BHAGAVAD GITA
– The Song of God : Chapter 10
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Published by Nithyananda Foundation, Bangalore, India
Copyright© 2006
First Edition: July 2006
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced
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All proceeds from the sales of this book go towards
supporting Nithyananda Foundation’s charitable activities.
Printed in India by W Q Judge Press, Bangalore, India
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BHAGAVAD GITA
– The Song of God : Chapter 10
Nithyananda
Talks given in USA on The Bhagavad Gita – Chapter 10
Know Me for who I am, says the Great Master Krishna:
I am the Creator, the Created and the Creation.
Know Me and be liberated.
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BHAGAVAD GITA
– The Song of God : Chapter 10
CONTENT
Bhagavad Gita: A Background ................................................ 8
Introduction ............................................................................... 13
I Am the Ultimate ................................................................... 15
Appendix
Science and spirituality ................................................ 224
Offerings from Nithyananda Foundation ................... 232
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! Paaqaa-ya p/itbaaioQataM Baagavata naaraayaNaona svayaM
vyaasaona ga/iqataM puraNamauinanaa maQyao mahaBaartM
AWOtamaRtvaiYa-NaIM BagavatIM AYTadSaaQyaaiyanaIM
Amba %vaamanausandQaaima Bagavad\gaIto BavaWooiYaNaIM
Om paarthaaya pratibodhitam bhagavataa naaraayanena svayam
Vyaasena grathitaam puraanamuninaa madhye mahaabhaaratam
Advaitaamrutavarshineem bhagavateem ashtaadsaadhyaayineem
Amba tvaamanusadadhaami bhagavadgite bhavadveshineem
Om Bhagavad Gita, I meditate upon you, the affectionate
Mother, the divine mother showering the nectar of non
duality and destroying rebirth, incorporated into the
Mahabharata in eighteen chapters by sage Vyasa, with which
Lord Narayana, the Supreme Consciousness Himself,
enlightened Arjuna.
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vasaudovasautM dovaM kmsacaaNaUrmad-nama\
dovakIprmaanandM kRYNaM vando jagad\gauruM
Vasudeva Sutam Devam Kamsa Chanura Mardanam
Devaki Paramaanandam Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum
I salute you Lord Krishna, Teacher to the World, son of
Vasudeva and supreme bliss of Devaki, destroyer of Kamsa
and Chanura.
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Bhagavad Gita: A Background
Bhagavad Gita, or Gita, as it is often called, is considered a
sacred scripture, a sruti, that which was transmitted by
hearing. As a sruti Gita is clubbed along with the ancient
scriptures of Veda and Upanishad which are the expressions
of the great sages, the maharishi.
Veda and Upanishad, the sruti, were not God given as some
people believe. They arose through the insight and awareness
of the great sages when they went into a no mind state.
Gita is a part of the purana, the epics; it forms part of the
Hindu epic Mahabharata. Unlike the Veda, which were
internalized by the great sages, the maharishi, or the
Upanishad, which were the teachings of these great sages,
Gita is part of a story narrated by Vyasa, a great sage.
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No other purana, or part of a purana, has this special status
as the Gita. Gita arose from the super consciousness of
Parabrahma Krishna, the Cosmic Cobsciousness and is
therefore considered a scripture.
Mahabharata, literally the Great Bharata, refers to the nation
and civilization developed by the descendants of Bharata, a
great King who ruled a region, what today is known as India.
The story of this epic is about two warring clans, Kaurava
and Pandava, closely related to one another. Dhritharashtra,
the blind King of Hastinapura and father of the 100 Kaurava
men was the brother of Pandu, whose children were the five
Pandava princes.
Pandu, originally the King of Hastinapura, was afflicted by a
curse of a sage and he handed over the kingdom and his
children to his blind brother Dhritharashtra. Vyasa, the sage
who tells this story, says that all the five Pandava children
were born to their mother Kunti through her union with
divine beings by immaculate conception, since Pandu himself
was incapable of siring children as a result of his curse. Kunti
received a blessing when she was still a young unmarried
adolescent that she could at will summon any divine power.
Duryodhana, the Kaurava Prince, had no love lost for his five
Pandava cousins. Along with his even more wicked brother
Dushassana, he made many attempts to kill the Pandava
brothers off without success. Karna, Kunti’s eldest son whom
she had cast away at birth, since he was born before she was
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married through her union with the Sun God, by a strange
twist of fate joined hands with Duryodhana.
On his coming of age, the Pandava Prince Yudhishtra being
the rightful heir to the throne that his father Pandu had
vacated, was given by his uncle Dhritharashtra half the
kingdom. Yudhishtra ruled from his new capital Indraprastha
with his brothers Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva.
Arjuna, won the hand of Princess Draupadi, daughter of the
King of Panchal in a swayamwara, a marital contest in which
princes fought for the hand of a fair damsel. To obey the
promise that the five Pandava brothers made to their mother
Kunti that they would share everything equally, Draupadi
became the wife of all five Pandava brothers.
Duryodhana persuaded Yudhishtra into a gambling session,
where the evil Sakuni as Duryodhana’s representative
defeated the Pandava King. One by one, Yudhishtra was
made to lose all that he owned, his kingdom, his brothers,
his wife and himself to Duryodhana. Draupadi was shamed in
public by Dushassana who disrobed her. Pandava brothers and
Draupadi were forced to go into exile for 14 years, with the
condition that in the last year they should live incognito.
At the end of the 14 years, Pandava brothers tried to reclaim
their kingdom. In this effort they were helped by Krishna, the
divine reincarnation of Vishnu in the form of the King of
Yadava clan. However, they were rebuffed by Duryodhana.
Finally, war resulted, the Great War, the War of
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Mahabharata. Various rulers of the entire nation, that is
today India, aligned with one or the other of these two
clans, the Kaurava or the Pandava.
Krishna offered to join either of the two clans. He said: ‘One
of you may have me unarmed, not taking any part in the
battle. The other may have my entire Yadava army’. The first
offer was made to Duryodhana, who predictably chose the
vast Yadava army, in preference to the unarmed Krishna.
Arjuna chose Krishna as his unarmed charioteer.
The armies assembled in the vast field of Kurukshetra, now
in the state of Haryana in modern day India. All the Kings
and Princes were related to one another, often on opposite
sides. Arjuna was charioted by Krishna himself. Facing the
Kaurava army and his friends, relatives and teachers, Arjuna
was overcome by remorse and guilt and wanted to walk away
from the battle.
Krishna’s dialogue with Arjuna on the battle field of
Kurukshetra is the content of Bhagavad Gita, which literally
means Song of the Divine. Krishna persuaded Arjuna to take
up arms and vanquish his enemies. ‘They are already dead’,
says Krishna, ‘all those who are facing you are dead. Go
ahead and do what you have to do. That is your duty’.
Bhagavad Gita has eighteen chapters and is presented as the
narration of Sanjaya, Dhritharashtra’s charioteer to the blind
king.
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The Great War of Mahabharata lasted 18 days. All the
Kaurava Princes as well all their commanders such as
Bhishma, Drona and Karna were killed in battle. The five
Pandava brothers survived as winners and became the rulers
of the combined kingdom.
In this dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna, the dialogue is
between man and God; nara and Narayana as they are
termed in Sanskrit. Arjuna’s questions and doubts are those
of each one of us. The answers of the Divine, Krishna,
transcend time and space. Krishna’s message is as valid today
as it was on that fateful battlefield some thousands of years
ago.
Like Arjuna many thousand years ago, you are here in a
dialogue with a Master. May the Master’s words resolve your
questions and clear your doubts.
Nithyanandam!
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Introduction
In this series, a young enlightened Master, Nithyananda
comments on the Gita. Thousands of commentaries of the
Gita have been written over the years.
Amongst the earliest were by the great spiritual Masters such
as Sankara, some thousand over years ago.
In recent times, great Masters such as Ramakrishna
Paramahamsa and Ramana Maharishi have spoken from the
Gita extensively. Many others have written volumes on this
great scripture.
Nithyananda’s commentary of the Bhagavad Gita is not a
literary translation and an explanation of that translation. We
have added here, for the sake of the curious reader, all the
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verses in Sanskrit or Devanagari script along with the Roman
or English script transliteration, word by word meaning and a
summary of that verse’s meaning. Here the comparison with
other commentaries stops.
Nithyananda takes the reader through a world tour while
talking about each verse. It is believed that each verse of the
Gita has seven levels of meaning. What is commonly
rendered is the first level meaning. Here, an enlightened
Master takes us beyond the common into the uncommon,
with equal ease and simplicity.
To read Nithyananda’s commentary on the Gita is to obtain
an insight that is rare. It is not mere reading; it is an
experience; it is a meditation.
Sankara, the great Master philosopher said:
‘Bhagavad gita kinchita dheeta, ganga jala lava kanika pita,
sakrutapi ena murari samarcha, kriyate tasya yame na charcha’
‘A little reading of the Gita, a drop of Ganga water to drink,
remembering Krishna once in a while, all this will ensure
that you have no problems with the God of Death.’
The original discourse delivered by Nithyananda has been
further expanded with His inputs into this book version.
May this reading help you in your endeavor to attain Truth.
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I Am The Ultimate
This chapter, the tenth chapter of Bhagavad Gita, is called
vibhuti yoga, the yoga (knowledge of union of the individual
self with the supreme Self) of divine manifestations.
In this chapter, Krishna explains about His glories. In the last
chapter, He explained the ultimate secret of how to feel
deeply connected with the whole existence. Now, He starts
explaining His glories. He goes on at length and in great
detail explaining how He is ultimate and how He is
expressing Himself.
Often people see me observing my own photographs and
appreciating them. They see me listening to songs in my
praise and being happy with them. They see me dressed in
finery at times and think I am admiring myself.
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To me, this body, I, is not reality. My skin itself is foreign to
me, what to speak of what I wear on top of my skin. Most of
the time I wear a two- piece saffron clothing. I am equally
comfortable in that as with the more expensive garments I am
asked to wear for some special occasions. I look at myself as
you would at me and I am equally appreciative.
A Master no longer has an identity. His only identity is the
merged identity with the Universe. When Krishna, the
ultimate master talks about Himself in this chapter of the
Gita, He is talking from the perspective of Parabrahma
Krishna, the Cosmic Krishna and not Vasudeva Krishna, the
mortal Krishna. The entire Gita is delivered from Krishna’s
cosmic conscience. In this chapter especially, He is at His
peak of Consciousness, before He reveals Himself as the
Supreme Consciousness in the next chapter.
Every word that the great Jagatguru, the Universal Master,
utters here is a gift to Arjuna and to humanity. The verses in
this chapter are the authority on which the Bhagavad Gita
rests. These are the reason why it is considered a sruti, a
sacred scripture, even though it is part of an epic poem.
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¸ÉÒ ¦ÉMÉ´ÉÉxÉÖ´ÉÉSÉ
¦ÉÚªÉ ´É ¨É½þɤÉɽþÉä ¸ÉÞhÉÖ ¨Éä {É®ú¨ÉÆ ´ÉSÉ&*
ªÉkÉä%½Æþ |ÉҪɨÉÉhÉÉªÉ ´ÉIªÉÉÊ¨É Ê½þiÉEòɨªÉªÉÉ**10.1**
Shri bhagavan uvacha
bhuya eva mahabaho shrnu me paramam vachah
yat te aham priyamanaya vakshyami hitakamyaya (10.1)
Shri bhagavan uvacha: Lord Krishna said, bhuya: again, eva:
surely, mahabaho: big-armed, shrnu: hear, me: My, paramam:
supreme; vachah: word, yat: that which, te: to you, aham: I,
priyamanaya: dear to Me, vakshyami: say, hitakamyaya: with
the desire for your benefit
Lord Krishna said:
Listen again, Oh Arjuna! Because you are My dear friend,
for your benefit, I shall speak to you further giving knowledge
that is better than what I have already explained.
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Please understand:
A Master’s relationship with his disciple is in many forms.
Usually this is described in five forms.
The most basic relationship between a Master and disciple is
that of a master and a servant, of dasa bhava. The
relationship of Hanuman with Rama was one of this type.
Another is the relation of a mother to her child, of vatsalya
bhava, as in the case of Yasodha to infant Krishna.
A third is the relation of the child to the mother, matru
bhava, like the relation of Ramakrishna to Mother Kali.
A fourth relation is that of the beloved, madhura bhava like
the relation of Radha to Krishna.
The fifth is the relation of friendship, sakha bhava, feeling
that the Master is the closest friend.
Here, Krishna refers to the fifth relationship, sakha bhava,
that of friendship, exemplified by the relationship He had
with Arjuna. He is the Master to Arjuna who is the disciple
and yet He is also the friend.
In the last chapter, Krishna gave us the technique or the
understanding of feeling deeply connected with the whole,
with existence. Now, He is explaining the next step.
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Usually, as an individual ego, we always see the whole as our
enemy.
We are all like small waves in a big ocean. However,
suddenly, the wave starts thinking that the ocean is its
enemy. When it is created, when it exists or when it drops,
the wave is always connected to the ocean. But, the wave
starts thinking that it is in some way different from the
ocean. Not only that, the wave starts fighting with the ocean.
For the wave to realize that it is fully connected with the
ocean, it has to be consumed by the ocean. The ego has to
dissolve. The individual identity of the wave has to disappear.
This is the first step to enlightenment.
We all live in the illusion of our own self-created identities.
Each wave relates to another wave but not to the ocean. It
adopts another wave as its father, mother, wife or child and
relates with these. However, ultimately, each one of these
related waves disappears just like the wave itself.
Yet, the impermanence of its own existence as a wave as well
as that of other waves around it, to whom it feels related,
does not sink in easily. It is difficult when you are a wave to
see beyond yourself as the ocean. You have to rise beyond
the individuality of your existence as a wave to be able to
see that you are part of the larger whole of the ocean.
If you look at the human body itself, you can see this
oneness so beautifully exemplified. The human body consists
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of trillions of cells living in total harmony. If you look at the
individual cell itself though, it has intelligence by itself. It
can survive if isolated even if its center, the nucleus, which
is considered the central intelligence of the cell, is removed.
However, when it is a part of the larger whole, the body, it is
not the intelligence of the individual cell only at work but it
is the collective intelligence of the body mind system that
governs. This ensures that this remarkable system of the
human body mind can work smoothly.
A small story:
Once a visitor came to a small town and he was curious to
know about the town to see whether it was a nice town for
him to settle in. He asked a farmer about what he thought
about the mayor of the town.
The farmer replied, ‘That man does not do anything for the
town. He is useless.’ The visitor went ahead and met a potter
on the way. He asked him the same question to which the
potter replied, ‘My life has hardly improved after this person
became mayor. I am just waiting for the next election and for
this mayor to be removed from his post.’
The visitor then went for lunch to a small restaurant. Over
lunch, he asked the restaurant owner what he thought about
the mayor. The owner replied, ‘I don’t know which fool
elected him. He does not know anything about his work.’
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Now, the visitor was curious to know what the mayor himself
thought about his work. He scheduled an appointment with
the mayor and on meeting him, asked him, ‘Sir, how much do
you get paid for your job?’
The mayor replied, ‘Pay? I don’t get paid anything for this
job. I took it up because it gives me prestige!’
This is very similar to the situation with our ego: only you
think about your ego fulfillment, no one else is bothered
about you; they are worried for themselves. In fact, more ego
you have, less and worse people think of you.
For you, your ego makes you think that you are the center of
the world and you try to protect your status constantly. For
anybody else though, your ego has no meaning.
An enlightened master, Suzuki lived in Japan. When his
master passed away, he started weeping profusely. One person
asked him, ‘You are an enlightened person; you shouldn’t be
crying on your master’s death.’
Suzuki replied, ‘My master was the most extraordinary man
on planet earth.’ The person asked him, ‘What was so
extraordinary about him?’
Suzuki replied, ‘I have never seen such an extraordinary
person who thought he was the most ordinary man.’
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In ordinary life, every average person thinks he is
extraordinary. When you feel that you have undergone the
maximum suffering, your ego feels good. Only when your
enemy is big, you feel big. When your enemy is small, you
feel small.
For the same reason, if your suffering is big, you feel good.
Your ego is satisfied. You measure life by the amount of your
suffering. That is why you constantly torture others as well as
yourself.
Suzuki’s master was extraordinary because he thought he was
the most ordinary whereas in this world, every other person
thinks he is extraordinary.
When people have depression, they feel big. If you look
deeply, everybody thinks he is extraordinary. A man who feels
ordinary and believes in simplicity gives respect to everybody’s
arguments. He knows how to put himself in another’s shoes.
Because of our ego, we think that we are extraordinary
people and because of us, a lot of things are happening in
this world. We are all unique creations of existence but not
responsible for the world; the wave cannot attribute to itself
the power of the ocean. It has to realize it is a part of the
ocean instead of trying to separate from the ocean which is
anyways a futile effort.
All of us think that the world is running because of us.
Please be very clear: the world is not running because of you;
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it is running in spite of you! Fifty years before, when you were
not born, don’t you think the world was running as it is now?
Fifty years hence, do you think the world will stop just
because you are not there?
There is a proverb that says that if the cat closes its eyes, it
thinks the whole world has become dark. This is similar to
the ostrich sticking its head in the sand when it sees
impending danger.
A small story:
Once there was a man who was sitting in a boat and needed
to reach the other bank of the river soon. The boatman was
doing his best to row the boat as fast as he could. But, the
man was getting impatient and started walking inside the
boat from one end to the other. After some time, he started
running inside the boat.
The boatman requested him to be seated and allow him to
row the boat but the man replied that he had no time to be
seated and had to reach the other side soon!
If we look at ourselves, this is what we do as well most of
the time: we run inside the boat.
Ramana Maharishi describes a beautiful story:
Once, a man was traveling by train carrying his luggage on
his head. A fellow passenger asked him why he was carrying
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the luggage on his head when he could keep it in the train
and sit peacefully.
The man replied that it would be too heavy for the train!
Little did he realize that it was the train that was carrying
not only him, but his luggage as well. In the same way, not
only you but your mind is also being taken care of by the
divine.
We are all waves of this divine; we are all part of this whole.
Please be very clear: you cannot exist as an island. You
cannot exist as an isolated existence; you exist in the cosmic
whole just like the wave exists in the vast expanse of the
ocean.
The ego gives you the feeling that you are individual,
separate and isolated whereas the reality is that you are very
much a part of this existence, in it and supported by it.
So, there are only two ways in which you can live: either you
embrace and welcome reality in which case your ego has to
dissolve because only then you can face reality. Please be very
clear: this reality is God. God is not some entity hidden in
some remote corner of the universe or in the sky. He is the
reality around you.
The other way of living is the way in which most of us live:
by creating a shell, a dream-world around ourselves to
defend a false ego, which has no substance in reality.
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This is what is meant by maya. In Sanskrit, there is a
beautiful explanation of this term maya: ya ma iti maya. That
which does not exist but which troubles you as if it exists is
maya.
Since you are hidden in this capsule of your unreal world
with your ego as the center, you cannot feel the immediate
presence of God, who is actually the closest to you.
Please understand: the prana (vital energy) which is going
inside your body and which is coming out is itself not your
property; it is the property of existence. Prana is not the air
which you breathe in and out.
The air which you breathe is just like a vehicle that carries
the product, the prana. Just like a truck carries and delivers
the mud for the construction of the house, the air acts as a
carrier for the vital energy, the prana.
Constantly, the air is going in and leaving the prana inside
and the air is coming out. Constantly, we are taking prana
through the air from the cosmos.
If the incoming breath is carrying more prana than the
outgoing breath, you are going towards life, you are
expanding, you are strengthening your body, you are
strengthening your energy.
If the outgoing breath is carrying more prana than the
incoming breath, be very clear, you are going towards death.
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Understand that whatever you think of as you cannot
function if the prana doesn’t go in and come out. The very
source of your life is not your property.
Again and again, we think that we end where the physical
boundary of our body ends and anything outside that
boundary constitutes the external world. Please be very clear
that this physical boundary is not your boundary.
We always think that whatever is outside the physical
boundary of our body constitutes the existence and we
constantly think that whatever is outside is our enemy.
Imagine if the sun were to disappear one day; do you think
you could be alive without the rays of the sun? If the air
were to disappear, can you survive? If you are dependent for
your very survival on the sun which is billions of miles away
from you, how can your boundary end where the physical
boundary of your body ends? So, please be very clear: you are
deeply related to existence.
None of us can exist as and by ourselves. We are part of an
interconnected whole. When we lose sight of the whole, we
also become unaware of our links to one another.
There have been interesting studies on cells in organisms
which have established that each cell can only act in one of
two ways at any given time. It can either focus on growth or
it can focus on self-protection. It cannot do both
simultaneously.
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A cell placed in a dish moves spontaneously towards a
nutrient if it is placed on another part of the same dish. If
instead of the nutrient a toxin is placed in the dish, the cell
will move away from the toxin. If both the nutrient and the
toxin are placed at the same time in the dish, the cell is in a
dilemma.
Within the body system, the cellular intelligence normally
focuses on growth by diverting blood flow and oxygen flow,
which is the pranic or energy flow, to the growth centers of
the body.
However, when the mind body detects a threat, either
external or internal, a series of actions are initiated to divert
the energy flow to the limbs for protection. As long as the
threat remains, growth is sacrificed in favor of protection.
The mind body either fights or it flees the threat.
Since you consider existence to be your enemy, you
continuously try to protect yourself from others. Look at
yourself carefully and you will notice that you always look at
people with the attitude, ‘What for has he come? What is he
going to steal from me? What is he going to take from me?
How is he going to exploit me?’
Continuously, you are in a protective mood, trying to protect
yourself from others. The moment you see somebody, you start
the calculation, ‘What for is he here? What should I do
before he does anything to me?’ You start defending yourself.
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You are always calculating because you feel threatened by
the existence of the other.
The moment you think the existence or the whole is your
enemy, you will start defending. Please be very clear:
defending is nothing but a polite word for offending. All over
the world, the military forces of all the countries are called
defensive armies. Then who is offending? Every country
claims that its army is an army for defending itself. Then
who is offending?
Please be very clear: the very idea of defending is nothing but
a subtle way of offending. When you feel the whole is your
enemy, that everybody except you is your enemy, you spy
continuously, you constantly fight.
The fighting mood creates an increasingly violent feeling in
you, more and more restlessness in you. The first thing that
Krishna teaches as the rajavidya rajavihyam (secret of secrets)
is that existence is not your enemy. It responds to your
thoughts. It continuously cares for you. It is intelligence.
Please be very clear: If you live with the attitude of enmity,
even when you live, you will be dying. When you live with
the attitude of enmity with the whole, constantly, you will be
tortured. When you live with the feeling of friendliness, with
the attitude that existence is your friend, existence is your
own, naturally, you will feel a deep easiness.
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We need to realize that we are part of the same energy
system that the universe is; the wave has to understand that
it is part of the same energy system that the ocean is. The
Hindu scriptures talk of the five energy elements that nature
is made of: earth, water, fire, air and ether. All the other
major cultural traditions such as the Chinese have a similar
understanding. The human system is a combination of the
same elements as the universe, so are all beings, inanimate
and animate.
Even scientifically, we are at the most basic level understood
to be energy. There is no longer any confusion that matter
and energy are different. The singularity concept establishes
that matter and energy are not only convertible from one to
another, but that they also exist together as one. We are the
universe and the universe is us.
One thing: Above all, more than the easiness, you will feel
deeply connected to existence. If the wave starts thinking
that it is different from the ocean and if the wave starts
defending itself from the ocean, ultimately it is going to fall
into the same ocean however much it tries to defend itself
from the ocean.
By its very nature, the wave starts in the ocean, exists in the
ocean and is going to fall into the ocean. If it understands
that it is a part of the ocean, it will be utterly relaxed. It
will live a blissful life. If it doesn’t understand, it will fight
with the ocean but it will ultimately fall into the ocean.
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The ultimate secret which Krishna wants to reveal is that
existence, parasakti, brahman is your friend. The universal
energy is not your enemy. It is intelligence and it responds to
your thoughts. This is the first understanding. Next, in this
chapter, Krishna says, ‘I am That’. He says, ‘I am the whole
existence.’ In the next chapter, He gives the experience of
the cosmic consciousness to Arjuna. These chapters lead
Arjuna step by step to an elevated consciousness.
In the previous chapter, Krishna says, ‘Don’t have enmity with
existence.’ In this chapter, He says, ‘I am the same energy.
Not only you don’t have to have enmity, have a deep love.
You don’t have to have enmity.’
The previous chapter He says, ‘Drop your enmity against the
universal energy, brahman and atman.’ Now, He starts
explaining how to feel connected to the existence. In the
next chapter, He gives the cosmic experience. In the
vishwarupa-darshana yoga, He gives the experience to Arjuna
that the whole cosmic consciousness is He; He is in the
whole cosmic consciousness.
First, He removes the enmity. Then, He creates the feeling of
connectedness. Finally, He gives the advaithic (non-dual)
experience. All these three chapters lead Arjuna step by step.
Step by step, they are elevating Arjuna from low level to
higher level.
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Let us study this sastra with intense devotion and a deep
sincerity. Along with Arjuna, we will also grow; we will not
miss it.
Krishna says, ‘For your benefit, because you are My dear
friend, I shall speak to you further giving knowledge that is
better than what I have already explained.’
Please be very clear: Krishna is explaining His glory not for
His sake but for Arjuna’s sake. Krishna is not explaining His
glory to show his ego.
You need to understand an important thing: The ego of the
king is based on how many persons accept him as a king.
The more number of persons accept his ego, the more his ego
will be. Suddenly, if all the ministers and all the warriors
and all his citizens are taken away from him, what will
happen to his kingdom? What will happen to his kinghood?
He will lose the very base, he will lose the very idea of
kinghood, he will not be a king any more. His very ego will
be totally shaken.
A beautiful story:
There was a great saint called Dakshinamurthy Swamigal
who lived in Tamil Nadu. When he was alive, when he was
with the body, a king came to meet him. Dakshinamurthy
Swamigal lived the life of a Paramahamsa. The sky was all
that covered his body; he never wore any clothes. He lived
just like a child, happily in bliss.
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One day, he was sitting under a big tree and meditating
blissfully when the king came to see him. The king expected
that the Swami should stand up and receive him with all the
respect. The Swami, however, did not bother; he did not
even care about the king. The king, egoistically said, ‘What!
You are an ordinary beggar. I am a king; don’t you know how
to respect me?’
The Swami started laughing. He said, ‘Actually, you are the
beggar. You are begging respect from me. You feel respected
only when somebody gives you respect. But, I don’t feel
respected even when somebody gives me respect and I don’t
feel disrespected when somebody doesn’t give me respect.
Whether somebody respects me or not, it is in no way
related to my consciousness. I am not asking you why you are
not respecting me. I am not bothered about that. The
moment you ask, be very clear: you are a beggar.’
Then he says, ‘Your personality or your ego can be shaken
when all your army people leave you, when your ministers
leave you. Your being king is dependent on somebody else.’
That is why it is said that when Buddha used to beg for
alms, He used to look like a king and the kings like beggars!
Outward possessions cannot make you regal; it is the inner
bliss that radiates and makes you regal.
Be very clear: that is why always these leaders are in trouble.
Never think the leaders are leading you. You are leading the
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leaders. The honest truth is that you are leading the leaders
because as long as you accept them as leader, they can be
your leader. Just as you are bothered about their ideas, they
are also bothered about your ideas. Continuously, they are
bothered about your ideas.
Dakshinamurthy Swamigal says, ‘You are king as long as your
citizens accept you. So, naturally, directly or indirectly, you
will be begging your citizens to accept you because your
consciousness is dependent on them. In my case, that is not
true. Whether somebody accepts or not, I am quite blissful. I
am a Paramahamsa. My Paramahamsa-hood can never be
taken away from me. But, your kinghood can be taken away
from you. So, be very clear: the moment you ask for respect,
you are a beggar; I am not.’
Truth, a clear truth: the person whose ego is enriched by
more and more citizens is a politician; he is an egoistic
person. But, who reveals himself for the sake of the disciple’s
understanding is an enlightened man. Here, Krishna is not
speaking about Himself out of ego.
Whether Arjuna accepts it or not, Krishna is Krishna.
Krishna was in a blissful state even before Arjuna became
His disciple. Krishna will be in a blissful state even after
Arjuna becomes His disciple. Irrespective of whether Arjuna
is His disciple or not, Krishna is in the same blissful
consciousness.
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One important thing: in the next chapter, Arjuna says, ‘Oh
Krishna! Forgive me. I called You by your community name:
‘Hey Krishna, Hey yadava, Hey saketi! I called You by your
first name. I called You by your community name.’ In India, if
you are a very close friend, only then you call a person by his
community name.
Arjuna says, ‘I called You by your community name: Yadava
(Krishna’s community).’ I called You ‘Krishna, yadava’ and I
called you ‘Oh my friend!’ I called You with all these names
thinking that You are my friend, that You are a normal
human being like me. But, now, I understand, You are the
lord of devata (gods). You are the deva of devata (god of
gods); You are Mahadeva (supreme god). Forgive me please; I
beg of You! You must forgive me and accept me as Your
disciple. Forgive me for my ignorance. I did not know Your
greatness, forgive me!’
Because of this statement, Krishna’s ego has not become big.
Please understand: Krishna was safe; He had all the glory
from day one till the very end. Even with all His glory, He
allowed Arjuna to call Him by all these first names and
community names. He never said, ‘Don’t you know who I am?
How dare you call me by my first name!’ He never carried a
visiting card.
This carrying visiting card is the biggest problem. You see in
your own life how people behave. Wherever they go, the first
thing they ask is: ‘Do you know who I am? Do you know
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who I am?’ We always carry this visiting card. We always give
this visiting card to whomsoever we meet.
Not only that, an important thing, please be very clear about
this: never think your visiting card is of the small physical
size that you see normally; it is cut-out size! Just because you
can’t carry that, you carry it in a small way. Your visiting card
is the size of a cut-out.
Because we can’t carry it wherever we go, we carry it in a
small way. After giving that card, we say, ‘I am this; I am
that.’ Always, we carry our visiting card. Krishna never
carried a visiting card; Krishna never bothered about it.
A zen story.
The Governor of a province came to visit a celebrated Zen
master. The Governor, as was the custom, sent in his card
through a disciple. The Master took the card and read, ‘
Suzuki, Governor of Kobe Region’.
The Master said loudly so that the Governor could hear him,
‘tell that idiot of a Governor I have no time to meet
Governors!’
The disciple took the card back to the Governor. This man
was an intelligent man. He struck off the word Governor
from his card and sent it back saying Suzuki wants to meet
the Master to seek advice.
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The Zen Master happily received him.
A Master cares naught about visiting cards, who you are and
what your status is. He is only concerned about your state;
the state of your being.
Even when Arjuna was talking with Him in a friendly way,
He was humble. He responded to Arjuna in the same way
that Arjuna spoke to Him. Suddenly, now, Arjuna says,
‘Krishna! I didn’t know that You are such a great person; You
are God Himself. Please forgive me.’
Even after this, Krishna has not become egoistic. He says,
‘Don’t worry. Don’t bother about that.’ He is simple; He is
humble.
Before the experience, at the time of the experience and
after the experience, Krishna is the same. Only Arjuna
undergoes a tremendous change. Before the Gita started, at
the time of the Gita and after the Gita, Krishna is the same.
But, before the Gita, Arjuna was different. At the time of
Gita, Arjuna was different, he was growing. After the Gita,
he was a totally different man.
Here, Krishna is not explaining His glories out of ego. He is
explaining to give the understanding to Arjuna. He is explaining
so that Arjuna will start experiencing Him. So, be very clear:
when Krishna says here, ‘I am’, He means the cosmic
consciousness, the egoless being, the enlightened energy.
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Again and again, He expresses the glory of enlightenment,
the glory of atmagyana (knowledge of the Self). That is why
He is so confident and so clear. With such clarity, He
explains, ‘I am Everything.’
Even to utter these words, you need courage. Please be very
clear: even to utter these words, you need courage. No
normal man can say ‘I am God’ to somebody. If you say, you
can be sure the next day you will be in the mental asylum
and you will have a special seat reserved for you! Or if it
were a few thousand years ago, you would be put on the
cross. Of course, in those days, they would have put you up
on the cross and now they will put you in the asylum.
Here, Krishna is courageous enough to declare and not only
declare, the person who is listening experiences it.
What is the science, what do you need for an enlightened
man to declare himself as enlightened, as God and what do
you need for a disciple to experience that as the truth?
Two things: there are so many hundreds of enlightened
masters who declare this truth again and again. But, some
people who listen become enlightened like Arjuna, like
Vivekananda.
Ramakrishna said, ‘Who came as Rama, who came as
Krishna, is residing in this body as Ramakrishna.’ He boldly
declared so and that too not when he was healthy but when
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he was suffering from cancer. He was suffering from throat
cancer and declared boldly, ‘Who came as Rama, who came
as Krishna, has come down in this body as Ramakrishna.’
But, these words have done something in Vivekananda;
Narendra became Vivekananda.
Sometimes, the disciple who hears becomes enlightened.
Sometimes, the disciple who hears is hurt, he is disturbed
and he crucifies the Master. The people of Rome felt hurt
when Jesus declared, ‘I am the son of God.’ They crucified
Jesus.
When Krishna declared, ‘I am God’, Arjuna became
enlightened. Why? What happened to Arjuna that did not
happen to the Roman people? What do you need to create
this experience?
See, be very clear: the experience of Krishna, experience of
Christ, experience of Buddha, experience of Mahavira, is all
one and the same. As the enlightenment experience, it is all
one and the same.
But, when they express the enlightenment, why are there
different kinds of reactions? When they express their
enlightenment and declare their divinity, their experience,
somebody has become enlightened and somebody has run away.
There were many disciples around Buddha who were
practicing with Him. When they heard Buddha declaring
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that He was enlightened, they ran away from Him. Some
people run away, some people become enlightened and some
crucify the Master. Why?
And now, all we need is that we should also become
enlightened when we listen to Krishna’s words. How can we
listen? How can we have that benefit? Crucifixion is anyways
outdated today and you wouldn’t bother to listen if you
wanted to run away anyways. Now, all we need is that we
must become enlightened. How is that to happen? With what
mood are we supposed to receive these words?
First thing: in the case of Jesus, the people who heard His
declaration of truth, vibhuti, the glory, were egoistic. That is
the reason, naturally, they killed Jesus. They were egoistic
and energetic. That is why they killed Jesus. Buddha’s
disciples were egoistic but not energetic. So, they ran away.
Next, Arjuna, Krishna’s disciple is totally in love with
Krishna; he is totally surrendered to Krishna. He is not ready
to suspect anything. By now, he is very clear. His head has
stopped working, his logic has stopped analyzing.
Please be very clear: this truth should be declared only to a
person who is totally, intimately related, feeling connected
with the divine.
Arjuna has completely surrendered to Krishna. What is really
surrender? When we hear the word ‘surrender’, we think
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that it is the easiest thing to do as we don’t need to do
anything in order to surrender. For example, if we meditate,
we need to do something on our part. But, if we have to just
surrender, we think we don’t need to do anything and hence,
it is easy.
This is because we think about surrender in a totally
different way than what Masters mean when they use the
word ‘surrender’. When we use the word ‘surrender’, we only
say that we have surrendered; we do not really surrender.
A small joke:
A man lived without any faith in God. One day, suddenly,
he fell from a ledge and found himself dangling from a
hilltop barely holding onto a tree’s root. He was totally
scared and remembered people saying that God can help
people in the most hopeless of situations.
He called out, ‘Oh God! I have never had faith in you; are
you really there? Can you save me now?’
God answered, ‘Sure son, just let go of the root that you are
holding and I will hold you from beneath.’
The man cried out again, ‘Is there anyone else who can help
me!’
Our faith and surrender are only mere words; we delude
ourselves thinking we have surrendered when in fact, we
have not.
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Be very clear: our faith, our surrender is never total
surrender. There are three levels of surrender: surrendering
the ‘I’, surrendering the mind and finally, surrendering both
the ‘I’ and the mind.
Surrendering the ‘I’ is surrendering the individual ego.
Surrendering the mind is surrendering the mental setup, the
mental conditioning.
A small incident from Ramakrishna’s life:
Once a devotee came to Ramakrishna saying that he was
addicted to drinking and did not know how to give it up.
Ramakrishna gave him a simple though surprising remedy: he
told him to surrender the drinking habit to Kali.
The man was obviously shocked but he started offering the
drink to Kali and then drank intensely. You will be surprised
but the devotee came back in just three days to
Ramakrishna saying that he had given up drinking. Not only
had he given up his drinking habit but he could not drink
any more! The drinking habit had dropped him.
When you surrender to the divine truly, the surrender can
work miracles on you. If you think logically as well, how can
you offer a drink to Devi, to the goddess? The next thing is
if you cannot offer the drink to Devi, how can you drink it
yourself since the very same goddess is residing in your body?
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When you offer yourself at the feet of the Master, your ego
just disintegrates. The mind is just your collection of
thoughts. It is the collection of all the thoughts and habits
that you have formed.
For example, if you get up in the morning, instinctively, your
mind tells you that you need your morning coffee since that
is a habit. Similarly, if you are constantly worried, it becomes
a habit and you will worry in every situation without even
realizing it.
When someone praises you, you choose to get flattered. If
someone criticizes you, you choose to get disturbed. The
mental setup has been etched so much that you don’t even
realize that it is you who is making the choice of how to
react.
When you surrender, you cannot choose.
A small story:
Lord Vishnu and goddess Lakshmi were in a very relaxed
mood and having a chat. Suddenly, Vishnu got up from His
seat and ran a few yards, then took a U-turn and came back
to take His seat.
Lakshmi was perplexed and asked Him, ‘Lord, why did You
run in the first place? Then, why did You return immediately
after running a few yards?’
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Vishnu replied, ‘I saw a man in the process of stoning one of
My devotees. I ran to help him. Then, I saw him picking up
stones to retaliate. Seeing that, I decided that he did not
need My help.’
When you surrender, you cannot choose to react. When you
really surrender, the ego-centric ‘I’ totally disintegrates.
Please understand: The ego-centric ‘I’ is eccentric.
When you surrender, you will be bubbling with joy and bliss,
you will be just like a kid. Have you seen any ugly kid? Even
in the poorest country, if you see the kids, they will be
beautiful. On the same count, have you seen a single adult
who is beautiful!
The enlightened people are just like children, bubbling with
bliss. They are called dvija (born again) because after the
death of the ego, it is a new birth. The first birth is given by
the father and mother, the second birth is given by God and
the guru.
You see, there are three types of joy. The first is joy due to
the senses which is called pleasure; this is the joy you get
due to the sense organs like the pleasure of taste on eating
some tasty food.
The second type of joy is that due to nature. When you see
a majestic mountain, a beautiful serene sunrise, a river
gushing down, you feel this joy. Just in the moment you
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perceive this beauty in nature, your mind stops working and
you stand in awe in front of the beautiful sunrise. Very soon
though, your mind kicks in with ‘This is a beautiful sunrise.’
Just before you try to analyze it, you experience pure joy.
The last type of joy is that which happens for no reason; this
is what bliss is. It is a continuous, constant bubbling of joy
and ecstasy in your being without the need for any external
agent.
You can experience this only when you surrender your sense
of ‘I’, your ego. Then, your mind will have spontaneity. As of
now, you are constantly preparing for the future.
Even if you have to go to meet a friend, you are preparing
what to discuss, what to do. This is because you have no
strength to face the situation; so, you write a script and just
enact that. If something happens that does not conform to
your script, you struggle to handle the situation.
If you understand that existence is your friend and it deeply
cares for you, you will not feel the need to live according to
a script and instead, you will have tremendous courage and
trust to live life spontaneously.
Then, instead of just re-living life and reacting to life based
on your past memories and experiences, you will actually live
life with spontaneous response to situations.
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If you live in a simple way, you don’t need a script to live
life. If you live based on truth, you don’t need the memory to
remember the lies that you told the last time and to
maintain them.
Every moment, we project what we are not. Once we project
this false image, we need a script to keep remembering what
we projected. We are so careful not to make small mistakes
in life that we make the biggest blunder of living according
to a script and enacting the same drama over and over.
Please understand that existence constantly cares for you.
Trust the intelligence in you. Accept and welcome life as it
flows.
Krishna says that if you continuously merge in Me, I will
bring to you and take care with you of all your needs and
necessities; you will be My responsibility.
‘Yogakshemam vahamya aham’: Yoga, to get the things that
you need and kshema, to take care that they remain with
you, are both My responsibility. ‘vahamya aham’: He makes
this promise.
You may wonder how this is possible. When you surrender to
the divine, your higher consciousness will be activated and
you will have the intelligence and courage to live everything.
Vivekananda, in his commentary on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra,
says that all your prayers to God do only one thing: awaken
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your own inner potential energy. When you pray intensely,
banish the thought that your prayers are heard somewhere
and someone blesses you. Your own inner potential energy is
awakened and it showers its blessings on you in the form of
God, irrespective of what form you worship.
Having the buddhi to understand that existence cares for you
and surrendering to existence is the ultimate intelligence.
Realizing that existence is not just a brute force or power but
it is intelligent energy is the key to a life of bliss.
When you surrender the mind, you go from mind to ‘nomind’ state. The mind actually arises from possessiveness.
There is a saying in tantra that the ego is based on the
possessions.
If you look deeply, you will see that the origin of your mind
lies in whatever you think of as yours; all your idea of ‘mine’
is what creates the sense of ‘I’. Most of us think that from ‘I’,
the ‘mine’ arises. No! It is from the sense of ‘mine’ that ‘I’
arises. The root of the tree of ‘I’ is ‘mine’.
We think that if we have more possessions, we can have
more freedom. Yes; you will have more freedom but that is
only to choose between suffering and suffering. You can never
choose between suffering and joy through your possessiveness.
How can you enjoy something with the feeling of
possessiveness? You will always be in the constant fear of
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losing your possession. The feeling of ‘mine’ will never let you
enjoy it.
A real incident from my life:
There used to be an old lady in my village who used to ask
me to get tobacco leaves for her every morning. I used to ask
her for money to buy the tobacco leaves but she used to tell
me to ask my father for money. My father used to give me
money and I used to buy her tobacco leaves everyday
thinking that she was poor and could not afford to buy.
There used to be a big well in her house which used to be
always full. But, this lady was so possessive of the well that
she never allowed anybody to touch the water in her well.
Once, in a medical emergency, the village doctor requested
for some water from the well but she refused to give any
water. When she was on her death-bed, the same doctor had
come to attend to her.
He asked her, ‘What is the use of the water in this well to
you now? Can you take this water with you?’ The woman, at
this time also, did not feel that she had done anything wrong
by refusing to give water to the doctor when he had asked
for it.
Anyways, she died soon after. After her death, the village
people found a big box filled with lots of jewelry under her
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bed. She had so much money and riches during her lifetime; yet, she never enjoyed it; she felt content and secure
by just possessing the riches.
Man works hard at retaining wealth during his life and
finally loses the capacity to enjoy it.
As of now, 99% of our time and energy is wasted on
worrying. If you just surrender, all that time and energy can
be turned towards expressing your creativity; you will not
have worry and suffering. Then, you will not have any pain;
you will be learning lessons.
There is a beautiful book ‘How to know God’ written by a
philosopher in which he observes that though no court of law
in the world has been able to prove the existence of God,
yet, 90% of the people in the world believe in God. The
result of this is that creativity has improved, life has become
joyful because all the energy of worrying has been channeled
into creativity.
J. Krishnamurti says beautifully, ‘99% of your worries don’t
come true. The 1% that comes true is actually good for you.’
Ramakrishna narrates a beautiful story:
Once, a priest lived on the banks of a river. There was a
milkmaid who used to get milk for his puja (worship) early
in the morning everyday. One day, she was late and when
she came, the priest asked her why she was late. The maid
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replied that she had to cross the river everyday to come to
this side of the river and the river was flooded now.
The priest casually chided her saying, ‘What do you mean by
the river being flooded? People cross the ocean of samsara
(life) by taking Krishna’s name.’ The maid went away and
from the next day onwards for a few days, she came on time.
The priest asked her how she was able to come on time and
whether the floods had subsided.
The maid replied, ‘No, the river is still flooded. But, you
taught me that I could cross the river by taking Krishna’s
name. That is how I have been crossing the flooded river
everyday by taking Krishna’s name.’
The priest was shocked on hearing this and asked her to
show how she did it. The innocent maid went to the river
bank and sincerely taking Krishna’s name, stepped into the
river and started walking across.
Seeing this, the priest thought that if an ordinary maid can
cross the river by taking Krishna’s name, he should be able to
do the same easily. So, he lifted his clothes and stepped into
the river. The very fact that he lifted his clothes to get into
the water shows how much faith he had while getting into
the river!
His mouth was uttering Krishna’s name but his heart was
filled with doubt and fear and he fell into the river.
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Please be very clear: if you try to calculate after saying that
you have surrendered, you project your mind on what will
happen after surrender. When you say that you have
surrendered, how can you say that nothing has happened in
spite of your surrender? If you have truly surrendered, you
have no right to expect something to happen after you have
surrendered.
Once a Master was asked, ‘How do I know that I have
really surrendered?’ The Master replied, ‘If you have really
surrendered, this very question will disappear.’ There will be
a feeling of utter bliss and relaxation.
You surrender everything, not only your pain and suffering
but also your responsibility. This does not mean that you will
stop doing your house-hold work or stop going to office. You
will continue to do so but with the mood of utter relaxation.
Surrendering yourself is a clear conscious decision.
If we look into our lives, we will see that our relation with
God is never of true surrender. Most of the times, we are
begging God to give us what we want. The next stage is
when we start bargaining: if you give me this, I will give you
that. The third stage is blaming God: I went to this temple
so many times; yet, God has not listened to me.
Most of the time, we don’t even have the intelligence to
know what we want. If God were to listen to our requests
and desires, this world would have perished a long time ago!
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This game of begging, bargaining and blaming in the name of
praying has nothing to do with true devotion.
There is a beautiful story in the Mahabharata:
Before the war started, Duryodhana and Arjuna went to
Krishna’s palace to seek help from Krishna. Both were
relatives of Krishna and both of them wanted Krishna’s help.
Krishna was sleeping. Arjuna, the Pandavas’ representative
went and sat at the feet of Krishna. Duryodhana, the
Kaurava’s representative went and sat near the head of
Krishna.
The moment Krishna opened His eyes, He saw the person
sitting at His feet. He asked him, ‘How are you, Arjuna?
When did you come? Arjuna said, ‘I have come to seek your
help.’ Krishna said, ‘Surely I will help, don’t worry.’
Duryodhana who was sitting at the head of the bed said to
Krishna, ‘I came first before Arjuna. You should help me.’
Then, Krishna turned and saw Duryodhana. Krishna replied,
‘Surely I will help, don’t worry.’
Then He said, ‘I will be on one side and my powers will be
on the other side. Which one do you want?’ Duryodhana
who could choose first thought, ‘Let us have sakti (power)’.
He replied, ‘I will have your powers and weapons.’ Arjuna
thought, ‘Let us have buddhi (intelligence).’ He was extremely
happy to have Krishna on his side. Obviously, the Pandavas
were the ones who won the war.
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The man who chose buddhi, the man who trusted God has
got buddhi, won the war, won the game.
If we look deeply as to what is the kind of relation we have
with God, we will see that when we pray, we think that
God has the sakti to give but He does not have the buddhi to
know what to give. When you insist that He give you what
you want right now, that is what you believe.
If you trust God has only sakti, you will never win in life.
The moment you trust He has got buddhi also, you surrender,
only then things can start happening. When you surrender,
you believe that God has both the sakti and the buddhi.
When you start believing God has got sakti only, religion
starts. When you start believing He has got buddhi,
spirituality starts. When you believe He has only sakti, you
start doing puja, you start pampering Him.
You start doing all possible things, so that you can
continuously bribe Him to give you what you want. All your
puja done with sankalpa are nothing but bribing. Why do you
go and tell your name in front of God? Do you think that He
doesn’t know your name? You go to the temple and tell not
only your name but your father’s name, your forefathers’
names, where you are from. Do you think God doesn’t know
where you are?
You describe everything in a detailed way, why? You do not
want the courier parcel of the blessings of God meant for you
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to reach someone else. You are afraid that your parcel, the
boons that are supposed to come to you will reach somebody
else. All your puja, all your bribing techniques prove very
clearly your arrogance, which again and again tells your
belief that God has got sakti but not buddhi.
Decide consciously that from this moment, you will surrender
everything at the feet of God, the energy that runs this whole
world. You don’t need to believe in any name or form; just
trust the energy pervading the universe and trust it to run
your life.
Now, even after you surrender, naturally, at some time, a
doubt will arise in you whether you have totally, actually
surrendered. Understand that it is the divine intelligence
that gave you the intelligence to surrender in the first place
and it is the same divine intelligence that has given you this
doubt to doubt your surrender.
Surrender the doubt also at the feet of the divine energy. So,
do not wait to change and become perfect before
surrendering. No! Surrender yourself as you are consciously,
totally. Surrender deeply and you will see that your whole
being is flooded with new bliss.
Krishna says, ‘Mahabaho shrnu me paramam vachah yat te
aham priyamanaya vakshyami hitakamyaya’. Because you are
My dear friend, you are deeply connected to Me, I am
revealing this truth to you.
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Let me explain to you a few basic things. Actually, when you
feel deeply connected to some person, the person will almost
look like a God. You will feel so deeply related. Whether it
is your husband or your wife or your kids or your parents or
your Master, if you feel deeply connected to the person, he
will look like a God. Whatever he does, you will feel that he
is divine.
Why do you think these eternal lovers Ambikavati and
Amravati, Devadas and Parvati, Laila and Majnu, Romeo and
Juliet felt that the other person is God? They almost felt the
other person is divine. They gave their life for the other
person. Why?
When you feel deeply connected, when you feel deeply
related, when you are in love with the other being, he will
look almost like a God. Look at the great Mirabai; she was
so much in love with Krishna who was not even physically in
front of her. But, she felt so deeply related to Him that she
used to talk to Him, sing His praises and be totally
immersed in Him.
When Mirabai was given poison, she even drank that, totally
surrendering herself to Krishna and the power of her love
and devotion was such that even a deadly poison had not
effect on her!
Vivekananda talks about a naga sanyasi who used to live in
a cave. There were all kinds of wild animals around him,
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including snakes. He had a lot of snake-bite marks on his
body but he was so connected to existence that he could
even welcome a snake! All we need is just the attitude of
deeply connecting through the heart.
The problem is we have forgotten the way of connecting
through the heart because all our relationships have become
superficial. Now, the wife is no more a wife. In the modern
day society, the husband is no more a husband, he is just a
boyfriend. You can be with him as long as you want; you can
leave him when you don’t want.
Be very clear: in Sanskrit, we don’t have equivalent word for
divorce. There is no equivalent word for divorce in Sanskrit
because the very idea never existed. In Hindu marriage, no
divorce is allowed. You take oath in front of agni (fire), ‘Till
you are alive, till I am alive, I will support you.’ Both of you
take this oath in front of agni. The agni which is inside your
body, the jataragni is what is represented by the agni which is
outside. The agni which is burning inside your body is only
represented by the homa agni (sacrificial fire).
Please be very clear: as long as this agni is inside your body,
you will be alive. The moment this agni in your body
disappears, your body will be in agni. Either agni should be in
your body or your body will be put in agni.
In front of this agni, you take the oath; that is why they say
agni-sakshi. Agni is the witness; in front of it, you take the
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oath: Hereby, I commit, till this body is alive, I will support
you. Till this body is alive, you will take care of me. It is a
commitment of a lifetime.
In Sanskrit, we don’t have equivalent word for divorce
because the very concept did not exist. With the cultural
invasion of the so-called developed cultures, the materialistic
cultures, changing the wife, house and car has become a
fashion. Once in three months, the house, car and wife get
outdated.
Some time back, a man came to meet me and asked me to
bless him for his divorce. In India, a Master is not only a
spiritual person; he is also a marriage-broker, stock-broker,
financier, counselor, psychiatrist and a doctor. Of course,
Masters are supposed to do these things.
Whatever decisions are advised by an enlightened person are
always for your good. Compassion and responsibility of the
world descends on him.
I asked this man to tell me the real problem before I gave
my advice. I always try to patch up the differences between
people. One should have a very strong case before going in
for a drastic step.
The man replied, ‘One day, when my wife brought me bedcoffee in the morning, she spilt the hot coffee on me. The
fight started from there.’ He then went back on his memory
lane to give all his arguments against her.
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Some communities in India have a custom at the time of
marriage where the bride and groom try to grab a ring which
is placed in a bowl of water. It is done more for fun.
Whoever grabs the ring will have it. The man exclaimed,
‘Right from that time, she spelt trouble for me. She scratched
my hand.’
See his mentality. He has forgotten the bed-coffee she used
to bring for him everyday; he has no gratitude for that.
Instead, he blames her for spilling the coffee on him one day.
We forget all the arguments which go against our judgment
and pick up only those that support our judgment. If you
scan your life and see how many times you are doing this,
you will understand what I am trying to say.
Please be very clear: The outer world is but a projection of
the inner world and it is the eye which projects it. Whatever
is visible as the outer world is but a projection. For instance,
if there was a scene in a movie you did not like, you would
not be able to change it by trying to clear the screen;
instead, what you need to do is switch off the projector or
change the reel.
Likewise, our frustration and depression is due to our attempt
to manipulate the screen and not the projector when we try
without success to change things in the outer world.
You fantasize of holidaying on a beautiful beach in Hawaii
and imagine it to be the ultimate in bliss but when it really
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happens, your thoughts are not of the beach but of your office
and deadlines!
I often tell people: If you sit in the house and worry, it is
homework. If you sit in the office and worry, it is work and
if you sit on the beach and worry, it is vacation! The mind is
the same, only the location is different. How can you change
the mental state by changing the place? We are engaged all
the time in changing the status, not the state.
We need to work to change the state, not the status. When
you begin to change the state, you would be working with
the projector and would make progress, but if you changed
your status it would be like working with the screen.
Changing your wife, house or car is like working with the
screen and does not help you. Changing your mind and
therefore your fantasies is the only way.
When you don’t pass judgment on others, you reach the state
of acceptance; you reach the state of compassion. When
intelligence happens, only then you reach the stage of
acceptance. Acceptance is only the first step and not the
final step. When you welcome the other persons and
situations, compassion happens. Beloved means being loved
and not body love.
What is the difference between intellect and intelligence?
Intellect is always prejudiced. Intelligence is always fresh.
When you pass judgment and collect evidences to
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substantiate your decision, it is the intellect. When you first
collect the evidences and then pass the judgment without
any bias or prejudice, it is intelligence.
In fact, this is what a true scientific attitude is: you need to
have the urge to know the truth, the perseverance to gather
the data and the courage to follow the conclusion. The
Patanjali Yoga is an excellent example of a true scientist’s
research report. You need to embody all these values for you
to able to do justice to the scientific attitude.
Many people do not have the courage to follow their results
through. When Galileo declared that it is the earth that goes
around the sun, which challenged the widely held Christian
belief of a helio-centric world, he was persecuted; in his
writings, he actually has a footnote that says, ‘We as
Christians can deny this but since the earth and sun are not
Christians, they will continue to move the way they do,
irrespective of Christian beliefs’.
So, even if you look at it from the scientific perspective, you
need to be able to analyze the data with unbiased perception
before you can conclude, before you can judge.
99% of the time, you make the judgment and just collect the
arguments to substantiate your judgment.
Just look at your life and see how your mind works. How do
you act in your daily life? 99% of the time, your judgment is
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ready. For example, your son comes home late by a few hours.
You make a judgment about him. You are not going to accept
any of his explanations. It can’t shake your judgment. On the
contrary, you will only try to pick the arguments to support
your decision. After that incident, whatever he does, you
will always be biased by your previous judgment.
Similarly, after living with your wife for a few months, you
will create a concept about her. Then, whatever she does,
you pick up only those arguments that are necessary for your
judgment.
Whenever you try to live for your judgment, your ego, your
decisions, you make your life as well as others’ lives
miserable. Most of the time, the miseries you face in your life
are not created by others. You may not even derive any
benefits from them. Just to prove your ego, you create them.
Whenever you think that you are too big, you think that you
are the judgment and others are all the arguments. When
you understand that you are a simple being, you will start
seeing the arguments clearly before passing the judgment.
You will start taking decisions on your life as well as on
others in the right way.
Most of the time, if it is our emotion, we say it is love. If it
is someone else’s, we call it lust. If you are angry, you say you
are doing so for the good of the other person. But, if others
do the same thing to you, you say that they have ego.
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People come and boast about their deeds to me but they also
quickly add that they are only informing me and not
boasting. When others boast, you say it is ego and when we
say the same thing, it is information. We have different
arguments for others and for us. We put on a different set of
lens when we are looking at the world and different ones
when we look at our own selves.
Actually, we have forgotten the intense way of relating. We
have forgotten relating through the heart. All our
relationships have become superficial. That is why we don’t
know the meaning of the word, ‘falling really in love’.
Ramakrishna, when he started worshipping, when he started
doing puja, felt that Devi was present there. He never felt
that the statue was just a stone. He felt the very presence of
Devi.
When you deeply fall in love, even a stone can become God
and guide you. When you don’t feel connected, even if God
comes down, you will ask for His identity card! If you
strongly feel connected, if you know how to open yourself,
even a stone can become God and guide you. That is what
happened in the life of Ramakrishna; he used to speak to
Kali Devi; he used to talk to Devi directly.
Let me tell you a beautiful story which happened in
Ramakrishna’s life:
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Ramakrishna used to taste the food and offer it to Devi. All
the temple authorities came and told him, ‘No! You cannot
do this; it is sacrilegious.’ Ramakrishna said, ‘I don’t know all
these things. I feel that She is my mother. How can I give
the food unless I know the taste? And if you don’t want me
to offer, I will stand outside and offer. But, I will do the
same.’
Anyhow, they agreed and said, ‘Alright, do whatever you
want.’ Not only that, when he decorated the idol of Devi, he
would take a small thread and keep near the nose of Devi
to see whether She is really breathing or not, whether She is
really alive or not. And the story says, the thread used to
vibrate by the prana of Devi. He used to feel Devi
everywhere.
Not only that, this is a beautiful story all of you should
understand and this is solid truth. Please understand: it is truth.
In Bengal, the devotees put conch bangles that are made out
of conch shell in the hands of Devi. The Devi Kali has four
hands: abhaya-hasta, varada-hasta. In one hand, She is
holding the katka meaning the sword. In another hand, She
is holding the munda: the head of the asura, rakshasa
(demon).
Actually, it is a philosophical representation: If you cut your
ego with the jnana-katka, the knowledge sword, She will
always protect you and take care of you.
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In all the three hands of the statue, it is easy to put the
bangle because in one hand, the katka can be removed and
you can put the bangle. In the other two hands as well, you
can put the bangle. In the fourth hand, the Devi’s statue
holds the kapala, the head of the rakshasa. In that hand, you
cannot put the conch bangle.
One day, some devotee brought four bangles. In half an hour,
when Ramakrishna came out, all the four bangles were there
in the hands of Devi. All the four bangles were there in the
proper place. The bangle was also not broken but it had gone
into Devi’s hand. This is physically impossible. The statue
was not broken and the bangle was also not broken. The
bangle was only small-sized but the statue’s hand was too big.
The devotee was surprised, shocked. If you read the
reminiscences of Ramakrishna, in original Bengali, this
incident is mentioned. There is a beautiful book that the
close devotees, the householder disciples of Ramakrishna
have written of their reminiscences of him. In that, they
clearly describe this incident.
The devotee asked, ‘Master, how did you put the bangle? Did
you break it and paste it?’ Ramakrishna said, ‘No’. The
devotee asked curiously, ‘Did you break the statue?’
Ramakrishna said, ‘No.’
The statue was made of black marble, it was a stone statue.
Neither the statue was broken nor was the bangle broken.
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But, the bangle was there inside the hand of Devi. The
devotee was shocked because in the other three hands, it is
easy to insert; but in the fourth hand, it is impossible. He
asked, ‘How did you do?’
Ramakrishna said, ‘What is there? I told Ma (mother),
‘Mother, drop the head for a few minutes.’ And She dropped
the head; I put the bangle; again, I gave the head. She
started holding it; that’s all!’
Please understand: If you go to Dakshineshwar, Calcutta,
please don’t miss to see that bangle. Still, that bangle is
there. Actually, somehow, by divine grace, I had the chance
to go into the garbha-mandir (sanctum sanctorum) and I
clearly saw the bangle. With my eyes, I saw that bangle; it is
there. Still, it is a mystery as to how Ramakrishna put the
bangle. One thing is sure: neither the statue is broken nor
the bangle is broken. But, I don’t know how he inserted the
bangle.
The energy is such that even stone can respond. Never can
we think that the deity in the temple is stone. It is archaavatara; it is the very embodiment of God. Never think it is
just a stone. It can straightaway respond.
Actually, when I read that reminiscence, let me tell you
honestly, I did not believe. I really did not believe. I
thought, ‘One more story. Alright, leave it.’ And I am telling
you all to believe but I am the kind of person who never
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believes. I never trust anything. I always go for verifying,
cross-checking.
When I went to the temple, the priest took me inside the
temple. In North India, you can go inside the garbha-mandir.
Even in Kasi, in Vishwanath, you can touch the Vishwanath
and do the puja. Only one condition: you have to take bath
and come. They let me inside. When I went and touched
the bangle, I completely rotated that bangle and saw. The
bangle can rotate; actually, it rotates. It is made of conchshell and it rotates. Neither the cut is there nor the statue is
broken and still it is a mystery.
Be very clear: when you feel connected, when you know how
to open yourself, when you know how to surrender, even
stone can become God and guide you. When you don’t know
how to open yourself, how to surrender, even if God comes,
you will ask for identity card. You will not be able to relate
with Him.
Now, all we need is the mood of being deeply in love with
Krishna, deeply connected to Krishna, deeply related to
Krishna. If you can open yourself to Krishna, when He says all
about His glories, it will not be just words; you will feel it.
First, Krishna removed the enmity between the jivatma (self)
and the paramatma (supreme Self). Arjuna is the jivatma;
Krishna is the paramatma. He removed the enmity between
the jivatma and the paramatma.
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Please be very clear: continuously, we maintain enmity with
paramatma. That is why we suspect life; we are afraid as to
what will happen the next moment. We are afraid of life
because we don’t believe, we don’t trust paramatma.
All your life insurance is because you don’t trust paramatma.
Please be very clear: your life insurance is not life insurance;
it is death insurance. Real life insurance is the devotion to
the ultimate.
Understanding that the existence is taking care of you is the
real life insurance. Understanding that parasakti is taking
care of you, understanding that paramatma is taking care of
you is the only life insurance.
All the other things are death insurance. That will go after
your death to your families who are anyways waiting for it!
Please be very clear: that is not life insurance; that is death
insurance.
A small story:
A small child was trying to play in the beach. He was trying
to go inside the ocean. The mother ran behind him and said,
‘Don’t go into the ocean. Play here itself; don’t go into the
water.’
The boy asked, ‘Why? Daddy is going into the water. Why
are you not stopping him? You are stopping me.’ The mother
said, ‘He has got insurance!’
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So, please be very clear: All our insurance is just death
insurance; it is not life insurance. Understanding paramatma
is taking care of us, paramatma is not our enemy is the only
life insurance.
And one more thing: When you have the deep love, the
connection with paramatma, even when you die, you know
that He knows where to keep you. You will have deep
relaxation. You will be utterly relaxed. Even after death, you
know He is there to protect you; He is there to guide you.
Now itself, your mind is prepared to fall in tune with this
energy, to obey, to surrender to the ultimate will. Now itself,
your body and mind will be prepared.
If you live throughout your life fighting with paramatma,
please be very clear: your life will be hell; nothing else can
be done. All we need to do is know how to start feeling
connected.
First, Krishna removes the enmity between the jivatma and
paramatma. Now, He explains the glory of paramatma. Next,
He gives the experience that jivatma and paramatma is one
and the same.
Step by step, He is leading Arjuna from visishtadvaita to dvaita,
dvaita to advaita, advaita to beyond advaita: anubhuti,
experience. He is leading Arjuna to a spiritual experience step
by step. (visishtadvaita, modified duality, dvaita, duality and
advaita, non duality are three basic approaches to the Divine)
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Please be very clear: these are all not contradictory. Many
people come and ask me, ‘Master, is dvaita right or advaita
right? Is visishtadvaita right or dvaita right?’ Please be very
clear: they are not contradictory to each other. They are
complementary to each other. They all lead you step by step
to give you more and more understanding. They lead you
step by step to spiritual experience.
In India, this fighting between the advaita and dvaita is a big
fight. Is the Sankara bhashya (Sankara’s commentary) big or is
the Ramanuja bhashya big? The problem is supporters of both
of these scriptures have not studied either of them deeply.
When you study deeply, you understand they are saying the
same thing in a different language.
All enlightened Masters speak the same thing in different
ways. If you surrender, you will have the same experience of
advaita-anubhav, non duality experience. If you achieve the
advaitha-anubhava, you will have the deep surrender.
The man who has achieved the advaitha-anubhava will have
tremendous devotion. See the stotras of Sankara: Bhaja
govindam, bhaja govindam, govindam bhaja mudhamate.
Samprapte sannihite kale nahi nahi rakshate tukrunjukarane.
Sankara says, ‘Oh fool! May you start meditating on Govinda
(God) now itself; may you start remembering Govinda now
itself. Nahi nahi rakshate tukrunjkarane means: When
yamadharma comes, when death comes, your intellectual
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knowledge will not help you. Your sastra, your intellectual
knowledge will not guide you.
A great advaita-jnani, sage of non duality experience, will
always be a great bhakta, devotee. And a great bhakta will
always be advaita-jnani. Both are one and the same.
Ramakrishna says this beautiful story:
There are four people going towards a water tank. One
person says, ‘I am going to drink tanneer, meaning water in
Tamil. The other person says, ‘No! In that tank, there is only
water. Tanneer is not there.’ The third person says, ‘No; I am
going to go there and drink paani (water in Hindi).’ The
fourth person says ‘I am going to drink neeru (water in
Kannada).
One person says, ‘No; my grandfather told me that there is
only water.’ The other person says, ‘My grandfather was the
one who constructed the tank. He says it is tanneer.’ Then,
another person says, ‘My grandfather has all the knowledge
about water. He said it is neeru.’
All these four people start fighting. Without even going near
the tank, without even seeing the tank, before reaching the
tank itself, all the four fight, kill each other and die.
If they had a little bit of patience just to peep into the tank,
then they would have understood all the four words are the
same. What they meant by the word water, what they meant
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by the word tanneer, what they meant by the word paani and
what they meant by the word neeru are all one and the
same. But, these people did not have that much of patience.
If you experience it, you will understand what Ramanuja says,
what Sankara says, what Buddha says, what Madhvacharya
says, is all one and the same.
A small story:
There was once a Vedanta bookstall in a book-fair. There,
the Brahmasutra Sankara bhashya was kept and the Ramanuja
bhashya also was present. One elderly pundit, a scholar who
was well read in the sastra, stopped by and saw one
volunteer standing in the store.
He just wanted to know how much knowledge of these books
these salesmen had. He asked the volunteer, ‘Do you know
what the difference between Sankara bhashya and Ramanuja
bhashya is?’
The volunteer replied, ‘45 rupees, sir.’ All he knew was the
price; not what was inside those books.
I tell you, if you go inside the dvaita and advaita philosophy,
both show the same knowledge, same wisdom, same
experience. All we need to know is how to open ourselves
and how to surrender to this existence. Then, we will know
how our being can strongly understand that we are being
taken care of.
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Please be very clear: if existence doesn’t want you here, you
cannot be here even for a single moment. Even for a single
moment, you cannot be here. There is no reason for existence
to keep you alive. If it is keeping you alive, it means that you
are wanted. You are wanted in this form, in this way, in this
place. That is why you are still kept alive.
Please be very clear: God continuously cleans all the garbage.
He never waits; everyday, He cleans all the old things. He is
the perfect energy which keeps the cleanliness. They say that
cleanliness is next to godliness. Cleanliness is godliness; it is
not next to godliness.
Unless you are needed, you will not be kept alive. Just by
you being kept alive, He proves that you are needed; you are
wanted.
You are not an accident; you are an incident. Don’t think
that you are alive just out of accident. You are an incident.
When you understand that you are an incident, you will
start feeling deeply connected. You will start opening yourself
to existence.
I always tell people: trust even if you are exploited. You may
say, ‘What is this, Master? What kind of teaching are you
giving? You are asking us to trust even if we are exploited.’
Be very clear: there are only two kinds of lives. One is living
completely with the trust and the other is living completely
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with the insecure feeling. The person who lives in insecure
feeling may have little more wealth. He may have two or
three more sofa sets, two or three more beds, a little bigger
house but he can never rest.
Please be very clear: the person who lives with insecure
consciousness may have little more comfort but will never be
blissful. The person who lives with the deep trust in existence
may have little less comfort logically but actually I have
always seen that he never misses comfort.
People who trust existence are always showered. Even if you
see logically, he may miss little comfort but I tell you: he will
live like a god on the planet earth. He will live like a
flower on the planet earth. He will be a blessing for the
whole of this planet earth. The whole planet earth is alive
just because of these few people who live radiating this trust,
who live radiating the divine grace.
In Genesis God says to Abraham, ‘If ten good people are
there in the country, I will not destroy that land.’ India is
never destroyed; still that culture is alive. Still it exists in
spite of all the invasions, in spite of all the troubles. Still it
exists. Nobody can shake it, nobody is able to touch it
because continuously, it produces enlightened Masters.
As long as India produces enlightened Masters and supplies to the
world, it will not be destroyed; it will never be destroyed. See, each
country gives something, contributes something to humanity.
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For example, Western society contributes to the social
structure. They work with so many different social structures
and they contribute. The Germans contribute something to
the medical field; they have done so much of research in the
medical field and contribute to the medical field. The
Japanese contribute in the field of technology to humanity.
The Chinese contribute to the level of production. In some
way or the other, all the nations contribute.
India contributes by creating enlightened Masters. Enlightened
Masters are the great contribution to the planet earth from
India. For anything, you can go to other countries. For
spirituality, you have to turn towards India. All the great
spiritual cultures were born and brought up in India. All the
spiritual cultures have had their basis and inspiration from
India.
Trust even if you are exploited. Be very clear: even if you are
exploited, when you live with the trust, you will live like a
god on the planet earth. After all, we are going to live in
this earth for a maximum of seventy to eighty years. In those
seventy to eighty years, why should we continuously torture
ourselves and torture others? When you live in insecure
consciousness, you torture yourself and you torture others.
One more thing: If you defend yourself because of your
insecurity, you will not only offend others but you will also
miss the joy of living on this planet earth. If you trust even
if you are exploited, how much will you lose? All that you
possess is nothing more than a sand castle.
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According to the Purana, Vyasa lived the longest possible life
a man could live. When someone asked him why he didn’t
even build a house, he replied, ‘After all, I am going to live
for a few years. Why should I build a house? Why should I
waste my time?’
A Zen koan goes, ‘Children build sandcastles on the beach
till the evening. When they leave for home, they break
them.’ However, we build castles with costly things; we take
things seriously. Children have intelligence, not seriousness.
If you can, live with the complete relaxed mood of deep
trust. I tell you: your life will be like a flower. Your presence
will be a blessing. Your very existence will save the planet
earth.
What have you brought here to lose? Your insecure
consciousness is nothing but ignorance. What are you going
to carry with you after death to accumulate? Nothing! A
simple truth: neither have we brought anything nor are we
going to take anything.
A simple understanding: whatever comes in the way, you are
living and enjoying. It is a blessing.
I always tell people: if the energy which is moving inside your
body can convert the bread into blood, can’t it bring bread
for you?
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Please understand: to do the process of converting bread into
blood mechanically, you need an industry which runs three
miles in length. Mechanically, if we have to do the
conversion of bread into blood, you need an industry which
runs three miles in length. But, the whole process is
happening inside your body.
Similarly, to receive a piece of information, analyze,
understand and respond: the process which is happening
inside your brain, if it has to be done through a computer, it
would need a computer which is three storey in height and
the sound which will be created will be at least that of ten
generators.
When people come and tell me, ‘Master, my mind is too
noisy, I don’t feel the silence or peace’, I tell them, ‘For the
amount of work which is done by your mind, please be very
clear: it is silent. Never think it is noisy.’ For the amount of
work which your mind is doing, it is so silent!
The big problem is that we don’t trust our energy. We don’t
trust the cosmic energy. When it can convert the bread into
blood, can’t it help you, can’t it give you the intelligence to
bring bread? It can guide you, it can give you enough
intelligence to bring bread for your life. When the energy
can move the planets and run the whole universe, can’t it
take care of you?
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A real incident:
Sarada Devi, wife of Ramakrishna, had opened a charitable
hospital in Calcutta. There were two counters there: one for
the poor where medicines were given free and one for people
who could afford to buy their medicines.
One of the employees of the hospital complained to Sarada
Devi, ‘Mother, even the rich people are standing in the
counter for the poor and availing of free medicines. What
can we do about this?’
Sarada Devi replied, ‘Don’t bother when a rich man stands in
the line for the poor. Be assured that he is also poor and give
him medicines. Even if he has money, he is a poor man.’
She makes a beautiful statement: ‘If you live with trust, even
if you are exploited, even if you lose your comforts of the
outer world, you will live like a God on this planet earth.
You will float, never walk. You will become a divine person.’
J. Krishnamurthi says, ‘Trust always does good. Unfortunately,
we don’t have the patience to allow it to work in our lives.
You should allow the seed to sprout, the flower to blossom.
However, if you keep watching it as to when it will flower
(you act like a security guard with a weapon in your hand),
your very threat will not allow it to flower.’
Not from my intellectual knowledge but from my experience,
I am asking you to trust existence. If you believe me, if you
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trust my words, when you trust existence and relax from your
tensions, headaches, worries and problems, be sure that you
will be taken care of. Miracles will happen in your life.
When you put your energy on trust totally, something
happens in you. An alchemy takes place in you.
A small story:
There was once a bank manager who used to take all the
cash to his home everyday and bring it back with him the
next day morning. He did this for a month and could not do
it any more. He found himself trembling all the way while
driving back home and was not able to sleep at home with
all the money in his custody.
He finally wrote a letter to the higher authorities asking to
be relieved of the job, citing the reasons for the same. The
authorities wrote back saying that even if the money was
lost, he would not be blamed and that he could continue
with his job. The manager slept peacefully from that day
onwards.
What is the difference in him now? He is doing the same
job, but why is the fear and the sorrow not there any more?
It is because the responsibility has shifted to the higher
authorities, that’s all. This is what surrender is. Do your
duty, leaving the responsibility to existence.
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So, there are two choices: You can live, offending and
defending continuously where even if you have comfort, your
being will have nothing more than a wound, or you can lead
a totally relaxed life with utter freedom and complete trust
in existence. You can have physical, mental, emotional and
psychological freedom; you can have liberation.
The moment you start living with trust, you are liberated;
nothing hurts you anymore. If you live with truth, you live
even your death. If you live without trust, you will be killed
by the fear of death itself. Every moment, you will be dying.
With trust, even in your death, you will be living.
Here, if you can relax and feel deeply connected to what
Krishna says, you will be able to experience the words of
Krishna which He is telling about His glories, His vibhuti.
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xÉ ¨Éä Ê´ÉnÖù& ºÉÖ®úMÉhÉÉ& |ɦɴÉÆ xÉ ¨É½þ¹ÉǪÉ&*
+½þ¨ÉÉÊnù̽þ näù´ÉÉxÉÉÆ ¨É½þ¹ÉÔhÉÉÆ SÉ ºÉ´ÉǶÉ&**10.2**
na me viduha sura ganaha prabhavam na maharshayaha
aham adir hi devanam maharshinam cha sarvashaha (10.2)
Na: not, me: My, viduha: know, sura ganah: demigods,
prabhavam: glories, na: not, maharshayaha: great sages, aham:
I, adi: origin, hi: certainly, devanam: of the gods,
maharshinam: of the great sages, cha: and, sarvashaha: in all
respects
Neither the hosts of demi-gods nor the great sages know My
origin, My opulence. For in every respect, I am the source of
the demi-gods and the sages.
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Krishna says: Neither the devata (gods) nor the rishi know Me
meaning neither the people who are working in the line of
comforts and luxury nor the people who are working in the
line of religion and tapas (penance), know Me. But, I am
their origin.
Whether you are living a spiritual life or a materialistic life,
your root is your consciousness. We should understand an
important thing: whenever Krishna says ‘Me, Me, Me’, He
means the enlightened consciousness.
One real incident:
I was invited by a group of Krishna bhakta (devotees); I can’t
say bhakta as the word bhakta is a beautiful word; they were
more like fanatics. I went there very humbly, very politely
and in a very friendly way.
Suddenly, they started confronting me and started arguing
with me. They asked me, ‘Do you believe in Gita?’ I said,
‘Yes; Gita is the ultimate book. I respect it and I worship it.’
They questioned me, ‘Then, why are you worshipping Siva?’ I
was shocked. They asked me, ‘You should worship only
Krishna. Then, why are you worshipping Siva? Why are you
having vibhuti (holy ashes) in your forehead? Why are you
wearing rudraksha (fruits of the rudraksha tree)?’
I asked them, ‘How does respecting Siva and wearing
rudraksha contradict respecting Gita and following the Gita?’
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I was surprised. They said, ‘No. Krishna says in the Gita, ‘I
am everything. Then, how can you worship Siva?’
Then I said, ‘When Krishna says I, He means the
parabrahma swaroopa (universal Self) of Him. He means the
formless consciousness of His being. He represents the
universal energy. He doesn’t mean just the six feet form with
the flute and the peacock feather. See, the form is beautiful
as long as it leads you to formlessness.’
And one more thing: I explained to the Krishna fanatics,
when Krishna says ‘I’, He means the cosmic energy, universal
energy. He does not mean the six feet form. If He means the
six feet form, how can He say that He taught this
knowledge to Vivaswan? He says, ‘I gave this knowledge to
Ishvaku. I gave this wisdom to Surya.’ He says, ‘I gave this
knowledge to Ishvaku. And from there, it came down to
Manu.’ He says again and again, it is He who gave this
knowledge to all these great people.
When the Gita was delivered, Krishna was just 32 years old.
If He was speaking about His form, how can He say, ‘I gave
this knowledge to Surya, I gave this knowledge to Manu’?
When Krishna says ‘I’, He means the cosmic consciousness.
Immediately, the persons who were arguing with me started
asking, ‘How can you say the form and the energy are
different? When He says ‘I’, He means the form also.’ I do
not want to disrespect Krishna’s form. When the form
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represents the energy, the form is also energy, no doubt. But,
it is not that you cannot worship any other form. You don’t
have to become a fanatic.
One person started arguing, ‘How can you say that when
Krishna says ‘I’, He doesn’t mean the form but He means the
energy?’ Then, I had to quote an important sloka (verse).
There is something called Anu Gita after the Bhagavad Gita
in the Mahabharata.
After the war is over, one day, in a very relaxed mood,
Arjuna is asking, ‘Krishna, please tell me whatever you
taught me before. I remember the essence but I forgot all the
words because you taught me the whole thing during the
war. I have forgotten the words. Please repeat once more; I
want to listen to those great teachings.’
You will be surprised but Krishna says, ‘Arjuna, not only you,
I have also forgotten.’ He says,
‘nachakyam tanmaya bhuyastatah bhaktom aseshtaha paramhee
brahmarathi yogayuktena tanmayaha.’
This is the 16 th chapter, 13 th sloka in the Mahabharata
Ashwamedha Parva.
Krishna says, ‘Arjuna, I can’t give the teachings again because
those were said in that high spiritual, eternal consciousness.
At that time, I was in that high eternal consciousness; I was
radiating My enlightenment. That very enlightenment spoke
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through Me. The universal consciousness spoke through Me.
The universal energy expressed itself through Me. That is
why all those teachings came out. I represented the universal
energy, universal consciousness at that moment. Now, I
cannot give you the same teachings again.’
He says, He Himself says, these things are expressed in that
high, eternal consciousness, in the enlightened consciousness.
Understand: When Krishna says ‘I’, He means the
enlightened energy, universal consciousness.
When I quoted this sloka, the elderly persons, senior religious
pundits (scholars) who were arguing with me said, ‘You look
very young but you seem to be well-read. We cannot argue
with you!’
The greatness of our sanatana dharma is that we are not
fanatics. We don’t believe in conversion. All the eastern
religions, whether it is Hinduism or Buddhism, don’t believe
in conversion. We don’t convert anybody by fear or greed, by
bread or by blood. Neither by bread nor by blood do we
convert people. We are not interested in converting because
we are not fanatics.
Whether you worship Krishna or Christ or Muhammad or
Buddha, worship; that’s enough. Be intense in your path;
that’s enough. We don’t need anything else. Nothing else
needs to be done. So, please be very clear: Hinduism never
accepted fanaticism. It never created fanatics because of this
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one concept: All forms are representations of the same divine
energy.
There is a question here by a devotee: ‘I am a worshipper of
the formlessness. Can I become your disciple and follow the
dhyana (meditation)?’ Please be very clear: Only you can
become my disciple. There is a question here: ‘I am a
worshipper of the formlessness; formless energy. Can I become
your disciple and follow meditation?’
Only if you are the worshipper of the formless, you can
become my disciple. There is a strict instruction for my
disciples that they should not meditate on my form. If you
have done any of our meditation camps, you know. There is
a very strict instruction: you cannot meditate on my form, you
should not meditate on my form.
And please be very clear: if any guru tells you to meditate
on his form, escape form him. Escape from him. You are
falling into the net; you are falling into an indirect slavery.
Never, never do that. You are slowly getting exploited and I
tell you one thing: spiritual slavery is the worst slavery.
Never be caught in that.
The basis of spirituality is it should lead you to liberation. In
spirituality, if you are caught in slavery, then even god
cannot save you. Never meditate on my form. I always tell
people: never meditate on my form.
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And in our healing initiation, which is the third level
program, there is a clear instruction: you cannot meditate on
my form. The form will be here today and will be gone
tomorrow. It will disappear tomorrow. How long will forms be
there? Forms can never be there forever.
Form is just a representation. Understand: it is like the
finger pointing to the moon. I am telling you, ‘There is the
sun, there is the moon.’ Instead of looking at the sun or the
moon, if you catch hold of this finger, you will miss what I
am showing. You will miss what I am representing. When the
finger is pointing to the moon, if you catch the finger, you
will miss the moon; you will miss the sun.
In the same way, Master is the person representing the
divine consciousness. If you catch His form, you will miss the
divine. Never be caught in the form. I always tell people:
never meditate on my form. If somebody tells you to meditate
on his form, be very clear: you are getting exploited. Escape.
Save yourself.
All I want you to understand: when Krishna says ‘I’, He
means the universal consciousness.
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ªÉÉä ¨ÉɨÉVɨÉxÉÉËnù SÉ ´ÉäÊkÉ ±ÉÉäEò¨É½äþ¶´É®ú¨ÉÂ*
+ºÉ¨¨ÉÚfø& ºÉ ¨ÉiªÉæ¹ÉÖ ºÉ´ÉÇ{ÉÉ{Éè& |ɨÉÖSªÉiÉä**10.3**
yo maam ajam anadim cha vetti loka maheshvaram
asammudhaha sa martyeshu sarva papaiha pramuchyate (10.3)
Yo: who, maam: to Me, ajam: unborn, anadim: without
beginning, cha: and, vetti: know, loka: worlds, maheshvaram:
supreme lord, asammudhaha: without doubt, sa: he,
martyeshu: mortal, sarva: all, papaiha: sins, pramuchyate:
delivered
He who knows Me as the Unborn, without Beginning, as the
supreme Lord of all the worlds, he only, undeluded among
men, is freed from all sins.
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Again, He uses the word mudhaha; again He uses the word
fool and He says only he is free from all the sins, who
understands Him. Again and again, what does He really
want to convey, what does He really expect as a
qualification from us for experiencing?
There is a question, one more question: ‘Master, again and
again, you are saying all we need is one simple
understanding. Exactly what am I missing, tell me. I think as
if I have that understanding. I almost feel I am around the
corner. But, I am not able to experience what Krishna says.
What am I missing? Where am I missing? Please tell me.’
‘Yo maam ajam anadim cha vetti loka maheshvaram
asammudhaha sa martyeshu sarva papaiha pramuchyate.’
As I was telling you, what and where exactly do we lack?
The person who put this question, I think, was totally
frustrated. He says, ‘Everyday, in the end of the lecture, you
bring everything to the one point that the inner being should
be transformed. And exactly what am I lacking? Please tell
me.’
Everyday, I bring and stop at that subject so that you will
put this question. Now, I can tell exactly where you are
lacking. First, the thirst should be created, the quest should
be created. Then, the quest should be answered. Naturally,
you will have to experience the truth.
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When the question becomes a quest, you start speaking in
this language. When the urge becomes urgent, you start
speaking in this language.
A small story:
Once there was a man who was continuously asking a Zen
Master to teach him how to get enlightened. One day, the
man was following the Master on the banks of a river. The
Master turned around and pushed the man by his head into
the river. The man, in a few seconds of being underwater,
was gasping for breath and desperately struggling to come
out.
When the Master released his grip on him and the man
immediately came up gasping, the Master asked him what he
really wanted in the few moments he was being held
underwater. The man replied, ‘Obviously, some air.’
The Master replied, ‘When your urge to become enlightened
becomes like that need for air for your breath, come to me.’
There are many kinds of seekers who are just like window
shoppers. Window shopping is just walking along the street
and seeing what’s there. There are many seekers who are just
window shoppers, they go from Master to Master.
Actually going from Master to Master is not wrong, it is
perfectly alright. However, not learning from anybody is
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wrong. Again and again, I tell people, ‘Go to all the gardens,
but pluck flowers and make a beautiful bouquet.’
But usually what do we do? We don’t pluck flowers from any
garden, that is where the problem starts. There are a lot of
people who are just window shoppers. They go around; they
don’t do anything. They just act as if they are seekers. Above
all, they just want to satisfy themselves that they are seekers.
This is just hypocrisy.
Either you put your whole effort into seeking, or you forget it
and carry on with your life. If you say that you are trying to
pick up a book, but you don’t actually pick it up, what does
it mean? It is just cheating.
Ramakrishna says beautifully, ‘If somebody’s hair is burning,
will he keep quiet? Will he say ‘I have no time now, I have
still many more years, later on I can take care.’?’ The
moment there is a fire on a person’s head, he tries to put
out the fire, he runs towards the water.
Exactly where are we missing? Since we feel too much of ego
in our being, when Krishna says He is God, we feel He is
egoistic. For example, suddenly, if I say, ‘I am God’, naturally
what will you think? This guy has gone crazy and he has too
much of ego.
Please understand: when you say the word ‘I’, the meaning is
different. When you say the word ‘God’, the word is empty.
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When you use the word ‘God’, it is just the superficial
understanding. It has no solid truth behind it. When you say
the word ‘God’, it is just some collected thoughts about
whatever you read or whatever you heard or whatever you
think, that’s all. It is not truth for you.
When you say the word ‘I’, your name for example, when
you say your name, Rama for example, there is a solid
meaning behind that word for you. But, when you say ‘God’,
there is no solid meaning behind that word. When it comes
to enlightened Masters, the word ‘I’ has no solid meaning. It
is very vague, superficial. The word ‘divine’ or ‘enlightened’
or ‘God’ has got solid meaning. It is their experience.
Just because you have ego, you think Masters also have ego
and you miss the meaning of their expression, the meaning of
their declaration. If you can, just push your ego a little aside
and listen to the words of the Masters intensely.
How this whole scene of the Gita between Arjuna and
Krishna would have happened, I know, I can see. After
Krishna’s teachings, Arjuna completely, totally melted in front
of Sri Krishna.
Krishna starts explaining, ‘Oh my dear! Understand I am
everything. I have come down; I have happened in this body
to liberate you.’
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Immediately, the man who is centered on fear, will say, ‘If
you are everything, then do all these things for me. Alter this
world.’ If he is centered on greed, he will say, ‘If you are
everything, then give me all these boons.’
The moment the Master says he is God, the moment Krishna
says He is god, if you are centered on greed, you catch him
and ask him to give you all the boons. ‘Give me this, give
me this, give me this, give me this’, we start begging. If you
are centered on fear, again, we catch him and say, ‘Please
protect me from this, protect me from that’.
Please be very clear: the moment you demand, the divinity
will disappear because you have brought the business
consciousness there, the business mind there. The attitude
which exists between you and the Master is going to play a
major role of you experiencing Him as divine and you
experiencing You as the divine.
Many people come to me and they say, ‘Master, if my son is
healed, I will give you this much of money. If my daughter is
healed, I will give you this property.’ I just start laughing.
First thing, I never asked them for anything.
Next thing: the moment you start the bargain, the whole
beauty of the relationship is gone. For the healing to happen,
a special kind of bridge is necessary: the bridge or the
relation which is deep connection, a deeply connected
feeling. A deep love is necessary.
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The moment you bring the business mood, over! The moment
you start bargaining, neither can I heal nor can the person
being healed receive the energy; the bridge is disconnected.
There is no bridge any more. If that bridge is there, even
without seeing me, you can be healed. You don’t even have
to see me. You don’t even have to be in my presence. You
don’t even have to be in person.
Continuously, again and again, I get emails from all over the
world, ‘Master, you gave me darshan (vision) and removed my
sufferings. Master, you gave me darshan and healed me.
Master, you appeared in front of me and answered my
question.’ And then they ask me, ‘Master, do you really know
when you appear and give darshan to us?’
Now, let me tell you very clearly, honestly, I do not know.
Let me break the business secret clearly, let me tell the
whole truth as it is: I do not know. Actually, in no way am I
involved.
Just because of your trust, your deep love, your devotion, the
cosmic energy guides you using this form, that’s all. I have
rented this body to the divine, that’s all. Because I
disappeared, the divine is using this form to guide you, over.
Otherwise, it is totally between you and the cosmic energy; I
cannot involve myself; I have no say. I cannot appear for
somebody and I cannot say, ‘No; he is not my favorite, I
cannot appear for him.’ No! I cannot show any favoritism. It
is not under my control.
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It is between your attitude and the divine. It is just your
ability, your attitude to receive. Again and again, I tell
people: All I can do is I can download that information and
I can come and tell you. I can tell you what happened when
you had the vision, when you had the darshan, what was the
instruction given to you. I can go back, download and bring
that information and give you, that’s all. I have no other say
over it; I don’t have any control over it.
Please be very clear: this is the case with all enlightened
people. With all enlightened people, this is what happens.
The moment I claim that I gave darshan, the whole thing is
over. The moment I declare it is I who appeared, over. Then,
the divine will stop using this form.
As long as I am very clear this is not me, it is just parasakti
using this form, She will continue to use this flute to play
her songs. She will continue to use this form to do Her
mission. She will continue to use this form to bless Her
devotees.
When I say parasakti, I mean the cosmic energy. Don’t think
there is some lady with four hands! It is the cosmic energy.
She does her movement, She does her job, She does Her
things using the forms of the people who have surrendered
their form to Her. Because I vacated, She is living.
All you need to do is just get out. Get out of your system,
the divine will get in. If you just get out of your system, the
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divine will get in. Again and again, I tell people I don’t give
darshan. I don’t give visions and it is in no way related to
me. I will not even know when it happens.
All I can say is when you come back and tell me, if you just
tell the place or the date, I can go and download and I can
see that file. I can search and bring the file back and tell
you in a detailed way what happened. But nothing else is in
my control.
When you really feel connected, you are open, you don’t
even have to see the Master, the very cosmic energy will
guide you. There is no need for His nearness. But, when you
spoil the relationship, when you bring the business into the
relationship, nothing can be done. Simply nothing can be
done because the very bridge is broken.
I was watching on CNN the New Orleans bridge that has
disappeared recently in the natural disaster. Like biscuit
pieces, the pieces of the bridge are missing. The very bridge
is not there. In the same way, the very bridge does not
happen.
For the bridge to happen, all we need is the attitude of
complete surrender or understanding, feeling deeply
connected. Here, by now, Arjuna is almost feeling connected.
He has just dropped his fear and greed.
The big problem with the spiritual process is you will have
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what you want to have only when you drop the idea of
having that. That is where the problem starts.
Deep, passive waiting, without knowing what is going to
happen is passive surrender. That is what I call total
surrender. Actually, the moment you decide ‘I will wait
forever’, simply things start happening.
As long as you are in a hurry, you are agitated; you stop
things from happening in you. It is like you try your best for
the lotus to blossom. What will you do? You open the petals
by hand. Will it be a flower? It will never be a lotus flower.
The lotus flower can be called a lotus flower only when the
sun’s rays pierce it and it blossoms by itself. Give a little
space.
The moment you decide to wait, simply things start
happening, you don’t have to wait anymore. You have to wait
till you decide to wait. The moment you decide to wait, you
don’t have to wait anymore.
A beautiful story:
Once Narada, a devotee of Vishnu, was going to Vaikunta
(abode of Lord Vishnu). On the way, he saw a yogi sitting
and meditating. The yogi asked Narada, ‘Oh Narada, please
ask Vishnu how long I have to wait, when will I become
enlightened?’ Narada said, ‘Surely I will ask’ and he was on
his way.
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Again, on the way, there was one more person who was just
jumping and dancing under a tree. He asked Narada, ‘Oh
Narada, please ask Vishnu when I will have his darshan.’
Please be very clear: he never asked when he will become
enlightened. He asked Narada when he will have Vishnu’s
darshan. He said, ‘Tell Him to grace me, how long should I
wait for His grace?’ Narada said, ‘Surely I will ask, don’t
worry.’
Narada went to Vaikunta and came back with the replies.
The yogi asked him what God said. Narada said, ‘Vishnu told
me that you will have to wait for four more janma (lives) to
become enlightened.’ The yogi simply fell into depression,
‘Oh, four janma! What will I do?’
The other person who was dancing, jumping around, asked
Narada ‘What did God say?’ Narada said, ‘God told me that
you have to wait for as many janma as there are leaves in
this tree; only then you will have His darshan, only then His
grace will come upon you.’
The moment the person heard this, he said, ‘Oh! That is
alright. I don’t care how long I have to wait. He gave me
the assurance that He will grace me, that is enough’. He
started jumping and dancing again.
The moment he uttered this, lightning happened and the
divine descended, he became enlightened. So, deep patience
and the decision to wait is what I call surrender.
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Take the life of Buddha. He tried all the meditation
techniques and spiritual practices with the utmost sincerity to
get enlightened. When nothing worked, He decided to relax
and let go of everything, trusting existence. That very
moment, He got enlightened.
In my own life, as long as I was doing meditation, I never
got enlightened. As long as I was doing all the practices,
tapas (penance), I was so agitated, nothing happened.
Actually, only after my enlightenment, I came to know that
because of the tapas, I had postponed my enlightenment. To
tell you honestly, at the age of twelve, I had become
enlightened. Since I did not know that I had become
enlightened, I tried to catch the experience, I tried to
possess nithya ananda (eternal bliss). The moment I tried to
possess it, it started slipping away, like soap.
If you try to catch soap what will happen? Naturally, it will
slip. Since I tried to catch the experience, it slipped from me.
The day I decided ultimately that I would do no
In Zen monasteries they have strange techniques to enlighten
a person.
A Master was walking on the third floor. A disciple sincerely
asked him for enlightenment. Suddenly the Master turned
and pushed him from the third floor. But the disciple who
had total faith in his Master was entirely calm and fell like a
flower and got up to dance.
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Strange as this may seem, research says that it is our body’s
heaviness that causes a heavy landing. When children fall,
they do not hurt themselves badly. When a person falls and
drowns in a river, the dead body though filled with water
and therefore much heavier, floats whereas a lighter, living
person drowns. They infer that it is your ego, your solidness,
which causes the damage.
There was a whirling Sufi dancer who used to be airborne in
moments during his dance, but never ever hurt himself on
landing. Levitation done by yogis is similarly achieved by
egoless state.
The wonder with Masters is that there is no failure, ever.
This is a fool-proof system.
A small story:
A naga (a Hindu sanyasi who is usually naked) disciple was
so fond of his Master that he had the habit of constantly
imitating the Master’s hand and body movements. The
Master knew this and did not mind on account of the
disciple’s sincerity. Once when a discourse was on, the
Master raised his hand and so did the disciple.
The Master turned to the disciple and cut the hand of the
disciple with a sword; so great was the disciple’s devotion
that with along with his severed hand, his ego too fell and
he was enlightened. The other disciples asked the Master if
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this was not too high a price to pay, to which the Master
replied that compared to the number of lives people have to
take to achieve this state, this was a very small price indeed!
You need the energy to let go, to allow the transformation to
happen. Like the seed which lets go of its fear in becoming a
tree, you too must have the energy to let go, to allow the
transformation to happen.
In Christian theology, they call the last moment ‘the last
night of the soul’; this is termed by Buddhists as the last
nightmare. In that moment, when your ego is dying, you must
be willing to let go of the past. Enlightenment never happens
as a continuity; it always happens as a new birth.
The Hindus call it vishaada – the first chapter of the Gita is
called ‘Arjuna vishaada yoga’; Arjuna’s dilemma was great yet
he was willing to trust Krishna and let go. In such a
situation, no decision taken is correct and when the Master
guides you, you must be ready to let go and follow what he
says completely, implicitly.
Arjuna had the courage to believe totally in Krishna and let
go, which was how he had the vishwarupa darshan, the
cosmic vision of Krishna. You must have the energy to let go,
to allow the dark night to happen to you.
Only if you have trust in the Master can the ultimate gain
happen to you. The Master George Gurdjieff had strange
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techniques to enlighten
his ashram; he had a
activity, on hearing his
whatever he was doing,
his disciples. He had a stream inside
rule that anybody engaged in any
cry, ‘Stop!’ should immediately stop
sit down and meditate.
Three disciples were in the water when he once cried ‘Stop!’
However, no sooner than he had cried out, the water in the
stream began to rise. Frightened, two of the disciples
immediately rushed out of the water, while the third
continued to meditate; his ego drowned with his body and a
new being floated.
You need to have the trust to experience the unknown
space; at that moment, you have only the Master to hold on
to. You have to accept the new experience happening to you,
deeply trust that the energy to transcend your old personality
is entering you.
Krishna emphasizes on the feeling of connectedness. Feeling
deeply connected with the Master is the basic need to
understand this truth. That is why the East gave so much of
importance to the guru, to the Master.
There is one more question here, ‘Respected Master, I have
received deeksha (initiation) from my guru and know the
relationship of guru and disciple. My guru took samadhi (left
the body) in 1952 and I gathered all his teachings from his
book and am trying to apply to me. I never saw my guru in
person. Now, since I met you and listened to your discourses
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everyday, I have experienced that Lord Krishna is talking
directly to me from the Bhagavad Gita and it is a very
beautiful experience. I do not want to let it go. I have the
fear that I am greedy and not sure whether I can have two
gurus in my life.’
Please be very clear: Ramakrishna answers this question very
clearly, you can have as many gurus as possible. At least with
my disciples, whomsoever is initiated by me, I always tell
them, not only I allow you to go wherever you want, I
encourage you to go and learn from wherever you want.
Pluck the flowers from all the beautiful gardens and make a
beautiful bouquet.
I think I said this same idea some time back: Pluck the
flowers from all the beautiful gardens and make a beautiful
bouquet, beautiful garland for yourself. One more thing: our
ego is such, even if it is beaten from all thousand sides, it
will not die. How can you expect that to be killed just by
one person? So, may you learn from all sides. Let your ego be
crushed from all sides. All we need is you growing, that’s all,
you experiencing the truth, that’s all. Wherever you
experience, don’t miss the chance. Wherever you get the
chance, never miss it.
And be very clear: don’t go to a person who says, ‘Don’t go
to others’, that’s all. Just safeguard your freedom, just keep
your freedom with yourself. Other than that, you are
completely not only free to go, you are encouraged to learn.
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So, I tell you, you don’t have to feel guilty. You don’t have to
feel you are doing something wrong if you listen to his
teachings or if you practice my teachings and I can be sure I
won’t have any problem with your Master and after all he has
passed away; I will talk to him directly; don’t bother about
it! We will have our understanding; you don’t have to worry
about it! Relax and enjoy.
When we deeply feel connected, the very connectivity is
enough. Nothing else is necessary. That itself can guide you.
One more important thing: please understand, to whom you
feel connected is not at all important. To whom you
surrender is not at all important, this is one more important
thing. I can say one more business secret, in the same way
as Krishna says rajavidya raja guhyam (secret of secrets), this
is one more business secret.
Let me tell you these business secrets which nobody reveals
usually because based on these secrets only the whole
business is built. But, I am very clear, let me tell you the
whole thing.
Be very clear: to whom you surrender is not at all important.
The very attitude of surrender, the very attitude of feeling
connected will liberate you. That is enough; it will liberate
you. Nothing else is necessary. The very intensity has got
power. The very attitude of surrender has got the power to
transform your life. Nothing else is necessary.
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One small story:
A person who faced a lot of troubles in life felt that he had
had enough with his life. He ran away to the forest and
wanted to find an enlightened guru to achieve liberation.
He searched day and night but was not able to find
anybody.
Then he decided, ‘Whomsoever comes in this road first,
whomever I meet in this road first, I will accept that person
as my guru, that’s all. I am going to follow his instructions.
Oh God, I know you are here. Send me a proper person and
guide me, that’s all.’ He sat down, and was waiting patiently.
After two days, in the evening, a thief was running through
that road. The man went and just caught hold of the thief’s
feet, ‘Oh Master, please save me. You are my God. You are
my guru. Please give me instructions how to be enlightened.’
The thief said, ‘What is this? What is happening?’ He said,
‘Leave me, leave me. I am a thief. I have to run away; the
police are chasing me. Leave me; I have to run.’ The man
said, ‘No! You are my God. You are my guru. You have to
give me instructions and guide me in the path of
enlightenment.’
The thief said, ‘Fool! Don’t you see I am having all the
jewelry; just now, I have robbed. Let me go; otherwise, I will
kill you. Now itself, I can kill you. But, if I kill you, I have
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to spend ten minutes. By the time, the police will come and
catch me. I don’t have ten minutes; otherwise, I would have
killed you by now.’
The man said, ‘I don’t know all that. You are my guru; teach
me.’ Then, the thief said, ‘Alright. Now, what can I do? This
is a big problem. Anyhow, you say I am your guru. Alright,
then listen to me. Will you do whatever I say?’ He said, ‘Yes,
surely. I am here for that.’
The thief said, ‘Sit’. He sat. The thief said, ‘Close your eyes.’
He closed his eyes. The thief told him, ‘Don’t open your eyes
till I come back and tell you to open your eyes.’ He gave
the instruction. The man sat with all sincerity, closed his
eyes and the thief immediately ran away. The man continued
sitting for hours. Then, slowly, days passed, then a week
passed; a month passed by. The man sat without food, water,
absolutely still.
Suddenly, Siva saw this and thought how sincere this person
was. Seeing the depth of his sincerity, the story says Siva
appeared and gave darshan and gave him enlightenment.
This may look like a story; but please understand, it has got
a beautiful meaning and a truth behind it. The very sincerity
is enough; nothing else is needed.
The very feeling of connectedness is enough. You may ask the
next question, ‘How should we feel the connectedness, Master?’
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The very boiling that you want to feel is enough. The very
boiling, the very quest that you want to feel it, the intensity
is enough. You will start feeling.
The very intensity has got the power to create that in you.
Nothing else is necessary. All I am trying to do through
these Gita lectures is only one thing: create that fire in you;
that’s all.
Automatically, you will start searching for the solution. All I
do through this program or through our camps, meditation
camps is just to give a taste or one glimpse; then, you will
start running behind it. Then, we don’t have to do anything.
All I do is just give you deep inspiration, converting your
questions into quest, transforming your questions into quest
and creating a deep thirst.
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Krishna says:
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ºÉÖJÉÆ nÖù&JÉÆ ¦É´ÉÉä%¦ÉÉ´ÉÉä ¦ÉªÉÆ SÉɦɪɨÉä´É SÉ**10.4**
+˽þºÉÉ ºÉ¨ÉiÉÉ iÉÖι]õºiÉ{ÉÉä nùÉxÉÆ ªÉ¶ÉÉä%ªÉ¶É&*
¦É´ÉÎxiÉ ¦ÉÉ´ÉÉ ¦ÉÚiÉÉxÉÉÆ ¨ÉkÉ ´É {ÉÞlÉÎM´ÉvÉÉ&**10.5**
buddhir jnanam asammoha kshama satyam damaha shamaha
sukkham dukkham bhavobhaavo bhayam cha abhayam eva cha (10.4)
ahimsa samata tushtistapo danam yasho ayashaha
bhavanti bhava bhutanam matta va prithagvidhaha (10.5)
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buddhir: intelligence, jnanam: knowledge, asammoha: free
from doubt, kshama: forgiveness, satyam: truthfulness,
damaha: control of senses, shamaha: control of mind,
sukkham: happiness, dukkham: distress, bhavobhaavo: birth
and death, bhayam: fear, cha: and, abhayam: fearlessness,
eva: also, cha: and
ahimsa: non-violence, samata: equanimity, tushti: satisfaction,
tapo: austerity, danam: charity, yasho: fame, ayashaha: infamy,
bhavanti: become, bhava: nature, bhutanam: living beings,
matta: from me, eva: surely, prithagvidhaha: in various forms
Intelligence, knowledge, freedom from doubt and delusion,
forgiveness, truthfulness, control of the senses, control of the
mind, happiness, distress, birth, death, fear, fearlessness, nonviolence, equanimity, satisfaction, austerity, charity, fame and
infamy, all these various qualities of living beings are created
by Me alone.
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Understand: if you understand this one sloka, you can
immediately relax. Krishna says, ‘Whatever you have, whether
you have a good name or a bad name, it is created by Me.’
Then, be very clear: Whatever you have is a gift from the
divine.
Small story:
There was once a great sage, Suka. His father, Vyasa, taught
him the knowledge of the Truth and sent him to the court of
King Janaka. Janaka though a king, was beyond his body
and was called videha meaning without a body.
King Janaka came to know that Suka was coming to him to
learn wisdom and made arrangements to receive him. When
the boy came at the palace gates though, the guards hardly
noticed him. Even though he was the son of the greatest,
well-known sages, he sat there for three days and nights with
hardly anybody bothering to look at him or take care of him.
Then, after a few days, suddenly, the ministers of the king
heard that the son of Vyasa was waiting outside the palace
gates and they rushed to receive him. They brought him into
the palace with all the honors, put him in a magnificent
room and gave him the best food and comforts.
But, the face of Suka was exactly the same serene one when
he was being treated with the utmost honor as it was when
he was being made to wait outside the palace gates. Then,
he was taken in front of king Janaka.
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The king was sitting on the throne, there was music playing
and there was dancing and amusements going on in his
court. Janaka gave the boy Suka a cup that was filled to the
brim with milk and asked him to go around the room seven
times without spilling a drop.
The boy took the cup of milk without a word and he started
going round the room. In the midst of all the revelry and the
attractions, he was not distracted the least and effortlessly
went round the court room seven times. He could not be
affected by anything in the world unless he chose it to affect
him.
When he brought the cup back to king Janaka, the king
said, ‘What your father has taught you and what you have
learned yourself, I can only repeat. You have known the
Truth, my boy; go home.’
When Arjuna tries to hide his confusion in the lofty words
of concern over killing his kinsmen, Krishna just brushes
aside his arguments and points to him the foolishness of being
tortured by emotions, caused by forgetting the true
unattached, unfettered, free nature of the soul.
Krishna asks us to accept the life as it is. Only when you
accept yourself as you are, you will be able to accept others.
Only then you will feel deeply the friendliness with others.
Deep friendliness with others is spirituality. Understand:
honest, deep friendliness with others is what spirituality is.
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Love is the flowering of your consciousness. Whenever your
consciousness expresses itself through the heart, compassion
happens, lust becomes love. The touch will become so
vibrant, so soothing. I firmly believe that love is the greatest
healing power on the planet earth. I tell my healers, ‘If you
can’t spread love, you can never heal.’
When people come to meet me, I always stretch out my
hands as soon as I see them. Many feel strange. They feel
that spirituality means seriousness, being reserved, being
serious. Here I am reaching out to people with my stretched
hands. It doesn’t match the picture of spirituality or the
spiritual man. Spirituality is never associated with sharing or
loving.
People from various backgrounds and various types of ailments
visit our ashram to take healing from me: young and old,
cancer patients, disabled and even HIV patients. If a person
is having pain in the leg, I get up from my seat and bend
down to touch their leg to heal. I never differentiate
between the feet and the hand. It is just one body.
An elderly, traditional and conservative swami gave me a
friendly advice on this practice, ‘You are a swami. It is very
unbecoming of a swami to come down from his seat and touch
someone’s feet. It is against the tradition.’ I replied very
politely, ‘The very seat and the cloth which I am wearing
(saffron robes) means compassion. I got this seat because of my
compassion. I am not here because of the seat.’
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Spirituality means flowing. Spirituality means spreading love
and compassion.
Whenever you serve out of compassion, you never feel that
you have served. You will always feel that you have been
given an opportunity to serve. Vivekananda says, ‘The hand
of the person who gives should be below and the person who
accepts should have his hand above.’ In our case, the
opposite happens. The giving hand is above and the receiving
hand is below. We should be grateful to God that we have
been given the opportunity to serve somebody.
That is why Vivekananda replaces the word seva (service)
with puja (prayer). Seva puts you in a higher pedestal: you
are serving him. In puja, you are offering, not serving. When
compassion happens, you will offer, never serve.
Whether we believe it or not, as of now, we have deep
enmity with others. We may smile like models posing for the
camera. We may smile, we may do everything but we never
feel friendly. We always keep a safe distance and we always
play a safe game because we never feel friendliness with
others.
First thing: accept yourself as you are. Some people come
and tell me, ‘I am not able to accept myself as I am, Master.
What can I do?’ At least, accept that you are not able to
accept yourself, that is enough.
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If you accept that you are not able to accept yourself, that is
enough. You will drop from the mind. Accept yourself as you
are. Otherwise, if you are not able to accept yourself as you
are, at least accept that you are not able to accept yourself
as you are; enough. The very acceptance will open a new
consciousness in you.
Forgiving others and forgiving yourself is one and the same.
Jesus says, ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’
Unfortunately, we don’t even love ourselves. Then, how can
we love others?
When you torture others with your judgment and prejudices,
you torture yourself too. You use the same sword to kill
others and to commit suicide. It is the same mind which
deals with others as well as with ourselves.
When you try to poison others, there will be a deep sense of
guilt in you because it is the same mind which is working.
You use strong words when you are in anger and once the
anger dies down, the same sharpness which is emitted
outwards is turned inwards to create a deep guilt. The
height of the anger and the depth of the guilt are equal. If
the height increases, the depth increases as well.
I tell you: When Krishna says here, ‘Happiness and distress,
birth and death, fear and fearlessness, non-violence and
equanimity, satisfaction, austerity, charity, name and fame,
fame and infamy, all these various qualities of living beings
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are created by Me alone’, what He means by this sutra is you
should accept your life as it is.
The moment you accept life as it is, you start experiencing
divinity in everything. You don’t exclude anything. The
moment you accept, a cognitive shift happens in you. As of
now, the cognitive process which is happening inside your
mind, the cognition, is centered on enmity.
The moment you accept yourself, you will accept the whole
world. Then, the cognitive shift will happen in you. The
cognition which is happening inside your system will be
centered on bliss. Then, you will really experience the whole
thing as divine.
Krishna starts explaining His glory:
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¨É½þ¹ÉǪÉ& ºÉ{iÉ {ÉÚ´Éæ SÉi´ÉÉ®úÉä ¨ÉxɴɺiÉlÉÉ*
¨ÉnÂù¦ÉÉ´ÉÉ ¨ÉÉxɺÉÉ VÉÉiÉÉ ªÉä¹ÉÉÆ ±ÉÉäEò <¨ÉÉ& |ÉVÉÉ&**10.6**
maharshayaha sapta purve chatvaro manavas tatha
madbhava manasa jata yesham loka imaha prajaha (10.6)
maharshayaha: great sages, sapta: seven, purve: before,
chatvaro: four, manavas: manus, tatha: and, madbhava: born
of Me, manasa: from the mind, jata: born, yesham: of them,
loka: worlds, imaha: all this, prajaha: living beings
The seven great sages and before them, the four great
Manus, come from Me, born from My mind and all the living
beings populating the various planets descend from them.
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BiÉÉÆ Ê´É¦ÉÚËiÉ ªÉÉäMÉÆ SÉ ¨É¨É ªÉÉä ´ÉäÊkÉ iÉk´ÉiÉ&*
ºÉÉä%Ê´ÉEò¨{ÉäxÉ ªÉÉäMÉäxÉ ªÉÖVªÉiÉä xÉÉjÉ ºÉƶɪÉ&**10.7**
etam vibhutim yogam cha mama yo vetti tattvataha
sovikampen yogen yujyate natra sanshayaha (10.7)
etam: all this, vibhutim: glory, yogam: powers, cha: and,
mama: My, yo: who, vetti: knows, tattvataha: truth, sa: he,
avikampen: without distraction, yogen: in yoga, yujyate:
engaged, na: not, atra: here, sanshayaha: doubt
He who knows all this glory and powers of mine, truly, he is
fully engaged in yoga; of that there is no doubt.
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Krishna says, ‘I am everything.’ Then, He says, ‘I am the
universal consciousness.’
The person who knows truly My glories and powers, engages
in yoga, the union of the individual consciousness with the
ultimate consciousness and undoubtedly attains liberation.
The sapta rishi, the seven sages that Krishna talks about here
are not seven old men with flowing beards sitting in
meditation and penance, waiting for something to happen.
From my experience I can tell you that this is the energy
field that drives this universe. It is this energy field referred
to as the sapta rishi that has the intelligent power to take
decisions that determine to course of the universe.
During my parivrajaka, wandering days before enlightenment,
I lived for about nine months in Tapovan, which is beyond
Gangotri and Gomukh, in the Himalayan mountain range at
some 17000 feet height. Even now there are no roads
leading to Tapovan, and no permanent structures to stay in.
I, as many other sanyasins did, stayed in caves covering
myself with jute cloth and newspaper in the winter, eating
what ever fruits were available. Tapovan is what is referred to
as Shambala, the heaven on earth. It is the point from which
one can move up to the spiritual plane from the material
earthly plane.
Let me tell you, the sapta rishi exist; they exist as an energy
field reachable from Tapovan. Tapovan is the spiritual helipad
from where enlightened beings ascend to a higher ethereal
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non material plane. Many years later when I took a group of
my devotees to Gomukh, I showed them Tapovan. I went into
deep samadhi that night at Gomukh and they were
frightened. The next morning I was up before them waking
them up. I told them,’ I told the sapta rishi that I would love to
stay on with them, and they promptly threw me out!’
Sapta rishi is the universal consciousness that Krishna refers to
as what was born from His mind, from Him, the primal
source and primal creator. He is the sapta rishi. It is His
energy that decides what enlightened beings should do and
directs their actions. Every movement that I make is
governed and decided by this energy.
In Hindu mythology, Manu are the children of Brahma, the
Creators. There is a lineage of Manu, four Manu, who
populated the earth and as Krishna says other worlds, other
planets. There is no life in this universe in planets apart
from our earth even though science may have not had
definitive proof as yet.
Krishna as the universal consciousness is all in one; He is the
Creator, Sustainer and Rejuvenator; He is Brahma, Vishnu
and Siva; He also transcends all three as the Parabrahman,
the supreme super consciousness.
One needs to do nothing else except to understand and
accept that this is what Krishna is. That alone, the Master
says, will liberate you. Just that belief, just that understanding; nothing more is needed.
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+½Æþ ºÉ´ÉǺªÉ |ɦɴÉÉä ¨ÉkÉ& ºÉ´ÉÈ |É´ÉiÉÇiÉä*
<ÊiÉ ¨Éi´ÉÉ ¦ÉVÉxiÉä ¨ÉÉÆ ¤ÉÖvÉÉ ¦ÉɴɺɨÉÎx´ÉiÉÉ&**10.8**
aham sarvasya prabhavo mattaha sarvam pravartate
iti matva bhajante maam budha bhava samanvitaha (10.8)
aham: I, sarvasya: all, prabhavo; source, mattaha: from Me,
sarvam: all, pravartate: emanates, iti: thus, matva: knowing,
bhajante: pray, maam: to Me, budha: wise, bhava
samanvitaha: surrender
I am the source of all the spiritual and material worlds. Everything
emanates from Me. The wise, who perfectly know this, engage in
My consciousness and surrender their heart to Me.
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Now, instead of understanding all these things intellectually,
I feel we should try experiencing it. In the deep meditative
mood, let us try to feel connected to the parabrahma
Krishna, to our very life source, to our very life energy.
Let us enter into the meditation because all these sutra, all
these sloka which come next in this chapter, have to be
experienced. They cannot be understood. There is nothing
much to understand.
Krishna says, ‘Among the rishi, I am Narada. Among the
months, I am the Margazhii. Among the rivers, I am Ganga.
Among the fish, I am Makara.’ He explains at length His
glories.
You may think, ‘Why is He explaining all these things in a
detailed way?’ He shows, ‘Wherever you see the glory, I am
radiating.’ Wherever you see the greatness, it is the divine
radiating. You will realize this is actually true when you start
experiencing, when you deeply understand these basic truths
of accepting yourself and connecting with the universe.
When you understand all these things, when you start
connecting with the divine, when you start trusting, when
you start completely opening yourself, when you don’t have
any other vested interests, when you are not begging
anything from life, you start experiencing the very life is
divine, the very life is blessing.
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As long as you are begging, in the hope that with this, I may
feel blissful, with that, I may feel blissful, you will be asking
only for that, only for this. Only when you understand I
want just Him, nothing else, I want the pure experience of
divine, nothing else, you start experiencing the whole
existence in a totally different way. The cognitive shift starts
happening in you.
I can imagine how Arjuna would have felt when Krishna
revealed all these things for the first time, inch by inch. ‘Oh
Arjuna, I am that, I am this, I am everything.’ Of course, I
do not know what words Arjuna used, but he would have
felt he was expanding.
For example, understand this one example: when you got
married, your husband was an ordinary man; you were also an
ordinary person. Slowly, he entered into politics and he
became a mayor. Then, slowly, after five years, he became
governor. He became a well-known person. Already, you feel
connected to him as he is your husband. Now, he becomes a
famous person or you understand him as a big person. You
deeply feel the gratefulness or the gratitude to him.
In the same way, Arjuna was already feeling deeply
connected to Krishna as his friend, as his own. Now, he
understands the glories of Krishna. Krishna is revealing His
glories to Arjuna.
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See, when your husband becomes governor, you also expand
because you are connected to him. You also rejoice;
especially, women rejoice having the power; the power is a
source of big joy for them. For men, money is the source of
joy. When you know the person to whom you are connected
is expanding, you are also expanding. When he is achieving
the glory, when he is becoming great, you are also becoming
great.
Here, the same thing is happening because already, Arjuna is
feeling deeply connected to Krishna. When Krishna reveals
His glories, when He is expanding, Arjuna also expands.
He says, ‘Oh God! I am a friend of such a great person. I
am with such a great person. Oh Krishna, You are such a
great person; I am your friend; I am deeply connected to
you.’
When you deeply feel connected to the Master, when the
Master expresses His glory, you also expand. When the
Master shows His greatness, you understand, you also expand
and experience the same greatness.
When your husband becomes great, you also become great.
When the person with whom you feel connected becomes
great, you also become great.
Here, Arjuna is enjoying the same mood. Inch by inch,
Arjuna is enjoying the joy and bliss. Arjuna asks, ‘Oh Lord!
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It is so beautiful; I am never feeling bored. Please tell me
again and again all your glories.’
Then, Krishna starts explaining. Inch by inch, He is revealing
who He is, where He is shining and how He is shining.
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¨ÉÎSSÉkÉÉ ¨ÉnÂùMÉiÉ|ÉÉhÉÉ ¤ÉÉävɪÉxiÉ& {É®úº{É®ú¨ÉÂ*
EòlɪÉxiɶSÉ ¨ÉÉÆ ÊxÉiªÉÆ iÉÖ¹ªÉÎxiÉ SÉ ®ú¨ÉÎxiÉ SÉ**10.9**
macchita madgataprana bodhayantaha parasparam
kathayantashcha maam nityam tushyanti cha ramanti cha (10.9)
macchita: with mind engaged in Me, madgataprana: lives
engaged in Me, bodhayantaha: enlightening, parasparam: one
another, kathayantashcha: talking about My glories, maam:
about Me, nityam: always, tushyanti: satisfied, cha: and
ramanti: enjoy bliss, cha: and.
With mind and lives engaged in Me, always enlightening one
another and talking about My glories, they are satisfied and
enjoy bliss.
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iÉä¹ÉÉÆ ºÉiÉiɪÉÖCiÉÉxÉÉÆ ¦ÉVÉiÉÉÆ |ÉÒÊiÉ{ÉÚ´ÉÇEò¨ÉÂ*
nùnùÉ欃 ¤ÉÖÊrùªÉÉäMÉÆ iÉÆ ªÉäxÉ ¨ÉɨÉÖ{ɪÉÉÎxiÉ iÉä**10.10**
tesham satatayuktanam bhajatam preetipurvakam
dadami buddhiyogam tam yen maam upayanti te (10.10)
tesham: to them, satatayuktanam: always engaged, bhajatam:
praying, preetipurvakam: with love, dadami: I give,
buddhiyogam: enlightenment, tam: that, yen: by which,
maam: to Me, upayanti: come, te: they
To those who are always engaged in Me with love, I give
them enlightenment by which they come to Me.
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iÉä¹ÉɨÉä´ÉÉxÉÖEò¨{ÉÉlÉǨɽþ¨ÉYÉÉxÉVÉÆ iɨÉ&*
xÉɶɪÉɨªÉÉi¨É¦ÉɴɺlÉÉä YÉÉxÉnùÒ{ÉäxÉ ¦Éɺ´ÉiÉÉ**10.11**
tesham eva anukampartham aham ajnanajam tamaha
nashayamya atma bhavasto jnanadeepen bhasvata (10.11)
tesham: to them, eva: also, anukampartham: to show
compassion, aham: I, ajnanajam: born of ignorance, tamaha:
darkness, nashayamya: destroy, atma: within, bhavasto:
themselves, jnanadeepen: lamp of knowledge, bhasvata:
shining
To show compassion to them, I destroy by the shining lamp of
knowledge the darkness born out of ignorance within
themselves.
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Here, Krishna talks about leela dhyana, meditating on the
divine plays of the Lord. What the eyes see intensely gets
registered in the mind. What gets registered in the mind, the
eyes see intensely. When the mind is engaged in the divine,
when the heart is captivated by the divine, you automatically
live every moment remembering the divine.
Every moment of your life is engaged in remembering the
divine, in the reminiscences of the divine. Then, your mind
and your actions naturally reflect this connection with the
divine.
You enjoy talking to each other about the divine glories
because all around you, you see the glories of the divine. You
are so full of the divine ecstasy and bliss, so fully satisfied
and not wanting anything because you see life overflowing
with the divine bliss and glory.
This was the state that the gopi, the legendary girls who
tended cattle in Krishna’s home Brindavan. They were in
constant play with Krishna from the time He was a little
infant and their entire world revolved around Him. Their
mind and heart were filled with Krishna with no intellect
filtering their emotions.
Vishnu, whose incarnation Krishna is, wanted to teach
Narada, who considered himself His greatest devotee and the
other so called devotees around Him a lesson. Vishnu
pretended He had a headache. His devotees brought Him all
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kinds of medicines which He tried and pronounced useless.
He then told them that the only substance that would cure
his malaise was the dust from the feet of a true devotee.
Narada and all the great sages were shocked; how could
they allow the dust of their feet fall on their Master’s head?
It would be a sacrilege, they argued. Vishnu pretended to
get annoyed; He told Narada to get out of His sight, go to
the gopi girls at Brindavan, tell them what He had said and
seek a solution.
When Narada reached Brindavan the gopi would not even
talk to him, they were so busy with their chores. Narada told
them he came from Vaikunta; they were not impressed. He
told them that Vaikunta is the home of Vishnu; who is
Vishnu, they asked? Narada said Vishnu is Krishna. As soon
as he uttered the word Krishna, they all gathered around
Narada and asked him in one voice, how is our Krishna, our
darling? Narada said He is suffering from a headache. They
asked what can we do, we cannot let our Krishna suffer.
Narada told them what Vishnu had asked for, the dust from
the feet of his devotee.
One of the gopi immediately took of the upper cloth she was
wearing, placed it on the ground and all the gopi danced on
this cloth to collect the dust if their feet upon it. Folding the
cloth, not worried about the fact she had nothing covering
her breasts, the gopi said, here take this to our Krishna. We
do not know which one of us is his true devotee. So, this has
all the dust from our feet. Go, go now, and give it to Him,
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Narada asked, are you not worried that you are giving
Krishna the dust from your feet to put of His head? In one
voice, the gopi answered, are you crazy? He, our Lord and
Lover, is suffering and has asked for our feet dust. If it would
cure Him, we are ready to dance on His head! We shall
give our lives for Him. We are not intellectual fools like you.
Narada, humbled, returned to Vaikunta with the gopi’s upper
cloth filled with dust from their feet. Vishnu took the cloth
in His hands, smelled the dust and pronounced Himself fully
cured, as the sages, deva and Narada watched in
amazement.
What did they tell you Narada, He asked, did they too give
useless reasons and advance futile arguments as to why they
cannot apply their feet dust on their Lord and Master, as you
all did?
Narada, hung his head in shame. Till today all the main
entrance steps of all Vishnu temples have the imprint of feet
carved upon them. These are the imprints of the feet of
devotees whose dust Vishnu covets more than all the crowns
that He is adorned with!
With mind and lives engaged in Me, always enlightening one
another and talking about My glories, they are satisfied and enjoy
bliss. I give them enlightenment by which they come to Me.
Krishna here talks about satsang, the collection of people
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whose heart, mind and body are immersed in Him, who can
talk about nothing except Him, who are filled with bliss and
love for their Lord and Master. He promises He will provide
them the intelligence to enlighten them and bring them to
Him.
I keep telling my devotees how important satsang are; the
regular get together of devotees where they hear my words,
dance to my songs and go back with refreshed and reinforced
memories of their Master. Every one who practices this
seriously, who attends the satsang regularly can tell you that
the Master is present with them, wherever they may be,
however many satsang they may be at that moment.
An ashram is an intensified satsang that is forever, 24 by 7.
That’s why I motivate groups of people to form ashram,
spiritual communities, where they can follow with one
pointed mind their spiritual quest. Ashram do not create
cults as people in the West fear. Cults will be created
whether you have communities or not. Gangs are cults, do
gangsters live in ashram?
When you are deeply in love with your Master, not out of
fear that He would hurt you if you left and not out of greed
that He would take you to a non existent heaven, but out of
love born out of this present moment, then and only then are
you eligible to be part of such an ashram community. You
would have shed your entire ego and surrendered yourself to
One who has already surrendered Himself. Only then the
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process would work; otherwise it is blind leading the blind,
which is a cult.
Krishna talks about such an environment here, an ashram.
An ashram is not a serious center of penance with old people
meditating in painful distorted postures. Come to one of My
ashram and see for yourself. No one is serious, they are all
laughing. They are not the Narada and Sages who are
engaged in intellectual arrogance; they are the gopi who are
in love with their Master and whose entire being is filled
with love for Him.
Each one does what he or she can. There is nothing forcing
them to volunteer. They can sit in meditation or apparent
meditation with eyes closed for 24 hours. No one will bother
them. No one will ask them why. No one will complain that
they are not doing what they should have. But the energy of
the Master provides them with intelligence. It does not allow
them to waste themselves in frivolous activities. If they are in
ecstasy so be it.
A monastery is not an ashram.
In a monastery there is hierarchy; there is order; there are
rules, regulations, and how much work each person has to do.
In an ashram, there are no man made rules and regulations.
No one measures how much one does and how much another
does. There is chaos, outwardly. There is no equality on
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terms of responsibility or duties in an ashram; but there is
uniqueness. Each person in an ashram does what he or she is
best suited for.
In an ashram, an inmate does not work out of fear, greed,
motivation or necessity. An ashramite, a resident of an
ashram, works out of gratitude. Once people start measuring
what they are doing and what others are doing in
comparison, you create a political organization, not a spiritual
organization.
A man who works out of fear and greed is a Sudra, the man
who works out of attention need is Vaisya, the man who
works out of jealousy or comparison to prove that he is some
way superior to others is a Kshatriya. The man who works out
of gratitude is Brahmin.
These differentiations do not come by birth; these things
come by your guna, your attributes, your mental make up,
your attitude. These things come into your being when you
earn and develop. These things cannot happen just by birth.
You are supposed to work for that.
A cook in a monastery cooked for the monastery for thirty
years, He never bothered to be around the master, nor
attended the Masters discourses regularly. When it was time
for the master to leave planet earth, he called every one to
announce who will be the next heir to that monastery. All
of them were expecting one of the people who were very
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close to the master all the time to take that seat. But the
master said you are listening to my discourses all these years,
but this cook just lived my teachings. By saying that he made
the cook enlightened.
People are not equal. Each one comes with one’s karma and
with different attitude. As long as the Master there, He
will take care of every thing. When Master is not there, the
whole thing will become dharma. When the Master is there
every thing will become Moksha. That is the difference
between dharma and Moksha. Work for Moksha. That is the
difference between an ashram and a monastery.
By My thirtieth Jayanthi celebrations of my birthday on 1
January 2007, there will be 30 such ashrams around the
world, where people will live together all focused on their
spiritual evolution. They will be self funded, self managed
and self sustaining, operating with one mission, that of the
Master in transformation oneself trough meditation.
So I say to all of them, as the greatest Master of them all
said earlier: To those who are always engaged in Me with love,
I give them enlightenment by which they come to Me.
The Master defines Himself in the last verse. I destroy the
darkness of ignorance within them, with the shining lamp of
wisdom, through my compassion.
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The Sanskrit word Guru, meaning Master, has two syllables
gu referring to darkness and ru to light. Master is one who
with compassion leads the disciple from darkness into light.
This darkness of ignorance is the identification that one has
with one’s self, one’s material attachments, one’s material
possessions. This identification surely leads to sorrow, as this
attachment is not for something that is long lasting but things
that are fleeting.
Wealth gets created overnight and it also disappears in a
trice. Relationships, however sound, last only as long as the
body does, most often far less as mind is even more fleeting in
holding onto relationships. There is nothing that exists in
this world, nothing that is of material creation that can last
eternally. The impression that material possessions and
attachments last, come from the ignorance that is born of self
identity, ego.
The Master is the only person who can dispel that darkness;
only He can light up that wisdom within you, for you to
realize that you are already one with existence and therefore
need nothing from this material world.
Your Master gains nothing from teaching you this; nothing
from enlightening you. He does it out of sheer compassion, so
that others may experience the same bliss that He constantly
experiences.
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+VÉÖÇxÉ =´ÉÉSÉ
{É®Æú ¥ÉÀ {É®Æú vÉÉ¨É {ÉÊ´ÉjÉÆ {É®ú¨ÉÆ ¦É´ÉÉxÉÂ*
{ÉÖ¯û¹ÉÆ ¶Éɶ´ÉiÉÆ Ênù´ªÉ¨ÉÉÊnùnùä´É¨ÉVÉÆ Ê´É¦ÉÖ¨ÉÂ**10.12**
+ɽÖþºi´ÉɨÉ޹ɪÉ& ºÉ´Éæ näù´É̹ÉxÉÉÇ®únùºiÉlÉÉ*
+ʺÉiÉÉä näù´É±ÉÉä ´ªÉɺÉ& º´ÉªÉÆ SÉè´É ¥É´ÉÒÊ¹É ¨Éä**10.13**
Arjuna uvacha
param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan
purusham shashvatam divyam adidevam ajam vibhum (10.12)
ahustvam rushayaha sarve devarshir naradastatha
asito devalo vyasaha syayam chayva braveeshi me (10.13)
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Arjuna uvacha: Arjuna said, param: supreme, brahma: truth,
param: supreme, dhama: sustenance, pavitram: pure,
paramam: supreme, bhavan: yourself, purusham: person,
shashvatam: original, divyam: godly, adidevam: original god,
ajam: unborn, vibhum: glorious
ahu: say, tvam: to you, rushayaha: sages, sarve: all, devarshi:
sage of gods, narada: Narada, tatha: and, asito: Asita, devalo:
Devala, vyasaha: Vyasa, svayam: personally, cha: and, eva:
surely, braveeshi: explain, me: to me
Arjuna said:
You are the supreme truth, supreme sustenance, supremely
pure, the original, unborn glorious Lord.
All the sages like Narada, Asita, Devala, Vyasa have
explained this and now you are personally explaining to me.
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ºÉ´ÉǨÉäiÉoùiÉÆ ¨ÉxªÉä ªÉx¨ÉÉÆ ´Énù漃 Eäò¶É´É*
xÉ Ê½þ iÉä ¦ÉMÉ´ÉxÉ ´ªÉÎCiÉÆ Ê´ÉnÖùnæù´ÉÉ xÉ nùÉxÉ´ÉÉ&**10.14**
sarvam etad rutam manye yanmaam vadasi keshava
na hi te bhagavan vyaktim vidurdeva na danavaha (10.14)
sarvam: all, etad: these, rutam: truths, manye: accept, yat:
which, maam: to me, vadasi: say, keshava: Keshava, na: not,
hi: surely, te: your, bhagavan: lord, vyaktim: express, viduh:
know, deva: gods, na: nor, danavaha: demons
Oh Kesava (slayer of the demon Kesu), I surely accept all
these truths that You have told me. Oh Lord, neither the
gods nor the demons know You.
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º´ÉªÉ¨Éä´ÉÉi¨ÉxÉÉ%i¨ÉÉxÉÆ ´ÉäilÉ i´ÉÆ {ÉÖ¯û¹ÉÉäkɨÉ*
¦ÉÚiɦÉÉ´ÉxÉ ¦ÉÚiÉä¶É näù´Énäù´É VÉMÉi{ÉiÉä**10.15**
svayam eva atmana atmaanam vettha tvam purushottam
bhuta bhavan bhutesha devadeva jagatpate (10.15)
svayam: own, eva: surely, atmana- by yourself, atmaanam:
yourself, vettha: know, tvam: you, purushottam: perfect man,
bhuta bhavan: origin of beings, bhutesha: lord of beings,
devadeva: god of gods, jagatpate: lord of the world
Surely, you alone know Yourself by yourself, oh perfect one,
the origin of beings, oh lord of beings, oh god of gods, oh
lord of the world.
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´ÉCiÉ֨ɽÇþºªÉ¶Éä¹ÉähÉ Ênù´ªÉÉ ÁÉi¨ÉʴɦÉÚiɪÉ&*
ªÉÉʦÉ̴ɦÉÚÊiÉʦɱÉÉæEòÉÊxɨÉÉƺi´ÉÆ ´ªÉÉ{ªÉ Êiɹ`öʺÉ**10.16**
vaktum arhasya asheshen divya rhyatma vibhutayaha
yabhir vibhuti bhir lokan imanstvam vyapya tishthasi (10.16)
vaktum: say, arhasya: deserve, asheshen: in detail, divya:
divine, hi: surely, atma: Your, vibhutayaha: glories, yabhi: by
which, vibhuti: glories, lokan: worlds, iman: these, tvam: You,
vyapya: pervade, tishthasi: remain
Only You can tell in detail Your divine glories by which You
pervade these worlds.
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EòlÉÆ Ê´ÉtɨɽÆþ ªÉÉäËMɺi´ÉÉÆ ºÉnùÉ {ÉÊ®úÊSÉxiɪÉxÉÂ*
Eäò¹ÉÖ Eäò¹ÉÖ SÉ ¦ÉÉ´Éä¹ÉÖ ÊSÉxiªÉÉä%漃 ¦ÉMÉ´Éx¨ÉªÉÉ**10.17**
katham vidyam aham yogimstvam sada parichintayan
keshu keshu cha bhaveshu chintyosi bhagavan maya (10.17)
katham: how, vidyam: know, aham: I, yogi: yogi, tvam: you,
sada: always, parichintayan: contemplation, keshu: in which,
keshu: in which, cha: and, bhaveshu: nature, chintyosi:
contemplated, bhagavan: lord, maya: by me
How should I, perfecting in yoga and contemplating on You,
know You? In which forms should I contemplate on You, oh
Lord?
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ʴɺiÉ®äúhÉÉi¨ÉxÉÉä ªÉÉäMÉÆ Ê´É¦ÉÚËiÉ SÉ VÉxÉÉnÇùxÉ*
¦ÉÚªÉ& EòlÉªÉ iÉÞÎ{iÉ̽þ ¸ÉÞh´ÉiÉÉä xÉÉκiÉ ¨Éä%¨ÉÞiɨÉÂ**10.18**
vistarena atmano yogam vibhutim cha janardana
bhuyaha kathaya truptirhi shrunvato nasti memrutam (10.18)
vistarena: in detail, atmano: of Yourself, yogam: powers,
vibhutim: glories, cha: and, janardana: Janardana, bhuyaha:
again, kathaya: say, trupti: satisfaction, hi: surely, shrunvato:
hear, na: not, asti: there, me: my, amrutam: nectar
Tell me in detail of Your powers and glories, Oh Janardana.
Again, please tell for my satisfaction as I surely don’t tire of
hearing Your nectar-like words.
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Arjuna becomes the perfect disciple. He has no doubts about
whatever Krishna has said to him so far, as it only
corroborates what the great sages have said. All that Arjuna
seeks is that his Lord and Master tell him more about
Himself, His glories. I just need to know how I should
approach you, how I should see you; tell me more, I can
never tire of listening to your words.
Arjuna is in love with His Master. When you are in such
deep love as Arjuna is now, and as the gopi were with
Krishna in Brindavan, there is nothing to be said; there is
nothing even to be heard. Whatever Arjuna says here is
merely to keep his end of the dialogue going. Arjuna knows
that there really is no need for Krishna to say anything. Yes,
he would be delighted if Krishna were to speak of His
glories, his leela, but Arjuna is in such a state of meditation
now, ready for his ultimate experience that whatever his
Master says or does no say would matter to him.
Therefore, when Arjuna asks the Lord to talk about His own
glories that no one else has even an understanding of,
Arjuna is not requesting on his own behalf but of behalf of
humanity. As far as Arjuna is concerned he would have been
perfectly happy to sit in silence, in deep meditation upon
Krishna and in His compassion Krishna would reveal Himself
to his chosen disciple as He would eventually. However, the
rest of humanity would not have benefited from a revelation
that was to Arjuna alone; hence Arjuna’s plea that Krishna
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speak to him about His glory.
The Krishna that Arjuna wants to know about is not his
friend and charioteer, Vasudeva Krishna, the son of
Vasudeva, but Parabrahma Krishna, the ultimate super
conscious being.
Arjuna is the mood of the prefect devotee and disciple.
Anything that he can hear about his master is nectar to his
ears. He is in a state of complete immersion.
Ramakrishna asked Vivekananda: If you were a fly and you
were on the rim of the cup of nectar, what will you do?
Said the disciple: Sip from the cup, of course, what else!
You fool, expostulated the Master, you should fall into the
nectar and submerge yourself; when else will you get this
opportunity!
Arjuna is on that verge of immersion. His intellect has
almost disappeared. He just needs the last nudge, so to
speak.
You too, listener and reader, make your own plea to that
Parabrahma Krishna, the Jagatguru, so that He may tell you
about His glory, and so that you may meditate upon his glory
with one pointed mind. As He promised He will provide the
light of wisdom for you too to be enlightened.
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¸ÉÒ ¦ÉMÉ´ÉÉxÉÖ´ÉÉSÉ
½þxiÉ iÉä EòlÉʪɹªÉÉ欃 Ênù´ªÉÉ ÁÉi¨ÉʴɦÉÚiɪÉ&*
|ÉÉvÉÉxªÉiÉ& EÖò¯û¸Éä¹`ö xÉɺiªÉxiÉÉä ʴɺiÉ®úºªÉ ¨Éä**10.19**
Shri bhagavan uvacha
hanta te kathayishyami divya hryatma vibhutayaha
pradhanyataha kurushreshtha na astayanto vistarasya me (10.19)
Shri bhagavan uvacha: The Lord said, hanta: yes, te: to you,
kathayishyami: I will talk, divya: divine, hi: surely, atma: My,
vibhutayaha: glories, pradhanyataha: main, kurushreshtha:
great among the Kurus, na: not, asti: there, anto: end,
vistarasya: detail, me: My
Shri Krishna said, ‘Yes, Oh Kurushreshtha, I will talk to you
surely of My divine glories but only of the main ones as there
is no end to the details of My glories.
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+½þ¨ÉÉi¨ÉÉ MÉÖb÷ÉEäò¶É ºÉ´ÉǦÉÚiÉɶɪÉκlÉiÉ&*
+½þ¨ÉÉÊnù¶SÉ ¨ÉvªÉÆ SÉ ¦ÉÚiÉÉxÉɨÉxiÉ ´É SÉ**10.20**
aham atma gudakesha sarvabhuta ashayasthitaha
aham adishcha madhyam cha bhutanam anta va cha (10.20)
aham: I, atma: soul, gudakesha: Arjuna, sarva: all, bhuta:
living beings, ashayasthitaha: situated in, aham: I, adi:
beginning, cha: and, madhyam: middle, cha: and, bhutanam:
of living beings, anta: end, eva: also, cha: and
I am the soul, Oh Gudakesa, situated in all living beings. I
am surely the beginning, middle and end of all beings.
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There is no way to describe the divine fully because every
inch of this entire universe is pervaded by the divine. When
it exists in every atom, when it is the essence of all that
exists, how can we describe or comprehend it in its entirety?
So, Krishna explains here only the main manifestations which
can give a glimpse of the unfathomable divine.
Here, Krishna refers to Arjuna as Gudakesa, meaning one
who could comprehend the implied meaning. He declares
that He is everything.
Krishna says that He is the ultimate consciousness in all
beings and He is the beginning, middle and end of all beings.
Here, He declares that He pervades the entire space and
time and beyond.
Krishna is both the macrocosm and the microcosm; the
Brahmanda, the cosmos and the Pindanda, the individual
being. It is His energy that permeates all living and non
living entities and decides upon their nature.
When young Prahlad was being subjected to an inquisition
by his demonic father Hiranyakasipu, he was asked by his
father, ‘This Narayana that you speak bout all the time, and
refuse to give up even I, your father commands you to do so,
where does he live, where is he now?’ Said Prahlad, ‘He may
be in this twig lying on the floor; He may be in this pillar
next to you; He is everywhere.’
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Hiranyakasipu kicks the pillar in fury daring Narayana to
appear and He does appear in the form of Narasimha, half
man half lion.
Prahlad trusted fully that Narayana was everywhere; he did
not have even an iota of doubt about it.
It is said that Vishnu was getting ready to leave Vaikunta
when Lakshmi, His spouse asked Him, ‘Lord, where are you
going?’ Vishnu smiled and said, I have no idea where this
devotee of mine, this young lad Prahlad, is planning to call
me from. Where he does I need to appear from there!’
Not only does the Lord reside everywhere, but He will also
go to any lengths to ensure that His true devotee’s words are
not futile.
In this Universe there are twelve planes of existence. These
are a combination of the factors of length, breadth, depth,
time, space and Consciousness. We are at best in awareness
of the first five and that too partially. It is difficult for in the
human plane to comprehend even time and space fully. You
can only exist in one aspect of time and space in relationship
with the three dimensions of length, breadth and depth.
A Master can transcend time and space and reach
Consciousness. Krishna the great Master is in the twelfth
plane, that of pure Consciousness. He is beyond all
dimensions, beyond time, and beyond space. He is the
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beginning and he has no beginning, he is the end and He
has no end.
He is the creator, He is the created, and he also creation. In
this huge canvas of the universe, He is the canvas, He is
the paint, He is the strokes and He is the painting. There is
nothing that He is not.
The only way to understand even a part of Him is to
immerse in Him.
When the great Sufi masters went into ecstasy there were in
immersion in that great Consciousness that pervaded
everything. When Ramakrishna even heard the name of
Mother Kali he went into ecstasy.
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+ÉÊnùiªÉÉxÉɨɽÆþ ʴɹhÉÖVªÉÉæÊiɹÉÉÆ ®úÊ´É®Æú¶ÉÖ¨ÉÉxÉÂ*
¨É®úÒÊSɨÉǯûiÉɨÉκ¨É xÉIÉjÉÉhÉɨɽÆþ ¶É¶ÉÒ**10.21**
adityanam aham vishnur jyotisham ravir anshuman
marichir marutam asmi nakshatranam aham shashi (10.21)
adityanam: of the Adityas, aham: I, vishnur: Vishnu,
jyotisham: of the luminaries, ravir: the sun, anshuman: bright,
marichir: Marichi, marutam: of the Maruts, asmi: am,
nakshatranam: of the nakshatras, aham: I, shashi: the moon
Of the Adityas, I am Vishnu. Of the luminaries, I am the
bright sun. Of the Marut, I am Marichi. Of the Nakshatra, I
am the moon.
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In the Chandogya Upanishad, Aditya is a name of Vishnu in
His Vamana avatara.
In the ten incarnations of Vishnu, Vamana is the fifth
incarnation as a small brahmin boy.
When king Bali of the asura (demon) race was performing a
series of yagna (fire rituals) to attain supremacy over the
universe, the deva (demigods) beseeched Vishnu to save them
from Bali and prevent Bali from conquering the universe.
On king Bali’s last yagna, Vishnu appeared as a small
brahmin boy. The king, as per the custom, respectfully
welcomed the brahmin boy and offered to give anything that
he wished for. The king’s guru, Shukracharya, realized
though that Vamana was actually Vishnu in disguise and that
he had come to foil the plans of the demons to achieve
supremacy over the worlds.
He warned Bali of this but the king had to keep up his
promise and out of full respect for the brahmin, asked him to
take whatever he wanted. Thus angering his guru for not
listening to him, Bali incurred his guru’s curse yet kept up his
promise. Vamana asked king Bali to give him just three steps
of land. Now, Vamana grew from the size of a small boy to a
huge figure and stepped over the entire earth in a single
footstep. In the next step, he stepped over the heavens.
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Having thus conquered the worlds, he asked Bali a place to
keep his third step. Having nothing else to offer, Bali offered
Vamana his own head to place his third step. Vamana placed
his foot on Bali’s head.
The story symbolizes how arrogance and pride will lead to
one’s downfall as all possessions are temporary and of no
inherent value. Surrendering to the divine, to the ultimate
consciousness is what leads us to liberation.
Then, Krishna says among the Maruts, He is Marichi. The
Maruts are considered to be the thought-gods associated with
power and knowledge. Marichi is the father of sage Kashyapa
who is the father of the Maruts. There are many hymns
dedicated to the Maruts in the Rigveda. The Maruts aid the
activities of Indra, the representation of the mind. This is a
metaphysical representation of the power of thoughts which
originate from the mind.
As Dr. Emoto’s research in recent times has proved, thoughts
have tangible effects on material objects. Dr. Emoto
conducted an experiment where he took similar samples of
water and exposed the water to different influences.
In one sample, he spoke positive words such as love and
gratitude and recited Buddhist chants. Over another, he
spoke negative words such as about anger and war. Then, he
froze the water so that he could photograph its crystalline
form.
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With the samples that had been exposed to positive energy,
beautiful clear crystals formed, like diamonds. With the one
exposed to negative energies, it did not form crystals; it
looked like a tumor pathology report: dark and without any
geometrical formation.
Over three hundred experiments were conducted to prove
the effects of our words and thoughts on water, on matter.
Our bodies are ninety percent water; imagine the direct
effect our thoughts have on us!
A common representation of the Maruts in the Rigveda is as
a flock of birds. This symbolizes the power of thoughts that
influence the recipient and that augment like thoughts.
When a person radiates positive thoughts, he is receptive to
similar thoughts and attracts similar incidents in his life. If
you are blissful, people with similar attitude will be attracted
towards you. If you are dull, lethargic and depressed, the
same type of people will be attracted towards you.
Thoughts, desires are all energy. They very much contribute
towards shaping our actions and lives. By our thoughts, we
create our bodies, minds, further thoughts, actions and hence
our own reality every day.
We are the ones fully responsible for what is happening
around us even though we may be unaware of the
implications of our thoughts. That is why it is important for
us to be fully aware of ourselves, because our thoughts and
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actions influence not just us but the entire world. It may be
hard to believe logically but a butterfly flapping its wings can
cause a tsunami in another part of the world!
Buddha says, ‘All that we are is the result of what we have
thought. What we think we become.’
All our negative energies are causing violence in this world;
every one of us is responsible in some way for creating the
terrorists of today. When you realize that your very thoughts
influence the world, you will be more responsible, more
aware of what you think, what you do and you will help in
improving the collective consciousness of which we are all a
part.
Then, Krishna says that He is the Sun amongst all the
shining objects and among the stars, He is the moon. You
may say that the moon is not a star, and you would be
factually correct. Krishna refers here to the influence that
the moon wields upon the earth and humans. It is
scientifically established that out of all celestial bodies which
are around planet earth, the two most important influences
are the Sun and the Moon. No one doubts that Sun is a star,
and is the brightest object that can be seen.
The moon influences the tides of the ocean as well as the
tides of human minds. Of all planetary, non planetary and
solar bodies that surround us, with the exception of the Sun,
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the moon exerts the greatest influence upon us both in a
broader planetary sense and in an individual sense.
People have mood variations depending on the phases of the
moon. New moon and full moon influence our emotional well
being dramatically, both for the good and the bad. As the
physical mass closest to the earth, the gravitational force of
the moon affects each one of us deeply. The moon influences
far more than its mere size, or its classification as a satellite
would have us believe.
This is the reason why moon is considered one of the planets
in the Hindu astrological and astronomical system. This
belief is not based on the fact of whether the moon revolves
around the earth as a satellite instead of around the sun as a
planet. It is based on the truth of the effect that the moon
has on human beings and upon planet earth. That is the
reason why Krishna chooses to call moon a star, a nakshatra,
and that he is the moon amongst the stars.
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´ÉänùÉxÉÉÆ ºÉɨɴÉänùÉ%ä κ¨É näù´ÉÉxÉɨÉκ¨É ´ÉɺɴÉ&*
<ÎxpùªÉÉhÉÉÆ ¨ÉxɶSÉÉκ¨É ¦ÉÚiÉÉxÉɨÉκ¨É SÉäiÉxÉÉ**10.22**
vedanam samavedosmi devanam asmi vasavaha
indriyanam manashcha asmi bhutanam asmi chetana (10.22)
vedanam: of the Veda, samaveda: Sama Veda, asmi: I am,
devanam: of the gods, asmi: I am, vasavaha: Vasava,
indriyanam: of the senses, manas: mind, cha: and, asmi: I am,
bhutanam: of living beings, asmi: I am, chetana:
consciousness
Of the Vedas, I am the Sama Veda. Of the gods, I am Indra.
Of the senses, I am the mind and in living beings, I am the
consciousness.
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¯ûpùÉhÉÉÆ ¶ÉÆEò®ú¶SÉÉκ¨É Ê´ÉkÉä¶ÉÉä ªÉIÉ®úIɺÉɨÉÂ*
´ÉºÉÚxÉÉÆ {ÉÉ´ÉEò¶SÉÉκ¨É ¨Éä¯û& ʶÉJÉÊ®úhÉɨɽþ¨ÉÂ**10.23**
rudranam shankarashcha asmi vittesho yaksha rakshasam
vasunam pavakashcha asmi meruha shikharinam aham (10.23)
rudranam: of the rudras, shankara: Sankara, cha: and, asmi:
I am, vittesho: god of wealth, yaksha: demigods, rakshasam:
demons, vasunam: of the Vasus, pavaka: fire, cha: and, asmi:
I am, meruha: Meru, shikharinam: of the peaks, aham: I
Of the Rudra, I am Sankara and of the Yaksha and
Rakshasa, I am Kubera, God of Wealth. Of the Vasu, I am
fire and of the peaks, I am Meru.
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{ÉÖ®úÉvä ɺÉÉÆ SÉ ¨ÉÖJªÉÆ ¨ÉÉÆ Ê´ÉÊrù {ÉÉlÉÇ ¤ÉÞ½þº{ÉÊiɨÉÂ*
ºÉäxÉÉxÉÒxÉɨɽÆþ ºEòxnù& ºÉ®úºÉɨÉκ¨É ºÉÉMÉ®ú&**10.24**
purodhasam cha mukhyam maam viddhi partha brihaspatim
senaninam aham skandaha sarasam asmi sagaraha (10.24)
purodhasam: of the priests, cha: and, mukhyam: main, maam:
Me, viddhi: understand, partha: Partha, brihaspatim:
Brihaspati, senaninam: of the warriors, aham: I am,
skandaha: Skanda, sarasam: of the water bodies, asmi: I am,
sagaraha: the ocean
Of the priests, understand, Oh Partha, that I am the main
Brihaspati. Of the warriors, I am Skanda. Of the water
bodies, I am the ocean.
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¨É½þ¹ÉÔhÉÉÆ ¦ÉÞMÉÖ®ú½þÆ ÊMÉ®úɨɺ¨ªÉäEò¨ÉIÉ®ú¨ÉÂ*
ªÉYÉÉxÉÉÆ VÉ{ɪÉYÉÉä%κ¨É ºlÉÉ´É®úÉhÉÉÆ Ê½þ¨ÉɱɪÉ&**10.25**
maharshinam bhrigur aham giram asmyekam aksharam
yajnanam japa yagnosmi sthavaranam himalayaha (10.25)
maharshinam: of the great sages, bhrigur: Bhrigu, aham: I,
giram: of the vibrations, asmi: I am, ekam aksharam: single
letter (Om), yajnanam: of the yajnas (sacrifices), japa yajna:
chanting of holy names, asmi: I am, sthavaranam: of the
immovables, himalayaha: Himalayas
Of the great sages, I am Bhrigu. Of the vibrations, I am the
Om. Of the sacrifices, I am the chanting of holy names. Of
the immovables, I am the Himalayas.
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Krishna declares that amongst the Veda, He is the Sama
Veda. The Veda are the timeless truths expounded by the
rishi as the expression of truth experienced by them. These
are the revelations of the truth experienced through intuition
by the seers. There are four Vedas: RigVeda, YajurVeda,
SamaVeda and AtharvaVeda.
Each Veda consists of four parts: the mantra-samhita or
hymns, the brahmana or explanations of mantra or rituals, the
aranyaka, the forest books which give the philosophical
meaning of the rituals and the upanishad, the essence of the
Veda.
The SamaVeda is a collection of hymns in praise of agni
(fire), Indra (king of the gods) and soma (drink of the gods).
While the Rig is the oldest Veda, Sama Veda is the basis for
all musical systems of India. The basic notes of all music, not
just Indian music, originated with the Sama Veda. The seven
notes, which are the fundamentals of all music all over the
world, were derived from the Sama Veda, which even today
is sung, and not recited.
The Rig and other Veda today may be recited only by a few
scholars, but the Sama Veda is heard everywhere as the
essence of both the Karnatic and Hindustani music forms,
the two major classical music forms of India. As the essence
of music, the Sama Veda is also the essence of dance forms.
One does not have to understand music and dance; it is
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enough to indulge and experience. So it is with Krishna; all
you need to do is to experience Him.
Among the gods, Krishna says He is Vasava (Indra), the king
of gods.
All the five senses, or gyanendriya as these are called namely
sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch, originate from the
mind and are of the Mind. Without mind senses cannot
function. He says He is the subtlest and the most powerful,
the mind. In living beings, He is the very life force, the
consciousness, not merely body and mind.
Rudra are the elemental power worshipped by the Rig Veda.
The word means to cry. Metaphorically the Rudra were
worshipped for any gain. When in deep anguish one prays to
Rudra in awareness it was believed to bring results. There
are eleven Rudra, Ajiakapad, Ahirbudhnya, Virabhadra,
Girisa, Sankara, Aparajita, Hara, Anakaraka, Pinaki, Bhaga
and Sambhu. Sankara is the doer of good. Sankara is also
the precursor to Siva at later date in the evolution of the
Hindu constellation of divinity. Siva means auspiciousness,
auspiciousness borne out of no reason. Wherever Siva is, good
just happens, for no reason. Of the Rudra, Krishna says He is
Sankara.
Yakshas are celestial beings who are considered to be the
creators of wealth, whose king Kubera is the God of wealth.
Rakshasa too are celestial beings of a negative nature of
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hoarding power and wealth. Of the Daksha and Rakshasa,
Krishna says He is the god of wealth, the king Kubera.
The Vasu are considered to be the attendants of Vishnu.
They represent the various aspects of nature. The
Brihadaranyaka upanishad mentions the eight Vasu as agni
(fire), prithvi (earth), vayu (wind), antariksha (space), aditya
(light), dyaus (sky), chandramas (moon) and nakshatrani
(stars). Krishna says among the Vasu, He is the formless fire.
Meru is considered to be the golden peak, the abode of gods
and its foothills are the Himalayas. It is also said to represent
the spine of humans. Amongst the peaks, Krishna says He is
the majestic Meru.
Brihaspati is considered the priest of the gods; he dispels
darkness and ignorance and destroys the enemies of the
gods. Among the warriors, Krishna says He is Skanda, the
supreme general of the forces of gods. Skanda is the son of
Siva and Parvati, who destroyed Tarakasura, the demon who
was tormenting the deva along with his hordes of demons.
This is a metaphysical representation of the divine as the
supreme general of the being vanquishing the senses, the
desires and the ego.
Of the water bodies, Krishna says He is the mighty ocean,
infinite in expanse and essential to all life forms; in fact the
origin of all life forms.
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Of the great sages, Krishna says He is Bhrigu, who is
considered one of the saptarishi (seven sages of cosmic energy)
and is believed to have been created by Brahma to aid him
in the creation of the universe.
Of the vibrations, Krishna says He is the transcendental Om.
Om is the primal sound from which the universe manifested
itself. It is the pranava, the mystic symbol.
The symbol of Om › contains three curves, one semicircle
and a dot. The upper curve symbolizes the waking state, the
lower curve denotes deep sleep and the right curve denotes
the dream state. It thus represents the three states of
individual consciousness.
The dot represents the fourth state of consciousness, turiya, of
complete awareness. The semicircle represents maya and
separates the dot from the three curves. But, the open
semicircle represents the Absolute which is unaffected by
maya.
Of all the different types of sacrifices, Krishna says He is the
japa or chanting of holy names.
Of the immovable objects in the world, He says He is the
mighty and majestic Himalayas. The Himalayas, literally
meaning ‘the abode of snow’ is home to hundreds of peaks,
including the highest peak in the world. It has some of the
great rivers originating in it and flowing through it, including
Ganga, Yamuna, Brahmaputra and Indus.
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The Himalayas have a great and unique spiritual significance
as well. It is the home of Siva, Kailash. The Himalayas is the
spiritual incubator of the world. The Himalayas are truly a
powerful energy field. For thousands of years, millions of sadhu
(sages) have lived there and left their bodies. When
enlightened Masters leave their bodies, the tapas, the energy
cannot be carried; they have to leave it when they leave
their bodies. Imagine how much energy is there in the
Himalayas which is where so many enlightened beings have
left their bodies! We should be thankful for the very
existence of the Himalayas as the positive energy of the
Himalayas balances all the collective negativity in the world.
The Himalayas are home to me. I never believed when I left
home to travel to the Himalayas that I would ever return to
the South of India. I had always imagined that I would
spend the rest of my life in these mountains. It was in the
Himalayas that I met Mahavatar Baba, the great Master who
has been living in the Himalayas for thousands of years. You
may believe t or not believe it, but that is the truth.
It was Mahavatar Baba, who called me by the name I am
now called. He walked into me after calling me Nithyananda
on the way to Kedarnath. When I turned around he had
disappeared, as if merged into me. I thought he was asking
me to look for a master by name Nithyananda. So, I went
searching for this master.
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More than a year later, at Calcutta, on the banks of the
river Hooghly, the Ganga, an old sanyasin insisted on giving
me sanyas before he died. I was not keen to take sanyas, I
was looking for enlightenment. But, he insisted; I said ok. To
my utter surprise he gave me the name Nithyananda
Paramahamsa. Not only did he give me the name Baba
called me by, he also made me a Paramahamsa which is a
three step initiation in one jump.
I asked this sanyasin, how come? He said, I do not know,
this is what I was asked to do. He did not explain who
asked him.
So, I tell my disciples that Mahavatar Baba is our kulaguru,
the ultimate Master and Kedar is our Kshetra, the spiritual
location. I have taken groups of devotees to the Himalayas
during the summer to show them the places that I had
wandered on foot. At least one person had a darshan of
Mahavatar Baba in one of these trips. For six months her
body was in trouble, such was the energy force of Baba!
When we travel through the Himalayas I show them how
these majestic mountains make the human feel so
insignificant. They are so majestic and powerful. They are
elemental nature. What you see one year is not the same
next year. The mountains have shifted, the rivers have
altered course. As one travels, if one just internalizes the
awesome grandeur without expression, just experience the
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beauty without using words, one can truly capture the
essence of nature.
When Krishna says I am the Himalayas of all unmoving
things, I can feel the energy of Krishna in these mountains.
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+¶´ÉilÉ& ºÉ´ÉÇ´ÉÞIÉÉhÉÉÆ näù´É¹ÉÔhÉÉÆ SÉ xÉÉ®únù&*
MÉxvÉ´ÉÉÇhÉÉÆ ÊSÉjÉ®úlÉ& ʺÉrùÉxÉÉÆ EòÊ{ɱÉÉä ¨ÉÖÊxÉ&**10.26**
ashvatthaha sarva vrikshanam devarshinam cha naradaha
gandharvanam chitrarathaha siddhanam kapilo muniha (10.26)
ashvatthaha: banyan tree, sarva: all, vrikshanam: of the trees,
devarshinam: of the sages of the gods, cha: and, naradaha:
Narada, gandharvanam: of the Gandharvas, chitrarathaha:
Chitraratha, siddhanam: of the Siddhas, kapilo: Kapila
muniha: sage
Of all the trees, I am the Banyan tree and of all the sages of
the gods, I am Narada. Of the Gandharvas, I am
Chitraratha. Of the Siddhas, I am the sage Kapila.
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=SSÉè&¸É´ÉºÉ¨É¶´ÉÉxÉÉÆ Ê´ÉÊrù ¨ÉɨɨÉÞiÉÉänù¦ɴɨÉÂ*
Bä®úÉ´ÉiÉÆ MÉVÉäxpùÉhÉÉÆ xÉ®úÉhÉÉÆ SÉ xÉ®úÉÊvÉ{ɨÉÂ**10.27**
ucchaishravasam ashvanam viddhi maam amrutodbhavam
airavatam gajendranam naranam cha naradhipam (10.27)
ucchaishravasam: Ucchaishravas, ashvanam: of the horses,
viddhi: know, maam: Me, amrutodbhavam: nectar produced
from the churning of the ocean, airavatam: Airavata,
gajendranam: of the elephants, naranam: of men, cha: and,
naradhipam: king
Of the horses, know me to be Ucchaishravas of the nectar
generated from the churning of the ocean; of the elephants,
Airavata and of men, the king.
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+ɪÉÖvÉÉxÉɨɽÆþ ´ÉXÉÆ vÉäxÉÚxÉɨÉκ¨É EòɨÉvÉÖEò *
|ÉVÉxɶSÉÉκ¨É Eòxnù{ÉÇ& ºÉ{ÉÉÇhÉɨÉκ¨É ´ÉɺÉÖÊEò&**10.28**
ayudhanam aham vajram dhenunam asmi kamadhuka
prajanashcha asmi kandarpaha sarpanam asmi vasukiha (10.28)
ayudhanam: of the weapons, aham: I am, vajram: thunderbolt,
dhenunam: of the cows, asmi: I am, kamadhuka:
Kamadhuka, prajana: for begetting children, cha: and, asmi: I
am, kandarpaha: god of love, sarpanam: of the snakes, asmi: I
am, vasukiha: Vasuki
Of the weapons, I am the thunderbolt. Of the cows, I am
Kamadhuka and for begetting children, I am the god of love.
Of the snakes, I am Vasuki.
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+xÉxiɶSÉÉκ¨É xÉÉMÉÉxÉÉÆ ´É¯ûhÉÉä ªÉÉnùºÉɨɽþ¨ÉÂ*
Ê{ÉiÉßhÉɨɪÉǨÉÉ SÉÉκ¨É ªÉ¨É& ºÉƪɨÉiÉɨɽþ¨ÉÂ**10.29**
anantashcha asmi naganam varuno yadasam aham
pitrunam aryama cha asmi yamaha samyamatam aham (10.29)
ananta: Ananta, cha: and, asmi: I am, naganam: of the
serpents, varuno: Varuna, yadasam: of the water beings,
aham: I am, pitrunam: of the ancestors, aryama: Aryama, cha:
and, asmi: I am, Yamaha: Yama, samyamatam: of the ones
who ensure discipline, aham: I
Of the serpents, I am Ananta. Of the water beings, I am
Varuna. Of the ancestors, I am Aryama and of the ones who
ensure discipline, I am Yama (lord of death).
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|ɼ±ÉÉnù¶SÉÉκ¨É nèùiªÉÉxÉÉÆ EòɱÉ& Eò±ÉªÉiÉɨɽþ¨ÉÂ*
¨ÉÞMÉÉhÉÉÆ SÉ ¨ÉÞMÉäxpùÉ%ä ½Æþ ´ÉèxÉiÉäªÉ¶SÉ {ÉÊIÉhÉɨÉÂ**10.30**
prahladashcha asmi daityanam kalaha kalayatam aham
mruganam cha mrugendroham vainateyashcha pakshinam(10.30)
prahlada: Prahlada, cha: and, asmi: I am, daityanam: of the
Daityas, kalaha: time, kalayatam: of the reckoners, aham: I,
mruganam: of the animals, cha: and, mrugendra: king of
animals, aham: I, vainateya: Garuda, cha: and, pakshinam: of
the birds
Of the Daityas (demons), I am Prahlada and of the
reckoners, I am time. Of the animals, I am the king of
animals (lion) and of the birds, I am Garuda.
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Krishna says among the trees, He is the banyan tree. The
banyan tree develops its root like structures from the
branches; these grow into the earth as secondary roots. The
metaphysical meaning of this is that just like the banyan tree
grows its roots upside down unlike the rest of the trees, the
spiritual person shuns the illusory outer world behind which
most people run and instead goes inwards towards the Absolute.
In a later chapter Krishna says that the leaves of the Asvatta
tree are the Veda, and he knows this tree is the knower of
the Veda.
Of all the spiritually enlightened Masters, the rishi, Krishna
says He is Narada, who is forever chanting ‘Narayana,
Narayana’ as he is immersed in remembering Vishnu. Narada
is considered the greatest of all devotees, with his mind fixed
only on Vishnu. Krishna identifies Himself here with His
greatest devotee.
Of the Gandharva, the celestial beings, Krishna says He is
Chitraratha. Gandharvas are celestial beings who are very
skilled in music and the guardians of the soma juice.
Chitraratha is the king of the Gandharvas.
Among the self-realized persons, Krishna says He is Kapila
the sage, the author of the Sankhya system of philosophy
which deals with the elements of the physical universe and
the spiritual world. Kapila is also considered an incarnation of
Vishnu.
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Ucchaishravas is the legendary snow-white horse that
emerged during the churning of the ocean of milk described
in the Bhagavatam.
According to the story, the deva, the good, oppressed by the
asura, the evil, appealed to Lord Vishnu for help. According
to Vishnu’s directions, the deva churned the ocean of milk
on which Vishnu rested with Meru the mountain as the staff
and using Vasuki the serpent as the rope. Since the deva did
not have the strength to do the job alone they enlisted the
asura to help promising them a share in whatever
materialized.
During the churning, among the various divine entities that
emerged were the divine horse, Ucchaishravas and the fourtusked elephant, Airavata, the king of the elephants and who
was taken by Indra as his mount.
Also, during the churning, a deadly poison emerged that
threatened to take the lives of the deva and asura. Siva
came to their rescue and drank the poison.
Finally, during the churning, the nectar of immortality
emerged. Vishnu, in the form of a beautiful damsel Mohini
kept the asura occupied, while the deva drank the amrit,
nectar of immortality and became invincible.
This is actually a metaphysical representation signifying this
life in which we are pushed and pulled by desires. From this
churning in our life come various products and when we
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offer our entire being to the divine, the nectar of immortality
emerges as we go beyond the push and pull of desires,
beyond life and death and we dwell in the ultimate bliss.
There may be obstacles in the path but just like Siva drank
the poison, the divine supports us in our endeavors to realize
the ultimate state.
Krishna says among the weapons, He is vajra, the
thunderbolt, the weapon of Indra, the king of gods. He does
not choose His own weapon the chakra, the feared discus,
but vajra, which was fashioned out of the bones of the great
sage Dadhichi, who gave up his life to destroy the evil
Vritasura. Indra was given this weapon the thunderbolt,
specifically for a purpose. Vishnu is considered to be present
with the vajra.
Among the cows, He says He is the sacred cow, Kamadhuka,
or Kamadhenu, which also emerged during the churning of the
ocean. In the Hindu way of life, the cow is worshipped for
everything she gives us like milk, dairy products, manure among
so many other useful things. Kamadhuka is considered to be
the cow that grants all wishes and is the mother of all cows.
Krishna says, for begetting children, He is the god of love,
the very basis for procreation.
Vasuki is the king of snakes. Vasuki was used as the rope
and wound himself around Meru the mountain which was
used as the staff for churning the ocean of milk. Vasuki is
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considered to be sakti, the primal energy that is stored as the
kundalini energy.
Krishna says among the naga, non poisonous snakes, He is
Ananta, the many-hooded serpent who forms the bed of Lord
Vishnu. He is considered to support all the planets on his
various hoods, including the earth on one hood.
Among the water beings, Krishna says He is Varuna, the god
of the mightiest of water bodies, the ocean.
Among the ancestors, Krishna says He is Aryama There is
considered to be a planet of the ancestors that is presided
over by Aryama, one of the Adityas.
Of the ones who ensure discipline, Krishna says He is Yama,
the lord of death. Death is the perfect equalizer of all beings
as it is the only certain thing in the life of all beings and it
treats everyone, big or small, rich or poor, exactly alike. So,
the god of death, Yama, is the one who ensures perfect
discipline. Yama, the Sanskrit word means both discipline and
death. Yama is the first of the eight paths of ashtanga yoga
that Patanjali taught.
Of the Daityas, Krishna says He is Prahlad. The Daityas are
considered a race of beings who warred against the gods.
Prahlad was born the son of a powerful Daitya,
Hiranyakashipu. Hiranyakashipu had done severe penance
and obtained a boon that he could not be killed by either
man or animal, at night or in the day, either inside or
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outside his abode, on earth or in space and neither by
animate nor inanimate weapon.
Having got this boon, he was convinced that he was effectively
immortal as there would be no way in which all these
conditions could be fulfilled for death to touch him. He had
become arrogant and attacked the deva with impunity.
However, his son, Prahlad, was a very pious child.
Hiranyakashipu could not bear to see his very own son being a
staunch devotee of Lord Vishnu, whom he despised. He was
furious to see Prahlad chant Vishnu’s name day and night and
in his fury, made multiple attempts to have his son killed by
pushing him off a cliff, trying to trample him under an elephant
and even making him sit on a burning pyre.
All of Hiranyakashipu’s attempts were futile as each time
Prahlad prayed to Vishnu in complete surrender and escaped
untouched.
Once, when Prahlad was extolling the glories of Vishnu,
Hiranyakashipu in his fury asked him, ‘If you claim that
Vishnu exists everywhere, does he exist in this pillar as well?’
Prahlad calmly and confidently replied, ‘Yes; he very much
exists in the pillar.’ This was too much for Hiranyakashipu and
he charged at the pillar and smashed it.
To his utter surprise, from the pillar emerged a figure that was
half-man and half-lion; so it was neither man nor animal. It
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was twilight time; hence, it was neither day nor night. The
pillar was at the threshold of the exit of Hiranyakashipu’s
palace; so it was neither inside nor outside his abode. The
figure, Narasimha held Hiranyakashipu in his hands, placed
the terrified king on his thighs and hence neither on earth nor
in space. In this state, Narasimha tore into Hiranyakashipu’s
stomach with his claws, thus killing him by neither animate
nor inanimate weapon.
All the conditions granted to Hiranyakashipu in the boon for
him to be untouched by death had been broken and Vishnu in
the avatar of Narasimha killed Hiranyakashipu and proved
once again that He was always there to take care of his
devotees.
The young Prahlad is a supreme example of devotion and
proves yet again that complete surrender to the divine leads to
the divine being there for and completely taking care of the
devotee in every situation at every time.
Of the reckoners, Krishna says He is time itself. Time is the
ultimate reckoner as there exists no being who can beat time.
Irrespective of who it is, time always moves on, impossible to
be stopped by anyone.
Of the animals, Krishna says He is the lion, the king of the
jungle.
Among birds, He says He is Garuda, the king of birds, the
eagle who is the mount of Lord Vishnu.
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{É´ÉxÉ& {É´ÉiÉɨÉκ¨É ®úɨÉ& ¶ÉºjɦÉÞiÉɨɽþ¨ÉÂ*
ZɹÉÉhÉÉÆ ¨ÉEò®ú¶SÉÉκ¨É »ÉÉäiɺÉɨÉκ¨É VÉɼxÉ´ÉÒ**10.31**
pavanaha pavatam asmi ramaha shastrabhritam aham
jhashanam makarashcha asmi strotasam asmi jahnavi (10.31)
pavanaha: wind, pavatam: that which purifies, asmi: I am,
ramaha: Rama, shastrabhritam: wielders of weapons, aham: I,
jhashanam: of the water beings, makara: shark, cha: and,
asmi: I am, strotasam: of the flowing rivers, asmi: I am,
jahnavi: Jahnavi (Ganga)
Of the purifiers, I am the wind. Of the wielders of weapons,
I am Rama. Of the water beings, I am the shark and of the
flowing rivers, I am Jahnavi (Ganga).
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ºÉMÉÉÇhÉɨÉÉÊnù®úxiɶSÉ ¨ÉvªÉÆ SÉè´Éɽþ¨ÉVÉÖxÇ É*
+vªÉÉi¨ÉÊ´ÉtÉ Ê´ÉtÉxÉÉÆ ´ÉÉnù& |É´ÉnùiÉɨɽþ¨ÉÂ**10.32**
sarganam adir antash cha madhyam cha eva aham arjuna
adhyatma vidya vidyanam vadaha pravadatam aham (10.32)
sarganam: of all creations, adir: beginning, anta: end, cha:
and, madhyam: middle, cha: and, eva: surely, aham: I,
arjuna: Arjuna, adhyatma vidya: knowledge of Self, vidyanam:
of all knowledge, vadaha: conclusion, pravadatam: of
arguments, aham: I
Of all creations, I am surely the beginning and end and the
middle Oh Arjuna. Of all knowledge, I am the spiritual
knowledge of the Self. Of all arguments, I am the logic.
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+IÉ®úÉhÉɨÉEòÉ®úÉ%ä κ¨É uùxuù& ºÉɨÉÉʺÉEòºªÉ SÉ*
+½þ¨Éä´ÉÉIɪÉ& EòɱÉÉä vÉÉiÉÉ%½Æþ ʴɶ´ÉiÉÉä¨ÉÖJÉ&**10.33**
aksharanam akarosmi dvandvaha samasikasya cha
aham eva akshayaha kalo dhata aham vishvato mukhaha(10.33)
aksharanam: of the letters, akar: ‘a’, asmi: I am, dvandvaha:
of the dual words, samasikasya: compounds, cha: and, aham:
I, eva: surely, akshayaha: never-ending, kalo: time, dhata:
creator, aham: I, vishvato mukhaha: faces facing the world
If the letters, I am the ‘A’. Of the dual words, I am the
compounds and surely I am the never-ending time. I am the
Omniscient whose sees everything.
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¨ÉÞiªÉÖ& ºÉ´Éǽþ®ú¶SÉɽþ¨ÉÖnù¦ɴɶSÉ ¦ÉʴɹªÉiÉɨÉÂ*
EòÒÌiÉ& ¸ÉÒ´ÉÉÇCSÉ xÉÉ®úÒhÉÉÆ º¨ÉÞÊiɨÉævÉÉ vÉÞÊiÉ& IɨÉÉ**10.34**
mrutyuha sarva harashcha aham udbhavashcha bhavishyatam
kirtiha shrir vak cha narinam smritir medha dhritiha kshama
(10.34)
mrutyuha: death, sarva harashcha: all-devouring, aham: I,
udbhava: creation, cha: and, bhavishyatam: of the future,
kirtiha: fame, shrir: fortune, vak: beautiful speech, cha: and,
narinam: of the women, smritir: memory, medha: intelligence,
dhritiha: faithfulness, kshama: patience
I am the all-devouring death and I am the creator of all
things of the future. Of the feminine, I am fame, fortune,
beautiful speech, memory, intelligence, faithfulness and
patience.
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¤ÉÞ½þiºÉÉ¨É iÉlÉÉ ºÉɨxÉÉÆ MÉɪÉjÉÒ UôxnùºÉɨɽþ¨ÉÂ*
¨ÉɺÉÉxÉÉÆ ¨ÉÉMÉǶÉÒ¹ÉÉæ%½þ¨ÉÞiÉÚxÉÉÆ EÖòºÉÖ¨ÉÉEò®ú&**10.35**
brihatsam tatha samnam gayatri chandasam aham
masanam margashirsho aham rutunam kusumakaraha (10.35)
brihatsam: Brihat sama, tatha: and, samnam: of the Sama
Veda, gayatri: Gayatri, chandasam: of all metres, aham: I,
masanam: of the months, margashirsho: Margashirsh, aham: I,
rutunam: of the seasons, kusumakaraha: spring
Of the Sama Veda hymns, I am the Brihat sama and of all
poetry, I am the Gayatri. Of the months, I am Margashirsha
and of the seasons, I am spring.
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Of the purifying elements, Krishna says He is the formless
and pure wind. The wind pervades all the other elements
such as earth, water and fire and removes impurities.
Of the wielders of weapons, He says He is Rama, the avatar
of Vishnu who defeated Ravana, the ruler of Lanka who
abducted his wife, Sita. He was a righteous ruler who
though the chosen heir, went into exile to keep up a vow
given by his father. Rama is considered the greatest archer
known. Rama is the incarnation prior to Krishna in the ten
incarnations of Vishnu.
Of the aquatic beings, the fish, He says He is the shark, the
most powerful and feared.
Of the rivers, He says He is Ganga. The river Ganga is
worshipped in India as goddess Ganga. Millions of people pray
in the waters of the Ganga everyday. On its banks, millions
of people gather everyday to offer puja to Ganga and to take
a holy dip in the waters. Jahnu, a sage, swallowed Ganga as
she rushed down the Himalayas into his ashram. Bhagiratha
begged the rishi to release Ganga, and she is known as the
daughter of Jahnu, Jahnavi.
All along the Ganga as she descends from the Himalayas to
the plains, there are multiple places of pilgrimage where
people venerate the river and offer prayers everyday. Ganga is
considered the river which descended from the heavens. The
prayers of millions of people standing and praying in the
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waters has resulted in the whole river being energized and
explains why the river has otherwise unexplainable properties
of cleansing itself.
This is a factual observation and recorded in the
reminiscences of the British who ruled India. When they
used to come to India from England by ship, the water they
carried used to get spoilt in the couple of months that they
traveled. However, when they went from India to England,
the water which used to be from the Ganga, would remain
unspoiled even after reaching England. The research done on
the waters of the Ganga showed that the water had the
miraculous power of cleaning itself.
Of all the creations, Krishna says He is the beginning, the
middle and the end, thus establishing that He is all that
existed, exists and will exist. He is the creator, created and
creation.
Of all the various branches of knowledge, He is the ultimate
spiritual knowledge, that of Self Realization.. All other
branches of knowledge result from the intelligence and self
realization requires intuition and something beyond.
Of all arguments, He says He is the logic that binds
everything together.
Of the letters, Krishna says He is the first letter the origin of
all is spoken and written. Of the dual words, a class of words
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in Sanskrit, He is the compound words. He affirms He is the
never-ending time itself and He is the creator of this
universe, Brahma.
Krishna says He is both the creator and the destroyer.
Of the feminine qualities, He says He is the seven Devi,
goddesses, who impart fame, fortune, beautiful speech,
memory, intelligence, faithfulness and patience. All these
qualities in Sanskrit have feminine nouns to represent them.
He says all these attributes in women come from Him.
Krishna said in the earlier sloka that among the Vedas, He is
the Sama Veda which contains beautiful songs and hymns.
Now, He says, among the hymns, He is the Brihat Sama,
which has a unique melody.
Of all poetic meters, He says He is the Gayatri. Various
invocations and prayers in the Vedic literature are set to
Gayatri meter such as Devi gayatri, Rudra Gayatri etc. This
meter is of 24 syllables, usually in 3 or 4 lines.
This verse is also translated to mean that Krishna says I am
Gayatri amongst the mantra. Of all the mantra, sacred
syllables that create awareness of divinity within, Gayatri has
had pride of place since Vedic times. This was the first
mantra taught to a child when the child entered a
gurukulam, the traditional Vedic school. Gayatri literally
translates to mean, the song that emancipates.
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Invocation to the ultimate intelligence, this prayer creates
Self awareness.
Om bhur bhuva suvaha, tat savitur varenyam,
bhargo devasya dheemahi, dheeyo yona prachotayat
Freely translated, this means: We bow to that ruler of
physical, mental and spiritual planes, That which is beyond
all, the Supreme Brilliance, may you kindle our inner
awareness!
Gayatri, is not a mere prayer, a mantra. It is far more than
that. It is a tantra, a technique which can create tremendous
awareness and intelligence in man’s being. Mantra means the
syllable which shows the way to go beyond the joys and
sufferings of the world, which makes man more centered.
Tantra is more than that; it is an instant delivery system.
Generally, religions condition us from childhood by installing
value systems and beliefs, our samskara in us. Gayatri is a
technique which completely liberates us from our samskara,
which gives complete freedom and thus a new way to think.
It is like a torch to guide one on one’s path. That is why
children were taught this mantra from early childhood in
ancient times, so that they could be free from samskara.
Let us say a person comes and asks for the way to cross the
forest and you say, ‘Go for one mile and you will see a lion.
Then, take a left and go ahead one mile and you will see a
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snake. Then, take a left and go ahead till you see a panther.
Then, take a right and go ahead and you will come out of
the forest.’ If you give such a way to a person to cross the
forest, you can be sure the man will not cross the forest
because when you walked into the forest, you must have
seen these animals. But, when he goes, the forest scene will
be different and he may not see these animals.
So, the way in which you traveled may not be the right way
for him. The way in which you try to guide him may not be
the right way for him. Instead of giving him directions in this
way, if you just give him a torch, he can use the torch to
find his way.
The best method to show the way to a child is to give a
torch in his hand instead of giving him directions which may
not be applicable for him. Gayatri is not giving any beliefs or
any gods or any form of worship. It is a pure technique, pure
words which can lead you to pure intelligence.
Just continuous meditation on this mantra, just continuous
recitation of this mantra with awareness will directly lead to
the intelligence.
All that this Gayatri mantra says is this, ‘Let us meditate on
the energy which awakens the intelligence in our being. Let
the Intelligence help us meditate on it.’
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The meaning of the mantra should be contemplated on. The
very mantra creates a beautiful vibration inside your being.
Repeating the mantra mentally and letting the mantra sink
into your being is like planting a seed in your being which
will lead to thousands of fruits in the outer world as well as
inner world. It gives you what you want as well as the state
in which you don’t want anything.
Among the months, Krishna says He is the month of
Margasirsha, during the months of November and December
in the Gregorian calendar. In India, these months bring a lot
of joy to people as it is the time when the grains are
collected from fields. Also, the month has a lot of spiritual
significance as the auspicious days of Vaikunta Ekadasi fall in
this month. This month in the Divine calendar is the early
morning time, the Brahma muhurtam, which is the most
auspicious part of the day. This is the time recommended to
focus of worship.
Among the seasons, Krishna says He is the spring season.
The spring season is when nature is at the pinnacle of her
creation with new blossoms on trees and when the weather is
also pleasant as it is neither too hot nor too cold. It thus
signifies life, growth and the beginning of the cycle of life.
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tÚiÉÆ Uô±ÉªÉiÉɨÉκ¨É iÉäVɺiÉäVÉκ´ÉxÉɨɽþ¨ÉÂ*
VɪÉÉä%κ¨É ´ªÉ´ÉºÉɪÉÉä%κ¨É ºÉk´ÉÆ ºÉk´É´ÉiÉɨɽþ¨ÉÂ**10.36**
dyutam chhalayatam asmi tejas tejasvinam aham
jayosmi vyavasayosmi sattvam sattvavatam aham (10.36)
dyutam: gambling, chhalayatam: of the fraudulent, asmi: I am,
tejas: spelendour, tejasvinam: of all the splendid things, aham:
I, jaya: victory, asmi: I am, vyavasaya: effort, asmi: I am,
sattvam: goodness, sattvavatam: of all the good, aham: I
Of all the cheating, I am gambling. Of the effulgent things, I
am the effulgence. I am victory, I am effort, I am the
goodness of the good.
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´ÉÞ¹hÉÒxÉÉÆ ´ÉɺÉÖnùä´ÉÉä%κ¨É {ÉÉhb÷´ÉÉxÉÉÆ vÉxÉÆVɪÉ&*
¨ÉÖxÉÒxÉɨÉ{ªÉ½Æþ ´ªÉɺÉ& Eò´ÉÒxÉɨÉÖ¶ÉxÉÉ EòÊ´É&**10.37**
vrishinam vasudevosmi pandavanam dhananjayaha
muninam apyaham vyasaha kavinam ushana kaviha (10.37)
vrishinam: of the Vrishnis, vasudeva: Vasudeva, asmi: I am,
pandavanam: of the Pandavas, dhananjayaha: Dhananjaya,
muninam: of the sages, api: also, aham: I, vyasaha: Vyasa,
kavinam: of the thinkers, ushana: Usana, kaviha: thinker
If the descendants of Vrishni, I am Krishna. Of the
Pandavas, I am Arjuna. Of the sages, I am also Vyasa and of
the thinkers, I am Usana.
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nùhb÷Éä nù¨ÉªÉiÉɨÉκ¨É xÉÒÊiÉ®úκ¨É ÊVÉMÉÒ¹ÉiÉɨÉÂ*
¨ÉÉèxÉÆ SÉè´ÉÉκ¨É MÉÖÁÉxÉÉÆ YÉÉxÉÆ YÉÉxÉ´ÉiÉɨɽþ¨ÉÂ**10.38**
dando damayatam asmi neetir asmi jigeeshatam
mounam cha eva asmi guhyanam jnanam jnanavatam aham
(10.38)
dando: sceptre, damayatam: of rulers, asmi: I am, neetir:
statesmanship, asmi: I am, jigeeshatam: of the victorious,
mounam: silence, cha: and, eva: also, asmi: I am, guhyanam:
of the secrets, jnanam: knowledge, jnanavatam: of the wise,
aham: I
Of rulers, I am their scepter. Of the victorious, I am
statesmanship. Of all secrets, I am also silence. Of the wise, I
am wisdom.
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Krishna here declares that of all vices He is gambling. He
thus says that even in the vices, He is present. So, anybody
who deludes himself thinking that He is not present in the
activities that are not considered virtuous should realize that
the divine exists everywhere in all activities and things.
By this Krishna also refers to the fact that it is Yudhistra’s
vice of gambling that brought about this Great War. Known
as the wisest of all men, Dharmaraja, the most righteous
being, Yudhistra, the Pandava Prince has one vice that
brought him down. That was his weakness for gambling.
Krishna says He is the effulgence which is the essence of all
radiant things.
He declares He is the victory of the victorious, the effort
needed to succeed, and satva amongst the attributes.
Krishna’s father, Vasudeva, was a member of the Vrishni or
Yadava race. Amongst the Vrishnis, Krishna says He is the
ultimate, Vasudeva Krishna. Amongst the Pandavas, He says
He is the arch bowman, Arjuna.
Of the sages, He says He is the sage Vyasa who is the author
of the great epic Mahabharata of which the Bhagavad Gita
is a part, among other timeless scriptures. He is also referred
to as Veda Vyasa, the splitter of the Vedas as he split one
Veda into the four Vedas to aid the common person to
understand the knowledge in the Vedas.
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Of the thinkers, Krishna says He is Usana, also known as
Sukra, the guru of the Asura, the celestials with a negative
bent of mind.
Of Rulers, Krishna says I am the scepter, the danda, the rod
of punishment. As the Master, Krishna wields the yoga
danda, the divine staff of wisdom. A ruler is not merely a
refuge for his subjects, but also the rule giver, the
disciplinarian. So is the Master.
The Master can be ruthless in destroying the disciple’s ego,
because that is what the Master is for, to lead one from
ignorance to wisdom. Ego is the darkness, cause of all
darkness. I say time and gain that I am a Master Surgeon, a
surgeon who removes egos. A disciple who comes to me must
be prepared for this surgery. He cannot run midway between
the procedure.
A follower can be a mere devotee, gazing at the form from
afar, framing the Master in one’s one template of ignorance.
Such people nail the master to the wall in a picture frame.
This is as bad as nailing the Master to the Cross. By
worshipping, instead of practicing, they kill the Master.
I say to people who come to me. If you wish to be a mere gazer,
I shall give you brain candy, because that is what you come
here for. If you are a true seeker, be prepared to be burnt, be
prepared to be operated upon, and be prepared to be subjected
to the yoga danda. That is the route to salvation.
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People ask me, if we leave you will you curse us? Be very
clear, an enlightened being is incapable of cursing anyone, of
wishing any one ill. Whatever an enlightened Being utters,
that word is truth, it is Satya, and it will happen; but that
word can only be compassionate. Because, an enlightened
being is boundariless, He is one with the Universe, and you
are part of Him. How can I think ill of Myself?
Be very clear, if a so called Master threatens to curse you, he
is no Master, he is not enlightened. A Master’s punishment is
compassionate, it arises solely from love, may be tough love,
but totally unconditional love. What can you give the
Master? What can He want from you?
My spirit is linked to this body in a very fragile way. It can
leave and not come back. That is why I have to do the
opposite of meditations. Ramakrishna used to crave sweets,
jalebi. People who were not aware used to laugh, how can
this person they call God, have such a weakness. That
weakness arose from His compassion for them, so that He
may stay and redeem them.
When my close disciples ask me what brings me back day
after night, I can only say that it is the faces of those who
are in deep need of me that brings the spirit back to this
body. As long as the need exists it will return.
That’s why this Master, the greatest of all Masters says that
He will return time after time to redeem the good, to destroy
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the evil. He does not have to physically destroy those who
are evil. In His energy all evil disappears.
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ªÉSSÉÉÊ{É ºÉ´ÉǦÉÚiÉÉxÉÉÆ £ÉÒVÉÆ iÉnù½þ¨ÉVÉÖxÇ É*
xÉ iÉnùκiÉ Ê´ÉxÉÉ ªÉiºªÉÉx¨ÉªÉÉ ¦ÉÚiÉÆ SÉ®úÉSÉ®ú¨ÉÂ**10.39**
yaccha api sarva bhutanam beejam tadaham arjuna
na tadasti vina yatsyanmaya bhutam chara acharam (10.39)
yat: what, cha: and, api: also, sarva: all, bhutanam: beings,
beejam: seed, tat: that, aham: I, arjuna: Arjuna, na: not, tat:
that, asti: is, vina: without, yat: that, syat: exists, maya: by
Me, bhutam: created, chara: moving, acharam: unmoving
Also, of whatever beings exist, I am the seed, oh Arjuna.
There is nothing that exists without Me in all creations,
moving and unmoving.
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xÉÉxiÉÉä%κiÉ ¨É¨É Ênù´ªÉÉxÉÉÆ Ê´É¦ÉÚiÉÒxÉÉÆ {É®ÆúiÉ{É*
B¹É iÉÚqùä¶ÉiÉ& |ÉÉäCiÉÉä ʴɦÉÚiÉä̴ɺiÉ®úÉä ¨ÉªÉÉ**10.40**
na anto asti mama divyanam vibhutinam parantapa
esha tudyeshataha prokto vibhutervistaro maya (10.40)
na: not, anto: end, asti: is, mama: My, divyanam: divine,
vibhutinam: glories, parantapa: Parantapa, esha: all this, tu:
that, udyeshataha: examples, prokto: said, vibhuti: glories,
vistaro: detailed, maya: by Me
There is no end to My divine glories oh Parantapa (Arjuna).
What have been said by Me are examples of My detailed
glories.
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ªÉtÊuù¦ÉÚÊiɨÉiºÉk´ÉÆ ¸ÉÒ¨ÉnÚùÌVÉiɨÉä´É ´ÉÉ*
iÉkÉnäù´ÉÉ´ÉMÉSUô i´ÉÆ ¨É¨É iÉäVÉÉå%¶ÉºÉƦɴɨÉÂ**10.41**
yadyad vibhutimat sattvam shrimad urjitam eva va
tattad eva avagaccha tvam mama tejomsha sambhavam (10.41)
yadyad: whatever, vibhutim: glories, mat: having, sattvam:
existence, shrimad: beautiful, urjitam: glorious, eva: also, va:
or, tattad: all that, eva: surely, avagaccha: you should know,
tvam: you, mama: My, teja: splendor, amsha: part,
sambhavam: born of
You should know that whatever glories exist or whatever
beautiful and glorious exists, all that surely is born of just a
portion of My splendor.
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ʴɹ]õ¦ªÉɽþʨÉnÆù EÞòiºxɨÉäEòÉƶÉäxÉ ÎºlÉiÉÉä VÉMÉiÉÂ**10.42**
athva bahunaiten kim jnaten tava arjuna
vishtabhyaha aham idam krutsnam ekam amshen sthito jagat
(10.42)
athva: or, bahuna: many, eten: of this kind, kim: what, jnaten:
know, tava: you, arjuna: Arjuna, vishtabhyaha: full, aham: I,
idam: this, krutsnam: of all manifestations, ekam: one,
amshen: part, sthito: situated, jagat: world
Of what use is to know about the many manifestations of this
kind, oh Arjuna? I pervade this entire world with just a part
of Myself.
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Krishna now says, enough has been said, you can take no
more. Whatever I have said, whatever more I can say, will
only be a drop in the ocean; a small fragment of what I
really am.
He has given the background to Arjuna, so that Arjuna is
prepared to see His formless form.
Now, we will also experience these words of Krishna.
Close your eyes, and meditate on the divine glory.
Whatever way your life has elevated, whoever has helped you
in your life to achieve health, wealth, education in your life,
all of them are expressions of the divine. Give your gratitude
to all of them.
Remember every one of them for reasons for your life, all of
them who helped you to flower in your life. Remember all of
them with love and respect, with love and gratitude.
Remember your mother who gave you this body, she is the
embodiment of the divine, parabrahma Krishna. Give her your
gratitude.
Remember your father who gave you life. Feel him and give
your gratitude to him.
Remember all the teachers and professors who gave you
education. They are all embodiments of the divine.
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Feel deeply grateful to all of them for their contribution to
your life and to your being.
Whoever has helped you to grow economically, whoever
contributed to your economical growth, directly or indirectly,
remember all of them and give your gratitude to them. Feel
deeply connected to all of them.
Whoever gave you mental strength, understanding about life,
when you needed it, whenever you were depressed, whoever
gave you courage when you were in a low mood, remember
all of them; they are all embodiments of the divine,
representatives of the universal consciousness. Remember all
of them and give them your gratitude.
Whoever helped you to grow spiritually, whoever helped you
to grow in spiritual understanding, remember all of them.
Give them all your gratitude. They are all representatives of
the divine. Give them all your gratitude for giving spiritual
understanding to you, for adding something in your life.
Whoever helped you in your life with understanding or in
the level of material wealth or spiritual growth, remember all
of them and give them all your gratitude.
Ultimately, give your gratitude to the divine energy,
parabrahma Krishna, who gave all this intelligence and
understanding to us in our life.
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Just drop yourself and become one with cosmic energy. May
you become part of the whole universe, part of the energy
which is moving the sun, moon and the planet earth.
Om shanti, shanti, shantihi
Relax, now open your eyes. Continue to spend at least the
next few hours in this mood of surrender. Just dropping
yourself, you will see this experience works miracles in your
being. It can transform you.
Just forget about yourself, drop yourself and let the divine,
let this cosmic energy prevail. Let Him be, let the Divine be.
This very surrender mood can transform your whole
consciousness. It can really make you experience the ultimate
truth which Krishna is explaining here, His glories, His
vibhuti, His divine glory.
When you are blissful, whatever you see looks divine and
glorious. May you reach that bliss.
Let us pray to the parabrahma Krishna, universal energy,
existence to guide us all and to give us all the experience of
eternal bliss, Nithyananda. Thank you!
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XIk&:{[==j=un* =s=]v==de iv=B=Uit=y==eg==e n==m= dx=m==eCQy==y=/ ++
Om tatsaditi srimat Bhagavad Gitaasupanishadsu
brahmavidyaayaam yogasaastre
SriKrishnaarjunasamvaade vibutiyogo naama dasamoadhyayaha
Thus ends the tenth chapter named ‘Divine Manifestation’ of
the Upanishad of the Bhagavad Gita, the scripture of yoga,
dealing with the science of the Absolute in the form of the
dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna.
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vasaudovasautM dovaM kmsacaaNaUrmad-nama\
dovakIprmaanandM kRYNaM vando jagad\gauruM
Vasudeva Sutam Devam Kamsa Chanura Mardanam
Devaki Paramaanandam Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum
I salute you Lord Krishna, Teacher to the World, son of Vasudeva
and supreme bliss of Devaki, destroyer of Kamsa and Chanura.
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Glossary
For purposes of simplicity, the phonetic of Sanskrit has not been
faithfully followed in this work. There is no perfect transliteration
guide from Sanskrit to Roman script.
Aswattama is spelt as also Asvattama, Aswathama, Aswatama
etc., all being accepted. Sanskrit, as Hinduism, is tolerant.
Correctly pronounced Atma is Aatma; however in the English
format a is used both for a and aa, e for e and ee and so on.
The word s as used here can be pronounced as s or ss or sh;
for instance Siva is pronounced with a sibilant sound, not
quite s but not quite sh as well.
This glossary is not meant to be a pronunciation guide, merely an
explanatory aid.
Abharana: Removal; vastrabharana is removal of vastra,
clothes
Abhyasa: Exercise, Practice
Acharya: Teacher; literally ‘ one who walks with’
Advaita: concept on non duality; that individual self and the
cosmic Self are one and the same; as different from the
concepts of Dvaita and Visishtadvaita, which consider self and
Self to be mutually exclusive.
Ahara: Food; also with reference to sensory inputs as in
pratyahara
Ajna: order, command; the third eye energy center.
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Akasa: Space; sky; subtlest form of energy of Universe
Amruta, amrit: divine nectar whose consumption leads to
immortality
Anahata: that which is not created, heart energy center
Ananda: Bliss; very often used to refer to joy, happiness etc.
Anjana: eye shadow
Apu: Water, as energy
Arti, aarti: worshipping with a flame, light as with a lamp lit
with oiled wick, or camphor that is burnt
Ashirwad: Blessing
Ashtanga Yoga: Eight fold path to enlightenment prescribed
by Patanjali in his Yoga Sutra.
Asraya: Grounded in reality; ashraya dosha, defect related to
reality
Atma, Atman: Individual Self; part of the universal Brahman
Beedi: Local Indian cigarette.
Beeja: seed; beeja mantra refers to the single syllable mantras
used to invoke certain deities, e.g. gam for Ganesha
Bhagavan: Literally God; often used for an enlightened
Master
Bhavana: Visuliazation
Bhakti: Devotion; bhakta , a devotee
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Brahma: Creator; one of the Hindu Trinity of supreme Gods
Brahmachari: literally one who moves with the True Reality
Brahman, one without fantasies, but usually taken to mean a
celibate; brahmacharya is the quality or state
Brahman: Ultimate reality of the divine, universal intelligent
energy
Brahmin: Person belonging to the highest caste or varna, the
scholar or priest class
Buddhi: Mind; also wisdom, intelligence. Mind is also called
by other names, manas, chitta etc.
Buddhu: a fool
Chakra: Literally a ‘wheel’; refers to energy centers in the
mind body system
Chaksu: Intelligent power behind senses.
Chandala: An untouchable; usually one who skins animals
Chandana: sandalwood
Chitta: Mind; also manas, buddhi.
Dakshinayana: Sun’s movement South starting 21st July
Darshan: That which is seen; usualy referred to seeing
Divinity
Dharma: Righteousness
Dhee: Wisdom
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Diksha, Deeksha: Grace bestowed by the Master and the
energy transferred by Master on disciple at initiation or any
other
time; may be through a mantra, a touch, a glance
or even a thought.
Dosha: Defect
Dhyana: meditation
Drishti: that which is seen
Gada, Gadha: Weapon, similar to a mace; also Gadhayudha
Gopi, Gopika: Literally a cowherd; usually referred to the
devotees, men and women, who played with Krishna, and
were lost in Him
Gopura, gopuram: Temple tower
Grihasta: A householder; a married person; from the word
griha meaning house
Guna: the three human behavioral characteristics or
predipositions; satva, rajas and tamas
Guru: Master; literally one who leads from gu darkness to ru
light
Gurukul: literally ‘tradition of guru’, refers to the ancient
education system in which children were handed over to a
guru at a very young age by parents for upbringing and
education.
Homa: Ritual to Agni, the God of fire; metaphorically
represents the transfer of energy from the energy of Akasa
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(space) , through Vayu (Air), Agni (Fire), Apu (Water), and
Prithvi (Earth) to humans.
Iccha: Desire
Ida: along with pingala and sushumna the virtual energy
pathways through which pranic energy flows.
Ithihasa: Legend, epic, mythological stories
Jaati: Birth; jaati dosha, defect related to birth
Jagrat: awake
Japa: Literally ‘muttering’; conitinuous repetition of the name
of divinity
Jiva samadhi: Burial place of an aenlighetend master, where
his spirit lives on; jiva means living.
Jyotisha: Astrology; jyotish is an astrologer.
Kaivalya: Liberation; same as moksha, nirvana ..
Kala: Time
Kalpa: Vast period of time; similar to Yuga.
Kalpana: Imagination
Karma: spiritual law of cause and effect, driven by vasana
and samskara
Kosha: Energy layer surrounding body; there are 5 such
layers. These are: annamaya or body, pranamaya or breath,
manonmaya or thoughts, vigyanamaya or sleep and
anandamaya or bliss koshas.
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Kriya: Action
Kshana: Moment in time; refers to time between two thoughts
Kshatriya: Caste or varna group of warriors.
Kundalini: Ebergy that resides at the root chakra ‘muladhara’
Maha: Great; as in maharishi, great sage; mahavakya, great
scriptural saying
Mala: a garland, a necklace; rudraksha mala is a necklace
made of the seeds of the rudraksha tree.
Manan: What is thought
Manas: Mind; also buddhi, chitta.
Mandir: Temple
Mangal: auspicious; mangal sutra, literally auspicious thread,
the yellow or gold thread or necklace a married Hindu
woman wears
Mantra: A sound, a formula; sometimes a word or a set of
words, which because of their inherent sound , have
energizing properties. Mantras are used as sacred chants to
worship the Divine; Mantra, tantra and yantra are approaches
in spiritual evolution.
Maya: That which is not; not reality ; illusion; all life is maya
according to advaita.
Moksha: liberation; same as nirvana, samadhi, turiya etc.
Muladhara: the first energy center, mula is root, adhara is
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foundation, here existence
Nadi: River
Naadi: Nerve; also an energy pathway which is not physical
Naga: a snake; a naga sadhu is an ascetic belonging to a
group that wears no clothes.
Namaskar: Traditional greeting with raised hands palms
closed
Nanda: unbound
Nari: woman
Nidhityasan: What is expressed
Nimitta: Reason; nimitta dosha, defect based on reason
Nirvana: liberation ; ‘nibbhana’ in Pali language; same as
moksha, samadhi.
Niyama: The second of eight paths of Patanjali’s Ashtanga
Yoga; refers to a number of day to day rules of observance for
a spiritual path.
Papa: sin
Phala: Fruit; phalasruti refers to result of worship
Paramahamsa: Literally the ‘supreme swan’; refers to an
enlightened being of a specific level.
Parikrama: The ritual of going around a holy location, such
as a hill or water spot
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Parivrajaka: Wandering by an ascetic monk
Pingala: please see Ida
Prana: Life energy; also refers to breath; pranayama is the
control of breath
Pratyahara: Literally ‘staying away from food’; in this case
refers to control of alls senses as part of the eight fold
ashtanga yoga.
Prithvi: Earth energy
Purohit: Priest
Puja: normally any worship, but often referred to a ritualistic
worship
Punya: merit
Purana: Epics and mythological stories such as Mahabharata,
Ramayana etc.
Purna: Literally ‘complete’; refers in the advaita context to
Reality.
Rajas, rajasic: the mid characteristic of the three human guna
or behavior mode, referring to aggressive action.
Putra: son; putri is daughter.
Rakta: blood
Ratri: Intensity; also night;
Rishi: A spiritual sage
Sadhana: Practice, usually a spiritual practice
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Sadhu: literally a ‘good person’; refers to an ascetic; same as
sanyasi
Sahasranama: Thousand names of God; available for many
Gods and Goddesses, which devotees recite
Sahasrara: thousand petal lotus, the crown energy center
Sakti: Energy; intelligent energy; Parasakti refers to Universal
Energy; Divinity; considered feminine; masculine aspect of
Parasakti is the Purusha.
Samadhi: state of no mind, no thoughts; adhi is original and
sama is becoming that; literally, becoming one’s original state;
liberated, enlightened state. Three levels of samadhi are
referred to sahaja, which is transient, savikalpa, in which the
person is no longer capable of normal activities, and
nirvikalpa, where the liberated person performs activities as
before.
Samsaya: Doubt
Samskara: embedded memories of unfulfilled desires stored in
the unconscious that drive us into decisions, into karmic
action.
Samyama: Complete concentration
Sankalpa: Decision
Sanyas: Giving up worldly life; sanyasi or sanyasin, a monk, an
ascetic; sanyasini, as referred to a lady monk.
Sastra: Sacred texts
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Satva, satvic: the highest guna of spiritual calmness
Siddhi: Extraordinary powers attained through spiritual
practice
Sishya: Disciple
Simha: Lion; Simha Swapna is nightmare.
Siva: Rejuvenator in the Trinity; often spelt as Shiva. Siva
also means ‘Causeless Auspiciousness’; in this sense, Sivaratri,
the day when Siva is worshipped is that moment when the
power of this Causeless Auspiciousness is intense.
Smarana: Remembrance; constantly remembering the Divine.
Smruti: Literally ‘that which is remembered’; refers to later
day Hindu works which are rules, regulations, laws and
epics, such as Manu’s works, Puranas etc.
Sradha: sincere
Sravan: what is heard
Srishti: That which is, which is created
Sruti: Literally ‘that which is heard’; refers to the ancient
scriptures of
Veda, Upanishad and Bhagavad Gita, considered to be Words
of God.
Stotra:Devotional verses, to be recited or sung
Sudra: Caste or varna group of manual laborers.
Sutra: Literally ‘thread’; refers to epigrams, short verses which
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impart spiritual techniques.
Sunya: Literally zero; however, Buddha uses this word to
mean Reality
Sushumna: Please see Ida
Swadishthana: where Self is established; the groin or spleen
energy center
Swapna: Dream
Swatantra: Freedom
Tamas, tamasic: the lowest guna of laziness or inaction
Tantra: Esoteric Hindu techniques used in spiritual evolution
Tapas: Severe spiritual endeavor, penance
Thatagata: Buddhahood, suchness..a pali word
Tirta: Water; tirtam is a holy river spot and a pilgrimage
center
Trikala: All three time zones, past, present and future;
trikalajnani is one who can see all three at the same time; an
enlightened being beyond time and space.
Turiya: state of samadhi, no mind
Upanishad: Literally ‘sitting below alongside’ referring to a
disciple learning from the Master; refers to the ancient
Hindu scriptures which along with the Veda , form sruti.
Uttarayana: Sun’s movement North, starting 21st January
Vaisya: Caste or varna group of tradesmen.
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Vanaprastha: The third stage in one’s life, when a
householder, man or woman, gives up wordly activities and
focuses on spiritual goals
Varna: Literally color; refers to the caste grouping in the
traditional Hindu social system; originally based on aptitude,
and later corrupted to privilege of birth.
Vasana: the subtle essence of memories and desires, samskara,
that get carried forward from birth to birth
Vastra: Clothes; vastrabharana, removal of clothes, often used
to refer to Draupadi’s predicament in Mahabharata, when she
is forcibly undressed by the Kaurava Prince.
Vayu: Air
Veda: Literally knowledge; refers to ancient Hindu scriptures,
believed to have been received by enlightened rishi at the
being level; also called sruti, along with Upanishad.
Vibhuti: sacred ash worn by many Hindus on forehead; said
to remind themselves of the transient nature of life
Vidhi: literally law, natural law; interpreted as fate or destiny
Vidya: knowledge
Vishada: Depression
Vishnu: Preserver in the Trinity; His incarnations include
Krishna, Rama etc.; also means ‘all encompassing’
Vishwarupa: Universal Form
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Yama: discipline as well as death; One of the eight fold paths
prescribed in Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga; refers to spiritual
regulations of Satya (Truth). Ahimsa (Non Violence),
Aparigraha (Living simply); Asteya (Not coveting other’s
properties) and Brahmacharya (giving up fantasies); Yama is
also the name of the Hindi God of Justice and Death.
Yantra: Literally ‘tool’; usually a mystical and powerful graphic
diagram, such as the Sri Chakra, inscribed on a copper plate,
and sanctified in a ritual blessed by a Divine presence or
an Enlightened Master
Yoga: literally union, union of the individual self and the
divine Self; often taken to mean Hatha Yoga, which is one of
the components relating to specific body postures.
Yuga: a long period of time as defined in Hindu scriptures;
there are four yugas: Satya, Treta, Dwapara and Kali
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Scientific Research on Bhagavad Gita
Several institutions have conducted experiments using
scientific and statistical support techniques to verify the truth
behind Bhagavad Gita. Notable amongst them is the work
carried out by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, whose findings are
published through Maharishi Ved Vigyan Vishwa
Vidyapeetham.
Studies conducted using meditation techniques related to
truths expressed in the verses of the Bhagavad Gita have
shown that quality of life is significantly improved through
meditation. A greater sense of peace resulting in reduced
tendency towards conflict has been found.
Meditators gain greater respect for others and appreciate
others better. Their own inner fulfillment, without external
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inputs, increases, resulting in self respect and reliance in turn
leading to self actualization.
The ability to focus enhances and brain function integration
has been demonstrated. These have resulted in greater
comprehension, creativity, faster response time in decision
making as well as superior psychomotor coordination.
Stress levels have been shown to decrease with enhanced
sensory perception and overall health. Tendency to depression
has been clearly shown to decrease.
There is enough evidence to show that as a result of
meditation, individuals gain a better ethical lifestyle which in
turn improves their interaction with others in the community,
resulting in less conflict and crime. Group meditation of 7000
people (square root of 1% of world population) was
significantly correlated to reduced conflict worldwide.
Meditation leads to higher levels of Consciousness. There is
supporting evidence to show from the work of Dr David
Hawkins and others through the tools of Kinesiology that
human consciousness has moved up in the last few decades,
crossing a critical milestone for the first time in human
history. Dr. Hawkins also rates the Bhagavad Gita at the
very highest levels of Truth conveyed to humanity.
We acknowledge with gratitude the work done by the
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi institutions and Dr. David Hawkins in
establishing the truth of this great scripture.
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Family tree of the Kings of Hastinapura
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Key Characters in the Bhagavad
Gita
Pandava’s side:
Krishna: God Incarnate. Related to both Kaurava and
Pandava. Arjuna’s charioteer in the war
Drupada: A great warrior and father of Draupadi
Drishtadummna: The son of King Drupada
Shikhandi: A mighty archer
Virata: Abhimanyu’s father in law and king of a neighboring
kingdom
Yuyudhana: Krishna’s charioteer and a great warrior
Kashiraj: King of neighboring Kingdom Kashi
Chekitan: A great warrior
Kuntibhoj: adoptive father of Kunti, the mother of first three
Pandava
Purujit: Brother of Kuntibhoj
Shaibya: Leader of the Shibi tribe
Dhrishtaketu: King of Chedis
Uttamouja: A Great warrior
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Kaurava’s side:
Sanjay: Charioteer and narrator of events to Dhritharashtra
Bheeshma: Great Grandfather of the Kaurava & Pandava.
Great Warrior
Drona: A great archer and teacher to both Kaurava and
Pandava
Vikarna: third of the Kaurava brothers
Karna: Panadava’s half brother. Born to Kunti before her
marriage
Ashvatthama: Drona’s son; said to always speak the truth
Kripacharya: Teacher of martial arts to both Kaurava and
Pandava
Shalya: King of neighboring kingdom and brother of Madra,
Nakula and Sahadeva’s mother
Soumadatti: King of Bahikas
Dushassana: One of Kaurava brothers, responsible for
insulting Draupadi
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Appendix
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Nithyananda...
Paramahamsa Nithyananda is a Master and modern mystic
living amidst us today. Starting out at a young age, and
enduring years of intense penance, he persevered with the
single-pointed vision of experiencing inner bliss. He traversed
the length and breadth of the country studying yoga, tantra
and other Eastern metaphysical sciences with great Masters in
India and Nepal. He had many profound spiritual experiences
before experiencing inner bliss.
His mission is to help each individual actualize his inherent
potential. With a pragmatic and compassionate approach, and
an enlightened insight into the core of human nature, he has
emerged as an inspiring personality who continues to touch
and transform the lives of millions across the world.
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His divine healing touch has taken the shape of Nithya
Spiritual Healing – a scientific system of spiritual healing
through meditation. He heals people world over, through his
direct touch and through ordained healers, curing illnesses
ranging from migraine to cancer.
The Nithyananda Foundation is his worldwide movement to
spread his message of meditation and bliss. With its spiritual
nerve center in Bangalore, India and the Western
Hemisphere headquarters in Los Angeles, USA, it operates in
over 800 centers in 30 countries across the world, working
steadily in transformation of humanity through transformation
of the individual.
His lucid explanation of practical issues and simple and
dynamic meditation techniques, help individuals blossom at
the physical, emotional and spiritual levels. Thousands of
volunteers – Ananda Sevaks work to support the mission world
over.
By offering himself as a living laboratory, he works with
Scientists across the globe to bridge the modern Western
system of logic and evidence and the ancient Eastern system
of mysticism, thus bridging Science and Spirituality for the
benefit of humanity.
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Bridging Science and Spirituality...
Swamiji works with doctors and scientists across the world to
record and analyze the mystic phenomena through modern
technology. He is continuing to intrigue the world of medical
science with results from the study of His own neurological
system. From the results recorded, scientists feel that the
potential for altering the rates and progression of many
diseases like heart ailments, cancer, arthritis, alcoholism etc.
is beginning to look achievable. They are compelled to
declare that there continues to be indications that the
human mind can choose to heal the human body...
For centuries, science and spirituality have been battling it
out on these issues of perennial importance for humanity.
Although spiritual leaders have always maintained that the
no -mind state is a ‘real’ phenomenon, and a perfectly
realizable goal for all of us, the scientific community has
naturally been unwilling to accept this without solid proof.
For the first time in our century, science has hopefully found
a key to supernormal and paranormal phenomena, with sound
medical evidence that explains why the spiritually superevolved are blessed with ‘powers’ that the rest of us can only
dream about. The following few pages are summaries of
various types of research conducted on Swamiji’s neurological
system during His visits to the United States of America.
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Mind of a Mystic
A report by Dr. R. Murali Krishna, President COO,
INTEGRIS Mental Heath & James L. Hall, Jr. Center for
Mind, Body and Spirit, Oklahoma
A Mind Matters Column™
The Mind of a Mystic
By R. Murali Krishna, M.D.
President COO, INTEGRIS Mental
Health & James L. Hall, Jr. Center for
Mind, Body and Spirit
Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda Swami is a trim, healthylooking young man with dark, shoulder-length hair.
Handsome and polite, possessing an open manner and a
wealth of curiosity, he could be any ordinary American
college student.
The difference is that ordinary American college students do
not wear saffron robes and turbans, have not experienced
spiritual enlightenment and are not regarded as a teacher, healer
and mystic by millions of people in all corners of the world.
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A mystic? The term is not a bad fit for ‘Swami’, as he is
known. Mystics, popular culture tells us, have direct
communion with God. Through means not understood or
measurable, mystics are thought to have access to ultimate
realities or truths. Picture a mystic and you’ll probably picture
someone full of bliss, someone gifted with lofty thoughts and
insights that the rest of us do not possess.
The very presence of a mystic is thought to bring peace and
healing to others.
That’s an apt description of Swami, a 27-year-old from South
India. He is approached by thousands of people every year
seeking relief from diseases and ailments that conventional
medical approaches have not cured. Swami’s background
lends him the air of a mystic, too. He left his home as a teen,
visited ashrams across India, immersed himself in philosophy,
read extensively and mastered the art of meditation.
When Swami passed through Oklahoma City recently as one
stop in his world travels, I asked him if he would let me use
some of modern medicine’s newest technology to peer into his
brain while he meditated. My goal: to understand, measure
and demystify what happens during the mystic phenomena.
Swami, who believes that meditation has a scientific basis,
happily agreed.
The procedures Swami went through were administered by
some of Oklahoma City’s finest and most experienced
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physicians, neuropsychologists and researchers: Drs. Fordyce,
Ruwe and Higgins of the Jim Thorpe Rehabilitation Center
Neuropsychology Department and Dr. Chacko of the PET
Center of Oklahoma. These doctors were using technology
they use with patients on a routine basis. When they look at
images obtained by their technology, they know what’s normal
and what’s not.
The results from testing Swami? Decidedly not normal!
Imaging Brain Activity
Our first look into Swami’s brain was achieved with the help of
a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) device. Unlike
traditional diagnostic techniques that produce images of the
body’s structure or anatomy, such as X-rays, CT scans or MRI,
PET produces images of the function of the brain through the
metabolic activity of cells. An analog of glucose is attached to
a radioactive PET tracer. The PET scanner then images the
metabolically active brain areas at any given time.
In the case of Swami, the drug was intended to identify
highly active areas of the brain in an alert and conscious
state, in the early stages of meditation and during deep
meditation.
The results of the PET scan tests were stunning. To begin
with, the activity in the frontal lobes of Swami’s brain were
significantly heightened, even in early meditation stages. The
level of activity was several times higher than would be seen
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in the average human brain under any conditions. The
frontal lobes are associated with the functions of intelligence,
attention, wisdom and judgment.
When we then asked Swami to go into the deepest
meditation state, there were two more remarkable findings.
First, the dominant hemisphere of Swami’s brain was more
than 90 percent shut down. It was as if Swami’s brain had
packed up and gone on vacation. It was quiet and still,
completely at peace … and Swami had made it so at will.
A second amazing aspect of Swami’s deep meditation was
that the lower portion of his mesial frontal areas lighted up
in a very significant way. This area roughly corresponds to
the reputed location of the mystical ‘Third Eye’.
When we later asked Swami what he was doing when the
mesial frontal areas lighted up, he said he was opening his
Third Eye.
Associated with both cosmic and inner knowledge, and
thought to be a place of clarity and peace, the Third Eye is
considered by many to be the seat of the soul. Were we
seeing an indication that deep meditation can open an area
of the brain responsible for communicating with the divine,
looking deep into the mysteries of Self or creation? I believe
the PET scan revealed what I call the brain’s ‘D-spot’.
Whether you consider the ‘D’ in D-spot to stand for Delight,
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the Divine or even Dopamine (the chemical through which
our bodies experience pleasure), initial indications are that
meditation can stimulate it.
Measuring Brainwaves
The second procedure we used to look into Swami’s brain is
known as Quantitative Electroencephalography, or QEEG.
QEEG measures electrical patterns in the brain, patterns
commonly referred to as brainwaves.
There are four bandwidths of brainwaves, each different in
speed, and each associated with a different state of mind. For
instance, beta brainwaves are small and fast and linked with
an awake, alert state of mind. Alpha brainwaves are slower
and larger and are connected to feelings of well-being. Theta
waves represent a state of consciousness that is close to
sleep, a stage in which there is a sense of calmness and
serenity without active thought.
In a day’s time, most people will experience all four types of
brainwaves. The progression from one bandwidth to another,
though, is not so easily in their control.
From Swami’s QEEG, though, we can see that he has
complete control over his brainwaves. When in deep
meditation, his brain smoothly shifted from one state to
another, like a talented pianist playing the scales. There was
no hesitation and no retreating, just continuous, fluid shifts
from one type of brainwave to the next. Because the QEEG
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represents the five brainwave bandwidths as colors, it was as
if we were watching Swami float from color to color within a
rainbow!
Conclusions
The brain is the body’s most complex organ, containing more
than 100 billion neurons, each of them in chemical and
electrical conversation with upto 10,000 other neurons. Its
sheer capacity to process information is astonishing.
Remarkably, that complexity presents little difficulty for
Swami in managing his brain activity. Swami’s mind – his
thoughts, emotions and intellect – control his brain. He can,
in a very fluid, easy way, shift his brain function and alter his
brainwaves.
More than answering questions, the voyage we took into the
mind of a mystic brings intriguing questions for study.
Are there techniques we can learn and teach that will bring
balance and peace into people’s lives?
Can we invoke a healing response or accelerate healing
through specific training? Can we learn techniques that will
allow us to control pain or alter the course of a disease?
Can we learn to activate what I call our D-spot, thus
putting us in instant connection to delight or the divine?
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The results from our study of Swami are new pages in our
world’s growing book of research on the brain. There
continue to be indications that the human mind may be able
to choose to heal the body. We’re now looking at the
possibility of people learning and acquiring these healing
capabilities, an event of immense benefit for humankind. The
potential for altering the rates and progression of many
diseases – heart disease, cancer, arthritis, alcoholism and
many others – is beginning to look achievable.
Swami is a bridge between the invisible, ancient world of
mysticism and the modern, visible world of science and
discovery. As brain research continues on a widespread basis,
and as we appropriately bring the phenomena of mysticism
into the realm of science for further study, we are taking
strides on a path of hope and health.
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Offerings from Nithyananda Foundation
Specialized meditation programs are designed and offered
continuously worldwide to benefit millions of people at the
levels of body, mind and spirit. Some of the meditation
programs currently offered are as follows:
Ananda Spurana Program (ASP) / Life Bliss Program (LBP)
- Energize yourself!
The ASP or LBP is a chakra meditation camp.
It introduces us to the 7 vital energy centers in our body
called the chakras, whose functioning has a direct bearing
upon our physical and mental well-being. It explains the
direct relationship between our emotions and these energy
centers and offers simple meditation techniques for effective
handling of our own emotions, better clarity and a positive
mental setup, better interpersonal relationships, renewed and
inspired attitude towards work, and a blissful life.
There is a similar such program designed for students,
referred to as the student ASP or student LBP.
Nithyananda Spurana Program (NSP)
- Death demystified!
Death is the mystery of all mysteries. Our idea and fear of
death pervades every moment of our lives and creates
conflicting emotions in us. We simply miss out on the art of
real living because of this.
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This program clearly explains what happens at the time of
death. It draws the relation between our created emotions of
desire, fear, guilt, pain and pleasure with the seven energy
bodies in us. It explains how each of these emotions arises
from one of these seven bodies and how they work upon the
departing soul as it crosses each of them. It brings to surface
all our conscious and unconscious emotions that have been
accumulated over the past lives, so we may be free from their
clutches. It is like a complete spiritual bath to be reborn,
equipped with the technique to live and leave joyously with
astounding awareness to replace deep ignorance.
Shakti Spurana Program (SSP)
- Cleanse yourself!
This is a meditation program that gives us an insight into
the 3 energy bodies in us that are the physical, subtle and
causal bodies. Suppressed emotions, unfulfilled desires,
restlessness, nervousness, lethargy and similar such emotions
associated with these 3 energy bodies are dealt with. It offers
solutions and techniques to kindle the inner intelligence to
liberate ourselves from these emotions.
Atma Spurana Program (ATSP)
- Connect with your Self
Man is an integral part of Existence. When he realizes this
experientially, he is enlightened. This meditation program
describes the five body sheaths called koshas that stand in the
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way of man realising this truth. It offers techniques that pull
our awareness through these sheaths to reach the Self.
Bhakti Spurana Program (BSP)
- Enrich your emotional Being
Over passing years, the mind has taken over the being.
Humanity has fallen victim to the futility of the intellect.
The emotional being suffers as a result of this.
Bhakti or devotion is the language of the being. It is supreme
love towards Existence or God. It frees us from base
emotions, bringing equanimity of the mind and deep
fulfillment. It fulfills all our wants and takes us beyond them.
The Bhakti Spurana Program is a 4-day program that unfolds
the path of bhakti to the modern man. It steers us from
intellect to the being, from mundane worship to sheer
intimacy - with the Divine.
Nithyanandam
- Enlightenment intensive…
This is an intense meditation camp; a unique and first ever
offering of the technology of Bliss or Nithyanandam. All keys
to the ‘Experience of Enlightenment’, are handed over in
totality by the Master himself. This is an opportunity to go
beyond body and mind and experience pure Consciousness.
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Dhyana Spurana Program (DSP)
- Mind is a myth; realize and liberate!
Our mind is nothing but a collection of our thoughts. By
nature, our thoughts are unconnected, independent and
illogical. But we try to connect all these thoughts and create
suffering for ourselves. The moment we realize that our
thoughts are unconnected and independent, we drop our
mind and become un-clutched. The moment we drop our
mind, we are liberated.
The Dhyana Spurana Program is a meditation program that
helps us drop our mind and remain centered in pure
Consciousness.
Arogya Spurana Program and meditation therapy
- Be healthy!
Arogya or Good Health is not just an absence of disease, it is
a positive well-being ness.
The Arogya Spurana Program is an intense meditation camp,
on the integrated science of body, mind and spirit. It is an
opportunity to understand that our body is not just a biomechanism but one that has its roots in deep Consciousness
and Intelligence.
The Arogya Spurana Meditation therapy is a health and
healing program that takes you through meditation and
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healing to heal specific ailments, besides creating a new
mental setup attuned towards a positive wellbeingness.
Nithya spiritual healing initiation
- become a healer!
The Nithya spiritual healing initiation is a scientific process
by which you are initiated in the Ananda Gandha chakra to
become a channel for the Divine Energy to flow through you
to heal others. It works on the principle that Energy is
Intelligence. The uniqueness of this is that, it not only heals
the patient but also helps in your own spiritual growth.
Outwardly it is Healing and inwardly it is Meditation.
Ananda Yogam
- Expand and explode
Ananda Yogam is a free one-year residential program for youth
between 18 and 30 years of age. With its roots in the Eastern
system of Mysticism and Vedic learning, this program is to
empower the modern youth with
•
Vocational skills
•
Success Formulae and deeper Truths for Life
•
Healing, meditation and yoga for overall well-being
•
The capacity to actualize one’s entire potential
•
Creative intelligence and spontaneity
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This program creates a clear and sound mental makeup in
every individual. It unleashes the untapped and infinite
capacity within, to excel in the outer world while remaining
centered within. It instills in one, the essence of the ancient
Vedic principles and the modern system of Logic. It creates
individuals with a capacity to be economically and spiritually
stable.
Above all, this is a lifetime opportunity to live and learn
under the tutelage of an enlightened Master.
Ananda Galleria (Divine Shop)
The Ananda Galleria offers a wide range of books in English,
Tamil, Kannada, Gujarati, Telugu, Hindi, Portuguese, French
and other languages, compiled from Nithyananda’s discourses
worldwide. Also available are Nithyananda’s discourses in
cassettes, Audio CDs and Video CDs. In addition are
available a host of items like photographs of the Master,
shawls, chanting boxes, malas, chain dollars, photograph of
His eyes, T-shirts and so on.
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FOR FURTHER READING ...
Guaranteed Solutions
Guaranteed Solutions is a book aimed at bringing a radical
understanding of our emotions such as sex, fear, worry,
attention-need, jealousy, ego and discontentment. The
information is a compilation of the worldwide talks that
Nithyananda has given in meditation camps such as the
Ananda Spurana Program (ASP) and Life Bliss Program
(LBP). It introduces us to the 7 vital Energy centers in our
body called the chakras, whose functioning has a direct
bearing upon our physical and mental well-being.
The ASP/ LBP meditation camps explain the direct
relationship between our emotions and these Energy centers.
We are educated on the subtle ways in which these
emotions affect our overall well-being. In a very
comprehensive manner we are taught how these debilitating
emotions are mere shadows without objects. Powerful
meditation techniques are imparted to handle these
emotions. We are given the assurance that it is possible to
lead a life free from the power these emotions wield over us.
These camps provide tremendous scope to liberate ourselves
from the dilemmas of the mind and depression of our Being;
to be free from the mental slavery that is keeping our spirit
in bondage. We are helped to create a space in us to flower
and re-connect with our inner core, with our true Self which is beyond the body and mind, which is pure and
Eternal Bliss Nithyananda! These meditation camps are
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continuously conducted worldwide by trained teachers of the
Foundation.
Bliss is the Path and the Goal
This book is a compilation of Nithyananda’s discourses
covering a range of subjects, from How the Mind Works t o
How we abuse our bodies to Coping with the duality of material
and spiritual life. It answers many questions giving an updated
understanding, kindling our inner intelligence, and tuning us
to inner awareness. It is a handbook to guide us through the
workings of the mind, body and being so that we may live
our life in bliss.
Beyond Life and Death
Meditation is the way to unite, to commune between birth
and death. It teaches the art of living and leaving. Else, we
get caught in just one more cycle of life and death. In these
pages, through his discourses, Nithyananda demystifies death
and explains the need to understand it. He states with no
uncertainty that unless we understand death, we will not be
able to live life with richness.
From Ignorance to Enlightenment
In this book, Nithyananda takes us through Patanjali’s Yoga
Sutras. Sutras by definition are epigrams that mean a lot by
saying very little. There are many layers of meanings in each
Sutra. Nithyananda comments on these timeless Truths, giving
an updated understanding to the modern man. He answers
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questions that many spiritual seekers have through the
aphorisms of Patanjali.
Nithyopanishad
Upanishad means ‘sitting at the feet of the Master’.
Nithyopanishad is a compilation of a living enlightened
Master’s talks on the Master-disciple relationship. In a setting
fit for the Gods, amidst the Himalayan mountains, in the lap
of the sacred river Ganga, the Master expounds timeless
Truths in the classic Upanishad tradition. Questions transform
into doubts, doubts dissolve into awareness, as the Master
spreads his energy over the group. Anyone who has himself
the question, ‘Why do I need a Guru?’ will find his answers
here.
For further details and to purchase any of the above items,
please visit www.nithyananda.org.
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Our Main Nithyananda Meditation Acadamies (NMA)
USA:
Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam
928 Huntington Dr, Duarte,
Los Angeles, CA 91010. USA
Ph.: 1-626 –205-3286
Email: [email protected]
Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam
4610, N.High Street
Columbus, OH 43214, USA
Ph.: 614-571-8425
India:
Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam
Nithyanandapuri, Kallugopahalli
Mysore Road, Bidadi, Bangalore - 562 109
Karnataka. INDIA
Phone: 91 +80 65591844 / 27202084
Fax: 91 +80 7288207
Email: [email protected]
URL: www.nithyananda.org
Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam
Sri Ananda Rajarajeshwari Temple, Nithyananda Giri
Pashambanda Sathamrai Village
Shamshabad Mandal
Rangareddy District
Andhra Pradesh - 501 218
INDIA
Ph.: +91 93470 65288
E-mail: [email protected]
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Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam
36/1, Kamakshiamman Street, Peramanur, Salem – 636 007
INDIA
Ph.: 91 +427 3098133
Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam
Nithyanandapuri
Zamin Pallavaram, Chennai – 600 043 Tamilnadu
INDIA
Ph.: 98404 27966 / 94440 19791
(Directions: Behind Tirusoolam Hill.)
Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam
Nithyanandapuri
Othaivaadai Street, Pavazhakundru, Tiruvannamalai – 606 601
Tamilnadu. INDIA
Ph.: 94432 33789 / 94433 26202
(Directions: On Big Street (Peria theru), take the lane opposite Indian
Overseas bank. This is Othaivaadai Street.)
Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam
Nithyanandapuri
2/200, Tirumangkuruchi Post
Namakkal – 637 003
Pavazhakundru, Tamilnadu. INDIA
Ph.: 94433 88437 / 93447 17629
(Directions: Near the Collector’s office)
Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam
Nithyanandapuri
102, Azhagapurampudur, Salem – 636 016
Tamilnadu. INDIA
Ph.: 94433 64644 / 94432 35262
(Directions: Behind Sharada College)
242
BHAGAVAD GITA
– The Song of God : Chapter 10
Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam
Nithyanandapuri
Zamin Pallavaram
Chennai – 600 043 Tamilnadu
Contact (s): Sri Ananda Samarpan – 98404 27966 /
Sri Nithya Divya Divakaran – 94440 19791
(Directions: Behind Tirusoolam Hill.)
Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam
Nithyanandapuri
Othaivaadai Street, Pavazhakundru, Tiruvannamalai – 606 601
Tamilnadu
Contact (s): Sri Ananda Prada - 94432 33789 /
Sri Nithya Deepak - 94433 26202
(Directions: On Big Street (Peria theru), take the lane opposite Indian
Overseas bank. This is Othaivaadai Street.)
Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam
Nithyanandapuri
2/200, Tirumangkuruchi Post
Namakkal – 637 003
Tamilnadu
Ph.: Sri Nithya Sarvananda - 94433 88437 /
Sudha Chandran - 93447 17629
(Directions: Near the Collector’s office)
Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam
Nithyanandapuri
102, Azhagapurampudur
Salem – 636 016
Tamilnadu
Ph.: Sri Nithya Bairavananda - 94433 64644 /
Sri Nithyananda Rishi - 94432 35262
(Directions: Behind Sharada College)
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