Kaośikii has become popular within a very short span of time. It was invented on the sixth of September 1978, not even one year ago. It should be done by boys as well as girls.

Now what’s the meaning of “Mádhava”? Everybody should know the meaning of his name, and the meaning of the name of his village. One should know everything. You also should be omniscient, because you are all my guardians.

What were the names of those who took part in the dance? Mádhava, Prańava, Balarája, Kusumitá and Sulocaná.

First “Mádhava”. In the old Sanskrit language the word má had three meanings, three interpretations. One meaning of má was – what? Who will say?

[A Margi: “Mátá”.]

Mátá which means “mother”? No, that má is modern Bengali and modern Hindi. Its root was mátá. The Sanskrit word is mátr; the old Sanskrit word was mátr – M-A-T-R, mátr. Mátr means “mother”. Mátr,⁽¹⁾ mère, mátr, “mother”.

But here má is a Sanskrit word [not Bengali or Hindi]. What is the meaning? In the case of “mother”, the Sanskrit word is “mátr”. And the modern Indian word, the modern Hindi-Bengali word, is má. But here má is a Sanskrit word, an old Sanskrit word; fifteen thousand years ago that language was the people’s language.

Here, one meaning of má is “no”. That is, “Don’t go” – Má gaccha. Gaccha” means “go”, and má” means “not”. So one meaning is “no”. The second meaning is “tongue.” The third meaning is Prakrti. These are the three meanings.

And dhava – the second portion is dhava. Má – dhava. Now what is the meaning of dhava? One meaning is “husband”, in the sense of lordship, ownership. Now I’ll explain this thing. With “Mádhava” we will take some time.

In the primordial phase of human civilization, the reigning social order was – what? Matrilineal. And the system of inheritance was also matrilineal.

Nowadays, almost everywhere in the world, excepting in a few tribal groups of Africa and Asia, there is patrilineal order. To some extent in Meghalaya State, to some extent in Kerala State and to some extent in Bengal – to some extent, not fully – there is a matrilineal system or matrilineal order. But in the past, in the primary phase of civilization, everywhere there was matrilineal order, that is, “What is your name please?” “My name is such-and-such.” “What’s your mother’s name? What’s your grandmother’s name?”

This was the social system. Now the system is “What’s your father’s name? What’s your grandfather’s name?” But at that time the order was mostly matrilineal, everywhere in the world.

Afterwards the order was transmuted into patrilineal order, and now there is patrilineal order everywhere, and after marriage generally ladies use the title of the husband’s family, the surname of the husband’s family. Nowadays what’s the system? “Amita Basu”, when married to one “Ananda Chatterji”, will become “Amita Chatterji”. This is the system, I think? Almost everywhere in the world, because the social order is patrilineal.

Now when the society became patrilineal the position of ladies in the society degenerated – they became just like inanimate properties, domestic animals, etc. It was a very humiliating condition for ladies. That was the second phase of civilization. Now, at that time, the husband became the owner of the lady just like other properties of the house. This phase of human civilization was not at all glorious for ladies. This system started about twelve thousand years ago. It was the first step in the patrilineal system and the patriarchal order. In the patrilineal system the son inherits the father’s property.

Now at that time the meaning of dhava was both “husband” and “owner”, because the husband was the owner. (The other meaning of dhava was “clothes”.) In Sanskrit a widow is always called vidhavá, that is, “whose husband has died.” Dhava – “husband”, vidhav́a – “a widow”.

Now let us come back to the original [[item]], “Mádhava”. Here the meaning of má is Prakrti. What is Prakrti? The Operative Principle.

Whenever we are to do anything there must be the Operative Principle, there must be the creative power, the creative faculty. But along with the creative faculty, there must be – what? There must be the support of intellect. Energy, the blind force, cannot do anything in a systematic order unless and until it is supported by intellect.

So the root cause, the Operative Principle, is Prakrti, but Prakrti has to do as per the demand or desire of intellect. There is electricity in the cloud, but that electricity is not used by us. We cannot get any service from it. But with the help of our intellect we get service from electricity.

So here má means “Operative Principle”, Cosmic Operative Principle, and dhava is its owner. Dhava is the intellectual force behind má, behind Prakrti. So “Mádhava” means “the Cognitive Faculty”, Parama Puruśa, “the Cognitive Principle”. I think you understood what I said.

Next? “Prańava” – pra – nu + al. Nu is the root [[verb]], al is the suffix, pra is the prefix. (In “submission”, “sub” is the prefix, “mit” is the root word, “ion” is the noun-making suffix. Similarly, here, pra is the prefix, nu is the root [[verb]], and al is the noun-making suffix. Do you follow me?) Pra means in Sanskrit “in proper style”. You should remember, pra means “proper”, “in proper style”, “in a proper way”. And nu means “to goad”. And al makes it a noun, that is, “the Cosmic acoustic expression, the Cosmic acoustic faculty, that goads a man towards the Supreme Goal”, towards Parama Puruśa. That acoustic expression of this Cosmic order is called prańava.

Another name of prańava is oṋḿkára. “Expression of oṋḿkára” is called “Oṋm Prakásha”. Is there any boy named Oṋm Prakásha here?

Prańava, have you understood the meaning of your name? The sound that helps one in moving towards the Supreme Entity, Parama Puruśa, through the acoustic expression of this Cosmic order – that acoustic expression is prańava.

“Balarája” means – but ladies are being neglected – it is very bad, very bad – bala means “the supreme cosmic stamina”, the stamina that creates and breaks, and rája means “the king”, “the ruler”. That is, “the Supreme King who controls bala, the Cosmic stamina, the force that can create and that can break”, is “Balarája”.

Next? “Sulocaná”. Who is Sulocaná? You know for each and every expression, or each and every entity, each and every human mind, each and every human body, each and every material or abstract entity in this world, there are two sides, the bright side and the dark side. Suppose a man has so many qualities, but he is a miserly fellow – the dark side – he doesn’t want to spend. One dark side and so many good qualities. Now a man takes the form, takes the shape, of his object of ideation. If his goal is lofty, he will become lofty. If his goal is, say, humiliating, his nature will also be like that. “Sulocana” means the man who sees only the bright side of everything, only good qualities, only the good side, and not the bad side, [[who never supports any sort of destructive criticism, always constructive criticism,]] who always sees the good side of everything. This is “Sulocana” in the masculine; and in the feminine it will be “Sulocaná”. One a is to be suffixed to the word.

You should learn Sanskrit.

“Kusumitá”. Kusuma means “charming expression.” Some expressions are charming, some expressions are not charming. Not all the expressions of this world are charming, some are not charming, some are attractive, some are repulsive. Kusuma means “charming expression”, and the abstract noun for it is kusumitá. And had it been kusumiká, its meaning would have been a charming expression but of very little form, very small size, very tender size, a little charming expression. But it is kusumitá; it is the abstract noun of “charming expression”. The name is very good.

All done? [[But]] you know, I do not know Sanskrit. [laughter]

And you know, the Sanskrit language is divided into two portions, the older portion and the later portion. The older portion, that is, older than five thousand years old, is known as “Vedic”, and the later Sanskrit is known as “Sanskrit”. “Mádhava” is an older Sanskrit word, and “Kusumitá” a later Sanskrit word.

And Oṋm Prakásha, have you understood the meaning of your name? You should try to known the meaning of your own name, the meaning of the name of your town or village. You should try to increase the length of the radius of your knowledge, just increasing like this.

One night I was saying that shrama means “intellectual labour” and parishrama means “manual labour”. The person who is engaged in shrama, who by nature has got a special tendency towards shrama, is called “Sharmá”, and the abstract form is sharmańya. Sharmańya means “of intellectual labourers”. And this land of Germany is called in Sanskrit “Sharmańya Bhúmi”. Bhumi means “land”. “Sharmańya Bhúmi” means “Land of Intellectuals”. Do you follow me? That is also old Sanskrit, not modern Sanskrit. There is a very close proximity between these two words, “Sharmańya” and “Germany”. “Sharmańya” – “Germany”.

Now I’m going to learn Sanskrit from someone here. Anything else?

[A devotee asks: “I don’t understand when you say ‘abstract form’ – I don’t understand what you mean.”]

Within the scope of our perceptions, there are certain things that we can see or feel, certain inferences coming within the jurisdiction of our sensory or motor organs: hot, cold, red, yellow, round, rectangular. Coming within the scope of our sense, they are called “material”, pertaining to matter – heavy, light. But there are certain things that we feel within. “Good boy” – the boy I can see, but “good” I cannot see. “Good” we cannot touch, so it is abstract.

I can say, “You are a very naughty girl.” I’m not saying that you are a naughty girl, but if I say, “You are a naughty girl,” then that “naughty” cannot be seen. You are something material, but “naughty” is not something material. But I feel that you are a naughty girl. You never said, “Bábá, I have prepared this food for you.” So you are a naughty girl. But that “naughty”, or naughtiness, cannot be seen, cannot be touched. Do you follow me? That thing is abstract.

You see, I’m neither a teacher nor a lecturer, so I’m very poor in expression, but I try my best to make you understand. Did you understand? And why did you become naughty? Because you did not prepare any food for me. Now, because you did not prepare any food for me – that was my mental projection – because she did not produce any sandwich for me, that’s why she is a naughty girl – it was my mental projection. And that projected entity⁽²⁾ within my mind is also an abstract. Do you follow me? Did I explain properly?

Matter and abstract. Matter is in the cruder arena, in the cruder stratum, but abstract is in the ectoplasmic stratum. The subtle matter that creates your mind – the mind is created out of a subtle matter that can be perceived mentally, that can be conceived mentally, but that cannot be shown. When you are in mental agony, can you show it to anybody else? You cannot show it. Your agony will be represented by a few tear drops. And tears are something material. Then others will feel that you are in mental agony.

Now this material expression is something very crude, but behind that material expression of a few drops, there is a mental agony which is abstract. When you are in joy, tears will move like this [indicates a tear curving from the outer corner of the eye down the cheek]. In Sanskrit it is called ánandáshru. And when you are in pain, tears will move like this [indicates a tear falling straight downward] – in Sanskrit it is called shokáshru.

Now that crude matter, those tears, represent your mental agony. And above your mental agony there is your “I” feeling, your “I” who is undergoing the mental pain. Do you follow me? Behind your mind there is one “you” – “I am”, “I exist”. In each and every living being there is this feeling of “I am”. And that is your astral existence.

Material, then [[abstract]], then astral. And the hub of your astral existence, the nave of your abstract existence, is your soul, or spirit. And your soul, or your spirit, which is the nave of all your subtler existences, is moving or dancing around Parama Puruśa, knowingly or unknowingly, consciously or unconsciously. So He is Parama Puruśa, that is, the “Great Lord”. That around which your pure “I”, the nave of all your expressions and existences, is moving, is Parama Puruśa. Is it clear?

So you are not an ordinary girl. You are the glorified expression of that Parama Puruśa. Do not think that you are made of a few bones and flesh. You are something above it. Could all of you follow me?

Now the question was, what is abstract? Whenever there is any movement in the material stratum or in the abstract stratum or even in the astral stratum, the root, the rudimental Entity, is Parama Puruśa. Because your pure “I”, your nave of existence, came out of that Supreme Parama Puruśa. And that’s why His existence is called “noumenal existence” and yours is “phenomenal existence”.

“Noumenal” is a very old German word. It means “the final cause”, “the original cause” – “noumenal”. Parama Puruśa is your noumenal cause and you are His phenomenal expression.

“Phenomenon” – singular; “phenomena” – plural. “Noumenal” is an old German term; it is neither Latin nor Greek.

His existence is noumenal and your existence is phenomenal. He is the noumenal cause of the entire Universe, He is a singular entity, that Parama Puruśa. Everything comes from that Singular Entity – he is noumenal, but on the phenomenal level there are so many expressions, so many entities. He is the only Father of all phenomenal expressions. He is Parama Pitá.

Pitá – the Sanskrit root term is pitr. From pitr”, in the nominative case it becomes pitá.

You are His phenomenal expression because you have the sense of a separate identity. You always think, “I am Dr. Such-and-such, I have come from India” – like this. But He thinks, “I am.” Each and every phenomenal expression is within His Mind. So for Him there is no second entity. And that’s why I told you He cannot hate anybody. Everybody is within the scope of that Noumenal Entity. Do you follow me?

Within the scope of infinite space, and without the scope of infinite space, He is the Singular entity. So nobody is outside Him. So He is the only goal. He is the only Desideratum, and for Him you say, Bábá náma kevalam. That is, “I am taking the name of that Singular Entity.”

Kevalam – “only” the name of that Noumenal Entity because he is the only Noumenal entity and there is no second Entity. So there is no alternative but to move and dance and sing around Him, just as the earth, Saturn and Mars are moving and dancing around the sun.

This is a very sweet subject. For “matter”, the Sanskrit term is jad́a, and for “abstract” the Sanskrit term is bháva, and for “astral” the Sanskrit term is sámánya, and for “noumenal” it is múlakárańa [[or]] cakranábhi [[– two words]].

Now I hope this kiirtana, Bábá náma kevalam, will give you still more pleasure.

Footnotes

(1) A word here was not clear on the tape. –Eds.

(2) [[Earlier in the discourse, the author had used the term “abstract entity”. He had not said exactly “abstract form” (as the questioner to whom he is replying had quoted him). –Eds.]]