AvadhootaDatta Peetham

Discourse on Yoga Vasishtha

Day 67, November 2

Jaya Guru Datta

Sri Ganesaya Namaha
Sri Saraswatyai Namaha
Sripada Vallabha
Narasimha Saraswati
Sri Guru Dattatreyaya Namaha

Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Sadgurubhyo Namaha

asato ma sadgamaya
tamaso ma jyotirgamaya
mrityor ma amrtam gamaya
Om Santissantissantihi

Please lead me from untruth to Truth, from darkness to light, from death to immortality. May there be peace.

Yoga Vasishtha Dhyana Slokas:
yatassarvāṇi bhūtāni pratibhānti sthitāni ca
yatraivōpaśamaṁ yānti tasmai satyātmanē namaḥ || 1
jñātā jñānaṁ tathā jñēyaṁ draṣṭādarśana dr̥śyabhūḥ
kartā hētuḥ kriyā yasmāt tasmai jñaptyātmanē namaḥ || 2
sphuranti sīkarā yasmāt ānanandasyāṁbarē vanau
sarvēṣām jīvanam tasmai brahmānandātmanē namaḥ || 3

Last month when I was in Malaysia, I promised that I would answer one question every week. So far I have not received any questions from Malaysia. It is good that they have no questions.

We are now studying the second chapter of Yoga Vasishtha called Mumukshu Vyavahara Prakarana. It means the actions of one who seeks liberation. To get liberation is very difficult and yet it is very easy. We are already liberated. But we forget that we are liberated. To remember or to recollect the state of liberation is itself liberation. To attain liberation, we have to get rid of our ego. Ego is the root cause of all our sorrows. With the help of Sadguru and Sadguru’s words we can try to come out of ego. Ego is very dangerous. Get rid of ego and practice equanimity in pleasure and pain. It is easy to talk about equanimity but it is difficult to practice.

First get rid of ego and then practice equanimity. Then you will experience wonderful bliss. That bliss itself is called liberation. That is what is said in the first section of the second chapter called Mumukshu vyavahara prakarana.

We were talking about how Suka Yogi received Upadesa/instruction from King Janaka and how he attained salvation. Suka Yogi presented to King Janaka his theory of Truth as he understood it. Janaka assured Suka that his stand is absolutely correct. One should have complete faith in one’s understanding. Having achieved that confidence, Suka Yogi then proceeded to Mount Meru, performed penance for 10,000 years and attained complete liberation.

When Suka Yogi came to King Janaka, he had to endure certain tests. When he passed those tests to the satisfaction of Janaka, King Janaka praised Suka Yogi that he had already attained perfect knowledge. In addition, he had attained complete dispassion regarding enjoyments of the world. This freedom from desire for enjoyment is indeed rare and difficult to achieve.

Tava bala..

King Janaka addressed Suka Yogi as a youth. There is a legend that Suka Yogi, just like the brothers Sanaka, Sananda, etc. is an eternal youth. He was said to be well built and strong. His behavior was peculiar. He did not seem to eat anything. When all the sages observed this strange phenomenon they questioned about it and were told that he does eat anything but he drinks. What does he drink? He drinks Brahma Rasa, the elixir of Truth and Bliss. It is that beverage that makes him so sturdy and strong. Indirectly it is said that those who study and practice Vedanta also enjoy good health and strength. The science of Advaita gives health to body, mind, and soul.

King Janaka is elderly. Suka Yogi is a youth. The King addresses Suka as ‘Maha Veera’. Suka is not a warrior to be called the great valiant warrior. In this dreadful battle called Samsara/worldly life, Suka Yogi has conquered ignorance with the weapon called spiritual knowledge. Hence, he is the true warrior. Our real enemies are the enjoyments of this world which form an obstruction to our pursuit of Truth. One, who overcomes such hurdles is the true winner. We have six inner enemies called the Arishadvargas. Ari means enemy. Shad varga means a group of six. Suka has conquered them all. He has transcended the desire for enjoyment.

We may not be enjoying luxuries or pleasures all the time. But we may be thinking about them. To indulge in the enjoyment itself is one thing. But what is worse is to be away from them and be thinking of them. To be preoccupied with thoughts of pleasures is dreadful. This occurs due to past tendencies. The person will be devout. He will visit temples and ashramas. But his thoughts would be elsewhere, on the pleasures of the world.

The benefit is there of visiting temple and ashrama. But he has to increase that benefit by keeping his mind also there. Physically we may be distanced from pleasures. But mentally if we don’t detach ourselves from thoughts of such pleasures, it is useless.

Suka Yogi had achieved that stage where his mind is not disturbed at all by thoughts of pleasures. That is why he earned the title, Mahaveera. His mind was absolutely filled with dispassion.

Too much indulgence in pleasure leads to diseases. Chronic diseases occur due to excessive pleasures. Even minor and temporary ailments will tend to become chronic, such as a headache turning into Migraine.

Suka has transcended all those dangers. He is dispassionate and he is fully knowledgeable. We must pray for devotion, dispassion, and knowledge. It is difficult to attain them. Devotion is nothing else but firm and unquestioning faith in Guru and the Vedas. Offering prostrations is not devotion. It is just an action done out of fear. Having complete, absolute faith and genuine interest is Bhakti/devotion. Prahlada, Narada, Parasara, Pundareeka, Vyasa, Ambareesha, Suka, Saunaka, Bheeshma, and others are referred to as pillars of piety. Their devotion is absolute. They were all ready to sacrifice their lives for their adored one. When such piety reaches its pinnacle, it divides itself into nine types of expression, the Navavidha Bhakti. Lord Hanuman is the only devotee who perfected all nine types of devotion. That is why he is called the ultimate example of devotion. With devotion comes knowledge. From knowledge comes dispassion.

King Janaka praised Suka and gave full assurance that his knowledge was full, precise and absolute. He said that Suka’s heart was brimming with spiritual wisdom. Even his father Vyasa’s grasp of spiritual wisdom was not as perfect and complete, King Janaka commented. Suka was told by Janaka that he was fully knowledgeable and was fully dispassionate.

Vyasa had not reached that ultimate stage yet. He still had regrets and dissatisfactions that he had not completed his mission and had tasks left unfinished. King Janaka was praising Suka to encourage him further. This praise was not going to make Suka egotistical. It would only strengthen his confidence in himself.

We must encourage children to ask questions and express their feelings. We must first praise them and get them to be on our side to express themselves freely and confidently without any fear or hesitatin. If they are rebuked or criticized for their statements, even if what they say is wrong, they will get discouraged and will not feel free to discuss with us the issues which concern them.

If anyone says: you are all ignorant. You will all get destroyed. Then no one will listen. Vedanta never says that. It says everyone is knowledgeable. It is just that a curtain is blocking the knowledge from revealing itself. Once the veil is removed, the knowledge will shine forth bright and beautiful. If you explain like this, people will get interested in listening.

Vedanta does not blame anyone, not even the most ignorant, and not even the demons. Even Rakshasas/demons are made to give great philosophical teachings by Vyasa in the Bhagavatam. The demon king Hiranyakashipu gives instruction to his own mother on great philosophic truths. The mother was weeping that she lost her child.

Hiranyakashipu quotes the words of Lord Yama, the lord of Death, and consoles her. Why did Vyasa make Hiranyakashipu speak such words of wisdom? It is to show that the light of Paramatma is in everyone and suddenly shines forth even in the hearts of the wicked. In noble souls, that light of wisdom burns bright and steady all the time. When it reveals itself once in a while, it should be protected, preserved, and nourished. When the wicked fail to do so, God destroys such persons by coming down as an incarnation. That way God merges those souls into Himself.

King Janaka told Suka that he is greater than his own father Vyasa. Janaka was so impressed with Suka that he said, I am greater than your father and you are greater than even me. You are the son and disciple of Vyasa. But your desire for enjoyment was miniscule to start with and has now completely disappeared.

We are all prone to desires. We have all cried for things that give us pleasure. As children we have all cried for toys and treats. As we grow older and wiser, those desires should diminish as discretion develops within us.
King Janaka said: In this regard, you are greater than me. I am full of spiritual wisdom. Your father is full of dispassion.

Actually Vyasa was also full of wisdom. But he was not aware of it. That is why he suffered from discontent even after writing so many books and compiling all the Vedas. He felt miserable and distraught. That is when Sage Narada came and advised him to write the Bhagavatam.

King Janaka was full of spiritual wisdom but he lacked total dispassion. The reason was that he had the responsibility of ruling a kingdom. A king cannot behave like a beggar. He has to live royally, which does not allow full freedom from luxuries and enjoyments. Janaka was under an obligation to perform his duties as a king. Therefore, he said to Suka that Suka Yogi is greater than both Sage Vyasa and King Janaka.

One’s heart should be full of knowledge. In that state there will be nothing to desire. He will just be a witness to what is happening in the world with no reaction towards it. Trees, for instance, witness so much in their lives.

In Vidura ashrama there is a tree that is said to be 5000 years old. It has witnessed everything from the penance of Vidura to the modern day cell phones. It has consciousness and it is witnessing everything.

Many people cry in movies. It is okay to laugh. But why do people cry? Crying out of compassion is all right. But people identify with the movie characters and weep. They begin to believe that the troubles they witness in the movies are real. The actors simply remove the makeup and walk away. People are degrading themselves by getting overly involved in the things they watch.

We must practice witnessing everything with dispassion. There is great bliss in that. When you begin to do that, the pictures or scenes that happen around you begin to get transformed to suit your liking. When you identify with the soul, such is the power of the soul that the world around you changes to suit your taste. This visible world should just be a changing scene that you witness without any emotional involvement in it, the way a tree witnesses all that happens around it.

Suka, you are such a free soul, with absolutely no attachment to the things of the world. You have no reaction whatsoever to whatever happens in the world. Therefore, you will never slip and fall into this delusory world. You can be free from fear. You are liberated. Give up all doubts whether or not you are on the right track. You are absolutely on the right track.

Suka listened to all this great praise from King Janaka which is actually Janaka’s Upadesha to him.

Anusishtaha ..

Gurus sometimes praise, by even attributing qualities which the disciple does not possess. It is not praise. It is instruction from Guru. It is to encourage and stimulate the disciple to actually rise to that level. Guru says many times: I have done this only for you. Or, this would not have been possible but for you. Guru is speaking these words only to spur the disciple on, to progress towards greater heights. This should not make the disciple egotistical. If in fact Guru is stating a fact, it is an instruction that the disciple should preserve and enhance that quality.

Suka remained still, having heard this great praise. There was no reaction.

Some disciples wished to see their respective spiritual masters meet. A meeting was arranged. The two great souls sat facing one another. They kept gazing at each other. They shed tears. They smiled. The disciples, who were waiting to hear some scintillating conversation between the two spiritual giants, were disappointed at this silent communion between them, after having waited patiently for a month. They expressed their disappointment. Still, the two of them did not react. The two were engrossed in seeing the Supreme consciousness in one another. A similar thing occurred now between King Janaka and Suka Yogi. Suka enjoyed supreme bliss. There is only one Supreme entity which is totally full.

There is no such thing as void. There is only fullness. What is true is to have a fully served meal out of which you can choose what you wish to consume. You cannot accept anything for your consumption out of an empty plate. The theory that void alone exists has no basis. It is wrong. If it is void, how can it exist?
Suka remained centered within Himself, absorbed in bliss, oblivious of the non-existent world. When we transcend the outer world as we journey inward, we remain merged with that one supreme consciousness which is nothing but
absolute bliss.

It is like a tunnel which is dark until you light it up.

Mother is working hard at home, serving all the family members. They all have their meals and leave home. Finally she sits down to rest and sighs with relief and composure. Similarly, after we are done striving for the world, when we sit in silence seeking our own bliss, that is dhyana/meditation. Such meditation we should engage in regularly.

In Yoga Vasishtha, every single verse is important. Not a single shloka can be skipped.

Now, the fruit or reward obtained by meditation is stated, as if it is a trait of Suka Yogi.

Veeta shoka bhaya aayaasa

Suka is free from sorrow, fear and strain. There is nothing else in the world to be rid of. That state is the state of ultimate bliss.

One is sad that he has no job. He won a lottery. He is happy. He should be happy if he gets a job. But he is happy by getting money.

The cause of sorrow is removed with spiritual knowledge. Until the above three are removed, one has to engage in karma.

Suka is free from desire and doubts. All that we are told thereafter is that Suka Yogi left for Mount Meru.
He made a resolve prior to his departure.

When we go to a temple or an ashrama, we must make a resolve. Only then our visit bears fruit. Otherwise, it is just like going there to see the pillars and buildings. Even that will give some benefit. But if the true purpose is stated and carried through, then the full benefit accrues. When we go to the ashrama, we must have darshan of Guru. Whether we have devotion, or some desire with which we go to a temple, the temple visit itself, will yield a good result. But if you go with a specific resolve relevant to the visit, then the visit bears its full reward.
Suka Yogi went for the purpose of becoming immersed in Samadhi.

Many people go on a pilgrimage and totally waste their time and effort. They speak and think about irrelevant things during their pilgrimage. Then what is the use? They should meditate. They should have darshan of the deity with devotion.

Suka Yogi was absorbed for ten thousand years in Nirvikalpa Samadhi at Mount Meru. The phrase ‘nirvikalpa samadhi’ is a very loaded phrase. It contains the essence of spirituality.

Giving up concern for the preservation and protection of the body, Suka Yogi became lost in Samadhi. He had the responsibility of remaining in the Samadhi state until his sadhana became fully ripe and his body fell off.
It is a very wrong notion to think that since you have become enlightened, you can get rid of the body by committing suicide. If one is destined to live for a certain length of time, there is no escaping it. It is prarabdha. One has to endure in this body till that time is up.

This world is authored by us. By creating this, a stain has been created in the mind, body, and soul. In the case of Suka Yogi, he got rid of this stain by withdrawing this world picture back into himself. The world became non-existent for him. His soul became absolutely pure and pristine. The divine feet of God are of such purity. That is where we should focus our complete attention. As a drop of water or a bubble merges in the ocean, Suka Yogi merged into the Paramatman.

Life is compared to a bubble. But it is not a good analogy because when a bubble bursts, it again mingles with the water. But when we give up the body, we do not merge with our source. Therefore, we are inferior to even a bubble.

Suka Yogi became free of all Vasanas.

We are born because we have desired this birth and earned it. God is not the reason for our repeated births. He is not responsible. Sadguru helps us by drawing us back towards our source to a stage where we are not reborn. That is the great service rendered to us by Sadguru. We have to pray for such help.

Suka Yogi became liberated by merging in the Supreme Soul.

Suka Niryana it is called or Suka Nirvana. Niryana means, after making many journeys, we make one final journey where we give up the body once and for all. That is called Maha Prasthanam. The Pandavas made such a final journey on foot, led by Yudhishthira. The last trip that we make is Niryanam.

Suka Nirvanam is another name for this sarga. Suka Moksha Ghattam – the episode of Suka attaining liberation is another name for this story. Sage Viswamitra said at the outset that by listening to this story of Suka’s attainment of liberation one gets rid of all sorrows. I offer prayers that all of us should be blessed by Sage Suka and enjoy his immense grace.

All of you please visit Shuka Vana today and offer some food to the birds.

The second sarga in this second chapter is called Viswamitra Vakya. It consists of the words of Viswamitra.
Suka Yogi required slight dusting off of doubts, which was performed for him by King Janaka. Viswamitra told Sri Rama that Rama also had a layer of light dust that needed to be removed. For a whole Prakarana Sri Rama spoke about his thoughts but he was unsure whether his conclusions were truly valid. That what he had concluded is the truth and the absolute truth required affirmation from Guru. For providing such an affirmation, this entire work called Yoga Vasishtha was written. Either Guru has to teach what is unknown to us, or he has to affirm that what we know is correct.

Sri Rama was not proud of his knowledge. He stated humbly what he knew and asked whether his thoughts were on the right track. Guru has to carefully sift through the statements and endorse what is correct amongst them. Just to please a disciple, he should not praise and say that all that was spoken is the absolute truth. That would be unethical on the part of Guru. A genuine Guru will never do that. Guru will show the disciple the right path to follow.

Here Viswamitra prompts Vasishtha to give the instruction. The reason is that Vasishtha is the family Guru for the royal lineage.

Viswamitra reminded Vasishtha of the conflict that had occurred between them ages ago which was resolved by Brahma’s instruction. He urged Vasishtha to convey to Rama what was taught by Brahma at that time, which resolved the conflict between the two sages.

It would have sufficed for him to have simply told Sri Rama that his conclusions were correct. But this Upadesha of Brahma will benefit the entire audience that was present there at that time. Also Sage Valmiki would record it in its entirety and would present it as Yoga Vasishtha and in Datta Peetham we would study it. For that reason Viswamitra encouraged Vasishtha to repeat that instruction to Sri Rama.
We will discuss it tomorrow.

Starting today for the welfare and peace of the Universe, His Holiness Sri Swamiji is conducting a Navagraha Santi Homa for 12 days. Please chant your Guru Mantra and the Navagraha Mantra at least 108 times. If not possible, chant at least for 18 times. May it benefit the world at large.

Jaya Guru Datta
Sri Guru Datta

Om Santissantissantihi