Panchadasi Talks - Day 2

By Sowmya Ramkumar Day 2 of the Panchadasi Talks DOWNLOAD from archive.org http://www.archive.org/download/PanchadasiDay1/Panch2_4Jan09.mp3 Thanks to Paramji & Srini for making the audio & text available for the satsanghis. CHAPTER 02 DIFFERENTIATION OF THE FIVE ELEMENTS SHLOKA 1. Brahman can be known by differentiation from 5 Elements SEPARATING ELEMENTS(FALSE) FROM BRAHMAN(ONLY REALITY) ELEMENTS & THEIR PROPERTIES 2. sound, touch, color, taste, smell, IN akasha, air, fire, water, earth. 3. Echo in akasha(1), air(2) makes sound & moves, fire sounds 4. Fire(3) feels hot, has color, water(4) sounds, touch, color, and taste 5. earth(5) makes sound, touch, color tastes, smells SENSES, ORGANS OF SENSES 6. earth smells; The 5 senses are hearing, touch, sight, taste, smell 7. Organs are Ears, Skin Eyes Tongue, Nose. Senses are subtle, external 8. Yet sound of breath , sound in ears, food taste can be internal 9. Closed eyes see absence of light; sense organs give internal experience too ORGANS OF ACTION 10. 5 type Acts: speech, grasping, movement, excretion, sex intercourse 11. 5 Organs are Mouth, Hands, Feet, Anus, Genitals MIND 12. Mind anthahkarana rules these 10 organs(of sense & action) GUNAS OF PRAKRITI 13. Thru 3 gunas, Satva, Rajas, Tamas, mind undergoes modifications 14. Satva is asanga, kshama, generosity ; Rajas is desire, anger, avarice 15. Tamas is lethargy, confusion, drowsiness, w/satva merit; w/rajas demerit 16. w/ tamas life is wasted. Of modifications of mind, I consciousness(aham) is agent. THIS OR ‘IDAM’ 17. Even for Senses & Mind, the Subtle Elements are basis 18. ‘Idam’(this) means all that is perceived by Senses, Mind, Organs & Scripture BEFORE ‘BEING’ ALONE EXISTED 19. Before all ‘this’ was created, ‘Being’ alone existed 3 DIFFERENCES IN ALL OBJECTS 20. 3 Differences in all objects: Swagata,(tree & parts) Swajaatiya(between 2 trees), Vijaatiya(tree & stone) BRAHMAN DOES NOT HAVE ANY OF THESE DIFFERENCES 21. Doubt: Brahman has 3 diffrncs? Sruti: Ekam eva advitiyam. Rejection of duality 22. No parts, Name and Form not parts and before Creation they did not arise 23. Creation means appearance of names and forms; So cannot exist before creation! 24. Difference between objects of same class cannot refer to Sat for nothing else exists. Also Brahman is without name and form 25. About non existence: It is something that does not exist. So Vijatiya difference does not exist{so no pratiyogin(total characteristics lacking) can exist} NON-EXISTENCE, ASAT, (NOTHING) 26. Asat(nothing ) existed before creation, some say 27. Fear of worshippers of ‘Brahman with attributes’, referred here 28. fear of some yogis regarding Brahman with form 29. difficult to achieve identification with un-grasped and ungraspable 30. Shankara: They are confused regarding self existent Brahman 31. Buddhists, neglecting the authority of Vedas, reached only ‘nothingness’ 32. ‘nothing existed’ how can this be connected with existence(sat)? 33. sun has no attribute of darkness MISLEADING WORDS, PHRASES 34. If nothing exists, its substratum has to be existence(Sat) 35. Illusion without substratum is not seen 36. Common to say ‘Existence was’ 37. ‘speech is spoken’ common usage similarly ‘existence was’ 38. ‘before creation’ words for beginners who cannot comprehend otherwise 39. objections and answers are from duality only REALITY, BRAHMAN 40. what remains after dissolution is unnamed, ungraspable, unnamable, beyond light and darkness. 41. Objection: Akasha is eternal since it does not have molecules elements 42. Ans: So, why can’t you conceive of Sat without Akasha? 43. Akasa can only be light and darkness BRAHMAN REVEALS 44. Brahman can be seen only when all mentations cease 45. Brahman is self revealing 46. When mind is void of all mentations we experience the Witness POWER IS PART OF OBJECT 47. Power exists in Brahman, like Power to burn is there in fire. 48. Power is not substance itself. Maya is not Brahman 49. Maya is neither nothingness, non existence, nor Sat, existence, It is as is 50. Vedic texts corroborate this peculiar nature 51. Like nothingness, Maya also cannot be a distinct entity on its own 52. Prolongation of life is not the result of power but the effects 53. Before Creation no effects of power existed. It has no independence BRAHMAN IS LARGER 54. Power operates only on a part of Brahman, not on all. 55. Creation is quarter of Brahman; Maya covers only part of Brahman 56. Gita 10.42.World is sustained by the part of the Lord 57. Supreme Spirit pervades the whole world, & extends 10 fingers beyond 58. Sruti speaks of partless having parts to explain non-dual nature MAYA CREATES ELEMENTS AKASHA A NON-ENTITY 59. With Brahman as its basis, Maya creates the Various Objects of the world 60. First modification of Maya is akasha. It derives its Existence from Brahman its substratum 61. The nature of Brahman is Existence only; Akasha has both Space, & Existence as its nature 62. Akasha has Sound which Brahman does not have. Akasha has Sound and Existence and Brahman has only Existence 63. Maya conjured up Akasa in the real entity Sat and has produced the difference 64. Sat which appears as Akasha, and ordinary people say existence is property of akasha. (those who believe,Brahman became this world, like milk becoming curd) 65. Illusion makes it appear differently 66. It will be different after a thorough discussion 67. Brahman and Akasha are different, Brahman pervades Air and other Objects 68. Sat is more pervading, Akasha is less and it is an attribute or content 69. When Existence is abstracted, Akasha becomes nothing DISCUSSION, EXPLANATION 70. The appearance of object which is not there, is an illusion 71. Distinction between them is natural 72. understanding and not practicing is due to lack of concentration 73. Meditate, Reason, see Evidence. Then the conviction between them will be firm 74. By above three, will come to know Akasha is different from Brahman 75. To a Knower, Brahman also always shines unassociated with its properties 76. Once these impressions are deep, will be astonished at other’s ignorance AIR, A NON-ENTITY 77. Once firmly understood, follow same principle for Air and other Elements 78. Brahman is all pervasive, Akasha is less, Air is still less 79. Existence and properties of Maya and Akasha are also found in Air 80. If Existence is removed Air will be non entity. Sound in Air is of Akasha 81. Objection on seeming contradiction 82. Ans no contradiction 83. Another Objection 84. Ans: Unreality is common to Maya and its effects. Maya is not subject to perception, but its effects are. 85. No need to consider sub-divisions in non existence 86. Brahman, Sat is real in Air. Rest is untrue. Meditate and give up false notion WATER, A NON-ENTITY 87. Do the same reasoning for Water and Earth 88. Traditional puranic theory, Fire is 1/10th of Air 89. Heat Light Sound Touch are properties. Pseudo-Reality apart from Existence 90. Fire has in addition color. All properties except Existence are unreal 91. Easy now to understand the unreality of Water which is 1/10th of Fire 92. Its property is Taste EARTH, A NON-ENTITY 93. Now take Earth which is 1/10th of Water 94. Earth has Existence Sound Touch Sight Taste and Smell 95. The illusory character of Earth is realized THE COSMOS, A NON-ENTITY 96. The Cosmos has 14 Worlds up and down 97. If we abstract Existence from the Cosmos, Cosmos becomes illusory!! 98. Deep impression of understanding of Real Entity as Non-Dual will never go PRAGMATISM IN LIVING 99. However, the pragmatic action in a world of duality will continue 100. No quarrel with schools opposing these views, since in pragmatic world we accept 101. Following Veda, Reason, Experience, and Conviction, have no regard for opposing view 102. Intellect disregards duality, gets firmly established in Non-Duality such a person is Jivanmukta 103. Gita 2-72 Being established even at last moment she attains oneness with Brahman 104. last moment is death of the age old error of Duality 105. Or, Even at death of body illusion that is gone does not return 106. To a Realized soul, manner of death matters not 107. Knowledge of Veda daily at sleep is forgotten and returns on waking up;. Similarly knowledge of Brahman is never lost 108. To counter this, there is no stronger evidence than Vedas and hence it is never lost 109. Knowledge of Non Dual reality by Vedanta is not falsified even at last moment. So discrimination of the elements from Non-Dual Reality surely ensures peace abiding or bliss ineffable. No transmigration for such a person End of Chapter 2 of Panchandasi shubhamastu