Panchadasi Talks - Day 2

By Sowmya Ramkumar

Day 2 of the Panchadasi Talks


DOWNLOAD from archive.org

http://www.archive.org/download/PanchadasiDay1/Panch2_4Jan09.mp3

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Thanks to Paramji & Srini for making the audio & text available for the satsanghis.

CHAPTER 02 DIFFERENTIATION OF THE FIVE ELEMENTS
SHLOKA
1. Brahman can be known by differentiation from 5 Elements

SEPARATING ELEMENTS(FALSE) FROM BRAHMAN(ONLY REALITY)

ELEMENTS & THEIR PROPERTIES

2. sound, touch, color, taste, smell, IN akasha, air, fire, water, earth.
3. Echo in akasha(1), air(2) makes sound & moves, fire sounds
4. Fire(3) feels hot, has color, water(4) sounds, touch, color, and taste
5. earth(5) makes sound, touch, color tastes, smells

SENSES, ORGANS OF SENSES
6. earth smells; The 5 senses are hearing, touch, sight, taste, smell
7. Organs are Ears, Skin Eyes Tongue, Nose. Senses are subtle, external
8. Yet sound of breath , sound in ears, food taste can be internal
9. Closed eyes see absence of light; sense organs give internal experience too

ORGANS OF ACTION
10. 5 type Acts: speech, grasping, movement, excretion, sex intercourse
11. 5 Organs are Mouth, Hands, Feet, Anus, Genitals

MIND
12. Mind anthahkarana rules these 10 organs(of sense & action)

GUNAS OF PRAKRITI
13. Thru 3 gunas, Satva, Rajas, Tamas, mind undergoes modifications
14. Satva is asanga, kshama, generosity ; Rajas is desire, anger, avarice
15. Tamas is lethargy, confusion, drowsiness, w/satva merit; w/rajas demerit
16. w/ tamas life is wasted. Of modifications of mind, I consciousness(aham) is agent.

THIS OR ‘IDAM’
17. Even for Senses & Mind, the Subtle Elements are basis
18. ‘Idam’(this) means all that is perceived by Senses, Mind, Organs & Scripture

BEFORE ‘BEING’ ALONE EXISTED
19. Before all ‘this’ was created, ‘Being’ alone existed

3 DIFFERENCES IN ALL OBJECTS
20. 3 Differences in all objects: Swagata,(tree & parts) Swajaatiya(between 2 trees), Vijaatiya(tree & stone)

BRAHMAN DOES NOT HAVE ANY OF THESE DIFFERENCES
21. Doubt: Brahman has 3 diffrncs? Sruti: Ekam eva advitiyam. Rejection of duality
22. No parts, Name and Form not parts and before Creation they did not arise
23. Creation means appearance of names and forms; So cannot exist before creation!
24. Difference between objects of same class cannot refer to Sat for nothing else exists. Also Brahman is without name and form
25. About non existence: It is something that does not exist. So Vijatiya difference does not exist{so no pratiyogin(total characteristics lacking) can exist}

NON-EXISTENCE, ASAT, (NOTHING)
26. Asat(nothing ) existed before creation, some say
27. Fear of worshippers of ‘Brahman with attributes’, referred here
28. fear of some yogis regarding Brahman with form
29. difficult to achieve identification with un-grasped and ungraspable
30. Shankara: They are confused regarding self existent Brahman
31. Buddhists, neglecting the authority of Vedas, reached only ‘nothingness’
32. ‘nothing existed’ how can this be connected with existence(sat)?
33. sun has no attribute of darkness

MISLEADING WORDS, PHRASES
34. If nothing exists, its substratum has to be existence(Sat)
35. Illusion without substratum is not seen
36. Common to say ‘Existence was’
37. ‘speech is spoken’ common usage similarly ‘existence was’
38. ‘before creation’ words for beginners who cannot comprehend otherwise
39. objections and answers are from duality only

REALITY, BRAHMAN
40. what remains after dissolution is unnamed, ungraspable, unnamable, beyond light and darkness.
41. Objection: Akasha is eternal since it does not have molecules elements
42. Ans: So, why can’t you conceive of Sat without Akasha?
43. Akasa can only be light and darkness

BRAHMAN REVEALS
44. Brahman can be seen only when all mentations cease
45. Brahman is self revealing
46. When mind is void of all mentations we experience the Witness

POWER IS PART OF OBJECT
47. Power exists in Brahman, like Power to burn is there in fire.
48. Power is not substance itself. Maya is not Brahman
49. Maya is neither nothingness, non existence, nor Sat, existence, It is as is
50. Vedic texts corroborate this peculiar nature
51. Like nothingness, Maya also cannot be a distinct entity on its own
52. Prolongation of life is not the result of power but the effects
53. Before Creation no effects of power existed. It has no independence

BRAHMAN IS LARGER
54. Power operates only on a part of Brahman, not on all.
55. Creation is quarter of Brahman; Maya covers only part of Brahman
56. Gita 10.42.World is sustained by the part of the Lord
57. Supreme Spirit pervades the whole world, & extends 10 fingers beyond
58. Sruti speaks of partless having parts to explain non-dual nature

MAYA CREATES ELEMENTS

AKASHA A NON-ENTITY
59. With Brahman as its basis, Maya creates the Various Objects of the world
60. First modification of Maya is akasha. It derives its Existence from Brahman its substratum
61. The nature of Brahman is Existence only; Akasha has both Space, & Existence as its nature
62. Akasha has Sound which Brahman does not have. Akasha has Sound and Existence and Brahman has only Existence
63. Maya conjured up Akasa in the real entity Sat and has produced the difference
64. Sat which appears as Akasha, and ordinary people say existence is property of akasha. (those who believe,Brahman became this world, like milk becoming curd)
65. Illusion makes it appear differently
66. It will be different after a thorough discussion
67. Brahman and Akasha are different, Brahman pervades Air and other Objects
68. Sat is more pervading, Akasha is less and it is an attribute or content
69. When Existence is abstracted, Akasha becomes nothing

DISCUSSION, EXPLANATION
70. The appearance of object which is not there, is an illusion
71. Distinction between them is natural
72. understanding and not practicing is due to lack of concentration
73. Meditate, Reason, see Evidence. Then the conviction between them will be firm
74. By above three, will come to know Akasha is different from Brahman
75. To a Knower, Brahman also always shines unassociated with its properties
76. Once these impressions are deep, will be astonished at other’s ignorance

AIR, A NON-ENTITY
77. Once firmly understood, follow same principle for Air and other Elements
78. Brahman is all pervasive, Akasha is less, Air is still less
79. Existence and properties of Maya and Akasha are also found in Air
80. If Existence is removed Air will be non entity. Sound in Air is of Akasha
81. Objection on seeming contradiction
82. Ans no contradiction
83. Another Objection
84. Ans: Unreality is common to Maya and its effects. Maya is not subject to perception, but its effects are.
85. No need to consider sub-divisions in non existence
86. Brahman, Sat is real in Air. Rest is untrue. Meditate and give up false notion

WATER, A NON-ENTITY
87. Do the same reasoning for Water and Earth
88. Traditional puranic theory, Fire is 1/10th of Air
89. Heat Light Sound Touch are properties. Pseudo-Reality apart from Existence
90. Fire has in addition color. All properties except Existence are unreal
91. Easy now to understand the unreality of Water which is 1/10th of Fire
92. Its property is Taste

EARTH, A NON-ENTITY
93. Now take Earth which is 1/10th of Water
94. Earth has Existence Sound Touch Sight Taste and Smell
95. The illusory character of Earth is realized

THE COSMOS, A NON-ENTITY
96. The Cosmos has 14 Worlds up and down
97. If we abstract Existence from the Cosmos, Cosmos becomes illusory!!
98. Deep impression of understanding of Real Entity as Non-Dual will never go

PRAGMATISM IN LIVING
99. However, the pragmatic action in a world of duality will continue
100. No quarrel with schools opposing these views, since in pragmatic world we accept
101. Following Veda, Reason, Experience, and Conviction, have no regard for opposing view
102. Intellect disregards duality, gets firmly established in Non-Duality such a person is Jivanmukta
103. Gita 2-72 Being established even at last moment she attains oneness with Brahman
104. last moment is death of the age old error of Duality
105. Or, Even at death of body illusion that is gone does not return
106. To a Realized soul, manner of death matters not
107. Knowledge of Veda daily at sleep is forgotten and returns on waking up;. Similarly knowledge of Brahman is never lost
108. To counter this, there is no stronger evidence than Vedas and hence it is never lost
109. Knowledge of Non Dual reality by Vedanta is not falsified even at last moment. So discrimination of the elements from Non-Dual Reality surely ensures peace abiding or bliss ineffable. No transmigration for such a person

End of Chapter 2 of Panchandasi

shubhamastu