“200,000 universities, we had in Madras Presidency.”

200,000 universities, we had in Madras Presidency. Means, now the Tamil Nadu and Andhra, a little bit of Kerala. 200,000 spiritual based education centers. Now, we have only 3,000, because, the pride on spiritual based education is taken away. The British, very clearly, they planned and did, "The first thing, these guys need to lose is, the pride in their wealth, in their culture." I was actually surprised; because this civilization, this great knowledge is there for last 10,000 years, nobody was able to shake. How come in last 60 years, so much has been lost, especially in Tamil Nadu and South Bharat? Then I realized, where, these spiritual ideas are taught, that pride is taken away. The utility a... value of these spiritual ideas are taken away. Then naturally, nobody will study, the pride is not there, disappears. That was the worst thing happened, to the Vedic tradition.

Feeling connected, to these great ideas, to these great truths, is the first part-Faith. Second thing-Virya. In Sanskrit, that word Virya-its a very powerful word, Virya-that comes from the root, Veera. The idea Veera is defined, not as conquering or killing somebody, but as conquering, your own mind and having control over your self. Strength to stand with your mind. Strength to stand with your being. Strength to maintain the balance in your being. Virya, the energy directed in the path. The strength, especially, Patanjali here, when he uses the word, he is not saying about killing others, conquering others, No!

The Vedic civilization was not built on conquering others. The only country which never invaded any country. Last 5,000 years, 3,000 invasions happened in Bharat. But not even once, these guy was...guys have gone out and invaded any country. There is a record, the South Bharat, Chola Kings went to Indonesia, the Cambodia, all those places. But they never invaded, killed the local tribes. They created new civilization, they married. They created a new civilization. Cambodia if you see, the amazing temples. The whole thing was carved in Chennai. We have a place called Mahaballipuram (7:29), and it was taken by ship and assembled in Cambodia. People were never killed. The civilization was created, never invaded.

So we are not built on conquering. So, when Patanjali says, Virya, he means, standing with your mind, ability to balance your being. Usually, we have some thoughts, it comes out of your brain and passes through your brain grooves and becomes vibration in your body and action happens. Only after the action happens, you even know, why you had that kind of thought, why you did that kind of action and you start, either repenting or feeling guilty. Virya means, having the awareness and strength, to catch the thought, by the time it comes out; before even it passes through your brain grooves, before even it affects your decision making energy, the moment it starts, catch it there itself. The Virya, ability to catch in the root itself. Ramana Maharshi calls this as Aham-Spurana, sitting in the space, where the Aham-the identity is raising. That's what I call Virya.

We have a beautiful story, about this Virya. It's a wonderful story. In South Bharat, in a place called, Tiruvaru, there was a great saint, Dakshinamurti Swamigal-an Enlightened Master. Still his Samadhi is there, his tomb is there; very vibrant, alive, living energy. Still, still he is available. Whoever, goes to his presence, he is available. He used to be sitting naked, under a Banyan tree. He will not wear any cloth, he will sit under a Banyan tree and he will be just sitting, in a very relaxed, blissful way, completely fulfilled. That king, who was ruling that area, had a pride, about his...his courage, or his energy to wage war. In Tamil language, there is a tradition, if some king kills, 1000 elephants in the war-1000 elephants-a special song will be sung on him with 1000 versus. It's called Bharani, it's called Bharani. That's a kind of a poem, will be sung, only to a person, who proves his power, by killing 1000 elephants. So this King, in the war, in the local wars, he has killed thousands of elephants and the local, his poet, his court poet, sung that song on him, with thousand verses, praising his glory. And these kings have no other work, and these poets also, no other work; this guy has to sing and he will give money. And, it goes on and on and on.

This poet, suddenly, he felt, sometime like this, how the scientists feel, they are bending the truth, for the person, for the sake of the person who is funding the research and development. So he also had a guilt, "Mchh (14:16), I think I am singing about this guy, even though this guy is not worthy of what I am singing; because he gives money, I am singing..mchh (14:25)..I should stop." The conflict between Lakshmi and Saraswati, the intellect and Wealth, started in him. "Should I continue to use my Saraswati, to get little Lakshmi? Or should I stand up and do only what I believe as truth." Suddenly, somehow, he was possessed by Shraddha-'Shraddha Vivecha', Shraddha possession happened on him. He was possessed by Shraddha-the straight....the strength and straightforwardness; and he starts seeking a Guru, to achieve, inner fulfillment.

That's a great thing in the Vedic civilization. The moment you start thinking inside, you want to look further in the life; either by fear or greed or depression or pain, or suffering or anything, they will start seeking Guru. They will not even bother, they will not say, "I will commit suicide, I will do that, I will do this". "I will become a Swami", because it is in the very air. This guy starts trying to, find out a Swami. Fortunately, he gets the opportunity, to meet this Dakshinamurty Swamigal. He comes and sits in the presence. Neither that Swami spoke a single word, nor that poet asked any question. Somehow just that click happened, that click happened. When that click happens, see, it's like a loaded gun, being triggered. The poet was a loaded gun, filled with seeking; the presence of this Swami, is just triggering. You see, if you trigger, the unloaded gun, nothing will happen. If you don't trigger the loaded gun, nothing will happen. Both should meet and match and merge-the seeking and the enlightened person's presence. Here, both merged and no words were shared. Just Dakshinamurti Swamigal, showed through his body language-sit, relax. The poet sat, quietly; the intense presence of the Master, the thoughts per second in poet's mind, started reducing, drastically. The TPS started coming down, tuk tuk tuk tuk tuk tuk tuk. In few seconds, the poet was in deep silence.

He was, almost in Samadhi, he was in Samadhi. Maybe, after two days, Dakshinamurti Swamigal, he moved his hand...his hand. Then slowly, that poet, came to awareness, the ordinary consciousness. The ecstasy, the joy, the fulfillment, was so much, he sang the same Bharani song; same, the thousand verse, which he sang, to the king, the same...in the same meter, he sang about this Swami, saying, "Killing thousand elephants, is much easier than killing the mind. You killed my mind. So you are worthy of Bharani." He sings Bharani. He sings, about this Master in the same meter. He sings for that Master.

Till then, everything was going smooth. Now, problem starts. Naturally, always, among the poets, there will be somebody, who don't like this poet-the competition. The competition poet, he went and told the king, "King, don't think you are the only one, with the Bharani, in this country." King said, "Who else, can have Bharani like me, I am the only one." The poet says, "No no, the poet who sang Bharani on you, the same guy, has sung Bharani on another one beggar". This King says, "How dare, he sing that same meter on some beggar? This poet has to prove, that beggar is worthy of that Bharani. Who is here, who can kill thousand elephants except me?" This poet, he did his job, he escaped. That poet who sang the Bharani, he was called. He was called and King asked, "How dare you sing the sa...in the same meter that Swami also? What do you mean? You have to now prove, that he is worthy, he has killed thousand elephants, otherwise, your head will be cut." That's the usual dialogue. Always, the kings have to use that dialogue. And, the poet says, "I don't know about cutting my head, and all those things. All I say, if you can, just come once and see him. After that, whatever decision you take, I can't tell anything. It is going to be executed, it is going to happen. So, you do what you want. But, I have my love for you, just because of that I tell you, come and see him once."

The Chola King, he goes with all his, darada, kaja, pada (26:50)-all the senas-all the army, with his ministers. The whole kingdom, goes to that Master. The King walks in the front and all these guys are following; and they reach the place, where that Swami is sitting; huge Banyan tree, young guy, sitting naked, not bothered at all, just fulfilled. His eyes are open, but he is not seeing anything, because there is nothing to be seen. He can see everything, inside; so his eyes...eyes are open, but eyeballs are not moving. He is there, in Nirvikalpa Samadhi. Suddenly, the moment, King saw him, something clicked; because, whenever King sees people, he sees very clearly the fear, which is there in that person and how, that civilians obey, how that citizens obey; he sees the respect, he sees the fear. First time he's seeing a man, there is no trace of fear. You see, kings are very intelligent. They know, how to create fear in people, that is why they are kings. You see, they are sitting in that throne, because they are able to create fear in everybody. He sees, his presence or his whole army, is unable to shake him. The guy is in his silence, fulfillment. Suddenly something happens in him, "How come? How can a person be, without having fear about me and my army?" Means, there is no fear of death in him. He goes near, Swami is just sitting, in his deep silence. Slowly, more and more the King, gets closer; same thing, which happened to the poet, starts happening to the King. The number of thoughts is reducing. Understand, you will be violent and arrogant, only if the TPS is high. If the thoughts per second drops, you can neither be violent, nor be arrogant. The ego will disappear, it'll melt, die down.

When the number of thoughts-that restlessness, that irritation, that agitation-when it started coming down, ego started melting, violence started melting, the arrogance started melting. He went and sat like a puppy, next to the Master. Understand, I am not describing some story. I am describing the event, which happened. It's a history, it happened. All that Swami did, he just showed through his eyes-close your eyes and sit, relax, don't worry, your army is not going to be useful here, relax. The way in which he looked, the body language he radiated, the courage and confidence, which was in his eyes and in his being; just the Master says, sit, relax. The King, looked too small, in front of, the presence of this great Swami-the Master's presence. The presence of a beggar; the great King looked too small. He just sat; because King sat, the whole army sat; because the whole army sat, all the Ministers sat; because all the Ministers sat, the whole citizens sat. The whole kingdom, is sitting at the feet of this beggar, and the whole kingdom, was in that silence. Story says, one day passed, two days over; third day, Dakshinamurty Swamigal, he felt little compassionate, "All these guys are sitting for three days, without food, maybe they have to go back and have food." He just lifted his face and lifted his hand, told the King, "Now go back". Suddenly, King came to the normal awareness, filled with ecstasy, joy and that experience of the deep silence which he never experienced in his life.

The arrogance and violence, will never let you relax. First time in his life, he experienced himself. That restful awareness, the deep joy, the deep fulfillment, the deep peace and bliss. The King, he was unable to speak. If you sit for half an hour, like that intensely, you will see, very clearly, your tongue will be locked, you can't speak, you can't speak, and he sat for three days; he was not able to speak, the tears are pouring. He just did Namaskar, came out and looked into that poet and said, " The only mistake you s...you did, you shouldn't have sung Bharani on him, you should have sung Dharani." Dharani means, the meter which is sung for people who kill 10,000 elephants, not 1000. He says, killing thousand elephants...the King says, killing...killing thousand elephants is easy. All you need is, the technique and the muscle and weapon, that's all, nothing else. But, killing, not only your mind, and anybody who comes in front of you...their...everybody's mind, is millions and millions of times greater, than any ordinary war or killing. So, he says, not just Bharani, sing Dharani. Means, he is worthy of the ultimate respect, "Sing", and that poet sang Dharani. Still, the whole thing is there in stone. If you go to his stone, still you will see the whole thing, the evidence of the whole incidence...incident.

When Patanjali uses the word, Virya, he is not saying, he is not giving you the idea, of fighting with others, not that Virya, not that courage, not that strength. Ability to stand, with your mind, ability to stand, in your inner space, that is what he calls, Virya, effort. Again and again and again, trying to come back to the deepest space of your being, that silence. Unclutch, and come back to the silence. If your mind runs away, some thoughts come; again unclutch and come back to the silence. Every time you unclutch, it is equal to killing one elephant. If you also kill 10,000 times, your thoughts, you are worthy of Dharani, you will become, Dakshinamurty. You will radiate the same presence. Understand. Every time you unclutch from a thought and come back to the silence, you have killed one elephant. So decide, you will kill at-least 10,000 elephant, means 10,000 thoughts-not the elephant, 10,000 thoughts-10,000 thoughts, unclutch and come back to the inner space, you are worthy of Dharani. That is what Patanjali calls here, Virya. I do not want to add more and more ideas. I want you to internalize, digest, these few ideas. These two idea, Faith and Effort. Internalize these two ideas today. Shraddha and Virya, having feeling connection to the spiritual truths; Virya, the courage to stand, live those spiritual truths. Internalize these two ideas, you will see, you are living enlightenment.

Let you all achieve, experience, live, express, radiate, share and explode, in Eternal Bliss. Nithyananda.