Discourse on Yoga Vasishtha
June 30, 2016
Om Santissantissantihi
Yesterday we heard Sri Rama’s important question: O Guru, you spoke about going in different directions, going and coming. But in Paramatma none of these exist. How did the non-existent come to exist in this world? Ignorance is absent in Paramatma. Then how did it appear in Creation?
Brahmanandam parama sukhadam kevalam …
Veda does not say that there is ignorance in Paramatma. He is ever pure and is only pure consciousness. There are no changes, modifications, or differences in Him.
We are able to dispel ignorance by experience. Ignorance is a delusion. Knowing that we are ever liberated is the truth. In the beginning, in Srishtikrama, we learned for convenience’s sake, that we got separated as an individual soul from the Supreme Soul. That is not true. Man thinks he has become separated. There is no such thing actually as separation. The individual in delusion desired a body for personal comfort. He then imagines that he is born and is suffering. Later he must realize that he is actually Paramatman Himself. He ever is Paramatma. Now he obtains the realization of his true state. It is very important to learn the answer to the above question. When this world is just an illusion, anything is possible in Maya. It is not there in the source. The source/Paramatma is infinite. He is not bound by directions. We must address the above question and find the proper answer to it.
Sloka
All things are functioning as per God’s will. What is God’s will? We already discussed it. Hiranyagarbha, Narayana, Iswara or Parameswara are all names given to him. He is the first entity. Adi Purusha. Kunda is a pot, a round container. First the name came into existence and then the thing that fits the descriptive name came into existence. If you add rice and water and place the pot on fire, cooked rice is made as per God’s will. Suppose you are in Switzerland in winter time, the rice perhaps will not cook as fast because of the cold climate.
The potter is turning the wheel and shaping a pot. As long as the wheel is turning, if it is God’s will, the pot will be made. Just by God’s will, without your effort, the pot will not be made. It is God’s will that effort is required. Without God’s will even an ant will not bite. The original living entity decided that it should be so. Why? Why were mobile devices discovered only now? Why not earlier? It appears as if everything follows a cyclic pattern. Who knows? Is this the first time ever that these things exist?
We base our existence upon this earth and speak about different directions. How do you determine what is below and what is above? When we are in the middle of unending space, how can there be any below and above? It is all relative to the earth that we speak of directions. Only when the wheel turns the pot is shaped.
Rama, we only have one Truth. Only if you see the snake in the rope, the snake exists. It only exists in your mind. Your ignorance has to be removed by you, and no one else. Buddhi or intellect harbors ignorance. How did ignorance enter the mind? Perhaps a past experience. Perhaps not. Rishyasringa was raised without ever seeing a woman. Yet, he fell into infatuation upon seeing woman for the first time. We have to transcend Maya. It is not a dosha to succumb to Maya. Kadamba Pushpa/flower is full of stamens only. It looks like a tennis ball. A hibiscus looks different. What is the middle part of a Kadamba flower? What is the middle part of a tennis ball? You cannot determine a beginning or an end to a sphere. You take a middle part as a basis and determine the different directions. Because we take the earth as the center of our existence, we speak of directions. In truth, there is no bottom portion, there is nothing below. Unless you first think of the fragments, you cannot realize the unfragmented state. Why does the fruit fall down from the tree? Why does it not fall up? There is a mistake in that concept. Every object has a Gurutva principle. Gurutva is not weight, as mistakenly believed. It is the power of attraction. Every sense organ attracts the objects associated with it. This power of attraction is Gurutva. This is what Newton had discovered. He explained the theory behind it. Earth and other entities exhibit attraction and repulsion. Even atoms express that. Vasishtha did not use the term Gurutva. He spoke about atoms and parts of atoms as demonstrating the power of attraction. Modern science also speaks of the same power of attraction. The fruit of the tree has a part of the earth in it. The earth element pulls it towards itself, whatever consists a part of itself. It is not a matter of above and below. If we travel beyond our atmosphere, and we drop something, it does not fall to the earth. It is beyond the field of attraction. Valmiki gave a good example.
Kuppa Krishnamurthy garu has explained this in his commentary on Yoga Vasishtha. Please read it.
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Jyotisha scientists/astrologers have explained the concept of directions. For ants, the legs are at the bottom and the back that is exposed to the sky is above. The ten directions came into our understanding accordingly. What is the weight of water? Why is it that not everything is falling away from the earth? What is holding the waters surrounding the landmass from falling off into space? The planets are not colliding against one another. The galaxies are remaining separate.
In the Universe, there are in reality no separate directions. Therefore, in Paramatma there are no separations or parts. He is whole and infinite. If we draw an eight petaled lotus inside a circle, we name each part as a particular direction.
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Some planets have only trees and mounds as Leela Devi and Saraswati had seen. Some planets have demi-gods and demons. Only some planets have human habitation.
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The walnut with its hard shell is an example of certain Universes. They are created with mountains, villages, and all the features we are familiar with, all come into being on their own. Some galaxies are simply void.
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In the Vindhya mountains only, there are certain types of elephants. The ladies saw the worlds from a vision colored by ignorance. All the things in Creation are like tiny atoms as compared with Paramatma. But that is not a proper description. Paramatma is everywhere and is everything. He is pure consciousness.
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This is the state of Paramatma. He is everything. Everything emerges out of Him. Everything dissolves in Him. Nothing comes from anything else except from Paramatma. All is Atma and nothing else. One cannot compare anything with Atma. You cannot call Him an atom or as consisting of atoms. He is tinier and greater than anything that you can mention or imagine.
Atma is not like an atom. That is a wrong conclusion.
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In the ocean-like pure consciousness, waves of galaxies rise and dissolve. That modification is seen by you due to delusion. You see the Universe which seems to rise and fall into Paramatma, you see it due to illusion and you forget Paramatma, who is the actual Truth. Ocean is eternal but not the waves. You wish to bathe in the ocean and not in the waves.
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Paramatma is real. Universe is not. Leela Devi and Saraswati are witnessing all types of galaxies. They went into the middle of the cosmos. It is like getting into the middle of the ocean. They saw the sky-high waves and also saw the absolutely still waters of the cosmos. They saw the waves which are yet to rise. They imagine that they are about to rise. It is like the milk that is about to boil over. You anticipate that it will rise to the top. They witnessed such places during their travels. Some universes were yet to be manifested. They appeared to be asleep and were yet to awaken. The Veda says that in the beginning non-existence is the only thing that existed. Asat is falsehood. How can Truth emerge from falsehood? It is not untruth as we understand it. It is void. It is where nothing existed as manifestation.
Whatever you mention, it belongs only to Paramatma. Soonya is the state where the Universe is absent. Whatever is there in the world, is never void or empty. If darkness exists, even that is an existence. Only fullness exists. There is no such thing as void. Truth here is referring to the visible Creation. We call it real. It is what we experience. Aparaa Vidyaa is the term used to refer to the Ultimate Truth. Asat refers to Paramatma. He always existed. That is the secret explanation about Paramatma. It sounds illogical that out of nothing something came into existence. They saw such a place.
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Some waves of the cosmos produced frightening sounds as if a huge deluge or end of Creation was about to occur. Even in our own bodies there are frightening sounds occurring, like in our digestive or circulatory systems. They are not heard by us. Sometimes during indigestion, we hear certain sounds.
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Some new living forms seemed to be just emerging. These being had no past tendencies. They were fresh creations.
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Even the suns and the light rays are dissolving into that space which they saw.
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Some Universes have no chance of rising and are constantly falling downward eternally. They saw them all. How is it possible for universes to fall? It is all dependent upon the resolve made in the consciousness of the viewer.
Whatever is born or rises, will fall. Some universes move and some don’t. Even if our earth goes out of its orbit, it will be disastrous. They saw galaxies falling away into space.
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Some galaxies were remaining still. They were not moving at all. Some people see floaters when the vision experiences certain problems. These are non-existent things appearing to move in space. Why is Creation occurring like this? Is the Creator recalling past creations and modeling the new Creation upon old patterns?
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A great soul, a Jeevanmukta, like Hanuman, who will become Brahma, a new Brahma may create as per his own creativity, or he may choose old pattern of creation from memory.
We pray to Hanuman because he is the future Brahma. He has to remove our ignorance if we do not get liberated before our future birth.
The one who assumes the position of Brahma will recommence the act of Creation. Prajapati creates according to past models of creation, the Veda says. But it is also allowed that a fresh plan may be utilized. In the illusory creation, there are no definite rules to follow.
Veda as mother, teaches at different levels to persons of different mental abilities. There may be contradictions because of that. At every level of understanding a different explanation has to be given. Not everyone can understand the highest truth all at once. Veda does not criticize or repudiate anyone. Veda accepts everyone. There are many paths suited to persons of many different levels and aptitudes. One must gradually rise to higher levels of understanding. Learning how Creation came into being is not the most important thing. It is more important to learn about Paramatma.
Leela Devi and Saraswati have seen many things in their dhyana. We cannot see those things.
Veda declares that Paramatma is eternal, infinite, and He is pure consciousness. Those who have seen all the galaxies should finally come to this same realization. Those who have seen all the places of pilgrimages, should seek Self-knowledge, and not try to exhaust seeing all the places of pilgrimage, without leaving out any.
The final experience of Leela Devi and her final realization are important. This we must remember. What she saw and experienced under a cloud of ignorance is not very important.
Jaya Guru Datta
Sri Guru Datta
Om Santissantissantihi