AvadhootaDatta Peetham

Discourse on Yoga Vasishtha

Day 46, September 4

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

We have completed the 23th sarga called Kalapavada. Now we begin the next 24th sarga Kaala Vilaasa.

We have learned much about the form of Time. Here we speak about the play or sport of Time. What he does, when, and how is unimaginable. All the deities are the progeny of Time. Somewhere in the lineage way down below are we humans.

Swamiji’s bhajan describes in the bhajan:
Parabrahma Jaayaam – Mother Goddess, the consort of Parabrahman as Illusion/Maya.

Paramatma is the king and Illusion is His queen. Their son is Time. He is the crown prince. Sri Rama narrates the story of this crown prince. His strange features are given thus: Time’s only pastime is hunting. All those who have fallen into delusion, are hunted by Time in this dilapidated jungle called this world where everything is dying.
There are 3 times of Pralaya, individual and communal.

Pralaya is an ocean that is in a corner of the recreational lake for Time. In it like a lotus blooms the Badabagni/Fire that burns up everything and everyone.

Time sets out in the morning eating a famous concoction: left over rice mixed in a *** with milk, curds, some onions (optional), and a pickle wrapped in a cloth that is dipped into it. This *** is hung from the ceiling. This *** has a very strong and peculiar taste and flavor. It is said to make one very strong. This is the main meal for farmers and laborers. It gives strength and energy for a long time. It sustains for long. It has a combination of tastes of sweet, sour, pungent, and hot. The creatures of this world are the mixed tastes contained in this *** of strange mixture. Time begins his day by eating this meal. He mixes the oceans of milk and curds with his meal. What he eats for lunch, no one knows.

Time has a wife called the dreaded night, Chandi. She is worshiped as Kaalaraatri on Durgashtami day. She roams in the forest called this world, like a tiger, consuming the creatures. She is accompanied by the Maatrika Ganas/the female energies. Those who have trouble grasping the concept of spirituality in terms of Time and so on, worship this deity. With that they understand the frightening concepts.

We have to invest our time in gaining knowledge about Time. Wisdom is the interest that we earn on our investment. We are studying Yoga Vasishtha. This is a worthwhile investment.

Kaalaraatri has the power to destroy all evil spirits. This Kalaratri is only an example. Millions of such are in the company of Mother Goddess as described in the Lalita Sahasranama in the name “Kalaratri saktyaughavrtaa snigdhaudanapriyaa”. One aspect of God is Time. If we are merged in God, we need not fear Time.

Our earth is the liquor mug for Time. Earth naturally has a fragrance/Gandham. For added flavor Time adds the oceans to it along with lotuses.

Now, the incarnation of Narasimha Swamy is remembered. In the Linga Purana it is described. In the Bhagavatam Lord Narasimha is only described as the protector of Prahlada. He later gets blessed by Lord Datta.

The battle between Kala Purusha and Narasimha Swamy is described.

Later stories in other scriptures describe that the fury of Narasimha never diminished. Because of the lion’s head, Vishnu’s rage was not getting subdued. He began playing furiously with the cosmos. Siva was approached by the celestials to calm down Vishnu. Siva then assumed the Sarabheswara Swami form and a fierce battle ensued between Him and Vishnu. It was never ending. Vishnu is naturally of a peaceful nature and is not accustomed to assuming an enraged form. Out of love for the small child Prahlada, he assumed this form and attributes which are not familiar to Him. Siva, wishing to end the discomfiture of Vishnu due to the continuing fury of Narasimha, which he was trying to end but was failing to do so, held this form of Narasimha in His hands and twirled it and flung it far away as if it were a small bird. The discussion of who is the stronger between the two is irrelevant.

Maha Kala held this Narasimha Swamy as a hunter holds a captive bird. Narasimha was a form assumed by Vishnu for a specific purpose. It was meant to be given up. People worship Narasimha as Lakshmi Narasimha or yoga Narasimha. One does not simply worship the Ugra/furious Narasimha form. Those who worship that form also are initiated into the Rudra Mantra. Both mantras have to be combined.

Time is described as playing beautiful Veena music. The round part of the Veena is the Brahmanda – the entire cosmos. In the Viswaroopa Sandarsana/vision of the Universal Form in the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna describes Himself as Kala/Time for the purpose of consuming all creation in totality.

As the form that grants us pure spiritual knowledge, this Veena playing form of Time is pleasing.

Maha Bhairava Swami/Siva who went to subdue the Furious Narasimha, was played with like a limp bird in the hands of Time.

I do not feel like skipping any verses. But when I pick up a verse, I do not feeling like rushing through it. My intention initially was to complete the Vairagya Prakarana during the Chaturmasya. It is God’s will as to how far I will succeed. At the end of the Prakarana there is some very useful information that I would like to share with all of you.

Kodanda is his bow. Its purpose is only killing. Its twang is eternally sounding. We must live our lives as if we constantly are aware of that sound of Time. We must always maintain a time sense. We must never waste any time. His arrows are the sorrows for our sins and pleasures for our merits. Without them we will not get swallowed by Time.

Time will find us wherever we may try to hide. One should not try to hide from Time. It is not possible to do so. The demons tried and failed several times to escape death. We can avoid death only by following Sadguru. Only with Jnana/spiritual wisdom death by Time can be avoided.

The last verse is in a different poetic meter to describe Time as a hunter who cannot be escaped from, no matter what you do, or where you go. He sits, he runs, and he destroys; such Time hunts down the creatures that are fickle-minded like monkeys. Time’s activities are all described here in this short sarga.

The next 25th sarga is Kritaanta Vilaasa.

The crown jewel of all cruel deeds is Yama/Death. He is called daivam and Kala. Paramatma is divided into three. The results of karma are created and conveyed to us. All the ignorant people are consumed by death. The enlightened ones are spared by death. Time has no power to touch the enlightened ones. We must make every effort to get out of the cycle of birth and death. The entire cosmos is Time’s dancing stage.

Indra and other celestials also are under the control of Time. Their time scale is different from ours. Indra also cuts a birthday cake every year. His days and years are much longer than ours. He is also bound by Time. Whenever Indra forgets the principle of Time he falls to the earth and receives initiation from Lord Dattatreya. In Suchindram the Mahalakshmi Mantra was instructed to him.

1. Maha kala 2. Kriya kala 3. Kritanta Kala.

One is the boss, the next is the subordinate who does all the work and the third is Yama, the god of Death.

There are many bad sports. Aparaha is another Kala/Time who is the actual destroyer who grants each creature mercilessly the results of the actions performed.

These are the 3 divisions of Paramatma. Krita anta is Death, the one who ends our existence. His job is killing. That is his sole duty. He is totally dedicated to his task. He is called Yama.

He wears the attire of a Kapalika, he is pictured as being black. The Kapalikas practice the strangest and the most dreaded rituals. In science it says that we all disappear into the black hole. But all that there is, is only light as per Vedanta. Those who cannot see the light, imagine it as a dark hole.

Kritanta’s wife is Niyati. It means discipline/rules and regulations. Whatever work is done, by whichever creature, that is not its stipulated duty, the consequences have to be experienced without fail.

Kritanta’s sacred thread is Adi Sesha, the white serpent who bears the weight of the entire earth. How is this planet supported in space? The energy that supports it is Adi Sesha.

Once, the sacred thread is worn on the left shoulder and once, it is worn on the right side, and they keep changing the position in certain rituals, as per the auspicious or inauspicious rituals. On the left shoulder it is for good rituals. On the right shoulder, it is for the inauspicious rituals. Kritanta controls both types. His chest is all the three worlds. He wears this sacred thread over his chest. This vivid description places him clearly before our mind’s eye. His forearm has two bracelets which are the Sun and the Moon. There is a beautiful lotus in his hand which represents the entire Cosmos. He twirls it gently and gracefully. This is the picture of Kala Purusha. This is to help our imagination. The scope and the relationship between Creation, Time, and Paramatma/Supreme Soul are conveyed to us through this word picture.

His clothing in his Kapalika attire is the entire sky. It is like a big blanket with a hole at the top. He drapes it over his head and ties the strings.

“Sripada Vallabha Digambara” – if this chant is repeated, any curse by any serpent will be voided. That is the most severe curse. Contemplating on God in His Digamabara form is the best remedy. In Ganagapura rituals are conducted and chants are performed for this purpose. One single garment is worn by Kritanta and that is Space. One small string holds it around his waist. They add glitter to clothing. Like that, on his garment are stuck the stars which are found glittering like gems.

Samvarta clouds are the borders to the cloth. How does he wash this cloth? In the end when all the oceans merge to become one, in the final deluge, he washes his clothing. That is the only time when his garment gets washed. At that time all the countless Suns merge to become one Sun. All this water then gets dried up and so does his washed vast cloth. Afterwards the seven seas get re-created.

His wife Niyati will be dancing in front of him. It is an endless dance. All our actions are her dance. The entire cosmos is dancing. When the time is up, the dance ends and everything gets *** into Time. The Yama Danda, the staff of Yama is eternally and firmly established. The entire Creation is supported by this staff of Yama.

Yama and Niyati are the dreaded couple and their form is described. Countless Subrahmanya Swamis and other deities are mixed into this form. In front of Paramatma, this entire form is like but a tiny mustard seed.

Sri Guru Datta