43 - Jnanam – The Ultimate Purifier | Swami Tattwamayananda

-4th chapter: verses 36, 37, 38, 39<br />-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on June 19, 2020.<br />-Jnanam is the spiritual awareness of our true nature, that we are Atman, that our true nature is not the body, mind or intellect, which go through changes, and are of a fleeting nature. 36th, 37th and 38th verse use three approaches to illustrate this Jnanam: (1) A boat (2) A fire (3) The ultimate purifier.<br />-36th verse compares this Jnanam to a boat, which takes us across the ocean of Samsara (संसार). Even if we have an undesirable past, this Jnanam will purify our thoughts and actions, and we begin to do everything as Swadharma (स्वधर्म), with complete concentration and detachment. Actions no longer have any negative consequences on us.<br />-Samsara (संसार) refers to the cycle of birth, death and rebirth – our actions leave a residual effect on our mental system, which then become strong attitudes, that prompts us to do further actions (karma-vritti-samskara-chakra). We carry these mental tendencies with us from life to life.<br />-We develop this Jnanam by practicing seven spiritual disciplines: (1) Discrimination between unreal and the Real (2) Renunciation of what is unreal (3) Self-control: shama, dama, uparati, titiksha, shraddha and samadhana (4) Mumukshutam (5) Shravanam (6) Mananam (7) Nididhyasana.<br />-By pursuing these disciplines, at some point, we become aware of our true nature, that we are the Atman. This spiritual awareness (Jnanam), then acts as a boat to cross the ocean of Samsara. We can then watch our own life as a witness, unaffected by it.<br />-37th verse compares this Jnanam to the fire of knowledge – Jnana Agni - that reduces all karmas (actions) to ashes. The symbolism of fire is taken from vedic sacrifices – whatever was offered to the fire during these sacrifices, was reduced to ashes.<br />-Actions are inevitable, because we cannot be quiet even for a split moment. At the same time, actions have the problem of unpredictability – sometimes they produce desirable res