68 - Everything is an Expression of the Divine Reality | Swami Tattwamayananda

-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on January 22, 2021.<br />-7th chapter: verse 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11<br />-3rd verse: “Among thousands of people, very few strive for a spiritual life. Among those who sincerely strive for spiritual life, very few realize the truth.”<br />-Not many people can think beyond the immediate and empirical. Even when some incidents in life make them seek a higher meaning of life, it may not last long due to the effect of Maya. Only a small percentage of people genuinely ask “what lies beyond”, and with that, they begin their spiritual life.<br />-4th verse: “My lower prakriti – Apara prakriti or Kshetram - is eightfold. The first five are the subtle dimensions of the five elements: earth, air, water, fire and space. The remaining three are mind, intellect and egoism.”<br />-5th verse: “My higher prakriti – para prakriti – is the principle of consciousness by which the entire universe is sustained. Everything is made conscious by the presence of this inner, divine spark.”<br />-6th verse: “These two prakritis are the source of all. I am the origin and the dissolution of the universe.”<br />-Creator is present in his creation. As we evolve, our understanding of God evolves from a monotheistic God to its highest state as one all-pervading reality, that is present everywhere and in everything. It is the essential totality of the whole universe – everything is an expression of this divine reality.<br />-7th verse: “There is nothing beyond Me, and there is nothing distinct from Me. Everything in this world is strung in Me, like jewels on a thread. “<br />-Per Shankaracharya, long threads constitute a piece of cloth. The cloth and the threads are not distinct from each other. Without the thread, there is no cloth. Similarly, the creation and creator are the same. It is not a philosophical construct, but a matter of one’s own experience.<br />-Everything in this world is able to exist, and the essence of its existence is not distinct from this divine reality that is present