Sri Guru Gita ETV - Episodes 251 to 300
Translations of Pujya Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji’s daily explanation of Sri Guru Gita on ETV from Datta Jayanthi in Dec 2013 onwards in Telugu
Episodes 251 to 300
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Observe the parrot from Shuka Vana. Find out of the species it belongs to and make a note.
Visit for photos of parrots and information on the different species.
A parrot first listened to the secret knowledge about Guru while Siva was explaining it to Parvati. Later Sage Suka (Parrot) gave this knowledge to his father Veda Vyasa. It was revealed to humanity through Srimad Bhagavatam and Skanda Purana.
At end of the year 2014 during Datta Jayanthi in December, there will be held a competition.
Episode 251
The Guru saves an eligible disciple even from the clutches of death. Kacha was the son of Brihaspati. Shukra was the Guru to the demons. Both were very accomplished. Kacha came with the purpose of making the gods successful and fulfilled his Dharma. On the other hand, the Guru to the demons, Shukra also fulfilled his Dharma. They both stand as an example of a good Guru-disciple relationship.
That was the time when there were constant battles between gods and the demons. One could not stand the other. The gods used to lose more often than win in those battles. The gods realized that the reason for this was Shukracharya’s knowledge of “Mruta Sanjeevini” (hymn to revive the dead). Brihaspati sent his son Kacha to acquire this knowledge. Kacha approached Shukra with the purpose of helping the gods and prayed, “Sir, I am the son of Brihaspati. I came here to serve you. Please be compassionate and accept me as your disciple”.
The foremost characteristic of a disciple must be humility. Shukra was impressed with Kacha’s humility. He immediately took him as a disciple. The demons who knew the gods’ plan did not like what their Guru did. Shukra’s daughter Devyani alone liked it. Let us see what happens ahead with this liking.
The demons who were angry with Kacha once took him to a forest, killed him, tied his body to a tree and left. Upon Devyani’s insistence, Shukra grasped the situation and using his knowledge of Mruta Sanjeevini revived Kacha. The demons again killed Kacha, burned him to ashes, mixed the ash with alcohol and had Shukra consume it. Again, upon Devyani’s insistence, Shukra realized that Kacha was in his stomach. He initiated Kacha into Mruta Sanjeevini. Kacha emerged by piercing Shukra’s stomach and in turn revived his Guru using the knowledge of Mruta Sanjeevini, thereby earning the grace of Shukra. Did you see how many attempts took place in the process of learning this knowledge?
In the meanwhile, Kacha was put in a very difficult situation due to Devyani. Upon completion of education, when Kacha was about to leave, Devyani again stopped him. Still Kacha did not swerve from the duty of a disciple. “Guru is like a father. You are the daughter of the Guru. Hence, you are my sister”. Devyani was angry when she heard this. She cursed him saying, “The knowledge you earned here will not be useful to you”. Kacha left for his world saying, “It is okay if it is not useful to me, it is enough if it is useful for others”.
Like this, Kacha, without yielding to any temptations, displayed the best Dharma of a disciple and earned the grace of his Guru. Even though Shukra knew that Kacha was his enemy Brihaspati’s son who came to him with the goal of enabling the gods to succeed, he was impressed with Kacha’s virtues and so followed his Dharma of a Guru. Besides Shukra’s love for his daughter Devyani, Kacha’s virtues were also a reason Shukra revived him from dead so many times. This story shows us how, when it comes to knowledge, the Guru and disciple should carry out their Dharma.
Episode 252
Nireekshana (waiting patiently/looking forward). Looking forward to the Guru’s grace with devotion is itself penance. That will definitely lead to attainment of knowledge. It is inevitable that one wait a long time for the Guru’s grace. With a thousand eyes, one must look forward to the teachings of the Guru who is a personification of knowledge. There is a lot of joy in doing so. That it itself a kind of penance. Patiently waiting is itself a kind of penance. To practice such penance, the mind needs to be pure and strong. Penance is not an ordinary practice. To practice such penance needs strong will power. One must also never lose enthusiasm because he did not receive the Guru’s teachings immediately. It never happens immediately. It always takes time. Regardless of how many obstacles come up, one must patiently wait as long as it takes - months or years. That is Yoga.
Just as Shabari awaited the arrival of Sri Rama, one must continue chanting the Guru mantra and await his grace. How long did Shabari wait for her Lord? Rama’s arrival in search of Sita was foretold. That is why, she continued to wait for Rama. A devotee desiring initiation sought refuge with a Guru. Let’s discuss a short story. After receiving the disciple’s service for some time, the Guru once called the disciple and said, “I will come to your house myself and give you initiation sometime. Okay? Therefore, you may go back to your house”. The disciple went back to his house and patiently looked forward each moment to the arrival of his Guru and to the initiation from his Guru. “When will my Guru arrive? When will my Guru give me knowledge?” He would constantly think of his Guru. “When will the Guru arrive? What time will the Guru arrive? Will he arrive at dawn? Will he arrive in the morning? Will he arrive during the day?” He did not know. That is why he would always stay awake and remember his Guru. He would always remember his Guru. “Will he arrive now? Will he enter through this door? Will he arrive through that door? Or will he arrive in a subtle form through a small opening?” The disciple did not know when and how the Guru would arrive.
A carpenter bee brings an insect to its dwelling and constantly makes a buzzing sound around the insect. The insect is intensely focused on the bee, constantly thinking of the bee and listening to its sound. After some time, the insect transforms into the bee. We have seen these insects that take on the form of the bee. Like that, the bee would place the insect in its dwelling and constantly hover around it, making a buzzing sound. Once in a while, the bee would sting the insect. What happens after a few days? The insect takes on the form of the bee. This is what is called “Bhramara Keeta Nyayam” (bhramara = bee; keeta = insect; nyayam = justice).
This disciple’s state was similar. In thinking of his Guru and awaiting his arrival, he even gave up sleeping. If he ever snoozed, he would feel like his Guru arrived. He had no sleep. Occasionally, he would sleep a little. Even in his sleep, he would feel, “My God is arriving. My Guru is arriving”. After a few days passed like this, the disciple went to the Guru’s Ashrama for his darshan. After some time, he went in to the see the Guru.
As soon as he saw the disciple, the Guru said, “I will certainly come to your house either tomorrow or the day after”. This devotee had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Guru. Unable the wait any longer, he had gone to the Guru. As soon as the disciple stood by the Guru’s side, the Guru himself said this. Let’s see what happens ahead.
Episode 253
The Guru thought that the devotee came to remind him, to invite him to visit his place and do the initiation. Immediately, he said, “Son, you are here? I will come to your house in two days, you may go. I will come either tomorrow or the day after”. The devotee said, “Lord Guru, I came here to pray to you to not come to my house so soon. There’s supreme joy in waiting for your arrival”. Are there people in the world who tell the Guru who is ready to visit the house the next day, not to? “Please do not come over. If you come, I will have difficulty. I will place sheets all over. Then, I will know when someone walks on the sheets. That is why, please do not come now. There is so much joy in waiting”. So, what did the devotee say even when the Guru was ready to visit, “Lord, please do not come over yet. I am experiencing supreme joy in looking forward to your arrival. I am able to meditate well too”.
In reality, even as the Guru was saying that he would grant him initiation later, the Guru granted him initiation right there. The Guru said, “Is it? Okay, I will give you initiation later”. As he was saying this, he granted him initiation. The devotee realized this too. Let us talk about another incident.
Uddhava went to the Gopis after having darshana of Sri Krishna to his heart’s content in Dwaraka and told them, “Our Lord said he would come here after a few days. He asked me to let you know”. Do you know what the Gopis said then? “Krishna is going to come here? No, let it be. Chanting his divine name is enough for us. We are in bliss waiting for him to arrive. We keep thinking, “Will he come? Will he come over right this second? Will he come over tomorrow? That is such a nice feeling. There is so much joy. Our hearts feel so full”. So, why should the Guru come over right now? Once he leaves, the feeling of fullness in the heart will be gone. The enthusiasm will drain. There is so much happiness in waiting for him. But, if he comes over right now, that joy will be gone. That is why, the Gopis said that they gain happiness in just waiting for him. This wait for the Lord is itself Yoga.
Like this, it is enough to constantly remember the Guru and carry out your duties. There is no need to do anything else. That is itself meditation. Remembering the Lord while carrying out your duties is itself great meditation. What happens as a result of such meditation? The mind gets purified. When the mind is thus purified, knowledge will certainly be realized by the Guru’s grace.
There are many devotees who always see Swamiji in their hearts and think of him. There are devotees who see the Guru live and remember him. But, there are many who keep remembering him, seeing him in their hearts. Whether you are near the Guru or away from the Guru, you should practice remembering your Guru all the time. One should not assume, “The Guru is not here”. Instead, you should think, “Why is the Guru not here? The Guru is right here in my heart”. That is when one will experience real devotion towards the Guru.
Next, service to the Guru. Knowledge is attained only through service to the Guru. Service to the Guru alone brings about knowledge.
Episode 254
Only service to Guru leads to attainment of knowledge. We discussed many times that knowledge can be attained only through service to the Guru. An interest in gaining knowledge germinates in some people after listening to discourses by great souls or after reading some scriptures. They develop an interest in gaining even more knowledge. Due to that interest, they seek refuge with Gurus asking for initiation immediately. They seem to gain dispassion all of a sudden. When they read a scripture, or when someone dies, or when someone cries, they suddenly feel an urge for self-realization, “This is all there is to life, there is nothing else. Let me go to a Guru right now, get initiation, wear saffron robes, shave my head and get that done with”. That’s it. After some time they forget all about it and drink coffee. In other words, as discussed, a lot of people seek refuge with a Guru asking for initiation immediately.
However, even after a lot of pleading, the Gurus do not care. They do not care at all. “There is more time for it. Let us see about it later. In the meanwhile, do these tasks”. The Guru recommends various tasks to the devotees. The Guru will not give initiation immediately. He keeps postponing saying, “Do this work”, “Do this mantra” or “Do this worship”. These people do not like that. They find it difficult to do worship, chanting or service. They get anxious thinking, “What is this? They ask us to wake up early. They ask us to do so much work. I am not interested in all that. I don’t feel any devotion towards it. Why did I come here? So that he can show me the path to self-realization. Instead, he is showing me all these other things? Okay, how long should I do these other things?” They get down to these tasks mechanically but their mind is not in those tasks.
Sometimes, they feel that a certain Guru is not working out for them and they approach another Guru. They quit. “I came here for self-realization. I want self-realization. I want liberation. I came here so I can go to God. But, I’m given various other tasks here. I’m asked to work in the agricultural farm. I’m asked to take care of Bonsai plants. I’m asked to take care of the birds. I’m asked to write down the names of people visiting. What is this? I’m asked to mop the place. I’m asked to take care of the bulls. Now, there are horses in the Ashrama. I’m asked to take care of the horses”. They get frustrated thinking, “I came here for one thing and I’m asked to do something completely different”. They leave this Guru and run to another Guru.
The thing such people should note carefully is that, passion to gain knowledge is indeed very good. However, one should examine whether or not he has the eligibility to gain knowledge. If you really had the eligibility, the Guru would give you initiation without even being asked. Hence, until you gain eligibility, you must quietly do everything he asked you to. You should not raise questions. You should not find faults with it. You must to do what you are asked to.
Everybody knows of the saint of Maharashtra - Eknath. Let us learn a little more about this as an example. For devotees who are fickle, this is an example.
Episode 255
We discussed that the saint of Maharashtra, Eknath was very widely known. Owing to his previous tendencies, he had a desire for self-realization at a very young age. He sought refuge with a Guru. He suddenly felt that he wanted to gain knowledge of the Absolute. The Guru did not say anything about whether he would give initiation to Eknath or not. Instead, the Guru asked him to stay with him, take care of household work and look into all the accounting work. There was no correlation at all. Eknath wanted knowledge of the absolute, but instead, he was asked to do two things - look into accounting and clean the house.
With a lot of dedication and without a second thought, Eknath began carrying out all the tasks assigned to him by his Guru. A few years passed. Eknath continued to carry out all the tasks without any annoyance. One day, as Eknath was tallying the accounts as usual, he found a little discrepancy. The amount spent and the amount left over were not adding up. “Why is it like this? It used to add up correctly everyday, but today for some reason, it is not tallying”. He started over again tallying all the accounts from the beginning. He did this over and over. Despite scrutinizing the accounts over and over, he was unable to pinpoint the discrepancy. Eknath lost his peace of mind, “Why are the accounts not tallying?” He gave up food and sleep and was up all night looking for the error, “Where did I make a mistake? Where was I off in counting?”
After about eight hours of detailed scrutinizing, he was able to pinpoint the error. Immediately, he screamed with happiness and danced in joy. Since dawn had already broken in, the Guru was up from his sleep. Hearing Ekanth’s screams, he went in to see what was happening. But, Eknath was not even in a position to notice the arrival of his Guru. He was still dancing in joy. The Guru waited for him to come back to his normal state and then asked, “Why are you jumping around? What is the reason for so much happiness?” Eknath first prayed for forgiveness for not having noticed the arrival of his Guru, “Forgive me, I did not notice your arrival”. He then went on to tell his Guru about what happened, “There was a discrepancy in the accounts. I examined them with a lot of concentration as a result of which I could pinpoint the error and fix it. Because I was able to fix it, I was very happy”. He told his Guru about how the error crept into the books and how he spent all night unravelling the knots in the accounts. The Guru immediately said with a lot of joy, “Son, you are now in a state ready for gaining knowledge of the Self. You proved that you are capable of carrying out a task with concentration, offering yourself to it completely. Show the same concentration, determination and commitment that you showed in accounting, towards God. You will gain divinity soon”. Saying so, the Guru immediately taught him knowledge of the Self.
By the grace of the Guru, Eknath became a great saint in very little time and gained Self-realization. Out of love for Eknath, Lord Panduranga himself came to Eknath and served him in his house as a disciple. Eknath had become such a great saint. Because he sang glories of the Lord with great concentration, because he was completely immersed in the Lord, not only did he attain Self-realization, but the Lord himself used to serve him as his disciple in his house.
Those desirous of knowledge, should first gain such eligibility through service to the Guru. It is from such service that the mind gets purified and concentration, determination and commitment gradually take root. Concentration and commitment will be fully realized. It is then that the teachings of the Guru will be firmly established.
Episode 256
The Guru uses various methods to rid the devotees of their attachments. He alone knows best about what method to use for which devotee, what to bless each devotee with and what to accept from each devotee. Even if it is the same ailment, the doctor does not administer the same medicine to everyone. Depending on their body and their constitution, he will administer only the medicine that will work for them. The Guru is like that too. That is why, his actions might seem strange at times. However the actions may appear outwardly, the inner meaning of those actions always aim to uplift the devotee.
Krishna and Arjuna once set out for a recreational walk. After walking for a long time, they got a little thirsty. They went to a nearby village and stopped in front of a house for water. That house belonged to a trader. The trader was wealthy, but very miserly. When Krishna and Arjuna went to the house, the merchant was absorbed in counting his money and updating his ledger. He said, “I have no time, I am very busy”. He was indeed busy. Let alone offering them water, he was not in the state to even notice their arrival. If the people that arrived asked for water, should not one at least see who they are? He did not. He was so busy doing his accounts. Arjuna got very angry. But, Krishna smiled and starting walking away blessing the merchant thus, “O Merchant, since you like wealth more than you like me, I bless that you have more of this wealth that you love. You will become one of the wealthiest people in this country”. Saying so, he and Arjuna moved on.
After walking some distance, they found a hut in a village. That belonged to a poor Brahmin. His only wealth was a lone cow. He was managing to earn a livelihood with just that. When he saw Krishna and Arjuna, he felt ecstatic. Due to the joy of seeing his favorite deity, his eyes were filled with tears. Prostrating to the feet of Krishna, the poor Brahmin reverently showed them inside. He laid out an old mat he had for them to sit on. He offered them milk freshly squeezed from the cow and prayed to the Lord saying, “Lord, with your arrival, my life is fulfilled today. I did not imagine that you would bless me like this. I have nothing else to offer you, Lord. Please be compassionate and accept this milk and bless me”.
Did you see the difference between the trader and this man? Accepting the milk offered with devotion, Krishna was pleased. Arjuna was also satisfied with the respectful treatment. They were very thirsty and they were able to quench their thirst. Stepping out of the hut and walking two steps, Krishna said, “May the cow die immediately”. Arjuna was very surprised. “Lord, this man has a lot of devotion towards you. He will not be able to live without the cow. You blessed the trader who had no devotion at all with a lot of prosperity. But, what did you do to this man? You said that his only cow should die. Why did you do this?”
Let’s see what happens ahead.
Episode 257
Arjuna asked Krishna, “Lord, what did you do? You blessed that trader who did not offer anything, who was miserly, saying, “May you get more money, may you become even more wealthy”. This devotee does not even have a proper house, poor man. He lives in a small hut. He has only a cow and you said that, that was his livelihood. He invited us inside and gave away the cow’s milk. What kind of a blessing did you give this devotee? You pronounced that the cow die immediately. I don’t understand. You blessed the trader who had no devotion at all with more wealth. I do not understand this strange behavior”.
Krishna said to Arjuna, “Arjuna, there is nothing wrong with my behavior. That wealthy man thought wealth alone was permanent. That is why I blessed him with even more wealth and prosperity. Owing to the pride that arises from that, he will become egoistic and will face difficulties. His ego will lead to difficulties. Eventually, he will feel an aversion for those and will place his focus on me. With this poor man, it’s different. He has no interest at all in wealth. The cow alone was his one and only attachment. Due to constant worry about who would look after the cow after he dies, he is unable to steady his mind on me. He is unable to keep his mind steady. He is a good devotee, no doubt. He is always thinking about the cow, “What will be the fate of the cow after I die?” So, to help him calm down, I removed that anxiety. He will be more relaxed henceforth. He had only one worry - the cow. Now, he will be able to calmly steady his mind on me and attain me”.
In the same manner, it is very difficult to comprehend the inner meaning of the Guru’s actions. It is not something we can grasp with our knowledge. That is why, instead of getting down to unnecessary criticism, the devotee’s duty is to carry out with dedication the Guru’s commands given to him. “Why is the Guru like this?” “Why is the Guru doing that?” “Why did the Guru not do this?” “Why did the Guru bless them like that? They have no devotion. But, he spoke to them very easily. He did not speak to the one that has devotion”. One should refrain from such criticism. This story proves the same to us. The Guru Principle is such.
“Win over anger with peace” is usually said to those practicing meditation and Yoga. Sri Krishna is a Jagadguru (Guru to the Universe). There is definitely a lesson to be learned from every instance of his life. Even though it may appear ordinary outwardly, there is supreme inner meaning in his actions. One day Krishna, Balarama and Satyaki together went to another town for some work. There is big story around Satyaki as well, I will tell you later. There were some beautiful gardens on the way. They spent some time there. Later, there was a forest on the way. Since the sun had set by then, it had grown very dark. Therefore, they decided to stay the night in the forest itself. It was a dense forest. A lot of cruel beasts wandered there. Balarama decided that they would take turns keeping guard for two hours each. According to this plan, Satyaki’s turn was first. As Satyaki kept guard, Balarama and Krishna slept.
Let’s see what happens next.
Jaya Guru Datta.
Episode 258
We were talking about Balarama, Krishna and Satyaki. As Satyaki kept guard, Balarama and Krishna went to sleep. In the meanwhile, a frightening form was seen coming towards them. From afar, Satyaki thought it was a cruel animal. But after it got closer, he realized that it was a frightening demon. Still, gathering courage, Satyaki stepped forward to confront the demon. A small battle ensued between the two. Satyaki was angrily and vengefully fighting the demon. But, the strange thing was that as Satyaki’s anger increased, the demon’s body grew bigger. Finally, Satyaki looked like an insect next to the demon. The demon gained a form that was that huge. The demon caught Satyaki, pulled him up and threw him into the trees. Satyaki somehow managed to escape. The demon disappeared.
Now it was the turn of Balarama. The demon came again, he did not let go. Balarama as it is, is an angry person. In addition, he cannot tolerate humiliation. Therefore, he battled the demon with a lot of anger and vigor. As his anger, vigor and vengefulness increased, the demon’s form was getting even bigger. Balarama understood this secret. He tried very hard to fight calmly. But, it was not possible. Finally, Balarama also lost like Satyaki did. The frightening demon picked up Balarama, flung him away and walked away. After sometime, Balarama’s two hours of keeping guard also concluded. The three were keeping guard, one after another. As two of them slept, one would keep guard. Both of them received severe blows from the demon. Balaram did and Satyaki did too.
Jagannataka sutradhari (the one who is the conductor/director of the cosmic drama), Krishna was observing all this. In his half-asleep state, he was looking at what was happening. Now, it was Krishna’s turn. Satyaki and Balarama were exhausted and asleep. They could not do anything else, they just fell asleep. The demon did arrive. As the demon’s anger grew, Krishna fought calmly, relaxedly and with a smile playing on his lips. As a result, contrary to what happened before, the demon’s body began shrinking. Krishna was laughing and smiling and battling calmly. The demon kept shrinking. The demon wanted to somehow get Krishna angry. If he got Krishna angry, his form would get bigger. He tried various ways. But, Krishna remained an epitome of peace. As Krishna’s peace grew, the demon’s form shrunk to the size of a mustard seed. Now, the demon appeared like a small insect. Krishna tied the demon to one end of his vastram/garment.
The day broke. Satyaki and Balarama woke up from their sleep. Both of them narrated the strange incident that happened in the night to Krishna. Krishna listened to everything and showing them the demon tied to the end of his garment asked, “Is this the demon you are talking about?” Satyaki and Balarama’s surprise knew no end. Krishna showed them the demon and said, “He is a manifestation of anger. I battled him calmly, with a smile and with a peaceful mind. That is why, his body withered and shrunk and became like an insect. Take a look”.
Therefore, anger does not work.
Let’s talk more ahead.
Episode 259
We were talking about the story of Satyaki, Balarama and Krishna. Krishna, showing them the demon tied to the end of his garment asked, “Is this the demon you are talking about? Is he the one that you suffered and had difficulty battling all night?” Satyaki and Balarama’s surprise knew no end. Krishna showed them the demon and said, “He is a manifestation of anger. I battled him calmly, with a smile and with a peaceful mind. That is why, his body withered and shrunk and became like an insect. Take a look”.
This incident seems very simple and funny to us. But there is a lot of hidden meaning in this. Here, Krishna is teaching that anger can be won over only through peace. You can only win with peace. You cannot win with anger. Anger cannot be won over with anger. Anger must be won over with peace. In case another person is angrily fighting us, responding peacefully and calmly, will embarrass the person who will then start talking calmly as well. In this way, by being peaceful, not only will you benefit yourself, but you will benefit others too. Therefore, all problems from that moment on will be solved peacefully. It is true, is it not?
Next, spiritual practice. See how Sadguru’s grace is. There are two types of people that listen to spiritual discourses. Those who listen during difficult/sorrowful times and those who listen during good/comfortable times.
Some people say one is better, some say the other is better. But, for us to find out which one is better in reality, we should first understand what comfort is and what difficulty is. What is comfort? Is it eating? Is it earning money? Is it power? All these seem like comfort, but there does not seem to be an end to desires. Endless desires only lead to sorrow. If you eat limited quantities of food, you will gain strength. If you overeat, you will get diseases. This holds true for everything. What starts as comfort ends up in sorrow. There are some others who have no work, neither good nor bad. Even though this is good, the intellect that has nothing to do only thinks of bad things. Is it not true? It is good that some people have neither good nor bad. But on the other hand, because they have nothing, they only keep thinking bad. That is demonic disposition. Outwardly, they appear like Yogis. They do not read, they do not listen, they do not contemplate. They question why one needs the scriptures. The thinking and disposition is constantly shaped by the food eaten and the matters heard. That is why, matters of food are very important to a Yogi. Controlled diet is very essential.
When it comes to intellect, the important thing is friendship. Those who want to really be happy should always put the idle mind to work. That is why Swamiji always says, “Do not waste a single second. Read something good. Listen to something good”.
Let’s move ahead.
Episode 260
We just discussed that an idle mind needs to be put to work. Along those lines, one must study good books and scriptures. One must read them to others. Study and help others study. Do chanting and meditation. Do Pranayama.
All these are niyamas (rules). Why do we have niyamas? These are a lesson to the intellect and the Indriyas (sense organs). It is futile to ask “Should it be done only at this hour?” “Should it only be like this?” We need to teach lessons to and train the Indriyas and the intellect. Due to this, the intellect will be purified and the solutions to your problems will become clear to you. You will be able to think of the solutions yourself. A mind that is calm and engaged in good work can absorb Vedanta. Even in difficult times, Vedanta can be absorbed.
For example, Bhagavad Gita was taught to Arjuna during a life-endangering moment in the battle, wasn’t it? Arjuna listened with single-minded concentration, grasped the truth and carried out his duty. After that, during the time the Pandavas were ruling the kingdom, Arjuna said to Krishna who was seated on the plank of a swing thus, “Brother-in-law, in that chaos, you taught me something. I cannot remember it very clearly. Please give me Upadesa (teaching) again”. Krishna replied, “Arjuna, Upadesa is something that should always be contemplated on. It is not something you should plan on thinking about when you have some leisure or procrastinate contemplation indefinitely into the future. Moreover, whatever I say now will be different from what I said then. Still, out of love for you, out of love for my disciple, I’ll tell you again, listen”. Krishna gave the Upadesa again.
But now, Arjuna did not have time. Various officials and administrators were frequently coming and asking questions in between. Arjuna was listening to the Upadesa while responding to their questions. How can that work? This Upadesa can be found in Mahabharata by the name Anu-Gita. The complete essence of Bhagavad Gita has been described in this. After listening to everything, Arjuna said that the first Gita was much better. What was the reason? Arjuna was not able to listen with concentration this time. That is because he had greater accountability. He had the responsibility of the kingdom. He had the responsibility of managing various affairs of the kingdom. That is why, he was unable to concentrate here. Instead, he concentrated on matters of the kingdom.
Therefore, for Upadesa, the disciple’s mind is more important than the external environment. When the man is in sorrow, he must be taught Vedanta. When he is going through good times, he should recall the Upadesa he received during difficult times. That recollection should increase day after day. In times of difficulty, the Guru should be remembered. One should talk to him (Guru). In good times, one should serve the Guru even more. In good times, one will gain knowledge along with Pragnya. What is Pragnya? It is the desire to find out. In difficult times, that will not be there. Therefore, Upadesa is necessary during good times as well as bad. Good disciples should wish along these lines.
We always remember the Upadesa received during difficult/sorrowful times. On the other hand, the Upadesa received during good times is often lost. That is what happened to Arjuna. He remembered well the Upadesa received during difficult times. But, he is unable to understand well the Upadesa received now, during good times.
Episode 261
Causing even more obstacles to a spiritual seeker are bad habits. Let’s think a little bit about what the solution to these is. Many bad habits that hinder spiritual progress catch hold of our mind. What are these? “Alasyam”, “Shrama”, “Tandra”, “Bheda Bhranti”, “Mithyatmita”, “Narmukti”, “Droham”, “Akrosam” and “Bhayam”. Due to these, the mind is getting polluted. Let’s learn a little about these.
Alasyam (Delay). It is said that delay turns even nectar into poison. Due to this, the task at hand is harmed. Therefore, it is best to do right now whatever you are thinking of doing some random time in the future. A lot of people keep procrastinating, “That involves some hard work, let’s worry about it later.” or “That work is so easy, I know very well. I can finish it off in an hour, I’ll do it later”. All these cause a lot of obstructions in spiritual practice. That is why, instead of doing it sometime in future, it is best to do right now, is it not?
Next, Shrama (hard work/effort). Man wishes to get results without putting in effort. That is not possible. When we get the results for the effort we put in, we don’t count that effort. A lot of people make no effort, but they want the results. How is that possible? It is not possible. When the effort does not give results, it causes sorrow. When effort gives the right results, we are very happy. But, we should in fact, inculcate Shamam. Next, they are talking about Shamam. Shamam indicates that we should make peaceful nature a habit. Whatever we are doing should be done with patience and forethought.
Next, Tandra. Lot of people have much Mandyam (dullness/inertia) or laziness, or in other words, dullness of intellect. Due to this, they cannot do anything. Laziness/Inertia. If they are sitting, they will continue to just sit. If they are sleeping, they just continue to sleep. That’s it. If they are reclining in a corner, feeling warm, they will just lie down and sleep there. To lose this, one should wake up early in the morning at “Brahma Muhurtam” (usually one and a half hours before sunrise). Then, this laziness will be gone. One must make this a habit. This will lead to an expansion of the intellect. Then, even before you realize, dullness of intellect and laziness will be gone. So, it is said that to get rid of the dullness of intellect, one should wake up early in the morning. We do not wake up even at 10am. That’s because, we go to bed only at 4am. We watch movies all night. We watch two movies. We do not realize it when we are watching the movies. The mind is so interested and we are glued to the movies. We sleep very late and wake up very late. This will of course lead to dullness of intellect. The intellect will die and sometimes it feels like they will have no virtues left. That is why here, to lose this dullness of intellect, we should first make it a habit to wake up a little early. If we go to bed by at least 11pm, we can wake up by 5am.
Episode 262
We were talking about the various obstacles a seeker runs into. A seeker must not have “Bheda Bhranti”. (Bheda=difference; Bhranti = illusion). In our day-to-day life, we see difference between one object and another in this creation. Things in this creation seem different from each other. The reason for this difference is Rajo Guna. (Rajo Guna = the quality of passion/active). To get rid of this view of differences, we need Abheda Darshana (abheda=not different) or the vision that everything is the same. The feeling that everything is the same arises from Sattva Guna (Sattva Guna = the quality of purity and equanimity). When this knowledge is realized, everything appears the same, as the manifestation of God. This is truth. Therefore, man should always try to imbibe and expand Sattva Guna. Only then will the feeling of difference vanish.
Next, Mithyatmata. Atheists and materialistic people do not admit to the state of the Atman. Some argue that Atman is permanent, while some others argue that Atman is impermanent. What is permanent is Atman alone. Sastras, Puranas, Upanishads all prove Atman is eternal and permanent. Only when one realizes this truth is it possible to get rid of ignorance. One must realize that Atman is truth.
Next, Narmokti. This indicates jeering or making fun of others. It is easy to make fun of others. Jeering at or dismissing others is easy. But, making fun of others without any basis in truth hurts others’ feelings. Whatever you are saying about them is not true. You are speaking what is untruth. So, it really hurts their feelings. To avoid this, you must speak what is really in your heart. You must practice and live by it. One who is truthful like this will not make fun of others and hurt their feelings. Someone who understands this truth will not hurt others. It is because one does not understand this that they hurt others.
Next, Droham (Deception). People keep accumulating sins by deceiving others. If you treat everyone as equal to you, you will get rid of that urge for deceiving. You must realize that others are as hurt by being deceived, as you would be if you were deceived. You must know that others also are like you.
Next, Akrosam (Anger/Acerbity). Sometimes, others will criticize or blame you. You must practice ignoring it. But, you must not lose patience. Not only that, the scriptures say that talking to such people respectfully, with a smile is the right treatment. If you are detached like that, the grief from criticism or blame will not even affect you. Without even bothering about whether they criticized you or not, it is enough if you keep smiling. You will not have any grief.
Episode 263
We were talking about what we should practice and what we should not. Bhayam (fear). Even though it’s natural for every living being to be in fear of what danger may befall any moment, to get rid of this fear one must increase their faith in God. Everyone has fear, “Don’t know what’s going to happen”, “Don’t know how it’s going to be”. To get rid of this fear, one must increase their faith in God. From that, one gains self-confidence. Faith in God will dispel that fear. This is the antidote to bad habits. Mastering this should be the seeker’s primary objective.
Pride of education. Humility is key to education. It is said that if humility is firmly established in one’s heart, his education is worthy of reverence even it is a little defective. On the other hand, if his heart is full of arrogance, even if his education is complete, even if he is a great scholar, his education will have no use. Humility is important for education. Without humility, education has no decoration. It can benefit neither one’s inner self nor the society. Moreover, sometimes, it can even lead to danger. As evidence of this, we find a nice story in Mahabharata.
During their period of study, Arjuna and Ashwatthama had good rivalry. Both were learning the use of weapons. There is a powerful weapon called “Brahmashironamakastram”. Ashwatthama prayed to Dronacharya several times to teach them the use of that weapon. This weapon was even more powerful than Brahmastram. That is why, Dronacharya did not immediately teach them the use of that weapon. Finally one day, he taught Arjuna and Ashwatthama the use of that weapon. However, he did not teach the method to withdraw, which is usually taught along with the method to use the weapon. The weapon will be useful only when one knows the method to withdraw it. One should not use the weapon without knowledge of withdrawing the weapon. Ashwatthama was very sad.
During the same period, Ashwatthama found out that Sri Krishna, who was the same age as him, earned the Sudarshana Chakra (Lord’s Vishnu’s discus). He was very surprised to hear that. He went to Krishna and said, “Krishna, I heard that you earned the Sudarshana Chakra. I was very happy to hear that. I also got the extraordinary Brahmashironamakastram weapon. Shall we swap our weapons for sometime?” Sri Krishna clearly saw the arrogance and jealousy in Ashwatthama’s heart. Still, feigning ignorance, he said, “I cannot withstand your weapon. If you wish, you can take the Sudarshana Chakra that’s in the shrine. You can take that if you want, but I cannot manage or withstand your weapons”. Ashwatthama who was happy, proudly walked towards the shrine and was about to pick up the Chakra. Let’s see what happens when he picks it up.
Episode 264
Sri Krishna clearly saw the arrogance and jealousy in Ashwatthama’s heart. Still, feigning ignorance, he said, “I cannot withstand your weapon. If you wish, you can take the Sudarshana Chakra that’s in the shrine”. Ashwatthama who was happy, proudly walked towards the shrine and was about to pick up the Chakra. As soon as he touched it, his entire body started burning due to the radiance of the Chakra. Out of fear for his life, he said he did not want the Chakra anymore and leaving the Chakra there, went away saying he could not handle it.
Guru Dronacharya who observed the difference between Arjuna and Ashtwatthama, once taught Arjuna when he was alone, the complete method to withdraw the weapon Brahmashironamakastram. Even though Ashtwatthama was his own son, the Guru did not teach him the same because Ashtwatthama was arrogant. Arrogance does not work for such education. Still, during the battle of Mahabharata, Ashtwatthama employed this weapon in violation of scriptural injuctions and became the target of terrible curses by Sri Krishna and Sage Vyasa. Therefore, if arrogance takes seed in the heart, it will lead to ruin regardless of how great one’s knowledge/education is.
By the grace of Lord Datta, I pray that you all be bestowed with humility along with good knowledge, I bless that all arrogance be removed. Let us remember the Sadguru’s grace again and again. Prostrations to the Sadguru who elevates us from the ocean of samsara/worldliness. Association with others(association with worldly objects/people) becomes the cause of samsara.
“Na sange na samam papam
Vairagyena samam sukham”
Na sange na samam papam. Vairagyena samam sukham. This means that there is no sin like Sangatyam/association and there is no happiness like Vairagyam/renunciation. What is association? Association with objects. That is the bond we create with samsara/worldliness. Due to this association, there is only sorrow, no happiness. Man may feel temporary happiness from association, but it eventually only gives grief. Sorrow, disease and anxiety are caused from association with worldliness whereas association with noble souls leads to eternal happiness. In other words, keeping good company or association will lessen our attachment to worldly bondages. It will also lead to detachment. Man needs detachment, if he wants happiness. That is why,
“Satsangatve nissangatvam”
(Satsanga=good company or company of noble souls; nissanga = detachment or lack of association). Such a mind will be pure and will be directed toward God. Due to that, detachment towards worldly comforts will grow. That is dispassion. Such dispassion leads to eternal happiness.
Everybody thinks that earning more money and wealth than necessary and bequeathing that to the children will ensure the children are very comfortable. However, due to that, there may be temporary happiness, but what is left in the end? Only sorrow. That is why, we should only earn as much as is necessary. A lot of people keep earning more and more. Until they die, they are only trying to earn more and more money. So, what comes from that? Only sorrow.
Episode 265
Long ago, there was a king called Rishabha. He was an incarnation of an aspect of Vishnu. A part of his kingdom is now our country of India. Rishabha’s son was Bharata. It is after his name that our country is called Bharat or Bhaarat. Bharata had great power of penance, courage, intelligence and fulfillment in both worldly and other-worldly aspects. He was also an emperor in the world of Yoga. After some time, he coronated his son as king and went to the forests for meditation and penance.
There used to flow a river across Bharata’s hermitage. One day, a fully pregnant doe (female deer) wandered near the hermitage. As it was drinking water, a lion let out a loud roar. Hearing the roar, the doe got nervous and began crossing the river in fright. As it crossed the river, it delivered a baby deer and then lost its life.
Bharata who witnessed all this, picked up the baby deer out of pity and began taking care of it. Gradually Bharata grew very fond of the baby deer. With all attention focused on rearing the baby deer, he completely let go of his spiritual practice. He was always immersed in the baby deer, he was always with the baby deer. Thinking that if he was not around the deer, a lion or tiger would prey on it, he would always be with the deer.
The Yogi neared his time of passing. He breathed his last thinking only of the baby deer. Consequently, he was born as a deer in his next life. But, since he had recollection of his previous life, Bharata who was in the form of a deer would think of God at all times and in all states. This being in the form of a deer was always thinking of God. He had finally learned his lesson. In the next life, he was born in the house of a Vedic pundit as a Brahmin. Because he remembered his previous life, he completely gave up all company. Appear to onlookers as a foolish and lazy man who knew nothing, he observed strict spiritual disciple and attained liberation. This story shows us how great the power of association is. Even though he was a great Yogi, he took birth as a deer because he was only thinking of the deer in his last moments.
“Avasaane smaram devam, muktim gachchati”
That is why, if one dies thinking of God, one attains liberation. But, to one who is always immersed in worldly matters, thoughts of God will never arise. They will forget to think of God in their final moments. Whatever they associate with the most is what they always think of. By constantly thinking of God and by serving the Guru, all associations vanish and the mind is centered on God at all times. That is why, we can never talk enough about Satsanga.
We should practice it from now on, when we have some sense and strength. Once all senses diminish, once we lose all our strength, once we get old, we remember the thoughts, activities and practices we had during our youth. That is why, if we do good things now such as thinking of God, Satsangatyam (assocation with noble souls), service to Guru and chanting God’s name, we will remember them in our old age and in our final moments. Otherwise, if one keeps bad company, lies and always thinks of business and money at all times, if one always thinks bad thoughts and forgets God, he will not attain liberation.
Therefore, if you think of God at all times, you will think of God in the final moments and only then attain liberation.
Episode 266
Guru Upadesam (Guru’s teachings/instructions/initiation). Let us learn a little about this. Everyone has right over the air we breathe. Similarly, everyone has the right to get Guru Upadesam. However, only the clouds in the air that constantly strive for others’ benefit can keep rising up. It is because the clouds have the noble intent to help others, to keep earth cool, to help harvest crops and to provide good rains that they keep rising higher and higher. Similarly, even with Guru Upadesam, only those few magnanimous ones who, like the clouds, want to benefit others will reach higher states. Only those doing good deeds are rising higher.
Those who want to find out about the origin of all knowledge will have the darshana/vision of the Guru’s lineage. Here, let us learn about what it means to have darshana. Many accomplished divine souls have handed to us the knowledge that flows from the power of pure consciousness. All these souls are unselfish. They have no selfishness at all. Awareness of such souls is itself said to be darshana. It is also said that learning about good souls is itself having darshana of Paramatman. The more one has such awareness, the more one is subject to the feeling of unlimited gratitude. Moreover, one will be anguished that all the love he shows towards such Gurus is very insignificant. Owing to that, he will try to expand his gratitude towards them even more. As this continues to happen, he will feel more and more that there is no difference between him and others. Such unselfishness nature will grow and bloom in his mind. The more it blooms, the more he gets to the category of the Sadgurus without even realizing it. In the process the disciple is able to realize Siddhis (supernatural powers). In other words, he will keep reaching higher levels that take him from an earthly living being to divinity. We learned this concept using the analogy of the clouds earlier.
The cloud, at some point, was a drop of water on earth. All water on the earth does not at once turn into a cloud. We should understand that only the water drops that are capable of benefiting others turn into clouds. In the same way, of all the beings that receive Guru Upadesam, those who keep improving their own purity, those who keep increasing their unselfishness will keep reaching the highest levels. So, we learned the relationship between knowledge, the vow to help others, devotion to Guru, Siddhis and the power of pure consciousness. Lord Datta is the Adi Guru - the primordial Guru. He is the Guru to the God of Gods. He is the primordial deity. By his grace, may this message be understood clearly by all of you. I bless that you all have darshana of Guru Parampara (lineage of Gurus). May you all understand the Guru Principle. The goal of Guru Gita is to take everyone happily towards liberation.
Episode 267
Dakshinamurti. The Guru, during some instances, appears like he is making mistakes. He pretends he is making mistakes. His actions seem strange to us. We feel, “Why is he doing this?”, “Why did he say this?” However he may appear outwardly, he is the pure flame of light that is beyond the dualities and is untouched by likes and dislikes says the great sage Garga to Kartaviryarjuna in Datta Darsanam. Let us keep recollecting this story over and over and over again.
If we examine this story, this matter will become even more clear to us and we’ll gain a better understanding of it. Sanaka, Sananda, Sanatkumara, Sanasujata were Brahma’s mind-born sons. Even though they were thousands of years old, they always look like 5 year olds. Once, in pursuit of self-realization, they began searching for the right Guru. In this context, they met sage Narada and asked him to grant them the knowledge needed. “I was going to come to you myself, you should kindly grant me knowledge” said sage Narada. When they asked Narada, he said, “I was coming to you myself”. Okay, what are they to do. The four of them then set out to ask other great souls, “Let us go to other great souls and find out”. All of them gave the same answer that Narada did, “We wanted to come to you ourselves, we wanted to ask you our questions relating to Dharma”. The four were slightly disappointed and since this was not working, they went to Lord Brahma. Since everybody was saying the same thing to them, they went to Lord Brahma.
May be Lord Brahma did not notice the arrival of the four, but as if he did not even see them, he sat listening to Mother Saraswati play the Veena. He did even look at them, he did not even look in their direction, he did not even greet them. Thinking, “Why is he behaving like this? How can someone like this give us knowledge? He is just sitting and enjoying the music, what knowledge does he have? There is no use.” they went to Vishnu.
At exactly the time they arrived, Vishnu was happily asleep. Goddess Lakshmi was pressing/massaging his feet. Seeing this they felt, “Brahma was better than him. At least he sat at a little distance from his wife. But what is he doing here? He is getting his feet pressed. Fie! Vishnu is having his wife sit on the bed and serve his feet. Fie”. They then set out for Kailasa. “Let us go to Kailasa. There is no use here”.
When they arrived in Kalisa, they saw Parvati dancing along with Siva. They felt, “They are both dancing. In one place, there was music. In the other, he had his wife sit on his bed, fie. In this place, what is this? Looking at all this, it seems like Brahma is better. What are they doing here? They are both dancing. They are singing duets. What is going on here? Parvati is also dancing along with Shiva. We were hoping that Mother Goddess could help us, but Mother Goddess is dancing along with Shiva, shedding all her inhibitions. Fie! And, if we look at the Siva Ganas (Siva’s attendants) who are normally absorbed in meditation, they are dancing too.”
Seeing all this, the four felt that Brahma and Vishnu were better than Siva and Parvati. They felt that the first was better than the second who was better than the third. They felt, Brahma and Vishnu were better and said, “These two are embracing each other and dancing. Fie! How can such people give us knowledge? Saying this, they left.
Siva was observing all this. They (the Gods) were doing this on purpose. Concerned for them that they were leaving, Siva manifested a new form from his lower region and appeared in magnificent effulgence when they were on their way. Siva loves his devotees, he did not let them go. Because they were leaving, he manifested a form out of his own and placed it before them. It was a magnificent form.
Episode 268
We were talking about Sanaka, Sananda, Sanatkumara and Sanasujata. Datta. Siva was observing all this. Concerned that they, who came seeking knowledge, had to unfairly leave because they witnessed the illusion and succumbed to it, Siva manifested a new form from his lower region and appeared before them with brilliant effulgence as Dakshinamurti while they were on their way. He closed his right fist, slowly raised his little finger, ring finger and middle finger, brought the tips of the index finger and thumb together and showed them the Chin Mudra. That is it. The three raised fingers here indicate the three states of Jagrut (wakefulness), Svapna (dream), Sushupti (deep sleep). The index finger and the thumb together are representing Atma Tattva or Turya Avastha (the fourth state). In other words, they indicate the state that is beyond the three states. The three fingers sometimes also represent the three bodies (gross, subtle causal).
Forgetting these bodies, leaving the three bodies, the Atman merges with Paramatman (meaning of the Mudra). The inner meaning is that those who go beyond the three states and reach the fourth state of Turya, the state of Paramatman (represented by the thumb) will achieve complete knowledge or self-realization. This incarnation of Siva is Dakshinamurti. With just that Mudra, the Lord taught them everything. He did not talk, nor did he spend days on end.
I prostrate to Dakshinamurti, who is sitting under the Banyan tree, who grants knowledge to all the sages, who has the ability to remove the sorrows caused by life and death, who is the Guru to the three worlds.
“Chittam vatu taror moole, vriddhaha sishyah gurur yuvah
Gurostu mauna vyakhyanam, sishyastuchchina samsayah”
Sishyastuchchina samsayah. How amazing! There is a young Guru seated under the Banyan tree.
Chittam vatu taror moole, vriddhaha sishyah gurur yuvah
Gurostu mauna vyakhyanam, sishyastuchchin samsayah
How amazing this is! How amazing! There is a young Guru seated under the Banyan tree. All his disciples are elderly. Silence is his exposition. With that, all the doubts of his disciples were cleared. Beholding this wonderful form of Dakshinamurti, absorbing his silent exposition, Sanaka, Sananda, Sanatkumara, Sanasujata and other great souls gained complete knowledge or self-realization.
Even though the Trinity appeared to them as lovers of music, dance and women, they had no perversions of any kind. What perversions do they have? This is their creation. All Maya/illusion is theirs. They created the Maya. They cover with Maya, they remove Maya, they are themselves Maya. The sages had thought that one was longing for music, one was longing for his woman and one was indulging in sensual pleasures with Goddess Lakshmi. They have no perversions. Maya is under their control. So, how can they have any perversions? They give perversions, they remove perversions. They appeared as if they had perversions. They showed us our perversions, by appearing to have those same perversions. The four sages realized only then that the Trinity has no perversions. They had not realized until then.
Even though the clouds, ocean, foam and snow look different, they are all made of the water element. Only, their forms are different. Similarly, the one who is beyond the dualities of joys and sorrows is Sadguru. This story is a wonderful testament to the point that we should never attribute any distortion/*** to the Sadguru.
Episode 269
One gets a Sadguru owing to merit earned over past births. One does not get a Sadguru just like that. The stories in the scriptures and the life histories of Sadgurus confirm this. It can also be said that the Sadgurus’ life histories are filled with mysticism. It is said that the purpose of a Guru’s incarnation is to release the souls that are in bondage. Those who seek refuge in a Sadguru will receive the fruit of knowledge.
The Guru-disciple relationship is very subtle. To the question, “Are you my Guru?”, the Guru gives 3 kinds of answers based on who is asking the question. One, the Guru says, “Yes”. Two, he says, “No”. Three, he says, “You will slowly find out for yourself later”. To some, he will reinforce with time that he is their Guru. So, even when the Guru says, “I will tell you later”, the disciple will himself suddenly, without being asked, say, “You are my Guru”.
There are two methods - the Guru searches for the disciple or the disciple searches for the Guru. The Guru always waits for the eligible disciple. Different kinds of people such as disciples, devotees and attendants seek refuge with a Sadguru. Among the Sadguru’s disciples, there are many categories. Some call themselves the Guru’s attendants, but they are all devotees, they are staunch devotees, they are staunch disciples. Some say “disciples”, some say, “devotees, there are many that surround a Guru seeking refuge in him.
To some, the Sadguru grants knowledge. He gives initiation to only a few. To some others, without doing any of the above, he instructs tasks and duties, “You do not need any of these”. Having them render such services, improving the disciples step-by-step, the Sadguru makes them eligible/ready to receive knowledge. He enables them to get the authority to gain knowledge. The disciple must never regret, “He did not immediately give me knowledge, He gave me all these menial tasks to do”. Even the menial task instructed to you is meant to grant knowledge to you. The knowledge for you is right in it. That is itself becoming your initiation. You must do as the Sadguru instructs. Following the Guru’s command is real Seva/service. That is the right method of Sadhana/spiritual practice.
The great soul Vyaghrapada had two sons, Upamanyu and Dhaumya. Even though Vyaghrapada was a realized soul, he lived in poverty for some time. He lived like that only to test his sons. He wanted to test his sons in that state. Earlier, we talked about the story of Upamanyu. Like Upamanyu, Dhaumya too did meditation/penance for Siva. Siva appeared and granted him a boon saying, “You will become Guru to the Pandavas in Dvapara Yuga. Vishnu will incarnate as Sri Krishna Paramatman. After you provide education to Pandavas, you will perform penance and attain liberation with the grace of Sri Krishna”
Once, the Pandavas defeated Gandharva King Angapanna. After the battle, Angapanna said to the Pandavas, “You fought quite well. You can win all the worlds with your strength. But, you do not have a Guru”. Then Pandavas sought refuge with Dhaumya and prayed to him to accept them as his disciples. Let’s see what happens next.
Episode 270
We were talking about the story where the Pandavas once defeated Gandharva king Angapanna. After the battle, Angapanna said to the Pandavas, “You fought quite well. You can win all the worlds with your strength. But, you do not have a Guru”. Then Pandavas sought refuge with Dhaumya and prayed to him to accept them as his disciples. He agreed and taught them skills and knowledge. He got them married to Draupadi. With Yajnavalkya as the Adhvaryu (priest’s assistant), Krishna Dwaipayana as Brahma (superintendent of the entire ritual) and acting as the priest himself, he even had them do a Yajna (ritual of offerings accompanied by chanting of Vedic mantras). During their exile, he stayed with them and granted them his Satsanga (noble company). Once, in a forest, when the Pandavas were suffering from hunger, he initiated them into the Surya Mantra (Surya=Sun God). The Surya Mantra is a very important one, it is very powerful. Therefore, it is very good to chant the Surya Mantra along with having darshana of Surya every day. By the power of the Mantra, the Pandvas earned the Akshaya Patra (Vessel with inexhaustible supply of food. Akshaya=never ending; Patra=vessel). Dhaumya was the one who accompanied the Pandavas just like sri Krishna did during difficult times, during Yajna, during their rule over a kingdom and during their stay in the forests, and blessed them with wonderful teachings.
Dhaumya was a Sadguru who waited for the Pandavas and showed them the noble path every step of the way. What else does one need when one places faith in the Guru. It is a great blessing to have the Guru with us during difficult times. We have to go through bad times, that is our karma. We discussed before that no one else can carry our karma. Sadguru does not take it (karma) either. He helps us experience it, but because he is with us, we don’t feel the burden of the karma as much. This is the good fortune the Pandavas earned. Dhaumya showed them the noble path. This is proof that service to the Guru should be done wholeheartedly with complete surrender. Dhaumya’s story is proof that those who believe that the Sadguru is everything will always receive the Sadguru’s grace. The Pandavas suffered a lot, did they not? Even though they had such a big kingdom, they were cheated off it.
The Sadguru enables the disciple to do many tasks. For the fulfillment of these tasks, good rigor of spiritual practice is required. Let us learn a little about rigor of spiritual practice. The disciple must himself develop his spiritual discipline. It is not necessary for the disciple to know what is on the Guru’s mind. Why the Guru assigned that task to him is also not necessary for him to know. The disciple’s only duty is to do the tasks instructed. The disciple must never think or say that he lacks the strength to carry out the task, because it is the Guru who gives the strength to carry out all actions. However, you must attempt the task with Trikarana Shuddhi (purity of thought, word and deed). When that attempt happens, the plan and the strength for the success of the task are granted by the Guru’s grace. This realization occurs only when there is purity of heart. Like this, each one should purify his own heart. That is why, this principle orders the disciple that he himself develop the rigor of spiritual practice. You must attempt to develop spiritual discipline.
When Lord Hanuman crossed the ocean, Lord Rama did not hand him a boat. Hanuman carried out the task with his own strength. In fact, Rama did not even ask Hanuman to cross the ocean.
Episode 271
It is the Guru who gives the strength to do all work, do all spiritual practice and carry out all actions. It is because he gives us that strength that we do what we do. Otherwise, how would we do it? Lord Datta himself is giving us the energy. However, you must attempt the task with Trikarana Shuddhi (purity of thought, word and deed). When that attempt happens, the plan and the strength for the success of the task are granted by the Guru’s grace. This realization occurs only when there is purity of heart. Like this, each one should purify his own heart. That is why, this principle orders the disciple that he himself develop the rigor of spiritual practice. You must develop it yourself. You must correct yourself.
To Lord Hanuman who crossed the ocean, Lord Rama did not hand a boat. In fact, Rama did not even ask Hanuman to cross the ocean. He only asked him to search for Sita. He asked Hanuman to just do that task for him, but did not ask him to fly across the ocean and look for Sita. He only asked him to search for Sita. It was the duty of the disciple, he had to fly, he had to jump, he had to search for Sita even if she was in the nether worlds. That is why, because he was asked to search for Sita, he had to cross the ocean. Otherwise, there was no need to. Ramayana very clearly states that Hanuman was able to cross the ocean only due to the power of Rama’s name. It was by chanting the name of Lord Rama. The name of Lord Rama was enough. Great saints like Purandara Dasa and Tyagaraja have expressed through their keertanas/songs that they did not need Rama, that Rama’s name alone was enough. From this, it is clear that a disciple can carry out his duties only due to devotion towards to the Guru. Moreover, the disciple will be able to achieve the rigor of spiritual practice due to that.
In this example, there is another meaning as well. In the context of spirituality, Rama is Paramatman. Hanuman is jeevatma. The ocean is samsara/worldliness. Crossing the ocean is attaining liberation. Understand this very clearly. For this (crossing the ocean of samsara) to happen, first, the disciple should recognize his Guru. For this recognition to happen, the disciple should examine his heart. This examination will give the disciple the purity of heart and the rigor of spiritual practice. A disciple who does rigorous spiritual practice will cross the ocean of samsara with ease like Hanuman did.
We are remembering this story so that you understand this message and thereby gain the strength to develop your spiritual practice. Even though Hanuman was omnipotent and capable of anything, the Guru’s command was important. Rama was Guru and Paramatman here.
Next, see how much meditating on the Guru helps develop spiritual practice. Just meditating on Rama, he accomplished Rama’s tasks. He crossed such a big ocean. We’ll discuss this once again.
Episode 272
Let’s talk a little about what pure devotion is like. In any kind of worship, devotion is of utmost importance. Without devotion, chanting millions of times is of no use. Without devotion, any amount of Abhisheka (pouring libations on the diety being worshiped while chanting mantras) is futile, any amount of decoration done to the deity is useless. There is no use donating food to any number of people if you do not have dedication and sacrifice. That is why, here, devotion is of utmost importance. It is the same with worshiping the Guru. Whatever you do, you should do with devotion. That means, do it with dedication. Another meaning for devotion is dedication. Yet another way to say it is that you completely immerse your mind in doing the task.
So, how should this devotion be? What kind of devotion pleases him the most? There are many types here. One, to achieve selfish ends; another, to please the Sadguru; yet another, with the selfish desire that one will attain liberation through this devotion; another through selflessness; like this, there are many kinds of devotion. Let’s talk about what kind of devotion pleases him the most.
The answer is selfless devotion. That means, the devotion should not be selfish. It should be selfless. One should not expect anything. Not having the feeling of “I” or “mine” is selflessness. The final stage of this selflessness is love. This selfless person will not keep/hide anything for himself. Offering to others is a specialty of selflessness.
Doing worships and rituals to satisfy the mind full of desires is selfish. We are doing a lot of worships, rituals, vows, disciplines to satisfy our desires. We are perhaps seeking refuge in a Guru to satisfy our desires. That is not real devotion to the Guru. It is business-like devotion. Instead, we should practice to not expect anything in return. Swamiji makes disciples and other people who come here practice this. Do not expect anything in return. Whatever has to happen will happen. You should not ask for the big energy for your little difficulties. You should keep it safely. Don’t exhaust it. That is why, devotion with selfishness, charity with selfishness, service with selfishness are of no use. Serving God or Guru selflessly, without any expectation, without causing any inconvenience or difficulty whatsoever is selfless devotion. There is more power in selfless devotion.
So, it is being said here that one should worship with just pure/full love. One should only worship with pure love, devotion, faith. Pure love does not mean worshipping with plates and bowls full of flowers and fruits. It means, doing it with complete love, without any burden on the mind, with pure mind, with pure dedication, with pure happiness, “He has given me this great fortune. I am able to do this worship”. Great souls do it like this.
Only when done like this, everything is fulfilled and the Lord’s grace is bestowed on us. If we want the Lord’s grace, only worship done with pure love is considered worship, only service done with pure love is considered service.
Episode 273
We should offer to God and to Guru only the best of things, only things we dearly like. We should offer up and surrender to the Lord the things we like. Instead of doing that, we keep the good fruits for ourselves and pick up cheap ones for offering thinking it’s only for the temple, only for the Naivedya (offering to God), only for the deity. That should not be done. It’s the same with flowers. Keeping good fragrant flowers for oneself, and offering a few mangled flowers to God is not right. Offering to God Areca nuts that cannot even be consumed and keeping the good ones for yourself, offering betel leaves that are torn here and there and cannot even be consumed to God but keeping the good ones for yourself, should not be done. Picking good apple for yourself and offering some other fruit, that look like an apple, may be pomegranate or something similar is wrong. Instead of offering a plateful of these, you should offer to the Lord the good fruits, the best ones that you bought for yourself. You must offer only the best to the Lord, and not do it like it’s just a duty. A plateful of flowers, a plateful of fruits, useless fruits...even the cows and goats near the Guru will not eat them, what is the use of bringing such fruits?.
Some people bring such fruits here. Even the deer don’t eat them, they throw them away. You must never bring such offerings. You must only bring good ones. It is none of our business whether the Guru feeds them to the cows or to the donkeys or to the bulls or to the disciples or eats them himself or offers them in the fire pit. We should offer good things. It is okay if it is in small quantities. Instead of offering ten bad fruits, offer just one good fruit, that is okay.
When some people to go Kasi, they give up a fruit that’s usually not available anywhere or a fruit they do not like. When they go to Kasi, Gaya, or other such places and are asked to give up forever something they like, they start searching, “What fruit do we not get in our town?” The husband and wife start discussing, “Is there a fruit that’s not available?”. They search for that fruit and discuss, “We will not get this fruit. It’s only available in foreign countries”. Then, they decide to give up that fruit. Because, once they give up a fruit, their mind will not easily allow them to eat it again. There is also that fear in mind. Our of fear of committing sin if they eat it, they offer up to the Lord something that they cannot usually get. That is very bad. Here too, there is selfishness. You want the fruit of giving up something, but your comfort should in no way be compromised on. It should not be like that.
Say, the husband and wife are fighting a lot. If each one thought, “I am giving up my wife from today onward”, what is your fate? “I am giving up my husband from today onward, because he always fights with me”. If that happens, he will fight a lot more. Is that possible to do? That is why, it is not about your convenience or giving up your husband or your wife so you’ll have fewer fights. You should give up a food item you like or a vice or bad habit. You may like cigarettes, so you should offer that to the Lord. It does not mean you place two cigarettes in front of God and light some up because it is just smoke. That should not be done either.
Like that, we should offer what we like. We can also give up bad habits or vices there. We like those bad habits. During every birthday celebration for Swamiji till about ten years ago, a lot of people would come to Swamiji and say, “Swamiji, I am giving up this bad habit from today onward”. There are a lot of people that still do this today. It does not mean that I should do those things from then on. They are letting it go, they are putting in in the Homa fire, it is getting burned. From that day onward, you cannot touch it. One who wants to continue just for that day and give up the next day onward will not be able to give up.
A lot of people want the fruit, but don’t want to give up any comfort. It should not be like that. If you offer the thing you like to the Lord, your life will be fulfilled. Moreover, by doing that, it will create a path for you to win over your desires. It is only with this intention that our elders have asked us to give up something we like when we visit pilgrim places. Is it not?
Episode 274
When selfishness is completely removed from the mind, pure and perfect love will take birth. The feeling of difference between you and others will vanish. Nothing is impossible for that pure love. Radha Devi is an example of such selfless and pure devotion filled with love.
The heart of Radha Devi, Krishna’s devotee is filled completely with love for Krishna. She would always sing devotional songs with ecstasy. There was no other thought in her mind. Once, Rukmini and Satyabhama decided to test her devotion. After all, they were jealous that Krishna would always say, “Radha, Radha, Radha”. So, Satyabhama and Rukmini decided to test her somehow. They took steaming hot milk in a bowl and saying, “Radha, here, take the Lord’s Prasadam”, gave her the bowl.
Radha said, “Can there be a greater fortune this? You have come here yourself. It’s as if my Lord is here himself. You both, Rukmini and Satyabhama are very dear to my Lord. If you are coming and giving this Prasadam to me yourself, this is Maha (great) Prasadam”. She briefly placed it near her eyes as a mark of reverence and quickly gulped down the hot milk that was steaming. She did not even notice how hot the milk was. She was immersed in meditation on Lord Krishna. When she drank the milk, there was no change in her. She did not feel the heat, nor did she distort her face. She did not even ask why the milk was so hot. Rukmini and Satyabhama who witnessed this looked at each other in amazement wondering how she drank it up. Radha would always meditate on Sri Krishna’s feet in her heart. She always felt Krishna’s feet were in her heart. That is why as soon as she drank the hot milk, the feet of Lord Krishna who was seated in the palace got burned. The hot milk fell on the Lord’s feet because those feet were in Radha’s heart. As soon as the milk fell on the feet, the feet got burned. The Lord happily bore that.
Lord Krishna said in the Bhagavad Gita that for those who without a second thought serve him selflessly, he will himself take responsibility of granting everything needed and preserving everything granted. You all know the sloka “Anayascinta yanto ma...” It is said that out of concern that Krishna’s sleep may be disturbed, Radha would not even sing the Suprabhatam. Lord Krishna’s feet were very delicate. Out of concern that the feet may hurt if she puts flowers on them, she would not even place flowers on the feet. “The feet may hurt if I place flowers, the feet are so delicate”. Like this Radha Devi’s devotion was selfless and expected nothing in return. Whatever her Lord liked was what she liked.
Sometimes, when we find the Lord’s feet made in stone, we exploit it completely and do as much Abhishekam as we wish, pour Panchamruta as we like, put sandalwood paste as we wish, we even break our head on it as we wish. If no one else is watching, some people may even break a coconut on the feet, I don’t know. “I will break one coconut on this foot and one coconut on the other foot. I have a desire in my mind. That is why, I’ll break the coconut”. I would have run away. Is that nice to do?
But see Radha Devi’s devotion. Out of concern for Lord Krishna’s feet, she would not even put flowers on it. She would not even sing Suprabhatam after waking up in the morning, “Why should the Lord wake up on my account. He is somewhere in Vaikuntha. Why should I wake up my Lord?” She had so much devotion. The disciple too should try to gain such devotion towards the Guru. That is what is pure selfless devotion.
Episode 275
Dispassion, Oh dispassion. When some people listen to the discourses of great souls or read spiritual texts or have increased difficulties, they temporarily have lesser desire for worldly matters. “What to do? It’s okay. I had thought of a certain thing. If it happens, well and good. If not, that’s okay”. The decreased desire for those matters appears as dispassion.
Some people keep saying all the time that they will quit their job/business and will go away to some Ashramas or to the Himalayas. “I’m going to retire soon, I will come. Please get my two children married. They are yours. I put everything at your feet”. “There are four daughters. I put everything at your feet. You get them married. Please take care of everything for them in the future, their children etc.” You give birth and I make the effort.
How wonderful is this! You don’t want to do anything. “Search. Look for a good groom to get the girl married”. They say, “We are incapable. You please search for a suitable groom. We are incapable”. “Oh, you gave birth to five, ten or fifteen children, so many children. Now, you are saying you are incapable. I am supposed to get them married?” What kind of work is this? Mistaking for dispassion their fleeting incapacity due to fear or difficulty is the reason for this behavior. “I have gained dispassion. It is over. Everything is yours, your responsibility”. People say that when they have some problem at home - some problem regarding money, or some fights or problem getting the children married. So, they think they gained dispassion. Such dispassion does not work. This is fleeting. It’s not in your heart. You say, “I am coming, I am coming”. Where will you come? That will not last long. Such momentary dispassion. If you say it wholeheartedly I may help you. But, you are not saying it wholeheartedly. You are saying it only to get your work done. You are saying it to satisfy your urge for the moment.
In reality, dispassion is not about sacrificing the world, sacrificing pleasures etc. It is letting go of the association we have with them. We have bondage, strong bondage with them. We need to let go of the bondage, the attachment we have with them. In other words, it means to lessen the great desire we have for pleasures, the unbounded attachment we have for wealth, family etc. Its okay to have it within limits. You may have a little attachment, not extreme attachment for those around you, for your family, wealth etc. You should not have extreme desire. Only when you slowly lessen it will dispassion develop little by little, little by little, little by little. That is, it is only when you lessen that attachment that dispassion will develop little by little.
Without decreasing these desires in your mind, there is no use even if you go to the Himalayas. What is the use of going to the Himalayas if your mind is filled with all this? What is the use of serving the Guru? There are many who go to the Himalayas and keep talking on the phone with their families back here. They are there, but their mind is here. When they are here, their mind is. Perhaps, that (having mind there) was better. Let’s talk later about these devotees that go to the Himalayas.
Episode 276
So far we discussed that Vairagya/dispassion/renunciation does not mean sacrificing worldly life, pleasures etc, but it means letting go of the attachment we have for them. That means, lessening the excessive attachment we have towards pleasures such as money, family etc. We are not being told to sacrifice those completely. We are being told to lessen the attachment. You must attempt to lessen the attachment. Only when you decide to give them up completely will the attachment lessen a little. It is not enough to just say so. There is no use even going to the Himalayas If you do not lessen the attachment in your mind. You must uproot it from your mind, not just say it with your lips. Some people keep telling all their guests, “I am going to the Himalayas next year. I felt like I should just stay there for a few days. I found out that Swamiji has two Ashramas there. I decided to go stay there. There is no problem for food, someone cooks there”. Why should they say all this? They say there is no problem for food, that they can get a telephone there, that it is warm and so on. “I will stay there only during summer, I will come back during winter”. Is this renunciation? This is like an excursion. Your mind still does not have dispassion. You have a lot of attachment for pleasures. Even if you go there, you will be calling home a lot. And you will curse that there is no signal there. Even though you go to the Himalayas saying it is Siva’s Kailas, Vishnu’s Vaikuntha, that it is Brahma Loka, and even though you go closer and closer to the Himalayas, you will curse the government for lack of (phone) signal in the area. You always need that. Unable to withstand the cold temperatures, you may even smoke cigarettes there saying, “It’s cold here!”.
There is no use going to the Himalayas if your mind is not transformed. Your mind will keep thinking of these things even while you are there. A lot of people are always thinking of their lustful desires. It is only when you clean your mind of all these, that you will not be affected by anything even if you are leading a worldly life. You must let go completely in your mind. Continue as usual with your worldly life. Just do it like it’s a duty, for your children. That is when you will have nothing to lose. Losses cannot affect you, because in your mind, you already let go of everything. As Krishna taught us, when each one carries on his responsibilities without any expectations, like it’s his duty and is constantly contemplating on God in his mind, the mind gets purified. Gradually, dispassion too will be established in the mind.
Our mental discipline should increase. If the thoughts occasionally come back to our mind even after we let go of things, we should let go of them every single time. We should not say, “Let me indulge in these thoughts for a little while. Alongside the knowledge I have, let me think of these a little”. A lot of people when asked, “Why are you not chanting the Lalita Sahasra Nama anymore” say, “You did not give me the mindset to”. Then God will say, “True, I did not give you the mindset. But, you were asking for something else, what were you asking? You were asking that goodness be bestowed on you. I do not have the mindset to do so”. What will you do then? There is nothing to do.
“Why did you not come to the temple?”
There are some who cleverly say, “I did not have the buddhi to come, you brought me here now”. God is even cleverer. He is the one that gave you that cleverness. He is the one that gave you this birth. He will very cleverly say that you cannot escape your karma. That is why, we should not try to escape with clever talk.
How does the mind of those, who are constantly contemplating on God, get purified? It is not because they are cleaning the mind with soap. They should contemplate on God constantly, at all times, like Radha did. Because she would think of Krishna’s feet 24 hours a day, the hot milk she drank fell on the Lord’s feet, but her heart did not burn. But, if you thought, “They gave me hot milk, this could burn me, this could burn my heart”, then your heart will really burn. That is why they are saying here that the mind of those, who always contemplate on God, will be purified and dispassion will gradually be established firmly.
Episode 277
Yesterday we discussed that the mind gets purified and dispassion gradually gets firmly established in those who constantly contemplate on God. Priyavrata’s story is a good example for this. Brahma’s mind-born son Swayambhuva Manu had two sons, Priyavrata and Uttanapada. You knew this story in your childhood. Appropriate to his name, the older son Priyavrata was always immersed in Tapasya/meditation. As he progressed in age, Swayambhuva Manu called Priyavrata and asked him to accept the kingdom. Priyavrata did not agree, but instead went to the forests and started Tapasya for Parama Guru, Lord Brahma. After some time, Brahma appeared and said, “Son, I am very happy with your Tapasya. But, you must first accept the responsibilities of the kingdom. Without getting entangled in the royal pleasures, carry out the activities solely as my command and your duty. Consider that your Tapasya. That means, you need to be untouched by karma and attachment. Lotus leaf is born in water. A drop of water that falls on the leaf does not stick to the leaf even though the leaf is born in water. It falls away like a pearl.
See how wonderful this is. That is how one should be. You are born into this worldly life just as the lotus is born in a swamp. But, the lotus looks so pleasing, has a beautiful color, it has a great aroma and causes great joy beholding. Mud does not stick to it. Similarly, even though you are in this worldly life, it will stick to you only if you let it stick it you, but if you do not let it stick to you, it will not. That is why, do not get entangled in royal pleasures. Carry out your responsibilities solely as my command and with a view that it is your duty. Consider that as your Tapasya. Do it like it’s just a duty that I asked you to carry out. Only then will it be easy for you to wipe away karma. You will attain liberation sooner”.
Priyavrata who understood the inner meaning of Brahma’s command accepted the kingdom and ruled it in an extraordinary manner, like it was an offering to God. In the end, he even attained liberation. He is the one that divided the earth into 7 continents.
Therefore, instead of deciding for oneself that he has attained dispassion, it is better that one travel the right path with the Sadguru’s help. Otherwise, it is very difficult for us to attain liberation while living in this samsara/worldliness. We will get stuck in this samsara. We should be like Priyavrata. God has already given us that boon. But, we are unable to understand it clearly and use it. We assume that God has given us these pleasures and luxuries for us to enjoy them. These pleasures and luxuries are only lessons for you to win over this samsara. He is teaching you this lesson. He is giving you these pleasures and luxuries and giving you opportunities so you learn to not get stuck in them, but get out of them. Saying, “Do not get stuck in this illusion” he covered us with illusion.
That is why, you should not think you have attained dispassion, “We have attained dispassion. We are leaving. We are going to the Himalayas”. It is good to travel the right path with the Sadguru’s help.
Episode 278
Ego. Just as we cannot count the number of waves in the sea, we cannot count the various forms that ego takes. There is excessive ego. We exhibit ego with our words, we exhibit ego with our actions, we exhibit ego with our pride, we exhibit ego with our anger, we exhibit ego with our decorations, we exhibit ego with our haughtiness.
One whose ego has gone to his head cannot realize his faults. He is not aware of what he’s doing. He has no idea why he’s acting crazy. He certainly cannot understand another person’s traits. He cannot understand his own traits, let alone understanding another’s traits. His insanity has increased and has gone to his head.
Second, he’s puffed up that he’s greater than everyone else and that everything is happening due to his influence. When ego crosses the limits, it immediately leads to downfall. When there is excessive ego in a person, someone will teach him a lesson, they won’t let him go, or he will himself fall from grace. It leads to his downfall. To protect from that, a Guru is necessary. The Guru will correct the disciple even if it needs that the disciple be punished appropriately. In reality, if the Guru wants the disciple and wishes to uplift the disciple, he will first punish the disciple appropriately before imparting the right lessons. Whether it is humans or Gods or anyone else, such punishment is unavoidable.
Let us learn about the story where the Jagadguru Parabrahman taught a lesson to Indra and the other gods. This is a small example. So what if it is Indra and the gods? We will learn the story where they were taught a lesson. Let us see how the Parabrahman taught them a lesson.
Once, there was a terrible battle between the gods and the demons. Back then, there used to always be battles between gods and demons. So, there was a battle between gods and demons. By the grace of God, the gods were victorious over the demons and attained the heavens. A little while after this happened, Indra along with Dikphalakas (deities who rule various directions) was strolling haughtily on a mountain peak. The Dikphalakas were praising Indra’s bravery. Indra too was appreciating them. Each one was overjoyed he himself was responsible for victory over the demons. The gods had attained victory over the demons sometime back.
Shortly after, at a little distance, they saw the form of a Yaksha that they had never seen before. Indra sent Agni Deva (Fire god) to find out who he was and what he was doing there. He sent Agni saying, “Why did he come here? Why is he on this mountain? Find out”. As soon as he saw Agni, Parabrahman who was in the form of a Yaksha questioned him saying, “Who are you? What is your power?”. Surprised, Agni said, “You don’t know who I am? I am Sarva-dahaka, I consume everything. I can turn anything into ashes within a second. By the way, who are you?” The Yaksha said, “I will tell you later who I am, but first let me see you burn this blade of grass”. Saying so, he threw a dry blade of grass towards Agni Deva. Agni burned ferociously. He roared and roared, “What are you thinking? You are throwing a blade of grass at me?” He used all his might, yet the blade of grass did not burn. The Yaksha said, “Did you realize your strength? You may go now”. Humiliated, Agni retreated and reported to Indra about the Yaksha, “He asked me to burn a blade of grass, but even though I gathered all my might, I could not burn it. He is not an ordinary Yaksha. I do not know who he is and what he is. I am defeated. He is not ordinary, he must be a great illusionist”. Let’s see what Indra says.
Episode 279
We discussed that humiliated, Agni (Fire God) turned around and reported to the Gods that he was unable to find out who that Yaksha was, “How come it was like that? He threw a blade of grass. I could not even burn it” This time Indra sent Vayu (Wind God), “There is reportedly something about that blade of grass, go look into it”. He commanded, “Along with the blade of grass, fly the Yaksha here too. It’s a mere blade of grass. Go fly the blade of grass and the Yaksha over here”.
Vayu used all his might. The surrounding massive trees flew away but the blade of grass did not budge. This time, carrying the Vajrayudha (Indra’s powerful weapon), Indra himself approached the Yaksha. “What is this? Let me look into this. Agni went and he could do nothing. Vayu went and he could do nothing either. Let me go myself”.
However, the Yaksha disappeared and was not visible to Indra. In the meanwhile, Jaganmata Parvati Devi appeared in front of Indra who was looking for the Yaksha and talked some sense into him, “Why are you searching so hard? Why are you wandering so much? Why are you so angry? Devendra, the Yaksha they saw before was none other than Parabrahman. It is because of the greatness of Parabrahman that you gained victory over the demons. You are haughty thinking you defeated the demons yourself and earned your victory. None of you has any power. The power in your, the reason for your victory, every movement in you is the Parabrahman’s power. Understand that. There is nothing you can call your own”. Indra and other Gods realized their mistake and felt ashamed.
Did you see? Every person keeps thinking that he is very great, that there is no devotee like him, that he’s a great devotee. They’ll say whatever they feel like. It is meaningless talk. Thinking there is no one as knowledgeable as they are, boosting their ego, they are becoming the reason for their own downfall. That is why, one must always exercise caution in matters of ego. We must realize the truth that the wealth, power and knowledge we have are all bestowed on us by the grace of God. A lot of people do not realize this truth. They say, “I have earned everything”. A lot of people get their sons educated, “I worked so hard to get them educated.
If not for me, they would not have been educated”. Of course you would get your sons educated, why would you get your neighbor’s sons educated? “I built this huge mansion. I worked so hard to build this. I built it with my own strength. What did you think?” You built the mansion and you live in it, that’s all. Did you give it to someone else to live in? Like this, people exhibit unnecessary and useless ego. That is why one must realize the truth that whether it is our wealth, our energy/power, our knowledge, we have them all by the grace of God.
Those who constantly contemplate on God are free from this danger. A lot of people forget even God. They keep praising themselves. They keep worshiping themselves. They keep talking about themselves to their children. They are often bragging, “I am like this”, “I am like that”. They start off, “In 1970...” or “In the year 1832...”. As soon as the children hear this, they run away knowing that he’s started off again. They keep talking as they wish. “I cut off his arm, what did you think?”, “I cut off his leg in the war”, “I did this”, “I did that” and so on. One boy asked, “Father, you always keep saying that you cut off the arm or cut off the leg. Did you never cut off the head?”. The father says, “Someone already cut off the head”. That is how our story is. There are some people who say, “Stack up 100 Papad (thin, crisp, wafer like Indian food). Watch me break that stack with one punch”. Who cares about punching Papad? Like this, there are many who are puffed up with ego.
Episode 280
We discussed that humiliated, Agni (Fire God) turned around and reported to the Gods that he was unable to find out who that Yaksha was, “How come it was like that? He threw a blade of grass. I could not even burn it” This time Indra sent Vayu (Wind God), “There is reportedly something about that blade of grass, go look into it”.
Bhagavad Darsanam (Vision of God). Everyone has the desire at some point to have darshana (vision) of God, “Wonder what God looks like?” They imagine many things about God. “I must see God once”. Is it vada (savory Indian donut) or coffee for you to see? Even those will not appear in front of you whenever you wish. For this, along with your efforts, Guru’s help is a must because he has already attained such darshana.
We should get help from those who experienced it, those who know from experience, those who made the effort to go that point to have darshana of Paramatman, instead of saying whatever comes to mind.
First, we should seek refuge with a Guru. We should have faith in Guru first. We should serve the Guru. Every Guru says the same thing about God. All Gurus say the same thing. He is all-pervasive, or in other words God is one who is pervades everything like the sky. When we just want to see God, if our Guru says that he is the one that is all-pervasive, we don’t understand it. We get doubts, we have suspicions. We even lose faith. We doubt, “If he is all-pervasive, why isn’t he visible to us?” Our Guru keeps saying, “Paramatman is one who is all-pervasive, that he is omnipresent and omniscient”.
“I am the fire in fire, I am the water in water, I am in the earth in earth, I pervade the sky, everything”.
When the Guru keeps saying, “Everything is you, Paramatman.
Everything is Paramatman”, we are unable to believe the Guru’s words. If he is all-pervasive, he should be visible to us, isn’t it? Why is he not visible to us? Should he appear to us with a physical form?
If he were to appear to us, how big is Vayu (wind)? How expansive? He will appear with the body of Vayu. Where will you be then? You are in him. You must try to understand the Guru’s words a little. “I am the water in water”, he’ll say. If all the water in the oceans were to come together, what would happen? That is Paramatman.
Such is his principle in the five elements of Nature. Such is his form, he is Paramatman. What form is Paramatman in? He is the water in water, he pervades the sky, he is the fire in fire. Do you think he’ll appear to you with arms and legs, wearing a crown, standing like in a movie? May be that’s what you thought. How does God look?
Did you think, “He’ll be mounted on a nice vehicle, he’ll get down from the vehicle, he’ll get down from his vehicle - the peacock, or from his vehicle - Garuda, or from his vehicle - the crow”? He can be like that too, but when you are able to see the all-pervasive Paramatman, that form will not matter to you.
You are arguing with the Guru about why you are unable to see him if he is everywhere. Here, there are three points you should observe carefully. First, if any object is not visible despite being right in front of us, it means that there is some obstacle between us and the object. If we are unable to see it, there is some obstacle.
We need to remove the obstacle. During monsoon season, when the clouds block the view, we cannot see the sun even if it is in front of us. The sun will not be visible to us at all. If we cannot see such a big sun, it means that the clouds are blocking the view. It is the same with God. We are unable to see him.
Let us see what else blocks the view.
Episode 281
As discussed earlier, all Gurus say the same thing about God. They say God is all-pervasive. People then question, “If he is all-pervasive, why are we unable to see him?” So, there are three points you should observe carefully. First, when there is question as to why an object that is in front of us is not visible to us, we think that there must be an obstacle between us and the object, otherwise, we would be able to see the object.
During monsoon season, when the clouds block the view, we cannot see the sun even if it is in front of us. We should learn from the Guru about what it is that is blocking us from seeing God and how can we remove the block.
Second, someone is suffering from some pain. If you go to him and ask him to show his pain, he cannot. How can he show pain? Pain is not something that‘s visible to eye. Because it’s not visible, it’s not right to say that the pain does not really exist. Let’s ask someone who’s complaining of pain to show us the pain. How can he show the pain? It is not possible. Not all feelings can be understood just by seeing with our eyes. We cannot see everything with our eyes. Even though feelings are objects, only those that experience the feelings know it. One may say he feels a certain way, but if you ask him to show it, he can only express his feeling to us through his words and his actions. We just have to believe him. Sometimes we do not believe him. Okay, can you at least show you feelings? Others cannot show the feelings born in you. Just as they cannot show their feelings, you cannot either. Only the one experiencing it knows, only he understands. The God you want to see is also an object of experience. That is why, since he is all-pervasive like the sky, we can only know him from experience, and not in any other way.
The Sadguru teaches us what needs to be done to gain that experience. He removes the obstacle if you want to gain that experience. The Sadguru will tell you how to gain that experience. Otherwise, you will never have that experience. If we are to gain that experience, the Sadguru has to teach us and show us the path. That is given the name Sadhana (spiritual practice).
The third point. Even though the sky is all-pervasive, we cannot see it when our eyes are closed. We definitely do not see it. Not only that, even when our eyes are open, if someone asked us what just passed in front of us, we are unable to answer. Because God is like the sky, we cannot look up at the sky and see the stars and constellations if we close our eyes. So the thing blocking your sight is your eyelash. The eyelashes that protect also block our view. Here, Paramatman himself placed an obstacle. We need to remove that obstacle with our will.
Episode 282
The third point. Sky. Even though the sky is all-pervasive, it’s not visible to us when we close our eyes. Moreover, even when our eyes are open, if someone asks us about what just passed in front of our eyes, we are unable to answer. The reason for that is our mind not being present there. If we close our eyes, of course we do not see anything. But, when our eyes are open, we are unable to answer the question about the object that just passed us in front of our eyes. In other words, unless we are able to bring the mind filled with thoughts and feelings to focus, we will not see the object. We should carefully observe whether or not we are focusing our mind. We talk randomly with our mind elsewhere. That should not happen. We should keep our mind right where it should be.
Another important point is that not all feelings/emotions in the world can be grasped by all the Indriyas/sense organs. Some are grasped by the eye, some by the ear, some others by nose, skin or tongue. What is grasped by the tongue is not grasped by the skin and what is grasped by the skin is not grasped by the tongue. What is grasped by the ears cannot be eaten and what can be eaten cannot be grasped by the ears. Things we see with our eyes, we may not grasp with our ears. Like that, there are some that are grasped only by the mind.
God is manovagateeta. In other words, he cannot be reached either through the sense organs, or through speech or through the mind. He cannot be reached with anything. He who is everywhere cannot be reached by any of this means. It’s only when we set all these aside that it is possible to see God. Therefore, we should first make that attempt. For that, we should seek refuge with the Sadgurus who’ve already achieved success on that path. There has to be someone who knows it, who has experienced it. It is when you ask the person who knows, that he will tell you his experience and his philosophy. Like that, we should learn from a Guru who has had that experience.
That is why, one should seek refuge in a Guru. That is the only way. Only then can one experience God.
Even though God is all-pervasive, what is the reason for him being invisible? We see that it is attachment to the Indriyas/sense organs. Those immersed in pleasures of the sense organs will not see God even if God is right in front of him. In other words, expecting to see God without gaining control over the sense organs and the mind is akin to closing your eyes and expecting to see the sun. “I will not open my eyes. The sun should be visible to me. I will not open my eyes. The moon should be visible to me”. How’s that going to happen with your eyes closed? When you open your eyes and look will they be visible. Similarly, the inner eye filled with attachment, desire, anger is closed. That is why, we should distance such feelings from ourselves. That is when we can see (with our inner eye).
Therefore, when one undertakes spiritual practice in the path taught by the Sadguru and brings the mind to focus on God, one will definitely experience God. As mentioned before, if we want to have darshana of our experience, we need to get rid of the karma such as anger, desire etc that are attached to that experience, that are enveloping/hiding our inner eye. If you close your eyes and expect to see them, how can you see them? In the material world, you can see only when you open your eyes. That is why, when one wants to completely concentrate his mind on God, all such obstacles should be removed.
Episode 283
Let’s discuss a little about Shanti/peace. According to the Guru Gita, you should recognize that he whose darshana gives you peace in your heart effortlessly is your Guru. We do not call just anybody, Guru. Guru is a term of respect, yes and he may be a Guru too. But, when you accept someone as your Guru, you must carefully observe and accept someone as your Guru when you mind is transformed and when your mind is effortlessly filled with bliss. In addition to the feeling that he (Guru) belongs to you, you gain the courage, “He will address my desires and difficulties” and thereby gain peace of mind. That is when you should seek refuge in him as Guru.
However, it would be a mistake to think that our responsibility ends there. One should not think, “We have identified our Guru, that is it. He will take care of my Sadhana/spiritual practice”.
To make that momentary peace of mind permanent, one should serve the Guru and start undertaking Sadhana in the path shown by the Guru. Shortly after we start such Sadhana, we realize a truth. That truth is, “By continuing to fulfill desires, permanent peace cannot be attained, it is only by getting rid of desires that we attain permanent peace”. Desires keep sprouting one after another like a continuous chain. If you keep fulfilling them, you gain some contentment. Initially there is some contentment, but soon there is discontentment, “Why are we always trying to fulfill our desires?” That is when we will not feel right about this.
So, what is it that gives complete contentment and permanent happiness? There is nothing in this world that can give us that. It is only Paramatman who can give us that. It is God who gives real and lasting happiness. What is it that we want? Happiness. We want happiness that is permanent. What is that called? Sat Chit Ananda. Even though everything else - people or objects or whatever else - seem to initially give happiness, they eventually give us grief. Such knowledge is obtained only through service to the Guru and through his teachings. Lot of people hanker after material objects in pursuit of permanent happiness. But when struggle when they realize that it only gives temporary happiness.
So, to be in Sat Chit Ananda, to be in permanent bliss, is possible through Guru alone. Service to the Guru and adherence to the teachings of the Guru will permanently establish that bliss. Since we set out on this journey in quest of lasting peace, our focus should be turned away from desires and towards realization of God. Because, what is it we are after? Why do we undertake this journey? It is to gain peace. Along with peace, we should get rid of the ignorance and restlessness in us. Along with that, we should gain real bliss. Along with that, we should make that bliss permanent. To do this, we need to turn our mind towards realization of God. That is when we visualize the experience. In other words, it means that God is giving us happiness and is watching/taking care of us.
Episode 284
Since we set out in quest of lasting peace, we need to turn our focus away from desires and towards God realization. In other words, we need to turn our mind inward. Some people get a doubt, “Why should one let go of desires? Why can’t we keep desires in one part of our mind and focus the other part of the mind on trying to realize God?” A lot of people think this way, “They say that realization is possible only when we sacrifice all desires. We have such a big mind. Why can’t we use some of our feelings/thoughts for desires and in another part of our mind, use our feelings/thoughts for God realization?”
That is not possible. Because, when the mind moves, desires emerge. When we keep the mind still, without any movement, realization of God emerges. Therefore, it is not possible for both to co-exist. The only way to do this (achieve realization of God) is to slowly turn the mind away from desires and towards Paramatman. This is easier said than done. It is to achieve this that Vedas and Shastras have prescribed us various ways. Those are what our Datta Guru tell us too. There are many paths such as the path of Bhakti (devotion), the path of Karma (action), the path of Yoga and many more. You have previously been told about Bhakti, Karma and Yoga too. So we understand these even more clearly, God wanders the earth in the form of Guru to come down to our level and teach us. He does this because we do not easily understand these - whether it is the path of Bhakti or the path of Karma, or the path of Yoga or the path of Jnana (knowledge). They are very difficult to understand. We can talk about them easily as story headlines, but it is difficult to understand them enough to gain the experience. God is the only one who can teach us in a way we understand. In other words, Guru is the only one who can do this. God will not come down to teach us.
We clearly understand that in addition to giving you the knowledge to do this, the one who enables you to undertake the appropriate Sadhana/spiritual practice, and bestows everlasting peace on you is the Sadguru. Continual, perpetual Sadhana is very important.
Next, the great sages Romasha and Ashtavakra. It is natural for those in eminent positions in life to feel that there is no one better than them and that no one else can achieve what they achieved, “We alone could achieve this, no one else is capable of this”. However, such feelings sometimes occur even in those pursuing spiritual practice. Occasionally, during some instances, they feel, “I am doing such great Sadhana. There is no one else doing Sadhana like me”. When you think, “I am a great devotee” or “The Guru likes me more than he likes others” or “My Sadhana is superior”, it is clear that there is something lacking in your devotion and in your Sadhana. Because, the greater meaning of all Sadhana is to view the Paramatman who pervades all living beings equally. So, there is no question of superiority.
Once, Brahma thought, “Is there anyone more elderly than I am?” He Initially felt there was no one else. After some thinking, he felt that Lord Vishnu alone was older than him. He went to Lord Vishnu right away and said, “Lord, I am the oldest after you, is it not?”. “Who knows? We don’t know who else there may be” said Lord Vishnu. Brahma did not appreciate that Lord Sri Hari did not acknowledge Brahma’s elderliness”. Therefore, he asked, “What is this Lord? I was the one born after you. I was the one that created all life forms. So, how can there be anyone older than me?” Let’s see what Lord Vishnu says.
Episode 285
Brahma did not appreciate that Lord Sri Hari would not acknowledge Brahma’s elderliness. Therefore, he asked, “What is this Lord? I was the one born after you. I was the one that created all life forms. So, how can there be anyone older than me?” Fine. Lord Vishnu looked here and there and said, “There is an old man I know. May be he knows something about this. Let us find out”. He further said, “This elderly person is quite old. He is older than I am. Let us go to him and present to him the question that arose in your mind”. Saying so, Sri Hari brought Brahma to Sage Romasha.
Since he had a body full of hair, the sage earned the name Romasha (roma=hair). By the time the two got there, half the hair on the sage’s body had fallen off. Beholding Brahma and Vishnu, the old man very respectfully worshiped them and enquired about the reason for their visit. “Sir, what is your age?” asked Sri Hari. Looking puzzled, the sage said, “Lord, I am nothing in comparison to you. But, since you asked, I’ll tell you. One thousand Maha Yugas (According to Wikipedia, 1 Maha Yuga lasts for 4,320,000 years) in the human world are equivalent to a half day in the life of Brahma who is standing next to you. So, with that being half a day, when he completes 100 years, he would have completed his lifespan. With each such Brahma, one hair from my body falls off”.
Brahma must have gone crazy. What a big calculation he presented. He said that one hair falls off after tens of millions of Brahma. He said, “Like this, about half the hair from my body have fallen off. I still have half left. When these fall off too, I will attain permanent liberation. I don’t know when I will receive your compassion”. Hearing this, Lord Brahma’s jaw dropped. Without saying another word, Sri Hari held Brahma’s hand and took him to the hermitage of Sage Ashtavakra. They set out, “Let us go to the hermitage of Sage Ashtavakra from this hermitage of Sage Romasha.”
It is well known that there are eight deformities in his (Ashtavakra) body. But now, there appeared to be only two or three deformities. While Lord Brahma was looking at him in amazement, the sage performed glorious worship to Hari and Brahma and enquired about the reason for their visit. Lord Vishnu said, “There is no big reason. We went to see Sage Romasha. From there, we came here to see you. Okay, let that be. Sage, what might your age be?”
Slightly embarrassed, that sage said, “O Lord of Lords, you may have seen many like me. The fact that you came to me and put this question is my great fortune. You said you saw Maharishi Romasha before you came here. With each Maharishi Romasha, one of my deformities will disappear”. Wow! May be it is better to not ask. May be it is good to just go home. There are so many that are very elderly. In the previous instance, the sage would lose one hair after many Yugas. We have no idea how many Brahmas there were in those Yugas. In this instance, it is even more strange. When one such sage Romasha - who loses one hair after many Yugas, imagine how long and how many Yugas it would take for him to lose all his hair - is gone, Ashtavakra says he would have one less deformity. Ashtavakra of course has over eight deformities. Now, there seemed to be only two deformities. So, wonder how many deformities disappeared. How many Sage Romashas there were? He offered salutations saying, “I have lost four deformities. I have four more. I don’t know when your compassion will favor me”
So, what can one say about Brahma? Let us give him a break for sometime. Let us talk later about what happens to Brahma.
Episode 286
After darshana of Maharishi Romasha, Sri Hari along with Lord Brahma went to Maharishi Ashtavakra. The Maharishi worshiped his visitors and enquired about the reason for their visit. Lord Vishnu asked Ashtavakra what his age was. Ashtavakra said, “Lord of Lords, you said you visited Maharishi Romasha before coming here. With each such Maharishi Romasha, one of my deformities disappears. I lost four deformities thus far. I have four more”. He offered salutations to the Lord saying, “I don’t know when your compassion will favor me”. He looked at Sri Hari.
Immediately, Sri Hari glanced at Brahma. Brahma lowered his head in embarrassment. Sri Hari patted him on his shoulder and said, “Brahma Deva, age and elderliness are related to the body. This body seems burdensome to one who has experienced true inner bliss. He is eager to unload this burden. For one who has attained such self-realization, any age for the body is completely worthless. One who has reached the state of permanent awareness of one’s divinity has no meaning for the question, “What is the age of my body?”
Regardless of how great one may be, there is inevitably someone greater than him. One must never ever forget that. Further, regardless of how many powers one has gained, all those powers are like insignificant fireflies that came from God. The person himself is like an insignificant firefly. Understanding this is real knowledge.
Let’s talk about sacrifice a little. We attempt to identify great souls by their miracles and their divine powers. However, it is sacrifice that is the real greatness of noble souls. Just because so many people are following a Guru, we believe the Guru is very powerful. We make assumptions, “He is very powerful, he is very strong”. However, the real characteristic of a noble soul is sacrifice. It is sacrifice that is the real greatness of a noble soul. That is what we should try to acquire too. When such souls become Gurus and either travel various countries or confine themselves to the forests, it is only for the welfare of the world.
Angirasa was a mind-born son of Brahma. From the time he was born, he had a supremely peaceful nature and was always immersed in Tapasya/meditation. No one knows how many kinds of tapas-siddhis (supernatural powers gained through Tapasya) this great soul with no desires attained. He was not even cognizant of the fact that he gained supernatural powers. Brahma, the Lord of the world however, knows everything about everyone. How could he not know.
In the meanwhile, the great soul who was in the position of Agni Deva (Fire God) once got angry with the Gods. Saying, “I do not even want this position”, he left his home and went to the forests to undertake Tapasya. He felt “Since there is presently no one among the Gods that has the capability to fill this role if I leave, the Gods themselves will beg me to come back” Let us see where his ego leads him.
Episode 287
The great soul who was in the position of Agni Deva (Fire God) once got angry with the Gods. Saying, “I do not even want this position”, he left his home and went to the forests to undertake Tapasya/meditation. Internally, he internal intent was, “Since there is presently no one among the Gods that has the capability to fill this role if I leave, the Gods themselves will beg me to come back” A lot of people have this feeling. Once they get that seat (of power), everyone has to give respect to that seat. So, people will gather around. The people in that seat will slowly develop ego inside, “If not for me, these people would not be there, even this world would not be there. If I leave this position, who is capable enough here? There is no one who is capable”. We see instances of such ego these days too.
Finally, after sitting in Tapasya, Agni Deva slowly had fear creep into his mind, “What if someone makes some adjustments and steals my position?” He (Agni Deva) left his position for no good reason. He wanted them all to beg him, to gather around him. A lot of people are happy when people gather around saying “Don’t do this again and again. Please don’t resign. Please don’t resign”. They feel, “Did you see (my prowess)? What did you think of me?”
But no one came to him (Agni Deva). Regardless of whether someone approached him or not, he felt in his mind, “Alas, maybe no one will come. Suddenly, someone may make some adjustments and steal my position. What did I unnecessarily do this?” In line with his fear, no one ever came and begged Agni Deva to come back. He of course suspected someone would steal his position, but it was worse that no one even came to beg him to return. Unable to withstand this anymore, he went to his kingdom to see what was happening. “Something must have gone wrong here, let me see”.
What did he see? His head was spinning. Maharishi Angirasa was sitting on his throne and was glowing even more brightly than him. He saw that while on the one hand the great soul Angirasa was carrying out the responsibilities of his role, he was on the other hand continuing his endless Sadhana / spiritual practice. He realized that Lord Brahma himself placed the sage in that role and under his rule, all activities in Agni Loka (Agni=fire; Loka=world) were taking place in an extraordinary manner. Even without Agni, the activities were happening in an extraordinary manner. With Brahma’s power, with the power of Sage Angirasa, another Agni Deva was acting as Agni Deva himself. Then, the old Agni Deva completely lost courage. How had this (old) Agni Deva first gained this position? It was only by the power of Lord Brahma. But, he forgot that. When people are blinded by attachment to their position, they forget who was responsible for their rise to that position. There are many instances where they forget the very public that was responsible for their ascent. When they forget the public, when their ego increases, what’s left? They have to get down from that position one day.
It’s like the rooster just continuing to sleep thinking that the day would not break unless it cries. But morning did come. Morning came before the rooster cried. The bird thought that morning would not come until it cried. But, just because we think a certain way, it’s not going to happen that way. Everything happens according to time.
Then Agni Deva lost all courage. Sage Angirasa had so much brightness that even Agni Deva could not withstand it. His capability was extraordinary. His fame needed no mention. He was afraid that he lost his position for good. He thought. “Alas, what did I do? I am unable to even behold Angirasa. He is so powerful. He has such austerity. What is left? He will be here and my position is gone”.
Episode 288
We discussed that the old Agni Deva lost all courage. Sage Angirava had so much brightness that even Agni Deva could not withstand it. His capability was extraordinary. His fame needed no mention. He was afraid that he lost his position for good. In the meanwhile, don’t know how, but Sage Angirava learned of the arrival of Agni Deva. That’s it. Immediately, he came to Agni Deva and prostrated to him and slowly requested thus: “Agni Deva, welcome. My father (Brahma) asked me take this seat until you came back so that your activities continue uninterrupted. He only asked me to do your work until you came back. I am doing so. It is my duty to do as my father Brahma says. So, I took the seat. Now that you are back, my responsibility is fulfilled. You can take over your work. You may accept your responsibilities any day you wish”. Agni Deva felt great relief, “My goodness! Now I understand”. But, he still had some fear lurking inside him. “Even though this sage is talking very humbly, can anyone that has tasted power let go of it so easily?” His thinking was in line with his nature.
“So, there is no political angle here, is there? Wonder what’s cooking. There may be some political conspiracy here”, we hear people say sometimes. “Conspiracy”, “Conspiracy”. “There seems to be something going on here. There must be something going on”. Will those who’ve tasted the pleasure of power let go so easily? They will not. No matter what anyone may say, they will not let go. Neither the father’s command nor God’s command matters. Once they’ve tasted it, that’s it. Will they let others take over that position? They never will”.
That is why, Agni Deva was thinking, “Sage Angirava must have developed such attachment in his mind, may be this great sage has such feelings. He may be looking to throw me out of power. He may be looking to permanently prevent me from coming back. It looks like this is his plan”. Comprehending Agni Deva’s feelings, Sage Angirava once again offered salutations to him and spoke with a smile. He knew what was going on in Agni Deva’s mind. He had the ability to know. He said, “Agni Deva, there is no need for you to suspect anything. You are worthy of worship. You are God. I am a human child. I am like a son to you. If you wish, you may accept me as your adopted son. I can serve you like a son”. Agni Deva was slightly ashamed, “He found out what I was thinking”. He was ashamed slightly thinking what he felt was wrong.
He felt a mountain of happiness. Saying, “Getting a son like you would be my good fortune”, he embraced Sage Angirava and accepted him as his adopted son. Witnessing the extraordinary sacrifice by Sage Angirava, the abode of Gods was filled with amazement. They immersed the sage in a shower of flowers. The sage handled feelings related to the material world (Agni Deva’s feelings) with good intelligence. Otherwise, there could have been a big battle between the two. Did you see? He did so because he was a great soul.
Maharishi Angirava did not at any time exhibit his powers. Moreover, he offered himself up as an adopted son. He said, “Father, adopt me. I’ll serve you”. Then Agni Deva gained real courage. When he had his father’s (Brahma’s) command, he did not hide his abilities. But, when the time had come, he did not shirk from sacrificing more than required, either. His extraordinary sacrifice made him one of the Saptarishis (Seven great sages) in later ages. Until then, he was not part of Saptarishis. He now did a great sacrifice. Sitting in the seat shown to him by Lord Brahma himself, sitting in Agni Deva’s seat, he made such great sacrifice, such sacrifice is the real greatness. So, when we see great souls, great sages or Gurus, we should pay attention to their sacrificing nature and thereby imbibe some of that nature ourselves, but not focus on external miracles. Great souls are those who have more of a sacrificing nature.
Episode 289
Nireekshana (waiting patiently/looking forward). Liberation itself will come in search of one who has unwavering devotion towards the Guru’s feet, unbounded faith in his words and unlimited dedication in following his command, even if he doesn’t study the scriptures or does not undertake Yoga/Tapasya. There is no penance greater than devotion to the Guru. Shabari’s story is evidence for this.
During Sri Rama’s time, there used to be a lady called Shabari who belonged to the tribal community. Everyone knows Shabari’s life history. There is perhaps no one in the world that does not know her life history. Yet, one should repeatedly recall the stories of such pious souls. She was such a great devotee. She was such an ardent devotee.
Shabari was the devotee of Maharishi Matanga. She used to live on the banks of river Pampa. We remember Lord Anjaneya when we hear of river Pampa. The mind of this tribal lady was very pure. That is why she got to live in the Ashrama premises of Maharishi Matanga. Such a pure mind she had. She would always sweep the Ashrama and keep it clean. When Maharishi Matanga was about to depart for the divine worlds, he said, “Shabari, Sri Maha Vishnu will come to this Ashrama in his incarnation as Lord Rama. You must wait patiently for him. You will receive his grace”. These were the words of her Guru.
While immersed in chanting Sri Rama’s name, Shabari who had unwavering devotion and faith in her Guru was patiently waiting for Sri Rama thinking, “When will my Rama come? When he comes, how should I serve him?” “When will he come?” “When will he come?” Observing severe austerities and disciplines, she lived like a Sanyasini/renunciate. She heard that during his exile in the forests, Sri Rama had come to Chitrakoota. Thinking, “He will come here tomorrow”, “He will come here tomorrow”, she would clean her hermitage everyday, adorn it with rangoli, decorate the place and collect beautiful fruits and flowers for Sri Rama. Every object in the Ashrama seemed like it was waiting for Rama. Even the elephants in the surrounding area would cause no trouble in the Ashrama. Shabari’s devotional vibrations were so strong. That is why, the cruel animal around the Ashrama would never cause any harm. Even the elephants would cause no harm. Every object that Shabari had eagerly looked forward to Rama’s arrival. In additional Shabari had the Sadguru’s command that she had to have darshana of Rama.
One day Rama did arrive. Accompanied by Lakshmana in search of Sita, he came to the area where Shabari lived and gave her darshana. Shabari was ecstatic to have darshana of Sri Rama. She washed Rama’s feet and welcomed him into the Ashrama. Her patient wait finally bore fruit after such a long time. That patient wait that she did, that is real penance. The wait, “My God will come, my Lord will come” is so beautiful. She was overjoyed offering him fruits she already tasted. She would taste each fruit to see whether or not it was sweet and only offer the sweet fruits to him. Let us see what happens ahead. We are talking about Shabari’s devotion.
Episode 290
We discussed that Shabari was ecstatic to have darshana of Sri Rama. We discussed that she washed Rama’s feet and welcomed him into the Ashrama. Her patient wait finally bore fruit after such a long time. She was overjoyed offering him fruits she already tasted. She would taste each fruit to see whether or not it was sweet and only offer the sweet fruits to him. Impressed with her devotion, Lord Rama was thrilled to eat the fruits she tasted. Did you see, the Lord ate fruits that were already tasted before. This shows how Shabari’s devotion was. Lakshmana was surprised. He even got angry with her. But, he said nothing. “She is offering fruits she tasted. She must be mad. Or, due to her senility, may be she does not know”, thought Lakshmana.
Rama bathed in the lake nearby. That lake had the power of Sapta Teerthas (the seven holy pilgrim centers) and the oceans. There was so much effect in the power of Maharishi Matanga’s Tapasya. Rama offered oblations to his ancestors, blessed Shabari and granted her the abode of the Supreme. Did you see how much devotion there was. Patiently waiting, “When will God come home?” is itself penance. She did not even realize, what she should offer to God, what is good, what is bad. That is true devotion. That is true love. Shabaris story is proof that God would bless those with such love and devotion. Because she waited so long upon the Guru’s command, she had darshana of God. We see how important the Guru is. We are seeing how amazing the Principle of Guru is in every instance.
Next, Bhageeratha. To a Yogi who is in the state of universal consciousness, there is no difference between a kingdom or life in a forest or a bed of soft swan feathers or anything else. Joys and sorrows do not touch them. They are beyond dualities. With compassion, they wander the world for universal welfare. The story of Bhageeratha is an example. Everyone knows the story where Bhageeratha brought river Ganga down to earth. Bhageeratha was the king of Ayodhya. As the emperor of all of earth, he used to rule very well. To understand his real nature, we should learn about the story that transpired after he brought Ganga to earth.
During the time the king was ruling his kingdom, he decided to learn about God. He expressed all his thoughts to his Guru. Upon his Guru’s advice, he performed a Yagna and donated all his wealth to Brahmins and others. But, he still had his emperorship. He asked many, many Brahmins to take that position, but no one came forward to. He then invited his neighboring king. When the king heard of the emperor’s request, he made haste to escape saying, “O King, you are a righteous ruler. I am not at all the right person to take your position”. Bhageeratha convinced him with appropriate words and somehow handed over his kingdom to the king.
After that, during midnight, he disguised himself and went away to another country. Let us see what happens next.
Episode 291
Bhagareetha convinced his neighboring king with good words and somehow entrusted his kingdom to the king.
Afterwards, during midnight, he disguised himself and went away to another country. So nobody recognized him there, he used to stay in stealth during the day. At night however, he used to beg and live like a mendicant. After sometime, he gained a little confidence that the ego in his mind was destroyed. He then began begging for alms fearlessly during daytime as well. In a few days, he reached his own country of Ayodhya and continued begging for alms there. Nobody in Ayodhya was able to recognize him.
One day, he went straight to the king himself and asked him for alms. In the meanwhile, one of the guards there recognized king Bhageeratha by his voice and some of his physical features and reported to the king. That king prostrated humbly to Bhageeratha and prayed, “Please accept this kingdom”. Bhageeratha unwilling to do so, was obstinate in his refusal, “King, please give me alms if you wish, if not that is okay”. What could that king do? Unable to say anything else, he offered alms. Bhageeratha very happily received those alms and left.
After some time, the king ruling Ayodhya died. He had no heirs. Therefore, the people of the country searched and searched, found Bhageeratha and insisted, “As our Bhiksha (food/donations offered to one asking for alms), you must accept this kingdom. You have no choice”. By then, Bhageeratha who had attained God-realization agreed to the people’s request. Previously, when he was being forced to accept his kingdom back, he did not yield to that temptation. This time, when people prayed to him to accept the kingdom that was orphaned due to lack of a king, Bhageeratha did not even refuse. Because he had gained self-realization by then, the kingdom did not at all appear as an obstacle to Bhageeratha, “Come what may, what can it do to me? I had darshana of Paramatman”.
Previously, before he attained unison with the principle of the Absolute, he would say, “There is nothing in this world. We have to leave everything behind one day. So, why should I worry about this? I do not need anything”. Now, he attained unison with the principle of the Absolute. He attained bliss. That is why he said, “Okay, I will do as you say. You are saying that the kingdom is orphaned. No problem”. The kingdom did not seem like an obstacle to him. He accepted the responsibility out of desire for universal welfare.
It was because he was a great soul who could reach such a magnanimous state that emperor Bhageeratha was able to bring even Ganga Devi to the earth for the welfare of all the worlds. Emperor Bhageeratha’s inner nature and commitment to universal welfare should be an ideal for all seekers. It is due to Bhageeratha’s attempts that we have Mother Ganga (on earth) today. If we were able to get Mother Ganga so quickly in answer to Bhageeratha’s Tapasya, if she came down to earth as requested by Bhageeratha, it was because he had no attachment towards anything, he was reveling in Absolute bliss. Therefore, Mother Ganga was pleased and came down to earth.
Similarly, I pray to Lord Datta that Bhageeratha be an ideal for spiritual practice in all of our lives.
Episode 292
When we examine the life histories of devotees, we see that the Gurus or God subject them to several tests and then grant boons to the devotees once they win in those tests. The tests are delivered such that all karma accrued to the devotees gets destroyed during the tests itself. In the case of Lord Datta, this can be seen even more clearly. In this matter, everybody may naturally have a question: “If the devotee cannot understand devotion unless he is tested, how can the Guru grant boons? If the devotee is able to understand, then what is the use of these tests?” The point to observe here is that the tests are not given to test their devotion at all whatsoever. Extracting the bad tendencies in the devotee’s mind and making them aware of these tendencies is the inner meaning. In other words, testing each karma accrued, one by one and removing all the infection like the doctors do. It is after all the infection is removed and the necessary tests are done, that one gets a bed in the hospital. Then, the patient is ready for operation.
Like that, God or Guru extracts the bad tendencies hidden in the mind of the devotee, all the bad tendencies that are piled inside the mind. We do not even realize. Removing each tendency one by one and making (the devotee) aware is the inner meaning. He is making them aware, “See this is how much you have”, “This is how much karma you have piled up, that is why I am removing all this.” Giving them an opportunity, thereby, to flush these out is the intent of these tests. If you say, “Oh he is testing me, does he have no compassion towards me?”, where will the karma piled up inside go? It really has to be extracted, isn’t it? That is why they conduct so many tests. You should not blame God or Guru, “Why are you testing me?” He is showing you the ignorance that is inside you. He is showing you all the impurities in your mind.
We discussed before that if it is an ordinary mirror, it will show you your external form. But, mirror of Sadguru’s compassion shows you the decorations that have piled up deep within your mind - in other words, your karma - and gets them out. Only a mind flushed of impurities like this becomes eligible to receive knowledge. It becomes ready for knowledge. Otherwise, it is useless for knowledge. It is ridden with ignorance. How can a mind filled with attachment receive knowledge?
Sometimes you may think, “Does not each person know his mind? Is it necessary to conduct tests like these to show them their mind?” You may think, “Does not God know what is in our mind? What is the necessity to show us?” In reality, finding out the secret of the mind is not that easy either. In this matter, not only the lay person, but scholars and Yogis too make mistakes. It is very difficult to remove the inner impurities, because, each one believes that his mind is pure. But, it is only when one faces a difficult situation that one’s inner disposition is revealed. In situations where when one loses wealth, respect etc does one’s propensity to act in accordance with Dharma and without bias get revealed.
Episode 293
We were discussing that in situations where when one loses wealth, respect etc, one’s propensity to act in accordance with Dharma and without bias are revealed. We are talking about how God or Guru extracts the sins piled up in the mind and shows them to us. In other words, if you want liberation, if you want knowledge, you should remove all that is buried deep inside you. I gave you a small example. If you want to get ready for operation/surgery, first your blood pressure should be right. Then, your blood level should be good. Only when all parameters are right will they do the operation, otherwise they will not. Like that, the Sadguru extracts the ignorance that’s inside you and shows it to you. Then, we feel, “He does so much, doesn’t he know what is in our mind? Just in order to show us what is inside, is it necessary to test us so much, to bring it outside?”
Sometimes a person knows what is in his mind. But, in some instances, a person himself may not know what is in his mind. In such instances, even though the Guru knows (what’s in your mind), he brings it out so that you know.
In situations where when one loses wealth, respect etc does one’s propensity to act in accordance with Dharma and without bias get revealed. There are people who blame God when they lose all their wealth. Ashwatthama is an example for us in this regard. Ashwatthama always considered himself biased towards the Pandavas right from the beginning. However, in the war of Mahabharata, as soon as he found out that Duryodhana lost, he got ready to even annihilate the Pandava lineage. He killed the Upa Pandavas (five sons born to Draupadi from each of the Pandavas) when they were asleep. Even though that’s an entirely different story, see how such a good person turned out.
Similarly, we always see that in many households, brothers that lived together with great love and affection go to court and separate over trivial matters concerning their property. We talked about wealth a little while ago.
When the issue of wealth comes up, they do not care about whether it is their brother or their father or their mother. Such is the state. How will such a person gain any knowledge? There are many instances like this. They do even realize up until that minute that their *** for wealth was great enough to distance their own kith and kin from themselves. Ashwatthama was like that with the Pandavas. He was so close to them. As soon as he found out that it was all over and that the Kauravas were going to lose, he suddenly joined the Kauravas. What happened finally? He even killed the Pandava children. In other words, he could not recognize what was buried deep in his mind until that point. Like this, this story is narrated with two different perspectives.
Because it is so hard to identify the flaws in the mind, Guru in the name of tests, creates various situations to extract those flaws. With various plays and with various situations, he ensures that they are extracted, “Whatever it may be, these have to be extracted”. Therefore, we should understand that the Guru’s tests are only meant to benefit us. They are only meant to uplift us, not to humiliate us or to test our devotion. How is he testing our devotion? It is, in fact, to strengthen our devotion that he is doing this. Gold is heated and then pounded and pounded and pounded to make ornaments. It is like that. Why should one pound gold? It is so that all impurities are gone. Similarly, it is the compassion of the Sadguru towards his disciple that he wants the disciple to become even purer gold. That is why he makes you laugh, he makes you cry and uses many means to test you. In other words, we should realize that the Guru’s tests are meant only to uplift us. We should be careful.
Episode 294
Vairagyam/Dispassion/Renunciation. We are talking about things that help us in serving the Guru. We are talking about the Guru Principle. Asha/Desire and Nirasha/Despair are pair words. Sometimes, we talk about Asha, sometimes we talk about Nirasha. Here, Nirasha does not mean lack of desire, but the despair that we are unable to fulfill the desire. This is also called Nirvedam. In other words, Asha/desire is natural to everyone. In reality, it is one with desires who makes progress in this world. A lot of people past the age of 50 years slowly make entry into Vedanta thinking, “Why bother with all this?” because most of their desires were not fulfilled.
They believe that they attained dispassion because their desires have not been fulfilled. However, we should think a little about whether this is dispassion or despair.
When a desire is not fulfilled, you are in despair. Perhaps, it would be better if you are in despair after your desire is fulfilled. We will talk about this in the future. Sometimes it feels like attaining dispassion after the age of 50 or 60 years has no use. Desire enthuses the mind. It does not stop there. In the name of enthusiasm, it attempts to edge out values. So as the desire keeps simmering, the person will decide at some point to do something unrighteous. We have been occasionally witnessing people in politics commit various crimes due to their desire to earn a position of power. There are people who deceive even the people that trust them.
What they say and what they do are completely different. They are filled with desire - a desire to earn that position of power. They can go to any lengths due to their desire for power. That is why, what is this called? This is called Moham/delusion. This state is called Moham.
Dhritarashtra is cited as an example for Moham. He had knowledge of Dharma. He also had fear of Dharma to a certain extent. Despite that, the overpowering desire to give his children the kingdom threw him into delusion.
Whether the desire is small or big, it inevitably brings with it a certain amount of delusion. One must not have even an iota of desire, neither big desire not small desire. Desire is desire. Whether it is small or big, it is desire. If the desire is noble, a desire for the welfare of others, that is good. Selfish desire is not good. That is what we have been discussing so far. Whether it is a small desire or a big desire, it does bring a certain amount of delusion with it.
If the desire is fulfilled, one believes that it was fulfilled due to one’s own strength. The desire is there, we are working very hard for it. When the desire is fulfilled, we say, “Do you know how hard I worked for it?” The delusion in you leads you into believing, “I got all this due to my own power. I did all this”. This is another big delusion. There is already delusion to start with. But, to believe that all this has happened due to one’s power is the delusion that’s tied to one’s ego. If the desire is not fulfilled, it encourages the person into unrighteous means of fulfillment in the name of determination. “No matter what, it has to be done. Sadhana has to be done”. This is not good. Let’s see what happens next.
Episode 295
We discussed that whether the desire is small or big, it inevitably brings with it a certain amount of delusion. If the desire is fulfilled, one believes that it was fulfilled due to his own strength. This is another big delusion. If the desire is not fulfilled, it encourages the person into unrighteous means of fulfillment in the name of determination, “No matter what, fulfill your desire. No matter how, run through the back door if necessary”. Like this, whether the desire is fulfilled or not, it always leads to delusion. For most part, desires do not get fulfilled for most people. As their age progresses, the mind perceives, “We will not able to achieve what we wanted in this life”. A lot of people wait to see if their desires get fulfilled. When they do not get fulfilled, they slowly become stubborn. With that stubbornness, they try to get the desires fulfilled through unrighteous means. If they fail even at that, their mind develops a kind of hopelessness.
Initially, they used to be on the righteous path. Once desire took over, they slowly slipped away from the righteous and gradually surrendered to unrighteous means. If their desires do not get fulfilled even with unrighteous means, what happens to them? They develop a strange feeling of hopelessness, “My desires did not get fulfilled. Even after 60-70 years, my desires did not get fulfilled”. They gain a certain kind of hopelessness.
Due to that hopelessness, their focus turns towards spirituality a little. Due to their hopelessness, their mind moves a little towards spirituality. Seeing this, relatives around him assume that he’s acquired dispassion because he is not stubborn anymore, he is not lying anymore due to these big desires, he is not committing unrighteous deeds. He already did those. He fell. That is why, he is disinterested. He is disinterested in everything. People think he is filled with dispassion, “He acquired dispassion”. While some people think this may be good for him, some others say, “He is just pretending. He is such a bad person, how will he gain dispassion? He just appears so”. Listening to all these different people, it feels as if there is truth in everyone’s opinion. This person himself believes that he’s acquired dispassion.
But, if he hits a lottery or if a path to fulfilling his desires opens up unexpectedly, the dispassion disappears the next minute. So far we talked about dispassion coupled with disinterest when the desires do not get fulfilled even after stubbornly pursuing them, we talked about how everybody around them talks about it. If he suddenly hits a lottery or if a path to fulfilling desires suddenly opens up, his dispassion would have completely disappeared the next minute. The person suddenly changes. Can something that flies away within a second be dispassion? It flies away all of a sudden, it vanishes. It flies away like a bird, within a second.
Here, if we think carefully, we will understand that hopelessness is a distorted form of desire, and not freedom from the web of desires. In childhood, if a child that is normally interested in playing is weak from fever and does not play very much, can we call that dispassion? We say, “He does not play very much these days”. He is not interested in playing, he does not have the strength to play. If he does not play as much, would that be dispassion, tell me. It is not.
Episode 296
Hopelessness is only the altered form of desires, but not liberation from the bondage of desires. In his childhood, if a child who is usually interested in playing reduces the amount of playing at one point due to weakness from fever, would that be called dispassion, tell me? It would not. Once the same child grows up, has more knowledge and gains more discrimination, even though nobody would stop him from playing the same games that demand strength and energy, why would he play those games? He does not even play. Due to the discrimination he gained, he realizes that the value of those games is very small. After he grows up, he would not go anywhere near those small games. He will think, “What is this? There is no use playing these games”. So, he lost interest in the games. This is dispassion. Losing real interest/desire is dispassion.
Similarly, realizing the pettiness of desires through discrimination, if one gives up making efforts to gain something even though he has the opportunity to, that is dispassion. That means, if one gives up something not because it’s impossible to get, but because it has no value to him, he will not have delusion and hopelessness.
“Those can be earned easily. Even though it can be earned easily, I’m letting it go”. Here, there is neither despair due to non-attainment nor delusion. If one gives up what he’s getting even without going through these feelings, that is also real sacrifice. It also leads to dispassion. May be it can (barely) be called dispassion. Such people’s mind continues to be powerful and letting go of trivial desires, it will be turned towards the invaluable knowledge of the self. That is what is called dispassion. Such courageous people can achieve anything, they have so much power. They have the strength of people, the strength of wealth. Secondly, they don’t even have any attachment/delusion towards what came to them on its own. They can attain anything. They are ready for any sacrifice.
Therefore, this principle is saying that the seeker should let go of not only desires but also despair at the same time.
Asaam jahi niraasaam cha, mohinim shoshinim mateh
Yugapat tve tyaje tyaastu saiva vairagya vruchchati
Desire deludes the mind. Despair – or Nirvedam, the feeling that I could not get this – dries up the mind. We understand here that only the one that can let go of these two feelings at the same time can gain dispassion.
We are moving ahead. Let’s recall once what we learned so far.
When someone who is obstinate and strong and also has great determination has something come to him on its own, without making any effort and if this person gives up that fortune that is coming to him on its own, that is real dispassion. But, earning by telling lies, earning using stubbornness, or earning using unrighteous means, is not real dispassion. Lot of people gain dispassion, only because they could not get something.
The fox jumps to grab the grapes. When it cannot reach the grapes, it says, “The grapes are sour, I don’t need them”. If it were able to reach the grapes, it would eat them saying, “Even if it is sour, it’s full of vitamin C”. That should not happen. Desire deludes the mind. Despair, or Nirvedam - the feeling that one could not get something dries up the mind. We are remembering again and again that one who can give up both of these at the same time can gain dispassion.
Episode 297
Tapasya/penance/effort to achieve self-realization. Meditation and Yoga are example of Manasika (mind-based) Tapasya. They are not externally visible. They do not make a big show and appear externally. Tapasya is running in the mind. The seeker is doing Tapasya wherever he is - Ajapa japa (constant awareness of the mantra). In other words, he is chanting with every breath. That is Mano japa (mental chanting), it is constantly happening in the mind. He keeps restraining the Prana (Pranayama), that is good Yoga. That is Manasika Tapasya. Reading good scriptures is also mind-based Tapasya.
Next Vachaka(speech-based) Tapasya. Those were examples of Tapasya one did in the mind - Yoga or chanting a mantra in the mind or meditation are all Manasika Tapasya. Reading good, holy books is an example of Vachaka Tapasya. Things like service to mankind is Kayika (physical) Tapasya. Kayika Tapasya is what is done physically with the body. So, Tapasya done with Trikarana - Manasa (related to thought), Vacha (related to spoken word), Karmana (related to deed), Indriyas (sense organs) etc - can take the forms of serving with the mind or with body or with a little wealth. These three kinds of Tapasya give us heaven or in other words, bliss.
Among these, mind is the most important. Before we learn about the kind of Sadhana/spiritual practice done with the mind, we should think a little about what the mind really is. Even though this question is very deep in reality, if we have to simplify it, we can say that the thing that gives rise to thoughts in us is the mind.
Because without thoughts in the mind no sensory organ will work for any living being, the mind is the root cause of all actions. Constantly fluctuating is the nature of this mind. Not just constantly, but at every moment, at every breath it keeps fluctuating. Developing love towards whatever it is the mind thinks about the most is one of the important things among the many strange things the mind does.
Just as water always flows down the slope, even though we know that external/material matters eventually cause grief, the mind always gravitates towards these matters. If one wants to go against this and journey towards God, he should first stop the external movement/flow of the mind. He must make the effort to turn it back. This is a must. That is why, in the beginning, they said meditation, Yoga etc were Manasika Tapasya.
Lord Sri Krishna pronounced this even more clearly in the Bhagavad Gita. Wishing for thousands of desires and getting annoyed because those don’t get fulfilled is the first characteristic of the mind. Therefore, the seeker should try to keep his mind peaceful. This is the first step.
Not having peace in the mind within, frowning and showing annoyance and friction on the face, showing annoyance in words is another characteristic of the mind Therefore, the seeker should convince the mind to be peaceful such that his face is always pleasant. One must keep saying, “Shantam” (peace). One must not keep showing anger on his face. One must keep telling the mind, “Be careful. You cannot show anger. You cannot talk as you wish. You must not have greed for anything. You must not be jealous of anything. You must not unnecessarily speak lies or hurt others”. One must convince the mind to always be pleasant. This is the second aspect.
Episode 298
Even if the lips don’t move externally, the mind is constantly chattering internally in some language or another. What does one do, the mind does not stay put in one place. It keeps talking to itself about something or the other internally. It never stops. That is why the seeker should first teach the mind silence. Not external silence. This is the third step.
At every moment, the mind is driving one Indriya (sensory organ) or another to some thought/topic. There are so many Indriyas. The mind keeps flowing between the Indriyas internally. It keeps the Indriyas thinking about one thing or another. And if nothing works, it will spin up something itself. Therefore, the seeker should teach the mind itself about how to use the mind to keep the Indriyas restrained. He must teach the mind, “This will not work for us”, ““This will not work for us”, “You will be ruined”, “You think you are winning, but there isn’t a bigger deception than this”. Like this, by continuing to teach, by inculcating a righteous fear in it and convincing it that nothing is eternal you must try to channel the mind in the right direction.
Now, deception is something that comes easily to the mind. In other words, harboring many bad thoughts within, but using arguments externally, the mind convinces itself that what it is doing is right. The mind tries to convince the other person. Be careful. If we are taken to the subconscious state and asked to speak the truth, we will be surprised listening to the tapes, “We really have thoughts like this?” In the names of modern-day culture, prestige and other such things, we fuel the deception that the mind has. Therefore, the seeker should check from time to time to see whether his thoughts are clean or not. This is the fifth step.
These five steps are not sequential, rather they are interdependent. The result of all of these is tranquil meditation. The outcome of meditation is bliss. If we are able to bring the mind to this state though, that becomes the best kind of Manasika Tapasya. Whether or not one comes to this point, if one practices these five steps, it eases the way for Vachaka and Kayika Tapasya. Therefore, to keep in control the mind, which is the root cause of all of these, everyone definitely needs the Guru’s help. Therefore, by the grace of Datta Sadguru, may all of you get that help. We are recalling again and again.
Now, let’s talk about character. A lot of people say, “We perform worship every day. We do chanting every day. We work hard to do our spiritual practice. Yet, we don’t see the results. We don’t have peace of mind”. “I go to the temple every year. I climb the hill to Lord Venkataramana’s temple on foot every year. We offer the hair on our head each time”. Like this people say many different things. “Whatever we have, we offered in the donation box”.
“We chant Lalita Sahasra Nama”. “We go to Vishnu Sahasra Nama chanting sessions”, “We set up Kalasha (a *** filled with water or rice, used as center piece in worship/rituals) at home on Saturdays”, “We do charity and donations”, “When winter arrives, we distribute free sweaters to some people, we distribute blankets”. “When monsoon season hits, we help people”. They keep saying a lot of things. Finally, they say, “Why do we not have peace of mind after doing so much?” Let’s see why they do not have peace of mind.
Episode 299
We discussed that a lot of people say, “We perform worship every day, we do chanting, we work hard to do our spiritual practice. Yet, we don’t see the results. We don’t have peace of mind”. Such people should observe one point carefully. Those who wish to achieve progress in the spiritual field conduct themselves with honesty and good behavior in their worldly life. You wonder what the relationship is between spiritual practice and honesty in worldly life? Lot of people think, “We do some Pranayam, we do worship, we do Homa. There isn’t necessarily a connection between that and the work we do in our business and personal lives?” That is a mistake. Honesty is a mental practice. If it becomes a habit, then it percolates into all layers of the mind. It is expressed in everything the mind does. Deception is the same. If someone thinks that it is important to conduct oneself with honesty in spiritual life, but okay to be anyway one wishes in his worldly activities, that is not possible. Those who think so are deceiving themselves.
Hareetha, an expert in Dharma and the scriptures, declared that if one has the below mentioned 13 characteristics, then he has a character that has honesty without any kind of deception. Character without deception. We have to somehow gain these 13 characteristics.
1) Brahmanyatvam: This does not mean the state of being a Brahmin. It means desire for God. Having desire for God is Brahmanyatvam.
2) Deva-Pitru Bhakti: Devotion towards God and towards parents.
3) Soumyatvam: Having a gentle nature. One should not lose temper frequently.
4) Not torturing others.
5) Not having jealousy.
6) Mrudutvam (Having a soft heart): This is a mental quality that is manifested in one’s words and deeds.
7) Parishatvam: Not having harshness/roughness
8) Maitri: Real and simple friendship towards all living beings.
9) Priyavaditvam: Speaking measured, beneficial, gentle and truthful words.
10) Krutagnata (gratitude)
11) Saranyatvam: Appropriately benefiting those who seek refuge with you
12) Karunyam: Compassion, or the quality of considering others’ difficulties as one’s own.
13) Prashanti (peace).
Generally, the above mentioned qualities of Karunyam and other qualities create turbulence in the mind. However, when one has firm faith in God and in the divine plan, such turbulence does not occur and peace of mind is not disturbed.
Of the 13 qualities that Hareetha mentioned above, the first 11 are useful for spiritual and worldly matters. Karunyam and Prasanti mentioned in the end are like the two legs of spirituality. Without these, the spiritual walk will not take place. Therefore, those desirous of spiritual progress should practice the above mentioned qualities. These are very simple and very important. With determination and with interest, we should observe these qualities.
Episode 300
The primary quality that a student gaining education must have is humility. Only when there is humility will education result in true knowledge. It’ll be useful for the welfare of the society. Education means that which gives rise to knowledge. So, what kind of knowledge does it give rise to? The answer depends on the situation. For those practicing medicine, knowledge of medicine is their education. The result (of such knowledge) is good health. For those learning music, knowledge of music is their education, the pleasure of listening (to music) is the result. Similarly, for those learning the principle of Truth, the principle of the Absolute is the education. Infinite bliss is the result. Like this, every education has a specific result.
However, for any education to be grasped well by the student, it is not enough to learn the subjects by rote. Every subject has some important secrets. Only when those are known, the result of such education will have been gained fully. Those are understood only through the Guru’s teaching. For the Guru to teach, the student should have humility. To a humble student, the Guru teaches the secrets of the subjects and deepens his (the student’s)learning. Like this, by constant learning, the student’s intellect will develop. Due to such development, not only will he visualize new dimensions/aspects of that education, but will also understand principles unrelated to his subject. One who has reached this stage will not be content with just describing the theory/science of his subject, but will also implement them and show. He will use them for the welfare of the society. When knowledge reaches that stage, it transforms into Sadvidya (true knowledge). What is Sadvidya (true knowledge)? It is that which can give everyone the principle of the Absolute that results eternal bliss.
When the intellectual development as mentioned before takes place, true knowledge can be learned well from any knowledge. That is because, this is the root of all knowledge in the world. This is the root. There may be a question as to why Gurus impart the secrets of the subjects only to the humble students? Because, only when one has humility and good behavior will that development take place in the mind. Only then will knowledge turn into true knowledge. In other words, it has no distortion/***. One will have a mind that develops. In case if anyone thinks that they can pretend to have love and respect so that they can learn the secrets of the subject, they may gain expertise in the subject matter, but they will not gain that mental/intellectual development due to the Guru’s teaching. They can gain the knowledge/experience, but they will not attain that true happiness. The bad tendencies in his mind will obstruct (that experience).
Such people’s knowledge is like the image of the moon drawn on a paper. Regardless of how beautiful the image of the moon on the paper is, it cannot give moonlight, can it? It cannot give light. It cannot give the coolness. The image is beautiful. It is very beautiful. With the moon and the rivers, he drew a stunning image. It’s the best painting. True. It is the best painting of the painter. It really feels like the moon is there, but it cannot give light. Nor can it give coolness. Similarly, it is clear that the knowledge of one who pretends to have humility may be useful for earning money, but will be useless for their own development of for the welfare of the society. The paint may be hung on the wall and the one who drew the picture may get the first prize, but we will not get any light from the moon drawn on the paper. Therefore, as important as knowledge is, humility is even more important. One must always have in his mind, love and respect for his Guru. Without that respect, without that love, that knowledge will not bear fruit.