“Q: ‘What is your most favorite meditation technique and which one do…”

Q: ‘What is your most favorite meditation technique and which one do you yourself practice most?’

A: There is a beautiful story. One great Zen Master will constantly teach, ‘Don’t smoke, don’t smoke; but he is a chain smoker!’ From morning till night, he will be sitting and smoking. But he will be teaching everybody whoever comes, ‘don’t smoke’. Means, looks very contradicting. Somebody asks him, ‘you are teaching everybody not to smoke, but you are smoking the whole day’. He says very beautifully, ‘I don’t have to follow what I am teaching because I am not in the same plane to the people to whom I am talking’.

Very difficult for a normal person to understand, but the truth…, he says very beautifully, ‘don’t do what masters do; do what they teach’; because in your plane what is exactly needed is offered by them. To tell you honestly, whatever I am telling you as a meditation, I’ll be doing the opposite. Usually I tell people; when they eat, not to be distracted or not to be doing anything else; but when they bring food for me, they have to bring that day’s newspaper also. Because, if I’m not distracted, food will not go inside. With such a pure awareness, food will never go inside. I’ll have to somehow, it’s practically like… In Bharat, for kids the mother will take the kids in the lap and show the moon and put the food inside. Just like how the kids have to be diverted to swallow the food, somehow I have to divert here and there my awareness. How much I’m able to divert, that much only food will go inside. The moment it comes back to the awareness, so much of fulfillment, so much of feeling overflowing; nothing will go inside.

Actually, after enlightenment, not only I don’t do meditation; I do everything opposite to meditation. In your case, you have to go up; in my case, I have to come down. Where more you’ll go down, if you try to come down? It is very difficult to understand with a normal mind, paradoxical, it looks completely opposite. A person who is teaching constantly to meditate never meditates; not only he does not do anything; he does something which is totally different. I’ll never eat silently; either I have to have some newspaper or some way to change the attention, so that the body takes a little food inside.

Not only food, in every action; because the body is constantly staying in Samadhi; in Sahaja Samadhi. Constantly the body is staying in the state of nirvikalpa. To do the regular activities, a little rajas or tamas has to be added; a little bit of the distraction or the wordliness has to be added. So, I want you to understand that not only I don’t practice any meditation and I do something opposite to meditation. I’m trying my best to keep the awareness or the attention with the world.

Q: Dear Swamiji, lot of people you have talked to us about, they had a strong background on worshipping through the idol. For instance, the farmers of Bharatn villages, these blessed villages have family God, which seems to be a family tradition. The other example is Kannappa; when he saw Shiva Linga, he was able to recognize it as God and he knew exactly what to do. Do we need some training or some background information to learn how to do worshipping through the idols properly?

A: Understand, I don’t think you need an information or ideas about idol worship. I feel we need respect for everything that exists. In the so-called Western civilization, this civilization is built on strength. Constantly you are taught the idea that you have to be self-centered, respect only you; but the civilizations which lived with the nature, which existed for thousands of years; they all continuously respect whatever exists. To have the connection, to feel connected to the idol worship, to feel connected to the deity worship, you need to have respect for whatever exists; means you need to live in the heart; you need to live in the space of compassion; you cannot be constantly living in the space of the head.

In Bharat, you can see the fun; even cars will have the pooja. When they buy a new car or a television or a refrigerator, they’ll do pooja to that. You may think, ‘how can car be God?, how can the refrigerator be God?, how can the television be God?’ How can machines be God, even the laptops, computers, anything they get, they will do pooja to that first. You will be surprised and even I was wondering, how can all these things receive pooja; see deity somehow we can tolerate, but how a laptop, computer, car, television; whatever we get, pooja goes on for that.

Understand, let me share one of my experiences, then you will be able to understand, respect for whatever exists. After enlightenment, once one ashramite was working on a laptop. Suddenly it stopped working. And this guy, that other enlightened disciple brought that for repairy. He is an enlightened guy, he said, he just touched. As usual whenever things come to me, I touch and bless; it’ll become alright. Same way, he put the hand. Understand, it looks very funny. He put the hand and said, ‘it’ll start working’, and it started working. You can say this is a coincidence; ok forget about it. This may be coincident; not just that. Even the trees which are practically dead, no leaves; he said, ‘Swamiji, I repeated your name and put the hand on that tree and it came to life. I said, ‘what are you doing?, Even if I put my hand, it does not come back, how do you say?’

Actually, I got the interest to study exactly what happens. I saw, I told him to heal some inanimate objects like machines, television or tape-recorder, that kind of things. When I asked him to heal and studied the energy flow, suddenly I understood; it was like a revelation; everything that exists is living energy, only different degree of life. Even Himalayas are growing; even hills are living energy. Understand, different frequency of life; but whatever exists is life, is energy. When you start respecting, when you start living with that respect that whatever exists is energy; suddenly you’ll see the whole nature reciprocates, the whole nature lives with you.

In Bharat, the tradition of wandering, so many people will walk by foot the length and breadth of the country visiting all the temples and pilgrim centers. I used to wonder, how they are able to do, especially going through the forests and all that. I saw after a few weeks or months, they feel connected to the nature, so nature completely cooperates with them. Whether it is rain or shining or whatever, animals or trees and everything takes care of them. Even though logically it is difficult to understand; once you start living with a little respect, you will see in so many ways the nature respects you. Nature reciprocates that love.

To do the idol worship, I don’t think you need some information or knowledge; you need this feeling connection, respect for whatever exists.

Even in this country I have seen the Bharatns when they get a new vehicle, they will bring it to the temple and do vahana pooja, do the car pooja, which is very strange.

Q: The only part of Vedic tradition I have known is meditation. Lately, you introduced worshipping through idols, it sounds very beautiful. How do I make the transition from meditation to worshipping through idols?

A: Understand, there is no need for you to do transition. If you close your eyes and meditate with yourself, it is meditation; if you do that same thing with open eyes with a deity, it is worship. In both, the process is the same. It is like offering different varieties of meditations, different varieties of experiences. Different intensities, that is all. There is no need for you to do the transition. Have this and that, both.

Why these so-called gurus popularize only meditation, some pranayama and yoga, you know? It is very easy to do. It is very easy to sell, easy to market; no preparation is needed, nothing much is needed. But with the tradition of worship, so much of preparation is needed; so much of work needs to be done. It is very physical work, which is very difficult. That is the reason you will not find much of this tradition brought to life. But you don’t know, even though it takes time and preparation, it really adds so much to your being. The growth will be quantum. You will take the quantum leap. Whatever is said and done, you are in the physical plane. The things related to the physical plane will have a direct impression over your system, direct influence over your system. So, for the beginners or for the normal person who wants to experience the truth, the worshipping through the idols just does amazing transformation.

Q: How do I make worshipping through idols as part of my life?

A: In Nithya Dhyaan, dhyanam, the meditation which I prescribe; in that already I made this as part. Before doing Nithya dhyaan, just arrange the Guru pooja set; do Nithya Dhyaan, the last part, four or five minutes is Guru pooja. Do that Guru pooja, that is all. I have given you the essence of everything; essence of yoga, pranayam, kriya, because I’m… See, I did research and experiment practically in all traditions available. That is why, somebody the other day was telling, one of the disciples ‘I think our Swami is a little crazy’. To tell you honestly, that day I was speaking about my personal experiences, my personal spiritual practices to the group of disciples; at that time he was making the comment, ‘it feels like you are a crazy Swamiji’, because the amount of things I practiced even after achieving the truth. See, after achieving the truth, after achieving the enlightenment, you have a sharp superconscious experience. With that superconscious, it is easy to do analysis, easy to do research, easy to do experiments. Even after that, I went on doing so many things, just to find the proper right things to offer it to the disciples. Understand, when enlightened being does spiritual practices, it is not just for him; it is to create the right formula for the disciples, so that He can reproduce the same experience to the disciples.

Nithya Dhyaan is the essence of yoga, tantra, kriya, Vedanta and visualization, worship; everything. The essence I have given in the form of Nithya Dhyaan. And, Nithya Dhyaan is enough, and in that, fifth part is worship. Just go with that, worship through idol will become part of you.

Q: There are so many techniques from Shiva Sutras. How do I choose the right one for me, please advice?

A: I think I answered this question, but again I can answer. Play with any technique, which you feel connected. The moment you hear about that technique, if it rings bell in your heart, if you feel connected; play with that technique for just two to three days; suddenly you will see it will click. If it clicks, that is the technique for you; otherwise don’t bother, go to the next. Within twenty four hours, usually the initiation will happen. With any technique, twenty four hours is more than enough to have that initiation; the first click. If the click happened, then that is your technique.

Q: You mentioned that the divine beings’ feet do not touch the ground. Does this apply to …. (I don’t understand the word … is it Bhoodas; two words I’m not able to understand) and other ghostly beings?

A: Surely, it applies to ghostly beings also. But one thing; ghostly beings are not so powerful as you think. Only if you live an unconscious life, ghostly beings can possess you or disturb you. It’s like your body is your home and hundred rooms are there; if you are living only in two rooms and ninety nine rooms are empty; naturally they will ask, ‘I can also stay, why don’t you allow me little bit; I’ll also stay in one part?’. And after you allow them, then they will try to vacate you, that is all. If you live consciously in all the hundred rooms, naturally neither they will ask for two rooms nor they will be able to enter into your body.

All you need is have a strong awareness about your whole body; you will not have problems of the ghosts. And you are the bigger ghost than the ghosts themselves. You don’t have to bother about it.

Let us enter into today’s sutra.

Here is the spear change of change. Change through change, consume change.

Another one new and clear bomb Shiva is throwing. Every sutra when I read, I feel through the whole body that joy is flowing because every line can liberate. All you need is an intense seeking and the search for the reality. Usually, we do not understand feeling of unfulfillment or suffering comes to us because we are not seeking the truth. We constantly think ‘this is the reason, that is the reason’. You are constantly blaming the leaves and branches of the tree for your problems. You do not blame the root. Root is the problem, root is responsible for the branches and leaves, but you are constantly thinking leaves are the difficulties and problems; you try to cut the leaves, cut the branches. You don’t understand the science; the more you cut the branches, the more it’ll grow. Actually, if you cut more, it will grow much better. That is what we are doing; constantly for all our problems, we are identifying small small reasons.

You are not understanding; you are problem; don’t think you are having problem; You ARE problem. Realization that you are problem is what I call seeking. Then you will start seeking the complete solution, the right answer. If you have problem due to others, talk to others during the break; you will understand. Somebody comes and tells me, ‘Swamiji, I have a son, that is the problem’. The other guy says, ‘I don’t have a son, that is the problem’. The third guy says, ‘I have two sons, that is the big problem’. Whatever you see as a problem, you will see in the other person the same reason in the opposite way; that’ll be the problem. So, there is nothing like you having a problem, you are a problem. There is no having problem.

You need to understand very clearly, the very existence about you, you need to analyze. You need to make yourself understand. Seeking the truth will burn whatever you call as problems. The whole thing will disappear. Just if you have that simple intense seeking, every line from Mahadeva can liberate. Today especially very strong sutras.

Here is the spear of change. Change change. Through change, consume change. He is uttering the word ‘change’ five times in this sutra. Here is the spear of change. Change change. Through change, consume change.

There are two different traditions. There are some traditions which teaches nothing needs to be changed in the outer world; you only need to change something in the inner world. There are some other traditions, ‘no, neither you need to change in the outer world nor you need to change in the outer world, because the inner world is also, when you become subtler and subtler is part of outer world.

And, here Mahadeva is totally different; He’s looking from a totally different point. The outer world is constantly changing, inner world is constantly changing; so consume the outer world through the inner world; consume the change through this change. Means, He is asking you to realize the liquidity of your fear, greed, worry, depression, problems, pleasure, pain, everything. He is telling us that continuously everything is changing; continuously everything is flowing; continuously everything is disappearing. Realize, I tell you; this one understanding can bring so much of inner healing into you, so much of rest into you. One click, whatever you try and plan as your life and arrange everything properly; suddenly the desire to have all that and enjoy has changed.

It’s like, from inside you get a command, ‘let me have this car, that house, this and that arrangement’ By the time you did half of the things which you planned, your whole ideas, concepts about that has changed. Now you are in a big difficulty. You feel like you wasted six years. You planned totally twelve-years project about your life. In the half, suddenly your ideas have evolved or changed, and you feel like six years you have wasted your life. Then now you have the new plan, project plan, and start …… one by one. By the time you do 25 %, again something has changed in you, and now you say, ‘No, no no, I think I wasted little more time. You trying to solidify inside or outside is what is the struggle in life.

Samsaara means, trying to make juiceless things into a strong base of your life. So many things even after knowing juiceless, you try to make that as a strong base in your life. Everytime, after the hunger disappears, after eating when the hunger disappears; the same food which created so much interest and enthusiasm suddenly feels like nothing and you try to move away from it. The same person who was giving so much joy and pleasure, suddenly you try to move away from that person. The same object which really meant so much to your life, suddenly you see it’s not there anymore in your inner space. Understand, all you need is a proper understanding of this one sutra; it can straightaway liberate you this moment. Even if you have so many disturbances, depressions, ideas about your inner space, ‘this is right, that is wrong, this is the way it should be, that is the way it should be’; understand, you are changing. Every day you are changing; every moment you are changing; not only mentally, even physically. Even physically continuously you are changing; continuously your hair is growing, continuously your nails are growing, continuously your skin is ageing; continuously your system is going through some change.

Understand, Mahadeva says, ‘consume the change through the change’ Means realizing the whole thing is a causeless auspicious chaos. You can even understand the other way; you can think the whole thing is changing and get depressed because nothing is going to be in your control. ‘Oh, I know tomorrow I’m going to be in depression; let me be in depression now itself’ You can look in that way also or, ‘Oh, tomorrow I’m going to be joyful, let me be in joyful state now itself. You can look in both the ways; that is the big difficulty with these great truths. These great truths; either you can understand everything is going to be chaos, let me be in chaos now itself; or everything is going to go, flow; let me be in that flowing mood now itself.

He says, people or the traditions which are teaching you to change the outer world, those traditions only end up in materialistic decisions. So many examples we can give; whether it is communism, democratic or the capitalism; all political structures. All political structures or the spiritual structures which are trying to change the outer world and constantly giving you the hope and having the hope that by changing the outer world; the whole thing will be solved.

Mahadeva is going one step deeper. He’s taking us to one step deeper … He says, neither you need to change the outer world nor you need to change the inner world; just understand both of them are continuously changing, that is enough. What are you going to do which is going to be changing. What are you going to do by changing, which is going to be changing. For example, you’ll try to put the chair here, if the chair is going to be here forever. But you know the chair is going to walk by itself in the next few minutes and it’s going to go and sit where it wants; will you try to put that chair?, No, all we need to understand is that continuously inside us also things are changing. Fortunately, your inner space cannot be occupied, possessed by a same kind of a thought or a same kind of an idea; fortunately. If at all you can be possessed by a same kind of a thought, you will just …. there is no way for salvation; there is no way for liberation; there is no way for enlightenment.

People come and ask me, ‘Swamiji, I am possessed by lust, I’m possessed by sex, I’m filled with the sexual thoughts; please give me some technique, some method to free myself’. I tell them, ‘Just sit, for the next one hour; meditate on sex. Visualize, contemplate, concentrate on whatever you think as fantasies, sit and do’. In ten minutes, they come and tell me, ‘No Swamiji, I’m not able to concentrate, my mind is wandering, going somewhere else’. Understand, the person who comes and tells me ‘I’m filled with sexual thoughts’, in ten minutes he comes back and tells me, ‘I’m not able to concentrate on those thoughts’. It means no thought can fill you; no thought can take over you, no thought can possess you.

I told him, ‘what was the thought which was distracting?’; he said, ‘just to have a cup of coffee’ I said, ‘then understand, to have a cup of coffee is a stronger thought in you than your so-called sexual possessive or the fantasies’. It means what?; a simple thought of having a cup of coffee can replace the earlier thought. Understand, only the thought which is more powerful than the earlier thought can replace it. If there is no powerful thought happening, the present thought will continue to possess your inner space. It means a cup of coffee can replace your fantasies. Same way, a cup of coffee can replace the death fear. People come and tell me, ‘I’m constantly afraid of death or disease, what should I do?; I’m possessed by these thoughts. I’m afraid how to get out of this fear’. I tell them, just have a thought of having a cup of coffee, that is all. You may be laughing. What do I mean by it? Understand, the moment you decide to have a thought of having a cup of coffee; or the moment you decide, ‘let me have cup of water’, it means what, that very thought has replaced your fear. Fortunately you cannot have two thoughts. Only you can have a new thought if the old thought is leaving or it has left your system.

The moment you get a thought to stand up, you renounce the thought of sitting. At this moment, you are having the thought, ‘let me sit and listen’. The moment you get the thought, no let me stand up and go out, you already renounced the thought of sitting and listening. Understand, continuously your thoughts are renounced by you; the new thoughts are replacing the old thoughts, but we are afraid, frightened about our own thoughts. Many of our own thoughts are frightening us. Before even a fantasy starts, you have a very strong decision, this fantasy is so powerful, it’ll make me do what it wants. You don’t understand this is a one more thought. It can just be replaced by a simple thought of a cup of coffee. People ask me, ‘no, no, it comes back, what to do Swamiji?; after the cup of coffee it comes back’ ‘Then have one more cup of coffee, that’s all. And we say, ‘no, no, no…after one more cup of coffee, it comes back; then just have a cup of water, that’s all.

Understand, you are only remembering, you are only thinking of this thought coming back; you are not thinking this thought is going out also. It can come back only if it goes out.

The next sutra is very powerful sutra.

This same technique. Mahadeva takes us to the deeper level. He says,

‘As a hen mothers her chicks, mother particular knowings, particular doings in reality.

Understand, as a hen mothers her chicks, mother particular knowings, particular doings in reality; reality word is the key. You see, you are only mothering the thought of your fantasies coming back. You are not mothering the thought of your fantasies going out; you are not mothering the doing of purification which is happening continuously; you are only mothering the act of impurification happening to you continuously. You are mothering the dreams; you are not mothering the realities.

Beautiful sutra: As a hen mothers her chicks, mother particular knowings, particular doings in reality. The other day in Energy Darshan, one disciple asked me, ‘Swamiji, when I’m here in front of you, whatever you say makes so much sense, I feel like I should stay with you, but the moment I go back to my house and see my spouse, whatever she says makes sense, I feel like staying there. What should I do?’ I told him, ‘As long as you have this problem, better stay there so that I’ll have less problem’.

Actually, you are mothering the dreams, you are mothering the non-real things; start mothering the exact real things which leads you to more and more bliss. You may ask, ‘how do I know what you are saying is reality and what she is saying is not reality’. Scale to find out which is reaity and which is unreal is whatever adds more and more awareness, clarity and bliss to you. Awareness, ‘sat’, clarity, ‘chit’, bliss, ‘ananda’; Satchitananda is the scale. Whatever action, thought or doing adds these three into you more and more; mother those thoughts, those doings, mother them, care for them, keep them in your heart, let it grow, let you expect them, let you be centered on them. Whatever reduces your awareness, clarity and bliss, adds confusion, depression and disturbance; try to move away from them.

When Mahadeva says, as a hen mothers her chicks, mother particular knowings, and particular doings in reality; whatever leads you to more and more authentic reality, mother them. When I say, have a cup of coffee, you laugh because you always mothered fantasies more than the thought of having a cup of water. There is a beautiful teaching of J Krishnamurthy; little strong but truth. I wanted all of you to understand. Somebody asks J Krishnamurthy, ‘I’m obsessed with sexual fantasies, please give me some method’. Krishnamurthy is a very wonderful teacher; even though he was completely against all the traditions, he really contributed to tradition; many way he contributed to tradition.

In our Vedic tradition, we have two group, vaidic and avaidic from the time immemorial. Vaidic means people who support and accept the vedic tradition and express the truth; and the other group, people who don’t support the words or the techniques given by the Vedic tradition, but who express the truth. We have both masters and we gave equal respect to both of them. You will see in our temple the Buddha who doesn’t not only accept the acknowledged Vedas, who condemned Vedas; He is equally respected to Shiva. Both of them are respected and worshipped equally. All we care, we bother is ‘Can this guy lead me to reality?’ What he says, his methods; we don’t bother, we are completely open. If he can take me to the higher reality; if he can lead me even one step further, accept him; whatever he says, follow; here we are available. So, we have both the traditions always from the time immemorial; people who accept Vedas, people who don’t accept Vedas, but both of them are expressing the ultimate truth. See, sometime, in course of time, some customs which are created for a particular situation becomes tradition. So, that becomes a dilution or dangerous. At those points, new Masters have to appear and say, ‘No, drop everything. Drop the whole thing. Listen the truth in purest form again now. Let’s start, ‘A’ for apple’. Sometimes, it is needed; sometimes it is needed; that is why we accept even them as the Masters and respect.

And very beautifully J Krishnamurthy answers. The question was, ‘I’m obsessed with sexual fantasies, please give me the solution’. Krishnamurthy asks, ‘how much time per day do you spend in the sexual activities?’ The guy replies, may be an hour. Then J Krishnamurthy asks, ‘how much time do you spend in eating?’ He says, three times I eat, again that is also may be an hour, one hour or little more than one hour because half an hour, half an hour three times; little more than one hour. Beautifully Krishnamurthy asks, ‘Is eating taking over your inner space, are you constantly thinking about it? do you have problem about it?’ The guy said, no. Then why the sexual fantasies are filling your inner space, why do you have so much problem with it? The guy suddenly had the click, ‘yes true, why am I having problem, why am I constantly filled with that ideas, filled with that thoughts?’ The reason is you are mothering those fantasies. You are mothering those acts, those fantasies, those doings.

Understand, what you mother, that will become reality in you. Mother the things which adds more truth, awareness and ananda, bliss in you. Here, mother the truth, ‘Everything is changing; everything is changing’. I have seen sometimes people having a strong spiritual experience. I tell them, please pen down, write it down in your diary or like a poster and hang it in your bedroom. Because you are trained to mother the wrong experiences of your life; you are not trained to mother the great spiritual openings or happenings, learn to mother. Whatever negative things happens, we constantly mother them, remember them; we are trained to mother them. But whatever great things happens, we say coincidence, forget about it. We don’t know how to mother the right doings and right thoughts.

That is why, see; if a thought of a cup of water can replace the fear of death means, in reality a cup of water thought is as powerful or more powerful than the fear of death. The whole problem is you mothering that, that’s all. When you have the thought of having a cup of water, you do not mother that thought or believe that thought that it’ll come back, but when you are having the thought of fear of death; you believe, even if you replace it, it’ll come back. Your strong belief or mothering that it’ll come back is the problem, not the actual thought. I have seen, I’ve seen with my own inner space, before enlightenment. Every time I get into any vehicle or some of the friends or family people get into the vehicle; there’ll be one thought crossing in the mind, ‘Oh, may be there’ll be some accident’. Many of you will be experiencing; the moment you get into the vehicle, ‘oh, may be some accident’; immediately you’ll say, ‘no no nothing happens, Swamiji is there, God is there, nothing will happen, Divine will take care’. You’ll replace, but if you start mothering that thought; that is what is phobia.

Everybody gets vague random thoughts; what you start mothering, that will become your life. Here, Mahadeva says ‘as a hen mothers her chicks, mother particular knowings, particular doings in reality’. Mother your initiations, the clicks which happened with the enlightened Master, mother them. Any teachings which you heard, if it has really made a click, if you felt, ‘oh God, this is what I was always wondering, this is what I want to discover, then mother it. Discovering exactly what you want to know and mothering that truth; discover and mother it. Mother that thought continuously.

Now, this one understanding. Everything is changing. Fortunately your inner space is so pure; whatever comes is less powerful than your inner space, that is why they all leave; your inner space stays. The scenes which are appearing in the screen are surely less powerful than the screen itself. That is why screen is permanent and these scenes are changing. The changing scenes cannot be powerful than the screen itself. The changes which is happening in your inner space cannot be powerful than your inner space itself. This respect is what I call respect for the truth. Respect for your Self. Trusting that your Self is stronger than any change happening; trusting your consciousness is powerful than anything happening inside and outside is what is the ultimate trust.

Understand, if you understand this one truth; whatever is happening outside and inside, your consciousness is stronger than that. You are liberated in this moment. Even death fear will disappear, because your life and death, both are two different changing scenes happening in your inner space. In your pure empty inner space, this is just a one more scene happening.

Somebody asks Socrates before he was given poison, ‘Sir, are you not afraid tomorrow morning you are going to be given poison, you are going to die?’ He says wonderful truth. Surely Socrates is enlightened person, no doubt. There are some traditional Aakashik records. Aakashik records means the Agasthya, the great Master downloaded the whole major incidents from the time-shaft. Please do not compare with Nostradamus, no; it is clear, precise. I had the fortune of experiencing it by myself personally. That’s why I’m telling you. Not only I myself experienced personally; atleast twenty of our disciples also experienced. I can tell you just two stories about this Aakashik records, then you will understand this sutra much deeper way. When I was fourteen I was taken to that temple where that Aakashik records are preserved in the form of palm leaves. Something like three hundred thousand palm leaves are preserved; the writings.

The temple is called Vaiddeeshwaran kovil, the temple of healing; a huge granite structure. And the priests who are the guardians of that temple, of that leaves, they’ll be sitting in the front side. The moment you go; whether you are … wherever you may be from; they will not ask you your country, language, background, they won’t even talk to you to understand which language, or your background or your area; all they will tell is, silently they will show you a small paper where you need to put your thumb impression, that’s all and you have to sit. You can go even with a mask covered so that they will not be able to find out whether you are a male or female. They will just take the thumb impression inside; in two minutes, they will bring you your leaf.

The same thing they did for me. They brought that leaf and started reading. Understand, now I can tell you whatever I am uttering is the honest truth, I can take the oath because it’s beyond logic. This not only they started telling my name; at that time I was fourteen year old. At that time, the name which I was given by the parents, father’s name, mother’s name and the next thing, next line they said is this person is going to become a Sanyasi, so we cannot read his horoscope further. Because after sanyas, after liberation; sanyas means liberation; not the initiation sanyas, the experience sanyas. They said that this person is going to be liberated, the sanyasi. So, his horoscope ends by seventeen. They said that after seventeen, there is no horoscope. They said that after enlightenment, you decide your future; you have a complete freedom in front of you. So, there is no record in the Aakashik record. But the past completely they were able to give clearly written in the palm leaves atleast hundred years old. Because last fifty years, the writing in the palm leaf; that art has disappeared. And not only that, you cannot write in the palm leaf which is already dry. You can only write in a fresh leaf and you have to dry it, that drying will take atleast one year; only then you’ll be able to keep it and make the rolls, bundles. This is a bundled palm leaf, no way they can write at that moment and bring it and show.

Neither there’ll be time; and another one beautiful thing is it is written in a poetic Tamil; the very form of that poetry has disappeared now, nobody can write that kind of poetry now. It is completely written in poetic tamil. Very difficult, impossible to understand logically. And the funny thing is that leaf said, ‘if this person comes to study the leaves, he should be honoured with fruits, flowers and money, because he is a sanyasi. Usually the priests only accept money fruits and flowers; and they said ‘no’; He is a step higher than priests. So, whatever today’s collection they had, they gave it to me, I had money. I had all the money, fruits and flowers. It was very strange, but truth. Anyhow after that we left, parents had first time the shock. Because, they know that I’ll become Swami, but they were trying their best to hide from me. First time, I came to know that, that is the way my destination, my life is going to be. Anyhow.

After enlightenment, just one year ago, one of my disciples, he was in confusion. He said, ‘should I take sanyas or should I marry?’ But somehow he was not convinced by my answer. I told him, ‘in that case, go and see that palm leaf, Aakashik records of Agasthya; may be He’ll guide you’. The moment this guy went, first word Agasthya starts, rather the record starts is, ‘Fool, you missed the Master’s words and you have come here, sitting, asking my word. He is talking to you in the very language which you understand directly in the present moment; and you are missing that and coming here and sitting here and asking what I am saying’. And he gave the whole background of that person and the whole background history of me and then very clearly said, ‘He is your Master, go and have sanyas’. And actually the whole leaf copy we published in our tamil magazine. Just few months ago, in our tamil magazine; the whole leaf we photocopied, the whole palm leaf and published.

Not one, atleast twenty of our disciples, after this incident happened went there. It very clearly describes. And another one funny, very funny and important thing; twelve years ago, another of our present disciple, twelve years ago, he went to that same temple and asked that same guys, ‘Will I have a Master, will I have enlightenment?’. That leaf gave my name, my native, and where he will meet me, everything. One important thing you should know, twelve years ago, I was not even using this name ‘Nithyananda’. It gave the name and the ashram place, where he is going to meet me, the whole detail, the record which he took out of that Aakashik records, twelve years ago, he brought it and showed; we published it. Twelve years ago, that date, there is a complete clear record. Logically impossible, logically, you can’t relate at all; how is it happening, how can it be done. Understand, this can happen only by a person who understands the consciousness is the screen in which all the changes are happening; past, present and future. Your ability… if at all you are able to understand the truth of some possibility to look into the past, present and future; you have to realize the truth, beyond these three, what exists is consciousness.

I told you this incident not to prove the ability of our Masters about reading the future, past present and future, no. Just to tell you; beyond the changes of past present and future, consciousness exists. Understand, now logically you have to see the truth, because not once or twice, atleast twenty times this has happened in my life personally. I sent some of the Western disciples, one person from Guadeloupe, I sent him to go and get that record. The moment he went and sat there, not only he took out the record, the record came in French. The guy was not able to read because the priest doesn’t know the French, so he had to have a translator, or he actually gave that leaf to that person directly, you yourself read and see and that person read and took the complete notes of whatever was written and he was shocked.

Ofcourse, whether we understand logically or not, truth is truth, it is truth. Understand, the very proof somebody is able to see past, present & future means, beyond these three, something exists. I want you to understand that. Now don’t start planning a trip to Bharat to that temple. Ofcourse, you can plan, nothing wrong. If you have any major things to be decided, you can plan. Actually, I invited that priests to come here with their recordings. Actually they have a separate recordings for every year. One nice thing, sometimes they go to some other cities and give the recordings, how you know? For that day, whoever will come, Agasthya has clearly recorded; they will carry only that day’s part suitcase and go there. Even if there are hundred people came there to read, they say that not a single leaf will be missing Swamiji. They will study according to the Panchangam, the panchika, the traditional calendar; today is Poornima means this month this poornima thithi leaves, they will pack up those leaves and go.

I invited them, I told them please come and give a demo in our Western temples, let the Westerners see, or the people who have not seen this. Even Bharatns many of you wouldn’t have seen, wouldn’t have heard about it. I invited them. They agreed they will come and may be in the March during Shiva Rathri time, we may have one week stay here. I told them just they will bring that one week leaves, just see the fun. It is fun to watch actually. It is such a fun to watch and it is such an amazing thing; only thing they will not keep your privacy, that is a one big problem; they will read out and tell whatever is written. I always tell people before sending them. Understand, they will read out whatever is written; you have to agree for that, only then you can go and read. Because, there will be seven parts, each leaf has got seven parts, they will read out and tell you the whole past. What you want to hide, that only they will tell first. That only they will tell first.

Whatever is recorded, they will read out because… One more thing, when they read, they can’t edit; they take the vow. They take that vow of that sathya, ‘We will not alter or manipulate, rearrange, abuse the record which is written’. They take the sathya. They are traditionally for the last two three years, they worship Agasthya; they worship the Agasthya rishi and they follow Him. It’s like a family tradition. Basically it is believed they are from the family of the Agasthya Himself. And even their body stature and all will look like how Agasthya is described, same way; very short and fat, that kind of a complexion, that kind of a figures. Very interesting to watch. I’ve seen these guys bringing out so many wonderful things. Apart from all these things, you can watch all these things, understand everything, that is different; but main understanding which needs to happen in you through these incidents, or through these things is realizing there is something beyond the past present future.

See, the moment you are able to read the future, there is somebody who is beyond the future. Because your consciousness is more powerful than the future itself, you are able to read the future. Because your consciousness is more powerful than the past, you are able to read the past. So, understand the truth. Here, an important lesson you need to understand from this incident is realizing your consciousness is more powerful than your past present future. If you try to see your record, your Aakashik record, perfectly alright, nothing worng; it’s fun. But that is not the end, that is not what Agasthya wanted. All Agasthya wanted is you have something beyond past present and future. You have something inside you, consciousness, on which past present and future is written; that is why He is able to download and write down.

He says beautifully, ‘I’m downloading and writing down only the scenes, not the seer’. The very scenes prove the seer exists. Turn your attention, turn your awareness, turn your energy towards the seer. That is the essence of this whole sutra.

Mother the experiences which you had with the consciousness. Understand everything is changing. Actually after seeing that palm leaf, that Aakashik record, one big relief happened in me and even with our disciples, that is why constantly I promote that. I tell people to go and see, nothing wrong. Why you know, not only it says about your near future, it says many things about your past accurately, atleast you will have trust over that leaf. Not only that, once you study and the leaves which are saying your past life incidents and future life incidents; when you see all these things; suddenly you come to an understanding, the problems which you are having in the present life is too small; because you lived this same foolish life, with this same kind of nonsensical pain and pleasure, millions of times. Again and again and again, you happened. You are like a small wave; raising and falling, raising and falling, raising and falling; the importance which you give for this small wave, which is your this life will reduce. When that reduces, the amount of suffering suddenly drops.

You start seeing your life from a bigger perspective, perspective of many janmas, big relief and the importance is turned, importance is given to the consciousness in which your lives and deaths are happening, like a different scenes. Somebody asks Ramana Maharishi, ‘Bhagawan, is there a past life?’ He says, ‘Yes, you had many janmas in the past and future and realize the unchanging consciousness in you, that is the reality’. When Bhagawan says, you had many lives in the past and you are going to have many lives in the future; it is not just a fact or truth, it is a technique also. He says, realize this and go into the space which is unchanging. That is why all religions based on enlightenment, based on spiritual experience accept the many lives, the reincarnation theory. Because only by accepting and understanding the reincarnation theory, you’ll be tired of these foolish changes constantly happening, constantly happening; constantly changing. Understand the change which is happening. Consume the change through the change.

It’s like a you are a constantly changing internal energy; let you consume the constantly changing external world. Let the changing internal world swallow the changing external world. Let the chaos swallow the chaos. Let the chaos be covered by chaos. Let the chaos be filled by chaos, and you be centered in the peaceful, deep, restful awareness. It is a very powerful two sutras. The understanding… the big problem is the moment you understand; now you feel like, ‘yes, what He says is right’, till you get into your car. Now itself decide, ‘I am going to mother this understanding with me’. That’s why Mahadeva gives immediate next sloka, next sutra: ‘As a hen mothers her chicks, mother particular knowings, particular doings in reality’. Decide, I’ll mother this understanding. Visualize constantly, my internal changing mind is swallowing, grabbing the external changing world. Whatever you do trusting your internal world or external world is going to be again complete chaos.

You will think, I need this beautiful flower plant in the corner of my house and you do all your best things to take this flower plant and put in the house. By the time you put and started enjoying, you have changed your whole state. You are in a different state, you are transferred, or you decided to move; your mind has changed. Then by the time you buy the house or car there, suddenly you realize you don’t want to have a house or a car, you wanted to live in an apartment or in an ashram. Constant change, realize the internal changing attitude; let it grab, swallow the external changing life; nothing will touch you. Now, you are trying to fix this or that. That is what is like trying to travel in two boats. You put one foot in one boat and the other foot in the other boat. You are trying to balance between these two boats. Start flowing, start swimming; no boats will work, no boats will work. Start swimming. When you understand both are changing, consume the change through the change and mother this understanding in your heart; you will see the unchanging consciousness is the ultimate reality.

The unchanging consciousness, when you mother this understanding; so much of strength, sincerity and intensity will be added to your life, to your being. That sincerity, that intensity when it gets added to you, you are living enlightenment. Living enlightenment means living authentically. Mothering authentic experiences, mothering authentic knowings and doings. If you are mothering authentic knowings and doings, you are living enlightenment. Understand this one sutra and carry it in your inner space and mother it, you will live enlightenment.

Let’s have a small break and gather after the break for next sutra. Let’s gather for next session, thank you.

There are some questions, personal questions you can ask here.

Q. somebody is asking there are many palm readers in Bharat; so they are asking to find the good right person, the palm readers.

A: Vaideeshwaran kovil is the traditional place; that is the place where they hold and original things are there as it is. Sometimes, the next generation guys, they just copy it and take it and start their own shop, that does not work out. It doesn’t work usually.

Q. Can I have a new name, because my sister has a new name, my mom, my brothers, so why not me?

A. Who put this question? Ok, ok. I’ll give you. I’ll give you. If elderly guy means, I would have told him to do meditation camp, because they have their own logic and which needs to be cleaned. See, why the new name, you know... When you have that psychological revolution happened inside you; again and again if you remember the old name, you will go back to the old identity. New name is this same technique. Mahadeva says, as hen mothers the chicks, as the hen mothers her chicks, mother particular knowings and particular doings in reality. The new name, spiritual name is like a constantly you will remember and mother that psychological revolution which happened in you. The new life, new understanding which happened in you, you constantly mother that, constantly you remember it; that is why the new name. So, kids can have, they have already the psychological revolution inside, only we should not make them dull.

Q. I was chanting with Sri yantra yesterday, I had the experience of you looking through my awareness.

A: Whenever you are in high awareness, I am looking through your awareness. Understand, whenever you are in high awareness, you are connected to Master.

Q. Do I understand correctly that yesterday you were saying that ego makes the illusion of ownership of all actions, whereas in reality it is the gunas and karmas that actually do the actions?

A: Even your understanding about gunas and karmas are not complete. Understand this statement. Only in illusion and ego, you have the ownership. In reality, things just beautifully moves without even you awareness; how your breathing is happening. Fortunately, God did not give too big work to us. All responsible things, He put it in automatic machine. All responsible things like, blood circulation, breathing and all, He did not give it in our hand, otherwise long before we would have messed up. Long before we would have messed up. Whatever He gave it in our hands, we messed it up. And some good things, fortunately He did not give in our hands; only that is happening properly.

So, these two sutras… I think practically I covered both the sutras. I can give you the essence, gist of the whole teaching what Shiva is trying to convey, trying to express to us., trying to express to us. Then we will enter into meditation.

Here is the spear of change, change; change through change; consume change. Means, understand your inside is microcosmic chaos; outside is macrocosmic chaos. The chaos is trying to understand the chaos. Chaos is trying to live with the chaos. Continuously which is changing is trying to live with the another one thing which is continuously changing. It’s like you are running towards the goal and that goal is running towards something else. When will you catch?, never. So, it is just a chaos. Suddenly the moment you are about to catch that your goal, that starts flying instead of running. And that is the way the life is. Continuously trying to catch the chaos.

Mahadeva says, understand continuously your internal world is changing and external world is changing. If you start living the external changing world through the internal changing world; you will suddenly see the non-changing eternal pure consciousness in you. That pure consciousness gives you the tremendous freedom. Understand, even before experiencing pure consciousness, just this very understanding, ‘whole thing is chaos, then what is there to do?’

Beautiful Socrates’ words. When somebody was asking Socrates before the poisoning, ‘Are you not afraid that you are going to be killed tomorrow morning?’ Socrates says wonderfully, ‘Either I’ll die means I’ll disappear, there’ll be nothing after death; then what is there to be afraid. Who is going to suffer? Nothing. Or, I may exist in some form, some way in some place whether heaven or hell or place or the next birth or some way. Some way I may exist. So, naturally then why to be afraid. I’m going to be existing. I’m going to be continue to be alive. Either I’m going to become extinct, disappear, then what is there to be afraid, nothing, because who is going to suffer. Only if you are going to exist and possibility for suffering is there, then there should be fear. It is just end, over. What is there, nothing. Or, I’m going to continue to exist; then what is there to be afraid, I’m going to be there. Whether it is going to exist or end, there is no need for a fear. I’m going to be there. The truth is truth. Whether you are going to continue to have so many janmas or going to disappear, the change, different changes are happening inside your inner consciousness. Consciousness is like a screen and the changes are like the scenes.

If you are seeing the burning scene on the screen, the screen will never be burnt. Understand, if you are seeing a flood on the screen, the screen will never be flooded. So, your sufferings will not touch your consciousness. All you need is cup of water. All you need is cup of water. When you have fear of death, have cup of water. Because the moment you have the thought you are able to have you are able to have the thought of having a cup of water, the fear just disappeared. You have replaced the fear of death. Then just laugh at your fear, ‘Eh, you are not even able to stand a thought of having a cup of water, then how do you think you will move me or you’ll shake me?’ Ask your fear, ‘you can’t even stand a thought of me having a cup of water. You’ve left me. You’ve vacated your place’. For example, if somebody is coming and vacating your seat, means you are not able to stand him for so many different reasons; either fear or hatred or whatever, but you vacated. The moment you vacated, you prove you are not capable enough, you are not able to stand his presence.

So, the moment you had the thought of drinking a cup of coffee or water, already your fear has left you. Unless it leaves, you cannot have the second thought. Understand, fortunately you can have only one thought at a time. With one thought itself, how much problem we are creating. Anyhow, because of that, the moment another thought comes, the old fear has disappeared. Then laugh at your fear.

Mother this right experience, mother the experiences which lead you to reality, mother the experiences which lead you to strength, mother the experiences which lead you to courage, mother the experiences which lead you to bliss. So, mother the right experiences. First sutra says, how to enter into that understanding; second sutra says how to mother, care for that experience. As on now, we always mother the negative things ‘Oh, again my fear is going to come back, whatever is said and done, it’ll come back. This Swami is telling; it is ok for Him, he is enlightened, anyhow for me it’ll come back in ten minutes. Why are you mothering continuously?

See, the moment that thought has left, it’s like you have trashed that email, but you are trying to bring it back from bulk again; you are trying to bring it back from trash again. Empty the trash also. Don’t try to bring it back. Don’t try to bring it back and add something to it, masala and put it to your inner space. See that you are completely trashing it, emptying it; even the trash should be emptied. When the thoughts leave and the new space, the new thoughts are coming back, new thoughts are getting replaced; just understand this one capability. You are capable of replacing any depression. You are capable of replacing any fear. You are capable of replacing any greed. You are capable of replacing any thought. That one clarity gives you the tremendous freedom, liberation. Understand, achieve and live it.

Just try to sit with yourself for few minutes experimenting this thought of ‘consume the change through the change’. Means, see everything outside is also changing, everything inside is also changing continuously; even if you try to be silent, thoughts are coming. If thoughts are coming, then you try to be silent. Even your thought of trying to be silent comes to you after a thought comes. So, trying to be silent is a one more thought. Thought, and trying to be without thought. Thought trying to be without thought. So, it’s a continuous change. Enjoy that change for next few minutes, so that you can carry that understanding that change is continuously happening in you, within you.

Please sit straight and close your eyes. Remember the changes are continuously happening. Just see inside your inner space, you are trying to be silent and you are silent. Again you are trying to be silent and you are silent and some thoughts, then you are trying to be silent, then silent. See the continuous changes happening inside. Enjoy the changes happening inside. Don’t try to concentrate, contemplate; just understand continuously things are changing in you. That’s all you need to understand. How much you try, things are going to change. Trying is also one more change. Whole thing is continuously changing. Have that understanding. Om Shanti shanti shantihi.

Now the next technique is mother this understanding. Carry this understanding continuously. Whatever you do, wherever you go, whatever you face in the internal and external worlds. Carry this understanding; everything changes. Consume the change through the change. Remember everything changes; with that enjoy everything which is changing and grab, swallow everything which is changing by the change.

Let you all achieve and radiate the eternal bliss, Nithyananda. Thank you.

Please replace this paragraph with your text, the discourse material, keeping the paragraph content related and usually 8 to 10 lines. The font here is Verdana 10pt. The formatting is automatic. The Invocation and welcome line is usually standard for all discourses, so there is no need to replace, unless you hear something different in the audio. You may start replacing the isutra line which is in Verdana 10pt, bold italic. The header and footer will automatically fill using the document properties. The header will contain the date. The footer will contain the transcribers name depending on the computer user’s name, please ensure that the name is correct, same as Transcriber’s name. The page number will fill in automatically. If you have any suggestions for formatting please inform. The cover page is also automatically filled with the current date and the computer user’s name, please ensure that the name is same as the Transcriber’s name.

Anything the moment you perceive it, the moment you are able to think about it, it becomes past. Even you sitting and thinking about enlightenment is past. You sitting and thinking about me is past. You sitting and thinking about some God or deity is past. Understand, here he is revealing a important secret. Anything you sit and think and if you are able to perceive it is a past, even you sitting and thinking about me is about past. The real “me” is present but that you cannot think.

Let you achieve and radiate the eternal bliss. Nithyananda. Thank You.

SS \#00 – TITLE 2

(usually when the audio contains two sutras containing two sections and two sutra discourses)

Let us enter into next sutra.

This will be the second sutra – font will be Verdana 10pt Italics}

Please replace this paragraph with your text, the discourse material, keeping the paragraph content related and usually 8 to 10 lines. The font here is Verdana 10pt. The formatting is automatic. The Invocation and welcome line is usually standard for all discourses, so there is no need to replace, unless you hear something different in the audio. You may start replacing the sutra line which is in Verdana 10pt, bold italic. The header and footer will automatically fill using the document properties. The header will contain the date. The footer will contain the transcribers name depending on the computer user’s name, please ensure that the name is correct, same as Transcriber’s name. The page number will fill in automatically. If you have any suggestions for formatting please inform. The cover page is also automatically filled with the current date and the computer user’s name, please ensure that the name is same as the Transcriber’s name.

Let you achieve and radiate the eternal bliss. Nithyananda. Thank You.