Discourse on Yoga Vasishtha
June 8 2016
Om Santissantissantihi
Bhooloka Varnana is the next – description of the earth. We have heard the description of the travel through the cosmos where Leela Devi and Mother Saraswati had seen everything there was to see in Creation. Now they have descended to the earth. Although there is no real ascending and descending, one who begins the upward journey from Muladhara Chakra must return to Muladhara. As one spiritually rises, step by step, the place where you began must always be kept in mind. Our source is Paramatma. He must never be forgotten. … What is our size? We are so minute. The earth itself is so tiny in the galaxy, it is invisible from a distance. Then what are we? Yet, we become so arrogant and proud. We delude and deceive others. We boast. It means we have forgotten God. One who travels from the Muladhara up to the Sahasrara, must return to Muladhara. There the Kundalini shakti lies dormant again. One who reaches Sahasrara fully, remains there. But Yogis teach those who are still disciples who are in the process of development, that they should also learn to descend gradually. The two ladies have seen all the worlds and what is yet to come also. They have attained complete knowledge of all Creation of the past, present, and future. With the physical eye it cannot be seen, but in meditation, with the eye of wisdom one may perceive all the worlds. This technique was taught by Saraswati Devi to Leela Devi. Saraswati is always in dhyana. But Leela Devi was guided through the inner space by her. Leela Devi wished to go back to her past life to Giri grama and see her past husband Padmaraja in a hut. Vasishtha was her husband’s name then. He died only 8 days ago as per his time scale. But Leela Devi has gone through many years in the interim. She cannot travel back to her past life in the physical form. She could not travel through time like that. She had to gain the power for that through dhyana. One must have faith in the words of Sadguru. Saraswati gave Leela Devi the advice to do dhyana. Leela Devi sat for dhyana and Saraswati blessed her. In a short time, she gained the power. One must make the effort and follow Guru’s instruction rather than demand instant grace without any effort on the part of the disciple. To do so is very wrong.
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Inside our inner space, that outer space is there. Now after seeing all the worlds within, they are both coming down. When we meditate alone and travel alone it is a race. If we travel along with God, it is grace. Here Leela Devi is traveling along with Mother Saraswati. Now the description of the earth is given, as they saw it. It differs from the earth that we are familiar with. Vedas, Puranas, and modern books give differing description of the earth. With each eon, the shape and features of the earth change. There was a time when man was considered short if he was only six feet tall. Many deluges have come and the size of the earth has shrunk in time. The description given here will raise questions in our minds. We must understand that this is how it was, eons ago. Vasishtha gives the description. Mother Saraswati is showing the earth to Leela Devi. This appearance of the earth is as Saraswati Devi conceived it. … This changing illusion helps in transforming the mindset of a disciple. Sometimes strange thoughts come, strange experiences occur, strange sights are seen, strange words and sounds are heard. All these are arranged by Sadguru to bring about internal changes and to promote spiritual growth. .. Mother Saraswati made a sankalpa to show the earth to Leela Devi. The concept of the earth is in the heart of Saraswati. That is what she is conveying now to Leela Devi. This is a very poetic description. This earth is like the heart-lotus. If man is the Universe, then the earth is the heart of that Universe. We must therefore preserve this planet, its vegetation and so forth. The earth-lotus has eight directions. The stamens of the lotus are the mountains. Neil Armstrong looked at the earth from the moon and gave a beautiful description, it looked like a bride, in a blue-black color.
Bad audio.
The snow on the mountains is like drops of nectar. The earth is spinning like a bee. All the creatures on earth appear like tiny insects. If both merit and sin are combined, one comes to the earth. Only then one is born as a human. Human world is in the middle. If merit increases, one goes to higher worlds. If sin increases, one goes down to lower worlds. The lotus stalk leads down to the nether worlds like a hole. The water surrounds the earth like a ring. All the emotions and feelings, all nine of them, like love, anger, jealousy, fear, disgust, surprise, etc. exist in the creatures of the earth. It is the natural feature on earth. In heaven, only compassion is the emotion. If any other feeling is generated in heavenly beings, they will fall from heaven. That is why in stories we hear of celestial beings getting cursed and dropping to the earth and other worlds. That is what we read in the scriptural stories. Man feels the different emotions based on the situations. The sun is like a swan. Worship of the swan or hamsa is worship of the sun. The sun cleanses us. He removes our sorrow. Surya Gayatri mantra is also called Hamsa Gayatri. The sun must be worshiped at dawn, noon, and dusk. When we do so, our hamsas or breaths will increase. How carefully we use our breaths will determine our life span. If we use the pickle in moderation, it will last us a year. If we eat it all too quickly, we will get sick. We must expend our breaths conservatively, without excess, and without wasting. God has granted so many breaths for each individual. Sometimes due to karma, some diseases and accidents occur. Pranayama increases life span. If you lengthen your breaths, by making them slow and deep, life span increases. Focus your mind on the breathing while you are engaging in whatever task. It promotes good health. At night, this lotus-like earth is folding up. Vasuki is supporting this earth. He is also called Ananta or Sesha. It is gravity, that is compared to a serpent. In the Guru Parampara Puja, Adi Sesha also is worshiped. He supports this world, this body. Bhogini is snake. Snakes are within us. No need to fear snakes. Kundalini is a serpent that is within us. Snakes will be scared of the poison we carry inside us. Snakes have venom in fangs, scorpion in its tail. But man’s thoughts have poison in them. Man is the cruelest being. Vasuki is the stem that carries the earth. The oceans are holding the earth together. If tsunamis occur, the earth’s shape will change. Demons and celestials are all here, they are categorized based on their behavior. They are like the thorns on the stalk of the lotus. Fine thorns are there that we can feel with our fingers. Mountains are like the seeds. Jambu Dvipa is like an ear stud. Villages and cities are like the pollen. Main mountains are there. Sumeru, the main mountain, we believe it is Kailasa, is spreading into the sky. It is a monolith. One stone that is so huge. There is a huge boulder near Tumkur. 13,000 feet high is Kailasa single boulder. In the center of the earth there are beings who may be compared to bees. Every full moon the waves of the ocean rise and touch the earth. This is how they view the earth from up above as they are descending. There were nine continents. Now there are seven continents. Later, four, and two, and finally one continent will remain. Then deluge will come to submerge the land, according to the Bhagavatam. 100,000 yojanas was the size or area of the earth. Now it is not so big. This description is from many eons before. Lavana samudra, the salty ocean surrounds this earth. Descriptions given in the Puranas and this description are a little different due to changes occurring in course of time. On all four sides there is a milky ocean. We do not know whether it was really made of milk. Once upon a time, such an ocean existed on earth, it is believed. Now a cell phone is cheaper to buy, than milk. May be those days people went to the ocean of milk to fetch some milk. Kusha island is teeming with people. There is also an ocean of curds. It was cool and gave pleasure to the gods. This description is not important. Do not analyze whether these really existed. Krauncha island was there surrounded by an ocean of ghee. All readymade oceans containing the sacred substances. Shalmali island was filled with sin. The description of Mani Dveepa also is similar to this. There, the innermost compound is the largest where Mother Goddess resides. Gomedhika island was surrounded by an ocean of sugarcane juice. Then a sweet water ocean was there. A dark lily garland covered a region. It was like the hair of the queen of the earth. Bhoodevi resides in the heart of Lord Venkateswara. There is an ocean deep and vast. There are great flames of fire. While one experiences these types of things during meditation, one does not feel bored in dhyana. When one sings bhajans with boredom, time passes slowly. But when one sings with absorption, it is most enjoyable. Many wind mountains were there which could break everything. Void was there. A huge golden wall was there split into two. The sarga ends thus with a wondrous description of the earth as it existed then, as visualized by Mother Saraswati. Leela Devi viewed this and found the Giri Grama finally, as they approached closer and closer. The flight is landing slowly. The village from the past life is seen and also the hut they were going to visit. This is all as per the sankalpa of Saraswati. So where does this earth exist? It exists in the heart of Saraswati. She conveyed it to Leela Devi. The earth filled with mountains, oceans, forests, and cities was seen and as they descended, the village they were looking for, Girigrama, is seen. They will land inside the hut and have the darshan of Leela Devi’s husband from her past life.
Jaya Guru Datta
Sri Guru Datta
Om Santissantissantihi