8
His Holiness Swami
Rajarshi Muni Kayavarohan,
18 July, 2008.
After presenting my respects to Dadaji and Bapuji I am motivated
by the sacred festival of Guru Purnima today to say a few words. You are
all aware that in the past I had adopted seclusion and was fully engaged
in yoga sadhana between the years 1979 and 1992. But in 1993 I had
darshan of Lord Lakulish (Dadaji) who commanded me to work for the
resurgence of Indian culture. Accordingly, I had again to throw myself
into a life of activity. I performed that duty right up to the end of
2006. I wondered sometimes why Dadaji gave me a command that compelled
me to place a cut on my yoga sadhana. Of course, commands of incarnate
ones couldn’t possibly be wrong. I recently found an answer to this
question when I was studying the Gyaneshwari Gita.
The Sixth Chapter of the Bhagvad Gita has a sloka to the effect that
“Yogis should stay alone in seclusion and with body and mind under full
self-control, without harboring any desire and accumulating anything,
undertake constant meditation of the self”. (6:10). Commenting on this
sloka Saint Gyaneshwar throws light on it as follows: “Lord
Krishna says, ‘O Arjun! The path of yoga that I shall now expound to you
is the Emperor of all paths. Such is this yoga that under its tree of
activity are visible all manner of fruits of liberation. Starting with
the path of action the path of inaction can be reached. Maharshis have
in the past become Siddhas (Adepts) from Sadhaks (ordinary
practitioners) only by treading the path of action. The Sadhak starts
from the path of action which originates in the north and arrives to the
path of inaction in the south. He should tread this path of inaction
while staying alone and in one place”.
The meaning of this statement of Saint Gyaneshwar is that the Yogi must
certainly gain the experience of the path of action. Only after that can
his sadhana of the path of inaction become fruitful. The knowledge of
both action and inaction is necessary. It is said in the Bhagvad Gita
(16:7) that: “Men of evil natures do not know what is action and what is
inaction. Therefore they lack purity, right conduct and truth. Such men
are tamoguni (ignorant). They undertake action as they like without
understanding, without considering if it will result in gain or in harm,
and thus never attain inaction”.
Their action is like that of the silk worm. The silk worm makes an abode
by spinning a cocoon around itself. In this way it gets trapped and
imprisoned within its own cocoon. This worm does not in the least fear
this situation. It does not consider how it will escape the confines of
this prison. Now consider the grave consequence. Collectors of the
silken thread know that there is a worm within the silkworm’s cocoon.
Should they attempt to extract this worm live from the cocoon it would
result in the silk thread breaking in many places and the silk
being rendered useless. Therefore they boil the cocoon so that it may
unravel without breaking the threads. When well and properly boiled, the
cocoon comes unraveled without damage but in the process the worm inside
endures great suffering and dies. In the same way the human who engages
in all manner of ill-considered action without knowledge of the path of
inaction endures sufferings in the fires of hell.
The authors of the Scriptures have delineated two paths –Pravritty or
path of action and Nivritty or path of inaction. The path of action is
the path of Karma Yoga. The path of inaction includes the path of Jnan
(enlightenment) and Vairagya (renunciation). The path of Karma is
adequate for Sadhaks engaged in the world. But the path of Jnan-Vairagya
is appropriate for the renunciant (Sannyasi). However, the Sannyasi
should have experience of the path of karma too. Only after that can he
gain success on the path of Jnan-Vairagya. The Sannyasi should become
sattvic (endowed with the quality of purity) because true Jnan is
attained only on the attainment of purity in one’s nature and as Jnan
goes on increasing Vairagya (sense of detachment) also goes on accruing.
The Srimad Bhagvad Gita says: “When the light of Jnan (knowledge) begins
to guide all the indriyas (sense organs) of this body, it should be
understood that there has been an increase of Sattva Guna (purity)”.
(14:11). In his commentary on this stanza Saint Gnaneshwar writes: “As
the light of the moon suffuses the whole sky on the night of the full
moon so too, on the increase of sattva guna (purity), does the
sadhak’s tendency develop in all forms of Jnan (knowledge). His vasanas
(latent desires) being destroyed, his mind does not any more incline
towards the path of action”.
This shows that the path of inaction can be truly entered only through
good and proper prior knowledge of the path of action through
experience. Only the Sadhak in whom there has been an increase of sattva
guna (purity) attains proper knowledge of action and inaction. On a
mixture of milk and water being placed before the swan, it separates the
milk from the water with its beak and drinks only the milk. In the same
way, the Sadhak endowed with Sattva Guna (purity) properly understands
kartavya ( what is worth doing) and akartavya (what is unworthy of
doing), becomes engaged in the path of liberation (through action that
does not bind) and renounces the path of bondage (path of action which
binds).
Concerning this it is said in the Bhagvad Gita also: “O Arjun, the
intellect that knows action and inaction, kartavya and akartavya (that
which is worthy of doing and that which is not worthy of doing), fear
and absence of fear and bondage and liberation, that intellect is
Sattvic intellect”. (18:30). Sattvic intellect being capable of
discriminating between the real and the unreal properly understands
Samsar (world of existence) which is the cause of bondage as well as
Moksha (liberation) which is eternal happiness.
So, in short, only after
properly knowing both action and inaction should the Sadhak reside in
seclusion and remain steadfastly engaged in Dhyan Yoga (meditation). I
understand that Dadaji must have commanded me to undertake a life
of action for a few years in keeping with this principle. It is beyond
doubt that he would have commanded me so in my own interest alone. After
being engaged in action for twelve years to the best of my ability, I
have once again adopted the path of inaction with Dadaji’s permission
I am pursuing secluded sadhana since about the past year and a quarter.
You must no doubt be wishing to know how my sadhana is proceeding and
what progress it is making.
My sadhana is proceeding well. Being fully engaged in secluded
sadhana without any external interference, I am continuing to experience
Dadaji’s special grace. Through his grace I continually receive
divine strength and move towards inching nearer to my ultimate spiritual
goal. However, everything is not attainable merely by remaining in
seclusion. That requires difficult yoga practice. It is said in the
Shankh Smriti that: “The Yati (ascetic) does not attain success merely
by bearing the staff or observing silence or seclusion but attains the
highest attainments only through Yoga”. (5:12).
The path of inaction does not imply living restfully in seclusion. The
sadhana of the path of inaction is many times more difficult than that
of the path of action. In this, the Sadhak has to transcend the
boundaries of worldly existence and reach the realm of divine existence.
In other words, he has to attain the divine body and become immortal.
Once the Sadhak has reached the Divine Realm there is nowhere further
for him to go nor undertake any further sadhana. This is true rest or
freedom from action. A Hindi poet, Prasad, presents this matter well:
“It is not the goal of this path to rest in an abode of inaction but to
reach that horizon after which there is no further path”.
There are believed to be two paths for the yoga Sadhak: Uttarayan and
Dakshinayan (Northerly and Southerly) or Shukla and Krishna (Bright and
Dark) or Archiradi and Dhumra (Flaming and Smoky). Those on the
Uttarayan or Shukla or Archiradi path attain the light of Self and leave
this world and merge in the Ultimate. They attain liberation and do not
have to be reborn to return to this world. They transcend the solar
galaxy and reach the realm of liberation and become like the Ultimate
Reality. On the other hand, the yogis established on the Dakshinayan,
Krishna or Dhumra path are in an indeterminate state of mind at the time
of leaving this world, knowing only twilight that is neither bright nor
dark, and attain only to Chandralok or the realm of the Moon or realms
within the ambit of illumination by the Moon. There they endure
happiness or suffering according to their destiny. In those realms
they are unable to progress further. Hence they are reborn and return
here.
The Parashar Smrity says: “Only two types of humans in this world
transcend the solar galaxy and attain to the Ultimate Reality: one is a
Sannyasi with Yoga and the other is the one who dies fighting in the
battlefield”. Here, it is not a matter of a mere Sannyasi alone but a
Sannyasi adept in yoga. A Sannyasi cannot transcend the solar galaxy or
attain liberation without yoga sadhana. It is said in the Bhagvad Gita:
“O mighty-armed Arjun, Sannyas without the practice of yoga
merely ends up in being painful but the Sannyasi endowed with Yoga soon
attains to Ultimate Reality”. (5:6).
The Parashar Smrity also says that the warrior killed in battle
transcends the solar galaxy and attains to Ultimate Reality. The
battlefield referred to here is not the ordinary, normal battlefield. It
is the battlefield of yoga that is referred to where the Yogi battles in
his sadhana with the forces of death. One who dies in the external
battlefield of the world attains to Heaven but cannot attain to the
Ultimate Reality. Lord Krishna says in the Bhagvad Gita, “O Arjun,
you shall attain Heaven if you die in the battlefield and shall enjoy
the kingdom of the earth if you should win. Therefore, rise with the
determination of engaging in this battle”. (2:37). Elsewhere in the Gita
it is said, “O Parth! This fortuitously obtained battle is an open door
to Heaven. Only fortunate Kshatriyas gain such opportunities”. (2:32).
This shows that those who die while fighting in the external battlefield
of the world attain to Heaven. On the other hand, those who meet death
while doing battle in the internal spiritual battlefield attain to the
Ultimate Reality as delineated in the Parashar Smrity and gain
liberation. This also means that it is much more difficult to do battle
in the spiritual battlefield than it is in the external battlefield of
the world. The former is a very hard and difficult path where the
traveler has to joust with death. A poet has rightly said, “This is a
difficult path where one has to set the feet on the sharp edge of a
sword; only he makes it across who walks with his severed head in the
palm of his hand”.
Waging war in the internal spiritual battlefield is not the task of any
ordinary Sadhak. It requires infinite fortitude and courage. Concerning
this, some poet has said, “This path is not for everyone; it is only for
some rare one to tread”.
From this you must have all understood what I am doing in my secluded
sadhana. It is natural that you should be keen to know about it and
about the ongoing progress of my efforts. Earlier, for many years, I
used to tell you about it but have not made any special mention of it
since the last some years. Earlier, it was the ordinary phase of sadhana
but the present phase is of a special nature. This phase is of the
sadhana of liberation which is most secret and has been described in the
Gita as “Rajguhyayoga”. Scriptures have forbidden the revelation of too
much information about it. It is said in the Rudrayamal Tantra: “If the
yoga by which liberation is attained is revealed, that yoga is
destroyed. Therefore one who desires his kalyan (welfare) aught not to
reveal it”. Thus, it is ordained that it be kept concealed, secret. The
yogi who reveals anything about this phase of ‘moksha-sadhana’ (practice
for liberation) falls from his spiritual level. Concerning this it
is said in the Gandharva Tantra: “Revelation of these experiences
reduces lifespan and the sadhak is destroyed. Therefore they
should not be revealed”. In the Bhagvad Gita also Lord Krishna commands
Arjun, “This most secret knowledge that I have expounded to you, reveal
it not ever to one devoid of tapa (austerity) or bhakti (devotion).
In view of these boundaries ordained by the Scriptures, I too do not
consider it desirable to throw too much light on the present state of my
sadhana. Still, I present a bhajan (hymn or devotional
composition) I wrote some time ago about my seclusion and the goal of my
sadhana. Rather than having it read, everyone will enjoy the bhajan more
if it is sung. So our singer-disciple Pramodbhai Suthar will sing this
Bhajan before you.
My heartfelt blessings to you all and Jai Bhagwan.
BHAJAN
Swami Rajarshi Muni
Let me be
alone, in seclusion, there is nothing less acceptable to me now than the
Lord
This alone is my message friends, there is nothing less acceptable to me
now than liberation.
No action is now my goal; my path of sadhana is the path of
inaction.
Still, I sustained both together but nothing less is acceptable to me
now than seclusion.
I have run so far by the command of Lord Shiva, nothing did from base
impulse,
Let me reach my life’s goal, there is nothing less acceptable now than
the Divine Body.
I have donned death’s shroud, am battling with Yama (Lord of death) in
the battlefield of yoga.
Mindless of death I fight on, nothing less is acceptable now than
immortality.
Either this end or that, I go to this battle alone.
There is nothing Rajarshi asks now but your good wishes.
