“We can change our life-style itself as spirituality.”

We can change our life-style itself as spirituality. Gnana Yogam is one such to change our life style-itself spiritual. In Tamilnadu, there is a song of Nandanar in Tamil, 'Aiyeh methak kadinam', ......, 'Aiyeh! methak kadinam' meaning 'Oh! It is very difficult!' Beautiful lines. Ramana Maharishi says the same song as, 'Aiyeh! Athi sulabham, Aathma viddhai athi sulabham', meaning, 'Oh! It is very, very easy! Knowing 'self' is very easy'. People there ask Ramana Maharishi, 'Nandanar says Aiyeh methak kadinam' and you say 'Aiyeh athi sulabham'. Which one is true? Ramana says, 'It is only the thought that it is difficult, makes it difficult'. As far as Gnana yogam is concerned, this is the true answer.

One of the slokas of the Upanishad says, 'On account of ('Aahaara Shuddhi') clean food, (Manas shuddhi) a clean mind is obtained; on account of a clean mind, a clean intellect, and due to a clean intellect, wisdom and enlightenment is obtained. For this word 'Aahara Shuddhi', Ramanuja gives an explanation considering it as cleanliness in regard to food. But Adi Shankara gives a wonderful explanation. He says, 'It does not refer only to the food we eat. But whatever goes inside us is food only. The words that you hear again and again are also food only. Whatever type of words that are fed into you, it is only those words that create your mind. Again and again if you hear spiritual matters, even without your knowledge attachment towards spirituality will begin to sprout in you. If you listen to worldly matters again and again, even without your knowledge, attachment towards worldly matters will begin to sprout in you. Whichever thoughts and words enter within you, your mind will be formed based on those thoughts and words only. Because, your mind is nothing else but the words you use.

One small example. Suppose you know five languages. Due to some shock you forget all the five languages. Thereafter can any thing be done? No, not possible at all. The thoughts that run within us ...........As a first step ...........says, again and again within us listening to the words which show us the way for living life. Listening to it again and again. .................... By twisting it this way and that way, they say many meanings for these words. But, our meaning is, like this. 'Pravruthi' means, such flowing of thoughts and life-style, which makes sorrow to be formed; 'Nivruthi' means such flowing of thoughts which forms spirituality and peace within us.

If we examine deeply, it will be understood. It can be seen that within us there will be two types of things happening. One thing is talking with others. The other one is talking with us. If you observe keenly it can be known. Half the time we will be talking with some one; balance times we will be talking to ourselves. Talking with others is dialogue. Talking with ourselves is monologue. Don't think that when you are talking with others you are just keeping quiet. You continue to be talking with yourself. If it is five'o clock, I have to go to the temple; I must remain for some time in the temple. If I go to the temple the temple priest may not be there in the temple. Some thing like this you will be going on talking to yourself. Dialogue is talking with others. Monologue is talking with your own self. Flow of thoughts. If we take a tape of thoughts of 100 meters length, in this there can be only two kinds of flow of thoughts. One is, that kind of flow of thoughts which push you into sorrow and suffering; this is called as 'Pravruthi'; the other own is such kind of flow of thoughts which lifts you up and brings you joy and bliss which make you fine. That one is only 'Nivruthi'. Certain amount will be 'Pravruthi' and to some other extent it will be 'Nivruthi'. In this, whichever is longer; say, if thirty meters is Nivruthi and twenty meters is Pravruthi; ordinarily our frame of mind is such that if you sit alone, what sort of flow of thoughts will be there? 'Whatever I do will become useless';...................Only such kind of words will be more beyond limits, which will be there and which will thrust you in sorrow only. Only such words which push you in downwards and create in you an inferiority complex, will be running more within you. That is why in our life the seed of sorrow is being continuously sown within us. Seed of sorrow is nothing else other than the words we utter to ourselves. That only is the seed. Only those words grow into a tree and are going to give sorrow in our lives. On the other hand, if we stop such flow of words which give us sorrow and sow such words which give enthusiasm, which will actually lift us up, which will make life blissful, like, 'It is possible by me; Life means this way only; It is possible for me to rise and stand up; those persons who were inferior to me have stood up; why is it not possible for me?; it will act as the seed of bliss. We call this only as Nivruthi. Pravruthi is sowing such words which will depress you further and further; Nivruthi is sowing such words which lift you up.

Just turn back a little and look at your life. In our life, among most of our flow of thoughts, in the 100 meter length of flow of thoughts, in the 100 meter length of tape, how far is spent i.e. used for Pravruthi and how long is spent for Nivruthi. If you just find this out itself, you can know the reason for your life being sorrowful and filled with defeats.

In small research to know about the power and energy of words: Please do not think that we are still in some olden day's belief. I am only telling the truths which have now been found out by scientists after due research and experience.

In Chicago University, they have done a beautiful research about the power and energy of words. Taking the same type of soil, after feeding with the same type of fertilizer, they planted three plants of the same type of rose. They kept each plant in three separate rooms. Same temperature was maintained in each of the three rooms.

One person gets up in the morning and goes to the first room, and says repeatedly for five times 'Aha, Oh Rose! There is no plant as beautiful as you. You are very beautiful. You should grow joyfully!'

He goes to the second room and does not say any thing and simply comes out.

In the third room, he says, 'You will not grow; you are not going to flourish; you are not nice to look at'.

In this manner they did an actual research, just to find out about the effect and energy of words. In the third room he will speak in the worst manner possible. You may think as to what a mad thing this is! But if you look at the conclusion arrived at by the research, you will understand what its strength is! In this way they did continuously for twenty one days.

He would go to the first plant and he would talk praisingly, infusing good thoughts. He will go to the second plant but will not say any thing. He will go to the third plant and he will give out such thoughts which give sorrow. For 21 days this was done daily for the sake of research.

You may believe this or not. But the results of the research done by the University say that the plant in the first room had grown three-fold, the plant in the second room had grown normally and the plant in the third room had withered and died away.

In spite of having been fed with the same kind of water, having been given the same type of manure, having been exposed to the same type of climatic conditions and having been given all things in the same manner, just because of the words only having been changed as, good words, no words and bad words, they prove scientifically that the plant has died away. Not just once or twice, but eleven times such research was done on different things, on different lives, and they have wondered at the results being similar!

That is why our ancestors have said the word 'Manthra'. Manthra means the word which makes the mind strong and unwavering. Another meaning is the word which shows the way for man is Mantra. They call only such words as Mantras, which give joy, strength and permanence (unwaveringness) to our minds.

Do not think about the result of our words as ordinary matter. Our words have wonderful results. Because the words you think are the bases of your life! Only your words are the bases of your mind. Your mind only is the basis of your life! Your mind only creates and forms your life itself. Nothing else.

Another similar research was done. There was a garden with ten trees. For all those ten trees ECG machines were connected. In the same way as the functioning of man's heart is measured, these are similar machines to measure the life existence of the trees. These are sensitive machines. After connections were given to the trees, a wood-cutter went into the garden with the thought and intention of cutting a particular tree. As he just entered, the graph of that particular tree alone fluttered showing abnormality. For us to listen, it may appear like a story. Some puranic story. But this is actual research. The conclusion as stated by the research scientists. Only the graph of that particular tree which the wood-cutter intended to cut begins to flutter fast. After half an hour when the wood-cutter comes with the thought of cutting another tree, the graph of that particular tree also begins to flutter speedily. The graphs of all other trees are silent. Whatever tree he intends to cut only that tree's graph, its speech begins to flutter and oscillates fast. An important matter we all have to understand is revealed by this research. Our thoughts and words have a wonderful energy and power!

In the same way as when a child is given a knife, it will cause harm not only to itself but also to others, we are also using the energy given to our minds for causing harm to ourselves as well as to others. If you give a knife in the hands of a child, what will it do? It does not know how to handle it. Naturally what will it do? It will harm itself or harm others also. Same way is our mind too. Our mind-energy is like a knife. The same knife is in the hands of a surgeon, it will be useful to save the life of a person. If a doctor gets it, what will he do? He will perform an operation and save a life. If a child gets it, it may destroy a life. All of us are using our minds like a child which has not grown up. That is why, the granary called mind, instead of making the life a flourishing one, a blissful one, has become a matter of thrusting us into sorrow.

'Shravanam' means not sowing such thoughts which make us sorrowful again and again. Do not sow within you such thoughts which make you sorrowful again and again. That is, do not create such thoughts for Pravruthi. Right from morning to evening, even by forgetfulness, do not permit such wrong thoughts to function within you or words to come out of your mouth. Either in your thoughts or conversations, whenever wrong thoughts come, just break and throw them away. Is not your thought flow your own only? Think for only one minute. When a thought flow runs within you, you only are thinking. Is anyone else thinking for you? You only are thinking. Then certainly, we can change our flow of thoughts. Is it not? The flow of thoughts within is what we have made. We cannot at all say that we are unable to change it. You only have carried your legs so long, walked so far and come and sit here. Now can any one say, 'No, Swamiji, my legs only have gone by themselves. I have not done any thing.' You only have lifted your legs and walked and come here. They function under your control only. Same manner is your flow of thoughts. You only think. The thoughts and words which run inside you, you only create them. After this discourse, I must go home with this leg. You only create these words within you. Is any body else creating them for you? When it is your own flow of thoughts, what difficulty can there be in controlling it? No man is lame enough to the extent of being not able to control his own flow of thoughts that run within him. If it is said that one's hand is not able to be controlled because they are paining, his legs are not able to be controlled as they are paining etc, it can be believed. But, if one says that he is unable to control the run of his thoughts, it cannot be believed at all, because for moving one's hands or legs, energy is necessary. But for moving the flow of thoughts, nothing is necessary. The flow of thoughts that you can do is certainly possible to be changed by you.

First thing is, believing that our flow of thoughts can be changed by us. While you believe it itself, half your job is done. From the whirl of Pravruthi you begin to turn towards the step of Nivruthi. This research about............brings to the mind the memory of only one thing and it is enough. You can understand about the energy of thoughts. Your thought affects the persons around you every time.

One small story. One day emperor Akbar and Birbal are going around the city. Akbar looks at a sandal-wood merchant and says to Birbal, 'Oh Birbal, I don't know why as I just saw him, a thought comes to my mind that I should give him death sentence.

One week passed. Again Akbar and Birbal go around the city. Then Akbar says, 'Birbal, I don't know why, now, when I see that merchant, I think of blessing him. I don't understand any thing.'

Birbal says, 'Oh king, one week before, he did not have any business in his shop. So he was thinking in his mind that if the king dies, they will place sandal-wood logs around his body. So I will get good business. That way he was going on thinking in his mind. The same thinking was echoing within you. But in this one week, after seeing you, after your telling me like that, I purchased sandalwood and kept in our palace for making a chariot and other wood-work and other articles to be made from sandal-wood. Because I have purchased from him that merchant is now thinking, if this king lives for long, I will get good business from him. Now his good thoughts are reflecting on you. Earlier his bad thoughts drove in you to give punishment on him. Now his good thoughts drive you to do good things for him. Birbal and Akbar went only in disguise. In spite of it, the flow of thoughts of the sandalwood merchant had reflected on the mind of Akbar, even though the merchant could not have known that he was Akbar.

A very nice teaching, Mohammed Nabi says, in Koran, 'World is like a mirror. If you see a donkey in the mirror, a donkey only will be seen.'

The world is like a mirror. In whatever way our flow of thoughts is there, the world also will appear the same way for us. In Vedantha, they say, Drushti, Shrushti. Two words. Don't think that you are seeing the world which is already there. You see it only as you want it to be. You do not it see as it is. You see as you want it.

To give a small example, you can see it in the house itself. The husband would have imagined and kept for himself an imagination about the wife. The wife also would have imagined and kept for herself an imagination about the husband. For the first six months only till they know about each other, they will live together. After that, if you see, the wife would have come to a conclusion about her husband in those six months. The husband also would have made a conclusion about her. After that, if you see, whatever she may say, he will see every thing along with the conclusion he had already made. He will not see whether what she says is good or not. He will see keeping his already made conclusion about her. Similarly, whatever the husband says, what will the wife do? She would say, 'He tries to suppress me?' What he would do? Whatever she says, he would say, 'Women's intellect is only that much.' She would say, for whatever he says, 'He tries to control and suppress me....'

Both will be prejudiced against each other. That is if both of them had already taken a decision, what they will do? They will forget to see the truth! There are two things. One is after hearing the arguments and then delivering the judgment; second is collecting the arguments for the sake of the judgment. If we see in our day to day life, all the house hold problems will only be on account of collecting the arguments for the sake of a judgment.

Already we would have made a conclusion about the lady. Whatever she does, it is wrong only. What this man will do? He would have come to a conclusion about her and kept it with himself. That lady also would have come to a conclusion about him and kept it with herself. This is a punishment given by god. After having come to some conclusion and kept it, whatever is done, we would see with a prejudice only.

One small thing. A gentleman, about 40 years of age. He came and asked, 'Swamiji, I want to divorce my wife. Please offer me your blessings.' I told him, "I cannot bless for divorce and all that. For marriage it is possible; not for divorce. Tell me what the problem is. We can try to solve it." He said, 'No, Swamiji, it cannot be solved by you. It has gone big and beyond all those things.' I told him, "Even without telling me what the matter is, how you say that it cannot be solved and all that? How did it all begin?"

'No Swamiji, today morning while taking coffee, she put down the tumbler with a force. All the coffee fell on my dhoti (dress)'.

I asked, "Dear friend, just for the matter of a coffee tumbler, can you say it as a reason for divorce and all that? Is it not certainly a trivial matter? Why don't you try to solve it?"

But his mind is so much prejudiced to that extent. He could not understand at all. He says further, 'what do you say, Swamiji? Today she will pour coffee and tomorrow she will pour acid on me.'

His mind, you see, it goes on stacking words. We all can understand that he is prejudiced. But his anger and agitation, makes him say, 'Today she will pour coffee, tomorrow she may pour acid. If you were there you would know.'

I told him, "Think, my friend. How much far apart are coffee and acid? Is it such a matter to happen just like that? Where is coffee? Where is acid? Why you are making yourself suffer?"

'No Swamiji, you do not know. All the tortures she has done to me, you don't know.'

"Tell one solid example".

In Tamilnadu, during marriage they will put a ring (which is worn on finger) inside a small pot and ask the bride and bridegroom to take it out at the same time. They will make the couple to take it out. Whoever takes it out first to that person the ring will belong. It is a small play.

He says, 'Then itself she had put her hand on mine, Swamiji'.

The mind, you see, he has kept it as a record, like a file. Like a police report he has made it and kept.

I told him, rather I thought in my mind, "In this manner, like a police report, if he is going to pick up some ten years stories, how she can live with him? She cannot at all live with him". That is from the day they got married, right up to now, he is keeping it as a police record. Then what will happen? Even if a small quantity of coffee spills over, immediately, what will we do? We will read through that police report entirely. We will go through that once. We will look at the coffee only with a police point of view and not as a trivial incident of just some coffee spilling over.

What has he done when the coffee spilled over on him? If you see really, What is there if coffee has spilled? After all she only is going to wash his dress. He could have simply left it at that. He could have changed his dress. But he did not leave it. Anger and tension. He would say, 'Have you got sense? Did you bring it from your father's house?' Then immediately what the wife would say? She would say, 'For what you are, this coffee itself is too much for you......Why don't you keep quiet... Like this words grow and continue and prolong.

If you look at our own lives; now on hearing this incident we are all laughing.

Look back at our own lives. We can know in how many places and instances we commit wrongs.

Drushti, shrushti. Whatever we want to see, we create that only. Is it Pravruthi or Nivruthi? Should we have such flow of thoughts which make our lives pleasant and blissful or such kind of thoughts which will push us into sorrow? This you only have to decide. Our flow of thoughts is certainly under our control only. Nobody else is security for us. We only are the security for us. Is it not? We only create our flow of thoughts.

The objective intention that thoughts which are flowing in Pravruthi should be changed into Nivruthi and also knowing which flow of thoughts will guide us to Nivruthi – These only the Vedanta says in the name of 'Shravanam'.

Next one is 'Mananam'. It is not enough if the flow of thoughts is just heard once.

A small story. Buddha's ...........story.

Disciple is asking, 'O Master, What is the way for enlightenment?'

Buddha says, 'Meditation.'

Next day also again the disciple comes and asks, 'O master, what is the way for enlightenment?'

Buddha again says, 'Meditation'.

The disciple was desirous that his master should teach him some new things.

Therefore third day also the disciple asks, 'O Master, what is the way for meditation?'

Buddha again says, 'Meditation'.

The disciple got too much bored. He asks, 'O master, will you not teach me some new things. The same thing you are telling me every time.'

Buddha says, 'You have not listened and done what I have told you. That's why I have to tell you the same thing. If you have done what I told you, will you ask me the same thing again for the second time? Because you have not done what I told you to do, you are asking the same question again and again and I also have to tell you the same reply again and again.'

......................................................................... (Not audible) Echo.

Ramakrishna used to say nicely, 'If one drinks one measure of distilled liquor and becomes intoxicated, he can come back to normal senses only if he drinks quarter measure of (kanji) water decanted from cooked rice. In Bengal, they distill liquor from kanji only. Some leaves they add while boiling it. If kanji is taken without those leaves, the intoxication will slowly go away and one can become normal. That is why Ramakrishna says if one drinks a measure of liquor he can become normal if he takes at least quarter measure of rice kanji.

For us also, if we have one measure of such thoughts which give sorrow to us, if we place in it at least quarter measure of such thoughts which give joy and bliss to us, the life will change for the better.

Shravanam is hearing, Mananam is putting it into practice and implementing it. Again and again repeatedly creating good flow of thoughts in the mind. After trying for two or three times, what the mind will say? 'These things are not for persons like me and all. Leave it man. Just like that we went and listened. Swamiji is speaking nicely. Leave it'.

I have seen it many times. After I finish the discourse and leave the place, while going out, some four or five persons will be there. They will be there specifically for this: 'Swamiji, you talked beautifully!' they will say. I will stop them and ask. "Tell me what I spoke?" They will say,'.....that is...Swamiji, . don't ask us all those things'. Very easily they will say that I spoke nicely. But when I ask what I spoke they don't know to give the reply. They don't know what I spoke but they will say that I spoke beautifully. When they say that I spoke nice that means when I actually spoke they did not listen fully. If they had listened fully and carefully, they would not have had the thought to tell me that I have talked beautifully. They would have had the thought how to put them into practice only.

Mananam is only the practicing and the act of taking inside within us again and again what is heard by us. Again and again soaking within us the flow of such thoughts. That is, always, mind does not go towards bliss. What is it that we are all thinking? We think that the mind will always go towards bliss. No, not at all so. Know it well. When the conscious feeling of bliss comes, you just melt away without the feeling of 'I' or self. When (Anandam) bliss is there. Ananda will not be there. It is only when you are sorrowful, your ego will stay strong within you. All of us exaggerate our sufferings ourselves. If you examine deeply you will see that we exaggerate ourselves our sufferings. The reason is as our sufferings increase our ego will appear bigger.

As an example, you ask somebody how his life is and see how he starts telling. 'Swami, there is no one in the world who is suffering like me. Such sufferings should not come to even my enemy'.

All of us are thinking that nobody else is suffering like ourselves. The very nature of our mind is to exaggerate our sufferings. Because if we exaggerate our sufferings our ego will appear big. See I have managed so many things. So many things I have achieved. Because bliss is such that ego loses its base and falls away. Very nature of bliss is 'I' as base.............

In America, there is a University called Oklahoma University in Oklahoma State. In that University I went to deliver a discourse about enlightenment. The topic itself is 'Getting enlightenment'. The scientists asked me as to what is enlightenment. Swamiji said in that chart, while creating the state of forgetting oneself, while the enlightenment is happening, there is a bliss where there is no mind. The scientists said, 'It is impossible for a man to be without mind and live in this world. What you say is a lie.'

I said, "Based on science, I do not know that. But in my experience, it happens only in a no-mind state."

'Then if we examine you, will you agree for that' they asked.

I agreed and said, "Well, you can do it very well."

Continuously for five days, through PET scan and through QEG they examined the functioning of my brain.

After doing examination and research continuously for five days, they have proved scientifically, that there was absolutely no kind of flow of thoughts and vibrations in the mind and was equal to the brain of a dead person.

They also said about another information from that research. Normally there is a chemical called Topomin which secretes in our brain. Whenever we experience some sort of comfort, this chemical secretes and only after this chemical secretes we get the knowledge of that comfort. If you ask a doctor about it, you can understand.

If you put some sweet in your mouth, immediately one unit of Topomin secretes and is released in your brain. Immediately you think 'Oh it is very sweet and nice'.

If you suddenly get money from a lottery ticket, say five units of Topomin gets released. If you get pleasure from sex, some ten units of Topomin get released. The amount of joy and comfort you feel can be found out based only on the amount of release of the chemical Topomin in your brain. The amount of comfort is assessed based on the amount of release of this chemical.

Scientists say, when Swamiji entered into deep meditation, and they observed the chemical Topomin, - and they call it as 'D spot' - when they observed the D spot, by affixing the electrodes around the brain on the head, at the moment of entering into meditation, the D spot shook like an earth-quake, they have studied that the chemical was getting released all over the brain.

What happened really was that when I fall into and get dissolved into meditation without the conscious feeling of the ego called 'I', a feeling of wonderful blissful state catches hold of us. That only is called ..................(Not audible)....................

As per the scientists, they were very happy that for the first time ever, they were able to discover matters concerning enlightenment through scientific research. Because they have been doing research on this branch of study for the past thirty years. They say, for the first time we were able to find out the expressions of enlightenment through the medium of medicine.

Mind, when it is in ego, remains only in sorrow. It will be going on creating some problem or the other. If there is no problem at all, what will the mind do? 'Oh! There is no problem at all today. But it is not known what will happen tomorrow.' If there is some reason, we will worry; even if there is no reason also, we will worry saying, 'Today every thing is going all right, but we do not know what will happen tomorrow'.

It is a habit of the mind to fall into sorrow again and again. The efforts to be taken again and again by us to bring us out of this habit of mind are only Mananam.

First of all knowing by listening about which one is taking us towards sorrow and which one leads us to bliss is Shravanam.

Following and implementing it again and again is Mananam.

After implementing and practicing it, expressing it is only.......Dhyanam.

These three only are the steps for GnanaYogam.

Expressing it in our life again and again the good flow thoughts, good energy flows and the good qualities which run within us only is Nithi Dhyanam. (Is it Nithi thyagam?)

If Shravanam and Mananam happen, then Nithi dhyanam (?) will automatically occur.

Shravanam is knowing which flow of thoughts gives us sorrow and which give comfort and bliss and stepping towards such flow of thoughts which give only bliss.

Mananam is spending our efforts for us to create within us again and again, such good thoughts and such thoughts which give us comfort and bliss.

Expressing it in our life is nithi dhyanam (??) (Or is it nithi thyagam?

If we adopt these three steps in our life to the extent possible – for all of us if we want to become enlightened instantly, it is not possible – it is not necessary to try to that extent; but step by step if you try, each and every thought you mend is a step in rectifying your life. Such a big building to be built and completed, it is only by stacking so many bricks. This building is only composed of all the bricks. In the same manner, your life is also composed of all flows of thoughts. The building will be formed nicely if each one of the bricks has been stacked properly. Rectify each one of your flow of thoughts. The building cannot be built all at the same time. They would have built only brick by brick. Same way cleanse your mind thought by thought. Certainly, your mind also will form like this building.

I bless that shravanam, mananam and nithi thyagam to happen in your life properly and for your life to become blissful and you to become blissful and I conclude this speech.

Thanks.

Be blissful.

NITHYANANDAM.

Paramahamsa Nithyananda.

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