी, the scoop connected by the rod, fire sparks.
Cotton or any dry material is used to capture this spark and gradually tended to
usein the होमकुण्, which is also prepared with lot of मन्त:. There are many rules.
शास् prescribes the fire wood to be used. Lower one is supposed to be of अश्व
व�
ृ the peepul tree and the upper one is supposed to be of श�म व�
ृ . श�म is called
अिग्नगभ: which means it carries अिग् in its womb. This churning fire is called
अिग्नमथ �क्र or अिग्नमन् �क्र.
आचायर:अरणी: आद्यस्या. आचायर: is the first अरणी, the lower block made up of
अश्व. स्यात-अन्तेवा� - a resident student in गुर कुलम ् who lives with the गुर all
the time. So, not only do we learn from the आचायर’s precept, we also learn from
आचायर’s way of life. �शष् who lives with the गुर within गुरुकुल म is called
अन्तेवा�. This अन्तेवा� is उ�रअरणी: - the upper अरणी, the dry block of wood
ready to catch fire. What is the dryness of the student? �ववेक वैराग्य. If the
qualifications are not there, �शष् is wet firewood. The student must be dry with
वैराग्य. TF, अन्तेवा� उ�रअरणी:.
The churning happens with the rope of शास् where the teacher will churn the head
of the student. He has to think when he listens because this is not a story but a
teaching. TF, तत्सन्धा- the churning process with the rope of the शास्. शास् is
the rope. The churning is प्रवच.
आचायर् पवर्
ू रूप ॥ २ ॥
अन्तेवास्यु�ररू । �वद्य सिन्ध ।
प्रवच सन्धान म. तै�तर�य उप�नष द्श�ावल्ल is used here.

प्रवच सन्धान. प्रवच means consistent and systematic teaching process. सिन्:
literally means the junction. The fire produced in the junction from प्रवच. This
�ान अिग्: thus lit up, is capable of burning down all our कमार्� and संसार,
illumines the absolute reality. �वद्य- fire of knowledge is सिन्: is the like the fire
happening in the junction between two अरणीs. What is the glory of fire of
knowledge? सख
ु ावहः -I am happy. The fear of संसार, the fear of mortality, the fear
of old age and the fear of others’ mortality all disappear. अभयं प्र�तष् �वन्दत
|आनन्द ब्रह् �वद्वान न �भभेत कुतश्चने�. I am ready for any events in my life.
Imagine what a relaxation! Once fear disappears, we will be relaxed, सख
ु ावहः, this
is �ानयोग:. Continuing,
वैशारद�सा�त�वशद
ु ्धबुद्�धधुर्नो�तमायांगुणसम्प्रस
गण
ु ांश्चसन्दह्ययदात्ममेतत्स्वयंचशाम्यत्यस�मद१०.१३॥
Here, the glory of this fantastic आत्म�ान is talked about. साबद

ु ्�: अ�त
�वशद
ु ्धात.बद
ु ्�: means आत्म�ान, awakening to the super-waker nature of mine.
The super-waker nature is ‘I am the आत्म who is स्थू स�
ू म कारण
शर�रात्व्य�त�र: पञ्चको �वल�ण: अवस्थ त् सा�ी’-TBA. So, the super-waker
I, is I the सिच्चदानन आत्म. This आत्मा�ान is अ�त �वशद
ु ्:, very clear without
any doubt and any habitual bodily identification. शाबद
ु ्�: अ�त �वशद
ु ्धसंश
�वपयर् र�हतं �ानं. It will be clear, doubtless and convincing knowledge only
under one condition. That is, the teacher also must be an expert communicator and
the student must be an expert receiver. It is called �वशारतगर ु :. �वशारत - expert.
When �वशारतगर
ु : and �वशारत�शष् are here, what transpires is ideal
communication. The result is ideal liberating knowledge. That is called अ�त
�वशद
ु ्बद
ु ्�:. धन
ु ो�तमायां - this knowledge will completely eliminate माया. Here
माया means confusion or delusion with regard to the जाग्रत्प- this universe,
स्वप्नप्- the dream universe, जाग्रत्शर -waker’s body, स्वप्नशर� -dreamers

body, जाग्रत: -waker’s mind, स्वप्न: - dreamer’s mind. These six items are
not absolute reality. We need not say it is unreal. We will change the word to
relative reality. Both waker’s body mind universe, dreamer’s body mind universe
are available in the respective states. Who gives existence to both? When I enter
the dream, I lend existence to dream body, dream mind and dream universe. The
moment I wake up, not the miserable 80 kg. ‘I’ but ‘I’ the चैतन्य. By entering
स्वप प्रप, I lend existence to body mind universe. In the waking state, I lend
existence to waker’s body mind universe. When I go to sleep, I withdraw the
existence from all the six items. I am अद्वै चैतन्य. I create duality, I lend
existence to duality and I withdraw the duality. Every night, when I go to sleep,
that अद्वै चैतन्य I alone am सत्य. If I look upon any one of the six-
शर�रमनप्रप of स्वप, शर�रमनप्रप of जाग्र, I should understand they are
�मथ्य. Never take them to be सत्य or वस्त. Use them, live along with them but
never take them to be absolutely real. They are relatively real but not absolute. The
Sanskrit words for relative reality are �मथ्य or अवस्त andसत्य or वस्त for
absolute reality. TF, धन
ु ो�तमायां. माया here means delusion, my delusion.
गुणसम्प्रसूत- which is caused by the three गुणा: of माया, especially the तमोगुण
of माया whose job it is to make me forget who I am and what this world is. I forget
both. Don’t we experience that in dream? I project a dream world and enter that
dream world. I project a dream world with my �नद्राशि:. I have �व�ेपशिक्:
where I can create a dream world with dream mountains, dream mall and dream
shopping also. I enter the dream world. That is also wonderful. What is the terrible
thing? The moment I enter the dream, I forget that the dream is my projection. I
look upon the dream as though it is a vast universe and I look upon myself as a
puny little individual. I forget the status of the world as a dream and I forget my
status also. This job is the job of �नद् शिक्:. वेदान्त says, similarly, there is
another शिक् called माया शिक्: which belongs to the real me. Who is the real
me? आत्म. I the real me, आत्म has माया शिक्:. What do I do with the माया
शिक्? I create the universe, I enter the universe and the moment I enter, I forget
two things. One, that the world is projected by me and that I am the projector
आत्म. I get caught up in the world

बालस्तावत्क्र�ड: तरुणस्ताव�र सक्: |
वद
ृ ्धस्ताविच्च सक्: परमे ब्रह् कोऽ�प न सक्:.
I disown my own real nature and suffer. All these things will end the moment I
wake up. गण
ु सम्प्रसूत. Here especially तमोगण ु सम्प्रसूताम्म self-forgetfulness.
धन
ु ो�त- I wipe out. गण
ु ांश्चसन्द not only I understand the products of माया as
�मथ्य.
Don’t take �मथ्य as unreal. Understand �मथ्य as relatively real. It has reality in its
own plane. Understand माया also comes under �मथ्य. It is not absolute. TF,
गुणांश्चसन्द -this �ानं will burn down because �ानं is compared to fire. In the
previous shloka, it was compared to fire. The �ानं fire burns down माया. Burning
माया is like roasting the seed because माया is the seed of creation. Roasted seed is
an example given in scriptures very often. Roasted seed is tasty but it will never
germinate into a plant. If you sow or plant roasted seeds and pour any amount of
water nothing will come. For a �ानी माया continues to exist but is like a roasted
seed. It will not cause any more delusion. The product of माया is delusion. It will
never cause delusion in a �ानी. He will live in the world, look at the world all the
while fully conscious that it is all माया. For him it is like entering the dream with
the knowledge that it is dream. Imagine you enter the dream with the knowledge it
is dream which I have projected. You won’t mind anything that happens. Suppose
a thief comes and takes all your money. ‘Oh, very nice.’ We are very relaxed. If we
are जीवन्मुक्:, when we watch the movie we may even get involved and shed
some tears. We enjoy shedding those tears. We can easily wake up, wipe off those
tears and congratulate the actor on acting well. A �ानी can live in the world and go
through all the events without getting bound by the events. That is said here.
गुणांश् सन्दह. गुणा here means three गुणा: of माया rendering the mind
effective, incapable of binding me but allowing me to enjoy the glory of माया.
What is the glory of माया? Availability of the world is the glory of माया. I enjoy
the positive glory of माया but I am not affected by the negative binding nature of

माया. सन्दह्ययदात्मत् - these three गुणा: of माया alone is appearing as this
universe.
यदात्ममेत् �वश्व स्वय च शाम्य�. Knowledge is called knowledge only until it

destroys ignorance. Once ignorance is destroyed knowledge is not called
knowledge. स्वय च शाम्य� -knowledge also stops being knowledge. It is available
permanently but we don’t call it knowledge. I will give an example. I have five
sense organs called �ानेिन्द्रय which give me knowledge. Suppose, I have some
milk for drinking but I don’t know whether milk has sugar or now. To find out, I
use my �ानेिन्द्रय. The moment I sip, �ानेिन्द्रय give me the knowledge that
there is sugar and my ignorance is gone. The second time I sip the same milk, the
same tongue gives me the state but the tongue cannot be called �ानेिन्द्रय now
because it is no longer functioning to remove the ignorance. With the very first sip,
ignorance was gone. �ानेिन्द्र is called �ानेिन्द्र only when it removes
ignorance. In the second sip �ानेिन्द्र is only भोगेिन्द्. I enjoy the sweet milk.
Just as no more �ानं was generated in the second sip, for a �ानी, once self-
ignorance has gone, no further �ानं generated. Even scriptures cannot generate
knowledge because ignorance has already gone. TF, knowledge will be there until
the removal of ignorance. Once ignorance is gone, �ानी has neither knowledge nor
ignorance. स्वय च शाम्य�. The example of the powder used to remove the dust
particles from water, कथक रे णु is given. When you add the powder to water with a
lot of suspended particles, it absorbs all those particles and the powder also goes
down. The supinated liquid is separate from both the particles and the powder.
Similarly, a �ानी transcends both �ानं and अ�ान.ं TF स्वय च शाम्य�. अस�मत
अिग्:यथा- like the fire which naturally dies down when the fuel has been burnt.
When the firewood has been exhausted, the fire also dies down. For �ानं, the fuel
is अ�ानं. Once the अ�ानं fuel has been burnt down, the �ानं fire also ends by
itself. There is only one आत्म which is free from both �ानं as well as अ�ान,ं
यथाअिग्:. Another profound verse. When we read अवधत ू गीता it was light.
Suddenly, LKA enters into a profundity not even found in BGA. UGA in certain
portions is very deep and you have to reflect for days together.

Page 75 Verse 13-
वैशारद�सा�त�वशद
ु ्धबुद् धुर्नो�तमायांगुणसम्प्रसूताम्गुणांश्
यदात्ममेतत्स्वयंचशाम्यत्यस�मद्यथ१०.१३॥
In the last class, we saw वैशारद�सा अ�त�वशद

ु ्धबुद्:.That clear आत्म�ान which is
free from all doubts as well as the habitual जीवभाव is called अ�त�वशद ु ्धबुद्. I
am not a small entity in creation. On the other hand, the whole universe is a small
entity in me who is infinite. This conviction is called अ�त�वशद
ु ्धबुद्: We have to
remove the present conviction that I am a mortal individual consisting of the
BMSC, when actually I am the immortal, all-pervading आत्म, in which the entire
universe appears and disappears justas the dream rises and resolves in me. This
conviction is generated only when both the गुर and �शष्य are equally qualified.
वैशारद� means �वशारदगुर: �वशारद�शष्य. �वशारद: means expert. गुर is �वशारद: and
गुर requires two qualifications -श्रो� and ब्रह्म�न. �शष्य requires four
qualifications- �ववेक वैराग्य षट् संप�� and मम
ु �
ु ुत्व. When श्रो�ब्र �नष्ठगुर
and साधन चतुष्ट संपन् �शष् interact for a length of time what is generated is
clear knowledge. What will that do? It will remove ignorance and ignorance-
caused delusion also- धन
ु ो�त मायां. माया means delusion caused by गुणसम्प्रसूत.
गण
ु means the सत्वरजस and तमोगण
ु of माया which alone expresses in the form of
a pluralistic universe. गण ु सम्प्रसूत मायाम ्. Because I experience plurality, I
conclude there is plurality. Just as a person in a dream never understand the
plurality in the dream as a dream and his own mental projection. He gives reality to
the plurality as long as he continues in the dream. Similarly, an अ�ानी also
concludes that there is plurality since he experiences plurality. वेदान्त says,
experience is not the proof of reality. You experience a blue sky but we know there
is no such thing called blue sky. We experience a flat earth. We know earth is not
flat. We experience blue waters in the ocean. Go to the ocean and scoop that water
in your hand. There is no blue water. We think experience proves reality. वेदान्त

says experience is not the proof. Shankaracharya gives an in अपरो�ानभ ु �ू त to
show that experience need not be real. We experience a small star but we know
that little star is not little; but we clearly experience it. TF, the delusion that there
is plurality because I experience it is removed. TF world plurality is negated.
गुणांश्चसन्द- the plurality in the form of three गुणs, सत् रजस ् and तमस ् are
also burnt down. Knowledge is compared to fire which burns down these three
गुणs also. It burns down the world of plurality also. What do you mean by burning
down? Don’t take it literally. Burning down means understanding that the plurality
is नाम and रू, name and form. The substance, the ultimate reality is only one.
Ornaments are many but on enquiry we understand that the plurality of ornaments
is only plurality of नाम and रू. The substance behind plurality is one gold only.
The essence behind pluralistic furniture is nothing but one wood only. Similarly,
behind the pluralistic नामरू, pluralistic universe, the substance is only one. The
essence is one आत्माचैतन्यतत. In that one चैतन् all these are नाम and रू only.
You say there is a hall but on enquiry, there is no such thing as hall but only walls.
Other than the wall there is no hall. You enquire into the wall. Wall is nothing but
bricks arranged in a particular form. Dismantle the bricks and there is now all. If
you analyse bricks, it will become molecules, dust particles, atoms etc. The whole
world will get reduced to something else.
What is that ultimate substance is what वेदान्त is talking about? That substance is
ब्रह्. That ब्रह् is आत्म, that आत्म is consciousness. You don’t see the
consciousness. You understand the consciousness is the observer, never the
observed. Thus, I alone am the ultimate reality. When I say, I, it is not the body,
not the mind, not the thought but सा�ी चैतन्य. So, I, and नाम रू are the only two
things. स्वयं शाम्य� once this knowledge has negated the world, once the
knowledge removes ignorance, knowledge also doesn’t exist as knowledge.
Knowledge also resolves. The fire continues to burn only as long as fuel is there.
Once the oil is exhausted the fire also dies out. Similarly, neither अ�ानं nor �ानं
are left. There is only one चैतन् left. LKA presents thus profound वेदान्त in these
important 13 shlokas. Continuing,

अथैषांकमर्कतॄर्णांभोक्तॄणांसखदुःखय
ु
नानात्वमथ�नत्यत्वंलोककालागमात् मन१०.१४॥
मन्यसेसवर्भावानांसंस्थाह्यौत्प��क�यथात �दाकृ�तभेदेनजायते�भद्यत१०.१५॥
LKA wants to say that this आत्म�ान alone will remove संसार, the problem of
insecurity caused by individuality. As long as I am an individual, mortal living
being, there will always be insecurity caused by fear of old age, disease and death
because as a individual I can never avoid these things. All these are powerful
expressions of संसार. This insecurity begins at birth, continues throughout our
adulthood and grows as we grow old. The problem of insecurity, which is an
expression of संसार will never go away. To avoid this insecurity, I hold on to
people. Then, the fear is whether the people will be there with me all the time?
Now I am no more worried about my insecurity but worried about their insecurity.
LKA says only �ानं can solve the problem. All the other methods may give
temporary relief but none of them will give permanent relief like applying
Amrutanjana during cold. Creates a counter irritant so it makes you forget the
irritation of the cold. Once that effect is gone, your cold will come back. LKA says
आत्म�ान is the only solution. तमेवं �वद्वान अमत ृ इह भव�त. न अन् पन्थ अयनाय
�वद्यत. There is no alternative solution. There are several schools of philosophy
which suggests various alternative methods.
LKA takes up a sample school of philosophy called पवर्मीम

ू ांसकमत म. पवर्मीम
ू ांस
is a school of philosophy based वेदपवर
ू भाग which doesn’t accept वेदअन्. They say
वेदान्त, वेदान्ता�ान are not required. They have created a philosophy of their own
based on वेदपवर
ू भाग. It is a peculiar philosophy. They accept वेद but don’t accept
भगवान ्.
Is there a God? They will say, भगवान ् is not there and भगवान ् is not required. If
we introduce भगवान ्, they ask, ‘Why do you introduce a भगवान ् unnecessarily?’
They talk almost like modern rationalists.

If you say भगवान ् is required to create the world because we have not created the
world, we are all merely born in the world, they say, ‘Who said the world is
created? World is eternally there. It has never been created; that the world is
created is your confusion.’ TF, भगवान ् is not required to create this world.
What about वेद? Don’t you accept वेद has been given by भगवान ्? नारायणं
पद्ह्मभु विश्सठ , we talk about Adi guru, who has given Vedic tradition.
पवर्मीम
ू ांस says, ‘Who says भगवान ् gave the वेद? वेद is eternal. World is also
eternal. TF, we don’t require भगवान ्.’
Do you accept Vedic rituals? ‘Yes, we accept अिग्नहो,त all other यागा: and य�ा:
are very important.’
If you perform rituals, then you require कम्

र फल म. Don’t you require a भगवान ् to
give the कमर्फल म to, because भगवान ् is called कमर्फ़ दाता? ‘Not required. The
कमर will produce the फलम ्, just as when I plant a seed it will automatically grow
into a plant. Why do you require a भगवान ् to grow the plant? Not required. Just as
everything in the natural creation happens by itself according to LOK, similarly all
the यागा: and य�ा: will produce the कम् र फल म. कमर produces the फलम ्. You don’t
require भगवान ्.’
So, भगवान ् is not required for creating the world. भगवान ् is not required for giving
the वेद. भगवान ् is not required for कम् र फल म. TF, भगवान ् doesn’t have any job at
all. Even if you introduce, he will be unemployed.
मीमांसकमतम ् have a few theories that LKA is quoting here in verses 14 and 15.
LKA says, ‘If this your philosophy, you are never going to get out of संसार as in
your philosophy no मो� will be possible. You say, भगवान ् is redundant. I will say
your philosophy is also redundant.’ That is going to be our discussion.

अथ on the other hand, if you are going to follow the मीमांसक philosophy and you
are going to assume these principles of पवर
ू मीमांसक, एषांकम्
र कतॄर्ण नानात्व. Their
principle is that there are many जीवात्मा:. पवर
ू मीमांसक says आत् are many. We
say, आत् एक: even though bodies are many, minds are many.’ Not only आत्s
are many; they are कतार and भोक्त. एषांकम्
र कतॄर्ण. The कतार्जीवात्म: are many-
नानात्व. भोक्तॄणा -not only they are कतारs, doers of action, every कतार will later
become a भोक्त. There are so many जीवात्मा: who are also भोक्तs, reapers or
experiencers of the कमर्फल. What is कम्
र फल? सख
ु द:ु खयो in the form of
pleasurable and painful experiences. They are all plural. �नत्यत्- all the कतार्भोक्
जीवात्मा: are �नत्य, they are eternally there. जीवात्मा: are also लोक काल आगम
आत्मना. लोक - all the 14 लोका:. पवर
ू मीमांसक accept different लोका: like भल
ू ोक
भव
ु ल�क सव
ु ल�क,(six upper लोका: and seven lower लोका:) because he accepts
वेदप्रमा. The लोका: are also eternal. भगवान ् doesn’t create the 14 लोका:. So,
काल, the time principle is also eternally there, आगम means वेद is also eternally
there, आत्मना- the जीवात्मा: also are eternally there. मन्यत – suppose you think
in this particular manner. Not only that सवर्भावानाऔत्प�: संस्थ- all these
जीवात्मा: are continuously existent in the form of a flow. That is, the जीवात्म
will continue for some time having a particular body. Then, जीवात्म will drop that
body and take up another body like removing our clothes and taking new clothes.
जीवात्म will keep on taking a body and shedding the body but will continuously
exist in different bodies. औत्प�:संस्थ means continuous existence, not in the
same form but in different forms. औत्प�: संस्थ is a technical word which means
प्रवाहरू अवस्थाना. प्रवाहर means like the river continuously flowing. The same
water is not there but the river continues. So, we keep on changing our वेषं but we
permanently exist. औत्प�: संस्थ. सवर्भावाना means सवर जीवानां जीवात्मना. तत
आकृ�त भेदेन. Now we have human form. In the next जन् it may be देव form, इन्
form, वरु form, buffalo form, mosquito form, octopus form etc. त�दाकृ�तभेदे न -

in different forms, जायतेजीवा: -are born. Just as things born and gone in our mind,
the corresponding knowledge also is also born and gone. Externally, the world is
continuously born and gone. Internally, the relevant experiences also are born and
gone. In our own life we have seen several people disappearing. I have been
teaching for 40 years and many of my students have gone and many are going.
New students are coming. TF, the world changes. In keeping with the change of
the world, our experiences also change. धी: means �ानं or अनभव ु :. The external
world of objects and the internal world of experiences also are changing but they
are continuously there. That is प्रवाह�नत inside also. जायते�भद्यत च धी:. This is
what is life. If this your understanding of life, you are permanently booked. You
will never get relief from संसार. LKA explains how this philosophy will keep us
permanently trapped in संसार, inescapably. That is being said here. Up to this is पवर
ू
मीमांसकमतम ्. In the following verses LKA says liberation is never possible in this
philosophy. Why? We will read.
Verse 16-
एवमप्यङ्गसव�षांदे�हनांदेहयोगत
कालावयवतःसिन्तभावाजन्मादयोऽसकृत१०.१६॥
What is the first problem? As long as I am a जीवात्म associated with this body I
cannot avoid the changes in the body.
दे�हनोऽिस्मन्य देहे कौमारं यौवनं जरा ।

तथा दे हान्तरप्रािप्तध� न मह
ु ्य� ॥ १३ ॥
Youth, middle age, old age and all its related issues. The very thought is
frightening and ultimately death in which I have to separate from all dear and near
ones. LKA said in the 13th chapter, जन् मत्यृ जरा व्या� द:ु ख दोष अनद ु शर्न. LKA
says एवं अ�प -even if you hold on to this philosophy that you are an individual
human being, सव�षां दे �हनां -for all the embodied जीवात्म, देह योगत: because of
the embodiment and the consequent association with the body, भावा: सिन् - there

are six stages called षड भाव �वकार which we saw in त�वबोध. अिस् जायते वधर्त
�वप�रणमते अप�ीयते �वनश्य� इ�त षड �वकारवत एतत् स्थू शर�रं. Here, भाव:
means षड �वकार. They are जन्मआद:जन्, growth, decay, disease, death etc. It is
not that we die one time. We are going to have पन
ु र�प जननंपन
ु र�प मरणं. पन
ु र�प
जननंपन
ु र�प मरणं.असकृत् means the repeated cycle is going to go on and on. TF,
असकृत्, caused by काल आवयवत: the continuous movement of different scales of
time. काल आवयmeans different scales of time. For example, 60 seconds is one
काल आवय. 60 minutes make one hour, 24 hours make one day, seven days make
one week, one ऋत,ु then one अयनं, thereafter one वषर etc. Each one is काल
आवयवा: which is continuously moving, which you can never stop. Suppose you
stop the watch, will the time come to a standstill? Due to काल आवयवा, जन्माद:
भाव: all the�वकारा: at micro and macro levels, असकृत्िन् -you cannot avoid
which is सस
ं ार and the fundamental cause of insecurity. Continuing,
अत्रा�पकमर्णांकतुर्रस्वातन्�यंच
भोक्तुश्चदुःखसुखयोःकोन्वथ��ववशंभजे१०.१७॥
Due to the fact that you are an individual जीवात्म associated withthe body, there is
the fundamental संसार in the form of ageing etc. which continuously causes
insecurity.In spite of all our efforts to dye our hair and cover our wrinkles, our
looks will go away. We dye and then we die. So many things we do desperately to
preserve our looks. Why can’t we accept our body as it is? That requires आत्म�ान.
Next one the पवर्मीम

ू ांस said is that we have free will and TF we are कतार. We can
do lot of कमार to determine our future because through कमार we can decide
कमर्फल म and improve our future. According to पवर्मीम
ू ांस we can do a lot of
वै�दककमार्�. LKA counters, ‘No doubt you are कतार and have freewill but that
freewill is heavily constrained and controlled by certain intrinsic limitations at the
body level. There is intrinsic देश प�रच्छे कालप�रच्छे. So many limitations are

there because of प्रारब्धक. As a कतार I may think I have freedom but that freedom
is heavily curtailed and I am not able to do many things. कतार is not स्वतन: totally
free.’ कमर्णांकतु अस्वातन्�यल�यते -there is not total freedom. We don’t say
freewill is not there. We say freewill has lot of limitations. Even as a भोक्त I
cannot decide what all experiences should come today. I cannot dictate that today
must go like this. There should not be any traffic jam. Experiences never happen
according to our order. They are determined by so many factors including the
invisible पणु ् पापप्रार. TF, द:ु ख सख
ु ायो: भोक्त च- the experiencer also doesn’t
have freedom. We do not know when pleasure is going to come. We do not know
when pain is going to come. TF, when this human जीवात्म is absolutely helpless
as a कतार, he has several limitations as a भोक्त and as �ाता - a knower. As a
कतार्भोक्ताप्र I am not स्वतन:. I am a संसार�. कोन्वथ -when the human being
is a such a helpless person how can he hope to fulfill all his पर
ु ुशाथार्? What goals
can he achieve as a helpless individual? They give the example of a snake which
has caught a frog. The snake is slowly swallowing the frog and the frog is
swallowing a fly and enjoying it while being swallowed itself. This is the human
being. We are all caught in the mouth of YDR, and we are enjoying gulab jamun.

The only solution for संसार is �ानयोग and �ानयोग alone. �ानयोग is to
understand our own higher and real nature which is nothing but आत्म, the
consciousness principle. Limitless consciousness, आत्म, is our real nature and this
आत्म alone is the permanent source of PSH. Due to our ignorance of this higher
आत्मसवरू, we have mistaken ourselves to be the BMSC which is only a
temporary costume or temporary medium through which we are transacting. This
false I, BMSC, is called अहंकार or जीवभाव in वेदान्त. अहंकार is the mistaken or
false I because of which we have concluded we are the body, mind and sense
organs. This fake ‘I’ the अहंकार, has three faculties of कतार-the doer I, भोक्त -the
enjoyer or experiencer I and �ाता -the knower I. कतार +भोक्त+ �ाता is the अहंकार
which is the fake I. LKA wants to convince every one of us that as long as we are
in the mistaken notion as अहंकार we will have संसार problems continuously
chasing us.
The primary cause of human problem is अहंकार which is finite or limited in all
respects. Our inability to have any control in this limited role leads us to HAFD,
the definition of संसार. Helplessness Anger Frustration Depression. This HAFD
problem of a limited individual called अहंकार is संसार. LKA says कमर will not
solve the problem. It will only take us from one type of problem to another type of
problem. When a person was a bachelor, he thought marriage would rid him of his
problems. Once he got married, those problems were solved but new ones cropped
up. The children, then grand children. We can only juggle our problems. LKA
says, कमर will not save अहंकार. It will take the अहंकार from one problem to
another. Even death is not a solution. It will lead to another जन्. Even प्रलwill
not solve the problem. He will come back in the next �श्रि. TF हे उद्ध, use कमर
to get to वैराग्य and then come to �ानं.

न कमर्ण न प्रज धनेन त्यागेनै अम्रुतत्वमा:
वेदान्त�वग्नानसु�निस्चता: संन्यासयोगाद्य शद
ु ्धस�व:
When welcoming a सन्न्या they chant this मन्त indicating initially कमर then
�ानं that alone is the solution. Here, LKA is talking about the helplessness of
अहंकार. अत्रा कमर्णा कत:ुर we saw in last class. The कतार, the doer of
कमरअस्वातन्� is not able to do every कमर he wants to do nor is he able to avoid
many कमार्� he doesn’t want to do. अस्वतन्त्री. कमर्णांकतुर्रस्वातन. As
भोक्त also I experience many things I don’t want to don’t experience many things
that I want to. Thus, कतार helpless, भोक्त helpless. Helplessness is the definition of
संसार. भोक्त:दख
ु सख
ु ायो: कोनु अथ:र with this continuous experience of helplessness
what can a human being achieve? कोनु अथ:र which big पर
ु ुषाथ he can get?
मो�पर
ु ुषाथ is far away for this person. �ववश: means helpless.
नदे �हनांसख
ु ं�किञ्चद्�वद्यते�वदुषाम
तथाचदःु खंमढ
ू ानांवथ
ृ ाहङ्करणंपर म्१०.१८॥
A man’s life is entirely dedicated to two things- the pursuit of happiness and
avoidance of sorrow. सख ु प्रािप्तसाधनं�? द:ु ख�नव�ृ � साधनं�कम ्? What is the
means of getting happiness? What is the means of getting rid of sorrow? Man
thinks money, name, fame, position, possession, status etc. will give happiness.
Later, he finds out that people with all money, name, fame, position, possession
etc. are taking sleeping pills for getting sleep. So, we are not clear on what will
give happiness and what will get rid of sorrow. His whole life is groping in
darkness. सख ु ंमेसवर्दाभूयात -I should be happy all the time, द:ु खम ् मा भत्
ू कदाचन -I
should never have sorrow इ�त इच्छ सवर सामान्य these are the two universal desires
of every human being. The problem is we don’t know the means of fulfilling these
two. This श्लो says शास् gives you the only means to achieve the above.
शास्says, ते �ानात् एव �सद्ध्: -both desires can be simultaneously fulfilled.

That I should always be happy and should never be unhappy. ते �ानात् एव
�सद्ध्- Knowledge and knowledge alone is the means. What �ानं? Not Physics,
Chemistry, B.A., C.A. आत् �ानात् एव- only self-knowledge. गतासन
ू ् अगतासम
ू ्स
न अनस ु ोशिन् पिण्डत:. This was the first verse of LKA’s teaching in BGA but we
are not yet convinced. So, we want to fulfill these two desires by doing many other
things. LKA says न दे �हनां सखु ं�किञ्चत �वद्यत �वदष ु ां अ�प. Learned people with
many worldly degrees and worldly treasures do not have happiness. सख
ु ं�किञ्चत न
�वद्यत- they are not happy. Many think poverty and lack of resources is the cause
of sorrow but many people living in slums are happy. TF, we cannot say poverty is
the cause of sorrow or that richness is the cause of happiness. तथाचदःु खंमढू ानां.
द:ु खम न �किञ्चत. As long as जीव भाव is there this problem will continue. वथ
ृ ा
अहङ्करण -nobody can claim that I am the master of happiness and I can get rid of
my sorrow. Continuing,
य�दप्रािप्तं�वघातंचजानिन्तसुखदुःख
तेऽप्यद्धान�वदुय�गंमृत्युनर्प्रभव१०.१९॥
LKA argues further. Let us assume that there is a very powerful person who has
power, position, money and he can control many things. Let us imagine that he can
order all those things that will give him joy and get rid of all those things that will
give sorrow. Imagine he has control over happiness and sorrow. It is not possible
but let us suppose so for arguments’ sake. य�द-suppose, सख ु द:ु खयो:प्रािप
�वघातंचजानिन् -a person knows how to continuously get happiness. He can get
सख
ु ं at will. सख
ु स्यप्राि जानिन्. द:ु खस् �वघतांजानिन् - he can stop any sorrow
that is coming. He can stop sorrow at the door step and send it away. �वघतां means
destruction of sorrow. It is said inशास् that as you go to higher and higher लोका:
like भव
ु ल�क महल�क etc. your powers become are superior. By mere
संकल् you can order any thing. You will get many �सद्�s so that whatever you
want will come at your will and you can reject them at will. Imagine you go to
such a higher लोका:. What is the problem?

The problem is, even in the highest लोका: your appropriate physical body for that
higher लोका: has been ordered as a result of your पण
ु ्य. As long as the credit card
of your पणु ्य is there, you will live in that लोका:. The moment the पण ु ्य account
shows zero, that body will have to die. So, nobody is eternal. The body will have to
die one day or the other. If it is a miserable life, then it is a blessing. कमर cannot
solve the problem of mortality.
LKA asks the question, ते अ�प- even those people, योगं न जानिन्. योग means
प�रहारं , remedy, methodology by which they can conquer death. मत्य ृ : न प्रभवे-
you can never send away YDR. YDR’s people will do their job. You cannot bribe
them and send them away. There is no remedy for mortality. We are helplessly in
the grip of YDR. He also never gives us advance notice. Suddenly the person
collapses. TF, कमर doesn’t solve the problem of mortality. Continuing,
कोऽन्वथर्ःसुखयत्येनंकामोवामृत्युरिन
आघातंनीयमानस्यवध्यस्येवनतुिष्१०.२०॥
LKA says, as long as this mortality is staring at us, we can never totally enjoy any
pleasure because the problem of insecurity and the anxiety of losing the advantages
will always be there. Especially in our culture, if any one praises you saying ‘You
are a lucky person, wonderful spouse, wonderful children etc.’, we immediately
worry about दृिष. TF, even when things are going well, when somebody says that,
we have fear of losing things. It is again because we know everything is time
bound, everything is losable. I don’t know when it will be lost. कोऽन्वथर - which
अथर: -object or काम: -object of entertainment, sense pleasure, येनं सख ु य�त -will
give pleasure in the total sense of the term? They can never give total happiness
because मत्य
ृ : अिन्तक . YDR is always there to snatch away either the object or the
person or the very life itself. At the back of the mind, this insecurity problem is
always there. TF, he gives an example. Every human being is like a person who
has been given capital punishment. The only question is when. Imagine a person
has been condemned with capital punishment. He is about to be taken for capital
punishment when you ask him which dish, he wants to eat. Pizza or pasta? Shall I
order Swiggy? What can he enjoy when he is on his way to his death? He says
every single person is on death row. Every one of us. He wants to tell us that
human birth is a rare opportunity to transcend mortality. TF, he is frightening us,
so that we will know how to value spiritual knowledge. TF, he says आघतं
नीयमानस्.आघतं- the place of capital punishment, the place of hanging,
नीयमानस् -when a person is being taken to, वध्यस -the person, नतिु ष्टद -no
sense of objects or any person can give real happiness because the mind is not in a
position to enjoy. Continuing,
श्रुतंचदृष्टवद्दुष्टंस्पधार्सूयात
बह्वन्तरायकामत्वात्कृ�षवच्चा�प�नष१०.२१॥
These are all unique portions of UGA with graphic descriptions which we never
saw in BGA. In BGA, LKA only casually said जन् मत्य ृ जरा व्या� दख ु दोष
अनद ु शर्न about human problem mortality etc. In UGA all these ideas are extended
and described graphically also. LKA says that not only this world is with all the
limitations. Going to a higher लोक also will not solve the problem. You may do
bigger rituals, bigger पज
ू ा: which will add to your पण
ु ्य म but पज
ू ा: can never give
self-knowledge. By adding to your पण
ु ्य म you may go to भव
ु ल�कसव
ु ल�क etc. Don’t
think those लोका: are eternal. In other religions they talk about eternal heaven but
वेदा is very clear, ‘There is heaven but that heaven also is non-eternal.’ What about
वैकुण्? वैकुण्ठकैला ब्रह्म,any लोक, any place is bound by time-space-
coordinate limitation. There is no solution no matter which place you go to. TF,
don’t turn to different places. Right here, right now, may you conduct self-enquiry.
श्रु च. श्रु - higher worlds which are heard of in the scriptures because we have not
seen the higher लोका:. Heaven is not visible to us. भव ु ल�क सवु ल�क are not
available for our sense organs. We come to know about them only from scriptures.
They are all graphic descriptions. अमतं ृ will be pouring out from the tap
continuously. There will be permanent dance programmes. All enjoyments will be
available. LKA says श्रु च- all those higher लोका: described in वेदा:, दषु ्ट- are full
of several drawbacks or limitations. What are the limitations? There also gradation
is there. If a person has done bigger rituals, his पण
ु ्य म is higher and so he has a

different colony. LIG, MIG, HIG. They will have better vehicles. There are
gradations even in their vehicles. Gradations in लोक-
मनषु ्यलो,मनषु ्यगन्ध,देवगन्धव etc. Even though you have a superior house, you
can ever enjoy because another person has a better house. Jealousy, competition
and fear exist there also. इन् is supposed to be permanently afraid because it is
said इन् is a शतक्र: - one who has done a hundred यागs. If you do one hundred
big rituals you will get so much पण
ु ्य म that you will be the next इन्. TF, when
anybody on earth does many यागs, इन् gets afraid that he may lose his position.
TF, his job is to somehow or the other distract this person. For that he has special
ladies, अप्सरस to distract them. So, इन् is also never secure. स्पधा– competition,
असया
ू – jealousy, अत्य: - death or destruction, end because इन् also is not
permanent इन्. When the पण ु ्य म is exhausted he will lose it. अत्य – end, व्य -
exhaustion. Gradual exhaustion takes place. Not only that. Even when you want to
get that higher लोका: by doing hundred rituals that is also very difficult to
complete. You may face many obstacles like health problems etc. Even ordinary
program like रु एकादशी you always pray that it should happen properly. We
always have an anxiety if we will be able to complete it or not. श्रेयां बहु �वघ्ना�
- there are so many obstacles when you undertake any action. बहु अन्तरा
कामत्वात - fulfillment of your desire is fraught with several obstacles. The famous
a proverb, ‘There is many a slip between the cup and the lip.’ अन्तरा means
प्र�तबन like कृ�षव्च. कृ�ष- agriculture or farming. Rain may or may not come.
All the farmers are worried. Of course, insects and other pests attack. All these are
obstacles for getting a good crop. It is an example. Similar is the fulfillment of our
desires. �नष्फल -any कमर can become fruitless also. All these are problem of
अहंकार, the जीव:. Continuing,
अन्तरायैर�व�हतोय�दधमर्ःस्वनुिष्
तेना�प�निजर्तंस्थानंयथागच्छ�ततच्छ१०.२२॥

ज्यो�तष्टोम स्वग कामो यजेत. Suppose a person is able to avoid all obstacles and
perform all the rituals prescribed in the शास् which are meant for going to higher
लोका:. There is a यागcalled ज्यो�तष्ट याग. It is said in वेद that when a person
does this यागproperly, he will get स्वगर्लas a result of the पण
ु ्य. LKA says let us
assume he completed the rituals, he got the पण
ु ्य. अन्तराअ
य �वहत: - his rituals or
कमर are not obstructed, he could avoid the obstacles. अन्तरा – obstacles, अ�वहत:
- not obstructed by obstacles. That means his कमर is successful and य�दधमर्.धमर:
refers to वै�दक कमर, Vedic rituals. In those days Vedic rituals were prominent and
so LKA mentions that. धमर –वै�दक कमर्स अनिु ष्ठ: -it has been performed
perfectly. तेन- as a result of that, �निजर्तंस्था.�निजर्त - attained, accomplished,
won over, accomplished, स्थान- higher लोका: like भव
ु ल�क महल�क
जनलोक तपोलोक सत्यलो, the highest being ब्रह्म where by mere entry we
will accomplish all the miraculous powers called �सद्�. You can order any
enjoyment by mere will. They are called सत्यका सत् संकल्:. I have not tried. I
am saying वेद describes that. In छान्दोग उप�नषद 8th chapter, य�द �पतल
ृ ोककामो
भव�तय�द मातल ृ ोककामो भव�त. Suppose you want to meet your expired family
members. You can bring them back to life and they will be available. All the
parents of the previous birth �पतल
ृ ोककामो भव�तमातल
ृ ोककामो भव�त. All these
descriptions are given. LKA says suppose you accomplish that the problem is, यथा
गच्छ� -that will come and either the लोक will go or you will go away.
यथागच्छ�ततच्छृ- may you listen to the lot of such a person.
इष्ट्वेहदेवताय�ैःस्वल�कंया�तया��
भञ
ु ्जीतद ेवव�त्रभोगािन्दव्यािन्नजािज१०.२३॥
This is the biography of a successful ritualist. या��कः -a Vedic ritualist,

देवता:य�ैःइष्ट्. देवता: means different देवताs because in all Vedic rituals we
invoke various deities like इन्द्र अिग् प्रजाप etc. He worships all देवताs by

offering oblations. They will bless him with पण
ु ्. इष्ट् means having
worshipped, स्वल�कंया� -this ritualist will go to the heavenly world, paradise,
देववत्- like the already present celestial there. Now this ritualist has migrated and
got green card also to stay there like aदेव:, देववत्,�दव्यान्भोगा -all the pleasures of
those higher लोकs, �नज आिजर्तान -which he has earned, भञ ु ्जी- he will enjoy.
How long? For some time. We will give them at least one week to enjoy. Let them
enjoy for one week and we will bring them back next class.

The only solution for संसार is �ानयोग and �ानयोग alone. �ानयोग is to
understand our own higher and real nature which is nothing but आत्म, the
consciousness principle. Limitless consciousness, आत्म, is our real nature and this
आत्म alone is the permanent source of PSH. Due to our ignorance of this higher
आत्मसवरू, we have mistaken ourselves to be the BMSC which is only a
temporary costume or temporary medium through which we are transacting. This
false I, BMSC, is called अहंकार or जीवभाव in वेदान्त. अहंकार is the mistaken or
false I because of which we have concluded we are the body, mind and sense
organs. This fake ‘I’ the अहंकार, has three faculties of कतार-the doer I, भोक्त -the
enjoyer or experiencer I and �ाता -the knower I. कतार +भोक्त+ �ाता is the अहंकार
which is the fake I. LKA wants to convince every one of us that as long as we are
in the mistaken notion as अहंकार we will have संसार problems continuously
chasing us.
The primary cause of human problem is अहंकार which is finite or limited in all
respects. Our inability to have any control in this limited role leads us to HAFD,
the definition of संसार. Helplessness Anger Frustration Depression. This HAFD
problem of a limited individual called अहंकार is संसार. LKA says कमर will not
solve the problem. It will only take us from one type of problem to another type of
problem. When a person was a bachelor, he thought marriage would rid him of his
problems. Once he got married, those problems were solved but new ones cropped
up. The children, then grand children. We can only juggle our problems. LKA
says, कमर will not save अहंकार. It will take the अहंकार from one problem to
another. Even death is not a solution. It will lead to another जन्. Even प्रलwill
not solve the problem. He will come back in the next �श्रि. TF हे उद्ध, use कमर
to get to वैराग्य and then come to �ानं.

न कमर्ण न प्रज धनेन त्यागेनै अम्रुतत्वमा:
वेदान्त�वग्नानसु�निस्चता: संन्यासयोगाद्य शद
ु ्धस�व:
When welcoming a सन्न्या they chant this मन्त indicating initially कमर then
�ानं that alone is the solution. Here, LKA is talking about the helplessness of
अहंकार. अत्रा कमर्णा कत:ुर we saw in last class. The कतार, the doer of
कमरअस्वातन्� is not able to do every कमर he wants to do nor is he able to avoid
many कमार्� he doesn’t want to do. अस्वतन्त्री. कमर्णांकतुर्रस्वातन. As
भोक्त also I experience many things I don’t want to don’t experience many things
that I want to. Thus, कतार helpless, भोक्त helpless. Helplessness is the definition of
संसार. भोक्त:दख
ु सख
ु ायो: कोनु अथ:र with this continuous experience of helplessness
what can a human being achieve? कोनु अथ:र which big पर
ु ुषाथ he can get?
मो�पर
ु ुषाथ is far away for this person. �ववश: means helpless.
नदे �हनांसख
ु ं�किञ्चद्�वद्यते�वदुषाम
तथाचदःु खंमढ
ू ानांवथ
ृ ाहङ्करणंपर म्१०.१८॥
A man’s life is entirely dedicated to two things- the pursuit of happiness and
avoidance of sorrow. सख ु प्रािप्तसाधनं�? द:ु ख�नव�ृ � साधनं�कम ्? What is the
means of getting happiness? What is the means of getting rid of sorrow? Man
thinks money, name, fame, position, possession, status etc. will give happiness.
Later, he finds out that people with all money, name, fame, position, possession
etc. are taking sleeping pills for getting sleep. So, we are not clear on what will
give happiness and what will get rid of sorrow. His whole life is groping in
darkness. सख ु ंमेसवर्दाभूयात -I should be happy all the time, द:ु खम ् मा भत्
ू कदाचन -I
should never have sorrow इ�त इच्छ सवर सामान्य these are the two universal desires
of every human being. The problem is we don’t know the means of fulfilling these
two. This श्लो says शास् gives you the only means to achieve the above.
शास्says, ते �ानात् एव �सद्ध्: -both desires can be simultaneously fulfilled.

That I should always be happy and should never be unhappy. ते �ानात् एव
�सद्ध्- Knowledge and knowledge alone is the means. What �ानं? Not Physics,
Chemistry, B.A., C.A. आत् �ानात् एव- only self-knowledge. गतासन
ू ् अगतासम
ू ्स
न अनस ु ोशिन् पिण्डत:. This was the first verse of LKA’s teaching in BGA but we
are not yet convinced. So, we want to fulfill these two desires by doing many other
things. LKA says न दे �हनां सखु ं�किञ्चत �वद्यत �वदष ु ां अ�प. Learned people with
many worldly degrees and worldly treasures do not have happiness. सख
ु ं�किञ्चत न
�वद्यत- they are not happy. Many think poverty and lack of resources is the cause
of sorrow but many people living in slums are happy. TF, we cannot say poverty is
the cause of sorrow or that richness is the cause of happiness. तथाचदःु खंमढू ानां.
द:ु खम न �किञ्चत. As long as जीव भाव is there this problem will continue. वथ
ृ ा
अहङ्करण -nobody can claim that I am the master of happiness and I can get rid of
my sorrow. Continuing,
य�दप्रािप्तं�वघातंचजानिन्तसुखदुःख
तेऽप्यद्धान�वदुय�गंमृत्युनर्प्रभव१०.१९॥
LKA argues further. Let us assume that there is a very powerful person who has
power, position, money and he can control many things. Let us imagine that he can
order all those things that will give him joy and get rid of all those things that will
give sorrow. Imagine he has control over happiness and sorrow. It is not possible
but let us suppose so for arguments’ sake. य�द-suppose, सख ु द:ु खयो:प्रािप
�वघातंचजानिन् -a person knows how to continuously get happiness. He can get
सख
ु ं at will. सख
ु स्यप्राि जानिन्. द:ु खस् �वघतांजानिन् - he can stop any sorrow
that is coming. He can stop sorrow at the door step and send it away. �वघतां means
destruction of sorrow. It is said inशास् that as you go to higher and higher लोका:
like भव
ु ल�क महल�क etc. your powers become are superior. By mere
संकल् you can order any thing. You will get many �सद्�s so that whatever you
want will come at your will and you can reject them at will. Imagine you go to
such a higher लोका:. What is the problem?

The problem is, even in the highest लोका: your appropriate physical body for that
higher लोका: has been ordered as a result of your पण
ु ्य. As long as the credit card
of your पणु ्य is there, you will live in that लोका:. The moment the पण ु ्य account
shows zero, that body will have to die. So, nobody is eternal. The body will have to
die one day or the other. If it is a miserable life, then it is a blessing. कमर cannot
solve the problem of mortality.
LKA asks the question, ते अ�प- even those people, योगं न जानिन्. योग means
प�रहारं , remedy, methodology by which they can conquer death. मत्य ृ : न प्रभवे-
you can never send away YDR. YDR’s people will do their job. You cannot bribe
them and send them away. There is no remedy for mortality. We are helplessly in
the grip of YDR. He also never gives us advance notice. Suddenly the person
collapses. TF, कमर doesn’t solve the problem of mortality. Continuing,
कोऽन्वथर्ःसुखयत्येनंकामोवामृत्युरिन
आघातंनीयमानस्यवध्यस्येवनतुिष्१०.२०॥
LKA says, as long as this mortality is staring at us, we can never totally enjoy any
pleasure because the problem of insecurity and the anxiety of losing the advantages
will always be there. Especially in our culture, if any one praises you saying ‘You
are a lucky person, wonderful spouse, wonderful children etc.’, we immediately
worry about दृिष. TF, even when things are going well, when somebody says that,
we have fear of losing things. It is again because we know everything is time
bound, everything is losable. I don’t know when it will be lost. कोऽन्वथर - which
अथर: -object or काम: -object of entertainment, sense pleasure, येनं सख ु य�त -will
give pleasure in the total sense of the term? They can never give total happiness
because मत्य
ृ : अिन्तक . YDR is always there to snatch away either the object or the
person or the very life itself. At the back of the mind, this insecurity problem is
always there. TF, he gives an example. Every human being is like a person who
has been given capital punishment. The only question is when. Imagine a person
has been condemned with capital punishment. He is about to be taken for capital
punishment when you ask him which dish, he wants to eat. Pizza or pasta? Shall I
order Swiggy? What can he enjoy when he is on his way to his death? He says
every single person is on death row. Every one of us. He wants to tell us that
human birth is a rare opportunity to transcend mortality. TF, he is frightening us,
so that we will know how to value spiritual knowledge. TF, he says आघतं
नीयमानस्.आघतं- the place of capital punishment, the place of hanging,
नीयमानस् -when a person is being taken to, वध्यस -the person, नतिु ष्टद -no
sense of objects or any person can give real happiness because the mind is not in a
position to enjoy. Continuing,
श्रुतंचदृष्टवद्दुष्टंस्पधार्सूयात
बह्वन्तरायकामत्वात्कृ�षवच्चा�प�नष१०.२१॥
These are all unique portions of UGA with graphic descriptions which we never
saw in BGA. In BGA, LKA only casually said जन् मत्य ृ जरा व्या� दख ु दोष
अनद ु शर्न about human problem mortality etc. In UGA all these ideas are extended
and described graphically also. LKA says that not only this world is with all the
limitations. Going to a higher लोक also will not solve the problem. You may do
bigger rituals, bigger पज
ू ा: which will add to your पण
ु ्य म but पज
ू ा: can never give
self-knowledge. By adding to your पण
ु ्य म you may go to भव
ु ल�कसव
ु ल�क etc. Don’t
think those लोका: are eternal. In other religions they talk about eternal heaven but
वेदा is very clear, ‘There is heaven but that heaven also is non-eternal.’ What about
वैकुण्? वैकुण्ठकैला ब्रह्म,any लोक, any place is bound by time-space-
coordinate limitation. There is no solution no matter which place you go to. TF,
don’t turn to different places. Right here, right now, may you conduct self-enquiry.
श्रु च. श्रु - higher worlds which are heard of in the scriptures because we have not
seen the higher लोका:. Heaven is not visible to us. भव ु ल�क सवु ल�क are not
available for our sense organs. We come to know about them only from scriptures.
They are all graphic descriptions. अमतं ृ will be pouring out from the tap
continuously. There will be permanent dance programmes. All enjoyments will be
available. LKA says श्रु च- all those higher लोका: described in वेदा:, दषु ्ट- are full
of several drawbacks or limitations. What are the limitations? There also gradation
is there. If a person has done bigger rituals, his पण
ु ्य म is higher and so he has a

different colony. LIG, MIG, HIG. They will have better vehicles. There are
gradations even in their vehicles. Gradations in लोक-
मनषु ्यलो,मनषु ्यगन्ध,देवगन्धव etc. Even though you have a superior house, you
can ever enjoy because another person has a better house. Jealousy, competition
and fear exist there also. इन् is supposed to be permanently afraid because it is
said इन् is a शतक्र: - one who has done a hundred यागs. If you do one hundred
big rituals you will get so much पण
ु ्य म that you will be the next इन्. TF, when
anybody on earth does many यागs, इन् gets afraid that he may lose his position.
TF, his job is to somehow or the other distract this person. For that he has special
ladies, अप्सरस to distract them. So, इन् is also never secure. स्पधा– competition,
असया
ू – jealousy, अत्य: - death or destruction, end because इन् also is not
permanent इन्. When the पण ु ्य म is exhausted he will lose it. अत्य – end, व्य -
exhaustion. Gradual exhaustion takes place. Not only that. Even when you want to
get that higher लोका: by doing hundred rituals that is also very difficult to
complete. You may face many obstacles like health problems etc. Even ordinary
program like रु एकादशी you always pray that it should happen properly. We
always have an anxiety if we will be able to complete it or not. श्रेयां बहु �वघ्ना�
- there are so many obstacles when you undertake any action. बहु अन्तरा
कामत्वात - fulfillment of your desire is fraught with several obstacles. The famous
a proverb, ‘There is many a slip between the cup and the lip.’ अन्तरा means
प्र�तबन like कृ�षव्च. कृ�ष- agriculture or farming. Rain may or may not come.
All the farmers are worried. Of course, insects and other pests attack. All these are
obstacles for getting a good crop. It is an example. Similar is the fulfillment of our
desires. �नष्फल -any कमर can become fruitless also. All these are problem of
अहंकार, the जीव:. Continuing,
अन्तरायैर�व�हतोय�दधमर्ःस्वनुिष्
तेना�प�निजर्तंस्थानंयथागच्छ�ततच्छ१०.२२॥

ज्यो�तष्टोम स्वग कामो यजेत. Suppose a person is able to avoid all obstacles and
perform all the rituals prescribed in the शास् which are meant for going to higher
लोका:. There is a यागcalled ज्यो�तष्ट याग. It is said in वेद that when a person
does this यागproperly, he will get स्वगर्ल as a result of the पण
ु ्य. LKA says let us
assume he completed the rituals, he got the पण
ु ्य. अन्तराअ
य �वहत: - his rituals or
कमर are not obstructed, he could avoid the obstacles. अन्तरा – obstacles, अ�वहत:
- not obstructed by obstacles. That means his कमर is successful and य�दधमर्.धमर:
refers to वै�दक कमर, Vedic rituals. In those days Vedic rituals were prominent and
so LKA mentions that. धमर –वै�दक कमर्स अनिु ष्ठ: -it has been performed
perfectly. तेन- as a result of that, �निजर्तंस्था.�निजर्त - attained, accomplished,
won over, accomplished, स्थान- higher लोका: like भव
ु ल�क महल�क
जनलोक तपोलोक सत्यलो, the highest being ब्रह्म where by mere entry we
will accomplish all the miraculous powers called �सद्�. You can order any
enjoyment by mere will. They are called सत्यका सत् संकल्:. I have not tried. I
am saying वेद describes that. In छान्दोग उप�नषद 8th chapter, य�द �पतल
ृ ोककामो
भव�तय�द मातल ृ ोककामो भव�त. Suppose you want to meet your expired family
members. You can bring them back to life and they will be available. All the
parents of the previous birth �पतल
ृ ोककामो भव�तमातल
ृ ोककामो भव�त. All these
descriptions are given. LKA says suppose you accomplish that the problem is, यथा
गच्छ� -that will come and either the लोक will go or you will go away.
यथागच्छ�ततच्छृ- may you listen to the lot of such a person.
भञ
This is the biography of a successful ritualist. या��कः -a Vedic ritualist,

देवता:य�ैःइष्ट्. देवता: means different देवताs because in all Vedic rituals we
invoke various deities like इन्द्र अिग् प्रजाप etc. He worships all देवताs by

offering oblations. They will bless him with पण
ु ्. इष्ट् means having
worshipped, स्वल�कंया� -this ritualist will go to the heavenly world, paradise,
देववत्- like the already present celestial there. Now this ritualist has migrated and
got green card also to stay there like aदेव:, देववत्,�दव्यान्भोगा -all the pleasures of
those higher लोकs, �नज आिजर्तान -which he has earned, भञ ु ्जी- he will enjoy.
How long? For some time. We will give them at least one week to enjoy. Let them
enjoy for one week and we will bring them back next class.

Page 78, verse 23-
भञ
LKA is talking about the कमर and कम्

र फल म in these verses. In वेद पवर
ू भाग the first
part of the वेद, we get three types of कमार्� called �व�हतकमर or �नष्कामकमार्.
The second one is काम्यकमार्. The third one is �न�षद्धकम. �नष्कामकमार्are
those which will help in spiritual elevation. They don’t promise any worldly
benefits like money, name, position, possession etc. but they promise SCSI,
internal transformation or spiritual growth. These are �नष्का कमार्� or �व�हत
कमार्�. पञ्चमहाय: will come under that.
The second type of कमार्� are called काम्यकमार् which will talk about varieties
of पजू ाहोम etc. Each one of them will promise varieties of worldly benefits like
material prosperity, more land, more sense pleasures and wellbeing. They are very
attractive because a gross mind will appreciate sense pleasures. Only a mature
mind will appreciate the importance of internal growth which will lead to spiritual
knowledge while alone will lead to मो�: Thus, internal growth, spiritual
knowledge and मो� are possible through �नष्कामकमार्. To appreciate the values
of �नष्कामकमार्, a person requires some amount of maturity and पवर्जन्मपुण्
ू .
If maturity and पण
ु ्य म are not there, those कमार्� will not appeal to us. We will
renounce them. पञ्चमह य�s are those which will not appeal to ordinary, gross
people whereas all the पज
ू ा:होमs etc. which promise worldly well-being centred on
अहंकार and ममकार attract immature people. They only do काम्यकमार्. LKA
wants to talk about the limitation of काम्यकम. They are attractive from a distance
like the rose. Seeing the beautiful rose, you go and handle the plant, you get
pricked. It is a deceptive thing because the attractive rose is big and visible from
distance, thorns are small and not visible. All sense pleasures are like that.
Attractive from a distance, prickly when you get closer but an immature person

doesn’t appreciate that. That is what said in the second chapter of BGA -
या�ममां पिु ष्पता वाचं प्रवदन्त्य�वपि. Most people fall for materialistic पजू ा:.
They are very religious alright but unfortunately, they use religion only for
material purposes. Even temples advertise themselves only by promising various
worldly benefits. Temples are very crowded not because we want �च� शद ु ्� �ानं
and मो� but because each one has some problem. Visa Balaji temple. A Balaji
temple for visa to America. Will people go there for मो�? Similarly, each temple
promises something- marriage, children, another promises grandchildren, yet
another promises promotion. Their limitations are not understood. TF, LKA wants
to talk about their limitations. The first limitation is, they don’t guarantee success
all the time because for काम्यकम to be successful, so many rules will have to be
perfectly done. Whereas when we do कमर for chida suddhi, even if the rules are
violated (not that we should deliberately violate) it will produce result. काम्यकम
can produce result only when they are perfectly followed. Otherwise they won’t
produce results. Still worse, they may produce negative results. TF, limitations are
not known or not advertised by the people. वेद also talks about the limitations of
काम्यकमार्. First, success is not guaranteed. Second, even if it is successful, it is
only temporary. It will end soon.
The third कमर which is still more attractive is �न�षद्धकम, which means unethical,
corrupt practices. They will be very attractive because by practicing them we can
get quick results. By stealing money, you can become rich overnight. These are
�न�षद्धकमार्. LKA is talking about the limitation of काम् and �न�षद्धकमार्
so that we will reduce �न�षद्धकमार् and काम्यकमार् and do more पञ्चमहाय
in which our prayer is only लोका: समस्त: स�ु खनभवन्त. No family-centric, person-
centric prayers are made. All prayers are सव� भव न्त स�ु खन and सव� includes our
family also. With an expanded mind when we do �नष्कामकम it will give internal
growth. It will generate an interest in spiritual wisdom. It will give spiritual
knowledge. The benefit of spiritual knowledge is two-fold. The life of every
human being is a mixed bag because we all have come with प्रार. प्रार is
always a mixture of पण
ु ्य म and पापम ्. Human life comes because of almost equal

proportion of पण
ु ्यपाप म. If पण
ु ्य म proportion is very high we will be in higher
लोकाs. If पापम ् proportion is very high we will be in lower लोकाs. मनषु ्यलोक is
somewhere in the middle which indicates our पण ु ्-पापम ् is almost balanced. Due
to this reason, life is always a mixture of pleasurable and painful experiences.
Experiences remaining the same our approach to them will depend upon whether I
have self-ignorance or self-knowledge. Self-ignorance will always magnify painful
experiences and de-magnify pleasurable experiences. This is the job of self-
ignorance. Self-knowledge is a unique knowledge. Self-knowledge magnifies
pleasurable experiences and de-magnifies painful experiences गर ु ुण अ�प द:ु खेन न
�वचाल्यत. A �ानी is not impacted by even the worst pain. TF, the pains get diluted
and pleasures get magnified. This will make a very big difference in the quality of
our life. First difference is, we won’t talk about the pains more often. This is one
benefit. The perception of the world, the perspective of the world changes by self-
knowledge. Second greater benefit is that this very self-knowledge will give me
knowledge of my higher nature which is all positives put together. �नत् शद ु ्
बद
ु ्द् मक
ु ् अनन् आनन् स्वर आत्म. That the very knowledge gives a unique
joy which is not available through any of sense objects in the world. That �वद्य
आनन्द: derived through knowledge is called जीवन्मुिक. That आनन्द also you
can enjoy. Thus, world perspective changes and gives unique आनन्द through
knowledge.
LKA wants to promote self-knowledge and so he is talking about the limitation of

काम् and �न�षद् कमार्� so that we will do more �नष्का कमार्� in our life. A
typical काम्यकम is a Vedic ritual which will take a person to heaven. The first
limitation LKA talks about is that it will take you to heaven only when you do the
rituals perfectly. If any mistake is committed it will not fructify. The ritual’s
success is directly proportional to our आचार and अनषु ्ठान which are the basic
disciplines of religious life. If that आचार and अनषु ्ठान are not there काम्यकम’s
success is doubtful. A person who doesn’t do regular संध्यावन्द but performs
ज्यो�तष्ट याग for going to heavens will not benefit. शास् says आचार ह�नां न
पनु िन् वेदा. TF, success itself is doubtful. Even if it is successful, there are further
limitations. That is what he is discussing in these verses. In verse 23 which we saw

in the last class, य�ै: देवता: इष्ट्. In this context इष्ट् means worshipping. It is
derived from root यज ् to worship इष्ट्. देवता: means varieties of देवता:
worshipping through varieties of याग or varieties of पज
ू ा in different temples.
या��क:, the Vedic ritualist स्वल�कंया� -if he does properly which is rare and
assuming that this person did properly स्वगर्लो:. There देववत्. Like so many
celestials who are in the heavenly world. देववत्. तत भोगान्भुञ्ज. The standard of
living in heaven is supposed to be much, much higher. Compared to heaven, the
best country in the world is a slum colony. �दव् भोगान ्- heavenly enjoyments,
�नज आिजर्तान- which he has deserved by performing rituals, भञ
ु ्जी -he will
enjoy. Continuing,
स्वपुण्योप�चतेशुभ्रे�वमानउपगी
गन्धव��वर्हरन्मध्येदेवीनांहृद्यवे१०.२४॥
A very attractive description is given here. We saw this in मण

ु ्ड उप�नषद also.
एह्येह�� तमाहुतयः so many देवता: and the देवा:will welcome the ritualist to
heavenly world when he goes by a special flight to heaven. स् पण
ु ् उपगीयते-
acquired through his पण
ु ्य म,शभ्रे�व
ु ने -in a clean and beautiful aircraft. देवै: गन्धव:
उपगीयते: -all the celestials will come to receive him. While receiving him or her
they will glorify, ‘You have done fantastic rituals and deserve all these pleasures.
Welcome.’ उपगीयते - the ritualist is glorified by celestial people, देवीनां मध्य- he
will be surrounded by celestial women, all temptations for a human being. देवीनां
मध्य �वहरन ्- thoroughly enjoying the company of these people. हृद्यवेषधृ -he
wears attractive clothes to travel to the heavenly world. हृद् - very pleasing and
beautiful, वेष – costume, दृक - donning, wearing. Continuing,
स्त्री�भःकामगयानेन�कङ्�कणीजालमा�
क्र�डन्नवेदात्मपातंसुराक्र�डेषु�न१०.२५॥

In the heavenly world he will be travelling to various attractive places, tourist
attractions of heaven in कामगयानेन.यानम ् - vehicles. The specialty of those
vehicles is they are कामगयानं- by his mere wish he will travel to the place he
wants. Even as you listen, you may be wondering perhaps we will make a trip and
worry about मो� later. “Swamiji, what is that ritual can you tell me?” कामयागेन
कामेन गच्छ� -the fuel is our desire. काम itself is the fuel. By your wish it will
travel anywhere you want. There served by स्त्री -with all the heavenly women.
�कङ्�कणीजालमा�लन- the aircraft is full of jingling bells, क्र�डा- he will enjoy
various recreation centres of the celestials called सरु आक्र�डे. आक्र� - recreation
centres where for your पण
ु ्य म you will get massages, perfumes, dancing, singing.
सरु - देवता:,आक्र� - recreation centres, �नवर्तःक
ृ ्र�ड -enjoying various games but
forgets that his account of पण
ु ्य म is getting depleted. For every joy his पण
ु ्य म
account reduces. आत् पादंन वेद. He doesn’t know when he will land in Madras.
आत् पादं -falling back to earth, न वेद -he doesn’t know when is it going to happen.
Continuing,
तावत्प्रमोदतेस्वग�यावत्पुण्यंसम
�ीणपण
ु ्यःपतत्यवार्ग�नच्छन्कालचा१०.२६॥
Even though he enjoys the pleasures, it is not complete because in heaven also
there is a gradation. So, he will always compare and feel miserable. This minus
point was also mentioned in verse 21. This is like a person travelling in economy
class without even knee space. Within 8 inches or so, another huge fellow is
sitting. He has to sit like this for 19 or 22 hours. Then he sees another person in
business class. The comparison makes him more miserable. So, even though he has
the enjoyment of travelling, the other one is able to stretch and sleep. Similarly, in
the heavenly world also there is तारतम्य -gradation. When I look at somebody who
has a better lot then I won’t enjoy but only envy. Then what happens?
Then comes tragedy. स्वग�यावत्पुण समाप् -until the प्रारब्धपु, स्वगर्प्र पण ु ्य

is exhausted he will be allowed to enjoy everything but the moment the expiry date
comes, he will be thrown out. Marry one of the celestial women and get permanent

citizenship. In स्वग all these are not possible. He will be given अधर चन् प्रय:
necked out. �ीणपण
ु ्यपत�तअवार्ग. BGA also says �ीणे पण
ु ्य मत्य लोकं �वशिन्.
अवार्ग means अध:, to the lower लोका: he will come back. अ�नच्छन अ�प- even
though he doesn’t want to come back. He may plead with those people but no
consideration at all. अ�नच्छन अ�प all governed by कालचा�लतः time principle
which makes everything finite. These are the limitations of काम्यकम.
Hereafter, LKA talks about the limitations of �न�षद्धकमार् or corrupt practices

by which a person may earn more. India is full of corruption and scams through
which one can earn like politicians and spend that wrongly earned money to bribe
voters. Come to power, earn money, bribe the voters and continue in power. This is
the adharmic method. Adharmic method will give worse pain. That is going to be
described hereafter. Of �नष्कामकमर्सकामक and �न�षद् कम,र �नष्का is
superior, सकामकमर is inferior and �न�षद्धकम is the worst. He is going to talk
about them now.
यद्यधमर्रतःसङ्गादसतांवािजतेिन्
कामात्माकृपणोलुब्धःस्त्रैणोभूत�व�ह१०.२७॥
पशन
ू �व�धनालभ्यप्रेतभूतगणान ्य
नरकानवशोजन्तुगर्त्वायात्युल्बण१०.२८॥
People who take to �न�षद्or wrong activities because of their inferiority or

immaturity are described here. असतांसङ्गात - the company of wrong people,
adharmic people called दस
ु ्सङ or असत्सङ् can pollute the mind. The mind may
get polluted because of my own पापकमर of the previous जन् or it may get polluted
because of association with wrong people, reading wrong books, watching wrong
TV programs or exposing to wrong sites of internet. Internet is a great blessing but
it can be a terrible curse also because अधमर can come right into our own home.
With a click we may enter a wrong site and wrong sites are always tempting and
addictive also. In those days दस ु ्सङ required travelling far. Now दस ु ्सङ is

available right in your homes with TV and internet. We may get it with good
intention but unknowingly get trapped. Due to some such wrong influences some
people get into a completely adharmic, sensuous life style. Those people are
criticised by LKA. असतांसङ्गात -because of दस ु ्सङ, अिजतेिन्द: -or because of
my own previous जन्म:पापं I do not have sense control or sensory restraint. A
person can become कामात्म- given to sensory temptations. A person becomes
कामप्रध: though शास् talks about धमर्अथर्क and मो�.धमर gets ignored. मो�
gets ignored. काम is the only goal. To indulge sense pleasures, he needs a lot of
money. When it is not adequate, he takes to all wrong methods of stealing and
other things. Thus, one अधमर leads to another अधम.र कामात् कृपणा: - wretched
and helpless. He is controlled by addiction. Though humans have will power and
�ववेकशिक् to restrain him, once addiction overpowers him, �ववेकशिक् and will
power go away. Addictions will become so powerful that our �व�ानमय कोश
doesn’t function and he continues his destructive behaviour fully knowing they are
harmful to health. He becomes कृपणा: completely helpless. लबु ्ध - greedy as he
wants to get more and more money to cater to his sensory desires which are
increasing day after day. स्त्: - slaves of women, भत ू �व�हसं कः - he will take to
�हसं ा, harming and hurting others. भत ू �हंसneed not be killing people and hurting
animals. Exploiting other human beings, troubling others, polluting the earth, are
all �हस ं ा. All these are concentrated अधम.र We may bribe the officers, cheat the
Government and even bribe the judges in the court but भगवान ् cannot be cheated.
We are accumulating पापं. In next जन् we will lose freewill completely and get a
birth in which we have to undergo all sufferings with nobody coming to our rescue.
Do you want this is LKA’s question? भत ू �व�हस
ं कः violating all धमरs.
अ�व�धनापशन
ू ्आलभ्. There are some who are religious. They perform yagas,
पशन
ू ्आलभ् -in which animal sacrifice is involved, अ�व�धना -violating all the
rules. They do not worship ordinary deities. प्रेतभूतगणान्य -they worship
ताम�सक् deities like प्र भत
ू etc. They sometimes take to black magic also thereby
getting more पापं. The consequence is नरकान ् अवश जन्त: गत्व. LKA doesn’t
want to call him a human being because he is so brutal. LKA calls him जन्त: -

such lowly human beings who are brutal people, terrible people, नरकान ् गत्व-
भगवान ् has created a concentrated नरकं for them where they will have to pay the
price for every wrong action they did. As is the action, so is the result. उल्बण- he
experiences intense suffering, तम:या�त for several जन्म: this person will lose the
privilege of a human birth. Human birth is such a rare privilege and for abusing
this human birth, abusing freewill, abusing knowledge, he will lose the privilege of
human birth. For several जन्म: human birth itself will be denied to such people.
तम: either animal जन् or plant जन्. उल्बणंत: intense तम: darkness. Here
darkness means the lowly जन्. या�त- this person goes. LKA is frightening us so
much so that we will avoid all adharmic actions. Pay workers sufficiently. DS
always insists that you always treat the employees properly and give fair
compensation otherwise it will lead to lot of पापं. Not only next जन् becomes
inferior. When the human birth itself becomes rare मो� becomes still farther. We
will go farther and farther from मो�.
कमार्�णदुःखोदकार्�णकुवर्न्देहेनतैःप
दे हमाभजतेतत्र�कंसुखंमत्यर्ध�म१०.२९॥
The bottom-line is, if काम् karmas and �न�षद् कमार्� are predominant in the
life of a human being, it will lead to adverse consequences and rebirth because in
the next जन् there is no opportunity of earning पण ु ्य. पन
ु र�प जननं पनु र�प मरणं
going down and down. Chances of redemption will become rare. TF, understand
the value of human जन् and may you pack up the �नष्का कमर Even if you do
regular पज
ू ा what is the motive of the पज
ू ा? Every नमस्का you do in every temple
or for every महात्म, let the नमस्का be not काम् नमस्का or �न�षद् नमस्का.
Let it be सव� भवन्त स�ु खन: सव� सन्त �नरामया:.When I pray for the well-being of
all, by default, my mind gets more and more साधन चतुष्ट संप��. I need not ask
for साधन चतुष्ट संप��.I simply pray for universal well-being and thereby grow
internally. May you make use of the human birth very carefully. This is the
message of LKA. The exact meaning of this verse we will see in the next class.

Verse 29-
कमार्�णदुःखोदकार्�णकुवर्न्देहेनतैःप
दे हमाभजतेतत्र�कंसुखंमत्यर्ध�म१०.२९॥
LKA is talking about the limitation of all types of कमर whether they are non-
religious, worldly कमार्�, religious, ritualistic कमार्� or activities. All the कमार्�
are ultimately cause of संसार only. It may be a disturbing news for a common man
who is engaged in one activity or the other either worldly or religious. LKA gives
a strong warning as our spiritual journey involves understanding this limitation of
कमर. In मण
ु ्ड उप�नषद and कठोप�नषद very strong words are used.
अ�वद्यायामन्त वतर्माना स्वय धीराः पिण्डतंमन्यमान ।

जङ्घन्यमान प�रयिन् मढ
ू ा अन्धेनै नीयमाना यथान्धा ॥ ८ ॥
he majority of humanity is caught up in the whirlpool of religious and non-

religious activities. First, we should note that कमर्णाबध्यतेजन:. कमर leads to
bondage and संसार. So, the aim of a spiritual seeker is to choose and use the
कमार्� in an appropriate manner for a limited duration of time. Appropriate usage
means they should be used for internal transformation according to LKA. Using
कमार्� for external expansion, external prosperity, more possessions etc. will only
lead to more bondage. TF, instead of using कमर for external transformation, you
should use कमार्� for internal purification. Even earning money should be more
for sharing and performing PMYA, for serving the world, charity and internal
growth. Once we have attained sufficient maturity and purity, reduce कमaर nd enter
into �ानयोग as early as possible because कमर्णाबध्यतेजन: �वद्यय च �वमच
ु ्यत.
This is the slogan of शास्. कमर्णाबध्यतेजन: -the unintelligent human being gets
bound by कमर whereas �वद्यय च �वमच
ु ्यत only wisdom will lead to liberation.
Engage in कमर and as early as possible grow out of कमर and dedicate more time for

श्रवणंमन and �न�दध्यासन. Otherwise कमर will lead to पन
ु र�प मरणं
helpless cycle. That is what LKA said in the 29th verse- कमार्� द:ु ख उदखार्�. कमर
will lead to more pain. पणु ्य म causes pain when it gets exhausted. पापम ् causes
pain when it comes and fructifies. One gives pain by arrival. Another gives pain by
departure. Departing पण ु ्य म gives pain arriving पापम ् gives pain. Both are
कमर्फल म. TF, he says कमरद:ु ख उदखार्�.उदख� -फलम ्,देहेन कुवर्न- by engaging
more and more in the worldly and religious activities. Even religious कमर is
bondage. That is the declaration of the शास्त:. तै: पन
ु : देहं आभजते. Through
कमार्� one will get more body only. If it is a human body, at least our freewill will
be active. When it is some other non-human body, we won’t even have freewill to
save ourselves. Follow कमर for �च� शद ु ्�.Let your life be कमर्यो प्रध. Avoid
काम्कमर�न�षद् कमर and प�रहारकम.र May you be committed to �नत् नै�म��क
पञ् महा य�. That is LKA’s advice. Continuing,
लोकानांलोकपाला aनांमद्भयंकल्पजी�वनाम
ब्रह्मणोऽ�पभयंम�ोद्�वपराधर्परा१०.३०॥९.
LKA points out that even going to higher लोका: and getting the positions of
various देवता: like इन् वरुण अिग् etc. will not save a person from संसार because
they are also subject to mortality. लोकानां -all the 14 लोका:, लोकपालानां - all the
देवता: who are maintaining those लोका:, the celestials taking the various
departments in the higher लोका:, मद्भय- are afraid of भगवान ् and death. Even
though they have all sense pleasures, they can never enjoy in total relaxation,
because there is always fear of death lurking. कल्पजी�वना म-देवता: can survive
only for only one कल् which is considered to be one day of ब्रह. One day of
ब्रहji is considered to be 432 crore years. That is one कल्. During that time the
देवता: will enjoy but even that will end one day and so they are afraid.
भीषास्माद्वा पवते । भीषोदे �त सयर्
ू । भीषास्मादिग्नश्चेन । तै�तर�य उप�नषद
says even देवता: are frightened of death. Even ब्रहji, the creator is finite. The

total duration of ब्रह्म’s life is considered to be 3 crores crore human years.
Even that ब्रहji is occupying a post only for that duration. Thereafter, even ब्रह
will have to vacate and so even ब्रह is afraid. Here, ब्रह: is ब्रह who is
चतम
ु ुर्खब्र, the �श्रि कतार not सत्य �ानं अनन्त ब्रह. Even he is afraid of
भगवान ् who is in charge of कमर because ब्रहji gets his ब्रह post because of his
punya कमर. Even we can become ब्रह if we do sufficient कमर and उपासना and
accumulate पण
ु ्य म. Once the पण
ु ्य म is exhausted even ब्रह will have to vacate.
ब्रह्मणद्�वपराधर्पर -who has the longest life consisting of two 50 years. पराध�
means 50 years. द्�वपराध means two 50 years, that is 100 years. In सङ्कल they
say, all ब्रह:पराध्र द्व काले द्�वती पराध�. Now, ब्रहji is running 51st year.
Even he is on the wrong side of the 50. So even that ब्रह has got भयं of me. म�:
means of me, meaning LKA who is saying, I, the ultimate God.
गण
ु ाःसज
ृ िन्तकमार्�णगुणोऽनुसृजतेगुणान
जीवस्तुगुणसंयुक्तोभुङ्क्तेकमर्फला१०.३१॥
So गुणा: कमार्�णसृजिन. गुण: means the ten sense organs. The five �ानेिन्द्रय
which look at the world and plan various activities for the day. Watch mobile,
computer. A very big list is there. I watch things to be done and plan with the help
of �ानेिन्द्रय. Then begins hectic activity right from early morning till midnight.
कमर्कमर्क with no time even to think. इिन्द्रय कमार्� सज
ृ िन्- they keep on
producing कमर. The sense organs themselves are activated by गुण:,
सत्वरजस्तमोगु: which make our character. गुणान ् अनस
ु ्रुज. Based on my
character I decide my कमर. In their free time, one decides to go to the beach,
another to a movie, the third to a shopping mall and a rare one decides to go to
UGA class. The difference is due to गुण:. Each one has his or her own character.
Character pushes the �ान कम�िन्द्रय to get involved into साित्वक राज�सक् and
ताम�सक् activities as described in the 14th chapter of the BGA.

So गुण: means the character, गुणान ् means इिन्द्रय, अनस
ु ्रुज - activates, prods
or pushes to do more and more. What does जीव do? The poor जीव instead of
claiming अहं ब्रह्मािस् अकतार अभोक्त आनन् स्वरू ब्रह्मा identifies with
the BMSC due to self-ignorance. The immortal जीव identifies with the mortal
BMSC and becomes a कतार today and a भोक्त tomorrow. The entire life is nothing
but कतार्भोक्. Die and again be reborn. कतार्भोक्. This goes on incessantly. जीव:
तु- the ignorant जीव, गुणसंयक
ु ्: -identified with the three गुणs and their products,
that is BMSC, गुणसंयक ु ् भङु ्क्- continuously experiences. Unfortunately, no
advance notice is given about what experience will come tomorrow. It is unknown
and depends on प्रार of not only of the present जन् but प्रार of past जन्s also
fructify. I have no way of knowing because प्रार isअदृष्. How my old age is
going to treat me, I don’t know. How long I am going to live? Will my savings be
enough or will I outlive my savings? The whole life is groping in darkness. Why
can’t you get out of this संसार? असौ जीव: कम्र फला� भङ
ु ्क्.
rd
LKA says in the 3 chapter of the BGA-
प्रकृत �क्रयमाणा गण
ु ैः कमार्� सवर्श ।
अहङ्कार�वमूढात् कतार्ह�म� मन्यत ॥२७॥
त�व�व�ु महाबाहो गण
ु कमर्�वभागयो ।
गुणा गुणेषु वतर्न इ�त मत्व न सज्जत ॥ २८ ॥
�ानी is the only rare person who is not afraid of the events that are coming and
going. गतासन ू ् अग्तासूम् न अनश
ु ोचिन् पिण्डत:. TF, �ानं alone is the immunity
injection. Continuing,
यावत्स्याद्गुणवैषम्यंतावन्नानात्वम
नानात्वमात्मनोयावत्पारतन्�यंतदै१०.३२॥

यावत्गुणवैषम्यंस्य. गुणवैषम्य here refers to the universe. It is an idiom based on
साङ्ख philosophy. According to साङ्ख philosophy during प्रल before the
universe arises प्रकृ�तमा is there with all सत् रजस ् and तमस्गुs. During the
प्रल the three गण
ु s are in equilibrium in an equal and balanced level of 33.33%.
प्र अवस्थ in साङ्ख philosophy is called गण
ु साम्य म. Before the big bang.
When all the कमरs of the जीव ripen, the creation has to come. Then the प्रकृ gets
disturbed and that is called गुणवैषम्य. वैषम्य is opposite of साम्य. It is भगवत: job
to initiate the non-equilibrium of the three गुणs. Once that non-equilibrium starts
in big bang thereafter the evolution starts. Scientists describe what will happen in
the 1000th of a second after big bang. Like the domino effect. One effect will lead
to the next to the next to the next. Then the pancha bhutas appear. Then 14 लोकs
appear. Unicellular organisms. Multi cellular organisms. Evolution of the universe
is called गुणवैषम्य. The universe is गुणवैषम्य. As long as this universe is there and
the ignorant जीव is there, तावत् so long the ignorant जीव will identify with BMSC
and the परमात्म, who is one, will appear as though there are many जीवात्मा:.
One परमात्म becomes many जीवात्मा:. How? Everybody has an enclosed
consciousness just as when you create ten pots in the hall, the space which is all-
pervading gets enclosed in every pot. परमात्म, that one, all-pervading
consciousness gets enclosed in every body when the bodies are created. The
enclosed consciousness is called जीवात्म. There will be as many जीवात्मा: as the
bodies. This जीवात्म enclosed in the BMSC will develop self-awareness which is
expressed in the form of I thought. When we get up in the morning, our first
thought is I am. Then you look around for either cell phone or bed coffee. Before
that I am comes. Unfortunately, the जीवात्म doesn’t know that I am the enclosed
consciousness not affected by the body. He doesn’t have that knowledge and so he
mistakes the enclosed body as himself instead of claiming that ‘I am the enclosed
consciousness, which is eternal, which will continue even when the body perishes.’
Instead of claiming अहं ब्रह्मा he says अहं देहोिस्. Thereafter every year I
celebrate the day of my birth. It is the celebration of my ignorance year after year.
Sanyasi never celebrates the birthday. Shishyas will celebrate because they are
ignorant but sanyasi never claims because he knows or he is supposed to know न

जायते �म्रय वा कदा�चत्. So, the जीवात्म,तावत्नानात्वंआत: - sees so many
जीवात्मा:. Father जीवात्म, mother जीवात्म, sibling जीवात्म so any जीवात्मा:.
Once the जीवात्म and world have come, the next factor will be ईश्व, the creator.
Thus, every जीव gets into a triangular format of जीवजगत्ईश्व. I am जीव governed
by कमर and I have to confront the unpredictable, uncontrollable, unsustainable
world and there is भगवान ् whose job is कम् र फ दाता to give experiences of
pleasures and pains according to the LOK. In this TFT the most powerful one is
neither the जीव nor जगत्. Remember, even ईश्व is not the most powerful one
because ईश्व gives द:ु खं and सख
ु म ् based on LOK. No doubt ईश्व is omniscient,
omnipotent and compassionate also but that compassionate ईश्व will have to give
pleasure and pain to his own भक्त:. The भक्त wonders, ‘I am your भक्त. Why
can’t you give me some tax exemption?’ भगवान ् says I am omniscient, omnipotent
but I am also a fair God who goes by LOK. I have to give justice. Whenever we
are going through difficult situations, we should remember भगवान ् is just. He gives
me what I have to go through. In TFT, no human being is free. Everyone is bound
by the shackles of कमर. TF, LKA says, तावत्आत्म: नानात्व -as long as there is
world and ignorance and there are जीवात्मा:यावत्आत्म: नानात्व so long we live
in a world of plurality. This is TFT in my language.तदाएवपारतन्�य- we are all
shackled and trapped in the prison. The prison walls are nothing but कम.र Many
people always pray to भगवान ् -अनायासेनमरणं �वना दै न्ये जी�वतं दे�ह मे कृपय
शम्भ त्व� भिक्त अचञ्चल. O Lord I should die instantaneously. I should never be
bedridden giving myself and others any trouble. Whether this prayer will be
answered or not also is not in our hands. We will feel the very body as a prison
imprisoned by कमर and imprisoned by the ageing body. All these things are
inevitable in self-ignorance. तदाएवपारतन्�य.पारतन्�य means bondage. Continuing,
यावदस्यास्वतन्त्रत्वंतावद�श्वर
यएतत्समुपासीरंस्तेमुह्यिन्तशुचा�पर१०.३३॥

As long as this TFT and the shackles of कमर continue, यावत् अस् अस्वतन् -as
long as this जीव is a helpless victim of fructifying प्रार, तावत भयं -so long will
this fear of future be there. The sense of insecurity begins right from birth. I cling
to my mother because of my insecurity. Even after I grow up this continues. Will
my job continue? What will Trump will do? What is प्रारब् definition? Trump.
He has the trump card because all our children are all there. TF there is always
भयम ् of ईश्व because God is the one who is कम् र फलदात. He alone gives us our
कमर्फम ्. उदरमन्तर कुरुत अत तस् भयं भव�त. The उप�नषद repeatedly declare.
ईश्वर: means out of ईश्व, भयम ् will be there for all those who are lost in कम,र
who are lost in the TFT, who refuse to come to आत्म and are lost in अनात्म. In
the 14th chapter of BGA, the world is called �त्रग:, आत्म is called गुणातीत:, so
the aim of शास् is to take us out of the shackles of the changing three गुणा: to our
own higher and real nature which is गुणातीत:.
नान्य गुणेभ्य कतार्र यदा द्रष्टानुपश ।

गण
ु ेभ्यश परं वे�� मद्भाव सोऽ�धगच्छ� ॥१९
गण
ु ानेतानतीत् त्रीन्द देहसमद
ु ्भवान ।
जन्म मृत्युजरादुःखै�वर्मुक्तोऽमृतमश ॥ २० ॥
Human birth should be reserved for travelling from सगुणअनात्म to �नगुर्णआत्.

Having claimed the आत्म, we can live in the world like the lotus leaf in water. We
need not run away from the world. We need not even die. We need not even go to
वैकुण्. We can live here itself after knowledge because knowledge will give that
extra coating by which I get insulated from all the problems. Lotus leaf in water
doesn’t get wet. As LKA says in the BGA,
दःु खेष्वनुद्�वग्नम सख
ु ेषु �वगतस्पृह good प्रार comes, bad प्रार comes, the
body goes through different situations but a �ानी is able to remain detached and
allow these things to pass without getting shaken from these incidents. LKA says
if a person doesn’t become a �ानी and gets trapped in the सगुण world he is going

to be continuing in संसार. He says, ये एतत्मपा
ु सीरन ्.एतत् means सगुणप्रप:. A
person who is carried away by this finite, changing world though it is very
attractive has no stability. So, it can crash and we can lose everything.
यएतत्समुपासरन ्. World has beauty, variety, novelty but it doesn’t have stability.
Things can crash. ये एतत्. एतत् - this world of three गण
ु ा:, समपा
ु सीरन ्- the
worshippers of the world, the materialistic people, शच ु अ�पर्त: -they go through
grief, tension, stress all the time. When stress remains in the system for a length of
time varieties of diseases attack us as stress lowers immunity. Constantly working
against deadlines and stressed people are शच ु अ�पर्त:.महु ्यिन -they are not only
confused, they don’t know how to get off this ravanankottai, network of संसार.
The solution is available only in वेदान् शास्त. आत्म�ान is the only key which will
open the door and we can go from सगुण to �नगुर्. Continuing.
कालआत्मागमोलोकःस्वभावोधमर्ए
इ�तमांबहुधाप्राहुगुर्णव्य�तकरे१०.३४॥
Here LKA makes a side note. When the universe arises, the entire arrived universe
is born out of me. In fact, it is my own manifestation because भगवत:माया or प्रकृ
alone evolves into the universe just as we project a dream and create dream
mountains, dream rivers, dream human beings. Time is there. Space is there.
Where is the raw material for your dream? We don’t gather the raw material when
we go to bed. You can’t carry water to the bed to dream a river. The raw material
for the entire dream is my own mind which has got वासना�न. वासना�न project the
thought. Every thought in the mind becomes an object in the dream. Just as I,
through my own thoughts become my dream world, भगवत:mind माया alone
evolves into this universe. TF भगवान ् says, I alone appear in the form of all the
factors which are required for human living. What are the factors? आत्म. आत्म
means the जीव: every जीव is my own अवतार:.
अपरेय�मतस्त्वन् प्रकृ� �वद्� मे पराम ् ।

जीवभतां
ू महाबाहो ययेदं धायर्त जगत् ॥ ५ ॥

LKA says in the 7th chapter of the BGA. The world is the manifestation of my
अपराप्रकृ. Every जीव is the manifestation of my पराप्रकृ.
आत्म- the जीवात्म is my own manifestation. आगम: -all theशस्त्र scriptures
which talk about पण
ु ् पाप कमर are also my manifestations. I am rearranging the
words. First आत्म, then आगम:, then स्वभा: -every जीव comes with his own
character. That is also my manifestation. स्वभा: and धम:र . Based on his character,
he creates पण
ु ्य म and पापम ्. Those पण
ु ्य मs and पापा�न also are my own
manifestation only. लोक: -this पण
ु ्य म and पापम ् will lead to higher and lower लोकs.
That is also my manifestation. काल - time, which will bring pleasurable and painful
experiences out of पण
ु ्यपाप म, that काल तत्व also is my manifestation. All these
things in short, सव� �वष्णुमय जगत्.
ब्रह्माप ब्र ह�व ब्रर्ह्म ब्रह् हुतम ् । इ�त -in all these factors बहुदा मां प्रा:
wise people look upon me as the very word itself. Ignorant people don’t know.
Wise people know everything is भगवान ्. भगवान ् expresses as the world गण ु
व्य�तकर स�त. व्य�तक: means disturbance of three गण
ु ा:. From equilibrium to in-
equilibrium. व्य�तक means वैषम्य. After hearing this, उद्ध feels he needs some
clarification regarding some of the teachings and asks the question-
गुणेषवतर्मानोऽ�प
ु द ेहजेष्वनपावृत
गुणैनर्बध्यतेदेह�बध्यतेवाकथं�व१०.३५॥
उद्ध asks, ‘From your description, every जीवात्म is none other than the
परमात्म’ just as enclosed space is nothing but the total space enclosed within the
wall. One परमात्म, all-pervading consciousness alone is in the form of enclosed
consciousness, जीवात्म. Justas space cannot be contaminated by anything, the
जीवात्म also must actually be unaffected by the BMSC. Really speaking, जीवात्म

should be not bound. He says, दे�ह -the जीवात्म, देह जेषु गुणेषु वतर्मा: अ�प -even
though he is surrounded by the BMSC and the three गुणा: expressed in them.
Though the �नगुर्णजीवात् is surrounded by सगण
ु शर�रं,सगण
ु इिन्द्रय, सगण
ु म्
mind, सगण
ु ं thought, दे�हन बध्यत -जीवात्म is really not bound. This must be the
fact but what is our experience? Our experience is that no जीवात्म claims ‘I am
�नत् मक
ु ् चैतन्य.’ Every जीवात्म claims ‘I am महा संसार�.’ So, उद्ध asks how
the जीवात्म becomes bound when bondage is not possible. दे�हन बध्यत is a fact.
The question is हे �वभ:ु कथं बध्यत? How does the जीवात्म manage to become a
संसार�? What is the answer? This is as we do in dream. Though my dream is an
unreal projection of me, what do I do? I project the dream, I enter the dream, then I
forget that it is a dream. Once I enter the dream, I never know it is a dream. For a
dreamer, dream is not dream in dream. I project the dream. I enter the dream. I
forget the fact it is a dream and I suffer in my dream. Similarly, we also enter this
world and forget that, it cannot bind me. उद्ध asks how does that happen?
कथंवत�त�वहरेत्कैवार्�ायेतल�णै
�कंभञ
ु ्जीतोत�वसृजेच्छयीतासीतया�तव१०.३६॥
LKA says the only solution for bondage is �ानं and knowledge alone. Knowledge
alone will give an insulation coating like the lotus leaf in water which doesn’t get
wet. �ानं alone can give immunity. That means an immunized �ानी will live in the
same world but he will never suffer संसार. Such a �ानी is called जीवन्मुक: or in
the language of the 2nd chapter of the BGA िस्थतप:. Exactly as Arjuna asked in
BGA,
िस्थतप्र का भाषा समा�धस्थस के शव । so also, उद्ध wants to know how
जीवन्मुक्live in this world. उद्ध asks, कथंवत�त -how will a �ानीजीवन्मुक: live
in this world? �वहरेत् - how will he move about? कै:ल�णै:�ायेत- what are the
indicatory marks by which we can identify a जीवन्मुक? Will he have a long
beard? Will there be a halo around his head? ल�णं – marks, �कं भञ
ु ्जी? What will
he eat? Is there any a special diet for a �ानी? कुठ �वसज
ृ ेत्- how does he go through
his daily chores, ablutions etc? Will he go through all those things? आसीत -how
will he sit? Only in पद्मासन? How will he move? The last verse-
एतदच्युतमेब्रू�हप्रश्नंप्रश्
�नत्यबद्धो�नत्यमुक्तएकएवे�तमे१०.३७॥
हे अच्यु, हे कृष् प्रश्न�वदा -who is expert in answering all the questions, मे प्रश
ब्रू -may you give the answer to my questions. प्रश means प्रश्नस्यमे ब्रू.
When I am imagining that all theजीवात्मा: are one the same परमात्म, then that
same आत्म must be either �नत्यमुक:: or �नत्यबद:. I feel same आत्म should be
�नत्यमुक: ever liberated or �नत्यबद: ever-bound. This to me seems like a
contradiction and also doesn’t appear so. TF, I am not very clear about who is
bound and who is liberated? How they will live in the world? I want to know about
मकु ्: also. I want to know about बद्: also. May you reply. With this question the
th
5 chapter of UGA is over.

Class 54 Chapter 5 Summary
Today I will give you a summary of the 5th chapter of UGA which we completed
in the last class. Having presented अवधत ू गीत in the previous chapters, LKA starts
th
his own teaching only from the 5 chapter of the UGA. For all practical purposes
we can take the 5th chapter as the beginning of भगवत: teaching. This chapter
consisting of 37 verses is a very important chapter because LKA has summarized
the entire Vedic teaching in this chapter. He presents two stages of spiritual साधनs
every person has to go through to attain liberation. The first stage of spiritual साधन
is called कमर्यो: which is based on the वेदपवर
ू भाग called कम्
र काण्. The second
stage of spiritual साधन is called �ान योग: which is based on the वेद अन् portion
called �ान काण्. Every body has to go through both stages sequentially. Initially
कमर योग should dominate the life of a spiritual seeker even while he is exposed to
�ान योग a little bit. Initially, it is predominantly कमर योग प्रध and gradually a
person should change the lifestyle from कमर योग प्रध to �ान योग प्रध. Even
when �ान योग becomes dominant कमर योग will continue. Thus, both योगा: are
there but the proportion will vary in the two stages. Without कमर्यो, �ानयोग is
impossible and without �ानयोग, कमर योग is incomplete and will also कमर योग will
not directly lead to liberation. कमर योग will lead us only to �ान योग. �ान योग
alone will ultimately lead to liberation. �ान योग is given importance in वेद, BGA
and UGA because according to our scriptures our fundamental problem of संसार is
due to self-ignorance or ignorance of our real nature. Because of self-ignorance,
we have committed a mistake and we have self-misconception. Self-ignorance
leading to self-misconception is the only cause of all the problems. The self-
misconception is taking this physical body as ourselves. We mistake this BMSC as
ourselves. This is called अहंकार:. अहंकार in the scriptural context means mistaken
notion that I the BMSC. This अहंकार leads to ममकार through which we claim
ownership and relationship with a few things and beings outside. ममकार w.r.t
family, property,profession etc. Self-ignorance leads to अहंकार. अहंकार leads to
ममकार. Because of this अहंकार and ममकार, we take a small segment of creation

as me and mine and we put a mental fence that this portion belongs to me. I want
to control that particular area and keep all those things within my chart. I want
certain things to happen and don’t want certain things to happen within the area of
अहंकार and ममकार. Outside anything can happen, I don’t mind but within segment
I am very particular about what should happen and what should not happen. This
anxiety about what should and should not happen is called राग and द्वे. राग is
being very particular about what should happen. द्वे is being very particular about
what should not happen. This अहंकार-ममकारराग and द्वे are the 4-fold internal
enemies of an individual. I call them दषु ् चतषु ्टय. As long as these four are there
our life will never be peaceful. There will be constant anxiety w.r.t the future and a
lot of reactions in the present also. Events of life are not going to be governed by
my राग and द्वे. According to scriptures the entre creation belongs to ईश्व. ईश्व
alone is the owner and controller of everything, including our own body and mind.
भगवान ् has gifted the BMSC to us temporarily based on our पण ु ्य म and पापम ्. We
will be allowed to use our body for a particular period. Once that period is over,
भगवान ् will take them away. When I am not the owner of the body itself nor am I
the controller, what to talk of our wife, husband, children and grandchildren? We
are neither owners nor controllers. We have developed this ownership and
controllership. Reactions towards everything when they don’t conform to my राग
द्वे and anxiety about the future is called संसार. This संसार will continue as long
as अहंकार ममकार राग and द्वे are there and these four will continue as long as
self-ignorance is there. TF, the ultimate cause of संसार is अ�ान.ं अ�ानं to अहम्म
राग द्वे to reaction w.r.t present and anxiety w.r.t future. This is the genesis of
संसार. The ultimate solution is to remove self-ignorance by self-knowledge. Once
अ�ानं goes away अहम्म रागद्वे will go away. That is what LKA defines as
मो��नमर्:�नरहंकार:.
ु ्तैस् �वषया�निन्द्रयैश् । Once you handle these four,

LKA says, रागद्वे �वयक
you will have peace of mind. �ानयोग is acquiring self-knowledge and eliminating
the अ�ानं series. As I said the other day, domino effect. Remove अ�ानं the other
things will naturally flow. This �ानयोग is a very subtle साधन and a very long
term साधन which requires mental preparation. In fact, accepting that self -
ignorance is the problem itself will take time. Scriptures prescribe another साधन
called कमर्यो to prepare for �ानयोग. कमर्यो is important because-
1. It will prepare the mind
2. It will create a desire for �ानयोग
3. It will give an opportunity to pursue �ानयोग
कमर्यो is the first aid which will dilute the संसार problem to a great extent though
it can never totally eliminate संसार. कमर्यो will cut down 50% to 75% of the
problem of संसार, that is,our reaction to the present unfavorable situations. It will
heavily reduce anxiety regarding the future and emotional reaction to the present
situations. TF, scriptures advice कमर्यो initially and then graduate to �ानयोग.
�ानयोग is the ultimate remedy. It is the Vedic path, the BGA path, the UGA path
which LKA is summarising in the 5th chapter.
Let us see the topics of this chapter. From verse 1 to 7 LKA talks about कमर्यो as
a preparatory stage which will solve the संसार to a great extent. The first part of
कमर्यो is performing appropriate actions which will help us grow inwardly. So,
you have to choose appropriate कमर and avoid inappropriate कम.र Appropriate कमर
is called �व�हतकमर, or as LKA says �नव�ंक
ृ म.र �व�हतकमर �नव�ंक
ृ मर or वणार्श
�व�हतकमर. Inappropriate कमरs are काम्यकम and �न�षद् कम.र काम्यकमs are all
those पज
ू ा:, prayers, जप, pilgrimage, etc. for worldly benefits. I call this religious
materialism. They all should be heavily reduced. Convert all your पज
ू ा: and prayers
for internal growth by praying for universal wellbeing. When अहंकार and ममकार
are dominant, my prayers will be centred on me and my family. LKA says, reduce
your I-centric prayers. Let all your prayers be सव� भवन्त स�ु खन: सव� सन्त �नरामया:
सव� भद्रा पश्यन् मा किश्चत द:ु ख भाक् भवेत्. Let selfish prayers be replaced by
universal prayers. May you increase your activities which are contributory to

others. They are called �व�हतकमर which we present as पञ्चमह य�. The पञ्चमह
य� are-
1. देव य�: -Daily there must be at least one पज
ू ा or prayer meant for universal
well-being. It is called �नत् ईश्व आराधन.ं In fact, for every Hindu the day must
start with ईश्व आराधन.ं This must include �शव मानसपज
ू ा dedicated to the well-
being of the world. Even if you do some other काम्यकमs it doesn’t matter but
there must be at least one पज
ू ा or prayer dedicated to worldly well being called देव
य�.
2. �पत ृ य�: -May you contribute to well-being of entire family which was an
extended family once upon a time. Contribute to the preservation and well-being of
three generations. Worshipping fore fathers श्राद तपर्ण etc. are all called �पत ृ य�.
Our scriptures say, whether one’s fore fathers benefit or not, our internal growth
requires �पत ृ य�. People ask why should we do श्राद etc. if they have already
taken rebirth, पन
ु जर्न? Whether they need or not, we need it for our internal
growth. Giving up these compulsory कमार्� are supposed to produce a special
पापम ् called प्रत्यवायपाwhich people call �पत ृ शाप:. In fact, they are not giving
शाप but omissions of these कमार्� bring the पापम ् and they all become obstacles to
spiritual growth. TF, �पतय
ृ � is compulsory.
3. मनषु ् य�- contributing to fellow human beings according to their need.
Whatever resources I have, I share with others. All charitable activities come under
मनषु ्यय.
4. भतू य�: -we should remember the contribution of the animals and plants and
care for them either directly or indirectly. In the olden days every home had a cow.
Now, we don’t even know that milk comes from cows. We think it comes from
Avin Dairy. Animals are important for our well-being. We should care for plants.
Every house has a Tulasi plant. They pour water to Tulasi representing plant
kingdom. Thus, भतयू � shows our gratitude towards the environment.
5. ब्र य�- we have to contribute to our religion and culture against attacks from
other religions and cultures. We should remember it is our responsibility to
preserve our religion, our culture, our scriptures for the generations to come.

Otherwise, a time will come when we will have to search for UGA and BGA. It
will not be available. It was prescribed based on वणर and आश् in those says. Now
we don’t have the वणर आश् धमर but each one can contribute his part by studying
the scriptures and leading a dharmic life.
LKA said वणार्श परा:. वणर आश् कुल आचार- may you practice पञ्चमह य�. The
next thing he prescribes is यम and �नयम. Five यम and five �नयम which are very
important for spiritual growth. यम is not YDR. यम refers to the five virtues called
अ�हंसा सत्य अस्तेय ब्रह्म अप�रग्:. अ�हस
ं ा means non-violence. To the extent
possible, avoid hurting others even at thought level. Non-violence. सत्य-speaking
the truth is extremely important even if you think that क�लयगु requires telling lies.
That is the argument of people. So, regularly watch the number of lies and see how
much we can reduce every day. Start reducing because many lies that we utter are
avoidable lies. Start avoiding avoidable lies. भगवान ् will gradually convert most
lies as avoidable. TF,सत्य is very important. अस्तेय- never own any property
which doesn’t legitimately belong to you. That is called अस्तेय. The money that I
save by not paying enough to those people whoare working under me is stolen
money. ब्रह्म is following sexual morals very diligently. अप�रग्- don’t hoard
too much wealth. May you distribute the extra in the form of charity. अप�रग्: is
avoidance of hoarding. सत्य अ�हस
ं ा अस्तेय ब्रह्म अप�रग्म ्. These are the five
यमा:. The पञ्�नयमा: are शौचं संतोष: तप स्वाद्द् ईश्वरप्र�णद. शौचं means
स्वच् भारत्. Cleanliness physically, verbally –language also swearing words
should not be used verbally. Physical and even mental cleanliness. शौचं.सन्तो:
means contentment with whatever I can earn legitimately. यल्लभत �नह कम� पात्
व�ं
ृ तेन �वनोधय �च�ं.तप: means living a simple life, avoidance of luxury etc. What
is simple will vary from individual to individual. You yourself define. It should be
simple. स्वाद्द्- scriptural study is very important. Continuing UGA classes is
very important. Finally ईश्वरप्र�णद- surrendering to the Lord remembering
भगवान ् is the owner and controller of everything. I will do my best but ultimately

whatever happens is भगवत: will. I will accept this. That is called कमर्यो:. योग:
means the attitude of surrender. Dedicate all the actions to the Lord and accept all
the events as कमर्फल म given by the Lord. This is called ईश्वरप्र�णद. Thus,
शौचंसंतोष: तपस्स्द्द्यायईश्वरप्र�. May you followfive यमा: and �नयमा:.
May you follow पञ्चमह य�. LKA says, ‘May you follow all of them and
gradually reduce your attachment to family members.”LKA gives very disturbing
advice which is जायापत्य in the 7th verse. जाया अपत्य are children and
grandchildren etc. may you remember भगवान ् has gifted them temporarily. भगवान ्
will take themaway any time he wants. Serve them and be grateful to them for
being with you. Never get attached. Never rely upon them for your peace, security
and happiness because none of them is permanent. Strengthen your relationship
with God and depend upon God for peace, security and happiness. This is कमर्यो
described from the verses 1 to 7.
From the 8th verse to 13th verses, LKA says, having followed this कमर्यो for long
time you should gradually reduce the time given for कमर and go towards
knowledge consisting of श्रवणंमन and �न�दध्यासन. श्रव means consistent and
systematic study of Vedantic scriptures for a length of time under the guidance of a
competent spiritual guide, आचायर. Mere learning is not enough. You have to revise,
internalize it and ask yourself- “Am I living what I learn? Is there a split between
what I know and what I am?’ The gap between knowledge and practice must be
reduced. We should question ourselves whether we are implementing पञ्चमह य�,
पञ्चय and पञ्च�नय. I should not ask whether others are following. I should
follow. LKA says go to a गर
ु and enquire into your nature.
LKA summarises what you will learn once you enquire into your true nature. I
understand that BMSC also is an object of my experience and so, it is different
from me, the experiencer. The world is also an object of experience. Body is also
an object. Mind is also an object. Sense objects are also an object. The only
difference is that one’s BMSC is an intimate object. It is like the spectacles I wear.
What is the difference between the book I read and the spectacles I wear?
Spectacles are also an object but they are an intimate object which I use when I
interact with the world. When we go to bed, we remove the spectacles because we

don’t use it in our sleep. LKA says we don’t use even the BMSC once we go to
sleep. During dream we don’t use this BMSC. For dream transaction we use a
different BMSC. There also spectacles, hearing aid and dentures will all be there.
TF, BMSC is a temporary instrument which we use during waking, not during
dream and never used in DSS. TF, I am someone who is different from them and
who is the experiencer of them. My real nature is consciousness principle, different
from BMSC. I am not part, product or property of the body. I am an independent
principle which pervades and enlivens the body. I, the consciousness, am not
limited by the boundaries of the body and I continue to survive even after the
destruction of the body. The surviving pure consciousness is not available for
transaction, not because I am not existent but because there is no medium of
transaction. I am not the mortal body. I am the immortal आत्म. So, I have to gain
this knowledge. It is not possible in one day or one week or one month or one year.
I have to keep on listening and reflecting and gradually should disidentify from the
body and learn to claim
मनोबद
ु ्ध्यहङक �च�ा�न नाहं न च श्रोत्रि न च घ्राणने |
न च व्यो भ�ू मनर तेजो न वाय:ु �चदानन् रू �शवोऽहं �शवोऽहं.
Once I claim I am the immortal आत्म, then I will be able to accept the mortality of
the body without reaction. I understand the body has come; the body is growing,
greying, going. It has to go. There is no question of anxiety or worry.
मात्रास्पशार कौन्ते शीतोष्णसुखदुःखदा ।

आगमापा�यनोऽ�नत्यास्तांिस्त�त भारत ॥१४॥
My body will go and other bodies will also go. They have come. They will go. The
entire world is a continuous flow. The moment I accept that, life becomes an affair
in which I am only the witness of events. There is no resistance to anything. TF,
the mind enjoys peace, security and happiness. LKA mentions these benefits in a
beautiful श्लो वैशार�त in verse 13. �ानयोग is from verse 8 to 13.
From 14 to 34, LKA talks about the limitations of कम,र especially the limitation of
काम्यकम and �न�षद् कमर. काम्यकम are those activities like prayer puja etc.
which can give worldly benefits including heaven. You can do कमार्� and

accomplish worldly benefits of this and other worlds. There are corrupt actions,
�न�षद् अकमार्�like stealing which will give benefits faster than काम्यकम. LKA
says even though �न�षद् कमार्�, corrupt practices, adharmic activities may give
certain advantages, may you remember you are accumulating पापम ् through that.
You can cheat the world, the government and everyone but every corrupt action
will add to the पापम ्. You can cheat everyone in the world except भगवान ्. TF, you
will have to pay the price very dearly. The next जन् will be helpless and terrible
जन्. TF, avoid corrupt practices.
While defining कमर्यो in another earlier class, I gave कमर्यो formula as RIDE.
R- reduction of adharmic activities. Every lie I tell is adding to my पापम ् invisibly.

So, reduce adharmic activities gradually. पापम ् not only will give me suffering, it
will also obstruct my spiritual growth.
I- increase dharmic activities like पञ्चमह य�पञ्चय and पञ्च�नयम:.
D- dedicating all activities as offering to the Lord.
E- experience everything as my own कम् र फल म coming from the Lord
LKA gave a very strong warning- ‘May you avoid corruption. �न�षद् कमर्वजर्.
What about काम्यकम? काम्यकम are कमार्� which will give worldly benefits
including स्वग. LKA says even though पण
ु ्यकम will lead to heaven, may you note
that the heavenly benefits are temporary. First of all, you should do the कमर
properly. If you don’t do काम्यकम properly, you won’t get the results. Even if you
get the result, that result is temporary. Not only that, even in heaven there is
gradation. While you are enjoying some pleasures there are others who are
enjoying better pleasures. TF,काम्यकमार् also will not solve the problem.
�न�षद् कमार्� will give more problem. TF, avoid �न�षद् कमार्�, reduce
काम्यकमार् gradually and increase your पञ्चमह य� and यमा and �नयमा and
come to UGA to get self-knowledge so you may be free.

Verses 35 to 37, उद्ध asks two questions. First question is- ‘If आत्म is ever free
according to you, how come we manage to get into samsara?’ If my original nature
is आत्म, and आत्म is ever free even when it is surrounded by BMSC, how come
we become संसार�? The second question is, ‘If a person gets �ानं and gets liberated
in this life itself here and now how does he live in this world? How does a �ानी
live in the world? How does he walk, talk and sit? How does he respond? Can you
give a description of a �ानीजीवन्मुक्: so that I can keep him as a model?’ With
these two questions, the 4th topic of the 5th chapter is over. Thus, 1-7 कमर्यो, 8 -13
�ानयोग, 14 to 34- limitations of कम,र 35 to 37 -उद्धs question which will be the
basis for the next chapter. With this, the 5th chapter is over.

Class 55 Chapter 6 Verses 1 and 2
Our spiritual journey is from कमर्यो to �ानयोग to liberation and भिक् is the very
atmosphere in which we follow this. This was mentioned in the 5th chapter which
we saw in the last class. At the end of the 5th chapter, उद्ध asked three questions.
Two were direct questions and one was an implied question.
1. बन् कारणं �कम ्? What is the cause of bondage, संसार or struggle?
2. मो� कारणं �कम ्? This is the implied question.
3. What is the lifestyle of a liberated, spiritually enlightened person?
The 6th chapter answers उद्ध’s questions. LKA presents the answers in a very
technical and profound language. I will give an introduction and then we will enter
into that.
This is a side note. Initially, our spiritual study should preferably be in the form of
the study of the BGA or UGA. The study of गीता is always the preliminary study
for all spiritual seekers. If one is a serious and committed spiritual seeker, the study
of गीता should be followed by the study of a few उप�नषद: also, through which we
will get a deeper knowledge of the scriptures. After studying the उप�नषद we have
to come back to गीता once again. गीता-उप�नषद-गीता. When we come back to गीता
a second time, after exposure to the उप�नषद, we will find the very same गीता will
have a deeper impact. Come back to chapters like 5th 6th etc. which are deeper
chapters. With उप�नष�दक् background, these chapters will have deeper impact.
Now, a general introduction. The cause of bondage and the means of liberation is
one of the fundamentals of scriptural studies. गीता, BSA and उप�नषद are
considered to be the three courses of study. गीता is undergraduate study. उप�नषद
is graduate study and BSA is post-graduate study. In all of them, the answer given
is uniform. The cause of bondage is self-ignorance, the ignorance of our real nature
called आत्म. Removal of self-ignorance is the means of liberation. Just as only
bringing in a light will remove darkness; self-ignorance is removed only by self-
knowledge. Our self, called आत्म, is our real nature. It is सिच्चदानन्दस्:
which can be roughly translated as the embodiment of PSH. My real nature is such

that it is an embodiment and a permanent source of PSH. In technical language
सिच्चदानन्दस्:. Due to self-ignorance, we have self-misconception. The self-
misconception is instead of claiming I am सिच्चदानन , I choose to identify with
my body which is only a temporary costume I am wearing. It is only a dress
through which I do my daily transaction. I am wearing this physical body in this
जन्. In the previous जन्, I had another physical body. If I have a future जन्, I
will have another physical body. Thus, physical body is only a temporary costume
that we put on and take off.
We commit the blunder of mistaking the body which includes minds sense organs
etc. to be ourselves. Thus, I have become an individual, determined by the body. I
am a human being. I am male. I am female. I am young. I am old. I am healthy. I
am sick. Further extension is, I am �हामणा ��त् वैश् शद ू . Thereafter, I am
बहृ चरणं, I am वडम, I am तेन्कल, I am वडकलै. All these are expansions of
ignorance. Due to this temporary individuality caused by self-misconception, we
are experiencing limitations at all levels. As an individual I am limited in all
respects. As a कतार, the doer, I am limited. I want to do many things but I am not
able to. As a भोक्त I am limited. I would like to enjoy many things but I am not
able to. As a �ाता, the knower, I am limited. I want to know many things but
cannot. Limited कतार, limited भोक्त, limited प्रमा or �ाता. अपण ू र्त् is the result
of self-ignorance and self-misconception due to which we experience helplessness
all the time. When people on the road misbehave, I feel like correcting them but I
am not able to. I want my children to be such and such but I cannot control. I
would like the spouse to be such and such but have no choice. This continuous
helplessness is experienced by the limited individual. Remember HAFD? Helpless
leads to anger, frustration and depression. HAFD at family front. HAFD at social
front. HAFD in professional front. This is the typical life of an individual जीवात्म.
What is my real nature? I am the original आत्म which doesn’t have any limitations
at all. I am the original परमात्म but due to ignorance I have become संसार�
जीवात्म. परमात्म is converted into जीवात्म because of self-ignorance. My job is
to prepare myself through कमर्यो and go to �ानयोग. We need to ask ourselves,
am I this miserable limited जीवात्म or somebody else? This enquiry will lead to
the discovery that I am not the limited body, not the limited mind, not the limited

sense organs. I am the आत्म which is सत् �चत् अनन् आनन् स्वर:. I am not the
जीवात्म but I am परमात्म. What type of परमात्म? Ever free परमात्म.
�नत्यमुक्तपरमात. Through ignorance परमात्म is converted into जीवात्म,
through knowledge जीवात्म is understood as परमात्म. परमात्म-जीवात्म.
जीवात्म-परमात्म. परमात्म to जीवात्म because of अ�वद्य. जीवात्म to परमात्म
because of �वद्य. This is the first Class. LKA is taking all this for granted when he
writes these very pithy verses.
The next point he wants to talk about is this. Ignorance and knowledge, the binding
ignorance and liberating knowledge both are because of भगवत: power called
मायाशिक्:. भगवान ्’s मायाशिक् alone creates, preserves and resolves this
universe. मायाशिक् has three गुणा: - तमोगुण, रजोगुण and सत्वगु. तमोगुण is the
power of concealing fact or reality called आवरणशिक्. भगवत:माया has
�व�ेपशिक्, the power of projection. Due to माया the whole universe is created,
then the तमोगण
ु of माया which is called the आवरणशिक् becomes operational. So,
all the individual जीवा:, created living beings are under the spell of the
आवरणशिक् of तमोगुण. This is called अ�वद्यामाय. आवरणशिक् of तमोगुण is
also called अ�वद्यामाय. This अ�वद्यामाय, the तमोगुण, the आवरणशिक् creates a
spell of ignorance under which we all are. Due to this आवरणशिक् my real nature
is concealed and I am in संसार. I have to come to theguidance of गुर and शास्.
They alone will say that you have self-ignorance. Otherwise we will never know
that. We always say I know myself very well. I know what is my knowledge, my
height, my emotional problems. We think we know. शास् says you don’t know.
So, we have to start a long spiritual journey and finally come to �ानयोग, conduct
self-enquiry and gain knowledge. For gaining knowledge also, we require the
support of माया. We use सत्वगु of माया to pursue self-knowledge. With the help
of रजोगण
ु , I practice कमर्यो and prepare the mind. Then, I come to सत्वगु. All
these details we studied in the 14th chapter of the BGA called गण
ु त् �वभाग योग.

LKA said, initially we are all ताम�सक्, gradually we become रज�सक्and at last,
only स�वगुण should dominate. An un-preoccupied, focused mind is a साित्वक
mind. If you have to study UGA sitting for one hour in the class, you require an
un-preoccupied mind. If your mind is restless you cannot even listen to the class
for 10 minutes. The mind will wander all over. The mind must be un-preoccupied
and 100% available for self-enquiry. This is called सत्वगु which belongs to माया.
With the help of माया’s सत्वगु I gain knowledge. This सत्वगु of माया is called
�वद्यामाय. अ�वद्यामाय is the cause of bondage. �वद्यामाय is the means of
liberation. TF, we should never look down upon माया. No doubt माया is the cause
of bondage but always remember that the same माया is the cause of liberation also.
Due to अ�वद्यामाय, I am an ignorant जीवात्म, a संसार�जीवात्म and because of
�वद्यामाय, I will become wise जीवात्म otherwise called, मक
ु ्तजीवात्. Our
journey is from ignorant जीवात्म to wise जीवात्म, संसार� जीवात्म to असंसार� मक
ु ्
जीवात्म, बद् जीवात्म to मक
ु ् जीवात्म.
After gaining knowledge �ानी thinks, ‘Until now I was a संसार�. Now I am a
liberated जीवात्म. Previously I was bound. Now I am a liberated मक
ु ्:.’ LKA
says the next stage is, this �ानी understands it is not that I was bound and I became
liberated. That is not correct. I should not say I was bound and I was liberated. This
thinking is wrong because previously also, I was not bound, I thought I was bound
because आत्म is always ever free. It was सिच्चदानन; it will ever be सिच्चदानन.
TF, I cannot say I am liberated because liberation comes only if there is bondage.
Really speaking there was neither bondage nor liberation. So, who am I? I am
beyond both bondage and liberation. I was neither बद्धआत् nor am I मक ु ्तआत्.
I am बन्धमुिक्तअतीतआत. I transcend both bondage and liberation.
The final stage is अतीतआत्म. In the language of the 14th chapter LKA uses the
word गुणातीत:. If तमोगुण belongs to me I will become बद्धआत्. If सत्वगु
belongs to me I will become मक
ु ्तआत्. Really speaking I have neither तमोगुण
nor सत्वगु. Neither बन् nor मो�. I am गण
ु ातीत or बन्धमो�अतीतआत्. This is
the journey of a person.

Whatare the three stages? बन्धआत्- मक
ु ्तआत्- अतीतआत्म. अतीत means
बन्धमो�अतीतआत्. बन् and मो�, bondage and liberation, are seemingly there
in me in the interim, due to तमोगण
ु and सत्वगु of माया. Really speaking, I, the
आत्म, am beyond all these things. LKA very casually expresses all these ideas in
these profound श्लोक:. Now, look at the श्लोक.We will read page 83, chapter 6,
verse 1-
श्रीभगवानुव-
बद्धोमुक्तइ�तव्याख्यागुणतोमेनवस्
गुणस्यमायामूलत्वान्नमेमो�ोनबन्ध११.१॥
Whatever I described in all these 30-40 minutes, LKA presents in just two lines of
one, single verse. बद्:मक ु ्: इ�तव्याख्. व्याख् means statement. Normally
व्याख् means commentary. In this context, व्याख् means statement.
बद्: इ�त. This person is बद्धआत्, ignorant and bound जीवात्म. This is the first
statement. मक
ु ्: इ�त- after some time we say this जीवात्म is liberated because of
सत्वगु. Bound जीवात्म because of तमोगण
ु . This categorization of individual
आत्म as bound and liberated, ignorant and wise, all these categorizations are only
from the standpoint of माया. गुणत: is only from the standpoint of the two गुणा:.
तमोगुण is responsible for two adjectives- ignorant and bound. Wise and liberated
आत्म are two labels because of सत्वगु.
LKA says मे to mean आत्म, ‘for me’ who is the आत्म of everyone. For the
आत्म, both are only from the standpoint of the two गुणा:. न वस्तु: -really
speaking, आत्म is neither ignorant nor wise. Mind is ignorant. Mind is wise.
आत्म is neither. आत्म is the consciousness principle which reveals the ignorant
mind and the wise mind. आत्म itself is neither ignorant nor wise. TF, न वस्तु:

really speaking I am beyond ignorance and wisdom. These two गुणा:,तमो and
सत्वगु belong to गुणस्मायामल
ू त्वात, belong to माया. अ�वद्य and �वद्य both
belong to माया. मायामल
ू त्वात.
Then, what is the truth? न मे मो�: for me, the आत्म, there is no मो�.
न मे द्वे रागौ न मे लोभ मोहौ मदो नैव मे नैव मात्सयर्भ: |

न धम� न चाथ� न कामो न मो�: �चदानन्दर: �शवोऽहं �शवोऽहं || ३||
Beautiful verse written by Shankaracharya where he talks about Vedantic

meditation in which I should invoke my real nature claiming that I am beyond
both bondage and liberation. The mind had a particular issue and now the mind has
been corrected. Problem belongs to the mind, solution also belongs to the mind. I,
the आत्म, is beyond both. न मे मो�: -there is no liberation for me. नबन्धन म-
there is no bondage also. Very profound verse. Continuing,
शोकमोहौसख
ु ंदःु खंदेहाप��श्चमायया
स्वप्नोयथात्मनःख्या�तःसंसृ�तनर्तुवा११.२॥
All these are very profound verses unique to UGA. शोकमोहौ. शोकमोहौ means
sorrow and the consequent delusion. Sorrow is followed by delusion because when
there is sorrow in the mind, the mind is turbulent and disturbed. The intellect is
clouded by sorrow and so, it cannot think properly. That is why they always say,
whenever a problem has come and the mind is disturbed don’t jump to conclusion
and act. Generally, your conclusions will be wrong. Give it some time. Let the
mind become a little quiet. Only then the intellect will get clarity. In the first
chapter of BGAअजुर् faced the problem of रागशोक and मोह, attachment, sorrow
and conflict. They always go together. शोकमोहौ- mental turbulence, stress and
conflict. We should be very careful when we take impulsive decisions, especially
when we are pained in the mind. सख ु ंद:ु खं- pleasure and pain. All these things are
because of मायया.माया alone makes the mind साित्वक sometimes which gives us
great clarity. Our mind is ताम�सक् most of the time and so, we have delusion,

confusion and conflict. It is राज�सक् at other times when the mind is restless. We
studied how the three गुणा: influence our character in the 18th chapter of the BG.
Due to the three गण
ु ा:, the mind goes through साित्वक्राज� and ताम�सक् state
and because of that, life is full of pleasure and pain, शोक and मोह. This is all
because of the three गण
ु ा: caused by माया. Do these belong to the mind or आत्म?
It belongs to the mind, which is an instrument. Mind is a temporary instrument of
mine available in waking state. In DSS the mind is dropped. Thus, body is not me.
Mind is not me. The mind goes through all the turbulent stages. I illumine the
states of mind. I am free from the conditions of the mind. LKA says, मायया -the
mind goes through all these conditions. देहआप��श्. देहाप��: means acquisition of
a new body, पन
ु जर्न because पन
ु जर्न is dependent on my behaviour and actions.
If mind is predominantly साित्वक all the actions will be dharmic. I will get पण
ु ्य म
and next जन् will be better जन्. If the mind is राज�सक् and ताम�सक्, my actions
will be wrong and next जन् will be miserable जन्. पन
ु जर्न is again caused by
the three गण
ु ा: of माया. We saw in the 14 chapter –
th
ऊध्व गच्छिन स�वस्थामध् �तष्ठिन राजसाः ।

जघन्यगुणवृ�स् अधो गच्छिन तामसाः ॥ १८ ॥
साित्वक people will get superior birth. ताम�सक् people will get inferior birth and
राज�सक् people will stagnate without going up or down. Thus, माया and three
गुणा: are responsible for पन
ु र�प मरणं. देहआप��श्माययया.
स्वप्नोयथात्मनःख्य. If you want to understand how all these things happen in

life, study your dream to understand the life of bondage. What happens in our
dream? We have a mind and the mind has �नद्राशि:, thepower of sleep.
�नद्राशि of the mind has two powers- �व�ेपशिक् and आवरणशिक्, creative
power and concealing power. Once we go to sleep, with the creative power we
project or create an internal world called dream. It is an effortless creation. You
can create a full-fledged world where so many things and beings are there. Not
only do you create a full-fledged world, you also want to experience the dream and
so you create a body for yourself to experience the dream. Having created a
physical dream body, you enter the dream world and enter the dream body. What
do you do with this waker’s body? We do not want to use this body anymore
because this body is used for experiencing the waker’s universe and cannot be used
for experiencing the dreamer’s universe. To experience the dreamer’s universe, we
require a different body. To watch a 3D movie, you need special glasses. The 3D
movie becomes real so that when somebody throws a stone in the movie, you will
duck here. Similarly, I require a body. I create a dream body. I enter the dream
body in the dream. First, project and then enter. Once you enter the dream body
and start experiencing the dream world, something terrible happens. What is that
terrible thing? You experience a dream world but, in your dream, you don’t know
that it is a dream. What is my favorite statement? For a dreamer, dream is not a
dream in dream. I look upon myself as a waker. I see the dream universe not as
inside me but as outside me. There is time, there is space and there are events. I am
entering a train, I lose my suitcase and as I experience all of them, I never say
theseare all my projections. They are not really happening to me because the
realme is comfortably lying in the bed. I never know that. That means the
आवरणशिक् conceals the fact that what I experience is a dream world projected
by me. I forget the fact. This is the third stage. Project enter, forget. Once I forget,
all the problems of the dream are no more dream problem or unreal problems.
They are all real problems. If a dog is chasing me in my dream, I run and run.
Since we forget this fact all the HAFD problems will become so real, and we
suffer nightmares. Sometimes good dream but often times terrible dreams. We
suffer because of the ignorance. We do not know that this is all my fun. The 4th
stage is suffering. So, project, enter, forget, suffer. LKA says, the same thing is
happening even in this so-called waking state which is also another type of dream
projected by I, the आत्म, not by �नद्राशि but by its मायाशिक्. I alone project
this world. I alone enter. I alone have forgotten my higher nature and I alone am
suffering. Details in the next class.

Page 83, Chapter 6 verse 2
शोकमोहौसख
ु ंदःु खंदेहाप��श्चमायया
स्वप्नोयथात्मनःख्या�तःसंसृ�तनर्तुवा११.२॥
In this 6th chapter of UGA, LKA is presenting some very profound Vedantic
concepts taken from उप�नषद. In this second verse which we were seeing in the last
class, LKA says, this universe that we are experiencing is our own projection just
as the dream world is projected by us. To understand the waker’s universe clearly,
we have to compare the phenomenon of स्वप. What happens in स्वप? We have
our instrument called mind. In the mind all our past experiences are stored in the
form of वासना�न or संस्का just as classes can be recorded in the form of CD and
they are all there in invisible form. The moment you put it in the CD-player, the
already recorded talk is replayed. Similarly, our mind also has stored information
called वासना�न. They are all there even now but they will not be projected because
you are in the waking state. The moment I begin dreaming, all the registered
वासना�न are thrown out from the mind in the form of the स्वप प्रप. This स्वप
प्रप has all the features similar to the जाग्रत्पlike space, time, galaxies, stars,
sun, moon, all living beings. I, the आत्म, consciousness principle, use the
instrument called mind for projecting a dream world. In the dream world I project a
body also because I not only want to create the dream world, I also want to enter
and experience the dream world. Nobody else can experience. TF, I project the
world, I project the body, I enter the special dream physical body and I experience
the universe. Now, a tragedy occurs. Once I enter, I forget I am a waker sleeping
comfortably in an ac room and so I experience the dream as though I am
experiencing the waker’s universe. When I identify with the dream body, I don’t
claim I am a dreamer. In the dream I claim I am a waker only. Thus, I become a
wakerin dream. I experience the universe not as a dreamer but a waker. Though all
the dream events are nothing but a few thoughts in the mind they are all real to me,
the dreamer. The tiger in the dream is really not there. The rain, sun and moon are
not really there. I give them a reality because they are real for me so all the
experiences become real. So, whatever sufferings I undergo like loss of money,
loss of life, getting started in some place, water, food etc. all give me serious
problems and I suffer. I project, I enter, I forget and I suffer. This is called
स्वप्नप् projected by one आत्म, the चैतन्य with the help of the mind. When
the आत्म uses the mind and projects a स्वप प्रप, the आत्म is called जीवात्म.
It is the same आत्म, the consciousness. When it uses a mind and projects a स्वप
प्रप, that स्वप प्रप projecting आत्म is called जीवात्म. उप�नषद says this
जाग्रत्प is also a similar projection by the same blessed आत्मwith the help of
माया. स्वप प्रप is projected by the mind. जाग्रत्प,waker’s universe is also
projected by same आत्म but with the help of another instrument called माया or the
cosmic mind. आत्म as the projector of स्वप प्रप is called जीवात्म. आत्म as
the projector of जाग्रत्प is called परमात्म. There is no difference in the nature
of आत्म though we use the name जीवात्म in one context and परमात्म is another
context. What is the definition of आत्म? Consciousness principle which is eternal
and all-pervading. The same all-pervading consciousness is called by two different
names because the instruments used are different. When mind is used, स्वप is
projected; when माया is used, जाग्रत्प is projected.
Who is that आत्म? उप�नषद says, ‘I am the आत्म and परमात्म also. I am the
जीवात्म, projector of स्वप प्रप. I am also परमात्म, the projector of
जाग्रत्प.’ With the help of माया, I project the world and I enter the world in the
form of this particular body just as I enter the dream world by entering the dream
body. I enter जाग्रत्प by entering the जाग्रत्शर.तद्�स्रष तदेवानप ु ्रा�वश
which is called अनप
ु ्रव वाक्य in the उप�नषद. Then, I reject the जाग्रत्प when I
enter स्वप प्रप through स्वप शर�रं. The third level is DSS.
In all this, the tragedy is that I forget that I am the परमात्म.
स एव माया प�रमो�हतात्म शर�रामास्ता करो�त सव� �क्रय पाना�द�व�चत्रबो:

स एव जाग्रत्प�रतृ ने�त. स्वप् सजीव: सख
ु द:ु ख भोक्त स् मायया किल्प
जीवलोके .

That परमात्म is now in the जाग्रत्प playing the role of the miserable जीवात्म.
Once I have entered and forgotten, I will not look at the dream as dream. Both are
equal projections. One is mental projection the other is माया projection. One is a
regular dream another is super sleep. Both are projections but I look upon this
universe as real and not as a dream projected by me. I look upon this as waking
state as real just as I take the dream as the waking state when I am in dream. स्वप
प्रप and जाग्रत्प are dreams one and two. One is mental projection, the other
is मा�यक् projection. Are these two, स्वप प्रप and जाग्रत्प, real or unreal?
What should you answer? You should not answer.
In वेदान्त you should be alert when somebody asks the question. Never answer
impulsively. Ask a counter question. When somebody asks whether the dream is
real or unreal, you should never say dream is unreal. You should ask, ‘For whom?’
For the dreamer, the dream is real. Even though you have attended this class,
tonight, once you enter the dream, you will never say, ‘I have projected.’
आवरणशिक् will instantaneously function. Tonight also, you will experience the
dream as real. TF, a dream is real for the dreamer as long as he is in the dream
state. Similarly, this universe is also real as long as I am in the waking state. In the
waking state, waker’s universe is real. In the dreamer’s state dreamer’s universe is
real. Both the worlds are real in their respective states. This is called relative
reality. Relative reality means in relation to स्वप अवस्थ, स्वप प्रप is real. In
relation जाग्र अवस्थ, जाग्रत्प is real. Both of them are real, not
unconditionally, but real in their respective states. This is called conditional reality
or relative reality. वेदान्त says, both जाग्रत्प and स्वप प्रप are neither real
or unreal; they are conditionally real, relatively real.
In वेदान्त relative reality is called �मथ्य. स्वप प्रप is relatively real when I am
in a dream. What do you mean by relatively real? Both of them are ETU-
Experienceable, Transactable, Utility. Both are experienceable in their respective
states. Both are tangibly transactable. You can handle every dream object in the
dream. You can feel the weight. It is a solid, tangible object that you can handle. If
you have earned your salary, you count your 2000 rupee notes. In your dream that
2000 rupee note will be valid to purchase the dream object, dream house. TF, all
three ETU are there but under one condition. You should be in dream. This is

called �मथ्य. Why �मथ्य? The moment you wake up, ETU of the dream world is
gone. वेदान्त says जाग्रत्प also is real in जाग्र अवस्थ but the condition is that
you must be in जाग्रत्प. My class will be real as long as you are in waking
state. The moment this class gets boring and you doze off, this class is gone,
Swami gone, BVM gone. What I am saying is, जाग्रत्प is real but not
absolutely real. वेदान्त reserves the word सत्य only for absolute reality. Absolute
reality means no conditions. जाग्रत्प requires a condition that one be in जाग्र
अवस्थ. जाग्रत्प has ET&U but the money in जाग्रत्प cannot purchase any
object in स्वप प्रप. वेदान्त says, TF, both are �मथ्य.
Then the question is, ‘What is the सत्य in both जाग्रत्प and स्वप प्रप?’ The
सत्य is neither the world, nor the mind, nor the माया. None of them is सत्य. Then
what is सत्य? आत्म, the consciousness principle which witnesses the जाग्रत्प
in the जाग्र अवस्थ and the same consciousness which is aware of the स्वप
प्रप in स्वप अवस्थ,that consciousness आत्म alone is सत्. That alone lends
reality to both the प्रपs. In the waking state, I, the आत्म, lend reality to the
waker’s world. In the dream state, I, the same consciousness lend reality to स्वप
प्रप. Thus, आत्म alone is सत्य. This सत्यआत् is never affected by any
situations happening in स्वप प्रप and due to the same reason, it is not affected
by the events of the जाग्रत्प. अनन्वागत पण
ु ्ये अनन्वागत पापेन तीणो�ह सदा
सवार्न शोकान ् हृदयस भव�त. Whatever event happens in waking or dream, I, the
आत्म am असङ्:. Absolute reality is not contaminated by relative reality is the
profound message of वेदान्त. I present this as the five capsules of वेदान्त.
1. I am of the nature of eternal and all-pervading consciousness principle.

2. I am the only source of permanent peace, security and happiness because all
our dream possessions will go away when the dream goes away and all our
waker’sposessions will go away, when waker’s world goes away. All these
are subject to laws. TF, don’t hold on to anything. Do not seek permanent
PSH from relative reality but only from absolute reality, आत्म.

3. By my mere presence, I enliven the body, the dream body in the dream
state, the waker’s body in waking state. I experience the respective universes
through the respective bodies. I am the common experiencer but use two
different bodies for different states. For जाग्रत्प I use this, for स्वप
प्रप I use that. I keep on changing the body but I am the same.
4. I am never affected by anything that happens to the body and the universe.
जाग्रत्शर and जाग्रत्प, स्वप्नशर� and स्वप प्रप are all subject to
LOK and the law of the universe like time and space. These two will affect
जाग्रत्प and स्वप प्रप and जाग्रत्शर also. Look at your body ageing.
We may try to cover up our age but it just keeps on ageing. TF, law will
affect both the शर�रंs and प्रप but I, the सा�ी चैतन्य, न जायते �म्रय वा
कदा�चत्. I am never touched.
5. By forgetting my real nature of आत्म, I convert life into a burden. The
moment I forget, I will become a helpless individual not able to control
many things that are happening in the family, in my profession, in the very
body itself. I will become a helpless individual subject to HAFD. By
remembering my सा�ी चैतन्य nature, I convert life into a blessing, I can
appreciate my glory by claiming, I alone create the स्वप प्रप, I alone
create the जाग्रत्प. मै एव सकलं जातं म�य सव� प्र�तिष्ठतंअणोतणीय
अहमेव तद्व महानहं �वश्वमह �व�चत् परु तानोऽहं पर
ु ुशोहमी: �हरण्मयोऽह
�शवरूपमिस.Every उप�नषद talks about how to claim our glory. Instead of
saying life is terrible, how can you say life is wonderful? Remember your
real nature, you enjoy जीवन्मुिक:.
Whatever I said is all packed into the second श्लोक. Very profound श्लोक. शोक
मोहौ सख
ु ंद:ु खं दे हाप��:. Getting a body and going through pleasures and pain are all
in this waking state, मायया- are projected by me through my मायाशिक्. When it is
जाग्रत्प you should use मायाप्रप. Like what? Example is given in second
line यथा- just as स्वप: I myself project the स्वप प्रप also, not with the help of
माया, but with the help of mind. In the second line आत्म:, आत्म doesn’t mean
सिच्चदानन आत्म, it means the mind. ख्या�:- projections. Just as the dream
world is my own mental projection. TF, the problems of the waking state,
problems of the dreamstate, together called संसार is not सत्य. संस�ृ त: तुन वास्तव.
वास्तव means absolute reality, सत्यन- it is �मथ्य. How do you translate �मथ्य?
Relative reality or conditional reality. Who gives that reality? ‘I’ am the reality.
Continuing,
�वद्या�वद्येममतनू�वद्ध्युद्धवशर��रण
मो�बन्धकर�आद्येमाययामे�व�न�मर्११.३॥
From this, it is very clear whether I claim I am a wonderful आत्म or whether I

claim I am a miserable individual, both are dependent on my knowledge and
ignorance. Knowledge is something I should acquire through long effort.
Ignorance is one thing we need not acquire because we are rich, very rich in
ignorance right from our birth. This ignorance makes me a miserable संसार�.
Knowledge makes me a wonderful जीवन्मुक:. LKA says both knowledge and
ignorance belong to the two गुणs of माया. Ignorance belongs to तमोगुण, the
आवरणशिक् of माया. Knowledge belongs to सत्वगु. सत्वात संजायते �ानं. �वद्य
and अ�वद्य both belong to माया and माया belongs to परमात्म, the ईश्व:. LKA
says, both knowledge and ignorance belong to माया. माया belongs to me. TF, by
extension, both ignorance and knowledge belong to me. परमात्मातन. तनु means
powers, शिक्:. Both of them are my power. One is अ�वद्यामाय, the other is
�वद्यामाय. मम तन�ु वद्ध्युद.
हे उद्ध, LKA is addressing उद्ध, �वद्� -may you know, these two powers alone
शर��रणाम्न्धमो�क�- are responsible for the bondage and liberation of जीवात्म.
Does भगवान ् have bondage? भगवान ् doesn’t have bondage. TF, भगवान ् need not
get liberation also. He is �नत्यमुक:. TF, भगवान ् says, �वद्य and अ�वद्य function
for जीवात्म and become the cause of bondage and liberation. TF, बन्धमो�क� or
मो�बन्धकर. Sanskrit students, this word qualifies �वद्या�वद्. It is a द्वन्
समास. �वद्याचअ�वद्य�वद्या�वद्. TF, प्रथ द्�ववचन, dual number.

मो�बन्धकर is adjective to that. Adjective should agree with noun. If noun is dual
number, the adjective also must be dual number. Suppose you want to say राम and
ल�मण are both strong, बलवान ्. रामल�मणौ is dual number so you should make
बलवान ्, the adjective agree with the noun. So, बलवान ् must be changed into dual
number रामल�मणौ बलवन्त. Here, मो�बन्धकर must be dual number but it is
singular and so commentators say, you should convert that to dual number-
मो�बन्धकय. क�र कय� कयर: like नद�नद्य नद्:. Sanskrit students should study
all the scriptural texts and apply their Sanskrit knowledge. This is called
application Sanskrit. �वद्या�वद्मो�बन्धकय. You must not question why
Vyasacharya did not know Sanskrit. It is poetic license or आषर्प्र:. We don’t say
it is a mistake committed by Vyasa. It is आषर्प्र:.
Both �वद्य and अ�वद्य are expressions of माययामे �व�न�मर्त - created by me

through माया. मे मायया means परमात्मामायया�व�न�मर्. When did this knowledge
and a ignorance start? आद्य- both अ�वद्य and �वद्य are beginning-less. अ�वद्य
remains in जीव from अना�द and �वद्य remains in ईश्व from अना�द. भगवान ् has
�वद्य from beginning-less time. Our glory is, we have अ�वद्य from beginning-
less time. Continuing,
एकस्यैवममांशस्यजीवस्यैवमहाम
बन्धोऽस्या�वद्ययाना�द�वर्द्ययाचतथ११.४॥
LKA says, really speaking, every जीवात्म in this world is none other than
परमात्म but obtained within the body as the enclosed consciousness.
Consciousness is all-pervading like space. The nearest example for consciousness
is space because, consciousness is invisible; space is also invisible. Consciousness
is all-pervading; space is all-pervading. Consciousness accommodates everything,
space also accommodates everything. Consciousness cannot be divided; space also
cannot be divided. Space cannot be contaminated by anything; consciousness also
cannot be contaminated. How many spaces are there? Only one. Though space is
only one, when you have several enclosures, like a hall, a room, a vessel etc. the

all-pervading space is available within the container also. Within the hall there is
hall space. Within the vessel there is vessel space. Within the stomach- stomach
space. Enclosed space is not one but many. As many enclosures are there so many
enclosed spaces are there. वेदान्त says, consciousness is all-pervading and the
body of every individual is like an enclosure. Our BMSC is like a container in
which there is चैतन्य. What is the proof that there is consciousness in the body?
That consciousness that alone makes me a conscious being. Thus, every conscious
being is the consciousness enclosed within the BMSC. Enclosed consciousness is
called जीवात्म. All-pervading consciousness is called परमात्म. Enclosed
consciousness is as though a part of the total consciousness but is not really a part
because space cannot be divided into several parts. TF, we say, enclosed space is
like a part of total space. Similarly, enclosed consciousness is like a part of total
consciousness. TF, every जीवात्म is called an अंश of परमात्म. We saw this in BG
15th chapter. What is that famous श्लोक?
ममैवांशो जीवलोके जीवभतः

ू सनातनः ।
मनःषष्ठानीिन्द्र प्रकृ�तस्थ कषर्� ॥ ७ ॥
In several families, there is a practice of chanting the 15th chapter before taking
food. This श्लोक comes there. जीवात्म is as though a part of परमात्म not only in
BGA butin UGA also.
LKA says here, एकस् एव ममांशस् जीवस्- for the जीवात्म who is like my अंश,
महामते - LKA is addressing उद्ध. महाम�तmeans one who is of great mind. For
that one जीव itself, अना�ध: बन्: अ�वद्यय भव�त. बन्: means संसार. When did it
begin? अना�ध: बन्: -the beginning-less संसार is because of अ�वद्य. Because of
this अना�ध अ�वद्य अस् बन्:. अस् means for the जीवात्म, not for the परमात्म.
The जीवात्म who is obtained within BMSC has अना�ध:बन्:.
Will we get liberation? We will get liberation. How? �वर्द्ययाच इतरः -by
gaining the knowledge that I am not the body, I am not the mind, I am the
consciousness enclosed in the body and mind. Body will go away; mind will go
away but consciousness which is the real ‘I’ will never go away. This knowledge is

what is important. What is the aim of UGA study? I should clearly say, ‘I am not
the mortal body. I am not the mortal mind. I am the immortal consciousness
enclosed within the BMSC. BMSC will go away but I will never die because I am
the immortal आत्म.The day I claim this clearly and I am convinced, two things
happen. I claim I am the immortal आत्म. Second benefit is the more I remain I this
knowledge, my attachment to the BMSC comes down because I know this is not
me. It is like clothes which become old. The body has जन् जरा व्या� मरण.ं It is
natural. Not only my body but everybody in the family also will have to go through
this. I am not afraid of this phenomenon. Worry comes down. Fear comes down.
Anxiety comes down. This is the benefit of knowledge. I claim my immortality. I
accept body’s mortality. This is the benefit of वेदान्त. I claim my immortality and
I accept the body’s mortality. The sign of acceptance is that there is no anxiety.
When somebody says you are getting old, we get irritated. We don’t want to accept
old age and death. I will gracefully grow old. No anxiety no worry. This is the
benefit through �वद्यय. I have to gain this knowledge. तथ इतर:. इतर: means the
other one. Which other one? In the previous sentence he said through ignorance
there is bondage but through knowledge, the other one, that is, liberation. TF,
इतर:= मो�:
अथबद्धस्यमुक्तस्यवैल�ण्यंवदा
�वरुद्धध�मर्णोस्तातिस्थतयोरेकध�११.५॥
When we study the scriptures for some time, we suddenly get a doubt. Do I come
under �ानी variety or अ�ानी variety? Am I the बद् variety or मक ु ् variety? How
do I know? Will a halo appear around my head? Or, Swamiji, will you give me a
certificate? So, doubts. Now, I will talk about the differences in the lifestyle of a
बद् and मक ु ्: and I will give you a testing mode and you can test yourselves and
decide whether you are बद् or मक
ु ्. बद्धस मक
ु ्तस च वैल�ण्य. वैल�ण्य means
difference in the lifestyle of a बद्, a bound person and मक
ु ्, a spiritually
liberated person in the next class.

Page 84, verse 5-
अथबद्धस्यमुक्तस्यवैल�ण्यंवदा
�वरुद्धध�मर्णोस्तातिस्थतयोरेकध�११.५॥
The 6th chapter of UGA is a response to certain questions raised by उद्ध at the
end of the previous chapter. उद्ध raised three questions-
1. What is the cause of bondage or संसार?
2. What is the means for liberation or मो�?
3. Whatare the differences between a bound संसा�र and a liberated person?
LKA answered the first two questions very briefly in the first four verses which we
have completed. LKA says, the cause of bondage is अ�वद्य and the means of
liberation is knowledge, �वद्य. अ�वद्य binds, �वद्य liberates. LKA doesn’t say
अ�वद्य, ignorance of what but we know that it is ignorance of our own real nature.
What is our real nature? I am not the physical body. I am not the sense organs. I
am not the mind or intellect. Theyare all costumes which I make use of. None of
them am I. All these are BMSC and I am different from all of them. I am of the
nature of non-material, consciousness principle. The five features of consciousness
are that consciousness is not a part, product or property of the body. I am that
consciousness which pervades the body and makes it alive. I am that consciousness
which is not limited by the boundaries of the body. I am that consciousness which
will continue to eternally exist even after the destruction of the body. I, the pure
consciousness, without BMSC, is not available for any transaction. The moment I
get a BMSC I can transact. Whether I transact through the body or not I continue
to exist eternally. न जायते �म्रय वा कदा�चत्. I am the eternal, all-pervading,
formless consciousness principle. This is my real nature.
Ignorance of this real nature is the cause of the problem. Ignorance by itself
doesn’t cause the problem directly but it leads to self-misconception. When I don’t
know I am the consciousness principle I mistake the BMSC as myself. This
ignorance leads to mistaken understanding through which alone problems come.
During DSS we have ignorance but we don’t have any problem. Even others get
freedom from us. TF, ignorance by itself is not a problem. Only in or waking,
ignorance leads to mistake as we mistake the dream body as our self. This
ignorance leads to individuality, limitation, relation, mortality, राग द्वे. Ignorance
to mistake to varieties of problems. TF LKA said अ�वद्याबन्ध्क.
He added an aside note also. The अ�वद्य, self-ignorance in every individual is

because of the आवारणशिक् of माया and माया belongs to me. TF, LKA says, I am
indirectly responsible. I have माया, माया has आवारणशिक्. That आवारणशिक्
alone conceals my true nature. If self-ignorance is the cause of bondage the only
solution is to get knowledge, self-knowledge. तद �वष्यक अ�ानंवतर्त
तदअ�ानंतित्वषयके �ानेन अवगच्छ�. LKA’s advice to humanity is if you want
to get out of bondage, you have only one way- तमेवं �वद्वान अमत
ृ इह भव�त नान्
पन्थ अयनाय �वद्यत.
LKA doesn’t mention how to get self-knowledge in this portion but we have heard
it in earlier chapters and will hear it in future chapters. The journey is in three
segments- कमर्योगउपासनयो and �ानयोग. We can avoid one or two segments
only under one condition that is, if we have followed the कमर्यो segments in
पवर्जन
ू , we can avoid it in this जन्. How do we know whether we have done in
पवर्जन
ू or not? If your desire for मो� is more than your desire for all material
accomplishments, it indicates you have already gone through कमर्यो in पवर्जन
ू .
If you don’t have desire for मो� or the desire is lukewarm, it means you require a
lot of कमर्यो. By कमर्यो we mean service in the society. You have to do a lot of
service activities, कमर्यो and उपासनयोग. Generally, 99% of humanity will need
to do all of them. Go through कम,र go through उपासन and thereafter go to a गुर.
Once you have gone through कमर and उपासन,�ानयोग requires consistent and
systematic study of Vedantic scriptures for a length of time under the guidance of a
competent acharya. Then, after going through all this, we will arrive at-

स्थू स�
ू म कारण शर�रात्व्य�त�र: अवस्थ त् सा�ी पञ्चको �वल�ण:
सिच्चदानन स्वर:.These will not be mere words for me but meaningful
statements. The best indication of having gained knowledge is that there is no
anxiety regarding future, death, either my own or death of others, no fear of old
age, disease and death which are fast approaching. Some people will say, ‘I don’t
have fear of death but I am afraid of rebirth.’ Different forms of fear are indication
of संसार. The indication of मो� is अभयं प्र�तष् �वन्दत.न �भभे�त कुतश्चने�.
Whatever has to come, let it come. I am ready. This is called मो�: and it is
possible only through �ानं. That person has attained �वद्य.
Spiritual journey is from ignorance to knowledge. असतोमा सद्गम तमसोमा

ज्यो�तगर् मत्योमा
ृ अमतंग
ृ मय.अ�वद्य to �वद्य, ignorance to knowledge is the
journey. Nobody else can see whether I have knowledge or not because knowledge
belongs to the mind. Who knows if I am a �ानी or an अ�ानी?
अजुर् asked in the BGA 6th chapter, what happens if I die before I complete my
journey? LKA said, ‘Don’t worry. Even if you don’t complete the journey you will
carry forward what ever you have gained in this जन्. तत तं बद ु ्�
संयोगं लभते पौवर्द े�हक म. The first consolation is that the next जन् will be human
जन्. That is the first advantage of coming to Sunday classes. That way we won’t
be one of the mosquitoes in BVM. Suppose I have some other प्रार for some
other जन्, that प्रार will be pushed behind. In Tirupati we join the front of the
queue by getting some special दशर्न ticket. TF, next जन् we will be born a human
being and have spiritual maturity early in life. तत तं बद
ु ्� संयोगं लभते पौवर्द े�हक म.
The effort required in the next जन् will be naturally less because the bulk of effort
we have done in the current जन् itself. Starting वेदान्त at any age is
advantageous. Whether you start in 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, at any age it is
advantageous because in the next जन् that much effort is less. All these are not
mentioned by LKA here. He only says, by travelling from ignorance to knowledge

you travel from बन् to मो�:. With this, the first two questions of उद्ध have been
answered. बन् कारणं मो� कारणं च उक्त.
The next question is, ‘What are the differences between a liberated and a bound
person or an ignorant and wise person? BG also talks about this in the second
chapter, verses 54 to 72, 12th chapter, verses 13 to 20 and 14th chapter, verses 22 to
27. There the student was अजुर्. Here it is उद्ध.
In the 5th verse, LKA says, I shall talk about those traits. अथबद्धस मक
ु ्तस
वैल�ण्य. वैल�ण्य – differences, distinctions. Not physical differences. Body will
be the same. Not that a �ानी will be fatter or thinner. Only difference is in his
perspective of the world and his response to the situation, the way he looks at this
own body mind, his own family (if he is a गहृ स्).
In the BG we saw अजुर् imagined the death of भीष् द्र and others. He never
faced the actual death but even an imaginary loss created such a turbulence in
अजुर्’s mind. LKA said in BG, गतासन ू गतासंशू ् नानश
ु ोचिन् पिण्डता ॥ ११ ॥.
You will be able to handle with a balanced mind and face old age, disease and
death of your own body as wellas the others. This mental balance is the advantage
LKA said there. That is being discussed here.
अहं वदा�म ते. In the UGA, LKA makes additional observation which is not in the
BGA. LKA says, the first liberated one is भगवान ् himself. भगवान ् is संसा�र or
असंसार�? The first liberated one, the �ानी happens to be भगवान ् himself. When did
भगवान ् get liberated? भगवान ् never gets liberated. भगवान ् is always liberated
because भगवान ् is not an अ�ानी. The आवारणशिक् of माया will never affect
भगवान ्. भगवान ् uses the �व�ेपशिक् of माया, the creative power of माया to create
the universe but the आवारणशिक् of माया will never touch भगवान ्. TF, भगवान ्
never had अ�वद्य. He is �नत्य�ान. सवर्:तस्माित्नत्यम:. In the case of जीवा:,
they are all born अ�ा�नन:. Only by practicing spiritual साधन, they will become
�ानीs and मक
ु ्s. All the जीवा: are called बद्ध:, bound. They are बद्धमुक:

bound and liberated when they gain �ान whereas ईश्व is neither बद्, nor
बद्धमुक: but �नत्यमुक:.
LKA says, I will first talk about the difference between a जीव and �नत् मक
ु ्
ईश्व:. Where is that ईश्व located? In all other religions ईश्व is located in some
place like paradise or heaven or somewhere. In Hinduism, one of the definitions of
ईश्व is a very popular word is सवार्न्तयार- the one who resides in every living
being. In BG, ईश्वरसव भता
ू नां हृद्देशेजु �तष्ठ�. ईश्व is all-pervading
consciousness with all-pervading मायाशिक्. मायास�हत चैतन्य रू ईश्व: resides
everywhere and in every individual also. The जीव is there in the physical body and
ईश्व is also there. I will talk about the embodied जीव and the embodied ईश्व in
every physical body.
Look at the second line. एकध�मर्�. एकधमर - one body. In that one body itself, the
ignorant जीव is there and the wise ईश्व is also there. जीव is there as संसा�र. ईश्व
is there as असंसार�अन्तयार्. Here, the word एकध�मर्� means one body,
धा�मरbody, िस्थतय -both जीव and ईश्व are there. Even though both occupy the
same body, they are completely opposite in nature because one is ignorant and the
other is wise. One is bound, the other is liberated. Suddenly LKA is borrowing
ideas from उप�नषद:. Several उप�नषद्मन्: are to be remembered in this context
and LKA indicates the उप�नषद्मन् in the next श्लो. Some of the उप�नषद:
students may remember the मन्त.
सप
ु णार्वेतौसदृशौसखायौयदृच्छयैतौकृतनीडौचव
एकस्तयोःखाद�त�पप्पलान्नमन्यो�नरन्नोऽ�पबलेन भू११.६॥
This famous मन्त occurs in मण

ु ्ड उप�नषद. The footnote number is 3-1-1 and 2.
The first मन्त in the Upanishad-
द्व सप
ु णार सयज
ु ा सखाया समानं व�
ृ ं प�रषस्वजात ।
तयोरन्य �पप्पल स्वाद्व अनश्नन्नन्योऽ�भचाकश ॥ १ ॥

Many words are literally brought here. Both जीव and ईश्व are occupying one and
the same body. The only difference is, जीव occupies only one body whereas ईश्व
is not only in one body but in all the bodies. The example given there is, there is a
tree upon which two birds are seated. One bird is the जीव bird, the other is ईश्व
bird. The tree is the physical body. The उप�नषद says one bird identifies with the
body. Not only that, it eats the fruit which are produced by the tree while
experiencing the fruits of the tree. Some are very sweet fruits and some bitter. One
bird experiences both the sweet and bitter fruits produced in the tree whereas the
other bird is only seated on the tree, but doesn’t consume. So, one is कतार and
भोक्त. Another one is अकतार and अभोक्त. That is said here. एतौसप
ु णार. सप
ु णार
means two birds, जीवात्म and परमात्म birds. सदृश -which are similar in nature
because both of them are of the nature of consciousness. चैतन्य is common to
जीवात्म and परमात्म. सदृश. सखायौ- thick friends, so close that they are
inseparable. Wherever they go, they always go together. Wherever जीवात्म goes,
परमात्म will be there. In the next जन्, I will have another body and there also
ईश्व will be there. यदृच्छ.यदृच - because of प्रारब्ध. Because of the प्रार
both of them are occupying the same body. How? Very interesting. जीव occupies
the body to receive the पण
ु ्यपापफल म. I am in this body to receive my own
पण
ु ्यपापफल म in the form of pleasant experiences in the body when I am healthy
and painful experiences in the body when the body is unhealthy. I reside in the
body as a receiver of कमर्फल म. Then why should ईश्व reside in the body? भगवान ्
also resides in the body because of कमर alone but not as a receiver of कम्
र फल म but
as a giver of कमर्फल म. भगवान ्, residing as अन्तयार्, gives सख
ु ं and द:ु खं to every
जीव. भगवान ् alone is called कमरफलदाता.
One ईश्व occupies each body. He is the giver of सख

ु ं and द:ु खं. Because in our
कारण शर�रं , all the कमार्� are there. TF भगवान ् looks at regularly. So भगवान ्
residing as अन्तयार् looks at the प्रारब्धपुण and पापम ्. जीव cannot know
प्रारब्धपुण and पापम ् because कमर is अदृष् for जीव, not knowable. Tomorrow

what कमर will fructify or as you go back from class what कमर is waiting you don’t
know. जीव in the body doesn’t know कम.र ईश्व in the same body knows the कमर
and accordingly he gives the फलम ्. भगवान ् is अकतार and अभोक्त. By
सािन्नध्यमात he gives सख
ु ं and द:ु खं. यदृच्छ means कमर्वशात. एतौकृतनीडौ-
they have got the residence in the form of body. नीडं literally means nest. For the
जीवात्म bird and परमात्म bird there is one common nest, the physical body.
कृतनीडौ च व�
ृ े. व�
ृ े means शर�रे . एक: means the अ�ानीजीवात्म. तयो: �पप्प अन्न
खाद�त. The tree is mentioned in MU as peepul tree, �पप्पल. अन्न म comes in the
�पप्प tree. अन्न म means two types of fruits are produced in the tree, सख
ु ं and
द:ु खं. �पप्पलअन्न means सख
ु द:ु खफलम ् produced by �पप्प tree. एक: खाद�त- the
अ�ानीजीवात्म experiences pleasures and pains, अन्: -the ईश्व bird, though it
resides in the body, is untouched by सख
ु ं and द:ु खं just as the judge is untouched by
the verdict he gives to other people in court. You have to split the word
�पप्पलान्नम: properly. �पप्प्लान,then अन्:, the other one, that is, ईश्व.
�नरन्: doesn’t eat the अन्न म. �नरन्: अ�प- though भगवान ् doesn’t eat
अन्न म,�नरन्: अ�प बलेनभया
ू न ्-ईश्व is strong without any type of कम्
र फल म.
ईश्व’s strength doesn’t depend upon पण
ु ्यपा. ईश्व’s strength depends upon his
knowledge. TF, बलेनभया
ू न ्- by strength he is more powerful than the जीवात्म.
This is the difference between बद्धजी: and मक
ु ्तईश्:.
आत्मानमन्यंचसवेद�वद्वान�पप्पलादोनतु�पप्प
योऽ�वद्ययायुक्सतु�नत्यबद्धो�वद्यामयोयःसतु�नत्य११.७॥
The अन्तयार्मीईश is ever liberated because आवारणशिक् and अ�वद्य are not
operational. ईश्व doesn’t have ignorance and is associated with knowledge all the
time. ईश्व is endowed with all forms of knowledge and not only आत्म�ा as we
saw in मण
ु ्ड.य: सवर्: सवर्�वत. ईश्व is called सवर्: and सवर्�वत. ईश्व has
spiritual knowledge and worldly knowledge also. स: �वद्वा. स: here means ईश्व.

अन्तयार्मीईश:. Where does he reside? He resides in the कारण शर�रं as प्र: as
was pointed out in माण्डूक का�रका 6th मन्त which said एष सव�श्व: एष सवर्:
Those उप�नषद students can connect the 5th and 6thमन्त of माण्डूक का�रका. ईश्व
resides in the body as प्र: in the कारण शर�रं. I don’t want to go into details. Note
this much that ईश्व resides as अन्तयार् in our कारण शर�रं in which all the कमार्�
are residing. स: ईश्व: प्रा�रूकारण शर�रे गुहायां िस्थत्. �वद्वान means सवर्:
ईश्व: with both परा�वद्य and अपरा�वद्य. परा�वद्य - spiritual knowledge,
अपरा�वद्य - material knowledge. स: �वद्वान्आत्मानंनाचवेद- he knows himself
and everything else also. आत्मानंजाना�. अनात्मान च जाना�त. भगवान ् knows all
branches of science, even the newer branch of technology भगवान ् already knows
because all forms of knowledge are potentially there in the mind of ईश्व called
माया. In ईश्व’s mind, in माया, all forms of knowledge are there in potential form.
Whatever new things people are going to discover, that is already there in potential
form because what is possible alone, they can discover. All forms of knowledge
already exist in the माया in the form of possibility. TF, ईश्व is called omniscient.
DS says ईश्व is omniscient and our problem is we don’t know the spelling of
omniscient, we are alpiscient. I coined that word. Apparently, the word is
parviscient. भगवान ् is omniscient. We are parviscient. स:�वद्वान्सव: ईश्व: वेद.
वेद means he knows. Here वेद is a verb, not ऋग्वे यजुव�द. He knows
आत्मानअन्यंस both परा�वद्य and अपरा�वद्य. अ�पप्पला: means he is not the
consumer of कमर्फल म. �पप्पला: means consumer of कम्
र फल म, भोक्त. अ�पप्पला
means अभोक्त. You have toadd अकतार also. So, अकतार अभोक्त भगवान ् doesn’t
experience सख
ु द:ु खं. न तु �पप्पला: whereas �पप्पला:कतार्भोक्ताजीवातन– means
नवेद, doesn’t know anything. He knows a few things of which 50% is doubtful and
40% is wrong. �पप्पला: नवेद. You have to supply the word वेद. जीवात्म doesn’t
know. He is parviscient. What is the conclusion? य: अ�वद्यय यक
ु ् तु �नत्यबद:.
Whichever जीवात्म is associated with अ�वद्य, यक्
ु – associated, united with
अ�वद्यय- self-ignorance, स तु �नत् बद्: -he is eternally bound. Previously he

was a bachelor संसा�र, then he got promoted to husband संसार�, then father संसा�र,
then father-in-law संसा�र, grandfather संसा�र. There is promotion in status but one
status continues- संसा�र status. �नत्यबद:. For ईश्व and �ानीजीव: associated with
�वद्यामाय knowledge, स त�ु नत्यमुक: -he is ever-liberated, irrespective of the
प्रार of the body. All that will be said later. �ानी’s body also will go through
प्रार of old age, disease and death. If he has a family, his family also will go
through the प्रार etc. The difference is, a �ानी is able to enjoy a peaceful,
balanced mind irrespective of violent ups and downs. Remember, though now the
�ानी is great, before he became a �ानी he was an अ�ानी not only in the current
जन्but in the previous जन् also. Every �ानी would have done पापम ् in the
previous and current जन् before getting �ान. That पापम ् when it come as प्रार,
the body will have to pay the price. Advantage of �ानं is, we have an insurance.
Emotional insurance. Emotional insulation. Emotional shock absorber. He allows
the body to go through but he is not perturbed by it. That is the advantage. We will
see in the following classes.

Page 86 verse 7-
आत्मानमन्यंचसवेद�वद्वान�पप्पलादोनतु�पप्प
योऽ�वद्ययायुक्सतु�नत्यबद्धो�वद्यामयोयःसतु�नत्य११.७॥
In this 6th chapter LKA is answering questions raised by उद्ध at the end of the
previous chapter.
1. The cause of bondage
2. The means of liberation
3. The differences between a liberated person and a संसार�
Both a liberated person and a संसार� live in the same world as our scriptures say
मो� doesn’t require one to go to any other लोका: after death. Some people think
मो� is possible only after death and that too by going to some other higher लोका:.
Here, the गीता clearly says that मो� doesn’t require death. One can be liberated
even while one is alive called जीवन्मुिक:. A जीवन्मुक is a जीवन्मुकpurely
because of self-knowledge. Even after gaining knowledge he continues to live in
this body and experiences the world. There is no change in the physical body, no
change in the world and no changes in the experiences also. So, what is the
difference between a �ानी and an अ�ानी? The difference is in how a �ानी looks at
himself, the world and how he takes the experiences. The difference is only in the
perspective.
उद्ध wanted to know- ‘What is the difference between a �ानीजीवन्मुक: and an

अ�ानीसंसार�?’LKA is discussing this topic from verse 5 onwards. बद्मज्
ु
वैधम्य or differences. Initially, he talks about भगवान ् himself as a liberated �ानी.
Normally, when we talk about a liberated �ानी, we think only of a जीव who is
liberated. Here,peculiarly, LKA talks about भगवान ् also as a �ानी and a liberated
one. Where is that भगवान ् located? LKA says, भगवान ् is all-pervading
consciousness with his मायाशिक्.भगवान ् pervades the whole creation and so he

pervades every living being also. Within the living beings, where is भगवान ्? LKA
says, भगवान ् is the consciousness pervading the कारण शर�रं of every जीव as the
अन्तयार्, as प्र:. Why do we locate भगवान ् in the कारण शर�रं? Because in the
कारण शर�रं alone, all the potential कमार्� of all the जीवा: are resting. Behind स्थू
स�
ू म शर�रं we have कारण शर�रं in which our future प्रारब्ध is in hidden form.
All those कमरs will have to fructify at the appropriate time and give pleasurable
and painful experiences for all जीवs, अ�ानीजीव and �ानीजीव:. Even a �ानी has
प्रार to be exhausted. TF,भगवान ् as कम् र फलदात, as a giver of the पण
ु ्यपाफलं
resides and gives it at the right time. Pleasurable and painful experiences come
from the external world and from one’s own body itself. भगवान ् resides there as
कमर्अध्: and कमर्फलदात. कमर्अध्: means भगवान ् is the witness of every
good and bad कमरs we are doing. Even if we do some secret actions hidden inside a
room and away from others, you cannot hide it from भगवान ्. TFभगवान ् is called
कमर्अध्:. अध्य: means witness of every good and bad actions we are doing.
भगवान ् is कमर्अध् and कमर्फलदात. Every good and bad actions, every कमर is
registered and कमर्फल is given at the appropriate time. Some of the कमsर will
fructify in the current जन् and some fructify in the future जन्. LKA, says even
though भगवान ् is कमर्फलदात, भगवान ् doesn’t have, any कम्
र फल. भगवान ् himself
is free from all the कमरs and कम्
र फ because he happens to be a �ानी who has
discovered, I am अकतार and अभोक्त. TF, borrowing from the MU mantra
द्व सप
ु णार सयज
ु ा सखाया समानं व�
ृ ं प�रषस्वजात ।
तयोरन्य �पप्पल स्वाद्व अनश्नन्नन्योऽ�भचाकश ॥ १ ॥
The अ�ानी experiences �पप्पल. �पप्पल is a technical word for कम्

र फल. अनश्न न
अन्: अ�भशाकसी�त.भगवान ् doesn’t experience any कम्
र फ. �वद्वान verse 7 first
line is �ानीईश्व:. �वद्वान here doesn’t refer to �ानीजीव: but �ानीभगवान ् who
resides in everyone. That भगवान ् is अ�पप्पला: -he doesn’t have any कम्
र फल

because he knows I am अकतार्अभोक्ताईश:. If you remember BGA, LKA says
तस् कतार्र अ�भमां �वद्द् अकतार्र अव्यय. In the first line the last word is �वद्वान
and �पप्पला: is in the second line. Sanskrit students should split it as
�वद्वान्अ�पप्पल:. that अmust come. �वद्वान + अ�पप्पला:.अ�पप्पला: means
अभोक्ताईश्:. न त�ु पप्पला: -whereas अ�ानीजीव is a कतार and भोक्त and so he is
the experiencer of सख
ु ं and द:ु खं.
Why is भगवान ्अकतार and अभोक्त? Why is जीव: कतार and भोक्त? LKA gives the
answer. भगवान ् is अकतार and अभोक्त only because of self-knowledge. A जीव also
can become अकतार and अभोक्त if only he becomes a wise person. He need not
become भगवान ्. He has to become only a �ानी. Very important line. LKA says,
य: अ�वद्यय यक् ु . Whoever has ignorance स: �नत् बद्:. As long as self-
ignorance is there, one will be bound no matter what his accomplishments in life,
B.A., M.A., Ph.D. but he will be संसार� B.A., संसार� M.A. and संसार� Ph.D. All the
degrees in the world, all the accomplishments in life will not make any difference
if he has not gained self-knowledge. स: �नत् बद्:. �वद्याम: -one who has self-
knowledge may not have any worldly educational qualifications but if he has self-
knowledge, he is a liberated person. �वद्य means आत्म�ान य: स: तु �नत्
मक
ु ्:.�ानी is liberated. भगवान ् is liberated because he is a �ानी. Even a जीव will
become liberated if only he becomes a �ानी. Continuing,
दे हस्थोऽ�पनद ेहस्थो�वद्वान्स्वप्नाद्यथ
अदे हस्थोऽ�पद ेहस्थःकुम�तःस्वप्नदृ११.८॥
In श्लोक: 6 and 7 LKA talked about the difference between अ�ानीजीव and
�ानीईश्व:. From this verse onwards LKA talks about the differences between
अ�ानीजीव: and �ानीजीव:. Now ईश्व topic is set aside and we discuss about two
groups of जीवा:. One group of जीवा: are called अ�ानीs and the other group of
जीवा: are �ानीs. What is the difference? LKA says, देहस्: अ�प न.देहस्: a �ानी

also has a body and so the world thinks a �ानी is a finite individual confined to the
body. TF, they think �ानी is seated in one place or he is standing, walking etc.
They look upon �ानी as a finite individual, confined to the physical body which is
a limited entity confined to this universe. How does a �ानी look at himself? He
may not say this to the world because the world will not understand his vision.
LKA says, the �ानी doesn’t look upon himself as a body, nor as a finite entity
confined to the body. By the study of scriptures, spiritual साधन श्रव मननं and
�न�दध्यासन the �ानी has understood that he is not the physical body, nor the sense
organs, nor the mind nor the intellect. He knows they are all instruments through
which he operates. TF, I operate through the BMSC but I am not the BMSC.
Then, if I am not the BMSC, who am I? The �ानी says, ‘I am the सा�ीचैतन्य, the
witness consciousness principle, who is aware of the body and through the body
aware of the world. Like spectacles. When I am wearing spectacles, I am aware of
them. If an ant is running across the lens, I am aware of it so I remove my glasses
and wipe. That means I am aware of the spectacles and through the spectacles I am
aware of the world. Similarly, a �ानी looks upon the body and mind as spectacles.
I am aware of the BMSC and through BMSC I am aware of the world. I am neither
the BMSC (the spectacles), nor am I the world. I am the consciousness principle.
This is how a �ानी looks upon himself.
If you ask the �ानी, ‘Where is this consciousness located?’ �ानी will reel out the
five features of consciousness. You are all �ानीs so you are supposed to remember
the five features.
1. I am the consciousness different from the body.

2. I am not a part, product or property of the body.
3. I am the independent consciousness principle which pervades and make the
body alive.
4. I am not limited by the boundaries of the body.
5. I will continue to survive even after the body will perish. After the body
perishes, I will not operate through the body.
The fifth one is like removing the spectacles. When the spectacles are gone, I don’t
say, ‘I am gone.’ When the body goes away, my transactions through the body

ends. But the end of the transactions is not the end of myself. न हन्यत हन्यमान
शर�रे . For a �ानी, this is not a mere गीता verse but it is a fact about himself. He
doesn’t say आत्म is imperishable. He says, I am imperishable. It is an internalized
fact for him. Not only is it an internalized fact, he says, ‘I am not in the body but
the body is in me, the consciousness.’ Not only is this one body in me the
consciousness but all the bodies exist in me because the consciousness is all-
pervading. TF all the bodies are in me. Not only all the bodies. All the planets are
in me.Not only all the planets. All the galaxies are in me. Theyare all born in me.
They all exist in me. They all resolve into me. We want to know how it is possible?
LKA gives a common Vedantic example of the dream world. When I experience
the dream world in dream, do I claim the dream world is in me or do I say I am in
the world? When I am in the dream, I never look upon the world as in me.I look
upon the world as very vast and look upon myself as a tiny speck in that dream
world. For the dreamer, the dream is not a dream in the dream. When in a dream, I
will say, the world is vast and I am small. For how long? As long as I am in the
dream. The moment I wake up, I understand that the entire dream world including
the dream time, dream space, dream galaxies, all were born out of me, sustained by
me and swallowed by me. Vedanta says, for a �ानी, this world also is similar to the
dream world because when a �ानी uses the word ‘I’ he doesn’t refer to the body or
mind. He refers to the all-pervading consciousness. TF,�ानी looks upon the world
as मै एव सकलं जातं म�य सव� प्र�तिष्ठ म�य सव� लयं या�त -the world is born of
me, sustained by me and resolves into me. I am not a speck or a dot in the world,
actually, the world is an insignificant dot in me, the infinite consciousness. This is
the �ानी’s vision of himself but he doesn’t tell this outside because the outside
world is not ready to understand this message.
TF,LKA says, देहस्:अ�प though from the standpoint of the world the �ानी is in
the body, �वद्वान्नदेह: a �ानी doesn’t say, ‘I am in the body.’ He says, ‘The
body is in me.’ Like what? स्वप्नात्उ�:इव like a person who has woken up from
the dream. The only difference between waking up from the dream world and
waking up from this world is that when Iwake up from the dream world, the dream
world disappears but when a �ानी wakes up from the waker’s world, the world
doesn’t disappear but he now looks at this world as another form of dream. From

one dream to another dream he has travelled but he understands both as dream like
only. स्वप्नात्उ��थपु: इव. What about an अ�ानी? अदेहस्थोऽ�पद ेहस् though an
अ�ानी also is all-pervading consciousness he is not aware of this fact. अदेहस्:
अ�प- though he is also not confined to the body, देहस्: भाव�त. Due to ignorance,
he looks upon himself as a finite, perishable individual. In technical language, an
अ�ानी has the notion that I am जीव:. �ानी has the knowledge that I am ब्रह्.
अ�ानी has got जीवभाव, �ानी has ब्रह्म:. So देहस्: कुम�तः.कुम�तः because he
has an ignorant mind. Here, कुम�तः means an inferior mind like स्वप दृक यथा -
like a person who is in a dream. That is why कठोप�नषद advises humanity, उ��ष्ठ
जाग् प्राप्यवरािन्न. ‘O human beings, may you wake up!’ If the वेद says
‘Wake up,’ what does it mean? We think we are already awake. In the vision of
वेद, we are not awake. We have only come out of the first dream not the second
one. We are continuing to dream and so, वेद advises, ‘उ��ष्ठ.’ From the first
type of dream, awakening will happen naturally when the प्रारब्ध in the dream is
over. Dream is also determined by प्रार. So long as the प्रार is there for that
day’s dream, the dream will continue. When the dream प्रार changes to waking
प्रार, we will automatically wake up but we can never wake up automatically
from this world. Our second awakening will not happen because of प्रार but
because of our own पर
ु ुषाथ. Firstawakening is प्रार-based, second awakening is
पर
ु ुषाथ- based so I have to work for that awakening. How should I work?
कठोप�नषद says, प्राप्यवरािन्न. Go to a गुर and enquire into your own. यथा
स्वप दृक कुम�त:यथा: भव�त. The ignorant is dreaming, the wise is awake. All
these are profound उप�नष�दक् ideas. We don’t find such verses in BGA at all.
BGA deals with the वेदान् superficially but UGA deals with वेदािन्तक topics in
these deep वेदािन्तक्श्ल:. Continuing,
इिन्द्रयै�रिन्द्रयाथ�षुगुणैर�पगु
गह
ृ ्यमाणेष्वहंकुयार्न्न�वद्वान्यस्त्११.९॥
This �ानी has understood, ‘I am the body, mind, sense organs. I am the आत्म
which is the all-pervading consciousness very similar to आकाश:, space. Whatever
is all-pervading cannot perform any action. Space cannot do any action. It cannot
even move from one place to another. Space cannot have even vibration. Even
vibration is possible only for a finite entity. Just as space is incapable of doing any
action, आत्म is also is incapable of doing any action. TF, आत्म is called अकतार.
आत्म does neither good actions nor evil actions; neither पण
ु ्य nor पापं.
न पण
ु ्य न पापं न सौक्य न द:ु खं न मन्त न तीथर न वेदा न य�ा:|
अहं भोजनं नैव भोज्य न भोक्त �चदानन् रू �शवोऽहं �शवोऽहं|
This is the vision of a �ानी. I am अकतार and अभोक्त. Though I do not do any
action, I bless the BMSC with sentiency or consciousness. Electricity doesn’t
perform anyaction but electricity blesses the fan to go around. Electricity doesn’t
act by itself but it blesses every electrical gadget to do its own function. Similarly,
आत्म is अकतार but makes the body, mind, sense organs etc. do varieties of action.
TF, BMSC is ever the कतार and TF, BMSC will have to ever be the भोक्त also.
Hence BMSC is called अनात्म. अनात्म is कतार/भोक्त. आत्म is अकतार, अभोक्त.
A �ानी is aware of this fact all the time.
इिन्द्: गुण:ै - इिन्द्रय, sense organs born out of the three गुणा: of माया. Body is
born out of सत् रजस ् तमोगण
ु ा:. The mind, sense organs and all the instruments
are born out of the माया अनात्म, with the three गण
ु ा: responsible for varieties of
action. कम�िन्द्रय are born out of रजोगण
ु and so they are given to activity. They
have �क्रयाशि. �ानेिन्द्रय are born out of सत्वगु and so they have
�ानशिक्. इच्छाशिक �क्रयाशि and �ानशिक्. The BMSC is continuously
active and continuously reaping the results. What control do we have? We do have
a limited control but not total control. This will go on and on. It is an unstoppable
cycle happening at अनात्म level. The moment I identify with the body, I have got
into the cycle. Like the huge, giant wheel. As long as you are standing aloof, the

giant wheel moving will not affect you. The moment you enter the wheel and it is
going round and round, you don’t have any control. At least the giant wheel has an
on/off switch but the अनात्म giant wheel doesn’t have on/off switch. It will
continue on and on and on. Temporary respite is given during sleep, during death
and during प्रल. Other than that, it never stops because अनात्म is unstoppable.
�ानी is one who disidentifies from BMSC and identifies with the आत्म. He looks
at the अनात्म as an object. This is called सा�ीभाव:. By claiming I am the witness
consciousness, I look at my own body active, sense organs active and the mind
continuously getting thoughts. If I distance myself as a सा�ी, I am saved but the
moment I identify, I become कतार-भोक्त and have no respite from duties, personal,
family, society etc. A �ानी is aware and so at regular intervals he goes to the green
room and becomes a सा�ी and allows the body to continue while he remains
अकतार्ह म अभोक्ताह. That is said here. गुण:ै इिन्द्:. The sense organs are called
गुण because they are the products of the three गुणा:. These sense organs are in the
world which is also a product of the three गुणा: only. TF, सगुण अनात् शर�रं and
सगण
ु अनात् प्रप: continuously interact. गण
ु गण
ु ेषु वतर्न्. इिन्द्रय इिन्द्रयाथ
वतर्न् in the BGA. When the temperature increases outside, the body responds in
one way. When the temperature dips, again the body responds in another way. It is
unstoppable. गहृ ्यमाणष.ु When �ानी watches these activities going on what does
he do? �वद्वान अहं कुयार्त. That is the crucial word.
A wise man should not claim himself to be the body. He should remember I am
सा�ी and always remember पश्यन शणृ ्वन स्पृशन िजघ्र नैव �किञ्चत करो�म in the
background like a musician always remembers the tambura श्रु behind. The
moment श्रु is forgotten music will become अपश्रु. Similarly, �ानी also doesn’t
forget this श्रु. UGA श्लोक: is the श्रु. What does he remember? ‘Thank God. I
am out of all these confusions. I am the चैतन् रुपत.’ इ�त �वद्वान अहं कुयार्त- he
should never think I am the body. If you forget, at regular intervals, go to the green
room and use your particular आसनं and write in block letters, ‘I am सा�ी.’

Whenever life is becoming too much, and you feel like pulling your hair and
running to Rishikesh, take a few minutes break, go to that आसनं and remind
yourself, ‘Thank God, all the confusions are at the अनात्म level.’ It is like finding
the calm, undisturbed eye of the storm in the midst of a raging storm. The eye of
the storm is called I, the आत्म. TF �वद्वान् अ�व�क्र:. अ�व�क्र: means अकतार
अभोक्त �न�वर्का:. Whoever has this facility is called a �ानी. Continuing,
दै वाधीनेशर�रेऽिस्मन्गुणभाव्येनकमर
वतर्मानोऽबुधस्तत्रकतार्स्मी�त�न११.१०॥
BGA students can remember all the beautiful parallel श्लोकs in the BGA 3rd
chapter-
प्रकृत �क्रयमाणा गुणैः कमार्� सवर्श ।

अहङ्कार�वमूढात् कतार्ह�म� मन्यत ॥२७||
त�व�व�ु महाबाहो गुणकमर्�वभागयो ।

गुणा गुणेषु वतर्न इ�त मत्व न सज्जत ॥ २८ ॥
LKA being same गुर, he remembers his own गीता श्लोक here. He says अबध
ु :,
ignorant one who doesn’t know I am the आत्म. He has concluded that I am the
physical body born the other day, growing old. षिष्टअब्धपू�: and सदा�भषेकं are
coming. अिस्मन शर�रे -in this mortal, ageing physical body, कतार अिस् इ�त
�नभद्यत- he identifies and claims I am doing all these actions. What type of body?
दै वअधीने -a body whose present and future are heavily determined by the unfolding
प्रार. प्रार influences our present and future but that doesn’t mean we should be
fatalistic. As human beings we do have a free will and we can control our future.
We can do good कमर. We can keep the body well by dieting and exercising
properly. We do have such control. Though our कमर influences there is another
powerful factor which is our own past कमर in the form of प्रार. The unfortunate

truth is that प्रार is not visible and LKA says दै वअधीतं. Here दै व means प्रार
कमर अधीतं. God means प्रार because God controls our body through our कम.र In
this miserable body गण
ु भाव्येनकमर् which is constantly activated by the three
forces of सत् रजस ् and तमस ्. When the स�वगण
ु is dominant we are �ानेिन्द
प्रध. We will get interested in learning something. You feel like going to
libraries, listening to CD because सत् is dominant. The moment रजोगुण becomes
dominant you cannot sit in one place. You become highly restless. You throw the
cd and book and you become कम�िन्द प्रध, run from one place to another place.
You take more and more responsibilities, do this do that etc. Thus, रजोगुण
compels you; ‘you’ means, the body and you get tired so you doze off. TF, the
body is under the spell of the three गुणा:. TF गुणभाव्येनकमर्. वतर्मा: body is
controlled. In that body, अबध
ु : the ignorant person, �नबध्यत is bound. This is also
said in मण
ु ्ड उप�नषद.
समाने व�
ृ े पर
ु ुष �नमग्नोऽनीशय शोच�त मह
ु ्यमान ।
completely immersed in the body, the finite individual becomes helpless. TF कतार
अिस् इ�त �नबध्यत. He is shackled by not only प्रारब्ध, he is shackled by the
आगा�मकमर also which he is adding now. Continuing,
एवं�वरक्तःशयनआसनाटनमज्ज।
दशर्नस्पशर्नघ्राणभोजनश्र।
नतथाबध्यते�वद्वान्तत्रतत्रादय॥ ११.११॥
प्रकृ�तस्थोऽप्यसंसक्तोयथाखंस�वत।
In the 10th verse, LKA talks about how an अ�ानी is identified with the body. Now
he is contrasting the �ानीwith अ�ानी. �ानी also has a body, sense organs and
mind. �ानी’s body is also governed by or influenced by the three गण
ु ा:. That is

why even among �ानीs, depending upon the dominance of the गुणा:, some are
active �ानीs, some �ानीs are passive. Shankaracharya travelled all over India.
He must have been more active. He could not fly. He had to walk everywhere. A
Ramana Maharshi didn’t travel anywhere. He remained in one place. Both �ानीs
are �ा�नन: alright but whether one is active �ानी or passive �ानी will
againdepend on the three गण ु ा: of the आत्मor अनात्म? अनात्म. TF, a �ानी also
may be active like the other person but LKA says, the difference is in and through
all the activities, an अ�ानी identifies with the body and TF he is lost in the activity
and it disturbs his mind. He has restlessness. When the action is successful, he will
be elated and when there are problems, he reacts violently. The reaction indicates
whether one is �ानी or अ�ानी. In the case of a �ानी, even though some कमsर may
be successful and some कमरs failures he remains-
समदःु खसख
ु ः स्वस् समलोष्टाश्मकाञ् ।
तुल्य�प्रया� धीरस्तुल्य�नन्दात्मसंस् ॥ २४
मानापमानयोस्तुल्यस्तु �मत्रा�रप�य ।
�ानीs BMSC also goes through success or failure, मानम ्or अपमानं but �ानी has
the facility to go to the green room and allow all these things to pass. Let the
BMSC go through पण ु ् and पापकम.र As far as I am concerned, I transcend all of
them. That is said here, �वरक्:�ानी. We will continue in the next class.

Page 87, verse 10,
दै वाधीनेशर�रेऽिस्मन्गुणभाव्येनकमर
वतर्मानोऽबुधस्तत्रकतार्स्मी�त�न११.१०॥
According to वेदान्त, �ानं, self-knowledge, is the only means of liberation. Once a

person gains self-knowledge, he can discover liberation here and now. We have to
carefully note that though some philosophical schools talk about liberation, they
don’t believe in liberation in this life. According to them, liberation is possible
only after death and that too by going to some other special place like वैकुण् or
कैलाश or Hare Krishna sect’s गोलोक बन्दावनृ . They talk about some extraordinary
place where everything is extraordinary. One will have an extraordinary body; one
will be in front of a God who is also extraordinary. They can constantly see God,
constantly serve God. They consider such a life मो�. Not only they talk about such
a life, they also claim that a person will live there permanently. So, he will have an
eternal body. The world also will be eternal and भगवान ् also will be eternal with a
particular body. You can eternally see the Lord, enjoy the Lord and serve the Lord.
That alone is मो�.
वे�दक् and वेदािन्तक liberation is not such a thing because anything confined to
time and space whether वैकुण् or कैलाश, is conditioned by time and space and
hence finite. That cannot be called मो�. Shankaracharya says
दातुल�क सा�दतोवा तत: �कं . �वष्णोल�क वी��तोवा

तत: �कं शंबोल�क शा�ततोवा तत: �कं .
You may go to ब्रह्म, �वष्णुलो or �शवलोक but none of them can guarantee
liberation. He asks, तत:�कं ? So what? He says, liberation is knowing one’s own
real nature which is not located in any particular लोक, which is the आत्म beyond
time and space. You don’t reach that आत्म by travelling because all-pervading

आत्म will be here, there and everywhere. कठोप�नषद says अत ब्र समश्नुत. One
discovers infinite truth, आत्म, the ब्रह्, here and now within one’s own body.
मो� is discovered here and now. Even after discovering मो� one continues to
survive in the world depending on the LOK. This continuation in the world after
�ानं and liberation is called जीवन्मुिक:.जीवन्मुिक: is a unique feature discussed
in वेदान्त and accepted in both BGA as well as UGA.
उद्ध’s question is what will be the lifestyle of such a liberated, enlightened �ानी
when he lives in the same body and the same world. LKA is describing that in
these verses. LKA has described such a �ानी in the BGA also in the 2nd, 12th and
14th chapters. We get a similar description in the UGA also. While describing such
a �ानी LKA also contrasts a �ानी and an अ�ानी also known as a संसार�. What is
the difference between an अ�ानीसंसार� and a �ानीअसंसार�? अ�ानीसंसार� is there.
Take that अ from अ�ानी and shift it to संसार�. �ानी and असंसार�. What is the
difference? One of the differences that he talks about is the अ�ानी comes to a
wrong conclusion that I am the physical body. Physical experience of the body is
common to a �ानी and अ�ानी. Bodily experience will be there, whether one is
�ानी or अ�ानी since bodily experience is determined by प्रार. A �ानी will also
experience his own physical body and not experience others’ physical body.
Experience of one physical body is common to �ानी and अ�ानी. In feeling hunger,
thirst, biologicalpain etc. there is no difference between �ानी and अ�ानी. The
difference is in the conclusion based on the experience. The difference is in
experience-based conclusion. I have talked about this before also. We all
experience a flat earth. The earth appears flat only. This experience is universal.
What is the difference between an informed person and uninformed person? An

uninformed person experiences the earth as flat and he concludes that TF, the earth
is flat. An informed person also experiences the flat earth but he knows that the
earth is not flat. Similarly, we all commonly experience that the earth is stationary
but the concussion will vary depending upon whether one is wise or not. Similarly,
�ानी and अ�ानी both experience the body but the अ�ानी concludes that since I
experience the body, I am the body. �ानी’s conclusion is revised based on श्रु,

यिु क् and अनभव ु प्रम. �ानी also experiences the body but �ानी understands
that, I am not the body. The difference is in the conclusion. Ramana Maharshi in a
beautiful श्लो in सद्दशर् presents this idea –
देहात्मभाव �जदौ समानौ एकस् देहे: हृ� द�प् आत्म|

आक्र दे हं च जगच् पण
ू र् म परस् मेयं तनम
ु ात्रमात||
दे हात् भावे in the physical experience of the body, �ानी and अ�ानी are समानौ. In
the case of an अ�ानी he concludes, I am the body and so I confine to the physical
body. The �ानी says, आक्र देहं च जगच् पण ू र् म. I experience the body but I am
not the experienced body. I am the experiencer consciousness who is in the body
also and who extends beyond the body. आक्र देहं च जगच् पण ू र् म. I am the पण
ू र
चैतन्य is the knowledge of a �ानी. This is also said in verse 9.
इिन्द्: इिन्द्रयाथ |गुणैर�प गुणेषु च

गह
ृ ्यमानेष �वद्वा न अहं कुयार्त.
A wise person experiences the body but he doesn’t claim I am the body he says, ‘I
am in the body.’ Ignorant person says I am the body. Wise person just adds one in.
I am in the body. In the body in what form? In the form of consciousness which
pervades and enlivens the body.
Remember the five features of consciousness? I am not part, product or property. I

am the consciousness principle different from the body, pervading the body,
enlivening the body. I am not confined by the boundaries. I extend beyond. This is
the wise person’s vision. But what about ignorant person? He misses this
knowledge and so what does he do?
This is said in 10th श्लो दै व धीने शर�रे वतर्मा:. An अ�ानी identifies with his body
and claims I am a mortal individual. What type of body? A body over which he
doesn’t have total control. He has some amount of freewill but not total control
over the body. If somebody asks how many years youare going to live, what will
you say? If we say, ‘I will come to class,’ we add, ‘God willing.’ That means I am
not even sure whether this physical body will survive tomorrow. This body is दै व

धीनां –दै वं means प्रार in a body which is totally under the control of प्रार.
वतर्मा: an अ�ानी remains continues to claim I am the body. He is अबध
ु : - an
ignorant person, the opposite of बध
ु :, a wise person that is, foolish person, unwise
person. गण
ु भाव्ये कमर्ण. This body is constantly engaged in one activity or the
other determined by the three gunas. When सत्वगु is predominant the body
engages in साित्वक action, when रजोगुण is predominant, राज�सक् action.
Similarly, propelled by तमोगुण, body is engaged in ताम�सक् action.
अनब
ु न्ध �यं �हस
ं ामनपे�य च पौरुष म ।
ु ्यत ॥ २५ ॥
मोहादारभ्यत कमर य��ामसमच
in the 18th chapter LKA says the body is engaged in ताम�सक् कम.र An ignorant
person identified with body identifies with three-fold actions also and claims I am
the कतार. अहं कतार अिस् इ�त forgetting that the moment I become the कतार,whether
I like or not, I will become भोक्त. So कतार्िस भोक्तिस् इ�त कमर्ण �नबध्यत.He
is bound by प्रारकमारand later by सिञ्चतकमा and he becomes a संसार�.
Continuing,
एवं�वरक्तःशयनआसनाटनमज्जन
दशर्नस्पशर्नघ्राणभोजनश्रव११|
नतथाबध्यते�वद्वान्तत्रतत्रादयन११.११॥
प्रकृ�तस्थोऽप्यसंसक्तोयथाखंस�वत|१२|
These two verses should be studied together. Look at the word �वद्वान in the third
line and the word �वरिक्: in the first line. These two words should be joined.
�वरिक्: �वद्वान -whereas a wise person who is detached from the body uses the
body and doesn’t claim ‘I am the body.’ वेदान्त never says you should not use the
body. The body, especially a human body, is a fantastic instrument; a rare gift from
the Lord. वेदान्त says, in the initial phase of your life, use the body to realise your
higher nature by going through कमर्यो, उपासना योग etc. Use the body and let the
aim be discovery of the higher nature. The first half of life is directed towards this
knowledge and in the second half of life, use the same body for serving the world.
Initially we serve the world as कमर्योग. After �ानं we serve the world as �ानी,
लोक संग्रहा. Thus, use the body vey intelligently for arriving at this knowledge
and serving society. Never get bound the body. �वरिक्: �वद्वान the wise person
uses the body, never claims ‘I am the body’, will also be involved in all the day to
dayactivities involving several actions.
शयने-sleeping action. I don’t know why LKA starts with sleeping. Perhaps LKA
feels we are sleepy all the time. Then आसने- sitting, अटनं- moving about, मज्ज-
taking bath, दशर्न-seeing various things, स्पशर् – touching, coming in contact,
घ्र- smelling varieties of things, भोजन- eating, श्रवणा�द- hearing various things.
In the 99th verse, LKA said sense organs and sense objects are constantly in
contact. Allow them to do their function. Never get attached to either the sense
organs or the sense objects.
मात् स्पशार्स कौन्ते शीतोष् सख

ु दख
ु दा: आगमा अिप्यन अ�नत्य:.
When they are available, admire them, appreciate them as the glories of the Lord.
Admire your own organs. Admire the creation also as the glory of the Lord. Never
get hooked to anyone of them. Their presence also is enjoyable. When the time
comes, let them go. Appreciate, admire, never get hooked to anything. �ानी तथा
नबध्यत in the third line. A �ानी never gets emotionally hooked to anything, even
भगवान ्. Remember उद्ध enjoyed the company of LKA. That is how the first
chapter started. We get so easily attached to local people, what to talk of LKA?
Naturally attachment will be intense. Remember that as long as भगवान ् is a person,
even that association cannot be permanent. Whether it is a human being or an
अवतार, both are अ�नत्य म? उद्ध had to get separated from LKA and उद्ध
couldn’t bear that. As long as भगवान ् is a person or object, even that attachment
will cause संसार. Only when we understand भगवान ् not as a person but as the very
आत्म in everyone, we will be free. TF, �ानी तथा नबध्यत wise person will not get

hooked. एवं in the first line. Like the ignorant person mentioned in the previous
श्लो. What does he understand? He remembers the 3rd capsule of वेदान्त. I am
the consciousness principle. I am everywhere. By my mere presence, I bless the
BMSC with life and sentiency. Blessed by me, the body experiences the world. I
am not affected by or contaminated by either the body or bodily experiences.
गुणान ्आदयन ्- I don’t experience the world but I bless BMSC to experience the
world. आदयन ् -अद literally means to eat. अदनं ओदनं अनोद्न म.अदनं means eating
and by extension it means experiencing. आदयन ् - I allow or bless the body with
sentiency to experience the world. I cause the body to experience by my presence.
गुणान ् आदयन ्. In my presence all the activities take place but I am not the
participant in any activity. The relevant BGA श्लो is-
नवद्वार परु े दे�ह नैव कुवर्न्नकारय सख

ु ं आस्त-5 chapter 13 verse.
th th
प्रकृ�त:अ�प -though �ानी is present in the body, प्रकृ means शर�रं. The body is
called प्रकृ because the body is born out of प्रकृ�तमा or matter. स्: - present in
the body. असंसक्: -�ानी is not contaminated. The light is on the body but the
light is not contaminated by the impurity of the body. This is called immanent and
transcendental. Immanent means intimately associated with the body. Light is
immanent and transcendental. It is not affected by whatever happens to the body.
प्रकृ�त: -immanent, असंसक्: - transcendental. असंसक्: has three examples.
यथा खं. खं means आकाश:, space which is all-pervading. It accommodates
everything but not affected by anything. स�वता- sunlight example. Sunlight
pervades everything, contacts everything but is not affected by anything and
अ�नल: -the wind. Wind also moves everywhere but it is not hooked to or
connected to anything. It moves. Similarly, �ानी knows I am such an आत्म.
Continuing,
वैशारद्ये�यासङ्ग�शतया�छन्नसंश
प्र�तबुद्धइवस्वप्नान्नानात्वाद्�व११.१३॥३५.०४

Here LKA says that �ानी attained this knowledge through a long, spiritual
educational program. This knowledge did not come overnight. This is also one
point I keep stressing. �ानं doesn’t happen naturally if you go on doing पज
ू ाजप
etc. Many people think that if one goes on doing भिक्, one day �ानं will dawn, or
one day भगवान ् will insert or �ानं into your brain. I keep on doing भिक्, �ानं will
happen. I keep on doing पज
ू ा, �ानं will happen. I keep on doing meditation, �ानं
will happen. I keep on asking who am I, �ानं will happen. All these are widespread
misconceptions in the spiritual and religious fields. Both LKA and वेद do not
accept these things. LKA clearly says in the BGA and UGA,
�ानं happens by systematic exposure to a spiritual educational program which is

consistent study of वेदािन्तक scriptures under the guidance of a competent आचायर
for a length of time. One should do श्रव to get the message alright and do मननं to
answer the hundreds of questions that arise in parallel. Long श्रव is required,
longer मननं is required and the longest �न�दध्यासन because ‘I am the body
वासना,’ is very strong. So, from ‘I am the body,’ I should come to, ‘I am in the
body,’ and from there to ‘I am in and out of the body. I am the all-pervading
आत्म.’ Thus, the habitual notion that I am a finite individual has to go away. It
requires long वेदािन्तक meditation called �न�दध्यासन, which is a process if
internalization. वेदािन्तक meditation is not a mystic experience. वेदान्त never
believes in mystic experiences. वेदािन्तक meditation is to get out of our habitual
thinking that I am a local individual. �ानी has got this wisdom through long श्र
मनन �न�दध्यास.
वैशारद्याई�य. How do you split वैशारद्ये�य? वैशारद्य इकारान्: स्त्री�:

वैशारद� शब्: ततीय
ृ �वभिक् एक वचनं वैशारद� वैशारद्य वैशारद्:, like नद� शब्:.
The third case is वैशारद्य, it means crystal clear. What is crystal clear? ई�या. ई�

means the वेदािन्तक vision. Here the vision means knowledge, perspective. Clear
vision. असङ् �शतया which is शीत- very sharp and clear. असङ्- which is free
from all wrong associations and misconceptions. असङ् �शतया वैशारद्य ई�या. It
can be the description of the knowledge or the description of the intellect also. An
intellect which is very clear, which has a clear perception, which is detached and
sharp. शीत means sharp. �छन्नसंश: means free from all forms of doubts. I am not
a localized individual but the all-pervading consciousness. I don’t have any doubt.
Totally destroyed all doubts with knowledge, which is like awakening from the
dream. When I awaken from dream what type of attachment will I have to the
dream universe? When I was in the dream, my dream universe was महा real. I have
taken a loan from the bank and purchased a house on the 27th floor in OMR. Even
though the dream was महा real and I was attached to every person and everything,
on waking up, how much attachment will I have? Similarly, spiritual knowledge
will awaken me to higher place. Once I am awakened to the higher place, I will no
longer have any attachment to this waker’s universe. That doesn’t mean I have
hatred but there is neither राग nor द्वे, रागद्वेषअती:. The only difference is,
when I wake up from the regular dream, the dream will disappear but when I wake
up from this world, the world will continue but I will have neither राग nor द्वे.
वीतरागभयक्रोधः सवर्त्रान�भस्न
�त्प्र शभा
ु शभ
ु म ् ना�भनन्द� न द्वेिष.
If he is a गह
ृ स्त�ान, then will he do his duties? For doing our duty we don’t
require रागद्वे. He continues in the world without राग or द्वे but he has no
attachment. प्र�तबु: इव स्वप्ना- like a person in a dream. This dream example
comes repeatedly in UGA but never once in BGA. स्वप्| नानात्वात
�व�नवतर्त.नानात्व- pluralistic world, from the pluralistic world �व�नवतर्त - he turns
away. Turning away means avoid both राग and द्वे. He will have compassion.
That a �ानी will have compassion towards everyone is a beautiful description
LKA gives in the 12th chapter of BGA. अद्वेष् सवर्भूताना मैत् करु एव च । Lack
of attachment doesn’t mean he will say, ‘Let people suffer.’ He will have

compassion, universal compassion. �ानं destroys रागद्वे. �ानं promotes love and
compassion. रागद्वे disturbs emotionally. Love and compassion will help in
serving others. That is the difference between रागद्वे and love and compassion.
TF नानात्वात �व�नवतर्त. He gets out of attachment. Continuing,
यस्यस्युव�तसङ्कल्पाःप्राणेिन्द्रयम
व�यः
ृ स�व�नमुर्क्तोदेहस्थोऽ�प�हतद्गु११.१४॥
Though he lives in the world and continues to be engaged in activities, his mind is
not obsessed with the future. One of the indications of self-ignorance is the sense
of insecurity which leads to constant anxiety regarding the future. TF, I want to
safeguard my future for which I want to do so many things. By such and such a
date, I would have completed all these things; Iwould have got everything in
perfect conditions. Thereafter my life will be smooth. We always imagine a
smooth life in the future. Remember, there is no perfect future where everything
will be exactly in alignment with my राग and द्वे. This is a dream. This is a
projection like water in a mirage. The perfect future doesn’t exist. Either
everything is perfect now or never. Now or never is वेदान्त. TF, �ानी is not
obsessed too much about the future which is unpredictable and even is somewhat
predictable, uncontrollable. We can predict ageing but we cannot control what is
going to happen in old age. Let us not depend on the past world, the present world
or the future world for our peace, security and happiness. अनात्म dependent
present or future is risky. TF,�ानी is the one who has learnt to depend upon आत्म
instead of अनात्म. TF, वेद says, depend only on two things. When you are in
कमर्यो, depend on भगवान ्.
अनन्यािश्चन्तय मांये जनाः पयुर्पासत ।

तेषां �नत्या�भयुक्तानांयोग�े वहाम्यह म ॥ २२ ॥
Until �ानं comes depend on God, after �ानं comes depend on same God who has
now been discovered as the आत्म. What is common to these two? Never depend
on the world. This is the message. Be a कमर्योग and depend on God. Be a �ानी

and depend on आत्म. Never depend upon the perishable name, form, money,
position, possession or family members. Don’t tell them but mentally hold on to
God or आत्म. That is what exactly �ानी does. TF he doesn’t worry about what all
प्रार is going to bring in future. यदअ
ु द भय्वत्भव भगवन ् पवर
ू करमानर
ु ूप.

यस्यस्युव�तसङ्कल्पाःप्राणेिन्द्रयम
व�यः
ृ स�व�नमुर्क्तोदेहस्थोऽ�प�हतद्गु११.१४॥
LKA is answering the questions raised by उद्ध at the end of the 5th chapter.
उद्ध had asked about the cause of bondage and means of liberation and the traits
of a liberated person versus traits of a bound संसार�. This last part is being
answered from the 5th श्लो viz. traits of a �ानी.
The primary meaning of the word �ानी is the one who has got �ानं, आत्म�ान.
According to शास्, a �ानी is one who has assimilated the wisdom and that �ानी is
liberated whatever may be his status, ब्रह्मच, गह
ृ स् or संन्यास. Even among
संन्यासs so many varieties of संन्या: are mentioned. The ultimate संन्या being
अवधत ू संन्या or प�रव्राजकसंन् where a person doesn’t even stay in one place
for long and who is completely indifferent to everything in life. Here LKA is
talking about such a संन्यास, परमहंसप�रव्रा or अवधत ू संन्यास. TF, all the traits
mentioned in these verses cannot be followed by all the people. We should not
literally take all these virtues mentioned. We should not try to follow all of them,
we have to filter appropriately according to our position in society. If we are
गह ृ स्तs we cannot follow all of them. A संन्यास who is the headof a मट has duties
and responsibilities and has to take care of the affairs of मट. That संन्यास cannot
totally follow traits of अवधत ू or प�रव्राजकसंन्य. TF,we should not take these
verses literally, only take the spirit of these verses. The main message is, a person
has to try to remain in the teaching of the scriptures and avoid all the obstacles to
the assimilation of this knowledge. We enumerate four obstacles primarily which I
call दषु ् चतुष्टय which we have to handle carefully. We should not nourish them
but weaken them. The दषु ् चतुष्टय?
1. अहंकार- attachment to our own body mind. BMSC is a temporary gift which
we have to use to understand I am not the BMSC. Use them as an

instrument, never claim ownership. They have come in time; they will go in
time. TF, fattening the अहंकार should be carefully avoided.
2. ममकार- we have a family, business, employees etc and we have strong
ownership and controllership w.r.t them. This thinking that I am the owner
and I have absolute control over them is ममकार. Both are dangerous
because we don’t own any of them. They come in our life and they go from
our life. Relations or possessions, use them and take care of them but never
develop attachment towards them.
3. 4. राग and द्वे- attachment and aversion.
These four have to be handled well. We need not literally take everything that is
mentioned here. A परमहंस प�रव्रा आचायर might be practicing detachment from
the body to such an extent that he may not even treat the diseases that come to the
body. There are some संन्यासs who believe that after �ानं, body has to be
completely given to प्रार. प्रारब् सम�पर्त स्ववप: इ�त एषा मनीषा मम. It is
handed over to प्रार or भगवान ्. If the body gets disease, let it. If it has to get
cured naturally, let it get cured. If it has to die, let it die. They don’t even treat the
body. That is the height that some संन्यासs follow but that doesn’t mean that we
have to follow them. We cannot afford to either. A responsible गह ृ स्त has many
family members depending on him. He has to take care of his health, if not for
himself, then at least for the sake of his dependents. What I want to say is, we have
to follow only that advice that is suitable. We cannot go strictly by the letter. Some
of these श्लोs are very strong. यस्यस्युव�तसङ्कलप्र इिन्द मनो �धयां व�ृ य:.
व�ृ �: means activity, activities of प्र इिन्द मन: and धी: -intellect, all the कमार्�
- duties he has to do whether he is a गहृ स् �ानी or संन्यास �ानी. Whatever duties
he has to do he will do but he does not bother about the future or the consequences
of that कमर.संकल्: means obsession with future. What will happen to my children,
my grandchildren? Will my children will bring up the grandchildren properly? All
these are going to be obstacles to the internalization of आत्म�ान. Do what you can
do and forget and move on. वीत संकल्- do what is to be done for the future but
forget regarding the future because we don’t know what the future is and we don’t
have control over it either. व�ृ य: वीत संकल्: no more concern, स: �व�नमुर्क: -such

a person is a relaxed person, a stress-free person. देहस्: अ�प though he lives in the
body. दे हस्: is a beautiful word used to describe a �ानी as one who lives in the
body. �ानी doesn’t look upon himself as the body. He only claims I am in the
body. Body is a temporary tenement. One who remembers that, स:देहस्: अ�प,
though he is in the body, तद्गुण: स: �व�नमुर्क: -he is free from the individuality
which belongs to the body. I am not an individual. I am the सिच्चदानन्दआत
which is free from all forms of limitations. TF, he is in the body, not identified
with the body. Continuing,
यस्यात्मा�हंस् �हस
ं ्रैय �किञ् द्यदृच्
अच्यर्तेवाक्व�च�त्र �क्रय बधः
ु ॥११.१५॥
During the course of his or her life, the �ानी’s body affected by so many chapters.
A प�रव्रा: doesn’t have any boarding for himself. सरु मिन्द तर लल ू �नवास: -he
might be living under a tree or in the forest. Naturally his body is not as well-
protected as the body of a householder at home. प�रव्राजकाचा doesn’t have
protection nor does he care. �हस
ं :् -�हंस: means other being which hurt or injure
bodies, whether humans or insects. सन्न्य is absolute ahimsa for the protection
of the body and so he cannot use any method of violence against animals, even
defensive violence. A householder is allowed to do that if somebody attacks, he
can counterattack in defense. A सन्न्या will not counter attack since he has taken
a vow. If प्रारब keeps the body alive it is good. Extreme nonviolence is hinted at in
this श्लो. We need not literally follow. सन्न्या cannot use violence. �हंस:् -by
violent beings, यस् आत् �हंस्यत. Sanskrit students should carefully note in the
first line यस् आत् - आत्म means शर�रं. You can take the original आत्म because
श्लो says one whose आत्म is wounded or hurt by someone. सिच्चदानन्दआत
cannot be bitten by a mosquito. Contextindicates आत्म means शर�रं,स्थू शर�रं ,
not even स�
ू म शर�रं.Suppose the physical body of such an अवधत
ू सन्न्या is �हंस:्
�हस
ं ्यत- is afflicted by other beings, येन �किञ्चत -any one of them, यदृच्छ -due

tounknown reasons because of प्रार. यदृच means अदृष्टप्रा. He will not
blame anyone. His explanation will be that the body has to go through such a thing.
He doesn’t blame anyone in the world. प्रार can bring terrible experiences or
wonderfulexperiences to the physical body. Seeing such a great सन्न्या,
somebody may invite him home, do षोडशउपचारपज
ू ा or पादपज
ू ा or अलङ्का चन्द
कंक
ु ु म,ं a माला of black gram, sumptuous �भ�ा also. One day honour, one day pain;
both will come. समदःु ख सख
ु : स्वस: समलोष्टाश्मकान:. He takes both as play
of प्रार. अच्यर्वा. अच्यर् - worshiped with षोडशउपचारपज
ू ा, क्व�चत- in another
place. In one place he was afflicted, in another place he was honoured. बध
ु : न
व्य�त�क्र- the wise person is one who maintains his equanimity or mental
balance indicating how detached he is from अनात्म. न व्य�त�क्र -his mind
doesn’t become turbulent. Continuing,
नस्तुवीतन�नन्देतकुवर्तःसाध्वसाध
वदतोगण
ु दोषाभ्यांविजर्तःसमदृङ्मु११.१६॥
He is not obsessed with the society either. As an individual he may contribute to

society in his own way depending on his प्रार and वासना. Different �ा�नन:
contribute to society according to their capacity. Some �ा�नन: प्रार may be such
that they remain quiet in some corner of the universe without even coming into
society. Their very existence is their contribution to society. Though a noble
person doesn’t physically contribute, his veryexistence and noble thoughts bless
the society. Theyare not obsessed with society because the total macro is always
under the control of ईश्व. As an individual we don’t have control over the totality
of the society. What will happen to India? What will happen to TN? We have two
parties which are equally terrible but we cannot worry about everything that
happens in the outside world. By worrying, we are not going to change anything.
Light a lamp instead of cursing the darkness. Lighting up a small area is better than
going on saying whole world is dark. Similarly, macro is under the control of
ईश्व so the only thing we can do is pray. स्विस:प्रजा काले वषर्त पजर्न:. With
regard to totality we can only pray. There are many who are much attached
Hinduism as a religion and are so worried about the future of Hinduism because it

is constantly facing threats from other aggressive religions, conversion etc. What
will happen to us? We cannot do anything from the stand point of totality. What
we do? Do what you can as an individual. When it comes to the total, नमो ब्रह्
chant the prayer. नमो ब्रह् नमोस्त अग्नय नम: प�थर्� नम ओषद�भ्:. I pray to
the wordsof वेद. Let our scriptures, our religion be protected. Our faith is what
भगवान ् has given to us, भगवान ् will take care of it and no damage will be done to
Hinduism. It will survive and thrive. It doesn’t mean we should be complacent and
negligent. We have to keep doing what we can. This is �ा�नन: philosophy. He
prays w.r.t totality. He doesn’t get lost in the society. At any given time, there will
be good people and terrible ones also. During Rama’s time, त्रेताय, there was a
pseudo सन्न्या. Ravana took the वेषं of a सन्न्या. In द्वाप also रा�सा: were
there. In क�लयग
ु also plenty of good and bad is there. Constantly talking about
them is of no use. नस्तुवीतन�नन्द. Give up both �नन्द-criticism and स्तु�-
praise or स्तोत्of others. Give up political discussions. We can talk for hours
together with no benefit to anyone.
TF, नस्तुवीतन�नन्द. कुवर्: साधु असाधु वा. साधु कुवर्: means noble people, असाधु
कुवर्: - ignoble people. This is also from the stand point of a प�रव्राजकसन्न्.
In the society or family, we have to acknowledge the good action done by others,
reciprocate etc. A गहृ स्त cannot follow this rule. A ruler cannot follow this as he
has to takescare of good people. प�रत्राण साधन
ू ां -even भगवान ् in an अवतार will
have to protect साधु जन:. Here we are talking about a परमहंसप�रव्रा who is out
of this society. He doesn’t have any duty to the society. Such a person is talked
about here.We should be very careful while reading these verses. अवधत ू सन्न्या
is talked about here.साधू असाधवा
ु कुवर्: न स्तुवी. Sanskrit students कुवर्: is
द्�वती �वभिक्: बहु वचनं, object of स्तुवी. It is कुवर्न word. Present active
participle of the root कृ कुवर्न कुवर्न् कुवर्न: कुवर्न् कुवर्न् कुवर्:.द्�वती बहु वचनं
object of स्तुवी. Don’t praise of these people or criticize either. वदत: whether
noble people are saying good things or ignoble people speak ill and wound and
hurt with their words. परु वाक्य. There are people who give happiness wherever

they go by their pleasant words and actions. There are some people who give
happiness whenever they go. Both types are there. Don’t get obsessed with them.
वदत: वा. Sanskrit students वदत: तकारन्: पिु ल्लङ: वदत् शब्:द्�वती �वभिक् बहु
वचनं वदन ् वदतौ वदन्: वदन्त वदतौ वदत:. What should a �ानी do? Transcend both
गुण and दोष. Relative world will be always a mixture of good and bad. Don’t get
obsessed or lost in talking about that. Do whatever you can as a contribution to the
society. गण
ु दोषाभ्या विजर्त:. विजर्त: means transcending गणु दोष, which represents
अनात्म. Transcending अनात्म, he abides in the आत्म which is the absolute
reality. He has सम दृक only because of आत् दशर्न.
�वद्या�वनयसंपन् ब्राह् ग�व हिस्त�न

श�ु न चैव श्वपाक च पिण्डता समद�शर्नः।5.18।।
सहृिन्मत्रायुर्दासीनम
ु ध्यस्थद्वेष
साधषु ्व� च पापेषु समबद
ु ्�ध�वर्�शष्यत6.9।।
सम दृक means आत् दृिष:. LKA is talking about a सन्न्या who is out of the
society. When I am a गह
ृ स्त and I have समदशर्, it will be a problem when I have
to deal with people of all types like conmen etc. You can’t have समदृिष, you have
to make enquiry and use your discretion. Even when somebody comes for
donation, we have to see whether it is a proper cause or not. In व्यवहा we cannot
observe समदशर्न. We have to handle different people according to merit. A म�ु न:
in the forest can have समदशर्न but a person in society must keep समदशर्न aside
and handle appropriately in व्यवहा. That is why a श्लो says भवाद्वैत सदा कुयार्त
कृयाद्वैत न किश्चत. Let अद्वै �ानं be there in the mind but when we are doing
व्यवहा, transactions, we have to handle appropriately. समदृक्सं rule –समदृ
split as समदृक्मु: प�रव्रा सन्न्या. Continuing,
नकुयार्न्नवदेित्किञ्चन्नध्यायेत्साध्
आत्मारामोऽनयावृ�या�वचरेज्जडवन्मु�११.१७॥

May all your activities also be to the bare minimum that is required. Over doing
anything also can be a problem. �किञ्चत कुयार्त -may you not do anything more
than required to perform the duties according to your status. One tends to do more
activity in search of happiness from the external world. If I do more than �नत्
नै�म��क कमर, it will come under either काम् or �न�षद्. If I don’t confine to my
duties �नत् नै�म��क कमर and go beyond, it will come under काम्यकम for getting
happiness from the world or �न�षद्धकम, a corrupt action. LKA says avoid both of
them. �न�षद्धकम you avoid because it can harm the society and you don’t need
काम्यकम because a �ानी is one who doesn’t seek happiness from the external
world. काम्यकम becomes relevant when I seek happiness from outside. प्रजहा
यता कामान ् सवार्न पाथर मनोगतान ्. A संन्यास �ानी doesn’t have any काम्यकम.
Where will he get his happiness from? His outer life will be miserable but he gets
his happiness from आत्मन एव आत्मन तुष्:. He doesn’t need anything other than
himself. नकुयार्त- don’t do any काम्य�न�षद्धक, confine yourself to �नत्
नै�म��क कमर. वदेत् talking also must be limited. Talking more can be sound
pollution or it may create problems. TF, LKA advises to reduce. Remember वाक्
तपस ् from 17th chapter of the BGA.
अन
वाक्य
सत्य
�प्रय�ह
चयत्
द
ु ्वेगकर
17th chapter of the BGA we elaborately studied. That is hinted here. �किञ्चत्नवदे- LKA
says don’t talk at all. We should not take it literally. It means, don’t talk more than
necessary. �किञ्चत्नकुयार्िञ्चन वदेत् and ध्यायेत्साधुअसावा- don’t think of
and get obsessed with the good and bad in the society. साधअ
ु साधवा
ु - good and bad
which will always be there. The world is amixed bag. Don’t be obsessed withthat-
न ध्यायेत. ध्यान म means don’t meditate upon that. Somebody has said a wrong
word three days ago. I remember it very carefully. When I sit for जपंI do जपंof his
words. धायतो �वषयान ् पंस
ु ा: सङ्गस्तेष जायते let the mind not be obsessed with

the good and bad of the society, the अनात्म. साधअ ु साधु वा न ध्यायेत. Here ध्यान म
means obsession. When you avoid over-talking, overdoing, over-thinking you will
find a lot of extra time. ‘Swamiji, I want to revise UGA but where is the time?’
Even if there is time, there is no mind becausethe mind is preoccupied with all
kinds of things. If you follow these rules you will have timeand you will also have
a mind which is un-preoccupied so you can revise the teaching of BGAUGA or
Upanishads. आत्मारा: may you enjoy your own glory. When भगवान ् says, ‘Your
own glory,’ you are surprised, ‘How does भगवान ् say ‘my glory?’ I don t seem to
have any. Not only I don’t have glory, every day people are doing अचर्न- youare
useless. When you say, ‘your glory’ it means not the ‘जीवात्म you’ which is a
misconception but the ‘परमात्म you’ which is the real you. आत्मारा:अनया व�ृ या.
आत्मारा:भवेत्. आत्मारा: means one who revels being in his own glory. Both
�नगुर्ण ब्र म�हमा and सगुण ईश्व म�हमा. Revelling in your real nature, म�ु न:
�वचरेत्. म�ु न: literally means संन्यास. It is advice to any �ानी. He should spend his
life dwelling more upon the आत्म than getting carried away by the अनात्म mind,
अनात्म body, अनात्म world. �वचरेत् indicates he is a प�रव्राजकसंन्य who
doesn’tstay in one place. प�रव्रा - सव� प�रत्यज व्रज the one who moves
around.
That is why the concept of चातम

ु ार्श व्र came. It is a vow observed by
प�रव्राजकसंन्यs who move around all the time but only during rainy seasons
प�रव्राजकसंन्य will not be able to move around. That is a period of four months
of monsoon called वषर काल: in India. TF, for four months theyare forced to stay in
one place. Now they have reduced it to two months. Thisव्र has become non-
relevant now and is more of a ritualistic observation because for a moving संन्यास
staying in one place is an exception but for a संन्यास who is staying in one place
he is �नत् चातुमार्श व्र. Yet the orthodox संन्यास follow this vow starting with
गर
ु ुपू�णर्. �वचरेत् means original परमहंसप�रव्रा should move from village to
village. �वचरेत्म�न:. जडवत् -LKA gives one more rule. May you pretend to be like

any other person, an अ�ानी. Don’t try to show off your �ानं. Whenwe study a
little bit, we are tempted to talk about it. We will force our knowledge on other
people whoare not at all interested. They will get bored and will name you वेदान्त
or MSM- Mobile saw mill. TF, don’t talk unless the other person is interested. If
you want to know whether that person is interested or not, speak 1-2 sentences and
observe his face. If he is looking at the watch, stop. If he says, ‘it is interesting,
where are you learning, then you talk. जडवत्- move like an ignoramus in society.

Page 89, verse 17-
नकुयार्न्नवदेित्किञ्चन्नध्यायेत्साध्
आत्मारामोऽनयावृ�या�वचरेज्जडवन्मु�११.१७॥
LKA is describing the traits of a �ानी who has crossed संसार through �ानं. Even
after �ान,ं he continues to live in the world because of residual प्रारब्ध but he is
not affected by the ups and downs caused by प्रार. LKA concludes that
discussion in the 17th श्लो in which he said a �ानी should move in the world
alertly. Alertness is not forgetting the teaching received from scriptures regarding
आत्म, the truth of the entire universe. The truth which is everywhere in the form
of consciousness principle in living beings and the existence principle in the case
of all non-living or inert beings. He should never lose sight of this आत्म. When a
person handles different ornaments, he or she is aware that whatever be the type of
ornament, it is essentially nothing but gold. Through all transactions, never forget
that in and through the variable ornaments the non-variable and precious gold is
there. Just as a person doesn’t forget the non-dual essence in and through
pluralistic ornaments, a वेदािन्तक student also should not forget the non-dual
essence in the changing, variable, pluralistic world. नाम changes, रू changes, कमर
changes. कमर means function. All of them change but the truth, आत्म is always the
same. Without forgettingthe truth आत्म, a �ानी handles all the varieties of
अनात्म:. He makes sure that he never develops either राग or द्वे towards any
नामरू. If I develop रागद्वे towards any changing object it will create problem.
No doubt some of them may give me joy but the very same thing will give me
sorrow also later. ये �ह संस्पशर् भोगा दःु खयोनय एव ते| Every asset becomes a
liability. Every liability becomes an asset also. This is the nature of the world.
Without getting trapped in रागद्वे let him move about remembering the
changeless truth. Though he remembers this, he shares this knowledge only with
those people who are deeply interested in this knowledge and who have value for
this knowledge. Generally, in society, most people do not have time or value for

this because they are busy engaged in all types of worldly pursuits. How does a
�ानी move among such people? He follows, ‘Be a Roman while in Rome.’ Amidst
ignorant people �ानी also acts in the same way. LKA concluded saying म�ु न:
जडवित्वचरेत. जडवत् means अ�ा�नवत्. They will talk about worldly topics,
politics, investment and the like. One may not like that topic but you have talk only
about that. जडवत् – अ�ा�नवत् म�ु न:�वचरेत्.
With this verse LKA concludes answering उद्ध’s question regarding a �ानी’s
behaviour. This is very similar to the िस्थ प् portion of the 2nd chapter, परभक्
portion of the 12th chapter and गुणातीतportion of the 14th chapter of the BGA. In
the following verses LKA gives instructions to those who want to become such a
�ानी.
शब्दब्रह्म�ण�नष्णातोन�नष्णायात्
श्रमस्तस्यश्रमफलोह्यधेनु�११.१८॥
This precious knowledge is available only in our scriptures. All the worldly books
dealing with material sciences will never talk about �च� शद ु ्�,श्र मनन
�न�दध्यासन and �ानं�नष्ठ. We have to rely upon Vedic scriptures and allied श्रु
स्मृ� परु ाण इ�तहास toguide us to reach our spiritual destination. The best thing is
to be exposed to scriptural literature as early as possible. Even to initiate a child
into alphabets they use the word अ�राभ्या. In Sanskrit अ�रम ् has two meanings.
One is alphabetic letters and the second is अ�रम्ब्रह्म. अ�रम ् means the
ultimate reality, ब्रह्, God. With अ�राभ्या the child is introduced to letters and
also scriptures and God. On the day of अ�राभ्या, in an auspicious time, the child
is seated on the lap and made to write ॐ श् महा गणपतये नम:, ॐ श्
महासरस्वत्यत नम: and ॐ श् गु�रभ्य नम: on a plate full of rice using a gold
ornament like a ring. Thus, start with गणप�त, thenसरस्व�तद ेव who stands for
both अपरा �वद्यand परा �वद्य,material sciences and spiritual science. Then the
गर
ु who has to take the child through the studies. These three sentences are written
by the child even before the child knows what is life. In the traditional गुरुकुल they
taught material sciences and scriptures. Initially they taught the chanting of the
scriptures. �वष्णुसहस्र गुर स्तोत सरस्वत स्तोत ॐ नम:�शवाय नारायणाय
अच्युता अनन्ता गो�वन्दा. वेदअध्ययन, learning to read the scriptures also took
place. Thereafter, learn to read it regularly which is called प्रवच and पारायण.ं ऋतं
च स्वाध्य प्रवच च सत्य च स्वाध्य प्रवच च.Every day you should read some
scriptures. If you know the वेदs, wonderful. If you don’t know anything, आ�दत्
हृद or �वष्ण सहस्रन or ल�लता सहस्रना म. This is called अध्ययन where we get
the words but not the meaning. At that age our brain is not developed to understand
the meaning. When your read �वष्ण सहस्रन-अ�वकारायशद ु ्धाय�नत्य परमात्मन
सतैकरूपरूप �वष्णव प्रभ�वष् or सवर्िजष्ण. Description of �वष्ण is as �नत्य
शद
ु ्ध �न�वर्कार ब्र. At the age of eight or nine what will we understand? You need
not understand. Chant these श्लोक: regularly for 5-10-15 minutes. This is
शब्दग्र meaning, grasping the words without knowing the meaning in the hope
that we will graduate to अथर्ग्र, learn the meaning of the scriptures also.
अथर्ग्र is key because शब्दग्र will not liberate me. If you are hungry, just
writing शब् ‘food, food’ will not remove hunger. The word ‘food’ will not relieve
your hunger. Similarly, the word will not liberate but the पदअथर will liberate. TF,
we should get शास्त्र first, then, शास्त्रशब्. Unfortunately, in Hinduism
many people chant many things and learn by heart also including वेदमन्त: रुद
चमकं etc. but nobody wants to learn the meaning. LKA strongly criticizes people
who are religious and read so many scriptures but do not come to the meaning of
those words. Ultimate meaning of those words is nothing but the liberating ब्रह्.
वेदै श् सव�:अहमेव वेद्:. All the scriptures ultimately reveal that भगवान ् who gives
us liberation. The world cannot give me liberation, it will only keep me in
bondage. भगवान ् alone can liberate me. That भगवान ् is revealed in the scriptures.
Learn to read the scriptures first. Then learn the meaning of the scriptures.
Meaning is called अथर्ब्. The words are called शब्दब्. Scriptures have a

special meaning. There is a श्लो - शब्दब्रह्मशब्दब चराचरम�य ज्यो�तमर्
वाङ्ग्म.
LKA says, शब्दब्रह्म�ण�नष:. All those who are experts in chanting रामायणं
भागवतंनारायणीयं�वष्ण सहस्रन. Groups assemble in one place every week and
chant �वष्णुसहस्रन. Of course, नैवेद्य and प्रसाद is important. Consume that,
then chit chat and come back. Nobody wants to study the meaning. Theyare
completely satisfied with this पारायणं and प्रसाद. Of course, they do some service
activities also like education, weddings, upanayanam and many other good कमsर
but they never think of learning the meaning of what they are so mechanically
chanting. LKA is criticizing such people. Of course, they are better than those
people who don’t even chant but LKA says, don’t stop with that.
शब्दब्रह्म�ण�नष: those people who are experts in the reading of scriptures.
�नष्णात: experts. न ् �नष्णाय परेय�त - if they don’t study the meaning and know
the परं , the truth of all the scriptures, the one अद्वै ब्रह्. Truth is अद्वैत. If they
do not come to that अद्वै ब्रह्-श्रमस्तस्यश: अधेन�ु मवर�त. तस् श्: all
the efforts that he puts for the regular reading is a waste because it doesn’t liberate
that person. श्रम: is only exhaustion of my vocal chords. श्रमफ: अधेनंु इव
र�त: -like carefully maintaining a dry cow which cannot give even a drop of milk.
What is the benefit of maintaining such a cow? The message is not to give up
chanting. The message is to continue the chanting and spend some time in learning
the meaning also. अधेनंु इव. धेन-ु milk cow, अधेन:ु - a that is of no use at all. र�त:
is the person who maintains that cow. र�त: present active participle शत ृ प्रत्याय
रूप तकारान्:पिु ल्लङ: र�त् शब्: षिष् एक वचनं र�त:.पर ु ुषस -the person who is
protecting that cow doesn’t get any direct benefit. Continuing,
गांदगु ्धदोहामसतींचभाया�द ेहंपराधीनमसत्प्रज

�व�ंत्वतीथ�कृतमङ्गवाचंह�नांमयार��तदुःखदुःख११.१९॥
What LKA wants to say is, maintaining or repeating empty words without
knowing the meaning is absolutely useless. Learn the scriptures. Chant the

scriptures. Don’t make it empty words. Those words will become meaningful
words only when we study the meaning. If we don’t learn the meaning, they will
become empty words. If we know the meaning, they will become fruitful. Even
now some people want to learn the वेद because they feel they should know their
roots. May retired people get into amateur वेदाध्ययन after retirement. When such
people learn वेद they learn to chant तै�तर�य in which ब्रह्मानन्द is taught.
They regularly chant सत्यम्�ानंअनन्तं. What is the meaning? ‘I don’t know.’
Learn to chant but learn the meaning also. LKA wants to highlight that chanting
without meaning is useless by giving us another five examples.
Association with the following six items is of no use at all. The associating may be
because of my own choice or due to my प्रार. प्रार-based choiceless association
or परु ुषाथ-based association by choice. Whatever be the cause, association with
these six is of no use.
1. Empty words as mentioned in the previous श्लो. He repeats that in this
श्लो also. वाचंमया ह�ना in the 3rd and 4th lines. वाचं - words not associated
with its meaning. It means भगवान्या ह�ना - without the meaning, namely
भगवान ्. भगवान ्-less empty words. This is the 6th one.
2. गांदगु ्धदोह mentioned in the previous श्लो as अधेन.ु दगु ्धदोहागा. गा – cow,
दगु ्धदोह - which has been completely milked dry or a barren cow. You may
maintain it but you won’t get even a drop of milk.
3. असतींच भाया� -a wife or husband if he or she is असती- characterless and
behaviour-less spouse. You may continue because of your प्रार but such a
married life is not productive life because you cannot use that life for
meaningful pursuit. Married life is for two पर
ु ुषाथा:,धमर and मो�. For अथर
and काम, one doesn’t require marriage, only money but for धमर and मो� one
requires a family life because all the पञ्चमह य�ा: can be conducted only
by a couple. Many ladies misunderstand that all Vedic instructions are for
men only. It is not true. All the instructions are meant for neither men nor
women but only for the couple. A ब्रह्मचार�वान and सन्न्या cannot do
most of the rituals. If the spouse is not cooperative, that spouse is called

असती. असन ् in masculine gender. If I want to pursue धमर and मो�, I should
choose a spouse who has श्रद in scriptures otherwise married life will not
be spiritually productive.
4. दे हंपराधीनं. देहं – body, पराधीन-ं which is used to spend all the time in
worldly activities as commanded by other people. In Vedic society we have
to earn money but your lifestyle should be such that earning and personal
pursuit of spirituality are both given importance. We have to find time for
the pursuit of �ानं. देहंपराधी- the body which is dedicated only for family
duty, office duty. According to sastra we have a duty to ourselves. In VC,
Shankaracharya says one’s मो� is
मस्तकन्यस्तभारादेदुर्ःखमन्यै�नर् ।
�ुधा�दकृतदःु खं तु �वना स्वे न के न�चत् ॥ ५४ ॥
Suppose a father or mother is carrying a heavy load then their children can
help the parents by carrying it. Proxy is possible. Suppose father is hungry
and doesn’t have the energy to go to the dining room, can the son say, “I will
eat on your behalf?” I alone can work for my liberation. So, LKA says do
your duty to all the others but remember, you have a duty to yourself.
Initially you might not have too much time due to family duties. You should
still find some time for your own पजू ा जप ध्यान study etc. Gradually expand
the time spent on your path. This is a very important instruction given by
LKA. Family life should help in spiritual growth and not become an
obstacle to spiritual growth. If family life becomes an obstacle - न कमर्ण न
प्रज धनेन त्याग नैके , leave it, he says. Don’t give up now. Family life
should promote �च� शद
ु ्� and should never get in the way of our pursuit of
our real goal of �च� शद ु ्�धश्रवणं� and मो�. TF a body which doesn’t have
time for spiritual pursuit is also useless.
5. असत्प्रज- children who do not allow you to pursue your spiritual path are a
burden. Children should help parents in spiritual pursuit. If the children
themselves become an obstacle, they are not healthy children. That is why
they should know the value of spirituality.

6. �व�ंच- Money is a blessing when it is available for पञ्चमहाय. One can do
wonderful service activities at five levels and in the process, purify the mind.
Money which gives me �च� शद ु ्� is a blessing. The money which takes me
away from that and tempts me into materialistic pleasures, partying, drinking
and wrong associations becomes an obstacle to मो�. Itdoesn’t mean you
should not have riches. Earn plenty and use it wisely. Let your wealth be
sanctified wealth. Sanctify it by sharing with the needy just like offering
food to भगवान ् as नैवेद्य. The leftover food becomes sacred प्रस. Money
also becomes a प्रस when part of the money is first used for noble
purposes. LKA uses a special word तीथ�कृतम ्-sanctified as य�प्रस:. In the
third chapter of BGA, LKA said
भञ
ु ्जत ते त्वघ पापा ये पचन्त्यात्मकारण ॥ १३ ॥
Those who cook the food and totally enjoy themselves without giving to
others are not eating food, they are eating पापं. LKA extends the same rule
to money also. Whatever you earn, a part must be given to others. �व�ंतु
अती�थर्कृत- unsanctified wealth, that which has not been shared.
So, in this shloka LKA lists गां-cow, भायार – spouse, देहं -the body, children and
money. The 6th item, meaningless words, even scriptural words which I don’t
understand the meaning of are a kind of भारं. मया ह�नंवाचं is the 6th one. Whoever
is maintaining these six items, either by choice or because of प्रार is स: दख
ु द:ु खी-
goes from sorrow to sorrow; संसार to more संसार. That is why in our culture,
marriage was to promote religious and spiritual life, सह धमर्चा�रण संयोग:. You
want a partner as a co-traveller in your religious and spiritual journey. If the
partner doesn’t have such values then, never get married to such a person.
Continuing,
यस्यांनमेपावनमङ्गकमर्िस्थत्युद्भवप्राण�
ल�लावतारे िप्सतजन्मवास्याद्वन्ध्यां�गरंतां�बभृयान११.२०॥

Every Hindu should know that he should learn to chant from scriptures. Even if
one cannot learn वेद other scriptures are there which we can learn like, आ�दत्
हृदयंकमल द�यताष्टक गुर स्तोत द��णाम�ू तर स्तोत. Learn at least a few of these
and their meanings because they talk about the glory of ईश्व and will remind you
over and over again that the world and worldly people can never give you
permanent peace, security and happiness. A very disturbing message. It is a bitter
truth.
भजगो�वन्द भजगो�वन्द गो�वन्द भज मढ

ू मते|
सम्प्रा सिन्न�हत काले न�ह न�ह र��त डुकृञ्करण |
Your name, money, possession, position, relations cannot give permanent peace,
security and happiness as they themselves are impermanent. Live in the world but
don’t lean on the world. The only source of permanent peace, security
andhappiness is भगवान ् alone. Gradually learn to lean on God for your emotional
needs. Use the family for serving and �च� शद
ु ्�, take care of them but use them
for your own �च� शद
ु ्�, not for emotional leaning. The moment you lean on them
for support, that family becomes a महा संसार. TF, LKA says here that scriptures
talk about that भगवान ् who is �श्रि िस्थ� लय कारण.ं

Page 90, Chapter 6 verse 20
यस्यांनमेपावनमङ्गकमर्िस्थत्युद्भवप्राण�
ल�लावतारे िप्सतजन्मवास्याद्वन्ध्यां�गरंतां�बभृयान११.२०॥
Here LKA gives beautiful instructions to all people regarding the purification of
the organ of speech, वा�किन्द्, which is very powerful and is a unique ability of
human beings. When the physical body goes out it is in contact with all kinds of
dust etc. and becomes impure, we purify it by taking a bath. Similarly, our organ of
speech also gets polluted because of wrong utterances of all kinds of rubbish
words, abusive language, criticising language, language of hatred, language of
swearing. The organ of speech is polluted with such association with bad words,
indecent words, swearing words etc. We never notice that other people are
struggling because of our rude, prickly, stinging words. How to purify the organ of
speech? You cannot put water and soap and clean your mouth nor can youadd
perfumes. The only way of purifying, sanctifying the organ of speech is to utter the
sacred words of the scriptures. That is why we are supposed to ब्र य� every day.
ब्र य� means वेद य�: so that the words of scriptures should come in contact
with my mouth or tongue. These scriptural words will wash off all the pollution by
all types of words we use. Why are the scriptural words purifying ones? Because
they are talking about the ultimate purifying agent-प�वत्राण प�वत्रं मनगलानांच
मङ्गल दै वतं देवतानांच भता
ू नां योग्य �पता. They are all very important पारायणं and
श्लो of every Hindu. �वष्णुसहश्र is considered one of the most sacred prayers.
The introductory verses say, भगवान ् is the most auspicious thing in the world and
the words which talk about भगवान ् become the purifiers of our speech. We may
not be able to chant the scriptures all the time in our life because we have to do our
duties, talk to people, we might have to use hot words. Avoid polluting words as
much as you can. If you cannot avoid, wash your mouth with श्रीर राम रामे�त रमे
रामे मनोरम.े In the olden days, after every transaction, Brahmins used to do
आचमनं for purification. After every transaction, practice saying कृष् कृष् राम
राम to purify the tongue. LKA says, a person whose life doesn’t involve the

utterance of the scriptural श्लोs or भगवन्ना is carrying an organ of speech
which is utterly useless. There is no difference between an animal and such a
human being. He should have some scriptural पारायण.ं If you do long पारायण,ं at
least chant a few नाम-अच्युता नम: अनन्ता नम: गो�वन्दा नम: गोपालाय नम:.
यस्या -that organ of speech which is not associated with the scriptures regularly at
least for a few minutes. What type of scriptures talk about भगवान ्? In वेद पवर
ू भाग:,
सगुण भगवान ्is talked about; in वेद अन् भाग, �नगुर् भगवान ् is talked about. वेदै श्
सव�: अहमेव वेद्:. All the scriptures are talking about ईश्व only. ईश्व who is
�श्रि िस्थ� लय कतार.यस्या - in the organ of speech, पावनं कम-र the sacred actions
of भगवान ्, the holy acts of भगवान ् consisting of �श्रि िस्थ� उद्भ:. िस्थ� –
sustenance, उद्भ: - origination, �श्रि,प्राण�नरो means प्र or destruction.
�नरोधंअस्. अस् - of this entire universe. Such a भगवान ्’s glory is talked about in
the scriptures. If we cannot chant the entire �वष्ण सहश्रन, you can chant the
condensed form- श् राम राम रामे�त रमे रामे मनोरमे सहश्रन तस्तुल्. One श्लो is
equal to सहश्रन. That doesn’t meantomorrow onwards I will stop �वष्ण
सहश्रन. Only when you don’t have time, at least chant that. �नरोधं अस्.
This ईश्व who is the �श्रि िस्थ� लय कारणं existed before the origination of the
universe, before the origination of even time and space. That ईश्व doesn’t have
any form since ईश्व is defined as ब्रह्+ माया. ब्रह् is formless, माया is also
formless and so, ब्रह्मन् mixture is also formless. TF, the original ईश्व, the
जगत्कारण, doesn’t haveany form. A person may say that he is unable to visualise a
formless भगवान ्. For them, LKA advises to come to that भगवान ् who has taken
manifold अवतारं , where भगवान ् is मङ्ग रूप, a beautiful form of राम कृष्न�ृ सहं
etc. If you cannot visualise formless God you can come down to the form of
अवतारईश्व. Read scriptures like हालस् परु ाणं, �शव महापरु ाणं where �शवस्
अवतारम ् are talked about, भगवत्पुराण which talks about �वष्ण अवतार. Many

families have the practice of भागवत पारायण,ं if not the whole भागवतं at least a few
portions. Or they will read सन्द
ु काण्.ड These age-old practices of the Hindus are
now vanishing because in the morning you get up with your cell phones. लोक
ल�लावतार ईिप्स जन् वा स्यात. You can read of the ल�लअवतार, various
incarnations of भगवान ्. जन् means अवतारं which is ईिप्सत - liked by all people
because भगवान ्’s form is described as the most attractive form. Choose any form
you like as a representative of the formless जगत्कारण. If you don’t do that, if you
don’t use the organ of speech for this पारायणं exercise, your organ of speech is
utterly useless. वन्ध्यां�ग. वन्द्- spiritually unproductive, literally वन्ध् means
barren. वन्ध्यां�ग spiritually unproductive organ of speech. धीर:तां न ्
�बभया
ृ ित्ववेक- a spiritually wise person should never do that. He has to learn to
read the scriptures, then learn the meanings. Reading purifies the speech; learning
the meaning purifies the mind. First verbal purification, then, mental purification.
When you learn the meaning of scriptures you get rid of the ignorance of भगवान ्,
ignorance of yourself also. The greatest or the worst impurity is ईश्वअ�ानaं nd
आत् अ�ानं. This अ�ानं has led to various misconceptions regarding God and
myself. Ignorance and misconceptions are the worst mental impurities so when you
study the meaning of the scriptures, अ�ानं and अध्याimpurities will go away.
Very beautiful श्लो and a rare topic. We have not learnt how to purify the organ
of speech in BGA. There वाक् तपस ् was talked about. Here वाक् purification is
talked about. Continuing,
एवंिज�ासयापोह्यनानात्वभ्रममात
उपारमेत�वरजंमनोमय्यप्यर्सवर११.२१॥
First, do ब्रह्म, familiarize yourself with our scriptures and teaching initially
through chanting and later learn the meanings. We can never study all the
scriptures. अनन् शास्त बहु वे�ततव्य अल्पश काल: भगवश् �वघ्न:य:सार भतं ू
तदपा
ु �स तव्य म हंसो यथा �ीर�ममाम्ब �मश्. शास्त is अनन्त but we have limited time

and within that limited time, we have so many obstacles. य:सार भतं
ू तदपा
ु �स तव्य म
-if not all, at least may you learn the सार:. That is how BGA is considered the
essence of all the scriptures. Every Hindu must learn the meaning of at least the
BGA. In BGM Shankaracharya says भगवित्गत �किन्चतपीत if you cannot study
18 chapters at least study 9; if not 9, study 6, if not 6, study 3 or 2 or at least one or
half a chapter. Or only one श्लो or even half श्लो. All this is said in गीता
माहात्म्. Read and understand a solid श्लो like मन्मन भवमद्भक् मद्वाि मां
नमस्कु.Youlearn the meaning of at least one. Learning the meaning is called
िज�ासाअथातो धमर िज�ासा.अथातो ब्र िज�ासा. िज�ासा means enquiry, �वचार:.
एवंिज�ासया- in this manner may you enquire into at least one BGA or UGA. It
will lead to removal of all plurality which is nothing but names and forms. You
will arrive at the one non-dual reality, which is behind all the plurality. The
pluralistic universe is काय�,भगवान ्, the reality, is कारण.ं काय� will not give PSH,
कारणं alone can give PSH. Do you remember the four features of काय� and the four
features of कारणं?
काय� means the universe which is a product born out of ईश्व. The universe has
four features- अनेकअसारअ�नत्यअसत्. It is pluralistic. It is hollow, असारं means
empty. It is अ�नत्य, fleeting, impermanent. असत्य- it doesn’t have its own reality.
It appears real by borrowing reality from the कारण.ं So, this अ�नत्यप्रwill
never give you PSH. TF, use the universe for knowing the कारण,ं not for leaning
on the world. Never emotionally lean on anyone because everyone is अ�नत्य. You
need not reject the world; use the world as a साधन स्थल, a place for practicing
spiritual sadhana. Through the plurality come to know the non-dual भगवान.
What are the four features of भगवान ्? एक सार �नत्य सत्य. It is non-dual. It is the
essence. It is eternal. It is the only real one. Discover God and hold on to God for
PSH, then move about in the world. Those who travel by bus will know what this
means. When you enter a crowded bus you immediately look for a hold, either
above you or by the side. You make sure you have a grip before the crowded bus
begins it shaking, jarring journey to your destination. The roads are full of pits,
mountains, speed-breakers. The driver drives rashly, swerving here and there but
once your hold is secure, you have no fear. Let the bus go anywhere, anyhow. You
are secure because you have a hold. Our entire life is like travelling standing in a
Chennai bus. It will take you violently and प्रारis unpredictable. An intelligent
Hindu isone who first holds on to एक सार �नत् सत्य भगवान ्. Until I know his true
nature, I hold on to him in the form of Rama, Krishna. The advantage is यद्यद्भव
भवतु भगवन ् पवर
ू कमार्नुरू. ‘O Lord, I don’t care because I have you as my
support.’ नानात् भ्.The भ् -the misconception that there is plurality which is
nothing but नाम and रू, in the आत्म- the reality, the परात्म अपोह्. May you
understand the world is not there. It is nothing but नाम and रू. Many ornaments
are nothing but नामरू. Behind the pluralisticornaments, the only truth is कारण,ं
gold. कारणं is भगवान ्. आत्म�नानात् भ्. The भ्र is expectation of security from
worldly objects and people. That is called delusion. Leaning on the world is
delusion. Leaning on God is discretion. Dropping the delusion, take to the
discretion. What is the discretion? �वरजंमन: means now the mind is cleared of all
misconceptions like depending on the world for PSH. Dropping this
misconception, �वरजं. रजं means impurity or non-clarity, मन: the clear mind, म�य
सवर्ग अप्य- may you fix it upon me the जगत्कारईश्व:. म�य कारण भते
ू एक सार
�नत् सत् रूप भगव�त सवर्ग. Where is the कारण?ं Ornaments are located in various
places but gold is not located in one place. Gold is in and through all the
ornaments. भगवान ् being the कारणं is not located in वैकुण्ठकैला or Amarnath or
Kanchipuram. भगवान ् is non-local, सवर्ग: inherent in the universe. In that भगवान ्,
�वरजंमन:मय्यप्. May you fix the mind on that भगवान ् as your only support.
अनन्यािश्चन्तय मां ये जनाः पयुर्पासत ।तेषां �नत्या�भयुक्तानांयोग�े वहाम्यह म ॥
२२ ॥भगवान ् promises, ‘I will take care.’ Once you surrender your mind to the
Lord, कारणंउपारमेत is the instantaneous benefit you experience. LKA’s promise is
instantaneous benefit, उपारमेत. Mind becomes relaxed and relieved. All the worry
about the future will be relieved. May you relax holding on to कारणईश्व.
Continuing,

यद्यनीशोधार�यतुंमनोब्रह्म�ण�नश्
म�यसवार्�णकमार्�ण�नरपे�ःसमाच११.२२॥
LKA says if you are not able to mentally dwell on भगवान ् as इष् देवता ईश्व, then
I will come down and give you the next exercise. Fixing the mind on भगवान ् and
sitting for some time require an unpreoccupied, relatively calm mind. People are so
restless, extroverted, action-oriented and workaholics that they cannot even sit for
a short time. LKA says, if you cannot practice that, may you commit yourself to
कमर्यो in which you are active and convert every activity into ईश्वरआराधन.
यद्यद्क करो�म तद्ध�ख शम्भ तवाराधनम ्.

म�य सवार्� कमार्� संन्यस्याध्यात्मच ।
�नराशी�नर्मर् भत्व
ू यध्यस
ु �वगतज्वर ॥ ३० ॥
even fighting a war can be converted into ईश्वरआराधन म. He says, य�द अनीश: -if
youare not capable of sitting for a few minutes and thinking of the Lord,
मन:ब्रह्. ब्रह् means सगुणईश्व or �नगुर्ईश्व. मन: �नश्चल धार�यतंु – if
you are unable to hold the mind on the Lord without distractions for a few minutes.
धारणं means holding or focusing the mind one either एकरूपईश्,�वश् रूपईश् or
�नगुर् ब्र रूपईश्. If you cannot fix on any one of them then, म�य सवार्�
कमार्� समाचरा- may you do all your actions, religious and worldly activities for
my sake. In our culture, even regular bath is considered an अ�भषेकं to the Lord
who is inside. भगवान ् is in our own very heart. देहो देवालय प्रोक: जीवी देव
सनातन:. when I am doing स्नान, I am asked to utter the नाम of the Lord. Govinda
Krishna Rama so स्नान will become ईश्वरअ�भषेक . Food becomes नैवेद्य offered
to ईश्व, अहं वैस्श्वाना भत्व
ू . When you remember the Lord or utter the नाम of the
Lord when you eat food, it becomes an offering to the Lord who is inside the
stomach. Thus, convert every कमर into an offering so that not only will the कमर be
done with devotion, there will be excellence in whatever कमर I do. Not only that, I

will not worry about the consequences also because once कमर is ईश्वरअपर्ण, then
the consequences also will become ईश्वरप्र:. Say to the Lord, “I have offered to
you my कमर, whatever result you give, I will accept as प्रस.’ This will cause the
mind to be समत्व योग उच्यत. सवार्� कमार्� म�य. Sanskrit students, म�य is in the
7th case. It should be translated as �न�म�सप्तम. So many 7th case varieties are
there in Sanskrit grammar - अ�धकरण सप्तम �वषय सप्तम �न�म�सप्तम. Here it
is �न�म�सप्तम which should be translated as चतुथ�, 4thcase, meaning मदथ�. May
you do every कमर for my sake, meaning, ईश्वरआराधन sake. In the third chapter of
the BGA LKA says य�ाथार्त्कमर्णोऽ लोकोऽयं कमर्बन्धन Any action which is
not meant for ईश्वरआराधम ् will cause bondage. TF, सवार्� कमार्� समाचर
�नरपे�.�नरपे�: means without being obsessed with the result. Results are always
unpredictable. We can only do the कमर to the best of our capacity but the result is
not in our hands. �नरपे�: means stop worrying about the consequence. समाचर -
focus on the कमर, not on the कम्
र फल. Typical कमर्यो is advised by भगवान ्.
Continuing,
श्रद्धालुमर्त्कथाःशृण्वन्सुभद्राल
गायन्ननुस्मरन्कमर्जन्मचा�भनयन्११.२३॥
मदथ�धमर्कामाथार्नाचरन्मदपाश
लभते�नश्चलांभिक्तंमय्युद्धवसना११.२४॥
Here, LKA is presenting a unique feature of Hinduism which many other religions
do not understand and hence are highly critical. We have seen this in the BGA
also. Hinduism is very much clear that भगवान ् is एक:, we don’t have many Gods.
Many people think Hinduism has many Gods and not only many Gods, they fight
amongst each other. If not the Gods the bhaktas fight. Hinduism is clear. God is
one. ईश्व is कारणं. कारणं is एकं . आत्म वा इदं एकएव अग आसीत्. सदेव सोम् इदं
अग आसीत्. It makes it very clear. ईश्व:कारण.ं ईश्व: is एक:. ईश्व being the
कारणं is all-pervading. The all-pervading ईश्व cannot have a particular form

because to have a particular form is to be limited. Any form limits an object
whether it is round, rectangular, animal form, human form. भगवान ् is one. भगवान ्
is all-pervading. भगवान ् is formless. Hold on to that भगवान ् because that भगवान ्
alone is permanent PSH. That कारणंभगवान ् is एक:अरु: and अनन्: but many
gross intellects will find it very difficult to conceive of something which is
formless and attribute-less. अशब्द अस्पश�अरू अरसं अगन्hध ow can you conceive
of or bond with a भगवान ् who doesn’t have form or colour or any attributes. A
gross mind, a novice mind will find it difficult to conceive. TF, our scriptures
decided to temporarily compromise and come down for your sake, until you are
ready to admire and appreciate that कारणंब्र. Temporarily, we will attribute a
finite form but that finite form is not God but a representation of God. This is
called आलम्बन,प्रतआलम्बन, प्र�तमाआलम्. A finite form is not God. A finite
form represents the formless God. Once the scriptures decide to attribute the form,
scriptures feel, ‘why confine to one form? We can have varieties so that devotees
also have a wide choice.’ Hinduism is a mall of Gods. For representation we have
many अवतारा: and so many other forms. A beginner has to start with finite God
but don’t confine to finite God. In due course you should transcend. Start with
इष्टद ेवताभिक:, admiration of इष्टद ेवत. Then, let that admiration turn into the
admiration of कारणईश्व: who has no one form but who can assume all the forms.
Gold has what form? All ornamental forms are gold’s form. If you melt gold it
doesn’t have a particular form. It is formless and multi-formed also. Similarly,
भगवान ् is both formless and multi-form. Until you admire and appreciate, may you
hold on to one इष्टद ेवत�न�वर्शेष पदं ब्र सा�ात् कत,ु� अनीश्वर:ये मन्धात्केनुकंजन
स�वशष े �नरुपण:. This is for the मन् ब�ध ु - gross minded who cannot admire the
formless reality. Other religions destroyed murtis in Hindu temples because they
are fanatically against idols. They criticize Hinduism without understanding this
vision and expanse. So, start with इष्टद ेवताभिक: but don’t end with that. Come to
the ultimate God. This is one very important feature. We don’t have many Gods
but we have many forms representing one, formless God.
Second feature of Hinduism is to develop admiration and devotion to इष्टद ेवत.

We have many puranic stories where each देवता like Rama, or Krishna or Devi

comes alive through several stories. We don’t bother whethertheyare fact or
fiction. That is not our field of analysis. Our aim is to bring alive the form of our
इष्देवता. After sometime that God who is only a mythological character becomes
more real than people around you. Like Tin-Tin. I am an admirer of Tin-Tin. As
you go on reading a story, the character becomes alive. There was a request to not
kill Harry potter. Fans they don’t want him to die in that story. Just as a fictitious
character becomes more real, इष्टद ेवत Rama, Krishna, Devi all become real and it
becomes easier for the भक्त to bond with भगवान ् to such an extent that even the
name of भगवान ् brings tears to their eyes. �पभरे राम रसं. Those भक्त: evenas they
utter the नाम, they remember the Lord. The Lord is so real to them, they
instantaneously bond and shed tears. Many परु ा�नक् कथाकारा: उपन्यासक: like
Anantarama Dikshitar describe and bring Rama and Krishna alive. It is an
emotional devotion. LKA says, doesn’t matter, start with at least this emotional
devotion. Thereafter, may you graduate to वेदािन्तक त�वम�स reality.

Page 91 verse 23-
श्रद्धालुमर्त्कथाःशृण्वन्सुभद्राल
गायन्ननुस्मरन्कमर्जन्मचा�भनयन्११.२३॥
मदथ�धमर्कामाथार्नाचरन्मदपाश
लभते�नश्चलांभिक्तंमय्युद्धवसना११.२४॥
LKA says the ultimate aim of the spiritual seeker is gaining the knowledge of the
ultimate reality, the non-dual ब्रह् because this knowledge alone can give
liberation. There is no choice w.r.t this साधन but not everybody is fit to pursue that
in the beginning. It requires a refined and sharp mind to understand an abstract
principle called ब्रह् which doesn’t have form or attributes. That is why LKA
said in the 12th chapter of the BGA-
क्लेशोऽ�धकतरस्तेषामव्यक्तासक्तचे ।
अव्यक् �ह ग�तदर्ःख
ु दे हवद्�भरवाप्य ॥ ५ ॥
The pursuit of �ानयोग involves a lot of क्ले: or difficulty. If a person already

has a fit mind because of पवर्जन
ू preparation, then he can straightway take to it.
Most people are not ready for it so for them, scriptures recommend practicing
कमर्यो and उपासनयोगwith devotion to God. The appreciation of the Lord also is
gradually refined according to our mental capacity. In the initial stages, God is
personified in the scriptures though God is infinite, all-pervading and formless.
Mind cannot grasp a formless भगवान ्. Scriptures attribute various personified
versions, अवतारs and various descriptions found in परु ाण. It is called एकरूपईश्:
-भगवान ् with a particular, beautiful form. A भक्त describes the form of Lord
LKA राम देवी �शव पादा�द के शा�द पादान्त स्तोत, they describe every limb of
भगवान ् so that we are attracted to that form. Puranic stories contain many exploits.
When we listen to those stories our appreciation of the Lord, admiration of the

Lord and reverence for the Lord will increase. Choose any personified version as
इष्देवता for doing पज
ू ा. इष्टद ेवत is very useful for taking up मन्तजप also. गुर
will always ask which deity you like and if I like LKA, ॐ नमो भगवते वासद
ु ेवाय,
ॐ नमो नारायणाय will be given. इष्टद ेवत will help in पज
ू ानामजप
ध्यान,meditation. शान्ताकार भज
ु गशयनं etc. For each deity there is a relevant
ध्यानश्ल. For a beginner, these exercises will be attractive and entertaining and
ideal to start with.
Remember, we can start with एकरूपईश् but we should never end with that.
Gradually we should refine and appreciate that भगवान ् is not endowed with one
form. भगवान ् is endowed with all forms, �वश् रू ईश्व because the universe is the
first अवतार of the Lord, which began with the beginning of the creation. This
universe as भगवत:अवतार will be available until प्रल. Once you appreciate
�वश्वर ईश्व you need not stand in a queue and wait for hours for दशर्न म. �वश्वर
ईश्व, open your eyes भू पादौ यस् न�ब�वर्य सरु �नल चन् सय ू � च नेत्. Appreciation
of the universe, admiration of the universe, reverence towards the universe as the
very body of the Lord is the next level of अनेक रू भिक् but Veda says, even that
is not the ultimate because both are subject to change and subject to arrival and
departure. �वश्वर ईश्व has a beginning-�श्रि and end in प्रल. TF, you have to
go beyond the changing, timebound ईश्व to the changeless, transcendental ईश्व
called ब्रह् which is beyond time. ब्रह् alone can give me security because
whatever is within time will be attacked by time. That is why YDR is also called is
काल:, time principle. Whatever falls within time is insecure by itself and cannot
give me security. We require कालकाल: कालस्या�काल: and that can be only that
God who is beyond time and space. That ब्रह् तत्व we have to come to, if not
now, at least later. एकरूपईश् to अनेक रूपईश् to अरूपईश्: is our journey.
LKA says, no hurry. Start with एक रू ईश्व. Interesting, entertaining. So many
stories of LKA are available in the दशम स्कन, the biggest portion of भागवतं.
There the stories ofthe Lord are available in the form of भजन ् and स्तोत. If reading

it is dull and boring you can have songs written by त्यागरा मीरा for every exploit.
You can sing. You can introduce dance in �दव्यना संक�तर्न in द�प परद्क�षन and
all that. In नर�संह अवतार one devotee will don the mask of नर�संह andanother
devotee will sit on the lap and they enact the ल�लाof the Lord so you can enjoy for
over seven hours without knowing what is sleep. What I am saying is, it I so
entertaining, so enjoyable and devotional also. In clubs also there are songs of
rock, pop and people jump. They are also spiritual in another way. Though that is
also entertainment, the mind becomes राज�सक् ताम�सक् materialistic and it spoils
our health. Whereas here also we dance, eat प्रसा but everything is centered
around भगवान ् and भगवान्नम.They also talk about �नगुर्ण ब्र in between so it
will make us think, ‘Is this the ultimate or should I go further?’ Unknowingly,
fromएक रू ईश्व we will be shifted to �वश् रू ईश्व; from that we will be lifted
to तुर�यं ब्रह्. The 7th मन्त of माण्डूक का�रका which I talked about in the
morning class had एकरू ईश्व in the evening and अरू ईश्व in the morning.
LKA says श्रद्ध: -with faith in the scriptures that scriptures will take me to the
highest goal. That faith is required. If we study the scriptures with a mentality of
criticism, we will find fault with very character. We will criticize LKA. We will
find enough stories to criticize राम, धमर्पु, everyone. The main aim is to improve
भिक् and learn healthy, positive values from the stories instead of looking for
things to criticize. That is very important. TF, LKA uses the first word श्रद्ध:.
Approach the scriptures with श्रद and भिक् not with DK, DMK attitude. They
criticize all our so-called Gods. We want to cultivate a positive attitude called
श्रद, especially when we read the परु ाणा�न. श्रद्ध;सन ् –with श्रद and भिक्, मे
कथा शणृ ्वन. Those gross-minded people who want to have emotional bonding with
a personified God can take to this more and more. If I feel I am mature and I don’t
require a personified God, I need not go in for that. I can try to appreciate the �वश्
रू ईश्व. In fact, in BGA, एक रू ईश्व description is not there. BGA starts with
�वश्वर ईश्व भिक् and �नगुर् �ानं. Only in उद्धवगीत, we find LKA
introducing personified Gods. कथा शणृ ्वन listen to the stories of the दशम स्कन

सभ
ु द्: -auspicious stories of भगवान ्, लोकपावनीः -which will purify the mind of
the reader, the listener and the meditator. लोकपावनीः –Sanskrit students, adjective
to ईकारान्: स्त्री�: लोकाप�यनी शब्: द्�वते बहु वचनम ्.गायन ्- you sing if you
can or make others sing. अनस
ु ्मरन- remember such stories whenever mind is
disturbed because of family events. A भक्त can easily divert his mind from family
problems. कुचेल never worried about his property. He enjoyed thinking of LKA.
Even after going to LKA, he forgot to ask for money.
The greatest advantage of relating with इष्टद ेवत is it will gradually become a
source of peace and joy. It is a ready made source of peace and joy so all problems
can be overpowered by thinking of the इष्टद ेवत. LKA says अनस ु ्मरन. कमर and
जन्. कमर means extraordinary exploits of various अवतारं. Various miracles that
भगवान ् performed. जन्- is अवतारं, अ�भनयन ् -dramatize these so that it will be
enjoyable. Even now, schools and colleges enact stories from रामायणं during
cultural programs. Natakam or movies are a great way of creating impact.
अ�भनयन ्, dramatizing. मह
ु ु : - as often as possible. You increase and refine the
भिक् towards इष्टद ेवत in the beginning. Initially, the motive is to use भिक् for
worldly benefits. This is the first stage of भिक् where भगवान ् is utilized only for
solving family problems or personal problems or for worldly successes. I told you
Visa Balaji temple for American visa. This is called आथर and अतार्थ भिक्. LKA
says start with that, nothing wrong but never stop there.
Gradually आथभ
र िक् should come down and be replaced by िज�ासभ
ु िक् for
spiritual wisdom and मो�. May you direct all your efforts gradually. Do धमर अथर
कामान ् and pursue धमर पण
ु ् कमार्� for internal purification and worldly wellbeing.
Never do any such act for अहंकार मममकार. अहम ् and मम should be gradually
diluted. Use धमर for मो�. अथर also for more noble कमार्�,पञ् महा य�:. काम: -
may your desires also be noble desire for purification. धम्
र काअथार्न आचरन ् for
मदथ�- for the sake of मो�. मदपाश्- there will be many obstacles for spiritual

साधन so along with our effort we require ईश्व’s grace also. Convert all the पज
ू ाs
for removal of spiritual obstacles. मदपाश्: -depend upon भगवान ् for the removal
of spiritual obstacles. If you practice that gradually, लभते�नश्चलांभिक्- your
devotion will become stronger and stronger which will give you tremendous inner
strength.
What is the indication of inner strength? A भक्त regularly says, ‘O Lord, यद यद

भव्य म भवतु भगवन ् पवर
ू कमार्नुरू.’ Let any type of experience come in my life. I
am not afraid of the future at all because भिक् has given me the inner strength to
face life. भिक् should not make me make me weaker. भिक् should make me
stronger. The indication of strength is we are ready for anything. �नश्चलांभिक-
steady unwaveringभिक् will gradually come. म�य –in भगवान ्; either LKA or
Ram or देवी or any deity. हे उद्ध सनातने - in the eternal God. Continuing,
सत्सङ्गलब्धयाभक्त्याम�यमांसउपा
सवैमेद�शर्तंसद्�भरञ्जसा�वन्दतेप११.२५॥
This भिक् has to be gradually imbibed by various methods. One method is by

exposing to the stories of भगवान ् described in परु ाणा�न. भागवता: give रामायण
उपन्या:भागवत उपन्या:. Throughout India this practice is popular even now.
They are broadcast on TV also. This atmosphere of भिक् will gradually increase
our भिक् also byosmosis. सत्सङ:, by the association with सत्पुरु: who are great
भक्त:. We can see they are not worried about the future at all. They may have lost
their job and have some financial strain or some other issues but a solid भक्त says,
‘भगवान ् is there. I will solve this problem. I will face the problem.’ This inner
strength of a भक्त will generate faith in me. TF move with भक्तs then you will
also develop भिक्. This is called सत्सङ:. If you move with materialistic people
the mind will tend towards materialism. Move with भक्तs of the Lord and we will
also develop भिक् सत्सङ लब्धय सत्सङत्व �नस्सङ्गत �नस्सङ्गत �नम�हत्व

�नम�हत्व �नश्च�लत् �नश्च�लत् जीवन्मुिक:. सत्सङ will increase my attachment
to the Lord which will reduce my worldly attachments. I use worldly relationships
only for serving, not for support. My support is my इष्टद ेवत सत्सङत्व
�नस्सङ्गत �नस्सङ्गत �नम�हत्व. What is मोह, delusion? The delusion is that the
world will support me. People, relationships, positions are all perishable.
Depending on perishable things is delusion. This delusion will gradually come
down and I shift my dependence fromअ�नत्य to �नत्य, �नत्या�नत वस्त �ववेक:.
सत्सङ लब्धय भक्त् म�य मांस उपा�सता- he will become a greater and greater
devotee. He will practice not only कमर्यो but he will introduce उपासनयोग also.
उपासनं means meditation upon इष् देवता ईश्व: and �वश्वर ईश्व with an
intention of bonding more and more with the Lord. Meditation is a bonding
process. म�य भक्त् मां स: उपा�सता. उपा�सता - he will meditate. Sanskrit students,
उपा�सता is a verbal form. उपा+आ धातु परस्मैप� लट
ु future tense प्र पर
ु ु
एकवचनं.He will meditate on भगवान ् more and more and this एक रू भिक् and
�वश्वर ईश्व भिक् will gradually kindle the desire for the ultimate knowledge of
the ultimate nature of God. Desire for Vedantic study will gradually come. That is
िज�ास;ु not of the दशम स्कन,of the एकादश स्कन. That will bring about the
desire for the study UGA.
Then he says, सवैमेसद्�: द�शर्तंपद म- those people who talk about highest nature
of Lord through वेदान् शास्. सद्�: means वेदान्आचायर: will take you to the
highest form of भिक् where in you go from द्वै भिक् to अद्वै भिक्,भेद भिक्
to अभेद भिक्,दासोऽहं भिक् to सोऽहं भिक् gradually. सद्�: -
वेदान्आचाय�:,द�शर्तंपद म- revealed the nature of the Lord which is अरू ईश्व:
which is सिच्चदानन स्वरू.पदम ् means सिच्चदानन स्वर,ू द�शर्त -revealed by
the वेदािन्तक आचायर, अञ्जस �वन्दत -you will be able to understand effortlessly.
Through the first two levels your mind will be prepared for absorbing the ultimate
truth. This is the essence of the teaching that LKA gives here. Based onthis
teaching, उद्ध is going to raise a question.

साधस
ु ्तवो�मश्लोकमतःक�दृिग्वधः
भिक्तस्त्वय्युपयुज्येतक�दृशीसद्�११.२६॥
Inthe previous श्लो, LKA used an expression, सत्सङ:. सत् means सत्पुरु:,
noble people, सङ्: means regular association. We do have worldly friends for
various purposes but we should have a few contacts exclusively for our spiritual
refinement and growth. Theyare called सत्पुरु:. They may be एक रू ईश्व भक्त:
or they might be more evolved to the level of �वश्वर ईश्व भक्त: or they may be
still more evolved and attained आत्म�ान. All the three types of भक्त: are
सत्पुरु: and all of them value मो�ा as the ultimate goal. Theyare भक्त: and
theyare seekers of मो�ा, मम
ु �
ु ु भक्त:. If one is interested in मो�ा, not only are
भिक् and �ानं important, the most important third factor isethical and moral
values. I cannot be bhakta just by going to the temple and then I lead a lifestyle
wherein I violate all the ethical and moral values. Such a one can never be called
भक्त.भिक् and �ानं should go along with ethical and moral values. Start
observing your personal life. What type of life do I lead? Observe your interaction
with people. Watch your character, behavior and gradually refine. It may not
happen overnight but we have to start somewhere. In fact, we all know what is
right and what is wrong. The only thing is we use our intellect to give wonderful
arguments to justify our compromises. Once we justify, there is no way out at all.
So, one should seriously start observing the violations one is doing. Then one
should ask oneself, ‘Are all these violations necessary? Am I cheating myself by
justifying?’ Do I take the easy way out by saying this is क�लयग ु ? Once we start
this, we will find we can avoid many violations with a little bit of effort, a little bit
of pain and a little bit of sacrifice.
First, identify the avoidable ones and start avoiding the avoidable, without
cheating. We can cheat everyone except भगवान ्. Once we are very sincere, we will
find that more and more will become avoidable and we can heavily reduce
adharmic activities and increase dharmic activities. This transformation is a

compulsory stage for a spiritual seeker. Here, उद्ध wants to know who is a
सत्पुर: so that he can move with such people, try to emulate such people.
हे उ�म श्लो.उ�मश्लो is the name of God, the one who is of the highest glory.
श्लो: means म�हमा उ�म, the greatest glory. बहुव्री उ�मश्लो:यस् स:. It is
संबोधन �वभिक् addressing the Lord as हे उ�म श्लो,O Lord, हे प्र.प्र means O
the greatest Lord with infinite power, O omnipotent one. क�दृिग्वतव साधु मता:?
Whois a sadhu, सत्पुर: according to you.? What are the virtues he practices and
sins he avoids? Give me a list of दै वी संप��: and आसरु � संप��:? In BGA 16th
chapter LKA gives a big list. While we may not practise most of the values
perhaps we should start. That is the idea.
TF, क�दक्- what type of person is a सत्पुर, तव मत: -according to you. भिक्:
त्वय क�दृ उपयज्ये
ु -what type of भिक् is more useful for a spiritual seeker?
There are four types of भिक्-आथर अतार्थ िज�ासु �ानीor if you remember the 9th
chapter of the BGA LKA divided भिक् into 2 types- सकामभिक् and
�नष्कामभिक. �नष्कामभिक means a भिक् in which I pray for the well-being of
the entire universe and not for a few people connected to me. सव�भवन्त स�ु खन:.
Every नमस्का should make me say सव�भवन्त स�ु खन: and then they will ask, ‘Can
I say सव� and my grand child? As though the grand child is outside सव�. Our अहंकार
and ममकार are so strong that all our prayers are confined to me, my family, my
property and my profession. We have to gradually grow out of that. माता च पावर्त
देवी �पता देवो महेश्व: बान्धव: �शव भक्ताश स्वद ेश भव
ु न त्र. This prayer should
become more regular and stronger. That is �नष्कामभिक. When I pray for the well
being of the whole world साधन चतषु ्ट संप�� will automatically come. We need
not ask. �ववेक will come, वैराग्य will come, शमा�द षट् संप�� will come.
क�दृशीसद्�भराद - what type of भिक् is recommended by spiritual आचायर? Hey
LKA, may you tell me so that I will change my character. Character

transformation is very important. We cannot have a double personality. A
hypocritical personality will never work. Continuing.
एतन्मेपुरुषाध्य�लोकाध्य�जगत
प्रणतायानुरक्तायप्रपन्नायचकथ११.२७॥
उद्ध feels this topic is extremely important. TF, he surrenders to the Lord and
addresses the Lord with all great glory and seeks this knowledge. हे पर
ु ुषाध्- O
Lord, who is the अध्य:, the witnessing deity in the heart of everyone. That
means, even if the world doesn’t watch me, भगवान ् watches me in the sense,
भगवान ् is there. ईश्व:सवर भता
ू नां हृद्दे-you can cheat everyone except भगवान ्.
Remember that. भगवान ् is the CCTV fixed all over. पर
ु ु अध्य: लोकाध्य:
doesn’t mean भगवान ् is only inside. He is outside also as the witness of the all
events of the world. लोकाध्य: these are all संबोधन प्र हे पर
ु ुषाध् हेय
लोकाध्य all षिष् तत्पुर समास.जगत्प् -O Lord of the entire universe.
कथ्यता म- may you reveal these character-building virtues to me. What type of
person am I? प्रणत- I, who have surrendered unto you. अनरु क्ता -who am a
great devotee of you. All these are descriptions of उद्ध himself. I am प्रमा:. I
am प्रपन. I am अनरु क्:. May you teach me. Continuing.
त्वंब्रह्मपरमंव्योमपुरुषःप्रक
अवतीण�ऽ�सभगवन्स्वेच्छोपा�पृथग्व११.२८॥
Here उद्ध says, I know your finite form is only a temporary form which you have
taken through your मायाशिक्. Really speaking you are not a finite changing God.
You are none other than formless ब्रह्. I already know this from the scriptures. I
don’t understand what it is but scriptures point out youare ब्रह्मस:, so, त्वंब्,
त्वंपरमंव्य. Youare formless and all-pervading like व्यो - आकाश:. You are
�चदाकाश स्वर: �चदंभरस्वर: space-like consciousness which is all-pervading,

which accommodates everything but is not affected by anything just as space is not
contaminated by anything. परमंव्यो- you are the supreme space- like
consciousness. प्रकृतेःप.प्रकृ means the material universe, the universe that
weexperience which we call empirical universe. The adjective empirical indicates
that it falls within time and space. TF, changeable and mortal. It is called the
empirical universe. ब्रह् is the absolute one which is beyond, which transcends
the empirical universe, not subject to time and space. This is transcendental
प्रकृतेःप. You are the पर ु ु: the absolute which transcends time, space and the
universe. Though you are the formless ब्रह्, out of compassion for the world,
with your मायाशिक्: you have taken the अवतार to bless the universe. अवतीण:र
अ�प. You have taken कृष्अवतार. हे भगवान ् O Lord. We saw the difference
between भगवत: अवतार and our जन् in the 4th chapter. भगवान ् comes down, we
fall down that is the difference. Coming down is a choice and nothing will happen.
Falling down you break your bones. So, every जीवis a fallen one. अवतार is the
descent of the Lord to rescue the people. स्वेच् उपा�- by your संकल् शिक् and
not because of पण
ु ् पाप कमर.
यदा यदा �ह धमर्स ग्ला�नभर्व भारत ।

अभ्युत्थानमम
ध र तदात्मान सज
ृ ाम्यहम ॥७ ॥
प�रत्राण साधूनां �वनाशाय च दषु ्कृताम ।

धमर्संस्थापनाथा सम्भवा� यग
ु े यग
ु े॥८॥
स्वेच्- by your own will or संकल्, पथ

ृ क् वप:ु उपा�ा -you have taken a distinct and
a unique body relevant for the task at hand. If �हरण्यक�शप has to be killed the
relevant body has to be नर�संह शर�रं. TF, depending on the type of task भगवान ्
takes a relevant body at the relevant time. उपा�ा – acquired, पथ
ृ क्- unique, वप:ु -
body. बहुव्री समास स्वेचया उपा�ां पथ ृ क् वप:ु येन सह. LKA is going to bless
उद्ध and give a list which will make us सत्पुर:, which is our next project.

Uddhava Gita

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Uddhava Gita

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उद्धवगीत

Talks by Swami Paramarthananda

Transcribed by Sri A. Venkatesan

Part 1 upto Class No.63

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UG/ UGA- Uddhava Gita

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As announced earlier, we will take up उद्धवगीत(UG)for our study starting with a

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In the purana आगमपज

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A story in भागवतं first chapter says that �वश्वा�म काश्य दवार्

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I will give you the meaning of the शािन्मन्पण

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Chapter one verse one-

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जन् कमर्चम �दव्यमेव यो वे�� त�वत:

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All the devatas offer worship with all the organs- बद

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भगवान ् does all the कमर, जीवा: get पण

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In the 4th line, the same prayer is offered पर

the titles �रपर

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