Verses 8.1–8.2🔗

These are two beautiful questions! Of course, when I translate them into English, much of the taste is lost! No English words can convey the meaning of so many beautiful words expressed by Arjuna. A single word has many meanings in Saṃskṛit. The moment I translate, I give only one dimension, a single dimension of the verse. Understand, the Saṃskṛit language is that it is not only linguistic, but also has importance at the phonetic level. Just the vibration of the words can transform our whole inner space. The sound changes the energy of the place and the inner space of those who hear it or are chanting it. We should understand the concepts called padā and padārtha.

For example, when I say the word ‘cow,’ immediately a figure appears in our mind—an animal with four legs, a tail, head and two horns. The word is called padā, the figure is padārtha. What happens in our mind when we hear the word is padārtha. In all languages the distance or gap between padā and padārtha is significant. In Saṃskṛit the connection is immediate; the result is instantaneous. That is why I tell people to listen to Saṃskṛit devotional verses for at Akṣarabrahma Yogaḥ The Art Of Leaving 573 least 10 minutes a day. It does not matter whether you understand it or not. Just listen to any Saṃskṛit verse—whether it is Viṣṇu Sahasṛanāma, Bhagavad Gītā, Śiva Sahasṛanāma or something else.

Even if you don’t understand the meaning of the verses, the very energy of the vibrations will purify your body. There is something called śabda tattva, the principle of sound. When air travels from our navel area to the throat, the śabda tattva changes the air into words. If this element is not there, only air comes out; no words come out. In other languages the more we use śabda tattva, the more tired we become. However in Saṃskṛit, the śabda tattva strengthens us. The more we chant, the more energetic we become! It is like the generator automatically re-charging the battery and the battery running the generator. It is completely interconnected.

The Saṃskṛit language strengthens the śabda tattva that converts air into sound or words. This is why it does not matter whether or not we understand it. Listening to the sound, the very vibration, has an effect on our being. Modern day research proves that the vibrations of the verses can straightaway remove impurities. This is why masters ask us to offer different types of worship as a means to chant Saṃskṛit verses. We simply heal ourselves. Here, Arjuna asks beautifully, ‘O Lord! What is Brahman? What is Self? What are result-based actions? What is this material manifestation? What are demi-gods? O Madhusūdana! How do You live in the body, and how can those engaged in devotion, those who are practicing the eternal consciousness, know You at the time of death?’ arjuna uvāca kiṁ tad brahma kim adhyātmaṁ kiṁ karma puruṣottama I adhibhūtaṁ ca kiṁ proktam adhidaivaṁ kim ucyate II 8.1 I had seriously wondered how Arjuna, a great kṣatriya (warrior) who ruled a kingdom, could ask the same questions again and again in different ways!

I read a version of Mahābhārat which says that Arjuna is also an embodiment of Kṛṣṇa: the Incarnation of nara and Nārāyaṇa. These are two different energies of Lord Viṣṇu; one manifested as Arjuna and the other as Kṛṣṇa. The whole drama happened so that the Gītā took shape to enrich humanity! Otherwise, even the disciple with the least consciousness would not have asked so many questions, again and again. Understand one thing, when we have so many questions, we are not ready to wait for answers. We are simply expressing our confusion. It is almost a catharsis. Here Arjuna asks so many questions. However, the main question to Kṛṣṇa is: How does a person who is engaged in practicing Your teachings know You at the time of death?

Here starts the whole teaching of Kṛṣṇa. He reveals the secrets of death. One thing I want to tell you: The West has spent all its energy to understand life. The East has spent all its energy to understand death. Nobody has gone so deeply into, or achieved such deep experiences of death, as our ṛṣis, sages have. These masters have done a great service by bringing the knowledge of death to the people who are living. People ask me, ‘Swamiji, why should I know about death? Knowing about life is enough; after all I am still young.’ The word ‘death’ creates fear in people. When it comes to death, they are not ready to listen.

They think, ‘Why should we know about death? If we know about life, it is enough.’ Please be very clear, our understanding about death impacts our understanding about life. Life and death are two sides of the same coin. Understand one thing: In the East, all religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, talk about many births or reincarnation. Most Western religions talk about a single birth. This concept of reincarnation has influenced Indian society so deeply that nobody bothers about time! In India, people do not bother about time. They are so relaxed. Till 10 o’clock in the morning, people sit in teashops! If we ask for anything, they say, ‘Not today, tomorrow; if not tomorrow, next birth!’

They have eternity in front of them because somewhere they know they will come again. They are in no hurry and therefore do not run behind anything. Indian people are utterly and completely relaxed. Akṣarabrahma Yogaḥ The Art Of Leaving 575 In the West, whatever they desire to achieve, they must finish achieving within 75 to 80 years. They do not have time. They either live now or never because there is only birth according to them. That is the reason why people run and run! Please be very clear: Our understanding about death influences our whole social structure. Our whole thinking system, our whole mentality can be transformed with the right understanding about death.

I gave a single example about how the idea of reincarnation influences Eastern society and how the idea of one birth influences Western society. Thousands of such examples can be given. The idea and understanding of death is much more important than the understanding of life. Whether we understand life or not, it remains the same. But the moment we understand death, the whole quality of life changes and our consciousness changes. The moment we realize the truth of death, if we experience even an intellectual understanding of death, it is enough to transform our whole way of thinking. That is why the moment we think of Yama, god of death, our whole life has yama, or discipline.

The Saṃskṛit word ‘yama’ means both ‘death’ and ‘discipline’. For your convenience, I pronounce it a little differently; yet the spelling is the same. Understanding of Death, Instills Discipline The first technique of sage Patañjali in his work—Yoga Sūtra, is yama. Death is also yama. If we understand death, our whole life will be automatically disciplined. A strange but authentic discipline will happen in our life. Why do I say ‘strange but authentic?’ It is because discipline as we know it is hypocrisy. But the discipline that is yama is a new kind of discipline, which is strange yet totally authentic. Why do I say ‘strange’? A person well read in Bhāgavatam, the Hindu epic that describes the Incarnations of Śrī Viṣṇu, asked me, ‘Swamiji, Kṛṣṇa is enlightened and He was a brahmacāri, celibate.

How is that possible?’ We need to understand that brahmacarya does not mean celibacy. I have not said that Kṛṣṇa is celibate. I said Kṛṣṇa is in the consciousness of Brahman. Here we translate the word ‘brahmacarya’ to mean celibate. The moment we translate it, the meaning is lost. Kṛṣṇa’s inner space was totally pure, untouched. Let me tell you a small history, Purāṇa: Once Vyāsa, the ancient sage of India attended a function. After having a feast at the function, on his way back, he came to a river, which he had to cross in order to reach his ashram, his monastery. He stood before the river and said, ‘If I am sincere in my ekādasi fasting, let this river give way so that I may cross over.’

Ekādasi refers to the eleventh day of the moon’s cycle when normally people fast. The moment Vyāsa uttered those words, the river gave way. Vyāsa crossed it followed by his devotees and they reached the ashram. The devotees were astonished and asked, ‘What is this? You enjoyed a feast just a few hours back. Yet, when you asked the river to give way on the condition that you have been sincere in your ekādasi fast, the river gave way! How can this be?’ Vyāsa replied, ‘When you eat with the consciousness that you are not the body, you never feel that you are touched by food. You never feel that you are eating, digesting and living.

The body ate; I do not know anything about it.’ Of course, it is difficult to understand this concept. We can easily cheat ourselves with this idea. The problem with all great truths is, there is the danger of our misusing and abusing them. Take atomic energy; we can use it for good purposes, to serve the whole of humanity. Or we can destroy, we can abuse humanity with that same energy. People ask me, ‘How can I find out whether I am living in the out-ofbody-consciousness or not; how can I live like Vyāsa?’ Listen, when we Akṣarabrahma Yogaḥ The Art Of Leaving 577 reach the state of Vyāsa, we will not have this question.

Vyāsa says he is fasting after having eaten a feast because he does not feel connected to his body. He does not feel that his body is related to him. He is untouched. His inner space is so pure and filled with bliss, nothing touches him. Going back to the question, ‘How can you say that Kṛṣṇa is a brahmacāri?’ Please understand that His inner space was so pure that He was never touched by body consciousness. He never experienced that He had a body and He never came down to body consciousness. Let me tell you one more thing: It is not easy to live with so many women as Kṛṣṇa did, and yet survive!

If we start living, then we will understand. When I say women, I mean men also. When a single man or woman enters our life, we understand how difficult it is to adjust and live. When the other person enters our life, by their very quality hell seems to be created. Here we see somebody living with many persons, and yet remaining blissful. This shows that Kṛṣṇa’s inner space was never touched. His inner space was pure and radiating bliss. The person whose inner space is filled with bliss will never be touched by any impurity. Of course, it is a difficult concept to understand. However, the moment we understand the depth of it, we will understand this concept.

A small story: A Sannyāsi (monk) goes to the Indian king Janaka who is an Enlightened king and one who enjoyed both the material world and spiritual enlightenment. The Sannyāsi questions him, ‘How can you say you are enlightened when you enjoy the benefits of worldly life?’ Sannyāsis are jealous of people who enjoy life! If you are complete with the world and experience bliss within you and consciously leave the world to enter monastic life, you will never feel jealous. Then you are a real Sannyāsi. If you have escaped from the outer world thinking that you will find something worthwhile in the inner world, and there too the experience has not been solid, you start wondering what to do.

You have neither the inner space of bliss nor the outer possessions. Such people console themselves by abusing and disrespecting householders! They say to them, ‘You people are not doing things properly. You are too attached to everything...’ So this Sannyāsi asked Janaka, ‘How can you say you are enlightened and have both material and spiritual enjoyments?’ Janaka said, ‘Please stay in my palace for a few days. I will talk to you after that. Right now I am busy, a party is going on, so I cannot talk about philosophical things now!’ Accordingly, arrangements were made for the Sannyāsi’s food and stay. However, above his bed a sharp knife hung, suspended on a thin thread.

The Sannyāsi asked, ‘Why do you hang this knife exactly over my head?’ The palace workers said, ‘We do not know, but these are our king’s orders. You must sleep here.’ Throughout the night the Sannyāsi sat up, awake, thinking when the knife might fall on him. The next morning Janaka asked, ‘O Swami! How are you today? Did you sleep well?’ The Sannyāsi said, ‘You know what you have done! Why do you then ask? How can I sleep when a knife hangs over my head?’ Janaka laughs and says, ‘When death is in front of you, you cannot do anything; your whole life changes. However, although I know death is in front of me, I am unaffected.

I know that the knife hangs over me, yet my whole consciousness lives in an unaffected way in this palace. Akṣarabrahma Yogaḥ The Art Of Leaving 579 That is the difference. Just because of one knife you are unable to enjoy the beautiful bed and all these luxuries. Yet even though all these things are there externally, my inner Self is not touched. It is pure because I know clearly that at any moment death can happen; death is hanging in front of me. Because I live with this moment-to-moment awareness of death, I enjoy the material world fully without getting caught in it.’ That is why I said, ‘Yama can make a strange, yet authentic yama in your life.

Death can instill a strange but authentic discipline in your life.’ Understand death, intellectually. Your whole thinking will change. Your whole way of living, your very being will be transformed. You need not leave this place as the same person. Your core can be touched. Kṛṣṇa starts with the secrets. He explains the secrets of death. Your Last Memory Follows You In Next Birth