173. Bhagavad Gita | Chapter 15, Verses 1-4 (Contd.) | Swami Sarvapriyananda

I think we skipped one or two classes in between, two classes, yes, it's a gap.

15th chapter, very profound. And the first few verses are so sublime, so beautiful.

We are on those first few verses. The upside down tree, remember of samsara. All of this,

our experience here is this upside down tree. Let's chant the first four verses and then I'll go

ahead. Do you like it? You can chant up to me.

Natchasam Pratishta Nanto Natchadir Natchasam Pratishta Ashwatthaminam Subhirurhamulam

Ashwatthaminam Subhirurhamulam Asanga Shastrina Dhridena Chitwa Asanga Shastrina Dhridena Chitwa

Tata Padam Tata Parimar Gita Bhyam Tata Padam Tata Parimar Gita Bhyam Yasmin Gataana Nevatantibhuya

Tamivachadhyam Purusham Prapati Tamivachadhyam Purusham Prapati Yatav Pravriti Prasrita Purani Yatav Pravriti Prasrita Purani

The Blessed Lord said that they speak of the immutable Ashwatthatri with its root above and branches below

whose leaves are the Vedas. He who knows it is a knower of the Vedas. Its branches nurtured by the

Gunas spread below and above. Its shoots are the sense objects and its rootlings are stretched below

producing actions in the world of men. Its form as such is not experienced here, nor its end,

nor its beginning, nor its continuity. Having severed this deep rooted Ashwatthatri with the

strong weapon of non-attachment, one should next seek that goal reaching which they do not return,

saying, I seek refuge in that primordial Purusha from which this, from whom this eternal

process has sprung. So very sublime sequence of four verses. Basically this whole of samsara

is beating. This is described as this upside down tree and it's not good news because it described

how we are stuck in so much suffering in this world and the only way out is death and even that's

not a way out because you can get to come back again and repeat congratulations. So and after

we begin to search for the ultimate questions, the point of it all. What is going on here?

Is there a point of it all? Can you hear me? Can we reach this fulfilment? Can we overcome

suffering and spirituality begins there, spirituality begins there. What is the way out? He says

with the, you should cut this tree down. The cut this tree down, it's not as awful as it sounds

because remember this very tree, what is samsara? Is Brahman the ultimate reality itself is appearing

as this? The Buddhist saying which I've often repeated but I love it so much. It is the primordial

ground of being. When you do not know it, it appears as samsara. When you know it, when you're

enlightened, that same thing appears as Nirvana. When we do not know that reality, Brahman, primordial

ground of being, Buddha, nature, whatever you call it. When we do not realise what it is,

it appears as this upside down tree of samsara. This very thing itself, here when we know it truly,

it will appear, it will appear as motion as Nirvana. But it's the same reality. And

Vedanta goes further and tells us that, amazingly, it tells us, you are that reality.

Now, how do we then become enlightened? How do we cut down this tree with an axe, of course.

And the axe is the axe of asangashastra, the axe called detachment, non-attachment, the axe called

non-attachment. Today, I will spend time with just this axe. I have an axe to grind today.

Yes, this much. Because it's so profound. It's a lot is packed into this. This

of Vedanta philosophy is packed into it. The beginning of spirituality, the way and the end of it all.

So, we will delve into what this axe is and how to handle it.

First and foremost, of course, the meaning of asangashastra here, the axe of non-attachment,

what is meant, the first meaning and the primary meaning is detachment, is renunciation, is

dispassion. Swami Vivekananda has made it clear again and again that

his exact words. It is renunciation, which is the turning point in all the yogas. In all the

spiritual paths, it is renunciation. Karma Yoga, seeking God through action, through service,

through worship, worship as service. That becomes a spiritual path only when there is renunciation,

renunciation of what, what renunciation is necessary to start karma yoga, selfishness.

Each of these yogas to start to even to begin to become really spiritual requires a great renunciation.

Imagine renouncing selfishness. It is that the root of our samsaric life.

So, till now all my actions were prompted by i.e. mine. That is the insidious level.

And if one is not careful about it, it will persist in spiritual life also. It will continue.

Then spirituality will be something to serve my purposes. No, it is to free me of this selfishness

of i.e. mine. From the small self to the big self. That is fine. Small self selfish. Why? Because

it is this one, separate from everybody else. Then selfish. But when it is the big self,

it is not selfish anymore because it is all. The eye has all become. The all is i and peace.

Swami Vivekananda's words. Enlightenment, the eye has all become. The all is i and peace.

So, that is the renunciation of the karma yogi. When the renunciation of the bhakti yogi,

the path of devotion, Swami Vivekananda's language and paraphrasing, to give up, to renounce a thousand,

a thousand desires flowing out into the world. I want, I want, I want. What do you want? The world.

In its thousand different ways, to renounce all of it, to shove it aside. The renunciation of the

bhakti yogi is to give up a thousand different desires which are flowing out to the world and

replace it with one Almighty love of God. Imagine all that wanting, I want, I want, I want,

I want, all of that scattered in a thousand different ways. If you give all that up, how much

wanting it will become? When one begins to understand the intense bhakti of a chaitanya, of a Rama

Krishna, of a Mira, what a great love it is because all other loves have been swept away. It's the same

power. All a thousand desires are renounced for one Almighty love of God. That is the renunciation of

the bhakti yogi. The two cannot go together. Hindi saying, Jaha, Rama, Maha, Kama, Naha,

Kama, Maha, Ram, Naha. Ram, God, Kama is desire. So, when there is desire, there is no God.

When there is God, there is no desire. Desire means wanting the world, things in the world.

The Bible, you cannot worship God and Maman together. You can't worship. One might think,

why not? I can be rich and I also be very spiritual. In such cases, there are people who have

rich and very spiritual. In that case, they don't have attachment to their wealth. Notice if you

seek very closely, if such people are there, I have seen. Very well to do, but extremely devoted,

but their heart is given to God, not to the wealth around them. So, renunciation of desire

into one Almighty love of God. What about the renunciation of the meditator, the Rajayogi,

even more difficult, the Rajayogi renounces all experience. Eyes want to see, the Rajayogi says,

no, I will not see. The ears want to hear, the Rajayogi says, no, I will not hear. All sensory

experiences, all worldly experiences, they must be sacrificed for serious meditation. Otherwise,

what will happen is, sit quietly with eyes closed, but thinking about the world. Krishna has said

earlier, that is called a hypocrite. If my sense organs are closed, but the mind is dwelling on

the world, then what's the use? So, the mind will not dwell on the world when there's a firm

sunkel, a firm determination in the mind. It's driven into the mind and not interested.

There is something that I'm interested in, and that's the sublime form of God in which I'm

worshipping God, the deity, the form in which I love God. So, I'll meditate on that, or on the

impersonal light which is our real nature. So, there's the renunciation of the Rajayogi, the

meditator. Then there is the renunciation of the Gyanayogi, who from the very beginning has to say,

the entire world of experience, everything is false. It's an appearance, and the ground alone is the

reality that existence consciousness plays. So, this is the primary meaning of the acts of

non-attachment. It has to be applied. Otherwise, what will happen is, even our spirituality will become

worldly. Why are you meditating? And then it will become, I'm meditating for stress management

for nothing wrong in that, but it's still worldly. It's for a little better life in the world.

I'm very burnt out. I'm very stressed out in the world. Meditation helps me to declutter, to

become, or I'm using meditation to focus on my work or whatever it is. I remember, I was asked to

give a talk to workers on a, in a factory once in a company in India, and the human resource manager,

after the talk was over spirituality and all that stuff, and the talk from the human resource manager

came in. He didn't hear any of the talk. He came in at the, he was too busy, of course, he's a

child manager. He came in and he said, now that you've heard Swamiji, I'm sure we'll all be able to

meet our targets in it. So, all your bhakti and meditation is all in pursuit of meeting your,

it's already good to meet your targets or may not meet your targets, but no, no, no, that's not

the point. That's still worldly. Then my work will become, work in service of others will become

a pursuit of, maybe I'm a, my real name is a social reform or I'm an activist or I want some

recognition about for me, for my work, that becomes the pursuit. If there is no renunciation,

if you have not applied the acts of non-attachment, that before starting karma yoga, if I've not applied

the acts of non-attachment before starting bhakti, then it becomes the bhakti, the devotion,

which is very common in the world, which is devotion to God for my life. I want to improve my life,

I want to cure sickness, I want to have, I want to be rich, I want to, this is a new term, the

gospel of prosperity, the prosperity gospel. So, the church and the Bible and Jesus are all used for

that you'll be rich if you are devout. It's the same problem in every religion.

It's not a problem as such, but if you want enlightenment, then it's the problem because it's

worldly, it grounds you in the world. It's otherwise it's not a problem. You're using God, you're

leading a devout life, your life will be a little better if you have God in your life than not,

but that's not what we are, that's not the bhakti we are talking about. Sri Ramakrishna would

often talk about Naradeya Bhakti, the bhakti of Narada. So, and he would say in this age, bhakti

often through the gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, you will find Sri Ramakrishna has emphasized bhakti

again and again and again, but every time he qualifies it, Naradeya Bhakti, not the bhakti of asking

for this and that from God. That's the most common kind of bhakti, but for God realization,

what bhakti is necessary? The bhakti of asking for God only, not for things in the world.

So, the bhakti, the love of God, for the sake of God realization, for the sake of,

you know, for love for the sake of love, love of God in that sense. Then it acts, that's the

acts of detachment. There in the path of bhakti, you don't feel it so much because

you are satisfied because there's already love, there's a great love already. So, that will

fills your heart. Other yogas, it might be painful to cut off all those desires.

And in the path of Gyanayoga, if I don't apply the acts of detachment, of non-attachment,

it will become a philosophical exercise, intellectual exercise, intellectual hair splitting,

or intellectual gymnastics. I enjoy scholarship, I enjoy reading so many books and arguing and

finding out newer and newer ideas. That's a kind of enjoyment. It's a kind of enjoyment,

but that's not a goal of Vedanta, goal of Gyanayoga. So, in every yoga, we must apply the acts of

non-attachment. Remember, by applying the acts of non-attachment, you're not losing anything.

You're just cutting away at the root of illusion. We're not destroying the world, don't worry.

We're only understanding what it is truly, what it always was, what we didn't see it.

Not seeing it, it became the upside down tree of samsara. When you see it, it's Brahman.

Even more deeply, it is you. Then it's alright. Then it'll be as Vedanta says,

the eye has all become and all is eye and peace.

Alright, so this is the preliminary meaning of asanga-sastra, the acts of non-attachment,

deeper meaning. I'll make three points here. Three points about what? The philosophy of asanga,

the non-duality, the non-dual philosophy of asanga, asanga here means non-attachment.

Non-attachment is, it's not a deep enough word. The word Sanskrit word asanga has very deep

connotations, as we will see, in Advaitha philosophy. So three points. The first insight,

the first pass at it is, remember, keeping the renunciation in the background. That is already

assumed. Then only these things will take effect. They'll take hold. They say in Hindi,

in the Sadas, in Uttarakhand. Bheltane maapmaji, the instructions are there, but they are not fitting,

well, you know, when one thing comes in the groove, fits into the click in the groove.

You're trying to put on the belt in the car and you're trying to put it in. Then you hear the click,

it's fit. So the instructions will fit only when that detachment is there. The non-attachment is

there. That wairagya, dispassion, the great renunciation is Vivekanthakal, it deaths there. Dental fit.

The first pass at it is a technical term called Upadhi. In English often it's translated,

confusing it further as limiting adjunct, limiting adjunct. And the classic example given is a

piece of crystal, which is clear in itself. No color. It's transparent. It's clear. You can see

through to the other side. Now if you bring it to the crystal in front of a say yellow flower,

from that side, what will you, what will it look like? Yellow. You bring it in front of the green leaf

on that side, what will it look like? Green. So the yellow, or you bring it in front of the of the

flame and that side it will look like a flame. It's not yellow, the crystal is not yellow,

it's not green, it's not a flame, it's not a flame. But in the presence of the yellow flower,

as if the yellow color of the flower is transferred into the crystal, as if, not really, as if.

And when the green leaf is behind it, it's as if the green color of the leaf is transferred

into the crystal. I hope you are following the example. If I had a crystal, I could have shown

you here. Or in a flame, you will find the, as if the flickering and the light of the flame

is transferred into the crystal. But at no point in the crystal is, is it yellow or green or

a flickering flame? It was not there earlier, it's not there now, it will not be there later.

Even now, when it is appearing, it's not there. What's happening? It's appearing.

That which is proximal as it were appears in the crystal. In Sanskrit, Suyan, Gunan,

Arate, which seems to transfer its attributes into the crystal. That one, that one which

transfers, apparently transfers its attributes into the crystal. That one is called Upadi.

Sanskrit word, Upadi. Remember, this is a technical use in Vedanta. It has a different meaning in

the Nyaya philosophy. It's a different meaning in the different, in Sanskrit language as such.

It has a different meaning in many other Indian languages. Somebody told me in Marathi,

it means an obstruction. Upadi means an obstruction or some problem to be overcome.

Upadi? Abstruction. Yes. In Bengali and Hindi, it will mean a title, a qualification.

So, people, right? M-A-B-A and all of that. And at one time, now everybody is M-A or B-A.

I heard of someone neighbor when I was growing up. I didn't see it when I heard it from my parents.

So, very proudly this gentleman had written such and such person and B-A within small letters in the

brackets failed. Just that he had appeared for the examination and he had taken the examination.

That was a great qualification. It's called an Upadi, whether you pass or fail. It's an Upadi.

Whatever the qualification is. But here in Vedanta, the meaning is something which does not

exist in the crystal, but it is as if transferred into the crystal. And it is experienced as such.

The crystal appears to be yellow. The crystal appears to be green. The crystal appears to be like a

flickering light also. Why am I saying this? Now think of yourself. Not think. Apply the Vedanta

reasoning. I am conscious and whatever I am conscious of is the attribute transferred by the Upadi

into me, apparently transferred. So imagine yourself. In fact, one of the later Advaita

writers, Lakshmi Dhara Kavi, he writes in the Advaita Makaranda, the final verses,

very because he's a poet. He's a very involved poetic metaphor that imagine a vast mountain

of crystal. Absolutely clear. And it's the evening sky. And imagine all the colors in the sky

and how the clouds are being lit up by various colors and the colors are changing also. All of that

you will see in the vast crystal mountain. But there's nothing in the vast crystal mountain except

crystal. Similarly, imagine yourself, the poet says, to be visualized yourself, to be this vast

crystal mountain of consciousness. You don't have to visualize it or imagine it. It's not a

thought experiment. See that you are consciousness. Are you not conscious right now? Yes. And this

teaching about the Upadi tells you that whatever appears in you, whatever appears in you, whatever

we are experiencing, whatever we are experiencing is like that yellow color in the crystal,

is like that green color in the crystal, is like that flickering flame in the crystal.

Here it is because of the proximity of the yellow flower or the leaf or the flame. But in you,

the consciousness, there is no flame or flower or anything. It's because of the power of Maya that

it appears in that way. What appears? You yourself appear in that way. So,

what are the Upadi's which appear? The body appears in you. And immediately, when we do not know

this concept of the Upadi, we will think, I, the consciousness which I am, obviously I am conscious.

Who denies it? But immediately I think I am a conscious body. Just as one might think it's a yellow

crystal or a green crystal or a crystal lit up by a flickering flame. Similarly, I think I am a conscious

body. What is like the crystal? Consciousness. What is the body? Like that yellow color.

I think I am a conscious body. No, I am not a conscious body. I am consciousness in which a body

is appearing is being experienced. And the sense is function. I think I am seeing, hearing,

smelling, tasting, touching. No, no, no. These are all Upadi's sensory activity. I am that

limitless mass of consciousness in which experiences, sensory experiences, the same consciousness

is now being limited by the presence of object of sight, the sense organ of seeing. And a mind

which processes that visual information and an ego which owns it. And immediately I think,

who am I? I am the guy who's seeing all of you. But what is the truth? In me, the mass of consciousness,

boundless mass of consciousness appears all of this, the object of sight, appears the body with

its sense organ, the organ of sight, with its processing unit, the mind, and one function called

the ego, which owns all of it. I am seeing all of this. The information from all of these

appearances is transmitted through the eyes to these mind and then the ego owns it. I am seeing.

And that's what I think is my identity. Who am I? I don't say I am that vast limitless consciousness

in which this display is appearing of people and a body and senses and a mind and an ego which is

subject, instrument, object. In Sanskrit, Pramata, the knower, Pramana, instrument of knowledge,

Prameya, the objects of knowledge, and giving rise to Pramavallied knowledge. But what is this

teaching about Upadi telling me? These are all Upades. These are all limiting adjuncts, this English word,

in English phrase, limiting adjuncts. How are they limiting me? Instead of seeing myself as

unbroken consciousness, I now see myself as a knowing consciousness, as a seeing consciousness,

using a body and instrument of knowledge and a mind and seeing something other than me outside me.

Clearly if I am the body then whatever I am seeing is outside me, from the body perspective.

But from the consciousness perspective, are you in New York? Is it New York in you?

Stand as the body. You will be in New York. Of course, New York is vast and you are a little creature

here. Stand as consciousness. Where do you experience coming New York? In consciousness.

You might say this is just playing with words Swami. New York is outside and then it may be you are

seeing it in consciousness. Outside and inside. Are there not being experiencing consciousness also?

Yes. If you take it seriously, you will see there is a vast depth to this assertion that

isn't the whole universe being experienced in consciousness.

Okay. So this is the idea of Upadi. Think of yourself as not the Upadi, not the consciousness

limited by the Upadi. That's why the English term limiting adjunct. Don't think of yourself as

limited by the Upadi. I am, what do I think of myself when I'm limited by the Upadi? I am only the

seer. The eyes are the instrument of seeing and you are all the seeing. I'm only the hearer

and the ears are the instrument of hearing and the sounds are all that I hear.

Or action. The talker. I'm the speaker. When I am also the words. I'm also the people listening

to the words. I'm also this world in which this talking is going on and I'm none of it because

I'm only this vast mass of consciousness. These are appearances. The crystal can say, no, no, no. I am

not a yellow crystal or a green crystal. I am a crystal in which the yellow color is appearing

and even further, I am a crystal which is not yellow at all even when the yellow color seems to

be there in me. It seems to be there. Even when the world is appearing in you, whether I'm

to say it's not in you, like the color is not in the crystal. What is there in you? The only

consciousness. What's there in consciousness? Only consciousness.

Dasa, Dasa, Verpo, Jyokatio. In Hindi, they say. The sadhus will say, you are packed tight with

consciousness. If you say, no, there are so many other things apart from consciousness. They

are not. In the crystal, even if all, whatever appears in the crystal, it's only crystal through and

through. It's not that there's a crystal when the yellow color appears, a little gap appears in

the crystal into which the yellow color is introduced. No, no, no, no. It's the very nature of the crystal

to appear in that here. So these, now don't ask yellow flower is outside the crystal. The crystal

is put near it and therefore the yellow color appears in the crystal. So what is outside consciousness

because of the universe appear, of which the universe is appearing in us? Don't ask because the

power of consciousness itself, they'll say crystal is a jada inert thing. That's why you need

something else outside to be reflected in the crystal. But consciousness is not inert thing.

It appears to itself as its own upades. So when we know this doctrine of the upadi, we realize

even by experiencing life, we are this vast mass of consciousness and only consciousness, nothing

this vast crystal mountain. It's perfectly alright. When you the waker and you experience the

waking universe or in the waking state, all due to upadi. The upadi called the mind is now in the

waking state. So the vast mass of consciousness that appears to be an waking individual experiencing

a world of waking. And then the upadi called mind goes into sleep and dreams. Then you have a

dream world. The same vast mass of consciousness appears, the person in the dream and the dream world.

And then the upadi called mind goes into deep sleep. The vast mass of consciousness now appears

to be dark. All through and through, you have this limitless light called consciousness.

This is called asangashastra using the upadi sense. Go deeper. Second, deeper investigation.

This was the first pass at it. Pass at what? Understanding asangashastra, the acts of non-attachment.

Now, you are the ground of appearance. This is called adhistana, a desta and adhistana, superimposed

and the ground of superimposition. You are the ground of superimposition. You are the ground on which

the waker and the waking world appears and disappears. You are the ground in which the dreamer

and the dream world appears and disappears. You are the ground on which the deep sleeper and the

deep sleep experience world appears and disappears. Being the ground of all three, you are not attached

to any of them. The waking waker and the waking world do not stick to you. You are not the waker.

You are not the waking world. But they do not exist apart from you. They do not stick to you. They will

disappear. All that we consider our life. I, this guy and my life, my concerns, my projects, my

dreams, my narrative, my grudges, my happiness, misery, all of it will disappear in a flick. When?

When will that happen? Tonight, when I fall asleep and will be replaced by a virtual world of dreams.

And that will shut down also one. It will merge into the subject and object will merge into a

blankness, uniform blankness. What's that? We all experience it, deep sleep. But what Vedanta points

out, this is the second one. You are the adhishthana, the ground of this appearance, the appearance

and disappearance of the waking state, the appearance and disappearance of the sleep dream state,

the appearance and disappearance of the deep sleep state. In fact, the appearance and disappearance of

any state, you are the ground of it. As much as gold is the ground of when you make it out of it,

golden bracelet and you melt it and you make out of it a golden necklace and you melt it and you

make out of it a golden crown. What is the ground of all these ornaments? Gold.

And what are these ornaments? You are imposing a name and a form and a function on it.

What is imposed is called adhyasa, superimposition. And on what it is imposed, that one is called

the ground adhishthana. You are the ground and what is imposed on you? The gross universe,

this one, the subtle universe, this one, dream state, the causal universe, deep sleep state.

They are imposed, superimposed on you. What do you mean the superimposed, what's the difference

between imposition and superimposition? This is crucial. Imposition is like this. I impose the

clock on the table. But superimposition is, I mistake the rope for the snake. The rope is taken

to be a snake. Mistaken to be a snake. That's called superimposition. Imposition, you put one

thing on the other. Superimposition, you mistake one thing for the other. In imposition,

there are two things, one you put on the other. In superimposition, there's only one thing,

which is mistaken as something, what it is not. In Shankaracharya defines it as as atasmin-tad-buddhi,

what is not there, you think it's there. Remember, nobody is saying the world is not there,

but what we are saying is, what we sought earlier, I am this little being and there's a huge

external universe apart from me. That is being denied. What is not denied is the experience of the

world. Nobody will deny, if you put the crystal, I shouldn't use the crystal example anywhere,

that was Upadhi example. Nobody will deny that we didn't see as a dream. But what is being said

here is, it was a dream. What it seemed like in the dream is not true. In the dream, what did it

seem like? It seemed like I'm inhabiting a big world. I am there, other people are there, stuff

is happening. When I wake up, oh, it was a dream. The whole so-called big world was in my mind. I

imagined it in my mind and whatever happened, never really happened. It's all imagined,

dreamt up in the mind. Now, I don't deny that I saw a dream, but it's a dream. That's my understanding

of it. Similarly, here, the universe is a superimposition on you. What are you? You are the ground

of this superimposition. You are existence, consciousness, bliss. You are that vast mass of

consciousness. And you take yourself to be a physical universe and a body and a mind and a

subtle universe of dreams and a causal universe of blankness of the deep state, the seed state.

The causal, subtle and gross universes are superimpositions on the ground, which is consciousness,

which is another fancy we are saying. Consciousness itself appears in all those ways.

Make it more radical. You yourself, the true you, the capital you appear as your universe. What

is that capital you? Consciousness. Not a body with consciousness. Consciousness experiencing

body, mind and universe. This is the adiṣṭhāna, adiṣṭhāna, adiṣṭhāna, adiṣṭhāna,

adiṣṭhāna, superimposition and ground of superimposition. Universe is superimposition and you

are the ground of superimposition. So, remember what we are trying to understand. The acts of

non-attachment. Now you see that which is superimposed does not affect the ground. The ground is

completely non-attached to what is superimposed. Nothing here in this world of the waking nobody,

here no property here, nothing that happens here, no the physical body itself, our memories,

ideas, nothing will stick to you. The moment disappears and goes into a dream universe. None of this

is there in you, the consciousness. And then the dream universe disappears in deep sleep. None of

it is here. It's all replaced by uniform blankness. And then again it cycles back. At no point

was this actually in you. Hence you are detached. It is nothing, absolutely nothing. And therefore

what happens? Go into depression, no. Sukham ārāstāvakrā says, live happily then.

Then life becomes a joy. Everything becomes a joy. Everything becomes a joy. Everything becomes

peace. Everything becomes oneness. Because they are all one with you. Who are all these? They are

seen. If they are superimpositions in you, you see what then they are false. They are not false. They are

you. Then they are, oh I keep going to the crystal example. No, I should not go there. So padhi

example. Go to the dream example. The dream example is a good superimposition example. Whatever you see,

whoever you see in the dream is you really. Don't make the mistake of dismissing them as,

oh they are all false, I am real. No. That way lies alienation. Unhappiness.

They are as real as we. They are me. I am appearing as all of that. So superimposition and ground

of superimposition. This is one way of understanding the acts of detachment, asanga, asanga sastra,

the acts of detachment. Another way of understanding the same thing in that second point itself.

Superimposition, ground of superimposition. The ground of superimposition is completely

unattached to what is superimposed. The rope appears as sometimes the snake, sometimes the,

somebody said, I saw it as a garland. I thought it was a garland. Somebody else said, no.

This is a classic example in Sanskrit text. It's a crack on the earth. It is very dry without rain.

The earth has cracked in the semi-darkness. We see somebody says there is a rope there. There is a

snake there. Somebody says there is a garland discarded from the temple. Somebody says, no,

it's a crack in the earth. Sarpamala Bhujidra in Sanskrit. But what is it all the time?

It's a rope. When you go closely and investigate, it's just a piece of rope. Now,

neither the snake nor the garland nor the crack on the earth has any influence on the rope.

The rope is completely unattached. It's completely unattached to the snake, the garland and the

crack on the ground. In the same way, whatever is superimposed on you, in you, the mass of pure

consciousness, you are completely unattached to it. Yeah. Do you, somebody says, what are there?

Let me give you some more time. Don't fight it. You'll go, if more you fight it, then more.

All right, now wait. Then the same thing we can understand from another angle.

It is what is called Vyuvatta Adistana. So, the ground, another we are looking at it.

This is the causality we are looking at it. The general idea and science and religion also.

In science, cause gives rise to effect. Something has given rise to this effect. There was milk,

it became yogurt or curd. There was a seed, it became the tree. So, from what has this universe come?

Let me say there is a cause. Science will say it's the big bang. Although I heard recently an

interview with Roger Penrose saying, I was committed to the study state theory of the universe

and I thought the universe had originated with the big bang. But now I realize, I'm more inclined

to believe that there was something before the big bang also that it's going in cycles.

So, there is a cause and there's an effect and the cause is transformed into the effect. Things

happen. I was in UT Austin. They are very famous physicists at one time. Many of us we have read his

book, Steve Weinberg. He was a Nobel laureate. The first three minutes. So, what happened in the

initial time after the big bang? Transform. The cause is transformed into the effect.

And the idea is also in Vedanta, other schools of the non-dual school, not the non-dual school,

the dualistic schools of Vedanta. There is God. There is Brahman, the creator of the universe.

And somehow either Brahman is transformed into the universe or a power of Brahman is transformed.

Basically, God the creator, God the sustainer, God the destroyer, cause an effect. This is causality.

This is one theory of causality called the transformation theory, Parinama. Parinama,

the theory of causality which holds that the cause is transformed into the effect.

God or some part thereof or some aspect thereof. There's some real creative activity going on

and then there's a transformation into the universe. Vedanta does not say that. Vedanta,

Advaita Vedanta, non-dual Vedanta says, holds on to a different theory of the universe.

This universe which you are experiencing, the colours of the sky and the clouds appearing

in the vast mass of crystal. In the dream, the world appearing in the dream, the snake appearing

in the rope, did the rope get transformed into the snake? Did you actually become transformed

into the world of dreams? Did it really happen? No. Did the vast mass of crystal in which the clouds,

colourful clouds, did it actually become coloured by those clouds? No. Nothing, no transformation.

Was there any transformation in them? Crystal mountain? No. No actual transformation. Then what has

happened? Apparent transformation, appearance. The cause appears as the effect. The rope appears as

the snake. The transparent, clear mountain, crystal mountain appears as the dazzlingly colourful

display. The dreamer alone appears as the dream world and herself or herself in the dream.

This appears cause appearing as the effect. The technical word for this is Viva Tawada. So

two Sanskrit words, two theories of causation. Parinamavada, Viva Tawada. Here is a subtle insight.

If the cause is an object, the effect will be an object and the causality will be transformation.

Object will be transformed into another object. If the cause is consciousness,

the effect will be an appearance and consciousness will appear to itself as its effect without

transforming anything. What does consciousness do? Consciousness does not change. Consciousness

appears. Again as a matter of see it in your own experience. Often we see now a language

full of inconsistency and confusion. We talk about transformation of consciousness. It's a term

thrown on out around easily because in common parlance consciousness means mind. So is there

mind? It means personality. Can personality be transformed? Of course. Can mind be transformed? Of

course every moment to moment is being transformed. But distinct from mind and personality and

body consciousness itself does not lend into transformation to any change. Why? Change is observed

experienced in consciousness. If it is experienced in consciousness by consciousness, in that case it

must be an object to consciousness. It's not a change in consciousness. It's a change observed

in consciousness itself. Object to consciousness. So consciousness is not transformed into its

effects. Consciousness appears as its effect to subit up the insight. If you're talking about

causality in the world of objects, jada, then it will be parinama transformation. If you're talking

about causality in terms of consciousness, then it will be vivarta appearance, vivarta appearance.

The desert appears as the mirage. Why am I saying all this? Because the appearance cannot affect the

reality. Appearance does not affect the reality. Shankaracharya says, all the water in a mirage

is not enough to wet one grain of the desert, one grain of sand in the desert. Why? Water

appears. Why is in the sand wet? Because they belong to two different levels of reality.

In Vedantic terms, Vyavaharika, in the desert and the mirage is, Vyavaharika is a transactional

reality called the desert and Prativasika, the illusory appearance called the mirage. In this case,

the paramartic, the absolute reality called consciousness and the appearance, the transactional

reality called the world. Just as the mirage water cannot wet even one grain of sand in the desert,

in the same way, nothing in this world is going to affect you, the consciousness in which the

world appears. Therefore, just as the desert is unattached asanga with regard to the mirage water,

just as the rope is unattached with regard to the snake or the crack in the earth or the garland,

just as you are unattached, the waker is unattached to what he dreamt about. Similarly,

you are unattached, and you are non-attached to this universe which you experience. Why? Because

it is a Vivarta, in Sanskrit, Vivarta, an appearance, not a transformation. If it was a transformation,

you would be affected. It is an appearance. You as consciousness are not affected by what you

appear to yourself as. This is called Vivarta, and this is a deep understanding of asanga Shastra.

See how deep it cuts. It seviates you. Just cut it off. The universe will apply that thing,

cut off this world appearance. It will still remain, it will remain as you, as an appearance in you,

and the appearance in you is nothing but you. When the crystal appears yellow, when you put it

in front of a yellow flower, crystal appears yellow. It's not really yellow. But that yellow color

appearing in the crystal, what is it? You can say it is an appearance, or you can say if you go look

a little deeper, it's just the crystal itself, though it looks yellow there. It's exactly the crystal

as it always was. Similarly, even when the world is appearing, people and objects and stuff,

and you are appearing and you are interacting with the world, what exists there? You, the capital

you consciousness. So what is the word? You can call it an appearance, or you can call it pure

consciousness. You can say, I am none of these or I am all of this. So this is the second pass at

understanding the non-dual philosophy of asanga Shastra, the acts of non-attachment. One more,

and then I am done. This one is easier till now we were considering what the world is in you,

the consciousness. Now we look at the consciousness itself and see that it cannot be attached. It's

very simple. It's the idea of sakshi, pure consciousness. Think of it as a light. The light

illuminates everything. It illuminates the dust without becoming dusty. It illuminates the lake,

the water without becoming wet. The light illuminates everything, reveals it, and that's all it does.

Then the light is done. It does not partake of the properties of what it reveals. That's the example.

You as consciousness. Consciousness in fact is understood in Vedanta like a light. It's called

Prakash, a light. But in a special sense, it does not mean the physical light. Anything that

reveals something else is called a light. So this light, it reveals the room. It was in darkness.

It is revealed by the light. Therefore, this is called a light. But your eyes are the light of this

light. If you close your eyes, you will not be able to see the light or what it reveals. Only when

you open your eyes, you can see the light and the world revealed by the light. So our eyes are the

light of this physical light. But if we are not attending, if I've got my eyes open, but I'm thinking of

something else, blank stare. Then my mind is not connected to my eyes. Your mind is the light of

the eyes. Because even if the eyes are open, the ears are open, I will not see, I will not hear,

because my mind is elsewhere. So the mind is the light of the senses.

The senses are the light of the world. They reveal to a sight, sound, color, taste, touch,

and the mind is the light of the senses because all the information dumped in the mind by the

senses is revealed only when we pay attention. And consciousness is the light of the mind.

What is the light of consciousness? Nothing. Consciousness is the only one which is self luminous.

That shining, everything else shines by its light. Everything here is lit up. You shining,

everything else shines after you by your light, by your light, by you the light. Everything here is

lit up. Tamae vahantam anubhati sarvam tassyabhasa sarvamidam vibhati. In katopanishad,

mundakopanishad, swetashvatarupanishad. Beautiful, sublime poetry. That alone shining,

everything else shines after it. You alone shining. Consciousness alone shining.

After consciousness, what shines? The mind shines. The senses shine. And the senses shining

reveal the world. By its light, everything here is lit up. By the light of consciousness,

everything here is lit up. Tassyabhasa sarvamidam vibhati. Everything vibhati, sparkles, dazzling this world.

Imagine, I mean, remember, it's not just a physical light we've been talked about.

Not only you see, but you hear, smell, taste, touch, we speak, we engage with the world,

we understand it through science and logic and all of that is light shining.

Gita, srikrishnasaise, jyoti shaham apitad jyoti tamasah paramu chyate.

Gyanam, Gayam, Gyanagam, Rili Sarvas Yadishtita, 13th chapter. Srikrishnasaise, it is the

light of lights, forever beyond darkness. It is knowledge. It is that which has to be known,

and it can be known only through knowledge. Where is this amazing thing? It's shining in the

hearts of all beings as consciousness. So, how is it pertinent? The light is always non-attached.

So, you being the light, you are asangha. Your asangha, asangha means non-attached.

So, this is the deep meaning of the application of the acts of non-attachment, the philosophical,

the non-dual philosophical side of it. Three points, remember, one first point, Upadi.

You can remember it by just by the words, Upadi. Remember the crystal mountain and the

display of clouds and colors in it. Second, remember the Adhistana, Adhyaasah, the Vyivarta.

They are two sides of the same thing. There is a huge amount of philosophy packed into it.

First is Adhyaasah, whole Adhyaasavarshya will be there. The essay on superimposition.

You are the ground of the superimposition. You are the primal ground of primordial ground of being,

which when understood, when not understood appears as samsara, the upside-down tree of samsara.

When understood, when realized in your real nature, when you can live it, then it appears as mockery.

By the way, non-attached, so that primordial ground of being, that vast mass of consciousness,

that you, is not affected either by samsara or mockery. You are not affected by samsara,

and you are not affected by mockery also. Only the one who is affected by samsara will be relieved

by mockery. But you will realize that you are never affected by samsara, and therefore,

you are not affected by mockery. Then you will, after retaining mockery, you will sing like Shankaracharya,

Nadharmo, Nachartho, Nakaamo, Namoksha. I do not want objects of pleasure, of power or wealth,

or I do not want the goal of attaining heaven through Dharma. I do not even want mockery.

Why? Chidanaananda Rupa, Shivoham, Shivoham. I am the vast mass of consciousness. I am Shiva. I am Shiva.

Therefore, this is called superimposition, ground of superimposition, or Vivaartha, apparent cause.

The cause which appears as the effect, not transformed into the effect, Vivaartha. Third point,

very simple. You are light, and light is always non-attached. Asanga, Shastra. Asanga, non-attachment,

detachment, non-attachment is the truth. Our so-called attachment, we suffer from attachment with

no world. We suffer from this clinging. The clinging is a delusion. Think about it. What clings to

you? Nobody clings to you. We are trying to cling onto people and objects. They are all

fleeting, continuously moving. And nobody will cling to us. Nothing in this world will cling to us.

Not even the body which seems to have been there, but from our very birth. It is changing

continuously. And you will realize suddenly, after forty. It is a downward slide then.

You realize then the body is giving you early warning. I am going. So, the body does not cling to you.

Is a Pansadu asked, whom does the body belong to? Your father or mother who have given birth to you?

Does the body belong to your wife or husband? Does the body belong to your children or grandchildren?

Does the body belong to your employer whom you work for? Boss might say, I own your butt. Does it

belong to the employer whom does the body belong to? They say, very Hindi, very powerful language,

Pungent language almost. Does it belong to that pile of wood which is waiting for you,

which where you cremated or that earthen grave which is waiting for you, where the worms waiting

to feed on it? Whom does the body belong to? To whom? The body doesn't stick to you.

It floats continuously, continuously floating away. The senses,

the eyes are seeing, what does, what which sight has stuck to the eyes?

You are seeing, what is it that you are seeing as ever stuck to the eyes? Nothing.

You see in thousands of things today itself. Tell me one thing which is stuck to the eyes which

are continuously seeing, no, you'll be alarmed if that happens. Nothing sticks to us from the

childhood till now, nothing that we have seen is ever stuck to the eyes. No sound we have heard

has ever stuck to our ears. No taste. We say it was so delicious as if it stuck to my tongue.

Even that most delicious taste one minute. Gone.

Smell, touch, none of them, not the most pleasant ones, not the most painful ones,

awful ones, nothing has stuck to you. The senses are completely non-attached

to the objects of senses. Go deeper, the mind, which thought which feeling has stuck to you?

Nothing. Not a single thought, not a single feeling. Our memories are very weak.

And wait till you get older. Nothing will stick, nothing.

And we think it's a terrible loss. It is not. It's a great blessing.

Yes, a great blessing I remember when we in the monastery when I first became a monk.

So our head Swami would joke. There are two monks here who should be hard of hearing,

something should not enter their ears. The cashier monk and the kitchen monk. The kitchen

everybody is grumbling about food, nobody is ever satisfied. They should be hard of hearing.

They should not go, should nothing, should stick. And the cashier monk, everybody is asking for

more money. The cashier should be hard of hearing. I can't hear you. Nothing should stick,

be non-stick, Teflon coated. But deepest of all is consciousness itself, which you are,

which I am. Nothing sticks to it. Why does nothing stick to it? Remember, Upadi,

Sarva, Dishthana, Dhyasa, Dishthana, Vyavatta, Sakshi, because of these three reasons.

Nothing sticks to you. These are the deep reasons, philosophical reasons, metaphysical,

ontological reasons, by nothing sticks to you. They cannot.

Because they are Upadi's, because they are superimpositions, because they are apparent transformations,

and because you are the witness of them all. They cannot stick to you. Nothing. Practically,

you have to apply it asanga in day-to-day life. It will save you. One of the greatest monks,

it was my great good fortune, the grace of God that I became a monk, my initial years of

training were under this very great monk. So, somebody asked him once, Swami, what is your special

sadhana, your special practice? Immediately, he said asanga, non-attachment.

I remember the day he left the ashram, where he had worked, served for 18 years, so sincerely,

day in and day out. I have seen, I saw it for the last two years of his day in that ashram.

The day he left, everybody was going there to say goodbye, and others had found out he's leaving.

He didn't even tell anybody. He's promoted to a hierarchy, higher up.

And so, people, the workers, teachers, people came with gifts. He was polite. He spoke the last

words before he departed. And when I noticed, when he went to his room from the office

after meeting everybody, all those gifts stayed in that office. He didn't take a single thing with him

from there. So, detachment. When you walk out, you walk out. We completely detached.

Their appearance, why will you stick to something which does not stick to you at all?

Sri Ramakrishna, his beloved mother, Kali, Daksin Eswar, the dearest place to him in the world,

whole wide world. One day, the owner of Daksin Eswar, the family which owned, they had said something

about some other workers. By mistake, it was said to Sri Ramakrishna that the lords, the land lords

here who owned the place, they don't want you around. They sort of devindicated. It was not meant

for Sri Ramakrishna. It was meant for somebody else. But the moment Sri Ramakrishna heard this,

the moment he heard it. He was sitting down in his room, talking with somebody and just talk

came up. They don't really want you here. He got up, he put a cloth over his shoulder and started

walking towards the gate. He didn't take a single thing from there. And people found out about it

and the lords, he heard about it and he came running and he fell at his feet and said, please forgive

me, it was not meant for you. Even greater non-attachment. Notice, he walked out. When the

fell at his feet and said, it's not meant for you. He turned around, came back and resumed

the conversation as if nothing had happened. That's an even greater renunciation.

See, at an instant, asanga, who did he not love the place? Was he dismissive of it? Not at all.

He loved it to bits, Daksin Eswar because his beloved mother Kali was there. Ramachandra,

he is crown prince Ayodhya and he's about to be crowned that next day.

And overnight, the whole political situation changes and next day is told that you are banished for

14 years into the forest, from the crown prince of Ayodhya to banished in the forest.

Later on, Sita and Lakshmana said that they would follow him. But at that moment, it was him alone.

And in the Ramnam, which we chant, there, in the invocatory verses, it is said, he, who the night

before was going to be the crown prince of Ayodhya. The next morning, he is banished to the forest

and it did not change the expression, the smile on his face. This thing did not change the smile

on his face. His face did not become one with, you know, affected with anxiety or sorrow,

that Ramachandra I bow down to. Now, what is that asanga? But on what basis?

On the basis of being centered in your divinity, in the centered in that limitless existence,

consciousness, please. All right. So this is today. It was all about Asanga Shastra.

Om Shante Shante Shante Hari Om Tatsat Shri Ramakrishna Raper Namastu.

Please come with the basket.

Naradeya Bhakti and Ananya Bhakti, Ananya Bhakti, that is Bhakti, where it just not go to anything else except

only to God. So Naradeya Bhakti will develop into that Ananya Bhakti, Raga Anuga Bhakti, which

is not dependent on rituals, just intense love for God. Ananya Bhakti is a part of Naradeya Bhakti, yes.

Yes. One easy and sweet way to be detached, you know, all the four yogas teach you to be Asanga.

I spoke about it three ways from Vedantic, the path of knowledge. Meditation also increases the

quality of detachment in us. It's a flickering mind which is attached. The still mind is detached.

One powerful and sweet way of becoming detached, of implementing non-attachment in your life is to

be attached to God. Intense one-pointed attachment to God will make you completely detached from the

world. Yes. Thank you. I'm still a little confused about Upadi. When you describe the

consciousness as the light of the mind, can you explain that in like how does that relate to

Upadi where because you were describing the example of the color appearing in the crystal.

Yes. I'm just confused about that. Think of consciousness as a light as the crystal. Let's

think of consciousness as the crystal. And world, body, mind, senses, all of that as the color which

is appearing in the crystal. In the case of the crystal there is something outside which appears

in the crystal as that color which appears. It does not really transfer which appears to transfer

the yellow flower appears to transfer its property yellow color to the crystal without actually

transferring. The crystal is not stained by it. Similarly Maya appears to generate a world, body,

mind, personality in that impersonal consciousness which you are. And this is not only to be grasped

more and more to look at our own experience and say yes, yes, yes, that's true. And then when the

world troubles us, use the acts of non-attachment, asangashastra. I am the limitless consciousness in

which these things are appearing. These are appearances. They are because of the upadi of the body

mind. Why do I feel sick and miserable because of the appearance of the upadi? In the body upadi

appears. It will appear along with its old age disease and all of that. But they are appearances.

That because of the upadi called the body, the disease is in the body. The pain is in the body

or maybe at most in the prana, not in me the consciousness. Though it appears in me the consciousness,

just like the yellow flower in the crystal. Cut with the help of that. Keep cutting. That's the practice.

Whenever you run up into trouble, think of the upadi. Think how the yellow color appeared in the crystal

without at all being in the crystal. And then notice, is it not that these things are being

experienced in me the consciousness? Is it not a fact? And then what is the status of these things?

You might say, yeah, it's being experienced and that's why I'm miserable. No.

If you were the body with consciousness, you have a right to be miserable. But you were consciousness.

And you're saying, oh, my skin has become wrinkled. Your consciousness, consciousness doesn't have a

skin. Not can get skin get wrinkled. Consciousness doesn't get wrinkled.

There are appearances in you, the consciousness. You cut it there. I'm fine. I am the non wrinkled,

non wrinkled label consciousness. Consciousness does not get old. Body gets old. Consciousness

does not get sick. Body gets sick. Consciousness does not get depressed. Mine gets depressed.

Consciousness does not get anxious. Consciousness reveals the anxiety in the mind or if the

language of Upadi, because of the mind as the Upadi, anxiety seems to appear in consciousness.

I become conscious of anxiety, but it's the mind belongs to the mind. The mind itself is an appearance.

Not me, not me. Though I experience it, not me, not in me.

Just a follow-up question to that. So then, how does that apply when you're using the mind to

understand consciousness? Can you clarify? So, if consciousness is the light of the mind,

I guess the way you're asking that if consciousness is the light of the mind, then how can

the mind understand consciousness? Is that what you're asking? Yes. No problem at all.

I always give this example of when you say, I am happy. Who's saying it actually? I am happy.

It's the tongue and the voice box and the whole vocal instrument, which is saying, I am happy.

But the tongue is not happy. The happiness is in the mind. The mind is using the tongue to express

its happiness and because that's the job of the tongue. Now, you cannot say, it's a lie because

the tongue is not happy. No, that's the way it's supposed to function. The mind cannot speak by itself.

The mind uses the tongue as an instrument. Similarly, the faculty of understanding is called Buddha,

the intellect. Consciousness uses, or uses in quote unquote, the intellect serves the purpose of

consciousness by clarifying. And the clarification, as the confusion was illumined by consciousness,

the clarification about consciousness is also illumined by consciousness. You are the witness

which watched the change in the state of the Buddha from not understanding to understanding,

understanding about what, about consciousness, which is a deeper point here. Even there you are

right, the Buddha or the intellect did not objectify consciousness. The moment we understand what

consciousness truly is, it is the light of the intellect. It is not something revealed by the

intellect. So, the intellect can reveal stuff. So, about consciousness, intellect can only clear

up a pre-existing confusion in the intellect about consciousness. And then we will realize even

the intellect is being experienced because of me the consciousness. Yeah. The consciousness is

never an object. Always remember, you the consciousness, you are not the body. I always say it's five

knots. So, you have to see, to understand consciousness, you have to understand the five knotts.

The first knot, not the body, including not the brain. Second, consciousness is not the mind,

thoughts, feelings, emotions, memories, those of which are generally understood as consciousness,

in consciousness studies, where consciousness says no, they are all objects, appearances in and

two consciousness. Third, very important, consciousness is not an object. It's not an object in the world,

it's not an object of the senses, it's not an object of the mind, it's not an object of language,

it's not an object of science, it's not an object of intellect. In fact, all of them are objects

to consciousness. Third, that's third knot, not an object. The fourth knot is consciousness is not

many. Objects are many. Consciousness is not many. See how it follows. Consciousness is not an

object. If consciousness, where many, I am consciousness, suppose there is another consciousness,

it will become an object to my consciousness, that can't be. So, consciousness is not an object,

consciousness is not many. It has to be one. And finally, consciousness is not dual or non-dual,

which means there is no second reality apart from consciousness. All that appears as other than

consciousness is a superimposition on consciousness, is consciousness itself appearing in those forms,

we work the an apparent transformation. So, five knots, not body, not mind, not object, not many,

not dual, which means very interesting. When you say consciousness is not dual, then you look

back upon what you had left behind, body and including the world's mind, object, others,

they all become nothing other than consciousness. When you say non-dual. First four,

Nithi, Nithi, Nithi. Last one, then you say iti, Nithi, Sarvam Kalvidambram, all of this becomes

consciousness. Interesting. Fun, it's fun. All right. You had a question.

Thank you Swamy. This was very helpful for me because this is my primary sardhanauts,

not mind, not mind. But if I look at my sardhanaut, I think the weak point really is for me a

sense of complacency. I think I have time. If I slack this week, I can pick it up next week or

I can always make another resolution next year or something. I think I'm missing what the Buddha

calls a dhamma, samvega, like spiritual urgency. The sense of urgency. How do we get that?

The sense of urgency is necessary. Among the six parameters is the parameter of vigor, of energy,

of dynamism. We must be aroused to a sense of urgency. It's the most urgent task. We have a

human bird, it's only in this bird, it is possible. Sri Ramakrishna gave the example of the rhythm

in a tabla. He would say, Dhimetetala. Trital, the slow Trital is not good in spiritual life. You

must feel that I have to realize God in this very life itself. That sense of urgency bring it.

Otherwise, unless we bring it, what will happen is, otherwise, nature will bring it.

We reckon this is, gave, gave, for which I'll be taken from you.