Discourse on Yoga Vasishtha
Day 59, October 7
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.
Guru Dhyanam: Gurur Brahmaa, Sri Bhooyuta.. , Ajnana .. Akhanda, Dehe …, Akhandam ..
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
Brahmanandam, Sri Vasishtham Namami, Ramaya, Aapadaamapahartaaram, Om Purnamadah,
Om Santissantissantihi
Yesterday in the Yoga Vasishtha we discussed some topics in the 28th sarga. Today Sri Rama is describing the dance of this Creation. Yesterday we learned how all the living creatures are like grains in a grinding wheel getting pulverized.
Manah ..
Who is choreographing this dance? The danseuse is the composer of this. The dust of all the living creatures constitutes her costume. It is moving by the breeze blowing from the minds of all the creatures. What moves each of us is our mind.
What is her acting like? Falling into hell and rising to the heavens and yet, again falling back are the steps through which she expresses herself. Going to heaven results in falling once again to the earth once the earned Punya gets spent. We should instead attempt to attain Jnana/enlightenment. Once the earned merit gets exhausted, like Nahusha, who had risen to the position of Indra, one still falls back to the earth. Nahusha ruled heaven well as Indra for a while. Once, the Saptarshis themselves carried his palanquin. Getting impatient at their slow movement, Nahusha kicked the rishis and commanded them to move faster. At once he fell down to the earth. That one arrogant gesture expended all his merit.
Merit and sins, when they are balanced, you go to the earth. More merit gives you heaven. More sins give you hell. These three are the expressions of the dancer of Creation.
Aavarte ..
This great dance is taking place throwing us into delusion. Sometimes the lights and images are projected on to the screen, causing an illusion that the pictures are actually performing on the stage. We see a dignitary speaking on a screen making us believe that he is actually in our presence.
Gandharva Loka which does not even exist is created in our illusion.
Apaara..
With instantaneous changes, the various movements are deluding us into the temptation to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of life. This artist is highly accomplished in performing this dance.
Her glances are quicker than lightning. This lifetime is extremely brief. The composition of this creation is so intriguing that we forget God.
Earlier we heard a story about a son who went to attend a court summons and forgot his duties, got distracted with other affairs and returned home without accomplishing his task.
These are all great topics. Each has to visualize each of these situations to learn from them.
Divasa..
God has rendered us a great favor. Our loved ones are taken away leaving us in grief. Things and people desert us. Had this situation not been created, we would not realize that we too will leave similarly. Yet, very few people realize this fact. Oh, those great bygone days, we reminisce. Those good old days also are now past. Great treasures are gone. If we go back 500 years, in the reign of Sri Krishnadevaraya, they had pearls heaped up on the streets. Our karmas are changing moment to moment. Our actions are always different. We have sweet memories. Only memories remain. We also will remain as things of the past. We are not permanent. To think that we live forever is the greatest fallacy. Any moment we may depart. This truth one must dwell on all the time.
Pratya ..
This terrible world, what does it do? It spoils us. An expired food item will make us sick. We have to stay away from it. We are getting stuck in this ever changing (spoiling) world. Gold and dirt are also changing their shapes. Gold turns to an ornament. Dirt turns to a pot. That is a spoiling of the original state. Nothing remains unchanged and eternal. That is the flaw in this creation.
There seems to be no end to this ever changing world. It is endless. Just because we become knowledgeable, it is foolish to expect that all others will also become so. Ignorance remains as something eternal.
Verse..
Let us not be concerned about things. Let us be concerned about living creatures. Birds have taken human births. If we show a lack of compassion as humans, we may be born again as a creature lower than a human. All these people are taking rebirth as animals and birds. Birds and animals are taking rebirth as humans.
Narada was told by Vishnu that Satsang is the greatest thing to have in life. Narada needed proof. Vishnu told Narada to go to the earth to witness the birth of a piglet. Narada went to the earth. A piglet was born and instantly as he was looking at it, it died. Alarmed at this, Narada returned to Vishnu. This time Vishnu sent him down to the earth to witness the birth of a bird. The same thing happened to a bird that had just hatched. The moment Narada set his eyes upon it, it dropped dead. Narada was afraid that he was perhaps causing these deaths and incurring sin as a result. Vishnu sent him back again. Next, a calf that was just born dropped dead also the moment Narada arrived there. Narada returned and told Vishnu: I am now stuck with the sin of causing 3 deaths in a row. Vishnu sent him back yet another time. Now he went to see a queen who had just given birth to an infant. If this child also dies, then what will be my fate? Thought Narada.
Narada went down and held the baby in his arms. The infant spoke. It said: for Satsang’s enormous beneficial effect, I am the proof. I was the piglet, the bird, and the calf. By merely seeing you, I have quickly risen to the level of the highest human birth.
Many attain divinity and yet lose that state. No species remains permanently as that species. Each changes with each birth.
Sri Rama says everything is impermanent.
The Sun is great. He, as Time, is unbroken and yet we have the calculations of time as minutes, hours, days, and so on based on the sun’s rising and setting. By daily rising and setting, the sun is daily anticipating his own death.
Even the sun, the source of Rama’s lineage is ever anticipating the day when he will merge with God. Sri Rama informs us of this as per Vedanta, and spiritual truth.
Verse ..
There is Badabaagni, fire in the ocean bed. We saw the scenes from Iceland of the volcano with glaciers all around and fire in the womb of the mountains. Siva has fire on his forehead and he wears Ganga and the cool moon on his head.
Even the Trinity merges in God when Siva dances the dance of destruction. Maha Tandava Sakshinee is Mother Goddess. We must make an effort to merge in God before getting destroyed. At the final annihilation, all names and forms disappear. Only Consciousness remains. Everything else perishes. Even the Trinity is mortal since the gods have assumed temporary forms. They assume a form and they dissolve the form and merge back in God. The lotus that emerges from Vishnu’s navel again withdraws into the navel. When Vishnu awakens from his Yoga Nidra, again Creation begins anew.
We have to save our good Karma by our Seva. As we restart the computer, all our files will reappear. You must therefore totally delete your bad karmas, not just leave them in the trash bin or the recycle bin. That way when the new Creation begins, we will not be burdened with the past karma.
Verse ..
In the fire in the ocean – all creation becomes consumed.
There are those who are upset by these things. If even a good friend appears in front of them, they do not feel happy. They are always afraid of annihilation. That fear must get transformed into wisdom. We do demonic actions even against a harmless ant due to fear. Fear increases the demonic tendencies in us. Everything appears unpleasant. Nothing gives happiness. All wealth, relatives, friends, and possessions give fear of harm.
‘I have become stuck in this cycle’ is an example of Vedantic fear. This also removes all happiness from life. No matter what items are served, we still ask for Rasam/spicy soup. Only that taste satisfies us. Similarly, the tasty juice that is only available in the Parabrahman/the Supreme Soul will give us permanent bliss.
Fear of ignorance is there in the spiritual seeker. Prahlada tells his friends that he is afraid of falling again into ignorance. That is the fear that emanates from spiritual seeking. That also gives dejection and lack of interest. This gives benefit eventually because it stimulates further search for truth.
Verse ..
Mrithyu/Death is a demon says Sri Rama. Until we are caught in his jaws, we will not realize our plight. Till then, should we remain like this?
A frog was caught by a snake. The legs of the frog were grabbed and are in its mouth. The frog could see the world. The frog had to kick and wiggle itself free. But it does not do so. The frog saw an insect and stretched its tongue out to reach the insect. We are like that frog. Instead of freeing ourselves from danger, we reach for the object of desire. The insect anyhow is out of the reach of the frog. The snake is not going to allow the frog to eat the insect. The snake keeps eating the frog. That is why we are urged to read and study the Bhagavatam. This enlightening story occurs there.
Prahlada was a good demon. But Death is here referred to as a bad demon. We must take precaution and avoid getting swallowed by death.
In an instant one becomes rich. In an instant one become poor. In a moment a disease gets cured. One gets sick suddenly and unexpectedly. It is karma that causes all diseases and problems. By the performance of good deeds these may be overcome.
Every moment at every step there is illusion. We see Sadguru and we fall into delusion. We are beset with suspicion and doubts. We see the image of God in a temple and question about it. The Atma Tatva/spiritual Truth gets forgotten.
Who is there in this world who has escaped from the clutches of Maya? Amma Vodi/Mother’s Lap is great. It is not Bomma Vodi/Doll’s Lap. The worshipers of Mother Goddess feel the presence and guidance of the Mother. That is the Yoga and Upasana path. Even to the wise, it is said in the Markandeya Purana, that those whose wisdom is not ripe are subject to doubts. When we purchase unripe fruits, we are asked to keep them in hay to ripen. Sadguru’s feet are the warm hay. They will ripen our wisdom. Guru gives us the experience of wisdom. Who is there that is immune from delusion in this world? The great and noble ones also become victims of ignorance and illusion. Of the billions, I should be the one exception, we must think. We must all make that effort to be the exceptions to the rule.
The sky is described now. The sky does not exist. To the extent that we can see, the object at the farthest end, there is space till there. The only thing that can be compared to God is space. It is all pervasive. It is untouched by anything. Even the sky appears strange. It appears blue due to certain conditions. It assumes a shape due to certain conditions, like an inverted bowl. It appears blue. It is not really blue. It appears black also. It looks bright also at times and assumes different hues. We have applied different colors to it. It sometimes appears smeared with clouds. At sunset it appears with a beautiful golden glow. Sometimes it gives great joy. One moment it makes thunderous sounds. On the seashore, you sometimes hear deafening noises. The feature of the sky is sound. When it is totally silent also we feel disturbed. Once you see the stars, and then again the sun is seen. You see the moon. At new moon, nothing is seen and during eclipses, the view is even stranger.
Who is there who is not struck with fear at this ever changing creation?
Aapada – is ignorance. Sampada is Jnana.
One moment it is birth. Next moment it is death. Utsavam is celebration. Celebrate each change as it occurs. That is the nature of the wise.
Verse..
This is the most important verse that gives the essence of all that has been mentioned before. The varied births that one takes, is most strange. Do we know what we were in our past life? If we knew, it would cause a lot of problems to us. We would see our relatives as the animals and birds around us. Sadaa eka roopam – always of the same form.
Sadgurudeva, there is nothing that has the same form always. There is one such entity. But it is not appearing before us, although it exists. Paramatma is changeless. He is invisible. He does exist. In whatever I am experiencing, there is nothing that is changeless. Please Sadgurudeva, please teach me of that eternal substance. Gaining knowledge is one thing. Having an experience of that is different. If even Jnanis/the wise are not spared from ignorance, what about us? Even great warriors perish in battle, then what about us foot soldiers?
Ghatas
How everything is ever changing is described by Sri Rama. Tarka Sastra does not approve of this logic. But Vedanta says it is very important.
How to fulfill life by assuming a form, Sri Rama next explains. Pancha Vikaras/the five types of transformation will be discussed tomorrow.
At Karya Siddhi Hanuman Temple, at every new moon and full moon the Rigveda Krama Parayana takes place. Tomorrow is full moon. Swamiji is leaving for Mekedatu for a day. Tomorrow we will have the discourse on Yoga Vasishtha, but not the day after.
Om Santissantissantihi
Sri Guru Datta