Your Path to Eurphoria!

Today's subject: 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 a mind so that you can understand and use it, to lead yourself to the joy. Patanjali, I can say again and again I can use only one word: unimaginable intelligence. When you see the books related to modern psychiatry and psychoanalysis and all this 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 inside you is awakened, it will be like a snake. If a snake moves inside your system, what kind of experience you will 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 the Patanjali is described as snake with nectar. You can see his Murti. Today I wanted Murti to be brought here so that all of you can see how he is visualised, how he is meditated upon…. Unimaginable intelligence, genius energy. Every subject, he 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 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 you 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 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. I 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 think… they take disciples for granted or sometime 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 amazing way he has produced this book. The first part is… 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 that sadhanas, what all the other qualities you express. Finally he concludes with 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 repetitions, Swamiji?” I tell them, “No, no.”

Yesterday Patanjali was explaining about Viparyaya 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 same. Why is Patanjali wasting so many sutras describing the same problem? No, there are subtle differences. We will 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, 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 Jivanmukti, the living enlightenment state. 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, “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, you are minding. 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, “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.

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 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.” Please understand, many time we don't want simple truths. The first Sutra Patanjali explains this only. Yogah Chitta Vritti Nirodhah. Yoga is cessation of the mind. Simple straight truth.

I think Patanjali also would have 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.

Let us enter into the today's subject, today's Sutra:

Sapta Jnananupadhi vastu shunyo Vikalpah

Imagination as opposed to reality is the real result of mere words. This is known as vikalpa or fantasy.

Let Me repeat the Sutra once more.

Shabda Jananupadhi vastu Shunyo vikalpah.

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 viparyaya, 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 is 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 as Nirvikalpa. Please understand, he is taking us to very subtle plane. Sometime you may not have wrong knowledge but you will have imaginations.