April 08 2009

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[00:00:57]

Sadāshiva samārambām shankarācharya madhyamām Asmadācharya paryanthām vande guru paramparām

[00:01:30]

I welcome you all with my love and respects. As you all may be aware that this whole year we are dedicating to Living Enlightenment Jeeva Mukthi. This whole trip we are dedicating to this great book Patanjali Yoga Sutras. Today we will be entering into the 14th sutra, the 14th sutra, 14th aphorism. I’ll read the Sutra, give you the translation, then add what needs to be added.

[00:02:42]

Let's enter into the 14th Sutra, sa tu dīrgha kāla nairantarya satkārā ‘‘sevito dṛḍhabhūmiḥ Translation: Committed and intense practice of unclutching makes one firmly established in a higher state of awareness.

[00:03:27]

This book, each aphorism, each Sutra can create a religion. Each Sutra is independently intelligent to lead a person to enlightenment. Please understand, the word yoga means uniting, uniting with the ultimate. In Bhagavad-Gita each chapter is called as yogam, means, each chapter can independently lead you to enlightenment. So he talks about 18 different paths. When Krishna delivered Bhagavad Gita whatever major paths were available for enlightenment, He has compiled everything and presented it in one book. 18 major paths for enlightenment it describes and leads people to enlightenment through various ways. That is why each chapter is called one yoga.

[00:04:46]

Here Patanjali, the amazing intellect happened in the Inner science. Each Sutra is independently intelligent to lead you to enlightenment, each Sutra is independently intelligent to lead you to enlightenment. I can say each Sutra is a Yoga in this Patanjali’s work. Let me repeat the Sutra. sa tu dīrgha kāla nairantarya satkārā ‘‘sevito dṛḍhabhūmiḥ Committed and intense practice of unclutching makes one firmly established in a higher state of awareness.

[00:06:08]

There are so many different kinds of religions spiritual philosophies, spiritual groups happened in the planet Earth. Different kinds of teachings have been shared in the planet Earth, different kinds of spiritual literatures have been created, millions and millions of books. Sometime when I go and see the Barnes & Noble or Landmark bookshop, I feel ‘Oh god why should I add a little more confusion. Why should I add a little more to the existing confusion?’ So much, so much of spiritual literature, Because of website, internet, you can see how much is available in one place. So much is available and from the time immemorial, all the Masters they go on and on and on and on and on, talking, talking, talking, talking, talking, and producing spiritual literatures. Not only the masters of the past, even the present masters. Even all of us continuously we are talking, we are producing spiritual material.

[00:07:48]

If I honestly look inside and see why I am talking. If I find out the reason why I am continuously talking every day and sharing, I can easily tell the reason why Buddha was talking for 40 years. Buddha was teaching and preaching for 40 years everyday. Everyday he was talking and preaching for 40 years. And all other Masters happened - Shankara - he was writing, writing, writing, writing, writing, within the year of… within the age of thirty two he has finished establishing strong four monasteries and may be writing 200 volumes. If I look inside and find out the reason why I am talking and writing then I can very clearly tell you why the Masters go on writing and talking. The only reason I can find is constantly make you practice. Please understand, the spiritual path is such, Krishna says beautifully in Gita - by the nature senses are created looking towards the outside, looking in the outer world direction. So turning you in, turning you towards the enlightenment, turning you to your source is not that easy. Every moment you are again out.

[00:10:00]

If you listen to some book, the spiritual discourse, satsang or read… few minutes, you turn inside. By the time the satsang is over, you are already out. By the time the ideas leave your mind, you are already out. Constantly you need to be inspired to turn in, to go inside. That is why the Masters they go on and on and on talking and writing. Last six years, I have spoken more than five thousand hours, more than five hundred volumes are already transcribed; and My archives department says only seventeen percent they have transcribed. Only one-seven percent of what I have spoken, I have delivered is transcribed and is out in the form of books. Only twenty percent is edited and published and still I am adding material every day. Sometime I wonder, why? Then I realize continuously human being need to be told ‘look in, look in, look in, look in, look in; turn in, turn in, turn in, turn in’ with various words, with various techniques, with various jokes, with various stories, in different forms, constantly human being need to be reminded, human beings need to be told: look in, turn in, live enlightenment.

[00:12:20]

That is the reason, all the spiritual Masters and leaders, they go on and on and on. The largest spiritual literature in the planet Earth exists in Sanskrit language. I don't know how many libraries you can fit in. If everything is collected I don’t know how many libraries you can make out of those collections. It is nothing but continuous expressions and discourses of the living Masters. The Masters who lived in the body who were teaching to the world. This sutra gives the reason why Masters are continuously talking, why spiritual literatures are continuously produced. This sutra is all about constantly inspiring you constantly practicing. See If I have to give you the essence of all the spiritual literatures; sometime if you read Buddha’s teachings, even Bhagavad Gita, Shiva Sutras you will feel many ideas are repeated, many ideas are repeated. Even in My discourse, people come and tell Me sometime “Swamiji you are saying the same idea.” I am telling the same because you are not listening. Understand I have to tell the same thing, because you are not listening.

[00:14:28]

Somebody asked Buddha ‘you are talking the same thing for last forty years’. He says, ‘If you would have heard, I would never have spoken it again’. The truth is only one thing, but constantly it is told again and again and again and again through different ways, through different methods, in different languages with different understanding. If I have to give the essence of everything; what Buddha taught, what Shankara taught, what Krishna taught, what Jesus taught, what Mohammed taught, what Zarathustra taught… what all these great Masters taught, the essence… the essence of everything why they have to continuously repeat again and again and again, the essence the reason for the continuous repetition is this one Sutra. Please understand Patanjali is the only Master who is not repeating the same ideas again and again, because in this one Sutra, he says very clearly why things should be repeated. Very clearly he explains why things should be repeated. After that he says, now I respect your intelligence. I am not going to repeat any more. The reason for repetition is we forget, we forget. Why again and again all the Masters go on and on and on repeating the same thing? This one sutra, if this one sutra is understood, you will understand why the Masters are repeating the same thing again and again, sometime same words again and again - without feeling bored - that is the greatness of them, that is the greatness

[00:17:02]

I have conducted two hundred ASP’s and more than two hundred NSP’s. The… our Life Bliss Program first level and second level. First level program, second level program hundreds of times. If you see the audio recording or video recording it will be almost literally repeating. People ask Me, “How are you able to repeat the same thing day in and day out Swamiji? Are you not feeling bored?” I tell them, every time I repeat there is a new crowd in front of Me. And not only that, even if the old people are sitting, they have forgotten. If they know that what I am talking is repetition, only then I will feel little reluctant or bored. Either they have not heard, or even if they have heard, they have forgotten. 😀 Patanjali gives the essence, why again and again and again these truths are repeated.

[00:18:16]

Committed and intense practice of unclutching makes one firmly established in a higher state of awareness. Committed… that’s a beautiful word, dīrgha kālaha nairantarya. dīrgha kālaha the literal translation is long time. But Patanjali doesn’t mean to say that you should go on and on and on practicing. Sometime people come and ask me, ‘the word long time practice almost seems to be like a word used to cheat us.’ It’s like you give a technique and tell him ‘practice forever’. It can be like cheating. I will be blowing my nose everyday for 35 years, by the time I come back and ask you, you will not be there.😀 People ask me ‘is it not like cheating?’

Please understand, here Patanjali is not interested in cheating you, no! When he uses the word ‘long time’, he wants you just to be mentally strong, that’s all. ‘Even if it is long time, I am ready to do’ - that strength. Actually once you have idea ‘I am going to do it for a long time’, suddenly you will see that intensity awakens you this moment.

[00:20:10]

Beautiful story: everyday day in and day out, Buddha was meditating for more than 12 years. Morning he will sit till late night, next day morning again he will sit till late night. Day in and day out, nothing was happening. The story says, one day he decided ‘idam asanam sushyate shariram. Let the body disappear, evaporate in this posture. How many days I don’t know, how long I don’t know. I am going to sit till I achieve enlightenment. I am not going to be bothered about the time. I am ready to sit dīrgha kālaha.’ Please understand, that word dīrgha kāla means not just long time… deciding forever. Buddha decides I am going to sit forever. Understand, time is after all psychological, time is after all psychological. The story says the moment he decided he will sit forever, that moment he just became enlightened. Because all he needs, all he needed, was that intensity. Usually when you sit in meditation having an idea ‘I will get up after two hours’. Your mind will be just waiting for that 2 hrs to end that’s all. You will not be meditating, you will not be in the present moment. If you have an idea ‘I will sit till tomorrow morning.’ Your mind will be waiting for next day morning, it will not be in the present moment. When Buddha decided that I am going to sit forever, He decided ‘I am NOT going to get up.’ So mind has no goal to go, mind has no goal; when it has no goal, it just fell back to the present moment and he became enlightened.

[00:22:36]

Here when Patanjali says dīrgha kālaha, long time, that is what he means. Decide I am going to do it forever. Then suddenly you will see, you fall into the present moment. Time is after all psychological. Patanjali knows our mind, how our mind thinks, how our mind functions. I have seen people when they sit for the meditation, that half an hour will looks like 10 days for them… really.

In vedic tradition, the time is calculated as gap between one thought and the other thought, that is the kshana, one unit. In our tradition, we don’t have the physical time. The vedic tradition, the more importance was given to the psychological time, not to the chronological time. So even the unit of time, one unit is not one second… one kshana. That kshana is defined as gap between one thought and the other thought. If you are a meditator person living in a high awareness, high frequency, one kshana can be even one hour or two hour or one day for you. If you are living restless, agitated, irritated, usual mood, one kshana can be micro millisecond for you. It depends on person, please understand. It depends on your awareness frequency.

[00:24:55]

There is a story I have a story for you. One woman goes to the doctor, doctor says, ‘You have only six months to live.’ She was shocked, ‘Oh god, can,can anything be done?’ He says, ‘Alright, marry an accountant.’ She asked ‘Will that cure me, will I become alright.’ ‘No, don’t worry that six months will seem too longer.’ Time is psychological. You can see in your life, if you are sitting with somebody whom you feel connected, love, reverence, you don’t know how time flies. Suddenly after few hours you realize few hours have gone. If you are sitting with somebody boring, irritated, every two three minutes you will see a watch, but time is not moving.

[00:26:17]

Time is psychological. If you are in high frequency, one year will look like one day. Not because you are forgetting the things, understand. You start forgetting things also, one year will… not one year, 10 year will look like one day. I am not talking about the people who forget things. That is lower level of consciousness. I am talking about the people who are in a heightened level of awareness. For them, our one year will be just one day, because the gap between one thought and other thought is more. So our chronological time does not match with them. That is why in the Vedic tradition, the god’s calendar is different from human beings calendar. For us one year is one day for them. That is why the temple created by Patanjali… This great master created a temple in south India, the dancing Shiva’s Temple. Of course in Seattle we have dancing Shiva in our Vedic Temple, Nataraja. In the temple they do only six worship per year, only six time service, because the temple follows the god’s calendar. It was created by a being who is in high frequency, high consciousness; they follow their calendar. The Temple follows their calendar, only six times the sacred bath is done. Because our one year is one day for them, in other temples everyday six services are done, sacred bath is done. The Temples which are run as per the human calendar. This temple is run as per the gods calendar. So once a year only six times the sacred bath is given.

[00:28:32]

This shows actually the time space in which Patanjali was living. He says here dīrgha kālaha. Please understand, this is the key of this Sutra, this is the key of this Sutra. Many time people ask me,‘Swamiji, what is the beginning of a spiritual practice? What is the end of the spiritual practice?’ I tell them, there is no such thing as beginning or end. Beginning and end are same - NOW. All you need to have is intensity. See, if that intensity happens, ‘eternally this is going to be my life’, suddenly you will see you will not bother about the end, you will be in the end now. You will be in the present moment. See meditation is all about penetrating the mind and going beyond mind. As long as you have a idea about future, your mind will continue to survive, continue to be alive. If you decide next 12 years I will meditate, be very clear, your mind will be waiting just for the 12 years to pass. So you will never meditate, you will be waiting for the 12 years, that’s all. Afterwards you may boast, you may just brag around, 12 years I am waiting, 12 years I am meditating, do you know I am a seeker for last 35 years. Actually there is nothing to brag about it in that. It is a shame. People come and tell me many time, these great intellectuals, well read, filled with knowledge, they come to me and say, ‘My experience is your age.’ I just asked them what were you doing so many years? It is not pride, please understand. This is the way your mind cheats. As long as you sit with a particular technique you think you will do for so many days, so many hours till sometime, there is a end, there is a boundary, be very clear. Till there is a boundary you are bound, your mind will not come back to the present moment. It will be just waiting, ‘Alright, 12 years I will practice then I will question you. 12 years I will see, I will do it, then I will see whether anything has happened or not.’ It is like just because of your own mind, you do not allow that to happen, you do not allow that to happen.

[00:31:48]

You can see even in your day to day meditation, when you sit and start the Nithya Dhyan, that chaotic breathing, you will be just waiting when the Guru Puja will start. I have seen the moment they start the chaotic breathing, after two three times, ‘when the Guru Puja mantra will start?’ Understand, as long as your mind knows there is going to be end for this activity, it will continue to survive, survive, survive and cheat you. It will continue to postpone, play the game with you. It will continuously play the game. It will postpone, it will cheat, it will play all possible games.

[00:32:47]

So when Patanjali says dirgha kalaha - long time, even long time word should not be understood chronologically. See long time immediately you understand, hundred years, two hundred years. No. dirgha kalaha it should not be understood in a horizontal way. In a vertical way. See, as long as you measure time horizontally, 20 years, 30 years, 50 years, 60 years, your mind will continue to survive. It will have that hope after 20 years, what happens, let me see. After 30 years of doing pranayama what happens, let me see. After 25 years of meditations what happens let me see. It will be waiting, it will survive just this one idea - long time.

[00:33:51]

Very beautifully Shankara says, kalpa kala paryantam. He says, ‘even for ages if you are doing idol worship, just ritualistic following some rituals and techniques without understanding the true spirit, without understanding the true purpose, without understanding the truth behind, you will be just stuck. Understand, any technique, any technique, without understanding if you are doing for ages and ages and ages, you will be the same… Just like Buddha was struggling. See, a person like Buddha, strong being like a Buddha, it is not ordinary thing to renounce your wife and kids, especially good wife 😀who was really taking care of you 😀, and a kingdom who is under your control, the whole kingdom is under his control. It is not that people are rebelling, he has lot of problems, he was not able to administer, NO. The whole thing was completely under his control. Best things.., his father took care that he should not even know that leaves in the tree withers away, because all the fallen leaves will be collected in the night and cleaned. His father took care that Buddha should never hear about old age, disease and death. Because the father was told by astrologers, family astrologers, that this boy will become a sannyasi, monk, he will renounce the world. Father was frightened, only one child, what will happen to Kingdom? So he took care that this guy should never think about future. This guy should never think about things of the world.

[00:36:22]

He never allowed Buddha to see the fallen leaf or old dried flower, nothing. All the leaves and the fallen flowers will be collected and cleaned in the garden in the night time, Buddha is sleeping. All the best things of the world is available, it is not that easy to renounce. The Palace and the comfort, luxury, wife and kids… child, one, one son. It is not that easy. It is very easy to talk talk talk talk and think. People ask me, ‘Swamiji, can I be here, can I be in the house and get enlightened?’ What to do, I have to console them, I can not tell straight away, it will be too rough. I cannot say ‘no, leave, leave everything, give up everything, go to Himalayas’. No. It will be too… usually when I say drop smoking, they drop me. So I have to compromise little bit.

[00:37:46]

Anyhow here, Buddha is a guy who will not compromise with the truth. He was all out. He knows this has to be achieved, this has to be done and he left everything. That is his not only first priority, that is the only priority. See, if enlightenment is the first priority, you can have second priorities, third priorities. But with Buddha that is the only priority. Then naturally nothing else, he just disappears. Even a man like Buddha, 12 years he wasted. If he would have understood this one Sutra, I don’t think there is a need to waste 12 years.

[00:38:43]

Understand, masters go on and on and on teaching and writing, because you don’t understand this one Sutra. If this one Sutra is understood, neither they need to waste their time by constantly talking and writing, nor you need to waste your time by constantly listening and reading. Dirgha kalaha. This one sutra, one word, one key from Patanjali, needs to be understood. When Patanjali says Dirgha kala, means literally if you translate comes long time. It is not even long time in this horizontal way, you need to understand the vertical way. See, when he says long time, don’t think he is asking you to practice for 12 years, 20 years, 30 years. Just decide you are going to practice forever. Suddenly you will fall into the present moment. Because your mind will not be waiting when will that time end, then I can relax from practicing. Because your mind always wants some change. As long as there is a hope for change your mind will continue to survive.

[00:40:08]

For example, if you decide next 12 years morning 7 o’clock I will sit in Nithya Dhyaan, your mind will wait for the 12 years to get completed. It will say, ‘Oh, 12 years. Then after that 12 years I can be relaxed. I will be enlightened or I will be whatever I am. I can relax.’ It will wait, wait, everyday it will push… ah, one day over, one day over, one day over, now only seven more years, now only six more years, now only five more years. It will continue to survive with this one hope, ‘If I do it for 12 years I will have this or I will have that, I will enjoy that. Then I don’t need to do this.’ But if you decide, ‘forever as long as I am alive, morning 7 o’clock I am going to do this meditation’, suddenly you will see, mind has no other go, it will just fall into the present moment. It knows ‘anyhow everyday morning I have to meditate, then better let's do it now itself intensely.’ That is what happened for Buddha. As long as he was thinking ‘Till tomorrow morning I will meditate, morning I will relax for sometime’, then mind is waiting for that relaxation period. It knows there is a change, there is going to be a change, there is going to be a hope. As long as there is a hope for change, your mind will continue to survive, it will be alive. That, just that very hope keeps it alive.

[00:41:54]

One day Buddha understood this, that click has happened. This click has happened for me in Varanasi. Let me describe how it happened in me, this Dirgha kalaha. Buddha suddenly realised ‘What am I missing? Day in and day out I am sitting, sitting, sitting, sitting, sitting, meditating, what am I missing?’ Actually if you are a professional seeker, you can understand what I am saying. This Sutra is for the highly evolved seekers. You can understand what I am saying. Buddha started looking inside, ‘What is going on? I am meditating whole day. How my mind is still alive? How is it surviving?’ Suddenly he realised just that one idea, ‘till late night I will meditate then I can relax. Morning I will go for a walk, come back and sit and meditate again.’ He realised that idea - there is a hope, there can be a change - that is what keeping him, that is what keeping his mind alive and active.

[00:43:41]

Mind is a great accountant. Please understand, he is a great accountant. This guy knows all maths, and all plays, all games. When, what need to be told to your mind or told to you, how to play with you - he knows all the games. Buddha understood this one idea, that is responsible for my continuous struggle. He decides - no more, no more change. This pressure of the practice is going to be on me forever. This is going to be my life, that is where the dirgha kala happened. Please understand - Long time - he decided no question of long time. I am going to do this forever! The moment you decide forever, the hope - ‘after this I don’t have to do this. After this many years I don’t have to practice’ - that is not there. Your mind knows, God! And especially a person like Buddha when he decides, he decides. If he decides, he means, he is not going to play games. He means. Mind got completely frightened! ‘Oh god! What happened? Now he says forever. So he is going to do forever.’ So there is no hope, there is no change, there is no possibility for the future. This pressure of a technique, pressure of meditation is going to be there on me forever. So naturally, just it came back to the present moment. Because there is nothing to search in the future. Just, it just came back to the present moment and practice ended. Practice ended.

[00:45:54]

Anybody wants to end your spiritual practice, all you need to do is decide strongly you are going to practice forever, that’s all! It looks very paradoxical. Decide you are going to do it forever! There is no change, there is no gap, there is no getting up, there is no break. This is going to be your life. Suddenly practice will end, it will end. This is the one and only way if you want to end your practice. Till you decide you are going to be doing this practice forever, you can never end the practice.

[00:46:44]

I was traveling continuously all over India, meditating, meditating, meditating. Usually I will stay in the burial grounds and sit and meditate. People ask me: ‘why do you stay in burial grounds?’, because I don’t need to reserve.😀 There is no need for reservation and nobody will come there. Indian burial grounds are not like… this country you should… you don’t have to imagine like this country. It is a open place, anybody… it's not protected or maintained. So nobody will come and disturb you. You can just quietly sitting and meditating.

[00:47:32]

People ask me: ‘Swamiji, have you never been disturbed by ghosts or spirits?’ I tell them, ‘dead people never disturb others, only living human beings disturb others. I never had any disturbance from the dead people. 😀 They are there happily, I am there happily. Everyday I used to sit and meditate in the burial grounds. The Vedic Tradition they say if you sit and meditate in burial grounds, you will constantly remember and meditate on death. and going through your own internal death is the way for enlightenment. That is the only way for enlightenment. Going through that psychological death is way for transformation and enlightenment.

[00:48:30]

I was trying for years, every time I sit, I’ll sit with idea: ‘alright, I will sit today whole night, tomorrow morning I will go out for buy food, come back and sit’, this was the same thing I was doing. One day when I was sitting in Varanasi, Manikarnika Ghat, the place where hundreds of dead bodies are burnt everyday. And Indians believe dying in Varanasi leads you to enlightenment. So all the people, the moment they retire from their responsibilities they will go and settle in Varanasi. It’s a retirement community filled with old people waiting to die. The whole city if you see, India is a very young country; majority of the Indians are between 18 to 40, the youngest country in the world. Majority, more than 50% are between 18 to 40 youngsters. But this city I can say 80% is above 80, at least above 70, old people waiting to die and this is the place where all the dead bodies will be burnt - Manikarnika Ghat. I was sitting there, I saw some dead bodies being burnt.

[00:50:12]

Suddenly the click, god! This body [referring to Himself] is also going to be burnt like that only. Actually you will lose respect and fear about death if you see that bodies burnt every time. They don’t bring fire from the home; from one fire they lit the other fire. Whether it rains or shines it is the eternal fire. It is called Maha smashana, the ultimate burial ground, ultimate cremation ground. It goes on and on and on; from one body they light the fire to the other body continuously.

[00:50:55]

If you are a sincere seeker, really want to know the secrets of death and life, you should go to the Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi. And sit and meditate at least for few days. When I sat, suddenly that click has happened. God, it is such a simple thing. Just like all these bodies are being burnt, this body also will be burnt one day that’s all. There is nothing much big, no need to make a big fuss about death, life and all those foolish things. It is just dust and to dust, nothing else.

[00:51:50]

Then I thought, ‘everyday I am meditating on death, meditating in burial ground but still why I am not able to experience that internal psychological death.’ I am not talking about physical death. Physical death is different, the physiological death is different. If you experience psychological death suddenly you will see you are enlightened. I thought ‘why I am not able to experience?’ Then I decided, either this body should die and I should experience death or I should have death experience by meditation. I decided to sit, decided to sit. I decided I will sit and meditate on death till I have the death experience, that internal death experience. If I am not having that experience, I will come in [audio break] It knows all your games. It knows how many times you cheated. It knows how many times you came out of the… your own will, it knows how many times you changed, you altered, you corrected, you found a fine print, for your own will you have a fine print below. And after 2-3hrs, when you are tired of that will, you read that fine print and say, ‘it's okay, I think I can’.

[00:53:26]

I did not believe me, but somehow that will was very strong. One day was over, second day also over. No food, no sleep, no 1, 2, 3 nothing. Just sitting. Third day, the whole body is practically frozen, because of pain, just body wants to move. But I said no, nothing doing. No question of moving. If you don’t move, just sit like this, the whole body will feel like a frozen with pain. Suddenly my whole being realized I am serious about my will. I am really serious about my will. Suddenly my whole being realized I am going to do it. I myself got convinced about my willpower. I myself realized I am going to sit. First when I sat, my mind did not believe and said ‘alright, lets see, struggle how much you can. After all you are a good guy struggling for last 10 years, try once more nothing wrong. There is nothing wrong in trying. Chalo, try?’

[00:55:06]

Next day morning, it felt little sympathetic, ‘this fellow is really trying, struggling hard.’ By third day noon, it got completely convinced. The power which was resisting, has lost its hold on the consciousness. The constant doubt which was there, saying ‘No, no, no, once he is tired he will come out, once he is hungry he will get up and go for food, relax. Once this fellow is feeling the hunger, everything will become alright.’ That part has died. Suddenly, my own being felt so strongly convinced, ‘I am going to sit.’ Still I remember very clearly, one thought, a clear thought ‘I am going to sit eternally!’ Dirgha kalaha - forever.

[00:56:12]

Understand. When the Patanjali uses the word Dirgha kalaha I don’t even want that word to be understood as long time. I wanted you to understand that word - forever. The moment I decided forever, instead of the mind moving in a horizontal linear way… you see, if you say ‘long time’, your mind will naturally move linear way - ‘long time means how many years, come on tell me.’ The moment I say, ‘Alright, let me sit for 10 years’, then it will be waiting, ‘all right 10 years I will sit, let us sit and after 10 years I can come out.’ So just for that, just because that hope is there, it will not fall into unconsciousness. It will continue to retain its identity because it knows after 10 year it can come back and play its game. The hope is there, because the idea of time is created by mind. It is nothing but its own… yu see, it's like a, you create a track out of steel and create a train out of steel. The steel train moves on the steel track.

[00:57:33]

So mind, one part of mind is the time. So the moment you created a time, now the mind can be alive forever. I t knows, ‘eh, it's my own track. Let me travel, let me move. Let me be.’ But the moment I decided - eternally. Mind has lost its grip over time. And it knows ‘oh, god, I think this fellow really means, he really means what he is talking, or what he is thinking. The moment you give that confidence to mind, that I am going to be doing it eternally. Suddenly it gets shaken, it gets frightened. And it comes back to the present moment. Because it knows, I have to be doing this forever. There is no… you see, your mind exists with only one idea, it tolerates anything, if it knows it is going to end. It has the ability to tolerate anything and survive anything. If it knows that the action is going to end.

[00:59:07]

Any action, any idea, any meditation, any technique, if it knows there is going to be end, it will survive, it live through, it will live through. Because it knows there is going to be an end. Only when you give the clarity, it is going to be Dirgha kalaha.That is why in Indian tradition, whether it is marriage or sannyas - for eternal; once you take sannyas, it is forever. Once you marry it is forever. Then mind will stop playing its games. See, the moment you have the freedom. ‘oh, I think anyhow I am going to divorce. Why tomorrow let me do it today.’ The moment you know you have a freedom, always you will think, why tomorrow, why postpone? Let’s do now. But if you know, ‘no, this is going to be my life’, then you know ‘anyhow I have to live. Let me now work it out.’

[01:00:29]

So your idea about future plays a major role on your life in the present. Your idea about future plays a major role in your action about the present. If you know that this is your life… the Vedic tradition, during marriage the vows you take, that vow says ‘till the fire is there in your stomach’, means till you are alive, these vows are taken. Means what, you know you have to live for till death. So naturally, you adjust, your mind starts getting adjusted. Your mind starts getting settled with this mental setup. From the beginning you know I cannot unnecessarily create confusions. I can’t afford it. I have to be careful even if there is something wrong, I have to start connecting, I have to start healing, I have to be respectful, I have to be loving. So from the beginning, the mental setup gets trained. Please understand.

[01:01:59]

People ask me, ‘Swamiji, is the divorce not a big freedom?’. See, I am not judging whether divorce should be there or should not be there or it is a freedom or it is a right or wrong and all those things. All I can say, the idea which you carry about yourself, your mind, your life, is very, very important. That is going to decide about your action. I tell you. The idea which you have about your body and your mind is the best friend, or worst enemy for you. Best friend or worst enemy. If you have the right idea about your body and mind, that's a best friend for you. If you have the worst idea about your body and mind, that’s the worst enemy for you. I have seen, I have seen all various types of cultures, civilizations, the kids who are given right understanding and idea about their body and mind, they not only live long, they live happily. Happiness, bliss, joy, health - all these things are nothing but an idea you carry about your body and mind from the young age.

[01:04:02]

I have seen… your idea about future creating miracles inside the body, physical body; even in the physical body, it creates miracles. It does miracles. The yogi with whom I learnt this yoga and Patanjali, I have seen him displaying all kinds of extraordinary powers, because he is very clear till he achieves that powers he is going to be practicing. So what mind does? Your mind is intelligent. It can express any power. Mind immediately decides, ‘oh god, this fellow is going to torture me with the practice, till I reveal that powers to him. Better let me give it now itself. It tries to play with you, without giving power and trying to break your practice. If you give a strong idea to your mind, ‘no, you are going to practice till it gives you the power.’ Suddenly it gets frightened and it says: ‘I know this fellow is going to torture me by doing everything. Let me better give the power now itself.’

[01:05:24]

The day, the moment I was able to convince myself, I am going to sit, My whole being was completely convinced. I could see very clearly, from the root of the spine, that pain spreading all over the body, cruciating pain. Requesting me, ‘Please move the body little bit and adjust.’ I was sitting for 2 and half days, no food. And I did not even know 2 and half days passed. Only later on I calculated. Later on I was able to calculate, I did not even know 2 and half days passed. I just decided, ‘Who cares about time and everything? I am going to sit, that's all.’

[01:06:11]

The backbone, the spine is begging me, ‘just, just adjust the legs little bit.’ Adjust, so that the blood flow will become little easy. At least, adjust your hand. Let me check whether I am alive or not. It’s literally begging me. But I could see very clearly, my Sankalpa-will say, ‘I am going to sit. There is no question of moving. The moment this will, that strong will, it says clearly Dirgha kalaha, ‘I am going to sit eternally’, when that conviction landed on my being, I could see very clearly that pain which was there all over the body… every joint I was able to feel. Every nerve I was able to feel. Because sitting continuously, what will happen? The whole body just slowly started disappearing. The moment it learnt the practice is going to be eternal Dirgha kalaha, eternal, the mind started withdrawing. It decided now I cannot survive. Now I cannot survive. Now I cannot stand. See, if you have some visualization for your mind. If you say ‘12 years, after 12 years I will get up’, it will wait, it will survive 12 years. Anyway I am going to get up after 12 years. Let me push the time, push the time, push the time. It will be sitting and altering your clock.

[01:07:58]

No really, if you fall in love with somebody and you are waiting to meet that person next day morning, you can see late night you will be sitting and adjusting the clock. ‘When will the time become 4 o’clock morning, early morning? I can get up and get ready and go and wait in the park’, will be just waiting. Mind is intelligent, it can push the clock, it can push the time. But when you say the word Dirgha kalaha, eternal, ‘this is going to be eternally this way only’, suddenly it gets adjusted, it gets adjusted. And it came back to the present moment and said ‘Alright, I cooperate with you’ and dissolved. That strong, the internal death experience happened.

[01:08:55]

Understand, when Patanjali says, he says ‘For a long time, without interval, without interruption, practice, so that you can firmly be grounded.’ He doesn’t mean… actually when he says this ‘long time’, he is not depressing you. People come and ask me… This long time word is misunderstood and responsible for all the confusions which is there in the Yoga World. Almost every interpretation has given a meaning, different or wrong meaning to this word. The moment you say long time, they say 12 years, 9 years, 7 years, 10 years. But I am not asking you to practice for a long time means 10 years 7 years 6 years, no.

Decide you will live, you will, you are going to practice eternally. You will achieve it now. You will achieve it now. Ability to convince your inner space, you are going to do this forever is what you need to learn through this Sutra.

[01:10:32]

Let me give you the translation again. Committed and intense practice of Unclutching, makes one firmly established in a higher state of awareness. dirgha kalaha and nairantarya means long time and unbroken. Mind is a great accountant. He can play all accounts game with you. And Patanjali is aware of that. That is why he wants you with the right words. He warns you with the, he is warning you with right words. Please understand, any practice you do, decide with this one attitude.

[01:11:48]

People ask me, this is a FAQ. Again and again, people ask me, ‘how many years I should unclutch to get enlightened? How many years I should unclutch to get enlightened?’ Unclutching is the ultimate technique for enlightenment. Whenever I say continue to unclutch, continue to unclutch, continue to unclutch, they ask me ‘Swamiji is it one year or two year or three year, how many years I should unclutch to prac... become enlightened?

[01:12:17]

Understand, decide you are going to be unclutching forever! The moment you decide, you are going to be unclutching forever, you will be unclutched this moment. Because your mind knows this is going to be its routine. See, your mind thrives with changes and hope for a change. If your mind knows for sure, I am going to be unclutching as long as I am alive, it will decide, better let me die now. Then why to be… If it has a hope ‘after 12 years of unclutching, you don’t need to practice unclutching’, then it knows ‘oh, after 12 years there is a change.’ Because it thrives on change. It thrives on different things. That is why so much of desire for enlightenment… entertainment, sorry, so much of desire for entertainment. Even enlightenment you think it’s a change, that is why you want it.

[01:13:33]

So much of desire for entertainment. People go on try to find some entertainment. Because it's a change. Even inside entertainment - different, different, different different, different. Every three minutes you change a channel. In 15 minutes you go one full round and come back. Because mind thrives on change. Mind thrives on change. When you know there is no possibility for change, suddenly you will see, it just dies. It disappears, it leaves. When you are, when you decide, there is not going to be any change. Suddenly, in an unexpected way, mind is killed. If you decide strongly you are going to unclutch forever, this moment you will be unclutched. This moment you will be unclutched. In a very unexpected way, mind will disappear.

[01:15:04]

I have a story for you. A man goes into a bar and admires the stuffed lion’s head mounted on the wall. ‘What a great trophy’, says the man to the bartender. That guy says ‘I would not call, call it great. The damn lion killed my wife.’ This guy asks ‘oh is it so? You were on a Safari in Africa, or you were on a Safari somewhere, or hunting in a forest?’ Bartender says, ‘no, no, it fell on her head.’ Understand, many time death comes in an unexpected way. If you decide that you are going to be unclutching forever, the death of the mind comes unexpected way this moment and suddenly mind settles all the accounts. See if it knows it is going to be here forever, it continues to use the credit card. And using the credit card is the best way to be here. And it… the moment it knows ‘No, it is not going to be here.’ It suddenly settles all the accounts. It starts unclutching, relaxing, settling.

[01:16:46]

Committed and intense practice of Unclutching, makes one firmly established in a higher state of awareness. I can say, in the world there are different kinds of knowledge; there are some kind, just by listening to that knowledge you will have benefits of it. There are some kind of knowledge, if you have access to it whenever you need you will have benefit out of it. Some knowledge, just by listening once, understanding you will have benefit. Some you need to again and again work with it, you need access to that knowledge to have benefit. There are some knowledge only when you practice you will have benefit. Spiritual knowledge is the third type. You need to practice, live, practice, no other way.

[01:17:48]

People ask me: Is there any shortcut Swamiji? I tell them the one and only shortcut is practice, practice, practice. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. The shortest way is being straight. Practice nothing else. If you want the transformation, practice is the only way. How much ever you hear, how much ever you talk; how much ever you discuss, nothing can be done. Only one way - PRACTICE and clearly telling your mind you are going to practice eternally with unclutching. As long as you have a hope you can stop unclutching at certain points; your mind will continue to exist waiting for that point. The moment you decide ‘No, no. I am going to unclutch forever, forever’, suddenly your mind disappears. It loses its power over you.

[01:19:10]

I have one more story, two accountants are in a bar when armed robbers burst in, the robbers line up, line the customers up against the wall, and proceed to take their wallets, watches etc. The first accountant slips something into the second accountants hand and whispers, ‘here is the 50 dollar I owe you’. 😀 When you know it's going to be taken away, you settle the accounts by yourself. Your mind is also the first accountant. When it knows nothing can be done, it has lost all its grounds, it just settles all the accounts. As long as it has a hope it can flow it flows. When there is no hope, it just settles.

[01:20:18]

So all you need to understand is this one truth. Only this one truth today I don’t want to add too many ideas. I want you to understand this one truth, Dirgha kala nairantarya means eternal unbroken. Decide today ‘eternally forever I am going to practice unclutching. There is not going to be any gap - whether I am walking or talking or sitting or whatever I may be doing, I am going to unclutch from whatever is happening inside me. Whether I am walking or talking or sitting or sleeping or dreaming or daydreaming…’ These are the five modifications of the mind: right knowledge, wrong knowledge and imagination, sleep, memory - these are the five modifications constantly happening in you. Whatever modification may happen inside me I am going to unclutch. That clarity, that clarity, that understanding, if you bring it, suddenly you will see all your negativity will lose its power over you.

[01:21:49]

See your depression has a power over you as long as you believe it can come again and again to you. If you are very strong, ‘Let the depression come. How many times let it come, I am going to unclutch’, suddenly it loses its grip over you. It loses its grip over you. If the depression knows, it can really put you in depression, it again and again repeats. If it knows you are going to unclutch again and again how many time it tries, it struggles, you are going to unclutch. Suddenly it will stop trying, nobody wants to fight losing war… including your depression. Your whole life is nothing but a war between you and your mind. Its a war between you and your mind. So the moment you know, the moment you are aware, the moment you are awakened to this one truth, understand, please understand this one truth. Decide ‘Whatever may happen, I am going to unclutch.’ I tell you, that moment is what I call enlightenment. If you decide that this moment whatever, whatever, may happen in my life, I am going to be continuously practicing unclutching. Suddenly you know ‘then whatever is going to happen I am going to practice unclutching. Then why should I have fear? Why should I bother about anything else? Why should I have any fear or any idea about anything?’ You will see, mind just unclutches. Mind just unclutches. So..

[01:23:55]

I want you to fill with this one idea, I want to fill you with this one idea, I want you to be filled with this one idea. Decide today ‘From this moment, whatever may happen, I will continue to unclutch. I am going to have the constant intense practice Dirgha kala nairantarya - Committed and intense practice of unclutching.’ This very decision will unclutch you. After practicing is secondary. This very decision will unclutch you, will solve everything. The moment you take this decision, your mind will start moving saying, ‘No, no, no, if that depressions comes, you can’t unclutch. If this fear comes you can’t unclutch. If this desire comes you won’t be able to unclutch’. It will tease you. If you say ‘No, I am going to be unclutching constantly. Whatever may come, I am going to be unclutching.’ Then it will create the fear of death, ‘what will happen if you die? You think you will unclutch? Who will pay your bills? Who will pay your insurance? Who will pay your this, who will pay that?’ If you take a strong understanding, if you bring firm understanding, ‘No. Whatever it may be I am going to unclutch.’ That one strong will, suddenly mind unclutches.

[01:25:41]

Patanjali explains beautifully, in the next Sutra, a deeper method, a deeper layer of this same understanding. Next Sutra is about Vairagya, the conscious withdrawal. He beautifully describes the deeper layer of this technique - the conscious withdrawal from the objects of the senses that the body, mind and spirit. He explains about the conscious withdrawal, for this eternal unclutching.

[01:26:23]

We will see about this idea tomorrow, go to the deeper layers of this idea tomorrow. Let you be filled with this one understanding that decide… decide that committed and intense practice of unclutching, makes one firmly established in a higher state of consciousness. Only that makes you established in a higher state of consciousness. Many people think they are professional seekers, they don’t need to practice. I have seen, ‘No, no, no, I practiced all kinds of techniques for 10 years 20 years. Nowadays I don’t practice anything. I just read and go round and listen to some things. Understand, just because you are senior, don’t think without practice things can happen. Maybe in the outer world it will happen, if you are a senior lawyer, you don’t have to do anything, just have few juniors, they will do everything. You are a senior accountant, you don’t have to do anything, just your juniors will do everything. It will work in the outer world, not in the inner world. [01:27:48]

I have a story for you. An accountant goes into the pet store, I will read it out for you. I don’t want to miss a word. An accountant goes into a pet store to buy a parrot. The store owner shows him three identical parrots on a perch. ‘The parrot on the left costs 500 dollars’, says the owner. ‘Why does that parrot cost so much,’ asked the accountant. ‘It knows how to do complex audits’, says the store owner. The guy asks, ‘How much does that middle parrot cost?’, asks the accountant. ‘That one cost 1000 dollar’, owner replies. He says ‘It can do everything the first one can plus it knows how to prepare financial forecasts.’ Accountant asked about the third parrot. ‘It costs 4000 dollars.’ Accountant asks, ‘So what all that one can do?’. Store owner says, ‘To be honest, I have never seen him do anything. But the other two parrots call him as a senior partner.’ 😀

[01:29:32]

Maybe in the outer world if you are senior, you don’t need to do anything. But in the inner world, practice, practice, practice. Even in our mission, I have seen these guys the moment they become an organizer or a senior devotee or think that they are become senior devotee, they don’t do any meditation. ‘It’s okay, now I have to only teach.’ Understand, the senior accountant works only in the outer world, not in the inner world. So whoever you may be, practice has to become eternal. Actually when you decide the practice is eternal, suddenly the whole thing gets unclutched and practice ends there. When practice ends, there will be nobody to practice. As long as there is somebody inside you to practice, practice.

As long as there is somebody inside, something going on inside - unclutch. Only when there is nothing then there is no unclutching. When the unclutcher disappears into unclutching, unclutching ends. Till then, unclutching continues, continues, continues. So continue your unclutching till the unclutcher disappears into unclutching.

[01:31:15]