Patanjali Yoga Sutras Lecture 035

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

Om Sahana Vavatu Sahana Ubhunaktu Sahaveeryam Karavavahai Tejasvi Navadhi Tamastu Mavidvishavahai Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Om Yogena Chittasya Padena Vacham Malam Sharirasya Javai Dhyakena Upakarottam Pravaram Muninam Pratanjalim Pranjali Rana Tosmi I bow to the eminent sage Pratanjali who removed the impurities of the mind through yoga of speech through grammar and of the body through medicine. Those who have got tremendous vyakulata, intense yearning for God-realization, proportionately they only reach the goal very very soon. Proportionate to one's longing, one progresses. This is true not only of spiritual life but of any progress in any field of life. Sometimes we are exerting all the possible effort that we can make and yet it seems that we are unable to progress. There are several reasons for this which we need not go into. But what is most important is that some of us by effort alone can never achieve the realization. Not to speak of God-realization, even to become wealthy, to become more talented, we are unable to do it. There is something which seems to obstruct us. What is the way? And the way Pratanjali tells curiously, paradoxically, take refuge in God. Now according to Sankhya philosophy, there are only two eternal principles. One is consciousness called Purusha. Another is called Prakruti or the inert nature. And these Purushas according to Sankhya philosophy are innumerable, unaccountable, infinite in number. So what is this curious idea? We have to take refuge in God called Ishwara. Who is this Ishwara? Every Purusha for some reason according to Sankhya philosophy is bound. But Pratanjali introduces the idea that there is one Purusha who is not at all bound. He is neither bound by time nor bound by any type of limitations. And if we analyze what are the limitations, we get three, Desha, Kala, Nimitta, time, space and causation. Let us briefly deal because this is such an interesting subject. Logically speaking, I am bound by time, space and causation. Means at this particular time, I am only here and I am not even one millimeter anywhere else, space. At this moment, I am here. At this same time, I can't be anywhere else. And why am I here at this particular time? Why are you there in that particular place? Because I am speaking and you are listening. There is a cause. Each one of us are bound. If you analyze still further, why are we so different? If this effect is different, the cause also must be different. Someone is strong, someone is weak, someone is fair, someone is not, someone is wealthy, someone is poor. Why? There must be a cause. We are absolutely bound by time, space and causation. Then who is Ishwara? Ishwara means simply God, personal God. Now what I am trying to do is to bring about a harmony between Yoga philosophy and Vedanta philosophy. Let us not worry too much about arguments for or against. According to Vedanta, two aspects of God are there. One is called impersonal, is beyond time, space and causation. And another aspect naturally is He who falls within time, space and causation, called Ishwara. How do you call Him Ishwara when He is within time, space and causation? So even though, according to Vedanta, this personal God is within what we call Prakriti or Maya, even though He is within, He is not subservient to Maya, but He is the master of the Maya. He is one who controls the Maya. That means voluntarily as if He had bound Himself. This is so beautifully illustrated through the Bhagavatam story of Mother Yashoda trying to tie Krishna. She had many experiences. So this story, once, you know, He was doing mischief. She wanted to tie Him. So she is a small fellow and she brought a few ropes and she wanted to tie Him. But what she finds, one inch less. Then she brings another rope, which is several feet, and ties it to this. And again one inch short, one inch short, one inch short. She was getting tired. Then for her sake, what did He do? He Himself voluntarily allowed to be bound. This is what Shri Ram Krishna refers in His Gospel of Gospel. Now, what is the point here? Even though God is within the realm of time, space and causation, He is the master. What do you mean by He is the master? It is like an adult playing with children, hide and seek, you know, or what is called blind man's bluff. So the adult also puts. Now the adult has got that voluntarily he put on himself. Nobody could put it. No child could put on the adult. But the adult himself put for the sake of play. This is how we have to understand. God wants to reveal Himself to us. How can He reveal? If He has to reveal Himself to us, there is only one way. And that is to show Himself with either a form and name and quality or a name and quality or pure quality. In the West, many people call pure quality energy. There are many qualities like compassion, like knowledge, etc. So the idea is God is not two, but depending upon how we look at God, He appears to us either as though He is bound with name and form, etc. Now what happens to the impersonal aspect of God? Can you see impersonal aspect of God? Never, because by the very word impersonal means He is infinite. Can I see infinite? This is an illogical question because if I am there, besides the infinite, how many infinites are there? There will be two. No, that's an impossibility. That is why that peace chant, Purnam Adaha Purnam Idam, it has a funny aspect. One of the Swamis was explaining. Purnam Adaha Purnam Idam. That is whole. This is a whole. This whole has come from that whole. Even though this whole has come from that whole, that whole remains whole. There can be only one infinity. How many infinites can there be there? Only one. That's the most illogical statement because who is to say that there is only one? If you say one, it means many. There would be nobody to say God is infinite. Then why do we say God is infinite? God is impersonal, etc. It is human language. This is heat. Necessarily, we must have the understanding of what is cold. This is rich. We must have the idea of poor, poverty. So this is the nature of our thinking. This is an introduction for the verse that is going to come very soon. This aphorism that is about soon to come. So who is this Ishwara? He is not bound by time, space, causation. Let us take it from there because it is the most wonderful thing. But last class, we were thinking the first definition according to Patanjali is klesha karma vipaka asayaihi aparamrishtaha purusha viseshaha ishvaraha Klesha is Ishwara or God, personal God here is a special kind of being untouched by ignorance and the products of ignorance not subject to karmas or samskaras or the results of action. God is untouched, unlimited by all these things. In contrast, what are we? We are all touched, bound, limited, hand and foot by these things. So first thing is klesha. Klesha means affliction, that which causes grief, suffering, unhappiness, depression, etc., etc. What are the things that can cause this? There are five things that is to say avidya means ignorance. Ignorance means not knowing about our own true nature. See, if we ask a simple question, do you know this person and you are meeting for the first time, what would be your answer? I do not know. This is the first time I'm meeting. This is ignorance. You do not know what that person's nature is. This is called avidya, ignorance. Here in the Vedantic or yogic terminology, that is not exactly what is ignorance. What is ignorance here? To take the impermanent as permanent, to consider the impure as pure, to consider the tremendous suffering as happiness and to consider non-self as the self. That is called ignorance. And out of ignorance, it branches itself into other four products. These are the characteristics of ignorance, to take the impermanent as permanent, to take the impure as the pure, to take the suffering as happiness and to take the non-self as self. We are all subject to it. How do we know? What is the proof? If you challenge, my proof is very, very strong. You cannot refute and absolutely what is called solid concrete, bomb proof. What is it? If you are not suffering from ignorance, you would not have attended my class. Simplest proof because you don't need. If you are enlightened, realized, then why do you need to attend my class for one hour long? Simple example comes to my mind, Swami Sivanandaji, one of our presidents and a disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, was once asked to write an article for a magazine. He said, come on, bring paper, pen, let me sit and leave me alone. I will write and he sat down. After an hour, the attendant came to check how much Swami had progressed. He did not even put one single letter there. Swami Maharaj, what happened? He says, I sat down to write with all seriousness, suddenly to my mind it came. What is the truth? Brahma Sathya, Jaganmithya. What else to write? Brahman alone is the truth. Everything else is unreal. What else to write? Can this be an article? It must be only a realization. So this is the proof. So this ignorance, we are all bound by that ignorance. That is why we suffer so much and suffer so much. These four definitions, four characteristics of ignorance. What is this? To take suffering as happiness. When you are eating a nice cake, sweet, or to put it even more graphically, when a young person is embraced by a most beautiful young wife, don't blame me. I am not saying this. Who is this? Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says. I always ride behind the Upanishads. And he forgets time, space, and causation. Poor fellow doesn't know what he is getting into. That comes later on. That's why ignorance is also called bliss. So this is the thing, the greatest, what we consider the greatest happiness. According to the people of discrimination, that is the greatest grief. Why? Because any happiness that we enjoy in this world, what does it lead to? Further transmigration. I want this. The nature of happiness, do you know? What is the nature of happiness? I want this again and again and again. So if you are happy, that means you are bound. And what is the nature of unhappiness? It's opposite. I do not want this. When a person awakens from this ocean of ignorance, the first thing he sees is Sarvam Dukkha Mayam, everything is grief. Who said that? What was the first teaching of Lord Buddha? Life is full of suffering only. He has not taught. He said, I have not taught anything excepting life is full of suffering. Who is the cause? I am the cause. Ahamkara. And what is the remedy? The remedy is to get rid of this avidya. When he says it is the anatma, that is the cause, he means ignorance. What yogic terms. In fact, there is a lot of sameness between yoga and Lord Buddha. How many steps? According to Lord Buddha, eight steps. According to Patanjali, exactly eight steps. And if you analyze all those eight steps of Buddha, you will see the eight steps of the Patanjali put in his own simple way. The only mistake Buddhists make is, many Buddhists are under the ignorance that Buddha taught annihilation, total, complete annihilation. Yes, he did teach annihilation, but annihilation of not the self. Nobody can annihilate existence. What did he teach? Annihilation of the ignorance, end of the ignorance. Anyway, coming back. So this avidya or ignorance, we think, that's why we cling so much to life, that what when we are enjoying, so that is a wonderful thing. That's a gift of God. What did Holy Mother say? What is the gift of God? Misery, suffering is the gift of God. But for an ordinary person, he won't understand that. Only an awakened person, the word used is viveki, sarvam dukkham vivekinah, that's what Patanjali uses. Everything is a source of great suffering for a man of discrimination. So this ignorance branches into four. What is the first manifestation of ignorance? To take the non-self into self. That means, who are you? I am so-and-so. So have you noticed, Sri Ramakrishna, very rarely he says I. Very rarely, he says this place. Come to this place. Few times he did use the word I to convey his message, but he never meant by the I what we mean by I. Sri Krishna never meant, he said you take refuge in me. Is he talking about that man, young man called Sri Krishna? No, he is talking about Lord Eshwara and strangely he uses that word Eshwara. Eshwara sitting in the hearts of all beings, he makes everybody move as a puppeteer moves the puppets. Eshwara Sarvabhutana Hridyeshe Arjuna Tishthati Brahmayan Sarvabhutani Yantrarudhani Mayaya He is the master, master magician. Hinduism is wonderful, Hindu philosophy, Vedanta philosophy is wonderful. Maya, Maya means what? This is not reality. That's why you may think you are being born, you may think you are going to die, you may think you are suffering or enjoying, but that's not the reality. If it is a reality, it would be a terrible thing, but it is not a reality. But if you think just as in your dream, somebody, someone is causing you trouble, you think you are suffering so long as you are dreaming. Once you wake up, you laugh and in fact, you go and embrace that person who is beating you black and blue in the dream. Why? Now you are so much relieved. So we will be also relieved. So what is the first thing that happens? Asmita. The word Asmita. Asmi means I am. Asmita means the feeling I am. We are all having. What is the word, most used word in any language in this world? Do you know? I. I. I am sitting. I am standing. I am sleeping. I didn't have sleep. I enjoyed this. I suffered that. I, I, I, I. That is called Asmita. But what is the nature of that I? Bound by time, space and causation. So how are we bound? So this egotism. Egotism means identifying ourselves with something else. This is called superimposition, Adhyasa. Now this I further is strengthened. How is it strengthened? By Raga and Dvesha. Raga means intense liking. Intense attachment. Dvesha means it's opposite. Intense dislike. We are all victims of likes and dislikes. 24 hours we are only trying to escape unconsciously. Just imagine that there is a fire going on in winter season and you move nearer the fire. How long will you be sitting there? So long as you are comfortable. After that what do you do? Slowly you move your chair back. Do you think you are thinking and doing it? Automatically we are doing it. Every breath we are doing because we want to be this. Whereas it is said in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad and also Isavasya Upanishad. A man of realization neither desires life nor desires death. He says it has nothing to do with me. Let it come, let it go. So ignorance branches into egotism. Egotism branches into likes and dislikes. And likes and dislikes what do they do? They make us run after towards what gives us happiness and run away from what we do not like. So all our actions can be divided into these two. I am running, I am doing this action. Why? Because I know it gives me comfort, happiness. And I am running away from this. Even monks in earlier days, Swami Sivananda, Sri Ramakrishna's disciple is very very strict. Strict means only scolding and nobody likes scolding. That's why when they see some old Swami is coming some half a mile away, they will try to go this way. What to speak of? Even the disciple of Sri Ramakrishna. If you remember, I am just reminding you. Once Sri Ramakrishna scolded Swami Brahmananda. He was putting some oil on the head of Sri Ramakrishna. You know what Swami Brahmananda did? He just threw that oil bottle there, started running away. And then he went a little bit forward and unable to go any further he sat down. Meanwhile Sri Ramakrishna called Ramlal Dada, his nephew and said bring that boy back. So he went and brought him. And then Sri Ramakrishna was remarking, did you see what I did? I drew a Lakshmana Rekha. I drew a line. You cannot run away. You can go, you are running only within this circle. You cannot go away. What a marvelous statement because our life if we see, there is also a line beyond which we cannot go. Who made that line? Our own selves, through our actions we did it. You may try. In this life you cannot go. But if you do something very nice, then slowly you can go. Maybe next life. That is how we progress. So we are bound by time, by space and by causation. What is life? Let us always remember what I said a few classes back. Life is a journey from the lower truth to a higher truth. That means it is a journey from lower knowledge to higher knowledge. It is a journey from lower happiness to higher happiness. Through our experiences we learn more and more. So likes and dislikes, our actions always follow our likes and dislikes. Anything, I have seen this. Every day of my life I see it. If two Swamis are giving lectures, I have seen right here. Some devotees like my talks, so they come. Some devotees like other Swamis' talks. So when he gives a talk, only then they will come. Not other times. Some devotees, of course, you know, it doesn't matter which Swamis they are. So you see, devotees have got their own likes and dislikes. Swamis also have got their own. Who is free? Only one being is free. Who is that? God is free. Why? Because there is no second. In God's eyes there is only one and that is God. That is why he cannot have, he cannot afford to have Raga and Dasha because there is no choice, there is no opportunity for it. Of course, we can provide some opportunity to exercise his likes and dislikes. God never likes or dislikes. All our scriptures, if you go back, whether it is Christian scriptures or Muslim, Islamic scriptures or Hindu scriptures, Oh, God gets angry, he curses you, he throws you into hell. No. What does Vedanta say? God cannot throw you into hell. You know why? Because if you go to hell, who is, whom do you find? You will find only God. How can, how can, I told you a funny thing, you know, God has his own limitations. He gets angry with you and he says, get out of my presence. Can he do it? He has to see willy-nilly. Wherever he looks, he sees God. He cannot see us. This is a most wonderful lesson to learn. It's right that each soul is potentially divine. It is based upon that realization, God is the only being. Otherwise, you cannot say that if there is one being besides God, then both become non-divine. So we do these actions. What do the actions produce? Results. What is the result? If we do good, result is good. If we do something evil, the result is evil. What is the result of good deeds? Happiness. What is the result of evil deeds? Suffering. Suffering and happiness. Again this will create a samskara within us and again we go next birth, next birth, next birth. Not only that, this, both the clinging intense like and dislike will become so much dependent upon them. And what is the source of this like and dislike? Only one thing. What is that? Our body. If there is no body, there is no egotism at all. Let us be very clear about it. What is the place of the mind? You know, we always say body-mind complex. What is the place of the mind? Without gross body, can there be a mind all by itself, totally independent, free from gross body? Can there be? It is impossible. The mind is meant only for one purpose. It is to identify itself with the gross physical body. So what happens when we don't have body? What are we called? Bodyless spirits. When you are high spirits, you are not yourself. You are in low spirits also, you are not yourself. Means you are called a ghost, a disembodied spirit. But this is only very temporary state according to every religion. And then again he gets another body, subtle body, then gross body follows automatically. So what is the point here? Intense clinging to physical body. It is what is called egotism. That's why we would not like to break up this physical body. Why? Because we feel if my body dies, what do I feel? I am dying. If I become old, my body becomes old. What do I feel? I feel I am old. Intense clinging to life. I don't want to die. That is the fourth manifestation. Ignorance manifests into, branches out into four. What are they? First egotism, then likes, then dislikes, and then intense clinging to this gross physical body. We are so much attached. This is what is called avidya. Then klesha means, as I already mentioned to you, klesha means these five. Egotism, ignorance, egotism, likes, dislikes, and intense clinging. These five are called klesha. They are the root cause of all suffering. Then these kleshas, they lead to karmas. I like this, so I will do this. I don't like this, I try my best to avoid them. And they lead to merit and demerit. And they lead to happiness and unhappiness. And this punya and papa is the seed with which we are again reborn. Whatever is, if demerit is more, then we are born in lower worlds. If merit is more, we are born in higher worlds. This is how this whole cycle of transmigration goes on and on and on. Now who is this Ishwara? Ishwara is one, is a special kind of being, untouched by ignorance and the products of ignorance. That means what? He doesn't have egotism. That's why in the Bible, you know already, when Moses asked God, the burning bush, who are you? What's your name? What did he say? I am that I am. He can't say I am X, Y, Z. I am that I am. If you understand, fine. If you don't understand, that is also fine. But this is what I am. That's why he said, Namo Namo Prabhu, Vakya Mana Atitha. He is beyond the mind. He is beyond the speech. There's a beautiful hymn written by Vedavyasa. It is called Parastuti, a hymn, adoration to the Supreme. Therein he says, O Lord, please forgive me for three crimes I committed. Even though I know that you are unthinkable, I meditated upon you. Even though I know you cannot be hymned, praised, and yet I composed stotras, hymns in praise of you. Even though I know you are everywhere, spaceless means what? Everywhere. Timeless means eternal. Even though I know you are everywhere, still I went on pilgrimage as though you are there and not here. In this connection, a beautiful incident comes to my mind. Once the direct disciples of Shri Ramakrishna, during his last days, they went on a pilgrimage to Buddhagaya. And there were others who were with Shri Ramakrishna. They were feeling a little peaked, peak, you know, peak, a little jealousy. Oh, they went, they want to become holier. Why are you complaining? If you are complaining, there is a problem with you. Why are you complaining to Shri Ramakrishna? Because given half a chance, you also would have gone. But you could not go. So, here come the other. Oh, they want to become more holy. Shri Ramakrishna also responded and also consoled them. You know what he said? He said, if something is here, it is there. If nothing is here, nothing is there. Very cryptic type of statement. It is this statement of Shri Ramakrishna is taken in two ways. One is, if in one's heart, one doesn't have that God consciousness or devotion here, then by going to somewhere, he is not going to have it. And if there is devotion here, then he sees God right here. This is the first meaning. Second meaning is referring to his person and says, if you see something in me, then you can see something there. And if you don't see anything in me, you roam the whole world, then you will not see anything. This truth is an eternal truth, is a wonderful truth, and it applies to all of us. How? There is a beautiful story against, this is a Zen story. There was one Zen master and he had a disciple and after several years of training, the disciple felt, why can't I be a guru, a teacher in my own right? So he had the audacity to ask his guru, can I have my own guru now? Saying indirectly, I may be tired of being a disciple. That is what it means really. If he is happy as a disciple, why should he crave for this? Guru was very wise man. He said, you can have your own disciples and monastic center, but before that I like, I request you, I take a particular fruit, kind of vegetable, and you take it and go on a pilgrimage, and whenever you are taking bath, let this also take bath. And the disciple could not understand even the significance of that. He took that vegetable, he went on all the four corners of the pilgrimage, and whenever he was dipping in holy waters, he was dipping that, he was giving bath to that vegetable also, and then came back, Guruji, I have obeyed your order, completed the pilgrimage. Very good. Where is that vegetable I gave you? And here is the vegetable. So it also took bath. Yes, yes. And let us cook the vegetable and eat it. It was bitter good. After dipping itself in the four corners, how did it taste? Bitter. Now the wisdom dawned on the disciple, it is not going on all pilgrimages. What change has been wrought within you is a very important principle we will have to ask ourselves. I am going to the Vedanta center, I am initiated, I am taking the name of God, I am meditating, I am studying scriptures, etc. What change do I observe within myself? Am I becoming better? Am I developing less attachment to the world? Means always less attachment to the world equals to less attachment to the body. Is body the cause of all these things? Yeah. We have to ask, am I more content? Have I more self-control, etc., etc.? Ishwara is one, is a very special kind of being, he is completely untouched by these things, he is not ignorant, that says everything. So this is the definition he gives first. Then further he elaborates, 25th aphorism, tatra niratishayam sarvajnatva bijam, in him knowledge is infinite and by implication it means other than him, in others it is only a germ. Now look what Swami Vivekananda says, each soul is potentially, it's like a seed. But the seed, the word seed is a wonderful word. A seed contains the entire plant, what is the obstruction? Time, space and causation. What does that mean? Beautiful sentiment. There is a seed, a banyan seed. Now it is the seed of a banyan, that means the entire banyan tree is in it. Then why don't we see it? Why don't we see a mango seed? Why can't we have mangoes? It is potentially a mango tree. But what is the problem? Bound by three things, time, space and causation. What does it mean? Time means what? First space, this means you will have to put it in the soil, that is the space. Then you have to give it time, it may take four years, five years, it grows. Any seed, apple or any vegetables, according to the... And then what is nimitta? Nimitta means causation. What is the causation? You will have to water it, you will have to fertilize it. You might have to use pesticides and you must look after it so that it is not eaten by anything. All these are called limitations by cause, limitations by time, limitations by space. Limitations by space means you can't put it on a rock and you can't put a mango in UK. You have to put only in a tropical country where the climate is suitable for it. And then give it a time, look after it and in time it will become a beautiful tree and it will yield its fruits. So in Ishwara, sarvajna tvam, sarvajna means sarvajna, means in him knowledge is infinite. Wonderful statement. What does it mean? Usually if we say a realized soul's knowledge is infinite. And by that very usage of the word infinite, do you know what we are meaning? What we are meaning is he knows about the microphone, he knows about the watch, he knows about the bomb, he knows about me, you, every object, he knows about every object. How does he know? Because he is everywhere, he is all the time, that means he is an object, he is the microphone, he is this, he is that. This is the idea we get because we are still asking the question from the realm of triviality. We see everything, so many objects and when we see so many objects that is not infinity. It is we cannot count them, they are beyond number, our capacity to count but it doesn't mean it is infinite. What is the second idea that comes is infinity means only infinite. Since God is infinity and he is the only one and he knows himself, he is not bound. What is our problem? Our knowledge is bound by time, space and causation. Simple example is Einstein as a baby. Is Einstein potentially present in that baby? Yes. So why can't he simply as soon as he is born, E is equal to mc square, why can't he write it? He can't write it because he is bound by time, space and causation when he grows up. So in each one of us also it is there but in Ishwara it is unbounded by time, space and causation because there is only one thing which is not bound by time, space and causation. What is it called? Infinity and infinity means what? There is nothing else other than that and therefore his knowledge is total. He is not bound by time. Today he doesn't know so much, tomorrow he will know so much. In him knowledge is infinite, in others it is only a germ. This aphorism also tells. It never said we are totally ignorant. It never said to anybody, however wicked a person, you are wicked, you are a sinner. You know the implication of saying you are a sinner? Your sinner means you don't have that seed, you don't have that potential divinity. That is why what was the first thing Swami Vivekananda did when he went to the Parliament of Religions? It is a sin to call man, it is a blasphemy to call man a sinner. He is saying here every soul is potentially divine. You are the children of immortality but that knowledge is in the form of a seed. That means what? If I have that seed, it is only a matter of time, space and causation before I can really develop it. Though we are talking about it, we have to believe ourselves that it is true and spiritual life starts only when we believe in it. This is an important law. Why so many people, they try to become something, say a Prime Minister of a country and they fail. You know why? Not because they do not have... some of us definitely are much better than any past, present, future Prime Ministers. But we do not have that belief in us. If I don't have belief in us, I will not try. This is an important law I would like all of us to remember. If you don't believe, you won't try. I am asking you. If you don't believe, would you even try? Do you believe that you can try without having belief? You know, let me give you a simple example because this is a wonderful law we have to understand. Can you become a Bill Gates or 100 times Bill Gates, 100 Bill Gates together? Can you become? That is a wrong answer. You can become. You can become. But do you believe you can become? Do you see what is the difference between the capacity to become and to choose not to believe that I can become? There is a heaven and hell difference in it. This is why Vedanta says that you are God. Mild way of putting it, you are potentially divine. Right, straightforward giving it is the what? That. Tattvam asi. But when Swami Vivekananda said, did he say tattvam asi? He did that. But his emphasis was each soul is potentially divine. Why did he choose to do that? Because in our state of consciousness growth, we can only attempt to believe that we are potentially divine. But the truth is we are not potentially divine. We are 100% divine. That is the truth. So it will take time for us to understand that. Now what is the point we are saying? That each one of us are potentially divine and we are all attending the class. What is the reason? Because we want to progress spiritually. What is progress in spirituality? To unfold the potential divinity. And can we attain to that? If we choose not to believe, how much faith do you have? Now you can tie what I am speaking with what Sri Ramakrishna said. He said that a man is what his faith is. He says if a man has faith, then he has achieved everything. He emphasizes it. What does he mean by that? He means that we choose to believe that we are potentially divine, even if we do not choose to believe we are divine, but at least choose to believe we are potentially divine. A little bit of that divinity is within us. Then only we attempt to achieve that. This is a very important point. So when does spiritual life start? When we really 100% believe we are potentially divine. This applies to everything, even worldly things. I can become great. When Swami Vivekananda defined religion, the old religion said belief in God is to be a believer. What does the new religion say? To believe that you are that divine. This is called self-confidence. And he explains in one place, by self-confidence I mean confidence in the Self with a capital S. Because as we are, we don't have any self-confidence. But if you choose to believe in God, how many people choose to believe in God? That's a very important point. Whatever path you take, whatever religion you take, whatever yoga you want to practice, what is the first fundamental thing? The belief that we are spiritual beings and we can unfold our spiritual nature through practice only the day we start believing it wholeheartedly. That day we have stepped really into spiritual path. Again, in the next aphorism, Patanjali is telling, Sahaishwara purveshamapi guruhu kaalena anavatshedha He was the teacher, even of the earliest teachers, since he is not limited by time. It is true that all knowledge is within ourselves, but this has to be called for by another knowledge. Although the capacity to know is inside us, it must be called out. And that calling out of knowledge can only be got, the yogi maintains, through another knowledge. Dead, insentient matter never calls out knowledge. It is the action of knowledge that brings out knowledge. Another way of saying is, if there are hundred lamps, how do you light them? Swami Vivekananda gives this. How do you light them? There must be one light. Only when that light is really lit, with that help you can do it. If suppose not one is there, can you light any of the other lamps? It is not possible. So the meaning of this aphorism is so beautiful. We are all potentially divine. How do you know that you are potentially divine? Did you discover it yourself? How did you come to know? By reading? That means Swami Vivekananda has taught you. That means he is the teacher for us. How did he learn? Somebody else taught him. Who taught him? His teacher. And how did his teacher come to know? His teacher, his teacher, his teacher, go on. And you must come to the end of this chain and say, there must be one being who has not been taught by anybody, but he knows it himself. And who is that person? That is God. That is Eshwara. That is, he says, sakalena anavachcheda. He is not bound by time-space. We are all bound. That is why our teachers were also bound. Before their enlightenment, they were also bound. There must be one person who is never bound by time. That means he is eternal. And if he is eternal, the knowledge is also eternal within him. And such a being is Eshwara. And what is he talking about? He is talking about personal God. He is beyond time-space causation and yet he is within time-space causation. What is this paradoxical statement? The paradox is that according to Vedanta, Brahman is beyond time-space and causation. He doesn't listen to your prayers because he has no ears. He doesn't grant your prayers because he has no hands, no legs. He can't come running to you. That's why never pray. You cannot pray because he doesn't know what you are doing. But who does this? Who comes to our help? Only the personal God. So here is the paradox. Personal God appears within time-space and causation. And at the same time, he is the master of time-space and causation. That's why he is free. Who can make us free? Another bound person. Only one who is free. So he is the master. That's why we have to pray to him. So it is said, Eshwara was the teacher, even of the earliest teachers, since he is not limited by time. And why do we accept it? This knowledge comes through Guru Parampara system. How did I get all this knowledge? From my teacher. How did he get? From his teacher. Because we are all bound by time-space and causation. Not only that. Who can give the real knowledge? Only one who has gone beyond time-space and causation. Who can give us real knowledge about God? Do you think that one ignorant person can give knowledge about God to another ignorant person? Who can give? Only one person who has gone beyond ignorance. That means, what is ignorance again? Time-space and causation. That means, one who has gone beyond time-space and causation, we call him a realized soul, God-realized person. Only he can give, pass on that knowledge. He can only give. So look at this, every disciple, devotee who has been initiated. You have been initiated by your Guru and he has been initiated by his Guru. And his Guru was initiated by Guru. So, in the Vedantic tradition, Brahma, Brahma, Narayana. Narayana gave it to Brahma. Brahma gave it to Parashara. Parashara gave it to Vedavyasa. Vedavyasa gave it to Shukamaharshi. Shukamaharshi, through GPS, it came to Shankaracharya. Shankaracharya gave, no, it came to Gaudapadacharya. Gaudapadacharya gave it to Govindapada. Govindapada has given it to Shankaracharya. Shankaracharya had given it to his four disciples. He established four centers of monastery. And each one of us belonged. So in that line, who gave this knowledge? To Sri Ramakrishna Totapuri. And Sri Ramakrishna gave that knowledge to Swami Vivekananda and others. And Swami Brahmananda, he got the knowledge from Sri Ramakrishna. And he gave that knowledge to Swami Yudhisthira. Now you see, this is called Guru Parampara system. So this is how we get knowledge. So we, even Patanjali, had to admit, there must be a lamp which is lit and only with the help of which anything can be lit. What is the most important thing in this talk here? Can one lamp lit another something which is not a lamp? And so it is a result which cannot be lit, where there is no oil, where there is no wick, etc. Can any lamp, even a thousand times you go and try, what happens? It will be a failure. But what can be lit if there is the potentiality to be lit? That is what Swami Vivekananda is on the tradition. Emphasizing again and again, you are potentially divine. How do you know? Because I know. Do I know it? No, I don't know. That's why I must have faith in my Guru and teacher or scripture and say, my Guru says. I don't know many things, but my Guru knows about me more than me. So I must have faith. This is called faith in the Guru. And without faith, it won't work. So, Ishwara was a teacher, even of the earliest teachers, since he is not limited by time, space and causation. We will discuss these two wonderful things. What does self-surrender mean? It means you have faith in Him and then you take His name. This repeating God's name, Japa, is the most effective one. And that is how Patanjali comes. This is an alternative method. Instead of trying all by yourself, you try this. And you will reach the same goal. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.