Discourse on Yoga Vasishtha
Day 186, November 16 2015
Sri Sadgurubhyo namaha
Om Santissantissantissantihi
The auspicious Kartika month has begun. Keep chanting Namassivaya. In this month, remembering Hanuman and chanting the Hanuman Chalisa are also very beneficial. Hanuman is of Siva’s aspect. Two things we should pray for when we approach Sadguru. One is knowledge of theory and the other is capability in practice. These two are very important.
Cold weather has commenced. Do deeparadhana – worship with lamps. Treat Siva and Vishnu as one and the same. Then all problems will get resolved. Comfort and happiness will prevail. So pray for strength to practice whatever we learn as theory.
We had discussed Yoga Vasishtha before Deepavali. We learned about the nature of Paramatma as explained by Sage Vasishtha to Sri Rama, in answer to his question as to how a Yogi experiences Paramatma.
He who is not a yogi also experiences Paramatma daily, is what we have been told. Although we all have the experience, we are not bringing it to our direct awareness. We are not directing our attention towards it. Every day during deep sleep/Sushupti, we have the experience of Paramatma. In deep sleep we are not aware of the mind, the body, sense organs, or even the identity as ‘I’. We sleep peacefully and happily. That experience is Paramatma. We are not aware that we are experiencing it. A yogi deliberately enters into that state and remains there with full awareness. He is awake during the experience.
The world appears to have been created. But upon close observation, we find that it has never been created and does not really exist. Whatever object it may be, moving or non-moving, if it is devoid of mind, intellect, and other attributes, and is only filled with pure consciousness, it is Paramatma.
During Maha Pralaya, when all the gods, including Rudra, Brahma, Indra, and others merge and become one with Paramatma, what is left is Pure Paramatma.
In the 11th Sarga, Sri Rama asked the first question. It is in the form of a dialog between Rama and Sage Vasishtha.
We have to think things through logically. Not everything in this world can be grasped by logic. When it is said that space itself merges into Paramatma, how can that be conceptualized? It is not an element. Paramatma is beyond Time and Space. Such is Paramatma.
To clarify the subject further, Vasishtha explains it in greater detail.
Telugu
We have entered the Kartika month. It is very auspicious. It is when Fire worship and Lamp worship are conducted. Those who conduct these, treating Siva and Vishnu as one and the same, will be freed from all difficulties. Also offer worship to Lord Hanuman during this Kartika month.
From Sadguru we must pray for knowledge in theory and capability in practice. We need both of these. In this cold season, everyone likes to cuddle up and sleep in warmth even way past sunrise. In the Himalayas, people wake up at sunrise and go to work. But in our cities, we remain in bed until late in the morning. This cold season is good for health. One should wake up in the chilly morning hours, bathe while it is chilly, and perform Siva Abhishekam while it is still cold, and must proceed to the Temple of Vishnu. One offers Lamp worship also while it is still cold. Some with fever continue to do it. Some are afraid of getting sick and so refrain from doing what is required. One must chant Namassivaya, and pray to Hanuman also. Visit nearby temples, regardless of the deity. Practice brings Jnana. Jnana does not come overnight. Practice must continue uninterruptedly.
Vasishtha gave an answer to Sri Rama’s question. He described the state of Paramatma. The Datta Stavam mentions: Janma samsara bandhaghnam Swaroopaananda daayakam …
Daily Swamiji is making us chant this very important line.
We know Ananda daayakam, one that gives happiness. But what is Swaroopa Ananda daayakam? It removes our kuroopa and grants us the experience of Svaroopa. Kuroopa is the invisible contamination that affects the mind. Svaroopa is Paramatma. The experience of Paramatma grants extraordinary bliss. It is not the ordinary type of happiness. Lord Datta as Sadguru grants us that incomparable, indescribable, and immeasurable bliss.
What is this Supreme Bliss that is enjoyed by Maha Yogis? Please explain it to me and tell me how to experience it, Sri Rama asked.
In response, Sage Vasishtha explained that what the Yogis experience in their Tureeya Avastha/state is Svaroopa Ananda. This is nice to hear, that is all. It does not help us in any way to just hear this statement. Thanks and salutations to the Maha Yogis. But what about us? How do we, who are ordinary, obtain that experience? We like to wake up only at 10 AM. How do we get that bliss?
Vasishtha assures Rama that this experience is not unique only to Maha Yogis. You experience it also every single day. Yogis experience it in Maha Dhyana. But you enjoy it also.
A child says he wishes to be a doctor when he grows up. The doctor-to-be already exists in the child. With Sadhana he becomes revealed as a qualified physician. The yogi is aware of the experience. You lack the awareness. Hence, you belittle yourself and think that you are incapable of attaining that experience. It is wrong to think thus.
You have the capability. You go to sleep daily. You get into deep sleep. What do you remember of your experience of deep sleep?
I don’t remember anything.
That is because during deep sleep, you have left off everything – your name, address, identity, your name, and so on. The sense of ‘I’ also has been left behind. Is that not right?
Yes.
If you remembered the ‘I’ when you were in deep sleep, then you were not really asleep.
You should know what to forget. You should know what to remember. Every single day, God grants you the experience of total bliss during deep sleep. Such sleep is very essential for survival. Some people even take sleeping tablets to induce sleep. That is how important sleep is for remaining healthy.
God, through the experience of deep sleep gives you the chance of identifying yourself with the Supreme Consciousness. By just stepping into it temporarily, if you feel so refreshed and happy, if you actually get steeped into it, how much more comforting it would be!
Yes, certainly. I wish to have that experience. I will remain asleep permanently.
That is impossible. Kumbhakarna’s year consisted of only two days. Six months of day and six months of night. He either ate non-stop or slept non-stop. Yet, he was not happy. He was unhappy that his stomach already got full too soon, or that he already had to wake up.
Just sleeping is not sufficient. One must develop the awareness of what is experienced during deep sleep. What is causing the deep sleep state to be so blissful? When you forget everything, including the sense of ‘I’ you are happy. It is the ego, the ‘I’ that keeps us awake and blocks the sleep state. Along with I, my and mine also tag along inevitably. Without sleep, there is no comfort. Sleep is good if it is timely and moderate. The experience you have during deep sleep is Paramatma. Actually you are always Paramatma. Daily you experience Paramatma but the experience eludes recognition and enjoyment by you.
For those who have no Guru, these three states of wakefulness, dream, and deep sleep are the gurus. That is why Lord Dattatreya appears in the form of the Trinity. To some devotees he appears in their dreams to instruct them. But not to all. To some, he says: I will teach you at the appropriate time and place.
In deep sleep also knowledge is imparted. We are often told, to avoid making hasty decisions, to sleep over any important matter. The mind then relaxes from its state of agitation and becomes calm and steady. We can feel the change. In sleep, the mind gets cleansed. What you experience in sleep is Paramatma. But sleep is not yoga. It is an avastha, a state of being. There is a procedure for getting into it. You close your eyes, and slowly release the awareness of surroundings, memories, and identity. Yogis are able to ever remain in the state of Tureeya, which is a step higher than deep sleep. It is the fourth step. With their eyes open, they are able to remain in that state of Paramatma.
Yadvyomno
Wonderful description. If Space were to have a heart, or if a boulder were to have a heart, or if Air were to have a heart, without a mind, (heart is an organ; mind is invisible and eludes grasp, but it is also an organ), that Space as Consciousness, we should conceptualize. That is akin to Paramatma. Space is all-pervading. A boulder is still and immobile. It remains as a mere witness. Air is ever moving. It does nothing but appears to be ever active.
Here Hridayam/heart refers to the principle of Paramatma
Verse
Paramatma is the root of everything. It is the fundamental source. There is really no such thing as beginning, middle, and end. Just for reference, we say Paramatma is the beginning.
The entire temple is God, not just the deity in the sanctum sanctorum. You cannot differentiate the front part, middle part, and the inner part. That is why we must keep the entire temple in a clean and pure state.
We create differences for our convenience, as the different parts. The true state of that fundamental source is that it has no mind, and yet it is alive. It sees nothing, does nothing and yet, it is alive. Such is Paramatma. He is in His true state. One who is asleep, is still alive. But the sleeping person has no awareness that he is alive. He does not have the awareness of his age, status, or lineage. The mind is absent. The world is absent. Nothing is seen. Nothing is there to be seen. There is no seer. In that state, it is most peaceful. That is the state of Paramatma.
Chitprakasasya
It is the subtlest of all. It cannot be shown to another. One has to experience it personally. Sadguru will show you the way. It is referred to as Darsana, but it is not visible to the eye, but may only be experienced.
The Taittireeya Upanishad mentions the five sheaths contained in the body. The subtlest of all is the Anandamaya Kosa. That is Paramatma. There is a beautiful description of these different rooms or sections in this body, which is like a house. Inside it is the Consciousness of Paramatma. Because of Paramatma, this body is alive and conscious. Otherwise, it would be inert.
Vedanasya
Because the consciousness of Paramatma is in us, we exist and we are able to perceive everything, including darkness and ignorance. That is the witness attribute of Paramatma. He is free from mind, intellect, ego and other things that we are burdened with. We leave off all of this when we enter the state of deep sleep. Paramatma transcends the sense organs. He has no beginning or end. Although it is the subtlest of all, it is everywhere and is immeasurably vast. Our perception is lopsided. We look at the body and think we are big and that Paramatma who resides within us is very small. We have to get our understanding right.
Yato
Even as you wake up, the world comes into being without any effort on your part to recollect all the details about yourself or your affairs. It occurs naturally. Those who are ill and have a mental problem, of course require medication. Wherever the cinema ended yesterday, it resumes today. It effortlessly picks up where it left off before one went to sleep. When you fell asleep, where did the world go? If the world is real, it should exist for you then also, even during the deep sleep state. But it does not. That is why it is declared that the world is unreal and only Paramatma is real. Even the sense of ‘I’ is gone. Unless it goes, you cannot fall asleep. This is the easiest way to understand that principle that the world is illusory. Think about it deeply. At least for the duration of your contemplation, you will experience peace of mind. Only this Sastra has the power to grant you that peace. It is a state that goes beyond the mind. If you apply paint to the mind, you will not get peace. The mind must vanish. Only then peace is experienced. Sadguru says that this is the instruction. We experience it but are yet unable to recognize and grasp it with awareness.
Yataha
The world merely appears to come alive, as when daily we wake up, but it is not really existing. It is beyond birth and death. Why do you become anxious? Nothing will go wrong. Think about this teaching seriously. It will benefit you. It will benefit those around you also.
Even though it has not emerged, the world appears as if it has. If in fact the world is real, the Sastra says that everyone who perceives it, must perceive it the same way. But it does not happen. Whatever you experience, everyone else also must experience as being the same. But each has his or her own perception, joys and sorrows. Each has his own separate worries. That is why this truth has to be understood that this unreal world only appears to be real. Since we are carrying on our affairs in this unreal world, it is important that we conduct ourselves the proper way. If that is done, we will be following Dharma and Sastra. That conduct will eventually lead us to Jnana. One must follow that path, traveling through that arch or gateway called good deeds.
There are no differences seen in deep sleep. No different species are seen, leave alone different castes and races. Difference simply does not exist in deep sleep. Knowledge in theory is Sastra. Capability in conduct is Dharma. Both are required. The theoretical knowledge that you acquire will eventually turn into wisdom.
Vyavahaara
Paramatma, like our Sadguru, appears to be constantly engaged in activities. Yet, he is unperturbed.
An ordinary person may have a small business and yet, he has no time even to breathe. There are so many ashramas, so many different projects going on at the same time, but Swamiji handles them all with ease. That is the Jeevanmukta’s state. We see him handling all these affairs through a veil. We see him behind the veil. We do not see him as he is. He is also not invisible. We do not recognize his real form or stature.
The affairs of the world are the veil. We offer our prostrations to the energy that is handling them so efficiently. What we are saluting is actually the power of Maya which is acting. Mother Goddess is called Maya/delusion. As long as the veil is there, you feel that Swamiji is doing all these things. But it is only an illusion.
On a movie screen, is the hero really there doing the things that he appears to be doing? No. Just because the hero is fighting or dancing on the screen, does it mean that he is at the same time fighting or dancing at his home? Many heroes whom we watch on the screen are not even living any more. Can we even communicate with them? No. We still applaud and whistle to see our favorite hero, whether or not the actor is living. Is he really there? No. These are the examples. The movie screen shows the action that is all. In this Sastra, we have a rule to follow. Each example given should be taken just at face value to understand the concept. Do not analyze it too deeply and begin questioning and justifying the contrary arguments. Use it only to the extent that it is useful to explain the point in context.
Paramatma is like a huge boulder. If the boulder were to have the power to come rolling down on its own will, what will happen to the world? It does not do it. It just remains there. Only when there is an earthquake or a tremor, it may move and roll. It does not intend to crush a certain person and come down rolling to fall upon him. We say a boulder rolled down. We have to differentiate between the actual truth and worldly parlance. Sadguru is like that also. He appears to be doing so many things on the surface. But in actuality, he is remaining without any action. It is the illusory screen that makes it appear as if he is engaged in actions. Here also, there is a difference between a movie screen and the veil that is being mentioned.
If one offers Sadguru a prostration, if the person is following the path of Dharma, Sadguru then blesses him with a good mind. He makes that sankalpa and that benefits the devotees.
Persons ask why even devotees who are dishonest receive blessings from Sadguru. A devotee who originally cheated 90% of the time, slowly reduced his dishonesty and now has stopped deceiving altogether. This is only by Guru’s grace. You only see the body. He looks at the devotee’s long term journey. Because you lack the power to see the long term journey, you only view the body. Since you lack Sadguru’s power of discernment, you should refrain from comment and criticism. Sadguru blesses and showers grace upon everyone regardless.
The vision of a Sadguru is far different from that of ordinary persons.
When a child hits a hard object and gets hurt, it feels happy if we say, I will hit that object to punish it for hurting you. The child thinks that the object out of spite has hurt it. But that is not true. It is the child who has hit the object and got hurt. Our attitude is similar to that of the child. The child says hit it once more, and stops crying.
We fall into a delusion and think things in the reverse manner.
Paramatma is not Space, but He is like Space to the extent that everything is given a chance to exist in Him.
Vedya
Triputi is mentioned again. Mother Goddess appears as the Triputi and she also merges the Triputi into herself. In all affairs of the world, the threesome principle exists.
Paramatma dissolves all Triputis into Himself, where the Triputis show their reflection in a huge mirror that is devoid of mind, intellect, and ego. Such is the principle of Paramatma, although none of these exist in Him.
Verse
After the Maha Pralaya, when everything has vanished, mind, that has transcended wakefulness, dream, and deep sleep, turns into the Supreme Consciousness. That is once again the state of deep sleep, which is the experience of the common man. Whether the world is mobile or immobile, whatever it may be, once it is devoid of all mental activity, it gets immersed in that Maha Pralaya and vanishes from existence. That is why going to sleep is Maha Pralaya. Waking up is Creation.
That is why Mother Goddess is described in the Lalita Sahasranama as “Unmesha nimishotpanna vipanna bhuvanaavalihi” Her eyes close and open for Maha Pralaya and Creation, respectively. What happens here, happens there, and vice versa.
Sthaavaraa
How can Paramatma be compared to some other entity? It is impossible. We always compare one object to another. But there is nothing that can compare to Paramatma. He is incomparable, just like Sadgurudeva. He is only Consciousness.
There are immobile objects, such as boulders. If one such is permeated with consciousness but is devoid of mind, intellect, sense organs, body, and ego, then it may be compared with Paramatma. These are all examples to help the mind to understand the principle of Paramatma, but every one of them is inadequate and imperfect as an example, because such a boulder still has a discernible form.
In idol worship, there is great power and benefit. It is not a meaningless ritual. Those who are ignorant may ridicule the concept. Just ignore such comments. Swamiji knows. That is why he has consecrated so many idols in so many temple. We must learn to perceive God and the divine consciousness in those consecrated images. Those who have the capacity to intuit the presence of that higher consciousness inside the idol of the deity will climb higher spiritually. Instead of seeing the stone, that individual sees God in it. That is indeed great. The mind blossoms when that happens. Idol worship and image worship are highly potent and beneficial. That is why we are asked to perform worship and abhishekam. During abhishekam, water, which is lifeless is energized and made conscious, and it then falls on a stone which is also conscious. Having darshan of abhishekam is very important, especially abhishekam with milk. When consciousness meets consciousness what remains is only consciousness. When light is focused upon another light, what do you get? Only light. That is why it is said that abhishekam should be witnessed. Milk represents pure consciousness. When the process of abhishekam is witnessed, our inner consciousness gets stimulated.
The idol of Lakshmi Narasimha Swami is above and beyond the mind and intellect. Yet, it is conscious and it is a witness. That is why we give the deity a name and offer worship. Each name of the deity means a different thing.
Giving up rituals is not going to give Jnana. To think thus, is ignorance and delusion. Certain questions will still remain then. You must rise step by step. If you jump and force yourself prematurely to give up rituals, the question will remain in your mind what the stone represents, if everything is only consciousness. Only when you are able to experience that the stone is also Paramatma, only then, your experience of Paramatma will be complete. That is our method. If certain unanswered questions remain suppressed and hid inside a closet, then how can total enlightenment occur? That is why a certain process has been set up. One must progress gradually and idol worship is a necessary stage one has to go through.
Verse
Brahma, Surya, Siva, Indra and all such forms of gods get merged in Paramatma. We have merged into the gods and the gods have merged into Paramatma. We are carrying the children in our arms and we have traveled to another town. Along with us, the children have also traveled. It is easier for us to merge into Sadguru or a chosen deity and then he will act as our vehicle to take us to Paramatma. It is like we are boarding the Sadguru’s bus to take an easy ride. This is the path of devotion or Bhakti. Our proceeding directly to merge in God is the path of Knowledge or Jnana. Jnana and Bhakti are interrelated and mutually dependent.
After all the forms or bodies, including the Universe itself, as the Viraadroopa, have merged into Him, all that remains is Consciousness alone and nothing else. Thus the state of Paramatma has been described.
Mahaa kalpaanta avasishtha parama bhaava varnanam is the name of this sarga. It is a long name. We will proceed to the next sarga tomorrow.
Please pray for the people of Tamil Nadu who are suffering from heavy rains and flooding. We received a phone call that even the Datta Temple in the Chennai ashram has some flooding. Please pray that lives and properties are not lost due to this weather disturbance.
Jaya Guru Datta
Sri Guru Datta
Om Santissantissantihi