Discourse on Yoga Vasishtha
July 26, 2017
Note compiler:Beginning missing in video
In Kali Yuga, we cannot see gods with our eyes. They say, they found a huge skeleton sixteen-foot-long, and believe it to be the skeleton of Ghatotkacha. It may be. It may strengthen the faith of people. There were times when some humans were huge like dinosaurs. In Kali Yuga, gods assume the form of Sadguru. So, you must regard Guru as Parabrahma.
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Brahma descended and appeared before Karkati.
Who performed penance is not important. How they performed it, is important. A demon may do it; the demon brothers, Vibheeshana, Kumbhakarna, and Ravanasura performed penance. Brahma offered them all boons. Vibheeshana was filled with Satva Guna. Ravanasura was of Rajo Guna. Kumbhakarna was of Tamo Guna. Brahma gave darshan to all three of them, because they all performed very severe penance. What boons they each asked was different, based on their nature. But whoever performs intense penance, will gain powers. All students sitting in a classroom learn the same subjects, they pass, and go out to earn. But do they all lead similar lives? No. Each has a different lifestyle.
So, this demon earned the reward for her penance by having Brahma come before her. Even blazing poison cools with penance. Nothing is impossible to gain by doing penance. The demon offered her salutation mentally to Brahma. She pondered about what boon to ask.
Her hunger had to be appeased. Her stomach was huge. She then remembered what she wanted. She wanted to become a living invisible needle, in the form of disease. Another wish was to become a needle made of iron. She wished to enter the bodies of beings in the form of disease, and suck their essence out and destroy them. She also wanted to become a needle that could fly about in the air and go wherever she wished. Like a mosquito, with its needle-like nose, she wished to poke people and draw their blood.
One form is invisible, as disease, and the other form is visible, like an iron needle. She asked Brahma to grant her these two boons. She wanted to enter people’s insides, or hearts, of all of them at the same time, like fragrance that is breathed in, like contagious air.
That is why doctors wear masks and gloves to protect themselves.
That is how the demon wished to appease her hunger. There is no better comfort in life than to satisfy hunger. People, when they are starved, ask for food first, and then they are ready to talk, after satisfying their hunger.
Brahma noticed that this demon was devoid of any virtue, compassion, or good feeling. All she wanted was to torment creatures to satisfy herself. He had performed penance but she had no patience, or wish to control limbs or sense organs.
One must never do penance out of hatred for someone. If you have hatred towards someone, pray that the feeling of resentment should leave your mind, or that the other person should get transformed and should become a good person so that you can be friends with him. Never wish that another person should get destroyed because of your enmity. Whether he dies, or whether the feeling of enmity is destroyed, it is the same. Wishing for the negative feeling to be destroyed is beneficial both in the worldly and the spiritual sense. For spiritual progress, negative feelings must be abolished. Otherwise, for generations, people will harbor hatred that leads to factionists who destroy nations for centuries. It must stop.
The only motive for the demon’s penance was that she wished to torment and bleed people to death to satisfy her hunger.
In a profound voice Brahma spoke:
Verse: Putri Karkatike
O Karkatika, you are like the garland of clouds decorating the mountains. He is praising her because in the future she will become a Brahma Jnani, going through a complete positive transformation.
The demon also praised Brahma, you are the lord of past, present, and future. A similar name is applied to Vishnu in the Vishnu Sahasranama. We must pray for those who are now alive, and for those who are yet to be born, like our grandchildren. If you wish to offer me a boon, give me the form of disease, and an iron needle. Brahma granted her wishes.
After careful thought, Brahma said, you will not only be a soochikaa, a needle, you will also be Vishoochikaa, a severe fever like cholera. Like bacteria, you will be invisible, and will infect people who eat forbidden food at forbidden times.
Vedas and Shastras forbid consumption of certain foods obtained through cruelty to creatures, and foods improperly cooked. Certain people are allowed to eat certain foods. But there are people crazy about trying new tastes. They even eat snakes, dogs, and cats. Even among meats, some meats are forbidden. Those who eat untimely meals, forbidden foods, and improperly cooked foods, who overeat, who hurt others physically, mentally, and verbally, and those who reside in forbidden places and do forbidden things, such people you may torment. You have no permission to hurt good people, Brahma told Karkati.
If a place is unsuitable and unfavorable, you must not linger there. You must leave at once. Children should never even step into such places. People must never reside in such places. They must not associate with bad people.
The reason that some good people get sick, is because of the bad Karma they performed in their previous lifetimes.
Like invisible germs, you may enter through people’s noses and enter their chest region, and suck the energy out of the left side of the chest where there is a vulnerable piece of flesh.
Doctors usually check how the lungs are performing while assessing a patient’s health condition, to see whether there is wheezing or phlegm in the lungs. They listen for sounds and irregularities. Bacteria first infect the lungs. Pleeha is an organ that is vulnerable and is easily infected.
Vishoochikaa, you will torment both good people and bad people because you would not know the difference. When good people get sick, to find them a cure, I will teach a Mantra.
Mantra is as important as medicine in curing diseases. When you take any medicine, before popping the pill in the mouth, pause for a moment or for two minutes, and remember God, Guru, Dhanvantari, Surya, Siva, and Narayana, and then swallow the medicine. We then concentrate on the medicine and its purpose. It makes a huge difference in its effectiveness. Then the medicine will have the power of the mantra to become more effective in releasing you from the disease.
If this mantra is chanted even horrible diseases and fevers will be cured. I am teaching that mantra now, said Brahma. While chanting the mantra, one must remember that the demon, Vishoochikaa and Anyaayabaadhikaa has come here from the north, from the Himalayas, in the form of this disease. She is tormenting us. She belongs to the north, residing near the Himalayas. We are now suffering from illness due to some sin committed by us in the past. Unnecessarily we will not be subjected to ill-health. The two names with the two meanings must be remembered before uttering this mantra. It may seem that unfairly she is troubling us, but our own past sins are responsible for our diseases and fevers. She is not bothering us for no reason. A disease means we are getting cleansed of some past sin.
Listen carefully.
Om Hreem hraam reem raam Vishnu shaktaye namaha. Om namo Bhagavati Vishnu shakti me naam Om hara hara naya naya pacha pacha matha matha utsaadaya doore kuru swaahaa
Himavantam gachcha Jeeva saha saha saha Chandramandala Gatos swaahaa
Brahma gave upadesha of this mantra. Whoever remembers this demon and chants this, wishing that this demon in the form of disease should go away, will be cured of the disease.
Why was this mantra taught? What is the secret behind this? Many have given commentaries on this mantra.
Omkara is the seed syllable for the power of Vishnu. I offer salutations. O Bhagavati, use your power of Vishnu to destroy the disease. Each phrase is repeated twice. Hara hara, destroy destroy.
When we bathe in the Ganga, we chant hara hara paapam hara, praying that our sins should be destroyed. Repetition is for emphasis. Take it away take it away, if it is in you, it will not hurt you. Inside us, it destroys us. Make this disease go away, go away, make it weak, make it weak, drive it away drive this disease away from me, is the prayer. O disease, of the form of Swaahaa, go back to your residence, which is the moon. Do not stay here. Go away into the moon or into the Himalayas. Do not remain here.
You must get a pious relative who is your well-wisher, who chants mantras, and have him chant this mantra for you. This mantra must be written on his left palm after he has had a cleansing bath and is wearing clean clothes. He should then touch the patient’s body from top to bottom, either touch, or just mentally touch and move the hand over the body without touching the body. The entire body must be saturated with the mantra. The relative or well-wisher, and the patient (if in a condition to do so) must get absorbed in the mantra.
Karkati Mantra should chase the disease out of the body as if beaten with an iron club, and should flee towards the Himalayan mountains. This should be visualized. The demon in the form of the terrible disease must be seen mentally, as running away in fright towards the north, to the Himalayas. It is all in the mind. Mentally if you strongly wish for the disease to go away, it will leave the body and disappear. Mind has that power. Disease is an invisible germ. If you ignore it, and neglect it, it will leave you. But if you give it too much importance, it will strengthen itself and will torment more. It is a mind game. Keep trust in Guru and God and feel confident of a quick restoration to good health. One must visualize that the patient will consume the nectar of restoration from the Moon and will be free from any trace of any disease, and will glow without any sign of old age or mortality.
When a seeker follows the above procedure, Vishoochikaa will be completely removed and destroyed. The fever will be gone. Brahma Himself has given this antidote, this solution and cure for the disease.
The commentators on this mantra have said: This mantra was not taught lightly. This is a very powerful mantra. What is the intent behind this?
Paramatma supports Maya but He is not vulnerable to Maya. He is untouched by Maya. We are all under the spell of Maya. Paramatma transcends Maya. We praise Mother Goddess as one who transcends Maya.
Power of Vishnu is power of Paramatma. It is of two kinds. Vishnu means omnipresent, all-pervasive. Paramatma is called Vishnu. He is omnipotent. All powerful. His power is of two kinds. One is the power of illusion, that none can conquer. This is the main power, which controls all other energies and powers in Creation. The second power is under the control of Maya/illusion. This exists in all things and all creatures, which are all controlled by the power of Maya. That is why everything appears strange to us in this world, where we all act in different ways. This second power constitutes three types, namely, Satvika, Rajasika, and Tamasika powers. Of these, the creative power is Rajasika. Satvika power sustains, and Tamasika power causes Pralaya, death, or destruction. That is the sequence. This Tamasika power takes many forms to inflict upon us the results of our bad karma or sins. It occurs as different types of diseases and afflictions. It is this second type of power that gives us diseases. Vedas and Shastras have underlined the above fact.
That is why Sadguru says always engage in good deeds only.
To overcome diseases, the first power of Maya should be offered prayers.
With four secret seed syllables, beginning with OM, Maya Shakti is worshiped. Hreem hraam reem raam.
It is a good mantra, especially if one gets initiation from Guru. Maya Shakti is identified with Parabrahma in this mantra. Hreem is Illusion, Hraam is Jnana Shakti/Power of Knowledge, Reem is Ichchaa shakti/Power of Resolve or Intention, Raam is Kriyaa shakti/Power of Action. The three powers are introduced to us here. Raam raamaaya namaha – Raam implies the Power of Action. There is no higher example than Rama. Alone, he crossed the ocean; alone, he fought Ravana, with only an army of monkeys to help him. Ravanasura is the grandson of Sage Pulastya. Ravana had performed penance for thousands of years and had earned great powers. Alone, Rama fought against him. Rama energizes devotees into action. He destroys our fear. Lord Krishna says, I am Rama among the wielders of bows and weapons. Once Rama is remembered, lack of confidence will vanish. That is what great souls tell us. OM is to be considered as the be-all and end-all. It encompasses everything. It is a syllable, a word, the entire Creation is OM.
O Bhagavathi, you are all powerful, and the ruler of all, O Power of Maya, the first power of Parabrahma, by using your power, please withdraw into Paramatma, the Tamasika Power which has manifested as disease. Paramatma is the cause of this Creation. OM reveals Him. May this disease be rooted out. The repetitive phrase is for double emphasis. May the disease go back to where it came from. The patient should remain here fully restored to health. The strength of the disease should weaken. Churn this disease to dilute its strength. Divert its course from here and drive it away. One should visualize that worship and offerings are made to the Goddess, although physically it may not be done. To visualize and mentally feel it, is very important. The mind should be kept steady. Pray to Mother Goddess to send back to the Himalayas the Tamasika power of the disease. Dispatch the disease back to where it came from.
Tell the patient that he, who was in the jaws of death, torn by disease due to past sins, is now completely restored to health by visiting the moon, and consuming the reviving nectar of the Moon. Amrita, the nectar of immortality has the power to revive the dead.
Swamiji has described in a bhajan that when such a nectar is sprinkled, even a felled tree trunk will come back to life and put forth new leaves. The well-wisher/relative must strongly visualize in his heart that by the power of his prayer, he has transported the patient to the moon. When this is learned from Sadguru, it will have the full effect. Mantra and the secret administration of the Mantra, and its effective use must be learned directly from Sadguru. Now we have only lightly touched upon the subject.
This is a very great episode. You have all heard it. If any of you are suffering from any diseases, may you be cured of them. I pray to God and Sadgurudeva that even future ailments are averted and prevented; may you all lead comfortable long lives.
When a doctor tells you that you will be well, it means that he has visualized you in good health. By his study of medicine, he can visualize that after the treatment you will be perfectly all right and will walk away feeling strong, fit, and carefree. Visualization has immense power. That secret has been revealed to us here.
Whoever follows a good path, and whoever chants this mantra should not be troubled by you, Brahma told Karkati, and departed in the skies. He received prostrations from all the demi-gods who saw him. Brahma taught this mantra to Indra also and told him to pass it on to whoever may need it.
Brahma returned to Satya Loka or Brahma Loka. Puranas describe that residence of Brahma in glorious terms. This concludes the 69th Sarga.
What the demon does after receiving the boon, is described later. Of course, she goes on a rampage to begin with. Later, she gets transformed.
Please witness the Koti Kunkumarchana after Sri Chakra Puja. Chant Sri Lalita Sahasranama. Swamiji is in Mouna. Please do not disturb Him.
Jaya Guru Datta
Sri Guru Datta