VCMV 40

VIVEKACUDAMANI
40 MEDITATION VERSES
Talks By Swami Paramarthananda
Transcription by Sri A. Venkatesan &

Sri Bālasubraḥmaṇyam Pattoo
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Swāmī Paramārthānandājī's classes on Vivekacūḍāmaṇiḥ [select 40 verses]
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Transcription by Sri A. Venkatesan & Sri Bālasubraḥmaṇyam Pattoo.
Please communicate corrections to balusha74@gmail.com and also copy to

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&& [Note regarding verse numbering :: The first number is the number of the verse within the 108
verses selected for these classes. The second number is the number of the verse in the
Vivekacūḍāmaṇi text translated by Svami Turīyānanda & published by Ramakrishna Math,
Chennai].
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Swāmī paramārthānandājī's classes on vivekacūḍāmaṇiḥ [40 Meditation verses]
sadāśivasamārambhāṃ śaṅkarācāryamadhyamām I asmadācāryaparyantāṃ vande guru-

paramparām II
As I had announced earlier, I have selected another 40 verses from vivekacūḍāmaṇi itself.
And, I call them ‘meditation verses’, because they can be used for vedāntic meditation.
vedāntic meditation is called nididhyāsanaṃ. All the other non-vedāntic meditations are
called upāsanaṃ. upāsanās are before studying vedānta. nididhyāsanaṃ is after studying
vedānta. And, we are focussing on nididhyāsanaṃ in these verses. Perhaps, at the end of
this series, l will talk about non-vedāntic upāsanā meditation also, briefly. Now, we are
focussing on vedāntic meditation, because in the previous series of 108 verses we have
seen what is vedānta. Classical vedānta. Therefore, I thought, I will complete that series
with this complimentary series dealing with vedāntic meditation also. Previous series is
vedāntic study. This series is vedāntic meditation. Both are complimentary to each other.
Now, before entering into the actual verses, I would like to give you a general introduction
regarding nididhyāsanaṃ, which is spelt ni di dhyā sanaṃ. ni di [third da] dh [fourth dha]
and yā sanaṃ. It is derived from the root ‘nidhyai’ - deep meditation. nidhyāyati. Its
desiderative form is nididhyāsate.
I will talk about 4 topics. 1] Purpose of nididhyāsanaṃ. 2] The candidate for nididhyāsanaṃ.
3] The object of nididhyāsanaṃ - what do you meditate upon. 4] The method or procedure
for nididhyāsanaṃ. So purpose, candidate, object and the procedure. These 4 topics I will
independently deal with, as a general introduction. Then, we will go into the verses.
A spiritual seeker, especially an informed spiritual seeker, approaches a guru, seeking
mokṣa. Being an informed seeker, he already has chosen mokṣa as his or her primary goal,
by understanding the limitations of all the other goals. The other goals in our scriptures are
called dharma, artha and kāma. dharma meaning, puṇyam which will give better next birth.
artha and kāma mean wealth and enjoyment. Sense pleasures. And the veda pūrva bhāga
the first part of the veda, talks about these 3 goals and also about the means of
accomplishing them. They are all wonderful goals, alright. But they are all limited or finite.
Therefore, they will end making us miserable, once again. Therefore, enjoy-suffer; enjoy-
suffer. This will be the series I will go through, if I choose those goals. Many people are
satisfied with dharmārthakāma. And we have nothing to say about them. Wonderful. But
there are some informed people; they become spiritual seekers. muṇḍaka upaniṣad says -
parīkṣya lokān karmacitān brāhmaṇo nirvedamāyānnāstyakṛtaḥ kṛtena । tadvijñānārthaṃ sa
gurumevābhigacchet samitpāṇiḥ śrotriyaṃ brahmaniṣṭham ॥ [1.2.12]
An informed spiritual seeker gives up, rejects dharmārthakāma and seeks mokṣa, because
the scriptures talk about mokṣa as a permanent goal. It is nityam. The other three are
anityam. mokṣa alone is nityaḥ. Not only in vedānta, all the other orthodox systems – like,
sāṅkhya, yoga, nyāya, vaiśeṣika - all talk about mokṣa. They all uniformly define mokṣa as
nityaḥ. Seeking this nitya mokṣa, the śiṣya approaches the guru. And looking at the
qualifications of the student, the guru inducts, guru accepts and starts instructing him.
And, in the very beginning itself, the guru makes one very, very important point. In fact, this
is the foundation of vedānta, which śaṅkarācārya presents in His brahmasūtra introduction -
adhyāsa bhāṣyaṃ - a very, very important point. And, what is that? If mokṣa is nityaḥ, then
that nitya mokṣa must be available in all the 3 periods of time. What is nityam is available in
the past, present and future. Then alone, it is nityam. So, if it is available in the present also,
Meditation - Class 001 – 20th November 2020 – INTRODUCTION Page 1
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being nityam, it has already been accomplished, logically. In Sanskrit, it is called siddhaḥ.
‘yaḥ nityaḥ saḥ siddhaḥ’. mokṣa is always siddhaḥ. An ever-accomplished fact. And if it is
already accomplished - siddhaḥ - then, it can never be a ‘goal’ to be accomplished in the
future! What is already accomplished cannot become a goal to be accomplished in the
future. And in Sanskrit a goal to be accomplished in future is called sādhyaḥ. sādhyaḥ
means, that which is to be accomplished in future. That means, it is not available now. But,
mokṣa being siddhaḥ, it can never be sādhyaḥ! It can never be a goal to be accomplished in
future. sādhya mokṣaḥ is a logical contradiction! It is an unholy combination.
So, what is mokṣa, cannot be sādhyaḥ. What is sādhyaṃ cannot be mokṣa. Money is
sādhyaḥ; it cannot be mokṣa. Sense pleasures are sādhyaḥ, they cannot be mokṣa.
Heaven is sādhyaḥ, it cannot be mokṣa. brahmaloka is sādhyaḥ, it cannot be mokṣa.
Therefore, sādhya mokṣaḥ never exists. siddha mokṣaḥ ever exists.
So, the next question is, should we work for, should we do sādhanās for sādhya mokṣa or
siddha mokṣa? After all, the spiritual seeker has come to the guru as a sādhaka. And some
of them have renounced everything and joined the gurukulaṃ, proudly claiming with all
enthusiasm, ‘I am a sādhak now. I want to do sādhana sincerely, dedicatedly’. So, this
sādhaka, by performing sādhana should accomplish which mokṣa? sādhya mokṣa or
siddha mokṣa? None! You should know the logic. You cannot work for sādhya mokṣaḥ,
because it doesn’t exist. It is an oxymoron. A logical contradiction. Therefore, one cannot
work for sādhya mokṣaḥ. So, should we work for siddha mokṣaḥ? That is also absurd.
siddha mokṣa is something that is already accomplished. Why should I work for something
which is ever accomplished? You have to work only for the unaccomplished. You cannot
work for an accomplished, siddha mokṣaḥ.
So, sādhya mokṣaḥ you cannot work for. It doesn’t exist. And, siddha mokṣa you need not
work for, because it is already here and now. So, naturally, the question comes, ‘if a spiritual
sādhaka is doing various sādhanā s, those sādhanā s are meant for what? For sādhya
mokṣa (SAM) or siddha mokṣa (SIM)? SAM or SIM?’ The guru makes it very clear, ‘we are
working for neither, because we cannot. [I hope you understand. vedānta begins with
“thinking”. If the brain has rusted, you have to dust it and start using it. We cannot work for
SAM or SIM’. Then, what are we working for? To clearly understand SAM and SIM - what
they are - and clearing all our misconceptions regarding SAM and SIM. Clear understanding
of SAM and SIM, clearing the misunderstanding with regard to them. This is our objective.
In adhyāsa bhāṣyaṃ - it is a only a technical word - we are only revealing this unique fact.
Don’t blindly say, ‘I am working for mokṣa. Think well’. But, eventhough the guru makes this
logical point very clear, majority of spiritual students either do not receive this message or
do not register this message. In the cross ventilation - entering through one ear and exiting
through the other ear - this message is either not received or not registered. Still the spiritual
student wants to ‘work for mokṣa’. He claims, ‘I am a sādhana catuṣṭaya saṃpanna
adhikāri. I am a mumukṣu. I am a seeker of mokṣa. I want to work for mokṣa’. And the guru
understands that the śiṣya has missed this point, because it is subtle for him. Or because,
he is over enthused. Ready. On your mark. Ready to start the sādhana. He wants to get the
list of sādhanāni from the guru and start straight away! So much over-enthusiasm, that śiṣya
misses this message. Therefore, the guru decides to go along with the śiṣya. Because he
has left everything and come to him. So, he has to engage him. And therefore the guru
compromises and deliberately gives him a sādhya mokṣa, which really doesn’t exist, which

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is illogical. Oxymoron. He deliberately gives the śiṣya a sādhya mokṣa to work for. Like we
give some work or a mobile game or something to childeren, so that they are busy and we
are free. guru has to give some goal. sādhya mokṣa he has come for. So, give him that.
And that sādhya mokṣa - compromised sādhya mokṣa - given by the guru is the two-
stepped mokṣa, called jīvanmukti and videhamukti. Something to work for. jīvanmukti is
step-1. And videhamukti is step-2. So you have to work for and become jīvanmukta in this
life. That is your goal. And having become jīvanmukta, you have to exhaust your karma.
And once you exhaust your karma, you will get videhamukti. That is next goal. A later goal.
Becoming jīvanmukta is first. Then, becoming videhamukta. And, in videhamukti, you will
merge into brahman, the absolute reality. So, become jīvanmukta; exhaust prārabdha; die
successfully, become videhamukta; then, you will ‘merge’ into brahman. And the advantage
is, thereafter you will never be born – “yatsākṣātkaraṇādbhavenna punarāvṛttir -
bhavāmbhonidhau” - you will not get rebirth. You will escape from body, escape from the
world, never to come again. An escapist, future mokṣa.
The guru is saying all this in keeping with śāstra. guru does not invent. śāstra itself provides
this jīvanmukti videhamukti sādhya mokṣa package. jīvanmukti videhamukti sādhya mokṣa
package is given by the guru. But in his mind, guru’s mind, this is a temporary provision. It is
a provisional sādhya mokṣa, called adhyāropaḥ. Anything provided provisionally is called
adhyāropa in vedāntic teaching, meant for the consumption of junior students. This
provisional sādhya mokṣa - both jīvanmukti and videhamukti as sādhya mokṣa - should be
later dismissed by as senior student. But the guru will not tell that secret now. So, as far as
the śiṣya is concerned, he has been given a sādhya mokṣa. Become jīvanmukta. Become
videhamukta. In future. And the student is all enthusiasm. He seeks the grace of the guru.
‘he guroḥ, I should become mukta, preferably in this janma. Or at least in the next janma I
should get that sādhya mokṣa. He may not use the adjective ‘sādhya’. I am using the
adjective to indicate how illogical it is. With that intention the śiṣya starts his sādhana.
He starts the śravaṇa-mananaṃ project under the guru. jīvanmukti videhamukti kept written
large in front, as a future destination. Keeping that in mind, śiṣya starts śravaṇaṃ and
mananaṃ. śravaṇaṃ means, what? Consistent and systematic study of vedāntic scriptures
for a length of time under the guidance of a competent ācārya. A vedānta course. There is a
syllabus, prasthāna trayaṃ is there. bhagavadgītā, important upaniṣads and brahmasūtra. 3
levels he has to go through. bhagavadgītā, upaniṣads and some allied prakaraṇa granthās.
prakaraṇa grantha means, certain independent works on vedānta, based on bhagavadgītā
and upaniṣads, written by various ācāryās. vivekacūḍāmaṇi is a prakaraṇa grantha. Thus,
prakaraṇa granthās are also included in the syllabus, because they assist in understanding
bhagavadgītā and upaniṣads properly. prakaraṇa granthās play a very important role.
Thus, a vedānta course consists of at least bhagavadgītā, upaniṣads and few prakaraṇa
granthās śravaṇaṃ he has to go through. And through śravaṇaṃ alone he must gain,
receive the message of vedāntic teaching. Different prakriyās are used, talking about world,
god and jīva. jīva-jagat-īśvara are analyzed, using various methods of communications,
called prakriyās. 7 questions dealing with 7 topics we saw in the previous series. I am
assuming that the listeners of this series have minimum gone through the previous series,
so that you will know how elaborate the study is. śarīratraya viveka, pañcakośa viveka,
śriṣṭi, brahma satyaṃ - jagan mithyā, and later mahāvākyaṃ, mahāvākya vicāra. The entire
syllabus he has to go through and receive the final message, called tātparyaṃ, the cream of

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vedānta. The butter extracted from vedānta. And that cream we saw in the previous series.
“brahma satyaṃ”, “jagan mithyā”, “jīvo brahmaiva nāparaḥ”. brahman alone is absolutely
real. The world is seemingly real, borrowing reality from brahman. And that brahman is none
other than the very jīva, the student who is seeking mokṣa! jīvo brahmaiva, nāparaḥ.
I have to receive this message and should ask, ‘am I convinced?’ Receiving the message is
important. Even more important is, I should be convinced. Only then I can apply vedānta for
benefiting my life, for transforming my life. Otherwise, I cannot apply. It will just remain
information. It will remain the idea of the guru or upaniṣad. Information I cannot apply,
unless I am convinced. Therefore, to apply it in life, to anchor my life on this teaching, I
should be convinced. It should not be mere lip service. mananaṃ is therefore very
important. In fact, brahmasūtra is primarily a manana grantha. Lot of logical analysis.
bhagavadgītā is called smṛti prasthānaṃ. upaniṣads are called śruti prasthānaṃ. And,
brahmasūtra is called nyāya prasthānaṃ. Lot of logical analysis. Because, for an active
intellect, logical questions will come. For many people, it may not come. They are
convinced, okay. But, if I have too many questions, I will have to go through nyāya
prasthānaṃ, where all possible questions of lay people as well as other schools of
philosophy - including modern science - are addressed. All those concepts they have
visualised and analyzed. Not only prasthāna trayaṃ, we have commentaries, sub-
commentaries, sub-sub-commentaries, sub-sub- sub-commentaries.
So, śravaṇaṃ gives me the knowledge - “brahma satyaṃ”, “jagan mithyā”, “jīvo brahmaiva
nāparaḥ”. And conviction also I get through manana enquiry, either independent enquiry or
enquiry with other students or with the guru himself. And many students will get convinced,
because it presents the teaching in such a way. prakriyās are so designed. If a student is
sincere, committed, systematic and serious, then conviction is possible. But there are some
students who will say, ‘I am convinced about “brahma satyaṃ”, “jagan mithyā”, “jīvo
brahmaiva nāparaḥ”, but I find it difficult to replace the word ‘jīva’ by the word ‘ahaṃ’.
“brahma satyaṃ”, “jagan mithyā”, “jīvo brahmaiva” – no problem. ‘aham brahmaiva’, I feel
hesitant. Conviction is there. But I cannot use the word ahaṃ in the place of jīva. Many
students tell openly. ‘When we say that, something happens. We are on pins and needles.’
And they give the reason, ‘because, we feel, we are not qualified enough’. We have seen
the qualifications mentioned in the śāstra itself in the previous series. Hope you have not
forgotten. viveka, vairāgya, ṣaṭka saṃpattiḥ, mumukṣutvaṃ - so many ślokās śaṅkarācārya
wrote. Also I said, these qualifications are attained through karmayoga, upāsana yoga and
bhakti. That too, niṣkāma bhakti. So many people say, we understand “brahma satyaṃ”,
“jagan mithyā”, “jīvo brahmaiva nāparaḥ”. But we cannot say, “brahma satyaṃ”, “jagan
mithyā”, “ahaṃ brahmaiva nāparaḥ”. The guru then cannot go to next step. One has to
claim, ‘ahaṃ brahmaiva’. Else, there are deficiencies in qualifications. Or, some obstacles or
other. Sometimes, known and detectable. Sometimes, unknown and undetectable.
Then, the guru has to say, ‘continue śravaṇa mananaṃ, but boost your qualification. Have a
booster dose of karmayoga and upāsana yoga, especially niṣkāma bhakti. [All this I talked
in the previous series]. You just continue all that seriously, and continue śravaṇa mananaṃ
also. By that, the qualifications will improve. As I said, vairāgyaṃ - detachment from the
pañca anātmā is the toughest. Generally indicated by the worries. Mental preoccupation
indicates which anātmā is occupying the mind. In vairāgyaṃ, the advantage is, I will take
care of the anātmā, but they won’t pre-occupy the mind. Whereas, in attachment, they

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occupy the mind. There will be deficiency. Therefore, “brahma satyaṃ”, “jagan mithyā”, “jīvo
brahmaiva nāparaḥ” very clear. I know the logical steps. pañcakośa viveka, I know.
mahāvākya viveka, I know. jahatī lakṣaṇa, ajahatī lakṣaṇa are all thorough. And, ‘you are
teaching so well. But …’ Which word, guru never wants to listen. ‘But I can never say “ahaṃ
brahmaiva nāparaḥ”. Until the student can say that, śravaṇa, mananaṃ should continue.
For the teaching to be clear, śravaṇa mananaṃ should be continued. For qualifications to
be optimum - we do not require 100%; optimum qualifications will do. For that we have to
continue karmayoga and upāsana yoga. That is why even in gurukulaṃ saṃnyāsis also will
have to do the karma the guru gives. And also practice upāsana, japa. guru gives the
mantra. If one doesn’t have a mantra, guru gives & asks him to do japa. Some traditional
mantra. People are creating new mantrās now. We say, traditional śāstric mantra.
So, let us assume now that a student has gone through śravaṇaṃ and mananaṃ and he is
fortunately qualified enough that he is able to say, “brahma satyaṃ”, “jagan mithyā”, “ahaṃ
brahmaiva nāparaḥ”, which is the final message of vedānta. The tātparyaṃ. siddhāntaḥ. It is
the conclusion. Which means, ‘I am brahman, the absolute reality’. To use an idiom from my
previous series, ‘I am the super-waker, the consciousness principle. ‘I’ have 2 śaktis. māyā
śakti and nidrā śakti. With māyā śakti, ‘I’ create the vyāvahārika dream, the jāgratprapañca.
With nidrā śakti, ‘I’ project the prātibhāsika dream, the svapna prapañca. ‘I’ project 2
dreams. vyāvahārika dream and prātibhāsika dream. ‘I’ project both and lend existence to
both and ‘I’ make them ‘appear’ real. But they are mithyā.
And, where am ‘I’ located? ‘I’ cannot be located in time and space. Because, time and
space themselves are māyā - nidrā projections. Through māyā ‘I’ project the waker’s time &
space. Through nidrā ‘I’ project dreamer’s time & space. Time and space are located in
‘me’. ‘I’ do not have a location. ‘I’ am behind everything. ‘mayyeva sakalam jaatam’.
In śravaṇaṃ, one has to go through the important upaniṣads. Generally, I talk about 6
upaniṣads in the second level. I have given three levels of vedānta course. Level one is
bhagavadgītā and a few prakaraṇa granthās. Level 2 is, a few upaniṣads and a few more
prakaraṇa granthās. Level 3 is brahmasūtra and a few more prakaraṇa granthās. At least
levels 1 & 2 one should go through. Then only I will be convinced. Through śravaṇaṃ and
mananaṃ I can get aparokṣa jñānam. Because, vedānta is pramāṇaṃ. mahāvākyaṃ is
capable of giving “ahaṃ brahmāsmi” aparokṣa jñānaṃ to the prepared student.
Now the question is, once the student has received this message and is convinced, what
should he do further? It is for such a student, vedānta introduces a 3rd sādhana, called
nididhyāsanaṃ. “ātmā vā are draṣṭavyaḥ śrotavyo mantavyo nididhyāsitavyaḥ”
[bṛhadāraṇyaka]. To gain aparokṣa jñānam, “śrotavyāḥ, mantavyaḥ nididhyāsitavyaḥ”.
So now, we have to connect to the 4 topics. 1] Purpose of nididhyāsanaṃ. 2] Candidate of
nididhyāsanaṃ. 3] Object of nididhyāsanaṃ. 4] And, the procedure of nididhyāsanaṃ. First,
we will deal with ‘the candidate’. I will change the order.
1] Who is the candidate? He is the one who has kept jīvanmukti-videhamukti packaged
sādhya mokṣa and has gone through śravaṇaṃ and mananaṃ. And, he has got the
message loud and clear. ‘ahaṃ satyaṃ brahma’, ‘jagan mithyā’. Thus, the one who has
successfully gone through śravaṇaṃ and mananaṃ and is convinced, he is the candidate
for nididhyāsanaṃ. All others are either not convinced of the 3 statements – “brahma
satyaṃ”, “jagan mithyā”, “jīvo brahmaiva nāparaḥ” - the tātparyaṃ of vedānta; or, they

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claim, ‘I am convinced of those three, but I cannot say, ‘ahaṃ brahmaiva nāparaḥ’, because
I am deficient in qualifications. As long as students are in either of these 2 conditions, to
them the guru advises, ‘continue karmayoga, upāsana yoga, niṣkāma bhakti’. But śravaṇaṃ
and mananaṃ are the primary sources of knowledge, because in śravaṇaṃ alone vedānta
pramāṇaṃ is available. Meditation is not a pramāṇaṃ. Meditation cannot produce any
knowledge, whether it is worldly or spiritual. Because, jñānam is generated only by one of
the 6 pramāṇaṃs. Meditation does not come under any pramāṇaṃ. In śravaṇaṃ alone
vedānta śabda pramāṇaṃ is available. And so, knowledge should come. Thus, śravaṇaṃ
mananaṃ should continue. Qualification-boosting sādhanās should continue, until I am able
to say, “ahaṃ brahmāsmi” doubtlessly. He is the candidate.
2] Purpose of nididhyāsanaṃ. Now the next question is, if the knowledge is clear, what then
is the purpose of nididhyāsanaṃ? Only one is the direct purpose. There are many
secondary purposes. But primary one is, internalising this message. brahma bhāva prabalī
karaṇaṃ. Internalising means, it should go to my sub-conscious mind. Not just my
conscious, but sub-conscious mind. So that, even in dream or in any provoking situations, I
remember that, ‘I am brahman’. And also all its charecteristics - jagatadiṣṭhānaṃ, akartā,
abhoktā, nityam, śuddhaṃ … All that we are going to see in these 40 mediation verses.
śaṅkarācārya will give so many descriptions of brahman. And, ‘that brahman, such a
brahman I am! such a brahman I am! such a brahman I am!’ I don’t learn anything new in
nididhyāsanaṃ. I recall and repeat what I have learnt, through internalising.
So, ‘brahma bhāva prabalī karaṇaṃ’. Not only that, ‘jagan mithyātva prabalī karaṇaṃ’.
Thus, vedāntic meditation includes ‘world meditation’ also. Many people think it is only
brahma dhyānaṃ. It is not merely brahma dhyānaṃ. prapañca dhyānaṃ, anātma dhyānaṃ
is also included. And in the anātmā we should definitely include the 5 anātmās which are
disturbing us. Body, mind, family, possession and profession - these 5 anātmās should be
brought in meditation field and jagan mithyātvaṃ should be clearly registered. Because, all
the time - even after years of vedāntic study - we continue to attribute reality to them. This
attribution of reality to the world is a sub-conscious activity. Therefore, jagan mithyātvaṃ
has to percolate even in the sub-conscious mind. Now we find even in conscious mind it is
difficult to accept that. So, we must tackle both the conscious and sub-conscious levels.
‘jagan mithyātvaṃ’ ‘pañca anātma mithyātvam’ and my relationship with all of them must be
very clear. ātmā being asaṅgaḥ, ātmā is incapable of any relationships; satyaṃ can never
have relationship with mithyā. A boy in waking state cannot marry ‘a dream girl’, a girl in
dream! Because, they belong to 2 different orders of reality. Therefore, I am incapable of
any relationship with any anātmā, anātmā being mithyā. But, with these pañca anātmā, I
entertain strong attachment. Therefore, ‘anātmā mithyātvaṃ’ and ‘ātma satyatvaṃ ‘ both
must be deeply internalised. So, this is the primary benefit.
And, there are so many secondary benefits. One benefit is, jīva bhāva durbalī karaṇaṃ. ‘I
am an individual jīva’ consisting of ahaṅkāra. ‘I am so and so’. And, mamakāra. ‘These
people are related to me’. And, ahaṅkāra - mamakāra will make rāga - dveṣa stronger. Not
only countless rāga dveṣa, because I want to control the ‘enclosed area’. I have fenced a an
anātmā portion, which really belongs to bhagavān. I have encroached upon it. So,
bhagavān has given me punishment. What is that? Worry! Therefore, I have an agenda for
all these anātmās. It should happen in the way I want. Nothing elase should happen, All the
time stress anxiety.So, jīva bhāva means, duṣṭa catuṣṭayaṃ. ahaṅkāra, mamakāra, rāga,

7
dveṣa are the 4 enemies. And, the more I practice brahma bhāva, the jīva bhāva gets
diluted, ahaṅkāra, mamakāra, rāga, dveṣa get diluted. Emotional reactions come down. FIR
reduction takes place. That is a corollary, a spin-off, secondary benefit. Primary benefit is,
‘ahaṃ satyam’ ‘jagan mithyā’ internalisation.
Then, the next corollary I want to emphasise is, that the guru in the beginning of the vedānta
course clearly pointed out that, ‘there is no sādhya mokṣa. It is a logical contradiction’. But,
since the śiṣya was not in a mind-set to receive that message, guru had given a
‘compromised’ sādhya mokṣa in the form of jīvanmukti and videhamukti package. That was
a compromise given during adhyāropa stage, for a junior student. Now that I am a senior
student practicing nididhyāsanaṃ, I must do apavāda of the sādhya mokṣa. Whether I call it
jīvanmukti or videhamukti, the idea of any type of sādhya mokṣa, to be accomplished in
future, should be deliberately dropped. I have to repeat, ‘mokṣa is not a goal for me. It does
not exist as a goal. On the other hand, as brahman, I enjoy mokṣa. Freedom from saṃsāra
is my intrinsic nature. ‘ahaṃ nityamuktaḥ asmi’.
Don’t ask, ‘whether I am jīvanmukta or not?’ The very word will bring in sādhya mokṣaḥ. If
somebody asks, ‘are you a jīvanmuktaḥ’, I only smile. You can decide to label me a
‘jīvanmukta or not’. In my mind, the jīvanmukta label is removed. Because, it can cause
vedāntic saṃsāra. Initially jīvanmukti is an inspiring word. But later, it can cause vedāntic
saṃsāra. Therefore, replace the words jīvanmukti and videhamukti by nityamukti, which
alone is there. ‘ahaṃ nitya muktam brahma asmi’. Therefore, in my dictionary the words
jīvanmukti – videhamukti, the packaged sādhya mokṣa, I remove by apavāda. apavāda
means, removal of what has been earlier introduced. Like a doctor’s puts a stitch or
bandage to close a wound. It is very important. But you cannot remain permanently with
that. Scaffolding is introduced for a building, temporarily. But later removed. jīvanmukti -
videhamukti is initially introduced, But with ‘nitya mukta ahaṃ’ knowledge, we forget those
two words. ‘ahaṃ nitya muktaṃ brahmāsmi’. And in ‘me’ the drama is going on.
This is the secondary benefit of nididhyāsanaṃ. Primary benefit is, internalisation of
teaching. Secondary benefit is, by introducing ‘jīva bhāva durbalī karaṇaṃ, FIR reduction
and getting out of jīvanmukti - videhamukti concept and coming to nityamukti, which ‘I’ am.
So, we have seen ‘the purpose’. We have seen ‘the candidate’. The other questions we will
address in the next class.
ॐ पण
ू ्
र मद पण
ू ्र �मद पण
ू ार्त्पूण्
र मुदच | पण
ू ्
र स पण
ू ्
र मादा पण
ू ्
र मेवाव�शष्य | ॐ शािन्त शािन्त शािन्त ||
[NOTE - Transcription by M/s A. Venkatesan & P.Bālasubraḥmaṇyam. Please communicate corrections to balusha74@gmail.com]
&& [Note regarding verse numbering. The first number is the number of the verse within the 40 verses selected for these classes. The
second number is the number of the verse in the vivekacūḍāmaṇi text translated by Svami Turīyānanda & published by Ramakrishna
Math, Chennai].

8

paramparām II
In the last class, I introduced 4 topics regarding vedāntic meditation, otherwise also called
nididhyāsanaṃ. These 4 topics are, the candidate, the purpose, the object, and the method.
Of these, the first two we already saw.
The candidate or the primary candidate is one who has successfully gone through
śravaṇaṃ and mananaṃ and who has received the message, “brahma satyaṃ”, “jagan
mithyā”, “jīvo brahmaiva nāparaḥ”. It is a fact for him. And he is also qualified enough to
replace the word jīvaḥ with the word ahaṃ and claim, “brahma satyaṃ”, “jagan mithyā”,
“ahaṃ brahmaiva nāparaḥ”. So, this student is a senior student, who is ready for
nididhyāsanaṃ. The junior students must focus on śravaṇaṃ, mananaṃ, karmayoga and
upāsanayoga, until they also can say “ahaṃ brahmāsmi”, without reservation. Even though
a senior student is the primary candidate, others also can practice nididhyāsanaṃ.
vidyāraṇya swāmī says in pañcadaśī, ‘the only difference is, when they say ‘ahaṃ
brahmāsmi’, it will not be a fact for them. It will be just an imagination, a visualisation. It will
become some kind of a upāsanaṃ’. vidyāraṇya says, ‘that is also ok. It will also help in
improving the qualification. For senior students, ‘ahaṃ brahmāsmi’ is a fact. For junior
students, ‘ahaṃ brahmāsmi’ is only an imagination. vidyāraṇya says, ‘imagine. It’s ok’. In
fact, śaṅkarācārya goes one step further in His brahmānucintanaṃ He says, ‘those who
cannot practice nididhyāsanaṃ, who cannot imagine ‘ahaṃ brahmāsmi’, they can even
recite the nididhyāsana ślokās! Even recitation will spiritually elevate a person’. Therefore,
anybody and everybody can listen to these topics. Impact, however, will depend upon the
level of each student. For a senior student, all these ideas are facts. He is dwelling on these
facts. Therefore, I would say, a senior student is the mukhya adhikāri, the primary
candidate.
Regarding the purpose of nididhyāsanam, these are 3-fold. A] The direct purpose is,
internalisation of this knowledge. ‘I am not a jīva, I am brahman’. And it should enter into my
sub-conscious mind while I confront in all the situations of life. So, ‘I am brahman and not a
jīva’, I internalise. I do not tell others. I confront every situation as brahman and not as jīva.
This should happen naturally. My response also as brahman and not as jīva. Very tough.
But it can be worked-out. That is what these verses indicate. It requires internalisation.
Internalisation, also called jñānaniṣṭhā, is one purpose.
B] Then the second purpose, an indirect purpose is reduction of ‘me-mine misconception.
ahaṅkāra-mamakāra dilution, I said. Me-mine misconception and consequent raga-dveṣa,
attachment and anxiety. Me-mine misconception [MMM] and consequent attachment-
anxiety [AA]. They will all come down as a spin off or by product. FIR reduction.
C] And third important purpose is, the mokṣa goal misconception must go away. Thinking of
mokṣa as a goal I have to accomplish is no more. mokṣa goal is presented for a junior
student. But mokṣa as a goal is negated for a senior student. So, pre-mahāvākya vedānta
says, ‘mokṣa is the greatest goal’. Post-mahāvākya vedānta says, ‘mokṣa is not a goal,
because, as brahman, it is my very nature. nididhyāsanaṃ removes the misconception of
mokṣa as a goal. ‘I have to attain mokṣa’ - I call vedāntic saṃsāra, which lay people do not
have. Unique saṃsāra for a vedāntic student – ‘I should get mokṣa, at least in next birth!’ I
said, sādhya mokṣa doesn’t exist. It is temporarily introduced for a junior student. Let a
Meditation - Class 002 – 23rd November 2020 – verse 1 Page 1

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junior student continue to think of mokṣa as the greatest goal, but a senior student must
deliberately give-up that idea. Replace it with, ‘I am not a mumukṣu. I am nitya mukta’.
So, the third benefit is, mokṣa goal misconception goes away. In short, the three benefits
are 1] internalisation of knowledge. 2] me-mine misconception and consequent attachment
& anxiety go away. 3] misconception of mokṣa as a goal will also go away. These are the 3
purposes or benefits. Up to this we saw in the last class.
3] The third topic is, ‘what the object of meditation?’ In that meditation, in nididhyāsanaṃ,
what should be the pattern of thinking that I should entertain? Or, should I remove the
thoughts. As I have very often said, vedāntic meditation doesn’t involve removal of thoughts.
That belongs to yoga śāstra. For them, citta vṛtti nirodha and nirodha samādhi is the
destination. That is not ours. For us, nididhyāsanaṃ involves thinking. So, the natural
question is, ‘what should be the thinking pattern?’ For that the ācārya says, ‘we are giving
you the content to be thought of’. śaṅkarācārya himself has given several nididhyāsana
ślokās. His independent works, exclusively meant for nididhyāsanaṃ. ‘advaita
pañcaratnaṃ’, ‘nirvāṇa ṣaṭkam’, ‘nirvāṇa daśakaṃ’, ‘nirvāṇa mañjarī’, ‘svarūpānu
sandhānaṃ’ or ‘svarupānusandhānāṣṭhakaṃ’, ‘brahmajñānāvālī mālā’, ‘brahmānu
cintanaṃ’. Seven works. Each one having minimum of 5 verses and maximum of 30 verses.
We can fix anyone. We can select ślokās according to what is relevant. We can learn them
by heart and use the meaning of the ślokās for nididhyāsanaṃ. Because, all those ślokās
present only one message - “brahma satyaṃ”, “jagan mithyā”, “ahaṃ brahmaiva nāparaḥ”.
In short, the object of meditation is the three-fold conclusion of vedānta. “brahma satyaṃ”,
“jagan mithyā”, “ahaṃ brahmaiva nāparaḥ”. We take the conclusions only for meditation.
The senior students know how these conclusions were arrived at. Because, during
śravaṇaṃ and mananaṃ, he has gone through all the steps and arguments leading to these
conclusions. He knows what are the steps through which I concluded - ‘brahman is the only
reality’. And the senior student knows all the arguments by which he came to the conclusion
– ‘the world is unreal’. He doesn’t question that because, he knows the arguments for that.
As a senior student, he knows all the steps by which he arrived at ‘ahaṃ brahmāsmi’ - jagatī
lakṣaṇa, ajagatī lakṣaṇa, vācyārtha, lakṣyārtha, upādhi-upahitaṃ - all these he knows. In
śravaṇa - mananaṃ, steps are also there, conclusions are also there. Whereas, in
nididhyāsanaṃ, all the steps are deleted. Only the conclusions are meditated upon.
That is why, for others, these conclusions seem meaningless. But, a senior student, in
meditation, does not dwell upon the steps. If anyone asks, he can tell all the steps. He
should remember the steps. In meditation, however, he does not focus on the steps; he only
meditates on the conclusion, using the chosen nididhyāsana ślokās. Therefore, the object of
meditation is the 3-fold conclusions, as revealed by the nididhyāsana ślokās.
Not only śaṅkarācārya, many ācāryās have given such ślokās. And, here we are taking the
meditation ślokās. In vivekacūḍāmaṇi Itself in 2 places śaṅkarācārya gives. In one place as
the guru’s advice he gives the content of meditation. guru upadeśa rūpeṇa. And the second
occasion is when the śiṣya practices nididhyāsanaṃ, comes back to the guru and he
presents what type of nididhyāsanaṃ he did. And, how he looks upon himself then. So,
every student should go to the guru and declare, ‘he guro, now post-mahāvākyaṃ, I look
upon myself in this manner alone. Not only now, hereafter for the rest of my life I will remain
so. I will confront life in this manner only’.

10
We are going to see all those ślokās. 10 ślokās are given through the mouth of the guru and
30 ślokās coming from the mouth of the śiṣya. All of them are nididhyāsana ślokās.
Therefore, the object of meditation is not thoughtlessness, but dwelling upon the three-fold
conclusion of vedānta with the help of nididhyāsana ślokās. When we try to meditate by
ourselves, we may go blank. Family worries etc. are waiting. Therefore, initially at least, we
have to use these ślokās. After sometime, we get the pattern. Initially these ślokās serves
as a road-map. Thereafter, you will find, we can create our own nididhyāsana pattern of
thinking. And if we know sufficient Sanskrit, we can even compose ślokās! Until then, we
need the assistance of nididhyāsana ślokās. Therefore, we use the ślokās as the object of
meditation. This is the third topic.
4] The 4th and final topic is, ‘what is the method, procedure or steps that we should follow?’
Here, vedānta gives options, unlike other upāsanās or meditation. Non-vedāntic meditation
or upāsana requires lot of rules to be followed. Rules are there for sandhyā upāsanaṃ,
gāyatrī upāsanaṃ, prāthaḥsandhyā, mādhyānnika sandhyā. Whether you should sit, where
you should sit, which time you have to practice, which directions you have to face - those
niyamās are there for non-vedāntic upāsana or meditation. Whereas, nididhyāsanaṃ is free
from all those rules. The reason ācārya gives is, in upāsana we not only expecting visible or
experienceable result, upāsanās are meant for adṛṣṭa phalaṃ of puṇya-pāpaṃ also. So, the
experienceable results - sensory discipline, mental discipline - are all dṛṣṭa phalaṃ. Are
experienceable. But, the same upāsanās - especially the śāstric ones, when I do according
to śāstra - will also generate spiritual puṇyam. Very, very useful in boosting my qualification.
Thus, for upāsana, rules are important. Whereas, for nididhyāsanam, option is given. Only
thing is, your mind should be totally occupied with this three-fold conclusion. Whatever be
the posture, whatever be the circumstances, if the mind fulfils that one condition, you are in
nididhyāsanaṃ. It may be while eating, it may be while walking - during your daily walk if
you are dwelling on this, you are in nididhyāsanaṃ! It is called brahmābhyāsa rūpa
nididhyāsanaṃ. From yoga vāśiṣṭha this is often quoted.
taccintanaṃ tat kathanaṃ anyonyaṃ tadprabodhanaṃ I ekadeha paratvaṃśca
brahmābhyāsaṃ vidurbudhā II
You only think of these 3 conclusions, whatever be the circumstances. If your mind is totally
occupied in that, you are in nididhyāsanaṃ. ‘taccintanaṃ tat kathanaṃ’ - if you are sharing
that with others, either informally or as formal teaching, … Teaching is a wonderful form of
nididhyāsanaṃ. I can endorse, because I love teaching only because I find that as the best
form of nididhyāsanaṃ I can have. That is why I am not even worried whether somebody is
listening or not. I thoroughly enjoy this nididhyāsanaṃ process. ‘tat kathanaṃ anyonyaṃ
tadprabodhanaṃ’ - mutual discussions between 2 students or just continuing the śravaṇaṃ.
Even though after mahāvākyaṃ I don’t require śravaṇaṃ, I continue the śravaṇaṃ, but use
the śravaṇaṃ for these 3 benefits. That is important. 1] Learning to think of self as brahman.
2] Minimising me-mine; minimising attachment and consequent anxiety; and 3] getting out of
mokṣa goal misconception. Keeping these 3 purposes if I listen to vedānta again & again,
that itself is śravaṇābhyāsa rūpa nididhyāsanaṃ, sureśvarācārya says in naiṣkarmyasiddhi.
Thus, so many options are there. But there are people who are very, very busy. To those
people if you say, ‘you can do it at any time’, it may never happen. As somebody said, if you
want a person not to read a book, gift him that book. Once he owns the book, he will feel, ‘I
can read it at any time’. So, he will never read it! Similarly, once you say, ‘you can do it in
11
any manner, however’, it may not happen. But it happens effortlessly to a saṃnyāsi who
does not have any other vyavahāra. nididhyāsanaṃ happens to him. That also
sureśvarācārya says in his bṛhadāraṇyaka vārtikaṃ. ‘aparāyatta bodhohi nididhyāsanaṃ
ucyate’. After understanding mahāvākyaṃ if he doesn’t do anything else, the only thing that
happens is nididhyāsanaṃ! It is called aparāyatta bodha - natural nididhyāsanaṃ. Because
I love some topic, and I do nothing else, no other preoccupations. So, helplessly vedānta
comes! For such a person it may happen naturally.
But, for the majority, it may not happen. It is those people who have to stipulate some
regular time, like setting aside time for prāthaḥsandhyāvandanaṃ, mādhyasandhyā-
vandanaṃ etc. It is better for those people to set a regular time and go through the formal
steps also. That method kṛṣṇa has described in the 6th chapter of gītā, where the ‘yoga
śāstra’ steps are followed. āsana – a proper seat is spread on the floor in a meditation-
friendly place. A pūjā room or a separate meditation room or the study room. A proper
place. A proper āsanaṃ. Posture. prāṇāyāma. Practice slow breathing - in and out – for
some time, being aware of the breathing. “prāṇāpānau samau kṛtvā. nāsābhyantara-
cāriṇau” [5.27] Why? Because, breathing and thoughts are interconnected. In anger, our
breathe is fast & shallow. So, prāṇāyāma. Then, pratyāhāra. Deliberately withdrawing the
sense organs and the mind from the pañca anātmā, especially from the family members.
Tough. Withdrawing the sense organs and mind. pratyāhāra. Otherwise called, damaḥ.
Then, dhāraṇa, bringing the mind to the object of meditation. vedāntic teaching is the object
of meditation here. Taking away from the world is pratyāhāra. Bringing it to vedānta is
dhāraṇa. Then, dhyānaṃ. dhyānaṃ means, attempting to remain in the vedāntic field only.
Trying to avoid distracting thoughts. vijātīya pratyaya means, distracting thoughts; sajātīya
pratyaya means, vedāntic thoughts. So, ‘vijātīya pratyaya anantarita sajātīya pratyaya
pravāhaḥ’. Trying to remain in vedānta. In class also. Different students have got different
attention spans. They can listen to the class, alright. How long? 10 minutes! Then a break.
Again,10 minutes. Very difficult to listen for 60 minutes continuously with same attention.
Therefore, it is a tug of war. That tug of war is called dhyānaṃ. sajātīya pratyaya will come.
Then, suddenly, vijātīya pratyaya will come. Son, daughter or spouse will come. Sometimes,
Swāmīji also may come. So many things.
yato niścarati manaścañcalamasthiram । tatastato niyamyaitadātmanyeva vaśaṃ nayet ॥
[gītā 6-26]
Mind goes out and again comes back. So this process of fluctuation is called dhyānaṃ. And
samādhi means, the distractions have ended. I am absorbed undistractedly. It is called
samādhiḥ. nir-vikalpa samādhi. vikalpa means division or distraction. So, nir-vikalpa means,
distraction free. samādhiḥ means, absorption. It happens. We know what it is. We
experience it. Suppose it is a T20 cricket match and your favourite team is playing for paly
off or final. Last over. Six balls 12 runs. My god. It is such a grippy moment, that we are in
nirvikalpa samādhi. It is not unknown. A known situation, we all have experienced. States of
absorption. Generally, in the field of worry. Therefore, that absorption is happening in this
field. vedāntic preoccupation.
So, our culmination is nirvikalpa samādhi, which is different from yogic nirvikalpa samādhi.
For them, the destination is thoughtless nirodha samādhi. End all the thoughts. We do not
believe in that. For us, it is thought direction. Not thought cessation. Why do we say so?
Because, when we are absorbed in this thought alone, this thought will go to our sub-
12
conscious mind. In thoughtlessness, it won’t happen. Only when I entertain this thought,
deliberately, without distraction, it will go into my sub-conscious mind, because I want to
internalise it. Therefore, āsanā, prāṇāyāma, pratyahara, dhāraṇa, dhyāna, nirvikalpa
samādhi; that is, undistracted absorption. Or, undivided attention. samādhi doesn’t mean
thoughtlessness. samādhi means, citta ekāgrata. In tattvabodha itself we saw –
‘samādhānaṃ kiṃ? citta ekāgratā’. samādhi or samādhānaṃ means, absorption. Undivided
attention to this. So, this is the procedure. A person may follow this formal procedure,
especially when he cannot do nididhyāsanaṃ informally, at will, at any time. So, he requires.
But we never say, it is compulsory and that it is the only method.
Thus we have samādhi abhyāsa rūpa nididhyāsanaṃ, brahmābhyāsa rūpa nididhyāsanaṃ,
śravaṇābhyāsa rūpa nididhyāsanaṃ. What is important is, nididhyāsanaṃ should happen.
And what is the proof, it is happening? The three-fold benefits should come. I should
confront my life as brahman, not as jīva. Is my, me-mine misconception is coming down?
In one of our gurupūrṇimā talks I used an expression ‘CLASP rejection’. Now a days I am
not using it very often. So many words I create. I myself forget also! ‘CL’ standing for
claiming ownership and controllership. I am the owner of this 5-fold anātmā. I am the
controller of my children. They should do what I want them to do. Nothing else. Control! We
are not able to control our own body and mind! Where is the question of controlling others!!
We desperately want to control. Therefore, ownership and controllership rejection. I am just
a user and a contributor. I use. I contribute. I do not own. I do not control anything. So, ‘CL’
stands for ‘claiming ownership and controllership’. And, '‘A’ is the natural consequence of
this, ‘anxiety’. The more you want to own and control, anxiety increases. Whether they will
listen to me or not? What type of decisions they will make? So, ‘A’ stands for ‘anxiety’, all
the time. And, ‘SP’ stands for ‘special prayer’. I want things to happen in a particular way.
Therefore, I take a vow. I will go to Guruvayur. I will go to Tirupati. I will shave my head. I
will do tulābhāram. All kinds of vows, called ‘SP’ – ‘special prayer’. kāmya karmāṇi increase.
So, CLASP is increase in ownership, controllership, anxiety, special prayer. And
nididhyāsanaṃ must help me come out of that CLASP. Rejection. I won’t.
nāsthā dharme na vasunicaye naiva kāmopabhoge yad bhāvyaṃ tad bhavatu
bhagavanpūrvakarmānurūpam | etatprārthyaṃ mama bahumataṃ janmajanmāntare'pi
tvatpādāmbhoruhayugagatā niścalā bhaktirastu || [mukundamālā, verse 5]
A fantastic śloka. I stress the second line. “yad bhāvyaṃ tad bhavatu bhagavan
pūrvakarmānurūpam”. ‘I am ready for anything’. This should increase. Then, nididhyāsanaṃ
is happening. That is the indication of success in nididhyāsanaṃ.
Thus, you can practice sitting meditation or you can practice any other type. But,
nididhyāsanaṃ is important for a senior student. Thus, we have covered all the 4 topics.
Candidate, purpose, object, and the methods. With this background, we will enter the 40
verses. In that, verses 1 to 10 are numbered 254 to 263 in the original vivekacūḍāmaṇi text.
These alone, I said, are Swāmi Chinmayananda’s favourite verses. He always told the
students to get them by-heart. I will generally tell what is the approach in these 10 verses.
In all these verses the 4th line is the same. And the 4th line is ‘brahma tat tvaṃ asi’. ‘tat
brahma, tvaṃ asi’ - mahāvākyaṃ. Now, śaṅkarācārya or the guru in vivekacūḍāmaṇi is
instructing the disciple. ‘We have analysed the mahāvākyaṃ. And, you have understood it
and are convinced’. This is addressing such a student, who is already convinced of

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mahāvākyaṃ. So, ‘that brahman you are’, I have taught you. You have received the
message. Now, I am giving you the instruction – ‘ātmani bhāvaya’. Do not stop with just
attending the classes. You must do lot of homework. ‘bhāvaya’ is home work. ‘bhāvaya’
means, meditate. Dwell upon. [bhū dhātu. Causal. madhyama puruṣa, eka vacanam. tvaṃ
bhāvaya. bhāvayati]. bhāvaya means, ‘may you meditate’. ‘ātmani’ - in your mind. Do not
transcend the mind. Use the mind. ātmani. In whose mind? In your mind. So, “brahma
tattvamasi bhāvayātmani”. May you meditate upon this fact. This is the 4th line.
And in the first 3 lines, the glories of brahman are extracted from different upaniṣads.
śaṅkarācārya has done a detailed home-work and has given us an easy, fast ready to
consume food. You need not go and search. In all these 10 ślokās, the glories of brahman
are described in the first 3 lines. And He says, ‘such a glorious brahman you are’. By that,
what śaṅkarācārya means is, a senior student should meditate ‘ahaṃ brahmāsmi’. But he
should not blindly repeat ‘ahaṃ brahmāsmi’. Mere repetition is not nididhyāsanaṃ. You
must take all these glories and learn to claim, ‘these glories are my glories’. If I am brahman
and brahman is glorious, if a=b and b=c, then a=c. Thus, ‘I am glorious. I am not a
miserable jīva’. That idea of jīva should be wiped-out from our sub-conscious mind. ‘I am not
a miserable jīva. It is just a veṣam, a drama, dream No. 2. A vyāvahārika dream. I am a
super-waker. And I read each glory of each line, and instead of saying, ‘brahman is glorious’
… That everybody will say. All theological systems say, ‘god is great’. Even other religions
say, ‘god is great’. vedānta's uniqueness is, replace the word ‘brahman’ by the word ‘I’. So
the most important word in nididhyāsanaṃ is ‘I’. ‘I am brahman, the glorious, the greatest’.
And, here, in the 4th line, the teacher is instructing the student, ‘may you meditate’.
Suppose I repeat only the 4th line as it is, it will mean, I am instructing someone to meditate!
Therefore, the 4th line only we will have to re-cast to suit our meditation. And that is why, I
have made a 5th line as a replacement for the 4th line. So, ब्र त�वह�महे �त भावये - ‘brahma
tattvahamiheti bhāvaye’. I will give the meaning of that also. ‘tat brahma ahaṃ’. The teacher
said, ‘you’. That I am converting into ‘ahaṃ’. So, ‘tat brahma tu aham’. tu means, indeed,
definitely, doubtlessly. ‘avadhāraṇārthe brahma tat tu ahaṃ’. ‘I am brahman’. When am ‘I’
brahman? iha. Here & now. Because, mokṣa is not in future. iha is very important. Here &
now ‘I’ am brahman. nityamuktaṃ brahma. I will never look forward to mokṣa. That is
injustice to mahāvākyaṃ. Before mahāvākyaṃ that is okay. After mahāvākyaṃ, looking
forward to mokṣa is injustice to mahāvākyaṃ. Senior students must take a vow, ‘I will never
look for mokṣa. I will claim I am nityamuktaṃ brahma’. So, iha. iti - in this manner. bhāvaye -
I am. Or, I meditate in nididhyāsanaṃ. In this manner I look upon myself. Thus, the 4th line
only we are recasting for the purpose of nididhyāsanaṃ. In all 10 verses, the 4th line will be
replaced by ‘brahma tattvahamiheti bhāvaye’.
This is the background information. I will read the śloka twice. First time you listen. Second
time you try to join me. Verse No. 1.
जा�तनी�तकुलगोत्दर ूर नामरूपगुणदोषविजर् त | दे शकाल�वषया�तव�तर यद ब्र त�वम�स भावया̄त्�न ॥ ( ब्र
त�वह�महे �त भावये) [mantra 01] [254] &&
jātinītikulagotradūragaṃnāmarūpaguṇadoṣavarjitam I deśakālaviṣayātivarti yadbrahma
tattvamasi bhāvayātmani II [brahma tattvahamiheti bhāvaye]
Verse is in a peculiar metre. Therefore, we have to chant like this only. So, the first 3 lines
are descriptions of the glories of brahman. What brahman? The senior students must

14
remember. We saw in vivekacūḍāmaṇi series 1. Previous series, verse 67. “satyaṃ jñānam
anantaṃ brahma”. brahman is sat, satyaṃ - the existence principle which is everywhere.
When I say table ‘is’, chair ‘is’ etc., the ‘is’-ness in everything is brahman. sat or satyaṃ.
‘sadeva somya’ [chāndogya]. Senior student does not require explanation. He remembers
all the classes. Then, the second one is ‘jñānam’. jñānam is not knowledge. jñānam means,
consciousness principle, which is available as consciousness also in the living beings. And,
it is available as existence, everywhere. It is available as existence and consciousness, in
all living beings, including in this body also. That existence-consciousness is a formless
principle. You cannot imagine it in any form.
That formless, all-pervading existence consciousness principle - brahman - has all these
glories. What are these glories? “jāti nīti kula gotra dūragaṃ”. The jīva, the body, has got
jāti. jāti means, birth. And later, jāti refers to caste systems, varṇa also. brāhmaṇa kṣatriya
vaiśya śūdra etc. in those days when the caste systems was relevant. I do not want to get
into a controversial topic. The categorisation based on birth is jāti. nīti we will see later. kula
means, family. I belong to this family. The family name. So, individuality. Then family
personality. Iyer, Iyengar, Reddy, Yadav … Bihar elections. Krishna’s descendants. So they
are all family. Then, gotra. gotra means, lineage, traced from a ṛṣi. ṛṣi series. āṅgirasa,
ambarīṣa, … they call it pravaraṃ. When they say abhivādaye while doing namaskāra, they
declare, I belong to this ṛṣi lineage, I follow āpasthmbha sūtra, follow this śākā, etc. In their
life, everything is dependent on these things. These designations indicate the type of rituals
to follow, the festivals etc. When a child is born, nāmakaraṇaṃ. All these things are based
on varṇa, āśrama, kula, gotra. These are all there for the jīva. That is important. jīva has all
this. And because of that, there are rules & regulations, nīti. nīti means, stipulations to be
followed. Instructions to be followed. Also called, dharmaḥ. jāti dharma, kula dharma, gotra
dharma. Hindu society is heavily guided / regulated by the scriptures and rules. All indicated
by the sacred thread. I bind myself. It is a voluntary bondage. As a jīva I had all of them.
And now, post mahāvākyaṃ, I am discarding my jāti, kula, gotra and nīti. Those dharmās
also belong to the adhyasta jīva, superimposed jīva. They belong to my veṣam. But I am the
brahman behind in the green room. ‘I’ am free from all of them. śaṅkarācārya says in
nirvāṇa daśakaṃ, ‘na varṇa na varṇāśramācāra dharmāḥ’ – ‘I’ don’t have these varṇāśrama
dharmās. varṇāśrama dharma is a voluntary discipline meant for transcending later. So,
when it is not followed properly and when it is misused or abused, it becomes the notorious
caste system. Now, the very word disturbs many people, including hindus also. So, I don’t
want to enter into controversy. For a jīva all these are mentioned. For ‘me’, the brahman, all
these are not there. brahman is dūragaṃ - is far away from all this.
Then, ‘nāma-rūpa guṇa-doṣa varjitam’. nāma-rūpa means, the world of names and forms.
Everything in the world is nāma & rūpa. I should not be explaining these during
nididhyāsanaṃ session. In the previous series we have seen the details. Either remember
or revise. The whole world is a nāma-rūpa projection. Every object is nāma-rūpa. The ‘is’-
ness in the object does not belong to nāma-rūpa. It belongs to brahman. And this nāma-
rūpa prapañca, world of names & forms, is full of guṇa and doṣa. guṇa means, virtues. doṣa
means, flaws, weaknesses, drawbacks, limitations. That is what we find. Every family
member has got very good virtues. And, some problems too. But we generally focus only
the problems. The moment you think of that member, you only remember the doṣās! Many
couples fall in love seeing only the other’s virtues. In fact, sometimes seeing the non-

15
existent virtues! In romance, it is said, you tend to see what is not there. In vedānta,
romance is translated as śobhanādhyāsaḥ. They fancy things and fall in love. After
marriage, every doṣa will stand-out. Therefore, the marriage does not last. In Hinduism,
marriage is not based on compatibility. It is based on karmayoga. We have to have a family
life to follow karmayoga and we have to grow out of all these things. So, the vedic divorce is
saṃnyāsa. It is there for everyone. You have to grow out of all relationships. So, guṇa and
doṣa everybody has. brahman is nāma rūpa guṇa doṣa varjitaṃ. It is an all-pervading
existence. It pervades everything. But it doesn’t have the guṇa and doṣa of anything.
‘anāmakaṃ arūpakaṃ’ [māṇḍūkya kārikā]. guṇa doṣa varjitaṃ brahma. First, we say,
‘brahman is’ Then every student will say, ‘wonderful, brahman is so great. God is great.’
Then the climax is, ‘that brahman you are’. Shift the focus. Don’t look for meditating on that
brahman. You will get blankness only. We are not looking for brahman. We are claiming, ‘I
am that brahman’ without objectifying it. ‘I’ the consciousness principle. Details in next class.
ॐ पूणर्मद पूणर्�मद पूणार्त्पूणर्मुदच | पूणर्स पूणर्मादा पूणर्मेवाव�शष्य | ॐ शािन्त शािन्त शािन्त ||
&& [Note regarding verse numbering :: The first number is the number of the verse within the 40 verses selected for these classes. The
Math, Chennai].

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Swāmī paraṃārthānandājī's classes on vivekacūḍāmaṇiḥ [40 Meditation verses]

paraṃparām II
Verse No-1. This time I am going to try another tune, a slightly musical one. Those who find
it difficult can use the previous tune itself, when they chant privately. I will chant all 4 lines
together. Then I will chant a 2nd time after a small gap. At that time you can try to join me.
जा�तनी�तकुलगोत्दर ूर नामरूपगुणदोषविजर् त | दे शकाल�वषया�तव�तर यद ब्र त�वम�स भावया̄त्�न ॥ ( ब्र
jātinītikulagotradūragaṃnāmarūpaguṇadoṣavarjitam I deśakālaviṣayātivarti yadbrahma
tattvamasi bhāvayātmani II [brahma tattvahamiheti bhāvaye]
So, the student is attempting nididhyāsanaṃ, because he is convinced that mahāvākyaṃ is
the tātparyaṃ of all the upaniṣads. ‘That message is the tātparyaṃ. And my entire aim for
coming to vedānta is receiving this message alone. Hereafter, this message is going to be
the anchor of my life. This mahāvākyaṃ message will be the basis for responding to all the
situations of life. I am making a paradigm shift from jīva-pradhāna outlook to brahma-
pradhāna outlook’. [In my other classes I talk about ‘format change’. Triangular to binary
format. Perhaps I will talk about it later. Here, it is total revamping of one’s outlook].
First of all, one should ask oneself, ‘am I ready?’ Because, it is going to be a complete
changeover. A senior student is one who is ready and who comfortably undertakes this
change in outlook. I should not consider myself as a miserable jīva anymore, born as an
individual, hoping to ‘merge’ into brahman later. There is no question of ‘merging’ into
brahman in my dictionary, because ‘I am brahman’. So, where is the question of ‘future
merger?’ Thus, I am going to change everything, like changing the measurement units scale
from FPS system to CGS system. From foot, pound, second etc. to centimetre, gram,
second etc. It will take time for us to get used to that. I can understand when somebody
tells, ‘it is 36-37 degrees Celsius’. But when he says, ‘it is 100 degrees Fahrenheit’, I don’t
get an idea, because it is a new paradigm. Similarly, here I am making a complete paradigm
shift and that too in my very own inner personal, private life. In my public life however, I
have to use the previous pattern only. I have to behave as a jīva. Otherwise, they well send
me to a mental hospital. I am considered sane only when I commit the same mistakes as
other saṃsāris. Therefore, I should use the jīva-based outlook in my worldly transactions. In
privacy, I should discard that and learn to think as brahman, who is never going to come or
go, but in whom everything - including time, space and galaxies - is coming and going.
Importantly, these should not be just mere words for me; they must be meaningful
statements. It’s a huge shift.
And therefore śaṅkarācārya said, “brahma tattvamasi bhāvayātmani”. May you make a
paradigm shift based on this mahāvākyaṃ. ‘I’ centred paradigm shift. Therefore, “jāti nīti
kula gotra dūragaṃ” – ‘I’ don’t have varṇa āśrama etc. They are all working arrangements
for worldly transactions. They are veṣams ‘I’ put on, like the uniform I put on for my job. ‘I’
put on the jīva uniform when ‘I’ transact with the world. But in privacy, ‘I’ remove that jīva
uniform. ‘I am brahman’. śaṅkarācārya says if you are ready, do that. Thus, ‘I’ am free from
jāti nīti kula gotra. dūragaṃ - ‘I’ am not even away. ‘I’ am far away from all of them. “nāma-
rūpa guṇa-doṣa varjitaṃ”. ‘I’ am the anāmakaṃ, arūpakaṃ brahma. Both names & forms
are superimposed on ‘me’. Even the name brahman is a vyāvahārika name for transaction.
At pāramārthika level - “yato vāco nivartante” - even the word ‘brahman’ cannot be applied.
Meditation - Class 003 – 27th November 2020 – verses 1 to 4 Page 1

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Up to this we saw in the previous class. I hope you are ready for this discussion.
Throughout, all the 40 verses are going to be in this pattern. Even if you feel that you are
not ready for that, at least you can listen to and get some idea about ‘what it takes it to be a
jñāni’ - you can get a theoretical idea. If you are able to appreciate and enter into the
brahman shoes, you are welcome. It may be tough. Or, at least theoretically knowing what it
is, I consider it fantastic. Now, we will go to the third line.
“deśa kāla viṣaya ativarti yat brahma”. That brahman transcends, deśa kāla and viṣaya. It
doesn’t have time coordinate. It doesn’t have space coordinate. You cannot ask ‘when’ is
brahman? You cannot ask the ‘where’ is brahman? And, ‘viṣaya ativarti’, brahman is not
one of the ‘things’ in the universe for us explore and identify, like the ‘god particle’ they tried
to isolate. It is not something within time and space for you identify. Therefore, deśa kāla.
viṣaya means, vastu. ativarti - it transcends. That does not mean it is physically away from
time and space. It is in & through time, space; but, unconditioned by time and space. Just
as, dream time & space are in the waker’s mind only. But the waker himself is not
conditioned by that dream time & space. Waker is in & through the dream time & space, but
is unconditioned by them.
Similarly, brahman is the existence - consciousness in time and space. Or, is in & through
time & space, but it is not conditioned by time & space. That’s why ‘existence’, can’t be
limited by time. ‘Is’, ‘is’, ‘is’. Therefore, brahman transcends time & space and is objectless.
‘tat brahma’ - that brahman, may you note, ‘tvaṃ asi’. In nididhyāsanaṃ you should
internalise enough to bring about that paradigm shift. Therefore, ‘tat tvaṃ asi’. And,
śaṅkarācārya says, ‘initially there will be a jerk. There will be a reaction. Therefore,
‘bhāvaya’. Practice. ‘ātmani’ - in your mind. This is verse-1. Now we will go to verse-2. I will
read twice. First time you listen, and the second time, please try to join.
यत्पर सकलवागगोचरं गोचरं �वमलबोधच�ुषः । शद
ु ्ध�द्नमना�द वस्त यद बह् त�वम�स भावयात्म� ॥ (ब्र
तत्व्ंह�महे� भावये) [mantra 02] [255] &&
yatparaṃ sakalavāgagocaraṃ gocaraṃ vimalabodhacakṣuṣaḥ I śuddhacidghanamanādi
vastu yad brahma tattvamasi bhāvayātmani II (brahma tattvahamiheti bhāvaye)
[There’s no gap between lines. After cakṣuṣaḥ you don’t give a gap; continuously you read].
“yat paraṃ brahma”. That ‘yatparaṃ’ in the first line should be connected with brahman in
4th line. ‘yat paraṃ brahma’ - that brahman, which has been revealed in the upaniṣad, as
though it is some extraordinary entity in the cosmos! When we hear about brahman initially,
we assume there is some ‘extraordinary entity’ somewhere. This is called parokṣa. And we
described that parokṣa brahma as ‘paraṃ, the absolute. The definition of paraṃ is in the
previous śloka 3rd line – ‘deśa-kāla viṣaya ativarti’ - that which is in & through world’s time &
space, but is unconditioned by world time & space! Called, ‘the absolute reality’. And from
which standpoint, this world is called, ‘empirical reality’. Dream is called, ‘subjective reality’.
When we say, ‘empirical reality’, what we really mean is, ‘it is as good as unreal’. Empirically
real means, ‘it is unreal’. It doesn’t have existence apart from brahman. Dayānanda Swāmījī
says, ‘it is like saying “ever silver”. ‘Ever silver’ means, “never silver”!! Similarly, ‘empirically
real’ means, ‘not real’! But that word ‘not real’ will disturb. And so, we compromise and use
the word ‘empirically real’. Therefore, that which is ‘absolutely real’ is brahman only!

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“sakala vāk agocaraṃ” - it is not available for description through any conventional words.
Because, all the words in all languages and in all the dictionaries of the world are meant to
talk only about things and beings within time & space. Our vocabulary is designed in such a
way that they are not meant to reveal empirical things. So, we don’t have any word in the
dictionary for brahman. Therefore, it cannot be described through any word. Even the words
- ‘brahman’ ‘existence’ ‘consciousness’, etc. - are empirical words, which are compromised
expressions only. brahman can be described as ‘existence’ only in the context of names &
forms. Because, only when names & forms are available, I can experience their ‘existence’.
If names & forms are dismantled, even the word ‘existence’ will not convey anything!
Therefore, even that word cannot be applied for brahman. Therefore we say, that which is
never ‘directly’ describable. But, only indirectly indicatable.
“sakala vāk agocaraṃ” means, ‘not accessible for any of the words, but available only for
indirect indication.’ ‘lakṣaṇāvṛtti’. With nāma-rūpa you should appreciate brahman as
‘existence’ - like mike ‘is’. There are 2 words. I appreciate ‘mike’ness and ‘is’ness. If so,
what is brahman? You should remove the mike, mentally. And, you should appreciate the
‘is’ness alone! How to do that? That is the indirect indication. I give you the mixture of
‘mike’ness and ‘is’ness. I ask you to drop the ‘mike’ness and appreciate the ‘is’ness. Of
course, when you try, it will become ‘am’ness, which will become ‘consciousness’. All very,
very subtle. Here, we are addressing the senior student, who has done years of śravaṇa-
mananaṃ of bhagavadgītā, prakaraṇa granthās and upaniṣads, including māṇḍūkya. All
these discussions, he has gone through. Here we are talking about such a senior student.
Therefore, too many explanations need not be given. I do not propose to give also.
“gocaraṃ vimalabodha cakṣuṣaḥ”. And, even though brahman is not describable through
words, ‘vimalabodha’ means, clear knowledge, “ahaṃ brahmāsmi”. Here, bodha means,
knowledge. aparokṣa jñānaṃ. And, ‘gocaraṃ’. gocaraṃ means, it is available for claiming in
the knowledge “ahaṃ brahma asmi”. That is called bodha cakṣuḥ, jñāna cakṣuḥ. Like the
third eye! Because, jñāni is able to comprehend that brahman in the statement, ‘ahaṃ
brahmāsmi’. [‘vimalabodha cakṣuṣaḥ’. bahuvrīhi. vimalabodhaḥ eva cakṣu yasya jñāninaḥ].
For a jñāni who has got the eye of clear wisdom ‘ahaṃ brahmāsmi’ - for the one with that
wisdom eye - ‘gocaraṃ’, brahman is comprehensible. If it is totally incomprehensible, you
can’t / need not work for brahma jñānaṃ. Whole vedānta will become redundant. It must be
possible to comprehend, somehow. And that ‘somehow’ is aparokṣa jñānaṃ. And, when I
use the word ‘aham’, I take the consciousness part only, excluding the pañcakośās,
śarīratrayaṃ. That consciousness part alone I claim - and I can claim - as the
consciousness. “ahaṃ brahma asmi” – ‘I’ am brahman. So, ‘vimalabodha cakṣuṣaḥ’.
What is its nature? “śuddha cidghanam anādi vastu”. [In the book it looks like ciddhana. It
should be ‘cidghana’]. Unadulterated consciousness, pure consciousness, which is unmixed
with anything. This is to convey a technical point. I had mentioned this in previous series.
Every anātmā that is available within time and space comes under vastu-guṇa, substance-
attribute combination. Anything you point at in the world, is a substance, mixed with
attribute; or, an attribute, mixed with substance. You can never experience pure substance
or pure attribute. Thus entire creation is a combination of substances & attributes. That is
the nature of ‘matter’. Matter always is in the form of substance - attribute combination.
Whereas, consciousness is the only ‘entity’ … [we cannot even say, ‘substance’! But we
have to use some word]. So, consciousness is the only ‘principle’ or ‘entity’, which is neither

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‘substance’ nor does it have any ‘attributes’. Therefore, it is called ‘cidghanam ekarasaṃ’.
‘śuddha cidghana’ - which is pure consciousness. [Whenever I say pure consciousness, you
should immediately mentally run through the 5 features. I am assuming you are a senior
student. I won’t repeat the 5 features]. Then, “anādi vastu”. ‘anādi’ means, beginningless.
Therefore, endless. And, ‘vastu’ means, reality. One of the meanings of vastu is reality.
[vasati asti sarvadā iti vastu. The only thing which exists all the time is called vastu].
“yad brahma tattvamasi bhāvayātmani”. ‘yat brahma’. So, when brahman is described like
that, we will try to conceive of that brahman; we will try to experience that brahman. Our
biggest orientation is, working for ‘brahma anubhava’! We remove all our thoughts and wait
for brahma anubhava to come!! It will never come, because brahman is available as
‘consciousness’ before removing the thoughts; as ‘consciousness’ during the absence of
thoughts. As ‘consciousness’, brahman is available all the time. It is not going to make itself
available in a particular experience. But due to our conditioning, we look for that! Therefore,
śaṅkarācārya says, ‘you cannot experience brahman; because, you the experiencer, are
that non-experienceable brahman!’ He says, ‘tat brahma tvaṃ asi bhāvaya ātmani’.
Now, I will take my own sentence. I have to use it. ‘brahma tat tu ahaṃ’. In meditation I
should say, ‘that brahman indeed, I am’. Which means, each description of brahman I
should claim to ‘my’self. ‘I’ am beyond words. ‘I’ am pure consciousness. ‘I’ am beginning
less. … I have to practice applying each of the descriptions to ‘me’ in the word ‘I’. ‘iha iti
bhāvaya’. śaṅkarācārya is pleading, requesting. Because, only then the teaching is
complete. The student should not go with a hope of ‘getting’ jīvanmukti and videhamukti.
That will be remaining in adhyāropa vedānta. Such a one will permanently remain a junior
student. No. We have to drop all those concepts. There is only one mukti. That is nitya
mukti. Any other mukti will be anitya mukti. And, anitya mukti is not mukti. Therefore, let us
drop all those expectations. All these things I have to tell myself. Lot of dialogue with myself.
‘O Mind, drop these ideas. How long are you going to entertain those expectations? Already
you are a 25-year long student! Have studied bhagavadgītā, upaniṣads, brahmasūtra,
naiṣkarmya siddhi, pañcadaśī, upadeśa sāhaśrī … So, how long are you going to hold on to
this idea that ‘I should become jīvanmukta and videhamukta’? When are you going to say, ‘I
am nityamukta’? That is what the guru expects from the student. Non-binding expectation of
the guru. Otherwise, he will become a saṃsāri, disappointed! So, “brahma tat tu ahaṃ iha iti
bhāvaye”. ‘iha’ is very important. Here and now. ‘iti bhāvaye’ – thus, I mediate. Next śloka.
षड्�भरू�मर्�भरय यो�गहद-भा�वतं न करणै�वर्भा�वतम । बद
ु ्ध्यवेद्यमनमिस् यद बह् त�वम�स भावयात्म�
॥ (ब्र त�वह�महे �त भावये) [mantra 03] [256] &&
ṣaḍbhirūrmibhirayogi yogihṛd-bhāvitaṃ na karaṇairvibhāvitam I buddhyavedyam-
anavadyamasti yad brahma tattvamasi bhāvayātmani II (brahma tattvahamiheti bhāvaye)
The first 3 lines are description of brahman. “ṣaḍbhiḥ ūrmibhiḥ ayogi”. ‘ayogi’ means, not
connected with, not affected by. ‘ūrmi’ means, a huge wave. Lashing wave in the ocean.
And here, the idea is, the ocean of saṃsāra. Every jīva is in the midst of the ocean of
saṃsāra, looking upon himself as the pañcakośa anātmā. Without doing pañcakośa viveka
he identifies with pañcakośa anātmā, which is within time & space. The pañcakośās will be
continuously lashed by the waves of saṃsāra. These waves are enumerated as 6 in
bṛhadāraṇyaka upaniṣad, 3rd chapter, 5th section, kahola brāhmaṇaṃ. “yo'śanāyāpipāse
śokaṃ mohaṃ jarāṃ mṛtyumatyety etaṃ vai tamātmānaṃ viditvā brāhmaṇāḥ”.

20
So, the 6 waves are – [1&2] - ‘jarā’ and ‘mṛtyu’ - old age and death. These 2 waves lash the
physical body. Nobody can escape. Even avatāra śarīrams cannot escape. avatārās came;
the avatārās also disappeared. So, divine bodies also will be lashed by jarā and mṛtyu. jarā
means, old age. mṛtyu means, death. These are 2 waves associated with annamaya kośa.
Then, [3&4] – ‘aśanāyā’ and ‘pipāsā’. aśanāyā means, hunger. aśituṃ icchā – desire to eat,
hunger. pipāsā means, pātuṃ icchā - desire to drink water, thirst. Hunger and thirst are 2
waves that continuously lash the prāṇamaya kośa. Once the prāṇa functions for some time,
all the food will be digested / consumed, because prāṇa has to give energy to the body,
which it must draw from food and water. So, prāṇa gets exhausted. At regular intervals it
needs replenishment of food and water, which is expressed as discomfort. Thus, these 2
waves lash the prāṇamaya kośa. So, 2 waves for annamaya and 2 waves for prāṇamaya.
Then, [5&6] – ‘śoka’ and ‘moha’ for manomaya. śoka means sorrow. moha means delusion.
Worry and conflict. Continuous conflict, because human beings don’t want to make any
wrong decision. They want to make the right decision every time and succeed.
Unfortunately, we can never know - even with best of intellect, knowledge and inputs -
whether our decision will be successful. A major bypass surgery one may have to undergo.
Doctor says, success rate is 50-50 or 60-40. So, should I or should I not? Already I am 75
years old. Some say, you go ahead. Some others say, why after 75 you want to undergo a
bypass? Conflict. Conflict is because, I do not want to fail. Nobody wants to fail. Tragedy of
human life is, we are always parviscient, not omniscient. Ignorant, not all-knowing. We have
no way of knowing until results come, whether our decision is correct or not.
That means, we must be prepared for failure, which might have serious consequences.
Even getting the children married. If 3 choices are there; which one to choose? If 2 job
offers are there, which one to choose? Especially in major decisions, buddhi can never
avoid conflict. ‘sarvabhūtāni sammohaṃ sarge yānti parantapa’ [gītā]. So, buddhi means,
conflict. We really are left with only 2 choices. Either take a wild risk or a calculated risk!
Risk-free decision is not there. buddhi thus always encounters conflict. And, consequent
worry, anxiety. śoka means worry or grief. moha means delusion or conflict. We can put
both in manomaya kośa itself or you can say, śoka belongs to manomaya. Conflict belongs
to vijñānamaya. Either way, anātmā will always have lashing waves. You cannot escape.
Therefore, the only way out is, we should learn to transcend the anātmā by pañcakośa
viveka and allow the anātmā to go through its lot, which is unstoppable. Even bhagavān
kṛṣṇa was born in jail. Rāma had to spend years in the forest. All indicting that pañcakośa
will always have its lot. There is no method of saving the pañcakośās from the waves. The
only way is, go to that brahman, which transcends the six waves. Therefore, ācārya says
here, “ṣaḍbhir ūrmibhir ayogi”. In my regular classes I give the example of sugrīva and vāli.
Chased by elder brother vāli, who was so powerful that if he catches, he will thrash him,
sugrīva runs all over. That is why he later tells Rāma, ‘I know every nook and corner of my
kingdom. I will send people everywhere in search of sī tā. I have been chased all-over by
vāli’. Finally, sugrīva finds one area - ṛṣyamukha mountain - where, because of a curse, vāli
cannot enter. If vāli enters there, his head will burst. sugrīva knew that. Therefore, he
reaches there and taunts vāli to come and get him. vāli burns with rage. Yet he couldn’t do
anything. Every one of us is a sugrīva. And the 6 waves are the vāli. Anywhere you go they
will chase. There is only one area where they cannot come. That is called brahman. Why? It
is ayogi. yujyate iti yogi. na yujyate. So, brahman is free from these 6 ūrmibhiḥ or waves.

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Then, “yogihṛd-bhāvitaṃ” - such a brahman is always meditated upon by the yogis. yogi
means, a senior vedāntic student, nididhyāsana kartā, dhyāna yogi of the 6th chapter of the
bhagavadgītā. The 6th chapter is called dhyāna yogaḥ. So, ‘yogihṛt’ means, the heart of the
dhyāna yogi. ‘bhāvituṃ’ means, meditated upon, without objectification. That is why
Dayānanda Swāmīji defines nididhyāsanaṃ as, ‘meditating on the meditator’. So, ‘bhāvituṃ’
means, meditated upon as, ‘I am’, without objectification. Why so? “na karaṇaiḥ vibhāvitam”
- because, it cannot be visualised, objectified, by any other instrument. karaṇam means, the
instruments. jñānendriyāṇi, karmendriyāṇi etc. You can take it as all pramāṇāni also.
yattadadreśyam agrāhyam agotram avarṇam acakṣuḥśrotraṃ tadapāṇipādam nityaṃ
vibhuṃ sarvagataṃ susūkṣmaṃ tadavyayaṃ yadbhūtayoniṃ paripaśyanti dhīrāḥ [muṇḍaka]
Many upaniṣad mantrās stress this. [In fact, there is a commentary for vivekacūḍāmaṇi by
Chandrasekara Bharati Swāmī who was the head of Sringeri mutt, two-three generations
before. He has written a commentary for almost 500 plus verses. Only for last few verses he
didn’t write. And, for all verses he gives corresponding upaniṣad mantrā references. That
commentary is so beautiful]. So, here, “na karaṇaiḥ vibhāvitam” - not objectified through any
instrument. Therefore, it has to be subjectified, not objectified. That means, it should be
claimed as ‘myself’. And, when I claim it as ‘myself’, the word ‘I’ - by bhāga tyāga lakṣaṇa -
should mean the ‘consciousness component’, but exclude the pañcakośa. So, vibhāvitam.
Then, “buddhi avedyam”. Means, not knowable to, not objectifiable by the intellect also. This
is more an explanation of ‘na karaṇairvibhāvitam’. Not knowable to intellect also as an
object, but the intellect has to claim, ‘I am brahman’, without objectification. There is no
phalavyāpti, only vṛttivyāpti. And, “anavadyam asti”. ‘anavadyaṃ’ means, nirdoṣa. avadyaṃ
means, doṣaḥ. vadana ayogyaṃ - that which cannot be talked about, unmentionable. What
is unmentionable? avadyaṃ or doṣaḥ. So, ‘anavadyaṃ’ means, ‘nirdoṣaḥ’. “anavadyam
asti” - brahman is free from all draw-backs.
“yat asti”. When we get these descriptions, you will imagine ‘how great brahman must be!’
śaṅkarācārya says, remember – ‘tat tvaṃ asi’ - that brahman you are! Practice, claiming.
And I am successful in the meditation only when I derive the 3 benefits [which I said in the
last class. I do not want to repeat. I will wait for some more classes for you to forget and
then I will repeat]. So, those 3 benefits I should get. ‘tat brahma tu ahaṃ iha iti bhāvaya’.
भ्रािन्तकिल्पतजगत्क स्वाश् च सदसद्�वल�णम । �नष्कल �नरुपमावद्� यद बह् त�वम�स भावयात्म�
bhrāntikalpitajagatkalāśrayaṃ svāśrayaṃ ca sadasadvilakṣaṇam I niṣkalaṃ nirupamāna-
vaddhi yad brahma tattvamasi bhāvayātmani II (brahma tattvahamiheti bhāvaye)
[Very nice]. I would say, vedānta class is generally the only place where we are consistently
glorified and praised. Everywhere else you go, we only get a different type of arcana! ‘You
are useless’. Everybody criticises. There is only one place where the guru consistently
glorifies. Whether it is fact or not, it is nice to hear! And imagine, when I understand it as
fact, how wonderful nididhyāsanaṃ must be! It is not a routine I have to somehow manage.
It is the most enjoyable exercise. Who doesn’t enjoy talking about one’s glory! So, here,
further glories galore, about myself. “bhrāntikalpita jagatkalāśrayaṃ” - the entire world is
kalpitaṃ. Is projected. It is a vyāvahārika dream. Now we do not look at it as a dream.
Because, we are continuing to have the spiritual sleep. That’s why veda says, ‘uttiṣṭhata’ -
get up. This world will become a vyāvahārika dream if I manage to become a super-waker.
22
Only difference is, after waking up also, I can continue to have this world dream experience.
So, I am a peculiar hybrid of dreamer-waker. I am a waker from one angle. And, I am
experiencing the dream of the world, from another angle. And therefore I say, ‘this world is a
dream’. vyāvahārika dream, from brahman stand-point. Because, it is projected by brahman,
the super-waker. And how did brahman project it? ‘bhrānti kalpitaṃ’. bhrānti here means
māyā. [karaṇa vyutpatti. bhrāmayati jagat anayā iti bhrāntiḥ - that because of which world
gets deluded]. bhrānti means, the deluding power, māyā. Thus, ‘bhrānti kalpita jagat’.
“bhrāntikalpitajagatkalāśrayaṃ”. And, this mithyā jagat, kalā - is nothing but a ‘small part’
[within quote] of the infinite brahman. Because, brahman is not only pervading the world of
time and space, brahman transcends time and space also. That is why in puruṣa sūktaṃ,
“pādo'sya viśvā bhūtāni tripādasyā'mṛtaṃ divi”. Only a part of brahman descends as
creation - the world & beings; while the rest transcends creation. To understand this
concept, the entire dream world does not occupy even the complete the mind; because, in
the mind, infinite vāsanās are there. And only some vāsanās get converted into a dream.
You can say dream occupies only a part of the mind. So, mind is far bigger and vaster than
the dream. And that mind is in the waker ‘I’. Therefore, the dream is a small portion of ‘me’.
Similarly, the whole cosmos occupies only a part of māyā. And that māyā belongs to
brahman. So, the world is called is kalā. Just an aṃsaḥ, a part; which is bhrānti kalpitaṃ.
And, it has got a support. Because, dream being unreal, it requires a ‘real’ support. Just as
normal dream requires a waker as support, this dream universe requires a ‘super-waker’ as
support. And that āśrayaṃ is, brahman. ‘mithyā jagadadhiṣṭhānaṃ brahma’. In lalitā-
sahasranāma, one of the names is “mithyā-jagadadhiṣṭhānā”.
mithyā-jagadadhiṣṭhānā muktidā muktirūpiṇī | lāsyapriyā layakarī lajjā rambhādivanditā ||
So, “jagat, kalāśrayaṃ”. “sva āśrayaṃ ca”. Next question is, if everything is supported by
brahman, brahman is supported by what? If brahman also requires a support, it will become
a vyāvahārika entity. Therefore, we say, ‘brahman doesn’t require any support, because it is
pāramārthikaṃ. It is supported by itself. Self-supported. It is un-supported.
“sa bhagavaḥ kasminpratiṣṭhita iti?” “sve mahimni yadi vā na mahimnīti”. In chāndogya
bhūma vidyā, nārada asks sanatkumāra – ‘so that bhūmā [brahman] where is it supported?
sanatkumāra answers, “sve mahimni yadi vā na mahimni”. You can say it is supported by
itself or you can say it is un-supported. Anyway, you can say. And therefore, here, “sva
āśrayaṃ ca”. It is independent, self-supported, un-supported.
And, “sadasadvilakṣaṇam”. It is different from both kāryaṃ jagat and kāraṇaṃ māyā. If you
remember the previous series, māyā is the kāraṇaṃ. For kāraṇa śarīraṃ, kāraṇa prapañca.
avyaktanāmnī parameśaśaktiḥ, anādyavidyā triguṇātmikā parā । kāryānumeyā sudhiyaiva
māyā, yayā jagatsarvamidaṃ prasūyate ॥ [31/108]
So, māyā is the kāraṇaṃ from which everything evolves. World is kāryaṃ; māyā is
kāraṇaṃ, in this context. And here instead of the word kāryaṃ, the idea of kāryaṃ is
conveyed by the word ‘sat’. Word ‘sat’ has several meanings. Highly confusing. ‘sat’ means
kāryaṃ here. ‘asat’ means kāraṇaṃ. ‘sat’ means the world. ‘asat’ means māyā. ‘vilakṣaṇaṃ’
means, different from both sat and asat. ‘kārya kāraṇa vilakṣaṇaṃ brahma’.
Then, “niṣkalaṃ”. niṣkalaṃ means, part less. [nirgatāḥ kalāḥ yasmāt, tat niṣkalaṃ] In the
first line you said, ‘world is a part of brahman’. And now you say, ‘brahman does not have

23
part’! You are contradicting!' ‘If world is part, how can brahman be part less?’ “Because,
world being mithyā, you can take it only ‘as though’ existent, based on experience. And so
you say, ‘it is a part’. But from another angle, mithyā is as good as non-existent. Therefore,
you can say, ‘it is not a part’. You can say, ‘dream is a part of me’. You can say, ‘dream is
not a part of me’. ‘Shadow is a part of me’. ‘Shadow is not a part of me’. Thus, mithyā is
always available for inclusion and / or exclusion. ‘matsthāni sarva bhūtāni. na ca matsthāni
bhūtāni’ Lord kṛṣṇa says, ‘World is in me. World is not in me’. If you understand, vedānta is
enjoyable. If you don’t understand, vedānta is a bundle of contradictions. So, “niṣkalaṃ”.
“nirupamāna-vaddhi yad”. upamāna means, comparison or match. nir-upamānaṃ means,
without comparison or match. Matchless. Comparison less. Incomparable. We cannot give
an example for brahman. But we do give compromised examples. ‘The space’ is one such
compromised example. Another example is, ‘the all-pervading sunlight’. So, ākāśa and
prakāśa are nearest examples. But, really speaking, no examples exist. Because, for the
pāramārthika - absolute reality, no empirical reality can serve as an example. For absolute
reality, only comparison will be, another absolute reality. But it is not there. [An aside note.
Therefore, whenever we give examples, you should always look for what are the common
features between the example and brahman. You should never look for uncommon
features. Because, many uncommon features will be there, since there is nothing which is
exactly like brahman. Therefore, look only for similarities, not dissimilarities].
So, “nirupamāna-vaddhi yad”. nirupamāna means, matchless. ‘vat hi yat’ - all these are
glories of brahman. Then, “brahma tattvamasi bhāvayātmani”. So, śaṅkarācārya says ‘O
student, you are now in meditation. Kindly remember my classes. You are that brahman, the
lakṣyārtha ‘you’. Not, the vācyārtha you. Don’t remember your body. Don’t remember your
knee-joint pain now! And the student replies, “brahma tat tu aham iha iti bhāvaye”. ‘hey
guro, I will certainly do nididhyāsanaṃ in this manner. guru is so happy.
Math, Chennai].

24
sadāśivasamārambhāṃśaṅkarācāryamadhyamām I asmadācāryaparyantāmvandeguru
paraṃparām I
Verse no.4. I will read twice. First time you can listen, second time you can try to join me.
भ्रािन्तकिल्पतजगत्क स्वाश् च सदसद्�वल�ण म । �नष्कल �नरुपमावद्� यद बह् त�वम�स भावयात्म�
bhrāntikalpitajagatkalāśrayaṃ svāśrayaṃ ca sadasadvilakṣaṇam I niṣkalaṃ nirupamāna-
vaddhi yad brahma tattvamasi bhāvayātmani II (brahma tattvahamiheti bhāvaye)
All beautiful nididhyāsana ślokās. The conclusions arrived at in vedānta. As I said, in
nididhyāsanaṃ, the conclusions alone are used. Steps by which we arrived at these
conclusions are not mentioned at all. A senior student, who has come to the level of
nididhyāsanaṃ, will not have to be told about those steps, because already he has gone
through them during śravaṇam and mananaṃ. Several lessons will have to be covered to
understand the steps. Years of śravaṇam and mananaṃ are required to understand them.
Those steps are not given here. Conclusions alone are given.
Many of the lessons we saw in the previous series, in the form of 10 topics. 7 questions and
their answers plus 3 extended topics. There itself we covered many important lessons.
However, one doesn’t qualify for nididhyāsanaṃ by the mere study of vivekacūḍāmaṇi
alone. It requires years of śravaṇam and mananaṃ of bhagavadgītā, prakaraṇa granthās
and upaniṣads. I am only just giving you an idea about nididhyāsanaṃ. Those who have
been studying vedānta for years, they alone can think of practicing it. Others can listen to
this, just to understand ‘what is nididhyāsanaṃ’. Because, it is an important component of
jñānayoga spiritual sādhana. śravaṇam, mananaṃ and nididhyāsanaṃ. Therefore, each of
these ślokās we will find, we can understand only when several lessons we remember.
And, in the 4th śloka, brahman was defined as the real support or adhiṣṭhānaṃ, sub-stratum
of the unreal world, bhrāntikalpitaṃ. Whole universe is mithyā, just like a dream projected by
the waker. This world is also another dream, projected by the super-waker. That super-
waker is initially said to be brahman. Later, vedānta says, ‘in fact you are that super-waker.
You have projected the world. You have projected the dream. You have entered the dream.
You have given reality to the dream. But you have forgotten that in dream’. That is the
power of nidrā śakti. I project the dream, enter it and give reality and forget that it is my own
projection! A dreamer in dream will never accept that the dream is his projection. Similarly,
according to vedānta, we are all in this dream world, which we ourselves have projected.
And we refuse to accept this fact. vedānta and guru have to struggle & struggle.
Here, the nididhyāsanaṃ is assuming that we have understood this world is a dream. ‘I
have projected this dream and I have projected this body-mind complex also. For my
transactions in dream, I am neither the projected world nor am I the projected body-mind-
sense complex. ‘I’ am the consciousness principle behind, which was before the projection,
which is now, which will continue even after’. Thus, ‘‘I’ am mithyā jagadadiṣṭhānaṃ brahma’.
What a profound nididhyāsanaṃ! ‘‘I’ am mithyā jagadadiṣṭhānaṃ brahma’. śaṅkarācārya
says, ‘O śiṣya! I have taught you through prasthānatraya bhāṣyaṃ. May you remember all
these. It’s not enough that you remember. May you meditate and internalise. It will bring
about a huge transformation in your very approach to life. In fact, everything will be lighter.
You will be relaxed. Therefore, ‘brahma tattvaṃ iha iti ahaṃ bhāvaye’ - let me meditate. Up
to this we saw. Continuing, verse no. 5 -
25
जन्मृद्�
व धप�रणत्य-व्या�धनाशन�वह�नमव्यय । �वश्वसृष्ट�वघातकारणं बह् त�वम�स भावयात्म� ॥
(ब्र त�वह�महे �त भावये) [mantra 05] [258] &&
janmavṛddhipariṇatyapakṣaya-vyādhināśanavihīnamavyayam I viśvasṛṣṭyavavighāta
kāraṇaṃ brahma tattvamasi bhāvayātmani II (brahma tattvahamiheti bhāvaye)
Here śaṅkarācārya is reminding us of the pañcakośa viveka we did during the previous
series. Each layer of our personality was defined - what is annamaya, prāṇamaya
manomaya. And, after defining each one of them, śaṅkarācārya negated each one of them
as a costume and not ‘me’. ‘neti, neti iti’. ‘I’ am not the body. Not the mind. Not the sense
organs. ‘I’ use them. ‘I’ am not them. And now what we are doing is, we are studying the
features of the pañcakośa, taking the physical body as a sample. We are taking the features
of the body and we are very consciously seeing that all of them belong to the body. And
none of them belong to ‘me’. ‘I’ am the witness consciousness who is aware of them’.
“dehino’sminyathā dehe kaumāraṃ yauvanaṃ jarā” [gītā]. Body has been going through
transformation. It was a baby body. Youthful body. Middle-aged body. Old-aged body.
Troubling body. ICU body. This body has to go through and I allow the body to go through
all of them. Some of them are painful. Even while experiencing the pain, I am aware that. I
am the witness of the pain. But the pain does not belong to ‘me’.
This knowledge does not reduce the pain. But the knowledge reduces the impact of the
pain. The ignorance of this fact magnifies the pain and generates varieties of negative
thoughts - like anger, frustration. Faith in god shaken. So many emotional issues it will
generate. This wisdom, ‘yes, the body is anātmā. It is matter. It has to go through. Pain will
be there. Some of them will be unbearable also. I may even shed tears.’ This sheer
knowledge changes my attitude towards the pain. And the very change of attitude keeps my
mind relaxed, because I accept.
mātrāsparśāstu kaunteya śītoṣṇasukhaduḥkhadāḥ … [2.14] yaṃ hi na vyathayantyete
puruṣaṃ puruṣarṣabha | samaduḥkhasukhaṃ dhīraṃ so'mṛtatvāya kalpate || [2.15]
dhīraḥ, the strong-minded, informed person, approaches the biological pain also with this
wisdom. He will have a relaxed mind. He can remember vedānta. He can say, ‘I’ am not the
struggling the body. ‘I’ am the witness consciousness. Therefore, śaṅkarācārya says, ‘may
you meditate’. What is that? brahman or brahman is the consciousness principle, which
pervades the body. But it is free from the transformations of the body. And, what are those
transformations? “janma vṛddhi pariṇaty apakṣaya vyādhi nāśana vihīnam avyayam”. The
ṣaḍvikāra which we studied in tattvabodha. ‘asti jāyate vardhate vipariṇamate apakṣīyate
vinaśyati’. All those lessons are involved in this nididhyāsanaṃ. Countless lessons.
What I want to say is, nobody can straightaway enter into vedāntic meditation, without years
of scriptural study. People do not want to study the scriptures. They want to learn vedāntic
meditation. Even in bhagavadgītā Lord kṛṣṇa introduces meditation only in the 6th chapter.
Everybody wants only the meditation component of jñānayoga. Nobody wants the śravaṇa-
mananaṃ component. I am taking these ślokās to show, how many lessons we have to
apply to practice this meditation. The current lesson is that the body goes through 6
modifications. janma - birth. vṛddhi - growth. pariṇāma - transformation. Neither growth nor
decline. pariṇāma means transformation which doesn’t involve growth or decline. It is a
plateau. graph is a straight line up to a particular age, then it undergoes only changes. Say,
20 to 40 years. Thereafter starts the decline, apakṣaya. apakṣaya means, declension,

26
degeneration. One by one goes. First time, you come to know you have a body. Until then,
we take the body, its faculties, its functions for granted. apakṣaya is when you become
aware of the body. And, vyādhi - degeneration brings diseases, one by one. Can be
nightmarish to think of that when we are nearing that phase. We prefer god to take us up,
straightaway. Youth, youth, youth. Dead. Wonderful. It happens for some people, because
of their favourable prārabdha. That is not given to all. Therefore, vyādhis are natural.
vedānta does not offer to cure the diseases.
Very careful. Many people come to vedānta thinking that one will never get diseases! No.
vedānta never offers to cure the diseases. vedānta offers wisdom, a healthy attitude to face
when diseases come. Diseases are unavoidable. “tasmāt aparihārye'rthe na tvaṃ
śocitumarhasi”. Knowledge brings about an attitudinal change which brings about peaceful
acceptance. Gracefully growing old, without troubling myself - and more importantly -
without troubling our care-givers. Many doctors are terrible patients. There are wonderful
doctors. They don’t know how to be a good patient! To be a good patient, you must be
patient! And that titikṣā, vedānta gives. Therefore, ‘vyādhi’.
Finally, ‘nāśanaṃ’. Death. All of these - janma vṛddhi pariṇaty apakṣaya vyādhi nāśana - are
there in the body. But, ātmā is “vihīnaṃ” - without these modifications. Consciousness does
not have birth, growth, decay, disease or death. Consciousness is ṣaḍvikāra-rahitaṃ,
nirvikāraṃ. And, ‘avyayaṃ’. It ever remains without degeneration, declensions. This is one
lesson. Through pañcakośa viveka we have to arrive at the consciousness. And then,
vedānta - through several lessons - shows that, … [I am only hinting at the lesson. If I enter
into explanations, it will become śravaṇa mananaṃ sessions. I have to restrain myself,
telling myself that I am now teaching nididhyāsanaṃ. Very tough].
Therefore, after showing this consciousness in the body, which is free from all these
modifications, vedānta tells, ‘this consciousness is the same in all the living beings.’ Not only
it is the same, it is not a broken / fractured consciousness. Or, it is not available as islands
of consciousness in different bodies. In between the bodies also the same consciousness
pervades and is available as ‘existence’. Between your body and my body also, there is
consciousness. But, recognisable - not as consciousness, but as ‘is’ness. The gap between
you and me ‘is’. That space ‘is’. That ‘is’ness is another expression of the consciousness.
This all-pervading saccidātmā is called brahman. Thus, you should move from body to
consciousness and from consciousness you should come to brahman.
Then, the next lesson we should have covered is – ‘this brahman is the cause of the entire
creation, including the body’. So, the body to consciousness, consciousness to brahman,
and brahman to jagat kāraṇaṃ. śaṅkarācārya leaps like a monkey leaping from one tree to
another carrying the baby. We are all babies. We are to travel smoothly. We can do that if
we remember the previous series where we saw -
sadbrahmakāryaṃ sakalaṃ sadaiva, sanmātrametanna tato'nyadasti । astīti yo vakti na
tasya mohaḥ, vinirgato nidritavat prajalpaḥ ॥ [mantra 68] [230] &&
- all those ślokās I elaborated there. ‘sadbrahmakāryaṃ’. Remembering that He says, this
changeless consciousness which pervades the body, is not confined to the body. It is all-
pervading. In fact, this consciousness existed even before the big bang. This is the
difference between the modern cosmology and vedānta. So many similarities are there.
Modern cosmology also says, ‘before the big bang there is some stage of singularity’.

27
vedānta says, ‘in that stage of singularity, consciousness was there, undetectable. It
becomes detectable only after the evolution of the cosmos, evolution of the planets. And
only when the body evolves, the consciousness becomes detectable. But the undetectable
consciousness - called brahman - was ever existing.
That brahman is, “viśvasṛṣṭyavavighāta kāraṇaṃ”. viśva sṛṣṭi ava vighāta kāraṇaṃ. That
caitanyaṃ brahma is the cause of viśva sṛṣṭi. viśva means, cosmos, including all the
galaxies 10 to the power of 500 parallel universes. viśva sṛṣṭi - the creation or evolution of
the universe. ‘ava’. [ava means, ‘avanaṃ’. ‘av’ dhātu]. Preservation or existence. sṛṣṭi sthiti.
‘avanaṃ’ means sthiti. Literally, ‘protection, preservation’. And, ‘vighāta’ means, cessation.
Stopping the process, which is ‘pralayaṃ’. In short, sṛṣṭi-ava-vighāta means, creation-
preservation-resolution. sṛṣṭi-sthiti-laya. Of not just one of the objects. But, viśva - the entire
cosmos, which includes time and space. ‘kāraṇaṃ’ – the cause. So, consciousness is the
cause of time & space. It is not an entity in time & space.
‘kāraṇaṃ’. That brahman, that ātman, that consciousness, is … Now, come to the
mahāvākya. The teacher says, ‘that kāraṇaṃ brahma tvaṃ asi’. So, ‘you are that jagat
kāraṇaṃ brahma’. And the student - who has done the pañcakośa viveka at the time of
mahāvākyaṃ, and has also done ‘neti neti’. When such a prepared student receives the
message, he uses the word ‘I’ to indicate only the consciousness principle, which is not the
body-mind complex. Which is not a part, product, property of the body. ‘I’ am the
independent, 5-featured consciousness. And when I use the word ‘I’ for the sākṣi
caitanyaṃ, the teacher’s message I receive like a sponge absorbing water. ‘Yes, “I”, the
consciousness, in the body - not I the body – “I’, the consciousness in the body, “am
brahma”. Therefore when teacher says, “tat brahma tvaṃ asi”, the student responds, “tat
brahma tu ahaṃ iha iti” – “I am that brahman”. Teacher says, ‘you are’. The student says, ‘I
am’. Teacher says, ‘may you so meditate’. Student says, ‘yes sir, I shall meditate, I do
meditate – “ahaṃ brahma asmi”’.
And so when the nididhyāsanaṃ takes place, all this vedāntic teachings should come to my
mind. In fact, the entire world I see as floating in ‘me’. Like the world floats in space, the
entire world - including space - is floating in ‘me’, the limitless, timeless consciousness. The
more I assimilate, my attitude towards the world and body changes. When the body goes
through difficult situations, I can take it with relaxation. It is a knowledge which does not
change our experience. I repeatedly tell, ‘vedānta doesn’t change our experiences. vedānta
doesn’t offer a new experience’. Many people think, vedānta gives a new experience. No.
vedānta does not change the experiences. vedānta doesn’t give or offer a new experience.
What vedānta does is, we have experience-based false conclusions. Like, ‘I experience the
body. So, I am the body’. Conclusion. I experience the body right from my birth, for so many
years, intimately. Based on this bodily-experience, in time, I have made a conclusion that, ‘I
am the body’. What vedānta says is, ‘I want to revise this conclusion. Experience based
conclusion is wrong’. Very important. I give the following example in my regular classes.
I experience the sunrise and sunset. It is a universal experience. Nobody can challenge that
experience. But, based on the experience, humanity made a conclusion that, ‘the sun is
going round the earth’. And thereafter, after years of study we got the ‘knowledge’ that, ‘sun
does not go round the earth; Earth is in fact going round the sun and also rotates around its
own axis’. Now I know, Sun does not go around the earth. So, the conclusion has changed.
What was the earlier, false conclusion? ‘Sun goes round the earth’. What is the revised

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corrected one? ‘Sun does not go around, only the Earth goes around’. And, even though
conclusion has been revised, we will continue to experience sun rise and sun set, as though
the sun is going round the Earth! Experience remaining the same, the conclusion is revised.
Similarly, what vedānta says is, ‘I am a limited individual’ is the conclusion of the humanity
based on the body experiences. vedānta says, ‘I don’t change your experience, but I will
revise your conclusion’. What is that? ‘You are not the limited body. You are the limitless
consciousness’. And to communicate this, vedānta gives several lessons. All those lessons
are to convince me and help me revise my wrong conclusion. Therefore, after knowledge I
realise, ‘I am not an insignificant individual. I am the only significant brahman!’ Thus,
vedānta does not offer any change of experience. Pain will be pain. Problems will continue.
Let me make it very clear. Because, there are misconceptions, like - a jñāni will not
experience pain. They give the examples of Sadasiva Brahmendra and Ramana Maharshi
etc. There is a widespread misconception that ‘after knowledge, you won’t experience pain’.
I humorously say, that means you have to bring a needle to the class and at the end of
every class you prick yourself to check whether you have become a jñāni or not! If you are
getting pain, you are not a jñāni! And, if someone due to some disease doesn’t feel the pain,
he will be declared a jñāni! No. Let us be very clear. Biological experiences of pleasure and
pain vedānta doesn’t offer to change. vedānta only offers to change our conclusion and
attitude. Anyway, ‘tat brahma ahaṃ iha iti bhāvaye’. Continuing, verse no. 6 -
अस्तभेदमनपास्तल� �नस्तरङ्गजलरा�श�नश्च । �नत्यु
म क्तम�वभकतम
् ू यद बह् त�वम�स भावयात्म� ॥
astabhedamanapāstalakṣaṇaṃ nistaraṅgajalarāśiniścalam I nityamuktamavibhaktamūrti
yad brahma tattvamasi bhāvayātmani II (brahma tattvahamiheti bhāvaye)
“astabhedam”. [astabhedam = asatāḥ bhedāḥ yasya or yasmin tat astabhedaṃ.
napuṃsakaliṅgaṃ, because all these are descriptions of brahman and in Sanskrit, the word
‘brahman’ is neuter gender]. bhedaḥ means, differences. In vedānta, differences are
classified as sajātīya, vijātīya, svagata, we saw in previous series. Difference between two
members belonging to the same species is sajātīya bheda. Tree & tree. Animal & animal.
Man & man. Difference between 2 members of the same species is sajātīya bheda.
Difference between 2 members of 2 different species is vijātīya bheda. Man & animal.
Animal & plant etc. is vijātīya bheda. And the third one is, the internal differences existing
within one member itself. Like, within a tree so many internal differences are there – roots,
trunk, stem, twig, leaves, flowers, fruits. And, within an animal itself many internal
differences are there, like different parts. Such differences are called svagata bhedaḥ.
We say, ‘brahman is consciousness. And, consciousness doesn’t have sajātīya bheda.
Because, we do not have 2 consciousnesses belonging to a consciousness species. Like,
one ‘small’ consciousness and another ‘big’ consciousness. Or, a ‘good’ consciousness and
a ‘bad’ consciousness. A ‘fragrant’ consciousness and a ‘foul smelling’ consciousness! No.
If there are many, then there will be a consciousness ‘species’ Then alone you can talk
about sajātīya bheda between 2 consciousnesses. Okay, what about svagata bheda?
Internal differences? Consciousness does not have several parts. Later, we will see
niṣkalaṃ, niravayavaṃ etc. If there are many ingredients or parts - like liver, heart, eyes,
ears etc., just as in our body, svagata bheda is possible between the many components or
parts. If consciousness also has parts, there will be internal differences. Like the top part.

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Bottom part. Head part etc. So, sajātīya bheda also are not there. svagata also not there. [I
am not supposed to be explaining all these things at this stage!]
We may yet wonder, ‘doesn’t consciousness have vijātīya bheda?’ Differences with other
species! Because it appears that there is ‘matter’ which is other than consciousness. The
entire universe made up of ‘matter’. So, we have the consciousness principle and matter
principle. The difference between them should come under vijātīya bheda! Because, they do
not belong to the same species - one is matter and another is spirit.
In sāṅkhya philosophy they are 2 separate entities. So, they have vijātīya bheda between
prakṛti & puruṣa. That is why they are called dvaitins. Not only sāṅkhya is dvaitaṃ;
remember, yoga śāstra is also dvaitaṃ. An aside note. They talk about nirvikalpaka
samādhi, nirodha samādhi etc. and we think, they are talking about advaitaṃ in samādhi.
Remember they talk about samādhi alright. But their philosophy is, samādhi did not help
them to come to advaitaṃ. They say, ‘your ātmā is different. guru’s ātmā is different. So
many ātmās are there. And, there is a paramātmā, who is different from all these’. That is
why we repeatedly say, ‘samādhi doesn’t help in ‘gaining’ advaita jñānam’. If it can help gain
advaita jñānam, yoga śāstram would have been advaitaṃ! The philosophy of yoga is the
same as that of sāṅkhya. Both come under dvaitaṃ. So, they all talk of vijātīya bheda.
Whereas, vedānta - and that too advaita vedānta - is a unique mindboggling principle.
Several lessons we should have covered. And vedānta’s statement is, ‘matter is just an
‘appearance’ in consciousness, without an existence of its own. By observing matter, you
lend existence to matter’. It’s a mindboggling concept. We have to cover several lessons to
arrive at this conclusion. I am not going to into the details. “brahma satyaṃ” “jagan mithyā”
means, matter cannot be counted as a second entity to cause vijātīya bheda. So, you
cannot say, ‘consciousness and matter’. Just as, you cannot say, ‘clay and pot’, because
pot is not a second entity. World doesn’t exist separate from consciousness or brahman.
And therefore, brahman is free from sajātīya vijātīya svagata bheda trayaṃ.
All this I talked for several minutes. śaṅkarācārya expects us to remember when we chant
this śloka. So, to the senior student, as even he chants ‘astabhedaṃ’, all this must be clear.
‘There is no world other than “me”. It is like a dream’. All these verses are very profound.
“astabhedam anapāsta lakṣaṇaṃ”. lakṣaṇaṃ means, saccidānanda svarūpam. anapāstaṃ -
never negated. So, brahman is that which is with un-negated, un-negatable nature of
saccidānanda. apāstaṃ means, negated. [apa+as dhatu. sapratyānta rūpaṃ. Past-passive
participle. apa+as apāstaṃ. Negated. anapāstaṃ means double negative. Un-negated].
brahman will always be existence, always be consciousness and always be ānanda. So,
‘astabhedaṃ anapāsta lakṣaṇaṃ’ means, ‘nitya saccidānanda rūpam’. And, “nistaraṅga
jalarāśi niścalam”. brahman is, “prapañcopaśamaṃ śāntaṃ śivaṃ advaitaṃ” [māṇḍūkya].
Several upaniṣads have gone into the preparation/compilation of these verses. ‘niścalaṃ’
means, brahman is undisturbed consciousness. Calm consciousness. Even when an atom
bomb explodes, consciousness remains the same. And therefore, niścalaṃ. An example is
given. Like, a jalarāśi. jalarāśi means, ocean. It’s a huge water-body. A storehouse of water.
A reservoir of water. nistaraṅga - without waves. So, it is calm like a waveless ocean. Pacific
ocean. śānta samudra. The Sanskrit word for pacific ocean is śānta samudraḥ. So, śānta
samudravat, consciousness is niścalaṃ. And later he will say that the waves of galaxies will
rise and set in the consciousness. So, the consciousness is calm like the waveless ocean.
Now, he is talking about waveless. Later, he will talk about waves of galaxies rising and
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setting in that consciousness. But those huge waves also do not disturb the śānta
samudram, because these waves are just unreal ‘appearances’. Therefore, even the
universal process doesn’t disturb the consciousness. Thus, it is nistaraṅgaṃ, all the time.
prapañcopaśamaṃ ityarthaḥ. It is ever calm.
And therefore only, it is “nityamuktam brahma”. siddhamuktaṃ brahma. mukti is ever
accomplished in brahman. That means, it is not sādhya mokṣa for brahman. mokṣa is not
something to be accomplished because of some event happening in anātmā. anātmā
events, bodily events, mental events, none of them determine the mokṣa of brahman. In
fact, in spite of them, brahman is nityamuktaṃ. mokṣa has nothing to do with anātmā.
brahman is unconditionally muktaṃ. So, siddhamuktaṃ or nityamuktaṃ.
And, “avibhaktamūrti”. It is indivisible in nature. Another word, ‘svagata bheda rahitaṃ’.
Without any internal differences, which we have seen while examining the word
‘astabhedaṃ’. ‘avibhaktamūrti’ is included in astabhedaṃ.
“yad brahma”. And when we describe this brahman, all the students will say, ‘wonderful!
What a great brahman!’ Then comes the shocking revelation - ‘tattvamasi’. But, for the
nididhyāsanaṃ student, it should not be shocking. That shock and all must be over during
śravaṇam, because through mahāvākya vicāra, through jagatī ajagatī bhagatyāga lakṣaṇa,
the teacher has convinced the student of the fact – ‘that brahman, you are’. And during
śravaṇa-mananaṃ the student is convinced that, ‘I am that brahman’. nididhyāsanaṃ is to
remind me that ‘I am nityamuktaṃ brahman’. I should not work for liberation. I should never
expect liberation in the name of jīvanmukti and videhamukti. I don’t have sādhya mokṣaḥ -
‘to be accomplished liberation’.
That is not only for me, it is universal. Why? I said, ‘logically sādhyamokṣa doesn’t exist;
because, ‘yat sādhyaṃ tat anityaṃ’ - whatever is ‘accomplished’ is anityaṃ. sādhyamokṣa
is anityamokṣa. anityamokṣa is oxymoron. A jñāni doesn’t have sādhyamokṣa.
But an aside note. When a jñāni continues in the world after jñānam, the jñāni is of course
amidst the mithyā anātmā. Even after he knows everything is mithyā, he is surrounded by
mithyā anātmā; the pañca anātmā continues to surround him. Body is there, mind is there,
family is there, possessions are there, profession is there. With regard to this mithyā
anātmā, jñāni may have a certain agenda. Because with life he has to do something. If the
body is over-weight, he might have an agenda for that. I have to walk, exercise, diet. I have
to do something to reduce the weight. He has got a sādhyaṃ. sādhyaṃ means, a goal.
What is that? Weight should be reduced from 90 to 70 kg. Similarly, for the mind also he can
fix certain goals. anātmā-centric goals. For the intellect, he may like to study tarka śāstraṃ,
which he may not have studied before. He may choose.
Thus, jñāni can have some sādhyaṃ. And if he is a gṛhastha jñāni, he will have several
sādhyaṃs at family level. If children are not settled, very big sādhyaṃ is there. Thus, after
jñānam also at mithyā level, at vyāvahārika level, sādhyaṃs can continue. Goals can
continue. No harm. Otherwise, body will rust. Mind will rust. Intellect will rust. At least to
avoid dementia, intellect must be active. Therefore, after jñānam, jñāni also will have
several sādhyaṃs for the body-mind-intellect. And, if he has got an āśrama, several
sādhyaṃs for the same. Several sādhyaṃs for family.
So, sādhyaṃ per se is not a problem. But jñāni doesn’t have sādhya-mokṣa. jñāni has
sādhyaṃ, but not sādhyamokṣaḥ. When the topic of mokṣa comes, jñāni says, ‘I am already
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muktaḥ and as a free bird I am enjoying the hobby of having various goals for the body, the
mind, the sense organs, the family, the surroundings. Have anātmā centric sādhyaṃ. But
remember, ‘I am not the anātmā’. “manobuddhyahamkāra cittāni nāhaṃ”. The goal that I
have fixed for the mind belongs to anātmā refinement. anātmā can be refined to any extent.
But, ‘I’ am nityamuktaṃ brahma. Therefore, the aside note is, jñāni can have sādhyaṃs or
goals; but jñāni doesn’t have sādhyamokṣaḥ since he has siddhamokṣaḥ. [Sanskrit
students, siddhamokṣaḥ can be karmadhāraya also. And if you take bahuvrīhi siddhaḥ
mokṣaḥ yasya, it refers to a jñāni. So siddhamokṣaḥ can be karmadhāraya or bahuvrīhi].
What I want to say is, never connect any sādhyaṃ with mokṣa. When the mokṣa topic
comes, I should say, ‘I am free’. I want to do several things, and when I do, some may
succeed and some may fail. I may not be able to reduce weight. Because, I walk for half an
hour and thereafter, I ‘binge’. [New words, I am learning!] Therefore, the input is much more
than output. Weight may not reduce. Certain diseases may not cure, even if he tries to cure.
Disease-cure sādhyaṃ at anātmā level I have. But ‘I’ am the ātmā, who am ever free. That
is a non-negotiable fact. Therefore, “nityamuktaṃ avibhaktamūrti”. ‘yad brahma tat brahma
ahaṃ asmi’ iti bhāvaye. Continuing. I will introduce the next verse and stop. Verse 7 -
एकमेव सदनेककारणं कारणान्तर�नरासकारण म । कायर्कारण�वल�ण स्वय बह् त�वम�स भावयात्म� ॥ (ब्र
ekameva sadanekakāraṇaṃ kāraṇāntaranirāsakāraṇam I kāryakāraṇavilakṣaṇaṃ svayaṃ
brahma tattvamasi bhāvayātmani II (brahma tattvahamiheti bhāvaye)
A very profound verse. Several years of śravaṇam is packed into this one verse.
adhyāropa apavādābhyāṃ niṣprapañcam prapañcate I śiṣyāṇāṃ sukha bodhārthaṃ
tattvajñaiḥ kalpita kramaḥ II
So, here I will just tell you what they are attempting in vedānta. [I will believe I am not
supposed to explain these verses, because I am in nididhyāsanaṃ class]. So, vedānta first
introduces ‘brahman as kāraṇaṃ, the cause’ and ‘the world as the effect’ for junior students.
‘adhyāropa prakaraṇe kārya kāraṇa saṃbandhaḥ’. Then, certain corollaries are also taught.
Like, kāraṇaṃ independently exists; kāryaṃ depends on the kāraṇaṃ. Just as, ornaments
depend on gold; earthenware depend on clay. [c/o previous series]. kāraṇaṃ is ‘eka sāra
nitya satyaṃ’ [ESNS] if you remember my regular classes. kāraṇaṃ is independently
existent. Whereas kāryaṃ is mithyā. It is only a name & form, borrowing existence.
Therefore, kāryaṃ cannot be treated as a second thing. You cannot say, gold and
ornaments. Thus, kāraṇaṃ satyaṃ, kāryaṃ mithyā. ‘vācārambhaṇaṃ vikāro nāmadheyaṃ’.
brahman is real. World is unreal.
Thereafter, for a senior student, the next step is given. Because, once you give brahman the
kāraṇaṃ status, there will be several problems since kāraṇaṃ will have to undergo change.
Not only it will have to undergo change, every kāraṇaṃ will always fall within the kārya-
kāraṇam chain. A kāraṇaṃ can never exist in isolation. Just as, our parents can never exist
in isolation as parents. They are parents, we are children. But, they themselves were
children. So too, we will be parents. Thus, kāraṇaṃ always falls within the cause-effect
chain and within the ambit of time & space. Thus, the word ‘kāraṇaṃ’ communicates several
things. One is, ‘change’. Then, ‘being part of or a link in cause-effect chain’. And, finally,
‘falling within time and space coordinates.’ So many problems arise. vedānta doesn’t reveal
brahman in that fashion, as a kāraṇaṃ which was itself a kāryaṃ before etc.
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Therefore, for a senior student, revision is done. He is told, in fact, ‘brahman is not kāraṇaṃ,
world is not a kāryaṃ’. Their relationship is, ‘brahman is adhiṣṭhānam, world is adhyāsaḥ’.
kārya kāraṇa vāda to adhyāsa adhiṣṭhāna vāda. What does that mean? World is not a
product of brahman, though this is what was said in the first stage. That is why I say,
vedānta keeps on contradicting itself, apparently. First, we say, ‘world is product of
brahman’. Then, revise and say, ‘world is not a product of brahman; world is just an
‘appearance’ in brahman, like a dream’. Again and again dream example or rope and
snake! And, if you ask, ‘when did this appearance start?’, we say, ‘it is anādi, anantaḥ’. This
appearance has been there all the time - either in visible form or in an invisible form.
‘avyakta rūpeṇa or vyakta rūpeṇa the mithyā world has been there in brahman all the time’.
But being just an ‘appearance’, it cannot be counted as a second thing. And, having told
‘brahman is the basis of world appearance’, the conclusion thereafter is still more mind
boggling. ‘That adhiṣṭhānaṃ for world appearance, that adhiṣṭhānaṃ brahma, you are!’
Thus, my meditation is, ‘I am brahman’ - in which ‘I’ - the world appears and disappears. ‘I’
do not want to disappear from the world. No escapist mokṣa. ‘I’ don’t want to run away from
the world. ‘I am the adhiṣṭhānaṃ’ in which the world enters and exists. Exists means, in
unmanifest condition. A very, very profound verse, which I quote in my regular classes very
often. Details in the next class.
ॐ पूणर्मद पूणर्�मद पूणार्तप
् ण
ू र्मुदच | पूणर्स पूणर्मादा पूणर्मेवाव�शष्य | ॐ शािन्त शािन्त शािन्त ||
Math, Chennai].

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paraṃparām I
एकमेव सदनेककारणं कारणान्तर�नरासकारण म । कायर्कारण�वल�ण स्वय बह् त�वम�स भावयात्म� ॥ (ब्र
ekameva sadanekakāraṇaṃ kāraṇāntaranirāsakāraṇam I kāryakāraṇavilakṣaṇaṃ svayaṃ
brahma tattvamasi bhāvayātmani II (brahma tattvahamiheti bhāvaye)
I introduced this verse in the last class. A very, very profound verse, which talks about the
relationship between the brahman and the world. brahman has been defined as ‘satyaṃ
jñānam anantaṃ’. Limitless Existence Consciousness principle.
So, what is the relationship between that brahman and the world? vedānta presents it in 2
stages. The first stage is for a junior student, during adhyāropa prakaraṇam. The second
stage is for a senior student, during apavāda prakaraṇam. In the first stage, ‘brahman is
said to be the kāraṇaṃ’ and the world is said to be the kāryaṃ. In chāndogya upaniṣad, 3
examples are given. Gold & ornaments, iron & iron products, clay & earthenware. Through
these examples what the upaniṣad wants to convey is, kāraṇaṃ has got ‘existence of its
own’. Therefore, it is satyaṃ. kāryaṃ has got only ‘borrowed existence’. So, it is mithyā.
This satya-mithyā saṃbandha is revealed through kārya-kāraṇa prakriyā, sṛṣṭi prakriyā.
And I said, once brahman is given kāraṇaṃ status, there are certain problems in this
teaching. 1] brahman will become ‘subject to change’. Because, kāraṇaṃ will have to
change to give rise to a kāryaṃ. Gold undergoes change - even though in its essential
nature it is the same - it has to undergo shapes-wise change. There is a partial change. It is
called avayava vikāraḥ. Therefore, kāraṇaṃ will have to change. 2] kāraṇaṃ will become a
‘product’. It can never exist in an isolated form. It will always belong to a series or a chain of
cause & effect. Because, the changing cause was in some other form before. And it is
becoming some other, later. Therefore, every kāraṇaṃ belongs to cause-effect chain. That
means, every kāraṇaṃ will be a kāryaṃ also in time. If brahman is cause, brahman will
become an effect also, having its cause. gauḍapādācārya thoroughly analyses all this in
māṇḍūkya kārikā third chapter ‘sat-kārya vāda, asat-kārya vāda, etc. Thus brahman will
become a product also. 3] Once it falls within kārya-kāraṇa chain, it will be subject to time-
space coordinates. It will become another empirical entity. But, upaniṣads uniformly declare
that, ‘brahman doesn’t change’. ‘brahman does not become a product’. ‘brahman doesn’t
fall within time & space’. Therefore, kāraṇaṃ status cannot be given to brahman. It is just a
provisional super-imposition. kāraṇam status for brahman is adhyāropaḥ, temporary.
And once ‘brahma satyaṃ’ ‘jagan mithyā’ idea is conveyed, the student is ready for the
second stage; senior student he becomes. Then, we do ‘apavāda’, negation of the kāraṇaṃ
status of brahman. Attributing kāraṇaṃ status is adhyāropa. Negation of kāraṇaṃ status is
apavāda. The word kāraṇaṃ means, cause. And once you say brahman is not kāraṇaṃ,
then the question will come, ‘what then is the cause of the world?’ Because, world can no
more be said to be a product of brahman! [All this I said in last class. Being very profound I
am deliberately repeating]. In the second stage we say, ‘world is not a product of brahman’.
Very important. ‘World is an “appearance” in brahman, which is called mithyā. Which
means, it is of a lower order of reality. Just as dream is of a lower order of reality with regard
to the waker, world is of a lower order of reality or mithyā. So, the next question will be,
‘when did this mithyā world begin?’ Our answer is, ‘mithyā world - including time & space - is
Meditation - Class 005 – 4th December 2020 – verses 7 to 10 Page 1

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beginningless and endless’. “na rūpamasyeha tathopalabhyate nānto na cādirna ca

sampratiṣṭhā | [gītā 15-3]. This mithyā world of lower order of reality is always there in
brahman, either in unmanifest form or manifest form. During pralayaṃ, unmanifest mithyā
world is in brahman. And during sṛṣṭi, manifest mithyā world is in brahman. Thus, mithyā
world keeps on expanding and contracting.
Then the final question will be, ‘if the world is beginning less and endless and brahman also
is beginning less and endless, will not there be duality?’ This is the final straw, the final
challenge we have to handle. But this is not a challenge at all. Because, we do not mind
accepting a second mithyā vastu. advaitaṃ says, ‘there is no second “reality”. brahman is
the only ‘reality’. A second reality is not there. But we do not mind any number of unreal
additions. Therefore, advaitaṃ continues in spite of the multiple mithyā worlds being in
brahman. And, this itself is an overwhelming message, which will take years to assimilate.
Then comes the mindboggling or still higher thing. The guru says, ‘that brahman - which is
the absolute reality, in which the unreal world floats, borrowing existence - you are!’ What a
revelation! How great ‘I’ am! I have a such a low feeling of myself. But vedānta says, you
are that brahman. Only thing to be noted is, when the student receives this message, he
should use the word ‘I’ remembering the pañca kośa viveka and exclude the 5 kośās and he
should use the word ‘I’ to refer to the ‘witness consciousness’ only. ‘I’ - the witness
consciousness - am, ‘mithyā jagadadiṣṭhānaṃ’, is the profound message of this śloka.
śaṅkarācārya doesn’t explain. I am also not supposed to, because, in nididhyāsanaṃ, the
senior student knows all these explanations. He only remembers, ‘I am mithyā jagad-
adiṣṭhānaṃ’. All the arguments in support of this he knows. In meditation, he doesn’t dwell
upon the arguments. He only meditates upon the fact, ‘I’ support the mithyā universe. In
advaita pañcaratnaṃ - another nididhyāsanaṃ work - śaṅkarācārya says,
matto nānyatkiñcidatrāsti viśvaṃ satyaṃ bāhyaṃ vastu māyopaklṛptam | ādarśāntar-
bhāsamānasya tulyaṃ mayyadvaite bhāti tasmācchivo'ham ||
‘There is no second real universe, other than “me”, the real consciousness’. There is only
the unreal universe, which is appearing, projected. So, in ‘me’ - the non-dual reality - the
world is bhāsamānam, ‘appearing’. Therefore, ‘I am never affected by anything that
happens in the universe’. śivo'haṃ - ‘I am the most auspicious ānanda svarūpam brahma.
This is the profound message. With this background, let’s go to the meaning of mantra 7.
“ekam eva sat aneka kāraṇaṃ”. ‘ekameva sat’ - being the non-dual brahman, because the
upaniṣad says, ‘sat eva somya idam agra āsīt ekam eva advitīyam’. Before the universe
evolved, brahman alone was there. Therefore, ‘ekameva sat’ - being the non-dual brahman,
‘aneka kāraṇaṃ’ - that brahman is the cause of the pluralistic universe. ‘aneka kāraṇaṃ
bhavati brahma’. And, “kāraṇāntara nirāsa kāraṇaṃ”. In our common experience, the causal
factor is always never one, many are involved - in any creation. Even if you want to have
some hot water, fire is required, vessel is required, a place is required, time is required. So
many factors are required just to make a glass of hot water. It is called kāraṇa sāmagrī.
sāmagrī means, samūha. Thus, even simple things require many causal factors.
‘How come then, this huge cosmos is created out of one brahman?’ if you ask, we say, ‘that
brahman can’. “kalpayatyātmanā''tmānamātmā devaḥ svamāyayā” [māṇḍūkya vaitathya
prakaraṇam] - just as one waker goes to bed alone and closes the eyes. Doesn’t work hard,
just closes his eyes and ‘projects’ a huge svapna universe! So too, brahman doesn’t require

35
anything else. Therefore, “kāraṇāntara nirāsa kāraṇaṃ”. It is one non-dual cause, which
excludes all the other supportive causes. Excludes or it doesn’t require any other kāraṇaṃ.
So, kāraṇāntara means, other causal factors. nirāśā means, nirapekṣa - without requiring,
brahman is kāraṇaṃ. Up to this is for junior students. Then the upaniṣad or here
śaṅkarācārya jumps to the next higher layer.
“kārya-kāraṇa vilakṣaṇaṃ svayaṃ”. Really speaking, brahman is really not a kāraṇaṃ also,
world is not a kāryaṃ also. brahman and world do not have cause-effect relationships.
brahmasūtra second chapter analyses sṛṣṭi. Discussed by so many cosmologists, so many
philosophers. They have cosmology as the subject matter. śaṅkarācārya discusses all these
‘theories of creation’ and points-out the logical problems in every one of them. Any theory of
creation will have logical loop-holes. Therefore we conclude, we should never accept a
creation. ajātivādaḥ. The word ‘creation’ is only for junior students. Never say ‘creation’.
Therefore, brahman is neither kāraṇaṃ nor kāryaṃ. “kārya-kāraṇa vilakṣaṇaṃ svayaṃ”.
So then, the question is, ‘what is this world, then?’ That is not said here, we have to add the
note. brahman is neither kāryaṃ nor kāraṇaṃ. World is also not a kāryaṃ, a product. World
is a mysterious ‘appearance’, without beginning or an end. And that brahman - which is
beyond cause and effect, beyond time and space - no scientific instrument can identify.
Because, all our explorations are happening within time and space. Even if they discover a
god particle, it has nothing to do with vedānta. Because, that particle is also one of the
entities in the creation. Thus, we can hover only around the unreal; we have no means to
identify the ‘reality’. upaniṣad alone talks about that. And, what is that?
That ‘reality’ is called ‘consciousness’. ‘Consciousness’ is not within time & space. It
pervades time & space. But it is not conditioned by it. Similarly, ‘existence’. And then comes
the final line. ‘That brahman, the absolute consciousness, you are!’ And the senior student
in nididhyāsanaṃ, has understood all this, going through a course of bhagavadgītā,
upaniṣad course and a few prakaraṇa granthās. Those are compulsory to get all these
ideas comprehensively & clearly. And therefore, the senior student who has comprehended
this message, uses the nididhyāsanaṃ to remind himself of his higher nature.
nididhyāsanaṃ for a spiritual seeker is, going to the green-room. Meditation seat is green-
room, where he removes all the veṣaṃ. ‘I am not father. I am not mother. I am not husband,
wife …’ They are all role-playing in which we get lost and so worries become too much.
Therefore, vedānta says, ‘once in a while go to the green-room and look at yourself from a
higher plane of absolute reality. This worldly drama will be going on several times. sṛṣṭi has
come and gone many times. So, what about one body appearing and disappearing? It is not
a very big issue at all. But we magnify our problems. Self-ignorance magnifies the problems.
Self-knowledge de-magnifies the problems, puts them in perspective. So, from meditation
when you come out, ‘mātrāsparśāstu kaunteya śītoṣṇasukhaduḥkhadāḥ’, you can just chant
with a smile. The frown from the face goes away. These are all the promises given by
vedānta. vedānta says, ‘you can see the benefit here and now’. Therefore, ‘brahma tat tu
aham iha iti bhāvaye’. Wonderful verse. I love this verse. Continuing -
�न�वर्कल्पकमनल्पम यत्�रा�र�वल�ण परम ् । �नत्यमव्यस
य ु �नरञ्जन बह् त�वम�स भावयात्म� ॥ (ब्र
nirvikalpakamanalpamakṣaraṃ yatkṣarākṣaravilakṣaṇaṃ paraṃ I nityamavyayasukhaṃ
nirañjanaṃ brahma tattvamasi bhāvayātmani II (brahma tattvahamiheti bhāvaye)

36
A relatively simple verse. All are repeatition of known ideas. Because, in nididhyāsanaṃ we
are repeatedly invoking nirvikalpakam brahman, without any division. Consciousness cannot
be divided. And in other schools of philosophy, like in nyāya philosophy, … [I need not say
all these things. I have started]. nyāya philosophy takes consciousness as an ‘attribute’.
sāṅkhya & yoga philosophy come very close to vedānta. They treat consciousness as an
independent principle, different from matter. The 5-featured consciousness they accept. So
wonderful. But they commit a big blunder. They say that, ‘the all-pervasive consciousness is
not one. Every jīvātmā is an all-pervasive consciousness. Therefore, you are an ‘all-
pervading’ consciousness; I am an ‘all-pervading’ consciousness. There are so many ‘all-
pervading’ consciousnesses! That means, again division! And then, bhagavān is another
‘superior all-pervading consciousness’! But vedānta says, ‘No. Consciousness cannot be
many. It is only one. Therefore it is “nirvikalpakam”.
And, that is why … [Okay, another aside note]. In vedānta when we talk about nirvikalpaka
samādhi, nirvikalpakam means, ‘brahman’; which is not there in sāṅkhya, yoga, nyāya,
vaiśeṣika. And, samādhi means, ‘absorption’. The second meaning of nirvikalpaka samādhi
for a vedāntin is thus, ‘being absorbed in the thought of nirvikalpakam brahma’. And that
brahman is nirvikalpakam, when? Not just during meditation. It is all the time nirvikalpakam,
division less. Normally I do not spend time thinking of that. In meditation, I am in
nirvikalpaka samādhi. I entertain thoughts regarding this ever division less brahman! Thus,
nirvikalpakam means, brahman. This concept is not there in sāṅkhya yoga nyāya vaiśeṣika.
Then, “analpam”. analpam means, not small, not finite. Means, infinite. brahman is infinite or
limitless. Therefore, “akṣaraṃ” - it is imperishable. And, “yat kṣarākṣara vilakṣaṇaṃ” - which
is different from both kṣaraṃ and akṣaraṃ. These 2 words kṣaraṃ and akṣaraṃ are
technical words. The word akṣaraṃ occurs twice in this śloka. In the first line, at the end.
That refers to the ‘imperishable’ brahman as it occurs in gītā 12th chapter. “ye tvakṣaram-
anirdeśyam avyaktaṃ paryupāsate”. That akṣaraṃ is brahman, the imperishable. But, in the
second line, we get the words kṣaraṃ & akṣaraṃ as a pair. That has got a contextual
meaning, borrowed from the 15th chapter of gītā, which the senior student in meditation is
supposed to remember. [So many things are taken for granted. I am not going to the details.
I will give you only the final, contextual meaning.].
dvāvimau puruṣau loke kṣaraścākṣara eva ca | kṣaraḥ sarvāṇi bhūtāni kūṭastho'kṣara
ucyate || uttamaḥ puruṣastvanyaḥ paramātmetyudāhṛtaḥ | [gītā 15-16&17]
kṣaraṃ in this context means, the entire universe. The manifest universe, subject to arrival
and departure. And, the word ‘akṣaraṃ’ - carefully we have to note - in this context means,
the very same universe in unmanifest condition, in pralayaṃ. It is called māyā. If you
remember the previous series, “avyaktanāmnī parameśaśaktiḥ, anādyavidyā triguṇātmikā
parā” [mantra 31] there we saw that māyā is, ‘the universe in potential form’. kāraṇa
prapañca. What is common to both? Both are material in nature. Both are inert principles.
One is manifestly inert; the other is un-manifestly inert.
And, “vilakṣaṇaṃ” means, consciousness principle is neither manifest matter nor unmanifest
matter. It is not matter at all. It is a spiritual principle, called ‘uttamaḥ puruṣaḥ’ in gītā 15th
chapter. That is why the chapter itself is titled ‘puruṣottama yogaḥ’. There, puruṣottamaḥ
means, ‘nirguṇam brahma’. Pure consciousness. puruṣottama is not mahāviṣṇu reclining on
ādiseṣa, lakshmī devī massaging the feet! No. Here, it is the nameless, formless attribute-
less, all-pervading consciousness. That, ‘uttamaḥ puruṣaḥ’ of 15th chapter is brought-in
37
during meditation. Therefore, brahman is beyond the world and māyā. Different from both.
And therefore only, “paraṃ”. param means, absolute. deśa kāla atītam, transcendental. And
then, “nityam”. nityam means, eternal. “avyayaṃ” means, not subject of exhaustion or
degeneration. Inexhaustible. Indeclinable. Then, “sukhaṃ”. sukhaṃ means, ānandaḥ. The
word avyayaṃ and sukham can be treated separately also. brahman is inexhaustible.
brahman is happiness. Or, we can take avyayaṃ as an adjective to sukham. ‘avyayaṃ
sukham’ means, inexhaustible happiness. Eternal happiness. Not, experiential happiness.
Because, any experiential happiness is non-eternal. Here, it is non-experiential happiness,
which is the witness of experiential happiness. And which is called Original consciousness.
All this we discussed in the previous series, while talking about ānandamayakośa. In 2
classes we studied ‘original’ happiness & ‘reflected’ happiness. In nididhyāsanaṃ, a student
should effortlessly remember all the classes. So, ‘avyaya sukham’ means, non-experiential,
eternal happiness is brahman. And, “nirañjanaṃ” - without any blemish or blot. Even
ignorance cannot taint brahman. nirañjanaṃ means blotless or pure.
And having described such a brahman, the guru says, ‘O disciple in meditation do not try to
experience brahman. It is a blunder. Because, whatever experience ‘comes’ in meditation, it
belongs to something temporary. Any experience that comes belongs to something
temporary. Do not look forward to any experience - ordinary or extraordinary. I have to learn
to claim, ‘such a brahman I am’. And at the time of claiming the meaning of the word ‘I’
should be the ever-available consciousness. It is not looking for something.
Therefore, “brahma tattvamasi bhāvayātmani”, the teacher says. Now the student says,
“brahma tat tu aham iha iti bhāvaye”. What a meditation! Continuing. Verse 9 in our text.
Remember, in the original vivekacūḍāmaṇi text, it is verse 262! So, nididhyāsanaṃ is
introduced only after thoroughly imparting the meaning of all these words. śaṅkarācārya has
discussed all of them. He assumes that the student has received the message up to this
portion. Thorough analysis. We saw only 108 verses earlier. In that itself, so much is there.
All has been thoroughly covered. Therefore, we are recollecting what we collected in
śravaṇam. nididhyāsanaṃ is recollection of what is collected in śravaṇam. That is why it is
called re-collection. We will read, verse 9 -
यद्�वभा� सदनेकधा भ्रद नामरूपगुण�व�क्रयात । हे मवत्स्वयम�व�क सदा बह् त�वम�स भावयात्म� ॥
(ब्र तत्व्धह�महेभावये) [mantra 09] [262] &&
yadvibhāti sadanekadhā bhramād nāmarūpaguṇavikriyātmanā I hemavatsvayamavikriyaṃ
sadā brahma tattvamasi bhāvayātmani II (brahma tattvahamiheti bhāvaye)
Almost a repetition of previous idea. brahman is a cause, without being a cause. brahman is
adhiṣṭhānaṃ. Another word they use is, vivarta kāraṇaṃ. So, “yat sat bhramāt anekadhā
vibhāti” - that sat brahma, which is present as pure existence and consciousness. anekadhā
vibhāti - appears in manifold ways. anekadhā - aneka prakāreṇa. anekadhā is explained in
the 2nd line. anekadhā = “nāma-rūpa guṇa-vikriya”. The world is not a substance in itself.
Even though it looks tangible & substantial, on enquiry it becomes molecules. Further, it
becomes atom. It becomes energy. It becomes, energy field. It becomes, names & forms.
nāma-rūpa configuration. nāma-rūpa. rūpa means, form or configuration. Then, guṇa. For
each nāma-rūpa entity, there are certain properties, which differentiate that from all others.
So, the world is divided into elements; each element has got its own signature traits. It has
got its own guṇa. And lastly, vikriya. vikriya means, it doesn’t remain the same. If you go to
sub-atomic particle, even as you study it, it becomes something else! When you want to
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study it and so throw light on it, the very contact with light changes the particle! That means,
you can never know what it really is. When you try to know, they undergo change.
Therefore, it looks change is slowly happening. Thus, if you go to the fundamental levels, it
is continuously changing. Therefore, you cannot say, ‘what it is’. In quantum level, there is
confusion galore. Cosmology is confusion. Quantum physics is another confusion.
Therefore, vedānta says ‘māyā’. One brahman presents itself in the form of - “nāma-rūpa
guṇa-vikriya” - name, configuration, attributes and changes. One brahman vibhāti, one
brahman presents itself multi-fold. Because of what? “bhramāt”. bhrama means, original
ignorance; otherwise called, mūlā avidyā or māyā. Because of that māyā, one brahman
appears as name, form, attribute, and changes. “ātmanā”. ātmanā means, [itthaṃ bhāve
tṛtīya] in this fashion. In short, there is no world other than brahman. So, if you put on the
māyā glasses, brahman will appear as universe. If you remove the māyā glass, universe will
be brahman. Thus, “bhramāt nāma-rūpa guṇa-vikriya ātmanā yat sat anekadhā vibhāti”.
And an example is given. “hemavat svayam avikriyaṃ sadā”. Gold and ornaments. So, even
when brahman ‘appears’ as the world, brahman has ‘not become’ the world. That is why we
use the word ‘appears’ as world. Even when brahman appears as world, brahman continues
to be brahman, all the time. When rope ‘appears’ as snake, rope continues to be rope.
When waker ‘appears’ as dream world, waker comfortably continues in the bed. He has not
become the dream world. If change really happens, he won’t wake up! Therefore, ‘brahman
svayaṃ avikriyaṃ’. That is called vivarta upādāna kāraṇaṃ. By itself it doesn’t undergo any
change. ‘avikriyaṃ’ means, changeless. What is the example? An approximate example.
‘hemavat’ - like gold. The gold example is given to differentiate from other examples like
milk becoming curds. When milk ‘becomes’ curd, milk completely changes into curd. Milk is
no more available. Similarly, if brahman also changes to ‘become’ the world, brahman will
not be available thereafter. So, unlike milk ‘becoming’ curds, it is more like gold. A relatively
better example. Because, even when the gold ‘appears’ as ornaments, the goldness of the
gold is never lost. And that is why we make gold into ornaments. Imagine, when you make
ornaments gold becomes clay or plastic, you will never make gold into ornaments. You will
hang only lumps of gold! We unhesitatingly convert gold into ornaments, because still
goldness continues, though ‘partially’ it undergoes change. In the case of brahman, even
that is not there. There, we should not take the example. Example is only this much – ‘gold
does not lose its goldenness when it becomes ornament’. So too, brahman doesn’t lose his
brahman-hood when it ‘seemingly becomes’ the world. “hemavat svayam avikriyaṃ sadā”.
‘sadā’ means, all the time. And then, the punch line. “tat brahma tvaṃ asi bhāvayātmani” -
that brahman, ‘you’ are. So it is drilling the message into the thick skull of the student! Joke.
The teacher has to drill a hole and inject – ‘tattvamasi’, ‘tattvamasi’, ‘tattvamasi’, with the
hope that the student will carry the message not only at the class, but at other times also.
Like the tamburā śruti behind a musician, this must be there. ‘paśyañ śṛṇvan spṛśañ jighran
aśnan’. ‘naiva kiñcitkaromīti’. ‘guṇā guṇeṣu vartante’. anātmā and anātmā interact. anātma
pañcakośa and anātma world interact. There will be favourable and un-favourable
consequences. ‘I’ am not involved in any interaction. ‘I’ am neither a participant in any
worldly interaction nor am ‘I’ affected by favourable or unfavourable consequences. There
are flutters in anātmā. I am neither kartā nor bhoktā. If this background knowledge is there,
our reactions in life will come down. FIR reduction will happen. Practical benefit is there. It is
not mere arm-chair philosophy. There is a practical benefit.

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So, ‘tat brahma tvaṃ asi’. And the student says, ‘tat brahma ahaṃ asmi’. Continuing. This is
the last verse of this series. ‘brahma tattvamasi’ series. All these 10 verses are guru’s
instructions. That is why I had to change the 4th line, from second-person statement to first-
person. From the next verse onwards, it is the śiṣya - who has practiced the meditation
expressing himself. So, no more second person. The śiṣya uses the first-person ‘I’. We can
directly employ those verses for meditation. No recasting is required. We will read verse 10.
यच्चकास्त्यन परात्पर प्रत्यगेकरसमात्म ल । सत्य�चत्सुखमनन्तमव बह् त�वम�स भावयात्म� ॥
yaccakāstyanaparaṃ parātparaṃ pratyagekarasamātmalakṣaṇam I satyacitsukham-
anantamavyayaṃ brahma tattvamasi bhāvayātmani II (brahma tattvahamiheti bhāvaye)
This is also a relatively simple verse, in the sense that most of the words are known. We
have seen in the previous series. In all ślokās ‘yat’ is there. To be connected with brahman.
‘yat brahma’ - that brahman, which is “cakāsti”. ‘cakāsti’ means, all the time shining. All the
time bright. What do you mean by shining, by bright light? The light of consciousness. In
vedānta, the word ‘light’ is used for consciousness, in a figurative sense. And, why is light
taken? Because, light is that principle in whose presence things are visually known; and, in
whose absence, things cannot be visually known. Thus, when I am visually perceiving
things, one thing is taken for granted - the medium of light. Every visual perception proves
the availability of the medium of light, even though we ignore it or are consciously unaware
of it. We focus on what is in the presence of light, forgetting the medium of light itself.
Extending this principle vedānta says, ‘consciousness is the ultimate light’, because it is that
principle in whose presence all things are known. Not just visually. Whether it is a sound or
a smell or a taste or whether it is inferred or whether it is known through words – behind any
blessed knowledge – through which things are known, there is another medium, because of
which alone or in whose presence alone ‘knowability’ takes place. Just as the objects have
got ‘perceptibility’ because of the medium of light, the entire world has ‘knowability’ because
of an invisible medium, which we ignore, which we don’t take note of, which we take for
granted. And that universal all-pervading medium is the consciousness medium. In the
presence of consciousness, all the knowable ‘objects’ are known. Because of the medium of
consciousness, time is knowable, space is knowable. Thus, ‘knowability’ pre-supposes the
medium of consciousness. But to know that consciousness itself, you don’t require another
consciousness! Just as a light doesn’t require another light to illumine it. Consciousness is
self-evident. svayamprakāśaḥ. Every word you are listening to is because of the
consciousness medium. “pratibodhaviditaṃ mataṃ amṛtatvaṃ hi vindate” [kena].
Therefore brahman is that consciousness which ‘shines’, which is evident all the time,
unmissably evident. But we manage to miss it! Not only that, we search for that! ‘Where is
brahman? I want to realise brahman!’ vedānta laughs. It is like asking, ‘I want to see light’,
looking all around. To realise brahman I don’t require any effort. [I have discussed all this
before]. Therefore, “yat brahma cakāsti” - brahman shines self-evidently all the time.
“anaparaṃ parātparaṃ” etc. we will see in the next class. Perhaps, heavy verses. I don’t
know. Because, this is meant for senior students for nididhyāsanaṃ, śaṅkarācārya takes for
granted and therefore packs profound ideas within every śloka. Therefore, if you find it too
high, don’t bother. Go back to śravaṇaṃ. Go back to previous series. If you are a serious
seeker, you can study bhagavadgītā and upaniṣad. All are available. You can study, benefit
and then come to nididhyāsanaṃ. Then, you will find it is like rasagulla. You can enjoy.

40
ॐ पण
ू ्म
र द पण
ू ्�मद
र पण
ू ार्त्पूणर्मुदच | पण
ू ्स
र पण
ू ्मादा
र पण
ू ्मेवाव
र �शष्य | ॐ शािन्त शािन्त शािन्त ||
Math, Chennai].

41
paraṃparām I
यच्चकास्त्यन परात्पर प्रत्यगेकरसमात्म ल । सत्य�चतस
् ुखमनन्तमव बह् त�वम�स भावयात्म� ॥
(ब्र त�वह�महे�त भावये) [mantra 10] [263] &&
yaccakāstyanaparaṃ parātparaṃ pratyagekarasamātmalakṣaṇam I satyacitsukham-
anantamavyayaṃ brahma tattvamasi bhāvayātmani II (brahma tattvahamiheti bhāvaye)
This is the last verse in the form of guru’s instructions to disciple, wherein the guru presents
the mahāvākyaṃ repeatedly. And each time, different descriptions of brahman are given so
that the student takes the description of brahman as his own glory. Because, I have always
looked down upon me as an inglorious jīva, with several inferior attributes, never satisfied
with myself. This unsatisfactory jīvabhāva is very consciously replaced by brahmabhāva.
And, to reinforce this brahmabhāva, every attribute or feature of brahman I look upon
‘myself’. If brahman is ‘satyaṃ’, I practice saying, ‘aham satyaṃ’. If brahman is ‘anantaṃ’, I
practice claiming, ‘aham anantaṃ’. ‘nityam’, ‘śuddhaṃ’ and all such features are strewn all-
over in the upaniṣad. I take each one and meditate upon. In every meditation session, I
choose a few features of brahman to reinforce brahmabhāva. brahmabhāva prabalīkaraṇaṃ
and jīvabhāva durbalīkaraṇaṃ. jīvabhāva must be removed in my private thinking. It should
be utilised as a temporary costume only for worldly vyavahāra. Because I have to do worldly
transactions, jīvabhāva is required. Therefore, I don’t completely remove my costume. I
keep it just enough for doing my duties and transactions. But I don’t make it strong enough
to overwhelm me. Ultimately, by the diagnosis of our problems, vedānta establishes that the
sense of limitation is saṃsāra; and claiming our limitlessness is mokṣa!
paricchinna ivājñānāttannāśe sati kevalaḥ | svayaṃ prakāśate hyātmā meghāpāyeṃ-
'śumāniva || [ātmabodha]
‘paricchinna ivājñānāt’ - I feel as though limited due to ignorance. ‘tannāśe sati kevalaḥ’
when that ‘sense’ of limitation - limitation need not go way, because there is no limitation
‘sense’ of limitation tannāśe sati kevalaḥ - ‘I am the only limitless one in the entire cosmos’.
Thus the whole nididhyāsanaṃ is displacing limitation by limitless ness. Therefore, in each
śloka śaṅkarācārya says that ‘you are brahman’. In the first 3 lines, different features are
said. You have to take those features onto yourself, without feeling any intellectual jerk,
without feeling any reservation, without feeling any difference, without feeling ‘what will
others think?’ Without feeling any sacrilege I should be able to claim. I need not do that in
front of others. In the green room, in privacy, I should be able to do that. It has to be
reinforced, until there is no more necessity for reinforcement; that it becomes natural to me.
Whenever I think of ‘me’, I should think of brahman.
That is what advertisers do. They repeatedly stress an idea, so that it gets deeply registered
in our sub-conscious. Actually, it is this nididhyāsanaṃ idea they are using! Like, ‘Think of
perfection? Think of this suit’. Or, ‘Think of beauty? Think of this product’. Or, ‘Think of
health? Think of this drink / tooth paste’. They go on bombarding their advertisements once
every few minutes during commercial breaks, so that, ‘beauty / perfection / health’ and ‘their
product’ get associated in our sub-conscious. vedāntā is using the same methodology.
There, they are advertising what is not factual. Here, we only say, think of ‘me’, think of
‘brahman’. Think of ‘brahman’, think of ‘me’. Because, both ‘me’ and ‘brahman’ are identical.
Thus, this idea is bombarded, so that in our mind that equation gets deeply registered.

42
Advertisers associate beauty or elegance or health with products. Here, vedānta is using
the same method, but this is not a conditioning. Dayānanda swāmīji repeatedly says, ‘it is
not a conditioning. Conditioning is a non-factual thing. Here, it is deconditioning’. Because,
all along I have the false conditioning that ‘I am a jīvaḥ’. We are deconditioning that
jīvabhāva, by claiming and reinforcing our brahmabhāva. So, what is the slogan here?
‘Think of brahman, think of yourself’. Do not look around. That is the aim. Until it happens
spontaneously, nididhyāsanaṃ should be continued. When it happens spontaneously, it is
called jñānaniṣṭhā, sahaja samādhi, brāhmīsthitiḥ, brahmaniṣṭha etc. They are words used.
And therefore, this is the last verse of that series in this particular Sanskrit metre, called
rathoddhatā. That is the metre in which this śloka comes. This is the last in that series.
We were seeing the meaning in the last class. ‘yat brahma cakāsti’ - brahman is available all
the time in the form of consciousness and the presence of consciousness is proved by the
adjective ‘know’ that I attach to every object. Wall is ‘known’, table is ‘known’, the person
sitting in front of me is ‘known’,‘known’,‘known’. This ‘known-ness’ of everything is because
of consciousness. ‘known-ness’ reveals ‘consciousness’; and, ‘is’ness reveals ‘existence’.
brahman is thus in the form of ‘is’ness & ‘known’ness. Even when you say, ‘there is nothing’,
that ‘nothing’ness you are aware of. In that vessel, in that room ‘there is nothing’. There also
there is ‘known’ness. The ‘known’ness of ‘nothing’ness! Otherwise, you won’t say that.
Thus, there is no point in time when there is absence of ‘is’ness and ‘known’ness. Even in
deep sleep, ‘is’ness and ‘known’ness are continuing. But, because of the dormant state of
mind and indriyams, we are unable to declare that then. Then also ‘is’ness and ‘known’ness
are there, though not in an active form. When we wake up, that ‘is’ness and ‘known’ness get
activated. You say, ‘I was asleep, and so I knew nothing’. That ‘ I was’ means, ‘is’ness. And
‘knew nothing’ means ‘known’ness. That ‘is’ness and ‘known’ness in our life is because
everything is happening in the medium of ‘existence’ ‘consciousness’. It is called ‘satyaṃ
jñānaṃ anantaṃ brahma’. It is everywhere. cakāsti means svayaṃprakāśa. [cakās dhātu,
2nd conjugation. cakāsti cakāstaḥ cākāsati]. Up to this we saw in last class.
‘anaparaṃ brahma’. The word ‘aparaṃ’ has got several meanings. In this context. ‘aparaṃ’
means, kāryaṃ, a product, that which comes later. ‘aparaṃ anantaraṃ’ - that which comes
later. kāryaṃ - product or effect - always comes later. That is why it is called aparaṃ. And,
kāraṇaṃ or cause is called pūrvaṃ. kāraṇaṃ and kāryaṃ. pūrvaṃ and aparaṃ. Cause and
effect. So, ‘an’aparaṃ means, without a kāryaṃ. ‘anaparaṃ brahma’ has two meanings.
1] brahman is not a kāryaṃ; not a product. 2] And, brahman is without any product. ‘kārya
kāraṇa vilakṣaṇaṃ brahma’. It doesn’t produce anything, ‘really’. We should add that ‘really’.
The world ‘appears’ in brahman; so, it ‘seems’ to be a product of brahman. Snake ‘appears’
on the rope; so, it ‘appears’ to be a ‘product born out of rope’. Similarly, the world ‘appears’
to be a ‘product of brahman’. But, in reality, there is no product. Therefore, ‘anaparaṃ’.
Next, ‘parātparaṃ’. So many words taken from upaniṣad! That is why nididhyāsanaṃ should
not come immediately after only bhagavadgītā study. upaniṣad is also important. There are
many people who are not interested in mokṣa, but they are interested in spiritual
‘information’ and improving their quality of life. ‘I want peace and joy. I am not interested in
mokṣa. They are all too big’. There are many such people. They want to have some
spirituality and they just want to improve the quality of their life. For them, bhagavadgītā is
more than enough. It gives sufficient spiritual knowledge. Through karmayoga, bhakti,
values etc, it improves the quality of life tremendously.
43
Thus, when we have got that limited goal, only bhagavadgītā is enough. But when we are
seekers of mokṣa, and we are serious and we want thorough knowledge of vedānta, then
bhagavadgītā is not sufficient. What about bhāgavataṃ? bhāgavataṃ is not sufficient.
upaniṣad becomes compulsory. Therefore, all serious students will have to study the
upaniṣad. Not only that. Thereafter, they have to internalise the upaniṣadic teachings.
And when upaniṣads are studied, several new words are introduced. Many of them are
untranslatable Sanskrit words. That is why I am not able to avoid Sanskrit words. Many
students may feel I am using too much Sanskrit. Like, the other day I used the word ‘daṇḍa’
while talking about a saṃnyāsi. I noticed later, throughout I have used the word daṇḍa and
daṇḍi, not translating that word even once. Taken for granted! daṇḍa means a staff. So you
can see orthodox saṃnyāsis - like śaṅkarācārya, carry a staff. Orthodox saṃnyāsa requires
all of that. With what material the staff should be made and whether it should be one or
three etc. ekadaṇḍī tridaṇḍī. These words are so common that we use the words daṇḍa and
daṇḍī even without translating. I do have a problem, I recognise. Many may feel that there is
too much Sanskrit; but I have that viparīta bhāvana! Therefore I am assuming many words
the students are familiar with. And there are other competent vedānta teachers and I do
recommend them also. They avoid Sanskrit vocabulary and they do convey vedānta for
many people. I feel, I am a wrong candidate for such people. Books on vedānta are also
there without Sanskrit words. My teaching has got this limitation, if you want to call it so.
Especially for nididhyāsanaṃ, we are taking many words from upaniṣad. And, not only that.
Every word has got different contextual meaning. Like here, the word parātparaṃ. It is very
common in Indian culture. Carnatic music songs ‘பராத்பரா பரேமஸ்வரா பார்வதிபேத ஹர ப� ,
பராத்பர’. In that context, the first part, ‘parāt’ refers to māyā. And the second part, ‘paraṃ’,
means superior. So, parātparaṃ means, superior to māyā. Transcending māyā. Because,
brahman is superior to māyā. In what way, it is superior? We should remember, it is superior
only in one sense. That is brahman has got existence of its own; whereas, māyā depends
on brahman for existence. The ‘is’ness of māyā does not belong to māyā. Just like the
moonlight doesn’t belong to the moon, even though we call it ‘moon’light. When you say
māyā ‘is’, that ‘is’ness comes from brahman. So, māyā depends on brahman for its
existence. Therefore we say, brahman is superior.
And remember, [an aside note] brahman depends on māyā for ‘doing’ everything, like
brahman depends on māyā to ‘get’ īśvara status in the empirical world. Without māyā,
brahman cannot ‘do’ anything. In the previous series I repeatedly quoted saundaryalaharī
also. brahman ‘becomes’ sṛṣṭi sthiti laya kartā. All 3 of them. brahman has to ‘request’
māyā. ‘I will give you existence, but please you be like a mother. A male requires the
blessing of a female to be a father. Thus brahman fathers the creation only with the help of
māyā. Therefore, in the empirical world, we respect māyā as much as brahman. We never
disrespect māyā. Very careful. Still we say, ‘brahman is superior from a technical angle,
because the ‘is’ness of māyā belongs to brahman. So, brahman is an independent principle,
superior to māyā, which is a dependent principle. Therefore, brahman is called ‘parātparaṃ’,
based on muṇḍaka upaniṣad vākyam, ‘akṣarāt parataḥ paraḥ’ -
divyo hyamūrtaḥ puruṣaḥ sa bāhyābhyantaro hyajaḥ | aprāṇo hyamanāḥ śubhro hyakṣarāt
parataḥ paraḥ || [muṇḍaka 2.1.2]
Here, “parātparaṃ pratyak ekarasam ātmalakṣaṇam” - it is the innermost principle. ‘pratyak’
means, the innermost principle within every living being. So, the annamaya, the sthūla
44
śarīraṃ, is called outer. Because, I can drop it. I do drop it at the time of death. sūkṣma
śarīraṃ is also outer, because I drop it during every pralayaṃ. kāraṇa śarīraṃ is also outer,
because I drop it during videhamukti. Therefore, all these śarīrams are called ‘outer’,
because I can keep on dropping them, like during a rocket launch, it keeps on dropping the
fuel tanks. First stage, second stage, third stage, …. To go to mokṣa they are all droppable.
What is droppable is ‘outer’. The un-droppable consciousness is the ‘inner-most’, because
that is the real ‘I’. Therefore ‘pratyak’. It is the inner-most principle.
‘ekarasaṃ’. ekaḥ means, it is non-dual. And, ‘rasaḥ’ means, it is without substance-attribute
combination dichotomy. Because consciousness doesn’t come under substance also,
attribute also. Matter alone comes under substance-attribute combination. So, ‘ekarasaṃ’ –
non-dual inner principle, which is a spiritual principle, which is free from substance status as
well as attribute status also. What is ātmā? You cannot say it is a ‘substance’. It is a ‘thing’,
you cannot say. If you say, it is an ‘entity’, people will ask, ‘what do you mean by “entity”?
Because, our mind is used to ‘substance / matter’. When we say, ‘it is neither substance nor
attribute’, mind is bewildered. It is stumped. So, intellect should get used to ‘something
which is neither substance nor attribute’. And never try to conceive of this. Only thing that
you can do is, claim that as ‘I am’. That innermost essence of living beings is called ātmā.
‘ātmalakṣaṇam’. Means, defined as ātmā, ‘I’. ‘the self’. Therefore, ātmalakṣaṇam means,
‘ātmā iti lakṣaṇam yasya’ - that which is referred to as ātmā. That means, brahman is
available as ‘I’. ātmā means, ‘the self’. ‘Self’ means, ‘I’. brahman is neither third person nor
second person. It is first person singular. This, I have to practice in nididhyāsanaṃ.
Whenever we hear the word ‘brahman’ we immediately try to think of something different,
distant. That idea should go. When I say or think of ‘brahman’, think of ‘myself’. And, it
should happen naturally. That is why I say, the brahmavidyā, the upaniṣad, a jñāni looks
upon as his own biography. For a teacher-guru, teaching vedānta is, teaching his
autobiography! Like everybody likes to talk about themselves, jñāni loves talking of
brahman, because he is talking about himself! Therefore, ‘ātmalakṣaṇam’.
And, what is its nature as described here? “satya cit sukham anantaṃ avyayaṃ”. ‘satyaṃ
jñānaṃ anantaṃ ānandaṃ’. I am not explaining all these. We have seen these previously.
‘satyaṃ’ means, pure existence, the absolute reality. ‘cit’ means, the pure consciousness.
The 5-featured consciousness. ‘sukham’ means, ānanda. Not the one ‘experienced’ in the
mind as a ‘reflected’ happiness; but the ‘original’ happiness, which is ‘myself’, which is not
an object of experience. ‘sukham’ is borrowed from chāndogya 7th chapter – “yo vai bhūmā
tat sukham”. Therefore, ‘satya cit sukham’ = ‘saccidānanda svarūpam’. Then, ‘anantaṃ’ -
that which is limitless. And, ‘avyayaṃ’. Limitless, again. Each word is a loaded word.
‘avyayaṃ’ is ‘deśa kāla vastu pariccheda śūnyaṃ anantaṃ’. Everything has definition. It
doesn’t have space wise limitation, timewise limitation, object wise limitation [which I call as
‘ness-wise limitation’. “Ness” within inverted commas. Table has got table-‘ness’. It doesn’t
have chair-‘ness’. Man has got man-‘ness’. He has not got woman-‘ness’. Thus, every
object in the world being a particularised object, it has got that particular-‘ness’, which is a
limitation. The ‘ness’ limitation is called vastu paricchedaḥ. And, brahman is free from that
‘ness’ also, because brahman is not one of the vastus or ‘things’ in the world, different from
all other things. Because, there is no second ‘thing’ other than brahman. Even if there is a
second thing, its ‘ness’ belongs to brahman only, because brahman is the content of all of
them. Space‘ness’ belongs to brahman. Air‘ness’ belongs to brahman. Earth‘ness’ belongs

45
to brahman. But, it itself is not limited by any ‘ness’. It is free from all ‘nesses’ and it supports
all the ‘nesses’. I think I am with quibbling with words! Therefore, brahman is free from
space-wise, time-wise and attribute-wise or object-wise limitations. anantaṃ. avyayaṃ.
‘avyayaṃ’ means, inexhaustible or free from declensions.
“brahma tattvahamiheti bhāvaye”. So, in the first 3 lines, it is parokṣa jñānaṃ. ‘brahman is
like that’. In the 4th line, parokṣa brahma jñānaṃ is converted into aparokṣam. ‘That
brahman I am’. In the original vivekacūḍāmaṇi text, the teacher talks about nididhyāsanaṃ
and its importance from verse 254 till 417 or so. Because, replacing the individuality is not
that easy. śaṅkarācārya therefore goes on blasting His way. And, later, ācārya conveys that
this śiṣya got the message of the teaching and went away from the teacher for some time
and did nididhyāsanaṃ, internalised the teaching and gained confidence. In kenopaniṣad
bhāṣyam, śaṅkarācārya uses the word “śiṣyaḥ jagarja” - the disciple roared like a lion in
front of the teacher, saying ‘he guro! I am no more a jīvaḥ. I am brahman. I am everything’.
So, here, the following ślokās are the śiṣyā’s report to the guru, saying how he looks upon
himself as a result of the guru’s teaching. śiṣya starts by thanking the guru. This following
śloka we have seen in the previous series [verse 102]. I have deliberately included here,
because this is the beginning of nididhyāsana ślokās as given by the disciple in the original
vivekacūḍāmaṇi. We can also use these verses for nididhyāsanaṃ. The previous 10 verses
are nididhyāsana ślokās as given by the guru. The following 30 verses are the nididhyāsana
ślokās as given by the śiṣya. Here, the advantage is, we need not recast the verse because
the word ‘I’ is already there. In nididhyāsanaṃ, the most important word is ‘I’, the ātmā.
In karmayoga and upāsanayoga the most important word is ‘bhagavān’. karmayogi starts
the day remembering bhagavān. And, in fact, a senior jñānayogi who has come to
nididhyāsanaṃ has to change even that practice. Many people will dread that. Because,
they are used to getting-up remembering god. Wonderful practice. But, during and after
nididhyāsanaṃ, even that religious practice will have to be replaced by spiritual practice. I
have to transcend religion to come to spirituality. Many devotees find it difficult. So difficult,
that they reject vedānta for this one reason! Because, they want to hold on to god and
vedānta is asking them to start the day with ‘aham brahma’.
prātaḥ smarāmi hṛdi saṃsphuradātmatattvaṃ saccitsukhaṃ paramahaṃsagatiṃ turīyam ।
yatsvapnajāgarasuṣuptamavaiti nityaṃ tadbrahma niṣkalamahaṃ na ca bhūtasaṅghaḥ II
I have to get up remembering ‘myself’. Whereas, in karmayoga, we said, ‘start the day
remembering god’. That is why we say, spirituality transcends religion. Religion and karma-
yoga is īśvarapradhāna. Spirituality and jñānayoga is ātmapradhānaḥ, ahaṃpradhānaḥ.
Because, when I remember god, I am not shedding my jīvabhāva. In fact, I am only
reinforcing my jīvabhāva. I may say, ‘īśvara is everything. īśvara is wonderful’. But, as long
we say, ‘īśvara is everything. īśvara is wonderful’, we have not handled the basic issue, the
notion that, ‘I am a finite jīva’. In nididhyāsanaṃ, our focus is attacking the finite jīvabhāva,
centred on ‘aham’. We call it aparokṣa bhramaḥ. aparokṣa bhrama will go away only by
aparokṣa jñānaṃ. Thus, nididhyāsanaṃ involves transcending religion, by which I mean, we
start the day with ‘ahaṃ’. And therefore, all those devotees, religious people who have
enjoyed starting the day with īśvarabhāva and who resist starting the day with ātmabhāva
they can continue. We never criticise them. We do not condemn them. Please continue as
long as you want. But, mokṣa requires, ahaṃ-centred transformation. Without ‘I’ - ahaṃ-
centric transformation, any amount of religion will not help. We saw in the previous series -
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paṭhantu śāstrāṇi yajantu devān, kurvantu karmāṇi bhajantu devatāḥ I ātmaikyabodhena

vinā vimuktiḥ, na siddhyati brahmaśatāntare'pi II [mantra 4] [6] &&
You may be religious. This is all disturbing for a hardcore bhakta. They melt when you say
‘god is great’. And, they want to retain that. Here we say, ‘I am great’. Thus, nididhyāsanaṃ
will change the very beginning of my day. śaṅkarācārya is so glorious that He has written
many prātaḥsmaraṇa ślokās for devotes also, for nididhyāsana kartā also! “prātaḥsmarāmi
lalitā vādanāra vindaṃ” - ‘I remember the beautiful face of lalitā devī ’. “prātaḥsmarāmi
paraṃeśvara vaktra padmaṃ” - ‘I remember the beautiful face of paraṃeśvara!’ If you are a
karmayogi, start with ‘prāthasmarāmi paraṃeśvara’ or ‘lalitāvādanāntara vindaṃ’. ācārya
provides for everyone. He has a huge mall! Whether you want to join this exercise or not,
you can decide. But if you are a serious spiritual seeker, we are supposed to be in
nididhyāsanaṃ and the day should start with ‘ahaṃ’. There is no second thing other than
‘me’. ‘I’ lend existence to the whole creation. We are going to see a fantastic portion. At
least theoretically let’s see what it is, whether we practice it or not; see what it is all about.
धन्योऽह कृतकृत्योऽह �वमुक्तोऽह भवग्रहा । �नत्यानन्दस्वरूप पण
ू �ऽहं त्वदनुग्रह ॥
dhanyo'haṃ kṛtakṛtyo'haṃ vimukto'haṃ bhavagrahāt I nityānandasvarūpo'haṃ pūrṇo'haṃ
tvadanugrahāt II [mantra 11] [488] &&
Here, first the śiṣya expresses his gratitude to the guru. After nididhyāsanaṃ he is feeling so
comfortable about himself. Let’s recollect how he was when he initially went to the teacher
with a gloomy face. “bhītaṃ prapannaṃ paripāhi mṛtyoḥ” – ‘save me, protect me’. pāhimām
rakṣamām. ‘I am terribly frightened’ - bhītaṃ prapannaṃ. That same frightened śiṣya is now
coming to the guru with a glowing face. And he says, ‘dhanyo'haṃ’.
[We have seen the meaning of the śloka in the previous series. I won’t elaborate. I will give
you the simple meaning]. I am the most fortunate one to gain this knowledge. ‘kṛtakṛtyo'haṃ’
- I have total fulfilment because I have got pūrṇatvaṃ. And, ‘vimukto'haṃ' - I am free from
jīvabhāvaḥ, the intellectual saṃsāra of ahaṅkāra and mamakāra. I am free from intellectual
saṃsāra and consequently, emotional saṃsāra also is reduced. FIR reduction, is a gradual
happening process. ‘vimukto'haṃ bhavagrahāt’ - from the clutches of the saṃsāra
crocodile. ‘bhavaḥ’ means, saṃsāra. As a jīva, I am a saṃsāri. As brahman, I am asaṃsāri.
‘nitya ānanda svarūpo'haṃ’ – ‘I’ am of the nature of happiness. In fact, ‘I’ alone donate
happiness to all the minds in the entire creation. If anybody is smiling anywhere, ‘I’ am
reflecting in that smile! Therefore, ‘nitya ānanda svarūpo'haṃ’.
‘pūrṇo'haṃ’ - aham pūrṇaḥ. pūrṇaḥ means, complete. Which means, ‘I don’t lack anything. I
do not miss anything. I don’t have self-inadequacy’. Inadequacy is responsible for varieties
of emotional problems. When I am inadequate, I compare with my neighbour and the brand
of car he uses. He has got a Benz. I have got a Maruti. He has got 2,3 extra cars. Status
comparison. Type of dress. Type of food. Type of residence. 3 BHK vs 4 bed-room house.
All comparison. And I feel so small. So, I have to climb the ladder and try to become equal
to somebody else. This struggle to become somebody else is endless. If he has got 10 cars,
wonderful. ‘I am so happy for you’. But I am never unhappy for myself’. I can tell everyone, ‘I
am happy for you. But I am not unhappy for myself. I am fine with my Maruti car or no car or
even just a bicycle’. That is how saṃnyāsīs feel. They don’t have anything; yet, they don’t
have any jealousy problem. Why? pūrṇo'haṃ!

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And the śiṣya says here, ‘tvadanugrahāt’. Very important. ‘he guro, this would not have
been possible without your teaching’. As I said, the primary blessing of the guru is teaching.
Because, knowledge has to be transferred only through spoken words. That is why in all the
upaniṣads, the guru gives knowledge only by consistent & systematic teaching. Transferring
the knowledge by touching the head or the back, transferring knowledge by cākṣuṣa dīkṣā,
and, like distant prāṇic-healing, distant dīkṣā, so many dīkṣās they talk about! We don’t
question those kinds of dīkṣās. Those may bless the disciple and perhaps purify his mind.
But, as far as we are concerned, we require transformation through words. And Dayānanda
swāmīji says, dakṣiṇāmūrti is supposed to have transferred the knowledge in maunam! But,
remember, His students were sanakādi ṛṣis. If we are also ṛṣis like them, then a guru like
dakṣiṇāmūrti may be able to transfer by mere touch. Like electronic transference of money,
telepathic transference of knowledge we don’t negate. But they all come under extra-
ordinary situations. As in the case of dakṣiṇāmūrti and sanakādi ṛṣis.
In śaṅkarācārya’s biography also [we do not know the correct details] it is said, He
transferred His wisdom to todakācārya by dīkṣā. śaṅkarācārya’s biography - 28 biographies
are there; different versions with different details; all based on hearsay. Even His date-of-
birth - whether it is in BC or AD - there is a controversy between two maṭhams themselves!
Two centres of śaṅkarācārya differ even about that. When we do not even know the time of
śaṅkarācārya, we have no idea about correctness of His biography etc. The only definite
idea is His commentaries are available. Whoever be the author, we revere those. In the
biography they say, śaṅkarācārya transferred His wisdom to todakācārya. So, hearing those
stories, many think that, we also can get like that! As I humorously say, our problem is, even
with elaborate communication, we don’t understand! We get confused. Therefore, by mere
silence, what will we understand? [I got lost].
Remember, being important, I am deliberately talking about the grace of the guru. vedānta
dīkṣā or vedānta upadeśa is not anything other than consistent and systematic teaching.
That is called initiation. All other dīkṣās can help in purification of the mind. The only grace
of guru which will give liberating knowledge is, consistent and systematic teaching. What is
pramāṇam for that? In the upaniṣad, every guru graces the disciple –
“yenākṣaraṃ puruṣaṃ veda satyaṃ provāca tāṃ tattvato brahmavidyām” [muṇḍaka 1.2.13]
So, ‘provāca’ - guru talks. And in the bhagavadgītā, “tamuvāca hṛṣīkeśaḥ prahasanniva
bhārata”. Lord kṛṣṇa also did not give cākṣuṣaḥ dīkṣā, mānasa dīkṣā, sparśana dīkṣā. kṛṣṇa
could have done that. After all he is bhagavān! He never chose any of those dīkṣās. He
taught and taught and taught - not just one chapter! And, arjuna also raised many questions
and so more teaching. So, let it be very clear. There may be extra-ordinary methods of
transferring knowledge, we don’t question that. In the māyā world anything can happen. In
bṛhadāraṇyaka puruṣavida brāhmaṇaṃ commentary, śaṅkarācārya clearly accepts that
there are so many other methods. But, He says, they are all for jīvas with extra-ordinary
upāsana. Whereas, we ordinary human beings can never hope for any such method of
transference. One should go through śravaṇaṃ, consistent and systematic study.
This was a big diversion. All because one word – “tvādanugrahāt” - you graced me with your
teaching. This is the introduction by the disciple, before talking about what nididhyāsanaṃ
he did when he temporarily took a break for nididhyāsanaṃ. So, the following śloka is the
roaring of the disciple. We will enter into. That is why you can see the gap in numbers. The
previous verse by the guru was 263. And thereafter śaṅkarācārya has talked a lot about
48
significance of nididhyāsanaṃ. And now in verse 488 only the śiṣya talks about he having
received the message and practiced nididhyāsanaṃ. He is now declaring how he looks
upon himself. We will read. [Verse no 11 - dhanyo'haṃ we did not read. I forgot].
असङ्गोऽहमनङ्गोऽहम�लङ्गोऽहमभङ् । प्रशान्तोऽहमनन्तमलोऽहं �चरन्तन ॥
asaṅgo'hamanaṅgo'hamaliṅgo'hamabhaṅguraḥ I praśānto'hamananto'hamamalo'haṃ
cirantanaḥ II [mantra 12] [489] &&
So in this verse śiṣya negates his jīvabhāva, by pointing out that, ‘I appear a jīva for all
others. But, in my vision, I am not a jīva’. I get jīvabhāva because of my association with the
three bodies. Identification with the three bodies is called viśeṣa abhimāna. The mistaken
intellectual conclusion that ‘I am sthūla śarīraṃ, I am sūkṣma śarīraṃ, I am kāraṇa śarīraṃ’.
Therefore, I am a jīva, we conclude. śiṣya negates each of them. ‘asangohaṃ’ - I do not
have any connection with the śarīra trayaṃ, the anātmā. ‘asaṅgaḥ’ means, connection-less.
Relation-less. That doesn’t mean, they are far away from ‘me’. They are not physically far
away. But they happen to be of a lower order of reality, just as the waker getting connected
with the dream body in dream. Waker ‘projects’ a dream body, in dream. Not only that, the
waker sheds/drops the waker’s body in the bed. And having dropped the waker’s body, he
puts on the dreamer’s body to do all dream transactions. So, what is the relationship
between the waker’s and dreamer’s body? Waker’s body is vyāvahārika satyaṃ. Dreamer’s
body is prātibhāsika satyaṃ; a mental projection. Therefore, waker and dream body cannot
have any relationship at all. It is a loose relationship, used purely for dream transactions.
Dream travel, I do with dream body.
And imagine the dreamer knows this fact. Just imagine. Generally, the dreamer in dream
doesn’t know. Let’s imagine that the dreamer knows that, ‘I am a waker. And this dream
body is temporarily projected for my use. I am putting the veṣaṃ of the dream body’. What
will the dreamer then say? ‘I am really a waker of a higher order of reality. My connection
with this dream body is adhyāsa saṃbandhaḥ̣ – just a superimposed relationship’. Similarly,
here, the jñāni śiṣya also remembers that, in reality ‘I’ am the super-waker brahman and ‘I’
alone with my māyā śakti have ‘projected’ this body for playing about my līlā in the jāgrat
world. My connection with this waker body is adhyāsa saṃbandhaḥ̣ only.’ That is what
bhagavān says. A jñāni also says the same thing. ‘I don’t have past or intrinsic connection
with sthūla sūkṣma kāraṇa śarīraṃs. ‘anaṅgohaṃ’ - ‘I’ am without a physical body; because,
what is mithyā is as good as absent. Or, ‘I’ am anaṅgaḥ. aṅgaḥ means, sthūla śarīraṃ in
this context. ‘I’ am without sthūla śarīraṃ; or, ‘I’ am with mithyā sthūla śarīraṃ. Both okay. ‘I
have no money’; or, ‘I have a demonetised currency’! Having that money and not having
money both are same only! So also, ‘I am without a body. Or, I am with a mithyā body’.
Then, ‘aliṅgohaṃ’. liṅgaṃ here means, sūkṣma śarīraṃ. We saw in the previous series.
‘liṅgaṃ sūkṣma saṃsititaṃ’. Therefore, aliṅgaḥ means [all nanj bahuvrīhi. na vidyate liṅgaṃ
sūkṣma śarīraṃ yasya] ‘I’ don’t have sthūla śarīraṃ or ‘I’ have mithyā sthūla śarīraṃ. I don’t
have sūkṣma śarīraṃ or I have mithyā sūkṣma śarīraṃ. Similarly, ‘amalohaṃ’ is there. The
word malaṃ means, impurity. Some commentators take ‘malaṃ’ in this context as kāraṇa
śarīraṃ, which is the biggest impurity of ignorance. Therefore, malaṃ can be taken as
kāraṇa śarīraṃ in this context. Therefore, amalaḥ means, kāraṇa śarīra rahitaḥ.

49
‘I’ am sthūla sūkṣma kāraṇa śarīra vilakṣaṇa rahitaḥ. So, ‘I’ am not them. ‘I’ am free from
them. [All nanj tatpuruṣa also you can take. But nanj tatpuruṣa will have some problems.
nanj bahuvrīhi is better]. ‘I’ am without all these 3 bodies. And therefore ‘abhaṅguraḥ’.
aṅguraḥ means, nāśaḥ, perishable. And, abhaṅguraḥ means, ‘I am imperishable’. sthūla
śarīraṃ perishes at the time of death; sūkṣma śarīraṃ perishes at the time of pralayaṃ;
kāraṇa śarīraṃ perishes at the time of videhamukti. All the three bodies are perishable;
whereas ‘I’ am the imperishable consciousness.
na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin nāyaṃ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ I ajo nityaḥ śāśvato'yaṃ
purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre II [gītā 2.20]
I am just giving an idea how in nididhyāsanaṃ our mind can hover around all the vedāntic
concepts. But even as it is hovering around, I am revising my own perception of myself.
Then only it is nididhyāsanaṃ. At the end of nididhyāsanaṃ, my outlook or inlook must have
changed. Otherwise, it is not nididhyāsanaṃ. There must be self-revision, revision of self-
perception. More in the next class.
ॐ पण
ू ्मद
र पण
ू ्�मद
र पणा
ू र्त्पूणर्मुदच | पण
ू ्स
र पण
ू ्मादा
र पण
ू ्मेवाव�
र शष्य | ॐ शािन्त शािन्त शािन्त ||
Math, Chennai].

50
paraṃparām I
असङ्गोऽहमनङ्गोऽहम�लङ्गोऽहमङभ ् । प्रशान्तोऽहमनन्तमलोऽहं �चरन्तन ॥
asaṅgo'hamanaṅgo'hamaliṅgo'hamabhaṅguraḥ I praśānto'hamananto'hamamalo'haṃ
cirantanaḥ II [mantra 12] [489] &&
All these words are the descriptions of ‘myself’, the ‘real self’, which has been revealed by
the scriptures which I am supposed to have studied and understood. Therefore, all these
words should be meaningful to me. Also, I should not have any doubts about the teaching.
During nididhyāsanaṃ we don’t try to remove our doubts. All doubts have to be handled by
proper reasoning, thinking etc. during mananaṃ. Therefore, during nididhyāsanaṃ, there is
no argument involved. There is no question of steps involved. I do not arrive at any
conclusion. All the conclusions are already arrived at. I know and I am convinced. During
nididhyāsanaṃ, I am only invoking the knowledge or the conviction which I have already
received during śravaṇa mananaṃ. In these classes I am trying to explain and give certain
steps and arguments also. These are my additions. But, in actual nididhyāsanaṃ, there are
no doubts, steps, arguments, conclusions. I am giving some connected arguments for better
clarity. In actual nididhyāsanaṃ, these are not involved.
Here, the student has already practiced śarīratraya viveka, differentiating ‘himself’ from the
three śarīrams. That differentiation, which he has done, he is now invoking and asserting
“asaṅgo'ham anaṅgo'ham aliṅgo'ham abhaṅguraḥ praśānto'ham ananto'ham amalo'haṃ”.
anaṅgohaṃ - sthūla śarīra rahitaḥ; aliṅgohaṃ - sūkṣma śarīra rahitaḥ; amalohaṃ - kāraṇa
śarīra rahitaḥ. I don’t have the three bodies. This śarīra rahitattvam can be taken in 2
different meanings. In the sense that these 3 bodies are mithyā, they are ‘as good as’
absent. ‘As good as’ is very important. Or, it can also refer to the absence of my relationship
with them. ‘I don’t have the physical body’ means, ‘I don’t have a relationship with the
physical body’. I don’t call it ‘mine’. ahaṅkāra rahitaḥ, mamakāra rahitaḥ. I look upon this
body as an integral part of the macro anātmā. Because of karma, from the macro anātmā
this body has come. But it is only going to move about for some time. And, at the
appropriate time, not chosen by me, but chosen by karma, the body is going to go back.
Therefore, I don’t claim ‘ownership’ or ‘controllership’, which I call CLASP-rejection. All
these ideas hover around in my intellect. ‘I’ am not the body; ‘I’ don’t possess the body; ‘I’
am not connected with the body. That is why, the first word is asaṅgaḥ. Because, satyaṃ
cannot have any relationship with mithyā. ‘abhaṅguraḥ’. Means, bhaṅga rahitaḥ, nāśa
rahitaḥ. So, ‘I’ don’t have any end. sthūla śarīraṃ ends, sūkṣma sarīraṃ ends, kāraṇa
śarīraṃ ultimately ends during videha-mukti. But, ‘I’ will continue even after the end of
kāraṇa śarīraṃ. All this we saw in the last class.
Then, ‘praśānto'ham’ – ‘I’, the ātmā, am ever tranquil. śāntaḥ. Here, we are not talking about
mental tranquillity. During meditation, mind is tranquil. Here I am not referring to that mental
tranquillity, but I am talking about the ‘ever tranquil nature’ of “me”, the consciousness. Even
when the mind is turbulent, a jñāni says, “I” am the ‘non-turbulent consciousness’ illumining
the ‘turbulent mind’. So, here, we are talking about the tranquillity of ātmā. ‘praśāntoḥ'ham,
anantoḥ'haṃ’. These words have occurred before. ‘anantaḥ’ means, ‘anta rahitaḥ’ - free
from time-wise, space-wise and ‘ness’-wise limitation! Limitless. ‘amalohaṃ’. Literally it
means, I am free from impurities. In this context, we take it as freedom from kāraṇa śarīraṃ.
mūlāvidyā impurity ‘I’ do not have. Therefore only ‘cirantanaḥ’ - I am eternal. Continuing.
51
अकतार्हमभोक्ताहम�वकारोऽहम�क । शुद्धबोधस्वरूपो केवलोऽहं सदा�शवः ॥

akartāhamabhoktāhamavikāro'hamakriyaḥ I śuddhabodhasvarūpo'haṃ kevalo'haṃ
sadāśivaḥ II [mantra 13] [490] &&
Here, I would like to give some background information regarding a technical aspect. In the
previous series we saw 7 questions answered. Final question was, ‘tayorvivekaḥ katham?
etat ucyatām’. How to differentiate ātmā and anātmā. And, anātmā was pointed out as the 3
bodies, 5 kośās etc., which are by themselves jaḍaṃ or inert. And, ātmā is of the nature of
consciousness. We did ātma-anātma viveka in the form of pañca kośa viveka. But here I
would like to give an aside information. Even though I can explain the śloka without that,
being important, I would like to add that. We say, body-mind etc. are anātmā, not ‘self’. And,
the external world is also anātmā. So, like the wall, the pañcakośās, the mike, the book, the
computer - all of them are also anātmā.
But even though all these are anātmās, there is a small difference. What is that difference?
We saw in the previous series that the 3 śarīrams are able to borrow consciousness from
ātmā. Therefore, the 3 śarīrams have got ‘borrowed’ consciousness, which is technically
called ‘cidābhāsa’, ‘cit pratibimbham’ etc. And, there we saw that, first kāraṇa śarīraṃ
borrows; and from kāraṇa śarīraṃ, the sūkṣma śarīraṃ borrows; and from sūkṣma śarīraṃ,
the sthūla śarīraṃ borrows. Thus, these 3 anātmās are special. They have got ‘borrowed’
sentiency. They are sentient or cetana anātmā. ātmā is caitanyaṃ. These anātmā are
cetana anātmā. cetana means, ‘sentient’ anātmā, with borrowed sentiency. Whereas, the
jaḍa vastus like wall, desk, book etc., are all acetana anātmā. And, as far as ātmā is
concerned, ātmā pervades both the cetana anātmā as well as acetana anātmā. ātmā
pervades the wall also, ātmā pervades the body also. But ‘self-awareness’ and ‘I’ notion is
possible only where cetana anātmā [sentiency] is there. Mere presence of ātmā cannot
create self-awareness. Wall is also pervaded by ātmā; but the wall – being acetana anātmā
- does not have self-awareness or the awareness of the surroundings. In the case of the 3
bodies however, though they too are anātmā, they being cetana anātmā, they have self-
awareness. And in the case of human beings, the self-awareness is clearly expressed by
the word ‘I’ [ahaṃ padaṃ] and by the thought ‘I’ [ahaṃ pratyayaḥ].
Thus, when a lay person uses the word I, that word ‘I’ is a ‘thought rising in the mind’,
alright. But, by the word I, he refers to the entire anātmā. The entire cetana anātmā is
referred to by the ‘I thought’. ‘I thought’ is in the mind; but, ‘I thought’ refers to the entire
cetana anātmā. So, it refers to the body when he says ‘I am fat’, ‘I am lean’ etc. It refers to
the mind when he says, ‘I am emotional’, ‘I am worried’ etc. Thus, the word I generally refers
to the cetana anātmā. And in śāstra, that I referring to cetana anātmā is called ‘ahaṅkāraḥ’.
So, the word ‘ahaṅkāra’ means, ‘the cetana anātmā’, indicated by the ‘I thought’ and word I
used by a lay person. I say ‘by a lay person’ because, a jñāni uses the word ‘I’ differently,
especially in nididhyāsanaṃ. ahaṅkāra = cetana anātmā + ‘borrowed-consciousness’ [RC].
cidābhāsa sahita anātmā, cit pratibimbha sahita anātmā, cetana anātmā is ‘ahaṅkāraḥ’.
Okay. What about caitanyaṃ [OC] which pervades the cetana anātmā? [caitanyaṃ is a
general word. The technical word used for caitanyaṃ is ātmā; and, ātmā is all-pervading].
So, OC pervades wherever RC is, because OC is all-pervading. Therefore, caitanyaṃ is
there in acetana anātmā also, in cetana anātmā also. [I hope, I am not confusing]. acetana
anātmā means, insentient anātmā, like wall, desk etc. The caitanyaṃ [OC] obtaining in the
cetana anātmā is called ‘sākṣi’. It is a special word. Thus, sākṣi = cetana anātmā + ‘Original-
52
consciousness’ [OC]. The same caitanyaṃ [OC] when it pervades acetana anātmā - like in
the wall, you do not use the word sākṣi. Thus, jīva is a mixture of ‘ahaṅkāra’ and ‘sākṣi’.
And this ahaṅkāra alone is kartā bhoktā pramātā. ahaṅkāra alone, in association with
karmendriyāṇi, becomes kartā. Along with jñānendriyāṇi, it becomes bhoktā and jñātā.
Thus, kartā bhoktā pramātā - all those things we talk about, involves modification. All these
refer to ahaṅkāra. The ahaṅkāra part of ‘me’ is kartā bhoktā pramātā. kartā means ‘doer’.
bhoktā means ‘enjoyer’. pramātā means ‘knower’.
Whereas, ātmā - the sākṣi - being free from all modifications, it is passive. It cannot ‘do’,
‘enjoy’ or ‘know’ anything. It blesses the ahaṅkāra by lending cidābhāsa. Other than that, it
doesn’t do anything. Therefore, sākṣi is akartā, abhoktā, apramātā. So, ahaṅkāra is kartā,
bhoktā, pramātā. And when I say ahaṅkāra, in this context you should remember ‘cetana’
anātmā. And nididhyāsanaṃ is a process in which I invoke the sākṣi ‘I’. During worldly
transactions, I have to invoke the ahaṅkāra I. vyavahāra requires ahaṅkāra I invocation. In
nididhyāsanaṃ, I invoke the sākṣi ‘I’. Invoking the ahaṅkāra I is OK. It is required; it is a
blessing. But, if I think, ‘I’ am ahaṅkāra, I become a saṃsāri. In ‘naiṣkarmya siddhi’
sureśvarācārya uses the word ‘ahaṅkāra kañcukaṃ’. Like a doctor’s overcoat, ‘I’ put on the
ahaṅkāra overcoat. Very, very good. But ‘I’ should remember ahaṅkāra is just a coat. ‘I’ am
the sākṣi behind the ahaṅkāra. ‘paśyan śṛṇvan spṛśan jighran … naiva kiñcit karomi’.
Thus, the new information that I want to give is, every individual is a mixture of ahaṅkāra
and sākṣi. Previously we said, anātmā and ātmā. Now I am giving a new technical
expression. ‘Every living being - especially, human beings - is a mixture of ahaṅkāra and
sākṣi. All transactions are done by the mixture alone. Pure ātmā cannot do any transaction.
Pure ātmā is, poor ātmā. Pure anātmā also cannot do any transaction if it does not borrow
cidābhāsa. Pure anātmā doesn’t have sentiency. Therefore, all transactions are by ātmā-
ahaṅkāra mixture only. Even when I say, ‘ahaṃ brahmāsmi’, who says that? Very big
question! ahaṅkāra says or sākṣi says? You should remember, neither can say that
individually. The mixture alone says, ‘ahaṃ brahmāsmi’. And when the jñāni mixture says
‘ahaṃ brahmāsmi’, he excludes the ahaṅkāra component intellectually, by bhāga tyāga
lakṣaṇa. [If you remember that word!] Only intellectually you should exclude. If you
physically remove ahaṅkāra, you cannot say ‘ahaṃ brahmāsmi’. Continue to use ahaṅkāra,
but mentally exclude the ahaṅkāra component during nididhyāsanaṃ.
And the word ‘I’ lakṣaṇayā refers to the sākṣi component. So, ‘I’, ‘the sākṣi’, am brahman. In
nididhyāsanaṃ, without all these explanations, I should be able to practice this. ‘akartāhaṃ’
– so, the real ‘I’, behind the ahaṅkāra over coat. In Sanskrit, ‘kañcukaṃ’ means, shirt or
overcoat or jacket etc. ‘ahaṃ akartā asmi’. Therefore, I am abhoktā. As a kartā, I generate
puṇya pāpam. As a bhoktā, I face the consequences of puṇya pāpam. Facing the music.
Therefore, kartā and bhoktā ahaṅkāra will be saṃsāri. It is associated with sañcitaṃ, waiting
to attack. It is now going through inexplicable prārabdha. And, it is generating āgāmi.
ahaṅkāra is thus, ever a saṃsāri. asaṃsāri ahaṅkāra is an oxymoron. Because it has got
karma, ahaṅkāra is ever a saṃsāri. sākṣi is ever a asaṃsāri. Therefore, I invoke sākṣi and
accept the ahaṅkāra, going through its ups and downs. In nididhyāsanaṃ also, if there are
family problems, health problems, business problems, we stand aloof as sākṣi and say,
‘yes, the ahaṅkāra is going through situations.’ For some of them remedies will be there. We
should work on the remedies. Treatments are possible for diseases. But there are
aparihārya artha also; ahaṅkāra will have choiceless situations also. With regard to those I

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only say, ‘let the ahaṅkāra go through and exhaust the prārabdhaṃ’. I remember, ‘this too
shall pass-away’. This objectivity with regard to ahaṅkāra I will get in nididhyāsanaṃ.
That is what is done here. So here, “akartā aham abhoktā aham avikāraḥ aham akriyaḥ”.
[akartā, abhoktā – nañ tatpuruṣaḥ; avikāraḥ – nañ bahuvrīhi. Sanskrit students, you must
parallelly see the Sanskrit aspect also. That is a speciality of Sanskrit commentary. In all
Sanskrit commentaries not only vedāntically they comment, they comment grammatically
also. mīmasically also. mīmāṃsa śāstraṃ also they apply. So many branches of science
simultaneously they employ. That is why bhāṣyaṃ study is still more involved. Anyway,
avikāraḥ is nañ bahuvrīhi. ‘na vidyate vikāraḥ yasya’]. ‘I don’t have any modifications’ -
avikāroḥ'haṃ. Therefore, aham akriyaḥ. akriyaḥ is almost a synonym of akartā. akriyaḥ
means, actionless. [akriyaḥ also is nañ bahuvrīhi. ‘na vidyate kriyā yasya or yasmin’]. I am
akartā, not a doer. No action, therefore akriyaḥ, not a doer. abhoktā – not an experiencer.
And, if I am not all these things, then what am I? “śuddhabodhasvarūpo'haṃ kevalo'haṃ
sadāśivaḥ”. śuddhabodha svarūpoḥ'haṃ - ‘I’ am pure consciousness, now called ‘sākṣi’. If
the 3 bodies go away, I will lose my sākṣi status! But, as ātmā, as caitanyaṃ, I will continue.
sākṣitvaṃ is incidental. But consciousness is not incidental. It’s my very nature. Therefore,
śuddhabodha svarūpoḥ'haṃ - ‘I’ am of the nature of pure consciousness. The 5-featured
consciousness! ‘kevaloḥ'haṃ’ – ‘I’ am non-dual. Very powerful, suddenly. How can I say, ‘I’
am non-dual when there are 3 bodies? And also there is an entire world? 5 elements are
there, elementals are there. So, how can I say, kevalaḥ? In Tamil kevala means, very low.
In Sanskrit, kevalaḥ means, ‘without a second’. ‘advaitaṃ’ ityarthaḥ. So how can, a jñāni
claim, ‘I am non-dual’ when he is experiencing the world? In advaitaṃ alone it is possible;
because, for advaitin, non-duality does not require the disappearance of the world. Does not
require even samādhi. I do not have to go to samādhi to experience non-duality. A jñāni
asserts, ‘I am non-dual even now; because, I clearly know that the anātmā is mithyā’. Just
as in a mirror in I see my image there. There are two. One is me and another is my image. I
do not order 2 cups of coffee. I experience the second. But I don’t include it. Therefore, jñāni
doesn’t require a different state to be non-dual or to claim non-duality. In the waking state,
because of his sheer knowledge, that ‘ahaṃ satyaṃ’ ‘jagan mithyā’, he knows ‘world is only
experienced, but cannot be counted since it belongs to a lower order of reality’.
Therefore, kevalaḥ. ‘tadeko'vaśiṣṭaḥ śivaḥ kevalo'ham’. [‘nirvāṇadaśakaṃ’, otherwise called
‘daśaślokī’. According to śaṅkarācārya’s biography, for the purpose of learning He walked
from Kerala to MP, where he met his guru govindapādācārya. Here, we just switch-on the
computer and if it doesn’t appear, we are upset! We want everything at the door step.
Things even at hand! In those days, śaṅkarācārya walked. No flight. Not because of corona!
He walked, which itself was a big risk to life. That is all aside. And when ācārya met his
guru, the guru asked, ‘who are you?’ In reply, it seems, śaṅkarācārya gave out these 10
verses, they say. Whether it really happened or not, they want to show śaṅkarācārya as
Lord śiva’s incarnation. You may accept or you need not accept. śaṅkarācārya’s glory will
not be increased or lessened because of that. Even if śaṅkarācārya is taken as a human
being, he is great. But the traditional people insist that he was Lord śiva’s avatāra. And
therefore, they say he already knew the nature of the ‘self’, the ātmā.
‘nirvāṇadaśakaṃ’, otherwise called ‘daśaślokī’ we use as nididhyāsana ślokās. And, in that
9 of the 10 ślokās end with, ‘tadeko'vaśiṣṭaḥ śivaḥ kevalo'ham’. It is such a profound
nididhyāsanaṃ that madhusūdana sarasvatī, another great ācārya, wrote a big commentary

54
on those 10 ślokās, titled ‘siddhānta bindu’. And, rāmarāya kavi, wrote a sub-commentary, a
commentary for siddhānta bindu, called ‘siddhānta sindhu’. An ocean! A still bigger work!
All these details are really not required in this class. What is required is ‘śivaḥ kevalo'ham’ –
‘I am the non-dual śivaḥ, brahman. That is why the next word is ‘sadāśivaḥ’. Lord śiva as
dakṣiṇāmūrti is called sadāśivaḥ. When Lord śiva plays the role of ādi brahmavidyā guru, he
is called dakṣiṇāmūrti. That dakṣiṇāmūrti has got another name ‘sadāśivaḥ’. That is why in
our prayer we say, ‘sadāśiva samāraṃbhāṃ’. Means, dakṣiṇāmūrti samāraṃbhāṃ.
Therefore, sadāśivaḥ taken as teacher will mean ‘dakṣiṇāmūrti’. Or, we can take ‘śivaḥ’ as
an adjectival word, which means auspicious. sadā means ever. ‘sadāśivaḥ aham’ - I am the
ever-auspicious ātmā. ‘śāntaṃ śivaṃ advaitaṃ’ [māṇḍūkya].
The following 3 ślokās are in extra-ordinary metre. Therefore, they cannot be recited like a
śloka. So, even though it is a śloka, we must read it like prose. We will read.
द्रष् श्रोतुवर्क कतुर्भ�क्तु�वर्� एवाहम ् । �नत्य�नरन्तर�निष्कस्समासङ्गू
प णर्बोधात ॥
draṣṭuḥ śroturvaktuḥ karturbhokturvibhinna evāham I nityanirantaraniṣkriyanissīmāsaṅga-
pūrṇabodhātmā II [mantra 14] [491] &&
“draṣṭuḥ śrotuḥ vaktuḥ kartuḥ bhoktuḥ”. draṣṭā means, seer. śrotā means, hearer. vaktā
means, speaker. kartā means, doer. bhoktā means, enjoyer. vibhinnaḥ means, different.
Therefore, ‘I am different from seer, hearer, speaker, doer, experiencer. In short, different
from ahaṅkāra. Almost the same meaning as the first line of the previous śloka.
So, draṣṭā means ‘seer’. But when you want to say, ‘different from’ a seer, in English you
can add ‘from’ as a separate preposition. In Sanskrit, the prepositional idea is included in
the word itself. The word itself undergoes a change to convey a preposition. In English, we
can use the word ‘from’ and ‘rāma’ and say ‘from rāma’. ‘In rāma’. ‘On rāma’. ‘For rāma’. ‘To
rāma’. You can maintain the word rāma separately and add prepositions separately. English
is very convenient that way. But, in Sanskrit, the problem is, for every preposition the word
‘rāma’ itself undergoes a change! ‘In rāma’ = ‘rāme’. ‘From rāma’ = ‘rāmāt’. ‘For rāma’ –
‘rāmāya’ etc. Therefore, you have to know different versions of one and the same noun!
Similarly, draṣṭā means, seer. But, when I want to say ‘different from’ seer, in Sanskrit, there
is no separate word ‘from’. The word draṣṭā itself undergoes a change. It is called vibhakti.
You have to say ‘draṣṭuḥ’. [ṛkārāntaḥ puṃliṅgaḥ draṣṭṛ śabdaḥ. pañcamī vibhaktiḥ, eka
vacanaṃ. And, vibhinnaḥ governs pañcamī]. ‘Different from’.
But here what you have to note is, ‘I am not seer, hearer etc’. In short, ‘I am not ahaṅkāraḥ’.
“vibhinna eva aham”. That ‘eva’ means, ‘definitely’. I have no doubt. Therefore, even when
ahaṅkāra goes through problems, I will never say, ‘I am saṃsāri’. Even when the worst
prārabdha attacks ahaṅkāra, jñāni will never say, ‘I am saṃsāri’. It is impossible. Why?
Because, he has practiced nididhyāsanaṃ. He might be groaning in pain. But he cannot
say, ‘I am saṃsāri’. Because, knowledge cannot change with emotions! So, when you are
worried you cannot say 2+2 = 5. You don’t say, ‘I am very disturbed. Therefore, 2+2=5’. No.
Knowledge is not conditioned by emotions. ‘I am asaṃsāri’ is knowledge. And, if I have this
knowledge, emotions cannot challenge my knowledge. Therefore, it is not that when
everything goes well ‘I am asaṃsāri’ and when problems come, ‘I temporarily become
saṃsāri’! No. It is not a fluctuating one. Therefore, “vibhinnaḥ eva aham”.
[Now, the entire second line – “nityanirantaraniṣkriyanissīmāsaṅgapūrṇabodhātmā” - is one
compound word. Sanskrit students have got big homework! I am not going in to the details.
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A general tip for Sanskrit students. When there are long compounds, to know the meaning,
you should go from right to left. Temporarily, become a Muslim! Go from right to left].
Okay. If ‘I am different from ahaṅkāra’, then who am ‘I’? nityanirantaraniṣkriyanissīmāsaṅga-
pūrṇa “bodha ātmā” - I am the ātmā, sākṣi, of the nature of consciousness. I am not
conscious anātmā; I am consciousness, the ātmā. [I hope you can make-out the difference].
‘I’ am not conscious anātmā; I am consciousness, ātmā. bodharūpa ātmā. And, all the other
words are descriptions of that ātmā. “pūrṇa” means, ‘it is full or whole’. Dayānanda Swāmīji
likes the word ‘whole’. ‘I’ am whole’ indicates, ‘I’ do not lack anything in life’. Even in my
deathbed I wouldn’t feel that ‘I missed this thing in life’. Nothing I missed. Therefore, pūrṇaḥ.
Then, “asaṅgaḥ”. Means, relation-less. When we say relation-less, we will be disturbed.
What about my dear wife? Dear children? All relationships belong to ahaṅkāra! ‘viśvaṃ
paśyati kāryakāraṇatayā svasvāmisaṃbandhataḥ … māyāparibhrāmitaḥ’. So, ‘I’ do not have
wife. ‘I’ do not have husband. ‘I’ do not have children. Don’t tell this aloud, they will send you
out of home! Remain at home. These are all secret things to be practiced only in the green
room! “asaṅgaḥ” means, ‘I’ have no relations’. And, “nissīmaḥ”. sīmā means, boundary.
sīmarakṣita dalaṃ - that boundary people. They are given such names. In Hindi also that
word is there. sīmā means, boundary. ‘nissīmaḥ’ [bahuvrīhi]. One who is boundary-less.
One who is boundless. One who is all-pervading. ‘I’ am not just located in the green room of
my meditation seat. ahaṅkāra has locations. sākṣi does not have any location. Only the
name is located here. caitanyaṃ is never located. So, “nissīmaḥ”. Then, “niṣkriya”. [In the
compound no visarga ḥ will be there]. ‘niṣkriyaḥ’ we have seen before. Actionless.
“nirantaraḥ” - without any break, ‘I’ am all-pervading. Continuous. Indivisible. It is not that ‘I’
am consciousness here, in one body. And then, in another body, with few feet gap. No.
Gap-lessly ‘I’ am all-pervading. ‘I’ am the un-broken consciousness; spatially not broken.
Timewise also not broken. So, ‘nirantaraḥ’. Then, “nitya”. Means, eternal. All these are
repetition. Therefore, I don’t want to comment. Continuing. This also we will read like prose.
नाह�मदं नाहमदोऽप्युभयोरवभासक परं शुद्धम । बाह्याभ्यन्तरशू पूण� ब्रह्माद्�वतीयमेव ॥
nāhamidaṃ nāhamado'pyubhayoravabhāsakaṃ paraṃ śuddham I bāhyābhyantaraśūnyaṃ
pūrṇaṃ brahmādvitīyamevāham II [mantra 15] [492] &&
“nāham idaṃ”. ‘idaṃ’ refers to any anātmā which is very close to ‘me’, the awareness. The
ātmā. Any anātmā which is close to ‘me’ is called idaṃ. Literally, ‘idaṃ’ is a pronoun, which
means ‘this’. So, whenever you use the word ‘this’, you refer to something other than ‘you’.
The word ‘this’ you do not use for ‘yourself’. For ‘yourself’, you should use the word ‘ahaṃ’.
So, anything other than ‘ahaṃ’, the consciousness, that means, any anātmā is called ‘idaṃ’
if it is close-by. And what are those ‘things’ he refers to here? He starts with kāraṇa śarīraṃ.
kāraṇa śarīraṃ is ‘idaṃ’ anātmā. sūkṣma śarīraṃ is ‘idaṃ’ anātmā. sthūla śarīraṃ is ‘idaṃ’
anātmā. That is, anātmā referred to by the word ‘idaṃ’. idaṃ viṣaya anātmā.
That is why Lord kṛṣṇa says, “idaṃ śarīraṃ kaunteya kṣetram-ity abhidhīyate”. Body comes
under ‘idaṃ’. Therefore, don’t use the word ‘ahaṃ’ for the body. Indirect message. ‘idaṃ
śarīraṃ kaunteya’. And then later, the word ‘idaṃ’ is used for the external anātmā also, if it
is around. Like ‘this’ table, ‘this’ computer, ‘this’ mike, ‘this’ dress, ‘this’ hall, etc. Thus the
word, ‘this’ refers to the ‘proximate anātmā’, including śarīra trayaṃ and pañcakośa.
Whereas, the word ‘adaḥ’ [in Sanskrit, ‘adaḥ’ means, ‘that’. sakārāntaḥ napuṃsakaliṅgaḥ,
adas śabdaḥ]. Therefore, adaḥ means ‘that’. The word ‘that’ also refers to anātmā only. But
the only difference is, it not close-by anātmā, rather farther anātmā, remote anātmā.
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Therefore, both the words ‘this’ and ‘that’ refer to anātmā. Then, ‘who am “I”?’ ‘I’ am neither
‘this’ nor ‘that’. ‘Who am “I”?’ ‘I’ am all. Therefore, he says, “na aham idaṃ na aham adaḥ
api”. ‘na ahaṃ idaṃ’ – ‘I’ am not ‘this’. ‘na ahaṃ adaḥ api’ - nor ‘I’ am ‘that’ also. ‘I’ am
neither ‘this’ nor ‘that’. The only point to be remembered is ‘idaṃ’ includes the body-mind-
sense complex also. That is why, Lord kṛṣṇa uses the word ‘kṣetraṃ’ for anātmā. Proximate
kṣetraṃ is ‘idaṃ’; remote kṣetraṃ is ‘adaḥ’.
mahābhūtānyahaṅkāro buddhiravyaktameva ca I indriyāṇi daśaikaṃ ca pañca cendriyago-
carāḥ II [13-6] icchā dveṣaḥ sukhaṃ duḥkhaṃ saṅghātaścetanā dhṛtiḥ I etatkṣetraṃ
samāsena savikāramudāhṛtam II [13.7]
Thus, in the 13th chapter, ‘kṣetraṃ’ is used for ‘anātmā’; ‘this’, as well as ‘that’. So, here in
nididhyāsanaṃ I say, ‘I am none of this’. Then, ‘who am “I”?’ “ubhayoḥ avabhāsakaṃ”. ‘I’
am the illuminator, revealer of both. ‘avabhāsakaṃ’ means, illuminator or revealer. ‘I’ am the
sākṣi. The witness. ‘ubhayoḥ’ means both proximate anātmā as well as remote anātmā.
Therefore, “param”. ‘I’ transcend the entire anātmā or kṣetraṃ. Transcend, in what sense?
kṣetraṃ or anātmā is vyāvahārikaṃ, subject to change, within time and space. Whereas, ‘I’
am param. Means, ‘I’ transcend anātmā. Which means, ‘I’ don’t change. ‘I’ am
pāramārthikaṃ. Transcendental. Therefore only, “śuddhaṃ” - un-contaminated by kṣetraṃ.
Whatever happens, ‘I’ am un-contaminated. I don’t want to quote too much - [gītā 13.31] -
anāditvānnirguṇatvātparamātmāyamavyayaḥ I śarīrastho'pi kaunteya na karoti na lipyate II
‘anāditvānnirguṇatvāt’ - even though ātmā is very much in the body, ‘na karoti na lipyate’ - it
does not do, it is not contaminated. Therefore ‘śuddhaṃ’. And, ‘not contaminated’ means,
even puṇya pāpam do not contaminate ‘me’. That is why in nididhyāsanaṃ we say, ‘na
puṇyam, na pāpam’. And that is why exhaustion of prārabdhaṃ is a joke for a jñāni. The
world will say, ‘He is now a jīvanmukta. After exhausting prārabdhaṃ, he will become a
videhamuktaḥ’. When the world says all this, jñāni laughs. ‘I’ don’t have prārabdha. Where is
the question of jīvanmukti-videhamukti division? ‘I’ am nityamuktaḥ. śuddhaṃ.
“bāhya abhyantara śūnyaṃ”. So, ‘I’ don’t have the concept of inside or outside. That means,
ātmā cannot said to be inside or outside. It is the very adhiṣṭhānaṃ for all the things, inside
as well as outside. In fact, the words inside and outside are ‘relative’ words. Like if I take
Tamilnadu and all the people in it, they are ‘inside’ TN. If I take only Chennai, the capital of
TN, everybody else is in the other districts - within TN - they will be ‘outside’. Therefore,
‘inside’ and ‘outside’ are in relation to something. ātmā is neither inside nor outside.
‘antarbahiśca tatsarvaṃ vyāpya nārāyaṇaḥ sthitaḥ’. ātmā is free from the concept of ‘inside’
and ‘outside’. Then, “pūrṇaṃ brahma advitīyam eva aham”. The word ‘pūrṇaṃ’ has come
before in the previous verse second line. ‘pūrṇaṃ’ means, whole. And, ‘brahma’ literally
means, ‘infinite’. ‘I’ am the infinite reality. ‘advitīyaṃ’. advitīyaṃ is same as kevalaḥ – non-
dual. ‘eva ahaṃ’. [The words ‘param’ ‘śuddhaṃ’ etc. are used in neuter gender, because all
these words qualify ‘brahma’. Word brahman being napuṃsaka, the word advitīyaṃ is also
napuṃsakaliṅga]. ‘eva ahaṃ’ - in short, ‘ahaṃ brahmāsmi’. More in the next class.
&& [Note regarding verse numbering ḥ The first number is the number of the verse within the 40 verses selected for these classes. The
Math, Chennai].

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paraṃparām I
नाह�मदं नाहमदोऽप्ु
य भयोरवभासक परं शद
ु ्ध म । बाह्याभ्यन्रशू
त पणू � ब्रह्माद्�वतीयमेव ॥
nāhamidaṃ nāhamado'pyubhayoravabhāsakaṃ paraṃ śuddham I bāhyābhyantaraśūnyaṃ
pūrṇaṃ brahmādvitīyamevāham II [mantra 15] [492] &&
We completed this verse in the last class. Here, in nididhyāsanaṃ, the student remembers
the nature of brahman as revealed in the uapniśads, which is – “paraṃ śuddham bāhya -
abhyantara śūnyaṃ pūrṇaṃ advitīyaṃ brahma”. All these are descriptions of brahma. It is
pure, absolute, unconditioned by time and space; bāhyābhyantaraśūnyaṃ - it doesn’t have
inside or outside, being beyond space itself. pūrṇaṃ and advitīyaṃ - it is non-dual and
whole. That is, it is an un-limited principle. The entire thing is the description of brahman. He
says, in nididhyāsanaṃ, that brahman is ‘not an object’ I want to meditate upon. I do not
want to meditate upon brahman because brahman is not an object of meditation. In
meditation I want to claim or assert that, ‘that brahman ‘I’ am’.
And when I claim, ‘aham eva advitīyam brahma’, I want to be clear about the meaning of the
word ‘aham’. It is the self-evident self-effulgent consciousness principle. It is neither a
remote object nor is it a proximate object. “nāhamidaṃ nāham adaḥ apy ubhayoḥ
avabhāsakaṃ”. ‘nāhaṃ idaṃ’. idam means, proximate object. ‘nāham adaḥ’. adaḥ means,
remote object. ‘I’ am neither a remote object nor a proximate object. ‘I’ am not an object at
all. ‘I’ am the very ‘subject’. Any knowledge regarding myself, the subject, is called aparokṣa
jñānam. Knowledge of a proximate object is called pratyakṣa jñānam. Knowledge of a
remote object is called parokṣa jñānam. pratyakṣa jñānam deals with objects. parokṣa
jñānam deals with objects. Whereas, any knowledge about the subject ‘I’ is called ‘aparokṣa
jñānam’. When an ignorant jīva says, ‘I am a jīvaḥ’, that also is called aparokṣa jñānam!
aparokṣa jñānam is not after the study of vedānta. Any knowledge about myself – including
wrong knowledge - is aparokṣa jñānam. Only, wrong knowledge is aparokṣa mithyā jñānam;
whereas, right knowledge is, aparokṣa satya jñānam. So, previously when I claimed, ‘I am a
jīvaḥ’ I had aparokṣa jñānam, which was wrong. Now I claim, ‘I am brahman’. Now also I
have aparokṣa jñānam only. A revised aparokṣa jñānam. Technically, previous wrong
knowledge is called ‘aparokṣa bhrama jñānam’. In nididhyāsanaṃ, I have aparokṣa, pramā
jñānam. vedānta has converted, aparokṣa bhrama jñānam into aparokṣa pramā jñānam.
And that aparokṣa jñānam I want to enliven and make it dominant in my conscious mind
during meditation, so that it will be pushed down into my sub-conscious mind. I will never
‘look’ for brahman. Whenever the word brahman comes, maximum I will do is, I will close
my eyes, claiming ‘I am that’. Very important. ‘brahma advitīyaṃ eva ahaṃ’. And that
brahman is non-dual. sajātīya vijātīya svagata bheda rahitaṃ [we have seen]. Up to this we
saw in the last class. Continuing. Verse no.16. 16 is also is an abnormal verse. Therefore,
we have to read it like prose only.
�नरुपममना�दत�व त्वमह�मदम इ�त कल्पनादूर म । �नत्यानन् दैकर सत्य ब्रह्माद्�वतीयमेव ॥
nirupamamanāditattvaṃ tvamahamidamada iti kalpanādūram I nityānandaikarasaṃ satyaṃ
brahmādvitīyamevāham II [mantra 16] [493] &&
Here also, the various ‘features’ of brahman - we avoid the expression “attributes”. Once
you say attributes of brahman, you are bringing down brahman to vyāvahārika level, where
alone substance - attribute combination or mixture is there. pāramārthikam brahma is
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neither substance nor an attribute. Whenever we get descriptions of brahman, we use the
word ‘features’, to avoid the idea of attributes. Therefore, various ‘features’ of brahman - all
taken from upaniṣads - they are all brought here. That means, śravaṇam is made alive.
In fact, re-collected, re-designed śravaṇam is nididhyāsanaṃ! I do not recollect it exactly as
I heard. I take the lessons that I have heard earlier and design my own different forms of
nididhyāsanaṃ, combining different lessons. Those who have got designing skills will enjoy.
Today, so many ‘design’ courses are there - Textile design, Ornament design, Building
design etc. To get admission in a prestigious design institution is very tough. nididhyāsanaṃ
is also a design. You take various vedāntic lectures heard during śravaṇam and arrange
them in the various forms, like varieties of ornaments, to avoid repetition. To enjoy variety,
you design varieties of nididhyāsanaṃ. With lessons taken from upaniṣads, śaṅkarācārya is
doing the designing for us here! If we practice this, we ourselves can design. Infinite designs
are possible in nididhyāsanaṃ. We will pick up the method and we can do on our own. For
that we should recollect the śravaṇam. If all these are faithfully in note-book and CD [!] then
we will not be able to do anything. We will have to repeat ‘ahaṃ brahmāsmi’, ‘jivobrahmaiva
nāparaḥ’ – just one or 2 words only; no choice, no imagination possible. But, if we practice
these nididhyāsanaṃ verses given by ācārya, we will develop nididhyāsanaṃ designing
skills. 40 verses or 40 designs.
So, here certain features are picked up. All, features of brahman. And then, ultimately, the
cinching thing is, ‘that brahman ‘I’ am’. And I said, nididhyāsanaṃ is ‘I centric’. Because, the
whole aim is, ‘I am jīva’ notion should go. It is a de-conditioning process. Then only,
ahaṅkāra - mamakāra - rāga - dveṣa will all get diluted. Without nididhyāsanaṃ, jīva bhāva
de-conditioning doesn’t take place. And if it is not de-conditioned, aham - mama - rāga -
dveṣa [duṣṭa catuṣṭayaṃ] will be the ruling party in the mind. Only 2 ruling parties. In TN,
you know. In America, you know. Either only get elected in every election. This or that. In
our mind also, two ruling parties are there. Now, jīva bhāva is ruling. When jīva bhāva rules,
aham - mama - rāga - dveṣa will be dominant, emotional turbulence will be there. Law &
order situation will be haywire. We are dethroning that government in the nididhyāsanaṃ
election. And we want to enthrone brahma bhāva, so that aham - mama - rāga - dveṣa will
be heavily diluted, so that during vyavahāraṃ also, we remember, ‘samaduḥkhasukhaḥ
svasthaḥ samaloṣṭāśmakāñcanaḥ’ [gītā 14.24]. nididhyāsanaṃ spills-over in my vyavahāra.
But, always, the most important thing to remember is that these descriptions of brahman or
features of brahman really are about ‘myself’. What are the features given here?
“nirupamam anādi tattvaṃ”. nirupamaṃ means, ‘na vidyate upamā yasya’. [We have seen
this before]. It does not have a comparison , match or upamā. Means, upamāna pramāṇaṃ
cannot work, because there is no comparison. Why? Because, brahman is consciousness
principle. For consciousness, what comparison is there? There is no second consciousness
for comparison. And everything other than consciousness is matter. Inert. ‘tama prakāśavat’
‘viruddha svabhāvāt chāyātapau brahmavido vadanti’. Therefore, matter cannot be a
comparison for consciousness. mithyā cannot be comparison for satyaṃ. And, brahman is
the 5-featured ‘existence’. For that, what comparison is available? nirupamam. For
consciousness, no comparison. For existence, no comparison. For satyaṃ, no comparison.
pāramārthika satyaṃ is only one. That brahman ‘I’ am. That ‘I’ - the ‘observer’ - doesn’t
have a comparison, because, everything else is ‘observed’. That is why Dayānanda Swāmīji
says, the word ‘I’ doesn’t have plural. We will think, ‘we’ is the plural of ‘I’. No, it is not.

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Because, ‘we’ means, I+you. Or, I+he/she/it. That alone is figuratively presented as plural
‘we’. The word I really does not have a plural. It is matchless. It is comparison-less.
Therefore, consciousness is nirupamaṃ. Existence is nirupamaṃ. pāramārthika satyaṃ is
nirupamaṃ. ‘I’ is nirupamaṃ. If at all you have to give an example, that only is the example!
sva upamā alone is possible. In figure of speech there is a name also. They give an
example. [I do not remember the name]. Example I give is ‘gaghanaṃ gaghanākāraṃ,
sāgaraḥ sāgaropamaḥ, rāmarāvaṇayoryuddhaṃ rāmarāvaṇayoriva’. Space is like what? No
comparison. Space is like space. Ocean is like what? Ocean is like ocean. And the rāma -
rāvaṇa yuddhaṃ in the rāmāyaṇam, its magnitude, intensity and power is like what? What is
the example for that? ‘rāmarāvaṇayoryuddhaṃ, rāmarāvaṇayor iva’. No other comparison!
But, still, for the junior students, until he understands/comprehends the incomparable
consciousness, we give some kind of compromised examples. That alone is the well-known
2 examples. ākāśa and prakāśa. Compromised examples. ākāśa means space. prakāśa
means the sunlight. In the 13th chapter -
yathā sarvagataṃ saukṣmyādākāśaṃ nopalipyate I sarvatrāvasthito dehe tathātmā
nopalipyate II yathā prakāśayatyekaḥ kṛtsnaṃ lokamimaṃ raviḥ I kṣetraṃ kṣetrī tathā
kṛtsnaṃ prakāśayati bhārata II [gītā 13.33 & 34]
raviḥ means, sūrya prakāśaḥ. Thus, ākāśa and prakāśa, both are the nearest examples with
so many common features. But, really speaking, consciousness is nirupamaṃ.
Then, “anāditattvaṃ”. ‘anādi’ means, without beginning. Consciousness is beginingless
according to vedānta. Modern science is still struggling to understand consciousness.
According to vedānta, ‘consciousness’ is beginingless. Eternal. Similarly, ‘existence’.
Existence, scientists are not even studying. They will get confused. They are not even
confused, because it is not in their agenda! vedānta has analysed existence as a principle.
Existence is beginningless. So, anāditattvaṃ. tattvaṃ means, ‘absolute reality’. It pervades
time and space, but it is not located in time & space. When you say time ‘is’, that ‘is’ness is
brahman. And to say time ‘is’, you are conscious of time! So, consciousness illumines time.
That consciousness is associated with time. Thus, consciousness is not away from time, but
it is not conditioned by time. Even when the time & space folds, consciousness will continue
to exist. If consciousness is located in time & space, when time & space fold, consciousness
also will fold. But it is not so. Thus, consciousness is immanent in time & space. But, is
transcendental. That is the idea conveyed by tattvaṃ. ‘pāramārthika satyaṃ’. ‘anāditattvaṃ’.
Next, “tvaṃ aham idam ada iti kalpanādūram”. kalpanā means, concepts. Ideas. What are
the various ideas we have? ‘aham’, ‘tvaṃ’, ‘idam’, ‘adaḥ’. ‘aham’ means I, the first person
singular. ‘tvaṃ’ is the second person singular. And ‘idam’ and ‘adaḥ’. ‘This’ and ‘that’, come
under third person. ‘idam’ - this. ‘adaḥ’ - that. So, these 4 words convey the 3 persons. First,
second and third person. Everything in the creation I can identify as ‘I’, the first person,
‘you’, the second person or everything else as the third person – ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘it’. What about
brahman? He says, ‘it does not come under any one of the three categories.’ It is not one of
the three persons / objects in the creation. That grammatical person. It is not one of the
tripuṭī. ‘I’, ‘you’, ‘he, she, it’. ‘iti kalpanādūram’. ‘Why?’ In nididhyāsanaṃ no ‘why’ is allowed!
The moment you ask ‘why’, you have come to mananaṃ. In nididhyāsanaṃ, no questioning
or thinking is involved. That means, I already know the answer. What is that? Because, all
these three are limited. ‘I’, as the first person am different from ‘you’ ‘he’ ‘she’ ‘it’. ‘You’ as
the 2nd person, is different form ‘I’, ‘he’ ‘she’ ‘it’. And, ‘he’ ‘she’ ‘it’ is different form ‘you’ and
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‘I’. Each one excludes the other two. By excluding the other two, it limits itself. Exclusion is
limitation. Therefore, brahman / ātmā, does not come under any of these concepts. ‘iti
kalpanā dūram’. It is far away from such concepts.
Then, naturally a question will come. [Remember, if we ask any such questions, it will come
under mananaṃ! Anyway, I will - in between - convert nididhyāsanaṃ into mananaṃ also!]
So, if brahman will not come under any of these categories, how can guru say, ‘tat tvaṃ
asi’? He says, ‘tvaṃ’. And the comprehending śiṣya also responds, ‘okay guro I have
understood’. ‘ahaṃ brahmāsmi’. upaniṣad itself gives such statements like, ‘ahaṃ
brahmāsmi’ [bṛhadāraṇyaka]. So, if it is ‘aham’, ‘tvaṃ’ - iti kalpanādūraṃ, how come in the
upaniṣad, ‘ahaṃ brahmāsmi’ is talked about? [You should know the answer]. If I take aham
pada vācyārtha, take the conventional meaning of the word I, that conventional I will include
the śarīra trayaṃ. And when I look at myself from the stand-point of the individual body-
mind-sense complex, I will be a limited first-person singular I. vācyārtha excludes the other
two. And that is why in the previous series, we took the lakṣyārtha. jagatī ajagatī. And when
we did bhāga tyāga lakṣaṇa and excluded the pañcakośa, śarīratrayaṃ, the word ‘I’
indicates the consciousness part alone. The consciousness is not first person alone.
Because, the same consciousness meant by ‘I’ is there in ‘you’ also! Therefore, when you
take the lakṣyārtha ‘I’ or ‘you’, it will mean the consciousness only.
And in that context, an ideal word vidyāraṇya swāmi ingeniously introduces. A coined new
word, in the 5th chapter of pañcadasī. When you take lakṣyārtha, you replace the word ‘I’ by
the word ‘self’, ‘I myself’. Because, the ‘self’ is common to first person, second person and
third person. ‘I myself will come’; ‘you yourself come, don’t send anybody’; ‘he himself did
that job without any help’. ‘That rock fell by itself’. The word ‘self’ pervades all - first, second,
third person. In Sanskrit, ‘self’ is called ‘svayam’. Therefore, from ‘aham’ you go to ‘svayam
lakṣyārtha’, the ‘self’, the consciousness. It is not limited by first person, second person,
third person. Therefore, when you say ‘ahaṃ brahmāsmi’, we are taking the lakṣyārtha, the
svayam. Therefore, there is no limitation.
Here, what? “tvaṃ aham idam ada iti kalpanādūram”. aham pada vācyārtha, kalpanādūraṃ.
But lakṣyārtha can be used. So this is the mananaṃ. And having done that …, in
nididhyāsanaṃ, no more ‘thinking’. In nididhyāsanaṃ, logic should never come. The
moment logic comes, reasoning comes, doubt comes, question comes, it means, I have not
done sufficient mananaṃ. That is why we always say, ‘don’t hurry for nididhyāsanaṃ’. To
find out whether you are fit for nididhyāsanaṃ, you should mentally go through the concepts
and your intellect must keep on saying, ‘yes’, ‘yes’. Only if no iota of doubt is left, you are fit
for nididhyāsanaṃ. If any doubt lingers, it means that, mananaṃ is incomplete. It’s like the
fried things. [What an example!] So, when they make certain fried things like வடாம etc., the
oil should be well heated. Only then, when you fry it, it will be crisp. If the oil is not properly
heated - if it is not ready - and you fry it, you will find that only the outer portion will be crisp
but the core will be hard & sticky. After eating that, you will have to use tooth pick, a lot!
Similarly, the student’s mind must be sufficiently heated, properly prepared. Then only crisp
nididhyāsanaṃ is possible. Otherwise, in the middle of nididhyāsanaṃ you will wonder, ‘who
knows? guru says so’. It will become a faith-based nididhyāsanaṃ. It will become another
‘conditioning’ nididhyāsanaṃ. It is not ‘conditioning’ that the guru wants. It is deconditioning.
It is conviction born of clear assimilation. [Anyway, I am getting lost]. What I want to say is,
here, in between - because this is class - I am doing lot of explaining. All that is the

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mananaṃ part. Whereas, in nididhyāsanaṃ, I chant these verses mentally or I remember /

recollect these verses and I simply enjoy ‘my’ glory. That is nididhyāsanaṃ.
“anāditattvaṃ, tvaṃ ahaṃ idaṃ adaḥ iti kalpanādūraṃ, nitya ānanda ekarasaṃ”. So, all
these words have come before. ‘nitya ānanda ekarasaṃ’. I am not going to explain. nitya
means, eternal. ānanda means, happiness. 5-featured happiness. [Those 5-features are
there for consciousness, existence and happiness also]. That pure happiness - 5-featured
happiness is the ‘original’ happiness. It is not an ‘object of experience’. In nididhyāsanaṃ,
we are not working for ‘experiential’ happiness. If we work for experiential happiness, it will
be called rasāsvādaḥ. I don’t want to go to that topic. In māṇḍūkya kārikā, 4 obstacles for
meditation are given. One is, looking for ‘experiential’ happiness. Or, taking any experiential
happiness as brahmānanda! That is called rasāsvādaḥ. ‘Experiential’ happiness is only my
original happiness getting ‘reflected’ in the mind. Then, it will become rasāsvāda. I can do
that deliberately, if I want. That is a different thing. While talking about saptabhūmikā, I said,
after jñānam you can practice nididhyāsanaṃ for experiential happiness also, deliberately.
But, as a sādhana when I do nididhyāsanaṃ, my aim is to claim all experiential happinesses
are just reflections of ‘myself’. So that, later, when because of prārabdha, jñāni gets some
nice experiences, He enjoys. But, even when He enjoys viṣayānanda, jñāni understands it
as ‘reflected atmānanda’. He enjoys viṣayānanda also. Not that he rejects. Why should I
reject when I get nice happiness out of food or music or pleasant weather? Madras rarely
gets nice weather! So, enjoy when you get it. prārabdha will bring viṣayānanda. And, if that
is genuine, not immoral, jñāni enjoys it too. But, in nididhyāsanaṃ, he has practiced, ‘any
ānanda I enjoy is not coming from that vastu. That object is helping me in surfacing ‘my’
own ānanda to the mind as reflection’. This meditation I practice in nididhyāsanaṃ. And,
during the other times also I enjoy any happiness. But, in the back-ground I remember, ‘it is
not coming from the object’. Therefore, I do not have to depend on that object for my joy. So
when that object goes away or that person, whose company I enjoyed - god forbid - goes
away for good, my life is not gone. My peace and joy is not gone. It is still available. That
particular mirror is broken. That is why people mourn the death of some near & dear ones
for 10 days, few weeks, few months or at the most, one year. Thereafter, they also enjoy
life. So many other situations come. They enjoy also. Dayānanda Swāmīji jocularly says,
suppose the dead person after a few years asks, ‘shall I come back and join you?’ This
person will say, ‘I have got adjusted to the new normal; like, Corona! So, wherever you are,
be comfortable’. Sounds terrible, but that is the truth. [nididhyāsanaṃ is becoming teaching!]
“nitya ānanda ekarasaṃ”. My meditation is, ‘I don’t look for experiential happiness. I am
meditating on the fact that all experiential happinesses are ‘my’ own reflection. And in
meditation, if I enjoy, this enjoyment during meditation also is ‘my’ own reflection. In
māṇḍūkya kārikā we have seen this. rasāsvādaḥ. So, meditation is not for ‘experiencing’
brahmānanda. Meditation is for asserting that ‘all experiential happinesses are temporary
reflections of the permanent happiness, which is ‘myself’. viṣayānanda is ātmānanda, in
fact. So, nitya ānanda ekarasaṃ. ekarasaṃ means, it is homogeneous, without substance-
attribute division. Happiness is not an attribute of me, happiness is ‘me’. In the previous
series I said, ‘ātmā is not ‘happy’. ātmā is happiness’. I am ‘happy’ - from the standpoint of
the mind. ‘I’ am ‘happiness’ as ātmā.
Then, “satyaṃ”. satyaṃ I don’t want to explain. pāramārthika satyaṃ. Absolute reality. Why
śaṅkarācārya does not say, pāramārthika satyaṃ? According to śaṅkarācārya, the other

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two - vyāvahārika satyaṃ and prātibhāsika satyaṃ - are ‘figuratively’ only satyaṃ. Both are
mithyā. Like, ever-silver. Ever silver is never silver! vyāvahārika satyaṃ is not satyaṃ.
prātibhāsika satyaṃ is not satyaṃ. satyaṃ means, pāramārthika satyaṃ only. Therefore,
‘satyaṃ’. And, “brahma advitīyam eva aham”. This is a repetition of the previous śloka
second line. “brahmādvitīyamevāhaṃ” - that non-dual brahman ‘I’ am. This is going to be
further extended to the later meditations also. Very important verse. ‘brahma advitīyaṃ eva
aham’. ‘I’ am such a brahman! Continuing. So all the 3 abnormal verses are over. Now the
following verse we can chant. I will chant, you can repeat after me. Verse 17.
ु ुषोऽहमीश । अखण्डबोधोऽहमशेषसा� �नर�श्वरोऽह �नरहं च �नमर्म॥
नारायणोऽहं नरकान्तकोऽह पुरान्तकोऽह पर
[mantra 17] [494] &&
nārāyaṇo'haṃ narakāntako'haṃ purāntako'haṃ puruṣo'hamīśaḥ I akhaṇḍabodho'ham-
aśeṣasākṣī nirīśvaro'haṃ nirahaṃ ca nirmamaḥ II
So, the following few verses present a meditation design. It is an extension of ‘advitīyaṃ
brahma eva aham’. And based on that, śaṅkarācārya gives anther design of meditation,
which is the highest form of nididhyāsanaṃ, which is the toughest form of nididhyāsanaṃ,
which is the most important form of nididhyāsanaṃ. For this, we must draw some very
important lessons from the upaniṣad, based on what we have done in our śravaṇam and
mananaṃ. So, we will see what are the background lessons kept in mind and then we will
go the nididhyāsanaṃ proper.
During the study of bhagavadgītā and upaniṣad, during the previous vivekacūḍāmaṇi 108
verses, we saw that all upaniṣads are revealing brahman as ‘absolute reality’. And that
brahman was defined as ‘satyaṃ jñānam anantaṃ’, which is the limitless consciousness
principle, the limitless existence principle. Pure existence, pure consciousness, which alone
is spread all over the creation. That is not the consciousness associated with a particular
body or mind, but it is the ‘consciousness filtered of nāma-rūpa’. And, the ‘existence filtered
of nāma-rūpa’ - pure existence – consciousness - pervades everything, because of which
everything ‘is’ and is ‘known’. That existence consciousness because of which everything
‘is’ and everything is ‘known’, that satyaṃ jñānam is anantaṃ. It is limitless. That ‘satyaṃ
jñānam anantaṃ’ is brahman. That was said to be the ‘absolute reality’, ‘pāramārthika
satyam’. What is the meaning of ‘absolute reality’? It is in and through time and space and
not located in time and space. When you say, time ‘is’, that time is associated with ‘is’ness.
That ‘is’ness part is the ‘absolute reality’. Time is vyāvahārikaṃ; and the ‘is’ness in time is
pāramārthikam. Similarly, mike ‘is’. Mike ‘is’ vyāvahārikaṃ. Its ‘is’ness is pāramārthikam.
Mike is in time & space. Whereas, the ‘is’ness is not located. The ‘is’ness pervades, but is
not located. This is called pāramārthika satyaṃ. This was one lesson.
The second lesson that we saw, [which we are supposed to recollect, keep in our fingertips
during nididhyāsanaṃ is], this pāramārthika satyam is non-dual. ‘advitīyaṃ brahma’. Only
one. ‘ekamevādvitīyaṃ’. This non-dual brahman alone ‘appears’ or manifests in the form of
3 factors - tripuṭi - at the vyāvahārika level. One brahman alone ‘appears’ as tripuṭi, like 3
incarnations of brahman, in the form of jīva, jagat & īśvara. All the 3 are vyāvahārikaṃ only.
jīva, the individual; jagat, the world; īśvara, the lord all 3 are vyāvahārikaṃ. advitīyaṃ
pāramārthikaṃ brahma alone ‘appears’ as jīva, jagat and īśvara, with 3 different costumes -
nāma-rūpa costume or upādhi, because of māyā. Three sopādhikaṃ brahma. Thus, jīva is
brahman + one type of nāma-rūpa. The world is again brahman + another set of nāma-rūpa.
īśvara is brahman + ‘potential’ nāma-rūpa [also called māyā]. All 3 are sopādhikaṃ, with
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upādhi. So, brahman takes 3-fold vyāvahārika avatāraṃ ‘as it were’. In the purāṇās we talk
about bhagavān taking many incarnations. But, here, we are talking about vedāntic avatāra,
which is pāramārthikam brahma - absolute reality - expressing as three-fold avatāra as ‘jīva
jagat and īśvara’. And this is called vyāvahārika satyaṃ, because all these 3 are within the
field of time & space. Therefore only, they are capable of interactions also. Because,
interactions require time & space coordinates. jīva is able to do karma. īśvara is able to give
karmaphalam. jīva-īśvara interaction. Fate-freewill interaction. Like in a tennis match, jīva
gives karma to bhagavān and bhagavān gives it back to jīva as karmaphalam. This is a
tennis match between jīva & īśvara. I hit as karma. bhagavān hits back as karmaphalam.
Thus, fate-freewill violent interaction are constantly taking place, not only at the individual
level, but at the macro level also. In fact, all the events in the world, which are continuously
changing - including corona - are all fate-freewill interaction happening at vyāvahārika level,
within the three factors jīva-jagat-īśvara. Therefore, at vyāvahārika level, tripuṭi is there.
Changes are continuous. However, at pāramārthika level, there is no tripuṭi, no time, no
space, no change. Thus, brahman has 4 versions. One pāramārthika version and 3
vyāvahārika versions - jīva jagat īśvara. In pāramārthika there is no drama. No interaction.
Whereas, vyāvahārika field is like a huge cosmic stage where the drama goes on and on.
That drama has no beginning, no end. śriṣṭi sthiti layaṃ, śriṣṭi sthiti layaṃ … this process is
continuously going on. In pāramārthikaṃ, nothing happens. So, this is the next lesson.
Brahman is absolute. brahman is non-dual. That brahman alone ‘appears’ as jīva jagat
īśvara. brahman has got 4 versions the tripuṭi - jīva jagat īśvara version. And, turīyaṃ, if you
want you can call it so. 4 pādās as it were. This jīva jagat īśvara version is vyāvahārikaṃ.
Whereas, brahman, turīyaṃ is pāramārthikam.
Now in this nididhyāsanaṃ design, we must dwell upon all these 4 versions of brahman. I
use the word ‘dwelling’ to indicate that the ‘thoughts must hover around these 4’. And we
should ‘stay in that thought’, looking at the macro. How these drama is going on,
continuously. And how the 4th version - pāramārthika version - just remains like a screen of
a movie. And jīva jagat īśvara are running, like participants in the movie. Movie characters.
So, this we have to dwell. How changes are inevitable. It will go on and on. There is no
question of beginning or end. ‘na rūpamasyeha tathopalabhyate nānto na cādirna ca
sampratiṣṭhā’ [gītā 15.3]. Thus, we have to hover around these thoughts.
But there is one more important lesson to be incorporated, which is tough but important.
One more lesson has to be incorporated. mahāvākyaṃ is the lesson. What is the
mahāvākyaṃ? In chāndogya, 9 times teacher has said, ‘tat brahma tvaṃ asi’ ‘tat brahma
tvaṃ asi’. 9 times drilled. Not only that. In this vivekacūḍāmaṇi itself, in the beginning part of
meditation, śaṅkarācārya, through guru’s mouth, said - ‘brahma tattvamasi bhāvayātmani’
‘brahma tattvamasi bhāvayātmani’, 10 times. Thus, 19 times it is said, ‘don’t look for that
brahman. That brahman, you are!’ That means what? During nididhyāsanaṃ on the 4
versions of brahman or the 4-versioned brahman, we should not use the word brahman. In
keeping with our mahāvākyaṃ knowledge, gained through śravaṇam and mananaṃ, I must
replace the word ‘brahman’ by the word ‘aham’. aham means ‘I’. Of course, when I say ‘I’, it
is not the vācyārtha. Do not remember your body, mind etc. In the previous series,
pañcakośa viveka etc. we have done. This nididhyāsanaṃ student is a senior student. He
knows to use the word ‘I’ in the meaning of the ‘sākṣi caitanyaṃ’, which is the limitless
consciousness, existence. Therefore, instead of talking about 4 versions of brahman, we

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are going to dwell on 4 versions of ‘myself’. We must look at the height of nididhyāsanaṃ.
Mind-boggling! Whether you practice it or not, you can see the height of the upaniṣad.
So, I have to do this meditation that ‘I am the pāramārthikam vastu. I am the absolute
reality. No influence of time. Influence of space. No interaction. No reaction. No relation.
Non-dual. Absolute. Like the movie screen ‘I’ remain. And ‘I’ myself with ‘my’ māyā śakti
[don’t say māyā belongs to brahman! In nididhyāsanaṃ you should not say]. māyā belongs
to ‘me’ the brahman, and with the help of that, ‘I’ ‘myself’ ‘appear’ as jīva. ‘I’ play the role of
jīva. ‘I’ play the role of the universe. ‘I’ am the universe. viśvarūpa.
And finally, [many people will get jerky] ‘I’ alone play the role of īśvara also! ‘I’ am jīva. ‘I’ am
jagat. ‘I’ am īśvara. ‘ahameva sarvaṃ’. It’s called, sarvātma bhāva dhyānaṃ. sarvam ātmā.
ātmā means, ‘I myself’, the self ‘I’, the ātmā, the existence-consciousness, am everything.
Means, ‘I’ am jīva, ‘I’ am jagat, ‘I’ am īśvara. And ‘I’ alone do karma as jīva. And ‘I’ alone
give karmaphalam also as īśvara! Everything ‘I’ am. ‘ahameva sarvam’. ‘aham annam’.
annam representing jagat. ‘aham annādaḥ’. annādaḥ representing jīva. ‘aham ślokakṛt’.
ślokakṛt representing īśvara. That is taittirīya nididhyāsanaṃ.
ahamannamahamannamahamannam । ahamannādo'hamannādo'ahamannādaḥ ।
ahamślokakṛdahamślokakṛdahamślokakṛt । [taittirīya bhṛguvallī].
‘I’ am jīva. ‘I’ am jagat. ‘I’ am īśvara – all in the empirical plane. ‘I’ am none of them, really.
‘I am jīva jagat īśvara vilakṣaṇa nirupādhika pāramārthikam brahma asmi’. This is going to
be the nididhyāsanaṃ. sarvātma bhāva dhyānaṃ. Tough. That is going to be said in these
few important verses, which we will see in the next class.
ॐ पण
ू ्मद
र पण
ू ्�मद
र पण
ू ्
र स पण
ू ्मादा
र पण
ू ्मेवाव�
Math, Chennai].

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paraṃparām II
ु ुषोऽहमीश । अखण्डबोधोऽहमशेषसा� �नर�श्वरोऽह �नरहं च �नमर्म॥
नारायणोऽहं नरकान्तकोऽह परु ान्तकोऽह पर
[mantra 17] [494] &&
nārāyaṇo'haṃ narakāntako'haṃ purāntako'haṃ puruṣo'hamīśaḥ I akhaṇḍabodho'ham-
aśeṣasākṣī nirīśvaro'haṃ nirahaṃ ca nirmamaḥ II
In the following verses beginning from the 17th, śaṅkarācārya is giving the highest form of
nididhyāsanaṃ - the toughest and the most important. This, of course, is meant for a senior
student, who has gone through long śravaṇaṃ & mananaṃ. So he has a clear
understanding and conviction about the concepts mentioned here. He is clear that
nididhyāsanaṃ is not based just on faith in the guru or scriptures. It is not a process of
conditioning myself or brainwashing myself, just by repeating some scriptural words. Every
concept I am bringing to mind in nididhyāsanaṃ I have understood thoroughly. I am totally
convinced and I also know and remember all the arguments to establish these concepts. I
do not deliberately think of the arguments since all the ideas are my understanding and
conviction. I am only deliberately bringing them to my conscious mind, so that it will
percolate into my deep inner recesses, into my sub-conscious mind. So, if I am not
convinced of these concepts, nididhyāsanaṃ will become like another japa, which will give
cittaśuddhi, alright; but it is not going to be nididhyāsanaṃ. If it has to be primarily
nididhyāsanaṃ, I should be convinced of every line, every concept that is being mentioned
here. If I am not convinced, nothing wrong. What then I require is not nididhyāsanaṃ; I have
to go through more of śravaṇaṃ and mananaṃ.
And, I was talking about the highest form of nididhyāsanaṃ introduced here. That is based
on the teaching of the upaniṣad – ‘that brahman is the non-dual, absolute reality. And that
brahman alone expresses at the empirical plane as jīva, jagat and īśvara. Through the
māyā prism, one brahman alone appears as, jīva jagat īśvara with 3 different costumes.’
sopādhikaṃ brahma. The costume being nāma and rūpa; name & form plus functions. jīva
is ‘costumed’ brahman. jagat, the world, is ‘costumed’ brahman. And, īśvara is also
‘costumed’ brahman. 3 sopādhikaṃ brahma and the original - untouched by upādhi - called
nirupādhikaṃ, asaṅgam brahma. One pāramārthika version and 3 vyāvahārika versions.
brahman thus has 4 versions. [I said all this in the last class. Being profound and important,
I am deliberately repeating]. Later, during the study of mahāvākyaṃ I received the message,
‘that brahman is not one of the objects in the creation, which I have to look for or work for to
experience. ‘brahman’ happens to be ‘I’, the experiencer, the consciousness principle, the
sākṣi caitanyaṃ. Therefore, brahman has to be known only in one form. That is, ‘claiming’
or asserting, ‘I am brahman’. And, when I say, ‘I am brahman’, I do not mean the changing
body mind thoughts etc. But I refer to the 5-featured consciousness, which pervades the
body, and which extends beyond the body. That all-pervading consciousness am brahman.
If you remember the 5 capsules of vedānta, the first capsule being, ‘I am the eternal and all-
pervading consciousness’, which is brahman. And once ‘brahman’ is replaced by the word
‘aham’ or ‘I’, I should know that all the 4 versions of brahman are nothing but ‘my’ own 4
versions! ‘I’ am the non-dual reality and ‘I’ alone obtain in the empirical plane, vyāvahārika
plane, as jīva jagat īśvara. ‘I’ take the role of jīva. ‘I’ take the role of jagat. ‘I’ take the role of
īśvara also. ‘I’ am jīva, ‘I’ am jagat, ‘I’ am īśvara. ‘I’ am not small, ‘I’ am all! This is called
sarvātma bhāva dhyānaṃ A meditation in which I see ‘myself’ as everything.
Meditation - Class 009 – 18th December 2020 – verses 17 & 18 Page 1
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Now, in the 17th verse, śaṅkarācārya is referring to 2 versions. The ‘absolute’ version and
the īśvara version. ‘I’ am brahman, ‘I’ am īśvaraḥ. In the next verse, śaṅkarācārya refers to
the other version, ‘I’ am in the form of jīva also. ‘I’ alone am in the form of jagat. ‘aham
annaṃ, aham annādaḥ. aham bhogyaṃ, aham bhoktā. aham cetanaṃ, aham acetanaṃ.
“niruktaṃ cāniruktaṃ ca । nilayanaṃ cānilayanaṃ ca । vijñānaṃ cāvijñānaṃ ca । satyaṃ
cānṛtaṃ ca satyamabhavat । yadidaṃ kiñca । …” [taittirīya brahmānandavallī]
‘I’ alone am appearing as jīva and jagat. Thus in these 2 verses, all the 4 versions of ‘myself’
we are dwelling upon. So, we will take the second and third line where the absolute version
is talked about. “puruṣo'hamīśaḥ”. puruṣaḥ aham īśaḥ. The word puruṣaḥ has several
meanings. In this context, we will take ‘pūrayati sarvaṃ iti puruṣaḥ’ – ‘I’, the absolute version
alone, pervade all the empirical versions. pāramārthikam ‘aham’ am behind vyāvahārika
jīva, vyāvahārika jagat, vyāvahārika īśvara. ‘I’ am the absolute unaffected, like screen in a
movie. So, aham puruṣaḥ and aham īśaḥ. The word īśaḥ also has several meanings. In this
context, ‘I’ am the master. svatantraḥ. ‘I’ am an independent principle, because ‘I’ do not
depend on anything for ‘my’ existence. The absolute version is independently existent,
whereas all the other 3 - jīva jagat īśvara - anything vyāvahārikaṃ, borrows existence from
the pāramārthikam. So, ‘I’ am īśaḥ means, ‘I’ have svatantra sattā, independent existence.
Other 3 versions have only paratantra sattā, dependent existence. So, īśvara ‘depends’ on
brahman for his existence. The ‘is’ness of īśvara belongs to brahman. īśvara knows that.
Therefore, aham puruṣaḥ, aham īśaḥ. īśaḥ literally means, svatantraḥ.
“akhaṇḍa bodhaḥ” - ‘I’ am the undivided, indivisible, all-pervading space-like consciousness
principle, formless, invisible. That consciousness medium ‘I’ am. In ‘me’ all the transactions
of jīva-jagat-īśvara take place. Turbulent time. So many things happening. And ‘I’ am the
undisturbed medium in which ‘I’ allow everything to happen, without getting disturbed.
“prapañcopaśamaṃ śāntaṃ śivaṃ advaitaṃ caturthaṃ manyante” [māṇḍūkya mantra 7]. ‘I’
am ‘turīyaṃ’. pāramārthikam brahma is called ‘turīyaṃ’ in māṇḍūkya. ‘caturthaṃ’ & ‘turīyaṃ’
are synonymous. ‘aham akhaṇḍa bodhaḥ’ – ‘I’ am the undivided, indivisible consciousness.
bodhaḥ = consciousness. “aśeṣasākṣī”. ‘I’ am the witness consciousness who witnesses
everything, without undergoing any change; which reveals everything. And therefore ‘aśeṣa’
means, sarva. aham sarva sākṣī. Through this body-mind ‘I’ am the witness of this
surrounding area. Through another body mind, ‘I’ - the same consciousness - am the
witness of that particular area. In the heavenly world, whichever denizens are there, through
their mind, ‘I’ - the same consciousness - witness that world. But ‘I’ am common. My mind
cannot see what Indra's mind will see. Because, minds are different. But the consciousness
is one and the same Therefore, ‘aśeṣasākṣī’. All these are ‘my’ absolute version.
Now, śaṅkarācārya comes down to the empirical version. He chooses the most important
one of that. That is, īśvaraḥ. It is a very disturbing message for all theological systems,
where god or īśvara is considered to be the ultimate. But in advaitaṃ, even god is not the
ultimate. God is an empirical version. Because, we talk about the ‘attributes’ of god. For us,
the ultimate is the ‘attribute less brahman’. Therefore, īśvara is one of the empirical
versions. Of whom? ‘Myself’, the absolute! Therefore śaṅkarācārya says, ‘I’ am god. In
Hinduism or in vedic tradition, even though god is an all-pervading principle with māyā
upādhi, which itself is all pervading and is formless, that god can assume - with its māyā
śakti, any number of forms. Each form is a deity. śiva, viṣṇu, devī, vināyaka, bālājī,
ayyappa, guruvāyūrappa …. We have got a mall of gods. Formed gods. Which are ‘forms’

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taken by god. Or, introduced by the scriptures for the sake of pūjā. Because, formless god
cannot be worshiped, cannot be conceived. Therefore, for beginners, god is given a form.
Thus in Hinduism, especially in purāṇās, we have got so many gods and each god is
associated with many stories also. I do not want to go in to the stories. But those gods are
referred to here.
Who are they? “nārāyaṇo'haṃ narakāntako'haṃ purāntako'haṃ”. ‘nārāyaṇo'haṃ’ - I am
nārāyaṇaḥ Lord viṣṇu. So many definitions are given for nārāyaṇaḥ. One of the definitions
is, ‘nāraṃ ayanaṃ yasya’. In that context, nāraṃ refers to the kāraṇa prapañca. The entire
universe in ‘causal form’. ‘āpo nārā iti proktā āpo vai narasūnavaḥ’. In manusmṛti this
definition is given. āpaḥ means, the causal waters. Or, causal. Waters is only expression for
the causal universe. ‘nāraṃ ayanaṃ yasya’ - in the causal universe, bhagavān, brahman is
there. And that brahman, associated with causal universe or māyā, is called nārāyaṇaḥ.
īśvaraḥ. karaṇaṃ brahma. māyā sahitam brahma. If you can understand these concepts,
fine. Otherwise, nārāyaṇaḥ means viṣṇu, symbolically presented as ‘śāntākāraṃ bhujaga-
śayanaṃ padmanābhaṃ … saśaṅkhacakraṃ sakirīṭakuṇḍalaṃ …’ which we worship during
karmayoga, upāsanayoga, even during śravaṇa-mananaṃ, for cittaśuddhi. However, in
nididhyāsanaṃ, the whole table is turned. The ‘worshipped god’ I claim, ‘I’ am! Later, I will
claim ‘I’ am the worshipper also! So, here I claim, ‘I’ am the viṣṇu worshipped by all the
people! What a boldness. That is why nididhyāsanaṃ is private. No jñāni tells outside the
type of nididhyāsanaṃ he practices. People will throw stones! ‘I am viṣṇu worshipped by all’.
So, ‘aham nārāyaṇaḥ’. Then, ‘aham narakāntakaḥ’ – ‘I’ am Lord kṛṣṇa, who destroyed an
asura demon called naraka. Story associated with Deepavali celebration in the south.
Therefore, narakāntakaḥ or kṛṣṇa ‘I’ am. ‘I’ am viṣṇu. ‘I’ am kṛṣṇa. What about śiva? śiva
also I am. “purāntako'haṃ”. purāntakaḥ is the name of śiva. This is also associated with a
story which is there in several purāṇās, including bhāgavataṃ. There is a reference. puraṃ,
tripuraṃ, in the mythological stories refers to three flying cities. Golden city, silver city, iron
city - all flying like Skylab! And each city was occupied and ruled by one asura. Thus, three
asurās were ruling three flying cities and causing havoc and problems to everyone. Big
story. And the asurās ruling the cities also get the name ‘tripura’. tripura refers to the cities
and asurās also. Lord śiva destroyed all of them, just by opening his third eye. So many
people came to assist him. Lord śiva kept away all of them, but did not use or abuse
anyone. Just opened His third eye. The story can be given a philosophical significance also.
‘Three puraṃs’ representing the three śarīrams, three prapañca etc. ‘Burning’ representing,
making them mithyā. jñāna dāhaḥ is mithyātva niścayaḥ. Thus, philosophically also we can
interpret. I do not want to go in to those details. purāntakaḥ means Lord śiva.
So, ‘I’ am viṣṇu. ‘I’ am śiva. ‘I’ am kṛṣṇa. In short, all these are ‘my’ own versions. Then,
“nirīśvaro'haṃ”. Since ‘I’ alone am called īśvara with māyā costume, since ‘I’ – brahman –
alone. with māyā costume am called īśvara, there is no īśvara other than ‘me’. So, all this
looks like atheistic teaching. nirīśvaraḥ is used in nididhyāsanaṃ, I become a nirīśvara-vādī,
as though I am an atheist, because I don't think of worshiping any god other than ‘me’. In
my vision, there is no other god. Whatever you call god is ‘me’, with ‘my’ māyā costume!
Therefore, ‘I’ don't have another īśvara. Of course, the meaning of the word ‘I’ must be very
clear. That is why I say, the spiritual journey is, world-dependence to god-dependence to
self-dependence’. In a crisis, a jñāni cannot look for some ‘other’ god. You can decide
whether you want to practice nididhyāsanaṃ or not. Many people would want to continue to

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remain in jīva-īśvara plane, so that, in a problem I can say, ‘rescue me O Lord, rescue me’.
pāhimām rakṣamāṃ. So cosy and comfortable it is. Remain in theological systems as long
as you want to. But, here, I am not looking for an external god to support me. Because, ‘I’
myself am brahman, the supporter of everything. Why would ‘I’ require a support? I need a
walker only when my legs are fragile and weak. As long as I have emotional instability, I
require an anchor like that. But, jñānam gives me such a strength that I draw strength from
‘myself’. In karmayoga I take the support of god to confront the world. In nididhyāsanaṃ I
say, ‘that world is nothing but a version of ‘me’. And so, whatever happens in the world
cannot touch ‘me’, the real ‘I’. It is part of a drama. Anyway, that is all aside note.
“nirīśvaraḥ” - there is no god other than ‘me’. [Do not tell these things outside. It is all
supposed to be secret teaching. vedānta is called ‘rahasyam’. kṛṣṇa tells in bhagavadgītā,
‘rahasyaṃ hyetaduttamam’. Because, it will disturb. Therefore, ‘nirīśvaro'haṃ’.
“nirahaṃ ca nirmamaḥ”. I do not have ahaṅkāra and mamakāra limiting ‘me’ to a body.
nirahaṃ means, ‘ahaṅkāra rahitaḥ’. nirmamaḥ means, mamakāra rahitaḥ. I don't have a
limiting I and limiting mamakāra. mamakāra also limits because, only my family members I
include. Neighbours and others are excluded. Whatever happens to them is their problem. I
do not care. Therefore, ahaṅkāra and mamakāra limit me. ahaṅkāra and mamakāra
generate rāga dveṣa. ‘I’ am free from these duṣṭacatuṣṭayaṃ. What a nididhyāsanaṃ!
Whether we practice or not, at least we should ‘know the height of vedānta’! Continuing, 18.
सव�षु भते
ू ष्वहमे संिस्थ: �ानात्मनान्तबर्�हरा सन ् । भोक्त च भोग्य स्वयमे सव� यद्यतपृ
् थग्दृष्ट�म
परु ा ॥ [mantra 18] [495] &&
sarveṣu bhūteṣvahameva saṃsthitaḥ jñānātmanāntarbahirāśrayaḥ san I bhoktā ca
bhogyaṃ svayameva sarvaṃ yadyatpṛthagdṛṣṭamidantayā purā II
In the first two lines, the highest pāramārthika version is mentioned. ‘jñānātmanā’ - jñāna
svarūpeṇa [itthaṃ bhāve tṛtīyā] - in the form of consciousness, all-pervading, indivisible
consciousness, ‘ahaṃ eva saṃstithaḥ’ - I am present. ‘sarveṣu bhūteṣu’. Here, bhūta
means, living being. Inert things also can be taken. But the word jñānam, we generally
associate with living beings. Therefore, in all living beings. Not only humans, but animals &
plants also. In all living beings, ‘ahaṃ eva saṃsthitaḥ’ - I alone am. ‘jñānātmanā’ - this is my
‘absolute’ version. Even though I am present in all living beings, I am untouched by
anything.
yathā sarvagataṃ saukṣmyādākāśaṃ nopalipyate I sarvatrāvasthito dehe tathātmā
nopalipyate II [gītā 13-33]
‘I’ am in all bodies. But events and changes in the body will not touch ‘me’. By my presence
alone ‘I’ enliven everything. Therefore, ‘I’ alone am present. This is ‘my’ brahman version,
pāramārthika version. But, dressed with costume, ‘I’ alone become the jīva and jagat. “āntaḥ
bahiḥ āśrayaḥ san, bhoktā ca bhogyaṃ ca”. ‘I’ alone am associated with every body as the
body and also as the inner ‘self’. So, ‘antaḥ āśrayaḥ san’ we have to read twice. It means,
‘as the inner ‘self’, ‘I’ alone am supporting every body’. ‘antarāśrayaḥ’ means, the inner ‘self’
supporting the body itself. So, joining the body as ātmā, and as a mixture, ‘ahaṃ bhoktā ca
bhogyaṃ’ – ‘I’ alone play the role of a jīva, who is a kartā, who is a bhoktā, who has got
sañcita, āgāmi, prārabdha. ‘I’ have taken the jīva veṣaṃ, which is my ‘empirical’ version.
So, ‘I’ am īśvara, it was said before. ‘I’ am jīva also. ajñāni says, ‘I am jīva only’. jñāni says,
‘I’ am jīva also, in my empirical version. What about the universe I experience? “bhogyaṃ
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svayam eva”. Why? ‘bahiḥ āśrayaḥ san’. As the inner ‘self’, supporting the external nāma -
rūpa, in the form of existence. Very profound. [I hope you are enjoying!] So, as the inner
‘self’, the existence, supporting all the external nāma rūpa, ‘I’ alone play the role of the inert
universe also. In the inert universe, ‘I’ am there as existence principle. Thus, supporting the
inner, ‘I’ am called jīva. And, supporting the outer, ‘I’ am called īśvara. ‘I’ am the inner jīva
and outer jagat. ‘I’ am the experiencer and experienced; annādaḥ and annaṃ. ‘I’ am
ślokakṛt īśvara also! “ahamannam, ahamannādaḥ, ahamślokakṛt” [taittirīya bhṛguvallī].
‘bhogyaṃ’ means, the experienced objective universe. That also ‘I’ am. [Sanskrit students,
‘ahaṃ bhavāmi’, two words you have to supply. “āntarbahirāśrayaḥ san aham eva bhoktā
bhogyaṃ ca bhavāmi]. bhoktā means jīva. bhogyaṃ means jagat. In the previous śloka it is
said, ‘I’ am īśvara. In this śloka it is said, ‘I’ am jīva and jagat also. Thus, ‘I’ take up all the
roles. Why do ‘I’ do that? To have fun! Otherwise, boredom! During sleep you are in non-
dual state. Nothing is possible. Only in the waking or dream, ‘I’ have varieties, plurality.
Therefore, ‘I’ can have a tennis match! jīva-īśvara tennis match is life! When jīva hits the
ball, it is called karma. When bhagavān returns the ball, it is called karmaphalam. The whole
world is the court. Therefore, I run all over. karma-karmaphalam. karma refers to free-will
karmaphalam refers to fate. Freewill-fate confrontation, match. So, in some matches free-
will wins; in some others, fate wins. You don't ask, ‘Why do we have matches?’ Just for ‘my’
entertainment. Therefore, never ask ‘why?’ It is the best entertainment ‘I’ have, all the time
remembering that the real ‘I’ am asaṅgaḥ, never affected by the success or failure. jīva is
successful. jīva fails. Wonderful part of the game. So, we won yesterday’s one day match
against Australia; good news. Previous matches we lost, ok. T-20 will start. Test will start. ‘I’
play the role of jīva. ‘I’ play the role of īśvara. ‘I’ hit the ball. ‘I’ return the ball. ‘I’ have fun.
I remember it is fun by going to the green room, called nididhyāsanaṃ. nididhyāsanaṃ is
the green room where I see life as a game or entertainment. If I don't visit the green room,
life will become terrible, because I forget all that these are ‘my’ own play, .my’ own līlā. That
is what Lord kṛṣṇa tells in bhagavadgītā. ‘I’ am Mr kṛṣṇa. ‘I’ am īśvara. ‘I’ am brahman. ‘I’ am
world. All 4 versions ‘I’ am! Just as Lord kṛṣṇa claims in bhagavadgītā, a jñāni also - like an
avatāra - is able to claim all 4 versions of ‘I’. ‘I’ am the pāramārthika one and vyāvahārika
three - jīva jagat īśvara ‘I’ am. So, ‘ahaṃ antar bahir āśrayaḥ san bhoktā bhogyaṃ ca
bhavāmi asmi’. In short, he says, “svayameva sarvaṃ”. ‘svayaṃ’ here means ‘I’ the ātmā,
the ‘self’. So, ‘I’ alone am every blessed thing! And what do you mean by everything?
Further he says, “yadyat pṛthag dṛṣṭam”. ‘yat yat pṛthak dṛṣṭaṃ’ - whichever I saw before as
anātmā. So, here, śaṅkarācārya is referring to a junior student’s exercise. Very important
portion. Dayānanda Swā mīji also emphasizes this very much. As a junior student in
previous series, I did ātma-anātma viveka. Self – non-self discrimination study. And we used
the expression ‘neti – neti’. ‘I’ am not the world. World is an experienced object. ‘I’ am the
experiencer, different from the experienced world. ‘I’ am not kṣetraṃ; ‘I’ am kṣetrajñaḥ.
annamayakośa ‘I’ am not. prāṇamaya kośa ‘I’ am not. They are all anātmā. ‘I’ am ātmā.
They are objects. ‘I’ am subject. dṛk dṛśya viveka I said. But all that is only an intermediary
stage. ‘I’ and ‘this’. I am accepting dvaitaṃ. ‘I’ am ātmā. Everything else is anātmā. anātmā
is so many and vast. Thus, ‘I’ the ātmā will become a small entity. That ātma-anātmā
dvaitaṃ we have to swallow in nididhyāsanaṃ. How do you do that? By saying, ‘this anātmā
also is ‘myself’ only, with nāma-rūpa costume’. All the anātmā which I talked about as not ‘I’
is, in fact, ‘I’ alone! So, in nididhyāsanaṃ ‘I’ reverse all that. ‘I’ am not annamaya is the

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beginning. ‘I’ am annamaya is the culmination! ‘I’ am prāṇamaya, ‘I’ am pañcabhūtās. So, “‘I’
am not all this” is the beginning; “‘I’ am all this” is the end. When you say, ‘I’ am not this, we
are in dvaitaṃ. When ‘I’ say ‘I’ am all this, ‘I’ become pūrṇam. ‘I’ alone am.
Therefore, śaṅkarācārya says, “idantayā purā”. ‘idaṃ’ means, ‘this’. ‘This’ refers to anātmā.
purā means, before; that is, before mahāvākyaṃ. So, whatever was referred to before
mahāvākyaṃ as ‘this’, as ‘anātmā’, now - after mahāvākyaṃ - I claim as ātmā. Because,
anātmā also is nothing but ātmā, the pure existence, with different nāma and rūpa. So just
as the wave has to educate itself, saying ‘I am not a perishable wave, I am imperishable
water’. ‘I am not perishable wave, I am imperishable water’, the wave has to practice,
initially. Because, wave is perishable, water is imperishable. To differentiate the perishable
from imperishable, wave has to practice the language. ‘I am not perishable wave, I am
imperishable water’. But that statement looks as though there is duality. Like, there are 2
things - perishable wave and imperishable water. Therefore, later I have to say that, ‘in fact,
‘I’ - the imperishable water – alone am in the form of the perishable waves also’. ‘I’ alone am
in the form of perishable waves also, ocean also, water also. All of them are ‘me’, in my
different versions. Thus, duality must be abolished in entirety.
Therefore, in the highest nididhyāsanaṃ, ātmā is ātmā. anātmā is also ātmā. ‘I’ am both
ātmā and the ‘so called’ anātmā also! The only difference is, the ātmā version of ‘me’, the
observer version of ‘me’, is pāramārthika satyaṃ. The anātmā version of ‘me’, with changing
nāma-rūpa, perishable nāma-rūpa, the anātmā version is vyāvahārika ‘me’, vyāvahārika
version. Thus, the whole creation is the pāramārthika ‘me’ and vyāvahārika ‘me’. The
‘observer; is pāramārthika ‘me’. The ‘observed’ is vyāvahārika ‘me’. ‘Me’, ‘me’, ‘me’ alone.
This is the binary format I talk about in my regular class. What is ‘binary format’? ‘I’ the
‘observer’ am the pāramārthika ‘I’; and ‘I’ myself play the role of ‘observed’ vyāvahārika I
also! ‘Observer’ ātmā also, ‘observed’ anātmā also ‘I’ only am. Other than these 2, there is
nothing else. ‘yat yat’ – whatever, ‘purā’ - before mahāvākyaṃ, in the past, ‘idaṃtayā
dṛṣṭaṃ’ - was seen as anātmā, presently I see that anātmā also as ‘I’ the ātmā. Then only I
can claim, ‘I’ am all. ‘ahaṃ eva idaṃ sarvam’. That is why it is called sarvātma bhāvaḥ.
Here I would like to make one or two observations. I said, ‘this is the highest. This is the
toughest. And this is the most important form of nididhyāsanaṃ also’. Why do I say, ‘this is
most important’? The reason is given in bṛhadāraṇyaka upaniṣad maitreyī brāhmaṇaṃ,
[mantrā 2-4-6]. [maitreyī brāhmaṇaṃ is a very profound section. It occurs twice in
bṛhadāraṇyaka. In 2nd chapter, 4th section; and again in 4th chapter, 5th section]. There,
yājñavalkya says that, you claim yourselves as ātmā. Therefore, whatever you see/say as
anātmā - different from you - will limit you. Such a notion - ‘I am this ātmā. And all these are
anātmā, not me’ – will limit ‘you’. As long as you exclude anything out of ‘you’ or from ‘you’,
you will be limiting ‘yourself’; that excluded object will make ‘you’ incomplete, apūrṇaṃ,
finite. Finitude means, mortality. ‘punarapi jananaṃ, punarapi maraṇaṃ’. saṃsāra.
Exclusions will lead to finitude. Finitude will lead to mortality. Mortality leads to or is
saṃsāra. Therefore, exclusion makes me a saṃsāri. Every anātmā makes ‘me’ a saṃsāri.
Why anātmā? Because, the moment I use the word ‘anātmā’, it means it is not ‘me’, the
ātmā. ātmā means, ‘self’.
Therefore, through vedāntic learning I have to revise my understanding of ‘myself’, and my
understanding should expand the meaning of the word ‘I’, and it should expand and expand
and expand. And as ‘I’ the existence-consciousness principle, ‘I’ should expand to infinity,
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so that, nothing is excluded from ‘me’, nothing should be outside ‘me’. In fact, the word ‘I’
should ‘include’ everything. ‘I’ am the body also. ‘I’ am the mind also. ‘I’ am the world also.
Of course, world is a vyāvahārika version, but ‘I’ am that too. Only when I claim, ‘I’ am all, ‘I’
am pūrṇaḥ, only as pūrṇaḥ, the infinite, ‘I’ will be immortal. Even, time ‘I’ am. Space ‘I’ am.
Then alone, I can have mokṣa. So, don't reject anything. Do not exclude anything; when you
say ‘I’, include everything, at least mentally. Psychologically don't reject any one; don't hate
anyone. Hatred is mental rejection. That is psychological. Here, the philosophical message
is, ‘I’ should include everything. So, the profound bṛhadāraṇyaka upaniṣad mantrā says -
brahma taṃ parādādyo'nyatrātmano brahma veda kṣatraṃ taṃ parādādyo'nyatrātmanaḥ
kṣatraṃ veda lokāstaṃ parāduryo'nyatrātmano lokānveda devāstaṃ parāduryo'nyatrātmano
devānveda bhūtāni taṃ parāduryo'nyatrātmano bhūtāni veda sarvaṃ taṃ parādād
yo'nyatrātmanaḥ sarvaṃ vededaṃ brahmedaṃ kṣatramime lokā ime devā imāni bhūtāni
idaṃ sarvaṃ yadayamātmā [II.iv.6] [maitreyī brāhmaṇaṃ]
Very profound. A very rare mantrā. So, ‘brahma taṃ parādāt, kṣatraṃ taṃ parādāt’ means,
any object you understand as different from you – ‘ātmanaḥ anyatra veda’ - you see as
‘other than you’. Whether it is ‘brahma’ [brahma means, a brāhmaṇā or a kṣatriya or a
vaiśya or a śudra or a dalit or any loka or any deity, anything] - ‘ātmanaḥ anyatra veda’ - if
you see as different from you, that object parādāt. parādāt means, that will make you slip
from mokṣa! That will push you away. parādāt means, that will turn you away from mokṣa.
‘puruṣārtha bhraṣṭaṃ kuryāt’. ‘kaivalya vihīnaṃ kuryāt’.
Therefore, ‘I’ am not the body-mind-sense complex is beginning of vedānta. ‘I’ myself am
body-mind-sense complex should be the end. Therefore only Dayānanda Swāmīji makes a
very significant point. There are some nididhyāsana ślokās given by śaṅkarācārya Himself,
like ‘nirvāṇa ṣaṭkam’. Through these nididhyāsanaṃ we practice ‘neti, neti’. ‘manobuddhy-
ahaṅkāra cittāni nāhaṃ’. ‘I am not body. I am not mind’ etc. Dayānanda Swāmīji says, those
nididhyāsana ślokās are only one part of nididhyāsanaṃ. We should complement them by
another nididhyāsanaṃ. ‘nāhaṃ’ should be complimented with ‘cāhaṃ’ - ‘I’ am also that!
‘manobuddhyahaṅkāra cittāni cāhaṃ ahaṃ śrotrajihve ahaṃ ghrāṇanetre । ahaṃ vyoma
bhūmisca tejasca vāyuḥ cidānandarūpaḥ śivo'ham śivo'ham’
Merely you should not stop with negation. Shouldn’t be mechanical practice of nirvāṇa
ṣaṭkam. If you don’t understand the meaning, you chant ok. When you say, ‘I am not the
world’ that is how escapist mokṣa comes! I say, ‘world is a demon. Demonise the world.
One side we divinise the world. And, in the name of mokṣa, we want to run away from the
world, never to be born again! That means world is demon. One side we say viśvarūpa
īśvara. And, we want to run away from the world! That escapist mokṣa is for a beginner, for
whom world is a problem. We should get out of this ‘running away’ mokṣa, videhamukti. Our
mokṣa is, allowing the world. I don't run away from the world. As brahman, ‘I’ support the
world, where good events happen, bad events also happen. Because, vyāvahārika is a
‘mixture of opposites.’ “sukha duḥkhe same kṛtvā lābhālābhau’ will be there. Do not hate the
minus, do not get attached to the plus also. This is how anātmā is. That is anātmā version of
mine. It will be there. Accommodate everything, remembering that accommodating them will
not affect the real ‘me’. asaṅgo'haṃ. In nididhyāsanaṃ, we should get away from escapist
mokṣa. From sādhya mokṣa we should come to siddha mokṣa. Very, very profound.
ॐ पण
ू ्मद
र पण
ू ्�मद
र पण
ू ्स
र पण
ू ्मादा
र पण
ू ्मेवाव�शष
र ्य | ॐ शािन्त शािन्त शािन्त ||

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paraṃparām II
सव�षु भत ू षे ्वहमे संिस्थ: �ानात्मनान्तबर्�हरा सन ् । भोक्त च भोग्य स्वयमे सव� यद्यतपृ
् थग्दृष्ट�म
परु ा ॥ [mantra 18] [495] &&
sarveṣu bhūteṣvahameva saṃsthitaḥ jñānātmanāntarbahirāśrayaḥ san I bhoktā ca
bhogyaṃ svayameva sarvaṃ yadyatpṛthagdṛṣṭamidantayā purā II
When we see the meaning of all these nididhyāsanaṃ verses, we discover the fact that all
these verses are only extensions of the mahāvākyaṃ message. They are all corollaries or
derivations from the mahāvākyam’s message, but presented in manifold ways. Designed in
manifold ways. And if I have clearly understood the mahāvākyaṃ, without any doubt,
without any vagueness, with total conviction, then all these corollaries in every
nididhyāsanaṃ verse, my intellect will approve without any hesitation. Therefore, initially, we
can use or study these nididhyāsanaṃ verses as a means of self-examination. Just as, in
schools and colleges they test to see whether the students have understood their lessons.
Similarly, going through each one of these nididhyāsana ślokās, and seeing whether my
intellect approves the message mentioned in each śloka - without any doubt or hesitation -
is a means of self-examination. If I can tick mark all these verses and the contents of these
verses, and clearly approve these messages, I have passed the examination. Which means,
I have a clear understanding of the mahāvākyaṃ.
And remember, clear understanding of mahāvākyaṃ alone is ātmajñānaṃ. There is no
other jñānam. There is no other realisation. There is no other enlightenment. Whether you
name it knowledge, realisation, enlightenment, ordinary or mystic words, it is all nothing but
clear and doubtless understanding of the message of mahāvākyaṃ. And I do have this
understanding. If I can go through these verses and see that my intellect approves the
contents of these verses, I can clearly say, ‘I have jñānam. I am a jñāni’. I can certify myself!
Of course, it is not for declaration outside. We need not. And we should not also. Because,
people ask, ‘Swāmīji, how do I know I have got jñānam? Will there be any ‘extraordinary’
changes in my personality?’ arjuna himself was confused and asked a question, ‘how does
a sthiraprajña talk? ‘sthitaprajñasya kā bhāṣā samādhisthasya keśava?’ So, this is a
fundamental question. ‘How do I know I have jñānam? Who will certify?’ No guru can certify!
guru can teach, hope and pray that the student has clearly understood. But whether I have
jñānam or not, only I have to endorse. I have to certify myself. This certificate I give myself,
by self-examination. And the self-examination is, going through the nididhyāsanaṃ ślokās
slowly, looking at the contents, and asking your own intellect, ‘are you convinced? Can you
approve this without reservation?’ And the intellect must say, ‘I am’ or ‘I am not convinced’.
Initially, these nididhyāsanaṃ verses can be used for self-examination. Especially, the
nididhyāsanaṃ verses of vivekacūḍāmaṇi are of wide variety and so ideal for self-
examination. Even though all the works of śaṅkarācārya convey that, I find, vivekacūḍāmaṇi
nididhyāsanaṃ verses as holistic, multi-sided, complete. As I said in the last class, I should
be able to say, ‘I am not the world’. I should also be able to say, ‘I alone am playing the role
of, appearing as, the world also’. ‘I am not the world’. ‘I am the world’. ‘I am not the world
pāramārthikally, but I am the world, because the world is one of ‘my’ vyāvahārika versions’.
Thus, I find these nididhyāsanaṃ verses are excellent, especially verses 17 & 18. A
profound extension of mahāvākyaṃ. If I have understood mahāvākyaṃ and can claim
‘ahaṃ brahmāsmi’, I should also be able to claim all the 4 ‘versions’ of brahman as ‘me’.
Meditation - Class 010 – 21st December 2020 – verses 18 to 20 Page 1
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I hope you have not forgotten the 4 versions. One pāramārthika version - ‘nāntaḥ prajñaṃ
na bahiṣprajñaṃ’ - the turīyaṃ version and 3 vyāvahārika versions, jīva jagat īśvara. As
vyāvahārikaṃ, ‘I’ alone am jīva; ‘I’, alone am jagat also. And, “nārāyaṇo'haṃ narakāntako-
'haṃ purāntako'haṃ puruṣo'hamīśaḥ” - I am the īśvara version also! If you remember the
māṇḍūkya upaniṣad, ‘my’ 3rd pāda is īśvara. ‘eṣa sarveśvara eṣa sarvajña eṣo'ntaryāmi’. ‘I’
am catuṣpād ātmā. ‘I’ am catuṣpād brahman. jīva, jagat and īśvara in vivekacūḍāmaṇi are
the first 3 vyāvahārika versions. And ‘I’ am brahman, the pāramārthikam.
Now, śaṅkarācārya concludes in the 18th verse, whatever you saw outside you until now -
“yadyatpṛthagdṛṣṭamidantayā purā” – everything is your’self’! Looking at any jīva, as ‘this’
jīva, ‘that’ jīva - as ‘outside’ you. You look at the universe as ‘outside’ you. And in pūjā, you
saw īśvara also ‘outside you’. ‘pṛthak dṛṣṭaṃ’. jīva is seen differently. jagat is seen
differently. īśvara is seen differently. In nididhyāsanaṃ, I should be able to say, ‘I’ am the
worshipper jīva also. ‘I’ myself am the worshipped īśvara also! ‘I’ only play both roles. This I
claim in my nididhyāsanaṃ seat, green room. But once I come out of it to the vyāvahārika
field, I should remember, I am playing the jīva role. So, without hesitation or conflict, I should
be able to do sāṣtāṅga namaskāra to īśvara. As jīva, I do namaskāraṃ to īśvara, without
any conflict. In nididhyāsanaṃ seat, I myself will say, ‘I’ am the worshipper jīva. ‘I’ am the
worshiped īśvara. No conflict. vyāvahārikaṃ - pāramārthikam conflict should never be there.
In nididhyāsanaṃ I see ‘my’ 4 versions. In vyavahāra, ‘I’ take up only one role, that of a jīva.
And, if jñānam is very clear, there will be no conflict. It is like a person who sees different
ornaments laid on the table. All the ornaments are there. He has got advaita darśanam – ‘all
these ornaments are different versions of ‘one’ gold only. Gold is bangle; Gold is chain;
Gold is finger-ring. Gold is nose-ring. Gold is ear-ring. Everything is gold eva’. That jñānam
is there. [That is why we carefully preserve them!] But, at the same time, when he takes-up
every ornament, there is no conflict. Each ornament is handled appropriately. Ear-rings go
to ear. Nose-rings to nose. Everything is attachable and detachable. Previously they used to
make a hole. Now, you can just press! [Don't ask me, ‘how do you know?!’ That is what I
hear]. So, we do not have any conflicts. Every ornament is appropriately handled.
Similarly, during vyavahāra if I am a gṛhastha jñāni, as a part of pañca mahā yajña, I may do
- I am supposed to do - daily īśvara ārādhanaṃ. And I do the ārādhanaṃ, without any
conflict. Because there is nāma bheda, rūpa bheda and karma bheda. īśvara has got
different nāma rūpam karma. And I, the jīva, have got different nāma rūpam karma. It is my
job to prostrate and it is īśvara’s job to bless. I have no conflict. But at the end of the pūjā, I
should also be able to shift the gear or channel and tell myself, ‘I’ am playing the roles very
well. ‘I’ am both jīva and īśvara. In short, ‘ahameva sarvaṃ’.
… ahamevādhastādahamupariṣṭādahaṃ paścādahaṃ purastādahaṃ dakṣiṇato'ham-
uttarato'hamevedagm sarvamiti [chāndogya 7.25.1]
When I say, ‘ahameva idaṃ sarvaṃ’, I mean ‘idaṃ’ - ‘this īśvara also’ ‘I’ am. This jīva also ‘I’
am. Every material I use for pūjā also ‘I’ am. ‘ahameva idam sarvaṃ’. This sarvātmabhāva I
should effortlessly have. Only if ‘I’ am sarva ātmā, ‘I’ am pūrṇa ātmā. If anything is outside
‘me’, I become apūrṇaḥ. Exclusion makes me apūrṇaḥ. Inclusion makes me pūrṇaḥ. And,
pūrṇatvaṃ alone gives me mokṣa; apūrṇatvaṃ is saṃsāra. That is what yājñavalkya says -
sarvaṃ taṃ parādād yo 'nyatrātmanaḥ sarvaṃ veda I idaṃ brahmedaṃ kṣatram ime lokā
ime devā ime vedā imāni bhūtānīdaṃ sarvaṃ yad ayam ātmā II [bṛhadāraṇyaka 4,5.7]

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Anything that you claim as ‘outside’ you, that excluded entity will deny you pūrṇatvaṃ, and
consequently mokṣa. So, if you are a seeker of mokṣa, you should be able to claim - ‘aham
īśvaraḥ asmi’. All this, advaitin only can talk about. All the other schools of philosophy, all
the theological systems, will never approve of that. They will say, ‘it is blasphemy’. They will
curse the advaitin, saying ‘he will go to special narakaṃ for this blasphemy’. Suppose we
tell them, yājñavalkya says, ‘mokṣa is possible only if you claim aham īśvaraḥ asmi’, with
pramāṇaṃ if we tell these theological people, what will they say? They will say, ‘if mokṣa
requires jīva īśvara advaitaṃ, then I am not interested in mokṣa’. All our marketing strategy
will miserably fail. ‘If mokṣa requires advaitaṃ, I don't want mokṣa. I would like to continue
to be a devotee. I would like to be different from god. I would like to enjoy, ‘adharaṃ
madhuraṃ vadanaṃ madhuraṃ nayanaṃ madhuraṃ hasitaṃ madhuram’. I am happy with
dvaitam. Get lost with your advaitaṃ,’ That is why advaitin never tries to market advaitaṃ.
If you are interested in mokṣa and if you are dissatisfied, very important. “parīkṣya lokān
karmacitān brāhmaṇo nirvedamāyānnāstyakṛtaḥ kṛtena” [muṇḍaka 1.2.12] If you are
dissatisfied with the dualistic version, then and then alone you come to me. I will introduce
the upaniṣ adic version of advaitaṃ. Whoever says, ‘I am satisfied with dvaita bhakti’, we
never disturb them. In Hinduism, the advantage is, we have multiple opportunity. If not in
this janma, in the next janma, or in the janma next to that. Whenever you feel the
requirement, you can come to. That is why mumukṣutvaṃ̣ is a basic qualification. When I
talk advaitaṃ to a non-mumukṣu, he will only dismiss me by saying, ‘I don't want advaitaṃ.
And, if advaitaṃ is required for mokṣa, I am not interested in mokṣa also’. In purāṇās
several bhaktās say, ‘I am not interested in mokṣa. I enjoy your beautiful form’. We say,
‘dīrgāyuṣmān bhava’! All this here are for a mumukṣu. Not for others.
A jīva mumukṣu is convinced that - a personal god different from ‘me’ will be as much
limited as me! He is logically convinced. If god is a person different from ‘me’, that god also
will be mortal like me. That god also will be apūrṇaḥ. And, worshipping apūrṇa īśvara is not
going to take me out of apūrṇatvaṃ. I should be intellectually convinced. The finite-god
approach should dissatisfy me. After that you come to vedānta. How can a āyārāṃ gayārāṃ
god be infinite? How can a god ‘located’ in vaikuṇṭha and kailāsa be limitless? Therefore,
that god is limited. In what way He is different from me? We are all in the same boat! This
must be clear. [I am getting side tracked].
In these 2 verses śaṅkarācārya said a profound message. ‘I am pāramārthikam brahma. I
alone am vyāvahārika jīva, vyāvahārika jagat and vyāvahārika īśvara. In the 17th verse,
īśvara and pāramārthikam brahma are mentioned. In the 18th verse, vyāvahārika jīva and
vyāvahārika jagat are mentioned. All these are borrowed from taittirīya bhṛguvallī mantra –
ahamannamahamannamahamannam । ahamannādo'hamannādo'ahamannādaḥ ।
ahamślokakṛdahamślokakṛdahamślokakṛt । [taittirīya bhṛguvallī].
annam means, jagat. annādaḥ means, jīvaḥ. ślokakṛt means, īśvaraḥ. ahameva idaṃ
sarvaṃ. So, thus ‘I’ swallow everything. ‘I’ don't allow anything to exist outside ‘me’,
including īśvara! ‘I’ do not allow any blessed thing to exist outside ‘me’. Because, everything
vyāvahārikaṃ must be included in pāramārthikam ‘me’ since everything vyāvahārikaṃ has
to borrow ‘existence’ from pāramārthikam. They can never go away from ‘me’. The moment
they go away from ‘me’, they will lose their existence. If pot goes away from clay, pot loses
its existence. ‘I’ the pāramārthikam alone gives existence to everything. Therefore, they are
all in ‘me’. They are all included in ‘me’. Very profound.
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If I can accept this, I have understood mahāvākyaṃ. And if I cannot accept this, I have
failed in my self-examination. What then required is, more śravaṇaṃ̣ and more mananaṃ
until I can go through in the second attempt. Like writing CA exam! In the second attempt I
go through all these verses again and ask my intellect, ‘do you approve?’ The day it
approves, we have jñānam! Continuing, verse 19 -
मय्यखण्डसुखाम्भ बहुधा �वश्ववीचय । उत्पद्यन �वल�यन्त मायामारुत�वभ्रम ॥
mayyakhaṇḍasukhāmbhodhau bahudhā viśvavīcayaḥ I utpadyante vilīyante māyāmāruta-
vibhramāt II [mantra 19] [496] &&
Another extension. ‘I’ am brahman. And brahman is śriṣṭi sthiti laya kāraṇaṃ of the entire
cosmos, including time and space. ‘I’ am brahman. brahman is jagat kāraṇaṃ. Extending
this, A=B and B=C. Therefore, A=C. I should unhesitatingly claim, ‘I’ am the cause of the
entire cosmos, including all the galaxies. And here, śaṅkarācārya is presenting it by saying,
‘I’ am like the ocean and all the galaxies or all the 14 lokās or all the 10 to the power of 500
parallel universes [as cosmologists say] all of them are like a small wave. Imagine the
vision. Each galaxy has got millions of stars. Such galaxies are just like waves, and ‘I’ am
like the ocean! Galaxies rise in ‘me’. Galaxies exist in ‘me’. Galaxies resolve into ‘me’. ‘I’
continue to exist. ‘I’ am not in one of the galaxies, but the galaxies are in ‘me’. So, this is an
adaptation of the famous kaivalya upaniṣad mantra –
mayyeva sakalaṃ jātaṃ mayi sarvaṃ pratiṣṭhitam I mayi sarvaṃ layaṃ yāti
tadbrahmādvayamasmyaham II [1.19]
[That series of verses in kaivalya upaniṣad I feel like quoting. I am restraining myself. I want
to avoid too many quotations]. Each mantra there is a splendid nididhyāsana mantra.
Imagine the jñāní’s vision. Look at the śloka – “mayyakhaṇḍa-sukhāmbhodhau”. ambodhiḥ
means, ocean. [ambhaḥ jalaṃ dhīyate vidhīyate asmin iti ambodhiḥ] A reservoir.
Storehouse of water. samudraḥ. Ocean. And, what type of ocean ‘I’ am? ‘sukha ambodhiḥ’
– ‘I’ am the ocean of happiness. Five-featured happiness. Not the objectifiable happiness,
but subejctified happiness. “ānando brahmeti divyajānāt”. ‘I’ am brahman and brahman is
ānanda. Therefore, ‘I’ am ānanda sāgaraḥ! And, what type of ānanda? akhaṇḍa. Indivisible.
Undivided. Experiential happiness is temporary and divisible, gradable also as moda,
pramoda etc. Indivisible, ungraded, uniform ānanda – the original ānanda ‘I’ am. ‘I’ alone
donate ānanda to every mind in the world. Whoever is happy, ‘I’ have donated by ‘reflecting’
in their mind, because ‘I’ am in every mind! So, ‘I’ am the ocean of existence. ‘I’ am the
ocean of consciousness. But here śaṅkarācārya only says, ‘I’ am the ocean of happiness.
Undivided, spatially. Indivisible, time-wise also. And in ‘me’ that ocean waves come, briefly.
And, what are those waves? “viśvavīcayaḥ”. viśvaṃ means, universe. And each universe or
galaxy is called vīciḥ. vīci means, taraṅgaṃ, wave. [ikārānta strīliṅgaḥ vīc śabdaḥ prathamā
vibhaktiḥ bahuvacanaṃ]. Waves of galaxies. What is the size of a wave in comparison to
the ocean? Imagine the pacific ocean. Even the biggest tornado - which is several metres
high - the biggest wave, is just a dot in the Pacific Ocean. Here, I meditate – ‘galaxies are
mere dots, are minor waves rising in “me”. “bahudhā”, in manifold ways, in different ways.
“utpadyante”. In different ways and places waves ‘utpadyante’, they rise. In ‘me’ alone they
rise, including time and space. They exist briefly. [Even the tsunami wave, it came one day,
long before in Chennai. Lasted a few hours and disappeared. But the ocean did not
disappear]. Similarly, galaxies will rise and end. But ‘I’ don't end. Not only that. As ocean, ‘I’

76
give existence to every wave. They are all included in ‘me’. So, ‘viśvavīcayaḥ utpadyante’ is
śriṣṭi kāraṇaṃ. And, “vilīyante”. They rest, disappear. ‘I’ am thus laya kāraṇaṃ also. śriṣṭi
kāraṇaṃ means, ‘I’ am the cause of their origination or manifestation. laya kāraṇaṃ means,
‘I’ am the cause of their resolution or dissolution. You supply, ‘I’ am the sthiti kāraṇaṃ also!
But, for the waves to rise in the ocean, wind is required. Wind alone stimulates or excites
the ocean to generate waves. That wind power is in ‘me’. He says, “māyāmārutaṃ”. ‘I’ have
got that māyā śakti. Previously I said, ‘īśvara has māyā śakti’. īśvara has māyā. I am
powerless. īśvara is some-thing ‘outside me’. That is all in pūrvāśrama! But, in the previous
śloka ‘I’ claimed, ‘I’ am īśvara also. Therefore, māyā śakti belongs to ‘me’. That māyā is
excited by the law of karma to create the waves. Because, in māyā alone all the sañcita
karmās of all the jīvarāśis are stored, from beginningless time. [Don’t ask me, ‘how & when
māyā came?’ It is a blundereous question! māyā never ‘came’. māyā always was in ‘me’.
māyā is vyāvahārikaṃ or pāramārthikam? Let it be very clear – māyā is also of a lower
order of reality]. So, the vyāvahārika māyā is there in ‘me’.
And excited by māyāmārutaṃ, mārutaṃ means wind. māyā winds, “vibhramāt”. vibhrama
means, calanam, agitation, disturbance. So, during paralayaṃ, māyā remains in equilibrium.
It is like the ocean without any wave. ‘I’ am a waveless ocean during paralayaṃ. And, ‘I’ am
the waveful ocean when māyā’s equilibrium is disturbed. That vibhramaḥ, māyā’s calanam,
vibration is caused by karma. ‘I’ only bless them by giving śriṣṭi, existence. ‘I’ don’t activate
māyā through a special, wilful, thoughtful action. It is all inbuilt in ‘me’. māyā is a
programmed entity. Just as in a program in computer, we only add power. In the presence
of power, all programs automatically arise, get activated. So too, in ‘my’ presence māyā’s
programs unfold and because of the unfolding of programs - soft copy of māyā – ‘tasmādvā
etasmāt ātmanaḥ ākāśaḥ saṃbhūtaḥ ākāśātvāyu vāyoragniḥ …’. From ātmanaḥ means,
māyā sahita ātmanaḥ all these things come, creation arises. 14 lokās come. jīvarāśis come.
Thus, the miserable jīva, vyāvahārika jīva I, has come out of the pāramārthika ‘I’ alone. This
jīva also ‘I’ am. But ‘I’ remember, ‘this is “my” vyāvahārika version’. jñāni understands this is
‘my’ vyāvahārika version. ‘prārabdhāya samarpitaṃ svavapurityeṣā manīṣā mama’ [manīṣā
pañcakaṃ]. ‘I’ accept and acknowledge that this vyāvahārika version of ‘me’, the jīva, will
have to go through its vyāvahārikaṃ karma, which is manged by vyāvahārika īśvara. I do
not manage the karma. vyāvahārika īśvara manages karma. And He becomes vyāvahārika
karmaphala dātā. And I the vyāvahārika jīva, will have to willingly handover this vyāvahārika
version of ‘me’ to vyāvahārika īśvara. A jñāni will do so. That is what śaṅkarācārya says in
manīṣā pañcakaṃ - ‘prārabdhāya samarpitaṃ’ - I have handed over this jīva version of ‘me’
to prārabdha. No doubt I can use puruṣārtha, human effort, in certain cases; but, many
prabala prārabdhaṃ jīva will have to go through. I am ready. I am willing. I accept.
But, the original ‘I’ am undisturbed by these events.” ‘I’ am asaṅgo’haṃ”, I should tell in
nididhyāsanaṃ. Cry outside nididhyāsanaṃ. Smile during nididhyāsanaṃ. Cry. Nothing
wrong. Because everybody is giving problems. But, also learn to smile in nididhyāsanaṃ.
mātrāsparśāstu kaunteya śītoṣṇasukhaduḥkhadāḥ I āgamāpāyino'nityāstāṃstitikṣasva
bhārata I [gītā 2.14] ‘I’ allow that. That is what every avatāraṃ in the purāṇa shows. We
have to read vālmīki rāmāyaṇaṃ. While rāma goes in search of sītā, He is mourning, crying,
finding fault with lakṣmaṇa - ‘Why did you come away?’ You will wonder whether rāma is
really an avatāra? rāma then enjoys crying, indicating that, nothing wrong in crying, but you
should have the facility to switch channels. Play the role. Use & enjoy this switch facility.

77
These are all aside. Am getting lost. “māyāmāruta vibhramāt” - because of the disturbances
in the vyāvahārika māyā, worlds appear and disappear. ‘I’ am, however, the ‘sarva
adhiṣṭhānaṃ brahma’. Can I do that? I should ask the question to my own intellect. ‘O
intellect, do you approve? Do you endorse? Do you agree? Will you put your signature? If I
hesitate, it means, śravaṇaṃ̣ is incomplete. mananaṃ is incomplete. I have not understood
mahāvākyaṃ. They are all words. They are all mere scholarship. They are all information
given by the guru. But I have not received the message. If I have received it, I should have
no hesitation. ‘Yes, these are all true. Why should I hesitate?’ If I say, ‘I - the body - am the
creator of the world’, it is foolishness. When I say, ‘I am the sarvādhiṣṭhānaṃ’, I know the
meaning of the word ‘I’. Because, during mahāvākya vicāraṃ, I have given-up the vācyārtha
and by bhāgatyāga lakṣaṇa I have understood the meaning of the word ‘I’ as caitanyaṃ.
As caitanyaṃ, what is wrong in claiming, ‘I am jagat kāraṇaṃ brahma?’ Why should I feel
bad? I also say, ‘body is miserable, never said body is wonderful’. I say, ‘I’ am the wonderful
lakṣyārtha; but the body, the vyāvahārika I, is miserable, because sukham and duḥkham will
have to come and go. That is the very nature of the vyāvahārika prapañca! Continuing.
स्थूला�दभाव म�य किल्पत भ्रद आरो�पतानस
ु ्फुरणे लोकैः । काले यथा कल्पकवत्सरनऋत्वादय
�नष्कल�न�वर्कल ॥ [mantra 20] [497] &&
sthūlādibhāvā mayi kalpitā bhramād āropitānusphuraṇena lokaiḥ I kāle yathā
kalpakavatsarāyanaṛtvādayo niṣkalanirvikalpe II
So, all the divisions obtaining in the creation in the form of vyāvahārika jīva, vyāvahārika
jagat, vyāvahārika īśvara - all three divisions, including my own sthūla śarīraṃ, sūkṣma
śarīraṃ, which is also an internal division - all the divisions are not real divisions. They are
all unreal divisions from the stand point of ‘I’ the brahman, the real ‘me’, because brahman
is indivisible - “akhaṇḍa brahma”. The word akhaṇḍa was used in verse 17 - ‘akhaṇḍabodho
'ham’. ‘akhaṇḍam’ is a very important word in vedānta. In verse 19 – ‘akhaṇḍa sukha
ambhodhau’. Since brahman is beyond time & space, it is ‘akhaṇḍam’, indivisible. Any
division I experience must be a ‘seeming’ division. Like the space is seemingly divided by
different enclosures. Space is really not divisible. So, when the indivisible is divided, it is
called ‘seeming’ division, it is just a kalpanā, a ‘superimposed’ division.
He says here, “sthūlādibhāvā mayi kalpitā bhramāt …” bhāvaḥ means, padārthaḥ, all the
pluralistic objects of the world, like the gross body, subtle body and also the earth, the fire,
the water – in short, everything micro & macro – sthūlādi padārthāḥ sarve api, mayi kalpitā -
they are all ‘projected’ by ‘me’, in ‘me’. How? ‘māyāmāruta vibhramāt’ - because of or with
the help of my māyā śakti, they are all projected by ‘me’, in ‘me’. Just as, with my nidrā
śakti, my sleeping power, I ‘project’ a dream world. The dream world is projected by ‘me’, in
‘me’. I am the creator also, I am the locus also. Therefore, ‘mayi’. mayi means, ‘in me’.
When I say ‘in me’, remember, the word ‘me’ must be clear. If we are not able to accept
these verses, we should know where the mistake lies. Before I begin to read these
nididhyāsana verses, I should go to bhāgatyāga lakṣaṇa. Otherwise, all these verses will be
a big joke, absurd. Because, normally when I say I, that I refers to the miserable individual,
with family problems, financial problems, health problems etc. When that I, the vācyārtha I,
is dominant in my conscious mind and I read these verses, my mind is preoccupied with
problems. Then if I say, ‘you are jagadadhiṣṭhānaṃ’, you feel like laughing at the teacher!
Or, sympathizing with him. ‘He does not know my family condition’.

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Thus, the essential condition is, I should have the facility to switch between the vācyārtha
and lakṣyārtha effortlessly, like switching the gear in a car. When I am learning driving, it
looks so difficult, because I have to do so many things all at the same time - I have to look
straight at the road ahead and also operate various gadgets, clutch, gear, accelerator,
brake, steering, horn - so many gadgets! And, I have to remember to do the appropriate
thing at the appropriate time also. And I shouldn’t hit against someone or something. So,
you will wonder, ‘how can I do it? But, thereafter, once you master it, you drive effortlessly,
talking to Swāmīji sitting nearby! Only I get scared in busy traffic! He is talking about
something and also driving. I feel like telling him, ‘stop talking and focus on driving properly’.
I also know he is a driving-niṣṭhaḥ, he does it automatically, effortlessly.
Similarly we have 2 gears, as it were. vācyārtha I. And, lakṣyārtha ‘I’. Be in vācyārtha gear
during transactions. Don't mess-up the transactions. But, when I read this nididhyāsanaṃ
verses, I should have effortlessly changed the gear to the lakṣyārtha ‘I’, to sākṣi caitanyaṃ,
the 5-featured consciousness. And that consciousness is the meaning of the word ‘mayi’. In
‘me’. “mayi kalpita” - they are all superimposed in ‘me’. They are all ‘projected’. The word
‘projected’ means, they are of a lower order of reality. Therefore, whatever happens in
dream, will not alter the situation in the waking. If I lose money in gambling in dream, it will
not unsettle my bank balance in the waking state. I might have become a pauper in dream.
But I am the richest one in waking! So, kalpitāḥ means, ‘of a lower order of reality’. sthūla
śarīraṃ is vyāvahārikaṃ. Instead of using the word mithyā, we say vyāvahārikaṃ. Because,
many people misunderstand mithyā as non-existent. To avoid the problem, I am deliberately
avoiding the word mithyā and I am using the word vyāvahārikaṃ, which is of a lower order,
compared to ‘me’, the pāramārthikam ‘me’. ‘I’ am the super-waker. So, ‘mayi kalpitāḥ’
[kalpitāḥ visarga ‘ḥ’ is there. Because of sandhi rule, the visarga ‘ḥ’ is dropped]. ‘
“bhramāt”. bhrama means, māyā. That which deludes a person is called bhrama. [bhrāmyati
anena iti bhramaḥ] What is that? māyā is the greatest deluder. What is the delusion? It
‘projects’ an unreal world and it deludes me and makes me mistake the vyāvahārikaṃ, the
unreal, as though it is pāramārthikam, the real. Therefore, māyā is called bhramaḥ. I project
the dream world through my nidrā śakti. But, the same nidrā śakti deludes me! Therefore
only in dream, I mistake the dream world as satyam and suffer. What I want to say is,
‘bhramaḥ’ means, māyā. And, because of māyā śakti, the sthūla sūkṣma śarīrams are
superimposed on ‘me’, the caitanyaṃ. And not only ‘I’ project the sthūla śarīraṃ, along with
that ‘I’ project cidābhāsa also in every sthūla śarīraṃ. Every physical body is blessed with,
quoted with, imbued with, the reflected consciousness, which also ‘I’ donate.
That is here called “bhramād āropita anusphuraṇena [saha]”. We will take tṛtīyā as ‘saha’
tṛtīyā. anusphuraṇaṃ means, cidābhāsaḥ, in this context. sphuraṇaṃ is cit. anusphuraṇaṃ
is cidābhāsaḥ. And, āropitam means, which is also added. āropaṇaṃ is placing, adding,
coating. What is coated here? ‘sthūlādi bhāvāḥ’ - all the sthūla śarīrams are painted with
cidābhāsa, glowing cidābhāsa! Like we have brightly painted reflectors on the road. When
your car approaches that, your own headlight gets reflected there and it shines. You then
know there is a median there. Similarly, sthūla śarīraṃ is a reflector and ‘I’ alone provide the
‘reflected light’, called cidābhāsa to it. That is called āropitam. Thus, the cidābhāsa-added
sthūla śarīraṃ, ‘I’ alone project. cidābhāsa-added sūkṣma śarīraṃ also ‘I’ only project. And,
cidābhāsa is added only to the śarīrams, not to any jaḍa vastu like the wall. Therefore,
‘āropitam anusphuraṇena saha, sthūlādi bhāvāḥ māyayā, mayi kalpitā’.

79
And why do you say it is ‘unreal’? Because, it is divisible. Anything ‘divisible’ must be unreal.
And, he gives an example here. I will just introduce the example and explain it later. The
kāla tattvaṃ - the time principle, according to śāstram is an indivisible principle. Time cannot
be divided actually. What is time, according to vedānta? I will tell you in the next class. Time
is an indivisible principle. But, for the facility of transactions, we ourselves divide the time
into seconds, minutes, hours, days … These are all arbitrary divisions done by human
beings. Seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, fortnights, months, years etc. Therefore
these divisions are unreal divisions. That is why time varies from place to place. We say, ‘it
is day time now’. Somebody else in another part of the world will say, ‘it is night time here’.
Therefore, just as the indivisible time is seemingly divided, based on certain conditions, so
also, the indivisible brahman is ‘seemingly’ divided, because of certain upādhi or conditions.
aupādhika bheda is there. vāstava bheda is not there. This is the example given in the 3rd
and 4th lines, which we will see in the next class.
ॐ पणर्मद
ू पणर्�मद
ू पण
ू ार्त्पूणर्मुदच | पणर्स
ू पणर्मादा
ू पणर्मेवाव
ू �शष्य | ॐ शािन्त शािन्त शािन्त ||
Math, Chennai].

80
paraṃparām II
स्थूला�दभाव म�य किल्पत भ्रद आरो�पतानस
ु ्फुरणे लोकैः । काले यथा कल्पकवत्सरनऋत्वादय
�नष्कल�न�वर्कल ॥ [mantra 20] [497] &&
sthūlādibhāvā mayi kalpitā bhramād āropitānusphuraṇena lokaiḥ I kāle yathā
kalpakavatsarāyanaṛtvādayo niṣkalanirvikalpe II
I said that nididhyāsanaṃ is a process in which I learn to look upon ‘myself’ as brahman. In
nididhyāsanaṃ, I don't meditate ‘on’ brahman. I don't think ‘of’ brahman. I want to think ‘as’
brahman. I hope you are seeing the difference. Not thinking of brahman as something other
than ‘me’. But I entertain thoughts ‘as’ brahman; like, if brahman were to think. Of course,
brahman, by itself, cannot do anything. If brahman were to think, how brahman will use the
word ‘I’ for brahman? The same I do. I use the word ‘I’, for brahman. So, ‘I’ and brahman
become synonymous, just as Lord kṛṣṇa says in the bhagavadgītā, “mayādhyakṣeṇa
prakṛtiḥ sūyate sacarācaram” [9.10]. He talks ‘as’ brahman. In the presence of ‘me’, the
brahman, ‘my’ prakṛti, ‘my’ māyā śaktiḥ sacārācaram sūyate. There, kṛṣṇa uses the first-
person singular word ‘mayā’, in the meaning of brahman. Throughout bhagavadgītā, in
several places, even though He is talking as an individual, as an avatāra, He uses the word
‘I’, as synonymous with brahman. We are applying the same logic in nididhyāsanaṃ. He
uses the word ‘I’, in the meaning of brahman, because kṛṣṇa is a natural jñāni. Similarly, in
nididhyāsanaṃ, every jñāni has to imitate Lord kṛṣṇa and should learn to use the word ‘I’ in
the meaning of brahman.
And later, in different types of meditation, I should use the word ‘I’ in the meaning of the
other 3 vyāvahārika versions also. ‘I’ as jīva we need not practice. We are doing it all the
time! Then I look upon the world as ‘myself’. ‘ahameva idaṃ sarvaṃ’, when I say, I am using
the word ‘I’, as synonymous with the world. And of course, “nārāyaṇo'haṃ narakānto'haṃ”
etc. when I meditate, I use the word ‘I’ as the synonym of bhagavān. Therefore, ‘I’ am
brahman. ‘I’ am jīva. ‘I’ am jagat. ‘I’ am īśvara. Around all these 4 versions I hover around
during my nididhyāsanaṃ. And we can design so many nididhyāsanaṃs keeping these 4.
This is the crux or principle of nididhyāsanaṃ. And until we learn to design our own
nididhyāsanaṃ, śaṅkarācārya gives many methods, models.
In this śloka 20, introduced in the last class, ‘I’ am looking upon ‘myself’ as brahman. I am
talking ‘as’ brahman. And then I say, “sthūlādibhāvāḥ mayi bhramād kalpitā”. All the sthūla
and sūkṣma śarīrams are only kalpitaṃ, are ‘superimposed’ upon ‘me’. What is the meaning
of ‘superimposed upon me’? They ‘appear’ in ‘me’ and borrow reality from ‘me’. So, kalpitā
means, ‘they appear in me and borrow reality from me’. Just as dream is superimposed on
me and the dream world borrows reality from me, during dream. kalpitā means, that which is
mithyā. That which is vyāvahārika satyaṃ, which has ‘borrowed’ reality or ‘borrowed’
existence. Reality and existence are synonyms. We can say borrowed reality or borrowed
existence. We saw in the last class. bhramāt - because of māyā śakti, with the help of māyā
śakti, sthūla - sūkṣma śarīrams are ‘superimposed’ in ‘me’, the absolute brahman.
And then, “āropita anusphuraṇena [saha]”. That ‘saha’ is understood. When ‘I’ superimpose
sthūla sūkṣma śarīrams, ‘I myself’ provide them superimposed cidābhāsa, the reflected
consciousness also. Otherwise, the sthūla śarīraṃ will be like a statue in the Marina! What
is the difference between a statue and physical body? Both are matter. Both are mithyā. For
Meditation - Class 011 – 25th December 2020 – verses 20 and 21 Page 1

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the body, I am lending ‘reflection’ of the consciousness, which is called anusphuraṇaṃ.

‘āropitaṃ’ means it is added. Like clothes. Clothed in cidābhāsa. ‘anusphuraṇena saha
sthūlādi bhāvāḥ bhramāt mayi kalpitāḥ bhavanti’. ‘lokaiḥ’ onwards, is the next sentence.
It is like the following example which I introduced. A śāstric example, wherein we take the
kāla tattvaṃ as an example for brahman. A rare example. In one of the previous classes I
said, we have got some ‘compromised’ examples for brahman. One is ākāśa, the space,
which is all-pervading, is indivisible, un-contaminable etc. Space is one such example. Light
is another example. Sunlight that pervades, that illumines, that is not contaminated, that
cannot be divided. Space is indivisible; light is indivisible. Now this is third rare example.
kālaḥ, the time principle. For ‘time’ in vedānta śāstra, they give 2 definitions. One is the well-
known definition, given in dakṣiṇāmūrti stotram. “māyā kalpita deśa kāla kalanā”. Time &
space are first ‘projected’ by māyā. Because, all other objects will have to exist only in time -
space coordinates. “deśa kāla kalanā”. The first thing that is required is coordinates of time
& space. They are always together. Just as, when we project a dream, we project dream
time & space. There is no time gap. In that projected dream time & space alone, all dream
transactions take place. Transactions require ‘projected’ time & space. So, what is kālaḥ?
That which is projected by māyā, along with space. It is not mentioned. “tasmādvā etasmāt
ātmanaḥ ākāśaḥ saṃbhūtaḥ” we have to translate as, ‘kāla sahita ākāśaḥ saṃbhūtaḥ’. So,
the first definition is, ‘that which is projected by māyā’. ‘māyā kalpitaḥ kālaḥ’
There is another subtle definition, which we saw in vicārasāgara [taraṅga 6, āvarta 343,
page 224], while talking about 6 anādi tattvaṃs [I am not going to the details] -
“jīva īśo viśuddhā cit tathā jīveśayorbhidā । avidyā taccitoryogaḥ ṣaḍasmākamanādayaḥ ॥“
there we said, brahma-māyā combination, association, togetherness is called kālaḥ. brahma
-māyā saṃbandhaḥ. adhyāsa saṃbandhaḥ. The togetherness of brahman and māyā, their
saṃbandhaḥ, is called kālaḥ. And since brahman is anādi and māyā is also anādi, their
togetherness, association is also anādi. Therefore kāla, time is also anādi. Based on this
second definition, time is anādi. Beginingless. Because, if you talk about the beginning of
time, then you will require ‘another time’ to talk about the beginning of time! Time started at
7 o clock. To say that 7 o'clock must be there. Therefore, the second definition is, ‘brahma-
māyā saṃbandhaḥ kālaḥ’. The first definition is, ‘māyā kalpitaḥ kālaḥ’. Second definition is,
‘brahma-māyā saṃbandhaḥ kālaḥ’. These are the 2 definitions.
That is not relevant for our śloka. What is relevant for us is, according to śāstra - it is a fact
also - time is indivisible. And, space is indivisible. By itself, time cannot be divided, space
cannot be divided. But, for the sake of transactions, we require divisions/units of time and
space. Like, we have to say, ‘when’ the class starts and ‘where’ the class will be. So, we
have to divide time and space and tell a time & location. Class is at such and such a time
and place. Therefore I am making time & spatial divisions. Like, Chennai Mumbai America
when you say ‘in’, you are dividing and enclosing the indivisible space. Just as space we
enclose and create ‘seeming’ divisions in space, similarly time also we enclose and create
‘seeming’ divisions. And for enclosing time we use certain events as the enclosure. The
most popular one is sunrise to sunrise. You take it as ‘enclosing’ time, because sunrise - at
least experientially - happens, regularly. Daily we see the sunrise. We can say, ‘one day is
from one sunrise to the next sunrise’. And thereafter also, we can divide it as day and night.
According to śāstra, sunrise to sunset is day time. And sunset to next sunrise is night time.

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So according to śāstra, night doesn't end at 12 0 clock. Night ends only when the sun rises.
Therefore before the sunrise, according to śāstra, the date will be included in the previous
day only! Thus, we have several methods of dividing time and in modern days we have got
seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, years etc. Similarly, śāstra also has arbitrarily
divided time for the sake of transactions. But all that is a ‘seeming’ division only.
And that example is explained here. What are the divisions? “kāle yathā kalpaka vatsara
ayana ṛtu ādayaḥ niṣkala nirvikalpe”. It says, ‘niṣkala nirvikalpe’. adjective to kālaḥ. Time by
itself is niṣkalam. Part less. nirvikalpam means, division less. Part less, division less. So,
divisions like hours days etc., are not there in time by itself. In that niṣkala nirvikalpa kāla,
we arbitrarily introduce divisions, which are not real divisions. It is all seeming divisions.
That is why it is changeable also. In several countries there are several time zones, and
time changes like ‘summer time’ ‘winter time’ etc. Even date-line is there. If we are in this
line it is one date. Another line, another date. All this indicates that, they are all only
kalpitaṃ, what we have made. Superimposed divisions on time.
So, what are some of the traditional divisions? kalpaka, vatsara, ayana, ṛtu ādayaḥ. kalpa
means, brahmājī’s day time. kalpa eva kalpakaḥ. The wakeful time of kalanā, the creator,
which is supposed to be 1000 caturyugās. “sahasra yuga paryantam aharyad brahmaṇo
viduḥ” [gītā 8.17] brahmājī’s wakeful-time. Day-time. So, 1000 caturyugās. One caturyuga is
4320000 years. Like that 1000. Or, 432 crore years. That is brahma kalpakaḥ. Another 1000
caturyugās He sleeps. It is called kalpa pralayaṃ. So, for one 1000 caturyuga the world will
be in suspended animation! We also will be there in our kāraṇaśarīram, long sleep. This is
kalpa. 1000 caturyugās means, 1000 kṛta yugās plus 1000 tretā yugās plus 1000 dvāpara
yugās plus 1000 kaliyugās. We talk about it in our saṅkalpa and all - “… śveta varāha kalpe,
aṣṭāviṃśati tame, kaliyuge, ...”. aṣṭāviṃśati means 28. And, of 1000 kaliyugās, this is
supposed to be the 28th kaliyuga of brahmājī's day time. And brahmājī is supposed to be 51
years old now. All, mind boggling concepts. Anyway, I don't want to get lost. ‘kalpa’ is a
measurement of time. Arbitrarily given by śāstra. What is the event it is associated with?
brahmājī's waking! From the moment He wakes-up to the moment He goes to sleep. These
2 events are the coordinates for division of time. This duration in time is named kalpaḥ.
Then, ‘vatsaraḥ’ means, a year. In śāstra we have a 60-year cycle. Every year is named.
prabhava vibhava śukla pramoda etc. As children, we were asked to learn all 60 years by
heart. And the completion of 60 years - ṣaṣṭiabdapūrti - is considered significant because
we go back to same year of birth. Suppose I am born in prabhava, when I enter the 61st
year, once again I will be entering prabhava. Second prabhava comes. That is why the
celebrations! Thus, the 60-year cycle is there. Each year is a ‘saṃvatsara’. The current year
is called ś ārvarī saṃvatsara. śārvarī means, night or darkness, associated with darkness.
That is why it is gloomy and dark, with corona virus, perhaps! Whole year is going like this.
And, the year itself is divided in two parts, 6 months each, each called an ayanaṃ. That is
based on the sun's lateral movement towards the south [dakṣiṇāyanaṃ] and towards the
north [uttarāyaṇam]. dakṣiṇāyanaṃ is up to saṅkrānti, January 14th. saṅkramaḥ means,
transition, switch-over of the ayanaṃ. If you watch the sun, even though it is rising in the
east, it will not be in the same eastern point. It will gradually go towards south over 6
months. Then, gradually go towards north in the next 6 months. [I am talking about all this
from India’s position. In Norway, everything will be different. Sun may be going round and
round and will not set for months at a time!] So, ayanaṃ means, the 2 six-month divisions.

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Then ‘ṛtu’. ṛtu means, season. And in India we talk of 6 seasons in a year, each season
lasting for 2 months. [In the west they have only 4 seasons]. So, a ṛtu is for 2 months.
ayanaṃ is for 6 months. Year is for 12 months. kalpa is for 432 crores years. We have got 6
seasons in India. We talk about spring, summer, rain, autumn, pre-winter, winter. vasanta
grīṣma varṣa saraḍ hemanta śiśira. These are the 6 seasons. ṛtu.
‘ādayaḥ’ is etc. Thus, from seasons - or 2 months - you talk about a month; then about a
fortnight or 2 pakṣa of a month - kṛṣṇa pakṣa and śukla pakṣa. Then, tithi, vāram. Some
divisions are based on sun, and certain divisions are based on moon. Therefore, sun and
moon are supposed to be kāla kartā. The sun is called divākaraḥ, because that is
responsible for day time concept. niśākaraḥ or moon is responsible for night time concept.
Therefore, sun and moon are kālakartāraḥ. They are progenitors of the concept of time.
Ok. Why are we talking all these things? We superimpose division upon the division less
time. Therefore, these divisions are mithyā. Superimpose means, mithyā. ‘Day’ is mithyā.
That is why if we talk to somebody on phone in America, we have difficulty in saying ‘good
morning’ or ‘good evening’. Perhaps that is the reason we have invented ‘good day’. It is
mithyā is very clear. I cannot say good morning or good evening, because what is day for
me is night for them, indicating ‘day’ and ‘night’ are mithyā. Just as time divisions are
mithyā, we have to struggle to understand the example given here, which śaṅkarācārya
casually gives, indicating that the traditional people knew that time divisions are mithyā.
Now, in the same way, in one indivisible brahman, which is ‘myself’ – because, now I am
talking as brahman - in one ‘me’, the indivisible existence-consciousness principle, there is
the divided, pluralistic universe, consisting of jīva jagat īśvara. jīva jagat īśvara division also
is māyā kalpitaṃ. I often quote the māyā pañcakaṃ śloka -
nirupamanityaniraṃśake'pyakhaṇḍe mayi citi sarvavikalpanādiśūnye I ghaṭayati
jagadīśajīvabhedaṃ tvaghaṭitaghaṭanāpaṭīyasī māyā II
‘mayi’ - in the division less ‘me’, ‘citi’. citi means, consciousness, ‘sarva vikalpanādi śūnye’ -
who am division less. ‘ghaṭayadi jagatīśa jīva bhedaṃ’ - with the māyā śakti, upon ‘me’ is
superimposed ‘jīva jagat and īśvara’. And, ‘I’ myself enter all the 3, in the form of existence
and consciousness. ‘I’ give reality to all these three. Can you imagine vedāntin’s boldness!
‘I’ give reality to jīva jagat and īśvara! What a courage! Born out of the understanding of
mahāvākyaṃ. If I can talk ‘as’ brahman, I can boldly say, ‘I’, the absolute reality, lend reality
to īśvara, the empirical reality. And not only to these. But, to all the sthūla śarīrams, all the
sūkṣma śarīrams. Thus, what is the bottom-line of the śloka? Plurality is superimposed upon
the indivisible ‘me’, is the essence of the śloka.
[Sanskrit students, ‘yathā lokaiḥ niṣkala nirvikalpe kāle kalpaka vatsara ayana ṛtvādayaḥ
kalpitāḥ, tathā sthūlādibhāvāḥ mayi kalpitāḥ’. Every śloka we should do anvayaḥ, vigraha
vākyaṃ, vyutpatti, all of them we should be able to do. That is Sanskrit, application Sanskrit.
Study of grammar is a separate exercise, where you focus on grammar. Many people do not
talk about ‘application’. Application Sanskrit is ‘applying’ the grammar in whatever text you
study. anvayaḥ, vigraha vākyam and vyutpatti. All these we have to do]. Continuing, 21.
आरो�पतं नाश्रयदूष भवेत ् कदा�प मढ
ू ै र�तदोषदू�षतैः । नाद्र�करोत्यूषरभू�मभ मर��चकावा�रमहाप्रवा ॥
āropitaṃ nāśrayadūṣakaṃ bhavet kadāpi mūḍhairatidoṣadūṣitaiḥ I nārdrīkaroty-
ūṣarabhūmibhāgaṃ marīcikāvārimahāpravāhaḥ II [mantra 21] [498] &&

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So, the practical extension or application of this understanding is, ‘I am brahman in my

pāramārthika nature’. But, upon ‘me’ I have superimposed jīva jagat and īśvara. It is just as
the waker enters the dream body and becomes the dreamer, ‘I’ myself enter this physical
body and I am now playing the role of a jīva. Thus, I am able to see both versions of ‘me’. ‘I’
am brahman, absolutely. I am jīva, empirically. And jīvatvaṃ is āropitaṃ. āropitaṃ means,
‘superimposed’. Superimposed means, we translate it as ‘mithyā’. It is vyāvahārika satyaṃ.
The word ‘vyāvahārika satyaṃ’ is used to indicate that this world, jīvās and īśvara are all
empirically relevant and valid. Because they have experienceablity, transactability and
utility. Just as, dream world is experienceable. Dream world is transactable. I can take a cup
of water to quench my dream thirst, appeasing the dream huger. Therefore, we never deny
the ETU [experienceablity, transactability, utility] of jīva, jagat and īśvara. If ETU is the
definition of satyaṃ, from that angle, world is satyaṃ. From empirical angle, ETU angle, it is
relevant and valid. It is called vyāvahārika satyaṃ. Dream also enjoys such a reality for a
dreamer. We call it prātibhāsika satyaṃ. We attach the word ‘satyaṃ’, ‘prātibhāsika’ satyaṃ’
or ‘vyāvahārika’ satyaṃ’ to underline the ETU. Therefore, if you are sick as a jīva, don't say,
‘medicine is mithyā’. You should say, ‘medicine is vyāvahārika satyaṃ’ and take it. Similarly,
money - vyāvahārika satyaṃ! Therefore, we should know how to handle things properly. So
we have coined the word ‘vyāvahārika satyaṃ’. Therefore, give sufficient importance to your
family members. Do not say, ‘mithyā, mithyā, mithyā’ and sit quietly! Give sufficient validity,
remembering ETU! We call it empirical validity, transactional validity, ‘vyāvahārika satyaṃ’.
In nididhyāsanaṃ, however, what you do is, look at the degree of reality of jīva, jagat and
īśvara. From reality standpoint, what is the status of the world? During worldly transactions I
accept it as vyāvahārika satyaṃ. But, in nididhyāsanaṃ, I look at its other aspect. Being
‘superimposed’, it does not have its own reality and existence. Therefore, it is mithyā. jīva
jagat īśvara - all these things are equally mithyā. And, I look at ‘myself’ in nididhyāsanaṃ as
the super-waker, the pāramārthika satyaṃ. I tell myself, ‘whatever happens in this inter-
action between jīva, jagat and īśvara is like a tennis match going on’. As a jīva I hit the ball
called karma, praying, ‘O Lord, my application should be acceded’. Desperate prayer! I do
special pūjā, expecting god will hit back the ball favourably! Sometimes it happens,
sometimes it does not. Thus, jīva goes through violent ups & downs. It is an eventful life.
Roller coaster life. All these things jīva will have to go through, helplessly. Even avatāraṃs
will have to go through. There are remedies, but not for every situation. I see this fact clearly
and say that, ‘jīva will have remediable and non-remediable situations.
But, the silver-lining is, jīva is not ‘my’ real version. ‘I’ happen to be the absolute brahman,
who allows these things to happen as a play, a drama, a game. ‘I’ allow this to happen. And
‘I’ continue to be “na jāyate mriyate vā kadācit”. ‘I’ am unaffected even by the worst
condition of the jīva. As brahman, ‘I’ objectively look at the jīva, temporarily creating a
distance. In naiṣkarmya siddhi class I used the word ‘neighborisation’. How do you
approach a neighbour's problem? You are very creative. You are able to give varieties of
solutions. You sympathise. You appreciate his problem. But you are un-affected. Why? It is
neighbour’s problem! But when the very same thing comes to you, you become jittery.
Similarly, the so called me, the jīva, itself should become a ‘neighbour’.
And to make the jīva a neighbour, I have to be brahman! Only when ‘I’ remain as ātmā, I will
be able to look at the jīva as one of the living beings in the entire creation, as vyāvahārika,
subject to all kinds of karma. Because, vyāvahārika means, karma becomes dominant.

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That is why in purāṇās when devas suffer under asurās, devās go to god and plead to Him
to take avatāra. And then bhagavān often tells, ‘his puṇyam is so powerful. The time has not
yet come’. Which means, devās have to continue to suffer. ‘I will take avatāra at the
appropriate time’. So, He will say ‘at the appropriate time’, which means, bhagavān also has
to conform to the LOK [law of karma] and if bhagavān violates the LOK, it will prove
bhagavān is omnipotent and omniscient. Therefore, He has the power to violate the LOK.
But, bhagavān won't violate, because bhagavān has to be fair & just.
So, vyāvahārikam goes with karma. Therefore, I, as a jīva will have a roller coaster life only.
Better I accept this as a fact. There is no solution for the ups & downs for the vyāvahārikam.
No doubt, some of them are parihāryaṃ; many of them are aparihāryaṃ. I call it, choiceless
or helpless. Initially we deny the choiceless situation is choiceless. We desperately struggle
to find remedy. Astrological remedy. Or, varieties of vows are taken. Whoever suggests
anything, I try it. Anything and everything. Because, I deny the choiceless as choiceless.
Ultimately, after lot of denial, I understand this is choiceless! Which means, I am helpless.
And helplessness means the mind goes through turmoil HAFD [Helplessness, anger,
Frustration, Depression]. Anger towards god! Finally, choicelessly, I accept – ‘what cannot
be cured will have to be endured’. Acceptance happens helplessly, after long turmoil.
Whereas, if I practice nididhyāsanaṃ, advantage is, that intermediary turmoil I can avoid. I
know jīva will have helpless situations. And, I do accept it without the intermediary stage of
HAFD. Acceptance becomes natural. It is painful, but jīva will have to go through all these,
because prārabdha is like that. Thus, the greatest advantage of nididhyāsanaṃ is, ‘I can
remain as ātmā and look at the jīva and its prārabdha ups & downs objectively, which alone
I call neighborisation. Reactions become far less. FIR reduction happens. [reduction in
Frequency, Intensity, Recovery time]. Old age is going to come. Old-age is unknown. It is
terrible. It is age-old problem! Dementia might come. Any problem might come. The very
thought of old age will be dreadful. And, resistance to accept it will only magnify the pain.
But, if I say, ‘it is natural, vyavaharically’, that acceptance will de-magnify the pain. jñāni
accepts choiceless situations and thus de-magnifies the pain, always. Therefore, it becomes
tolerable for him. It is painful. Yet, he will always add, ‘it is Ok’. ‘It is painful. It is Ok’. He
doesn't keep on mumbling and grumbling and sharing this pain with others who don't want
to share it. There may be some who are willing to share. You can share with them.
Let us come to this. ‘āropitaṃ’. You have to supply ‘jagat’ āropitaṃ. The entire universe,
including the body-mind-sense complex, pañca anātmā, is superimposed. Superimposed
here emphasises mithyātvaṃ, it is unreal. During day-to-day transactions, don't use mithyā,
use vyāvahārika satyaṃ so that you do your duties properly, be responsible, do not neglect.
During transactions use the word ‘vyāvahārika satyaṃ’. During nididhyāsanaṃ, use the
word ‘mithyā’. World, body-mind-sense complex are all āropitaṃ. mithyā. ‘jagat āropitaṃ’.
By whom? “mūḍhairatidoṣadūṣitaiḥ”. mūḍhaḥ here means ‘ātma ajñāninaḥ’, people who are
spiritually ignorant. So, this world, body etc. are superimposed by the spiritually ignorant
people. ‘atidoṣa dūṣitaiḥ’ - those who are afflicted by atidoṣaḥ. dūṣitaṃ means, affected or
afflicted by ‘ati doṣaḥ’ - the chronic problem. doṣaḥ means, problem, disease, disorder. ‘ati’
means, chronic. What is the chronic problem? Self-ignorance. We call it māyā, mūlā avidyā.
‘ati doṣa dūṣitaiḥ’ - influenced by the chronic mūlā avidyā or māyā-śakti. This is āropitaṃ.
So, ‘the world is superimposed’. This is one set. [Sanskrit students, ‘ati doṣa dūṣitaiḥ
mūḍhaiḥ jagat śarīraṃ ca āropitaṃ’].

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[Remember, this is practiced by a senior student. I have to remind off & on. For beginners,
all these will be too much. Even for those who have done only bhagavadgītā, wholly or
partially, this will look too high. One should have thoroughly gone through śravaṇaṃ and
mananaṃ. We should have been convinced of mahāvākyaṃ. These are all pre-conditions
for this nididhyāsanaṃ to work]. “na āśraya dūṣakaṃ bhavet kadāpi”. kadāpi na āśraya
dūṣakaṃ. ‘I’ stand aside. All these sufferings do not touch the real ‘me’. So, āśraya means,
adhiṣṭhānaṃ. adhiṣṭhānaṃ means, ‘the lender of reality’. Who lends reality to the world? ‘I’,
the adhiṣṭhānaṃ brahma! Therefore, ‘I’ am brahman, the lender of reality to the sufferings of
this world. And that mithyā world, ‘na āśraya dūṣakaṃ’. dūṣakaṃ means, contaminator.
Here you are meditating as brahman. Therefore, it does not contaminate ‘me’. ‘ahaṃ nitya
śuddha buddha mukta svarūpaḥ’. mokṣa is not a goal I have to work for. No more sādhya
mokṣa, some kind of a jīvanmukti, some kind of a videhamukti. No. If it happens also,
remember it will end. gauḍapādācārya makes it very clear. Very important line -
anāderantavattvaṃ ca saṃsārasya na setsyati I anantathā cā''dimato mokṣasya na
bhaviṣyati II [māṇḍūkya vaitathya prakaraṇam, verse 30]
He says, if you ‘get’ mokṣa, remember it is not good news. Really, he is dampening our
enthusiasm. If you ‘get’ mokṣa, do not think it is an auspicious news! It is bad news.
Because, a ‘got’ mokṣa, ‘anantathā ca ādimataḥ mokṣasya’ - for a mokṣa which is going to
‘begin later’, either in the form of jīvanmukti or videhamukti - if it happens - may you note, it
is a pseudo mokṣa, because whatever ‘begins’, that mokṣa also will ‘end’, someday. And
so, again I will come back to saṃsāra! Therefore, for a junior student, ‘getting’ mokṣa is
good news. For a nididhyāsanaṃ student, the word ‘getting’ mokṣa should become bad
news. I should say, I do not want to ‘get’ mokṣa. I want to ‘claim’ mokṣa, in spite of jīvā ’s
ups & downs. Be clear - mokṣa does not end jīvā’s ups & downs. What I am looking for is
not the ending of jīvā’s ups & downs. I want to ‘claim’ my freedom in spite of ups & downs. ‘I
am muktaḥ asmi’ with all family problems!
‘Swāmīji, how can we say that?’ vedānta is meant for that! And if I cannot say that now, I will
never be able to say that at any time! mokṣa should be here & now. If it is not here & now, it
is never. Very disturbing news. Because, you always ‘look forward to’ good days ‘ahead’.
vedānta wants to remove that ‘hoping for’ mokṣa. You are muktaḥ. World will be like that.
jīva jagat īśvara will be endlessly going on. In the world, navarasa will be there. In the
movie, there will be pathos. A good movie will have all 9 rasās. Like that, we will have the
rasās going on. I don't want to put an end to that by running away to videhamukti. If
videhamukti ‘happens in time’ it will also be problem. That is why videhamukti is talked
about only for a junior student, adhyāropa kāle. Once you come to nididhyāsanaṃ, we
should forget all that. We should get out of the sādhya mukti, as a future event. I should
practice, ‘I am muktaḥ here and now’.
As I said, [it is an aside note, but let me say this being important]. Only sādhya mukti I
negate. But even as a jñāni jīva in the world, I can have sādhyaṃ. If there are certain
problems, I can have a goal of remedying the problem, whether it is at the physical level or
at the mental level. I may have certain issues. Health issues or even behavioural issues
may be there. I can handle the issues. So, I can have vyāvahārika sādhyaṃ. But mokṣa
does not come under sādhyaṃ. That is what our message is. Have other goals, no problem.
In fact, Swāmi Chinmāyānanda says, ‘as long as we are alive, we should have goals in life;
otherwise, we will rust. We should have something to look forward to’.

87
What a jñāni does is, he will have, and he can have, something to look forward to. But
mokṣa is not one of them. As a mukta puruṣ aḥ I will try to solve empirical problems,
including emotional problems. sādhana catuṣṭaya saṃpatti will give a reasonably qualified
mind. That is enough. Optimum qualification is required for mokṣa. But remember, even
after jñānaṃ, mind can give post qualification issues, on & off. jñānam requires basic
qualifications. With those I can get jñānaṃ. Later, I can do finer refinements to those, which
is an enjoyable sādhyaṃ; but not mokṣa. Enjoyable sādhyaṃ at the vyāvahārika level.
I hope I am differentiating vyāvahārika sādhyaṃ and sādhya mokṣa. That difference must
be clear during nididhyāsanaṃ. For a junior student, he will have to keep mokṣa as a
sādhyaṃ, as a goal. That is the best goal he can have. That must be a big incentive. That
must inspire him to all types of sādhana. So, for a junior student, mokṣa is the carrot; but,
for a senior student, it should not be. We are now discussing the senior student’s
nididhyāsanaṃ.
And many of you may say, ‘Swāmīji, we are not students at all. We are not senior students.’
My aim is just to show the road map of śravaṇa manana nididhyāsanaṃ, whenever you
choose to come. Some people may say, ‘yes Swāmīji, we are senior students!’ There are
some students at least! Thank god. I also get some good news. They come and tell,
‘Swāmīji, we have understood and accept. We do not offer special prayers.’ Sometime I tell
them, ‘it doesn't matter, you do as an exception’. Some students say, ‘we won't’. That
means, even gṛ hastha students can have this jñānam and this conviction. They can go
through life, without taking any vow, without going to astrologers, without going for special
prayers. They are able to go through life and face all ups & downs. Previously I used to
wonder, whether gṛhasthās can do it? I do have examples of such students. I don't want to
name them. And, that gave me the conviction that gṛhasthās also can reach this stage,
remaining in the world. They need not be saṃnyāsīs. It is possible. And if you feel you are a
senior student, you can practice nididhyāsanaṃ. Otherwise, we have got upāsanās. I will
talk some other time about upāsana; now we are in nididhyāsanaṃ. Time is up. I got lost.
“na āśraya dūṣakaṃ bhavet kadāpi”. ‘I’, the ātmā, real ‘I’, am never affected by the suffering
jīva I. This is my slogan. ‘I’ the ātmā, real ‘I’, am never affected by the suffering jīva I!
Math, Chennai].

88
paraṃparām II
आरो�पतं नाश्रद
य ूष भवेत ् कदा�प मढ
ू ै र�तदोषदू�षतैः । नाद्र�करोत्यूषरभू�मभ मर��चकावा�रमहाप्रवा ॥
āropitaṃ nāśrayadūṣakaṃ bhavet kadāpi mūḍhairatidoṣadūṣitaiḥ I nārdrīkaroty-
ūṣarabhūmibhāgaṃ marīcikāvārimahāpravāhaḥ II [mantra 21] [498] &&
Remembering the 4 versions of brahman, which is the same as 4 versions of ātmā, which is
‘my’ real ‘I’, I have to practice this meditation in nididhyāsanaṃ seat. First of all, I
acknowledge the fact at the vyāvahārika level, jīva jagat īśvara show will continue. And, jīva
is a kartā, īśvara is karmaphala dātā. World is a stage in which this interaction goes on &
on. Because of this interaction between the karma of the jīva and karmaphalaṃ - called
fate, the interaction is continuous at macro and micro levels. This interaction alone is
responsible for all the events, all the turbulences, good or bad, including the farmers
agitations etc. All of them are part of this cosmic drama. I, as a jīva at vyāvahārika level, can
never escape form this cosmic drama. Its consequences will affect the anātmā, the upādhi.
Some of them are remediable. Many of them cannot be remedied. That is why Lord kṛṣṇa
talks of sukham and duḥkhaṃ. “duḥkheṣvanudvignamanāḥ sukheṣu vigataspṛhaḥ”.
Importantly, jñānaṃ doesn't remove the ups & downs. jñānaṃ gives the kavacam or the
protective coat to accept the inevitable. And this is possible only when I claim my own
higher ‘I’. The jīva I, the ahaṅkāra I, I use for transactions. But I should remember that it is
only a pseudo I. It is just a costume ‘I’ use, at regular intervals I should remember. In the
green room of nididhyāsanaṃ, that ‘I’ am the adhiṣṭhānam of all the 3 - jīva, jagat, īśvara.
‘vyāvahārikasya adhiṣṭhānam pāramārthikam caitanyaṃ ahaṃ asmi’. So, all these events
do not touch ‘me’ at all. When I have got this anchor of ātmā, I get objectivity. And many
choiceless situations I understand as inevitable facts. So, I learn to accept them. It does not
minimise the issues themselves; but it minimises the impact of the issues. Like, old age,
disease etc. I will be able to accept, if I remember this fact.
In the nididhyāsanaṃ seat, I recognise this fact – “āropitam” - the entire world, including jīva
śarīraṃ, is superimposed. “atidoṣadūṣitaiḥ mūḍhaiḥ”. ‘mūḍhaiḥ’ – only those who are
influenced by māyā, ‘atidoṣa’ - chronic problem of mūlāvidyā or māyā, ‘dūṣitaiḥ’ – are
influenced by that. ‘atidoṣa dūṣitaiḥ mūḍhaiḥ jagat āropitam bhavati’. We have to supply
‘jagat’ and ‘āropitam’. Next sentence. tat āropitam jagat - that superimposed universe and its
events, “na aśrayadūṣakaṃ bhavet kadāpi” - can never contaminate, stain, affect, afflict the
adhiṣṭhānam. āśraya means, adhiṣṭhānam. Junior students will say, ‘brahman is
adhiṣṭhānam’, ‘ātmā is adhiṣṭhānam’. But senior students who have come to the level of
nididhyāsanaṃ should say, ‘I’ am the adhiṣṭhānam. So, ‘I’, the adhiṣṭhāna ātmā, ‘dūṣakaṃ
na bhavet’ - cannot affect ‘me’. ‘I’ am asaṅgaḥ. ‘I’ am of a higher order of reality. The
waker's savings will never be depleted because of the dream loss in business or the dream
loss in share market. Therefore, ‘āśraya dūṣakaṃ na bhavet’. ‘kadāpi’ - at any time.
And, that ‘I’ is the real ‘I’, which is nityamuktaḥ. Whatever freedom the ahaṅkāraṃ gets will
only be in the gap between one bunch of bad prārabdha and another bunch of bad
prārabdha! ahaṅkāra is never going to get total freedom. Astrologers will regularly remind
about சன�ப்ெபயர்ச, shifting of Saturn. [I read in newspaper, and am suddenly reminded!
Many may not know what is ‘śani’ and all. Astrologers will remind and ask you, ‘what is your
star?’ And will say, ‘it is catching you’! Whether it does or not we get fear]. Therefore,
ahaṅkāra will be always under the influence of some planet. It cannot get freedom.
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Therefore, the only solution is, claim the freedom of ‘myself’ as the ātmā, and use the very
same ahaṅkāra for ‘claiming’ this freedom, rather than worrying about Saturn! When
ahaṅkāra worries about the Saturn, it becomes a burden. When ahaṅkāra is used for
claiming ‘my’ real nature, ahaṅkāra becomes an ābharaṇaṃ, a blessing. Without ahaṅkāra
‘I’ cannot claim ‘my’ mokṣa. We can misuse ahaṅkāra and worry or use it to claim our ‘real’
nature. We can claim all these different things in the world, beautiful things in the world, as
‘my’ glory remembering the vibhūti yoga of bhagavadgītā. So many vibhūtis are there.
Glories. We never count our blessings and enjoy the beautiful opportunity. We misuse
ahaṅkāra and only talk of terrible things in the world. So, ‘use’ the ahaṅkāra. How? By
claiming that ‘I’ am the adhiṣṭhānam unaffected by these events. Up to this we saw in the
last class. Being important I repeated.
He gives an example. Well known example of mirage water. “marīcikāvārimahāpravāhaḥ”.
The huge flow, a big stream of waters, belonging to the mirage. marīcikā vāri means, mirage
water. mahā pravāhaḥ means, big stream or big flow. However big the water may seem, it is
in reality - “ūṣara bhūmi bhāgaṃ” - part of the desert land. The water is prātibhāsikaṃ, of a
lower order of reality. The desert land is vyāvahārika satyaṃ, of a higher order. prātibhāsika
mirage water cannot, therefore wet the vyāvahārika ūṣara bhūmi bhāgaṃ. bhāgaṃ means
portion, part. The portion of land underneath the mirage water - “nārdrīkaroty” - ‘na ārdrī
karoti’ – the mirage water doesn't wet. Similarly, ‘I’ am always dry and home. Whatever
happens. Which is unstoppable. It’s a roller coaster without a switch. Continuing. Beautiful
śloka, 22. One of my favourites. All these ślokās I love. This is another one.
आकाशवल्ले�वदूरगोऽहं आ�दत्यवद्भास्य�वल�णोऽ । अहायर्विन्नत्य�व�नश्हं अम्भ�धवत ् -
पार�वविजर्तोऽहम ॥
ākāśavallepavidūrago'haṃ ādityavadbhāsyavilakṣaṇo'ham I ahāryavannityaviniścalo'haṃ
ambhodhivatpāravivarjito'ham II [mantra 22] [499] &&
So, 4 beautiful examples for ātmā. Approximations. None of them can be anywhere near the
ātmā. But, some kind of an approximation. You should take the example only for limited
purposes. Never extend an example beyond the required limit. Each example has got an
advantage. Each example will have a limitation also. Limitation part do not focus. The
required part we should focus. In all these 4 examples for ātmā, the word ‘ahaṃ’ is used.
And when I say ‘ahaṃ’, don't remember the pañca anātmā. Family problems and physical
issues we have to transcend. That is why I said, he is a senior student, who has clearly
understood the real ‘I’ as the 5-featured consciousness. The 5-featured existence.
‘I’, the existence-consciousness principle am “ākāśavat”. ‘I’ am like the all-pervading space.
Space is one. ‘I’ the ātmā am one. Space is all-pervading. ‘I’ am all-pervading. Space
supports everything. ‘I’ support everything, including space. Space is indivisible. ‘I’ am
indivisible. Space cannot be contaminated. ‘I’ cannot be contaminated. All these similarities,
I visualise. The only thing is space is jaḍaṃ. And, it is an ‘object’ of knowledge. Whereas, ‘I’
am the caitanyaṃ, which is the very ‘subject’, the experiencer. ‘I’ am like the space. ‘I’
accommodate this beautiful universe. ‘I’ have projected this beautiful universe with my own
māyā śakti. The beautiful nature is ‘my’ glory. Whichever bhagavān claimed as ‘his’ glory in
10th chapter, in nididhyāsanaṃ ‘I’ practice claiming them as ‘my’ glory. The varieties of birds
and animals and plants, the sun, moon and stars, well-designed universe - ‘I’ have projected
for ‘my’ own enjoyment and entertainment. And to make possible music dance etc. the
fantastic human brain ‘I’ have projected. And each human brain having so much creativity!
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All these are ‘my’ glory. ‘I’ enjoy. And no doubt, terrible things are also there. Because,
world has got equal amount of good and bad. All the good things ‘I’ claim as ‘my’ glory. But
when bad things disturb, ‘I’ should remember, ‘I’ am beyond both good & bad. ‘I’
accommodate both of them, which are unavoidable. Both will always be there. 100 percent
good was never there. Is there. Will never be there. Terrible people also will be there doing
all kinds of அக்கிரம. We can never avoid. World is a mixture of both. But ‘I’ am beyond
both of them. ‘I’ am like the ākāśa. In ‘me’ good and bad exists. ‘I’ appreciate the good and
‘I’ remember bad will never, never contaminate ‘me’.
“ākāśavat lepa vidūragaḥ ahaṃ”. ‘anyatra dharmāt anyatra adharmāt’. lepa means,
contamination. vidūragaḥ means, far away. ‘I’ am far away from any type of contamination,
including puṇyam and pāpam. That will come later. ‘I’ am like ākāśa. And where am ‘I’
located? ‘I’ am not located ‘in’ ākāśa. This ākāśa itself is located in ‘me’. It’s exactly as, the
dream world, the dream objects, the dream good, the dream bad, the dream ākāśa, the
dream time, are all in the waker. As waker ‘I’ effortlessly project dream time, space, good
and bad. Similarly, ‘I’ the super-waker ātmā, with my māyā śakti, have ‘projected’ this
waker’s world, with good and bad. But, ‘I’ am always safe. “ākāśavat”. This is example one.
Second example, “ādityavat bhāsyavilakṣaṇaḥ aham”. So, when you say āditya, don't take
the ‘located’ physical sun, but we should take the ‘sunlight’, which spreads all over the earth
and all the objects therein. Everything is bathed in sunlight. Washed by sunlight. Spread
over by sunlight. Because of that only they are all ‘visually perceptible’. Similarly, the
consciousness spreads over everything, over the wall, over the computer, over the people.
It spreads all-over, making everything ‘knowable’. Sunlight pervades my ‘body’, but the light
is different from the body. So too, ‘I’, the consciousness, pervade all the knowable objects,
but, ‘I’ am different from them. ‘I’, the consciousness am pāramārthika satyaṃ, different from
vyāvahārika satya prapañca. ‘I’ am not one of the members of this vyāvahārika prapañca,
‘located’ in time & space. ‘I’ am time-space atīta pāramārthika caitanyaṃ asmi.
Therefore, ‘ādityavat’ - like sūrya prakāśa, bhāsya vilakṣaṇa. bhāsyam means, illumined.
dṛśyaṃ. ‘bhāsya vilakṣaṇaḥ’ – ‘I’ am different. But in every dṛśyaṃ there is an ‘is’ness, the
existence principle. ‘I’ am not different from the existence. In fact ‘I’ am the existence. When
I look at the sun, ‘I’ am different from the sun. But ‘I’ am identical with its existence. ‘I’ am in
the sun also, supporting the sun, by lending existence to the sun. If there is a star 13 billion
light years away, I am in that star also, as existence; as the adhiṣṭhānam lending existence.
‘I’ am different from the ‘objects’. But ‘I’ am identical with the ‘existence’ in all objects. So,
bhāsya vilakṣaṇaḥ ahaṃ.
The third example. “ahāryavat nityaviniścalaḥ ahaṃ”. ahāryavat. ahāryam means, mountain.
hāryaṃ means that which can be carried. Taken along with. All the objects in the world you
can carry. Packers and movers! They even carry huge trees and replant elsewhere! But a
mountain cannot be lifted, carried and placed elsewhere. Therefore mountain is called
ahāryaḥ. ahāryavat means, parvatavat. “nityaviniścalaḥ ahaṃ’ - ‘I’ am ever steady and
stable. kūṭasthaḥ. ‘I’ am non-moveable. viniścalaḥ means, non-movable. ‘I’ am the unmoved
mover. One of the definitions of god some give as ‘unmoved mover’. ‘I’ bless everyone to
move. But, ‘myself’, remain unmoved. So, ahāryavat. Each example helps us to design our
nididhyāsanaṃ. How beautiful! As I said, in each one you can meditate on the glory part.
And the 4th example. “ambhodhivat pāravivarjitaḥ ahaṃ”. ambhodhivat. ambhaḥ means,
water. ‘nidhi’ means, reservoir. That is, the ocean. ambodhiḥ - the huge reservoir of water.
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[ambhaḥ dhīyate nidhīyate asmin adhikaraṇa vyutpatti ambhodhivat]. ‘pāra vivarjitaḥ’. pāra
means, limit or shore. When you are in the middle of Pacific Ocean, you don't see any limit
at all. Like the ocean. Here also we should take the example with its limitations. It is a
relative example. That is all. You should not extend any example beyond the limit, unless
you are a pūrvapakṣi and your aim is to criticise advaitaṃ! All the critics of advaitaṃ take all
our examples and make wrong extensions and criticise. That is not our aim. Our aim is to
understand the intention of the guru, not to find fault. A critical mind will never understand
vedānta. That is why śraddhā is a qualification, bhakti is a qualification. With śraddhā and
bhakti itself, advaitaṃ is too subtle to understand. If these two are missing, then we cannot
come anywhere near it. All examples should therefore be used appropriately. I hope I gave
the meaning. ‘pāra’ means, limit or shore. vivarjitaḥ means, without. ‘I’ am shoreless,
limitless, boundless like the ocean. So beautiful. One of my favourites. Continuing. [23 in
our book. In original, it is 500! Thus, in these 2 series we have really extracted the essence
of vivekacūḍāmaṇi].
न मे दे हेन सम्बन् मेघेनेव �वहायसः । अतः कुतो मे तद्धमा जाग्रत्स्वप्नसुष ॥
na me dehena sambandho megheneva vihāyasaḥ I ataḥ kuto me taddharmā jāgratsvapna-
suṣuptayaḥ II [mantra 23] [500] &&
Another beautiful śloka. “na me dehena sambandhaḥ”. ‘I’, the pāramārthika satya caitanyaṃ
have no connection with the deha, other than, ‘I’ am the basis for the superimposition. Rope
has no connection with snake. But it supports the snake as the locus for superimposition.
There is no ‘real’ connection. If at all you want to talk about a connection, vedānta śāstra
provides a word - ‘connectionless-connection’, ‘seeming-connection’, adhyāsa sambandha.
So, ‘I’ have no ‘real’ connection with the creation or the dehaḥ. dehaḥ means, the 3-fold
anātmās. Do not ask me what is 3-fold? sthūla sūkṣma kāraṇa śarīrams. This deha alone,
with borrowed consciousness, cidābhāsa, is called ‘ahaṅkāraḥ’. So, dehena means,
ahaṅkāreṇa sambandhaḥ me nāsti. ‘me’ means, ‘for me’.
Who am ‘I’? ‘I’ am the ahaṅkāra sākṣī. Original consciousness in ahaṅkāra is called sākṣī.
Even though ‘I’ am all-pervading consciousness, the consciousness blessing the ahaṅkāra,
ahaṅkāra-blessing consciousness ‘part’, [part within quote], the ‘seeming part’ which is
behind the ahaṅkāra, blessing the ahaṅkāra, is called the sākṣī. ‘me sākṣinaḥ’ - for me the
sākṣī, ahaṅkāreṇa - with ahaṅkāra, ‘na sambandhaḥ’. And, how many ahaṅkārās are there
in the universe? As many jīvās are there, as many bodies are there, so many ahaṅkārās are
there. And all these ahaṅkārās are floating in ‘me’ who am like space.
So, what is the visualisation? ‘I’ am like the space. In ‘me’, infinite ahaṅkārās, called jīvās,
are floating, like clouds floating in the sky. Each ahaṅkāra is struggling with 3 avasthās. In
jāgradavasthā, ahaṅkāra goes through problems due to prārabdha. In svapnāvasthā, the
same ahaṅkāra goes through another set of problems. In svapna also, we have problems.
Sometimes, worse problems. At least in jāgradavasthā we have a free-will to address the
problem. In svapnāvasthā, we don't have a free-will also. Thus struggling ahaṅkārās are
floating all-over in the sky - called consciousness - which is ‘me’. What an imagery! So,
‘ahaṅkāreṇa’. [We can use plural] ‘ahaṅkāraiḥ me sambandhaḥ nāsti’. ‘me’ means, mama -
for me, there is no connection. ‘I’ accommodate. But I am not connected. Like, what?
“megheneva vihāyasaḥ”. iva - just as, vihāyas means, ākāśaḥ, the sky. [sakārāntaḥ
puṃliṅgaḥ or napuṃsaka liṅgaḥ. ubhaya liṅgaṃ. Both liṅgams are there. vihāyas śabdaḥ.
vihāyasaḥ is ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti].
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‘vihāyasaḥ meghena’. Here also, megha is singular, but referring to one particular ahaṅkāra.
We use plural - ‘meghaiḥ’ - with all the floating clouds, ‘iva’ means, yathā sambandhaḥ
nāsti. So, just as ākāśa has no connection with the floating clouds, ‘I’ have no connection
with the floating ahaṅkāra. And some ahaṅkāra are struggling for videhamukti. And, they
want to disappear from the sky. But remember, even if a few ahaṅkārās disappear, there will
be so many others ahaṅkārās floating in ‘me’. It has been there. ahaṅkāraiḥ, infinite
ahaṅkārās, are floating. Some of them may go away or may end or not. As long as I am
obsessed with the biography of ahaṅkāra, I have got ahaṅkāra abhimāna, I have missed the
mahāvākyaṃ message! Therefore, in nididhyāsanaṃ, I should remember, ahaṅkārā's
biography has nothing to do with ‘me’. śaṅkarācārya says, ‘yathā vihāyasakaḥ meghena
sambandhaḥ nāsti, tathā mama ahaṅkāraiḥ sambandhaḥ nāsti’. Remember the definition of
ahaṅkāra - 3 bodies with cidābhāsa. Who am ‘I’? The ‘cit’. ‘sākṣī’.
‘ataḥ’ - therefore, ‘me’ - in me, when ‘I’ have no connection with ahaṅkāra, ‘kutaḥ tat
dharmāḥ’ - where is the question of connection with ahaṅkāra features or attributes – like,
varṇa, āśrama, marital status etc. [Dayānanda Swāmīji says, ‘how many times married?’
also is to be included to ahaṅkāra now-a-days!] [Somebody claimed, ‘I am Henry, the 8th’,
because he happened to be the 8th husband of his wife!] ‘taddharmāḥ kutaḥ me’ - how can
‘I’ be connected to ahaṅkāra dharmāḥ, the attributes of ahaṅkāra when ‘I’ have no
sambandha with ahaṅkāra itself?! When ‘dharmya sambandha’ is not there, how can ‘I’ be
connected to its dharmāḥ, attributes? ‘ataḥ’ - therefore, ‘tat dharmāḥ’ - ahaṅkārā’s attributes,
‘kutaḥ’ - how can they be in ‘me’? So, dharmāḥ kutaḥ santi? kathaṃ santi?
And, what is one of the attributes of ahaṅkāra? avasthātrayaṃ - the 3-fold avasthās.
ahaṅkāra possesses avasthātrayaṃ. So, ahaṅkāra is called avasthātrayavān. [vān means,
possessor]. So, who am ‘I’? ‘I’ am not avasthātrayavān; ‘I’ am the avasthātraya sākṣī. Can
you see the difference between vān and sākṣī? vān is ahaṅkāra. vān means, possessing,
struggling with. Complaining of bad dreams! ‘I’ am not the struggling ahaṅkāra possessing
the 3 states of experience. But ‘I’ am the sākṣī, who accommodates all the ahaṅkārās in the
cosmos and their avasthātrayaṃ. In each avasthātrayaṃ, there is a relevant time & space.
14 lokās with 14 times & spaces. All of them are floating in ‘me’. What a magnitude ‘I’ have!
After such a profound nididhyāsanaṃ if you pray for ‘escaping from the world, not to come
again in to the world’, that will mean you are continuing with the notion that ‘I am an
individual’. That ‘individualised’ idea - assuming that I am such an individual - and praying
for mokṣa is all good for a junior student. ‘I should die and never come back again’ - all
these are ok for junior students. We cannot afford to have such desires. And such prayers
and all should be seen as joke after nididhyāsanaṃ, after meditating on such all-inclusive
ideas. Millions of bodies are dying. Some sūkṣma śarīrams are reborn, like floating clouds.
Why should ‘I’ be obsessed with one sūkṣma śarīraṃ and whether it comes back or not?
Such obsessions only indicate missing the message of the mahāvākyaṃ. After 25 years of
vedāntic study, if the student continues so, it will be very disturbing for the guru! But the
guru will have to accept that also. It is His occupational hazard! So, how can we talk about
such a ‘liberation’, which I call ‘escapist liberation’, after this meditation? Anyway, “jāgrat
svapna suṣuptayaḥ”. jāgrat means, waking state; svapna means, dream state; suṣupti
means, sleep state. All these are considered as ‘attributes' of ahaṅkāra. They do not belong
to ‘me’. Here, ‘kutaḥ’ – ‘how can they be there?’ is not a question. ākṣepārthe kutaḥ. Means,
they cannot be. Hence those ‘attributes’ do not belong to ‘me’. Continuing –

93
उपा�धराया�त स एव गच्छ� स एव कमार्� करो�त भङ

ु ्क् । स एव जीयर्न �मयते सदाहं कुला�द्रविन्न एव
संिस्थत ॥
upādhirāyāti sa eva gacchati sa eva karmāṇi karoti bhuṅkte I sa eva jīryan mriyate sadāhaṃ
kulādrivanniścala eva saṃsthitaḥ II [mantra 24] [501] &&
In śloka 23, the first example of verse 22 was explained. ‘ākāśavat lepa vidūrago'haṃ’ - ‘I’
am unaffected, like the ākāśa. Here, in verse 24, the third line of verse 22, ‘ahāryavat nitya
viniścalo'haṃ’, is explained. ‘ahāryavat’. āhārya means, ‘mountain’ I said. Another word is
used for mountain, ‘kulādri’. In purāṇic geography they talk about continents, mountains,
their concepts of geography. Many are not understandable at all. They talk about 7 huge
mountain ranges - malayaparvataṃ sahyaparvataṃ etc. Some words resemble names of
our mountain ranges also. But we do not know what exactly it is. Those 7 mountain ranges
‘as a group’ is called kulādri. So, like the huge mountain ranges described in the purāṇās,
‘kulādrivat “I” am’. ‘I’ do not do anything. ‘I’ do not come. ‘I’ do not go. ‘I’ do not travel.
Then, ‘what’ travels? ahaṅkāra travels. So, “upādhiḥ āyāti sa eva gacchati”. upādhiḥ is
again referring to the 3-fold costumes - sthūla sūkṣma kāraṇa śarīraṃs. upādhi itself, with
cidābhāsa, is called ahaṅkāraḥ. So, ‘sābhāsa upādhiḥ ahaṅkāraḥ’. And this ahaṅkāra is
‘located’ or not? Certainly located. Because, sthūla sūkṣma kāraṇa śarīraṃs are located.
Now, in this janma it is in the bhūloka. So, this ahaṅkāra ‘āyāti’ - comes to bhūloka, taking
birth, by taking an appropriate physical body. ‘sa eva gacchati’ - again that very ahaṅkāra
itself leaves this bhūloka also. Thus, ahaṅkārā’s job is ‘saṃsāra samyak śaraṇaṃ
ghamanaṃ’ - constantly travelling, seeking shelter, which travel started from beginning-less
time. So, ‘upādhiḥ āyāti sa eva gacchati’. It is ‘upādhi’ in śloka. But I am converting the word
upādhi into ahaṅkāra. ahaṅkāraḥ āyāti, ahaṅkāraḥ gacchati.
Then, “saḥ eva karmāṇi karoti bhuṅkte”. ahaṅkāraḥ eva karmaṇi karoti - performs all the
worldly actions. Religious actions. Spiritual actions. ‘Hoping to get mokṣa one day in future’!
Struggling for sādhya mokṣaḥ. Therefore, ‘karmaṇi karoti’. janma after janma after janma!
And, bhuṅkte. karoti should invariably be followed by bhuṅkte. Face the music!
Biggest problem is, for some of the karmās I have done in my previous janmās, the phalaṃ
comes to me now. So people ask, ‘why not bhagavān tell us which janmā’s which karma-
phalaṃ is responsible for this tooth ache?’ Imagine, if bhagavān has to send an SMS for
everything, bhagavān will go crazy! It is not possible. bhagavān has given a general law –
‘puṇya karma gives pleasure; pāpa karma gives pain’. We can easily know which of these 2
generic karmās is responsible for my tooth ache. It is some wrong action. That alone is
possible. We cannot do micro management. And what are puṇya karma and what are pāpa
karma also śāstraṃ defines. So, for the future, we can avoid pāpa karma. But we can never
know - and it is impractical also for bhagavān to regularly make phone call and say, ‘now
you have got this benefit because of this puṇyam you did in the 27th past janma’! Let us not
try to be ‘practical’. These are all questions asked by people who want to find fault with the
law of karma. If they have such an approach, we should never talk about law of karma to
them. They will ask, ‘which particular karma is responsible for corona virus?’ And they
expect Swāmīji to answer that! I don't answer, ‘law of karma is wrong’. What will be the
answer I give? ‘I don't know’. So, if you don't accept the law of karma, we have got only one
answer – ‘I don't know’. ‘Why this?’ ‘I don't know’. ‘Why that?’ ‘I don’t know’. Law of karma
gives a generic answer that ‘puṇyena puṇya lokam, pāpena pāpa lokam. upābhyāṃ eva
manuṣya lokam. manuṣya janma has the mixed-one. Anyway, I got lost.
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Then, “saḥ eva jīryan mriyate”. ‘bhuṅkte saḥ eva’, we have to supply. saḥ eva karoti. saḥ
eva bhuṅkte. That ahaṅkāra alone becomes old. ahaṅkāra is young ahaṅkāra is old. jīryati.
[jṛ dhatu. jīryati. Here, participle, jīryan]. So, becoming old. jīryan san mriyate. Finally,
mriyate - ahaṅkāra dies. What is the ‘death’ of ahaṅkāra? Shedding the outermost coil, or
outermost layer - like the snake shedding its outer skin and developing a new one.
ahaṅkārā’s death is, dropping the outer skin, called sthūla śarīraṃ, retaining the inner
sūkṣma & kāraṇa śarīraṃs and developing another new skin, new sthūla śarīraṃ. This goes
on and on and on. But, ‘who am “I”?’ ‘I’ am neither ahaṅkāra nor obsessed with ahaṅkārā’s
mokṣa. ahaṅkāra-centric mokṣa discussion should end with mahāvākya nididhyāsanaṃ.
ahaṅkāra-centric sādhya-mokṣa discussion should end.
Holding on to sādhya-mokṣa is indirectly telling that, ‘I won't hear mahāvākyaṃ’. ‘I won't
register mahāvākyaṃ’. ‘mahāvākyaṃ is good, but I will keep it aside in my note book! Tell
me, will I ‘get’ mokṣa in this janma or next janma? That means, I am still in ahaṅkāra-centric
thinking. In nididhyāsanaṃ, we have to say, when I am not the ahaṅkāra itself, why should I
be obsessed ahaṅkāra-centric sādhya-mokṣa, which is illogical? Therefore, ‘who am “I”?’
So, ‘ahaṅkāraḥ eva jīryan mriyate sadā ahaṃ tu niścala eva saṃsthitaḥ’. That ‘tu’ we have
to supply. ‘ahaṃ tu’ - on the other hand, ‘ahaṃ’ - the sākṣī, ‘sadā niścala eva saṃsthitaḥ’ –
‘I’ am ever niścalaḥ. ‘I’ don't go to bhuvarloka suvarloka maharloka etc. And, ‘I’ have not
come down to bhūloka also. ‘I’ am not worried about which loka ‘I’ will go in next janma! All
those things ‘I’ don't want to think at all. Let others discuss and decide that. ‘Oh, he has got
jñānaṃ and so he would definitely get videhamukti’. Whether one will get videhamukti or not
how do we know? Because, after death, sūkṣma śarīraṃ is going back or merge is based
on śāstra, we are never going to know. If we are going to be obsessed with videhamukti, we
will be eternally doubtful. Obsession with videhamukti ‘I’ don't have, because that is the lot
of ahaṅkāra. ‘ahaṃ sadā niścala eva saṃsthitaḥ’. ‘I’ ever remain steady.
Like what? ‘kulādrivat’ - like one of the kulādri described in the purāṇās. Like a mountain
range. ‘I’ am the sākṣī. Travelling or non-travelling sākṣī? sākṣī never travels. sākṣī is
caitanyaṃ, which is always there. And even if one ahaṅkāra dies, ‘I’ will continue to be the
sākṣī of so many other floating ahaṅkārās. And, above all, ‘I’ will continue to be the sākṣī of
the macro ahaṅkāra of bhagavān! When bhagavān says, ‘I am sṛṣṭi sthiti laya kartā’, that
bhagavān - who is eternal, ‘I continue to be the sākṣi caitanyaṃ in the bhagavān also’,
behind the māyā and māyā pratibimbhita caitanyaṃ.
Thus, for ‘me’, it is an eternal drama, which ‘I’ don't look upon as a burden. World is not
burden. ‘I’ am not a pessimistic person, cursing the world, cursing the body, cursing the
birth. ‘I’ am a most happy person, appreciating the possibility of creation, appreciating the
possibility of so many human beings with extraordinary intellect, which can discover
fantastic gadgets. I am able to talk now. I am able to reach so many people. What a
glorious, wonderful universe it is! All the possibilities ‘I’ am appreciating. ‘I’ never look down
upon the universe or the body as possibility of birth etc.
ॐ पूण्मद
र पूण्�मद
र पूणार्त्पूणर्मुदच | पूण्स
र पूण्मादा
र पूण्मेवाव�
Math, Chennai].

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paraṃparām II
उपा�धराया�त स एव गच्छ� स एव कमार्� करो�त भङ
ु ्क् । स एव जीयर् न �मयते सदाहं कुला�द्रविन्न एव
संिस्थत ॥
upādhirāyāti sa eva gacchati sa eva karmāṇi karoti bhuṅkte I sa eva jīryan mriyate sadāhaṃ
kulādrivanniścala eva saṃsthitaḥ II [mantra 24] [501] &&
In all these nididhyāsanaṃ verses, we can see one common factor. That is, employing the
word ‘I’ - verbally or mentally employing the word ‘I’ - in the meaning of ‘brahman’, ‘ātmā’ or
‘sākṣī’. ‘brahman’ or ‘ātmā’ or ‘sākṣī’ all these are synonymous. Practice using the word ‘I’,
for ‘brahman’, ‘ātmā’ or ‘sākṣī’ and dwell on the teaching of vedānta. As even I do that, I am
soaking in the message of mahāvākyaṃ. The more I dwell on the word ‘I’, as ‘brahman’
‘ātmā’ or ‘sākṣī’, the more I am soaking in the message of mahāvākya; my conscious
thoughts are sākṣī-centric thoughts. And, as even the sākṣī-centric thoughts saturate my
conscious mind, it will get inside the sub-conscious mind also. Pushing sākṣī-centric
thoughts into the sub consciousness mind is also called niṣṭhā. And the more the sākṣī-
centric thoughts dominate my life, I become a sākṣi-pradhāna jīvaḥ. If at all there should be
a definition for jīvanmukti or jīvanmuktaḥ, the definition has to be sākṣi-pradhāna jīvaḥ,
jīvanmuktaḥ. pradhāna means, primary, dominant.
[Note - in this śloka, ‘upādhiḥ’ means, the body-mind-sense complex, with borrowed
consciousness - ‘cetana anātmā’. Also called, ‘ahaṅkāraḥ’]. And, as even sākṣī becomes
pradhāna or dominant, ahaṅkāra becomes apradhāna or subordinate to sākṣī. Before
nididhyāsanaṃ, I was ahaṅkāra-pradhānaḥ. ahaṅkāra was dominating my thoughts and
sākṣī was subordinate or non-existent. ahaṅkāra dominates my life. ahaṅkāra-pradhāna
jīvaḥ I am. So, ahaṅkārā’s problems will dominate. jīva will be problem-ridden jīva. These
ahaṅkāra problems may be physical, may be emotional, may be financial, may be family.
Once these problems overwhelm, because of ahaṅkāra-domination, you will find mokṣa
‘appears’ more and more distant. Not only mokṣa is a sādhyaṃ, but it becomes a ‘distant’
sādhyaṃ. It is so remote that I do not hope to get mokṣa in this life itself.
Thus, ahaṅkāra-pradhāna jīvaḥ will make mokṣa a sādhyaṃ and also make it more & more
distant. mokṣa really doesn't ‘become’ distant; mokṣa ‘appears’ distant. I told you,
sādhyamokṣa does not exist. But, for an ahaṅkāra-pradhāna jīva, mokṣa ‘appears’
sādhyaṃ. And it ‘appears’ a distant sādhyaṃ too. ahaṅkāra pradhāna jīva is a saṃsārī
jīvaḥ, because ahaṅkāra - under the grip of fluctuating prārabdha - is always associated
with problems. Whether it is ajñāni’s ahaṅkāra or jñāni’s ahaṅkāra, ahaṅkāra will be riddled
with problems. [Remember the definition of ahaṅkāra – ‘cetana anātmā’]. So, the body,
mind, sense complex will be filled with problems. Only the type of problems will vary, but
they will always be there. Minor or major issues will be there. Thus, as ahaṅkāra-pradhāna
jīva, I become saṃsārī jīva and mokṣa ‘becomes’ a ‘distant’ ‘sādhyaṃ’.
nididhyāsanaṃ is conversion of ahaṅkāra-pradhāna jīva into sākṣi-pradhāna jīvaḥ, a
jīvanmuktaḥ. As sākṣī dominates my thoughts, they become predominantly sākṣī-centric. If
not in the consciousness mind, in the sub-conscious mind, sākṣī-centric thoughts prevail.
Which means, these nididhyāsana śloka thoughts are continuing, like the tambura śruti.
ahaṅkāra becomes subordinate. I become ahaṅkāra apradhāna jīvaḥ. Once ahaṅkāra
subordinates, ahaṅkāra related problems also subordinate. That means, those problems will
not be magnified. They get de-magnified. They become insignificant enough to be ignored.
Meditation - Class 013 – 4th January 2021 – verses 24 to 26 Page 1
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‘mātrāsparśāstu kaunteya’ – like in that śloka, all that will be taken as some pin-pricks. And,
as even ahaṅkāra problems become insignificant and ignorable, I will be able to bask in the
divinity of sākṣī, in the glory of sākṣī, as described in these 30 ślokās. nididhyāsanaṃ is
thus converting ahaṅkāra-pradhāna jīva into sākṣi-pradhāna jīva. As even ahaṅkārā’s
problems become ignorable, the distant mokṣa - the mokṣa which was ‘appearing’ distant -
will ‘appear’ closer. mokṣa doesn't actually come closer! It ‘appears’ to come closer as even
I shift myself from ahaṅkāra-pradhāna to sākṣi-pradhāna. mokṣa will gradually come closer,
as even nididhyāsanaṃ becomes more and more. It becomes so close, the distant mokṣa
becomes instant mokṣa. sādhyamokṣa becomes siddhamokṣaḥ! I will then wonder, ‘How
did I manage to make the mokṣa so distant?’ That is my glory! The nitya siddha mokṣa I
managed to make nitya sādhya mokṣa!
nididhyāsanaṃ is, 1] conversion of ahaṅkāra-pradhāna I to sākṣi-pradhāna ‘I’. 2] conversion
of sādhyamokṣa to siddhamokṣaḥ. ‘Distant’ mokṣa into ‘instant’ mokṣa. And, 3] conversion
of ahaṅkāra from a burden to a blessing! It’s an opportunity to bask in my divinity.
[Remember, ahaṅkāra means body, mind, sense complex with borrowed cidābhāsa. ‘cetana
anātmā’]. My attitude towards ahaṅkāra also changes. As a saṃsārī, I look upon ahaṅkāra
as a burden, as a problem. ahaṅkāra suddenly becomes a rare and glorious blessing that
god has given, which is available only for a few more years. The human ahaṅkāra is a rarest
blessing. ‘durlabhaṃ trayamevaitat manuṣyatvaṃ’, because only with the help of the
ahaṅkāra instrument, ahaṅkāra medium, ahaṅkāra costume, I can claim the glory, the
divinity of ‘me’, the sākṣī! If ahaṅkāra is gone, body, mind, sense complex is gone, sākṣī is
no more sākṣī. It will be available only as the all-pervading one. ātmā. akartā, abhoktā.
Then, I cannot claim ‘ahaṃ brahmāsmi’. If at all there is an ‘experience’ of that ātmā, it will
be like one in deep sleep state. Wherein, I neither know the world nor do I know myself.
nātmānaṃ na paraṃ caiva na satyaṃ nāpi cānṛtam I prājñaḥ kiñcana saṃvetti turyaṃ
tatsarvadṛksadā II [māṇḍūkya āgamaprakaraṇam]
‘kiñcana saṃvetti’ - I will not know anything. To know myself as brahman, I require an
upādhi. bhagavān is glorious only because of the māyā upādhi. Even bhagavān can claim
the glory that ‘I am bhagavān’, ‘I am brahman’, only because of māyā upādhi. Similarly,
sthūla sūkṣma śarīra upādhi - however sick it may be, it may be bedridden; but, bedridden
upādhi - is better than no upādhi, because only in that I can claim, all the glories mentioned
in these nididhyāsana ślokās. Therefore, my attitude towards the upādhi is, ‘it is not a
burden’. Remembering the 5th capsule, ‘by forgetting my real nature, I convert life and the
upādhi into a burden. By remembering my real nature, my life, and the availability of the
upādhi, I convert life into a blessing’.
Every nididhyāsanaṃ is thus an opportunity to bask in my divinity. And what is my divinity?
All these ślokās - 40 ślokās - talk of my divinity. Therefore, in the 24th śloka, he said –
“kulādrivanniścala eva saṃsthitaḥ” - with ‘my’ glorious māyā, ‘I’ project a world. ‘I’ project a
body, mind, sense complex for ‘myself’. And ‘I’ am able to experience the ‘projected’ world,
which is ‘my’ own glory! ‘yaḥ sarvajñaḥ sarvavid yasyaiṣa mahimā bhuvi’, ‘etāvān asya
mahimā ato jyāyāgṃśca pūruṣaḥ’. Sun is my glory. Not just our local son. Sun is my glory.
Moon is my glory. The wind, the atmosphere, oxygen, rivers, animals, plants – in short, the
entire nature! ‘I’ am able to project a nature. ‘I’ am able to project a brain; and, with the help
of the brain ‘I’ am able to admire the glory of the universe. At the same time, all the
difficulties of the world will not touch ‘me’.
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‘I’ give the example, ‘under-water exploration’. Imagine, there is a thick glass tank or a
vessel made of glass that is used for under-water exploration, with facilities of oxygen,
lighting, special cameras and equipments to study under-water life. It is lowered several 100
feet down into the ocean. I see so many varieties of fishes, sea animals, aquatic creatures.
The shark is charging. But I know that I am safe. asaṅgaḥ. Unperturbed. Because, I am
covered by a thick glass casing. So, when the shark comes near me, touches the glass and
open its mouth I can comfortably go very close and study its features, its big mouth, sharp
teeth, etc., take close-up pictures, videos. How? Because, I know that ‘I am asaṅgaḥ!
acchedyo'yamadāhyo'yamakledyo'śoṣya eva ca I nityaḥ sarvagataḥ sthāṇuracalo'yaṃ
sanātanaḥ II [gītā 2.24]
Every jñānī is in such a glass tank, called jñānaṃ. asaṅgatva jñānaṃ. So, He experiences
everything. Wonderful things He enjoys. Poisonous things also he sees. But He remembers
“kulādrivanniścala eva saṃsthitaḥ”. He enjoys everything, without being affected by all that.
Remember, to be a jñānī is, to be in the glass tank! The underwater is this universe. So
nice. So wonderful. So beautiful. śaṅkarācārya said, ‘sampūrṇaṃ jagadeva nandanavanaṃ
sarve'pi kalpadrumā [dhanyāṣṭakaṃ]. The whole world is a recreation ground! Instead of
appreciating ‘my’ divinity, what I do is, I become ahaṅkāra-pradhāna jīvaḥ̣. A small mosquito
bite yesterday, I magnify and magnify! And that is the subject matter I talk to everyone who
visits me! So, make the ahaṅkāra subordinate. Make the sākṣī the boss. Boss story or sob
story. Boss reversed is sob! ahaṅkāra-pradhāna jīva has got sob story. sākṣi-pradhāna
jīvanmuktaḥ has got boss story. ‘I’ am the boss of the universe.
We completed verse 24 in the last class. Continuing 25.
न मे प्वर ृ�� च मे �नव ृ��ः सदै करूपस �नरं शकस् । ऐकात्मक यो �न�बडो �नरन्त: व्योमे पण
ू ्र स कथं नु चेष्टत ॥
na me pravṛttirna ca me nivṛttiḥ sadaikarūpasya niraṃśakasya I aikātmako yo nibiḍo
nirantaraḥ vyomeva pūrṇaḥ sa kathaṃ nu ceṣṭate II
And as ‘I’, the ātmā, “na me pravṛttirna ca me nivṛttiḥ”. ‘pravṛttiḥ’ means, the actions that are
to be done, duties to be discharged. So, all the duties ‘to be implemented’ - Do’s - is called
pravṛttiḥ. The ‘implementation’ is called pravṛttiḥ. ‘To be implemented’ duty is also called
pravṛttiḥ. And, nivṛttiḥ means, ‘things to be withdrawn from’. Things to be avoided or Don'ts.
Things to be discarded. So, do’s and don'ts. We have do’s and don'ts in many spheres. At
health level, do’s and don'ts are there. In financial matters, do’s and don'ts. So much advise
about how to use money. Do this, don't do this. In the investment field too. In religion, of
course, do’s and don'ts. Thus, our life is full of do’s and don'ts, all the time occupying life
and often becoming a burden. So many duties are there. Lifelong duties.
“na me pravṛttir na ca me nivṛttiḥ”. In nididhyāsanaṃ I tell, ‘ahaṅkāra is ridden with duties. ‘I’
am not the ahaṅkāra. It is just a temporary instrument. The original ‘I’, am the sākṣī, which is
beyond vidhi niṣedạḥ. ‘‘nistraiguṇye pathivicarataḥ kovidhiḥ koniṣedhaḥ’ [śukāṣṭakam]. ‘I’
don't have pravṛttiḥ - Do’s. Or, nivṛttiḥ - Don'ts. What is the reason? “sadaikarūpasya
niraṃśakasya”. sadā eka-rūpasya - one who remains ever the same. ekarūpa means,
saccidānanda rūpaḥ. ‘niraṃśakasya’ – ‘I’ am free from aṃśaḥ. aṃśaḥ means, parts, limbs
etc. to perform duties. kāyika vācika mānasa karmāṇi are not possible for ‘me’. ‘eka rūpaḥ’
means, sajātīya vijātīya bheda rahitaḥ. ‘niraṃśakaḥ’ means, ‘svagata bheda rahitaḥ’.
“aikātmako” - ekātmakaḥ - ‘I’ am in the form the non-dual ātmā. ekātmā eva ekātmakaḥ.
“aikātmako yo nibiḍo nirantaraḥ” – ‘I’ am nibiḍaḥ nirantaraḥ. nibiḍaḥ literally means, dense.
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Homogenous consciousness, homogenous existence. It is continuously pervading

everything. Explanation of nibiḍaḥ is nirantaraḥ, without any gap in-between. Gaplessly,
homogenously all-pervading existence consciousness principle. All these are hetugarbha
viśeṣaṇaṃ, explaining why ‘I’ can't do any action. Because ‘I’ am nibiḍaḥ, me pravṛttiḥ
nivṛttiḥ nāsti. Because ‘I’ am nirantaraḥ, ‘I’ don't have pravṛtti nivṛtti. Each one is an
adjective, which is the reason ‘I’ am free from pravṛtti nivṛtti. nibiḍaḥ and nirantaraḥ.
And, ‘I’ am “vyomeva pūrṇaḥ”. pūrṇaḥ means, whole, complete, limitless. What about any
‘second’ thing? Any second thing that is there is also in ‘me’ only, because they are all
superimposed on ‘me’. If at all there is a second thing, which is of a lower order of reality, it
is superimposed on ‘me’. Therefore, ‘I’ don't have to acquire them. Therefore, I am pūrṇaḥ.
All the wonderful things are all already in ‘me’, with ‘me’. ‘I’ am the only possessor of all of
them. There is no second ātmā to compete with ‘me’. That is why Dayānanda Swāmīji
interpreted camakaṃ in a beautiful way. camakaṃ is a vedic mantra a person chants after
rudraṃ. In rudraṃ he glorifies Lord ś iva, offering namaskāraṃ. And once the Lord is
pleased with him, he makes use of the opportunity to chant the camakaṃ. It is called
camakaṃ because, it says ‘ca me’ ‘ca me’ ‘ca me’.
“agniśca ma indraśca me somaśca ma indraśca me savitā ca ma indraśca me sarasvatī ca
ma indraśca me …”
Give me all these things. Give me the sun, moon, water, food … all these give me and I do it
so fast because, I have huge list! And before śiva is distracted, I have to send in the
application! So many desires. Unfulfilled desires. Give me a grand-son. If grandson is there,
give me a grand-daughter. At the age of 97! So many desires. Dayānanada Swāmīji says, if
at all a jñānī chants camakaṃ, he will also say the same thing, but his ‘me’ will be not
caturthī vibhakti ‘me’. But ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti ‘me’. Not, mahyaṃ me āvābhyāṃ nau. But, mama
me. ‘I’ do not have to acquire any one of them. ‘I’ do not have to ask the lord for giving me
anything, because all the grandchildren, all children, all these things are owned by ‘me’, ‘me
and me alone’! ātmā is one, and the entire anātma prapañcaḥ̣ is owned by the ātmā, just as
for the entire dream universe there is only one owner. That is the waker. ‘I’, the super-waker
already own everything. “so'śnute sarvān kāmānsaha”. Simultaneously ‘I’ own everything.
So, why should ‘I’ work for accomplishing something? pūrṇaḥ aham. Everything is ‘mine’
only. pūrṇaḥ aham. “vyoma iva pūrṇaḥ”. [vyoma is short hrasva a. nakārāntạ napuṃsaka-
liṅgaḥ̣ vyoman śabdaḥ. vyoman vyomni vyomāni.] vyoma means, ākāśa. vyoma iva - like
the ākāśa, space, which accommodates everything in the creation, ‘I’ own everything. There
is nobody to compete with ‘me’ because ‘I’ am advaitaṃ. vyoma iva pūrṇaḥ bhavāmi. “sa
kathaṃ nu ceṣṭate”. saḥ - such a ‘me’, ‘I’, ‘kathaṃ nu ceṣṭate’? [Sanskrit students, in 3rd line
‘yaḥ’ is there. First 2 lines should be connected as, ‘sadā eka rūpasya niraṃśakasya me’.
Those 2 words are adjective to ‘me’. ‘niraṃśakasya me’. ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti. pravṛttiḥ nāsti,
nivṛttiḥ nāsti. One sentence. In 2nd & 3rd line ‘yaḥ ekātmakaḥ nibiḍaḥ nirantaraḥ vyoma iva
pūrṇaḥ saḥ aham’]. That ‘I’, who is of such & such nature, kathaṃ nu ceṣṭate? How can ‘I’
‘do’ anything or how can ‘I’ withdraw from anything? Do’s & don'ts are non-relevant for ‘me’.
And when ‘I’ am bored, not doing anything, - like people confined because of corona are not
able to do anything! Once I get bored … As a sākṣī ‘I’ should not, because I can visualise
everything and enjoy! If I‘I’ am bored, no problem. ‘I’ have got a body, mind, sense complex.
ahaṅkāra costume ‘I’ can put on and ‘I’ can become a jīvaḥ deliberately! Without forgetting
‘I’ am sākṣī, ‘I’ can become jīvaḥ. ‘I’ can put on father veṣaṃ, mother veṣaṃ, husband
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veṣaṃ … because, then ‘I’ get an opportunity to ‘do’ things! That is also a glory of māyā.
Because of māyā ‘I’ am able to project a body mind sense complex and ‘I’ am able to put
that on. ‘I’ am like bhagavān taking avatāra, and enjoying ‘my’ līlā. ‘I’ become a jīva,
deliberately, outside nididhyāsanaṃ. When ‘I’ come out from nididhyāsanaṃ green room, ‘I’
put-on the veṣaṃ. Family members are waiting, appreciating or criticising. Drama. navarasa
drama! Drama means, all sentiments should be there. Get angry also. Nothing wrong. But
keep it under check, manage anger without getting lost.
Therefore, emotions no more cause ‘me’ burden. Emotions help ‘me’ being a human being.
So, ‘I’ put on jīva veṣaṃ, ‘I’ enjoy emotions, without making them into a burden. Even
grieving for someone has its meaning. One need not be like a rock. Thus, all emotions are
glories of māyā, which is ‘my’ own glory! Put on veṣaṃ and go through all emotions, without
making them a burden. Which means, ‘I’ have the facility to change the channel at will, with
a remote! ‘I’ can just have the emotions also, and ‘I’ can get out of it also! Thus, having this
facility to ‘handle’ the emotions, is jīvanmukti. Not total freedom from emotions. All emotions
have got their own place. Positive and negative ones. After a good crying many people say,
‘Swāmīji, now I am relaxed. I have poured out my feeling’. So, even crying has got meaning.
Psychologists say, ‘cry it out, empty your mind’. Every emotion has its value. We are not
against emotions. vedānta is against making the emotions a burden, a saṃsāra. Therefore,
put on the veṣaṃ and yet be a jīvanmukta, sākṣi-pradhāna puruṣaḥ̣. Let ahaṅkāra be a
subordinate instrument or costume. In effect, ‘I’ am without pravṛtti nivṛtti. ‘I’ put on the jīva
veṣaṃ and take to all duties as a gṛhastha or a saṃnyāsi.
And above all – an aside one – a most important duty is, maintenance of sādhana catuṣṭaya
saṃpatti. As a jīva, I should maintain sādhana catuṣṭaya saṃpatti. daivī saṃpat I should
keep alive, regularly dusting it. And āsurī saṃpat, I should keep at bay. As a jīva, pravṛtti
towards daivī saṃpat and nivṛtti from āsurī saṃpat. If there are new students, please note,
these 2 words are used in chapter-16 of bhagavadgītā. daivī saṃpat means positive virtues,
which we have to maintain as a jīva. āsurī saṃpat means, negatives, which are anti-
vedānta, which obstruct the nididhyāsanaṃ process. Only daivī saṃpat or an ahaṅkāra with
daivī saṃpat is an ideal instrument for nididhyāsanaṃ. An ahaṅkāra with āsurī saṃpat will
hinder nididhyāsanaṃ. Therefore, I should be able to maintain sādhana catuṣṭaya saṃpatti
whether other duties I perform or not. Family duties are important, but we must always keep
an eye on the 16th chapter of gīta. However advanced a student I may be, I should always
stay alert to maintain dominant daivī saṃpat. āsurī saṃpat will not become zero, but at least
they should be kept at bay. That is important for success of nididhyāsanaṃ. They are the
qualifications of ahaṅkāra. sādhana catuṣṭaya saṃpatti-rich ahaṅkāra can do efficacious
nididhyāsanaṃ. sādhana catuṣṭaya saṃpatti-depleted ahaṅkāra cannot. As jīva I have one
duty throughout my life. Maintenance of this.
Thus enjoy nididhyāsanaṃ. sākṣī bhava. Put on jīva bhava veṣaṃ and enjoy thoroughly. As
I say, family is also a blessing; children are a blessing; grandchildren are a blessing. And, if I
am proficient in arts, music, dance, sports and such, I can practice them very well. It is all a
blessing. Appreciate those blessings. vedānta doesn't mean we should run away from and
shun everything as anātmā. Remember, converting anātmā to blessing is the very aim of
vedānta. Not shutting off everything, saying ‘cidānanda rūpa, cidānanda rūpa’. No. Enjoy
cidānanda rūpa. Open the eyes and enjoy your own glory, which may be music dance art …
Everything is wonderful. Remember the vibhūti yoga. All of them are ‘my’ glory. Therefore, it

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is not running away from the world. It is not shutting off the world, but converting the world
into the glory of māyā, which is, in truth, my own glory! Thus, a jñānī enjoys with closed
eyes. jñānī enjoys with open eyes also! It can be very much in the midst of so many things.
Continuing, verse 26.
पण
ु ्या� पापा�न �न�रिन्द्र �नश्चेतस �न�वर्कृते�नर्राकृत । कुतो ममाखण्डसुखानुभूत: बत
् े ह्यनन्वागत�मत्
श्रु� ॥ [mantra 26] [503] &&
puṇyāni pāpāni nirindriyasya niścetaso nirvikṛternirākṛteḥ I kuto mamākhaṇḍasukhānu-
bhūteḥ brūte hyananvāgatamityapi śrutiḥ II
As ahaṅkāra-pradhāna jīvaḥ, saṃsārī jīvaḥ, I was always looking at myself as filled with,
riddled with puṇyam and pāpam, in the form of prārabdha and agami. I was only seeing the
karma all the time. Many people when they open any magazine, they want to see their daily
astrological prediction! In many TV channels, early morning, an astrologer comes and talks
about what is in store for each rāsi! And many people make it a point to carefully listen to
that. So, all the time I look at myself as star-influenced, planet-influenced, karma influenced!
This is ahaṅkāra-pradhāna saṃsārī jīvaḥ.
And the more I look upon myself as the puṇya-pāpavān, more I will think of mokṣa as
distant. Because, mokṣa is defined as a state which I will get only when I make my karma
balance ‘nil’. So, even as a seeker, I would be busy trying to make karma balance nil.
sañcita burnt, āgāmi avoided. And prārabdha I want to exhaust. I want to wait for the last
day and somehow manage to die, never to be born again! Thus, sādhya videhamukti I keep
in my mind. Unfortunately, I have no guarantee also! No one to certify also! If only bhagavān
gives an SMS, ‘you have been enlisted. You are a potential videhamukta candidate’ – it will
be a huge relief. At least if guru says so, it will be ok. But, if you ask any jñāni, ‘will you
become videhamukta?’ What will be his answer? ‘I don’t care’.
But, as ahaṅkāra-pradhānaḥ, karma-pradhānaḥ, I will be videhamukta-pradhānaḥ, sādhya-
mokṣa pradhānaḥ! So, I will always have a doubt, whether I will get videhamukti or not.
Especially because, there is no proof or guarantee. One mistake I commit, I just hit one
mosquito, I become worried. Like, Western children worrying whether Santa Claus will give
gift or not. Parents always tell them, ‘only if you are a nice kid Santa will give gifts, not if you
are naughty!’ So, all the time the child is worried. They are extra careful when December
comes. They behave so well. Yet, they are worried all the time whether they will miss the
gift. This is also the story of this miserable vedāntic student! He wants to be very careful.
One mistake he commits - like, he gets angry with someone. Worry comes – ‘don't know
whether because of this I will miss the videhamukti?!’ So, all the time tense.
I think some of my senior students are struggling with such a problem. I feel so much for
them. I am helpless, because as long as you are ahaṅkāra-pradhāna, karma-pradhāna, you
will be videhamukta-pradhāna, and since videhamukti is never assured, so you will always
be tense. Therefore, stop being ahaṅkāra-pradhāna. Let ahaṅkāra get videhamukti or not.
Use ahaṅkāra to claim nityamukti. You are not ahaṅkāra. So, where is the question of
‘ending’ puṇya-pāpa karma and ‘getting’ videhamukti? All those are stories at anātmā level,
which are mithyā drama.
So then ‘who am “I”?’ look at this splendid śloka. “puṇyāni pāpāni kutaḥ mama?” - where is
the question of puṇya and pāpam for ‘me’? ‘I’ am sākṣi-pradhāna nityamukta jīvaḥ. Others
may call me jīvanmukta. For me, ‘I’ am nityamukta jīvaḥ, that is nityamukta ātmā. kutaḥ
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mama? Where is the question of puṇyāni and pāpāni for ‘me’? And what type of ‘me’ it is?
All these are hetugarbha viśeṣaṇaṃ. Descriptions of ‘me’. Not the miserable, ahaṅkāra me,
who is all the time worried about videhamukti. It is about ‘me’, the sākṣī, who is enjoying the
nityamukti! So, what are its descriptions?
“nirindriyasya niścetasaḥ nirvikṛteḥ nirākṛteḥ”. ‘nirindriyasya’ - free from jñānendriyāṇi and
karmendriyāṇi. Because, they are responsible for puṇyam and pāpam. They only do good
and bad karma. But, ‘I’ am without indriyaṃ. Or, ‘I’ am without connection with indriyaṃ.
nirindriya means, indriya rahitaḥ or indriya sambandha rahitaḥ. Because, indriyaṃs are
mithyā. And, ‘niścetasaḥ’ – ‘I’ am mindless or ‘I’ am mind-connection-less. ‘niścetasaḥ’. [All
prāti bahuvrīhi nirgatāni indriyāṇi or avidyamānāni indriyāṇi yasya. nirgataṃ cetaḥ yasmāt
avidyamānaṃ cetaḥ yasya niścetasaḥ. ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti]. One who doesn't have a mind. Mind
is required for every action; because, a karma becomes a karma only when the mind is
behind it. Deliberately done, it becomes karma. niścetasaḥ mama. Each word is adjective to
‘mama’. Then, ‘nirvikṛteḥ’. ‘I’ am without any vikṛti. Change. Every action requires change. ‘I’
am actionless. ‘nirvikṛteḥ’ = nirvikāraḥ. “avyakto'yam acintyo'yam avikāryo'yam ucyate”.
Then, ‘nirākṛteḥ’ – ‘I’ am formless, like space. All descriptions are to show that ‘I’ am akartā;
therefore, ‘I’ don't have puṇyāni pāpāni. Therefore, ‘I’ need not wait for videhamukti.
All that is for a junior student, who is ahaṅkāra-pradhānaḥ. For an ahaṅkāra-pradhāna junior
student, I will have to talk about videhamukti at the time if death. I want every student to
become a senior student; become sākṣi-pradhāna, ignore videhamukti and claim nityamukti!
That is why in the previous series śaṅkarācārya first talked about the end of prārabdha.
While talking about videhamukti, He talked about end of karma. And immediately after that,
in verses 97 to 100 - these ślokās are worth revisiting - śaṅkarācārya dismisses videhamukti
and says, ‘where is the question of videhamukti when ‘I’ am ever free from the problems of
the deha?!’ Body can never bind ‘me’ for me to get liberated form the body. 4 brilliant
ślokās. From jñāni’s angle, videhamukti is non-relevant. In fact, a jñānī is a jñānī only when
videhamukti becomes non-relevant to him. According to śāstra, every jñānī becomes or gets
videhamukti. That is, His sthūla sūkṣma śarīrams will merge into the samaṣṭi. Because
śāstra says so, we will always declare, ‘every jñānī will get videhamukti’. But we
immediately add, ‘a jñānī is a jñānī, only when videhamukti becomes non-relevant for him,
because of his claiming nityamukti’. And that is this śloka.
‘mama puṇyāni pāpāni kutaḥ?’ Where are they? kutaḥ is not a question, it is ākṣepārthe.
Means, puṇyāni pāpāni are not there. And who am ‘I’? ‘I’ am not ahaṅkāra-pradhāna, ‘I’ am
sākṣi-pradhānaḥ. And, what is the nature of sākṣī? “ākhaṇḍasukhānubhūteḥ”. ‘sukham’
means, happiness. Not experiential happiness, which is a mere reflection. ‘I’ am the ‘original
un-reflected happiness’. bimbānandaḥ, Whenever ‘I’ experience happiness, ‘I’ know that it is
‘my own’ xerox copy. A jñānī thoroughly enjoys viṣayānanda. But He doesn’t name it as
viṣayānanda. He names it as ‘pratibimba ānandaḥ. But, ‘I’ am bimbānandaḥ, which is
akhaṇḍam. akhaṇḍa means, one without division, without gradation, which is permanent.
Reflected ānanda is impermanent. If you enjoy something, say eating something, first one,
second one, even third one you will enjoy. But, when they push the 4th one, you will get
nausea, vomit. Thus, experiential ānanda will end. That ‘I’ acknowledge, ‘I’ understand.
When a jñānī enjoys something, He enjoys it with this knowledge. Therefore, ‘I’ am the non-
experiential indivisible ānanda. “ākhaṇḍasukhānubhūteḥ”.

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And, ‘anubhūtiḥ’ in this context means, caitanyaṃ. Normally it means ‘experience’. In this
context anubhūtiḥ means, anubhvanam, jñāna svarūpaḥ. And this consciousness is also
‘akhaṇḍam’. akhaṇḍa is an adjective, which qualifies ‘sukham’ and also ‘anubhūtiḥ’. nitya
akhaṇḍa caitanya svarūpaḥ. akhaṇḍa ānanda svarūpaḥ. That is ‘my’ nature. For ‘me’,
where is the question of puṇyam and pāpam?
Suddenly, śaṅkarācārya feels, ‘you are going on declaring ātmā’s glory. What is the proof
for all of them?’ How am I to believe all this? Or, what is the proof? So, śaṅkarācārya says,
“brūte hyananvāgatam ityapi śrutiḥ”. vedānta is pramāṇaṃ which reveals this fact. And
since I look upon vedānta as a pramāṇaṃ, it is not just an information for me, to be proved
later. I know no other pramāṇaṃ can prove it. It is a ‘fact’ for me. For the one who has got
sraddha, this is a fact. For the one who doesn't have sraddha, vedānta is just a book. It is
not a pramāṇaṃ, it just gives some information. It may be fact, it may not be fact. It is
waiting to be proved later. Whereas, for a vedāntin, no other pramāṇaṃs can prove it.
Because, all the other pramāṇams deal with anātmā, not with ātmā, ‘I’. No pramāṇaṃ can
observe the observer ‘I’. Therefore, vedānta is pramāṇaṃ, and so ‘I’ am akhaṇḍa caitanyaṃ
is not mere information for me. I don't have to prove it later, but it is a fact for me.
Many people present nirvikalpaka samādhi as a proof for vedānta jñānaṃ. They ‘practice
meditation’ to ‘prove’ the knowledge gained by vedānta, by talking of śruti yukti and
‘anubhava’. But, when you say, ‘śruti yukti anubhava’, anubhava is not a new mystical
‘experience’ to ‘prove’ “ahaṃ brahmāsmi”. anubhava means, we have to ‘understand’ the
śruti’s message without contradicting yukti pramāṇaṃ and without contradicting our regular
anubhava also. That is the anubhava in ‘śruti yukti anubhava’ means. When I understand
śruti, I should make sure that my knowledge does not contradict yukti, logic. And that it does
not contradict my regular experience like avasthātraya anubhava. Therefore, anubhava
virodha I should take care of. What anubhava? My regular anubhava.
Many people misunderstand ‘anubhava’ here to mean some ‘mystic experience’, which is
supposedly meant to ‘authenticate’ the message of śruti! No experience can ‘authenticate’
śruti pramāṇaṃ because, śruti is a ‘unique’ pramāṇaṃ. It can never be ‘authenticated’ by
any other pramāṇaṃ because, śruti deals with something not available for any other
pramāṇaṃ, śruti being apauruṣeyaṃ. Therefore, let us be very clear. śruti says, ‘I’ am free
from puṇyam and pāpam. And, I do not have to authenticate it by something else. It is a fact
for me. When I say ‘I’ am beyond puṇya-pāpam, I mean, ‘I’ the sākṣī. And, the śruti
pramāṇaṃ here is taken from bṛhadāraṇyakaṃ, which we will see in the next class.
ॐ पण
ू ्मद
र पण
ू ्�मद
र पण
ू ्स
र पण
ू ्मादा
र पण
ू ्मेवाव�शष्य
र | ॐ शािन्त शािन्त शािन्त ||
Math, Chennai].

103
paraṃparām II
पण
ु ्या� पापा�न �न�रिन्द्र �नश्चेतस �न�वर्कृते�रन ्राकृत । कुतो ममाखण्डसुखानुूत
भ : बते
् ह्यनन्वागत�मत्
श्रु� ॥ [mantra 26] [503] &&
puṇyāni pāpāni nirindriyasya niścetaso nirvikṛternirākṛteḥ I kuto mamākhaṇḍasukhānu-
bhūteḥ brūte hyananvāgatamityapi śrutiḥ II
All these are beautiful nididhyāsanaṃ verses, which consolidate our attitudinal change with
regard to mokṣa. So, before the understanding of mahāvākyaṃ, our attitude towards mokṣa
is one thing. And after understanding of mahāvākyaṃ, our attitude is different. It has to be
different. Pre-mahāvākyaṃ & post-mahāvākyaṃ. Before mahāvākyaṃ is understood, I look
upon myself as ahaṅkāraḥ, as body-mind-sense complex, with borrowed consciousness, as
an individual jīva, a kartā, a bhoktā, who has accumulated sañcita, prārabdha and
accumulating āgāmi also. So, I am ahaṅkāra-pradhānaḥ. Therefore, my attitude towards
mokṣa is, it’s a remote possibility. Why? Because, to attain mokṣa, I have to make my
karma balance ‘nil’. At the time of death, only if my karma balance shows ‘nil’, I am
guaranteed mokṣa. Therefore, it is a distant and remote possibility.
Not only that. I have no way of knowing what is the karma balance also! Because, puṇya
pāpa karma being adṛṣṭaṃ, I have no way of knowing the quantum. In matters related to
Govt., there’s the Right to information act. You can use that and get information from the
respective institutions. We have a right. Unfortunately, the RTI act cannot be extended to
our puṇya pāpa account. I cannot ask just before death, whether it has become nil. So, no
way of knowing. Therefore, mokṣa continues to be a possibility, a probability, subject always
to eternal doubt. So, this is my attitude towards mokṣa because I am ahaṅkāra. Even a after
studying vedānta, I look upon sākṣī only as my valuable neighbour. It is close by. Yet, it is
only my neighbour. I am ahaṅkāra. I have made sākṣī my neighbour. Neighborisation of
sākṣī I have done. In that process, I have made mokṣa a possibility, a probability.
But, if śravaṇam & mananaṃ I have done effectively and received the mahāvākyaṃ clearly
and doubtlessly understanding it with conviction, then ‘I’ am no more ahaṅkāra-pradhāna
jīvaḥ, but ‘I’ am sākṣi-pradhāna ātmā. And, as sākṣi-pradhāna ‘I’, ‘I’ don't have to bring
down the karma balance to zero. As sākṣī, ‘I’ am akartā and abhoktā and so, ‘I’ do not have
kartṛtvaṃ. Previously, I looked upon karma ‘ending’. Now ‘I’ am asserting the ‘absence’ of
karma. So, karma-ending philosophy should be replaced by karma-absence philosophy.
And that is possible only if mahāvākya is alive and meaningful to me. Then, my very
approach to sādhanā and its direction, changes. ‘I’ do not work for ending of karma. ‘I’ go on
asserting its absence. That is my sādhanā now. Assertion of absence of karma. In fact a
jñānī never ‘gets’ mokṣa. jñānī changes his ‘attitude’ towards mokṣa. Getting mokṣa is pre-
mahāvākya goal. On consolidation of the ‘karma absence’, mokṣa is no more a ‘possibility’.
mokṣa is a ‘reality’. It is ‘my’ very nature.
And the more I assert that, my ahaṅkārā’s future I am no more obsessed with. Because, I
have no way of knowing the future of ahaṅkāra, which is adṛṣṭa-karma based. As I said in
the last class, I will never know it. God will not come and tell me just before death, ‘you are a
jñānī and you are going to get mokṣa’. As far as jñānī is concerned he has trust in veda
vākyaṃ. ‘Once I claim ‘I’ am sākṣī and ‘I’ am sākṣi niṣṭhā, ahaṅkāra will merge’, is śāstra
vākyaṃ. That I hold on to. But my emphasis is not on what happens to ahaṅkāra, because
‘I’ have neighboured the ahaṅkāra.
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So, pre-mahāvākyaṃ is, neighborisation of sākṣī. Post-mahāvākyaṃ is, neighborisation of

ahaṅkāra. ahaṅkāra should be getting merger, but that is irrelevant to me. It is a
vyāvahārika issue. I cannot know. I need not know. I have faith in śāstra. And because of
my faith in śāstra, I want to hold on to the knowledge, ‘I am sākṣī’. So, śāstram I have got
śraddhā. videhamukti is from ahaṅkāra standpoint. In mahāvākya I have got more śraddhā.
Therefore, I am obsessed with sākṣī, rather than with ahaṅkāra and its future. A person is a
jñānī only when ahaṅkāra and videhamukti becomes less and less relevant. All these I said
in the last class. But being important, I am repeating. In nididhyāsanaṃ these are my
thoughts. Consolidation of mokṣa as a reality, rather than a possibility. And why is it real?
Look at the fantastic śloka, which makes me joyous! We have completed the śloka.
“puṇyāni pāpāni kutaḥ mama?” - where is the question of puṇyam and pāpam for ‘me’ when
‘I’ am the sākṣī, not the ahaṅkāra? I’ am the one who is the witness of ahaṅkāra, as
described in bṛhadāraṇyaka. [That is where I stopped in the last class]. The bṛhadāraṇyaka
vākyaṃ śaṅkarācārya refers to – “śrutiḥ brūte” - śruti tells me, ‘you are not avasthātrayavān.
You are avasthātraya sākṣī’. “hyananvāgatamityapi”. ‘ananvāgataṃ iti’ - is within inverted
commas. bṛhadāraṇyaka, ‘svayaṃjyoti brāhmaṇaṃ’. Another profound brāhmaṇaṃ, like
‘maitreyī brāhmaṇaṃ’. Some of these sections of bṛhadāraṇyaka are very impactful. It
makes an analysis of avasthātrayaṃ. It says, in suṣupti [deep sleep] we don't have any
connection with ahaṅkāra. ahaṅkāra is resolved. We remain as sākṣī. There is no
connection with puṇyam pāpam etc. In fact, the mantra goes on to say –
atra pitā'pitā bhavati, mātā'mātā, lokā alokā, devā adevāḥ, vedā avedāḥ I atra steno'steno
bhavati, bhrūṇahā'bhrūṇahā, cāṇḍālo'caṇḍālaḥ, paulkaso'paulkasaḥ, śramaṇo'śramaṇaḥ,
stāpaso'tāpasaḥ, ananvāgataṃ puṇyenānanvāgataṃ pāpena, tīrṇo hi tadā sarvāñchokān-
hṛdayasya bhavati II [4-3-22]
ahaṅkāra has got ups and down. So, mind has got avasthātrayaṃ. And in each avasthā the
mind experiences puṇya-pāpam. The body, mind, sense complex, is associated with puṇya
pāpam in each state. In jāgradavasthā, I am associated with jāgrat sense organs and body;
in svapna, dream sense organs and dream body. Its puṇya-pāpam changes. That is why
sometimes, waking situations are fine, dreams are nightmare. At other times, waking is
nightmare whereas in dream I see wonderful things. All that comes and goes. upaniṣad
gives the example of mahā matsya - a huge fish - living in a huge, wide river. The fish goes
to one shore where it sees so many happy events happening. And the fish goes to other
shore. There the events are totally different, sad. And when the fish comes to middle, it is
untouched by the events of both shores. jāgradavasthā is one shore. svanāvasthā is
another shore. In suṣupti avasthā, deep sleep, ‘I’ am in the middle, as it were, away from
both sukham and duḥ kham. ‘I’ am sākṣī. And what obtains in sleep, is the real ‘I’, sākṣī
aham. A jñānī remembers that in the waking also. Therefore he can say, ‘I’ am ‘seemingly’
going through good and bad fortunes. And as sākṣī ‘I’ am ever fortunate. So jñānī says, ‘I’
am that sākṣī, ever fortunate. ahaṅkārā is experiencing the good & bad fortunes. But ‘I’ am
not touched by either. ahaṅkāra will have ups & downs. Because, ahaṅkāra is
vyāvahārikam. It has got vyāvahārika karmās. So, ups & downs are inevitable. But, as a
sākṣī, ‘I’ only witness. ‘I’ do not react to them violently. ‘āgamāpāyino'nityāstāṃstitikṣasva’.
Remember the under-water glass chamber! jñānaṃ gives me immunity against saṃsāra
corona! So, all of you take jñānaṃ vaccine, which the upaniṣads have given, long before.
You need not wait. So, śrutiḥ brūte. brūte means, mentions. In bṛhadāraṇyaka 4-3-22.

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What? “ananvāgataṃ”. ‘ananvāgataṃ’ means, not associated. anvāgataṃ [anu+āgam.

ā+gam dhātu] Means, associated, touched, contaminated, tainted, smeared. ananvāgataṃ
is its opposite. ‘I’ am with the body, but am not touched by body's conditions. ‘I’ am with the
mind, but am untouched by mental conditions. ‘ityapi śrutiḥ brūte’. [brūte is bru dhatu. Not
‘bru’ coffee. ‘bru’ root. brūte bruvāte bruvate. Second conjugation. It is ubhayapati. bravīti
brūtaḥ bruvanti]. Continuing, verse 2 -
छायया स्पृष्टमुष वा शीतं वा सषु ्ठ द:ु ष्ठ वा । न स्पृशत्य यित्किञ्चत्पु तद्�वल�ण म ॥
chāyayā spṛṣṭamuṣṇaṃ vā śītaṃ vā suṣṭhu duḥṣṭhu vā I na spṛśatyeva yatkiñcitpuruṣaṃ
tadvilakṣaṇam II [mantra 27] [504] &&
How ‘I’ am untainted by whatever happens to ahaṅkāra. ahaṅkāra is vyāvahārikam. ‘I’, the
sākṣī, am pāramārthikaṃ. ‘I’, the sākṣī, am of higher order of reality. ahaṅkāra, which is
body, mind, sense complex with cidābhāsa, is of the lower order of reality. ahaṅkāra will
have to interact with the world. ‘guṇā guṇeṣu vartante’. indriyāṇi indriyārtheṣu vartante.
ahaṅkāra cannot isolate itself from jāgradprapañca & svapnaprapañca, because ahaṅkāra
has got these 2 avasthās, states. And so, when it comes to the respective states, it will
contact the world. And the interaction with the world will generate different issues. But what I
understand is, the order of reality is different. Therefore ‘I’ am behind the ahaṅkāra; it is a
veṣaṃ. To convey this idea, an example is given.
Imagine a person is walking on the road. And there in the neighbourhood there is a gutter
flowing. Say, the notorious Cooum! in Chennai. He is walking along its bank early in the
morning when the sun is rising. And, his long shadow is falling on the dirty waters. Now
śaṅkarācārya asks, suppose the shadow comes in touch with the dirty waters / various
objects, “yatkiñcit [vastu] puruṣaṃ chāyayā spṛṣṭam uṣṇaṃ vā śītaṃ vā?”. [vastu we have to
supply. chāyā means, what? In Malayalam, chāyā means tea. In the previous śloka bru
coffee came, now tea comes. Don’t think the text is talking about coffee and tea!] ‘chāyā’
means, shadow. ‘spṛṣṭam’ means, contact, touch. What? ‘yat kiñcit vastu’ – any substance.
Few examples. “uṣṇaṃ vā śītaṃ vā” - may be a hot or cold object. There may be a fire and
the shadow is falling on the fire. Or, it may be ice cold water, śītaṃ vastu. uṣṇaṃ - śītaṃ etc
are adjective to ‘yat kiñcit vastu’. Then, “suṣṭhu vā duḥṣṭhu vā”. suṣṭu means, sacred;
duḥṣṭhu means un-sacred [object]. Good. Bad. [Grammatically, suṣṭu and duḥṣṭhu are
indeclinable. Therefore, they are adverbs only. But the commentators take them
contextually. Here, these two words ae adjectives].
So, whether it is a sacred object like gaṅgā jalaṃ or it is Cooum jalaṃ / gutter water flowing
nearby, when the shadow comes in contact with that sacred or un-sacred object, hot or cold
object, ‘yat kiñcit’ - whatever be the object and its nature, “puruṣaṃ na spṛśati eva”. That is
important. ‘puruṣa’ here means, that walking person. The whole śloka is an example.
‘chāyā’ corresponds to ahaṅkāra. ‘puruṣa’ here refers to the person, which is corresponding
to the sākṣī. ‘I’ am like the person. ‘ahaṅkāra’ is like my shadow. So, shadow is of lower
order of reality. Person is of higher order of reality. ahaṅkāra is vyāvahārikaṃ. ‘I’ am
pāramārthikaṃ. Thus, the example is to show the 2 different orders of reality and their
relationship or its absence. Therefore, puruṣa is asaṅgaḥ. Similarly, ‘I’ the sākṣī, am
asaṅgaḥ. ‘puruṣaṃ’ - the person in this context, the human being, the subject. ‘yatkiñcit
vastu’ is the object. ‘na spṛśaty eva’ - does not touch. Why? [hetugarbha viśeṣaṇaṃ].
“tadvilakṣaṇam” – because, the person is different from his shadow. Different doesn't mean
‘totally’ different. Shadow is dependent on him. But it is not him. Neither different nor same!
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‘puruṣaṃ tadvilakṣaṇam’. tadvilakṣaṇam means, chāyā vilakṣaṇaṃ. Different from shadow.

In fact, this person doesn't even bother, not even aware about his shadow’s conditions.
Even suppose a truck passes over the shadow, he doesn’t immediately sit down and cry.
‘My god. My shadow got crushed’. No. Let anything happen to his shadow, he is untouched,
unaffected by it. Therefore this whole śloka is example.
You only have to add a sentence - ‘Similarly, ‘I’, the sākṣī, am untouched, unaffected by
whatever events happen to my shadow, which is ahaṅkāra’. Because, ahaṅkāra contains
cidābhāsa. cidābhāsa is the shadow of cit, the reflection of the cit. You can take it as the
refection in a mirror. The mirror breaks and the reflection goes away. Yet, we do not sit and
cry for the loss of reflection. Similarly, whatever happens to ahaṅkāra, I don't care.
That is why - it is an aside note. Suppose ahaṅkāra completely disappears during
videhamukti. The body merges into total, mind merges into total, cidābhāsa merges into
total. Individuality is totally gone. And we define it as mokṣa. ‘ahaṅkāra nāśaḥ mokṣaḥ’,
suppose you say. You think it is a very good news. But, other schools of philosophy will
attack vedānta. They will say, ‘you are just an individual ahaṅkāra. And, in the name of
videhamukti, you disappear. You destroy yourself. You annihilate yourself. And if mokṣa is
thus destroying yourself, the ahaṅkāra, who then is going to enjoy ‘eternal’ mokṣa?!
Because, you are not going to be there. It is like cutting-off the head just because you have
a headache’. So, they will say, ‘the advaitin’s mokṣa is useless, because he destroys
himself in the name of mokṣa. Whereas, our mokṣa is superior, because we continue to
survive as an individual, we go to vaikuṇṭha. We enjoy direct contact with bhagavān!’
So, remember, if ‘I’ am ahaṅkāra and if I destroy ahaṅkāra in the form of videhamukti, then I
will have difficulty in answering their criticism. Because, ‘I’ am not there to experience the
eternal mokṣa. The answer to them is, “if ‘I’ am ahaṅkāra, the ahaṅkāra destruction
becomes ‘my’ destruction. But my very knowledge is, ‘I’ am not the ahaṅkāra. ‘I’ am the
sākṣī. And, ‘I’ am ever there. ‘I’ am nityamuktaḥ. So, there is no question of ‘my’ seeking
videhamukti. ‘I’ am eternal and ‘I’ will continue always in the form of jīva, jagat and īśvara!
So, where is the question of annihilation or destruction of ‘I’, the ātmā?
Therefore, if you hold on to individuality, then alone there is a huge problem. And so
advaitin can tell them, ‘you go to vaikuṇṭha, kailāsa etc. only as ahaṅkāra. Therefore, you
will have problems, because ahaṅkāra will go to some place only as a result of some
sādhanā. That will be a karmaphalaṃ. Travel is always associated with karmaphalaṃ, not
jñānaphalaṃ. And once you go there, ‘saṃyogāt viprayogānta’ - any saṃyoga will always
have to be followed by viyogaḥ. You will have to come back. And, after going to vaikuṇṭha
when you come back to Chennai, you will feel even more miserable! It’s like going to some
advanced countries and settling there. And when they come back to India, they keep on
complaining, ‘India is like this. Our country is like that’. Similarly, you will not be able to
survive here. Even going to other countries and return you are not able to tolerate. You go
to vaikuṇṭha and come back, the pain will be immeasurable.
And, if you say, ‘No, no. I will permanently remain in vaikuṇṭha’, that is illogical, because
upaniṣad says “tadyatheha karmajito lokaḥ kṣīyata evamevāmutra puṇyajito lokaḥ kṣīyate”.
[chāndogya 8.1.6]. Whatever be the amount of puṇyam earned, you will have to come back
after its exhaustion. Therefore, your mokṣa, which involves individuality and travelling, can
never be the ‘real’ mokṣa. Whereas, my mokṣa is real because, ‘I’ am eternal and all-
pervading. Let nāma-rūpa appear and disappear, which it must. I accept that.
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Therefore remember, I must claim, ‘I’ am not ahaṅkāra. Then alone word ‘mokṣa’ itself will
create so many doubts. And we will also be attacked by other schools of philosophy.
ahaṅkāra basis and ahaṅkāra based mokṣa also we can hold on to ‘temporality’, until we
understand the mahāvākyaṃ. But, later, I should come to sākṣī and sākṣī-based instant
mokṣa, not distant mokṣa. All this is an aside note. I hope you understand. It is a very big
pūrvapakṣa of other schools of philosophy. viśiṣṭādvatins and dvaitins attack advaitins with
these questions. Anyway, continuing to our discussion, verse 28.
न सा��णं सा�यधमार् संस्पृशिन �वल�णम ् । अ�वकारमद
ु ासीनं गृहधमार् प्रद�पव । दे हेिन्द्रयमनोध नैवात्मान
स्पृशन्त् ॥
na sākṣiṇaṃ sākṣyadharmāḥ saṃspṛśanti vilakṣaṇam । avikāramudāsīnaṃ gṛhadharmāḥ
pradīpavat । dehendriyamanodharmā naivātmānaṃ spṛśantyaho ॥ [mantra 28] [505] &&
The same idea is reinforced here. Difference between ahaṅkāra and sākṣī is emphasised,
how sākṣī remains untouched by whatever happens to ahaṅkāra. Here, the ahaṅkāra is
called ‘sākṣyam’. sākṣyam means, that which is illumined by the sākṣī by the donation of
reflection. So, body-mind-sense complex is called sākṣyam. The witnessed one. And, how it
is sākṣyam? Because, it is illumined by the sākṣī ‘I’. Who am ‘I’? The Original
consciousness. And, how do ‘I’ illumine the sākṣyam body-mind-sense complex? ‘I’ don't do
any job. By ‘my’ mere presence, ‘I’ lend cidābhāsa, ‘my’ reflection. I told you the example of
reflector. When the head light of the car falls on that special paint that is on the wall or
median, that special paint becomes a reflector. It shines. Not by itself, but because of the
light coming from the car itself. Similarly, ‘I’ am the light of consciousness. ‘I’ lend ‘my’
reflection not as a job, it is not a wilful action. But it happens. Why it happens? Because,
body-mind-sense complex is like a special paint, as it were, capable of reflection. Therefore,
‘sākṣyam’ means, either ‘ahaṅkāra’ you say, or ‘body-mind-sense complex’ you say.
“sākṣyadharmāḥ”. And that sākṣyam - body, mind, sense complex - has got attributes. ‘I’,
the sākṣī, am nirguṇa.
eko devaḥ sarvabhūteṣu gūḍhaḥ sarvavyāpī sarvabhūtāntarātmā I karmādhyakṣaḥ
sarvabhūtādhivāsaḥ sākṣī cetā kevalo nirguṇaśca II [śvetāśvatara 6.11]
So, ‘sākṣī cetā kevalo nirguṇaśca’. ‘I’ am nirguṇa caitanyaṃ. But, my body-mind-sense
complex is dharmāḥ, it has got varieties of attributes. Physical body has got physical
attributes. Mind has got mental attributes. But, the ‘sākṣyadharmāḥ’ - attributes of body-
mind-sense complex, “na sākṣiṇaṃ saṃspṛśanti” - doesn't contaminate, taint the sākṣī.
And, what is that? Description is given. All hetugarbha viśeṣaṇaṃ. What is the description of
sākṣī? “vilakṣaṇam” - which is different from body-mind-sense complex. In what way? Body-
mind-sense complex is vyāvahārika nāma-rūpa; whereas, sākṣī is pāramārthika caitanyaṃ.
One is matter, another is consciousness. ‘vilakṣaṇam’ means, different from body-mind-
sense complex. Then, “avikāram”. Very important. avikāram means, doesn't change. When I
am moving the hand, the light which is falling on the hand making my hand visible, the light
also seems to be moving, but really the light doesn't move at all. Similarly, ‘I’, the
consciousness am, non-changing, non-moving. Timewise or space wise.
And, “udāsīnaṃ”. Means, actionless, ‘indifference’ is the literal meaning. Here, indifference
means, akartā-abhoktā. Non-participating. A non-participant is udāsīnaṃ “udāsīnavadāsīno
guṇairyo na vicālyate” [gītā 14.23] guṇātītaḥ. So, “udāsīnaṃ vilakṣaṇaṃ avikāram,
sākṣiṇaṃ”. [avikāraṃ bahuvrīhi. na vidyate vikāraḥ yasya]. ‘sākṣiṇaṃ na saṃspṛśanti’.
108
And another example is given here. Previously, it was a man and his shadow. Here, it is
“gṛhadharmāḥ pradīpavat”. ‘pradīpa’ means the light which is spread over. We are not
talking about the bulb, the source, but the spreading light. The light falls on different rooms
of the house. And the rooms where the visitors come is kept very clean. Because, visitors
will come! I want their impression to be good. There are so many other rooms, cluttered &
dirty; never cleaned; so many insects are running here and there. [Like there’s a joke. A
person was appreciating a beautiful art piece, a painting hanging on the wall of his friend’s
house. ‘Very nice. How did you decide to choose this this painting?’ The host simply smiled.
The visitor persisted. The host replied, ‘I chose this because of its size. It nicely covers the
dark patch on the wall!’ So, in the wall, there is some dirty patch. And he is not able to rectify
it. Therefore, what to do? Bring a nice big picture and hang it there. Nicely covered. He does
not value the painting. It was merely used as a cover. Rather, a cover-up!]
Similarly, in the house there are so many areas some of which are clean and sparkling and
some others that are dirty, cluttered. And, whatever be the condition - clean or unclean –
light spreads all-over uniformly, without itself getting tainted. ‘gṛhadharmāḥ pradīpavat’. Just
as they don't taint the light itself - ‘na saṃspṛśanti’. Always remember, prakāśa & ākāśa
examples are ideal. But you should never extend an example too much. Like, here, the light
and the house belong to the same order of reality. That part you should not extend to the
main idea that is conveyed. Never over-extend an example. Example is always limited in its
scope. Here, the light itself is not contaminated by the condition of what it spreads over.
Whereas, in the case of sākṣī and sākṣyam - ‘I’ and the body-mind - have illuminator-
illumined relationship. It is primary. But there is another. Which is, ‘I’ am of a higher-order;
body-mind-sense complex is of a lower-order. There you should not extend the example.
Once this understood, sākṣi-sākṣya viveka is done.
An aside note. When we talk about ātma-anātma viveka, anātmā is the external world.
Then, we use the word ātma-anātmā viveka. But, when we come to the body-mind-sense
complex, even though it is also anātmā, we change the word anātmā into sākṣyam. And
name of the ātmā is also changed as sākṣī. So, when I talk about external world, the
language used is ātma-anātma viveka. When I come to body-mind-sense complex, I change
it as sākṣi-sākṣya viveka. Both are same only. Body is anātmā only. And ‘I’ am ātmā only.
But the language is changed. ātmā is called sākṣī. Body-mind complex is called sākṣyam.
So, why this change of the word? Because, the anātmā world does not have cidābhāsa.
Whereas, body-mind is a ‘superior’ anātmā, which can reflect my consciousness. And
because of the reflection only, I mistake myself as that. I never mistake mike as myself. But
why do I commit the mistake when it comes to body-mind-sense complex? Because, it is
conscious. ‘I’ am ‘consciousness’. Body-mind-sense complex is ‘conscious’. One is original
and the other is because of its reflection. Between the original & reflection I get mixed-up.
Therefore only all ‘mental’ problems ‘I’ mistake as ‘my’ problems. Always judging ‘myself’
based on ‘my mental’ status. So, this mix-up requires extra attention.
He says, after coming to nididhyāsanaṃ, never judge ‘yourself’ based on ‘your mind’. You
can continue to improve the mind with the help of sādhana catuṣṭaya saṃpatti. May you
continue to give importance to sādhana catuṣṭaya saṃpatti. May you give importance to the
reduction of duṣṭa catuṣṭayam. [ahaṅkāra mamakāra rāga dveṣa]. May you give importance
to vairāgyaṃ. vairāgyaṃ is one weapon which improves the emotional state of mind.
Continue to refine your vairāgyaṃ and refine your mind more and more. That is important.

109
But, never judge yourselves based on the mental status, because mind can never become
100 percent perfect. Mind will have emotional issues. That is what I said. jñānī also can only
‘reduce’ FIR. He has reached a stage where his emotional disturbances are ‘not zero’, but
well contained. jñānīs also do have emotional ups & downs, because of prārabdha karma,
prārabdha vāsanā. And, guṇa fluctuation. Lord kṛṣṇa tells this clearly in the 14th chapter –
“prakāśaṃ ca pravṛttiṃ ca mohameva ca pāṇḍava I na dveṣṭi sampravṛttāni na nivṛttāni
kāṅkṣati II
‘he arjuna, jñānī’s mind also has satva rajas tamas fluctuations.’ prakāśaṃ is satva guṇa,
pravṛttiṃ is rajoguṇa. mohaṃ is tamas. These three fluctuates he also has. saṃpruvṛttaṃ
means, they are differently active. nivṛttaṃ means, they are differently inactive. And as the
guṇās fluctuate, emotional disturbances do happen, even for a jñānī, kṛṣṇa declares. Only
advantage for a jñānī is, because of the attention he has paid sādhana catuṣṭaya saṃpatti
and vairāgyaṃ, the disturbances are heavily contained. That means, they do not spill over
to words and action. Verbally he does not complain. Physically he does not react. Mentally
fluctuations do occur. Because it is mental, others do not know. Others think, jñānī‘s mind
has perfectly zero disturbance. But jñānī knows. And when that happens, what is jñānī’s
attitude? kṛṣṇa says, ‘na dveṣṭi na kāṅkṣati’. He is objective with regard to mental
fluctuations. Because, they are sākṣyam and ‘I’ am sākṣī. Therefore, he doesn't develop
raga dveṣa towards his mind – ‘na dveṣṭi’ - He does not hate his mind for this fluctuation. ‘na
kāṅkṣati’ – nor does He gets attached to the mind because it is in good condition. He
doesn't have rāga dveṣa towards the mind. He has clear understanding,
Dayānanada Swāmīji says, ‘be kind to your mind. Mind also gets affected by some vāsanās.
Erupts unknowingly when some things come surprisingly. Do I have such thoughts? Then
suddenly, do not say, my liberation is gone. Because, once you connect liberation to
ahaṅkāra, you will find one day you are a jīvanmukta, another day you are a mahā saṃsārī!
Then, along with guṇa-fluctuations you will see your mokṣa also fluctuating! jñānī never
commits that blunder. He accepts the guṇa-fluctuations of mind. FIR-fluctuations.
“samaduḥkhasukhaḥ svasthaḥ samaloṣṭāśmakāñcanaḥ” [gītā 14.24] He detaches himself.
Therefore, “āgamāpāyino'nityāstāṃstitikṣasva bhārata” [gītā 2.14] jñānaṃ gives him the
strength to accommodate, tolerance to accommodate the mental disturbances and allow
them to pass. He will apply vairāgyaṃ and try to contain it. And once they are contained,
they become tolerable enough that I will allow it.
That is what I said, when someone close passes away, they say in śaṅkarācārya's
biography … [as I said, there are different biographies of śaṅkarācārya's by different people,
where even His date line is vastly different]. According to one biography, when his mother
died, he became emotional. And if śaṅkarācārya doesn't, we need not bother. It only means,
he is a fine human being. Loss of mother can make everyone emotional, thinking of what all
things she has done. What is wrong in becoming emotional? Why should I become a rock?
It is also a nice sentiment. But, śaṅkarācārya has the facility – “pitā naiva me naiva mātā na
janma, na bandhurna mitraṃ gururnaiva śiṣyaścidānandarūpaḥ śivo'haṃ śivo'ham”
[nirvāṇaṣaṭkam]. This facility to switchover is jñānaṃ, not the absence of emotions.
However, emotions are no more a burden, making me judge myself adversely.
Therefore here śaṅkarācārya says, “dehendriyamanodharmā naivātmānaṃ spṛśantyaho”.
All the attributes, conditions of the body-mind do not touch, affect the ātmā. Body falls sick.
Even for greatest jñānī, body will have sickness. Sense organs may fail. Hearing my go.
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And when I have difficulty in hearing - it is interesting, people are reluctant to accept it
openly. When eyes are not that good, I do not feel bad or inferior. I wear spectacles for
correction. But, somehow, when hearing become deficient, people have got shyness to
wear a hearing-aid like wearing spectacles. That is why even advertisements for hearing aid
are also invisible. They make aids in the colour of your skin and really small, so that nobody
will know you wear a hearing-aid. What is wrong if it is visible? If I don’t wear a hearing-aid
and others don’t know of my inability, they will talk normally. If they know, at least they will
talk louder. Otherwise, I don't hear properly and I will give all irrelevant answers!
What I am saying is, hearing may become less. Thus, if body can be affected by karma,
sense organs can also be affected by karma. Mind also can be affected. I can use sādhana
catuṣṭaya saṃpatti to contain that. But, prabala prārabdhaṃ can bring certain situations
where the mind is disturbed. jñānī does not feel bad. Or, does not question his mokṣa. So
manodharmā. It may happen that you may forget many parts of vedānta!
So, I used to go to a shastri just to have …, there are so many shastri in Chennai. They
have got so much knowledge, I used to go to a sastris. Everything text he used to quote off-
hand, from his head. He was around 80 years. Any mantra or śloka, left and right he used to
quote. Now and then he would say, ‘many things I have forgotten’. He used to complain he
is forgetting [at the age of 80!] I wonder what he was forgetting! So, forgetfulness may
come. Why, even dementia may come. They are all mental problems. So will I be liberated?
‘Suppose Swāmīji at the time of death I do not remember ‘aham brahmāsmi’. Or, I die in
coma. Will I get videhamukti?’ All these problems are when I am ahaṅkāra-pradhāna.
If ‘I’ am sākṣi-pradhāna, I don't care even if the mind goes through ‘tanuṃ tyajatu vā
kāśyāṁ śvapacasya gṛhe'tha vā’ - let me die in kāśī or let me die in a caṇḍāla's house.
Anywhere. It doesn’t matter. What I want to say is, mind based self-judgement we should
drop. Mind can be improved. Mind can never be perfected. Let us enjoy improving the mind,
lifelong. Improving the mind will improve the facility of transactions. But all that has nothing
to do with mokṣa. That I should understand after mahāvākyaṃ. Until mahāvākya jñānaṃ,
mind has to be given importance to gain jñānaṃ. After mahāvākya jñānaṃ, mind has to be
given importance for the sake of vyavahāra, not for the sake of mokṣa. ‘I’ am muktaḥ, so
‘deha indriya manodharmāḥ ātmānaṃ naiva spṛśanty aho”. Their conditions will never touch
me, even if he is afflicted with dementia, alzheimer. Let anything happen.
‘aho’ means, āścaryaṃ. How wonderful this teaching is! I am not worried about how I die
also. When we talk about kramamukti in the 8th chapter of bhagavadgītā, so many
prescriptions about how you should die like - you should remember god, you should
meditate and withdraw all sense organs and die saying god’s name. So worried one will be.
But, for a jñāni, no such worries. How or where or when does not matter to him. More in the
next class.
ॐ पूण्मद
र पूण्�मद
र पूणार्त्पूणर्मुदच | पूण्
र स पूण्मादा
र पूण्मेवाव�शष्य
Math, Chennai].

111
paraṃparām II
न सा��णं सा�यधमार् संस्ृ
प शिन �वल�णम ् । अ�वकारमद
ु ासीनं गह
ृ धमार् प्रद�पव । दे हेिन्द्रयमनोध नैवात्मान
स्ृ
प शन्त् ॥
na sākṣiṇaṃ sākṣyadharmāḥ saṃspṛśanti vilakṣaṇam । avikāramudāsīnaṃ gṛhadharmāḥ
pradīpavat । dehendriyamanodharmā naivātmānaṃ spṛśantyaho ॥ [mantra 28] [505] &&
vedānta introduces the 2 layers of our personality - namely, ahaṅkāra and sākṣī. The
contextual meaning of ahaṅkāra is, śarīratrayaṃ - the 3 bodies - with ‘borrowed’
consciousness or cidābhāsa. And, that alone is visible for everyone. Behind the ahaṅkāra,
pervading this ahaṅkāra, is the Original consciousness, which pervades the body, mind,
sense complex and pervades beyond also. cidābhāsa is thus located. The original ‘cit’ is
unlocated. That ‘cit’ behind the ahaṅkāra is renamed sākṣī. Thus, ahaṅkāra+sākṣī is every
living being, every individual human being. The ahaṅkāra-sākṣī viveka or separation -
intellectual separation - I have practiced during śravaṇaṃ & mananaṃ, through pañcakośa
viveka, avasthātraya viveka etc. Primary discrimination I practice is, ahaṅkāra-sākṣī viveka.
Having clearly understood that ‘I’ am the sākṣī, different from ahaṅkāra, I have received the
mahāvākyaṃ - ‘I’ the sākṣī am brahman. ‘I’ am sākṣi-brahma asmi. And, nididhyāsanaṃ is a
process by which ‘I’ thought, sākṣi-brahma, is to dominate my mind. I want to become sākṣi-
pradhānaḥ. Before vedānta I was ahaṅkāra-pradhānaḥ. After śravaṇa-mananaṃ also,
because of viparīta bhāvana - habitual identification - I continue to be ahaṅkāra-pradhānaḥ.
Until now I am ahaṅkāra-pradhānaḥ. I want to become a senior student, one who is sākṣi-
pradhānaḥ. When this sākṣi-pradhāna becomes natural to me, it is called jñānaniṣṭhā̄.
Thus, this is the difference between a junior student and a senior student. If you want to
make a table of junior and senior students, these are all the differences. Junior student is
ahaṅkāra pradhāna, senior is sākṣi-pradhāna. Junior is adhyāropa vedānta pradhāna,
saying ‘brahman is kāraṇaṃ, I am one of the products – jīva’. brahman is kāraṇaṃ, I am the
kārya jīvaḥ, born repeatedly. adhyāropa vedānta pradhānaḥ, first part of vedānta. Whereas,
in the second part, which is for seniors, the focus is apavāda vedānta pradhāna. I don't say
brahman is kāraṇaṃ and I am kāryaṃ. brahman is not kāraṇaṃ, I am not kāryaṃ. ‘I am
brahman’, which is kārya-kāraṇa vilakṣaṇaṃ. Thus, junior is adhyāropa vedānta pradhānaḥ.
Senior is, apavāda vedānta pradhānaḥ.
As ahaṅkāra, mokṣa is always a sādhyaṃ. ahaṅkāra pradhāna junior will always see mokṣa
as a sādhyaṃ, a distant goal. Maximum progress he can make is, ‘I am close to mokṣa’. He
will never have the courage, the confidence to claim, ‘I am muktaḥ’, as long as he is
ahaṅkāra pradhānaḥ. ahaṅkāra pradhāna and sādhyamokṣa go together. So, mokṣa will
eternally be a sādhyaṃ. Always elusive, even after 25 years! The elusiveness of mokṣa
indicates I am ahaṅkāra pradhānaḥ, I am a junior student, even after 25 years! Whereas, a
senior student is sākṣi-pradhānaḥ, for whom mokṣa can never be a sādhyaṃ. mokṣa is ‘my’
very nature. Even if bhagavān comes and asks, ‘do you want mokṣa?’, a senior student will
only smile at bhagavān and say, ‘O lord, why are you promising something which you
cannot give me! I am sākṣi-pradhānaḥ, and so I already have mokṣa. How can you give me
my own svarūpaṃ? Senior is sākṣi-pradhānaḥ, siddha mokṣa pradhānaḥ. As sādhya mokṣa
pradhānaḥ, as a junior, mokṣa is my goal. First, I want to ‘become’ jīvanmukta. Later, I want
to ‘become’ videhamukta. Eternally I am into ‘becoming’ process. Whereas, a senior is
siddha mokṣa pradhānaḥ.
112
In my language, junior student is triangular-format pradhānaḥ, claiming – “I am jīvaḥ. This is

jagat. There is an īśvara somewhere. I want to merge into īśvara, ‘after’ death”. Thus,
triangular-format pradhānaḥ is junior student. Senior student is binary-format pradhānaḥ.
For him, there are only 2 things - pāramārthika satyaṃ & vyāvahārika satyaṃ. ‘I’, the
observer, am pāramārthika satyaṃ. Everything I experience - even god, which is an object
of worship - is vyāvahārika satyaṃ. ‘I’ am that pāramārthika satyaṃ. Thus, ‘I’ come to
binary-format – ‘pāramārthika satyaṃ & vyāvahārika satyaṃ’ - the only two things. And, as I
become more and more sākṣi-pradhānaḥ, I will start claiming ‘I’ am nityamuktaḥ,
irrespective of the mental conditions, the physical conditions etc.
Therefore, śaṅkarācārya said, “dehendriyamanodharmā naivātmānaṃ spṛśantyaho”. deha
indriya manodharmā - body, mind, sense complex they are all imperfect; they will have their
issues. Even a perfect jñānī also will not have perfect anātmā. As I said, jñānī is one who
has learnt to reduce the FIR enough to make it manageable, containable. ‘naivātmānaṃ
spṛśanty’ - they don’t touch the ātmā, they don’t express in the form of verbal complaints or
physical reactions. Mind will have ups and downs. As Lord kṛṣṇa said in the gītā,
prakāśaṃ ca pravṛttiṃ ca mohameva ca pāṇḍava I na dveṣṭi sampravṛttāni na nivṛttāni
kāṅkṣati II [14.22]
The 3 guṇās will fluctuate even in the mind of a jñānī. guṇā fluctuation means, emotional
fluctuation. If mind has got fluctuation, how come a jñānī claims, ‘I am nityamuktaḥ’? He
claims because, he knows that mind’s problems are not his problems; mind is sākṣyaṃ
whereas, ‘I’ am sākṣī. I will improve the mind. Life-long it can be improved. I will improve the
mind, but I will never connect the mental state and my status of liberation. I won't mix-up,
because I remember in mahāvākya vicāra I have done bhagatyāga lakṣaṇa. So, I never use
the word ‘I’ for the mind. Therefore, “na sākṣiṇaṃ sākṣyadharmāḥ saṃspṛśanti”. Very
beautiful. These are all nididhyāsana slogans. “dehendriyamano-dharmāḥ naivātmānaṃ
spṛśanty aho!”. What a wonderful freedom I have! ‘I’ am free, in spite of anātmā issues. ‘I’
am not going to “become” free after solving all the anātmā issues! Because, all that can
never be solved 100 percent.
I am not going to “discover” freedom “after solving” all the anātmā issues. ‘I’ am free, in spite
of anātmā issues. Remember another śloka -
āropitaṃ nāśrayadūṣakaṃ bhavetkadāpi mūḍhairatidoṣadūṣitaiḥ । nārdrīkaroty ūṣarabhūmi-
bhāgaṃ marīcikāvārimahāpravāhaḥ ॥ [mantra 21] [498] &&
anātmā and its problems belong to vyāvahārika plane. ‘I’, the sākṣī, am in pāramārthika
plane. That doesn't mean I am negligent and careless with regard to the mind. That doesn't
mean I take to yatheṣṭācāraḥ, a licentious life at the anātmā level. I will always make sure
dharma is followed, duties are followed, emotions are improved, daivī saṃpat is maintained.
I will always try to maintain anātmā in dharmic sādhana catuṣṭaya saṃpatti, with daivī
saṃpat. All that will continue. But, parallelly, I remember that, that should not be connected
to the fact that ‘I am nityamuktaḥ’. This is very important. I should not abuse vedānta and do
அக்கிரம! I have to keep anātmā as much dhārmic as possible. I should remember, ‘ahaṃ
anyatra dharmādanyatrādharmādanyatrāsmātkṛtākṛtāt’. Up to this we saw. Continuing. 29.
रवेय्
र थ कमर्� सा��भाव: वह्नेयर् दाह�नयामकत्वम । रज्जोयर्थारो�पतवस्तु: तथैव कूटस्थ�चदात्म मे ॥
raveryathā karmaṇi sākṣibhāvaḥ vahneryathā dāhaniyāmakatvam । rajjoryathāropitavastu-
saṅgaḥ tathaiva kūṭasthacidātmano me ॥ [mantra 29] [506] &&
113
Certain examples are given to show that ‘I’, the ātmā, is associated with certain vyāvahārika
statuses - like, sākṣitvaṃ. ‘I’ am the witness of the body, mind, sense complex. ‘I’ enliven
the body, mind, sense complex. Like this, certain statuses are given to ātmā. But all these
statuses are only ‘superimposed’ upon the ātmā from vyāvahārika angle. They are not ‘real’
‘attributes’ of ātmā. They are also kalpitam. They are vyāvahārika statuses, used purely for
communication purposes, they are kalpitam, superimposed. Therefore, those statuses, by
themselves, do not make ‘me’ either superior or inferior. When I claim, ‘I am sākṣī’, the
sākṣī status does not make me inferior to the ātmā / brahman status. Many are worried – ‘if
you name ātmā as sākṣī, then it will make ātmā an inferior one’. Therefore, they negate
sākṣī. We need not. We can happily have the sākṣī status, which never makes me either
inferior or superior, because it is purely a vyāvahārika status, superimposed for transaction
purposes. sākṣī is the name of the Original consciousness when it is behind the ahaṅkāra.
Therefore, here the first example given is “raveḥ yathā karmaṇi sākṣibhāvaḥ”. raviḥ means
sūryaḥ, sun. Sun is considered to be the witness of all the events that are going on upon the
earth. It is the illuminator of the earth. It is the witness of the earth, as it were. Therefore,
sun is given sākṣī status. And, even though it has got sākṣī status, that sākṣī status,
attributed to the sun, is only kalpitam. Because, sun does not do the ‘job’ of illumination. It
simply ‘is’. Illumination is not its ‘karma’. It is not an ‘attribute’. Therefore, the sun will not be
considered a culprit if a criminal does a crime in sunlight, even though sunlight may assist
the crime, which in darkness he could not have done. But sunlight cannot be taken as an
accomplice. And, sunlight will not be affected by that act, even though it is an illuminator
enabling the crime. ‘Illumination’ is not an ‘action’. ‘Illuminator’ is not a ‘real status’; it is only
kalpitam, a superimposition. Therefore, kalpitatvaṃ and nirvikāratvaṃ - or, niṣkriyatvaṃ - is
there in sūryaḥ. So, ‘yathā raveḥ karmaṇi’. [karmāṇi is viṣaya saptamī]. karmāṇi here
means, with regard to the good and bad actions of the humanity, raveḥ - for the sūrya,
sākṣibhāvaḥ is there. It does not make the sun inferior because of that.
Similarly, I will happily claim ‘I’ am sākṣī. That sākṣī status is ‘superimposed’, and it is not an
‘action’ or an ‘attribute’. Therefore, it doesn't make me an inferior or superior one. [Sanskrit
students, yathā raveḥ karmaṇi sākṣibhāvaḥ kalpitam bhavati, tathā ātmanaḥ sākṣibhāvaḥ
api kalpitam. It does not make ātmā inferior. Many people are disturbed to claim ‘I am sākṣī’.
They want to immediately say, ‘I am not sākṣī also’. We can relaxedly say, ‘I am sākṣī’
without feeling bad, because it is vyāvahārikaṃ and kalpitam. Just as the desert land is not
made wet by mirage water, sākṣī status doesn't make ‘me’ inferior. This is example-1.
The second example is, “yathā vahneḥ dāha niyāmakatvamṃ”. The fire is supposed to heat
up the objects with which it comes into contact. agni burns. So, the burner-hood of agni is
called dāha niyāmakatvaṃ. dāha niyāmakatvaṃ means, being the controller of or the owner
of burning of other objects. Therefore, agni is called dāhakaḥ. So dāha niyāmakatvaṃ we
can translate as dāhakatvaṃ. Burner-hood. So, when you say, ‘fire burns’, it is not an
‘action’ done by the fire. Sometimes, the fire can burn a sacred book also! Like, after ārati,
your pūjā book kept near that flame can get burnt. But, because of that ‘action’, will agni
have pāpam or puṇyam? Nothing. agni doesn't do the ‘action’ of burning. Therefore, burning
a sacred object will not make agni inferior, a culprit. Similarly, ‘I’ illumine the mind, which has
problems. That does not make ‘me’ inferior. Therefore, ‘vahneḥ dāha niyāmakatvam anya
vastu dāhakatvaṃ kalpitam bhavati’. It is only a superimposed status. Because of that, agni
does not become inferior. This is example No.2.

114
A note about these examples. These are all popular examples. śaṅkarācārya throughout
this bhāṣyaṃ, gives these, especially the second example repeatedly. Normally, whether it
is Sanskrit language or any language, a ‘verb’ reveals an ‘action’. This is a general rule. But
śaṅkarācārya says, never forget that this general rule has got exceptions. There are verbs
which do not reveal any action. We use the verb for communication alright, but that verb
doesn't convey any action. What is the example He gives? ‘Sun illumines the earth’. Here,
‘Illumines’ is a verb. But it is not an ‘action’ done by sūrya bhagavan. It is not that sun thinks
and acts. ‘Should I illumine or not?’ It is not a will-based action. Actions are all temporary. It
is not will-based temporary action. ‘Illumination’ is the svarūpaṃ of sun. It is not the ‘action’
of the sun. Similarly, the second example śaṅkarācārya gives is, fire ‘burns’. ‘Illumines’ is a
verb. It doesn't convey an action. Fire ‘burns’ is a verb. It doesn't convey any action.
Similarly, when I say, ‘I witness the mind’, ‘I’ am aware of the things that are happening in
the mind. As the sākṣi caitanyaṃ when I say, ‘I am the knower, I am the awarer, I am the
sākṣī’ etc. many people feel disturbed, ‘is it not an action?!’ He says, ‘I am awarer of the
events of the mind, without doing any action; of course, in the presence of the mind’. Pure
consciousness is not an awarer. But, in the mind, ‘I’, the consciousness principle, am the
sākṣī, without any action. That is why it is said, ‘adṛṣṭo draṣṭā'śrutaḥ śrotā'mato manta
'vijñato vijñātā’ [bṛhadāraṇyaka]. ātmā is called nirvikāra draṣṭā, nirvikāra jñātā, adṛṣṭa
draṣṭā, aśruta śrotā, etc. Because, when I say ‘I listen to something’, … [I have talked about
it before. I am reminding. Highly technical point]. When I say, ‘I listen to something’, 3
components are there. Mind is there. cidābhāsa is there. cit is there. The listener status of ‘I’
is spread over 3 components. All 3 are co-existing. Pure mind is not listener. Pure
cidābhāsa is not listener. Pure cit is not listener. The conglomerate is listener. But here, I am
focusing on the cit part by bhagatyāga lakṣaṇa and I say, ‘I’ the cit, [along with the mind &
cidābhāsa is understood] ‘I’, the cit, am the changeless listener. Similarly, ‘I’ am draṣṭā śrotā
mantā. But, ‘I’ am nirvikāra draṣṭā śrotā manta, as one of the components of the listener,
seer etc., along with mind and cidābhāsa. Any way, it is a technical point to be noted. What
is to be focused here is, ‘I’ do everything, without involving any action! This is example 2.
The third example is, “rajjoḥ yathā āropita vastu saṅgaḥ”. So, rajju example has come. rajju
means, rope. What type of rope? vedāntic rope, upon which there is snake superimposition.
Once the superimposition is done, rope is given a status – ‘adhiṣṭhānaṃ’ status. Once the
rope gets adhiṣṭhānaṃ status, snake is superimposed. āropitam & adhyāsaḥ. adhiṣṭhānaṃ
and adhyāsa always have contact. Rope accommodates the ‘poisonous snake’. And here,
śaṅkarācārya says, even though the rope has got adhiṣṭhānaṃ status and association with
the snake, rope will never be affected by its adhiṣṭhānaṃ status, it doesn't make the rope
inferior or dangerous. Similarly, ‘I’, the ātmā, am ‘accommodating’ the worrying mind.
And the worry of the vedāntic students is, ‘Swāmīji, the nididhyāsanaṃ series is fantastic.
We enjoy it thoroughly. But the problem is, …’ [complaining ahaṅkāra has come!] ‘Swāmīji,
during vyavahāra I forget. So, I forget. I react. I regret. I forget. I react. I regret. This is a new
complaint. Only vedāntic students have got vedāntic complaint. They give it to the guru!
‘Swāmīji I forget. I react. I regret’. In nididhyāsanaṃ tell yourselves, ‘it is mind’s problem. I
will never say, ‘I’ forget. I will never say, ‘I’ react. I will never say, ‘I’ regret. That means, I am
again becoming ahaṅkāra-pradhāna, identifying with anātmā. I have committed a blunder
when I say, ‘I am forgetting during vyavahāra’. Thus, in nididhyāsanaṃ, practice - ‘mind has
got certain issues. Not ‘me’. During vyavahāra it forgets that and it reacts and regrets.’

115
Just as anātmā has got several problems, mind also has got. I will improve the mind. I will
address the mind. But I will never connect this problem of the mind with ‘me’, the sākṣī. I will
never say, ‘I’ have problems. I will claim my nityamukti status. And, as a nityamukta sākṣī, I
will enjoy improving the ahaṅkāra. But, the status of ahaṅkāra, the status of the mind, and
the tantrums it throws during vyavahāra - all of them are like handling a baby. I will handle
that. But I will never complain – ‘I’ have a problem. ‘I’ react. ‘I’ forget the vedānta śloka. I will
never complain so. The moment I complain, I have identified with ahaṅkāra, the mind and its
problems. Never complain. Always say, ‘I am muktaḥ. I am happy. Mind has certain issues.
ahaṅkāra has got certain issues. I enjoy handling the issues.’ Like mother enjoys the baby.
She may say, ‘baby is creating many problems. It pulls everything down’. Mother may
complain. But, secretly, she enjoys. ‘My’ baby! So too, enjoy the ahaṅkāra baby. It does lot
of mischief. But, be a mother. Enjoy the tantrums of ahaṅkāra. Let it forget these verses. Let
it react. Learn to handle it. But never, never complain to me; then, I will complain! [joke!]
The complaining students are junior students. ahaṅkāra pradhānaḥ. They identify with their
minds and its problems. Never be a complaining junior student, become a senior student,
who will never complain. Handle the mind, without complaining.
“rajjoḥ yathā āropita vastu saṅgaḥ”. rajjoḥ - for the rope, āropita vastu - superimposed snake
- has no connection, ‘real’ connection. Therefore, the poison of the superimposed snake will
not affect the rajju. Similarly, ‘I’ am never affected by the forgetting the mind, the reacting
mind, the regretting mind. ‘I’ am never affected. I will never complain about the mind. I enjoy
my mind. I am kind. Dayānanada Swāmīji always says, ‘I am kind to the mind’. I will slowly
improve. Lifelong I will do that. But, in nididhyāsanaṃ, I practice a non-complaining attitude.
Typical definition of saṃsāra is, ‘complaining nature’. Let junior students continue that. The
saṃsāri ahaṅkāra has that innate nature. I will confer them with a degree. Like M.Sc. M.A. I
will give M.Com. M.Com. normally means, Master of Commerce. I am giving M.Com -
‘Master of Complaints’! So, never complain. Because ‘I’ am never affected by mind’s issues.
Therefore, ‘āropita vastu saṅgaḥ yathā rajjoḥ nāsti’ or ‘saṅgaḥ kalpitaṃ bhavati’. Similarly,
mind and its problems are superimposed on ‘me’. But, ‘I’ am not tainted by those problems.
‘I’ have no complaints. “tathaiva kūṭasthacidātmanaḥ me”. tathaiva - in the same way, like
these 3 examples, ‘kūṭastha cit ātmanaḥ me’ – ‘I’, the kūṭastha cit ātmā. kūṭastha means,
changeless, taintless. cit-ātmā means, cit-svarūpa ātmā - of the nature of consciousness.
That ‘me’ you have to underline. For ‘me’, I have no complaints.
So, what is mokṣa? ‘I’ have, no complaints. Even when everything is going haywire, the
answer given by a jñānī is, ‘I have absolutely no complaints.’ śaṅkarācārya says in manīṣā
pañcakaṃ, “prārabdhāya samarpitaṃ svavapurityeṣā manīṣā mama”. The complaining
ahaṅkāra I have donated, I have surrendered to prārabdhaṃ, I have surrendered to the lord.
Thus, surrendering the complaining ahaṅkāra is mokṣaḥ. Continuing. Verse 30.
कतार्� वा कार�यता�प नाहं भोक्ता� वा भोज�यता�प नाहम ् । द्रष्ट वा दशर्�यता� नाहं सोऽहं
स्वयञ्ज्यो�तरनीदृग ॥
kartāpi vā kārayitāpi nāhaṃ bhoktāpi vā bhojayitāpi nāham । draṣṭāpi vā darśayitāpi nāhaṃ
so'haṃ svayañjyotiranīdṛgātmā ॥ [mantra 30] [507] &&
So, in the śāstra, all actions are broadly classified into 2 types. One is, the ‘direct’
performance of the action. Another is, ‘indirect’ performance of the action by instigating,
impelling, stimulating another one to do the action. Therefore, either I do the karma myself,
116
like I do the pūjā. Or, I engage a priest and give him dakṣiṇa etc. and get the pūjā done, on
behalf of me. One is direct action. Another is indirect action. Both of them are karma only.
And both will produce puṇyam and pāpam. When the priest does the pūjā, say, during
navarātri, I give him dakṣiṇa. Thus, the priest gets the karmaphalam of dakṣiṇa, but the pūjā
/ pārāyaṇa phalaṃ yajamāna gets, because yajamāna has made the priest to do that
karma. In Sanskrit, 2 words are there. Directly doing is called kartā; and, when I get it done,
I am called kārayitā, instigator of indirect to work. kartā and kārayitā.
Similarly wrongful actions also can be done or got done. There are many who get crimes
done through other people. There are goondas whose job is that. Whatever crime you want
to do, they are there. They have got people. It is like a company they have. And each crime
has got a rate also. But, when it is done, the one who pays and instigates, he also becomes
a criminal. So, kartā and kārayitā. Like that, in Sanskrit, for everything we have got these 2
forms of verbs. Indirect action is called causal form. karoti - kārayiti. gacchati - ghamayati.
gacchati, he goes; ghamayati, he makes another to go. paṭhati - pāṭhayati. He reads. Makes
another read. So, a regular verb & a causal verb. ṇijanta pratyaya. Both of them are actions.
ācārya says, ‘ātmā is neither’, even though in the presence of ātmā the anātmā gets
enlivened and anātmā does good and bad actions. In the presence of ātmā, the Original
consciousness, the anātmā gets reflected consciousness and gets enlivened. And the
anātmā does kāyika, vācika, mānasa puṇya karmāṇi, pāpa karmāṇi. And, all these are
possible because of the presence of ātmā. Therefore, it ‘appears’ that ātmā is kārayitā, the
instigator of the mind, propeller of the mind. And so, ātmā also should be ‘responsible’ for
my good and bad thoughts & actions! Then, the next question ‘why is ātmā ‘making me’
think / act badly?’ For that, our answer is, ātmā doesn't wilfully do any job of enlivening. In
its presence, anātmā gets enlivened. ātmā is sāmānya kāraṇaṃ. It is, “upadraṣṭānumantā
ca bhartā bhoktā maheśvaraḥ” [gītā]. It is just a presiding principle. It is not responsible.
Then, what is responsible for puṇya-pāpa karma? pūrva vāsanā! It is the vāsanā that
impels. Therefore, we have to learn to handle the vāsanā, through dharma-adharma viveka.
My vāsanā tells me, ‘you do this’. That is vāsanā’s job. But then, I have to use my will and
śāstra jñānaṃ and learn to handle the vāsanā. All these belong to anātmā. ātmā is not
responsible either for good or bad karma. Therefore, He gives a list of that.
“kartāpi vā kārayitāpi nāhaṃ”. In ‘my’ presence, good and bad actions happen. ‘I’ am neither
the doer nor the instigator of actions. Then, “bhoktāpi vā bhojayitāpi nāham”. ‘I’ am neither
the enjoyer nor the instigator. ‘I’ am neither the eater nor the instigator of a person to eat all
junk foods, drink all kinds of spirited liquor. vāsanās makes the mind to do that. [The causal
form of bhoktā is bhojayitā. bhoktā bhoktārau bhoktāraḥ bhojayitā bhojayitārau
bhojayitāraḥ]. Similarly, “draṣṭāpi vā darśayitāpi nāhaṃ”. draṣṭāpi - ‘I’ am not the seer also.
darśayitāpi nāhaṃ - ‘I’ am not the instigator of other people to see this or that. Watch this or
that program. ātmā doesn't say. Neighbours and friends and your own vāsanās may say,
not ātmā. In the presence of ātmā, seeing happens. But, ātmā itself is ‘draṣṭāpi vā
darśayitāpi na ahaṃ’.
Then who am ‘I’? “so'haṃ svayañjyotiranīdṛgātmā”. ‘ahaṃ svayaṃ-jyotiḥ ātmā asmi’. ‘I’ am
the self-effulgent, self-revealing ātmā. Effulgent does not mean it is visually perceptible.
Self-effulgent means, self-revealing in the form of ‘I’ am. When I say, ‘I am’, what is self-
revealing is the consciousness. Body is not self-revealing. Body is revealed because of the
proximity of the self-revealing ‘I’. So, ‘svayaṃjyotiḥ ātmā’, the self, the real ‘I’, ‘aham asmi’.
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And, “anīdṛk”. anīdṛk means, unlike the above mentioned 3 pairs. īdṛk means, like. anīdṛk
means, unlike. Unlike what? The above three. Above three means, kartā kārayitā, bhoktā
bhojayitā, draṣṭā darśayitā. ‘I’ am unlike all these. You can extend other aspects also. Like,
śrotā śrāvaṇtā. [You should know what is its causal form]. “so'haṃ svayañjyotiranīdṛg-
ātmā”. ‘I’ am the non-complaining sākṣī. ‘I’ am not the complaining ahaṅkāra. ahaṅkāra may
fail me during vyavahāra. It is ahaṅkāra that fails. ‘I’, the sākṣī, never fail. [Sanskrit students
split the word properly. svayaṃjyotiḥ anīdṛg ātmā. īdṛk anīdṛk. īdṛś śabdaḥ̣ sakārāntạ. In
prathama, it becomes īdṛk. And because of sandhi, it becomes īdṛg. Okay]. Verse 31.
चलत्युपाध प्र�त�बम्बलम ् औपा�धकं मढ
ू �धयो नयिन् । स्व�बम्बभू र�ववद्�व�निष्क कतार्िस भोक्तािस
हतोऽिस् हे �त ॥
calatyupādhau pratibimbalaulyam aupādhikaṃ mūḍhadhiyo nayanti । svabimbabhūtaṃ
ravivadviniṣkriyaṃ kartāsmi bhoktāsmi hato'smi heti ॥ [mantra 31] [508] &&
So, here he wants to say, there is always a mix-up between sākṣī ‘I’ and the ahaṅkāra ‘i’;
between ‘original’ consciousness and ‘reflected’ consciousness. Reflected consciousness is
limited, located, subject to travel, subject to fluctuations. That’s because the characteristics
of any reflection depends upon its reflecting medium. upādhi parādhīnaḥ. When the mirror is
clean and shiny, the reflection is bright. When the mirror is unclean, the reflection is dull.
When the mirror becomes completely opaque, there is no reflection at all. So also, reflection
or ahaṅkāra is subject to fluctuations, whereas original consciousness, the sākṣī, is never
subject to fluctuations. That is why when somebody faints, we say, ‘he is unconscious’.
Meaning, consciousness is gone. When you say, ‘unconscious’, you are talking about the
‘cidābhāsa’, reflected consciousness, which has become almost unmanifest. Unmanifest RC
is unconsciousness. But, even then, remember, the original consciousness continues.
So, to convey the mix-up between cidābhāsa and cit, ahaṅkāra and sākṣī, śaṅkarācārya
gives an example. [In nididhyāsanaṃ, really speaking, I am not supposed to be explaining
all this. In śravaṇa-mananaṃ these aspects should have been completed]. Anyway, in
hastāmalakīyaṃ an entire ślokā talks of this example only. In several works, this example is
given. The example is, the bimba sūryaḥ [original Sun, up-above] remaining steady, the
reflection, pratibimba sūryaḥ - down below in a puddle of water - keeps on fluctuating,
moving, bending and becoming straight. In Sanskrit it is called ‘laulyam’. lolaḥ means, being
shaky, unsteady. [lola. Its abstract noun is laulyaṃ]. So, pratibimba has shakiness, because
of the shaking reflecting medium; whereas, bimba sūryaḥ does not shake. But a confused
person looking at the waters makes a general statement, ‘the sun is shaky’, without
differentiating bimba and pratibimba, forgetting that bimba sūrya never becomes shaky.
Similarly, the ajñānis also. When the mind is shaken by a disturbing event [ahaṅkāra is the 3
śarīrams + cidābhāsa] ajñāni transfers that shakiness to the sākṣī ‘I’ and complains,
‘Swāmīji, even after vedāntic study also, I am becoming shaky. When will I ‘become’ a jīvan-
mukta? When will I become a videhamukta?’ He again postpones mukti! ‘Because that
event happened, I am shaken & disturbed. I am not supposed to be. For many years I have
been listening to you. What should I do? What is the remedy?’ So, the guru has to give a
remedy, give something. He will say, ‘continue the japa’. Something like that, for him to do.
But in reality, the problem is, a fundamental mistake has been committed. It is mixing-up of
ahaṅkāra ‘i’ and the sākṣī ‘I’. Which means, the student ‘successfully’ continues to be a
junior student. ahaṅkāra pradhānaḥ, saying ‘I am shaken’. ‘Still I do not have jñāna niṣṭhā’.

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Endless complaints. And, what is nididhyāsanaṃ? ‘I’ can never become shaken, even when
ahaṅkāra is shaken. I will address the ahaṅkāra issue. That is a different thing. But I will
never say, ‘I’ am shaken, therefore I am not a jīvanmukta, I am doubtful whether I will get
videhamukti’. No. vedāntic sob-stories I will never do. ahaṅkāra may be shaken. Let me
handle it. ‘kūṭastha cid ātmanaḥ me’. ‘I’ am kūṭastha ātmā.
Therefore śaṅkarācārya says here, “mūḍhadhiyaḥ nayanti” - deluded people, in spite of 25
years of advanced vedāntic study, continue to complain. I am not telling ‘you’! śaṅkarācārya
says about mūḍhadhiyaḥ. Therefore, stop this complaint. Declare, ‘I can never be shaken’.
ahaṅkāra did become shaken. Fine. ‘I will handle the ahaṅkāra’. More in the next class.
ॐ पण
ू ्मद
र पण
ू ्स
र पण
ू ्मादा
र पण
ू ्मेवाव�शष्य
second number is the number of the verse in the vivekacūḍāmaṇi text translated by Svā mi Turīyānanda & published by Ramakrishna
Math, Chennai].

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paraṃparām II
चलत्ु य पाध प्र�त�बम्बलम ् औपा�धकं मढ
ू �धयो नयिन् । स्व�बम्बभू र�ववद्�व�निष्क कतार्िस भोक्तािस
हतोऽिस् हे �त ॥
calatyupādhau pratibimbalaulyam aupādhikaṃ mūḍhadhiyo nayanti । svabimbabhūtaṃ
ravivadviniṣkriyaṃ kartāsmi bhoktāsmi hato'smi heti ॥ [mantra 31] [508] &&
In all these verses we find that the vedāntic student who has gone through śravaṇaṃ and
mananaṃ is trying to shift the meaning of the word ‘I’ from ahaṅkāra to sākṣī. By the word
ahaṅkāra, we mean the 3 bodies with borrowed consciousness - cetana anātmā - which is
required for all the transactions. ahaṅkāra is required for practicing nididhyāsanaṃ also! But
we are only using ahaṅkāra as an instrument or costume for both worldly as well as spiritual
transactions, including nididhyāsanaṃ. ‘Using’ the ahaṅkāra is one thing, but taking ‘myself
to be ahaṅkāra’, is quite another – is disaster. And therefore only, the vedāntic aim is -
especially the message of mahāvākyaṃ is – ‘use the ahaṅkāra as an instrument, alright. But
may you know, ‘you are the glorious & ever-free sākṣī’, which is the original consciousness
behind the ahaṅkāra. You are brahman and are ever free, irrespective of the biography of
ahaṅkāra’. The biography of ahaṅkāra is heavily influenced by astrological charts, whereas
sākṣī doesn't have any such chart. But, generally, a junior student continues to be
ahaṅkāra-pradhānaḥ even after years of vedāntic study, because he doesn't register the
message of the mahāvākyaṃ. Ignoring or non-registering the message of mahāvākyaṃ, he
continues to be ahaṅkāra-pradhānaḥ. And thus continues to be a saṃsārī.
The only advantage this junior student, this ahaṅkāra pradhāna student enjoys is, after the
study of vedānta, he can admire the śāstraṃ wonderfully. He can admire the guru, greatly.
That he has achieved. Admire vedānta. Admire māṇḍūkya kārikā. Admire the guru who is
delivering the message. Admire both teaching of the guru and śāstra. But when it comes to
‘himself’, the junior student continues to behave like a saṃsārī, full of complaints. Some
vedāntic complaints are included along with other ones. That is all. He can never appreciate
the ‘self’ glory. He can’t share the glory and fulfilment of sākṣī with the ‘self’. Whenever he
meets the guru, he will admire the guru and śāstraṃ. But when it comes to ‘himself’, he
behaves like a saṃsārī, because he continues to be ahaṅkāra-pradhānaḥ.
Whereas, a senior student is one who, through clear registration of the mahāvākyaṃ
message, becomes sākṣi-pradhānaḥ, through nididhyāsanaṃ. He is able to appreciate the
fullness of the sākṣī, glories of the sākṣī as brahman. And, he is able to share the ‘self’ glory
with his guru. He enjoys that ‘self’ glory. In front of such a senior student, guru is ‘sadguru’.
In front of the junior student, guru becomes a ‘sad’ guru! [Spelling is same!] Why? Because,
the junior student admires guru and śāstraṃ, but he is still ahaṅkāra pradhānaḥ, obsessed
with the deficiencies and problems of ahaṅkāra. A senior student also may share the
ahaṅkāra issues with the guru. But that does not dominate the conversation. That doesn't
overshadow the joy of the teaching and the joy of ‘his’ own glory, which he can share with
guru and guru alone. How can he share that with saṃsārī people? He takes the opportunity
to share ‘his’ own glory. ‘Thank god, I am rid of saṃsāra. So, the gratitude shown indicates
the śiṣyā’s fulfilment. His freedom from saṃsāra. That is what is brought out more & more.
Thus, ‘junior student - senior student contrast’ must be clear. One continues to be ahaṅkāra-
pradhānaḥ and behaves like a saṃsārī. Only thing the junior student does differently from a
saṃsārī is, now he admires vedānta. But that is not what the guru wants. Therefore,
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śaṅkarācārya in all these nididhyāsana ślokās talks about the senior student, who has
registered the mahāvākyaṃ, who is sākṣi-pradhānaḥ, who admires ‘his’ glory and shares
that with the guru. Here, in this śloka, He contrasts him with a junior student who behaves
like a saṃsārī. Why is he so? Because he is in ahaṅkāra most of the time. What is
ahaṅkāra? cidābhāsa pradhānaḥ; not, cit pradhānaḥ. [cidābhāsa = reflected consciousness]
And, cidābhāsa is inseparably connected with the 3 bodies, the reflecting medium. Just as
my reflection in the mirror is inseparably connected to the mirror. So, if mirror shakes, my
reflection also shakes. ‘pratibimba laulyaṃ bhavati’. But, my ‘original’ face is unshaken all
the time. Similarly, cidābhāsa and śarīratrayaṃ are always shaky, because of the ups &
downs caused by prārabdha. A senior student is aware of the cidābhāsa-śarīratraya, the
ahaṅkāra problems. But he never allows the ahaṅkāra issues to dominate his mind.
Whereas, a junior student allows that to dominate. Such as junior student is talked about in
this śloka, to contrast him with a senior. This I introduced in last class.
“calaty upādhau”. [Sanskrit students, sati saptamī. calati is saptamī. calan calantau calantaḥ
calati calatoḥ calatsu]. When the upādhi [upādhi means, the body, mind, sense complex,
which is the ‘reflecting medium’ - RM]. “pratibimba laulyam”. ‘upādhau calati sati, pratibimba
laulyam bhavati’ – thus, when there is fluctuation in the upādhi, in the pratibimba caitanyaṃ
[cidābhāsa] also there is fluctuation. And so, I am aware of that. As the avasthā changes,
the cidābhāsa also becomes active in waking, partially active in dream and unmanifest in
deep-sleep state. Thus, cidābhāsa also is subject to fluctuations, which is here called
‘pratibimba laulyaṃ’. laulyaṃ means, shaking, fluctuation. What type of fluctuations?
aupādhikaṃ - caused by the upādhi, fluctuations belonging to the upādhi. upādhau bhavaṃ.
That is there. That is why cidābhāsa is there as long as the sūkṣma śarīraṃ is there in the
body, When the sūkṣma śarīraṃ leaves the body at the time of death, cidābhāsa also
moves away because cidābhāsa is finite and subject to fluctuations and can even travel. So,
‘aupādhikaṃ pratibimba laulyaṃ bhavati’. Make it a separate sentence using ‘bhavati’.
What is the difference between junior and senior students? “mūḍhadhiya” - worldly people
and the junior student who ignores the mahāvākyaṃ after listening to it for years - continue
to be “mūḍhadhiyaḥ” - ahaṅkāra-obsessed people. So, ‘mūḍhadhiyaḥ laulyaṃ nayanti’.
nayanti means, carry or transfer. What they carry? The ‘pratibimba laulyaṃ’. They transfer
that shakiness and fluctuation belonging to the upādhi to “sva bimbabhūtaṃ” - to their own
real ‘I’, sākṣī, the Original consciousness, which is all the time “viniṣkriyaṃ”. viniṣkriya
means, actionless, fluctuation-less, change-less, travel-less, limitation-less, problem-less,
astrological-chart-less, சன�ப்ெபயர்ச-less! Let the lay people do all that. Because, they do
not know what is sākṣī. But there are many junior students - some after study of 25 years of
prasthānatraya mūlam and continuing with prasthānatraya bhāṣyaṃ - when they talk about
themselves to the guru, never admire themselves, they only have complaints. ‘mūḍhadhiya’.
So, bimba mūlam, the sākṣī – about which the guru has croaked like a crow - repeatedly
telling, ‘tattvamasi’ ‘brahmatattvamasi bhāvayātmani’. In spite of that, ‘mūḍhadhiyaḥ laulyaṃ
nayanti’ – he carries the problems of pseudo I to the real ‘I’.
And, what kind of sākṣī it is? “ravivat”. śaṅkarācārya gives an example - like the ‘original’
sun which remains steady while the ‘reflected’ sun on the waters is unsteady. An ignorant
person looks at the reflected sun and its fluctuations and makes the statement, ‘sun is
fluctuating’ forgetting the real sun is unshakable. Similarly, junior student also says, ‘I have
problems’, forgetting that the real / original ‘I’ can have no problems. Even if śiṣya wants to

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talk about both ‘I’s [ahaṅkāra ‘i’ & sākṣī ‘I’] with the guru, the duration, the proportion must
be appropriate. Talk about ahaṅkāra problems. But always conclude it by saying, ‘by your
grace I am able to ignore it. Able to treat it as pinpricks. And I know, I am free’. Conclude the
conversation with that. Then the guru will be sadguru, not sad guru. ‘ahaṅkāra has
problems, but I do not mind that. I will address. I will do everything. But I will never allow that
to over-shadow ‘my glory’, which you have taught o guro!’ If the conversation starts with
ahaṅkāra problems and ends with ahaṅkāra problems, śiṣya goes back with that only! Then,
what is the difference between a junior student and a non-student? A non-vedāntic student
also does that only! śaṅkarācārya says, ‘mūḍhadhiyaḥ’. But guru will not call a junior
student, mūḍhadhiyaḥ. But whatever he wants to tell, he will tell in the classes!
‘mūḍhadhiyaḥ - lay people, junior students - carry the ahaṅkāra problem, ignoring the real
‘I’, and weep in front of the guru – ‘kartā I am’. I have done so many mistakes. Complaints
with regard to kartā ahaṅkāra. ‘bhoktā I am’ - complaints regarding bhoktā ahaṅkāra. ‘jñātā I
am’ - complaints with regard to jñātā ahaṅkāra. ‘I forget vedānta during vyavahāra’ is always
a general complaint. ‘vedānta is wonderful in class. In fact, vedānta is useless in vyavahāra’
is a typical junior student’s response. Senior student says, in vyavahāra even if I forget, that
also I consider as ahaṅkāra problems. I did forget. I did react. I did regret also. But still, I am
not cowed down by these occasions. I consider this also as ahaṅkāra problems. I will
improve the ahaṅkāra. But I will never look upon it as ‘my’ problem. That is what the śiṣya
should tell the guru. That is what he should practice in nididhyāsanaṃ. ‘I forgot, so I
reacted. But still I won't react to the fact that I reacted. No meta reaction! Yes, it is ahaṅkāra
problem. I will improve ahaṅkāra. But I will never say, ‘I’ have problems. That is vedānta.
Therefore, the junior student says, “kartāsmi bhoktāsmi hato'smi heti”. hato’smi means, I am
finished. hataḥ means, finished. ‘heti’ – ‘ha iti’. ‘ha’ is an interjection. alas, unfortunate,
terrible. The whole context is saṃsāra atmosphere. vedānta remains in one corner. But the
atmosphere created is saṃsāra. Contradiction! That is indicated by ‘ha’. What is the
contradiction? Glorify guru, śāstram and bhagavān as a student of vedānta; but behave like
a saṃsārī in vyavahāra. ‘ha iti’. [From ‘kartā asmi’ up to ‘ha’ is within inverted commas]. So,
the complete sentence is, ‘mūḍhadhiyaḥ pratibimba laulyaṃ ravivat viniṣkriyaṃ svabimba
bhūtaṃ nayanti’. [svabimba bhūtaṃ is dvitīyā eka vacanaṃ. Object of nayanti. bhūtaṃ prati
nayanti. 4th line is a separate sentence, within inverted commas. ‘kartāsmi bhoktāsmi
hato'smi ha’]. Thus, he creates an atmosphere of saṃsāra, making the guru also a sad
guru. [Ok, I am not telling about you. You are all wonderful students! I am talking about
other students. Don’t think, Swāmīji is criticising us. I don't want to be critical of anyone. It is
all for self-introspection]. Continuing.
जले वा�प स्थल वा�प लठ
ु त्वे जडात्मक । नाहं �व�लप्य तद्धम�र
घ ्टधम�नर यथा ॥
jale vāpi sthale vāpi luṭhatveṣa jaḍātmakaḥ । nāhaṃ vilipye taddharmairghaṭadharmair
nabho yathā ॥ [mantra 32] [509] &&
What does a senior student do? Even if he behaves like a junior student in the beginning, as
in the previous śloka he may talk about his problems with the guru, because he cannot talk
about his problems with others. He may share with his guru. He can continue to share with
guru. Even if he does that, nothing wrong. But what should be the upasaṃhāra that makes
him a senior student? ‘In spite of problems I am not going to overwhelmed by all these. I
know this is a huge drama going in vyāvahārika tennis match between me, the jīva, and
īśvara. I do karma, bhagavān gives me karmaphalam. I do parihāra. And bhagavān gives
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parihāra phalaṃ. The phalaṃ may be dissatisfactory. I can talk all this. But I remember that,
‘all these are vyāvahārikaṃ. But, he guro! by your teaching I can transcend vyāvahārika I
and I claim that ‘I’ am safe and sound. The ahaṅkārā’s problems I can appreciate because,
that is the biography of not only my ahaṅkāra. Every ahaṅkāra has got what?
mātrāsparśāstu kaunteya śītoṣṇasukhaduḥkhadāḥ I āgamāpāyino'nityāstāṃstitikṣasva
bhārata II [gītā 2-14]
That is the concluding note of a senior student, even if he talks about ahaṅkāra problems.
The concluding note is, ‘yes ahaṅkāra has its problems. I will never allow that to dominate,
because I am sākṣi-pradhāna. Even if I got lost in saṃsāra, I have got a quick recovery
period. FIR reduction. I have shortened the recovery period. I may be upset for a day. But I
will pick myself up. That should be the concluding note. I was upset for one hour. I told
myself, ‘this is nothing’. What is that message here? Suppose he is talking about a possible
physical problem to the guru, may be about a fall or a fracture or something. ‘Maybe I
become bedridden. I may require assistance from other people. I may be in ICU. Corona
may come. It is not pessimism, remember. I am ready’. So, let any blessed thing happen to
the body because body's prārabdha I never know. And here, the śiṣya talks about the worst
type of problems. “jale vāpi sthale vāpi luṭhatu eṣa jaḍātmakaḥ”. He says, ‘eṣaḥ’. Means,
‘this anātmā. The body, mind, sense complex’. ‘luṭhatu’. luṭhatu means, let it roll or wallow.
Either in pain. Or because it falls rolls on the ground. ‘sthale’ on the ground. ‘jale’ - in waters.
Often it happens in the bath-room. Typical problem of old people. As we grow old, we
should be extremely careful in bath-room. All the appropriate fittings should be there. Just
because I am jñāni, I need not ignore all that. Walk with a walker and have rails or whatever
is required. Because, typically what happens is, the leg slips because of water or soap.
When we are young, even if we slip, we can pick ourself up. When we are old, we will not be
able to. We see ourselves falling and absolutely helpless. If nothing happens , it is good
jātakam, good chart. Sometimes, because of old age generally bones are brittle. And so,
hip-bone fractures! ‘Swāmīji, how do you know?’ don't ask. This is what I hear. Hip-bone
fracture healing takes more time. All kinds of things. We have always been independent.
Dependence becomes psychologically disastrous. Even imagining it is painful! If it happens,
god forbid, because we have been independent, we sincerely don’t want others to do
everything, including body-cleaning etc. But we do not know what is in store. So, we should
psychologically prepare ourselves. From ahaṅkāra stand-point I cannot claim any speciality
just because I do pūjā. Even jñānī’s body goes through problems. Therefore, my ahaṅkāra
is not special. It is also subject to Law of karma. ‘So, dependence may come. I am ready for
that also. Let ahaṅkāra goes through all this’, he says. ‘jale’ - in waters - in the bathroom!
And sometimes there is nobody else near-by. [I don't want to frighten you too much!]
“jale vāpi sthale vāpi luṭhatu eṣa jaḍātmakaḥ”. On the ground or waters. eṣaḥ dehaḥ luṭhatu.
[luṭh. 6th conjugation. I think ubhayapada. luṭhati. Here, luṭhatu. lot]. Let this body go
through all kinds of situations. I have deliberately prepared the mind for every eventuality.
We do see old people going through varieties of problems, in our own family or in
neighbourhood. They are all indications to emotionally immunise our minds. vedānta is the
best immunity! What is vedānta? I am willing to. “yad bhāvyaṃ tad bhavatu bhagavan pūrva
karmānu-rūpam”. Let ahaṅkāra luṭhatu. What type of ahaṅkāra it is? “jaḍātmakaḥ” - which is
matter. And matter has to disintegrate or decompose. It is the nature of matter. [An aside
note. In viśiṣṭādvaitaṃ, they talk about aprākṛta śarīraṃ. That, in vaikuṇṭha, you will get a

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special body - made-up of special matter - which will not degenerate. advaitaṃ doesn’t
accepts that. There is no such thing called ‘aprākṛta śarīraṃ’]. Very word śarīraṃ means
śīryamāṇa svabhāvaṃ. Decay, perish. So, it has to do that. It is its nature. I am ready.
‘eṣa jaḍātmakaḥ’ means, the material body with borrowed consciousness will disintegrate.
But I remember, … [this is the note in which I should end the conversation. saṃsāra
conversation can be there. But, all saṃsāra conversations should end like this] “na ahaṃ
vilipye taddharmaiḥ” – ‘I’ am never tainted by, affected by, afflicted by, overwhelmed by, ‘tat
dharmaiḥ’ - conditions of the body. ‘tat dharmaiḥ’ here means, ‘deha dharmaiḥ’. jaḍātmaka
deha dharmaiḥ. Body faculties may go. All that can happen. Anything can happen. tat
dharmaiḥ ahaṃ na vilipye. [Passive voice. vi+lip dhātu. lip limpati. lip is ubhayapada. luṭh is
parasmaipada. Regarding pada, I am not sure. Both are 6th conjugation luṭh, lip. vilipye is
passive, uttama puruṣaḥ, eka vacanaṃ]. ‘I’ am not affected by tat dharmaiḥ. Like what?
What an example! “ghaṭa dharmaiḥ yathā nabhaḥ” - just as the space accommodates the
pot, without getting affected by its conditions. The pot has got various conditions, it may be
foul smelling when it carries a foul-smelling thing. It may be fragrant when it carries a
fragrant-thing. It may crack. A crack pot! Or, it may even break. But whatever happens to it,
space accommodates it. But space itself is not contaminated or affected by the conditions of
the pot. Similarly, the body [also made up of mud only!] like the pot has to go through
various conditions. But ‘I’ am neither the body nor the problematic mind.
Many students complain mainly about mind only, but they never conclude the conversation
by saying, ‘thank god, ‘I’ am not the mind. I will improve the mind, but ‘I’ am not the mind’.
Nobody ends the conversation with that. Everybody is full of complaints about the mind.
“yathā nabhaḥ” nabhaḥ is ākāśaḥ, space. I remember, ‘I am like the space’. If we remember
the 5 capsules of vedānta … [better I tell that also, because ślokās are coming to an end].
What are the 5 capsules of vedānta? 1] I am of the nature of the eternal and all-pervading
consciousness. [yathā nabhaḥ]. 2] I am the only source of permanent peace, security and
happiness. [That means by dwelling on ‘myself’, I can enjoy peace, security and happiness.
By dwelling on ahaṅkāra, we will have only no-peace, no-security and no-happiness. So, I
am the only source of permanent peace, security and happiness]. 3] By my mere presence I
bless the body, mind, sense complex [with life or with cidābhāsa] and, through the body,
mind, sense complex, I experience the material world, [as the changeless witness. I
experience the material, changing world of ups & downs]. By my mere presence, I give life
to the body. And through the body I experience the material world. [4th capsule is what is
said here in this śloka]. 4] I am never affected by whatever happens in the material world
and in the material body, mind, sense complex. [Means, I am never affected by ahaṅkāra.
‘na ahaṃ vilipye’. śaṅkarācārya is giving the 4th capsule here! Then, the 5th and most
important capsule]. 5] By forgetting or ignoring my real nature, I convert life into a burden
[because, ahaṅkāra’s biography is mostly a burden]. And, by remembering or claiming my
real nature, I convert life into a blessing. These are the 5 capsules of vedānta.
Thus, nididhyāsanaṃ is to remember this distinction all the time. But we do forget that
during vyavahāra. Every senior student also goes through vyavahāra problems. Even then
we should say that, ‘ahaṅkāra is struggling. That doesn't matter. I will improve the ahaṅkāra.
But mokṣa is not after several years. I will not connect my mokṣa to that. ‘I am free’. I will
improve my ahaṅkāra, without complaining’.

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कत्त
रृ ्वभोक्तृत्वखलत्वम�ताजडत्वबद्धत्व�वम । बुद्धे�वर्कल न तु सिन् वस्तुत स्विस्मन् ब्रह्
केवलेऽद्वय ॥ [mantra 33] [510] &&
kartṛtvabhoktṛtvakhalatvamattatājaḍatvabaddhatvavimuktatādayaḥ । buddhervikalpā na tu
santi vastutaḥ svasminpare brahmaṇi kevale'dvaye ॥
He says, all the conventional complaints and conventional statuses that we give ourselves
are from the stand-point of ahaṅkāra or mind. Those conventional statuses put-together is
called jīva bhāvaḥ, ahaṅkāra bhāvaḥ. So, these statuses are given in first 2 lines. “kartṛtva
bhoktṛtva khalatvam mattatā”. ‘kartṛtvaṃ’ - I am kartā. Doership. ‘bhoktṛtvaṃ’. I am bhoktā.
Sufferer of prārabdha. Waiting for the prārabdha to end. Hoping to get videhamukti, so that I
will never come back. ‘bhoktṛtvaṃ’ - enjoyership. ‘khalatvaṃ’. khalaḥ means, a wicked
person, evil person, adhārmic person. khalatvaṃ means, wickedness. Again complaints.
The deficiencies of ahaṅkāra, dhārmic deficiencies of ahaṅkāra, emotional deficiencies of
ahaṅkāra, intellectual deficiencies of ahaṅkāra - all these are called khalatvaṃ.
And, ‘mattatā’ - confused. ‘mattaḥ’ means, a drunkard. One who is confused, deluded,
intoxicated. [mattaḥ madu mādyati. Its past passive participle mattaḥ and mattatā. That tā is
for abstract noun. ‘ness’. ‘tvaṃ’ is one suffix used for abstract noun. kartṛtvaṃ bhoktṛtvaṃ
khalatvaṃ. So, for the 4th word if you say ‘mattatvaṃ’, there will be problem in metre.
Therefore, he says, mattatā. You can find-out what will be the problem with metre and in
what way chandas will get affected. mattatā means, delusion or deludedness.
Then, “jaḍatva baddhatva vimuktata ādayaḥ”. ‘jaḍatvaṃ’ literally means, being jaḍa, inert.
Here, inertia, laziness etc. ‘baddhatvam’ – feeling shackled. ‘I am still a saṃsārī’! guru asks
- in our course Dayānanda Swāmīji asked the student - who was explaining ‘guṇātīta’ – ‘are
you a guṇātīta?’ Student was stumped. [guru normally doesn't ask because he wants to be
safe! If guru asks, student replies, ‘yes Swāmīji, I am ‘waiting’ for mokṣa. Bless me so that I
will get it soon, preferably in this birth itself!’ He has been a vedāntic student for 25 years!
Then, some senior student gives joy to the teacher by saying, ‘yes, I am liberated’]. So,
‘baddhatvam’ means, boundness or saṃsāritvaṃ. And, ‘vimuktata’. ‘vimuktaḥ’ means,
liberation or liberatedness. ‘ādayaḥ’ - etc. So, all the other things also, all the other statuses
also. Includes varṇa, āśrama etc. Fatherhood, motherhood etc. All of them belong to
ahaṅkāra only.
Liberation also is from the stand-point of ahaṅkāra only. From the stand-point of ātmā, the
word ‘liberation’ also is meaningless. Why? Because, ‘liberation’ is only for someone who is
bound. Liberation must be preceded by bondage. But, unfortunately or fortunately, ātmā
cannot get liberated because, ātmā is incapable of being bound, it being nityamuktaḥ. And
therefore, if a jñānī says, ‘I am liberated’, what he means is, ‘till now I ‘thought’ I was bound.
Now, I understand that I was never bound and, I am ever liberated. I am never liberated in
time. But I am ever liberated’. Therefore, both bondage and liberation are from the stand-
point of ahaṅkāra only.
In upadeśasāhaśrī śaṅkarācārya says, ‘adhyastha ahaṅkāra dvārā bandhaḥ adhyastha
ahaṅkāra dvārā mokṣaḥ’. Through the superimposed ahaṅkāra standpoint we talk about
bondage. And through the superimposed ahaṅkāra standpoint we talk about getting
liberated. From ‘our own standpoint’ ‘na bandhaḥ na mokṣaḥ cidānanda rūpaḥ’. Therefore
he says, all these statuses are ‘buddheḥ vikalpā’. They are all concepts of the intellect.
Means, they are statuses superimposed on ātmā or transferred to ātmā from ahaṅkāra. All

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the statuses are superimposed on ātmā. Or, transferred from ahaṅkāra to ātmā. From ātmā
standpoint, neither bondage nor liberation, nothing is there. Like saying after knowledge,
‘now there is no snake. The snake is gone’. No. After knowledge, snake does not ‘go away’
to claim ‘I am now liberated from snake’ or ‘the rope is now liberated from the snake’. No.
From ignorant standpoint or ahaṅkāra angle only we talk about both the presence and
disappearance of snake. Therefore, ‘buddheḥ vikalpa santi’ - they are concepts
superimposed on the ātmā. Up to that is one sentence.
“vastutaḥ na tu santi”. Really, they are not there in ‘oneself’, one’s own ‘real self’, the sākṣī.
What type of sākṣī is that? “svasminpare brahmaṇi kevala advaye”. They are not there. te -
separate sentence. te vastutaḥ na tu santi. That te means, kartṛtva bhoktṛtvaṃ etc. statuses
are not there ‘svasmin’ - in the real ‘I’. That is why we say, sākṣi-pradhāna ‘I’ should be.
Even when the ahaṅkāra forgets vedānta, even when there is forgetfulness, afterwards I
should say, ‘I am not worried about the forgetfulness of ahaṅkāra also, because even at that
time ‘I’ am free. Therefore, we have to improve the ahaṅkāra to avoid the forgetfulness. But,
if we forget and react, we should not and we need not make it a saṃsāra issue. First be
aware, ‘yes, I lost myself. I should improve’. Never therefore conclude that, ‘I am still not
liberated’. That conclusion should not come. This is the aim of senior student. He claims, ‘I
am free, in spite of the slips of ahaṅkāra’. svasminpare brahmaṇi kevale'dvaye.
‘svasmin’ - in the real ‘I’, ‘pare brahmaṇi’ - which is the absolute brahman. Absolute means,
deśa kāla atītaṃ, which transcends time and space. ‘kevala advaye’ - which is non-dual.
‘kevala’ and ‘advaya’ are almost the same. ‘advayaṃ’, therefore ‘kevalam’. Second-less.
The second-less one. One which can never become second. One which can never have a
second. All these are descriptions of ‘I’. ‘I am all this’. This is the practice of nididhyāsanaṃ.
And this is how the śiṣya shares his joy with the guru. In vivekacūḍāmaṇi context, all these
are the verses that the śiṣya tells the guru. That is how it all starts. He tells first, ‘I am
thankful to you’. Then he shares his joy. Therefore, senior students always share the joy
about his own glory, not guru’s glory and śāstra’s glory. He shares the joy of his own glory,
even though he may share his problems of ahaṅkāra also. This is what this śiṣya is doing.
Time-up. We will do more in the next class.
ॐ पण
ू ्मद
र पण
ू ्�मद
र पणा
ू र्त्पूणर्मुदच | पण
ू ्स
र पण
ू ्मादा
र पण
ू ्मेवाव
र �शष्य | ॐ शािन्त शािन्त शािन्त ||
Math, Chennai].

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paraṃparām II
कत्रृ त्वभोक्तृत्वखलत्वम�ताजडत्वबदध
् त्व�वम । बुद्धे�वर्कल न तु सिन् वस्तुत स्विस्मन् ब्रह्
केवलेऽद्वय ॥ [mantra 33] [510] &&
kartṛtvabhoktṛtvakhalatvamattatājaḍatvabaddhatvavimuktatādayaḥ । buddhervikalpā na tu
santi vastutaḥ svasminpare brahmaṇi kevale'dvaye ॥
So, the student has understood from śravaṇaṃ and mananaṃ that brahman alone is the
absolute reality, upon which, through māyā - belonging to brahman - jīva, jagat and īśvara,
the individual, world and god, all these 3 empirical factors are ‘superimposed’. And there,
the most relevant and important factor is jīvaḥ, because it is this jīvabhāva we are identifying
with and are therefore experiencing saṃsāra. In nididhyāsanaṃ, the student sees this jīva-
bhāva also as a superimposition and therefore as mithyā. jīva is otherwise called ahaṅkāra.
Not only ahaṅkāra is mithyā, all the attributes of ahaṅkāra are also mithyā only. And, various
attributes are enumerated in this verse, which we completed in the last class. kartṛtvaṃ
bhoktṛtvaṃ etc. They are all superimposed. The final pair is baddhatvaṃ and muktatvaṃ.
That, ‘I’ was bound until now; and now I am liberated, after knowledge. Thus, bandha and
mokṣa - as 2 opposing entities - are also superimposed. Therefore, ācārya says here,
“baddhatvavimuktatādayaḥ” - as long as a person is ignorant, bandha is also real. mokṣa is
also as real as bandhaḥ. So, both baddhatvam & vimuktatvam enjoy the same order of
reality. ajñāna kāle, both are real. jñāna kāle, both become vyāvahārikaṃ. Therefore He
says, “buddhervikalpā”. They are all concepts of the intellect. As far as brahman is
concerned, “vastutaḥ na tu santi”. In māṇḍūkya kārikā, gauḍapādācārya says -
na nirodho na cotpattirna baddho na ca sādhakaḥ I na mumukṣurna vai mukta ityeṣā
paramārthatā II [vaitathyākhya prakaraṇam verse 32]
A very important verse. śaṅkarācārya writes a very elaborate commentary. This śloka is an
extract of that. So, “svasminpare brahmaṇi kevala advaye vastutaḥ na tu santi” - they are all
not there. So, what is that brahman? ‘svasmin’ - that brahman ‘I’ am. ‘I am neither jīva nor
jagat nor īśvara. I am the adhiṣṭhānaṃ of all these three. Up to this we saw. Continuing to
Verse 34. This verse also is in an extraordinary metre. We will read it like prose.
सन्त �वकाराः प्रकृतेदर् शतधा सहस्र वा�प । �कं मेऽसङ्ग�तस्तैन घन: क्व�चदमरं स्पृश� ॥
santu vikārāḥ prakṛterdaśadhā śatadhā sahasradhā vāpi I kiṃ me'saṅgacitastairna ghanaḥ
kvacidambaraṃ spṛśati II [mantra 34] [511] &&
So, ‘I’, the brahman, the absolute reality, is also eternal; and, in ‘me’ the māyā śakti is there,
which is also eternal. And even though brahman and māyā both are eternal, there is no
duality because, brahman is pāramārthika satyaṃ, but māyā is only vyāvahārika satyaṃ.
From brahman standpoint, māyā is as good as not there. Therefore, we can happily accept
both the parallel eternities of brahman and māyā and still claim, ‘there is advaitaṃ’. Not only
māyā is eternal, it is only because of māyā the phenomenon of śriṣṭi sthiti laya happens,
which is also an eternal, cyclic process. Creation also does not have a beginning. The
current creation has got a beginning, has a middle, has an end. But, before the current
creation began, there was a previous creation. In fact, previous creation is the provider of
karma - the seed - for the current creation. Thus, every creation requires the preceding
creation to provide karma. That is why we say, ‘creation also is a cyclic & eternal process’.
Therefore, ‘I’ am eternal. māyā is eternal. In ‘me’, the world also is eternally present, either
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in vyakta rūpam or avyakta rūpam; in manifest or unmanifest form. During pralayaṃ, the
world is there in māyā in potential form. And, in every creation, the māyā - containing the
world - alone modifies into the plurality.
So, when we talk about the permanence of the world, many will get disturbed. Why?
Because, many people demonize the world. Whether we divinize or demonize it, the world
will depend upon our biography. When we have got so many problems - health problems,
family problems, financial problems, surrounding problems etc., when our prārabdha is bad,
we generally begin to hate the world. Then, naturally, our idea of mokṣa will be, ‘I should go
away from the world. Or world should go away from me’. Strong hatred. Escapist mokṣa is
generally entertained by people who are suffering varieties of problems. When vedānta
says, ‘You are brahman’ and that ‘the world will continually appear & disappear’, they get
disturbed. And therefore, we must clearly understand and declare that, ‘even though the
world is permanently there in ‘me’, ‘I’ am permanently free from the problems of the world!
Remembering the 4th capsule, ‘I’ am never affected by māyā and māyā products. Thus,
once we begin to appreciate the beauty of the world – of course, for that some favourable
prārabdha is required - we start enjoying it a little bit. Then we will say, ‘let the world come
again & again, ‘I’ am never affected, ‘I’ am not disturbed. Thus, escapist mokṣa is generally
welcomed by people who have many problems in life. ‘I want to get away’. They are almost
on the verge of committing suicide. They don't want to live. Nearest to suicide is, ‘let me die,
never to be born again’, because, their jātakam is full of problems. Therefore, the concept of
mokṣa depends on the type of karma that we do. Some people say, ‘let me be born again &
again’. Some others say, ‘let this life be the last life’. Even mokṣa concept differs! That is
why we ultimately say, ‘you are really a muktaḥ only when you have neither like nor dislike
for the world, like or dislike for punarjanma’. A jñāni is indifferent to being born again. He
won’t dislike it nor like it also. He is neutral. As muktaḥ, I am neutral. I am raga dveṣa atītaḥ
with regard to birth & death. That requires transcendence. That is what this śloka says.
“prakṛteḥ vikārāḥ santu”. prakṛtiḥ means, māyā. vikārāḥ means, products. This māyā which
is existing in ‘me’, borrowing existence from ‘me’, let it have varieties of transformations into
the worldly products. Let them be there. What type of products? “daśadhā śatadhā
sahasradhā vāpi”. daśadhā – in tens of varieties, śatadhā - in hundreds of varieties.
śahaśradhā - in thousands of varieties. Innumerable varieties. That is the job of māyā. Keep
on changing and producing newer and newer things. Even one virus mutates and produces
varieties! One strain to another strain, causing lot of strain to the governments, to health
professionals and to the entire society. That is why it is called a ‘strain’ - that which causes
strain! But a jñānī can say, let any number of strains and clones of māyā come.
“kiṃ me” - so what? What can happen to me? Means, ‘nothing will happen to me. Why?
[hetugarbha viśeṣaṇaṃ] ‘asaṅga citeḥ me’ – ‘me’, the consciousness, am untouched by all
these. They will affect the body, because body is also māyā vikāraḥ, virus is also māyā
vikāraḥ. māyā vikāra virus will affect the māyā vikāra body. A jñānī understands and
accepts that body is vulnerable. But I have learnt to distance ‘myself’ from the body. ‘I’
watch the wonderful features of the body also. ‘I’ watch the terrible features of body also.
Because, ‘I’ see both of them. ‘I’ have got a balanced view of the body. Body is an asset
also, it is a liability also. That is the nature of the body, any māyā vikāra. From a distance,
objectively I look at it. Therefore, I do not react. Beautiful body, I enjoyed. Old body, I will go
through. I am not affected. ‘kiṃ me bhavati?’. And an example is given.

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“asaṅga citeḥ taiḥ”. ‘I’ am like the space. [He gave this example before. “na me dehena
sambandho megheneva vihāyasaḥ” (23/500). Similar to that, he says here]. Sanskrit
students note. taiḥ should go with previous sentence. I will give you anvaya. prakṛteḥ
daśadhāḥ śatadhāḥ śahaśradhā vāpi vikārāḥ santu - let there be any number of products.
Next sentence, ‘asaṅga citeḥ me taiḥ kiṃ bhavati?’ ‘taiḥ vikārāḥ’ - by those products, ‘me
kiṃ bhavati?’ - what consequence will happen to ‘me’? It is not a question. It is an assertion.
‘No consequence as far as I am concerned’. Up to ‘taiḥ’ is second sentence.
Third sentence is the example. “ghanaḥ ambaraṃ kvacit na spṛśati”. ghanaḥ means, cloud.
kvacit means, at any time, at any place. ambaraṃ means, ākāśaḥ, space or sky. na spṛśati -
clouds can never contaminate the sky at any time, at any place. māyā’s products cannot
touch ‘me’, the space like consciousness. Yes, the body will be affected. jñānī is intensely
aware of that. jñānī sees that. It is a fact of the body. Once you understand that it is fact,
you learn to accept and tolerate that. “āgamāpāyino'nityāstāṃstitikṣasva bhārata”. jñānaṃ
increases titikṣā. titikṣā means, enduring power. Power to bear, put-up with. jñānaṃ is the
most powerful support for titikṣā, endurance. Not only physical endurance, more important
is, emotional endurance. Not getting vexed with life. Therefore, I am game for the continuity
of the world. I am game for the continuity of the body. And I am game also for the end of the
whole world as well as the end of this body. Everything is ok. No complaints. That is called
mokṣa. mokṣa from complaints. Continuing. All these verses are ‘reinforcing’ verses.
Therefore, these ideas we have seen before. Nicely presented here. Verse 35.
अव्यक्ता�दस्थूलपयर्नद �वश्व यत्राभासमा प्रती त । व्योमप्र स�
ू ममाद्यन्तह� ब्रह्माद् य�देवाहमिस्
॥ [mantra 35] [512] &&
avyaktādisthūlaparyantametad viśvaṃ yatrābhāsamātraṃ pratītam I vyomaprakhyaṃ
sūkṣmamādyantahīnaṃ brahmādvaitaṃ yattadevāhamasmi II
In these meditation series we first saw 10 verses, in each one of which, the guru described
brahman in first 3 lines and in the 4th line guru said, ‘that brahman you are’. First, the glories
of brahman, then he concluded, ‘brahma tattvamasi bhāvayātmani’ – ‘meditate, you are that
brahman’. Now the śiṣya receiving the message also does a similar thing. In these 3 verses,
the first 3 lines describe brahman, which is very similar to the descriptions given by the guru.
Here, the śiṣya uses his own language, indicating that he has understood the message. If I
have not understood, I will only repeat guru’s words. I should be able to present the ideas in
my own words. That is what this śiṣya does. In all 3 verses 35, 36 and 37, the 4th line is the
same. “brahmādvaitaṃ yattadevāhamasmi”. brahma advaitaṃ - brahman is without a
second. And if at all there is a second, that is mithyā or vyāvahārika satyaṃ; of a lower
order of reality, which is only superimposed on brahman. Therefore, brahman is non-dual.
Remember, he is addressing the guru now, after nididhyāsanaṃ. This is the nididhyāsanaṃ
he has practiced. So, having defined brahman in the first 3 lines, the student says, “yattad
evāhamasmi” – ‘I’ am that brahman only. That ‘only’ we have to read twice and register well.
‘I’ am brahman only; which means, I am not a miserable jīva. I am the wonderful brahman;
so, I will never look upon myself as a miserable jīva. That is a point he emphasises. Second
point is, ‘brahman is “me” alone! It is not an object to be experienced at a particular time’.
brahman is never an object to be experienced at a particular time or in a different state
called 4th state! If it is experienced in a different ‘state’, it will be an object available only in
that particular state. I never look upon brahman as something ‘to be experienced’. brahman
is ‘me’ and ‘me’ alone! It is ever the subject. Never the object.
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That is why I said, nididhyāsanaṃ is not thinking ‘of’ brahman, making it an object.
nididhyāsanaṃ is, learning to think ‘as’ brahman. You may ask, ‘Swāmīji, what do you mean
by thinking ‘as’ brahman?’ Thinking ‘as’ brahman is, entertaining a different type of thought
process, in which, the word ‘I’ is used to mean ‘brahman’. What is the example? All these
ślokās! ‘I’ am śriṣṭi sthiti laya kāraṇa jagadadiṣṭhānaṃ. ‘I’ am the only reality. ‘I’ am the
owner of the universe. In all these, I use the word ‘I’. ‘I’ am not a bhaktā. ‘I’ am both bhaktā
and bhagavān. ‘I’ play the role of bhaktā. ‘I’ play the role of bhagavān. And I enjoy the puja
also. I do both roles. Thus, the ‘I’ must mean ‘brahman’. That is called nididhyāsanaṃ. It is
not thinking ‘of’ brahman, but thinking ‘as’ brahman.
So, the student says here, ‘that wonderful brahman ‘I’ am’. The first 3 lines are descriptions
of brahman. We will go to the third line. “vyomaprakhyaṃ sūkṣmam ādyanta-hīnaṃ”. The
non-dual brahman - mentioned in the 4th line - is ‘vyomaprakhyaṃ’. prakhyaṃ means,
sadṛśaṃ, resemblance. And, at the end of a compound it means, resembling. vyoma
means, ākāśa. ‘vyomaprakhyaṃ’ means, ākāśa sadṛśaṃ - similar to space. brahman - the
all-pervading existence, consciousness – is similar to ākāśa. And, ‘sūkṣmaṃ’. sūkṣmaṃ
means, extremely subtle; not perceptible to the sense organs. jñānaindriya agocaraṃ.
“yattadadreśyamagrāhyamagotramavarṇamacakṣuḥśrotraṃ tadapāṇipādam …” [muṇḍaka]
[For each one you have to quote several upaniṣads. I am not quoting much, so that you
won’t feel guilty that, ‘I have forgotten all of them’. So many upaniṣad mantrās are there!]
‘sūkṣmaṃ’ - subtle. Not perceptible, like space. Space, we understand in a peculiar manner;
without seeing or hearing or smelling we understand. So, ‘vyomaprakhyaṃ ādyantahīnaṃ’ -
without beginning or end, like space. All descriptions of brahman. brahman is non-dual.
brahman is like space. brahman is subtle. brahman is without beginning or end. Then, 2nd
line. “viśvaṃ yatrābhāsamātraṃ pratītam”. ‘yatra’ - in that brahman. [Can take it as ‘tatra’].
In that brahman alone, ‘viśvaṃ pratītaṃ’ - the whole universe is experienced. brahman is
existence-consciousness principle. Existence-consciousness is the medium like space. In
that medium, the world of nāma rūpa, pratītaṃ - is experienced. How? ‘ābhāsamātraṃ’ – as
a mere ‘appearance’, like dream. svapnavat. [That is not said here, I am giving an example].
pratītaṃ means, anubhūtaṃ. ‘ābhāsa mātraṃ’ - as mere appearance. It is not a product of
brahman. It is just an ‘appearance’ in brahman.
“avyaktādi sthūla paryantam etad”. And, what is this universe? The universe consists of both
kāraṇam & kāryaṃ. kāraṇam is avyakta māyā. ‘avyaktādi’ - means, from māyā. ‘sthūla
paryantam’ - up to the gross, tangible pañcabhūtāni viśvaṃ pratītaṃ - including our body -
the whole gross universe is experienced. All these are adjectives to ‘viśvaṃ’, the universe.
Universe includes unmanifest energy & manifest matter. So, all these - energy & matter -
kaleidoscopically changing energy & matter, presenting itself in the form of varieties of
things are all just ‘appearance’ in the space like existence-consciousness. ābhāsa mātraṃ.
And, what is that space? brahman is that ‘space’. Space within inverted commas. cidākāśa.
Not, bhūta ākāśa. It is cidākāśa. ‘cidaṃbaraṃ’. So, cidaṃbaraṃ is a famous temple in south
India. ‘cidaṃbaraṃ’ means, cidākāśa. There, Lord Nataraja is worshipped as ‘space-like
consciousness’. And therefore the mūrti or idol in the garbhagṛhaṃ is ākāśa. So, you will
look for the lord and you will say, ‘there is nothing there’. That ‘nothing’ means ‘ākāśa’. That
ākāśa is also Nataraja! Then, the next step is, not only the bhūta ākāśa, but cidākāśa is also
Nataraja. And when Nataraja dances with māyā, when māyā is active, the whole creation
evolves! All out of Nataraja's dance.
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That is the picture given in the book - The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels
Between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism. [It is a 1975 book by physicist Fritjof
Capra. A bestseller in the United States, it has been translated into 23 languages. Capra
summarized his motivation for writing the book: “Science does not need mysticism and
mysticism does not need science. But man needs both.” - Wikipedia]. The book cover
picture itself is Nataraja's dance. Thus, dancing brahman appears as universe. Resting
brahman is pralayam. And dancing is ‘as though’. So wonderful is brahman.
You glorify Nataraja. You glorify brahman. That means you are a bhaktā. But, I the bhaktā
become a jñāni. The ārta arthārthi bhaktā will become a jñānī bhaktā, when he says, ‘that
dancing Nataraja, that dancing brahman, is ‘me’. Therefore he says, “advaitaṃ brahma yat
tadeva ahaṃ asmi”. ‘tad ahaṃ eva asmi’. ‘tadeva ahaṃ’. ‘tad ahaṃ eva’. So, brahman is
neither parokṣaṃ nor pratyakṣaṃ. brahman is aparokṣa caitanyaṃ. Wonderful ślokās, each
one. You can select some of them, whichever impresses you. That varies from individual to
individual. All these 3 are beautiful selection-worthy. ‘I’ am that brahman. Continuing – 36.
सवार्धार सवर्वसतुप्र
् सवार्कार सवर्ग सवर्शून्य । �नत्य शुद्ध �नश्चल �न�वर्कल् ब्रह्माद् य�देवाहमिस् ॥
[mantra 36] [513] &&
sarvādhāraṃ sarvavastuprakāśaṃ sarvākāraṃ sarvagaṃ sarvaśūnyam I nityaṃ śuddhaṃ
niścalaṃ nirvikalpaṃ brahmādvaitaṃ yattadevāhamasmi II
The 4th line is same as in previous verse. “brahmādvaitaṃ yattadevāhamasmi”. brahman is
non-dual not because of the absence of duality, but in spite of the ‘experienced’ duality!
Seeing & experiencing the world, I should claim, ‘I’ alone am! So, ‘brahman alone is’. The
first 3 lines are the descriptions of brahman. “nityaṃ śuddhaṃ niścalaṃ nirvikalpaṃ”.
‘nityam’ - which is eternal. ‘śuddhaṃ’ - ever pure. All impurities of the world - including the
‘wickedness’, discussed in all the philosophical systems, do not make brahman impure.
I have told before. What is the position of ‘evil in the world’? A very big philosophical
conundrum. If the evil is included in god, they have problem. Whether it should be included
in god or excluded? Either way you will have problem. If you include evil in god, god will
have evil. So, you cannot include. If you exclude evil, god will become ‘limited’. Anything
outside god limits god! Therefore, all the systems struggle. advaitaṃ alone says, evil is
‘included’ in god or brahman, but evil is of a lower order of reality. Therefore, even though
evil is ‘superimposed’ on brahman, brahman will continue to be śuddhaṃ, despite the
‘superimposed’ evil. Therefore we can say, wickedness is also in god. But god still is free
from wickedness, because of the 2 different orders of reality. That is why in advaitaṃ
different orders of realities are crucial. All the other systems refuse to accept multiple orders.
Therefore we say, both dharma and adharma are in brahman; but brahman is free from both
dharma and adharma. It has both, but it is free from both. Therefore, śuddhaṃ.
‘niścalaṃ’ - motionless. Because, the all-pervading cannot move. ‘vikalpaṃ’ - division less.
Very important. All the schools talk about many ātmās and many consciousnesses. Plurality
of consciousness is accepted by all other systems. advaitaṃ alone says, ‘consciousness
cannot be plural’. It can be ‘seemingly’ plural. Just as, I have got consciousness, you have
got consciousness. It is seemingly plural. But never plural or divisible. ‘nirvikalpaṃ’ - sajātīya
vijātīya svagata bheda rahitaṃ. What is the relationship between brahman and the world?
So the view of vedānta about the world is so different from the layman’s view. But, if this
vedāntic world-view is directly introduced in the first class itself, the student will not turn-up

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for the next class! Why? Because it is incredibly unbelievable. Therefore, vedānta gives one
view first. Then revises. And, revises. And again revises. The ultimate vedāntic world-view
is, ‘there is no world’! How can you accept that? Therefore, first it accepts the world and
says, ‘brahman is the creator, supporter and illuminator of the world’. Student is happy. You
accept the world. brahman is the creator, sustainer or supporter. And illuminator of the
world. This is the first, for a manda adhikāri. A junior student.
“sarvādhāraṃ sarvavastuprakāśaṃ sarvākāraṃ sarvagaṃ sarvaśūnyam”. “sarva ādhāraṃ”.
brahman is the supporter of everything. Everything referring to the entire world. ‘sarva vastu
prākāśaṃ’. brahman is the illuminator of everything, including every being. All the bodies
and minds. [sarveṣāṃ vastūnāṃ prakāśaḥ yasmāt or yena sarva vastuprakāśaḥ. bahuvrīhi.
sarva vastu prākaṣakaḥ ityarthaḥ. Illuminator of all]. How? Because, brahman is existence
principle, lending support to everything. brahman is consciousness principle, illumining
everything. Then, ‘sarvagam’. brahman pervades the entire creation. Omnipresent.
So, in the first stage you say, ‘brahman is, creator supporter pervader illuminator. World is,
created supported pervaded illumined. In this form you ‘accept’ a world and accept duality.
Like, sāṅkhya. And once the student has started coming to the class and the teacher is
confident that he will not go away, the guru says, ‘in fact, brahman and world are not 2
different things; brahman alone is ‘appearing’ in the form of the world, with different nāma-
rūpa. So, don't say brahman and the world. brahman alone is ‘appearing’ in the form of the
world. Therefore, sarva ākāraṃ. Means, ‘in the form of everything’. First you say, gold
supports the ornaments. Then you say, gold alone is in the form of ornaments. So, you
cannot say, gold and ornaments. They are not 2 different things. So also, ‘God and world’ is
wrong. God alone is ‘appearing’ as the world. sarvākāraṃ. ‘And’ cannot come.
Then finally, the mindboggling statement. ‘sarvaśūnyam’. brahman appears in the form of
the world, with different nāma - rūpa. Really speaking, all these names and forms are only
māyā projections. Therefore, they don't really exist by themselves. “matsthāni sarvabhūtāni,
na ca matsthāni bhūtāni” [gītā]. Therefore, ‘sarvaśūnyam’ means, brahman in reality is
without this nāma rūpa prapañca, because they are all mere ‘appearances’, having no
independent existence; like the dream. So, brahman ‘supports’ the world is statement -1.
brahman is ‘in the form of’ the world is statement-2. brahman is ‘without’ a world is
statement-3. brahman is wordless. There’s no world different from brahman. A cosmic
brahman [university language!], niṣprapañcaṃ brahman!
adhyāropāpavādābhyāṃ niṣprapañcaṃ prapañcyate I śiṣyāṇāṃ sukhabodārthaṃ
tattvajñaiḥ kalpitakramaḥ II
‘adhyāropa-apavāda’ means, first you accept the world. Then you say, ‘world is not there
separate from brahman’. Finally you say, ‘brahman does not have an existence at all,
countable existence it doesn't have. Because, the ‘is’ness of the world does not belong to
the world; it belongs to brahman. What is the final world-view of vedānta? When I say, ‘mike
is’, that ‘is’ness is brahman. And, other than brahman, mike does not have ‘is’ness of its
own. Which means, it is appearing; but, is not factually or independently existent.
So, ‘sarvaśūnyam’ is the ultimate vision of vedānta. When jñāni says, ‘there is no world’,
remember, he continues to ‘perceive’ the world. Do not think he will close his eyes and go to
samādhi. A jñāni who understands advaitaṃ will say, ‘I am without a world, ‘perceivably’.
“sarvagaṃ sarvaśūnyam” - this is the jñānī’s relationship with and his view of the world.

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That brahman - which is ‘nityaṃ śuddhaṃ niścalaṃ nirvikalpaṃ’, which appears as the
world, which is really ‘free’ from the world - is what? Do not try to meditate ‘on’ it. And, do
not empty the mind and look for that brahman to ‘come’. Several people say, ‘light comes, it
gradually expands and engulfs me’. All kinds of mystic things are said. We may also try to
empty the mind and wait for some light to come! No, never empty the mind and ‘wait for
brahman to come’. Just entertain thoughts, in which the word ‘I’ is used. And let the word ‘I’
mean the 5-featured consciousness. So, vedāntic nididhyāsanaṃ is not thoughtlessness;
not ‘waiting for’ brahman; not trying to ‘objectify or experience’ brahman. It is nothing but
entertaining thoughts very similar to what is said in all these 40 verses. ‘I’ am sarvādhāram.
‘I’ am ‘sarvavastu prakāśaṃ’. In ‘me’ the nāma-rūpa exist; but they are as good as not there,
like the screen is unaffected by the movie. “yat advaitaṃ brahma tadeva ahaṃ asmi”.
यत्प्स्ताशेषमाया�वशेष प्रत्यग प्रत्ययागम्यम । सत्य�ानान्मानन्दरू ब्रह्माद् य�देवाहमिस् ॥
yatpratyastāśeṣamāyāviśeṣaṃ pratyagrūpaṃ pratyayāgamyamānam I satyajñānānantam
ānandarūpaṃ brahmādvaitaṃ yattadevāhamasmi II [mantra 37] [514] &&
The same pattern. 4th line is same as before. “advaitaṃbrahma” - there is only non-dual
brahman; ‘I’ am that. The first 3 lines are the descriptions. “satyajñānānandamānanda-
rūpaṃ brahmādvaitaṃ”. ‘satyaṃ jñānaṃ anantaṃ’ is the svarūpa lakṣaṇaṃ of brahman
given in 2nd chapter of taittirīya. ‘satyaṃ jñānam anantaṃ brahma’ [taittirīya brahmānanda-
vallī]. And, again in 3rd chapter of taittirīya - bhṛguvallī - another svarūpa lakṣaṇaṃ of
brahman is given - ‘ānando brahmeti vyajānāt’. ānandaḥ! Thus, brahman has got 4
essential ‘features’. We carefully avoid the word ‘attributes’. Neither attributes nor
substance. Both are taboo with regard to brahman. Therefore, we compromise and use
‘features’. What are the 4 features? satyaṃ jñānam anantaṃ ānandaṃ. ‘satyaṃ’ means,
pure existence or absolute reality. ‘jñānaṃ’ is pure consciousness. ‘anantaṃ’ is limitless’.
‘ānandaṃ’ - of the nature of pure happiness. Non-experiential, pure happiness.
“yat pratyasta aśeṣa māyā viśeṣaṃ”. That brahman alone is available in front of us in the
form of pure existence. 'satyaṃ’. You say, ‘space is’. ‘Fire is’. Now it is raining. Rain ‘is’.
That ‘is’ness is everywhere. That all-pervading ‘is’ness is brahman. And that ‘is’ness is now
associated with several nāma-rūpās, names and forms, ‘projected’ by māyā. So, ‘aśeṣa
māyā viśeṣaṃ’. viśeṣā means, distinctions. nāma-rūpa differences, because of which alone
mike is called mike, speaker is called speaker, computer is computer, hand is hand. Each is
distinct from the other. Distinctions or distinct names and forms are projected by māyā and
those names and forms are now there, along with existence. Therefore, ‘existence’ seems
to be variety now. Even though existence is ‘one’, now it is with ‘aśeṣa māyā viśeṣaḥ’,
associated with countless nāma-rūpa. And what is brahman? brahman is the ‘pure
existence’, without the limitations caused by countless nāma-rūpa. So, pratyasta. pratyasta
means, ‘free from’. Literally pratyastam means, end, cease, give-up. prati+as dhātu. To end.
The sun set is called ‘astamanaṃ’. Sun ends, sun disappears. Here, pratyastaṃ means,
brahman is free-from. What? It is ‘pure existence’, without any divisions and distinctions
caused by the māyā viśeṣā, māyā caused nāma-rūpās.
Therefore what should you do? Filter the ‘existence’ from the names & forms. ‘Mike is’
minus ‘mike’. ‘Hand is’ minus ‘hand’. ‘Wall is’ minus ‘wall’. Keep on minusing every
distinction caused by māyā. ‘pratyasta māyā viśeṣaṃ’ means, after minusing all the
distinctions caused by māyā. Then, what is left out? Do not say ‘nothing’! The ‘is’ness alone
is left out. That ‘pure ‘is’ness’ is brahman. That is god. That ‘pure existence’ is brahman.
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Naturally you will ask, ‘how to experience that?’ ‘I am able to experience existence with
nāma-rūpa. But, without nāma-rūpa, how can I experience it? In which state can I
experience it?’ He says, ‘you can never experience it, because pure-existence is non-
objectifiable’. “pratyaya agamyamānam” - which can never be grasped. ‘agamyamānaṃ’
means, can never be grasped; pratyaya - through any particular experience. There is no
particular experience in which you can objectify pure existence. No mystic experience also.
‘pratyaya agamyamānam’. Then we will conclude, ‘Oh, pure existence is not there, then’.
Because, how to prove it, if it is not experienceable?
He says, “pratyagrūpaṃ” - that pure existence is nothing but the 5-featured consciousness,
which alone wants to experience, which only is emptying the thoughts and looking for the
experience! That ‘looker’, ‘meditator’ is the ‘pure existence’. ‘I’ am that pure existence. That
is why brahman knowledge is only in the form of claiming, ‘I am brahman’. No other way is
possible. pratyagrūpaṃ. It is in the form of ‘inner self’. Whose inner self? Inner self of all the
living beings is brahman. And that brahman ‘aham asmi’. More in next class.
Math, Chennai].

134
paraṃparām II
यत्प्स्ताशेषमाया�वशेष प्रतय
् ग प्रत्ययागम्य म । सत्य�ानान्मानन्दरू ब्रह्माद् य�देवाहमिस् ॥
yatpratyastāśeṣamāyāviśeṣaṃ pratyagrūpaṃ pratyayāgamyamānam I satyajñānānantam
ānandarūpaṃ brahmādvaitaṃ yattadevāhamasmi II [mantra 37] [514] &&
In these 3 verses, the śiṣya indicates to the guru that he has implemented the instructions of
the guru. The guru said, ‘brahma tattvamasi bhāvayātmani’ – ‘you are brahman. May you
dwell upon this message. You are not jīva. You are pāramārthika brahma’. So, in all these 3
verses, the first 3 lines talk about pāramārthikaṃ brahma and in the 4th line he says, ‘that
brahman ‘I’ am’. We saw this verse in the last class. “yatpratyastāśeṣamāyāviśeṣaṃ” – ‘I’
am that brahman, which is free from pratyasta. It can be taken as free from the distinctions
caused by māyā. Infinite distinctions, differences are there in this universe.
And these distinctions are broadly classified into 3. jīva, jagat and īśvara. jīva is the kartā.
jagat is the field in which he does his karma. And, īśvara is the karmaphala dātā. So, karma
kartā, phaladātā and the field in which this happens. Both jīva and ī śvara require the
universe. īśvara cannot give karmaphalam without the universe. jīva cannot do karma
without the universe. All these distinctions are the cause of saṃsāra. bheda is the cause of
saṃsāra. All these bhedās are okay, as long as they are understood as vyāvahārika
satyaṃ. The moment we attribute more reality to this distinction than it deserves, then it
becomes a problem. Movie is entertainment if we do not give movie more reality than it
deserves. We should give it just sufficient reality to enjoy it; but, not more than what it
deserves. That balanced attribution of reality is wisdom. Therefore, give vyāvahārika
satyatvaṃ alright; but, remember it is māyā-caused superficial distinction. ‘I’, the screen
called brahman, am free from jīva jagat īśvara bheda. ‘I’ am like the screen spreading the
entire universe in the form of existence and consciousness. The ‘is’ness of every object, the
‘known’ness of every object is because of the screen called caitanyaṃ and sattā. That
caitanyaṃ and sattā are never objectifiable. It is claimable as ‘I’, the sākṣi caitanyaṃ.
So, “pratyagrūpaṃ pratyayaḥ agamyamānam”. gamyamānam means, ‘graspable’ /
‘knowable’, ‘. [gaṃ dhātu. śānac pratyaya. Present-passive-participle]. agamyamānam
means, ‘unobjectifiable’, ‘un-graspable’, ‘aprameyam’ or ‘aviśayam’ ityarthaḥ. It is ‘I’, the
subject, the sākṣī caitanyaṃ, which is none other than “satyajñānānantam ānandarūpaṃ”.
When the śiṣya meditates, “satyaṃ jñānam anantaṃ brahma” is the svarūpa lakṣaṇaṃ of
brahman in taittirīya 2nd chapter, brahmānandavallī. Again, in 3rd chapter, bhṛguvallī -
“ānando brahmeti vyajānāt”. In bṛhadāraṇyaka [3.9.28] - “vijñānamānandaṃ brahma”. All
those upaniṣadic messages he must have received and must have been convinced through
śravaṇaṃ & mananaṃ. He is ‘the’ candidate! ‘I am that brahman’. I do not want to meditate
on brahman. I want to dwell upon the fact that ‘I am that brahman’. Here the śiṣya declares
to the guru - guru must be so happy! – ‘he guro, tat advaitaṃ brahma ahaṃ asmi’. ‘I’ am that
non-dual brahman. [So, now we are concluding this series of 3 verses]. Verse 38.
�निष्क्रयोऽस्म्य�वकार �नष्कलोऽिस �नराकृ�तः । �न�वर्कल्पोऽि �नत्योऽिस �नरालम्बोऽिस �नद्र्व ॥
niṣkriyo'smyavikāro'smi niṣkalo'smi nirākṛtiḥ I nirvikalpo'smi nityo'smi nirālambo'smi
nirdvayaḥ II
So many ‘asmi’s are there. ‘asmi’ means ‘am’. If the verb is ‘asmi’, the subject is understood
as ‘ahaṃ’. So, ‘ahaṃ’ is not in the śloka. We should read as ‘ahaṃ asmi’. ‘I am’.
Meditation - Class 018 – 22nd January 2021 – verses 37 to 40 Page 1
135
And here we are not taking of the vācyārtha I, the miserable jīva, but the lakṣyārtha ‘I’, jīva
sākṣī, the Original consciousness. And as Original consciousness, as brahman, as the sākṣī
caitanyaṃ, as the ātmā, ‘I’ enjoy all these features and ‘I’ happily claim them also!
What are the features? None of them is new. All of them have been studied in śravaṇaṃ
and mananaṃ. This is only reminding myself, so that it will be internalised. “niṣkriyo'smy”.
kriyā means, action. ‘I’ am actionless. ‘paśyañśṛṇvanspṛśañjighran’ [gītā 5.8]. Lord kṛṣṇa
says, ‘a jñāni is one who remembers ‘I am action-less even when the sense organs are
functioning in the world’. Of course, consciously he doesn't recollect that. In the background,
the awareness is there even when he is consciously engaged. Sub-conscious mind
recollects this. ‘niṣkriyaḥ asmi’ means, akartā asmi. Therefore, “nirvikārosmi”, ‘I am free
from all the changes’. karma makes me tired. karma makes me old. karma makes me face
the karmaphalam. All these are ‘changes’. But, since ‘I’ have no karma, ‘I’ have no karma-
based transformations or changes also. Then, “niṣkalo'smi”. kalā means division or digit. A
measure. Digit of the moon is kalā. Here, kalā means, various limbs or parts of the body-
mind etc. ‘I’ am part less, even though three śarīrams have got parts. sthūla śarīraṃ has got
manifest parts. sūkṣma śarīraṃ has got manifest parts. kāraṇa śarīraṃ has got unmanifest
parts. Whereas, ātmā has got no parts. Therefore, ‘niṣkalo’smi’ – ‘I am limb-less or part less.
Therefore, “nirākṛtiḥ”. The limbs alone decide my shape. Differences in people have
different features. Long nose - small nose; big ears - small ears; tall – short. All kinds of
different features. So, my very shape and form is dependent on the limbs. When I do not
have limbs, ‘I’ am like space. Formless consciousness. Formless existence. ākṛtiḥ means,
form or shape. ‘nir’ means, free-from. All prāti bahuvrīhi. nirākṛtiḥ. Then, “nirvikalpo'smi”. ‘I’
am division less. niṣkala is svagata bheda rahitaḥ. nirvikalpaḥ is sajātīya bheda rahitaḥ.
There are not many consciousness. All the other schools of philosophy believe in multitude.
sāṅkhya, nyāya all say, ‘ātmā is formless and all-pervading’. At the same time, they also
say, ‘there are many formless all-pervading consciousnesses’. That means, vikalpaḥ. In
advaitaṃ alone we say, ‘consciousness is division less’. nirvikalpaḥ means, akhaṇḍaḥ.
Then, “nityo'smi”. Eternal. Even space has got an end, because according to śāstra, space
is ‘born’. “etasmād ātmana ākāśaḥ sambhūtaḥ [taittirīya 2.1.3] Therefore, space will
disappear. Before big bang, it was not. After the big crunch, it will not be. Space is subject to
birth and death. Whereas, ‘I’ continue to exist even after time and space fold-up. So,
‘nityo'smi’. And, “nirālambo'smi”. ‘I’ am not supported by space. I am not ‘in’ space. Space is
considered to be sarva ālamba. sarva ālambaḥ - support of all. Now, ‘I’ do not need even
the support of time and space; because, ‘I’ am the one who supports the rising time and
space! ‘māyākalpitadeśakālakalanāvaicitryacitrīkṛtam’. Just as the waker creates & supports
dream time & space, similarity ‘I’ the super-waker support everything. ‘I’ don't need anyone’s
support. nirālaṃbhaḥ means, nirādhāraḥ, supportless.
That does not mean ‘I’ am miserable, anāthaḥ. ‘I’ don't have support. ‘I’ don’t need support.
Not only physically, even emotionally. As jīva I need the support of people, support of god
for my physical and emotional problems. But, as ātmā ‘I’ do not require any support.
Because, jīva jagat īśvara - all these three - are supported by ‘me’. What a statement! ‘I’ am
the supporter of even īśvara. Why should ‘I’ need any other support? That is why we say
god-dependence to self-dependence. From dvaita-bhakti dependence to advaita-jñānaṃ
dependence. Self-reliance. ātmanirbhara of PM we are using in the spiritual field! ‘I’ am self-
reliant, ātmanirbharaḥ. For all my emotional needs I will use these 40 verses. These verses

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& their message, duly internalised, are my real resources to confront the problems of life. To
confront old age. And to confront even death! ‘I’ have my own inexhaustible inner resources
in the form of this knowledge bank. I bank on these verses. ‘nirālambo'smi’. And, finally,
“nirdvayaḥ”. ‘I’ am second-less.
Thus, in all these verses the pāramārthikaṃ nature of the ‘self’ is talked about. Okay, what
about vyāvahārika world? Now, in this following verse he says, ‘not only ‘I’ am pāramārthika
satyaṃ, ‘I’ am the vyāvahārika satyaṃ also! ‘I’ alone am, with three different sets of nāma-
rūpa. vyāvahārika jīva ‘I’ am. vyāvahārika jagat ‘I’ am. vyāvahārika īśvara also ‘I’ am.
Remember the śloka – “nārāyaṇo'haṃ narakāntako'haṃ”. ‘I’ am pāramārthikaṃ. ‘I’ am
vyāvahārikaṃ. Both ‘I’ am! That is the beautiful concluding verse of this meditation. 40th
verse is thanksgiving. We will read verse 39.
सवार्त्मकोऽ सव�ऽहं सवार्तीतोऽहमद्व । केवलाखण्डबोधोऽहमानन्दोऽ �नरन्तर ॥
sarvātmako'haṃ sarvo'haṃ sarvātīto'hamadvayaḥ I kevalākhaṇḍabodho'hamānando'haṃ
nirantaraḥ II [mantra 39] [516] &&
He describes the pāramārthika nature. First, we will see those descriptions. “sarvātmakaḥ
ahaṃ”. sarvātmakaḥ here means, sarvātmā. ‘sarvātmā eva sarvātmakaḥ’. ‘I’ am the ‘self’,
the inner essence, the existence & consciousness in everything vyāvahārikaṃ. vyāvahārika
jīvasya ātmā ahaṃ asmi. vyāvahārika jagataḥ ātmā ahaṃ asmi. vyāvahārika īśvarasyāpi
ātmā ahaṃ asmi. ‘I’ am the sat and cit who lends sat and cit to this triangle of jīva jagat
īśvara! Therefore, ahaṃ sarvātmakaḥ. [“sarvo'haṃ” I will skip now. Will come to that later].
And, “sarva atītaḥ”. Even though ‘I’ am the ‘self’ of all, ‘I’ transcend all these 3. In the sense,
‘I’ pervade them. But, ‘I’ am not conditioned by, affected by, contaminated by, touched by
them. ‘I’ am transcendental. ‘sarvātmakaḥ’ means, immanent. ‘sarvātītaḥ’ means,
transcendental. Not physically away. Physically ‘I’ am in contact. But ‘I’ am untouched. Best
example is, the screen untouched by the movie. The screen pervades a dirty puddle in the
movie. That dirty puddle has got ‘is’ness borrowed from the screen. Screen pervades. But
screen doesn't become dirty. It’s called atītatvam. Screen is dirty-puddle ātmakaḥ and
screen is dirty-puddle atītaḥ! Similarly, ‘I’ am in & through all. But affected by none. atītaḥ
indicates the difference in order of reality. Whenever atītaḥ comes, in technical language, it
means, ‘I’ have got a higher order of reality. jīva jagat īśvara has got vyāvahārikatvam. ‘I’
have got pāramārthikatvaṃ as brahman.
And, “advayaḥ”. The pāramārthikaṃ is ‘one’. vyāvahārika ātmās are ‘many’. jīva is there.
jagat is there. īśvara is there. Each one is different from the other 2. So, vyāvahārika
dvaitaṃ I accept. I experience. But still ‘I’ the pāramārthikaṃ am advayaḥ. So ‘I’ am non-
dual, parāmrthikally; but, functioning as dual, vyāvahārikally. ‘advayaḥ’.
What is my original nature? “kevalākhaṇḍabodho'ham”. ‘kevala’ means, non-dual. akhaṇḍaḥ
means, indivisible. So, kevalaḥ conveys freedom from sajātīya-vijātīya bheda. akhaṇḍaḥ
conveys freedom from svagata bheda. ‘bodhaḥ’ means, caitanyaṃ. “bodho'ham” – ‘I’ am the
non-dual, indivisible, part less consciousness principle. [Not the reflected consciousness.
RC is divisible. And it is plural. As many minds are there, so many RCs are there. So, I am
not referring to that ‘localised’ consciousness in the body-mind. I am referring to the lending
consciousness ‘I’]. So, ‘I’ am the Original consciousness, ‘cit’. “ānando'haṃ nirantaraḥ”. Not
only ‘I’ am cit. ‘ānandohaṃ’ - cidānanda rūpaḥ - ‘I’ am of the nature of ‘original’ happiness
also, giving happiness to all the people by lending the reflection of ‘original’ ānanda in their
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mind. ‘I’ alone get reflected whenever people are happy. The greatest donor in the world ‘I’
am! The only donor of happiness! ‘ānando'haṃ nirantaraḥ’. ‘nirantaraḥ’ means, without any
gap. ekarasaḥ. So, all these are my pāramārthika svarūpam.
Then, what about the vyāvahārika anātmā? “sarvo'haṃ”. ‘I’ am not mere ātmā. The anātmā
also ‘I’ alone am. The only difference is, in anātmā version ‘I’ am with the ‘superimposed’
nāma-rūpa. Costumed. Remember my previous series? Without costume, ‘I’ am brahman.
With costume, ‘I’ am jīva jagat īśvara. vyāvahārika pāramārthika prātibhāsika, everything ‘I’
am. ahaṃ sarvaḥ. ‘idaṃ sarvam yadayam ātmā’ [maitreyī brāhmaṇaṃ]. ‘I’ am all.
Dayānanda Swāmīji says, from ‘I’ am small remove the ‘sm’. ‘I’ am all! SM means self-
ignorance & self-misconception. You remove. Small minus SM. ‘I’ am all’! This is the
nididhyāsanaṃ! Entertaining these thoughts. In all these ślokās, word ‘I’ is used. And, when
I use the word ‘I’, I learn to think “as” brahman. That should become spontaneous and
natural. For that spontaneity, for making it into my sub-conscious mind, I have to repeat it.
Deliberate repetition. I am not knowing anything new. I am repeating what I know. So the
vedānta class is re-lived using the word ‘I’ as brahman. Saying, ‘brahman is wonderful. ātmā
is wonderful’, ‘guru and śaṅkarācārya are wonderful, bhāṣyaṃ is wonderful’ is no use. But I
should be able to claim, ‘I’ am the most wonderful one! Everything wonderful, ‘I’ am!
yadyadvibhūtimatsattvaṃ śrīmadūrjitameva vā I tattadevāvagaccha tvaṃ mama
tejoṃ'śasambhavam II [gītā 10.41]
This I should be able to claim. That is the aim of nididhyāsanaṃ. So, the śiṣya here has
done that. He has internalised. He has shared that with his guru in the vivekacūḍāmaṇi
dialogue. And then, he thanks the guru. Any amount of thanks is not enough. Still he wants
to offer thanks by offering namaskāra. That is the 40th verse. [This we have already seen in
the previous series also. There it was verse 103. Original vivekacūḍāmaṇi verse 517. In this
meditation series, it verse 40. Same śloka. Therefore, I am not going to elaborate. I am only
going to give the gist of the śloka]. We will read.
स्वाराज्यसाम्राजय�वभू�
् भवत्कृपाश्रीम�हमप्रस । प्राप मया श्रगुर
ी महात्मन नमो नमस्तेऽस् पुननर्मोऽस्
॥ [mantra 40] [517] &&
svārājyasāmrājyavibhūtireṣā bhavatkṛpāśrīmahimaprasādāt । prāptā mayā śrīgurave
mahātmane namo namaste'stu punarnamo'stu ॥
“eṣā vibhūtir mayā prāptā”. So, this glory, described in these 40 verses, has been attained
by me. What is that glory? “svārājyasāmrājyam”. ‘svārājyam’ means, mokṣa. [Explained
more elaborately in the previous series]. Self-reliance. Self-dependence. ātmanirbharaḥ. It is
a Sanskrit word they are using in Hindi! So, mokṣa sāmrājyaṃ is the glory. The highest
puruṣārtha I have attained! But I do not want to take the whole credit. No doubt I have done
my effort, including the practice of nididhyāsanaṃ. But all this has been possible because of
guru-kṛpā. So, he says, “bhavatkṛpā” - ‘your kṛpā’, compassion. Which is, “śrīmahima-
prasādāt” - which is your grace. Glorious grace. Rich grace. ‘śrī’ means rich, abundant. And,
‘mahima’ means, glorious. ‘prasāda’ means, grace. In the form of your compassion. And
remember, guru’s compassion & grace are always in the form of consistent and systematic
teaching, making himself available for dialogue with the disciple. This ‘making himself
available for dialogue’, culminating in this, is called grace or compassion. guru can show
compassion in so many other ways. But this is the main! ‘prasādāt’ - because of that only,
‘prāptā mayā’ - I have attained.
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And therefore what should I do? Thank god, guru doesn't ask for any fees! I cannot
compensate him enough! He doesn't expect anything. That is why he is called ‘ahetuka
dayā sindhu’. Doesn’t expect anything. Not even thanks. Not even namaskāra. But the śiṣya
feels he has to express his gratitude, not because guru wants, but śiṣya feels so benefited.
Therefore he says, “śrīgurave mahātmane namo namaste'stu punarnamo'stu”. ‘te namaḥ’. I
offer sāṣṭāṅga namaskāra, daṇḍavat praṇāma to you. In bṛhadāraṇyaka janaka says to guru
yājñavalkya, ‘I am offering myself. I am your dāsaḥ. So, what to talk of the kingdom.
Kingdom is yours. I myself am at your service’. Like that, ‘I am offering namaskāra to you’.
And who are you? ‘śrī gurave’ - you are the sacred guru. Spiritual guru. All teachers are
gurus. But this guru is called ‘śrī guru’ or ‘sadguru’. ‘govindaṃ paramānandaṃ sad-guruṃ
praṇato 'smy aham” [vivekacūḍāmaṇi first verse]. ‘sadguru’. Very careful. In English, it will
read ‘sad’ guru. It is not ‘sad’ guru, but ‘sadguru’. It is reserved only for the brahmavidyā
guru. ‘sadguruḥ’ or ‘śrī guru’. śrī gurave mahātmane. Here ātmā means heart. One who has
got a generous heart to freely distribute his wisdom to all. Such a generous hearted guru
you are. I offer namaskāra. Even if I offer that, I am not satisfied. Any number of namaskāra
are not enough. Therefore, ‘punaḥ namostu’ - I only verbally say ‘my namaskāraṃ’ again
and again and again. Thus, a fulfilled śiṣya is offering thanks to the guru.
Thereafter, he is no more a vividiṣā saṃnyāsi. He is now a vidvat saṃnyāsi. As a vividiṣā
saṃnyāsi he was under the care of the guru. He required the proximity of guru. As a vidvat
saṃnyāsi, he doesn't require the guru, because guru is present within himself as the very
teaching itself. He does not require a physical guru outside, because he doesn't miss the
guru. Therefore, as we saw in the previous series, guru went his way, śiṣya went his way,
because both of them were monks. As monks, as parivrājaka, they move about and
whenever an opportunity comes, they share the wisdom or they may do loka saṅgraha.
Because, there is no rule or regulation that a jñāni should do this or that only. He can do
anything. Even worldly activities he can do after nididhyāsanaṃ. Otherwise, slippage is
possible. After total internalisation, he can do any blessed thing. ‘kṛṣiṃ kuru’, vidyāraṇya
says. You do farming! In spite of the farm laws, you do farming! You do business. You run
your family. Anything you do. Does not matter. Because - ‘paśyañ śṛṇvan spṛśañ jighrann
aśnan gacchan svapañ śvasan …’ - you are ātmaniṣṭhaḥ in sahaja samādhi.
With this, the vivekacūḍāmaṇi meditation verses are also completed. Since we have few
more minutes, I would like to consolidate this nididhyāsanaṃ topic. Whatever I said in the
introduction I would like to recollect and conclude this series. While introducing the topic of
nididhyāsanaṃ I mentioned 4 factors. A] Who is the candidate? B] What is the object of
meditation? [In upāsanaṃ, god is the object. Here, what is the object? ‘I’]. C] Mode of
meditation. [The method to be used]. D] The purpose of meditation. And, the purpose or
benefit expected. Benefit is called purpose. I would like to reinforce these 4.
A] Candidate :: nididhyāsanaṃ is not for a beginner. All those people who have just listened
to a few classes, few hours of few texts, it is not meant for them. For them, what is required
is upāsanaṃ. I will summarise the upāsanaṃ topic in the next class. That is meant for all
others. nididhyāsanaṃ is meant for someone who has done years of śravaṇam and years of
mananaṃ. As I said, in the first level, bhagavadgītā and some prakaraṇa granthās. In the
second level, few upaniṣads and some more prakaraṇa granthās. Plus, if not the entire
brahmasūtrās, at least the first 4 sūtrās one should have gone through, until I am convinced
of ‘brahma satyaṃ’ ‘jagan mithyā’ ‘ahaṃ brahmaiva nāparaḥ̣’. [Do not say ‘jivo brahmaiva’!]

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It should be ‘brahma satyaṃ’ ‘jagan mithyā’ ‘ahaṃ brahmaiva nāparaḥ̣’. This understanding
should be doubtless. This is called aparokṣa jñānaṃ. This must have come. Otherwise, in
the middle of nididhyāsanaṃ I will be thinking, ‘I am all’. But my own intellect will tease me.
‘Are you all?! Are you free of your sons & daughters problems?’ ahaṅkāra will come up and
laugh at me. The world need not laugh; my own intellect will laugh! If that should not
happen, all these 40 verses I should be able to grasp & mean. Thus, before nididhyāsanaṃ
go through these 40 verses. Look at their meaning. Do a self-examination. ‘Can I do
nididhyāsanaṃ and mean every word that is said here?’ I should ask myself. If knowledge is
thorough, my intellect will say, ‘not only I am ready, I am waiting for that. nididhyāsanaṃ is
the only welcome activity’. Thus, I should do self-examination by going through 40 verses
and ask myself, ‘can I do that?’ If my intellect agrees, I am a senior student. Without my own
permission, I cannot enter nididhyāsanaṃ. And the permission comes only when these
cardinal teachings of vedānta, I am convinced of as a fact, not just a message of upaniṣad.
This clear understanding is called aparokṣa jñānaṃ. He is the candidate.
All others need not do nididhyāsanaṃ. śravaṇam is important. mananaṃ is important.
upāsanaṃ is very important. I will talk about it in next class. It is for those who are not yet
prepared for nididhyāsanaṃ. It will be god-centric. So, śravaṇam mananaṃ and upāsanaṃ.
And of course, karmayoga. So much to focus on! All that is meant for others. So, ‘candidate’
must be very clear. Otherwise, beginners will try it and say, ‘it is all difficult’. Why? It will be
like attempting M.Sc. maths, after failing in 5th standard! Only thing that will come is sleep.
Therefore, let this be very clear – ‘whether I am a candidate or not’ should be clear.
B] Object of meditation :: It is not going to be ‘god’. It is going to be ‘I’, as pāramārthikaṃ
brahma. I do not meditate ‘on’ brahman. I do not think ‘of’ brahman. I think ‘as’ brahman.
Using the word ‘I’ to refer to pāramārthikaṃ brahma, with clear aim to claim that, ‘I alone am
vyāvahārika jīva, vyāvahārika jagat and vyāvahārika īśvara. catuṣpād ātmā ‘I am’. This I
have to claim. This is the mahāvākyaṃ message. And the corollaries are, the object of
meditation and subject matter of meditation. mahāvākyaṃ and its corollaries. And what are
they? The 40 verses. Not the words, but the meaning of these 40 verses is what I meditate
upon. One can regularly chant and familiarise them. [I will try to chant these verses in the
next class]. So, I chant the verse. But I do not dwell on their words; rather, I dwell on their
meaning. And, I should mean them as facts. So, the ‘object of meditation’ is the contents of
these 40 verses. Either call them ‘object’ or you can call it ‘subject matter’ of meditation.
Certainly not one of the objects in the creation, not as a ‘god’, different from me. That is not
going to be ‘object of meditation’. That is the subject matter of upāsanaṃ. “anyosau
anyogam asmi”. ‘He is god. I am jīva’ - that is upāsanaṃ bhāvana. ‘I am small. He is big’.
That is not going to be the subject matter here.
C] The method of meditation :: I talked of 3 methods. One can be the ‘formal method’, as
described by kṛṣṇa in the 6th chapter of bhagavadgītā, using the aṣṭāṅga yoga steps.
Proper āsanā. Proper posture. prāṇāyāma - doing some breathing exercises. pratyāhāra -
deliberately withdrawing the sense organs & mind from worldly transactions & personalities.
dhāraṇa - bringing the mind to these 40 verses. dhyānaṃ - dwelling upon these 40 verses.
samādhi - not yogic samādhi. vedāntic samādhi is total absorption. I am dead to all worldly
vyavahāra. This is formal, exclusive nididhyāsanaṃ. I call this ‘samādhi abhyāsa rūpa
nididhyāsanaṃ’. By samādhi I mean, ‘being absorbed in these thoughts’, not thoughtless-
ness. Being absorbed in these thoughts is samādhi. Absorption. This is one method.

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Second method is very informal. It is dwelling on the teaching in any form, at most times.
“taccintanaṃ tatkathanam anyonyaṃ tatprabhodhanam etad ekaparatvaṃ ca
brahmābhyāsaṃ vidur budhāḥ II” [pañcadasī]. It is called ‘brahmābhyāsa rūpam’.
When we are engaged in any mechanical activity, like walking - where mind is not required -
our mind is normally worrying. But you can do this nididhyāsanaṃ even while engaged in
such activities. It may be walking, it may be sharing with people who know this, or it may be
teaching. [Teaching is a form of nididhyāsanaṃ]. It may be writing. Like, after listening to the
class, I write that down - in my own language, meaning them [not transcription. Transcription
anybody can do], I write down with ‘me’ behind the words. So, nididhyāsanaṃ need not be
with closed eyes only. This second method is called ‘brahmābhyāsa rūpa nididhyāsanaṃ’.
Third one is, ‘śravaṇābhyāsa rūpa nididhyāsanaṃ’. So, initial śravaṇam and mananaṃ will
be for ‘gaining’ knowledge. And, even after gaining knowledge, I continue to do śravaṇam,
but not for ‘knowing’ but for abhyāsaḥ. Whatever I know I am reinforcing. ‘śravaṇa abhyāsa
rūpa’, in which, whenever the word brahman and ātmā comes, I should make it a point that
it is all ‘me’. ‘yaddadreśyaṃ agrāhyaṃ …’ all brahma lakṣaṇaṃ when it comes, I should
listen to it as ‘my’ own lakṣaṇaṃ. That conversion is important. But, continue the śravaṇam.
That is ‘śravaṇa abhyāsa rūpa nididhyāsanaṃ’. Thus, you can use formal or informal
methods. The aim is, you must dwell on the contents of these 40 verses to such an extent,
that it is internalized. This is about ‘the method’.
D] The purpose of meditation :: The last one is the purpose or the expected benefit. It is 3-
fold I said. First one is jñānaniṣthā. Making the knowledge internalized and strong enough
that I can switch-over from god-dependence to self-dependence for all my internal needs -
whether it is fulfilment or confronting emotional problems in day-to-day life or confronting old
age and disease or confronting death, ultimately. For all my internal needs, can I rely upon
this advaita jñānaṃ? ātmajñānaṃ-dependence is self-dependence; self-dependence is self-
knowledge dependence. So, god-dependence I did as a karmayogi. Can I become self-
dependant? From dvaita bhakti dependant to advaita jñānaṃ dependant.
First of all, I should ask whether I am interested in that! There are many people who are not
interested in that. For inner needs they will hold on to dvaita bhakti and god dependence.
‘vedānta is a nice, intellectually stimulating exercise. Enjoyable hobby. Wonderful to study.
Appreciate the depth of vedānta. Appreciate the communication skills of guru. Appreciate
the greatness of vedānta śāstraṃ. All that I appreciate. But, for my internal needs, I will
continue in dvaita bhakti or god-dependence’. Many people are like that. They are not
mumukṣu, because dependence is there. A mumukṣu is one who is attempting the next
stage of spirituality - from dvaita bhakti to advaita jñānaṃ! My knowledge is enough for me.
It gives me courage. It gives me strength. “yad bhāvyaṃ tad bhavatu bhagavan pūrva-
karmānurūpam”. I don’t mind. I am ready to face. I have sufficient inner resources to face
any situation. Can I say that? And, more importantly, do I want to say that?
nididhyāsanaṃ is for the switchover from dvaita bhakti to advaita jñānaṃ for internal
emotional needs. Thereafter, I can just enjoy dvaita bhakti and pūjā as a thanksgiving. That
is a different thing. But, for my support, I am jñānaṃ dependant. This is benefit number-1.
jñānaniṣthā to make me self-reliant. Switch from triangular to binary format, in which ‘I’ am
the adhiṣṭhānaṃ and all events are adhyāsaḥ! Remembering the 4th capsule of vedānta, ‘I
am never affected by any blessed event that happens in the material world or material
body’. Very, very important one – ‘Self-dependence’.
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Then, the 2nd purpose is, conversion of sādhya mokṣa into siddha mokṣa. I should never
look upon mokṣa as a goal, whether I call mokṣa as jīvanmukti or videhamukti. Do I look
upon mokṣa as a sādhyaṃ? If so, it means I am ahaṅkāra pradhānaḥ. I judge myself based
on my mental condition. I always postpone mokṣa. As I said, in a hall, if there are rows of 2
chairs - saṃsārī chairs and asaṃsārī chairs - and, you are free to sit anywhere, then, do I
go to asaṃsārī chair or to saṃsārī chair? Or, do I look left and right, not sure where I stand!
Literally and figuratively! [There are some who don't bother about that also. They just enjoy
listening to vedānta!] Therefore, to test whether I have internalised vedānta, I ask myself, ‘if I
am asked to choose a chair, which one I will naturally choose? Spontaneously choose?
saṃsārī or asaṃsārī? Self-examination! You need not answer me. A traditional guru will ask
the śiṣya. But I won’t ask. You can safely keep the answer with you. But I should be able to
say - without batting my eye lid – ‘I will go to the nityamukta chair’.
anātmā has got vyāvahārika issues. anātmā has prārabdha. I will never judge ‘myself’
based on that. Because, that is vyāvahārikaṃ. ‘I’ am pāramārthikaṃ. Why should I judge
pāramārthika ‘I’ based on vyāvahārikaṃ? Conversion of sādhya mokṣa to siddha mokṣa.
mokṣa is not distant, mokṣa is instant. Like instant coffee. Even that will take a few minutes;
here, not even few minutes. ‘I’ will claim my mokṣa. This is the second purpose and benefit.
And, the third indirect benefit - as a by-product - is the reduction of ahaṅkāra, mamakāra,
rāga, dveṣa. rāga dveṣa is either reduced or converted into preferences. We can have any
no of preferences. If fulfilled, wonderful. Not fulfilled, okay. Thus, neutralized rāga dveṣa or
absent rāga dveṣa. ahaṅkāra - identification with body, mind, sense complex. mamakāra -
family, possessions etc. are rāga dveṣa. If nididhyāsanaṃ is efficacious, they will come
down, which alone I highlight as ‘vairagya refinement’ or duṣṭa catuṣṭayam reduction.
ahaṅkāra, mamakāra, rāga, dveṣa reduction. jīva bhāva durbalī karaṇaṃ. They are all
different languages. Process is same. Even as a karmayogi I have worked on my vairāgyaṃ
by offering everything to god. Now, I am refining that vairāgyaṃ and the indication is,
emotional benefit. In my language, FIR reduction. Emotional disturbances like fear, sorrow,
regret, hatred, jealousy - all such emotional disturbances have to come down.
Understand, they will never become zero. They must come down. How much? Come down
sufficiently, that they become minor disturbances in the mind. They won’t express at the
verbal and action levels, disturbing others. Verbally and physically I don't disturb others.
Even if emotions happen, they are all like a storm in a tea-cup. Just disturbances. I may say,
‘what?’ In a short while, I will ask, ‘so what?’ Thus, recovery period comes down. Frequency
of disturbances come down. Intensity of disturbances comes down. Recovery period comes
down. These are all emotional benefits. But, my mokṣa is not dependent on my emotional
conditions, because ‘I’ am not the mind. Emotional benefits are by-products for anātmā,
which is mithyā. They are useful for vyavahāra. ‘I’ am not anātmā . ‘I’ am ever the ātmā.
This is always in the background. Improving the mind is one thing, ‘I’ am not the mind is
another thing. I improve the mind for facilitating worldly transactions, but not for mokṣa. ‘I’
am muktaḥ by ‘myself’. So, the third benefit is FIR reduction or samatvaṃ. In Lord kṛṣṇa’s
language, “samaduḥkhasukhaḥ svasthaḥ samaloṣṭāśmakāñcanaḥ” etc. is the third expected
benefit or purpose which we can experience. Emotionally experienceable benefit. And, if I
am not experiencing these benefits it means, nididhyāsanaṃ has not been done properly.
So, the 3-fold purposes. God-dependence to self-dependence. sādhya mokṣa to siddha
mokṣa. Emotional disturbance to emotional calmness. These are the 3 benefits.

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With this I conclude the consolidation topic. Also, I conclude this meditations series. In the
next and final session I will briefly talk about ‘upāsanaṃ’ for all those people - vedāntic
students or non-students - who are not ready for nididhyāsanaṃ. Then I will chant these 40
verses for those who would like to use and regularly chant.
ॐ पूणर्मद पूणर्�मद पूणार्तपूणर
् ्मुदच | पूणर्स पूणर्मादा पूणर्मेवाव�शष्य | ॐ शािन्त शािन्त शािन्त ||
Math, Chennai].

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paraṃparām II
In the last class we completed the 40 meditation verses selected from vivekacūḍāmaṇi. All
dealing with vedāntic meditation or nididhyāsanaṃ. Today, I propose to give an outline of
upāsanaṃ. nididhyāsanaṃ is vedāntic meditation, practiced after long śravaṇam and
mananaṃ of vedānta under a guru. So, post śravaṇa-manana meditation is nididhyāsanaṃ.
Whereas, upāsanaṃ is also meditation; but it is practiced before and even during śravaṇam
and mananaṃ, until I feel I am ready for nididhyāsanaṃ. So, upāsanaṃ is before & during
śravaṇam and mananaṃ. nididhyāsanaṃ is after śravaṇa-mananaṃ.
And before entering into actual topic, I would like to give some background information
collected from previous vivekacūḍāmaṇi series. That background is very useful. All forms of
vedic meditation are centred on god or īśvara. īśvara-centric. Very, very important to note.
Naturally, if we have to practice vedic meditation properly, we should have an idea about
īśvara as presented by the vedās. vedic approach to īśvara. vedic definition of īśvara. We
did see that in the previous vivekacūḍāmaṇi series. I am just reminding that in this context.
So, īśvara is defined as a ‘composite entity’ consisting of 2 factors. It is not a single entity,
but a composite entity, consisting of 2 factors or 2 components or 2 parts. One part is called
brahman, whose definition we saw in the vivekacūḍāmaṇi series verse 67. “satyaṃ jñānam
anantaṃ brahma”, taken from taittirīya upaniṣad. śaṅkarācārya quotes that. That means,
brahman is the ‘pure’ existence consciousness principle, the pāramārthika part, the absolute
reality, which is eternal, all-pervading and changeless. brahman is one component of īśvara.
The second component is māyā. māyā is the basic raw material, which is part of īśvara,
which alone serves as the basis for the evolution of the entire universe, consisting of time,
space, matter, energy and all things and beings in the cosmos. māyā is called prakṛti. So
māyā is the changing raw material, the vyāvahārika part, the empirical reality, which evolves
into, which transforms into the cosmos, the universe. The universe is māyā kāryam. māyā
vikāra. māyā pariṇāma. This māyā is the second part of īśvara.
Thus, īśvara is a mixture of the changeless brahman, the pāramārthika part, and changing
māyā, the vyāvahārika part. And the entire universe is only a transformation of māyā.
Matter, energy, elements, elementals, things, beings - including body-mind-sense complex -
every blessed thing is a transformation of māyā. And so, we have to add a corollary. A very
important corollary. If māyā is the vyāvahārika part of īśvara, then the entire universe -
which is ‘transformed’ māyā - the universe is also only the ‘vyāvahārika part’ of īśvara. It is
māyā kāryam. The entire universe and its cause - māyā - are all an integral part of, the
‘vyāvahārika part’ of īśvara. Therefore, the vedic definition of īśvara is, very important –
“everything is īśvara”. What is the vedic definition of īśvara? ‘Every blessed thing is īśvara’.
The changeless existence and consciousness is the pāramārthika part of īśvara. The
changing nāma, rūpa, karma – name, form and functions - everything changing is the
vyāvahārika part of īśvara. ‘sarvaṃ īśvaramayam’. ‘sarvaṃ viṣṇumayam jagat’. ‘sarvaṃ
śivamayam’. Everything has to be either the changing or the changeless component.
Changeless is pāramārthika part. Changing is vyāvahārika part. There is nothing else.
This message is brilliantly & elaborately brought out in the bhagavadgītā by Lord kṛṣṇa from
the 7th chapter up to the 12th chapter - madhyama ṣaṭkaṃ - elaborately. Whoever wants
the elaboration of this message should thoroughly go through this madhyama ṣaṭkaṃ.
Meditation - Class 019 – 25th January 2021 – Conclusion Page 1

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Everything is īśvara, either vyāvahārika part or pāramārthika part. And meditation on the
vyāvahārika part of īśvara is called upāsanaṃ. Meditation on the pāramārthika part of īśvara
is called nididhyāsanaṃ. And both meditations - upāsana dhyānaṃ and nididhyāsana
dhyānaṃ - both meditations are compulsory and important for all spiritual seekers, mokṣa
seekers. upāsanaṃ and nididhyāsanaṃ are complimentary. And to use my favourite
expression, ‘without upāsanaṃ, nididhyāsanaṃ is impossible; and, without nididhyāsanaṃ,
upāsanaṃ is incomplete’. Every spiritual seeker requires both upāsanaṃ & nididhyāsanaṃ.
Of these 2 forms of meditation, nididhyāsana dhyānaṃ, brahma dhyānaṃ, brahma ātma
dhyānaṃ, we saw very elaborately in the 40 meditation verses of vivekacūḍāmaṇi. And
today I want to condense and summarise the upāsana dhyānaṃ, which is discussed in the
scriptures, especially in the bhagavadgītā̄ from 7th to 12th chapters. In fact, Madhusūdana
Sarasvati, a great commentator on gītā, says ‘the first 6 chapters of the gītā - prathama
ṣaṭkaṃ - is karmayoga. madhyama ṣaṭkaṃ, the middle 6 chapters is upāsanayoga. And the
carama ṣaṭkaṃ - the final 6 chapters - is jñānayoga. So, what I am going to do is,
summarise the upāsanaṃ, keeping in the mind the madhyama ṣaṭkaṃ of the gītā.
The words upāsanaṃ and upāsanā, both are synonymous. [One is akārāntaḥ napuṃsaka
liṅgaḥ̣. Other is ākārāntaḥ strīliṅgaḥ̣]. I will be interchanging the words upāsanaṃ and
upāsanā. And, I am going to deal with 2 types of upāsanās, iṣṭadevata upāsanā and
viśvarūpa upāsanā. [iṣṭadevata upāsanā or iṣṭadevata dhyānam. The word dhyānam is
common to both nididhyāsanaṃ and upāsanaṃ]. iṣṭadevata upāsanā is a very, very useful
upāsanā in which I choose any particular deity found in our scriptures. We have got a huge
pantheon of deities, with different names, forms, functions, male, female, mixture. All are
available. We can choose any particular deity as iṣṭadevata. And through upāsanaṃ, one of
the important goals is, to form a stable relationship, stable bondage with that deity. This is
very useful; spiritually useful; psychologically useful. kṛṣṇa emphasizes in the bhagavadgītā̄.
manmanā bhava madbhakto madyājī māṃ namaskuru I [9.34] … matkarmakṛnmatparamo
madbhaktaḥ saṅgavarjitaḥ I [11.55] … … maccittaḥ satataṃ bhava [18.57] maccittaḥ
sarvadurgāṇi matprasādāttariṣyasi [18.58] manmanā bhava madbhakto madyājī māṃ
namaskuru I māmevaiṣyasi satyaṃ te pratijāne priyo'si me II [18.65]
So, bonding with any particular deity. Our choice is called iṣṭadevata. Chosen deity. Based
on my temperament. Many people say, we are not able to. It is worth trying. And this stable
relationship is psychologically highly useful for getting emotional courage and endurance.
Emotional strength to welcome any type of future without anxiety, requires tremendous
mental courage. Life requires that as we grow old. Also, tremendous endurance to go
through choiceless problems, both physical and emotional. So, courage and endurance are
2 important faculties I have to develop. iṣṭadevatā bonding becomes a tremendous source
of courage and endurance. It is the experience of every devotee. It is experienceable. “yad
bhāvyaṃ tad bhavatu bhagavanpūrvakarmānurūpam”. Quoted 100s of times!
And a stable relationship is required to handle all other unstable relationships. All other
problematic relationships, which is everywhere in our life - in the family, in the corporate
world, in the neighbourhood. So many relationships. Many of our mental worries are
because of such relationships. To handle the problematic unstable relationships, having a
stable relationship with iṣṭadevata is very useful. This is achieved through iṣṭadevatā
dhyānaṃ. This is one type of benefit. There are so many other benefits. A multipurpose,
versatile spiritual sādhana is iṣṭadevatā upāsanaṃ.
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So, how do we practice? Having chosen any iṣṭadevata, I decide to spend some time every
day, once or twice. I withdraw from all other worldly activities. It is for spending time with my
deity, just as they say, you should spend time with spouse. Otherwise, marriage will be in
trouble. Spend time with children. Spending ‘quality time’ is important for bonding and stable
relationships. Here also, exclusive time I allocate. Once or twice. 15 to 20 minutes is also
enough. Then, I go through the preliminary steps [which I do not want to elaborate].
aṣṭāṅga yoga-based steps are described by Lord kṛṣṇa in the 6th chapter of the gītā. āsana
- proper posture; conscious relaxation of the body. prāṇāyāma - conscious relaxation of the
breathing process. pratyāhāra - conscious withdrawal of the sense organs from the external
world. dhāraṇa - conscious withdrawal of the mind from all worldly vyavahārās, worldly
relationships, worldly prepositions. I consciously withdraw the mind and bring it to the setup
which I want to practice quality upāsanā. And the place is also is conducive for spiritual
meditation. So, proper āsanaṃ, proper room, preferably a regular time, instead of frequently
changing the time. All this kṛṣṇa prescribes in the gītā. Thus, go through all preparatory
steps. This also is highly useful. We will develop discipline.
Discipline is very important. Physical, prāṇic, sensory, mental. Not only physical discipline,
but integration of the total personality. kṛṣṇa emphasizes that throughout the gītā. He calls it
‘yuktatavaṃ’. Once the intellect decides, body-mind-sense complex should implicitly
implement. Otherwise, it will be like a new year resolution. Tremendous will-power we will
develop. Tremendous self-control we will develop. Tremendous thought discipline. The
facility to direct thoughts from one area to another, at will. Very useful when worry affects
our mind. The will-power and the facility to consciously change the direction from one area
to another. Thus, discipline and integration are secondary benefits of iṣṭadevata upāsanaṃ.
And having withdrawn the mind, I invoke my iṣṭadevatā. Can be śiva, kṛṣṇa, devī, rāma,
gaṇeśa, śaṅkarācārya, dakṣiṇāmūrti … any one that inspires me, I invoke and mentally
picturize, based on any dhyāna śloka I know. Or, I can invoke on any picture available. So,
iṣṭadevata āvāhanaṃ or invocation I do. Thereafter, mānasa pūjā can be done. mānasa
stotra pārāyaṇaṃ can be done. All are different types of upāsanās. We have śiva mānasa
pūjā. So, mānasa stotra pārāyaṇaṃ. Reciting the verses related to the iṣṭadevatā. Here I am
referring to a simpler version. mānasa japa. It is called japa dhyānam. Dayānanda Swāmīji
also emphasises ‘japa dhyānam’. It is a wonderful form of iṣṭadevata upāsanaṃ.
Here, I must take only a mantra for mānasa japa. If you are initiated, fine. Otherwise, you
can choose a mantra and offer namaskāra to bhagavān and fix that as your mantra.
bhagavān becomes your initiator! Take it from the Lord himself. You need not wait for your
initiation. It can be ‘oṃ namaḥśivāyā’ ‘oṃ namo nārāyaṇaḥ’. On one new year I introduced
‘oṃ namo bhagavate anantāyā’. ‘anantaḥ’ - the infinite one. Any mantra I take. Thereafter, I
invoke the grace of the guru. ‘Om śrī gurubhyo namaḥ. hariḥ oṃ’. Thus, I invoke īśvara. I
offer namaskāra to īśvara. I offer namaskāra to guru. Thereafter I chant the mantrā.
Once I commence chanting the mantrā, the focus is on the letters of the mantrā. Because,
mind can do only one thing. The iṣṭadevatā presence is there. But I do not deliberately think
of the iṣṭadevatā. My deliberate attention is on the words. Its meaning I can think of,
contemplate before chanting. But once I start the chant, it is ś abda pradhā na, not artha
pradhāna. Even the devatā takes a back seat. I do it purely mentally. That is mānasa japa.
Then only it will become upāsanaṃ. upāsanaṃ is mental. If it is vācika japa, it will be called
karma. upāsanaṃ by definition is ‘saguṇa brahma viṣaya mānasam vyāpāraḥ’.
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If I find it difficult to do it mentally, I can do it verbally also, but in a whispering tone. I can
use the lips also, the tongue also. It can thus be vācika japaḥ. But, to be a upāsanaṃ, the
most important thing is, my mind should listen intently, consciously listen to my own
chanting. ‘oṃ namaḥśivāyā’. ‘oṃ namaḥśivāyā’. I listen. Then only the mind will be involved
in the mantra. Otherwise, tongue will repeat, mind will worry! That japa many people do!! As
somebody said, ‘the tongue rotates the words, fingers rotate the mālā. But the mind rotates
all over the world!’ So, vācika japa can be done. But the condition is, the mind should listen
to that, intensely, consciously, like listening to somebody else's chanting. Involved mind is
important. Thus, with lips or without lips, mind should be involved in the japa.
And, the number we can decide. Take a resolve, ‘I will do regularly 108’. Or 54 / 32 / 24 / 11.
We can fix that. There is no particular sanctity for any number. We need not go by any other
details. Any number is ok; but you fix a number. You can use the finger to count. Nowadays
counter is also available. Or, you can use the japa mālā. Any one. So, I fix all these and I do
the japa. And, at the end, I conclude again with ‘Om śrī gurubhyo namaḥ. hariḥ oṃ’ and
offer namaskāra to bhagavān and guru. If you want, you can chant the vedic prayers also in
the beginning. Because, in the vedic prayers - which I explained in a new year – ‘oṃ śāntiḥ̣
śāntiḥ̣ śāntiḥ̣’ occurs several times. 3-time śāntiḥ̣ to remove the 3 types of obstacles to
peace and progress. 3 obstacles, 3 śāntiḥ̣. So, we can include that or not include that.
And, because japa is involved, bhagavān is involved, it gives me adṛṣṭa phalaṃ, invisible
puṇyam. Very, very important for a spiritual seeker. That alone has to improve my
qualifications. That alone has to give me the right guru. Freedom from obstacles.
Everything. So, this prayer gives me adṛṣṭa puṇyam, which I use for spiritual growth.
Otherwise, it will become sakāma upāsanaṃ if I ‘seek’ worldly benefits. Only if I do the
upāsana as niṣkāma upāsanaṃ, it will give me ‘tadātmani nirateya upaniṣatsu dharmāste
mayi santu’. All qualifications I will develop. Thus, adṛṣṭa puṇyam is a very, very important
benefit of iṣṭadevata upāsanaṃ. Forming a stable relationship with iṣṭadevata, which is a
source of courage and endurance, is another benefit.
I can conclude this upāsana by giving an auto-suggestion, ‘with the backup of iṣṭadevata I
am ready to face the world today. I have the courage to face. And I have the endurance to
face any blessed situation’. I have the courage, I have the endurance. Courage with regard
to future. Endurance with regard to the current situations. Courage & endurance invocation
through auto-suggestion. “yad bhāvyaṃ tad bhavatu bhagavanpūrvakarmānurūpam”. Thus,
this japa should be followed by this auto-suggestion or saṅkalpa.
And secondly, as a spiritual seeker, I take a resolve to follow karmayoga during the rest of
the day. I make upāsanaṃ and karmayoga complimentary. I take a resolve, I give a promise
to god. ‘O Lord, yadyatkarma karomi tattad akhilaṃ śambho tavārādhanam, viṣṇo tava
ārādhanaṃ’. I will do every action as īśvara arpaṇam, as your pūjā.
yatkaroṣi yadaśnāsi yajjuhoṣi dadāsi yat I yattapasyasi kaunteya tatkuruṣva madarpaṇam II
kṛṣṇa says in the gītā [9.27]. So, I tell the lord, ‘O lord, I will follow your instructions. I will
dedicate every karma, mundane or religious - including eating bathing everything - I offer to
you. I will maintain īśvara arpaṇa bhāvana’. And another important promise to god I give.
‘While no doubt I want success in life, no doubt I want prosperity in life, no doubt I want
health and happiness in life, O Lord, I promise you, whatever karmaphalam comes, as
decided by you, as your will, anything that comes I will accept, without complaint. I will take
it as your prasāda and maintain samatvaṃ.’ So, taking a resolve to maintain samatvaṃ.
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yogasthaḥ kuru karmāṇi saṅgaṃ tyaktvā dhanañjaya I siddhyasiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā

samatvaṃ yoga ucyate II [2.48] sukhaduḥkhe same kṛtvā lābhālābhau jayājayau II [2.38]
Whether it is success or failure I take a resolve and give a promise to god, ‘to the best of my
ability I will maintain samatvaṃ’. So efficacious upāsanā requires gītā study. Otherwise,
iṣṭadevata upāsanaṃ will not be that much fruitful. With gītā background, this upāsanā will
wonderfully work. So, I will tell, ‘O lord I will accept’. I will appeal to give this and that,
perhaps. Not appealing is wonderful. Even if I appeal, you may fulfil my appeal or you may
choose not to fulfil my appeal. Even if you do so, without complaint I am ready to accept
your will. Thus, auto-suggestion invoking courage & endurance. Both are required to fight
fear. What I find is, fear seems to be a universal problem. All the time fear. Milder version is
anxiety, tension. The only remedy for fear is, through auto-suggestion I invoke courage and
endurance and tell, ‘I am ready’. Thus, I take a resolve to practice īśvara arpaṇa bhāvana,
prasāda bhāvana and samatvaṃ. All these are extremely important, after the japa.
If a person sincerely practices these, he can see the difference straight away. He is relaxed.
He is calm. There is tremendous change in his personality, experienceable and visible to
others also. Thus, iṣṭadevatā upāsanaṃ is a very, very versatile, multi-purpose spiritual
exercise. It gives discipline. It gives a stable relationship with iṣṭadevata. It gives courage
and endurance. It gives spiritual puṇyam, which helps in spiritual growth too. And, above all,
it becomes a complimentary exercise for effective implementation of karmayoga. In fact,
many people are not able to practice karmayoga in spite of bhagavadgītā̄ study. They know
what is karmayoga. They know gītā. But they are not able to practice it, because it is not
complimented by this iṣṭadevatā upāsanaṃ. karmayoga and iṣṭadevatā upāsanaṃ should
go hand in hand.
Then, a second type of upāsanaṃ is very important. It is based on the vedic definition of
god. I talked about it in the introduction. Very important. It is called viśvarūpa upāsanaṃ. It
can be practiced only if vedic definition of īśvara becomes very clear by the study of the
madhyama ṣaṭkaṃ of bhagavadgītā̄ or vivekacūḍāmaṇi first series. We should understand
the vedic concept of god or īśvara, because everything in the creation is brahman. māyā.
māyā kāryaṃ. Everything is either the non-changing existence-consciousness principle or
the ever-changing nāma-rūpa. There is no third thing. Which means, everything is
bhagavān. Without scriptural background, this cannot be understood. Therefore, viśvarūpa
upāsanaṃ requires scriptural study. Otherwise, it will be a mere wild imagination. It will not
be effective. So, everything that I experience is īśvara. ākāśa is īśvara. vāyu is īśvara. agni
is īśvara. Lord kṛṣṇa goes on and on.
raso'hamapsu kaunteya prabhāsmi śaśisūryayoḥ I praṇavaḥ sarvavedeṣu śabdaḥ khe
pauruṣaṃ nṛṣu II [7.8]
My attitude towards the creation has to change. That is called divinization of the world.
Whatever I experience is god. I do not look for a god beyond the world. This bhāvanā
parivartanaṃ has to take place. In viṣṇu sahasranāma I quote the famous sloka,
“bhūḥ pādau yasya nābhir-viyadasu-ranila-candrasūryau ca netre karṇāvāśāḥ …”. I don't
want to go into the details. You study bhagavadgītā̄ thoroughly. Again, in dakṣiṇāmūrti
stotraṃ, “bhūrambhāṃsyanalo'nilo'mbaramaharnātho himāṃśuḥ pumān …”. O Lord śiva,
you are not in kailāsa or some other loka. The 5 elements, you are. Sun, you are. Moon,
you are. All the living beings, all the bodies, eyes, ears – everything you are. “sahasra-
śīrṣā puruṣaḥ sahasrākṣaḥ sahasrapāt”. I can keep on giving this message.
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So, I can use these 2 ślokās and visualize that the entire universe that I experience during
my transaction is not just world. When I look with lay man's eyes, it is world. When I look at
it with the scriptural eyes - called divya cakṣuḥ̣ – everything is īśvara. In chapter 11 Lord
kṛṣṇa talks about divya cakṣuḥ̣. It means, scriptural teaching. Or, jñāna cakṣuḥ̣. What
jñānam? ‘Everything changing is the vyāvahārika part of īśvara. And the changeless
existence-consciousness is the pāramārthika part of īśvara. This awareness is called divya
cakṣuḥ̣. With this divya cakṣuḥ̣ I visualize and I say that, I don't want to look for “some god,
somewhere”. I tell myself, ‘everything that I experience - good and so called bad -
everything is īśvara. Initially I take the good things. That is said in the 10th chapter of gītā.
And, in the 11th chapter the terrible things. Like, old age, disease, suffering, death - all are
called kālaḥ̣. So, first I see the good things as god. Then, I see bad things also as god. I
combine both, everything good & bad. Because, vyāvahārika is a mixture. Just as my own
body has got dirty parts also, universe also has got good and bad parts. bhagavān - the
vyāvahārika bhagavān - is thus a mixed bag. pāramārthika bhagavān or brahman,
transcends good and bad. But, in vyāvahārika viśvarūpa īśvara. With closed eyes I visualize
the sun moon stars …
pīṭhaṃ yasya dharitrī jaladhara kalaśaṃ liṅgamākāśa mūrtiṃ nakṣatraṃ puṣpamālyaṃ
gṛhaghaṇa kusumaṃ candravahni akranetraṃ I …
The whole ākāśa dome is the liṅgaṃ. All stars are gems, which are the ornaments of
bhagavān. The blue sky is the nīlakaṇṭhaḥ. Beyond the sky is bhagavān’s head. All
wonderful description of viśvarūpa īśvara. Endless ślokās describing viśvarūpa īśvara.
Scriptural study is extremely important to see viśvarūpa īśvara. And I name the viśvarūpa
īśvara based on my iṣṭadevatā. If my iṣṭadevatā is śiva, the whole universe is śiva! If my
iṣṭadevatā is Lord kṛṣṇa, whole universe is kṛṣṇa! But I should learn to look at the Lord both
as eka rūpaḥ, a deity also. I should learn to look at the Lord as the universe also. kṛṣṇa as a
deity. kṛṣṇa as the universe. śiva as a deity. śiva as the universe.
śāntākāraṃ bhujagaśayanaṃ padmanābhaṃ sureśaṃ … I … bhūḥ pādau yasya nābhir …I
śuddhasphaṭika saṅkāśaṃ trinetraṃ pañca vaktrakam । gaṅgādharaṃ daśabhujaṃ
sarvābharaṇa bhūṣitam ॥ … sarvavyāpina-mīśānaṃ rudraṃ vai viśva rūpiṇaṃ । ….
Everywhere you will find bhagavān is eka rūpaḥ - aneka rūpaḥ. iṣṭadevatā - viśvarūpaḥ.
This divinization is a very, very important aspect of spiritual growth. And the benefits are
tremendous. The first benefit is, ahaṅkāra-mamakāra reduction. In fact, elimination. What is
ahaṅkāra? Taking body-mind complex as myself. Now I know they belong to īśvara. ‘tan
man dhan sabkuc terā’. Body is bhagavān. Mind is bhagavān. Intellect is bhagavān. How
can I even say, ‘I’? No ahaṅkāra is possible. It is just used for transactional purposes. But I
know ahaṅkāra does not have a hold. Then, mamakāra is what? Family, property etc.
‘pañca anātmā’. Remember? They all are taken away by god. God takes away everything.
That is why śaraṇāgati - I surrender. Thus, ahaṅkāra and mamakāra heavily get diluted.
Similarly rāga - dveṣa get neutralized. Because, rāga is towards an object of happiness.
dveṣa is towards an object of sorrow. sukha hetau rāgaḥ. duḥkha hetau dveṣaḥ. That is
how I classify the world into. rāga viṣaya & dveṣa viṣaya. In viśvarūpa upāsana, rāga dveṣa
bhāvana is overpowered by pūjyatva bhāvana. Everything is divine. Nothing is hateable,
because everything is bhagavān. How can I hate bhagavān! So, rāga-dveṣa bhāvana is
overpowered by divyatva bhāvana. That is why it is called divya cakṣuḥ̣. pūjyatva bhāvana.

149
Divinization of the world overpowers my rāga dveṣa. Thus, ahaṅkāra, mamakāra, rāga and
dveṣa - duṣṭa catuṣṭayaṃ - is heavily weakened by viśva rūpa upāsanaṃ. So, every
spiritual seeker should start with iṣṭadevata upāsanaṃ & graduate to viśvarūpa upāsanaṃ,
which will give puṇyam also. And which will heavily help in duṣṭa catuṣṭaya neutralization.
And once I practice this 2-fold upāsanaṃ on the vyāvahārika part of īśvara, the changing
part of īśvara, I have become sādhana catuṣṭaya saṃpannaḥ. And, I get a desire to know
the higher part of īśvara. I should develop that desire. Being satisfied with iṣṭadevatā is
delusion. It is an obstacle to mokṣa. kṛṣṇa in fact gives a warning -
tribhirguṇamayairbhāvairebhiḥ sarvamidaṃ jagat I mohitaṃ nābhijānāti māmebhyaḥ
paramavyayam II [7.13]
Many people - even spiritual seekers - confine themselves to iṣṭadevata and maximum
viśvarūpa īśvara. They never want to come to nididhyāsanaṃ! ‘mām ebhyaḥ param
avyayam’. Beyond the 3 guṇās there is the nirguṇam brahma, the pāramārthika component.
They don't want to come to that. They study vedānta. But they confine to iṣṭadevata and
dvaita bhakti. kṛṣṇa says, they are wonderful to start with, but never wonderful to end with.
Therefore, we should pray to iṣṭadevata, ‘O lord, give me the desire to transcend you, the
vyāvahārika version and come to the pāramārthika version of you’! Then, guru will come,
śravaṇaṃ and mananaṃ will happen. Before going to pāramārthika nididhyāsanaṃ,
śravaṇaṃ and mananaṃ are compulsory. guru will teach how to discern the changeless
existence and changeless consciousness in and through the changing vyāvahārika īśvara.
In everything I experience, ‘is’ness. Mike ‘is’. There is ‘is’ness. Mike may change, not the
‘is’ness. Similarly, the consciousness. ‘What it is aware of’ changes. ‘That it is aware of’ is
changeless. Thus, through śravaṇaṃ and mananaṃ I shift my focus from the vyāvahārika,
the changing to pāramārthika, the non-changing part, which is not somewhere else. It is in
and through everything and being. “yasyaiva sphuraṇaṃ sadātmakamasatkalpārthakaṃ
bhāsate’. And, after introducing the pāramārthika part, brahman part, existence -
consciousness part of īśvara, the guru will say, ‘the pāramārthika version can never be
objectified; you have to go beyond dvaita bhakti; you should learn to claim that pāramārthika
īśvara, brahman, as “brahma tattvamasi bhāvayātmani”. You have to come back to the
vivekacūḍāmaṇi verses!
After going through pāramārthika īśvara, I should understand, pāramārthika īśvara is ‘I’, the
un-objectifiable consciousness principle. Then I learn the 5 features. And then the dvaita
upāsanaṃ will get converted into advaita jñānam, followed by advaita upāsanaṃ, otherwise
called nididhyāsanaṃ. As we come to nididhyāsanaṃ, we must reduce all dvaita bhāvana,
understanding that it is all just a drama, playing a role. As I said in the vivekacūḍāmaṇi class
itself, we can do daily pūjā. But at the end of the pūjā, I remind myself, the worshipper ‘I’ am’
the worshipped ‘I’ am. ‘ahameva idaṃ sarvaṃ’! In the beginning I say, ‘god is idagṃ
sarvaṃ’. Culmination is, ‘ahameva idagṃ sarvaṃ’.
iṣṭadevatā upāsanaṃ, viśvarūpa upāsanaṃ, brahma-rūpa nididhyāsanaṃ. ekarūpa
dhyānaṃ, anekarūpa dhyānaṃ, arūpa dhyānaṃ - thus, we gradually progress in meditation.
Finally, we come to these beautiful vivekacūḍāmaṇi verses, which do not give liberation, but
which help me claim, ‘I am nityamuktaḥ’. And, if you want to know more about this
upāsanaṃ you have to study the scriptures more. bhagavadgītā̄ is compulsory, followed by
few upaniṣads. upaniṣad also talk about viśvarūpa upāsanaṃ very elaborately. bhāgavataṃ
150
and all will concentrate on iṣṭadevata upāsanaṃ. But bhāgavataṃ also contains viśvarūpa
upāsanaṃ and nididhyāsanaṃ. All scriptures have all the three. Unfortunately, people get
stuck with iṣṭadevata, dvaita bhakti and they refuse to progress. Lord kṛṣṇa warns, it is a
delusion. Entering primary school is wonderful; but getting stuck in primary school no
teacher will be happy. No parent will be happy. I should come to nididhyāsanaṃ and say, ‘I
am jīva jagat īśvara’. ‘I am brahman’. Remember the 4 versions.
With this I conclude my upāsanaṃ topic also. And of course, this meditation series is over.
In the next class I will chant these 40 nididhyāsanaṃ verses. Those who think they are not
ready for practicing nididhyāsanaṃ can use the 40 verses for chanting. Because, chanting
itself is a sādhana. It generates puṇyam. We will get familiar with these verses, so later they
can be used for practicing nididhyāsanaṃ. Therefore, all those who consider they are not
ready for practice of nididhyāsanaṃ can practice chanting to facilitate that.
In the next class I will also announce regarding my future program also.
ॐ पण
ू ्
र मद पण
ू ार्त्पूण्
र मुदच | पण
ू ्
र स पण
ू ्
र मादा पण
ू ्
र मेवाव�शष्य | ॐ शािन्त शािन्त शािन्त ||
second number is the number of the verse in the vivekacūḍāmaṇi text translated by Svāmi Turīyānanda & published by Ramakrishna
Math, Chennai].

151
Swāmīji’s selectionof 10 vivekacūḍāmaṇi verses for nididhyāsanam
1] धन्योऽह कृतकृत्योऽह �वमक

ु ्तोऽह भवग्रह ा ।�नत्यानन्दस्वरूप पण
ू �ऽहं त्वदनुग्रह ॥
2] नारायणोऽहं नरकान्तकोऽह ंपुरान्तकोऽ पर
ु ुषोऽहमीश ।अखण्डबोधोऽहमशेषसा�ी�नर�श्वरोऽ �नरहं च
�नमर्म॥[mantra 17] [494] &&
nārāyaṇo'haṃ narakāntako'haṃ purāntako'haṃ puruṣo'hamīśaḥ I akhaṇḍabodho-
'hamaśeṣasākṣī nirīśvaro'haṃ nirahaṃ ca nirmamaḥ II
3] सव�षु भत
ू षे ्वहमे संिस्थ: �ानात्मनान्तबर्�हरा सन ् ।भोक्त च भोग्य स्वयमे सव�यद्यत्पृथग्दृष्ट�म परु ा
॥[mantra 18] [495] &&
sarveṣu bhūteṣvahameva saṃsthitaḥ jñānātmanāntarbahirāśrayaḥ san Ibhoktā cabhogyaṃ
svayameva sarvaṃ yadyatpṛthagdṛṣṭamidantayā purā II
4] मय्यखण्डसुखाम्भ बहुधा �वश्ववीचय ।उत्पद्यन �वल�यन्त मायामारुत�वभ्रम ॥[mantra 19] [496] &&
mayyakhaṇḍasukhāmbhodhau bahudhā viśvavīcayaḥ Iutpadyante vilīyante māyāmāruta-
vibhramāt II
5] आकाशवल्ले�वदरू गोऽहंआ�दत्यवद्भास्य�वल�णोऽ ।अहायर्विन्नत्य�व�नश्हंअम्भ�धवत ् - पार�वविजर्तोऽहम
॥[mantra 22] [499] &&
ākāśavallepavidūrago'haṃ ādityavadbhāsyavilakṣaṇo'ham Iahāryavannitya-viniścalo'haṃ
ambhodhivatpāravivarjito'ham II
6] न मे देहेन सम्बन् मेघेनेव �वहायसः ।अतः कुतो मे तद्धमा जाग्रत्स्वप्नसुष ॥[mantra 23] [500] &&
na me dehena sambandho megheneva vihāyasaḥ I ataḥ kuto me taddharmā jāgratsvapna-
suṣuptayaḥ II
7] उपा�धराया�त स एव गच्छ�त एव कमार्� करो�त भङ
ु ्क् ।स एव जीयर्िनयते सदाहंकुला�द्रविन्न एव संिस्थत
॥[mantra 24] [501] &&
upādhirāyāti sa eva gacchati sa eva karmāṇi karoti bhuṅkte Isa eva jīryan mriyate sadāhaṃ
kulādrivanniścala eva saṃsthitaḥ II
8] जले वा�प स्थल वा�प लठ
ु त्वे जडात्मक ।नाहं �व�लप्य तद्धम�घर्टधम�नर यथा ॥[mantra 32] [509] &&
jale vāpi sthale vāpi luṭhatveṣa jaḍātmakaḥ ।nāhaṃ vilipye taddharmairghaṭa- dharmairnabho
yathā ॥
9] सवार्त्मकोऽ सव�ऽहं सवार्तीतोऽहमद्व ।केवलाखण्डबोधोऽहमानन्दोऽ �नरन्तर ॥[mantra 39] [516] &&
sarvātmako'haṃ sarvo'haṃ sarvātīto'hamadvayaḥ ।kevalākhaṇḍabodho'ham-ānando'haṃ
nirantaraḥ ॥
10] स्वाराज्यसाम्राज्य�वभू�तरेषाभवत्कृपाश्रीम�ह ।प्राप मया श्रीगुर महात्मनेनम नमस्तेऽस् पन
ु नर्मोऽस्
॥[mantra 40] [517] &&
svārājyasāmrājyavibhūtireṣā bhavatkṛpāśrīmahimaprasādāt ।prāptā mayā śrīgurave
mahātmane namo namaste'stu punarnamo'stu ॥
&& [Note regarding verse numbering.The first number is the number of the verse within the 40 verses selected for these classes. The second
number is the number of the verse in the vivekacūḍāmaṇitext translated by Svāmi Turīyānanda & published by Ramakrishna Math, Chennai].

ववेकचूडाम णः
vivekacūḍāmaṇiḥ
The number at the beginning is the number of the verse within

the 40 verses selected. The number at the end of each verse is
the number of the verse in the text of ववेकचूडाम ण published by
Ramakrishna Mission, translated by Svami Turīyānanda|
१) जा तनी तकुलगो रगं
नाम पगुणदोषव जत ।
देशकाल वषया तव त य
त म स भावया न ॥ २५४॥
( त ह महे त भावये)
1) jātinītikulagotradūragaṃ
nāmarūpaguṇadoṣavarjitam |
deśakālaviṣayātivarti yad
brahma tattvamasi bhāvayātmani || 254||
(brahma tattvahamiheti bhāvaye)
२) य रं सकलवागगोचरं
गोचरं वमलबोधच ुषः ।
च नमना द व ु य
त म स भावया न ॥ २५५॥
1
2) yatparaṃ sakalavāgagocaraṃ
gocaraṃ vimalabodhacakṣuṣaḥ |
śuddhacidghanamanādi vastu yad
३) ष म भरयो ग यो ग -
भा वतं न करणै वभा वत ।
बु वे मनव म य
त म स भावया न ॥ २५६॥
3) ṣaḍbhirūrmibhirayogi yogihṛd-
bhāvitaṃ na karaṇairvibhāvitam |
buddhyavedyamanavadyamasti yad
४) ा क तजग ला यं
ा यं च सदस ल ण ।
न लं न पमानव य
त म स भावया न ॥ २५७॥
2
4) bhrāntikalpitajagatkalāśrayaṃ
svāśrayaṃ ca sadasadvilakṣaṇam |
niṣkalaṃ nirupamānavaddhi yad
५) ज वृ पिरण प य-
ा धनाशन वह नम य ।
व सृ व वघातकारणं
त म स भावया न ॥ २५८॥
5) janmavṛddhipariṇatyapakṣaya-
vyādhināśanavihīnamavyayam |
viśvasṛṣṭyavavighātakāraṇaṃ
६) अ भेदमनपा ल णं
न र जलरा श न ल ।
न मु म वभ मू त य
त म स भावया न ॥ २५९॥
3
6) astabhedamanapāstalakṣaṇaṃ
nistaraṅgajalarāśiniścalam |
nityamuktamavibhaktamūrti yad
७) एकमेव सदनेककारणं
कारणा र नरासकारण ।
कायकारण वल णं यं
त म स भावया न ॥ २६०॥
7) ekameva sadanekakāraṇaṃ
kāraṇāntaranirāsakāraṇam |
kāryakāraṇavilakṣaṇaṃ svayaṃ
८) न वक कमन म रं
य रा र वल णं पर ।
न म यसुखं नर नं
त म स भावया न ॥ २६१॥
4
8) nirvikalpakamanalpamakṣaraṃ
yatkṣarākṣaravilakṣaṇaṃ param |
nityamavyayasukhaṃ nirañjanaṃ
९) य भा त सदनेकधा मा
नाम पगुण व या ना ।
हेमव यम व यं सदा
त म स भावया न ॥ २६२॥
9) yadvibhāti sadanekadhā bhramād

nāmarūpaguṇavikriyātmanā |
hemavatsvayamavikriyaṃ sadā
१०) य का नपरं परा रं

गेकरसमा ल ण ।
स च ुखमन म यं
त म स भावया न ॥ २६३॥
5
10) yaccakāstyanaparaṃ parātparaṃ
pratyagekarasamātmalakṣaṇam |
satyacitsukhamanantamavyayaṃ
११) ध ोऽहं कृतकृ ोऽहं वमु ोऽहं भव हा ।

न ान पोऽहं पूण ऽहं दनु हा ॥ ४८८॥
11) dhanyo'haṃ kṛtakṛtyo'haṃ vimukto'haṃ bhavagrahāt |

nityānandasvarūpo'haṃ pūrṇo'haṃ tvadanugrahāt || 488||
१२) अस ोऽहमन ोऽहम ल ोऽहमभ ु रः ।

शा ोऽहमन ोऽहममलोऽहं चर नः ॥ ४८९॥
12) asaṅgo'hamanaṅgo'hamaliṅgo'hamabhaṅguraḥ |
praśānto'hamananto'hamamalo'haṃ cirantanaḥ || 489||
१३) अकत हमभो ाहम वकारोऽहम यः ।

बोध पोऽहं केवलोऽहं सदा शवः ॥ ४९०॥
13) akartāhamabhoktāhamavikāro'hamakriyaḥ |
śuddhabodhasvarūpo'haṃ kevalo'haṃ sadāśivaḥ || 490||
6
१४) ुः ोतुव ु ः कतुभ ु व भ एवाह ।
न नर रन यन ीमास पूणबोधा ा ॥ ४९१॥
14) draṣṭuḥ śroturvaktuḥ karturbhokturvibhinna evāham |

nityanirantaraniṣkriyanissīmāsaṅgapūrṇabodhātmā || 491||
१५) नाह मदं नाहमदोऽ ुभयोरवभासकं परं ।

बा ा र ं पूण ा तीयमेवाह ॥ ४९२॥
15) nāhamidaṃ nāhamado'pyubhayoravabhāsakaṃ paraṃ śuddham|

bāhyābhyantaraśūnyaṃ pūrṇaṃ brahmādvitīyamevāham || 492||
१६) न पममना दत ं मह मदमद इ त क ना र ।

न ान ैकरसं स ं ा तीयमेवाह ॥ ४९३॥
16) nirupamamanāditattvaṃ tvamahamidamada iti kalpanādūram |

nityānandaikarasaṃ satyaṃ brahmādvitīyamevāham || 493||
१७) नारायणोऽहं नरका कोऽहं

पुरा कोऽहं पु षोऽहमीशः ।
अख बोधोऽहमशेषसा ी
नर रोऽहं नरहं च नममः ॥ ४९४॥
17) nārāyaṇo'haṃ narakāntako'haṃ

purāntako'haṃ puruṣo'hamīśaḥ |
7
akhaṇḍabodho'hamaśeṣasākṣī
nirīśvaro'haṃ nirahaṃ ca nirmamaḥ || 494||
१८) सवषु भूते हमेव सं त:

ाना ना ब हरा यः स ।
भो ा च भो ं यमेव सव
य ृथ ृ मद या पुरा ॥ ४९५॥
18) sarveṣu bhūteṣvahameva saṃsthitaḥ

jñānātmanāntarbahirāśrayaḥ san |
bhoktā ca bhogyaṃ svayameva sarvaṃ
yadyatpṛthagdṛṣṭamidantayā purā || 495||
१९) म ख सुखा ोधौ ब धा व वीचयः ।

उ े वल य े मायामा त व मा ॥ ४९६॥
19) mayyakhaṇḍasukhāmbhodhau bahudhā viśvavīcayaḥ |

utpadyante vilīyante māyāmārutavibhramāt || 496||
२०) ुला दभावा म य क ता मा

आरो पतानु ु रणेन लोकैः ।
काले यथा क कव रायन-
ऋ ादयो न ल न वक े ॥ ४९७॥
8
20) sthulādibhāvā mayi kalpitā bhramād
āropitānusphuraṇena lokaiḥ |
kāle yathā kalpakavatsarāyana-
ṛtvādayo niṣkalanirvikalpe || 497||
२१) आरो पतं ना य षकं भवे

कदा प मूढैर तदोष षतैः ।
ना करो ूषरभू मभागं
मर चकावािरमहा वाहः ॥ ४९८॥
21) āropitaṃ nāśrayadūṣakaṃ bhavet

kadāpi mūḍhairatidoṣadūṣitaiḥ |
nārdrīkarotyūṣarabhūmibhāgaṃ
marīcikāvārimahāpravāhaḥ || 498||
२२) आकाशव े प व रगोऽहं

आद व ा वल णोऽह ।
अहायव व न लोऽहं
अ ो धव ार वव जतोऽह ॥ ४९९॥
22) ākāśavallepavidūrago'haṃ
ādityavadbhāsyavilakṣaṇo'ham |
ahāryavannityaviniścalo'haṃ
ambhodhivatpāravivarjito'ham || 499||
9
२३) न मे देहन
े स ो मेघेनेव वहायसः ।
अतः कुतो मे त म जा सुषु यः ॥ ५००॥
23) na me dehena sambandho megheneva vihāyasaḥ |

ataḥ kuto me taddharmā jāgratsvapnasuṣuptayaḥ || 500||
२४) उपा धराया त स एव ग त

स एव कम ण करो त भु े ।
स एव जीय यते सदाहं
कुला व ल एव सं तः ॥ ५०१॥
24) upādhirāyāti sa eva gacchati

sa eva karmāṇi karoti bhuṅkte |
sa eva jīryan mriyate sadāhaṃ
kulādrivanniścala eva saṃsthitaḥ || 501||
२५) न मे वृ न च मे नवृ ः
सदैक प नरं शक ।
एका को यो न बडो नर र:
ोमेव पूणः स कथं नु चे ते ॥ ५०२॥
25) na me pravṛttirna ca me nivṛttiḥ

sadaikarūpasya niraṃśakasya |
10
ekātmako yo nibiḍo nirantaraḥ
vyomeva pūrṇaḥ sa kathaṃ nu ceṣṭate || 502||
२६) पु ा न पापा न निर य

न ेतसो न वकृते नराकृतेः ।
कुतो ममाख सुखानुभूतेः
ूते न ागत म प ु तः ॥ ५०३॥
26) puṇyāni pāpāni nirindriyasya

niścetaso nirvikṛternirākṛteḥ |
kuto mamākhaṇḍasukhānubhūteḥ
brūte hyananvāgatamityapi śrutiḥ || 503||
२७) छायया ृ मु ं वा शीतं वा सु ु ः ु वा ।

न ृश ेव य ु षं त ल ण ॥ ५०४॥
27) chāyayā spṛṣṭamuṣṇaṃ vā śītaṃ vā suṣṭhu duḥṣṭhu vā |

na spṛśatyeva yatkiñcitpuruṣaṃ tadvilakṣaṇam || 504||
२८) न सा णं सा धम ः सं ृश वल ण ।
अ वकारमुदासीनं गृहधम ः दीपव ।
देहे यमनोधम नैवा ानं ृश हो ॥ ५०५॥
28) na sākṣiṇaṃ sākṣyadharmāḥ saṃspṛśanti vilakṣaṇam |
avikāramudāsīnaṃ gṛhadharmāḥ pradīpavat |
dehendriyamanodharmā naivātmānaṃ spṛśantyaho || 505||
11
२९) रवेयथा कम ण सा भाव:
व ेयथा दाह नयामक ।
र ोयथारो पतव ुस ः
तथैव कूट चदा नो मे ॥ ५०६॥
29) raveryathā karmaṇi sākṣibhāvaḥ

vahneryathā dāhaniyāmakatvam |
rajjoryathāropitavastusaṅgaḥ
tathaiva kūṭasthacidātmano me || 506||
३०) कत प वा कार यता प नाहं

भो ा प वा भोज यता प नाह ।
ा प वा दश यता प नाहं
सोऽहं य ो तरनी गा ा ॥ ५०७॥
30) kartāpi vā kārayitāpi nāhaṃ

bhoktāpi vā bhojayitāpi nāham |
draṣṭāpi vā darśayitāpi nāhaṃ
so'haṃ svayañjyotiranīdṛgātmā || 507||
३१) चल ुपाधौ त ब लौ
औपा धकं मूढ धयो नय ।
ब भूतं र वव न यं
कत भो ा हतोऽ हे त ॥ ५०८॥
12
31) calatyupādhau pratibimbalaulyam
aupādhikaṃ mūḍhadhiyo nayanti |
svabimbabhūtaṃ ravivadviniṣkriyaṃ
kartāsmi bhoktāsmi hato'smi heti || 508||
३२) जले वा प ले वा प ठ ेष जडा कः ।

नाहं व ल े त मघटधमनभो यथा ॥ ५०९॥
32) jale vāpi sthale vāpi luṭhatveṣa jaḍātmakaḥ |

nāhaṃ vilipye taddharmairghaṭadharmairnabho yathā || 509||
३३) कतृ भो ृ खल म ता-

जड ब वमु तादयः ।
बु े वक ा न तु स व ुतः
रे ण केवले ऽ ये ॥ ५१०॥
33) kartṛtvabhoktṛtvakhalatvamattatā-
jaḍatvabaddhatvavimuktatādayaḥ |
buddhervikalpā na tu santi vastutaḥ
svasminpare brahmaṇi kevale'dvaye || 510||
३४) स ु वकाराः कृतेदशधा शतधा सह धा वा प ।

कं मेऽस चत ैन घनः चद रं ृश त ॥ ५११॥
34) santu vikārāḥ prakṛterdaśadhā śatadhā sahasradhā vāpi |
kiṃ me'saṅgacitastairna ghanaḥ kvacidambaraṃ spṛśati || 511||
13
३५) अ ाद ूलपय मेत
व ं य ाभासमा ं तीत ।
ोम ं सू मा ह नं
ा ैतं य देवाहम ॥ ५१२॥
35) avyaktādisthūlaparyantametad
viśvaṃ yatrābhāsamātraṃ pratītam |
vyomaprakhyaṃ sūkṣmamādyantahīnaṃ
brahmādvaitaṃ yattadevāhamasmi || 512||
३६) सव धारं सवव ु काशं

सव कारं सवगं सव ।
न ं ं न लं न वक ं
ा ैतं य देवाहम ॥ ५१३॥
36) sarvādhāraṃ sarvavastuprakāśaṃ

sarvākāraṃ sarvagaṃ sarvaśūnyam |
nityaṃ śuddhaṃ niścalaṃ nirvikalpaṃ
३७) य ाशेषमाया वशेषं

ूपं याग मान ।
स ानान मान पं
ा ैतं य देवाहम ॥ ५१४॥
14
37) yatpratyastāśeṣamāyāviśeṣaṃ
pratyagrūpaṃ pratyayāgamyamānam |
satyajñānānantamānandarūpaṃ
३८) न योऽ वकारोऽ

न लोऽ नराकृ तः ।
न वक ोऽ न ोऽ
नराल ोऽ न यः ॥ ५१५॥
38) niṣkriyo'smyavikāro'smi
niṣkalo'smi nirākṛtiḥ |
nirvikalpo'smi nityo'smi
nirālambo'smi nirdvayaḥ || 515||
३९) सव कोऽहं सव ऽहं सव तीतोऽहम यः ।

केवलाख बोधोऽहमान ोऽहं नर रः ॥ ५१६॥
39) sarvātmako'haṃ sarvo'haṃ sarvātīto'hamadvayaḥ |

kevalākhaṇḍabodho'hamānando'haṃ nirantaraḥ || 516||
४०) ारा सा ा वभू तरे षा

भव ृ पा ीम हम सादा ।
ा ा मया ीगुरवे महा ने
नमो नम ेऽ ु पुननमोऽ ु ॥ ५१७॥
15
40) svārājyasāmrājyavibhūtireṣā
bhavatkṛpāśrīmahimaprasādāt |
prāptā mayā śrīgurave mahātmane
namo namaste'stu punarnamo'stu || 517||
16

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VIVEKACUDAMANI

Talks By Swami Paramarthananda

Transcription by Sri A. Venkatesan &

Copyright Notices On behalf of the copyright owner Vedanta Vidyarthi

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Transcription by Sri A. Venkatesan & Sri Bālasubraḥmaṇyam Pattoo.

Please communicate corrections to balusha74@gmail.com and also copy to

Swāmī paramārthānandājī's classes on vivekacūḍāmaṇiḥ [40 Meditation verses]

sadāśivasamārambhāṃ śaṅkarācāryamadhyamām I asmadācāryaparyantāṃ vande guru-

Swāmī paramārthānandājī's classes on vivekacūḍāmaṇiḥ [40 Meditation verses]

Meditation - Class 001 – 20th November 2020 – INTRODUCTION Page 2

Swāmī paramārthānandājī's classes on vivekacūḍāmaṇiḥ [40 Meditation verses]

Meditation - Class 001 – 20th November 2020 – INTRODUCTION Page 3

Swāmī paramārthānandājī's classes on vivekacūḍāmaṇiḥ [40 Meditation verses]

Meditation - Class 001 – 20th November 2020 – INTRODUCTION Page 4

Swāmī paramārthānandājī's classes on vivekacūḍāmaṇiḥ [40 Meditation verses]

Meditation - Class 001 – 20th November 2020 – INTRODUCTION Page 5

Swāmī paramārthānandājī's classes on vivekacūḍāmaṇiḥ [40 Meditation verses]

Meditation - Class 001 – 20th November 2020 – INTRODUCTION Page 6

Swāmī paramārthānandājī's classes on vivekacūḍāmaṇiḥ [40 Meditation verses]

Meditation - Class 001 – 20th November 2020 – INTRODUCTION Page 7

Swāmī paramārthānandājī's classes on vivekacūḍāmaṇiḥ [40 Meditation verses]

sadāśivasamārambhāṃ śaṅkarācāryamadhyamām I asmadācāryaparyantāṃ vande guru-

Meditation - Class 002 – 23rd November 2020 – verse 1 Page 1

Swāmī paramārthānandājī's classes on vivekacūḍāmaṇiḥ [40 Meditation verses]

Meditation - Class 002 – 23rd November 2020 – verse 1 Page 2

Swāmī paramārthānandājī's classes on vivekacūḍāmaṇiḥ [40 Meditation verses]

Swāmī paramārthānandājī's classes on vivekacūḍāmaṇiḥ [40 Meditation verses]

Swāmī paramārthānandājī's classes on vivekacūḍāmaṇiḥ [40 Meditation verses]

Meditation - Class 002 – 23rd November 2020 – verse 1 Page 5

Swāmī paramārthānandājī's classes on vivekacūḍāmaṇiḥ [40 Meditation verses]

Meditation - Class 002 – 23rd November 2020 – verse 1 Page 6

Swāmī paramārthānandājī's classes on vivekacūḍāmaṇiḥ [40 Meditation verses]

Meditation - Class 002 – 23rd November 2020 – verse 1 Page 7

Swāmī paramārthānandājī's classes on vivekacūḍāmaṇiḥ [40 Meditation verses]

Meditation - Class 002 – 23rd November 2020 – verse 1 Page 8

Swāmī paraṃārthānandājī's classes on vivekacūḍāmaṇiḥ [40 Meditation verses]

sadāśivasamārambhāṃ śaṅkarācāryamadhyamām I asmadācāryaparyantāṃ vande guru-

Meditation - Class 003 – 27th November 2020 – verses 1 to 4 Page 1

Swāmī paraṃārthānandājī's classes on vivekacūḍāmaṇiḥ [40 Meditation verses]

Meditation - Class 003 – 27th November 2020 – verses 1 to 4 Page 2

Swāmī paraṃārthānandājī's classes on vivekacūḍāmaṇiḥ [40 Meditation verses]

Meditation - Class 003 – 27th November 2020 – verses 1 to 4 Page 3

Swāmī paraṃārthānandājī's classes on vivekacūḍāmaṇiḥ [40 Meditation verses]

Meditation - Class 003 – 27th November 2020 – verses 1 to 4 Page 4

Swāmī paraṃārthānandājī's classes on vivekacūḍāmaṇiḥ [40 Meditation verses]

Meditation - Class 003 – 27th November 2020 – verses 1 to 4 Page 5

Swāmī paraṃārthānandājī's classes on vivekacūḍāmaṇiḥ [40 Meditation verses]

Swāmī paraṃārthānandājī's classes on vivekacūḍāmaṇiḥ [40 Meditation verses]

Meditation - Class 003 – 27th November 2020 – verses 1 to 4 Page 7

Swāmī paraṃārthānandājī's classes on vivekacūḍāmaṇiḥ [40 Meditation verses]

Meditation - Class 003 – 27th November 2020 – verses 1 to 4 Page 8

Swāmī paraṃārthānandājī's classes on vivekacūḍāmaṇiḥ [40 Meditation verses]

Swāmī paraṃārthānandājī's classes on vivekacūḍāmaṇiḥ [40 Meditation verses]

Meditation - Class 004 – 30th November 2020 – verses 4 to 7 Page 2

Swāmī paraṃārthānandājī's classes on vivekacūḍāmaṇiḥ [40 Meditation verses]

Meditation - Class 004 – 30th November 2020 – verses 4 to 7 Page 3

Swāmī paraṃārthānandājī's classes on vivekacūḍāmaṇiḥ [40 Meditation verses]

Meditation - Class 004 – 30th November 2020 – verses 4 to 7 Page 4