Poojya Sri Anubhavananda Saraswati

Vivekachooddamani Talk 3 15th October, 2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPGIuLQv0JU

Summary of Talk 3 by Swami Anubhavanandaji. Compilation - Dr. Hegde, Mr. Ullas, Smt Padma Baliga, Smt. Vasumathi BV & Smt. Jyothirmayi Kartik

Sloka 7

अमृतत्वस्य नाशास्ति वित्तेनेत्येव हि श्रुतिः ।

ब्रवीति कर्मणो मुक्तेरहेतुत्वं स्फुटं यतः ॥ ७ ॥

amṛtatvasya nāśāsti vittenetyeva hi śrutiḥ |

bravīti karmaṇo mukterahetutvaṃ sphuṭaṃ yataḥ || 7 ||

It is clear that liberation cannot be the result of good works, for Sruti itself declares that there is no hope for immortality by means of wealth.

· Money and karma (with its phala) occupy a major part of our thoughts.

· As such both are intangible and in our imagination.

· Hence there is no possibility of knowing the Truth in such a state.

· No possibility to get liberated by

o wealth (in any form )

o Karma (ignorance born desire gives birth to karma)

· Satsanga should be free from any link to money.

· Don’t “do” karma just let the activities happen through us.

Sloka 8

अतोविमुक्त्यैप्रयतेत्विद्वान् संन्यस्तबाह्यार्थसुखस्पृहःसन्। सन्तंमहान्तंसमुपेत्यदेशिकं तेनोपदिष्टार्थसमाहितात्मा॥८॥

atovimuktyaiprayatetvidvān saṃnyastabāhyārthasukhaspṛhaḥ san | santaṃmahāntaṃsamupetyadeśikaṃ tenopadiṣṭārthasamāhitātmā || 8 ||

Therefore, the man of learning should strive his best for Liberation, having renounced his desire for pleasures from external objects, duly approaching a good and generous preceptor, and fixing his mind on the truth inculcated by him.

· In Vedanta Dindimaha, we have seen Nishkama Karma is for chittashuddi, it purifies the mind (that does not entertain unwanted load of desires)

· Upasana is to attain a single pointed mind

· Don’t expect happiness from worldly objects. Dispassionately give it up.

· Try this. Get as minimum service from others as possible. Do your tasks yourself as far as possible

· Upanishad says don’t seek but discover happiness which is our essential nature

· Express happiness through body (kaya), speech (vacha), and mind (manasa)

Sloka 9

उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानंमग्नंसंसारवारिधौ। योगारूढत्वमासाद्यसम्यग्दर्शननिष्ठया॥९॥

uddharedātmanātmānaṃmagnaṃsaṃsāravāridhau | yogārūḍhatvamāsādyasamyagdarśananiṣṭhayā || 9 ||

Having attained the Yogārūḍha state, one should recover oneself, immersed in the sea of birth and death by means of devotion to right discrimination.

· Help yourself to get out of this relative world, elevate yourself to realize your essential nature (you are not the jiva). Don’t take anyone else’s help.

· Who is seeking liberation and from what? You are already liberated. Recognize it.

· Follow the rules and regulations of the samsara but know that your real nature is not associated with it

· yogAruDa. Do what is required of your role in the world. Take care of your health, do your activities happily

· Use water to get out of water

· We have fallen because of wrong understanding, so correct it.

· Swamiji was asked if he does not get bored always talking about shastras. He responded saying whatever be your age you don’t get bored of seeing yourself in the mirror. Because ‘you are that’.

· You can never be bored of ‘yourself’. As a divine being you cannot be bored. Vedanta is the mirror to help you to see yourself.

Sloka 10

संन्यस्य सर्वकर्माणि भवबन्धविमुक्तये । यत्यतां पण्डितैर्धीरैरात्माभ्यास उपस्थितैः ॥ १0 ॥

saṃnyasya sarvakarmāṇi bhavabandhavimuktaye | yatyatāṃ paṇḍitairdhīrairātmābhyāsa upasthitaiḥ || 10 ||

May the wise and learned man give up all actions motivated by desires and start the practice of realization of the Self and thereby attain freedom form the bondage of birth and death

· Sannyasa sarva karmani ……Give up all karma i.e. give up the attitude of doer-ship. Let things happen through us and make ourselves fit for that.

· All work only to express happiness, be occupied but not busy

· The feeling of I as the doer must go. Bhava bandha the disease of becoming. Association with a role.

· Be free from that to know your true ‘Self’. Don’t ‘become’. Be.

· In being, there are no efforts, learn effortlessness, - when activity is effortless, one is happy and can spread happiness

Sloka 11

चित्तस्य शुद्धये कर्म न तु वस्तूपलब्धये । वस्तुसिद्धिर्विचारेण न किंचित्कर्मकोटिभिः ॥ ११ ॥

cittasya śuddhaye karma na tu vastūpalabdhaye | vastusiddhirvicāreṇa na kiṃcitkarmakoṭibhiḥ || 11 ||

Actions help to purify the mind, but they do not, by themselves, contribute to the attainment of Reality. The attainment of the Reality is brought about only by Self-Inquiry and not in the least by even ten million acts.

· Karma without chitta-shudhi is founded on ignorance and desire and leads to punarapi janana, punarapi marana.

· First correct your understanding of disassociation from the role. Don’t start with chitta-shuddhi nirodhaha.

· Work on your thoughts. Don’t be afraid of them. Every thought erupts from the seed called ‘I am somebody’. Therefore vastu-siddhi vichaara should be analysed

· Only someone without any self-interest can teach.

· Real dispassion is to accomplish and then give them up

Sloka 12

सम्यग्विचारतः सिद्धा रज्जुतत्त्वावधारणा । भ्रान्तोदितमहासर्पभयदुःखविनाशिनी ॥ १२ ॥

samyagvicārataḥ siddhā rajjutattvāvadhāraṇā | bhrāntoditamahāsarpabhayaduḥkhavināśinī || 12 ||

The fear and sorrow created by the delusory serpent in the rope can be ended only after fully ascertaining the truth of the rope through steady and balanced thinking.

· Rope-snake example is explained here

· Delusion leads to illusion. Employ proper means of enquiry to remove the delusion and thereby the illusion

· Don’t be afraid of thoughts, work on them. Use the right instrument of knowledge - enquiry/jnanam.

· Focus the attention on who rather than why?

· Do proper inquiry. Change the attitude from - Why I am suffering to who is suffering?

· Is a man more the father or husband or a son? Always remember that you are a man and then play the role of a father etc.

· Vedanta says you are a father but basically you are a man. Don’t get entangled beyond limits

Sloka 13

अर्थस्य निश्चयो दृष्टो विचारेण हितोक्तितः । न स्नानेन न दानेन प्राणायमशतेन वा ॥ १३ ॥

arthasya niścayo dṛṣṭo vicāreṇa hitoktitaḥ | na snānena na dānena prāṇāyamaśatena vā || 13 ||

Neither sacred baths nor any amount of charity nor even hundreds of pranayamas* can give us the knowledge about our own Self. The firm experience of the nature of the Self is seen to proceed from inquiry along the lines of the salutary advices of the wise

· Those who talk about otherness are far away from the Truth.

· One who cannot see divinity in others will not be able to see divinity in themselves

· Baths, charity and yoga are just the means. Not the goal

· Highest danam is that of jnanam.

· Spanda, ichcha-shakti, Ikshana, Sankalpa – Synonyms for ‘the consciousness that is ready to express’

· Pranayama, yoga are the means not the goals. Pranayama is mainly to detach the body and mind which are glued by the prana.

· If we are not qualified (Adhikari) we will not be benefited, there is no quota system in the spiritual path (being a grihastha does not entitle us for any concessions, we have to be qualified)

Sloka 14

अधिकारिणमाशास्ते फलसिद्धिर्विशेषतः । उपाया देशकालाद्याः सन्त्यस्मिन्सहकारिणः ॥ १४ ॥

adhikāriṇamāśāste phalasiddhirviśeṣataḥ | upāyā deśakālādyāḥ santyasminsahakāriṇaḥ || 14 ||

Ultimate success in spiritual endeavours depends chiefly upon the qualifications of the seeker. Auxiliary conveniences such as time and place all have a place indeed, but they are essentially secondary

· Seekers of the truth should start enquiry - enough of karma and upasana.

· Before sleeping do this (everyday):

· Not talking to oneself - kriya shakti

· Listen to the silence - jnana shakti

· Result - we will be back to our own being. I am speaking only to those who are committed to the Paramarthika reality.

· Atma abhyasa, spiritual practice, live in the relative world and work to get out of it.

· Kartavyam - do what must be done as role play and do it cheerfully and happily.

· All thoughts, all disturbances come from Mr. Somebody, find out if that person is real.

· Real meaning of Guru Govind do Khade - they are not separate, they are one. Guru is God,

Vivekachoodamani - Word meanings of verses covered on 15th October, 2020 by Sri Anubhavanandaji

With grateful thanks to Swami Gurubhaktanandaji and Swami Advayanandaji.