March 27 2009
Title:
The Science of Interpretation - assimilate the right way! (Patanjali Yoga Sutras)
Link to Video:
| Video | Audio |
Transcript:
[00:01:15]
Sadāshiva samārambhām Shankarāchārya madhyamām | asmat āchārya paryantām vande guru paramparām ||
I welcome you all with My love and respects. Let Me take few minutes to introduce this great book, Patanjali Yoga Sutras and today's subject to all of you. You may be aware that I am delivering a series of discourses on Patanjali; He is the father of yoga. From this book all yogic traditions originated. I can say not only all yogic traditions, almost all religions are influenced directly or indirectly from these sacred and secret teachings. Maybe five thousand year old, these teachings are from a great Master Patanjali, who lived in a place called Chidambaram in South India in Tamil Nadu and left the body in a place called Rameshwaram, in South India. Just in few words, in few sutras he is trying to explain all the great truths; just in seed form he is sharing all the great truths with us.
[00:03:40]
Today we will be working on the eleventh sutra. Everyday I am explaining the secret deeper meanings of each sutra. Patanjali is talking about five different modifications of the mind, which can lead either to pain or joy inside us. Five different modifications: One - right knowledge, Second - wrong knowledge, Third - imagination or fantasy, Fourth - please understand each subject he is taking us one by one, step by step, subtle and subtler. Subtler and subtler, he is taking us to deeper zones. Right knowledge, wrong knowledge, imagination and sleep and memory. These are the five modifications of the mind. Right knowledge - with right knowledge you don't need to work on it. If you just allow it to be there, it will lead you to joy. With wrong knowledge - you need to work on the content, you need to change the direction. With fantasy - not just changing the direction you have to completely change the very content itself. Sleep - not only content, even the container has to be changed. He is taking us to deeper layers. Fifth is memory today we will see the fifth modification.
I have already explained all the other four modifications. Today we will see the fifth modification, memory.
[00:05:42]
Patanjali is helping us how, how to use each modification to achieve joy, more and more bliss, more and more freedom, more and more ecstasy. See, all these five modifications can lead to suffering or joy, depending on us. Right knowledge, wrong knowledge, imagination, sleep, memory - these are the five modifications of the mind. If you don’t know how to use them it can lead to suffering. If you know how to use them, it can lead to joy. It is just intelligence; it is just intelligence how you use it. These five modifications, either it can bring pain, suffering and disturbance or it can lead us to joy, bliss and fulfillment. How you live with it, how you handle it, how you behave, how you go through the whole situation.
[00:07:10]
Today we will see about memory, the last part. Let's enter into the sutra, what Patanjali has to do-to tell. Patanjali's idea about memory:
Anubhuta vishayaa asampramosha smrutihi
Each time I repeat Patanjali's words, I feel it can never be translated. It is filled, so much of meaning, so many different dimensions, so many different angles. It is very difficult to translate. Maybe I can translate one dimension. Whenever we translate these great scriptures, only one dimension can be translated. Only one dimension can be expressed in the translation. I'll give you one, the translation which expresses one dimension. The recall of mental impressions of past events from the subconscious mind is memory.
Anubhuta vishayaa asampramosha smrutihi
Recall of mental impressions of past events from the subconscious mind is memory. The memory can lead either to suffering or to joy in our day to day life. How we use it, how we relate with it, how we connect with it, how we respond to it - The memory is responsible for your spontaneity, decision making. I can say, anything available to you in the outer world, memory is responsible. Whether your medicines or research and development done in all the fields of the outer world, it is because of memory. And the same way all sufferings, all psychological disorders…
[00:10:04]
In Sanskrit, we have a beautiful word, bhavaroga means the birth itself is a disease. Including the disease of birth, for everything this memory is responsible. This memory is responsible for all the joys, all the things which you enjoy in the outer world. Sameway, the same memory is responsible for all the sufferings you go through in the inner world. One more thing you need to understand, memory is responsible for all the joys you experience in the outer world. And not using the memory is responsible for all the sufferings you go through in the outer world. Same way all the disturbances you go through in the inside, is because of constant using of memory. All the joy you will experience inside if you are away from memory.
Please understand the paradox, in the outer world using memory brings comforts, luxury, things you need. But not using memory brings suffering, absent-mindedness, disturbance. In the inner world using memory brings all kinds of problems. Relaxing from memory brings tremendous joy and peace.
[00:11:50]
In Sanskrit we have a beautiful word, trobava means hiding, making you forget. This is described as one of the actions of God; making you forget, is supposed to be one of the actions of God. God is, God is doing five actions: one creation and sustaining, and destroying, making you forget, and giving you enlightenment. You may think, “Why God should do, making the act of making me forget things? Why should he take away memory from me?"
The other day one guy came to Me and asked, “Swamiji, please give me some technique that I should be able to remember all my past lives,” in Kalpataru program. Kalpataru is supposed to be the program whatever people ask they have to experience. I said, “Do you know the side effect or after effects of what you are asking?" He said “I want to know all my past births Swamiji. I want to know where I was, what I was doing, and everything.” I asked him “First of all why did you come for this meditation program?" “To find peace Swamiji.” I asked him “What is your age?" He said “Forty two, Swamiji.” These last forty two years memories are not letting you to be in peace. Understand you are not able to handle just the forty two years memories. If suddenly the past life memories are awakened inside you, and two-three more births, it means almost like maybe two hundred years, or three hundred years. What will happen? We will go crazy, we will become mad. That is the reason, inside we have a automatic mechanism. Once it reaches certain load, automatically it unclutches. It just disconnects and it goes to archives. It is not available to you directly.
[00:14:31]
I can say there are three levels of memories. The files which you have on your table, which you handle every day. You know who is your wife, who is your son, who is your daughter, who is your mother, and who is your boss. The relationships which you maintain, the place where you live, the files which are directly connected to your day to day routine.
There are memories, which are in the cupboard, inside your office which are in your cupboard. If you want you can retrieve them. It's like a - the friends with whom you spent your time ten years before or the vacation which you went five years before. If you want you can bring them, but it will not be continuously available on the table, that is the second kind of memory.
The third, which is in archives room, you can't access without a special key, meditation techniques. That's a past birth. Once the load becomes too much on the table, there is automatic system, to move the files automatically to the archives room. That is what we call trobava, reducing the load on your consciousness.
[00:16:03]
Please understand the modern day psychology and psychotherapy, all of them look too small in front of Patanjali; in front of his depth and his clarity and his vision, I am surprised he is able to penetrate, describe, give solution for all modern day men problems. Usually whenever a society, a civilization reaches a level of sophistication, only then men face many psychological problems. If civilization has not evolved to that level, he will not have psychological problems, he will be stuck with the physiological problems.
See, psychological problems are luxury. No, really. Only if you have too much you can afford. Otherwise you can't afford psychological problems. That is why all evolved or developed civilizations are only suffering with psychological problems. Otherwise you can't afford to have these problems. Even… you can't afford even to have physiological problems. So, where is the time and energy to go on sit and brood about psychological problems? What is psychological problems? If you describe, detail, if you look little deep, whenever you see an ad in the TV about a new psychological problem, you always feel with you, “Do I have?” And the symptoms are also explained in a very broad way.
[00:17:49]
In India, the astrologers will predict your future. In the newspapers and the TV's they will give predictions; it will be told in a very broad way. This week you may, may not have sufferings with money, your wife may not listen to you; if she listens how can she be called as wife!! They will give a predictions in a very broad way; students need to put little more energy on their studies. Naturally what will you do? You will start comparing “I think it matches me.”
It will be told in a way, with the words, anybody can make anything out of it. It’s a technique actually, it’s a very powerful technique. It has to be very generalized and same way anybody wants he can pick up and connect with himself. Same way, here I've seen these TV ads for psychological problems; even physical problems. The other day I was reading an article, it says: any psychiatric disorder, you create a symptom and the whole system, announce about that problem, publicize about that problem, you have people who are having that problem. How come, how come it is happening? Any problem you announce, you have people.
[00:19:26]
Actually what happens? When you announce some two, three symptoms - constant irritation for last one week, emotional outburst three times a week; you give these kind of symptoms. What you do first thing when you listen the symptoms, “I think in that four symptom I may be having one, should I check once with the doctor?" One side of mind says, “No, no, no, no, no, I am okay, everything is okay.” Slowly when you listen to the same advertisement next time, “I think, why take risk, better let us check once with the doctor.” And when you listen to the same advertisement third time, you are almost ready, “I think not only one symptom, I can say even for the second question yes.” And you go for some test, by the time you finish all the medical routine, you feel you will say yes for all the four symptoms. It is just luxury; you need to constantly brood over it, otherwise you can't create psychiatric troubles, psychological problems, psychiatric disorders.
[00:20:50]
I am surprised, five thousand years ago Patanjali is able to look into the problems of developed civilizations. I don’t think India had all these problems five thousand years ago; even though it was a developed civilization in a different way. But he was able to penetrate and look into the human consciousness and see what all can come, what all can happen. I can say, Patanjali is the oldest book, oldest scripture, which is relevant to largest number of modern men in the planet earth. Please understand oldest book which is relevant to the largest crowd in the civilized world.
Other day I was reading the TIMES magazine which says “One among the four Americans some way, directly or indirectly, practice some form of yoga.” Of course we have thousands of forms of yoga now - super deluxe kundalini yoga! I was shocked when I heard, when I read the names. All kinds of deluxe, super deluxe, all kinds of power, so many varieties of yoga, so many brands of yoga. Anyhow, he is the father of all those brands. Fortunately he is not seeing all these brands.
[00:23:44]
Largest practiced spiritual Master is Patanjali. See, there are many religious leaders, spiritual masters in the planet earth. People read about them, listen about them but never practice. But Patanjali is the largest practiced spiritual Master, religious leader in the planet earth. Because he is very straight, he is very practical, he is very scientific, and he can solve modern men's problem. He is for this civilization. He goes to the depth of all difficulties, problems which human beings are facing. The memory, his description about memory. Please understand I'll repeat the description once more: Anubhutah vishayaah sampramoshah smrutihi
I'll give exact translation. I wanted the Sanskrit sutras to be recorded, so that if I have missed some dimensions of translations, people who watch can understand the original concept.
The recall of mental impressions of past events from the subconscious mind is memory. I can say this is a source of all good things and bad things. All scientific research can happen only based on memory; only based on memory. You need a memory to do all the analysis and see the result and do further research and development and see the result and see the further research and development and see the result. For all research and development whether it is in the medical field, or in the field of construction, or in the field of flying, or in the field of administration, or in the field of execution, any field it may be, the memory is a base. The more memory you store it and make it available for you, you are a leader - that's all. Leader is a person who can handle large quantity of memory with very sharp quality of Presence.
[00:25:48]
Sometime, people have large quantity of memory but they can't retrieve with a sharp quality. Sometime people have a sharp quality of retrieving, but they don't have large quantity. I can say memory is responsible for what you are remembering or forgetting, both may be. But memory, smruthi what Patanjali calls as smruthi, is responsible for what you are, how you are talking, how you are behaving the way you are behaving, how you are living the way you are living, why you are living the way you are living; for everything. How you are behaving, why you are behaving the way you are behaving, for everything memory is responsible. If it is used properly, if it is retrieved properly, if it is lived properly, it brings so much of joy, comfort.
I can say this is the definition of leader; leader is a person who can retrieve, who has access to large quantity of memory with a sharp quality of remembrance. The difference between you and the other person, difference between doctor and a lawyer, lawyer and an engineer, engineer and an accountant is only memory, nothing else. Who you are, what you are, why you are, is all because of memory.
[00:27:47]
I have lot of stories about memory and how people deal and live with memory. Maybe I'll give you one story from… about how you can repeat and use the memory in a wrong way. Three engineers and two accountants are traveling in the train. Two accountants were talking how the train tickets were very expensive. Three engineers say, “No, we take only one ticket and all of us share because train tickets are too expensive and we always travel in this train.”
These accountants, being accountants, they asked, “How are you managing? The ticket-checker comes, what do you do?" These guys said “Just see the drama.” When the TT comes, these guys get into the restroom. TT goes over the restroom and knocks, “Ticket.” One hand, one arm comes out of the door and gives the ticket, that guy goes. These two accountants are very impressed by the whole scene. Next time they did that. When they are coming back, these two accountants did the same thing. Both of them got in, got only one ticket. These three engineers did not even buy one ticket. The accountants warned them, “Hey without even having one ticket is not going to do.” Engineers said, “Just wait and see, we know how to manage.” TT came, first the both the accountants ran into the restroom. The engineers waited, after two minutes one engineer went and knocked the door and asked, “Ticket.” The guy opened and gave the ticket. Now you know the rest of the story!! 😀
[00:30:25]
Memory, sometime we think repeating is memory. No, repeating is not smruthi. Please understand remembrance and handling; handling is more important. Solutions can never be memorized and repeated. It has to be spontaneous. Many time people get into trouble by trying to repeat or re-enact others' solutions. Memory, I can say the best way to use the memory is, when it comes to outer world, use it more and more and more. When it comes to inner world, unclutch from it more and more and more. This is the sutra, this is the rule, this is the thumb rule: when it comes to outer world, use it more and more and more. When it comes to inner world, unclutch from it more and more and more. When you un- clutch from the memory, relax from the memories, in the inner world, the tremendous energy of spontaneity, responding to a situation spontaneously, being in the present, will start happening.
[00:32:05]
Grace, there is a beautiful word, Sanskrit word mahima. Mahima means grace. The mahima happens to you when you are unclutching from the memory. When you unclutch from memory the grace starts happening inside you; means wherever you go, whatever you do, a tremendous feeling security starts radiating around you, starts happening inside you. Please understand, only a person who feels completely secured can unclutch from his memory. Only a person who can unclutch from his memory, can feel completely secured.
All over the world I am continuously giving discourses. Every day if you see the website you will see somewhere or other I am speaking. And I have only sutras in front of me. This book is just sutras nothing else… Sutras and some stories, means jokes, just to share with you; no other hints. People ask Me many time, this book has only… this sutra also I bring the same sutra. I bring it so that verbatim I repeat. Sometime people think sutra also, I am making it. No, I am talking from the original sutras. People ask Me, “How do you speak Swamiji, continuously without any preparation or hints or notes?" The last six years of My public life I have spoken at most five thousand hours. Only when I speak on the scriptures I even keep these sutras. People ask Me. All I tell them is only one thing, somehow fortunately I learnt how to unclutch from memories, how to unclutch from memories.
[00:34:16]
I have story about this discourse, lectures. This guy, a very popular speaker. He gets into the stage, gives his discourse. When he comes down, wife calls him, “How was the discourse, how did you feel?" This guy asks, “Which discourse you are asking?" Wife asked, “What? You gave only one discourse, what do you mean by which discourse?" This guy said, “No, there is three, one which I prepared, one which I delivered, third one I was thinking I should have delivered.”!!
When you are not able to unclutch from memory, you will be constantly suffering with these three problem. Not only in public discourse, even while you handle your friends. When you go to meet your friends, even if they are close friends, while you are driving the car, you are preparing your lecture; what you should tell and if she responds in this way, what you should tell and if she talks in that way, what you should tell. Almost you have prepared some thirty sentences, statements. When you go and land, she just changes her third statement, you are at loss. Because you prepared in a different direction…. she is taking the whole conversation in different direction. Now you are at loss.
[00:35:52]
Please understand sometime, too much being dependent on memory, we become sterile, dead, the life is lost. The so-called education, the education which happens to you… please understand, I am using the word ‘happens to you’, because I feel sometime it is an accident. I feel so fortunate I did not go to proper school. I could retain My intelligence. No, really. Even the people who don’t accept the ideas I am teaching, they are surprised by My memory and ability to recall things and present it properly. Even My distractors, they accept one thing non-controversially, My amazing intelligence and memory. I tell them all because I did not go to proper school, that your regular college, that regular university. I kept Myself out of it. No, the big problem, our regular Universities and colleges are teaching you how to gather more and more memory but they don’t teach you how to unclutch from it when you don’t need and how to handle it when you really need. That knowledge is never delivered to you. Please understand that is the worst thing done to you. It is like you are taught how to eat but you are not taught how to clean your stomach or how to be away from it whenever needed.
[00:37:47]
It's like a… I can say slow poison. So much of memory is put inside your system. Sometime you can't retrieve when you want, sometime you are overcrowded by it when you don’t want. I can say, all problems, all disturbances, anything, whatever you think as problem, including physical problems… please understand including physical diseases, when I use the word, I mean it, including physical disorders; because most of our physical disorders are from psychosomatic problems. Even they are because of unable to handle this one concept memory, this one truth memory.
Constantly we are struggling, we are suffering with memory. When it comes to outer world - knowing how to handle more and more, when it comes to inner world - knowing how to unclutch more and more. I can say from My own experience, the more you unclutch, more memories are available to you without disturbance. Please understand you need to understand deeper truths of memory, real deeper truths of memory, because unable to handle memory not only creates problems in the young age, it creates too difficult complicate problems in the old age. In the old age, you are filled with too many memories. That is why, whenever you sit with an elderly person he starts, “In 1962 when I was in army…” You can't help, because he's loaded with it, his inner space is filled with it. What else he can do? And it is overflowing. Unfortunately nobody is there to listen. Unfortunately nobody is there to listen.
Please can you stop photographing? It attracts others attention unnecessarily.
[00:40:50]
You don't know how to handle, you don’t know what is going on inside. Another one big, important thing we need to understand - some memories when it comes up, the hurt or the pain, suffering is so much, you strongly subconsciously decide not to remember memories, not to remember the things. When you again and again subconsciously decide to forget things, forget things, forget things, you land in Alzheimer's. Please understand Alzheimer's is very closely connected - your strong subconscious decision to forget things. It's a very complicated phenomena - memory. That is why Patanjali handles this in a beautiful sutra. He goes on speaking about this memory even further, in the next few sutras. Not immediately, in different chapters, in different chapters he speaks about memory. He explains how to handle. See, the memory can be used either to liberate you from all the sufferings or to put you in all kinds of difficulties.
[00:42:30]
For one example, if you are hurt by somebody wearing white dress, in a particular place, whenever you cross that place you will have that, you will remember the same pain, even though you know that person is not there. Or whenever you see the person with the same dress, even though you know the person is not the same, the dress may be same, person is not same, you have that same pain inside you. Many time when you don’t want to remember, memories comes up. Many time when you want to remember memories do not come up.
The other day one university professor was telling Me, “Swamiji, it takes three hours for me to prepare forty-five minutes lecture and after that I am always stressed when I am presenting that lecture to my students whether I am remembering all the points or not. But how come you are so casual, free wherever you go?" He attended some of my discourses. “Wherever you go I am seeing you are just constantly expressing for hours together, how is it happening?" I told him, “Fortunately I don't remember things!!” That is the truth. Fortunately I learnt the technique of unclutching. Please understand when you learn the technique of unclutching, the quantity of memory available to you, the quality to retrieve - both are just, I can say, increased - not few percents, not in the percentage level, it just explodes maybe few hundred times. If you understand this science, you will understand much deeply what I am trying to express.
[00:44:55]
In your hardware, in your hard disc, sorry in your hard disc, in your computer, if you store high resolution pictures, you can store only few pictures and retrieving also takes too much of time; you will have to be sitting with the clock, wait. Retrieving is also too difficult; you can store only few and retrieving is also difficult, it takes time. But if everything is word document in your hard disc, you can store a lot, retrieving also will be very easy. How to make high resolution pictures which are there in your hard disc into a Word document - that is the whole technique.
See, what is high-resolution picture? Inside your hard disc, the pictures which are too much affecting you, disturbing you emotionally, which are stored inside you with lot of emotional connections - that is what is high-resolution picture. High-resolution picture means which are taking too much of your inner space. For example: your relationships - even remembrance once, remembering once, a strong emotional connection, love or hatred, so much of your inner space is occupied by that person's picture. The moment you remember the person you can see thousand thoughts about that person will come up; whether love or hatred, thousand thoughts will come up, means high-resolution picture. If you can store files without emotional attachment, the ability to store and ability to retrieve both are tremendously increased. That is what I am saying, if you can constantly unclutch from memories, everything is converted into word document. All high-res pictures are in the form of word document. If you are constantly clutched, even word documents become high-resolution pictures, even word document becomes high-resolution picture. Your hard disc is full, just with few documents. See your life. That is what is happening. If you have lot of clutched memories, even little memory is enough to bring pain, suffering, torture to your life.
[00:47:47]
A normal middle class man is tired just by handling ten-twelve relationships. If he handles just ten-twelve relationships in a day, he is tired. You can see, morning nine o'clock you go and sit in the office. By eleven if you handle ten-twelve people you have shoulder pain. You are stressed out. And another big problem, we have all these negative words inside us as a strong high-res pictures, ‘I am burnt out’, ‘too much is in my plate’, ‘I can't do further'. I am saved, I feel I am blessed I am born and brought up in Indian villages. I did not learn all these words. All these words are inside you as a high-res pictures. Once they are retrieved, once they pop up, you're gone. You are gone, the whole day is gone.
The whole secret is how to convert high-res pictures into word document. The secret is unclutch. Whenever high-res pictures are getting downloaded, whenever you are stressed, you see that wait time is what I call stressed moments, high-res pictures are getting flooded inside your system, use those moments to unclutch; again and again unclutch. Whenever the pain or pleasures related to emotions, related to memories are happening, unclutch, unclutch, unclutch. First few times you will find it little difficult, you may think, “Oh God, how can this happen? How will I be able to unclutch, it is too much.” Because first time you un- clutch, you will be lost, you will not be able to do it. First few times it really takes your effort. You say “No, no, no, it is not possible. It cannot happen.” No, relax.
[00:50:10]
The next sutra, beautifully Patanjali explains; very powerful sutra. The next sutra is about the solution: Relaxing from these thought patterns through constant and intensive practice of unclutching.
Please understand ‘constant and intensive’, that is what Patanjali gives as a solution. First I want you to understand all the problems created by memory, how remembrance creates, the memory creates good things in the outer world and how it creates bad things in the inner world. Sometime people ask Me, “If we don't remember anything in the inner world, how are we going to maintain our relationships, how are we going to maintain our life, how are we going to live our life?" Please understand if you actually un- clutch more and more from the memories inside, the essence, juice of those memories will become part of you.
[00:51:37]
People ask Me mainly, “If we don't remember our past mistakes, how are we going to develop ourself?" Please understand by constantly remembering your past mistakes you will only create guilt, you will not develop yourself. But by unclutching from your past memories, you will assimilate the essence, experience of that mistakes. Please understand, learning from the past means - assimilating. Experience does not mean the number of incidents you go through in your life. It means number of lessons you learnt from those incidents. That learning, assimilation itself, happens only when you unclutch; otherwise you yourself will suspect about you. I have seen people, they remember something, but they have not assimilated, they have not assimilated.
[00:52:52]
One guy calls the mental hospital, “Hello, is this the state mental hospital?" The other side they say, “Yes it is.” This guy asks, “Can I speak to Mister Rosel in the room 27?" The operator, “One moment, I'll connect you.” She connects, there is a pause. Then she says, “I am sorry, Mister Rosel is not answering.” This guy says, “Good, that means I must have really escaped.” Understand you may remember, may not trust, you may remember, may not trust if you are clutched with your memories.
[00:53:46]
unclutching assimilates. See, there are so many things goes on in your life, so many mistakes you do in your life; remembering those mistakes are no way going to make you rich. It's only going to create more and more guilt, more and more guilt. No, that is no way going to help you. But unclutching from those memories, suddenly you will see those… the lessons which you need to learn are assimilated inside you. You are fresh, that juice is already part of become your life. The juice which you need to learn from that incident is digested, it has become part of your life by unclutching. You don't have to remember the incident itself. Only thing need to happen is, you need to update yourself from the lessons; you need to upgrade yourself from the lessons. That happens only if you can look into the memory face to face.
[00:55:00]
Many time you don't want to look into the past incidents or mistakes face to face because it creates so much of pain. Then you try to remember that incident but unconsciously you are trying to forget the same incident. It's a struggle, it's a struggle. One part of you want to remember the incident, so that you will not do the same mistake, the other part of your mind says it doesn't want to remember the incident. So, in that struggle you are caught, that is what I call split personality. Split personality is a person who is suffering with his memory - one part of him wants to remember the memory, the other part of him does not want to remember the same memory.
Please understand when you remember the incident itself, you may not be able to update yourself; because the incident itself may have joy or memory… joy or pain associated with it. If it is joy, you will start rejoicing, you will just start mentally fantasizing. For example, the vacation which you had with your girlfriend, you may start mentally fantasizing. Sometime memories are nightmarish, the vacation which you had with your family; so you don't even want to remember, you don't even want to remember. Even if you remember with joy or remember with pain, it is not going to add to you. But unclutching, please understand unclutching from both memories is going to add juice to you, it is going to add juice to you. Each memory when you unclutch from it, when you relax from it, what needs to happen automatically happens inside you. The classification automatically happens inside you.
[00:57:22]
When I am talking about this memory and spontaneity, so many stories comes up, I can say there is a traffic jam in My throat; all the stories are saying “First let me come out, let me come out.” I'll narrate one story. Many times I told this story; but I always feel happy to repeat this story. This happened when I was young boy, in my native place. I was born and brought up in a very small but spiritual town - which is less than hundred thousand population in those days. In India hundred thousand population means it's nothing but a small village, a little bigger village; that's all. Hundred thousand population is a bigger village. Usually in India, villages or cities or towns, in the center there will be huge temple. Around the temple there will be few streets of houses, that's all. That’s a typical village or city in India; especially South India. All, almost all I can say ninety nine percent of the South Indian villages and towns are built around the temple. That was our university, that was the university of our culture and our tradition. All the knowledge, life-science, everything is protected, preserved, promoted and spread from that Universities. The Indian communities, Indian civilization, is basically temple-based community, temple- based community. That is why wherever they go, first thing they do is the temple, first thing they do is the temple.
[00:59:12]
A story inside a story, ( 59:17 abrupt cut and without this the rest won’t make sense either can keep this in brackets or delete…..start… the original transcript which is cut is - One guy was facing an accident when he was traveling in the ship, shipwreck, and staying in a small island. After five years the rescue crew came to that island, rescued that guy, that guy was an Indian. He went around and showed the rescue crew members the island and said 'This is the house I built for myself.' They were very happy, then he went around and showed 'This is the backyard barn I built for myself.' They saw, he showed 'This is the temple I built for myself.' They saw, suddenly the crew members asked 'What is ]
that, “There is one more temple?" “No, I built that two years ago, I got bored with that now I built one more. 😀 Wherever they go they may have one house but they will have two temples.
India is temple-based community. I was also born and brought up in a temple-based community and every year they will have one ceremony of repeating Mahabharata, if you know the Mahabharata story you can understand this story, otherwise you may feel little difficult to relate with the story, sorry for it. Mahabharata, they will repeat, morning they will repeat verbally, evening they will enact as a drama, small group of old people. Not professional artists, small group of old people. Some old men and one or two small tables, they will get into the stage and shout, there will be no microphone, there will not be any microphones. They will shout and sometime they will not get female artists, so male they themself will have the female dress and make-up and everything, and they will act.
[01:00:35]
That day the story was Draupadi Vastraharana, means - they pulled the cloth of Draupadi in the court to abuse her, to disrespect her; that's the story. As per the story, the man who was dressed as a Draupadi, he was wearing seven saris, very thin saris. In India you will get saris which you can fold it and keep it inside a matchbox; not American size matchbox, Indian size matchbox. You can keep it inside matchbox, that kind of sari. This guy will be wearing seven saris and the Dushasana the character, villain character, who is supposed to pull the saris, by the time he pulls the sixth sari, he should act as if he's tired. And that Draupadi, she was supposed to shout, “Krishna come”, then behind the screen, the Krishna will jump into the stage and say, “I have come, what do you want?” And the villain is supposed to fall saying that, “Oh I am too tired, too much of cloth is coming.” By the Krishna's grace; this was the whole scene supposed to be. If you know the story, you know the scene.
[01:01:57]
That day, the story started, this old man was decorated as a Draupadi. He came, the story went on. The guy, the villain was pulling the saris, suddenly he forgot the count. 😀 Suddenly he forgot the count. This guy is wearing seven saris, he is supposed to pull only sixth, six. This fellow forgot the count, and he is pulling the seventh sari also. That Draupadi, she also lost that coolness, she was supposed to shout “Krishna” and Krishna is supposed to come from behind the scene. She started shouting to that fellow, “Hey leave me, hey leave me!” And I was sitting there, I couldn't understand what is going on. Morning in the story they told something else and now something else is happening. And slowly in the backside, Krishna is slowly looking through the screen and waiting, “Why still I am not called,” smoking his beedi. Smoking his beedi, he is just looking through the screen. “Why still I am not called, what happened?” And this Draupadi also got little messed up. She is shouting, “Hey leave me, hey leave me!” And she started fighting with the villain. And in the whole mess finally, this villain fellow, that Dushasana pulled the sari. Now in the stage, Draupadi is standing above the hip all female dressed; below the hip with the trouser, male dressed. 😊 Above the hip all the female dress, below with all the male dress, that fellow is standing in the stage. The whole crowd is laughing. The whole crowd is laughing, but this guy is so spontaneous. He is not operating from memory. He's a village guy, beautifully he managed the scene, “Oh Krishna, because you are not able to come, you changed me from female to male and saved my pride!” 😊
[01:04:31]
Understand…😊 He is not operating from memory, he is operating from spontaneity. An educated man can never do this, because your university will not teach this. Our universities, colleges, the education system, everything teaches how to add memory. How to add memory. Please understand till human beings are taught how to unclutch from the memory when they don't need or when they need, the psychosomatic problems and psychiatric disorders are not going to leave the planet earth. I can say maybe, maybe it is a plan of psychiatry department and the education system. No, it's like a constantly promote food and produce medicine. That's the same thing. That is why I don't know whether it's a coincidence or not, around the country, the food and drug is always associated. First you eat this, then we'll give you that. 😀
Same thing with the education system. The Vedic Education system starts with a beautiful concept. It starts, first thing you are taught is unclutching. Please understand, Gayatri initiation, in the Vedic tradition we call - first thing you are taught how to unclutch. At the age of seven you are not taught how to acquire more and more memories. They say very clearly, you are going to enter into the danger zone of acquiring more memories. You are going to handle more memories, get ready with your boat, with your protection system; be ready. First thing they are taught is unclutching, the Gayatri initiation is the technique for unclutching. All you are taught is relax into the Consciousness which awakens your Super- Consciousness. So, now you are ready to go, now you can start acquiring more and more memories.
[01:07:07]
Please understand, unless you learn how to unclutch, if you acquire more and more memories, naturally it is going to be load on your system. When it is load, what you need may not enter your system, what you don't need may enter your system; may enter your inner space. Big problem with the truth, it hurts sometime when it is straight away told. When I am saying our universities, colleges, education system is loading our system, we feel it hurts sometime. We ask the question, “No, no Swamiji. That pays our life. We have to remember, then only it will pay for us.” I am not saying you don’t have to remember; you need to remember when you need to remember. You need to remember only when you need to remember; not all the moments, all the time. The big problem is you can't remember when you need to remember. Same way, when you don't need to remember you are flooded with those memories.
[01:08:38]
Please understand, I wanted to tell you a story: When a great king came to invade India, India was invaded thousands of times. Any fool travels that side, tries to invade India. I am surprised. I think they had a big board outside Indian border “Please come and invade us.” No, they really had a board I think. Because the way in which they lived, any fools… any fool crosses that side with four-five soldiers, he'll invade. And he will be successful, that is another one fun; because all these guys are too busy with the inner science. One nice thing, till our rulers touched our inner science, we never opposed them. Anybody can rule, nobody bothered “Eh, live, rule, who cares, come on… take this place also, this palace also. Who wants to take all the risk of administration, accounting, maintenance, soldiers and all that. You do whatever you want, just don't disturb me when I am meditating.” 😊 “Just don't create sound when I am meditating, that's all I want,” that's the psychology.
This guy was told by his teacher, “When you come back, please bring the Vedas from India.” So, he started collecting, collecting, collecting, collecting, collecting, collecting…I think Alexander, if I am not wrong, Alexander. This guy started collecting something like eh, four thousand boxes, more than two hundred ships are filled. Suddenly he came to know that only one tenth of the Vedas are this luggage. This luggage is only one tenth, one branch. Then he said, “Then it is impractical, how can I take the whole Vedas back? My teacher asked me to bring Vedas” One Brahmin priest, he laughed and said, “Fool, you could have told, you need Vedas. I would have just sent two of my disciple, he would have repeated the whole thing. You don't need to carry all these palm leaves. You don't need to carry all these collections. If you want to collect and take it, I don't know how many thousands of ships you may need. That's impossible, relax from the idea. Just I will send you two of my disciples.” That is what has actually happened, just he sent two disciples. Why two you know, one to recite and one to write; that's all. Otherwise one guy can remember the whole thing, you don't even need two persons.
[01:11:43]
Millions and millions of lines, I want you to know, still Vedas are the largest poems. Mahabarata is the longest poem in the planet earth, hundred thousand shlokas, hundred thousand couplets. Still Mahabarata is the longest poem. Nobody is able to beat Mahabarata. Still nobody is able to write longer than Mahabarata. Mahabarata is only one part of our literature, not even part of shruti, Vedas. It’s part of smriti, Puranas. In Puranas, eighteen are there. In the eighteen one is Mahabarata. Just two Brahmins, they go and recite the whole thing. This guy was shocked, he said “How come, how is it possible?” These vedic scholars, they say, first thing “Because we are taught to unclutch when we start collecting memories.” They know how to convert everything into word document and store in their hard disc. They don't carry high-resolution pictures. There is no high-resolution pictures; it's all word document.
[01:13:05]
In the other way, the memory collection education system, look at this system. People are becoming more and more specialized. Why you know? They can't handle more memories. Earlier in India and all, only one doctor for eye, ears, nose, everything, whole body. By and by I saw, the developed countries, ENT separate, eyes separate, teeths, dentist separate, the lungs separate, heart separate. Now, right eye separate, left eye separate. The dentistry also, in the dentistry also there are so many branches. Why specialization? Because you are afraid that you may not be able to handle all the information. Specialization means what? You are limiting the informations you are handling. You… you are afraid, “No if I remember constantly about teeth, I may not be able to remember about lungs. If I remember constantly about the heart I may not be able to remember about the stomach.” Means the ability to keep the files on the table is drastically reduced. The ability to retrieve the file with the quality is drastically reduced.
Please understand two different education systems - the education system based on memory, the education system based on unclutching. The Vedic education system, the moment they start, they teach you unclutching. The amount of memory available to you and ability to retrieve is unimaginable. Still, still I can say, the Brahmin priests, the Vedic scholars, the ability to repeat is unimaginable.
[01:15:13]
I Myself experimented with this teaching through un-clutching with our gurukul kids. We have a gurukul for our brahmacharis and for kids. I started sharing this technology of unclutching, the Vedic technology. You will be surprised the memory of the kids and memory of that brahmacharis. All I tell them is “unclutch after studying, unclutch after studying.” It looks paradox. People think 'If I un- clutch I will forget, what will happen?' No, you won't. It will become word document and get stored in you. When you study, when you collect memory it's a high resolution picture, because your memories, your emotions, are attached to it. When you unclutch from it, it's compressed, it becomes word document and gets into your system and you have intelligence and clarity, efficiency to retrieve when you need. Not only that; the consciousness, the mind available to you to retrieve the memory will also be very sharp. It will be very sharp. It's like a applying oil in your hand before opening the jack fruit. If you are not unclutching, if you are not applying the oil and open the jack fruit, your whole hand will be stuck with that gum. You will not be able to retrieve exactly what you want to retrieve. Your smriti, your chitta, your memory file is like that jack fruit; not only jack fruit, it's a Pandora box. When you open, you don't know what will come out. You open for some purpose and something else comes out, and you are caught with that.
[01:17:12]
So unclutching, please understand, if you want to remember something, all you need to do is just for few moments unclutch. Your whole hands, you will apply Consciousness, means oil and you will open the jackfruit. You will not be stuck, you will retrieve the right file, rightly, without getting affected by it, without getting attached to it, without bringing suffering by it. If you are not unclutched, if you are clutched, any simple memory can lead to more and more suffering, more and more and torture, more and more disturbance and distraction.
The essence I want to tell, I wanted to share with you - when it comes to external world, memory is perfectly alright. It pays your bills, it brings you paycheck, it makes you productive, it makes you part of civilization, it makes you feel comfortable with the outer world, perfectly alright. But when it comes to the inner world, constantly try to unclutch. Try to be in the zone of beyond memory. Please understand, not below memory. I am not asking you to be absent-minded. No. I am not asking you to be absent-minded. Many time, we start being in the level of absent-mindedness, and we think that is the solution. No.
[01:19:06]
One guy goes to the doctor. Doctor does all the check-up thoroughly and he says, “I think you are going to live only for one month.” This guy asked, “Is there any other solution, can you give some solution?" He says, “Go to a spa, and have a mud bath every day.” This guy asks, “That will cure me?” “No, no, you may get used to be inside graveyard 😊 or dirt.” You may get used how to be inside graveyard.
Understand many time, being absent-minded we think as unclutching, no. That is not solution, you maybe get used to be there, but that is not going to be solution. Being above mind, unclutching will put you above the mind, unclutching will put you above the mind. With unclutching two things will happen; you will remember whatever need to remember and you will be able to forget whatever need not be remembered. A big problem with our life, very big problem with our life is, whenever solution is told, one part of you feel good, “Yes, great solution,” One part of you says “No, no, no, I don't think it is going to work out for me. I don't think it is going to work out for me.” We always have this confusion. If you have the confusion, “It may-may not work out for me,” just experiment for next few days. All I am asking you is experiment with this idea next ten days. Constantly try to unclutch, try to unclutch. Surely next ten days, within ten days your life will not become a mess. Experiment.
[01:21:27]
And we have already created a big mess, we have created a big mess. Nothing more can be done in just ten days. You don’t need to bother so much. Just experiment with ten days with this simple truth, constantly trying to unclutch. Unclutch means, not connecting with your memory, not connecting with your memory. Whenever thoughts raise, remember to unclutch and relax. Remember to unclutch and relax. Then naturally your mind will say, “I am unclutching, unclutching, unclutching.” unclutch from that idea also, and relax. You may say, “Then what should I do?" Unclutch from that idea also. You may feel bored - unclutch from that idea. Again and again, come back to the silence which is inside you. First time when you unclutch, two second you may be silent. Then again a thought will raise, again unclutch. Then three-four second you may be silent. Again a thought will raise, again unclutch. Then few more seconds you may be silent, again unclutch.
Can you be seated, please can you… [Swamiji requests a participant]
[01:22:52]
Again unclutch, again there will be few more seconds of gap. Understand, by more and more time you unclutch, the number of times your unclutching is increased, the gap between the thoughts will increase. After twenty-five, thirty times of unclutching, suddenly you will see the gap between one thought and the other thought will become ten-twenty seconds. Relax into that gaps is what I call Living Enlightenment. Living Enlightenment. Relaxing into that gap, resting into that gap, living inside that gap, not being affected by the memory, not being disturbed by the memory, not being disturbed by the good news and the bad news which is brought to your inner space. See, your inner space is such, constantly your memory tells some good news and bad news. That's your life, your life is nothing but a chain of good news and bad news you receive from your memory, nothing else. So unclutch from your good news and bad news. The good news and bad news which constantly comes up, unclutch from it.
[01:24:21]
I have a story about this good news and bad news. A painter got a call from the gallery that was showing his work. The gallery owner said, “I have a good news and bad news.” The painter says, “First tell me the good news.” The gallery owner says, “A fellow came in this morning and asked if your work is the kind of that would increase in value after the artist's death.” There are some paintings, after artists die, the value will increase. The gallery owner said, “Yes,” and that guy bought all fifteen paintings. Painter asked, “Then what else can be the bad news, this is such a good news.” The gallery owner says, “He is your doctor.” 😊
Constantly good news and bad news is told to you by your memory. Unclutch. Next eleven days try. Try to unclutch from this good news and bad news. See what happens to your system, see the intelligence awakening in your system. You will see the ultimate intelligence gets awakened in your system. The ultimate pure energy starts flowing inside your inner Consciousness. Understand, the sutra, the essence of Patanjali, I am giving you the essence of whatever I expressed.
[01:26:21]
Anubhuta vishayaa asampramosha smrutihi
Anubhuta vishayaa asampramosha smrutihi
Please understand the recall of mental impressions of past events from the subconscious mind is memory. He already explained in the previous sutras - this can lead to pain or joy. So, memory when it is used in the outer world, can bring more and more joy and comforts. If you unclutch from the inner world, it can bring more and more peace and bliss in the inner world. So, learn more and more unclutching, you will be able to remember better and better way and in a right way. That is what Buddha calls Right Remembrance, Right Remembrance.
Let you all have Right Remembrance and live, radiate, Living Enlightenment. Let you all be jeevan muktas. Let you all have Right Remembrance and live jeevan mukti. Let you all achieve and radiate eternal bliss, Nithyananda. Thank you.
[01:28:15]