Discourse on Yoga Vasishtha
Day 24, August 8
Jaya Guru Datta
Sri Ganesaya Namaha
Sri Saraswatyai Namaha
Sripada Vallabha
Narasimha Saraswati
Sri Guru Dattatreyaya Namaha
Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Sadgurubhyo Namaha
Blessings of Sadguru and Sri Jayalakshmi Mata to everyone on Sri Varalakshmi Vratam day. Today is the Sravana Sukravaram before the full moon.
15th sarga –on this auspicious day we will discard our ego by the grace of Mother Varalakshmi.
We defined Jugupsa/disgust about ego. That is disgust when you wish that you had not seen an object or a scene, whatever you wish to hide or conceal from view.
Ego is disgusting to Rama.
Many modern people ask how to live without ego?
Life will be happy without ego.
Anger and high blood pressure result because of ego. Ego leads only to sorrow.
There are spiritual disappointments when Guru’s grace is denied to us. That is caused by ego. He, who wishes to climb the spiritual ladder, must practice steadily in giving up the ego.
Do you have the energy? Then in fever why do you ask others to bring you water? We fall into delusion and take credit for our actions.
Ahamkara is ego. What is the source of Aham? Creation began with Nada/sound. God who was one, decided to become many. A sound emerged from his inhalation and exhalation. From OM syllable, all languages, Vedas, all knowledge, and Creation emerged. Big Bang theory also says the same thing. Bang is sound. Aham denotes God. A ha consists of all 52 letters of the alphabet. A to ha in the Sanskrit alphabet. Ksha is added later. Entire creation is inside that. Just because you claim this property as yours, will it become yours? You have simply put a sign saying that it is yours. Everything belongs to God. It is not just His; It is all He. In worldly affairs, you cannot refuse to sign your name, saying that you have given up ego. Worldly truth is different from spiritual truth. These people are mine; they are associated with this body. These people who wear Datta vastram belong to the Datta family. Such statements are necessary in worldly life.
I put my signature. But the energy and ability to earn and give came by the grace of Guru. You acknowledge that and then proceed with your activities. Many people claim that the industry belongs to Swamiji and they are only managing the factory on his behalf. Such devotees are very happy.
A man gave away an amount in charity. Swamiji asked how did you take the liberty of giving away my money? This man gave thinking that he gave for a good purpose. But the recipient misused the funds for drinking. The man realized his mistake.
Giving up ego will get us out of trouble. It will give divine qualities. Ego blocks the view of Dharma. One must feel disgust about ego each time it shows its face. Repeatedly remind yourself to guard yourself against it.
A man wanted to kill his wife thinking that she had betrayed his trust. He went to a lecture and heard that God gives gives gives and forgives. Man gets gets gets and forgets.
Namassahamaanaaya – God endures our mistakes endlessly.
The man then changed his password to: forgiveher. That reminded him daily to forgive his wife. With practice anything can be achieved. Lord Krishna told us that. He is the world’s best manager. After a month the man had no anger left in his heart. He asked his wife, whom he was going to divorce, to come back and live with him.
A man used the password: quitsmoking. It helped him to finally quit smoking.
Repetition is very important until the concept sticks in the mind. Only when a mantra gets fixed in the mind, the deity will give darshan.
Veda mantra is: All these mistakes and sins were committed not by me, but by my anger. My anger did it, not I. My anger is making me do this. I offer this anger to you, O Lord. You please consume this anger.
Or, my desire has done this; my passion has done this, not I. You replace the word anger with greed. You surrender your greed to God. Kamakameswara is Paramatma. My lust and rage are responsible for my sins. Please remove them from me.
In English there is a remedy. I vs. We. Because of I, the eye stops functioning. If you replace the I with We, Illness becomes Wellness.
All the laborers worked and the work got done. The owner, drinking tea in his office, claims that he has done the work. In your mind you cannot think that. If you disregard their effort, and insult them it is a sin. Like a laborer, God is doing all the work for us. It is wrong for us to take credit.
The negative aspects of ego we have discussed. Divine feelings leave us and demonic traits increase because of ego. We miss obtaining the grace of Guru/God. We must defeat ego. This is a huge tree. We need to cut it down. ‘I’ stands tall like a tree. We cause our own illness due to ego. Eye is okay but I is dangerous.
Mudhaiva – is ignorance.
We claim that we have done this and put our name there. We say we built a house. Who actually built the house? Others poured concrete, placed the bricks and the ceiling. God has created this world and he has pervaded all. We forget Guru and claim that we are doing things because of the inner enemy, ego, who has invaded us to destroy us. Arrogance, conceit, and boastfulness are bad.
Slight selfishness is unavoidable for many. But excessive selfishness should be feared. It should be chased out of the mind like an enemy. Each person must give it deep thought.
Rama is frightened of durahankaara – the enemy called extreme arrogance. Mahavira is the name of Rama. That name was later used in Jain religion. Rama has the capacity to fight wars at all three times.
Ahankara will throw us into the deepest pit.
Deenadeena … are the ignorant. We become lords of difficulties because of ego. Rama is speaking entirely about himself. He is not speaking of the world. He keeps enumerating all his faults and his illnesses of the mind. Ego is the greatest disease that causes the most horrible problems. If one cannot conquer the ego, he is finished. All that we do is due to ego. We do undesirable things due to ego. How to get rid of this ego? I wish to live without ego. That is why I do not like to eat because every time I eat, I get the feeling that ‘I’ am eating.
In Guru Gita there is a verse, Madaahankaaragarvena ..
Mada means arrogance shown towards Guru and parents. Blaming them like an intoxicated elephant that does not see anything in its way. Garva is pride in worldly accomplishments. Those who harbor these will waste their scholarship and strength. Duryodhana, Dhritarashtra, and Karna had great power of penance but they plummeted into hell because of their arrogance and ego.
Rama says, thathaahankara doshena …
Samsara means birth and death, not spouse and children.
Samsara is a long night.
In some places the sun does not set until very late. We have to close the curtains and sleep. The sun rises very early. The day is very long then.
Samsara drowns the mind in illusion. Ego is already dark. We sit deep inside a building with all windows closed. It is pitch dark inside. The way a hunter catches birds using a net, this ego captures us to destroy us.
Khadira trees in forests ..do likewise.
I am getting rid of this ego. I have no good opinion about it. Sama and Dama we study in yoga. Self-restraint is destroyed by ego the way Rahu eclipses the Moon. To earn virtuous qualities is most difficult. Only Guru’s grace makes it possible. They cannot be purchased in a market. Equanimity is destroyed when ego takes over. How to get rid of this ego?
After deep analysis, Rama says, I am not Rama. Even to introduce himself as Rama is distasteful to him. Do not call me Rama. I am Paramatma. I have no desires. One has to go to that extent to expel the ego. I desire to merely sit in peace and calm. I do not want anyone to call me. Where should I sit? I wish to sit inside myself like the Jinas – Jain religion came from jina. The word appears in the Bhagavatam. Jina/jita is one who has conquered his ego.
Buddha is different from Gautama Buddha. Buddha is the enlightened one. Like that I wish to be. Buddha spoke against the Veda. Jayadeva, the poet in enumerating the ten avataras of Vishnu, mentions Buddha who spoke disparagingly of the Vedas and Vedic rituals. Why did Vishnu take such an incarnation? The demons learned to perform Yajnas. By the power earned by thus, they were tormenting others. That is why within the earshot of the demons this Buddha spoke bad things about the Vedas. The demons believed his words without using any discretion. We are like that. We believe whatever we hear without using proper judgment. The demons stopped doing Vedic rituals. It was then easy to defeat them.
Jina – the commentators say, whoever blames the Vedas is called an atheist. Even if they are such, one must take the good qualities in them. Buddha might have spoken against the Vedas, but he was at peace with himself.
What charity I have done, what rituals I did, they were all done with ego. They will not come to my aid. Harihi Om Tatsat – Only when all actions are surrendered to God, only then actions give benefit.
It is difficult to stop the flow of this discourse. But it is Friday. We have to go for the abhishekam of Sri Datta Venkateswara and have the darshan of Sri Swamiji. The Varalakshmi Puja will be performed here in the Prayer Hall, following that.
Om Santissantissantihi.
Sri Guru Datta