Chapter 1	Subháśita Saḿgraha Part 13 [unpublished in English]

The subject of today’s discourse is subjective approach and objective adjustment.

All human approaches and all human emanations are of four stages. That is, we may say that all human expressions are four-staged expressions: the physical world and all physical activities concerned in the physical world, which is known as “Káma” in Saḿskrta; all psychic expressions, including the cruder psychic expressions, including the subtler psychic expressions, are limited within the jurisdiction of the psychic world, both conscious, sub-conscious and unconscious strata, known as “Artha” in Saḿskrta: the third world, the third stage is psycho-spirituality, that is, that which starts from the point situated within the scope of unit psychic world and touches the extremity, lowermost extremity, of the spiritual stratum. This third stage is known as the stage “Dharma”; and the fourth world – the progress, never-ending progress, in the realm of spirituality, known as “Mokśa”, the stage of “Mokśa”.

Now, human approach and different sorts of human march towards different desideratum of life may be divided into two broad categories: one the objective world, and the other the subjective goal. One must remember that, in no sphere of human progress can the objective world be treated as goal. It cannot be, that is, the objective world, or no portion of the objective world, no factor, no microscopic factor, or even the objective world as a whole, cannot be the desideratum. That is, human movement, human progress, cannot have any physical item, not even any psychic item, or any psychic pabulum or pabula as desideratum. It cannot be the culminating point of your march, because the pure physical world and the pure psychic world, they have got certain limitations. That is, you know if the entire physical world is taken as a goal, that physical world has got boundaries. This universe of ours, what to speak of this little planet earth, the entire solar system and the complete form of the entire planetary order, or entire sidereal order, everything is limited, nothing is infinite, in the realm of expression.

This universe is very big but it is not infinite. Why it is not infinite? Whenever there is any creation – creation means movement of different waves of different lengths, and as the waves have got lengths, and lengths are something limited, something functioning within the boundaries of different lines of demarcation, so the expressed universe, it may be very very big, but not infinite.

This expressed world either in the form of different quinquelemental factors – these nebulae, galaxies, meteors, and so many celestial bodies – all have got their limitations. And they cannot go beyond their limitations. If they try to go beyond their limitations, they will either arrive at a diluted stage and lose this, their own identities, or if they try to escape the boundaries, boundary of limitations, then, due to internal clash, there will be an immense release of energy which will destroy its structure. So, our physical world, it is very big, but it is not infinite.

If something is accepted as the only object of adoration, or as the only object of meditation, or as the only projection of unit mind, then the mind will also be transformed into that object, take the form of that object, will be metamorphosed into that object. And it is the wont of the mind to take the shape of its object. So, while coming into contact with the physical world we should remember that we have to utilize each and every particle of this physical world for the good, for the welfare, of humanity, but this physical world cannot be our goal. Human physical entity is a creation of this physical world. In the process of introversion this human body has been created, starting from ordinary protozoa and ending in this complicated human structure, this complicated metazoa. But I say there must be adjustment, objective adjustment.

The objective world is not only this physical world, the psychic world is also an objective world. In our psychic world, in the realm of our microcosm, or our microcosmic mind, whatever we think is nothing but a concentrated form of our ectoplasmic structure. It is our internal projection, or extro-internal projection. Now, whatever we think, either as an internal projection, or as an extro-internal projection, are certainly limited psychic objects. And, if those limited psychic objects, or any limited psychic object, is accepted as the only object of life, as the only object of adoration, or as the only object of meditation, or as the only object of aspiration, what will happen? You will have to take the form of that object, you cannot move forward. So, no psychic object can be your goal of life. All your psychic objects are to be utilized in serving the living society. Why should your love be restricted amongst humans? You have to love each and everybody which is an expression of Paramapuruśa.

I said that there should be an objective adjustment, that is, there should be an adjustment amongst so many physical objects, amongst so many psychic objects, and also between psychic objects and physical objects. And all the properties of human beings, all the qualifications and wonts of human beings, both in physical stratum and in psychic stratum, should have proper adjustment amongst themselves. Suppose a man has got physical strength, but strength is in arms not in feet. Another man has got strength in feet but not much strength in arms; in the society there must be an adjustment. The man having strength in arms may do good hammering but the man having strength in legs may do good cycling. So, there should be an adjustment between the two kinds of physical strengths. Similarly, a man has got a brain in mathematics and another man has got a brain in chemistry. Society should make an adjustment; the man having brain in mathematics should be utilized in that line; a man having brain, say, in chemistry, should be utilized in that line. So, in the objective world there must be proper adjustment. And that’s why I said ours (our philosophy) should have an objective adjustment, adjustment amongst so many objects of physical world, amongst so many objects of psychic world, and also between objects of physical and objects of psychic world. And this will create a perfect human society in collective level, and this will create a perfect human being in individual world.

In Saḿskrta, this stage of physicality is known as “Káma”. “Káma” means “to fulfil worldly desires”. In the worldly sphere we have got so many wants and we will have to fulfil those wants, we’ll have to satisfy those wants, quench those thirsts. And for this purpose, human society should undergo proper training and utilize all the potentialities in a proper way. But that is not the goal of life.

Similarly, on the psychic level there are so many wants, so many thirsts, so many hungers. Human mind is always hungry – it wants to know this, it wants to know that. These desires are to be fulfilled by proper psychic actions, proper education, proper sanctification. But there, also, is not the goal of life. And these things, these satisfactions, cannot give you permanent peace, because, I have already said, the physical world and the psychic world, are both limited. Their limitations cannot give you complete composure. And you cannot have equilibrium, or equipoise, if your goal is this physical or psychic world.

Now, the third item is psycho-spiritual approach, known as “Dharma” in Saḿskrta. I said, here in this third stage, the movement starts in mocrocosmic mind, the movement starts in microcosm, and the culminating point is the lowermost extremity of spirituality. What is this movement? You must have a spiritual goal. You must know what to do, what not to do, how to do, why to do. And for this purpose, the movement is to make the mind pinnacled, apexed, and bring all the propensities to that point, and goad it towards your spiritual goal.

But a man says, I am an ordinary man, how am I to concentrate the mind? How am I to bring all my propensities to a particular point and goad that pointed mind towards the spiritual goal? It is a natural question.

You know, the Universe, Parama Puruśa, the Supreme Cognition, functions with the help of the Supreme Operative Principle. The Operative Principle is actually a blind force, it cannot do anything without the help of Consciousness, without the help of the Cognitive Faculty. Electricity is a crude blind force, but if helped or utilized by the human brain, the human consciousness, it will render so many services. But without the help of human brain, it may have its destructive role. So, these blind forces cannot do anything concrete without the help of consciousness. Similarly in this Universe, in the Universal sphere, there is the Cosmic Cognition, we say Parama Puruśa, the Cosmic Cognitive Faculty, and He functions, He does all His universal duties, all His parental duties, with the help of that blind force. But in units, where the individual consciousness, or individual cognition, is not in a position to control that blind force, that individual will be ejected away from the proper path. And such a thing happens.

Then what to do? One must remember that one’s unit consciousness is a microscopic fraction of that Parama Puruśa, or that Cosmic Consciousness. I have already said that when one unit thinks that “I am a drop of water,” it is a drop of water. And when it thinks that “I am not a drop of water, I am the ocean,” it is the ocean. Similarly, when the unit ensconces itself in the Supreme Excellence it becomes Supreme, it becomes one with the Lord. And when it becomes one with the Lord no obstacle can defeat him.

For this, what is required? For this psycho-spiritual progress, what is required? One needn’t go through all lengths of books. One needn’t go through the library just like a bookworm, just like a worm. No, no. You know white ants – they also take shelter in books, don’t they? Yes. Do you want to be also like that? Do you want to become white ants? Certainly not, certainly not. And if you think that by going through so many books you’ll be a very wise man – No, no, no. today you are learning, tomorrow you are forgetting. Those who are MA in a certain subject or subjects, if I ask them to appear for the examination just now, nobody will come out successful. They have forgotten everything. Chemistry is a mystery, easy to learn, easy to forget. So, it is a very difficult job.

Then what is the way out? What is a man to do? It is said by yogis (they are very clever, not only clever but very cunning, they know how to do and what to do), scholars of the hoary past used to say,

Mathitvá catváro vedán sarvashástrán caeva hi;
Sáraḿtu yogiibhih piitaḿ takraḿ pivanti pańd́itáh.

You know, if you churn the yoghurt, if you churn the curd, what will you get? You will get butter and buttermilk. The better portion becomes what? Butter. And the worst portion – buttermilk. That is, just like water. Now there are so many books and they are just like the ocean. And if you churn them you will also get two things, something like butter and something like buttermilk. Now, after churning those scriptures, those scholars, so-called scholars, who think that by going through these books they will be wise, actually they won’t be wise. Actually they are fools. Because those who are yogis – they eat up the butter portion. And what remains in the share of those scholars? Actually the buttermilk, the curd-water.

So, the best way is the path of devotion, complete surrender. Say “O Lord, I am your creation, I’m a small being, I am a unit being, completely depending on your mercy. I want psycho-spiritual progress, I want to move along the path of psycho-spirituality. Please help me.” And when one wants this aim sincerely, from the core of the heart, certainly it will happen. And that’s why I say nobody is insignificant, nobody is weak, nobody is helpless. The Supreme Lord, Parama Puruśa, is with you, He will always be with you. So, this progress, this psycho-spiritual progress, which is called “Mokśa” in Saḿskrta, is not a very difficult path, is not at all a thorny road. What is it? It is a very easy and very pleasant journey. Depend solely on Him, as a little child depends solely on the mother. This is the third approach.

This third one is the subjective approach. The first two, that is physical and psychic, are objective world, and in that objective [world] you should have adjustment. But in this third world, that is, the psycho-spiritual world, the question of adjustment doesn’t arise because you are on the lap of the Supreme Father and that Supreme Father is an all-pervading entity. He is in the physical world, in each and every pore of the physical world. He is in the psychic world. So when you are on His lap, the question of adjustment doesn’t arise. A question of adjustment arises only in the physical and psychic world.

And the fourth one is the spiritual stage, the stage of spirituality. What is the stage of spirituality? Each and every entity, in physical world, psychic world, and in the world of Dharma, is a metamorphosed form of the Supreme Consciousness. And when everything is a metamorphosed form of the Supreme Entity then one will feel, one is to feel, that everything of this universe is spiritual, nothing is physical or psychic. Everything there is, is the dance of the Cosmic Cognition.

And when one realizes this Supreme Truth, this all-pervading standard of veracity, one gets complete composure, one enjoys the supreme bliss. This is the only way to attain salvation. This is the only way to attain liberation of a permanent nature. There is no other alternative. So you should remember, your life should start from the point of devotion, culminate in the point of devotion. Devotion is the order⁽¹⁾ and devotion is the policy for each and every spiritual aspirant and it is the principle for all intellectual and spiritual-minded people.

Footnotes

(1) Another “devotion” clause seemed to be missing in the magazine version of this discourse. –Eds.

Chapter 2	Subháśita Saḿgraha Part 13 [unpublished in English]

The subject of today’s discourse is “Human Life and Its [[Goal]]”. Humans come to this earth for a very short span. And within this short span they are to do so many duties. When the span is short, not a moment should be wasted. And it is desirable that they know their goal and the path from the very beginning of their life. One must not wait for old age. That is, one should know the correct path, one should know the correct destination or desideratum, from an early stage of one’s life. But what is the goal, and what is the path? – that is the question.

So many books, so many scriptures, say so many things: “Do this.” “Do that.” So what should one do? A common person fails to understand what to do and what not to do. There are so many social codes – what to do and what not do. There are so many dos and so many don’ts. Spiritual aspirants fail to know what to do. The great men who reached the goal say, “Don’t be misguided by so many books and so many theories and so many dogmas. Be guided by the established yogis.”

Who is a yogi? And what is yoga? There are so many definitions by so many scholars. But the accepted principle regarding yoga is Saḿyoga yoga ityukto jiivátma Paramátmanah.

Other people say that yoga means Yogashcittavrttinirodhah, and that one who has become established in this practice is a yogi. And what is Yogashcittavrttinirodhah? Nirodha means “suspension”. That is, cittavrttinirodha means “suspension of all psychic propensities”. You know, if all psychic propensities are suspended, the mind becomes actionless. But actionlessness of mind doesn’t mean that you have achieved the goal. Because when a person is in a senseless condition, in that case also the mind remains actionless. So this definition of yoga cannot be accepted.

Another definition of yoga is Sarvacintáparityágo nishcinto yoga ucyate. “When there is thoughtlessness, that stage is yoga.” But when the mind becomes free from all thoughts, that is also a stage of vacuum. That cannot be yoga, because the word yoga means “unification”, and thoughtlessness is a negative stage. Cittavrttinirodha, that is, suspension of propensities, is also a negative stage.

The correct interpretation is, “Yoga means ‘unification’.” Unification by whom, with whom? Saḿyoga yoga ityukto jiivátma Paramátmanah. “Unification of the unit self with the Cosmic Self is yoga.” When your little “I” becomes one with your great “I”, that state is the state of yoga. And the spiritual aspirant who has attained that state, that stage, is a yogi. You will have to follow the path of the yogi.

And where doth lie the desideratum, the goal of life? It is hidden within your “I” feeling. It lies covert within your “I” feeling.

What is the “I” feeling? Everybody has a sense of “I”. “I am doing.” “I am Mr. Kennedy.” “I am such-and-such.” “I belong to Iceland.” “I am Josephine.” “I am the owner of this house.” “I go to the airport to receive Bábá.” [laughter] So many “I”s; a crowd of “I”s.

Now what is “I”? When you come in contact with something, something external, in the first phase your eye is the subject – this eye [gestures], not the pronoun “I”. Your eye is the subject, and that object which you see is the object. So in the first phase, your eyes are “I”.

Then what happens? These eyes are mere gates of your sense of vision. And the optical nerve is the medium. So then this particular point in the brain becomes the subject, and these external eyes are the objects. So in the second phase, a particular portion of your brain is your “I”, and these physical eyes are the object.

Then in the third phase, your doer “I” – “I am doing,” “I am seeing,” “I am eating” – becomes the subject. That “I” is your “I”. And that particular portion of the brain is the object “I”.

That object “I” cannot see without your support. Suppose you are moving along the road, and thinking something – that is, your doer “I” is engaged in some other business. In that case, if an elephant comes in front of you, you won’t see it, because you are engaged in thought. So that doer “I” is the “I”, the inner “I”, with whose permission that portion of the brain sees the external object with the help of your eyes, your gates of vision.

And finally the feeling that “I exist,” “I am,” becomes “I”. But that “I” is not the Supreme “I” either. “I exist” is not the Supreme. Behind that “I exist” feeling there is another “I”, “I know that I exist.” This “I” of “I know” is the actual “I”. Everybody knows that he or she exists. That knowing entity is the “I”, and the existing entity is the second phase of “I”, not the final “I”.

And then there is the universal Supreme “I”, who knows that you know that you exist. Who knows that you know that you exist. That “I” is the Supreme “I”, that “I” is Supreme Consciousness. That “I” is Parama Puruśa. And for that “I”, common people use the term “God”. Nothing can be done secretly. That “I” sees everything. And if you always remain conscious of the fact that that Supreme “I” is seeing whatever you are doing – and not only whatever you are doing, but whatever you are thinking – you won’t become depraved, you won’t get degenerated in your life. And that “I” is the desideratum, that “I” is the final terminus of all your marches through different [expressions] of propensities. So suspension of mind, or making the mind free from all thoughts, is not the last word of yoga. The last word is: moving your individual supreme “I” towards that universal Supreme “I”, and unifying your individual supreme “I” with that universal Supreme “I”. That is the final word of yoga.

Now regarding the goal, regarding the desideratum, that is the final word. But what should be the path? What should be the mode of our thoughts? How to do it? How to come in close contact with Him? How to become one with Him – how to become unified with Him?

Some people say, “Go on doing good work, you will come in contact with Him. You will become one with Him.” But let us see what is what.

That is, some people say, “Follow the path of the actional faculty and you will become one with Him.” What is action? What is the actional faculty? Action means change of place. The bolster is here… now it is here. There has been a change of place. So I have done some action. Action means change of place. Now in the physical stratum, you are always engaged in actional faculties and in changes of place. We are moving, we are loving, we are eating, we are laughing – we do so many things. All are actions. But how can one come in contact with Him by dint of one’s actional faculty? And there is another thing: action may lead you towards the goal, towards the Universal Self, or action may drift you away from the Universal Self. There may be bad actions. So one may or may not reach the destination by dint of the actional faculty. So through the actional faculty, one may or one may not reach the goal.

And some people say, “By dint of one’s knowledge, spiritual knowledge, one will attain salvation, one will reach the goal.” Now let us see. What is knowledge? The word “knowledge” is a very old word, about fifteen thousand years old. The [original] word is jiṋánam, a Sanskrit word, an old Sanskrit word – about fifteen thousand years old. Jiṋánam. From jiṋánam it developed into g’e’no [pronounced “kyahno”] in old Latin. From g’e’no it has become “know” in modern English. Although the “k” is silent, mute, still the “k” is there, because the root word is “kenow”. K-E-N-O-W. Now what is jiṋána? What is knowledge? Knowledge is subjectivization of external objectivity. Suppose you are in front of an elephant. When you subjectivize that elephant through extro-internal projection, that is, when that elephant becomes an internal object by extro-internal projection, and you have subjectivized that elephant, we will say you have “known” the elephant. This process of subjectivization may be extro-internal subjectivization, or may be pure internal subjectivization. When it is pure internal, then it is proper spiritual knowledge. But this phase of pure internal is the second phase. The first phase is extro-internal. And in this sphere of knowledge there can be degradation, because in the first phase, when it is extro-internal, that external object may or may not be good. It may lead you towards the crude world of crude enjoyment, and in that case there will be degradation. You will go below the standard of humanity. So through knowledge, or the faculty of subjectivization, the result may or may not be in your favour. The result may or may not be of a spiritual order.

Now there remains the third course. It is the course of devotion. What is devotion? Devotion is withdrawing all your propensities from all external objects, and also from all psychic objects or psychic pabula, and goading that collective propensity unto the Supreme Universal “I”. “O Supreme Entity, O Parama Puruśa, I love nothing else, I love You.” And why do I love You?

In the first phase the spiritual aspirant, the spiritual devotee, says, “O Lord, I love You. Why? Because by loving You I get pleasure. And for nothing else. I want nothing from You. I want nothing from You. I want You. I don’t want anything from You. Because if I want something else from You, that something will be something external, something of the objective world. And everything of the objective world is finite. And that finite object, or those finite objects, cannot give me pleasure of permanent nature. But, O Supreme Entity, O Parama Puruśa, You are infinite. You are of infinite attributions and qualifications. So if I get You I’ll get infinite pleasure from You. That’s why You are my goal, and not the objects that I expect, or expected from You in the past.” This is the first phase of devotion.

But in the final phase of devotion, the devotee says, “No, no, no. I love You not because I get pleasure by loving You. I love You because I want that You should get pleasure by my love. That is, my love is just to give You pleasure, not to give me pleasure. In order to give You pleasure, I love You. I want nothing. And I don’t want You – I want that I should be Yours. I don’t want You – I want that I should be yours.”

This is the final phase of devotion, and this is the final word of bhakti, or devotion. So the path of spirituality is very simple, it is not at all complicated. Your goal is the Supreme “I”, the Supreme Universal “I”, the Supreme Creator. I said just now, devotion for whom? In ordinary language we use the word “God” for the Supreme Entity – the Supreme Generator, Operator, and Destroyer. For “Generation”, you use “g”, for “Operator” you use “o”, and for “Destruction”, “Destroyer”, you use “d”. G-O-D. He is the goal. And nothing else in this universe can be your goal or desideratum.

Once I said that the word “desideratum” should always remain in singular number and never be “desiderata” – because the goal is a Singular Entity. There cannot be any plural form of “desideratum”. And the second thing is that your approach should be the approach of devotion. You cannot get Him by going through volumes of books or by becoming worms of books.

There are so many worms in books. And do they get salvation? Do they come in contact with the Supreme Entity? No, no, they are ordinary insects, dirty insects. Mmm. And those who think that they will get Him through the actional faculty are finally engaged in actional infighting. “I did this, I did that, I’m not an ordinary man” – like this.

In devotion there is no scope for being puffed up with vanity. Because in devotion finally you want to surrender yourself. You want, finally you want – “O Lord, I love You just to give you pleasure. And, O Lord, I don’t want You, You just take me as Yours.” One must follow the path of the yogi, and one must accept that Universal Entity as one’s supreme goal. There is no alternative. As the universal “I” is the Supreme Creator, Supreme Generator, everything in this universe is His progeny, and He is the progenitor. He is the Supreme Father. You have a family relation with that Supreme Entity, and not a relationship of external formality. He is yours, and you should also remember that nothing is external for Him. Everything is within, nothing is without. So you have been created by Him and you are in Him, and, because He is your supreme goal, finally you will be with Him, you will be one with Him. For this you require no special education, no knowledge of philosophy, and no other external attributions. Supreme love for the Supreme Universal Entity will make you one with Him.

Chapter 3	Subháśita Saḿgraha Part 13 [unpublished in English]

The subject of today’s discourse is “Parama Puruśa the Great”. In Sanskrit we say, Brhattvád Brahma, brḿhanattvád Brahma [“One who is great and has the capacity to make others great also”]. He is great. Why is He great? Because He is the biggest Entity. And not only for that is He called Brahma. Brahma means “great”. He is called Brahma not only because He is great, but because He makes others great.

It is the characteristic of the mind that it gets the form and wonts and attributions of its object of meditation, of its object of ideation. It is by the grace of that Parama Puruśa, that Brahma, that when one accepts Him as the only object of adoration, as the only object of meditation, he also, the meditator also, becomes like Brahma – and that’s why He is called Brahma.

In Sanskrit brhat means “great”. There are many other words in Sanskrit whose meaning is “great”, but the word brhat and other words are not the same. Brhat means “great, but that cannot be measured”. And the meanings of all other words are “great, but that can be measured”. The Himalayas are also great, but they can be measured. The word brhat can be used only for Parama Puruśa, because He is the only entity in the universe which cannot be measured. And when a spiritual aspirant accepts Him as the only object of adoration, as the only object of meditation, that aspirant also becomes great like the Object.

You should remember that He’s not only the Supreme Subjectivity, but He’s also the Supreme Positivity. You may say that positivity and negativity are two different projections of the mental faculty. Then why should we use the word “positivity” for Him, and why not “negativity”? Yes, positivity and negativity are two expressions of the same Supreme Entity. When He creates something, when the sprout comes out from one of the unbalanced triangles of His attributions, that starting-point is the point of supreme positivity; and in the course of creation when so many waves of so many lengths of so many inferences come out from Him, then the last point, the culminating point, of creation is the point of supreme negativity. The crudest form of human existence is the point of supreme negativity, and the march of the spiritual aspirant starts from that point of supreme negativity and goes towards the Parama Puruśa, towards the nucleus of the Universe, who is the point of supreme positivity. So this point, this object of adoration, is the Supreme Positivity as well as the Supreme Subjectivity. An object moving towards the subject. It is a peculiar position. Yes, the object is moving towards the subject by being attracted by the subject. And because He is the attractive faculty, that’s why Parama Puruśa is Krśńa. “Krśńa” means the Supreme Attractive Faculty, the Supreme Subjectivity.

He is also known as Shiva, because the meaning of the word Shiva is “the supreme balanced position”, “the Supreme Non-Attributional Entity”.

Now, He’s great because He’s immeasurable, because He has got the faculty to make the aspirants great. But He’s a singular entity. Why a singular entity? When the aspirant meditates on Him, that aspirant also becomes one with Him, as great as He is. So His identity always remains a singular entity.

It is said that our Parama Puruśa is omniscient, He is omnipotent, He is the accumulation of all attributions, but He cannot do two things. He cannot create a second Parama Puruśa. Because if a second Parama Puruśa is created, then the hub of that second Parama Puruśa will coincide with the hub of the original Parama Puruśa, and they will become one. So He cannot create a second Parama Puruśa. And another thing that He cannot do is, He cannot hate anybody. He’s the All-Attractive Entity. And when that attraction is the primary factor, how can there be hatred in Him? Hatred means repulsion, but He’s the Attractive Entity; so He cannot hate anybody. Even if He tries to hate anybody, He cannot do so. He has got these two imperfections. [laughter]

He is a singular entity. And He is the supreme factor behind all creations. You know, existence, all attributions, all movements, all are different expressions of faculties having crores of different waves, waves of different lengths.

Now, from a particular nucleus of any object, so many waves emanate; but those objects from which so many waves emanate are nothing but emanated expressions of that Supreme Nucleus. So He is the Supreme Creator of all created beings, all emanated entities. These waves of different lengths creating so many inferences in the universe are known as deva in Sanskrit. Deva means “faculties personified”. But as these unique emanating entities are emanated beings of the Supreme Entity, that’s why the Parama Puruśa, the Supreme Entity, is known as Mahádeva. And we find this Mahádeva in three stages, in three phases, in three objective subjects of ideation.

Three Phases

Common men, ordinary created beings, feel that there is some controller, some controlling entity. They also feel that they are ordinary beings, but that controlling entity controls those ordinary beings; so that controlling entity is not at all a heavenly body, but something of the physical world, something very near, something having a close proximity to their existence. Ordinary created beings are just like animals, eating, drinking, sleeping, dying. They say, “O Creator, O Controller, we are just like animals, we are just like pashu; You are our Lord. You just liberate us from the bondage of crudity. You are Pashupati, we are pashu; You are Pashupati. You just elevate our standard and lead us to the stance of supreme humanity, supreme divinity.”

In the second phase, man becomes more a psychic entity than a physical one. He feels that there are innumerable waves of different lengths, creating so many physical and psychic objects and creating so many inferences. They feel that their physical existence is not everything. In the case of humans, the psychic entity is more important than the physical entity. They feel that the source of psychic inspiration is that Supreme Controller. And they are to fight against all depraving, all degenerating, forces with the help of that Supreme Entity. These spiritual aspirants are spiritual heroes, spiritual soldiers. They are brave. In Sanskrit they are called viira, and their lord is called Viireshvara.

In the third phase, the aspirant realizes the fact that the human entity is more a spiritual one than a psychic entity. And in this third phase they feel that the lord of all emanating vibrations or emanated vibrations is the supreme Mahádeva. He is the only goal, He is the only desideratum of human beings, and especially of intellectual beings.

So the spiritual march starts from the point of supreme negativity and moves towards the supreme positivity. The great Parama Puruśa, He is great, and because of his greatness He is all-pervading. Everybody, every entity, every thought, every attributional or non-attributional spiritual entity or entities, are within His fold.

He is all-pervading. In Sanskrit “all” is called sarva. In sarva there are three sounds: sa, ra, va. Sa is the acoustic root of sentient principle. Sentient principle means “that gives pleasure, that helps an aspirant enjoy the spiritual bliss”. Now in the word sarva we use the sound sa, because all these entities came from the Supreme Puruśa, who is just touching the extremity of sentient principle. I said “just touching the extremity of sentient principle”, because He is above the scope of the sentient principle. The sentient principle can touch Him, but cannot reach within His vast periphery.

Then comes the sound ra. You know, when there is an entity, when there is a movement, a sound is created. And that sound is called the acoustic root of that entity or of that movement. You are moving. A sound khat́-khat́-khat́-khat́ is created. So that sound khat́-khat́ is the acoustic root of your actional movement. Similarly, not only is there an acoustic root, but there is colour also. For each and every existence there is colour; that colour may or may not be visible; there is sound; that sound may or may not be [audible]; but there is sound and colour. For energy, you know fundamentally all energies are one. And that’s why one energy can be converted into another. And the acoustic root of energy is the sound ra.

And each and every created being has got its particular characteristics. For characteristics, or dharma – the Sanskrit term for “characteristics” is dharma – the acoustic root is va.

So the starting point is in sentient sa; and everything moves with the help of energy, and its acoustic root is ra; and everything has got its peculiar characteristics, so everything has got the sound – acoustic root – va. Sarva means “everything”.

Parama Puruśa lies coverted within the scope of sarva. He lies coverted. You see the light; you see the bulb. And due to the electrical energy, you see this light. And due to the electrical energy, you can see its effect, but the original entity is not seen. Similarly, Parama Puruśa lying coverted within the jurisdiction of each and everything motivates everything, but He remains unseen. That’s why it is said He is the Supreme Reflecting Plate. When your organs see something, or, say, hear something, those waves of hearing or seeing get reflected on your mental plate, and the reflection portion is your perception, and the reflected portion is your memorized portion. But this reflecting plate, the unit mind, exists because each existence is witnessed, that is, reflected, by the unit consciousness, the unit cognition. Similarly, the unit cognition gets its existence recognized because of the existence of the Supreme Reflecting Cognitive Entity, that is, Parama Puruśa. And that is why unit cognition is called átman in Sanskrit, and the Supreme Cognition, that is, Parama Puruśa, is called Paramátman.

Now, people who are guided by, who are propelled by, the actional faculties, feel that they are doing something: “I’ve done this; I’ve done that.” But how can a man do anything without the help of vital energy? That vital energy, wherefrom does that vital energy come? It comes from water, air, food, light. Wherefrom do those things, that is, air, light, water, come? They come from the Supreme Operative Principle getting the scope to create something according to the wish of Parama Puruśa. So a man can do only when he is helped by Parama Puruśa and gets vital energy from Parama Puruśa. Without vital energy a man cannot do anything. So the supreme doer of each and every work is that Supreme Entity, and not an ordinary human being.

And the last thing that one should remember is that this great Parama Puruśa is the supreme shelter of everything. In a small atom, electrons have got the shelter of the nucleus. In our town of Kingston, Kingston is our shelter. But Kingston’s shelter is the country of Jamaica. And Jamaica’s shelter is the continent of America; and America’s shelter is this globe; this globe’s shelter is the solar world, solar system; and the solar system’s shelter is Parama Puruśa. So Parama Puruśa the Great is the supreme shelter. We are sheltered by Him, we are sheltered in Him, and finally we will be sheltered in His Supreme Nucleus. There is no alternative. The sooner a man realizes the fact, the better it is. So it is said that the spiritual path, the movement from the supreme negativity to the Supreme Subjectivity, is a path for intellectuals, for intelligent people, for cunning people, for clever people. So it is said that the devotees are the cleverest people in the universe. You should always remember this fact.

Chapter 4	Subháśita Saḿgraha Part 13 [unpublished in English]

Today’s subject of discourse is “Yoga and Tantra”. Some people are curious to know what yoga is and what Tantra is, and where they agree and where differ. First let us discuss what yoga is.

The word yoga is derived as the Sanskrit root verb yuiṋj plus the suffix ghaiṋ. Or alternatively, the root verb yuj plus the suffix ghaiṋ. If yoga is derived as yuj + ghaiṋ, it means “addition”, such as “two plus two equals four.” But if yoga is derived as yuiṋj + ghaiṋ, it means “unification”, such as the unification of sugar and water. When sugar and water are mixed, you will no longer find sugar separate from water. But in the case of “two plus two equals four,” you will find the first “two” and the second “two” separately. Two mangoes plus two mangoes equals four mangoes: here you will still be able to see the four mangoes separately. So in the case of yuj + ghaiṋ, yoga means “unity” or “addition”, and in the alternative case it means “unification”.

Besides the two derivations of yoga, there are also various definitions of yoga. Maharshi Patanjali defines yoga as Yogashcittavrttinirodhah – that is, “Yoga means the suspension of all the psychic propensities.” In the human mind there are fifty main propensities. If by some special means the propensities are suspended, their expressions are stopped, in that case the mind will cease to function. That state of psychic suspension is here termed yoga. But we have defined yoga above to mean unification, and we can see that the suspension of propensities does not in any way mean that those propensities are being unified. The suspension of the propensities does not necessarily lead to the unification of the unit mind with the Cosmic Mind. This definition does not make clear, unification with whom or what. Hence this definition of yoga is not acceptable.

Now the second definition is Sarvacintáparityágo nishcinto yoga ucyate. That is, “When the mind is free from any sort of thinking, the mind is completely free of thoughts, that state is called yoga.” Now if the mind becomes free from thought, it does not lead to unification. When people are in deep sleep, when they do not even dream, the mind becomes free from thought, and people become unconscious. In that state also the mind stops thinking. But is that yoga? No!

Now another definition, as given by Sadáshiva, is Saḿyoga yoga ityukto jiivátmá Paramátmánah. That is, “The unification of the unit soul, the jiivátmá, with the Universal Soul, that is, Paramátmá, is yoga.” This seems to be the best, most scientific, definition.

Now let us see what Tantra is. The Sanskrit root verb tan literally means “to expand”. From the root verb tan comes the Sanskrit word tanu, which means “a body that is expanding”. A child’s body is called tanu in Sanskrit, because it grows and grows until thirty-nine years of age. The human body up to thirty-nine years of age can be called tanu. But thereafter it is called shariira. Shariira means something which wears out, which becomes contracted. So a child’s body is not shariira, and an old man’s body should not be called tanu.

The word tantra is derived as: tan + trae + d́a. Tra [trae + d́a] means “that which liberates.” So Tantra means the science which shows the path for the emancipation of the human entity through psycho-spiritual expansion. In other words, the spirit of Tantra is ever to continue expanding.

Tantra has another meaning also. In the Indo-Aryan alphabet, there are fifty letters. A is the first letter, and kśa is the last letter. Now, the main human propensities are fifty in number, but within one propensity there are several sub-propensities; because the propensities have a certain faculty, and that is, that they can work in ten directions, and can also function both internally and externally. So ultimately we get the total number of propensities as fifty main vrttis times two (internal and external) times ten (working in ten directions), which equals one thousand. So although primarily there are fifty propensities, secondarily there are one thousand propensities. These one thousand propensities are controlled by the pineal gland in the brain.

Each of these propensities has its own vibration and its own colour as well. When someone grows angry, there is a certain vibration in the body, and in accordance with this vibration, the body trembles and simultaneously changes its colour. The fair-complexioned man becomes reddish, the black-complexioned man becomes violet. So you see, each and every object in this universe has its own vibration, its own colour.

These vibrations, representing some action or some object, are called acoustic expressions. A person when angry speaks in a certain way, but the same person in a normal state speaks in a different way. The voice of the angry man has undergone a clear change from its normal state to an abnormal one. Likewise, each and every propensity has its own vibration, and each vibration has a certain colour and sound. The sounds of the fifty propensities constitute our language. These alphabet sounds – a, á, ka, kha [the first vowels and the first consonants or the Sanskrit alphabet] – are our acoustic expressions. Each sound has its own colour, and because of these fifty sounds and fifty colours, we call the alphabet varńamálá in Sanskrit. Varńa, or “letter” – there are svaravarńa [vowels] and vyaiṋjanvarńa [consonants] – literally means “colour”. There are primarily fifty sounds or colours, but secondarily one thousand sounds or colours. As I said, each and every propensity has a particular colour. The colour of the sentient principle is white, of the mutative yellow, and of the static black.

For example, sha is the sound for the mutative principle. Now these representative sounds are called biija mantras in Sanskrit, and “acoustic roots” in English. Sha is the acoustic root of the mutative principle, sa is the acoustic root of the sentient principle, and śa is the acoustic root of the static principle. When someone walks or starts moving, it produces a sound, khat́-khat́-khat́; so the acoustic expression of movement is khat́-khat́-khat́. Behind every action or existence there lies a sound vibration. The particular sound vibration supporting a particular entity or action is known as its acoustic root.

In ancient times, some orthodox people avoided wearing leather shoes. They liked to wear wooden sandals. When people wearing wooden sandals would walk, it automatically produced sounds like t́hak-t́hak-t́hak. So the group of people who used to make a t́hak-t́hak-t́hak sound during movement were called T́hakkara – T́hakam-t́hakam karoti yah sah T́hakkarah. T́hakkara evolved into T́hákur [anglicized as “Tagore”].

So it is clear now that there is an acoustic root behind each and every action, behind each and every existence. As I said, sha is the acoustic root of the mutative principle. Similarly, ra is the acoustic root of energy (energy meaning all varieties of energy). Sha + ra = shra, meaning “where the mutative principle is backed by energy”. Now shra plus the feminine suffix ii equals shrii. It means “where there is mutative force plus energy”. So shrii ultimately means charm. In practical life, every human being longs for charm. This is the reason why since ancient times it has been the custom in India to prefix the word Shrii to a person’s name.

So I hope you are now clear about what an acoustic root is. Similarly there is an acoustic root ta. Ta represents dullness or lethargy. So literally tantra [combining two derivations] means “a systematic and scientific process which brings about first expansion, and thereafter liberation from the bondages of dullness and lethargy”. This liberation is called tantra in Sanskrit. Tantra means “liberation from bondages”.⁽¹⁾

You know that each and every living being wants liberation from bondages. Out of this inherent longing for freedom from bondages arises dharma. Dharma means expansion. Suppose someone is tied with a rope. If the person’s body expands or swells or becomes bigger and bigger in size, the rope will snap. So Tantra is defined as the process of expansion and of emancipation from crudifying bondages.

So now yoga and tantra have come close to each other in meaning. Yoga means the unification of jiivátmá and Paramátmá.⁽²⁾ And how can this unification take place? It is possible through gradual expansion, that is, by dint of the constant practice of Tantra. This practical cult or spiritual sádhaná exists only in Tantra and nowhere else. Prárthanárcaná mátraeva bhramamúlam. That is, “Prayer and eulogy only mislead one.” Only by dint of spiritual cult can one attain success. Thus sádhaná is Tantra and Tantra is sádhaná.

Now how can one attain siddhi through the practice of yoga? The jiivátmá will take the ideation of Paramátmá, and then the former will become one with the latter. How is it possible for the microcosm to become Macrocosm? The Macrocosm, or Parama Puruśa, has one unique characteristic, and that characteristic is, whoever ideates on Him becomes one with Him. The very nature of the mind is to become as it thinks. If it thinks of money, the mental stuff will one day, in a gradual process of crudification, be converted into money. After one’s physical death, the mind will be converted into money, and may find shelter in the iron safe of a moneylender. Will that be desirable? No, certainly not!

Yádrshii bhávaná yasya siddhir bhavati tádrshii – “As one thinks, so one becomes.” There is a certain insect that eats cockroaches.⁽³⁾ When that insect appears before a cockroach, the cockroach becomes mortally frightened. Due to the fright its nerve fibres cease to function, and when the fright becomes more intense, its nerve cells also cease to function. The severe fright creates a picture of that voracious insect in the cockroach’s mind, and due to that persistent image a transformation of its nerve cells gradually sets in, which then extends to the nerve fibres, and at the end of this process the cockroach will appear to that insect to be a member of its own species. The insect actually thinks that the cockroach is a member of its own tribe, so how can it eat the cockroach? If human beings take the Cosmic ideation, they will also become one with the Cosmic Entity.

Now the question is, how can human beings take the ideation of Parama Puruśa? Jiṋániis will analyse, “Parama Puruśa is like this or like that.” Karmiis will think that Parama Puruśa is a master of action.⁽⁴⁾ (Now, what relation do bhaktas have to jiṋána?⁽⁵⁾ A devotee will think, “I may be a virtuous person, I may be poor, I may be learned or foolish, but, O Lord, I belong only to You.”) And a devotee thinks of the Lord just as people think of their nearest and dearest ones. He thinks, “Parama Puruśa is mine;” and in this process of constant ideation, his or her mind gradually expands. From this sort of closeness, a person ultimately becomes one with Paramátmá. Such a person of devotion is called a bhakta.

Thus we see that jiṋániis are Tantrics, because by acquiring knowledge they expand their minds, and thus become one with the all-expansive Cosmic Mind. Karmiis are also Tantrics, for by dint of actions, they expand their minds and become one with Parama Puruśa. Bhaktas are also Tantrics, because they develop so much love and devotion for Parama Puruśa that, in the process of constant ideation, they become one with Parama Puruśa. Thus there is hardly any difference between Tantra and yoga. [Jiṋána, karma, and bhakti are the three main branches of yoga.]

But yes, there is one thing. Human life is very short. If someone wants to cultivate knowledge, he or she may not get sufficient time. Even if someone starts cultivating knowledge at the age of five or six, the time will not be adequate. The scope of knowledge is infinite, whereas life is finite or short. If someone diverts his or her time and energy towards the attainment of objects other than Parama Puruśa, that person’s time becomes less utilized and more misused.

Mathitvá caturo vedán sarvashástráń caeva hi;
Sárantu yogibhih piitaḿ takraḿ pivanti pańd́itáh.

“After churning all four Vedas, and all the scriptures, the yogis assimilate the quintessence, and the non-essential parts are consumed by the so-called scholars.” The four Vedas and all the scriptures are as vast as the ocean. Just as by churning curd [yogurt] we separate the butter from the buttermilk, so by churning the ocean of scripture, the butter comes to the surface and the buttermilk remains at the bottom. Those who are real devotees eat up the butter, and the so-called intellectuals start quarrelling among themselves over the distribution of the buttermilk. And ultimately that also may spoil before they can drink it.

There is a story that once a man of knowledge and a man of devotion went together to a mango orchard. The man of knowledge started verifying whether the mangoes were langra or himsagar or what varieties. Now there are over 1500 varieties of mango in the world. The man began to ponder over which varieties of mango were available in that orchard; and in the process of this constant analysis the sun set and evening fell on the orchard. Then the man started counting the numbers of the leaves, the branches, the twigs, etc. The night became darker. But what did the devotee do meanwhile? He straightway climbed a tree and started eating the mangoes.

As a rule, devotees are more intelligent than jiṋániis. They utilize their time properly, and you know that those who utilize their time properly are more intelligent than those who do not.

Now let us analyse how devotees conduct themselves. A devotee is confident from the very beginning that the Lord belongs to him or her, and to him or her alone. When something belongs to someone, there remains no obstacle or impediment between the person and the belonging. Suppose there is a son who says, “My father.” That son may be a scholar or a big fool, he may be rich or poor, but after all, his father belongs to him, and he can easily come near his own father and serve him. At that time no father will ever say, “You are a fool, get out of here.” He can never do such a thing.

There is a family relation between the Father and the son, and because of this family relation, the intimacy between the two will keep growing, and the internal thoughts will also remain very, very pure. This is why wise people say that the cult of devotion is the greatest. It is the best method to expand one’s mind. And as the fundamental spirit of Tantra is to expand one’s mind, snapping the bondages, devotion is the best Tantra. That is why I repeat again and again that Tantra and yoga are not different from each other, rather they are almost the same thing.

A devotee will practise ásana, práńáyáma, dhárańá and dhyána,⁽⁶⁾ and during this practice he will have one thought uppermost in his mind – that the Entity on whom he is ideating is his nearest relation, and no one is nearer to him than his Lord. Because of this, a devotee’s mind will become highly expanded in a short period.

In the life of a person of action, kiirtana may or may not play a significant role, but in the life of a person of devotion, kiirtana is indispensable. To put it more explicitly, a devotee cannot live without kiirtana, just as you cannot remove a fish from water. If you remove a fish from water, it will die an instant death. Likewise, if a devotee is prevented from doing kiirtana, the person will die.

The secret of a devotee’s heart is known to Parama Puruśa. In Jamalpur I told you that Parama Puruśa does not reside in Vaekuńt́ha [the mythological abode of Lord Viśńu], nor on the throne, nor in the heart of a yogi. He actually resides in the heart of a devotee. A devotee is always bound to think of Parama Puruśa at heart, because their mutual relation is one of love and devotion. That is why Parama Puruśa clearly proclaims, Madbhaktáh yatra gáyanti tatra tiśt́hámi Nárada – that is, “I reside, O Nárada, wherever my devotees are singing.”⁽⁷⁾

So Parama Puruśa says to Nárada that He does not reside anywhere except where His ardent devotees are singing kiirtana. Philosophically, Parama Puruśa is omnipresent, but His nucleus remains at a particular place. That particular place, where the nucleus resides, is not Vaekuńt́ha. That particular place is where His ardent devotees are singing His glories in kiirtana.

So you will notice that when people do kiirtana out of deep love, a highly powerful spiritual vibration is created. Those who do kiirtana feel that vibration in their minds, hearts, and everywhere. They become virtually intoxicated with unbounded bliss. That sort of bliss is not attainable by a person of knowledge. It may be that that person of knowledge will one day become one with Parama Puruśa, but he or she will not be able to attain that bliss; nor is that bliss attainable by a person of action. That bliss is attainable only by a person of devotion. The “wholesale right” to that boundless bliss lies with that devotee only.

Footnotes

(1) Definition of tráńa omitted here. –Eds.

(2) Átman, or jiivátman, means “unit consciousness”. Paramátman is the collective name of all unit consciousnesses. –Eds.

(3) Philology of telápoká (“cockroach”) omitted here. –Eds.

(4) Without action nothing happens. It is said, Karma Brahmeti karma bahukurviita – that is, “Karma is Brahma; knowing this, try to perform as much karma as you can.” Actually, the whole universe is made of karma. Suppose someone is an ácárya/á but does not work. Is he or she still an ácárya/á? No. That person is not an ácárya/á any more. That person does not deserve to be called an ácárya/á. People will not respect the person. One becomes an ácárya/á by virtue of one’s action. What is the meaning of ácárya? Ácárańát pát́hayati yah sah ácárya – “One who teaches others by one’s exemplary conduct is an ácárya.” So you should remember that one’s conduct should be of a high standard. One who remains idle and avoids working should not be called an ácárya/á. Actually, everything in the universe is done by karma. Such are the qualities of a karmii.

(5) Jiṋána, karma, and bhakti are forms of spiritual practice which emphasize, respectively, discrimination, selfless action, and devotion. –Eds.

(6) Stages of aśtáḿga (eight-limbed) yoga. –Eds.

(7) What is the meaning of nára? In Sanskrit, the word nára has three meanings. One meaning is “water”. The second meaning is “the Supreme Operative Principle”. The third meaning is “devotion”. And da means “giver”, “one who gives”. So “Nárada” means “one who distributes devotion among the people”.