FIND THE PEACE WHICH IS ALWAYS WITHIN YOU FREE VEDANTA ONLINE COURSE TUESDAYS AT 7 PM A PRODUCTION BY SATSANGA ONLINE COLLABORATE PLACE YOUR BRAND HERE The study of Vedanta is very precious within the mind, since it brings about information we didn't have before. Once we become aware that this doesn't come from any given human being, we develop a certain attitude, as if we were touching something sacred. You remove your shoes before attending class, you want to keep a certain degree of purity between you and the teacher because what you are receiving doesn't belong to humanity: it is in the hands of humanity, but doesn't belong to it.
So, the entire study of Vedanta, of Yoga, of Ayurveda, will always be infused with rituals, mantras, Sanskrit and such things. For this very reason. To be honest, Vedanta, Yoga and all such things will only work for real, deeply, if the person has this feeling, this vision that it's not merely intellectual and mental work: one is touching on things that have been in our legacy for thousands and thousands of years.
So, we always open our classes with a mantra. Mantras are particularly chosen based on the teacher's tradition and also the type of prayer he wants to perform, but there aren't rules for which mantra you should chant in each situation, which mantras you should chant so as to teach. Teachers do have conventions: "sadaa-shiva-samaraambham" is a well-known mantra, and all my teachers used to chant it, so I do, too.
Pattabhi Jois decided to chant "vande guruunaam caraanara vinde" which is a beautiful mantra. We can even discuss it, since some of you asked me to. Many mantras can open a class.
Also, we don't create mantras: "let me compose a mantra. . .
" No, one doesn't do that. At most, you can dedicate a mantra to someone, by adding a small verse after chanting them. So, for instance, in these classes, here, we start by chanting "sadaa-shiva-samaraambham", and let's see its beautiful meaning: sadaa-shiva-samaraambham, "starting from Shiva, who is eternal".
Shiva, here, isn't just "a god holding a trident": we've dropped this concept already. "Starting from the consciousness": Shiva is who originates bliss. Coming from this root that results in "shav", Shiva is the creator of auspiciousness.
So, starting from the eternal consciousness, since the origins of this knowledge are unknown, sadaa-shiva-samaraambham shankara-acaarya-madhyamaam "going through Shankara". Shankara was an important teacher in the history of Vedanta. "asmad-aacaarya-paryantaam" "up to my teacher", "asmaad aacarya paryantam", "up until my teacher".
"vande guruparamparam" "I salute the parampara", the tradition of teacher and student, "guru parampara", the tradition of teachers. So, the first mantra aims at saluting the teachers. Then, there's this other one: "srii-jagan-maataram devim" "sthita-dhiipadma-kaasanaam" I chose this one since, generally, we think of God as a man, so I use this verse of God as a woman to balance things.
So, "srii-jagan-maataram devim" "I salute jagan-maataram, the mother of this universe", consciousness, the mother of the universe, since, in order to create the universe with both man and women, God can't be neither man nor woman, it'd make no sense! So, "salutations to the mother of the universe" "srii-jagan-maataram devim" "sthita-dhiipadma-kaasanaam" "whose intellect and knowledge are steady, shiny and beautiful as 'padma', the lotus". "sthita-dhiipadma-kaasanaam" "hrdaya-saagaraa-tiitaam" "whose heart surpasses all oceans", because she cares for all beings.
Even if there are aliens, she's taking care of them, too! "hrdaya-saagaraa-tiitaam" "gomatim pranato'smyaham" "I salute Gomatim, the mother of the Vedas, the one who has the Vedas in her mind". "I always salute her".
Coincidentally, Gomatim is the name of my teacher, Gloria, who also belongs to this tradition, so I'm saluting her, too. We always chant those two mantras before every class. I'll chant them to you, separately, so they'll be recorded, and, if you so desire, you may train them, and, in our next class, you can chant them with me.
I'll chant them twice: listen, first, and then chant with me: Very good. It's funny that, coincidentally, I don't know why Pattabhi Jois chose "vande guruunaam caranaara vinde". This mantra is from Shankara!
It's included in a text called "Yoga Taaraavalii". Shankara was a Vedanta master, but he also taught Yoga and other subjects within tradition. He wrote a huge text, comprising 200 or 300 verses called Yoga Taaraavalii, and this "vande guruunaam caraanara vinde" that we often hear in astanga classes stems from this text.
Turn it off, Edgar. Just a second. There you go.
Be careful! Good! We've just almost shut down the internet!
So, this mantra stems from this text, Yoga Taaraavalii. Let's see what it means. I think I have it written down, here.
The mantra says: "vande guruunaam caranaara vinde". "vande", "I salute". "guruunaam", "of the teachers".
What, then? "caranaara vinde" "carana" means "feet". "aravinda" means "lotus.
" "aravinda" because lotus is the one who's absent at night. So, it's "aravinda", absent at night. Why that?
Because the lotus opens only once there is light. So, one of the reasons why the feet of masters are called lotus feet isn't due to beauty: feet are always ugly, masters' ones, too! It's because, whenever the master has light, he's a true master: he has knowledge.
So, lotus feet have to do with light: the lotus is only there if there is light. "samdarshita-svaatma suhka-avabodhe" What are the masters' feet that I salute? What is the master's foot?
It's a metaphor. I'm not saluting anyone's actual feet, but what supports the masters and make of them masters is "avabodha", his knowledge. Knowledge of what?
"samdarshita-svaatma-suhka", "of the happiness that I myself am", "svaatma", "samdarshita", "very clear". So, I salute the feet of the masters who are the clear knowledge of the happiness that I am. See?
To start an astanga class, we chant to the purpose of Vedanta! Interesting, right? Shankara wrote it, so it couldn't be different.
"sukhava bodhe nih-shreyase" "nih-shreyase" means "the highest there is". The world is full of preyas, and there is nih-shreya. Preyas is all that's desirable, but "nih-shreya" is the most desirable.
So, the person may say: "I'm very altruistic, I'm this, I'm that", but everyone, necessarily, thinks first about oneself. One my even say: "No, I think of my child first. " You ask: "Before yourself?
" "Yes", he reply. "You think about your child more than you think about yourself? " -"That's it.
" -"Right". You continue: "Do you think of neighbor's child? " "No, I think about my child, only".
"Oh, so you don't think about any child, just YOUR child! " One can't escape this connection with objects, even if it is a child, husband, wife, house. We can only connect with things that are us, somehow.
At the end of it all, then, everything one pursues in life, even through selfless actions, but this is not our subject, now, must be connected to oneself. And, if this knowledge, conveyed by the masters is what I am, what is closest to me, it is not like all other things available in the world: it is "nih-shreyas", something that can bring me fundamental peace, peace that will make me forever independent from objects. So, "nih-shreyase".
"jaangalikaaya-maane": now, the metaphor is different. jaangalikaaya-maane conveys the idea of the teacher's simplicity. The simplicity of the teacher.
The teacher is a person. What kind of person? "jaangalikaaya-maana", a person who lives in the jungle, "jaangala", "the one who lives in the forest".
And why is that? Because he lives a life of Yoga. In the Vedic tradition, "forest" is a synonym to "Yoga".
Maybe, in our culture, we could say that "the one who lives in a bar" is not a yogi! Why? Yogis don't drink, they have to get up early.
If one lives in a bar, he is no yogi. There, it was the opposite: "the one who lives in a forest, in an ashram". Maybe, here, we could say: "who lives in a yoga studio", those students who are there early, everyday!
So, "salutations to this master who lives in the forest". And why do I salute this master? "samsaara haalaahala moha-shaantyai" Haalaa is a poison.
Haalaahala is a super-venom, a poison that destroys everything. There are many types of snakes. There's this snake in India about which we joke in the ashram: if this snake bites you, you'll be dead before taking five steps.
Five steps! So, they say: "if this snake bites you, stand still! Nothing will happen to you!
" If one dies after five steps. . .
right? This snake's venom is super strong. Once it enters your system, there's no way out.
If you have an antidote right there, maybe you can save part of your body's functionalities, but there's no way out. And the samsaara, the life in this world, works exactly like this. We live here, and the more we connect to people and the world, the more attached we feel.
And you may even be doing things for the best, but, even so, you'll feel like this: you try to help someone, and you've succeeded helping her moving into a new home, and, now, she feels obliged to you, you don't need help, but she keeps on calling: there's something in this samsaara that, regardless of your intentions, since most people mean no harm, but that still makes people clash. Everybody feels trapped. If you ask a couple: "why are you together?
" "Because we love each other". -"Any complaints? " -"We fight everyday".
Love? With daily arguments? !
But so is the samsaara, with is underlying venom. Once you're bitten by samsaara, no matter how hard you try, there's no way out. So, my salutations are to this knowledge as an antidote, an antidote in the form of circulating thoughts, an antidote for this cognitive prison we're in.
For me to eradicate this venom of the illusion within samsaara, I salute my guru. And, now, back-breaking astanga! No, just kidding, this is not the point!
Now, I'll start my practice, whatever it is, as a prayer, as a meditative practice, aware of my body and aware that yoga all but starts there. There's still a long way to go. There are also other well-known mantras in the tradition that we can discuss at a later moment, such as "aabaahu-purushaakaaram", but, for us to get started, I believe the mantras we covered are enough as a foundation for us to get a grip on tradition.
No mantras will diverge much: metaphors will change, yes, the examples, too, but, basically, they are prayers from people who are trying to rid themselves from suffering and requesting the help of knowledge to liberate them, a solution for their lives. That's the point. I'll take the opportunity to clarify doubts sent by e-mail.
"What is the meaning of 'namaste'? " "Namaste" is quite interesting. "Namaste" is, actually, just half the sentence, as in when we say: "see you!
" On its own, this expression doesn't mean much: "see" "you". In those two words, a whole sentence is implied, but we only used the two words "see" and "you", right? It can be: "I see you when you return, later", whatever!
"I see you soon, when you come back", maybe! There's a combination in there. In "namaste", it's quite simple: "namah te astu": "that there may be salutations to you".
It's a way of speaking. Don't we say: "God bless you"? "That there may be salutations to you", it's a saying in India.
"Namah": in some mantras and verses, you'll see "namo'stu te". "Namo'stu te" and "namaste" are the same: since "astu" is a verb, it may be implicit, and you'll have "namah te", "salutations you", but this makes no sense, so we translate: "the God in me salutes the God in you", "may you find peace", but, literally, they are mistranslations. All such things may be desirable and nice to say through "namaste", but all it means is "namah", salutations, "te", to you, case 4.
Lisa asks whether asanas are feminine or masculine. Asana, asanam, is actually neutral. You can use both genders for this word in Portuguese.
I'll answer one more question: there's no time for all. Let's go: When we say that there is an order, and this is from Julia, Portugal, an essential order, maybe yoga helps us to see it clearly: the order remains hidden when there's no such clarity. She brings up a very interesting point.
The question is long, so I'll present its essence: is yoga, then, granting me an opportunity to acknowledge something which already exists and that is here, surrounding us, a mental order, a physical order, a psychological and energetic order, as in the four steps? It's exactly that. What Vedanta and Yoga will do is to bring us to the perception of an already-existing order.
Once I perceive this existing order, I detach myself from the identification of what's inside it. I can consider myself a genius because I had a great idea, but if I consider that I made no effort to have the idea, that great ideas are granted to people almost like a blessing! Yes: you have a mind, you studied, you get the idea: there's an order behind receiving this idea.
"I had a great idea": what have you done for it? There is a whole mental process behind a great idea, and it's not anyone's merit: it's available for all mankind. Maybe you were born gifted, but even that isn't your merit.
When one thinks this way, one's mind and consciousness become aware of an order. And the awareness of this order make my ego and identity detach itself from this action of having an idea. Yoga, thus, will work this way: it will discuss matters related to us, all that makes us see ourselves as small and limited, so that we can drop all identifications.
This is the process of Vedanta study: dropping identifications one after the other. This is what we will be doing here, as we already are. So, thank you all for listening to me once again.
I've been enjoying teaching you these classes. This week, I've spent 2-3 days just replying to e-mails, so thank you all for your warm words, for your trust, and, as a teacher, it's very good to receive your feedback and to know that we are adding to your personal journeys. I hope our classes will be beneficial to all, and, should you have doubts or issues, send them our way and we'll do our best to help.
So, I'll close our class and, should you have questions, I'll stay a little longer. Pollyana asked: "Is there any point in which you really feel, perceive and live Vedanta fully? " Without a doubt.
The more you study, the more clarity there is. And clarity is different from ignorance. For example: when you.
. . when you examine a given subject, such as medicine, ayurvedic medicine, you'll always find out about something: you study and learn about vata, pitta and kapha, and then learn about sub-vata, sub-pitta, sub-kapha!
You study further and learn that a certain drug works for "all but one" illness! The more you study, the more you find out about the universe and about how endless knowledge is. However, clarity about oneself doesn't follow that rule, since you're not steered towards objects, but towards the subject, which is one and only, while objects are infinite.
That which grows exponentially, that is, the objects, as you study, will be opposed by what happens to the subject: once you say "I'm not this body", all identifications associated with this body leave at once. They don't fall one by one: "now I realized that, indeed, I'm not a mother, fundamentally: I'm a mother, but not fundamentally: before my child was born, I didn't use to be a mother; once my daughter is gone, if she ever is, I won't be a mother, again. Or I may die and go somewhere where I won't be a mother.
" So, in my mind, I manage to break role after role. But, if I had to follow this path, there'd be endless work. But the study of Vedanta is one of reality, and if I'm saying I'm not fundamentally a mother, I'm much more than that, that will apply to all my other roles.
So, it's as if every step we took towards knowledge pushed us much further and closer to our goal. To a point in which, even during classes, you can see yourself as a free person. While in class, you see yourself as being free, but, once you leave, your mind becomes blurred again.
And, little by little, cognitive change takes place. It is something essentially accomplishable by a person. If, just by listening to a class, I see that it makes sense, that it makes me feel well, and, sometimes, by listening to a 1h class you manage to solve an old problem you had been bearing, and that through one sentence present in the context of Vedanta!
It is, thus, a very strong teaching, and without a doubt one reaches this vision. In a short period of time, it doesn't take long. As long as you're dedicated, disciplined and hard-working, qualities brought up by a life of yoga.
And is it only a cognitive change? -Isn't there anything physical? -No, nothing.
-Not even in the mind? -None, whatsoever, thank God! It's entirely a cognitive change.
Freedom isn't earned little by little, bear this in mind. You can't conquer freedom little by little: either you are free, now, or you'll never be free. "I have to change my mind little by little so that I can gradually set myself free from problems": this will never happen.
Even because all aspects may change, not just one. Now, if I want to see myself completely free, if my goal is happiness, pure bliss, pure bliss can't happen little by little. Either this pure bliss is me, my nature, and then I'll have something to find out, or it will never be possible.
Thank God, it IS you! The study aims at showing how you're free, already, and not how you're going to conquer freedom, how you're fulfilled, already, and not how you'll become so. This is why it's not gradual: it's all about a cognitive change within the mind.
