Patanjali Yoga Sutras: Message to Former Devotees

Title

Message to Former Devotees

Description:

In this discourse on Patanjali Yoga Sutras, Paramahamsa Nithyananda describes the third sutra from Sadhana pada. He elaborates the meaning of avidya (ignorance), asmita (false identification of egoism), raga (attachment), dvesha (repulsion). Describing these words, Paramahamsa Nithyananda gives a strong but compassionate message to the former devotees.

Link to Audio

Message To Former Devotees- Nithyananda On Patanjali Yoga Sutras

Transcript

In today’s sutra, patanjali describes diff obstacles. You may think why such an elaborate description about obstacles is reqd. I tell you, many times, just knowing about the obstacles will do the job becos having awareness of the obstacle itself will be great and you will benefit. Patanjali describes all possible obstacles – what all we may have to go thru, we may have to live, we may have to re-live. It is almost like giving u the clear cut guidance – GPS. He is the GPS for the inner world. Avidya, asmitha, raga, dwesha, abhiniveshaha, kleshaha. Diff translations are: Vivekananda: the pain bearing obstructions are ignorance, egoity, and clinging to life Ignorance, egoism, attachment, aversion and desire to cling to life. Ignorance, egoism, attachment, hatred and clinging to life are the five obstacles. Many time ppl tell me why tell abt obstacles, give solution directly. I say knowing about the obstacles is itself the solution. The intelligence about the obstacle includes the way in which you need to go the obstacle – it is not just info. Here when patanj describes about obstacles, the very description, understanding and clarity equips you with the tools and weapons – shastra shastras to handle them. First the word avidya – ignorance. The word ingnorance is too small for avidya. Avidya means trusting things which are not permanent in ur life as permanent solid support to divert urself from the constant insecurity that happens in ur system. All of us by nature are built with the constant insecurity system. U r inbuilt with this insecurity till u r enlightened. When you try to divert yourself from that constant reminder using something which is very impermanent – sometime ppl are so foolish, knowing it is impermanent, they use diversion like alcohol. They know in 2-3 hrs they will be out of the mood which helps them forget this insecurity. But they still do it, just to forget about the problems. Many time ppl come and tell me – oh sitting in meditiation is it not like escaping from problems – NO. not sitting in meditation is escapism. Any other method except you facing yourself is escapism. Avidya means trying to divert urself from the constant insecurity using diff methods. Everydyay whatever may be your mood swing or outer world situation, if you are able to sit with closed eyes for just 40 minutes – I tell you – u will not have any problem, u need not escape. Becos all ur problems will surface then – and when u sit with it, it will just give u solution. Either u will get a strategy to solve it or come to terms with it. I tell you – just sitting with urself – nothing else – 40 minutes with closed eyes – whatever comes, comes, comes – all the things u need to face will have been faced by u. The biggest asset of human beings is ability to sit with yourself. One of my devotee asked me bless me to be centred in myself – the secret for this is – u don’t even need enlightened. The sthithapragna – the unshakeable, immovable joy – is just develop the capacity everyday to sit with yourself with closed eyes for 40 minutes. Constantly when you are trying to engage yourself with diff things, insecurity is pushed aside. Sitting 40 minutes with urself, you cannot suppress ur insecurity for so long. Then, it will slowly go away. Becos u r constantly churning ur inner space with somethings, all ur insecurity has been embedded deeply in u. Trying to hold on to things which are not permanent and avoiding the in built insecurity is Avidya. Ramakrishna describes it as – Kaamini Kanchana – means lust and wealth. I tell u an imp avidya is personality built on name and fame. This is also an imp avidya. If you try to build ur personality on name and fame, especially in the age of communication, you will create the possibility for the greatest suffering. Unable to face the reality as it is Avidya. Building the personality on false things is avidya. The master’s presence removes all the entertainments from u and suddenly puts u into the higher reality and reminds u of the possibility of existing in higher reality. Teaches u extraordinary way to exist. Just remembering clearly the word avidya is enuf - when it comes, you can face it. Becos most of u are mind based. U don’t have any physically physical physical problem u have – it is more or less fighting with U – avidya. Understanding about ignorance ismore than enfu to experience Samadhi. Next word – Asmitha – Vivekananda translates as egoity, sachitananda –egoism, prabhavananda – egoism. I will translate as ‘sense of I ness, mixed with the things which are not really I’ again same avidya is expanded and explained in the next word also. Patnaj is trying to explain diff components of avidya, taking us to deeper levels thru this sutra. The feeling of “I” ness with things which are not really the I or part of the I. How to seggregare the I ness from the things which are not really I. The vitarka, the trust with some higher energy, or the trust on something which is not you. Just deep trust on a stone, or a deity, or on a concept, or on a God or on a guru will completely liberate and purify you from the I ness from the things which are not I. An ashramite asked – why do u go to temple everyday. I told him just to set the precedence. Start your life by remembering something which is not u. Surrender in front of anything have vitarka with anything other than what you think as U. this ego is identifying with something which is not U. the antidote for ego is to consciously surrender to somethings which is not U. Vitarka and ego are opp. To each other. When you consciously identity, all the unconsc. Starts slowly moving away from u and u will simply surrender and relax into it. The ability to feel connected with a stone or god or guru or anything is ability to make things sacred. If you have learnt to make a stone sacred, you have simply made urself sacred. Thatis the ability to do praanapratishta. If you can do praana pratishta on stone, you can do it on u. I tell all ppl, do not lose ability to establish sacredness on something, ability to surrender to something. Other day ashramite asked do you have anything to ppl who had connection and lost it with u now. I tell them, its ok if you have lost it with me but do not miss the ability to surrender to something else. The feeling connection is greatest gift to human being – it elevates u. it is just a rope bridge between you and shambala – the plane of enlightened beings. It is a thin rope. If you are not having with me- ok, nothing is lost. But don’t stop having that connection. Catch someother guru, god or atleast a stone. Build that ability and deep trust. In this whole drama, the feeling connection is most imp – nothing else. So build the feeling connection with somebody, some master, some deity. U wil then have the ultimate in ur life. And the the possibility of the ultimate is open for u. I want to share an incident during my parivrajaka – stone pillow – shiva incident. I stayed in that village for few days. Something else happened – after few days one westerner and his Indian friend came to that village. They came to know that this guy worships this stone as a deity. They saw he did pooja very sincerely. That Indian guy brought that westerner to me. He introduced. I told this incident just to tell that westerner about Indian culture. I narrated that incident to him. He was shocked and he wanted to meet that guy again. We went. When he met that farmer about that incident, the farmer described it the same way as I had narrated. One funny thing happened then. This westerner just wanted to check the strength of that farmer. He asked the farmer if I give u money, 5000$ will you give that stone to me. I was very sure that the farmer will get very angry. But that farmer gave it and asked for the money. But one thing, I was able to see that the farmer has vitarka – it is not a lie. But he just said give money and gave it to the westerner. The westerner took it as a soveigner in india becos I explained how telepathy system works and any stone can work if you have feeling connection. I was really shocked – how this guy sold the deity with which he was living. Afterwards I asked him why did you sell your god, you sold shiva, understand. He laughed and said I did not sell shiva, I sold the stone which I consider as shiva. He said I did the praana pratishta to that stone. I can do it to another stone – that’s all. Just becos he had connection, he did not forget that it was HIM who did the praana pratishta, the stone itself did not carry it on its own. I was shocked – a villager, what a clarity. I tell you not being caught by siddhis and forgetting the ultimate is this. I was shocked – first of all, it is very tough to have connection at a level where it leads u to telepathy, then having the clarity that it was he who did the praana pratishta is great. And he said now I will build a temple with this money and he did actually. He built a small temple with a new deity and did praana pratishta and started living with it. Understand the ability to do praana pratishta should not be lost – this the antidote to egoism. Egoism means feeling connected with things which is not u unconsc. Vitarka is feeling connected with anything which not you consc. Feeling connection is direct antidote to egois. U can learn a nice lesson from this farmer, he did praana pratishta, he had telepath exp. With the deity and he is not caught with the deity. He believes he can do it with another stone. That is whay I say as going beyond the form. If you have ability to create the same connection with another form or formlessness even by dumping my form is okay. But if ur ability to connect is lost along with my form, one great possibility is lost. For all my former disciples – I tell u – if you have lost the connection with this form or me – ok. Don’t lose ability to connect with another master. U will then really see the ultimate poss happening in u. antidote for egoism is vitarka – feeling connection. So when u start ur life remembering anything other than u it is sacred. If you are living anything by remembering abything other than u - u r leading a sacred life. Next obstacle – Raga – vivek – attachment; prabhava – attachment, sachit – attachment. I will nto translate but tell u the concept of the word Raga. Raga is not just attachment but the reaction of attachment. Reaction of attachment is feeling bound. Pure attachment does not bring any suffering to u. But the reaction to this feeling bound or reaction to theattachment brings the problem. This is raga. Reaction to attachment is raga. Ur inner space is so profound. The moment you have reaction to attachment That is why the moment you have attachment, there is another side of you immd feels how will I handle the other person, alrdy calculation has started. Story – one man is in death bed. Asked his wife that she shud b e truthful to him and marry his friend after his death. She said ok I will marry him you always said u hate him then why do want me to marry him. He said becos I hate him I want him to marry him. All our relationships are intimate enemies til you have pure raga. Pure raga is like a river. It only flows it never comes back. But the word attachment is like a river with a dam. It comes back becos it is stopped by the dam. Raga is not just attachment but the reaction to the attachment is raga. When pure attachment flows and logic dam is built. Man 3rd flow – falling hurt u – no stopping did! Understand, pure raga – pure flow of desired does not disturb u, does not bring suffering. But ur logical calculation about that flow does affect u. The day u put the logical dam for the pure flow ur honeymoon ends. The pure flow of ur being with anything does not bind u, bring suffering , u can suffer from it. – living like this is living enlightenment. That is why ppl who go on calculating are almost always a big failure in relationship. Lady goes to doctor and he says u have only 6 months to live. She says give solution. Doctor says marry an accountant… Constantly if you build a dam of logic for the flow of love – pl understand by nature by the very quality of your bio memory u r built for love for flowing of life. Flowing is life. Even on the chair u r sitting, few seconds flow with the chair, express gratitude, the chair responds to u. it really shows miracles in ur life. In my own life, my car which I called nandi, it ran without a drop of petrol it ran for 30 km. I always treat that car with lot of love. I feel I am sitting on living energy. U can flow with anything with love. Yogananda’s life – rose incident – in 3 weeks the plant dropped all thorns and gave only flowers. His disciple writes – I know the secured feeling becos I lived around him. But a plant dropping its thorns and feeling the same way is amazing. Raga is not exactly attachment. Becos pure raga does not bind u – it is not an obstacle to enlightenment. I had pure raga to some ppl, but even after all this, my raga is still there. Becos I do not have any calculation of how they shud behave. The raga itself, the pure attachment or desire itself is not a problem. Ur calculation, ur profit loss statement about that raga is the problem. This calculation is what I call dam. Then this river goes and hits the dam and comes back. What happens in that dam is suffering. The reaction to pure flow is obstacle to enlightenment not pure flow itself. In the country law if a wrong interpretation is given to a word, can make u suffer – put u in outer world prison, same way in cosmic law, wrong understanding can put u in internal prison. So have right understanding. Raaga means when your pure energy flows and your calculation starts. One of the worst thing happened in the modern world is ppl have lost the ability to flow without making logical calculation becos everybody’s life is loaded with so many unwanted ideas, goals, pressure. Why celebrities life is such hell becos for everything in life they have to calculate. The flow is stopped with logic. When u bring some utility value to the flow it ends. In any field, the moment u start the calculation, the utility value of this flow is gone – its over. Raaga – the pure raga leads u to enlightenment. But the reaction, calculations about the raga is the real obstacle. Next word – dwesha – translation - vivek – aversion, prabhava – aversion, satchit – hatred. I will translate this as ‘repulsion’ or all these words put together – aversion, hatred, repulsion – this concept is dwesha. The moment you remember something you feel unpleasant – it is dwesha. It may be a person, or situation. Only remedy is meditate on it. Whatevery object, person, space, place meditate on it. Sit with it. Conduct your own trial. Aquit that guy with honour. See that your dwesha is nullified. Pl understand, cherishing dwesha in the inner space is such big bondage for you – not for anybody else. It is for you. My brahmacharis are telling me by constantly teaching compassion, you made us all powerless. I said no. by teaching it I made u strong. The real strength is the internal stability. Not being shaken by anything internally. Not being moved by anything internally. The dwesha, may bring outer world success. But will never let you live in a relaxed way. My description of life is diff from what you learnt from college, friends, society. I tell you society is nothing but a thick layer of hypocysy. It is just hypocrisy constantly justified as morality. That is a funny thing. I was really surprised who all are teaching morality to me in my life with this incident. Beautiful proverb – cat things If it closes its eyes, whole world will become dark – hypocrisy – social hypocrisy. When you have no reason but leading your energy towards other person just based on your plus minus is dwesha. When your energy is freely flowing, if put logical calculation to it – it is attachment – raga. But when your energy is not flowing on its own but u r pushing it is dwesha. River flowing naturally stopped by dam of logic – is raga – attachment Pumping water again uphill for some of your own reason or calculation is dwesha – means forcing yourself and pushing your energy in that direction just becos u want something out of it is dwesha. Dwesha is not built in ur system. Ur brain is hardwired for God, but soft wired for Dog experience. Whenever you go thru dwesha, you will not feel pleasant. But u will have a uitility. For sake of utility forcing energy towards something is dwesha. Next two words - abhiniveshaha, kleshaha very important. Let us understand them in the next session. Clinging to life. A very deep truth u need to understand which need to explain in an elaborate way. Not even a moment I suffered in prison becos there is no clinging to life for me. I did not miss my night classes, or this so called throne, or nothing. I was looking so deeply into this whole thing and reminding myself that I am prison and need to suffer. I only had gratitude for my own body and mind. For 8 yrs I was pampered with so much of care. Within a day I had to lie down on ground without a pillar. But not once my body or mind complained. Being in Samadhi, you feel you are in a big balloon. Even when you uncluth continuously for few days and fall into ananda gandha, you will feel you have expanded. Usually normal man can smell 4-5 feet. U will feel even breathing distance is u. For me the clinging to life was not there. Clinging to life happens if you don’t live deeply in the NOW. I tel l you I lived with this body and mind in the best way I can exist! So there is no repentance about life. Becos there is no repentance about life, there is no clinging to life. Becos there is no clinging, no need to take revenge on anyone. So, not clinging to life, is one of the most sacred qualities to enjoy life. Not having the external furnitures in your inner space is what I descript as clinging to life. With whatever you live externally, let that not live inside u. When you close your eyes, u need to be free of the drawing room, bed room or ppl around u. Lets look at these 2 words in the next session.