Ask The Avatar - Education vs Job, Being Your Boss, Vision & Visionary, Gurukul & Sanyas Lifestyle (Ma Nithya Mahavidyananda)

Ma Nithya Swarupapriyananda: nityānandaṃ parama sukhadaṃ kevalaṃ jñāna mūrtiṃ | dvandvātītaṃ gagana sadrśaṃ tattvamasyādi lakṣyam || ekaṃ nityaṃ vimalaṃ acalaṃ sarvadhī sākṣi bhūtaṃ | bhāvātītaṃ triguṇa rahitaṃ sadguruṃ taṃ namāmi ||

Nithyanandam, and a very warm welcome to today’s Nithyananda Satsang which has quickly become the highlight for all of us in the day - Ask The Avatar. It’s in this series of satsangs when you get to see the intimate one on one personal relationship between Sadashiva himself in form and those who has chosen to live life here with Him in Kailaasa on earth which is Nithyananda Peetham, Bengaluru Aadheenam. Tonight, we are going to hear questions post to the Avatar by a very special aadheenavasi - Ma Nithya Mahavidyananda. Ma Mahavidya is a Vice Chancellor of Nithyananda University, and she came to Swamiji from the world of Aerospace Engineering. Nithyananda University is now the largest university on planet earth by number of campuses, courses, students and faculty. So of course, it’s a dream come true for someone who has a history in academics. And very soon we are going to hear more from Ma Mahavidya.

Ma Nithya Mahavidyananda is known for her distinguish academic career and work in the field and as a scholar. Before becoming a brahmacharini, a monastic disciple of the Nithyananda Sangha. She was the Assistant Professor of the Aeronautics and Astronautics in the University of Washington in Seattle, USA, between 2013 and 2017. During her tenure at the University of Washington, she spearheaded the research on Aerospace Validation and pioneered the country’s first research lab on that same topic. Her work has received numerous awards, honours and recognition from the international colleagues. Known for her creativity, she was awarded the National Science Foundation’s Early Career Faculty Award for the impact her research brought to society - Best Adviser Awards for inspiring her PhD students in their own research with grant over 4 million dollars in research funding. Appeared in over 30 peer review publications. Authored the only book on the topic in the past 30 years. Sat as an adviser for High School programs which shared a likes for pioneering aerospace engineering research with distinguish with excellence for her doctoral research and the list goes on and on and on. In fact her academic and her professional biography alone is 13 pages.

Ma Mahavidya came to Inner Awakening in March of 2016. And then she knew what her real calling in life is. She went back to Washington with the blessings of her beloved Guru, His Holiness Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda Swamiji to come back to live with Him as an aadheenavasi. Today she is living her dream beyond the excitement of searching into the far reaches of aerospace exploration is the excitement to be blessed as an educator, influencer and pioneer in the sacred science of the Vedagamas at the feet of her most beloved Guru. Tonight is her night to take all of her burning question in Ask The Avatar. Welcome Ma Mahavidya.

Ma Nithya Mahavidyananda: Thank you Ma Swarupapriya and thank you so much Swamiji for letting me share the stage with you. This is beyond your blessing and a dream come true. So I want to start by thanking everyone who is joining me here tonight in this celebration. It’s an extremely special night for me. Erm ... these people here in Bengaluru Aadheenam, the entire Science of Inner Awakening joining us on two-way and the entire sangha and all of those my past colleagues, friends and students. Thank you so much.

So Swamiji I want to start by saying I, I decided I’ll use this time, my this time because you do. And that’s how I operated for the last year since I have known you. And in anything I do, I only asked, “How is Swamiji do it?” And that’s how I do it. And there has been one question Swamiji, my students has, have asked me all the time. They come and do undergraduate education and then they asked should they go get the job or continue their education? And they see a finality in education as if there is no more. What would you say to them?

Swamiji: nithyānandeśvara sadāshiva samārambhām nithyānandeśvari ādishakti madhyamām | asmat āchārya paryantām vande guru paramparām ||

I welcome all of you with my love and respects.

Mahavidya (Swamiji smiling away and applause from the audience). The thought current you presented in front of me as a question, see you presented two ideas. One, whatever I do, I remember how Swamiji will do. How I use to connect me with the Annamalai Swamigal … and practice this, umm. With Arunagiri Yogishwara, I never practiced, it become that because He was so huge, so imposing and impressing. He just enter into me and I know I am doing as He wants, that’s all. With the Annamalai Swamigal, it was a practice. With Arunagiri Yogishwara, it’s a presence. It was no more a practice. And then the question you presented, the students come to me and everyone should know that she is, she trains and coaches people for doctorate, PhD. Tsk! Not only she herself is a doctorate, am I right? Unn …

Ma Nithya Mahavidyananda: Yes Swamiji.

She herself is a doctorate and she’s … she coaches people, trains people for doctorate. Tsk, so I am sitting with a person who trains the trainers. She makes the people doctor. You put a question that, “Students come to me and ask after certain education, should we take up a job or continue education?” Let’s understand the logy of education. To tell you honestly, the two thought currents you presented, actually the one is the answer for the other. The question is, “Should your students pursue the studies or take up a job?” See what is study you know? In whatever field you are exploring, the vision or the visionary of that field should have opened in you. So your logy is completely functioning with that logy ... without blind spot then you are complete in that education. It can be as simple as gardening. Either the complete vision about the gardening or a great visionary, gardener should have opened in you, in your being. Your logy should be completely in tune with it. Education is only two thing - one ideas based and the personality who has become the personification of ideas is based.

Hindu tradition was based on Guru and all the other ideas, thought currents explained through the Guru. These two type of education: one, that ideas, books, teachings based. Another one, person who radiates the ideology based. In these two, any one or both should have opened in you, only then your education is complete. If it is only the logic means the goal of more of a length based understandings, like a mathematics, theories, the science; there that person who is personification of that ideas may not even be required. Nowadays the gadgets are doing much better job - just analysis, statistics, numbers, the, the theorems, formulas. Vision is related to only that. If that logic, that vision has opened up in you, your whole logic is able to function integrated to that vision … without a blind spot - your education is complete, take up a job. It is nothing to do with graduation, under-graduation, post-graduation or PhD.

Ma Nithya Mahavidyananda: Yes Swamiji.

Are you complete with that logic is, for example if you are doing mathematics. Anything you see, your vision should be able to reduce it into mathematics. Anything you see, you should be able to understand from the vision of mathematics. Then your education is complete. The vision has opened in you. Then you take up a job, start enriching the world. You don’t need to spend time in studying further. If it is art, like a music, dance, painting. Ideas, concepts are not enough, you need to fall in love with somebody who has become personification of the ideology. You need to fall love with the answer and you need to constantly remember that person. You need to constantly align yourself to that person. And then maybe little concepts are also required. If it, if the education is related to heart, heart a dimension of breadth, heart. If you are in love with the visionary and there is no blind spot, your whole logy is able to function with the logy of the visionary. If you are able to dance like your visionary, if you are able to paint like your visionary, if you are able to sculpt like your visionary - your education is complete. If your logy has no blind spot.

When I say if you able to like I am not saying duplicating. I am not saying replicating. Understand.

Ma Nithya Mahavidyananda: Yes Swamiji.

I am only saying multiplicating. Understand ... duplication and replication is logic, not art. It is multiplication is art. Where the vision of your visionary is nurtured in you, your heart becomes a nursery for the vision of your visionary and you multiply it. If that space has opened up in you, your education is complete. Start enriching the world. I will not utter the word “take up a job,” understand. Job is not 3 letter word, 4 letter word. Any person whose intelligence is awakened should not take up a job. He should be his own boss.

Understand, Hindu tradition does not allow, accept … people not being their boss. Allowance is given but they are not allowed. Allowance is just okay. What to do? But it is not socially allowed. Either … you start enriching the world just because of the joy of enriching, … you start enriching the world because you are so strongly feeling connected to the ideology, or you start enriching the world in exchange of some pleasures and luxury or wealth. If you start enriching, just for the hack of the joy of enriching - you are a Brahmana. If you start enriching because you are so or you have a so much of feeling connection with that ideology - you are a Kshatriya. If you start enriching because you want to have exchange of pleasa … pleasure or luxury or wealth or some, something in return - you are a Vaishya. If you decide not to become your own boss, only then you become Shudra.

Ma Nithya Mahavidyananda: Oh ...

No one whose intelligence is awakened, who went to Guru, who is touched by Guru ... no one should get into the path of not being your own boss. No! Do not take up a job, it is not accepted in Hindu tradition. Practicing Hindus do not take up a job. You be on your own boss. You can be part of an organization, nothing wrong. That is not denied. You can be part of a organization but you cannot be, understand, part of something. Being ordained, ordinate of something is different. Being subordinate is different. You are part of an organization, you are ordained, you are ordinated. You can be part of an organization but do not take up a job. Do not take up a job. Hinduism, practicing Hindus don’t take up job. Time immemorial! Always! Understand even in Hindu kingdoms if somebody is working in the court, he was never respected. Whether a poet or a artist or a painter, the intelligentsia of Hindu kingdom, intelligentsia of the Hindu society, Brahmanas do not accept a person dances in the court or paints in the court or sings in the court. They were never given the credit of the authorities!

Understand. Being part of … a organization is different, being subordinate is different. In Pandya kingdom, it is very clearly recorded, the Tamil Cankam (Sangam) is separate and the court of the kingdom is separate. In the court, poets don’t work, … artists don’t dance, singers don’t sing. Their king has the complete power. But the organization called Tamil Cankam (Sangam), their king does not sit in high pedestals. There … the poets, singers, painters, artists, sculptors, they are respected so much. Even if you see the Thiruvilayadal Puranam, it is very clearly recorded. When Shiva comes down and questions the authority of the Nakeeran, king defends and says, “This is not court. This is Tamil Cankam (Sangam).” The organization where everybody is part so you can’t say they are subordinates. Understand

The thought current I am trying to tell you - practicing Hindus do not work. And … be your boss in whatever you are offering, in whatever you are doing. Whether it is big or small, right or wrong, good or bad, up or down - be your own boss. Be your own boss, I tell you ... fundamentally ... the thought current: when somebody has to end the education, start the job. The moment either your vision or visionary has opened up in you and you do not have a blind spot with it or with the person, and you are able to flow smoothly, your education is over - start enriching. In length logic based fields, ideas are enough. With vision opens up, that’s enough. In art based fields, visionary also need to open up. Depth in spiritual, depth based reality, existential based fields, if only the visionary opens up, that’s enough - you don’t need separate concepts and ideas and anything. Just visionary opening in you, happening in you ... is enough. He will make it happen for you.

So when you say, “How Swamiji will do, I will do,” visionary has happened in you. You are done. Now you can be given PhD in spirituality, you can start enriching the world. So … how to decide whether to continue the education or start enriching the world? This should be the decision. If you feel, “Oh, it is never going to end. I don’t think any time vision is going to open up in me or visionary is going to open up in me,” then take up a job, be Shudra. Nothing can be done. Nothing else can be done! If you want to give up on you, then who can hold you? Otherwise, wait and open up the vision or visionary in you. Be Brahmana or Kshatriya or Vaishya. Understand! This is no way connected to birth in our Sanatana Hindu Dharma. It was no way connected to birth! It is invaders made the concept of community based on birth because they were practicing it based on birth. We were practicing it based on the karma, action. We were doing it based on karma, action. We were doing it based on the logic with which we lives, not biologic. Understand, it was logic, not biologic. It is invaders who brought this idea of community is based on biology. So, next.

Ma Nithya Mahavidyananda: Cost of education is high. Today almost in the west, in Bharatn institution I was working at, approximately 60,000 dollars to a 100,000 dollars somebody spends a year for one year of education. And they want to study, and they want to find the visionary. But what can schools do to help them, to guide them in this search for a visionary then? What should one do?

Swamiji: See the question has lot of complications about the … modern day education system. Let me talk only from the angle of Vedic education system. First thing: fundamentally, education should be completely free. Understand, my Gurukul is free because my Gurukul was free. Fundamentally if you see, 80% energy of our sangha: Gurukul, all the books that I have written, all the satsangs I have given, even the classes and programs I have given like a Inner Awakening or all the other programs - everything is available in the internet completely free of cost for free download and educating or research, understand.

It’s not that little resources are spent on making all these available to all of you free of cost. Nithya Satsang, everything, ... other than few programs. I should say if I compare almost 80% of my time, energy, what I am offering is made available to the whole world free of cost, with a lot of gifts and bonuses. Like a books, many books even the hard copies we gift it. And many Aushadha products, jna ... spiritual alchemy products like Kantha mala, many things ... go as gift. Understand. If something is showered on you, your good side is rubbed so strongly, you can never monetise that unless you are chronic capitalistic, … sick ... and sickening. Econo-idio. We can create new new words - “econo-idio maniac disorder.” This whole education I am sharing, I was showered. I can’t monetise! End of the day I can’t monetise! Generating little money to run the organization is different. Monetising is different. All the best things I have, I am sharing with our Gurukul, with my kids and the Gurukul is free.

They are not even bound by the Sannyas vows. At the age of 21 if they want to drop the Krama and go back to society, they are, they are free to do. Even spiritual vows are not binding vows. Krama Brahmacharya, even before the initiation they are told very clearly, you can always drop this whenever you want to and go back to society, use whatever you learnt and manifest whatever you learnt and live as you want without even having a commitment that you need to give back something to the roots. Understand. Never my Gurus asked me to give back to the roots, that is why I gave me itself back. Understand, … matured man’s operating methodology is grounded on gratitude. This is a very important statement. Gratitude comes only for a matured man and maturity happens only if you start operating from gratitude, understand. Till gratitude becomes your fundamental cognition of operation, you are immature. Still you have not ripe for the world.

The beautiful mantra, Mrityunjaya Mantra:

त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे सुगन्धिं पुष्टिवर्धनम् । उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनात् मृत्योर्मुक्षीय मामृतात् ||

tryambakaṃ yajāmahe sugandhiṃ puṣṭivardhanam । urvārukamiva bandhanāt mṛtyormukṣīya māmṛtāt ||

See the word “puṣṭivardhanam.” When ripe, … it relaxes. If you are ripe from all the needs of the world, your demand from the world, if you feel you have sucked the world enough, you have taken all the possible juice and you are mature, you have nothing more to demand from the world - “puṣṭivardhanam, puṣṭivardhanam.” Then you decide to operate on gratitude. Understand.

Till you decide to operate on gratitude, you have not yet completed your commitment, means immature relationship with the world. Till you are in the mood of sucking. Till you are in the mood of demanding. I tell you, as long as you are in the mood of demanding, sucking - you are a child, minor. You are not adult. You are not mature. You might have been grown but not mature. When the gratitude becomes your fundamental cognition to operate with you, with life, with humanity and with the Universe, … I tell you, no suffering can touch you. Always you will be powerful. Everything you do will become historic. Because, matured things are cognized by mature people. Fundamental quality of maturity is your cognition for operating will be gratitude. Gratitude will be your cognition of operation. I tell you, ... my Masters invoked that in me. The intensity with which they invoked that in me ... brought such tremendous maturity. That is why because my Gurukul was free my Gurukul is free.

Understand, ... if the same yoga you need to learn what we are doing here with all the available teachers and the facility, you need to spend at least 10,000 dollar a month in US, in New York … at least. Actually we don’t make anything. All yoga lessons are free. Even, even in the Nithyananda Yoga live or even in the … web TV or the classes. Now we are making the next step, in the whole Mysore Road we are going to put the banner, “Learn Rope Yoga From That World Guinness Record holder. Learn … Kundalini Rajju Yoga from World Guinness Record holder.” And make four sessions here free, for everyone to come and learn. And already plans are ready. Understand, … fundamental strategy is to make the science available, and raise the money to support this activity, that’s all. That is why I have not made the sangha teacher based. I have made the sangha sannyas based.

Here … here comes Nithyananda Sangha, the whole sangha is not teacher based but sannyasis based. Where we take the oath in front of Kalabhairava: asteya and aparigraha. Living with minimal things. Vow of living with minimal things. We use things what is required for our work, for our responsibility. I use this throne only to perform my responsibility. Not for anything else. Understand. Still I hold the vow of poverty in me as the vision and live it in my life. Because I hold that vision, I live it and radiate it, I am revered and respected on this throne. Throne doesn’t add glory to me. The ideology I carry and live and radiate adds glory to the throne. What is the ideology you may say, you can ask? Listen. Even though I have a huge infrastructure and every possibility to monetise, I insist on holding hundreds and hundreds of free classes here and making it available through the internet.

Importance is given more for making it available and enriching, not for monetising. We are only making it available, available, available. Bad business decision, but best spiritual decision. Because, it’s the best spiritual decision and this is the being that is making that decision and holding that vision and this is the body that carries that being, these thrones carry this body. These are honour given to the best spiritual decisions this body makes and the vision this body holds. Understand. It will, it is too easy to create teacher based organization, franchisee model. Very difficult to create sannyas based organization, service model. Even though I am producing thousands of sannyasis, they can’t monetise, they are not going to monetise because their very fundamental oath is asteya, aparigraha. Understand, satya is the integrity to a very identity, existence. Satya makes you exist in a best way … within you. Aparigraha makes your physiology exist in a best way. I tell you, a man who has learnt to live with minimal things from outside will be most healthy and most happy wherever he goes. Wherever he goes.

I tell you, the best training I had in my life is my parivrajaka time, where the aparigraha was my lifestyle. That has made my body and mind manifest so much of possibilities and powers. The whole physiology system gets prepared to live without anything, it is such liberation. Such liberation. Aye, I have not, I am not brought up in 3 star or 5 star or 7 star hotel, I was brought up in billion star hotel. Where every night I see billion stars. When my open, when I open my eyes I see billion stars, I slept always under billion stars. If you are brought up with the 3 star lifestyle, you will always yearn for 5 star. If you are brought up by the 5 star lifestyle, you will always yearn for 7 star. If you want to, if you are brought up by 7 star lifestyle, you will always yearn for 9 star or whatever, 11 stars, I don’t know how many stars. Because there is no limitation! Even the royals try to take them to the next level. There is no limitation! But I was brought up under billion stars.

Understand, aparigraha: living with minimal things is not integrity between you and society. If you think it is between you and society, you will always try to cut corners and cheat. It is between you and your physiology. Listen to the definition: aparigraha is not commitment or integrity or responsibility between you and society. No! It is between you and your physiology. That is why I strongly condemn the word poverty being used as a translation for aparigraha. No! Living with minimal things. That is the mapping of the word “aparigraha,” not poverty. No. Listen. When you translate that into poverty, it is always a negotiation between you and the society. You try to cut corners, secretly you try to be … without aparigraha and in public you try to be having more aparigraha, show off aparigraha. Tsk!

In my life, it is opposite. Here I sit on the silver throne, there I sleep just normal wooden cot, sometimes without even that. Here I use all that and the moment I move out of the public life, I remove everything and live just with my kashaya vastra, nothing else. The jewelleries are responsibility for me, not makeup. It is my traditional responsibilities I am fulfilling. Not any makeup. So understand, ... asteya, non-stealing is integrity and responsibility and commitment between you and society but not aparigraha. Aparigraha is the integrity and responsibility and commitment between you and your physiology.

Ma Nithya Mahavidyananda When Swamiji happen in my life last year, I, I thought why it did not happen sooner, right. So, for all those who are waiting to come to you Swamiji, they want to make you as their visionary. They want to start a center, they, they want to know how they can interact with you. What is your vision for them?

Swamiji: So first, before err when you, when you started Ask the Avatar you said, “I will do how Swamiji will do.” So why don’t you answer this question, “How I will answer?” Come on! Let me listen to Mahavidya’s answer how I will answer.

Ma Nithya Mahavidya: See Swamiji, erm to anyone who asked me that question, I said what I did. I said, “When you listen to Swamiji, whether it is one satsang or five words or that one line that you saw on a social media post, listen to that and that is all you need and test it. You go apply it in your own life, because that’s what I did. Swamiji said declare Sadashivoham, it’ll happen. I started playing with it.” I said, “Okay, I am getting late for a meeting, let me declare Sadashivoham. Let me be on time for the meeting.” Swamiji, miracles happened which is why I am here. I said, “Come on, I am missing out on not listening to Swamiji if am not next to Swamiji.” So for anyone who is out there and wondering how to make Swamiji their visionary, I would say only one thing, “Listen to Swamiji, not hear. Listen, and that is all you need. And apply it in your life.”

Swamiji: So she has already beautifully answered as I will answer. See, even Narasimha’s ferociousness could not hurt Prahlada. When Prahlada went near, Narasimha have to just cool down … when Prahlada looks into Narasimha’s eyes and, “Yes, Swamiji.” Even the ferociousness of Narasimha cannot touch Prahlada. I tell you, there is one person who can’t be touched by my ferociousness is Mahavidya. Her, her, “Yes Swamiji” is thousand times more powerful than the Hiranyakasipu and Hiranyaksha. Like Prahlada being a kid, Narasimha's ferociousness shook even Sadashiva and he has to release Sarabeshwara to save the planet earth and Universe from Narasimha. Even He got frightened! Otherwise He doesn’t need to release Sarabeshwara to go, “Hey, hey go and handle. Things are going out of control.” But, Prahlada ... one tulsi leaf in that baby hand and the beautiful smile in the face and the innocence in the heart, walks towards Narasimha and Narasimha bends. And Mahavidya’s, “Yes Swamiji,” is exactly the Prahlada's space. All, all my rudra ferociousness nothing works in front of her. She will have that one, “Yes Swamiji,” and finally she will do what she wants, that is different. But err … (Swamiji laughing away) Nothing could be done even by me. And ... so today I have … a book stand. This is my blessing to Mahavidya. Let visionary and vision open in your heart. Blessings. And, let you open the visionary and vision to millions of hearts. Blessings. 55:13

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