Vedanta Sara: Verses 1 - 2

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So , as we begin the Vedanta Sara , it is very important for us to just do a quick recap on yesterday's episode , that it's all about having the basic understanding . With the basic understanding , we can move forward .

We can understand the deeper aspects of the truth when it comes to the Upanishads , the Brahma Sutras and also the Bhagavad Gita and , as I mentioned , those in that list order , in the order of the list . That's the way we should study . So and it makes sense because if we have the basics correct , we can understand everything else very easily .

Now , um , we'll start with the first verse , and that is , he says , for the fulfillment of my

highest desire . I take refuge in the self , the basis of all existence , indivisible , eternal , conscious , blissful and beyond the reach of speech and mind . So if you think about it , the whole , the whole of spirituality is in that one verse itself . First he says for the fulfillment of my highest desire . Now , what would be our highest desire ?

Now , see , many of us , we desire a better car , a better home , a better job , a better college education , better grades . We're constantly wanting something that is temporary of this world . But the fulfillment of my highest desire would mean that it's about transcending those desires that have an end point , like their happiness has an end point .

So what would be fulfilling as a desire now ? That would be to understand one's true nature , or jivan mukti , to be liberated while alive , to be free from suffering , to be free from all notions of body and mind identification . So this is why he says I take refuge in the self .

Now , it's not some separate self that he's talking about , it's not about the true self , our true nature , this Atman , this Brahman , this formless awareness . That's what Sadananda Ji is talking about . And then he says it's the basis of all existence . See , for existence to arise , this formless awareness has to be . This Brahman has to be .

It is the cause behind everything . So if there is creation , that power of Maya , it emanates from Brahman . So this whole world is nothing but an extension of Brahman . It's not Brahman itself , it doesn't stand by itself , because it's a projection , it's an appearance , but we can understand that its power , its cause , comes from the ultimate .

Now , then it describes the ultimate . So you know when we may think . Well , if you're saying it's the basis of all existence , well , is it in duality ? No , first word indivisible . It cannot be divided . Therefore , it can be multiplied . Yeah , so it's all the play of the one that appears to be many .

Yeah , that's the way to understand this pure consciousness , this formless awareness that we are Now .

See , the point is here that if anybody had to ask you Well , what is this truth , what is Shiva , what is Brahman , what is the Atman , what is Nirakar , what is Vaiguru , what is God , one should have the answer at the tip of their tongue , because it's your very nature .

And if one hasn't got there , then we obviously have work to do in spirituality , and it's important for us to acknowledge that we have work to do in terms of spiritual practice and spiritual understanding . So that's one thing . So when we say indivisible , then that means that there is a oneness between the . There's only oneness here ,

yeah , there's no two . Yeah , there's no duality . There's not me and brumman , there's not me , the self and the . There's not me , the self and the higher self . There is only the higher self . There's an appearance of a limited self , but I only know it's limited because of that avidya , that ignorance being removed .

Without that ignorance being removed , I will think there's a little me and there's a big God . Yeah , and I'll be in that little duality . So it's indivisible . So , even if one tries to separate themselves from this God , from this Brahman , it's impossible . That's why the non-dual truth is the most common sense kind of reality that one can acknowledge .

To say that it's , it can be divided , it's dualistic . That means we have not understood the nature of consciousness , the nature of our true self . That means that we see ourselves separate to other people , to other things , things even to consciousness itself . That there's a me and there's the awareness of me .

No , there is only awareness , this me that we're talking about , this body and mind . Will it , will the awareness remain in the body after physical death ? No , it won't . So it only remains . It remains regardless of physical death no , it won't . So it only remains . It remains regardless of physical death or physical birth or non-physicality .

And this is where we understand it's indivisible , then eternal . Likewise , it's beyond birth and beyond death . It's here , forever , forever . There's never been a time and this pure awareness , you know , there's never been a time where it hasn't been , and there never will be a time , and it won't be there . This pure consciousness will remain eternal .

It will remain here because if it's indivisible , then it doesn't belong to time and space and therefore we can understand its true nature that is eternal . So again , we know that its nature is beyond time , so it's beyond the past , present and future .

So , for example , the teaching of just being in the now is not complete , because we have to even transcend the now , because if you investigated the now , you wouldn't be able to keep up with it from a mental point of view , from a mind point of view . Whenever you say this is now , the now has escaped .

So that's why it's better to say it's eternal and then in that everything is said yeah , past , present and future . Conscious , aware . That's the direct way of us knowing .

The direct realization is through awareness that I'm aware of ignorance , this ignorance that doesn't exist , this ignorance that is just an appearance , that's a projecting power and veils this Brahman . But once I address this avidya , once I address this ignorance , it goes away .

And that only happens through the direct path of awareness that , once I realize , this awareness is formless , it's alive within me right now and it will remain even after this physical death . So its nature is conscious , its nature is awareness and that's how we directly experience it in this human frame .

Now , that doesn't mean that the human frame is dependent on this awareness , or awareness is dependent on this human frame , shall I say . Actually , this human frame can function because of consciousness . Think about it . If we weren't conscious beings , we weren't aware of ourselves , we will not be asking about the meaning of life , we will not be wondering

about if there is life beyond the stars , we will not be thinking about if there is more when we die . That means there's a certain awareness of , even after death , that there must be something after death . What is speaking that ? It is awareness . It's not the body that's saying it . The body knows it's going to be inert .

The mind knows something , travels , and that's what we learn in Advaita Vedanta . We may get to this in Vedanta . It's blissful , it's happiness . It has nothing more to give to us . It's got nothing less to give to us . It's happy , happy , as I always say . What my guru used to say is that bliss is the is true happiness beyond the senses , see , sense .

Gratification can only give us a certain amount of happiness , a certain amount of joy , a certain amount of peace . But to be in blissfulness is something that's available 24-7 . And you experience it right here , right now . It's beyond time , it's not that you have to access bliss . Bliss is always here .

It's inexhaustible , just like this consciousness , just like this Brahman , and it's permanent . All these attributes that have been mentioned is permanence , indivisible permanence , eternal permanence , conscious awareness permanence , blissful permanence , awareness permanence , blissful permanence . And do we really want this happiness beyond the senses ?

Do we really want to experience it ? Do we really want to be in that state where there's only peace , where there's not even a flicker of thought , a flicker of imagination , a flicker of even a vritti , a movement of a thought , not even the thought fully developed , even the movement in between the development of a thought even then ?

So bliss is beyond all this and that's why , in the final line he says , and beyond the reach of speech and mind . See , the speech can only reach you there . The mind can only take you so far . Even the speech can only take you so far . What I say . There will be a limitation , because this truth is a paradox in itself .

If I say it's far , it's also near . If I say it's fast , it's also slow . If I say it's fast , it's also slow . If I say it moves , it's also still so it's beyond the reach of speech and mind . The mind cannot reach it . A mind , the mind cannot reach it .

It can try , it can get a hint , a fragrance , but it cannot get to the flower , the source of that fragrance . Only awareness can get to the source of that fragrance . So awareness is the only one that can take you there . You'll get the hint . The mind will be able to somewhat translate , but something always gets lost in translation .

Funny enough , I'm reading a translation . But this truth can be heard . Yes , it can be heard in the silence of meditation , when the mind is silent , when the surrounding is silent . It's experienced . We just have to be open to that .

And this awareness itself carries the complete understanding , as long as we are not just physically listening , like you're just watching this . No , if we take it deeper into the mind and thought and then take it deeper into the

contact with awareness , then slowly and slowly , awareness will erode away the ignorance of the notion that we're the body and mind . So this is what happens when we go beyond speech , beyond mind , it cannot .

We can again , like , for example , when I say indivisible , when we say eternal these are things that are experienced , but the word doesn't get close to what is being experienced . And that's something you have to intuitively grasp .

And if you've , you know , stayed with the Brahmgyana , stayed with the knowledge of Brahma and the knowledge of truth , if you stayed with it , if you have immersed in it , then it will become very . You can grasp what I'm saying instantaneously .

But if you haven't and your mind is still doubting it , that means it's good , that means there's some doubt , there's something working , there's recognition that this could be the truth . So there's doubts that arise , and then there may be that , oh , I'm just listening and therefore it just stays there .

I hear it , and then I'm off to chasing the other desire that I have . So initially we've got to understand that what he's describing here has to be our state too . So when we read this text , we've got to read it in that sense . So when I read it , I've got to understand that it's coming from the highest for the fulfillment of my highest desire .

First Jiva Mukti that will be in my mind . Then I'm taking refuge in the self . So when I read this , I'm reading it as being in the shelter of the self , in the shelter of formless awareness , in the shelter of Brahman Nirakad , and then knowing that it's the basis of all existence .

So one is not reading from ignorance , one is actually reading from knowledge , from true vidya . Yeah , then he says After worshipping the Guru who , both by name and by his state of being free from the illusion of duality or appearance of duality , embodies the essence of his name , adv of all .

He says after worshipping the Guru , where do you get the knowledge from ? It's from the Guru . People think today that they can bypass the Guru , they don't need a Guru . They listen to one lecture of J Krishnamurti who says do not have a Guru . But then he himself is teaching . But what he's saying is don't give up your authority on the truth .

That's all he's saying . That if the Guru has achieved good . But have you achieved . This is the important thing . So , after worshipping the Guru , so what does the worship mean ?

It's a gratitude , A gratitude for the wisdom of this indivisible , eternal , conscious and blissful Brahman , self , atman , formless Awareness , god , whatever name we want to give , who , both by name and by his state of being free from the appearance of duality , he is both by name and by his state of being free from the appearance of duality .

He is beyond duality . He knows that this appearance that we see , this Maya , it appears to be dualistic , but actually , remember , it's what the basis of all existence is Brahman . So , regardless of these names and states , it's all that , one indivisible Brahman . And he embodies the essence of his name , advaya Ananda , essence of his name Advaya Ananda .

So the name of his Guru means that this reality is non-dual in nature . So he says I proceed to describe the essence of Vedanta , according to my understanding . So he would now describe Vedanta . So the main important thing is to understand that . You know , there's a power in names too .

You know , I remember , and there's a suggestion too , like , for example , I remember my uncle . He was my first role model . If you watch my video about my spiritual journey , I mentioned this , I mentioned about him

and he said that he would tell me that , you know , rahul was the name of Mahatma Buddha's son , so Gautama Buddha , his son . And I used to think , oh wow , you know that's what my name means . You know , I'm the son of Buddha . Now , with that means that you have to live up to the name .

And it's interesting , I don't know whether my uncle had that intention , but it became a journey for me to realize what spirituality is . So , you know , one has to embody the essence of the name too , if you have a meaning to your name . But remember , and by his state of being free from the appearance of duality .

So one thing we need to understand here is that we do not get stuck in the appearance of duality . We are free from it . We know it's dualistic , we know that it's not the complete truth . Its fragmentation means that it's not . It shows us a different , the senses are showing us something different .

When we know that the truth is indivisible , then we understand that this duality is just an appearance and even the basis of this . Even for the duality to exist , it has to come from the indivisible one , because that is the basis of all existence .

So , really , at the end of these two verses and then we'll obviously in the next episode on the Vedanta Sara , we will go into the other verses . But what we need to understand is this truth is beyond speech and beyond the reach of the mind . So when you're reading this , when you're listening to this , do not think from those aspects .

Use those aspects only if you don't want to have the direct understanding of the truth , aspects , only if you don't want to have the direct understanding of the truth . But in this first verse itself there is the direct truth there revealed , and then in the next one , just remember that only that person who understands the reality can the reality .

Many people may talk about God realization , being enlightened , but how many of them can take you to your true nature Directly ? How many of them can take you to formless awareness ? How many of them have even given you a glimpse Forget about Anything else Just a glimpse of this formless awareness ?

Only those teachers are true who can show you this truth , who can show you this reality , who can highlight this reality for you , to show you that it's right here in front of you , it's not anywhere , far .

We all have the strength to do that and if we follow the teacher's instructions , we can get there , and so take this Vedanta Sara series to be an important base for what we'll be doing in the course .

If we have a good understanding of this , the course will be a lot easier for us . We will understand this a lot more straight away . But that's up to you .

But this Resting in Formless Awareness course , again , it's for really hardcore , I would say , real seekers for truth , seekers for Truth , and this Vedanta Sāras series is just helping us to navigate the course a little easier . Okay , so we'll carry on next time with verse 3 at least .

And , uh , I hope that after this episode , if somebody asked you what is consciousness , what is brahman , what is the atman , what is god , you should have the answer . Okay , take care everyone , remember to like , comment and subscribe , and do follow me on Discord where we can continue the conversation . Take care , everyone , namaste .