The word “Rávańa” is made up of “Rao” + “Ana” = “Rávańa” – that which pushes one into downfall, into naraka – raorava naraka. The degraded human mind, working in ten directions, is Rávańa. Rávańa is mythological, not historical.

There are four kinds of Saḿskrta literature – kávya (a beautiful presentation of events); Puráńa (an imaginary but educative story); itikathá (a factual registration of events); and itihása (a registration of factual events with educative value). Veda Vyása wrote eighteen Puráńas – imaginary stories; some of them might even have been against philosophy, so he has begged the Lord’s pardon in a sloka.

What is the most brilliant? Because everything else takes energy from the nucleus of the cosmological order, that is the most brilliant, the most glittering. Anything, small or big, has a cyclic order. An atom has nucleus and electrons. The moon revolves around out earth, and planets revolve around the sun; the solar system revolves around the nucleus of the whole cosmological system. Hence the sun is significant in comparison with Parama Puruśa. Electricity also takes energy, directly or indirectly from the sun. The sun and other manifestations take energy from Him. He is the most glittering entity; others are His reflected light. He is the most glittering object in the Universe.

Any energy is invisible. We see the operation and action of electrical energy through lights, fans, etc. Similarly, no one has ever seen the sun – only its action. It looks round, but from a short distance it is simply like something burning. So electricity and the sun are things to feel only. The same is the case with the mind. No one can show his mind, nor can one see one’s own mind. One can only feel. Similarly, Parama Puruśa is only to be felt and realized. The mind has its expression through the body. Somebody boasts of knowledge – intellectualism. This is a type of mental expression. When you feel existence totally, you can become an altered personality. You “see” a ghost. You create a negative hallucination. When, due to fear, the total being is contracted, the mind is objectivated. Similarly, if the whole mind is filled with the feeling of Parama Puruśa, you can hardly bear – nor can you express – the bliss. You feel; you can only enjoy it!

Man can not do anything small or big. You are just like a middleman. He does everything with His energy.

There is a story in the Upaniśad. Once Indra, the leader of the devatás, approached Parama Puruśa, the source of all energies for some instruction. He spoke a word, “da.” The devatás interpreted it as “damanam kuru” (control of one’s baser propensities’). Human beings and asuras also approached Him. He spoke the same word to both of them. The human beings interpreted it as “dayám kuru” (show mercy) and the Asuras interpreted it as “Dánam kuru” (donate). Therefore there is found among the Asuras a great donor like King Maha Bali.