11 Serialised Talks on “ The Route Jivansutrani.pdf · Sandeepany’s Vedanta Course List of All the Course Texts in Chronological Sequence: Text No. TITLE OF TEXT Text No. TITLE

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11 Serialised Talks on

“ The Route to Happiness”

Based on Sandeepany Text 37

|| eÉÏuÉlÉç xÉÔ§ÉÉÍhÉ ||

Jivan Sootrani “Tips for Happy Living”

“THE SANDEEPANY EXPERIENCE”

Reflections by

SWAMI GURUBHAKTANANDA

Sandeepany’s Vedanta Course List of All the Course Texts in Chronological Sequence:

Text

No. TITLE OF TEXT

Text

No. TITLE OF TEXT

1 Sadhana Panchakam 24 Hanuman Chalisa

2 Tattwa Bodha 25 Vakya Vritti

3 Atma Bodha 26 Advaita Makaranda

4 Bhaja Govindam 27 Kaivalya Upanishad

5 Manisha Panchakam 28 Bhagavad Geeta (Discourse -- )

6 Forgive Me 29 Mundaka Upanishad

7 Upadesha Sara 30 Amritabindu Upanishad

8 Prashna Upanishad 31 Mukunda Mala (Bhakti Text)

9 Dhanyashtakam 32 Tapovan Shatkam

10 Bodha Sara 33 The Mahavakyas, Panchadasi 5

11 Viveka Choodamani 34 Aitareya Upanishad

12 Jnana Sara 35 Narada Bhakti Sootras

13 Drig-Drishya Viveka 36 Taittiriya Upanishad

14 “Tat Twam Asi” – Chand Up 6 37 Jivan Sootrani (Tips for Happy Living)

15 Dhyana Swaroopam 38 Kena Upanishad

16 “Bhoomaiva Sukham” Chand Up 7 39 Aparoksha Anubhuti (Meditation)

17 Manah Shodhanam 40 108 Names of Pujya Gurudev

18 “Nataka Deepa” – Panchadasi 10 41 Mandukya Upanishad

19 Isavasya Upanishad 42 Dakshinamurty Ashtakam

20 Katha Upanishad 43 Shad Darshanaah

21 “Sara Sangrah” – Yoga Vasishtha 44 Brahma Sootras

22 Vedanta Sara 45 Jivanmuktananda Lahari

23 Mahabharata + Geeta Dhyanam 46 Chinmaya Pledge

A NOTE ABOUT SANDEEPANY

Sandeepany Sadhanalaya is an institution run by the Chinmaya Mission in Powai, Mumbai, teaching a 2-year Vedanta Course. It has a very balanced daily programme of basic Samskrit, Vedic chanting, Vedanta study, Bhagavatam, Ramacharitmanas, Bhajans, meditation, sports and fitness exercises, team-building outings, games and drama, celebration of all Hindu festivals, weekly Gayatri Havan and Guru Paduka Pooja, and Karma Yoga activities.

This series is an effort to promote the learning of Vedanta; it does not replace the Course, but hopes to inspire young people to spend two years of their life for an experience that is sure to make a far-reaching spiritual impact on their personal lives. Sandeepany is an all-round spiritual course that gives proper direction to the youth and to those approaching retirement. Hinduism is in dire need of a band of systematically trained teachers or Acharyas who can serve this Eternal Religion.

– The Author, 8th October, 2019, the Auspicious Vijaya Dasami Day

Om Namah Shivaaya!


JIVAN SOOTRANI (Sootras only) “Tips for Happy Living” by Swami Tejomayananda

&

11 Talks Based on Jivan Sootrani

ROUTE TO HAPPINESS Reflections by Swami Gurubhaktananda

on the 4 Lectures delivered by Pujya Swami Tejomayanandaji, Guruji (then Spiritual Head) of the Chinmaya Mission,

to the 15th Batch, Sandeepany Sadhanalaya, Powai, Mumbai from

March 6th – March 11th, 2013

Adi Shankaracharya Swami Sivananda Swami Tapovanji Swami Chinmayananda

SERVE LOVE GIVE PURIFY MEDITATE REALISE

Text

37

Copyright & Author’s Details Author: Swami Gurubhaktananda (ex Krishna Chaitanya, born Bipin R. Kapitan in Durban, South Africa)

Email: [email protected] © 2019 All Rights Reserved. Copyright held by Swami Gurubhaktananda. About This Edition: Web Edition: 8th October, 2019, the Auspicious Vijaya Dasami Day Website: Chinmaya International Foundation: www.chinfo.org Series Title : The Sandeepany Experience Series Subject: Vedanta & Supportive Subsidiary Texts Declaration by the Author: The material in this series is under inspiration of the Sandeepany

Vedanta Course, but largely consists of the Author’s reflections on the Course. He is deeply indebted to the Chinmaya Mission for its excellent presentation of the Course by their renowned and dedicated Acharyas.

Personal Dedication 1. To my Late Parents, Smt Sharadaben & Sri Ratilalbhai Kapitan

who inspired me to study in life, to stick to the path of Dharma and pursue the highest ideals; and swamped me with their abundant Love;

2. To Pujya Sri Swami Vimalanandaji Maharaj (1932-2019) the Late President of the Divine Life Society of Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India, who constantly encouraged and supported this effort;

3. To Pujya Sri Swami Tejomayanandaji (Guruji) for his boundless vision and inspiration to create a vibrant organisation;

4. To Sri Swami Advayanandaji and Sri Swami Sharadanandaji my Acharyaji and Upa-Acharyaji at Sandeepany, who imparted their bountiful knowledge and wisdom with rare selfless Divine Love, just as the Rishis of yore would wish to see them do.

*****

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.chinfo.org/

JIVAN SOOTRANI “Tips for Happy Living” (the Sootras only)

& ROUTE TO HAPPINESS Reflections Based on Jivan Sootrani

1


JEEVAN SOOTRAANI

8 Chapters (66 Verses)

“Tips for Happy Living”

by Swami Tejomayananda (Guruji) then Spiritual Head of Chinmaya Mission

INTRODUCTION TO SOOTRA LITERATURE

What is a Sootra?

AsmÉÉ¤ÉUqÉç AxÉÇÌSakÉÇ ,

xÉÉUuÉiÉç ÌuÉµÉiÉÉå qÉÑZÉqÉç |

AxiÉÉåpÉqÉç AlÉuÉ±Ç cÉ ,

xÉÔ§ÉÇ xÉÔ§ÉÌuÉSÉå ÌuÉSÒÈ || 0 ||

alp¡k½aram asa¯digdha¯ ,

s¡ravat vi¾vatµ mukham |

astµbham anavadya¯ ca ,

sÀtra¯ sÀtravidµ vidu¦ || ||0||

alpaaksharam asamdigdham, saaravat vishvatah mukham; astobham, anavadyam cha, sootram sootravidah viduh.

That which has minimum words, is free from ambiguity, is meaningful, multi-faceted, without any superfluous words, and is flawless – is defined as a Sootra by those who know.

The six points mentioned here indicate the key elements that make up the terse, cryptic, aphoristic style of Sootra writings. Guruji says, “This style is unique to India and very effective in communicating subtle ideas. When reflected, upon they reveal great depth.”

Other examples in this style are:

i) Panini Sootras – capturing the essentials of Samskrit grammar rules;

ii) Patanjali Yoga Sootras – expounding the science of Yoga;

iii) Narada Bhakti Sootras – expounding the principles of Divine Love or devotion;

iv) Brahma Sootras – by Sage Vyasa, laying out the essentials of Vedanta philosophy.

*****

2

PART 1: JIVAN SOOTRANI “Tips for Happy Living”

CONTENTS

Introduction to Sootra Literature 1

Chap: Tips to Take CHARGE of Life (Verses 1-8) 4

Chap: Tips that Awaken POTENTIAL (Verses 9-18) 7

Chap: Tips that EMPOWER (Verses 19-30) 10

Chap: Tips Relating to WORK (Verses 31-37) 13

Chap: Tips Relating to PEOPLE (Verses 38-45) 15

Chap: Tips Relating to THINGS (Verses 46-51) 17

Chap: Tips Relating to FULFILLMENT (Verses 52-61) 19

Chap: Concluding Tips (Verses 62-66) 22

*****

3

PART 2: THE ROUTE TO HAPPINESS Based on Jivan Sootrani

CONTENTS

TALK Chap 1: Taking Charge of Life (v 1-8) 26

TALK Chap 2: Awakening Our Potential (v 9-18) 30

TALK Chap 3.1: Empowerment in Society (v 19-22) 36

TALK Chap 3.2: Performance & Success (v 23-30) 42

TALK Chap 4: At the Work-Face (v 31-37) 47

TALK Chap 5.1: Human Relationships (v 38-41) 51

TALK Chap 5.2: Spiritual Relationships (v 42-45) 56

TALK Chap 6: The Place & Value of Things (v 46-51) 61

TALK Chap 7.1: Mind – Vices & Virtues (v 52-57) 66

TALK Chap 7.2: Mind: Pain & Incompleteness (v 58-61) 71

TALK Chap 8: The Most "Successful" Tip (v 62-66) 75-80

*****

11

These Talks were delivered at Sivanandashram, Rishikesh, from

18th Nov 2015 to 11th Feb 2016

4

PART 1

CHAPTER ONE

Sootras 1-8 (8 Sootras)

“Tips to Take CHARGE of Life”

Note on Presentation: PART 1 contains only the Sootras. Each Sootra is given in 4 quarters: the Devanagari, the transliteration, the word transliteration, and the English meaning. PART 2 contains the reflections on each Sootra entitled “The Route to Happiness", presented in the form of 11 Talks.

Dedicated to Brahmaleen Sri Swami Vimalanandaji

Late President of Divine Life Society (1932-June 2019)

*****

Sootra 1.1 Life’s Do-It-Yourself Instruction Manual

AjÉ eÉÏuÉlÉ xÉÔ§ÉÉÍhÉ mÉëxiÉÔrÉliÉå ||1.1||

atha j§vana sÀtr¡³i prastÀyant£ ||1.1||

atha jeevana sootrani prastooyante. Now, the aphorisms on Life are presented.

5

Sootra 1.2 Why should I learn the lessons of Life? Can not Life itself teach them to me?

rÉe¥ÉÉiuÉÉprÉxrÉ cÉ,

eÉÏuÉlÉÇ xÉÑZÉÉrÉ pÉuÉÌiÉ ||1.2||

yajj²¡tv¡bhyasya ca,

j§vana¯ sukh¡ya bhavati ||1.2||

yat jnaatvaa abhyasya cha, jeevanam sukhaaya bhavati.

Knowing and practicing which, life becomes easy and happy.

Sootra 1.3 What is Life constituted of? How should I live it?

eÉÏuÉlÉå Ì²ÌuÉkÉÇ MüÉrÉïÇ |

mÉëÉmiÉmÉËUÎxjÉÌiÉmÉëÌiÉMüÉUÈ |

xuÉpÉÌuÉwrÉÌlÉqÉÉïhÉÇ cÉ | ||1.3||

j§van£ dvividha¯ k¡rya¯ |

pr¡ptaparisthitipratik¡ra¦ |

svabhavi½yanirm¡³a¯ ca | ||1.3||

jeevane dvividham kaaryam; praapta-paristhiti pratikaarah; swa-bhavishya nirmaanam cha.

There are two imperatives in life – i) to deal with situations as they come; ii) and to create one’s future.

Sootra 1.4 Can I not live another’s life? Can another not face life’s challenges for me?

iÉ§ÉÉlrÉxrÉÉlrÉålÉ eÉÏuÉlÉÇ

eÉÏÌuÉiÉÑÇ lÉ zÉYrÉiÉå ||1.4||

tatr¡nyasy¡ny£na j§vana¯

j§vitu¯ na ¾akyat£ ||1.4||

tatra anyasya anyena jeevanam jeevitum na shakyate.

There, the life of someone else is not possible to be lived.

Sootra 1.5 Can I not do anything for another? Do others have no role in my life?

mÉUxmÉUÇ xÉÉWûÉrrÉÇ iÉÑ xÉÇpÉuÉÌiÉ ||1.5||

paraspara¯ s¡h¡yya¯ tu sa¯bhavati ||1.5||

parasparam saahaayyam tu sambhavati.

Mutual help, however, is possible.

Sootra 1.6 What obstructs the easy flow of help?

xÉÉWûÉrrÉxrÉ xuÉÏMüUhÉå mÉëSÉlÉå

uÉÉWÇûMüÉUÉå lÉ MüUhÉÏrÉÈ ||1.6||

s¡h¡yyasya sv§kara³£ prad¡n£

v¡ha¯k¡rµ na kara³§ya¦ ||1.6||

saahaayyasya sveekarane pradaane

vaa ahamkaarah na karaneeyah.

In accepting or giving this help,

there should be no ego or arrogance.

6

Sootra 1.7 What should be my attitude in giving and receiving help?

eÉÏuÉlÉÇ ÌuÉlÉrÉålÉæuÉ zÉÉåpÉiÉå ||1.7||

j§vana¯ vinay£naiva ¾µbhat£ ||1.7||

jeevanam vinayena eva shobhate. Life becomes beautiful only with humility.

Sootra 1.8 Conclusion: I must take charge of my life.

iÉxqÉÉixuÉeÉÏuÉlÉpÉÉUqÉç xuÉÏM×üirÉ,

xÉuÉïmÉërÉ¦ÉålÉ iÉixÉTüsÉÏ MÑürÉÉïiÉç ||1.8||

tasm¡tsvaj§vanabh¡ram sv§k»tya,

sarvaprayatn£na tatsaphal§ kury¡t ||1.8||

tasmaat swa-jeevana bhaaram, sveekritya sarvaprayatnena tat saphalee kuryaat.

Therefore, accepting the responsibility of one’s life, one should with all efforts, make it a success.

*****

7

CHAPTER TWO

Verses 9-18 (10 Verses)

“Tips that Awaken POTENTIAL”

Sootra 2.9 Are not a chosen few born to succeed?

xÉuÉåï eÉlÉÉÈ xÉTüsÉiÉÉqÉÉmiÉÑÇ

rÉÉåarÉÉÈ xÉqÉjÉÉï¶É ||2.9||

sarv£ jan¡¦ saphalat¡m¡ptu¯

yµgy¡¦ samarth¡¾ca ||2.9||

sarve janaah saphalataam aaptum yogyaah samarthaah cha.

Regarding achieving success, all people are eligible and capable.

Sootra 2.10 How can all be capable of success?

rÉxqÉÉixuÉiÉl§ÉiÉÉ

qÉlÉÑwrÉeÉlqÉlÉÉå ÌuÉzÉåwÉiÉÉ ||2.10||

yasm¡tsvatantrat¡

manu½yajanmanµ vi¾£½at¡ ||2.10||

yasmaat swatantrataa manushya janmanah visheshataa.

Since freedom is the speciality of human life.

Sootra 2.11 What is the freedom that I as a human enjoy?

A§É MüqÉï¥ÉÉlÉåcNûÉÌS,

xuÉÉiÉl§rÉqÉÑmÉsÉokÉqÉç ||2.11||

atra karmaj²¡n£cch¡di,

sv¡tantryamupalabdham ||2.11||

atra karma jnaana icchhaa aadi, swatantryam uplabdham.

Here, for action, knowledge, desire, etc, freedom is available.

Sootra 2.12 How should I use this God-gifted freedom?

iÉŠÉåiMüwÉÉïjÉïÇ rÉÉå£üurÉÇ,

lÉ iÉÑ xuÉmÉUÌuÉlÉÉzÉÉrÉ ||2.12||

taccµtkar½¡rtha¯ yµktavya¯,

na tu svaparavin¡¾¡ya ||2.12||

tat cha utkarshaartham yoktavyam ,

na tu swa-para vinaashaaya.

That should be used for raising oneself,

not to destroy oneself or others.

8

Sootra 2.13 Where is Potential and who has the key to it?

iÉSjÉïqÉmÉåÍ¤ÉiÉÉÈ xÉuÉïzÉ£ürÉÈ

xuÉÎxqÉ³ÉåuÉ ÌlÉÌWûiÉÉÈ ||2.13||

tadarthamap£k½it¡¦ sarva¾aktaya¦

svasminn£va nihit¡¦ ||2.13||

tadartham apekshitaah sarva shaktayah swasmin eva nihitaah.

All potentials needed for it are hidden in oneself only.

Sootra 2.14 What is this invaluable gift that I already possess?

zÉ£ürÉxiÉÑ MüÉrÉuÉÉXèû-

qÉlÉÉåoÉÑÎ® ÎxjÉiÉÉ

oÉÌWûÈ xÉÉkÉlÉpÉÔiÉÉ¶É ||2.14||

¾aktayastu k¡yav¡±-

manµbuddhi sthit¡

bahi¦ s¡dhanabhÀt¡¾ca ||2.14||

shaktayah tu kaaya vaak manah buddhi sthitaa, bahih saadhana bhootaah cha.

Indeed, the potentials of body, speech, mind and intellect are present, as also the external means.

Sootra 2.15 How can I harness this great Potential that lies within me?

iÉÉxÉÉqÉÍpÉurÉYirÉjÉïÇ iÉÑ eÉÏuÉlÉå,

´Éå¸Ç sÉ¤rÉqÉÉuÉzrÉMüqÉç ||2.15||

t¡s¡mabhivyaktyartha¯ tu j§van£,

¾r£½¿ha¯ lak½yam¡va¾yakam ||2.15||

taasaam abhivyaktyartham tu, jeevane shreshtham lakshyam avashyakam.

But to manifest them in life, a great goal is necessary.

Sootra 2.16 How should I go about setting my goals?

Ì²ÌuÉkÉÇ ÌWû sÉ¤rÉÇ |

mÉëÉjÉÍqÉMÇü cÉUqÉÇ cÉ ||2.16||

dvividha¯ hi lak½ya¯ |

pr¡thamika¯ carama¯ ca ||2.16||

dvividham hi lakshyam; praathamikam charamam cha.

Twofold, indeed, is this goal – the immediate and the ultimate.

Sootra 2.17 How are these goals inter-related?

LiÉrÉÉåqÉïkrÉå,

xÉÉqÉgeÉxrÉqÉÉuÉzrÉMüqÉç ||2.17||

£tayµrmadhy£,

s¡ma²jasyam¡va¾yakam ||2.17||

etayoh madhye saamanjasyam aavashyakam.

Between them, there must be harmony.

9

Sootra 2.18 An illustration of a harmonious inter-relationship between goals?

rÉjÉÉ qÉÉå¤ÉmÉëÉmirÉå,

ÍcÉ¨ÉzÉÑÎ®È ||2.18||

yath¡ mµk½apr¡pty£,

citta¾uddhi¦ ||2.18||

yathaa moksha praaptye, chitta shuddhih.

Just as for gaining Liberation, purity of mind (is essential) .

*****

10

CHAPTER THREE


“Tips that EMPOWER”

Sootra 3.19 Am I finite or infinite?

qÉÉlÉuÉmÉÑÂwÉÉjÉïÈ xÉÏÍqÉiÉÈ | ||3.19||

m¡navapuru½¡rtha¦ s§mita¦ | ||3.19||

maanava purushaarthah seemitah. Human effort is limited.

Sootra 3.20 Is there not a source of unlimited empowerment that I can plug onto?

xÉuÉïzÉÌ£üqÉSÏµÉUxrÉÉlÉÑaÉëWåûhÉ,

iÉÑ xÉ sÉ¤ÉaÉÑhÉÉå pÉuÉÌiÉ ||3.20||

sarva¾aktimad§¾varasy¡nugrah£³a,

tu sa lak½agu³µ bhavati ||3.20||

sarva shaktimat eeshvarasya anugrahena, tu sah lakshagunah bhavati.

Of the Omnipresent Lord – With His Grace, however, that becomes a million times more effective.

Sootra 3.21 How do I plug onto that Infinite Source?

iÉxqÉÉ¨ÉqÉåuÉÉÍ´ÉirÉ,

mÉÑÂwÉÉjÉïÈ MüiÉïurÉÈ ||3.21||

tasm¡ttam£v¡¾ritya,

puru½¡rtha¦ kartavya¦ ||3.21||

tasmaat, tam eva aashritya, purushaarthah kartavyah.

Therefore, depending on Him alone, efforts should be put forth.

Sootra 3.22 What makes my life truly beautiful?

iÉålÉæuÉ eÉÏuÉlÉÇ uÉxiÉÑiÉÈ, zÉÉåpÉlÉÇ ÌSurÉÇ

xÉÑZÉqÉrÉÇ cÉ pÉuÉÌiÉ ||3.22||

t£naiva j§vana¯ vastuta¦, ¾µbhana¯

divya¯ sukhamaya¯ ca bhavati ||3.22||

tena eva jeevanam vastutah

shobhanam divyam sukhamayam cha bhavati.

By that alone, does life become

truly beautiful and divine; it becomes full of happiness.

11

Sootra 3.23 Do troubles really follow the great?

´ÉårÉÉÎqxÉ oÉWÒûÌuÉblÉÉlÉÏÌiÉ

mÉëÍxÉ®qÉç ||3.23||

¾r£y¡msi bahuvighn¡n§ti

prasiddham ||3.23||

shreyaamsi bahu vighnaani – iti prasiddham.

Great goals have many impediments; that is well known (from experience).

Sootra 3.24 How do the great overcome troubles?

iÉSÉ ÌlÉUÉzÉÉÌlÉÂixÉÉWûÉÌS SÉåwÉÉlÉÑixÉ×erÉ,

kÉærÉïÇ cÉÉiqÉÌuÉµÉÉxÉÇ cÉ SØRûÏMÑüuÉïlÉç,

xÉÉkÉlÉqÉÉaÉåï AaÉë LuÉ mÉëÎxjÉiÉurÉqÉç

||3.24||

tad¡ nir¡¾¡niruts¡h¡di dµ½¡nuts»jya,

dhairya¯ c¡tmavi¾v¡sa¯ ca d»¢h§kurvan,

s¡dhanam¡rg£ agra £va prasthitavyam

||3.24||

tadaa niraashaa nirutsaaha aadi doshaan utsrijya, dhairyam cha aatma vishvaasam cha dridheekurvan,

saadhana maarge agra eva prasthitavyam.

At such times, dejection, depression and other weaknesses should be given up; and, with fortitude and self-confidence being strengthened,

the effort on the path ahead should alone be pursued.

Sootra 3.25 Is there a common solution to all my varied problems?

pÉuÉiÉÑ sÉÉæÌMüMüxÉqÉxrÉÉlÉÉÇ xÉqÉÉkÉÉlÉÇ,

iÉÑ AÉkrÉÉÎiqÉMüSØwšæuÉ ||3.25||

bhavatu laukikasamasy¡n¡¯ sam¡dh¡na¯,

tu ¡dhy¡tmikad»½¿yaiva ||3.25||

bhavatu laukika samasyaanaam, samaadhaanam tu

aadhyaatmika drishtyaa eva.

Let all worldly problems be solved indeed

only by a spiritual vision.

Sootra 3.26 Is a spiritual vision alone enough to solve every problem?

LuÉÇ MüqÉïÌlÉUiÉÉåÅuÉzrÉqÉåuÉ

xÉTüsÉiÉÉÇ mÉëÉmlÉÉåÌiÉ ||3.26||

£va¯ karmaniratµ:'va¾yam£va

saphalat¡¯ pr¡pnµti ||3.26||

evam karma niratah avashyam eva saphalataam praapnoti.

Through steadfast action, one certainly achieves the desired success.

12

Sootra 3.27 Two categories in Successful Empowerment.

urÉÌ¹xÉqÉÌ¹ÃmÉåhÉ,

xÉTüsÉiÉÉÌmÉ Ì²ÌuÉkÉÉ ||3.27||

vya½¿isama½¿irÀp£³a,

saphalat¡pi dvividh¡ ||3.27||

vyashti-samashti roopena, saphalataa api dvividhaa.

Individual and total – success is of these two kinds.

Sootra 3.28 Can my success be balanced with total success?

iÉrÉÉåqÉïkrÉå, xÉÉqÉgeÉxrÉqÉxiÉÑ ||3.28||

tayµrmadhy£, s¡ma²jasyamastu ||3.28||

tayoh madhye saamanjasyam astu. Between them, let there be harmony.

Sootra 3.29 If it is not balanced, what is the result?

AlrÉjÉÉlÉjÉïÈ ||3.29||

anyath¡nartha¦ ||3.29||

anyathaa anarthah. Otherwise, there is calamity.

Sootra 3.30 What is balanced success?

pÉuÉiÉÑ xÉuÉïpÉÔiÉÌWûiÉMüUÉ,

xÉTüsÉiÉÉ ||3.30||

bhavatu sarvabhÀtahitakar¡,

saphalat¡ ||3.30||

sarva bhoota hitakaraa saphalataa bhavatu.

To all beings let success be a blessing.

*****

13

CHAPTER FOUR


“Tips Relating to WORK”

Sootra 4.31 Do I need to work hard to succeed?

ÌuÉ´ÉÉqÉÇ ÌuÉlÉÉ mÉËU´ÉqÉÉå lÉ MüUhÉÏrÉÈ |

iÉjÉæuÉ cÉ MüÉrÉïÇ ÌuÉlÉÉ (lÉ) ÌuÉ´ÉÉqÉÈ

||4.31||

vi¾r¡ma¯ vin¡ pari¾ramµ na kara³§ya¦ |

tathaiva ca k¡rya¯ vin¡ (na) vi¾r¡ma¦

||4.31||

vishraamam vinaa parishramah na karaneeyah; tathaa eva cha kaaryam vinaa (na) vishraamah.

Without taking rest, do not work; and by the same token, without working, do not take rest!

Sootra 4.32 Which is more important for success – thinking or acting?

ÌuÉcÉÉUWûÏlÉÇ MüqÉï,

iÉjÉÉ MüqÉïWûÏlÉÉå ÌuÉcÉÉU¶É,

ÌuÉTüsÉiÉÉrÉÉÈ MüÉUhÉqÉç | ||4.32||

vic¡rah§na¯ karma,

tath¡ karmah§nµ vic¡ra¾ca,

viphalat¡y¡¦ k¡ra³am | ||4.32||

vichaara heenam karma, tathaa karma heenah vichaarah cha, vikalataayaah kaaranam.

Thoughtless action, as well as actionless thought, are both causes of failure.

Sootra 4.33 Why do I become unhappy?

mÉëÉmiÉxrÉÉåmÉå¤ÉÉrÉÉÇ

iÉjÉÉÅmÉëÉmiÉxrÉÉmÉå¤ÉÉrÉÉÇ

SÒÈZÉxrÉ xÉÑU¤ÉÉ ||4.33||

pr¡ptasyµp£k½¡y¡¯

tath¡:'pr¡ptasy¡p£k½¡y¡¯

du¦khasya surak½¡ ||4.33||

praaptasya upekshaayaam,

tathaa apraaptasya apekshaayaam,

duhkhasya surakshaa.

In ignoring what you have,

and longing for what you don’t have,

sorrow has a well-protected haven!

14

Sootra 4.34 Do the stars (astrology) affect my life in any way?

aÉëWûSzÉÉmÉå¤ÉrÉÉ,

qÉlÉÉåSzÉÉ xÉqÉÏ¤ÉhÉÏrÉÉ ||4.34||

grahada¾¡p£k½ay¡,

manµda¾¡ sam§k½a³§y¡ ||4.34||

graha-dashaa apekshayaa, manah dashaa sameekshaneeyaa.

More than that of the planets, take care of the state of your mind.

Sootra 4.35 Do I have to do everything? Can God or Nature not help me?

MüqÉïpÉÉaÉÈ xuÉÉkÉÏlÉÈ

TüsÉpÉÉaÉxiÉÑ, mÉëM×üÌiÉuÉzÉ

CÌiÉ ÌuÉeÉÉlÉÏrÉÉiÉç ||4.35||

karmabh¡ga¦ sv¡dh§na¦

phalabh¡gastu, prak»tiva¾a

iti vij¡n§y¡t ||4.35||

karma-bhaagah swaadheenah, phala-bhaagah tu prakriti-vashah; iti vijaaneeyaat.

To perform action is in your hands; its result, however, depends on nature’s laws. Know this (as a rule).

Sootra 4.36 How can I avoid becoming stressed?

iÉxqÉÉ±ixuÉÉkÉÏlÉÇ

iÉixuÉålÉæuÉ M×üiuÉÉ | ÅlrÉxrÉ

ÍcÉliÉÉ mÉËUWûiÉïurÉÉ ||4.36||

tasm¡dyatsv¡dh§na¯

tatsv£naiva k»tv¡ | :'nyasya

cint¡ parihartavy¡ ||4.36||

tasmaat yat swaadheenam tat svena eva kritvaa; anyasya chintaa parihartavyaa.

Therefore, whatever is within your control, that you do; over any other aspect you should not worry.

Sootra 4.37 Is there an example of such a case?

rÉjÉÉ pÉÉåeÉlÉÇ xuÉålÉæuÉ Ì¢ürÉiÉå,

mÉÉcÉlÉÇ iÉÑ mÉëM×üirÉÉ ||4.37||

yath¡ bhµjana¯ sv£naiva kriyat£,

p¡cana¯ tu prak»ty¡ ||4.37||

yathaa bhojanam svena eva kriyate; paachanam tu prakrityaa.

Just as eating is done by oneself, but digestion is done by nature.

*****

15

CHAPTER FIVE


“Tips Relating to PEOPLE”

Sootra 5.38 What should be my attitude when dealing with people?

eÉlÉÉ AÉSUhÉÏrÉÉ ÌuÉµÉxÉlÉÏrÉÉ,

lÉ iÉÑ zÉÇMülÉÏrÉÉÈ ||5.38||

jan¡ ¡dara³§y¡ vi¾vasan§y¡,

na tu ¾a¯kan§y¡¦ ||5.38||

janaah aadaraneeyaa vishvasa-neeyaah, na tu shankaneeyaah.

People should be respected and trusted; not needlessly suspected.

Sootra 5.39 How can I deal with the faults I see in others?

xuÉSÉåwÉÉlÉç mÉëÌiÉ MüPûÉåUÉå-

ÅlrÉåwÉÉÇ mÉëÌiÉ iÉÑ MüÉåqÉsÉÉå pÉuÉåiÉç ||5.39||

svadµ½¡n prati ka¿hµrµ:-

'ny£½¡¯ prati tu kµmalµ bhav£t ||5.39||

swadoshaan prati kathorah; anyeshaam prati tu komalah bhavet.

Be strict with your own faults, but tender towards those of others.

Sootra 5.40 Are rules and regulations necessary?

mÉÉUxmÉËUMüxlÉåWûÌuÉµÉÉxÉå uÉiÉïqÉÉlÉå,

ÌuÉÍkÉÌlÉrÉqÉÉ AlÉÉuÉzrÉMüÉÈ ||5.40||

p¡rasparikasn£havi¾v¡s£ vartam¡n£,

vidhiniyam¡ an¡va¾yak¡¦ ||5.40||

paarasparika sneha vishvaase vartamaane, vidhi niyamaah anaavashyakaah.

If between people there is love and trust, then rules and regulations are not needed.

Sootra 5.41 Then Is there a condition where rules can apply?

AÌuÉ±qÉÉlÉåÅÌmÉ AlÉÉuÉzrÉMüÉ,

rÉiÉÉå ÌlÉwTüsÉÉÈ ||5.41||

avidyam¡n£:'pi an¡va¾yak¡,

yatµ ni½phal¡¦ ||5.41||

avidyamaane api anaavashyakaah,

yatah nishphalaah.

In their absence also, rules are not needed,

because they just don’t work!

16

Sootra 5.42 How can I develop “forever” relationships?

MüxrÉÍcÉSÌmÉ xÉÇoÉlkÉxrÉ

AÉkÉÉUÉå rÉÌS sÉÉæÌMüMüWèû,

iÉÌWïû xÉ oÉlkÉlÉMüÉUMü;

AÉkrÉÉÎiqÉMüxiÉÑ

qÉÑÌ£üSÉrÉMüÉå pÉuÉÌiÉ ||5.42||

kasyacidapi sa¯bandhasya

¡dh¡rµ yadi laukikah,

tarhi sa bandhanak¡raka;

¡dhy¡tmikastu

muktid¡yakµ bhavati ||5.42||

kasyachit api sambandhasya aadhaarah yadi laukikah,

tarhi sah bandhana kaarikah, aadhyaatmikah tu, mukti daayakah bhavati.

Any relationship that has as its basis a worldly reason,

then it becomes a cause of bondage; But if it has a spiritual foundation, then it becomes the cause of liberation.

Sootra 5.43 Should I behave towards others as they behave towards me?

AÉiqÉuÉssÉÉåMüÉlmÉzrÉålÉç-

lÉ iÉÑ iÉjÉÉ pÉÉuÉrÉåiÉç ||5.43||

¡tmavallµk¡npa¾y£n-

na tu tath¡ bh¡vay£t ||5.43||

aatmavat lokaan pashyet, na tu tathaa bhaavayet.

One should look upon people as one’s own Self, but not consider them to be like oneself.

Sootra 5.44 Should I try to make them like me?

xÉÑZÉSÒÈZÉÉÌS ÌuÉwÉrÉMü xuÉMüsmÉlÉÉqÉç,

AlrÉÎxqÉlÉç lÉÉUÉåmÉrÉåiÉç ||5.44||

sukhadu¦kh¡di vi½ayaka svakalpan¡m,

anyasmin n¡rµpay£t ||5.44||

sukha-duhkha aadi vishayaka swa-kalpanaam, anyasmin na aaropayet.

As regards joy, sorrow, etc, one’s own ideas should not be imposed on others.

Sootra 5.45 How can I get on with someone who is different from me?

iÉåprÉÈ xuÉÉiÉl§rÉÇ mÉërÉcNåûiÉç ||5.45||

t£bhya¦ sv¡tantrya¯ prayacch£t ||5.45||

tebhyah swaatantryam prayacchhet. One should give them their freedom.

*****

17

CHAPTER SIX


“Tips Relating to THINGS”

Sootra 6.46 On what basis do I prioritise my relation with things and beings?

eÉS mÉSÉjÉåïprÉzÉç-

cÉåiÉlÉ mÉëÉÍhÉlÉÈ ´Éå¸iÉUÉÈ ||6.46||

jada pad¡rth£bhya¾-

c£tana pr¡³ina¦ ¾r£½¿hatar¡¦ ||6.46||

jada padaarthebhyah, chetana praaninah shreshthataraah.

Than inert objects, living beings are greater.

Sootra 6.47 How does that help me practically?

iÉxqÉÉ‹SmÉSÉjÉÉïlÉÉÇ M×üiÉå

mÉëÉÍhÉlÉÉå lÉ ÌuÉlÉÉzÉÌrÉiÉurÉÉÈ ||6.47||

tasm¡jjadapad¡rth¡n¡¯ k»t£

pr¡³inµ na vin¡¾ayitavy¡¦ ||6.47||

tasmaat jada padaarthaanaam krite, praaninah na vinaashayitavyaah.

Therefore, for the sake of inert objects, living beings should not be destroyed.

Sootra 6.48 How can I harmonise the two?

qÉÔsrÉuÉimÉSÉjÉåïprÉÉå,

eÉÏuÉlÉ qÉÔsrÉÉÌlÉ ´Éå¸iÉUÉÍhÉ ||6.48||

mÀlyavatpad¡rth£bhyµ,

j§vana mÀly¡ni ¾r£½¿hatar¡³i ||6.48||

moolyavat padaarthebhyah, jeevana moolyaan shreshthataraani.

Than valuable goods (or articles), the values of life are more valuable.

Sootra 6.49 How does that translate in my dealings with people?

iÉæÈ xÉqmÉ³ÉÈ mÉÑÂwÉ LuÉ xÉqqÉÉlÉlÉÏrÉÉå,

lÉ iÉÑ MåüuÉsÉÉå kÉlÉxÉqmÉ³ÉÈ ||6.49||

tai¦ sampanna¦ puru½a £va samm¡nan§yµ,

na tu k£valµ dhanasampanna¦ ||6.49||

taih sampannah purushah eva

sammaananeeyah,

na tu kevalah dhana-sampannah.

A person endowed with values is alone

worthy of respect,

not one who is merely with riches.

18

Sootra 6.50 What makes values so superior to valuables?

AÉSzÉïWûÏlÉÈ

mÉësÉÉåpÉlÉå mÉiÉÌiÉ lÉzrÉÌiÉ cÉ ||6.50||

¡dar¾ah§na¦

pralµbhan£ patati na¾yati ca ||6.50||

aadarsha heenah, pralobhane patati nashyati cha.

One without values (or ideals), falls prey to temptations and perishes.

Sootra 6.51 Does that mean that valuable objects have no real value?

AÉuÉzrÉMüiÉÉlÉÑxÉÉUåhÉæuÉ

eÉS mÉSÉjÉåïprÉÉå,

qÉWû̈ uÉÇ xjÉÉlÉÇ cÉ S±ÉiÉç ||6.51||

¡va¾yakat¡nus¡r£³aiva

jada pad¡rth£bhyµ,

mahattva¯ sth¡na¯ ca dady¡t ||6.51||

aavashyakataa anusaarena eva jada padaarthebhyah mahattvam sthaanam cha dadyaat.

According to one’s needs alone, should material objects be given importance and place.

*****

19

CHAPTER SEVEN


“Tips Relating to FULFILLMENT”

Sootra 7.52 How can I get peace of mind?

MüÉqÉ¢üÉåkÉÉÌSÌuÉMüÉUÉhÉÉÇ,

lÉ uÉzÉqÉÉaÉcNåûiÉç ||7.52||

k¡makrµdh¡divik¡r¡³¡¯,

na va¾am¡gacch£t ||7.52||

kaama krodha aadi vikaaraanaam, na vasham aagacchhet.

There are vices like desire, anger, etc; Do not come under their sway.

Sootra 7.53 How do they affect my peace of mind?

qÉlÉÈzÉÉÎliÉÌuÉuÉåMü

ÌlÉkÉålÉÉïzÉMüiuÉÉiÉç ||7.53||

mana¦¾¡ntiviv£ka

nidh£rn¡¾akatv¡t ||7.53||

manah shaanti viveka nidheh naashakatvaat.

Mental peace and discrimination – these are the wealth destroyed (by the above vices).

Sootra 7.54 Do my vices affect others also?

mÉUåwÉÉÇ cÉåiÉÍxÉ cÉ

iÉÉ³ÉÉåimÉÉSrÉåiÉç ||7.54||

par£½¡¯ c£tasi ca

t¡nnµtp¡day£t ||7.54||

pareshaam chetasi cha taan na utpaadayet.

In the mind of others, one should not give rise to vices.

Sootra 7.55 How can I get rid of these vices?

´É®ÉpÉYirÉÉÌSaÉÑhÉÉlÉç xÉÇuÉkÉïrÉåSè,

AlrÉåwÉÉÇ ™ÌS cÉ eÉlÉrÉåiÉç ||7.55||

¾raddh¡bhakty¡digu³¡n sa¯vardhay£d,

any£½¡¯ h»di ca janay£t ||7.55||

shraddhaa bhakti aadi gunaan samvardhayet;

anyeshaam hridi cha janayet.

Virtues like faith, devotion, etc, should be developed;

and also kindled in the hearts of others.

20

Sootra 7.56 How do I go about cultivating these virtues?

ÌuÉÌuÉkÉÉlÉÑpÉuÉæÈ

xÉuÉïSÉ xuÉÉiqÉÉlÉÇ ÍzÉ¤ÉrÉåiÉç,

rÉxqÉÉ¨ÉåÅjÉïmÉÔhÉÉïÈ ||7.56||

vividh¡nubhavai¦

sarvad¡ sv¡tm¡na¯ ¾ik½ay£t,

yasm¡tt£:'rthapÀr³¡¦ ||7.56||

vividhaa anubhavaih sarvadaa swaatmaanam shikshayet; yasmaat te arthapoornaah.

By a variety of experiences, always educate yourself, since they are all meaningful.

Sootra 7.57 But experiences can also make me increase my vices!

lÉ MåülÉÉmrÉlÉÑpÉuÉålÉ MüOÒûpÉuÉåSè-

AÌmÉ iÉÑ qÉkÉÑUiÉUÉå ÌWû pÉuÉåiÉç ||7.57||

na k£n¡pyanubhav£na ka¿ubhav£d-

api tu madhuratarµ hi bhav£t ||7.57||

na kenaapi anubhavena katubhavet, apitu madhuratarah hi bhavet.

Never should experiences make you bitter, they should make you only sweeter!

Sootra 7.58 So should I avoid experiences that make me feel bitter?

mÉÏQûÉWûÏlÉÉå sÉÉpÉx-

iÉjÉÉ sÉÉpÉWûÏlÉÉ

mÉÏQûÉ lÉÉÎxiÉ ||7.58||

p§¢¡h§nµ l¡bhas

tath¡ l¡bhah§n¡

p§¢¡ n¡sti ||7.58||

peedaa heenah laabhah (na asti); tathaa laabha heenaa, peedaa na asti.

Without pain, there is no gain; conversely, without gain, there isn’t any pain.

Sootra 7.59 This urge to gain – where does it end?

mÉëÉrÉÈ xÉuÉåïwÉÉÇ eÉÏuÉlÉå

rÉÎiMüÎgcÉSmÉÔhÉïiuÉÇ SØzrÉiÉå ||7.59||

pr¡ya¦ sarv£½¡¯ j§van£

yatki²cidapÀr³atva¯ d»¾yat£ ||7.59||

praayah sarveshaam jeevane yatkinchit apoornatvam drishyate.

Generally, in everyone’s life, some kind of incompleteness is seen.

21

Sootra 7.60 How should I fill this void of incompleteness?

iÉxrÉ mÉÔÌiÉsÉÉæïÌMüMü

mÉËUÎcNûlÉ xÉÉkÉlÉålÉ lÉ xÉÉkrÉÉ |

ÌMüliÉÑ mÉÔhÉïmÉUqÉÉiqÉlÉæuÉ ||7.60||

tasya pÀtirlaukika

paricchina s¡dhan£na na s¡dhy¡ |

kintu pÀr³aparam¡tmanaiva ||7.60||

tasya pootih laukika paricchhina sadhanena na saadhyaa; kintu poorna paramaatmanaa eva.

This void or incompleteness, by any worldly or finite means, it should not be filled; but only by the Infinite Lord alone.

Sootra 7.61 What then is the secret of a fulfilled life?

mÉÔhÉïSØÌ¹qÉÉÍ´ÉirÉ,

mÉÔhÉïqÉåuÉ eÉÏuÉlÉÇ eÉÏuÉåiÉç ||7.61||

pÀr³ad»½¿im¡¾ritya,

pÀr³am£va j§vana¯ j§v£t ||7.61||

poorna drishtim aashritya, poornam eva jeevanam jeevet.

With the vision of the Whole, one can live a whole life.

*****

Whether extroverted like the birds with wings spread, or indrawn like the single bird with wings in,

face the Light!

22

CHAPTER EIGHT


“Concluding Tips”

Sootra 8.62 Do you have any more Tips on life that would help me?

lÉÉliÉÉåÅÎxiÉ eÉÏuÉlÉxÉÔ§ÉÉhÉÉqÉç ||8.62||

n¡ntµ:'sti j§vanasÀtr¡³¡m ||8.62||

na antah asti jeevana sootraanaam. There is no end to these aphorisms on life.

Sootra 8.63 Then is there no end to learning Life’s mysteries?

rÉxqÉÉSmÉÉUÉåÅaÉÉkÉÉå ÌWû,

ÌuÉ±É xÉÉaÉUÈ ||8.63||

yasm¡dap¡rµ:'g¡dhµ hi,

vidy¡ s¡gara¦ ||8.63||

yasmaat apaarah agaadhah hi,

vidyaa saagarah.

For endless and deep, indeed,

is the “Ocean of Learning”.

Sootra 8.64 What would you say is the most important TIP for happy living?

lÉ MüSÉÌmÉ, (lÉ) MÑü§ÉÉÌmÉ

(lÉ) MüxrÉÉÎgcÉSè AuÉxjÉÉrÉÉqÉç AÌmÉ |

pÉaÉuÉliÉÇ iÉxrÉ M×ümÉÉÇ cÉ

ÌuÉxqÉUåiÉç ||8.64||

na kad¡pi, (na) kutr¡pi

(na) kasy¡²cid avasth¡y¡m api |

bhagavanta¯ tasya k»p¡¯ ca

vismar£t ||8.64||

na kadaapi, (na) kutraapi, (na) kasyaanchid avasthaayaam api, bhagavantam tasya kripaam cha vismaret.

At no time, at no place, and under no circumstances whatsoever, should God and His Divine Grace ever be forgotten!

Sootra 8.65 The Winning Tip!

xÉuÉÉåï¨ÉqÉÇ WûÏSÇ xÉÔ§ÉqÉç ||8.65||

sarvµttama¯ h§da¯ sÀtram ||8.65||

sarva uttamam hi , idam sootram. Of all the Tips, this indeed is the best!

23

Sootra 8.66 Without the Sootra on “Gratitude”, the Aphorisms are incomplete.

AlÉålÉ xÉuÉÉïiqÉMüÉå

pÉaÉuÉÉlxÉªÒÂ¶É ÌmÉërÉåiÉÉÇ |

iÉSlÉÑaÉëWåûhÉ

xÉuÉåï cÉ xÉÑÎZÉlÉÉå pÉuÉliÉÑ ||8.66||

an£na sarv¡tmakµ

bhagav¡nsadguru¾ca priy£t¡¯ |

tadanugrah£³a

sarv£ ca sukhinµ bhavantu ||8.66||

anena sarva aatmakah bhagavaan sadguruh cha priyetaam; tat anugrahena,

sarve cha sukhinah bhavantu.

May the Lord, the Self of all, and my Sat Guru be pleased with this! Assuredly, it is by their Divine Grace,

that all beings can enjoy happiness!

An Additional Sootra – in Gratitude to Guruji!

“Sootra 67”: May the Grace and blessings of Pujya Gurudev ever be upon Guruji, his ideal disciple, for this great sharing of his love, knowledge and wisdom with us!

|| Á iÉiÉç xÉiÉç ||

Om Tat Sat!

*****

NATURE – Wild . . . a “Sootra” without words!

24

25

The Route to

HAPPINESS

“ Talks on Happy Living”

Based on the Book

|| eÉÏuÉlÉ xÉÔ§ÉÉÍhÉ ||

JIVAN SOOTRANI

“THE SANDEEPANY EXPERIENCE”

A Series of 11 Talks at Sivanandashram 18th Nov 2015 to 11th Feb 2016

Suitable for Use in Seminars, Youth Camps, Satsang Readings, Study Circles, etc.

An Offering from

Swami Gurubhaktananda

26

Taking CHARGE of our Life

Talk 1: Wednesday, 18th November , 2015

Chapter 1 (Sootra 1-8)

INTRODUCTION

GURUJI HAS A GREAT LOVE for people. In all his world-wide lecture tours spanning over three decades, meeting countless people of all types, he remains amazingly free of

stress and is always bubbling with humour. Undoubtedly, he has found some recipe for “happy living” that works very well.

Many are fascinated by life after death. This book made up of 66 Sootras is not about ‘life after death’, but ‘life after birth’, an area in which we tend to place little attention. We almost take Life for granted and feel that no specific training is required to live it fully, consciously and happily.

Guruji says, “In life, the tests come first, the lessons are learnt afterwards! In life we are tested again and again. In life, anyone can test us, at any time, in any way!”

Human life is and always will be about capacities, power, our work, our relationships with others, the things we use, and the faculties of the mind. This is what this book deals with. We will go through each of these areas of life and discover one or two key principles in them by which we can resolve conflicts in those areas. It is these common aspects that are dealt with in this unusual book by one who writes it from his own experiences in life.

AjÉ eÉÏuÉlÉ xÉÔ§ÉÉÍhÉ mÉëxiÉÔrÉliÉå ||1.1||

atha j§vana sÀtr¡³i prastÀyant£ ||1.1||

1. Now, the aphorisms on Life are presented.

WE HAVE AN INBORN curiosity to know how everything around us works. An

instrument becomes more useful when we know how it is to be used. Take a motor car, for instance. We must take time off to learn about all the features it comes with so that we can maximise our pleasure in using them. We should even learn a few basic things about the mechanical operation of the engine, the servicing it needs, etc. The same curiosity is seen when we get the latest model cellphone or i-pad. We become absorbed in how these gadgets work, and get amazed when we discover their full potential – that it can do things we did not even imagine when we bought it!

The same applies to this Life as well. We, the present generation, are the latest models of humanity. The next generation may come with newer features, more computer literate perhaps! God keeps inventing more and more advanced creatures. With every generation, the model of humans keeps changing in the externals. However, some things do not change, no matter which age we live in. Those are the things which these “Tips” focus their attention on.

27

To take charge of a car, it must come out of the showroom and into our garage. It must become ours. In the case of this life, it is ours from the day we are born till the day we die. During this life-span we can do with it what we like. The keys are in our hands. We already have charge of it. But some knowledge of how to use it well is needed . . .

rÉe¥ÉÉiuÉÉprÉxrÉ cÉ, eÉÏuÉlÉÇ xÉÑZÉÉrÉ pÉuÉÌiÉ ||1.2||

yajj²¡tv¡bhyasya ca, j§vana¯ sukh¡ya bhavati ||1.2||

2. Knowing and practising which, life becomes easy and happy.

Theory and practice are two sides of the coin of Life. Like the bride and bridegroom, both these need to go hand in hand down the aisle of life, wedded together throughout life, with no room for any divorce between them. Knowledge is the task of the mind and intellect; Practice is the task of the will, the life-forces (Pranas) and all the senses.

Story: Remember the story of the pundit and the boatman. The pundit asked the boatman if he knew the Bhagavad Geeta. The boatman said, No. The pundit told him, “Quarter of your life is wasted.” Then he asked if he knew the Upanishads. No, was the answer. “Half your life is wasted.” Then he asked if he knew how to perform havans. No. “Three quarters of your life is wasted.” By now they were in the middle of the river. The weather turned stormy. The boatman asked, “Do you know how to swim?” No, said the pundit. “Then, your whole life is soon going to be wasted!”

Sootra 2 gives the assurance that theory and practice together enable us to go through life easily and happily. Equipped with knowledge of what the goal is, one begins the journey to reach it.

eÉÏuÉlÉå Ì²ÌuÉkÉÇ MüÉrÉïÇ | mÉëÉmiÉmÉËUÎxjÉÌiÉmÉëÌiÉMüÉUÈ | xuÉpÉÌuÉwrÉÌlÉqÉÉïhÉÇ cÉ | ||1.3||

j§van£ dvividha¯ k¡rya¯ | pr¡ptaparisthitipratik¡ra¦ |

svabhavi½yanirm¡³a¯ ca | |1.3||

3. There are two imperatives in life – i) to deal with situations as they come; ii) and to create one’s future.

This is the first bit of knowledge we need to know. Sootra 3 says that based on one’s experiences of the past, one gets equipped to deal with the situations as they come to us in the present; and based on how we deal with these situations, we create for ourselves a future or destiny. Immediately, we see that our life depends on our actions. What we have done brought about the present, and what we do now will determine our future.

As each person has to go through this process himself in a manner that is unique to himself, this path of life has to be walked for oneself. It is futile to attempt to live like others. In fact, it is impossible to do so even if we tried to.

*****

28

iÉ§ÉÉlrÉxrÉÉlrÉålÉ eÉÏuÉlÉÇ eÉÏÌuÉiÉÑÇ lÉ zÉYrÉiÉå ||1.4||

tatr¡nyasy¡ny£na j§vana¯ j§vitu¯ na ¾akyat£ ||1.4||

4. There, the life of someone else is not possible to be lived.

For the above reason, Sootra 4 thrusts upon us the full responsibility of carving out our own destiny. We can do so according to our own pace, design and execution. Primarily, each one becomes responsible for his own goal-setting and the achievement of it, successfully or unsuccessfully. The lesson is clear – we need to take charge of our life. Everything is in our own hands.

mÉUxmÉUÇ xÉÉWûÉrrÉÇ iÉÑ xÉÇpÉuÉÌiÉ ||1.5||

paraspara¯ s¡h¡yya¯ tu sa¯bhavati ||1.5||

5. Mutual help, however, is possible.

However, that does not make the journey a lonely adventure. Others who are going in the same direction as us, will accompany us along much of the way. Sootra 5 tells us that mutual help can be beneficial to both parties, as long as a common destination has been agreed upon by both. We are co-travellers in life, provided our goals are in harmony with each other. Those who are of a materialistic bent of mind will find it impossible to travel together with those who have a spiritual aim in life. This is perfectly logical. Hence, it is important to keep company only with like-minded people. We cannot make friends indiscriminately. This is another important lesson we learn in life.

The above condition has to be met before friendship can be struck. Similarly, there are conditions to be met during friendship as well.

xÉÉWûÉrrÉxrÉ xuÉÏMüUhÉå mÉëSÉlÉå uÉÉWÇûMüÉUÉå lÉ MüUhÉÏrÉÈ ||1.6||

s¡h¡yyasya sv§kara³£ prad¡n£ v¡ha¯k¡rµ na kara³§ya¦ ||1.6||

eÉÏuÉlÉÇ ÌuÉlÉrÉålÉæuÉ zÉÉåpÉiÉå ||1.7||

j§vana¯ vinay£naiva ¾µbhat£ ||1.7||

6. In accepting or giving this help, there should be no ego or arrogance.

7. Life becomes beautiful only with humility.

Sootras 6 & 7 tell us what these conditions are: Spiritual friendship can thrive only among people who are willing to set aside their egoism as a sacrifice to nurture friendship between each other. Any transaction between friends has to be based on this sacrifice, whether it be in giving or in receiving help. Any assistance given or received with pride will be most unwelcome to the friendship. Experience alone can verify the truth and importance of this lesson.

This means that true friendship has to be valued and treasured for all its worth. It is not easy to give or receive true friendship, due to this condition attached to it. One has to become worthy in order to become a partner to another equally worthy friend. Friendship

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in life may, therefore, be counted on one’s fingertips, not by hits on one’s website or by popularity on a social network.

When true friendship is found and established, it can be one of those rare sources of joy that life offers. The fulfillment in friendship can be richly rewarding, “beautiful” as expressed in the Sootra. Undoubtedly, it is worth paying the full price for. Counterfeit friendship is not worth having as it cannot withstand the rigours of experience.

iÉxqÉÉixuÉeÉÏuÉlÉpÉÉUqÉç xuÉÏM×üirÉ, xÉuÉïmÉërÉ¦ÉålÉ iÉixÉTüsÉÏ MÑürÉÉïiÉç ||1.8||

tasm¡tsvaj§vanabh¡ram sv§k»tya, sarvaprayatn£na tatsaphal§ kury¡t ||1.8||

8. Therefore, accepting the responsibility of one’s life, one should with all efforts, make it a success.

The lesson is finally summarised in Sootra 8 that we have to take responsibility for our life into our own hands. A realisation comes in the course of our life that we alone are to be held responsible for the course charted before us. Having done so, we need to painstakingly and diligently apply ourselves with all effort to the task of bringing it to fruition. No blame rests on any other person or external factor for the spiritual journey of life.

This does not deny the assistance we get from others who travel with us, even if only for part of the journey. It also does not deny the assistance we get from the Divine in the form of God’s Grace to light our path favourably, to smoothen the journey. Taking all of this into account, the responsibility to take charge of our life still rests firmly on our shoulders.

If we can accept this single lesson about life, then we are ready for the next phase of the adventure which deals with the heights that can be achieved in life from this foundation.

*****

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Awakening Our POTENTIAL

Talk 2: Wednesday, 25th November , 2015


EVERY HUMAN BEING HAS a certain Faith in himself. In accordance with this faith he sets himself a Goal in life that is within his reach. Fired by this goal, he arouses in himself

a corresponding Potential (a capacity or ability) to act in this world. Once potential has been developed, it is necessary for one to be emoowered by being engaged in an activity that utilises this potential. If the empowerment is suitable, then the potential can be explored to its maximum benefit. This determines his Performance level in his activity. The performance then determines the extent of his Success or what he achieves in life. Following close upon the heels of his success lies his Happiness or sense of fulfillment in life.

The above charts out the route to happiness. In diagramatic form, the ROUTE looks like this:

FAITH GOAL POTENTIAL EMPOWERMENT

PERFORMANCE SUCCESS HAPPINESS

This is essentially what today’s talk is all about. We trace the key factors that govern this route to happiness. Today we shall elaborate on two factors in the chain:

i) POTENTIAL: Awakening our Potential so that we can maximise our performance, on which depends our success and happiness.

ii) GOAL: The greater the goal we set, the greater is the potential we need to awaken in us. This aspect of the discussion is left to the last 4 of the 10 Sootras of this talk.

xÉuÉåï eÉlÉÉÈ xÉTüsÉiÉÉqÉÉmiÉÑÇ rÉÉåarÉÉÈ xÉqÉjÉÉï¶É ||2.9||

sarv£ jan¡¦ saphalat¡m¡ptu¯ yµgy¡¦ samarth¡¾ca ||2.9||

9. Regarding achieving success, all people are eligible and capable.

Who qualifies for success or happiness? Everyone. Everyone is striving to be happy in their own way, according to their own idea of happiness. So all people are eligible and capable of successfully attaining it. This Sootra is only there to tell us that the search for happiness is universal. Everything that man does has this single aim in mind – to bring him happiness. If it did not carry that promise, no one would engage in anything in this world.

The entire human drama on earth is for the single purpose of attaining happiness.

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HUMAN FREEDOM

rÉxqÉÉixuÉiÉl§ÉiÉÉ qÉlÉÑwrÉeÉlqÉlÉÉå ÌuÉzÉåwÉiÉÉ ||2.10||

yasm¡tsvatantrat¡ manu½yajanmanµ vi¾£½at¡ ||2.10||

10. Since freedom is the speciality of human life.

What is the need to bring in Freedom into the discussion? How are success and happiness connected to freedom? Freedom implies that there exists a Choice. If there were no choice available, there would be no need for freedom. The phrase “freedom of choice” is quite a common one. It tells us that there are at least two categories of success or happiness for us to choose from. We are free to choose to strive for any one of them.

Notice at this point how the thought is building up, and we are only in the tenth Sootra. This is to the credit of Guruji’s skill in using “Sootra technology”.

If we take a closer look at success, we may differentiate between two distinct types of success – worldly and spiritual. The roads leading to these two goals may bear some resemblance to each other as all roads do, but their divergence is what matters. Being divergent, we find that they lead to two distinct goals, and we are free to choose either of them, but not both. [The actual difference is expressed in a later Sootra.]

Man is uniquely entitled to this freedom of choice in life, that is not given to any other creature on the planet. All other creatures live by instinct, not intellect. Hence, they do not have the luxury (or burden!) of choosing their path. They are governed by Nature. Man alone is free to think, discriminate and choose his way.

What is the freedom we have? What are we free to do?

A§É MüqÉï¥ÉÉlÉåcNûÉÌS, xuÉÉiÉl§rÉqÉÑmÉsÉokÉqÉç ||2.11||

atra karmaj²¡n£cch¡di, sv¡tantryamupalabdham ||2.11||

11. Here, for action, knowledge, desire, etc, freedom is available.

We are free to ACT, to THINK, and to WILL.

Human activity offers choices at different levels. We are here not so much concerned with choices like whether I take up football, rugby or cricket as my sport; or whether I choose to be a doctor, lawyer or engineer, etc. These are secondary choices. There is a more fundamental level of choice that Guruji is drawing our attention to here.

Sootra 11 tells us that the choice is exercized in every sphere of life – action, knowledge and desire. These three effectively encompass all the spheres of human venture. We have a choice in all three spheres as to what to pursue and what to reject.

That most precious commodity called Happiness which all are striving towards must surely have some conditions attached to its fulfillment. It has to have a “price-tag” on it otherwise it would become too cheap. Our knowledge of these conditions – or, if you prefer, our ignorance of them – determines how we exercise our choice of freedom. Some guidance is needed in this matter to enable us to choose correctly in life.

This guidance on how we should utilise our freedom comes in the next Sootra.

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AC

TIO

N

KN

OW

LED

GE

DES

IRE

RES

ULT

EX

AM

H A P P I N E S S / S O R R O W

S U C C E S S / F A I L U R E

PERFORMANCE

EMPOWERMENT

Internal Empmt. External Empmt.

POTENTIAL

FAITH

Sattwic Rajasic Tamasic

THE GOAL

Spiritual Worldly

THE CHOICE

The Good The Pleasant

Sootras 1-30

THE ROUTE TO HAPPINESS Rule: Keep Left on this Highway!

10-12

10-12

15-18

13-14

19-22

23-26

27-30

2, 7

RESPONSIBILITY Taking Charge of One’s Life 1-8

8-9

CO

NTR

OL

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iÉŠÉåiMüwÉÉïjÉïÇ rÉÉå£üurÉÇ, lÉ iÉÑ xuÉmÉUÌuÉlÉÉzÉÉrÉ ||2.12||

taccµtkar½¡rtha¯ yµktavya¯, na tu svaparavin¡¾¡ya ||2.12||

12. That should be used for raising oneself, not to destroy oneself or others.

Sootra 12 gives the deepest level of this choice. It boils down to two choices: the first raises us upwards; the second pulls us downwards and destroys us. This is the main difference between the two roads in life. The spiritual road is all uphill, whereas the worldly road is all downhill.

Uphill and downhill are metaphoric words, not to be taken literally. They represent the two opposite goals. Freedom is given to all of us to travel in whichever direction we prefer – either the easy roller-coaster road downwards; or the more difficult climb upwards. ‘Up’ represents a life based on lofty values; ‘down’ represents the slide into the depths of valueless worldly entanglement, into a life of sense pleasure.

Just as we climb up from one grade to the next grade at school, so also, raising oneself refers to a progression or evolution of the soul towards a higher ideal. On the other hand, descending to below where we are indicates a retrogression or devolution to cruder or lower levels. At every moment in life, we have this fundamental choice in front of us – to climb or to descend.

The two paths have distinct terminology to describe them:

i) Worldly Success: In worldly circles, success is synonymous with achievement, accomplishment, conquest, winning, beating or defeating any opposition and getting to the ‘top’ by any means. It is gaining the Recognition of the world. It is measured in terms of high profits or salary, growth in sales, increase in popularity or votes by politicians, and so on.

ii) Spiritual Success: In the context of living a spiritual life dedicated to a spiritual ideal, the words used are a bit different. The Samskrit word Saphalataa used in the Sootra has a connotation of contentment, satisfaction, fruition, realisation and illumination. Most significantly, it is finding Fulfillment deep within oneself, in one’s spiritual being. It is measured by the amount of peace of mind one enjoys, by cheerfulness, by the cultivation of virtues or eradication of vices, by the magnetism one develops in one’s personality.

Regarding this freedom of choice, Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayanandaji says: “Not to do what you feel like doing is freedom.” Guruji adds to that, “To do whatever you feel like is licentiousness.” Acting according to our whims and fancies can destroy not only us but also others, e.g. by drunken driving or overspeeding.

HUMAN POTENTIAL

iÉSjÉïqÉmÉåÍ¤ÉiÉÉÈ xÉuÉïzÉ£ürÉÈ xuÉÎxqÉ³ÉåuÉ ÌlÉÌWûiÉÉÈ ||2.13||

tadarthamap£k½it¡¦ sarva¾aktaya¦ svasminn£va nihit¡¦ ||2.13||

13. All potentials needed for it are kept in oneself only.

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We now come to one of the key Sootras of the chapter. Potential, we said at the beginning was a key factor in the route to happiness. This potential lies within each human being. The limits of that potential are determined by how small or big we consider ourselves to be. This is explained as follows:

i) “I am the Body-Mind”: If we consider ourselves to be just individuals, limited to this frail body and mind, then the potential we awaken will be the same – small and limited. The majority of people in the world fall into this category. Thinking and feeling that we are puny little beings, we think and act accordingly.

This view of ourselves is self-condemning. We condemn ourselves to the prison-cage of the body and the narrowness of the individual mind, full of likes and dislikes, desires and passions. With such a view in life, naturally the potential we develop is very restricted.

ii) “I am the Limitless Self or Spirit”: If we raise ourselves to consider our true spiritual nature, then the situation changes dramatically. The spirit is limitless. If we can transcend body-consciousness and individual mind-consciousness, then there is no limit to the potential we can tap into. The sky is the limit to the potential we draw to ourselves.

The more our consciousness expands to include others in life, the greater becomes our ability to tap into the infinite resources of the universe. With such a view in life, the potential we have access to is unlimited. The instruments of body-mind-intellect, if well trained, can bear the pressure of very high potential, as the next Sootra indicates.

zÉ£ürÉxiÉÑ MüÉrÉuÉÉ‰lÉÉåoÉÑÎ® ÎxjÉiÉÉ oÉÌWûÈ xÉÉkÉlÉpÉÔiÉÉ¶É ||2.14||

¾aktayastu k¡yav¡±manµbuddhi sthit¡ bahi¦ s¡dhanabhÀt¡¾ca ||2.14||

14. Indeed, the potentials of body, speech, mind and intellect are present, as also the external means.

One who taps this fountain source of potential within himself, is able to unlock great capacities in any field of activity. There is a magazine of power within us which is like explosive dynamite. It is just awaiting something to trigger it. That trigger will be given in the next verse. For now, we need to fully appreciate what potentials are hidden within us.

Sootra 14 tells us that at every level of the human personality, the sky is the limit as to what can be achieved by an individual, if only he taps into their source within.

Physical feats that we would normally think are impossible, become possible when the potential for it is tapped within. Great sportsmen have achieved so much by doing so. Every year at the Olympic Games old records are being broken and new ones set.

Mental feats are even more staggering. The mind, when trained in a proper manner, is capable of phenomenal achievements. Speech is one of the most powerful organs of action we possess. Oratory or the gift of expressing our ideas in such a way that we can influence many other people, is a potential that can be developed to great heights. Our intellectual abilities, too, have no limit. It is amazing what the human intellect is capable of.

How can all these hidden potentials be triggered within us? They are in all of us, simply waiting for that crucial “Go”signal . . .

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GOAL-SETTING

iÉÉxÉÉqÉÍpÉurÉYirÉjÉïÇ iÉÑ eÉÏuÉlÉå, ´Éå¸Ç sÉ¤rÉqÉÉuÉzrÉMüqÉç ||2.15||

t¡s¡mabhivyaktyartha¯ tu j§van£, ¾r£½¿ha¯ lak½yam¡va¾yakam ||2.15||

15. But to manifest them, a great goal in life is necessary.

The “Go” signal is to hold a great ideal before us to work towards. The ‘ideal’ serves as a flame to trigger the latent potential and release or unlock all the dormant energy within to manifest through our instruments, producing miracles in our life. This article happens to be written on Deepavali day, and at the moment of writing, fireworks are bursting all around. The fireworks only await the touch of a burning flame. The brilliant, sparkling, dazzling display that follows the contact is the same as the unleashing of the potential within us triggered by the spark of a great ideal.

Thus, two things are necessary to enable us to manifest our full potential in life – i) the constructive use of our God-given freedom of choice; and ii) holding the flame of a great ideal before us to detonate the potential that lies dormant within.

Ì²ÌuÉkÉÇ ÌWû sÉ¤rÉÇ | mÉëÉjÉÍqÉMÇü cÉUqÉÇ cÉ ||2.16||

dvividha¯ hi lak½ya¯ | pr¡thamika¯ carama¯ ca ||2.16||

16. Twofold, indeed, is this goal – the intermediate and the ultimate.

This great ideal or goal may be further split into two components. One component is the intermediate goal which is the short-term goal, the other is our overall or ultimate goal, which is a long-term goal. The Intermediate goal can be split into several sub-goals, leading to the ultimate goal. The goal to be achieved now is called the immediate goal.

Example of a Football Team: The team starts the season with the aim of winning the league; that is its long-term goal. To achieve this, the team has to focus on every game it plays as if their life depended on it. Winning game after game will bring them the title at the end of the season. The team has to keep in mind both, the immediate and the ultimate goal.

Example of Freeway: Planning a project such as the construction of a freeway is another very good example to illustrate how goals have to be split into its components. The overall time frame has to be set – say three years – to officially open the freeway. Once that is done, the intermediate goals are set. Each major phase of the project such as the design, the tender, the construction and finally the official opening ceremony is identified and given a time frame. Each of these is then split into its numerous components and planned within this time frame. In this way from the big picture to the details of the nuts and bolts every aspect is taken care of with meticulous precision. All this put together brings about a successful project.

*****

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LiÉrÉÉåqÉïkrÉå, xÉÉqÉgeÉxrÉqÉÉuÉzrÉMüqÉç ||2.17||

£tayµrmadhy£, s¡ma²jasyam¡va¾yakam ||2.17||

17. Between them, there must be harmony.

The intermediate goal or goals must link up together to lead to the ultimate goal. Sootra 17 speaks of the harmony between the short-term and the long-term goals. In the football analogy, winning games is in harmony with the ultimate aim of winning the title. In the freeway example, one should be able to produce a flow-chart of every item of activity, stringing them into a logical sequence and showing clearly how the work can progress from conception to termination. All the parts of the project must fit with each other like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle.

Example of Political Career: A politician has the aim of being the nation’s President. He has to begin with lesser targets, such as being on the local council; then a Minister in the state government; then a Minister in the Federal government. Finally, he gets nominated for the Presidency. Every achievement along the way should harmonise with the overall aim he has set for his career.

rÉjÉÉ qÉÉå¤ÉmÉëÉmirÉå, ÍcÉ¨ÉzÉÑÎ®È ||2.18||

yath¡ mµk½apr¡pty£, citta¾uddhi¦ ||2.18||

18. Just as for gaining Liberation purity of mind (is essential) .

The Example of Spiritual Life: This is now considered as a special case of a project.

The ultimate goal of Self-realisation can also be handled this way, although a time frame may be very hard to set in this case. At least, we need to know all the phases of Sadhana that have to be practised, and the sequence in which they follow each other. We need a guide or Guru to supervise the ‘project management’ of our spiritual progress.

In spiritual life much depends on how we assess our eligibility to move on to the subsequent stages. Purity of mind is a key factor in this assessment. As we become more and more purified, our Sadhana advances from an earlier step to the next. Sadhana is seen as a systematic progression or evolution from lower to higher levels of consciousness. Each phase of Sadhana must blend into successive phases harmoniously. There should not be any upheaval in the process of evolution.

*****

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EMPOWERMENT in Society

Talk 3: Friday, 4th December , 2015

Chapter 3.1 (Sootra 19-22)

EMPOWERMENT IS A SUBJECT that has claimed the attention of human society throughout its history. Many conferences and conventions, particularly those involving the

youth and political parties, have as their objective “empowerment of people”. It makes an attractive catchword – it is such an attention-grabbing word that one almost feels it underscores the sad absence of it among human beings.

What is Empowerment?

In the last chapter we learnt how Potential may be built up by having a corresponding high Goal to strive for. In order to translate that potential into Performance we need Empowerment as the intermediary.

For example, a student enters university with a high aim of becoming a doctor. His potential is built up over the six-year study period until on graduation day he has gained the potential to be a doctor. However, his performance is still nil. Only when he joins a company and is empowered by his company, does he begin to perform. If he remains unemployed, then despite all his potential, he has no scope to perform and express his talent.

No sooner people get into groups, the question of empowerment arises. Whenever people assemble together to work, power has to be given or shared or distributed to each member of the group in proportion to the role assigned to them. This is Empowerment.

The Quest for Limitless Empowerment

There seems to be no limit to the power which a human being desires.

i) Stage 1: An individual human being on his own has very limited power.

ii) Stage 2: There are ways that he tries to increase his individual power as much as possible. He tries to use machines or instruments to extend his capacities beyond his hands and feet. He gets a car that takes him around in a wider radius than his legs. He acquires a computer to extend the power of his mind. The radio and TV extend the reach of his ears and ‘tongue’. When all these means are tried to their limit, he has another recourse.

iii) Stage 3: He is compelled to join or form a group or company. He teams up with other people, in order to achieve what ihe alone finds it impossible to achieve.

Successful people are those who succeed in practising “adapt, adjust and accommodate” to work well with others in groups. Successful organisations are those which are based on sound principles of human management, with particular care to ensure proper Empowerment of people. However, even these organised groups have their limits.

iv) Stage 4: Is there a way then to Unlimited Power! Guruji says there is, if we bring in the spiritual dimension into life. Since in essence we are spiritual beings, there is an infinite capacity within us which can be tapped. Its source is the Self, or the great spiritual

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Consciousness associated with each individual. This Self is in everyone, but only a small fraction of its power is normally tapped.

COMPONENTS OF EMPOWERMENT

The next two Sootras on the theme of Empowerment are taken together:

qÉÉlÉuÉmÉÑÂwÉÉjÉïÈ xÉÏÍqÉiÉÈ | ||3.19||

xÉuÉïzÉÌ£üqÉSÏµÉUxrÉÉlÉÑaÉëWåûhÉ, iÉÑ xÉ sÉ¤ÉaÉÑhÉÉå pÉuÉÌiÉ ||3.20||

m¡navapuru½¡rtha¦ s§mita¦ | ||3.19||

sarva¾aktimad§¾varasy¡nugrah£³a, tu sa lak½agu³µ bhavati ||3.20||

19. Human effort is limited. ( = External Empmt.)

20. With the Grace of the Omnipresent Lord, however, that becomes a million times more effective. ( = Internal Empmt.)

We note at the outset that Empowerment has two components: Sootra 19 covers the external that depends on the human or secular factor; and Sootra 20 covers the internal that depends on the divine or spiritual factor. We also notice that Guruji immediately places an overwhelming importance on the internal, limitless component.

The two types of empowerment have very different characteristics:

i) External Empowerment: This has severe limitations as it is people-dependent. It begins with one person, i.e. our own body-mind-intellect equipment; and can increase when we team up with others, namely, our employers, clients, work colleagues, the society and culture we live in, and so on. It is dependent solely on the human element.

ii) Internal Empowerment: This is “limitless” as it depends on a limitless Source – the omnipresent Lord. Our soul or Self is inseparable from that Source, and hence we can, under proper conditions, have access to it. The “soul qualities” that empower us are:

Attitude, Character, Commitment, Enthusiasm, Persistence, Patience, Temperament, Loyalty and Reliability. *The acronym “ACCEPPT-LR” may help to remember them.]

Both components are needed for optimum performance. We cannot undervalue either component. External empowerment is largely governed by our Karma and our destined role in society. Internal empowerment is governed by the effort we put into our spiritual development, and is independent of Karma.

External Compared With Internal Empowerment

External empowerment without internal empowerment is like an unsigned cheque! This is illustrated in these two contrasting examples:

1. Example of Ravana: At the Sita Swayamvar, many rulers, among them Ravana, came to claim the hand of the beautiful and virtuous Princess Sita. All they had to do was to break the ‘Bow of Shiva’. They came from far and near to try their fortune. All of them failed hopelessly. Ravana, who was considered to be the most powerful ruler of his time, had all the external empowerment possible to successfully break the bow. But he could not evenlift it!. Only the virtuous Prince Rama shattered the bow with ease.

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Why did Ravana and the other kings fail? They did not possess any internal empowerment. They did not have the purity of heart and the spotless character to win Sita, the Goddess of Virtue.

2. Example of Nelson Mandela: In contrast to the above example, we have in Mandela a person who had virtually no external empowerment. Despite being a lawyer, he was denied opportunities at work due to racial discrimination. However, Mandela had huge reserves of internal soul qualities which gave him the “limitless empowerment” of Sootra 20. Even though he was in jail for 27 years, his performance was exceptional. While in jail, apparently doing nothing, he performed as a superman! Eventually he succeeded in bringing political freedom in South Africa.

SHORTCOMINGS OF EXTERNAL EMPOWERMENT

The next two Sootras highlight the importance of internal empowerment, and in doing so they indirectly point to the shortcomings of external empowerment. We centre our discussion of these Sootras on these shortcomings for one important reason: Only when we are convinced of the defects of external empowerment are we likely to turn within to the Divine and pay more attention to internal empowerment.

Internal empowerment is taken up for discussion under Sootras 23-26.

iÉxqÉÉ¨ÉqÉåuÉÉÍ´ÉirÉ, mÉÑÂwÉÉjÉïÈ MüiÉïurÉÈ ||3.21||

iÉålÉæuÉ eÉÏuÉlÉÇ uÉxiÉÑiÉÈ, zÉÉåpÉlÉÇ ÌSurÉÇ xÉÑZÉqÉrÉÇ cÉ pÉuÉÌiÉ ||3.22||

tasm¡ttam£v¡¾ritya, puru½¡rtha¦ kartavya¦ ||3.21||

t£naiva j§vana¯ vastuta¦, ¾µbhana¯ divya¯ sukhamaya¯ ca bhavati ||3.22||

21. Therefore, depending on Him alone, efforts should be put forth.

22. By that alone, does life become truly beautiful, divine and full of happiness.

Sootra 21 says that our means, i.e. efforts or Performance, must be dependent on the Infinite Divine Being (ex Sootra 20). Then, Sootra 22 says that our end, i.e. Happiness, must also be dependent on the Divinity within. In both the means and the end we are directed by Guruji to depend on the Higher Power of the Lord. That is the Sootras’ advice.

The Ideal External Empowerment

Let us first see how external empowerment works under ideal conditions. We use the football team to illustrate this. When a team is assembled, at once the question of empowerment arises: Who does what? Who has the authority to make the decisions? Who selects the team? The solution to these questions calls for the empowerment of people.

Different people are assigned different roles. Once they are assigned the role, they need to be empowered to effectively fulfill that role. For example, the manager is empowered to select the team and control the style and strategy of play. The captain is empowered to make on-field decisions such as who takes the free-kick or corner, who takes the penalty, etc. Each player is assigned a role in the team and empowered accordingly.

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It is the same for any organised project in society. Thus we understand empower-ment as the way in which man allocates certain responsibilities to each member of a society. People working in a group need to be empowered to carry out their functions.

Under ideal conditions, the above mechanics of empowerment should result in a life that is “beautiful, divine and full of happiness.” If those in power have society’s interest at heart, they will empower the right people for the right task. Everyone will develop their soul qualities to the maximum degree. This is the ideal of a happy society.

But human society is very imperfect and defective. There is plenty of scope for abuse and misuse of power, as we shall see in a moment.

Factors that Attract External Power

There are three major factors that draw external power to us:

i) Our Potential: This is represented by our educational qualifications, being a measure of our ability and knowledge to carry out a certain role or function in society. This is quantifiable and certifiable. We can get a certificate or Degree for this Potential.

ii) Our Soul Qualities: Beyond the above, there are the soul qualities such as listed earlier – attitude, commitment, etc – that are vital in our selection for empowerment. These are non-quantifiable and non-certifiable. For that reason they are very hard for an employer to assess. Nevertheless, there are ways to take them into account. Some employers look mainly for these qualities, as certified candidates may be too numerous. The differentiating factor employers look for lie in the “soul qualities”. So far so good – now look what enters:

iii) The Human Factor: This factor is elaborated in the next sub-heading. It comprises the biggest problem with external empowerment, and renders it quite undependable. It is an extremely common shortcoming in any society of people, and a cause for great stress and dissatisfaction in competitive society, as we shall now see.

THE HUMAN FACTOR: ABUSE & MISUSE OF POWER

In practice, great difficulties arise in external empowerment of people. If people in the seats of power are selfish, they will empower without any justice or fairness. Power is preferentially given to favourites, friends and relatives; to those who give bribes or return some favour, etc. Complications such as these are seen in every human society and every group of people. They reveal the ugly side of working in human society.

In brief, society runs smoothly only when power is administered benevolently. But this is as rare as finding pearls in the ocean. Those who have power stand in advantageous positions in society, and for that reason power becomes a covetable commodity. There are many people who become power-hungry, who seek power for the sake of the sheer authority of wielding it. The most common areas of concern are:

i) Sharing Power: power has to be shared equitably across the whole of society;

ii) Placing Power: power has to be placed in the hands of those who have a sound character to wield it for the benefit of society;

iii) Taking Away Power: power has to be kept away from those who are likely to do damage or harm to society in any way.

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iv) Building Up a Power Reserve: power has to be transferred to younger people, the so-called second-tier of management, who will fill the places of seniors who retire or get promoted to higher positions.

In all these areas, the following defects arise due to the defects in human nature:

i) Power can be misused to subjugate others.

ii) Power can be misused to impose the will of one section of people over another.

iii) Power can be misused to cheat society of its assets.

iv) Power can be misused to conceal facts and thereby distort the justice system.

In practice then, Power behaves like Money – a form of wealth that can be earned and spent, used and misused. POWER functions almost identically to MONEY, giving rise to the saying, “Money is power” or “Power is money”. If the human factor is fully accounted, the saying becomes, “Power corrupts; and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

Human power structures are always subject to the above defects. Guruji makes the claim that if we empower ourselves internally by directly connecting with God, then we will have all the power we need to carry out God’s work on earth. We do not need to be dependent on any earthly power.

When God empowers us, “life truly becomes beautiful, divine and full of happiness.”

*****

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PERFORMANCE & SUCCESS

Talk 4: Thursday, 10th December , 2015


A Brief Review of the THOUGHT FLOW so far.

CHAP 1 i) Taking Charge of our life (s1-8)

CHAP 2 ii) The Route to Happiness (s9) was established as:

Freedom of Choice – Faith – Goal – Potential – Empowerment – Performance – Success/Failure – Happiness/Sorrow.

iii) Exercising Freedom (s10-12) to choose our path in life;

iv) The awakening of Potential (s13-14) within oneself;

v) Selecting a great Goal (s15-18) in life – our spiritual illumination;

CHAP 3.1 vi) Two types of Empowerment (s19-20) – External and Internal;

vii) Spiritualing (s21-22) the means (Performance) and the end (Happiness);

Defects of external empowerment; the abuse & misuse of power.

CHAP 3.2 viii) Tapping the Infinite Source (s23-26) of Empowerment;

ix) Selecting criteria to assess Success (s27-30) – individual and collective.

INTERNAL EMPOWERMENT: THE SPIRITUAL SOLUTION

From the previous talk, we see clearly that there is an important place for spirituality in Empowerment, and Guruji has already stated in Sootras 21 and 22 that the only real, lasting solution is the Spiritual one. True power lies within, in the form of a spotless, solid and morally sound character and a pure unblemished mind. The external power, if it comes, can help us, but we should not depend upon it, for it is subject to all the human weaknesses.

The last talk on the defects of external power must have aroused some “dispassion” towards it. This was intentional, for to depend on something that is intrinsically undependable is unwise. The dispassion towards power would help us to focus on the building up of the soul qualities. We recap them once again, using our acronym:

“ACCEPPT-LR” = Attitude, Character, Commitment, Enthusiasm, Persistence, Patience, Temperament, Loyalty and Reliability.

There are other qualities like Honesty, keeping to promises, confidence, cleanliness and cheerfulness. All these together add up to Nobility or Saintliness. A man of character does not need to wait at the offices of any earthly power to be empowered. He gains his power directly from the Lord Himself, and that power is limitless.

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A great goal will always be beset with obstacles. When somebody aims to attain the Highest, to obtain the greatest prize possible in the human birth, it stands to reason that the examination one has to sit for will be the most difficult. . . .

PERFORMANCE & OBSTACLES

´ÉårÉÉÎqxÉ oÉWÒûÌuÉblÉÉlÉÏÌiÉ mÉëÍxÉ®qÉç ||3.23||

¾r£y¡msi bahuvighn¡n§ti prasiddham ||3.23||

23. Great goals have many impediments; that is well known (from experience).

Guruji wittily remarked, “When the going gets tough, it is the tough that get going.”

The difficulties are such that it is as if the whole of this world rebels against the very thought that dares to defy it. Every type of obstacle is placed by the world on the path of such a man’s effort. But Purity of heart melts down all these obstacles. Nothing can resist the power of love and compassion. They bear with them the infinite Power of the Lord. The saints on earth are empowered by these virtues, and nothing can stand against them.

iÉSÉ ÌlÉUÉzÉÉÌlÉÂixÉÉWûÉÌS SÉåwÉÉlÉÑixÉ×erÉ, kÉærÉïÇ cÉÉiqÉÌuÉµÉÉxÉÇ cÉ

SØRûÏMÑüuÉïlÉç, xÉÉkÉlÉqÉÉaÉåï AaÉë LuÉ mÉëÎxjÉiÉurÉqÉç ||3.24||

tad¡ nir¡¾¡niruts¡h¡di dµ½¡nuts»jya, dhairya¯ c¡tmavi¾v¡sa¯ ca

d»¢h§kurvan, s¡dhanam¡rg£ agra £va prasthitavyam ||3.24||

24. At such times, dejection, depression, and other weaknesses should be given up; and, being strengthened with fortitude and self-confidence, the effort on the path ahead should alone be pursued.

This is the golden rule for Performance. It should have no worldly taint in it. The whole faith is placed on internal empowerment. The Sootra refers to all the key “soul qualities” needed for success.

Guruji spurs the sincere Sadhaka onward to his Goal. He assures the true seeker that he should persist in his Sadhana and pull through the darkest hour. The dawn of spiritual illumination follows such a dark period of spiritual travail as sure as the sun rises to end the darkest night.

Persistence pays off. Internal empowerment never fails. External empowerment may fail, but not the infinite empowerment bestowed by Divinity.

Swami Sivananda says many times in his powerful writings, “Nil desperandum – never despair”. That is the spirit taught in this Sootra. Swami Sivananda, while he served at a hospital in Malaya, helped his patients beyond the call of his duty as a doctor. He gave them love and affection, spiritual advice and advice on food, he paid their transport fare if they needed such help. He would also carry patients on his back, if need be.

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pÉuÉiÉÑ sÉÉæÌMüMüxÉqÉxrÉÉlÉÉÇ xÉqÉÉkÉÉlÉÇ, iÉÑ AÉkrÉÉÎiqÉMüSØwšæuÉ ||3.25||

LuÉÇ MüqÉïÌlÉUiÉÉåÅuÉzrÉqÉåuÉ xÉTüsÉiÉÉÇ mÉëÉmlÉÉåÌiÉ ||3.26||

bhavatu laukikasamasy¡n¡¯ sam¡dh¡na¯,

tu ¡dhy¡tmikad»½¿yaiva ||3.25||

£va¯ karmaniratµ:'va¾yam£va saphalat¡¯ pr¡pnµti ||3.26||

25. Let all worldly problems be solved indeed only by a spiritual vision.

26. Through steadfast action, one certainly achieves the desired success.

Sootras 25 & 26 present the perfect balanced solution for all trials and hurdles faced by a spiritual aspirant. Of course, if a problem is technical and needs knowledge of one’s profession, then that has to be used to solve it. But for worldly problems, i.e. those related to human defects, a spiritual solution is required. This means no cheating, stealing, bribery, corruption, etc.

The Sootra also says spiritual vision, not theory or knowledge. This means that the theory and knowledge have to go deep into one’s heart and a vision has to arise from it. Such a vision can bring forth a spiritual solution.

Steadfast action stands for persistence in spiritual Sadhana. Knowledge and effort go hand in hand. Steadfastness means Plod On. Swami Vivekananda used to say, “Stop not till the goal is reached!”

Thus the key to excellence in Performance lies in developing virtue or purity to its utmost, practising God-remembrance and fully surrendering oneself to Him by always feeling that the Lord Himself is doing Sadhana through us.

SUCCESS: INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE

There are two major errors made by human beings when measuring Success:

i) The human tendency is to equate Success to how much external empowerment an individual has in society. But in Sootras 23-26, Guruji has conclusively shown us that this cannot be depended upon and, in fact, when difficulties arise, it is one’s character or internal empowerment alone that really helps to pull us out of them. To equate success with external power is just not true. We have already seen how defective that can be.

ii) The second wrong notion is now brought out in the following four Sootras (27-30).

urÉÌ¹xÉqÉÌ¹ÃmÉåhÉ, xÉTüsÉiÉÉÌmÉ Ì²ÌuÉkÉÉ ||3.27||

vya½¿isama½¿irÀp£³a, saphalat¡pi dvividh¡ ||3.27||

27. Success is of two kinds – individual and total.

The second wrong notion is now being dealt with. The human tendency is to measure success only from an individual standpoint. Guruji, however, places before us another view: He insists that we look at the broader picture and measure success with respect to the growth of the whole community.

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This is a very absorbing study and gives us an insight into how important it is for us to view success correctly – from a total viewpoint rather than only an individual viewpoint. Guruji’s input provides us with much food for thought on the matter, and if taken to its logical conclusion, it has the potential to completely transform the economic policies which presently govern our world.

Just as Guruji divided empowerment into its external and internal components, he begins in his characteristic manner by dividing success into its two components – the individual and the collective. The first is the microcosmic level, termed Vyashti. The second component is the Macrocosmic level or Samashti.

True success ensures that both these levels are satisfied. The individual’s success should not be separated from the collective success. If we go back to our football analogy, a player’s success is fully tied up with the team’s success. If we use the freeway analogy, the success of the completed freeway is the sum of the individual successes of all the smaller units of work, such as the bridges, the culverts, the drains, the embankments, etc. If one item fails, it reflects as the failure of the entire freeway.

In addition . . .

iÉrÉÉåqÉïkrÉå, xÉÉqÉgeÉxrÉqÉxiÉÑ ||3.28||

tayµrmadhy£, s¡ma²jasyamastu ||3.28||

28. Between them, let there be harmony.

An ordinary example of this is found in team sport. When one player excels, the whole team benefits. Equally true is that the team’s success lies in the individual success of each team member.

A team achieves more than the sum of the total individual achievement by each player. Similarly, a community working in co-operation achieves more than the sum total of each individual’s output. The output of group effort can be many times more than the output of individual effort. In fact, there are some cases where the combined effort can do what cannot be done at all by individual effort, such as building a bridge.

Thus we can appreciate that it is a blessing to work together as a team. Empower-ment of people within the framework of a larger group will undoubtedly bring more wealth to a community than the sum of what each individual member of that group can earn. This is the value of collective effort.

An Example from Indian Social History

There was a period in Indian society when the individual and the collective components always worked together in complete harmony. The community was so structured that all individuals worked at their respective duties and functions for the sake of every member of the community. There was no thought of doing anything for oneself only.

In the villages of India, it was not possible to do otherwise. The whole village acted as one unit or TEAM in producing the needs of the community. Each member of the community partook of the total produce of the village. The perfect situation resulting from this was “Happy individuals in a happy and harmonious community.”

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AlrÉjÉÉlÉjÉïÈ ||3.29||

anyath¡nartha¦ ||3.29||

29. Otherwise, there is calamity.

That situation changed dramatically with the introduction of the western monetary system in India. When money was introduced to represent wealth, the idea set into the minds of people that they could keep their wealth to themselves and need not share it with the community. Greed replaced Need as a motivation to earn wealth. People sought to be empowered in order to gather wealth for themselves, sometimes at the cost of the community! This was an alarming change from the previous harmonious village set-up.

When a collective effort is exploited by a government or a corporate company for its own benefit, there enters disharmony in that community. There is a disturbance in the distribution of equity in that community. When wealth that should be shared by all is grabbed by a few greedy people, it brings disequilibrium and disharmony.

It is this situation that is being addressed in Sootra 29. The total collapse of the co-operative society, the society built upon team spirit where each individual sees himself as a member of the whole community ‘team’, has introduced great suffering and calamities within the fabric of society. This is expressed in sayings like, “The good old days are over.”

pÉuÉiÉÑ xÉuÉïpÉÔiÉÌWûiÉMüUÉ, xÉTüsÉiÉÉ ||3.30||

bhavatu sarvabhÀtahitakar¡, saphalat¡ ||3.30||

30. To all beings let success be a blessing.

In the final Sootra of this chapter, Guruji makes a plea for the re-introduction of the old harmonious team spirit within a community. That alone ensures that everyone is happy and prosperous in a community. True success is measured only by the success of the whole community, which includes the individual. True success at the same time recognises that individuals also have to be empowered in order to make the whole community successful.

Just as a sports team is as strong as its weakest player, or a chain is as strong as its weakest link, so also a community is as strong as its least empowered individual member!

Guruji’s teaching leaves us wondering, “So simple, yet beyond the reach of modern economists!”

*****

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At the WORK-FACE

Talk 5: Thursday, 17th December , 2015


MAN SPENDS HALF HIS waking life at work. This is the arena in which he makes his most significant contribution to society. By any standard, the period spent at work is the

most significant part of man’s life.

Why do we go to work? Is it to earn a living? No. We work because we have something to give, we give all that we are worth to society; then it is society that gives us our livelihood in return to sustain ourselves. Note this point at the very outset. Our work is a pact we make with society: We give our best to society, and society takes care of us.

The march of human civilisation rests heavily on people at work. The organisation of people, their interdependence and empowerment – it all happens at the workplace. Work is such a huge slice of a man’s life that if he is unhappy at work, he cannot obtain full satisfaction in life. The unhappiness at work then spills over or infects all other areas of his life and affects them, too.

However, in spite of the great importance of work, a balance needs to be struck between work and leisure. This is where we begin the first Sootra of the chapter.

ÌuÉ´ÉÉqÉÇ ÌuÉlÉÉ mÉËU´ÉqÉÉå lÉ MüUhÉÏrÉÈ | iÉjÉæuÉ cÉ MüÉrÉïÇ ÌuÉlÉÉ (lÉ) ÌuÉ´ÉÉqÉÈ ||4.31||

vi¾r¡ma¯ vin¡ pari¾ramµ na kara³§ya¦ |

tathaiva ca k¡rya¯ vin¡ (na) vi¾r¡ma¦ ||4.31||

31. Without taking rest, do not work; and by the same token, without working, do not take rest!

Sootra 31 marks the midpoint of the 61 Sootras that form the main body of the book. That means it is the Interval of this book; it is time for a break. Guruji himself is taking a recreation break in this Sootra. We are looking at the balance between work and leisure.

1. Give Work its Due: Work is to be given its due place in life, nothing more and nothing less. It is not supposed to become an all-consuming obsession, nor can it be relegated to a place secondary to leisure. This is the first lesson we learn from it.

2. Avoid Becoming “Workaholics”: At school we have all learnt the saying, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Guruji extends that saying by adding, “All play and no work makes Jack a silly boy.” So we certainly need to avoid being ‘workaholics’.

But who is a workaholic? Is it someone who works a lot? Is it someone who is dedicated to his work? That is the person whom we usually carelessly label a “workaholic”. No, that is not how a workaholic is defined.

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Take an alcoholic – this is the person who takes to alcohol uncontrollably because he has nothing worthier to do, he is bored with life, he wants to drown his sorrows. A bored person may also start eating uncontrollably. He becomes a ‘foodoholic’, eating unnecessarily. Similarly, a workaholic takes to work without any need to, as he has nothing else to do. He is bored with life, has a problem mixing with people, perhaps a problem at home, and so he buries himself into work as a form of escape to avoid other painful situations. That is a workaholic, not the one who works hard and works with great concentration, enjoying his work. So we need to be careful whom we judge to be a workaholic.

3. Let us look at this work and rest balance from another angle. Are they really two different activities? Why can’t they be combined into one activity? We need relaxation or leisure because we get stressed at work. If we can work without getting stressed, i.e. if we can learn to relax and work, then we don’t need to go on vacations and go to resorts, etc. If we can be detached while working, we can remain relaxed. In fact we can rest while we are working! Wouldn’t that be a great discovery? Perhaps this Sootra is directing our attention to this possibility – that work and rest are actually one and the same activity!

In this way we see that a Sootra can get quite deep. There are many ways of looking at a Sootra. It cannot be taken lightly, at surface value. The more we reflect on it, the more meaning and wisdom we can extract from it.

Anyway, with the next Sootra, Guruji is back at work after his break. In the next three Sootras, Guruji pinpoints some key flaws which we should avoid at the workplace.

ÌuÉcÉÉUWûÏlÉÇ MüqÉï, iÉjÉÉ MüqÉïWûÏlÉÉå ÌuÉcÉÉU¶É, ÌuÉTüsÉiÉÉrÉÉÈ MüÉUhÉqÉç | ||4.32||

karma, tath¡ karmah§nµ vic¡ra¾ca, viphalat¡y¡¦ k¡ra³am | ||4.32||

32. Thoughtless action, as well as actionless thought, are the causes of failure.

Thought & Action: The first point to note is that in work we need to be all attention. We need to have full presence of mind, and keep our thinking caps on at all times. Every action has to be governed by a specific thought. We should feel that we are being paid to think. Thinking adds meaning and purpose to the otherwise mechanical motions of work. Without engaging the mind, work is no more than slavery.

“SPINNING THE BRITISH OUT”

It was the time of the Gandhian passive resistance in India. In a public square, Gandhiji saw a group of men busy at their spinning wheel. Hand-spun cotton cloth called khadi was one of Gandhiji’s political strategies to take the strength from under the feet of the British. He asked one of the men what he was doing. The man said, “Making cotton for khadi, Bapu.” He walked further to the next man and asked the same question. The reply was, “Trying to earn something for the family, Bapu.” Walking a bit further he came to a third man. The man, without lifting his head, answered, “I am spinning the British out of India!” Gandhiji at once called the man to meet him at his office so that he could be given more responsibility in the freedom struggle.

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Not only must thought accompany every action, but action must accompany every thought. Thinking without acting is as good as just dreaming. It should not be unproductive. The Sootra teaches us not only not to work mechanically without thinking, but also not to just think whimsically that which cannot be put into action.

mÉëÉmiÉxrÉÉåmÉå¤ÉÉrÉÉÇ iÉjÉÉÅmÉëÉmiÉxrÉÉmÉå¤ÉÉrÉÉÇ , SÒÈZÉxrÉ xÉÑU¤ÉÉ ||4.33||

pr¡ptasyµp£k½¡y¡¯ tath¡:'pr¡ptasy¡p£k½¡y¡¯

du¦khasya surak½¡ ||4.33||

33. In ignoring what you have, and longing for what you don’t have, Sorrow has a

well-protected haven!

Hoarding & Greed:

‘Ignoring what you have’ is a subtle way of saying “Hoarding”. ‘Longing for what you don’t have’ is another way of saying “Greed”. Together, they touch on the most common flaw in action – that of restlessly working simply to accumulate wealth with the idea that the more we have the more secure we are. This is not just a delusion, but also a bad work ethic. If left unchecked it can lead us to working for the wrong reason. This would adversely affect other people in the process. The lesson is:

HOARDING + GREED = Guaranteed SORROW, not SECURITY!

aÉëWûSzÉÉmÉå¤ÉrÉÉ, qÉlÉÉåSzÉÉ xÉqÉÏ¤ÉhÉÏrÉÉ ||4.34||

grahada¾¡p£k½ay¡, manµda¾¡ sam§k½a³§y¡ ||4.34||

34. Than that of the planets, take care of the state of your mind.

THE BLAME GAME

The planets make a good scapegoat to lay blame on when things go wrong, because they cannot argue back. Poor Planets, they have nowhere to escape from this indignity of being blamed! Even their friends, the astrologists, turn against them, calling them inauspicious and bad. The so-called ‘Inauspicious’ or ‘bad’ planetary influences make auspicious and good business for the astrologers!

A very common tendency we have is that of blaming others. Forget the distant planets, most times we blame all the human “planets” working around us in the same office. We think some of them are inauspicious and bad, that they are ‘out of alignment’! The blaming tendency blames everything else but itself, our own mind. It may be that our own brain cells are ‘out of alignment’.

The mind does not like sitting on the operating table and being treated. It simply hates having its habits changed.

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MüqÉïpÉÉaÉÈ xuÉÉkÉÏlÉÈ TüsÉpÉÉaÉxiÉÑ, mÉëM×üÌiÉuÉzÉ CÌiÉ ÌuÉeÉÉlÉÏrÉÉiÉç ||4.35||

iÉxqÉÉ±ixuÉÉkÉÏlÉÇ iÉixuÉålÉæuÉ M×üiuÉÉ | ÅlrÉxrÉ ÍcÉliÉÉ mÉËUWûiÉïurÉÉ ||4.36||

karmabh¡ga¦ sv¡dh§na¦ phalabh¡gastu, prak»tiva¾a iti vij¡n§y¡t ||4.35||

tasm¡dyatsv¡dh§na¯ tatsv£naiva k»tv¡ |

:'nyasya cint¡ parihartavy¡ ||4.36||

35. To perform action is in your hands; its result, however, depends on nature’s laws. Know this (as a rule).

36. Therefore, do whatever is within your control, and do not worry over the other aspect which is not.

Over-Concern for Results: In these two Sootras, we notice Guruji becoming a bit impatient. He is effectively telling us, “Mind your own business and let God mind His!”

Guruji’s advice is supported by Lord Krishna in the Geeta. In the Karma Yoga taught by the Geeta, this Sootra forms one of its two key principles, which are:

i) to one-pointedly dedicate all our actions to God;

ii) to accept whatever He decrees to be the deserved fruit of our actions.

rÉjÉÉ pÉÉåeÉlÉÇ xuÉålÉæuÉ Ì¢ürÉiÉå, mÉÉcÉlÉÇ iÉÑ mÉëM×üirÉÉ ||4.37||

yath¡ bhµjana¯ sv£naiva kriyat£, p¡cana¯ tu prak»ty¡ ||4.37||

37. Just as eating is done by oneself, but digestion by nature.

Finally, the chapter closes with an example from Nature to demonstrate how the above principle works. The example needs no explanation. It is a perfect example for us to follow in all our activities.

Conclusion

In today’s corporate culture, it is possible that following Guruji’s last advice may lead to losing our job. The corporate world thrives only on the zest for results. No results means no job. Corporates are not known to be very sympathetic towards ‘poor’ performers. They are equally not well-known to produce good Karma Yogis. And ironically, most stress management workshops are sponsored by big corporate companies. Is this an admission of failure, an admission of guilt?

One thing is certain: Guruji’s advice may not make us rich business tycoons, but it will give us a lot of peace of mind and happiness. The choice is ours as to what we want.

*****

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Human Relationships

Talk 6: Thursday, 7th January , 2016


WE ARE PEOPLE, living among other people, and it is but natural that the most significant interactions of our life are going to centre around people. In fact, if we examine

all our interactions, we are likely to discover that the ones with people give us the greatest joys, and equally the greatest sorrows. For this reason, it is worth examining in close detail the nature of human relationships.

If we are in nature among birds, animals, trees and brooks, we have no anxiety. In fact, they take away our anxiety. But let a few people enter the scene and see how our mind reacts. We become a bit tense and doubtful. Then if we are among only people, we are more at ease with simple villagers than with sophisticated city-dwellers. In addition, we are more concerned with people whom we know than with strangers. The biggest impact made on us is by people whom we know, whether it is for favourable or unfavourable. This is just a point worth pondering over.

At the outset, it is useful to note that we can have happy or unhappy relationships with people, but happiness or unhappiness does not come from people. The source of happiness or unhappiness lies elsewhere and we shall soon see where.

This talk covers the first four Sootras of Chapter 5, from 38 to 41. Guruji takes us through four basic principles which need to be observed in order to build good, lasting and fulfilling human relationships. The remaining four, dealing with spirituality within relation-ships, are discussed in the next talk.

eÉlÉÉ AÉSUhÉÏrÉÉ ÌuÉµÉxÉlÉÏrÉÉ, lÉ iÉÑ zÉÇMülÉÏrÉÉÈ ||5.38||

jan¡ ¡dara³§y¡ vi¾vasan§y¡, na tu ¾a¯kan§y¡¦ ||5.38||

38. People should be respected and trusted; not needlessly suspected.

In all human relationships, without exception, the most essential ingredients, says this Sootra, are Respect and Trust; and the most unwanted is Suspicion. Let us take a closer look at these three qualities:

i) Respect: What is Respect in a relationship and how does it arise? It begins with a value that we have for some thing or quality. When we see that value in another person something responds in us. If we are positively inclined, it will generate the feeling of respect towards that person; if we are negatively inclined, it will generate feelings of jealousy or envy. As an example, if I value wealth, I will either respect rich people or envy them.

A: Let us consider the negative side first. Envy is rooted in selfishness. However, there is a feeling called Jealousy, which is an intense case of envy, that arises among peers, i.e. when someone is as rich or as poor as myself. If I am a beggar I may be merely envious

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of a rich man, someone with more than what I have, but I will be jealous of another beggar who gets a few coins more than what I get. When jealousy arises, I will use unfair or foul means either to get more for myself, or to make sure he gets less than me. Or I might try to harm the other person in some way. Envy is bad enough, but Jealousy can be barbaric.

On the other hand, if I have more than the other person, then my negativity manifests as pride or even haughtiness or Arrogance. (See diagram below.)

B: Let us now look at what happens if I am positively inclined. If the other person is my peer, having the same as me, I will have Respect for him. If he has more of that value than me, my respect will grow into Admiration. If he is beyond my reach in that value, I will start honouring him and perhaps even have Reverence and worship him. That is why we see people having worshipful reverence for saints and divine personalities.

When the other person is less endowed than me in that value, I have Sympathy towards him, and in the extreme case, I am filled with feelings of Charity towards him.

Summary: The diagram below gives the full picture. To have Respect for another we need to be large-hearted enough and positively disposed towards another. Saints teach us that the best way to do this is to always see the good in others. Then only will respect arise.

Less Than Oneself = PEER More Than Oneself

- 100 - 50 0 + 50 + 100

CHARITY SYMPATHY RESPECT ADMIRATION REVERENCE

THE OTHER PERSON

T R U S T

If Positively Disposed

ONESELF If Negatively Disposed

S U S P I C I O N

THE OTHER PERSON

ARROGANCE PRIDE JEALOUSY ENVY INDIFFERENCE

- 100 - 50 0 + 50 + 100

Less Than Oneself = PEER More Than Oneself

QUALITIES (A - D) ARISING IN ONESELF WHEN MEETING ANOTHER

PERSON

B

C

A

D

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ii) Trust: Suppose I meet someone for the first time. Here again, I may be either favourably disposed towards him or see him negatively as an enemy. Accordingly, I either C Trust him or D Suspect him. If a relationship is to be built, I should trust and not suspect the other person. By trusting others, we bring out the goodness in them to the maximum degree. It is better to err on the side of trust than on the side of distrust.

But what happens if we do not trust the other person? Suspicion reigns . . .

iii) Suspicion: There are two types of suspicion:

a) The first type is the protective suspicion which is necessary to protect us from people who may try to harm us. This is natural and understandable and even desirable. A mother will teach her child to have this protective suspicion when dealing with strangers. That is in order. At airports today, passengers have to pass through stringent security before boarding. This is acceptable because we know it is for our own safety.

b) However, there is a second type which may be termed habitual suspicion, which suspects people for no reason at all, even when there is no danger present, and the person may be a close colleague at work or a relative or even a family member. This is a malignant state of mind that prevents us from having any meaningful relationships with others. If we habitually confront people with suspicion in our minds about them, we ruin all hope of establishing good friendship.

Imagine how difficult life would be if the law were to treat an accused person as guilty until he is proved to be innocent. Life would become unbearable and intolerable. Yet, sometimes we do just that to our near and dear ones. How stressful it must be to live when we are constantly under surveillance or suspicion! When suspicion creeps into family relations, it can cause great grief. Life can become a nightmare.

Thus Respect and Trust are like the two wings of a bird that enable a friendship to soar to great heights. In an atmosphere of respect and trust, people drop all self-conscious reserve and exhibit their natural qualities of cheerfulness and warmth towards others.

Fault-Finding

xuÉSÉåwÉÉlÉç mÉëÌiÉ MüPûÉåUÉåÅlrÉåwÉÉÇ , mÉëÌiÉ iÉÑ MüÉåqÉsÉÉå pÉuÉåiÉç ||5.39||

svadµ½¡n prati ka¿hµrµ:'ny£½¡¯ , prati tu kµmalµ bhav£t ||5.39||

39. Be strict with your own faults, but tender towards those of others.

A second human trait which we should avoid in friendship is the habit of fault-finding. Needle-pricking habits like this can destroy a friendship within a very short period of time. Guruji counsels us to be strict with ourselves; to find and eliminate our own faults so that we render ourselves more approachable to others.

The faults of others are better overlooked. There are so many factors unknown to us about the other person. How sure can we be that we have judged him or her correctly?

Even in the rare case when we may feel certain that we are right, it is wise to reserve our judgement and give it only when asked. If we examine our own intentions in the habitual pointing out of another’s faults, we will find that it springs from our own ego. It is a way that the ego has of appearing to be better than the other person.

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However, there are a few exceptions when it is perfectly acceptable to point out faults, e.g. a parent to a child; a teacher to a pupil; a supervisor to his staff; and a Guru to his disciple. In other cases, only if friendship is already well-developed, may fault-finding be acceptable, and that, too, when done with courtesy.

Rules & Regulations

mÉÉUxmÉËUMüxlÉåWûÌuÉµÉÉxÉå uÉiÉïqÉÉlÉå, ÌuÉÍkÉÌlÉrÉqÉÉ AlÉÉuÉzrÉMüÉÈ ||5.40||

p¡rasparikasn£havi¾v¡s£ vartam¡n£, vidhiniyam¡ an¡va¾yak¡¦ ||5.40||

40. If between two people there is mutual love and trust, then rules and regulations are not needed.

When respect and trust gradually mature into Love and Trust between people, then a relationship does not need rules and regulations. It is self-regulating.

Under what circumstance is it necessary to regulate with rules? It is when there is a strong conflict of interests. For example, in a football game the players are directly working to defeat the other team. Their interests will always clash. Hence, a Referee is needed to ensure that the game runs fairly and fouls are punished.

In a loving and trustful relationship such as in marriage, where is the need for such a referee? Even here, when conflicts do arise from time to time, it becomes necessary to have a referee. We may not call him a “referee”, as we do not wish to underline the conflict. We give him a more refined title – a “Marriage Counsellor”, so that the conflict gets disguised!

In a new factory, we may see many notices on the walls making it clear what the rules of the place are. This is fine in the beginning. But as the workers and their employers get used to each other, the rules get less and less noticed till they become redundant. This is because over time love and trust develop between people.

Rules are like fans during hot weather. They are turned on full blast in the heat of discord, but as “temperatures” cool off, we can do away with them. An indication of good bonding between people is when there ceases to be a need for rules to govern them.

However, Guruji makes an interesting observation in the next Sootra.

Rules Don’t Work

AÌuÉ±qÉÉlÉåÅÌmÉ AlÉÉuÉzrÉMüÉ, rÉiÉÉå ÌlÉwTüsÉÉÈ ||5.41||

avidyam¡n£:'pi an¡va¾yak¡, yatµ ni½phal¡¦ ||5.41||

41. In its absence also, they (the rules) are not needed, because they just don’t work!

Even if love and trust are not yet present, rules are still unnecessary. Guruji’s opinion is that they simply don’t work, and perhaps there is great wisdom in this. For we do notice that people will behave towards each other as impelled by their nature, not as governed by rules and regulations. People may obey rules unwillingly to save their jobs, etc. But this leads to suppression of feelings, and is neither desirable nor is it a solution.

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There is a management philosophy that believes in no rules. People are treated as adults and left to work out their own solutions to their problems. Even if this means a phase of unsatisfactory behaviour, that very dissatisfaction will motivate better behaviour among people. Just as water finds its level of stability, so also people will adjust to one another on their own in difficult situations, without the need for rules and regulations.

Adjustment that comes from the parties concerned is lasting; that which is imposed by rules brings only superficial change. Further, when people adjust by themselves to others, their morale is boosted. For they feel they have achieved something.

*****

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Spiritual Relationships

Talk 7: Thursday, 14th January , 2016


THE REMAINING FOUR Sootras (42-45) of Chapter 5 bring to our attention a very serious consideration in determining the type of relationship that needs to be nurtured, and

the type that needs to be discontinued or discouraged. The context is “Happy Living”. In order to keep us on the highway of “happy living”, is it really desirable to develop all sorts of relationships? Should we not raise the Quality of our relationships and make them compatible and in harmony with our overall Goal in life?

Let us see the first Sootra:

Selective Spiritual Relationships

MüxrÉÍcÉSÌmÉ xÉÇoÉlkÉxrÉÉkÉÉUÉå rÉÌS sÉÉæÌMüMüWèû, iÉÌWïû xÉ oÉlkÉlÉMüÉUMü,

AÉkrÉÉÎiqÉMüxiÉÑ qÉÑÌ£üSÉrÉMüÉå pÉuÉÌiÉ ||5.42||

kasyacidapi sa¯bandhasy¡dh¡rµ yadi laukikah, tarhi sa

bandhanak¡raka, ¡dhy¡tmikastu muktid¡yakµ bhavati ||5.42||

42. If any relationship has as its basis a worldly reason, then it binds one; but if it has a spiritual foundation, it liberates one.

This Sootra defines two distinct types of relationships:

i) those that are built around secular or worldly considerations; and

ii) those that have a spiritual purpose behind them.

The first type may need to be maintained for unavoidable reasons, but we cannot expect any spiritual support from them. The second type alone is spiritually beneficial.

Now there are two ways of looking at this distinction, the External and the Internal: .

The EXTERNAL Interpretation

This method separates the people we relate to into two camps. “Keep good company and shun evil company”, is Gurudev’s teaching. This is the first line of attack. It is a valid and safe Sadhana to prevent us externally from mixing with the wrong types of people. We can call it the beginner’s interpretation. For most of us this is where the Sadhana would begin. It places an external checkpoint on our relationships. But it is not sufficient.

There is a drawback in sticking merely to this practice. The emphasis is placed on our judgement of others. We have to divide people into good and bad categories. Is there a way of knowing that? Perhaps, if good people had green skin and bad people a blue skin it may make our task easier. We could identify them quite easily. But, wait a minute, what colour

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skin do I have? If I had blue skin, the ones with green skin would be shunning me, and those with blue skin would come swarming all around me! So my first priority is identify my own skin colour and make sure it is what I want it to be – by being Good and doing Good.

Now let us look at the whole thing from the internal angle:

The INTERNAL Interpretation

In this method, the focus is internal, on our own mind. We are not asked to shun anybody. We take care to examine all our relationships and raise their level from within. We learn to see relationships in a totally different way. We are compelled to judge our own mind. There we examine whether our relationships are spiritual or non-spiritual.

The Sootra gives us the guidance on how to do this. The non-spiritual relationship is that which keeps us in bondage to the world; the spiritual relationship is that which liberates us from the world.

Bondage: Bondage means getting caught or trapped tighter and tighter in the cycle of birth and death. The cycle originates by performing actions incorrectly, attaching a selfish motive to them. These produce a reaction or Karma that has to be worked out. Karma is a debt which we owe to the world. Until all our debts are paid, we remain in bondage. Paying off debt requires us to live in accordance with Cosmic law and order.

Thus we see that we need to obtain knowledge of these Laws governing our actions. Without some spiritual knowledge, it is impossible to avoid increasing our bundle of Karma. We are, as it were, caught in quicksand – the more we struggle to come out the deeper we sink into the sand. However, the picture is not all that gloomy . . .

Liberation: Spiritual knowledge teaches us the scientific techniques, called Karma Yoga, to pay off Karma. If we reduce our Karmic bundles little by little, stop incurring fresh Karma, and thereby eventually pay off all our Karma, then we are freed from the endless cycle of births and deaths.

We are now in a position to give the more general definitions of worldly and spiritual company:

Worldly company: This is defined as company which pulls our mind further into the net of Karma, i.e. further into bondage.

Spiritual company: This would be defined as any source of spiritual knowledge.

Note how broad these definitions are.

Here are two extreme examples to illustrate these two definitions:

i) Well-meaning spiritual people may get together and start a Satsang group, but due to over-familiarity and human weaknesses, their association can degenerate – the Satsang group can easily become a kind of social club. No spiritual purpose is served by this as the basis has become worldly.

ii) We can have a spiritual relationship even with a criminal if, a) we have the correct attitude and, b) he is willing to change. If our aim is to make him see the light and lead him forward out of evil ways, then such a relationship has a spiritual foundation.

*****

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The Self and the Not-Self

AÉiqÉuÉssÉÉåMüÉlmÉzrÉå³É iÉÑ iÉjÉÉ pÉÉuÉrÉåiÉç ||5.43||

¡tmavallµk¡npa¾y£nna tu tath¡ bh¡vay£t ||5.43||

43. One should look upon people as one’s own Self, but not consider them to be like oneself.

We had touched on the need for a Basic Spiritual Education in the previous Sootra. Guruji now draws our attention directly to this. We must acquire this knowledge if we are serious about being on the path to Happiness. There are three parts to this knowledge:

A. Firstly, we learn about what constitutes the Self or the Spirit principle in life. B. Secondly, we learn what constitutes the Not-Self or the Matter principle in life. C. Thirdly, once this basic knowledge is acquired, even if only theoretically, then we

are in a position to apply this knowledge. The Application of this knowledge is what we see in the Sootra. Let us look at these three items one by one:

A. The Knowledge of the Self:

The most essential part of our being is the Self, our spiritual being. The Self is also called Consciousness, and is common in all living beings. The Indian view is that the Self is completely homogenous, it pervades everywhere, i.e. the same consciousness is present in everyone alike. Spiritually speaking, we are all united in Consciousness.

This vision of unity is the basis of spiritual relationships. With this knowledge it makes sense to regard other people – all people, be they acquaintences or strangers – as one’s own Self. If we grasp this well, then all relationships, including those with so-called ‘bad’ people, can be seen as spiritual.

B. The Knowledge of the Not-Self:

There is a Not-Self also that has to be taken into account in our dealings with people. The Not-Self covers all the aspects in which we differ or are not alike from each other. The most significant difference lies in the mind and intellect, which are key parts of our subtle body. Every person has a mind that is uniquely constituted. The principles of how a mind works are universal, but each person has his own unique mental make-up, and so each person’s behaviour differs.

The gross body of each person is also part of the Not-Self. From one person to another, physical characteristics vary even as mental characteristics vary.

Physical and mental characteristics are where people differ. No two minds are alike. These differences have to be taken into account in our relationships:

C. Application of this Knowledge to Relationships

As far as relationships go, we are guided in this Sootra to three things:

i) To Integrate the above two aspects found in all human beings. An integral vision of life accepts the diversity we see among people, while seeing their underlying unity.

A key lesson in the Sootra is “We cannot expect everybody to be like us”.

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ii) To Prioritize the Spirit and give it greater importance than Matter. That which is alike in people must be given more weight than that which is unlike in them. Spirit, being constant, must prevail over Matter which always differs.

iii) Adapt, Adjust and Accommodate – We realise that our differences are due to factors that are not the essential part of us. This vision enables us to accept people as they are, with all their “faults and defects”. We realise that the same faults and defects are in us also, only in different forms.

xÉÑZÉSÒÈZÉÉÌS ÌuÉwÉrÉMü xuÉMüsmÉlÉÉqÉç, AlrÉÎxqÉlÉç lÉÉUÉåmÉrÉåiÉç ||5.44||

sukhadu¦kh¡di vi½ayaka svakalpan¡m, anyasmin n¡rµpay£t ||5.44||

44. One’s ideas of joy, sorrow, and so on, should not be imposed on others.

Joys and sorrows are part of the differing aspects in people, since they are products of the mind. Here is a perfect case for the application of the knowledge learnt in the last Sootra. This means they are not to be given too much importance, i.e. they are not to be given top priority. They are secondary to the spiritual equality in people.

The main difficulty we have is to recognise our joys and sorrows as offshoots of our own mind. Others are sure to see them differently. What gives one person joy may not give another person the same joy. It is said, “Tastes differ,” and, “One man’s meat is another man’s poison.”

It is human to share our joys and sorrows with close friends and family. For this also there is a proverb, “A joy shared is a joy doubled; and a sorrow shared is a sorrow halved!” This sharing itself has the effect of helping us to cope with life. There is no objection in this.

However, sharing our joys and sorrows is quite a different thing from imposing them onto others! In our over-enthusiasm we should not impose our joys and sorrows onto others. We are all made differently due to different past experiences and tendencies.

Human minds are very dynamic and unpredictable, changing all the time.

With the passing of every experience, our minds change. What I like, another may dislike. In fact, what I like now, I myself may dislike and discard tomorrow!

Only our inner spiritual being remains constant and unchanged at all times, through all experiences and under all circumstances. This is the great lesson learnt in this Sootra.

iÉåprÉÈ xuÉÉiÉl§rÉÇ mÉërÉcNåûiÉç ||5.45||

t£bhya¦ sv¡tantrya¯ prayacch£t ||5.45||

45. One should give them their freedom.

Finally, Guruji gives us one parting bit of advice. This Sootra is an implication of the previous Sootra. As we have just seen, in all our relationships only the spiritual aspect (the Self) is common to all. In every other respect, we remain different. Even our joys and sorrows are different.

For all these reasons, each person deserves to be given his own space or freedom to grow in accordance with his own natural inclinations. We may be gregarious in some ways,

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but in spiritual evolution we stand alone. Our social need has a certain purpose to help us survive in life. Our spiritual need, on the other hand, is for the Ultimate Solitude. Our journey is of “the alone to the Alone”. We are answerable directly to God in spiritual matters.

For this reason, we need freedom, and we must give others their freedom. When friendships and relationships rob others of their freedom, they are venturing beyond their just limits. If I wish to go to the movies, I should not force my friend also to go with me. If in worldly matters like this we need freedom, then how much more do we need it in spiritual matters!

CONCLUSION

He is, indeed, a true friend in whose presence others feel free to grow. Without imposing himself upon others, he yet stands with them in all their trials in life and acts as a steady influence to them, giving them strength and support as and when needed to pull them through the hard times.

Just as countries need their freedom to determine their own destiny and not be used as pawns to play out the destiny of other countries; so also, individuals all over the world treasure their personal freedom to determine their own spiritual destinies.

*****

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The Place & Value of THINGS

Talk 8: Thursday, 21st January , 2016


WE NOW DEAL with a topic which educates us on the inert things or objects that we use. Next to people, our greatest concern is with the objects of this world. There are

numerous categories of objects that draw our attention. Let us just look at some of them:

There are categories such as: Food, Clothing, Kitchenware, Cosmetics, Furniture, Cleaning Equipment, Do-it-Yourself, Construction, Medical, Travel, Electronic gadgets,etc.

This is just to give us some idea of the vast field we are concerned with. Lord Krishna mentions 71 items of His Vibhootis in the 10th Chapter of the Geeta, 18 of which are inert objectsIf the Geeta were written today, innumerable new items would appear in the list. We have mentioned only 11 categories above which are in daily use. Our concern is: What place and value do we allot to these numerous objects we use daily.

There is a delicate aspect to this subject. It is this: Inert objects and sentient living creatures, are both creations of God. God, who is Brahman, the Highest Reality in the Vedic scriptures, is the substratum of both. Objects, too, have in full measure the presence of Consciousness in them. Without Consciousness neither objects nor beings can exist. This fact adds a touch of sanctity to our discussion.

With this background, we begin Guruji’s penetrating insight into Things and Beings.

eÉS mÉSÉjÉåïprÉzÉç cÉåiÉlÉ mÉëÉÍhÉlÉÈ ´Éå¸iÉUÉÈ ||6.46||

jada pad¡rth£bhya¾ c£tana pr¡³ina¦ ¾r£½¿hatar¡¦ ||6.46||

46. Than inert objects, living beings are greater.

The difference between things and beings lies in one factor: Things are made up of only the gross elements and have only a gross body; whereas living beings have gross bodies as well as subtle elements comprising the subtle body, which impart life or sentiency to the gross body, and is therefore far superior to it. For this reason alone living organisms are to be considered greater than inert objects.

However, we should remember that while the subtle body is of a higher order than the gross body, both of them are Unreal with respect to the Ultimate Reality!

Robots and puppets are like a cross between inert objects and living beings! They are actually an excellent example to illustrate the difference between the two. Robots and puppets do not have a subtle body. Our gross body is also an inert “object”. This is crucial in grasping what Guruji is trying to teach us.

Gross bodies and subtle bodies require to be cared for in different ways. Let us now consider the care of each of these two bodies in turn:

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Care of the Gross Body

We need to take appropriate care of all gross objects, whether they are only gross or have subtle bodies in them, i.e. living beings. All gross objects, including our bodies, need to be kept neat and tidy. They need to be washed, cleaned, maintained in good condition, and handled with care.

Our physical body, in addition to the above care, also needs to be exercized. It should be neither neglected nor pampered. Bodily care should neither be too little nor too much. In the name of Vairagya, we should not deny the body its needs. And, by the same token, in the name of Care, we should not develop vanity and pamper the body with luxury, such as perfumes, fashionable wear, fussiness with regard to personal habits, etc. Simplicity is a key to guide us in caring for our gross body.

Care of the Subtle Body

We have seen that the difference between things and beings lies in the absence or presence of the subtle body. Care of the subtle body is similar to that of the gross body. The “thoughts” need to be cleaned with the scrubbing brush of “daily prayer and Kirtan”.

The subtle body is made of the five life-forces (or Pranas); the five organs of knowledge; the five organs of action; the mind/memory, and the intellect/ego – i.e. 17 components in all. This subtle body needs to be treated with respect, dignity, fairness, honesty, decency – and strict discipline! These words are not normally used when speaking of inert objects. When we do use them for inert objects, it is usually in jest, as when someone passes a remark, “He takes more care of his car than of Ambika (his wife)!”

The purpose of the first Sootra is simply to prioritise the subtle and gross creations. Living beings, having the all-important subtle body, have to be placed above gross objects in priority. They are entitled to preferential treatment.

In the next Sootra we see the implication of this difference in treatment.

iÉxqÉÉ‹SmÉSÉjÉÉïlÉÉÇ M×üiÉå mÉëÉÍhÉlÉÉå lÉ ÌuÉlÉÉzÉÌrÉiÉurÉÉÈ ||6.47||

tasm¡jjadapad¡rth¡n¡¯ k»t£ pr¡³inµ na vin¡¾ayitavy¡¦ ||6.47||

47. Therefore, for the sake of inert objects, living beings should not be destroyed.

In the case of conflict between the two categories, one should rather keep peace with people, and forego the concerns over objects. People’s feelings should not be hurt over an issue concerning inert objects.

The Principle involved is this: Articles can be replaced if lost; a living being cannot be replaced if killed. This alone is reason enough to protect living beings more than objects.

Example 1: Armed Robbery – When our life is endangered, as in an armed robbery, we instinctively surrender our possesions to save our life.

Example 2: House on Fire – Suppose there is a fire raging through a home and people are trapped inside. In such an event, one would give priority to saving the lives of the people inside the home, rather than saving the furniture, the clothes, the TV set, etc. Life is given more importance than the belongings.

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Example 3: Claims & Disputes – Hire purchase is a system which modern business thrives on. The reason touted for it is “It boosts the economy”. But when the buyer cannot meet his payments, we see the harm done by this system. People’s lives are destroyed. Inhuman things are done to people legally because the Law considers a “financial contract” to be more binding than people’s lives. Surely there could be laws to prevent businessmen from tempting the poor to buy goods they cannot afford, so that this ruin of lives is avoided.

Example 4: Family Quarrels – Families often break up over money issues. We find family members turn against each other in the cruelest ways over inheritance, petty rights and possessions. We also find many cases where families get split over such matters and refuse to talk to each other. Unpardonable cruelties are committed for the sake of fighting over mere material possessions. To a wealthy man, his own son could turn out to be his most feared enemy!

There are many more examples, ending with the extreme case of WAR, but the point has been made.

The Sootra has the sole aim of drawing our attention to such conflicting situations in human society, where objects are given greater priority than people. Is there a solution to avoid such situations? In the next Sootra, Guruji offers us his considered solution:

THE SPIRITUAL SOLUTION

qÉÔsrÉuÉimÉSÉjÉåïprÉÉå, eÉÏuÉlÉ qÉÔsrÉÉÌlÉ ´Éå¸iÉUÉÍhÉ ||6.48||

mÀlyavatpad¡rth£bhyµ, j§vana mÀly¡ni ¾r£½¿hatar¡³i ||6.48||

48. Than valuable goods (or articles), the VALUES of life are more valuable.

This Sootra in effect is a call to turn to spirituality for help to resolve the above conflicts. By “Values of Life” we understand all that is Divine and spiritual, noble and virtuous. Values come from a Higher Source, not the gross body; and not even the subtle body, although the subtle body has to recognise them and welcome them into itself.

Valuables verses Values – that is the choice before us. To make the right choice, Guruji is suggesting that we need to bring in higher values into our life that would raise us above the dark clouds of greed and selfishness. That is the only way to avoid man’s inhumanity to man.

What is the source of greed and selfishness? All would agree that it arises in the subtle body. How does that happen? One of the 19 components of the subtle body turns traitor, and betrays the entire subtle body. That component is the Ego. Ego produces its twins, Greed and Selfishness, and these two place Things in higher priority than Beings, thereby undermining Sootra 46. Ego finds greater security in the gross world, and utterly disregards its subtle world counterparts. Being the In-charge, it puts all the other components into its service and glorifies the gross inert objects.

The spiritual solution lies in eliminating the Ego, not just checking it. Then returning control back to the indwelling Spirit. Guruji offers this solution in our best interest. Guruji’s solution to this problem is to place more importance on Values and less on Valuables. Indeed, the most valuable things in the world are sound VALUES.

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Spirituality & Values Go Together

What are these Values? Love, compassion, non-violence, truthfulness, honesty, peacefulness, cheerfulness, contentment, selflessness, sacrifice, honour, and so on. Naming them is the easy part; making them part of our lives requires more effort and inducement. We need to be inspired to strive for Values. The key to achieve this in society lies in proper Education and culture, and a good family and social atmosphere where values are strongly supported. The best age for this training is in the childhood years of life.

A life devoted to Values is the antithesis of a materialistic life devoted to “Non-values” like Greed. Spirituality alone fosters higher values into our life. Nobility comes to the fore in a person who strives for spirituality. Nobility drives out all that is debasing or demeaning in human nature. The most urgent need is to bring God into our lives.

iÉæÈ xÉqmÉ³ÉÈ mÉÑÂwÉ LuÉ xÉqqÉÉlÉlÉÏrÉÉå, lÉ iÉÑ MåüuÉsÉÉå kÉlÉxÉqmÉ³ÉÈ ||6.49||

tai¦ sampanna¦ puru½a £va samm¡nan§yµ,

na tu k£valµ dhanasampanna¦ ||6.49||

49. A person endowed with values is alone worthy of respect, not the merely rich.

We came across Respect in the lesson on human relationships. It is the first quality needed to develop a relationship, and arises when we see Value in another person.

The Respect Given to the Rich

When a civilisation places too much importance on wealth and power, we have a commercial culture among people that glorifies those who are rich and in powerful positions. However, Guruji is saying here that this respect has no real substance in it. It is only apparent. As soon as the wealth or power is lost, so is the ‘respect’. That means the rich and powerful only appear to get respect, but there is no depth in that respect. It is superficial and given for selfish reasons.

This materialistic value system of society makes us aspire to become rich in material wealth rather than rich in cultivation of virtues.

The Respect Given to the Noble

Only one who possesses noble values is really worthy of and gets true respect. Respect that is given for sound human values is lasting as well as unselfish. Such respect alone has real value. Perhaps that is why the word ‘value’ is used for any noble virtue.

As much as society may appear to be awed by the splash of wealth, deep down that very society will always reserves its reverence for the man of virtue rather than the man of wealth. This is undeniable, and itself proves that values are more valuable than riches.

Why is this so? The following Sootra gives an irrefutable answer to this question.

AÉSzÉïWûÏlÉÈ mÉësÉÉåpÉlÉå mÉiÉÌiÉ lÉzrÉÌiÉ cÉ ||6.50||

¡dar¾ah§na¦ pralµbhan£ patati na¾yati ca ||6.50||

50. One without values (or ideals), falls prey to temptations and perishes.

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Guruji now warns us that unless we live by firm values, we will be very easily swept away by temptations. Temptations are the acid test of the values we live by.

Temptations – The Acid Test of Value

The test of virtue lies in its ability to resist temptations. One who possesses virtue can pass the test successfully. Values are not worth their name if they fail us in times of temptations. When assailed by temptations, the man of virtue comes through unscathed.

Others face the real danger of being destroyed by temptations. Without virtue, wealth in itself cannot resist temptation, however rich one may be. He crumbles and perishes under the pressure of temptations. The wealthy, by virtue of their wealth, are prone to face more temptations; and they are more likely to succumb if they lack in virtue.

AÉuÉzrÉMüiÉÉlÉÑxÉÉUåhÉæuÉ eÉS mÉSÉjÉåïprÉÉå, qÉWû̈ uÉÇ xjÉÉlÉÇ cÉ S±ÉiÉç ||6.51||

¡va¾yakat¡nus¡r£³aiva jada pad¡rth£bhyµ,

mahattva¯ sth¡na¯ ca dady¡t ||6.51||

51. According to one’s needs alone, should material objects be given importance and place.

In this concluding statement, Guruji ties up the whole chapter into one beautiful teaching: Material possessions should not be given undue importance. Their place should be limited only to their NEED, and never be extended beyond that into GREED!

This is the “invaluable value” that we can take from this most illuminating chapter. This tip, if written in gold, will greatly increase the value of gold!

*****

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Mind – its Virtues & Vices

Talk 9: Wednesday, 28th January , 2016


GURUJI HAS DEALT WITH all the external aspects of life so far – our workplace, our relationships and our possessions. In this penultimate chapter before the summation, he

points the finger within, towards the mind. Ultimately, that is where all Sadhana has to be directed. Everything in life will fit into place if we can gain mastery over our mind. The mind is the fortress of our ego-personality. Victory is obtained when this fortress is stormed.

A driver who knows nothing about car repairs will sit on the roadside waiting for help to come. The mechanic arrives with his toolkit, and at once lifts the bonnet and does a few checks on the engine. Without discussing much with the driver, he locates the fault. So also is it with the mind. If we do not understand its ways, we become helpless victims of its habits. If we educate ourselves about its ways, we can do the painful overhauling of the mind ourselves; we need not wait for a ‘mechanic’.

Guruji has left us with no more escape routes; we are now cornered!

In the 10 Sootras of this Chapter, Guruji lays out an array of 6 techniques by which we may succeed in overhauling the mind, and curbing its wanton nature. We shall deal with three of them in this talk, and three in the next talk. Today we deal with:

Chapter 7.1: A. Eradication of Vices (Sootra 52-54) B. Cultivation of Virtues (Sootra 55) C. Learning Through Experiences (Sootra 56-57)

A. ERADICATION OF VICES

MüÉqÉ¢üÉåkÉÉÌSÌuÉMüÉUÉhÉÉÇ, lÉ uÉzÉqÉÉaÉcNåûiÉç ||7.52||

k¡makrµdh¡divik¡r¡³¡¯, na va¾am¡gacch£t ||7.52||

52. There are vices like desire, anger, etc; do not come under their sway.

In a car service, the first step is to drain out the old, dirty oil. The same procedure is suggested in overhauling the mind. The old accumulated ‘dirt’ has to be cleaned out first.

In this regard we should understand that Guruji is not making an indictment against man’s nature when he mentions its faults. He is the mechanic to whom we can turn for help. It is a common trait in the very construction of human beings that desire, anger, lust, etc, are present in all but a rare few in mankind. It is nothing to feel offended about, but something to be worked on, like draining out the old oil in a car service.

When a place is flooded, no remedial work can begin until the flood waters subside. The cause of the damage has to be removed first. Then rehabilitation can begin.

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Vices like anger, lust and greed are like the flood-waters which prevent us from starting on the repair work. While they are present, we cannot be on the route to “happy living”. Lord Krishna in the Geeta also places the blame squarely on these three vices when Arjuna asks Him, “What drives a man to sin?”

Is it impossible to eradicate these vices? Arjuna complained to Lord Krishna that it was impossible: “If against our will these overpower us, then I do not see any hope of conquering them,” says Arjuna. Typical of us, Arjuna wants to give up before even trying.

The Lord hears him out and then asks him to be more optimistic. He says that sincere effort and dispassion can overcome them. There is no need to throw up our hands in despair just because it is difficult. If we work sincerely on eradicating them, they can be overcome. It is not as difficult as we may imagine. The mind blows everything out of proportion.

Approach to Conquer Vices

Guruji says “we should not come under their sway.” This means the vices do not belong to our real nature, they are outside forces. The approach to mental defects is to feel that we are not the mind, but the mind is our instrument, exactly as a car or any other tool in our hands. The word “sway” gives us the clue that we can control the mind and avoid being swayed by it. If we were the mind, then there is no way we can avoid swaying with it.

Thus the secret hinted at is that we need to seek out a higher refuge which does not sway when the mind sways. We cannot avoid swinging while we sit on the swing!

qÉlÉÈzÉÉÎliÉÌuÉuÉåMüÌlÉkÉålÉÉïzÉMüiuÉÉiÉç ||7.53||

mana¦¾¡ntiviv£kanidh£rn¡¾akatv¡t ||7.53||

53. Mental peace and discrimination – these are the wealth destroyed (by the vices).

These two cannot coexist: Vices cannot co-exist with peace of mind. They cause the destruction of peace of mind and cripple our sense of values, or discrimination. If one is present, the other has to be absent. It is as clear as that.

This Sootra tells us that the way to gauge our success in conquering lust, anger, etc, is to see how peaceful we are becoming, and how well we are discriminating between the correct course of action and the incorrect course.

SANT TULSIDAS

There is the example of Sant Tulsidas before us. He had become infatuated with lust at one stage, even though he was already a brilliant scholar of the scriptures. When this happened, he lost all his peace of mind and discrimination. He once could not bear separation from his wife. He decided to go to her family home in the night. He crossed a flooded river by taking hold of a corpse. He climbed up to her balcony by climbing up on a snake, thinking it was a rope. It was then that his wife spoke to him frankly, “If you had even half of this love for God as you have for my body, you would have realised Him by now!”

That was enough. Tulsidas was shaken to his senses. The truth dawned upon him. He gave up family life then and there and took up the life of a wandering devotee. Peace and discrimination returned to his heart.

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Ravana is the reverse example. In his case, he never relented from his desire for Mother Sita. He stuck to Lust until he had to be killed by Lord Rama. No amount of advice could help to make him see his error. Lust had driven out all discrimination from his intellect. Ravana never saw peace once he chose to tread the path of lust.

When peace of mind comes, then we know that our vices are in check. Peace of mind is a benchmark that we must reach before becoming worthy of being lust-free.

mÉUåwÉÉÇ cÉåiÉÍxÉ cÉ iÉÉ³ÉÉåimÉÉSrÉåiÉç ||7.54||

par£½¡¯ c£tasi ca t¡nnµtp¡day£t ||7.54||

54. In the mind of others, one should not give rise to them.

This is an ingenuious Sootra. It provides us with a mirror that reflects our own mind. In this Sootra, Guruji directly tells us, “If the other person feels lustful in my presence, I know that the lust is in me.”

Our mind is a mirror to others in the same way that their mind is a mirror to us. The interaction of two minds is a two-way transfer of thought. It is like a chemical reaction – both parties are responsible for the reaction to take place.

Thus, for us not to raise negative thoughts in another’s mind, we should firstly ensure that we are trying our best to remove our vices. Secondly, and more importantly, we have to do something that will prevent negative thoughts from arising in that person towards us. This is best done by serving the other person, by seeing the good in him, by being humble and not raising thoughts of jealousy. Gurudev’s “Serve, Love, Give” dictum becomes the perfect answer to this Sootra.

By acting with a pure mind, we slowly eliminate our vices. Our own vices arise because of desires in us. We can stop placing emphasis on our desires by seeing to the needs of those less fortunate than us. This is the Sadhana which this Sootra is directing us towards – “Serve, Love, Give.” By this method, we can ensure that negative thoughts do not arise in the other person.

As the mirror is a two-way interchange, from our own side we must so conduct ourselves that we do not encourage the defects of lust and anger in others. This places the onus on us to put more effort to overcome our own vices.

B. CULTIVATION OF VIRTUES

´É®ÉpÉYirÉÉÌSaÉÑhÉÉlÉç xÉÇuÉkÉïrÉåSè,

AlrÉåwÉÉÇ ™ÌS cÉ eÉlÉrÉåiÉç ||7.55||

¾raddh¡bhakty¡digu³¡n sa¯vardhay£d,

any£½¡¯ h»di ca janay£t ||7.55||

55. Virtues like faith, devotion, etc, should be developed; they should also be kindled in the hearts of others.

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To speed up the purification process, in parallel with the eradication of vices, the positive step of cultivating virtues also needs to begin. We should actively make efforts to cultivate their opposite qualities – namely, the virtues of faith, devotion, modesty, friendliness, humility, etc, as listed fully in the Bhagavad Geeta, in Chapter 12 and 16.

Swami Sivananda strongly advised this method to his disciples. He was the champion of promoting the Pratipaksha Bhavana method, i.e. the method of conquering a vice by developing its opposite virtue.

GANDHIJI’S EXAMPLE

Gandhiji lived the above advice. He always taught by his own example. Once a mother brought her child to him with the complaint that he ate too many sweets. Gandhiji did not say anything, but just asked her to come in another two weeks time. When she returned with her child, Gandhiji spoke to the boy and told him to give up sweets. The mother could not understand why Gandhiji had not said this on her first visit.

To this, Gandhiji replied: “At that time, I myself was eating sweets – so my words would not have had any effect on the boy.”

Regarding kindling virtues in others, the same interpretation as used for vices can be used for virtues – i.e. we have to always see the good in others and appreciate them for it.

C. LEARNING THROUGH EXPERIENCES

ÌuÉÌuÉkÉÉlÉÑpÉuÉæÈ xÉuÉïSÉ xuÉÉiqÉÉlÉÇ ÍzÉ¤ÉrÉåiÉç, rÉxqÉÉ¨ÉåÅjÉïmÉÔhÉÉïÈ ||7.56||

vividh¡nubhavai¦ sarvad¡ sv¡tm¡na¯ ¾ik½ay£t,

yasm¡tt£:'rthapÀr³¡¦ ||7.56||

56. By a variety of experiences, always educate yourself, since all are meaningful.

Life brings us all varieties of experiences, agreeable and disagreeable, pleasant and unpleasant, and it needs a very reflective mind to learn from them. Only with an introspective mind can we really start learning from every experience. This preparation is essential to benefit from any experience.

Life is built on the bricks of experiences. With each experience, we go through the cycle we learnt at the very beginning of this text, i.e. freedom of choice, faith, goal, potential, empowerment, performance, success and happiness. Every experience brings an incremental change in our state of happiness. That change gives us an opportunity to review our choices and start the cycle once more. Thousands of such cycles of experience take us slowly to finer degrees of happiness, until some day we arrive at Infinite Happiness or Bliss!

Personal encounters in the world can be excellent teachers, provided we have the introspective attitude to learn a lesson from each experience. There is a saying, “Learn from the mistakes of others, for you will not live long enough to make them all yourself!”

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lÉ MåülÉÉmrÉlÉÑpÉuÉålÉ MüOÒûpÉuÉåSÌmÉ iÉÑ, qÉkÉÑUiÉUÉå ÌWû pÉuÉåiÉç ||7.57||

na k£n¡pyanubhav£na ka¿ubhav£dapi tu

madhuratarµ hi bhav£t ||7.57||

57. One should not become bitter by any experience, but only sweeter.

The previous Sootra gives us a general guideline on the importance of every experience. This Sootra teaches us how to benefit from every experience. It all depends on our attitude whether an experience makes us or breaks us. From the bricks that people may throw at us, we can build our life, or we can watch it break up into pieces.

Sir Isaac Newton had an experience of seeing an apple fall. It could have been a stone falling on his head, it would have still taught him the same Law of Gravity.

Lord Buddha saw a sick man, an old dying man, a lame man, and a dead man. These are not pleasant experiences, but they taught Buddha to yearn for liberation from this world of sorrow and pain. We learn through bitter experiences not to be BITTER but BETTER!

Here are some bitter experiences in life: betrayal of trust, false allegations, bereavement, insults, exploitation, etc. These can tend to make us very bitter in life if we view them from our ego’s standpoint. But the same experiences, when viewed from the standpoint of a seeker of Truth, become eye-opening gateways towards spiritual growth. They can inspire us to make a firm determination not to do the same to others. With such a view, the bitter experiences can really make us sweeter!

CONCLUSION: By following the guidelines given so far, we eventually come to a stage when nothing will make us feel bitter. We will see the good side of everything. There will always be something to be pleased about no matter what we experience. Reaching this state through patient and sincere effort is the fruit of these first three steps. From this launching pad we can better handle the remaining three techniques.

*****

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Mind – Pain & Incompleteness

Talk 10: Wednesday, 3rd February , 2016


WE CONTINUE ON THE subject of dealing with the Mind. Here are three more aspects of the mind that need to be given very close attention. They are:

Chapter 7.2: D. Learning from PAIN (Sootra 58) E. Dealing With INCOMPLETENESS (Sootra 59-60) F. The Total Solution (Sootra 61)

In the previous Sootra we covered the subject of learning from experiences. In particular we dealt with the danger of bitter experiences leaving us with bitterness. This is unacceptable in spiritual living. The lesson learnt was that even bitter experiences should leave only sweetness in us! – a big task, but quite possible with the right attitude.

Now we take an even more exceptional experience, something which demands a radical change in our outlook to accept and learn from. It is on “How to Handle PAIN” . . .

D. LEARNING FROM PAIN

mÉÏQûÉWûÏlÉÉå sÉÉpÉxiÉjÉÉ, sÉÉpÉWûÏlÉÉ mÉÏQûÉ lÉÉÎxiÉ ||7.58||

p§¢¡h§nµ l¡bhastath¡, l¡bhah§n¡ p§¢¡ n¡sti ||7.58||

58. Without pain, there is no gain; conversely, without gain, there isn’t any pain.

When we are actually experiencing pain, this Sootra is the hardest one to accept. We are prone to avoid painful experiences. We wish to jump out of the pot of pain as quickly as possible. But, Guruji repeats himself in two different ways to confirm that Mr Pain has a tough but very useful job to accomplish in our life.

The overall subject of this book is Happiness. What has Pain to do with it? The Happiness we are searching for is not the opposite of pain. It is not something so cheap. It is not a mental experience at all. True happiness lies beyond the mind. To attain it, we ought to be able to handle every possible experience which the mind encounters.

Total mastery of the mind is the price we have to pay for true Happiness. And mastery of the mind cannot be had until we learn to handle the extreme experience of Pain. It goes without saying that the extreme experience of so-called Ecstacy or “mental happiness” should also be handled with caution. We should not be deceived into the belief that it is the ultimate in happiness.

Swami Sivananda has written a very instructive poem, wherein PAIN is personified. It is quoted here in full and is meant deliberately to be the highlight of this talk:

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“I AM PAIN, THY TEACHER” by Sri Swami Sivananda

O MAN! YOU CURSE me, blame me; you hate me and frown at me; you think I am cruel and heartless; you try to slay me with anaesthetics, chloroform and bromides; you attack me with sedatives and opiates.

When I come to visit you, you phone the doctor and run to the hospital; you fly to Vienna and hill stations; you wire your friends and relatives; you approach the saints of the Himalayas for remedies and herbs; you do Maha-Mrityunjaya Japa and Havan; you burn incense and pray – all this to kill the teacher who warns you, who comes to help and bless you.

I am not your enemy, I am your friend; I am a messenger from God, I am an angel from heaven, come to teach you wisdom, to instil in your heart mercy and dispassion; to turn your mind towards God; to destroy your intense clinging to things earthly and mundane, that are perishable and illusory; I am your silent teacher – I am Pain, the best thing in this world.

I am an eye-opener, a soul-awakener, I am an inspirer and thriller; I come to remind you of God; to point to you the Divine Path; to make you desist from evil ways; to make you practice good habits. You have really misunderstood me.

I am only the absence of pleasure; I co-exist with pleasure; I am the starting point of philosophy; I am the cause of man’s exertion; I am the cause of man’s aspiration; I set the minds of philosophers to think; I make Yogis start spiritual practices; I make the sages start meditation; I make a worldly man a superman.

You failed to observe the laws of health, the rules of hygience and right living; you took impure foods; you were not regular in doing exercizes; you did not do Pranayama and Asanas; you did not pray and meditate; you were immoderate in taking food; you did not bask in the sun; you slept in ill-ventilated rooms; you took too much sweetmeats; you drank impure water; you hated and injured your neighbours; you were lustful, malicious and greedy; you did not practice celibacy and so developed gout and rheumatism; you married a third time; you were a heavy smoker in the club; you drank liquor and took drugs; you took bribes and cheated; you twisted the truth in courts and thereby sent innocent men to prison; you charged your patients heavily – and so, I come to you to heal, to teach, to guide!

Understand, now at least, my secret and good nature, my interest in your well-being; practise simple living and high thinking; observe the laws of health and hygience; adopt a well-balanced diet; practice non-injury, truth and celibacy; read holy books and scriptures; love all and be kind to all; forgive and forget quickly; serve all with affection; see the Lord in all; repeat the Divine Name at all times –

Then, I will depart and leave you . . . . . I will not trouble you any longer!

“No Pain, No Gain”

The first half of the Sootra is to be remembered when we are in actual pain. Then we should remind ourselves that as a result of the pain we are undergoing, there will surely be some spiritual gain following it. This will help us to bear the pain with fortitude.

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“No Gain, No Pain”

The second half of the Sootra is to be remembered when we are losing hope and enthusiasm to strive for something worthwhile for fear of the pain of failure. This should remind us to keep striving in spite of inevitable pain of failure or obstacles that will come.

E. DEALING WITH INCOMPLETENESS

mÉëÉrÉÈ xÉuÉåïwÉÉÇ eÉÏuÉlÉå rÉÎiMüÎgcÉSmÉÔhÉïiuÉÇ SØzrÉiÉå ||7.59||

pr¡ya¦ sarv£½¡¯ j§van£ yatki²cidapÀr³atva¯ d»¾yat£ ||7.59||

59. Generally, in everyone’s life, some kind of incompleteness is seen.

We are really no different from the Infinite Supreme Reality. Of course, recognition of this may be far away from us at the moment, but the feeling of wanting to be Infinite is ingrained in us and manifests as a feeling of being incomplete. That is its origin. Until we realise the Self, incompleteness will always be there. For Infinity is our true nature.

Materially, no one has ever been satisfied with what he has acquired. For incompleteness is a spiritual problem and cannot be resolved by material means.

The desire we all have of wanting more and more is a diseased derivative of this quality of our true spiritual Being. Due to a deluded understanding of who we are, we try to attain that Infinity in a realm in which it does not belong.

That realm is the Ego. We are so identified with our Ego rather than our true Self, that we superimpose this desire for completeness onto it. This misunderstanding as to the source of our incompleteness is at the root of our problem. The following Sootra warns us of what happens when we make this mistake.

iÉxrÉ mÉÔÌiÉsÉÉæïÌMüMü mÉËUÎcNûlÉ xÉÉkÉlÉålÉ lÉ xÉÉkrÉÉ | ÌMüliÉÑ mÉÔhÉïmÉUqÉÉiqÉlÉæuÉ ||7.60||

tasya pÀtirlaukika paricchina s¡dhan£na na s¡dhy¡ |

kintu pÀr³aparam¡tmanaiva ||7.60||

60. This void or incompleteness should not be filled by any worldly or finite means; but by the Infinite Lord alone.

A vacuum always wants to be filled. How do we fill this void that we cannot avoid feeling? This Sootra guides us in this regard.

This emptiness that we feel is not an emptiness of a material nature; it is a spiritual Void or vacuum inside us. Only by spiritual growth, by expansion of Consciousness is it possible for the emptiness to be filled. The nature of Spirit alone is Infinity, all-pervading, indestructible, ever present and ever constant.

The emptiness can, therefore, never be filled with things material, even if we became billionaires. We may try to make the Ego as big and expanded as possible. We may seek to increase our possessions, or expand our Ego through name and fame. But by doing these things, we can never fill the gap left by spiritual incompleteness.

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So, by being aware of the origin of this feeling, we should stop trying to fill the void with worldly pastimes, entertainment, pleasure-seeking and increasing possessions. Instead, we should intensify our yearning for God, and try to fill the “void” through spiritual means.

And so, we come naturally to the next and final Sootra offered by Guruji. Through its practice, not only incompleteness but every other problem of the mind can be resolved.

F. THE TOTAL SOLUTION

mÉÔhÉïSØÌ¹qÉÉÍ´ÉirÉ, mÉÔhÉïqÉåuÉ eÉÏuÉlÉÇ eÉÏuÉåiÉç ||7.61||

pÀr³ad»½¿im¡¾ritya, pÀr³am£va j§vana¯ j§v£t ||7.61||

61. With the vision of the Whole, one can live a whole life.

This Sootra places the TOTAL solution before us. The infinite Presence of God alone can truly fill this void once and for all; nothing else can succeed. Guruji suggests that we live our life with this vision of who we really are – the Whole, the Infinite, the omnipresent Brahman. Granted, it may be a far cry away, but it is the only way of filling this void.

Positive thinking based on this principle at least keeps us moving in the right direction. Any other way fails because it keeps the void unfilled forever.

CONCLUSION: Through this concluding statement, Guruji boldly proclaims to us the Truth we should strive for, no matter how remote it may be to our reach.

He holds the Truth before us, as his Guru held it before him.

He strove to reach it . . . and so should we.

He succeeded; and so can we!

*****

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The Most Successful ‘TIP’

Talk 11: Thursday, 11th February , 2016


GURUJI PUTS US into a reflective mood as he concludes the book in these last five Sootras. We will reflect upon and summarise briefly all that has been told in the previous 61

Sootras. But Guruji's conclusion is quite unique in itself, as we shall soon see.

This talk will be split into three parts:

Part A. The conventional conclusion (Sootras 62-63);

Part B. A totally new Sootra which is in addition to the 61 already given to us, and which stands in a class of its own (Sootra 64); and

Part C. The most unexpected item (Sootra 65-66), when we learn the most vital lesson of all in Life – How to Handle Success.

PART A

lÉÉliÉÉåÅÎxiÉ eÉÏuÉlÉxÉÔ§ÉÉhÉÉqÉç ||8.62||

rÉxqÉÉSmÉÉUÉåÅaÉÉkÉÉå ÌWû, ÌuÉ±É xÉÉaÉUÈ ||8.63||

n¡ntµ:'sti j§vanasÀtr¡³¡m ||8.62||

yasm¡dap¡rµ:'g¡dhµ hi, vidy¡ s¡gara¦ ||8.63||

62. There is no end to these aphorisms on life.

63. (No end) . . . . . for endless and deep, indeed, is the ocean of learning.

A book has to have a conclusion. But Life itself has no conclusion. So how does one have a conclusion in a book on Life? Guruji must have been in quite a fix at facing this prospect. But he handles it as a mathematician would handle the explanation of Infinity.

A short way of referring to the whole alphabet is simply to say A,B,C, and add a few leading dots after C. Similarly, Guruji's ABC on life has been given in 61 Sootras and now the last 5 Sootras are like the five dots that point all the way to Infinity!

Guruji could go on ad infinitum writing Sootra after Sootra on Life but it is quite unnecessary to do so. It would be like Chapter 10 of the Geeta going on with describing every possible wonder and glory of the Lord's Vibhootis. After listing 71 Vibhootis, even the Lord stopped going further and concluded just like the mathematician.

Summarising the 61 Sootras

We may think of the 61 Sootras as 61 links in a chain. This is a nice simile and can be seen in two ways:

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i) There is a distinct logical sequence in the presentation of all 61 Sootras, and we have highlighted that throughout this series of talks. Each Sootra is linked well to the previous and to the next, forming a very logical thought flow.

ii) The second way is to think of the chain as a means by which Guruji has lifted us out from a wayside ditch into which we have fallen. He has carefully hauled us out and placed us back onto the road. Now it is for us to continue with the walking, or cycling, or driving to our destination. That we have to do ourselves, and just make sure that we do not fall into the ditch again! As we continue our journey, we ourselves will have to write the remaining infinity of Sootras!

Guruji has stuck to the basics in the 61 Sootras, covering all the essential areas of life. Their net effect is to motivate us to place our feet firmly on the Pathway to Happiness and be well on our way to “happy living”.

However, let us just revisit Sootra 61, which is like a summary of all 61 Sootras. In the last talk, we did not do it full justice, but with the symbol of the "ocean of learning" in Sootra 63 we can now do justice to it:

mÉÔhÉïSØÌ¹qÉÉÍ´ÉirÉ, mÉÔhÉïqÉåuÉ eÉÏuÉlÉÇ eÉÏuÉåiÉç ||7.61||

pÀr³ad»½¿im¡¾ritya, pÀr³am£va j§vana¯ j§v£t ||7.61||

61. With the vision of the Whole, one can live a whole life.

Life is a vast ocean. This ocean can represent two things:

i) It can represent the multitude of experiences in life, with each drop representing each experience; or,

ii) It can represent the ocean of humanity, the experiencers, with each drop representing an individual.

We can combine both meanings. Every little drop has two aspects, the Global and the Local, whether we are considering experiences or people. Each experience has to be analysed with reference to the Whole of our life; we cannot consider it in isolation. And each individual should act in such a manner that he always keeps in mind the Whole of humanity and is aware of how his action affects everyone else.

This can be put in the form of a slogan: We must . . .

"Think Globally, and Act Locally".

By keeping the Whole in view, we connect or "plug" ourselves to the Cosmic power grid, just as an electrical apparatus has to be plugged to the electricity grid. Action performed when we are plugged in, sends out ripples that reshape the Whole. In this way each one of us becomes aware of how we contribute to the reshaping of Man's destiny.

The vision of “Whole-ness” leads us to the experience of total Happiness. With the Whole in mind, we become utterly selfless; we become like the flute of Krishna; we become like a ballpoint pen in the hand of God. Even though our body is so insignificant, yet if it is

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connected to the Whole, what we write will be, not merely God's biography, but His auto-biography!

In the following song written by Swami Sivananda, we see how this can be achieved:

Bhajo Radhe Krishna Bhajo Radhe Shyama,

Bhajo Radhe Krishna Bhajo Radhe Shyama.

All bodies are mine, I live through all bodies;

All minds are mine, I think through all these minds.

All eyes are mine, I see through all these eyes;

All ears are mine, I hear through all these ears.

All noses are mine, I smell through all noses;

The heaven is my head, the Earth is my feet.

PART B

lÉ MüSÉÌmÉ, (lÉ) MÑü§ÉÉÌmÉ (lÉ) MüxrÉÉÎgcÉSè,

AuÉxjÉÉrÉÉqÉç AÌmÉ | pÉaÉuÉliÉÇ iÉxrÉ M×ümÉÉÇ cÉ ÌuÉxqÉUåiÉç ||8.64||

na kad¡pi, (na) kutr¡pi (na) kasy¡²cid,

avasth¡y¡m api | bhagavanta¯ tasya k»p¡¯ ca vismar£t ||8.64||

64. At no time, at no place, and under no circumstances whatsoever, should God and His Divine Grace ever be forgotten!

This Sootra is in a league of its own. It offers an alternative view of the whole journey to Happiness. The 61 Sootras were full of reason, logic and explanation, but this Sootra captures the whole of life with the eyes of Divine Love alone. It is the very essence of devotion or Bhakti Yoga; of surrender to God. This alone is enough. Even if we forget all the logic and reasoning of the 61 Sootras and remember just this one Sootra, it is sufficient to ensure “happy living”.

Guruji makes a covenant with God, and invites us to join him:

"O Lord, whatever Life may bring me, I pledge never to forget You. I shall remember You through all ups and downs of Life. I anchor the ship of my life in You. You are all that exists. Not a breath of mine goes by without Your consent and blessing. I owe everything in life to Your Grace."

This is Guruji's guiding Star, and he offers it to us for similar duty in our lives.

Friends, as a little individual boat, we are tossed up and down by every passing wave. If we become a huge oceanliner the tossing is much less. If we become the ocean-bed itself,

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the waves cannot affect us at all – this is the ultimate in spirituality. This grand, all-encompassing "Whole" vision is the core of Guruji's message.

And now for the CLIMAX of this book . . .

PART C

xÉuÉÉåï¨ÉqÉÇ WûÏSÇ xÉÔ§ÉqÉç ||8.65||

sarvµttama¯ h§da¯ sÀtram ||8.65||

65. Of all the Tips, this indeed is the best!

Guruji now gives Sootra 64 the “Man of the Match” Award! Guruji loves sport greatly, especially cricket, and himself has used this phrase many times in his spiritual discourses. Through this Sootra, by the fact of awarding an accolade to the best Sootra of the book, confers “Success” upon it. Success – hasn't that word appeared many times in this text!

Guruji has cleverly brought our attention to the climax of the Route to Happiness – at Success we stand at the threshold of Happiness. Following Success we anticipate the automatic arrival of Happiness. But Guruji turns mischievously at us and says, "Okay, you want Happiness? Well, there it is on the other side! Jump – jump now, away from Success, if you want to reach Happiness!"

This reminds us of a story. There was a wandering trickster who used trick people by saying that he could carry a whole mountain on his head. The condition was that the villagers should feed him sumptuously for a month, so that he could gain sufficient strength for the feat. At the end of this period of feasting, he told the people, "Now I will show you my full strength. Just place that mountain on my head!"

Is Guruji doing something like that to us? No, he has a great lesson to teach us . . .

"Success is a Test, Not a Culmination"

In Life we so often mistake Success for Happiness. Life's journey does not end at Success but at Happiness. To get to Happiness we must renounce Success. That is the most difficult thing to do. What a dramatic twist to our expectation! When we think we are almost there, we discover there is yet another peak to climb ahead of us!

We thought success was a mansion to relax in; but discover it is a mountain to be climbed. We thought we could now rest for ever; but instead discover a Mt. Everest, the toughest hurdle on earth, stands before us. We thought Success was a passport to get us through any security check, but discover that it itself is the most stringent security check – right at the very gate of Heaven!

An Anecdote: Imagine you are preparing to go overseas. You get your visa, you buy your flight ticket, you make all the other arrangements. On the day of departure you hop into the taxi and reach the airport, you go through all the formalities there, pass through the security check, and are finally sitting in the departure lounge totally relaxed. There is still time for boarding. You amble into the duty-free store. Many things interest you there. You get totally engrossed. When you come out, you discover your flight had left 5 minutes ago!

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That flight was to the destination of Happiness. You were already at the Airport of Success. You dillied and dallied over a needless distraction. You lost all sight of the Goal.

The Examination Called "Success"

Success is always accompanied by three very attractive attendants. They do not mean to harm us; but we just give them too much attention. They are:

1. Miss "BENCHMARK": The “Man of the Match” has a benchmark to live up to. The thrill of success is a fleeting feeling. When it passes, he discovers that the award has placed a huge responsibility on his shoulders. He now has a burden to bear. Expectations increase in the minds of others. If he falls short even slightly, he is considered to be a “Failure”! This is the burden of success. It becomes stressful to live up to it.

2. Miss "DISTRACTION": Success becomes a distraction to further success. Success comes through an inspired effort. But Success itself threatens to erase the very spontaneity and inspiration which produced it. If we begin to relish the success, we lose the inspiration that was behind it. If we revel in success, we are sure to pay less attention to the skill behind that success.

3. Miss "FEATHER": When success is tasted, it adds "a feather to one's cap". Success is easily claimed by one’s Ego as an individual achievement rather than a collective one. This is the toughest test of Success. Is our nose raised by the sniff of Success? It often is. If we have not yet tamed our Ego, we can very easily succumb to it now when we taste success. All our effort then goes in vain – like submitting a blank sheet to the Examiner, and taking home the answer sheet!

Indeed, these three attendants are the three Questions in the examination of Success. We need to answer all of them, we do not have a multiple choice.

Success is an obstacle we ourselves plant on our path –

with such great effort that we cannot let it go!

How to Pass the Examination

To pass through the above three barriers accompanying Success, it requires a very deep spiritual quality in us to keep our head level and remain unaffected by Success. Happiness is for one who remains balanced in success and failure. This is the wisdom that Lord Krishna in the Geeta tries to get across repeatedly to Arjuna.

If we can remain balanced in the face of Success, as we often do in the face of Failure, then we can avoid the temptation of lifting the trophy of Success. Only then can we reach for the real prize that lies just beyond it – the Trophy of Happiness!

Happiness reached by renouncing Success is lasting and independent of anything external. The butterfly of Happiness rests happily on the mind that has renounced even the desire for Success.

For the ultimate Prize of Happiness,

we must pay the ultimate Price of Renunciation!

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It is the humble who are able to

succeed succesfully and attain Happiness!

HOW TO HANDLE SUCCESS SUCCESSFULLY

AlÉålÉ xÉuÉÉïiqÉMüÉå pÉaÉuÉÉlxÉªÒÂ¶É ÌmÉërÉåiÉÉÇ

iÉSlÉÑaÉëWåûhÉ xÉuÉåï cÉ xÉÑÎZÉlÉÉå pÉuÉliÉÑ ||8.66||

an£na sarv¡tmakµ bhagav¡nsadguru¾ca priy£t¡¯

tadanugrah£³a sarv£ ca sukhinµ bhavantu ||8.66||

66. May the Lord, the Self of all, and my Sat Guru be pleased with this! Assuredly, it is by their Divine Grace, that all beings can enjoy happiness!

In this last Sootra of the book, Guruji teaches us how to handle Success successfully. The secret lies in offering everything, all credit, all success, at the feet of the Lord or one's Guru, the spiritual Master. That is the safest place to offer one's success, so that it is put beyond the reach of the Ego. Guruji himself offers this whole composition at the feet of his Master.

With this offering, Guruji’s part ends. He has the firm conviction that it is by the Grace of the Lord and the Guru that we can assuredly enjoy lasting happiness in life.

A SOOTRA TO GURUJI !

There is yet one more Sootra that we may add to complete these talks. We need to thank Guruji in the same traditional manner for all that he has taught us . . .

“Sootra 67”: May the Grace and blessings of Pujya Gurudev ever be upon Guruji, his ideal disciple, for this great sharing of his love, knowledge and wisdom with us!

*****

|| Á iÉiÉç xÉiÉç ||

Om Tat Sat!

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NATURE – Wild . . . a Sootra without words!

*****

Documents

11 Serialised Talks on “ The Route Jivansutrani.pdf · Sandeepany’s Vedanta Course List of All the Course Texts in Chronological Sequence: Text No. TITLE OF TEXT Text No. TITLE