Transcription
Everybody, namaskaram. We will start with the mangala.
[Music] OM.
[Music]
Shri Shankar, Shankar, Shankar, Shankar.
[Music]
Shankar, Shankar, Guru. Everybody, I welcome everybody, uh, to the third class of this Fundamentals of Vedanta Series. So, I'll start with a brief summary of what we have seen so far. We started off with the question, what is it that we really seek in life? And we said that even though everybody comes up with different answers, if we probe into it, we'll soon find out that what everyone is seeking is fulfillment, and that too, unconditional fulfillment. I want to be fulfilled at all times, at all, all places.
Now, if I look at what I am, I find myself to be, uh, so this fulfillment, we call, we gave it a name called *param*. This *param* is what we are really seeking. And when we look at ourselves, we find that we are, uh, at various levels, at the level of the body, at the level of the mind, family, possessions, profession, as a *karta*, as a *bhokta*, as a *prati*, and then all of these forces around me, within me, *ad*, *ad*, *ad*, *ad*, all these forces are acting on me. So, I find myself to be, uh, under control of these forces. So, there's a huge gap. And then the question is, how am I going to bridge this? So, this we discussed in the context of why study Vedanta. And then we said that the *prayojana* of Vedanta study is really this *param*.
Now, the study gives rise to knowledge, and the knowledge is not what we are really after. Through the knowledge, we see that I am really *param*. So, this *param* is what I am really seeking. Through the knowledge, that is, through the study, all this we discussed. Then we also said that this is what we call *Jnana Mukti*. And the *Jnana Mukta* is the one who has seen this *param*. And therefore, the *Jnana Mukta*, being *param*, is able to live in this world like the lotus. The water around the lotus, in fact, the lotus is born out of water that is not very clean. And that is why it is called so. Lotus itself is born in water that's not very clean. And in spite of that, when the water falls on the lotus, it doesn't touch the lotus, it doesn't dirty the lotus. That is the special property of the lotus, and that's why we admire it.
So, the *Jnana Mukta*, who is utterly fulfilled, lives in this world. And none of the things that, that situations which would otherwise contaminate one, in, in, in a manner of saying, that would make one feel, uh, they don't, they don't touch this *Jnana Mukta*. So, the *Jnana Mukta* acts out of fulfillment, not for the sake of fulfillment. And we compared it to like a team that has won a series and then continues to play the remaining matches. What is their attitude? They play it because they enjoy playing it. They play it as a sport has to be played. They don't really care as much about the outcome, but they try to do their best. So, this is the *Jnana Mukta*.
And we said that for this person, even death cannot touch this person because whether the body is really there or not becomes secondary because he's, he's fulfilled. So, even when the body falls, it is not a, it is not a major event, not a major outcome. The fulfillment is not tied to the presence of the body. Even then, we discussed whether such a *param* is really possible. Because when we hear about all this, we may get doubts. An absolute cessation of sorrow is, is really possible? And when we say, we really mean it, there, which happens, for example, when one, somebody sleeps, forgetting all the sufferings for the time being. That is a relative cessation of sorrow because once one gets up, then all the same things come back again. But the glory of the knowledge is such that once one knows what this is, what the reality is, then it is absolute cessation of sorrow. It can never come back.
So, we have our doubts whether such a thing is really possible. And we discussed the dream example where, uh, I, I was on a walk and I was surrounded by these dogs that were almost ready to pounce on me. And then when I was, I was in this helpless situation, there was a lion that came and roared twice. Now, the first time it roared, these dogs started to scamper away a bit. The second time it roared, when it was louder, that was when I woke up. And now, when I wake up, there is *ananda*. All of my problems in the dream was because of my ignorance of my, of my reality as the *waker*. So, the knowledge of reality can completely change the game. It's a game changer, as they say. It, it alters the vision of how somebody looks at a thing completely. So, there is a significance for why the, the, the, the dogs and the, the roaring lion that I didn't mention the last time, but I thought I'll do it here. So, so the symbolism is the dogs that are ready to pounce on me, they are all these things that, that, that situations that, uh, that make me feel, uh. When the lion comes and roars, the first time, that roar is like Vedanta saying that there is this reality called Brahman. There is this absolute reality. And if you know that, then you'll be free of all this. So, that is called indirect knowledge. When I hear this, then, then, then itself, I, I get a certain, certain relief. I mean, imagine a prisoner in a, in a, in a, in a cell or a jail. And we see some of these movies. I don't remember their names, but there are, there are these interesting movies where the prisoner plans an escape. And then he's continuously takes, finds a tool from somewhere and is digging, digging at the wall. Finally, they show this where there is a small opening that comes up. So, I see the light at the, that there is this possibility. So, Vedanta saying this, there is perhaps some way of, of getting out of all these, uh. I see a crack develop, so to say, in my vision. And that itself starts to, uh, starts to, uh, in some ways, provide a bit of a shield from the oppression that I attribute to myself.
But then the lion roars the second time. That roar is louder because that's what we call the *mahavakya*. The roar is louder. In fact, Shankar describes the drumbeat of Vedanta. Basically, it's telling me the second time that you are, that Brahman. You, you are one with that *Paramatma*. That is what leads to this knowledge, direct knowledge, that I am *param*. So, everybody can say, I understand this so far. But then, I am awake right now. So, that is where Vedanta says that even though we think we are awake, we are really asleep to this higher reality of ourselves. And that is what this teaching is all about, to make us aware of this higher reality that I am, that I have not paid attention to so far.
So, this is the *prayojana*. And then we discussed these four factors in all, out of which one is *pramana*. We called it the *anubandha*. The four binding factors, the four factors that bind the student to the study. So, *prayojana* is the first factor that we discussed. The second factor is the *vishaya*. As we said, the *vishaya* of Vedanta is this *Atma*. I, I have been too focused on the right-hand side of the sentence, "I want to be fulfilled." And therefore, I have been trying to fulfill this using using various things. I have been trying to, to, to, to fill this need for fulfillment. And we discussed the example of the person who was searching for the ring where the light is. So, because our senses, light of this world, we have been looking for fulfillment in the world. And Vedanta tells me that strategy doesn't work. If you want unconditional fulfillment, that will not work. That's why Vedanta draws our attention to this "I". It says, you have to study what this "I" is. And that's why it is called *Atma Vichara*. Vedanta also talks about the *Paramatma*, the cause of the world, Brahman. Why it's called *Brahma Vichara*. And then it discusses, it discusses that the two are indeed one, *Atma*, *Paramatma*. So, this is the subject matter of Vedanta.
Then we said that one needs to see the *pramana* of how the study of the Vedanta leads to the *prati*. And what we discussed was that just like my eyes reveal the color of an object in front of me, the eyes are the *pramana*, the object is the *prameya*, and that gives rise to the *prama* in my mind, the knowledge. Similarly, the words of Vedanta, they are the *pramana*, the instrument of knowledge through which I see the real nature of the *prameya*, which is the *Atma*. How do I see it? Through the rise of *ananda*, which is the *prama*. And the *ananda* shows me that the *param* I am seeking is already accomplished. And so, it leads to the *prati*. This is the *pramana*.
Then we came to the *adhikari* topic, the fourth factor in the *anubandha*. Said that the *adhikari* has to be interested in the *prati*. And like we said, everybody is interested in this *prati*. Nobody will say, "I don't want it." But then, the *adhikari* has to have a certain level of maturity to figure out that I have tried a lot of things to accomplish this *param*, and it has not worked. So, when the *adhikari* comes to this point where he says, "I've tried all this and it has not worked. I, I have searched in this light for so much time, I have not found a ring," that leads to a certain maturity. And that *adhikari* is called a *mumukshu*, the one who says, "I want freedom from all this, and I've tried all this." That is the first qualification of the *adhikari*. In some sense, the *Moksha*. This *param*, this *param* that we call has this other word which is equivalent, which is *Moksha*. So, this person has to be a seeker of *param* directly. Then he becomes a seeker of *Moksha*. So, that is the first qualification of the *adhikari*.
But being a *mumukshu* also is not enough. This *mumukshu* needs to be channelized, channelized in a direction where it can lead to the fulfillment, lead to the attainment of the *param*. Because there are a lot of people who may come to the point of *mumukshu*, but they may not have the clarity of what to do next after that. "I realize that the world is not giving me this *param*, but what next? How do I approach this problem? What is the nature of the problem? What is the diagnosis? What is the solution?" So, this clarity is not there. And that is why we say that this *mumukshu* has to become a *jnani*. The *mumukshu* has to become a *jnani*. Meaning, the seeker of *Moksha* has to become a seeker of knowledge. Only the knowledge can lead to the *param*. That is why the seeker has to come to this study of Vedanta.
But other than this, there is a third set of qualifications also that is required, which is not one, but it's multiple. And why this is required? We will just take the example. We saw this example of the lady with the necklace who has, has the necklace on her neck, but she thinks it is lost. And then she is looking for it everywhere. The only thing that can solve her problem is the knowledge that "I already have the necklace." But the interesting thing here is, just imagine the situation that this lady is in Chennai. And like most, and then she is, you know, perhaps in her late 70s or whatever, an age where some degree of, some degree of forgetfulness and, and, uh, things of that sort set in. Her son is abroad somewhere and talks to her on the weekends. Now, the lady every weekend, she picks up the phone. After, after a few exchanges of pleasantries and all that, then she starts describing her problem. "I was looking for the necklace." And she said, "I looked for it under the bed. I could not find it." And the son tries to tell her every week, "Just there, on your neck."
Now, consider the situation. She's a little hard of hearing. So, the words fall on her ear, but they don't reach her mind. There's some, some issue with her hearing. And she says, "He's saying, says, 'You come here, I'll make for you.'" So, the words are misunderstood. They don't have the impact that, that it needs to have. So, the son tries every weekend. He tells her, but then the words don't have the impact. Then he says, "I have to do something about this." And, and he fixes an appointment with this hearing doctor and arranges for her a few trips for her to go there. And this person gives her a few drops to put in her ear every day, and so on. And her hearing gradually begins to improve. Then one day, the son tells her the same thing. Words reach, reach her mind. She only, "Oh yes, why did you not tell me this before?" Son said, "This is what I've been telling you for so long. This entire year, I've been telling you this."
That is what the situation of a Vedanta teacher also is. Swami says, "Every class for the last 40 years, I've been saying the same thing." And suddenly, one day, some student comes and tells me, "Swami ji, today your, your class was excellent. You are improving." So, it is not that his teaching improved. He has been saying the same thing for 20 years, 40 years. Suddenly, something changed in the student's mind, and the words had the impact. So, this is what we call as the qualification. When the qualification comes, then the same words one has been hearing, suddenly they start to make sense. So, these qualifications are more like removal of obstacles. They are, there are, there are obstacles in our mind. And as the obstacles get removed, one gets more and more qualified. So, this *adhikari* has to be an *adhikari*. Has to be an *adhikari*. And then the *adhikari* has to remove these obstacles. In the same teaching, same teaching has the impact.
So, now the question arises that how did this *adhikari*, how, how did this *adhikari* become an *adhikari*? How did the *adhikari* come to this point where the *adhikari* has these qualifications? Now, sometimes we, we, uh, watch the, the, let's say, we go to a stadium and watch the cricket match or watch it on TV or whatever. We see somebody like Virat Kohli, who is suddenly hitting a lot of these sixes. Now, we can clearly see that behind what we are seeing, there has been a lot of work that has been put in. It's not visible to us. But then, one day, you know, sometimes they make these biopics or there's some documentary, and they show that this person, he started when he was 8 years old or 10 years old or whatever. And then he didn't have that much money. And they bought a cricket bat for him from somewhere. And then he went on this electric train, uh, at 4:00 a.m. for practice. We hear these kinds of things. And then we start to see how this cricketer became the cricketer who he is.
So, similarly, we will for the next few classes, study the making of this *adhikari*. What is it? What is the kind of struggle that this *adhikari* goes through? And what is the kind of, what goes on in this *adhikari*'s mind? And what is it that, what is the kind of inquiry, what is the kind of reasoning that goes on? And that finally brings this *adhikari* to this point. The purpose of this is to see that, is to, is to try to learn about what we can, what we can incorporate from that into our own vision, so that we can also become qualified *adhikaris*.
So, now the next question, as we said, is, so everybody starts off being an *anadhikari*, a very, so-called, you know, normal person in this world. And they want to get some happiness and fulfillment. And they try to pursue various goals to try to get that. So, this is where the study of *purusharthas* comes in. So, we need to, we need to see how this person, what kinds of goals this person tries to accomplish, and what kinds of limitations those goals run into. And that is the purpose of the study of *purusharthas*. *Purusharthas* are really a classification of the various goals that a human being can try to pursue.
Now, if you look at animals, animals also have some goals. What is it that distinguishes humans from animals? What says there are four factors that are common between animals and humans? One is *ahara*, food. Everybody needs food. All living beings need. Animals need it. Humans also need it. And the second factor is *nidra*. So, an animal works all day trying to get some food. And some animals even squirrel away some food for the future. And after that, they get tired, they sleep. So, also a human being works for the sake of food. At the end of the day, tired and sleeps. *Nidra*. And then there is *bhaya*. Fear of predators, fear of something attacking me. Similarly, a human being also has a certain fear. And that's why he protects himself, locks the house every night. And then there is *maithuna*. The intimate relationship and the propagation of the species. The animals do that. Humans also have it. So, these are all common between the human and the animal.
So, what distinguishes a human from an animal? Intellect. The intellect is what distinguishes the human from the animals. Without this *buddhi*, a human being is as good as an animal. So, with this *buddhi*, the human being tries to attain certain goals. And then these, there are certain goals that the animals don't, don't come into the sphere of what an animal pursues. An animal doesn't worry about what happens in old age, for example. Human being saves for old age. The animal doesn't have to think about, "Do I need to go to an old age home and stay with my children?" Human being thinks about that. So, there are certain things the human beings can see with this *buddhi* that an animal cannot. An animal, for example, doesn't do bungee jumping. But a human being wants to do bungee jumping. So, similarly, if you ask, if you were to ask a human being, each human being has a list of goals. Bungee jumping, climbing Mount Everest, studying quantum physics, whatever. These are goals that come because of the *buddhi*.
So, even though these goals may seem so many and so diverse, our *rishis* are very good at classifying them. See, in fact, this is one thing that is, that is a common trend we find in our *shastras*. Very good at classifying things in such a way that it is airtight. That classification, everything will fit into the classification. The classification is simple enough that we can comprehend it in our minds. If there are 10, 15, 20 things, it becomes hard. But everything is reduced to four, five, six, seven things, which can be easily understood. So, the *rishis* classify all possible human goals into four. And this is what is called *Purushartha*.
So, what does this word *Purushartha* mean? It's a combination of two words, *purusha* and *artha*. So, *purusha artha* means the goals of human beings. That which a, a human being strives to attain is called *artha*. And *purusha*, the goal of human beings is called *purushartha*. So, when they use the word *purusha*, it means human being is not just a male. That is not the context here. What are these four human goals? These goals are four in number: *Artha*, *Kama*, *Dharma*, and *Moksha*. These are the four possible goals. Let's study this one by one.
What is *Artha*? *Artha* is the goal that a human being first has to fulfill to some extent before even being able to think about other goals. It is the things that are needed for survival, for protection, for security. What one, what one desires for the sake of survival, for the sake of security. So, there are all these basic needs like food, clothing, shelter. Coming without these, it is impossible to survive. We need these to secure ourselves. And the animals just live day to day. And even in the animals, we see that some animals store their food for the, for the winter or for the rainy day. Similarly, humans also stash away their food. So, there are things that come in like, one needs to secure the future food. And therefore, one brings in a refrigerator. And then there is, one has to keep one, one's clothing. So, there is a washing machine. And then one needs a shelter. So, for that, one has to do some protection for the shelter. And there is all these, you know, grills and all that on the windows, or somebody may have a burglar alarm and things like that. Even in this, there is like a spectrum. There are the very basic essential, uh, things for survival. And then the things that result out of the, out of protecting those, those, uh, things. And for all of this, one needs money. And therefore, there is a need for a job. That is also because the purpose of the, the job is, is to earn the money that, that is going to provide me for all these needs. And then for that job, I need education that is going to make me job-ready. And that is why the preparation for this starts when the child is in the womb. When, when, when the lady discovers that the child is going to come in a few months, then, uh, itself, one goes and does some inquiries about what school is nearby and how to get into that. So, all the education is geared towards. And for that job, I need to commute. Therefore, I need a vehicle. And, uh, for that vehicle, I need insurance. There is health. And for the health, one needs some security. One tries to get some insurance and so on. And one tries to prepare for the rainy day by stashing away some savings for old age. So, all of this comes under, as we can see, a large part of that life is devoted to just this.
Now, once this is fulfilled to some extent, maybe not the entire, but once this is fulfilled to some extent, then one starts to positively seek some pleasure in life. So, the earlier one was here, it is for the purpose of positive pleasure. See, none of those things are really for the purpose of positive pleasure. They are for the purpose of survival and giving me security. To seek some positive pleasure in life, one tries to do certain things. And those come under this *Kama*. How does one seek pleasure? By contact of the sense organs with the sense objects. Seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching. When these sense organs come in contact with their sense objects, and those sense objects are nice, it gives rise to a feeling of pleasure in the mind. That is what is called *Kama*. The, the result of pursuit of, of this *Kama* objects of *Kama* is this pleasure in the mind. So, those who are struggling for *Artha*, for example, a homeless person or somebody who doesn't have enough food, for them the priority is that they don't think about pleasure seeking. But once all that is fulfilled to some extent, a human being next looks for this. So, one then says, "Oh, let's watch a movie." Go into movies. And then there is a home theater system which one can watch a movie. So, pleasing to the eyes, pleasing to the ears. All the Bollywood, Hollywood industries thrive on this *Kama*. Only. And then there is music concerts, dancing, socializing, and all that. Intimate relationships. All that comes under this *Kama*. And even some things like playing games, or some people have this obsession with puzzles. They try to solve puzzles, and it gives them some pleasure. Even though it's an intellectual pursuit, the pursuit, the purpose in intellectual pleasure that one gets by solving that. So, that too comes under this *Kama* only. And then there are certain things that seem like *Artha*, but they actually fall under *Kama*. For example, designer clothes. All we need for survival is some, something to cover our body. That's all. And then it doesn't end there. Designer clothes. And then there is, um, some specialty food. In fact, I was taking a walk the other day in Bandra. I saw this place called "Food is Art." There are places like this. I, I was wondering what they have inside, but I, I assume it is some, you know, nice-looking food that people get some pleasure out of. And then the, the idea of a vacation home, etc. All this also comes under *Kama*.
So, the majority of human beings, they are just stuck within these two areas, uh, two spheres of pursuits. And majority don't even think about the possibility of what more is there. So, they are the pure materialists. So, sometime it's very hard, you know, to, uh, describe who a materialist is. See, with this classification, it becomes very easy. Somebody whose goals are just restricted to *Artha* and *Kama* is a materialist. And the West largely could not see beyond this. There is this thing about every Friday, they ask you this question, "What are I going to do this weekend?" So, from Monday to Friday, it is pursuit of *Artha*. And then on Friday evening, they start thinking about *Kama*. "What are you going to do this weekend?" And then there's something, uh, there is this idea predominant in majority of the western cultures that weekend is for enjoyment. So, earn on weekdays, *Artha* on weekdays, *Kama* on weekends. You, we weekdays, there's no time for *Kama* and all that. All that starvation for *Kama* is, is, uh, is basically expressed on the weekend. And then on Monday, when you go back to work, the question is, "What did you do this weekend?" So, this is the, this is the mindset. And this has now translated to our modern education system also. In the name of secularism, a lot of our education has been, has become *Artha*-centered. All we are producing is people who can fit into corporations. And what is the goal of corporations? It is *Artha*. So, our education is teaching people how to attain *Artha* and *Kama*.
So, in this education system, there's no roadmap for, like, no vision for, like, no holistic vision for life. There's no teaching with regards to life skills, with regards to values, with regards to attitudes, how to face challenges, ups and downs in life. All this is not taught in our schools. It's all *Kama*, *Kama*. One learns on one's own. Predominant teaching is how to fit into this *Artha*-dominated society. So, this person who comes out has excellent communication skills, and then has, you know, very good technically, or very good in management aspects, and all this. And they can easily fit into any corporation and grow the corporate ladder. But they don't have the vision of what is a roadmap for life. What is it that really leads to fulfillment? It is like a splintered vision that we are teaching. It is not a holistic vision. And this can lead to this Golden Goose kind of a phenomenon. And we know about the story of the Golden Goose, where this Golden Goose used to lay eggs. And then this person became greedy. And then one day he said, "Why don't I get all the eggs?" And then he started to cut the goose itself.
So, when somebody's vision is restricted to how to try to derive *Artha* and *Kama* from this world, then they may do it at a cost of other things that they don't realize that they are losing. And in the process of gaining *Artha* and *Kama*, if one loses oneself. See, finally, the, the pursuit of *Artha* and *Kama* is for my own fulfillment. And in the pursuit of *Artha* and *Kama*, if I start damaging my own body, or my own mind, or the environment that sustains this body and the mind, then that is a very splintered vision that leads to unhealthy consequences. And that is exactly what we are seeing now. For example, there's all this West, this *Artha*-dominated thought leadership has what has brought us to this point where we are now facing this climate crisis. Why? Because everything, this whole nature viewed as a resource to be exploited. And when nature is viewed as a resource to be exploited, that's like the Golden Goose. You want to try to get more of the eggs because one is greedy. And then one starts to destroy the nature itself on which my own survival depends. So, this is a very narrow vision of life.
Then, is there a higher vision? What is that higher vision? And how do I know about such a thing? Are there any higher goals? And this is where the *shastra* comes in. Without, without the *shastra*, it is impossible to know, to get clarity on what these higher goals of life are. So, what exactly is the *shastra*? What does the word *shastra* mean? So, the *shastra* word comes out of this *samasa* called *shas*. This, this root *dha* in *samr*. All the words are formed from roots. And therefore, if we have to understand the meaning of a word, if you get down to the root and look at the meaning that the *dha* root conveys, then it is possible to get a meaning, a sense of the word. So, what does the *shasu*? What is, what does it mean? It conveys a sense of to rule, to command, to educate, to instruct. That by which one is ruled, one is commanded, one is educated, one is instructed, that is what the *shastram* is. *Shas* by ruling, by commanding, by educating, by by instructing, it protects me. So, it gives me certain, it, it commands me and it protects me. It educates me and it protects me.
So, how can commanding protect a person? How can educating protect a person? Consider this example of a blind man. And the blind man is within a, a fort. Somehow he got into that. Somebody accompanied him to the fort and then they deserted this person. The blind man is stuck in this fort, which is completely surrounded on all sides by this wall. And then he was left there and he's deserted. It is now getting dark. Dark. And he has to find a way out. So, he tries to struggle this way, that way. And every time he hits some obstacle, and he is totally helpless. So, at that point, he hears a voice. And the voice says, "Proceed five steps to the left from where you are." And he, he feels, he's anyway helpless. He has no choice. So, he says, "Let me at least listen to what this voice is saying." He does that. "Do you feel the fence?" the voice asks. And he says, "Yes, I do." So, he says, "Now proceed for 100 steps, but don't let go of this fence. Hold on to this fence." Why is it commanding him? So, he does exactly what the, that voice says. And the voice says, "Don't try to jump the fence. Don't ever do it." So, it's giving him dos and don'ts. "Do hold on to the fence. Don't jump the fence." Why does it say, "Don't jump the fence?" Because it knows that if you jump the fence, there's a big moat on the other side. And if you fall into that, then you can never come out. Very difficult to come out. So, this person does that. He holds on to the fence. He never crosses the fence. And then he takes 100 steps as the voice instructed. Then the voice says, "Go to your left at this point. The fence has ended. There's a break in the fence. Go to your left. Take five steps." He does that. And then it says, "There is a latch on the right at your eye level. Just press it, and the door will open." And he does that. And then he hears this sound of a door opening. And then he walks out. He's out of that prison, out of that place where he was held captive.
So, what did the voice do? It commanded him, and it educated him. It commanded him and protected him from that moat. And he protected him by leading him to a place where he could see, he could, he could reach his freedom. It commanded him up to a point. And then finally, it educated him about the latch. What we say is, our *shastra* is very similar. The vision of the *shastra*. We, we are like that blind person. There are several things that we don't see. Our vision, if we were to limit, if we were to limit it to ourselves, we would only be limited by what our senses reveal. *Shastra* says there is more to it. Just like the blind person could not see all these things, the voice told him all this. The *shastra* informs me that there are certain things. It, it commands me according to those things. Initially, it commands me. My goal is *param*. What the *shastra* does, it commands me initially. Takes me to a point where I'm ready for that education. And then it tells me what exactly is going on. And then I see that freedom that I'm seeking, that *param* that I'm seeking. So, that is the *shastra*.
And what we say is that the Veda is the, is the *shastra*. That is the *mula shastra* from which our entire vision of Sanatana Dharma originates. Veda itself comes from this root *vid*, through which one knows. So, through the Veda, I come to know of a lot of things. What do I come to know? *Dharma*, *Brahman*, *Para*. So, as we have seen, our eyes are a *pramana*. Similarly, he said Vedanta *pramana*. The whole of Veda is a *pramana*. The *vakya* in the Veda *pramana*. And what kind of *pramana* is it? Our senses are, they are the ones that, that we can use to, to know a certain number of things in the world. But then to know the other things that our senses cannot reveal, we need this. It tells me a lot of things that my senses cannot know. That's why. And what does it tell me that my senses cannot know? Are two things: *Dharma* and *Brahman*. The first part of the Veda called *Purva Mimamsa* is all about *Dharma*. It tells me about this third *purushartha* called *Dharma*. And then the last part of the Veda, the Vedanta, tells me about this fourth *purushartha* called *Moksha*, which is attained through *Brahman*, the knowledge of *Brahman*. So, these two are the subject matter of the Veda. The first part is about *Dharma*, and the second part is about *Brahman*. So, through this, through the first part, the Veda commands me. It gives me a certain number of dos and don'ts, etc. We will see, we will see in more detail what this *Dharma* is. The first part of the Veda protects me by commanding me. The second part of the, the Vedanta protects me by educating me. Educating me about my own *Atma*, that sets me free.
So, following this, now, now we come to know of these two additional *purusharthas* which nobody was aware of until one comes to the *shastra*. So, what we say is that this *anadhikari*, once the *anadhikari* comes to the *shastra*, then one comes to know about the additional *purusharthas*. And then one has to try to, try to live according to that. So, that is what our next discussion is going to be. We will try to understand what this *Dharma* is, and in what way it helps a human being, and it helps a human being in what way it helps a human being grow. So, that is going to be, uh, the discussion that is coming up. And I'll stop at this point here.
Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.
We have time for some comments and questions. And, uh, you can also, if you're, if you are, uh, comfortable with it, you can also turn on your videos. So, any, uh, any questions or comments on what we have discussed so far? It doesn't have to be with respect to this class, but any of the three classes we have seen so far.
Namaskaram. This is Veda Rangan from Chennai. Have a small request to make. I'm a beginner. The last 10 minutes of your session, the last two classes have been a little bit fast-paced. Um, if you could, possibly, space it a bit slower. Sorry for this, my request. Thank you so much.
Okay, okay. I will try to incorporate your feedback. If there is any part that, that, you know, specific that, that did not come across, uh, clearly, then you can let me know, and I will try to.
Sir, clarity is perfect. Okay, okay. Thank you. So, questions? There are no questions today. Very, very clear. And, uh, for me, I felt the pace is good. And, uh, uh, it was good to follow. Okay. Very clear, logical flow. It was wonderful. Thank you. Thank you.
Namaskar. This is Rangarajan from Bangalore. Namaskar. Probably, I have a query. Probably you can, uh, uh, teach us next week. This is related to *Jnana Mukta*. When the soul is still having a *prarabdha* with the residual karma, and the, the *Moksha* state, how the karma will behave to the *Moksha* state with the residual karma? Because as the soul is still attached to the *Prapancha Mandala*, so he's bound to, he or she bound to that soul bound to the karma. So, at the *Jnana Mukti* state, whether the soul will still need to go through this *prarabdha* or it will be, I, I know you gave a point that the lotus water example, but still that, uh, lotus leaf is not impacted by water. But how the karma is getting, uh, zeroed down at the *Jnana Mukti* state is my humble request. Swami, actually, I will, uh, cover it a little. I'll give a brief answer to that. And then this is a big topic that we will get to. We will discuss the law of karma in detail in setup topics. And then, of course, after *Jnana*, the *Jnana Mukta*, and how the *Jnana Mukti* is impacted by the karma. So, this is a big topic. But I'll give a brief answer right now. The, the thing is that, um, in every *janma*, we are collecting karmas. And those karmas are accumulated. And what Vedanta says is that the accumulated karmas are what leads to *punarjanma*, etc. So, with this *Jnana*, then what, what one sees is that the karmas don't belong to me. Just like waking up from a dream example, right? If somebody had committed a crime in a dream, let us say, wakes up from it, then one is not punished for that crime. There is no relationship between the *waker* and the dream individual who committed the crime. So, similarly, all these karmas correspond to this, this individual body, mind, etc. But what the *Jnana Mukta* sees is that I am completely unattached from all this. So, that leads to this destruction of this entire *sanchita karma*. But what it says is that the *prarabdha karma* continues to affect the body and mind of the individual. Because *prarabdha karma* is like an arrow that has been shot already. That arrow will hit its target. The motion of the arrow cannot be stopped. The *prarabdha karma* that led to the birth of this body will continue until the exhaustion. And the *prarabdha karma* is exhausted, the body will fall. So, so even the *Jnana Mukta* has to face. *Jnana Mukta*'s body and mind really have to face the consequences of the *prarabdha*. If there is a certain disease that has to come because of that karma, that disease will come. If there is a certain suffering at the mind level that has to come because of the *prarabdha karma*, that mind will go through that. Ups and downs is impossible to avoid that. But in spite of all that, the *Jnana Mukta* still says, "I am." That is a short answer to your question. We will see all this in a lot more detail later. Thank you. So, you can just call me, uh, you know, not Swami ji. I'm not a sanyasi. So, please don't call me Swami ji. You can call me anything else. Okay. Thank you, sir. Anything, any other, uh, comment?
So, Har. I have a quick point. Maybe we can discuss it next class. So, from *adhikari* to going to *purushartha*. There is, I mean, *purushartha* is the goal of living. Like, I mean, what is the direct? Is there any direct connection? I mean, one of the goals of the *adhikari* is for achieving *Moksha*. So, so, yeah. I think I, I understand where you're coming from. So, basically, like we said, you know, that Virat Kohli, how did Virat Kohli become the Virat Kohli? So, how did the *adhikari* become the *adhikari*? He started off as an *anadhikari*, pursuing all these goals, right? So, what is the struggle that this person went through? And how this person reasoned about the various limitations before that person comes to the point that says, "Moksha is my goal." That is what we are trying to study here through the study of the *purusharthas*. Okay. Thank you.
So, if there are no other comments, we can, uh, stop. Namaste. Thank you. Thank you. Namaste.
Yeah, that analogy that you gave of the blind man held in a cell and listening to the voice, surrendering and holding on to the fence and then coming out, opening the door, that was a beautiful analogy. So, if one reflects on it, how the *shastras* they give the protection and education. So, that was a very, uh, point that I was so impressed. Only if the modern education system can apply that. You give education, and that also education should act as a protection. So, that was, I was really, uh, it was very impressive. Sir, thank you so much for that fence and that analogy that you gave for the *Dharma Purushartha*. Thank you so much.
Okay, then, uh, we will, actually, just one more point. I forgot to mention. So, the next Sunday, um, we have another engagement, and I won't be able to, uh, hold the class on this next Sunday. But we'll, uh, continue from February 18th, the Sunday after that. Har, Har, Har, Har, Har.