Discourse on Yoga Vasishtha
Day 93, February 5
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
After many days, almost a month later we are resuming the discussion of Yoga Vasishtha. The Andhra tour is completed. Sri Swamiji has conducted the Hanuman Chalisa Parayana on a grand scale and has returned.
In the second section of Yoga Vasishtha called Mumukshu Vyavahara Prakarana, we have completed studying the topic of Jnana Avatarana in the 10th sarga. Now the nature and traits of one who gives answers, and the attitude of a proper questioner are going to be described by Sage Vasishtha. Vaktru Pricchaka Lakshana.
Many times when questions are solicited by a speaker from the audience, many people raise their hands. When the microphone is given to one of them, he begins to ask a serious question about the soul, to the elation of the speaker, and then his cell phone rings and he gets busy carrying on a conversation with his mother-in-law. Is the speaker expected to answer the question or not, in such a circumstance? Such is not the attitude of a questioner. He should have the eagerness and commitment to listen to the answer that is given in response to his question. He should not be satisfied with merely posing a question. Often, a speaker has no time to respond to questions from the listeners. The audience is excited about clearing their doubts, but if the speaker is in a hurry to leave, the listeners remain disappointed. This is not the proper attitude of a speaker. He should be patient to repeatedly explain until the matter is understood by the disciples. At least three times a subject has to be repeated and then if the listener still does not understand, he has to be told that he has to rise to a higher level of understanding.
Sri Rama, you have heard from me earlier how Jnana/spiritual knowledge first originated from Brahma. I was created by Him as a manifestation of spiritual knowledge. This is divine and secret knowledge. ‘Vasishthaha’ is one who keeps himself completely under control in body and mind. He is like Siva who grants all auspiciousness. He is complete and whole with nothing lacking in him.
Due to immense past merit earned by you, you are feeling this desire now to earn spiritual enlightenment. The knowledge that I am going to impart to you is the most sacred. It can only be conveyed by granting a personal experience. It is not transferred through any other means. Because you are completely free from sin, you are the most qualified disciple.
Every night before going to sleep, all sins should be washed away with prayer. One must wish well for the entire world, feeling the connection with everyone. Many people think that the foreign system of confession of sins is very appealing and that such a system does not exist for us. It is a complete misunderstanding. Our prayer, “Papoham …” acknowledges that we are born due to the committing of sin. We daily pray for forgiveness of our sins.
The enlightened retain the body on purpose by keeping only enough ignorance with them that is required to maintain the breath and the body. Once that ignorance is voluntarily given up, the body automatically falls off. This is a very subtle science. It is invisible to the eye. Only a miniscule amount of past karma is retained without expenditure, so that the body may be maintained.
If one continues to keep thinking good thoughts, then the bad thoughts will naturally recede. Anagha means without sin. Magha is the month which clears away our sins. That is why people take holy baths during the month of Magha. It does not mean that during the other eleven months there is no need for taking a bath. During this winter month, one makes a special sankalpa for getting rid of sins prior to taking a bath either in a river or an ocean. It is good to clean the surroundings and also offer worship to nature. This way, our nature also gets cleansed and improved. Early morning meditation and yoga practice are highly beneficial. One should generate perspiration during the winter months with yoga exercises. It is useless to perspire by standing in the direct hot sun in the summer to do exercises.
Rama, I am very happy to see your eagerness to obtain spiritual knowledge. You are absolutely free from sins.
It is useless if one performs good deeds alongside bad deeds also. To be free from sin, the mind should become such that it is never again drawn towards committing sin. Once all the sins get washed away by the deep study of Guru Gita, one must take precautions to see that the previous mindset with the tendency for committing sin, does not return. The daily chanting of Guru Gita, Sri Vishnu Sahasranama, and Kavacha Manjari are effective in destroying sins. They prevent the mind from yielding to the temptation to commit further sins.
Sri Rama felt a doubt and asked: How did Brahma with the four faces, get the inspiration to create knowledge after he completed the task of creating the world? He could have created Truth first and then the worlds. What spurred his interest for doing it this way?
This sarga is the response of Vasishtha to Sri Rama’s question.
Brahma emerged from the lotus in the navel of Lord Vishnu. The lotus stem is very long and Brahma’s emergence took a very long time to occur. Brahma went down the long stalk searching for answers, for what seemed to him like an eternity. Then he prayed and had the darshan of Vishnu. Puranas state this story. This is not a story about gods. This is our story. This story applies to each and every living being.
The reclining posture of Lord Vishnu, the lotus emerging from his navel, Lord Brahma appearing inside the lotus, and Brahma searching for his own source are all experiences shared by every living creature. We are all born from the mother’s womb. It is from the navel cord that we all receive our nourishment and life force prior to birth. It is common knowledge. The only difference is that Vishnu’s lotus in the navel is external. Ours in inside the mother’s womb. Because it is inside, we remain inside the mother’s womb for nine months and then we are born. Brahma, on the other hand, is born from the lotus that is outside. This lotus of Brahma is also inside the Hiranyagarbha, this great golden egg.
We are all searching for happiness. No one searches for grief or pain. The happiness we seek may be physical, mental, or spiritual. A baby deer will only seek its own mother. It will not seek a mother dog. The baby deer naturally finds its source of milk from its mother. Our natural state is bliss. Grief is unnatural. It comes to us and we must get rid of it. Instead of dwelling on thoughts of sorrow, we must dwell on thoughts of happiness. Engaging in good actions gives us bliss.
Vidya is Jnana, knowledge. The knowledge one acquires makes an imprint on the personality. When one receives such an imprint of knowledge from Guru, the future births will be great and will eventually lead to liberation.
Brahma, the moment he was born, questioned himself. Who am I? Where have I come from? What is the purpose of my existence? This search for answers is itself penance. One can do penance using a mantra. Brahma, using his own nature, as in previous Kalpas, began responding to his inner call for answers and started his search.
Like a wave in the ocean called the Parabrahman, Brahma was born. We are all the same. We are all mere waves in the ocean called Sadguru or the Paramatman. The mighty ocean has even some very small waves. Yet, even the tiniest of waves is still a part of the ocean itself. We must feel that we are a part of that whole. We must never feel that we are not connected to the rest of the world. Every one of us is a part of the Paramatman. There is no difference between us. There may be some large waves, some small waves, and some ripples. Sometimes the ripples join together to make a larger wave. As every drop in the ocean is a part of the ocean itself, everything that has consciousness in this world is a part of the Parabrahman.
Brahma felt the impetus to begin the task of Creation. He saw the past, the present, and the future. He saw that in the past there was ignorance, and there is ignorance in the present time. This ignorance is causing grief. As a mother feels the pain of her children, Brahma felt compassion towards the beings he had created, who were consumed by sorrow due to ignorance, and decided to create knowledge that will remove the grief-causing ignorance from them.
When someone is getting burnt, what is the point in creating more fire? One should search for water or sand that will put out the fire. Or, one must get a fire extinguisher. Seeing the worlds drowned in sorrow, Brahma created knowledge as its remedy.
verse
Brahma, as in previous Kalpas, is ever the personification of Knowledge. He felt that everyone in the world should be endowed with this divine knowledge. In the Treta Yuga, at the end of Krita Yuga, Brahma noticed that knowledge was dwindling amongst the people of the world. A sense of divisiveness pervaded the minds of men. The moment people built fences around themselves, troubles began. Men had the power to fly in those days, in the Krita Yuga. That is because of their broadmindedness. Brahma saw the agony suffered by mankind due to their self-centeredness born from ignorance, and wept. Compassion makes one share another’s sorrow. It melts one’s heart. Brahma felt compelled to prevent the future agony of humanity.
verse
Therefore Brahma created me, and sent me, and rishis like Sanaka and others to the earth/Bhooloka to spread spiritual knowledge among mankind and to remove the prevalence of ignorance, said Sage Vasishtha.
Sadguru’s incarnation is indicated here in a subtle manner. Sadguru gives guidance to us to fulfill our desires and at the same time to obtain spiritual knowledge. He gives spiritual instruction.
Narada spread devotion in the world, although Bhakti Sutras existed prior to Narada. On Guru Purnima, the presence of Sage Narada is also invoked and he is worshiped.
Vasishtha spread spiritual knowledge in the world. Sanaka and others spread dispassion in the world. These three are most important for any man. Man must become a true human being. It is only possible with bhakti/devotion. Devotion lights up the life of an individual.
All these sages when they descended to the earth, observed a complete lack, of devotion, knowledge and dispassion among humanity. Mankind was drowned in ignorance and selfishness. They felt very troubled at noticing this situation in the world. They then began teaching people to do good deeds. They composed works like smritis and so on, to show the path to mankind to progress spiritually.
People needed a ruler so that out of fear they would follow rules and adhere to a regulated path. Therefore, the system of kings and kingdoms was established. The intent was that the king would set the example for the people to follow.
For some time, this system functioned satisfactorily. However, with the turning of the wheel of time, things changed. It became difficult for all people of the world to follow the same ruler and the ways that he established. Hence, the world became divided into separate nations. This division created a narrow-minded attitude among the people. They were until then more broad-minded as one people of the one world. Now, each country wished to establish its own supremacy.
Parabrahman is the purest Supreme Entity. Brahma is also pure. The sages were also pure-minded. So were the kings. But when the world became divided into different countries or kingdoms, the notion of ‘I’ and ‘Mine’ raised its head and promoted selfishness among everyone. Although there were enough resources for everyone, people began hoarding for the future, for themselves and their dear ones, and not sharing things liberally with all others. There was no sense of contentment. Insecurity about the future stemmed in their minds and they began to feel concerned about the future generations of their own families and clans and began to show greed and avarice. This kind of hoarding of resources created shortages, and resulted in conflicts amongst people, and therefore fights began. There were battles between kingdoms. Kings believed that, for survival, battles were indispensable. Men began to feel that when they lost their bodies on the battlefields, that was the end of them once and for all. Such spiritual ignorance spread in their minds. Therefore, the idea took root in their minds that to protect and pamper their bodies, any type of sinful deed could be resorted to. Men thus degenerated to a depraved state.
It saddened the sages to observe how, since the time of Creation, man had dwindled in his stature in course of time. They were troubled to see the deterioration in the minds of men and how it was affecting the entire world. To remedy this situation, Brahma determined that people needed to be provided with spiritual knowledge. Without knowledge of Truth, Brahma felt that people would not improve in their ways. Although the kings tried to set a good example to the people, gradually all actions performed by them became motivated by selfishness alone. It is called Kaamya Karma – action performed with personal desire alone. This led to the rejection of all noble ideas and actions. Only actions promoting physical comforts were engaged in. This situation created great unrest in the world. That is why Brahma decided that first of all, the kings had to be instilled with proper knowledge and discretion. If kings were made to possess good minds, then they would engage in noble actions and the people would in turn follow their example. The head of the household should be upright and honest. Then the rest of the household will follow his example sooner or later.
Initially, it was for the purpose of training the kings, that this Vedanta knowledge, this spiritual science was introduced into this world. This science gives knowledge about the soul. There is no need to teach people how to fill their stomachs or take care of their bodies. That is all common knowledge. What is important to learn is the subtle and secret knowledge about the soul. This knowledge is not so easy to come by. It was decided that first and foremost, the kings had to be educated in this subject. That is why it was termed as ‘Raja Vidya’. In the Bhagavad Gita and in the Upanishads, we come across this term. If the kings follow the desired path, then it is likely that the citizens of the kingdom will also follow the noble path. It also implies that this subject is the king among all subjects.
Vasishtha is the first person to use the terms, after the Upanishads, Raja Vidya and Raja Guhya. Guhya means, that which needs to be disclosed to others with discretion. This knowledge is not suitable for the general public. If given to those who are ineligible, it could lead to harm. A person who lacks the qualification to understand this, may ridicule it, and give it a bad name. This subject is to be shared amongst like-minded people who have the capacity to grasp its subtle essence. It is not a subject for general public discussion. It requires a genuine interest in the topic, a serious and consistent study, and lots of listening from Guru to understand the essence. Therefore, it is not for everybody. It was taught only to those who were really eager to learn it. There is no greater subject for study in this world than the subject of the soul. This is the highest amongst all subjects to be learned.
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The kings, who learned this spiritual science, began spreading it in the world. But in course of time, they also began to fail in their duties. What is the duty of a king? Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha are all four equally important for a king to promote in his kingdom. A king’s duty does not end with simply laying good roads, and so on. That is what the scriptures say.
When we look back from where we are, we must find the footprints that we have left behind for others to follow. Now, we have not left proper footprints. We are all living just like any other creatures of this world, without devotion and without any spiritual awareness. Sadguru always urges that it is most important to cultivate spiritual knowledge and awareness along with devotion. Without those, life has no worth whatsoever.
We have become obsessed with Artha/wealth and Kama/desire. Dharma/virtue and Moksha/liberation have been left behind. Even of Artha and Kama, we are more preoccupied with Artha, amassing wealth. There are only three activities. Either enjoy your wealth, or give it away, or else it gets destroyed. It then serves no purpose to anyone. We are clinging only to Artha/money and possessions. A true king has to give equal importance to all the four important aspects of life.
It has been observed how kingdoms have been lost and how the mindset of kings had disintegrated with time.
Dasaratha ruled his kingdom for 60,000 years. And yet, although he followed the path of Dharma, he lacked dispassion and the eagerness to obtain enlightenment. Vasishtha felt sorry to see this defect in the king. But he could not publicly insult him for it. Like a father, he worried about his disciple. Here, he mentions it indirectly. To a father like Dasaratha, O Sri Rama, a worthy son like you has been born, he says. Dasaratha no doubt is a worthy king, or else Rama would not have chosen him as his father.
Rama, if the king has dispassion, then it is of great benefit to the people of the kingdom. We see the rulers and leaders of today hoarding resources for their own selfish benefit. A leader should rise to a high position and should use his power to benefit his people. If the leader himself is selfish, then how can he help the people?
Rama, I am very impressed with the Satvic Vairagya, the pure dispassion that has filled your heart. It has not stemmed from any particular reason or event and is not short-lived and fleeting.
Had God decided that when Prana/life force leaves the body, the body should simply melt and flow away, it would have happened like that. But God did not plan it that way. We had to see the fate of this body after death.
Regardless of whether a person was great or small, powerful or weak, spiritual or not, the body is simply carried away after death. This shows the compassion of God upon us, that this sight of a corpse should create in us a sense of dispassion. Just like a fallen leaf merges with the dust of the earth, God could have designed that our bodies also get blended with the dirt the moment they fall away. This body made up of the five elements has to mingle with its source elements. But, God has given us the opportunity to ponder over the situation, that a body that has engaged in so many worthy or unworthy activities, has now come to this state of being absolutely worthless. This is the truth. This is a true reason for dispassion. Although most of us go through many situations in life which could instill dispassion in us, unfortunately, many of us do not even notice such events or pay any attention to such situations.
Yudhishthira comments in the Mahabharata that the most wondrous thing in this world is that while it is so blatantly evident that our lives are fleeting, man does not take note of it and behaves as if he is never going to die. The world is more than ready to teach us valuable lessons in life, and yet, we are not ready to accept those lessons. We simply ignore them. That is most surprising. This is the miracle of Time.
It is not surprising if certain situations in our lives create a sense of dispassion in us. They should. We should take notice of such events and develop dispassion. Dispassion born of such definite occurrences is referred to as ‘Rajasa Vairagya’ . There is nothing wrong or inferior about it. But our Sadguru, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, and others have developed dispassion naturally, without any external trigger. In childhood itself when dispassion develops, it is the purest form of dispassion. Vasishtha wonders what great future is in store for one like Sri Rama who is blessed and endowed with such wonderfully pure dispassion.
It is this pure dispassion that made Rama leave the kingdom and readily go into exile in the future, fight against Ravana without any feeling of enmity against him, but just to bring His Sita back, and then to rule the kingdom for ten thousand years, with no sense of attachment, but only with the unselfish mission of establishing Dharma firmly in the kingdom.
Jaya Guru Datta
Sri Guru Datta
Om Santissantissantihi