Bhagavad Gita Ch17 part 10 on 28 November 2021

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

OM JANANIM SHARADAM DEVIM RAMAKRISHNAM JAGADGURUM PADAPADME TAYO SRIDHVA PRANAMAMI MUHUR MUHUR OM VASUDEVASUDAM DEVAM KAMSA CHANURAM ARDHANAM DEVAKI PARAMANANDAM KRISHNAM VANDE JAGADGURUM SARVO PANISHADO GAVO DOGDA GOPALANANDANA PARTHO VATSAH SUDHIR BHOKTA DOGDAM GEETAM RITAM MAHA MUKAM KAROTI VACHALAM PANGUM LANGAYATE GIRIM YAT KRIPATAMAHAM VANDE PARAMANANDAMADHAVAM In this 17th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, Bhagawan is giving us the right type of knowledge how to evolve practically from a lower guna, lower stage of consciousness to a higher stage of consciousness and in this particular chapter he had indicated four departments with which the whole of human life in the past and present and also in future is going to be involved as I mentioned earlier classes, first is basic necessities like food and that food also can influence what type of beings we are going to evolve into that is to say how our lower consciousness can be modified even through food by positively actively adopting to certain kinds of foods which are very naturally liked by the wise people, highly evolved people also called Satvika people, then all of us must have some ideals in life and ideals are dry thoughts in our minds, they cannot influence us much but there are people in whom these high ideals are embodied as it were more manifesting as it were, such people are called wise people those knowledgeable people, advanced people, God realized people, Brahmanas a true Brahmana is one, a person who knows the truth that the whole universe is nothing but Brahman, such a person alone deserves to be called a Brahmana, so Gods who are ruling this world looking after all of us, sustaining us and trying to advance us in spiritual life that is the function of the different deities even though at the beginning we may not have that kind of understanding like a small baby who only demands food and shelter and protection so our entire association, entire desire, entire personality is enveloped only by the lower necessities but as we grow up inevitably in the scale of evolutionary escalator then we understand there are higher needs, hierarchical needs they are called higher ideals, so we must have some higher ideals and they must be practical, they must be within reach and for that we need inspiration from a living character or a character which lived for those ideals so worshipping of them is literally saying that I would like to have those ideals but these people give us the inspiration, we do it all the time a person who is aspiring to become a good actor or actress will keep the photographs of the best actor or actress a person wants to be a sportsman whether it is cricket, football or any type of gaming activity such a person will keep the best people in that particular field so here is a person who wants to have higher ideals and that is called prayas, higher ideals is in Sanskrit language called prayas starts with dharma then only artha and kama but as this person grows in these three prayas will be slowly albeit surely will be transformed into shreyas for that one should worship and how one should worship that has been discussed then we have come to austerity any higher achievement can be attained only through difficulty by giving up the lower and by actively cultivating the higher and whichever takes us nearer to that ideal as I said nearer to God that is called tapasya or austerity not merely fasting, not merely going through certain voluntary difficulties they are good but you know for example here is a person who starves herself or himself to look very lean and thin, very fit, very healthy etc but the motivation is not for higher ideals the person is doing exactly the same thing but for a different purpose so that is what we have been discussing in the last class that there are three types of three areas where austerity has to be performed what are they? sharira, shariraka tapasya, bodily austerity what is the second thing? vachika tapasya that is the austerity related to the speech how to control speech, how much to speak when to speak, when to stop, what to speak and what should be the motive when we speak this has been discussed but along with that even the mind should attain that quality that purity called antahkarana shuddhi or chitta shuddhi with which we are going to progress in spiritual life all these three are interconnected, we cannot do one without the help of the other all the three help each other even these three types of austerities belonging to the body, to speech as well as to the thoughts or mind can also be done in three different modes so there are sattvika type how sattvika people, very evolved in spiritual life how do they practice? we said that they do it because it has to be done they do it without expecting any short term result worldly result but that which takes one nearer to God so afalakanksha bhi their mind is always controlled and they have purity of mind their mind is not divided they are not what you call divided personalities they do not suffer from multiple personality syndrome what they think, what they speak and what they do is crystal clear not only to themselves of course but to everybody else so such kind of people are called sattvika people then we have started this what we call rajasika people they also do tapasya but they do not do as intensely but they also do not do it they are not afalakankshai they are not people who say we do not desire any worldly worldly means temporary short term result we want eternal result but these people in contrast to them rajasika people in contrast to sattvika people they will be the very first thing is what they do they have lots of desires and those desires have been enumerated here in verse number 18th which we just touched in our last class satkara mana pujaartham tapah dambhena chaivayat kriyate tadhiya proktam rajasam chalam adhruvam so four descriptions are given about this type of austerity practiced by the people who are dominated by rajo guna the austerity that is practiced in order to gain respect, honor and reverence and for ostentation is said to be of the nature of rajas and the result certainly every action bears result the result of this kind of austerity is what it is very short termed very temporary and then it is also not very certain this is the verse which we have been discussing so what do these people do they do tapasya what type of tapasya three types of tapasya belonging to the body to the speech as well as to the mind but for what purpose they do they want something and that is why they do it what do they want satkaram everybody should respect them revere them so everybody should not only physically but mentally should have a very positive very spiritual very high opinion about this kind of people pujartham they want to be worshipped publicly it is very interesting that if a person is worshipped privately ok you are doing great austerity come to my home very secretly I will worship you you will not accept it you inform the whole neighbourhood the whole village the whole town bring inform the journalists the newspapers and that is what I want but many times they do it they give these hints indirectly pujartham then dambhena ostentation how wonderful this person is what a great person he is so very few people do these things show this is a showman austerity and then what is the kriyate tad kiha proktam when we see such kind of things and we cannot understand them in the beginning it will take time but the bubble is going to burst sooner or later such is called rajasic type of austerity because such people's mind is dominated by rajas remember rajas means restlessness of the mind and lobha I want more and more I will never be satiated with little so what do they get first of all the result is adhruvam that is it is not very guaranteed but we have to understand if a person does any activity a result must be there but what it is that it is not a very helpful fruit helpful result that is what we have dhruvam means that kind of tapasya which will give us a result which is permanent that is called dhruvam that is God realization there is only one object that is God obtaining God realizing God is the eternal profit eternal fruit but this person it is adhruvam and then it is also chalam chalam means very very uncertain he might get something but he will also get because the good lord knows this person is not doing why is it chalam? why? very simple reason to maintain this kind of austerity all the time is not possible only sattvika people can maintain it at all times rajasika people their minds are restless so as soon as they are alone nobody is looking at them they fling everything down and become their own selves so that is why the bubble will burst other people sooner or later we have a saying that immorality and stealing sooner or later they will be out or even if human beings do not find there is an eternal witness who will bring it out and at the right time a person will be given the appropriate result which is suffering so now we go into some details taking the help of our greatest light spiritual light Shankaracharya satkaraha sadhukaraha sadhu ayam tapasri brahmanaha this type of worship or austerity done by people not for antahkarana shuddhi not for cleanliness of the heart not for the purity of the heart but purely for the purpose of being considered a good person he is here he is a good person sadhu then mananam pratyotthana abhivadana adhihi tat artham they do not stop other people should respect what they do what they expect whenever these people are walking or whenever these people attend some meeting of this kind of people what so as soon as the people aspire immediately everybody's attention must be focused only upon this person aaah such a great person is coming my god my god everybody's head has to be turned towards him automatically they all have to get up automatically they have to fold their hands their eyes should be lowered they should not see out of great respect and then they will be received with the greatest honour and they will be garlanded they will be taken not only that they require a very special type of chair in a very special prominent place where everybody's attention should be drawn only to that particular person they will see that this is what this is what Shankaracharya is expounding mananam pratyutthana that is as soon as that person is aspired everybody should get up abhivadana they must bend their heads and fold their hands and say namaskaram pranams adhihi so many other things are there so highly being honoured why? because he is doing all these things but this is what he wants and that is what he expects and that is what he will not be happy if he is not given and that is one of the greatest sufferings manaha then the other word mana pratyutthana abhivadana not only that pooja padaprakshalana archana shayitrutva ashayitrutva adhihi arthancha then they must be worshipped publicly so as I mentioned if that person is secretly taken and offered flowers etc they won't be happy with that at all they want everybody to know that I am being worshipped pooja then this is also called padapooja padaprakshalana they have to wash his feet and they have to drink that water their heads must be bowed down when he is speaking nobody else should speak and even if he speaks some nonsense nobody should have the daring to contradict him etc so padaprakshalana washing the feet archana then of course shankara takes a little bit of fun also he says ashayitratwadi when some of the best type of food materials have to be prepared for such a person because he is a Rajasic person we have seen earlier what was the Rajasic type of food and that food is what is called too hot too sour and too burning etc pickles etc so this person must be worshipped his feet must be washed he must be given the best seat he must be given the central seat and he must be fed fully because this person is not satisfied with sattvika type of food these things so this kind of tapasya when they do dambhena evayat kriyate tapahat dambha all show so if that person has a beautiful house big house and there is a place nobody can see him why in hell don't you go and sit there and call him and he has to this kind of tapasya as expecting all these things we discussed not only that as I said every action however it is done will give its result therefore this is called rajasam phalam the result also will be positive so this is the way we have to do tapasya for all the people who are in the hell they have to go and sit there and they to be prominent. So it is all done as Shankaracharya so kindly expounds that he is a good person, is a great ascetic etc. So how disciplined he is, how nicely he talks, how he eats so sparingly and this is what exactly this Rajasikha person wants and for that purpose, particularly for that effect, he does all this kind of tapasya. Now we come across such people everywhere, not only in the past, present, in future also. Ramakrishna is mentioning one such person. So I am referring to Ramakrishna's remarks about Mahima Chakravarthi. So there was some time suddenly devotees came and entered into the room of Ramakrishna which was quite a small room and there was a huge tiger skin hanging there and the devotees knew Ramakrishna and suddenly this tiger skin appeared next time when they visited and then they were taken by surprise and they asked him, sir what is this? That means we know, you do not want to show all these things so what is the meaning of this? Then Ramakrishna smiled and then said here is a description in the great master by Swami Sharadamji Maharaj about this incident. At the time we became acquainted with him, Mahimacharan introduced himself to us in the course of conversation as a spiritual aspirant on the path of knowledge. He used to say that Aham Brahmasmi, he used to sing all those things. This Mahima used to visit Dakshineshwar many years before the devotees of Calcutta went to the master. At the time of certain festivals, he would go to Dakshineshwar wearing an ochre dyed cloth and putting huge rudraksha beads and holding a one stringed instrument in his hand. He would sit himself for sadhana in a pompous manner in a place where anybody can see him on a tiger skin spread under the Panchavati. He hung the tiger skin on a wall in a corner of the master's room when he returned home. He could have taken that with him. No, he left it in Sri Ramakrishna's room. This was enough for the master to understand the man. For one day on being asked about the ownership of the tiger skin, the master said it has been kept here by Mahima Chakravarti. Do you know why? People will see it and ask me to whom it belongs and when I mention his name, they will consider him to be a very big sadhaka. That is what exactly Bhagavan Krishna is mentioning. So about this Rajasika Tapasvi person who is practicing austerities, but he is a Rajasika nature, about him Sri Ramakrishna is telling. He will have the accessories of a sadhu like a Kamandalu in his hand and demand that when he walks in, everybody get up and this is what this many people want. Not only Mahima Chakravarti, but we also want the same thing. There are so many devotees, they learn a little bit and they want to become gurus. So they go on holding classes so that they will be known as gurus with great knowledge etc. So such a person, now this is not Sri Ramakrishna saying, this is what we are saying. He makes sure that everybody recognizes him as a great man of austerity and they all prostrate to him and receive him with great respect and he will insist that the highest seat is offered to him. If anyone else is offered such a prominent place and if he is asked to sit on a lower seat, he will think he is disrespected and he will be glaring at the centrally seated person almost all the time. So this is what such a person expects. People should bow to him, touch his feet, do pada puja, washing, drinking, offering flowers etc. This kind of tapassi is called Rajasikha tapasya. They get their own result. What is the result? First of all, it is very small result. Secondly, very small means what? How long people will respect him? See, here is some tremendous secret. At the beginning, such kind of hypocrites, they will be respected but this bubble will burst very soon. Then 24 hours this man cannot maintain the same thing but somebody or other will come to know. At least those who are serving him, those who are gathered near him, they will definitely come to know what he shows outside but what he is inside is not the same. Then they will naturally lose the respect and then they start calling him names. Not only that, this kind of people, they have lots of unfulfilled desires and those desires will come out sooner or later and people will come to know about them and that is how people who are respected in society at the beginning, many times we get the news such people have fallen, they have married some person or the other and they have become very ordinary persons etc. But this world is a magical world. Even after doing all those things, there are some people who retain their popularity and there are people who become bond slaves to them. That is the magical power of the Lord. So, the result will be for a very short time. That means the bubble will burst, another result will come which is not likeable, pleasant, acceptable at all and he will of course not get Dhruvaphalam that is God because he has to overcome all his desires. So, that is what is going to happen one day or the other. That bubble will burst. Someday he will fail to respect and then the person will get frustrated. He will get despondent. He will become depressed. He will lose everything and then the fall down has already happened. Now, the Lord is going to tell what is the Tamasika Tapasya, 19th. Mudhagrahenaatmano ekpeedaya kriyate tapah parasya uchchadhanathamva tatthamasam udahurtham Just now, I remembered a beautiful story with regard to the Rajasika type of people doing Tapasya. Now, Vishwamitra was supposed to be a person. He was full of egotism many times. He wants to become equal to the Vasishta. Vasishta was a great Rishi but this Vishwamitra, you know he has done Tapasya. He has also obtained but there is one story created exclusively for illustrating this Rajasika type of this one. Wherever Vishwamitra goes, he wants to be known. Do you know who I am? I am the Guru of Rama. It is I who taught him all the secrets of the weapons. It is I who got him married to such a most beautiful, wonderful woman called Sita Devi. Whatever he is today is all because of me. So, he thought he was even a greater Guru than Vasishta who was a family Guru of this Iksha Kuvamsha that is Rama's family and then God wanted to teach him a lesson. So, that God came, God's will came in the form of Narada. There is a beautiful film has come. This is Rama Anjaneya Yudha, the battle, the war between Rama and his most important devotee Hanuman. So, this is briefly, this is the story. So, Narada discerned this man is full of pride and Narada wants to do good. He wants to make him go nearer to God but so long that this egotism is there, a man will be separated from God. So, Narada wanted to prick that bubble and so that Vishwamitra will go nearer to God. That is his only purpose. Now, whatever Narada does, all the drama, everything is for the good of the world because he is a realized soul. He is a Chiranjeevi. He has no other motive except in doing good to other people. Now, at that time Rama was still there and there was a king and that king was tremendously devoted to Rama, continuously was doing puja etc. to Rama. So, Narada went to this king and said, now you do this kind of special ritual whereby your devotion to Rama will increase a million fold and that was what exactly the king wanted. So, oh great sage, tell me what shall I do? He says, you perform this ritual, then invite all the great sages and you show your worship to them and when you worship them, then by their blessings you will turn out to be even much greater devotee than you are now and the king was highly delighted. He believed in Narada. So, what did he do? So, he told him, this is what you have to do and how to respect, invite all these people. One of the invitees was Vishwamitra and then Vasishta. Then you see, the seats were arranged and then Narada instructed him, you give the highest seat, the central seat to Vasishta. You give the lowest seat to Vishwamitra and the innocent king thinking that Narada was his greatest friend who is of course in fact he and he followed completely with kama and full stop included. So, what happened? This king sent and then Vishwamitra, in a way he was innocent also, he came and they were all worshipped but before that they were seated and Vasishta was given that beautiful middle high seat and Vishwamitra was given the lowest seat. Now, Narada immediately went to Vishwamitra, started whispering, Maharshi, who are you? Who is this Vasishta in compared to you? See this egotism of the king. This man has given the highest respect to Vasishta who in no way deserves it and you who is everything for Rama, he has insulted you by giving you the lowest seat. Now, Vishwamitra is vulnerable to this eavesdropping and he became extremely angry. You know Vishwamitra can be like Durvasa, very very angry. So, Narada, what shall I do? Narada said, it is very simple, go to Rama, the moment he sees you, he will ask you, what is your command and I will fulfil it. Immediately you command him, destroy this king who has insulted me and poor Vishwamitra, he went there and as soon as Rama saw him, he did exactly what Narada predicted, oh Maharshi, Gurudeva, what shall I do for you? Ask, command me and he said, go and kill this king. Rama was shocked but that king, such a great king, such a good person, such a saintly person and he is highly devoted to God, why do you want, why do you want me to kill? Vishwamitra said, I don't know all those things. You promised me to fulfil my commandment, that's all. I am not going to explain anything, go and kill that fellow. Otherwise, tell that I will not do it. Now, Rama was oath bound. So, he had no option, he sent news to this king that he is going to come and kill him. Now, this king, he knows, if Rama wants to kill me, nobody can protect me. So, he ran to Narada and said, Narada, Maharshi, I only followed your instructions and here my life is in danger, what shall I do? And Narada said, don't worry, you see, you go to Hanuman and he can face Rama, nothing is going to happen to you. Immediately the king ran to Hanuman and he said, save me, Rama declared a war and Hanuman said, if Rama is my master, if he declared war against you, I am not going to save you, it is not possible for me and then he rejected. Then the king again came to Narada and Narada said, don't worry, this Hanuman's mother Anjana Devi is spending her time in doing great austerity, go to her, catch hold of her feet, do not leave the feet until she tells you, my child, what do you want? I will fulfil your desire. So, the king went there and caught hold of her feet, poor innocent old lady, my son, why are you doing? Leave my feet. No, until you promise to fulfil my desire, I will do it. And then she had no option, innocent, she said, yes, my son, whatever you want I will fulfil, tell me. Then the king was coached that as soon as she tells that, ask her, you call your son Hanuman and ask, command him to fight against Rama to protect you, protect me and that is what the king did and then Anjana Devi, immediately she remembered, Hanuman came and she ordered, I promised to save this king, so you go and save this king. Hanuman had no option because whatever mother tells, he is prepared to do. So, Rama came, Hanuman stood, behind Hanuman this king was standing and Rama was surprised, Hanuman, you want to save this man whom I wanted to kill? Hanuman said, I have been forced into this, I have no option but so long as life is there in my body, I am going to save him because I promised my mother. Rama warned Hanuman twice but Hanuman said, you will kill this king only over my dead body. Then Rama became furious and then he repeated the mantra, astra and then discharged it. Hanuman folded his hands, Rama, Rama, Rama, Rama, Rama and then the furious that weapon, it came and then what can it do against Ramana? Even Rama cannot fight against his own name, the name is more powerful even than God himself. So, it became a most marvellous garland and put itself in the neck of Hanuman. Rama was shocked, he discharged a second arrow, same thing happened, he discharged a third arrow, same thing happened, then he understood that it is not possible to defeat Hanuman. Meanwhile, Narada came, Vishwamitra was watching, Vasishta was watching, then Narada explained, see Ramnama is greater than Rama himself, he cannot do anything if anybody is uttering Ramnama and then Vishwamitra understood, so much of egotism has risen in me and with this egotism is going to keep me away from God, I should have detected it and destroyed it long back but I did not do it and the glory of that king became even more widespread than before because he was highly devoted to Ramnama. So, through this apparently dramatic activity, Narada promoted everybody towards God, the name of Rama became even more powerful, the king became even more devoted to Ramnama because even Rama's own will could not do anything against the Ramnama through of course Hanuman, then Hanuman also was a great advocate of Ramnama, Bhagavan Nama, whenever I say Rama, it means God, it is not a Hindu God, it is the only God. So, what are we talking about? Vishwamitra expected like a Rajasika person, I should be honoured just because I am the Guru of Sri Rama. No, the person who has no ego, everybody respects him, God respects him because an egoless person is one who realises God, this is what we will have to understand. Now, entering into the Tamasika type of austerity, so the Lord says, that austerity that is practised with a determination based on indiscrimination, foolishness by means of self-torture for the purpose of ruining another is declared to be of the nature of Tamasika austerity. So, that purpose, that austerity which is done due to deluded understanding by afflicting one's body or for the sake of destroying other people is called Tamasika type of austerity, it is well known. Now, in the mythologies of Hindus, how Asuras, demons like many times I mentioned Ramanasura, Hiranyakashipu, Narakasura, Bhasmasura and so many Tratakasura, so many Asuras are there, they also call upon God, they also practise austerities, for what purpose? Either for creating trouble to themselves, but most likely we want power and when there is, as the beautiful saying goes in English, power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. So, there are people who want power, but they do not have the capacity to digest. It is said that the day Swami Vekananda gave that few minutes talk at the Parliament of Religions, he became world famous, next day all the newspapers ignored everybody and started sky high praise for Swami Vekananda and that night he slept and then he slept on the ground, he wept, O Lord, my privacy is destroyed, now I can never be myself alone, I have to be a public figure, such tremendous power to digest this kind of power, name, fame or everybody is attracted. Remember, Swami Vekananda was great every way, he was like, his physical body was godlike, his intellect, gigantic intellect, which nobody knows, scientists at that time could defeat him, his memory was prodigious memory, which nobody can defeat and his magnetic personality used to attract both men and women, not only towards the higher ideals, even to purely towards the physical body, he was at the very peak of his youth at that time. So, with all those things he could have been, he could have married one of the most beautiful women in this world, he could have become, how many millionaires had rushed, fell at his feet and begged him, you accept me with all my wealth and that would have helped also India, that is what they thought, not knowing the mission of Swami Vekananda, main mission is not helping India, that is only a secondary mission, primary mission is, I will not cease to inspire men and women everywhere until they know that they are God. I have a message to the West, just as Buddha had a message to the East, I want every man and woman to know that they are God, that is the main mission of every avatara, Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vekananda were not two different, Sri Ramakrishna was the inner personality, Swami Vekananda was the outer personality, that is why he was called his master's voice. So, coming back, this Tamasika people, they also do the pasya, but what for? Ek peedaya kriyate, aatmanaha peedaya, they do all sorts of things which they should never do and it only goes to create ruin to their bodies, to their minds, they can become mad also, but most often they do it not for suffering themselves, but for the sake of destroying other people. I will give one such example, a few years back a man phoned me and then he told me that I have read some books on Raja Yoga, I started practicing too much of pranayama, now day and night I have been hearing some peculiar disturbing sound in my ear, can you help me? First thing I told, you have done very wrong thing, it is warned everywhere that Raja Yoga, especially pranayama should never be done excepting under the guidance of an expert who is present when you are doing it, you have not learnt it, just read some books, started practicing furiously out of your stupid will and that has led to this problem. Secondly, go to the physicians, go to the psychologists, see whether it is physical problem or is a mental problem and then I don't know what he did, after sometime he said, I went to these people and they could not help me, I said I am sorry, I am not an expert in pranayama, I don't know actually what is your problem, what is your experience, you better approach some of the yoga teachers and see if they can help you, of course after that I never heard from that person. Then I came to know some other persons that they hear voices, one young girl came to me, she said I hear voices, I hear Sathya Sai Baba telling me to go and kill somebody, this kind of psychic cases are quite a number of them there in the west, all these are because they do something which they should never do, this is what is called self-torture, self-defeating, that is the first thing but most of the people, they are very selfish people, they don't want to suffer but they want to make other people suffer, so what do they do? So, here is where again the great Shankaracharya is coming to our aid. These people, tamasic people, they lack proper discrimination and because of the lack of proper discrimination, their understanding is improper understanding, because of their improper understanding, they take it as right understanding and they do certain things and they do persistently, they do too much without any limit, as a result first thing as I mentioned, their health will be ruined, their mind will be ruined, they become psychic cases but most often the very reason why they do such type of things is because of delusion, delusion is the result of indiscrimination, indiscrimination requires tremendous bodily, physical as well as mental health, the ability to reason out, to think deeply, objectively and these people lack it, so they have wrong understanding and they think it is the rightest understanding and they practice according to their understanding and they bring ruin to other people. Asterity, which is undertaken causing pain to oneself, to one's body including one's own mind, so sometimes one may damage oneself irreversibly if we do certain things without proper guidance, that is why a guru is very necessary and slowly and gradually we have to practice not to go at all beyond our limitations or Shankaracharya is continuing, so it is what is called Parasya Utsadana Artham, such a tapasya, austerity is done for the purpose of destruction, Utsadana Artham of another person or persons, people who have the disposition of a demonic nature or called Rakshasas or warhols do a lot of austerity just for the destruction of their enemies, Ramanasura, he did tapasya, ultimately he became a victim of terrible uncontrollable lust, power, position, name and fame and without thinking anything finally not only he brought ruin to himself and he brought ruin to everybody whom he was leading, this is a beautiful example that had not Ramanasura done this kind of tapasya, he would perhaps be still alive and actually Hanuman praises him, how beautiful this man is, how handsome this man is and what strength this man possesses, but for these wrong ideas this man would have been even equivalent to perhaps to Rama himself, that was the certificate given to Ramanasura by Hanuman when Hanuman was taken into captivity by the Brahmastra, by Meghanatha and he was taken for the first time to meet the Ramanasura, so he was all praised, but this somewhere this screw has become loose and that is what has happened, so this kind of austerity it is far better not to do it now in India, elsewhere also there is some kind of science, it is called black magic, now first question is Swami, do you believe in black magic? I say yes, I believe in black magic, is black magic true? Yes, it is true, so can anybody get it? No, anybody cannot get it, most people because to dissolve such kind of power we have to give equal amount of payment, I will give you one example, once Swami Vivekananda was at Dehradun and there was a Muslim fakir who had lots of disciples and one of the disciples of this Muslim fakir, he somehow became attracted to Swami Vivekananda and started visiting him and this brought a wrath of that Muslim fakir, so he cursed him, may blood start flowing out of the Swami's mouth, may he be made to leave this Dehradun as soon as possible, what is the purpose? So, if the Swamiji is removed from that place, his disciple will not have anybody to go to, he will remain with him, he wanted to retain not to lose his disciples, it is a very common desire, even gurus they don't want to lose any of their disciples, speakers don't want to lose their audience to other speakers, they will do all hooks and crooks in order to retain and to get the other people to steal the other people's disciples also, so here is something very interesting and then what happened you know, within a short time Swami Vivekananda started vomiting blood, the doctors examined him and said this altitude is not going to help you, Swami better you go to the plains and then Swami had no option, he had to come to the plain below Haridwar etc. and then after some time he happened to meet Holy Mother at Calcutta and he burst out, this your old man could not save me, to Holy Mother complaining, old man may say Ramakrishna and Holy Mother laughed and said my son, that fakir also, he did not tell, express it in so many words, that is also a power, so a mantra shastra is there and it is practiced by some people and we will have to use, we have to pay equivalent payment, our idea is like lottery ticket, I buy one cheap lottery ticket and the best prize, lottery money will come to me, that is never going to happen, everything is determined by the karma phala, but the mantra shastra is absolutely true, as I mentioned many times, repeat, chant Sri Suktam, Kanakadarastavam, Medha Suktam, Shraddha Suktam, Narayana Suktam, Purusha Suktam etc., the appropriate results will come absolutely, there is no doubt about it at all, so in a sense what is this 19th mantra describing about the austerity of a tamasic person, what does it say, the austerity performed by these people of both bodily and vocal as well as mental is meant either for creating troubles to themselves either at that time or later on, but more importantly they want power, they want to keep other people under their thumb, they want to hypnotize other things, these are all powers are there. Just now I also remembered another beautiful incident, Swami Turiyanandaji was at that time, I think it was in perhaps New York, I am not 100% sure and there was a lady who used to visit him and she became extremely devoted to Swami Turiyananda and then Swami Turiyananda noticed she was behaving a little bit mechanically, but the lady was absolutely sincere, so one day this lady invited Swami, I will feel blessed, my house will become blessed if you put your feet there, everywhere this kind of devotees are there, so Swami Turiyananda consented and one day he went there and this lady was living with a man and that man did not like this Swami, a stranger especially an Indian, a brown coloured man entering into his house at all, at that time the racial discriminations were too strong, then this lady came forward and then immediately Swami Turiyananda understood this man is exercising a hypnotic power over this woman and this woman wants to be free, but she was unable and that is why she took refuge in Swami Turiyananda. What did Swami Turiyananda do? He took her hands in his hands and started chanting Hari Om, Hari Om, Hari Om, after a few minutes the hypnotic spell was totally broken, the woman understood I am free, the man who was exercising understood I lost that power and he could not do anything and that lady became completely free from the influence of that man, so there is hypnotism, there is mesmerism, in fact we are all hypnotised by the advertisements, what they call computer algorithms and we become helpless victims, sheep led to buy things even when we do not need these things etc, etc, let no man think, only a realised soul is free, all of us are born to slaves to egotism, to name, to fame, to power, to position, to wealth, to paltry worldly desires, objects etc, spiritual life is an attempt to get out of all those things, all these things I have spoken because lest somebody poo-poo and say there is no such thing, no mantra will work, yes every mantra will work, Vedas especially Dharvan Veda is full of such kind of mantras are there and they do work, they confer upon the devout person whatever they desire provided they fulfil all the conditions etc. This mantra shastra is real, astrology is real but the people who fulfil those conditions, who develop an intuitive sense they are very few and far between that is why if you go to any Tom, Dick and Harry to predict your future that fellow himself will not know what is going to happen next second. So, three types of, three ways, modes, Sattvika mode, Rajasika mode and Tamasika mode of performing bodily and vocal and as well mental austerity has been so beautifully enumerated so far. Now Bhagawan is telling however much we try then we will not be able to get out of this, there will be some defects will be there but slowly will be progressing. So, the fourth department is when we have achieved, got, obtained so many things we also have to share and with other people because ultimately there is no other people, it is we only manifesting in the form of the other people and this is where the Lord is talking about the fourth important value which is caring and sharing, which is called Dhanam, which is called charity and it is also of three types, we will talk about it in our next class.