Discourse on Sivananda Lahari
Day 5, August 1
Jaya Guru Datta
Sri Ganesaya Namaha
Sri Saraswatyai Namaha
Sripada Vallabha
Narasimha Saraswati
Sri Guru Dattatreyaya Namaha
Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Sadgurubhyo Namaha
asato ma sadgamaya
tamaso ma jyotirgamaya
mrityor ma amritam gamaya
Om Santissantissantihi
Please lead me from untruth to Truth, from darkness to light, from death to immortality. May there be peace.
Yesterday we learned that Adi Sankara prayed for the grace of Lord Siva to immerse all the senses and the mind in his worship and prayer. He also spoke about Sankhya and Tarka Sastras. In Sadguru’s presence one should not engage in worthless discussions. It is not wrong to learn the different sciences. At sunset, the book has to be closed and prayers should be offered. One should sit quietly for at least 10-15 minutes daily in contemplation. Many say that there is no time for contemplation or prayers. If questioned by others, simply say that you are tired and are resting for a few moments. The mind requires some rest. Others need not know what mantras you are chanting. At work, there is no need to change your clothes and make a show. No need to even move your lips, leave alone chanting out loud. Remaining as you are, just dedicate a few moments during the day to offer prayers to God. O Lord Siva, allow us to get merged in you.
Now he introduces the concept of the huge topic of Maya/illusion that throws us into a dungeon of darkness. Adi Sankara has composed a hymn of 5 verses called Maya Panchaka that explains how illusion overpowers us.
What we know and believe is impossible, illusion makes possible. Mother Goddess is praised as Maha Maya. Do not try to understand it. Simply overcome it. There is a curtain before the stage. Those who are in the audience are in suspense as to what is behind the curtain. Those who are on the other side of the curtain know what and who is there. Whether Sri Swamiji has arrived or not is known to the people behind the curtain.
Our illusion has to be removed.
Verse 8:
Yathā buddhi sshuktou rajatham iti kāchaśmani maṇir
Jale paiśte ksheeram bhavathi mrigathrishnasu salilam
Thatha deva-brānthyā bhajati bhavad anyam jada jano
Mahā deveśam twām manasi ca na mathwa paśupathe
What is the origin of the word Maya – Reverse it and it becomes Ya Ma.
We cannot live without it. What mistakes we commit due to Maya are explained here. How to get the vision of Truth? An example is given here, an easy one to understand.
One was walking along the seashore. At a distance an oyster shell was seen. In the rays of the sun it appeared like silver. The man ran towards it thinking that he had found a treasure. Upon approaching it he found that it was just an empty oyster shell. There wasn’t a pearl inside it either. ‘Kacha’ in Sanskrit is the source for the word Gaju/glass. Pure crystal and glass are difficult to distinguish from one another. Diamonds have many look-alike substances. We get fooled that an object is a diamond. The jeweler examines it and says you may use it as a paper weight. It has no value. We fall into the illusion looking at things that they may be useful. Some chemicals are mixed together to give the appearance of milk. Even water is sold these days for profit. There is a Mafia for milk it is said. Even harmful chemicals are mixed which will not get digested. Cows are not given proper food. One cow could not withstand its hunger and ate from garbage dumps. Its stomach was bloated. Surgery was performed and several kilograms of plastic materials were found in its intestines. Dalda, hydrogenated vegetable oil is mixed with ghee to adulterate it. Bharata in the Ramayana takes a vow that he is ready to take on the sin of food adulteration if he had entertained any intention of sending Rama to the forest. Cows are in reduced numbers now because they are getting eaten up by some people. We are not protecting the precious cows. Some flour is mixed with substances to fool us that it is milk. It is like a mirage that appears like water. When we run to it and find that it has fooled us, we feel despair.
Someone has said something and based on those words we begin some new rituals and austerities. Blindly we imitate others. These fallacies were true then as they are now.
Spirituality teaches about rest and relaxation. Worldliness teaches about running the rat race.
An old woman had a pot with her. Before bathing in the river, she turned it upside down, covered it with sand to hide it, placed a flower on it, and went for a bath. Another person did likewise, thinking that this is a new ritual. A hundred other followed suit. The woman came back and was bewildered to find 100s of Siva Lingas (upside down pots buried in the sand) and could not find her pot.
One fellow kept looking up at the sky. Seeing him, a thousand other persons started looking at the sky endlessly without looking into the reason for the action. Finally nothing happened. When asked why he kept looking up for so long, the man said, the previous day he had thrown something up into the sky and was still waiting for it to drop down.
One, who lives in the desert like in Rajasthan and other places, knows how to recognize a mirage. Sadguru is such an experienced guide for us. He will lead us in the right path. If we follow Sadguru we will find the pure refreshing Truth. There are sand dunes in the desert. We would not know what is on the other side of it. Those who live in the desert know where the oases exist. The reason we do not follow the Master is also Maya.
We fall in the delusion that we are the body and we keep serving it. We are unaware and neglect the fact that we are the soul within. We perform rituals for selfish reasons, things that are not endorsed by the Scriptures. O Lord Siva, O Pasupati, please consider us as your cattle gone astray, and please take us under your control and protect us.
People think of many gods and begin worship without proper focus on the one God who alone exists. People have different tastes and are free to choose their form of worship. For catering to all preferences God has created so many forms and so many ways of worship. But one should choose one amongst them and adhere to it.
Bhajan: Jyotirlingakara .. (Kedareshwara)
A mother prepares food to suit the taste of each member of the family, adding less or more salt as required. There are different deities for this same reason. Many people blame the Vedas out of ignorance. It is best to leave such people alone. They are drowned in foolishness and are arrogant. We cannot convince such people. We know very little. The Vedas are the source of Creation itself.
Let others be in delusion. Let others worship numerous deities scattering their focus. We are taught here about how to develop one-pointed concentration. Those others are unable to realize you, O Lord. Please forgive them who are straying from the right path. Please tie us up in the cowshed and protect us.
Verse 9:
Gabhīre kāsāre viśati vijane ghora vapine,
Vishāle shaile ca brahmati kusumārtham jada mathih
Samarpaikam chetha sarasijam-umanātha bhavate,
Sukhena awasthātum jana iha na jānāti kimaho
What flowers should be offered in worship to the Lord, is explained here. In the dark, dense forest one is lost. He is searching and is exhausted. He finds a high mound. He searches there also. What is he searching for? He is searching for a rare and special flower with which to worship God. Is that wrong? He is called an ignorant person. Finally he has not found such a flower at all despite his feverish search. We can find a flower wherever we may be. What needs to be offered to God is the heart that is like a lotus.
Uma and Parvati are names for Mother Goddess. Stop Penance is the meaning of U Maa. The mother of Parvati tried to prevent her daughter from exhausting and troubling herself with severe penance. Parvati was very young when she began her penance for Lord Siva.
Are you really waiting for our flowers? The best flowers that we can offer you are our mind and heart. We can rest in peace by making this offering, instead of running here and there trying to find rare flowers. Why does man fall into such delusion?
If with devotion, the man had offered you his heart, you would have been pleased. When you offer a real flower, visualize that you are offering in the form of the flower your own heart. There may be flaws in the flower. But the heart has more flaws in it. In a few moments of concentrated devotion you can achieve a lot. With a match stick you can light the largest of fires. The spark created when you turn on the ignition in an automobile can take you to any long distance.
For a puja ritual to be performed, the first item on the list is flowers. In the end, if lots of flowers are left because the chanting ended too soon, you dump the whole basketful of flowers on God’s image. What are we achieving by this action? You do not take care of plants and trees. You carelessly destroy Nature. Only on the day of Ganesh festival we remember the significance of leaves. Till then we do nothing to grow or protect our greenery. All of a sudden global warming is blamed. We put blame on everything without understanding that we are also contributing to it. At least plant 5 special species of trees if you cannot donate those trees. Protect them till they grow to a certain height. Water them and fertilize them. In our rituals we are given alternatives. In place of fruits, flowers, and leaves we simply offer yellow rice as an easy way out.
A man wished to attain very great powers. His Guru told him: A mountain is there. On it, in a huge forest, there is a very rare flower. Three rivers flow down from there, of which one is invisible. Down below is a dense forest with all types of fauna and flora. In that forest get the flower with millions of petals that cannot be touched. Get that flower and offer it in worship and then you will gain those powers. The man asked: Does such a place exist? Yes. Search for it and you will find it. He did not ask for directions. He packed his luggage and searched the whole world and returned to complain that such a place is non-existent.
Guru said: It does exist. I visit that place daily. I will tell you how to reach it. Sahasrara is the mountain. The three Nadis that flow down from it as rivers are Ida, Pingala and Sushumna Nadis. One of them is invisible. Go down the flow. Underneath are the animals in the forest. Do you find the flower called mind there? Yes. Now offer that to God. Bhagavatpada is attempting to direct us towards this flower that cannot be touched by the hand. It is a very deep place, this mind. It is deeper than any forest. It is inside, not outside. It is filled with darkness. You do not find any path to reach it.
One has lost the way. The thieves have blindfolded him and thrown him in a forest. When he cries for help, a hill is pointed at as a landmark and he is told to go in that direction.
In the vast lake or the vast forest or on the magnificent mountain also the misinformed traveler had searched. Had he asked Guru for guidance and directions, he would have achieved his purpose.
The way we gobble up soft jasmine-like idlis in haste, he hurried off on his venture. Do not make that mistake.
Offer the flower carefully to God. There is Lakshmi Vana, a secret garden in the Himalayas where the rarest flowers are seen. Even the Pandavas could not enter it. Yudhishthira went for a short distance on his way to Heaven. If you walk under a waterfall also you do not get wet there, it is said.
When a fragrant flower is held in the hand, the scent remains for three days. We purchase flower garlands mechanically to offer to Guru expecting a huge return. It is all very materialistic. We become automatons. The words used by Adi Sankara are simple and emphatic. They make an impression in our hearts.
Sailavati, Hemavati are names for Mother Goddess. Umanatha is Lord Siva, who was obtained as husband by Parvati after her severe penance. When mind is surrendered to God, all sorrows vanish.
We cannot explain the source or the nature of Maya. What causes illusion? What does God gain by creating this delusion? There are no answers to these questions. One who insists on getting answers is considered insane. Why does light emerge at sunrise? Why? No answers, says Bhagavadpata.
Bhajan: Sundara Sundara Siva Siva …
Siva is most beautiful. He is an ocean of compassion. He is our friend through innumerable lifetimes. He is Sachchidananda.
We will continue tomorrow.
Sri Swamiji is going to install a statue of Sri Jayalakshmi Mata in the Annapurna Mandiram. It has been beautifully sculpted in Rajasthan. Devotees have the opportunity to participate in this Seva. Please contact the Ashrama office if you wish to do so.
Sri Guru Datta