“If all the Upanishads is milk, Gita is the butter.”

If all the Upanishads is milk, Gita is the butter. Vedas themselves are the essence of knowledge, its gist is Upanishad, and gist of that is Gita. But Gita itself is only a Shastra. The essence of Shastra is stotra, and essence of stotra is tantra. It is so subtle, if you don’t meditate before entering into tantra it’ll be too much and you can’t digest. If you take some very hard food, if you suddenly start eating lots of butter without having the digestion capacity what happens? Either you’ll have diarrhea or vomiting. So before entering into tantra let you all enter into Anandeshwari consciousness, let you all become Devi, so that Shiva can descend. Lets all become Devi literally. We’ll do the meditation of Shakti Dharana, allowing Shakti to descend on us letting Shiva to happen to our being. To become Devi you don’t need to do anything you’ll have to drop all your doing, that’s all nothing else. To become Devi you don’t need anything to be done, you just need to drop all your doings.

First we’ll sit in a special mandala, the circle. Then I’ll give the instructions we’ll enter into Devi-hood, Anandeshwari consciousness. For Ganapathy, Ganas are the angadevathas. Angadevagtha means the devathas who always go with them, become anga. For Skanda, the navaveeras, veerabahu, veerabanu, some 9 guys are there, they are the anga devathas. For Devi, navashakti and ashtakalis are the anga-devathas. For Vishnu all the vaikundites, all the devas are the anga devathas. For shiva, the boothaganaas. I think for me the healers are my anga devathas!! The healers and acharyas are the angadevathas. Anga devatha means they are part, avarnadevatha means they are taking care of the mission, the work. The avarna devathas do all the work. So healers and acharyas are anga devatha and avarna devathas!

Instructions: First we’ll create an empty space, passive energy, a womb, Yoni so that the Linga can descend, that Shiva can descend, that active energy can descend, divine can descend. The moment you create a passive energy, emptiness, you’ll be filled with divine consciousness. If you can just become Anandeshwari, simply Anadeshwara will descend. This is the technique to bring the divine to our being. The moment you become nobody the divine will descend on u, as long as you’re somebody nothing can happen. You see this will be the relating point for me [Swami points to the Maha Meru]. Now you’re going to create such a deep vacuum, the passive energy, like storm the whole Shiva energy will descend.

[Meditation begins]. Visualize yourself as Anandeshwari. Forget your name, forget your form, forget your identity. Don’t even remember you are male or female. Just start feeling you’re someone. Later on you can start the meditation. 1st start visualizing you are Devi. Visualize and experience you’ve become Devi. Take few minutes and clearly visualize you become the passive energy, mother energy to receive Shiva. You become womb, let you become Uma so that Shiva can happen in you. We always played only the active role, Shiva’s role, now just become Uma, Shiva will happen. Later on you can start the meditation, now only visualize you are Uma. Start doing Shakti Dharana, start the meditation.

Now it is time to enter into the consciousness of Anandeshwari and understand about Devi. 1st we came to know about the book tantra, vigyna bairava tantra, next we heard about the author, Mahadeva. Now its about the person who heard the book, Devi, to whom the book was delivered.

Now for the first time we’re entering into the sutras. Let us remember Mahadeva, Shiva, full of gratitude for giving us this great wisdom. Sutra says “Devi asks, Oh Shiva, what is your reality? What is this wonder-filled universe? What constitutes the seed? Who centers the universal wheel? What is this life beyond form, pervading forms? How may we enter it fully beyond space and time, names and descriptions? May my doubts be cleared.”

Beautifully she expresses her whole state of mind thro’ these few words. The last words, beautiful words “Let my doubts be cleared”. She never says please answer my questions. If she had made that mistake “answer my question”, she would have produced one more Gita, not more than that. Just because she said let my doubts be cleared, she very clearly proved she doesn’t want answers, she wants solutions. If you say let my questions be answered, you want only intellectual answers. But here she says let my doubts be cleared, whether you give words or energy or technique, I don’t bother, but let me be free from doubts.

When question becomes quest, you start speaking in this language. When urge become urgent, you start speaking in this language. There are many kinds of seekers, window shoppers. There’s a thing called window shopping, just walking along the street and seeing what’s there. There are many seekers who are just window shoppers, they go from master to master. Actually going from master to master is not wrong, its perfectly alright. But not learning from anybody is wrong. I again and again and tell people, go to all the gardens, but pluck flowers and make a beautiful bouquet. But usually what we do? We don’t pluck flowers from any garden, that’s where the problem starts. There are a lot of people who are just window shoppers. They go around; they don’t do anything. They just act as if they’re seekers. Above all, they just want to satisfy themselves that they are seekers. This is just hypocrisy.

Either you put your whole effort into seeking, or you forget it and carry on with your life. Try to pick up a book, but you should not actually pick it up, what does it mean? Just cheating.

I’ve seen in temples where 10 families will go, they will tell all 10 family names one by one. The pujari will be bored. And you will not even leave the small grandson. I’ve seen some people doing this. They will tell their whole family names, so that god will do distance healing. He can send thro’ the post. Why do you give your detailed address, gothra, nakshathra, everything? Because you think he’s got shakthi, not buddhi. That is why you want your whole name, father’s name, forefather’s name. He’s the only witness, he’s the only person who knows who is your father. Even your mother can’t know. Be very clear, the pregnancy happens, now they’re coming out with detailed researches that pregnancy happens totally independent they say. Now they’re coming up with a lot of researches. And tantra declares this thousands of years ago pregnancy is totally independent. Of course it is just shaking the root of medical world. Anyhow, once we enter into the tantra I’ll explain. Only then you’ll be able to understand. He’s the only person who knows who is your father, nobody else can predict who is your father. Maybe now you can do it with lot of tests. But we go on repeating in front of Him, father’s name, forefather’s name, his father’s name, gothra, kula, nakshathra, etc. It shows very clearly you believe He’s got shakthi, but you don’t believe He’s got buddhi. Also, people believe if the garland which is offered on the kalasa is offered on your head, only then you get the powers. The water which was in the kalasa, if it is sprinkled on your head only then you get blessing. Otherwise God doesn’t know you’ve come and gone.

And there’s one more thing, a habit, they go to the Sandikeswara and register their name, that I’ve come please note down, and tell Shiva afterwards that I’ve come and gone, because its too crowded, he might not have noticed me. So please remind him that I came, please see that he takes care of me. I’ve seen a few people… they’ll come and have the healing and later on they’ll go and tell Palaniappan – please remind swamiji about this problem. They’re not ready to believe that I’ll solve the problem, they would have told me, I’d have given them the assurance or some word “I’ll take care, don’t worry. Later on I’ll see, I’ll tell you what to do”, but they’re not ready to relax. They’ll go to Palaniappan and tell, Palaniappan please remind swamiji. Actually, if you’ve not told me, then asking Palaniappan is nothing wrong. But I’ve seen many people, after me assuring them also, they’ll go and tell Palaniappan – please remind Swamiji. That is what – going to Sandikeswara, and telling please remind Shiva. You don’t believe that God will take care, you want some more support. You believe he’s got shakthi, but you don’t believe he’s got buddhi. When you believe he’s got shakthi, the religion starts. When you believe he’s got buddhi, the spirituality starts.

Tantra is for the people who are spiritual, not for the people who are religious. Tantra is not for religious nuts, only for spiritual fruits. That is why Devi starts with beautiful words – “let my doubts be cleared”. This shows a deep surrenderfulness of Devi. Deep, passive, waiting, without knowing what is going to happen is passive surrender. That is what I call total surrender. Actually, the moment you decide “I’ll wait forever”, simply things start happening. As long as you’re in a hurry, you’re agitated, you stop things from happening in you. Its like you try your best for the lotus to blossom. What will you do? You open the petals by hand. Will it be a flower? It’ll never be a lotus flower. Lotus flower can be called a lotus flower only when it blossoms by itself. Give a little space. The moment you decide to wait, simply things start happening, you don’t have to wait anymore. You have to wait till you decide to wait. The moment you decide to wait, you don’t have to wait anymore.

A beautiful story: Narada is a joker, a spiritual comedian. Narada is going to Vaikunta. On the way he saw one yogi sitting and meditating. The yogi asks Narada, “Oh Narada , please ask Vishnu how long I have to wait, when will I become enlightened?” Narada said “surely I’ll ask” and he was on his way. Again on the way there was one more person, he was just jumping and dancing under a tree. He asked Narada, “Oh Narada, please ask Vishnu when I’ll have his darshan”. Please be very clear he never asked when I’ll become enlightened. He asked when I’ll have his darshan. “Tell him to grace me, how long should I wait for his grace?”. Narada says “surely I’ll ask, don’t worry”. Narada goes to vaikunta and comes back with the replies. The [first] yogi asks him what God said. Narada says Vishnu told me you will have to wait for 4 more janmas to become enlightened. The guy simply fell into depression, “Oh! 4 janmas… what will I do?” The other guy who was dancing, jumping around, he asked “what did God say?”. Narada said “God told me – how many leaves are there in this tree, that many janmas you have to wait, only then you will become enlightened, only then his grace will come upon u”. The moment this guy heard this, he said “oh! that is alright. I don’t care how long I have to wait. He gave me the assurance that he’ll grace me, that is enough”… he started jumping and dancing. The moment he uttered this that moment lightning happened and divine descended, he became enlightened. So deep patience and the decision to wait is what I call surrender.

In my own life, as long as I was doing meditation I never got enlightened, as long as I was doing all the practices, tapas, I was so agitated, nothing happened. Actually only after my enlightenment I came to know that because of the tapas I postponed my enlightened. To tell you honestly, at the age of 12 I’ve become enlightened. Because I do not know that I’ve become enlightened, I tried to catch the experience, I tried to possess nithyananda. The moment I tried to possess it, it started slipping away, like soap. If you try to catch the soap what will happen? It’ll slip. Because I tried to catch the experience, it slipped from me. The day I decided ultimately no more catching, no more fishing, no more net, no more searching, no more seeking, enough... when I decided to relax and wait, simply it happened. The day you decide to wait, simply things happen.

People tell me “Swamiji, I decided to wait but its not happening!” Its a nice game. When you decided to wait how can you ask the 2nd statement. The problem is the cognitive shift. The whole energy should turn towards the waiting, not cheating waiting. Have you seen the kids play hide and seek game. They’ll cover their eyes so that you’ll think they’re not seeing, but they’ll be seeing from the hole. So when you say yesterday itself I decided to wait but still I’m not enlightened, you’re playing the same game. You want me to know that you’ve started waiting but you’ve not really started waiting. You can cheat me but you can’t cheat yourself!. If enlightenment happens from me, if it can be taken from me, long ago either you would have bribed me or told something and would have taken it, its very easy. But enlightenment happens from your being, not from me. So there’s no other way, you have to have a complete surrender, complete understanding. Here no game is going to help. An utter, clear, total decision to wait is the basic necessity to become enlightened.

That’s why in Zen monasteries when someone enters they say wait, they don’t say anything else. All the masters have used this waiting technique. Krishna says again and again I’ll come, i.e. he’s asking us to practice waiting. And Jesus says I’ll be back. When they say I’ll come back they mean learn the technique of waiting. The moment you learn the technique of waiting they’ll be back in you, you’ll become Krishna, you’ll become Christ. Jews are still waiting for the prophet. In every religion they are waiting. Waiting is the ultimate technique.

So, in this question Devi is beautifully expressing her deep surrender. Not even question, she just says let my doubts be cleared. She never gives any bracket. After giving her problem, she never gives any bracket, no priorities, no bracket, no preferences. People come and ask me – swamiji I have heart problem. The next statement, naturally I’ll say please stay here I will heal. But they don’t want that solution, they say I have heart problem can you heal me from house itself? They have priorities… that means they do not want to dissolve the problem, they just want to have mental support.

So be very clear, either have the urgency or forget the urge itself. Don’t play the game which is in-between, the guys who are playing the in-between game they end in the worst depression. They think they are seekers, but never they start seeking. As long as the blood is hot there will be no problem. You’ll have a good health, everything will go well, after the middle age, I’ve seen so many spiritual seekers, 1000s of seekers, the so-called seekers. The moment blood becomes little cool, after the middle age, around 40-45, they fall into the worst depression, because they’ve not achieved what they were supposed to achieve in the young age. Young age all they did was playing in the name of seeking, getting into the mud horse and entering into the river. You can sit on the mud horse and have a photograph, that’s okay. You can keep it in your showcase. But not for traveling, not for entering into the river.

If you don’t have the urgency don’t enter into the river, if you have superficial seeking, if you don’t have the patience to wait, if you don’t have the courage to surrender, don’t take this risk, because after 45 you’ll enter into the worst depression.

Enlightenment should become a basic necessity, only then the real alchemy starts happening. If it is not, be happy, forget about enlightenment, forget about the whole thing, go and carry on with your life happily. Ramakrishna says beautifully, if somebody’s hair is burning, will they keep quiet? Will they say “we have no time, we have still many more years, later on we can take care”? The moment there’s a fire on his head, he tries to quench it, he runs towards the water. If you have such a deep feeling only then the sutras are for you.

Yesterday somebody asked me “Swamiji, please throw more light on what is Anandeshwari state, or the state of Devi, and how can it be achieved”. Unless you become Anadeshwari you can’t understand the Shiv Sutras. Unless you reach the same state, the same consciousness, you can’t imbibe the sutras. The sutras very clearly explain what is the state of Devi. Any moment anybody enters into this state, they’ll be able to understand these sutras. If you don’t enter into this state even if you’re sitting here you can’t understand these sutras. That is why they say, calf will go near the cow only ½ hr/day. In that ½ hr it’ll drink the milk and come back. But the fly, it’ll be sitting on the cow 24 hrs, but it’ll drink only the blood, not the milk. So only when you enter into this state of Devi, you’ll be able to experience the Shiv Sutras.

Beautiful words… “let my doubts be cleared”. She just opens herself and offers it to Shiva, and requests Shiva will full surrender, please take care of me. She never instructs Shiva to answer her question. Arjuna asks krishna to answer his questions. That is why Krishna gave only answers. As I was telling, all answer will create more questions. If it has not created more questions, be very clear, you’ve not understood the answer! When you have prob, there are 2 kinds of mentality - one is a person who thinks he has got problem, he knows the solution, he only wants somebody to help him, support him, to get the solution. Another kind of mentality is - I have a problem, I don’t know what is the solution, please help me. In the 1st approach, you think you have buddhi, but you don’t have Shakti, the 2nd thing you understand you neither have buddi nor have Shakti. The moment you think God has got Shakti but he doesn’t have buddhi, then you start guiding him. Look at this – Arjuna also has got a problem, Devi also has a got problem. Arjuna himself gives the solution for Krishna. i.e. if you answer my questions my problems will be solved. So Arjuna’s ego is not become mature enough to surrender. That’s why he puts a problem and gives guidance for Krishna to solve the problem. I’ve seen people coming and telling me, Swamiji put your hand on my head. I ask them what do you want, they say – I’ve a stomach problem, put your hand on my head and heal. I’m surprised, how do they know where should I put my hand. If they simply open up the problem and request “Swamiji please heal me”, then things can happen. But they say the problem and they give me the solution also – we know the solution you just do what we say. They come and tell the problem and the solutions and the guide me how I should solve their probs. Then I ask them why did you come to me. Either you have a problem or you don’t have a problem that’s all. The moment you have a problem, be very clear you are totally ignorant. The problem is the moment you accept you’re totally ignorant you become enlightened, but you never agree, you never accept you’re totally ignorant, that’s too much.

Actually Arjuna doesn’t want anything else, he just wants Krishna to act according to his instructions. The person who thinks - even though I’m not enlightened, I’m something, I’m somebody, is not even knowing they’re ignorant. When you don’t know you don’t know you don’t even know you don’t know. When you know you don’t know at least you know you don’t know. Thinking that you know without knowing is what I call intellect. Either you’re buddha or buddhu (fool), either you’re Shiva or shava (dead body) that’s all. Either you’re a Muruga (God) or murga (hen) that’s all. Either you are Shakti or sagadhi (dirt), that’s all. There’s no via media, either fall here or fall there. Anywhere if you fall you will get enlightened. But as long as you play the middle game you will never achieve. Arjuna is continuously trying to play the middle game. He says his problem because he can’t bear the suffering, so he opens up, but he thinks he knows the solution also. And he instructs the master to give the solution as he wants. I’ve seen some of the people coming and telling me their problems, but they want the solution as they want. (i.e. customized version). They do not want my solution, they give me some suggestions, instructions, preferences. Not only they give me the question, below that they give a small bracket. Few words in the bracket, If the answer is in this way I’ll be very happy, if the answer is in this way it will be really nice. Its like an exam. In examinations, they give you the question and they give you the instructions also, the answer should be 15 lines, 25 lines, the answer should be only in 1 page. When you want solution under your conditions, you’re nothing more than arjuna, you will only have more and more confusion. That’s why its called Arjuna vishada yoga or Arjunas confusion. There are only 2 types of seekers, Arjuna type and Devi type that’s all. People come and tell me their problem and they don’t let my intelligence work on their problem, they themselves give me the solution and they just want my support. They just tell me - give me your shakthi not your solutions. They come and tell me I have problem with my husband swamiji, and the next sentence they themselves please see that he comes and stays with me, he listens to my words, he obeys me. They never even let me advise them. If they just opened up the problem and say I have a certain problem with my husband, I would have advised them or I would have looked into the problem. I would have given a total solution for dissolving the problem. But they do not want to dissolve the problem, they just want only the support. That is what I call intellect, putting the question along with a small bracket. I want only this type of solution, if you can, give me otherwise keep quite. Exactly that is what you mean. I’m clearly verbalizing it. You’re not verbalizing it out of politeness.

When Arjuna asked Krishna, putting all his questions and asking – O Krishna answer my questions, it means that Arjuna thinks if Krishna gives answer his problems will be solved. He never understood his problem is much deeper than question answer session. No problem can be solved by question answer session, it can be solved only by experience. But Arjuna thinks his problem is just intellectual. But here Devi says let my doubts be cleared. I can’t say answer my questions or don’t answer my questions I do not know what you will do that’s upto you, this is the problem I have, I’m surrendering it please take care. Devi trusts that Shiva has shakti and buddhi, but usually we only trust god has got shakthi but we never think god has got buddhi. Arjuna also is not ready to believe Krishna has got buddhi that is why he says please answer my questions. The moment he says please answer my questions he shows very clearly his arrogance his ignorance. Ignorance can never be healed, innocence can be healed.

There‘s a beautiful story in Mahabarata. Before the war start Duryodanan and Dharmaraja both of them are going to Krishna’s palace to seek help from Krishna. Both are relatives of Krishna, and both of them want Krishna’s help. Krishna was sleeping. The Pandavas representative goes and sits at the feet of Krishna. The Kauravas representative goes and sits near the head of Krishna. The moment Krishna opens his eyes he sees the person sitting at his feet. He talks to him - how are u, when did you come what for you came. The guy says, I’ve come to have your help. He says surely I’ll help, don’t worry. Then he turns and sees the other guy, he’s also waiting, he also asked for Krishna’s help, then he says surely I’ll help, don’t worry. Then he said, I’ll be on one side, my powers will be on the other side. Which one do you want? The Kauravas thought let us have Shakti, Pandavas thought let us have buddhi. You know who won the war. The man who chose buddhi, the man who trusted god has got buddhi, he won the war, he won the game. If you trust he’s got only shakti you will never win the life. The moment you trust he’s got buddhi also you surrender, only then things can start happening. When you start believing hes got shakthi, religion starts, when you start believing hes got buddhi spirituality starts. When you start believing hes got Shakti, religion starts. You start doing puja, you start pampering him. you start doing all possible things, so that you can continuously bribe him to have what you want. All your pujas done with sankalpa is nothing but bribing. Why do you go and tell your name in front of god, he doesn’t know your name? [laughs] you go to temple and tell not only your name, your fathers name, your forefathers name, your gothra, and not only that in that sankalpa we describe “baaratha varshe, baratha kande…” even geographically we say where we are. Even we know where we are, god doesn’t know where we are? We describe everything in a detailed way, why? You do not want the courier parcel to reac someone else. you’re afraid that your parcel, the boons that’s supposed to come to you will reach somebody else. All your pujas, all your bribing techs proves very clearly your arrogance, which again and again says god has got Shakti not buddhi.