Discourse on Yoga Vasishtha
Day 168, July 10
Sri Sadgurubhyo namaha
Om Santissantissantihi
Yesterday we heard about Sadhu Sangama and Sravana, association of pious souls and listening to words of wisdom as the two means for acquiring Jnana. These two have to be engaged in constantly. Deep contemplation on what is heard is required. By doing these two, as mud settles and clear water rises, our minds also become cleared of ignorance.
Sri Rama asked how to find Paramatma/God.
Vasishtha said God is in your own heart. Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, the Sun/Surya are all only Consciousness.
Chit and chetana are not one and the same. Chit is total Jnana. chetana is what reflects as the living, moving entity. Vasishtha explains to Sri Rama that the two should not be confused with one another.
Man, who remains ignorant, is like a beast. He should rise to the level of divinity.
Chaitya is a new term introduced to us. It is the visible world. It should be known to be illusory.
The knot in the heart should be unraveled. Hrdaya granthi.
Why won’t Yoga grant liberation? Why do we need Jnana?
Forced termination of thoughts as in yoga does not give lasting results. Only complete Jnana grants liberation.
With Satsang and Sravana we acquire the power to control, restrain, and eliminate thoughts altogether, permanently.
Drsya asattaa pratijna is the new lesson.
drsya is the visible world. It is asattaa- it appears to be real although it is unreal.
This knowledge should be established in the heart. pratijna.
Sri Rama asks:
ya esha
O Sadgurudeva, O Paramatma, you have described God. By knowing what, will I become free from bondage?
Where is God? What supports Him? Our body is our support. Our illusory body serves us as our vehicle, our residence. What does God reside in? How to know Him?
The Inner means to know God, is what I seek.
Vasishtha gave his upadesa.
verse
Paramatma is not far away. He is inside your own body. This is said for us to easily understand it. Where in the body does God reside? God is in the lotus of the heart. Narayana Upanishat is wonderful. It explains in detail the residence of Paramatma within the heart.
He is as Consciousness. In the three states of dream, wakefulness, and deep sleep, He is radiant and conscious.
We see Him in the heart and also see Him everywhere in the world.
When you say that the world is an illusion, how to and why should we see Him in the world? This is the first step.
First see Him as the world, knowing that He is not the world. He is all-pervasive. The statements appear to be self-contradictory.
People are of different levels in their understanding. So you begin by identifying God with the entire world. In the step you realize that the world is illusory and God transcends the world as Pure Consciousness.
He alone exists. Nothing else exists other than He. The world does not even exist in name. Not even ‘naam ke vaaste’ as expressed in Hindi.
Why is this world appearing? We should see Him. We instead see something else – we see the things of the world.
You go to the temple. Instead of seeing God, you see other things and other people. It does not serve the purpose of going to the temple. Having taken birth, instead of seeing God, if you see the world, you will have to be reborn and experience joys and sorrows over and over again.
Fulfill your life by experiencing God everywhere.
chinmaatra
Lord Siva is Consciousness alone. Jnana is He. We have imagined a form for Him. The form is our aid for our worship and for our prayer. He is actually formless.
When we slip and fall in the bathroom, we call out God’s name. Do we expect God to reside in the toilet? No. But when in trouble we expect that the all-pervasive God will respond to our call even in the toilet.
Garuda is also consciousness. Sun is also consciousness. The sun’s orb is lit by the consciousness of God. Do not confuse the physical orb with its consciousness. Tapanaha is the sun’s name. He fills everything with light. Taranihi is another name. He helps us cross this world which is an ocean of sorrow.
Dhyeyassadaa ..
Namassavitre ..
The Sun is the cause of the emergence, sustenance, and dissolution of the world. Sun is Trimurti rupa. Dattatreya is the same as the Sun.
Dissolution means, He exists only as Pure Consciousness.
Brahma is the one who is born in the lotus. He is also nothing other than Jnana.
Sri Rama asked: It is a great teaching. Upadesa should be something new. You have told me what I already know.
Direct questions are asked by Sri Rama. Devotion and fear – both should be there with Guru, the way we treat fire. That is Rama’s relationship with Vasishtha. Sadguru is like Fire. You may love and be free, but also be reverential and respectful.
I appreciate your words. But what you have told me is not anything new. Even children know this. everyone knows that the world is filled with consciousness and activity – chaitanya.
Vasishtha did not say, chetanaamaatra, he said chinmaatra.
Self-effulgence is different from a light that has been lit by another source of light.
We must here understand the term ‘maatra’.
‘Only’ relatives are permitted into ICU, means others are not permitted.
Sri Rama interpreted the word differently. He equated the two – chetanaamaatra, and chinmaatra.
If one is the same as the other, that means there are two entities and there is no uniqueness in the one and only entity.
The concept of duality will bring everything back to square one.
itara – ‘other’ should be eradicated. Other is non-existent. That is what Vasishtha wanted to convey.
Is this world like that? People who walk about, and think, and speak, are all filled with consciousness, which makes the world real. What kind of teaching is this?
Deep thought creates questions.
Vasishtha again explains.
chinmaatram
What I have said and what you have understood are very different, Sri Rama.
You have made a mistake in your understanding. One should cure the disease called worldliness. It is for the purpose of destroying all sorrows and confusions.
Jnana is the only cure.
Siva has a name. Bhava Bhaya Bhagna Vyasani. He is obsessed with the occupation of destroying the mental fear of this illusory world. Sadguru’s addiction is destroying the grief and fear of his followers.
You have totally missed the point, Sri Rama.
Sri Rama confused chetanaamaatra with chinmaatra.
Vasishtha explains. It is deep. Let us attempt to grasp the subject correctly.
verse
We must understand the difference between chit and chetana.
The two are very different.
samsaara is not family life. This cycle of birth and death is samsaara.
An individual who forgets his true Self, descends to the level of a beast.
We do that. We limit ourselves to the body and the name given to the body. God is limitless, without form and name. Sastra tells us that we are not small and limited. It tells us that we are none other than Paramatma.
Beasts have limited knowledge. No doubt, they are useful and serve different purposes.
Man is constantly in fear of death. Why have such a fear? To get rid of that fear we must fill ourselves with Jnana.
verse
Man has become distanced from Jnana. One identifies with ignorance. Poison saturates the body and leads to death. Being immersed in ignorance, one become ignorance itself.
The actual nature and status are forgotten. We are actually Pure Consciousness, not this body. Forget this body. Give up the thought that you are this body. This identification with the body gives great grief. A part of the body that is diseased, when it is removed, gives great relief. Nails, which are a part of the body, are removed with ease. They no longer are a part of your body once they are clipped.
verse
Man is not knowing what he needs to know.
verse
How to dispel grief? The secret is given here.
Chetyam is a new term. Drsyam is chetyam – this visible world that we assume to be real. Achetyam is Parabrahma or Paramatma.
Either direct your mind towards God or distance the mind from the world. These are the two different ways of handling this.
Samadhi without Jnana is worthless.
Jeevanmuktas are in the experience of total bliss. After deep sleep you feel refreshed. You must experience that while awake. Once this is experienced, there is no grief.
In the Sundara Kanda, there is an episode. In the Asoka Vana Sita was seen by Hanuman. Asoka Vana means a garden free from sorrow. Sita was grief-stricken there. How is that possible? Brahma gave a boon that in the Asoka Vana one feels no sorrow.
Sita was separated from Rama. How could she be free from sorrow? Outwardly, she appeared to be grieving. But in her heart there was no sorrow. Adhyatma Ramayana describes Sita’s condition and Rama’s condition differently than the story of Valmiki Ramayana. In the story version, if the grief is removed, there will be no story left.
Hanuman thought Sita was grieving. He questioned in his mind her awareness of her Self and Jnana. How could she be so ignorant? He thought. He took a look at the entire garden from the top of the tree. He saw a shelter with 1000 pillars, the Chaitya Mantapa. He destroyed it first. There was a huge latch. He removed it, held it, and sat on the roof a building and proclaimed the greatness of Rama.
Chaitya is drsya – what is seen. Unless this vision of the unreal world goes, sorrow will not go.
Mother Sita, remove this visible world from your mind, to dispel your sorrow. This was the message Hanuman was conveying to her. Hanuman removes fear.
verse
From Kathopanishat this verse is lifted as is.
The cause and effect concept must be ejected from the mind while discussing this spiritual topic. That God has become this world is wrong. The knot inside the heart must be unraveled. Then all doubts will be cleared. All past karmas and obligatory duties will be destroyed. Once Parmatma is realized, this will happen. All troubles will dissolve.
verse
Some say that this will be acquired by Yoga, by controlling thoughts. Why listen to this Sastra and grasp it? Without Jnana, if you do yoga sadhana, it will eventually cause your downfall.
Mere asana achievements will not grant Jnana. Each asana has a name. One must remember the name. The names are very significant. Garudasana, etc. You perform abhishekam to a deity. You must have the minimal knowledge at least as to how this act will benefit you. You feel that the action will cleanse your mind. Robotic mindless actions are useless. Mix yantra with mantra. Know the meaning at least to some extent.
Your merging with Paramatma will not happen unless you reject the world. You cannot combine or link the two. Without leaving this, you cannot reach it.
If you suppress your thoughts forcibly, as in yoga, the state of stillness of the mind will not last. You will keep returning to the world and your mental involvement in it.
verse
Paramatma who transcends this world will be realized only by relinquishing the world with intellectual knowledge. Fear, and committing suicide to leave the world is a great sin and will lead only to more trouble. Face and accept troubles with a positive attitude and use the troubles that come your way to expend the accumulated karma.
Suicide will only cause more troubles. Give up attachments by using the intellect, by deep contemplation based on Jnana.
Force is ineffective. How to do Jnana sadhana has been taught to us by Sage Vasishtha. This concludes this upadesa.
Sri Rama’s next question is a turning point. Thereafter, easy instruction will begin.
For a Yati (Sri Bala Swamiji), The new year begins from Chaturmasya.
In the Utpatti Prakarana, we are now in the 7th sarga. By Sadguru’s grace we have learned many valuable lessons. It is only possible by Guru’s grace. For this year, this may be the last lesson.
There are four volumes. We have done one half of one volume. This study may continue for several years.
Each day, till one falls asleep, in each lifetime, till life ends, one must constantly contemplate on this subject.
Chaturmasya this year is in Hyderabad. Daily listeners who have the continuity of thought must be there so that they can follow the subject, if I decide to continue these lesson there. Otherwise, to begin anew for a new audience will be difficult. 500+ audience is there watching and following on livestream channel.
Mysore audiences are there. Perhaps we will continue after my return to Mysore after the Chaturmasya Deeksha completes this year.
Tomorrow we leave for Rajahmundry for the Godavari Pushkara.
If I do not give these discourses, I will miss the activity. I am addicted to this.
Many are translating these speeches into English for the benefit of those who do not follow Telugu. Hira aunty, Madhu Gopinath, Archana, Lalita from Bangalore, and others are cooperating daily, with sincere interest. I pray for Sadguru’s blessings upon them.
The audio-video staff including Ramu, Dhanush, and Subrahmanya Datta is diligently conveying these discourses to the world. Without their disciplined efforts these will not reach a larger audience. Pramod is coordinating the effort. They also listen to the lessons and absorb the content. I pray for Sadguru’s blessings upon them.
Listen, contemplate steadily and regularly, and acquire Jnana by Sadguru’s grace. Depending on the circumstance in Hyderabad, I may continue these discourses there. Otherwise, I will resume upon my return to Mysore after the completion of the Chaturmasya Deeksha.
Jaya Guru Datta
Sri Guru Datta
Om Santissantissantihi