“The Five Activities – Your Path to Euphoria!”

The Five Activities – Your Path to Euphoria! In these few sutras, Patanjali is clearly describing five activities of your mind can either lead you to anguish or non-anguish, suffering or joy. It can lead you to anything. I am describing everyday one one activity of our mind so that you can understand and use it to lead yourself to the joy.

# Paanjali is a snake with nectar! Unimaginable intelligence offering solutions…

Patanjali, I can say again and again, I can use only one word -- unimaginable intelligence. When you see the books related to modern psychiatrists and psychoanalysts and all these knowledge, Patanjali is genius. Whatever the problems modern men are facing, Patanjali has not only faced them, found solutions, and experimented with the disciples and expressed it perfectly in few words. Unimaginable intelligence – the awakened energy. That is why Patanjali is always described as a awakened snake. See when a kundalini shakti, the inner potential energy inside you is awakened, it will be like a snake. If a snake moves inside your system, what kind of experience will you feel? That same intense experience you will feel when a kundalini shakti is awakened in you. It is like a only one difference – if a snake bites you, you will die, it will inject poison. If the kundalini bites you, it will inject nectar, you will become immortal. That is the only difference. That is why Patanjali is described as a snake with nectar.

# Unlike even Shiva and Krishna Patanjali evolved from human to divine zone so he gives step by step solutions

Here you can see his murthi. Today I wanted the murthi to be brought here so that all of you could see how he is visualized, how he is meditated upon. Unimaginable intelligence – genius energy – every subject is so clear. When he describes right knowledge, he opens a new door. When he describes wrong knowledge, he opens a new door and makes you understand what you should not do. He says very clearly. Sometime he teaches what you should do, sometime he teaches what you should not do. I can say it is like a step-by-step lesson. Sometime, when I read Patanjali’s works, I feel all other masters are little impractical -- even Shiva Sutra. They all talk about the great truth but the big problem is there are no steps described. Patanjali is a great compassionate being. He feels for you. The big problem is Krishna is an incarnation. There are many zones of human problems which he never tasted in his life because he is an incarnation. He landed. Same way Shiva. He is always in that ecstasy, joy, high energy zone so he doesn’t know all the human problems but Patanjali is evolved from human zone to the divine zone. So, he knows all the problems. He knows all your problems. He knows all possible disturbances. He will go through all possible questions you will have. All things which you need to know, he knows thoroughly. That is why Patanjali looks more practical.

# One among four people in West follow Patanjali knowingly or unknowingly

The one main reason for Patanjali’s popularity all over the West, I want you to know, one among the four Americans follow Patanjali knowingly or unknowingly. The other day I read the Times magazine, they saw one among the four directly or indirectly knowingly or unknowingly do some form of yoga which is from Patanjali. Why Patanjali is so popular, not only in USA, all over the world, because he understands all human problems. He leads us from step-by-step. He doesn’t assume. He doesn’t assume the disciple will know this step. The big problem with the teachers with the masters is, again and again, they are not interested in repeating the same concepts, and ideas and truths. They take disciples for granted. Sometimes they feel bored, tired to repeat the same thing. But Patanjali has a deep patience. He has compassion. Every step he takes you, he clears all your doubts. He removes all confusions.

# The organisation of the Yoga Sutras book

The amazing way he has produced this book, the first part is Samadhi Pada means he initiates you into the knowledge, into the experience, into the truth. Then he explains about other things which you need to understand. Sadhana, then Vibhuti, when you do the Sadhanas what are all the qualities you express. Finally, he concludes the Kaivalya Pada, means living enlightenment. Every step, he takes you beautifully. He doesn’t assume you know this. He doesn’t take you for granted. He has a deep patience and deep compassion. Sometime, people feel Patanjali is repeating again and again. People come and complain to me. ‘Don’t you feel this book has too much of repetition Swamiji?’ I tell them, ‘No. No’. He has such a deep compassion. He tries to explain the same point from different angles.

# Patanjali is explaining the five modifications of the mind and their subtle differences

Yesterday’s sutra, the eighth sutra, he was talking about beautiful subject (big feedback sound occurred) I can not imagine that mic can create these kinds of sounds. I have heard many different sounds. Anyhow, it is a practical joke. Yesterday Patanjali was explaining about Vipayaya – means ‘wrong knowledge’. Today he is talking about imagination, Vikalpa. Please understand, superficially if you see both looks almost same but it is not. If you see superficially what is there wrong knowledge and imagination almost the same. Why is Patanjali wasting so many sutras describing the same problem? No! There are subtle differences. We’ll enter into the subject and understand the subtle differences. Not only subtle differences, how to go beyond. How to go beyond the problem. He is describing five modes, five actions of the mind. Five activity of the mind. One is right knowledge, another one is wrong knowledge, the third is Vikalpa imagination or fantasy, fourth sleep fifth memory. He is describing five activity. Yesterday we understood about right knowledge and wrong knowledge. He wants us to understand about all these five so that we will use this knowledge to elevate ourself to the higher consciousness. We will use this knowledge to lead to joy to take us to the Jevan Mukti, the ‘living enlightenment’ state.

# If you start thinking mind is a thing, you will start fighting with it. It is not a thing, it is an action

The five activities, one important thing you need to understand mind is not a thing you need to fight with. If you think mind is a thing, you will fight with it. You may have to fight with it. Mind is not a thing. Mind is not a thing. It is an action. Please understand, mind is a subtle action. It is not a thing. It is just your action. If you don’t want, just stop it that’s all. Please understand this one understanding. Mind is not a thing. It is an action. If you think it is a thing, you will start fighting with it, you will start complaining that I am not able to control it. You will start using all kinds of words. No! It is not a thing. It is an action. Subtle action. For example, you are walking. If you don’t want to walk, what will you do? You will just sit down. You are talking, if you don’t want to talk, what will you do? You will just become silent. Same way, your are minding and if you don’t want the mind, what to do? Just stop that’s all. Don’t do it. Mind is action. Look inside. It is an action. It is not a thing. Just like moving your hand, talking, you are thinking. It is your action. So if you don’t want, if you are suffering with it, if you are struggling with it, if you want to be in a zone where there is ‘no mind’, just stop, that’s all. We say, ‘No, no, no, no, no. It is not that easy.’ Whenever I talk to people a simple straight truth in a direct way, they think he is too young, he needs to go and study little more. Then I start complicating things. Then I start using more words more things. They are very happy. ‘I think he knows very much.’ ‘You don’t know he has knowledge. He has so much of knowledge. He may look young but he has so much of knowledge.’ What to do? Anyhow, then let me complicate. If you want the straight truth, I am telling you now. Mind is not a thing, it is an action. If you don’t want, don’t do it, that’s all. You can say, ‘Then how can I be?’ Just decide. Now I don’t want the mind, relax. If thoughts are coming, be very clear, you want it that is why it is coming. The next thought, no I am feeling bored, means what? You want to think that is why it is coming.

# Assume responsibility for your mind

So assume responsibility for every action. Even the subtle actions which are happening inside you. When you assume responsibility for even subtle actions happening inside you, now you have the control, you know the science. Many truths are revealed. Please understand, whenever you take responsibility for a certain power or post or position, the secrets about that post or that power or that position are revealed to you. For example, if you decide to become a politician, and take responsibility for certain post, certain position, when you sit in that position you know complete mechanism. All the truths related to that position will be revealed to you. Same way, decide to sit in a position, take the responsibility that your mind is you, it is your action. When you understand it is your action suddenly all the truths about the mind will be revealed to you. If you want, you can stop it. If you don’t want, you can run it. If you want, you can think. If you don’t want, you can stop. You can play with it. But people say, ‘No, no, no. I tried all these things for twenty years. Your age is my experience.’ Many time people come and tell me they are very pride about it. ‘Your age is my experience.’ Finally sometime I feel fool what were you doing here so many years I don’t understand. And they are very pride about it.

# People don’t want simple straight truth… so Patanjali goes on to explain with more words

Please understand, many time, we don’t want simple truths. The first sutra Patanjali explains this one: Yogah Chitta Vritti Norodhah. Yoga is cessation of the mind. Simple straight truth. I think Patanjali also would have had the same problem disciples telling him, ‘I think he needs to go and study little more.’ Then he starts explaining but even his explanation is so beautiful wonderful amazing. The five activities of the mind, he is explaining to you so that you will understand and know how to stop it. How to go beyond it. He is taking you from step-by-step.

# Today’s subject is imagination. Difference between imagination and wrong knowledge.

Let’s enter into today’s subject. Today’s sutra: subda namami …..vasa u kalpaya … Imagination as opposed to reality which is the result of mere words. This is known as Vikalpa or fantasy. Let me repeat the sutra once more. Shapta….va….Imagination as opposed to the reality which is the result of mere words. This is known as Vikalpa or fantasy. Imagination, Vikalpa, yesterday I was talking about Vipayaya, wrong knowledge. Today, I am trying to explain about Vikalpa, imagination. Please understand, in front of your consciousness, the mind brings wrong ideas means it’s called ‘wrong knowledge’. But, in front of your consciousness, whether it is right or wrong, anything is experienced is imagination except consciousness. Anything experienced is imagination. Please understand, in front of your consciousness, if your mind brings wrong ideas, misconceptions, it is called ‘wrong knowledge’ means for a wrong knowledge to happen, your consciousness needs to be present and mind needs to do something. But for imagination to happen, Vikalpa to happen, nothing needs to be done. Anything experienced by you, other than your pure consciousness, is Vikalpa. That is why we call Samadhi state Nirvikalpa. Please understand, he is taking us to a very subtle plane. Sometime, you may not have wrong knowledge, but you will have imaginations. You may not have wrong knowledge, but you will have imaginations. A small story:

One guy walked into the bar, sat next to a man who was sitting with a dog at his feet. This guy asked, ‘Does your dog bite?’ That guy said, ‘No.’ This guy bent and petted the dog and the pet bit him. He was bitten. This guy shouted, ‘You said your dog doesn’t bite!’ ‘He has bitten me!’ That guy said, ‘Yes, my dog doesn’t bite but this not my dog.’

You may not have wrong knowledge but you have your own imagination. Understand? Your own imagination. Many time, Vikalpa, brings more suffering. Today I have a lot of stories on imagination. Imagination is my favorite subject because so much of suffering can be avoided if you understand imagination. If you just understand imagination. Vipayaya, even Vipayaya is not that deep. If you mind can be relaxed from constant movement in the conscious layer you can come out of Vipayaya. But Vikalpa, even your sleep is Vikalpa.

# Vikalpa can affect you even in deep sleep state

Please understand, Vipayaya can happen only in your waking state or dream state. But Vikalpa can happen even in the deep sleep state. Deep sleep is Vikalpa. Vipayaya can touch only your conscious mind and subconscious mind. Means wrong knowledge can touch you can disturb you only in the waking state and dream state. But Vikalpa, imagination can disturb you even in the dream even in the deep sleep state sorry not in the dream even in the deep sleep state. It can disturb in all three states. You may think, ‘How can Vikalpa, imagination disturb me in the deep sleep state?’ Sometime when you are out of deep sleep state you will say you are suffocating as if someone else was pressing me. It is not a dream. If it is a dream you can remember and tell. It will not be like a dream. It will be like a deep suffocation. That is what we call Vikalpa, means imagination. Many time, you imagine things. You imagine things. I have one more story for you about imagination. I’ll read it out. It will be very nice:

One guy goes to South Africa and sends a letter to his Mother saying, ‘Dear Mother, I am sending some pills which a witch doctor gave and if you take one, it will take years off your life.’ After a month, that guy comes back home, he sees beautiful woman outside his house sitting with a baby. And this guy comes back and asks, ‘Where is my Mother?’ She says, ‘Don’t be silly! I am your Mother. And those pills are marvelous.’ This guy says, ‘Oh God! I can’t imagine! Only one pill? You are able to have a baby?’ She says, ‘Are you crazy? That is not a baby. That’s your father. He took two!’

If you take vipaya and Vikalpa both. Imagination. Many time, we imagine too many things. Vikalpa can touch deeper zones than Vipayaya. Means imagination can touch the deeper zones than wrong knowledge. Wrong knowledge more like a logic. When you have wrong logic, it is wrong knowledge. But the Vikalpa, imagination, is deeper than wrong knowledge. Patanjali says, ‘Imagination as opposed to reality is the result of mere words that is known as Vikalpa or fantasy.’ ‘Vasu…kalpa…’ Every word of Patanjali brings me so much of joy I can say every word so much of clarity so much of depth. He is saying, opposed to reality, anything opposed to reality which is created merely by words, merely by words. Many times you can see in your life you are constantly creating many things just by words, just by words, simple words. You create your own theories. You speak your own moods.

# The seven energy centers in you get corrupted by your imagination. Play of imagination on greed and fear which leads to fantasy and phobia respectively

I can say your mind and body comes in contact with each other at seven spots in your body. Both of them touch each other. Seven spots. That is what we call seven energy centers. In yoga tradition, we call that seven spots as seven energy centers and they call it as Chitthajat Gandhi where the matter and consciousness meets each other. Matter and consciousness meets each other. Each spot gets corrupted when your imagination is added. Please understand, each spot gets corrupted when your imagination is added. The first, root center, if your imagination is added, it just shows the things which is not there. It just shows the things which is not there. It just shows things in the expanded size. That is why constantly you feel the other person is cheating you. The other person is not giving you your proper share. The other person is depriving you. In any relationship, you always feel the other is not fulfilling you. Please understand, it is your fantasy when imagination is added to your root center, you start expecting the things which can never happen. Which can never happen or which never happened and which can never happen. You start imagining things, you start projecting things, you start creating things and when you see it is not happening through the other person you start blaming the other person. You start cursing the other person. Imagination added to your greed is fantasy. Imagination added to your fear, is, we can say, the main reason for all the phobias. When imagination is added to your fear, it becomes phobia. Constantly you are feeling frightened. Constantly you are feeling frightened. I have heard one more story. You have one more story:

A man walks out of a bar and sees a bum panhandling on the corner. The bum says, ‘Mister, do you have a dollar you could spare me?’ The man thinks about the question for a bit and asks the bum, ‘If I give you a dollar, are you going to use it to buy liquor?’ He says, ‘No.’ The man asks, ‘If I give you a dollar, are you going to use it for gambling?’ The guy the bum says, ‘No.’ The man says to the bum, ‘Do you mind coming home with me so I can show my wife what happens to someone who does not drink or gamble?’

He has his own fear with the wife now he wants the proof. Please understand, if the fantasy is added to your greed, he has expectation from her. If the fantasy is added to fear, he is completely frightened by her. But she is the same person. The other person is same. If your imagination is added to your greed, you see her as much beyond what she is. Through fantasy, if your imagination is added to fear, the same way you see her much beyond what she is. Through fear, whether it is imagination or fear, you see what is not. You see what is not. You start seeing things, you experience things which is not there. One more story for you: Everyday this guy comes back home after fully drunk. Wife wanted to frighten this guy. So she decides to give him a shock. Everyday this guy walks through a cemetery. Late night she decides to go and sit there with all the make-up and frighten him. She covers herself with a black shawl and she creates smoke, the whole scene is ready. When he comes fully drunk, she just jumps in front of him and creates a big sound. He very cools turns and says, ‘Hey, don’t you know me? I’m married to your sister!’

When your imagination is added to fear, again you see what is not there. Even small things feels like a torture.

# The whole idea of vacation is because imagination is added to greed

Please understand, if your imagination is added to greed, even simple things feel like heaven. Many people come and tell me their experiences about their vacation and all those things. I am not able to connect at all with the idea of vacation. You may think I am from other planet. No, people come and tell me, ‘Swamiji, I am going for vacation.’ Or, ‘I went for vacation. Can you see the photographs? We went here, we went there. This is our vacation photographs.’ And all those things. I can’t imagine. They have all those vacation photographs on the refrigerator. Wherever I go in the houses, on the refrigerator on the cupboards, they forget even that smile was posed smile. Whenever they see that photograph they think, ‘Oh those days when we went for vacation it was such a joy, so much of ecstasy.’ I can’t connect with the idea of vacation at all. What is vacation? You are going to carry the same mind, the same wife, the same thing. If you are sitting and worrying in the house, it is called homework. If you are sitting and worrying in the office, it is called business. If you are sitting and worrying in somewhere where you don’t know, that’s called vacation. I can’t connect with that idea of vacation at all. Many times people try and tell me, ‘Why don’t you take vacation Swamiji?’ I tell them, ‘What will I do?’ Even if I go there, I will gather a few people and start talking about something. Let me sit here at least people will be more comfortable in the hall instead of sitting somewhere where people will not have comforts where I will not have microphone.

# The play of imagination in relationships

When your imagination added to greed, things are looking more greener, things are looking more joyful. Even small action, even one simple rose, ‘You see, she loves me. I love her.’ Still I am not able to understand at all. All these words. All these giving one card, giving one rose. I don’t know how the love is conveyed through that or love is felt through that. I can’t relate with that idea. People say, ‘No, no, no. You are too insensitive, Swamiji.’ But what to do? When imagination is added to your greed, everything looks sweet. Everything looks fantastic. You feel the other person is angel. But when one shift happens in the energy center, that same imagination raises two inches above to Swadhishtana, to the fear, the other person looks like a devil. The reality is the other person is neither devil nor angel. He’s a man, she’s a woman, that’s all. When we see the other person as angel or devil, we are suffering with Vikalpa, imagination. We are suffering with Vikalpa. Anything other than reality, if you see, you are suffering with Vikalpa. You are suffering with Vikalpa.

# Imagination about yourself will lead to self-torture

One more story about Vikalpa:

‘I hate this modern art’, he says to his wife. ‘What a piece of crap that is!’ Wife says, ‘No, that is a Picasso.’ This guys says, ‘What about this one with all crazy lines.’ She says, ‘That is Kandinsky.’ This guy says, ‘Oh okay, how about this one? Where this guy has got a pencil neck, his nose is upside down, his eyes are on the same side of his head.’ She says, ‘That is a mirror.’

He was continuously criticizing everything, he doesn’t know it is a mirror. Please understand, the big problem is when you are caught in the greed or fear, not only will you suffer with the other person, but you will suffer with you also. When this guy was criticizing all the modern arts one by one, he did not even have awareness to see that it is a mirror he was criticizing. Same way, when you are caught with greed, if you are fantasizing about everything, you will not have awareness to see your own reality. You fantasize about you also and suffer. Fantasizing about you and suffering is the worst suffering. You will never face reality. Please understand, if you are fantasizing about somebody and suffering, that person will teach you the lesson. You will understand, you will wake up. You have to wake up. You have to wake up. You can’t continue to dream. You can’t continue to fantasize because fulfilling your fantasy is a big headache responsibility for the other person. Nobody will be able to do that job. They will take vacation. You will realize your fantasy is your fantasy. But, if your fantasy is about you, and torture yourself, you will never be able to come out of it. That is what almost all the people who misunderstood yoga starts doing.

Please understand, I have seen many yogis, not yogis, who think they are yogis, who think they are yogis, they go on and on and on torture themselves. They torture themselves so much, they can’t tolerate. Please understand, they can neither stop torturing nor can they tolerate their own torture. I have seen people fighting with themselves especially with wrong ideas. Many wrong ideas. They misinterpret yoga and they become masochists. They start torturing themselves. I have seen, especially during my wandering. I have seen people torturing themselves and feeling that they are big yogis. I have seen one guy standing on one leg for twelve years. No, really. I went to him just to pay respect to his tapas. I saluted him and I asked him, ‘Why are you standing? Do you have any purpose for this?’ That fellow is such a fool. He doesn’t even have the idea of enlightenment or anything. He is not able to answer. Then I just kept quiet. When all the crowd left, I asked him, ‘Can you tell me at least now the reason?’ He said, ‘Baba, the initial I started standing, it was like exercise. When I saw so many people are giving me attention and I started enjoying the attention. Finally it became my lifestyle. Please understand, he’s torturing himself. Practically one leg is dead. It is no more part of his body. It’s dead, he is crippled. But this guy goes on thinking he is doing some great thing. Many time, the greed, the fantasy is turned towards us and you will never be able to come out that torture which is created. If the fantasy is turned towards you, I can say that is the worst thing. Many times these yogis cannot enjoy themselves not real yogis who think they are yogis. The masochistic people, they become sadists also they become sadists also. They start torturing others.

# **Incident about how my brahmacharinis were living yoga joyfully and a few yogis could not tolerate it!**

Actually, one incident happened. The other day, we were doing pavaratra from January til March all of us I think one big group of our devotees, of our Brahmacharyas, and Brahmacharinis all of us were walking doing pavaratra. During pavaratra, we were crossing one city. There was a temple, some of my Brahmacharinis, young girls who took Brahmacharya diksha those girls were just laughing and walking doing pavaratra. There were a few guys who think themselves as yogis, who think themselves as yogis, there outside every temple in South Bharat, you will see one bunch of beggars sitting in the yogi dress and they talk all great Vedanta. They will be torturing themselves and torturing others. One bunch of fools were sitting like that and my Brahmacharinis are walking in the Kavi and they were joyful, happy because they are living the real yoga. And these guys saw them, they are so happy, first thing, these young kids are so happy they can’t tolerate. The second thing, they can’t tolerate sanyases can be so happy. That’s another one big problem. So one guy started telling, ‘See these Nithyananda Swamis and Swaminis? Wherever you go, they are there laughing joking. The other guy said, ‘Better’…because they know the route we are walking, the other guy said, ‘Better let us go away to Salem, there we will not see these guys. We don’t have to see these guys.’ The other fellow commented, ‘No, no. He is popular there also. There also you will see people, his Sanyases, his devotees.’ The other guy said, ‘No, no, no. Let us go away to some other state, only then, we don’t have to see these guys.’ Again, this fellow commented, ‘No, no. In other states there also, he is very popular. You will see his devotees there also.’ Suddenly my Brahmacharinis they were keeping quiet. Now they said, ‘It is too much.’ They turned and said, ‘Go to hell, you will not see our Swami’s devotees there.’

# Yogis torture themselves because of imagination. They have fear of themselves, which is the worst fear!

That is the right place you need to be. Many time, these so called ‘yogis’ they torture themselves. Please understand, the Vikalpa needs to be understood in a very deep sense. Imagination not only related to others, imagination related to you also will bring torture to you. You will be torturing yourself. When you torture yourself, naturally you will give that to others. You won’t give headache to others if you don’t have one. Please understand, you can’t give it to others if you yourself don’t have. If you are giving it to others, you need to be clear you have one. Many time, these so called yogis start torturing themselves. If you have fantasy towards others at least they will teach you that it is a fantasy, come down. But if you have fantasy about yourself, there will be nobody to teach you. You will continue to torture, torture, torture yourself. You will continue to suffer. You will continue to suffer with that Vikalpa. And the next level is much worse. If you have fear about others, at least at some place where the other person is not there, you will be free. You will not have that fear. If you start creating fear about yourself, you can never escape from that. You can never escape from that. I have seen many people, they start creating fear about themselves, they start creating fear about themselves. They can never be free. They can never relax. They can never be at ease with themselves. It’s a, I can say the worst hell. If they start creating fear about themselves, they can’t live in joy, live in bliss. A story, a beautiful story:

One Zen Master was walking near a river. One young lady was standing. She asked him, ‘Please can you help me to cross the river?’ The Master was with his disciple, young disciple. Master said, ‘No problem.’ He just carried her and left her at the other side, came back. His young disciple can’t tolerate. An enlightened person can walk. How can you lift her? How can you touch a young lady first? How can he lift her and help her to cross the river? He’s not able to tolerate but somehow he kept quiet. When they reached the monastery, he asked, ‘How can you touch her and lift, help her to cross the river? It is not wrong?’ The Master looks at him and says, ‘I left her long before. Why are you still carrying her?’ ‘I left her there itself. Why are you still carrying her?’ He has his own fears about himself. Please understand, he has deep fears about himself. That is why he can’t relate with the reality. He can’t relate with the other person. He can’t relate with the other person. In Ramakrisna’s life, there is a beautiful incident. He lived with Sarada Devi until the end. They lived such a wonderful life. Many time he was criticized for living with his wife in the temple in Dakshineswar Temple. But he lived such an amazing life. The relationship between them was such a wonderful relationship. You can’t describe it, can’t describe it. Real yogi relationship. He always used to answer them respond to them that they are afraid of themselves. That is why they are afraid of the outside person. Please understand, if you are afraid of the other, at least, when the other person is not there, you will not have the fear. If you are afraid of yourself, it is like a fear of ghost, it will continue to be there. It’ll continue to haunt. It’ll continue to shake you. It’ll continue to frighten you. It’s a worse thing somebody can have.

# People have fear of responsibility, so they renounce

I have seen many time, these so called yogis criticize me, ‘What is this? You are sitting in such a big throne and so many disciples are serving you.’ I tell them, ‘I don’t have fear I’ll get attached to it. You have fear that is why you are afraid of it.’ I have seen many people, they are afraid of handling wealth. Please understand, renouncing because of fear is not renunciation. Many time, people don’t want responsibilities not because that they don’t want the freedom that responsibility gives just because they don’t know how to handle the responsibility the fear of responsibility. The fear of life. They start acting, ‘I have renounced everything.’ I have seen in Himalayas, the so called yogis, they leave their house, everything and come and settle down in the small temple. They’ll settle down in Himalayas. They will sit outside the temple for their food, taking bhiksha for begging. They will become attached to that spot. Nobody else can sit in their spot. They will fight for that spot. They left their property. They left their house. They left everything and came here. Now they will be fighting for the two feet by two feet place. Means what? They did not renounce because they don’t want. They renounced because of the fear of responsibility. Many time, you start renouncing because of fear of responsibility. No. When you are sitting in this, one side you may have the fear. Two kinds of fear: one, you need to maintain this; second, you may get attached to this and start suffering. If you are renouncing because of these two fears, no. That is no way going to help. I have seen many people renouncing for various reasons but it is not renunciation. It is doing the same thing through the other way. I have seen people, they renounce all their gold, wealth, everything and come away to Himalayas with one kamandalu, water pot. But they will get so attached to that pot. They will wash wash wash wash wash the pot the whole day. And keep it shining. I know one Baba, he is called Kamandalu Baba. All he does is six hours per day he will wash that kamandalu. First he will wash with sand, then he will wash with tamarin then he will wash with powder then he will apply ash on that. And he is, that kamandalu that water pot become his brand. Many times people do that. It’s not renunciation. Doing it the other way. I have one more story for you about that:

This guy goes into a bar and orders three separate shot glasses of Irish whisky. He drinks all three. He does this day after day after day after day. The bartender finally says, ‘You know, I can put all three of those shots into one glass for you.’ The guy says, ‘No. I prefer it in this way. See, I have two brothers. They are abroad. I love them. This glass right here feels that I am drinking for each one of them. I feel all three of us are together here and drinking.’ And the guy continues to come in day after day, day after day, does the same thing. And the bartender also continues to set up three glasses. One day, the guy comes with a long face and says, ‘Give me two shots today.’ The bartender is shocked. He thinks something wrong has happened. He asked, ‘What happened? Did something happen to one of your brothers?’, the bartender asks. ‘No, no, no’, the guy says, ‘They are okay. It is just that I decided to quit drinking.’

Understand, all our renunciation is more or less like this. You decide to quit drinking but you go on drinking. We renounce maybe the fear of maintaining or fear of attachment. If you renounce because of fear of maintaining or fear of attachment, please be very clear you will surely be enjoying in some other way. That’s what Krishna calls beautifully calls ‘Mitchacharya’ – hippocrate who is renouncing physically but enjoying in some other form. I can say one of the worse curse happened to Bharat is this ‘mitchacharya’, is ‘mitchacharya’. In course of time, people have started renouncing because of their fear of attachment fear that they may get attached or that fear they have to maintain. Out of that when they started renouncing. They never achieved yoga and people have started thinking this renunciated, these guys have become yogis. No. Understand, renunciation that has happened because of Vikalpa is not yoga. Many people come to me and say, they brag, ‘I got such big job Swamiji, I have this big house. I decided to live a simple life and renounce.’ No. Relax. It’s not true. You decided to quit drinking that’s all. That’s all. It is not renunciation. Look inside. Many time, many time people come and tell me, ‘I lived a simple life. I never hurt anybody. I do everything good. I follow dharma. See why then problems come to me? See why difficulties come to me?’ Be very clear, your renunciation is not based on understanding. It is based on fear of attachment or fear of maintenance. That is not renunciation. If you are renouncing because of fear of attachment or fear of maintenance better enjoy, live, you are not yet right for renunciation. Don’t take that big step. Don’t be arrogant to renounce. We sometimes out of our ego, arrogance we renounce. No. There is a Zen story, beautiful story:

One disciple, the day he entered the monastery, he understood humbleness is practiced in the monastery. He started acting too humble. In Sanskrit we have a proverb ‘advidum…’ The guy who was behaving too humble is cunning. This guy started behaving too humbly. ‘What do I know? What can I do? What can I tell?’ I have seen many people doing that. One guru told the disciple, ‘Please press my feet. Do a little massage to my feet.’ ‘No, no, no. I am a fool. I am a sinner. How can I touch your feet.’ Somebody brought some fruits. Guru touched it. Immediately the disciple ate the whole thing. The disciple asked, ‘What happened?’ ‘No. Your Prasadam. You touched it. How can it go to waste?’ ‘It should not be thrown as waste. Somebody has to eat. There was nobody around me.’ Using words. Using words, using situations. This guy started behaving too humble. Then the Zen Master says beautifully, ‘You are not that great. Don’t behave that humbly. Relax.’ ‘You have not become that great. Don’t act too much humility. Relax.’ You need to be great. See, even to become humble, even the humbleness needs to happen with the right understanding for the right reason. Even renunciation has to happen with the right reason.

# Sometimes people renounce out of too much fantasy

Sometime, you renounce even because of too much of fantasy. I have seen, they go on fantasizing about billions of dollars. But they are able to make only very little. Then they decide, ‘I am not interested in living with this.’ And they throw that away and go away for something else. It is not renunciation. They are not able to tolerate with the reality because of their fantasy. Many time, people renounce because of their fantasy or because of their fear. Even if renunciation happens because of your fear or fantasy, it is Vikalpa. Please understand, it is only imagination. It is not renunciation. These guys, whenever I tell if you are a sincere seeker, wealth, health everything is attracted towards you. In the Kalpataru I speak about this subject. Last Kalpataru I was talking about this. One seeker, the so called ‘seeker’, professional seeker that guy came to me and said, ‘Swamiji, I am a seeker for the last 25 years, I am broke, I am sick. You say a sincere seeker will always attract whatever he needs around him. What is happening with me? Nothing is happening. I am not neither attracting wealth nor attracting health.’ I told him, ‘Look inside. You would have renounced because of fear of maintenance. Not because of renunciation.’ It couldn’t have happened because you don’t want it. Maybe it has happened because you don’t want to maintain that. Many time, we drop objects, we drop relationships, not because we don’t want it, just because we can’t maintain it. Just because we can’t maintain it. So be very clear, that is not renunciation that is escaping. That is Vikalpa. That is Vikalpa. You don’t look inside the scene and understand. You don’t exactly look inside and you superficially think and get frightened. Whenever you look superficially, it will always be fear. It will always be fear. I have one more story about that:

One guy says, one guy asked his friend, ‘Hey Bob. Remember when you and I went fishing up North nine months ago? And the car broke down in the thunderstorm and we wound up spending the night at that farm owned by that gorgeous widow. You remember?’ This guy says, ‘Yes, yes.’ ‘You remember the gorgeous widow?’ This guy says, ‘Yes.’ ‘And she had that big fabulous house. And we slept in the guest wing. And she was over in her wing and the next morning we got in our car and headed north, went fishing. Do you remember?’ This guy says, ‘Yes, yes.’ ‘Well, nine months later, I get a letter from her attorney.’ The friend was shaken now, ‘Oh, did you happen to..’ this guy was asking his friend who got shaken. ‘Did you happen to get up in the middle of the night and go pay her a visit?’ This guys slowly says, ‘Yes I did.’ This guy is now shaken. ‘And did you happen to use my name instead of telling her your name?’ This guy puts his head down, ‘I am sorry, I did. Now what to do? Why do you ask?’ ‘She just died and left me everything in her will.’

Understand, if you look superficially, it’s fear. It is fear. When you look a little deep, understand, try to look inside every seed. Even your renunciation is not renunciation, it is Vikalpa. Patanjali beautifully says about ahimsa, asteya, aparigraha, brahmacharya, satya means: non-violence, truthfulness, celibacy, living with minimum things and non-covetousness, non-stealing. These five beautiful great ideas he gives. I have seen these so called yogis the moment they read these ideas, they start suppressing escaping. They do all kinds of things without looking into the matter. Please understand, they escape from their family, fear of maintenance. They escape from their home, fear of maintenance and they call it aparigraha – living with minimum things. No. If you are afraid of maintaining and escape, that is not aparigraha, living with minimum things. You don’t have fear of maintenance, you don’t have fear of attachment, you can maintain you don’t have fear that you will get attached, even then, you live with simple things, minimum things. That is what I call aparigraha, living with minimum things. Many time, people practice all these great vows, Patanjali’s teachings because of fear or fantasy. Then you are not practicing yama, you are not practicing Patanjali’s vows, you are caught in Vikalpa. You are caught in Vikalpa, imagination. Please understand, Vikalpa, imagination is no way going to help you. That is not going to be part of your spiritual growth. It is not going to help you towards the spiritual growth. Imagination as opposed to reality is the result of mere words. This is known as Vikalpa or fantasy.

If your imagination touches your muladhara chakra, it is called fantasy. If it touches your swadhishtana chakra, it’s called fear. If your imagination touches the manipuraka chakra, the naval center, it is called worry. If your imagination touches your heart center, it’s called continuous attention-need, continuous attention-need. I have seen many time the suffering which is created by themselves because of their attention-need.

# Imagination added to heart center causes attention–need which makes you suffer abusive relationships. You seek attention from others and from yourself!

Many time you put up with abusive relationships just because of your attention-need. Not only in abusive relationships, many things you bear, you go on and on and on continue to suffer just because of your attention-need. You cannot understand experience enjoy aloneness. So you think, at least let me put up with it. Let me put up with it. Please understand, the imagination, when it touches the heart chakra, you start asking things from everybody. I have seen many time, people come to me and start straight away commanding, ‘I heard you are an enlightened master. I have this stomach pain for the last 20 years, can you heal it today? They don’t know, they don’t even ask if you can heal it. ‘Please heal it today.’ I tell them, ‘Can you do a little meditation? Do some meditation some workshop.’ ‘No. I don’t have time for all that. I heard you are an enlightened person. I just wanted to check you out.’ Some people have, people have that feeling straight away demanding straight away demanding. They do not bother about what is their position, what is the other person’s position, nothing. They are, see when attention-need starts happening, you are almost like a drunk. You don’t see the reality. You don’t know the reality. I have one more story about that:

One guy fully drunk slowly comes out of the bar and… wanders and gets into the confession booth in a nearby church. A long silence follows. After a half an hour from the other side the priest is asking, ‘My son, can I help you in any way?’ This guy slowly says, ’I don’t know how you can help but at least do you have paper that side?’ Do you understand? He asks, ‘Do you have toilet paper on that side?’ That is…confession booth…He doesn’t know his position. He doesn’t know what he is doing. He doesn’t know what he is expected to do.

Please understand, when you are filled with attention-need, you are also in the same position. You don’t know what you are doing. You just take everybody for granted. You just know that they have to do this, they have to do that, they have to be doing this. And constantly, you are nagging. Constantly we nag people if we are caught with attention-need. If we are filled with attention-need, we constantly suffer with Vikalpa. Sometime, you suffer with attention-need not only with others, even with yourself. You need to pep yourself by some words. You can see when you are sitting alone you need to use many words to praise yourself. ‘No, no, no. I think I am doing well. I don’t have to believe all those guys.’ You will be talking to yourself all these words. Means you are not only suffering with attention-need from others attention-need with yourself that is the worse thing.

# Imagination plays on all energy centers and causes misery

I can say all possible phobias and psychological disorders psychiatric problems, Patanjali has described in this one sutra. Each chakra, when your imagination touches, the problem you have with others and with you is one one disorder. I do not know the technical names. I can describe the disorders. If you are in the field of psychiatry or psychoanalysis, you can give the names. When the imagination touches your root chakra, fantasy suffering with others and fantasy about you and yourself. When it touches the swadhishtana, fear of others and fear of yourself. When it touches the manipuraka, worrying about others and worrying about yourself. When it touches anahata, attention-need from others and attention-need from yourself. When it touches vishuddhi, comparing with others and comparing with yourself. Sometime you start suffering comparing with yourself. ‘Yesterday I walked half hour, Today I don’t know what happened.’ You start comparing with yourself. ‘Thirty years before, I used to walk three hours.’ That time you were young. You conveniently forget the fact and you start suffering by comparing with yourself. And the same way, when the imagination touches your anja chakra, you start suffering with your ego with others and with you. You may ask how can with my ego I can suffer with myself? Many time, you think I should treated myself like that. I should have spoken this kind of words. I should have expressed myself like this. I should have presented myself like this. But I did not do. What to do? You repent. You are ego-suffering with you. You are ego-suffering with you. I have so many stories for that. Many time, the people who, especially people who get into the stages and give public discourses, they talk some non-sense which comes in their mind and then later on they repent, ‘I shouldn’t have told that. I should have told this. I shouldn’t have gave that way. I should have gave this.’ Means suffering with your ego with yourself. When ultimately imagination touches the crown center, you are suffering discontentment with others and discontentment with yourself. Imagination when it moves in different energy centers, it creates different kinds of problems with others and with you.

# How to relax from vikalpa? A technique…

This Vikalpa is the ultimate suffering. If you can relax from Vikalpa, people ask, ‘I can relax from Vikalpa consciously, but what about unconscious and subconscious Swamiji?’ I give you one important secret. This is a secret I learnt from my teacher. When I asked him this same question, he told me, ‘Eleven days continuously try to remember some idea it will sink into your subconscious. Twenty-one days try to remember that idea it will sink into your unconscious.’ Please understand, don’t even think, ‘How will I live this idea?’ Don’t fight with it. Don’t ask for a technique. Just remember this idea. Try to analyze this idea. Try to let this idea sink inside you. For eleven days. Eleven days, constantly remember. Whenever consciously you are imagining. remember imagination will lead to suffering. I should use this to go to joy or bliss. Just remember. Whenever you are consciously imagining, just remember and relax from it. Just do it for eleven days. Suddenly, you will see. In the dream also you remember the same idea. I have seen people, experiencing this. If you are constantly strongly remembering some idea in the waking state continuously, in the dream also you will remember the same idea very strongly. For example, if you decide, whenever you have a fear that somebody is following you or chasing you or ghost is chasing you, if you decide, whenever I get the fear of ghost, I will remember my god or my guru. If you try this for eleven days continuously, after eleven days, even if you remember the fear of the ghost in a dream, you will remember the god or guru. How many of you experienced this? That the ideas that you carry in your conscious going into your dream state? It happens if you constantly remember more than eleven days. So don’t even have the fear. How will I purify my unconscious or subconscious? Remember it consciously, imagination brings suffering. This one truth. This one sutra. If you know Sanskrit, remember this sutra itself. Sadyat…..Such a precise definition. If you don’t know Sanskrit, it’s okay. At least remember the translation. Imagination as opposed to the reality is the result of mere words. This is known as Vikalpa or fantasy. In short form I can say, imagination which is opposed to reality which is created by mere words brings suffering. Remember this one idea. Let it sink inside you. Inside you. Inside you. It will penetrate your dream-state. It will penetrate your deep sleep state. You will be out of Vikalpa. If you are out of Vikalpa, you are in Nirvikalpa – what we call ‘enlightenment’. So, understand that Vikalpa and achieve Nirvikalpa. Let you all experience Nirvikalpa.

# Biography related… Through Raghupati Yogi, I spoke this sutra as my first public lecture on planet earth

I wanted to tell you one more important thing. That Patanjali is the first public lecture I spoke in the planet earth. Patanjali is the first subject I spoke in the planet earth. At the age of eleven, after my master, my teacher taught me the yoga sutra thoroughly. First time, he called a huge gathering of all his disciples and followers. His name is Yogi Yogananda Puri, they call him Raghupati Yogi, Yogiraj Raghupati Yogi. He called all his disciples and friends and devotees and everybody, asked me to speak the gathering. Made me sit in the throne and got some people to do the regular part of puja, traditional part of puja. Officially he put me in the public stage. I can say the first public lecture. And he gave introduction that, ‘In the future, thousands of people will listen to him and thousands of things he will express. But I want to take the pride. I want to take the joy of putting him in the stage first and listening to him first.’ And he made me speak on Patanjali on this very sutra. The sutra which I spoke to you all today. The first discourse I delivered on the planet earth, the public lecture is this sutra on Patanjali. This is the concept. I did not expand as I expanded today but this is the concept, this is the idea I spoke on Patanjali. That is why Patanjali is very dear to me, very near to me. He is a, Patanjali is the knowledge sutras. First I learnt, experimented, experienced and expressed. So, I just remember Yogananda Ragaputi with a deep respect and reverence and joy for foreseeing and bringing this knowledge to the whole world by sharing this knowledge with me. I remember him with all my reverence, respect and devotion and offer and dedicate this whole yoga sutra series and especially this today’s discourse and the whole knowledge which I am sharing with you all at his feet with my reverence and respect. Let you all experience Vikalpa by his grace and by Patanjali’s grace and I bless you all. Let you all experience Nirvikalpa state, live enlightenment. Let you all achieve and radiate the eternal bliss, Nithyananda. Thank you.

Nithyananda Deepika

Please understand, in front of your consciousness, the mind brings wrong ideas means it’s called ‘wrong knowledge’. But, in front of your consciousness, whether it is right or wrong, anything is experienced is imagination except consciousness. Anything experienced is imagination. Please understand, in front of your consciousness, if your mind brings wrong ideas, misconceptions, it is called ‘wrong knowledge’ means for a wrong knowledge to happen, your consciousness needs to be present and mind needs to do something. But for imagination to happen, Vikalpa to happen, nothing needs to be done. Anything experienced by you, other than your pure consciousness, is Vikalpa. That is why we call Samadhi state Nirvikalpa.

Imagination added to your greed is fantasy.

Mitchacharya’ – hippocrate who is renouncing physically but enjoying in some other form. I can say one of the worse curse happened to Bharat is this ‘mitchacharya’, is ‘mitchacharya’. In course of time, people have started renouncing because of their fear of attachment fear that they may get attached or that fear they have to maintain. Out of that when they started renouncing. They never achieved yoga and people have started thinking this renunciated, these guys have become yogis. No. Understand, renunciation that has happened because of Vikalpa is not yoga.

If you are afraid of maintaining and escape, that is not aparigraha, living with minimum things. You don’t have fear of maintenance, you don’t have fear of attachment, you can maintain you don’t have fear that you will get attached, even then, you live with simple things, minimum things. That is what I call aparigraha, living with minimum things.

Imagination as opposed to the reality is the result of mere words. This is known as Vikalpa or fantasy. In short form I can say, imagination which is opposed to reality which is created by mere words brings suffering.

Ananda Sutras