THE PEOPLE'S GOD
THE THREE PREREQUISITES FOR SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE
YOUR REAL FRIEND
THE ROLE OF THE COSMIC PURUS'A
NAMES OF THE LORD


THE PEOPLE'S GOD

official source: A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 4

cross-references: none

this version: is the printed A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 4, 1st edition, version 
	(spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most 
	up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition.

      'Karma'dhya'ks'a sarvabhutadhivasah
	Saks'iceta kevalo nirgun'ashca.'

      When the actional expressions take a definite form, a definite shape or a definite size, that shape is known as `kriya''. And before that, when there are only actional expressions but no definite form, or shape, or size, it is called `karma'. Now, in this universe of ours there are both karma and kriya'. Without karma there cannot be any kriya'. So all the vibrational expression, all the actional expressions, actional manifestations, come from the Supreme Nucleus. Everything cometh from Him, remaineth in Him and goeth back to Him. But these actional expressions are made with the help of the Cosmic Operative Principle, and that Principle can function only within a short arena, the arena prescribed by the Cosmic Lord. The Operative Principle cannot function anywhere and everywhere: it functions in a limited sphere. That is why it is said that this universe is a very small finite island in an ocean of infinity. The actional expressions are made by the dexterous hands of the Operative Principle, but the prior sanction, the pre facto permission, of the Cosmic Entity, the Cosmic Purus'a, must be there.

	And not only is He the approving authority, He is the supervisor also. He is the Supreme Supervisor. The actual action is not done by Him, however, but by the Operative Principle with His permission. So as Supervisor, He has to, or rather he should, keep a condor eye on each and every activity. Nothing should be done without His knowledge, nothing can be done without His knowledge, and nothing can be finished without His knowledge. So He is karmadhyaksa. Karma, I have already said, is actional manifestation. Action is constant change of place. All karmas are to be performed under His condor vision.

	`Karma'dhyaks'a sarvabhu'ta'dhiva'sah.' Yesterday I explained properly the meaning of `sarva'. And the inner spirit of the term `bhu'ta' has already been explained - `bhu'ta' means all created beings. Now, `adhiva'sa'. In Laokika Samskrta, `adhiva'sa' means `proper habitation'. Here the word (root `adhi' + `va's' + `ghain') means a place, or space, which is fit for living. In this world each and every animate, inanimate, or abstract entity must have its proper abode. Even abstract entities, that is, abstracts, should have a proper abode of their own. Without an abode even an abstract cannot stay.

	Now, in the physical sphere, not on the psychic or suprapsychic level, but just in the physical sphere, what do we see? We see that this city of Patna has its adhiva'sa in the district of Patna, and this district of Patna has its shelter in the division of Patna. Patna division has its shelter in the state of Bihar. Finally, we have our adhivasa on this earth, on this planet earth, and this earth has its shelter in the solar system, and the solar system has its shelter in Parama Purus'a. Parama Purusa is the shelter of the solar system; in this respect He is the adhiva'sa of sarvabhuta. He is the Supreme Shelter of each and every entity, whether physical, psychic, or supra-psychic - `sarvabhu'ta'dhiva'sah.'

	On the psychic level, this adhiva'sa, this shelter, this mental pabulum, is known as `a'bhoga' in Sam'skrta. In the physical sphere, physical a'bhoga is a necessity; and in the psychic sphere, psychic a'bhoga is an even greater necessity. As soon as we fail to provide this psychic body of ours with psychic a'bhoga, the psychic body stops functioning. This stoppage of functioning of our psychic body is known as `psychic suspension' or `cittavrttinirodhah'. It is a sort of sama'dhi, but this sama'dhi is an attributional sama'dhi. It gives much pleasure, but in this sama'dhi one does not become one with Parama Purus'a. 

	`Sarvabhu'ta'dhiva'sah sa'ks'iceta kevalo nirgun'ashca'. Here the word `sa'ks'ii' has been used. `Sa'ks'ii' means `witness'. But if you remember, He is not a mere witnessing Entity, He is also the Supervisory Entity and He is the first causal factor. Actually He is the causal matrix and not the Operative Principle, because without His permission, without His definite permission, that Operative Principle cannot function. So He is sa'ks'ii: He sees everything. And not only does He see everything, He also witnesses everything, because He is the Supreme reflecting plate - not only the seer, but the reflecting plate as well.

	`Ceta'. In physical sphere there must be some physical reflecting plate for the recognition of a physical action. And for mental actions, there must be a cognitive reflecting plate. And that cognitive reflecting plate is the reflecting plate not only for psychic actions but also for physical actions. And in the actional field of unit consciousness, of reflected cognition, the supreme reflecting plate is Parama Purusa. Without the presence of this supreme reflecting plate, nothing can function in this universe. And this supreme reflecting plate is called `citi shakti' or `ceta'.

	`Kevalo nirgun'ashca'. An entity without any particular qualification, any particular attribution, can only be One; that is, there is only one such Singular Entity in the entire universe, and that Entity is called `Kevala', or `Kevalam'. In this respect not only is He the Supreme Attributional Entity, but He is the only Entity. There is no second entity. That is why He is called Keva lam.

	`Nirgun'ashca'. All the gun'as are functioning within His periphery, within His arena, within His scope. When all these attributions, all these qualifications, are functioning within Him, how can we say that He is nirgun'a? There are innumerable gun'as within Him. But His gun'as are beyond the capacity of measurement and that's why He is Nirgun'a. It does not mean the absence of gun'as.

      'Prabhumiisham aniisham ashes'agun'am
	Gun'ahiinamaheshagan'a'bharan'am'.'

      `Prabhumiisham' - `Thou art the controller of everything.' `Aniisham' - `but there is no controller over you'. `Ashes'agun'am' - `Your gun'as are countless.' `Gun'ahiina' - an object is called `attributional' when it comes within the noose of the gun'as. But `Since You are beyond the realm of theGunas, 73 You are not within the serpentine noose the gun'as. But since You are beyond the realm of the gun'as, You are not within their serpentine noose. So you are gun'ahiina. `Mahesha' means `Lord of all lords'. `Gan'a'bharan'am'' - many mythological gods and goddesses are laden with necklaces, rings, padma, gada', cakra, etc. But the people's god (He is the people's god as no money is required to worship Him) has no ornaments, as ornaments are costly. His devotees, His followers, His disciples are His ornaments. He requires no other ornaments. He is nirgun'a because He is beyond the bondage of the gun'as.

23 October 1978, Patna


THE THREE PREREQUISITES FOR SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE

official source: A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 4

cross-references: none

this version: is the printed A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 4, 1st edition, version 
	(spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most 
	up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition.

      It has been said in the scriptures,

      'Shrvana'ya'pi bahubhiryo na labhyah,
	Shrn'vanto'pi bahavo yam' na vidyuh.
	A'shcarya vakta' kushalasya labdha',
	A'shcarya jina'ta' kushala'nu shis't'a''.

      Among so many people in our human society, very few get the opportunity to acquire spiritual knowledge. And among these, a still smaller percentage get the chance to undergo practical training. Why? Because the science is rare, the aspirants are rarer, and the teachers are rarer still.

	We want spiritual practice to be performed by one and all. And the minimum qualification for acquiring spiritual knowledge, spiritual bliss, is that one should have a human body. Simply having a human body is the requisite qualification. You may or may not have education, you may or may not have any social status, but what you must have is a human body.

	Now, a person having a human body must also have the following three aspirations. One should be ready to enjoy spiritual bliss and acquire spiritual knowledge through pranipatena, pariprashnena and sevaya.

	`Pran'ipa'tena'. `Pra' - `ni' - `pat' + `al'. That is, an aspirant should have a sincere desire to know Him, a sincere longing for Him. One must be ready to sacrifice one's everything for that purpose. Then we will say that one is ready to do pran'ipa'tena. Pran'ipa'tena means complete surrender. Without this complete surrender nothing can be done. With all one's propensities moving towards crude objects, how can one move towards the Supreme Entity? So one will have to withdraw all psychic propensities moving towards cruder objects, and guide them towards the Supreme Entity. This is pran'ipa'tena.

	Pariprashnena. Pariprashnena means `question'. The root verb `quest' means `to look for'. The noun from quest is question. In Samskrta, in the like manner, the word `pariprashna' is derived from the prefix `pari' and the root verb `pracch'. What is pariprashnena? You know, sometimes just to quench the thirst of your inquisitiveness you ask a question; and sometimes just to befool the other person you ask a question. The answer is known to you, but just to befool the other party you make an inquiry. And sometimes you ask a question meaninglessly. All these are nothing but whimsical expressions, capricious expressions. They are not pariprashnena. Pariprashnena has only one meaning, only one import, and that is that you are to ask a question in order to get a certain reply, and that reply will be followed by you in the practical field. You ask the question knowing that you will act according to the reply. So all the questions of spiritual aspirants must be pariprashnena, and not ordinary questions.

	Sevaya. Sevaya means `through service'. When you want to learn the spiritual science from Parama Purus'a (only Parama Purus'a knows the spiritual science, and He preaches spiritual knowledge through a physical body which we know as the Guru. So, actually, the science is known to Parama Purus'a and to nobody else), when you want to know something from Him, you will have to satisfy Him. When He is pleased He will give the reply, He will teach you. His is not a mercenary business. So you will have to satisfy Him, please Him. And the only way to satisfy Him is to satisfy His children. The entire living world is His progeny. He is the Progenitor. So to satisfy Him you will have to render selfless service to His children. This rendering selfless service to the entire created world is known as `seva''.

	You know, our transactions are of two kinds. You give something, and at the same time you take something - this is called a commercial transaction. You give some dollars and receive some article in exchange. This transaction is mutual. This transaction is a business. When the transaction is unilateral, that is, when you are giving something and don't get anything in return, it is called `seva''. In English, seva' is unilateral or one-sided.

	There is another way of explaining it. Let there be a commercial transaction: you will give some money and take something in return. Now, if you want to take the most costly article from Him, you will have to pay Him the highest sum. Thus, if you want to get the most costly thing, that is, spiritual knowledge, you will have to give yourself, and not money.

	Both of these may be treated as seva'. When your giving is unilateral, and when you are giving your everything to Him and receive spiritual knowledge, in both cases, it is seva'.

	So in order to acquire spiritual knowledge and enjoy spiritual bliss, three actions are to be done by you. They are pran'ipa'tena, pariprashnena, and sevaya'. This is the process of spiritual approach.

24 October 1978, Patna


YOUR REAL FRIEND

official source: A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 4

cross-references: none

this version: is the printed A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 4, 1st edition, version 
	(spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most 
	up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition.

      `Eka eva suhrda dharma nidhane apyanutatiyah' - `Dharma is the only suhrda (a type of friend) who remains with you even after your death.' In Samskrta there are several terms for the English word `friend'.

      'Atya'go sahano bandhu
	Sadaeva'numatam suhrda
	Ekam' kriyam' bhaven mitram
	Samapra'n'ah sakha' smrtah.'

	`Atya'go sahano bandhu' - the person who cannot tolerate separation is a 'bandhu'. When the tie of love is so great that a person cannot tolerate any separation from you, he or she is called your bandhu. The tie is called bandhanam in Sam'skrta. It is so strong that the person cannot remain away from you, cannot tolerate separation from you.

	In this world anybody and everybody can tolerate separation from you. When a person dies, what feelings will his mother and father, his brothers and sisters show? They will cry aloud, but after two or three days, normalcy will return. They will resume their normal mundane duties. And after a few days more or a few months they will forget the person. In societies where a widow's mar riage is accepted by people, the widow will remarry. In India, in upper-class Hindu society, a widow's marriage is not accepted, but in a major portion of the world, even in India in some cases, a widow's marriage is accepted by others. So you cannot say that any of your relatives is your bandhu. Nobody is your bandhu, or friend, in this respect. According to Indian custom, parents having only one son may adopt another child, who is then called bandhu. But Jagat Bandhu is the only real Bandhu. Parama Purus'a is the only real bandhu. He loved you in the past; He will love you in the future. He alone is Bandhu. His name is Jagat Bandhu.

	Another term for friend is `suhrda'. Suhrda means `those with whom there never was, and never is, any difference of opinion'. In the worldly sphere there are always differences of opinion with your wife or husband, mother or father. But in the case of Parama Purus'a, He nods His assent at whatever you do; and He goes on nodding. Why does He continue this nodding? He is a true friend. In the physical sphere He does nothing, and in the psychic sphere He gives you guidelines. In the physical sphere He does nothing directly; this is why He is suhrda for the bad person and for the good person. He is always suhrda. `Eka eva suhrda nidhane apyanuyatiyah' - He is the only suhrda that remains with you even after your death.

	After your death your friends will carry you to the cremation ground. After being burnt, the body is rendered into ashes. Your friends will spray some water on the ashes of the funeral pyre, and then go back home. As long as they are in the cremation ground, they remember you. After that they forget you. But dharma remains with you even after your death, and what you did for dharma in this world is never forgotten. Therefore, in your worldly life, you are to strengthen the hands of dharma, and in the world, dharma will strengthen you. So it is the duty of intellectuals and intelligent people to strengthen the hands of dharma. If you strengthen the hands of your friends, your friends will also strengthen you in case of urgent need.

	`Mitram'. When the nature of the duty of two persons is the same, they are mitram. Suppose there are two physicians, two pleaders, two businessmen. They are called mitram', because the nature of the duty is the same. Two thieves are also called mitram. In Sam'skrta, the word `mitra', when used in the masculine gender, means 'the sun'. When used in the neuter gender it means `colleague'. In the neuter gender the term is mitram.

	In the case of sakha', the position is that there are two physical bodies, but the mental body is the same because there is so much love. Such people are called sakha'. So nobody other than Parama Purus'a can be sakha'. Krs'n'a was the sakha' of Arjuna.

	Thus in this world, out of these four words for friend, only Parama Purus'a can be bandhu, suhrda and sakha'. In this relative world you can only find a mitram, not a bandhu, suhrda, or sakha'. For Him you may use the word bandhu, suhrda, or sakha': He is your everything. You cannot do without Him. Your relationship with Parama Purus'a is like the relationship of a fish with water. So it is futile to forget Him; try to remember Him always. This remembering Him always, in all spheres and all strata of life, is called `dhruva'smrti'. Don't forget this for a single moment. By dint of your sa'dhana', try to develop dhruva'smrti and be one with Him, and in peace, for infinity.

25 October 1978, Patna


THE ROLE OF THE COSMIC PURUS'A

official source: A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 4

cross-references: none

this version: is the printed A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 4, 1st edition, version 
	(spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most 
	up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition.

      It has been said, `Purus'ah akarta''. What is Purus'a? There are several interpretations, but the most common interpretation is `Pure shete yah sah Purus'a' - He who remains as the central point of all activities is Purus'a. Another interpretation is, `Purasi asti yah sa Purus'a' - He who remains in the forefront of everything is Purus'a. That is, `Purus'a' means the `Cognitive Faculty', the `Supreme Cognition'. That Purus'a is akarta' (non-doer).

	You know that both karma and kriya' are relative. Change of place of anything is called karma, and also kriya'. There must be change of place. Now, the agency or the guiding faculty that effects that change of place is karta' (kri + trn). Purus'a is akarta', that is, He Himself does not do anything; He gets everything done by others. So here you should remember that akarta' does not mean that His role is passive. He is active but He gets everything done by others.

	For example, take the owner of a big confectionery shop. The owner does not prepare the rasagolla' or jila'pii himself. Agents are there, workers are there; they prepare it, but they do it at the direction of the owner. Purus'a is akarta' of that type. He Himself does not do anything, but He gets everything done by Prakrti. That is why He is akarta'.

	Though He is akarta', He is also kriya'sa'ks'iibhu'tam'. Whenever any kriya' is done, He is the witnessing entity (kriya' means `finalization of an action'. It is called `work'. Work is kriya'. Action is called karma in Sam'skrta). Whenever any kriya' is done He is the witnessing entity. He sees the entire process: how the karma functions and how the actional manifestations become finalized in kriya'. He sees everything and He also sees the finalization, that is, samyak karma'nta is witnessed by Him. `Kriya'sa'ksiibhu'tam' - without His sa'ks'ii, without being witnessed by Him, no action can take the final form of kriya'.

	`Bha'vakendrasthitah'. `Bha'va' means;

      'Shuddhasattvavishes'a'd va' premasu'rya'm'shu sa'myabha'k
	Rucibhishcittama'srn'ya krdasao bha'va ucyate.'

      Bha'va is the subtlest parallelism between human existence and the spiritual flow. When that subtle parallelism is established in a person, one may say that he or she is in the stance of bha'va. In colloquial Hindi we call such a person a `bha'vuka'. This bhava possesses a dynamic force; it is not something static, but has a strong dynamic force working behind it. And He is the central point, He is the nucleus of this bha'va. (Bha'va cannot be represented by the English term `abstract'; a term which contains many ambiguities. In the word `bha'va' there is no ambiguity. It is unambiguous.) And He is the Nucleus, He is the central point, He is the controlling point of bha'va. Hence He is bha'vkendrasthitah (located in the center of bhava).

	`Gun'ayantrakashca'. Gun'as, the operative principles, the tethering cords, function and do their duty as per the desire of the Cosmic Purus'a. They are not free to work according to their own whims, and that is why Parama Purus'a is known as `Gun'a'dhiisha' - `Lord of all the gun'as', 'Lord of all the operating principles'. The jiivas, which have been created by the gun'as in accordance with the direction or with the permission of the Cosmic Purus'a, are gun'a'dhiina - under the gun'as or bondages. Jiivas are gun'a'dhiina and the Cosmic Purus'a is Gun'a'dhiisha. If the jiivas want to go beyond the bondages of the gun'as they will have to take His shelter. There is no alternative.

26 October 1978, Patna


NAMES OF THE LORD

official source: A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 4

cross-references: none

this version: is the printed A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 4, 1st edition, version 
(spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most 
up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition.

      One name of our Lord is Gopa'la. `Go' means 'motor and sensory organs', and `pa'la' means `the man who takes care'. In the human body, even if we have all the sensory and motor organs, we cannot function if the atman is absent, if the witnessing entity, the microcosmic or Macrocosmic spirit, is absent. `Gopa'la' means `jiiva'tman' or `unit consciousness'.

	`Govinda'. The meaning of `go' is `motor and sensory organs' and `vinda' means 'the entity that helps in the manifestation of the proper wonts of an element'. So here Govinda also, means `unit consciousness'.

	`Krs'n'a'. The root verb `krs'' means `to attract'. The entity which attracts everything towards Him is Krs'n'a; that is, the nucleus of the universe. Another meaning of Krs'n'a is `I' feeling'. The feeling that `I exist' is called `krs'', and `Krs'n'a' means, `Because of His presence I feel my existence'. `Krsna' means, `because of the presence of that Entity the feeling of `I exist is in me'. 

	`Na'ra'yana'. `Na'ra' has three meanings in Sam'skrta. One meaning is `water', the second meaning is `devotion', and third meaning is `Cosmic Operative Principle'. And `ayana' means `shelter'. Thus `Na'ra'yana' means `the shelter of the Cosmic Operative Principle'. Who is the shelter of the Cosmic Operative Principle? Parama Purusa. so `Na'ra'yana' means Parama Purusa.

	`Ma'dhava'. In Sam'skrta the word `ma'' has two meanings. One meaning is `no' or `not'. So 'ma' gaccha' means `don't go', and `ma'na'' means `not not'. Another meaning is `Prakrti' or `Cosmic Operative Principle'.

	And the word `dhava' has got two meanings. One meaning is `sparkling white'; the other meaning is `husband'. A lady who has lost her husband is called `vidhava''.

	So `Ma'dhava' means `husband of the Cosmic Operative Principle' - that is, Parama Purusa.

	`Hari'. `Pa'pa'ni harati ityarthe harih.' He who steals sins is Hari. Suppose a man, Mr. X, has committed many sins, but after committing those sins, he has become a devotee, a sincere spiritual aspirant. What will Parama Purus'a do? Parama Purus'a will ask him to give all his sins to Him to purify himself. But the devotee will say, `No, no, no. I will give you everything, but not my sins. That would be another sin. Let me undergo the reactions of my own sins.' But the Cosmic Entity, Parama Purus'a, loves that boy, so what will He do? What is stealing? Taking something without the permission of the owner is called stealing. So what will Parama Purus'a do? He will take away the man's sins without his permission. In Sam'skrta, stealing is `harar'. That's why He is `Hari'.

	`Ra'ma'. `Ra'ma' means `to give pleasure'. `Ra'mante yoginah yasmin sah Ra'mah'. The best object of pleasure is Ra'ma. The spiritual aspirant gets maximum pleasure from Parama Purus'a. So Ra'ma is Parama Purus'a. Another meaning is `Ra'ti mahiidharah Ra'mah' - `Ra'ma' means `the most glittering entity', that is, Parama Purus'a. A third meaning is `Ra'vanasya maran'am Ra'mah.' The first letter of `Ra'vanasya' is `Ra''. The first letter of `maran'am' is `ma'. So, `Ra' - ma'. In mythology it has been said that Ra'vana is a ten-faced demon. The ten-faced demon is nothing else but the base propensities of the mind, which function in all the ten directions. `Maran'am' means `death'. When you take shelter in Parama Purus'a, Ra'vana dies. So in Him lies the death of all evil forces, all depraving propensities. Hence, He is `Ra'vanasya maran'am', He is the death of Ra'vana. Here also, Ra'ma means Parama Purus'a.

27 October 1978, Patna