Discourse on Yoga Vasishtha
Day 58, October 6
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 amrtam gamaya
Om Santissantissantihi
Please lead me from untruth to Truth, from darkness to light, from death to immortality. May there be peace.
Guru Dhyanam: Gurur Brahmaa, Sri Bhooyuta.. , Ajnana .. Akhanda, Dehe …, Akhandam ..
Yoga Vasishtha Dhyana Slokas:
yatassarvāṇi bhūtāni pratibhānti sthitāni ca
yatraivōpaśamaṁ yānti tasmai satyātmanē namaḥ || 1
jñātā jñānaṁ tathā jñēyaṁ draṣṭādarśana dr̥śyabhūḥ
kartā hētuḥ kriyā yasmāt tasmai jñaptyātmanē namaḥ || 2
sphuranti sīkarā yasmāt ānanandasyāṁbarē vanau
sarvēṣām jīvanam tasmai brahmānandātmanē namaḥ || 3
Brahmanandam, Sri Vasishtham Namami, Ramaya, Aapadaamapahartaaram, Om Purnamadah,
Om Santissantissantihi
Yesterday we discussed the 27th sarga. Nissreyasa means Moksha. Whatever prevents liberation; all those things are mentioned by Sri Rama. The entire world has to be deleted to experience Moksha. All feelings, thoughts, and everything in the world – all have to be removed. All these are appearing due to illusion.
Viparyaasam – there is an object. If you see the wire as a wire there is no problem. But if you see it as a snake, it causes you a problem. You cannot approach it. Things appear as they are not. They keep changing their appearance. Even people’s moods and behavior change. There is no balance of enduring quality. Sadguru is always balanced. He transcends the world. We must seek his friendship and we must worship him.
We cannot place our trust in this world. We must increase our yearning to learn about the Paramatma/the Supreme Soul. The wise know that this world is dream-like. The ignorant treat it as if it is permanent and is pleasurable.
Yacchetam ..
Sadguru is addressed as Brahman; Vasishtha and Viswamitra are addressed as such.
In this world there are many things which we have seen, and many which we have not seen. We cannot see everything that is in this world. If we gather everything in one place, we see that there are two types; those that move and those which do not move. Trees and pillars do not move. The creatures move. All are transient. They are impermanent. We assume that something will last and therefore, we put in an effort. We know that a house has a limited lifespan. Yet, we make a resolve that it should endure as long as the sun and moon endure. We have to keep maintaining the property, yet, in course of time it will get dilapidated.
We consider that if something lasts as long as we live or our children live, that is sufficient. This is not the philosophical view. These are like buildings that appear in a dream. In a dream if you see a friend falling from a height, you try to protect him. You even swing your arm. Others who are near you can see your action. Or, if an enemy is attacking you in a dream, you try to kick him by moving your leg. The body may even move, while one is dreaming of unreal things.
We cannot hold on to things that appear in our dreams. We associate with such things of this world which are as transient as things seen in a dream, says Sri Rama.
The changes that occur in the world are sometimes terrible. Someone took a video of the Tsunami. It strikes fear in us and also gives us a real glimpse of how powerful nature is. Huge trucks are washed away like matchboxes. Huge buildings are simply washed away. Sri Rama says unimaginable things happen in this world. Oceans dry up. Houses are built on dried up river beds out of confidence that the river will never rise again and flow. In Rayasaleema, on Penna Riverbed you see such things.
What you see today as a dried up river, tomorrow when dark clouds gather and there is torrential rain, is seen flooded and fearsome. Such strange events occur in this world, says Sri Rama. Overnight drastic changes occur in this world.
Yo vana..
This entire earth is filled with jungles. Suddenly, a forest fire that begins with a small friction between two branches of trees that emits a spark will reduce to ashes the entire forest.
A tiny spark can destroy an entire forest. The forest that obstructs even the sight of the sky gets flattened overnight.
Many ornaments are placed on the body and silken robes are placed on it. But life is very impermanent. A man was talking and active till just now. Suddenly the person dies. He is at once stripped of his clothes and prepared for cremation or burial in a ditch. That is how impermanent is this body. Why hanker after this fleeting body? Why place trust in this body? Sri Rama is expressing himself to his gurus.
In a city, a Metropolis, people of all cultures and traditions gather. Ayodhya got transformed when Rama left it. All the people left and gathered in the forest. When Rama left Ayodhya, the city became like a forest. Rama says that a city turns to a jungle and a jungle turns to a city. Everything is changing all the time. When Sri Rama left on his exile, Vasishtha and other great souls felt that such will be the consequence. They even cursed Kaikeyi that she alone will remain in the city. It will become like a dreaded forest. Many kingdoms have been reduced to jungles. This world is very unpredictable.
Sri Rama now addresses his father. Such words should not be spoken to gurus. It would be disrespectful. Father, King Dasaratha is sitting there. Raja, O King, addresses Sri Rama. He is stating the facts very boldly. The king who is a great emperor today will become a heap of ashes tomorrow. Tomorrow you may cry perhaps when Viswamitra takes me away. He is perhaps cautioning him. Kings are supposed to have an aspect of Vishnu in them. Yet, they too are mortal and will perish. That is the defect in this creation. Nothing lasts.
Forests or even a collection of forests may get transformed within days into huge cities. Lush forests turn to dry deserts.
We must change our perspective about this world.
Now there are no tigers or lions. From 70K to 3,700 tigers – the population is reduced. We must grow trees in our yards. We must donate at least fiver species of trees. If we abuse nature, we will suffer. If our cell phones and computers are there, that is enough, is a wrong attitude.
This site belongs to me, one says, and plants a flag. Forests were assigned for the use of animals, by god. We occupy them and destroy the animals. 60 lakhs of trees were felled in the Himalayan region. That is why the landslides have occurred and caused a major calamity in Kedarnath. Such a misfortune has occurred. Gurus give advice. People and the government have to pay heed. Now in the name of development, we are destroying all the forests.
Yalata ..
In the forest, the birds, animals, and trees are so beautiful. Overnight the forest turns to a desert. If it is a natural occurrence, nothing can be done. But man, out of negligence or selfish arrogance should not cause it.
Viparyaasa – the word is used by Sri Rama.
A huge body of water is turned into solid ground. This strange transformation is occurring on earth. The whole earth is trees, fuel, water, blades of grass, and all is getting changed. Like waves, things come and go. A huge wave may approach. But does it last? No. It at once recedes. Even in our lives, the stages of life come and go.
Childhood and youth go in cycles as we go through different births. All these stages are impermanent. In a Ferris Wheel/Giant wheel, the boxes keep rotating. They do not stay still. The feeling of childhood goes, then comes youth, and then old age comes. This is a wheel, a merry-go-round, this cycle of life. Our feelings based on each stage of life keep changing. We cannot hold onto any one stage of life. Sri Rama is emphasizing this point.
Vatanta
A small lamp with a small wick and with a small amount of oil is kept in a breezy location. Will it stay lit? No. You cannot challenge God to keep it lit. In this world, this life is such. Guru is Light. Sishya/disciple is Deepaka/small lamp. In Guru Gita it says that Guru lights the small lamp of disciples. The Light of Consciousness of Guru lights up the consciousness of the disciple. The sun does not need a flashlight to be shown. He lights up the world.
All things of the world are like lightning. It is very transient. Lightning occurs when the clouds collide. It is enough to hold on to this thought that this life is fleeting like lightning.
We must make hay while the sun shines. Only while the life force exists, this life should be utilized to reach the highest state of divinity.
Paramatma takes all the grains and seeds and places them into the stone grinder. Whatever grain you add to it, the output is flour. The Grinder turns and produces the flour.
All the living creatures or objects of the world go through this process by the power of Death. This is called Viparyaasam.
Now Sri Rama speaks of a dancer in 4 verses. We will learn that tomorrow. The dancer of creation sports with this world.
What was once a forest area here has turned into Vaikuntha due to Swamiji’s vison into the future. We must develop a proper vision and farsightedness about this world and this life. We must develop Sri Rama’s philosophical view of life.
Om Santissantissantihi
Sri Guru Datta