“Subject is mind-Illusion or reality.”

Subject is mind-Illusion or reality. In today’s sutra, one of the greatest philosophical discussion and problem about reality is sorted out. Patanjali is analyzing one of the very famous, complex difficult problem in this sutra, which is the root cause for so many questions, doubts in spiritual field. Let me describe one of the major question or problem. Then I will express what Patanjali expresses in this sutra. Then you will understand how the so called translators and commentators have always missed the truth and what is the solution – the right understanding.

The major question, the major problem is again & again masters declare this whole thing is illusion, nothing is real. When they experience enlightenment, the object disappears into Anirvacheenaya – means undescribable. One of the questions is if it is illusion, when somebody becomes enlightened, if this illusion disappears for them, then, what happens to others. Is it still an illusion for you or it is not illusion for you or if it is not disappearing for enlightened master how can it disappear for me? Or is it that master’s feeling that it is disappearing is illusion? All philosophical these questions and discussions which are very difficult to comprehend are being discussed here. Another thing you may think what is the use of this understand. The philosophical understanding which the decision makers carry impact the whole human society and consciousness. So the understanding about the reality and illusion is very important.

I can say all major philosophical systems & traditions created in Bharat differs just on this one truth – the reality & illusion. The theory of maya. This is the point almost all major philosophical branches take a turn. It is almost like a this is where we land into the no man’s land. All philosophical roads end at this one point. Over. From here it is no man’s land. Whoever creates whatever they create their own tradition.

Let me enter into the sutra -

Krutartham prati nashtam api anashtam tat anya saadhaaranatvaat

Vivekananda: though destroyed for him whose goal has been gained yet Prakruthi is not destroyed for others who share the common prakruthi

Prabhavananda: though the object of experience becomes un-real for him who has reached the

Dvivedi: It though destroyed in the case of him whose purpose has been fulfilled it is yet not destroyed for others

Gyaneshwara – all though

Sachitananda: although destroyed for him who has attained liberation, it the seen still exists for others being common to them.

With all my respect and reverence to patanjali and all the masters who translated this sutra, I need to add my own understanding. I can say my own experience. I will exactly describe my experience on this major subject. As I said this is the dead end. This is like a road end. Only till this point you can walk with the gurus, rishis and even masters who belong to your own tradition. After this you have to say – bye!

Even to Patanjali I say bye! I know he will love it. I know he is hearing me and is thinking oh God! This is what exactly I wanted to tell.

The reality as it is seen by people, disappears for enlightened being but continues to be seen by all other people other than him. One group says, no it disappears for everybody. There is other group says no it disappears only for him not for others. There is one more group says no it does not disappear for anybody not even for him. I want to share my experience.

1st thing even before the person achieves enlightenment, all are not seeing reality in the same way. That is the 1st statement. 2nd when he becomes enlightened, what is described here the seen disappears is not truth or reality as you understand. 3rd the reality seen by the so called enlightened people is not real as you see them. So in this whole statement –

Kruthartham – one who has accomplished his purpose attained enlightenment,

Prati nashtam – for him all this disappears, but

Tatanya – for all others it is not destroyed because it is being common

Very difficult to translate because here every word you need to understand in a very deep way. I think it is worthy of understanding. I don’t want to take any one side for the laziness of explaining. Many times the gurus, commentators take just one side and explain it out of laziness. I want to really work, dig deep and make you understand every step. Because if this one sutra is understood properly you will know how to say good bye to me, when to say good bye to me gracefully. Anybody who can do this gracefully will land into enlightenment. Or who try to possess me. I am like a fire. If you try to possess me, I will destroy you. Because you are let to be around me taking me for granted and abusing me thinking you are protecting me – this is what I call possessing me. Possessing with an idiotic mind. It is what I call spiritual suicide. But if you know philosophically how to grow and gracefully say bye to me anyway you will land in the space where I am standing!

This is the spot from which you need to jump means you need to grind your being, you need to churn you being. What we call as reality means this world – philosophers one group say it disappears after enlightenment only for that person not for others. If that is the case, then what is the use of my enlightenment for you? That question raises. If I am enlightened, I am enlightened. No use for you! If you say in the other way, no it disappears for others also – then it does not seem to be the case because you are still caught in fear and greed. If you say it does not disappear for both then why do we need sadhana? If we say it disappears for both, it is still there for you, then it may be for me also.

Understand, any stand you take – one stand, it disappears for me, not you. The other stand, it disappears for you and not for me. Then it disappears for me and not for you. Then what is the use of my enlightenment for you? No use. Then what is the reality. What is the stand I am taking. Today I am not going to take any stand understand. First time I will let you to the no man’s land and leave you there. So that you can land wherever you want. I am just pushing you from the place from where you need to jump.

First thing at the age of 12 I became enlightened. Before the age of 12 the way I saw the world and you saw the world is not the same. The very basis the world experienced by me before my 12 years of age that itself was different than what you experienced. So the common connecting word, idea, factor does not exist. I request all of you to see this discourse at least 5-6 times. Only then you can understand.

Because I am going to exactly explain what happened in me, people around me, people who left me, abused me. I will explain what happened to all this mental set up by my enlightenment as it is. Today I am going to use the methodology of Khandana gandana – means breaking all the ideas that you have and leaving you to decide. So that each one of you can become a unique expression.

Understand, even after this dead end, even in the no man’s land if you are walking with my foot steps. When I liberate you and make you walk on the no man’s land, I make enlightened masters! So I will leave you at the no man’s land so that you can authentically live on your own and express yourself. So philosophically from this point I will put you on your own. My opinion cannot influence your experience any more. Freedom from the known is given to you. See even I am known to you. So freedom from me is liberation for you. So you should be able to say a beautiful bye to me and come up with your own non-hypocritical authentic experience.

You can’t stand on my reality. You cannot stand on my understanding anymore. Per my understanding the pile foundation can be 1000 feet. You cannot stand on this. Have your own understanding and pile foundation. Authentically and come up with your own clarity. Is it really that I experienced change in my perception or reality or is it just the perception in change? Is the change illusion or the reality is illusion? Understand, my change or my perception change is that illusion or is reality illusion? And the people around me have they also changed or their perceptions changed or the change in their perception is illusion or their idea about this reality is illusion? Discuss from all these angles. One – as per the different translations I read out, they take a very clear stand. I can say it is not wrong. This is the stand their experience. From this point they want us to take our own journey. From here it is no man’s land. You can go by walk, ship, flight or you can just get drowned. Anything is okay. Freedom from known. If I have to describe in simple words their stand, they say after 12 when I became enlightened, my reality has disappeared but it exists for all of you.

But I am trying to dig deeper & deeper. Then what is the use. Why should you be around me? It is no way going to help you. 2nd if it changes your reality also even by one inch then not only my reality but your reality is also changing. Then the stand is not true. So if you see with this argument, actually after the age of 12, whoever I saw, touched and related, all their reality has changed in one way or the other. So we cannot say the enlightenement has changed only me not others. You all are proof. All your perceptions have changed at least for few minutes. So we cannot accept this stand that for others it does not change, only for me it has changed. No we cannot say this.

Neither we can say it has changed completely nor we can say it has not changed completely. I don’t want any settlement judgment. No little it has and little it has not. No. there is no question of little bit. Either you are fully in or fully out. Over. There is no in and not. No. that does not work. Then what is my stand. As I described I am not going to take any stand. I am only going to describe themeaning of different words. I am going to make the meaning of each word as one one pillar. You can jump from one pillar to the other, or jump to the ocean or jump to no man’s land. The future will record the only sutra which Swamiji spoke and did not comment is this sutra.

Before the age of 12, your world and my world was same is not true. 2nd after age of 12 what they are saying my reality and world ceases to exist – what you understand from this is not true again. And the 3rd thing that your world remains the same is also not true.

Please understand, if there are numbers 1, 2, 3 you can have any equation with these numbers. But if the definition of 1, 2, 3 is not known, any calculation you try to arrive at, you will only go to misunderstand the whole thing.

I am only saying the definitions are not complete. You need to dig into your own by yourself. If I say before the age of my 12 years what I was seeing and you were seeing was not one and the same then how at the age of 12 for me it disappeared and for you it was the same. It cannot be.

If I say for both of us it was different. Then what happened to me at age of 12. Before also both of us were seeing the same, then how can it disappear after my enlightenement. If I say no after that

If I say no after that it is different for me and not for you, then what is the use of my enlightenemtn to you? Akll ideas about reality, perception and perceived need to be completely digged out by you without hypocrisy. Any opinion I give if you are influenced by it you will land in hyposcirsy. It is like when Gnanga mixes with ocean, she creates a special kind of land, a unique kind of earth which actually anyone who stands on it will get sucked into to. Quick sand. Unique forest and unique trees grow in that place. In Tamil Nadu also where kaveri meets the ocean, she creates that kind of land. A special forest grows in that level. Actually this philosophical discussion is the intellectual river merging into the ocean of experience.

There is a quick sand, ground, my opinion is like a board. If you are getting influenced by my opinion you are trying to put that board and stand on it. Trying to stand on other’s opinions and experiences does not lead you anywhere. There is some extent to which you can come with me. But at one point you cannot travel with me anymore. You have to take your own journey. Freedom from known. This is the most scary step. And people really not only not interested in doing this journey. They very cozily feel this part of this journey will nto come to me, at least not in this janma. Which we don’t want to face we go on postponing feeling it will come only at death, at some time.

See among different ways of fear I always describe fear of losing near & dear ones – for people it is fear of losing relatives. But for seeker it is fear of losing the master and asked to take your own opinions. Now you are just pushed into the lose sand. You have to go in and make decisions on your footing. Actually only when you have your footing you will understand life, death, birth, joy, pleasure pain. As long as you in opinionated footing means you are on footing of my opinions, what I describe as joy only is your joy, pleasure your plsesrue. Birth is birth, death is death.

You are not intelligent enough, interested or courageous enough to find your own footing. Then take both the legs off, completely surrender. But for that you need to get annihilated, dismantled. Which is very difficult. That case also, you will disappear and land where I stand experientially.

You need to find out whether this reality was reality for me from my birth. Or was there a point where reality is changing. ..

Is my perception of reality is illusion or reatlity itself is illusion. My change did it cause change in people around me. So all this footing you need to take your own decisions. It needs tremendous …

Not even dictionary. You can be without it. But meanings of all numbers are taken away from you and you are asked to make a new dictionary.

I want to tell you very clearly 1 is not same, 2 is not same to you and me. Also, I am not saying 2 means it is different for me it is different for you. I am saying it is not same for me and same for you. Then how are you going to calculate any sutra, any formula, any addition subtraction. No. immd mind will say oh god! Let me go and do my job. Brahmana is a person who does not settle down from the confusion if he is confused. Vysya is a person who is ready to stop that confusion if he is getting money somewhere. Kshatriya is the person who stops the confusion if he is protected or needs to be protected. The worker is the person who never bother, never gets into the confusion.

If you are a brahmana, which I want you to be. Then go on and get into the confusion. Sit and take notes what is the reality. My idea about perception, reality. How did it change? Even when you are physically mature the idea changes. Ask is this the maturity illusion or the reality illusion. This translation of sutra says reality is illusion for enlightened master, it disappears for him and for all others it remains the same. With each word I disagree. Because with each word your perception and my perception are not the same! Whatever I am trying to express is not as Patanjali experienced it is as I experienced and it may not be the experience for you even after you experience it.

So let me leave this sutra uncommented. Unexplained as it is. So here I am very clearly saying

Kruthartham – one who has accomplished his purpose I do not know the meaning for it

Prati nashtam – for him all this ceases to exist and I do not know the meaning of it

- For others it is not ceased because it is common and I do not know the meaning of it.

So for all the 3 points I am not taking any stand. I can only give you others’s stands and say they are not my experience. I want you to contemplate this sutra. Actually this sutra can make you understand whether your are brahmana or kshatriya or vysya or worker. For sake of security if you give up this seeking you are a kshatriya, for sake of money if you dump it you are a vysya. It never went into you even now, you are a worker. If it goes on in one corner of your mind and if it creates a deep vacuum and deep pain and yearning you are a Brahmin. If you are untouched by any of this you are a chandala. Dinenr is ready, bed is ready, tomorrow I have to get up early you are a chandala.

Because the perception of reality is such an important truth – it should haunt you. You should go on thinking. I used to really fall sick thinking about the ground on which I was walking if it was reality or not.

I had a great inspiration from Narayana tatta who was a great mantrik. He was disciple of a great adept in the science of mantras and sacred songs. This narayana swamy was teaching some of these sounds through which you can play with animals. Through which you can make animals lose consciousness. These are simple energy plays. One day I was studying in diploma, I was walking to my hostel. One side was ladies hostel other side was mechanical shops. From the ladies hostel side someone shouted snake. Some workers ran with a stick to kill the snake. Few days before he taught me the science of how to make them unconscious and make them come to you. To test I created that sound and I really saw that I could connect with that snake which is inside that snake hole and it was getting into unconscious state. I stopped the sound and saw in the half unconscious state it was moving towards me. Only when it came 10 feet towards me I realized that it got scratched in so many places because it was crawling on thorns in the unconscious state. I suddenly stopped! I felt oh God! What did I do? Just for my play, I caused injury to him. I just stopped the sound. With so much of compassion and love I just kneeled down. I saw very clearly that snake came back to life. It became conscious completely. It just lifted its hood almost like forgiving me, disrespecting me, disregarding me. That guy turned back and licked itself on his wounds, healed itself and looked at me and did not do anything to me. I just surrendered. I will accept the punishment anything the snake will give me. It just put its head down and went away to his house to his snake hole. That shook me. I can say that was there in me for more than 2 months. At least 2 months. I could not hide myself into my Vysyatva, kshatriyatva or shudratva. I just had to remain in my enquiry mode. Why this mantra, why did I use it? Is it right. Then how is it interfering in karma and karmic principles. How and why this whole thing happen. This went on in me at least for few months.

Then I went to that narayana swamy again. I asked him tell me it is haunting me. He laughed and said this is the use of power of any mantras or powers which will put you into enquiry of the truth. You now have mantra siddhi – means the mind if it becomes pure the mantra will be achieved. The extraordinary power is given to disciple to make you realize that the ordinary itself is not real. If that is more real then this is futile. If this is futile then that is also futile. All extraordinary is shown to you to make you understand that the ordinary itself is baseless and futile!

The brahmanatva – yearning to find out your footing when the ground under your foot slips and courageously putting your feet any depth you go to find your base is brahmanatva. Now you can find out within tomorrow morning whether you are a kshatriya, vysya, worker or brahmana or 5th category – chandala – you can easily find out.

So the essence of this sutra is neither before my enlightenment both our realities were same nor it was different. Even during my enlightenment it was same nor different. After my enlightenment also it was same nor different. Then what is it? You must enquire and find out. I can say only one thing, any opinion you have now is wrong. And I am not saying it is not right. But I am saying it is wrong.

There is a very beautiful description about this naimisharanya. Like this any master gets any click or experience he comes and stands on the Vyasa Peeta. Whoever has experienced a click or truth wills stand on the peeta and talk about it. That person is called the Vyasa.

That is why the books written by vyasa even to compile by many people over 200 years. Means what. It cannot be written by one person. the clear thing is a rishi who experienced a truth will stand on the vyasa peeta and shout. Some rishis will meditate, some will discuss, some will go home and sleep. Next day rishis who meditate will come back and share by putting everything in writing and present it to the world.

This is the way the experience of reality was transmitted to the next generation. Hope the naimisharanya happens here. Hope the honest meditation or honest discussions happens here. Understand when this kind of discussions happens the organizational authorities will not have any say in the matter. Only then you guys will remain as brahmanas. Irrespective of seniors or juniors, you must discuss honestly from your own experience and depth. This kind of naimisharanya discussion may help you to find your own footing and ground. All you need to avoid is the so called rowdy leaders and the so called understanding giving gurus of the organization. Not because you have lived so many years around swamiji, or you are so and so in society – NO. how much of seeking is awakened in you because of this analysis. It can be life changing if it is honest exploration of the truth. It will make you experience the truth of cosmos.

So essence of today’s message is look on your own. I hope and bless that naimisharanya the honest place for looking on your own happens in this place and the honest seeking opens in this place. Honest footing happens in every individual and let you all achieve and radiate enlightenment. Lets all experience and radiate the eternal bliss nithyananda. Thank you!