Discourse on Yoga Vasishtha
Day 72, November 8
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
We discussed about gross, subtle, and causal bodies. All these three bodies are in us. When we are awake we experience the gross body. In the dream state we experience the subtle body. In deep sleep we experience the causal body.
We discussed the possibility of being liberated while still in the gross body. All the three bodies are make-believe bodies. There is no coming or going of the soul according to Vedanta. It is not easy to understand. It will slowly come to be known. Vyasa is an incarnation. Sadguru is one who is Truth and he leads us to Truth. We assume the unreal to be real and tend to forget that which is actually the truth. This is a grave mistake. Vyasa is in the form of Sadguru. Vyasas will keep getting born but they take birth without experiencing any bondage. Amongst them some small differences might exist.
Vasishtha says that this cycle of Creation is repetitive. We all keep getting born again and again, sometimes in similar bodies and sometimes in very different bodies. Vasishtha speaks also about Sage Valmiki who was present there, that he is also a Jeevanmukta. Vyasa will be born again to compose the Mahabharata yet another time. All the events which have occurred before will occur again. Samskaras are the reason for rebirth. If people retain their samskaras, then they will be reborn as per those samskaras.
If there were no Jeevanmuktas, who would teach us about liberation? If all liberated souls gave up their bodies and remained forever without physical forms, we would not have anyone to lead us towards liberation. Jeevan means living. Mukta is free. The two are opposites. How do you accept that they can be together?
The reason for being burdened with a body is ignorance. Therefore, how can one inside a body be free from ignorance? That is the question. The Jeevanmuktas retain barely a trace of ignorance for them to wear a body and that is only for benefiting us. Sadguru is such a Jeevanmukta.
The third sarga is bhooyo bhooyaha sarga anuvarnanam. It explains how this Creation has come into being. We have to learn this. As children we posed questions as to how this earth and this world have occurred. We ask how long has this world been in existence. As we grow up we lose that interest and the inquisitiveness. We must retain it and explore into the matter. We ask ourselves why we have taken birth. The modern youth do not like to think about it at all. They think that the question itself is silly and irrelevant. They take it for granted that this life is for eating, sleeping and for enjoyment. It is not correct. I am not saying that one should not be happy and smiling. A yogi is always happy, but not grinning foolishly. People’s happiness these days is dependent on possessions. It is understandable that one weeps when one loses a loved person, a great person. But people are upset about not going to a cinema, or to a restaurant, or not getting a desired inert object. One should be mature enough in thinking not to take to heart such unimportant and trivial matters. We must develop our thinking. Sadguru urges us to question about ourselves. Sadguru did that as a child and his realization has culminated in the creation of this ashram.
You see yourself in the mirror. If the mirror is absent, do you not exist? You must proceed logically in your questioning. You must recognize your inner consciousness.
Rama asked why Vyasa is still retaining the body, why his heart is still beating, why he is still breathing, if he is liberated. Many people fear Self-realization with the wrong notion that once one gains enlightenment, the person will desert the family and go away to the Himalayas. No one does that. It is not an easy thing to do. To be amidst the world and to practice non-attachment is what is required. Rama is a very studious student. His inquisitiveness is genuine. He grasps the essence from the teaching of the guru.
We are not actively thinking about ourselves. We are preoccupied with thoughts about all other things, all except ourselves. How strange it is. We have forgotten about ourselves. In a flight also they tell us first to wear our own oxygen mask before placing it on a dependent. We have to first learn about ourselves. Then there would be nothing else in this world to learn about. Vasishtha is therefore teaching us about knowing ourselves.
Vasishtha speaks about the three types of bodies. The subtle body travels to other planes of existence is what is normally spoken about. The causal body determines the reason for our next birth. For anything to occur there has to be a cause. The subtle body experience the events in a dream. The sense organs are functioning there. We experience sense perceptions. But these are not of this physical body. The subtle body does not physically go anywhere in a visible manner.
For the departed souls we make offerings once a month, once a year, or on special occasions. It is similar to our packing a food bag for someone who is going on a long journey. We wish them to have a comfortable travel. The subtle body receives nourishment in a subtle manner. If a hungry person is given food, through the face of that person who is receiving the food, the subtle body obtains its nourishment. That is why it is important to feed the hungry, feed the animals, birds, mother cow, or offer food to the fire or a water source, through those forms the ancestral spirits receive their food.
Many people argue that what they do not see, they will not believe. So many things are not seen by us. If a person returns from USA and talks about it, is it not silly for someone who has not seen that country to deny its existence altogether? It is not possible to personally see everything in this world. Most things have to be accepted by trust, because a trusted person is saying so, or by logic it appears to be true, or by inference. Everything cannot be personally seen and experienced by every individual. One who foolishly argues will lose respect.
One who understands clearly the existence of the three types of body will understand that even this physical world and the world beyond, are both only make-believe. They have no real substance or existence. The physical body has been fabricated by our own imagination.
A Chinese spiritual man got a doubt. He dreamt of a butterfly. He was uncertain whether he was a part of the butterfly’s dream or the butterfly was a part of his dream.
Ahead, we will hear descriptions of dreams and dreams within dreams. It is very strange. One cannot say that all dreams are false and untrue. Some dreams come true. The case of Trijata’s dream in the Ramayana in the Sundara Kanda, is a case in point. The female demon had a dream early in the morning that a frightful monkey had entered Lanka, destroyed the demons, set fire to the city of Lanka, and infused hope into Sita before departing. She shared the news of the dream with her associates who had the experience of all of Trijata’s early morning dreams coming true in the past. At the time of this dream, Hanuman was present right there listening to Trijata’s narration.
Especially if Sadguru, a Jeevanmukta comes in the dream, it is a good and a real dream. This will be understood gradually.
Vasishtha proceeds to explain what happens after the body is given up by the soul. Science unfortunately is not able to penetrate into that field. It cannot bring back the soul that has left the body. If that were possible for science to do, there are millionaires in this world ready to avail of that service. It is a job beyond the scope of science. Vedanta has the strength of the Upanishads to explore into unknown regions. The sections of the Upanishad which deal with karma speak about the soul travelling to other planes of existence. But the sections in the Upanishads dealing with Jnana give us a different picture. For the soul, there is no such thing as going and coming. Right where it is, it spins a web around itself as per its intention and tendency. The body drops off by severing its bond with the soul. The soul remains right there.
What exists is only the one Paramatma. Therefore, the question of the soul’s size and dimension does not come into the picture. The sky fills the entire space. Paramatma is similar. Wherever the individual soul is, it creates for itself a new existence, a new world, and perhaps also a new physical body depending on its vasanas. How long it takes for this to happen is another issue. Sage Vasishtha has introduced this concept to us. This is the Science of the Soul. This is not a light matter. It is a weighty subject that has to be carefully grasped.
Great souls do not look for implements to get things done. If they have to do something, they simply get it done by the power of their spirit. They declare it “done”. Their self-confidence gets things achieved. In Rama’s story we see this happening. This type of trust in oneself is much needed these days amongst the youth. They are easily satisfied and lack the spirit of inquiry which is necessary for deep research. There is no contentment regarding consumption of food but there is, regarding the acquisition of knowledge. Had there been quick contentment in the matter of food intake, at least health would have been maintained with proper weight control. That is not happening. This is unfortunate. It is leading to our decay.
What did Rama possess when Sita got abducted? Only Lakshmana was beside him. That is all. But eventually an entire world enveloped him, a world of monkeys/Vanaras. Utilizing their services, he built a bridge across the ocean, battled against Ravana, killed him, and succeeded in his mission. It shows the greatness of Rama. We must develop such self assurance. We must give up giving excuses and reasons for not achieving our purpose. We must create opportunities. Even to listen to Vedanta, you must create the time. If you say that you have no time, you will end up literally with no time. Let us not make that mistake.
The individual soul writes his own destiny and creates his own physical world with the earth, the friends, relatives, enemies, and so on, and endures all the experiences which he had planned for himself. If he were to feel that he had had enough of this world, then, he will remain away and beyond this physical existence.
Punas ..
There is no Paraloka/higher world, situated elsewhere. It is in the soul’s own imagination. The individual soul creates its own heaven and hell. Everything is registered in the mind, in the intellect. Homes, vehicles, everything is inside the mind. Do you accept that what exists only in the mind is true and real? I bequeath all my possessions to you, all that exists in my mind, you say. Will the recipient accept such a gift? All those have existence only in your mind. They exist only for you. They cannot be given to others. The other world is envisioned in the mind. Like the trunk of a banana tree, it is all a collection of layers that can be peeled off leaving nothing in the end. The same applies to an onion and a head of cabbage. Vedanta does not like to give the onion as an example because onion is not looked upon with favour.
In every individual, in every creature, and in every world, there are these three layers. The subtle activities taking place within are not visible to others, just like our thoughts, feelings, and dreams are not known to others. There is yet another subtler state experienced by the causal body, such as in the deep sleep state. Even the subtle body is not aware of its goings on. The collection of these three bodies is what constitutes Samsara.
In Vedanta, this is Samsara, not spouse and children. Many people misinterpret the statement as deserting the family when it is mentioned that one should let go of Samsara. It is a grave mistake. It is adharma to reject one’s responsibilities. Vedanta does not condone it. Samsara means bondage.
Prthvyaadi ..
After the gross body is given up, the five elements as we know them do not exist for the subtle body in the subtle world. But there is a world there, regardless. That world constitutes of the subtle elements, not the gross elements. We feel sorry that the soul has left everything and gone away. We do not realize that the departed soul has at once created for itself another world that surrounds it. He is already busy in his own travel.
It is wrong on our part to misuse our life grieving for those who are gone. Our lives have to be led and must benefit others and us. We must think in those terms. We may offer prayers and services to benefit the departed souls, but there is no point in spending our time grieving about them.
Mrtaanaam …
This samsara is caused by ignorance. We must think about this. If we realize this truth, there is so much of peace of mind to be gained. This is not self deception. This is the real help that we render to ourselves. This samsara is like an endless flow like that of a river. We have to put an end to it.
Paramatma is an endless ocean. We are all like tiny bubbles in it. It is impossible to describe this creation.
The entire creation is nothing but the one Paramatma/the Supreme Soul.
Will this exact cycle repeat itself? Will the same family, with the same people, the same mentalities repeat over and over again? We do not know. It is possible. It is based on our intention. What will the joy and sorrow be like in future repetitions? We do not know. We cannot anticipate the future. We should not take a chance and get stuck again in an unfavourable future. What needs to be done is to merge in the Paramatma with true awareness, not remain in ignorance.
Some people are born in a totally different aspect. We perhaps have lived the exact same lives before, visited the exact same ashram and listened in the exact same manner to Yoga Vasishtha discourses. It is possible. When good things repeat as they had occurred before, that is fine. But if they occur differently, it is to our disadvantage, if we wish for it. Therefore, it is best for us to pray for liberation and attempt to attain it.
Dvaatrim..
Vasishtha says that as per his knowledge, this Vyasa who is amidst them now is the 32nd Vyasa in existence. Vyasa therefore is repeatedly taking birth. But he has no bondage. Krishna, Rama, and Sadguru may incarnate again and again by their own volition to destroy this illusion, sorrow, and this ignorance that we suffer from. We need someone to hold our hand and to lift us up. Otherwise we will continue to remain drowned in darkness.
Yathaa..
Of the 32 Vyasas, 12 of them were of an inferior status. There are 4 categories amongst the highly knowledgeable ones. Brahmavit is knowledgeable but not 100% exalted. He has a residue of ignorance that binds him to rebirth.
12 Vyasas were reborn in the exact same manner bearing the exact same shape. 10 Vyasas who followed them were born in different families with different forms. This is an unknown factor for us whether we will be reborn in the exact place and form or will take birth elsewhere in a different form. The timing of this is not mentioned.
All the great sages who are present here may or may not be reborn in the same location or form as in their present existence.
Naraah ..
Creatures including the lower forms and also the deities are born in different forms and at different places.
Verse
This is a highly evolved science. In the case of the present Brahma this is the 72nd Treta Yuga. This cycle of 4 Yugas will repeat endlessly. The sun will rise and set in this same manner. This is all Paramatma’s design. What is one second for him is billions of years for us.
We all have been born endless times before. History repeats itself. The great stories in the epics will repeat themselves. This is Vasishtha’s impression.
Verse
This is this Vyasa’s 10th incarnation. We are all like this now. We were like this before and we will be like this in the future. By our own intention we have been reborn. Great souls have specific missions in their lives. Ordinary people do not have such specific noble intentions. Each individual has his own agenda as per his individual desires.
Great souls incarnate for the benefit of the world. Hence, there is a common thread in their intention.
Vyasa has incarnated repeatedly and has composed the Mahabharata 8 times. Again he will divide and organize the Vedas in the Dwapara Yuga and then he will get liberated from his body, says Vasishtha.
Had he given up the body permanently earlier, we would be the losers. Whatever there is in the Mahabharata is everywhere in the world. What is not there is not found anywhere in the world.
We belong to this country called Bharat. We belong to the family of Bharata. We are all of one family. We are tied by a common thread. Bharata was a great soul. He ruled his kingdom in an exemplary manner. Later he distributed the responsibility of ruling the kingdom to his sons and retired to the forest to engage in penance.
He saw a pregnant deer ready to deliver its child. While attempting to drink water at the river bank, it slipped and fell into the water. Sage Bharata, our ancestor, tried his best to rescue it and failed. The baby deer emerged and he was able to save it while the mother was taken away by the river’s flow. Bharata felt great compassion towards the baby deer took care of it and developed an obsessive love towards it. Because of that, when he died, he was reborn as a deer. He led his life like an ascetic while living in the form of a deer and attained liberation. Such is the great history of our nation. Our country is Bharat, not India. The name India is used for convenience. A king, who became a sage rescued a deer, and turning into a deer, attained liberation.
Bharata means having the desire for gaining spiritual knowledge. Bha means Jnana. He regretted his excessive involvement with the deer and hence, took care not to repeat the mistake in his next birth. He lived with awareness and pursued his goal with one-pointed focus. Bharata urges us to develop love and compassion. That is the reason Vyasa gave the name Mahabharata to the epic. He did not call it Krishaayanam like Ramayanam or Krishnapandaveeyam.
Therefore, Rama, you decide whether or not Vyasa is liberated. That is the implication in Vasishtha’s words. He convinced Rama that Vyasa is indeed a liberated soul. Sadguru is a Jeevanmukta. Sadguru shows us the path for us also to become Jeevanmuktas. We must follow the path shown to us by Sadguru. With one last step we will merge in God.
Today is Kartika Sanivara/Saturday. A very auspicious day. Please chant your mantras. Tomorrow is the Koti Deepotsava ceremony. It will be televised. Please watch it. Sri Swamiji will be present there (in Hyderabad).
Jaya Guru Datta
Sri Guru Datta
Om santissantissantihi