Chapter 11  ·  Contents  ·  Chapter 13

12. YOGA

Embodiments of Divine Love,

The Vedas and Vedangas are sacred texts which reveal the nature of God and the universe. These texts attempt to convey to man that the mind acts as a curtain to block awareness of Divinity. On one side of this curtain is the effect, man; on the other side is the cause, God; the entire universe embodies this relationship between cause and effect. The combination of the two, God and the manifested universe, is called yoga. From ancient times people have not correctly understood the meaning of yoga. Yoga is a derivative of the word "yuj" which means combination or union. Yoga does not mean doing penance in a forest by fasting on leaves and suffering physically. In the science of ayurveda, yoga means a combination of various leaves or herbs which cure physical, mental, and emotional ailments. The word samyoga means combination. In the science of astrology, yoga is considered to be the science of the relationship between time and the position of the stars.

Three rivers in India, the Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati unite at one point; husband and wife together form a union. The union of two or more materials or aspects is termed yoga. Human life consists of combination and separation, just like the waves which rise and fall from the ocean. Human life is full of problems like the periodic turbulence on the surface of an ocean . The boat of the Lord's name can help one to cross the ocean of life. Patanjali, a great Indian sage, said in his Yoga Sutras that yoga means the control of the five senses and the mind. Yoga also means the unification of one's thoughts, words and actions, directing them all towards God. Through yoga, work may be transformed into worship. Krishna has said that doing all one's work with expertise and skill is yoga. Living in unity with the family, earning well, doing physical exercises, gaining pleasure and happiness are all yoga. The whole world is yoga. As we do not understand the Divinity of yoga, we end up in disease or roga. Man knows what is right and wrong, yet due to his distorted intellect and because of his strong ego he goes on the wrong path. Some people are jealous of another person's happiness; we should follow yoga, to overcome jealousy. True yoga is seeing the good in everything that happens and maintaining equanimity. If one has been bitten by a scorpion, one should be thankful that he has not been bitten by a snake. The Bhagavad Geetha teaches many methods of yoga. Think of the Divinity which is vast, pure and all-pervasive and thus purify your heart.

In the Bhagavad Geetha, Arjuna, with all his knowledge and skills, can be seeing arguing with Lord Krishna on the battlefield. Up until a certain point Krishna did not speak to Arjuna but when Arjuna had finished all of the arguments, Krishna then asked him whether he had exhausted all of his doubts. Arjuna finally became silent and surrendered to Krishna saying, "I will follow Your commands." Krishna then replied, "Now you are My devotee; think of Me only and I will take care of you. In this Kali Yuga, we say that we are devotees of Rama, Shiva or Krishna and chant Their names and thus pretend to be close to God. But did God accept or acknowledge that You are His devotee? God should tell you that you are His devotee. Just as when you send a registered letter you should receive acknowledgement that it has been received, God too should say that He has accepted You as His devotee. Your conscience (voice of God) will tell you whether you are a devotee with no trace of ego. Conscience is Chit (Awareness); Awareness is total understanding.

There are four types of yoga: karma (action), bhakti (devotion), Jnana (wisdom) and Raja (meditation). Karma yoga means dedicating all your good work believing it to be God's work. You must pray with the full knowledge that God is, everywhere asking Him, "Are you listening to my prayers and seeing my misery?." Then we would feel His Presence and find His two lotus Eyes. God is like your bodyguard; He is inside you, in front of you, around you and behind you. You may have a human bodyguard who can only walk beside you but God says He is behind you also. Your eyes are in front, so how can you see God behind? You cannot see God behind you though He is there. When you look behind. He also moves behind you, but this is delusion. So, in the yoga of action (karma yoga) there is experience with God. As karma yoga involves purely selfless action there should be no anticipation of the results of actions but rather one should accept any consequences.

Once there was an old man who had performed nishkama karma (selfless service). He had planted a mango tree with the hope that many people would enjoy and partake of the fruits. When he was struggling in the heat to plant it, his son in law was surprised at his action and asked him why he was troubling himself. The old man replied that one's body has been gifted for doing service. He then gave his son-in-law some coconut water to drink which he very much relished. The old man revealed that this coconut tree had been planted not by him but by his father so that sometime or the other someone would enjoy the fruits. This story exemplifies that deeds should be performed so that others may experience goodness and happiness in society. This is true nishkama karma yoga.

In bhakti yoga the action is performed with total Love and sincere Divine feelings without any trace of selfishness. The purpose of devotion is to please God who is the embodiment of full Bliss. You don't need to say "Happy Birthday" to God because He is full of Bliss. Say it to those who are unhappy. God who is Bliss and Love may be compared to a big tank, the devotion of the devotee to a pipe and his good selfless actions to the tap. Open the tap and fill your self with Bliss and Love. If one puts poison into the tank the water would then become poisonous water; as is the feeling so is the expression or result. God is the embodiment of purity so with pure Love make God happy; this should be your duty and the goal of your life. Since time is infinite your heart should be also broad. Don't worry what others think of you; surrender to God.

Develop your Love. In a plain glass you cannot see your face, but if this glass is tinted with mercury to form a mirror you can then see your reflection. Similarly, if you have Love in your heart you will be able to see yourself or God and gain Self-realization. Walking is meditation, concentration on boiling rice is meditation, reading is meditation, thinking is meditation; your entire life consists of meditation. Everything that comes from one's heart is reflection. If you think that Swami is coming so let me take padnamaskar, that thought is meditation. Awareness of the one Spirit or Atma permeating everything, non dualism, is wisdom or jnana yoga. Names and forms are different but God is one. Beings are many but breath is one. There is no difference in respiration between Japanese, German or Indian breath. Whether you are in India, Pakistan, Germany or Japan, all are watching the same sun; it is only seen at different times. Wisdom shines through the intellect and mind because of devotion. When all rivers have merged into the ocean, where are the rivers Ganga and Saraswathi? They no longer have a distinct name and form when they have merged into the ocean. In today's world most are proceeding selfishly.

Once there was a rich man who had plenty of factories, a mansion, cars as well as good sons who loved and obeyed him. When his death was approaching, they cried and told him they would be helpless without him. The man gained enough strength with God's grace to tell them that they would be very comfortable with the inheritance and insurance policies he had left for them. He went on to tell them that he did not know what would happen to himself, and that no one seems to be worried about it. At such a time in one's life only the name of God can save one. If the name of God has been chanted from early in life, it can then become implanted in the heart. It is necessary to remember God at the end to merge with Him.

Once there was a new priest who held a bell in one hand and the aarathi plate in the other. The moment he ran the bell with one hand, the hand with the aarathi stopped moving. So everything we do requires practice. In the path of wisdom (jnana) one realizes the One Spirit or Atma permeating everything; it requires study. Yoga is union and following God's commands. Such an easy yoga is spoken of in confusing ways. Few today can meditate on God in the third eye (sixth centre or chakra) because they cannot control their minds (Raja Yoga). Man has infinite power but he wastes it and goes in the wrong direction. Through practicing silence man can limit everything including his thoughts, senses and desires; in ancient times saints went to forests to practice silence. There the animals became friendly because the saints were full of Love and that Love reflected back in the animals. This Love is God. Just as a jasmine flower, spreads its fragrance everywhere, the Love of noble souls spreads around. When you hold a rose, whether in the right hand or left hand, its fragrance spreads. Incense too spreads its fragrance all over. This is the difference between yoga (union) and roga (disease). Fire which is raging in the forest bums all the trees and does not distinguish between a mango tree and an ordinary tree. In life though difficulties may come do not harm anyone. Pleasure and pain are always there; treat them alike. One must learn Yoga Vidya (knowledge) which teaches students to develop virtues such as discrimination, devotion, discipline, duty, etc. We are not born with yoga vidya, but through practice we must acquire all these aspects. With determination we must proclaim, "I will." Life is a continuous flow, how deep and how far no one can say but such a flow eventually merges into the ocean. This river of our life must have two banks for control: steadfastness (Samshaya) and faith (doubtlessness); out of steadfastness comes wisdom. If you are filled with doubt you will be ruined; the one without doubt will succeed. The goal of our life is to develop Love for God; recognize this and act accordingly.

Swami ended His Discourse by singing, "Chitta chora Yashoda ke bal" and "Vahe Guru, Vahe Guru, Vahe Guruji Bolo."

April 17, 1996

Chapter 13

 
Lingam manifested by Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in Kodainanal, 1994