“Jain Sutras Discourse 1 Understand and Transcend”

Jain Sutras Discourse 1 Understand and Transcend

A Discourse by Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda

Buena Park, CA, USA March 6, 2007

Namo arihantanam Namo siddhanam Namo ayariyanam Namo uvajjhayanam Namo loe savva-sahunam

Eso panch namokaro Savva-pavappanasano Manglananch savvesim Padhamam havei mangalam

I welcome you all with my love and respects.

Mahavir, greatest enlightened master happened on the planet earth. According to me he is the only master who is able to create a technology or the formula to reproduce not only enlightened beings, to create the purest tradition. Understand, Vedic tradition or the traditions which are born in Bharat, we can really be proud of one important thing. No terrorist group has got their base on this Vedic tradition, the traditions which are born in Bharat.

The other day there was a discussion. Somebody was telling me, ‘Swamiji, people start becoming violent and terrorist, how can you blame the enlightened master or the great master who created that tradition? We can’t blame the master if the people start misunderstanding his teachings and become terrorists.’ I told, ‘No, that master has to be blamed because he has created a possibility for misinterpretation.’

Not only saying what should be done, enlightened master is responsible and he should be very clear and he should have very clearly expressed what should not be done. An enlightened person is expected to have intelligence how the things can get degraded, and create a system which can prevent degradation.

So if I have to see with this understanding, I can say Mahavir is the only master who created the purest tradition. His philosophy, his tradition, how much it may get degraded, it can never accept a terrorist group. It can never be the base for terrorism. Because he has gone to the extreme, he knows how the human mind can slowly, slowly degrade. How the human mind can slowly, slowly do the text torturing.

Somebody asked me the other day, in our tradition we follow vegetarianism. All our devotees are expected to be vegetarians. Somebody asked me, ‘Swamiji, egg can be considered as vegetarian, why not egg?’

Okay today egg is vegetarian, and tomorrow after all few days after, if I eat the same egg once it becomes a chicken, what is wrong? I would have eaten a few days ago, now I am eating just after a few days, then why should it be non-vegetarian? You may ask it can be vegetarian. Okay when chicken is vegetarian why not hen? Then naturally it can degrade.

Degradation is easily possible if you allow any loopholes. Understand if there are some terrorist groups in some religion, the enlightened master or the person who created that religion is responsible. He did not have enough intelligence to create a system without loopholes. It may be shocking. Let me be very clear if tomorrow some terrorist groups are created out of the teachings which I am creating, which I am doing, I am responsible. I should have the intelligence to talk, to teach very clearly without allowing any loopholes. I am supposed to express it very clearly.

One more important thing we need to understand, many religions claim, no our book is only saying the love, non-violence, but some people have misunderstood and are misinterpreting. The possibility for misinterpretation is allowed, is allowed in that book. That is the reason you are able to misinterpret, misunderstand.

But you can’t misinterpret, misunderstand Mahavir. You can’t. He has gone to the extreme of great spiritual truths. Not only he expressed in his life, even the teachings which he created or the next generation which he created, in them also he has instilled these great truths in its purest form. Understand, you can’t instill the great tradition, great truth in your next generation if you are hypocrite, if you are hypocritical, if you are saying one thing and living in the other way.

Because the next generation, the immediate generation, is going to only see you and learn. It is not going to learn from what you are teaching. It is going to learn only from what you are doing. Maybe after two, three hundred years nobody will know what you did. They will learn from your teaching, because only the teachings are recorded and kept. But the first generation is going to learn only what you do.

If the first generation people are truthful, honest, spiritual, without violence, that means the master lived a pure life. Master lived beautiful life. Except Mahavir there is no other master who can boast the beautiful first generation. Means enlightened first generation, who did not fight with themselves. The moment master dies, first thing will happen is fight among the disciples. The problem among disciples. Only Mahavir can boast there was no fight, there was no trouble even after he left the body. The first generation was completely enlightened. The reason is he lived that kind of life.

Actually all these days I did not speak on Mahavir’s sutras, jain sutras, because I thought people can’t digest it. It is too much truth. It is too much. To tell you honestly, when I tell people please stop smoking, they drop me, not smoking! If you give the truth as it is, it’s very difficult for them. And man needs, man actually needs little lies, hope for his life. But you can’t add any little bit of lies, hope, all these things with Mahavira. He’s a pure energy, pure consciousness. How much you try to misinterpret, you can’t do, because he’s very clear.

You can’t entertain people with Mahavira. He’s not an entertaining philosopher. No. He is truth in its true form. So I thought let me have a right group, only then I should start speaking on Mahavira. Only then I should talk on Mahavira’s sutras. Now we are going to see not only the sutras directly by Mahavira, some sutras from the disciples also, Akaranga sutras also. In the publicity material also you would have seen the name Akaranga sutras, because the beauty is the Akaranga sutras give you the techniques to apply Mahavira’s teachings. They become like an applied science. So we will see something from Akaranga sutras also.

Such pure, simple truths expressed by Mahavira. For a normal man it is very difficult to digest. I was always telling our close people. They were asking again and again, ‘Swamiji, why don’t you speak on Mahavira.’ Because I have spoken on Bhagavad Gita, Ashtavakara Gita, Upanishads, on Buddha, on Sermon on the Mount. They are again and again asking me, ‘Swamiji, speak on Mahavira.’ I told them, ‘I am afraid that you guys will run away.’

Because he’s a pure truth. He’s not compromising, understand he is not compromising. To tell you honestly, even Gita is a compromised truth. You can easily use the word karma yoga and escape away from spirituality. Karma yoga is a nice word, you can escape. You can say no, no I take care of this and that. I do this and I do that. You can easily use nice words. This and that is like riding on the two boats. Where it will end you know. I always tell people, if I speak on Mahavira, I’m afraid that you may run away because the truth in its purest form. You can’t add any stories or jokes, you can’t dilute. It has to be expressed in a clear, authentic way. One more important thing, you can’t edit Mahavira’s sutras because there is no repetition. You can’t edit. You can’t say, oh these sutras are beautiful, and these are all repetition, no. You can’t reduce. You can’t take away even a single word.

He is so clear, straight to the point of enlightenment. He is not starting his works with an introduction, no. No introduction. He is not preparing you mentally, no. See you need introduction if I am going to say something which I have not experienced, I have to prepare you. If I am going to say the straight truth, you don’t need introduction, I don’t have to give a big introduction. I don’t have to prepare you. Here Mahavir is not preparing. No introduction. Straight truth. He is talking the honest truth.

Many times I am surprised even the so called followers of Mahavira, even the people who are born in the jain community, do not read or do not give much time to the philosophy of Mahavira. They spend more time in front of Mahavira’s statue. Because you can easily escape from a statue. They spend more time with Mahavir’s idol because its more like a, you are only going to do anything. He is just sitting silently, you can do whatever you want. If you don’t do also he will not ask you. But with the words, with his teachings, he will start working on you.

I have seen people go to the jain temples, sit in front of that moorthy, from morning till night they will do all rituals, but they are afraid to read the literature. They are afraid to read the words of Mahavira. As long as you are playing with Mahavira’s moorthy, you can work on him. You can put flowers, you can put sandal, you can put prasadam, you can put offerings. You will be working on him. But the moment you read his teachings he will be working on you. We are afraid of that, we are afraid of allowing him to work on us. It is very easy if you work on him, because you are master if you are just stopping with idol worship.

See I am not saying idol worship is wrong. Beautiful, it’s beautiful if it inspires you to follow him. If it inspires you to follow his teachings, follow his words, idol worship is beautiful technique. But many times I have seen people use idol worship to escape from his teachings. Then it’s dangerous. Understand please don’t work on Mahavira, allow him to work on you. Let him work on you. Let the teachings penetrate your being.

Again I request you all if I hurt you in some way, please forgive me, because the teachings of Mahavira are straight truth. He is basically by blood kshatriya. Kshatriya doesn’t know courtesy, because he is not begging from anybody. A brahmana will always be courteous, because by his birth he is supposed to receive and eat. Understand when I say those words they don’t have meaning for a modern society. In the modern day the brahmana does not mean he eats from others. I am saying from those days brahmana is supposed to receive and eat. So naturally he will be a little humble, courteous. He will not, he will think twice before hurting people. Kshatriya, especially if he gets enlightened, he will not compromise. He will tell the truth straightaway. And one more thing, kshatriya is not afraid of death, he doesn’t bother. If you kill me that’s okay but I am going to tell the truth. I am going to tell the truth.

Arihanta means who conquered all the enemies, who killed all the enemies. First enemy is fear, your own fear. The desire to live, lust for living is the first enemy. You may say then, should we commit suicide? No, I am not telling you commit suicide. But too much of desire or so much of fear that you may die, that’s the first enemy. Mahavir has conquered. He has conquered that enemy, the fear. That’s the reason he was able to tell the truth as it is.

One more thing before entering into any enlightened master’s teachings, or any great master’s teachings, you should analyze to whom it is delivered, for what purpose it is delivered, because you should see the ulterior motive of the teaching. What for those teachings are delivered? You should understand all those things to evaluate purity of the teachings. Understand purity of the teachings should be evaluated before you enter into the teachings.

A small story which happened in Vivekananda’s life. One day Vivekananda was sitting and relaxing on the banks of Ganges enjoying his smoke or whatever, hookah, was just enjoying. One disciple was sitting at his feet and pressing the feet, doing pada seva. One elderly gentleman came, a well learned pandit, intellectual. He came and he said, ‘I take bath everyday in Ganges three times and I do all the sandhya practices.’ So he started boasting. And he claimed that he will achieve the highest moksha, heaven. Vivekananda said, ‘Just taking bath in Ganges you will become God means, then fishes which are in the Ganges, they are the gods and holiest creatures. So I can’t say just taking bath in Ganges will make you holy. The guy was shocked. The traditional pandit. And he left the place.

After a few minutes one young guy came, graduate from Calcutta University. He said, ‘Swamiji, I heard that you are very modern person who does not bother about the traditional things like taking bath in the Ganga, doing sandhya and all these kind of things. I really appreciate your teachings am I am searching a person, master, like you. I also don’t like all these traditional things.’ Vivekananda said, ‘Who told you? Everyday I take bath in Ganges and I worship Ganga. Who told you I don’t acknowledge all these traditional things? I respect tradition. I live according to tradition.’ The young man said, ‘Oh, is it so?’ Anyhow Vivekananda gave few teachings and young man left.

Old man also received the teachings which is for him. Young guy also received teachings which is for him. Now the disciple who was sitting at the feet and watching both the scenes, he got confused. Just like you all now. He asked, ‘What is this? What are you telling? When that man came you said different thing and when this guy came, this young guy came, you are telling something else. What do you mean?’ Vivekananda says beautifully, ‘That teaching for that old man, this is for that young man. Who needs what kind of teaching, that is given to him. You press my feet.’

Before entering into the great truths of enlightened masters, we should analyze to whom it is given, what was the ulterior motive, purpose, then we should enter into the teachings. Only then we will be to understand, assimilate and practice the truth in its purest form. Here the teachings are given only to liberate you, give you enlightenment. That is the goal. Achieving ultimate level of consciousness. Experiencing the greatest truth. But if you see the beauty of these teachings. See this whole philosophy of Mahavira looks like negative, but all the followers of Mahavira lived with such richness. See the jain community, richest community in Bharat. We should enter into that paradox.

We should analyze how this happens. Here Mahavira is not giving any management techniques. He is not management guru. In the modern day all our philosophies are, teachings are, used for management. There are so many management books which came based on the vedic tradition. Even the so called masters in the modern day, they all became management gurus only. But Mahavira is not a management guru. He is not giving you any solutions related to the outer world. But the very teachings when you follow, the expansion of the inner space which happens, as a side effect of that expansion, by product of that expansion, wealth accumulates around you.

Understand if I say Mahavir is the ultimate management guru. Not only for the inner world, even for the outer world. He never speaks about how to create or manage the wealth. All he does, he creates the beautiful inner space in which you can accommodate many things. He is not talking about karma yoga, if he talks about karma yoga you can use those words and make him as a management guru.

The other day I was reading an article in Wall Street Journal. The Gita is taking a big shape, the Gita is getting an important place in many corporate companies of US. They are using for management. Mahavir is not talking anything about karma yoga. You can easily use teachings related to karma yoga for management. He is not talking anything. He simply does something in your consciousness, you become a leader. He is not telling that you should become a leader. He just makes you a leader. He creates a beautiful inner space. One important thing you should understand when your inner space is expanded, when you are living with inner richness, outer richness follows you. Not only follows you, it becomes your servant.

Let us enter into the words of Mahavira. We will understand how he does this great thing through his unique teachings and techniques. So before entering into the sutras lets all remember the great master Mahavira and all other tirthankaras, all other great masters by repeating this mantra. If you all know this mantra, you can repeat. Otherwise at least remember all the great masters, all the tirthankaras, all the sadhus, all the siddhas, all the acharyas who preserved the science of enlightenment, who protected this science of enlightenment. And let us offer our humble respects to them before entering into their teachings. Let us pray to them, let them give us intelligence, let them bless us to realize the truths of their teachings, to experience the truths of what they are teaching to us. To experience what they really want us to learn. What they really want us to do. How they want us to be. Let us pray to them.

Namo Arihantanam Namo Siddhanam Namo Ayariyanam Namo Uvajjhayanam Namo Loe Savva-sahunam

Eso Panch Namokaro Savva-pavappanasano Manglananch Savvesim Padhamam Havei Mangalam

Let us first understand this mantra. It is such a wonderful mantra. I’ll tell the translation, I’ll read the translation, try to understand this mantra.

I bow in reverence to arihantas, means the people who have conquered the enemies. Enemy does not mean the outer world enemy, the inner world enemies. I bow in reverence to siddhas, means all liberated souls. I bow in reverence to acharyas. I bow in reverence to upadhyayas. I bow in reverence to all sadhus. This five fold salutation destroys all sins. And amongst all auspicious things this is the most auspicious one. Manglananch savvesim. Padhamam havei mangalam.

This mantra is an amazing mantra. We should understand a few things before understanding this mantra. See this great tradition of Mahavir starts with this mantra and ends in this mantra. Whatever he has to say, the whole gist of this tradition is this mantra. Please understand they are not worshipping the gods who will give you wealth, no. They are not worshipping the gods who will give knowledge, no. They are not worshipping the gods who will give power, no.

You should understand the psychology of religion. Bible says God created man in his own mould. But actual truth is man created God in his own mould. If you are caught in ignorance, you worship the goddess of knowledge, Saraswati. Whatever you don’t have, you worship that, because you want that. If you are matured, you worship or ishta devata also will be mature.

Understand a person who has renounced the world, who wants enlightenment, you will never expect him that he will be sitting in front of Lakshmi and worshipping Lakshmi, no. What is he going to do even if Lakshmi showers on him, he has no utility. He has no use. So naturally you will not see a monk sitting in front of a Lakshmi. Maybe he may worship Mokshalakshmi, not Dhanalakshmi, surely not Santanalakshmi. So your ishta devata will very clearly tell in which state of consciousness you are living. Here this whole tradition starts with worshipping enlightened masters, means the highest conscious beings.

Understand there are different levels in religion. If you are caught in ignorance, the lowest level, you will worship or you will be interested more towards fanatic beliefs. You will expect somebody to give you the ready made beliefs. You will not analyze. Any charismatic leader is enough to take you for a ride. If he tells you do this, do that. This is the heaven, this is the hell. If you do this you will reach heaven, if you do this you will reach hell, this is enough. Charismatic guy is enough. Hypnotizing guy is enough. You are taken for a ride. All terrorist groups are based on ignorance based religions. Understand all terrorist groups are based on this group, this level.

Second if you are fear oriented, if you are fear based. If you are afraid and you want God who will remove fear from you, you will worship gods with big, big swords, with too many weapons. Eighteen hands, twenty hands. All kinds of weapons. But here you are worshipping arihantas and siddhas who are sitting in meditation. You are not worshipping gods who have too many hands. If you are fear based if you are caught in fear, you will create a god who has got too many hands and too many weapons so that you will be protected, at least some one weapon will protect you.

And if you are greed based naturally you will worship the gods and goddesses who are giving wealth, who are promising you wealth, Lakshmi or any gods and goddesses who are showering gold coins. If you see Lakshmi’s statues and photographs, you will see that she is showering gold coins. It is just projection of your fantasy, nothing more than that. If you are greed-based it is very easy to exploit you. If somebody comes and gives you the promise, just verbal, enough, or creates such words that your fantasies will be fulfilled through him, you are gone.

And really an incident which happened, one astrologer used to come to our ashram. Earlier he was coming in a two wheeler. One day suddenly I saw him in a new car. I asked him, ‘How come, suddenly a new car? Did you win any lottery?’ He said, ‘No, no Swamiji, these are all happening because of Lakshmi yantra.’ I said, ‘Lakshmi yantra? I have never heard of this. Who gave you this?’ ‘No, no, nobody gave me Swamiji, I started giving to others.’ Understand, you start having Lakshmi yantras, maybe a person who sells will become rich. I don’t know about you. If you are greed based you will worship the gods and goddesses who are promising wealth.

If you are logic based, the next one, next level, you will worship philosophers. You will worship the people who give you words. Communism. They don’t worship other gods, but they worship their leaders. Any ism. Any philosophy. Person who gives you words. He is worshipped, respected. And all these four levels, you can’t call as a religion. They are not religions. They are not going to give you solutions. They are going to give you support. Understand these four levels will give you only support, not solution. Totally seven levels are there. First four levels, these four levels can’t be called as religions. It is just a sort of support.

The next three levels, there, there you will see the true spirituality. Love based means you will worship a person who is radiating love. You will be attracted towards the person who radiates love. Next meditation based. You will be attracted to a person who is sitting in meditation, who is radiating peace, who is radiating energy, who is radiating life, who is radiating consciousness. Last, ultimate, celebration based. Who is not only radiating, who can make you also radiate the same energy. Celebration means who can share, who can create that ambience. Who can create that energy in you also, celebration based. Arihanta means not only the person who has achieved himself, who can reproduce it, who can create it in you also. This is religion, traditions based on enlightenment.

Understand the seven levels. Ignorance based, fear based, greed based, logic based; these four are preliminary levels. You can’t call them as religions. They are solutions, support, not even solutions. It’s like adding little oil to you and making you run in the same way. Like when too much friction happens, you need to add little oil to reduce the friction. Same way these four levels, it’s like a little oil to run your machine. It won’t give you solutions. The other three levels, higher levels, love based, meditation based and celebration based, joy, bliss, ananda based. Here they are worshipping, bowing down to the great energies, masters who are love based, meditation based and celebration, enlightenment based, ananda, ecstasy based. This great tradition, that is the reason I am saying this is the tradition that retains its purity.

One more thing, if your core message is love, meditation and enlightenment based, maybe outside your temples you can have few statues also, nothing wrong. Like a visiting card. Like a visiting card. Please if you are greed based, fear based, ignorance based, also you can come, you are welcome we don’t say you can’t come. But please come beyond that. There is something beyond. If you keep this as a main idol, means the love, compassion, love, meditation and celebration based as the main mulavigraha or the main base, you can have few of the other things also in the outside, nothing wrong. But there are some traditions which started keeping the fear based, greed based, ignorance based things as in the main altar. That is where their corruption starts. That is where dilution starts. That is what I call dangerous distraction.

As long as our focus is towards these main truths, corruption or dilution is impossible. Somehow Mahavira, a great master, managed to create a tradition without dilution, without corruption. Still the main truth even after two thousand five hundred years is same. Still the core is same, still the religion is love based, meditation based and enlightenment, celebration based. Maybe in course of time outside there is little bit of fear based or greed based but that is not the core. That is not the truth. The dilution also is not able to affect the truth or the core.

Here he starts, Namo arihantanam, I bow in reverence to arihantas, who achieved the highest truths. Not only who achieve, who are radiating the truths so much that others who go near him, they are also inspired to achieve. Understand an important truth, arihant does not mean person who teaches, no, person who inspires. You can’t reproduce enlightenment by teaching, no. If you can, long before we would have started selling. We would have created stores, www.enlightenment.com. Please visit our website to get enlightened. And we would have created enlightenment guaranteed shop. No. Fortunately or unfortunately you can’t create enlightenment in some being by teaching, no. Only by inspiring you can create enlightenment. You can reproduce enlightenment only by inspiring.

Arihanta is the person which is radiating the truth, so powerfully, so strong, his presence is so intense anybody who comes near him, even if they spend few minutes around him, they are inspired. The fire is ignited, the transmission of lamp happens. They feel this is the best state to live in. This is the best space to exist. This is the best thing which can happen to me in my life. Understand if you go near an enlightened being, even if you have spent two, three minutes. Suddenly you will feel this is the best thing which can happen to me. If you had that thought in you only then he is enlightened. Otherwise be very clear something is seriously wrong with his enlightenment. If he cannot radiate, if he cannot create that inspiration in you, forget about him, there is something seriously wrong in his enlightenment.

Arihanta is a person not only who became enlightened, who radiates it. Just his very presence, you will feel God. He will become fantasy in you. He will inspire you so much. He will occupy your inner space so much, either you start working towards achieving that state or you feel I am not able to. Even if you feel I am not able to that’s okay. At least you have put the first step. You have started. Understand respect towards an enlightened being is the first step towards enlightenment. Means you wanted that state, you will not respect anything unless you agree with that ideology. Unless you have a little bit of attachment, feeling towards that ideology, a subtle feeling that you should also have the same, unless you get that, you will not have respect for that.

If you are respecting somebody beautiful, handsome, be very clear you have a subtle desire to be in that state, to have that quality. Same way if you respect a rich guy, there is a subtle desire to have wealth. Anything you respect automatically enters in your inner space. When you say I bow in reverence to enlightened being, you give respect to enlightenment. Here you are not bowing down to someone who will help you when you are in fear. No. You are not bowing down to a king. No, you are not bowing down to a rich guy who will give you money. No. You are not bowing down to a person who will give you logic or philosophy, words. No, no. You are bowing down to a person who inspires, who puts the seed of enlightenment in you, who helps you to achieve enlightenment. Arihanta is such.

There is a beautiful commentary, means the explanation which says, when you sit in front of an arihanta, the ultimate conscious being, without your knowledge, without even your conscious understanding, your whole being is integrated towards that one goal, enlightenment. Understand as of now you are not one being as you think. Your head is pulling, calling you in one direction. Your eyes are pulling you in the other direction. Your ears are pulling you in that different direction.

People ask me, just the other day I was facing a question, ‘Swamiji, in all organizations there is so much of politics. And why are you creating one more spiritual organization? And you know there is going to be so much of politics.’ I told him, and this is an important thing, I told him, ‘You don’t need even two persons to create politics, one is more than enough.’ Because morning you will be doing something else and evening your mind will be telling something else, means politics inside you. You don’t need two persons for politics, one is more than enough. Morning your mind will be telling something, and you will work towards that. By evening your mind will be telling something else, and you will try to put your effort towards that. It means what? You are already a politician. You are afraid of politics because of too many different opinions. And you think you don’t have politics inside. So you don’t need two persons for politics, one person is more than enough to create politics. Single person is more than enough to create politics.

You can’t escape from politics by not creating organization. Because organization has got its own benefits, merits also. You can escape from politics only by creating a strong group consciousness, means a strong inspiration. And the commentary says the arihanta is a person who creates a group consciousness amongst, among parts of your being. As of now there are so many parts in your being, you have so much of politics amongst the parts. Your head is doing politics against your leg, and your eyes are doing politics against your ears. Because ears wants something else, your eyes want something else, and your tongue wants something else, and your touch wants something else. Each guy is having his own agenda and they are having big problem amongst themselves. Finally you are suffering.

I should tell you a beautiful story how by the politics of the trustees God suffers. Politics between the trustees how the god is put to suffering. In a South Bharatn temple, very famous temple, fight between the trustees and the pujaris who worshipped, who do the rituals and who pay for the rituals. Fight started between these two. A simple reason. Thing is that whether you should put a u-shaped mark or the straight, the vertical mark. Among that vaishnava mark there are two, three varieties. They call it vadagalai and thengalai. Means just a straight line or u-shape. Curve or straight line, that’s the problem. And not even on god, on the elephant, the temple elephant. Somebody donated. Understand it really happened. I wanted all of you to know, it may look funny, but it happens in every temple. You may not publicize all these things, it happens in every temple.

The fight is whether to put the u-shaped mark or the straight line mark on the temple elephant. The pujaris are saying it should only be u-shaped, and the person who paid for the elephant he says, ‘No it should be only straight line because I paid for the elephant.’ And pujari says, ‘You may pay for elephant, but we are only going to do the mark.’

So fight went to the local court, local court gave the judgment, the god who is going to sit on the elephant he is wearing only the u-shape, so only the u-shape should be put on the elephant. But the trustees they have enough money so they went to the higher court, High Court and High Court said, the person who paid for the elephant only he should decide. And the pujaris, they are very strong with their ideology, went to Supreme Court. Really, understand I am not telling the story, I am telling the history. Went to Supreme Court, finally Supreme Court gave the judgment, whenever god is traveling on the elephant he should have the mark of the god which is u-shape, and whenever the elephant is free without the procession or anything, for public programs he can have straight line. And one important thing, two days after the judgment elephant died. Because the process took fifteen years. Elephant died.

Don’t think story ended. Story is not ending here. Somebody donated one more elephant. Now the pujaris came and wanted to put the mark according to the judgment, Supreme Court judgment. Trustees said, ‘No, that judgment is for that elephant, not for this elephant. Let us go to the court again.’ And still now at least twenty five years God is going in procession by walk, not on an elephant. Last twenty five years he stopped riding on elephant. The fight is between the trustees and pujaris, who is suffering? God.

Same thing happens to us. When your indriyas suffer, when your indriyas fight among themselves, your consciousness will be suffering. Understand, when your senses and your mind fighting among themselves, your consciousness, your inner space will be suffering.

Arihanta is a person in whose presence all your senses, indriyas and the mind is integrated by itself. Understand, in front of a warrior, automatically you will feel, that you are supposed to behave with respect. Just by his presence, you will not talk anything. It is called sthanabala. In Sanskrit we use the word sthanabala. Anybody who holds that seat, that very sthanam, you just go in front of him and sit silently and come out. You know if you talk what will happen. The results. Just the very sthanabala, you will be frightened. Same way, in the presence of the arihanta, just the very presence, just the sthanabala, your senses will be integrated. Your inner personality, your mind, indriya, buddhi, chitta, everything will be integrated. Because all your senses they know he has killed all his enemies, any moment he may kill me also, let me be silent.

For example, if you are going and sitting in front of a person who has done hundred murders, will you talk? Will you oppose him? Unless you are mad. You know he has killed all his enemies, so if I show, if I give an idea that I am also his enemy, simply I will be killed. You will keep quiet. Same way all your senses, your mind, they know he has killed his enemies. Arihanta, who has conquered all his enemies, so naturally he will kill me also. Better let me keep quiet. Your personality will be integrated just by his presence. Understand this bowing down, remembrance, will invoke their presence.

You need to understand an important thing, remembrance is not just thinking. In ordinary things like a flower or a sweet, in ordinary things, remembrance is just thinking. But when it comes to enlightened beings, remembrance is invoking their presence. It is called avahanam. When you remember enlightened beings, they are there in front of you. You invoke their presence because constantly they are waiting. They are available. They are waiting just to help you.

Please understand when you remember some object of the outer world, that object doesn’t have intelligence or power to appear in front of you, to be there in front of you. But enlightened beings are not objects. They are energy and intelligence. One more thing which is a very important thing you need to understand. Enlightened masters even if they leave the body, they will have to retain their sukshma sareera, subtle body, till all their disciples and followers become enlightened. They will have to make themselves available. They will have to be available for all of you. Please understand till you all become enlightened they can’t disappear, even if they have given up their bodies.

One more thing, for enlightened being, even while he is in the body, he is not touched by the body. I always tell people enlightened masters are not present as you think, and they are not absent as you think. See always when some enlightened masters died, you think they are absent. No. Same way, when some master is in the body, you think they are present just like you. No. They are not present even while they are in the body as you think. They are not present, it is their presence. Understand when an enlightened person is in the body he is not present as you think. He is present in a totally different dimension. He may be in front of you but he is not present as you think. He is in a different space. His body may be visible to you, but he is in a different space. Same way even after he leaves the body, he is not absent as you think.

A small incident which happened in Nisargadatta Maharaj, a great enlightened being who lived in Bharat. Somebody asks him, ‘Master you say the enlightened beings don’t have karma. Then how are you speaking with us? How are you able to talk?’ Nisargadatta Maharaj says, ‘I am not talking to you.’ He is talking and he is saying I am not talking to you. Disciple was completely confused. He said, ‘What are you saying? I am not talking to you? And you are talking to me, and you are saying I am not talking to you?’ Then Master says, Maharaj says, ‘Because you want, you are getting the answers from this system.’ This system is programmed to respond like a voice mail, automatic intelligence which responds to you. That’s all. Otherwise this system itself does not have an ego like you.

Understand, you can’t say automatic replaying machine is living mechanism. No. It just responds to you because you wanted somebody to respond. Maharaj says, ‘I am responding to you because this is the way you wanted.’ And he says beautifully, ‘If somebody approaches me with an attitude of dasa bhava, means servant, I look like a leader. If somebody approaches me with an attitude of a disciple, I look like a master. If somebody approaches me with an attitude of father, father and son, I look like a father. So whatever attitude they have, just I reflect it. I just fulfill what they want. Otherwise I myself don’t have any identity or ego.’ He says, ‘I am not talking to you. You are listening the answers which you want to listen, which you need to listen.’ That’s all. Automatic replying system. They are not present as we think.

Same way, enlightened beings who have left their body, they are not absent as you think. When they had a body, their presence had a body, when they left the body, their presence does not have a body, that’s all. Otherwise having a body or not having a body is no way going to disturb or change you connecting with that master. Understand, as far as master is concerned whether they have the body or not, it’s not going to disturb them. It is not going to change anything. It is not going to. They are not going to miss anything. So do not think just because they don’t have a body you can’t experience their presence. This simple remembrance can invoke their presence immediately, in that very moment, wherever you are. Remembering them will simply create their presence because they are waiting. They are waiting to be called.

The advertisement you say operators are waiting for your call, please call now, call now, call now. Same way masters are waiting, please chant now, chant now, chant now. They are waiting, available. All you need to do is remembering them. Just the remembrance is enough. You will see that their presence is in front of you. They are not absent as you think. Just because you are not able to see the stars, you can’t say stars don’t exist. Same way just because you don’t see them with your eyes, you can’t say they don’t exist. Only one benefit, if master is with the body, you may be able to feel him with all your five senses. If he is without the body you have to feel him, experiencing only in the inner space which is beyond body, that’s all. But you can verily experience him because they can’t disappear till you become enlightened.

During initiation, before every initiation, all the masters, enlightened beings, they take vow. Understand during initiation don’t think only you take vows, only you make commitments. Master also makes commitments. He says till you become enlightened, the energy which is working through this body, even if this body is dropped, will help you and assist you till you reach the same state in which I am living. That’s the commitment all the masters give. Till you reach, achieve that same enlightened state, even if this body drops, this energy promises you to guide. That is the commitment that a master takes. Understand so even Mahavir leaves the body, he has to make himself available to all of us till we become enlightened, till we achieve enlightenment. He has to make himself available. The moment you remember these great masters, you will see their presence is there in front of you.

And next line, I bow in reverence to siddhas, means the liberated souls. The word namo you should understand that word also. Namo means you offer ‘I’ and mine, ahamkar and mamakar. Namama. Ahamkar and mamakar, you offer both me and mine, I and mine. You see important thing, it is very easy to offer mine, means wealth. You can very easily give wealth, cheque. Because after some time all rich guys feel the futility of wealth. What will you do? What will you do? Now you can buy anything which money can buy. After all these basic things what will you do with the money? Maybe more and more zeroes are getting added in your bank balance sheet. And in this country you don’t even see the currency, only two percent is in the printed currency form. Only the pass book or the bank balance sheet you see more and more zeroes are getting increased. And for those zeroes you give your whole life and you are constantly running, running, running. And finally the person who is making you run, only those leader’s egos are expanding. And you don’t even know what are you going to do. And suddenly you will leave all those zeroes one day and become zero.

And after sometime all rich people feel the futility of wealth. What to do? Ah, it’s okay. It is very easy to give money. I have seen all rich guys erecting temples in every city. Why? They understood there is no value. There is no value. Money is valuable only till you achieve all your basic needs. That is why people are kept in poverty. Without giving them the feeling that they have all the basic needs. To tell you honestly you think Bharat doesn’t have wealth. It can simply support hundred million people. It is not a big thing. Or a billion people, it’s not a big thing. Sorry hundred crores, not hundred million. It can support hundred crore people.

Forget about Bharat, whole world we have enough wealth to take care of all the beings who are already on the planet earth. We can give them food, we can give them clothes, we can give them shelter, we can give them medical care. All that basic care we can provide. It’s a cunning strategy created by these so called leaders to keep common man in poverty without fulfilling his basic needs, so that he will run, run, run, work and create more and more infrastructures and these guys egos can feel fulfilled. Understand we have everything. A right strategy is all we need. Right planning is all we need. And we have enough intelligence. First time we are facing a situation where so much of intelligence is available, and so much of technology and science has done miracles. We have everything and we can take care of the whole society. All the basic needs can be taken care of, its’ not a big thing.

Rich guy knows money is valuable only for a common man who has not achieved fulfillment in his basic needs. Giving the mine is not a big thing, it’s very easy. But giving I is a real thing. Giving I is the real thing. If you give ‘I’ you become God in that temple. If you give mine you become person who builds temples, that’s all.

Mahavir became Mahavir because he gave ‘I’. He gave away the I. He dropped the ego. He has gone beyond the ego. He has gone beyond the ‘I’ and mine. Understand, do you want to be a donor or do you want to be a person who is sitting inside the temple. You want to become a worshipper or the person who receives the worship? The moment you give away the ‘I’ you become a person who receives the worship. If you are giving away only the mine, you are worshipper. Person who gives up I and mine both, he becomes the arihanta.

Now when you give away your ‘I’ and mine to the arihantas, you achieve the same state in which they are living. You see the ‘I’ and mine is the only thing which separates you from enlightened beings. When you drop this boundary you become one with them. There is a beautiful stotra. A beautiful line by a great enlightened master, Ramana Maharshi. Let me repeat the words and then I will translate. Amazing line.

Thandhathe, endhanai Kondhathe, undhanai Sadhurar yaargolo Arunachala

This is a verse in Tamil. He says, “I gave me and mine, and got you and what you are having. Who is the winner in this game? Tell me Arunachala. Tell me O Lord.

Understand I gave up I and mine but achieved what you and what you are having. Now who is the winner in this game? You got only what I had. See, normally what you will have? Sareera rogamaya, mana sogamaya, atma dukkhamaya, that’s all. These three is your property.

Sareera rogamaya means the body with sickness, as long as you have head, you have headache. As long as you have knee, you will have knee pain. As long as you have a body, it will be rogamaya. Sareera rogamaya. Manas sogamaya. Mind means depression. Understand if you don’t have depression you will feel something missing in you. No if you don’t have anything to worry, suddenly you feel empty, a vacuum. And you are thinking what is happening? I am not having anything to worry. What is going on in me? And you feel lonely. And you catch something and start worrying. Manas sogamaya. And atma dukkhamaya. Your inner space filled with pain and suffering. This is what is our property.

When we surrender these things to an enlightened being, an enlightened master, the arihanta, let us see what are his properties. Sareera tejomaya, means sareera with which they are not even connected. Tejomaya means the conscious filled body. See there is a beautiful verse which says Mahavir’s body is filled with milk. Understand it is a metaphysical example. You need to understand it means he is filled with that consciousness. Do not visualize in a physical way he is filled with milk. The story says when a snake has bitten him only milk came out of his body. It’s a metaphysical example. If you start thinking if he is filled with milk then what will happen if it becomes butter, if it becomes ghee? Don’t think in ordinary, physical way. Try to understand the truth behind the story. He is filled with such overflowing consciousness. Milk is considered as a very sacred thing, auspicious thing in those days. That is why they use the milk as a simile, example to say he is overflowing.

Sareera tejomaya means the body which is filled with consciousness overflowing. That is why he doesn’t feel like covering with cloth. He is radiating, liberated, does not need to cover itself. You see we cover our body because we feel it is ugly. Really. We feel, we don’t feel completely settled inside our boundary. We always want to change the dimensions of our body some way. The moment you think somebody is beautiful, be very clear you are not completely comfortable with your body. The moment you think somebody is beautiful. I am not talking about the male and female getting attracted towards the female. No. I am talking about the male feeling this guy is so handsome, I should look like him. Female feeling oh she is so beautiful, I should look like her. The moment you start appreciating somebody else’s body means you are not completely comfortable with your dimensions. You try to work on your dimensions. Be very clear the other person may be handsome or beautiful but you can’t enjoy even a cup of coffee through that body. You can’t enjoy even a cup of coffee through that body. You have to experience only through this body. Sareera tejomaya means filled with consciousness, completely comfortable inside your body. Sthiram sukham is called tejomaya. If you are completely settled and completely comfortable then it is tejomaya.

Manas, masters don’t have mind so there is no description about mind. Atma anandamaya. Radiating the bliss. Understand if you surrender whatever you have means actually what you have. We don’t have even something worthy of surrendering that is the truth. We don’t even have actually something worthy to surrender also. And we may think that we have something. All you need to do is have a little bit of intelligence of what you really have. Simply you will surrender. All I am telling you is see the accounts properly, with open eyes. You will surrender. You will realize sareera rogamaya, manas sogamaya and atma dukkhamaya, simply you will surrender. You will surrender.

There is a beautiful sutra in which Mahavir is speaking about the past life. Maybe when we come upon that sutra we will talk about that. The bashyakara, the later acharyas they are explaining beautifully the intelligence about the past life will help you to surrender because you will understand you are doing the same nonsense again and again. Again and again you are creating wealth, by the time you create the wealth you are gone and finished. Then again you start the same game. By the time you feel enough and you relax, you are no more. When you get this intelligence you are doing this same nonsensical game again and again you decide, now I am not going to do the same game, enough. It is time to break free from the circle, this janama marana, this samsara bandha. You decide to liberate yourself.

When you offer whatever you have with the word namo, namama, let me surrender the I and me at the feet of arihantas, immediately you will achieve what they have. See to tell you honestly surrendering is the best way to get the ultimate thing. When you offer whatever you have, simply no other way, they have to open whatever they have. No other way. No other way. The moment you open up they have to open up. Actually they are already open, only you are stopping them.

Somebody told me knock and it shall be opened. I tell you, you don’t even have to knock. He is standing in your door, just open he will come in. He is knocking, all you need to do is you need to open your doors. Of course that’s all. You don’t even need to go to his door and knock. He is knocking at your doors. Open, nothing else.

When you open he has to open and he has already opened. Surrender the I and mine, sareera rogamaya, manas sogamaya and atma dukkhamaya, achieve sareera tejomaya and manas sugamaya. Of course when it becomes sugamaya can’t call that as a mind. The idea, the name mind will be lost when it becomes sugamaya. Atma anandamaya means bliss, filled with bliss. That is what the word namo means. I offer I and mine to arihantas. Actually it is a wonderful business. Best bargain, offering you and achieving them. You can’t imagine the best bargain. I bow in reverence to the arihantas. I bow in reverence to siddhas, liberated souls. I bow in reverence to acharyas who keep the tradition alive.

Understand even if somebody is not enlightened, if he is working for enlightenment, he is also worthy of respect. That is the important thing you need to understand. See hundred people are running, only one will win, but that does not mean that the people who ran they are not worthy of your respect. One person can win only if hundred persons can run. If you stop the very tradition of running just because ninety nine are defeated you can’t expect that one person who will win. No. Only if thousands of people dedicate their life, that group consciousness, group energy, which gives inspiration for people to run, one or two may achieve.

So understand if I have achieved something in my life it is not just by me, all the sannyasis, all the sadhus, all the acharyas, they all have contributed to me directly or indirectly. Even the confidence which I received by seeing them was reason for me to continue my running. Continue my journey. I always tell people, understand my enlightenment or whatever I achieved is the gift from this whole tradition. When I see so many sadhus, so many enlightened masters, so many mahatamas, so many swamis, I got the confidence I should also become a swami. I should also take up this life. The group indirectly inspires you and gives you the confidence and courage.

Recently we had a kumbha mela in Bharat. I took all my brahmacharis and swamis. Told them all of you should come. They asked, ‘Why Swamiji? We have so much of work in the ashram. One batch can go and one batch can be here.’ I said, ‘No, only when you see two million sadhus.’ This kumbha mela is attended by two million sadhus. Totally the estimated crowd is 90 million and two million sadhus and sannyasis. I told them, ‘Only when you see the two million saddhus, you will understand and have courage and confidence on this philosophy of sannyas.

So acharyas are also responsible for enlightened beings happening on the planet earth, for people achieving the arihanta state and siddha state. That is the reason we bow down to acharyas also and I bow in reverence to upadhyayas. Whoever is carrying that philosophy, whoever is carrying those truths, he may not have experienced in his life. A librarian may not have read all the books and become intellectual person in his life, but he takes care of the library for other people to experience. If somebody becomes a great scientist by using a library, the librarian has also contributed. He himself may not have become a scientist, but the person who preserved all the literature he is also responsible for that scientist. So we bow down in reverence to all the upadhyayas.

I bow in reverence to all sadhus, all the monks and nuns who have dedicated their life to this goal. Understand this is the only tradition which respects the people who are even traveling in the path of enlightenment. Let me be very honest, in Buddhism: buddham, saranam gacchami, dhammam, saranam gacchami, sangham, saranam gacchami. That’s all. Buddha is respected and his teachings are respected, and his sangha, his community is respected. Of course in community you may add the word, the people who are enlightened or the teachers who are sharing the truth, they are respected. But here Mahavir takes one step further. I bow in reverence to all sadhus, namo loe savva-sahunam. It is actually great inspiration for all the people who are in the path, in the spiritual journey. He says I bow in reverence even to the sadhus, monks and nuns who are working towards the great goal, great truth.

And the next line, beautiful line, this five-fold salutation destroys all sins. Naturally, when you respect the great masters, the idea to respect their teachings also start going in you and those teachings will naturally destroy all the sins, engrams in your life. Understand sins does not mean the acts which you committed. It is engrams which you carry, samskaras which you carry, that is sins. When you bow down, when you offer the ‘I’ and mine to arihantas, simply the samskaras which you carry will be destroyed.

Patanjali says beautifully, ‘You don’t have to create a canal to get water, just remove the obstruction.’ Just remove the obstruction, the water will flow towards you. So you don’ have to achieve enlightenment, remove the obstructions which you are having, the ‘I’ and mine, you will have enlightenment. It will simply happen in you. You are only just stopping it. The ‘I’ and mine is the blockage, surrender it at the feet of arihantas. One more thing, when the arihanta is alive, it is difficult to surrender. You will be afraid that he may take it away. It is very difficult to surrender when a master is living. Now we don’t even have that problem.

See let me tell you a small story. One blind man, he was trying to find a stick for walking. So he was searching something, somehow by mistake he got a frozen snake. He was staying in the Himalayas, in the cold a snake was frozen. He thought that is a stick and started using it for walking. One enlightened being saw this and told him, ‘Hey, drop that. In one hour when the sun comes, the snake will come back to life and it will bite you. You will be killed, please drop that snake. You are not carrying a stick, you are carrying a snake.’ That guy said, ‘No, no, I know it is a stick, you take care of your work, leave me.’ And the master said, ‘No, no, you are carrying a snake, leave it.’ Then that guy started shouting, ‘I think you don’t have a stick that’s why you are asking me to drop, the moment I drop you may pick up this stick.’ And master told, ‘No.’ Master forced him to drop the stick, and this guy started beating master with that same snake.

Understand, same way when arihantas say drop I and mine, you may think he doesn’t have that’s why he is asking me to drop, he may pick it up when I drop. If I drop these two he might take it away. No. He is not asking you to drop for himself. And now we don’t even have that problem, we have only his presence. So understand, sincerely offer yourself at the feet of these great masters. You will see the conscious transformation starts from this moment. From this moment, whatever samskaras, sins you have will be washed away, will be destroyed.

And among auspicious things, this is the most auspicious one. Understand, best thing you can ever do in your life is dropping your ‘I’ and mine at the feet of enlightened beings. The sutra says the best thing which can happen to your life is dropping the ‘I’ and mine at the feet of arihantas.

So now maybe we will take a few minutes, integrate your whole being and offer the whole thing at the feet of the great enlightened masters, arihantas, siddhas, acharyas, upadhyayas and sadhus. Let us do it with the full sincerity. Understand, do not think I chanted this mantra lakhs of times, what is going to happen now. I know this mantra. No. Now do it with intensity. Tell them please use this body, radiate in this body, enough I abused this body. I abused whatever I have, I and mine, it is time you all take charge of this, and let you all use this. Let me offer the ‘I’ and mine at your disposal, at your feet. Let you all fill this body and mind, whatever I have, I and mine, please sincerely let us offer at their feet.

You will see this destroys all samskaras. The ultimate thing, the best thing which can happen to human being, which can happen to you, will happen this moment. It says, manglananch savvesim, padhamam havei mangalam. The most auspicious amongst all auspicious things, this is the most auspicious one. The best thing which can happen to your being will happen the moment you bow down, you surrender, the ‘I’ and mine at the feet of these great masters.

Let us take few moments, few minutes, close your eyes. If you know this mantra you can repeat or at least offer yourself with an intense devotion. First feel connected to these great masters, all the twenty-four tirthankaras and arihantas, siddhas, acharyas, upadhyayas, sadhus. First feel deeply connected towards all of them for bringing the science of enlightenment to the planet earth and keeping it alive for so many thousands of years through which we are enriching our life, our inner space.

Namo arihantanam Namo siddhanam Namo ayariyanam Namo uvajjhayanam Namo loe savva-sahunam

Eso panch namokaro Savva-pavappanasano Manglananch savvesim Padhamam havei mangalam

I bow in reverence to arihantas I bow in reverence to siddhas I bow in reverence to acharyas I bow in reverence to upadhyayas I bow in reverence to all sadhus

This five fold salutation Destroys all sins And amongst all auspicious things This is the most auspicious one

Carry this one feeling, this one truth with you now. Try to retain this one truth throughout the night and tomorrow till you come back for the next sutra. Just try to retain this attitude that you offered everything at the feet of the great masters. Just next twenty four hours try to be in the same inner space. Try to retain the same consciousness. Try to retain this same mood for next twenty four hours till you come back for the next sutra, the next words from these great masters.

You will see all these sutras does a great alchemy in your being and transforms you and let you all achieve. Let us pray to the great masters to bless us all to achieve the same eternal bliss, the same higher consciousness. Let’s all achieve and radiate the eternal bliss, nithyananda. Thank you.