Class Notes
Mantra: Yajur Veda 40.5
tajEjati tannaijati tadduurE tadvantikE
He is the driving force. He does not undergo change. He is both far off and close by (depending on if we think about him or not).
tadantarasya sarvasya tadu sarvasyaasya baahyataH
He is in everything and everything is in Him
Synopsis:
This Mantra explains the features of God.
tajEjati = taj + yEjati = He is the driving force
yEjati
Root: yEjru (gatou) = driving force
God has created the system. The system runs. When it is running, God is only a witness. Sacchidaananda is the cause of this driving force.
The sat is inert. It cannot move on its own. Unless it is acted upon by an external force. That external force is sacchidaananda.
tannaijati = tat + na + yEjati = He does not undergo any change or movement
The same God does not undergo any change or movement. He is kaalaatiita = beyond time. He is also the cause of time. He is not subject to the vagaries of time. Because He is omnipresent (everywhere), he has no place to move from and to.
Understand God in the context of space and time.
He is not subject to change. So He is as fresh and green always.
tadduurE = tad + duurE = He is far off
tadvantikE = tat + vuu + antikE = he is close by
This appears paradoxical. How can something be far off and close by?
Position or Distance
We understand distance with respect to place or position. If something is placed at a distance it is far off. If it is placed close by, we say it is close. But the same thing cannot be far off and close by at the same time.
As far as God is concerned, He is everywhere. There is no question of Him being far off. So antikE is OK. That is obvious.
Time
Look at it in the context of time. A person who existed 500 years ago is far off from us. This is far off in the context of time. Here too, what is far off cannot be close, what is closer cannot be far off. This too does not apply to God. He is present to God always. So we are closer to God with respect to time always. He cannot be far off w.r.t time because that would mean God existed before and doesn’t exist now. With respect to time also antikE will apply. duurE will not apply.
Awareness (Focus)
If I think about so many things other than God, then he is far off = duurE
If I think about God all the time, then he is close by = antikE
When we think about a person, we are close to that person. When we don’t we are far away. God can be close to us when we concentrate on God. God can be far away when we think of other things.
tadantarasya sarvasya tadu sarvasyaasya baahyataH
He is so huge and abundant that He is omnipresent. Everything is in Him.
At the same time, He is also the subtlest. He is in everything.
This feature is applicable only to sacchidaananda.
If we think an idol is God, we can apply this principle and check. The idol is in the temple. But the temple is not in the idol. So we cannot contain God in an image or idol of God.
Other examples:
jiivaatma is in the shariira. But the shariira is not in the jiivaatma.
Earth is in the solar system. The solar system is not in the earth.
If we understand God through this Veda Mantra, we can understand the true characteristics of God.
How do we know God is there?
We cannot perceive through sense organs. The real perceiver is the soul. The soul can experience God directly without the intervention of the shariira indriya manas. But the soul should be sensitive enough to experience it. Note: Experience. Not perceive.
How does soul experience God?
The experience of God by the soul will be in the form of peace and bliss. I.e. aananda. This is the realization of God. If we reduce it to the level of grosser things that are perceivable by the sense organs, what we perceive are only inert things (idols, pictures, etc.).
No sense organs are required to experience God.
IF we understand God this way, then fighting over God will go away. Polytheism is many Gods. If we speak of several Gods, we are in trouble. We get into arguments about who is superior. There is no such thing. God is only one. One and only one.
Another Mantra: Sa Esha Eka Eka vRuth Eka Eva
God is one and only one.
akaaya = formless
God is formless.
GOd is infinite. So he cannot have a form. We cannot say God is infinite but he has a form. That statement is contradictory.
Sense organs are limited
Sense organs cannot experience God. They are tools that are required to perceive grosser things than God. Not a subtle thing like God.
Eyes can perceive whatever is in the visible region in a certain frequency. Even eyes cannot perceive infrared or ultraviolet for example.
Ears can perceive only certain decibels.
Whatever we perceive through our sense organs are only indulgences. It is sukha. Not aananda.
Pure and Strong
The soul can experience God only when it is pure and strong. When the soul is weak and impure, it cannot experience God in the form of peace and bliss. So, the only way is for us to not depend on sense organs, but to realize that we have to improve the strength and purity of the soul.
God is not an idol. God is not a picture. God is omnipotent. Omnipresent. Omniscient. It is superior to sat and satchit. It has the facet of aananda.
Mantra: Yajur Veda 40.15
idam bhasmaantam shariiram
The end of this physical body is ashes (cremate the body. Don’t dispose in other methods)
Synopsis:
What are we?
Basically we are the soul. When I say I, it refers to the soul. That which exists and is aware of its existence. satchit.
But to be active, the satchit has to depend on the shariira indriya manas.
shariira indriya manas is not me. It is mine.
Who is me? That is the soul.
Every soul, according to the karma, gets its own tool. THat tool is shariira indriya manas.
abhimaanii shariira = The body that I get. It is mine and mine only.
We have a tool assigned to us exclusively for our use.
Who is the user? = soul = Me = I
I cannot share my tool with anyone. I cannot share the tool that belongs to someone else. I cannot see through your eyes. I can only imagine how you see.
Birth and Death
Birth is me (soul) getting my own apparatus (shariira indriya manas).
My tool is formed in a womb. Then it grows till youth. Then it stops growing. Then it lives for 80-100 years. This tool is there for the sake of satchit (the user).
The tool is made up of inert things (sat). Over a period, it becomes worn and torn. sat undergoes wear and tear because of use.
The shariira indriya manas cannot be used at one time. At that time, the soul gets out of the instrument. BEcause the instrument has become obsolete.
Death is the soul stopping to use the tool because the tool is unusable.
After death?
After death, the soul without a tool is under the mercy of sacchidaananda. That sacchidaananda analyzes how the soul has used the apparatus given to it earlier. OK it is has it well. If it has used a human tool the way it is supposed to be used, then I am born again as a human being. With a different environment and different relationships.
If I have misused the human tool, I am deemed unfit to use a human tool. I will be given a non-human form.
If I am able to use the tool better, I am given a sophisticated tool (human being).
Example:
If a person does a job well, we promote him and give a job with more responsibilities. If a person is not doing well, we demote them and give a lesser job.
Dead Body and disposing it
The soul getting another tool is under the discretion of sacchidaananda. I have no role to play. Only thing that is available to me to handle, is the dead body of someone whose soul has left. Because it is decaying, it is my responsibility to dispose off it well. The decaying material is always filth and dirt. I have to clear it as early as possible.
To discard it, we have several alternatives in the present day.
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Through it in a waterbody. The lives in the waterbody will eat the dead body. But this will pollute the water. This is not prudent. It is not intelligent. Water is a natural resource that I am supposed to converse and use. Not spoil and pollute. This method is therefore not good.
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Put it in a tower of peace. Build a big structure and put the body on it. So vulture and other animals eat it. The Parsi lifestyle do this. This is also not recommended because vultures, while eating, also spread pieces of the dead body. This will cause air pollution and ill health.
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Bury the dead. That which is buried takes a long time to decay and become part of the five elements. The decomposing body will also pollute the undercurrent of water. Rainwater also gradually gets into the layers of earth and finally reaching the undercurrent, it comes in contact with the decomposing body and pollutes it. Also, if I bury someone on earth, I have consumed that space. I cannot burn someone in the same place. There will be a shortage of burial grounds.
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The scientific and non polluting method of discarding the dead body is cremation. This Mantra says that clearly.
How about polluting the air while burning the dead body?
The Vedas prescribe how to burn the dead body without pollution. We have to compensate the burning dead body with sufficient air purifiers. The main thing here is ghee. Ghee purifies air while getting burnt. There are many herbs and herbal powders we use that compensates for the herbal pollution. This, if properly administered, will compensate for the pollution that is caused by the burning of the dead body.
Sharma Ji’s Experience
Sharma Ji has been participating in several cremation with ghee, herbal powder, etc. Even when he was within a few feet, he could experience.
Cremation is a social responsibility
ghee and herbal powder are costly. How can a poor person afford this? How should they manage? Burning of decomposing body is not the responsibility of one person or one family. But it is a social responsibility. Because, if it is not burnt properly, it will create a problem like pollution. it will spread. That will affect the entire society. So the society comes together to take care of any dead body. It is a social responsibility.
What to do with the ashes
Ash is good manure. Use it in trees and vegetation.