Bhagavad Gita Ch18 part 28 on 20 March 2022

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

Om Jananim Sharadam Devim Ramakrishnam Jagadgurum Adapatmetayo Sritva Pranamami Mohur Mohur Om Vasudevasutam Devam Kamsachanuram Ardhanam Devaki Paramanandam Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum Sarvopanishadogavo Dogdha Gopalanam Danaha Partho Vatsah Sudhir Bhokta Dugdham Geetam Ritam Mahat Mukam Karoti Vachalam Pangum Langhayate Girim Yathkripatamaham Vande Paramanandamadhamam Bhagwan Krishna is indicating 17 spiritual characteristics that must be cultivated, developed by every spiritual aspirant who wants to attain liberation. Whether we call it Atma Jnanam, Brahma Sakshatkaram or liberation, one and the same words. A very important thought that we need to get on here is that supposing there is a devotee, he worships the Lord and then some people following especially Jnana Marga criticize him that such only leads to a lower world called Vaikuntha, Kailasa, Goloka, Devi Loka, Kingdom of Heaven etc. But if you ask the devotee is that what your idea of Mukti is by going to Vaikuntha you want to go on staring at the lotus face of your Ishta Devata? Definitely no intelligent or even unintelligent devotee will ever do. Why? Because there are only three desires whether a person goes to God, goes to hell, goes to anywhere he wants only to find three things. I want to be immortal, I want to be all knowledge and I want to be all blissful. That is the correct idea of every spiritual aspirant. So to say for some others by going to places like Vaikuntha it is only a usage of words. Really what it means is that the person wants something eternal, something immortal, something that will never change again. By whatever terminology he wants to describe. Even if the devotee is using certain words but the idea behind those words is that I want what Gnanam argims call Atma Gnanam. I want to know that I am never away from my God. I want to be always happy and I have absolutely no other desire and I have no fear of insecurity and if this is not Moksha I do not know what is called Mukti. So with this just I wanted to insert a point. We have been seeing from verse 51 continuing into 52, continuing into 53 the Lord has outlined 17 spiritual characteristics. This is not the first time the Lord is telling. He has gathered them and slightly used the order and then He says anybody who wants liberation, self-knowledge or Brahmasakshatkara or attainment of Vaikuntha Kailasa use words, do not quarrel with words. These spiritual qualities must be developed and we have dealt with some of them. Let us just recollect what we discussed last class. First, 51st verse Endowed with a pure intellect controlling the self by firmness relinquishing all sound, sight, etc. sense objects and suppressing or getting detached from likes and dislikes, Praga and Devsha four spiritual qualities. Then this person he must find out by this time his intense Vairagyam and his intense longing has become so unbearable that he would not like any obstruction to come. So he will go into a solitude and then what Sri Ramakrishna calls the third commandment he is going on practicing there. This is outlined beautifully in the 52nd verse. Five spiritual qualities further to four we had already outlined in the 51st verse are mentioned here. The very first one is Vivektasevi that means he must go and stay there not only stay there but he must adopt a lifestyle which would be free him from all external as well as internal disturbances. This is called going into solitude. Solitude means I and God and nothing else. Then naturally the old habits do not die so easily. It's very hard. So he has to control his thoughts, his speech and his activities. Naturally by staying in a solitary place by coming into contact with very few people and also because he will be controlling his food. Why? Because his activities will be minimum. Therefore the energy required to perform those activities will also be very minimum. Therefore the intake of the food which is required in order to supply that required small energy that is what is called a Guashi means he will eat only what is absolutely necessary and not only that he will not develop even any attachment to that. So rice is better than dal. Dal means lentils. Lentils are better than curry etc. There are of course so many auxiliary rules. A person should be not too far away from villages and not too near and it should not be a frequented path etc. Taking for granted all these are very thought out and this person had chosen and then he will be what is called eating very small food and therefore he may develop even a person who eats boiled beans can also develop a tremendous attachment to it. Not necessarily it should be only spiced food. So what does he do? He will control his thoughts. Thoughts means those thoughts which will take him nearer to God. He will cultivate more and more by thinking by dwelling upon them because there is a law whatever we dwell upon frequently and often that takes us nearer and nearer creates tremendous desires and then he will be thinking about the ephemerality of the world and of life and of sense organs, everything and the glory of God dawns more and more. So his thoughts will be more spiritual. So to control in the beginning not to cherish, entertain if at all such worldly thoughts come to get rid of them as soon as possible and that is called controlling the thoughts and that is called Yoga. Of course since there will be very few people his necessity to speak, vocalize is very less. But you know what is a curious thing? If there is no one around it doesn't mean we are observing Mauna. We can go on talking to ourselves endlessly same like a broken gramophone record again and again the same thing. So we have to keep a watch over it and that is called controlling the speech in the mind so that we do not need if at all anything has to come out repeat the name of God. That's why it is said repeat the name of God 5000 times, 10,000 times, 20,000 times there is no limit. 15,000 doesn't mean 15,000 as we have seen in the way of a pilgrim the pilgrim very soon had naturally taken a liking. His heart became warm and his heart started repeating not he and he cannot help but go along with it. First it is like self-starter and once the engine catches on then the engine itself will pull the car and the people in the car the objects in the car luggage in the car everything and what does it do? It transcends. It moves forward. So that should be the thing. Activities are limited only to what is necessary because even a sannyasi also will live there. And secondly we can develop even if a person is eating raw vegetables or roots and fruits he can develop. This fruit is very very tasty for example we all like certain fruits it could be apples it could be mangoes it could be any type of fruit it doesn't depend upon the fruit depends upon our samskara. So this person has to keep a strict watch over his thoughts his speech and his activities. Then plenty of energy is available plenty of time is available and if time cannot be used it sits like a devil upon our minds. And therefore what does he do? Dhyana Yoga Paro Nityam Vairagyam Samupashritaha Dhyana Yoga Paraha That means Paraha means the highest goal the only goal this person will focus upon at the beginning it will be sporadic but in course of time it becomes more and more established so this is called Dhyana Yoga Paro and then Nityam there is no holiday in spiritual life there is no break in spiritual life there is no weekend holidays in spiritual life. But if somebody becomes a little bit monotonous because of one practice he can change into another spiritual practice. For example if a person is tired of meditation he can take to spiritual reading and contemplation. If he is tired of that he can take to Bhajan Sankirtana sing the name and glories of God. If he wants still more exercise dance in the name of God. But everything is directed focused only towards God. There is no other way. So this is called having Nityam means continuously accepting for those periods when a person is completely what we call endowed with what you call becomes a habit un-give-up-able habit. But you also must practice dispassion continuously. So this word Nityam can be attached to Dhyana Yoga as well as Vairagya. Because there is no holiday in dispassion from this time to this time this day to this day I will practice dispassion rest of the time I will indulge. In fact many people who try to control their diets that is what they do. They go on fasting and etc. But one or two days they go on feasting. And then it doesn't do any good because in no time they find themselves firmly entrenched in their old ways. So having abandoned living in a solitude and eating only what is absolutely necessary, controlling thought, speech and physical activities and trying to employ all his activities only towards Dhyana, meditation. Meditation could be a scriptural word or the teaching of the Guru or of Ishta Devata chosen deity and it must be accompanied by dispassion. So five qualities have been outlined there. Now this word Dhyana Yoga Para can be implemented in two ways and Shankaracharya gives us the hint. One is do not break the words. Dhyana Yoga combine them. Dhyana means meditation. Yoga means that only upon God. So this is the Yoga. Dhyana is the Yoga. This person is continuously trying to practice, meditate unbrokenly, take the name of God, remember God unbreakingly. That is one meaning. Second meaning Shankaracharya hints at. Dhyana means the activity of the mind specially concentratedly one pointedly thinking of God. And Yoga means the whole body mind complex, the whole lifestyle should be appropriate for that. Either meaning is absolutely fine but these are the five qualities. Then we move into 53rd Ahankaram Balam Darpam Kamam Krodham Parigraham Imuchyanirmah Shanto Brahma Bhuyaya Kalpate Eight qualities are outlined in this 53rd verse. So before we go into it. Yesterday night's class we have talked some a wonderful story of Saint Anthony the Great. Now that is with regard to the solitude. Solitude. Swami Brahmanandji used to say many people who practice solitude they must be ready for it because they do not depend upon people, they do not depend upon seeing so many things. You know so many old people who cannot do anything even if they are provided every possible or required comfort. They want to come and sit right in the center of the house where they can go on watching everything even if they are incapable of even speaking out but they want to enjoy and that type of they cannot do without company. Such people naturally they cannot they should not take resort to solitude but even if they go to solitude what happens? There is no tendency to talk so if there is nobody to talk just as old people do watering in the garden just most of us do when there is nobody to talk with we go on talking to ourselves. The point is so long as there is a desire to talk, so long it is not good for such a person to go to solitude but then what should he do? Ramakrishna slowly, slowly you go for a few hours after that you go for a few days after that you go for a few months, slowly get accustomed all of a sudden do not do and if a person doesn't heed in the emotional upsurge he goes and sits in a Himalayan cave then his mind becomes a devil and that is what is said an idle mind idle mind is not a devil because when the mind cannot be provided with enough food that mind becomes a devil. The only time when a person can be idle is when he is sleeping but rest of the time it is useless to use that word idle idle means what? Not employed in useful positive proper activities. Energy is there desire is there restlessness is there, time is there and that person becomes a problem both to himself herself and to the whole world also. That is the story. You can just look around. One country invades the other country one strong fellow suppresses a weaker fellow and anybody who has got privileges he will try to oppress boss over the under privileged. What is the reason? Reason is they are not happy. Why are they not happy? Because their mind is restless. Why is their mind restless? Because they are searching in the wrong place. Why are they searching in the wrong place? Because of Agnana, Avidya that what I want I already am that what I want can never be got from outside. What I want really is none other than my own self. Until that knowledge is firmly established certain restraints have to be observed properly that is what we have to understand. Otherwise Swami Brahmanandji says a person will go completely mad and there have been many many such cases either they become terribly worldly people after staying for some time in solitude or they come back and then they go mad completely. But there is a third case scenario. There are some people who are very sincere and they can focus their mind. They go into solitudes but they have not conquered their desires. They are there lurking underneath the conscious state of the mind unconsciously what modern psychologist will tell and then suddenly because of the effort this person is putting forth he will get some tremendous amount of siddhi and then some power will come. Siddhi means power. Some special talent will come and once it comes the person's ahankara, egotism will grow terribly and the fall will follow automatically and as we go on discussing these points I will give you some concrete real examples also we will see about them in the future. But one example from the Mahabharata the story of the Vishwamitra he suppressed his kama, desire for he was a man, he wanted a woman so he suppressed it and he wanted to compete with another great soul called Vasishta and he did a long time tapasya hyperbolically termed as 1000 years and suddenly a woman appeared to him and then he fell like a pack of cards, that's all but God in his infinite mercy brought him to his senses made him understand until you conquer lust you will have to fulfil it once you say I do not need it anymore then only your austerity will bear fruit now this person had understood it and then he never fell a victim to lust again, then he went back, but then this desire has assumed another form like Mahishasura in the Chandi and it became terrible frustrated anger, anger is nothing but a thwarted frustrated desire, that's all and when the next time these people came, he turned them into ashes because he was so angry with them and when there is anger there is no lust when there is lust, there is no anger, somehow these two are overcome it becomes terrible insatiable greediness how the mind deceives we have to understand one important point I want to mention here, it's a beautiful psychological point when a man sees a woman when a woman sees a man supposing they feel this is the most beautiful person I have seen, I would like to be with this person really speaking is there something called a beautiful person or is it only an imagination in the subject, in the perceiving subject Vedanta tells there is nothing that is intrinsically beautiful excepting a baby who is absolutely innocent, this is the most beautiful thing but very temporary and very soon it changes, every physical body however beautiful it may appear will change, that is the problem with so many people, I hope I was able to convey that idea when we say this is a beautiful, this is a beautiful person, two things are involved there, first thing is that is that person really beautiful or am I looking upon this object as beautiful because I am hungry for that object whether it is food whether it is fragrance, whether it is softness, whether it is temperature, whether it is the body's female and female bodies unless our sense organs are hungry for them we cannot appreciate them suppose there is a person who has eaten full of his favorite food, thereafter if you offer him more and much less force, immediately he will take a stick and is about to kill you, such is the vairagya, dispassion created because he is not hungry until he is hungry, he doesn't see any merit in that very food he would have taken another person's life, same thing applies to everything, that is the first factor and the second factor is that everything changes in this world, so it is unless we understand that it is our slavery, no object is really intrinsically beautiful, it goes on changing, but if we can love in a divine light then every object will stand up Swadhu, as Bhagavatam puts it in the I think in the very first skardha one, I think sixteen if I am not wrong, Swadhu Swadhu Pade Pade the thought of God, the name of God, the meditation upon God the more we do every pratikshanam varthamanam, every second the beauty, the magnetism the attraction, the joy goes on growing and every second unceasingly, eternally we go and enjoy the name of God just I wanted to insert before we move into the fifty third verse what does this verse say? Ahankaram balam darpam krodham parigraham vimucchanirmamah shanto brahmabhuyaya kalpate marvellous depiction of what we call the greatest enemies of human being earlier he said in somewhat positive terms, certain qualities, spiritual qualities we need to develop but here he is talking about very manifest enemies of God what are they? Ahankaram balam, darpam kamam, krodham parigraham, nirmamah seven qualities which we need to develop, whether we study the Bible, study the Koran, study the Tripitaka study the Vedanta Bhagavad Gita Upanishads, everything is telling us one and the same thing, what is the thing it is telling? First thing Ahankaram, what is Ahankara? Remember according to Vedanta, especially Vedanta means all the three schools but especially Advaita Vedanta Ahankaram means Aham means I I am is Aham and this will not go, koham naham, soham Ramana Maharshi was sitting, Bhagavan was sitting in the hall and he was perhaps teaching in these terms, there was a small girl and then she composed it on the spot koham, naham soham, koham naham, soham koham, who am I? This is the first query, am I x y z according to Bhagavan's teachings, find out who you are koham, second is naham, what I thought all this time I am a man, I am a woman so many years old and these are my qualifications, these are my properties this is my family etc, etc that is I am not that so koham who am I? Naham what I thought, then who am I? that which cannot be expressed in words, excepting saying you are not this, you are not this, two words are used neti, neti why two words are used? because some teachers explain two words because there are only two things which are the manifestations of avidya, ignorance or maya what is it? ahankara and mamakara, which are outlined in this 53rd verse, so what is it? ahankara means aha means I am and whatever is added after that is called kara I am the body, I am plus body, I am plus mind, I am plus my possessions so ahank and mama, ahankara mama kara but the same thing in whatever way we look at it who are you sir? aham me I am divine amrutaputraha child of the immortal bliss as Swami Vivekananda had broadcast at the parliament of religions ranvantu vishwe amrutasya putraha that is my real nature mama do you have anything to say that I possess it? yes, yes, what is that? I belong to God and God belongs to me my only possession is God and ahankara means I am, is there a child of God that's what Sri Ramakrishna so many times he says that there are realized souls, especially eternally free people, nityamukthas and one of them after realization keeps the egotism but that egotism is not body mind it says shivo as Shankaracharya himself has expressed shivoham shivoham I am shiva I am shiva but here some devotees keep the egotism of knowledge, I am brahman that is of knowledge, I am a child of God, I am a servant of God I am the parent of God I am the beloved of God this is according to the devotees calculation ahankara is there but now it doesn't bind on the contrary it helps us to move very fast towards God and be with him forever, that is what should be done there is no other way, you can't get rid of ahankara but you can transform it with regard to all this balam, darpam, kamam, krodham, parigraham and mamakara, towards everything, the only way is I will not have desire no, you will have desire, I will not have anger, no, you cannot escape anger because if you cannot escape desire, you cannot escape anger also, greediness also, everything and that also is outlined here, so in this 53rd verse the lord is telling that turn the direction of all these enemies, so ahankara, have more ahankara more egotism what is that? I don't belong to the world, I don't belong to maya I am a servant of God, I am a friend of God, I am a child of God, I am a beloved of God that is before a person attains realization after attaining realization if God keeps this person in that body, mind machinery, then the person has to develop another type of, he need not develop really, only God only keeps him, I am Brahman is one way like Shankaracharya or I am a devotee of God like Narada these are the wonderful examples we have to keep in mind, with this background, let us go back, so just to remind you because we tend to forget it is impossible to get rid of ahankara and ahankara manifests in the form of kama, krodha lubha, moha, mada, matsarya and every negative spiritual quality which means worldly quality fall under the category of this ahankara only so aham and mamakara, ahankara, mamakara they cannot be gotten rid of because aham means pure consciousness and it cannot be made non-existent, but it can be in the sadhana stages it can be attached so a spiritual ahankara, I am a child I am a beloved of God, etc, etc with this background let us go back, so ahankaram balam darpam krodham parigraham pimuchar enmah shanto brahma bhuyaye kalpate so what is the first one ahankara, so this person has to get rid of the ahankara that is very very important for us, what is this ahankara ahankara, aham will not go, but ahankara is I am the body mind complex, I am anatma, I am not the atma, if I say I am a devotee, I am the atma, indirectly saying if I say I am brahman, indirectly I am saying I am spiritual but anything other than that if we say I am the body mind complex, that means I am the entire world, remember there is no separate world apart from body and mind my body mind is my whole world, if these two are not there, there would be no world at all, so ahankara, what is this, we misplace this ahankara saying that I am anatma body, mind sense organ complex and with that comes I am the body means this shirt, dress belongs to my body this house belongs to my body, these lands belong to my body, this family belongs to my body and this office job belongs to me, this country belongs to me, this religion belongs to me, this language belongs to me, this way of cooking belongs to me I like it, raga dvesha everything will come and that is called deha atma abhimana, here atma means not spiritual self but the mind deha mana abhimana that is why very first line of the nirvana shatakam Shankaracharya says, what does he say mano buddhya ahankara chittani naham, I am not the antah karna, mind if I am not the mind what the mind thinks is called body and what the body thinks is everything that is objectifying which is called world, the moment you say I am not the mind, the whole lot goes out but the question comes, if I am not the body mind, who am I yes, I am the atman of course that is the goal but in the beginning we have to say aham brahmasmi, meditate upon it or I am related to God as a servant, as a friend as a beloved, as a child, whatever way this is what called misplacing ahankara identifying with body mind and firmly being convinced that I am not anything else but body mind that is the first thing, the greatest enemy one has to get rid of it, not only that see, ahankara is a quality of the mind but this body also I am a beautiful person, I am a young person, I am a talented person, everything but what does the scripture say it says oh stupid fellow, foolish one I am using the word stupid it may be harsher but it means the same oh ignorant person you know that prakruti the whole universe including your body mind belong to what Vedanta calls prakruti maya, that means your body, your sense organs and all the objects, so called objects in the world everything is a manifestation of prakruti, if you are able to eat, if you are able to see if you are able to hear if you are able to smell, if you are able to touch, it is only the body, the sense organs and the power comes only from prakruti and what they experience is also prakruti, there is nothing very special about you, so once a person has this beautiful idea then he is free from this, this is the first thing we have to tackle because everything depends upon ahankara that's why the Ram Krishna says when do I realize God when your I is removed completely then you will realize God, what does it what does the Ram Krishna mean not the death of aham but the death of ahankara this clear distinction between aham and ahankara has to be continuously constantly kept in our mind otherwise lot of misunderstanding will come, so this is what we, and all the positions called mamakara and that also we will talk about it but I am foretelling about this one, so if somebody is rich, be like a trustee, that is what the advice Ram Krishna gave to Guru Babu and the holy mother also so it says absolutely the same thing about Kathamruta very interesting incident I may forget so I am narrating it here once this was long before the gospel of Sri Ram Krishna in Bengali was even published mother Yam used to come to mother and then he used to read out what he was writing laboriously, transcribing his notes from his diaries then what happened, one day somebody asked, ma Yam is coming and telling you what do you feel, what is your opinion then instantaneously these words came out of mother's mouth my child all these are his words Ram Krishna's words until now he kept them with Yam and now the time has come for them to be broadcast, so he is making Yam an instrument and bringing them out and Yam knows it better than anybody else that's why he said he who has given this he, it is all the credit belongs to him nothing belongs to me so with regard to any special talent a person has, perhaps a person is a musician, a person is a scientist, a person is an administrator, person is a poet, whatever the person is, there are many people who have very special talents and they are far better than other people in that particular department but we have to remember the 10th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita the penultimate shloka whatever, wherever oh Arjuna, you find excellence, even to the smallest degree, not necessary to the 9th degree, that is nothing but a manifestation of me in that particular person, why am I manifesting in that particular person, because that person especially made himself fit for me to manifest through him he became a perfect instrument and to become a perfect instrument for example, a would-be musician has to go on training his hands or his voice and his entire body, his food, his everything for years and lives together, then he becomes a perfect instrument by mistake if he thinks I am a great musician, no one is equal to me or very few are equal to me that is called Ahankara and that will be shattered I have seen people who are excellent singers in one second their voices have completely broken down and some people never recovered, some people recovered partially after many years, we see it all the time and whenever a person meets an accident or a disease or somebody kills them the whole thing is completely gone out, so deal with Ahankara but from this Ahankara all the other what is called evils have sprouted, that is what we have discussed the eleventh qualification is Balam, Balam means strength, so everybody requires certain strength in terms of capacity power, skills, etc some spiritual sadhakas may have unusual gifts like singing, lecturing, management etc, whatever talent they have, remember the penultimate shloka in the tenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita wherever you see excellence and that is my manifestation and Sri Ramakrishna, when he was alive whenever he heard of any great man, he used to run there and those people not necessarily liked him they even criticized him so when they used to he used to go to visit them, most of them even did not show normal respect for him, which hurt many of his intimate devotees very much and then they advised him, why do you go here and there, he said, my children do you think I am going to see the person, I clearly see my mother manifested in this person, in the form of scholarship, etc therefore if I don't pay my respect and acknowledge to mother, oh mother, whether this person is aware of or not I know that you only are manifesting out of your infinite grace and bounty through this person, because he has worked for that and became a perfect instrument, he may develop egotism, but I see you clearly and I want to pay my respect to you that's why I go there so everyone of us, without exception there is nobody without any talent some talent is there but we have to find out and acknowledge it to God, it is your gift and that would be the way for that person's forward movement towards God then you see when there is a special talent then what happens it gives to a tremendous amount of joy, a musician for example is full of ahankara, I am a great musician but you know what this musician when he is playing, especially to an appreciative audience the person tremendously enjoys his playing and not only because of the audience, because he is a lover of music as an example, as a lover of science, as a lover of cooking, as a lover of painting as a lover of making poems, nature lover like Wordsworth etc, so they really enjoy, but then getting that pleasure what it does, it doesn't remain merely pleasure, it turns into darpa, arrogance see how many people are appreciating me, how many people know my name one swami whom I will not mention was an extraordinarily gifted singer, in fact in our order, I have not seen such a singer who could attract people like flies had he been outside he would have made millions he would have become one of the most famous singers God's gifted but he became so arrogant once he told me do you know my name is known practically to half the people in this state, I thought my God, one second say Ram Krishna is able to withdraw all these things instead of becoming more devoted more offer your gift in his service, inspiring people both in the form of either singing or lecturing or writing or whatever, it has developed darpa means arrogance what is arrogance, this belongs to me, my talent belongs to me and once that comes definitely this will, downfall will come, not only that we also have to be aware that a sanyasi especially in the beginning many sanyasins, they go into solitude, really sincerely practice, they obtain some siddhis and then the desire is not conquered, but the powers are available and slowly this Mahamaya enters and then ruins them so there are many swamis who can foretell the future who can even become invisible who have got varieties of siddhis we call them and they can become arrogant naturally what happens two things happen, when a person has a power, then power attracts the attention of people automatically like flies getting attracted to sweet, immediately or it could be also a rotting corpse, it doesn't matter, but like a bee which is attracted to a flower, which is full of nectar, whatever it is, people are attracted and especially you can take my words with a pinch of salt if you wish if they are men, women are attracted to power always because they feel the more powerful the male, the more will be their unconscious assurance, this person can give me so much of security and can protect my children, this is the unconscious power of nature, whatever it is, women are attracted people are attracted women are attracted naturally when people are attracted this wealth money, name, fame etc. will come, very hard to digest, now say Ramakrishna, so other disciples, Bhairavi, Brahmanis Chandra and Girija, one person can produce light from his backbone, which is so powerful that Sri Ramakrishna took advantage of it at least on one occasion when it was pitch dark to return back to Dakshineshwar from half a mile and there was another, I do not remember who is who, he developed the power, unbelievable he becomes invisible and then lust was there lurking he soon contacted a woman from a rich family and he misbehaved, that was an immoral life and as soon as immorality comes in, the power disappears it is a tendency to disappear and that is what happened he was caught red handed he was thrashed thoroughly and kicked out, he lost his power and he lost his good name and form and he lost the power of his austerity and then all over again like a person being kicked from a high mountain, he has to come back again, so Sri Ramakrishna is quoting Sri Krishna from Bhagavatam and says that even if a person, spiritual aspirant has one power, it is impossible for him to reach me and Sri Ramakrishna has many stories with regard to these powers be aware of powers there were two brothers, one brother went, renounced the world went away to the Himalayas, practiced Tapasya for 12 years came back and his elder brother was very happy and then he asked, what did you gain? His man said, do you want to see me, what I gained? Come there was a river by the side and then simply he walked across to the other side went on smiling, waiting for a pat and the brother, there was a boat, he paid half an hour and then he crossed and then said, what did you gain? did you not see? and the elder brother replied, did you not see? what are you talking about? what are you talking about? see, I could walk on the water see, I just paid half an hour, for which you have wasted 12 years of your life, tell me, did it bring you any nearer to God? with this, real awakening came into the younger person and then he proceeded for his sadhana, now the elder brother must be very spiritual person and then another yogi, he was asked, an elephant was passing by, he said, fall down dead, immediately the elephant fell down dead and then that's all, no, no, no, see he uttered another word come out alive and immediately the elephant shook itself and then as if it was sleeping, he got up did you see my power? and God himself came in the form to awaken this yogi because he must be sincere person, said what did I see? there was an elephant which fell down dead and then which became alive and if you don't kill also this, every elephant will die and it will be reborn also now what did you gain by this? with that the man became awakened and he saluted the Divine Lord and then he went away and Swami Vivekananda used to come as a young man to Sri Ramakrishna because of his deep depth of meditation Swami Vivekananda came and confessed I could see people at long distances, miles and miles, I could hear crystal clearly what they are talking about, Sri Ramakrishna advised him that for a few days you stop meditation and when these powers disappear you continue, not only that, when Swami Vivekananda was intensely yearning for Nirvikalpa Samadhi one day Sri Ramakrishna called him and asked him I have ashtasiddhi, 8 supernatural powers and I have no use for them so can I give them to you? would you like to accept? and Swami Vivekananda, he asked because he was inside Swami Vivekananda already, outside Narendra Nath Sir, will these siddhis help me in attaining Nirvikalpa Samadhi? Sri Ramakrishna said no, they will not help you in any way but after realisation if you want to do some good to the world, yes, they can help you, then Narendra Nath smiled and said, first let me attain God realisation, Nirvikalpa Samadhi, after that if I need, I will come to you I know that they are with you but of course the sequel to this is Sri Ramakrishna did bestow all these powers because he knew Narendra would have to use these powers on certain occasions for the good of the world and there are so many incidents which of course I will not go into this so when a sadhaka obtains some special power, the sense of success can give pleasure first and then to arrogance because like children, every child you know, it first time it climbs a chair and then it jumps down and the chair is only 6 inches high and then it looks at the mother wishing oh my God, what a marvellous child, you jumped from such a height, oh my like that she has to run and hug and compliment and the fellow will be squealing with pleasure and unfortunately it is absolutely wonderful for the child that's what is needed to encourage him to develop his self confidence but when we grow up and we remain moustached babies and crave for the same thing did I sing so beautifully after singing I look around anybody is appreciating me and by chance if you see somebody the fellow is busy with his mobile phone, another fellow is busy talking, another fellow is asleep, you can understand his mind how many wretched people God has created in this world nobody is appreciating anyway, I feel like in the mode of telling a joke Swami Adi Swamiji used to I heard it from him so there was a Swami and then he was giving lecture, almost three fourth of it was over suddenly a 60 years old woman with her granddaughter came into there and not finding any seats and she came to the front pew and she was sitting there and very soon the Swami was of course very happy to see the whole hall full and he was enthusiastically giving talk, suddenly he found his greatest irritation that the grandmother old lady had fallen asleep and mildly snoring also, he got so angry, he called up the granddaughter and said you wake up your grandma and that being an American grandchild she sat looked at him straight in the eye and said no way you put her to sleep, you wake her up it is your responsibility not me so if somebody is giving a beautiful talk and there are people who could give beautiful talks and if it goes into their heads and make them that piece arrogant see how many people are listening to my talks, how many people are reading my books, how many people are listening to my songs again and again and if it goes to their head, he is finished then of course the thirteenth qualification is kama especially a sanyasi has to give up desires, kama in the sense that any desire that he may have should be non-binding desire just what is necessary for his spiritual sadhana if his desire is fulfilled thank God, if it is not fulfilled thank God because he totally relies upon God and says that you know better than me what is to be obtained what is not to be obtained I will be very happy, I am like a child, I am like a kitten keep me where you want to keep me and I will be very happy that total self-surrender to God especially such a person who surrenders, whether he is a householder, whether he puts on ochre cloth, such a person desires to be called a sanyasi as we have seen earlier in this 18th chapter that renouncing all desires mentally but some of the activities even physically because no longer needed, such a person is called a sanyasi but the first qualification is giving up all desires, all expectations of fulfillment of desires mentally such a person is called a tyagi, first tyaga and then sanyasa still another four activities spiritual qualities have to be developed, we will deal with them because I wanted to go into the psychological aspect of it, that's why I am taking a little bit of time, we will deal with them in our next class. May Ramakrishna Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with bhakti Jai Ramakrishna