“(Reading a question from audience) What if a student quit school in the…”

(Reading a question from audience) What if a student quit school in the first quarter of third grade long time ago? Will the knowledge, progress, blessings (punya) stay with the student? Can the education be continued with the benefits?

Oh! This is a question related to yesterday’s discourse. It depends on your mental setup. Third grade means it has come up to the level of japa, repetition of name. Now when you start your practice again if you feel connected to that level, you can continue from there.

One more important thing I want all of you to know. It is not that nobody can go up to third or fourth grade without doing first or second grade. No! Yesterday what I was describing is the overall picture. There are some people, straightaway they connect to the fourth level or fifth level. So if you are straightaway able to connect to fourth or fifth level, like meditation or japa, don’t think you are missing something. You are perfectly alright, go ahead with that. Only thing, a very important thing you should know, there are some foolish people, even foolish gurus who go on teaching that first and second grade is not at all required. That is where the difficulty comes; that is where the problem lies. There are many organizations that missed the whole truth.

Understand, when you miss even one part of truth, you become part of enemy’s campaign. You can be used as a reference by an enemy to attack the Vedic tradition; that is the important thing you need to understand. That is why even the great organizations like Arya Samaj, Brahma Samaj… huge organizations but they never served the Vedic tradition. Because they took only part and slowly, slowly people who want to abuse the other part of the Vedic tradition took these organizations as reference of support. They became part of the enemy’s camp, part of the other side camp. So understand, have respect for the whole, all the standards, but which standard you feel connected start from there.

Let’s enter into today’s sutra.

18th sutra: Meditate on the make-believe world as burning to ashes and being above human.

Shiva is starting with a very strong shock. This one word, I don’t know how to put it in English. Make believe world, bhava loka is the Sanskrit word. I’m using the translation from Paul Reps, who wrote the book ‘Zen Flesh and Zen Bones’. These few words I’m using from him. I am referring 2-3 translations, trying to bring the best word. This word ‘make-believe world’ is from Paul Reps. But, because I cannot find any other word, I am using this word. Let me explain exactly what Mahadeva means by the word bhava loka, the make-believe world. This word is the key for the whole.

Everything changes when you change. Everything! A simple experiment: early morning, if you take a deep breath and open your eyes, your feeling of the world will be different; just few minutes of chaotic breathing can change your approach to the world, your relationship to the world, everything changes when you change. Everything responds to your mood. This is not just only related to your relationship, mood and all those things, even the major incidents of your life. Understand this bhava loka.

Unfortunately people who are born and brought up where terrorism is more, or terrorism is lifestyle you will see so much of suffering, uninvited suffering. Even though that child is not directly responsible, but its whole life and mental setup will be different. If you see children who are born and brought up in spiritual life, gurukuls, or lived in ashrams, I have seen the amazing intelligence of their mental setup. In their mental setup, fear, fear about life or fear about death does not even get recorded. It does not even get recorded! When I see the difference between these two moods… fortunately I am born and brought up in ashram ambience, in one of the great traditional universities, Arunachala, a spiritual university. The other side, I can see now various cultures, read and exposed to various traditions, lifestyles, I can see the difference. I can see a clear difference. How fortunate and blessed I am because of the whole mental setup, see the hell or heaven nobody else creates for you, it is you.

Understand an important thing. Consciously hearing all these great ideas, but unconsciously unable to accept those ideas and fighting is one kind of mental setup, which usually the civilized man, the modern day civilized man is suffering. But blessed are those whose unconscious itself is programmed as you grow of these great ideas.

How the unconscious is created? The ideas you put into your system before you started logically recording and analyzing the thoughts. Around the age of seven, you start logically analyzing the thoughts, and allow whatever you need and reject whatever you don’t want. Before this process starts whatever goes in and settles inside you, put inside, that is what is called unconscious. The person whose unconscious is built in great ambience, at least 25 yrs of spiritual struggle can be reduced, deleted, it is practically taken away from his life. Because the person whose unconscious is built with wrong ideas, even if he consciously decides to change his life I know for sure it takes such lot of energy and time, it is just great struggle, nothing but great struggle.

Why I want all of you to understand is, because the bhava if you start creating attracts people, incidents, things, products, everything around you. The moment you start practicing yoga, suddenly you will see you have new friends circle, new catalog, new products, new lifestyle, you have so many new variety of things. Now whole world looks like yoga world. The moment you start practicing Buddhism, suddenly your whole world turns towards Buddhism, your events, calendar, day to day routine, everything turns towards Buddhism.

Bhava loka, understand the make-believe world. There is a very beautiful story in Vedic literature, the rishi Vishwamitra’s story. He is a great king, but is frustrated by being a king. If you are really greedy nothing can stop you from achieving enlightenment, but really greedy. Understand it may be looking very paradoxical, if you are really greedy, within one second any experience will bring boredom. A really greedy man cannot enjoy anything; his mind is so full of greed it will make that as old experience. Greed is the best quality to achieve frustration. It’s the best quality because anything you achieve, mind will say, Ah! Next?! This guy was filled with greed, because king. But suddenly, as usual the mind started feeling even being the king was not complete. He suddenly started feeling, ‘I cannot control the air, I cannot control the wind. I cannot control the ocean, then what kind of king I am? No there is something more.’ He goes to Vasishta, one of the great enlightened masters in those days.

Vasishta is referred in the scriptures as spanning 1000 years. I was really surprised, how can a person be alive for 1000 years? Strange but true, at least for 1000 years history Vasishta is referred, means so many different kings and masters going and learning from Vasishta. Even Rama’s guru is Vasishta, gnana guru is Vasishta for Sri Ramachandra.

Vishwamitra goes to Vasishta and asks for the method to have complete control. Vasishta says, enlightenment, brahma gnana is the only way to have complete power and control. This guy asks, ‘What is the way to brahma gnana?’ Vasishta says, ‘Tapas’. Finally this guy enters into tapas, starts doing intense tapas, asuri tapas.

In tapas there are 3 levels – tapas done with clarity and purpose, right purpose, that is sattvic tapas. Tapas done with rajas. Out of greed the tapas that happens is rajasic tapas. And out of the idea to destroy the other person… if you say I have nothing to achieve, I am already clear what I want, I am just traveling from fulfillment to fulfillment, fulfillment to overflowing, it is sattvic tapas. If you say you want something which has to be achieved, then its rajasic tapas. If you say I want that fellow to lose something, he has to lose something that is my purpose it is called tamasic tapas. The tapas of Kumbakarna, Ravana, etc is tamasic tapas.

The tapas of Vishwamitra is rajasic tapas, very rajasic, demonic. He starts the tapas, burns the whole forest and sits inside, all kinds of strange things. After the tapas, Brahma appears and asks for the boon, ‘What do you want?’ This guys says, I want this, I want that… some powers. Brahma blesses him and disappears. Afterwards suddenly he remembers he did not ask for brahma gnana. He asked only for the power which he thought will be fulfilling.

Understand an important thing, when Vasishta said brahma gnana, enlightenment is the only way to control, he did not remember the enlightenment idea, he was filled with only controlling, so when Brahma appeared he asked only the power to control. He forgot he should ask brahma gnana so that he will have complete control. So He asked only power to control, means part of the brahma gnana.

If you have brahma gnana you will be able to control, but that that does not mean if you are able to control you will have brahma gnana. He missed that part. Anyhow he got the power and he was able to control. But even then again he saw there is something unfulfilled, there is some gap. He started again doing tapas, because there is some things that cannot happen to you by control.

By control you can only open up swadishtana, not muladhara. Only when both completely open up you will have fulfillment. He only had fulfillment of swadishtana by control, but not muladhara. That is why all the persons who are working towards control will have very weak muladhara. Ravana, he had so much of control over everything, power, but very weak muladhara, there he is lost.

A funny thing, Ravana has been cursed by a rishi, if you touch any woman by force you will die. Of course it is not just a curse, it is the attitude of muladhara. It means even if you forcibly force yourself on somebody you will not have fulfillment you will have only depression. That is what is meant by the curse. The person who has so much of strength in swadishtana will always have a lack in muladhara because he cannot open up or bend so much. Even in the physical relationship he will only be ruling, demanding, he will not be opening up. Whenever you do not open up, a physical relationship will not be fulfilling.

A controlling relationship will never be fulfilling. That is why the religions where women are suppressed and controlled, you will see they will have many wives, because they do not feel fulfilled with one wife. All religions where they have only one wife, understand they will have always equal respect for women, there will be such a deep opening up in the personal relationship. When there is no opening up in the personal relationship, you cannot be living with one woman; you will always be polygamous. All polygamous religions suppression of women will be basic quality, because swadishtana is strong, muladhara is weak; muladhara will not be giving fulfillment.

That is why Ravana after having all best women in his house from around the world, still weak muladhara. This guy, Vishwamitramitra had a strong swadishtana now but still weak muladhara, that’s why unfulfillment. He again starts doing tapas. Now the story says all the heavenly women, heavenly ladies they all were sent by Indra. Indra sent Urvasi, Rambha, Tilottama, all these girls to go and disturb his meditation and turn him away from the meditation.

Understand, it is an important thing you need to understand, it is his own suppressed fantasies that comes out. I don’t think there is somebody sitting somewhere and sending women to disturb you when you start meditating. If that is the case so many people will start meditating!

(Much laughter!)

If that is true, so many will start meditating! Surely there is no call center. Surely meditation is not calling number. So anyhow, his own suppressed fantasies comes out and the story says he lives with those fantasies for some time, means Ramba, Urvasi, whoever comes he lives with them for some time. The story says she gets a child and she brings the child and says he is your child accept me as your wife. The whole honeymoon period is over! He says no and he realizes his mistake of entangling himself, binding himself with bondage and escapes again to do tapas… means the psychological struggle.

After the fantasy is over the guilt overcomes, after muladhara is over, desire is over, the guilt. And he is on guilt trip. Anyhow he decided this time he will not miss, escapes and goes off for tapas.

One more important thing you should understand, from desire if you move to the guilt, understand an important thing, do not make any decision during guilt. Any decision you make during the peak desire, any promise you make in your bed, you know how it hurts; you know how it hurts later on! Even the promises which you make during the peak desire will only make you expand your life, it won’t lead you to the lower level of consciousness, but all the decisions you make during the guilt will lead you to the lower levels of consciousness.

I have seen many people decide, after a physical experience or relationship, in the low mood, in the deep guilt they decide to become a celibate or sannyasi. Understand, even if it is right decision but wrong reason it will always lead you to lower and lower levels of consciousness. That is why when somebody asks me to give Vanaprastha or sannyas, first thing I will do is hold their energy and see, I will hold their hand and see whether the decision is out of guilt or out of desire.

If it is desire towards enlightenment and you decide sannyas, you will only expand and expand and expand. Even if it is too big promise you made to the person you love in the high consciousness or high mood, it will only make you expand, you will only grow. That is why I have always tell even my ashramites, my brahmacharis, Understand falling in love with somebody really expands you.

I am making too many paradoxical statements; you need to very clearly look because step by step you will need to understand. First statement: falling in love makes you expand because you will make too big promises which you can’t ordinarily even visualize. When you are in love, so much of energy, your body is filled with so much of courage; you will make too big promises. Because you promised, now you will have to expand to that level.

Second statement: any decision or statement you make inside you, during guilt, understand that it will always continuously take you to lower and lower levels of consciousness. The promise that you give during the peak mood, naturally it’s a sankalpa you make so you will grow. The promise which you make during guilt will always bring you down. I will never allow somebody to become a sannyasi if he has decided during the low mood or guilt trip. I have seen not only the guilt related to physical sex, but even the guilt related to violence or vengeance.

One guy came to me and said, ‘Swamiji, I want to be a sannyasi. ‘ I asked, Why? ‘No, no, I saw so much of wrong things I did when I started fighting about the property inside my family; when I started fighting about the wealth in my family. Now I feel guilty about it, I want to throw out everything and become a sannyasi.’ I said, No! If you become a sannyasi out of this guilt, even after coming here, you will create the same pattern in your life. No! Sannyas can be taken for the sake of enlightenment, but not against the world.

Sannyas taken against the world will only lead you to deeper and deeper levels of depression and low moods. This guy is now doing tapas against the lust, against the world. First, see, if you understand Vishwamitra’s life, you will understand all the major mistakes a seeker makes. First mistake of Vishwamitra is starting tapas for power. Second mistake: even though the master initiates him in the right angle and right understanding - ‘Have enlightenment that is the solution’, this guy is not interested, he goes for power; half enlightenment; one side of the understanding. Anyhow, that is the second mistake. Third important mistake, when he achieves the possibility of what he wants he can get, when the divine appears, when there is a possibility to choose, again he chooses the wrong thing, power, not enlightenment. Above all, the next is doing tapas with deep suppression, with deep suppression, without releasing those suppressions. That is the reason step by step, step by step, step by step you will see… again and again he goes up and fails, goes up and fails, goes up and fails!

The next failure is – first failure is asking wrong boon from Brahma, i.e. powers; second failure is Urvasi, i.e. fantasies; the third failure, a very important failure: he did tapas, Brahma appeared again, he did not ask for enlightenment! He says, ‘I should be respected more than Vasishta.’

He only had an idea about the status of Vasishta, not the state of Vasishta; he wants only his idea about enlightenment to be fulfilled. It’s like, somebody comes and stays around me, he does not want the state in which I am residing, he just wants only the status in which I am residing. He doesn’t understand that the status just follows when the state happens, but state never follows when the status happens.

This guy, crass, greedy fellow, after all a Kshatriya, a king. He understands even enlightenment from the angle of respect and power: ‘Yes, I want the status of Vasishta’. Brahma says, ‘Thatasthu’, i.e. let you have it; and he disappears. Now, after all he got the powers, boons, out of greed not out of enlightenment clarity. So he is sitting with all his powers and glory, proclaiming, declaring he is greater than Vasishta.

One guy, his old friend who was a king, lost his kingdom. He does not know what to do, is in deep depression. He goes to Vasishta and says, ‘Oh lord! Please bless me, show me the way’. Vasishta says, ‘Do tapas and become enlightened, that is the best way. You will have everything back if you become enlightened.’

But somehow from time immemorial people are not convinced that if you follow spirituality wealth will follow you. That seems to be too roundabout path. They want, can you give straight something for wealth, forget about all this foolishness of closing the eyes, sitting under the tree, breathing deeply and shouting ‘mmmmm’! Forget about all these things, can you give some straight method; a shortcut, like instant coffee, an instant method.

I think this is a problem from time immemorial. When I tell people, Close your eyes, meditate little bit, change your attitude, wealth will just be attracted towards you, they say, ‘No, no, no… these are all too…’ Logically, not directly connecting you see; it’s not logically clicking! Even though, illogically… not illogically, beyond logic, alogically - we have to create a new word; alogically all our devotees are feeling, when the attitude has shifted and inner software has changed wealth is just pouring in their lives!

Understand that our Vedic community – if you see outside there will be a board, ‘Nithyananda Vedic Community’ - that is the witness for my statement: bliss attracts fortune. Otherwise why should devotees share their wealth? They may share their time, they may share their talent. They are sharing wealth means they are very clearly declaring, ‘By trusting master’s words of changing my attitude will bring fortune, I experience fortune happening in my life, wealth happening in my life; I am being showered more than what I was having.’ That is the witness for the truth which I am teaching, that is the witness for the truth which I am standing for.

Anyhow, for the common man very difficult to believe, you need lot of patience and courage to experience this statement. This guy, this king is not able to have that much patience. He thinks, ‘This Vasishta is useless, not good. Let me find out some other person who is offering same kind of service like Vasishta.’

In those days, usually spirituality used to be sellers market. I think first time Vishwamitra made it as buyers market! Started offering too many varieties. Vishwamitra is having a board, ‘Here all the products offered by Vasishta for cheap, less cost, and less commitment, and more quickly.’ Anyhow, out of the box, brand new, maybe special introductory offers may be there. This king goes to Vishwamitra to see what special introductory offers he can get. Now Vishwamitra has to prove. First case, so he has to prove first case he can deliver much better than Vasishta.

So Vishwamitra asks, ‘What do you want? Ask.’ This guys says, ‘I went to Vasishta, he gave me the advice of I should meditate and become enlightened.’ ‘ Foolisheness! Old fellow, relax. Listen here. He is impractical, when I went to him also he said the same thing, forget about it. What do you want? Tell me. ‘ This guy says,’ I had kingdom, I lost it. Show me the way.’ ‘ Forget about meditation, this, that, etc. I will create a kingdom for you.’ He had powers, naturally. So he just just says, ‘Don’t bother. What do you want, tell me exactly.’ He says, ‘I want the best kingdom.’ ‘Oh, best kingdom! Then it is heaven, heaven is the best kingdom.’

He just sends him directly to heaven out of his power, but when he goes there, there the Indra sees the accounts and according to accounts he can’t be admitted into heaven. Because, to be inside heaven someone else’s punya won’t help, you should have done the punya. Understand this is an important thing.

This is one more thing you need to understand. Many people come and ask me, ‘Swamiji, I am Ananda Samaji, can I bring my extended family inside, to sit with you?’, when I have some close meetings. Understand, it is not just related to punya, it is related to mental setup also. This guy had enough of cash. To go and live in the heaven, punya is like cash, exchange cash; he had cash, but he does not know the constitution of that country.

Just having Dollars is not enough, you need to know the constitution of this country (USA), only then you can stay in this country. It is not like somebody got some dollars in Bharat. He was living in Bharat, he somehow knows how to convert Rupees into Dollars, and he straightaway comes and lives in this country. No! The visa process is created to ensure that guy knows the constitution of the country. You cannot have, directly green card or passport by having wealth, you need to know the constitution of this country. Same way, now this king has got cash to live in heaven, punya, but he doesn’t have the knowledge of the constitution. He doesn’t have the cosmic constitution, understanding of dharma.

To enter into heaven, just punya is not enough; the understanding of dharma is required. You need to know the constitution of Cosmos to live in the heaven. So when this guy goes there they say, ‘Oh god! He is having wealth, but he doesn’t know the constitution of the Cosmos; he doesn’t know dharma.’ So Indra says, ‘No, we can’t let you in.’

Even if you invest in this country, to get a green card you have to go through the constitution. You have to know the constitution, you cannot get. Same way, Indra says, ‘No, you don’t know the constitution. You cannot come inside.’ He was rejected. The guy completely got fed up. He came back to Vishwamitra and said, ‘See what happened! I think I should believed Vasishta himself.’

Naturally now he will compare the products. It was too big blow for ego of Vishwamitra. How can this fellow compare me and Vasishta. Its a big drama now. See, Vasishta was trying to prepare the constitution of the king. Once your constitution is prepared, suddenly you will see that wealth follows you. If you understand the law, the constitution of this country, even if you come empty handed you will be able to survive here. I have seen exactly, that is why in the Vedic term America is called Indrapuri!

If you see the how we classified our desha, it is called Indrapuri. I have seen many of our devotees, they say, ‘I came empty handed Swamiji. All I know is how this country functions and I made wealth.’ Vasishta was trying to give that advice. But this guy is trying to give the advice of, ‘I will give you a million dollars, go, you can live with that.’ No! That won’t happen, that is impractical.

Anyhow the king was kicked out, then Vishwamitra gets angry. Egoistic person, it is too much, his ego is hurt. He says forget about their constitution I will create a separate kingdom for you, after all we have wealth. The ego of the wealth is – I will not bother about any constitution, I will create my own kingdom and constitution. So Vishwamitra out of all his tapas and power creates a kingdom, that is called Trishanku Swarga. Between the heaven and planet earth, there is a new kingdom created by Vishwamitra, called Trishanku Swarga. Anyhow, he created the swarga, and Trishanku became Indra of that. There is great joy and celebration.

Everything is over, now Vishwamitra has proved that he is much better than Vasishta. And he has delivered what he promised. But suddenly he realized, in this whole drama he has lost all the powers he acquired. Again he dropped, next mistake. Everytime, first he asked for wrong boon; second, he fought with the fantasies and failed; third, he fought with the ego and failed. Now it is too much, he understands something is seriously wrong inside his system.

Understand an important thing: if you are blessed or encouraged or counseled by an unenlightened master, you will be creating Trishanku Swargas, be careful. Vishwamitra’s counseling, Vishwamitra’s advises will always create only Trishanku Swarga. You will be hanging in-between. Be always careful about who is counseling you, whose advice you take inside, whose advice you are following, otherwise you will be end up like Trishanku.

Sometimes, enlightened master’s advice, like Vasishta’s will be little strenuous, you need little patience and courage. But there will be many people offering... I have seeing in newspapers: ‘Within 3 days your problems solved! Guaranteed, pay after your problems solved.’ These are the Vishwamitras. Understand, these are the Vishwamitras! And so many advertisements, I was really surprised! If somebody can solve the others’ problems in 3 days, they could have done it for themselves!

Anyhow, whoever says: change your mental setup life will change are Vasishtas. Whoever says: don’t bother, I will directly change your life, change your outer world incidents, nothing needs to be done, they are all people who are giving promises like Vishwamitra.

Don’t end up with Vishwamitra and become Trishanku, standing in Trishanku Swarga. It will always be really tempting when you see the newspapers… within 3 days. Especially this London. London is filled with this jadoo - that’s the right word na? - this jadoo chamchas, these guys going around and doing jadoo. I thought this is the right punishment for these fellows; for what they did to the Vedic tradition it is the right punishment. No, when I really saw the newspaper or Aastha channel when I see, all the fellows are based in London only. This mantra, that mantra, this spirit, that spirit, this jadoo, that jadoo, this talisman, that talisman… Oh god! Vishwamitras; filled with Vishwamitras. They will create finally only the Trishanku Swarga, they put you inTrishanku’s place.

Anyhow, this fellow lost everything now and realized the depth of depression. He has touched the bottom line of depression. ‘I should really now seriously heal myself, attend myself’. Dropping all the ego, goes back to Vasishta himself to have the counseling. Even then in one corner of his mind he thinks, ‘I should go to Vasishta but in a friendly, way not as a disciple. I will just sit with him and learn the business techniques.’

He decides something is wrong with him. He wants to go and learn from Vasishta, but only with the attitude of again business techniques. He has come down to the level of Vaishya, not to the level of a shishya. I have seen many of this jadoo and all this kind of magicians and tantric guys. They come to me, they ask me… they actually think, ‘What is this? I am practicing this for last 25 years and I have not made any money. This fellow, in 5 years has made ten times more wealth than me!’ They measure me also in their same angle. For them wealth is the base, so naturally they measure the wealth and they feel, ‘I think this fellow must be having better business technique’.

They come to me and ask, ‘What is the mantra you practice Swamiji? What is the yantra you give for the people?’ They do not know, all mantra I practice is be blissful, all yantra I give is that simple holy ash, that’s all, the sacred ash; neither mantra nor yantra nor any tantra. It’s a simple science. But when they see that they think, ‘No, no, there is something behind, he is not telling. There is something behind he is not telling, otherwise how so much wealth can be acquired?’ The same constitution, the same mental setup this Vishwamitra goes, ‘I should go and see and learn the techniques.’

But Vasishta is surely intelligent. He thinks, ‘Alright, this guy has decided at least to come to me. Let me teach him the exact truth, the right truth’. If Vishwamitra would have gone to Vasishta with humblesness and respect, the same visit would have made him enlightened. But he goes only to learn more techniques.

Understand two things: you can always use the master just for the sake of acquiring the portable knowledge. You can always listen to my discourses, lift those ideas, all portable things and use neither without you mentioning my name or feeling any connection to me. You can use that, portable knowledge. Then you will be using me just for acquiring more knowledge and adding your own name and fame, that’s all. But the person who understands the non-portable life behind the teaching, he will become a seeker.

Understand, if you are just using my words, you will be more like a bragger. You will go around, brag and you will say, ‘See my knowledge, what I learnt’. Many people use master and words from him for their purpose. I have seen many people who watch the YouTube discourse just to pick up the jokes and use it in their lectures, in their discourse. In their social circle, to make people feel they are more intelligent. Anyhow that is one kind.

The other kind is realizing the non-portable value of that life. When you understand that, you will have the respect and you will become a seeker. Here, this guy is going only to pick up the portable techniques. He does not have a respect for the non-portable life of Vasishta.

Understand, the truth expresses, the great things happen only when the person who has a life that is non-portable, with portable knowledge. Not just the portable knowledge, that will not work. The greatness of enlightened being is not his portable knowledge, his unportable, non-portable background biography. From the young age, the way in which he expressed himself, the way in which he related to the truth, the way in which he responded to the reality, that non-portable biography experience is the base.

These guys go only to pick up the portable words. Vishwamitra also goes to Vasishta in that same mood. Vasishta wanted to somehow make this guy feel what he is doing is wrong; he has to understand. All Vishwamitra needs is a simple respect and humbleness of a shishya, immediately Vasishta would have transmitted the truth, or what Vasishta says Vishwamitra would have understood in right angle.

Understand, whenever you go and sit with the master, if you think,’ I know what this guy says is true because this guy is successful, but let me learn the techniques and tips for success and add myself’… with this attitude you will be sitting and judging, analyzing and learning only part, which you think will enrich you, not the whole. The transmission of the ultimate which cannot be uttered by ordinary words will never happen. You will never be a disciple, you will be a student. You will never be a disciple. That is the important difference.

Understand, all universities have to become ashram, because ashrams are the place the teachings have happened in a totally different way. In ashrams, the non-transmittable, non-portable energy was shared. In universities, only the portable knowledge was shared. Here to add that non-portable to your system, you need humbleness or you have to become disciple, but if Vasishta says, ‘Be my disciple, be humble’, always Vishwamitras will have a problem: ‘Why should I be humble? I think you are egoistic, that is why you are demanding. You are making me a slave. Just because you have more knowledge you are trying to acquire more slaves.’

Always Vishwamitras will have problem with Vasishtas. I had, I have, I am going to have enough of Vishwamitras! This is the big problem. Neither master can tell what is the prerequisite, and without telling nor he will be able to give the experience. That is the whole problem. That is why, what master does you know, he never tells to learn that humbleness or qualities of disciple; he creates an ambience where you just pick up those qualities. He creates an ambience, here you will just pick up those qualities. That is the purpose of sangha.

Purpose of sangha is to teach you the qualities of disciple, to make you understand the qualities of being a disciple, how to be a disciple; and make you fall in tune with the qualities of discipleship. To become a disciple sangha is created. Sangha is nothing but teaching people how to be a right disciple and how to do rightly receiving the whole thing from the master.

So Vasishta creates a sangha. How he creates you know, it’s a very technical way. He reduces the height of the entrance gate of his house. So Vishwamitra, when he enters he has to bend; he has to bend his head. So bending the body naturally means you have become very comfortable, simple, your body language is now become relaxed. You are not carrying your strong arrogance, that is what is meant by the action of bending. So he reduces the height and wants to see how the Vishwamitra responds. But this Vishwamitra is much more stronger guy. What he does, without bending the head, he bends the knees and walks. Understand, without bending the head, he bends the knees and walks inside.

He makes the statement, ‘I am here only to take the portable knowledge. I am not here to become your disciple.’ Anyhow, Vishwamitra says very beautifully… he bends and receives him and welcomes and makes him sit in the seat. He gives him equal seat because he has come only as a friend not as a disciple. Vishwamitra now asks Vasishta, ‘How can I have fulfillment?’ Like a discussion: how one person will have fulfillment? Not, how can I; how one person can achieve fulfillment?

I have seen many questions people sending… if somebody is having too much problems with sexual fantasies, what should they do Swamiji? I tell them, ‘Please tell that somebody to come and talk to me.’

(Much laughter)

I can advise somebody who is there to receive, not that somebody who is not there to receive. I can only advice that one person, not somebody who is there somewhere. This is the same problem. You have problem, but you are not interested in telling you have a problem; but you want solution. How to ask? You ask in a generalized way. If somebody wants to achieve enlightenment, what should they do Vasishta, please tell us. It’s like checking out.

I can clearly visualize how the fun goes on, because every day the fun goes on here. Every day I am receiving many, many Vishwamitras. So I know the fun what he would have went through. But Vasishta is a very intelligent person. He says, ‘As I told you last time when you came itself, enlightenment is the only way.’

Vishwamitra now understands Vasishta is connecting his last visit and this visit, and trying to make him as disciple, just like last visit. But this guy was not that much ready. He says, ‘No, no, no, I am not asking your advise, I am just asking you how things are usually done.’ Then Vasishta says, ‘Surrender to the master and surrender to the existence’. This guy, Vishwamitra now it is too much, he is exactly touching where Vishwamitra is caught. Vishwamitra says, ‘I think it’s ok; maybe I will start practicing surrendering to the existence instead of surrendering to the master.’

Vishwamitra asks a very beautiful question: If I bend and entered inside I would have respected you and it would have become surrender to the master.’ See, this side master is sitting, that side open sky. Vishwamitra asks, ‘If I bend this side, it’s a surrender, that’s what you say. Let me bend that side, it’s a surrender to existence. Let me do that, you only said surrender to existence will also give enlightenment. And I will become enlightened that way, surrendering to existence.’

Then Vasishta says beautifully, understand, this is one of the important clicks... ‘When you bend this side towards me, how much your ego is hurt, same depth of your ego is hurt if you bend that side also, that’s a technique to it.’ Understand how we cheat ourselves saying I will surrender to existence not to the master; how we escape, how we are playing the game of Vishwamitra.

When you bend to the master how much deep feeling of connection happens to you, if the same thing happens when you bend to the open air, do it. It’s a technique. It is namaz. It will be real surrendering. That is what Sufis are doing. They just bend to the open air. But the feeling of connection is so strong, they become enlightened. Not the fellows who don’t feel connected and bend 5 times or 10 times. He will have only knee pain, nothing else.

It’s a very beautiful understanding Vasishta gives to Vishwamitra. You did not bend this side because your ego is shaken, but you are bending that side, because nothing is shaking… means you are not bending to existence you are bending to your own ego. If that side bending also creates the same effect as this side bending, do it, you will become enlightened. This completely shook Vishwamitra! After all he is a seeker. One corner there is a good quality of the seeker is there. The story says Vishwamitra fell flat at the feet of Vasishta, did a saashtaanga namaskar and became enlightened.

Amazing story, how a seekers mind plays the games, dramas. Asking wrong thing, taking wrong side of the instruction, means half instruction. Vasishta says be enlightened you will have power. He does not take that statement. ‘Oh! Let me have power, for that let me do tapas. Vasishta made two statements: be enlightened, you will have power. Do tapas for enlightenement.’ But this guy mixed both the statements and made his own part, I want to have power, let me do tapas for that, that’s all!

This is what is picking up whatever you want from the masters words and having your own ideology, having your own dictionary, having your own words and the worst thing is attributing that to the master. Fortunately we have video record. No really! We have video record, all my words are captured. Fortunately all these words are captured, so possibility for misinterpreting is not there. Otherwise, dangerous. These guys will write what they understood and they will attribute it to my name!

Anyhow, see the whole drama of Vishwamitra and Vasishta. Understand all of us are continuously playing this drama. Vasishta’s state: he was a king, of course king’s guru, not just king. Vishwamitra’s state: he was just a king, so he understands only from his dimension the Vasishta’s enlightenment. He sees only through his window. For example, if you see the sky through a small window you will think the sky is only that size. Vishwamitra sees Vasishta only through the brain of a Kshatriya. That’s why he thinks that enlightenment is also a kind of a Kshatriyatva.

Many people think that enlightenment is a kind of a intellectual kshatriyatva. No! Intellectually commanding people is enlightenment, many people think this way. No! It is not intellectually commanding people. It is something beyond which is not verbally possible to explain. I can say, if at all I have to use words, with some compromise I can say, feeling, empathizing, not sympathy, empathy with people in the very being level is enlightenment. Because of that suddenly you see the whole world is working around you, towards you.

Anyhow, even Vishwamitra’s understanding about enlightenment was more or less like… ‘Now I am commanding people with power, it is little difficult. When I am not there, they will do secretly many other things. Let me command people by knowledge, so that they will be obedient forever.’ Again he understood only based on the knowledge; this is the mistake. Understand, this is what I mean by the word bhava loka. Which bhava you are, you will understand only in that same bhava everything, everything around you. You will not be able to experience anything better than what you stay at, what you think.

Here Mahadeva says, let the make-believe world be burnt. This is a very powerful thing. He is not saying let the world be burnt, then you would have created a forest fire! That is not what he says. Let the make believe world be burnt, your bhava loka be burnt. Means, he is saying, let your whole lifestyle go through a transformation.

He is telling, meditate on whatever you project and present and feel and experience, about people, persons, experience, everything! Let it change. Especially in the modern world, after the internet came into existence, you can understand the world bhava loka, the make-believe world; because what you type, that whole world opens up in front of you. If you type meditation you have material and stuff to read your whole life. If you just type instead of ‘t’, ’c’… medication, you can study that your whole life. Every field you have so much in front of you, means you will have a new world.

I have seen people telling, ‘Swamiji, after you entered in my life, it not that one person entered into my life, it’s as if my whole world changed. I am having a new world, I am having a different world now. Different news’ Because our guys, morning when they wake up, nobody switches on the news, everybody now turns on the website, Nithyananda.org... what is the latest news. So this has become their daily news. New world! Whenever you change, your world changes; when you change the world, you can change.

Understand, when I use the word world, I don’t mean this world, the physical world, your make-believe world, your bhava. Again it comes to changing your being. Mahadeva says, meditate on make-believe world as burning to ashes and become being above human. Every time I read this sutra I feel so many things need to be expressed. Just see the Vishwamitra thing. Only when he burnt the attitude with which he started his life, he became enlightened, he became above the human being, not till then. His tapas, his this, his that, nothing made him equal to Vasishta. Only when he changed the make-believe world of his, the enlightenment happened. Only when he dropped the kshatriyatva, conditioning of the kshatriya, he became enlightened.

Here Mahadeva says the same thing. Meditate on the make believe world, as burning to ashes; means he is saying, change your conditioning, drop your conditioning, you will become enlightened. The next sutra is also directly connected to this.

In the next sutra Mahadeva is taking us a step further, to give us the understanding about burning the make-believe world. Now understand this technique, for first few days… it’s a powerful tech which demands your vacation. It’s a dhyana sutra, not nithya sutra. Dhyana sutra, which needs a separate time from your routine. Sit in a private place, visualize continuously whatever you think as the world, it is burning, it is not there. Your attitude, your interest, your passion, your greed, your desires, your fears, everything! Earlier Shiva gave the technique to visualize you are burning.

Yesterday’s technique was to visualize burning you. Now, Shiva says burn your make-believe world. Actually both are one and same, just slight but wonderful difference. For different attitudes Shiva is giving, Mahadeva is giving different techniques. For some people visualizing that they are burning will be little difficult, too shocking. So Mahadeva says, alright then visualize the world is burning. Burning others is lot more easy, than burning what you believe as you. So he says, alright what you believe as your make-believe world, burn that. Because one end is your make believe world, and other end is you. WhethFer the fire is put in this corner or that corner, both will be burnt.

If you put the fire in you the make believe world will be burnt. If you put the fire in the make-believe world you will be burnt. Yesterday, Mahadeva said put the fire in the south corner, now Mahadeva says put the fire in the north corner, that’s all. But whatever makes you feel comfortable, put the fire there. Don’t stop without doing anything. All Mahadeva means is, shake off do something and start the process, that’s all.

After break we will enter into next sutra. Let’s gather for next session. Thank you.