Discourse on Yoga Vasishtha
July 28, 2017
We are learning the story of Karkati. What is the purpose of learning this story? In worldly affairs, we must use worldly wisdom. In spiritual matters, we must apply spiritual wisdom.
One should not go to a temple and spend time talking on the phone. That should be done outside. One’s behavior must suit the location and the circumstance. The two cannot be mixed. A thin line separates the two. Whether it is the gross body or the subtle body of ours, both are only fabrications of the mind.
Karkati had a mountainous body and an appetite to fit her size. Once, she felt like eating up all the creatures living on the entire continent all at once. But, there were some residents on the continent, who are pious, who have the power of penance, and the power of Guru’s grace. It will not be possible to gobble them up as she wished. Therefore, she decided to perform penance equal to theirs, so that she will attain the power to eat them up. She performed a very severe penance. She earned the grace of Brahma, who offered her a boon.
Penance is such, that regardless of who performs it, its power will draw the gods to them. But, based on their culture and wisdom, the boons they ask for, will vary. Those with a divine tendency will ask for boons suited to their tendency. Those with demonic traits will ask for boons suited to their nature. Since Karkati was a demon, she asked for a boon suited to her nature. She desired to obtain two forms, one as a small iron needle, and another invisible form, as a thin living needle that can penetrate living bodies to suck out their blood and vigor in the form of disease.
Had she had some sense, she could have asked Brahma to make her free from hunger. But it did not occur to her, although it was due to hunger that she began her penance. She did not have the forethought that if all at one time she consumed everyone, for her next meal, there would be no food left for her to consume. She would still get hungry again. Her brain did not work.
Penance must always be performed with the guidance, permission, and blessing of Guru. Guru will decide whether the wish with which one intends to do penance is worthy or not. A mantra should not be utilized as one wishes, carelessly. It should only be used to earn Guru’s grace. Karkati did not weigh the pros and cons before embarking on the penance. She also did not employ any wisdom in choosing her boons.
The big black body of the demon turned into a small iron needle as per her wish. Black should not always be associated with something bad. For instance, a person’s nature should not be judged by the color of the skin. Here, dark is associated with ignorance. The demon, who was huge as a mountain, first became like a huge dark cloud, then a huge tree, then the size of a human, then the size of a hand, then finger, and then a grain; thus she shrank in size gradually.
These days people artificially reduce their size by surgery. One day they are big and bulky, and the next time you see them, they are skinny.
Karkati did not go through any such surgery. It is all by the power of the mind, that in the beginning she had a form big as a mountain, and after receiving the boon from Brahma, she became small as a needle.
This is not a different lifetime for her. During the same lifetime, her form and size drastically changed in this manner.
The intent of the story will be revealed later. This is a true story. There are instances of such occurrences in this Kali Yuga also. She turned into a sturdy needle used to sew together jute fabrics, and eventually she became as fine a needle as one that is used to sew the finest of silks. A very sharp needle.
If we imagine a mountain, we can feel its presence in our minds. When we dream of a mountain, does a solid mountain come and sit inside us? No. It is impossible. It is only imaginary. Mind can accommodate objects of any size, even a mountain. Children imagine forms in darkness and become afraid. Adults have outgrown that fear and assure the children that there is nothing there in the darkness.
Like the extremely fine thread inside a lotus stalk, the demon became beautiful. The gross body itself changed, because of her strong mental imagination. The previous huge form vanished gradually. Where did it go? Because to begin with, it was an imaginary form, it could vanish. It was not real to start with.
The iron needle is lifeless.
But the demon has another very subtle, invisible form that could pierce the bodies of creatures to suck out blood, and to infect them with diseases.
A mosquito is tiny when it comes to bite us. If you allow it to bite, and observe it, after sucking our blood, it becomes fat and flies away, much bigger in size. Do not allow mosquitoes here to bite you, because they are carrying dangerous diseases these days. Protect yourselves from mosquito bites. Sometimes the mosquitoes drink so much blood, that they cannot even fly away. Even if you blow on it, it will not move, because it cannot. Mosquitoes are visible, but bacteria are not.
Purusha is the living being. It has nothing to do with gender. Each body is like a city. It can be either a blessing or a curse, depending on how you use it. If one receives prasadam and throws it in the dust bin, it becomes a curse. If you eat it devoutly, it is a blessing.
Puryashtaka is the living body consisting of eight components, the limbs, senses, five vital airs, five elements, inner mental equipment, ignorance, desire, and action. These reside in all bodies. This invisible needle is traveling in the sky and entering bodies. This is her imaginary body, containing no metal substance.
She never had a mountainous body to start with. She now does not have a subtle needle-body either. Both are imaginary and make-believe. Our bodies are also acquired like that. To teach us that concept, this story is being told.
In spirituality, the lesson to learn is that we are not the body. We are the light of consciousness. We imagine the bodies to be real, and forget our true nature. The mind deludes us. We identify ourselves with the body, and imagine the body to be real. It is not real. It is only a fabrication of our mind. We interact in the world with the bodies we have assumed upon ourselves. We have forgotten our true state. All the things of Creation are only illusory. That is what spirituality teaches.
A mountain cannot just vanish if it were real to start with. Since it was only illusory to begin with, it vanished. Just like the objects in our dreams.
The needles are only imaginary here. Despite any number of curses or boons, no substance can ever be changed. How did the big body of the demon vanish then? It is only by her imagination.
When the light of the sun fell on her body, she sparkled. The needle has a mind now. A normal needle has no mind. It will not respond to our call. But this needle has a mind. It sparkles like a gem. When light does not shine upon it, the needle looks like a wisp of dark cloud flying in the breeze. It is there and yet is not clearly visible. Its eyes glow like stars.
What is need and what is want? Even children must be taught to distinguish, and curb their desires. The demon was foolish and asked for a foolish boon. After all her great penance, she reduced her size from that of a mountain to a tiny needle.
There are people who climb a holy hill up to the last step, and turn around and return without having darshan of Mother Goddess Chamundi on the hill. When you go up the hill, at lease offer a prostration to Mother Goddess.
Karkati regretted her decision. Now, as a needle, she had no mouth, but had hunger. She had no stomach, but had the desire to eat. Hunger stems from the mind. She suffered. From afar, her tiny form was not seen. From a distance, you cannot tell whether there are two lights or one, when a vehicle is approaching.
She is a needle, but for others, she still appeared like a mountain. She is glowing like a light because of the power of penance of thousands of years. Her form is fearful as if she were going to swallow the sky itself. She had the arrogance that she could do anything because of the power of penance. Penance must make one humble, not arrogant. She could not swallow the sky, because of her minute form. Sometimes we strain our eyes to see something very small. Her body is as small as hair fallen from a child who just took a bath.
Bisatantu taneeyasee – like a very minute thread found inside a lotus stalk. It is thinner than a fine thread.
Karkati knows that she now has the form of a needle.
Bouddhas have five skandas, one is Vijnana Skanda which is like mind that is invisible. Tarkikas, logicians speak of a stream of thought that is invisible. We believe that there is a witness within us, who says I slept. Who has experienced that you slept? Logicians do not accept the witness concept.
Nobody can see her. Blue as the sky and silent, she remained. The invisible living entity is attached to the needle form.
Everything is from consciousness. It has traits.
She still appears as if her intent is to harm everyone. She is invisible, but can scorch people. It is like an invisible insect that can bite and cause harm.
Without a body, how can she eat? Her foolishness reached a pinnacle. Her intelligence failed her when she asked the boon.
She pleased Brahma with her penance but gained nothing.
One must think before doing anything. Without discretion, she acted and destroyed herself. She only thought about gobbling people up. She asked for a tiny form as a needle. People who wish to commit suicide also are foolish like this. They add sin to their burden of all their unbearable troubles. Instead, they should have the courage to face the troubles and endure them.
She blamed herself for her idiocy. She did not weight the pros and cons. Her effort became worthless.
avichaarye
Some important things are explained here. Her time was wasted. Her darshan of Brahma got wasted. She did not think of the worthlessness of her form, obsessed with the thought of hurting others only. Such persons lose discretion. In selfishness, one loses sense, the way vapor can cloud a mirror. The mind becomes obsessed with the idea of possessing something and loses discrimination.
To get the tiny needle shape, she left her mountainous body. Being healthy is important, not being skinny. One must gradually lose weight, and not drastically and suddenly. Her transformation from the big body to the tiny form felt nice for her, because of her strong desire to torment others.
Although she was hungry before, her big body was more desirable for her. One must keep their natural state. People hope that when they commit suicide, they will get a better body, or a better future life. But they don’t. They lose at both ends and suffer endlessly.
Many youths these days, pour acid on a girl whom they loved, out of lust and infatuation. They intensely desire and lose sense. Direct that intense passion toward God, not on the spouse. Tulasidas crossed a river in spate, swimming across to reach his wife who was at her parents’ home. He held onto a python, thinking it was a rope, to climb up to an upstairs window to reach her bedroom. In Ashadha month, the husband is not supposed to be with the wife. Yet, his passion and lust drove him to that state. The wife told him to show an ounce of that passion as devotion toward God. He became transformed thereafter.
As if discarding a blade of grass, Karkati left her huge body. Man becomes crazy when overcome by desire. The only thought in Karkati’s mind was to consume everyone by tormenting them.
The wife noticed the python, but the man thought it was a rope. Had he noticed it, he would have dropped it and fallen from a great height.
Even destruction appears desirable when the mind becomes numb with desire.
Later, she realizes her loss.
Subhashitam is a word of wisdom. It is good to hear and good to follow the advice.
Food that satisfies hunger, and a word of wisdom are gems, more so than precious stones.
We will continue the story on Tuesday.
Tomorrow is Sri Narahari Teertha Swami Aradhana. Everyone please participate. Listen to Sri Swamiji’s Bhagavatam recording. It is taking place for 5 hours every day. Saturday in Sravana month is auspicious. Please visit the temple.
Sri Guru Datta.