Vedanta Lecture On 28.02.2008

One who loves form, identifies himself to be form, looks at the self as form. Such a person has no clue to his real or actual identity. Clues are always there but he keeps missing on them. He not only considers himself to be with form but hankers after objects thinking that forms will satisfy him and free him. Such a person is called bahyartha prasakta manasah his mind is totally obsessed with forms, he goes out to collect the objects, enjoys them, and then again looks for another kind of object, and again runs after it, till he closes his eyes and sleeps, once he wakes up again he does the same running around. In other words he is obsessed with working for them.
The text gives three descriptions of men running after forms:

1) takes no clue given to him in life,
2) he is obsessed with external objects
3) he is obsessed with work to achieve them all.

Life keeps giving clues, switching from wakeful to dream and deep sleep is no ordinary clue, to be able to switch off from thoughts to no thoughts in deep sleep is no ordinary glory of sleep. Sleep is so common that we take no cognizance of it. The English word “sleep” is a non serious word, we should call it transcending all forms, the word should communicate freedom, and Vedanta uses the word svapah , sva oneself, apyayah, or svasmin apitah bhavati, or svasmin apyayah that is going back to oneself, receding unto one’s self. the word “sleep” in Englsih does not mean the above connotation, that is going back to oneself.

Anyway the author laments as to how such a person qualified by the three characteristics exclude form from his Being when he values it so much. He cannot!

While another person who has renounced action (karma) given up the desire to do Righteous action or non righteous actions (dharma) and all cravings for pleasures (vishaya), who is committed to know the self and who is for ever fascinated by this topic, who loves peace more than noise, such a person should discern between the seer and the form with steadfast devotion.