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Inspiration

The Knower and the Known: Vedanta's Central Discovery

VS
Vedanta Society of New York - Archives
Oct 4, 2024
7 min di lettura

Da Vedanta Society of New York - Archives

Guarda · 7

Krishna opens the thirteenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita with an act of surgical separation. He divides the whole of experience into two orders of being: the field (kṣhetra) and the knower of the field (kṣhetra-jñam). Everything you know—the world, sensation, thought, emotion—belongs to the field. You, the aware presence that witnesses it all, are the knower. This is not metaphor. It is the operating principle of consciousness itself, and Swami Sarvapriyananda's extended commentary on Verse 2 builds the entire architecture of liberation from this one distinction.

The teaching begins with the body, and there is wisdom in that specificity. You know the table is not you; the clock is not you. That separation feels obvious. But the body presents a different problem. Yes, you know the body—you can see it, hear it, touch it—yet most of us live as though we *are* the body. We say "I am fat" or "I am strong" or "I am sick." We act as though our identity is bound to this skin and bone. Krishna's precision here solves that confusion. The body, like everything else you know, is an object. Objects are known. That which knows is different from that which is known. Therefore, you cannot be the body. The very act of knowing it proves the knowing presence is separate from what it knows.

Lettura · 6 sezioni

The Startling Recognition That Extends Beyond Form

But the teaching does not stop with the body. As you investigate more deeply, something far more unsettling emerges. Your thoughts are also known to you. You can introspect; you can watch your own mind. This means thoughts, like the body, are objects of awareness. If you are the knower of your thoughts, you are not your thoughts. You are the one who experiences happiness, which means you are not the happiness itself. Here the teaching becomes radically clarifying. If you are happy and you know it, then—in the very moment of knowing—happiness becomes an object. The knower stands apart from the known emotion. You are the witness of happiness, not its prisoner.

The same principle applies to suffering. If you are sad and you know it, sadness is an object in the field of your awareness. You were present before the sadness arose. You will be present after it dissolves. You are the same presence during the sadness, observing it like the sky observes clouds. This recognition has enormous weight: you are not afflicted by the content of experience because you are the space in which experience occurs. The emotions come and go—dark clouds, white clouds passing through—but the sky remains untouched. You are that sky. You are the witness consciousness (sakshi), not the storm of feelings that move through you.

How Can You Practice Being What You Already Are?

Many spiritual practitioners hear this teaching and assume it describes a state to be attained through effort. If I sit quietly and watch my breath, if I observe my thoughts without judgment, won't I eventually become the witness? Swami Sarvapriyananda insists this misses the point entirely. You are already the witness, choicelessly and inevitably. You cannot be otherwise. Whether you meditate or do not meditate, whether you practice mindfulness or forget it completely, you remain the knower. The teaching is not an instruction to do something. It is a teaching of knowledge—a pointing to what is already true.

This distinction matters profoundly. A meditation practice in which you cultivate the witness perspective is valuable; it can refine your understanding and bring peace. But such practice does not *make* you the witness. It reveals what you already are. The only thing you can do, once you understand this, is to note it and know it. To recognize it. To stop denying it through identification with the body-mind.

One Consciousness in All Fields

The next movement in Krishna's teaching opens an even larger horizon. If the body is the field and consciousness is the knower, how many knowers are there? Billions of bodies, billions of minds—billions of fields. Logic would suggest billions of separate knowers. But Krishna delivers what Swami Sarvapriyananda calls "another bombshell": in all these fields, in all these bodies, across all conscious beings, there is one consciousness. One knower. One awareness animating billions of apparent separate beings.

This is not mere mystical poetry. It is the philosophical investigation that Vedanta pursues with rigorous precision. The boundary between "my" consciousness and "your" consciousness, between human awareness and animal awareness, is not a boundary at all—it is a conceptual overlay on one undivided field of awareness. What appears to be separate only because of the body-mind conditioning that obscures it. The continuity of teaching appears as early as chapter 11, where Arjuna receives the vision of the entire world unified in one being, Vishnu. Now, in chapter 13, that vision is translated into the language of everyday understanding: I am the knower in all knowers. You are not separate from that one awareness.

The Mirror, the Rope, and the Water: Discrimination Through Metaphor

Shankaracharya, whose commentary Swami Sarvapriyananda draws upon extensively, employs a series of precise metaphors to deepen this recognition. One image is particularly instructive: a cup of water. When you pour water into a cup, the water appears to become the color and shape of the cup. The water seems to take on properties it does not possess. Yet the water remains water—transparent, formless, unchanging. It is only apparently modified by the container. So too, consciousness appears to be modified by the body-mind, appears to acquire the properties of the body-mind, appears to be limited and separate. But consciousness itself remains eternally free, untouched, unmodified. The appearance of change does not affect the underlying reality.

Another classical image from Advaita Vedanta is the rope and the snake. In dim light, you see a rope and mistake it for a snake. Fear arises. Your heart races. But the moment you recognize it is a rope, not a snake, the fear vanishes instantly. Knowledge corrects the misperception. You do not have to do anything to the rope to make it stop being a snake; the rope was never a snake. The ignorance must be dispelled. Similarly, the body-mind was never really you. Ignorance—a misperception of identity—is the only problem. Knowledge of your true nature as the witness, the eternal knower, is the only solution.

When Knowledge Lands: Direct Recognition

Swami Sarvapriyananda offers a striking example of this recognition in lived experience. A student once entered a meditation room and experienced profound stillness. "Everything seemed to stop," she recounted. "I couldn't hear, I couldn't taste, I couldn't think, I couldn't enjoy or suffer." In that moment of utter quietude, all objects dissolved. Yet—and this is the crucial insight—she was still there. The awareness itself remained. She was the unchanging background against which all experience, all sensation, all thought, all suffering appears and disappears. That is not a special state to be chased or maintained. That is your nature, always present, whether the mind is full or empty, whether the body is active or still.

This recognition resolves a deeper confusion. Many seekers imagine that enlightenment means becoming something new, acquiring a special power, reaching a transcendent realm. But the teaching of Vedanta points in the opposite direction: you must recognize what you have always been. You are not the body becoming enlightened. You are not the mind achieving liberation. The body and mind appear and disappear in you, the eternal witness. That recognition is freedom. Not a freedom you attain, but the freedom you recognize was always yours.

Where to Go From Here

The full weight of this teaching unfolds across Shankaracharya's dense and careful commentary on verses 1 and 2 of chapter 13—a commentary that Swami Sarvapriyananda notes would require perhaps twenty classes to explore completely. What is offered here is the foundation: the distinction between knower and known, the recognition that you are the witness of all experience, the understanding that this witnessing presence is not modified by what it witnesses, and the vision that this one consciousness shines in all beings. The practice that follows is not a spiritual effort to become the witness. It is a discipline of understanding and remembrance—repeatedly noting the truth that has never changed: you are the knower of the field, forever free.

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Transcript

[0:01] [Music]

[0:08] [Music]

[0:16] omish

[0:20] [Music]

[0:23] vuru so we are studying the Bhagavad

[0:25] Gita and we are on the 13th

[0:28] chapter and we begun but people are

[0:31] getting the impression that we are sort

[0:33] of stuck there because we are on the

[0:37] second verse but it's so very important

[0:40] especially from an nonuel

[0:43] perspective um let's just chant the

[0:45] first two verses and then we'll catch up

[0:48] on where we are and go forward from

[0:55] there you can chant after

[0:57] me bhagavan

[1:01] ban

[1:03] [Music]

[1:52] [Music]

[1:59] m

[2:02] [Music]

[2:07] what we were doing was that we were

[2:09] taking a close look at Shankar aar's

[2:12] commentary on these two verses ADI

[2:16] Shankar AAR has written an extensive

[2:18] profound deep commentary on these two

[2:21] verses especially the second verse the

[2:24] second verse goes on for several Pages

[2:27] very densely and closely argued

[2:29] commentary

[2:30] so looking at part of that to do the

[2:33] whole of it would take maybe 20 classes

[2:36] but I propose to do some more of that

[2:39] today um and then we'll we'll proceed to

[2:43] the next verse in the next class but

[2:46] today we will continue with the story

[2:48] what's the story so far s Krishna says

[2:50] at the beginning of the 13th chapter he

[2:52] makes a division he says whatever you

[2:56] know is call it the field whatever we

[3:00] know know whatever we experience you

[3:01] call it the

[3:03] field and you the knower the one who is

[3:07] experiencing call yourself the knower of

[3:09] the field so we have two the field and

[3:11] the knower of the

[3:13] field here also he makes a specific

[3:15] thing that he says uh whatever we know

[3:19] is the field that's true but

[3:21] specifically the body is the field in

[3:23] the in the first verse Krishna has said

[3:26] the body call the body the

[3:29] field and and the knower of the body

[3:32] call call that one the knower of the

[3:33] field why is he doing this the goal is

[3:36] self- knowledge the goal is self

[3:39] knowledge that the world is something

[3:41] separate from me it's an object that's

[3:45] very clear to all of us we don't think I

[3:47] am the table or I am the clock I I know

[3:50] the clock but I'm not the table or the

[3:52] clock but when it comes to the body the

[3:55] trouble starts because I say yes I know

[3:57] the body but we also say or think or

[4:01] believe and certainly we act as if we

[4:04] were the body so that's why specifically

[4:07] though the whole world is your field the

[4:10] body is specifically mentioned by

[4:12] Krishna the body is the field it's

[4:15] called labeled designated the field and

[4:19] you the one who experiences that body

[4:22] from within you are the knower of the

[4:25] field what point is he making what's the

[4:27] teaching here the knower is different

[4:30] from the known The Seer is different

[4:32] from the seen D Anda in Sanskrit The

[4:35] Seer and the scene subject and object

[4:37] are different what you know is different

[4:41] from what you are so if I know the table

[4:44] by know I means I see the table or I

[4:46] touch the table I hear

[4:48] it therefore it's an object and I'm

[4:52] clearly not the table so the knower is

[4:55] different from the known this is the

[4:57] point he's making but using this

[5:01] um great discovery is

[5:04] made if we are clear that I am not the

[5:07] knower the knower I'm not the known the

[5:11] known is I am the knower and the knower

[5:14] and the known are different clearly the

[5:16] body is the

[5:18] known so body is known you can see it

[5:22] hear it smell it taste it touch it this

[5:24] this body in that case the body being

[5:27] the known it should be called the field

[5:30] and I am the knower of the

[5:32] field I must be different from the body

[5:35] this is the first dramatic Insight we

[5:38] get I cannot literally be this skin and

[5:42] these bones and this flesh and blood and

[5:46] hair I cannot literally be this it's

[5:50] close to me it's intimate to me it's I'm

[5:53] implicated in it somehow I'm embodied in

[5:55] this somehow but I am not it and it is

[5:58] not me first

[6:01] dramatic Insight but you go further it

[6:05] becomes even more

[6:08] startling my

[6:10] thoughts they're also known to me after

[6:12] all I can know my own thoughts I can

[6:14] introspect and I'm aware when I'm happy

[6:17] I know the happy

[6:25] thoughts I was walking in the park and

[6:28] there was this little babies and they

[6:31] were the nannies and they were singing a

[6:34] song If you are happy and you know it

[6:37] and clap your

[6:38] hands I thought that's so deeply

[6:41] philosophical that's the 13th

[6:50] chapter that's what Krishna is telling

[6:52] Arjuna that if you're happy and you know

[6:54] it you clap your

[6:55] hands yes because a very amazing thing

[6:58] is being shown there

[7:01] if you are happy and you know it if you

[7:03] know it very interesting if you know it

[7:07] then you are not happy you the know

[7:08] you're the knower of

[7:10] Happiness then you must be different

[7:13] from the

[7:14] happiness if you are I don't want to be

[7:17] different from happiness well you do you

[7:19] really do trust me you want to be

[7:20] different from happiness but that also

[7:23] makes you different from

[7:24] sadness if you are sad and you know

[7:28] it don't cry

[7:32] because because then it's an object if

[7:35] you know it it's an object it's the

[7:37] field and you are the knower of the

[7:39] field you are the knower of sadness

[7:42] hence you are not sad you the knower of

[7:45] Happiness hence you are not

[7:48] happy you are not afflicted by these

[7:50] passing clouds you're like the vast Blue

[7:53] Sky not afflicted by dark clouds or

[7:55] white clouds they come and go

[7:57] go but the sky is not affected

[8:01] thereby because you are the knower and

[8:04] that is the known they are

[8:07] different great great second great

[8:09] insight you're not even the mind not the

[8:13] passing emotions in the mind which come

[8:15] and go no matter how powerful those

[8:17] emotions are how true they

[8:20] seem the first thing you must notice I

[8:23] am not that I was there before this

[8:26] feeling this terrible feeling came to me

[8:29] I was there before that

[8:30] and one day one time that feeling will

[8:33] go away very soon actually and I'll

[8:35] still be there and I'm the same one

[8:37] before the feeling and after the feeling

[8:39] therefore I'm the same one during the

[8:40] feeling

[8:42] also when there's no feeling of sadness

[8:45] you can't say I'm am sad that's silly I

[8:47] don't feel sad but I'm very sad what

[8:49] does that

[8:50] mean so you were not sad before the

[8:53] feeling of sadness came you're not sad

[8:55] when the feeling of sadness is gone

[8:57] therefore you're not sad when the

[8:58] feeling of sadness is there you are the

[9:00] knower of the feeling of sadness in the

[9:03] mind and the memories and the ideas and

[9:08] the opinions and The Grudges and the

[9:12] resentments and the fears and the

[9:15] anxieties you know all of them you

[9:18] experience all of them therefore you are

[9:20] not them you are the knower you are the

[9:23] witness of all of

[9:26] these so you are not the body not the

[9:29] mind all of this Krishna says by saying

[9:32] see that thing is the field and you are

[9:35] the knower of the field the body and the

[9:37] mind are the field and you are the

[9:39] knower of the field hence free of the

[9:42] body mind even when you are in that body

[9:46] mind they're not stuck to

[9:50] you then you are the knower of the field

[9:53] you are the witness this is called D

[9:55] saki CH the witness Consciousness and

[9:58] he's saying you are that already

[10:00] you don't have to become the

[10:02] witness many people think it's a

[10:05] spiritual practice I have to be the

[10:06] witness and sit quietly and witness

[10:08] everything there's a good practice but

[10:10] what Krishna is saying whether you

[10:12] choose to or you do not choose to you

[10:14] are choicelessly the

[10:15] witness only thing that you can do then

[10:18] then what is he saying here what what

[10:19] what's the outcome only thing you can do

[10:21] is note it know it it's a teaching of

[10:25] knowledge not of not of doing something

[10:29] if I sit quietly and breathe calmly and

[10:31] watch my mind that's a good practice

[10:32] you're doing something but you did not

[10:34] become the knower of the field by doing

[10:36] it you're already the knower of the

[10:37] field Krishna is telling you you are

[10:40] already the knower of the field no

[10:41] matter what you do you cannot be

[10:43] otherwise you're choicelessly

[10:48] awareness all right then the next verse

[10:52] Krishna gives another

[10:54] bomshell how many knowers of the field

[10:57] how many fields are there if a body is

[10:58] the field how many fields

[11:00] billions there are 100 here there are

[11:03] millions outside there are billions

[11:05] around the world not just human bodies

[11:07] why just human bodies all living bodies

[11:09] are the

[11:10] field in that there is a knower of the

[11:13] field so how many knowers of the field

[11:15] billions that's our first answer Krishna

[11:17] says

[11:22] no in all fields in all these fields

[11:26] billions of fields I am the one

[11:28] consciousness

[11:30] see the continuity of teaching in the

[11:32] 11th chapter Arjun had this remarkable

[11:35] Vision the entire world United in one

[11:38] being Vish this is the Philosophical

[11:41] Investigation of that know me to be the

[11:43] one Consciousness in all

[11:45] beings just a minute I am the conscious

[11:48] knower of the field and you're saying

[11:49] you are the knower of the field then I

[11:51] and you are same yes so that is the

[11:55] vedantic idea of God the

[11:58] aamas that thou art or I am

[12:01] Brahman then what about the world one

[12:04] more Point first he made a distinction

[12:06] between the body and you you're the

[12:08] witness and the mind and the body are

[12:10] the field you're the knower of the field

[12:12] next he said there's only one knower of

[12:14] the field there are many many fields but

[12:15] there's only one know of the

[12:16] fear one

[12:19] Consciousness but then that still leaves

[12:21] many Minds many bodies mountains and sky

[12:25] and Earth and oceans and you know the

[12:27] big and the small this entire physical

[12:29] Universe what about that says that is

[12:32] also nothing but you it is that one

[12:34] Consciousness you know in vant says

[12:36] through Maya it appears as its own

[12:38] object a very profound

[12:40] teaching so what have we got so far let

[12:43] me summarize it this is what Krishna

[12:45] taught Arjuna you're not the body you're

[12:49] not the mind you're the witness

[12:51] Consciousness the knower of the field

[12:53] there's only one second this is first

[12:55] first teaching second teaching there's

[12:58] only one witness consciousness

[13:01] and that is what vanta calls God but you

[13:04] and God are the same reality that one

[13:05] witness Consciousness and the entire

[13:07] universe is Noni that one witness

[13:10] Consciousness projects itself as its own

[13:13] object in krishna's language it is the

[13:17] knower of the field who appears as the

[13:19] field he has not said that anywhere

[13:21] later on he'll talk about it but it's a

[13:23] knower of the field who appears as the

[13:25] field and then knows it a good way of

[13:27] understanding this sounds very

[13:28] complicated what we we experience it

[13:30] every day you know when

[13:33] dreams everything that you know in the

[13:35] dream is the field but when you wake up

[13:37] and say everything I knew everybody I

[13:38] knew everything that happened in the

[13:39] dream was I the dreamer my mind alone it

[13:42] appeared as the dream so none of it is

[13:45] different from me it can't survive

[13:46] without me I can survive without the

[13:49] dream the dream cannot survive without

[13:51] me universe is entirely dependent for

[13:55] its existence and

[13:57] illumination I'm translating from

[13:59] Sanskrit

[14:01] sat or sat prasha for its existence and

[14:05] for its illumination just as every

[14:06] entity in the dream is dependent on you

[14:09] the dreamer for its existence so-called

[14:13] existence and for its illumination

[14:15] illumination means experienceability on

[14:17] you similarly the claim by Krishna is

[14:21] right here in this waking word seems to

[14:22] be so real and different from you it's

[14:24] not different from you you are the one

[14:27] Consciousness in all beings and this

[14:28] entire thing you are experiencing the

[14:31] object is your own

[14:33] projection vianda put it that this way

[14:36] the self alone is all that exists and

[14:38] all that exists is a projection of the

[14:42] self this one self in all beings is what

[14:44] Vidant calls

[14:48] God okay this is what Krishna said now

[14:53] uh Shankar aara starts his

[14:55] commentary um he says this is really

[14:58] knowledge the truth about the world and

[15:01] the individual and God the

[15:03] triangle J jagat isar jagat Universe J

[15:07] you and God the god of religion that's

[15:12] where religion stops that world is there

[15:15] nobody denies it you are there you can't

[15:18] deny yourself the dean Kito or gum the

[15:21] one thing that cannot be denied is I

[15:22] exist and on top of that religion adds

[15:25] that there is a God so these three vant

[15:30] goes further it says it doesn't deny God

[15:35] what it says is God world and you are

[15:38] ultimately one reality there is a ground

[15:41] the ground of God and the ground of the

[15:44] world and the ground of yourself are one

[15:45] and the same ground I'm paraphrasing

[15:48] Master eart the German Mystic who said

[15:52] the ground of my soul the ground of God

[15:54] and the ground of my soul are the one

[15:55] and the same ground ground means the

[15:58] reality found foundational

[16:04] reality the moment I said foundational

[16:06] reality I can visualize my madhyamaka

[16:10] teachers raising an eyebrow two both

[16:13] eyebrows nagarjuna they're anti-

[16:16] foundationalist there's no founding

[16:17] reality according to them anyway that's

[16:19] a different subject now the opponent

[16:23] comes up with immediately it says that

[16:27] um four questions we have done all this

[16:30] I'm just Rec recapitulating four

[16:32] questions one is that if you are saying

[16:34] God and the individual are the same

[16:36] reality Krishna said

[16:38] that know the the knower of the field in

[16:41] all the fields to be me that means all

[16:43] the sentient beings in all these bodies

[16:45] are none other than God but if you're

[16:48] equating god with sentient beings Jas

[16:51] then what happens it says that then

[16:54] ishar God becomes a

[16:57] j okay so what's wrong with that

[17:00] everything is wrong with it because the

[17:01] whole idea of God is God is beyond our

[17:03] imperfections God is not a mere mortal

[17:05] creature like us you're reducing pulling

[17:07] down God to not God or the other way

[17:10] around you're saying there is no ja at

[17:12] all because the Jas are none other than

[17:14] God all sentian beings are God you're

[17:17] saying and what will what that happen

[17:20] What will lead to what what will be the

[17:21] consequence

[17:23] samsar there will not be any samsara

[17:27] anymore if you all God if you are God

[17:30] where is samsara for you free of samsara

[17:33] that's good isn't it we want to be free

[17:34] of samsara first of all just by saying

[17:36] it one doesn't because there's obvious

[17:38] fact that we have samsara how can you

[17:41] say if I am God then I shouldn't have

[17:42] Sam I shouldn't have troubles I

[17:44] shouldn't be born I shouldn't die I

[17:45] shouldn't suffer clearly I do I am born

[17:48] and I suffer and I die so I can't be God

[17:53] but you saying that there are no Jas

[17:55] there only God exists or all Jas are one

[17:58] with God

[18:01] then the third problem will be

[18:04] shast all the scriptures become

[18:07] meaningless then if you are God if the

[18:09] sentient being is God why teach religion

[18:11] to God what's the point of religion if

[18:14] the whole idea of vant or all other

[18:16] Hindu Buddhist Jin philosophies are to

[18:19] free you from the cycle of birth and

[18:21] death well obviously that means there is

[18:23] somebody going through the cycle of

[18:24] birth and death there is some j a

[18:26] sentient being who's suffering but

[18:28] you're denying it

[18:30] it's meaningless religion becomes

[18:31] meaningless then then the final

[18:37] objection perception inference all of

[18:40] those we are seeing a

[18:42] world in the words of immortal words of

[18:46] our president come on

[18:48] man we are seeing a world how can you

[18:52] say there's no

[18:53] world how can you say there's no word we

[18:57] seeing it you infer we in by inference

[19:01] by by perception the world is proved you

[19:04] cannot deny that there is a

[19:06] world so these are the four objections

[19:09] ishwara will become the S ja or ja will

[19:11] become ishwara there will be no samsara

[19:14] the shastras religion becomes

[19:16] meaningless and um perception our direct

[19:20] experience of the world exists and

[19:22] Shankar's answer to all of this was

[19:29] all of this becomes reasonable that you

[19:32] are Brahman the world is in appearance

[19:34] becomes reasonable when you understand

[19:35] the difference between knowledge and

[19:38] ignorance between knowledge and

[19:40] everything will make

[19:42] sense how

[19:45] so the difference between God and the

[19:48] individual the existence of the world

[19:50] all of this in the state of ignorance it

[19:53] is

[19:54] admitted when you realize the truth that

[19:57] you are Brahman then only that there is

[19:59] only one underlying reality that that is

[20:01] becomes clear otherwise not and

[20:04] therefore the relevance of the

[20:09] scriptures as long as we do not realize

[20:12] we are Brahman we don't realize this

[20:13] this Oneness this nonduality samsara

[20:16] exists for us we are suffering through

[20:18] that's why we feel we are suffering

[20:19] through samsara and as long as we feel

[20:21] we suffering through samsara we do not

[20:22] know the timate reality then all the

[20:24] teachings of vant become relevant for us

[20:30] all right now he gives shankaracharya

[20:33] proceeds to give several uh quotations

[20:36] from the Ops in support of the fact that

[20:38] knowledge reveals the reality which is

[20:40] already pre-existing you are Brahman

[20:42] that is revealed by knowledge and

[20:44] ignorance hides the reality makes you

[20:46] feel like individual separated U

[20:48] individual beings sentient beings and

[20:51] causes samsara and in the open many

[20:54] times again and again you find

[20:55] quotations to support the fact that

[20:58] knowledge is raised knowledge leads to

[21:00] Liberation and takes you beyond

[21:02] suffering ignorance is condemned

[21:04] ignorance leads us to see difference and

[21:07] plunges us into into samsara into birth

[21:09] and death into uh this ceaseless pursuit

[21:13] of satisfying our desires which never

[21:15] succeeds and drives us from Lifetime to

[21:19] Lifetime via's words thine only is the

[21:22] hand that holds the rope that drags thee

[21:25] on so it gives number of examples there

[21:29] number of quotations from the upanishads

[21:32] from the gaita then he gives an argument

[21:35] if you remember it says it is also seen

[21:38] common sense in day-to-day life people

[21:40] who know the existence of an open well

[21:42] or the snake there or of Kusha grass

[21:46] sharp grass those who know of it they

[21:48] avoid these dangers but those who do

[21:51] those who are ignorant they fall into

[21:53] the well or they're bitten by the snake

[21:54] or they cut their hands on the fingers

[21:56] on the grass so therefore what's the

[21:58] point the point is look at the unique

[22:01] power of knowledge knowledge delivers

[22:04] you from suffering knowledge saves you

[22:06] from suffering knowledge leads you to

[22:09] your gives you knowledge of your of your

[22:13] Limitless self and attains fulfill you

[22:15] attain fulfillment overcome suffering

[22:17] through knowledge through ignorance we

[22:21] Veil as it were our real nature and we

[22:23] are plunged into

[22:25] suffering then what

[22:27] happens the question AR Iz is how does

[22:31] this work so if I'm Brahman if I'm

[22:33] Limitless existence Consciousness pleas

[22:35] why do I feel this

[22:38] way then Shankar AAR gives the example

[22:40] of stanu purusha a tree

[22:43] stump those who have remember last class

[22:46] you will recall a tree stump in the

[22:48] distance this is a classic example in

[22:50] Sanskrit literature a tree stump in the

[22:52] distance in the Horizon in sort of dim

[22:55] light from distance looks like a man

[22:58] standing there imagine a tree stump with

[23:01] two branches and twigs looks like two

[23:04] hands in the

[23:06] distance so stanu means unmoving a tree

[23:10] stump or something is mistaken for

[23:12] purusha purusha means a human being now

[23:14] what happens there because of our

[23:17] inability to distinguish to because we

[23:20] do not know first of all it's a tree

[23:22] stump and then we make a mistake

[23:24] thinking it's a human

[23:26] being what do we do because of our

[23:29] inability to know what it is that it's a

[23:31] tree stump inability to distinguish

[23:33] between a human being and a tree stump

[23:36] we superimposed this is Sanskrit word

[23:40] Phil very important philosophical word

[23:42] in vant called adasa superimposition we

[23:46] superimpose which means we make a

[23:49] mistake the qualities of the tree stump

[23:52] on the human being and the qualities of

[23:53] a human being on the tree stem what are

[23:55] the qualities of a human being of having

[23:57] feet and hands and so and so forth you

[23:59] know like this this is nice person or my

[24:02] friend you know the metaphor goes on

[24:05] further that there the cops see a robber

[24:08] there or the robber robber the thief is

[24:09] scared of cops so they see a policeman

[24:12] there oh there's a policeman I can see

[24:13] his hands you know with the hands raised

[24:15] and so on and you are attributing the

[24:18] qualities the characteristics of a human

[24:21] being on a tree stump

[24:24] mistakenly and the other way around you

[24:26] are attributing a tree stum

[24:28] characteristics to a human being what's

[24:30] the tree terms characteristic of

[24:31] literally stanu means unmoving

[24:33] stationary human being is not stationary

[24:35] you're attributing it to the that

[24:36] imaginary human being whom we seeing

[24:38] there so this Mutual mixing up of

[24:42] qualities What's Happening Here is the

[24:45] principle

[24:48] is the object and the subject are

[24:51] different as Krishna said the field and

[24:53] the no of the field are different

[24:56] therefore and this an important

[24:57] therefore the quality qualities of the

[25:00] of the field remain in the field they do

[25:03] not belong to the no of the field and

[25:06] the qualities of the noer of the field

[25:07] remain in the no of the field they do

[25:09] not belong to the

[25:12] field sounds pretty abstract what do you

[25:14] mean it's something very useful for us I

[25:17] mentioned it earlier as one sadu who

[25:23] said what is vant what practical

[25:26] application of vant whatever belongs to

[25:28] keep keep things in their

[25:30] place what are the characteristics of

[25:32] the body it ages let it stay in the body

[25:36] I don't

[25:38] age what is the characteristics of the

[25:40] body it gets

[25:42] sick sickness is in the body fine it's I

[25:45] don't get sick what are we doing body

[25:48] ages and I say I am going older the body

[25:52] become sick I am

[25:55] sick no if you first first of all

[25:59] distinguish yourself from the body and

[26:02] then distinguish yourself remove the

[26:04] qualities of the body which was

[26:05] superimposed upon yourself put it in the

[26:07] body it's like what we have done you

[26:09] know we have Lo looked at the table the

[26:14] table is brown and it's very clear the

[26:17] brown color belongs to the table it

[26:19] doesn't belong to me because I'm not a

[26:21] table but suppose I were to mix myself

[26:23] somehow I thought I was a table then I

[26:25] am a table and therefore I'm brown or I

[26:27] am a um a flower therefore I pink no

[26:32] you're not a flower first and the

[26:34] pinkness belongs to the

[26:37] flower I can show you in fact who did

[26:41] put this cup of water did me a favor

[26:43] actually I'll use a

[26:48] demonstration so water is transparent

[26:51] you see right the moment I put this

[26:55] behind the water does it look a little

[26:57] white

[26:59] now the whiteness belongs to the

[27:01] cup not to the transparent water but the

[27:04] moment I bring the cup near the water it

[27:06] seems to transfer its quality of

[27:08] whiteness into the water if I were to

[27:11] bring it near the pink flower you will

[27:13] see it seems to transfer the quality of

[27:16] being pink the water begins to appear

[27:18] pink does it let me see oh yes it does

[27:23] special

[27:24] effects it appears pink and now you see

[27:26] It'll appear green

[27:30] yes it appears green but the water is

[27:32] colorless now what vant this is called

[27:35] upadhi up is a term which is what it

[27:39] means in Sanskrit I'll tell you and

[27:47] translate which in

[27:50] proximity it appears to transfer its

[27:53] qualities onto the other entity the cup

[27:56] in proximity to the trans

[27:59] glass of water appears to transfer its

[28:01] white quality white color to the

[28:04] water the flower aadii in proximity to

[28:08] the transparent water appears to

[28:10] transmit its pink color into the water

[28:13] the important thing to notice is even

[28:15] while it looks white the water is not

[28:18] white even while it looks pink the water

[28:21] is not

[28:22] pink it's because of this Mutual

[28:25] transference of qualities

[28:30] how would you so what is this relevance

[28:32] to

[28:33] vant what is happening is

[28:36] this we as pure Limitless awareness in

[28:41] US arises this body

[28:44] mind because of

[28:46] proximity this body mind transfers its

[28:49] quality as it were into me the pure

[28:52] untouched Sky of

[28:56] Consciousness I am not young or old

[28:59] but the body is definitely young or old

[29:02] so I feel I'm young or I'm

[29:05] old I am Consciousness Limitless

[29:08] Consciousness cannot be skinny or obese

[29:11] the body can be obese I am obese what

[29:14] happened

[29:15] transfer and did it really transfer no

[29:18] did the water become white or did the

[29:20] water become pink no even while it

[29:23] looked pink even while I think I am old

[29:26] or young or skinny or obese it's the

[29:28] body put the things back into the body

[29:31] put the pink color back into the flower

[29:33] put the white color back into the cup

[29:36] put it means understand it's in the cup

[29:39] even when when the water looks white or

[29:41] pink similarly even when you feel old or

[29:43] young you feel happy or sad

[29:47] Suk or

[29:50] deluded it's so subtle these

[29:52] applications I have understood vant

[29:55] mahaj but when I go into the world world

[29:59] the fact that I'm witness Consciousness

[30:01] slips away and I feel very entangled

[30:03] with the world what's happening the

[30:05] world and the body and the mind and

[30:08] people and the reactions in the mind

[30:10] they're all like the pink of the flower

[30:12] in the flower they're all in the mind

[30:14] but because they're appearing in you the

[30:16] colorless Consciousness the absolutely

[30:18] transparent spacious skylike

[30:20] Consciousness which you are they're

[30:22] appearing there they seem to be

[30:24] colored by unhappiness restlessness

[30:29] anxiety fear they all are like the pink

[30:33] color or the white color or the green

[30:35] color they belong to the aadii to the

[30:37] mind not to

[30:39] you so this transference is happening

[30:42] just like the stump and the person stanu

[30:46] purusha okay then next what happens the

[30:49] opponent comes and says no it won't work

[30:53] nice try shankara but you're making a

[30:57] you're pulling a fast one on us what's

[30:59] the

[31:00] problem

[31:02] the

[31:04] um opponent says some quoting from the

[31:08] commentary who's the opponent it can be

[31:11] any one of a whole range of

[31:12] philosophical schools sometimes they are

[31:15] materialists sometimes they are

[31:16] Buddhists sometimes they are the ni

[31:18] logicians sometimes they are dualists

[31:20] qualified monist many

[31:26] schools no

[31:28] what you just explained is not correct

[31:32] why this examples you're using they

[31:34] don't work they don't work why not all

[31:38] these so many examples you brought out

[31:40] they they're wrong just hold it there we

[31:43] I'm not going to let give you an easy

[31:45] pass on this why are they

[31:47] wrong OPP this is not shankara this is

[31:51] not the nist this is the opponent saying

[31:53] opponent says

[32:08] says look when you

[32:11] said the stump tree stump and the human

[32:14] being this glass cup of water and the

[32:17] white color of the cup the cup and the

[32:21] glass of the cup of this water and the

[32:24] cup they are objects both of

[32:26] them huh

[32:30] they are not like body mind and

[32:31] Consciousness body mind you said are the

[32:34] field they objects and Consciousness is

[32:36] the nor of the field you said Krishna

[32:38] said

[32:40] himself two objects both belonging to

[32:43] the field you can mix them up they're

[32:45] getting mixed up and the flower and the

[32:49] cup of water the flower is an object it

[32:51] belongs to the field that's a good one

[32:53] flowers belong to the field

[32:55] yes but that that mean object an object

[32:57] of awareness aess the cup of water is

[33:00] also an object of awareness two objects

[33:02] are getting mixed up and their qualities

[33:04] are getting mixed up but here you're

[33:06] pulling a fast one on a Shanker I I

[33:08] won't let you do that here you are

[33:11] saying objects like Body Mind are

[33:13] getting mixed up with the subject you

[33:16] are using the field body mind is getting

[33:19] mixed up with the knower of the field

[33:20] these two examples are not the example

[33:22] and what you're trying to show by the

[33:24] example are not the same

[33:26] case not the same case is you you must

[33:30] understand the force of the

[33:32] objection you are saying the field is

[33:35] being superimposed on the no of the

[33:37] field the characteristics of the field

[33:38] are being superimposed on the nor of the

[33:40] field but the examples you're giving are

[33:43] both they all belong to the field

[33:44] they're all objects water is an object

[33:46] cup is an object the tree stump and the

[33:48] human being they're both objects to

[33:50] there they're getting mixed up but

[33:52] you're not talking saying that things

[33:53] there are getting superimposed on me the

[33:55] witness Consciousness these two are

[33:57] strictly separate cases because Krishna

[34:00] just said they are separate they're

[34:02] field and no of the

[34:04] field your examples don't work this is

[34:07] what the objection

[34:09] is yes makes sense you you that that's

[34:13] the beauty of it these commentaries you

[34:15] if you listen carefully to the

[34:17] objections each time if you if you

[34:18] really uh understand the objection you

[34:20] feel right nism is wrong this is clearly

[34:23] a very then you really enjoy Shankar's

[34:26] response what is Shankar's response

[34:29] response he

[34:31] says um so first of all what's your

[34:34] proposal then the opponent's proposal

[34:36] what what is the opponent trying to

[34:42] say he says so though the

[34:47] characteristics of the body they

[34:49] characteristics of the body but they

[34:51] still belong to the

[34:54] self it's not like white color and

[34:57] transparent water color of the cup is

[35:00] the Cup's color white color is the Cup's

[35:02] color it remains in the cup and the

[35:05] water is transparent but that will not

[35:07] work for the body and Consciousness yes

[35:10] old age disease unhappiness misery

[35:14] happiness these are characteristics of

[35:16] the

[35:17] field but they belong to the knower of

[35:20] the field they belong to the knower of

[35:22] the

[35:25] field this is the proposal of the

[35:29] opponent if you look little more deeply

[35:32] it's a reasonable proposal because after

[35:34] all then what can belong to the no of

[35:36] the field because everything else is the

[35:37] field and what do you mean anything

[35:40] belongs to me this is what it what

[35:42] belonging means something is there in

[35:44] the field and this belongs to me that's

[35:45] what it means so that's what he's saying

[35:48] yes the body is there it's the field the

[35:50] body gets old so I am getting old it's

[35:52] reasonable to say that uh there is

[35:55] unhappiness in the mind yes I understand

[35:57] Krishna said mind is the field uh but

[36:00] unhappiness in the mind belongs to me

[36:02] the knower of the field I am

[36:04] unhappy this is the The Proposal

[36:08] Shankar's

[36:11] response

[36:14] nope because of the contingency of

[36:17] insensi what does it mean it says all

[36:22] right so if it belongs to me something

[36:24] in the field belongs to me the field no

[36:26] that's what you're saying what is the

[36:28] field the mind is the field and what is

[36:31] there in the field unhappiness now

[36:33] you're saying unhappiness belongs to me

[36:34] I am unhappy that's what you're saying

[36:36] opponent says yes it's obvious we all

[36:39] experience it then Shankar says but the

[36:42] field has other characteristics field is

[36:45] insentient it's not conscious it's an

[36:48] object right it's an object it has no

[36:51] consciousness I am

[36:53] conscious then that insensi ency of the

[36:56] field that inertness of the field

[36:58] of the field will also belong to me I

[37:00] will become not

[37:04] conscious but we all are conscious

[37:08] obviously the fact that we are knower

[37:10] that means we are conscious we are the

[37:14] experiencer do you see the argument

[37:16] you're saying some things of the field

[37:17] belong to me why not the other things

[37:20] the field is not conscious mind is not

[37:22] conscious an object then that not the

[37:25] non-c Consciousness insensi the the J in

[37:28] Sanskrit it should belong to me the mind

[37:30] is ever changing the everchanging nature

[37:33] of the mind that should also belong to

[37:35] me then I should be Ever

[37:38] Changing mind is arising thoughts in the

[37:40] mind and feelings are arising and

[37:42] disappearing so I should also arise and

[37:43] disappear but that's not

[37:46] happening so your logic doesn't

[37:52] work

[37:54] noer so the I should become the noner

[37:57] then because the

[37:58] um see a thought in the mind is not a

[38:00] knower I know the thought if I think

[38:02] ABCD I am aware of ABCD is ABCD aware of

[38:06] me Ser no is ABCD aware of another

[38:09] thought efgh no is ABCD aware of itself

[38:13] that I am ABCD no it's just a thought

[38:16] it's like mental chatter I am the knower

[38:19] now if the characteristics of the known

[38:21] of ABCD should belong to me it's not a

[38:23] knower then I should also not be become

[38:25] a not knower I should become

[38:26] non-conscious right doesn't

[38:29] happen so it says that's a first

[38:32] objection powerful objection then the

[38:35] character a non-c Consciousness

[38:37] insentience should also come to me but

[38:39] is not

[38:40] coming then he goes on further

[39:02] this is a chess move what does it

[39:04] mean he says so you are

[39:08] saying that is the thrust of the

[39:10] opponent that so when unhappiness comes

[39:13] in the mind it's reasonable to say I am

[39:15] unhappy don't say it's said property of

[39:17] the mind and the unhappiness is in the

[39:19] mind that's what the vtin wants to say

[39:21] no no I am unhappy unhappiness has

[39:23] coming du Suka happiness has come in the

[39:26] mind so I am happy

[39:28] then Shankar's reply is ah but you and

[39:32] these logicians and others they're also

[39:35] religious

[39:36] people don't you believe that there is

[39:38] samsara yes of course that's what we're

[39:40] trying to deny you are the one who's

[39:42] upsetting the Apple card so there

[39:44] samsara and you are religious people

[39:45] you're trying to get MOA Liberation from

[39:47] samsara so there are multiple lifetimes

[39:50] you're going around birth and death yes

[39:52] that's what we say that's the

[39:54] story in that case if you're born and

[39:56] you're dying then you can't the

[39:58] body birth and death belong to the body

[40:01] not to you and body is born and body is

[40:04] dying but and you all all of these

[40:07] opponents they're all religious people

[40:09] whether the Buddhists or Nas whoever

[40:11] they admit that there is samsara they

[40:12] admit that we take up bodies bodies die

[40:14] then with the soul goes on to another

[40:16] life and then takes another body in that

[40:19] case old age disease death belong to the

[40:23] body not to the soul you all admit

[40:26] it so so some properties belong to the

[40:31] field not to the nor of the field and

[40:34] you're saying some properties of the

[40:36] field belong to the no of the

[40:40] field tell me

[40:43] why tell me why old age of the body does

[40:47] belongs to the body and not to the soul

[40:49] soul does not get old disease and death

[40:52] belong to the body and not to the soul

[40:54] soul does not get covid Soul does not

[40:56] die all of you all religion say soul is

[40:59] Immortal the dualist they say soul is

[41:01] Immortal good I agree with you but then

[41:03] you are saying misery and sorrow and

[41:06] unhappiness and delusion belong to the

[41:08] soul

[41:10] why they're also part of the field

[41:13] according to the definition anything

[41:14] known is part of the

[41:16] field you're making a distinction give

[41:18] me the reason for this

[41:21] distinction they have

[41:23] none

[41:25] so he says

[41:28] but I can give you a reason that they do

[41:32] not belong to the to the soul to the at

[41:36] to

[41:38] Consciousness there is reasoning which

[41:39] will prove that the characteristics of

[41:42] the field do not belong to the know of

[41:44] the field it's same logic that we have

[41:45] seen so

[41:50] far he says because they are

[41:53] superimposed on the knower of the field

[41:56] on consciousness because of ignorance

[41:59] they're superimposed did I do not see

[42:01] the distinction between myself and the

[42:03] body therefore the characteristics of

[42:05] the body I take upon myself body gets

[42:08] old I feel I'm getting old I do not see

[42:10] the because of my ignorance I do not see

[42:12] the distinction between me me the

[42:14] Consciousness and the mind therefore the

[42:17] sorrow in the mind I take upon myself by

[42:20] mistake by this

[42:23] aadii and then he is mischievous just

[42:27] like old age and death which you all

[42:29] agree people say I'm getting old I'm

[42:32] going to die and you all say that's an

[42:34] error you all say that right you means

[42:35] you dualists you see actually yeah you

[42:37] don't you don't die you you will go on

[42:39] to another life you all agree to with

[42:41] that yes that's what I'm saying just go

[42:44] one step further and say even sorrow and

[42:47] unhappiness and anxiety and fear and

[42:50] Pleasure and Pain all of them belong to

[42:52] the mind not to you the witness

[42:54] Consciousness not to the knower of the

[42:56] field they belong to the field

[42:58] moment you distinguish subject and

[43:00] object knower and the knower of the

[43:02] field Consciousness and and objects then

[43:05] the properties of object should stay

[43:07] with the objects thoroughly purge

[43:10] yourself the witness of the properties

[43:11] of objects it's a

[43:16] mistake

[43:18] then what is the result of this kind of

[43:24] analysis I'm skipping a little bit here

[43:26] and there if anybody's following the

[43:27] actual commentary a little bit here and

[43:29] there I'm

[43:30] skipping this being the

[43:41] case he says then all of

[43:46] samsar which is characterized by agency

[43:51] and experiencers

[43:54] ship doership I do

[43:58] Karma how does that happen it's because

[44:00] I think I am the body I am the mind I am

[44:04] the thinker of thoughts I am the speaker

[44:06] of words I am the doer of acts so I am

[44:09] the one who's doing K this is called K

[44:12] doer but actually pure Consciousness

[44:14] does not do anything it's the witness of

[44:17] everything is the sky stormy no is the

[44:22] sky windy no it's

[44:25] atmosphere but the sky gives space for

[44:27] the atmosphere to be stormy or

[44:29] windy sky is not affected thereby at all

[44:32] you the Consciousness you enable the

[44:34] mind and the body to come up and do its

[44:36] thing but they all belong to the mind

[44:38] and body not to you ever so he says this

[44:42] Sam they belong to the field not to you

[44:46] the knower of the field samsara is part

[44:48] of the field not to you the knower of

[44:51] the

[44:54] field they are superimposed as if as if

[44:56] they are appearing in you just like

[44:58] white color appears in the transparent

[45:00] water pink color appears in the

[45:02] transparent water water is not white or

[45:05] pink feelings emotions experiences

[45:09] Memories the sense of doership and the

[45:12] sense of enjoyers ship or I'll Co the

[45:14] word sufferers

[45:16] ship I enjoy or suffer enjoy the results

[45:20] of Good Karma and suffer the results of

[45:22] Bad Karma no you do

[45:24] not because of you the Luminous

[45:27] awareness there seems to be an imposed

[45:30] enjoyer ship upon you or imposed

[45:32] sufferers ship upon you but in neither

[45:35] case you're like water is not pink or

[45:38] white you are not enjoying or you're not

[45:41] suffering you are enabling the enjoying

[45:43] to happen you're enabling the suffering

[45:45] to happen because of your

[45:50] presence even more

[45:55] plain nothing of you is ever harmed or

[45:58] polluted or distorted or broken because

[46:01] of samsara you means consciousness nowh

[46:03] of the

[46:11] field just as

[46:14] children unthinking ignorant they they

[46:18] superimpose surface or dirt to the sky

[46:22] so child looking up at the bright blue

[46:25] sky will think it's like an inverted V

[46:27] fast inverted Bowl it sees a surface

[46:29] there's no surface

[46:31] there or it sees the sky become dirty

[46:35] sometimes kids say that the sky become

[46:36] dirty Sky doesn't become dirty just

[46:39] looks like that maybe because of dust or

[46:41] you know clouds or mist or something it

[46:44] doesn't it doesn't become dirty it's

[46:46] superimposed because of the presence of

[46:48] the Dust because of the presence of mist

[46:51] the child thinks the sky has become

[46:52] dirty similarly because of the presence

[46:55] of samsara we think we we are suffering

[46:58] we are going to hell we are going to are

[47:01] enjoying we are going to heaven or we

[47:03] are enjoying we doing really great in

[47:05] this world story time I've told this

[47:08] earlier but it's an appropriate time to

[47:09] tell the story so there was a great Sage

[47:14] Shuka it's one of those ponic stories

[47:17] but it shows the the result of this

[47:21] knowledge once he comes to the great God

[47:24] Shiva mahadeva and comes and you know

[47:27] he's very casual doesn't bow down that

[47:29] respect you have to give to Shiva he

[47:31] starts chatting with Shiva Shiva also

[47:33] chats with him now Parvati the Great

[47:35] Goddess we just came out of navaratri so

[47:38] she uh becomes annoyed after the sage

[47:41] has left she tells Shiva that boy needs

[47:44] to learn

[47:46] manners he's become hotty like a camel

[47:49] walks around with his nose high in the

[47:53] air then Shiva of course knows that he

[47:57] he's innocent so no he should show you

[48:01] proper respect you are the god of the

[48:03] universe I'll teach him

[48:06] respect so she goes to the sage Shuka

[48:10] and says be thou a camel the Divine

[48:14] mother is in charge of the universe

[48:15] whatever she wants names and

[48:18] forms what is Shiva existence

[48:21] awareness and everything in else in this

[48:23] universe all names and forms and

[48:25] activities is the Divine mother shaki so

[48:27] she says you give up this Sage name and

[48:30] form and you become a camel and

[48:32] immediately was transformed into a

[48:34] camel then she happily went back to her

[48:37] Divine aboard after some time she's the

[48:39] mother you know so she felt bad and she

[48:41] was saying saying to Shiva I wonder how

[48:43] that boy is doing I mean he must be

[48:45] suffering he was such a great Sage now

[48:47] he's a camel

[48:49] um Shea said sh knew that after some

[48:52] time her annoyance will go away after

[48:54] all she has a tender heart so she says

[48:56] why don't you go and take a look so she

[48:58] goes and she says she sees this camel

[49:01] chewing on tny bushes and says well how

[49:05] are things going with you and camel can

[49:07] of course speak in perfect Sanskrit so

[49:10] the camel the sage who was the camel

[49:13] replied ah um uh wonderful you know I

[49:17] suddenly became a camel I do not know

[49:19] why but uh things are really good now

[49:22] what do you mean things are really good

[49:24] well when I was a sage you know I had

[49:26] all these silly brahmacharis to teach

[49:29] the I had to teach them vanta now I

[49:32] don't have to teach anybody I'm so free

[49:34] and I go wherever I like I eat whatever

[49:37] I like I don't have to follow the rules

[49:39] of the you know the the monastery and

[49:41] the asham I'm I'm Carefree now the

[49:45] original Hindi version which I

[49:47] heard was much more crude he said

[49:50] basically it said I pee wherever I

[49:54] like the Divine mother said oh this was

[49:57] not the intended

[50:00] result and in exasperation she said okay

[50:02] be a sage again and so he immediately

[50:04] became a s they strugg okay

[50:08] now the names and

[50:11] forms camel name and form or a human

[50:14] name and form none of them have any

[50:17] impact on the one who knows I am

[50:19] limitless

[50:20] awareness just a story to show that

[50:24] so um not a slightest bit will you be

[50:28] affected by the change of you the

[50:30] Consciousness the knower of the field

[50:32] changes in the field do not affect the

[50:34] noer of the field this is the point

[50:37] Shankar aara uses this again and again

[50:39] he has said in another place he goes on

[50:41] to say that um um all the water in a

[50:46] mirage cannot wet a single grain of sand

[50:50] of the desert in the desert there's a

[50:52] mirage it looks like water where there's

[50:54] no water now all the water in that looks

[50:56] like a an oasis shining with water

[50:59] glittering with water but if you go

[51:01] there there's not even a single drop of

[51:03] water there one grain of sand of that

[51:05] desert will not be wetted by the water

[51:07] so all the sufferings of the world all

[51:11] the ups and downs of Life leave you

[51:14] completely

[51:15] unscathed remember they will not stop is

[51:19] not escapism when knowing this thing you

[51:21] will not be delivered from the results

[51:24] of past Karma they will keep on

[51:25] appearing as our life what we call our

[51:27] life but you'll be as Krishna says in

[51:30] the Bhagavad

[51:31] Gita attaining which nothing greater

[51:34] remains to be attained centered in which

[51:38] centered in which the greatest of

[51:40] Sorrows cannot shake

[51:50] you settled in which the heaviest of

[51:53] Sorrows cannot shake you that means

[51:55] Sorrows will come

[51:58] even in the lives of saints old age will

[52:00] come disease will come SRI ramak Krishna

[52:01] got cancer throat cancer but it cannot

[52:03] shake

[52:04] you once Swami turian in his old many

[52:08] diseases were there in the body in

[52:09] Banaras in the shasham there somebody

[52:12] asked him that about his suffering and

[52:14] he says why do you see in Bengali he

[52:16] said B Rog Jala the burning and the

[52:19] disease externally why do you see the

[52:23] external burning in the disease

[52:27] do you not see you do not see internally

[52:29] I am all it's like ice inside it's like

[52:32] ice

[52:34] inside you become like ice inside means

[52:36] you're completely Untouched by the

[52:42] external I mentioned few days back in

[52:45] some context Swami

[52:47] shivananda he was President second

[52:49] president of our order afflicted by

[52:51] asthma asmatic attack and the whole

[52:53] night he had suffered next in the

[52:55] morning was very calm and then people

[52:57] asked him what happened the other monks

[52:59] in the morning they came and the old

[53:00] Swami said at night it felt my breath

[53:03] was going away I couldn't breathe

[53:05] everything seemed stopped I couldn't had

[53:06] no Comfort lying down or sitting up you

[53:09] know asthmatic patients you make them

[53:10] sit up with support with the pillow

[53:12] nothing was giving me Comfort so finally

[53:14] I despaired of life itself so I sat in

[53:16] meditation here up to that point any

[53:18] asmatic patient will agree the next part

[53:21] of it is different he says I sat in

[53:23] meditation and plunged into the

[53:25] Stillness within and and slowly the

[53:27] external world and the body and its

[53:29] suffering disappeared when I came back

[53:32] to this awareness of the external World

[53:33] The Suffering of the body had gone down

[53:35] a lot you know if we step back you you

[53:38] see the body and its suffering flower

[53:41] and its pinkness they belong together

[53:43] the body and suffering belong together I

[53:44] am fine one interesting consequence is

[53:47] the suffering also goes down after some

[53:49] time it's

[53:51] interesting so then somebody a monk

[53:54] asked him what is that you meditated

[53:55] where did you become still he said says

[53:57] that's the

[53:59] atan so he says here not the least bit

[54:03] you the knower will be affected by the

[54:05] if you're not the the field the

[54:07] characteristics of the field the

[54:08] sufferings which are in the field will

[54:09] not affect you the knower of the field

[54:11] even when they are

[54:15] appearing you're almost out of time I'll

[54:18] make see this goes on and on like this

[54:20] one more little argument and then I'll

[54:22] stop and we'll take a couple of

[54:24] questions an important question comes up

[54:26] next

[54:27] the opponent okay two more things the

[54:30] opponent says okay I get the point but

[54:32] still your examples are

[54:35] bad they are objects they belong to the

[54:39] field so remember what was what was his

[54:42] original object objection you are

[54:44] confusing one thing which is the field

[54:46] with another thing which is in the field

[54:47] two objects you're confusing but now you

[54:49] are using that example to say the

[54:51] confusion between the object and the

[54:52] subject so that example does not apply

[54:54] here even though I see your logic what

[54:56] you want to show then Shankar aara says

[54:58] let's see two points here first of all

[55:01] the example is only meant the only point

[55:03] of the example is to show the effect of

[55:05] ignorance and

[55:08] superimposition just as not knowing the

[55:10] difference between the pink flower and

[55:12] the the transparent water from a

[55:14] distance you might be fooled into

[55:16] thinking the water has become pink

[55:18] because you of ignorance and the

[55:19] transference apparent transference of

[55:21] the pink color of the flower into the

[55:23] transparent water like that all I'm

[55:26] trying to to say here is here also

[55:28] there's ignorance about our real nature

[55:29] as Limitless Consciousness and an

[55:31] apparent transfer of the qualities of uh

[55:35] the body mind into

[55:37] Consciousness that's all so I'm not

[55:40] bringing in object subject all those

[55:42] things I'm bringing I'm not bringing it

[55:44] here now you might say the opponent

[55:47] waving his no but still but still it's

[55:50] still not a good example then Shankar

[55:52] aara really hits back he said but you do

[55:56] it all the

[55:57] time didn't you again he's pinning them

[56:00] down don't you all believe that you are

[56:03] really not the body mind not the body

[56:05] because the body dies old age and

[56:07] disease the death belong to the body and

[56:09] you go on from Lifetime to Lifetime you

[56:11] all believe that and yet you believe

[56:13] that people you see that people say I'm

[56:15] getting old and I'm going to die or I am

[56:17] sick and how do you explain that you do

[56:19] the same thing that the old age and

[56:21] sickness of the body you mistakenly

[56:23] taking upon yourself The Immortal Soul

[56:25] you're doing the same thing

[56:28] why fault me it's a principle of debate

[56:30] if I have a fault I can't accuse anybody

[56:32] else of the same fault so it's not a

[56:34] fault if both parties accepted

[56:37] fine now the opponent comes back with a

[56:41] I promise this is the last one I am

[56:42] having

[56:44] fun last argument though the I just

[56:48] wanted to create a taste for Shankar's

[56:50] commentary you can go further and look

[56:51] into it lot of wonderful things are

[56:53] there in this particular commentary next

[56:55] one is a deep one um argument AR the

[56:58] question the objection

[57:00] is okay let's take a step

[57:03] back you are saying this is all because

[57:06] of

[57:07] ignorance shankara says yes that's some

[57:10] suffering and you know trans apparent

[57:12] transfer of qualities upon yourself and

[57:15] samsara and all of this is because of

[57:17] ignorance and it will be solved by

[57:18] knowledge yes so you are saying that the

[57:22] self Atman pure Consciousness has

[57:25] ignorance

[57:28] at least that much if Shankar says has

[57:30] no ignorance then the whole argument

[57:32] falls apart and if he says it has

[57:34] ignorance then you have to attribute

[57:35] ignorance to the Atman the self Atman

[57:37] knower of the field has ignorance in

[57:40] that

[57:42] case wouldn't you agree and shankara

[57:45] says

[57:47] Nope but you just said it's all because

[57:50] of ignorance and shankara gives this

[57:52] arguments first of all

[57:54] visha ignorance is also known and the

[57:59] ignorance also belongs to the field

[58:01] after all where is ignorance it's in the

[58:02] mind not in pure

[58:05] Consciousness what do you mean ignorance

[58:07] is known everybody has this experience I

[58:10] do not know

[58:13] XYZ I do not know we all say I don't

[58:17] know that means you are you are aware of

[58:19] your own ignorance if you're aware of it

[58:21] you are not ignorant you are the

[58:22] Consciousness which is illumining the

[58:24] ignorance in the

[58:25] mind so ignorance is in the field not in

[58:28] the no of the field one point second

[58:33] um ignorance shankaracharya says is an

[58:36] ER is a is a defect to be

[58:40] corrected and the defect is always in an

[58:43] instrument so he gives the example of

[58:46] cataracts what does cataracts do in the

[58:48] eye the cataracts in the eye Shankar AAR

[58:51] says um aat it veils the world you see

[58:55] as if through a Mist into the world it's

[58:57] not very clear then you sometimes make

[59:00] actual

[59:01] mistakes you don't see things which are

[59:03] there you're making

[59:05] mistakes and these cataracts can be

[59:07] cleaned where are the cataracts cleaned

[59:09] from from you or from your eyes uh does

[59:13] the doctor come and start scraping

[59:15] Consciousness or the the Eye eyeballs

[59:18] the

[59:19] eyeballs the cataracts are clean from

[59:21] the eyes not from

[59:24] Consciousness so the instrument

[59:27] has to be cleansed so similarly

[59:29] ignorance is a defect

[59:31] do and the defect is always in the

[59:35] instrument ignorance is a defect defect

[59:37] is always an instrument and the defect

[59:39] can be cleansed by knowledge knowledge

[59:41] also comes in the

[59:44] mind it arises in the mind and removes

[59:47] the existing ignorance and then that

[59:49] also disappears Consciousness alone

[59:52] remains so so because it's do it's it's

[59:57] a it's a defect third

[1:00:01] an ignorance is not ultimately there the

[1:00:05] enlightened person will say in pure

[1:00:07] Consciousness Brahman Atman there is no

[1:00:10] ignorance ignorance is not there

[1:00:12] therefore it was never there in the self

[1:00:16] it was there in one of the projections

[1:00:17] of the self which is mind some it was

[1:00:20] there but not in the self

[1:00:22] itself and the self is aanga just like

[1:00:27] clouds may appear in the Sky Dust may

[1:00:29] appear in the sky space is not touched

[1:00:32] by

[1:00:33] clouds

[1:00:35] so you know if if you go through a cloud

[1:00:38] you'll feel clammmy and I don't know if

[1:00:40] you had experienced this I experienced

[1:00:42] it's surprising first time in India

[1:00:45] there's places like diling which is a

[1:00:47] hill station I still remember my

[1:00:49] surprise as little kid when I opened the

[1:00:52] window uh and a cloud entered through

[1:00:54] the window

[1:00:56] and it passed through one window and it

[1:00:58] got went off it through the other window

[1:01:00] and left everything feeling slightly

[1:01:01] clammmy and

[1:01:03] cold uh but the cloud does not make the

[1:01:07] sky space clammmy and

[1:01:10] cold similarly um Consciousness is not

[1:01:14] affected in the least Consciousness is

[1:01:16] unattached Aang everything arises is

[1:01:19] illumined and it settles back disappears

[1:01:22] into Consciousness without in the least

[1:01:25] affecting Consciousness itself so

[1:01:28] because of these reasons it's a defect

[1:01:31] it's an object of experience part of the

[1:01:34] field uh it's uh it is impermanent at

[1:01:38] ultimately after Enlightenment there is

[1:01:40] no ignorance at all so it can't be a

[1:01:43] part of of the self if it was part of

[1:01:45] pure Consciousness ignorance then it

[1:01:47] would always be there but it isn't it

[1:01:50] comes and goes and finally pure

[1:01:52] Consciousness is completely unaffected

[1:01:54] by the object just like the sky is

[1:01:57] unaffected by clouds or mist or dust

[1:01:59] because of these reasons even when we

[1:02:01] say there is ignorance it has no effect

[1:02:04] on you the pure Consciousness still has

[1:02:06] to be

[1:02:07] removed so these are some of the

[1:02:10] arguments it goes on one argument will

[1:02:12] come one question will come after all of

[1:02:14] this much

[1:02:15] later the opponent gets flustered and

[1:02:18] says but if I am Brahman then who is

[1:02:22] ignorant who is ignorant and Shankar's

[1:02:25] answer is very interesting he says why

[1:02:26] are you

[1:02:27] asking I'm asking because I don't know

[1:02:30] so you are

[1:02:36] ignorant all right yes uh can we have

[1:02:40] the microphone a few

[1:02:43] questions yes you can get bring the

[1:02:45] basket forward

[1:02:47] also raise your hand and he can see you

[1:02:50] and tell us your name and ask the

[1:02:52] question oh yeah oh uh

[1:02:56] Swami G I'm anandi um by this last logic

[1:03:02] where by removing the defect or

[1:03:05] correcting the ignorance knowledge can

[1:03:07] come or the defect is removed and

[1:03:09] knowledge comes knowledge is generated

[1:03:11] defect is remove ignorance is REM yes so

[1:03:13] theoretically there could be two knowers

[1:03:16] then why two noers because if the

[1:03:18] ignorance is in the mind and knowledge

[1:03:20] comes in the mind you have a know in the

[1:03:22] mind and you have a know know of the

[1:03:24] knowing mind

[1:03:27] all right so let's not bring ignorance

[1:03:29] it's it's theoretically possible to have

[1:03:32] that um let's not bring ignorance and

[1:03:35] knowledge into it but are there two

[1:03:37] noers if you ask us question directly

[1:03:39] are can there be two noers or are there

[1:03:40] two noers

[1:03:42] yes it appears to be so it appears to be

[1:03:47] so why I'm saying this is very subtle

[1:03:50] and very

[1:03:52] important insight into vant knowledge

[1:03:56] when you say knowledge it means two

[1:03:59] things

[1:04:01] and there is a way in which we are

[1:04:04] knowers all of us are knowers right now

[1:04:07] using the mind and the senses when we

[1:04:08] say I think I see I hear I smell I touch

[1:04:13] we are

[1:04:14] knowers but there is another way in

[1:04:16] which we are knowers as the ever

[1:04:18] presentes non-flickering eye the

[1:04:21] Consciousness the I am that is

[1:04:24] choicelessly it's not an activity see

[1:04:26] the the other knower is an

[1:04:28] activity and this this knower which says

[1:04:30] I think I know I smell I touch I

[1:04:34] understand I remember I forget I desire

[1:04:36] I hurt I

[1:04:38] enjoy this one is

[1:04:42] changeable no here the knower is active

[1:04:46] it uses instruments of knowledge to know

[1:04:48] objects it's called triti I the knower

[1:04:51] using an instrument eyes I see there is

[1:04:55] something or somebody that I see object

[1:04:57] of knowledge there's an instrument of

[1:04:59] knowledge the eyes and there's one who's

[1:05:01] using the instrument of knowledge I the

[1:05:03] person the ja sentient being this is one

[1:05:06] kind of knowing this is the most common

[1:05:08] form I go to university and I study a

[1:05:11] course so I I borrow books and uh or you

[1:05:15] know read the handouts that's an object

[1:05:18] of knowledge and I'm using the senses

[1:05:20] and the mind as an instrument and I am

[1:05:23] the knower so that that is called the

[1:05:27] The Knowing through the mind or another

[1:05:29] name is prata the knower using

[1:05:32] instruments of knowledge PR to know

[1:05:34] objects of knowledge and that's the

[1:05:36] usual way we all operate but there is

[1:05:39] also in the background always I the ever

[1:05:42] present

[1:05:44] awareness now these two are very

[1:05:46] different the sakshi and the prata

[1:05:48] sakshi pure Consciousness witness prata

[1:05:51] noer these two are very different in

[1:05:54] what sense look at the difference

[1:05:56] the knower prata is active it does

[1:05:59] things it knows it does not know it

[1:06:02] focuses on one thing it focuses in the

[1:06:04] other thing it can see hear smell taste

[1:06:07] it can think it can remember it can um

[1:06:10] understand intellectualize conceptualize

[1:06:12] but the sakshi it's only one thing it

[1:06:16] shines what's the relationship between

[1:06:19] these two relationship is it's like the

[1:06:22] Sun and the Moon notice the moonlight

[1:06:26] the Moonlight is variable there are

[1:06:28] phases of the moon full moon and half

[1:06:32] moon and dark New Moon day but also

[1:06:36] notice the Moonlight is entirely

[1:06:38] dependent on the sunlight the Moonlight

[1:06:40] is nothing but the sunlight so this

[1:06:42] prata the knower the usual knower we are

[1:06:44] all acquainted with is lit up powered by

[1:06:48] sakshi pure

[1:06:51] Consciousness um it is the light pure

[1:06:55] Consciousness is the light which lights

[1:06:56] up the noer by light of the lights Joi

[1:07:00] the light which shining the noer

[1:07:04] shines that shining everything else

[1:07:06] shines by its

[1:07:08] light that being L lit up everything

[1:07:10] shines after it that means sakshi pure

[1:07:13] Consciousness in adic terms there two

[1:07:16] ter there are two terms um

[1:07:20] the the laksh and the

[1:07:26] V is the the direct meaning when you say

[1:07:29] when Krishna says knower of the field

[1:07:31] the direct meaning is I you just right

[1:07:34] now what we are the usual knower which

[1:07:36] we are lak means the implied meaning the

[1:07:38] real meaning pure

[1:07:40] Consciousness the pure Consciousness

[1:07:42] alone you can say aham Brasi this

[1:07:45] particular knowah you cannot say I'm

[1:07:46] brahmasmi particular knowah there are

[1:07:48] many 8 billion there many but when

[1:07:51] Krishna says I am the knower of the

[1:07:53] field in all beings he's talking about

[1:07:55] pure consciousness

[1:07:56] so these two are there when you now what

[1:08:00] is vant trying to do vant is first of

[1:08:02] all introducing us to our nature as pure

[1:08:05] Consciousness and then telling us to

[1:08:08] shift the reference of the eye from the

[1:08:11] knower the pramata the direct meaning of

[1:08:14] the word nor of the field to the implied

[1:08:17] meaning to the sakshi to Pure

[1:08:18] Consciousness you shift it's already

[1:08:20] available you notice what you are

[1:08:27] now a very subtle Point here if you try

[1:08:31] to do it you'll

[1:08:32] fail the no prata has an objective

[1:08:37] component has part of the field is

[1:08:40] included in the noer mind and the senses

[1:08:43] so the way to realize yourself as sakshi

[1:08:46] is by denying your pramata nature I not

[1:08:50] the body not the senses not the mind not

[1:08:53] the intellect not even the ego the noer

[1:08:56] then only you can say I am the witness

[1:09:02] Consciousness I'm not the mind not the

[1:09:04] intellect not the memory not the

[1:09:09] ego is shifting from the pramata to the

[1:09:13] sakshi

[1:09:15] okay the gentleman here and then you

[1:09:18] come to the lady

[1:09:19] here uh I'm abishek yes so uh the

[1:09:24] question that I have is if the field and

[1:09:26] the noer of the field are different and

[1:09:29] the noer of the field does not the field

[1:09:31] does not belong to the noer of the field

[1:09:33] yes my body is the field yes as a knower

[1:09:37] of the field why should I assume the

[1:09:39] responsibility of taking care of the

[1:09:41] field that means

[1:09:44] why as an as the knower of the field

[1:09:48] should I assume the responsibility that

[1:09:50] I need to feed the field water the field

[1:09:53] attend to the field and the needs of

[1:09:55] this field

[1:09:56] yeah to when you come to that state of

[1:09:59] that I am the know of the field and

[1:10:00] you're completely settled there settled

[1:10:04] in that then you actually won't even

[1:10:06] need it it will continue by the wish of

[1:10:08] the Lord as it is continuing now also

[1:10:11] you think I have taken responsibility

[1:10:12] for this body actually I haven't it is

[1:10:14] the Lord who has taken

[1:10:16] responsibility today I have to feed

[1:10:18] myself and wash myself and um take care

[1:10:21] of myself one little

[1:10:24] stroke land up in in um ICU nothing I

[1:10:29] can do then this particular field itself

[1:10:31] not my it will not obey even the

[1:10:33] slightest command paralyzed full body

[1:10:38] paralysis but it can help knowledge will

[1:10:41] help here I am the witness Consciousness

[1:10:45] identified with the mind and body I

[1:10:46] thought I was in charge of this field

[1:10:48] and I was doing lots of things now it

[1:10:50] has failed me I'm still the witness

[1:10:52] Consciousness the field is appearing as

[1:10:54] a degenerating dying field here Here I

[1:10:56] Am the witness Consciousness not

[1:10:57] affected and this is something that I

[1:11:00] experienced today one gentleman called

[1:11:04] from I will not name uh he has a

[1:11:07] degenerative disease and uh he

[1:11:12] is you

[1:11:16] know death is coming it's towards the

[1:11:18] end of life is um and he's being taken

[1:11:22] care of in a hospice but the gentleman

[1:11:24] wanted to speak to me

[1:11:26] and they put me on a video call with him

[1:11:29] and he said now at this stage he can't

[1:11:33] move his body anymore his wife is taking

[1:11:36] care of him elderly gentlemen now at

[1:11:39] this stage the teachings of viant are

[1:11:41] most profound for me so much peace Swami

[1:11:46] you such strong voice Swami you don't

[1:11:49] know what this knowledge is to me now

[1:11:51] and to others like

[1:11:53] me it's only this to fall back back upon

[1:11:56] I can see it's true so you are the

[1:11:58] witness as you always

[1:12:00] were now just this part of the field is

[1:12:03] no longer responsive to the that knower

[1:12:06] of the field but I am the background

[1:12:08] awareness always was is will continue to

[1:12:10] be one day maybe this body very soon

[1:12:12] will die and go away and other fields

[1:12:15] will appear before me I'm still the same

[1:12:17] know of the

[1:12:18] field it helps it that's a demonstration

[1:12:22] to me for somebody who at that point in

[1:12:25] great suffering at the point of death

[1:12:29] can say with confidence I'm fine and

[1:12:32] this knowledge is the thing that help

[1:12:36] me

[1:12:40] yes another time it happened uh several

[1:12:43] years back six or seven years back at

[1:12:45] that time Skype was I used people

[1:12:48] sometimes wanted to speak with me and I

[1:12:49] would sort of avoid it because there too

[1:12:51] many people wanting to speak so this

[1:12:53] lady she said I wanted I want to speak

[1:12:55] with you about something send a message

[1:12:57] I said okay we'll see when sometime and

[1:12:59] she wrote back it was very clear no

[1:13:01] question of seeing sometime because I'm

[1:13:03] going to die I'm going to live for I I

[1:13:05] mean within the next two weeks I'll be

[1:13:07] gone so I want to speak to and of course

[1:13:08] I had I said yes I spoke with this lady

[1:13:11] who was in a hospice um what is it

[1:13:14] called paliative care in Canada and she

[1:13:16] was attended to her by her uh

[1:13:19] niece and what calmness what dignity

[1:13:23] please ask some questions about her

[1:13:25] spirit spiritual life he had practiced

[1:13:27] vidanta and Buddhism in her life and at

[1:13:30] the final the last conversation I had

[1:13:33] with her two three conversations I had I

[1:13:36] said I hope when my time comes I can be

[1:13:39] so calm and dignified she laughed and

[1:13:40] she said I'm sure you will be see at

[1:13:43] that point there's no need to she has

[1:13:46] she has no need to hide or speak

[1:13:49] politely you know you'll become all

[1:13:51] right you will she knows I'm going to

[1:13:53] die within a few days calm and you know

[1:13:58] dignified next call did not come 2 3

[1:14:01] days later her niece called me and said

[1:14:03] my aunt passed away and your calls

[1:14:06] really helped her and I'll tell you

[1:14:08] Swami when she passed this room was like

[1:14:10] a meditation room it became so still and

[1:14:13] quiet I sat with her body for some time

[1:14:15] and it become like that in the last few

[1:14:18] uh hours of her life so this is how it

[1:14:21] helps yes Namaste Swami G thank you

[1:14:24] first of all the examples that you bring

[1:14:27] to the lectures they're very helpful

[1:14:28] tell us your name uh my name is SDA and

[1:14:31] the question I have is a few lectures

[1:14:33] ago you introduced the concept of I'm

[1:14:35] not the body I'm not the mind and I

[1:14:37] started to ruminate on that and

[1:14:39] sometimes I feel I'm able to create some

[1:14:41] sort of psychological Gap and I get

[1:14:44] excited or I know excitement and then as

[1:14:47] soon as I experience it then I feel oh

[1:14:52] who is creating that psychological Gap

[1:14:55] it's probably mine and then the whole

[1:14:56] feeling and the Gap also everything goes

[1:14:59] away and this just keeps on happening so

[1:15:01] then how do I experientially resolve

[1:15:04] this when that experience comes that you

[1:15:07] feel a gap and a kind of Joy that's one

[1:15:10] step second when the doubt

[1:15:13] comes the excitement comes the doubt

[1:15:16] comes note that I am free of the

[1:15:18] excitement I was am free now and will be

[1:15:22] free the excitement has come and we'll

[1:15:23] go away when the doubt comes he say

[1:15:26] isn't it the mind which is doing all of

[1:15:28] this but clearly that's also an

[1:15:31] experience the doubt was you were there

[1:15:33] illumining the absence of the doubt now

[1:15:35] the doubt has arisen the doubt will

[1:15:37] disappear you were there all

[1:15:40] throughout ask yourself does the doubt

[1:15:44] reveal itself or you reveal the

[1:15:47] doubt you reveal the doubt what is the

[1:15:50] mind that mental formulation of the

[1:15:52] doubt isn't it the mind that's the

[1:15:55] that's the part of the part of the

[1:15:57] experience which is called mind but the

[1:15:59] experience of

[1:16:01] it I am experiencing doubt by what light

[1:16:04] are you experiencing doubt by you the

[1:16:06] light Shankar says here

[1:16:11] itself whoever denies the at it's the at

[1:16:16] of that very

[1:16:17] denier it's because of that you are this

[1:16:20] awareness that you are able to doubt the

[1:16:22] awareness

[1:16:24] also you're able to witness the

[1:16:26] functioning of the Mind the presence of

[1:16:29] conviction and the absence of conviction

[1:16:32] are both illumined by you the atan that

[1:16:34] gives you even stronger

[1:16:37] conviction how do I hold on to that

[1:16:40] don't hold on don't hold on I remember

[1:16:43] one of the greatest monks who I I heard

[1:16:45] teaching this ramanand sarasti whom I

[1:16:48] attended some classes by him young monk

[1:16:50] asked him and after a long discussion

[1:16:53] just like this back and forth opponent

[1:16:56] he

[1:16:57] said but ah Brasi I am brah this I am

[1:17:00] this aware this witness at least that

[1:17:02] much we must hold on to and then the

[1:17:04] Swami he with great you know excitement

[1:17:07] he said that's what you must not hold on

[1:17:09] to as long as you hold on to that it's a

[1:17:12] practice and something that the mind is

[1:17:14] doing that you are snna how much

[1:17:17] practice are you putting into it I have

[1:17:18] to hold on at least to I'm SN I'm SN

[1:17:20] little background

[1:17:22] like the tanpura it must go on otherwise

[1:17:25] I may forget I'm you have no tension

[1:17:27] about forgetting that you are snika you

[1:17:29] don't even think about it do you

[1:17:31] practice morning 1 hour I am snika and

[1:17:33] evening 1 hour I'm SN

[1:17:37] no earlier you said I was I I was very

[1:17:39] confident I'm SN but now I'm little

[1:17:41] doubting maybe it's the

[1:17:43] mind but I am snika is something that is

[1:17:46] imposed superimposed On You by parents

[1:17:48] or grandparents who have given you the

[1:17:50] name it's just a concept given to you

[1:17:53] that becomes so effortless imagine the

[1:17:55] witness of the Mind how effortless it

[1:17:58] is there can be no doubt about

[1:18:01] it don't try to hold on to it

[1:18:06] also here is a clue when you do not

[1:18:09] think of any vant when you not even

[1:18:12] thinking I am that witness Consciousness

[1:18:14] I am the knower of the field I am pure

[1:18:16] conscious not even none of that mind is

[1:18:18] not doing any vant at all mind is

[1:18:20] completely involved in whatever we doing

[1:18:22] in the

[1:18:23] world ask yourself that question later

[1:18:26] in all the time when I just last few

[1:18:29] hours had completely forgotten vant was

[1:18:31] I having experiences or

[1:18:33] not was I seeing hearing smelling

[1:18:36] tasting was I enjoying

[1:18:39] suffering by what light that light

[1:18:42] that's choiceless that is not there

[1:18:44] because of vanta vant just reveals it I

[1:18:48] am

[1:18:53] that um the lady here

[1:18:55] and then the gentleman there we'll stop

[1:18:57] after

[1:18:58] that yeah uh I'm Kiran so chrna

[1:19:03] here um as you mentioned prata is the

[1:19:06] apparent noer right and is the noer but

[1:19:10] then the witness of that is the real no

[1:19:12] you have to shift the reference of the

[1:19:14] ey from the prata to the saki that does

[1:19:16] not mean the prata the no will disappear

[1:19:18] of course it'll be there even after

[1:19:19] realizing and pure Consciousness what

[1:19:20] will go on everything will go on you

[1:19:22] will still be very happily able to see

[1:19:24] hear smell taste think enjoy suffer but

[1:19:27] at a deeper level you will see that you

[1:19:28] are not suffering you're fine M yes yeah

[1:19:32] so but uh sakshi Orna is mentioned

[1:19:37] because pramata depends on pure

[1:19:39] Consciousness that's why pure

[1:19:40] Consciousness

[1:19:42] absolutely and can we also say likea is

[1:19:47] ganam

[1:19:49] because that's the only thing that self

[1:19:52] ever has ganam ganam means knowledge so

[1:19:54] this ganam can be understood in two ways

[1:19:56] as this empirical knowledge which is

[1:19:58] what the pramata is doing as pure

[1:20:00] Consciousness or witness Consciousness

[1:20:02] that's Al so the the word used in

[1:20:03] Sanskrit

[1:20:06] isana is G knowledge with the movements

[1:20:09] of the Mind the usual wayy understand

[1:20:11] knowledge but swarupa is pure

[1:20:14] Consciousness thank viand said it's not

[1:20:18] that it knows it is knowledge it means

[1:20:20] atan the self it's not that it knows it

[1:20:23] is knowledge itself what do you mean

[1:20:25] knowledge itself Consciousness basically

[1:20:27] last the gentleman there you raised your

[1:20:29] hand can you just raise your hand and

[1:20:31] he'll bring the microphone to you tell

[1:20:33] us your name and ask the question I'm

[1:20:35] Karan uh we started with uh the distance

[1:20:38] between the knower and the known yes and

[1:20:41] then towards the end we said ignorance

[1:20:43] of witness Consciousness is the field so

[1:20:46] it's not the noer so wouldn't the

[1:20:48] knowledge of being witness Consciousness

[1:20:51] also not be the Noah yes you're right

[1:20:55] and then you say what good is that yes

[1:20:59] what does what does the knowledge in

[1:21:01] knowledge is also in the field knowledge

[1:21:02] is in the mind ignorance is in the mind

[1:21:04] all knowledge is in the mind then what

[1:21:06] good does all this do it points towards

[1:21:09] you the knowah the witness Consciousness

[1:21:12] the knowledge in the mind I am raah I'm

[1:21:15] pure

[1:21:16] Consciousness the nature of pure

[1:21:18] Consciousness that's in the mind it

[1:21:19] clears up the ignorance which has

[1:21:21] resulted in the superimposition I am

[1:21:23] Body Mind it clear distinguishes the

[1:21:26] field from the know of the field and

[1:21:28] this distinguishing also happens in the

[1:21:30] field itself you are the Watcher of of

[1:21:34] both ignorance and knowledge but once

[1:21:36] knowledge comes the field the knowledge

[1:21:39] immediately points towards you the real

[1:21:41] real nature of and then you always knew

[1:21:44] I was

[1:21:46] this then what is this mind what did it

[1:21:49] do it's like looking into a piece of

[1:21:52] wood you see the wood you don't see

[1:21:54] yourself but then look into a mirror you

[1:21:57] see yourself you're seeing the mirror

[1:21:59] but you're seeing yourself that's what

[1:22:01] it did wood is an object the mirror is

[1:22:04] also an object but the mirror did

[1:22:05] something miraculous it point it pointed

[1:22:08] towards you the subject I mean the face

[1:22:11] so this knowledge is like that

[1:22:14] mirror it remains there and you may even

[1:22:17] take away the mirror after that but you

[1:22:19] have no more doubt I am here even

[1:22:21] without seeing it you may take away the

[1:22:22] knowledge from them the Mind may start

[1:22:24] again thinking about about the world and

[1:22:25] doing work but you know you are free you

[1:22:27] know that I'm always this I am this pure

[1:22:30] Consciousness good on that very subtle

[1:22:33] and high note let's bring this to an end

[1:22:37] om shant

[1:22:40] shant

[1:22:47] shant Krishna

VS
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Vedanta Society of New York - Archives

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Esplora i temi
Vedanta-philosophyBhagavad-gitaWitness-consciousnessSelf-knowledgeNon-duality

Hai domande?

Domande frequenti

When you observe a thought, you are already separate from it—the observer is distinct from what is observed. This is not something you need to achieve through meditation; it is already the case. The practice is to recognize and remember that you are the aware presence witnessing all mental events, not the events themselves. As thoughts come and go, you remain constant.
No. Recognizing you are the witness does not mean denying or suppressing emotions. It means understanding that sadness is an object in your awareness, not your identity. You can acknowledge the pain, feel it fully, without believing you are defined by it or trapped in it. The sky does not ignore the clouds; it simply is not affected by them.
Vedanta asks you to investigate directly. Can you find a boundary between your consciousness and another's? The separation appears only because each awareness is associated with a different body-mind. The consciousness itself has no such limits. This is not belief but investigation into the nature of awareness itself.
Meditation is a practice that can refine your understanding and bring peace. But the teaching is that you are already the witness, whether you meditate or not. The practice supports the recognition, but does not create the witness. The teaching points to what is already true about your nature.
You are the knowing presence, the awareness in which all experience arises and dissolves. Like space that contains all objects but is not affected by them, consciousness knows all experience but remains untouched by it. Vedanta calls this sakshi, the eternal witness—not a thing or entity, but the fundamental aware presence that is your true nature.
Suffering arises from identifying with the body-mind as if it were your real self. When you recognize you are the witness of the body-mind, not its prisoner, fear and limitation lose their grip. You are already free; you simply recognize the freedom that was never taken from you.

Continua a leggere

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Light in Shining Armour: A Goddess Myth Set to Mantra Pop

A four-and-a-half-minute video turns an ancient goddess story into a sung prayer about slowing down, guarding your energy, and remembering y…

10 min read

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