“Today we start the celebration of Navarathri – Dussera – 9 days for…”

Prayer. I welcome all the devotees, disciples, samajis, satsangis sitting with us around the world at this moment in 311 places through eNtv, in 11 places 2 way Nayana Deeksha, in 136 cities in 16 countries! Cities sitting with us 2 way Nayana Deeksha - Toronto Kailash, Australia, Guadeloupe Rameshwaram, France, San , Ohio Prayag, Malaysia Palani, Singapore Singapuram, San Jose Madhurai, Phoenix Kanchipuram, LA Arunachala, Seattle Chidambaram, Oman.

Today we start the celebration of Navarathri – Dussera – 9 days for feminine consciousness womanhood. It is celebrated in two way – some parts as 9 nights – Navarathri, some parts as 10 nights – Dussera. The 10th day Dasami is the victory celebration. So it is celebrated in 2 way. We will be celebrating 10 days. So from today, Dussera Utsava from Devi celebration for the feminine consciousness starts and from tomorrow celebration of the Venkateshwara Brahmotsava. I welcome all of you for the Dussera and Venkateshwara Brahmotsavam celebrations. All our temple from all over the world should start celebrating from today. All temples, Satsang Centers, Ashrams should start celebrating the divine feminine consciousness – Devi and Venkateshwara - Lord of wealth, creativity.

Let’s enter into Bhagavad Gita. We will start with 2nd chapter 26th verse in Bhagavad Gita. 2nd chapter Sankhya Yoga

“atha cainam nitya-jatam nityam va manyase mrtam tathapi tvam maha-baho nainam socitum arhasi”

The translation goes – “Oh foremost among men Arjuna! If supposing you believe that birth and death are inevitable for this being even then it is not worthy of being moaned for in this manner”

Bhagavan is using the word Nithya twice in this verse. I think he is filled with that concept the truth -Nithya. The moment he opens his mouth the Nithya comes out.

“atha cainam nitya-jatam nityam va manyase mrtam tathapi tvam maha-baho nainam socitum arhasi”

Bhagavan is becoming really really practical. He is not even, please understand teaching is of two type – one introducing some new truth and raising you to the next spectrum or clearing the ideas with which you are living and making them straight. See just clearing the ideas with which you are living and making them straight is lot more easy. Because when you are confused you are not ready to listen to new concepts, new ideas, new truths. You feel already what is inside itself is such a big headache. Why allow something more inside? No. You are closed. You are tired. You are sick. You don’t want to take any risk. Understand trusting a new truth is always a risk. That is why only a happy man, man who is luxurious in his inner space can afford religion. Only a rich man - man who has more money than what he needs can afford luxuries of life. Having few cars, vacation homes, only a man who has more money that what is required for his basic needs can afford luxuries. Same way only a person who has more energy in his inner space than to run his day to day life can afford religion. Only if you are having excess energy, more energy than required to run your day to day life, you look beyond. If you have only enough energy to look at this walls of Raja Sabha, you will only look – Okay! Only when you have more energy you tend to think what is beyond this walls? Something, some light is coming through this window, through this door openings, what must be beyond this wall? Why don’t I try, look? Looking beyond what is seen happens only when you have more energy than what you need to run your day to day life. That is why a confused man lives till his death as atheist. He doesn’t have enough energy to run his day to day life. He doesn’t have enough energy to run his day to day life how can he have energy to look beyond, to go beyond, to be beyond? No. I tell you only when you are feeling alive, new concepts can fill your being. I have seen in thousands of monasteries in Bharat where Bhagavad Gita is taught freely giving food and stay together. But it is so unfortunate you can’t understand Bhagavad Gita unless you are a person of life. Now before forgetting I wanted to put it on record my gratitude to the great Sadhu Ramananda Saraswathi of Omkareshwar at whose feet I learnt Sanskrit version of Bhagavad Gita. I have studied Bhagavad Gita at a very young age through a translation by Swami Chidbhavananda. He has done amazing translation in Tamil. I had the fortune of studying through translation. He has done a beautiful translation word by word and then the whole commentary. That was the first vedantic book I got in my hand and read and had lessons from Vibhudananda Puri Kupammal who used to give me lessons. I will read and tell whatever she wants to add as a commentary. But a great Sadhu Ramananda Saraswathi of Omkareshwar I had the fortune of studying in original Sanskrit at his feet. He has a great, very great way of living. Amazing Sadhu lived for quite a long time. I think he lived at least above 90. He used to stay in Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh. He will stay there for 6 months and teach Bhagavad Gita. Whoever comes to learn, he will give them free food and shelter. When he finishes that course after 6 months, he will start living his Parivraajaka life – he will go from house to house and beg and eat, sleep under the trees. Whatever money he will get from the devotees, whatever he gets, he will collect all that for 6 months, keep it with him. By the end of the 6 months, he will come back to Omkareshwar and start teaching. Again. When I studied at his feet around 1700 people lived with him. The whole Omkareshwar will be filled by his disciples. Omkareshwar is a small place but there are many ashrams. He had his own ashram. Ashram is not a huge infrastructure reasonable place. He will start the classes again. After 6 months again he will go for yatra. Sometimes devotees will come and tell – why do you want to travel, you stay here, we will get you money. You start teaching. He says - No, I wanted to go door to door and beg and come back teach Gita. Till his life, till he left the body he lived this same life. 6 months he will sit and teach Gita. 6 months he will spend begging. Going from door to door. He will not stay more than 2 days in a place. Amazing Sadhu life he lived. I wanted to remember him and offer my gratitude. It is at his feet I studied BG in original Sanskrit. Powerful teacher. But it is so unfortunate, the disciples are not powerful disciples. Most of them are there for this food and shelter. Most of these local beggars they wear the Sadhu clothes, come and stay there. He is such a sincere person. He will never miss three session – per day three sessions he will take - before breakfast one, before lunch one, before dinner one – three sessions. He will never miss a session. People will never miss three meal breakfast, lunch and dinner. But in the class I don’t know I can’t even tell exactly how many people will be sitting in the class. 1700 people lived around him when I was studying. Very few will come and sit in the class throughout. You see otherwise they will come for one session. All of them will attend at least one session a day. That also not with a sincerity of internalizing. I used to think oh God! These fellows are given food, very good stay, why are they not studying? Now I know the answer - you cannot allow any idea to infiltrate you, you cannot internalize any idea unless you are life. You are for life! As I said non-suffering should become your religion. Non-suffering should become your life standard. Non-suffering should echo in your every thought, deed, word, action, in everything.

See from today, all over West Bengal especially Calcutta anywhere you stand you will hear the word - Jai Ma, Jai Ma, Jai Ma – it will be echoing all over the West Bengal. Durga Puja. Durga Puja starts. I have seen Mumbai Ganesh Chaturthi, I have seen Tamil Nadu Skanda Shasti, I have seen Tiruvanamalai Deepam, I have seen so many big festivals. But nothing like Navarathri, Durga Puja of West Bengal. Oh God! People live with her! Bengalis are basically the devotion based people. They literally live with her. See if you have a daughter how you save money and you get her to your house for Diwali or some other celebration and you spend all the money on her, give her lot of gifts and send her back to her house, exactly same way even a middle class, lower middle class man in Bengal will save money. All of them look upon Devi as daughter. Daughter is called home for this Navarathri day – 9 days – she is given all the gifts, she is taken care and she is sent back to Kailash after Dasami - 10th day. I should say people are literally in Bhaava Samadhi. This 10 days they live in Bhaava Samadhi. The way they bring the Devi to the house, the deity and the way the puja happens, the way they spend. If somebody is making 1000 rupee per month, I can easily tell, I can safely tell he will spend 2,000 rupee just for this Durga Puja. At least 2 month income they will save it and spend on Devi – Durga Puja. Whole Bengal will vibrate with that one word – Jai Ma, Jai Ma, Jai Ma, Jai Ma, Jai Ma, Jai Ma – day and night! Just how Bengal reverberates with Devi, your life should reverberate with one truth – non-suffering. Only then you are ready for internalizing new truths, great truths like Bhagavad Gita. Man who can internalize new truths is living enlightenment. Man who can alter his logic, clear his logic and get rid of his confusions is a seeker, man who can neither internalize new truths nor get rid of his confusions by altering his understanding is atheist.

In the beginning God created the earth and rested. Then God created man who are his devotees theist and rested. Then God created atheist. Since then neither God nor devotees rested! ☺ Atheists are the donkeys who don’t allow anybody to rest in peace. Because they are not in peace. Atheist is a person who lives a sub-standard life who can’t allow the new truths, new ideas inside him. Who cant internalize new concepts into his being. It is very difficult to live as an atheist. You can act as atheist that is okay. But living as atheist is very very difficult.

Small story –

One atheist complained to a Christian friend - You Christians have your special holidays Christmas and Ester, Jews celebrate their holidays, Hindus celebrate their holidays, Muslims have their holidays, every religion has its holidays. But we atheists have no recognized holidays – it is an unfair discrimination. The religious person he said – what do you mean atheists have no holidays? People are observing a special day in your honor for years! Atheist said I don’t know what you are talking about, when is this special day. The religious person - Christian said - April 1st! ☺

Atheist is a man who can’t internalize. Who can’t allow expansion of inner space. Here Bhagavan does not want to give too much of load of Arjuna. Please understand Arjuna is not in the level of atheist. But still he has to come to the level of living enlightenment. He is a seeker. So bhagavan is clearing Arjuna’s own doubts and wrong logic and making it straight. He is not putting new ideas into Arjuna. In this verse Bhagavan is saying – alright even if you don’t believe the truth, I am introducing - atma the soul is indestructible, eternal.

Here I am talking on Bhagavad Gita and there prasaadam eating is going on! ☺ Everybody is turning that side and who ate also turning that side! ☺

Alright! Life is for internalizing the newer and newer & greater and greater truths. Krishna says even if you are not able to internalize the great truths like soul is eternal, it is indestructible and all these things - come on even if you believe the birth and death are inevitable for this being, what you think as you, even then you don’t need worry because it is going to happen whether you worry or not. You don’t worry for day and night. You don’t sit and cry oh! now it is going to become night what will I do? You don’t sit and cry Oh! It is going to become day time, what will I do? No. Once you know something is inevitable and moves like a cycle and eternal, you just learn to live with it, learn to handle it.

Same way, when you know life & death are inevitable, oh Arjuna! foremost among men. He is using the beautiful word for Arjuna – Maha baho the mighty armed one - it is not worthy of being moaned for this man. You don’t need to worry about it. He is using a very powerful name for Arjuna – mighty armed one. Means the arms, the hands are directly related to giving. That is why when they describe Karna and Sri Rama Chandra Prabhu - they describe their hands first. Sri Rama supposed to be a great giver. Ramakrishna used to - whenever somebody comes to him and asks for Sanyas he will hold their hand and see. Hand is supposed to look big and weigh light. That is the scale. It should not look small and weigh heavy. He will say only by holding the hand and weighing it – looks big and weights light, then this guy will become Sadhu. Means he has less engram and he has capacity to give away everything. Here Krishna is describing Arjuna as Maha Bahu means mighty arm. Surely Arjuna must have had the quality big hand but light weight. Means the capacity to give everything, capacity to give away. He is reminding Arjuna – aiy! You are capable of giving away your body, giving away everything. So don’t worry. You are a great giver. I tell you - the joy of giving. The habit of giving will bring its result in you when you leave the body. When you leave the body, person who is always giving, giving, who is habituated to depart from something which he feels as part of his life. If you are habituated for that, leaving the body will be very easy. For example you are having a house. For ten years you lived in it and you felt it is almost your life. Suddenly one day morning you give it away. Now you are habituated to give away things which you feel as your life. Same way money - sometimes you hold money as your life. Suddenly one day you give away. Same way sometimes you hold your comforts, luxury, pleasures as part of your life. Suddenly one day you give it away. Now you are habituated, you are trained for giving away what you feel as your life. So when you leave your body also, because of that habit, you will not have suffering. You are already habituated to giving. You can easily give away life also, body also. I tell you the highest capacity you need to develop in a human life is capacity to give away, capacity to go on giving. Giving your energy, giving your time, giving your love, giving your money, giving your whatever you call it as yours – talent. Capacity to give away –

“atha cainam nitya-jatam nityam va manyase mrtam tathapi tvam maha-baho”

Every time when Krishna describes certain truths, he reminds Arjuna exactly that truth related name. He says Maha baho- mighty armed one who gave away everything. Who is habitual giver. Nobody can give like Krishna. But he himself calls Arjuna as Maha baho just to remind Arjuna he is a habitual giver. You are habituated for giving away. Don’t worry. Don’t be bothered. Be a giver. For a giver life and death is not a big thing. he says even if you believe that birth and death are inevitable for this being, even then it is not worthy of being moaned for in this manner. He says even if you believe birth and death are inevitable, why are you worrying? It is a routine. Relax!

Let’s see what Bhagavan expresses in the next verse. Let’s go to the next verse. 27th verse in Bhagavad Gita 2nd chapter Sankhya Yoga.

“jatasya hi dhruvo mrtyur dhruvam janma mrtasya ca tasmad apariharye 'rthe na tvam socitum arhasi”

Bhagavan is using this word second time. Translation says -

“Death is inevitable for a person born and birth is inevitable for one who is dead. Therefore on this ground it does not deserve on your part to moan for that which is unavoidable, the act of fighting is indeed an obligatory duty Nithya Karma of Kshatriyas like Agnihotra.”

Please understand. Let me give you the word by word translation so you will understand. Bhagavan is using the word “na socitumarhasi” in other verse and now he is using the word “na tvam socitum arhasi” - Don’t lament, don’t worry, don’t grieve. He is using this instruction second time. He is saying second time don’t worry, don’t cry, don’t suffer.

“jatasya hi dhruvo mrtyur dhruvam janma mrtasya ca tasmad apariharye 'rthe na tvam socitum arhasi”

Bhagavan is trying to clear the confusion of Arjuna without introducing any new theme, or concept or idea. He is saying “jatasya hi dhruvo mrtyur” He is saying death is inevitable for a person born and birth is inevitable for one who is dead. Therefore, on this ground, it does not deserve on your part to moan for that which is unavoidable.

I think this word should be taken as a straight word from the closest person whom you trust. He is very plain – aiy! Death is inevitable you know. If you think some part of you is born, that part has to die. If you think some part of you is going to die, that part has to be born. Cycle of birth and death is going to go on forever. It is your intelligence. You have only one possibility. You can just unclutch and escape from it. You can just step out of the cycle. You cannot stop the cycle. You can stop the cycle for you. When you step out the cycle stops for you! That is why Bhagavan says don’t grieve over the inevitable. This is the way it is. Don’t grieve for others. Many time people come and tell me – I am in deep suffering Swamiji because my son is trying to marry somebody in the other community. Are what he wants as joy he is choosing. Why are you suffering for him? Even for him it is not suffering. If he is going to suffer then you can say I am suffering because he is suffering. He himself is not suffering. But you are suffering Means you are suffering for your own ideas about him. You create your own ideas about him and you are suffering. No. “nanu socitumarhasi, na tvam sochitumarhasi” - death is inevitable for a person born and birth is inevitable for one who is dead therefore on this ground, it does not deserve on your part to moan for that which is unavoidable. The act of fighting is indeed an obligatory duty - Nithya karma. Bhagavan goes one step further. He says don’t worry. It is just life. Every day whatever you think as you is dying. What is you is taking birth. If you go on assuming something else as you other than you that is also going to die. It is like you are A but you assume B as you, the B is going to die continuously and A is going to take birth continuously. When the B dies, if you get back to A and realize you are A there will be no birth and death. But if catch the C and feel you are C because B is dead, the C is also going to die. Then you will catch D and feel D as you and D is also going to die. Then you will catch E and feel E as you, then E is also going to die. Till you get back to you as you this birth and death is continuously going to happen! Understand death is inevitable for a person and birth is inevitable for the one who is dead, therefore on this ground it does not deserve on your part to moan for that which is unavoidable. Please understand, how you live. For example if you live physically as Sadhu I guarantee you even your next birth will be continuity of this. You may say – no, no, mentally I have not lived as Sadhu, I was hypocrite. Don’t bother. But hypocrisy could not become so strong it can change your physical life style. See hypocrisy cannot be kept hiding inside your 6 feet body for a long time if it is too strong. Even if you struggle with your hypocrisy but lived as a Sadhu physically I tell you the next janma you will live as a sadhu with less hypocrisy and less struggle that’s it. Anything becomes physical life in you continues to guide your further lives. So if you lived as Sadhu even death cannot take Sadhu life from you. How you live is a powerful basis, base material for the way your next life is created. Death is inevitable, birth is inevitable and don’t moan for it. If you are moaning for death and birth your whole life is going to be suffering. Because every day somebody is dying. Every minute somebody is dying. Come on, start moaning. The universal love is supposed to be making you more & more joyful. It is not supposed to be making you more & more painful. See if you are loving the whole world, either you can start enjoying wow every moment something new is happening in the world and life is expanding. We are becoming better and better or you can start suffering somebody is dying! Universal love can lead you to suffering or joy. Here Bhagavan is saying it should lead you to more and more Joy, courage. Not more and more suffering, pain and discouraging. Sit with this one great truth – Death and birth are simple facts. It is my decision whether to live with it or suffer for it. Sit and decide not to suffer.

“Na tvam sochitu marhasi”

Bhagavan repeats this instruction 2nd time, don’t miss it now!

I bless you all sitting with us at this moment in 638 places through eNtv, in 11 places through 2 way video conferencing, in 216 cities, in 20 countries!