Patanjali Yoga Sutras Lecture 005

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

Om Sahana Bhavatu Sahana Bhunatu Sahaveeryam Karavavahai Tejasvi Navadhi Tamastu Mavidvishavahai Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Om May Brahman protect us both. May Brahman bestow upon us both the fruit of knowledge. May we both obtain the energy to acquire knowledge. May what we both study reveal the truth. May we cherish no ill feeling toward each other. Om Peace Peace Peace be unto all. Om Yogena Chittasyapadena Vacham Malam Sharirasya Chavaidya Kena Yopahakarottam Pravaram Muninam Patanjalim Pranjali Rana Tosmi I bow to the eminent sage Patanjali who removed the impurities of the mind through yoga, of speech through grammar and of the body through medicine. So we continue our study of the Yoga Sutras. We have started the first chapter called also Pada. This Pada is called Samadhi Pada. Patanjali divided his aphorisms on yoga into four parts, four chapters. The first is called Samadhi. The second is called Sadhana. The third is called Vibhuti. The last is called Kaivalya. Very scientifically classified. What is the first one? What is the goal? What is it that we would like to attain? What is it we desire? What is it we would like to attain? The second is what is the way to attain what we desire? How can we reach the goal that we set up ourselves? Third is that there are two types of results that occur as a result of this practice. One is called Siddhis or supernatural powers. And the second which should be really the goal of our yogic practice is to become free, to become liberated. So systematically he has put. Why bring in the topic of supernatural powers? It is a most wonderful thing even to contemplate. You know there is a law. It is called the law of karma. I think most of you are familiar with the law of karma. What does it mean? First it means no action goes in vain. Every action must bring its result good or bad. So if we have practiced concentration, yoga often is translated as concentration. It is right in one way. It is not adequate in another way. What is concentration? Focus all our faculties, all the powers of the mind, focus on one subject, on one point. Just imagine if ordinary action can give us so much of result, an action done through all the powers of the mind, how much it should really give? And it can give both in a good way and also in an evil way. Suppose a person is good and he is focused. His goodness will increase a thousand fold. Suppose he is an evil person. What happens when he is concentrated or when a person is angry and he is a person capable of concentrating? What happens? His anger also, in the similar way, it increases a thousand fold or proportionate to the power of his concentration. That is why Swami Yathishwaranandaji used to warn people. Before you attain purity, do not develop concentration. He used to give the example of Hitler. If Hitler did not have that tremendous power of focus or concentration, probably the evil he could have done would have been much, much less. Without getting purity, if we try to increase our power of concentration, and it is quite possible and we always do it, we also do it many times, and though unconsciously we are doing it all the time, but that is not a good thing at all. Before the Samadhi Pada means not only mere concentration, but concentration first of all with a purpose, concentration with full awareness, concentration with the ultimate goal of achieving what we want. And what is it that we want to achieve? What is it that we really would like to? If you ask a person, say suppose God comes to you, what do you want? Most of the people say, first of all give me a long life, first of all give me a long life because without life you ask for 10 billion pounds and then as an afterthought you ask him, God how long am I going to live? Another one hour. That would be very wise. So first assure yourself that you are going to live a long time in a healthy way, not merely living physically and mentally in a healthy way, and thereafter what is it you would like? The whole life is meant for what purpose? From an ordinary point of view we live, we think for happiness, but really speaking it is not for happiness. In a way it is true, but in a way it is not true. Why? Because we are under the mistaken notion that happiness is something which we do not have and we have to get it from outside. Whereas Vedanta tells us and logic reason proves it that happiness is something which is within us or even if you don't believe it, which only we can create. Happiness is not an object. Let me make a distinction between what is inside and what is outside. Whatever is outside us, we call it an object and we can exchange objects. I can lend my book to you, I can take something from you, but can you give your happiness? Can you give your worry? Can you give your sleep to anybody? Can you give your sleep? Suppose you are sleeping wonderfully, your husband is not. Why don't you share a bit of your sleep with me? Is it ever possible? Not possible. Can you give your digestive power to somebody? Can you share your intelligence with anybody? What is it? If it is an object, yes, you can share, but if it is something that belongs to your mind, it is internal, it is part of your nature, you cannot share it with anybody. You can give suggestions, you can create a good atmosphere, you can never share it with others. Now the mistaken notion we have is that if we have this and this and this, any object, then we can be very happy. Conclusively it is proved. We ourselves can prove it to ourselves. If some object can give you happiness, it should always give you happiness. Will it? Yeah, you buy a car, first class car, first day it gives you happiness, and that night somebody comes and scratches, your neighbour, usually your neighbour, and next day what does it give you? Headache. So the same car which gave you under certain conditions some happiness and the same car will give you terrible headache, next day, not only that, even if nobody scratches, first day you go on thinking and happy, second day a little less, have you noticed? Second helping is not as happy as the first helping. Have you noticed? After taking first helping, you mistakenly imagine, since first helping is so nice, second helping also would be equally nice. No. Now have you thought about third helping and fourth helping, what it becomes? Yeah, this is the nature of things. Happiness is within. We can also say, under the same circumstances, some people they can be very happy, under the same circumstances some people can be profoundly unhappy. Everything depends upon our mind. Happiness is within our mind. Unhappiness is within our mind. Bondage is in our mind. Liberation is also in our mind. So what is the point of this book? The point of this book is to point out that all the suffering that we undergo, and we do not want to go through any amount of suffering. It's a very interesting thought occurred just to me now. Suppose someone were to ask us, any one of us, I know you don't want terrible unhappiness, but can you take every bit of unhappiness? If it is avoidable, would you take it? On the contrary, would you like to have every bit of happiness? Who will say? The first question, everybody says no. In the second, everybody says yes. We are always in search of happiness. And where is that happiness? It is within ourselves. It is our nature. And it is a question of manifesting or non-manifesting. Now, I didn't deliberately use the word that happiness is within the mind, and apparently yes. Really? No. So where is that happiness? If the happiness belongs to mind, and we have our mind all the time with us, we should always be happy. The mind not only doesn't have happiness, it doesn't even know what is happiness. I don't know, for some of you these words may appear to be very strange. The mind doesn't know really by its own, on its own. The mind doesn't know that it is a mind. That self-awareness that I am a mind, and I have the capacity either to be happy or unhappy, to be ignorant or knowledgeable, or to be good or evil, the poor mind never has that knowledge. How do we know? Because in the waking state we have that knowledge. In the dream state also we have that knowledge. But what happens in the dreamless state? Deep sleep state. Is the mind aware that I am a mind? It's not at all aware. It doesn't even recognize its existence. It is not because that has no consciousness. And yet all the time it appears to be acting as a fully conscious principle. So if something doesn't have a quality, but behaves to have that quality, what is the inference that it has? Borrowed it from something which has that quality. The mind always borrows. And the less the mind is disturbed, the more the reflection would be. The more the mind is agitated, the less the reflection of pure consciousness would be. The first Pada is called Samadhi Pada. And there are 51 aphorisms in this first Pada. And as I said, a Sutra is an aphorism. An aphorism is that which crams a tremendous amount of meaning into the shortest number of words possible. I told you in my last class jokingly, these people went on a competition, how much they can compress, zip. And if they could remove half a syllable, they used to rejoice as though a son is born to them. To that extent they went. The result is, now we have to break our heads. I mean, what exactly do they mean? Fortunately, there are commentators who help us. As I mentioned, Vyasa is one of them. Bhoja is another one of them. There are others. Shankaracharya also was supposed to have written commentaries. Whatever it is, I am going to summarize. I will not bore you with all what they have written. But I will summarize what is really helpful to us. The first point that we have to understand is that yoga helps us to become healthy, both physically and mentally and spiritually. I also had discussed in my first class, why yoga? Why do we want yoga? Naturally, it helps us to become not only healthy but also happy. But not only happy, but moreover, it gives us that wonderful knowledge. What is that knowledge? At this moment, we are people who do not know who we are. And you know, psychological terminology, what do you call a person who doesn't know who he is? You meet somebody, he says, Hello, nice to meet you. Who are you? He says, I don't know. Who is your father? I don't know. Who is your mother? I don't know. Where do you live? I don't know. Nothing. What do you call such a person? You can't even call him ignorant. He is a madcap. A person who doesn't have an identity, see, even if you want to have a visa in UK, you must first produce a kind of passport. So, without identity, we are like mad people. But our madness is an extraordinary madness. What is it? If we are only ignorant of our identity, somehow some pity can be taken. But if we arrogantly assume, I am so and so, then that is terribly dangerous. That's what brings all the miseries. So, what does yoga do? It removes all ignorance and grants us what we really are. It tells us who we really are. Once we come to know who we really are, then we don't need any yoga. Because what we are seeking, that's what we already have. That's why the scripture is always told, it is not a Karaka, it is only a Gnapaka. What does it mean? It means a scripture never gives us anything. It can never give. It need not give. There is no need. But a scripture is one which reminds us what we have forgotten. What is your name? Oh, I forgot. Then the scripture comes and tells, this is your name. Oh, I forgot. Thank you very much. Did we gain anything by that? Have we become new people? All that the scripture tells us is, yes, this is what you are. What does it say? You are divine. You are divine. This message is what is given through this yogic book. The first aphorism in this Yoga Sutras is Atha Yoga Amshasanam. And very briefly I discussed about it in my last class. Atha means now. Now means there are two meanings. Atha is a word which means it is a symbol of prayer. It is a prayer to God, let this book be finished. It is also an auspicious word. Whenever we start doing something good, we always utter God's name or an auspicious word. Of all these auspicious words, there are two according to Vedanta. One is the familiar Om. You want to eat food, simply say Om. You want to start any journey, say Om. Of course, different traditions have different ways. In Bengali language, what do you call when you start any travel? Durga Durga. Many Bengali devotees are not aware that they should say this not only when they enter into a car or on a journey. When we get up in the morning, we start our journey in life. So what should we say? Durga Durga. When we are about to go to sleep, then also we should say Durga Durga. But you can also say Om. Early morning you say Om. Again at night also you say Om. You are about to eat food, you can say Om. You are about to speak with somebody, say Om. When somebody shouts at you, you are about to say something, what should you say? Om. It helps us. It is a very auspicious word. Whatever brings auspiciousness to us, that is an auspicious word. The other word is Atha. Whenever an author starts writing, he starts with sometimes Om, sometimes Atha. Especially in these aphorisms. I will give you examples. Atha Athato Brahma Jignasa Athato Dharma Jignasa Atha Yogan Shasanam Here it means an auspicious word. It also has a secondary meaning. The secondary meaning is it is to qualify for whom is it being told. For whom? Does everybody read this Bhagavad Gita? Or a Veda? Or a Bible? Or a Quran? Only a person who wants to get something and he is convinced that he will get something from this book, only he will read. It is to say, even to read something, you must be qualified. Suppose there is a civil engineer and there is a book on construction. And you go to him as if he is your friend and you say I am getting bored and can you give me some book. He will give you a textbook on civil engineering. What will you do? So unless you know the subject, unless you desire to improve your knowledge, in that particular subject you won't read. But another civil engineer, if comes to know, oh this is an improved version of the textbook, there is a certain new calculations have come, how we can strengthen the building, immediately he will be very enthusiastic about it. So that is why you can't force people to read something. What happens? They go to Samadhi. If a person who is not interested in yoga is forced to read a yogic book, what does he attain? Samadhi. But that's not a desirable Samadhi. So Atha indicates that there is somebody who is suffering, suffering from three types of afflictions. Just to remind you, what are they? Physical, mental and spiritual. He wants to get rid of it and he has tried every other thing and it didn't work for long. Certain things work only for a short time. There was this fellow, who was suffering from forgetfulness. So he went to the doctor and the doctor being a good man, he treated him and he thought he had cured him. The patient was very happy, he was about to leave. Then the doctor asked him, are you alright now? He said doctor, by your treatment, I have become completely, I am cured of everything. Then the doctor asked, what about my bill? What? Selective, all respects he was alright. Only when it comes to paying the bill, he has got, the forgetfulness has come. A person who understands, there is only one method, that is the practice of yoga. What is yoga? To know one's own nature. What I am seeking all through my life, not only life, lives, according to Hinduism, before we came to this Vedanta class, how many births we had? Some 92 crores, 92 million times we were born, right from inorganic matter, until we came to this. And then you see, how much tapasya, how much payment you have to go through. So, Atha means, now the student is ready, the teacher is ready, the teaching is ready, the circumstances are, where most favourable, let us now start. What is start? Yoga. Atha, yoga, on these three words. Atha means you are ready, it is auspicious. Yoga, I am going to teach yoga. Actually, we are not studying a book, must always remember, when you study a book like Gita, what are you really doing? You are listening to the words of, Shri Krishna. Because the scripture is only something, like a letter. When you receive a letter, are you reading a letter, or are you listening to somebody's words? So, this is a teacher called Patanjali, who was a great yogi, and who had that intelligence, to bring about, codify, all the knowledge that was existing, wisdom that was existing before. He came, he codified it, and made it, what is called, half digestive, like half digestive food, for our sake. And, we must always remember, he is sitting right in front of us, and he is talking to us. Another example, when we read the gospel of Shri Ramakrishna, are we reading a book, or are we listening to Shri Ramakrishna? You must always remember, he is there right in front of you. It is not a book. It is not simple, black and white painting, on white pages. It is really, that spirit is speaking. Any book is like that. So, this yoga is being explained, and we are attentively listening to it. And, a doubt may come, does this man know, what he is talking about? That's why he says, Anushasanam. Anushasanam means, this is a traditional teaching, a teaching that is coming, through the system of Guru Parampara, from teacher to the student, since thousand of years. Now, there is a law, if something is not worthwhile, if something is not valuable, there would be no demand for it. Let me repeat it. Suppose, there is some, anything, or any book, or anything, if it is something worthwhile, then people will take to it. Suppose, it is worthless, then what happens automatically? There would be no demand for it. Now, if a book is in demand for thousands of years, what does that mean? There is something eternally valuable, in that teaching of that book. And, what is the most valuable thing? What is the most valuable thing, that any creature, especially human creature, really desires? You know what a person desires? Only three things. Every human being, or every being, has three desires. But, especially human being, has only three desires. Though, I am saying it is three desires, in actual fact, it is only one desire. What are those three? Sat, Chit, and Ananda. I want to be immortal, I want to be all-knowing, and I want to be infinitely happy. There is nothing else. Anything you do, whether birth, and death, and marriage, and children, and divorce, and this and that, everything has got its essence, is only these three. That is the most valuable thing. So, if this book is valued so much, what does that mean? That really has given people, that ultimate thing, the best thing, any human being can ever seek, desire, yearn for, and that is self-knowledge. So, these three words, Sat, Chit, Ananda, if you have to squeeze into one word, what does that mean? Atmajnana, knowledge of the Self. This knowledge of the Self, it is not my invention, my friend, my student, it is taught. From whom has it come? There must be somebody, for the first time, somebody had this knowledge. Who is that first somebody? God Himself. God Himself, He has given this knowledge to some great saint, and that saint started passing it on to his disciples, and their disciples went on passing it to their disciples. This is called G.P.S. Guru Parampara System. So, that is Anushasanam, means this traditional teaching. Whenever you hear the word traditional teaching, that is what it means. So, in the first aphorism, he has put these three words. Now, you are ready, you are earnest, and you are ready to have faith in my words, and you will practice. Yoga is meant for practice. It is not meant as an academic study. If anybody wants to study this yoga system as an academic information, he will not succeed. Why? Because there are layers of meaning, and these layers of meaning, it is possible to understand them only when we pass from a lower state of experience to a higher state of experience. It is not possible, even if you study a million times, unless you step by step practice it. It is the most practical scripture in the world, practical teaching. Then, second, it does not waste time. It has to be defined. Yes sir, you have used the word yoga. What does yoga mean? So, second word. Yogaha chitta vritti nirodaha. Yogaha chitta vritti nirodaha. Four words. Yoga, chitta, vritti, and nirodha. Four words. Most marvellous words. Let us meditate upon these four words. Now, we cannot understand what is yoga unless we understand the other word. First word is chitta. Second word is vritti. We have to understand this in order to understand what is the definition of yoga. Now, what is chitta? In English language, we use the word generally mind. In Vedantic terminology, we use the word antahkarana. Inner organ. Inner instrument. Antahkarana. Now, as I said, I won't bore you with the details, but what is most important. What is this chitta made up of? Chitta means, let us take for practical purpose, it is a mind. What is this mind made up of? According to yoga school of philosophy, Sankhya school of philosophy, according to that, even Vedanta school of philosophy, what is the mind, what is its constituent material? It is most important for us to understand. It is not the self. First point is, it is not the self. If it is not the self, it is totally different, separate, something outside of me, however much close we are. To give an example, even language betrays this wisdom. What is the language? Suppose you say, what is this? You ask me, what is this? What is this? What do I say? It is my shirt. What do I say? It is my shirt. Did you ever hear me say that it is me? Any number of times you ask, what do I say? This is my shirt. It is a shirt. But what is the relation? It is my shirt. My shirt. So ask this, what is this? This is my body. This is my hand. This is my head. I don't simply say head. I say my head. Now the word I and my, are they synonymous or are they separate? Supposing here is a watch. Did you ever hear me say this is me? You never hear me say. But with regard to the body, what do we say? Many times we say, this is me. I am not well. And the next second we say, my head is aching. There is a, what is called, heaven and hell difference between the words I and my, or mine. If you mix them, then it becomes a mine, mine field. That is our problem. I and my are totally separate. So if this mind, with regard to the mind, we always say, my mind is disturbed. That is the correct thing. It is very close to me. And it is with me all the time. But it is not me. So that is the first thing. I am separate. Mind is separate. Now every object that we encounter, is called an object. Anything we come to know, is an object. If we have some knowledge of anything, that knowledge, content of that knowledge, belongs to an object. It is an object. If I am not the object, then what should I be? Only subject. That is all. I am the subject. Everything else is an object. How many subjects? Only one. How many objects? Any number of objects. You see, the first point is, I am not the mind. Language itself is bittersweet. Though we get confused sometimes. Second point, any object is non-conscious. Every subject is full of consciousness only. It is called the knower. It is called the seer. It is called the experiencer. Every object is non-conscious. You have to remember, that whatever is dependent upon something, is an object. And whatever is dependent upon something else, is non-conscious. Whatever is independent, that alone is consciousness. Let me give an example. Now, I am taking the class on Patanjali Yoga Sutras. Right? So, what is my position? I am a teacher. You are listening. What is your position? What are you called? Students. But look, supposing you enter into Samadhi. What is my position? I am an object to you. I may be priding. I am a teacher. But so far as you are concerned, you are the subject and I am the blink of an eye. Literally. That is what happens. Blink of an eye, you remove my objectivity. I become non-entity. See the pure power. Same thing, it is also for me. Unfortunately, I don't have the privilege of blinking my eyes, except in blinking at you. So, what is the second point? Second point is, any object is non-conscious. The subject alone is conscious. So, what is the nature of this? The mind is an object. The mind must be non-conscious. But if something is non-conscious, but you see it as though it is full of consciousness, full of intelligence, what is the inference? That means it is borrowing. You know, suppose you don't have a car. Everybody knows in your area, you don't have a car. Suddenly, one day, you are seen travelling in a Cadillac car or whatever. What is everybody's inference? Only two, three inferences are there. Suddenly, this fellow might have won a lottery ticket, or he has stolen it somehow, or he rented it. Only three possibilities. Either he bought it, or he borrowed it, or he purchased it, borrowed it, or stolen it. If the non-intelligent mind is working, suddenly with intelligence, intelligence means action. Without intelligence, there can be no action. If the mind is really active and intelligent, and it is doing everything, it is feeling this is me, then it must have borrowed it from something else. Unfortunately, it cannot buy it, because no value is there to the consciousness. It is so valuable. That's why it is called invaluable. You can't buy it. You can't borrow it, because it is not available anywhere else. And consciousness doesn't give it. Do you know why? Because if consciousness lends itself to something, what will be its position? Suppose you have a cup, and somebody borrows it. That means you lose your cup. Somebody else gains it. So if consciousness lends it to somebody, what happens to it? It becomes non-conscious. So it cannot borrow. The only thing is, it pretends to have borrowed it. Not really borrowed it, it pretends to have borrowed it. Let me give an illustration. Supposing there is a mirror in a dark room, and you are standing in front of it. It is dark. Can you see the mirror? Can you see the reflection? Don't. Suddenly somebody puts on the light. Then what happens? You see your reflection. You see both the mirror and also the reflection. The mirror cannot reflect. It doesn't have the power of reflection until it borrows some light. So even though we say it borrowed the light, did it really borrow the light? Or seemingly borrowed the light? It is very important for us to understand. So what it really means is that we always identify ourselves with the mind and all the disturbances. That is a strong word. What is said? Modifications. That is called vritti. We will come to that. So this mind is something different. If it is different, it must have a root. It must have a cause. What is its cause? It is a modification of prakriti. Prakriti means non-self. It is a modification of non-self. This prakriti, there is no other word to it. You can substitute with nature. Whatever is not me, that is prakriti. That is nature. Now what is this mind consisting of? What is its nature? It is a modification of prakriti. But what is it consisting of? What is the nature of the prakriti or nature? It consists of, all our students know, of three qualities. Vedantic students know it. Its nature is consisting of three qualities. What are they? Sattva, rajas and tamas. Now the nature of sattva is, it is like a pure mirror. It reflects what is in front of it. The nature of rajas is, it is less clean or less pure mirror. It reflects something. It also reflects in a wrong way. It gives impression as though what is reflected is something other than what it is reflecting. So this is because it is impure. It is unclean. That is the word used. Rajas. If it is endowed with tamas or darkness, then what happens? It gives a completely opposite picture. Let me give an illustration. You know when you enter museums, you see three types of mirrors. Any science museum, three types of mirrors. One is a normal mirror. One is a concave mirror. Another is a convex mirror. Now the concave mirror, it gives one type of reflection. If you stand in front of it, it gives one type of reflection. And if you stand in front of convex, it will give you another type of reflection. But if you stand in front of a normal mirror, it will give you exactly how you are dressed etc. The mind is consisting of three qualities. What are they? Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. And at any given time, this mind is dominated by a combination of these three qualities. When I say quality, it doesn't mean at some point we are only endowed with Sattva. It doesn't mean at other point we are only 100% Rajas. At other point 100% Tamas. No. Always the three qualities are there, but in different proportions, different mixtures. Now at any given time, this mind can be in one of the five states. Because this understanding is a foundation for what we are about to study in future. At any given time. How much time we have? 24 hours a day. From birth to death. 24 hours a day. That is important for us. Any time of the 24 hours, the mind could be in one of the five states. A combination of these three qualities, Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, creates five states according to our yoga teachers. What are those states? I will first tell in Sanskrit, then explain what it is. Kshipta, Modha, Vikshipta, Ekagra, Nirutta. Let me explain. Kshipta means scattered. Scattered means the mind is running here and there. Furiously it is running. This is the order given by the yoga book. But I will slightly change the order. So that will be more convenient. It is Modha, Kshipta, Vikshipta, Ekagra and Nirutta. And why I changed also? Let me explain. Less Tamas and more Rajas. Less Rajas and more Sattva. And more Sattva and less Rajas. 98% Sattva and 1% Rajas and 1% Tamas. Let me put it this way. It is dimmer. You understand what is a dimmer? As you go on sliding up and down, the intensity of the light varies. This is probably a good analogy for this. These three mixtures, it is like that. Now, Modha means completely deluded. What is deluded? Even though somebody is telling something right, we misunderstand. Person could be in that state. Have you noticed? You are reading something. You are in a little bit tired. And it is a heavy book. And your words are muttering. But what is your understanding? Misunderstanding. Again and again we are going. There is no point. So what do you do? You just give up and go into Samadhi. Second state. This is Tamas overpowering. Darkness, dullness, heaviness, delusion overpowering. This is called Modha. Literally Modha means delusion. Wrong understanding. Bhaja Govindam Bhaja Govindam Govindam Bhaja Modhamate This is the first understanding. Now second is Kshipta. If the mind is not deluded, it is conscious, but it is scattered. Terribly scattered. That means Rajas has entered. Terribly scattered. Mind is not staying even on one subject. It is going here, there, here, there. At what speed it is moving. It is not focusing on what it is supposed to focus. Accepting that, it is doing everything else. This is called Kshipta. Now the third state is Vikshipta. Vikshipta means it is scattered, but occasionally scattered. It is an improvement. That means sometimes it is scattered, sometimes it is focused. Sometimes it is scattered, sometimes it is focused. When you observe certain times of the day, when you are able to focus better. That is why they say early morning, after 3 o'clock is the best time, called Brahma Muhurta. It is called the time of the God. Because the mind becomes, it has got up from a good sleep, it is well rested, and the world's activities haven't impinged upon the consciousness yet. That in-between state is a wonderful time. Sometimes when you sit down, suddenly you notice that your mind has become very calm and quiet. You don't know why. It is not because of your efforts. Somehow it has become. But fully alert and yet calm and quiet. Fully alert yet calm and quiet. That is a state called Vikshipta. Less scattered and sometimes focused, sometimes scattered. Gradual improvement. The fourth state is called focused, concentrated. Ekagra. There are two types of Ekagra concentration. We have to be very careful about it. Supposing a person is very angry. Is he focused or not? Tremendously focused. A cat, the example is given. A cat, it perceived a rat. The rat is in the hole. Outside it is waiting to pounce upon it. That is often compared to the concentrated state of a yogi. Just as that cat's eyes, its sight. Do you know where it is? Unwaveringly it is on the hole. When the rat comes out, it will pounce upon it. It is the most wonderful thing. So this is a wrong type of concentration. Or it is also called passive concentration. And many times we mistake it. Why am I bringing it to your notice? You are reading some book and your whole mind is focused on it. Usually you know Harry Potter. I don't know. A mystery book, so well written that these are called page turners. Two types of page turners. One is focused page turner. The other one is you are turning the pages but nothing is going inside. I am not talking of the second type of page turner. I am talking about the first type. What is that? The book has such power. Or the cinema. You are watching a movie. It simply is, you don't feel like getting up from there. Very common experience, isn't it? Or somebody is singing so beautifully that you don't feel like losing it. And you think, my mind is focused. Don't ever mistake. That is called passive concentration. It is not your power. It is somebody else's power. Similarly, something else, it is not a good book. May be good book. The content of the book may be very good. But it is written in such a horrible way. Or some speakers are there. And what they want to speak is wonderful. But the way they speak is so bad. Either you go to sleep or your mind is simply disturbed about it. This is what is called the power of the passivity. It has the power either to pull your mind or to push away your mind. In either way, it is making us passive. No, no, passive. It may be concentration. But it is passive. That is not good. So what is the right type of concentration? I decide. This is a good book. Whether it is easy to read or difficult to read, well written, not so well written. But I will read because it is good for me. You know, how this works in day to day life. Most of us take initiation from our Gurus. And what do the Gurus give? Only God's name. Isn't it? But when you sit for Japam, you can't focus. So why is it that you are not able to focus? You know that it is good to do Japam. You know God's name is wonderful. You know that it is the only treasure, as one of the Ram Prasad says in his songs, I have sold my entire property and bought with it the name of Mother Durga or Mother Kali. So like that, we know it is good. We know a book is good. But what do we say? It is so boring. Boring means what? I am not able to actively focus upon it. If it is an undesirable book, you know, it is full of pictures and this and that. Mostly the magazines are like that. The content is very less. The pictures distract you simply. Full of pictures, you know. What is the real content? Why don't you put? Why do you want to put all these useless pictures? Are we children to study Bala Mitra and Chandrama and all those things? We have become children, puerile. Anyway, what is the point? Ekagra means the ability to focus not from outside, but by our will. I want to read. This is good. Oh mine, do not go here and there. You just focus upon it. That is real content. This is it. This is one of the best states in the world and that itself is most beneficial. If we can become concentrated, we can become great in anything. We can become good singers. We can become good writers. We can become good meditators. We can become good sadhakas, spiritual practitioners. But even this is not good enough. The mind, there is a lost state. This is the most wonderful state. That is called state of Nirodha. Complete suppression. That means what? The mind is there, but it is so focused. It is absolutely in itself. There is not one ripple on the surface of the mind. Not one thought. Vritti means modification. Vritti means thought. Not one thought in that mind. When the mind doesn't have any thought and it remains in that state, fully alert, but no thought. That is called the state of Samadhi. What is the meaning of Nirodha? That is the word by which Yoga is defined. Yogaha Chitta Vritti Nirodaha So Yoga is that state where there is not one single thought and yet it is fully alert. It is capable of doing anything. That is the state of Yoga. Another name for it is Samadhi. We will discuss it in our future classes. But what I want to emphasize now is there is a state the mind is in its full alert capacity and yet there is not one single thought wave is there. So how to understand this? Swami Vivekananda gives an example. You are walking by the shore of a lake and the lake is a beautiful lake. It is not a polluted lake. It is a clear, fresh water lake. And there is not one little bit of breeze. There is no breeze at all. How does the lake appear? Absolutely ripple-less. Then you go and how do you know it is ripple-less? Because you go and stand and look down you can crystal clearly see the bottom of the lake. You can see your reflection like a glass. You can see what is at the bottom. Have you not seen some of these swimming pools and other things? Crystal clear you can see. Now this is the illustration given by Swami Vivekananda. The entire water body is compared to the chitta or mind. And suppose there is a breeze what happens? It lashes into waves. And when the waves come what happens? You can only see the waves. You can't see your reflection. You can't see even the water. Because the waves as it were hide the real water. Now what is this analogy for? When our mind attains to that state of absolute stillness or calmness and when the purusha or the you what did I say? The mind is an object. It is non-conscious. But when it is in its pristine state purity state when you stand in front of it you can see at the very bottom of that what knowledge does that give you? This is mind. This is me. This is mind. This is me. I am this. This is mind. We have no relationship whatsoever. But when the ripples start coming then what happens? You can't see your separatedness. Then you identify this is me. One happy thought comes. This is me. One happy thought comes. This is me. Swami is going on and on. That is me. You know? All these any thought that comes instead of staying separately from it we identify it say this is me. I am healthy. I am unhealthy. I am born. I am dead. Can anybody say I am dead? See language trick trickness of the language. Only others can say this fellow is dead. We can't say. I am about to die. Yes. It is like saying you know Are you asleep? Yes. Are you dreaming? Yes. You can never use present tense in certain circumstances. You can never say I am sleeping. You can never say I am dreaming. You can only say I was asleep. I was dreaming. So whenever any thought comes we identify it. If it is a pleasant thought we feel I am happy. If it is unpleasant thought we feel that I am not happy. This confusion at times we feel I am separate from the mind. At times at other times we feel completely identified with the mind. What is the real point here? Real point is I am ever a blissful. Such is Ananda Swaroopa. My nature is infinite goodness infinite life infinite wisdom infinite joy. But the rest is sometimes happy sometimes unhappy. It doesn't belong to me. It is the mind which is telling that what has that got with me? There is a saying in Bengali. Ravana died in Sri Lanka and Behula wept in West Bengal. What is the relationship between Behula and Ravana? They don't even know each other. Something is happening and we identify ourselves. Is it not ridiculous? Exactly in the same way whatever happens in the mind has nothing to do with us at all. And yet because we identify actively everything that happens in the mind becomes me and mine. What is the goal of yoga? To bring about this complete separation. Not suppression not destruction but to bring about such a separation let the mind do whatever it wants to do. And yet I will not identify myself with it. I will ever remain a witness. This is called samadhi. This is called yoga. This is the goal of yoga. There is a way how to attain to that state and when we attain to that state we will escape the pain of birth the pain of death the pain of living the pain of marriage the pain of divorce every type of pain because it has nothing to do with us at all. That is the meaning of Yogaha Chitta Vritti Nirodha There are some more points which I have to discuss before we go. This we will discuss in our future classes. But let me again remind you what is the practical use of this. This is the most practical thing in the world. The first is if all of us are seeking health and happiness there is no doubt about it. By the practice of yoga really we will attain to both physical and mental happiness and physical and mental health. Secondly if our mind is in our control we can fulfill all our desires even in this world. I am not only talking about spiritual persons. A student can become a better student best student. A cook can become best cook. A concentrator meditator can become a best meditator. A doctor can become a best doctor. Whatever a person chooses to be he will become the very best if we can attain to this state of mind control. So it is controlling doesn't mean by force. Controlling means absolute mastery not violently but systematically. That is called Samadhi. State of Samadhi. That is called Yoga. And further there are some points as I said we will discuss in our next class. Om Shanti Shanti Shanti