Summary:
Lesson 58 shows us how to recognize Ishvara everywhere, or in everyday experiences.
Source: Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 7 – verse 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
REVISION:
Isvara is defined as cause of universe (jagat karanam). Cause means Ishvara is BOTH intelligent & material cause. Meaning this manifest universe is none other then Ishvara. When you see the world as manifestation of Ishvara, that vision is called visvarūpa darṣanam (seeing God in all forms – which CH11 touches on in detail)
Until we're taught the nature of Ishvara, our assumption is that Isvara is like a person, and it's about coming in contact with Him through some method.
Krishna is preparing our mind, so by chapter CH11 (Vision of Cosmic Being), we do NOT ASK for arrival of God. But understand God has already ARRIVED in form of 5 elements, as the very air you breathe.
Therefore 2 things are being asked of student: (1) UNDERSTAND Ishvara's nature, and… (2) REORIENT mind to see very world AS Ishvara.
Otherwise to see Isvara as person is eka rūpa īśvaraḥ (personal God in ONE form). Krishna is asking us to change VIEW to aneka rūpa īśvaraḥ (God as ALL forms).
A personal God is subject to arrival/departure. Happiness when perceived. Unhappiness upon separation. However with aneka/visvarūpa, no question of disappearance. God is manifesting as the very air you're breathing.
What is parā-prakṛti?
THAT because of which you are AWARE of experiences (apara-prakrti). Invisible CHANGELESS awareness always known to you as self-evident I.
Krishna also says whatever is other then parā/aparā, belongs to the I-sense, the jiva (the one who is sees self apart from everything else). A separate “I” who talks about parā/aparā, but doesn't include oneself into it. In truth, there is neither jiva nor jagat. Ishvara alone IS.
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 7 – Verse 6:
Everything emerges from and dissolves into Ishvara
etadyonīni bhūtāni sarvāṇītyupadhāraya |
ahaṃ kṛtsnasya jagataḥ prabhavaḥ pralayastathā ||
Ascertain that all things and beings have these two prakritis as their material cause. (Therefore) I am the source as well as the ground of dissolution of this entire universe.
The cosmic creation emerges like a vast tree, founded on two fundamental aspects: the gross elements (bhūtam) comprising the physical five elements, from which the elementals (bhautikam) come. They manifest throughout the universe as simple combinations like earth and water forming clay, to complex structures like the human body which is a refined amalgamation of all elements (water and earth as primary components, fire for heat maintenance, air in blood, and space in cavities like the stomach).
So Krishna is redefining our concept of God from being located somewhere, to everywhere.
Krishna's Revolutionary Definition of God
Krishna presents a comprehensive understanding of Īśvara (God) through three progressive levels:
- Īśvara as a personal entity
- Īśvara as the entire universe, whatever you see, smell, touch, hear, experience.
- Īśvara as formless consciousness
Therefore sarvāṇī iti upadhāraya, assert/digest that whole UNIVERSE evolves out of Me, and rests in Me. Similar to scientific postulation of big-bang > big-crunch (everything goes into singularity). Then repeats. According to BG 2.28: Everything goes back to unmanifest condition. From Unmanifest comes manifestation.
Sample of mini creation-dissolution:
Our daily cycle of waking and sleeping serves as a perfect microcosmic representation of the universal creation-dissolution process.
Each morning, as we emerge from sleep, we witness a mini-creation where all our dormant actions and thoughts evolve from their unmanifest state. While the individual maintains continuity from the previous day's creation, each new day represents a fresh creation cycle.
During deep sleep, all our thoughts and activities are withdrawn into ourselves, though this withdrawal is temporary. The next morning brings forth a new manifestation as this withdrawn potential converts back into active thoughts and actions.
The waking-sleep cycle demonstrates a beginningless pattern, making it impossible to pinpoint when it all started. Just as a merry-go-round has no built-in stop mechanism and continues spinning indefinitely, this cycle persists eternally. The only way to transcend this perpetual cycle is through moksha – much like consciously choosing to jump off the merry-go-round when we've had enough of the endless spinning.
The Dream Analogy
ahaṃ kṛtsnasya jagataḥ prabhavaḥ pralayastathā: I am origin of entire universe. Resolution ground AND graveyard of this creation. I throw out and I resolve.
The scripture draws a parallel between cosmic creation and our dream state:
- Dreams spontaneously create vast worlds with their own time-space framework.
- Scientific studies show dreams lasting mere minutes can contain years of experience.
- Just as we are the creator and dissolver of our dream universe, Ishvara is the Sṛṣṭi/sthiti/laya kāraṇam (cause) of the entire cosmos.
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 7 – Verse 7:
mattaḥ parātaraṃ nānyat kiñcidasti dhanañjaya |
mayi sarvamidaṃ protaṃ sūtre maṇigaṇā iva ||
Oh, Arjuna, there is no other cause at all apart from Me. All this is strung in Me like beads in a string.
The Chain of Causation
In our normal observation, we see that every EFFECT has its own CAUSE. For example, a child is an effect of the parent (cause). However, parent has it's own cause, making the parent an effect. This naturally provokes the question: Who is the CAUSE of Īśvara? Does Ishvara also have it's own cause just like the parent?
Krishna's Declaration of Ultimate Causation
Krishna provides a profound answer: He is the parent-less parent of this creation, the causeless-cause. Nothing caused Him, and He is never an EFFECT of anything. Therefore, “mattaḥ parataram nānyat kiñcidasti” – there is no other cause for Me. Krishna establishes Himself as the ULTIMATE cause, the ABSOLUTE cause of creation.
Īśvara as the Material Cause
The second line explains how Īśvara is the material cause of creation, meaning the material cause is inherent in all effects. This concept can be understood through several examples:
- All earth-ware pots exist because of clay. Clay inheres all beautiful/ugly, rich/poor pots.
- Ornaments exist only because of inherent gold. Remove gold, no ornaments.
- Remove wood, no furniture.
The Thread That Binds Creation
Krishna explains His role as the cause that holds the whole world together through the metaphor of a māla (garland). When looking at a garland, the beads are visible, but within these visible beads lies an invisible thread (sūtram). The garland exists because of this thread – without it, there would be no garland.
This is the meaning of “sūtre maṇigaṇā iva” – just as beads are threaded together by string, similarly, the WHOLE UNIVERSE (laws, orders, matter) is threaded together because of the UNSEEN string Īśvara (intelligence manifesting as laws, orders, time, space and all elements).
The Omnipresence of Īśvara
While the value of the necklace/beads is easily appreciated, the thread's value is rarely acknowledged. Thus, when asked “Where is God?”, the appropriate response would be to counter-question: “Where is He NOT?”
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 7 – Verse 8:
raso'hamapsu kaunteya prabhā'smi śaśisūryayoḥ |
praṇavaḥ sarvavedeṣu śabdaḥ khe pauruṣaṃ nṛṣu ||
Oh! Arjuna, I am the taste in water. I am the radiance in the moon and sun; I am the Omkara in all the Vēdās; (I am) the sound in space; (I am) the manliness in men.
Krishna asking for attitude change, based on our new understandings. For example we love and have reverential feelings for parents (or whoever is dear to you) because you KNOW what they have done for you.
So proportion of my knowledge of their sacrifices, I DEVELOP attitude of reverence.
Same case with any person. When meet unknown person, attitude is NEUTRAL. After come to discover their values, sacrifices, read biography… we DEVELOP knowledge about them… we develop reverence/admiration.
In same way, proportional to understanding world, what the world actually is — your attitude changes towards it.
For example, when see world as world, attitude is likes/dislikes. However when understand world as visvarūpa (manifestations of God), then attitude shifts to reverence.
EG: Rudram supposed to be most potent prayer, expresses visvarūpa darśanam. One does namaskāra to Lord Śiva, who is in form of mud. One does namaskāra to Sun, which is not matter alone, but ultimately intelligence.
How to apply in daily life?
Knowledge can be gathered immediately. But attitudinal change takes time.
Aspirant has a 2 fold job:
- Understanding the teaching (knowledge).
- Deliberately bringing about attitudinal and perspective change. Recognizing the world is divine.
Conclusion:
- See world as world = UNREST. But SAME world seen as Ishvara = a much more pleasant place to live and cope with challenges. This is reflected in first verse of Isha Upanishad – Īśāvāsyam idagum sarvam, Learn to see world as manifestation of Ishvara.
How does Krishna tells us to change attitude?
1st line: raso'hamapsu kaunteya prabhā'smi śaśisūryayoḥ
Arjuna, when drink water, remember water Me (Īśvara). This applies to everything.
I am LIGHT, radiance, brilliance in the sun & moon. Light of sun is worshipped in Gāyatrī Mantra, considered pinnacle of all Vedas.
Things in which to appreciate presence of Ishvara…
- praṇavaḥ sarva vedeṣu: I am the sacred OM/omkāra (which can represent 3 gunas, 3 bodies, 3 states, 3 periods of time).
- śabdaḥ khe: I am essence of all pervading space.
- pauruṣaṃ nṛṣu: Humanness in every human being. To claim “I am a human being”, that privilege is possible because of Ishvara.
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 7 – Verse 9:
puṇyo gandhaḥ pṛthivyāṃ ca tejaścāsmi vibhāvasau |
jīvanaṃ sarvabhūteṣu tapaścāsmi tapasviṣu ||
O Arjuna! Moreover I am the fragrance in earth; I am the heat in fire: I am the life in all beings and I am the austerity in ascetics.
Things in which to appreciate presence of Ishvara…
- Puṇyaḥ gandhaḥ pṛthivyām: Essential nature of earth is fragrance/smell. I am THAT also.
- Tejaścāsmi vibhāvasau: I am the heat in fire, your body, the sun on your skin, hot water, etc.
- jīvanaṃ sarvabhūteṣu: I AM life principle, because of which a living being is LIVING. This puts perspective to thinking that animals are merely for human consumption, or don't have a soul.
- tapaścāsmi tapasviṣu: I AM tapas (disciplines like persistence, mind-management methods) which produced accomplishment for one who practiced tapas.
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 7 – Verse 10:
bījaṃ māṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ viddhi pārtha sanātanam |
buddhirbuddhimatāmasmi tejastejasvināmaham ||
Oh! Arjuna, Know Me to be the eternal seed of all beings. I am the intelligence of the intelligent. I am the boldness of the bold.
Things in which to appreciate presence of Ishvara…
- buddhiḥ buddhi matām asmi: I am intelligence principle BEHIND intelligent people.
- asmi tejastejasvinām: I am the capacity which person is able to overcome obstacles. Ability to do what is to be done and move forward, is Ishvara's glory.
What is BENEFIT of changing my attitude?
Any virtues like boldness, intelligence, austerity, knowledge… DO NOT belong to you. They are manifestation of Ishvara. This develops humility, which makes you likable and more relatable. Humility/humbleness is born of knowledge. Without knowledge of the matter, one defaults to ownership (“This is mine!”).
Example HOW humility comes…
In Kena Upanishad, there is story of Devas who become arrogant over their victory of asurās. Bhagavan comes in form of mysterious yakṣa (spirit). To discover who yakṣa was, Bhagavān places blade of grass, infront of Devās. Agni-devata (God of fire) told to burn it. Couldn’t burn it. Recognized it’s heat principle is Bhagavān’s glory. Vāyu-devata (God of Air) told to blow. Failed. Thus the devās realized their power is not theirs. They become humbled.
Another benefit seeing glories as belonging to Ishvara, is it reduces jealousy. Because every skill/talent belongs to the Lord, not to the person. Jealousy is only possible when you see something as “mine” and “theirs”, but it's Ishvara's alone. Thus you begin to appreciate Ishvara when see talent/greatness, which makes you feel more connected, rather then isolated.
SUMMARY: Humility (leads to undisturbed peace in challenges) and Non-jealousy (appreciating others).
Ishvara is Causeless Cause
Bījam: seed, ultimate/absolute cause. For clarity, there are 2 definitions of causes:
Intermediary/relative cause (āpekṣika kāraṇam): Caused by something else. For example even though mother is cause of her son, the mother too is caused by her parent. Ishvara is not this category.
Ultimate/Absolute Cause: A cause that's not caused by anything else, and from which everything comes. Ishvara is parentless parent. Fatherless father. Motherless mother of creation. So it's invalid to say “what caused God?”, as God is the causeless cause of creation.
Keywords: acarya, aham kara, ahamkara, aneka rupa, apara-prakriti, avidya, bhagavan, bhuta, darsana, devesha, eka rupa, gayatri, ishvara, ishvara darshanam, karanam, namaskara, nirguna, omkara, para-prakriti, purusha, raga, saguna, samskaras, sanatanam, srishti, srsti, sthiti, svarupam , upanishad, vairagya, vayu devata, vishvarupa darshana, visvarupa darshana
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Credit for help in Bhagavad Gita teaching given to Chinmaya Int. Foundation, Swami Paramarthananda
Recorded 16 July, 2019
Could you please clarify the statement that avidya is whatever is not part of paraprakrti/aparaprakrti which is ahamkara. Last week you said that ahamkara was one of the 8-fold aparaprakrti in the 2nd stage of creation.
Analogy: 10 men go on spiritual pilgrimage. All 10 cross river. To check if all made it, one person counts, and only finds 9 left. Next person counts, also 9 left. They all grieve 10th person who drowned in the river.
Wise person comes and says “You fools, you each forgot to INCLUDE yourself as part of the WHOLE GROUP.”
Meaning, each counter preserved their separate sense of “I” and forgot to surrender it to the WHOLE. Thus each counter had avidyā. It’s only when wise person told them “You forgot to count yourself”, they then were able to surrender their aham kāra to the WHOLE GROUP.
In same way, one says “Everything is parā/aparā”. But the aham kāra saying it, still is NOT including itself into parā/aparā.
The Gītā corrects this. So nothing to worry about.
The jiva ben thinks that the only reason “things” and “thoughts” (including the jiva typing this!) “exist” is because of desire.
The jiva wants something or wishes to avoid something and so it “breaks up” existence into “things/thoughts” to GET or AVOID.
If the jiva suddenly didn’t need to AVOID or GET anything.
Would the jiva exist? It seems to me the sole purpose of the jiva is to get stuff or try and run away from stuff.
The jiva ben feels that as I soften the jivas “desire volume” by identifying (though introspection) satya and mithya the louder the “truth-self volume” becomes.
If the jiva suddenly didn’t need to AVOID or GET anything. Would the jiva exist? > What is life? Moments of avoiding/getting. For whom? Jīva. Since jīva is not separate from life, it will continue avoiding/getting.
Even jñāni avoids scorching sun and gets nutritious food to support the body and mind. A jñāni who is so detached from his body that he doesn’t take care of it’s need to avoid/get, is clearly a fool and living in denial.
As long as there is life, avoiding/getting is inescapable.
Agreed its a “middle way” not an extreme denial like a starving ascetic on the charnel grounds. For the “me” its not so much avoiding necessities but like in alcoholics anonymous i need to start by acknowledge my “needs/wants” mindfully and admit i have a problem with the “I”‘s management/consciousness of those needs. So that the “I” becomes the know-er of the needs rather than the “I” being DEFINED by the needs/wants. The jnani sees things like a playful kind child sees toys. Enjoying them but always ready to share or move on to another thing as it arises. The question is does the “I” not yet i think. The fruit has to be put back on the tree to enter Eden.
Hi Andre.
Have been listening to your teaching about how we can understand Isvara.
Previous teaching I have received says that
“ the Universe is a thought form projected from the mind of God!”
Q:
Is this a valid way to understand the true nature of Isvara and the cause of material creation!
There’s many ways to communicate the reality. Regarding the statement, it can be understood just as “Dream is a thought form projected from the mind of you”. So yes it makes sense.
However Ishvara (as material/intelligent cause) is discussed in greater detail in CH9.
Thanks Andre.
Simple and clear again.
With respect to the point raised about the universe being founded upon vibration.
You have actually already answered this.
Works like the “Law Of Attraction ” ( which I believe leads one down the path of selfishness and self interest “ describe the principle of sympathetic vibration.
It is a means of manipulating ends.
I know that you know this:
At a more foundational level for the material universe, and now entering the world of quantum physics, it talks about how this is a universe that is forever changing and transforming.
It is a universe where nothing remains as it is; all is momentum. ( except, as you have pointed out, and in accordance with the law of the conservation of energy, nothing is ever destroyed).
You have alluded to this many times in showing how all names/ forms reduce to more elementary components.
Finally arriving at string theory, which you have said is at least postulating intelligent vibration!
But of course, this ultimately resolves into space, which ultimately resolved into consciousness.
So again can’t be the ultimate cause!
So this is the boundary condition of empirical investigation.
The Planck length.
All of this is Confined to the level of Mitya and does not address or impinge upon the ontology that you are teaching us.
Vedanta remains unassailable and you have already addressed this concept many times analogically in different forms.
?
Although there is another side to “Law of attraction”. It does have merit. Because it’s taking advantage (although without dharma) of cause-effect.
Every cause one puts out, in itself is an effect. And there’s no cause without effect.
For example, whole karma-kanda section of Vedas is about manipulating results in my favour using specific Vedic rituals. The only difference is:
Vedas: First teaches dharma (universal ethics).
Law of attraction: skips dharma, and goes straight to “Here’s how to get likes/dislikes fulfilled”. This basically entangles person deeper into samsara.
All Jivas are created during the intermediary stage, when the one apara divides into the eight fold.
The cycle of creation is without beginning or end.
When the universe resolves into pralaya, the Jiva must also resolve into pralaya.
Does the same Jiva manifest again in the next cycle, or are new Jivas created?
There are a finite number of Jivas in creation at any one time.
What happens when all of those eventually attain moksha?
No more Jivas, so no more need for lokas, so no more creation.
But creation is endless!
What is the correct way to look at this?
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“Does the same Jiva manifest again in the next cycle, or are new Jivas created?”
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Nothing new can be created. There is only manifest and potential. So when we speak of “new jivas”, what we really mean is “potential jivas”. In that case yes. Just as there were potential jivas (yet to manifest) at time of dinosaurs.
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What happens when all of those eventually attain moksha?
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That’ll never happen. Creation has already existed since beginningless. What never began (first time), can never end (last time).
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Question:
Also, common question is “But what happens to the jīva who is no longer reborn due to mokṣa? If jiva is not reborn, then eventually there will be no more jīvas reborn”.
Answer:
What is infinity – 1? Infinity. It’s not like Ishvara creates 1000 jivas. And upon moksha, now it’s down to 999 jivas. 🙂
Infinite waves in the ocean are nothing but water. Upon death of a realized-wave, nothing changes. Still infinite waves, ocean, water is true. Except water is now identified with entire ocean, instead of just one wave.
Thanks Andre.
I had been taught in the past that there were a finite number of souls ( Jivas) and that in fact the number is sixty billion.
Seems preystupid now, but I realise that I had absorbed that belief which has lead to my misunderstanding and therefore my question.
A bit like how past Samsara clouds present judgement.
You always mentioned about God. But who created God. Jesus also mentioned about God. Are they the same God. But Buddhism don’t believe a God. Hopefully you can reply me because I don’t get reply from you previously. Thanks and good karma for your reply
Hi William, Definition of “God” (which just means: Cause of Universe) will be expanded as you continue the videos.
Greetings Andre, At end of last lesson, the world dropped out so to speak. The knowledge of what ‘I’ am became so obvious. Such wholeness. Contentment. A knowing that all experience/emotion coming after/during this realization is just apara. The years of seeking, humorous and non-humorous-just was. Such completeness, nothing else needed. I felt perhaps to walk away from course, what else can even be said/known? I saw (apara) a fear arise-wondering if more teaching would actually destabilize. Apara. This morning, nothing has changed, I understand what I am, yet an intuition to continue course vs. stop is present. So, here I am at lesson 58 and what do you speak of in this lesson-the student that walks away after understanding is immature! Perhaps, the immaturity is in the intuition itself to continue, thus indicating a need to continue? Apara. Yet this is all unreal thought.
Hi Laura. It’s true one can stop at any moment of course. However, mind’s narratives quickly come back, with same old notions as before. Thus course might be seen as holding one’s hand until full assimilation. Only clarity can come, not regression, since each chapter gives a different personality for the mind to grasp. Andre.
Thank you