Articles for Saadhana

Harih Om Tat Sat. Jai Guru. Jai Guru.

Today I have to speak for Mukthisudhakaram.  Naturally, some thoughts about the portion I was supposed to discuss today came to my mind during my morning walk. I thought I would speak about that today.  We already are having consistent Gita discussions in the evening and we have finished the fourth chapter. One, two, three, four, very enlightening and very important chapters. If you complete fifth and sixth, it would mean covering the Bhagavad Gita in a fairly good manner. The rest of the chapters are explanatory you can say, ancillary discussions. But in every discussion, there will be something very sublime, important and paramount. The fourteenth chapter is the subject of discussion in Mukthisudhakaram now. It is called Gunatraya-Vibhaga-Yogah, speaking about the three gunas.

Krishna spoke about three gunas right from the second chapter. The same gunas he is discussing in a detailed manner. He says, ‘What is sattvaguna? What are the effects? What are the effects of rajoguna, tamoguna and what are the results and outcomes of these gunas?’  After completing it, he says at one point, people who shed their bodies when sattva is dominant will have this kind of an outcome, rajoguna will have this outcome, tamoguna will have that outcome. So, I am wondering why is Krishna saying like this.  Where is the necessity to say? When somebody has sattvaguna, is it that,

He will go to the pure worlds? Will there be an ego and the jiva surviving after the fall of the body? Or mind, intelligence and ego are relevant only to embodiment? The truth is that they are relevant only to embodiment. The moment body falls, nothing is going to happen. This is the truth!  But people are not satisfied. So, we concoct a sukshma shareera and then say “He goes..”. Now this is something about which we can never be sure of.

Our life is experiential. In the experiential life, how can we ever think of anything before birth and after death? Our problems are here. So, the solution also should be here. To know problem, can a solution be after death? So, I was thinking, thinking, thinking and we are trying to connect a number of slokas from here and there in Bhagavad Gita where everything is specifically said to be here and now.  In the fourth chapter, I was taking two verses.

Ajñaśca saṁśayātma– the one who is ignorant and who doesn’t have any attention to understand matters, he becomes doubtful. And for the doubtful, there is nothing at all.  For the clear minded, then what is there? Everything is here and now.  There is nothing to survive. Either you have a comfortable life here or you do not have. There is nothing like getting a promise and going from here. Are you living on a promise?

Suppose a couple, they do not have a child, are they going to die saying that “I will have one in my next life.”? Is there any meaning in it? They must get reconciled to a childless life. And then, whatever gap is created by lack of a child, it has to be filled and it is possible. When the mind becomes full and contended, there is no question of any craving for anything whatsoever. So, what are we to understand from this?

These are the three important phrases we discussed. You have to be one whose all activities are completely dissolved by Yoga-sannyasa. You should be one, all whose doubts are dispelled by true wisdom. And live a self-regulated life. Now, this completely fulfills everything. Krishna says,

The brahma sthitiḥ is something that you can attain even at the last moment of your life. If you attain it, then where is the question of further birth, going here, going there etc.?  All our activities are here. All the papas and punyas are here. All the gain and loss are here. So, should we not dispose of the whole life here itself? Should we not fulfill it here itself? 

The Vedas deal with tri-gunas, and be totally indifferent to the three gunas. When Krishna says, be indifferent to them and rise above them, where is the question of going into a world after death? Krishna says that do not regard it at all! Have your fulfillment right here and now.

My dear souls, please understand, we should know how to read our scriptures and how to focus on something about which we are sure. There are people, majority of them who still feel, “Swamiji, what will happen to me when I die? If life is comfortable, all of it will be denied, I will have nothing or if my life has been bad, what kind of punishment will I be given?” This thought about future, as we have here and now, we also have about post death, post death outcome. But the sastras clearly tell you,

You have to acquire such knowledge that you will not have any requirement to think about other matters. The doubt will be resolved here.  The ego will completely vanish and all the karma bandhas will totally be wiped off. Now, what is it that you will select from all these multiple statements? Therein lies the difference. I don’t know whether I should say this but still I will share. Even amongst the sannyasins, nobody seems to be doubtful and focused here and now. You know, I have taken a very safe stand. Suppose there is going to be a further birth, in what way will it be different from this? I shall be living, for 83 years I have already lived. Maybe I will live for another 10 years or less. Suppose I have a further birth, except the biological birth and growth, can there be a mental difference?

The next statement is important. I think it will be just like my continuing to live in this body for another sixty years, if the same life were to extend for another tenor, what would it have been? The same would be the case if I have another birth. With one advantage, I would have a young body. So, there is no problem. If I am going to survive, I will survive with this mind structure. And my mind structure is quite alright, I am happy, I am contended, I have no doubt. I have pocketed God.  No problem. This no-problem life alone will continue.

So, my attitude is, whether I have a further birth or not, it makes no difference. So, I am very safe. If there is no birth, well and good. If there is a birth, it will be something like this. As I have lived after my illumination for a few decades, I will continue to live for another few decades. See, how I have resolved that point.

If I can wipe off all the karmic effects here and now (Swamiji laughs), I am continuing to do work, and I am effacing all the effects of the karma here, done here. Then, the old karma I don’t know where it is, why should it come to me, even if it comes, can I not wipe it off?  Here, at least some biological effects will be there. There, no biological effects will be there. And what is my mind like? It is like the ocean or space, no impression can be made there like a writing on water and in space. I think this is the way you should resolve your problems.

So, I have picked up something like thirty verses or so from Bhagavad Gita, all of which focus on the life here and now and clearly say that the effort as well as its fruition are both here and now.  And you will find the super majority, the deluxe majority of people will not get focused on this life. This is how people are. And they will say this, they will say that, trying to argue this, argue that.

Some person has said, “We have got a Hindu Aikyavedi.  200 organizations are there, all of them are paper organizations. None of them has raised the subject of entry of women in Sabarimalai. When it is raised, we will take a decision.  But nobody has raised.”  When the matter is being discussed in the Supreme Court level and the Supreme Court is going to produce an order, these people are saying it has not being raised. When it should be raised now? It is being debated by the Supreme Court! And the order when passed, all these 200 organizations will have to simply abide by it. Even then, they say, nobody has raised that point. When they raise it, it is not a problem at all with the Hindus. What do you say? The super majority of our community are like this. I just wanted you to understand.

Harih Om Tat Sat. Jai Guru. Jai Guru.