Second Session of Retreat on Ashtavakra Gita by Swami Sarvapriyananda

This is the second session of the retreat by Swami Sarvapriyananda on Ashtavakra Gita, a classical scripture on Advaita Vedanta. The scripture is based on sage Ashtavakra and King Janaka's dialog on the nature of soul, reality and bondage and the absolute oneness of Existence and Consciousness.

[@chandrakantshanbhag3058]

I am unable to. express in words the ANAND which I got. after. hearing. this lecture. SEEKING BLESSINGS. JAI RAMAKRISHNA

[@sakyamajumder7609]

Spiritual eloquence is beyond description. What an amazing, beautiful, sensible orator! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@kalisettisatyanarayana9278]

Dear Swamiji Maharaj, I wholehearted offer my Pranams at your lotus feet and another Swamiji Maharaj present there for your wonderful lectures .Kindly bless us all with such beautiful lectures .Jai Swami Vivekananda Maharaj 🙏🙏🙏

[@nurpinner8502]

Greatest greatest greatest thanks Swami Sarvapiriyananda🙏💜💫

[@saraswati1386]

We are so graced to have such a insightful & gifted teacher. Ishvara's grace for these times. 🕉 🕉 🙏 🙏

[@suus2]

"Show me the border between the wave and the oceaan? There is none. It is all Brahman."

[@jshdhdyjfjdjfhfyyene731]

And if a 'border' is found know it to be Brahman none other than the wave and water

[@rajaninambiar6444]

Radhe radhe Swamiji 🙏🙏🙏

[@mokshajetley9244]

Jai Sri Ramakrishna Jai Sri Ramakrishna Jai Sri Ramakrishna Jai Sri Ramakrishna

[@jacquelinethompson2126]

So clear and understandable. What a blessing you are to spiritual seekers Swami ji Thank you. 💓

[@kamesh7818]

Insightful Q&A session by Swami Sarvapriyananda jee, thanks Vedanta society for sharing this lecture.

[@vreddy8231]

One of the most enlightened talk from Swamiji 🙏

[@RajeshYadav-vi5uf]

Sir, you show us the path from death to immortality. Words cannot describe your contribution towards humanity. Dandwat Pranam

[@saraswati1386]

I agree 150% We are blessed with Guru's grace to have this clear teaching!

[@e-Multiverse]

Thank you Swami

[@lisalove511]

So humbled to be a part of this and to meet swami: such an honor.

[@HornOkay]

Actually osho talked about ashtavakra Gita.. and my research on subjects brought me here.

[@jshdhdyjfjdjfhfyyene731]

Sarvapriyananada is one wave Osho another wave Astavakra another wave

[@Nothingness000]

Thank you Swamiji

[@krishnabakshi6405]

Pronaam swamiji

[@ziikzaaak]

"Clear light of the void"

[@tejwatisaxena2494]

Inspiring enlighting N very interesting

[@purushottam4685]

Thanks for Superb knowledge delivered by you, Om peace

[@rosappan]

Namaskaram Guru 🙏 🙏🙏

[@RajeshYadav-vi5uf]

Many body many minds but behind them one consciousness. I find it the pinnace of humanity. Forget religions. Get hold of it. There will not be any man made problem in this world. Regards

[@saraswati1386]

Pranams Swamiji, I truly appreciate all the care & thoughtfulness you used in establishing the foundation for this talk in session 1. Ashtarvakra is indeed quite lofty & the tone is very high. One must stay grounded and you clearly established that. 🙏 🕉 ❤

[@subramaniamsankaran5841]

Ihave no words for comment. Such an enlightening orator 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@emaho8210]

Thank you 🙏🏻💕

[@billyranger1236]

Agee with all the following This man is the only one that can lift me from an ego limited to a body to the cosmic proportions of Brahman helping me realise that nothing is apart from me. What’s there to hate? Prefer? Look up/down to. Wood is the table. Table is nothing but wood. U r a blessing to mankind. I request all in a position to help to make this man’s lectures be made accessible to all. 🙏🙏🆒🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🕉🥂☯️🙉🙈🙊📢📢📢📢📢✅

[@rimamitraghosh5797]

Thank You Pronaam Swamiji🙏☀️

[@vidyavenkataramanan5426]

simply superb thank you Swami

[@olavovercosa8456]

Pure Light !!!

[@rajeshreddy3133]

Consciousness is manifesting itself and expressing itself...

[@manojsrivastava8546]

That thou art

[@kaustuvbanerjee7069]

Hard problem of consciousness and the hard problem of matter . Answer that end at one hour ten minute mark deserves a separate video .

[@ankushmanhas4228]

Great lectures

[@jshdhdyjfjdjfhfyyene731]

Avadutha Gita: I am indeed that pure consciousness. Oh blessed one, oh beloved consciousness how am I to bow down the Self in my self. In what methods is this to be performed; for only Self is? ...and along comes Bhakti based in Advaita (non-duality hidden behind the veil of a so called dualistic construct) in an ecstatic celebration on the realisation of the Self

[@subhashinigongala2233]

Swamy ji, is it the life itself in us that is the consciousness? Life itself is the same in every living being.

[@nitinbansal681]

1. The power of now 2. A new earth 3. The untethered soul

[@atmannityananda-autognosia]

We are not separate from space. We cannot exist outside the space. We can move in the space because the nature of space is to permit movment.

[@rajeshreddy3133]

You don't move in space. Space moves in you the Consciousness...

[@gaddikerimuthuprakash4676]

1🙏

[@adroitprojectsolution2245]

I am GOD

[@varshavora7390]

🙏🙏🙏

[@susanwoodward7485]

How are the boundary conditions/vrittis that create the "apparent difference" generated? Is this done through mind? How? Or am I totally wrong-thinking?

[@rusheelkumar1963]

🙇🙇🙇🙇🙇🙇

[@amrits8138]

Amazing. Only one ques I have after watching every video of swami ji how should we think of ourselves ?? For example... I mean where m i attach to this body .....we see through eyes, listens thru ears, talk thru mouth. Where in which body part??

[@nareshgoel6657]

As I am the witness why can’t I witness the mind as clearly as we watch in movies or on screen?

[@rajasomalinga1164]

as per H H Nisharga datta, it is the consciousness holds the million bodies and not the body holding consciousness

[@Nothingness000]

I think, In the Vyavaharika(transactional)plane, the body can be said to hold the AtmA, Or Spiritual Heart. Because we have names and forms in this plane. In the pAramArthika plane (Ultimate Reality), the Consciousness contains the Universe.

[@meghachauhan8169]

Swami ji if all bodies and mind exist in consciousness than in sansar how should we handle people of different nature

[@VV-nc3zp]

How consciousness becomes witness of consciousness is not very clear. Can you please clarify? Pranams

[@vinit1366]

Ashtavakra Gita has only 3 parts ???

[@bravelionsgaming9362]

Whether I experience the object or not, the object does exist.. How can we say that the object exists in consciousness alone.. Even when I am not aware of the object while am in deep sleep, the object doesn't cease to exist.. Prakriti exists whether or not am aware of it or not please.. 🙏

[@madhukiranattivilli2321]

Is Janaka (interacting with Ashtavakra) the father of Sita, or are they different people with same name❓

[@sohamh.2335]

Question#2- Guruji at one point said at the final stage there is "consciousness witnessing consciousness", this is still dualism! If guruji can please shed light on this, it would be great.

[@beingself5333]

At 58:58 he points it, according to Kashmiri shaivism conciousness is concious of itself. He hasn't said it in context of advait.

[@jshdhdyjfjdjfhfyyene731]

This is Bhakti, the celebration of non-duality

[@hanumantharaoj4154]

Is the Upanishad not saying four padas to Atman ? It is only attributed by Sastra . "As if" only.

[@oln3678]

So in ultimate reality we are all alone? Just one? 😢

[@HornOkay]

Difference between these swamiji and osho, is osho was enlightened and was sharing what he was experiencing while this swamiji describes what he has learned. Reason I am sharing this because osho version of same explanation is totally different, his examples are so clear that you can’t forget and don’t have to concentrate.... thank you for your effort though 🙏🙏🙏

[@shan19key]

Swamiji in one of his lectures had described that he has experienced infinity/Brahman himself, he just doesn’t go about advertising it.

[@shaners1591]

link?

[@jshdhdyjfjdjfhfyyene731]

Both are waves

[@jshdhdyjfjdjfhfyyene731]

Pls post the English Osho link for reference

[@AlejandroGarcia-ek3uy]

28:53 but I am not aware of your thoughts, only mine...

[@ajoychou2]

Thoughts are in the mind. Since minds are different, you will not know another person's thought, just as you will not know another person's pain because the pain is in the body. Awareness or consciousness is simply being and in conjunction with body and mind experiences the world. That's my understanding. You can pose your question to swamiji at [e-mail]. Swamiji,s questions and answers sessions are generally held once a month. Thanks

[@AlejandroGarcia-ek3uy]

@@ajoychou2 thank you for your response, but since I am "a part of Universal Consciousness" I should be able to know all things because, according to Vedanta, I am not an individual, but Brahman Itself. If I can only experience that Awareness individually in meditation, I haven't accomplished much. That would still be the mind reflecting Awareness, and I know that awareness to be me. I asked swami, as you say, more than a month ago but still he hasn't answered me. Namaste🙏🏻

[@jshdhdyjfjdjfhfyyene731]

This is the hard problem of matter

[@sohamh.2335]

Couple of questions- 1. Since there is just 1 consciousness, there is no such thing as Mukti or Nirvana, right? This means just that piece of body is getting mukti, which means the consciousness trapped in that piece of body and mind is going back into the ocean of consciousness. But other portion or consciousness is getting trapped into bundles of bodies and minds constantly, so isn't the mind and body getting the mukti? Really confused. If we are a wave in ocean why should we hurry for mukti? Instead "we" (consciousness) should enjoy the brief time that it took form of the wave, right? Does consciousness takes the form of body and mind, to enjoy the materialistic world? Why would"consciousness" trap itself in this body and mind, if ocean of consciousness is pure bliss and happiness?

[@jshdhdyjfjdjfhfyyene731]

Your q: Since there is just 1 consciousness, there is no such thing as Mukti or Nirvana, right? Answers: Mukti or Nirvana are concepts imaged in the mind and thus nothing to do with consciousness. Ashtavakra would simply laugh at Multi or Nirvana. He would say what is this freedom, what is this bondage you talk about? All that is is Self. No piece of body gets mukti thus whatever theory you have from here on is not applicable. Your q: This means just that piece of body is getting mukti, which means the consciousness trapped in that piece of body and mind is going back into the ocean of consciousness. But other portion or consciousness is getting trapped into bundles of bodies and minds constantly, so isn't the mind and body getting the mukti? Answer: Remember when we don't know out true self this is ignorance of it, and because of this ignorance errors come about. Thinking that consciousness is somehow trapped in the body is a quite significant error. It never gets trapped in one or many bodies. They are not separate consciousness's. The query as to the thought that the mind is somehow getting mukti is answered in my answer to your second question below. Your confusion is because of the error caused by the ignorance of what consciousness is (although fundamentally inexpressible to describe) and what it is not (which is easier to explain than the former). Your q: Really confused. If we are a wave in ocean why should we hurry for mukti? Instead "we" (consciousness) should enjoy the brief time that it took form of the wave, right the wave, right? Answer: Regarding the wave in the ocean, we are the entirety of the ocean not limited as a wave, or a ripple or water foam etc. Even if The body and/or mind with memories emotions etc ends right this moment or lasts until the end of the Universe it makes no difference to the ocean. The ocean will still see it as a wave. We are the ocean forever and eternal. As swami explained the wave depends on the ocean of water, the ocean of water does not depend on the wave. Your q: Does consciousness takes the form of body and mind, to enjoy the materialistic world? Why would"consciousness" trap itself in this body and mind, if ocean of consciousness is pure bliss and happiness Answer: 2nd answer. Consciousness holds no attributes. Consider this example. Consciousness/Self is Moon Body is bucket Mind is water in bucket Reflections in the water seem to show that the Self exists in the bucket of water however this is not only not true but it is a distorted representation due to ripples in the water when the Moon is in space and is completely separate from it's reflection (where ever it is reflected). Thus the Self or in this case the Moon is not trapped anywhere. The Self is reflected throughout the entirely within and through existence. This is a well known example in Vedanta I wish you well in your journey towards realising the Self. Hari Aum

[@a_man_jaiswal]

27:58

[@sumanjoshi7902]

Physical body is gone. You see it dead but subtle body is gone. What is the proof of enlightenment? Subtle body being gone.

[@sethshams]

There must be a way to reconcile Samkhya and Advaita because this awareness is also aware of all objects for a reason, this reason is the beggining of duality , there is a part of it watching the movie and believing that it is true, giving truth to the maya and a part which is not really involved and aware of the falsness of it all and still it is the same consciousness ! maybe this is why there is a duality in this awareness that is why samkhya defends the idea that awareness is still particular and unique to each person because of the unique and particular interaction that happens between the observer and the observed, if the observed is uniquely observed in a unique manner the observer must has a uniqueness also if not the maya would be observed in the same manner by all consciousnesses, and beyond this unicity of consciousness there is the base and fundamental non dual whole universal consciousness which is brahman ! Leibniz is true when he speaks of monads, they are absolutly one in their foundational nature but absolutly unique also because of the unique way they unfold their perceptions of the common observed stage of existence

[@WakingDreams688]

1:05:50

[@theinkbrain]

Do people who are in a coma or vegetative state have consciousness? Are they completely free of consciousness? Are they completely unconscious while they are alive? What does Vedanta have to say about these states? If Kashmiri Shaivism - or any other system - is wrong, does it follow that there are no saints and enlightened people from these systems? And if there are logical proofs for these assertions does it mean they are true? There are many logical explanations that are absolutely wrong. Where are the empirical evidence for Vedantic assertions?

[@theinkbrain]

@@vb2556 Thank you Bhaiji.It is so hard to get out of the cognitive/reasoning mind set.

[@TheThaker007]

Kashmiri Saivites consider Shiva as the Brahman and they direct their bhakti towards realising the truth. Vedanta comes from Upanishads which comes from Vedas so the different sects don't disagree they are just different ways. Try listening to the lecture on Bhakti Yoga given by Swamiji

[@theinkbrain]

@@TheThaker007 But Brahman is described as having no attributes and no symbols while Shiva has both.

[@WakingDreams688]

The question is a misconception of Advaita. The question is dualistic itself. Consciousness isn’t to be had or lost. Consciousness isn’t something to be free from or free of. They and you are consciousness itself. If you rephrase the question, and are concerned only about the state of the mind and body, you may ask is the awareness localized in the body/mind aware of its objects? That would be a question better fit for a materialist.

[@theinkbrain]

@@WakingDreams688 So is there a way in which to talk about levels of consciousness or do we have to just remain silent on the subject of the absolute? Wouldn't any discussion on this subject be inevitably dualistic?

[@debabratak]

Thank you very much for such a wonderful retreat Swami ji. I have a query. I understand that there is nothing but conciousness. So what is that which is seeking conciousness ? It can't be body and mind complex. Then is it conciousness searching for conciousness ? I will eagerly look forward for your answers.Thank you very much once again.

[@dare-er7sw]

According to Nisargadatta, yes. Consciousness must seek and go back to its source.

[@swetshah92]

We are Brahman, so don't have to seek it, we just have to realize it

[@debabratak]

@@swetshah92 Thanks Swet. Then the query is why Brahman has to realize himself ? Then the answer can be we forgot our real nature. Then again how is that possible for Brahman to forgot his own self as Brahman is everything.

[@vish2553]

Debabrata Khan you forget your true nature because of ignorance. When did this ignorance start or began? This ignorance has no beginning, Anadhi. Ignorance is overcome with knowledge and the self realisation is just that, realisation. The snake rope example. No snake when ignorance goes away. No seeking at all in the first place as you are already THAT. Brahman that you are, IS. Pure conscious existence. Hope this helps.

[@debabratak]

@@vish2553 Thanks Rama for your answer. I feel we are going into the loop again. How Brahman can forget his own true nature because of ignorance. He himself is the knower. Ignorance means lack of knowledge. Isn't it fully contradictory to say that The Brahman who is knower of everything has ignorance. As Swami ji mentioned in one of his lectures It's like a person saying I can not speak. So the query comes in a loop again why Brahman has to realize himself who himself is knower and for That Knower there is no question of ignorance coming into the picture.

[@atmannityananda-autognosia]

Consciousness cannot be in contact with matter because it isn't matter and is beyond matter. Bhagavat Gita Ch9 4........ but I don't dwell in them. 5. Nor do beings exist in me.......

[@dare-er7sw]

Nisargadatta says the physical universe is a dream like appearance in consciousness or I AM.

[@jshdhdyjfjdjfhfyyene731]

So where did the Universe come from and all thoughts and emotions of it? Why do we all see physical objects the same if mind is different and consciousness (of which we are all one of) illuminates these? P.S. rhetorical questions :-) I would like to know your perspective

[@atmannityananda-autognosia]

@@jshdhdyjfjdjfhfyyene731 This is the mystery of life. There is no answer. Even Shankaracharya could not answer about the nature of Maya.

[@songs-fn7fm]

If अद्वैत is real brahman ,one consciousness why various monks of this order have to keep on explaining with great effort,and by renunciation by all,and by following path of Advaita or ashtavakra how this universe is going to work,for intelligent discussion it's ok,but Advaita is not for masses by its very nature,it is genuine,truth,a reality but not a practical path,I think,god bless.

[@pratikpatil6342]

It is practical if we apply it...otherwise it becomes just an intellectual Exerscise.