Articles for Saadhana

Harih Om Tat Sat. Jai Guru. Jai Guru. 

I have been writing for Vicharasethu, the article on ‘Science of Inner Redemption’. I think this is the 77th article I am writing now .You must have heard us say during our lectures that true spiritual wisdom and the excellence one gains will make a person, a mahākarta and a mahābhokta. Sage Vasishta seems to be adding a mahātyāgi also. So far, we were speaking only about only mahākarta and mahābhokta. This is contrary to the widespread general belief, not only widespread general belief, even selective belief amongst the seekers as well as knower’s of truth. What is that general belief? The general belief is that spiritual wisdom cuts across all activities and makes a man remain fulfilled, thinking that “I have nothing to do, I have nothing to gain, I have nothing to lose”. This is generally the feeling.

Even in Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says kṛtvāpi na nibadhyate (Bhagavad Gita 4.22). If you do in this manner you will not be bound by your actions. At another place he says, whatever the knower of truth does, ‘naiva kiñcit karomīti’ (Bhagavad Gita 5.8). He will always have the feeling and realization that “I don’t do anything”. So you will find always a negative aspect of it. For example, what is the negativity? Whatever actions you have performed, spirituality will negative it. You don’t feel that you have done anything. “I don’t do anything”, a feeling of non-doer-ship, non-performer-ship, this is what spirituality bestows.

Samagraṁ pravilīyate (Bhagavad Gita 4.23), Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita. All the actions that you perform along with the results completely get dissolved. It is always, what shall I say - Multiplying everything with a zero! Multiplying everything with a zero, you perform everything but all the actions performed are multiplied with zero. “I don’t do anything. I have not done anything.” I don’t know whether you will get me when I say this.

Now, Yogavasishtha’s proposition is something diametrically different. It is multiplying everything with infinity. What does it mean? A man with true spiritual wisdom and realization will become an exalted, magnificent, profound and mighty, resourceful performer. Just imagine! Normally he may do ‘X’ measure of activity without much tension, without going into too much of involvement etc. He will be driving through a very lean road where there is not much of a traffic. Now, Sage Vashistha says it is not so! He will be able to steer well in a thick and crowded road where traffic is going up and down, without any divider in between. This is what he says. I think there is a polar difference between the two.

Now, mahākarta, mahābhokta. Suppose his doer-ship enhances in his measure, might and potential, naturally the consequences also will be very huge. So the mind expands to such an extent that he is able to imbibe, receive, assimilate, harmonize all the consequences. See, imagine Krishna. Normally a Maharaja or a Kshatriya will marry once, twice, three times or so. He ceremonially initially married eight girls. Then when he subdued Narakāsura and went into the palace, he found that 16000 royal damsels were kept in captivity. He ordered “Release all of them”. When they were released, they were all unmarried girls. They came and prostrated before Krishna and said “We have been abducted by Narakāsura. Narakāsura has been slain. If we go back, I don’t think we will be properly received by our parents because there is a contamination that has accrued to our life by this abduction. So we only have one thing. As you have released the locks of our rooms, you should release the locks of our hearts. So we would like to marry you.”

You know the code for Kshatriya is, any girl who comes and seeks the hand of a Kshatriya, he must agree. The reason being in the Kshatriya community there used to be inter-kingdom wars regularly. Like our sports, that used to be a performential excellence, a display for them. In all those wars, the men folk died in large number. So the women folk, they used to be larger in number. So men population less and women exceedingly more, the only way will be for every man to marry more than one woman. So the code was that any girl asking your hand, you cannot refuse.

So Krishna said “Okay.” And then he sent all of them to Dwaraka in special palanquins and all that. They went to Dwaraka. He arranged a ceremonial occasion for it, a day for it, and married all the sixteen thousand. Srimad Bhagavata says at same time 16,000 Krishna’s married 16,000 girls individually, at the same time, in the same muhurta. What does it mean? Nobody knows who is the original Krishna and who are the duplicate Krishnas.

Just imagine! Normally this is something that no human can do. So, here is a situation where a magnificent karta and following that he became a magnificent bhokta also. He had to experience the consequences. So many children were born every day in Dwaraka palace, some daughters-in-law will come, some daughters will come, some daughters-in-law will go. Every time, how much of domestic residential activity was going on to manage all these things, to supervise them, it is not simple and easy. And it will be joyous also. If you are happy with one daughter-in-law or one daughter who has come home, you will be greatly happy, manifoldly happy with many of them coming and going. That is what is meant by mahābhokta. Remain a king, you have lot of luxury, similarly you have a great burden. So you will become a mighty enjoyer and a mighty sufferer.

And finally in this particular portion Vasishtadev adds mahātyāgi. The word tyāga means renunciation, abandonment. What is the tyaga element in him? The tyaga element is, all that is being done, results are being experienced, enjoyment and suffering like, and in the whole process, the ego is multiplied by zero. The possessiveness is not there, desire is not there. Desire not being there, possessiveness not being there and ego that “I am a doer. I am a performer.” not being there, it is renunciation of the highest and the most inmost order.

We think that renunciation is giving an article, giving some money. What is that renunciation? You have left something, dislodged it from where it is. Instead of being here, it has gone there. You have renounced it, another has possessed it. That is not renunciation. Renunciation means a kind of dissolution should take place. Whatever you renounce, that should not have no prevalence at all. That renunciation can only be mental and intellectual. So this renunciation is renunciation of desire. The mind still survives without desire. It was surviving desirefully. Now it is surviving desire freely. Similarly it was very possessive earlier. Now it becomes non-possessive. It was very egotistic and proud earlier, now it has become ego effaced. This is what is required. So, this is opposite to what is generally spirituality conceived to be.

Bhagavad Gita is the most authoritative and memorable conversation that you can imagine. Even now, it becomes a world gospel for us but it is a war gospel. And it always says that “This war you will have fought, Arjuna, but in reality, no sinful effect will have been there in your mind.” So there is a way of doing things without getting tainted by the consequences, particularly sinfulness. The whole gospel is geared for that.

Whereas Yogavasishtha Ramayana, Rama was not confronted by a war, he was only 16 years old. He was supposed to sit on the throne and rule the great Ikshwaku dynasty, the throne. So Rama had to do personal sacrifices, personal heroic acts. He also had to do many royal acts. Royal act means, a domestic act is a miniscule one, but royal act will be a macro act. Instead of one family, the whole kingdom becomes the family. So you have to run a family of countless subjects. Everyone is a member of your family. Day in and day out, maybe midnight at one o’clock or two o’clock, if an alarming news comes, suddenly you have to get up from your bed, jump and reach there. They did not have any mobile at that time. So can you imagine how burdensome it is? So mahākarta.

Similarly mahābhokta and then mahātyāgi. Tyāga, renunciation at the inmost level, in the level of the mind, intelligence, heart, in the level of the very ego. How beautiful it is! I sometimes wonder whether people will understand these concepts. What a beautiful proposition is it! It makes you a better performer, a better enjoyer, a better and a greater sufferer, it also makes you the greater and the greatest renouncer. I am very sure that our ashram represents this kind of an inner embellishment, this kind of inner splendour and the salutary effects following this inner splendor.

Harih Om Tat Sat. Jai Guru. Jai Guru.