AvadhootaDatta Peetham

Discourse on Yoga Vasishtha

Day 52, September 20

Jaya Guru Datta

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

Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Sadgurubhyo Namaha

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

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

Guru Dhyanam: Gurur Brahmaa, Sri Bhooyuta.. , Ajnana .. Akhanda, Dehe …, Akhandam ..

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

Brahmanandam, Sri Vasishtham Namami, Ramaya, Aapadaamapahartaaram, Om Purnamadah,

Om Santissantissantihi

In the Yoga Vasishtha, in the 27th sarga we discussed some important verses. Why should we listen to Vedanta? Why should we contemplate on our Self? A boy playing in a park and caught in a maze struggles to get out when he has lost his way. We must follow Sadguru’s guidance and find our way out of this world which is like a maze. An employee, who works in the park, knows his way around the park and does not get lost in the maze. Sadguru and great souls are such. Self-realization gives the greatest bliss. That is what we ought to seek.

Sri Rama is teaching us in different ways, the same truths that he had mentioned before.

Yesterday we compared this body to a creeper. It has given us many comforts. We question: If there is no body, how can we enjoy such comforts? This was asked before. Body is an instrument to derive joy. But it is illusory. The body is very transient. When does the body give happiness? How long does that joy last? We should realize how short-lived the pleasures of the body are. When that fault is inherent in the body, we have to remember that this body soon withers and dies. It gives problems.

Body is like a boat. Its sail is made with the skin. One never knows when the breeze will cause a hole in the sail. Once the sail gets damaged, the boat will sink. This boat is tossed about in this ocean of Samsara called birth and death. The five sense organs are like crocodiles. Six meters long crocodiles are seen these days. This boat cannot withstand their attack. It will capsize. These sense organs are violently tossing this boat. The body should take anchor with Sadguru. We are not experts in avoiding these crocodiles. We need to make an effort to escape from the danger they cause. Only those who realize the danger posed by these crocodiles and know how to avoid the danger they cause, will overcome the grief of this world.

Desires are like monkeys. When desires become excessive, it is called Trishna/avarice. This thirst or avarice must be given up. What is the difference between worldly happiness and other-worldly happiness? Contentment is the definition for happiness. Unless there is satisfaction, there is no happiness. I have passed. I am not satisfied. I wish I got better marks/grades. I want a recount. I am not satisfied. They did not do a proper recount. The mind is never satisfied.

A desire is there. It is satisfied. You are not contented. You want more. The more you get, the more you want. That is trishna/avarice. This causes great diseases. It spoils the mind and body.

This jungle called world is filled these creepers called desires. What is giving these creepers the supports to grow? Kama is wish. These creepers grow with their support. The monkeys called the mind are forever jumping and moving about. They waste the entire daytime in wasteful roaming. In the night they cannot see. Then they cannot find any fruits. Observe some monkeys. See how greedy and fickle-minded they are. They are very possessive. They do not share even with their own young ones. That is a fault. You offer fruits to the monkeys and observe. Its face and jaws are all stuffed and still is not satisfied. It reaches for more and keeps everything for itself.

Many people asked what the purpose of this life is. The goal of life is to ensure that rebirth does not occur. One has to realize that life is filled with unhappiness. It is an illusion that life has happiness to offer. Regardless of what each one’s circumstance is, it is a result of past actions/karma. Only those who make an effort to avoid rebirth are the wise ones in this world.

The mind, like a computer chip, remembers all of our previous desires. These desires create the body and this world so that those desires can be fulfilled. We need to delete all the desires form the mind. Otherwise virus will affect us. We will get caught in this never ending cycle of births and deaths.

How to use this mind computer? Many youngsters misuse the computers. Use the time well. This lifetime is great. Utilize this life itself to get Janma rahitya/end of births. Make this the last Janma/lifetime by listening to Yoga Vasishtha and by following the guidance of Sadguru and great souls.

Time always runs. You use your time well. Your life span is getting wasted. The animals called mental movements do not realize it, that they are not gaining any benefit by this preoccupation with desires, restlessness, and tension. Many people claim to enjoy these in their life constantly. Unless they create problems for themselves, they are not satisfied. The monkeys are not gaining any benefit. In spite of constant wanderings, they do not get any fruits. We do not gain the benefit of taking this birth. Based on all earned merit we got this human birth.

If we waste it without gaining the fruit, then this life is wasted. The fruit is the bliss of Self-realization. If you allow the mind to wander about without proper direction, you lose the reward that you could achieve in this lifetime itself.

Without discretion, without rest, without a goal, if you allow your mind to roam about aimlessly, you are wasting the opportunity given to you. One must remain composed and restrained at all times, whether good things happen or bad things happen.

This incident happened in my younger days. One elderly scholar was waiting for Swamiji’s darshan since early in the morning. Swamiji called him in the afternoon after he had waited for a long time. He felt very happy at being called, and began running to meet Swamiji. As ran, his foot touched/kicked Sri Sachchidanandeswara Swami/Siva Linga. But he ran ahead to meet Swamiji. Either he did not realize that he touched the deity with his foot, or he neglected to acknowledge it and offer an apology. He did not stop to bow before the Lord for the mishap. After the interview, Swamiji told the scholar, on your way out, have darshan of Sri Sachchidanandeswara. The scholar said I am coming from there. I already had darshan. Swamiji repeated his instruction. Swamiji looked at me because he knew what had happened. Would Swamiji be happy if someone’s foot touches Siva?

In the movie, Datta Darshanam, in Kartaveeryarjuna’s story, they show the incident very beautifully. In the excitement of going hunting, the king did not care that his clothing knocked down a figure of a cow. He carried on, and ended up with big trouble by forcibly taking away the cow Surabhi from Sage Jamadagni, an arrogant action that led to his death.

Inside the mind, a sound occurs when the objects of the world touch the senses. Great souls are not touched or affected by it. When they experience success, pride and arrogance do not touch them.

We have to put that principle into practice. Sri Rama is a Maha Veera. He is a Maha Shoora – the most courageous and valiant person.

A great warrior is he, who has controlled the wave called the mind in this ocean called the world. In happiness also, one should not lose control of oneself.

Even in good fortune, one has to exercise self-control and not get over-excited. Do not indulge in pride when you attain success. If you get good fortune, you should share it with others. That is what great souls do. When attractions appear before them, they do not lose their self-control. They are not perturbed whether they face good fortune or misfortune. There is no need to be affected by the happenings of the world. The great ones are not disturbed, whatever happens. That is their nature. Rama’s nature and Sadguru’s nature are like that. We simply prostrate to them and walk away. But the meaning of offering our prostration is that we pray that we rise to their level. Every day the Life History of Swamiji and biographies of other great souls should be read and pondered about for us to receive their good influence.

Many people are praised as great souls. Karna has many virtues. Yet, Yudhishthira is praised and not Karna. Karna may be great but he strayed away from dharma. Karna can never be equal to Yudhishthira because of his leanings towards Adharma/unrighteousness. Yudhishthira is a manifestation of Dharma. That is what makes him great.

Many virtues are seen in many people. But even if 1% of adharma is there in them, it brings them down and ruins the lives. They may be very valiant in the battle field. They may be victorious in war. But the real valiant ones are those who can control their minds. He, who can win over this ocean called mind and body is truly valiant, says Sri Rama.

In youth, men fight wars. Dasaratha said he was too old to fight wars. In all stages of life, those who are in control of their minds are the heroes. Even in the face of the vilest of temptations, those who control themselves are the truly great ones, says Kalidasa in a beautiful verse. This principle needs to be followed in this day and age. Especially the youth should practice this. There are all kinds of attractions out there. But if you attach your mind to Sadguru you will be able to control yourself. Water only flows down a slope. But the mind is more subtle and more powerful than water. It can also flow upwards or in any direction. Only Sadguru can keep it under control.

No action in this world will give repose and rest. Only exhaustion results from any effort. Not everyone who performs actions gains the result that is expected. In a Saligrama if you recognize Vishnu’s divine presence, then your worship will yield results. Veda categorically states that. What you do knowing the fact and what you do unknowingly are different in the results obtained from them.

I do not find in this world such useful actions because all actions are performed with greed, says Sri Rama. You act with greed and that prevents you from obtaining the good result. Unless you feel that you are doing abhishekam on the head of Maha Vishnu, you will not gain the benefit of worshiping the saligrama. If you treat it as a small stone, you will not gain benefit. Only Jnana/knowledge will yield good results.

Going to heaven is like changing homes. There is no great gain in it. There is no sorrow there. But the stay in heaven is very transient. Even the comforts of heaven should be considered as insignificant and undesirable.

A bit of Jnana and a bit of karma is not a good combination. This is a very preliminary stage. It does not lead to liberation. Jnana alone leads to liberation. Self-realization does not occur by performing rituals and gaining accomplishments through actions.

We must remember this point very well.

In this world nothing equals knowledge. We must remove our ignorance and fill our hearts with knowledge. That is what Sri Rama is teaching us.

Sri Guru Datta