Discourse on Yoga Vasishtha
Day 16, July 30
Jaya Guru Datta
Sri Ganesaya Namaha
Sri Saraswatyai Namaha
Sripada Vallabha
Narasimha Saraswati
Sri Guru Dattatreyaya Namaha
Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Sadgurubhyo Namaha
Yesterday we learned that the messenger described to king Dasaratha and the assembled sages Rama’s strange condition after his return from his pilgrimage and questioned who is there who can help Rama by dispelling the darkness in his heart and fill him with light.
When we return from the Himalayas, we feel like going back. We remain with our memories for a while. Those who go back after visiting the ashram feel that they should have stayed here longer.
If children refuse to go to school and keep sleeping, or complaining about food, do not seek work, and do not accept any responsibility, won’t the parent feel anguish?
So much of prelude is given here, instead of simply saying Rama had doubts and Vasishtha cleared them. Sometimes, books may appear very small, especially Vedanta books. Because the publishers do not want people to get deterred by the size of the book, they print small books to entice readers to purchase them. Once you open the book, you see that the print is very small and the margins are very small. It is the same with some printed editions of the Bhagavad Gita.
Sage Valmiki was not concerned about the size of the book. He explained the subject in detail. Rama just then entered his sixteenth year. He was at the critical teenage juncture. He was the eldest son. He was well qualified. He was understood to be the future king.
Vedanta never says that one has to leave home and renounce everything. We must know the truth. Yoga Vasishtha explains it.
Dasaratha feels very anxious. He cannot make the situation public. He cannot openly ask Vasishtha. Now the secret has come out. Vasishtha has not said anything openly. He has been trying for a while to correct the situation. Rajo guna is necessary in a small measure to even learn Vedanta. Kings have the endurance to sustain injuries and still continue fighting.
You must maintain fitness. The fit body should be utilized to attain Satva Guna. Once it is attained, one should not fall back into Rajo guna. What you have attained with discipline, you must not lose. In the presence of Guru when you are listening to His words of advice, you must preserve your Satva Guna. Vasishtha wanted to teach Vedanta to Rama. He needed it. But Vasishtha was not convinced that Rama was quite ready. Some Gurus sometimes send disciples to approach another guru to learn certain things.
Vasishtha perhaps had made his efforts. And yet, Rama remains in this condition. Does Vasishtha not know? He was simply waiting for the right time. If you cannot give the proper medicine, then you have to take the patient to a qualified doctor, if your medicines are ineffective. Your herbal remedies have not worked.
Sometimes a baby deer does not show fear when a tiger approaches it, out of innocence and ignorance of impending danger. It will remain still instead of running away. Surprised at this behavior, sometimes the tiger feels pity and begins to fondle the deer. The adult deer will try to teach the baby to be afraid of tigers and lions. The parent deer will risk its own life to protect the baby deer from an attacking tiger or lion. Deer generally can smell danger and will run. The baby deer remains while the rest of them run away. The pack of mature deer come back to get the baby, noticing its absence, to take it with them. Rama is here compared to a baby deer. The enlightened entertain no fear. We fear about the future of the children.
Sadguru shows us the way to get out of such fears.
Rama is not afraid of even losing the kingdom. The worst that Dasaratha can do him is to refuse the kingdom. Rama is not bothered. Is the sun rising because he is receiving a salary? No. If the sun does not rise, who suffers? Not the sun. We do. We do not realize the value of the time of sunrise. European countries know what it is not to enjoy sunlight for months.
We should at least be awake at the time of sunrise. Whether or not you have had your bath by then or not, whether or not you are sitting in meditation or prayer, at least be awake before sunrise.
Bring Rama, says Viswamitra. I will make certain that he will attain the highest state.
When one has a cushy job, where the boss is kind, and the hours are flexible and the salary is good, people say, he has a fine job.
Yes. Rama is lost in meditation. He neglected to take a bath. That is not a fault. But if you eat breakfast without brushing your teeth, it is a fault. You must follow the rules of cleanliness and hygiene.
Every instant you must pay rent to God for the use of this body. You must keep praying for forgiveness every time you fail to follow rules. You cannot arrogantly claim that the body is yours. Food given by God has helped your body to grow.
The benefits of receiving Jnana are enumerated by Sage Viswamitra.
What Truth is, will be known. Rama will be happy inside and outside. Rama himself had once said, I speak as if I am cheerful. But inside I have concerns.
One should not pretend or act crazy. I am going into detail because I want you to have a proper understanding of this subject. That is the reason I repeat myself. Each day the audience here is different. Hence, every day I am having to caution you.
Once, the Guru assures you that you are on the right track, then you may proceed with your spiritual practices.
Viswamitra assures Dasaratha: There is a certain heat in Rama’s body due to his anxiety. He will regain his glow. His paleness will vanish. That is the result of the knowledge of Vedanta. What his duty is, what the purpose of his existence is, Rama will realize. If one is enlightened, and goes away to the Himalayas, people will adjust to the fact after a short time. But one should not remain here and act in an inappropriate manner that troubles everyone.
Rama will lead a wonderful life. He will explore into the source of this Creation, this illusion, and will ultimately reach the highest state. He will transcend joy and sorrow. He will have an objective and broad perspective. He will be free from all flaws in personality. He will have equanimity. Even in the end he was willing to forgive Ravana if he were to apologize for his wrong doing. Rama told Sita bluntly that as a king it was his duty to save a woman in trouble.
He built the bridge across the ocean. He established Dharma in Lanka. He changed evil into good by making Vibheeshana the king.
Viswamitra had no doubt in his own wisdom. In moments I will cure Rama of his predicament, he assured.
Rama is in a most detached state of mind. Viswamitra is not concerned about Rama’s condition. He fully understands it. One who knows everything has no fear. Other people have determined that Rama is good for nothing now. They are convinced that he has lost all his capabilities. They speak of him as if he has fallen from glory. Viswamitra does not feel so. He knows that Rama is in a state of dispassion born from discretion. Hence, he is not worried. One, who has had a full meal is not hungry and will not go after food.
Sometimes when God does not satisfy your desire, you finally feel that you have detachment. It is not genuine. After 75 years, it is as if one loses interest in getting married.
It may be a disease, physical or mental, people thought. No. This is the awakening of spiritual knowledge. Prabodha Chandrodaya is a wonderful work translated in many languages. Please read it. It explains about spiritual Sadhana and Moha/delusion. It presents all the bad qualities as different characters. It is a beautiful and interesting play. They have personified all the human feelings and presented a beautiful philosophical lesson.
Surya/sun has no benefit in rising. The benefit is for us. Rama’s dispassion gives enlightenment to the world. That is what Viswamitra has realized. Dense clouds gather. But the breeze blows them away. The breeze of knowledge will blow away Rama’s doubts.
The fruit is gained by us, not Rama. The clouds of delusion will be blown away only by a proper understanding. A scientist who develops detachment, like a karma yogi, does research to help the world. You have arranged for dance and entertainment to get Rama out of his depressed mood. But your efforts were in vain.
Blind belief is not encouraged in Vedanta. You must intellectually understand and dispel the clouds of delusion. Once that happens, Rama will find solace. After wandering in sweltering heat, when cool breeze is felt, you feel so happy. We saw Swamiji with his shirt off in the heat he felt in Japan.
That highest state is that of Vishnu. Once that state is reached, you feel total rest. Srama is tiredness. Asrama removes it.
Viswamitra continues: We are all here. What do we lack? What do we desire from the world that we have not yet attained? Just as we have found the highest state of repose, Rama will also obtain it.
Before correcting yourself, do not try to correct others. We have our eye always on the result. It is natural. It is required that we know what benefit we will obtain.
Once enlightenment occurs, Rama will be like one who has consumed Amrita/the nectar of immortality. He will be free from disease and sorrow. Like deities, he will be free from decay. Once Truth is experienced, that is the result.
We must always speak the truth. That is the highest austerity, endorsed even by the Vedas. The purpose of this austerity is to obtain the highest Truth. Truth has to be directly experienced. Rama henceforth will be joyful and smiling.
After losing Sita, Rama says, for four months we have to wait, since it is the rainy season. He was not crying. He was at peace within. He was not grinning, showing his teeth. But he was composed. He made plans on how to conduct warfare when the time comes.
He has just returned from a pilgrimage, where he keenly observed the ways of the world.
Sage Suka was not taking food or water. He was only sipping water when someone offered it. It was not as if he was having a heavy meal in secret, at night. Yet, He was strong and hefty. That is result of Yoga. Rama has become emaciated now. Once he acquires knowledge, Rama will regain his strength and vigor.
Sri Lalita Sahasranama declares that chanting it will grant good health and vigor. Rama will regain his radiance if he is brought here. He will begin practicing all his prescribed duties without any flaw or omission.
We work to obtain a result, with personal desires.
Rama will wholeheartedly perform his duties, without expecting any result. Once Rama is fully enlightened, he will have no personal desires, and yet, he will be fully engaged in dispensing his duties.
It is not required that one has to go naked and act strange because one is enlightened. The fully awakened ones remain calm and efficient. Rama will have no desires. He will be contented like a full pot of water.
When the umbrella is removed, the shade goes away. Once he returns into worldly affairs, will he not fall back into materialistic ways? Such a doubt may arise. No. He will follow dharma strictly. He will have a composed mind that sees God in everything and everyone. The famous, the infamous, the selfish, the unselfish, the noble, and the impious, all exist in the world. The Bhagavad Gita says that those who are enlightened will look upon a scholar, a fool, a dog, one who eats dogs, all as equal. Is it possible for one to view alike a noble soul and a criminal? To properly understand this statement, you have to study the commentaries. The consciousness that exists in all is the same. The attributes are different as per the different manifestations. Who should be approached, and who should be avoided, Rama will know. He will not treat differently gold and a piece of wood. But he will know the science of cause and effect. He will know the secret composition of different substances. At the end of all exploration of all the truths in the world, it will be understood by Rama that God alone is the ultimate source of everything that happens.
When Dasaratha heard this, he felt very happy. Rama was beckoned a second time and was on his way. He has not yet arrived. Rama addresses his father as king. Only rarely he treats him as his father. He gives due respect to royalty and authority. Rama now came to know who were all present at the court. Vasishtha was there. Sage Viswamitra was present. Rama felt confident that now he could express his doubts clearly and openly and receive proper answers.
It is not good to discuss personal problems with outsiders. Rama was not sharing his woes with others. It is not wise. It is likely to cause harm.
Finally Rama was spotted at a distance. He appeared very calm and composed. The guard fetched Rama. Rama came greeting those whom he saw on the way. He arrived at the assembly.
Om Santissantissantihi
Sri Krishnarpanamastu
Sri Guru Datta