[SPEAKER_00]: So, today's class we study the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, English Translation of the Katham Rita.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, if you remember, we were on
[SPEAKER_00]: page 133 in my book.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is October 27th, 1882, October 27th, 1882, the Master and Keshab.
[SPEAKER_00]: We have been reading this, but it's a pretty dense section, so we have been taking its slope.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you see in the middle of that page, you can see, Sudharmakrishna is saying,
[SPEAKER_00]: The different paths, the path of knowledge, the path of yoga, and the path of devotion.
[SPEAKER_00]: Gyanayoga, Lyana yoga, and Bhakti yoga.
[SPEAKER_00]: He who is called Brahman by the Gyanis known as Atman by the Yogis and Bhagavan by the Bhaktas.
[SPEAKER_00]: You see that.
[SPEAKER_00]: But it's the same reality because he says, this is one Brahmin who is called the priest Pujari, who is worshiping in the temple.
[SPEAKER_00]: And the cook, when he's preparing a meal in the kitchen,
[SPEAKER_00]: Similarly, the Giani calls the same reality Brahman, the absolute reality of the universe.
[SPEAKER_00]: The yogi says that it is the self-vidinus and the devotee says he's Bhagavan, the Lord of the universe.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I pointed out last time how implicit in this is the Tatthuam Asi, that thou art, that the God of the devotee, Bhakta, the Bhagavan of Bhakta.
[SPEAKER_00]: the Purusha of the Sangha or the Patanjali of the.
[SPEAKER_00]: But it this both are the same reality, the Advaita of Brahman is Tatthuamasi, that's the award.
[SPEAKER_00]: And to understand this, we have to go back to Vedanta Sara, the Mahabhāvākya, tabhicāra, how you find out the implicit meaning or the implied meaning, implied meaning of that and implied meaning of the dow and both are the
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, then he goes on the next paragraph to say, I mean, this paragraph he says that, what does the Gany say?
[SPEAKER_00]: The Gany reasons not this, not this, netty, netty.
[SPEAKER_00]: Drumman is neither this, not that.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not the universe.
[SPEAKER_00]: Nor it's living beings.
[SPEAKER_00]: Reasoning in this way, the mind becomes steady.
[SPEAKER_00]: It disappears and the aspirin goes into Samarhi.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then you have the knowledge of Drumman.
[SPEAKER_00]: What is the knowledge of Drumman?
[SPEAKER_00]: He says, it's not Samarhi.
[SPEAKER_00]: He says, it's what happens after Samadhi, he says, it is the unwavering conviction of the Gyanid that Brahman alone is real and the world is illusory.
[SPEAKER_00]: All these names and forms are illusory, like a dream, what Brahman is cannot be described.
[SPEAKER_00]: One cannot even say that Brahman is a person.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not the personal guard of the Bhaktav.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is the opinion of the Gyanis, followers of Vedanta philosophy.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, the bhaktas, the next paragraph, now he contrasts the devotee, but the bhaktas accept all the states of consciousness.
[SPEAKER_00]: They take the waking state to be real also.
[SPEAKER_00]: They don't take the world to be illusory, like a dream.
[SPEAKER_00]: they say that the universe is a manifestation of God's power and glory.
[SPEAKER_00]: God has created all these sky, stars, moons, sun, mountains, ocean, men, animals, they constitute His glory.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's within us in our hearts, again, His outside.
[SPEAKER_00]: The most advanced devotee say that He Himself has become all this, the 24 cosmic principles, the universe and all living beings.
[SPEAKER_00]: The devotee of God wants to eat sugar,
[SPEAKER_00]: the doctors accept all states of consciousness.
[SPEAKER_00]: What does that mean?
[SPEAKER_00]: Accept all states of consciousness.
[SPEAKER_00]: Not like us.
[SPEAKER_00]: We, in our ignorance, we think, this waking life is real, dream is dream false.
[SPEAKER_00]: Deep sleep is nothing blank.
[SPEAKER_00]: The non-dualists are Python.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like the Mandu-Kyopanishad, Mandu-Kyakarika will say, no, no, no, neither the waking, nor the dream, nor the deep sleep are ultimately revved.
[SPEAKER_00]: They are appearing and disappearing, appearing means waking and dreaming, and disappearing means deep sleep in one consciousness, which is ever present, so that one consciousness touria is ever present, in that wake-up and wake-up world, dreamer and dreamers world, and the deep sleep darkness, they appear and disappear.
[SPEAKER_00]: that is the position, that's what we learned in Mandukyokanisham.
[SPEAKER_00]: So that's the Gyanis position.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, what the Bhakti in contrast, he says the Bhakti accepts all consciousness, all states of consciousness means in experience in the next sentence.
[SPEAKER_00]: They take the waking state to be real also.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, just like us, we take the waking state to be real.
[SPEAKER_00]: So are we the Bhakti are talking about?
[SPEAKER_00]: They take the waking state to be real in what sense, like the Gany would say the wakeer and the waking world is an appearance, like a movie playing on the screen, is an appearance in consciousness, is an appearance in the theory.
[SPEAKER_00]: But the bhaktar does not say that.
[SPEAKER_00]: What the bhaktar says is that this waking universe, you, your body, mind, and all of the beings and this physical universe, what is it?
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a manifestation of God's power and glory.
[SPEAKER_00]: In three levels he has put it, one level is God has created all these God is the creator and is making universe is the creation of God, it is the glory of God, they all constitute His glory, He says.
[SPEAKER_00]: Second level, in where is God?
[SPEAKER_00]: First level is God is the creator of all of this.
[SPEAKER_00]: Second level is He is within us in our hearts, again He is outside.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, the God was created this universe is within us, imminent and also outside, transcendent or he is within us in our hearts, psychologically within, when we look inside, we have an inner world of thoughts, feelings, emotions in the core of that sits God.
[SPEAKER_00]: Krishna says to Arjuna, I am in the hearts of all beings in that sense, and outside means not transcendent, but imminent in this physical world outside.
[SPEAKER_00]: In the common sense, when we say an ordinary day-to-day language, when we say, inside outside, we don't mean imminent transcendent.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's a philosophical way of looking at it.
[SPEAKER_00]: What we mean is, inside means, inside me.
[SPEAKER_00]: Inside me means what?
[SPEAKER_00]: In my inner world.
[SPEAKER_00]: My thoughts, feelings, emotions, which is my own private word, my inner code, which is not accessible to others.
[SPEAKER_00]: Their God is there sitting in my heart.
[SPEAKER_00]: And God is also outside whatever the experience outside that also is God.
[SPEAKER_00]: So these are all as the glory of God is presenting all of this in all of them.
[SPEAKER_00]: Third step is not in all of these are none other than God.
[SPEAKER_00]: The most advanced devotees, most advanced devotees, he makes it very clear, third step.
[SPEAKER_00]: He himself has become all this, physical universe and all this living beings, Jeeva Jagat.
[SPEAKER_00]: Ishwarah has become Jeeva Jagat.
[SPEAKER_00]: So first step, Ishwarah has created the Jagat and all the bodies and minds of the Jeevas.
[SPEAKER_00]: These are the glory of Ishwarah, step one.
[SPEAKER_00]: Step two, not only has he created, he is present here.
[SPEAKER_00]: he is present in each jiva and he is present in all the material things of the universe.
[SPEAKER_00]: Third step, the jiva and the material universe are nothing other than issue.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like in Gita, we are studying, Ishwara says, these are my higher property and lower property.
[SPEAKER_00]: I've got two properties.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're studying in Chapter 7, those who are attending the Gita class.
[SPEAKER_00]: You will see Krishna says to Arjuna exactly the same thing.
[SPEAKER_00]: I will tell you, Giana and Vigyana.
[SPEAKER_00]: What is this Giana and Vigyana?
[SPEAKER_00]: Yana and Vigyana is, know that this external world is my property.
[SPEAKER_00]: My power, my glory, and nothing other than me.
[SPEAKER_00]: And the internal world, the you, the Givas, I, the consciousness, have become the Givas.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, this is the state of the Bhaktam.
[SPEAKER_00]: Distinguished is from the state of the Gany and from the ordinary state of, you know, people in ignorance.
[SPEAKER_00]: People in ignorance, we think here is a real material world and here is a real body and I am just limited individual being that's it.
[SPEAKER_00]: God is a question of speculation, I find some people believe in God, some people
[SPEAKER_00]: This is the normal state of people, and like Ayyan Maharaj pointed out in his presentation, even those who say that they believe in God, it's mostly an intellectual essence.
[SPEAKER_00]: They does not really make much of a difference in their lives.
[SPEAKER_00]: So that is the state of the ignorant world.
[SPEAKER_00]: we are in ignorance.
[SPEAKER_00]: Those who are spiritually advanced, if they are gannies, they have realized by nati nati that ultimate reality and this tether, that's the reality.
[SPEAKER_00]: And by nati nati whatever you have dismissed is an appearance.
[SPEAKER_00]: not to be taken to be dismissed in order to discover the reality behind all of that, but he says the bhakta takes these also to be the glory of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: Either the glory of God or God is present in all of this or God has himself itself itself become all these.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, become of course, this will be a question become how then the other way thing will enter there, but anyway we need not
[SPEAKER_00]: Next slide is, you see the interesting thing, all the devotional schools, we sishitadwaita, Dwaytha Vedanta, Dwaytha, Dwaytha, Dwaytha, Shuddha, Dwaytha, Asintya Vedtha Ved all devotional schools.
[SPEAKER_00]: They all subscribe to Parinama, Parinama means transformation.
[SPEAKER_00]: God or God's power or God's property or God's Maya has been transformed either God himself has been transformed into this universe or God's Maya has been transformed into this universe and actual transformation.
[SPEAKER_00]: the ultimate reality has not become this universe.
[SPEAKER_00]: It appears as this universe because it is an appearance, you can dismiss it and you have to dismiss it to go to the reality, to go to the reality after dismiss the appearance.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, this is the difference between the two.
[SPEAKER_00]: You might say that actually not much of a difference, it is true, practically the difference is not much, both recognize most important is that an ultimate reality is present here, right, that's the important thing, the rest of it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Whether this world is an appearance of the ultimate reality or a transformation of the ultimate reality seems to be a bit of a technical difference, but it makes for practical difference in terms of the spiritual path.
[SPEAKER_00]: One becomes path of knowledge, another one becomes path of devotion.
[SPEAKER_00]: Why would the devotee do this?
[SPEAKER_00]: What advantage does the devotee get by doing this?
[SPEAKER_00]: The devotee of God wants to eat sugar, not to become sugar, all laugh, all laugh.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, today itself, just before this class, I was walking with a couple of philosophy students from NYU, discussing Advaita Vedanta.
[SPEAKER_00]: and I am that reality.
[SPEAKER_00]: So one of the students asked, but suppose I say that, no, I want to enjoy the diversity.
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to enjoy the multiplicity.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let it be a theorems, but I want to enjoy it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Then, so then this is what Sri Ram Krishna is saying.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is the desire to eat sugar, not to become sugar.
[SPEAKER_00]: And here, the famous saying, you know, that Bodha, Praga, Dwaitam, Mohaya, Praptay, Manishaya, Bhaktya, Tham, Kalpitam, Dwaitam, a Dwaita, the Pismdaram.
[SPEAKER_00]: Before enlightenment, duality, difference.
[SPEAKER_00]: All these difference we see around us.
[SPEAKER_00]: It leads to delusion, samsara, Moham.
[SPEAKER_00]: But after enlightenment,
[SPEAKER_00]: duality still appears and then you can interact with the duality.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can take it to be real and continue to interact with it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Bhaktiya tam kalpitam dvaitham, an imagine duality, duality still appearing but instead of dismissing it, you take it that it is there, you imagine that duality exists and then why would you do that bhaktiya tam in order to each sugar for the the joy of bhakti and for the bliss of bhakti.
[SPEAKER_00]: Why would you do that bliss of Bhaktivaya not dismiss it?
[SPEAKER_00]: Is it better than Advaita?
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, he says.
[SPEAKER_00]: Advaita, Advaita is under him.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is not sure whether it is better than Advaita, but certainly it is more beautiful than Advaita.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sarasthan and the Maharaj, and you say, young boy Sri Ram Krishna asked him, whom do you love most?
[SPEAKER_00]: And in Sarat he said that, I don't think I love anybody particularly.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sri Ram Krishna said,
[SPEAKER_00]: So you must have deep love.
[SPEAKER_00]: Why not?
[SPEAKER_00]: You have the ability to feel.
[SPEAKER_00]: So why shouldn't you have love in your life?
[SPEAKER_00]: And Sri Ram Krishna goes so far as to say, not just bhakti.
[SPEAKER_00]: He says, some love is necessary.
[SPEAKER_00]: Even human love, desire.
[SPEAKER_00]: Of course, Ram Krishna is very clear.
[SPEAKER_00]: He says fall into the pit of filth or in the pit of nectar.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, desire, passion, loss, even that desire also he says at least there is some love there, there is some pull there except that it will pull you into some sorrow.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, that's why he calls it the pit of filth or if you have that power of love you use it to go into why will you fall into the pit of filth you will fall into the pit of nectar which is
[SPEAKER_00]: Do you know how a lover of God feels?
[SPEAKER_00]: His attitude is, oh God, thou art the master, and I am the servant, thou art the mother, and I am the child, or again, thou art my father and mother, thou art the whole, and I am a part.
[SPEAKER_00]: He doesn't like to say, I am Brahman.
[SPEAKER_00]: So these are the attitudes of the bhakta.
[SPEAKER_00]: The ghani, the five attitudes, shantabhava, the peaceful attitude, which is the attitude of the rishya of the ghani, aham bramhaspi, there is one infinite transcendent in my own reality, and I am that aham bramhaspi.
[SPEAKER_00]: What kind of effect will it have?
[SPEAKER_00]: You will be a Jeevan mukta, this is called the peaceful attitude, shantabhava, this corresponds to the shantabhava of the bhakta.
[SPEAKER_00]: where now the devotee says, then God is a personal God.
[SPEAKER_00]: And God is my master, I am the servant.
[SPEAKER_00]: There is this beautiful, Hujan, Kabir, Hujan, translated by Rabindra Nattagour.
[SPEAKER_00]: I heard it being sung so beautifully in this, our Ashram in San Diego in English.
[SPEAKER_00]: There was an English translation of Rabindra Nattagour, which was made by Rabindra Nattagour.
[SPEAKER_00]: For thou art my Lord, and I am the servant.
[SPEAKER_00]: very beautiful.
[SPEAKER_00]: This bond between us is eternal.
[SPEAKER_00]: Who can break this bond?
[SPEAKER_00]: It's from beginning of time till the end of time.
[SPEAKER_00]: I love D my Lord and you love me and we are of forever tied to each other from the beginning of time till the end of time.
[SPEAKER_00]: Who can break this bond between us?
[SPEAKER_00]: And then he goes on to say, like the night but Chakor, you know this is the
[SPEAKER_00]: continuously.
[SPEAKER_00]: It desires the moon.
[SPEAKER_00]: Of course, the bird cannot attain to the moon.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, like the night bird, chocolate looking up at the moon, I continuously, I am always fixed on you, my Lord.
[SPEAKER_00]: You are the moon of my life.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, like this very beautiful translation of this Kabir Bhajan.
[SPEAKER_00]: Also, I am reminded.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, this is the, you are my Lord.
[SPEAKER_00]: I am
[SPEAKER_00]: best example notice it's in no sense low servant we don't like the idea that I'm a servant no but to the servant being the servant of the Lord such you free we think servant means we are in bondage where somebody servant no if you are in servant of the Lord you will be free of servitude to the world thus above sets you free from bondage of the world if I'm not the servant of the of the Lord I'll be the servant of the world.
[SPEAKER_00]: Immediately, my sense organs, my mind will go and catch hold of the world.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll be tired there, the bondage of the world.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, servant of the Lord is a very great thing.
[SPEAKER_00]: Hanuman was the greatest guany.
[SPEAKER_00]: He had full luck with the realisation.
[SPEAKER_00]: The greatest yogi could remain in continuous samadhi.
[SPEAKER_00]: And greatest karma yogi.
[SPEAKER_00]: The Hanuman Chalicev, which is chanted in Bihar and UP and all this.
[SPEAKER_00]: One line is Rama, Kaaja, Karibe, Kovatura, who is most eager to do the work of Lord Rama.
[SPEAKER_00]: Ramakraj Karivay Kvatorai.
[SPEAKER_00]: If he has one eagerness in his life, can I serve Ram in some way that much is eagerness is there?
[SPEAKER_00]: There is nothing else he wants in life.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, great karma yogi, great dhani, great ghani, a numan, but above all the great bhakta and his relation with the Ram is you are my Lord, I am disarmit.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then, so master and servant, the next one is friend, sakya, like Arjuna had, like Uddhava had with Krishna.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, you are my friend, I am my friend.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, that's even more intimate.
[SPEAKER_00]: You see, how the intimacy is increasing.
[SPEAKER_00]: The shant of how is very impersonal.
[SPEAKER_00]: I am pure consciousness, one with you.
[SPEAKER_00]: You are the master I am the servant, you are closed, you have established a personal relationship.
[SPEAKER_00]: Why this personal relationship is established?
[SPEAKER_00]: So, I mean Vivekan and the says, in Hinduism what we do is we divinize our human relationships and humanize our divine relationship.
[SPEAKER_00]: Divinize our human relationship means I try to see God in everybody, God in father, mother, husband, wife, child, friends, neighbors everywhere, I try to see God in them.
[SPEAKER_00]: So divinize human relationship, but humanize the divine relationship.
[SPEAKER_00]: That means, with God, I have a human relationship.
[SPEAKER_00]: What is the human relationship with God?
[SPEAKER_00]: You are my Lord, I am your servant.
[SPEAKER_00]: That was the first one.
[SPEAKER_00]: See, an intimate, it's more intimate than a humbrum has been.
[SPEAKER_00]: Then the second one is even more intimate.
[SPEAKER_00]: That is, you are my friend.
[SPEAKER_00]: So master and servant, there is some awe and distance and respect and reverence there.
[SPEAKER_00]: But friend,
[SPEAKER_00]: You are so close, you are so intimate with the friend, you treat like a friend is like a your equal you treat, but it is God you are treating as a friend.
[SPEAKER_00]: Then even more intimate is the child.
[SPEAKER_00]: in Bhakti, they talk about you are the father or mother, especially mother and God is your child.
[SPEAKER_00]: So that's why you have Gopala, the baby Krishna, that's why you have Rama, Ramlala, the baby Rama, or the baby Christ.
[SPEAKER_00]: So why God or the avatar of God, especially worshiped as child because you can then have the attitude, for the sake of the devotee, the devotee can
[SPEAKER_00]: that's just not limited to women.
[SPEAKER_00]: Men can also have that feeling of being a mother or father mother, especially to the child.
[SPEAKER_00]: I know of one monk who would go to teach a class of little boys and before entering the class he would bow down secretly.
[SPEAKER_00]: The boy wouldn't see that.
[SPEAKER_00]: I asked what are you bowing down to and he said that,
[SPEAKER_00]: Sri Ramakrishna in the form of Ghazata, Ghazata was the why-hood name of Sri Ramakrishna, a childhood name.
[SPEAKER_00]: So all these children, I see Sri Ramakrishna in this children and I'm bowing down to them.
[SPEAKER_00]: So that is seeing the, seeing the Lord as a child.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is even more intimate.
[SPEAKER_00]: See the distance and reverence and all are decreasing.
[SPEAKER_00]: Master in servant.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a lot of distance and reverence and awe.
[SPEAKER_00]: Friends, less.
[SPEAKER_00]: Child, even less.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's no question of being obbed by the child.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's only once in a while when you're sure that gets this stunning experience of that who Krishna, that baby Krishna really is.
[SPEAKER_00]: Otherwise, for her, it's a baby.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a baby son.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's all.
[SPEAKER_00]: But once in a while, for example, when she saw the entire universe, he put some clay in his mouth, and just should have been to clean it out, and then she saw the entire universe in the mouth of the baby.
[SPEAKER_00]: So once in a while, she is turned to see the devotee is turned to see who is it that I am treating as a child, who is it I am treating as a child.
[SPEAKER_00]: Then the fifth one is even more intimate between the lover and the
[SPEAKER_00]: So these are the five bhavas.
[SPEAKER_00]: Here Sri Ramakrishna has mentioned a few.
[SPEAKER_00]: He said, may of the master, I am the servant.
[SPEAKER_00]: Dawat the mother and I am the child.
[SPEAKER_00]: So this is what he had.
[SPEAKER_00]: I am not the mother and God is my child rather the other way around.
[SPEAKER_00]: God is the mother, Kali.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I am the child of Kali.
[SPEAKER_00]: Of course, he practiced the attitude of the mother also, you know, towards Ramlala, the baby Rama, he practiced that attitude also.
[SPEAKER_00]: Or he said, you are my father and mother.
[SPEAKER_00]: All you are everything to be, you are the whole and I'm the part, you are the whole and I'm the part, that is, be Shishita Dwaytha.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's also devotional.
[SPEAKER_00]: These are all various attitudes of the Bhaktam.
[SPEAKER_00]: I remember one young monk,
[SPEAKER_00]: who had some kind of, you know, this impersonal realization, he asked a very senior monk of our order.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, this is what I understand, is there anything more to be done?
[SPEAKER_00]: And the senior monk said, now,
[SPEAKER_00]: You personalize that impersonal realization and have a relation of master or servant, you know, friend, the Bhavas, establish a Bhavas with that, what you have realized.
[SPEAKER_00]: For you, God has become real now, but now establish a Bhavas.
[SPEAKER_00]: See, how Sri Ram Krishna talks about the Advaiti Khat and next, he talks about the Bhakti Khat.
[SPEAKER_00]: He pushes you towards that.
[SPEAKER_00]: The yogi seeks to realize the paramatma and the supreme soul.
[SPEAKER_00]: His ideal is union of the embodied soul and supreme soul.
[SPEAKER_00]: If it draws his mind from sense objects and tries to concentrate it on paramatma.
[SPEAKER_00]: Therefore, during the first stages of his spiritual discipline, he retires into solitude and with undivided attention, practices, meditation and a fixed posture.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, I said Patanjali yoga, but remember, this is not exactly Patanjali yoga.
[SPEAKER_00]: Patanjali yoga, union of Akman Paramatma, that's not Patanjali yoga.
[SPEAKER_00]: Patanjali yoga is trying for some other body, but to realize that I am the Purushya, not Prakriti.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm separation between Purushya and Prakriti is realized in Patanjali yoga.
[SPEAKER_00]: Through attainment of some other body.
[SPEAKER_00]: But the technique is the same.
[SPEAKER_00]: So which kind of yogi is it describing here?
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, there are different yogis who believe this who practice this way, that I'm trying
[SPEAKER_00]: Because Shmiri Shiva Yogis, the Shiva Yogis, are somewhat similar to this, the Nath Sampravai, the Nath Sampravai, in India those who know Yogi Aditya, not his chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, but he belongs to this genuine, very ancient Nath Sampravai.
[SPEAKER_00]: You see, there's different, samtradayas, there's different schools of Sartin or spiritual lineages in India.
[SPEAKER_00]: They develop these different areas.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you go to Abhishishtar, Dwate and Sri Vaishnava in the south of India or to Gaudhiya Vaishnava in Bengal, the followers of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, they will overwhelmingly stress the importance of Bhakti, of love, of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is what Sri Ram Krishna calls, the bhaktas says, this is just now we talked about it.
[SPEAKER_00]: But if you go to someone like the Nath Sampradai, which you find even now there are many.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, they are often known as ordinary people, as Kanparta yogi, Kanparta, Manay, they are ears at pierce, you will find big, what you call them, ear rings, like ear rings, but bigger ones, metal ones and the ears, if I have made some monks ones, when very
[SPEAKER_00]: The founder of that lineage, it's almost mythical.
[SPEAKER_00]: The story is that he was meditating on Shiva, and Shiva appeared to him and gave him enlightenment.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then, so, to transmit it down in the Naksam for that lineage.
[SPEAKER_00]: But when he had the vision of Shiva, he saw that the amulets are not amulets.
[SPEAKER_00]: Earrings of Shiva.
[SPEAKER_00]: in Sanskrit they are called Kundala.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, the earrings of Shiva were shining so brightly.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, it seems this yogi was very attracted to them.
[SPEAKER_00]: He said, along with the enlightenment, please give me your earrings.
[SPEAKER_00]: I want the earrings.
[SPEAKER_00]: And the Shiva said that they symbolize light and then they remove the darkness of ignorance and they symbolize the light of enlightenment.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, I can't give you mine, but the idea of the stories that he gave the shadow of those earrings
[SPEAKER_00]: to the yogi.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so, the founder of the Natsumperda made it up.
[SPEAKER_00]: rule that all his followers, when they are ultimately initiated, finally into the vows of Sanyas.
[SPEAKER_00]: The monks of that, some present, they are not everybody, they are laid about his also.
[SPEAKER_00]: But those are finally initiated into Sanyas, into monkhood, their ears have to be pierced and without anesthesia and then these big earrings are permanently fixed there.
[SPEAKER_00]: So ordinary people call them earlobe rings, yes ordinary people call them can't fatassadhu.
[SPEAKER_00]: That means monks who have, you know, pierced ears, ear pierced earlobes.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, that's the story.
[SPEAKER_00]: But they emphasize, they develop the meditation side of it.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you read their teachings, again and again, the heart of spirituality is Dhyana, again and again and again go Guraknaath and others, Matsin Ranaath, they all stress.
[SPEAKER_00]: The heart of spiritual life is meditation.
[SPEAKER_00]: Very nice stories are there.
[SPEAKER_00]: So many interesting stories that we relate one about these when Sri Ram Krishna says, the yogi relies on the Paramatman through meditation,
[SPEAKER_00]: One story about one of the earliest, you know, the original founders of the nine Nath Yogis, Matsyandranath, who is the Guru of Gaurakna.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now Gaurakpur in Uttarpadesh is named after Gaurakna.
[SPEAKER_00]: The temple there is Gaurakna, but he is Guru, Matsyandranath.
[SPEAKER_00]: was a great yogi and avadhhuta, an enlightened being.
[SPEAKER_00]: The name Matsya there, one meaning is fish.
[SPEAKER_00]: So naturally, it will be some fish story associated with Matsya and Ranabh.
[SPEAKER_00]: But story is so curious, interesting.
[SPEAKER_00]: One story I still remember, Shiva and Parvati were talking.
[SPEAKER_00]: So most of the tantras are dialogues between Devi and Shiva, Parvati and Shiva.
[SPEAKER_00]: So Parvati asks a question to Shiva and Shiva replies and the reply becomes a tantra.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, it, and each of them is a method of becoming enlightened, each of those countries.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, once Parvati asked Shiva, what is this garland of skulls that you are wearing around your neck?
[SPEAKER_00]: Remember, Parvati was originally a human being.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, Shiva says, this garland of skulls is are your skulls.
[SPEAKER_00]: My dear you are born and you age and you die.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then again, your bond and age and then each life, you get me as your husband.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you, you'll, it means you get married to God, but you are a human being.
[SPEAKER_00]: So you keep dying and off, I've preserved all your skulls from each birth.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm aware of them as a, a garland.
[SPEAKER_00]: So let's so touching it.
[SPEAKER_00]: It might be shocking to think about in this day and age, but actually it's a sign of love.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, Parvati said, oh, but this is not fair, you are immortal and I keep dying.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, how will I become immortal?
[SPEAKER_00]: Then she was says, I can tell you the secret.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, all of these are just stories to give a setting to the teaching of how to attain immortality become enlightened.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, she was says, yes, you can become immortal, but there is knowledge to that, but that has to be taught in secret.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, such a long story for just to show the origin of Mutsyandra Math.
[SPEAKER_00]: The rest you taught in secret, otherwise all these humans will know the secret, and then nobody will die and there will be no space left on the earth.
[SPEAKER_00]: Then Shiva takes parvathy out into the ocean on a boat.
[SPEAKER_00]: And in the middle of the ocean, he starts instructing parvathy about enlightenment.
[SPEAKER_00]: And as it happens in Vedanta classes on a common problem, parvathy falls asleep.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, most classes will find people falling asleep, so parvathy falls asleep.
[SPEAKER_00]: There was a big fish unknown to Shiva and Parvati, there was a big fish under the boat which had become curious who had those two strange people in the boat in the middle of the ocean.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was under the boat and listening to, it became very fascinated with Shiva's teaching.
[SPEAKER_00]: So he was listening to Shiva's teaching.
[SPEAKER_00]: Then he found that Parvati has fallen asleep and Shiva will notice and stop teaching.
[SPEAKER_00]: So the
[SPEAKER_00]: Fish kept on giving, you know, feedback in the sense, hmm, yes, hmm, like that, you know, making the sound that I'm listening.
[SPEAKER_00]: And she was thought parvati's eyes were closed and she was just saying, hmm, yes, like the response in Sanskrit home car.
[SPEAKER_00]: After she was finished and then he said, it's done.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's go back parvati walk with the start and said, but I haven't heard it all.
[SPEAKER_00]: She was said, but you said that you were listening.
[SPEAKER_00]: then he realized somebody else was listening.
[SPEAKER_00]: So he looked under the boat and he found the big fish and he scooped it up and then he said oh so you have listened to me in secret but you have listened to this knowledge so you will become enlightened and you will be a great yogi.
[SPEAKER_00]: Only thing is you'd listen without my permission you have stolen.
[SPEAKER_00]: stolen my knowledge.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, when you become a great yogi, there is no doubt you will teach yoga to the world, but they will come at times when you will forget this knowledge.
[SPEAKER_00]: Of course, you will recover it again, but you will forget this knowledge.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, anyway, this fish was now born as much siendranap, the great yogi.
[SPEAKER_00]: In fact, all our hati yoga, hati yoga, pravipika, garandasamita, all these were written by much siendranap, from whom comes all our yoga traditions.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, he was this that fish who listened silently under the boat of not silently under the boat of Shiva and Bhagatith, so all sorts of funny stories.
[SPEAKER_00]: Not that it was relevant here, but I couldn't resist telling you.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, but anyway, the point is that the emphasize meditation, all the Nath samtreda yogis
[SPEAKER_00]: Therefore, during the first stage of his spiritual discipline, he retires into solitude and with undivided attention, practices, meditation, in a fixed posture.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, Siddharma Krishna's own commentary.
[SPEAKER_00]: So what?
[SPEAKER_00]: The reality, but the reality is one and the same.
[SPEAKER_00]: The difference is only in name.
[SPEAKER_00]: He, who is Brahman, is veryly atman and again he is the Bhagavan.
[SPEAKER_00]: his brummen to the followers of the path of knowledge.
[SPEAKER_00]: Paramatman to the yogis and Bhagavan to the lovers of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is an important point.
[SPEAKER_00]: Why is this important?
[SPEAKER_00]: Isn't that recognized?
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, but the way it had been put so far, the groups had huge differences among them.
[SPEAKER_00]: The adwaitin will say, yes, you yogi, what you are realizing is your inner self, but you don't realize the oneness with the universe.
[SPEAKER_00]: You don't realize the non-dual truth which we are realizing.
[SPEAKER_00]: You devotees, what you are realizing is staghunapramma.
[SPEAKER_00]: But you have not realized nipgunapramma.
[SPEAKER_00]: And without realizing it, going to Brahman, there will be no more action.
[SPEAKER_00]: One of the ways that teacher put it very nicely, from a classical at the point of view, what is spiritual life is not against bhakti, but what he is saying is, first we move from dependence on the world to dependence on God, then to dependence on the self, world dependence
[SPEAKER_00]: What is he seeing then?
[SPEAKER_00]: World dependence of course is Maya, some sort that is wrong, that is that will just catch put us in delusion, some sort and will be in trouble.
[SPEAKER_00]: I had then that better than that is to believe in God and have faith in God, surrendered to God, love God, and hold on to God, depend on God in your life.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I had then that is to realize Ahm Prammaspy and finally depend on that on don't go back to depending on God anymore, no need.
[SPEAKER_00]: So he clearly, that is lower than realization of Aham Brahmasseman.
[SPEAKER_00]: And of course, being in some sort of depending on the world means, depending on things in the world, people in the world, money, and your own health, and prestige, and all those things in the world, those are the things which make me happy.
[SPEAKER_00]: They don't.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's just some sort of.
[SPEAKER_00]: Far visor is to depend on God, but the enlightened one will see that, Aham Ramasmi.
[SPEAKER_00]: That is the source of strength of the enlightened one.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is the classical Advaita point of view, but you can see clearly, is putting the Advaita realization above the Bhaktar's realization of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like so, I mean, we can't just say, you move from lower to higher truth, not falsity, even the classical Advaita will not say that devotion to God is false, but lower to higher truth.
[SPEAKER_00]: They are all the same reality.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like touching the elephant.
[SPEAKER_00]: The five blind men touched the elephant.
[SPEAKER_00]: One, how is it?
[SPEAKER_00]: One said it's like a pillar, but you're touching the leg of the elephant.
[SPEAKER_00]: One said it was like a pipe.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're stretching the trunk of the elephant.
[SPEAKER_00]: One said the elephant is like a rope.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're stretching the tail of the elephant.
[SPEAKER_00]: One said it's like a big fan.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're stretching the ear of the elephant.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now your Brahman, Atman, Bhagawan, they are all the same reality.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not that you're moving from lower to higher to here.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sri Ramakrishna is flattening the hierarchy, he's saying all of them are touching the same reality.
[SPEAKER_00]: Otherwise, if you ask an Advaiting, so he's Advaiting wrong, the dualist or Vishestad Dwaiting Advaiting.
[SPEAKER_00]: See there's no, they're not wrong, but they're in lower level.
[SPEAKER_00]: We have to ultimately come to us, come to Advaita Vedanta.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you ask Advaita Vadi, what about the Advaita Vadi?
[SPEAKER_00]: He'll flat out say he's wrong.
[SPEAKER_00]: There is no such thing as they are going to perform, and it is just deluded, completely wrong.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is absolutely wrong to say, ah, I am from Hassemeh.
[SPEAKER_00]: These are the disputes between dualists and non-dualists.
[SPEAKER_00]: What Saddam Krishna is saying, they are all correct.
[SPEAKER_00]: There is no need to have a dispute between any of them.
[SPEAKER_00]: The steamer had been going towards Calcutta.
[SPEAKER_00]: but the passengers with their eyes fixed on the master and their ears given to his nectar-like words were oblivious of its motion.
[SPEAKER_00]: The Xeneshwar with its temples and gardens was left behind.
[SPEAKER_00]: The paddles of the boat churn the water of the ganges with a murmuring sound.
[SPEAKER_00]: But the devotee is very indifferent to all this spellbound.
[SPEAKER_00]: They looked on a great yogi.
[SPEAKER_00]: His face lighted with a divine smile.
[SPEAKER_00]: His continents radiating love, his eyes sparkling with joy, a man who had renounced all for God and who knew nothing but God.
[SPEAKER_00]: Unceasing words of wisdom flowed from his lips.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a beautiful description.
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's not just these words, you see what the devotees would see in the Brahmas, just to see something like this in front of you.
[SPEAKER_00]: The field atmosphere near Sri Ramakrishna, then these words take on a totally profound dimension, it's just the report of the truth.
[SPEAKER_00]: Otherwise, it is like reading something from a textbook about theology philosophy, but to see such a person who knows all of this, who knows God from the perspective of the Bhaktar, devotee, who knows God from the perspective of the non-dualist enlightened one, Aham Brahma has been knows that, who knows God from the perspective of the yogi, that in highest Samadian
[SPEAKER_00]: such a person is saying this and look at the effect of it, how joyful he is, how totally not dependent on anything in the world, completely independent of the world.
[SPEAKER_00]: It does not want anything from anybody or from the world at all and yet he is full of love for everybody.
[SPEAKER_00]: He is saying all this, he knows it will help everybody.
[SPEAKER_00]: So that's why they are all fascinated.
[SPEAKER_00]: Then
[SPEAKER_00]: Master.
[SPEAKER_00]: The Giani is who adhered to the non-dualistic philosophy of Vedanta, say that the acts of creation, preservation and destruction, the universe itself and all its living beings are manifestations of Shakti, the divine power, the footnote known as Maya in Vedanta philosophy, in the Vedanta philosophy.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you reason it out, you will realize that all these are as illusory as a dream.
[SPEAKER_00]: Bremman alone is the reality, and all else is unreal.
[SPEAKER_00]: Even this very shaktis, unsubstantial, like a dream.
[SPEAKER_00]: But though you reason all your life,
[SPEAKER_00]: Unless you are established in Samadhi, you cannot go beyond the jurisdiction of Shakti.
[SPEAKER_00]: Even when you say, I am meditating or I am contemplating, still you are moving in the realm of Shakti within its power.
[SPEAKER_00]: Thus, Brahman and Shakti are identical.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you accept the one, you must accept the other.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is like fire and its power to burn.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you see the fire, you must recognize its power to burn also.
[SPEAKER_00]: You cannot think of fire without its power to burn.
[SPEAKER_00]: Nor can you think of the power to burn without fire.
[SPEAKER_00]: You cannot conceive of the sun's rays without the sun.
[SPEAKER_00]: Nor can you conceive of the sun without its rays.
[SPEAKER_00]: What is milk like?
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, you say it is something white.
[SPEAKER_00]: You cannot think of the milk without the whiteness.
[SPEAKER_00]: And again, you cannot think of the whiteness without the milk.
[SPEAKER_00]: Thus one cannot think of Brahman without Shakti or of Shakti without Brahman.
[SPEAKER_00]: One cannot think of the absolute without the relative or of the relative without the absolute.
[SPEAKER_00]: The primordial power is ever at play, footnote.
[SPEAKER_00]: This idea introduces the elements of spontaneity and freedom in the creation.
[SPEAKER_00]: The primordial power is ever at play.
[SPEAKER_00]: She is creating, preserving, and destroying in play as it were.
[SPEAKER_00]: This power is called Kali.
[SPEAKER_00]: Kali is very liberal and Brahman is very leaky.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is one and the same reality.
[SPEAKER_00]: When we think of it as inactive, that is to say not engaged in the acts of creation, preservation and destruction, we call it then we call it Brahman.
[SPEAKER_00]: But when it engages in these activities, then we call it Kali or Shakti.
[SPEAKER_00]: The reality is one and the same, the difference is in name and form.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is like water called in different languages by different names such as Jal, Pani and so forth.
[SPEAKER_00]: There are three or four guards on a lake.
[SPEAKER_00]: The Hindus who drink water at one place, call it Jal.
[SPEAKER_00]: The Muslims at one other place, call it Pani and the English and a third place, call it water.
[SPEAKER_00]: all three denote one and the same thing, the difference being in the name only.
[SPEAKER_00]: In the same way, some address the reality as Allah, some as God, some as Brahman, some as Kali, and others by name such as Rama, Jesus, Durga, Hari.
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, there's a lot here.
[SPEAKER_00]: But what is here is actually the
[SPEAKER_00]: When NMR talks about Vigyanavalanth, we want to know what is unique and special about Sri Rama Krishna's teaching, it is such passages like not only this one, but passages like this which we must closely pay attention to.
[SPEAKER_00]: See, why?
[SPEAKER_00]: First of all, he summarizes classical Vedanta, and then he will say but, but means, in distinction from this, going further, next tension to classical Advaita Vedanta.
[SPEAKER_00]: But first he summarizes classical Advaita Vedanta,
[SPEAKER_00]: He says, Ghani is say that creation, preservation, destruction, universe itself and all its living beings are the manifestations of Shakti, the divine power.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you reason it out, you will realize that all these are illusory as a dream.
[SPEAKER_00]: Bramman alone is the reality and all else is unreal.
[SPEAKER_00]: Even this very Shakti is unsubstantial, like a dream.
[SPEAKER_00]: See, even this very Shakti is unsubstantial, like a dream.
[SPEAKER_00]: This statement shows that he is summarizing classical Advaita Vedanta.
[SPEAKER_00]: Isn't it the very language of Vedanta Sada?
[SPEAKER_00]: Was to Satjidhan and Dhamad-Dhoyam Brahma, Aghyan or the Sakalajara Samova of us too.
[SPEAKER_00]: So he says here, what does Sadhan do you think?
[SPEAKER_00]: The reality is only the non-dual existence consciousness place which is Brahman.
[SPEAKER_00]: Everything else, starting from Maya downwards,
[SPEAKER_00]: all is unreal, of us to not real.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, look at what Sri Ram Krishna has said, Brahman alone is the reality and all else is unreal.
[SPEAKER_00]: Even this very shaktis, unsubstantial, like a dream.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is exactly classical of the way to Vedanta.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, what about the creation, preservation, destruction, what is going on in the universe?
[SPEAKER_00]: And this is all the things in the universe and all living beings.
[SPEAKER_00]: Circle of Jada Samuva, the phrase used by Siddharanda Yogendra, every objective entity in this universe.
[SPEAKER_00]: The collection of all objects in this universe, they are dreamlike, unsubstantial, ours too.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, he will go on, he will say next but, but let me before that let me point out one thing.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes people misunderstand they say, oh so therefore Ram Krishna is saying Shankara was wrong in these things.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, Sri Ram Krishna is not saying Shankara was wrong or this what he has just described it's wrong.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, no, no, not at all.
[SPEAKER_00]: Why would he say it's wrong?
[SPEAKER_00]: He agrees with the worship, you know, vice-nabas and shatters and all dualistic philosophies within Hinduism.
[SPEAKER_00]: He agrees with Christianity Islam.
[SPEAKER_00]: Why would he say, Advaita Vedant, the pinnacle of Upanishadic philosophies, and then why would he say that is wrong?
[SPEAKER_00]: No, no, no.
[SPEAKER_00]: He says, that's correct.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can attain enlightenment by that.
[SPEAKER_00]: In fact,
[SPEAKER_00]: There's in the words of the Master, the Sri Ram Krishnaopa, they are collected by Swami Brahman and so I'm remembering the points out with emphasis.
[SPEAKER_00]: When somebody asked him, tell me spirituality in one sentence, so that I can become enlightened.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sri Ram Krishna's straight-up is said, Brahman alone is real.
[SPEAKER_00]: Everything else is unreal.
[SPEAKER_00]: You didn't even say that you are Brahman.
[SPEAKER_00]: You just said Brahman alone is real.
[SPEAKER_00]: Everything else is unreal.
[SPEAKER_00]: Accimulate this to contemplate this.
[SPEAKER_00]: Accimulate this.
[SPEAKER_00]: Then, isn't that his view?
[SPEAKER_00]: No.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, remember what was the question?
[SPEAKER_00]: Question was, give it to me in one sentence that I can become enlightened.
[SPEAKER_00]: What is a very powerful highest advanced teaching which will clear up my all in like a very powerful medicine.
[SPEAKER_00]: Clear up all my delusions and one blow.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is the teaching.
[SPEAKER_00]: Bramun is real, world is in appearance.
[SPEAKER_00]: Hold on to this, you will become enlightened.
[SPEAKER_00]: But further, what is his own view?
[SPEAKER_00]: What is the unique contribution of Sadama Krishna?
[SPEAKER_00]: If you want to elaborate further, then he goes on further.
[SPEAKER_00]: He says, but, but further, whatever he has taught till now, classical Advaita Vedanthi, it's enough.
[SPEAKER_00]: If anybody wants to follow this, you will attain enlightenment.
[SPEAKER_00]: All the other philosophies also, devotional approach, yogic approach, in all of them you can attain enlightenment.
[SPEAKER_00]: But further, if you want to see the most developed form of Sri Ramakrishna's thought, this one next thought, I won't say it's not realization, but further, deeper, though you reasoned all your life unless you are established in Samadhi, you cannot go beyond the jurisdiction of Shakti.
[SPEAKER_00]: Even when you say I am meditating or I am contemplating still, you are moving in the realm of Shakti within its power.
[SPEAKER_00]: is what's thinking about.
[SPEAKER_00]: Even when you're Jeevan Mukta and your realization is Aham Brahmhāsme, Brahmhāsme, Brahmhāsme, Jagat-Mithyan, Jeeva Brahmave and Aapara, I am Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-Dana-
[SPEAKER_00]: Thanks to Brahman, only all this is appearing.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now this appearance, entire appearance of Brahman is called Shakti.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now you can deny, you can dismiss this Shakti and think that I am Brahman fine.
[SPEAKER_00]: But or you can take both, Brahman without the Shakti, the core reality,
[SPEAKER_00]: also notice this appearance you can call it mithya, but is appearance is of the reality.
[SPEAKER_00]: What appears the reality appears in this way to you?
[SPEAKER_00]: The appearance cannot be disconnected from the reality and the reality also cannot be disconnected from the appearance because this here is where classical Vedanta Vedanta would object.
[SPEAKER_00]: What does classical Advaita Vedanta say?
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, yes, this world, Maya, appearance, it cannot exist by itself.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is dependent on Brahman.
[SPEAKER_00]: Good Brahman is not dependent on Maya.
[SPEAKER_00]: Brahman is independent, it can exist by itself.
[SPEAKER_00]: But when you say Brahman is the reality, Brahman, Satyam, reality of what?
[SPEAKER_00]: The very, when you say the moment you say reality, you're assuming that there is a falseity also.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you're saying the reality, you're assuming that there are an appearance also.
[SPEAKER_00]: This question about reality and appearance would not arise if the only the reality was there.
[SPEAKER_00]: So Sri Ramakrishna is saying, it is the reality of that appearance, and it is the appearance of that reality.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is one reality only.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is what later, Sister Nivari Tavut summarized so beautifully.
[SPEAKER_00]: She said, all the teachings of Upanishads, Gita, they were already there if Vivekananda had not come to the west, all the teachings would still have been there in India, but what
[SPEAKER_00]: She says, one and the many are the same reality, seen by the spiritual seeker, different levels of realization, different frames of mind.
[SPEAKER_00]: One and the many absolute Brahman, many world, Shakti and world, Jiva Jagat, they are the same reality.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is not that one is the reality and other is nothing.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, it is one reality which in its essence is the absolute sacchidhan and the bhaggyam Brahma.
[SPEAKER_00]: But in its relative aspect there is a relative aspect and that is the Lila.
[SPEAKER_00]: So this word is a relative aspect, it is a Lila of Brahma.
[SPEAKER_00]: The reality of this Lila is Brahma and the Lila of Brahma is this word.
[SPEAKER_00]: So Ramakrishna put it in a very homely way, magic, a colleri-sharsharshar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar-shar
[SPEAKER_00]: it is the essence of that shell is the core and the shell of shell is the shell of the core.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, both makes sense only in relation to each other.
[SPEAKER_00]: That is what he is saying here.
[SPEAKER_00]: What is its relationship with Advaita Vedanta?
[SPEAKER_00]: It is only on the basis of Advaita Vedanta, you can come to this.
[SPEAKER_00]: First, you must go up to the level of little good environment, and from that, again, next step, you can say, this, what should I am Krishna is saying, but you cannot, if you deny a Dwight of Yadanta, you can't jump to, from that perspective.
[SPEAKER_00]: Some people say that this is Vishestadwait of Yadanta.
[SPEAKER_00]: There are papers have been written on this, what should I am Krishna is saying.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, this is exactly what Raman is just said.
[SPEAKER_00]: There is one reality, which is Brahman, whose parts are G1 Jagat.
[SPEAKER_00]: But that will fail when Sri Ram Krishna says, it is all illusory, it is all an appearance.
[SPEAKER_00]: We should translate that, you cannot dismiss it as an appearance.
[SPEAKER_00]: They are all actual parts of Pramman.
[SPEAKER_00]: We are all in this world, it's parts of Pramman.
[SPEAKER_00]: Rammasaptyam Jagatmikthya will not work there.
[SPEAKER_00]: If that was Ram Krishna's view, he would never teach anybody, Rammasaptyam Jagatmikthya.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, Dwaytha, Fishistad Dwaytha, Adwaytha, and then as a corollary, as an implication of Adwaytha Vedanta is the Vigana Vedanta, but what I am just talking with Vigana Vedanta, this Ram Krishna did not say that, he said, Vigana Ravastha.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, this is what he is talking about.
[SPEAKER_00]: then he gives some examples.
[SPEAKER_00]: He gives the example of fire and power to burn.
[SPEAKER_00]: Then he talks about sun and the rays of the sun.
[SPEAKER_00]: Then he talks about milk and its whiteness.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now one cannot think of Brahman without Shakti or Shakti without Brahman.
[SPEAKER_00]: One cannot think of the absolute without the relative or of the relative without the absolute.
[SPEAKER_00]: Next he goes further.
[SPEAKER_00]: what is this play of Shakti?
[SPEAKER_00]: The primordial power that is Shakti is ever at play.
[SPEAKER_00]: What is the play of Shakti?
[SPEAKER_00]: This one, what you are seeing now.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is creating, preserving and destroying in play as it were.
[SPEAKER_00]: This power is called Kali.
[SPEAKER_00]: Kali is very liberalman and Brahman is very leekali.
[SPEAKER_00]: This one and the same reality.
[SPEAKER_00]: When we think of it as inactive, not engaged in
[SPEAKER_00]: engages in these activities, we call it Shakti.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is not that there are two.
[SPEAKER_00]: One is Brahman who is completely inactive.
[SPEAKER_00]: Another one is always active that is called Kali.
[SPEAKER_00]: Kali is somebody who is kind of workaholic and Brahman is a couch potato.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, always lying down on the couch and Kali is always running around doing things.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, it is the same
[SPEAKER_00]: Shiva, Shiva and Shakti.
[SPEAKER_00]: Without Shakti, the tantric says Shiva is Shava.
[SPEAKER_00]: Shava means dead body.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's why you see Shiva lying down and Kali standing with her foot on Shiva's chest.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so, Kali is very dynamic there and Shiva is as if in sleep there.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now they say Shiva and Shakti are the same reality and if you take, if you try to take, you cannot take it every much.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you try to think of Shiva without Shakti, then Shiva becomes shabba.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like completely inactive like a dead body.
[SPEAKER_00]: And see, the beauty of this tantra, it's deeply connected with the Sanskrit language.
[SPEAKER_00]: Think about the spelling of Shiva.
[SPEAKER_00]: This only for those who understand the Dev Nageries spelling, Shah-e-wa.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you take away the E, then that it becomes Shah-wa.
[SPEAKER_00]: Shah-e-wa becomes Shiva.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you take the E away, then only Shah and Bury means Shah-wa.
[SPEAKER_00]: Shah-wa means that body.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is so.
[SPEAKER_00]: And what is E?
[SPEAKER_00]: E in is the mantra of Shakti.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is a Benjamin's mantra of Shakti.
[SPEAKER_00]: See how these things are constructed.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is a deeper meaning, in is the bija mantra of Shakti and if you take that away from Shiva, it becomes shabha.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is why the criticism of Kashmiri shybism against Advaita Vedanta, I don't agree with that criticism, but let me tell you the criticism, I have never cooked another, they say that see the Advaita concept of pure consciousness, without power, is
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like, this is no different from a gutter, like an inner object, like a pot.
[SPEAKER_00]: It does not know itself, it does not know anything else.
[SPEAKER_00]: It just, like, light shining without any object to be reflected on.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a light shining in the darkness of outer space.
[SPEAKER_00]: If there's no object, it will still remain dark.
[SPEAKER_00]: Even though it's full of light.
[SPEAKER_00]: You understand what I mean, when light is coming from the sun to the earth, in between you see it seems dark, but if a satellite goes there or a comet, you can see it is shining.
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's full of light actually.
[SPEAKER_00]: Their criticism of Advaita Vedanta, Kashmiri Shivers is, just that pure consciousness is like a dead body, Shava.
[SPEAKER_00]: If it does not have the power, first of all, it look at our idea of Shiva, Kashmiri Shivers
[SPEAKER_00]: A Dwight idea of ultimate reality is prakasha, prakasha means light, prakasha, light, consciousness.
[SPEAKER_00]: Here, light means consciousness.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, a Dwight, a Vedanta says pure consciousness.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I have to agree, yes, that is what we say.
[SPEAKER_00]: Pure consciousness only prakasha.
[SPEAKER_00]: But we say prakasha, we must, we mean Kashmirishayvas.
[SPEAKER_00]: We must, we must, the capacity to reflect back upon itself.
[SPEAKER_00]: With awareness of itself.
[SPEAKER_00]: pure consciousness plus the awareness I pure consciousness, this is percash of emotion.
[SPEAKER_00]: And this one is there, if this capacity is there, and this gap in fact, between pure consciousness and the inertia, the capacity to reflect back upon itself, this gap is the, and I'm going further, but this gap is from where Akasha emerges, space emerges, and so, so many interesting very sophisticated concepts are there, but anyway, the point there is, unless consciousness is aware of itself, all the time by its own power,
[SPEAKER_00]: And what is the point, it's just like non-existence there, this is become like a stone, like a pot, not capable of illuminating anything else or knowing itself.
[SPEAKER_00]: What is the difference between Advaita Vedanta pure consciousness and a clay pot?
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's poking fun at the classic example of Advaita Vedanta, this is Ghatara, Ghatara, Ghatara, what difference between your domain and Ghatara?
[SPEAKER_00]: But look at our Shiva.
[SPEAKER_00]: Our Shiva is pure consciousness, just like you say, but also aware of his own glory.
[SPEAKER_00]: This awareness of his own glory is Devi, a parvati, a Shakti.
[SPEAKER_00]: And from there comes the universe.
[SPEAKER_00]: This power can vibrate and create project out a real universe.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, this is their criticism.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is what Saddam Krishna is pointing at.
[SPEAKER_00]: When we think it is inactive like Shava, not engaged in action and reservation destruction, we call it Brahman.
[SPEAKER_00]: It engages in activities, we call it Kali.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it is the same reality.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, same reality which is Brahman, same reality which is Kali.
[SPEAKER_00]: He is going little further when Advaita Vedanta would say, yes yes, but Kali is the Shakti of Brahman, Brahman is the reality
[SPEAKER_00]: this is what the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other way the other
[SPEAKER_00]: He says, this is of tremendous significance because, because of this, sustainability rights, Vivekananda becomes the meeting point, not only of East and West, but also of past and future.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a short phrase, but a huge significance.
[SPEAKER_00]: Religions of the world are changing.
[SPEAKER_00]: And they are beginning the old forms are beginning to disappear.
[SPEAKER_00]: Organized religion is losing power.
[SPEAKER_00]: But the hunger for spirituality is there among human beings and newer and newer forms are going to emerge and they will ultimately if they are to be really profound and true they have to be based on this insight, one and the many other same reality.
[SPEAKER_00]: Not only meeting point of beast and west, meeting point of past and future and then this is what makes sustainability right, this is what makes Vivekananda, the teacher of the
[SPEAKER_00]: Karma, not as divorced from Bhakti and Gyanah, but as a manifestation of Bhakti and Gyanah.
[SPEAKER_00]: Otherwise, what had happened was the classical spirituality, pursuit of knowledge, Gyanah, pursuit of samadhi, Dhyana, pursuit of devotion, love, Bhakti.
[SPEAKER_00]: And everything else, Karma, external world is just either a worldly work, karma or ritualistic work, ritualism of karma kinder, all are to be left behind.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because that is false, that is lower, that is samsara, that is illusion, the Bhaktav will say, what do you have to do with that?
[SPEAKER_00]: I love God.
[SPEAKER_00]: That is the most, that is the glory of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't care.
[SPEAKER_00]: I want God, not the glory of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: The yogi will say, all that is distraction.
[SPEAKER_00]: I have to withdraw from it and concentrate on Paramahman.
[SPEAKER_00]: The Giani will say, it is all
[SPEAKER_00]: but the one who understands big gana that means one and the many of the same reality will say, my Lord is in all these forms.
[SPEAKER_00]: Here is the divinity, the same divinity, it is in the good of Raman.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, Vivekananda becomes the great teacher of karma, not divorced from gana and bhakti, but as manifestation of gana and bhakti.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then Sister Nivita, very eloquently, she says, therefore from now on no difference between sacred and secular,
[SPEAKER_00]: only in this philosophy can work become worshipped and then she says to have and hold is adds turn to trust as to quit and renounce.
[SPEAKER_00]: Then she says Vivekananda told us that art, science, and religion are three ways of attaining realization, but you need, then Vivekananda says
[SPEAKER_00]: You can't directly jump to it, not that all artists or scientists are enlightened once.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, it can be.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can use art or science, but only from that one end of many.
[SPEAKER_00]: The traditional adwaita Vedanta will not accept this one.
[SPEAKER_00]: So this also explains the relation between science and religion.
[SPEAKER_00]: Why we, why can't there was interested in science?
[SPEAKER_00]: Traditional adwaita Vedanta with great justification can dismiss entirety of science as Maya.
[SPEAKER_00]: One great Advaita Master, one businesses told me, I've shared this with you, businesses told me that he was sad and he approached one of the greatest living Advaita teachers, this was about 20 years ago.
[SPEAKER_00]: And the teacher asked him, what do you do for a living, instead I am a physicist, I study physics, fundamental physics.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, all that is my leave, all that come here, I will show you the truth.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now this business was a little saddened by this approach.
[SPEAKER_00]: But there are other literature from classical ability perspective, he is absolutely right.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I can logically demonstrate that he is right.
[SPEAKER_00]: You cannot attack this position, that is quite right.
[SPEAKER_00]: But if you want to extend it further, if you want to include science, want to include art, then this one and the many are the same reality, this one has to take it seriously.
[SPEAKER_00]: So this is a new horizon in Advaita Vedam.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not against Advaita Vedam.
[SPEAKER_00]: Never mistake that Sri Ram Krishna is saying, Shankara was wrong, Advaita is wrong.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, no, no, not only was it right.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is, if you ask Sri Ram Krishna, give me one teaching right now, which is powerful and will work.
[SPEAKER_00]: He will give you the Advaita teaching as we saw demonstrated.
[SPEAKER_00]: But here is something that is important for this age.
[SPEAKER_00]: On this, you can base the harmony of religions.
[SPEAKER_00]: He says, what is called Brahman, God, Allah,
[SPEAKER_00]: they are all names of the same reality and say no can't others say that no they can't.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you ask the dualistic religions they will say they are not the same reality.
[SPEAKER_00]: There is a huge debate going on, Muslims, Jews, Christians, do we worship the same God or not?
[SPEAKER_00]: God of the Father of the Christians, do you have the Jews and all of the Muslims are the same God or not?
[SPEAKER_00]: No, and we will kill each other for 2,000 years to show them.
[SPEAKER_00]: From a dualistic point of view, you cannot say each day it is the same, so they are all different.
[SPEAKER_00]: different name, different form, different mythology, different backgrounds, different characteristics.
[SPEAKER_00]: On what basis will you say?
[SPEAKER_00]: They are the same.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can't.
[SPEAKER_00]: It got up at the point, understood this.
[SPEAKER_00]: Parasparamvirudhyanthi, Tairayamnavirudhyanthi.
[SPEAKER_00]: The all these dualistic religions, they fight among each other.
[SPEAKER_00]: Adwaita has no conflict with any of them.
[SPEAKER_00]: So can you reconcile all of this from the
[SPEAKER_00]: The classical arithmetic perspective, go to part of the says, we have no conflict with them.
[SPEAKER_00]: Why?
[SPEAKER_00]: Because we have the truth in their thoughts, tooth has no conflict with falsity, ropes the snake, as it any conflict with the rope, when you mistake the rope for a snake, as the snake any conflict with the rope, no, when there is no water in the desert and it appears in a mirage, as that water, any conflict with the dry desert, no, because it is not real water.
[SPEAKER_00]: how can it be dry and what are you at the same time, only if the water is an appearance of mirage.
[SPEAKER_00]: How can it be a rope and a snake at the same time, only if the snake is an error, rope is real.
[SPEAKER_00]: This kind of reconciliation may be fine for me as an adwaiting.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think all the dualists all they will feel quite insulted by this kind of reconciliation.
[SPEAKER_00]: Shankaracharya comments.
[SPEAKER_00]: comparing non-dualism and dualism is like one man, remember Kerala, elephant, one man going on top of an elephant and another man standing, mad man standing on the path and say, let's have an elephant fight, charge your elephant against my elephant.
[SPEAKER_00]: He has no elephant.
[SPEAKER_00]: So when the dualist come and says whether dualism is right, non-dualism is right, we have nothing to say to him.
[SPEAKER_00]: You don't even have anything.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a mirage, it's an illusion, it's your delusion, only thing you can do is come up to my position as that Swami said, the world dependence to God dependence to self dependence, self-inscapitalists.
[SPEAKER_00]: But now Sri Ramakrishna is saying, no, no, no.
[SPEAKER_00]: all of them are touching the same reality.
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe Advaita is the most sophisticated, rational, logical understanding of same thing, but others have not touched different things.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, Ram Krishna puts it in different ways and many times.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is, I don't deny that Advaita Vedanta is sophisticated, but again in a house where the eldest son says father and the little baby says ba or pa will the father love the baby less.
[SPEAKER_00]: This because the baby doesn't know enough language or cannot pronounce the full name father.
[SPEAKER_00]: Just because you have pronounced the full name for the does it make you a better son of more sophisticated, not necessarily.
[SPEAKER_00]: The difference is minor, both are referring to the same reality, both love and they are both approaching the same, not that one has got the reality and other has got delusion globally.
[SPEAKER_00]: So this is possible from one and the many of the same reality are big gana be that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Anyway, I don't think I have time for the question, but I'll read it out.
[SPEAKER_00]: You have given comments, let me just read out and then we'll stop.
[SPEAKER_00]: but made an interesting comment.
[SPEAKER_00]: That way Swamiji says yogi aditya not seems to be moving into more into Swamiji.
[SPEAKER_00]: We will come this path.
[SPEAKER_00]: Karma yoga blended with other yoga's.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll just make a comment here.
[SPEAKER_00]: people, you know, misunderstand him and say that, oh, is this otherwise interesting politics and Vivekananda for baits, others to be in politics, it is true from our perspective.
[SPEAKER_00]: The Ramakrishna movement clearly, we are not supposed to be political at all, it has been clearly forbidden for us.
[SPEAKER_00]: However, I discovered recently, Vivekananda actually predicted this in a discussion with Swami
[SPEAKER_00]: He's saying that new path of karma, which actually embodies this vignanabhadanda, new path of karma in this new age, young men and women, will realize God through work.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then it can be any work can be spiritualized.
[SPEAKER_00]: Then Turyanji asks sort of skeptically, even politics will there be monks in politics also.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so I'm Vivekananda says,
[SPEAKER_00]: Surely, wait, and you will see Ocargaru-A-Clad monks, Ocar-Clad monks in legislatures.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is the actual words he used.
[SPEAKER_00]: I was immediately reminded of Yogya-Dittena.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, in principle, Vivekananda has no problem with this.
[SPEAKER_00]: And in fact, not only no problem, he saw that this would come.
[SPEAKER_00]: Of course, as far as the particular order, he set up us.
[SPEAKER_00]: It orders to be clearly non-political.
[SPEAKER_00]: Nila Vora says, where does Kundalini yoga fit in this classification in that yogic thing?
[SPEAKER_00]: Atma Paramatma.
[SPEAKER_00]: Then Siddhartha says, Plato has said, light is the shadow of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: Very interesting.
[SPEAKER_00]: Nice way of putting it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Shandley says, when you see that you don't get along with your friends, how it's supposed to treat them as a divinity of human nature of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: They are very difficult.
[SPEAKER_00]: Then it's God is being very difficult with you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Jashri says, is this the Siddha Kunjaka's Totram?
[SPEAKER_00]: Hmm, I'm not sure.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know that's Totram.
[SPEAKER_00]: Ratan Babu says, so to establish the pure Bhagavad is, is it correct to say that one has to first be established in steady wisdom in this life or previous births?
[SPEAKER_00]: One can do it both ways.
[SPEAKER_00]: One can start with love and come to this understanding or one can come to knowledge and then come to this understanding.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not that, I understand what you are saying, it's not that you have to be enlightened in a non-dualistic way and then going to the powers, the five attitudes towards God.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can start with the five attitudes, the devotees start with the five attitudes, and then they can become enlightened.
[SPEAKER_00]: So the great gifts of Shankaracharya and form of devotional Shlokas, he taught Brahma Satyam Jadav Mithyan also, Bhaja Govindam Karek, and how do you reconcile?
[SPEAKER_00]: They don't understand how to put the two together, but now you can see.
[SPEAKER_00]: Shankarath, it's not that Shankarath did not have the realization, Sri Ram Krishna was talking about.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, here at that and therefore, from that perspective, he could happily write devotional hymns and say, aham Ramasmi also.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sounds like Sri Ram Krishna is saying that unless you get enlightenment and not at the way, the will not make sense from one without Shakti, can you please clarify, I know, I think I have already spoken about this.
[SPEAKER_00]: in reference to this statement, but though you reason all your life, unless you're established, Samadhi, you cannot go beyond Shakti, and we talked about this, but which it says, I do not understand why Sistani Virita says Vivekananda, interpreted karma from Bhakti and Gyanad, doesn't Bhagavad Gita teach us that?
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, but Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, as interpreted by Swami Vivekananda, you can see clearly that it teaches us that.
[SPEAKER_00]: But suppose you take Bhagavad-gita as interpreted in the classical commentaries, Advaiti commentaries, then what will happen, karma is a preparation, bhakti is a preparation and gianna is the culmination, or if you take it from Vishestadvaita commentary, karma is the preparation, gianna is the preparation, bhakti will be the culmination.
[SPEAKER_00]: Each of these approaches will
[SPEAKER_00]: Jai Shishankar says, you mean the scientist, Dr. Rajaramanas will be interested in the Shishankar and the society of Pancho.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, nothing as big as that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Somebody else I met.
[SPEAKER_00]: Where did meet Dr. Rajaramanas?
[SPEAKER_00]: Windows says, how did swine river come?
[SPEAKER_00]: The fruit art and science on the basis of the way.
[SPEAKER_00]: A big question.
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll see some other time.
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you very much.
[SPEAKER_00]: Om shanti shanti, hariyom tatsat Sri Ramakrishna Ramakrishna Ramastu.