Guest guest Posted December 9, 2004 Report Share Posted December 9, 2004 The Sunday Talk Given by Anil Kumar “Japam (Repetition of God’s Name)” September 5th, 2004 OM…OM…OM… Sai Ram With Pranams at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan, Dear Brothers and Sisters, Japam makes the mind free from worldly thoughts I was talking to you last week about certain definitions and the implications of these definitions. To sum up, I had drawn your attention to two of the most important definitions. The first one is Japam, which means repetition of God’s Name as many times as possible. What is the main advantage of Japam? The main advantage is that the mind is free from other thoughts of the world. By repeating God’s Name, the mind is emptied. Due to the constant flow of thoughts in the mind, there is a tension. The thoughts relating to the future and the past are the source of anxiety and worry. Therefore, the mind has to be emptied now and then; just as in the computer cleaning process, the entire backlog must be emptied and cleaned, or else it leads to virus. Similarly, the whole house has to be sometimes cleaned and washed, and all the stuff has to be removed before the fungus accumulates there. Similarly, the mind also must be emptied now and then, if we want to be fresh. We are not fresh because the mind is full of backlog. The mind is full of thoughts of the past and thoughts of the future. It is jam-packed or ‘traffic jammed’ with thoughts. As a result, we are not able to be free, we are not happy, we are not able to smile whole-heartedly and we are full of tensions. Therefore we need to empty our head and empty our mind. This process of cleaning is what is called Japam, recycling and repeating God’s Name as many times as possible Japam helps in control of the senses For this Japam, there is no time regulation. There is no separate place or a separate procedure. Your willingness and your love to repeat, that’s enough. Then once the thought process is brought under check as we repeat God’s Name, the senses cannot be drawn outward. The eye cannot see whatever it likes. The ear cannot hear whatever it relishes because you are repeating God’s Name with your eyes closed. In other words, the advantage of Japam is the control of the senses. That is why Japam (repetition of God’s Name) is there in every faith, in every religion. Some people also have got certain self-imposed regulations. “I repeat 1000 times.” “I do it 1008 times.” People have got their own regulations. They feel so happy. So, controlling the senses is an advantage of Japam. Another advantage of Japam is that the mind gets controlled automatically because it is set free. You are repeating God’s Name; so the thought process is controlled. When the thought process is controlled, the mind is totally nullified. It is null and void, made inactive, made passive, inert, dull, action-less. That’s all. It just remains static. That is the way to empty our mind of all the thoughts. When the mind is emptied of all thoughts, it is vibrant with joy. It is charged with bliss. Who are the people who are happy? Happy are those whose mind is emptied now and then. It doesn’t matter whether young or old. There are old people who are very happy, while there are youngsters and teenagers who are miserable. Why? It is all due to the mind. Therefore my friends, to conclude this particular point, mind-control and sense-control are the two advantages of Japam or repeating God’s Name. MEditation is connecting inward The next aspect is dhyanam or meditation. What are the advantages of meditation? What is meditation? Why meditate? Meditation is the process where you will be connecting yourself to the inside. It is something like this: first, you will connect to the telephone; thereafter, you will be connecting to the Internet. Correct? I am just one week old in computer knowledge, which I am exhibiting openly (Laughter)! So first one must be connect to the telephone line, and only then connect to the Internet. Am I right? Similarly, one should connect to the telephone line of Japam; only then one can connect to the Internet or dhyanam. So, dhyanam (meditation) is connecting inward -- to .com straight! Connect inward and then you will get all the messages. The password is the dearest Name of your God, which is different from person to person. You understand? Therefore the moment we establish ourselves within, that process of turning inward is called meditation. Meditation brings steadiness of the mind Why should we turn inward? To establish connection with your Self. After connecting to the telephone, one should connect to ‘Internet Explorer’. Likewise, after silencing the mind, one should connect to the heart. This process is called meditation. Why should we be connected at all? Why? So long as we are connected to the mind, we are frightened. We are afraid to face life. We are afraid to face the challenges of life. We want to run away from the problems of life in the name of religion. We are afraid of competition. We are afraid of every fellow. This kind of bhaya or fear is because of mind indulgence or mind involvement. When once the mind is made inactive by Japam, when you are connected to your heart, then you will be very strong as the heart is the centre of fearlessness. Heart is the centre of Love; heart is the centre of sacrifice. Jewels are there in the heart. Connect yourself to the inner jewel of the heart, not to the fish market of the mind (Laughter). Mind is a fish market, a traffic jam. It takes you nowhere. At the most, it may take you to a psychiatrist. That’s all. Whereas once we are connected to the heart, we can enjoy equanimity. We will enjoy steadiness of the mind. We can enjoy coolness and comfort. That process is called meditation. So, meditation has got two steps: the first step is repeating God’s Name, what we call Japam. The second step is connecting to one’s own Self in the heart by the process of meditation, which will make one blissful, steady, calm, equanimious, balanced and poised, and fearless. ‘Nothing’ should happen in meditation Now, in the process of mediation, what is going to happen? (Of course, I should beg your pardon if I repeat some points here because I have been a teacher for four decades. Therefore old habits die hard. I can’t help it. So I may be repeating, for which I beg your pardon.) So what will happen in meditation? What should happen? What should happen in meditation? Nothing happens in meditation. That’s it. ‘What should happen?’ is the question of the mind. ‘Nothing should happen’ is the state of the heart. The mind always says, “What should I achieve? What should I get? What should I accomplish? What am I? What are you? Who are they?” These questions relate to the mind. The mind always expects. The mind always wants to aspire. The mind always wants to have its ambitions realised and its desires fulfilled, while the heart has no desires to fulfil. When you turn inward, there is nothing to achieve. Therefore, if some people ask you, “What did you get out of meditation?” we should tell them that there is nothing to get, because that which is got is sure to be lost. That which is got is sure to be lost. Therefore, if you ‘get’ anything by meditation, it is sure to be lost. But actual Divinity neither comes nor goes. Therefore, God exists. He doesn’t come; He doesn’t go. He has no beginning; He has no end. Some say, “Oh, I see God.” Oh, I see. Thereafter, you don’t see Him. “In meditation, God appears.” Wherefrom -- from clouds or what? Wherefrom does He appear? No, my friends, in meditation nothing happens. Bhagavan Buddha referred to that state of nothingness as ‘sarvam shoonyam’, meaning ‘everything is empty’. That emptiness, that void, that abyss is the Divine experience. That which is seen has got an estimate. One boy is tall. “Yes, he is tall, but the other is taller.” Or, “he is short, but the other is shorter.” So, the theory of relativity operates in the external world: “He’s fair, but the other is fairer. Or, he is fair, but the other is unfair.” This kind of relativity, this kind of comparison, happens in relation to the outside world only. Once I close my eyes -- is it fair or unfair? Is it tall or short? There is nothing whatsoever! Everything is uniform and nothing happens. ‘I’- ness leads to reflection, reaction and resound Why does nothing happen? Why? The answer is: Wherever ‘I’ am involved, something happens. Wherever ‘I’ am involved, something happens. If I come and talk to you, if you talk to me nicely, I am happy. If you do not talk to me, I am unhappy. If you offer me a cup of coffee, I am right on the top of the mountain! So, where this ’I’-ness is involved, there is a reaction. There is a resound. There is a reflection. Let us say that you ask, “Sai Ram, sir. How are you?” “Oh, fine.” But then if you turn your face like that (Anil Kumar demonstrates by turning his head away), I will go on investigating within myself, ‘What happened to this man? Why is he not good to me? Is anything to be settled now? What is wrong with him?’ Therefore, reaction, reflection and resound are because of this ‘I’-ness of the mind. This ‘I’-ness of the mind is the cause for reaction, reflection and resound. Once you close your eyes, there is no need to act and nothing to react to. If I see you, I will think, ‘Yes, he is my friend’, or ‘He is not my friend.’ ‘He is a stranger’, or ‘He is familiar.’ ‘He is acquainted’, or ‘He is not acquainted.’ ‘He is man of intelligence’, or ‘He seems to be a dunce.’ These things happen when the ‘I’-ness is there, when the mind is there. In other words, the mind judges, estimates and measures. “I know more than you know.” I see. “But you do not know that I know!” There are some people who are like this. If you say, “Swami came at 8 o’clock”, the other man will say, “I knew that even before you knew!” Whether you know and I don’t, in fact He came at 8 o’clock and that is the reality. This is ‘I’-ness of the mind: “You know, but I know that too!” Or, “You know that, but I knew before you.” This is all the ‘I’-ness of the ego. A meditative man is always happy But once this ‘I’-ness is gone, once the mind is gone, once this mind is withdrawn into the abyss, into the valley of silence, there is no comparison. No one is superior to anybody. No one is inferior to anybody. Nothing is happening because the mind is missing. Therefore, after meditation you find people feeling extremely happy. A meditative man is always happy. “Sir, I have a neighbour who is extremely unhappy; but he always meditates.” Useless fellow! That is not meditation at all. He may be doing something else. So, a man of meditation will always be happy, cheerful, blissful and full of smiles. If he is unhappy, then the meditation that he claims is a farce, hypocritical and meaningless. Why? In true meditation, when you enjoy equal-mindedness and steadiness, where is the reason to be unhappy? When I open my eyes and I find that you very active, there is every reason to be unhappy, as I am not as active as you are. So, where there is comparison, there is a question of feeling sad or feeling superior. But when nothing exists, who will feel superior and who will feel inferior? Therefore in meditation, that stillness of silence, that profound silence (shoonyam) is nothing but bliss. Happiness can be expressed and joy can be shared; but bliss is totally personal. I can share my joy; you can make me happy. But I cannot manufacture bliss; I cannot transport bliss. I cannot sell it out. No. It is totally individual and possible by the process of meditation. Meditation distances the mind from the Self Before I switch on to next point, as I wind up this particular point, let me just draw your attention to one important aspect. Being a student of science, I would like to tell you this. The more and more the mind distances itself from the ego-self, you are meditating. I repeat the sentence once again. The more and more the mind distances itself from the ego-self, you are meditating. In other words, meditation distances the mind from the ego-self. Oh, I see. What is the problem with that? Mind thinks it is the real Self. That is the point. But mind is the ego-self; therefore it is arrogant. Mind is the ego-self; therefore it is egoistic. Mind is the ego-self; therefore it is depressed. Mind is the ego-self; therefore it is frustrated. Elation, jubilation, frustration, depression, yes, everything is there. Mind thinks it is the real Self. But when mind is away (as during meditation, when the ego-self is silent), when the real Self takes charge, mind is just, after all, an instrument in Self’s hands. Am I clear? Make Self the master So, meditation is there to create a wider jump, a wider distance, so that the mind will be able to know what it really is. It has been dominating. It has taken charge of all my life and made my life much worse than a monkey’s! Mind is a mad monkey. It is playing all sorts of dirty habits with me. I am not able to be as happy as I want to be because my mind is making me like that. So I need I make my mind understand, ‘No, can’t play. Sit down.’ Then there is the real Self, which is the Master of the mind. When the tahsildar (Revenue Officer) controls the office, affairs will be very slow. When once the Collector starts managing things, they move faster. Likewise, with the mind, we are in the hands of the clerical staff. We are in the hands of the menial staff. We are in the hands of the class 3 or class 4 employees. That’s why manipulation, corruption and mismanagement exist. Why? “Go to the boss!” In my younger days, in every bank, there use to be a board which said, ‘In case of any delay, see the manager.’ That was what the board said. It advised everyone to go to the manager with their papers to get the work done. In this example, the manager is the Self. The ‘clerks’ and the ‘superintendents’ are the mind and the senses. We want to manage with the senses and the mind -- with the clerks and the superintendents -- so it is delayed. Sometimes the paper has to be written and rewritten. Therefore my friends, to make this Self the Master, to be in touch with the Self, be the Self. You are the Self. The Mind has got used to unhappiness But unfortunately, I have come down to the level of identifying myself with the mind. So this unhappiness is my own invitation. I have welcomed this unhappiness. Some people are really happy in their unhappiness. I am not joking. Some people are happy in unhappiness. Don’t mistake me; I am quite sane. (Laughter) Why do I say that? Many of the television serials, right from 6 o’clock to 10.30 in the evening, make you cry bitterly. But people love to cry! They pay to cry. The more we cry, the more we love the serial. So, are you really happy in happiness? No, I am happy in unhappiness. This is the sad thing. The mind has become used to that. Everyone wants to be sympathised with: “Oh man, you were working hard, but nobody is recognising you. Nobody understands you, so there’s no promotion. I pity you.” “Uh huh!” he is happy. If anyone goes to the housewife and says, “Your husband is busy. He is not caring for you. You have been doing a lot”, the wife will respond, “Oh please, have a cup of coffee before going.” (Laughter) The mind always wants sympathy and pity. We find comfort and happiness in that. It is a very sad state of affairs. Can’t we be really happy in happiness? We have to cultivate that. Somehow, over several lives, we have been proceeding along the wrong track. Our track, our path itself, has worn into a rut. We have become habituated to that rut. Therefore, we must develop methods on how to be happy. Hey! You are already happy! You want to be unhappy; therefore you become unhappy. So, unhappiness is my making. Happiness is that with which I am born. I am born with happiness, but I become unhappy because of my mind’s bad habits. Meditation will help us reconnect to our own innate happiness. Life is for acquiring the knowledge of the self The third point that I want to draw to your attention is this: True education or knowledge of the Self is what has got to be obtained while we are living here. Knowledge of the Self is to be obtained during our life sojourn, in our lifetime -- that too, while we are quite strong. While we are physically strong, mentally sharp and intellectually alert, we should acquire this knowledge of the Self. But unfortunately, we think that knowledge of the Self is for retired people. But as he’s already ‘tired’, how can he have this knowledge? What for? Life is not for that. Life is meant for the acquisition of Self-knowledge. Worldly knowledge goes on changing Why? You may ask, why? I have got all knowledge in medicine. I’ve got all knowledge in engineering. Why knowledge of the Self? Any knowledge you have, any degree of excellence, whether Oxford or Cambridge, Harvard or Columbia, or University of California, whatever may be the standard of the university, still life is empty; life is useless. Why? Worldly knowledge goes on changing. By the time you get your doctorate, what you have found is outdated. What you have written is old information, sometimes even before you receive your degree! Suppose I submit my PhD. By the time I submit my thesis to the university, there will be another thesis saying that what I said was totally wrong! He gets a PhD and I get a PhD. For saying ‘yes’, I get a PhD, while for saying ‘no’, he gets a PhD -- both of us! (Laughter) Who is correct? The future will decide. Therefore my friends, secular, worldly knowledge goes on changing. The Self is changeless That which changes is not Divine; that which changes is not real; that which changes is illusion; that which changes is delusion; that which changes is imagination; that which changes is creation, nature. (I am using so many words -- not that I am an expert in English. My idea is only to make myself clear. At least one of the words I used may convince you. That is my effort, that’s all.) So my friends, that which is changing is prakrithi or nature or the world. That which is changeless is the Self, the source. So, knowledge of the Self is necessary because it is changeless, immortal, eternal, nectarine, blemishless, spotless, having neither beginning nor end. It is infinite, vast, all pervading, cosmic, universal, Self, whereas I want to narrow knowledge down to the study of a hairpin! Somebody joked this way, saying that the PhD degree has become so simple today that one can get a PhD by counting the number of hairs in a square inch of rabbit’s skin. One can get a doctorate by counting the number of hairs in a square inch of rabbit’s skin! It has become so simple! I am not underestimating their abilities. It is not that I have utter disregard for the doctorate people. No, no, no! I am just making a comparative study between secular knowledge and knowledge of the Self. Secular knowledge goes on changing, as it is temporary, ephemeral, worldly and material. But knowledge of the Self is spiritual, Divine, eternal, changeless and immortal. By having secular knowledge, you must always be competitive. ‘You have got a PhD; let me get CSC!’ ‘When you have CSC, let me have a few more extra papers.’ So competition and comparison are the laws of secular knowledge, while non-competition and non-comparison are the fundamental qualities of Self-knowledge. I can go on like this about the differences between secular knowledge and knowledge of Self. Let us conclude that, having been born on earth, having been given the gift of life, our aim should be to acquire the knowledge of the Self. Knowledge of Self makes us fearless The man who has knowledge of the Self is fearless. He’ll not have any fear of the income tax officer. He will not have any fear of police officials. He will never fear seva dals! (Laughter) He will be fearless because he has knowledge of Self. He knows that the Self in him is the same Self in you. The Self in you and in me is the same Self, which is in the whole organic world -- plant world, animal world and mineral matter. There is no separate North Indian canteen electricity, South Indian canteen electricity, and Western canteen electricity. ‘City’ may be different, but ‘electricity’ is the same. There may be a change in the ‘city’, but not in the electricity. Therefore, that changeless electricity is the Self, while the changing ‘city’ is secular knowledge. Once I am in touch with the Self, I will never be confused again. There is nothing to fear. The fear is because of the idea of a second one. When you and I are there, I fear you or, at least, you fear me. When I am alone, there is nothing to fear, as there is no one there. But if I say, “I am alone; still I fear somebody”, then I better get a check-up with a psychiatrist! When there are two, one will fear the other person. When there is only one, there is no fear. So, knowledge of the Self says that there is only one, and you are That. When there is only one, there is nothing to fear, nothing to bother about. No one is superior to anybody because there are no ‘others’. You are bliss. You are the eternal Self. You are never going to die because you were never born. You were never born to die. Body appears; body disappears, that’s all. Body appears and body disappears; but YOU remain. You as the Self remain forever. So there is nothing like birth date or death anniversary. It is only the appearance of the body and the disappearance of the body, that’s all. the dynamics of reaction I want to share with you a few thoughts on ‘reaction dynamics’ this morning, in relation with these thoughts. As most of the people here are the ‘latest’ people, I should make my topics relevant to the technology of the electronic age. Hence, the topic of the dynamics of reaction. Bhagavan repeatedly states, “The whole life revolves around reaction, reflection, resound.” These are the three R’s of Bhagavan: reaction, reflection, resound. So today, I’d like to concentrate on this first step: reaction, or the dynamics of reaction. Karma, Vikarma and Akarma This word ‘reaction’ has some meaning if only there is an action. If there is no action, there cannot be a reaction. What is this action? Action in Sanskrit is called karma. Karma is action. Actions are of different types. Some actions are forbidden. Certain actions are prohibited; certain actions are anti-social; certain actions will put you to disgrace and disrepute. Such forbidden actions are called vikarma. Vikarma is the forbidden action, which we are not supposed to do. There is a third action, which is rather ‘non-action’ or akarma. Akarma is non-action or inaction. Non-action or inaction is akarma. So we have defined these three: karma, vikarma and akarma. Karma is action, non-action is akarma, and forbidden action is vikarma. Am I clear? Some people say, “I don’t do anything, sir. I have no action. I don’t do any actions, so there cannot be any reaction. As there is no reaction, I am liberated.” I see. This is a mistake. You may not act, but there are silent actions within you. Action is going on within us, unnoticed, unacknowledged, unappreciated, thankless. For example, the beating of the heart is going on, is it not? Nobody can say, “My heart is not beating.” If you say that, there is something wrong with you. Heartbeat - action, blood circulation – action, respiration – action, nervous system – action. So, action is going on. How can you say, ”Sir, I don’t do anything.“ You may not be doing anything externally, but there is movement going on internally; there is so much activity interneally. So, non-action or inaction, akarma, is meaningless. Vikarma or prohibited action will put us to defame, bad name, disrepute, unpopularity, so that we’ll be dropouts in society. Vikarma is a bad action. Karma is an action. Good And Bad are relative Now I would like to draw your attention to one important point. Actions are of two types -- good and bad. Am I right? Anywhere all over the world, any point of time in history, there are good actions and bad actions, right? Good actions yield good results or what you call merit or punya. Merit or punya is the result of good actions, whereas bad actions take you to sin or papa. Papa is a sin, which is the result of bad action. Punya is merit, which is the result of good action. This every child knows. Now the point is this. Good action or bad action, how do you know? Who decides? Good action today may prove tomorrow to be a bad action. At one time, in our childhood days, to drink coffee was a bad habit. Today, if you don’t drink coffee, you are rustic, rural, unfashionable, and not modern. So, what is good today may not be good tomorrow. What is bad today may be good tomorrow. Who are you to say what is good and bad? The wealthy doctor has lots of money today – good. But he is full of vices and bad habits. So, good today may turn into bad tomorrow. A fellow is sick today, but he goes on repeating God’s Name, thinking of Baba, listening to cassettes, reading His books -- good. So bad may take you to good, or good may turn into bad based on our ideas, which don’t stand the test of time. Good and bad are relative. That is, good and bad depend upon the norms of the society. To drink is a bad habit. All right. So if you go to a bar, they don’t drink water. They prefer whiskey; so we can’t say anything there. The people are not ready to drink water there. Thus good and bad are relative. Good and bad depend upon socio, economic and political conditions. What is good during your grandfather’s time is bad in your father’s time, and so on. Mind prompts the action but we punish the body So, how can you brand anything ‘good’ or ‘bad’? What is it that decides that ‘this is good’ and ‘this is bad’? Who is it that decides? What is it that prompts that decision? It is the mind. Therefore, it is the mind that decides. It is the mind that prompts action. So, the mind prompts and the senses take the action. The thought of the mind is passed on to the senses, and they in turn take action. Now, say it is a ‘bad’ action – say I turn to pick pocketing. For this bad action, you are going to punish my body -- you may put me behind bars for two to six months. Arre! This body might have done the action, but the thought was prompted by the mind. So whom should we arrest now -- the body or the mind? Baba gave one example: One fellow is a thief. He committed a theft. But in his place, some other fellow is kept behind the bars. It is an injustice. Similarly, the culprit is the mind, but we are punishing the body. That is the tragedy. We should learn how to punish the mind because the mind is the culprit. So, the mind is the prompter, but we are punishing the body. Therefore, good and bad are the results or products of the mind. Similarly are merit and sin, punya and papa: As a result of punya, you will have happiness; and as a result of papa, you will have misery or what you call ‘heaven’ or ‘hell’. ‘Heaven’ and ‘hell’ are mere human thoughtS My friends, this whole lot is one package, just one package. What is it? A psychological package. Last night one scholar was speaking on TV. He seemed to be very intelligent. He said that if anyone does something wrong, they are sent to hell. There, hot iron rods will pierce their body. Oh? If the body is already kept on fire here (referring to cremation), I don’t know what body the hot rods can pierce over there! So, it is not that I am a revolutionary, not that I am a reformer, not that I condemn all that. No. These stories are written for ordinary people so that they do not commit sins. Suppose I don’t want my child to go that way. I’ll tell my child, “There are dangers there. Don’t go.” The child is afraid of the dangers; therefore the child will not go that way. Similarly, innocent people, illiterate people and commoners are threatened by the name of ‘hell’. Likewise, they are encouraged to do good in order to reach paradise or heaven. Furthermore, all the descriptions of paradise, I am sorry to say, are nothing more than a composition of dreams and unfulfilled desires here on earth. Pardon me if I say that. For example, on earth, drinking is for the wicked. But there in Vaikuntha, in paradise, there is the continuous flow of ‘whiskey’ – they call it Amrita (not the Amrita water we get here). What kind of drinking it is? It is relished by the gods or devatas. When a human drinks on earth, we say that he is a bad fellow. But when devatas go on drinking in paradise, we worship them! (Laughter) ‘Since it is not available here, since I cannot afford it here, since society will brand me as a useless fellow, I suppress or repress my desire here. But in heaven, there will be a continuous flow of ‘whiskey’ there, an unending flow.’ And so, what is the description of heaven? Here, over a period of time, old age advances. So when you start feeling old, your joints will tell you, ‘Arre! You are advanced in your age. Please be cautious.’ Your BP will tell you, ‘Be careful!’ Nobody wants to grow old. If you go to an old man and say, “You are an old man.” “Old? Who is old? Call me a ‘young adult’. Oh, oh! Call me a ‘senior citizen’ (Laughter). I don’t want to grow old. I don’t want to be branded ‘old man’ at all.” Therefore, though the body is sagging, I still want to wear shorts because I don’t want to compromise with the change of time – the fact that I am getting old, do you understand? As I cannot remain ever young here, in Vaikuntha, in paradise, I can remain ever young, a hero, effortlessly! Why is that? It is all due to one’s imagination. As you cannot be ever young here, you can be ever young there. As you cannot drink here, you can drink there. So my friends, heaven or hell are the mere representations of poetical compositions of human thought. That which has not been realised, that which has not been experienced, that which has remained a dream, is fulfilled there. It’s all the gimmicks or game of the mind. Mind is the cause for bondage or liberation So to sum up, it is the mind that prompts good and bad. It is the mind that takes you to heaven for a blessing. It is the mind that makes you happy or miserable. It is the mind that takes you to heaven or hell. That’s the reason why John Milton says, “It is the mind that makes heaven out of a hell and a heaven out of every moment.” So heaven or hell is here itself; they are nowhere else. Swami also says that mind is the cause for bondage or liberation. There is nothing like hell and heaven. It is only your mind. Therefore, my friends, all good, bad, sin, happiness, misery, paradise, heaven or hell -- that’s all nothing; it is only based on the mind. So it is the mind that prompts the thought, and it is the thought that directs the senses into action. Mind is the cause for the role of doer Now we look at another point: So long as the mind says, ‘You are doing; you do; you do that’, you become a doer. For example, my mind says, ‘Go to the college.’ I am the doer. My mind says, ‘Do this.’ I am the doer. I am doing. The one who does is the doer. Am I clear? So, when once I do, I will be facing the results. Then I am the experiencer (of the results). The doer in Sanskrit is called kartutva. Kartutva refers to doership. The role of a doer is kartutva. When once I do, when I have taken on the role of a doer, I am doing. Then I will also get the results. Then I am the experiencer, experiencing good or bad, whatever it may be. This experiencer in Sanskrit is called bhoktutva. So, doership is kartutva, while enjoyership or experiencing is bhoktutva. Am I clear? So this role of doer – ‘I am doing’ – is the action of the mind. So when mind says, ‘I am doing’, the mind has to experience. Do you understand? It is all because the mind says, ‘I am doing.’ So when you are doing, you also have to face the results -- good or bad, as the case may be. Therefore, my friends, this ‘I’-ness or ego or the mind is the cause for the feeling of doership or kartutva bhava. When the mind takes the role of kartutva or doer, it must also be the enjoyer or experiencer, what is called bhoktutva bhava. One has to experience. Let us go deeper now. At this deeper level, mind no longer functions; mind has got nothing to do. There is something beyond mind. That is what we call ‘witness’. It is the final step – the witness. In Sanskrit, witness is called ‘sakshi’. Praise is ABOUT THINGS that are not there A simple example: On one of the occasions, we had a number of speakers there in Bangalore. People started competing with each other in praising Swami. One man said, “You are the Sun!” Another man said, “You are the Moon!” Still another man said, ”You are everything!” They went on like that. They went on extolling and praising God. Yes, that is what they were supposed to do. Do you know what Baba said at the end? “I am disgusted with your praises. I am vexed with your praises.” I was sitting there. I couldn’t disagree to praising God. All our hymns, all our praises are offered only to praise God, that’s all. “Hail the Lord! Praise the Lord!” “Why are You vexed with us? Swami, why are You unhappy with our praises? Why?” Baba said this point. Please note: If there are praises, you say that which is not there, and it becomes praise. If you say, “Anil Kumar, you are very intelligent” it becomes praise. I am not. It is praise -- I am not. Therefore, praise is a thing that is done when that thing is non-existent. If you say, “You are a village officer” -- I am not! If you say, “You are a man of discipline” -- I am not! So, all these praises have got a meaning: you say something when those things are not there. So, why do you praise? You are to speak of those things that are already there. Dayasagara Karunakara Bhuvanehswara Akhileshwara Gunagambhira Saishwara Dayasagara Karunakara “Dayasagara: ‘Oh God, You are the ocean of Compassion.’ It is not praise; it is a reality. ‘You are all kindness.’ It is not praise; it is reality. Therefore, these are all qualities in Me. But I am not happy about all those praises.” Cultivate the qualitites you OFFER AS praise Then I said, “Swami, then what should we do? You don’t want me to praise. What shall I do now?” Baba said, “Those qualities which you offer as praises and sing in front of Me are to be cultivated by you. ‘Oh Lord, You are a sea of Compassion!’ You be compassionate! ‘Oh Bhagavan, You are the embodiment of kindness!’ You be kind towards others! Do you understand?” Krishna Murari Bhava Bhaya Hari, Hey Giridharhari Gopal, Parthi Vihari Hyrudaya Vihari, Bhakta Sakha Bhagavan, Bhakta Sakha Bhagavan, Hey Bhakta Sakha Bhagavan. So, Bhakta Sakha Bhagavan: ‘Oh God, You are my truest Friend’ means, you be a good friend to others. ‘You are compassionate’ – you be one of compassion. ‘You are kind’ – you be kindly towards others. That’s the meaning. Therefore, my friends, Baba said, “I am not affected by these praises. I am not impressed by your praise.” With the witness there is nothing - NO REACTIONS That’s why, when Swami gives darshan, if anyone says, “Swami, my grandmother died”, Baba says, “ Manchadi bangaroo! Very good.” (Laughter) “Swami, my leg is fractured.” “Manchi! Good.” Everything is manchi (good) to Him – our pain, zero! He is not affected by fracture or birth or death. “Swami, I am starting a school.” “Manchadi! Start it!” “Swami, I am closing the school.” “Chala manchadi!” Do you understand why? To all these things that are happening, He is only a witness and not a party. If you are a party, you react. If you are a witness, you do not. Do you understand? Suppose I identify myself with you. Both of us worked there in the canteen for three hours. When people start praising you, 50% of the praise should come to me! (Laughter) Am I right? On the other hand, if they say you have spoiled our dinners, 50% of the discredit should come to me! So, this kind of credit and discredit, or praise or blame comes to you, as you are working there, whether you like it or not, because you are a party. So, just witness. My friends, when actions are not of the mind, when all these things happen at the level of the witness -- as a witness, not as a party -- there will be nothing that is good and nothing that is bad. There will be nothing that is meritorious and nothing that is sinful. There is no paradise and there is no hell. With the witness, there is nothing, no reactions; while with the mind, there is everything, all reactions. So, I will feel the effect because of the mind. Or, I will not feel the effect because I am the witness. “I want to be in paradise” – you are the mind. “I don’t want to be in hell” -- you are the mind. Neither paradise nor hell, I am what I am -- that is the witness. Therefore, akarma, vikarma, and karma -- these three apply at the level of the doer, kartutva, and at the level of the experiencer, bhoktutva. But once these two, the doer and the experiencer, are given up, you are the witness come what may. Be the witness, and then you will not be affected. actions BEAR FRUITS AT DIFFERENT TIMES Actions are of different types. Some people complain, “Sir, there is a fellow in my place who is highly corrupt and enjoying life, while I am very honest, but don’t have enough to eat.” Baba said this. Please understand. “Some actions bear fruits immediately. Some actions bear fruits slowly. Some actions bear fruits late -- delayed.” He gave a few examples: When you cut with a blade here (on the finger), bleeding starts immediately. That’s an action with an immediate reaction. Right? So, certain actions lead to immediate reactions. I have my daily lunch at 12 o’clock; so I will not be hungry till 4 o’clock. That is an action with a reaction after four hours. You sow the seed now. If you plant a sapling, a tree, it bears the fruit one year later. So, some actions bear immediate results. Some, the results come slowly. And some take place over a long period of time. But one cannot escape from the reactions of actions. Even God is not exempt from his own laws Even God is not spared. Baba said so long back on one of the Onam occasions when He had a fracture. (I think in 1988 or 1989 or so.) He gave a discourse in which He said, “I stepped on the soap. I fell down. Therefore, there is this fracture.” He said, “The law of gravitation is applicable to everybody -- even to God. When I fall, it must lead to fracture. You and I are the same with regard to the law of Nature.” God Himself ordains the law of Nature and so He has to also follow His own law. He gave an example: Suppose these people should see an indication along the traffic, “Keep to the left. All should keep to the left” – all cars and all that. Suppose the Director General of Police, the DGP, says, “Yes, I am a policeman. I go towards the right.” We will say to him, “You too must follow to the left only.” So, the person who has to enforce the law must act according to the law. Similarly, the law of nature ordained by God requires God also to follow it. Do you understand? That is what Baba said. So that’s action and reaction. Before I close my friends, actions and reactions, good and bad, liberation and bondage, sin and merit are all because of the role of the mind -- the doer and the experiencer. When once we go beyond the state of the mind and stand as a witness, it is non-dualism, the nectarine experience of the Self. The knowledge of this is called Self-knowledge, for which we are all born. May Bhagavan bless you. Thank you. OM…OM…OM… Asato Maa Sad Gamaya Tamaso Maa Jyotir Gamaya Mrtyormaa Amrtam Gamaya Om Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu Om Shanti Shanti ShantiA Anantha VijayaManager (Sales & Mktg.) Dhara Vegetable Oil & Foods Company LtdC/o National Dairy Development BoardNear Mahananda DairyWestern Express HighwayGoregaon (East)Mumbai - 400 063Ph: (off) 26850459 (res) 26850458 Mail - 250MB free storage. Do more. Manage less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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