“Bhagavad Gita (Song of God) is a timeless treatise on the essence of…”

Bhagavad Gita

Power of Initiation

Bhagavad Gita (Song of God) is a timeless treatise on the essence of living enlightenment. The Gita was imparted by the enlightened Hindu incarnation Sri Krishna to the warrior-prince Arjuna over 5000 years ago. Amazingly, the spiritual wisdom and life solutions offered in the Gita are so universal and current, that it is even today used as an inspiring personal transformation guide in universities and management schools worldwide.

Sadashiva samarambham Shankaracharya madhyamam Asmadacharya paryantam Vande Guru Paramparaam

I welcome you all with my love and respects. Today, I’ll start the explanation on 21st verse, 2nd chapter of Bhagavad Gita –“Sánkhya Yoga”: Veda-vinaashinam nithyam Ya enam ajam avyayam Katham sa purushah Partha Kam ghaatayati hanti kam II2.21

The translation: ‘Oh Partha, how can that man who experiences it as indestructible, immutable, birthless and eternal being kill or cause anyone to be killed?’. I can say that Krishna is really having good time, see it’s like a only when the children feel that they are not suppressed, they are in a free space, they will jump and run around, whirl. For e.g. when they start whirling, the moment if you stare at them, keep quiet if you suppress them they will sit down. If you are not doing anything, you’re just smiling at them, they will jump more. Here, Arjuna is giving such a comfortable space for Krishna; Krishna is revealing all the sacred secrets. He’s going to the extreme. I can literally feel that Krishna is splashing the water all over, jumping in the water. He does not see the doubt, or the question or unacceptance in the eyes of Arjuna, he sees pure disciple, the pure, please understand, pure disciple hood without anything else, without any addition, corruption, delusion. Pure discipleship! So, he is encouraged to reveal the sacred secrets. Rarely I get into that space, when disciples are receiving me completely, I’m at my best, expanding and expressing. He goes to the extreme, suddenly he says, ‘eh, how can that which happens in us, as indestructible, immutable, birthless and eternal, strange last few verses continuously Krishna is using the word, ‘nithyam, nithyam, nithyam, like Arjuna was using the word , ‘swajanam, swajanam, swajanam’, Krishna is giving antidote for that word. Continuously in all those verses, the last verses He’s using the word, ‘nithyam, nithyam, nithyam’. He’s saying very clearly, ‘hey, which is eternal in you and in me, how can that kill somebody or get killed, eh? I can say, this is the most sweetest space to exist for Arjuna and for Krishna, because here, both these fellows, one is telling ‘kill’, the other one is going to do the killing and this fellow is saying, ‘how can the eternal one will be cause for killing?’ Arey, you’re telling him to kill and he’s going to kill, and you’re saying ‘how can the eternal one be the cause of killing?’ I can say very clearly, the highest spectrum of the existence átma, soul is touching the lowest spectrum of the practicality-physical action. Please understand, the highest spectrum of soul, the existence, consciousness, without losing its purity, without losing its formula of existence; see, neither killing nor getting killed is the way of existence for consciousness, but that ultimate truth without losing its ingredients. You see the consciousness has many ingredients, many kalyaana gunas, the auspicious qualities. In that one quality is, neither getting killed nor being a cause for killing, means achala, unmoving, not being cause or the effect of anything that is happening. So, that pure spectrum of existence, that pure presence landing in human action, without losing its grace and the formula of existence. Let me try to give you some example, like a man who is really, really rich, the richest man, without removing any of his suit, his costly dress, diamond rings, watches, with full make-up, full, fully dressed, coming down to the sewage and cleaning it without losing his grace, but cleaning the sewage. Understand, his highest spectrum of existence, without removing any of his paraphernalia or his qualities expressing his grace and wealth, coming down and cleaning the lowest, dirtiest place.

Krishna, without losing His way of existence, His components of existence, His formula of existence is bringing His pure presence into the lowest action. Lowest action on the planet earth is killing somebody. The Panchama badakas, ‘killing is the first sin, worst sin, the lowest action. Especially killing your teacher, ‘Acharya, forget about Guru; Achaarya; Achaarya droha itself is considered to be one of the worst killing. He is bringing the purest form of existence to the lowest level of action. Please understand, through this only action is getting purified, presence is not becoming dirty, there’s a big difference; sometime, the richest man comes with all his jewels, watch and everything, gets into the drainage, he becomes dirty and goes out, he does not clean the drainage, so that is totally different, then you should say, drainage made richest man dirty not that rich man made drainage clean.

So here, Arjuna tried his best to make Krishna dirty when Arjuna gave all his Dharmic, logical arguments, ‘how can we live after killing these fellows, let us, c’mon, let us become a sadhu, and beg and eat?’ If Krishna says, ‘yes, yes, , Oh Arjuna, you are such a great dharmic person, I forgot all the things I learnt from Sankhya muni, because all the time I was remembering Gopikas, anyhow you reminded me now and I learnt the lesson, c’mon, let’s turn the chariot and go back’. Then you can say, drainage has dirtied the rich man, but now it is not the case. The pure presence, without compromising its existence, its anantha kalyaana gunas, auspicious qualities, landing to the lowest action and purifying it.

I tell you, a beautiful incident from Ramakrishna’s life, one guy who was addicted to alcohol, extremely addicted, can’t live without it, his body will start shivering if he doesn’t drink. One drunkard who can’t stand without drinking, he goes to Ramakrishna and says, “Bhagavan”, great thing, Ramakrishna was respected as an incarnation even while he was in the body. Very rarely, few people I know who have been respected at least by their disciples as incarnations, ‘Swaminarayan, Ramakrishna, Ramana Maharshi. Not the whole society accepted, whole society can never accept. Whole world can never accept. If it accepted then Sathya Yuga will come, and what will happen to Kali Yuga? Anyhow, this, this guy goes and begs, ‘bhagavan, please somehow liberate me, I’m a sinner caught in this drinking, unable to escape’. Ramakrishna says, ‘alright, from tomorrow, before drinking, take the bottle, pour a little in your hand and offer it to mother Kali, do the offering then drink the bottle’. This fellow got little confused, he says, ‘what do you mean, you mean to say I’ll stop drinking, I’ll not be able to drink just by this act? That’s all is the solution, something great then. You are the best Master for me’. That fellow one side can’t believe it can help, the other side he thought such a simple solution great, c’mon let us enjoy then. But, after two days, that guy comes and falls at the feet of Ramakrishna and cries, ‘Bhagavan, I’m not able to drink, I don’t know what you have done’.

One of the main thing human beings do not know is “Power of Initiation”. When a master puts certain words into you, when those words start working in you, you do not know what all is going to happen in you. I can say the one liner for ‘Initiation’ is ‘expect the unexpected’, ‘expect the most unexpected’ is the one line introduction for “Initiation”.

Somebody goes to Sharada Devi, that guy is a womanizer, very dirty guy, not only mentally, even physically, perverted guy. Sharada Devi was very beautiful lady. If you see her first photograph, it is taken at the age of 40, after Ramakrishna passed away, left the body, but you won’t feel she’s 40, you’ll see very clearly because in that extraordinary sensitivity and grace, she just puts her head down in shyness, shy feeling, she looked less than 25, just like Rajeshwari Devi. The moment this fellow enters her room, Sharada Devi feels uncomfortable and just covers herself, then this fellow understood, that his eyes are not proper, the way he looks is not proper, that is why Mother is covering herself. He just falls at the feet and asks, ‘ma, free me from these lustful eyes and my womanizing habit’. Sharada Devi had a betel leaf next to her, she takes one leaf and puts it at her feet, the right thumb, she puts that leaf and just takes that leaf and gives it to him and says, ‘eat this’. Reminiscence says, that guy writes the reminiscence, ‘after 22 years of this incident, he says, I forgot whether I’m a male or female from that betel leaf, over. Forget about womanizing, I did not go near even my wife. I stopped going near my wife. I don’t know what has happened to me’. He writes, ‘after 22 years, now when I’m writing the incident only I even remember, 22 long years passed without having woman in my life’. He says, 2 night is the maximum gap, but now 22 years just one betel leaf.

Understand, the power of ‘Initiation’, whenever you receive certain words, don’t come to conclusion without living these words, practicing these words. If that guy had thought, ‘hey ordinary betel leaf that too she put her feet on it, dirty betel leaf, how can that clean the dirt in my mind?’, then you can be sitting your for your whole life and at least this is a betel leaf, Ramakrishna’s solution was a word, ‘ah pour it in your hand, offer it to Kali and again pour it, pour inside’, over! Oh ma Kali, Oh ma Kali, O ma Kali and drink, over!! What is this, what kind of solution? But, power of Initiation!

When the highest existence lands to the lowest action, the lowest action is purified. I promise, Arjuna did not kill anybody in the war. Krishna did not cause killing in the war. Because, such pure presence, with this pure understanding, you see, you can’t be expressing such a pure truth unless you are an incarnation! I tell you, even hypocrites, even the hypocrites, fellows who are acting, faking, even they can’t imagine, visualize, think such a great truths without being transformed. See, the power of truth is even if you try to fake it, it will make you. It will make itself in you. Even if you try to visualize, imagine, it does something in you, it makes itself in you.

There’s a beautiful story in Ramayana, a very beautiful story: Ravana’s assistant, one lady, she sees Ravana becoming lean and thin, she couldn’t tolerate, ‘oh my god, king what is happening, you are becoming lean and thin, you are losing your health?’. He says, ‘my lust for Sita, my separation from Sita, she’s not allowing me near her; that is torturing my body, that heat is melting my body, I am losing my health’. She gives an idea ‘Oh Ravana, you are the master, in changing your forms, you can take any form you want, you are the king of maaya jaala, why don’t you take Rama’s form and go to Sita. She will melt for you and you can enjoy her’. Ravana says, Oh foolish lady, you think I did not get this idea in my brain? But, the moment I remember Rama and assume His form, all my lust, desire, everything disappears! I’m in a different spectrum, different space. All my desires are not there, what can I do? Only when I come back I feel like I am myself. The moment I remember Rama’s name and try to assume His form, I just become that!

Understand, even now, very simple technique you can try, just try to sit like Buddha, you will automatically see the Buddha’s silence entering in you. Nothing much needs to be done, just try to sit like Buddha and remember that you are sitting like Buddha. Suddenly you will see something happens in you, the silence of Buddha is becoming part of you. If you are my disciple and having the feeling connection, just remember the Ananda Gandha, I’m there and you will see suddenly something happens and I’m there! I’m defining the Truth. Truth is something even if you try to make it false it makes you as truth. Even if you try to fake it, it makes itself.

When the extraordinary way of expression of the truth lands in you, it is called “Initiation”. Now, Krishna is initiating Arjuna, please understand, when Krishna says, ‘hey, what is happening in us as indestructible, immutable, birthless, eternal, how can that kill anyone or get killed, don’t worry’. He’s telling some of the most secrets, it’s like two friends are talking inside a room very secretly, one is describing to the other where all the treasures are kept, somehow, fortunately, you got the chance to stand next door, next to the room and hear the whole secret, what will you do? You will rush immediately and get the treasure. Will you be calling all the theologians and pundits and discussing? No, you will rush and accumulate, take over the wealth. Now you need to be exactly in that mood. You are secretly overhearing conversation between two friends about the ultimate treasure, do it, make it as yours. This is not Brahma Sutra to do Khandana-Mandana, no! This is Bhagavad Gita!! Bhagavan Uvaacha; Bhagavan said. I saw the other day on TV, You tube I saw, they were showing some TV clips in New York, ground zero where the twin towers were there, they put a huge laser beam light to show where the building was. Just like they are trying to send a huge laser beam light from the ground to the space, Bhagavad Gita is the light landed from the space to the ground. The Conscious beam landed on the ground from the space. Straight away, simple truth! I wanted all of you to remember one important thing, from the moment Bhagavan started speaking I stopped commenting. See, I’m only trying to create context, I’m not expanding on any verse. Understand thoroughly! I’m not adding anything at all, you see again and again, I’m repeating the same words, “Oh Partha, a man who experiences indestructible, immutable, birthless and eternal being kill or cause anyone to be killed”. I’m repeating the same at different points. See my responsibility is now only to make you understand Krishna existed, Arjuna was there, the context when Bhagavad Gita was delivered, at that kind of an atmosphere, for what it was delivered, understand the situation and now you are also in the same situation, understand and take these words with that sincerity of Arjuna and live it, that’s all. I am only trying to bring the situation alive, I’m not trying to add or delete any words Bhagavan said. What a perfect expression! Of course, He is the personification of knowledge! “Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum”, the universal Master. Now this word is like initiation. Logically you can never understand, ‘Ramakrishna tells somebody, offer the alcohol to Kali and drink, you will be freed’ and in two days that fellow is completely forgetting the whole habit of drinking, and somebody goes to Sharada Devi and she picks up a betel leaf and touches Her feet and gives it to him, this fellow eats and he is out of lust for 22 years’. Will you logically understand? Same way, you can’t grasp it with a superficial, foolish logic, this great statement, “Oh Partha, how can that man who experiences it as the indestructible, immutable, birthless and eternal being kill or cause anyone to be killed”. You can’t logically understand, but I tell you, when Arjuna remembers this truth, forget about experiencing it, even ordinary remembrance, because he heard it from Bhagavan, the power of initiation, something extraordinary happens in him, his actions of war will not have the components of action. As I told you yesterday, for action to happen, so many components are required: ambition, will, reason, power, all these are required. All these will not be there in Arjuna’s actions. He’s just filled with a pure energy, so whatever happens through him can’t be called as action.

If a rope is made out of coconut fiber it can bind you. If the same rope is burnt, see if you keep a rope and burn it, it will look like a rope even after being burnt. But now it is made out of ash, it cannot tie you. It cannot be used to bind you. Same way, actions of the Masters, actions of a person whose heart is filled with initiation, actions of a person whose heart is filled with these great truths is like a burnt rope. It can neither tie him, bind him nor bind you. Once it happened, you don’t need to get enlightened to experience the space of action without cause. Action filled with pure wisdom, action happening out of Initiation. So try, try to contemplate on this one truth, ‘action without ambition, action without cause, action with the pure truth, and knowledge-wisdom’. It is very easy if you have a little bit of feeling connection because the initiation becomes very strong.

I can understand exactly how Krishna made Arjuna act. He filled Arjuna with knowledge, initiation, so all Arjuna’s actions, like killing Bheeshma, killing Drona, killing Karna, killing everybody, nothing touched Arjuna because he was in the ecstacy. That is why I always tell you all, constantly try to be in ecstacy, in that bhaava Samadhi. The Master remembered by you is bhaava Samadhi. Master is sahaja Samadhi. He experienced by you constantly is bhaava Samadhi. Constantly being in bhaava Samadhi makes you experience this, what I’m describing: ‘action without the causes of action’. Here that is what Krishna is explaining. He is saying, ‘how can me or you kill or cause anyone to be killed?’ And, just now He said, ‘Oh Partha fight’, in 2 versus before. Just 2 versus before, he says ‘Partha, fight’. Now, He’s telling, how can I tell you fight? How can you fight? It is like having a sweets in full plate, and He also is eating and He’s feeding Arjuna also and telling, ‘see you know I know, how can I eat and how can I feed you, how can you eat? We both are in ekadasi vrata is it not? And, Arjuna that poor fellow, eating that rosagulla nicely, he’s telling, ‘yes, yes, you are in ekadasi and I’m in ekadasi’. Actually, both are in ekadasi, that is the truth understand. Because, the cause of the action is missing, action is not action. Just like the rosagulla is soaked in the sugar water, Krishna is soaked in the pure consciousness and Arjuna is soaked in the pure consciousness of Krishna. I tell you, this is the best space to exist, where Krishna’s mouth is filled with eleven rasagullas and Arjuna’s mouth is filled with eleven rasagullas and this fellow is claiming He’s fasting and Arjuna is saying ‘yes, yes, I’m also fasting, we both are fasting and doing ekadasi vrata’. This is the most sweet space because the ultimate way of existence is in action without losing any of his dimensions or qualities.

I will just repeat exactly what Bhagavan said. Sit and contemplate on this one line, ‘Oh, Partha, how can that man who experiences it as indestructible, immutable, birthless and eternal being kill or cause anyone to be killed. Sit doing manana of this great truth, ‘causeless action, ambitionless action, action filled with knowledge, wisdom’. I bless you all, let you all achieve, experience, live, express, radiate and share the eternal bliss. Nithyananda! Thank you!

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