Thoughts on the Bhagavad Gita: (Chapter 13: Verses 21 - 24)

Rahul N Singh: 0:02

Hello and welcome to The Bearded Mystic Podcast and I'm your host, Rahul N Singh. Thank you for taking out the time today to either watch or listen to this podcast episode. If you are really interested in supporting The Bearded Mystic Podcast, and you've found great benefit in listening or watching these episodes, then please do support this podcast on Patreon where you can get ad free and bonus episodes along with other benefits depending on the tier that you select. Your support means everything, and it really does help the podcast keep running efficiently and smoothly, and also widens the audience that this message can reach to. If you would like to know more about it, the details are in the show notes and video description below. On Saturdays at 11:00 AM Eastern Standard Time there is a free virtual meditation session along with discussion and Q&A. If you're interested in meditating with us as a community, then you can find out the details in the show notes and video description below. Please do like, comment, and subscribe if you're watching this on YouTube and if you're listening to this on your favorite podcast streaming app, then please do give this podcast a five star rating. It helps the podcast get up in the charts and allows the algorithm to bring this podcast to new listeners and also do review the podcast if you can and make sure you do follow or subscribe to keep getting future episodes. Today we will be continuing on with my thoughts on the Bhagavad Gita and we will be looking at chapter 13, verses 21 to 24. Verse 21. It is said that Prakriti defines the causal principles behind action, the kind of actions needed to be done, the necessary instruments by which they are accomplished, and the kind of doer needed to conduct the actions, but only the jiva atma or Purusha is the cause of the pleasure or pain that results from their actions. So we're going to break this verse up. There's a lot to unpack in this verse, so we're going to really break it up and try to understand it more deeply. The first part of the verse is, It is said that Prakriti defines the causal principles behind action, the kind of actions needed to be done. The necessary instruments by which they are accomplished and the kind of doer needed to conduct the actions. So let's just look at that part. And first of all, we do know that prakriti, which means for us is the body and the body is constitutes of five elements. And along with the senses, they produce actions. They are the reason why there is actions, they are the causal principles behind action. So what we can understand is the five elements which constitutes the body, or the panchakoshas, and the senses, they constitute what actions we do. Now, they also define what actions we need to do and we go according to the mind. So, for example, whatever it perceives, we end up acting in such a way. And the necessary instruments that are talked about here are basically the hands, feet, the tongue, nose, eyes and ears as well. Those are the instruments which the senses are, where the perception of the senses is conducted and where it's received. With these instruments, you know, all the senses, the instruments of the senses, all those create the world around us within nature. So that's why they are the causal principles and the kind of actions that are needed to be done. Now we do the most natural actions, for example our hands touch things. They understand what's going on around us. It saves us from putting our hands in, in hot fire. It also allows us to eat food, to create instruments itself, play instruments. So that's something the hands can do, the feet can run, walk, dance, the nose smells food and smells danger. Say, if you were living in the jungle, you'll be able to know what's going on and your ears will be able to hear distinct sounds and the eyes can see everything around us and it allows us to avoid obstacles or find our path out of danger or a predicament that we're in. These five senses, then what they do is produce information, which then is given to the mind, the mind absorbs that information, then informs our intellect, and this is how we conduct our actions. Our intellect really is what defines where our actions are going to go. So, for example, it is our intellect that utilizes viveka, or discernment, between the real and the unreal. So, all this is done by Prakriti, yeah? Nothing here talks of the soul and the thing here talks of awareness. It merely is what nature must do. So, if you think about it, the body belongs to nature. The body will do what nature prescribes. It will not go beyond that boundary. For example, sometimes people try to put their body in extreme conditions. What tends to happen as a result is repression or suppression. And what this causes is a kind of action, which will cause harm because whatever energy is produced in the body, it needs to have some kind of, it needs to have some sort of release, it needs to be able to transfer itself to something, so if you are, for example, abstaining from eating meat, then For example, it's not easy, or if you're abstaining from drinking alcohol, it's not easy. So what do you need to do in those circumstances? Say, for example, not drinking alcohol means do you avoid going to social gatherings where there's going to be alcohol? How are you going to stop yourself? If somebody says to you, oh, there's only one life, what are you going to do? Or if somebody says one drink will not harm you, what would you do in that circumstance? Those are the kind of things and the intellect is what says, you know, look, your body will have this reaction if you drink, that's all. So your body will tell you it will hurt your liver, you will have an impact on your kidneys, you need to make sure you're hydrating with water, things like that. So the body itself is intelligent. We just have to understand that we have to use our viveka when it comes to our five senses. Those allow us to understand what can be accomplished and what cannot be. Remember it says, and the kind of doer needed to conduct the actions. The body needs to be able to utilize the instruments to do as much as it can. For example, when you get older, it may not be so easier to conduct certain actions. For example, even getting up to get some water will not be an action that can be done. So we have to understand that while we're in this youth, we have the power to do what we need to do with the actions that we want to take. Then Sri Krishna says, But only the jiva-atma or Purusha is the cause of the pleasure or pain that results from their actions. Now, thjiva-evatma or the Purusha here is the witness consciousness. And that is truly behind the reactions from these actions. So, it observes the reactions. The actions are done by the body, the awareness observes the actions, and observes the reactions from those actions. Now, the results of all actions is caused by the Purusha. Now, what you could see here as the Purusha is not some higher god, but... experience will tell you that it's just existence itself. Basically, everything you do has some sort of reaction somehow. And that's why someone with a strong intellect is able to observe what action will be the best one to take, what will create the most joy and the least amount of harm. That's the kind of thought pattern someone with a strong intellect will be able to conduct within themselves. What it then understands is, the formless awareness is actually the cause of all. Without my awareness, I'm not aware of the body, I'm not aware of the mind, I'm not aware of the discernment, I'm not aware of what the senses are producing. So, awareness is primary, therefore the cause of all. If I am not aware, will this still be? And will it be experienced as I experience it? Now, for example, human beings don't just experience objects, but they also... have results of those objects. So it is the awareness that actually is aware of pleasure that is attained by something and the pain when something departs. That's something that awareness does. If you were not self conscious, feeling pain will not be such a strong feeling. And the interesting thing is that pain can cause, if we keep concentrating on pain, it can easily turn into suffering. Because we focus our awareness on this. But a sage, or someone who's really rested in Brahman, who really understands that they are Brahman, they are able to look at pleasure and pain and say, You know what? I'm beyond these two things. I am the observer. And the observer is never in pleasure and the observer is never in pain. So, this is what we need to understand. That it is the awareness that is aware of the five elements, meaning the body. It is the awareness that is aware of the five senses. It is the awareness that is aware of the mind and intellect. And it is awareness that is aware of pain and pleasure, sadness and joy and all pairs of opposites, heat and cold. All of those opposites. So this is something we can understand. That it is because of awareness, we find that there is a cause of pleasure and there is a cause of pain. And that's resulted from our own actions, so that's why it's very important that a sage, anyone that listens to the Bhagavad Gita, anyone that reads the Bhagavad Gita, anybody that really truly worships Sri Krishna, one must always understand that we need to see the bigger picture. One little action can have strong consequences. Verse 22. All experiences within Prakriti arise from combinations of the three gunas. At the death of the body, a person's attachment to a specific combination of the gunas determines which womb they will enter in their next incarnation. This determines whether they will be born in a Sattvic, Rajasic or Tamasic body. Now, this is very interesting and it's quite a dramatic statement by Sri Krishna, to be honest. And it's kind of highlighting if we still believe that we are this body and not necessarily that we are Brahman or that we are awareness or we are Sri Krishna himself, whether we truly believe this, are we truly believing in what he truly is? You know, that's what I think he's trying to hint upon. So let's break this verse up. He says, All experiences within prakriti, arise from combinations of the three gunas. Now, every experience within nature, arises from the three gunas. It's a combination of tamas, rajas and sattva. So our experience is always a mixture of laziness, hyperactivity and then pure actions like meditation or mindfulness. And you see this in people, you know, they may be really tired to go to work and then when they, but they can't sit still and their mind is restless so there's this hyperactivity, they keep being fidgety. And then at the end of the day, they're like, you know what, to solve this, let me do some meditation, let me do some mindfulness, let me do some yoga. So, we see that people are like this, and all of our actions and experiences are defined by this. For example, if we see within Prakriti, there is a calm ocean, we automatically feel calm. If we are in the middle of a storm, you know, our senses heighten and there's a bit of hyperactivity, you know, what do I do, why something happens, you know, the mind goes, it starts racing and then when there is something we do not want to do, maybe we feel bored, maybe we feel like we do not want to get up from a night good sleep, of of 9 10 hours, that's laziness or we rather be like, you know what, I don't want to be concentrating on my spirituality today, I want to take my time and just chill, relax, and be lazy. Yeah, so, that's what Sri Krishna is talking about. And then in the next part of the verse, he says, at the death of the body, a person's attachment to a specific combination of gunas determines which kind of womb they will enter in their next incarnation. This determines whether they are born in a sattvic, rajasic or tamasic body. This is quite an interesting statement. So first of all, at the death of the body. So the body will have to die. We have to understand this. This is something that's going to happen to us whether we accept it or not. A lot of us are not willing to accept death. A lot of us are trying to avoid death. We think that death will not happen to us. We live as if we're gonna live for eternity. But if we truly understood that we had a limited amount of time on this earth, would we do the actions that we do? Would we think the thoughts that we have? Will we respond or react to things on social media like we do? These are the type of actions we would put under the microscope if we understood that this body will die. Now, if this body will die, where will the mind be housed? Without the body, there is no mind. The mind cannot be powered. Therefore, the mind will have to find its next step in the journey. Now, dependent on how you are, a person will be attached to a specific combination of the gunas, which determines what kind of womb they're going to be in. What does Sri Krishna mean by this? Our next incarnation means our next life. This is another way of Sri Krishna saying reincarnation happens. And then he says, whatever we do in this life is going to determine what type of incarnation, what type of gunas are going to be stronger in the next incarnation. So, are we attached to constantly doing actions? Are we attached to sleeping or just lazing around and doing nothing? And, or are we attached to doing rituals and meditation and living a sattvic life? Depending on how we live our life, it will determine what we will do in the next one. So if I've been meditating a lot in this life, but I've not been able to get mukti, I've not been able to attain liberation while I'm alive, then what will happen is I will probably go into a family and have a body that will support that type of actions that I need to do, that combination, where majority of it will be based on the Sattvic way of meditation and rituals. And there'll be elements of action and elements of just being lazy. But the predominant one will be Sattvic. For example, if I am constantly lazing around, whenever I'm bored, I'm just gorging on food, drinking, unhealthy things, living a generally unhealthy life, procrastinating, then that will be the type of body I will go in the next incarnation, the predominant guna will be tamsik. And there may be some actions where, you know, I will do actions in terms of getting food or getting a drink, but it'd be very, very limited. And maybe somewhere, somehow I'll attend, I'll do a bit of yoga to make myself feel that I'm doing some sort of spiritual activity. You know, that's the type of thing. And to be fair, don't just think of this in your next incarnation. We can actually analyse our own life right now and see where are we? Where are we today? And how can I improve this? How can I get out of this cycle? So, whatever we are attached to, we will end up embodying that guna. That's very simple. That's essentially what Sri Krishna is saying and this verse shows how someone is still in avidya, still in ignorance because they've not been able to get out of the gunas and the question here remains is for us is if we want to remain in nature or do we want to transcend this and if we do want to transcend this then we need to understand that we are Brahman This is when we will have to seek that knowledge of Brahman, that brahm gyan, that insight into Brahman, which will allow us to grow and prosper spiritually and understand that we are not the gunas, we are that which observes the gunas. In verse 23. Now, Sri Krishna will give 7 qualities and we will go into those 7 qualities, so within that Deha, the body made of Prakriti, I also reside as the ultimate seer and witness, the one who permits all to happen, the support and resting place of all, the one who experiences all pleasure, the greatest controller, the Atma who pervades all Atmas, and the Supreme Person among all persons. Within that deha body made of prakriti, I also reside as the ultimate seer and witness and the one who permits all to happen. So within this body. How does Brahman reside? How does Brahman be in the body? Is it in the body or is it something that is immersed in the body but surrounds us everywhere? So that's one way of understanding it. What are the qualities that we can notice within ourselves to say that it's the ultimate seer and the witness? So one. It's the ultimate seer and witness. Why? Because it's the absolute formless awareness. This awareness within us has no form, has no image, has no shape, has no boundary, has no nature, has no concept, has no label. It literally just... remains so clear that if you try to put a label to It, It will throw it away. It will not allow anything to stick to It, which will create another identity. And it's the seer. Why? Ultimate seer because it is aware of its own formless awareness. That's how we need to understand this awareness. And it allows everything to happen. And basically, it's the witness. Just remember, since... all of your age from since you were a toddler to the age that you are now, as your body has changed, as your mind has changed, as thoughts have changed, beliefs have changed, maybe even religion has changed, but one thing has remained the same, which is that you have been watching this and this watcher has not changed you. Regardless of what the body and mind has gone through whatever Prakriti has gone through, it doesn't matter. So remember this, Sri Krishna is saying that he is the ultimate seer and witness within Prakriti, within the body. Yeah, not some separate body. He's not talking about his own. He's talking about everyone, everything, every single living being. And he's the one that permits all to happen. For him, he allows everything to happen. This awareness does not stop anything from happening. It never interferes with nature, and neither does it feel that nature needs to be modified, by its own cause. Neither does it feel that it needs to manipulate nature to go according to what it wants. This is not what the job of the seer and the witness is. If that was the job of the witness, then he would be a doer, not a witness. Good or bad, happiness or sadness, strength or fear, all is permitted to occur. Sri Krishna doesn't stop anything. This Ishwara doesn't stop anything. This Formless never stops anything. It allows everything to occur, good and evil. Many people say, why is there good, why is there evil? Because nature intends that both should exist. Nature is duality. Once we understand this truth, All becomes very clear and one doesn't question anymore, one just simply rests in the understanding. And this is what happens, and it's not bad to ask questions, I mean I ask plenty. I can't really say we don't ask questions, but our questions become much more deeper, much more refined, and they are not there to be an ego boost, but more so to actually get rid of the ego. That's the power of our questions. Then Sri Krishna says that it is the support and resting place of all, and it is the one who experiences all pleasure. This is very interesting. So it's the support and resting place for the senses. It is a support and resting place for the three states like waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. It is a support and resting place for the mind and the intellect. It is a support and resting place for all living beings. It is It allows everything to rest in it. Everything is supported by it. Without the awareness, we will not be aware of the senses. We will not be aware of the waking, dreaming and deep sleep states. We will not be aware of the mind and the intellect. We will not be aware of thinking. We will not be aware of emoting, feeling, sensing, experiencing beautiful things like love and beauty itself and feeling gratitude. All those happen. because this is the support and resting place for all. Whenever we feel tired of life, we know that we can rest in the Supreme. We know that we can do this. And it is the one that is experiencing all pleasures. So it is aware of all pleasures. So this is a unique thing because now when we say we enjoy something, No, it is this formless awareness that is enjoying. It is Sri Krishna that is enjoying. This is another way of renouncing our actions. So now whenever we do an action which gives us pleasure, we renounce it to Sri Krishna. Because it's the one that experiences it all. We don't. So if you enjoy that chocolate bar, it's awareness that's enjoying it. If you enjoy the butter chicken and naan, It is awareness that is enjoying it. If you enjoy that glass of Coke or you enjoy that wine or that cup of coffee, it is awareness that is experiencing that pleasure. Once you do this, then you're able to one have absolute control over how much you consume. Yeah. Moderation will be key. And also you renounce, so you don't get overexcited. Nor do you get upset when you don't receive something that will give you pleasure. And then it is the greatest controller, it is the Atma who pervades all Atmas, and it is the supreme person among all persons. So first of all, this formless awareness is the supreme controller of all existence. Meaning, that because of the awareness, this existence appears. And It has brought this whole existence into place, it is that Sat of Satchitananda. So it maintains all of existence, it makes sure that all of existence can function in the chaos that it is, but within that chaos there is calmness, there is peacefulness, there is tranquility. And it allows Prakriti to function within its own laws of nature and doesn't interfere. That's why it's the greatest controller because it lets go of control. We cannot let go of control. We cannot let go of trying to control every aspect of our life. Not only our life, but the life of others too. But this Pure Self, this Brahman. It does not seek to control us, yet, because it's let go of control, it's the Ultimate One that controls, because it is existence itself, and existence, nature, is what controls everything, that's karma. It is the awareness that is the same with all beings, now just remember the Atma is that, which is the Witness Consciousness, that Formless Awareness. And Formless Awareness is the same regardless of who you are, and where you're from, what religion you belong to, what caste you belong to. It doesn't matter who or what you are, this awareness is the same in all. It doesn't care about your religion, doesn't care about your gender, doesn't care about what sexual orientation you are. It doesn't care about what colour skin you have. It doesn't care about what degree you have or what level of education you have. It doesn't care about what salary you earn or what job title you have. It doesn't care about any of those things. It is just, it's that Atma, it is that awareness that resides within your own awareness. Yeah. That is, once you realise that that is the true awareness, your awareness merges. Meaning, not that it merges, the identification of a separation dissolves away. That's what it does. So all beings are within the Shared Being like we mentioned. So the Atma who pervades all Atmas. And then it's the supreme person among all persons, you know, the Param Purusha. Being awareness, it is the first and only being. Yeah, it's the first and only. Therefore amongst all people, this Awareness is Supreme, this Purusha is supreme, this Consciousness is supreme. Let me make this very clear, that even though we think we are individual people, really we are just this One. We are the Supreme Person. We are that Param Purusha. But it's our ignorance that doesn't allow us to transcend. Then verse 24. When the Jiva-Atma finally sees their self as the Purusha, the controller of their own Deha, the material body, when they also know that they and their body are pervaded by the Param Purusha, the supreme controller in all bodies, and when they understand prakriti, material nature, and how it is controlled by the three gunas, then such an awakened atma is never forced to take birth again. So interesting, we started off with this idea that maybe we will die and we will come back on this earth and it will be determined by which guna will control us. Now Sri Krishna is giving us a way out. This verse 24, remember this chapter 13 verse 24 is our key to getting out of this cycle of birth and rebirth. If we want to truly transcend birth and death, this verse will help us. Let's break this verse down and let's really discover what it really means. Sri Krishna says, when the Jiva Atma finally sees their self as the Purusha, the controller of their own Deha, material body. When it means, first of all, how can this Jiva transcend Prakriti and never take birth again? This Jiva has to remove ignorance through the Brahm Gyan that it receives. This Brahm Gyan will help the Jiva remove ignorance. Now, right now, the Jiva thinks... I am this body but now it's going to understand through the Gyan that this Jiva is to stop associating within Prakriti with this Deha, this material body and it must understand that it is the Purusha within, that witness consciousness within that is controlling everything because there's only this, because we are the Purusha, you are the Purusha the Witness Consciousness You are the formless awareness within the material body of the five elements and it is once the Jiva identifies as what it has always been, this Formless Awareness And then what happens is, the jiva then identifies what it has always been, which is this Formless Awareness. They finally see their self as the Purusha, the witness consciousness, the controller of their own deha, the material body. It is the awareness that shows you the actions of the body. When you're breathing, it is your awareness that is aware of the breathing. It's your awareness that is aware of thoughts, it's your awareness that is aware of movements, of sound, of taste, that's what happens, the Jiva Atma finally sees that actually, I am not just this body, I am also that which is aware of this body, so that's happens. And then Sri Krishna says in the next part when they also know that they and their body are pervaded by the Param Purusha, the supreme controller in all bodies. So first of all we have to understand that this Formless Awareness pervades this body. Yeah, when they also know that they and their body, meaning the Purusha, the Jiva Atma and their body are pervaded by the Param Purusha. So, I think I'm this little awareness of this body, but actually, this is not. This awareness is not just in my body. It pervades my body and it's pervaded by something else. What is this? What is this which is within each cell of my body? Which is this which is within each thought and sensation of the body and mind? And not only just for my body, because if it's true for mine, then it's also true for every single living being that is made from the five elements, not just me and you, every living being, and this is true for all existence. So what is it? It's the supreme controller in all bodies. It's the supreme pure consciousness in all body. It's that supreme awareness in all bodies. So not everybody has tiny bodies of awareness. Like we may originally think, Oh, I am aware. Well, where is this'I am' first? Where has it arisen from? Can we locate where the'I am' is? Is it actually in the body? Or does it, is it within the body and pervades the body and is around the body in all of existence. And if it's in me, then it must be in everything. This is what Sri Krishna means when he says, When they also know that they and their body are pervaded by the Param Purusha. Yeah, the supreme control in all bodies, the supreme witness consciousness in all bodies. And then Sri Krishna adds in the next part, and when they understand prakriti, material nature and how it is controlled by the three gunas. So what happens is because you are the awareness and then therefore you can be aware of nature and the way it works. Even the three gunas, the way they dominate your mind and your body, once you become alert and aware of those things, then you understand how this material nature works. Then you know that if I know how this works, then I'm no longer going to be in control. I'm no longer going to be controlled by these things. You understand the intricate details of how these gunas can actually trap you and mold you and bind you into action or bind you into association that you are the body only or the mind only. And what happens is, once you understand that you are the Param Purusha. Once you understand that you are the witness consciousness, then you understand this material nature, and therefore you know how this material nature is defined by the three gunas. You understand how everything functions according to the three gunas. And then Sri Krishna says... Then such an awakened Atma is never forced to take birth again. Once you understand what nature is, and then once you understand and associate your Jiva Atma with the Supreme Purusha, the Param Purusha, then you are fully awakened. Then you are truly awake for the first time. This is enlightenment. This. It's not that you stop living. You understand why you're alive. This is all that happens. You understand that you and Brahman are One, you was One, and you always will be One. You are this One Infinite Consciousness. And it's at this moment, when you fully identify as a Supreme Purusha, that you never take birth again. You transcend samsara. You transcend this existence. And you remain living in formless awareness forever. This is Jivan Mukti. This is what Sri Krishna is taking us towards. This very thing. So, let's go over this in a summary. One, you first think that, first you understand that I'm the Jiva Atma. Yeah. I'm not this body and mind. This body and mind is defined by nature. I'm aware of nature and I'm aware of the body and mind and the senses. I'm that witness consciousness, which is essentially aware of nature. So it precedes nature, but I'm this mini Jiva Atma. And then you realize that, well, where does this mini Jiva Atma, this individual Jiva Atma, that's supposedly just in my body, where does it arise from, where is its beginning, where is its end, then you realize that it's not just in my body and it's not just what I define as me, it's that same awareness in every single body, every single living being of existence, animate or inanimate, with intellect, without intellect. Whatever contains basically every single atom is this Param Purusha. This is in all bodies, in all atoms, in all particles of existence. So then you realize that it's just this One. It appears as many, I think it's just in my body, but actually it's in every single atom. Therefore, there's only One. That's how we go from duality to non duality. And because of understanding this, we then truly understand what prakriti is, and how it's controlled by the three gunas, how sattva runs it, how tamas runs it, how rajas runs it, and controls it. So then we understand the role of nature. The role of the body, the role of the atoms. And because of this, because we know that we can be aware of this whole process and it's the awareness that is supreme, then we become awakened and then we are never forced to take birth again. Watch the word here, never forced to take birth again. That doesn't mean that you may not choose to be born again. You may choose to come back on the earth, maybe because you want to experience the world with your guru again. Maybe you want to be in love with Sri Krishna again. Maybe you want to live another life so you can remain in the ananda of reciting Sri Krishna's name or your guru's name, or Ishvara's name, or God's name, whatever. But you'll never be forced. It'll happen. In, as I say, sahajta, in sahaj, in relaxation, without any conflict. And that is the way a true awakened Atma lives. Every day, once they are awakened, they are awakened forever. Once you understand and rest in awareness that you are this Formless Awareness itself and nothing more, nothing less, because there is only That, then you will never have to take birth again. You are liberated while alive, you are Jivan Mukta. And this should be the goal for everybody that comes across the Gita. Everybody. Whoever still... wants anything less, consider they have not understood the Gita. Sri Krishna's song is to take you to silence, not to trap you in words. This is what we must understand. And that is the end of the episode. Thank you very much for listening. If you liked what you heard and liked what you watched, please do share this podcast with your friends and family who may enjoy this content. Do follow me on social media to keep getting updates. Join the Bearded Mystic Podcast WhatsApp community group to continue the podcast discussion, details are in the show notes and video description below. If you would like to support the Bearded Mystic Podcast as we discussed earlier, do check out the podcast Patreon page. Your support means everything, and it helps this podcast keep running. Details are in the show notes and video description below. Please do rate this podcast five stars and do give a review either on your favorite podcast, streaming app or on our website. Details are in the show notes and video description below. Please do like and comment on this video and subscribe to this YouTube channel. Do follow or subscribe to this podcast on your favorite podcast streaming app. Thank you very much for listening to this episode. Let's end with the Shanti mantra and the Soham mantra. Soham Soham. I am That. I am That. Aum Shanti Shanti Shanti Aum Peace Peace Peace