Understand The Divine Nature Of Yoga

Infuse Love in All Your Actions

Embodiments of Divine Love!

The Vedas and Vedangas are sacred texts which reveal the nature of God and the universe. These texts convey to man that the mind acts as a curtain to block the awareness of Divinity. On one side of this curtain is the effect, man; on the other side is the cause, God. The entire universe embodies this relationship between cause and effect.

God’s Name is the Boat to Cross the Ocean of Life

The combination of the two, God and the manifested universe, is called Yoga. Yoga is derived from the root “yuj” which means combination or union. But people have not correctly understood the meaning of Yoga. Yoga does not mean leaving hearth and home and subsisting on leaves in a forest. This is not true Yoga. In the science of Ayurveda, Yoga means a combination of various herbs to cure physical, mental, and emotional ailments. The word Samyoga means the unification of several things into one. In the science of astrology, Yoga is considered to be the science of the relationship between time and the position of the stars. Three rivers in India, the Ganga, the Yamuna, and the Saraswati unite at one point. The confluence of these rivers is called Triveni. Similarly, the husband and wife together form a family. Thus, the union of two or more materials or aspects is termed Yoga. Human life consists of combination and separation, just like the waves of the ocean which rise and fall. Human life is full of problems like the periodic turbulence on the surface of the ocean. God’s Name is the boat which can help man to cross the ocean of life.

Make Yoga the Basis of Your Life

Maharshi Patanjali, a great Indian sage, says in his Yoga Sutras, "Yogah chitta vritti nirodhah" (Yoga is the control of mental modifications). That is, the control of the vagaries of the mind is Yoga. Yoga also means the unification of one’s thoughts, words, and deeds and directing them towards God. Then all work is transformed into worship. Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita, "Yoga Karmasu Kaushalam" (perfection in action is Yoga). It means man should analyse what action he should do, when, where and how. This expertise and skill is Yoga.

Yoga is taught by many people in several ways. When it concerns the family, living in unity is Yoga. Similarly, earning wealth is Yoga, doing household work is Yoga, developing strength and capacity is Yoga, experiencing happiness is Yoga. Therefore, everything in the world is Yoga. Because we do not understand the divine nature of Yoga, we end up in Roga (disease). Man knows what is good and what is bad, what is right and what is wrong. It is the ego of man that blurs his understanding. He takes to the wrong path due to his distorted intellect and lack of understanding. Some people are jealous of others' happiness. Whenever we feel jealous, we should overcome it by Yoga. The Bhagavad-gita says, "Samatvam Yoga Uchyate" (equanimity is called Yoga). True Yoga lies in seeing goodness in everything and maintaining equanimity. Samatvam is being happy at the well-being of others and be at peace. Gita teaches Yoga in several ways. It teaches man to purify his heart by thinking always about God who is ever pure and all-pervasive. Man should therefore purify his heart by contemplating on the omnipresent Supreme Principle.

Being proud of his strength and sharpness of intellect, Arjuna started an argument with Krishna and asked Him many questions. The Bhagavad-gita is full of Arjuna’s arguments. Arjuna brought forth all his doubts. Krishna let Arjuna finish all that he wanted to say. Then only he became peaceful. After that, Krishna asked him, “Arjuna, have you finished what you wanted to say? What do you want to do and how do you want to act”? Arjuna finally became silent and surrendered to Krishna, saying, “I shall from this moment follow Your command.” Krishna said, “Now you have become My devotee.” So, Krishna commanded him:

Manmana Bhava Madbhakto 
Madyaji Mam Namaskuru 
Mam Evaisyasi Satyam 
Te Pratijane Priyo'si Me.

(Fix your mind on Me, be devoted to Me, offer obeisance to Me and worship Me. Truly, do I promise that you will come to Me for you are dear to Me.)

This is God’s reply. We call ourselves devotees of God. Some call themselves Sri Ramadasa, servant of Sri Rama. Some call themselves devotees of Lord Shiva and recite the Mantra, Namah-shivaya. Thus, everybody thinks that he is close to God. This cannot be called true devotion. You may proclaim yourself a devotee. But, did God say that you are His devotee? How can you call yourself a devotee before God accepts you as one? You send a registered letter to your friend. To confirm that he has received it, you should get an acknowledgment from him. Similarly, God should acknowledge that you are His devotee. Your conscience will tell you whether God has accepted you as His devotee. Your conscience itself is God. In Vedanta, conscience is referred to as Chit. Chit is awareness. Awareness is total understanding.

Karma Yoga

There are four types of Yoga: Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Dhyana Yoga, and Jnana Yoga. Dedicating all your actions to God and doing all work as God’s work is Karma Yoga. You should have this firm conviction: Nothing is mine; everything is Yours; You are everywhere. Sarvatah Panipadam, Tat Sarvatokshi Shiromukham Sarvatah Shrutimalloke Sarvamavrtya Tishthati (with hands, feet, eyes, head, mouth, and ears pervading everything, He permeates the entire universe).

God listens to those who have full faith in God’s omnipresence. When you pray to Bhagawan, “Swami, are You listening to my prayer? Do You not know my problems”? Then You will feel His Presence and see His two eyes. God is always with you, in you, above you, below you, in front of you, and behind you. You may have a human bodyguard who walks beside you. But God says, “I am not in front of you. I am behind you. I am protecting you. I am like your bodyguard. Standing behind you I am watching you”. But the devotee does not have full faith. He immediately turns back and does not see God. He wails, “O God! You have betrayed me”. God says, “God’s words are eternal; they do not change. You do not understand them. When you turn back to see, it means that I am in front of you, am I not? How can You see Me? Your eyes are in front of your face, are they not? So, I am always behind your eyes only”.

This is God’s assurance. You cannot understand this on the basis of words and actions. You should experience your oneness with God. Yoga is union with God. You must be one with God in actions, worship, work, and everything. Karma Yoga is performing actions selflessly without expecting the results thereof. The work must be Nishkama, without desire. An action done for the good of others is Karma Yoga.

Once an old man was planting a mango sapling and tending it by watering it. He did not expect to enjoy its fruits. He thought that others would enjoy the fruits and be happy. The sun was blazing hot and his body was drenched in sweat. His nephew saw him planting the tree and asked him, “What are you doing in this hot sun? What benefit will you derive from it”? People of those days did not have the present-day modern education. All their actions were done as service to others. The old man replied, “This body has been gifted only to serve others. Seva is my duty. This is my motto”. The old man then offered his nephew a tender coconut. After drinking the coconut water, the nephew said, “This tastes very good. From where did you get it”? The old man replied, “In earlier days, my father planted coconut saplings. We are now enjoying the sweet coconut water of those trees. Likewise, the mango tree I am planting now will benefit others. It does not matter if I do not get any benefit from it now. Similarly, somebody else will plant useful saplings just as I am doing now”. There is a reaction and resound of every action. A good action has a good result and vice versa. Selfless action done in this way is Karma Yoga. There may not be any direct benefit to us from such an action; somebody else may get the benefit. Therefore, man should undertake any work that helps society. This is Karma Yoga.

Bhakti Yoga

Bhakti Yoga signifies doing all work to please God without any trace of selfishness. Selfless love for God is true devotion. God is the embodiment of total bliss. You do not need to say “Happy Birthday” to God because God is always happy. Say it to those who are unhappy. God is always blissful. He does not wait for getting bliss from you. God is the source of love and bliss.

God is like a very large water tank. Your devotion is like the pipe which is connected to this tank and your selfless actions are taps. Open the tap and fill yourself with love and bliss. If the water in a tank is pure, the water that comes out will also be pure. As are the feelings, so are the experiences. As are the actions, so are the results. You will be happy if you are full of love. God is the embodiment of purity. You can please God with pure love. This is your duty. This should be the goal of your life.

Life is very precious. Time is limitless. The heart is very vast. We are going in a narrow path without knowing the greatness of these three. Without bothering in the least about what others think of you, surrender to God with sacred love. Take refuge in Him. This is the principle of Prema (love).

Worship, Dhyana, etc., are nothing else but the means for developing pure love for God. There is nothing greater than love. You see your face in the mirror. If the mirror does not have mercury coating behind it, then you cannot see your reflection in it. You cannot see your reflection in a plain glass. Similarly, if you give a coating of pure love on your heart, then you can see the reflection of God in it. That is Atma Darshanam (Self-realisation). Prema is the most important of all the means of Self-realisation. This is Bhakti (devotion). True spiritual practice is to infuse and develop Prema in all our duties and actions. That is the true spiritual message.

Dhyana Yoga

Next is Dhyana (meditation). The entire life of man consists of Dhyana. Walking is Dhyana, cooking is Dhyana, reading is Dhyana, writing is Dhyana, and all our life is Dhyana. How can we read if we do not give attention to the letters? You plan what you will write before you start writing. You think about it. Planning and thinking thus are all Dhyana only. You think Swami is coming, let me take Pada-namaskaram. You get that thought, don’t you? That thought itself is Dhyana. All experiences are Dhyana only.

What is Jnana? Advaita Darshanam Jnanam (experience of non-dualism is wisdom). There are many people assembled here but they have the same breath. Beings are many, but breath is one. There is nothing like Japanese breath, German breath, or Indian breath. People call God by many Names. But God is one. There is no second. People are many, but God is in everyone. What is the difference? The difference is in names and forms only.

Jnana Yoga

The same sun is seen by the Germans, the Indians, the Americans, and the Chinese though not at the same time, but at different times. Different people see the sun at different times. But we do not say that there are several suns. We say that there is only one sun. Likewise, when we realize that we get the light of Jnana from the same Godhead, it becomes Atma Jnana (knowledge of the Self).

Swami told the students this evening that there are many rivers like Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, and Kaveri which flow in different regions. They have different names. But once they merge into the ocean, they will have only one name, they will have only one form, they will stay in the same place. We may see them as different before they merge into the ocean. How can we see them as different after they merge into the ocean? It is not possible. They become limitless, immeasurable ocean. This is true Jnana.

Repeat the Name of God Constantly

As I said earlier, you and I are one. Everyone goes about pursuing one’s own selfish ends but nobody understands the Atmic principle.

Once there was a rich man who had a large house, a number of factories, and several cars. He also had good sons who loved and obeyed him. They used to act in accordance with their father’s bidding. The father was approaching the end of his life. His chest became congested with phlegm. He could not speak. But he was conscious. As he opened his eyes, all his sons cried, “Father! Father! You are leaving us. Who will look after us”? He prayed to God and gained some strength by God’s grace. Then he said to his sons, “I have given you everything. After I leave, everything will belong to you. You will get enough wealth. You will get money from my insurance also. You will all be here; it is only I who will leave you all and go. Nobody will come with me. None of you is bothered about what is going to happen to me. You are worried about what will happen to you, and not about what will happen to me”. At this time, one should repeat the sacred Name of God, saying Rama, Rama, Rama or Narayana, Narayana, Narayana or Namah-shivaya.

At the final moment, his sons asked him to say Narayana, Narayana. The old man could not hear. One of them took a coconut fiber (Nar in Tamil) and an Ana coin (Ana in Tamil) and asked his father to repeat their names. The old man said, “That is Tengai (coconut in Tamil) and this is a coin”. Saying this, he died. If you do not practice plying the Name of God on your tongue, you will not get to say it at the last moment. Whatever you keep thinking about all your life, you can say only that at the last moment. It is only when you constantly think of God throughout your life, can you recite His Name at the last moment.

Practice And Faith Lead To Success

There was an old priest in a temple who used to worship the deity and perform Arati holding the bell in one hand and Arati plate in the other. One day, he died suddenly and a new priest was appointed. The new priest had no practice in ringing the bell while doing the Arati. As he rang the bell with one hand, his other hand with Arati stopped moving. Everything we do requires practice. Then only will there be unity. This unity or union is Yoga. The path of unity is Jnana Marga, the path of supreme wisdom. Then only can man realize the one Atma immanent in all beings. Realising unity and following the command of the Lord is Yoga. Leaving this simple path, difficult practices are insisted upon. Nobody can change the nature of the mind by such practices. Why? Because nobody has the capacity to control the mind. In fact, man has been misusing his mind. Man has infinite power but he wastes it by following wrong ways. Man can exercise control over the mind, senses, and desires by the practice of silence. That is why Rishis of yore went to the forest in order to practice silence. They experienced peace there. Even wild animals became their friends. What was the reason? The hearts of the Rishis were full of love. That was reflected in the hearts of the animals also. Suppose, you keep jasmine flowers on a table. Their fragrance will spread all around. The love of noble souls also spreads like that. Love is God. That is Brahman. Similarly, the fragrance of rose flower will spread all around, whether you hold it in the right hand or left hand. We get refreshed by this fragrance.

Students should acquire the knowledge of Yoga to inculcate the qualities of devotion, discipline, and discrimination. True education is that which teaches these values to students. We are not educated when we are born. We cannot even walk when we are born. We learn to walk by practice. By practice, one can develop all virtues.

We need not worry that our mind is not steady. We need not feel disappointed that we are not able to achieve equal-mindedness. We should be firm in our mind that we can do this. With determination, we should proclaim, “I shall definitely do this”. On the other hand, if we doubt our capacity, we cannot even walk.

First and foremost, have faith in your ability. Life is a continuous flow. It flows endlessly. What is its end? Merging with the ocean is its end. This river of life has two banks: steadfastness and faith. Shraddhavan Labhate Jnanam (one with steadfast faith attains wisdom). The river of life should flow within the two banks of steadfastness and faith. Out of steadfastness comes wisdom. Therefore, do not have doubt about yourself in your mind. You will be ruined if you have doubt. A doubting person can never succeed in any endeavor. So, do not give room to doubt. The aim of your life is to develop love for God. Recognise this and lead your life in this sacred manner.

Bhagawan brought His Discourse to a close with the Bhajans, “Chitta Chora Yashoda Ke Bal…” and “Vahe Guru, Vahe Guru, Vahe Guruji Bolo…”)

– Bhagawan’s Discourse in Sai Sruthi, Kodaikanal on 17th April 1996.