I hope you know how much your companionship and teaching mean to me on this journey. I take such strength and comfort from both, and such pleasure in your strong honest nature, your curiosity which helps make such space for others to be inquisitive in, your deep learning and sisterhood and your generosity of spirit in sharing so freely. I am grateful and joyful in great and equal measure for your presence.

I am not sure I’ve ever had a grand plan, maybe some very tiny occasional attempts but much of it has felt like just sailing along, meeting whatever winds and currents along the way or sometimes as though being suddenly dragged ‘off course’ by some treacherous current and then, of course, one reacts.

And what is the teaching? I play with this a lot as I simply don’t fully understand yet…when you are already whole and complete then you can still be left with the questions about what is the point of volition…does it matter what I do as long as I truly feel this? Do I need to ‘do’ anything, shall I simply float on the current or should I kick out my legs and arms and swim for a shore of my choosing? It is perhaps the case that both are valid and it’s simply a case of one’s discerning choice over the two at different times. I find thinking about the concept of ‘wu wei’ very helpful in thinking about these things.

Yes these thoughts of worthiness, doingness, achievement they can plague us, perhaps they’re the shackles we seek to free ourselves from…moral imperatives so long learned. Can you imagine the weight of the propaganda machine we’ve been subjected to since birth. To see a glimmer of any truth beyond this is indeed perhaps a grand life’s ‘work’.

I am always trying to remember that I’m a human ‘being’ not a human ‘doing’

So much love dear Kate,

Judy xxx

P.s the word ‘bridges’ in yin and then again in meditation were so helpful and wonderful

~

Dear Judy,

Thank you for your fine crafted words.

A solace that a heart and mind may recognise the ebb and flow of life’s journey as the ability to take the bitter with the sweet. Wisdom gains and lies in the evolution of my reactions to those ‘treacherous’ moments indeed – the crux of understanding, how much have I assimilated thus far?

Do I keep reacting from the same core wound? Perhaps I need more knowledge of said wounds and how they show up as road blocks to living fully and freely.

With time and revelation personally I’m investigating and learning from the common unstable family structures of our western cultures, which can leave gaps in proper nurturance, protection and guidance and therefore add challenges to truly actualising, living and ‘feel’ as you say one’s whole and complete nature. It requires willingness and bravery, and indeed it is subtle. I need a lot of patience, consistency, earnestness, compassion, a love of irony and a sense of humour, – to say the least!

Then how much do I really want to be free? Attachments – sticky and invisible, often hidden in the form of thoughts and beliefs. Not even realising we’re suffering, abnormality is now normal and therefore easy to distract with endless resources at our disposal. All that being said, each with a load to bear and roles to play, so it seems.

You answer the questions so well. Any psychological suffering (often shown in the body) stems from worries of the past and anxiety for the future concerning the results of actions. Actions are limited and finite and never give the result we truly want, which is myself and I always have me. However, discretion in action is wise and useful when I start carefully analysing my own experience to see whether the results of my actions grant peace of mind, are in harmony with goals/values, and give maximum benefit to myself and others. Am I a happy person?

Instead of the feeling of floating or drifting, or that I might suddenly need to swim. Perhaps think of being your own Great Captain of a ‘Sturdy Ship’. Well prepared to weather inevitable storms. That means, this life of understanding What I Am – takes a whole lot of preparation and qualifying oneself, over and over again. “Fortune favors the brave!”. Meet the obstacles with undeniable spirit like you do, otherwise I miss out on the bliss. I don’t embark on a sailing voyage, unless I have the right skills and knowledge and I truly love sailing – meaning do only what’s appropriate to my relative nature.

Therefore the yogas are very important. The body-mind can give all kinds of trouble unless I understand them properly and do what’s necessary to take care of these instruments well, which implies understanding the laws of nature/Isvara, getting in harmony with that and having great faith and trust in it. Not worrying about death or trying to out-smart death.

The great big propaganda machine is called Ignorance and like Existence is beginningless, not subject to birth and death, however, unlike existence it can be negated, seen for what it truly is – not actually real. When I no longer see the serpent, and relax with the revelation of the rope, I see the truth in the false, fear goes away and freedom reigns. Let knowledge guide your life. Learn to see what I am not.

Expect the unexpected because nothing is as it seems. The anticipated may never come. Keep an open mind that’s curious and always fresh.

Below is the meditation on the ‘bridge’ by Swami TV we practised in class and an article on Wu Wei by Rory Mackay.

Enjoy,

Love,

Kate

Om

“Sthira sukham asanam.”

That is the yoga Sutra, an aphorism, very brief but complete. “Sthira sukham asanam.”

There are three words, and the word is always a bridge. Meaning, you hear the word, of course, the meaning flashes in the mind. Then, you reach beyond the word— to the thing.

For example, sthira means “still,” that is about the body. So, keep the body still without any movement except for the breath. That is sthira.

Look at the mechanism one more time. You hear the word sthira, get the meaning “still,” and then reach beyond the word to the body, and keep the body still.

If you do not reach beyond the word, which is possible. Then, the word and its meaning remain as an idea, a concept in the brain, which is not of much value.

Therefore, you should reach beyond the word, always. Sthira—keep the body still. Now, sthira is not a concept anymore; it is the thing.

Sukham is about the mind —relaxed. Sukham means “relaxed.” So you hear the word, word’s meaning, but then you allow the mind to relax.

Sthira sukham—that covers the body and the mind.

Then, what remains after the body and mind? I remain— asanam. Asanam means “to be,” the being— to be.

So, we start with the body, crossover, come to the mind, crossover, and arrive at yourself—asanam—“I be.”

You may begin with the heart—“I be” in the heart. There is nothing to do. It is just—“be.”

This is meditation. This is how you use the word as the bridge to arrive at yourself and then abide in yourself—asanam—“I be.”

In doing so, you have left the body behind.

“I be.” You have left the mind also behind. “I be.” Meaning you have set aside all emotions, and ideas, notions, etcetera. The entire content of the mind is set aside, and you arrive at yourself—“I be.”

This is meditation because the body is still,

the mind is relaxed and quiet, and— “I be.”

This is how the meditation, very simple,

transports you away from the humdrum of the daily life into your own pure being—“I be.” You may even say, “I am.”

That is meditation— “I am.”

Though, I said heart in the beginning. You may notice that the pure— “I am”— is boundless, spaceless, timeless, and it is not the person. It is impersonal. “I am.” Very simple.

Meditation is very simple.

“I be.”

Om

As Summer Solstice approaches in the Northern Hemisphere on June 21st, we experience the longest light filled days.

May all beings be well, peaceful, happy and free.

With the glorious sunshine here in Spain, Isvara gave me the appropriate thoughts to write this piece.

Back in March, inspired by Suus’ chanting class at Mundo Sundaram, hosted so graciously by Sundari and Ramji, I began learning the sanskrit alphabet and how to chant properly. Thank you Suus! “Never stop learning Kate!” She enthusiastically cheered me on.

Blessed with a simple life by God’s grace, I have little incomings and outgoings therefore, rich on time. This affords listening to satsang hours upon end and contemplating life. My preferred method is to listen to an entire seminar.  The teaching, including a particular text, has more time to unfold – the momentum builds and the depth and richness of Vedanta really sings through.

 Some of my favourite Ramji seminars include Mandukya Upanishad-Bad Meinberg 2019, Atma Bodha Spain 2019 and Yoga of Love at Yoga Vidya 2020 (available on Youtube). I’m sure you have your most memorable ones too and listening to them all if you can is highly recommended!

Recently I have been blessed to find the voice and mouthpiece of Swami Tattvavidananda, his meditations and seminars are wonderful. It was during one of his talks that I came across an unfolding of the Gayatri Mantra that touched my heart deeply and within the context for realizing your divinity and oneness with Isvara. The following is inspired from there. Om and pranams…

You must recognise Isvara in your life as the light of your own being. We get caught in the things of the world and we assume the world is conducting its own cause and effect. It’s easy to get lost in thought of cause and effect and you lose sight of the Higher Power. There is only one cause, Isvara – and you have to understand that.

Suppose you are anxious, getting frustrated, passing through a crisis, this is just how people feel. Old age, sickness, defects of the body, the world, the people – there is some frustration. Worldly people are distressed, even younger people – career not progressing, parents not cooperating, girlfriend or boyfriend not obliging. Everybody is frustrated.

In this world, people who have education and people who don’t, both are frustrated. The rich and the poor, both are frustrated. Employed and unemployed, both are equally unhappy and frustrated. Samsara is a very funny thing. Getting frustrated and becoming anxious – there’s nothing unusual about it, you need not condemn yourself. That is how we are, the world makes us very insecure and unhappy. That is how the world is. We are living in the world and we are getting attached more and more to the world so that makes us anxious. Therefore we are the candidates for this mantra…

oṃ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ

tat-savitur-vareṇyaṃ

bhargo devasya dhīmahi

dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt

~ Stand or sit alone quietly. Chant if you can, if not the English translation will do. The main thing is to feel this prayer in your heart. Address God Isvara in the Solar Orb.

‘O Isvara, you are Shining so magnificently, so brilliantly, so unimaginably in the Solar Orb, thereby illumining this entire world of things. Making life possible on this vast globe called prthvi. You are illumining and animating the entire solar system with Light and energy, with Infinite Power you are Shining in the Solar Orb.

 At the same time you are equally Shining in my Heart. Making this intellect shine. Making the intellect functional in the field of the intellectual. Making the mind functional and making the sense organs function – meaning enabling the eyes to see, ears to hear etc. and then enabling the legs to walk, the hands to hold etc., the organ of speech to speak, making the body alive. Thus you are shining equally in my Heart.

 I surrender myself unto You. I am devoted to You. You are outside and you are inside. You are All. You are all pervading. I surrender entirely unto You.”

Say this to yourself. Try it. Try to say it with love. Don’t ask questions, just do it. When you do this at least once or twice a day you will overcome all anxieties. This is the true ritual. This is true jnanam. It’s a very powerful mantra, the Gayatri Mantra. This is yoga when karma, bhakti and jnana, all three are brought in contact. When you feel some sorrow, try this and don’t get overwhelmed with the sorrow. Say it with love, with spirit, with feeling, not mechanically.

University education might help you earn a living but it doesn’t teach us how to live. That is the problem. Life is only worth calling life only if the life reflects the Real in action, it should reflect the Real. Real is another name for God. The Real is One without 2nd. It is the same Real in the Solar Orb and also in your Heart, there are not two different reals. This should reflect in life. How?

Treat everybody as one and the same Self, One in All, All in One. That should inspire your interactions with others. Even if the other person is not so polite to you, it doesn’t matter, you still love him. You still interact with him with love and respect. “No no, he’s not polite, therefore I don’t care for him.” That is arrogance, that is the ego’s response. It doesn’t matter who’s younger or older, more or less experienced. From my side, bless him and interact with him with love. That is how the Real reflects in action.

Here’s a video to help with the mantra

Correct Way to Chant Gayatri Mantra Yajur Veda with Pronunciations and Intonation

‘Karma Yoga is samatvam, evenness of mind.’

Krishna asks everyone to do karma-yōga, by looking at karma-yōga from different angles. There are 4 angles in Chapter 3; outlined in a beautiful way and from whatever angle you look at karma-yōga it is wonderful.

First-angle: take the Karma Yoga way of life as a commandment of the Lord. If you cannot understand the glory or the importance of God, at least out of fear, you follow, it does not matter. This is called the attitude of Īśvara’s commandment. And just like the rules of the Government; many of them we follow not because we appreciate those laws, but because of punishment otherwise. We obey traffic signals not because of our maturity; if it is out of maturity we follow at all times; but we follow after seeing whether the speed camera is there; if it is, we obey. Even now, after so much education, we follow only out of fear; whenever there is a gross mind; we have to instill fear; for those people whose minds are gross, the Lord says follow karma-yōga, if not out of appreciation, at least out of fear; because if you do not follow, you will get pāpam, unwanted results.           

Suppose we are more mature; Kṛṣṇa says: it need not be out of fear; but it can be out of a sense of gratitude; Follow this way of life; as an offering to the Lord, as a yajña; as Swami Chinmayānanda beautifully says: What God has given you is His gift to you; what you do with what God has given, is your Gift to the Lord. So with the life, what I accomplish, what I contribute, that becomes my expression of gratitude to the Lord; therefore convert karma-yōga into yajñaḥ; this is the second-angle of karma-yōga.

Then the third-angle that Kṛṣṇa presents is karma-yōga as a purifier, śōdakam. Whether you take it as a worship of the Lord, whether you take it as Īśvara’s commandment, it does not matter; karma-yōga is the best method of cleansing your mind of rāga (attachment), dvēsaḥ (aversion), kāma (desire), krōdhaḥ (anger), lōbhaḥ (greed), mōhaḥ (delusion) , etc. Therefore śōdakam, it is a great purifier.

Then the fourth-angle of karma-yōga that Kṛṣṇa presents is karma-yōga as Dharma. Karma-yōga is the only way of life, by which cosmic harmony can be maintained; ecology can be maintained; environment can be maintained; social harmony can be maintained.

Singing in a choir means I’m part of a group. If I want to sing; what is the first and most important condition I should know? Which song they are singing. If everybody is singing a particular phrase, and you chant at a different speed and note; it creates a disharmony. Even if 20 people chant together, it becomes like one voice; but even if one chants differently the harmony is lost, it is disturbed. So therefore, I should be attuned to the melody that is there; or I should keep quiet without singing.

A karma-yōgi ‘s mind is so expanded that she/he appreciates the cosmic-orchestra; cosmic- harmony. If violated, the harmony is lost and this is called adharma; Thus follow karma- yōga as a commandment; follow karma-yōga as an expression of gratitude; follow karma-yōga as a purifier; or follow karma-yōga as dharma; whichever aspect appeals to you, take to that aspect; but follow karma-yōga.

Then Kṛṣṇa talks about the duties of a jñāni. Duties of a jñāni? Even though it may not be relevant to many people, because it is duties of jñāni; “it is not necessary for you, we are not jñānis, and also I am not going to become one in the near future”, is the thinking of some people!

But still Kṛṣṇa wants to give, from which we get valuable corollary. Corollary is more important. And what is that duty; Kṛṣṇa says a Jñāni does not require any sādhana; because he/she has already accomplished the sādhyam, the goal. A means is required only to accomplish the end; after accomplishing the end, the means become irrelevant; therefore, jñāni does not require karma-yōga; jñāni does not require jñāna-yōga; he/she does not require pūja, he/she does not require japa, he/she does not require tapas.

There are no do’s and do not’s. Kṛṣṇa says even though the jñāni does not require any discipline, all the other people in the society, being ajñānis/ unwise, they all require discipline; and therefore, as long as the jñāni is in the society, she should follow the disciplines to serve as a model to other people; because of the jñāni being great, the whole society will be looking up to her. That is what it is; when a person wants to become a great Folk Artist; then they will watch Bob Dylan right from the hairstyle onwards. Because he becomes a role model; “what is your secret of success?” In every interview it is asked; therefore a jñāni being a successful- human-being, the society wants to emulate him, imitate him, follow him and if the jñāni drops all the disciplines, and the society is already lazy and they are already waiting, for some excuse they may follow; and therefore, Kṛṣṇa says from verses 17-23

 ~ using Ramji’s translations ~

Nothing need be done by those who delight in the Self, are satisfied with the Self alone and whose lives are centered on the Self. They have no reason to do or not to do…nor do they depend on objects for their happiness. Do what is to be done well without attachment and you will attain the highest good. Not only will you attain liberation by acting in this spirit you will inspire others to act in this way. Because whatever a role model does is done by others.

I need not act. As far as I am concerned everything in the three worlds is perfect so there is nothing for me to do. Yet I act because if I become lazy and refuse to act people would follow my example. They would become confused. The social bonds that keep a society healthy would unravel and it would deteriorate.

Society wants models. Children always have the photos of different people on the wall; pin ups. Sport stars, musicians, actors and actresses. Constantly watching; that becomes the impression. If the elders are not ready to serve as good models, bad models will replace the good ones; and therefore it is the elders’ responsibility, especially a jñāni. “Therefore Arjuna, even if you are a jñāni, better do your duty; not for your sake; but for society’s sake; do not confuse them.”                                                      

So this is primarily the advice to a jñāni; but the corollary is also very important.

Indirectly through the jñāni, Kṛṣṇa is advising all the elderly-people in the society. It is not an advice to jñāni alone; but this is an advice to all the important-people who count in the life of younger-generation therefore Kṛṣṇa is giving a warning to all the parents, watch your life; because even though you do not say directly anything directly to the child; the child is watching and the audio-visual effect is more powerful than any number of advices. In fact, you need not advise at all; Lead a proper-life, that is better teaching than a hundred hours of lecturing. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa advises the parents; Kṛṣṇa advises the teachers also, which is very relevant to all the elders. This is the topic from verse No.24 verse No.29

Just as the unwise who are attached to the results of their actions act only for themselves, the wise should perform action without attachment for the good of others. They should not lecture the unwise concerning action and its results. Instead they should encourage them to act in the right spirit by example.

It is a delusion to think “I am the doer” because actions are caused by the gunas influencing the body, mind, and senses. The wise, however, remain free because they understand that body mind-sense-complex engages its objects automatically. Those unaware of how the gunas affect action get caught up in the actions of the body-mind-sense-complex. One who knows the Self should not disturb the understanding of the undiscriminating ones who don’t.

Then from verse No.30 to 35, Kṛṣṇa summarizes the whole teaching and talks about the significance of karma-yōga; the 30th verse is the most important verse of this chapter, in which Kṛṣṇa condenses karma-yōga;

 With a discriminating mind free of anger, expectation and a sense of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ offer your actions to me and fight!

If you faithfully follow this teaching without finding fault you will be freed from the results of your actions. But if you are doubtful and do not follow it you will not progress. It is wise to act in harmony with your own nature. Because all beings follow their own natures automatically what use is control?

He gives a five-point-programme to become a karma-yōgi; what are the five-factors to be taken care of to become a karma-yōgi. What are they?

1. Have your spiritual-goal as the primary priority of your life. That is the first indication of karma-yōga. Spiritual-goal is the primary-goal. We do not say that other goals are not required; but we should remember that the other goals are subservient to this primary goal. Because if all other goals do not lead to your spiritual-goal; all the other goals are utterly useless; because they are subject to arrival and departure. I earned so much money, so what? It is going to go. So therefore let the material-goal be there; but let the spiritual-goal be given top priority; therefore prioritization is No.1.

2. No.2 is Īśvarārpaṇa-buddhya sarva karma anuṣṭāna. Dedicate all your actions, as an offering to the Lord; convert work into worship; this is factor no.2. That your spiritual goal is the primary goal – No.1. and convert your work into worship is the second factor.

3. No.3 is Nirāśi; means be prepared for all types of future situations because the future is not totally under your control; you are only one of the factors determining your future; you do not say you are helpless; that is called fatalistic approach; you do not say ‘everything is predetermined’; we do not say, ‘certainly you determine your future’; but we do not say ‘you alone determine your future’; that is called arrogance. If I say you do not determine at all; everything is predetermined; that is fatalism. It’s fair to say ‘you are one of the important factors who determine your future’.

In addition to you, there are many other factors which can influence your future; and the number of factors that can influence is infinite; your husband, your wife, your children, the government, the budget, ‘my’ God, many things are there; and a war in Iraq. So therefore, the future is unpredictable, and therefore an intelligent person is one who is prepared for facing any type of future; and that preparation is the third factor of karma-yōga; and that preparation is prasāda-buddhi. Lord whatever is the genuine result; let it come to me; and if it is going to be unfavourable, I cannot ask you to change the law for my sake, if it is unfavourable, give me the required mindset, so that I can accept that and work to improve the future. So this is called prasāda-buddhi; or preparedness to accept the future. Then there is no anxiety at all. Anxiety is unpreparedness to face the future.

4. Then the fourth-condition or factor is Nirmamaḥ; when success comes, do not claim the total credit; even though you are responsible for your success; you are not the only one responsible for your success. There are infinite factors other than you; which all put together we call daivam; you may call it luck; you may call it daivam, you may call it grace; you may call it purva puṇyam; some X factor, all external factors together is called daivam. Therefore in success, remember the Lord’s grace. That is called humility. Nirmamaḥ means be humble; take wherever credit is due to you. ‘I did not do anything, I did not do anything’, you need not say. If you had not done anything, you would not have got anything; let us also not be falsely humble; therefore, I have certainly done, I have certainly worked hard; day and night; worked; wonderful; let me remember, that is not the only factor; other factors were favourable; Thank God! This is called humility in success. Acceptance in failure; humility in success; these are the hall marks of a karma-yōgi; this is the fourth-factor.

5. Fifth and final factor is vigata-jvaraḥ; maintain mental-poise, mental-equanimity, mental-balance, which is extremely difficult; but if the first four factors are followed, the fifth factor is almost a natural consequence; so vigata-jvaraḥ, avoid mental feverishness; otherwise called samatvam.

I grew up in a creative household with working musicians who enjoyed much talent and success. I wanted to be a part of it so badly but the world spat me out many years ago and turned my life toward and into yoga. I now finally understand how God wants me to sing. To understand what it all means, and to practice it daily to the best of my abilities.

I found this unfoldment on the Arsha Vidya website. I’ve used paragraphs and selected verses for this satsang and credit the work there… Om

 ‘Guru stotram is found in the Gurugītā, a text of 274 shlokas. Gurugītā itself is from Skanda Purana, one of the 18 Puranas. Swami Dayānanda Saraswatī, had selected 13 shlokas from the Gurugītā which have now been accepted and chanted by a lot of ashrams and  Gurukulams. ( The first 3 you’ll find below. )

These shlokas talk about the glory of a guru, role and necessity of a guru in one’s life, and the benefit of the pursuit of Self Knowledge.

Famously remembered and chanted particularly on the day of Guru Purnima, the full moon day which falls between June and July.  A day to celebrate in honor and reverence to Veda Vyasa. Veda Vyasa codified the many mantras into the four Vedas through an elaborate 12 year project involving many other sages and pandits. Besides writing the Mahabharata, he wrote 18 Puranas and the Brahma Sutras!

However, perhaps better to think of each and every day as an opportunity to appreciate, to show gratitude, reverence for the entire lineage of guru-shishyas who have ever so generously passed on the knowledge with grace, love and wisdom.   

The relationship with a guru is unlike any other relationship that you can possibly have and is a non-negotiable part of learning Vedanta.

Although the word guru is now used colloquially – love guru, management guru in Sanskrit, “gu” stands for darkness of ignorance; “ru” stands for  light of knowledge, which eliminates ignorance. So, guru means the one who drives away the student’s ignorance by imparting knowledge.

A guru is not an ordinary person.

He/she is a channel for the blessings of the tradition to flow through him/her to you. The greatness of the guru lies in the greatness of the Shastra/scripture/weapon, as there cannot be a guru without the Shastra.

All the 13 verses of the Guru Stotram end with “tasmai shri gurave namah“, meaning “I offer my salutations, namah, not me, but to that guru/ I worship the guru.

akhaṇdmaṇdalākāraṃ, vyāptaṃ yena carācaram |

tatpadaṃ darśitaṃ yena, tasmai śrīgurave namaḥ ||1||

I worship that guru, who has shown me That (tat padaṃ darśitaṃ yena),

which is that limitless reality which pervades the entire cosmos (akhaṇḍa maṇḍala ākāraṃ) (vyāptaṃ) both mobile living-beings and stationary inert entities (cara and acaram).

Earlier the duality of the world, this relationship of me and the other bothered me. Now I see that it is sacred. Knowing that all the forms – moving or non-moving are really Isvara, helps me relax and be in harmony with sentient and insentient.

ajñānatimirāndhasya, jñānāñjanaśalākayā |

cakṣurunmīlitaṃ yena, tasmai śrīgurave namaḥ ||2||

I worship that guru, by whom the cataract of ignorance (ajñāna timirāndhasya) is removed by the needle dipped in knowledge (jñānāñjana śalākayā) and because of whom my eye of wisdom is bright and clear (cakṣunmilitaṃ).

Earlier my world appeared dull and dark because of the cataract of ignorance  (ajñāna timirāndhasya). I hurt myself and others by groping in the dark and having many projections. There were many complexes and judgments about me, the world and God which made me feel uncared for and alienated. But that was removed by a special eye treatment – needle like mascara stick was coated with the ointment of knowledge and my eyes were healed for good – because of this my eyes of wisdom (cakṣunmilitaṃ) are bright and clear. I see all as one.

 gururbrahmā gururviṣṇuḥ, gururdevo maheśvraḥ |

gurureva parambrahma, tasmai śrīgurave namaḥ ||3||

Salutations to that Guru, who is the creator (Brahmā), sustainer (Viṣṇu), and resolver (Maheśvara), and who indeed is Brahman, the Absolute. (Since he tells you that “You are that Brahman”, needless that he knows that he is that Brahman). (3)

 Why is the guru being equated to Bhagavan? Is this not an overstatement? Not at all.  The guru helps one discover Isvara’s presence in our lives. What is the greatest thing that Bhagavan can do for you? Give pleasure, comfort, money. No.. those are all temporary.

If there is anything that Bhagavan can give a human being it is that total fulfillment gaining which there is no lack. A freedom from seeking. How? Through the discovery of oneself as the limitless.’

You are the Fullness you seek.

You Matter. Your Life Matters. What you do with your Life Matters.

Om and Prem

Love and Gratitude always to Ramji, Sundari and Shiningworld.

Thank you for the Satsangs.

I read about karma yoga again and my notes on Sadhana which have both got me thinking. I was off to the gym after reading about karma yoga again and it made me realise how I say I hate the gym but I go anyway. So I thought of gratitude and that instead of hating the gym I am grateful for the fact there’s such a lovely empty studio there to practice in, I’m so lucky to have somewhere so close I can walk to it and I’m so grateful for it’s pool and sauna! So no more ‘hate gym’ and instead gratitude.

Sadhana gave me pause for thought. My notes talk about a disciplined practice that (amongst other practices) involves surrendering the ego. I need to work on this, so much! I appreciate this takes time and so much practice. I think perhaps catching oneself and letting it go? Recognising the Self and that I am only that, nothing else is real?

But putting it into practice is hard, before I know it I think I have to be right about something, or be seen to be a ‘good person’. I am beginning to realise that my point of view is not important and that in social discussions if it doesn’t come across it doesn’t matter, that does feel like a good release.

No worries about answering if you are busy Kate, as always, but next time we’re online I’d love to hear more about this.

(I have ordered Rory’s new book which will arrive today and look forward to being deep in it! )

Loads of love as always,

Kate: Great to read your words! A positive shift to gratitude, so much nicer for the systems, takes the “chore” feeling of everyday life. My mother is excellent at this.”Isn’t it great to be able to do it!” She would say for duties, washing up, gardening, painting you name it. It took me some time to really adopt karma yoga sincerely, now I’m even seeing Isvara ‘doing’ my actions, I take my lead from Isvara and manage the gunas accordingly (remember you can always say ‘no’ to Isvara!) This leads me into your questions which I think we can tie in…

My notes talk about a disciplined practice that (amongst other practices) involves surrendering the ego.

I would say it is the ego that needs practice. The Self is already pure and perfect. It’s for the sake of the Self you do anything. Think about it. Every action you do is to remove some sense of limitation. Eat to remove hunger. Work-out to remove lethargy. Read a book to remove boredom. Of course you can see it as adding energy and stimulation to the body/mind. It’s a both/and not an either or, a ‘no-sum’ reality. You see duality play out, ‘see how the pendulum swings’, therefore it can’t be real. For every gain there’s a loss and every loss there’s a gain, but what’s real, Me, the Self never changes.

However I understand where you’re coming from with surrender. One should surrender the mind / the ego to the teaching. These words are Isvara’s words, they don’t come from humans, they come to humans, they haven’t been corrupted and don’t have an agenda other than ‘suffering is bad’. All Isvara is saying is you’re totally great, just as you are. Follow the logic the teaching presents, pretty soon you’ll see it makes perfect sense! You can trust knowledge. Let it take care of your life. I think what you’re catching is the ‘knower/doer split’. It’s like Jekyll and Hyde. The knower knows what is good for oneself, the doer has all the clever justifications to procrastinate or sabotage. Everyone experiences this.

Recognising the Self and that I am only that, nothing else is real?

Yes and if you continue to take a stand in your true nature you’ll see how silly the jiva’s fancies and fusses are. Standing in your true nature you know wholeheartedly ‘I am what is good in every time, place and circumstance’ This heals the past and takes care of the future. See all beings as Isvara, this mighty reflection of myself, although most albeit temporarily bewitched by ignorance – not knowing the difference between what is real and unreal, they suffer endlessly in the ocean of misery.

I am beginning to realise that my point of view is not important and that in social discussions if it doesn’t come across it doesn’t matter, that does feel like a good release.

Yes good for you, so what if I’m ‘understood’ or not, how are we ever to know what goes on in anyone else’s mind, the best we can do is infer what they think or feel and even then, caring what others think of you is a waste of time. There are no ‘others’. If I see you as me, I won’t injure or hurt you in any way. Or fear you for that matter. That being said, no good deed goes unpunished or keeping in mind the law of unintended consequences. Say what you gotta say and let go of the need for any certain outcome. “All beings follow their nature. What use is control?” Karma yoga all the way, acting in accordance with my nature, appropriate and timely, with the right attitude. My words, deeds and thoughts need to be in yoga, harmony, less room for conflict. You want to make your jiva happy here, it’s a beautiful reflection of You after all. Let the sadhana, the truth be the centre of your life and ‘life’/worldly stuff on the periphery, not the other way round. Otherwise the tendency is to run off the old program which sees itself as separate and inadequate and doing lots of actions to complete itself.

Waking up as the Self, you wake up fresh every day. You’re the boss! No formula or prescription for the ‘perfect spiritual person’, (which there aren’t any by the way) you’ve affirmed, confirmed and validated – I’m already perfect as the Self! By default my program/jiva tunes in to what’s best to make myself happy, to my environment and its needs, I trust Isvara implicitly to unfold my journey every step of the way. Things may not always be smooth, no worries! I don’t feel obliged to do or not do. I don’t feel guilty if I do or don’t. Letting the teaching transform your life is the gateway to constant steady bliss. If anything practice doesn’t feel like practice anymore, but just a natural outpouring of love of the Self. Everything is a blessing. Truly. See this marvel of life here. It says in the Bhakti Sutras – the Yoga of Love something like this ‘How amazing Isvara is. How great the teaching, the teacher, that led me back to Me and freedom. How great I am for all my efforts, perseverance and understanding.’ Differences cease and I relax into is-ness, pure Being.

Hope this helps, let me know.

Always a pleasure to converse with you,

Love,

Kate

Bhaja Govindam is one of the seemingly smaller but, in fact, extremely important works of Adi Shankara. The fundamental imports of Vedanta are here in simple, musical verses so that, even from early childhood, the children of the learned folk can grow up amidst the melody of Non-dual wisdom.

The musical rhythm in these stanzas makes it accessible for children to remember and repeat. For an intelligent young woman or man, a sincere study of Bhaja Govindam can remove all delusions (moha) and so the poem is also called Moha Mudgara (delusion hammer)

A popular story describes the circumstances in which this great poem arose from the almighty heart of the inspiring teacher. It is said that, once in Banarasa, as Sankara was going along with 14 disciples, he overheard an old pundita repeating to himself grammar rules. At this futile effort put forth for mere intellectual accomplishment, and thus wasting his life without realising the great Truth of himself. The Acarya is said to have broke out into these stanzas, famous as ‘Moha Mudgara’ now popularly known as Bhaja Govindam ‘Worship Govinda, Worship Govinda, Grammar rules won’t save you at the hour of death.’ – While living strive to realise the deathless pure existence of perfection.

Taking the opening stanza as a refrain or chorus, to be chanted for emphasis at the end of the verses to follow.

Looking at the first 12 verses given out by Shankara himself. (There are a further 14 – said to be contributed by his disciples.) To see one flower is indeed lovely but a whole bouquet of flowers is truly beautiful and rewarding, even looked upon from a distance. Similarly, just to hear these stanzas chanted is thrilling enough, and for industrious bees that are capable of courting the flowers and entering deep into the heart, there is always sweeter honey as a special extra reward. So too, for the students who are capable of entering beneath the superficial joys of the phonics and melodies, delving deeper into the piercing revelations suggested in these verses, there is real nectar- a consoling vision of life, forever satisfying – in Bhaja Govindam.

Though classified as a devotional song (strotram) the chorus alone is designated as a true prayer. The rest, with pure precision, breaks apart the shell of thoughtlessness that muddies the glory of the mind, forcing one to be helplessly stupid with worldly endeavours. The verses can be considered as a book of categories (Prakriya) in the science of Vedanta.

Unlike texts such as Atmabodha, Vivekachudamani, Panchadasi and others- Bhaja Govindam gives, within a limited canvas of composition, a more eloquent picture of the art of Self Realistaion and a deeper diagnosis of human unhappiness and suffering. It not only indicates to the students the goal and the path, but also reveals the wretchedness in the present way of life, skewed values and dire consequences that await if one only pursues the path of ego and desire.

It is addressed to Jnanis as a book of instruction to walk straight on your path to the goal. Full of refreshing ideas. Shankara is advising his beloved students in the deep chambers of his own sacred retreat.

A disciple is one who is taught by the teacher. One who has become improved, more introvert, having left the extrovertedness from the past. One who controls and curbs the activities of the sense organs.

This poem is not designed in any sense as a mild, soft musical chant that gurgles through the heart of soft emotions generating feelings of divine sentiments. Bhaja Govindam has a ‘crack-whip’ style and effect. There is no such softness, no delicate consideration in the approach to correcting the err in one’s ways. When the house is on fire, no formalities need be respected waking up your loved ones. The urgency of the moment demands they must be awakened immediately.

“Thus here, in Moha Mudgara are a few criminally sweet slashes, with a hateful love for the welfare of the beloved disciples still sleeping in samsara sorrows – when the house of life is ablaze with death.”

1 Worship Govinda, Worship Govinda, Worship Govinda. Oh fool! Rules of Grammar will not save you at the time of death.

The opening stanza is considered as a chorus and generally repeated at the end of each of the following verses. In this refrain the disciple is asked to pack their heart with thoughts of God rather than with anxieties to acquire, hoard or posess worldly gains or achievements. The grammar rule that has been indicated here stands for ‘all secular knowledge and pursuits.’ The import of the statement is that grammar and such other worldly sciences cannot save the soul when death comes to snatch the body away from its temporary appearance. Knowledge of grammar is no doubt necessary but it is a means to an end. To understand and fully appreciate the advice of the teacher it’s useful. But to waste a precious lifetime in a pursuit of non essentials, missing the mark on the supreme goal in life, is being condemned here by Shankara. One must be able to meet death, not as a moment of utter annihilation, but as a springboard to Eternal Existence, peaceful and divine.

‘Bhaja’ means worship. Not merely routine or mechanical in any sense but ‘seeking our identity with the Lord’ is true bhajan, true seva– service. Totally subjective surrender, in love and devotion, at the altar of the Lord in the day to day environment of the devotee. This process of worship has been classified under 9 types.

1. Listening to the glory of God – Sravanam

2. Singing the glory of the God – Kirtanam

3. Constantly thinking about God, the beauty and nature – Smaranam

4. Adoring the feet of God – your support and foundation- Padasevanam

5. With the help of mantras and Vaifika hymns, employing the necessaries prescribed for worshiping the Lord – Arcanam

6. Paying respect to the Lord – Vandanam

7. Serving God – Dasyam

8. Kindly invoking God and conversing together as friends – Sakhyam

9. Offer yourself in totally surrender to God, as a gift to the altar of Life – Atmanivedanam

‘Govinda’ another name for Vishnu – the Sustainer or the Highest Reality. Shankara breaks down the word in four ways.

1. The One who finds or knows the earth – meaning realising the substrate, the foundation upon which the whole universe arises and disappears

2. The Lord of cattle , not only the divine cowherd boy of Gokula, but as the very life-giving factor behind all animal passions and the very essence behind the living kingdom.

3. The one who confers speech – the very power because of which all living creatures, through the medium of speech mutually share knowledge with each other – “be it in the braying of an ass, the barking of a dog or the thunderous eloquence of a speaker.”

4. That which is known through the Vedanta scripture, the Supreme Reality, indicated by the great statements (mahavakyas) such as Tat Tvam Asi. You are That.

In short, Govinda stands for ‘essence’, the Ultimate Truth behind the ever changing flux of phenomena. Therefore Bhaja Govindam means ‘seek your identity with Govinda’ and do not waste your time in mere grammar perfections, worldly pursuits, possessions or transient fame and passing joys.

(2 ) Oh fool ! Give up your thirst to amass wealth, devote your mind to thoughts of Reality. Be content with what comes through your actions already performed in the past.  Worship Govinda  Worship Govinda

The extrovert personality easily becomes enmeshed in the finite pleasures and seeks fulfilment from the world. Motivated by wealth, acquiring, hoarding and enjoying and by doing so involves himself in the sorrows of samsara, all the while you are really endless peace and perfection in yourself.

Suffering from ignorance – Shankara calls them fools (mudha). He appeals to us to give up ‘the thirst to possess wealth’. In the sense the possessor vainly feels only temporary satisfaction. Wealth in itself is innocent. It’s not said here ‘renounce wealth’ but only the insatiable thirst that goes with it. ‘Desire for wealth’ is the relationship the individual keeps subjectively with objects believing to bring happiness. No need to condemn objects, manage your relationship to them with intelligence and a spirit of renunciation.

Cleanse the mind of passions, lust for objects and greed, then meditate on the Reality. If the mind is withdrawn from objects, it gathers in itself an infinite momentum but if it cannot discover a creative field of self application, it is sure to dissipate itself back into objects.

Sankara indicates how we must live in the world. His advice is to live joyously in contentment and satisfaction with what we get ‘as a result of our actions’. Honest labour seems to be the way in which true happiness and inner peace can be gained. There is no limit to human imagination. Desires multiply the more we satisfy them. Stay vigilant whenever you feel that hunger gnaw at your peace.

(3) Do not get drowned in delusion by going wild with passions and lust by seeing a woman’s navel and chest. These are nothing but a modification of flesh. Do not fail to remember this again and again in your mind.  Worship Govinda  Worship Govinda

Previously the seeker is advised to give up covetousness for wealth and here the advice is to give up lusting after women. Since the days of the Upanishads to now, we find all teachers warning against ‘women and gold’. But no insult is meant to either, it’s a statement of fact. All intelligent creatures have these two urges.

All living organisms instinctively move towards inner peace and harmony but always bedevilled by – 1 escaping pain and 2 finding joy. It’s only to escape the anxiety of insecurity that anyone chases security in the form of wealth. When you feel a modicum of stability you suffer the irresistible enchantments of the flesh i.e pleasure seeking of all sorts.

There’s a natural charm built into the creation to mate. Wisdom advises us to caution control and discipline so these energies can be purified and sublimated. An intelligent intellect can achieve this, an animal cannot – acting according to instincts and impulses. The glory of a human being is that you can make choices and re divert the pressure of binding vasanas into something nobler and more divine. This technique of reversing the process of instinct, to flow in the direction of rational thought and contemplation is called ‘pratipaksa bhavana’.

Sankara in the very opening stanzas of Bhaja Govindam, solicites powerful insight to cure two hardwired human motivations. It takes many lives to soar the sacred evolution scale and rise above the basic instinct of ego preservation, what an achievement indeed!

The world of objects continue to exist – apparently, and may try to play pranks with you. Your subjective likes and dislikes might throw shadows to the walls of the cave, leaving your reality in all kinds of distortions. However through close observation, diligent enquiry and logical analysis we can remove the filters of fears and desires and see everything in its natural beauty and innocence. Just like in twilight we superimpose the snake onto the rope. Upon closer look the reality is revealed instantly. Objects like money and relationships are not a threat, only your false values imposed upon them taking your power from you.

(4) The life of anyone is as uncertain as rain drops trembling on a lotus leaf. Know that the whole world remains a prey to disease, ego and grief.  Worship Govinda  Worship Govinda

In this stanza Shankara is helping us realise the ephemeral and somewhat painful imperfections of this uncertain embodiment here on earth. He sees human life like a minute particle of water trembling at the tip of a lotus petal. Life is uncertain, disease and conceit are hard to escape and plagued by endless desires.

Since life is so uncertain and the world is in a sense nothing but sorrow when you don’t know What You Are, the general import of the verse is that there is no time for anyone to waste.

(5) So long as you are fit and able to support your family, see the affection all those around you show. But no one at home cares to even have a word with you when the body degrades due to old age.  Worship Govinda  Worship Govinda

As things go, humans are essentially selfish. Generally people give to get. ‘Nothing for nothing’, seems to be a law that governs nature. Ordinarily even intimate relationships and immediate family members are deferential toward the ‘bread-winner’. In short, the one who is capable of earning and saving, is often respected and adored by others who have some hope of benefitting by a share of the savings.

To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Knowing this natural tendency of the comfort of all loving human hearts, let the one of intelligence earn as much as they can, seek success, strive, struggle and adventure forth. Let everyone earn, save and distribute according to their abilities to serve those around them. Let everyone enjoy as much as is your desert, popularity, affection, consideration and even reverence from others. But do not misunderstand this to be the goal of life. The real achievement is gained through contemplation for your inner peace and tranquility, so that long before the world comes to reject you, you can reject the world of activities and retire into a richer inner world of serenity.

(6) When one is alive, family members inquire kindly about their welfare. But when the soul departs from the body, even the husband or wife runs away in fear of the corpse.  Worship Govinda  Worship Govinda

Meditation on life should not land the student at the bottom of some dark pit of lifeless pessimism. At the same time, one should not be blindly optimistic about worldly achievements and the brittle vanities of life. The rishis, with an ideal detachment observed life as it is, and with relentless honesty painted it with shattering realism only to help the student realise it all fully. This culminates only in a healthy optimism and where the student’s old unhelpful values fade away, teachers of Vedanta are very careful in substituting a set of healthier and more enduring values for positive living.

‘Even the nearest and dearest, your own life’s partner, dreads and fears the darling body of her beloved husband, when once life has ebbed away from it.’

To contemplate this fact of life helps develop healthy dispassion and a spirit of detachment from body vanities. No doubt the body is to be looked after, for it serves us well. Keep it clean and beautiful, feed it, clothe it, wash it – just as we serve all other vehicles we make use of in the world. Serve the body but always with a firm and steady understanding that this is only an instrument with which we may realise our Higher Nature. It will not remain forever, nor will it serve with equal efficiency for all times. It will perish and it must.

(7) Childhood is lost by attachment to playfulness. Youth is lost by attachment to lovers. Old age passes away by thinking over many past things. But there is hardly anyone who wants to be lost in Me – parabrahma.  Worship Govinda  Worship Govinda

Chronologically following the autobiographical story of any one  person. Shankara says the childhood days are wasted in attachment to toys and games natural to the age. In youth energies are dissipated in passion for sex and sports. As age gathers, so do the anxieties and fears that wear you out. All through the short life, attached to one thing or another, never getting any chance of finding the time to attach to the Self, to the Supreme.

The extreme sense of attachment to the world is to be given up intelligently so that life may have a goal, mission or purpose. Human beings are unique in that they have the freedom to rationally judge even their own inclinations, and reject them if they are foolish or dangerous. Human beings can raise their standards. Detach from the world and attach yourself to God. Or ‘Let Go and Let God’.

(8) Who is your wife ? Who is your son ? Strange is this samsara. Of whom are you ? From where have you come ? Brother, ponder over these truths here.  Worship Govinda  Worship Govinda

There’s no denying the fact that the institution of home, the bonds of family relations, and so on, all intend to have beneficial influence on individuals so they can help a person liberate from egocentric selfishness. And yet, they are themselves, even at their best, limited. They can never be an end in themselves. Partners living together in mutual love and respect as a couple and perhaps growing a status role of parents have much to learn from each other.

Both get well trained by mutual association if they live in a true spirit of togetherness. But, nonetheless, they often grow into such an unhealthy state of attachment to each other that the very balm becomes a poison. According to Hindu scriptures, couples in wedlock must live, no doubt, in a spirit of togetherness, but the teachers insist ‘Let there be space between the two’ – let there be no clinging attachment to each other, which is unhealthy.

Family is the field of trial and test, where individuals can grow into healthier personalities but it is not the final destination. Live life with detachment at home; it is life’s college. Not mistaking it as life’s main field of achievement.

Intelligent inquiry corrects our delusions. Shankara asks you to inquire; Who is your wife? Who is your daughter? On analysis we see your wife was once the daughter of her father. Then who will die first, leaving a widow or widower? We are born independently and depart alone. In the space in between we meet,  travel together, serving each other well. So, realise the right attitude one should have in maintaining a healthy relationship with the world.

And with your child? Before being born it was a foetus, before that only a seed generated by the food the body consumes. That’s why the body is called the ‘food sheath’ being nothing but the effect of the cause. And yet we are so fixated on who we think we are and everyone else is. Maya the deluder indeed!

The transactional world, samsara, fascinates the unthinking mind. Nobly meditate and inquire into ‘To whom do I belong? What factor gives me life? From where have we all come to play this passing show in the field of the world? What is the destination?’

‘O Brother’, please contemplate. Shankara instead of the teacher, assumes the role of an elder brother, helping a confused younger brother.

(9) From keeping company with the wise – satsanga, comes non-attachment, from non-attachment comes freedom from delusion, which leads to steady wisdom. From steady wisdom comes liberation while living – jivanmukta.  Worship Govinda  Worship Govinda

Shankara offers a ‘ ladder of progress’. In spite of our appreciation of the sound rationale in everything that’s been said so far, the fact is we still live amidst the temptations of life, where security and pleasure are ringing bells in every ear. I can build an intellectual barrier against my impeding vasanas, I may restrain their flow for some time. But objects of fascination are so numerous, their enchantments so powerful that the sorcery of the sensuous world is irresistible for an individual seeker to fight against.

In order to reinforce the efforts of the student and give you more courage and strength- the advice is to have plenty ‘company of the good’ (satsanga).

The company we keep is very important. The worldly seekers are carelessly choosing friends and indiscriminately choosing associations. It’s easy to be snatched away by bad company. To be in the ‘company of the good’ is to be with those who are devotees of God and are themselves seekers of knowledge. In such an assembly a high power is created and a fortress against the world outside.

As a result of the influence of ‘good company’, the mind develops the capacity to withdraw from the sensuous fields of distraction and discovers the beauty of detachment. Delusion and false values given to the world no longer remain. It is the mind that puts value on objects and these inert objects become capable of distracting the mind. When you start to see clearly – because the mind has redeemed itself from its own pesky encrustations – the Shining Reality is known to the mind. When it becomes more established in the mind – the individual realises it’s oneness with God – ‘liberated in life’ (jivanmukta)

Just as we’ve noted the ‘ladder of ascension’ we are reminded of the ‘ladder descension’ that is described in the Gita – “Thinking of objects, attachment for them arises; from attachment, desire is born; from desire arises anger. From anger comes delusion, from delusion loss of memory; from loss of memory one loses the power to discriminate and without discrimination one perishes.” (chp 2. V 62-63)

(10) What good is lust when youth has fled? What use is a lake which has no water? Where are the relatives when wealth is gone? Where is samsara when the Truth is known?  Worship Govinda  Worship Govinda

Understand where the cause has ended, the effects cannot continue. When age and its youthfulness have passed away, where is lust and play? These maddening passions can only remain so long as “the skin is tight, the muscles are hard, the blood is stormy and the individual is young and hearty.” Lust only springs from youthfulness. When the cause is removed, the effects cannot remain.

When the waters dry up, the lake no longer continues to exist. The dried up lake can only express itself as the bed; when water is there it is expressed as a lake and can serve the world as such. If the waters of desire are playing in your mind, the passionate one strives to fulfill them. But when these desires dry up, there’s no more striving in the individual.

When wealth is reduced, where are the relations, dependents and supporters? They follow only so long as they are looked after and can profit. Wealth is an uncertain possession. Nobody can say how long a lover may court their beloved, or when they may, without regret, leave them in a time of scarcity and depart into the arms of another.

It’s clear from these examples, when the cause is absent, the effect is also absent. Carrying the analogy from subjective observations to spiritual perfection, Shankara asks the question, ‘When the Truth is realised, where is the samsara?’

(11) Do not boast of wealth, friends, and youth. Each one of these are destroyed within a minute. Free yourself from the illusion of the world of Maya and attain the timeless Truth. Worship Govinda Worship Govinda

False vanities and hollow cravings tie you to the wheel of sorrow- samsara. The process of change and the consequences affect you only when you maintain a relationship to it – the objects – feelings and thoughts through your own body, mind and intellect. By this can come a false attitude ‘my people’, ‘my things’, ‘my happiness’, ‘my ideas’, and so on. These false superimpositions lead to suffering in the storms of finitude and the floods of change. Yet the unavoidable contents of the objective world.

This world of appearances is a field of preoccupation only to the deluded ego and identification with it. Seek the knower of it all. The Principle that illuminates all experiences – Saksi – Caitanya – in the very core of your own heart.

(12) Daylight and darkness, dusk and dawn, winter and springtime come and go. Time plays and life ebbs away. But the storm of desire never leaves. Worship Govinda Worship Govinda

Day ends into night. Night dies to blossom forth the Dawn. Dawn grows in vigor and heat – to be noon, that soon mellows into dusk. “On the wheel of time, months glide along, a soft- footed silent march rolls in waves of years, sweeping everything in front of its relentless might. Hushed in the silence of its own wonderment, age slips unperceived, into its slushy grave.”

​​Time moves on. The future becomes the present which rolls away to join the endless ocean of the past. Time never stops, on any condition, for anyone. Memories gather from the past and barricade the present which blazes excitement for the future and blurs your vision. You waste time in unnecessary maneuvers, the irresistible stride of time, devouring hopes and plans.

In Kathopanishad, the young courageous heart of Naciketa consoles his old father ‘things born must die and perish away only to be born again.’ Nothing is permanent.

Later, the same spiritual hero, talking face to face with his teacher, Lord Death – ‘Even the longest life that you can give is but a trifle; may you keep to yourself the dance and the music’.

Life is at the mercy of time. Not recognising this, you desire to enjoy the sense objects, you strive and sweat to acquire and possess – and death snatches away everything.

Life steadily ebbs away, but desire, fed by sense gratification only grows more. Body decays, with no strength to enjoy and you still want more. Death crawls near. A mournful procession to the grave still you want the joys of pain ridden objects. Be wise. Let them go. Seek and know the always available Reality. The infinite alone will satisfy you. Seek it with a mind not perturbed by change and sorrow, “withdrawn from the fever of all passions.”

Om Tat Sat

“Bharadvaja,” said Shiva, with a disappointed tone in his voice. “What are you doing?”

“I’m dying, Shiva. Aren’t you here to take me with you?” replied Baradhvaja with so much hope his eyes sparkled.

“No, Bharadvaja, I won’t be taking you with me this time, and I hope you’ve finally learned your lesson about all this excessive studying!” said Shiva, exasperated.

“What are you talking about? It was the hope of getting closer to you, Dear,” replied the astonished Bharadvaja.

“Well,” Shiva explained, “what you have learned is no more than this.”

Shiva casually reached out the window and scooped up a handful of dirt from a nearby mountain and showed it to Bharadvaja. “This is what you learned during the first lifetime of study.” He placed the mound of dirt at Bharadvaja’s bedside. Then he reached out again and grabbed a second handful of dirt from another nearby mountain and showed it to Bharadvaja. “This is what you learned during the second lifetime of study.” He placed the second mound next to the first. Finally, he reached out and grabbed another handful of dirt from the closest mountain and showed it to the now bleary-eyed Bharadvaja. “This is what you learned during your third lifetime of study.” He placed the final mound of dirt next to the others. Shiva looked compassionately at Bharadvaja, placed his hand on his shoulder, and said, “You’ve spent all this time becoming the expert on the Vedas, and there is no doubt that no one knows more about them than you. But really it’s only as useful as these piles of dirt… Similarly you may recall Krishna telling Arjuna in the Gita – “What use is a puddle of water (meaning the vedas) when the entire land is flooded?” 

The moral of the story is that whatever you pursue in life, science, art, literature, they are wonderful but not designed to fulfill you, they can’t fulfill you. Yes you are here to give something, contribute, learn and grow, but nothing outside of you has the power of true fulfillment, to add something more to you than what you already are. Only Self Realisation, God Realisation can do so.

Therefore what should you do? Realise ‘You Are That’, Tat Tvam Asi. The only reality that is eternal and everlasting. Worship life as prescribed by scripture, be wise. Then whatever you do will be a great blessing to yourself-your jiva and the world. You’ll be adding not taking from the creation. And how will you be ‘adding’? By your very presence. A person who’s satisfied in themselves, offering a shining light to the world. If an opportunity comes to share the wisdom, do so. Preserve and glorify the scriptures. Allow it to truly come alive and live inside and through you.

“So, dear Bharadvaja, I’m going to give you another chance. You can spend one more lifetime trying to realise Me, and if you use it wisely, I promise you that it will be your last.” And with that, Shiva left Bharadvaja, who died quietly that night. Bharadvaja’s next lifetime was spent not studying, but teaching. He realised Shiva was none other than himself and dedicated his life to sharing the deep wisdom and joy that comes from Self Knowledge through Vedanta. He educated many aspirants in the ways of true spirituality, his knowledge and compassion and was known far and wide. On his deathbed, students came from many distant lands to pay homage to the great Bharadvaja. Even Shiva came to pay his respects to this venerable teacher. Once again, Shiva put his hand on Bharadvaja’s shoulder and said, “Dear Bharadvaja, you have finally learned your lesson, Om Tat Sat.”

It took Bharadvaja three lifetimes to realise what, hopefully, you can learn in this one: When you come to the source of joy, the Self, by knowledge, your duty is to live it and integrate it into every waking aspect of your life. This doesn’t mean we need to convince or prove it to anyone. Rather, if you understand and live the teachings, by example and precept you naturally inspire others to find that same source of joy within themselves. You could be a warrior like Arjuna, a King like Janaka, a butcher, a baker, a candlestick maker. Many people waste a lot of time doing something that makes them unhappy, or focusing so hard on achieving a goal they miss the whole point. Let your life be a great reflection of the true glory of What You Are, which is divine and perfect. In Hatha Yoga the pose ‘Bharadvajasana’ is a twisting pose. Dedicated to the sage who learned the hard way that too much of anything in this world is never enough!