Discourse on Yoga Vasishtha
May 5 2016
Om Santissantissantihi
About Vedanta, it is a misconception to think that it is a dry subject. Brahma Rasa which is available in Vedanta cannot be obtained anywhere else in this world. We alone can give ourselves the highest happiness. No other person or object can give it to us. During times of distress, even worldly happiness does not give us joy when it comes to us. Objects seem to give happiness, but it only because of our liking for the object, but not the object itself. It is because happiness is something that we have to give to ourselves. The soul, with the help of the soul, gives happiness to the soul. Soul-happiness is the highest. Nothing else can compare with it. It is wrong to think of Vedanta as a dried up tree. This tree called Vedanta never fades. It is always green with new shoots, and filled with flowers and fruits. It was never born. The bliss given by Vedanta is Self-given bliss. It is called Svaananda.
Svaatmaananda laveebhoota brahmadyananda santatihi, it says in the Lalita Sahasranama. Ganapati lives in Svaananda Nagara as mentioned in the Mudgala Purana. It is not a real city. If you create an ocean of bliss for yourself, and you immerse yourself in that bliss always, and reside in it forever, that is Svananda Nagara, Ganapatipura, or Ganapati Sachchidananda Nagara. How can such an experience of Vedanta, which gives Self-generated joy, be called dry? Only the ignorant speak like that. Those whose intellect has not yet fully matured, also agree with the ignorant when they misinterpret Vedanta like that. Why did Sage Vyasa organize and compartmentalize the Vedas? Why did the sages compose scriptures like Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavatam, and so on? Because they know that in the Kali Yuga, people are of lesser intelligence, longevity, and will need to be taught in the form of entertaining stories. People may take offense, to be called less intelligent. But those who take offense, are certainly less intelligent. Only if one acknowledges humbly that one is ignorant, it shows that one is indeed smart. We know so little. There is still so much that we have to learn. Just shouting in arrogance does not prove one’s intelligence.
Dasagranthi is a family name. A Veda student also has that surname. He has completed his studies here and is now a teacher. The name means that they have unraveled all the ten intellectual knots. It denotes their scholarship.
Shaddarshanam, Chaturvedi, Trivedi, Dvivedi are all surnames based on their achievement of deep scholarship, such as mastering all the six sciences, mastering all the four Vedas, or three Vedas, or two Vedas. These days it is difficult to even master one Veda. People have to struggle really hard to study one entire Veda. These days the intelligence level is reduced. It may be the influence of the times, or the food that is consumed. That is why such people think that Vedanta is a dry subject. If you try to tell stories of Bhagavatam also, such uninterested persons will fall asleep. They will complain that even for scholars, Bhagavatam is difficult to grasp. The language is tough, and so on. If you tell them the Ramayana also they will sleep. They have no interest in learning or listening. Such is the mindset. It is pointless to blame Vedanta, which is eternally sweet and juicy to the fullest. The sweetness of Mango juice is of no comparison. Even thousands of sweet mangoes cannot produce juice as sweet as that of Vedanta. It is only with Vedanta that a charitable nature emerges. Only one who has grasped Vedanta is capable of renunciation. Who is greater? One who can renounce worldly pleasure is great. He can keep mangoes before him and still not eat them. Vedanta has the capacity to give the strength to renounce. Vedanta’s sweet nectar is superior to all other pleasures the world can offer. Study of Vedanta creates many questions in our minds. Answers come from different angles. Everything seems convincing. Yet, everything appears unsatisfactory. It creates confusions in the mind. It heats the mind up. Questions remain unanswered. That is the nature of Vedanta.
It is because it is very tough to know oneself. It is not easy. People differentiate themselves from Truth. That is why the mind gets heated up. That heat dries up the contamination that lies within us. That heat is required. The Sun of knowledge dries up our sins. That is how the earth gets cleared of mud and then it is ready for planting seeds. The confused heart here is like the muddy earth. Vedanta is the Sun that clears up the mud. Unless the soil is well prepared, you cannot plant the seeds. They will not grow. Vedanta, like the sun, dries up ignorance. In the process, the intellect gets heated. At such times, entertainment is given to the mind to relax it. Some Stotras of deities are introduced for that purpose. Through the Stotras, we get entertained and also are taught other aspects of Vedanta. In spite of air conditioning, and fans, we feel hot. It is best at such times to step out, breathe in some fresh air, and then come back in. We need to take breaks from serious study. If one keeps studying without taking breaks, the head will certainly get heated up. It is best to go out, watch the sunrise, or sunset, enjoy the cool breeze, and return to resume the study. Everyone should follow this routine. Or else, keep joking around, and being playful about the toughness of the subject. Some people study their subjects like this. Some people add a tune to the subject matter, to make it easier to grasp. Many Datta devotees use this trick. They add a favorite tune to the study matter and sing the topics to keep themselves alert and attentive. What has been taught so far is a deep concept here. To stay awake, and enter into oneself, and travel into the subtle space within. This is not the flesh and blood vessels, or the skeletal frame that we are talking about. One must experience the subtle space that exists within. This is not an easy concept to grasp. Therefore, for entertainment, the subject is now expanded. That is why this detailed description is given. Instead of in two, but in sixty-two verses, they are giving us the information, the description of the inner sky or space. It is an experience of going whizzing past all the galaxies and solar systems, of going past the sun and the moon. It could be skipped but I do not wish to do so. I could tell you to just pick up the book and read for yourselves this long description. But, we are going to study it fully because it makes the intellect blossom. Sometimes too much study makes the intellect stunted. A dried up plant, when given some water, revives nicely. If given some water, the flower blossoms better. With too much fertilizer, a plant dies. That is what has happened to us here. Too much Vedanta has shrunk our grasping power. So now we give it some respite so that it will expand again. This description is quite easy to follow and is quite pleasing. This will help us. Now the description is given of the travel inside the heart-space. As Leela Devi and Mother Saraswati are traveling inside the heart space, shining with radiant green Marakata gems, the space is glittering like fertile green fields. One lake in the Himalayas has crystal clear water where all the aquatic creatures underneath can be viewed. It looks as if a green stone has been spread as the lake floor. The radiance is bright as lightning. The entire sky appears like an ever expanding beautiful garden. The green grass appears like darkness that has been spread. At the same time the travelers are able to see both the sunrise and the sunset. They see the entire Creation at one time. We cannot see the Chamundi hill and the Himalaya at the same time. Only in a painting we can see them side by side. At the same time, in that Mahakasa, Chidakasa, whatever they think, appears before them. That is the glory and power of that Great Inner Space, Mahakasa. Even before they can think, things appear before them. This is the power of Yoga. Parijata trees are like flapping flags there, as if they are flying about like aircrafts. Seen from close quarters, they look like forests. Seen from afar, they look like gem-studded fields. It was wondrous. Everything is very strange. Faster than the wind, the mind travels. Hanuman, who is a Maha Yogi, travels fast like that. He responds at once when called, because he is present everywhere. He flies faster than the wind, with the speed of Mind. There are many Siddhas there with extraordinary powers. There is beautiful music heard there, from the musical instruments being played by the celestial maidens. Many aircrafts are flying over there. When a single nut comes loose in a normal aircraft, many technicians attend to it and fix it.
Otherwise, the aircraft is not certified to fly safely. It will not be fit to fly. If one nut comes loose, the equipment will fall apart, and we cannot withstand the pressure or the temperature in the high skies. Our skin will peel off. But these aircrafts are like the Pushpaka, open top vehicles. Even at such great heights, they remain safe. They are supernatural airplanes. In many instances, Valmiki describes various types of aircraft. He likes airplanes very much. He mentions one-seater, two-seater planes also. Very strange. Some can hold an unlimited number of passengers also. Like Harry Potter, there they carry a broomstick and it will turn into an aircraft. They just hold on to a branch and start flying. Such siddhis existed then. Whether they are all imaginary or real, we do not know. This was in the Treta Yuga. How such wonders existed then, is indeed surprising. We visualize and feel happy. Whatever we can imagine has existed before, or will exist in the future. Nothing is imagined without a purpose. From all the three worlds, if all the beings are brought there, that space still will not get filled up. Bad audio. 25 min. – 29 minutes – voice breaking up. They saw this. We should not go after the flimsy siddhis. If we do so, it will retard our spiritual progress. The aircraft of such siddhas who are after trivial powers are getting burned to ashes with the exhalations of the horses drawing the Sun’s chariot. Some of those spiritual seekers with trivial powers decided to travel in their aircrafts into the inner space. They lamented their mistake when their vehicles were burned. This is a place where one can only travel in a mental body, not a physical frame.
The sun sphere is approached by the sages. Their minds get burned and are merged in Paramatma. Nothing is left but Paramatma, when the mind is burned. It is so powerful, that region. The attendants of the Mother Goddess seem to be lighting lamps and incense there. Celestial women are running at the invitation of Indra, Moon, and others, and their ornaments are falling down as they hastily run. The ladies saw this also. They are looking down at the celestial women thus, which means that Saraswati and Leela Devi were in a plane even higher than the celestials.
The radiance of the ordinary Siddhas is fading and turning pale in the presence of this greater radiance of Indra and the Moon. The people who have earned small powers are envious at the powers of the celestials and they are losing their flimsy powers. There are those who have attained ordinary powers, and those who have earned inferior powers. Envy sprouts in their hearts at seeing what the others have, as a first step. Being jealous at another’s glory is a tendency that should be nipped in the bud. Otherwise their spiritual progress will get stunted. They will suffer a downfall. One must overcome envy and jealousy, as a first step on the spiritual journey. Comparing oneself with others and lamenting one’s own lack of accomplishment is the first stage of jealousy. It all begins with that. The next stage is; why should they have what I do not have? I must make them lose the power and glory that they have. It leads to this wicked thought. Once this feeling takes over, one has plummeted to the deepest depths spiritually. This trait has to be destroyed at the very outset. This advice is for spiritual seekers. Some worldly persons say that anger, jealousy, hatred, etc. should be experienced in life and there is a purpose for them. They speak of such emotions as if they are valuable qualifications. I leave them to their fate, whatever it may be. Unless we transcend such negativities, we cannot qualify for God’s or Guru’s grace. We have to give them up to earn Sadguru’s grace. Sometimes Guru deliberately angers the disciples and makes them blame Guru. This is a test he administers. An immediate negative reaction of frustration and anger may occur in the disciples, but, the disciples must never harbor a grudge against Guru. Such a grudge, Guru will never appreciate. You may have devotion towards Guru. But that must not lead to hatred towards others. Guru will not like it. It is Guru’s play that he makes others abuse Guru in front of the disciple. Those who abuse Guru must never be tolerated. Sastra tells us so. You may give an answer in defense. But do not carry your reaction to an extreme and become vengeful. You must go away from them. Do not be distracted by them to the extent of forgetting Guru and becoming obsessed with thoughts of the detractors. You then distance yourself from Guru himself by getting involved with those who abuse Guru, out of hatred for them. If Guru tells you not to hate the scandalmongers, you get angry at Guru. This should not happen. You must never leave Guru. Envy and hatred are so powerful that they can take persons to extremes. They begin like a drops and end up like a vast ocean that engulfs. That is why one must never even give room for that one drop to exist. One has to be that careful. If you wish to progress spiritually, if you wish to deserve Guru’s compassion, this is most essential. Do not compare this with worldly life. Follow this advice. What is devotion to Guru? It is complete faith that Guru will protect you. If you make mistakes and suffer, he may take care of you out of compassion. But, if you wish for spiritual progress, you must follow Guru’s instruction only. Only if you improve yourself, Guru will be attracted to you. He has great compassion towards even those who make mistakes. But he never forsakes those who follow the virtuous path. If you mix worldliness with spirituality, you will never understand this concept. When you confuse the two aspects, it means that you have not fully surrendered to Guru.
You must allow Guru to hold your hand. Then He will guide your steps. Voluntarily place your hair in Guru’s hands. Let Him grab you by your hair. All you wish for, is to remain close to Guru. This must be your wholehearted wish. It must be total surrender. You must leave off hankering after inferior and mediocre powers. You must rise to a higher state. That is why, they are mentioning those people here, who are losing at both ends. Saraswati Devi is showing Leela Devi the people who have risen to certain heights and have now fallen. She is cautioning her about such misjudgments. This is a lesson in Sadhana. Every word here has value. No word is mentioned in the Yoga Vasishtha by Sage Valmiki that is not weighted with value. The ordinary seekers are succumbing to envy and taking a toss from their positions. They are suffering from envy and jealousy. Instead of feeling jealous, one must also put in the same effort as they who have obtained the higher powers. Whether success comes or not, is a different matter. The Tamo Guna of these people is filling the sky with darkness. Some badmouthed person will attend a wedding. She will spoil everyone’s mind. With that, some quarrels erupt, and the marriage gets cancelled. A drop of poison can spoil everything. One drop of poison can destroy an entire meal. Be very careful. Durjana … A wicked fellow may be a scholar, but he is like a venomous serpent with a gem. You must stay away from him. If you associate with him, you and your surroundings will get destroyed. He is so powerful. He can fill darkness where there was once light. Such evil persons can wreak havoc in life. Aircraft, dressed damsels, all get destroyed by these envious people. Till then the sky had appeared beautiful, until these people appeared on the scene. The seekers with Tamo Guna are falling away from grace. In Ayodhya Kanda in the Ramayana, Manthara could not stand to see the happiness on the faces of everyone. Her envy changed the entire story of the Ramayana. Mother Kausalya was giving away charity to everyone out of happiness about her son’s coronation the following day. She was seeking everyone’s good wishes and blessings. Manthara did not go to receive her charity. Her heart was filled with envy. She turned Ayodhya into a jungle. Later Rama turned the jungle into Ayodhya. That is a different matter. Later, lifelong Manthara suffered. Satrughna wanted to kill Manthara when Bharata returned and learned of her treachery.
Bharata prevented that, saying that if we harm Manthara, Rama will never look at our faces again. Do not ever be abusive of those who are envious and jealous. You have no right. Stay away from them. Simply ignore them. Do not be preoccupied with their affairs. If you keep criticizing them, their bad qualities will adhere to you. Do not do that, while on the spiritual path. That is also wrong to keep speaking ill of the jealous persons. Ramayana gives examples for every incident that occurs in life. It holds a mirror to life. Ramayana is an eternal story. Past, present, and future are all there in the Ramayana. This is all Ramayana. Our journey is Ramayana. Our bodies are Ramayana. Rama’s journey is Ramayana. Yedathore Subbaraya Sarma has written a commentary on the inner meaning of the Ramayana. How each character in the Ramayana is to be understood has been explained by him. If we learn that, it will make life easier for us. Despite all his troubles, Rama journeyed through life in an exemplary manner. The 14 years of exile, the battle, and then the coronation. That is the whole story. Nothing much after that. The time spent in the forest is the main story. Bad audio. 44 min. IT IS AN ETERNAL TREASURE. We must always recognize and remember this. Keep the book at home. Keep it visible. Do not depend on the computer to read these valuable works. If there is no Wi-Fi, you cannot read books on the computer. All the important scriptures should be kept handy in every home to pick up and read anytime the desire strikes. Keep the hard copies. …bad audio 45-49 min. Crows, owl, vultures, were all seen. Dancing Yoginis were seen. There were creatures with all kinds of features. Strange yoginis. Bird faces, camel faces, and so on. You cannot measure their powers by their looks. Some yoginis have the face of a donkey. You must pay obeisance to them. They hide like that behind the strange faces. Vaaraahi Devi has the face of a boar. Mother Vaaraahi Devi dug through the earth to rescue the vedas. She is very powerful and is the deity for oratory. Hanuman has the face of a monkey. We should not make fun or ridicule. We must not feel aversion based on outward appearances. The inner powers have to be acknowledged. Siddhas, Gandharvas and others were engrossed as couples in lustful activities. Some were acting like mad creatures. In the galaxies, one side appeared dark, and another appeared light, like the dark phase and the bright phase of the moon. The galaxy has its own sun illuminating it. This sun is far greater than our sun. Greater the galaxy and as great the sun to illumine it. How to conceive of that size? What was their location, their size, their scope of vision that the travelers were able to envision all of this? The Akasa Ganga was flowing with a torrential force. The god-children, and the celestial children came running to view the water falls. Where is all of this occurring? Inside the heart of Leela Devi. One cannot imagine so many things. Unless one actually goes to such a place, one cannot describe this Space. Can all this be known through imagination? No. It has to be personally experienced. One has to actually go on that expedition and witness all this. Valmiki has seen this all, and has described it as if Sage Vasishtha was describing it. We will continue tomorrow the further details about the inner space travel.
Jaya Guru Datta
Sri Guru Datta
Om Santissantissantihi