WHO AM I?
(Yoga Vasistha)
By Sri Swami Shyamendra
Paramahansa Maharaj
SECTION 4
THE WONDERS OF NIRVANA
That which is the ISNESS
of all you cannot see it, cannot hear, smell, taste
nor touch. You can only
experience it. That which has no existence alone can be
seen, heard, smelt, tasted
and touched. Bramha is only to be experienced, and,
you can experience it only
by being it. If you become it you are totally another
man. Long before you
develop and gather up the qualifications to become it your
addictions, way of
thinking, living, gestures, postures and perspectives are
different than mediocracy.
It is a journey, a long sojourn, migration from
beginningless to infinity.
But my blessing this, Vipaschit's hurdles will be warded
off. Now he is liberated
and can wander on the globe as an enlightened being.
The river of ignorance is
flowing in a fierceful current, passionate clinging
is water, urges of senses
are whirlpools, attachment and aversion are huge
alligators. Those who fall
in the swift current of hankering never find the end of
this river of ignorance.
Those who ride on the boat of detachment and practice
only they are those who do
not suffer. Not knowing the Self is ignorance. It is
wiped out through
knowledge of the Self as darkness is gone with the rise of the
sun. Ignorance is
nonexistent, but to the blind, to the unrealized, it is the only
reality. Just as a mirage,
rainbow, ghost of shadow are nonexistent, but due to
unclear eyes they appear
real. As rainbow is based on water or cloud the
ignorance is based on
body-identification. Whomsoever the dust of bodyidentification
touches it just covers him
up from tip to toe.
Music, delicious items,
perfume, comfortable touchings, beautiful sights and
persons are deceptive
visibilities. These are flowers and fruits of the poison tree
of ignorance. As soon as
you touch thornes of hankering pierces your palm and
limbs, and you bleed with
love and hatred, likes and dislikes. Body identification
appears rational,
ecological, logical and scientific, but is hollow from inside -- like
a rainbow, like a mirage,
like a city in the sky.
Wonderful places of the
world are created by ignorance. Those who hanker
for seeing them are
pitiable. By contemplation on the Bramhajnana the luxuries of
ignorance are evaporated.
Fast and hard and strongest will in the form of emotion
and passion creates and
dissolves the desired and unwanted person, place, things
as well as situations and
creations. Whatever you decide will come to pass. If you
decide to be enlightened
you will be -- enlightened. As is your feeling world
appears to you likewise.
Those who are righteous they see heaven as reality.
When one identifies in
nonself as self and projects doership upon the doings of
nonself then such terrible
miseries come which are indescribable. As if crushed
under the weight of the
mountain or being under a shower of embers or falling in a
dry dark well full of
scorpions and cobras. They go from one trouble to another.
According to the quality
of your action you perform you see the world
around likewise. And
whatever kind of thought you think while dying that kind of
body you get to identify
with in next life.
"Holy Sire, the story
of sage and the hunter is so fascinating. Did it happen
through cause and effect
or naturally?" Sri Rama asked.
"Dear Prince,"
As waves arise in the
ocean, vibrations happen in air, same way world as the
miracle of the Self is
natural, spontaneous and constant.
In pure chidakas dream
appears by the miracle of mind upon the ocean of
Self this world arises.
As dust is impossible in
the ocean ignorance is impossible in the Self.
If you sit with a will of
being Indra or President of USA then movements
and gestures as president
follow. As long as that will will last so long your notion
to be President will last.
Indra too is like that. When his will will diminish he will
turn into an ordinary man
of the street.
By the will the Self
consciousness appears as Indra, same way this world
too as looking like world
is but pure consciousness, the Bramha. Only sensation has
held it in the present
form of the world. But it needs sharp intelligence specially
designed by scriptures and
special instrument equipped by detachment he alone
can transcend the
sensational piles which have become like shields of steel. When
you dream, dreaming is a
reality as waking. When you wake up waking is a reality.
But in the Self both are
similar and the same.
Short term life is dream,
long term dream is life.
They are like twin
brothers. When a person dies then this world becomes a dream
and another world becomes
a reality. He lives there as long as his karma allows,
when he falls back this
world becomes a reality again and that world becomes a
dream.
"Dear Rama,"
As long as
body-identification lasts he dreams innumerable dreams. Until he
becomes enlightened
numerable worlds of waking reality occur.
Even on deathbed one keeps
dreaming various kinds of innumerable dreams,
same way until the moment
of liberation innumerable waking worlds reflect and
one sees them and keeps
getting horrified and terrified and giglified and egofied.
But when one nears the
state of enlightenment he remembers them all -- like
series of horrifying
illusion.
Neither anyone is bound
nor free. When modifications of mind are
suspended then liberation
flashes up. As long as option of passion feels true so
long bondage is
experienced. In atma there is no bondage, no freedom. Because
when there is bondage
there will be freedom. When there is no bondage from
where will come the
freedom. Freedom is irrelevant. Freedom and bondage both
appear in vibrant
sensation. Therefore extinguish the flame of vibration of
sensation. This is
Nirvana. All the words that define objects of the world
abandon them and abide in
pure atma. Perform all actions of your venerated duty
and responsibility along
with it work hard to attain atma. First dismiss all words
by art of negation -- neti
neti. Then dismiss the negation of all negations. Then
whatever is left beyond
that is Nirvana. Stay in this. Now and here.
YAJNA OF SENSES
Vibrations of form, sight,
seeing, senses and mind are called world. In the
form of all these atma
alone is shining. Atma alone in dream appears as world.
Whenever you awake all
world seems to be your own form. Your own mind appears
to you as your town in
dream. Same way the cosmic mind which existed before
creation appears as world.
Whatever you wish to attain
is like flash of lightening. They appear and
soon disappear leaving
behind fire of anguish of memory for you to burn in alive.
That is why wise do not
feel attracted to anything. But ignorant cannot
understand the decision of
the wise, but wise know decision of the ignorants. By
lethargy one sleeps, and
then dream comes, then sees world in dream. But the one
who is sitting beside him
awake, alive and fresh, he does not see the world of his
dream. What he thinks, how
can that man who is dreaming be able to know.
A child knows the soldiers
of clay dolls as real, but those who are grown up
they see clay dolls not
soldiers. The child too will know but only when he will grow
up. Same way when you will
become enlightened only then world will appear as
illusion composed of
desire fabrication, will woven and never really happened. All
along Self has been
established in the Self.
When you experience the
atma, you never desire for objects of the world.
Just like during dream if
you gain a diamond, gold, sapphire and emerald box you
will keep it but when you
awake you know it belongs to the world of illusion and you
never wish for it. They
have no value at all in here. Same way when you awake in
enlightenment even the
emperorhood of the world is as garbage as any garbage
hill of Los Angeles.
You do not rush to drink
water no matter how thirsty you are once you know
that river is not a river
but a mirage. Same way when you know your Self you
never pay attention to the
things of the world.
Even the body for which
each one spends hours and hours for a hundred
years to feed, to
decorate, to meet its natural calls and to take care of, which he
avoids and does not find
time to work on Self realization that body too is
momentary. It is as
momentary as a drop of water at the tip of a leaf.
Deer burning in the hot
sun, running, tired and thirsty running to the mirage
to drink water. He never
satisfies only suffers. Same way body-identified person
considering the objects of
senses as true and works hard only to suffer and dies
in anguish. He never gets
satisfaction.
A person is friend of
himself if he tries hard for Realization. If he does
not he is enemy of himself
until and unless he tries hard to deliver and liberate
himself from the dungeon
of worldly involvement.
One who does not show
mercy upon himself even while being fallen in the
mire of sensory urges and
anguish he is cruel and heartless than anyone ever.
One who does not conquer
the senses and stand absorbed alive and arisen in
the Self he never finds
peace. In childhood one is devoid of intelligence, in young
age extreme restlessness,
in old age body is sick, weak and burdensome. When is
the opportunity to
accomplish something of true worth. Animal and insect species
are like lifeless and
useless for growth of consciousness. It is only young age
something can be
accomplished. But considering the body true and valid, who
spends all life to enjoy
the objects of senses, he is a hammerhead.
"Holy Sire, please
tell me the process to conquer the senses?"
"Dear one,"
Those who accomplished
greatest wealth of the world, who conquered all countries
of the world, who have
long life but has not conquered his senses he does not look
beautiful and
aristocratic.
Your nature is chit, pure
consciousness, when it is united with outer sight it
becomes soul. Where from
heart wakes up in soul stand up upright there, stay
firm, unmoved. Then senses
will be obviously controlled. Mind is the king of the
army. Conquering the king
whole army is conquered. When mist and cloud
disperse, mind (rainy
season), passion (mist) also become extinct. Then clear
autumn sky of Bramha
experience expands far and wide to infinity.
To be involved in
sensational joys is miserliness. To become indifferent is
the generosity. Evolve and
be glorious.
In scorching heat of
summer when earth burns like an oven then if you have
shoes on heat does not
bother you, just like that, by conquering the mind world's
miseries do not bother
you.
Wherever mind goes stop it
down. Wherever it goes withdraw and focus
into atma.
Be in holy association.
Study scriptures all day, all night. Mind will be still
and silent.
In the ocean of mind
hankering water is swelling, desire waves are rising in
ebbs and tides. If you
fail to master the art of swimming by control of senses
through suspension and
contentment you have every possibility to sink. One who
conquered senses and found
the Self, diversity of the world does not bother him
nor confuse him.
When your distance is so
great from atma the blue water filled river of
mirage flows fascinatingly,
but when you come close to atma just like you come
close to mirage it
disappears and the reality appears.
Waking and dreaming both
are twin dream brothers, sleep is ignorance.
Tuyriy is wakefulness.
Waking is that-being where no illusion, no confusion
remains and they cannot
intrude.
"Rama,"
You got to practice it.
Even to disappear one single blade of grass you have to do
something. Here you have
to disappear the entire universe out of existence. You
need power. Your mind is
crushed under the rock weight of visible sight. You have
to develop power of your
atma far greater than your burden of sight. Practice
Self-realization. With
this as the basis all scriptures will become easy and
comprehensible and you can
discover better and charming meanings. (That is why
the explanations and
commentaries of "Sermon on the Mount" and "Ten
Commandments" by holy
men of India are far more interesting than Christian
evangelists of all times.)
"Dear Prince,"
Only for following certain
tradition one must not be prejudiced against this
wisdom of mine. Those who
will condemn or envy or blaspheme this message will
never attain true wisdom
which gives peace and inner joy. He is a suicider. With
love and honor and homage
one should learn it. Listening, reading, contemplating
will verily enliven one's
heart. It is only an overflow of my compassion for mankind
and nothing else.
"Rama,"
Listen again for the last
time. Revive -- when you sleep and see dream you become
awakened in dream and
slept in waking. When you wake up in the world you slept in
dream and woke up here.
This is only a case svapna-jagrat. To both, each other is
a myth, false and
unbelievable. There is no dream then. Both are waking. Just in
different spheres.
When one dies, this life,
this world of ours becomes dream-like to him. And
that which as
unpredictable as dream that heaven or hell becomes waking reality
to him.
Same way there are subtler
and subtler, far subtler planes of existence
where immensely populated,
very busy life is going on. All hundreds of them are
dream-like when one is
identified with any object of particular plane of existence.
The origin of this
identity crisis is the first dream-identificationenvelopment.
Strong practice of
identity in that first vibration of ego is
responsible for all the havoc
which has been choking, suffocating and breaking
heads for billions of
years to each and every individual. All their formations are
illusion woven -- spacious
-- sky like. When you will awake in Bramha you will
realize this fact. World
is a serious mythology. What is there to involve in or
renounce out. Drop both of
these illusions. Be established in atma.
STORY OF AKHYAT & THE
COSMIC ROCK
"Dear Rama,"
To know, to become aware
and alert that "I do not know myself". This recognition
is akhyat. There are four
kinds of akhyat:
(1) Akhyat -- Notion, I do
not know myself.
(2) Viparyayakhyat -- I
know myself as senses, body and mind.
(3) Asatyakhyat -- I know
the world is illusion.
(4) Atmakhyat -- I know
the atma alone I am and that is the truth and truth
alone exists and nothing
else. That is like solid mass of inconceivable rock of
consciousness. It is
billions and trillions of miles large. It is as beautiful and
luminous as salagram sila.
All these formations which you see are the symptom
markings of conch, discus,
club and lotus. Earth, water, fire, air, sky, planets,
universes, mind, heart,
ego, all are markings of that atmic salagram. We both and
all these gentlemen are
also marks on it. I saw it by being it. I became it by being
myself. I became my Self
by entering into deeper states of my own consciousness.
Making a lot of activity,
speaking a lot of words, thinking a whole world-full of
thoughts, still you be in
silence as one with atmic cosmic rock silence. Being one
with cosmic rock and in
its cosmic silence you will see, eat, drink and smell; you will
be immovable and
undisturbed and nondoer. Everything of the world is shimmer of
this atmic Rock.
No memory, no cause, no
effect, but all the happenings of the world are
going on in
kakatatiy-nyaya. World is only expression of "I do not know myself"
notion.
As in the body nails and
hair grow and when cut off body still remains in
good condition, same way
in atma, world is born, exists and dissolves down and
atma is in not only good
condition but like body it also appears clean and healthy.
Awaken and see all these
are your own form. Out of illusion you see
differently and
conflictingly.
"Holy Sire, aren't
the memory impressions the cause of creation?"
In order to kill the child
of an elephant a lion makes no effort. Its so easy
for him, likewise to
finish your doubts I advance so effortlessly. Memory can be
the cause of the world
only if the world would have existed before. But that has
never been the case.
Memory is a trace over illusion, experience too, vibrations
too. Bramha alone is.
Abide in it with your only friend. And peace will shower
upon you.
THE COSMIC FRIEND
"Holy Sire, who is
the only friend of the wise? Is that action or resting in
the Self?"
Selfless action is the
only friend of the wise. As water does not touch the
lotus, misery does not
come to the wise. It is the unwise who are attacked from
physical, mental and
spiritual sufferings repeatedly. The former ancient practice
protects him from indecent
advancements. That friend helps him from hankering,
attachment and aversion
and making him cool and calm takes him accross the swift
current of terrible
worldly mire.
As fire burns the dirt of
gold and makes it clean, same way fire of
contemplation burns the
dirt of attachment and aversion. Like oil in sesame seeds,
perfume in flowers, heat
in fire, live righteous conduct in contemplation.
Contemplation is the
bravest hero. He fights and destroys the main enemy first
as sun destroys darkness.
Then he remains together with you as light lives with
flame. He does not let you
fall headlong in the a dry well of sensual urges. As
chaste lady keeps her
husband pleasant contemplation also keeps his friend
cheerful. His voice is
soft, sweet and smooth. In the heart when discretion
minister comes then he too
brings his whole family.
"Holy Sire, who is
his family?" Prince asked.
"Dear Rama,"
Daily morning shower,
chasity, tapas and meditation, these are his four sons.
Shower means stay clean
and pure always. Unconditional sharing attitude is
chasity. Making extroverted
senses and mind introvert is tapas. Staying in the
atma and expanding into
Bramha is meditation. These are four sons of your friend
-- selfless action,
unconditional, causeless cheerfulness are his wife. Compassion
and mercy are two
girlfriends of his wife. Equilibrium is the doorkeeper.
When king discretion
arrives she guides and shows all places to him with
honor. Wherever discretion
looks he finds equanimity and enjoys.
Dhairya (patience) and
dharma (righteousness) are her two sons with whom
she travels in the city
and wherever king discretion sends her she goes there with
both of these two sons.
When king discretion
battles with five enemies of five senses of perception,
then patience and
contentment, these two generals help him with best advice.
Contemplation friend is
always with him all along. They shoot bullets of best,
sharp contemplated ideas
and destroy the gang of enemies. As the painted
picture on paper remains
egoless he remains devoid of ego and never utters words
that are bereft of
spiritual weight. As stone does not talk nor hear he too does
not respond or hear or
talk to malicious persons. The work which is prohibited by
scriptures and health
books he does not perform. As corpse has no movement he
too has no rise of
doership. When wise and seekers of Truth assemble he runs
down and leaps on the
stage, grabs the microphone and delivers extemporaneous
discourses like Brihaspati
and Shesha. Light is always with sun, moon and fire,
same way alertness and
carefulness always abide with him along with other pious
actions.
HOW ALL BECOME ONE?
"Holy Sire, you said
as water shimmers in the sunrays, mind eludes in the
Self. And through mind
comes the earth, water, fire, air, sky, the whole world,
then tell me how come the
all inclusive and cosmic becomes individual ego? And
tell me how the perception
of rock mountains, woods and things happen?" Sri
Rama asked.
"Dear Prince,"
All the limbs of your body
are yours. Your I-ness or My-ness are spread in and
through all of them. But
if anyone comes and holds one of your limbs and asks
what is it? Then you have
to tell the name of that particular limb. That became
individual identification.
But in this way all permeating atma or Self is not
annihilated in any way.
Same way atma is self perceptible, self experiencable, still
being identified with one
name, form and place its universality is not annihilated.
Among all leaves, flowers,
fruits, twigs, branches and trunk, one alone tree
is permeated. If anyone
comes and holds one twig and says this is a tree then the
wholeness of tree is not
annihilated. The same way by identifying with one name,
form and nationality the
cosmicness of atma is not annihilated.
This is how the all
permeation of atmic unity has assumed the form of an
ego bound entity and yet
it is unbounded, unlimited and full. But those who will not
understand and not
practice to make the understanding imbibed in life to them it
will remain complex and
chaotic.
To the man of
understanding this atma alone has assumed the form of
animate and inanimate
existence.
Just like, look at your
body--your hands, feet. stomach, spine are inert and
eyes are alert. Eyes can
see well. Ears can hear, nose can smell, tongue can taste.
They can be said to be
alive and the rest can be said to be unalive and inert. But
both are your body. Both
are you. Same way atma has assumed the form of both
humans and rocks, hills
and rivers.
A tree keeps up with its
all branches and leaves which have separate names
but holds on to its nature
of treeness. It is like this that all permeating one
upholds all -- no matter
how different and diverse but manifests his own true
nature.
It is pure experience
again which upholds the entire world seen in the
dream state and also to
each action performed and their consequences. Same way
atma upholds the entire
world and at the same time to each individual, their
actions and their each
fruit with fullness of justice and mercy and equality and
yet something more to it.
Innumerable waves rise in
one vast ocean. All of them depend on the ocean
and are same as ocean.
Same way all individuals too are waves in the sea of atma.
As, whenever wave knows 'I
am water' then instantaneously its name 'wave' is
gone and it becomes water
whether merged in ocean or not. Same way when soul
knows himself as non-different
from atma his soulhood vanishes and becomes
pure, vast, unlimited
atma.
World has never been made,
never created. It is only reflection, illusion
projected upon atma. Atma
itself is appearing as the world, as in the sky solid
emptiness due to being
mass intensity appears blue. Blueness has never been
made. There is no creator
of it. Same are the beings of the world.
"Dear Rama,"
Know this, understand
this, digest this, do not waste a single breath. Those who
do they are the animals in
human form.
STORY OF THE UNIVERSE
In the vast sky of Bramha
in subtlest atom of a dust particle a vibration
bubble arose as 'I am'.
And that atomic particle felt 'I am a soul.' Adopting the
idea of ego he moved
further and next vibration arose that was intellect. Then
desire pro and con arose
and name became mind. Then chidanu fascinated itself
and became enveloped by
body. Three mountains of bodies encaged him. Then
time and space was
imagined. And innumerable inert and alive species began to
appear like dream. But the
truth remains as truth, air whether still or moving,
both are same air. Atma is
the same in both cases.
As in dream you are
engaged in a battle and suddenly you remembered your
identity of wakefulness.
Then knowing dream as dream even if you fight still you
do not suffer. Same way
one who is awakened in his bramhic reality knows he is
just actor without
doership.
These worlds and heavens
and hells are causeless illusions. These are
mountain slopes of dream.
"Holy Sire, if I
wish: Let this mountain dance, it will not dance. Let this
river come to me at
sunrise, bathe me and go back, she won't do it. Let God come
and love me like my
mother, He won't do it. Even a pump, a fan, a water faucet
needs the use of hand to
press or move or shake it. If you will things to happen
then what is the point of
senses of action? When soul leaves why body becomes
like stone and log when
atma is everywhere? Why there is a difference between
corpse, tree and
stone?"
Experience itself is
assuming all these forms. Listen to a story. There lived
a couple, Shashi and Gopa.
Gopa was a chaste wife. She gave birth to ten great
sons. Shashi died. Seeing
this, Gopa too died. All sons gathered and cremated
both bodies of their
parents and put the remains in Holy Ganga. Then they sat
together in a circle
around the fire on that hilltop and began to brainstorm,
'What do we do now? Let us
become someone wonderful, the great, the greatest
-- a mayor, a governor, a
president, a king, an emperor, a Manu, an Indra, a
Bramhaaji. They all
decided to become Bramhaaji. All of them sat in lotus pose,
and decided, 'the creation
is created by me. I am the creator.' They became
still, silent, unmoved. No
food, no drink, no movement -- absorbed in passionate
decision, 'I am the
creator of all.'
Days rolled into weeks,
weeks into months, months into years, years into
yugas. They sat calm,
quiet and absorbed. Their bodies dropped off. They all
died. Their bodies were
eaten up by birds, worms and insects, but their desperate
passion to become Bramhaa
went on existing -- materializing their wishes. Thus
ten universes came into
existence like ours, and they are Bramhaas of their cosmic
egg. So what is the
essence? Atma alone is. Nothing is lost, nothing has been
added, nothing gotten
extra. As you alone become many in every dream so also is
this creation. It is you
who has become all these projected into innumerable
diversities. This world is
nothing else other than your own vagrant experience.
In imagination, fantasy,
dreaming, a living, alive person becomes many. From
many become one. If
someone dies you become corpse also, coffin also, casket
also. You also become
blooming hibiscus, orchid, daffodil and iris too. Although
you become all still you
wake up from not a corpse but from one who is taking his
nightly rest. Same way
atma is all over. Everything is made of him. But
appearance of aliveness is
exhibited only where there is thinking principle
(composed of body, senses,
mind, intellect, heart and ego). When this puryastaka
is gone out then it
appears inert. But those who are the knower of Bramha, these
are existence is Bramha in
the form of one's own atma.
Those who are lethargic
towards the Self, inert and alive, good and evil
confuse. Only to the great
sinners their sins won't let them understand my
message. To them this
world will appear as hard as made of thunderbolt. Their
illusion of world never
comes to an end. Whatever is outside in the world is in the
mind coded, a seedling,
recorded, taped and stored. As whatever artwork
Michelangelo has carved
and drawn on walls of the Vatican, first was in his mind.
As any architect has all
plans in his mind. As you make a business plan and show it
to the investor and your
mind and his mind both combine and unite in some inner
depth and he is inspired
to offer you his millions. For that you have to invest
yourself totally in your
business plan.
This entire inert and
alive world expansion is in your mind. The world is
formation of your
experience. Sky in sky is only pure sky. Truth is in truth, love
is in love, void is in
void. All are Self. Nothing is a part from your Self. None is a
part from everybody's
Self. Rama, please awaken into this dimension of Reality.
World is nondifferent from
atma as drop is nondifferent from water.
"Holy Sire, why in
the darkness objects do not show clearly, why only after
sunlight it appears?
I suppose due to darkness
of doubts and nonunderstanding world is as it
appears. But by the light
of your words I shall be able to see it clearly.
STORY OF KUNDADANTA
"Dear Prince,"
Long time ago I was giving
my daily lecture in my university where you studied a
few years ago. I was
informed of a visitor from abroad. When I came to my
chamber I saw a
magnanimous personality waiting for me. Surrounding him were
many other professors and
intellectuals well versed in all six systems of
philosophy, Vedas, sastras
and puranas.
After our formal greeting
I inquired about the purpose of his arrival. He
said--
"This is me, Holy
Sire, this is Kundadant. I came from Mithila. That city is
a replica of a heavenly
kingdom. I received admission in a university and began to
study. After the study of
all the Vedas and sastras I developed detachment and
began to travel in sacred
places. Thus I visited all the four dhamas, seven puries,
fifty-one centers of
Shakti and twelve centers of Jyotirlingas. I took a dip in all
nine sacred rivers and
climbed twelve sacred mountains. Then I arrived at Mount
Abu; I meditated there for
a couple of years. Then I proceeded south. I saw a
thick, dark, lush green
forest,impenetrable by sunrays. Walking along I saw one
huge tree full of fruit,
flowers and leaves. A tall man I saw was hanging upside
down tied by one of its
branches. His head was down, feet were up, both hands
tied together on the
chest. I wondered if he was dead? But I was wrong. When
I came closer I found he
was breathing. He was a young man, his body was
weather-proof. I knew he
was an ascetic. I gently climbed the tree and loosened
his ties, and asked--
'O great man, why are you
doing such a hard penance?'
'O traveler, I am doing it
for fulfillment of my desire,' he said.
'Could you please tell me
what it is?'
'If I tell you, you may
mock me.'
"No sir, I promise I
will not. Please do tell me, rather I would help you.'
Thus I told him again and
again.
'I am Mabramhi born in
Mathura. In my teen-age I went to study in the
university of higher
knowledge. I lived in a forest for many years studying and
learning. Then I visited
the capital. I saw the king in the royal procession. I was
amazed to see his wealth,
shine, glamor, power and luxuries. Upon my return I
decided to become a king.
A tamasic person's way is to buy guns, people, kill the
king and become king
instead of him. A rajasic person's way is to rise in wealth,
power, popularity, win the
election and become a government. Since I was satvic I
decided to accomplish the
goal through developing inner power, but I was a third
class satvic.
'First class satvic will
simply meditate till the energy is stored in
desirelessness and then he
can fulfill his wish just by desiring it.
'Second class satvic will
worship God and receive benediction.
'Third, is who will
torture the body thereby subduing the senses, weaken
them to control the mind
and focus it to the desired goal. I am satvic but third
class satvic. It is twelve
years passed, and I am prepared to continue until the
time it takes to
fulfillment of my desire. I have decided either I will die or
become sovereign king of
all the seven continents.'
'I am with you, O ascetic,
I feel compassionate to your condition. I will do
service to you and protect
your body as long as it takes to attain your goal.' I told
him.
For six months, very
carefully I offered my services. At last, one day a
celestial being appeared
from the orb of the sun. He was like light of Lord Visnu.
He descended in our
hermitage. I released the ascetic from his ties. We both
worshipped him with
concentrated mind, speech and limbs. He said, 'Dear
ascetic, ask for
benediction now and stop this penance.'
'Please make me the
sovereign government of all seven continents.' The
ascetic said in great joy.
'So be it. In next life
you will become sovereign government of all
continents for seven
thousand years.' The celestial being said and disappeared as
a wave rises and merges
into the ocean.
When we walked around a
miracle happened around us by the power of his
meritorious penance. There
was a dry pond; it became full of crystal clear water,
blooming lotuses and
lilies. We took a bath, sang songs of the Vedas and
meditated. Then we
returned to our cottage. All the trees around were now laden
with ripened, fragrant
fruit and flowers. We ate, drank and lived there
comfortably for three
days. We then proceeded further. We passed through
many villages, groves,
rivers, temples and holy places, then came to a forest. It
was echoing by the sounds
of happy birds of all kinds. Cuckoos, parrots, geese,
swans, deer, cows and
monkeys were moving around. There were many tall palm
trees. We were on the path
of Mathura city, but I know there was a safe, clean,
royal path, but he was leading
me through an uneven, stony and uncomfortable
path, and I asked why?
'Please come with me, I
would like to visit my seven brothers who also had
similar desires as mine.
They too are absorbed in austerity as myself. We must
know about them.' He
replied. His eyes were eager to see his brothers.
We walked on the hard
path. We soon arrived in a dark forest which was as
empty as sky. There were
no animals, birds nor creatures of any kind. He said--
'With my brothers, O
Kundadanta, I lived here for six months. This is the
sacred shrine of Goddess
Vagisvari Bhavani. As much we walked further and
further we found deserted
lands, no trees, no wild life, hot sand. The Choubeji
fell on the ground and
lamented, 'Oh, where have we come. Oh trouble, so great
trouble...?'
I helped him to stand up
and we walked further. A short distance we had
covered when we saw a lush
green tree which stood alone in that hot desert.
Underneath in the cool
shade there sat a yogi in meditation. We came closer and
shouted, 'O yogiji, wake
up, open your eyes! We came from a long distance to see
you!' He opened his eyes,
looked at us and asked, 'Who are you?' He looked
around, became shocked
with surprise and extra bewilderment.
'Oh, there used to be a
sacred shrine of Divine Mother here, where has
that gone...? Here were
many hermitages of sages, saints, lush green trees, ponds
and clean water with
blooming lotuses and lilies; where have all of them gone?' He
lamented. We were highly
surprised on his dilemma.
'O sage, kindly look into
the matter through your Mystic Torch of
samyama?' We requested.
He closed his eyes and
became still and silent. In a few minutes he opened
them and said--
'Long time ago Vagisvari
Bhavani came to this place and made it her abode.
By her presence this place
turned into a heavenly grove, Nandan Ban. Various
birds used to chirp, play
in ponds, deer leaped. Cool, fragrant, mild breeze always
blew. Sages and saints
built their cottages all around. After some time eight
Choube brothers came here
from Mathura. They lived here for six months.' He
said.
'Sir, please tell us first
about yourself?' I interrupted.
'I was king of Malava
State. I governed the country for a long time,
enjoyed all sensual
pleasures. When I aged and matured myself I came to an
understanding that world
is merely a dream. It is unwise to consider it as real. I
regreted that all life I
spent in satisfying whims of my restless mind, but never
did any meritorious deeds;
never felt peace, hankering went on growing. Now I
must do something worth
doing. So I renounced my State and as a mendicant
came here and settled in
this land. Soon after those eight brothers came I
remembered this is the one
of them who went to Mount Abu to perform austerity.
Your second brother went
to the hill of Swami Kartik, third went to Kashi, fourth
went to Himalayas. The
remaining four brothers stayed here. They were
absorbed in tapas. They
all had desire to become sovereign emperors of all the
seven continents of the
globe. You are benedicted by Lord Surya Narayan. The
rest were offered
benedictions by Vagisvari Bhavani to become sovereign
emperors of the world.
They have gone to their homes now. After living here for
twelve years Vagisvari
Devi too left this place and had gone to Himalayas to join
Lord Mahadev. After she
left this place is deserted again. Sages and saints left
it. This Kadamba tree
remained alive with all its green splendors. It was planted
by the goddess by her own
hands, that is why it is still alive.'
'Please tell me when we
left our home what happened to our families?' Our
ascetic friend asked.
'When you all left home
your wives joined together and they also started
doing tapas. They became
very lean and thin. Mother Vagisvari appeared and
blessed them. Seeing the
illustrious form of Divine Mother they all became
ecstatic as peacocks
become seeing the clouds. They begged, 'Mother, make our
husbands immortal. Let we
and our husbands stay united as you do with Lord
Shiva?'
'Dears, no one stays
immortal; this is the policy of the world regarding life.
We have no jurisdiction
over everchangingness of the phenomenal world.
Therefore ask for another
boon.' She replied.
'Goddess, then please do
this, that when our husbands would die their souls
must not exist away from
our home.' They said.
'Okay, so be it. Their souls
won't get out of your home. And wherever,
whatever planet and life
will reflect in their mind you will be with them as their
most dear wife.' She
blessed and disappeared.
Kundadanta said, "I
was very surprised to hear that and I asked the exking
saint."
'Oh my...! So much
austerity, time and all messed up! Now all brothers have
gotten the same boon to
become sovereign emperors of the world. Now their
wives have turned it all
into jeopardy... Now they cannot get out, not even out of
their home!'
Then to all an extra heap
of surprise and puzzlement the ex-king saint said-
-
'When all eight sons went
away for austerity and their eight wives also
became absorbed in their
vows and worships; their parents too decided, 'Our sons
are most dear to us, let
us do something great to add up in their fortune.' So
eight fathers and eight
mothers joined together in teams and moved from one
sacred place to another
sacred place. They found a beautiful spot in Kashi. They
performed tapas and
satisfied the Goddess, and they received benedictions too.
Very happy in their heart
they returned, but on their way they happened to
dishonor Sage Durvasa.
Durvasa cursed them all, 'Whatever boon you got will
turn out to be contrary to
your expectation.'
'Pardon, forgive please,'
heartbroken eight parents gave primal scream and
fell at the feet of the
sage but the sage had become invisible by then.
Sad and despondent,
parents came back home and lived like logs
disinterested to
everything.
Vasistha said, "As
long as men remain devoid of Bramhajnan innumerable
kinds of problems and
sufferings come and go. All illusion glamor of maya
projected on
chidakas."
Kundadanta said to the
ex-king of Malava, 'Please check if I understood
you clearly. You said each
of the eight brothers will be sovereign emperors of all
the continents of the
world. And they will be for seven thousand years. But world
is one, seven continents
are of only one set. Boon to wives has limited them to a
more narrow territory. And
parent's boons are an extra backfire. How these
boons and curses will go
together and meet the purpose? To my little mind it
comes as day and night,
light and darkness, different conflicting phenomena, same
way boons and curses are.
Could you explain this dilemma, please?'
'Dear Kundadanta, let me
tell you their future in brief. After passing
several years in household
life these brothers will die. Their kinsmen will cremate
their bodies. For
forty-eight minutes they will stay inert, unconscious due to
death trauma. They will be
conscious again. Then assuming the form of four
armed Lord Visnu the boon
will come. And assuming the form of Lord Shiva the
curse will come.
'Boon will say, 'Hellow
curse, why have you come here? This isn't your but
our time. During the
spring winter doesn't come so also you should not come at
this time.'
'Why have you come, that
is the thing I do not understand. In the time of
summer why you came to
rain. Please get out.' Curse will say.
'You are sent by human
whereas we are from celestial plane; celestials are
adorable by humans. They
cannot overpower them. So you go away.' Boon will
say.
Then the curse will become
very angry, and pick up his trident to shoot.
Boon said, 'Wait a minute,
there is no need to fight. Why don't we go to someone
who can pronounce the
verdict of judgement and we accept that.'
'Oh, sorry boon, you are
right. Let us go to some judge.'
And both flew to
Bramhaloka, and offered their obseisances to Bramhaaji.
'Holy Sire, who to those
bramhin choubes of Mathura should touch first,
boon or curse?' They asked.
'Whichever is practiced
heavily by them that should touch them first.'
Will be the verdict of
Bramhaaji.
Then both boon and curse
will fly back to the astral forms of those eight
choubes, and curse will
look out for boon's place and boon will look out for curse's
place. Then curse will
report back to Bramhaaji.
'Lord forgive me, boon
won. Practice of boon identification is too strong in
them, like a thunderbolt,
so I lost the case.
'In fact, we don't have a
physical body. We are will-form, will-woven, willcomposition.
Whatever will is
intensified that arises and takes over life. The
acceptor of boon too is
only the experience, and whenever he receives he knows
the experience is The Big
Boss.
'By will, the giver of
boon (whichever God from whom you got it) knows I
gave the boon. And
receiver knows I got it.
'Then by trust and heavy
will boon becomes embibed and steelified in his
very being. Thus boon
becomes man's destiny.
'Whatever sankalpa unifies
with samvit that manifests as destiny --
whether it is boon or
curse.
'As sankalpa experience
you project in sky that becomes solidified like
steel. And that appears to
you. That is the reality for you. Except that nothing
else you can believe and
besides that nothing else you will not believe.
'Giver of boon is pure
experience personified acceptor of boon too one's
own being. Same basic
existence becomes boon. Same existence becomes curse.
Whichever will is strong
and steelified that you experience, perceive and that
manifests as reality and
happenings of your life.
'Outer action never
entangles the soul in the fruit. Whatever is inside,
whatever is the essence
that becomes the fruit. Inside these brothers it is the
will of boon that is
stronger solid mass of alertness and not curse's therefore the
curse will take leave
never to return.
'Dear Kundadanta,' Ex-king
said, 'Then Bramhaaji will tell to boon to go
immediately and apply
yourself unto his soul.'
'My lord, we are those
boons which their wives have gotten. Their
puryastaka should remain
in their home. This is our duty to keep them there and
not let them go anywhere
else. And they have to enjoy empirial joy, they will go
for world conquest. They
have to travel hundreds and thousands of times to all
continents in most of the
cities. How this should be taken care of?'
'Boons to their wives,
there is no conflict at all. I don't see any conflict.
You have to keep their
puryastaka in the home, and right there inside the space of
home you have to make them
experience empirial pleasure and power.' Said
Bramhaaji.
'I am puzzled, I am going
crazy, I will pass out, Sir, what are you talking
about/ How can each of all
the right brothers be sovereign emperors of all the
seven continents of the
whole world in that tiny space of their mud clustered
third worlder home? How will
all worlds be accommodated in there? It is as likely
if someone says dozens of
elephants are resting on the pericarp of lotus which is
blooming in that pond. It
is like entire United States of America is situated inside
the tiny, dirty, cheap,
muddy hut of a rural eskimo of the North Pole.'
'The space ether is
Bramha. The dream inside which we have become
awakened and this whole
universe is appearing about is situated in a tiniest, single
atom particle of the
ether. Now consider with your right mind if this vast
universe is contained in
one single atom then what is problem for eight universes
to be accommodated in
their whole house. In fact each of them require only eight
times seven continents
spread out in eight earth planets. And each universe
contains millions of them.
'This world is only dream,
mere dream. It vibrates in sleep. Atma is always
nondual, pacific and
eternal. World is only an appearance in it.
tejo vari mrdam yatha
vinimayo
yatra trisargo mrsa
--that is the atma, that
is the Truth.
It is your own experience
that becomes subtler than the subtlest in which the
whole world of your dream
appears. So experience does not require any space and
lands to accommodate the
large quantity of experience.
'It is only because you
fail to feel this empirial, pleasurable experience in
your Self that is why you
have to go through this whole funny trip of outer
material world. Example of
dravid pranayam. Therefore O boons, now you go and
make them experience the
empirial pleasures.'
Thus boons flew from
Bramhalok and came to the earth where eight
brothers were in deep
slumber after their death. As soon as they entered in
their heart they woke up
and began to see themselves as ambitious, heroic youth
and the whole world is in
front of them to conquer and rule and spread
international business
throughout the world.
The boons grabbed and held
fast their puryastak inside their ancestrial
home in Mathura exactly as
a dam holds the mighty flow of a river. The yogi exking
said, 'O Kundadanta, they
cognized all the seven continents in their own
heart and they felt they
have gotten a mission to spead their empire up to where
it is so large where the
sun never sets. Thus each of them became sovereign
emperors and they never
knew each other.
'One of them made the city
of Ujjain his capital. Second lived in Kushadvip,
third in Kronchdvip,
fourth in Shakadvip and he will go to conquer nagas, fifth in
Salmalidvip where upon the
top of the golden mountain in a blue water-filled pond
he will swim with his wife
and vidyadharas. Sixth will live in Gomedakdvip. He will
be at war with Puskardvip
and seventh will in Puskardvip. Eighth will live in Lokalok
mountain. Thus they will
see the world inside their own home and rule. But each
other's creation will be
invisible to each other.
'This is their future. As
one has decision so is their fruit. However you act
outside if inside is not
accompanied with it no fruit results. As actor, imitator or
clown acts assuming so
many forms but inside is not seriously involved with the
act, therefore he does not
reap the fruit. All fruit he reaps what he expects that
is to make people laugh.
That is why you must put your heart into the matters of
Truth. And Truth is
Bramha. Do not buy any less than that. No inferior, no
cheap, no ready made
truth, please.' Said the ex-king yogi.
'Dear Sir, I am still
uncomfortable with this idea. How will they govern
their own worlds and enjoy
sovereignty living in that tiny place?'
'Young man, whatever
worlds you see have never been created, never is,
never will be. They exist
in will. Their experience alone is flickering in the form
of their empires and them
as emperors. Worlds in Bramha are just appearances.
In one home what to speak
of if a thousand sheep and dream of a thousand worlds,
who will meet whom and how
many miles or inches, feet or furlongs land will be
covered? Think of that.'
Said sage Kadambatapa.
'Think! Think! This is
called contemplation-vichar -- this will make
practice. So think hard
biting teeth by teeth, with do or die spirit, think until
your thick head softens a
little bit and you understand what I saw.
'Please explain, Bramha is
nondual, all one and unique, why then so many?'
'There are not so many,
that one unique is already there as it was before.
Only due to will-sankalpa
you are experiencing otherwise.'
'But will is due to past
samskaras. From where came the first samskara,
sir?'
'Creation is not caused by
any samskara but due to misconception, illusion,
ignorance,
nonunderstanding.
'Karta-the doer, karma-the
action, karana-the means, sampradan-the bans
of means, apadan-through
which you merge, and adhikaran-in which it merges -- all
of these are Bramha. Now
dear sir, you must leave. Your family is waiting for you
as bumble bee goes to a
lotus you too go to them. I will now enter in samadhi.
World is still a misery to
me so samadhi is the only realm of peace so I must enter
into it.' Saying thus, the
ex-king yogi Kadambatapa entered into Mystica
trancensia. Still he
became in front of our eyes as if a painted portrait on the
canvass.
We were once again on our
way. We were going to Mathura city and we
reached successfully. A
celebration was going on in their homes. When the seven
brothers saw the eighth
they rushed and embraced him. All began dancing in joy
of their success. The
large party continued for the whole night. People came and
heard about their success
and just felt aha-experience.
Many years passed. We
sailed on boats in Yamuna river. We strolled and
traveled all places of
Vrindaban and enjoyed our stay. Then all seven brothers
died. The eighth brother,
my friend, remained alive. He was sad. Then he too
after some years died. I
lamented a lot. I went and cried in all those places
where I had been with my
friend.
I was shocked with pain.
In a few days I journeyed to the yogi
Kadambatapa. I tried to
wake him but he wouldn't Three months I tried but he
was so deep in samadhi
that nothing was able to bring him out. I prayed, I really
needed desperately
association of a wise man. After three more months he
awoke. I bowed down to him
and said--
'Dear sir, they are dead.
They are now gone to enjoy empirial life, but I am
deeply agonized. I am so
lonely and ruined. I take refuge at your lotus feet.'
Kundadanta said.
'Dear young man, by my
education you are not going to realize. Because you
have no practice. Without
practice no enlightenment happens. My words will go in
vain. I will tell y ou
where you will become realized. If you went there you will
attain the atma like me.
Prince Rama has been born in the palace
of King
Dasaratha. In the royal assembly
sage Vasistha will be giving discourses on
Bramhajnan. That is very a
highly vibrated, heavy duty, energized place. Go
there. Don't doubt. You
will realize.'
Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
Sri Swami Shyamendra
Paramahansa Maharaj for the collection)
0 responses to "A Piece of commentary on Yoga Vasishta -1"