Chapter 1	Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 2

It has been said, “Guru krpáhi kevalam”. It has also been said that “Brahmaeva gururekha náparah”. You know in the word “guru”, there are two syllables, “gu” and “ru”. “Gu” means “darkness”; darkness in spiritual life, darkness in psycho-spiritual strata. And “ru” means “dispelling entity”. “Guru” means the entity that dispels all sorts of darkness from your spiritual and psychic bodies.

Táraka Brahma is the only guru, and nobody else can be the guru.

Nirguńa has no objectivity. Hence, Nirguńa does not keep any link with this world. So the Nirguńa Entity, as it is, cannot be the guru. And Saguńa is under certain bondages. So Saguńa cannot be the guru.

The guru should be just like Nirguńa, but keeping a sweet link with that expressed world. And no other entity can be the guru, can be the dispeller of darkness from your spirit and mind: “Guru krpáhi kevalam” means “Brahma krpáhi kevalam.”

What is Krpá? In Saḿskrta, the root verb is “kr”. “Kr” means to help one in one’s progress even when one does not deserve it. So if one deserves it, that is, if one has the qualification to get oneself fully developed and fully exalted, then in that case there is no necessity of krpá, there is no necessity of help from Táraka Brahma. But when one does not deserve it, when one has not got the qualification for development, and still one is helped, that sort of help is called “krpa”.

Now you may say, this entire Cosmos, all the creation, everything that you see or feel, everything is His creation. Then for the sake of impartiality He should help all. That is, His krpá should be for all. Why should there be a special case. I have said so many times that there should not be any special case. Wherever there is a special case, there is favouritism. So there should not be any special case. So there should not be any krpá for anybody. Everybody should be treated equally. If Parama Puruśa helps somebody specially, the He is supporting partially.

Now there is something to say in this connection. The philosophy says that the Supreme Entity has created everything, so He belongs to everybody, and everybody belongs to Him. But a spiritual aspirant who has developed love for Him won’t accept this philosophical gospel in his personal life. He says, “Let there be so many principles, so much logic and philosophy; I am not to be guided by those philosophical texts. I am to be guided by my own feelings”. And what is that feeling of that spiritual aspirant who has developed love for Him? He says, “God is mine and He belongs to me only, and to nobody else, and I belong to Him only and to nobody else. That is, my God is my personal property and I don’t want to share this personal property with any second individual”.

So, when such a strong sentiment of love has developed, there is certainly force in it. By dint of that force, that poor and weak man attracts Him and He cannot neglect that man. That attraction is a thousand times stronger than the gospels of philosophy. If He is attracted by such loving sentiment, then is He at fault? Certainly not. And everybody has the right to attract Him like this, Why don’t you do it?

And the second thing is that even under normal conditions He is showering His compassion on each and every particle of this universe. He is showering His compassion without distinction of caste, creed, nationality or religion.

But what happens? There is a shower, a heavy shower of compassion on each and everybody, but if during that shower you hold an umbrella over your head, you won’t be drenched. So is the fault that of the shower? Certainly not. The fault is with your hand and with your umbrella of vanity; and that is why you are not drenched by that compassion, by that krpá. He is not at fault. Then what are you to do? You are to remove that umbrella of vanity from your head, and then and there you will be drenched, fully drenched, by His universal compassion.

Nobody else is the guru. Táraka Brahma is the only guru. And the second thing – there is no alternative but to pray, but to request, but to do sádhaná, to get His compassion and attract Him by dint of that loving force, that loving stamina within your heart.

Chapter 2	Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 2

I think it is my socio-spiritual responsibility, socio-spiritual duty, to say something regarding prapatti. In Saḿskrta “pra” - pat + ktin = prapatti. The idea, the spirit of “prapatti” is that whatever happens in this Universe of ours is nothing but an expression of Cosmic desire or Cosmic will. Neither can there be any volcanic eruption nor can any blade of grass move without his order. Everything is pre-ordered, pre-ordained by the Supreme Entity. Man can do nothing. Living beings cannot do anything without His support; that is, when a human desire and His desire coincide, then only does the human desire become fruitful, otherwise it is a sure failure. When the jiiva’s desire coincides with the desire of Krśńa, then it is successful, otherwise not. This is the spirit, this is the central idea of the term “prapatti”.

Bhaktiváda, that is, devotional cult, stands solely on this prapatti. Jiṋánaváda does not support prapatti and bhaktiváda solely stands upon it. People may question the practicality of prapattiváda or “prapatti-ism”. A jiṋánii, may say, a learned scholar may say, “When everything is being done by Him according to His desire or action or His saḿkalpa, what is the necessity of human endeavour?” The jiṋánii may think that this is a knotty question for a bhakta. The bhakta won’t be able to give a suitable reply. But, you know, although the jiṋániis think that they are the most intelligent, they are the intelligentsia, actually bhaktas are more intelligent than jiṋániis; and the greatest fool is the person who thinks that he is a jiṋánii.

Now, I have already said that a jiṋánii cannot even force a blade of grass to move, but the bhakta can, if he maintains a close tie with the Supreme; and there lies the excellence of a bhakta. The fact is that human ability, human capability and human efficiency are almost nil. Nothing really belongs to a human. He gets everything from the Supreme Entity. If he does not take food for three or four days continuously – or for three, four or five years – then nothing will be left of him. He will not be able to speak or move. Thus, nothing belongs to humans. A bhakta knows that what belongs to him is His, because he is His. So the first reply of the bhakta is this: “One cannot do anything by one’s own endeavour”.

All worldly knowledge and other mundane knowledge and so-called wisdom has little value. Such knowledge is known as “prápta vákya”, that is, vákya coming from, coming through, the media of different worldly persons, worldly expressions.

In old geography books, you will find that Allahabad was the capital of Uttar Pradesh. In later books you will find that Lucknow is the capital of the same state. And it may be different in the future. So such is the condition of prápta vákya. It is relative and subject to change. Bhaktas take it with a grain of salt. But intellectuals constantly fights amongst themselves in the basis of their bookish knowledge.

For a bhakta, only ápta vákya has value. What comes from Parama Puruśa is ápta vákya. When the devotee is able to hear, feel, realize and understand the will of Parama Puruśa through having developed a relationship of love with Him, it is called ápta vákya. As devotees, you should follow only ápta vákya. You should remember that the Sixteen Points are your ápta vákya.

Your fundamental basis should be prapatti. “Everything happens as per His desire and not a single blade of grass can move without His permission”. By the Grace of, by the compassion of Parama Puruśa, you have received the ápta vákya guidelines, and it is your duty to adhere strictly to the teachings and gospel of ápta vákya. A jiṋánii has no future.

Chapter 3	Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 2

Today I will say something regarding the “Omniscience of the Macro-Psychic Entity”. The Macro-psychic Entity is omniscient. The microcosm is not. Why not? The micropsychic entity cannot become omniscient because of its limited capacity to reflect itself on any physical or psychic objectivity. But in the case of the Macro-psychic Entity, everything comes within Its scope. There is no special endeavour, and no necessity for special effort, to know anything, because all things are within Him and all are within His ectoplasmic dispersion. A microcosm can know an object, a particular object, for a particular span of time, but not for all spans to come or all spans of the past.

It has been said, “Tatraniratishayam sarvajiṋabiijam”. When the microcosm wants to transform itself into Macrocosm, then there develops this desire for all-knowingness, for omniscience, in the microcosm also. Regarding that phase of the microcosm it has been said, “Tatraniratishayam sarvajiṋabiijam.”

Just see the pitiable condition, the miserable condition of a microcosm. Most of you do not know what happened to you one hundred years ago. Most of you do not know what your social position was two hundred years ago, though certainly you had a social position two hundred years ago. Something happened to you one hundred years ago, but you have forgotten everything. But the Macrocosm knows everything. When you come in close proximity to the Macrocosm, you will be able to know, you will be able to see, everything of the past, present and future.

So, to forget or not to know the past stories of your life, say from one hundred or two hundred years back, does not increase your prestige. It is not a matter of glory for you. But you can do one thing, you can be in close touch, close proximity and love with Him and know everything, and that is the best secret. People will then say, “That little boy, he knows a lot”. Actually, the little boy knows nothing. He is in love with the Great, that is why he knows everything.

Now, everything that is known to the Macro-psychic Entity is within Its infinite structure, within Its infinite framework. Everything is within, nothing without. Everything is His internal mental projection, intra-psychic projection. That is why He knows everything and will always know everything. And for individuals, for micropsychic entities or microcosms, almost everything is external. There lies the imperfection. And what is the spiritual practice of a spiritual aspirant? His is a movement, a never-ending movement, from imperfection towards perfection, from electronic imperfection towards nuclear perfection.

Regarding Him it is said that everything is His intra-psychic projection and that the creation is a Macro-psychic conation. That is why He requires no limbs, no sensory or motor organs. Everything is realized within His mind. But in the case of the microcosm, most things are externally situated. That is why, in order to express himself, the microcosm requires motor organs, and to take knowledge and sensory perceptions he requires sensory organs. But because the Cosmic Entity requires no motor organs or sensory organs or motor nerves, He is infinite. He is a non-corporeal entity.

When the common point between Saguńa and Nirguńa, the tangential touch of Saguńa and Nirguńa, comes in contact with any quinquelemental body, then we say that Táraka Brahma has come. In that case also the Nucleus is there. That is why He is also omniscient without the help of sensory or motor organs. That is the secret and that is why it has been said regarding Him that –

Apánipádo yavano grahiitá pashyatyacakśuh sa shrńotyakarńah,
Sa vetti vedyaḿ na ca tasyásti vettá tamáhura gryaḿ Puruśaḿ mahantam.

He does everything without the help of his páńi (“páńi” means “hand”). The name of one Paoráńika goddess is “Viińá Páńi.” He has no páńi but touches everything. “Pádo” – He has no legs but He is everywhere, He moves everywhere. At the same time He is in Patna, in Mokameh, in Samastipur and on all other planets, stars, etc.

“Yavano grahiita” – He moves without taking the help of legs and hands. I said, it is a circumrotatory entity. Moving around oneself, and around nobody else, is called “circumrotation” in English.

“Pashyatyacakśuh sa shrńotyakarnáh.” You see, for your mental creations, you require no optical nerves. You require no extra-ocular vision. You see everything. And similarly, He hears the inner language of anything and everything without the help of His ears. Not only the external sounds, but also the sounds coming from the deepest core of each and every living entity, conveying all its urges and aspirations.

“Sa vetti vedyaḿ na ca tasyásti vettá tamáhuragryaḿ Puruśaḿ mahántam.” He knows everything that is knowable. He knows everything that comes within the periphery of knowledge or wisdom. But there is no second entity to know Him. To know Him, one is to merge oneself in the ocean of the Macrocosm. There is no alternative.

Chapter 4	Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 2

What is the soliloquy of the Supreme? His soliloquy is:

Mayyeva sakalaḿ játaḿ mayi sarvaḿ pratiśt́hitam,
Mayi sarvam layaḿ yáti tadbrahmádvyamasmyaham.

Everything cometh from Me, remaineth in Me and goeth back in Me. “Mayyeva sakalam játam”. Everything cometh from Me. That is, He desired that something should be created in His mind, that there should be a thought-projection, internal thought projection in His mind, that He should create the universe. And the universe came into being.

He wanted it. Why did He want it? Philosophers fail to find out the reason.

Why did He think like this that He would create the universe? Who can know the motive, the intention of the Supreme as to why He did create? But He created. It is not known to the philosophers, why such an idea to create come into His mind. But as I told you a few days back, where the philosophers fail, the bhaktas, the devotees succeed. Here the philosophers fail to give the satisfactory reply to others. Not only that, they fail to get a satisfactory reply for themselves. But the devotees can, because they have got deep love, internal love, unknown love, secret love for the Supreme within the core of their hearts. They say, “We know what the reason is: He, our Lord was alone in this universe. If you are forced to remain alone in a house, you will become almost mad, what to speak of being alone in the entire universe.”

Sa vá eka tadá drśt́a na pashyat drshyamekarát́,
Me ne santamivátmánaḿ suptashaktirasuptadrk.

Our Lord was alone. He had got the potentiality to see, to hear, to smell, to speak, to do anything and everything. But because there was no second entity whom to speak to? Whom to love? Whom to tell? Whom to punish, saying, “My boy, why have you done wrong? Don’t you deserve punishment? You should be punished.”

At that time He could not punish anybody because nobody was there. As there is nothing beyond Him, nothing without, so He could not get any second object to love or to punish. I did not say “hate” because He does not know how to hate.

He cannot do two things. He does not know how to hate and He does not know how to create a second “Parama Puruśa”. He remains a singular entity.

So He has to create it within His mind, within His internal projection of thought. That is why the soliloquy is “Mayyeva sakalaḿ játaḿ.

“Mayi sarvaḿ pratiśt́hitam”. After creation, He will have to look after the creation. Who else is to do this or take this responsibility? Because there was no second guardian factor to look after the creation; so His creation had to be looked after by Him. The responsibility of looking after the creation had to be shouldered by Him and by Him only.

“Mayi sarvaḿ layaḿ yáti”. Everything you know is moving. The universe is a passing show, is a moving reality, a fast changing panorama. Since the thought-waves are moving, the universe is also moving, everything is moving. In Saḿskrta, the world is called “saḿsára” (saḿ – sr +ghaiṋ) which means moving by nature. The world is also called “jagat” (gam + kvip), which means moving. So, everything is moving, because thought-waves are moving. These thought-waves move in a systaltic order, in a pulsative way. After movement, where are those created beings to go? Finally, they are to merge, they are to come back to the starting-point, become the culminating point. That is why the soliloquy says “Mayi sarvaḿ layaḿ yáti”.

Everything cometh back to Me, there is no alternative. “Nánya panthá vidyateyanáya”. It is the only route, the circular path known as Brahma Cakra, the Cosmological Order.

“Tadbrahmádvyamasmyaham”. This is my own, these are my own. I am engaged in this duty of creating, then nourishing, retaining or maintaining and finally taking back everything within Me. This is my duty, and because of this duty, I am known as Brahma. I am the Singular Entity; there can not be two Brahmas. There can not be two Parama Puruśas.

I have these two imperfections. First, I can not create second Parama Puruśa. Whoever loves Me becomes one with Me. The person can not maintain his separate identity. That is why I always remain a Singular Entity. And the second thing is that as everything is created by Me, so everything is My child, everything is My progeny. That is why I can not hate anything.

I keep busy in the task of generating, maintaining and destroying and have no time to take rest.

Chapter 5	Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 2

As you know, curry, even if it is prepared with maximum care in all other aspects, can not be treated as a palatable dish if there is want of salt in it. Similarly, all human endeavours to find out a link between the finite and the infinite fail, if there is want of devotion in them.

Take the case of karma. The aspirant is a karma yogii, but all his karmas are sure to fail if there is want of devotion. A karma is glorified only when it remains associated with devotion and love for the Supreme. Otherwise, a karma becomes mechanical, and the little bit of introvertiality that one possesses in the rudimental stage disappears after a short while, and the movement becomes purely extroversive one. That is, human existence itself becomes a machine. So one can not achieve the Supreme Goal by dint of one’s karma, when the said karma is not associated with devotion or love for the Supreme.

And now let us see what happens if one is engaged in tapasyá. “Tapasya” means freely undergoing hardship in order to reach the goal within a short while. Now what does happen if, while doing this “tapasya” there is no love for the Great? Such tapasyá is nothing but a misuse of time. Tapasyá without love is a misuse of time and will have an adverse effect on the physical body and also on the psychic body and the result is definitely bad.

What is yoga? “Yogashcittavrttinirodhah”. Yoga is suspension of all the psychic propensities. Now if, during the suspension, this period of suspension, there is love for God, then all the suspended propensities rest on the Supreme Entity. Suppose, one is a great Yogii but if there is no love for his goal, then those suspended propensities are finally converted into crude matter, that is, the subtle human existence becomes like iron, it becomes like wood, it becomes like sand. What a deterioration! What a downfall! This particular type of yoga where a yogii does not bear love for the Supreme Entity is called “hat́ha yoga” in Saḿskrta. It is dangerous for the human elevation. “Hat́ha” comes from “ha” and “t́ha”. “Ha” represents “súrya nádii or ida nádii” and is the acoustic root of physical force. “Tha” represents “candra nádii or piuṋgalá nádii” and is the acoustic root of the mind. So “hat́ha” implies forcible control of mind by physical force. In popular parlance whenever something happens very abruptly or all of a sudden we use the word “hat́hát” i.e., “Hat́hena kurute karma.” Obviously a practitioner of “Hat́ha Yoga” can not attain liberation.

Suppose, a man has no devotion or love for the Supreme, but he is a jiṋánii, an intellectual. Others recognize the fact that he is a really great jiṋánii, he knows this and he know that. But jiṋána without Paramátmá is like the skin of a banana. It is not the real banana, it is the skin of a banana. One will get no taste from it. His knowledge is not parávidyá, his knowledge is aparávidyá, that is, his relative knowledge pertains to the crude materialism. This type of crude material knowledge concerned with the crude materialism has done much harm to human society during the last one century. It has misguided the entire human society, it has converted human beings into animals. Indeed, animals also have been exploited by the propounders of these crude philosophies.

Preyaskará Yá buddhih sá buddhih pránaghátinii
Shreyaskará yá buddhih sá buddhih mokśadáyinii.

It has been said that all knowledges – “pará” and “apará” – are just like a very big ocean of milk. Now, after churning the ocean of milk, what do you get? You get butter and buttermilk. After churning this type of ocean the butter portion has been enjoyed by the devotees and the buttermilk portion is left for the jiṋániis. Intellectuals fight amongst themselves regarding the ownership of that buttermilk portion. And finally not even that buttermilk is enjoyed by them, because it goes bad before they come to a decision as to who is to enjoy it.

There are many categories of bhakti. Amongst them the main three types are támasii, rájasii and sáttvikii bhakti. Támasii bhakti means static devotion. It is not actually bhakti because the unit’s desire is for his or her enemies to be destroyed. Since Parama Puruśa is not the goal, it is sure that he or she won’t get Parama Puruśa.

Rájasii bhakti means mutative devotion. In this form of bhakti, one wants physical property. So one may or may not, as a result of this bhakti gain prosperity, but it is sure one won’t get Parama Puruśa, because Parama Puruśa is not the goal.

In the case of sáttvikii bhakti, or sentient devotion, the goal is Parama Puruśa. Sádhakas should aspire for Him and Him alone, and this is the Supreme Goal of all human endeavours.

Chapter 6	Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 2

Today I will say something about certain cardinal attributions of Iishvara – attributions which are essential for looking upon Him as Iishvara. It is said:

“Kleshakarmavipákáshyaeraparámrśt́ah puruśavisheśa Iishvarah”. The Entity that remains unassailed, uninfluenced by the cardinal propensities such as klesha, karma, vipáka and áshaya is called Iishvara. Otherwise, He may be called as Bhagaván or we may use some other epithet for Him but not Iishvara.

What is klesha? There are certain mental propensities. I am saying mental propensities because in this case or in certain cases it has got nothing to do with the nerve fibres or nerve cells. When the pulsations of mental feeling can not maintain parallelism with the pulsations of expressions of our nerves, then that propensity or those propensities or that controlling propensity is called kliśt́á-vrtti or klesha. When, they maintain that parallelism it is called or they are called akliśt́á-vrtti. Now in case of Iishvara, the question of maintaining parallelism between mental pulsations and never pulsations does not arise because everything of His Being is of an internal character. There remains no scope for maintaining any parallelism with anything else. So He is free from all kliśt́á-vrttis.

In a human being, klesha-vrtti is caused by avidyá. Avidyá, that is, the cardinal ignorance, is arranged in five stages. Those five stages are avidyá, asmitá, rága, dveśa and abhinivesha. These forms of avidyá are the causes of the birth of kliśt́á-vrtti.

Avidya: “Anityashuci-duhkhánátmasu nitya-shuci sukhátmakhyátiravidyá”.

When anitya, ashuci and duhkhátma vrttis are treated as nitya, shuci and sukhátma, it is known as avidyá. Everything in this quinquelemental universe is of a transitory nature. But when due to the influence of this avidyá, the cardinal ignorance, one thinks that everything will remain with oneself, as it is or as they are, this defective style of thinking is avidyá – that is, when he considers this transitory (anitya) world to be as permanent (nitya); impure (ashuci) to be pure (shuci); worldly pains to be bliss; and the non-spiritual, that is, the material, to be the supreme, this is avidya. These are different varieties of avidyá. It is like a dog chewing a bone. There is nothing in the bone but while chewing the dog’s lips get cut and bleeding starts. The dog sucks its own blood, taking it to be the juice coming out of the bone. Even though actually the dog is getting hurt it imagines that it is licking happiness. Such things happen on account of avidyá. One regards crude, lifeless and non-living objects as having sparkling souls or spiritual idols. This is all due to avidyá.

Asmitá Drgdarshanashaktyorekátmataevásmitá.

The second form of avidyá is known as asmitá. When the motor and sensory organs function, the mind witnesses. Had there been no witnessing mind, the functions of those sensory and motor organs would have remained unrecognized. Similarly whatever the mind does is recognized due to the presence of the Cognitive Faculty. Had there been no Átman or Cognitive Faculty, all mental feelings would have remained unrecognized. But due to the same cardinal ignorance, people think that the mental functions and their witnessing counterparts are the same. This type of ignorance is known as asmitá. The function of the eye is to see but it is due to mind that eyes are able to carry on their functions. The shakti (power) through which eyes see is known as darshana. It is on account of the shakti and the mind that the function of seeing is accomplished. That is why existence of mind is also essential. In this context, mind is termed as drk-shakti.

The function of hand is known as shilpa. But nowadays noted singers are also called kańt́ha shilpii. No shilpa can be accomplished by vocal cord. The function of the hand is called shilpana-kriyá and that of the feet, carańa-kriyá. The action is performed by organs but only when mind witnesses, otherwise not. Functions of organs are substantiated by mind. That is why if organs are to be termed as karma-shakti, then mind is to be termed as krt-shakti. In absence of krt-shakti, karma can not be accomplished. Because of lack of proper knowledge, people consider krt and karma to be one and the same and similarly they enmesh drk and darshana. Those who do so are ignorant. The avidyá which causes such ignorance is asmitá.

Rága: What is rága? Due to the influence of certain external influences such as books or bad company or any kind of bad association, when one feels weakness for a certain object or moves towards that object without being guided by any reason, without any reason or rational support, the avidya that causes such stage of mind is called raga.

Dveśa: The fourth stage of avidyá is dveśa. Dveśa is due to the influence of certain personal or intellectual support of some other entities. When one feels a sort of repulsion for certain objects without support of any reason or rationality that particular propensity is called dveśa.

Abhinivesha: “Svarasovahi viduśohpi tathá rúśho’bhinivesha”.

The last one and the most dangerous one is abhinivesha. Even the learned persons and the jiṋániis, the scholars know that this is this and that is that – or what is what and which is which. Even knowing everything they are entrapped by certain propensities. This particular nature of weakness is called abhinivesha. Several times you would see a teacher moving his fingers as if he is using a cane. In class room he uses cane. Now there is no cane in hand but he is moving his finger in that style. A drunkard knows that drinking is a very bad practice. Even then he can not give it up. These are all examples of abhinivesha.

The vrttis caused by the aforesaid five forms of avidyá are called kliśt́á-vrtti. They are mainly pramáńa, vikalpa, nidrá, smrti and viparyaya.

Pramáńa: “Pratyakśa, anumána ágama pramánáni”. That is, whatever one feels through one’s senses is pratyaksa and whatever one feels by applying guessing-method is anumána. Where there is smoke one may come to the conclusion that there is fire. This is anumána. Ágama is ápta vákya. But sometimes one knowingly does not adhere to the dictates of the gospels of áptavákya.

Viparyaya: “Viparyaya mithyájiṋána matadrupapratiśt́haḿ”.

We use several words which are actually non-existent. For example “We stay in the heart of Patna town” or “Oh! That beautiful building is situated in the heart of Patna Town”. Patna town is something material. Can it have a heart? Heart exists in living bodies. Patna is something purely non-animatic. It is something purely material having no life in it. It can not have any heart but it is said the building is situated in the heart of the town. Use of such language is viparyaya. Sometimes we use language as in the following shloka:

Mrgatrśńámbhasiisnátú khapuśpakrtashekhará;
Eśa bandhyá sutojáh shashashrungadhanurdharah.

We do like this due to the ignorance, due to avidyá. These are all kliśt́á vrttis. The meaning of the shloka is that after taking bath in the water of a mirage (the mirage, you know is in the desert – actually there is no mirage, and there is no water there) and wearing the crown made of kha puśpa, the ákásha kusum, that is, the flowers of the sky (there are no flowers in the sky) the boy whose mother is a sterile lady (a sterile lady cannot have a child), his bows and arrows are made of the horns of rabbits and hares (rabbits and hares do not have horns).

Vikalpa: “Shabdaguńánupatii vastushúnyo vikalpa”.

Similarly we sometimes use vikalpa also and we misuse it. For example, you are coming from Arrah to Patna. After crossing Phulwarii Shariff you say that Patna has come. No, Patna has not come – Patna is where it was. It is you who have come near Patna. You say, “This road goes to Varanasi”. But the road does not go; it is you who go.

I need not explain nidrá and smrti.

In klesha these are all kliśt́a vrttis. Then comes karma. Karma means change of place. The faculty that effects the change of place is called karma. Now in case of the Parama Puruśa, everything is within. So the question of change of place or change of space, that is, the effect of spatial factor, does not arise. So He is not affected by or assailed by the influence of karma.

Vipáka means reaction, reactive momenta. Whenever there is an action there will be equal and opposite reaction provided that the three fundamental, the three rudimental factors of time, place and person, that is, temporal factor, spatial factor and personal factor remain unchanged. If there is any change in personal, spatial or temporal factor then reaction won’t be equal and opposite. It may be more, it may be less. And you in case of each and every actional expression, all these three factors will change. So the reaction will never be equal and opposite. Suppose, an amount of Rs. 100 has been borrowed. At the time of repayment because of change of time factor, an interest will have to be paid along with the principal sum of Rs. 100. So the sum repaid will be something like Rs. 105 or 110. A person does something wrong and comes to Bábá seeking punishment. Bábá will punish just according to the degree of the sin or a bit more or a bit less. Because of change in time factor the degree of punishment will not be same. This reaction is called vipáka in Saḿskrta. Whenever there is any action, where the action is dominating, the karma is dominating, the karma is prevailing, the karma is assailing, the karma is influencing, there must be reaction. But in case of Parama Puruśa, there is no such thing. All actions are done within Himself, within His Macro-psychic structure. So in His case, the question of being influenced by reaction does not arise. Therefore He is not affected even by vipáka.

Áshaya: Áshaya means “containing entity”. Each and every expression of this universe of ours, each and every entity of this universe requires some adhara i.e. container where to remain. No one can remain without an adhara. Be it an idea or an action, adhara is a must, particularly for a crude or physical body.

About 4000 years ago the name of Patna town was Kusumpur. At the time of Ashoka, it became Patliputra. Thereafter it was inundated and ravaged by the floods of Ganga and Sone rivers. Thereupon a new establishment, a new town was founded. For establishment “Pattan” is the word in Saḿskrta. From “Pattan” it became Patna and later “Patna”. “Patna” is derived from “Pattan” and not from “Patliputra” as it was too big a name.

The town of Patna has got its áshaya in Patna district, Patna district is in Patna Division, Patna Division in Bihar State, Bihar State in India country, India country in Asia, Asia is on the planet Earth.

The Earth has several names in Saḿskrta viz. bhú, bhúmi dhará, dharitrii, sarvaḿsahá, vasumatii, gotra, ku, prthivii, prthvii, kśamá, avanii and mahii etc.

The áshaya of this planet Earth is this solar system and that of this solar system is Parama Puruśa. But for Parama Puruśa there is no áshaya. He requires no shelter. So He remains unassailed by the influence of shelters. That is why:

“Klesha-karma-vipákáshayaeraparámrśt́ah Puruśa Visheśah Iishvarah”. The Visheśa Puruśa, not these Jiivátmás but that very Átman, that particular Átman who remains unassailed by the influence of klesha, karma, vipáka, and áshaya is known as Iishvara. In the Moghul period Kings at Delhi used to sometimes think that they were dilliishvaras – that they were Jagadiishavaras. Often they were forgetting the fact that they were neither dilliishvara nor jagadiishvara. They were ordinary souls.

Chapter 7	Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 2

Since the very dawn of civilization there is a living question regarding salvation of human beings. The supra-psychic existence which remains in close proximity to a corporal framework, and uses that very corporal framework as the only medium of its own emittances and emanations, can attain salvation. Lord Shiva said, Brahmaeváhamiti jiṋátvá mukto bhavati dehabhrt́. Even having a corporal structure one can attain salvation if one changes the idea of microcosm into macrocosm. The possibilities and potentialities of attaining salvation lie in the very existence of the supra-psychic being.

What is infinite in macrocosm is finite in microcosm, but the potentialities are the same. So what is required is to develop one’s finite attributions into infinite ones through the process of mystic approach.

What is mysticism? Mysticism is a never-ending endeavour to find out the link between finite and infinite. And when that link is established shiva-vákya comes true, that is, Shiva-vákya is materialized.

What is Shiva-vákya? “Brahmaeváhamiti jiṋátvá mukto bhavati dehabhrt.”

In Brahma Vandaná, while ascribing so many attributions to Brahma, it has been said that He is Paresha. What is Paresha? Para and apara are two counterparts of each and every existence. Para and apara are two portions – two counterparts of the same entity. The seen portion, the done portion, is called apara and the subjective portion is para. Now, what you see or do with the help of your sensory, motor organs or that external object, in the first phase, is apara and your sensory and motor organs are para – the para counterpart of that apara. And in the second phase, the next interior phase, those gates or organs are apara and the mind is para. Then in the next inner phase, your mind is apara and the unit spirit is para. And in the final phase your unit spirit, your atman, is apara and He is the Supreme Para. He is the Lord of all Paras. Hence He is called “Paresha.”

So, when one withdraws one’s propensities from objective world towards the subjectivity, one attains that Paresha. One becomes one with that Paresha, and there lies the secret of sádhaná.

So the Supreme Entity is Paresha and is also the Prabhu. “Pra” means “Prakrśt́a” that is the “best” and “bhu” means “being”. Prabhu, therefore, means “the best existence”. He is Prabhu of the world.

Now, Shiva-vákya can be established in many ways. It is said that He is Sarvendriyágamay i.e. He can not be achieved by any indriya. What are the indriyas? There are five motor indriyas, five sensory indriyas and the eleventh one is the mind. So, here it has been said, “sarvendriyágamya” that is, “sarvendriya” + “agamya”.

“Yaccaksusa na pashyati yena caksumsi pashyati.” He whom eyes can not see but from whom eyes get faculty of seeing. He is Sarvendriyagamya. The indriyas can not catch Him.

Here you should remember that the most important point is that mind is also an indriya – eleventh indriya, and that is why in Vedas also it has been said,

Yato váco nivartante aprápya manasá saha,
Anandaḿ brahmańo vidván má vibheti kutascana.

That is, where all the expressions of indriyas, where all the inferences fail and where the mind too fails, that is the Supreme Subjectivity. When that mind along with indriyas is withdrawn and placed into Him, then it is the supreme stance, parama sthiti. In that stance there is no fear. “Sarvendriyágamya Satya”. It is the Supreme truth, that is, where Sat is fully established, it is called “satya”. And what is “sat”? Sat means “that undergoes no metamorphosis”. So, in this universe of ours, that Paresha, that Sarvendriyágamya Entity, is the only satya.

I am not using the exact vocabulary of the shlokas. I just want to amplify the truth.

Acintya – He can not be your mental object. One day, I told you that while meditating on the Supreme you can not accept Him as your object. Because He is your subject. Everything is His object. He is the Supreme Subject. Then how, during japa and dhyána can He be your object? He can not be your object. So what is necessary – and herein lies the charm – is that while doing japa and dhyána, you should think that He is seeing you, you are His object. This thing you should always remember during japa and dhyána. That is the idea. That is the spirit. So He is acintya. You are His cintya.

“Akśara” means “where there is no decaying or no waning”. He is Acintyákśara.

Another adjective used for Him is “Jagadbhásakádhiisha”. Jagat means “moving entities”. Everything in this expressed world is moving. I say, it is a moving panorama. Jagadbhásakádhiisha - Everything in this created world glitters due to Him, that is, He is a Supreme source of all effulgences, rather He is the only source of all effulgences. We get light and energy from Apollo, from the sun, and the sun gets everything from Him.

He is the Supreme Father, Supreme Source of all effulgences - Supreme Savitá. That is why in Gáyatrii Mantra, He has been addressed as Savitá. And all glitterances of each and every entity come from Him, that is why He is Jagadbhásakádhiisha. And because all glitterances come from Him, He is in close contact with anything and everything – all important and all unimportant beings. So, if you follow those pencils of rays, if you move ahead along towards the emanating point of all the pencils of rays, you will reach the Supreme Nucleus. So what Lord Shiva said is correct, one hundred percent correct: Brahmaevahámiti jiṋátva mukto bhavati dehabhrt.

And finally, when following the opposite movement of all the pencils of rays, one reaches the source of those rays, that is, one feels that fundamentally one is Brahma. And by following this path of spirituality – “Mukto bhavati dehabhrt” – that supra-psychic existence who has accepted the corporal structure as its first proximity and uses it as its only medium for all emittances and emanations, finally attains salvation.

Shiva-vákya was true, Shiva-vákya is true and Shiva-vákya will remain true for ever.

Chapter 8	Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 2

Ya eko jálavániishata iishaniibhih
Sarvánllokaniishata iishaniibhih
Ya evaeka udbhave sambhave ca
Ya etadviduramrtáste bhavanti.

The creator of the universe is a great magician. He creates by dint of His magical spell and controls the magically created universe. There is nothing in the universe that cannot be or that is not controlled by Him. That is, everybody, each and every entity obeys Him and He establishes His control with the help of His Shakti. “Shaktih sá shivasya shaktih”. Shakti has got no alternative but to do according to His desires, and He with the help of that Shakti controls everything. As He is the Supreme Controller, that is why He is Iishvara.

When a magician creates something, the spectators will think, “Oh! What magic! What a grand show!” But the magician knows the secret. The magician knows that if anybody from amongst the spectators knows or gets the chance to know the inner secret of the magic then he won’t be cheated or bewildered by that magic and till the magical spell is there, they will fell certain charm for the magically created world. Afterwards the charm will go away. Then they will say, “No, no, no, I don’t want to see this magic. I want to go to the party of the magician, not to the party of the spectators.”

The magician wants people to witness the display. But what will the spectators or the intelligent persons amongst the spectators who want to join the magician’s party, do? They will develop love for the magician and join the party. After joining the party, each and every secret of the magic will be known to them.

“Ya evaeka udbhave sambhave ca”. All these magical expressions, magical displays, have their origin in Him. He expressed Himself in the form of so many magical displays. And it is that magician who retains and nourishes the magically created objects; and finally those objects go back to the inner arena of that magician.

“Ya etadviduramrtáste bhavanti”. That intelligent spiritual aspirant who comes in close contact with the magician by dint of his extreme love for the magician attains immortality.

What is immortality? Everything in this universe is subject to wanings and decayings, but the Supreme Veracity remains unchanged, unmetamorphosed. So, the man, the aspirant, the intelligent aspirant taking shelter in Him, also attains immortality. That is why He is known as “Mrtyurmrtyu”.

The term mrtyurmrtyu has two meanings. The first one is that those who attain Him, won’t be reborn and their death would be final death. The second is that He is the death of death, that is, the death comes to a pause when death comes near Him; the death is to undergo death before Him. That is why it has been said, “Amrtáste bhavanti”: those who attain Him become immortal.

Chapter 9	Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 2

Kśaraḿ pradhánamamrtákśaraḿ harah
Kśarátmánáviishate deva ekah
Tasyábhidhyánát yojanát tattvabhávát
Bhúyashcánte vishvamáyánivrttih.

In this universe, both mundane and supra-mundane, or say, physical and metaphysical, we find entities of two kinds: Kśara and Akśara. Kśara is a metamorphosed form of the cognitive faculty created under the tethering influence of Prakrti, the Operative Principle. Hence in philosophical Saḿskrta, the Operative Principle is also known as Pradhána because in the phase of creation it has got the primordial role. Pradhána means “main”. Whatever we see in the universe, or whatever cometh within the arena of our influence is Kśara, that is, creation of the Operative Principle. The portion of the Cognitive Faculty which does not come within the tethering periphery of the binding faculties remains akśara. That is, it undergoes no change, no metamorphosis, is non-decaying, non-waning. “Kśaraḿ pradhánamamrtákśaraḿ harah”. And that Akśara portion, that is, non-decaying, non-transforming, non-metamorphosing portion, is amrta or immortal. Kśara is mortal.

What is death? Death means a process of metamorphosis. Akśara means not undergoing the process of metamorphosis; hence it is immortal. “Amrtakśaraḿ harah”. That is why that Akśara is also known as Para. Para means beyond the scope of all changes, beyond the scope of all transformations.

“Kśarátmáná viishate deva ekah”. But there is a third entity. One is Kśara Brahma, that is, the transformed Brahma, objectivated Brahma – this external universe created by the tethering influence of the Operative Principle. The second one is Akśara Brahma whose other name is Hara. Hara means one who undergoes no change under the influence of others.

This world is a divine play of Hari and Hara. It is Hari-Harátmaka. Hara is one who is undergoing no metamorphosis and Hari means “Harati pápánityarthe harih”. That is, one who steals away sins of others. People may say, “Parama Puruśa is great and He steals! What is the matter?” As per necessity, He does engage in stealing but one without calumny or fault. He expects bhaktas to give away their sins to Him and be liberated. But when He asks bhaktas to do so, they say, “O Náráyańa! we can give You our minds, our bodies, our souls, our everything; but how can we give You our sins? That we can’t do.” Bhaktas love Him deeply and He loves them too. As Bhaktas won’t part with their sins on request, He steals them away and that is why He is known as Hari. But in this Shloka we are concerned with the word Hara. “Amrtákśarah Harah”.

Now, one is Kśara Brahma. The second one is Akśara Brahma and there is the third entity, Nirakśara Brahma.

You know, the acoustic root of creation is “A” “U” and “ma” = “Aum”. And the acoustic root of objectivated Brahma, causal Brahma creating “a” “u” and “ma” and effect Brahma created by “a” “u” and “m” – its acoustic root is “ka”. Hence “Ka” is our first consonant and “A” is our first vowel because “a” is the root of creation. “Ka” is our first consonant because it is the acoustic root of this objectivated universe.

So one meaning of ka is that it is the acoustic root of objectivated Brahma; the second meaning of ka is that it is our first consonant and the third meaning of ka is jalam, that is, water. In Saḿskrta jala is also called ka. Along with niiram, toyam, udakam, kambalam, and pániiyam, ka is a synonym for jalam.

Once I said that the land surrounded by ka, that is, covered by ka, is kaccha. Cha means “surrounded by”. Root chád + da suffix is cha and root verb chád + ghaiṋ suffix make chat. Chát means “covering entity”. Land covered by water is kaccha. Kaccha is an area on the western coast of India.

The third one is Nirakśara Brahma. “Kśarátmanáviishate deva ekah”. There is another Deva who establishes His control both over Kśara and Akśara. He is Nirakśara. The common meaning of nirakśara is illiterate but here nirakśara means “Táraka Brahma” – the tangential point who has got control over both Kśara and Akśara, but not Nirguńa because Nirguńa has got no control over anything. He does not accept anything as His object.

Now you are to worship, you are to do your auto-suggestions or outer-suggestions or meditation or any other spiritual observances for whom? Neither for Kśara, nor for Akśara but for Nirakśara.

If Kśara is accepted as your object of ideation or adoration, then finally you will converted into Kśara, you will be converted into crude matter. So Kśara can not be your object.

Akśara cannot be accepted either because Akśara is always associated with some Kśara and always engaged in so many duties concerning Kśara. That Akśara can not be Mukta Puruśa. So your only object of ideation or meditation or adoration, the only subjective pabulum, should be that Nirakśara. So here it has been said “Tasyábhidhyánát”. You will have to do His abhidhyána.

Abhi – dhyá + anat́ = abhidhyána. Abhidhyána means withdrawing yourself from all transitoriness of this world and goading that withdrawn propensity or those withdrawn propensities into the Nirakśara. This is the abhidhyána of the Nirakśara. So many propensities are brought to a single point, and that combined propensity, the combined force of all propensities is goaded unto Him. That is called abhidhánam.

“Tasyábhidhyáhat yojanát tattvabhávát.” By dint of a never-ending process or practice you come in closest contact with Him. Yojanát and tattvabhávát: tat + tva. Tat means That; that is, Nirakśara Brahma. Ideating on that only, that item only, that entity only, is tattvabhávát. “Bhúyashcánte Vishvamáyánivrttih.” And the final goal of yours, final result of yours, the resultant of so many practices should be liberation from Vishvamáyá.

There are different varieties of Máyá: Mahámáyá, Yogamáyá, Ańumáyá and Vishvamáyá. Vishvamáyá means the influences of Máyá that function both within and without the created world and that portion of Máyá working within it as an all-pervading faculty is known as Viśńumáyá. Here the bondage is from that universal Máyá or Vishvamáyá. It is she who with her dexterous hands creates this universe of so many colors and sounds.

So by dint of never-ending ideation of Nirakśara, one has to merge in Him and attain liberation from Vishvamáyá. There is no alternative.

Chapter 10	Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 2

Ekaḿ jiṋánaḿ nityamádyantaḿ-shúnyam,
Nányat kiiṋcit vartate vastu satyam.
Tayorbhedo’smin indriyopádhiná vae,
Jiṋánasyáya bhásate nányathaeva.

There is a singular flow of cognition in the entire universe, and this flow is not only singular in number but it has got neither any starting point nor any culminating point.

“Ekam”. What is ekam? When all the flows of inferences cometh to a single decision, a single decisive object, which is of conclusive nature, then we use the article ekam. Now, regarding this Cognitive Faculty, wherever our inferences may be withdrawn to, we come to a singular point of singular article. Hence regarding Him, no other article but “One” can be used.

“Nityamádyantashúnyam”. Nityam means a fact whose factuality remains unchallenged. That which has remained unchallenged in the past, remains unchallenged in the present and will remain unchallenged in the future is called nityam.

That faculty, that Supreme Cognitive Faculty means also the Supreme Causal Matrix. It is singular in character and also nityamádyantashúnyam. “Ádi” means the starting point, and “antam” means the culminating point – the terminating point. “Ádyantashúnyam” means having neither any starting point nor any terminating point.

There is a story in the Vedas. Once a vastly radiant Entity appeared before the gods, the demons and the humans who were standing together. This radiant Entity had neither any starting point nor any terminating point. At first none dared get close to Him and enquire of His identity. But slowly some of the gods gathered courage and went to know His identity. First of all, the wind-god approached the Entity and asked, “Who are you?” Instead of answering direct, the Entity asked him, “Who are you?” the wind-god said, “I am the mighty god of wind, I blow out everything that comes in my way.” The radiant Entity then said, offering him a blade of grass, “Here is a blade of grass, blow this if you can”. The wind could even move it, howsoever hard it tried. The wind returned ashamed and chastened. Then the fire went and said by way of introducing himself, “I am the fire. To consume every thing is my characteristic”. The fire was asked to burn that blade of grass but he was also unsuccessful and came back with bowed head. Similarly the rain-god went and returned, having failed to make that blade of grass wet. The people thought, “It won’t work like this.” They found out the most intelligent person amongst themselves, who was not only intellectual but also knew how to behave in different circumstances and was endowed with great tact. The people selected him as their leader and commissioned him with the task of finding out the identity of that radiant Entity. This leader approached the radiant Entity most reverentially and inquired, “Who are you, please?” The radiant Entity counter-questioned Him. “Who are you?” The reply was, “Just to know that I have come to you. I do not know who I am.” Upon this the radiant Entity further asked “What do you do?” This time the reply was, “I will try to do whatever you command me to do.” These replies pleased the radiant Entity much and thus He disclosed His real identity;

“I am the Cognitive Principle. I am within you and also without you. Because of My presence, you do everything, you feel everything, you realize everything. You are a small fraction of mind, a small drop of water in this vast ocean which I am.”

Then the leader sought a message from that radiant Entity. The radiant Entity said, “My message is ‘da’, convey it to all.”

When the leader went back having known the identity of the radiant Entity along with a message from Him, people hailed him and appointed him their permanent leader and their king. In old Saḿskrta, leader is called “indra”, so from that day Indra became king of the gods.

The message “da” was interpreted differently in accordance with the inherent characteristics of three different peoples.

One group said, da means “damanam kuru”, that is, just control thyself, just control all your propensities and be dánta. Dam + ta = dánta. Dánta is one who has controlled one’s all propensities. This group of people according to whom da means damanam kuru were known as “devatá”.

Another group said da means “dayám kuru”, that is, be compassionate, because Dayá will create sweetness in your heart and your heart will slowly become all-pervasive. This group of people, as per whom da means dayám kurú – be compassionate– were known as human beings, humans – “mánava”.

And the third group of people said, “No, no, ‘da’ doesn’t mean damanam kuru, da doesn’t mean be compassionate, da means dánam kuru and they were known as dánava, daetya, or asura.

These are three groups of people.

Now, that Entity is “One” and the instruction, order or advice of that Entity for all living beings, physical, metaphysical or luminous, is also “One”.

The physical bodies of human beings (mánava) are made of the quinquelemental factors: kśiti, ap, tejas, marut and vyoma. The physical bodies of danavas are made of ap, tejas, marut and vyoma – from four factors. And those of devatás are made of tejas, marut and vyoma and that is why their structures are not visible. The devatás are known as “deva yoni” in Saḿskrta and their bodies are made of only three factors.

Now ekam. He remained ekam and His advice is also ekam – only one word, a singular expression, a single syllable – and that syllable is “da”.

Dánam Kuru is the crudest interpretation. For dánam, you will have to acquire something material. So it is the crudest. Bali was a dánava king who was famous for dánam.

This Entity, this Cognitive Faculty is the only Entity in the Universe, is of a singular existence. No other entity is satyam. When “sat” is fully established, that is “satyam”. No other entity in this universe is satyam. All are moving realities, changing phenomena, fast-moving panorama. All are of a transitory nature.

But then, why do we see these varieties in this world? So many varieties, so many colours and so many matters? When the Absolute Truth is a singular Entity and the Cosmic Cognitive Faculty is One, then why this world of varieties? Why do we witness such a kaleidoscopic world?

Variety comes according to the varieties in our inferences, coming through or emanating from our motor and sensory organs. They are not giving us the proper colour, proper smell or proper attributions of the external world. We solely depend on them. And when all these inferences and objectivities come back to the unit subjectivity, that is, the unit cognition, then what happens? This unit cognition comes in contact with Supreme Cognition and feels that there is no difference between unit cognition and the Supreme Cognition. Both are made of the same entity, the same factor, the same elements; and in the entire universe there is a single element and that element is the Cognitive Faculty.

Chapter 11	Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 2

Súkśmátisúkśmaḿ kalilasya madhye,
Vishvasya sraśt́áramanekarúpam.
Vishvasyaekaḿ pariveśt́itáraḿ,
Jiṋátvá devaḿ mucyate sarvapáshaeh.

Here it has been said that through so many media, the Creator of the universe plays in so many ways, expresses Himself in so many ways and the media are “súkśmátisúkśmaḿ”. In philosophical Saḿskrta “súkśma” means the entity or entities that can not be perceived by sense-organs without the help of any other medium. And “átisúkśma” means those entities which can not be conceived by the mind. “Kalilasya madhye” means in the structures, in so many structures. And “vishvasya sraśtáramanekarúpam” means the creator of this universe expresses Himself in so many forms, so many colours and so many bhávas.

Súkśmátisúksmaḿ kalilasya madhye,
Vishvasya sraśt́áramanekarúpam.

That is, in the structures, in so many structures which are súkśma (subtle) and which are atisúkśma (subtler), the Creator of this universe expresses Himself in so many forms, so many colours and so many bhávas. And those forms, colours and bhávas are sometimes beyond the scope of conception of the mind of microcosm.

One can see the human body with the help of eyes. Eyes are sensory organs. But in case of certain elements where the structure is of four elementary factors, four fundamental factors, that is, ap, tejas, marut and vyoma, then it becomes more difficult for sensory organs to see or perceive. And in case of luminous bodies, known as “deva-yoni” in Saḿskrta – Yakśa, Rakśa, Gandharva, Vidyádhara, Kinnara, Prakrtiliina, Videhiiliina – they can not be conceived even by mind and some time when they fiddle down to the scope of sensory organs, people may see them for a short while. For a short while one may see a luminous body. These are called “deva-yoni”. That is why it has been said that the Creator plays with these media in so many forms, in so many colours, in so many acoustic expressions which may or may not be audible, which may or may not be visible to sensory organs.

Vishvasyaekaḿ pariveśt́itáraḿ
Jiṋátvá devaḿ mucyate sarvapáshaeh.

And His expressions are not only within these subtle and subtler media but in cruder forms also and they are beyond universal expressions also. He is not limited within the scope of this universe. He is both within and without the scope of this universe.

“Jiṋátvá devaḿ”, that is, when one knows, when one comes in contact with the Supreme Entity, “mucyate sarvapáshaeh”, that is, one gets liberated, one gets emancipated from all mundane bondages. And when one gets liberated from all the bondages, then one no more remains jiiva, one becomes Shiva.

Páshabaddho bhavet jiivah
Páshamukto bhavecchivah.

Chapter 12	Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 2

Ánandáddhyeva khalvimáni bhútáni jáyante.
Ánandena játáni jiivanti.
Ánandaḿ prayantyabhisaḿvishantiiti.

Everything, micros or macros, whatever is caused or created, cometh from that composure of bliss. And “ánandena játáni jiivanti”, that is, because of the presence of this infinite composure of bliss each and every created entity want to remain in this world. This is the only reason for one’s longing for more and more life. And “ánandaḿ prayantyabhisaḿvishanti”, that is, finally, each and every entity goes back to that composure of bliss – to that blissful stance. This composure of bliss is the only satya in this universe.

And what is satya? “Sat”, that is, the non-metamorphic entity, when it is finally established, when it attains the final rank of non-metamorphosis, is called “satya”. So one must move along the path of satya and one must have the satya as one’s only desideratum. And this is the only path, this is the path of fearlessness; that is, there is no fear in it, nothing to be afraid of. The Yajurveda says:

Satyameva jayate nánrtaḿ
Satyena panthá vitato devayánah
Yenákramantyrśayo hyáptakámá
Yatra tat satyasya paramaḿ nidhánam.

Finally satya becomes victorious in each and every fight, in each and every clash and in each and every work. Satya comes our successful. “Satyameva jayate nánrtaḿ.” That is, the falsehood won’t be victorious. “Satyena panthá vitato devayánah”: your path to godhood becomes widened with the help of this satya, that is, this satya makes the path wide so that progress towards godhood is achieved.

“Ápta vákya” is the word of God and “Prápta Vákya” are the words of the worldly authorities: books and other things.

A person whose all desires have been fully quenched due to coming in proximity to the Supreme Entity is called “hyaptakáma”. These hyáptakáma rśis moved along this path of satya in the past and finally came in contact with the supreme abode of satya. “Yatra tat satyasya paramaḿ, nidhánam”. That is, they reach that place which is the final abode of satya. So the rśis said,

Satyabrataḿ Satyaparaḿ trisatyaḿ
Satyasya yoniḿ nihitaḿ ca satye
Satyasya satyamamrta satyanetraḿ
Satyátmakaḿ tvaḿ sharańaḿ prapannáh.

This Satya-Svarúpa Supreme Entity or that composure of bliss – what are Its characteristics?

Brhacca taddivyamacintyarúpaḿ súkśmácca tat súkśmataraḿ vibháti
Dúrát sudúre tadihántike ca pashyátsvihaeva nihitaḿ guháyám.

“Brhacca taddivyamacintyarúpam”. He is very big, very very big, very very very big and so big that your ocular capacity can not come in contact with Him. Your ocular capacity is limited. From a particular wavelength to another particular wavelength is its scope. But He is bigger, far bigger than the scope of your ocular region. And not only does it not come within the scope of your ocularity but it is “acintyarúpam”, that is, It does not come within the pulsations of your microcosm. That is, neither is It within the perception of your organs nor is It within the scope of mental conception. And Its divine effulgence can not be measured by your mind or your organs. “Súkśmácca tat súkśmataraḿ vibháti”, that is, not only is It very very great but It is very very small, very minute, so little that organs can not see It, perceive It, or touch It. It is small but still It is effulgence. I have already told you something about deva-yoni. It is small but It is effulgence.

“Dúrát sudúre tadihántike ca”. Dúra means long distance and sudúra means very very long distance. Sometimes you may think that your sound and your expressions may not but audible or visible to Him. If you think like this then all your efforts, all your acoustic expressions or all sorts of mental endeavour will be of no avail. Because when you think that He is at a long distance, He is not at a long distance but He is at a longer distance. If you think that He is not near you, He is at a long distance, then actually He is at a longer distance. If you think that He is near, then He is not only near, He is more near. He is much closer than you can ever imagine.

Those who have developed their inner vision will realize that Parama Puruśa is within one’s self. When He is within you own “I” feeling, why then do you wander or roam here and there to know Him, to find Him, like a King who has all the riches with him but goes out begging from door to door?

Seek Him within with earnest zeal, with sincerity and love. Then that glittering Entity will emerge within your heart with Its Supreme Effulgence.

Chapter 13	Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 2

In the Vedas it is said that He should be accepted as the only object of ideation and the Tantras also say like this. In Tantra it has been said:

Tadekaḿ Japámah Tadekaḿ Smarámah
Tadekaḿ Jagatsákśiirupaḿ Namámah
Tadekaḿ Nidhánaḿ Nirálambamiishaḿ
Bhavámbodhipotaḿ Sharańaḿ Vrajámah.

“Tadekaḿ japámah.” That is, when one is to do japakriyá only that entity should be the object of japakriyá. What is japa? It is internal or extro-internal or auto-suggestion. As a result of internal suggestion or extro-internal suggestion or auto-suggestion, what does happen? Not only the intro-external movement of propensities is withdrawn and goaded towards that singular Entity but also the very ectoplasmic structure of the mind gets still more powdered down and becomes one with the cognitive faculty.

“Tadekaḿ smarámah”. What is smrti? “Anubhútivisayásampramośah smrtih”. While you conceive something or feel something with the help of your sensory organs, what does happen? The ectoplasmic structure of your mind takes the shape of that external object. Now when you by your interial force recreate that thing after some time within your mind without the help of any external object then this process of re-creation is known as “smrti”. Suppose you saw a particular bull or a particular animal ten years ago. Now you created it again – that is, you recreate it within your mind, then the process is known as “smrti” – memory.

“Asampramośa” means recreating of already perceived things. Now what does happen? According to your favourite propensities you unknowingly or knowingly create many external objects that satisfy your thirst regarding that particular propensity. Suppose you are fond of taking rasagolla. Now you could create rasagolla in your mind. But knowingly or unknowingly rasagolla is often created within your mind and during sádhaná rasagolla automatically comes in your mind and your sádhaná is disturbed. Suppose you are thinking that you will take bribe from that man. While doing sádhaná, what are you doing? “Bribe – bribe – bribe – bribe.” Just see, your propensive propulsions are channelized towards bribe which disturb the “smrti” which you want to develop. Because of coolness of the mind during your sádhaná those undesirable elements create a crowd in your mind.

“Tadekaḿ smarámah”. Here it has been said that if you are to create any object in your mind, then that Cosmic Entity alone should be created in your mind and no other object.

“Tadekaḿ nidhánaḿ nirálambamiishaḿ”. Wherever there is existence there is movement and there must be a goal; some terminating point. In this universe every thing is moving. You are also moving physically, mentally and spiritually. So here it is said that when you are moving, you must have some goal, must have a terminus, for all your trifarious movements. And here it is said that He is the culminating point. He is the terminating point. He is the Supreme Desideratum.

“Álamba” means “physical container” – a fundament. But mental objective is also álamba. In case of mental álamba there is a special word in Saḿskrta – “ábhoga”. No entity, physical, psychic or spiritual, can maintain its existence without a fundament – a container – or without a pabulum. But in this case He requires no álamba – no ábhoga. That is why He is Nirálamba – beyond container. He is the goal – the desideratum, and He requires no pabulum.

“Bhavámbodhipotaḿ sharańaḿ vrajámah.” He is just like a big ship plying across a mighty ocean of bhava. What is bhava? That wee-bit portion of reactive momenta which is the cause of rebirth. Bhava is just like a dangerous ocean and that mighty ocean is insurmountable. So to surmount it you require a good, big and strong ship. “O Parama Puruśa, You are that ship and we are moving towards that ship to take its shelter in order to cross this ocean of bhava.” And there is no other way.

Chapter 14	Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 2

Agniryathaeko bhuvanaḿ praviśt́o
Rúpaḿ rúpaḿ pratirúpo babhúva
Ekastathá sarvabhútántarátmá
Rúpaḿ rúpaḿ pratirúpo bahishcá.

Fundamentally, energy is “one”, but it has got several expressions. The so-called energies are interchangeable. Electrical energy may be converted into magnetic energy, magnetic energy into sound and sound into light. In common (laokika) Saḿskrta the term for light is “agni” and in older Saḿskrta the term is “indra”. In this universe Parama Puruśa started His creation and the creation stemmed out of the acoustic root “a”.

Energy was also created. Here energy does not mean the Operative Principle. The Operative Principle is a binding faculty only and the style of functioning of the binding faculty is called “svabháva” – “nature” in English. Some people who do not have sufficient knowledge – deep knowledge of science – may say that it is all natural. But the fact is that nature is simply the style of the Operative Principle, not an independent entity. When the Operative Principle works according to a particular style, that is, as per nature, the stamina that each and every phase gets is from energy. The acoustic root of energy is “ra”. This shows that energy is also a sort of creation – it is also created by the Cosmic Cognitive Faculty.

Now, that day I told you that whatever there is in the universe is supported by three fundamental sounds. Every thing comes from the Cosmic bliss, that is, the composure of bliss. In this composure, the balance amongst the sentient, the mutative and the static principle is maintained. When that balance gets upset the flow comes out from one of the vertices of the triangle of the forces. So certainly that force which comes out from one of the vertices is coming out from the sentient principle; that is coming out from the phase of the composure of bliss. So everything starts with the sound “sa” and after starting its journey from the vertex, it has to move forward and for moving forward it requires energy. It must be supported by energy. So first coming out from the sentient principle “sa” and it moves ahead with energy that is, “ra” the acoustic root of energy. And as soon as it starts movement, it acquires certain wonts, certain characteristics. The acoustic root for wonts for characteristics is “va”. So “sa-ra-va” or “sarva”. Everything in this universe is known as “sarva”. Therefore everything in this universe is known as sarva in Saḿskrta. “Sarva ucyate”. Because of the presence of sarva in every entity, every entity is also known as sarva.

From this sarva, the Hindi term “sab” and the Maithili term “sabh” have come but the root is “sarva”. Everything in this universe must have the support of “agni”, that is, energy or “ra”.

Agniryathaeko bhubanaḿ praviśt́o
Rúpaḿ rúpaḿ pratirúpo babhúva

“Bhu” means “bhuvana”. And bhuvana means an expression which comes out with the help of those quinquelemental factors. That “bhu” is the recognized name of the universe in Saḿskrit. Bhú, bhúmi, dharitrii, sarvaḿsahá, prithivii, medinii, mahii, vasumatii, and prthivii. These are the recognized names of earth in Saḿskrta. The energy remains and maintains the structural solidarity of each and every entity of this universe by taking the form of its container according to the structural solidarity of the different entities. The same energy is operating through this ceiling fan or through the bulb or other expression but do we ever see or feel it? No body can ever see any energy and no body can directly feel the presence of any energy but every body feels the presence of energy through its operation. Because of this function of the fan, we come to know that there is energy behind it. We get the light from the bulb but we never see the energy. Energy is never seen or perceived but its effects are seen, perceived or felt.

We see the effect of energy functioning through different media but energy itself remains unseen.

Ekastathá sarvabhútántarátmá
Rúpaḿ rúpaḿ pratirúpo bahishca.

Similarly the same Cognitive Principle – that cognition, is also just like energy. There is vital energy in your body, that is why you can speak, you can move or you can think. When there shall be no expressions from your corporal structure, others will say that the man is dead and gone. Similarly the same Cognitive Faculty functioning through different entities of this universe works as the subjective counterpart of their existences. And because of this subjective expression of the Cognitive Faculty, people can perceive and conceive its existence. The existence of God is conceived but can not be perceived and can not be expressed. We see only its expressions. Similarly, we see and feel the expressions of the Cognitive Faculty. Átmá is not seen or perceived or conceived personally or collectively.

This Cognitive Faculty is present not only in each and every figure but without a container also. It is not only all-pervading but it is also all-covering. That is why it is also all-covering. That is why it is known as Viśńu.

Chapter 15	Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 2

Jágrat-svapna-suśuptyádi caetanyaḿ yad prakáshate,
Tad brahmáhamiti jiṋátvá sarva bandhae pramucyate.

Now, the human mind has got four stages. “Jágrata” means when the conscious mind is vigilant. You are all in jágrata state. “Svapna”: where conscious mind is non-vigilant, but subconscious mind is vigilant and witnesses something, it is svapna or dream. Then “Suśupti”, where both conscious and subconscious minds remain in dormant stage, and fourth one is “turiiya”, where conscious, subconscious and unconscious – all the three strata of mind – remain inactive and take shelter in the cognitive existence.

What is jágrat? What is jiivátmá? Jiivátmá is the reflection of the Paramátmá on the unit mental plate. It is where actually Paramátmá is the Átmá. And Jiivátmá is the reflected Átmá. And that is why it is often said that:

Darpańábhávah ábhásahánao, mukhaḿ vidyate kalpanáhiinamekam.
Tatha dhiiviyoge nirábhásako, yah sah nityopalabdhi svarúpo’yamátma.

Suppose there is one face, or there is one flower – a red flower. And there are so many mirrors or looking-glasses. Well, that one flower or one face, after being reflected, becomes so many flowers or faces, and according to the nature or structural purity of the mirror, the reflection will be there. All the reflections won’t be the same. It depends on the nature of the mirror. One face becomes so many faces. Similarly the Supreme Entity, the Cognitive Faculty is, or say, the Causal Matrix is, the same one there are so many reflections on so many mental mirrors.

For each and every entity, for each and every living being there is mind – somewhere undeveloped, somewhere developed, somewhere super-developed. But mind is there wherever there is life, and reflection is there. So wherever there is mind, there is jiivátmá also. This reflected Átmá is jiivátmá, and the original Átmá, the original thing that has been reflected is called Pratyagátma. Reflected portion is called jiivátmá and the original entity whose reflections they are is called Pratyagátma. Now Pratyagatmá is the Paramátmá. Jiivátmá is not the Paramátmá, it is simply a reflection.

Mukhaḿ vidyate kalpanáhiinamekam.

Now, when the mirrors are taken away the original face remains as it was, without any reflection. Similarly when the minds are taken away, all the minds are taken away, that Supreme Pratyagátmá remains as a Singular Entity, and no jiivátmá.

Dhiiviyogena nirábhásako yah

That is, it remains unreflected, and

Sa nityopalabdih svarúpo’yamátmá

He is the object of worship, object of adoration, object of everything. And He is the Supreme Cognitive Faculty.

Just now I have told you about the four stages of mind: jágrata, svapna, suśupti and turiiya. Now, in turiiya stage what does happen? The conscious is suspended due to strong concentration, due to the pinnacled form of psychic activity. That is, the conscious gets pointed and merges with the subconscious, and again, the subconscious gets pointed and merges with the unconscious. And that unconscious, functioning without the help of nerve fibres or nerve cells, remains with the Cosmic Entity, the Cognitive Faculty, and by dhyána brings that [un]conscious entity to merge with the Cognitive Faculty. There remains no mind, no functioning mind. That is, all the three stages of mind get suspended in the Cognitive Faculty. And that stage is called turiiya, or kevala.

Kevala means “all” only one entity remains, that is, Paramatma remains. That is why it is called kevalá siddhi.

Jágrata-svapna-suśuptyádi caetanyaḿ yad prakáshate.

Here “jágrata”, “svapna”, “suśupti” – these are the expressed forms of mind, and “turiiya” is the final withdrawal of mind. These four forms comes from whom? They come from the Macrocosmic Entity, the Supreme Entity, because they are the reflection of the Supreme Entity.

“Caetanyaḿ yad prakáshate”. That Supra-psychic Entity, that Supreme Cognition is the cause of these three expressions of mind. “Tad Brahmáhamiti jiṋátvá”.

That Supreme Consciousness whose reflections are jágrata, svapna and suśupti is the pure “I”, is your actual “I”. The mind associated with these figures, that mind, or that reflected Átmá, is not your actual “I”. Your actual “I” is that Supreme Entity whose reflections these Átmans are. That is your actual “I”. And while you are closely associated with the pains and pleasures concerning these bodies you won’t feel the pleasure of being the Supreme “I”. And when you will be able to dissociate yourself from the pains and pleasures in connection with these small “I”-s, then it will be the final stage of your spiritual practice. It is the Supreme stance. It is the samádhi – nirvikalpa samádhi.

Tad brahmáhamiti jiṋátvá sarvabandhaeh pramucyate.

And when the spiritual aspirant will realize that the Supreme Entity is his actual “I”, then he will find himself freed from all fetters of the world.

Chapter 16	Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 2

Just like práńáyáma, pratyáhára yoga is not complete in itself. Práńáyáma, you know, is a practice to control the movement of the vital energy of a particular body: Práńán yamayatyeśah práńáyámah [“The process of controlling the váyus, or energy flows in the body, is known as práńáyáma”]. It is the process by which the movement of vital energy is controlled by a spiritual aspirant. But práńáyáma should always be associated with bindu dhyána, that is, meditation on a particular point. If práńáyáma is not associated with bindu dhyána, it will affect self-restraint. Práńáyáma will make the mind restless. Similarly, pratyáhára yoga – here the actual English term is “withdrawal” – should always be associated with dhárańá.

The difference between dhyána [meditation] and dhárańá [concentration] is that dhyána is something stationary; that is, the object is a stationary one in the case of dhyána. In the case of dhárańá, the mind moves along with the object; that is, there is a dynamic force behind dhárańá. And dhyána, although sentient, has no movement in it. In the sphere of – rather, in the arena of – spiritual practice, pratyáhára has very much importance, because in the primordial phase of sádhaná, one will have to withdraw one’s mind from the physicalities of the universe.

Now in pratyáhára yoga, what are you to do after withdrawing all your propensities from the objective world, from the physicalities of the world? To where are these mental propensities to be directed? If the mental propensities are withdrawn, but are not guided to some other point, what will happen? Those withdrawn mental propensities will create internal disturbance in your mind, will create disturbance in your subconscious and unconscious strata. It is dangerous. Sometimes it so happened in the past, and may happen in the future, that if a spiritual aspirant, without the guidance of a strong guru, tried or tries to practise pratyáhára only from reading books, there would be some danger. So whenever you are withdrawing your mental propensities from different objects, you are to guide those collected propensities into some moving object, moving within the realm of your mind.

And what is that moving object? That moving object is your citta – your objectivated “I” feeling. The citta is moving. The citta is something moving. So these withdrawn propensities are to move towards the citta and not towards external objects. They stop moving towards external objects, but they start moving towards the internal citta. That is the thing.

If the propensities are withdrawn, but not goaded towards the citta, then there will be a dangerous reaction. I think you have understood. That is why it has been said, Yacched váun manasi prájiṋah – “What are intelligent spiritual aspirants to do? They are to goad their mental propensities to the citta.” Here the word váun represents the external movement of the propensities. Then manasi + prájiṋah – that is, “those withdrawn propensities are to move towards the citta.” Prájiṋah váun manasi yacchet.

Tad yacched jiṋána átmani. The citta, after consuming those withdrawn propensities, also moves. It moves within the mind, not toward any external object – not toward an external elephant, but toward the elephant created within your mind. Tad yacched jiṋána átmani – “and the citta, along with the withdrawn propensities, is to be guided towards the ahaḿtattva, the doer ‘I’, the owner ‘I’ – the ‘I do’ feeling that is subject to the ‘I’ having a direct objectivity.”⁽¹⁾ Here this doer “I”, although not in movement, still has the full potentiality of movement. It can move. It may move. It can partly transform itself into the done “I”. So it has the potentiality. So that citta, that is, the done “I”, is to be directed towards the doer “I”, the ahaḿtattva. Not the feeling “I exist,” but the feeling that the “I” that exists is now able to do something. This is the ahaḿtattva.

Jiṋánamátmani mahati niyacchet. Now this jiṋána átmá, or aham, has also got potentiality, so the mutative principle is very prominent in it. That doer or mutative principle is also a binding fetter, a tethering agency. So “one will have to withdraw this jiṋána átmá, this ahaḿtattva, into the mahattattva” – jiṋánamátmani mahati niyacchet. Mahati means “within the mahattattva”. And what is the mahattattva? The mahattattva is the feeling “I exist.”

Now in this pure “I” feeling there is hardly any movement, because it is a creation of the sentient principle. But you know, although the sentient principle cannot give any specific figure, any boundary line, still it is a sort of bondage, and because there is bondage there is fight within and without. You are doing something. Is there no fight, is there no movement? Although there is no figure, there is fight, there is movement.

So jiṋánamátmani mahati. [The mahattattva] is almost free from bondage, but there is still bondage. Suppose a very good man is harshly rebuking an immoral person for having insulted him. Is that unfair? No, no, it is not unfair. It is called sentient anger. Anger is static; but sometimes it may be sáttvika, it may be sentient. And that type of anger is sentient anger – sáttvika krodha in Sanskrit.

Tad yacchecchánta átmani. “Now this pure ‘I’ feeling, ‘I exist’” – where all your propensities, along with the citta, and the citta along with the ahaḿtattva, and the ahaḿtattva along with the mahattattva, form one strong unit of movement – “is also to be withdrawn and merged into that Cognitive Principle.” And that Cognitive Principle is free from all bondages. And that is the Paramágati, that is the Supreme Goal of human existence.

Footnotes

(1) The “I” having a direct objectivity (also known as the “done ‘I’”) is the citta. –Eds.

Chapter 17	Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 2

There is a story that once upon a time somebody asked Hanumána, “Hanumána, you are a devotee, you are a bhakta and you know that fundamentally there is no difference between Náráyańa and Ráma. Then why do you always take the name of Ráma and never the name of Náráyańa, when both are fundamentally the same”.

Náráyańa and Ráma are actually the same Entity; only their names are different. The word “Náráyańa” comes from Saḿskrit. It is a compound word; nára + ayanan. In Saḿskrit the word “nára” has got three meanings. One meaning of nára is “niira”, “water”, another meaning is Paramá Prakrti and the third meaning is “devotion” (bhakti). Nára + dá + d́a = Nárada, the distributor of bhakti. Here, in the case of Nárada, Nára means devotion. And nára also means both “water” and “Paramá Prakrti”, that is, the Cosmic Operative Principle. And “ayana” means ashraya. Shiváyana means the áshraya of Shiva. Rámáyana means the áshraya of Ráma: the book in which Ráma has been sheltered – Rámáyana. Ayana means áshraya. Náráyańa means the ayana of nára, the ayana of the Operative Principle, the ayana of the Paramá Prakrti. Who is the ayana, who is the shelter of Nára? Parama Puruśa is the shelter of Paramá Prakrti. So Náráyańa means Parama Puruśa – the Cosmic Consciousness, the Cognitive Faculty.

And what is the meaning of Rámá? One meaning is Ramante yoginah yasmin. That is, Rama is the only object that can be accepted by yogiis as their spirituo-psycho-pabulum, psycho-spiritual pabulum, psycho-spiritual food, psycho-spiritual source of bliss, psycho-spiritual source of happiness. Who is the psycho-spiritual source of happiness for yogiis? Parama Puruśa – the Cognitive Faculty. Hence Rámá also means Náráyańa. Another meaning of Rámá is “ráti mahiidhara Rámah”. The first letter of ráti is rá and the first letter of mahiidhara is ma. “Rati mahiidharah Ramah”: the most glittering object of the entire universe that makes others glitter. He is the most glittering entity and all other glittering entities get their glitterance from Him.

The moon gets its glitterance from the Earth. The Earth gets its glitterance from the sun. The sun gets its glitterance from Parama Puruśa. He is the Supreme Entity that makes others glitter. Who is that Supreme Glittering Entity?

Na tatra súryo bháti na candra tárakaḿ
Nemá vidyuto bhánti kuto’yamagnih,
Tameva bhántamanubháti sarvaḿ
Tasya bhásá sarvamidaḿ vibháti.

He is the Supreme Glittering Entity. “Ráti mahiidharaḿ” means that Parama Puruśa and not another entity, not a separate entity. And the third meaning of Rámá is “Rávanasya marańaḿ Rámah.” The first letter of Rávańasya is “Rá” and the first letter of marańaḿ is “ma”. Rá + ma = Rámá; that is, the Entity whose pressure kills Rávańa. And what is Rávańa? Rávańa means the evil mind, the depraved mind, that moves in all the ten directions – púrva, pashcima, uttara, dakśińa, úrddha, adhah, iishána, naerta, agni and váyu – all the ten. The entire evil force, the depraving force that moves in all the ten directions is Rávana. Rao + ana = Rávana, that is goading the mind towards hell. Now, Rávanasya marańam. Where does the death of Rávana lie? When does that ten-faced demon die? He dies when one takes the shelter of Rámá. So “Rávanasya marańam” is Ráma. The one who takes shelter in Rámá, in Parama Puruśa, in the Cognitive Faculty, can kill him, can kill that demon. “Rávańasya maranam” means that Supreme Cognitive Principle. Hence there is no difference between Ráma and Náráyańa. “Then Hanumána, why do you always take the name of Rámá and not Náráyańa?” Now you see, the reply of Hanumána was:

“Shriináthe Jánakiináthe cábhede Paramátmani,
Tathápi mama sarvasva Rámah kamalalocanah.”

That is, when you are to move towards a particular object with maximum sincerity, all your propensities should be collected, brought to a particular point. Rather, they are to be pinnacled and that pinnacled “I” feeling is to be goaded unto that Entity without any second form, without any second name, without any second colour, without any second thing. That is why Hanumána says, “Shriináthe Jánakiináthe.” The yogarúrhártha of the word “shrii” is Lakśmii, the goddess of wealth, the goddess of prosperity and its actual meaning, that is, its bhávárúrhártha, is the entity possessing the mutative faculty which is full of energy.

In Saḿskrit, every word has got two types of meanings – one meaning is bhávárúrhártha, the other meaning is yogarúrhártha. Bhávárúrhártha is the meaning as per derivation and yogarúrhártha is the meaning as per common use. Say, paiṋcánana. Paiṋcánana means “five-faced entity” – this is the bhávárúrhártha word meaning – but people use the word paiṋcánana in the sense of Shiva. This is “yogarúrhártha.” Do you follow? Nila. Nila means “wind” and niila means “blue”. Nila means “fixed”. Anila means “not fixed”, that is, moving. It is the bhávárúrhártha but the yogarúrhárta is “air”. Air is never fixed; that is why air is called anila. It is the yogarúrhártha, not the bhávárúrhártha. Bhávárúrhártha is “not fixed”.

There are three letters – “sha”, “ra” and “ii”. “Sha” is the acoustic root of the mutative principle, “ra” is the acoustic root of energy, and “ii” is the feminine term, “striyáḿ ‘ii’.” The entity that possesses the mutative faculty, is full of energy and at the same time, is a feminine term, is “shrii”. Everybody wants to be qualified with mutative principle and energy; that is why it is the old usage of the East to use the word “Shrii” before the name, prefixed in the name “Shriinátha” – Lord of Shrii – is Náráyańa and Jánakiinátha – Jánakii – means “Siitá”. Siitá is the adjective form of “sii”. “Sii” means “to culture”, to fertilize the land with the help of a tractor or plough. And its adjective, siitá, means well-cultured; that is, culture to the maximum degree of efficiency. Now where does this culture come from? Who is the Lord of this culture? Who is the source of inspiration or who is the supporter of this culture? Parama Puruśa. However, Shriinátha or Jánakiinátha means Parama Puruśa. So there remains no difference between Shriinátha and Jánakiinátha. “I know it”, says Hanumána. As, per spiritualism, as per spirituality or spiritual science there is no difference between Shriinátha and Jánakiinátha.

“Tathápi mama sarvasva Ráma kamalalocana.”

So, all the propensities of the mind should be guided unto a singular entity with a singular name only using one’s own Iśt́a mantra and not any second mantra. That is why Hanumána says, “I always use the word Ráma and never Náráyańa. I don’t know who Náráyańa is.”

So every sádhaka should know that the only mantra in the universe is his Iśt́a mantra. He knows no other mantra.

Chapter 18	Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 2

Lord Krśńa said:

Ye yathá máḿ prapadyante táḿstathaeva bhajámyaham;
Mama vartmánuvarttante manuśyáh Pártha sarvashah.

[I appear before a person according to his or her desires. His or her whole being will be filled with My being. All the jiivas of this universe are rushing towards Me, knowingly or unknowingly.]

Who is Krśńa? What is Krśńa? The word krśńa has so many meanings. One meaning of krś is “to plough the land”. And another meaning of krś is “to attract”. He who draws, He who attracts, everybody towards Him, the Nucleus of the Universe, is “Krśńa”. “Krśńa” means the Nucleus of the Universe. The third meaning of Krśńa is bhurvácak – “the Entity who lives within one’s ‘I’ feeling”. “I am, because Krśńa is – I exist because Krśńa exists.” This is the meaning. That is, if Krśńa does not exist, I also do not exist. My existence, my very existence, depends upon His existence.

You know, for each and every entity there is an acoustic root; that is, each and every entity creates a special type of vibration in this universe, and that special type of vibration is known as the acoustic root. In Sanskrit it is called a biija mantra. Now, the acoustic root of Krśńa is klrḿ (= ka + la + anusvára [aḿ]). Why is klrḿ the acoustic root of Krśńa? Ka is the acoustic root of the objective world. Parama Puruśa creates the world from His divine body, and that’s why I say each and every existence is the divine existence. Each and every boy, each and every girl, and each and every living creature is an avatára [incarnation] of the divine entity, so nobody can be hated or ignored. You are all divine children.

When Parama Puruśa creates something, in that phase as Creator, Parama Puruśa is Kárańa Brahma, because He is the cause. [Kárańa = “cause”.] He is the Causal Entity, and the created universe which He creates is Kárya Brahma, because He is the effect. [Kárya = “effect”.] Now, for Kárańa Brahma the acoustic root, the biija mantra, is oṋm, and for Kárya Brahma, the created universe, the acoustic root is ka. That is why ka is the first letter of our consonants. In the Sanskrit alphabetical order, ka is the first consonant, because ka is the acoustic root of this created world, of Kárya Brahma, the Effect Brahma, the creation.

In Sanskrit the word ka has several meanings. First, it is the first consonant. Secondly, ka means “water” – jalaḿ, niiraḿ, toyaḿ, udakaḿ, pániiyaḿ, kambalam, ka. Ka means “water”. One day I told you that the land covered with water, surrounded by water, is kaccha, or “kutch”. (Ka + chad + d́a = kaccha.) Kutch is a part of India that is [covered] with water. The third meaning of ka is the Effect Brahma, Kárya Brahma, the objectivated Brahma. The acoustic root of Krśńa is klrḿ. The first letter is ka, because He controls this expressed universe, He attracts this expressed universe, He loves this expressed universe; so the first letter of His acoustic root is ka.

And where does He stand? Does He stand on ether or water or something luminous? No, He lives with all living creatures; that is why He lives in bhútatattva, kśititattva [the solid factor]. The acoustic root of kśititattva is la. Controlling the ka and standing upon this la, that is, kśititattva, is klrḿ, that is, ka + la + anusvára [aḿ]. Krśńa is the Lord of the Universe.

Krśńa says: Ye yathá máḿ prapadyante – “Whatever we touch, whatever we see, in this universe, is of Krśńa.” According to your desires, according to your propensities, whatever you want from Him, you will get. Whatever you demand, He supplies. “Whoever worships me with whatever desires, I serve him accordingly.” If you want money from Him you may get money, but you will not get Him, because you wanted money, not Him. If you want name and fame you may get name and fame, but not Him, because you did not want Him, you wanted something from Him.

Perhaps you wanted that He should destroy your enemies. If you are on the path of dharma, that is, if your demands are justified, He will kill your enemies, but you will not get Him, because you did not want Him. If you want mukti [liberation] or mokśa [non-qualified liberation] from Him, if you are a suitable candidate then you may get it from Him, but you will not get Him, because you did not want Him. So an intelligent spiritual aspirant will say: “I want you, I do not want anybody else. And why do I want you? Not because your presence will give me pleasure, but because your presence will give me the scope to serve you, because your presence will give the chance to give you pleasure – not to give pleasure to myself.” That is why an intelligent spiritual aspirant will say: “I do not want anything from you, I want you.”

There is a story that once Rama and Lakshmana were crossing the Gauṋgá [Ganges] with Maharshi Vishvamitra and were going to Mithila. Upon reaching the other bank of the river, the boatman saw that the boat was not wood, it was gold. “Certainly that little boy Rama is not an ordinary boy,” he thought. “It is because of his touch that the wooden boat has become gold.” Then the boatman’s wife came with all the wooden furniture – whatever wooden furniture was in the house was brought. She brought everything and got the things touched, and they all turned into gold. Then the boatman said, “O my lady, you are a foolish lady, you do not know what to do. You are not at all practical. Now you see, the attributions lie with those feet. If you are intelligent, take those feet to your house and get everything converted into gold. This is the secret. There lies the secret.” So what will an intelligent spiritual aspirant say? He will say, “I do not want anything from You. Everything cometh from You, so You be mine.” And what for? Just to serve Him. Why to serve Him? Not to get pleasure but to give Him pleasure. The man who wants to give Him pleasure is called gopa in Sanskrit.

Gopáyate yah sah gopah – “He whose only duty is to give pleasure to others, is called a gopa” – and not those who rear cows. [Cowherds are popularly called gopas.]

Ye yathá máḿ prapadyante taḿstathaeva bhajámyahaḿ – “Whoever wants whatever from me, I supply him with that thing. That is my duty. It is up to you to demand according to your necessity, according to your requirement, according to your mental propensities.” Mama vartmánuvarttante manuśyáh Pártha sarvashah – “But one thing you should remember, Arjuna, is that the path, the route, chalked out by Me, is to be finally followed by everybody without any exception. It is the path of pratisaiṋcara.⁽¹⁾ One cannot avoid this path of pratisaiṋcara, and one will have to move round me with a short radius or a long radius. The radius may be short, the radius may be long, but one will have to move round me. There is no alternative.”

In the atomic structure electrons will have to move round the nucleus. Similarly, in this expressed universe, everybody will have to move round the Nucleus of the Universe. Krśńa is that Nucleus, and all living beings are just like electrons.

Footnotes

(1) In the Cosmic Cycle, the step-by-step introversion and subtilization of consciousness from the state of solid matter to the Nucleus Consciousness. (Prati means “counter” and saiṋcara means “movement”.) –Trans.

Chapter 19	Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 2

Regarding the dos and don’ts of life it has been said that:

Tyája durjana saḿsargaḿ bhaja sádhu samágamaḿ,
Kuru puńyaḿ ahorátram smara nityamanityatám.

“Tyája durjana saḿsargaḿ” – you should renounce the company of “durjana”. What is “durjana”? The man who depraves, who misguides others is called “durjana”. Now, a particular man may not be durjana for all. Suppose Mr. X is durjana for Mr. Y; he may not be durjana for Mr. Z.

You see, there are merits and demerits in almost each and every individual. Suppose Mr. X is durjana for Mr. Y. Say, he has got merit worth 20 points and demerit worth 25 points, the resultant 5 points go in favour of demerit, so he is a durjana and he is durjana for Mr. Y. Suppose Mr. Y is a good man, he has got merit worth 15 points and demerit worth 13 points. So the resultant is 2 points in favour of merit. So, he is a good man. But, in his favour the resultant merit is only 2 and in the case of Mr. X the resultant demerit is 5 points. If Mr. Y comes in contact with Mr. X, Mr. X has demerit worth 5 points, Y has merit worth 2 points, and the resultant goes in favour of demerit. Mr. Y will become bad. But, in the case of Mr. Z, suppose merit is 30 points and demerit 15 points, then the resultant is 15 points in favour of merit. Mr. X has only 5 points demerit, so if Mr. X comes in contact with Mr. Z, Mr. X will become good. So for Mr. Z, Mr. X is not durjana; rather he is in a position to uplift the condition of Mr. X. It is not something permanent; it varies from man to man. So this term durjana is a relative term. “Tyája durjana saḿsargaḿ” – you should avoid the company of a man who is durjana for you, that is, whose resultant demerit is more than your resultant merit.

“Tyája durjana saḿsargaḿ.” What should you do? To avoid the company of durjana – “bhaja sádhu samágamam” – you should encourage the company of sádhus.

Let us know who a sádhu is? Sádhu means;

Pránah yathátmanoviist́ah bhútánám api te tathá,
Átmaopamyena bhútánaḿ dayáḿ kurvanti Sádhavah.

Only using a saffron costume does not make a man a sádhu. Sádhu is the inner sádhu. You should be sádhu internally. You may or may not use any external saffron costume. In India, those who were called sádhu used all-white costume and those who were sannyásiis used an all-saffron costume. Saffron costume for sannyásiis and white costume for sádhus. The system is that sádhus will use the suffix “dása” after their names - Govardhana Dása, Yamuná Dása, Hari Dása etc. In this way sádhus are to use the suffix dása. And sannyásiis are to use the suffix ánanda after their names – Vivekánanda, Paramánanda – ánanda after their names. This is the technical difference between sádhus and sannyásiis. In Ananda Marga, they are known as sannyásiis. An avadhuta is a sannyásii. “Bhaja Sádhu Samágamam”. You should always encourage the company of sádhu people. And now you know the meaning of sádhu.

For each and every living entity one’s personal life is the dearest thing. One loves one’s personal life very much. This is the rule, this is the characteristic of all living beings. But those people who understand this sentiment of living beings and love others with the thought, “I should not kill, I should not give them any trouble because they love their life as much as I love my own life”, are true sádhus and those who lack this sentiment are not sádhus, they are asádhu. Preaching the gospels of peace, and at the same time slaughtering chickens, is not a proper thing for a sádhu because the one who kills the chickens loves his life and the chickens also love their own lives. So that man lacks the universal sentiment of love. He is not a sádhu. A sádhu must be vegetarian.

“Bhaja sádhu samágamam”. You should encourage the company of sádhus. Sádhu – the detailed meaning is, he who uplifts others in all the strata of life. That is, he who helps others in their physical, psychic and spiritual development is a sádhu. Whoever has got more points than you, more resultant points in favour of merit, is a sádhu for you. This is just like the explanation of durjana. Suppose the resultant merit in your favour is 45 points, and another man has a resultant merit of, say, 60 points. Having 60 points of merit, that man is a sádhu for you. It is a relative term. Utilize each and every moment of your life in enjoying the company of sádhus.

“Kuru puńyaḿ ahorátraḿ”. You should be engaged in doing “puńya” day and night. “Ahorátra” means 24 hours, from sunrise to sunrise. As per occidental calculation, a day is from midnight to midnight and as per oriental system, that is, the system of Asia, a day is from sunrise to sunrise. One day in India means sunrise to sunrise. One day in Europe means midnight to midnight. In Europe, the date changes just after midnight and in India, the date changes after sunrise. That is the system. Day or “ahah” means from sunrise to sunset and night or “rátri” means sunset to sunrise, that is, night portion. You should be engaged in doing puńya karma, day and night, ahorátram, from sunrise to sunrise. “Kuru Puńyaḿ”. What is puńyaḿ?

Aśt́ádashapuráńeśu Vyásasya vacanadvayam,
Paropakárah puńyáya pápáya parapiirańam.

Vyásadeva wrote so many puráńas. He said that whenever you are engaged in doing some welfare work, you are doing puńya. And when you are working against public interest you are doing pápa. Be engaged in puńya work for twenty four hours; day and night, from sunrise to sunrise. How can one do puńyam while sleeping? How can one be engaged in puńya karma? If during wakeful hours one is engaged in puńya karma, then during sleep what will it be? A composure of peace, a composure of welfare. So while sleeping one is also engaged in puńya karma. Be engaged in puńya karma for the entire day and night – from sunrise to sunrise.

In Saḿskrit, the entire literature is divided into four groups. One is kávya, the second is itikathá, the third is itihása and the fourth is puráńa. Kávya is “Vákyaḿ rasátmakaḿ.” When a story has been narrated in a lucid way it is called kávyam. Then itikathá: itikathá is a proper record of what happened; that is, that which deals with factual statements is itikathá. And itihása is that portion of factual statement that has got educative value and helps you in your upliftment. That portion of itikathá is called itihása. The English term for itikathá is “history”, in French “histoire”, but there is no English term for itihása. And the last one is puráńa. Puráńa is not a fact, not at all a factual statement, but a story. That story has got educative value. That story helps you in your physical, mental and spiritual upliftment. The Rámáyana is a purána, the Mahábhárata is itihása and the history taught in schools and colleges is itikathá. Itihása is not taught in schools and colleges nowadays. And puráńa, just now I told you, is a story, but it has educative value. Vyásadeva wrote eighteen puráńas. What was the central idea? Why did he write so many puráńas? His intention was to preach to the world that puńya means to help the people in their all-round development and pápa means to degrade the people, to misguide the people in all spheres of life. So here the word puńya has been used. You should be engaged in puńya karma, in helping others, for all the twenty four hours.

“Smara nityamanityatám”. You should always remember that you are in a world of passing shows, moving panorama. No picture, no position, no stance shall remain as they are just at present. That is, everything will change, everything is to undergo changes and you should be ready to adapt yourself, to adjust yourself with those changed phases.

Chapter 20	Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 2

Where lies the fundamental difference between Macrocosm and microcosm? It has been said that:

Tayorvirodhayam upádhi kalpito na vástavah kashcidupádhireśah,
Ishádyamáyá mahadádi kárańaḿ jiivasya káryaḿ shrńu paiṋcakośam

The fundamental difference lies in certain attributional aspects. That is, the difference is attributional. And these attributional adjectives are not of permanent nature; they are of transitory nature. That is, today they may exist, tomorrow they may not exist. “Ishádyamáya mahadádi kárańaḿ.” These attributional differences are of a temporary nature. Today they are, tomorrow they may or may not be in existence. This is the idea. It has also been said:

Páshabaddho bhavejjiivah páshamukto bhavecchivah

When they are under the fetters of “pásha” they are “jiiva” (microcosm) and when those fetters cease to exist, they are Shiva, one with Shiva.

“Na vástavah kashcidupádhireśah”. Due to the influence, due to the binding effect of the Operative Principle on the Macrocosm, what happens? We get the quinquelemental universe; we get the physical world, metaphysical world and macrocosmic manifestations. “Jiivasya káryaḿ shrńu paiṋcakośaḿ”. The jiiva microcosm, that is, attributional macrocosm, consists of the paiṋcakośátmaka body, that is, this small physical structure, this small corporeal structure, and the crude mind: kámamaya kośa, manomaya kośa, atimánas kośa and so many kośas. So, this small body and its small mind of so many stages are the creation of the reactive momenta of the microcosm, are of microcosmic creation. This is the difference. That is, one is attributionally macrocosm and another is attributionally microcosm.

Now regarding microcosm it has been said;

Yádrshii bhávaná yasya siddhirbhavati tádrshii.

According to one’s desires one gets the fruits thereof. If somebody is a voracious eater and always hankers after food then it is quite likely that after the death of his physical body he may get the body of a pig in the next life. Suppose somebody wants to be a runner like a deer then it is not impossible that he will eventually get the body of a deer after the death of this present human structure.

The world of macrocosm is a big world – we call it the universe – and the world of microcosm is this little quinquelemental physical body and this body has been created according to your reactive momenta, according to your past desires. You wanted to run like a deer; you will get the body of a deer. This is the silver line of differentiation between microcosm and Macrocosm. Now, what to do?

Etávupádhi para jiivasyastayo samyagnirásena paro na jiivah,
Rájyam narendrasya bhat́t́asya khet́akayorpaohena bhat́t́a na rájá.

If the attributional macrocosm is taken away from Parama Puruśa, that is, from Shiva, and if this attributional microcosm is taken away from the jiiva, then there will be no difference. Jiiva will become Shiva and Shiva will become jiiva. No difference. It has been said – “Etávupádhi para jiivayastya”. Now, if this attributional difference between Para – Para means Parama Puruśa – and jiiva, is taken away, what will happen? If these attributional differences are taken away, there will be neither Para nor jiiva, neither Parama Puruśa nor small jiivátmá. They will become one.

If there is a man and a kingdom is attached to him – kingdom is something attributional – we will say that that man X is a king because that attribution of kingdom has been attached to him. He is a king. We will call another man who has got big clubs in his hand, a wrestler. He will be known as a wrestler because of the attribution of those clubs. But, if we take away that attribution of the kingdom from Mr. X and that attribution of clubs from Mr. Y, X will become Y. Similarly, if Para becomes something non-attributional, and jiiva also becomes non-attributional, they will become Parama Shiva, both will become Parama Shiva. What is spiritual practice? To wipe out these attributional bondages is sádhaná. This is spiritual practice.

Chapter 21	Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 2

The Cognitive Faculty is the Supreme Subjectivity, and all other entities are His objects. Nothing remains secret or unknown or unseen for Him. You can not do anything secretly. You can not even think anything secretly. And as you know, human sadhana is a movement from electronic imperfection to nuclear perfection. So, everything in the universe, anything and everything, is just like electrons moving round Him. It may be a big elephant or it may be a small ant, there remains no difference for Him. All are His loving children.

Sama pluśina sama mashakena sama nágena samaebhistribhirlokaeh.

“Sama pluśina” – You may say this insect is a very small insect. It is plusin, that is, a white ant, an insignificant creature. “Sama mashakena” – mashaka means “mosquito”. He has the same love, the same attraction or He attaches the same importance to a mosquito also. A mosquito is a very small creature. “Sama nágena” – He has the same love, the same importance for nága also. What is the meaning of nága? There are three meanings of nága in Saḿskrta. One meaning is “python” – a big snake. Another meaning is “aerávata”, that is, mammoth in English. There are several other meanings also. Nága means pertaining to hills. “Sama ebhistribhih lokaeh” – the same importance, same attachment, same love is for the entire tribhuvana. Tribhuvana means the expressed world, the psychic world and the astral world or, you may say, Causal World.

He sees everything. He feels everything. Nothing remains unseen or unfelt. His position is just like a clandestine light. Now, when the focus is on the stage you will see so many things happening on the stage – an actor is acting, a dancer is dancing and so many things are happening on the stage and that clandestine light sees everything, all the happenings. Similarly, whatever you do, whatever you think, whatever you smell, whatever you taste, He sees, He witnesses everything and when nothing happens on the stage, that is, there is neither any actor nor any dancer nor any singer on the stage then that clandestine light also sees that vacuum. It is also witnessing the fact that nothing is happening on the stage. Similarly when you do nothing – when you are suspended in your causal body or in your samanya deha then you do nothing – even that stage of yours is witnessed by Him. Similarly, when you are not in a position to do anything or think, smell or taste, He witnesses that also. So, you are closely associated, closely related to Him and He is closely related to you. You are never helpless, never alone. You are always with Him and so you should never entertain pessimism or any inferiority complex.

Chapter 22	Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 2

Átmajiṋánamidaḿ Devi paraḿ mokśaekasádhanam;
Sukrtaermánavo bhútvá jiṋániicenmokśamápnuyát.

You know, in Tantra Shástra there are two wings – one wing of Tantra is called ágama and the other wing is known as nigama. There are two interpretations of the term Tantra, that is, two derived meanings. One meaning is “Taḿ jádyát tárayet yastu sah Tantrah parikiirttitah”.

“Tan” means “dullness”, “lethargy” and “tra” means liberator. That which liberates you from spiritual dullness, spiritual lethargy is Tantra. Another interpretation of the term Tantra is – “Tan” is a root verb, a Saḿskrta root verb, it means “to expand”. “Tra” means liberator. The root verb “trae” + suffix “d́a” = “tra”. It means liberator; “trae” means to liberate. So Tantra means the science that helps you in all-round expansion, rather that helps you in liberation by your all-round expansion. Tantra is the way to expand. A little boy’s body always expands - daily, weekly, monthly. So, the body of a man up the age of 39 is called “Tanu”. In Saḿskrta tanu means “expanding”. And after 39 the body of a man is called shariira. Shariira means, that which wanes.

There are two wings of Tantra – one is ágama and the other nigama. Á – gaḿ + al = ágama and ni – gaḿ + al = nigama.

Ágatáḿ shivavaktrebhyah gataḿ ca girijáshrutao.
Mataḿ ca vásudevasya Tasmát Ágama ucyate.

Párvatii asked Shiva this question: “What is the minimum qualification for becoming a spiritual aspirant?”

Lord Shiva’s reply was that the minimum qualification is that he should have a human body. So, you know this minimum qualifications, this chance can be awaited by each and every human being because each and every human being has a human body. Lord Shiva says:

Átmajiṋánamidaḿ devi paraḿ mokśaekasádhanam

Whenever one acquires átmajiṋánam, that is, when one knows, one gets the chance to realize what one is, then what does happen? One gets moksa. And, for this purpose, that is, to know one self the minimum qualification is “sukrtaermánavo bhútvá”. Passing through so many animal lives in the phase of pratisaiṋcara, one acquires a human body and is eligible – one has acquired the minimum qualifications.

Sukrtaermánavo bhútvá jiṋániicenmokśamápnuyát.

“Sukrtaermánavo bhútvá.” In the phase of pratisaiṋcara, passing through clashes and cohesions, one acquires the human frame, the human structure. “Sukrtaeh” means, in old language, passing through so many forms of so many animals and so many clashes and so many cohesions one gets the human form and that is when one becomes a spiritual aspirant and not before that. While one is in the body of an animal one cannot do any spiritual practice. After getting a human body, if one does not utilize that body in spiritual pursuits, one is surely a fool, because he is not utilizing his potentialities. He is not utilizing one’s potentialities.

When one becomes jiṋánii then one attains mokśa. Also, in the first portion it is said, “Átmajiṋánam” and in the last portion also it has been said “Jiṋánii cenmokśamápnuyát.”

“Átmajiṋánam is jiṋánam”. What is átmajiṋánam? What is self-knowledge? What is self-realization? You see, it is the natural wont of each and every living being to see others, not to see himself. That is, whenever one becomes a subjective entity, he takes others as objective counterpart, but never the self as objective counterpart. One’s subjectivity never merges with objectivity and that is the trouble. You want to know so many things but you never want to know yourself. Your “self” is your nearest entity but you never want to know yourself. That is the pity, that is the trouble. Átmajiṋánam means a stage of objectlessness. Seeing one’s own self within oneself and not guiding any cognitive or psychic faculty towards any objectivity. You have got so many psychic faculties. You have got so many cognitive faculties, too but you always try to goad your psychic and cognitive faculties to other objects. But, if you withdraw all your psychic and cognitive faculties and goad these faculties towards yourself and be at peace without coming in contact with any objective world that phase of your mind and spirit, that stance of [[non-]]relativity, is átmajiṋánam. It is the true jiṋánam because all other knowledges are contaminated by relativities. This jiṋánam, because of its non-dependence on any second objectivity is of absolute character and it is átmajiṋánam. For acquiring this átmajiṋánam one need not go through volumes of books. One should develop sincere urge to attain this átmajiṋánam and develop love for the Supreme. This is the sádhaná. And in this process, after self-realization, one attains salvation. This is the reply of Shiva. So this should be treated as ágama.