“The other day, I was reading an article, there are different masters…”

The other day, I was reading an article, there are different masters who touch different levels of human beings. Somebody touches only the emotional balancing, means they give life solutions. People try to practice. Some people touch just the physical dimension. There are some masters who touch the mental level. There are some masters who touch the conscious growth. But Patanjali is a master who touches you in all levels. Physical, mental, spiritual and social. Greatest master who is founder of all the yoga systems. I can say he is unique because he’s the first master who made enlightenment as a science, who brought life and logic to the whole spiritual world. Till Patanjali, enlightenment was more or less like an accident. You should be continuously doing something, suddenly it may happen, but with Patanjali, he made the whole thing a system. Enlightenment or Atman Gnana is not an accident. He makes the whole thing as a system and step by step, he guides us. Beautiful eight steps which he calls Ashtanga Yoga. He guides seekers. His words are universal. When he starts talking about his teachings, he uses a beautiful word sarva b________ means the universal truths, universal vows. So what he talks universally applicable to all human beings.

Today I’m going to speak on 16th sutra. He beautifully describes what is yoga and how to achieve that state of yoga step by step. First thing I want all of you to know, yoga is not just physical posture. It has more sanctity to it. It is something beyond body. It helps you to have health and mental well being. But it is not just replacing your ____ and medicine. We have idea yoga is just for health, physical health, no. Yoga can give physical health as side effect of yoga. Yoga by itself is more sacred. It has its own sanctity. Patanjali exactly describes this yoga and leads us to that yoga state, that yogi state, by different sutras, by different verses. In these verses which I’m going to speak now, he’s talking about Viragya. It’s a very beautiful word, viragya. I can say the ideas which Patanjali’s sharing with us now with this sutra viragya, this is the Vedic solution for this economy crisis. He is giving us Vedic solution. If this one word is understood, this one concept, this viragya is understood properly, we will not have the problems of extreme materialism and the problems created by the extreme materialism.

And many problems created inside us by these so called spiritual ideas, this understanding of this word viragya, is necessary for the people who live in the world and people who work towards the spiritual enlightenment. In both levels, we need to understand this word, a very powerful word. I can say most misunderstood idea in the spiritual world is viragya. And this word is translated into English always as detachment, no. It’s not detachment. In Sanskrit we have three words, raga, means attachment, araga means detachment, viragya means beyond attachment and detachment. So the word viragya has to be translated as beyond attachment and detachment. It’s like a transcending. The word viragya has to be translated as transcending the attachment, not detachment. This one confusion, this one word has created too much of confusion in the spiritual world because it is not understood properly. The concept was never practiced. The moment you use the word detachment people are afraid. They don’t want to listen to what you are talking. They don’t want to listen to what you are talking.

I have seen the very word detachment or renunciation is enough. Either they get up and walk or mentally they are shut. If they don’t have that much of confidence, that much of courage to get up and walk, they have some other work. They sit but mentally they are closed. Patanjali gives us universal solution. Understanding of this one word can create cognitive shift in us. The way in which we observe things, the way in which we think, the way in which we express our understandings in our life as action. It’s a very powerful sutra . He is describing about viragya in two sutras, 15th sutra and 16th sutra.

Now let’s enter into today’s sutra, the 16th sutra. If any of you wanted to know about the last sutra, whatever I have spoken on 15th sutra, it’s available in Youtube. If you find time, please go through; it will really help your understanding about the earlier sutras. Now I’ll enter into 16th sutra, the today’s sutra.

I’ll read the sutra then give you the translation then we’ll enter into a commentary.

__tatvairam purushat

Guna vibrashinya

Let me repeat the sutra again.

______________

There are many translations. The beauty of Sanskrit language is each word, if you break, will give you different different meanings. The sutra karas, the acharyas who write sutras, they play with Sanskrit. If you read as one line, it gives you one meaning. If you break it as words, it gives you different meaning. If you study word by word, it gives you different meaning. All meanings are what they mean. That’s the beauty of Sanskrit. All meanings are what they mean. They have kept all the secret keys, the spiritual keys in these sutras. So whoever reads, whoever listens, whoever internalizes, they understand as according to their maturity. The initial level seeker, if he opens up this book, he will have inspiration to work on this sutra. A seeker who was working on these ideas for a few years, if he opens and rereads, he will have inspiration to go to the next level. A seeker who’s almost done with everything, who is in the verge of enlightenment, if he reads, he will have that last push, that final jump. You can understand this sutra in many ways.

I’ll try to give the translations, two or three translations and try to share what I need to share about this sutra from my own understanding and from my own experience. The translation of this sutra is from Swami Vivekananda and I have 12 sutras, 12 translations. Maybe I’ll read two samples so that you can understand the same sutra, how it can be viewed by different __ areas in different ways. Vivekananda’s translation, tat param purusant viad, this is the sutra Vivekananda translates as that it is extreme nonattachment which gives up even the thirst for the gunas. The guna word has no English word. You cannot translate the word guna as correct. Guna means the moods which you carry. Sometime suddenly you will see for no reason you are in low mood. Sometime for no reason, you are in a restless mood irritated, agitated, sometime for no reason you are in that restful awareness mood. These are the 3 major gunas. We live with that dullness, or depression, we call in Sanskrit tamas, innertness, agitated, irritated, restless, we call that as rajas, rajo guna, restful awareness, very peaceful and completely aware of what is happening inside and outside. This we call it as satva guna. Swami Vivekananda says when he translated these sutras that is extreme non attrachment which gives up even the thirst for gunas, Even the thirst for these moods and which comes from the knowledge of the real nature of purusha. He says even the test for these three gunas should be renounced which can happen only when you understand the supreme self.

This is the Vivekananda’s translation. Here I’ll read gnaneswara’s translation, gnaeswara’s indifference to the subtlest elements constituent principles or qualities themselves achieved through a knowledge of nature of pure consciousness is called supreme nonattachment. You can see how two different masters view these sutras from different levels.

I’ll try to give my translation how I am translating. And try to add whatever I want to add.

Many Sanskrit words, the moment you try to translate with one English word, you will reduce the quality and the depth of that word. So I’m using 4-5 words to translate every single word. Withdrawing from desires through the conscious visualization of one’s inner space is the higher state of awareness. Tatvaram pruusah ___ shinya…

Now let’s enter into the subject today’s subject what Patanjali wanted to convey through this sutra. Understanding of this one sutra can completely change the way in which we look at the world, the way in which we experience the world, the way in which we feel our life. The whole thing can be transformed just by this one sloka. The last sutra Patanjali spoke about the renunciation of the outer world things. In this sloka, Patanjali speaks about the Viragya related to the inner world. I can say the Viragya related to the inner world is more important, need to be understood than the Viragya related to the outer world. As I was explaining the word Viragya, it is neither attachment nor detachment; beyond attachment and detachment. If I have to give you one example, see at the age of 5, you are playing with toys, cars, bus, so many different toys, and now at the age of 40-50, you are not detached from the toys. You have transcended attachment with the toys. You don’t say, oh you don’t know how difficult it is to renounce these toys. It’s not that you have hangover. It’s not that you are constantly thinking about it and force you to renounce, no. You just transcend it and you don’t need it. You are just beyond. This is what I call Viragya. Just elevating your consciousness to that level where you don’t feel all those things are attached to your being or you are detached from it.

***Please understand this idea needs to be understood very deeper way from all the __ I have seen people, in Bharat, I lived 9 years by walking, visiting different spiritual places and temples, and staying there, because of my travel I have seen different swamis, saddhus, viragies people who renounce. When you understand the word, literally that word renunciation or viragya in your own way, that can lead to too many complications I have seen these people they will leave their house wealth everything and escape go to Hardiwar or Rishikesh somewhere they will sit outside some temple for their food begging and eating but slowly they will get attached to a place they are sitting and they will not allow anybody else to sit in that place. I have seen, means the understanding about Viragya did not happen properly. One more thing, the moment they read this kind of __ ideas see usually people are attached to outer world the materialistic thing, I want this, I want this, suddenly somewhere, if they read or listen this material things only gives too much of problem, then immediately they start choosing poverty please understand choosing is suffering, not what you choose, choosing is suffering if you choose wealth or choose poverty, choice is suffering, the ultimate law is choiceless is bliss choice is suffering even if you choose poverty continuously you will be forcing yourself to live in that. I have seen some of these so called the social leaders who try to live in poverty these guys will put up all shows that I’ll travel only in the third class compartment I’ll only live like this like that, they put up a show I have seen the big problem is these guys to maintain their poverty society has to spend so much money on them no really these guys they will not travel in the first class compartment, they will travel only in the third class. Because he is a big guy the moment he wants to go into the third class compartment, the whole compartment has to be cleaned and reorganized and arranged equal to the first class better if he goes in the first class taking one ticket less money for the RR dept less exp for the RR dept I have seen one swami who will drink only milk, the big problem is that whole his whole _ including the cow has to go with him. I think it is much better if you drink somewhere here and there sometime for poverty too much money is spent if you choose poverty, indirectly you choose many suffering understand here when Pat uses the word Viragya, neither choosing wealth nor choosing poverty, bringing a deep understanding about yourself please understanding if you come to the understanding of choicelessness suddenly you see you radiate so much of energy, so much of awareness, continuously you will be attaracting wealth towards you but you will not be bound by it at all please understand it is from my own exp I tell you I am working with mills of disciples around the world so whatever truth I express and they try to experiment and experience in their life from my experience with them I wanted to you to understand an imp fact when you choose the choicelessness, when you are in choicelssness, suddenly the suffering anxiety, fear, insecurity everything disappears. When that disappears, your energy will be always in a high mood, naturally you will be creative, you will be expressing you will attract wealth around you apart from that you will be in that peaceful restful awareness.

In the last sutra, 15th sutra, Patanjali talks about the Viragya related to the outer world, the few ideas which I express now, now he is taking us to the deeper level deeper level of truths. Each sutra Pat can create a religion. Each sutra for Pat can create a religion . Please understand many people come to me and ask Swamiji, why do we have so many different gods, so many different paths, so many different masters, so many different techniques? I tell them please understand we have so much of inner world freedom, I ask them, see the west so much of outer world choices you have whether \>\>\> car or way of houses or luxury, all the comforts of the outer world, you have so much choice because they have ir freedom in the outer world they went on exploring, they went on developing, dev, dev doing so much of research & development in the outer world, so when so much development in the outer world you have variety Same way in the east, we had so much of freedom in the inner world and so much of R & E happened in the inner world, because so much of R\&D happen in the inner world, we have variety one more thing each tradition of Hinduism is independenttly intelligent to lead you to enlightenment each master is self sufficient. That is why I call our Hindu tradition as group of religions they are actually group of religions each tradition is independently intelligent it can lead you to ultimate enlightenment each master is independently intelligent who can lead you to enlightenment each technique is independently intelligent from scratch to ultimate it can lead you. Each sutra of Patanjali is independently intelligent. It can lead you to enlightenment. Each sutra of Patanjali can create a religion. These sutra Vigrashinya, that is the key word, I want you to understand that one word, Punavadrashinya, free from the qualities, how we are caught in the qualities, how we can liberate yourself from the qualities, if we just look a little deep, all of our attachment or suffering is caused not just by the objects, the quality of mood which we experience through the object please understand you want some objects again and again in your life, if you believe some kind of mood is created by that object which is good for you. If you believe that particular object creates a mood which you don’t like which you don’t want, you want to move away from that object. For example we want money not just for the sake of money see money expands your freedom for example without money you have only one choice you can lie down on your couch and worry, with money you have choice of suffering, now you have more choice, you can lie down in Hawaii beach and worry or you can lie down in Miami beach and worry or you can lie down in Bharat, ___ and worry, you have choice, that is the reason we go behind money see anything whether it is object or a person, the mood which they create in you based on that you decide whether you want to be around that or away from that, so ultimately everything boils down to the guna to the quality which you experience in that. Pat is such a great master, all the complications difficulties disorders a modern man is going to go through he has predicted 5,000 years ago and gave solution. Sometimes its surprising how could he predict what we are going to go through in the so called developed civilization see all the modern day problems he is giving us solution in this one sutra. 3 things need to be understand first thing, the object object or a person, money, your home, or car, bank balance, or son father mother object or person anything which is in the outer world second thing, the experience which you go through because of that because of that if you are around object or person which creates joy in you that emotion that quality which you experience in your inner space that is second thing, third thing the connection between these two all these 3 needs to be understood first the object second the experience, third the connection between the experience and the object, the connection between these two. In Vedanta we have a word called thriputi, means experienced the object experiencer the subject, experience, what goes between these two. For example, the sweet first that sweet may create joy in you, so the experiencer experiencer, experiences the joy. After some time, maybe after 4-5 sweet, the same sweet may create different experience in the same experiencer. Please understand the object is also same, the person who is experiencing also same, but the experience itself will be different. Experience itself will be suddenly different. All we need to understand is the experience and the experience are independent. They cannot be logically connected. You can see in your life the same person when you are in love how you feel connected how you always want to spend time around that person, suddenly when the love disappears, the whole thing is topsy turvy, the whole thing is different now you just want to escape from that person same person and same the person who is experiencing is same the person who gives experience is same but suddenly the experience becomes different please understand that is what Pat is trying to express here all these 3 cannot be dependent all the 3 are constantly changing but you go on believing all these 3 are stagnant all these 3 are eternal all these 3 are permanent pl understand the very root the very root idea with which we are functioning and the very reality the gap between these two is responsible for all our sufferings that is responsible for all our sufferings in the outer world or in the spiritual practice. I can say this sutra is understood many seekers if you are a seeker and having a lot of diff in your spiritual practice everything can be cleaned wherever I go whenever I meet seekers this one questions always asked faqs this is frequently asked questions. Swamiji, how can I balance between my material and spiritual practice how can I balance between this life and this life there is no such thing as two life understand there is no such thing as two life because we have this foolish idea that there is two life we always think especially Bharatn they thing sp is when you become old no really. I have seen in my programs, youngster they say Oh meditation I can do it in the old age, leave it it’s okay, and old people they say all these things should have been done in the young age itself now it is too late. This one understanding can solve the whole problem completely. Here and now it can solve the problem any problem with this one understanding you can solve it you can sort it out. One story,

I have a few jokes and stories for you which I never miss. I’ll read it’s beautiful one-liner one story the owner of a hardware store is dismayed when a huge new hardware store open up next door erecting a large sign saying best deals he’s even more horrified with another huge hardware store opens up and the other side of his store putting up even a larger sign saying lowest prices. The shop keeper is panicked then his spontaneity works, he has a bright idea, he puts a large sign over his own store saying main entrance. Understand, one idea solved his whole problem. I can say this one sutra can solve your whole problem the problem which you have with experience and the experiencer. You always have 2 shops next to you constantly bugging you constantly nagging you. Many of our problems are from the object object not giving the quality of exp you wanted. That’s one kind of problem means you think money will do something for you and that is not happening through the money you think car will do something for you that is not happening through the car you think house will do something for you that is not happening through that object Understand car is useful to drive, home is useful to stay, refrigerator is useful to keep your food, but we have a wrong idea all these things put together can give fulfillment to us, no, you cannot have fulfillment through that. So when you have the wrong expectation, the experience is not given by that object that’s one kind of problem. It’s a preliminary level, first level.

Second level problem, the same object which was giving the same exp which you really enjoy suddenly disappears. Even though you are having the same object around you, this is the second subtle level problem. Third level problem, the same object not only not giving you the same joyful expereince giving you the negative experience.

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