Articles for Saadhana

Harih Om Tat Sat. Jai Guru. Jai Guru.

This is an occasion when our ‘A’ is struggling or striving in her own mind about what should be done for her spiritual pursuit, if at all to intensify it, to climax it and perhaps to shorten the duration of seeking before she could breathe an air of peace and fulfillment. Naturally the subject is in my mind. I thought I will speak some of the thoughts that come to my mind.

Intensity on the part of the seeker is something very important. This intensity can drive him to any extent of unusualness. I had read in my Calcutta days, how Ramakrishna Dev was given to extreme devotional fervour, intensity, which was clearly bordering in eccentricity and particularity. At one point of time, one Bhairavi Brahmani arrived there on the scene and she used to tell people that all the symptoms which Ramakrishna Dev was having, were clearly indicative of an extraordinary level of devotional fervour. I think at one point of time, if my memory is correct, sandal paste was made in substantial quantity and smeared over his body.

In my Calcutta flat and room, whenever I used to get opportunity, I would close the door and window and lie there wrapped up in meditative fervour. Sometimes my brother who was outside, he used to come and open the door and then say “What! What are you doing? The room is fuming.” he used to say because I was plugging even the hole of the window. And I was having so much of spiritual heat in my body, I very often used to feel it was intolerable, not very comfortable and soothing. Now looking back I can say, it was because of the maddening intensity I had in my system. “Was so much intensity necessary?”, if you ask me now, I would like to say “No”. But who is there to listen to, in that mood and in that condition?

One time my brother said: “Shall I also prepare sandal paste and smear it on your body?” I said “No.” So, this may perhaps give you an idea of how much a seeker, his mind can become intense, intense, intense. And this intensity and depth often outstrips the safe boundaries necessary for the sādhana. But somehow, because the whole pursuit is revolving around Divinity, God and Spirituality, the seeker is never let to step into a wrong premise. That is all the guarantee that I can speak about.

This intensity was so much, so much, so much, so much, I used to write letters and also speak to my Gurudev and we had some discussions. He had only one word to say: “Carry on, Carry on, Carry on.” Nothing else he would say. “Carry on.” And then he will also say, “Carry on without expecting any results, without expecting any results, without expecting any results.” One day I got a little, I don’t know what to say, “Baba, What are you saying without expecting results? There is only one result and that is illumination or enlightenment. Even that is wrong?”

“No, that is not wrong.”

“Then what is the result that you are referring to?”

“I am referring to any kind of expectations in this way or that way other than the fruition and fulfillment of the sādhana that you do.”

That was the only time I felt a little bad as to why Baba is saying like this and then asked.

It appears that my brothers one day asked him. We were exposed to scriptures, particularly Yoga Vasishta Ramayana which discusses the subject from various angles and levels. One particular shloka from Yoga Vasishta Ramayana is very, very pertinent.

Now here three points are used. This is how introspection triggers in a seeker. "Vāsanākshaya vijnāna manonāśa". Vāsanākshaya is easy to understand, extinction of desires.  Vijñāna, what is this vijñāna? Is it reading the scriptures and understanding bookish knowledge? Is there any knowledge other than bookish? What is that knowledge? Where will it dawn? How will it be had? How to know whether one has it? All these are questions that will revolve around this. Questions are arising from the mind. Answer also should come to the mind. So, where is the focus? Is it outside in the Himalayan caves or in the Atlantic or Indian Ocean depths?

Manonāśa: What is meant by manonāśa?  The word nāśa means destruction, destruction of the mind. Can we destroy the mind? Is it desirable? But Yoga Vasishta has said it. So, we started reading them and every reading was supposed to and was guiding our sadhana, thoughts etc.

So, at one time I was not there. It appears my brother asked our Baba Gurudev, “Why is it that you did not tell us that mere sitting in sadhana, in meditation will not be sufficient but we must also pursue the goal of dealing with the desires and making them extinct and vijñāna?” It appears I was not there. It appears, our Gurudev said, “If I had told you, would you have understood it then?” This is something very, very important.

As against this background of ours vis-à-vis our Gurudev, what is it that I am doing, even Nutan swamiji and Mā are doing? We are conducting regular classes and in the classes we practically bring all the texts, most important texts and the last stages of spiritual illumination and enlightenment are completely ripped open here. At least I do it. Don’t you think that it is a striking contrast to the position that our Gurudev had taken, meant or intended? It is for you to compare and contrast these two positions and arrive at your own conclusions.

I am giving you a portion. Is it right, is it necessary, is it useful and helpful, that the śāstras are discussed and during the discussion, even the end point of sadhana, everything is mentioned? By exposing it to the seekers, where good seekers and not so good seekers, intense and non-intense seekers will be there, is it wrong or is it right, will it be useful, what should we do? I would like to get it mirrored in your hearts and minds. What? Does exposure to the supreme truth, it’s simplicity, it’s openness, how it is related to the straight forwardness and innocence of the seeking mind, by exposing it, will the seekers and the sadhakas be helped? I have one answer. Why are they mentioned in the scriptures themselves? It is an open book. Anybody can read it. So, it is already disclosed. Then are we to think about whether to disclose or not? It will be disclosed, it can be disclosed, whoever wants to disclose it. It depends upon one’s own nature, one’s own predilection. In spite of the fact that it is disclosed, not all of them, all people take to it. Even out of those people who take to it, not all make full meaning and purpose of it. Again the same statement:

श्रवणायापि बहुभिर्यो न लभ्यः
श्रृण्वन्तोऽपि बहवो यं न विद्युः ।
आश्चर्यो वक्ता कुशलोऽस्य लब्धा
आश्चर्यो ज्ञाता कुशलानुशिष्टः ।।

Śravaṇāyāpi bahubhiryo na labhyaḥ
Śṛṇvanto'pi bahavo yam na vidyuḥ |
Āścharyo vaktā kuśalosya labdhā
Āścharyo jñātā kuśalānuśiṣtaḥ ||

(Kathopanishad 1.2.7)

Śravaṇāyāpi bahubhiryo na labhyaḥ - It is very, very difficult to get an exponent who will expose it properly. One exponent is sufficient. Hundreds, thousands and lakhs nowadays can listen to him. So, to have an exponent is very, very rare.

Śṛṇvanto'pi bahavo yam na vidyuḥ - One exponent can make numerous people listen to him. But of the many many, many and many who listen to, śṛṇvanto'pi bahavo yam na vidyuḥ, many people do not understand, they only fail to.

Āścharyo vaktā - The man who exposes is extremely exquisitely wonderful.

Kuśalosya labdaḥ - Whoever is able to get it with a sense of affinity and attunement is extremely fortunate.

Āścharyo jñātā - Still more wonderful and rare is the one who understands and realizes it. 

Kuśalānuśiṣtaḥ -  Properly instructed.

In this, my role now, I was a seeker before my Gurudev, I was not enlightened. I had my own seeking intensity, I don’t know whether I had vagaries. Now my position is one of enlightener. I am exposing and enlightening people. I continue to do what is characteristic of me, what is natural to me. There is no comparison, there is no selection. Whatever is natural to a person like me, it goes on. I don’t think much can be done about it. But nevertheless, we should not be rigid enough to say, no improvement or refinement can be had. Every day should be one of greater refinement, greater enrichment and greater ennoblement, greater compassion. I think otherwise, life will be disinteresting. Today, perhaps I am not what I was yesterday. I have been very involved in writing a reply to that person ‘K’. I have to spend quite some time. Today I started translating the letter because he said he can do only Malayalam.

So, the very fact that making the letter as an occasion, my mind starts thinking about, thinking about, thinking about. It is very good. What else can make me think? Anybody has got the freedom to think and feel the way he or she does and they must express it. We must be happy and we must receive the expression, put it into our own mind and should not evoke the least resentment, dislike, on the other hand it should get assimilated into our system. So, whatever perfection is there will be still better. It is already either a full moon day, the full moon day cannot be brighter but perhaps when there is no cloud, the brightness will be fully felt. This is how it goes.

So, I wanted to tell you about that intensity and finally the statement my brother made and the reply our Gurudev gave.

Harih Om Tat Sat. Jai Guru. Jai Guru.