The subject of today’s discourse is “The Supreme Desideratum of the Microcosms.” First of all, we should know what is jiiva or microcosm. The nucleus of the universe is known as Puruśottama: the entire universe has emanated from Him. Out of the five fundamental factors life emerged slowly and gradually. Life originates from a particular environment, a particular situation in which the five fundamental factors exist in a certain proportion on a particular planet or other celestial body; and where the balance in the proportion of the five fundamental factors is lost, life is destroyed. There are many planets, where there were once living creatures but now there is no life there. On our planet Earth there was no living being in the distant past; now there is life; and in future there will be no life again.

There is an unfounded fear in the minds of some people that in the absence of living beings there will be the dissolution of the earth. No, there is no basis for such a fear. Because of the grace of Parama Puruśa there is no lack of intellect in human beings. When this world becomes unfit for human habitation, human beings will then set out for other planets and satellites. And I have also said that the universe will never undergo thermal death. Perhaps a particular planet may undergo thermal death but by then the inhabitants of that planet will have settled on other planets. Moreover, the huge amount of energy which is released due to jadasphot́a or the material bursting of one celestial body will produce new stars and planets. This is why people should under no circumstances be concerned; the Entity who is the Destructor is also the Creator, so there is no cause for worrying. Just as the Destroyer is your Father, the Preserver is also your Father and why should the offsprings be afraid of their Father? A father may be feared by others, but why should the sons and daughters be afraid of their father?

Under special circumstances, at certain places, living microcosms emerge. Animals and birds also belong to the category of living beings. Where will they go from here? It is His special desire that they should proceed towards the nucleus in the phase of introversion (Pratisaiṋcara); there is no other way for them. Those who delay, arrive late at their destination; those who do not delay, arrive earlier. For it has been said, Parama Puruśa is the Supreme Culminating Point. A place where people leave immediately because they do not like it, is called aparágati, and the place where people enjoy the supreme blessedness, where, once reaching there they do not ever want to leave, is called parágati. One who moves towards aparágati comes under the binding influence of Prakrti.

Prakrti exercises Her influence on the human mind in fourteen ways. Some of these bondages are related to the external world, and the rest are related to the internal world, to the psychic world. There are six enemies (śad́aripu): attachment (káma), anger (krodha), avarice (lobha), infatuation (moha), vanity (mada), and jealousy (mátsarya). And the bondages related to the external world are eight in number (Aśt́apásha): hatred, doubt, fear, shyness, hypocrisy, pride of lineage, pride of culture, and inflated ego:

Ghrńá shauńká bhayam lajjá jugupsá ceti paiṋcamii
Kulaḿ shiilaiṋca mánaḿca Aśt́apásháh Prakiirttitáh.

Because of these bondages, the microcosms are called jiiva. The Entity who has no such bondages is called Shiva. One who has attained that Entity is said to have attained the culminating point of existence: Páshabaddho bhavejjiivah páshamukto bhavecchivah.

Thus human beings will have to move towards that Supreme Culminating Point, towards that Parama Puruśa because He is just like a magnet: the microcosms have no alternative but to move towards Him. It is because of His impetus that they have got their physical bodies and minds. This is why even if human beings try to go far from Him under the dominating influence of the bondages of aśt́apásha and śad́aripu, still there remains some connection between them and Parama Puruśa.

Due to their mutual relation of Father and children, even though people may remain oblivious to their close relationship with Him, He can never forget anyone. You know that to forget and to remain oblivious to something are not one and the same thing. If a near and dear member of a family dies, the other members may bitterly mourn for him or her for several days, but after that they stop weeping. That does not mean that the other members of the family have become totally oblivious to their dead relation. As long as those other members are alive they can never be oblivious to him, but they may temporarily forget him. Exactly in the same way those people whom we call sinful (pápii) may temporarily forget Parama Puruśa, but they can never remain oblivious to Him.

This is the reason why no one should hate anyone however sinful or wicked that person may be. How can we hate such a person? We have no right to hate anyone because Parama Puruśa cannot and does not hate anyone. Then how can we hate? Judged in the proper perspective, every human being is our brother or sister. When anyone is lagging behind, it is your bounden duty to help him or her and take them with you. Knowingly or unknowingly all the microcosms are moving around Puruśottama, and this very movement is their allotted duty.

Sarvájiive sarvasaḿsthe brhante
Tasmin haḿso bhrámyate brahmacakre
Prthagátmánaḿ preritáraiṋca matvá
Juśt́astatastenámrtatvameti.

Each and every human being and each and every living microcosm is moving around the nucleus of creation: the difference between them is that human beings are moving consciously and the non-human creatures are moving unconsciously. Just as human beige have a certain advantage because of their independent minds they have a disadvantage also. The disadvantage is that if they do not move towards Parama Puruśa consciously, then their movement may be towards crude physicality, towards animality. And the advantage they enjoy because of their independent will is that if they so desire, they can move towards their Goal with greater momentum. To make the best use of this advantage is an act of wisdom on the part of human beings. Thus human beings, who have such developed minds, should properly utilize their mental potentialities and moving with accelerated speed, reach closer to Parama Puruśa.

Sarvájiive sarvasaḿsthe brhante: Human beings, with their respective radii, are moving around Parama Puruśa. Those who move consciously gradually reduce their radius, and those who want to remain away from Him increase their radius more and more. But it must be remembered that one is moving around Parama Puruśa and thus there is no way of escape – where is there to escape? If the radius goes on increasing and thus becomes very vast, even then it remains within Him, not without. Everything is within Him, nothing is beyond or outside Him.

Thus the entire world of living beings is moving around him with their respective ájiiva. Here ájiiva means both physical occupations as well as psychic occupations. Usually physical occupation or physical pabulum is called ájiiva and psychic pabulum is called ábhoga. Hence each and every person, with his or her physical as well as psychic pabulum is revolving around Him. All the living creatures are preoccupied with their own worlds of existence, the worlds where each and every entity moves, gathers its food and drink, an discharges its mundane duties. The living beings, moving around Him, are extremely busy with all these objects and activities. Similarly they also survive with all their mental objectivities.

People according to their respective physical and psychic pabula, are provided in their next life with the requisite physical bodies. Those who want to eat and drink beyond all proportion may be provided with pigs’ bodies; in that case, they can eat as much as they like. Those who are very angry by disposition may be provided with buffaloes’ bodies, so they can be as angry as they like. And those who long for the close proximity to Parama Puruśa, will attain a developed human frame, a sentient human body.

However, depending upon one’s physical or psychic pabulum, one moves in the world. Ájiiva means occupation or means of livelihood. Hence, one’s psychic occupation should be sentient. In the Aśt́áuṋga Márga (Eightfold Path) as enunciated by Lord Buddha, there is mention of right philosophy (samyak darshana), right means of livelihood (samyak ájiiva), right speech (samyak vák), right action (samyak karmánta), etc. So it is clear here too that one’s ájiiva or physical occupation should be sentient. People’s means of livelihood should not depend on the quarrel of individuals, as in the case of lawyers. Lawyers usually set one person against another and in this way they serve their personal interests. Similarly no one should be a trader in religion, because in the name of religion, many people are exploited. Nor should one earn one’s livelihood by dealing with dead bodies because such people want more and more people to die, so that they may thereby increase their income. People should also not earn their livelihood by lending money and taking interest. Such persons want to lend more and more money to gain more and more interest, and they do not want the borrowers to refund the capital. The scriptures stipulate that people should not accept food from such people, because their occupations are despicable.

So living beings are preoccupied with their individual occupations. Those who remain away from Him may not realize it, but those who are near can see that Parama Puruśa sees everything. Those who shut their eyes think that no one in the world is seeing them. When a hunter attacks a hare, the hare covers its eyes with its ears, and thinks that as it cannot see the hunter, so too the hunter cannot see it. But people must always remember that Parama Puruśa is ever with them, and by this they derive great benefit. The only difficulty in this is that Parama Puruśa can see everything and on certain occasions He discloses their secrets. But the benefit is that under no circumstances are they ever alone, or weak, or helpless. As Parama Puruśa is always with you, you will never be in trouble, so you should never be unnecessarily worried.

Sarvájiive sarvasaḿsthe: I told you a little while ago that human beings attain their physical bodies according to their physical and psychic pabula. One requires a physical body for the proper expression of one’s psychic desires. Suppose, if one wants to drink water through the nose, one will get an elephant’s body. As you desire, so your body will be allotted accordingly.

Wherever there is any order or system, it must be circular. Take for instance the atomic system. In an atom there is a nucleus and around the nucleus move so many electrons. If there is a slight variation in the number of electrons, the degree of attraction will also vary. Bigger than the atomic system is the global system of the earth with the moon moving around the earth. Bigger than the global system is the solar system: the sun is the nucleus and all other objects and entities are revolving around the nucleus. This action of movement will go on eternally. Each and every creature is moving and Puruśottama is the Supreme Culminating Point. You all know what Náráyańa the Lord has observed in this regard.

Náhaḿ tiśt́hámi vaekuńt́he yogináḿ hrdaye na ca
Madbhaktáh yatra gáyante tatra tiśt́hámi Nárada.

What is the meaning of Náráyańa? Nára means Prakrti, the Supreme Operative Principle, and Ayana means “shelter.” So Náráyańa means the shelter of Prakrti, i.e. Puruśottama. The meaning of Mádhava is also the same: Má means the Supreme Operative Principle, and dhava means “Lord” or “husband”. Hence Mádhava means Parama Puruśa. Náhaḿ tiśt́hámi vaekuńt́he: according to mythology, Náráyańa, that is Parama Puruśa, resides in Vaekuńt́ha or heaven. Vaekuńt́ha literally means a state where there is no psychic contraction. The human mind becomes crippled or contracted when it is assailed by a particular propensity like hatred, shyness, or any other negative propensity. So vaekuńt́ha means a place where the mind remains free from any sort of psychic concentration. Náráyańa says that such a vaekuńt́ha is also not His favourite abode.

Now the question is, if Parama Puruśa does not reside in vaekuńt́ha, then where does He reside? He says, Yogiináḿ hrdaye na ca-He does not reside in the hearts of yogiis also, because there also there is no possibility for further expansion or liberation. Hence this also is not an ideal place, a place for salvation or emancipation. At the most, one can get mukti or liberation, but certainly not mokśa or salvation, What type of place is the heart of the yogi? Yogashcittavrttinirodhah: yoga means a state of suspension of all psychic propensities. So it is, after all, a state of contraction where there is no expression of the human mind.

Then where does Náráyańa finally reside? According to Him, Madbhaktáh yatra gáyante tatra tiśt́hámi Nárada: Where my devotees sing kiirtana, there I reside. This means that Parama Puruśa as the nucleus of creation reaches the place where the devotees are singing kiirtana. Although Parama Puruśa is all-pervading, He shifts the nucleus to that particular place. This is the reason why devotees should sing bhajana (devotional songs) and kiirtana as much as possible, and the result will be that the nucleus of Puruśottama will be shifted to the place of kiirtana, producing a very powerful devotional vibration that elevates all the human minds. This is the real cosmological order: where the devotees through their intensely devotional music attract the Nucleus of the cosmological order, as they are also moving around the Nucleus.

Tasmin haḿso bhrámyate brahmacakre. And what do the rest of the people do? They think that since Parama Puruśa is so vast and so learned, whereas they themselves are foolish and illiterate – insignificant creatures. Thus they increase their radii, their distance from the nucleus. This psychology that Parama Puruśa is too vast and great for the devotees to attain Him is called mahimnabodha, that which keeps them away from Parama Puruśa. Those who consider themselves to be wicked try to go far from Parama Puruśa, thinking that if they remove themselves from Him they will in this way be spared punishment. But the point is, if someone goes some distance from Parama Puruśa, can he or she avoid punishment in this way? No. So it is better to come close to Him and draw His sympathy and love, and thus become pure and holy.

Prthagátmánaḿ preritáraḿca matvá. As long as human minds dwell on the duality that “I and my Lord are separate entities,” they keep on moving around the periphery of Parama Puruśa. Instead of this, people should think, “Parama Puruśa is my Father – He may be great and wise, but after all I am His child.” Now in the worldly sphere, if a father is learned and the son or daughter is illiterate, this does not at all undermine the sweet and loving relationship between the father and his child; rather instead of going away from Parama Puruśa, it is better to come close to Him so that the influence and wisdom of the Supreme can elevate His sons and daughters. And those who are wicked and sinful also need not be worried because they are also equally His children. Náráyańa says:

Api cet sudurácáro bhajate mámananyabhák
So’pi pápavinirmukto mucyate bhavabandhanát.

“Even if one who is more sinful than any sinner and more evil than the most wicked, meditates on Me forgetting all else, then they will also be liberated – they need not be concerned about it. I will also liberate such people from worldly bondages.” So even those diehard sinners need not go away from Puruśottama; rather they should approach near to Him. He is the Supreme Culminating Point of each and every human life.

Nivedayámi cátmánaḿ tvaḿ gatih Parameshvara:

“Oh Lord, I surrender unto Thee – You are my only refuge.”