Discourse on Yoga Vasishtha
Day 85, December 27
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.
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
Om santissantissantihi
Vasishtha is explaining about what people refer to as Luck or Fortune. He defines that our effort itself takes the form of luck or fortune. There is nothing else that is luck that occurs randomly without any cause. All that happens is only as a result of our own effort. Therefore, it is most important to put in deliberate effort.
Determined effort is forceful enough to earn even liberation. Good fortune and bad fortune are referred to but actually scriptures only use the term fortune. But even that is only a result of our own action. Uncooked rice becomes cooked rice. Rice alone becomes edible rice when it gets cooked. Similarly, action gives result. Without action, no result occurs. The result is referred to as fortune. Fortune is only the result of action performed.
Therefore, perform good deeds. When good action is performed, good results occur. Scriptures say that fortune can be either good or bad based on actions performed that are good or bad.
Luck may be of two kinds, good luck or bad luck. A man may come to us to repay a debt he owed to our grandfather.
We also said that the grandson who claims the past debt may be the reincarnated grandfather himself, receiving the money owed to him in a past life.
There are two ways of perceiving the world and relationship, the worldly way and the spiritual way. The worldly truths must be acknowledged and followed in worldly affairs e.g. By your eating a meal, another’s stomach does not get filled.
Explaining the karma theory, and the definition of the non-existent luck, many examples are given. Luck’s existence cannot be proven by any means, by comparison or theory.
Anumana is not doubt. Does one jump into fire assuming that it will not burn them?
daivame ..
Suppose it is accepted that there is only luck that rules the world, then what happens? What is the difficulty faced by that assumption? It is so wrong to think that luck is the driving force in my life. If Luck is all powerful, then, do not bathe, do not treat your diseases, why not allow luck to make you do all these things? Do not give charity, let luck do it for you. Will it do it for you?
Sukhasana is sitting on the ground cross-legged. It gives good health and is comfortable, unless there is a back problem or a knee problem. Asana siddhi is being able to sit for a length of time in a comfortable seated posture. It is used for doing japa, singing bhajans, for study of scriptures, for meditation. Why not allow luck to make you do these things for you? It does not work like that. You have to do these actions yourself. No one leaves everything to luck. Once in a rare while, luck may come looking for you. But it should not be depended upon.
A student does not study. He oversleeps. The parents wake him up and remind him of his exam. He rushes and prays to Sadguru to give him strength to write the exam. He then remembers Lord Hanuman. Sometimes, Sadguru will help, if you have earned enough merit to deserve His help at that instant. Sadguru never forgets your past effort.
We eat less and throw good food into the dust bin. When some random creature consumes that food, you earn the merit for it. You incur the sin for wasting food. It will be greater than the merit you earn by the food eaten by the germs or stray animals.
God had so arranged that what you throw into water also is consumed by fish or aquatic creatures.
When a devotee from Akiveedu donates rice bags, Swamiji accepts them so gladly by worshiping them by breaking a coconut. Because food is so sacred. He gives great value to food. You derive 1% merit for feeding germs. But you gain 99% sin for wasting food. Earn while you can and put your earnings to good use. You must understand the subtleties of Dharma.
Wasting is adharma. Dharma has many subtle points. You must understand them. Like a huge boulder, the karma keeps following us. This boulder must not gather sin, but gather our merit and grow larger and larger.
Why does a certain person deserve grace, we wonder. We do not know his past lifetimes the way Sadguru understands them. He knows and grants the rewards as we deserve them. Keep doing good deeds. Never say that you have no troubles now and ask why you should do charitable deeds when you are not in any difficulties? Begin saving relentlessly. A small quantity saved every minute will increase and collect to a huge mountain of merit. Saving continuously is important.
Keeping money at home will not earn you interest. It is only when you place it in a bank that you will earn interest and your capital will grow. Small favors rendered continuously will all add up.
You may give one rupee to a beggar. But God may treat that small favor as a huge merit, based on the circumstance. You will then receive a great reward, sufficient to last a lifetime. You may not expect such a great result. You will then call it luck. But it is not really luck. It is certainly the reward for your own effort. Just as bank interest rates may change unexpectedly, the rewards we receive for our actions are also variable. However, no such thing exists as luck. Our Japa, penance, and charity are all our deliberate efforts which earn us merit.
verse
There would be no benefit of Sadguru and no benefit from spiritual teachings if everything were ruled by luck. If luck is supreme, then the world will collapse. We unnecessarily misuse the false concept of luck. Gurus teach and disciples gain by the teaching because of sadhana.
verse
The state of complete inaction is seen only in a dead body. There is no movement in a corpse. All creatures are constantly engaged in actions. Lord Datta did penance, living like a python.
A python may appear as if it is lying idle or sleeping. But Lord Dattatreya, remaining idle like a python, is engaged in Samadhi, even stopping to breathe. During kumbhaka, the life energy is held still. Some can remain without breathing for up to 41 minutes maximum. This is possible for a man in Kali Yuga who has done very great yogic penance. Within 41 minutes, medical treatment should reach the person for him to survive. The inner life energy will be at work for so long.
Some Mahatmas can remain like that for years without breathing. The breath is suspended. The Life Energy remains active within. There will be no heartbeat also. But the body will remain radiant. Maha Yogis attain this state with the greatest penance. It will take a long time for people to even understand this concept. Only those who are familiar with this process or are well-versed in science can understand this concept. Maha Yogis can do that. A corpse remains still engaging in no action whatsoever.
Lord Krishna said: Every single second, some action is taking place, either physically or mentally in every single living creature. Except Maha Yogis and corpses none else can remain totally still. The moment Karma stops in a dead body, we carry it away. The name of the person also is not referred to. People simply say: Take this body away. In this world, when we are alive, our actions bring us the fruits that we experience. Therefore, give up your obsession with the idea of luck. Such a thing does not exist. It is wrong to place your faith in it. Sadguru, God, give you good results when you place your faith in them.
But luck has no form, no entity, no existence. We have a form. We cannot communicate with those who have no form. People will think that we are mad if we keep talking to a formless entity. Luck is not to be believed in. It is dangerous and harmful to place faith in luck.
Karma and luck do not coexist also. A rare talent may allow a person who can write with both hands. But normal persons cannot do it. What makes us write, is our resolve. It is not luck that makes us write.
verse
Mind and intellect are recognizable. We can feel the activities going on in the mind and the intellect. Luck’s activities are unseen. No one can predict the actions of luck.
A politician who boasts that luck will make him win has surely lobbied secretly to win in the election.
No one in this world knows the nature of luck. Not even an illiterate person will place his faith in luck. A great scholar also will deny the existence of luck. No one has had a direct experience with luck. Effort is important. Sadhana is important to receive good results.
verse
Here, we use the intellect to do karma properly, with deliberate intent, based on the advice given by elders who are our well wishers and have the personal experience to back their wisdom.
Karma and luck can be taken as identical. Karma alone acts as luck on rare occasion. Karma, intellect and luck are all one and the same. It is only when you treat them as separate entities that trouble brews.
How to explain when two people are putting in an equal amount of work, but receive different results? Two students have studied for the same number of hours, sitting in the same room, on the same sofa. Both studied in the same manner. Both used the same brand pen. Why did they obtain different results? One grasped the subject better than the other.
Are we studying or are we learning? Are we understanding what we chant or read? We all chant and recite. But only a few know the meaning and feel the meaning. The energy of the sound and the mantra give a benefit no doubt. But those who understand the meaning gain a better benefit. We should stop believing in imaginary luck.
naa moorta ..
Just as we cannot grab the sky, we cannot grasp luck. The sky has no form. It has no body. It may appear blue now. As you approach the sun it will turn bright white. Away from the sun, it will appear dark and black. No one has ever bagged a piece of the sky. Similarly, luck also cannot be bagged.
verse
If luck is making us do things, then, what should people of this world do? All can simply go to sleep. But it does not work like that. We have to do our work, regardless. It is like an atheist expressing gratitude to God at the end of the program for making it a success. If God should appear before us suddenly, we will not even remember to offer prostrations. We are not going to be alert like Prahlada.
verse
Sometimes we do say, it is all a matter of luck that this has happened like this. Usually for consoling others or ourselves, we place the burden on luck. that is the only purpose served by luck. It is temporarily useful for giving solace to one who is grieving.
verse
Some ignorant persons have fabricated this concept called Luck. Those who place their faith in luck will go mad or insane on occasion. It happens in this world. Knowledgeable persons, devout persons, and those who follow Guru believe in their own effort and they reach the highest, eternal state of the Almighty. They reach their permanent home. There is no higher state than that. It is a place from which one does not return.
Suppose you are living on a rental property, you are always anxious about the rent getting raised. You wonder whether the contract has to be renewed. Even an own home is not permanent. It will require periodical maintenance such as painting and repairs. Suppose you live at another’s house as a guest. Initially you will receive good treatment. But as days go by, the honored treatment that you receive will dwindle. Where you initially received full course meals, you will begin to receive, in course of time, only meager meals with fewer dishes. The final day, the host will ask you to leave. You become unwelcome. Such is the way of the world. But in the highest state, the situation is different.
God merges us into Himself, in that home in Vaikuntha. There is no question of getting evicted from there or being mistreated. Such a place is called Parandhama or Vaikuntha Dhama. It is a divine location from which one does not return to the cycle of rebirths. In a ferris wheel/giant wheel, we keep rotating with the wheel, going up and coming down again. But to reach a permanent place of exaltation from which there is no coming down or going round in circles should be our aim in life. Such an eternal state will be granted to us by Paramatma/the Supreme Soul. To obtain that, we must do sadhana. We must fulfill the purpose of our lives.
verse
Such is the fruit that will be obtained by doing determined sadhana. Vasishtha informs us of that. More wondrous things are mentioned in this sarga.
Thereafter Sri Rama questioned Vasishtha. All those doubts expressed by Sri Rama will be disclosed to us. We are ignorant about even asking the right questions. Since Rama is an ideal disciple, He asked the right questions which fetched the right answers. As required, Vasishtha, instructed to clear all of Rama’s doubts. This is like a big battle of wits. A series of questions are raised by Rama. Vasishtha systematically gave answers. We will study them next.
Jaya Guru Datta
Sri Guru Datta
Om Santissantissantihi