Yogah Karmasu Kaushalam 2w1g1h

Yogah Karmasu Kaushalam. By

Swami Akhandananda Saraswati. (Work done dexterously to please Bhagwan is Yoga. Remain established in equanimity as you carry out your duties. This is the method for becoming free of the bondage of the fruits of your actions. This is ‘Yogah Karmasu Kaushalam’.)

Discourse 1. A farmer was tilling his field. It was mid-day. His wife had not brought the buttermilk she normally did at that time. The farmer took his oxen to rest under the shade of a tree and began to walk among the trees at the edge of his field. A large bird bumped into him suddenly. He caught it and took it to the market. He got an unexpectedly high price for it, since it was a valuable bird. ‘I get very little return for all my hard work,’ he thought. ‘It is much better to wander among the trees and sell any birds that I can catch.’ The man decided to stop farming. He began to wander about in the forest all day. The result was that he had to sell even his house and his wife’s jewelry. This was because he stopped doing his work of farming, which was a dependable source of income, and tried to make easy money on the chance of catching exotic birds.

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It is not proper to believe that fate will give good fortune out of the blue. It is the duty of every person to carry out his ordained work. Everything is the vilaasa (luxury) of paurusha (valour; enterprise). The Gita is a grantha (treatise) on paurush. It is such a wonderful philosophy that it leaves no scope for anyone to remain inactive and indolent. A human being should definitely carry out his duties. In fact, the Gita says that giving up your duty is a sign of klaibya (infertility). The Gita uses this very word. Klaibyam maa sma gamah paartha naitattvayupapadyate`, kshudram hirdayadaurbalyam tyaktvottishtha parantapa. (2. 3) (Therefore, O Arjuna, do not reach the stage of becoming barren like a eunuch. Discard this weakness of heart and stand up, and fight your enemies.) I had gone to meet a Mahatma. I told him, ‘It is too much for me to do aasana-praanaayaama (Yogic exercises – breath control exercises).’ He scolded me saying, ‘You are a Brahmin, you are young and educated and healthy. If you don’t do asana-pranayama, are the animals and birds to do them?’ One Mahatma had come to Calcutta for a few days. I wrote to him, telling him that doing saadhana-bhajana (methods for spiritual progress – meditating lovingly on Bhagwan) was too cumbersome for me. He sent me the same shloka (Sanskrit verse) in reply, telling me not to be a napunsaka (eunuch)! He told me that I should have veerya (manliness; virility) in my life. The word ‘veera’ comes from ‘veer’, 2

meaning a courageous warrior, and means bravery. If there is no courage in life, it becomes weak. Strength is essential. The Shastras (ancient books on religion) say that people don’t speak ill of someone who has lost a limb; they criticize a person who lacks strength of mind. If a human being lacks paurusha, what is he worth? Whether it is a man or a woman, Bhagwan abides in all, in the form of paurush. ‘Paurusham nrishu’ (9. 8) means, ‘I am the paurush in the purusha (human being).’ Life becomes futile without paurush. This gross physical form we have is a gift from Bhagwan. A young man went to a friend of his father and said, ‘My father has left me with nothing. I cannot get a job. There is no money in the house. What am I to do? I shall starve to death.’ ‘Look, my boy,’ said the old man. ‘Your father had great assets. He has told me about them. If you want, you can sell them. I can help you, if you wish.’ ‘I don’t have even a small coin, leave alone great assets!’ said the boy. ‘What will I sell?’ ‘Don’t worry. Come tomorrow.’ When the young man went to his father’s friend the next day, the old man said, ‘Take ten thousand rupees from me and sell me your legs.’ ‘Rama-Rama! How can I sell my legs?’ exclaimed the boy. ‘All right, take twenty thousand rupees and sell me your hands.’ ‘How can I ever sell my hands?’ 3

‘Then take fifty thousand and give me both eyes.’ ‘The boy was aghast at the thought of selling his eyes. ‘I am prepared to give you a hundred thousand rupees for your head,’ continued the old man. Wealth does not mean only gold and silver! Our body is the greatest wealth we have. ‘Bade` bhaaga maanusha tana paayo’ – it is our great good fortune that we have been given a human form. It is wonderful! Amazing powers have been developed by humans. No other species has an intellect that can compare to a human’s. No animal can extract perfume, cook food, become a great artist, weave fabrics and stitch all kinds of clothing. It is only the human beings who can do all these and much more. No other species composes music with all its variety of rhythm, notes and instruments. This is the special ability of the human form. Deer, horses, elephants, cows, etc live just as they did ten thousand years ago. None of them built houses, but humans invented so many things. Now they are preparing to go to the moon! This is the intelligence of the human beings, not given to any other species. The meaning of this is that the chid-bhaava (the feeling of consciousness) is more developed in the human race than any other kind of being. The ts in our fingers give us the ability to create beautiful and unique objects that no other species can do. Now see the effulgence of aananda-bhaava (the feeling of joyfulness). The effulgence of the sad-bhaava (the feeling of being alive) is called the power to do work. The effulgence of chid-bhava is intelligence, and the effulgence of anand-bhava is the myriad of ways we express 4

happiness by, like a slight smile, a broad smile, a little laugh, a gurgle of laughter, roaring with laughter, etc. No other species can smile or laugh the way we do. Buddhi Yoga. Three things should definitely be present in the life of a human being. If there is karma (any work or activity) in your life, take it that sad-bhava has manifested in your life. You can influence whoever you want. The buddhi (intellect) has the capacity to retain culture of the past, but it should also have the capacity to get a vision of the future. We should evaluate the effect of our actions on our life. This point should be kept in mind when we work; in fact, we should think about it before we start the work. What will be the result if a person lacks the ability to calculate this? ‘What are the possible consequences of the work I am about to do? How will it affect my future? How will my friends and associates react to it? What effect will it have on the entire Nation?’ Those who cannot – or do not – evaluate this, blunder in their decision making. It is vital to keep these things in mind. If you neglect doing this, your karma will not have anand-bhava. You will not enjoy the work, and your work will not be done as well as it would, had you worked with greater interest. The method of working is to enjoy your work. You should not have fear when you work, and you should not feel fatigue when you start doing something. Any step taken out of fear is likely to go wrong. A person makes a loss and gets nervous. Out of fear he makes a rash investment, resulting in an even greater loss. Our intellect should always be alert. The Gita says that Buddhi Yoga (attaching the intellect 5

to Bhagwan) is Karma Yoga (working with a feeling of worship). The Gita is a grantha (book; treatise) that gives us the ability for right thinking). The Gita is the best guide for Buddhi Yoga. Our Gita is not a majbahi (of a particular sect) book. It is not for any one group of people. None of the religious sects give as much importance to the buddhi as much as the Gita does. In all the religious sects, the predominant factor is what the Acharya (Founder) of the sect has said. ‘This is what our Prophet has said,’ they say. ‘This is what the son of God has said.’ ‘This is what is written in our holy book.’ All of these are founded on faith and belief. No other religious philosophy tells us that we should use our intellect to decide what is right and then do what is right. Ashochyaananvashochastvam pragnaavaadaanshcha bhaashase`. (2. 11) (You speak as though you have pragnaa – right thinking – but you grieve for that, which is not to be grieved over.) Gataasoonagataasoonshcha naanushochanti panditaah. (2. 11) The Pundits (learned people who have assimilated the Shastras) are never steeped in sorrow. They never feel defeated. Sorrow does not defeat them, fear does not defeat them, and they never get blinded by their emotions. ‘Charaive`ti – charaive`ti’ – ‘Go head, go forth’, is the mantra of the vidvaana (Pundits). ‘Buddhiyogamupaashritya macchittah satatam 6

bhava (18. 57) – offer up all your actions to Me, using the of Buddhi Yoga, and let your mind always be turned towards Me.’ Buddhi Yoga is very dear to Bhagwan The utility of karma given in the Brahma Sutra and Vedanta Darshan includes the viewpoint of the Purva Mimansa school of thought. And that is, how to do the yagna-yaaga (rituals of offering oblations into the sacred fire). The Purva Mimansa discusses this. The Gita, however, discusses how we should work while interacting in this world, and how our karmas can be the best method for our kalyana (ultimate good fortune; enlightenment). Vedanta focuses on karmavaada (the principle of doing karmas and getting the fruits) as given by the Purva Mimansa. The Gita shows the path of kalyaana (great good fortune; salvation) by focusing on the methods of the Sankhya Darshan and Yoga Darshan schools of thought. Combining Karma and Buddhi. Yoga means Karma Yoga, and Sankhya means to give profound thought to something. We must have buddhi as well as karma in our life. If we were to only think deeply and not do anything, the buddhi would be wasted. If we were to go on working and give no thought to things, the karmas would be destroyed. Life should progress with a combination of karma and buddhi. Wake up – Arise! There is a story in the Mahabharata about a young Prince who was attacked by enemies when his father died. His Army was not very strong, and he was inexperienced. He ran away from the battle, came 7

to the Palace and went to bed in his room. His mother came to know that her son has run away from battle and gone to bed. The Queen went to the Prince’s room and woke him. ‘My son,’ she said, ‘you are a human being. You are not born to sleep. Pythons sleep all day. To forget to do your duty, or not remain alert, is a kind of slumber. Utthaatavyam jaagritavyam yoktavyam bhootikarmasu. Get up, my son.’ We should wake up and arise, and get involved in doing good things. Bhavishyateetye`va manah kritvaa satatam…………. Never give up the hope that the future will bring success. Even if you don’t succeed at first, you will succeed one day. Have zeal and hope, and the faith that there is a power that is helping you, and that power is connected to your heart. If that connection is broken person’s life will lose its meaning. There is a great power-house that gives shakti (power) to our heart and actions. If we keep our hridaya (heart) connected to it we will keep getting new thoughts, new ideas, and new karmas. The Queen told the Prince, ‘My son, losing a battle is not so important. Defeat and victory are a part of life. However, it is not right for a human being to sit helplessly if he fails to succeed in something. You are a human being; the Parameshwara abides in you in the form of the jeeva (the Atma attached to a body; an individual soul). You can never be defeated. You must work.’ ‘What work can I do?’ asked the Prince. ‘There is no Army. There are no resources.’ 8

‘Gather all the downfallen and lowly people who have been disdained by society. Give them respect. Gather the poor, lowly and downfallen people and form a new Army. Then fight your enemy. You will surely succeed.’ This story is given with great clarity in the Udyoga Parva of the Mahabharata. The Prince took his mother’s advice. His Army defeated the enemy and he won back his kingdom. Siddhi (success) comes from karma. Therefore, nobody should feel disheartened and lose hope. The Gita inspires us to do karma. It starts with Shri Krishna telling Arjuna to do his duty as a warrior, and concludes with Arjuna telling Shri Krishna, ‘I will obey You.’ ‘Kutastvaa kashmalamidam vishame` samupasthitam (2.2) – the despondency in your heart is not appropriate. It is connected to the wrong object,’ said Shri Krishna. ‘Dharmyaaddhi yaddhaacchre`yonyat kshatriyasya na vidyate` (2. 31) – nothing is more beneficial for a Kshtriya than to fight in a war of Dharma (that, which is right; eternal righteousness).’ Similarly, studying the Vedas is the most beneficial karma for a Brahmin, and trading for a Vaishya (trader class). In this, the point is that everyone should do their ordained duty, their Dharma. It is a fact that a person should have the eligibility for the karma. That eligibility is that he should not succumb to greed. If he gets ensnared in bhoga (sensual indulgences; worldly pleasures) his karma will get scattered. He should remain serene, but he should not give up doing his ordained duties because of avarice for profit or pleasure. 9

The Gita reveals that competence which is vital for a human being, if he is to do karmas. The first point is that it is not possible for anybody to attain success unless they do work. Na karmanaamanaarambhaanaishkarmya purushoshnute`, na cha sanyasanaade`va siddhim samadhigacchati. (3. 4) No karma can be done by becoming a Babaji (retire from activity); nor can anyone attain the personal, direct experience of the Brahman by giving up work. Karmanaiva hi sansiddhimaasthitaa janakaadayah. (3. 20) (Raja Janak and others also attained enlightenment by working without worldly consideration.) Up to date, whoever has attained any siddhi in this world has done so through work. Utsaaha (zeal) is necessary to do karma. So are hope and steadfastness. You should not turn away from your duty because of petty or even major obstacles. You should be steadfast in carrying out your Dharma (what is right for you). A person who endeavors earnestly will get Laxmi (Grace and prosperity). ‘Udyoginam purushasinhamupaiti lakshmeeh.’ Lazy people say, ‘The Ishwara will give me this. The Devta (a presiding deity, or divine power) will fulfill my wish. My destiny will provide for me. Fate will grant it. Nature will bring it,’ etc. The Satpurushas (people who adhere to the Satya) obtain everything through their own efforts. 10

Raja Janak and other great men achieved spiritual success through working unselfishly. Our Shastras describe how Vishvamitra created a whole new world through tapasyaa (severe asceticism). He had made a resolve to create a new world. This was the strength of his saadhanaa (effort for spiritual progress). To do tapa means to endure hardship for fulfilling your ordained duty, and prevent your mana (emotional mind) and indreeya (five senses and five organs of action) from becoming uncontrolled. The shakti (power; force) in our life is reduced unless this is done. A person who can’t control his hand is likely to do things that are wrong, and a person who can’t control his feet is likely to go where he should not. A person who cannot restrain his lust will indulge in immoral activities, and a person who cannot control his tongue will eat all sorts of things. The capacity for achieving anything flows away along with unrestrained indreeyas and mana. A person can achieve whatever he wants if he stops them from getting scattered and wasted. The same thing is seen in Arjuna’s life. At first he became so dejected that he flung down his bow and arrows. ‘I will do nothing,’ he declared. ‘Neither will I string my bow, nor place an arrow on it. I will not participate in this war.’ What is the Ishwara’s pre`ranaa (inspiration; stimulus) at this? The Gita is the teaching given by the Ishwara to Arjuna. The fact is, Bhagwan has urged all beings – not only humans – to do karmas. The Gita is not a teaching for only Arjuna; it is for all. The Ishwara is telling all beings to work, not to be idle, to do their ordained duty. Bhagwan is 11

giving a teaching to every heart that we should not turn away from action. Those who do bhakti should continue to do bhakti. Those who do shravana-manana (listen to and assimilate spiritual discourses – ponder upon them) should continue to do shravan-manan. Those who conduct rituals like Yagna-Yaaga (offering oblations into the sacred fire) should continue with their rituals. Those who do poojaa (ritual worship of Bhagwan’s image) should continue doing puja. Nobody should sit idle or waste their life. You should continue on the path of your work with faith. Make a Sankalpa. There is a story given in a book that was written about two thousand years ago. Although it is just a story, it gives us an inspiration. Shri Gaudapad Acharya has written about it in his grantha (treatise). There was a titihari (a kind of bird) who laid her eggs on the shore of the sea. A large wave swept away the eggs. The little bird did not sit and cry over her misfortune. She did not sit with the birds that came to offer their condolences. She set to work at once. She would pick up sea water in her beak and fly to dry land and drop the water there. The birds that came on a visit of condolence started to her activity, to extend a helping hand to her effort. The titihari had made a firm sankalpa (resolve) to dry up the sea! Just think of it! Can a little bird ever succeed in drying up a sea? However, her little heart had so much determination that she paid no heed to the birds who told her that it was a futile effort; she merely went on filling sea water in her beak and dropping it over dry land. 12

Birds from all over the country and other lands came to help when they heard of this valiant effort. What a great resolve, courage, and determination that bird had! The news reached Garudaji (the great eagle on whom Bhagwan Vishnu rides). He is the King of the Kingdom of birds. ‘Millions of birds are working to help this small bird. Let me go and see,’ he thought. He came to the sea shore. The meaning of this story is that when someone embarks on any work with a strong determination, help and cooperation always come to his aid. He also gets the buddhi (thinking) that guides him correctly. The only delay is in taking up the task with zeal. Once this is done, people come to give guidance and help. Garudaji came. He heard the whole story. ‘Very well,’ he said. ‘O Samudra (sea)! Such a large number of my people are working to dry you up, but you disdain their efforts! I will show you!’ He thrashed the sea with his great wings. The Samudra became agitated. He brought out the eggs and placed them before Garudaji. The little bird got her eggs back! The purport of this story is, have a sankalpa to achieve the greatest of goals, and get started with all your energy. People will come forward. You will get help and proper guidance in whatever you undertake, and you will achieve your goal. Only, your enthusiasm should not falter. Bhagwan says, ‘My dear, intelligent children! Get up! Become aware, and light up agni (the fire that gives effulgence and energy) in your life. Be bright like the fire. Spread brightness. Don’t allow yourselves to 13

become disheartened under any circumstances. Go forth. Proceed with zeal!’ Ayam me` hasto bhagavaan. This mantra is from the Rig Veda. There was a Rishi (Seer) called Subandhu. He came and raised his hand and said, ‘Ayam me` hasto bhagavaan – this hand of mine is the Ishwara. Ayam me` hasto bhagavattara – this hand of mine is greater than the Ishwara. And, ayam shivaabhimarshanah – I am close to Shiva!’ This is from the ‘Subandhu Suktam’. ‘Whoever is touched by this hand of mine gets kalyana (salvation). It accomplishes whatever it takes up. My hand can do what even the Ishwara cannot.’ And, ‘Ayam me` hasto bhagavaana. Ayam me` hasto bhagavattara,’ uttering these words the Rishi touched a man who had died. The man came back to life. There is electricity within us, within our hand, and that is the shakti of the buddhi. Where does it come from? It comes from the Parameshwara, who is the storehouse of infinite shakti. Sakama or Nishkama.

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Shri Krishna urges us to work. He is Bhagwan. We can have greed, but it should be kept controlled. We should indulge it only to the extent that it does not make us do anything unethical. We blunder when we do anything out of fear. It is like progressing steadily when we walk carefully. There is every chance of a fall if we are inattentive. We may step unwarily and fall on our face or on our back. In our work, too, we must careful about our every action. The buddhi should plan for the future. Work should be done with desire, but there should also be some activity in life that is done without selfish considerations. The things we do that are not motivated by selfish desires are pavitra (pure). What karmas are these? I will tell you about them in brief. For example, we do the japa (ritual chanting) of the Gayatri Mantra. Someone asked, ‘What do we get by chanting the Gayatri Mantra?’ I was once sitting in my ht at the Paramhansa Ashram in Vrindavan. Shri Hathi Babaji came and sat down beside me. A Seth (wealthy businessman) was also sitting there. He asked me, ‘Swamiji, what is the benefit of saying “Rama-Rama”?’ I did not say anything, because Hathi Baba was present and greatly elder to me – he was nearly a hundred years old. He said, ‘Swamiji, is this man a baniyaa (trader)?’ ‘Yes, Maharaj,’ I said.

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The indication was that it the mentality of a trader to think about the profit in everything he does. The man wanted to know whether there was anything to gain by chanting the name of Shri Rama! Should there not be even ten minutes in the life of a human being that are free of material considerations? Not twenty four hours, but let there be at least ten or fifteen minutes in your day that have no worldly considerations, worldly attachments, and worldly desires. Can you not spare even a few minutes for doing your duty or some unselfish work? Our lifestyle has become spoilt. We should, therefore, continue to do our kartavya karma (things that are our moral duty), but without moha (deluded thinking due to attachments), without any of the greed or avid desires that curtail our spiritual progress. The quintessence of the Gita is that we take one step at a time as we proceed, and that we avoid getting ensnared in anything that tempts us to stray from the path of righteousness. Bhagwan Shri Krishna motivates us to work, but work with pavitrataa (purity, according to the Shastras), nirbhayataa (fearlessness), and aashaa (hope). When we talk of working with nishkaamataa (without any selfish interest) it is sometimes misunderstood badly. We see people who claim to be nishkaama karmee (people who claim to be free of personal desires when they work) have a baby each year. Their income is from dubious sources. What sort of nishkamata is this? They don’t seem to give any thought to this! The other point is that karma should have a purpose, a goal. No work is purposeless. Prayojanamanuddishya na mandopi pravartate`. 16

(Even a fool does not do any work unless he has a reason for doing it.) Prayojan or Kamana? Even the most foolish person has a prayojana (purpose; reason) for what he does. Where will this work take us? There should always be a good reason for what we undertake to do. The viewpoint of kaamanaa (desire) is different. This is why Bhagwan has said that you should decide first of all what your kartavya (right action; duty) is, and where your action will take you to. What is the purpose of kartavya-paalana (carrying out your duty)? There is no need to think about why you need to serve and take care of your parents; that is something that must be done. It is your ordained duty. ‘What will I get by doing the daily ritual of Sandhya Vandan?’ There is no need to think about this either. Sandhya Vandan is a duty that your father did, and your grandfather before him. From where did the thought crop up in your mind as to why you should do it? This indicates that you think your elders were fools, they were agnaanee (lacking in Gnan). People consider themselves to be very clever and wise. They question, ‘Why should this be done?’ Sandhya Vandan is not a useless activity. Doing rituals like Sandhya Vandan keeps us connected to our elders of the past. We get an inner strength from it. The shraddhaa (faith) in our heart keeps increasing. It is indeed sad that more and more people are giving up the daily lifestyle prescribed by our Shastras. These are actions done with a nishkaama bhaava (feeling of unselfishness).

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What do you do, during the time you should be doing Sandhya Vandan? Do you go into a Samadhi, do Bhagwan’s bhajan (think lovingly about Bhagwan), or go to the Club? Do you play cards, eat and drink or some other activity to the time? It can only be called an irony that a human being gives up a daily practice of five and ten minutes and wastes it in idleness or harmful pastimes. Karmanye`vaadhikaaraste` maa fale`shu kadaachana. (2. 47) (You are entitled only to doing the work; not to its fruits.) It is important to pay attention to what Bhagwan is telling us. You may be aware of why you are doing this work, but you should also give thought to why you should not do some things. To think, ‘Why shouldn’t I do this?’ is also a method of rational thinking. The second point is to be aware that prayojan is different and kamana is different. Desire crosses over the boundaries of what is right and proper, but purpose stays within the limits of decorum.

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Second Discourse. Two Departments: Gnan and Karma. A human being’s life has two departments – one dealing with his actions and the other dealing with his knowledge. The hands, feet, and other organs of action belong to the department of karma, whereas the eyes, ears and other organs of knowledge belong to the department of Gnan. The sanskaara (subtle subconscious impressions) of priyataaapreeyataa (liking-disliking), ruchi-aruchi (inclination-disinclination for something) etc stay in the mana (emotional mind). There is also a department of the samanvaya (coordination) of Karma and Gnan in a person’s life. With the Vedantis, this is different, because their goal is to obtain the saakshaatkaara (direct personal experience) of the Atma that is at the root of both Karma and Gnan. In this, there is no need for Karma; the sakshatkar is obtained through Gnan alone. Where other objects are concerned, Gnan is the first requisite for obtaining anything. Karma is needed after that – there should be bhakti (loving devotion for Bhagwan). For the direct personal experience of the Atma, however, Gnan is the only requisite. (Here, Gnan means enlightenment). In this, there is no residue of any kartavya (doing our duty; doing that which is right for us). The relationship between Gnan and Karma is like the eye seeing the path before the feet walk on it. To see is Gnan and to walk is karma. If we catch something, it is karma, and to know whether the object is soft or hard is Gnan. We break off a flower with our hand, but it is the nose that tells us the difference between the fragrance of a rose and a 19

jasmine flower. The hand does not have the ability to give us this information. The nose is in the department of Gnan and the hand is in the department of Karma. The skin tells us whether an object is smooth or rough. The eye tells us what its color is. Our life contains a combination of Gnan and Karma. It will be a blind life if there is only karma and no Gnan in it. It will be the life of an infirm if here is only Gnan and no karma in it. Life should have samajhadaaree (proper understanding and balance) as well as paurusha-prayatna (valor-effort). Effort is blind without good judgment and intelligence is non-productive without effort. Andha-Pangu Nyaya. The andha-pangu nyaaya (the rightness of coordination between the blind and the lame) has been given clearly in the Sankhya Darshan (one of the six schools of thought). Both the blind and the lame should cooperate to achieve their common goal. We should work and we should also use our judgment. (Working means having limbs and judgment means having vision.) We should understand the situation and work. Proper evaluation and effort should go hand in hand. Two beggars lived in a town. One was blind and the other was lame. Both wanted to go to a pilgrim place where they would be given alms in plenty. The blind man would say, ‘How will I see the way?’ The lame man would say, ‘How can I undertake such a long journey?’ A friendship developed between them. The blind man took the lame man on his shoulders. The lame man told the blind man where to go. Thus, they reached their destination. Vivek and Sanyampoorvak Karma. 20

Some people know how to drive a car, but they know nothing about the working of the engine. When the car stops they get down and start looking for a mechanic or a driver who can repair the fault. Samajhdaaree (a proper understanding) are vital in life. Without samajhdaari work takes a wrong direction and gives the wrong fruit. The result is not good. Sankaracharyaji Maharaj has written about this. The Manu Smriti has a similar statement. Hyanadhyaatmavitkashchit kriyaafalamupaashnute`. How does our internal machinery work? How does the hand rise up at a command of the brain? How does the eye turn away from an unpleasant sight? How does the tongue speak, and how do desires arise in the mana (emotional mind)? A person who does not understand the inner workings of the mind will work with the body without understanding the reason fully. The car is running well, but it does not have a brake. The Police can book a driver who is driving a car that has no brakes – that will be called Narak (Hell). When a person cannot control his actions a messenger of Yama Raj (the presiding deity of death) will book him. Even if we don’t talk about what happens after death, an unrestrained person faces many hardships in life. He suffers just as what we imagine people in Hell suffer. Do you have the capacity for sanyama (self-restraint) or not? Sanyam is the brake in our lifestyle. Don’t say things that ought not to be said. Don’t do anything that should not be done. When sanyam is a part of your life your life will be vyavasthita (orderly; disciplined). 21

Whatever you may want to do, the work must be done with vive`ka (discrimination; accepting the right and rejecting the wrong). There was a Judge. He came and sat in his car. He did not tell the driver where to go, and the driver did not ask. He started the car and went to the places the Judge normally went to. The Judge forgot to tell the driver where he wanted to go. Under the circumstances, where will the car reach? If we don’t know our goal, our poor karmas become futile. Therefore, in karma (any action), one point is that vichaara (proper consideration) should be done about what we really want. For example, if you are thirsty you will make an effort to get water. If you get water but you are not thirsty, you will probably wash your hands, rinse your mouth, drink a little water and throw the rest away. An object is useful for the person who wants it. There is no need to make an effort to get the things you don’t want. The second point is to see whether you are capable of doing the work needed to achieve the object you are working for. A gentleman came to me. He wanted to stay with me. I wrote to the person with whom he was staying with before he came to me, and asked about the man. He wrote back, ‘The man’s only fault is that he wants to become a millionaire overnight. He is not interested in earning wealth through hard work.’ This is all he wrote. Do you have the knowledge needed to become a millionaire? Do you have the intelligence and the acumen and capacity for concentrated hard work? Suppose you want to do a Yagna (ritual where oblations are made into the sacred fire). You will need a learned Brahmin who can enunciate the correct mantras in the correct way. You will need guards to protect the Yagna, and tradesmen who will supply the materials 22

needed. You will also need laborers to clean up and do the heavy work. All four castes – the Brahmin, Kshtriya (warrior class), Vaishya (trader class) and Shudra (labor class) will need to be involved. The task of the Yagna is one, but it cannot be accomplished by one person. It is not possible for one person to utter the mantras, guard the Yagna, arrange for the materials and also do the heavy work. When the four castes unite to accomplish some work, it is called varna-dharma (the Dharma where each caste does their ordained duty). All four castes contribute to the successful completion of any task. Even in this, major mistakes are made at times. One man had four sons who were in constant disagreement. One said, ‘All of us should study the Vedas.’ The second son said, ‘No. We should get training in fighting and become soldiers.’ The third son said, ‘These are useless activities. We should do business and make a fortune.’ The fourth son said, ‘The easiest job is to become laborers and earn good wages without having any responsibility.’ They argued every day about what they should do. One day, they sat together with a resolve to reach a decision. ‘Let us do something that is a common duty for all four of us.’ They began to think about what common duty they had. Ultimately, they came to the conclusion that when their father died, it would be the duty of all four sons to lift his byre on their shoulders and take him to the burning ground for the last rites. ‘This is an ordained duty for us all,’ said one son. His brother quoted a popular saying, ‘Do today what you have to do tomorrow.’ The third brother quoted another saying, ‘Do now what you have to do in the afternoon.’ The four brothers got a byre and tied their father to it and 23

hoisted it on to their shoulders. The father was watching them all through. He knocked the sons on the head. ‘Fool! What do you think you’re doing?’ It is one thing for four brothers to work tly, and another thing altogether when they do stupid things together! Think about the Ability. You should evaluate your saamarthya (capacity) for the work you wish to undertake. The form of the aashrama-dharma (the duty of the people of the four stages of life) is separate for each Ashram. The work of the varna-aashrama (Varna means the caste and Ashram means the stage of life. There are four Varnas – the Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra. The Ashrams are also four – Brahmacharya, Grihastha, Vanaprastha and Sanyas) is when all four cooperate for the welfare of society. The same person’s life is divided, through the Ashram system. He first gives up the activity of Brahmacharya, which is leading the life of a celibate student, and accepts the Grihastha Ashram, the life of a married householder. Then he gives that up to accept the life of a Vanaprastha, meaning, turning away from the world, towards spirituality, when he reaches middle age. Then he gives that up to become a Sanyasi – a Monk. When the same person goes through four kinds of lifestyle, it is called the Ashram Dharma. Both the Ashram Dharma and the Varna Dharma contain sanskaara (subtle subconscious impressions, and rituals for creating good tendencies). People have to act according to their sanskaras. I am merely reminding you of this by the way. You want to do karma (some 24

work) but do you have the aptitude and the capacity, or not? If the four get together and cooperate, it is very good; if you do it alone it is very good; but it is vital that you do vichaara (give serious thought) to your saaamarthya (ability; competence). Karma with a Purpose. What will you have to do to obtain what you want? The svaroopa (true form; essence) of the karma should also be known. You must have a comprehensive blue print of the project before embarking on any work. You must have an accurate idea about all the aspects and components, like the machinery, safety measures, materials you will have to procure, etc. All this should be decided and planned for from before. What I am telling you is absolutely on the lines of the Yagna Shastra (the science of doing specific rituals of offering oblations into the sacred fire to evoke subtle powers for specific purposes). Then, you should consider the connection between the karma you propose to undertake and the fruit (result) it will give. Meaning, ‘How will I obtain what I want by doing this karma?’ You should have the Gnan about the prayojana (purpose; need) of the karma and its connection to your karma. Is the karma destructive or is it constructive? It is not enough to dismiss a suggestion as impractical; you must give an alternative. If one method is not good enough, you must find another, better method for achieving your objective. Just rejecting one suggestion without giving an alternative is not right. You must have the proper understanding between what you do and why you are doing it. You must be aware of the consequences of your work and actions.

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Therefore, ‘I have the capacity to obtain what I want. These are the things I need to do. And, when the production will begin, and what its quantity will be, etc’ must all be planned out beforehand. Otherwise you will work with great flourish, spend a huge amount in preparations, but the production will not start. I know many industrialists who spent so much on the construction and machinery that they were unable to run the factory. They had to sell it at a loss. So, all factors must be taken into before you embark upon any project. Shankaracharyaji says: Nahyanadhyaatmavit kashchit kriyaafalamupaashnute`. What is Nishkamata? If a person does not have a proper understanding of his own internal machinery how will he obtain sukha (happiness and contentment) from his actions? Sukha should come from the karma, not from the bhoga (sensual pleasure; enjoyment). This is the greatness of nishkaama karma (actions done without any worldly considerations). Do you feel happy when you drink water, or do you feel happy when you give a glass of water to someone who is thirsty? To feel happy when you quench your thirst is bhoga, and to feel happy when you help another to quench his thirst is karma. When karma gives you rasa (pleasure) it is nishkaamataa (being free of worldly considerations), and if you get rasa in enjoying its fruit, it is a sa-kaama karma (an action done with the desire of getting some fruit). We should get pleasure in doing a good deed. This pleasure, this nishkamata gives a deep satisfaction to your antahkarana (the fourfold mind composed of the 26

mana = emotional mind, buddhi = intellect, chitta = mental inclination, and ahankara = the subtle ego of individuality). When I read the Vedas the sound of the mantras touch the throat and the roof of the mouth. That creates a shower of sweetness, a shower of rasa. Is my vyaakhyaana (discourse) sakama or is it nishkama? The pleasure I get from talking is mine alone. It does not belong to anyone else. Your pleasure is that of listening. The shravana-gnaana (Gnan obtained by listening) enters the heart and gives pre`ranaa (inspiration; motivation). Mine was the karma (of speaking) and I got its rasa. Yours was the Gnan obtained by listening, and this Gnan will prompt you to do your kartavya when it reaches your heart. Gnan that does not inspire is called nirarthaka’ (meaningless; futile) by the karmee (people who believe in karma), but this is not what the Vedantis believe. Vedantis believe Gnan to be Gnan, but the Acharyas (Teachers) of the Karma Shastra consider Gnan completely useless if it does not give any inspiration for our life. They feel that such Gnan is nothing but a burden. Discipline in Karma. Let us accept that you have the necessary finance, ability, and knowledge, and are fit in every respect for the work you wish to accomplish. However, how disciplined are you in your speech? Does your tongue run away with you? Do you blurt out secrets unwittingly? Do you have the habit of acting impulsively – meaning, can you control your hand? Do you take whatever you feel like, and accumulate things? Do you succumb easily to temptation, meaning, are you ucchrinkhala (unrestrained)? 27

Undisciplined work does not lead to success. Karma does not mean unrestrained, impulsive action. There should be a maryaadaa (ethical framework; decorum) in whatever you do. I want to give you a vichaara (thought to ponder upon). Wealth is external. It stays in the Bank, Safe, or pocket. It may be given to someone for safekeeping. Shrama (work) stays in the body. Artha (wealth) is jada (insensate matter). It has no consciousness. However, the work done by our body has a combination of jadataa (lack of consciousness) as well as che`tanataa (consciousness). In fact, chetanata is predominant in karma. This means, work is greater than wealth. And, what is greater than work? It is the buddhi (intellect). The buddhi that controls the work is superior to the work itself. The niyantaa (one who controls) of work is in the place of the Ishwara, and inspires the buddhi. Work is done by the body. Worldly objects are outside. You should understand the importance of this. Even if you procure something by doing aatmahatyaa (killing your Self) by sullying your antahkarana, you cannot get happiness from it. What is the worth of some worldly pleasure if your heart is bitter and you feel heartbroken? Karma with Manoyoga. Karma should be done with manoyoga (wholeheartedly). Your heart and intellect should be attached to your work. Whatever you do, do it sincerely. Be alert and enjoy your work. If you consider your work to be

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a burden and want to finish it off in haste, the work will be spoilt. Your impatience will go with you in whichever activity you do next. Any task you wish to undertake should be done with manoyoga. Nobody has ever found peace by scattering their mana in several places. People read Western philosophy and interpret karma accordingly. They speak of psychology. I am speaking about our ancient methods of karma, because it is rare for you people to hear about them. According to our principle, whenever you do any work, that work is the Brahman. Brahmaarpanam brahm havirbrahmaagnau brahmanaa hutam, brahmaiva te`na gantavyam brahm karma samaadhinaa. (Gita 4. 24) (The Yagna in which the ladle, etc are the Brahman, the oblations are the Brahman, the doer is a form of the Brahman, the actions of putting oblations into the sacred fire – which is also a form of the Brahman – the Yogi established in that karma obtains the fruit that is the Brahman.) Karma is a form of the Brahman. Please understand this. When you do some work with your whole mind and heart that work is the Paramatma incarnate; it is not something separate. It is not a fragment of the whole. It is connected to the Parabrahm Paramatma as it is done. You would not be able to do the work unless it was connected to the Ishwara. I will tell you one he`tu (reason; purpose) for this.

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Somebody’s Ishwara said something and this srishti (world; creation) was created. The Ishwara said, ‘Kun’, and the world was created. Somebody’s Ishwara created this world and flung it away from Himself. The world fell into the seventh Heaven, and continues to fall. Our Shastras, however, are not connected to this globe. None of our ancient books have any geographical connection to our philosophy. Our philosophy is meant for all mankind. You will be surprised to hear that none of our Shastras – not the Kalpa Shatsra, nor the Dharma Sutra, nor the Grihastha Sutra, nor any other – have the word ‘Hindu’ or ‘Hindustan’ in them. None of the Darshans (schools of thought) – Vedanta, Mimansa, Sankhya, Yoga, Vaisheshik or Nyaya – say that they are for any particular caste, community, race, or geographical region. There is nothing divisive in them. The Vedic viewpoint is universal. Our ancient outlook says that the Brahman is the abhinna-nimitta-upaadaana (the cause that is also the instrument and the substance) of all that exists. What is in a pot? The clay the pot is made of is also the Brahman, and the potter who made it is also the Brahman. The one who has created this world also exists in the form of the world. Karma is Ishwara-puja. This is why moorti-poojaa (idol worship) becomes the puja of the Brahman. This is how the puja of the Guru, husband, and parents becomes the puja of the Brahman. This is the basic principle. The different sects that have come up have a different explanation. Why do you think I am saying this? 30

What this means is that the work you are doing, which is before your eyes, which you touch with your hand, which you do with your heart and mind, is the form of the poorna (whole within Himself) Parameshwara Himself. Since it is a form of the poorna Parameshwara, just see whether you are giving it your full attention or not. This is the Ishwara’s upaasanaa (loving worship). You sweep the floor. That is very good. Make sure that no corner is left dusty. Make sure that the food you cook doesn’t get burnt, that you don’t put in too much salt. This is the Ishwara’s upasana. You should work with such manoyoga, such concentration, that whatever you do becomes Karma Yoga. The purpose of karma should not be the worldly advancement of an individual; let the karma itself become the puja of the Ishwara. We have heard about great Mahatmas – ‘Jahaan jahaan chaloon soyee parikarma, jo-jo karaun so poojaa – my walking is a worshipful circumbulation of Bhagwan, and whatever I do is my puja.’ Why can’t this attitude be brought into our life? It is because our mana has become thin. Pay some attention to this – we work with our shareera (body) in one place and our mind in another. This is the twofold state of our mind. We work today and think about tomorrow. People who have deep impressions of the past think about the past while working in the present. Imaginative people work in the present and think about the future. The Departments of Thinking and Doing.

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Think about yesterday and think about tomorrow. There is nothing wrong in this. The fault is if you don’t apply your mind fully to the work you have in hand. Complete your work and then keep some time aside for thinking about the past and future. The time allocated for thinking about the past should be separate from the time allocated for thinking about the future. What will happen if you don’t allocate separate times? It is like going to meet someone, and he tells you that he is too busy to talk to you. Vichaara (thoughts) come to meet you, but you are occupied with something else. Somebody went to meet a gentleman. The visitor went with great affection, but the gentleman went on reading his newspaper as he talked to the visitor. Is this not bad manners? Put away the newspaper while you talk to your visitor and read it after he leaves. What is so urgent about the newspaper that you can’t wait a little? We should be refined and orderly in our work. People don’t get success if they are disorganized. They don’t get poornataa (being whole; fulfillment). Consider your work to be the saakshaat (incarnate) Parameshwara when you work. A time will come when men will have to do the cooking and the women will go to the office. The man will have to look after the home. Even now, in the region of Darjeeling, the women go to the forest to fetch firewood, cut grass, and do the marketing. The men stay at home and look after the children. This is their lifestyle. Is you mana fully on the work you do, or not? If you divide your jeevana (life) into two fields, it will tear. Mental disease will set in. 32

What is mental disease? It is ashaanti (absence of tranquility). If your mind is not set and settled, ashanti is bound to come. The work will not be done the way you want. One lady was making rotis (flat, unleavened bread) and thinking that she would go to the market that day. She was thinking of what kind of jewelry she would buy. The Bhagwan in the roti felt hurt. The roti became uneven and it got burnt. Why did that happen? Why did the roti feel upset? Because you are not making your roti wholeheartedly. I am not talking about a roti; I am talking about karma. Whatever work you are doing, it should be done with great pavitrataa (purity). I had read a story. I do not it accurately, but I will tell you what I . A Raja was going to meet a Mahatma who lived in another country. He wanted to ask the Mahatma which time is the best, which is the best person, and which is the best work. He was thinking about these questions as he went on his way, when he encountered his enemy on the road. A fight ensued, in which he wounded his enemy. Somehow, the enemy managed to reach the Ashram (hermitage) of the same Mahatma, before the Raja did. The Mahatma told the Raja, ‘Take off your turban and burn the cloth. Then wrap it round this man’s wound.’ A little later he told the Raja, ‘Get the man a glass of water, and then sit here and fan him gently. Take care of him at night.’

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When the Raja woke up next morning, he saw the Mahatma watering the shrubs outside the hut. ‘Maharaj,’ he said, ‘I came to ask you something.’ ‘You are a fool,’ said the Mahatma. ‘I am watering the plants and you stand there asking questions! Take water in a can and help me to water the plants.’ This is how the Mahatmas of the past spoke. These days they have to talk in a way that pleases people. People have got used to hearing themselves praised, and they get trapped by flatterers. Some of the Mahatmas are described as prashansaa-jeevi (those who live by flattery). Their source of income is the monetary gifts of the wealthy people they praise. The Mahatma engaged the Raja in watering the plants. When the work was over, the Raja asked, ‘Maharaj, my questions?’ ‘The way you spent last night was very good,’ said the Mahatma. ‘That time was the best time, because it was spent in doing something good. It is not that the lunar months of Vaishakh-Kartik are good, and Ekadashi is good. The work we do, the time we spend in doing something good is good. The way you spend today is good. What is the best work? It is what you have done today. Who is the best person? It is the person you serve. Which was the best work? It was watering the plants. When we use the time for sat-karma (doing good deeds) that time is called good. It is not that it is good to do homa (offer oblations into the sacred fire) and Ekadashi (the eleventh day in the lunar calendar) is the best time, and 34

Gandhiji or Nehruji are the best people. We should focus on the good in the person before us, and the work before us.’ The Effect of Karma on Future Generations. We see two or three generations of insanity in a family. Mentally imbalanced children are born because the mother drinks during pregnancy. The father also drinks, so if a trace of drink comes into his veerya (seminal fluid) it has an adverse effect on the baby. Some children develop well and some become mentally retarded. The consumption of alcohol is extremely harmful for future generations, particularly when it comes through the mother. Even when the children are normal they tend to be unruly and disrespectful. It is important to be careful about our future generations. Today stands in-between the lifestyle of the past and that of the future. It is today that controls both, changing the past lifestyle gradually and preparing for the future that will bring new things. The machines that worked fifty years ago are now redundant. The inventions made in the next five or seven years will have to be used. Today is the day when you have to be prepared for them. If we have to make new machines, or procure them and learn how to use them, you should have the time to think about this. Experts keep laboratories in which they learn new things. A human being should do nothing without vive`ka (discrimination; separating the desirable from the harmful). There was a gentleman who was in a quandary. ‘Should I do work, or should I do the Ishwara’s bhajana (think about Him lovingly)?’ This was some fifty years ago. A Mahatma had come to Lucknow at that time. The gentleman went to meet him. He took a bunch of flowers as an offering. The Mahatma 35

began to look at it with great concentration. Ten or fifteen minutes ed, but he continued to gaze at the flowers. ‘Maharaj,’ said the man. ‘I made a mistake by bringing the flowers! You are not even looking at me! Please look at me, also.’ ‘All right,’ said the Mahatma. ‘I will throw away the flowers you brought.’ ‘No, No, Maharaj, please don’t do that! I brought them with great love.’ The Mahatma began to laugh. ‘What do you want, my brother?’ he asked. ‘I want that you should look at me and also at the flowers I brought for you.’ This world round us is Bhagwan’s bunch of flowers. The Vedas have a clear description: Aaraamamasya pashyanti na tam pashyati kashchana. People see the garden; they don’t see the Parameshwara. Every grain, every leaf, every drop, fruit, flower, stem, trunk etc is filled with the Parameshwara. People don’t see that. What should we do? We should see the objects, see the people, and also see the Ishwara. We should not disdain objects or individuals while looking at the Ishwara. Nor should we stop looking at the Ishwara because of or preoccupation with objects and individuals. We get a shock if we touch a live wire, but if the electricity is disconnected we can step on it without being harmed. 36

The world goes on. It is connected to a Power House. If we remain connected to that Power House, and remain aware of that connection, our shakti, our Gnan, and our activities will all be right and proper. Success comes from Zeal. There is a shloka in Sanskrit: Kriyaasiddhih sattve` vasati mahataam nopakarane, mahataam kriyaasiddhih sattve` vasati, upakarane` na vasati. The kriyaa-siddhi (success of the work) of Mahapurushas does not depend on the materials available to them. How many people do they have? What is their capital? Success is not dependent on these factors. If the money is stolen, and the men turn traitors, they can destroy your work. Then, where is the successful accomplishment? Pandit Raghunath Sharma was the Head of a Department at the Benares University. He was a friend of mine. I asked him, ‘What is the meaning of the word sattve` here?’ He gave me an interpretation that did not satisfy even himself. He went to the Principal and asked, ‘What does it mean that safalataa (success) abides in the sattva? Does sattva mean the antahkarana or does it mean Sattva-guna (the lofty tendency that gives peace and wisdom), or does it mean the living beings? What is the real meaning of safalata abiding in Sattva?’ Both were authorities in their fields, but the Principal Pundits don’t hesitate to ask a more knowledgeable clarifications. The Sabhapati Upadhyaya (Principal) said means utsaaha (enthusiasm; zeal). There should be great 37

was senior. person for that Sattva zeal in your

heart when you undertake any work, and that zeal should not break when obstacles and difficulties arise. I once started to walk from Karnavas to Haridwar. Dense clouds gathered suddenly when I had traversed hardly four miles. Heavy rain pelted down. The road became flooded within fifteen or twenty minutes. I was drenched to the skin. I saw a light and walked towards it. The owner of the house took me in and gave me hot milk. I spent the night in his house and went on my way in the morning. I did not halt my journey, nor did I turn back. I faced no more difficulties and reached Haridwar. Had I turned back because of the bad weather on the first day, I would not have reached my destination. The enthusiasm in our chitta takes us to our goal. In karma it is essential that whatever we do is done with enthusiasm and determination. We should feel neither hesitant nor apprehensive. When obstacles come, we should endure some of them with patience, and oppose some of them. If we start fighting with every person who creates a problem, every case will have to go up to the High Court. Each case will take ten years or more. Some work should be done by bending, and some with prudence. It is very important to know the shaastreeya vidhaa (the methods given by the Shastras) for working successfully. Nahyanadhyaatmavit ve`daan gnaatum shaknoti tattvatah. It is difficult for a person to attain success unless he knows the working of his hridaya (heart). A person has to shut his eyes to the external world and look within. Even if success comes to a person who does not understand the working of his heart, it will not endure. 38

Dhiyo yo nah prachodayaat. The Gayatri Mantra says that it is important to pay attention to the one who inspires your buddhi.

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Third Discourse. One Mahatma kept telling people that Bhagwan’s smarana (thinking of Bhagwan) is an aushadhee (medicine), shraddha (faith) is an anupaana (a drink to be taken with the medicine), and saadhanaa (effort for spiritual progress) is the pathya (food). The Vaidya (Doctor of Ayur Veda) gives instructions about what foods the patient should have and which items he should abstain from having. In the same way, the smarana of poornataa (wholeness; being complete) is, thinking about the one Tattva (essence) that is the substratum of this entire world. Thinking about this Tattva removes the disease of raaga-dve`sha (extreme attachments-aversions). Faith is the drink that should accompany this medicine, and giving up duraachaara (wrong behavior) is the wholesome food, which means, sadaachaara (good behavior) is the nutrition. Shankarachraya bhagwan says that svasthataa (being healthy) is our svaroopa (essence; true form). Once the ailment is removed, we don’t need to ask for good health. We become healthy as soon as we are cured of ill-health. If our home does not give us pleasure we keep going to our neighbor’s house to get a change. If we have the experience of the Atma – of the Paramatma seated in our heart – why would we want to go elsewhere in search of sukha (pleasure and contentment; happiness)? You sit at home, feel restless, get into your car and drive off. You get bored at your house, pick up your purse and go shopping. People go here and there because they are not happy and contented in their own home.

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This urge to go here and there is asvasthataa (illness; absence of good health). Svastha (healthy) means being content in your own home, and asvastha means seeking pleasure elsewhere. To remove the malady of going to other people’s houses for entertainment it is necessary to find pleasure in your own svaroopa (essence; true form), in your own home. Ananda (happiness; pleasure) increases with abhyaasa (practice; habit); it doesn’t come from hearing about the anand obtained from other things. What is the kind of anand you obtain? Your life has four kinds of anand. One is that you believe you will find anand in worldly pleasures and sensual indulgences. That means you have placed your anand in bhoga. You will feel sad if your bhoga goes away to Paris. The other mistaken assumption is that you will feel happy when you have accumulated wealth and objects. Or else, the pride of possession will give you happiness. In one, people give up what they have accumulated in order to procure the anand of worldly pleasures, and in the other people give up worldly pleasures to wallow in the anand of accumulation. This world has the rasa (pleasure) of sangraha (accumulation) and the rasa of bhoga, and the rasa of abhyaasa (habit). People find pleasure in the habits they develop. If you start doing Surya Namaskara (a Yogic exercise) every day your body will ache the day you don’t do it. I knew a gentleman who exercised rigorously all his life. When he grew too old to maintain the routine his whole body ached. I was about ten years old at that time. The gentleman would tell me to use a stick to 41

balance myself, and walk all over his body. This was a massage that gave him some relief. I would walk on him, from his calves to his shoulders. This was the anand of habit. People find sukha in the habits they form. Every person should give some thought to whether he obtains anand through indolence and lethargy, or from worldly pleasures, or from accumulation, or from his habits. There four states have come into your life. Your sukha does not abide in your heart; it is kept with another. There is a paraadheenataa (dependence; enslavement) accumulation, and there is shrama (hard work) as well.

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Excessive bhoga results in incapacity. Later on, it turns into disease. People seek novelty and become prey to disease. People get enslaved by their habits. They get so addicted to their habits that they can’t do without them. We must first develop abhyasa in our life. As long as we keep our anand in food, it will continue to fry in the frying pan. When we keep it at the clothiers, it will keep getting cut and torn. If we keep it in the Safe we will keep worrying about it. If this be the case, you will not be able to sit at home in peace. A gentleman was travelling. He had a potli (bundle made of cloth) with some valuables in it. He kept it on a little platform across the road and shut his eyes to do the ritual of Sandhya Vandan. However, he was afraid that his potli would be stolen, so he kept opening his eyes to check that it was still there.

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I used to go to the Vishwanath Mandir in Varanasi. I would leave my shoes outside and go in. I would stand at a place from where I could keep an eye on my shoes. I looked at Vishwanathji alternately and at my shoes alternately as I prayed. ‘Tame`va maataa cha pitaa tameva (You are my mother and also my father)’ and look at Vishwanathji. Then I would glance at my shoes while saying the next line, ‘Tame`va bandhushcha sakhaa tame`va (you are my friend and companion)’. We tend to place our mana outside. Is there nothing in our heart that we can take pleasure in, which can give us joy and satisfaction? Don’t we have any source of anand within? On one occasion I had asked Shri Udiya Babaji Maharaj, ‘Why should I do this work?’ He smiled and said, ‘Work is not done to oblige someone. We don’t do any favor to anyone by working.’ ‘Maharaj, in that case, what is the purpose of work?’ ‘It is done to improve our habit. We should cultivate the habit of doing good deeds.’ Our mind has developed bad habits. We cannot control our sleep. We can’t wake up early. How can we be healthy if we have no control over our body? The Ayur Veda tells us how to tell whether a child is unwell. The Vaidya (Doctor of Ayur Veda) understand some things by observing the child, some things by touching him, and some things by asking questions. The assessment done by feeling the pulse is not given in the ancient texts; it is given in later books. In Ayur Veda the Vaidya would observe the child to see which part of his body his hand went to 43

repeatedly. If the child kept touching his stomach or head, or beat his feet on the bed, it showed that he was in pain. Similarly, we observe our lives. We don’t plan even one day properly, but we have grand plans for six generations to come! We plan to spend millions on great projects, but the daily planning is missing. That means, we see the things that are far away, but don’t know what lies at our feet. The result is a disordered life. We enjoy the pleasures of our hopes and future plans but our present daily life is full of tension and strife. The third sukha is that of manoratha (what we wish for), and the fourth is that of habit. Before Karma. If you wake up early morning, sit in your bed for a while. If you have an urge to relieve yourself, go to the bathroom and relieve yourself, but don’t start any other activity. Early morning is the time when vaasanaa (avid desires) are fewer, and dormant. Sit quietly for a while and plan your day. Think about the tasks you should do during the day. Think about your earnings and about your investments. Decide that you will think about tomorrow on the next day. If you want to make plans for the next six months, six years, or six generations, do it when you go to the office, or later on. Just spend the early morning planning on how you will spend the day, the good deeds you will do, the efforts you will make to earn, the food you will eat, and the wrong things you will avoid. Wake up early morning and take Bhagwan’s name once. My Guruji Maharaj used to tell me, ‘Shake hands with Bhagwan when you wake 44

up, or else fold your hands to Him. Imagine that Bhagwan is pressing your hands with His, so hard, that it hurts! This is paanipeedana (pani means hand, and peedan means pain). In Sanskrit, panipeedan means marriage. It means paanigrahana (to accept the hand). To clasp hands is a kind of marriage. This meaning has disappeared now, because everyone shakes hands with everyone. Just catch Bhagwan’s hand in yours, once, early morning. The marriage is done! There was an old man who lived close to our village. He had shaken hands with King George Fifth, when he came to India in 1916. Even in 1935 or 1936, the old man was always cheerful. ‘Who can compare with me?’ he would say. ‘Who is my equal? I have shaken the hand of King George V!’ Thinking About Bhagwan. Shake hands with Bhagwan early morning, and do smarana (think of Him) of it. Utter His mangalamaya (auspicious) name. You will see that your work at the office won’t go wrong. Your health will not be harmed. Just do the smaran of Bhagwan’s name once! I am not concerned whether you say, ‘Shri krishna sharanam (I take refuge in Shri Krishna)’, or ‘Shri raamah sharanam’, or ‘Buddham sharanam gachhaami’, or ‘Om namo arihantaanaam’. However, there should be some thinking about the most pavitra (pure, according to the Shastras) once every morning. Say one shloka or even a part of a shloka. It will cast its glow over you all day long. What you say the first thing in the morning will not fade away entirely from your subconscious. ‘Mangalabhavana amangalahaaree’ – that, which is filled with auspiciousness removes everything inauspicious. 45

Prayer. Now, pay attention to another topic. Pray, ‘O Bhagwan, let krodha (anger) not come into my heart today. And, in case it comes, let me not say or do anything out of anger.’ After saying this prayer, touch Bhagwan’s feet mentally, and say, ‘O Prabhu! Let today in a way that I get no anger, desire, or greed; or do anything prompted by any of these. I touch Your feet and swear that in the next twenty four hours I will not do anything that is prompted by kama-krodha-lobha.’ Make this sankalpa (resolve) every morning. You will see the change in your life within a few days. This early morning kriyaa (action) brings a change into our life. When you go to bed at night, think about how you spent the day. Check whether you said or did anything in anger. Our biggest ailment is the things we do to harm others. There is an ancient book on Ayur Veda that was found in Tibet. It is called ‘Kashyap Samhita’. It says that disease does not come to a person who controls his speech. Satyam hitam mitam brooyaat abhisanvaadipe`shalam. Speak the satya (truth), but speak the satya that is priya (pleasing). Speak that, which is pleasing and also hitakaaree (beneficial). Speak that which is hitakaari as well as avasarochita (appropriate to the occasion). Speak what is appropriate to the occasion, but speak with brevity. Don’t say anything that can cause a dispute. If you say things that result in strife, your health will be spoilt. The effect may not be immediate, but it will come sooner or later. Therefore, speak as sweetly as possible. Speak sweetly, but without exaggeration or insinuation. Speak in a way that gives satisfaction and 46

soothes those who listen. Then, your health will not be impaired. The more water you draw from a well, the sweeter is the water that replaces it from below. The more you give of good to others, the more good things will come into your life. According to the Manu Smriti. The Manu Smriti says one thing about early morning, and that is, you should also think about your physical problems. Whenever I visited Kanpur I stayed at ‘The Retreat’. I would walk in the garden every morning. An elderly doctor also walked there every morning. He was about ninety. He had travelled to China, Japan, and other countries. I asked him, ‘Doctor, earlier, the patients who consulted doctors usually recovered fully, but now very few people get fully well again. What is the reason for this?’ ‘Maharaj,’ he said, ‘earlier, ninety per cent of our patients had a physical ailment and ten per cent had a psychological problem. We treated the body and the patent got well. The ten percent with mental problems did not recover fully. The fact is that mental illness has increased and people are not able to get the right treatment for it.’ Taking a bath early morning removed mental and physical lethargy. The touch of cool water early morning awakens our dormant pavitra vritti (inclinations that are pure according to the Shastras). Take a bath, but don’t wear stitched clothes for a little while. I am not saying this for sophisticated people! Let your body be exposed to the cool of the early morning. Do chintana (meditation) of the Paramatma. Do the ritual of Sandhya Vandan. Do the japa (ritual chanting) of the Gayatri Mantra. Somebody asked, ‘What is the benefit of chanting the Gayatri Mantra?’ 47

Stop thinking only about your benefit! Have you taken a vow that you should do nothing in life unless it brings some worldly gain to you? If you think about a profit in your every action, don’t have any expectation of having a sukhee jeevana (a happy life), because life brings gains as well as losses. You get some things you like and some things you don’t like. It is not that you are the only person who has a mana; the Ishwara also has a mana, the Nation also has a mana, society has a mana, and your family has a mana, too. The husband and the wife both have a mana. It can never be that things happen only as you want! You should not plan for only your own benefit; you should do chintan about your kartavya (duty towards others). Manuji has told us to think about our shareera (body) every morning. Do you have any health problem? If so, when does it increase? Which are the activities that aggravate your problem? What foods don’t you eat, because of which your health is worsened? Which activities help your problems to reduce? Kaayakle`shaanshcha tanmoolaan. It should be well understood during your morning reflections, about the food items that increase vikaara (physical deterioration and mental distortions), and which cause vikaras. Then, take a vow that you will not indulge in any of those items for the next twenty four hours. Don’t make a lifelong vow, because you won’t be able to keep it. When a vow is broken, it becomes a habit. So, make a pledge for only twenty four hours, about the things you will not do, the items you will not consume, and the places you won’t go to. All these decisions should be made early morning every day. We have more information about other people than we have about ourselves! 48

Do Atma-nirikshan. You will have the information about how many dogs some Lord had, but do you know how you react emotionally when you see someone? We never read about this. What are the things you hear, that arouses different kinds of feelings in you? You never give this any thought. To be svastha (healthy) means that you must first think about your ‘sva’ (self). Where do your feet want to take you? What does your hand want to do? What does your tongue wish to say? What are the thoughts and feelings that come into your heart and mind? Think first about yourself, about who you are, and which your home is. Svastha means a sthiti (state; being established) in the ‘sva’, in your own home. The Sant (saintly Monks), Mahatmas, the Shastras, the Puranas, the Vedas, and the Upanishads all say that the greatest and best vastu (object; the Atma) abides in the heart. Eeshvarah sarvabhootaanaam hridde`she`rjuna tishthati. (The Ishwara abides in the heart of all beings, Arjuna.) x

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Sarva sarvagata sarva uraalaya. (He is everything, He is everywhere, He is in all hearts.) He is the Atma that abides in our hriday. Nobody can compare with him because He is the best of best objects. There is no flower in the world that can compare with its fragrance. You have such a matchless fragrant flower in your heart.

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The rasa (sweet emotion) that is in your heart is not available anywhere else in the world. Nothing exists that can equal the beauty and sweetness of your Atma. There is nothing in the external world that has such saukumaarya (delicacy) as your Atma, nothing that can match its music – the divine flute that plays continuously in your heart. It is just that you don’t look at that paramaananda (supreme bliss) at all. Why This Ingratitude? You ask repeatedly how you can see the Atma. The way to see it is to concentrate your mind only on the Atma. It is not possible to see two things simultaneously. Keep some minutes exclusively for seeing the Atma – the Paramatma – and no one else. It may be through any method, but take Bhagwan’s name for a little while, do a little puja. You have a large house – maybe more than one house – if you can’t find some space for Bhagwan’s image, at least hang a picture of Him on the wall. Every day provides you with one thousand, four hundred and forty minutes. Can’t you spare even five or ten minutes for taking the name of the Ishwara? You eat several times a day; you don’t spare even a little food for the Ishwara, and yet you want to be healthy! You talk all day, but don’t utter even a hundred or two hundred words by taking the Ishwara’s name! Just take a good look at the kind of life you lead. You your brother and the brother of your wife. You think about your wife, or the woman or man you love, but you don’t spend two minutes thinking about the Ishwara. And then you want that all should go well for you! He has given you this earth to live on, and water to drink, but never sends a bill. You enjoy the breeze created by the fan and the effulgence 50

of the lights, and the sound of the radio, and you get a bill for the electricity. None of them will work if you forget to pay your bill for the electricity on which they work. But, you forget about the one who has given you this immense sky, the air you breathe, the ability to speak. He has given your arms the strength to work, your feet the strength to walk, a heart to love with and a brain to think with. You give nothing to that Ishwara who created you. Please realize that this in ingratitude. Binu de`khe` raghuveera pada jeeyakee jarani na jaaya. (The heart does not stop burning until we see the feet of Bhagwan.) If you do not see the Ishwara seated in your heart, worldly objects will keep coming into it to trouble you. So, in the course of your morning routine keep aside five channaa (chick peas) for the Ishwara and five minutes for Him. Keep five words for Him and walk five steps for Him. Fold your hands to Him, bend your head to Him, and you will see that good health will come to you in the morning itself. Mental Health Is Important. There was a period when I could not lift up both my arms above my head. People took me to a doctor. He told me, ‘Swamiji, will you forgive me for speaking frankly?’ ‘Please feel free to say whatever you want,’ I told him. ‘Do you ever do saashtaanga dandavata (prostrate fully) to anyone?’ ‘No, I don’t do sashtang dandvat to anyone,’ I said. ‘Had you been doing so to Bhagwan every day, you would have noticed the problem when it first started,’ he said. ‘Now, we cannot tell how 51

deeply it is imbedded. Had you done sashtang dandvat you would also have known about the condition of your knees, back, chest and shoulders. You would have been alerted much earlier and attended to it before it became so severe.’ Restrain your mana a little. I am telling you this as a remedy – if you find yourself attracted to someone, do the aarati (worship with a lamp by circling the lamp round Bhagwan’s image), and look at every feature of Bhagwan’s face and form. See how beautiful His eyes are, what His forehead is like, look at His cheeks, nose and lips. Merely circling the lamp before Bhagwan’s image is not called aarti. The lamp is circled seven times, four times and thrice, respectively, at different parts of His form, and you look closely at the features lit up by the lamp. Do Bhagwan’s aarti. The day will come when His beauty will entrance you, and every other beauty will seem insipid in comparison. You will also say, ‘I will never see anything in this world that is as beautiful as Bhagwan!’ If you are troubled by kaama (lust), take the name of Nrisingh Bhagwan (His Avatar as half-man half-lion). Nrisingh Bhagwan is pouncing on Hiranyakashipu, to protect Prahlad. Your lust will disappear as soon as you think of Nrisingh Bhagwan’s ferocious form.’ The asvasthataa (discomfort; dis-ease) is that when lust comes you are not in your own house; you go to someone else’s house at that time. When krodha (anger) comes, it sets your house (heart) on fire. In Sanskrit, ‘krodha’ means that, which blocks the spring of sukha that rises in your heart. There is a font in our heart. It is a font of shaanti (tranquility) and sukha. This is where sukha originates. 52

But, what blocks it? ‘Kah rodhah krodha e`va iti uchyate`.’ That, which blocks this spring of sukha and does not let it flow into our heart is called krodha. Dve`sha (aversion; hatred) means the burning of your feelings; your mental inclinations. When the very name or memory of someone or the sight of him sets your heart on fire, it is called ‘dvesha’. Dve`shah jvalanaatmakavrittivishe`shah. Dvesha comes first, krodha follows it. When krodha comes the speech is impaired. Hands and feet begin to tremble, and the face turns black. First it turns red and then it turns black. This is the rule of anger. It is a disease. What else is a disease? Getting fever is not a disease; nor is catching a chill. The cause of this disease is that the dirt within comes out and gives us trouble. The cause of our problems is the impurities in our heart. Why are you not vigilant about this? Right Interaction. You want others to do things the way you want, but you never think that they also have their preferences. They also expect that you should do things the way they want. The husband is displeased with his wife. Why is he displeased? It is because she does not do things the way he wants. And why is the wife unhappy with her husband? It is because he does not do what she wants. This is the cause of their quarrel.

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All domestic problems are because each person wants others to behave according to his wishes. Why do you feel upset? It is because you want the weather to be cool, but it is hot! Or, you want it to be warm and it is cold. There is a fire at some place, an earthquake in another place, disease somewhere else, and death somewhere. What do you think you are? Do you imagine yourself to be the Ishwara? The urge for selfaggrandizement, and having your own way, leads to disease coming into your life. It makes you asvastha. Keep niyama (self-imposed disciplines) in your life. If you feel irritation rising, become alert at once. ‘Krodha is on its way. I must be vigilant and not allow his gangster to enter my house.’ If you feel anger threatening to overcome you, decide that you will not speak for one hour. Leave the room. Drink a glass of sherbet or cold water. Go to Bhagwan’s mandir. Start doing japa (ritual chanting), and make a resolve regarding something you are fond of. For example, ‘I will not drink tea for one week if I lose my temper.’ Take this vrata (austerity taken for spiritual benefit). When anger rises, you will see the cup of tea before your eyes, saying, ‘My dear, why are you abandoning me for seven days?’ Your mental inclination will at once become madhura (sweet)! The fact is, the mana cannot hold more than one inclination at a time. When you hold up two fingers and look at them, your eyes will focus on them turn by turn. You can’t focus on both simultaneously. It is the same with the manovritti (mental inclinations). This is the quieting of a restless mind. Create a pillar of for your mana, on which it can climb high and come down repeatedly. A Is Necessary. 54

I will tell you about a little story about a man who gained siddhi (supernatural power) over a bhoota (ghost; spirit). It is an imaginary story. The bhoot told the man, ‘As long as you give me commands, I will obey you, but if you stop giving me commands I will eat you.’ The man kept telling the bhoot to bring him things from far-away lands. The bhoot would accomplish the task within minutes and stand before him waiting for the next order. The man became nervous. He could not think of things to command the bhoot to do, and he was scared that the bhoot would eat him if he stopped giving commands. He went running to a Mahatma. ‘Don’t worry,’ said the Mahatma. ‘Tell this bhoot to go and fetch the longest bamboo in the world.’ The bhoot went all over the world and came back with a very tall bamboo. ‘Now, tell him to fix it firmly in the ground.’ The task was done. ‘Now tell him that he is to climb up and down this bamboo until you give him the next command,’ said the Mahatma. The man’s fear disappeared completely. This mana of yours is no ordinary bhoot! Give it an aalambana () when you are not applying it to something. Let your mind travel up and down your spine, your sushumnaa (the central channel of subtle energies), your shat-chakra (the six centers of subtle energy that are placed along the spinal cord), your Bhagwan, your Vrindavan, your Goloka (the divine abode of Shri Krishna), your Vaikuntha (the divine abode of Vishnu Bhagwan), your divya-dhaama (divine realms), your 55

pristine intellect. Let it wander in Shyam Sundar Shri Krishna. Let it rise and descend in sublime thoughts. When worldly tasks need to be attended to, attend to them. If your mana remains idle it makes you asvastha. It will carry you off and you will fall into a ditch, into some useless activity, or lethargy. Therefore, keep a in your hriday that keeps you mana happily occupied after it has wandered around for a while.

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Fourth Discourse. The Power of Restraint. The worldly knowledge obtained through laboratory tests or mathematical calculations is called ‘vignaana’ (acquired science; technique). This vignan creates external objects. It cleans cotton, iron, etc, creates new items and objects. The task of vignan is to obtain information about the external world, experimenting, and using matter to invent new things. Dharma is that, which purifies our antahkarana. That means, Dharma purifies the vikaara (mental distortions) like kaama (avid desires), lobha (greed; avarice), etc. The purpose of Dharma is to purify the character, whereas the purpose of vignan is to purify matter. And, to preserve any object like a flower in paper or wood or iron, is called kalaa (art; skill). Kala is anukarana (to copy). Vignan is the cause of worldly developments and Dharma is the cause of the development of the human character. Dharma means to control behavior and ensure it does not become unrestrained and unbecoming. Dharma is the shakti that enables us to stop doing any kind of wrongdoing. If a person does not have this shakti – if he does not have the reins to control the headstrong horse of worldly desires; if he is like a car that has no brakes – nobody can tell where he will land up. This selfrestraint is beneficial from the viewpoint of the society as well as the individual. Neither society, nor the individual can attain anything worthwhile if they are unrestrained in their behavior. 57

If there is no restraint, people will not follow the law ing only one’s own wealth and not stealing the wealth of others. Restraint is essential if people are not to be robbed of their rightful possessions. Can the law and order be maintained by the Army or the Police? No. The law will remain in the legal tomes only. It is essential that there is a shakti in the heart of human beings, which stops them from doing anything unethical and immoral. One Raja made it a law that all Brahmins must do the ritual of Sandhya Vandan at sunrise and sunset. One day he went for an early morning walk. He saw a Brahmin going into the forest with a lota of water in his hand. The Brahmin was actually going for his toilet. He caught sight of the Raja. At once he sat down and sprinkled water on his head. He began to say the words of Sandhya Vandan, ‘Oum apavitra pavitra vaa……..’ When the Raja came closer, he asked the Brahmin, ‘What are you doing?’ ‘I am doing the legal Sandhya Vandan,’ replied the Brahmin. ‘I will do the authentic one after I finish my bath and go home.’ So, can the law ever enforce self-restraint? If every man were to be accompanied by four policemen, who will ensure that the policemen will do their duty with integrity? The fact is, there should be an urge in the heart to control wrong impulses. The difference between women and men – husband and wife – are not to be connected to the tattva-drishti (the viewpoint of the essence of the Brahman). Nature is one in all Creation. All the jeeva (Atma attached to a body; an individual soul) are che`tana (having 58

consciousness). How can the difference of Dharma-adharma (Dharma and that, which is contrary to Dharma) be present in them? The constitution of our Shastras is our shraddha (faith) for Dharma, the rasa we experience when we do Dharma, is what keeps our life pure. Bring Rasa into Discipline. Do you take pleasure in doing your duty, or not? Life should have Dharma-rasa. Not everybody is able to understand this point about our Dharma-Shastra. It is not that the same medicine is given to all patients. If you were to go to a shop of Ayur Veda medicines and ask for the best medicine they have, what would the Vaidya (Doctor of Ayur Veda) say? He would ask you what your ailment was. ‘Tell me your problem, and I will give you the medicine for it. All my medicines are excellent, but the best medicine for you is the one that cures your disease.’ Somebody said, ‘Everybody should do Yagna.’ No. the Yagna is not for everybody. A Yagna is done for charitrashuddhi (purifying the character). It is not that a man can take any fire from anywhere, put in whatever he thinks is appropriate, and chant whichever mantra he feels like chanting. That is not a Yagna! Only a person who is eligible should do a Yagna. Somebody said that everybody should do upaasanaa (loving worship of Bhagwan), but even upasana is not for all. Upasana is a pantha (sect; conduct of life), and so is doing Yagna-Yaaga. Pranaayaama (Yogic breath control exercises) is also a pantha, and not for all. These are not comprehensive forms of Dharma; they are little by-lanes of Dharma. To say that everybody should feel that he is a saakshi (uninvolved witness) is neither a siddhaanta (principle) nor is it 59

tolerable. Unless the person has had a direct personal experience of adviteeyataa (the non-dual essence of the Atma), it is sheer imagination to hold on to the principle of being a sakshi. To think that you have given up all desires is also sheer imagination unless you have developed an eeshvaraakaara vritti (the mental inclination that everything is the Ishwara). Even Dharma is sheer imagination unless and until the character has been purified. The Need for Dharma. Dharma is needed in life for removing dushcharitra (bad tendencies in the character). ‘Two’ does not exist in the Brahman or in Prakriti (Nature), or in the Atma, or in ‘I’. Yet, two is necessary for living. It is unavoidable. The wealth of another is separate from your wealth. You are not to take what belongs to another. Your wife and the wife of another – your conjugal relationship should be restricted to your wife. You should not even look at another woman with desire. This is why Dharma is essential. It is not possible to have an ethical and regulated society without Dharma. Dharma is needed to make a person free of dushcharitra. Upasana is needed for making a person free of vaasanaa (avid desire; lust). Yogaabhyaasa (the practice of Yoga) helps to develop the ability for single-pointed concentration, and Tattvagnan (knowledge about the essence of the Brahman) is needed to remove agnaana (lack of Gnan; ignorance about the ultimate Satya). In this, it is not that one is greater than another. The ailment has to be understood, and the right treatment istered, if the person is to be benefited. 60

There are some people whose knowledge is very superficial. If something seems appealing to them, they declare that this is the best. There was a Raja. He wanted to adopt the Majhab (religious Sect) that was the best of all. He invited famous Acharyas (Heads of Mutts) to his Court for theological debates. They would argue and quarrel with each other without coming to any conclusion. All these Majhabs have been created later – some within the past thousand years, some two thousand years ago, some in the past five thousand years. The Majhabs are based on the teachings of an Acharya who came later; the Ishwara’s Dharma (eternal righteousness) is anaadi (without a beginning in time and endless). It is not called a Majhab. It is for all His children. It brings good fortune to all beings, even trees and shrubs. The Pundits who came to the Raja’s Court would argue and quarrel. Some said that they followed the Son of God, some said they followed the Prophet sent by Khuda, and some said they had obtained saakshaatkaara (a direct personal experience of the Ultimate Satya). The Raja was utterly confused and unable to decide which Majhab was the best. A Mahatma who lived in the state took pity on the Raja. ‘The Raja is wasting years in indecision,’ he thought. He went to the Raja and asked, ‘What is your problem?’ The Raja explained how he wanted to follow the best religion, but could not decide which the best religion was. ‘You need not worry about this. No conclusion can be reached by quarreling. I will show you which is the best religion, but I cannot do it here. You will have to come with me. We will cross the river. The Kingdom on the other side is not yours. There, you will not be my Raja and I will not be 61

your prajaa (subject). Then I will show you, with a shuddha bhaava (feeling that is free of any other consideration) which the best religion is. The Raja agreed gladly. ‘Order the best boats in your kingdom to be brought for us to cross the river,’ said the Mahatma. The Raja gave the order. Two thousand beautiful boats were brought. The Mahatma ed by them but kept rejecting each boat on some pretext or other. Finally, the Raja became impatient and said, ‘Maharaj, this is just a small river. Let us just sit in any boat and go across.’ The Mahatma smiled. ‘This is exactly the point,’ he said. ‘Why do we need to go into the intricacies of each boat when any of them is good enough to serve our purpose?’ Similarly, you can use Dharma, upasana, bhakti or Gnan – but at least start walking on some path! If you have to traverse a hundred miles, or even fifty miles, some part of the road will be just a rough track, some will be smooth and some will be in the process of being made. You may have to take a detour round some stretch of it. To say that only the best is good enough for you is an offence of the chitta (mental inclinations; thoughts). Everyone wants the best. Even in this, there should be some restriction. The Bengali sandesh is an excellent sweet, but please don’t eat all the sandesh in the shop! If you do that it will harm your digestion. Dharma does not place restrictions only on bad things; it also places limitations on things that are good. ‘This girl is a very good in every way.’ ‘This lady is an excellent lady.’ ‘This house is really beautiful!’ If you feel attracted by the girl or lady will you catch them and put them in your house? Dharma says, ‘No. So what if they are very good? They are not for you.’ 62

Dharma is needed to keep our charitra within the framework of what is right and proper. It is no use thinking that you can destroy your vasanas without giving up the faults in your character. That can never happen. You will have to give up your dushcharitra first. Only then will you succeed in conquering your vasanas. When you take a firm decision that this licentious path is not your path, why should you bother about the milestones or rest-houses on that route? There is no need for you to think about any of this. Show Respect to All. Actually, saadhanaa (the effort for spiritual progress) should start from where your jeevana (life) is. The road to our destination begins from the place we are at. Therefore, the first task is to give up bad tendencies. These days some people quickly create a new Majhab. What is the meaning of a small Majhab? A small Majhab will have only one Guru, only one mantra, only one Holy book and only one Ishta (object of worship). They will not show respect to anyone else’s Ishta, Guru, or Holy book. We call such people ‘mausami aachaarya’ (seasonal Masters). They have their season and then they fade away. Everybody’s Guru is a Guru and should be respected. Everybody’s Dharma is Dharma and should be respected. Everybody’s sadhana is a sadhana and should be respected. The Shastras forbid us to praise Narmadaji when we are bathing in the Gangaji. We should not think about any other river when we bathe in the Ganga. The One in All Forms. Similarly, there are many Sant-Mahatmas and many forms of the Ishta. Don’t get influenced by the impressions of the Western scholars who 63

believe that we believe in many gods! If it were to be decided that the Ishwara has one particular form, that form would become jada (insensate matter), and out of reach. It will become paroksha (unseen and unknown). It will become an imagined form. This is why we accept many forms of the Ishwara. The One in all the forms is what we know to be the Ishwara. If we were to decide that the Ishwara has only one fixed form, we would never know Him. This is why the Vedic method is that we believe that the Ishwara has many roopa (forms) but only one svaroopa (essence; true form). He is Rama, He is Krishna, He is Shiva and He is Vishnu. He is dark-hued and He is has a fair complexion. He is the Devi (the female form of the Ishwara) and He is the Deva (the Ishwara in male form). He is in the animal and He is in the bird. The bird is Hansa (the Swan Avatar) and the animal is Nrisingha (half-man halflion Avatar). In spite of being all forms the Paramatma is one. This is according to the principle of Vedanta. The mantras are many, the Gurus are many, there are many Ishtas, and many methods of sadhana. The mana has many desires. Who is there, who can go on speaking honestly for an hour, about the desires that arise in his mind? If you sit alone and record your wishes as they arise, for even fifteen minutes, you will see that the ripples of your desire have no decorum, no serial order or method of any kind. You are able to give lectures because you plan what you wish to convey and say it systematically. But see what happens if you express the natural thoughts as they flit in and out of your mind. If your friend hears you he will say that you have gone mad! Thinking about Sadhan. 64

Upasana and bhakti are needed to gather up these worldly desires. Dharma is needed to remove dushcharitra, loving meditation reduces worldly desires. The practice of Yoga helps the mind to become e`kaagra (focused). The Sakshi is the observer of this e`kaagrataa (the mind being focused). These days, people say that they are the sakshi of dushcharitrata. This results in wrongdoing. They say, ‘Everything is done by the shareera (body). It is the body that steals things, indulges in lust etc. I am separate from the body. I am the drashtaa (uninvolved witness).’ Nobody can be the drashta when he is stealing something, or doing something he should not be done. How can he steal, abuse, or do something wrong unless his ‘I’ is attached to his action? How can anyone indulge in carnal desire without feeling desire? How can he do anything immoral unless he identifies with his mind and body? He is bluffing himself and bluffing others as well. When the mind is completely focused it reaches a nirodha-dashaa (a state where all thoughts and feelings are blocked; only pure consciousness remains). At that time the aatma-chaitanya (the pure consciousness that is the Atma) remains as the svayam-saakshee (the observer of the Self), revealing what is in its pristine form. When the chitta (mental inclinations; thoughts) becomes e`kaagra (focused on one point), remain established in the form of the selfeffulgent, pure Sakshi. However, even in this state, there is a residue of agnaana (lack of Gnan). What is the world we see? What are the other jeevas? And, what is the Ishwara who creates them? When you obtain this Gnan, the Atma 65

becomes brahm-svaroopa (the essence, or form, of the Brahman). And, in the essence of the Brahman there is no Mukti (liberation from the cycle of rebirth) and no bandhan (bondage). It is the shuddha svaroopa (pristine essence of the Self). This is leaping up to reach the roof without making the effort to climb the stairs. It is like trying to jump over the wall of the sansara (interactive world) that stands between us and the antara-aatmaa (the Atma within). The fact is that a human being should start his sadhana from a very small spot. Sadhana means the art of going to your destination. You feel sad a hundred times a day and you laugh a hundred times, and you get frightened a hundred times. Is this the way to live? Kalaa (art; skill) means that which keeps given us sukha. Now, the question is how much respect do you give to your elders? Our aachaara-shaastra (ancient Indian learning about the right behavior) says that we should touch the feet of our parents and respect them. We should stand up when they come into the room. The Manu Smriti says that if we neglect to feel due respect when we see our elders, we will become lazy. If an elderly man comes before a young man the praana (life spirit) of the young man rises in welcome. If the young man stands up and bows his head, the prana will go back into him. Prana means kriyaa-shakti (the power to act). How lazy is the man who does not get up when his father, mother, or Guru come into the room! How will a lazy man ever do anything worthwhile in this world? A wife who is too lazy to get her husband a glass of water when he comes home tired at the end of the day, thinking, ‘Oh! He and I are equals’, will not look after her husband the way a wife should. 66

The main factor is that there is indolence – a dullness or mental lethargy – in our life that does not allow rasa to come into our work. That means, the rasa is only for bhoga (worldly pleasures). The rasa for work is greater than the rasa for bhoga. As long as we don’t enjoy our work we cannot enjoy bhoga either. This is why the Manu Smriti tells us about the benefits of respecting our elders. Abhivaadanasheelasya nityam vriddhopase`vinah, chatvaari sampravardhante` aayurvidyaayashobalam. A person, who has the habit of bowing down to his elders and sit with them, gets the benefits of an increase in four things: longevity, wisdom, a good name, and strength. I am telling you the viewpoint of the Shastras. Ancestor worship results in an unbroken continuity of our sanskriti (tradition and culture) and also lineage. This is absolutely scientific and in keeping with psychology. The sanskriti and Dharma of ancestors continue to influence the lives of future generations. Without ancestor worship, the lineage may continue, but the future generations will be cut off from their roots. When I saw the shraaddha (ritual of the last rites) done for my father it became firmly established in my young mind that my father was still there, somewhere. The bed etc we were giving to the Brahmins would be useful for him. The sanskaara (subtle subconscious impression) was instilled in me that the Atma continues to exist even after the body is no more. I was convinced that my father would get the sukha-dukha according to his deeds while he lived. I had the feeling that I was making an offering of respect that I had not done while he was alive, and rendering some service to him. Along with this, the Brahmins who 67

were doing the puja would get some income that would help to sustain themselves and study the Vedas. The real svaroopa (essence) of the Atma is understood by studying the Vedas; that it existed before a person is born and continues to exist after his body is destroyed. It was deeply imbedded in my mind that the death of the body does not mean the death of the Atma. You people may have heard that some seeds were found in Siberia. Tests showed that they were two thousand years old. When planted in a warmer climate, they sprouted. The life that was dormant for two thousand years came alive when circumstances were conducive. The seed from which we are created exists within us. There is a beeja (seed) and there is a jeeva (Atma attached to a body, an individual soul). Plants have a beej and humans have a jeeva. Ja-ee-ve = jeeva; baee-ja = beej. The jeeva and the beej are the same. This shows that belief in the paraloka (realms beyond death) saves us from dushkarma. The Gnan that the Atma is separate from the de`ha (body) helps us to remain detached from the state of the body. There is an Upanishad called the ‘Aksha Upanishad’ (Aksha means eyes) that improves the eyesight of the person who chants it. When I was ten, I used to go to a Punditji to study the ‘Laghu Kaumudi’. Once I was absent for three or four days. Punditji came to our house to ask why I had not been coming. ‘I couldn’t come because I had fever,’ I told him. ‘When does the fever come?’ he asked ‘It comes between eleven o’clock and noon.’ 68

‘Come to my house before eight tomorrow,’ he said. I went to his house before eight o’clock. I saw that he had smeared cow-dung paste on the floor, and spread a blanket over it. He made me lie down on the blanket. Then he inscribed a mantra (group of words that evoke subtle powers) all round the blanket. ‘Don’t move out of the blanket until one o’clock,’ he told me. I lay there and read the mantra he had written. I did not get fever that day. I searched in various books for the mantra and finally I found it in one book. Daivee shakti (divine power) can be extremely powerful. Therefore, if one Devta (presiding deity; a divine power) has to be meditated on for removing kama, another Devta has to be worshipped for improving vision. We have to connect ourselves to the srota (source; spring) of the indreeya (one of the five senses and five organs of action) we want to strengthen. For example, when we wake up early morning and stand facing Surya Devta (the presiding deity of the sun), offering argya (oblations), all the shakti (energy) comes into us. We should not wear dirty clothes. We should always try to keep our face and mouth clean. We should no talk a lot nor eat a lot. We should not sleep at sunrise or sunset. These are little aachaara (modes of behavior) that we should follow meticulously. It is ironic that people don’t do these small rituals done with the hands and feet, but set out to attain Yogic powers through the piercing of the shat-chakra (six energy centers situated on the spine)! One Method. The Shatras have a method for removing fatigue. The lips should be kept closed, but the upper and lower teeth should be kept apart, and 69

the tongue suspended in the cave of the mouth without touching the roof or the base. If sustained for a couple of minutes, your fatigue will be reduced. You say that your mind is restless – I will tell you a method by which you can still it. Arrest the pupils of your eyes in one position. Don’t look up or down, left or right. Keep them steady and unmoving. Your thoughts will cease. Samaadhirjaayate` samyag ne`trayo stabdhamaatrayoh. (By just keeping the pupils of the eyes unmoving a person can attain Samadhi.) We should do what is necessary to achieve our goal. If you indeed have vasanas in your life you should do upasana (loving worship) of the Parameshwara. If your mind is restless you should practice these methods and develop vairagya (detachment from worldly considerations), and if you want to remove raaga-dve`sha (extreme attachments-aversions) you should do bhakti. Why this Pride? Even after doing all this there remains the possibility of developing the pride, ‘I am doing this.’ ‘I am saying this.’ ‘I know this but the others don’t.’ A gentleman used to come to listen to my discourses in Mumbai. Once he asked me, ‘How much would I need to spend to obtain the Ishwara?’ He wanted to buy the Ishwara with money! It was his practice to sit at the back of the hall, where people took off their shoes. He listened to the discourses very attentively. Yet, when no one else was present he 70

would tell me, ‘The other people have pride. They sit on chairs or on the platform. I am the only nirabhimaanee (a person who has no pride) who sits among the shoes.’ This was the abhimaana (pride) of being nir-abhimani! We can cut away the pride of wealth and learning, but it is not easy to cut away the pride of being free of pride! If you want to remove abhiman it is necessary to take the Ishwara’s sharanagati (surrender to the Ishwara; take refuge in Him). Abhiman cannot be removed without complete surrender to Bhagwan. See things as they are, and then merge into them. That is why there should be a krama (serial order) in life. Be disciplined in your speech, disciplined in your work, and disciplined in your comforts and pleasures. How can you hope to be eligible for paramaartha (the supreme goal) if you can’t even be disciplined in regular worldly interaction? Accept a niyama (self-imposed discipline) in your life and adhere to it even at the cost of some discomfort. Then, it will become tapasyaa (asceticism; an austerity for spiritual progress). It will be a tyaaga (giving up of something you like), and after tyaga it will become a tapasya. However, if you decide to give up something and keep changing your mind about it, that tyaga will not achieve anything. Understand Your Agnan. Thus, Dharma is needed for removing the wrong tendencies. Upasana is needed for removing avid desires. Bhakti is needed for removing extreme attachments and aversions. It is necessary to surrender to the 71

Ishwara, to remove pride, vanity and arrogance. Gnan is needed for removing agnan. What is Agnan? From which point does the East start? Where does the West start and end? You can only imagine these. It is sheer agnan to look for an object that is far away, or to try and locate the beginning and end of the directions. Then, where is Gnan? East and West start from where you are. The East is to my right, and West is to my left. My East and West start from where my heart is. My past and my future start in my heart. The aadi (beginning; origin) and anta (end) of the whole world starts from our Atma. If you look for the aadi-anta in the outer world you will never find it. If you turn within you will find it automatically. East, West, North, South, the past, the present, and the future exist in your imagination. The dream state is your laboratory. Just as people make new kinds of experiments in a laboratory, you see new scenes in your dreams, In your dream you create the earth, water, sun and moon and the sky, etc. There is a shakti in you by which you create a dream world, change it, reduce it, and remove it. The dream state is where your mind conducts experiments and the waking state is where you interact with others. Why do you let the shakti of the dream state disappear? Where does the power of your mind that works when you dream, go, when you wake up?

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Ishwara sharanagati means, to come into your own house, and not drift in the East, West, North, South. You are not seated in the middle of some land. You are the Parabrahm Paramatma! The aadi-anta-madhya (beginning-end-middle) of this srishti (world) is within you. That which is known and that which is unknown are all within you. This is the kind of adviteeya aatma-tattva (non-dual essence of the Atma) you are. You are the Brahm-Tattva. Sad-vaasanaa (the desire to do good things) should replace durvaasanaa (wrong desires). Saccharitra (a noble character) should replace dushcharitra (bad character). Sharanagati should come in place of abhiman, and bhakti for Bhagwan should arise in the heart, instead of raaga-dvesha.The bodha (full understanding) of the Advaita Tattva – the non-dual essence of the Brahman – should replace paraadheenataa (dependence; being enslaved by worldly considerations). Techniques of Sadhan. Our sadhana-paddhati (methods for spiritual progress) are not restricted to any particular name of the Ishwara like Rama or Rahim. They encom all. Your lineage will continue to retain its connection to the traditional values if you do ancestor worship. The power of your senses and organs will be retained if you do the upasana of the Devtas. Worship Ramachandra, Krishnachandra, Vishnu, Shiva, the Devi, and your manasika shakti (mind power) will increase. Give thought to Sankhya, and your intellect will be sharpened. If you give thought to Vedanta you will get Mukti (liberation from the cycle of rebirth). Our Vedic tradition – our Dharma – contains descriptions of the remedies for the different ailments. Those who open shop to 73

popularize just one aspect lack a comprehensive Gnan; and the people who benefit by it are also limited in numbers. This is why the poorna (complete; whole) sanskriti (tradition; culture) is called the Vedic Sanskriti. You can worship your ancestors and also respect your parents. Respect the elderly people, and don’t be hasty in crossing over the boundaries of social decorum and traditional principles. Give repeated thought, and ask yourself why you wish to do something that is socially unacceptable. People don’t do the daily ritual of Sandhya Vandan. Why don’t they do it? What essential work keeps them from doing it, which is superior to this injunction of the Shastras? Sadhana is not done after death; it is done to obtain sukha and shanti in this very life. It is a method – an art – of sadhan. If you keep getting irritated over trifles, how will you ever get shanti? You consider others to be fools, and yourself to be very intelligent! How will you get shanti with such an attitude? The viewpoint of aatma-nireekshana (introspection) should come into our life.

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Fifth Discourse Maamanusmara yudhya cha. (Gita 8. 7) (Think of Me and go on fighting your battle.) Bhagwan Shri Krishna gives us the teaching, ‘Maamanusmara yudhya cha – think of Me and go on fighting your yuddha.’ Yuddha means karma. Go on thinking about Bhagwan and go on doing your duty. Bhagwan does our smarana (thinks ). This whole world is in His view, and the kalpaanta (end of an eon) is in His sankalpa (resolve). This entire creation is in a single follicle of His body. We are all before His eyes. We cannot see Him, but He sees us all. We cannot take Him onto our lap, but He always keeps us in His lap. We breathe in His breath. We sleep in His sleep. We wake up in His waking. Our relationship with Bhagwan is so avachhinna (unbreakable; inseparable) that even the Paramatma cannot break it even if He wants to! Can anyone break his svaroopa (true form; essence) and separate it? We should this. Yet, in spite of having such a close relationship with Bhagwan, the jeeva becomes dukhi (sad). Why is that? It is because of not ing. Shri Krishna’s Life and Circumstances. Just look at Shri Krishna’s life. At least understand this, that sukhadukha come into everybody’s life. There is nobody who does not face

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favorable and adverse situations. If we keep our mana in order, all situations can be dealt with. Rakshata rakshata koshaanaamapi kosham hridayam, yasmin surakshite` sarvam surakshitam syaat. Protect it! Keep it safe! Your heart is the treasure of all treasures! If your heart is safe, none of the inequities of place and time can make you sad. No circumstance, no object, and no person can make you unhappy. You tend to see only one aspect of Shri Krishna’s life, His childhood days, and the frolics like stealing butter, flirting with the gopis and playing with the cowherd boys. Do you ever think about how He was born to parents who were thrown into prison with fetters on their hands and feet? He had to go away to strangers as soon as He was born. On the one hand are the adverse circumstances Shri Krishna faced, and on the other hand is His establishing a Kingdom of Dharma, and the magnificence of Dwarka. It is only in the life of Shri Krishna that He was born in jail, and taken by His father to the home of a gwaalaa (cowherd). See how life can carry you form where to where! Shri Krishna was only six days old when He had to suckle the poisoned breast of the demoness, Putana. When He was three months old, a cart fell on Him. Trees fell on Him when He was four years old. He faced the wrath of Indra Devta when He was just seven, and Indra tried to drown the region of Vraja. And then, He had to kill His Mama (mother’s brother) 76

with His bare hands! None of these are pleasant incidents, but they all came into Shri Krishna’s life. Enemies attacked Mathura seventeen times. When they attacked the eighteenth time, Shri Krishna had to run barefoot, from Mathura to Junaghad. He had just a peetaambara (yellow stole) on His shoulders. He had to stay at the Ashrams (hermitages) of Sadhus and eat the prasaada (sanctified food distributed as a blessing), and do Satsang (listen to spiritual discourses). He had no shoes, no money, nothing to cover His head with, not even an umbrella! From there Shri Krishna went to Dwarka. Have you thought about this at all? At Dwarka there was a robbery at the house of His father-in-law. Shri Krishna was suspected of stealing the priceless jewel called the Syamantak Mani. Even His brother, Balaramji, suspected Shri Krishna of cheating him by stealing the mani. This is written in the Bhagwat. Kintu maamaagrajah samyan na pratye`ti manim prati. ‘What am I to do?’ lamented Shri Krishna. ‘My elder brother does not trust Me regarding this mani. How can I convince him that I have not stolen it?’ Shambarasura kidnapped Shri Krishna’s first born, His son Pradyumna. Then, His grandson, Aniruddha, was also kidnapped. The people of Dwarka were divided into two groups – one favored Shri Krishna; and on the other hand, His Army fought on the side of the enemy. You have the impression that Shri Krishna’s life was very happy, but there were occasions when even His brother Balaramji, and close associates like Kritavarma, Vishrava, Satyaki and Uddhav caused Him great concern. 77

Not only that, none of Shri Krishna’s children listened to Him. Shri Krishna and Balaramji had great respect for the Sadhus, but their children wanted to test the powers of Mahatmas. None of them listened to Shri Krishna in matters pertaining to food and drink. In spite of facing so many adverse situations, Shri Krishna’s heart was always filled with sweetness and joy. He always had a smile on His face and love in His eyes. These never faded. And, the way He died! Did He away while in a state of Samadhi? No. A hunter shot an arrow into the sole of His foot. And He left this world, and went to His divine realm. This teaches us that when even Shri Krishna’s life was filled with adverse circumstances we should not get nervous when things go wrong in our life. We should keep alive the anand of our heart, and continue to tackle the problem. The Gita is a book of Shri Krishna’s life. It is a diary of His experience about not giving up our duty due to any people, circumstances, or pressures that bear down on us. One of the Puranas describes how Shri Krishna was married to Jambavati. They had no children for ten years. Then Shri Krishna did the aaraadhanaa (ritual worship) of Surya Devta (the presiding deity of the sun). By the Grace of Surya Devta a son was born to Jambavati. The purport is that we should not get disheartened by the circumstances that come into our life. We should never lose hope. When we see the life of Shri Ramachandra we see the contrast between the exultant preparations for His being made the Crown Prince, and His walking barefoot out of the city the next morning, 78

banished to the forest for fourteen years. Did this have any effect on Shri Ramachandra? Did He become disappointed? Was He dejected? Didn’t He progress in life? Proceed Fearlessly. There is one type of people who say and think, ‘If we do this work we will have to face these obstacles. This work entails great problems.’ They are so apprehensive about obstacles and problems that they never embark upon any good work. Another type of people is those who embark on some work but give it up as soon as any major difficulty arises. The superior type is people who continue to battle against all obstacles that arise. Klaibyam maa sma gamah paartha. (Gita 2. 3) (O Arjuna! Do not behave like a eunuch.) There is no need to behave like a eunuch! You should take the of paurusha (manliness; valor) and win success in life. You people must be reading the biographies of great Seths (wealthy businessmen) who left Rajasthan with just five rupees in their pocket and a lota and string (to draw water from a well) in their hand. They had great courage and they worked hard, used their intelligence, and became very wealthy. A friend of mine lives in Mumbai. He recently retired from the post of Professor at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. I know him since his childhood. The family had no electricity in their house. He would study under the street light outside. He wrote poems on the episodes in the Mahabharata. This earned him two rupees per poem. With the help of 79

these two rupees he completed his M.A. and then went to the Gita Press. After working there for some time, he became a professor at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. He also started singing for the All India Radio. His sons are now in high positions in foreign countries. Thus, nobody should feel that there is no hope for him. I will tell you about some Pundits of Kashi (Varanasi). Pundit Shivkumar Shatsri was one of the most renowned Pundits of the century. Even today, you will not find any Pundit of Sanskrit who has not heard of him. No Comparable authority is to be found in India, leave alone anywhere else in the world. As a child Shivkumarji lived with his uncle, and took the buffalo to graze every day. Somehow he procured a book of the Hindi alphabet. He was trying to learn ‘ka-kha-ga’ when the buffalo strayed into a neighbor’s field. The neighbor complained to the uncle. The uncle came to see for himself. He slapped Shivkumarji saying, ‘Do you want to become PaniniPatanjali (famous grammarians of Sanskrit) or do you want to look after my buffalo?’ Shivkumarji was ten years old. He kept silent at that time, but later, at home, he told his uncle, ‘Uncle, I am leaving. I will come back when I become like Panini-Patanjali.’ Today’s Sanskrit Pundits do not consider Shivkumarji to be in any way inferior to Panini-Patanjali. Shivkumarji was not only an authority on Sanskrit grammar, he was also an outstanding scholar on all the six Darshans (branches) of the Vedic philosophy. He got married in Benares and attained great acclaim. What saadhana (methods), what upakarana (means) did Shivkumarji have? He had only his firm resolve and that resolve was so strong that 80

he discarded everything that was contrary to his goal. He applied himself wholly to the goal he had set for himself. Even in my time, I met an outstanding Pundit from Bengal. His name was Haranchandra Shastri. When his parents died he went to live, along with his younger brother, with his Mama (mother’s brother). Haranchandra was twelve and his younger brother was eight. The Mama would not even give them enough food to eat. One day they quietly walked to the house of a Judge who had been a friend of their father. The Judge kept them with him and treated them well. However, when there was a sabhaa (gathering) of Pundits, the Judge gave five rupees each to the Pundits and two rupees each to the two boys. Haranchandra said, ‘You are giving five rupees to the others. We should also get five rupees.’ ‘You will be given five rupees when you complete your studies,’ said the Judge. Both brothers left the Judge’s house quietly that night. They walked on, hungry and thirsty. One Muslim gentleman saw them and felt sorry for them. He took them to his house and offered them food. ‘We will not eat food from the hand of a Mussalman,’ they said. ‘We will not eat in your house either.’ The Muslim gentleman procured a pot from the house of a potter and milk from a milkman. He took them to his cowshed and told them to cook kheer (a rice pudding), and eat it. The brothers left from there and went to Shivkumarji’s house in Kashi. They studied under him. The British Government conferred great honors on them, and made them Principals in Government colleges. Both became renowned scholars. Haranchandra wrote a book in 81

Sanskrit called, ‘Kala Tattva Darshini’. Till date no comparable treatise on the kaala-tattva (the essence of Time) is to be found. Crossing over Space and Time. Our greatest weakness is that we get disheartened by the circumstances of our life. Proceed, tearing away all problems! If we listen to the character of our ancestors we will know how they progressed in life. Most people think that they would be successful if only they had enough money and people to help them. That is not correct. Your biggest helper is seated in your hriday, and He is constantly inspiring you to do good things. You get tired when you work, and go to sleep; but does He ever get tired? The heartbeats that started when you were in your mother’s womb do not cease until the moment of your death. The battery of this machine that is your body continues to work, to pulsate. You breathe as long as you are alive. The blood circulates in your body, your hair grows, and the body throws out the waste. All this machinery works day and night. It doesn’t stop even when you sleep. Even while you are fast asleep, your hair grows, food is digested, blood circulates, the pulse beats, you inhale and exhale, etc. And, you hold on to aalsya (laziness) and pramaada (forgetfulness). Why is this? What is aalasya? There is a word, ‘a-rasa’, meaning, without rasa (sweet emotion; enjoyment), or neerasa (where rasa is absent). The ‘ra’ in arasa becomes ‘la’, making the word aalasa. The feeling of aalasa is called aalasya. To say, ‘You are aalasi’ means that you don’t get pleasure in your work. You cook a roti, but you take no pleasure in 82

making it attractive and tasty. When someone does not enjoy his work he gets caught in laziness, forgetfulness, and drowsiness. What is Mrityu? In this life of ours, what is mrityu (death)? The Sanatsujat chapter of the Mahabharata says, ‘pramaadam vai mrityumaham braveemi’ – this pramaada (not ing our duty) in this life is what we call ‘mrityu’. To not something in time, to forget what we should do, is pramad. A gentleman had come to visit me. He was eighty fine years old. He was an Acharya of five or seven Shastras. I told one of the people at the Ashram to make arrangements for his stay. ‘Take him to his room to refresh himself. Make sure there is water for drinking and washing. Then take him for dinner and to check that he gets a glass of hot milk when he goes to bed.’ When the gentleman came to me the next morning, I asked him if he had slept well and if the food had been to his liking. ‘Yes, yes. Everything was all right,’ he said. The way he said this raised some doubt. I sent for the man to whom I had delegated the responsibility of looking after him, and asked him. ‘Oh! I took him to his room. He lay down on the bed, and I went away. I completely forgot about the other things. I did not take him for dinner. I also forgot about the water and the milk,’ he said. Tell me, now, what is this, if not pramad? Death does not come into anybody’s life like a tiger. When people forget about their responsibilities, obligations, and other important tasks it is like their dying. Regarding mrityu, our Shastras say that mrityu is not to be 83

blamed for devouring a person who has four dosha (faults). These are, a) when a person does not study well the subject he is supposed to, b) when he learns the wrong things, c) when he becomes aalasi, and d) when he eats ashuddha (impure according to the Shastras) items. The Shastras have stated this clearly. This gives us an indication of a way to become amara (beyond death; undying). Our vidyaa (learning) should be shuddha (pure, according to the Shatras), and our aachaara (behavior; lifestyle) should be shuddha. We should be alert about carrying out our duties, and we should eat food that is pavitra (pure, according to the Shastras). It is apavitra (impure) to eat in excess of our needs. The purport is that we should always be vigilant about removing the aalasya or pramad that creep into our life. Look at the one who ensures that our heart beats continuously. What is this circulation of our breath? Who is seated at the controls? Which is the battery that makes our heart beat without ceasing? The one who inspires all this is so careful that He does not stop pervading us for even a moment! Not even for a fragment of a moment! Such an alert Paramatma, who gives us so much shakti, and we go to sleep without thinking of Him at all! That is not proper! Bhagwan always keeps us in His mind. He gives us life with His sattaa (pure existence). It is by His sattaa that we have this face. Just as jewelry is molded in gold, Bhagwan is in place of the gold and our forms are in place of jewelry. Only Bhagwan exists and it is He who gives us the shakti by which our jeevana (life) goes on. It is He who gives us Gnan, gives us the buddhi by which we understand what is good and what is bad. 84

Understand Sanyam Again. Has any animal invented anything new? People want to compare themselves to animals these days. They want to eat whatever seems tempting, and do whatever they feel like doing. However, you can’t do that. I can point out at least ten things that no human can eat. After all, when there are some things that you have to stop at, why don’t you make some niyama (self-imposed discipline) in your life regarding the things you will eat and the things you will refrain from eating? Why do you break your niyam because others urge you to eat what you are supposed to avoid? Make a niyam about the things you can do and the things you won’t do. There should be a niyam about the items you will consume and what you won’t have, and the sensual indulgences you will permit yourself and those you will reject. People say, ‘Kaama (desire) happens, krodha (anger) happens, moha (deluded thinking due to personal likes and dislikes) happens, but I am absolutely asanga (unattached) to them. I am a saakshee (uninvolved witness), a drashtaa (mere spectator).’ This is not accepted by the Shastras and the Mahatmas. The method of Mahatmas has always been to give up dushcharitra first. They reject kama-krodha from their mind. They quiet their buddhi until they reach the nirodha-dashaa (a state where the mind is empty of all thoughts and feelings). Then they sit established in that state. They get the direct personal experience of being the Atma, and not the body or the mind. The saakshitva (feeling of being the witness) of dushcharitrataa (succumbing to the wrong urges) is not the pantha (way of life) of our 85

sadaachaara (living according to the rules of our Shastras). It is a method for gathering people who have duscharitra. Therefore, there should be a niyam about your intake, Dharma, schedules, and accumulations. Make a maryaada (ethical framework) of be`eemaanee (being dishonest; dishonorable) that this is the extent up to which you will permit yourself to be dishonest. Your work will never flourish if you think only about your own benefit. Your customers will understand that they will get no advantage in dealing with you. It is vital that your life has niyam and maryada. The Price of Integrity. There was a Raja who wanted a controversial law to be ed by the Parliament. He spoke privately to the of Parliament, suggesting that they take some money from him and vote in his favor, or else absent themselves on the day of the voting. He started with an offer of seven thousand rupees and went up to twenty five thousand rupees each. One gentleman said, ‘Do you expect me to sell my integrity for twenty five thousand rupees?’ ‘I am willing to give you fifty thousand rupees,’ said the Raja. ‘Tell me the price you set for your integrity.’ He did, indeed, succeed in getting the law ed. You should have some value for your eemaana (honesty; integrity). You must always be careful that no poor person is made to suffer by any action of yours. This point, at least, must always be kept in mind.

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I had heard a story when I was a child. There was a Badshah at Delhi. One night he was unable to sleep. He got up and started walking around the room. He ed by the window and saw a light burning in a room in the Royal Treasury. It was past midnight. He ordered his servants to take him there. To his surprise he saw his old khajaanchee (treasurer) sitting there with the books of s spread before him. ‘What are you doing?’ asked the Badshah. ‘I am checking the s, Hazoor.’ ‘Why? What is the need to check the s so late at night? Is the money in access or is it short?’ ‘It is in excess.’ ‘Well, you can locate the mistake tomorrow and return the money. Go home and get some rest.’ ‘No, Saheb. Who knows which poor man’s money has come into our coffers by mistake. I want to separate that amount before a poor man’s haaya (sigh of pain) reaches the Royal Treasury and burns it.’ Abhava and Sukha. It is one of the mahimaa (greatness; fame) of honorableness that when our income comes at the cost of another’s sorrow, it brings us money but not sukha. Sukha is something that is quite different from wealth. It is important that you understand this. Sukha stays in the hriday and wealth is outside. There are people who have great wealth, but they always feel the abhaava (lack) of this or that or something else. When a person has enough wealth and yet feels 87

he is lacking in some things, it is called abhava. In some places it is because the husband and wife don’t get along, and in some places it is because people cannot procure something they want. They are under constant tension. They suffer disappointment and sorrow even though they have external wealth. Wealth is one thing and happiness is something entirely different. I am aware that I do not have the kalaa (skill; art) of earning wealth. Actually, if I were to try, I can also apply my intellect to earning wealth. It is abhimaana (pride; vanity) to say that if I put in an effort to make money I will be as successful as any Seth! I will get the means and the people and guidance for it. All this will happen, but it has to be understood that obtaining wealth may give comforts, but it is another thing to get happiness. Wealth has one kalaa (part) of sukha, and Dharma has sixteen kalas of sukha. The reason is that in Dharma we become sukhee (happy) within ourselves, but in wealth we are dependent on external factors for our sukha. Paraadheena sapane`hun sukha naaheen. (A person who is dependent cannot dream of being happy.) What is Greatness? Interaction has two skills. One is: do you know the art of talking? And the other is: what are the emotions that arise in your heart? Is there an urge to make someone look small? What is the object you have an urge to procure? There is a sukha of wealth – ‘I have this much wealth.’ ‘I am like this.’ ‘I am greater than that man,’ etc. May Bhagwan increase their greatness! 88

However, where is the greatness if there is no sukha and shanti in the heart? Look; the greatest of all is the Parameshwara. He existed before this world was created, and He will exist when this world is no more. He is the greatest in age. He exists where there is no creation and He also exists where creation is. His length and breadth are the greatest. Universes exist in His every follicle, so He is the heaviest as well. When we think about this, our mana becomes still. At that moment we are great. But when we start thinking about petty things, our mana is small and we are small. If you want to cross over the boundary of badappana (greatness), there is nobody who is greater than the Ishwara in all Creation. How can a person who does not think of the Ishwara ever be sukhi? A gentleman who was very old used to live with me. He was a vidvaana (scholar). He would keep laughing and making others laugh by narrating little stories. I told another Mahatma, ‘He narrates little episodes all the time. He laughs and makes others laugh. I see no other special quality in him.’ The Mahatma told me, ‘Don’t speak about this to anybody. All his daughters have become widows. His only son has become a vagabond. There is not enough money even for proper food. Unless he keeps up this habit of laughing and making others laugh, his heart will break with sorrow. We should help him to laugh and make others laugh. We should not try to curtail this habit of his.’ That means the gentleman’s habit of laughing and making others laugh was his reaction to the great sorrow his heart was burdened with. It is not that people who laugh a lot are always happy people. 89

The Spring in Your Heart. The basic truth is that when the Atma of a person becomes one with the Paramatma, the Paramatma’s shakti, buddhi, and poornata come into his life. Let the dhanush-baana (bow and arrows; symbols of action) be in your hands. This is karma. And, let the reins (of your life) be in the hands of Bhagwan. This is the Karma Yoga of the Gita. Yatra yogeshvarah krishno yatra paartho dhanurdharah, tarta shreervijayo bhootirdhruvaaneetirmatirmama. (Gita 18. 78) (O King! Where Bhagwan Krishna is, and Arjuna is with his bow and arrows, that is where prosperity, Grace, victory, and eternal righteousness are. This is my opinion.) Go into the world of action surrendering the reins of the chariot (of your life) in Bhagwan’s hands. Hold the bow and arrows (of actions) in your hands. Bhagwan is the sanchaalaka (director) and you are the worker. This is where shree (one of the names of Laxmiji, the goddess of wealth and Grace), vijaya (victory), bhooti (power; dignity), and neeti (moral conduct) abide. Some of the people here would surely have heard that when a stream of the Gangaji becomes separated from the main river, the water is no longer suitable for bathing in. Only the stream connected to the main stream is pavitra. Similarly, this jeeva-aatmaa (the individual soul) is pavitra as long as the person remains attached to his origin – the font of his existence – the Paramatma, into whom he will ultimately merge. 90

When a person becomes separated from that Ishwara, he becomes apavitra. He becomes asatya (detached from the pure existence). There is no poornata in his buddhi. There is no sukha in his life. The Paramatma in Interaction. Your sat-svaroopa (the essence that is pure existence) means, you exist. Furthermore, you have never yet had the experience of death. Had you died, how could you be alive? The fact that you exist today proves that you have not died. Therefore, it is wrong to imagine that you will die in future. That being the case, your Dharma is that you should not fear death, nor put the fear of death into any other. Live happily and let others live happily. These four Dharmas are your Dharma because you are satsvaroopa. You have never been agnaanee (without Gnan); not even when you are fast asleep, because you have the Gnan of having slept. You say, ‘I was fast asleep.’ Nobody can have the Gnan, ‘I don’t know anything.’ Then? Don’t be foolish and don’t make a fool of anyone. Remain samajhdaara (having the right understanding) and give samajhdaaree (the right understanding) to others. You wish to remain alive – not only in sukha – but also in dukha. This means, dukha is not your swarup. Therefore, don’t be dukhi and don’t make anyone dukhi. Remain sukhi and give sukha to others. Be happy and spread happiness. To tell you the truth, you are not separate from the Paramatma. 91

Don’t quarrel with anybody and don’t be the cause of a quarrel between others. These are the sixteen kalas of Dharma, and they are in keeping with the essence of the sacchidaananda (sat = pure existence, chit = pure consciousness, anand = pure bliss. This is the essence of the non-dual Brahman that is the substratum of all that exists) advaya (indivisible) Brahman. Have a house to live in. Have food, clothes and medicines. However, that these should be available to others as well. Have schools for increasing your knowledge. Keep facilities to enhance learning, Keep books, lecture halls, etc, but keep in mind that everybody should have access to these. Remain sukhi. Dance, sing, play music, and keep smiling. A smile should come to the face of whoever sees you. The sight of you should make others feel happy. The Gandharva Veda teaches the skills of dancing, singing, playing musical instruments, and drama. When foreign invaders conquered our people, these were pushed into the background to protect our womenfolk. If you want to keep life sukhi and live in harmony and goodwill, never let dve`sha (hatred; strong aversion) set your heart on fire. The Atharva Veda contains this mantra: Sahridayam saammanasyamavidve`sham krinomi vah. My dear friends! It is my wish that your hearts are filled with goodwill and your mind filled with benevolence. May strife never arise among

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you. May you love each other with the kind of love mother cow has for her calf. Maa bhraataa bhraataram dvishyaad maasvasaaramut svasaa. There should be no enmity between brothers or between brother and sister. Save your heart from being burnt by the fire of ill-will. This will happen when we think continuously about the Paramatma. ‘Maamanusmara yudhya cha.’ Whatever work you do let it remind you of the Paramatma. that you are doing this as a se`vaa (service) of the Paramatma. And, use your tongue for as long as possible, even if it just five or ten minutes a day, to chant His name. Don’t do this with any thought of obtaining some benefit. Do it only for feeling happy, so that you develop the habit of being happy without having to depend on any external factor. ‘Maamanusmara yudhya cha. Think of Me and continue your yuddha.’ Om Shatih Shantih Shantih.

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