“Sadaa shiva samaarambhaam shankaraachaarya madhyamaam asmadaachaarya…”

Sadaa shiva samaarambhaam shankaraachaarya madhyamaam asmadaachaarya paryantam vande guru paramparaam

I welcome you all with my love and respects. There is so much to tell about the last sutra, vitarka. Yesterday during the darshan one person came and asked me: 'Swamaji I am a scientist. I'm based on kudarka, my whole life is based on kudarka, how can I have vitarka?' I said 'No, wrong understanding. Please understand, even you are a scientist only based on vitarka you will contribute to society, you will contribute to civilization.' Person who is based on kudarka cannot contribute in any field. Not only in the spiritual field, he cannot contribute even in a field of science. Whatever will be the field if you are based on vitarka only then you will be expressing what needs to be expressed. You will be serving the humanity.

Beautifully Patanjali explains the whole thing, the seventeenth sutra. He explains vitarkavichaaraanandaasmitaaroopaanugamaatsamprajnaataha. How reasoning, contemplation, bliss flowering, amness, the pure awareness are the characteristics of samprajnata samadhi, the first level samadhi. He beautifully slips into the next level, second sutra. Please understand, when you do vitarka, right reasoning, it will lead to ananda. Actually the whole cosmos look inside, the whole thing is beyond your logic or reasoning. There is no logic, there is no reasoning. Actually, if you look inside all the reasoning, all the logics are only a certain level. To tell you the honest truth there is a beautiful book by Shankara, Viveda Cudamam. He very beautifully describes the experiences of ajata, means the whole universe is unborn.

I'm just trying to find right word. Whatever you logically try to explain. Like if you do good, good will happen, if you do bad, bad will happen. Whether it is karma theory, or the theory of bondage and liberation. Whatever you have based on your logic, the ideas, everything loses its grip or value over you at certain frequency. At certain frequency everything loses its power over you. They are no more connected to your life or you are no more connected to them in your life. You just outgrow. They are not there in your life at all, and it is no more part of your life. This truth only we call it as ajata. At a level, when you raise your understanding and ideas, suddenly you see the world was never created and it never bothered you and you never got liberated. Whatever was there, was there, whatever is there is there, whatever will be there will be there. It's a very subtle truth. The whole thing has no logic, no reasoning, nothing. Any logic which helps you to realize there is no logic is right reasoning. That is all, that's all. Any reasoning which leads you to realize that there is no reasoning is right reasoning.

There is no connection. Please understand, there is no connection between what I'm talking and what you are listening. I don't know how you will understand. No there is no connection between what am I talking and what you are listening. No really. Many time, I feel very clearly the communication is not happening. Please understand. I have a story, I have a story for you. Woman went to an attorney, attorney to ask about a divorce. That guy asked 'What grounds do you have, madam?' She says, 'About six acres.' He says ' No, no, no. I don't think you quite understand. Let me rephrase the question. Do you have a grudge?' She says, 'No, just a parking space.' This guy again asked 'I'll try again, does your husband beat you up?' She says 'No, I always get up at least half an hour before he does.' That time he could see he was fighting a losing battle. 'Madam, are you sure you want a divorce?' 'I'm not the one who wants a divorce,' she said. 'My husband does, he claims we don't communicate.'

Please understand, really, many time I feel the communication is not happening. See, when that energy, which wants to express and it comes up. I can see very clearly, I'm telling you exactly what is happening in me. I can say that the insiders view of what is happening is satsanga, in upanishad. Upanishads means sitting with the Master. I'm very clearly seeing I'm pregnant with the truth which wants to come out. Which needs to be delivered. And the moment it raises to the level of wak, it's like a cotton has become thread. Cotton has become thread. Thread can never represent cotton. Please understand thread can never represent cotton. A canal can never represent ocean. Just imagine, you may say logically 'No,no canal is also water, ocean is also water. Many, many, many canals put together is ocean.' Can you say? No, it can never be. So when the thread, when the cotton is converted into thread when it comes out, I can see very clearly it is not representing what it is supposed to represent. And when it lands on you, you are like a dye factory. You have big color bottle, colored box. The thread directly lands on you. And your head is filled with some color. And it gets colored by the time you catch the thread and try to understand what I gave you. It's a colored thread. And you say 'Oh Swamiji gave me color thread.'

What has happened to what? No, very clearly many time I feel the communication is not happening. See, whatever word I'm uttering you have your own dictionary. Each one has individual dictionaries. That is why actually yesterday, even yesterday one of my disciple was asking me after the discourse 'Samiji you are an incarnation, why did you do all that spiritual practices like doing rituals, doing puja, and doing meditation? Why should you need to do all these rituals?' Please understand, actually, two reasons, one to tell the world still all these things works. There is no expiry date for rituals. There is no expiry date for all these our traditional techniques. That's one thing. Second thing only when I work with these techniques and work with the people at least few words I can transmit. The communication is possible. At least few things I can reach out. Maybe in a way I can say, it is learning how to communicate with this mental setup.

That is why in our tradition all the acharyas avatara porushas. They have to do these parivrati yatra, they have to do this pilgrimage. They have to go around, the length and breadth of Bharat. They call it chandran, Rameshwaram, Dwarka, Puri, and Joshimat. They have to travel all that places. Badrigasham, that Joshimat. All the four places they have to travel to understand the people, to experience people, to relate with people. So that they will know now what to tell. What they need to express. How to connect with the people. It's a real task.

Patanjaliis taking us to the next samadhi, next level of samadhi. The eighteenth sutra is the beautiful sutra.

Viraamapratyayaabhyaasapoorvaha samsakaarashesho nyaha In the last sutra he described the seventeenth sutra he described about samprajnata samadhi. First level samadhi. How the right reasoning and contemplation leads to ananda and pure awareness. The amness, not even I-amness, amness is the ultimate amnesty. That feeling that amness, just being in Existence. All these four makes you experience samrajnata samadhi. The first level samadhi.

Now Patanjali is guiding us into the second level samadhi. Very beautifully he is describing, let me give you the translation. There is another another kind of samadhi, he is not using the word asamprajnata, the asamprajnata word is used by the commentators, the basyakaras. In the sutra is not using the word. He is only using the word anyaha. There is another kind of samadhi. The mental function of clutching with the thoughts ceases and only the samskaras that do not cause any disturbance in the inner space remains. Let me read the translation again. There is another kind of samadhi. The mental function of clutching with the thoughts ceases. And only the samskaras that do not cause any disturbance in the inner space remain.

I have twelve translations here. Just wanted to give you the glimpse of two, three translations. Of the same sutras, same sutra. Then you'll know how you can translate the same sutra. I can say each translator looks at the sutra from a different angle. Vivekananda, Swami Vivekananda translates 'There is another samadhi which is attained by the constant practice of the cessation of all mental activity and in which the chitta retains only the unmanifested impressions.' There is one translation and Sachitananda, Swami Sachitananda's translation. He translates 'By the firmly complete practice of complete cessations of mental modifications, the impressions only remain.' This is the other samadhi.

Now let's understand.

Viraamapratyayaabhyaasapoorvaha samsakaarashesho nyaha

The other kind of samadhi, the mental function of clutching with the thoughts ceases. And only the samskaras that do not cause any disturbance in the inner space remain.

Just three important truths. Three important clicks. This whole thing can be understood. First thing, having thoughts is not thinking. You may be having thoughts, that does not mean you are thinking. This is a first truth. Many time you can see as I was telling you yesterday. For no reason things just comes and it stays and it goes.

In Bharat they have something called anachakras. Many villages, especially the temple-based communities will have the anachakra. Anybody can come, they can eat and stay as long as they want. They can leave when they want. There is no utterance, there is no record. There is no nothing, no record, no utterance. There is no registration happens. Anybody can come, stay as long as they want and leave when they want, when they don't want.

Just like the anachakras only our mind any thought can come, stay as long as they want and can leave when it doesn't want. There is no reason, there is no reason. And sometimes suddenly you become aware something is going on in you and you start suffering or enjoying for the thought which was there in front of you at that moment. Please understand when you become aware of you, at that moment what is in front of you, you respond to that. That's all. You respond to that. If there was a joyful thought you think 'Oh, I'm joyful. I'm keeping healthy. Everything is going well.' When you become aware of you. When that amness is experienced by you. If there is a painful, depressive suffering thought, you say 'No, no, I'm suffering. I'm in depression.' You blame. Otherwise there is no such thing logically that you are suffering or you are joy. Nothing. Just you become aware in the wrong moment about you, that's all, nothing else. Having thoughts is not thinking. First click, first truth.

Second truth, please understand, second important truth. Mind is not a thing. It is an action. Patanjali gives this sutra, this concept, and this truth. The first sutra itself. Please understand, mind is not a thing, it is an action. For example you are walking, if you don't want to walk what will you do? Just sit. You are talking. If you don't want to talk what will you do? Just be silent. Same way, you are minding. If you don't want to mind, just stop. That's all. It is your very action, little maybe subtle action. That's all. Please understand if you look inside you can see very clearly you are very action, you are doing it. Now if you want you can think, you are thinking. If you think you don't want to think, just relax.

People come and tell me 'No, no Swamiji, even if I want to relax, the thoughts are coming.' How can it come unless you think, come on tell me. How can the words be created unless you created. Fortunately, only you can be inside your body. And you can't say somebody else is sitting inside your body. And you can't say somebody else is thinking. It is not possible. Only you are thinking. Understand the moment thoughts comes, be very clear, you decided to think. You decided to jump out of a decision which you made of stop thinking. See this moment you may think 'Yes, let me stop thinking.' After a few moments you might have the guts, confidence, courage. 'No, no let me think.' And you start thinking. If you look inside you will see you are responsible for the action of thinking happening inside you. Maybe one part of you.

There is a beautiful story in Mundaka Upanishad. Very beautiful, very powerful story. Two birds. I always enjoy describing this story. Sometime there are some expressions they are so poetic, fantastic, just remembering them is such a joy. Mundaka Upanishad story is that kind of a story. Just remembering the fantasy, it's a spiritual fantasy you can say. There was a beautiful golden bird sitting the top of a tree, top branch. Small bird was there the lower branch. The small bird was trying to eat here, there, here, there. When it eats sweet fruits it just enjoys and gets the courage, starts jumping to other branch and starts eating. Suddenly it comes upon bitter fruits. When it taste the bitter fruit it says 'Oh chi, chi, chi…Life is like this only.' Then it looks up. There he sees the golden bird sitting beautifully maybe in padmasanaa, in samadhi and shining, peaceful beyond joy and suffering. This guy looks up and says 'I should become like him.'

Please understand the story. He thinks I should become like him. Then he starts moving in the direction. He jumps here, there. Suddenly on the way he starts eating some sweet fruits, he comes upon some sweet fruits. When he tastes two, three sweet fruits, he forgets all about that samadhi golden bird, everything. Now he regains confidence. 'No, no, no. I can live here itself.' And he continues to eat. Only again when he faces the bitter fruit he says 'No, no, no, no life is too much. It is suffering.' He looks up.

Understand, you may also be playing the same game. When you are suffering only then you want to stop the mind. Only then you want to stop the mind. Then after few minutes when you stop the mind. When you just be silent for few seconds, even the few seconds gives you the courage. 'No, no I can start thinking.' I can start thinking or you think 'I need to start thinking.' Either you think 'I can't start thinking' or 'I need to start thinking.' Fear or greed. You are again out.

So be very clear, mind is not a thing. It is an action. It is not an object. You don't have to fight with it. It is an action. Every moment it just comes out of you. Is like every moment you are spinning. You are spinning the cotton into the thread. You are spinning experience into words. You are spinning existence into words. See this area, your prana is there as an experience, as existence. I can say in this area it is there as existence. When it moves up in the heart region it is felt as experience. In the throat it is felt as words. It gets converted into word. So you are constantly spinning thread out of cotton. You are constantly spinning words out of experience, existence.

Whenever you come upon the bitter fruits you said I should stop thinking. And if you just decide, you can decide and you don't have to. If thoughts are coming again be very clear you are responsible. You are thinking. So coming upon, you see. Understand this click. It is you who is thinking. If this happens, I can say this is one of the greatest freedom. Now you will not constantly fighting with yourself. You will not constantly disrespecting yourself. You will not be constantly saying 'I tried my best, it is not working out. I tried my best it is not working out.' That is the worst enemy, the worst thing can happen to a seeker.

Patanjali beautifully describes in the next, next sutras he descries the hindrances which comes for seekers. Tiredness or having the idea that 'I've tried, it is not working out.' These are the some of the serious hindrances which comes in the life of a seeker. Please understand, be very clear, if you can stop, you are able to stop. If you can't stop, be very clear you are not able to stop. You are thinking. Is not that you are not able to stop. You want to think you are thinking. At least gain that confidence. Truth gives you confidence. Truth gives you confidence. Standing with that truth, with an honest thing.

The third important truth, third click. First thing having thoughts is not thinking. Second truth mind is not a thing, it is an action. Third truth, very important truth very solid truth. Understand, sometimes when these great truths are expressed they may look little self-contradicting. See even these two statements, you can see. The first statement- having thoughts is not thinking. Second statement- mind is not a thinking, it is an action. These two may look self-contradicting. It is not. The first truth if it is understood it will lead to second truth. If you don't understand, if you are sitting with kutarka then it won't lead to second truth. If you are sitting with vitarka, it will lead to second truth. Having thoughts is not thinking. What I mean by thinking? When your amness experiences the thought you are thinking. You have the pure amness inside you and thoughts are flowing, flowing, flowing. It's like a vehicles are moving and cop stops only your car. Same way thoughts are just moving you pick up only one car, one thought. Means you are thinking only when you touch that thought. Otherwise thinking is not happening. Be very clear thinking is not happening. You are not aware of all the thousand one things happening inside of your. Fortunately, you are not ware all the thousand and one things happening inside of you.

Thoughts, having thoughts is not thinking. If you understand this one thing so many of your problems will be solved. Then you will lose respect for all the sufferings which goes on inside of you. The complication which you create based on your thought structure or your impossible efforts.

You see, they are some things you going on doing. Impossible efforts. You try to fly by pulling your shoe lace. Many time you try. You just try to pull your shoelaces and you say 'Oh I tried flying, it is not happening. Last ten days I'm flying.' No, wrong understanding, wrong understanding. Many time with wrong understanding you build more and more and more complications and with that complications you create more gap between you and the spiritual truths. You see yesterday as I was talking kutarka. What I was talking yesterday, that kutarka first thing it does it just catches few point, few idea to create gap between you and the spiritual truth. Once the gap is created naturally spiritual truths are not for you. They are not going to work for you. Again, it does not work. Again the kutarka gets deepened. It's a vicious circle, it is the vicious circle.

So understand the first truth having thoughts is not thinking. The second truth, mind is not a thing it is an action. When you understand these two, the third truth which is expressed in this sutra can be understood. He says the other kind of samadhi, the mental function of clutching with the thought seizes and only the samskaras that do not cause any disturbance in the inner space remain. This is the third ultimate truth. Please understand the un-clutching happens, the initiation into un-clutching. See when the initiation into un-clutching. First time when you un-clutch that experience only Patanjali calls it as asamprajnata samadhi.

The first un-clutching experience beautifully in Ramakrishna's life it happened. Let me describe how Ramakrishna moved from samprajnata samadhi to asamprajnata samadhi. And if time permits I'll explain my own experience, then you will understand. How I moved from samprajnata samadhi to asamprajnata samdhi.

Ramakrishna was deeply connected to Kali, the form of the Kali. As I was telling you yesterday that how I fed Ganesha, how Ganesha ate with me. Ramakrishna had all kinds of experiences with that Kali murti. With they deity of the Kali. And it was just..Even when you read I don't know how it would have been to see. It was a romance. It was a pure romance. He was living with the deity, with the devi. Very powerful connection. He used to keep the small thread near her nose just to check whether she is really breathing. And he says she always used to breathe. And he always saw that the thread, devi, will be moving with the air, with the prana, with the breathing. Not only these so many things, so many things…

Can give you one example of him putting the conch bangle, the bangles made out of conch. If you are from Bengal you can understand. They make bangles out of conch. And the devi is holding the left hand, the severed head of the demon. Without breaking the deity, without breaking, damaging the deity or the conch or the bangle, he put the bangle for the deity. Other people asked how it happened, how can you put it. This bangle cannot go into the hand. Because she is holding the sira, the head of the demon. He says 'No, I just told her drop it.' She gave it in my hand and I put the bangle. I told her agian, 'Please hold it' and she is holding. That's all.

The power over the matter. The mind over the matter. The power of his mind over the matter. He was connected to Kali that deeply. He was living in samprajnata samadhi. He was constantly living in samprajnata samdhi.

So now it is time he has to move to the asamprajnata samadhi. And one great monk Totabori he came to the Kali temple. He is an enlightened sanyasi, great vedanti. Naga means no clothes, no clothes, no sleep. Their life style will not be like a regular normal human beings. Naga sampradayas sanyasi. Very powerful lifetsyle. He comes and initiates Ramakrishna. He says 'Now it is time for you to experience the next level of samadhi beyond form. Come on, you need to have that unclutching, the cessation of the mind.'

What here Patnajali says pratyayaabhyaasapoorvah. Means all the mental function of clutching with the thoughts has to end. See even if you are clutched with the Kali, it is a mental function. Please understand, maybe highest level of function, high frequency level of function. But it is a mental function.

You can experience in your life sometime. Early morning when you are out of dream state but you are not completely fully awake that those few seconds you can see you want to posses your body, but you can't move your body. You are out of your dream state but you are not completely awake. That that state means in between. You can see those few moments only suddenly you will try to move your body with force. You'll try to jump out and fall out of the bed.

Even though it is the high frequency, almost actions ending, it is an action. There is a clutching, with the Kali. So beautifully Totagori says 'It is time you go beyond. You have to be initiated into Vedanta. You have to be initiated into next level samadhi.' This guy says 'Wait, wait I'll go and ask my mother's permission. I'll run.' He ran and Ramakrishna came back. He said, 'Yes, my mother old me I can go for this practice, you can teach me.' Totagori asked, 'You said you want to take permission from your mother but you went inside the temple?' Ramakrishna says 'Yes, that is what I meant, she is my mother. I'm living with Kali, I asked her now. She said "Please take it."' And Totagori started laughing, 'Oh God.' Totagori could not understand Ramakrishna is living with Kali. And he said 'Alright, I don't want to disturb his faith. It's okay, let him let him experience the next level samadhi.

Then he initiates. He says 'Now concentrate on the ajna chakra and unclutch completely from all your thoughts. Ramakrishna says 'I'm able to unclutch from all the thoughts but I'm not able to unclutch from Kali's form. I'm not able to unclutch from Kali's form.' He says, 'I'm stuck. The moment I see her, even the idea to unclutch disappears from me. I'm just completely drowned.'

Samprajnata samdhi, the first level samadhi. But the beauty is that samadhi itself is so powerful it will lead you to next level. It has to lead you to next level. Totagori says, 'No, you have to go beyond.' Then Kali she herself appears and says 'My son don't bother, cut my form with this sword.' He says 'She gives her own sword.' She says, 'Think this as a sword of knowledge and cut my form. You will go beyond my form."

Understand, not being caught in the form is one of the ultimate experiences. This has to be understood very beautifully. See, when you are, when you lost all other attachments except this form, then you can cut this form and go beyond the form. But how are people, first they cut this form they have all other attachment and they don’t care about all other attachments. I always tell people drop the form of the gods when you dropped all other attachments. But whatever people say, 'No, no, no, anyhow we are going to drop all that attachments one day. Let us drop now itself. In Bharat we have a …I have seen when they burn the dead bodies in villages they will use a big bamboo. After burning the dead body completely they will throw the stick also into the same fire. But you have to throw that stick into the fire after burning that dead body. You can't say 'Anyhow that stick is going to be in the fire, let me throw it now itself.' Then how will you burn the dead body?

So attachment to the deity, or guru's form or God's form, should be used like a stick, bamboo stick, to burn all attachment to all other forms. Everything else is burned. Then in that same fire, this form also, that attachment also should be thrown. Kali says "Cut my form and go beyond.' This what Buddha means when he says 'When you see me on the path kill me.' Buddha says very clearly 'When you see me on the path, kill me.' But understand, that should be last thing. But unfortunately we start doing that firstly, first. No, that should be that last thing. And story says and Ramakrishna visualized sword as his knowledge and he cut the form and he just disappeared into the next level of samadhi, asamprajnata samdhi. Where the cessation, what Patanjali describes, the cessation of the clutching with any mental function started happening.

Please understand, the mental function of clutching with the thought ceases, it just ceased, it just disappeared. The first experience of unclutching, the first experience of unclutching has happened to Ramakrishna when he went beyond the Kali's form. Only if you feel connected to some form, and live with that form, then you are asked to renounce you will understand how difficult it is. You may not be able to relate with what I am saying. You may be thinking 'Oh what is there Kali and afterall for enlightenment everything, let's cut and throw it away and go beyond.' No it does not happen when you start feeling connected. He was feeling connected, living with it, but he was able to go beyond. And the story says, he entered into next level samadhi, asamprajnata samadhi.

The mental function of clutching with the thought ceases. I'm trying my best to verbalize that samadhi because this very moment, that samadhi is inside. When I try, it's like I'm putting a rope to go and touch that feeling. So that I can live some experience of that and verbalize it and tell. By the time the rope reaches here, there is a disconnection. Whether it is Kali or any form, any form is your mental function, is expression of your mental functioning. No doubt about it, it is your mental function, it is your mental projection. You see, maybe it is raising you to superconscious level, but even then it is mental projection. You see, the outer word is also your mental projection which is taking you to the unconscious level. These deities, gods, gurus, even this form is also mental projection. But it is taking you to the superconscious level.

Everything is your projection. There is a description of Vishwa Mitra meditating and Indra sending all the celestial girls, Akaramba, Menaga, Urvasi, to disturb Vishwa Mitra. There is nobody sitting there and sending people to disturb Vishwa Mitra's meditation. It was his own repressed, suppressed desire he was projecting and seeing. Understand, if at all there is a system, somebody is sitting there and sending Akaramba, Menaga, Urvasi, all the celestial girls to disturb your meditation, then millions will start meditating.

(Laughter)

Then people will start meditating. It's our own projection. Actually, when you start raising the projection in the lower levels starts disappearing. The next, the projection in the higher level starts. Then the projection in the higher levels also starts disappearing. It's like a ordinary worldly experience, then samprajnata saamdhi, then asamprajnata samadhi. This is the way, the experiences happen. Yesterday I described how I had samprajnata samadhi, when gave the food to Ganesha. Today I'll try to give you the glimpse how I had asamprajnata saamdhi, or this clutching with the thought ceases. Understand, you need to understand one more word which Patanjali describes here: 'the samsakras that do not cause any disturbance in the inner space remain.' That is what he is saying in the next second level samadhi. Of course there are some more levels of samadhi, samvikalpa, nirvakalapa. In those samadhi's even this bija doesn't stay, even these seeds doesn't stay. Bija samadhi, sambija samadhi, all those things he is describing in the next sections. In this samadhi the samskaras which do not cause any disturbance in the inner space stays, remains. Even when Ramakrishna had this samadhi with Totagori. The first, it was not, it's not that all the samskaras got burned. When he started residing in that same space for nine months, only then those, the bijas, the samskaras even they are burned. And he enters into nirvakalpa samadhi, the ultimate experience.

He continues to goes into the deeper and deeper layers and experiences. But when he cut the Kali's form and entered into that unclutching, the initiation has happened. The experience has happened, asamprajnata has happened. But not the ultimate nirvakalpa. You need to stay, reside in asamprajnata, and the whole bio-memory needs to be cooked in asamprajnata to be in nirvikalpa. With Ramana Maharisihi actually, if you see Ramana Maharishi's life you can understand this experience. When he had that experience, in Madurai, he had that experience in Madurai in his uncle's house. The asamprajnata samadhi has happened. But after that also he was able to travel, he was able to travel. He traveled from Madurai to Tiruvanamali. Means, that some seed was there, the samskaras which do not cause disturbance, the engrams which do not cause disturbance was there inside. So he traveled, and he came and settled in Arunaachala, but once he came and settled in the temple. Nine months he was in asamprajnata samadhi, his whole body got cooked, it got processed by asamprajnata samadhi, and that became nirvakalpa. Then he became established in nirvikalpa samadhi.

Let me describe my own experience of asamprajnata samadhi. I'll try to narrate as it happened. Please understand, I'll try to narrate as it happened. I'll just open for some of the happening, I don’t have a logical support, argument, why it happened and I don’t have shastrik support, means the scriptural support also. I don't have logical support or the scriptural support but at least for the sake of record, for future generation I'll open it. Maybe some pandits, some sashtris will comment on this later on. Who have studied scriptures they may comment, they may interpret. But I myself don’t have the interpretation for some things which happened. I'll open it up as it happened, maybe you'll be able to understand what I mean by the word asamprajnata samadhi or what Patanjali means by the word asamprajnata samadhi. The next level samadhi. I wanted you to know one more thing. Even talking about samadhi, listening about samadhi, contemplating about samadhi, is such a powerful experience. Please understand, sometime, that need, urge for the goal, suddenly they open up some path, open up some path. Actually when you have that, when you are possessed by the goal, whatever you do will become path. If I see the history of many enlightened saints, there are sixty three saiva saints, nainvas, in South Bharat. If I see their life, many of them did not do something great. They were just every day morning they will pluck flowers and make garland and put it on that Shiva linga. That's all. The path itself did not seem too big. It doesn’t seem to be, they did some great achievements or anything nothing, no. But they are possessed by the goal. Shradha vivesha, as I was telling yesterday, the natichekas statement, natichekas' experience. Shradha vivesha, when you are possessed by shradha, whatever you do becomes path.

There is one saint, he was forcibly converted into Buddhism. So every day morning his body was deeply feeling connected to Shiva and Shiva consciousness. Every day morning he will come out of his monastery. The backside, there was one small Shiva linga. He will take a stone and visualize that stone as a flower and throw it on the Shiva linga. And come back. If somebody says 'hey what are you doing?' 'He says 'no, no, no, I am throwing stone on Shiva linga.' We should ban all these things. Why is it lying down here. Because that time the Buddhist kings were ruling. See his action is totally different, but he was possessed by shradha. When you are possessed by shradha whatver you do will become path. So listening about samadhi, different levels of samadhi is directly useful. Sometime you may think 'What am I going to do? First step itself I don’t know. I'm listening about samadhi.' You don't know. No, it really works, it really works. That is why you'll be surprised, the first chapter of Patanjali's samadhi bhada, he talks first about samadhi. Then he talks about methods. Then he talks about sadhana bhada, vibuhti bhada, kaivalya bhada. First thing he says he talks about samadhi only.

Some of you might have heard, this incident happened in my life. My experience with Aroni Yogeshwar, a great incarnation, Shiva himself, a great Avatara Boresha. Shiva himself. I'll describe only few things, few parts of that incident. Connecting with this sutra asamprajnata samdhi, how it happened in me. When I connected with him I had his darshan and I experienced him. Maybe around age of eleven, during summer vacation. In Bharat temple is our entertainment, that is our vacation, that is our playground. Everything will be temple only. As I was telling yesterday, till know there are thousands and thousands of cities where temple will be the largest structure. Largest building in that whole city, whole town. Whether the area wise, or height, or the contructed area, everything. That will be the largest building. Same way in my city, in my town that's our playground. I was playing inside the temple, backside. If you've ever seen Arunachala temple you may be able to relate with the place where I am saying, where I am saying. Backside of the temple, one small four-pillared mandabam, four-pillared hall. Replica of that hall I have only built in Bidadi now, because one of the strongest experiences of my life happened in that place. Because of that I have decided to replicate that same mandabam as our temple in Bangalore ashram.

One young sadhu came out of that mandabam, that mandabam had a small kind of an opening. Or I was thinking it was opening, it was a small cave. One sadhu came out. And at young age I always used to be running behind sadhus. They were my life, they were my friends, they were my everything. Anybody with this clothes I will be behind them. Such a strong vidarka, right reasoning was there. So I'll always be running behind these sadhus. Whatever I get in my house ill bring it and give it to these sadhus. And I'll be very happy with them. I saw this sadhu. He was very bright shinning, maybe thirty to thirty-five and well built, young sannyas. It was immediate click, a strong connection, very strong connection. I just know I belong to him or he belongs to me, very strong connection. I can say that falling in love, or raising in love. Whatever word you want to use you can use. Very strong connection. Sometimes when you see people suddenly you fall in love and you know, you may bring all kinds of reasoning 'No, no, no I am already married. I am this I am that.' You can bring all kinds of your logic, 'No no no, see the age difference.' And you can bring all conditionings, but you are in love nothing can be done. You may keep distance because of all these conditionings, the social conditionings, and you have to behave as yourself. And there are so many restrictions, there are so many what to say that, the morality or social conditioning whatever you call it. But heart doesn't bother about which country you belong to, which race you belong to, what is your morality, what is your discipline, decency, heart doesn't care about all those things. Maybe your action or your logic cares for these things. Heart doesn't care, it just falls in love that's all.

It was such a strong falling in love. Every day I'll come and sit there with him. Morning till evening he'll be talking sitting. Sometime I wonder what I used to talk. If I recall there was nothing much, just sitting and chatting only. And you don't know why you are sitting together but sitting together was such a pleasant joyful experience. Our sitting together, it was like spending time together. He was also very happy with me and he will eat whatever I bring. He will bring some fruits or something for me to eat. We'll be talking, some experiences, this that. I can say that untaka Upanishad, I did not complete that story. That story says that when the small bird like this way traveling this way, this way, this way, this way…Suddenly it really had a bitter experience, one strong bitter experience. It decided no more, no more eating fruits. It just shuts its mouth. Without opening its mouth it just travels towards that bigger bird. When it goes near the bigger bird, nearer and nearer. Suddenly it realizes, it is losing its individuality. It is losing its individuality. After few minutes it feels it is just a shadow of that bird. Actually when you are really deeply in love with somebody you can experience. When you touch that body, you won't feel it is a two person. You just know, it is very, your own extension. Your extension is in that body, you are just extension of that, your extension is that body. That small bird feels his very extension is that big bird, golden bird. After few minutes he feels it is not even his own extension. That birds extension is he, and after few seconds he feels there is no extension, he is just a shadow. After few seconds there is not even a shadow. Only the golden bird exists. It was only an illusion that I was an individual. That different levels of feeling connection in vaishnava. In vaishnava tradition they explain salokya muhkti, samibya muhkti, sarubya muhkti, sayujya muhkti, the four states of liberation. Please understand, four states of liberation. In vaishnava tradition they explain, first when the bird feels 'I am connected to him, I belong to him.' It is salokya muhkti, living in his loka. Living in his frequency. He he feels 'no no no he is my very extension.' It is samibya muhkti. The liberation which happens just by his nearness. When he says, "When the bird experiences 'no, no, no I am his very form. I am his very form, I am his very form. I am just a shadow, I am not an individual identity." Then it's called sarubya muhkti, his own form, sarubya muhkti. When the small bird realizes 'I never existed, it is only he who was existing. It was just an illusion that I existed.' It is called sayuja muhkti.

I can say it was a strong feeling connection just like how the bird felt, very own extension. I felt with that sadhu that my very own extension. It was almost like samibya muhkti. First when I met him then it slowly developed into sarubya muhkti, that same rupa. I used to play with him, go wherever he calls. Sometimes he would take me to the temple inside, sometimes he would take me to the hill, sometime here there, he will take me to different places. Understand, it was such a strong feeling connection what Ramakrishna experienced with Kali, that samprajnata samadhi, I had started experiencing that. Even when am I not physically around him, even when I go back to the house. Night, late night, I will go back to the house because they will close the temple. By the time they close the temple they will vacate everybody. They will vacate everybody. And when I go back to the house also, I will be sitting in the house and waiting when it'll become again morning four o' clock so that I can rush to the temple to see him. I had the belief that he was staying in the temple and used to always come out of that mandabam only so I was thinking he was staying there. In the temple there used to be many small, small caves where sadhus stay. Where swamis stay. So I'll be waiting for next day morning. Sometime I'll be sitting with a clock in my hand, 'Hey it is not moving, what is happening. It is showing four thirty, four thirty, four thirty…What is happening it is not becoming five o'clock.' Early morning the moment I heard temple bell, in Bharat the temples used to have the huge bells, which will be hear for some two three miles that sounds will be heard. The moment I heard temple bell, I'll rush. Means I was completely living with him, I can't explain the strong connection. Anyhow, then there was an incident. He took me to the place where he was staying once. He asked me, 'Will you come to the place where I was staying, where I am staying?' I said 'Why not, let's go.' He took me inside that cave, took me to the place where he was staying. I saw a few sadhus sitting with him, a huge banyan tree under which he sat. The way in which he sat I know he was guru of that whole group. And I was the only one without kavi, the ochre robe. And I said 'Why don't you give me kavi?' He just laughed and got a cloth and gave me the cloth, I took the cloth. Then after some time he brought me back. He left me in the temple, went back.

I had one spiritual mother who was helping me, and guiding me and encouraging me in these spiritual practices. Her name is Ugananda Devi, you can see her photograph in my biography. I ran to her to show that I am having new ochre robe. It was surprise. I ran and said this sadhu gave me this robe. She was shocked, because if somebody gives ochre robe to you it means they gave you sannyas. You are accepted as a disciple. They gave you sannyas, and I didn't know all these things. When I went and told her, she got shocked. She said 'Swami gave you kavi, which swami? How can he make you as a swami without your parents permission?' I didn't know all these things I said 'Come on I'll take you to that swami.' She was filled with anger but anyhow I want to escape, I didn't want to be in the scene. I wanted her to face him directly. And I brought her to that cave where I used to meet that sadhu. I called 'Swamiji please come out, swamiji please come out!' Of course he was not coming out, then I got completely shaken. Then I got completely shaken, 'What happened? He never misses my voice. He always comes.' Then this lady, this elderly lady she asked me 'What do you mean by saying sadhu is staying here? Where is he, call him.' I said "No he used to be here, this is the cave from which he used to come.' Then she just looked into me and said 'Don't tell lies, it's not a cave.' She took me near and showed me, she took me inside two three steps and showed me. First time I realized it was a closed cave, there is a clear stone slab. I was in shock, there was no opening at all. Please understand, nine months after that I realized there was no opening. But all nine months I have seen him coming out of that stone, going into that opening. Suddenly I saw there is no opening, it was a strong shock. Then she thought I had stolen that cloth from somebody and I am making up stories. She started beating, in Bharat the kids will be beaten. They do something wrong, she just give me tap, tap, two and told me 'Come on, tell now, who gave you this cloth?' Then I started, the tears started rolling, eleven year boy. I said, I just, I was in the two, two three things was going on in me. One that swami did not come out. Second, suddenly I remembered he gave me a warning 'Don't tell anybody that you are seeing me and talking to me.' I remembered that, 'Oh God, I missed it. Maybe he is angry that I told somebody.' And third thing I was thinking because she is also angry with him he is not coming out. The two three things were going on inside me. One, he may be angry with me because I told. Second, she is angry with him, and he is not coming out. So many things was happening. It was such a strong feeling. I can still see that whole scene.

Anyhow, I decided I have to tell, convince her, with what happened. I told her 'I promise upon Arunachala' Like a 'I swear, I swear on God, I swear on Arunachala and on you.' She was like my guru, so I 'Swear on Arunachala, on you, on this kavi and on me. I saw him, he gave me this cloth. He used to come out of this cave.' See, in Bharat these kids when they swear they will hold the hand and swear. When I held the hand and sweared, I just put my hand on her hand and said 'I swear, these word is the truth.' Because my whole body, bio-memory was bubbling overflowing with that strong experience, that touch, that experience was transmitted to her. It was such a strong shock passing through her being. Our kudarka disappeared, our kudarka just disappeared.

She realized what I am saying is truth. Then she just kneeled down, she kneeled down and said, now her whole tune, whole tone, whole way of speaking everything become different. She asked me, "Tell me really, really you saw him?' I said 'Yes, he gave me this cloth.' 'What was the name?' she said. I said 'Aroni Yogeshwara.' That's all. This lady just fell at my feet. Who is supposed to be my grandmother's age, my guru. She just fell at my feet, she just started crying. And I was already crying because she has beaten me. And now I couldn’t understand what to do. It was a big mess. I asked 'Why are you falling at me feet?' Actually she told me that cave is the samadhi of Aroni Yogeshwar , an enlightened master who left the body two thousand years ago.

Again, sorry if I have hurt your kudarka, if I have hurt your logic. But I am saying a simple truth straight away. It was such a strong shaking, she said 'He is Aroni Yogeshwar who left the body two thousand years before.' On his samadhi, on his body, above his body only the whole temple is built. Arunachala temple is built. In South Bharat, each temple is a tomb, a samadhi of a one siddha. So each temple radiates that siddha's energy, that master's energy. Each temple the pioneers Bohgar, Tiruvanamalai's, Aroni's Yogeshwara, the Rameshwaram is Patanjali. And Taranjur is Karura, and Thirupathi is Kolongar, Madurai is Chokanadar Siddhar. So each temple is enlightened master's samadhi. She was shocked and she fell at my feet. 'And we were all meditating and doing tapas to have his one darshan. You are fortunate he himself lived with you and he gave you kavi.' This is her side mood, my side it was a big missing that he is not coming out. Understand how it's like a big loss because it was such a strong cherished relationship. I can't miss him, it was a very strong relationship. It's like a that fear I may not see him ever again at all. That became very strong.

There is a beautiful description of baghavatam. In srivad baghavatam there is a description. One Gopika, Krishna's beloved, she listens, hears the flute music. Krishna is playing the flute in the forest. She comes out of her house to go and see him. The entrance of the house her mother in law and sister and law were sitting. Typical Bharatn village, the sister in law will be sitting and the mother in law will be combing the hair and seeing all the cleaning the hair. The typical scene. And they will sit exactly on the door frame only. And that is where they get the news, the whole village news will come. Whatever goes on in the village, that is a newsroom actually. That's a newsroom, newsroom discussion will be going on. And they will be sitting and cleaning the hair, combing the hair, and I don't know how many hours they will spend in the combing the hair and cleaning the hair. Whole day from morning to night they will be sitting. Tagada, tagada, tagada…By the time they complete half of the hair will be in the outside. Typical scene. She just holds the door frame and stands because these two guys are there she can't go, they will stop her.

There beautiful the flute music is heard. Beautifully the bhagavatara describes when she was, when she listens to the Krishna's music, all the joyful ecstatic memory about Krishna fills her being so strongly, ecstatically all her good karmas exhausted. She sees the peak of joy, which she is supposed to see. When these guys are stopping her, when she remembers she can't go near him, physically. That physical missing, all the suffering, pain, raises in her body. So she exhausts all the bad karmas, all the pain which she is supposed to suffer, she is suffering. She sees the peak of the pain. When you see peak of the pain and the peak of the pleasure, your karmas are over and you relax and you become enlightened. He also beautifully describes, bhagavatara describes, just she stood there three chana. One chana means one wave of thought is joy, ecstatic memory of Krishnas. The moments, the ecstatic moments she had with Krishna, that filled her. All the joyful memories there were she lived her heaven, exhausted. The punya's, all the good karmas, she has seen the peak of joy. And next moment, when she can't go near her, near him physically, that physical separation the pain that arose in her being and she exhausted all bad karmas. She has seen the extreme of pain, she has finished her hell. So she lived her heaven, she lived her hell. So all karmas are over.

The third chana, just she became enlightened and relaxed. I can say, that was the mood I was going through. One side was strong joy, amazing memory, knowing who he is. You see, when you don't know who he is you can't enjoy. When I know with whom I was living, every inch, every moment is an ecstasy, 'Oh God, with whom I am, I lived? Who's my friend?' Many time when you know about the person even simple thing, God, you appreciate. 'With whom this whole thing is happening? With whom I am living?' Sometime you need that knowledge, that is why in bhagavatam they say 'gnanavashtri bhakti,' the feeling connection with Krishna, knowing that he is God. Gnanavashtri bhakti. Bhakti based on the knowledge, that is the ultimate bhakti. Not even simple bhakti, gnanavashtri bhakti. It's one of the peak bhakti experience. Bhagavatara's question, when the bhagataram was recited, you see the oldest universities name is Aranya. And registrar is Raissambhanyana, in our tradition. When Bhagavata was recited, I can say we also call these king professors. They come and all over the world students gather, and they give a special classes, special courses. Maybe three months, six months and then they go back to their place. And when Bhagavata was being recited, the students, one rishi questions 'What do you mean by saying all the people who lived around Sursubala, they are all prostitutes, dasis, and all the women lived around Krishna.' They are all devotees, gopikas. What do you mean? Both of them are feeling connected to one man. What is the difference between gopikas and Sursuba's dasis? Sursubala is the villain of Bhagavatam. He does exactly the same thing what Krishna does. If Krishna has a ten thousand women around him, he has ten thousand one. Whatever Krishna does he will do it. Beautifully the Bhagavatara describes, all the gopikas, they know Krishna is God. And the relationship is gnanavashtri bhakti. But with Sursubala, it was more fear-greed based. The dasis, prostitutes, of Sursubala they had fear and Sursubala had greed. It's a inter-dependent. They were inter-dependent. These guys give something to him, he gives something to them. That's all, so there is a huge difference between Sursubala and his dasis and Krishna and his gopikas. That strong gnanavashtri bhakti.

See till then I had a feeling connection with Aroni Yogeshwara. Bhakti was there, but now this lady, she added knowledge, who he is. So the whole thing has become gnanavashtri bhakti. Knowledge based devotion, it was such a joy, ecstasy. And the other side, the next moment, deep missing I may not see him at all again. I have described this whole story, scene by scene. Now we don't have much time. I have described scene by scene when I spoke on Shiva Sutras. Maybe if you find time, see on the YouTube, the whole thing in on YouTube. I spoke on Shiva Sutras, I described this whole thing very elaborately. Now I will connect with this point, where the asamprajnata samadhi point is there I'll connect and to make you understand this point. I'll share this incident so that only that part I'll try to explain. The whole thing if you want to see, go to YouTube and see my Shiva Sutra discourses. There I have explained, I have described the whole incident.

Anyhow, I was crying, crying, crying and lying down the entrance of the cave itself, that mandaba, waiting for him to appear. Of course, he did not appear. Then they were about to close the temple, the watchman he came and said 'Hey we are going to close the temple, get up and go. If you want to have darshan, the main shrine, have darshan and go. Go back, go out.' I ran to the main shrine, Dharbagrava, so that I can have darshan and go back to my house. When I went back and opened my eyes at the Dharbagrava, I saw very clearly he was sitting there. He was there, that instead of Shiva linga, he was just there. I rushed, I rushed to touch him. I was shouting 'Swami where were you? I was crying for you only, where were you?' I was rushing to touch him. I could see very clearly I was not physically moving, I was not physically moving. It's like sometime when you see somebody with whom you are really in love. Your body may be having some four five feet distance but your whole being will go and hug him. Your whole being will go again and hug him. So my whole being rushed towards him to touch him. The moment I touched, see, before that also I have touched him many time. It was touch with bhakti, samprajnata samdhi. I saw, I thought, he is a form, I was in love. And it was a deep connection with that form. But now it is not just bhakti, gnanavashtri bhakti. Knowledge-based devotion, now I know who he is.

So when I touched he also stretched the hand, very casually. When that hand and hand touched, but when the touch happened, then something just opened. I can say 'click.' Suddenly that moment, I saw very clearly; he was me, I was he. I can understand how that small bird would have felt when it relaxed into that golden bird. In that golden bird, in that small bird merged. What was that feeling, I can relate to that feeling. It was a strong experience. Suddenly I realized, after that experience, after that next moment, that simply the cessation of a mental activity which was connected to that form creating pain or joy disappeared.

Please understand, as long as I saw that form, as independent of me, it was creating joy or pain in me. Samprajnata samadhi, when that touch happened, suddenly the mental function of clutching with the thought, the mental function of clutching with his form ceases. Just it ceased. It just ceased, disappeared.

Asamprajnata samadhi, the next level samadhi has happened. After that, there was no missing him. Please understand, when Ramakrishna cut the form of the Kali, and went beyond the form, he never started missing Kali. Before that, before this experience of touching Aroni Yogeshwara, even few hours leaving him and going to the house I'll miss him so deeply. After this touch I never saw his form again, but there was no missing. Because he elevated me to the next level, the asamprajnata samadhi. What Patanjali describes as the mental function of clutching with the thoughts. Cluching with the form, it is just disappeared.

If you are unable to connect with what I said because of kutarka or vitarka, or darka, sorry not vitarka. If you have vitarka you can connect directly with what I am saying. If you had kutarka, it will be difficult to connect. And you won't be able to connect and you don't want to connect. Sometime even people with darka they want to connect but they don't know. Because of darka or kutarka you are not able to connect, don't worry. I bless you. If this truth is my experience, let it create just by the power of that truth, power of that experience. Let it create a strong same truth, the feeling connection in you all. It'll create.

I can say that much only because there is no other word. When you strongly feel connected with Master, or God, or Guru; when that strong feeling connection becomes so strong. That idea, that two person, two thing when it disappears into one, that samprajnata samadhi become asamprajnata samadhi. When it is two it is samprajnata samadhi. When you experience that as a one, it is asamprajnata samadhi.

Still I know I have not conveyed what I want to convey. I really feel I have not said what I wanted to say. There are some things which can never become thread, it has to be transmitted as a cotton, as a cotton. The experience has to be transmitted directly as an experience. And that feeling connection is there, suddenly you will see, you don't need words. The experience can just be transmitted to the other person, as an experience.

I bless you all. Let that transmission happen.

Viraamapratyayaabhyaasapoorvaha samsakaarashesho nyaha

In the next level of samadhi, in the other samadhi, the mental function of clutching with the thoughts ceases. And only the samskaras that do no cause any disturbance in the inner space remain. Understand I want you to know, this also next level samadhi but there is next next level samadhi, where even the samskaras disappears. See here I had unclutching experience. Unclutching has happened, no more missing. The asamprajnata samadhi happened. It is true, but there is next levels, which Patanjali speaks bija, sa bija, vikalpa, nirvikalpa. And different descriptions, maybe when I'll explain those sutras, I'll explain. The next different levels of samadhi experience which I had. And help you to understand the sutra. Here what happened when I was living with him nine years, nine months, conscious connection feeling connection, it was samprajnata samadhi, And I touched and when that form disappeared into my form, or when my form disappeared into his form, then it become asamprajnata samadhi, next level samadhi. And listening to these experiences is truth because it is from the strong truth. Naturally it'll shake your kutarka. It’ll shake your darka and kutarka and lead you to vitarka. Lead you to right reasoning.

I bless you all, let you all experience these great truths, achieve and radiate jeevan muhkti, living enlightenment. Let you all achieve and radiate the eternal bliss, Nithyananda. Thank you.