“abhyaasa vairaagyaabhyaam tat nirodhaha”

abhyaasa vairaagyaabhyaam tat nirodhaha

Relaxing from these patterns through constant and intensive practice of unclutching... Let me read the sutra once more:

abhyaasa vairaagyaabhyaam tat nirodhaha

Relaxing from these patterns through constant and intensive practice of unclutching...

Patanjali expressed this whole book in such a way that even if everything is lost, somehow only one sutra is alive, even if you get one sutra, you can become enlightened. This one sutra will be self sufficient and individually independent to lead you to the ultimate truth. When I read each sutra, I am just filled with that Patanjali’s grandness. There is a beautiful story that says, suddenly one day Patanjali wanted to express whatever he needs to express.

See, Ramakrishna very beautifully says: whenever I speak more than certain limit, more than what people can understand who are in front of me, I feel somebody is choking my throat. He always tells I fell somebody is choking my throat. The moment I try to talk something which may be too much, which may not be understood by the people who are in front of me, I feel somebody is choking my throat.

He talks in his own way, he says in his own way ‘Mother is choking my throat and she is saying ‘Enough stop! Don’t tell too much, don’t reveal too much’. Of course it’s not that somebody is choking, traffic jam happens in your throat. Too much wants to come out, too much needs to be expressed and the big problem is the moment you utter something in words, the whole thing is reduced. See, even this sutra

abhyaasa vairaagyaabhyaam tat nirodhaha

The moment I translate, ‘Relaxing from these patterns through constatnt and intensive practice of unclutching’, I know I can say I have disrespected the sutra. The moment I translate, I feel only one part is expressed. You can’t express the complete dimension of the sutra. See, when I recite that sutra, what happens inside my inner space; that can never be reproduced inside your inner space by words.

That is where the problem starts. So, I have to look, it’s like, when the sutra is expressed or experienced inside me is a four-dimensional experience. But words are just... words can create only a two dimensional experience in you. It can create only a picture. It can create only a picture. Please understand, orating is an art which can create the same picture which is in the mind of the orator to the person who is hearing.

So orating can reproduce only the picture. It can never reproduce the experience. Picture is one side of the experience. Experience is four-dimensional. Picture is only one side. Only that can be reproduced through words. It’s like somebody goes to beach and sees the ocean. When he comes back, he is forced to described what he has seen. He goes on trying to describe, ‘Do you know water, water, llllloooot of water, llllllooot of water!!’.

How much ever he says ‘llllloooot of water, loot of water’, can you understand the ocean? No! You can’t understand the ocean by his word ‘lllllooooot of water’. No! It is impossible.

There is a beautiful story by Ramakrishna. He says four blind people were asked to study an elephant and give a report. One guy goes and touches the trunk, the other guy goes and touches the tail, the other guy goes and touches the leg. The fellow who touched the leg and felt the leg, he says elephant means a pillar! The guy who felt the tail, he says elephant means broomstick. The guy who felt the tusk says elephant means a big spoon.

Each one is describing in their own way. One guy was saying this same story in a class and I asked the students, ‘Without telling that the four people were blind, he says four people went and studied the elephant, they made this kind of a report about the elephants, who are they?’ One child got up and said ‘May be experts Swamiji!’

Experts can only create these kinds of reports. When we try to reproduce the thing which is happening inside us through words in some other being, in some other zone, in some other space, this is where we end. At the most, you can only give the picture of your experience. See, the picture which you bring back from your vacation can never express, make somebody experience what you went through.

In ordinary vacation which is happening inside this planet, that itself can’t be expressed by words. Then how do you express? How can you expect which is happening in some other planet, the vacation which is happening in a different planet, what I call enlightenment? So how can that be described, expressed?

That is why Ramakrishna says, somebody is choking my throat. Naturally, the moment the expression starts happening, you feel… See the experience is like a huuuuge godown of cotton. Expression is like a small thread coming out of that cotton. The thread can never do justice to the amount of cotton available. The thread which comes out can never tell about the cotton itself. It’s like a huge godown of cotton is there. And one small thing comes out as a thread from the godown, gets processed and comes out as thread.

? You can see in your own life. The pran, the energy which is inside your system, by the time it gets converted into words, it loses its whole effect, it loses its whole charm, it loses its whole energy, it loses its whole strength. Even an ordinary experience, like love, simple experiences, even for that experience, when it is verbalized it loses its power. So how can the spiritual experiences or the truths be verbalized?

I can see very clearly, again and.. sometimes I feel, after saying, I think I completely said it in the other way. I can see very clearly, I have said in the other way. So when the moment you try to verbalize you can take picture of only one side. The multidimension of the truth can never be expressed as it is. I may express one side, one side I can take picture and describe that picture. By the time I finish that picture and come to the next side picture, you have forgotten that picture.

And by the time I finish this picture and come to the next picture, you’ve forgotten these two. That is why techniques are needed. Words can reproduce only the pictures. Visualizations happen inside our inner space. Only techniques can reproduce the experiences which are happening in our inner space.

The problem which Ramakrishna faced, almost all the masters face, Patanjali is also facing, that he wants to tell everything, but unable to. He just wants to open up and put everything in writing and everything available. Actually, it happens when you know, when you know the truth. Please understand, there is a beautiful Zen saying ‘When you know the truth, you can’t possess the truth; the truth will possess you’.

So it will be just expressing, oozing out, not just through your words, your very body language will radiate that grace. It will just express through you. Even your body language expresses humbleness, you will be, even in that humbleness, there will be that kind of a grace. A different experience will be expressed.

Somebody asked a Zen master ‘why should an enlightened man speak? Will he be speaking the truth? Why should he speak?’ This guy says ‘If he is not expressing, if he is silent, he doesn’t know’. Then again this guys asks ‘Oh, then enlightened masters will they speak? Will they express? This master says ‘No! If he is speaking, he doesn’t know’.

Disciple got confused ‘What do you mean? Just now you said if he is expressing he doesn’t know, if he is speaking he doesn’t know. Again you are saying if he is silent, he doesn’t know. What do you mean? If he neither speaks, nor is he silent, what will he do?’

He says beautifully ‘He will be just singing’. His very presence will be expressing. It will be more than words. It will be more than words. Just the strength or the confidence or the energy expressed by his presence, by his body language… I always tell people, ‘The words which I am expressing are only one dimension of that experience. But the courage, confidence, energy which I am expressing is the complete 360 degree picture of that experience’.

Now we have that new cameras which can capture 360 degrees. The energy is the 360 degree expression of that same truth. So Patanjali feels very strongly he has to express the whole thing as it is. Fortunately Patanjali is blessed with one thousand hoods. Patanjali is supposed to be the incarnation of Adisesha, with one thousand hoods. I can say, mystically if I have to explain, it may not be one thousand heads.

It may be one thousand dedicated heads who have become part of him. One thousand strong disciples who are strongly connected in his inner space, with his inner space, who can just pen down what he is expressing in their dimension... See, a disciple imbibes one dimension of the master. So, each disciple represents one dimension of that master. So, maybe he had thousand strong close disciples who had completely imbibed, feel connected, who can express one dimension of him.

So he decides to pen down the whole thing and goes to the high ecstacy and connects with the whole thousand people, telepathically or whatever way he can. Just connects, no words are shared, no teachings have been given. Just he puts the whole room in high ecstasy, high energy. The whole thousand starts downloading, and whatever they downloaded, they start transcribing, they start transcribing.

The literature which are produced by Patanjali in his extraordinary way is only called Panini Mahabhashya and the scriptures related to this Yoga Sutra. Please understand, it is not the only book Patanjli wrote. Patanjali wrote few other works. He is trying to express the truth as it is. It is practically like a lightning landing on a body and getting transcribed through the hands. If you can imagine a lightning landing on the body and getting transcribed into words.

Each sutra is independently intelligent to lead you to enlightenment, to lead you to fulfilment. Each sutra is self fulfilling. I think he knows that in future maybe some sutra may be lost, some will be distorted. The whole thing, all the sutra which he expressed may not be available to the planet earth. So he decided even if one sutra is available, one sutra is available, he decided that should be able to lead a man to ultimate enlightenment.

I can say this sutra is favourite sutra of my own teacher, Yogi Yogananda Puri. He will continuously repeat this one sutra. Anybody who comes with any problem, from knee pain to some experiences of Samadhi… any problem they come up, he has a standard answer. This only sutra he will repeat. He will say abyhaasa vairaagyaabhyaam tannirodhaha.

Sometime when they come and tell the problem, they will know. They will tell ‘We know your answer Swamiji. You don’t have to answer, we just want to tell you our problem. We know the answer, we just want to tell you our problem’. Means, this sutra is the ultimate solution, ultimate solution for all the problems and obstacles you face in the Yoga path, in the path of Yoga. It is very easy to start the path of Yoga, because it is very inviting.

See, when you see some Yogi, how they live, when you see their life, it is just too much. First you naturally feel jealous. If you feel jealous, naturally what will you think? Next step, I should do what he has done. And with all the enthusiasm, you will buy all the possible books, Yoga mat and everything. Sometime I have seen people buying whatever available related to Yoga, get one set. And after six months if you see, it will be lying down in the garage for garage sale.

This sutra is the solution for that. See, when you start working inside your inner space, so many enemies you will face. So many enemies! I am not talking about the enemies of the outer space. I am talking about the enemies of the inner space, inner world. Please understand, Patanjali goes to the extreme of saying even extraordinary powers are obstacles. He explains the whole science. He explains the whole science. How you get extraordinary powers, he explains hundreds of different powers, through samyama how you experience different powers, different energies.

I myself have seen great Yogi, my teacher expressing different kinds of powers. Just through sound, he will play whatever he wants. He will take a stone and create a sound as if he is hitting the stone with a hammer. The stone will give way. It will just break! And the same way, he will create a sound as if he is throwing a stone towards a tree. Fruit will fall. Just he will play with the sound and create a kind of a sound as if dog is inviting, barking, in the dog’s language, a kind of invitation. That whole surrounding, some sixty, seventy dogs will gather around him suddenly.

And he will create some kind of a sound, sound which gets converted into smell. Just by sound, he will create a smell. All the snakes in that area will start crawling around him. Kind of a ?? smell he will create, just by sound. All the snakes in that area will start coming near him; means, extraordinary powers. But he lived a very ordinary life. Very ordinary life! Fourteen kids. Fourteen kids and very ordinary life! Simple, just like any householder. One house and he will come once in a while to the temple, here, there and start talking to people and living a very ordinary life.

Sometimes, I used to ask him, when I see him expressing this kind of powers ‘Why don’t you express these powers to people, you will have a big following’. He will just laugh. He will just laugh and say that the biggest miracle is producing few enlightened people. If I do that job, I am done. Not these small, small miracles, small, small powers. Patanjali explains all powers beautifully. But he says very clearly, even these things are obstacles, even these things are obstacles.

The other day one guy came to me in Kalpataru. In Bharat, Kalpataru is a program I am supposed to bless or give whatever people ask. So, this guy came and asked me ‘Swamiji I want my past memory to come back’.

I just laughed at him and said ‘Do you know what you are asking?’

He was overenthusiastic. ‘Yes, yes, please bless me. I should have my past memory’.

I asked him ‘What is your age?’

He said ‘Forty five’.

‘Are you able to handle these forty five years of memory?’

He suddenly looked into me and said ‘I am not able to handle. I am already depressed, suffering with these memories. They are haunting me. Many time I remember and think I shouldn’t have done that at that time, I shouldn’t have spoken like that at that time, I shouldn’t have done this at this moment, I should have behaved this way, many moments I remember and repent’.

I told him ‘Just these forty five year old memories, forty five years of memories can put you into depression, what will happen if you have two hundred, three hundred years of memories? You will become mad! Two hundred years or three hundred years of memory comes to your table, what will happen? You will become mad’

Sometimes we ask for things without knowing the after effect, or side effect. Without knowing the aftermath, we ask for things. Patanjali explains beautifully ‘All these things are obstacles’. Whoever comes with whatever problem, my teacher will repeat this one sutra ‘abhyaasa vairaagyaabhyaam tannirodhaha’. If somebody comes with a knee pain, ‘Guruji I have done what you told yesterday, I have knee pain’.

This is one big problem in the initial level with students! ‘This pain, that pain…’ He’ll say, he’ll repeat the same line. Just through the intense constant practice, unclutch. If somebody comes with a little different problem, see in Yoga, problems are of different level. First, if you work with your social behaviour, yama. See, Patanjali beautifully works with you – first, social behavior, yama.

Then niyama, personal discipline; then asana, physical posture; then pranayama, your breathing structure; then pratyahara, the mental structure; then dharana, the emotional structure, visualization structure; dhyana, bringing deep restful awareness to your consciousness, Samadhi, enlightenment.

He beautifully takes you step by step. First when you start, the ethics, the social behavior. That is where he gives instructions like ahimsa, asteya, satya, brahmacharya, all these kind of social etiquettes or social disciplines. He calls it saarvabhoumyavrataaha. Beautiful word! Universal vows, universal truths, saarvabhoumyavrataaha. This ahimsa, asteya, brahmacharya, aparigraha, satya. These five vows...

When you start working with that, you will have difficulties. Naturally you will have difficulties. If you don’t have difficulties, then you are already a Yogi. You don’t need to practice that. Naturally you will have difficulties. First of all, understanding itself there will be lot of difficulties. And then when you start practicing, there will be some difficulties. Even at that point if you go to him, the initial problem, he has one answer: abhaayaasa vairaagyaabhyaam, means constant practice. Nothing else!

I can say the whole spiritual life can be covered in this one sutra. Constant intense practice, nothing else! I can say, if you catch this one sutra, you don’t even have to bother what you are practicing. Understand, I am responsible for what I am talking. If you understand this one sutra, the constant intense practicing, you don’t even have to bother what you are practicing. The intensity is intelligent enough to lead you to the ultimate practice and lead you to the enlightenment. You may be asking ‘What do you mean by this word?’ Even if you take up wrong practices, crude practices, the very intensity, the very sincerity is intelligent enough to lead you to the right teaching, right practice and enlightenment.

See, when Ramakrishna himself started practicing, it was very raw level. He just fell in love with the kaali murthy, that deity, kaali and he started living with it. And if you see the whole story, beautiful story, the deity became alive by his love, by his devotion. When you fall in love with somebody, the other will look really like an angel. It happens in the normal life. But here he fell in love with the deity, the deity became real God. And it became alive.

And not only it became alive, it started leading him to the proper masters, step by step, step by step. All he did is intensity in what he believed. The constant practice in what he is believing. Intensity! Nothing else! If you see the whole story, he falls in love with the deity, and started worshipping intensely, practically lives, lives with her. Before offering the food, he will first eat and see whether the temperature, taste, everything is okay and then put the food in front of deity.

The temple officials were really offended. They said I think this guy should be removed from the temple. It’s disrespect to the deity because as per the agamas, you can’t eat the food. Not only eating the food, you can’t smell the food before it is offered to the deity. And here is a man, he just eats, sees the taste and puts it in front of the deity. He says I am going to do puja only this way. If you tell me to go out of the temple, I am ready, I don’t have a problem. I will go and sit outside and do the same thing.

But somehow the temple officials felt the strength and honesty in his words, in his body language. They allowed him and till the end, he lived like that. His commitment! And after he does the decoration, he will take a small thread and feel whether she is really alive, by keeping it near her nose. He will see whether the thread is moving. And the story says the thread always used to move by her breathing.

Means the power, intensity, nothing else! You don’t need big big philosophy. You don’t need big, big teachings. Just he took up one simple idea. Vivekananda says beautifully, ‘Instead of loading in the whole library into your head, if you take up one truth and live it intensely, you are a great spiritual person. He took up one idea ‘I will connect with Devi through this deity’. He fell in love and the deity became alive.

Not only alive, it started guiding him. If you get a chance to go to Calcutta, don’t miss the temple where he lived. Still the vibrance is there. Let me tell you a story, it really happened. The deity will be holding, in the left hand, the head, a severed head of a demon, rakshasa, which describes the ego. She will be holding, it’s a big piece. The deity is carved in such a way she will be holding a big piece.

And people will being conch bangles and offer it, bangles made out of conch. They will cut the conch and make bangles. If you are from Bengal, you will know what I am talking. They will bring that bangles and offer it to the deity. The all the other four hands you can insert it. There is an abhaya hand and varada hand. You can insert the bangle. This hand she will hold the sword. He will remove the sword and put the bangle.

But this hand, the left below hand, he can’t put the bangle because the she is holding a head. It’s made out of one stone. So, suddenly one day, the bangle was there in her hand.He came out of the temple after putting the bangle and he was doing the puja. The temple officials came and they were shocked. They saw a bangle in her hand, in deity’s hand, conch bangle. Conch bangle is a single piece. You can’t break it. If you break, you can’t paste it. Officials were afraid, if this mad guy broke the moorthy or statue or not, who knows! They were afraid he would have broken the statue and put the bangle inside. And they got completely frightened, confused.

They asked him, ‘how come the bangle is in her hand?’ He said, ‘What is there? I told her to leave the head for few moments. She dropped it. I put the bangle. I gave the head. Again she is holding it. That’s all.

Please understand. They were shocked. They went in and inspected. Please understand it is too much. May be if you are born and brought up with one set of logic, it will be too much for you. But I tell you, I myself have verified that bangle. I have seen the bangle with my own eyes. It has no scratch; it is not broken. It is a complete bangle. If you get a change, you go to the temple next time. Don’t miss to look at that bangle. If you ask the pujaris they will show you.

Neither the deity is scratched, nor the bangle is broken and impossible to insert that bangle without breaking that stone, without breaking that head. It’s there. Still it is there. You can go and see. Still it is there.

And the temple officials went and verified. They did all the check up and they were not able to understand. It is too much. It is too much. Then Ramakrishna said, ‘I just told her to hold. I just told her to drop the head for few moments. I will put the bangle for you. She dropped it and I put the bangle. And I gave her the head back. She is holding. Over!’

See the power of love, the power of intensity, the power of practice! She is standing there and the story goes beautifully. He continues to worship, worship, worship ... One day, an enlightened master, Totapuri… he is a person, he is completely enlightened. He is in nirvikalpa Samadhi, means who has achieved the ultimate super conscious state which is beyond forms. He comes to the temple. The moment he sees Ramakrishna, he says, ‘I think you need to achieve nirvikalpa Samadhi now. I feel I can guide you and help you. Can you take initiation?’

This guy says, ‘Wait, wait. I will go and ask my mother and then come and talk to you.’ He rushes to the temple and comes back after few minutes. Totapuri asks, ‘Have you got permission?’ Ramakrishna says, ‘Yes, my mother told me, ‘Just to teach me only, she brought you here’. Teach me.’

He was surprised. He asked, ‘Where is your mother staying?’ Ramakrishna says, ‘Inside the temple.’ Totapuri asked, ‘Who?’ He says, ‘Kali only. I went and spoke to her only. She told me, just to teach me nirvikalpa Samadhi, you have been brought here.’ Totapuri thought, ‘Alright! Some crazy guy! Leave it. It’s ok.’

And the whole teaching starts happening. The initiation starts happening. When Totapuri initiates him and says, ‘Do pratyahara’, means ‘move your mind from everything else’, Ramakrishna has no problem at all. He just dropped everything. He just dropped everything; just completely centered his mind.

Please understand, that is the ultimate freedom you can experience. Pratyahara is the ultimate freedom you can experience. I have seen different civilizations, which goes on talking, freedom, freedom, freedom… Nothing!

Please understand. People who are in power, they go on talking about freedom giving you the idea you are freedom. Otherwise, no such thing as freedom exists on planet earth. Constantly goats are told by lions that they are in freedom. I am telling you the ultimate truth. Whether it is capitalistic society or socialistic society or communist society, whatever you may call it, whoever is in power he goes on telling the others, you are in freedom, you are in freedom, you are in freedom, you are in the land of freedom, you are in the land of freedom, you are in the land of freedom… All over the world, this is what is happening.

The big problem is the fellow who is in power is also not in freedom. He is bound by the civilians. He has to obey what his followers are saying and followers have to obey what he is saying. It is completely one binding the other.

Pratyahara is the ultimate freedom you can experience. It is such a freedom. It is just a freedom. The other day… may be a year ago, group of my first circle disciples, the people who are with me for the last six-seven years. They all started having discussion that they wanted to give something for her. Six hours they discussed, went on and on and on. Something, we should give to make Swamiji happy, to please him. They were discussing what to give for my birthday, my birthday gift, thirtieth birthday. They went on and on and on for six hours. They went on. They went over everything. Does he like any food? And the person who cooks for me for the last six seven years, she says, ‘He never asked any food second time. I don’t remember him mentioning any food and saying cook that and bring.’

And they went through some object, whether some bed or some cot or some car. And they said, ‘No, nothing, nothing, nothing, no sweet or these, that… ‘ They went on. They discussed, ‘Does Swamiji like somebody amongst us some people? Is any of us are his favorites?’ Nothing! They went on and on and on the discussion for six hours.

See, people who are living outside, if they can’t find out, that is different. But people who are living with me twenty four hours, who see my routine from morning till night, who live around me for years ... Finally they came to me and asked, ‘Swamiji six hours we discussed. We couldn’t find a single thing to make you happy. But you yourself tell something. Only then we can give that to you. Nothing else can be done.’

I told them, ‘This is freedom.’ This is freedom.

Understand! Just imagine! You don’t feel like … See, I am not saying, be sterile or dumb or completely disrespectful to others. No! Not that. But you know suddenly that you are just free. You are just free. When people are there in front of you, you will respond to them completely.

Actually when people are there in front of you, if you respond to them completely, intensely, that moment you will not carry the hangover about them or memory of them inside you. When you are physically with them, you will always have that feeling, ‘Oh, this will be lost in ten minutes. This person will go away today. He may not be with me. She may not be with me.’ You are half-half only in the presence because half of your being is thinking about the absence. Only half of your being is in the presence. So when they are absent, again half of your being wants their presence. It is a tug of war constantly fighting. When you are present with them, you are absent. When they are not present in front of you, you want their presence. It goes on.

Understand, this is the ultimate freedom, pratyahara. It is ultimate freedom which can happen to human beings.

Ramarkishna is completely detached from everything. Even detached word is not a right word. Sorry to use that word. Pratyahara means taking your senses away from the objects. Even detachment has a kind of a one line of violence in it, the hatred in it. But here is there no hatred, neither hatred nor attachment! Normal! It is like as if air moves, breeze moves from one area to other area it is not that the breeze is hating that area. No. It just moves. So just moving from your senses is pratyahara.

Ramakrishna did not have any problem to do pratyahara. Just moved away from the senses... Then Totapuri says, ‘do dharana’, means center your whole energy into your consciousness. Now Ramakrishna has a problem.

Throughout his life, he worshipped Kali, the moment he has integrated his space, his mind, the Kali is there. He is able to take himself away from everything but not from the Kali. The Kali is there. He is able to do pratyahara, everything else is taken away. He is not disturbed. He is not bothered about it. He is a free liberated person. But that dharana, means integrating, centering yourself on your very self. There problem starts.

The Kali murthi is tee. Kali is there in his consciousness. Throughout his life, he revered, worshipped, respected. Just holding Kali only, he left everything. Totapuri says, ‘No. give up that also. Give up that also. Move away from the Kali’s form. Only then you can become enlightened.

Understand! He rushes to the temple. He rushes to the temple again. He is asking Kali, this is the beauty. He is asking Kali, ‘Ma, this nanga; nanga means naked sadhu. Totapuri is from Naga parampara. Naga sanyasis don’t wear clothes. Only when they enter inside city, they are supposed to wear clothes. Paramahamsas… the whole sky is their cloth. They are supposed to wear clothes when they enter a city or civilization to teach or to share some truths.

The place where Ramakrishna was staying, it was a temple garden and there was one place allotted for Nagas. Those Nagas will come and stay there. They will live a naked life, just like child-like life they will lead. And they won’t wear clothes; they won’t eat as we eat as the normal people eat. They may take some little food. They will just burn that food and inhale. Just inhale. That’s all. Nothing much! So they live different kind of a life.

So he goes and asks Kali, ‘This nanga is saying that I should go beyond you.’ Kali smiles and says, ‘Yes, listen to what he says. Listen to what he says.’ She gives the technique, ‘Visualize my sword as your intelligence and cut my form.’

Please understand. If you are intense to any practice, even if it is wrong practice, the practice itself will lead you to the ultimate practice. Here he is intensely connected to Kali. She is guiding him because if you are intensely connected to any practice, your own self appears in the other side and continues to guide. Intensity is essence of everything.

The whole story, so beautiful! When he fell in love with the deity, with an idol, any intelligent man, what will he tell? ‘Eh, sitting with this idol, playing with these deities! What foolish thing! Better he could have been meditating on the whole cosmos, the formless energy.’

See, the people who go on talking about formless god, formless energy, even they will be visualizing some big beach or a sky. Even that is a form. They don’t understand that in a subtle way, even that is a form. I have seen many intellectuals, especially these great vedantis, the great vedantis who are responsible for all the damage. Sorry for the truth but what I said is true. They go on saying that these things are not necessary, the deities are not necessary. You don’t need to connect with the deities and they won’t lead you to enlightenment. They will only lead you to savikalpa Samadhi, means Samadhi with one form. You will be disconnected from all forms but you will be merged with one form. You will not achieve ultimate enlightenment.

Here is a story, proof, even if you are connected to a deity, you can achieve nirvikalpa Samadhi, the ultimate enlightenment. And she says, ‘Go and listen to what he says. Use this sword and cut my form.’ And Ramakrishna gathers courage and visualizes the sword as a knowledge and cuts the form, the Devi and enters into enlightenment, Samadhi.

Understand. When he started, it’s a very crude practice, just sitting in front of a deity, ringing bell whole day. It looks very ordinary but his intensity, his intensity led him to enlightenment. Please understand: what you are doing, you don’t have to bother at all. All you need is: abhyaasa vairaagyabhyaam tatnirodaha.

Abhyaasa and vairagya…

There is one more beautiful story… because again and again my teacher used to talk about this sutra, this sloka, I have so many stories about this sutra.

One guy wanted to have a master, a guru and achieve enlightenment. He went round, round, round, round. He was not able to find any guru or he did not feel connected to any guru. Somehow, he was not able to feel connected. He went on judging, judging, judging.

The big problem is when you start seeking guru you have your own ideas. You take that frame and you try to put with everybody, will that frame fits, will that frame fits, will that frame fits … The big problem is with the original only, the frame will never fit. It will never fit. You will never be able to fit your frame with a living master. It will be just like a liquid, river. Not even river, it will be like a breeze. Even river, you can fix your frame. It will be like a breeze. Nothing will fit.

Many times I have seen intellectuals, these pundits they hear so many things about me. It really happened just a few years before. Those days, my photograph was not very popular. One guy, highly intellectual, may be eighty, eighty years old, well read, he heard about me. He came to the ashram, wanted to meet me. Outside the ashram, there is a big rock. If you have come to the ashram you would have seen, big rock. I was sitting on that rock shaking my legs and nobody was with me. I was just sitting in the evening time alone and playing the stones which are around.

This guy came and asked me, ‘I wanted to meet Swamiji.’ I told him, ‘Go to the meditation hall, he will come in half an hour.’ He went and sat there. And I was feeling too lazy to go and sit and meet. Anyhow, I said, ‘Alright, I have to meet him. He has come from all the way.’ And I went and prepared nicely, had all my vibhuti and kumkum, put on my rudraksha, regular systematic, all that things. I went to the hall; I was about to sit on the throne. I was about to sit in the seat usually where classes are conducted or darshans… I was about to sit.

Suddenly, he got up and said, ‘I wanted to meet big Swamiji.’ Now I am in a trouble and there was nobody around me also. So I very politely said, ‘I am the peethadipati, I am the Swami in this ashram.’ He said, ‘No, no. I want to meet your guruji, big Swamiji who heals, who has healed my cousin.’

Then I told the person who got healed. Actually his cousin got healed. He was in coma and he got healed and became alright. I told that person’s name and I said, ‘You are talking about that person only.’ He said, ‘yes, yes, I am talking about that person only‘. ‘I am the person who healed. Sorry to tell, usually Swamis we don’t carry ID cards.’

Anyhow there was one small book there. I took out that book and showed, see, photograph? Below you see the name is written, Nithyananda. And you heard the name already Nithyananda? He said, Yes Yes. See the photograph? I am the person.

I want you to know the important truth. That fellow did not talk to me. He went away. He said No! He just went away. He can't understand, he can’t think. He can’t relate somebody young can be a swami or can be a master can be a teacher. Very difficult! They have their own frame. They have their own frame. They just try to go and put that frame and see. Especially, a logical mentality, which believes only by, only through senses knowledge can be received.

See, there are different pramanas. First pramana is pratyaksha, what we receive through eyes or listening or through the senses. Second pramana is inference. pratyaksha anumaana, second pramana, what you receive due to anumana, means inference. You yourself try to grind, process, churn and try to cook the things and come out, the inference. The civilisations which believe in these two, pratyaksha and anumana can never imagine the agama, the third part or intelligence, enlightenment or knowledge can happen in a very young age. That’s a very big problem. That’s a big problem.

So, you have your own frame, these guys go and try to put that frame, and when it doesn’t work they say, ‘No no no! We are not able to find gurus, we are not able to find this, we are not able to find that’, they have their own stories. Many people come and tell me, I am a sincere seeker. But I am not able to find a single guru. Please understand, if you are a seeker, Mahaveera beautifully says, ‘The God sends your master, only then puts the fire inside you.’

If you are feeling the fire, be very clear, already your master is here. He's already here. God never puts the fire and then sends the master, No! He sends the master, and then puts the fire. This guy was trying to find a master, he tried but somehow he was not able to. He tried, tried, tried, and tried, for twelve years. Twelve years is too much. Too much! Finally, he is depressed, discouraged completely. He decides, I have decided that God is going to be the only source of inspiration and I'll accept the first person who comes in this road as my Guru and do what he says.

He's very strong in his decision. He sits in the forest road, in one road, and decides, the first person who comes this way will be my Guru. I'll follow his instruction. And unfortunately one thief was running through that road after stealing. And He just now robbed the palace and he is running through that road, trying to escape. This fellow fell at his feet and caught hold of his feet, caught hold of that thief and he said, ‘O My master, bless me. Give me liberation, enlighten me.’

And the thief is like, ‘Arey! I am a thief! Leave me. Don’t you see? Just now I have robbed and the police are chasing me. Leave me.’

And this guy says, ‘No no, you are my master. Teach me something and go.’

This guy says, ‘What is this? What to do?! I am in a big mess.’

This guy says, ‘I don’t have weapon, otherwise I would have killed you. I am a thief. Don’t you understand? Leave me.’

This guy says ‘That and all I don’t know. You are my guru. And you have to teach me.’

Crude! Very raw form! Understand, this guy…this thief says ‘Alright, at least somehow I should escape from this guy, this fellow’. The thief says, ‘O you say, I am your Guru.’

This guy says, ‘Yes you are my master.’

‘Alright, then do what I say. Just sit and close your eyes.’

This fellow sits and closes his eyes. And, the thief says, ‘Till I say, open your eyes, don’t open.’

And this fellow does. The thief escapes, that's all. This fellow goes on sitting, sitting, sitting, sitting, sitting; His intensity. His intensity is such, he just sits. He says, I have chosen somebody as master, what he says, I will do. His intensity…

Story says, please understand, story says, when Shiva saw the intensity, he appeared and blessed him with enlightenment.

Please understand, understand one thing. How the story ends, or how the story goes...that is different. But, I can say, intensity is independently intelligent. I can vouch for this story. Intelligence! See, intelligence means, which can guide you and lead you to ultimate. Intensity itself is independently intelligent to lead you to ultimate in spite of any techniques you practise, not because of any techniques you practise. In spite of any techniques you practise or don’t practise. I am just liberating you from all different techniques. I am liberating you from all confusions related to techniques. It may be little strong, but, I tell you. This is the essence of all spiritual teachings.

There is one more story, the power of intensity. This is not just a story, it is a history. It has happened. Very beautiful story! One guy was born and brought u in a so called low caste. In Bharat, those days, they created a community system for different purpose, and it became a different purpose. See, any civilisation will add some degradation. Anyhow, but the system itself was not created with any bad intention.

But, in course of time, any system, if it is in wrong hands, even if it is right system, even if it is in wrong hands, it will be degraded, it will be disturbed. Sometimes, the wrong hands take over the power and it gets disturbed. Somebody is born and brought up in the low caste; he has become a very intense seeker. And one beautiful thing with Bharatn traditions, when you are a seeker and achieve enlightenment, then caste is no way standing between you and the devotion, the devotees.

You see the sixty three murthis of nayanmars, the Shaiva saints who are there in our temple, more than eighty percent are so called low caste, more than eighty person. They are all respected and worshipped by all the high caste people all over the world. So when it comes to intensity, once you prove you are intense, caste, community, nothing stands. You are worshipped and respected.

This guy starts his seeking and he wants to take initiation from certain teacher, not enlightened master, certain teacher. But the teacher was a little arrogant and is bothered about his community and he says he will not initiate. And this guy goes on thinking, how to take initiation. The teacher lived in Varanasi. One of his friends, the disciple's friend, this guy says, 'See the teacher lives in Varanasi. Early morning, he will come for the Ganga snan, taking bath in Ganga.

So usually, if he misses a step or falls, he will shout 'Ram, Ram'. So you do one thing. You go and lie down in the steps. In the early morning darkness, he may not be able to see you. He will put his leg on you. He may be little stumbled, may be little disturbed. Then he will naturally shout, ‘Ram, Ram’. So take his feet as initiation and take that 'Ram, Ram' word as mantra and start practicing.’

This guy says, 'Right thing. Yes.' I found the method and usually if you are continuously repeating the divine, lord’s name, even if you are stumbled, you will repeat the same name. You will repeat the same word. If you are disturbed, you will repeat the same word. That is what is expected. So this disciple also thought, 'Yes, this guy is highly religious guy, highly spiritual guy. He must be God's name. So when he puts his feet on my head and little imbalanced, he will be little shaken. He will naturally say 'Ram, ram' or some divine name only, whatever he is repeating.

But he did not understand this guy is not a master, he is just an ordinary purohit who does all the rituals for little money and packs a banana and rice. Anyhow, as per the plan, this seeker, this guy goes and lies down on the Ganga steps. He is called Ramadas. His name was Ramadas. He lies down on the steps of Ganga. As expected, the teacher, he comes for morning Ganga snan. He comes with all the ??? , walking with his disciples. The moment he puts the feet, he got shaken, little disturbed. Instead of saying, ‘Rama, Rama,’ this fellow got so angry and annoyed, he shouted, ‘Buffalo’, because that is what was going on constantly in his system. You will express only what is going on in your system.

But this Ramadas is so sincere, intense, he decides, ‘This word is my mantra. That’s all!’ This word is my mantra. He takes that as an initiation, takes that word buffalo as mantra and constantly he sits with so much of intensity, he repeats the word, ‘Buffalo, buffalo, buffalo ...’ Please understand. I want you to understand this whole story. He repeats the mantra. He takes that as a mantra and repeats it intensely and visualizes God as a huge golden buffalo, a huge light.

And he goes on repeating and he achieves siddhi, means he is able to see the divine light in the form of golden buffalo and he achieves siddhi. That year, the temple festival is supposed to happen. He goes for the temple festival. He is standing outside the temple. They are bringing the temple deity outside. The priest is bringing who shouted buffalo. This priest is bringing the temple deity outside the temple. They bring the deity outside the temple. Suddenly the deity is stuck in the gate, the door frame.

See the deity is only three feet; the door frame is six feet. It is not physically stuck anywhere but the deity is not coming outside. They are trying this way, that way. The priest is trying so many ways and this guy Ramadas, he is standing outside the temple and shouting Hey! The deity's horn is hitting the door frame. Just lower it, he will come out. Just lower it. Nobody was able to understand. He is seeing the deity in the form of a buffalo. And its horns are hitting the door frame. That is why the deity is not coming out. And he is saying lower the deity, it will come out. And this priest is shouting, ‘This fool! What are you talking? Keep quiet. You are being arrogant inside the temple. It is too much. Don’t talk!’

So they tried, tried, tried practically the whole day they tried, the deity is not coming out. Then this fellow is unable to withstand the whole thing. This Ramdas rushes towards the deity, He forces himself and says ‘See, I can see the horn hitting the door frame’. And he is having the pain and he just pushes the deity down and the deity comes out. Please understand the strength of bhakti, the strength of intensity, the power, the strength beyond the matter, beyond the material.

And still now, every year... this happened in Annapurni temple in Varanasi, still now, when they bring the deity, they will have in the side with a golden sheet, the buffalo's figure they call it Ramadas Annapurni, Annapurni of the Ramdas. Still in memory of Ramdas, the great saint is there in the form of buffalo, that also will be worshipped as a deity. See the power. And the story says, later on he became enlightened, lived in Varanasi and left the body.

Understand, the power and intensity, nothing else. You don’t have to bother about what technique you are following, who is your master, who is your teacher, whether he is enlightened, who gave certificate for him... Nothing is needed. All you need is this one thing, abhyaasa vairaagyaabhyaam tannirodhaha, the intense constant practice. If you see these sixty three shaiva saints' life, the nayanmars, you will see all their murthis in our temple. I think we have their biographies, simple biographies. In the form of books it is available. If you find time, just go through.

It’s not that they have done some great tapas, meditating eight hours per day, doing this pranayama, doing that Hatha yoga, this Hatha yoga, so many.. they have not done all these things,. If you see some of them, simple people! All they did was just plucking flower form garden, making garland and putting it on the deity. That’s all! Nothing else! But, intensity. Just intensity! Nothing else! Just simple practice!

One guy is a criminal actually. All he does, if somebody talks against Shiva, or Shiva's ***, he will cut the thumb. That’s all. Of course, I am not saying you do that. What I wanted to say, that intensity, just the intensity, nothing else. The abhyasa and vairagya, intense practice. Everything else will fall in place. What happened in Ramakrishna's life, just intensity.. abhyasa and vairagya. Somebody asks Vivekananda. Vivekananda is a great intellectual. They asked him, Do you accept idol worship? Your worship goes on worshipping idols. Sometimes, it becomes too much.

In the British time, when they created the highways, first earlier, originally, the British people had started painting all the highways with the yellow paint. A big problem, every village they started worshipping and building temple around that stone. See, any stone with yellow turmeric powder is a deity for us. No, that’s our lifestyle. Any stone with yellow turmeric powder is a deity. That British had to change the colour. They had to change it into green. And even now, I know at least one hundred temples built on milestones.

Because it will look almost like Shiva Linga. And we have such wonderful people. Anything is worthy of worship for us. Anything is worthy of worship. See, the whole civilisation is built on surrender. Sometimes, when people tell me it is a weakness, I don’t feel it is a weakness. Even though logically, I don’t have justifications or reasons to justify this foolish fellows' logic, the whole civilisation… See the amount of surrender, feeling connection, and the worship and the respect. See, even a simple stone is enough for them to remember about the divine, to remember about the God, feel connected to nature.

They questioned, ‘What do you say about this kind of idol worship?’

Vivekananda says beautifully ‘I know a great Paramahamsa like Ramakrishna is produced just by idol worship. If people like Ramakrishna can be produced, not one, have two hundred idols, have thousands of idols’.

And, the actual truth you need to understand is we don’t worship idols, we worship through the idols. Understand, we don't say, ‘O stone, give me boon. O stone, please bless me that I should get healed. O metal, five metal, you look so pretty, give me my wealth.’ You don't ask that. You say, ‘O Shiva! Heal me. O Vishnu, give me enlightenment.’ We relate, we worship through the idol, not the idol. Understand, when you see the deity, idol is not remembered. If you remember the idol, the deity is not remembered.

There is a beautiful, very beautiful verse in Tamil, there is a great book called Thirumandiram. One saint, Thirumoolar, His statue is also there in our temple. In the sixty three, there is one statue, palm leaf in the hand and blessing posture. He is called Thirumoolar.He says beautifully,"

Maratthai maraindadu maamarai aanai, maratthil maraindadu maamarai aanai. paratthai maraindadu paarmudhalbotham, parathil maraindadu paarmudhalbootham.

I'll translate, even though it is very difficult to translate. In case, you see a stone elephant, if you see it as an elephant, you will not see the material. If you see it as a material, you can’t see it as a elephant. An artist will see it as an elephant, but will not see it as a material. If there is a wooden elephant, the elephant carved out of wood. A person who is involved with the wood business, he will say, ‘O wonderful wood, sandalwood! High cost, this must be the cost of the wood’. He is talking about the wood. He can never see the elephant.

If an artist sees it, he will say ‘O Beautiful sculpture, beautiful carving, sculpture, amazing!’ He will not see the wood. So, the moment you see the wood, you will not see the elephant, the moment you see the elephant, you will not see the wood. It cannot happen in the same moment. It can happen only in the next few moments. Even if you see wood, elephant, elephant wood, one moment you can see it only as elephant. Only next moment you can see it as wood. The next moment you can see it as elephant.

So, he says, the next moment when you se it as elephant, you will not see it as wood. When you see it as wood, you will not see it as elephant. Same way, when you see this as God, you will not see it as world. When you see it as world, you will not see it as God.

Maratthai maraidadhu maamadai aanai, marathil maraindadu maamadai aanai Paratthai maraindadu paarmudhalbhoodam, parathil maraindadu paarmudhalbhootam.

If you see this whole cosmos as a world, giving you fear and greed, you can’t see this as a God. If you see this whole thing as a God, you can't see this as a world. There won't be any fear and greed. That’s the whole thing happened in Ramakrishna's life. Just an ordinary deity, statue. He started seeing it as God. He was never able to se it as a stone or a statue and it might have started in a very raw level, but slowly, slowly, slowly, just because of His very intensity, the whole thing became alive and led him to ultimate enlightenment, removing all the obstacles, guiding itself.

He says, when He goes and talks to the Devi, She says, just to teach you the nirvikalpa samaadhi, jeevanta samadhi, I brought him here, Go and learn. Then, He comes back and says, ‘He is telling me to drop you, He is telling me to kill you, destroy you’. She says, ‘Yes. Do it!’

Please understand. Anything when you do intensely...People come and ask me, If I worship the deity, if I connect with the form of a God, how will I achieve nirvikalpa samaadhi? As if this guy is going to achieve nirvikalpa samaadhi tomorrow! There is so much of junk inside, and how many thousands of janmas he is going to take to get out of that junk, nobody knows.

And these guys brag about as if everything is stopped, only this deity is obstacle, No that's a big problem. That is a big problem, with these Vedanthis or the intellectuals. In Bharat villages, I always tell this one example, In Bharatn villages, they burn the dead bodies, they use a big stick, big bamboo to burn the body. Once the whole body is burnt, they will throw that stick also in that same fire and that also will be burnt. Same way use Master's form or the God' form to burn the attachment with all other forms. When attachment with all other forms is burned, this form is intelligent enough to disappear by itself or guide you to beyond the formlessness.

The Master's form or the God's form is intelligent enough to lead you to beyond all the forms and lead you to beyond all the forms and lead you to very form itself.

So, Kali says, ‘Go beyond my form, cut the form. And I can say, that is the moment of ultimate gratitude, ultimate gratitude. He has liberated you from everything and liberates you from Himself also; from Himself also. Then, suddenly you will see, His form will not be there in your inner space also. But you know he's there. He's there. He's there, intensely present, intensely present.

As long as you feel connected to the form, sometimes you will see he is present, sometimes you will see he is absent. And you struggle to feel connected, maintain that feeling connection continuously. You'll struggle to feel the connection continuously. When you are able to feel connected to him, beyond his form, you are liberated even from that form. You will see suddenly, his presence is there intensely, continuously and guiding you radiating.

Actually, this form and formlessness, the whole problem can be solved with this one sutra. This is one of the biggest trouble! I can say one of the biggest problems happened in Bharat. This dvaitha advaitha fight, unimaginable fight! I can say that is one of the biggest problem and responsibility and reason for all our problems which happened in Bharat, at least in South Bharat. This dvaitha and advaitha; Shankara and Ramanuja philosophies. And they go on and on and on and on…. fight, fight, fight and fight.

And these advaithies, if the listen to any Vaishnava keertans, they just ring the bell in their ears and clean their ears. And these dvaithis, if they see somebody with vibhuti or if they see some Shiva temple, they go and take bath and clean themselves. This goes on. Of course, fortunately, not now. Sometime this fanaticism happens, this happens.

In one book shop, there was one book shop where the Brahmasutra Shankara Bhashya and Ramanuja Bhashya both were displayed. I can say these two books created lot of good things and lot of fight.

One guy came and asked. One volunteer was standing. 'What is the difefrence between Shankara Bhashya and Ramanuja Bhashya?'

That volunteer said, 'forty five Rupees'.

Understand, that is the difference. That is the difference. With intensity, both can lead you to enlightenment. Without intensity, nothing can be done. With intensity, what we practice is not at all a problem. All you need is intensity. There is a beautiful story of a master called Sakhyanaayana. Of the sixty three, he was one Nayanmar. He was forced and converted into Buddhism in the young age. That time, in South Bharat, lot of Buddhist monastries were there.

He was forced and converted as Buddhist. But, somehow, he felt strongly connected to Shiva. But, He can’t worship Shiva. What to do? He has kept one Shiva linga in the corner in the monastry. Everyday morning, he will come and throw a stone. Visualising that stone as a flower, he will throw a stone. If somebody sees and asks ‘Eh! What are you doing?’ He will say, ‘No I am only throwing a stone. We should not worship these deities. We should worship only Buddha. That’s why I am throwing stone’.

And the story says, just by throwing stones, Shiva gave him darshan and gave him enlightenment. He became enlightened. Just Intensity. What you do is secondary. How you do is the first thing. Intensity and constant practising. I tell you: With intensity and constant practicing, you will be guided to the right master, right teaching, right technique and right enlightenment experience.

That’s what happened in Ramakrishna's life. He was sitting in one place and She took care that enlightened master comes to his place, and teaches him and leads him to enlightenment. And Totapuri says, 'After Ramakrishna became enlightened, I can never imagine. Because he himself was a great intellectual pundit. He says,’ I can never imagine, somebody who was worshipping the deities, and I am pulled and shared this enlightenment, without my knowledge, and became enlightened. He says, with your enlightenment, not only you became enlightened, you taught me a big lesson. You taught me a big lesson.

Many times, we forget the power of intensity. Abhyasa and vairagya. I can say, whatever may be the obstacle you are facing in your spiritual life, in your spiritual journey, all you need is this one truth: Abhyasa Vairagya, intense constant practice, that's all. If you see the great saints lives. It’s not that they have done something big big. No! What you do is not the great thing. How you do! The intensity! Understand, when I asked my teacher about this one question, see, actually, he will make me do all kinds of things. He will ask me to climb the temple pillar. The temple where he was teaching yoga, he will ask me to climb the pillar holding one hand. I will go up and down, up and down, up and down, when I was very young. When I started studying these books, suddenly I discovered, there is not sutra which says, climbing the pillar is Yoga. And he will torture me, asking me to climb the pillar up and down, up and down, up and down.

Of course, that helped me in one way. When ever I don't want to go to school, I will climb the tree and sit on the tree. See, in villages, the big problem is, very small village, they will send the watchman to every house and bring the kids. You can’t escape. But, this watch man is a very old guy, he can’t climb the tree, I will climb and sit on the tree. He will never be able to take me to school. And this guy will… my teacher will make me climb that pillar up and down, up and down, up and down.

When I read the book, it doesn't say it is Yoga. I asked him, what do you mean, by making me climb this pillar up and down everyday, no where I see this as Yoga. He made me understand, He gave me an important click. I can say it is a very strong click.

He says, ‘With a strong intensity, any movement done brings health’.

Understand, I can say, this is the basic sutra, a strong click. With a strong intensity, any movement done is Yoga, I can say, this is the basis of our Nithya Yoga. Whatever Yoga I am teaching, this is the basic sutra of the Nithya Yoga. It is not adding more movements to your life, it is adding life to your movements. Intensity, with intensity, any movement done is Yoga.

Without intensity, even you do so called Yoga, asanas, it will be more or less like an exercise. It may create an effect of an exercise. With intensity, any movement done, leads you to Yoga. He says beautifully, with intensity and intention, any movement you do, it becomes part of your bio-memory. It becomes part of your prarabdha. Prarabdha is the energy which creates your body everyday out of hiranya garbha.

Please understand, hiranya garbha is there space where you rest every night. Every night, you fall asleep into hiranya garbha. It is the darkness which you experience in the deep sleep. The darkness which you experience in the deep sleep, is the hiranya garbha space, womb of the cosmos. When you come out, he has described very beautifully, he says, everyday morning, with what kind of thought you come out of your hiranya garbha.

You see, hiranya garbha is the place almost all memories are available. If you want to become a football champion, whatever is needed, health, intelligence will be available. If you want to become a cricket player, all things are available. If you want o play golf and become a champion, all the things are available. If you want to become a rich man, all those memories are available.

Hiranya garbha is the place, the cosmic archives. Actually, almost…not almost, all memories, all intelligence, everything is available in the cosmic archive, in the hiranya garbha. When you take your body, which thought inspires you to take your body, that kind of karma, engraved memories you bring out of hiranya garbha. If you think I should get up to go for my job, then you bring what you need to do for that job. That kind of memories you bring it out and you come out.

Everyday early morning what you think, that kind of memory only will be inserted, downloaded, inside system to lead your life. That is why, the morning first thought is given so much of importance in our tradition. The moment you get up, you are expected to bring some divine energies, divine mantras, divine chants and divine feelings into your being, so that you bring that kind of prarabdha. See, every night is your death; every morning is your birth.

I can say the long sleep is death, short death is sleep. Short death is sleep, long sleep is a death. So, every morning when you get up, all the prarabdha is available for you. You can do anything, you can exchange. You may ask, it is too much, looks like a too big thing.

It is! Please understand, because of your continuous habit, you bring the same set of samskaras. If you decide to change from today, you can change. From today, if you decide to change, everyday morning, first thought, if you strongly create some new thought, you want to be a different person, you will suddenly see, that kind of memory, that kind of prarabdha, that kind of energy, that kind of samskaras, you will start expressing, you will start radiating, you will start living.

And he says...of course, this is true. I have myself experienced this truth in my own life. Early morning, when you get up, if you decide I want to play golf, if you have a strong thought, I want to play football. I want to play cricket. You will see, you will bring that kind of body set up, that kind of prarabdha. That prarabdha designs your body. That prarabdha designs your body. He says, any thought which you strongly intensely put inside becomes your bio memory and you fall will asleep with that. Next day morning when you get up, that kind of prarabdha you will pick up and come out and live. Try, if you want to try, try this.

Ramanujam, the great mathematician, He says, early morning, when I get up, I have all he answers to all the problems; all the answers for all the problems. Paramahamsa Yogananda talks about this. He beautifully describes how to use the power of dream or how to use the hiranya garbha. Every night sleep, if you intensely think anything, any of your action, anything you may be doing, just you fill that thought, that thought will become your prarabdha and any movement you do for that will become yoga.

Understand: Anything you do with intensity becomes yoga and brings health. When I understood this sutra, when I understood if I can carry the intensity that I should be healthy, then all my movements, all my movements can become Yoga, can become Yoga. So, beautifully, Patanjali describes in this one sutra all you need is abhyasa vairagyaha. In the next sutras, he defines more deeply abhyasa in one sutra and vairagya in one sutra.

With intensity, whatever you do is Yoga. And all the obstructions are removed, whether you are practising karma Yoga, gnana Yoga, bhakti Yoga or whatever Yoga may be, whatever yoga you may be practising, all you need is intensity, all you need is intensity. I can say that is the connecting thread. Otherwise, just see our Vedic tradition, our Hindu tradition. Just some master says do this, the other master will be waiting to say don't do it.

Actually, the difference between two traditions of Hinduism is a lot more than difference between two religions. At least in some point, two religions may agree. But the difference between two traditions of Hinduism; forget about two traditions, two masters are enough. There is one Sanskrit saying, proverb: If two masters say the same thing, please be clear some one is fake.

Then how come, each one is saying something, but everybody is able too lead you to enlightenment? How come?

Start thinking. Start questioning. It is because of this intensity. It is because of this intensity. I can say this intensity is the ultimate sutra, ultimate truth... Abhyasa vairaagyam.. This is the ultimate sutra for the whole Yoga. Whether you have problems with niyama, social etiquette, social discipline or problems with niyama, personal discipline or problems with asanas, the physical postures, or problems with pranayama, the breathing practices or dificulties in pratyahara, the mental set up or difficulties in dharana, the emotional balancing or difficulties in dhyana, the restful awareness in your inner space or difficulty in samadhi, the enlightenment itself, the one and only solution, ulltimate key, the one and only solution is this one sutra.. abhyasa vairagyabhyam tannirodhaha.

aghyasa vairagyabham tannirodhaha, relaxing from these patterns through constant and intensive practise of unclutching.

Patanjali has explained in the last few sutras about the five different modifications of the mind, pramaana, the right knowledge, viparyaya, the wrong knowledge, vikalpa, imagination and nidra, sleep, smruti, memory. The five modifications of the mind Patanjali has explained. Now, He is saying, by constant intense practice if you unclutch from this five modifications, you will become enlightened. I can say, the five modifications are responsible for all your problems. So where ever you are stuck, one a\\master key, one master solution is this one key, intensity. I can say intensity by itself is independently intelligent to lead you to ultimate enlightenment without any technique, without any support, without anything from the outer world. It is self sufficient, a self sufficient tool for the ultimate experience, kevala gnana, kaivalya gnana, living enlightenment.

So, internalise this one truth, understand this one truth, try, try to experiment with this one truth. May be early morning when you get up, be intense about some one idea. Try for ten days. Just be intense about that one idea. Suddenly you will see, the things related to that one idea will start happening in your life. The things related to that idea, the ideas related to that one truth will start coming towards your life, people related to that one idea will start coming towards your life.

Situations related to that idea will start coming towards to your life. You will start attracting all the things to live that idea in your life.. materials, situations, body strength, body structure, even your body structure will change according to that idea, as per that idea. Experiment with this truth, you will see power of intensity. You will see power of intensity. Any one idea you pick up and intensely internalise that one idea by constant remembering. When you fall asleep, be filled with that idea. When you wake up early morning, be filled with that idea. You will see, in ten days, your mind gets tuned to that idea, your thinking gets tuned to that idea. You will attract that kind of people, situations everything around you.

You can see in your life. Only if you are hungry, you will see the McDonalds tower. Suddenly, if you start seeking, you will start seeing your house is filled with yoga journals, yoga videos…you go through this kind of websites, all these things start happening. It feels like a new door has opened. When you feel connected, suddenly, the whole thing becomes your body itself. Not only mind, even your body will be in tune for that one idea, new idea.

So, internalise this one truth, abhyasa vairagyabhyam tannirodhaha. Relaxing from these patterns through constant and intensive practice of unclutching. So, internalise this one truth, the intensity. Again and again and again, standing up. In the abhyasa, the next sutra, beautifully Patanjali explains. He goes one step further, explaining about abhyasa. Explaining about what is abhyasa. He gives a deeper description on abhyasa. Just this one idea we will internalise this one idea we will internalise today. I don’t want to add more ideas.

If I add more ideas, sometimes you miss the essence. We miss the essence. No, really, I have seen. That’s the reason I always work with one idea, one idea, again and again and again and again; it should be told so that it will be completely filled in your being and you are internalising this one truth. Otherwise we miss the truth. We are waiting to miss the truth. That’s the big problem. We are waiting to miss the truth.

One guy, he goes to listen Harischandra's story. You might have heard of Harishchandra's story. He lives for truth. Even when he needs to sell his wife, he sells and keeps up his words. This guy listens to the whole story and at the end of the program, the preacher asks, ‘What did you learn from this story?’

One guy says, ‘I have to stand for the truth. That is the ultimate thing in the life’.

He asks another one guy, ‘What did you learn from the story?’

He says, ‘For emergency, you can sell your wife!’

We miss the truth many times, So, I don’t want to add too many ideas.

I have one more story for you. I will read it out. It’s a joke I picked up from a book. A guy who is already very intoxicated enters a very busy bar and says to he bartender, ‘Give me a beer. Give everyone in the place a beer and have one yourself’.

The bartender smiles and proceeds to serve everyone a beer, including himself. He walks over to the benefactor and toasts him and asks for his money.

‘Hmmm’ This guy replies.

‘I ran out of money four bars ago’ the drunk responds.

At this, the bartender waltz over the bar and grabs the drunk by both his hands and collar and with one fluid motion, he delivers him quickly to the alley behind the bar. The drunk pulls himself together and shuffles back through the bar's front door. He pulls himself back on a stool and says to the bartender, ‘Give me a beer, and give everyone else a beer, and none for you. You are mean when you are drunk.’

I don’t want you to practice this intensity. Sometimes we miss the truth if too many things are added. So I leave you with this one truth. Intensity is independently intelligent to lead you to ultimate enlightenment without any aid, help or technique or practice or anything from the outer world…anything from the outer world. In some of the electronic objects in this country I have seen a statement: This object is supposed to take up any interference, and difference, any disturbances that comes from any objects and any mishandling.

Same way, intensity is such, it is independently intelligent and powerful enough to lead you to enlightenment. Even if you mishandle with some wrong techniques or wrong things, it is intelligent enough to lead you to the ultimate. So, I bless you all to experience that strong intensity in your life and achieve radiate the living enlightenment, Jeevan Mukti. Let you all achieve and experience the eternal bliss, Nithyananda. Thank you.