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.