Sapta Loka, Ahaṁkāra
Pt. Sanjay Rath Atri Class 01-002. Sapta Loka, Ahaṁkāra with English transcription attached
Sapta/Seven Loka, Ahamkaara
Guruji Sanjay Rath: The graha don’t like you. Some day humans can even set colony on another planet and extract minerals from there. So, planets are in Bhuvar loka. It is called Rashi Mandala. Prithvi loka is also called Mrityu loka. Mrityu means death. The guarantees that are sold in the market like insurance, have no guarantee. The only guarantee is death. Hence, this Prithvi loka is called Mrityu Loka. That is why it is called Yama loka. You will die. The word Yama also means punishment. That is why Mrityu Loka is the correct name. Then we come to number four, that is fourth from bottom, is Mahar Loka. Mahar Loka has two parts, spiritual and material planes. Spiritual plane is upper portion. You cannot see this with your two eyes, it can only be seen through third eye. Jana-loka is above Mahar-loka. It is fifth from bottom. Tapah Loka is above Jana-Loka. The highest among these seven loka, is Satya Loka. Whoever will reach Satya-loka, will never come down again. That soul, who reaches Satya-loka, waits for the destruction of the creation, so that it can go to levels beyond Satya loka. So the purpose of studying Jyotish is to reach this Satya loka. That’s why it is called Jyotish, made from combining two words, Jyoti and īśa, meaning light and God respectively. The light of God is not meant to help you buy a house or a car. The light of God, is to help you to lead you to him. otherwise, astrology may be the word for commercial thing. But the moment you use the word, Jyotish, it means the light of God, and helps you to lead to him. If there is no spirituality in Jyotish, then it is not Jyotish, rather, it is astrology. That part is Vedic astrology. Vedic astrology and the spiritual part, is called Jyotish. If we understand the effect of Grahas in our life, then it is called astrology. Some people, also add Nakshatra Mandala, to this, and call it astrology, but actually it is Vedic Astrology. But those people, who wish to use this knowledge to reach Satya loka, they should call it Jyotish. Let us be very clear, what we are studying. When we say that syllabus contains Vedanga Jyotish, it must include this whole thing.
When the entire creation took place, it could not occur without Shakti. If you don’t have land, you cannot build the house. Brahma creates the aṇda and puts it in the space called Shakti, otherwise it cannot be held. How can a baby be born if not from the mother? The Shakti which gives birth to the whole creation, her first name is Jagat Prasutika. If I want to worship that Shakti who gave birth to this whole creation, is to worshipped with the following mantra: Jagatprasūtyaī namah. This is first name and mantra of the mother. She is the first Shakti. All the other forms of the Shakti come after this form. She kept the whole creation in her womb, and by doing this, she has done the greatest task. When the creation went into the womb of the mother and expanded, under what guṇa and form, did she accept this? Was it Saraswati Ma, was it Lakshmi Ma, or was it Kali Ma, or was it one single form? When we were studying the whole process of creation, there were three guṇas viz., sattva, rajas and tamas. So, the form of the mother in whose womb this creation expanded, must have all three guṇas. Can you tell me the three forms of this mother according to sattva, rajas and tamas? The form with rajas guṇa is called Saraswati Ma. The form having tamas guṇa is called Kali Ma. And she must have sattva guṇa, so we call her Lakshmi Ma. But when they are creating you, they are doing a Mahakārya, a kārya of Māhāviśṇu. For example, when a woman becomes a mother, she actually takes a conscious decision to become a mother. Somewhere deep inside her consciousness, that decision is a very big decision. She is doing the act of God. That’s why she is no longer an ordinary lady, she becomes a Mahadevī. What is the difference between a woman and a Mahadevī? That decision, to become a mother, made her a Mahadevī. So, Saraswati Ma becomes Maha Saraswati Ma. Lakshmi Ma becomes Maha Lakshmi Ma. And, Kali Ma becomes Maha Kāli Ma. When these three Shakti will come together they can create, sustain and destroy the creation. Maha Saraswati Ma is “aīṁ”. Maha Lakshmi Ma is hrīṁ. Maha Kāli Ma is klīṁ. And when we combine these three and add the word “jagatprasūtyaī”. So, the mantra is: aīṁ hrīṁ klīṁ jagatprasūtyaī namah. When it comes to destruction of a part of a creation, the mantra is: aīṁ hrīṁ klīṁ chāmuṇdayaī vicchaī. So, to go forward in creation and to back, the path is the same, aīṁ hrīṁ klīṁ. It depends on what do you want, and choose the appropriate mantra. So, then we realise that it is from sound that this whoe creation is taking place. Sound is the seed from which this creation has come. So, mother Shakti, creates from these sound-seeds. So, the entire creation is because of mantra. Which is the house of mantra? 5th house. Which is the house of children? 5th house. The reason is same, that creation and mantra is put in 5th house. This bhāva is called bhaviśya bhāva. So, the 5th house, when we do Jyotish, is the house of mantra, it is also the house of children and creation. These are the three Shakti, which you have to understand fully.
Now, let’s discuss Ahankara. What is ahankara? Ego? Maya? If you want to study Jyotish, you have to widen your worldview; a narrow view is not conducive to make you a good Jyotiśī. (a student explains what is ahankara, and guruji Sanjay Rath says), although you have made a good point, but it is not exact meaning of the word ahankara. Tell me the meaning of the word ahankara. First, be clear on the meaning and difference between the words aham and Ahankara. Among these two, which one is detrimental for self? Ahankara is ego, aham is not ego. There is a Mahavākya, aham-Brahmasmi. Ātman is aham and is brahma-svarūpa, has jňana, and thus, ātman is brahma- svarūpa (the infinite God). Aham is not bad. But when aham gets a shape, it gets bad. Ahankara = aham + ākāra (shape). It means when aham gets a shape, it gets trapped in Maya. The Sanskrit word, ākāra means, for example: when I think that I am Sanjay, but actually I am not Sanjay, I am Atma, I am a soul. Neither I was Sanjay ever, nor I will be Sanjay in future births. Soul cannot have this name “Sanjay”. I think I am Sanjay because of Ahankara. I am a soul and the soul is Brahm, and has no name. The root of ahankara, is the name. for example, if it be said that “Dhirubhai Ambani is a wealthy man”. Then, Dhirubhai is rich, but that is not for his Atma. When the body dies, the wealthy doesn’t go with the soul. Soul goes to its abode, alone. Wealth and property are linked with the name of the person. Name is ahankara. That’s why the infinite God has no name, is beyond all nomenclature, because if name is there, then ahankara will set in, and ahankara cannot be there in the infinite God. Om and Aum are mantra and are symbolic. They take to that infinite God. When you make an idol of Brahm, Ahankara comes even in that too. That’s why visarjan is done for the idol. The day you start worshiping Shiva, in his formless state, then you will at that level, about which we are talking right now. That is the number 7 level. At that level of Satya loka, there cannot be any ākāra and ahankara. There is no difference between your God and my God. At that level of formlessness and shapelessness, there will be difference between Rama and Āllāha. When that level will be reached, all humans will look same, that is the essence of spirituality. But it is very difficult to reach that level. We will find no difference between Shiva and Shakti. Tamas will be totally vanished from inside. When all this occurs, you will be ready for number 7. Om tat sat, this mantra will be continuously ringing inside you. Every Atma comes under ahankara, when it takes a body and a form. The root of Maya is ahankara. For example, a car has shape, so, someone possesses it, and says this is my car and that is your car. This sense of physical possession is Maya. The truth is that the soul is different than the body, the body is asatya, whereas Atma is satya. This extrapolation of Atma onto the physical possessions, is asatya. But it is difficult to reach this level that you become totally free from Maya. When you get out of this Mayajaal, you will be ready for mukti. When you let go of your name, you will free from Maya. That’s why when you get Diksha for sanyāsa, the native has to leave the name behind, let go of the name. After sanyāsa, the native doesn’t have a name. The native remains ānanda svarupa of let’s say Shiva. Then you call the name śivānanda. There is no name, its just a reference, only fools believe that sanyāsis have a name. Our Paramparā Guru, Achyutānanda, used to give ānanda to Achyuta, that’s why he was referred to as Achyutānanda. Such people, don’t have any name, but only have a reference. Name is due to rajas. A pure sattva, will not have a name. The sense of physical possessions, comes from rajas. For example, my village, your village, my car, your car; all of these physical sense of possessions, and ownership comes from rajas. Highest of the yogis in Himālaya don’t have a name. The world gives them a name, like Neem Karoli Bābā. That is not his name, people gave given this name to him. The day you give up your name, the journey towards that spiritual level of Satya loka and beyond, starts.
What are the two basic differentiations of Atma. Jivātma and Jadātma. Jivātma are living beings. And Jadātma are non-living beings. Do Jadātma have Ahankara? Jadātma have Atma and they have ākāra (shape), so they have Ahankara. The formula always works whenever you want to understand ahankara: Atma plus ākāra is equal to Ahankara. Where there is Ahankara, destruction will surely take place. The island of Sumātrā, was totally destroyed in Tsunami. Now, the island had a name and had a shape. So, everything that has a name and a shape, will one day, undergo destruction. Jadātma always has a shape, so, Ahankara is also present. Don’t feel differently towards a Mercedes as compared to a Maruti car? Surely you do and I do, and everybody does. The reason is simple, Ahankara. And the Ahankara is in you because of a shape. And its also because of desire to possess something. Aham is in you and ākāra is in that island. So, there is Ahankara. In Bhagavad Gita, it is clearly stated that both Jivātma and Jadātma, have Ahankara. There, the narrator, Krishna has said: “I make two forms of Atma, i.e., Jivātma and Jadātma.” The former enjoys the latter. This is Sansara. Jivātman has manas, whereas the latter doesn’t have manas, that’s why it cannot do anything on its own. (Guru Sanjay Rath tells a student to not deviate the class away from the topic).
Guru Sanjay Rath continues on the topic of Ahankara:
Where there is no Ahankara, will never be destroyed. This is the guarantee from Krishna. Why the Atma can never be destroyed? Because, it has aham only, and has no ākāra (no shape/form). That’s why Atma can never be destroyed. Because aham is not bad.
Guru Sanjay Rath starting new sub-topic: Jivātma.
The broad difference between Jivātma and Jadātma, is that the Jivātma can reproduce another Jivātma which is a God-like act. Because only Bhagavan has this power. That’s why Jivātma is a Svarupa of Bhagavan. But Jadātma cannot reproduce another Jadātma. Have you ever heard whether baby Himālaya has born? Because Jadātma cannot reproduce another Jadātma. This is the main difference between Jivātma and Jadātma. So, each Jivātma has Pūtrakāraka, but Jadātma doesn’t have a Pūtrakāraka. Only difference between Jivātma and Jadātma in broad terms, is Pūtrakāraka. This truth is substantiated by Parāśara and Jaimini. This is a very important concept. When we will study Kāraka, all this will be used. If you don’t clear your concepts here, you will have problems over there. Can one brock make another brick? No. The complete definition of an Atma is identified with 24 guṇa. When a Jivātma reproduced another Jivātma, 24 guṇa of that Atma are same in both. But when a brick is made out of sand, 24 guṇa are not same. Similarly, ocean and a river, both have water, but both has different guṇa. Similarly, Pacific Ocean water is different from Indian Ocean water. You have to study the 24 guṇa. These 24 guṇa are described in sānkhya śāstra. That’s why brick cannot be said to be child of sand, because the guṇa undergo change. So, as a part of the homework, study 24 guṇa from the sānkhya śāstra. The 13th chapter of Bhagvat Gītā has all this. Read that.
Next question: What is Paramātma?
