Index

Long Pilgrimage: The Life and Teaching of Sri Govindanda Bharati, Known As the Shivapuri Baba

You should write about my teaching, not about me.

If you believe in God, then your search must be for God; but even if you believe in nothing, you must still have some conviction that there is a meaning behind this visible world. You must be determined to seek out that meaning and understand it.

Practice those twenty-six qualities or virtues described.

Put up a routine of your day’s work with fixed duties and go ahead. Then see your success and failure in the evening.

The first stage he calls Self-Realization, the second Soul-Realization, and the last God-Realization.

There was a bird which was as tiny as a nut living by a sea coast. And it used to lay eggs on the beach close to the sea. But every time it discovered that its eggs had all been washed away by the ocean in high tide. And anger was born in the heart of the bird. One day, in order to recover its lost eggs, the bird thought out a plan to dry up the ocean. Forthwith with a firm determination the bird started to work out its plan. It dipped itself in the ocean and flew back to the beach to dry itself up in the sand which it did repeatedly. When this process was being repeated another of its kind came and asked, “What is this that you are doing and what for?” “I’m going to dry up the ocean to recover my eggs which now it has hidden in its bosom.” “Are you really? I must recover mine as well. I must join you in this effort.” So saying the second bird also did the same thing. Presently other birds too came on the scene and all joined in the attempt. Soon the number grew up to millions and billions and the terrific process was on. Soon the ocean was full of mountains. Fear was created in the heart of the ocean. At long last the ocean had to yield. What a great force it is to make a strong determination however insignificant a man may be.

Teaching with bringing flowers (page 42 and 43)

The first thing is to reach God. By seeing God, everything is known. Think of God alone. Dismiss every thought from your mind. You will see God. It is difficult, but not impossible. It is difficult—I do know. But if you will take enough trouble to remove that difficulty, all other difficulties of life will vanish. Unless we see God, we cannot know anything Before the sun comes, we can see nothing on the ground. When the sun comes, we see everything. So the Presence of God. When we know God we know everything. Before that, a simple explanation is no explanation at all.

Let the thought of God be alone in your mind, destroy every other thought. You will see God before you and all your problems are solved. This is the first business. Now, unless you live a disciplined life, this meditation is not possible. There is this body; you should know the requirements of this body. You will have to hear, you will have to see, you will have to sleep, you will have to taste, you will have to spit, you will have to breathe. One thousand activities are there in this body. All these activities are to be controlled and commanded. How much to eat, how much to sleep, what to see, what to hear ? All this should be controlled and commanded. This is one duty. Another duty is towards home, society, nation, etc. Find out what we have to do. A third duty concerns material needs. Without material wealth, we cannot do these things. For that we have a professional duty. These are the duties one has got to do. They should be found out and practised properly, without any failure, without commission or omission. Then life becomes steady. In the steady life, meditation is very easy.

we are covered by consciousness. God is beyond consciousness. Forget this consciousness a moment; you will see God. In a flash! First, what we have got to do is: discipline this life, then meditate on God. When you see God, every problem is solved.

Man has three duties: Physical duty—the obligations he was born to; earning a living, acquitting himself and his talents in the world, looking after his dependents and so on. Moral duty—to be aware of the obligation towards oneself to seek the Truth for twenty-four hours of the day. Spiritual duty—Worship of God—but this we will appreciate only later. Attention to the first two duties—taken very simply, will take us far along the way.

You must not cease working at these two duties even for one minute. A minute’s lapse will cause emotions, passions, thoughts to invade your mind… If you don’t entertain them they will drop you and go elsewhere…Put a barbed wire fence round your mind.

He gave me some personal advice: ’Decide how much you want. Decide how many friends, how many people you want to see; how much money you need to earn to live with your family, how much time you will give to thinking and talking about things like journalism, politics and other things; how much food and drink and entertainment you feel you need. Then stick to this regimen as best you can. Don’t let yourself be carried beyond these limits.

There must be neither joy nor suffering in meditation, only an intense desire to see God.

The highest purpose is served by the simple performance of our duties. That is Dharma. This is no easy matter. The duties cannot be recognized and performed properly, unless there is a keen intelligence. Then it is necessary to have a strong mind in order to meditate without wavering upon God. In order to acquire a strong mind there must be moral discipline. Therefore, all three are necessary: duty, discipline and devotion.

You must not allow the relative to overcome the absolute in you.

God doth not need either man’s work or His own gifts.” And yet He requires of us that we should not be hearers only, but doers of the Word. The enigma of the finite and the infinite is always with us. The Vedanta does not remove it. No one has preached a more thoroughgoing monism than Shankara. No one practised a more thoroughgoing dualism. The Shivapuri Baba cuts the Gordian knot in the simplest way by saying that both are right, but neither is right without the other.

Be sure that if you ask enough, God will come.

You see that for maintaining body, you have to discharge certain duties towards nature, towards family, towards society, towards government and towards profession. All these should be planned and done with dexterity. Then for making your mind strong you have to cultivate virtues, charity, self-control, fearlessness, patience, together with the rest of the twenty-six virtues described in the sixteenth chapter of the Gita. This is discrimination. The rest of the time you should devote to thinking of Truth in various ways without feeling monotonous. This is Devotion. The most important thing is to see that you do not waste your time on any other work.

How can we best help the world? S.B. By living the Right Life and practising charity; mental, verbal, bodily, and pecuniary. Mentally, we should wish well even to our so-called enemies. We should not speak words likely to hurt others. We should, when possible, try to serve others physically. Then at least ten per cent of our income should be devoted to charity. This, again, should be divided into three parts. One part should go to poor spiritual aspirants and institutions for spiritual life. Another part should go to deserving cultural people and institutions. The third part should go to poor people and institutions for helping them.

There is this body (1). It has many requirements. You should know the right activities for each part of the body. These right activities are to be selected and performed without any commission or omission. Another thing is mind (2). Mind is ruled by emotions. Mind should be ruled by reason. Calmness must prevail in the mind. The third thing is: the rest of the time should be utilized for meditating on God (3), to know the meaning of Life, or to see God personally. This is Right Life.

Parents and teachers should prepare the way. They are the agents of the Self.

these duties should be performed in such a way as not to hinder your search for God. Little by little, you will be able to diminish them. First professional duties are to be reduced to what is necessary, then family duties. Finally, there remains only the duty to preserve the existence of your body. Nevertheless, even now you can meditate upon God and the meaning of life. Every day you must set aside as much time as you can for this, and you will come to it.

From experience, by experience, reason comes. Now. Suppose I tell you to prepare tea. You prepare it. There may be some mistakes—the real taste will not come. There may be more sugar, or more tea. Or the art of boiling may be wrong, the ingredients may be wrong. Today, you make, you taste it, and the right thing has not come. Find out the mistake today, and remedy it tomorrow. Another mistake may come. Remedy it the day after tomorrow. In this way, go on preparing that one thing for a long time. You will get the correct taste one day, then maintain the correct taste. This is reason.

By the observation of yesterday, you can change today. By changing today, tomorrow will be different.

we should care for neighbours also. We should be very helpful to them, never be harmful to them. They will always be eternal friends. Whenever we are in difficulty, they will come and help us. It is the same With society and nation and with all human beings. That is right life.

One should not live for pleasure; but, if it comes, it should not be rejected also. Pleasure will give satisfaction if it is accepted without being sought for.

That God is to be seen, then only life will be all right. The meaning of life is to be known. Then only one can be happy here. To know that meaning or to see God, his thoughts should always centre round that one subject. Every other subject must vanish from the mind.

Moral perfection must be essential. One should not yield to liking and disliking. One should not have any other desire, other than living this life or finding out God. Then this lower nature should not play in the mind; anger and various other things.

Opposite nature should be eliminated from the mind. Simply by seeing our behaviour. If behaviour is wrong, one should determine now that such behaviour should not be. Today anger came, tomorrow it should not come.

La disciplina non deve essere limitata a parole e azione ma anche ai pensieri. In thought, word and deed; G.B. You mean that one has to conquer anger in one’s thoughts, it is no use to try and conquer it by one’s actions. S.B. No, it will not be. G.B. If I have angry thoughts, it is not enough to stop my angry words? The thoughts are still there, the thoughts come before the actions. S.B. Yes.

One should cultivate all the Creation as the Image of God, the Manifestation of God—one should always be humbled, humiliated before that. When such thoughts are established, anger will not come.

The second discipline is of the Mind. Mind is wild. Various passions, various thoughts are playing in the mind. Now these passions, these thoughts are all to be removed from the mind. One should not yield to liking and disliking. In that way, the mind will become strong. One should cultivate the higher nature. One should destroy the lower nature. This is moral discipline. Then the mind becomes very strong. In that strong mind, when you have finished these duties for a time, you can meditate upon God. Either your mind should remain with these duties, or it should remain with God. It should have no other place. That is the right way of life today.

reduce the love for life. Love of God will automatically increase.

let pains come or pleasures come; we should be indifferent to both. if we live this right life, with these disciplines, sufferings will be very, very much less. Many sufferings will go away. But still some sufferings will remain, that one should not mind. One should have a law of the mind to follow.

Angoscia, nostalgia, tristezza, rabbia -> BE INVOLVED IN THE WORLD, DO NOT STAY TOO MUCH WITH THESE THOUGHTS.

what is needed is simple faith in God, not reason. There is a God—if I meditate on Him every day, I will see Him. This simple faith is all we need.

Who am I?, it is beyond reason. When we pursue this beyond reason, we reach God. When we pursue this reason, we reach pleasure.

Fear and temptation, these are the two beginnings of human troubles.

Yes. Yes, patience, even the whole oceans will be drowned within patience. It will come. Yes, there is the story of a young boy Dhruva. His stepmother turned him out, he was very sensitive, he went to the forest. Then he sat under a tree, and he wanted to see God. Then a Saint going by said: ‘You are very young, you won’t get to God.’ Then the boy said: ‘No, no, don’t say like that. Tell me where to see God.* The Saint said: ’I shall go and ask God and will give you his answer.’ So the Saint went to see God and told him what the boy was asking. Then God said: ‘I will not go to him, it will take a long time for me to go to him. He is sitting under a tree. Tell him to count the number of leaves in that tree. So many lives he should finish, then only will I go to him.’ The Saint came back and told him: ‘No use of your sitting here. So many lives you will have to pass, then only you will see God.’ The boy said: ‘All right, if I will pass all those live?, he will see me, that assurance he has given. I am satisfied.’He sat there. Then God wanted to test him. He took the form of a lion, and began to roar very fiercely, and He came near his side. The boy saw that lion, and then he said: ’Oh, Lion come up very soon and eat me away. One life is over. I am nearer God.’ No fear, nothing in him. He wants only God; then at once, God revealed Himself before him. This is determination. Fear should be driven out. With all his insistence upon the need for an uncompromising determination in the pursuit of Truth, the Shivapuri Baba is well aware of the dangers of a literal interpretation.

Once a snake was lying on the way. It used to bite everybody. A Yogi was passing. The snake went to bite him also. He (Yogi) said: ‘No, there is sin, don’t bite me.’ He (the snake) said: ‘What is sin?’ The Yogi explained. The snake was frightened. ‘What must I do?’ said the snake. The Yogi said: ‘Now, you don’t bite anybody, keep quiet in your place, and take the Name of God.’ He said this and went away. That snake remained in that place, and began to take the Name of God. Some children were passing by that way. They saw the snake. They took stones, and threw at it, and some mischievous children caught it by the tail, and threw it away. It was about to die. The Yogi was returning, then the snake called him. ‘What a man you are. What you taught me? Now I am about to die. Why you taught me this nonsense?’ The Yogi said: ‘No, no. It is your own mistake. Why you remain in that particular place? Why did you not go and stay in your hole there? Nobody would have seen you. I told you not to bite people. When people come to trouble you, why do you not rear your head and frighten them? I told you not to bite them, that is all. They will run away. You could not use your intelligence, so that is why you came into trouble.’

One’s own Dharma must be fulfilled. What we do for the Dharma of others is part of the total Dharma, and it cannot be separated from our own. Thus Right Living has three aspects; cosmic, social and personal. It is the Universal Law or Will of God.

Mind is filled with various impressions, passions and thoughts. All these should be emptied from the mind. God- thought alone should roam in the mind with one desire to see God or to have His blessings, or in other words, there is a Truth behind this life. That is to be known. The thought of this Truth alone should occupy the mind, no other thought. By performing the three duties life will prosper but that will not create this moral and spiritual discipline. Moral discipline is to create peace in the mind. Without peace prosperity becomes meaningless. Meditation on God becomes impossible when there is no peace in the mind. When any desire remains, meditation is not possible. One’s sole concern in life should be God-Realization. Life should become secondary. My teaching is that one should know what is life, why is life and how is life. Without knowing these things life can never be lived properly. To know these things we should know God first. So one’s aim should be to see God. To know God one should be possessed by that one idea of God exclusive of all other ideas. Therefore, one should always meditate on God. Now, in an impure mind meditation becomes impossible or distracted. For that moral discipline is essential. But again without a purified body, purification of mind also becomes impossible. To have a purified body one should do simple essential things. One should regulate all his duties and these regulated duties should be done with complete success. Hence disciplined actions.

There is no such special form of meditation to be recommended.

Man has a threefold structure: Body with its various functions and powers, his Manas with its impulses, desires and qualities; Purusha: freedom to choose between the different influences that act upon him, both from without and from the different sides of his own nature. Purusha is helpless until the mind grows strong enough and wise enough to ‘pierce the veil of consciousness’. Three destinies: World-Realization; Soul-Realization; God-Realization. Body; Manas; Purusha Energy; Understanding; Will Duty; Morality; Worship One cannot change one’s own will by force, God-Realization comes by grace (gratuitous character of the supreme good). Nevertheless, we have our own necessary part to play and that is to be single-minded in our waiting for God. This Single-Minded, patient waiting for God with loving insistence, is meditation. This is complete worship, that must be distinguished from devotion which is only one of the form of worship.

The guiding principle for duty is intelligence, for morality discrimination, and for worship spiritual longing.

The sole purpose of this human life is to find the Ultimate Truth or God, and for this we must accept a certain code of life which means that we should put our life in right order. There are three different orders we should look into. They are (1) Spiritual order; (2) Moral order; and (3) Intellectual order.

The First Discipline of Duty: for a good life (Sukha) here on earth (body): 1. Personal 2. Obligatory 3. Professional (1) Personal: To keep the body fit we have to use our external organs and we should use them wisely; that is, we should use them as much as is necessary. Seeing, hearing, speaking, touching, eating, etc., should be done only to the proportion required for the body and mind; no extra use should be made. (2) Obligatory: Since we cannot live alone and need the help of others, society is required. We have our duties to society, parents, family and other people. (3) Professional: Since we have to maintain ourselves, we must earn something and must take to some profession according to individual taste and capacity. But we should spend on our own account only as much as is necessary and use the balance for other purposes. Spend what is absolutely necessary, nothing more, nothing less.

Those who desire to realize the Truth should make the moral and physical disciplines of the three duties secondary, and the spiritual discipline, namely Meditation, primary. But in no case should any of these duties be omitted. Only this Right Life and Meditation for Truth in a direct method lead to realization of the Absolute.

All is useless and a waste of time unless God chooses to reveal Himself to the soul.

There is a sharp and material distinction between the stage of going beyond consciousness and the stage of senseless stupor, which in other words is called ’Nirvikalpa Samadhi*

Are you strong enough to resist pain or temptation in the external and worries in the internal world? Every one must response to such question before looking only towards God without life-adjustment. Every one must look to it. But, as a rule, both are to be prescribed, that is, God plus life- adjustment. This is the royal road as prescribed by the Gita. But as a short cut for the man in question, this importance attributed to Knowledge and Intellect may be disregarded, according to his capacity for resisting or ignoring the reactions produced by wrong Knowledge and wrong Intellect. But beware of strong reactions.

The foundation of the first discipline is Discrimination. Careful attention to detail. It is an obligation for man to study the peculiarities of his own body so as to know exactly how it should be treated. The inner working parts of the instrument are just as important as its outward appearance.

Meals, sleep and bath should be taken in exactly the right amount. At every stage of life one must know exactly when to sleep, how long to sleep and how to sleep.

All the different functions as a whole should tend towards the ultimate goal. They are like motives tending towards the Master Motif which is our ultimate goal. By daily observation, we come to know where the functions have been going wrong and improve our efficiency, till a time comes when we get a definite standard of life. We shall then have no inferiority in anything. Observe cleanliness. Bedding should be neat and clean. No agitation, nothing should disturb when going to bed. Do not give way to speculation. Have calmness and concentrate on om (🕉️). Burn incense for good smelling.

Think only good thoughts of others. Speak only good words of others. Do only good deeds to others. Give of your substance to help others.

The strong Manas is the link between the two worlds in which man has to live. It enables him, on the one hand, to face his duties with serenity; and, on the other, to enter upon his search for God with peace and faith. The Manas is thus the link between the spiritual and the material sides of man’s nature, and also between the inner and the outer worlds in which we must live. In order to fulfil its task, the Manas must be strong enough to withstand the assaults and pressures of the material world, and yet pure enough to recognize the delicate and subtle qualities of the spirit. The transformation of the Manas is thus the central problem for those of us, and they are almost the totality of all human beings on earth, who were not born, like Ramana Maharshi, with a Manas strong enough and pure enough to embark without preparation or training upon the spiritual quest.

Sampadam daivim (Gita 16th Chapter) Fearlessness, Purity of Mind, Stability of Character, Charitableness,Self-Mastery, Readiness to make Sacrifices, Studiousness, Ability to make Efforts, Straightforwardness, Non-Violence, Truthfulness, Freedom from Wrath, Renunciation (of the fruits of action), Tranquillity, Aversion to Slander, Compassion towards Living Beings, Non-Covetousness, Gentleness, Sense of Shame in doing evil actions, Strength of Mind, Energy, Forgiveness, Endurance, Chastity, Absence of Malice, Aversion to Praise. They are contents of the mind (Manas), not attributes of the man himself (Purusha) who is within or behind the mind (Manas)

The mind itself is a living, sensitive and even conscious organ. As such, it is capable of undergoing transformation. This transformation comprises three distinct actions: (1) The Mind must be purified, so that its contents consist wholly and solely of the daivic elements. This is a sattwic mind. (2) It must be strengthened and expanded, so that it can withstand the influences of the external world and give the Purusha a place for tranquil meditation. These are serenity and peace. (3) It must commit itself wholly and irrevocably to the search for God. For this, it must lose itself. This self-losing is described by the Shivapuri Baba as piercing the veil of consciousness.

Morality (Manas): differences between morality and duty is that the former concerns the inner life, the letter the outer life.

Actions in themselves cannot be described as moral or immoral unless we know the inner state from which they proceed.

What do we do? We try to regain our previous position, thinking that this is the only course left open to us in order to preserve that peace of mind we were enjoying previously. Here, we are mistaken. We overlook the fact that our effort to regain our previous status is quite futile because in this ever-changing world what has happened will never return. Instead, if we are wise we should try to adjust ourselves to the new status in which we find ourselves.

Everywhere there are exceptions to every rule. - Author, not Shivapuri Baba quote

Manas, Buddhi and Ahamkara are all mind. Manas does, Buddhi knows and Ahamkara ascertains. A strong mind is possible through practice of the virtues.

Right morality (that is with no liking or disliking) is the tongs with which we should deal with this existence.

When useless or harmful actions are not done, no reactions come to us. We then are left free to meditate upon God.

The foundation of true morality, as distinct from artificial or imitative morality, is discrimination. This is the second and most precious possession that man can have—the first is insatiable hunger for Truth, that is God.

Discrimination is an active power that goes beyond knowledge. We cannot discriminate rightly and act wrongly. If we see what has to be done and do not do it, we must admit that we do not discriminate. Discrimination is a property of the mind—or, as we should say in the West, of the soul—which determines our actions. True discrimination is true morality. Morality without discrimination can always fall into error.

You cannot teach Faith. Faith comes from God. You must teach them discrimination. From discrimination, faith will come by itself.

Do not allow anything from the external to make you desist or refrain from your duties.

The Third Discipline—The Spiritual Life is the supreme task, the fulfilment of which is the very purpose of man’s existence, and for which all the others are but a preparation.

Man can never find God, but, as in the story of the boy Dhruva, he can bring God to him if he has the required qualities of mind.

With Intellect, we conquer this world and achieve earthly happiness, sukha. By Manas, we conquer ourselves and achieve serenity, santosh, and the assurance of eternal bliss. By Faith, we allow ourselves to be conquered by God, and in losing all to find all, that is Shanti. World-Realization, Soul-Realization and God-Realization are three distinct end-points of three distinct processes.

Think of God alone. Put every other thought from your mind. When all else disappears you will see God. In a flash. Since few mortals have the strength of mind to follow this precept literally from the start, we must go by stages. There are three of these, conveniently described by the Sanskrit words dharana, dhyana and samadhi, or steadiness, meditation and diffuse contemplation.

Samadhi is concentration on Truth. Dhyana is thinking of any one particular object for a long time. Dharana is thinking of Truth historically. In another sense, meditation is profound thinking. It makes our health better, gives extremely helpful ideas, and is quite essential for our spiritual progress. Meditation is a mad man’s business.

Dhyana: There is consciousness of both external and internal world Dharana: there is consciousness of internal world only

Conceptions of morality differ according to time and place. For maintaining the Right Life, we can break any rule of morality. The universal morality is to commit no act of omission or commission (do something wrong). We must not be dogmatic about other forms of morality.

teachings found in books are only general. Particular aspirants need the guidance of a teacher, who is a realized soul.

Right Life and Meditation is a path not denying life, but making it. By accepting life and leading it in the right path, we are able to establish life and make ourselves capable of realizing the Truth by Meditation.

A person may meditate while performing his duties, or in a forest. But even in leading a life in a forest, one has to perform the threefold duties. A life in the forest is not a life of penance or yogavyas. The person seeking Truth in a forest, has to make his life by practising the ’Right Life* and having direct meditation on God.

Each action of the external senses must be measured, and no commission or omission should be made.

First Stage: DHARANA. Its purpose is to produce an orientation of the mind that facilitates the next stages. This means literally the act of holding in the mind, and also of memorizing and keeping the mind collected.

Second Stage: DHANYA. Meditate on Him with as much reverence and love as you can on His manifested form in the beginning. Imagine Him as standing just in front of you. Meditate on this Form repeatedly. Forget all except Him. Speak to Him, ‘O God, bless me.’ Speak, cry, laugh, dance, do anything, let flow your ecstatic tears. From Him is this all. Without Him there is nothing. Have a posture so as to make your mind steady on this Form. If the entire form is not possible for you to imagine within a single sweep of your vision, imagine Him in parts from head to foot. Practise like this repeatedly. Devote as much of your time as possible. Offer Him flowers, incense and bow down to His gracious feet. When your concentration on this Form fails, come down to dharana, let your imagination play in His sportful Lilas, in such studies as pertain to Him alone. Then again a fresh assault of concentrating on Him. Come down to dharana again, a fresh assault again. Go on like this for years and years. Imagine Him standing close to you as your shadow in all your thoughts and doings. Then a time will come when you will actually see Him before you. Your joy will know no bounds. Your ignorance, all this pleasure and pain will vanish. Your whole outlook will be changed. The sole purpose of this human life is nothing but the realization of God.

Third Stage: SAMADHI. This means to be established in the identical, that is, the state of unity of subject and object: in this case the individual Purusha and the Supreme Reality. Beware here again. Do not stop here alone. This is not all. Again there is Samadhi, the question as to whence is this Being. Stop here and seek beyond—the Unknown Source. This Being is but the assumed Form by that Unknown Source. Go and know That. There a real peep into the Vacuum happens. Then all is over. The Ultimate Goal is reached. This realization can be had only by the Grace of God. Only such a man who works along this line of Swadharma, i.e. along these three principles, and yet does not get involved in enjoying the fruits thereof, and dedicates all to God, and always remains for the most part of his time in deep hankering after God, is the person who deserves this Grace. In Samadhi itself there are different degrees, and the seeker after ultimate Truth must beware of the temptation to remain at some intermediate stage which, by its intense bliss and sense of liberation from all earthly ties, may appear to be the end. But Nirvikalpa Samadhi also, one day, it dissolves with the dissolution of the world. SO there is no permanent happiness there also. There, in that utter helplessness, he gets stirred. If not, while in Nirvikalpa Samadhi, he remains completely at rest and enjoys supreme bliss. This stirring, but no coming back, must necessarily drive him beyond where he is, in that utter despair. Consequently one-pointed attention is taken to the climax and the Flash happens. He gets the Vision. He sees himself. Only then the real life of the man begins.

This, of course, is in everybody’s case in the beginning stages. Do not get disheartened. Remain in Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. What is Dharana? Think of Christ, for instance, remember His teachings His personality, His life-activities and all that you know of Him. Also think of the Sun, the Moon or the stars or rivers, mountains, lakes, etc., which are the creation of God. Read Scriptures and the like. Say prayers. Tell the beads. Thus go on thinking of the glories of God in one way or another, so that you spend your time on God and nothing else. This is Dharana, where you remain, as if in a bigger circle. This too is a form of meditation. Go on and think what is the meaning of life. By thus doing you try to penetrate into the mysteries of God. This is Dhyana, where you get more concentrated. Then again when you make such inquiries as ‘Who am I ?’ you come to concentrate as if on a point (from the bigger circle of Dhyana and Dharana). This process of Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi is to be repeated times without number. By thus doing your mind is forcibly made to stay on God and in course of time, say, in months or years your mind must get tamed and become steady. In Samadhi, of course, one’s mind cannot at present stand even for a fraction of a second; only in course of time you will succeed. Distaste for life and continued practice of meditation on God is the only qualification needed. Mind’s desire is to be curbed. External duties should be planned definitely and critically observed. Avoid every work outside this. Successfully do what is planned. Without God-Realization nothing is possible. The only object should be that!

Knowledge itself is not the realization of it.

Three eternal questions Why? How? and What? Why?—To attain bliss: Ananda.

This has three forms:

1. Sukha pleasure which belongs to the body, Kshetra.
2. Santosh which is serenity of mind, Manas.
3. Shanti or peace of the inner self, that is, Purusha.

The why of all activity consists in the attainment of one of the three forms of bliss.

How?—By purified awareness: Citta.

This also has three forms:

1. Physical Discipline which brings pleasure
2. Moral Discipline which brings serenity
3. Spiritual Discipline which brings peace

What?—That which is: Sat.

This has three categories:

1. Transcendental: God, Purusha and Maya.
2. The Modes: Unmanifest (Avyakta) Manifest (vyakta) Mind (manas)
3. Intellect and the rest of the 24 principles, namely [Intellect, 1 — feeling, 5 inner senses, 5 outer senses, 5 objects of sense, the 5 great elements.

All the things we see in this universe, men, and materials, all nature and its different phenomena, are simply bewildering. We cannot make out what they are. The reality behind them, the secret of secrets is quite hidden to our view and, as it were, hermetically sealed. The earnest inquirer is times without number repelled from his activity, thrown back into despair and anxiety as he cannot come to a right solution of all this bewildering complexity.

If we do not lose heart and patiently continue our searching, our earnest inquiry will naturally have a right direction, we find a real Guru who is self-realized.

There are different opinions as regards the number of the tattwas. But for our purpose, God or ‘this existence* is the only tattwa. This existence, which we see externally and internally as well, is nothing but God. This ’I* should go on inquiring ’What is this?’ This is meditation or God-Concentration. This is Atma- tattwas, or soul, of which we have our own awareness. This awareness is under the influence of the three gunas. Next there is our experience of existence. This experience is gained through Intellect. Now, what is imperative is that this intellect and the resultant experience is to be made limited, that is, to run on a particular channel. Unless we limit we cannot apprehend because this experience itself is infinite.

Gita comes forward and takes all these three as honourable gentlemen (Karma, Bhakti, Jnana). Each is taken full use of and advice is given to go through all of them. All three together produce a factor which tends to the one aim to which all had agreed before. When God is aimed at during these three processes, the different results particular to each of them drop off, and lose importance. They are all utilized, and in combination made to bear fruit in the shape of God attainment. Sarva Karma Phala Tyaga (every action gives fruit to be abandoned) i.e., we must never allow ourselves to be entangled in the enjoyment of the different results, before we reach our goal or realization.

every new vantage ground reached becomes a prison if we seek to enjoy it beyond the moment it is reached. Thousands of aspirants to the highest Truth have lost their way through mistaking a milestone for the terminus.

Karma, Akarma and Vikarma are the three classes of our activities. Akarma or useless activities and Vikarma or harmful ones must be abandoned. Only Karma or useful ones are to be well attended to. If this is found too difficult, this work of eliminating these two activities may be accomplished only gradually, according as our strength of tyaga (or spirit of renunciation) permits. In doing Karma alone, which involves a daily repetition of almost the same items of work, we naturally acquire a dexterous hand in the long run. Our relation with the outside world, that is our physical or intellectual order, will be very well established. We shall then have no complaints against the external world, since by then we shall have achieved a smooth sailing as far as our life-demands are concerned. We shall then be freely allowed to think on, or ponder over, the Absolute Truth which is beyond. “Who am I?” is our question. “O God, reveal to me the secret.” Thus praying we go on with an agitated mind and spend all the rest of our time. We bow down to Him and ask for His grace and, as long as His grace does not descend upon us, we never leave this—our agitation. Quite a tedious business it is. But still we must go on, since there is no other way to be taken recourse to. We must go on with our original question as to “Who am I ?” As long as this Truth of truths is not revealed to us we must not stop our agitation or else we are doomed. Because there is an end to this world of blissful experience one day.

When there is Raga, or liking, and Dwesha, or hatred, in the lower sphere of our activity, we may either indulge more than what is required or less than what is necessary. In more indulgence we shall have to lose our stock of energy for nothing, and in less, too, we shall be pricked from the life-demands.

Whatever we do in this world is through our Intellect. It is an instrument. We are solely guided by it. If we follow its lead blindly, and, if it is wrong, it will lead us to troubles. That is why the necessity arose to perform Gayatri daily, meaning thereby, to pray to this Intellect not to lead us astray. (“Let us meditate upon the glorious radiance of Savritri. May it enlighten our Intellect”).

Our intellect should be in line with morality. Knowledge or the avoiding of the influence of the three gunas, and lastly with a careful avoidance of akarma and vikarma.

One should divide the day into two: one part for carrying out necessary duties; one part for worship of God. One should try not to do unnecessary things, and to do what was necessary for this reason, and not for the sake of gratifying desires. Eating, for instance: one should eat enough to give the body the energy it requires, and not more, and not because one is tempted by the taste of the food. Whatever one does, eating, walking, sitting, talking, writing, reading, thinking—everything should be done in this way, and done consciously.

inwardly not to identify, and outwardly, to play one’s role consciously. You could behave angrily without any feeling of anger inside, the mind being in control and untouched, so to speak.

Every function needs its own quality of energy and that what is not needed for use for a function can be transformed into a higher quality for a higher function.

When we are able to look at the situation without interference from our ego-sense, then we can make sound judgments. The ego has no judgments of its own, but depends upon what it has seen and heard from others.

a wise man will not get himself involved in such controversial statements. He is concerned only with the state of complete freedom and happiness which is beyond this idea of perfection and imperfection. The common factor, that is this practice of Yajna, Dana and Tapas, only will be counted by him rejecting all speculative inquiries.

We come out of the darkness (avarana) and we go towards forms created by our own imagination (vikshepa). Beyond this darkness and these forms, lies the Truth that we are seeking. We must no longer dally with all this, but peep into the darkness (avarana) which breaks our patience. God may be in it or beyond it. So in Right Life, mind and intellect cannot play havoc. They are made use of only when required. At other times they are silent. They are caged like a lion and we shall not have to fear them. Promise or outside force makes us live the Right Life in the beginning.

We live on our impressions. The background is God.We go from one to another of such impressions. This means that we are not dwelling on the meditation of God, Who is the Absolute Background of all these various impressions. Now the question arises as to how we can free ourselves from such impressions. We should know that these impressions are like pieces of understandings which rest on God, the Absolute Background behind. These are like parts only out of the Whole. We should here see that God, or the Absolute, is permeating each and every such impression of ours. We then penetrate into such impressions, and find that in essence all these pieces of impressions are One, not different. We find unity in diversity. In thus doing, we go from the vikshepa shakti of Maya to the avarana side. From there, we try to make out the underlying fundamental Unity.

This world and its experience like this, is only the work of the mind. We create mind and then we have this world. Otherwise no world. Science has proved it.

Right Life consists of three stages:

1. Simple observation

2. Detection

3. Elimination

4. This is the ABC of the business, the most painstaking part of it. If we get through it, the other two parts will be very easy. See what we do daily—Karma, vikarma or akarma. That is all. By doing this we retain our consciousness always with us, which is the most unavoidable preliminary for the other stages. We should keep this consciousness always in our ideal or Right Life which is two-fold.

1. The lower life, viz. the protection of life.
2. The higher one, viz. the thought on God.

Karma phala tyaga - abandoning the fruits of action

This soul is to be known and realized for better identification. This inquiry as to ‘Who am I ?’ should be our main concern.

Temptation and Fear are the two causes for deviation which is wrong. Love of God (the idea that we can have the highest pleasure or bliss which surpasses every other sense-pleasure) saves us from temptation, and Distaste for life (the idea that death is inevitable and let death come in the attempt) brings fearlessness.

Imagining God in some way or other according to our preconceived notion is false. Yet it is to be sought simply to relax for some time and enter into God inquiry again with fresh vigour.

Knowledge is twofold. One which deals with ‘what’ and the other which is dealing with ‘how’, All the questions you have put come under this ‘what ?’ We can wait for this till we see God. But the question ‘how?’ should be solved today. We cannot wait till God comes. Hence be very strict and careful in this ‘how?’

build your life today and tomorrow you will have a good life.

Morality is that which makes him capable to abide by this right Knowledge and right Intellect so to say, his spirit of self-surrender. Thought over God is equivalent to the thought over this Swadharma.

Whenever we do our Karma we should do it without being impelled by desire (Ichchha), or by attachment (Raga), or by hatred (Dwesha). If we keep our mind away from their influences we are said to be keeping up morality. No liking or disliking we should have in doing our duties.

A man without attachment to anything, without feeling any sort of pride in his work, with a steadfastness of purpose, and without being affected in the least by the resultant success or failure, is a Sattwic person.

When the one thing is kept supreme, i.e. when God is aimed at at all costs, the three purifications come in automatically (though without a guru) to make the supreme one possible. Keen hankering after God drags in its train the required purifications even without our knowing to a certain extent, which is quite enough for our purpose.

One who has dedicated his life to the pursuit of TRUTH need not dissipate his energies on questions of social laws. Because his main task lies in the journey towards the Absolute, performance of social obligations becomes the least troublesome for him and, since he has not to follow any dogma or so-called religious exercises, he will personally not have to face any conflict with social questions.

In personal life, one must be watchful of his own actions. He should not perform a single unnecessary action. Same on seeing, hearing, speaking, eating and touching. He should conserve all his senses and must not waste any of them. In personal life one must be pure in action and in mind.

Meditation combined with Right Life can alone bring Realization. This method admits of no religion, no sect, no dogma, no theory. This is called Swadharma. Swadharma simply means fulfilling one’s three-fold duties and meditation.

All problems arise because our minds are linked to sentiment. We should link our minds to reason, not sentiment. Our mind will always follow what is pleasant, even if it is not reasonable. It will avoid the unpleasant, even if it is clearly more reasonable. Pleasure and displeasure, liking and disliking should not be the business of the mind.

Discipline is not effort but surrender. Discipline gives strength. A bird gets its strength from air. A king from his army. A man from his sense of discipline. Discipline gives a plan and shape to man’s life. When he makes a start, already some problems become less. With each act of surrender, of discipline, it becomes easier to frustrate the mind’s tricks to drag you away from your purpose.

A child must be trained to be first, efficient, second, responsible, and third, aware of questions of why are we living, truth, God. Efficiency is very essential. Even making a cup of tea must be perfected by practice—trial and error. Responsibility must be learnt because this leads to concern for duty. Concern for spiritual matters is needed because this is one’s duty—to find Truth and God. Children should be given daily duties—a daily plan for life. Simplify their lives for them. By simplifying yours. It is possible to do your work and reduce the complexity of your life and theirs. They will imitate your life. It is more than mere imitation but even imitation will do for a start.

Spend some time every day thinking of why we are living? Where did we come from ? Where are we bound ? When a start is made this becomes interesting, like reading a book. When it is interesting other thoughts become weaker and one is thinking only of the book. Another analogy: Look for the white screen of the cinema behind the moving, flickering pictures. Cut activity down to the minimum and do our duties.

Take only half belly full of food, quarter belly of water and one quarter of belly empty.

Our troubles arise because we have been taught to hanker after Happiness. This is nonsense. Maya. The winter comes and the summer comes. We live through both. Pleasure and pain are like that. Life should not be spent seeking one and avoiding the other. Life must be lived according to one’s duty.

It is possible to find enlightenment in the rest of your lifetime. Never mind yesterday, let yesterday be forgotten. Begin today. Now. That is the only way. This world is a painful place. What is the use of pleasure if it is replaced by pain ? This is a very dangerous world. We must find Truth in the time left to us.

Ugliness and beauty: both must vanish from the mind.

Let those needs wait (even the urge to lessen suffering of the world). First go to God. When one sees God, then one can take to these things (world service and so on). Remember: First seek to enter the Kingdom of God and everything can be added towards that. For the present, if one cannot help oneself what help can one give to another? That is it. Suppose, however, you still want to do some help. Here in these duties, there is a chance. In one’s obligatory duty towards home and society, one can give a little bit—according to one’s capacity.

If you want to do good for the whole of humanity, wait until the knowledge and the power come.

When the virtues will come, there will be peace of mind. Moral discipline -> purification of the mind -> peace of mind -> power to meditate -> knowledge of God.

First of all, you must see that like and dislike is a defect in man. You must recognize it as a defect and never justify it. You must understand that unless it is removed, one cannot see God. This understanding must come. Be patient and persevere.

When you know it today, try to practise it from today. It is possible.

Prepare for today. That is all. Prepare for today.

The only qualification essential for this is the desire for God. That is the only qualification.

We are commanded to do our duty, to act morally, to perform the four charities and, beyond and above all, to love and worship God.

whenever we are considering the undertaking of some new activity we should ask ourselves whether it is an obligatory duty of one of the three kinds, or whether it is a ’choice duty* that we undertake because we want to, or whether it comes under the heading of useless (akarmic) or even harmful (vikarmic) activity.

Life can and should be lived to the full in all its departments: but in this full living we must never lose sight of our goal which is God. For this we must learn to look for God in every action. There is God in the discipline of duty that leads to Self-Realization, there is God in moral discipline that leads to Soul-Realization, and there is God in spiritual discipline that leads directly to God Himself. Beyond all these is Liberation, Moksha, but this does not mean that life ceases to be lived until the chosen moment of release has come. All the duties and activities of life are to be performed, with the one essential condition that we must never take them as the final goal.

The sum and substance of my teaching is this: live the minimum life possible, subjecting body and mind to strict discipline. Again, how a very hungry man longs for meat, how a man suffering from intense cold longs for heat, so long for God, meditate on Him continuously. And this is the sum and substance of my teaching. That is for you, that is for them, that is for the whole world. It is by this that I saw the Truth, and I am happy. Yes.

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