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Part 1: The Essence of Śiva: Knowledge, Renunciation, and the Purāṇic Path Come, let us purify our minds and hearts to listen to the eternal, truth-filled, and sacred Purāṇic Gaṅgā of teachings flowing from the mouth of Bhagavān Śiva, as always. Har Har Bhole Namasyavāī. Chant the name of Dev Ādhi Dev Mahādeva. Chant the name of Śrī Div Naraṇ Jī Bhagavān. Chant the name of Dev Puriṣā Bhagavān. Chant the name of Sadguru Mādhvanan Jī Maharāj. Chant the name of Śrī Mahisurānanda Jī Maharāj. Chant Om Dev Ādhi. Salutations to Dev Mahādeva. Salutations to Pārvatī’s feet. Har Har... Mahādeva is the supreme consciousness, Brahman. We are Brahmāśmī, the essence of the self. Ātman is Brahmā, the eternal. The great ancient scriptures describe the pure form of Kailāsa along with the Śiva tattva. The tattva of Bhagavān Śiva is Śiva himself. Śiva is renunciation, and renunciation is Śiva. Here, a sanyāsī is regarded as Śiva. The inherent culture is the fragrance of Vedānta knowledge; the great sayings are described today in the Mahāśiva Purāṇa. What is prajñānam brahma, the Paramātmā? What is that Śiva tattva? It is said that knowledge is Śiva. Śrī Bhagavān Śiva is addressed, though there is no explanation of Him. Yet, prajñānam brahma—pure knowledge is Śiva. However, in the Upaniṣads, it is said that prajñānam is that knowledge. Now, who possesses knowledge? How does one have it? Have you attained that knowledge? Who else can give the certificate of this knowledge? How can we know who has received the knowledge and who is truly knowledgeable? This knowledge is not obtained from any college, school, or university. Here, it is a matter of inner knowledge. What kind of knowledge is this? Someone asked Sadguru Kabīr how he attained this knowledge, and he said, "I never even touched paper and pen, nor did I touch ink and paper. Then how does this knowledge come, and what is it?" The discussion is about knowledge; the Aitareya Upaniṣad states that it is pure knowledge, and pure knowledge—first observe that it is pure. The explanation of "I am" is the explanation of Brahman, and I am that. Tvam asi—You are that Brahman. What I am, that is Brahman; you are also that. Ayam ātmā brahma—the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad says, "This Self is Brahman." See, this has come from the Upaniṣad through this sound. Can we attain Buddha jñāna in a single three-hour session? People have explained a mahāvākya over thousands of pages and have spent years upon years delving into each word. These sentences are not ordinary sentences; they are called mahāvākyas. "Prajñānaḥ"—tell me, prajñānaḥ is speaking of ātman with kauśalya. That is your ātman, the inner self, amṛta; indeed, that ātman is the inner self, amṛta. It is your inner ātman, amṛta. So say, amṛtasya putraḥ—you are the son of amṛta. This is precisely what is called siṅganāda; these are for the sanyāsīs. I would like to make this further request to you: these statements, these mahāvākyas, are the yoga paths for sanyāsīs. You will say, "I am Parabrahm," but you do not follow the red light, green light, and yellow light. There is a very similar word to Brahma, which is brahm. Brahm means confusion. So if we become confused about the real truth of this universe, then confusion arises, and we are unable to perceive the true picture of truth, nor can we see the real picture of our root. And especially this Kailāśa Saṁhitā is written for all the sannyāsīs: sarvo’haṁ vimukto’haṁ—I am always, forever and ever, free; I am of all forms; I am liberated. So these sentences are not written by any poet or writer; these all are the situation of the high consciousness. When a disciple sits in meditation for many years in a cave, in front of the master, then these sentences arise from samādhi; these are truly akṣara, akṣara immortal, that is, they never perish. Therefore, these sentences, these mahāvākyas that emerge from within us are called sūtra; these are the key, the key to samādhi, the sūtra of samādhi. Śrī Gyan has composed the Ātmāṣṭaka—let us proceed further in that session: Manu, buddhi, ahaṅkāra, citta, nindhāhaṅ, na cha śrotra, jihve na cha ghrāṇa, nītre na cha vyoma, bhūmiḥ na tejo na vāyū, chidānandarūpaṁ, śivohaṁ śivohaṁ. I am not the mind, intellect, ego, or citta. I am not the mind, intellect, or ego, nor the chitta, nāḍī, śrotra, jīvā, or vyoma; I am neither the bhūmi nor the ākāśa and pṛthvī. I am the form of Chidānanda, Śivohaṁ, Śivohaṁ. I am not prāṇa, saṁjñā, the five vāyus, the nine sapta dhātus, the nine pañca kośas, nor the nine hands and feet, nor the bones and marrow. I am the form of Chidānanda, I am Śivohaṁ, Śivohaṁ, nothing else. I am not prāṇa, nor the five vāyus; the five prāṇas—prāṇa, apāna, samāna, udāna, vyāna—I am not even these. When a person attains knowledge, this realization arises: Name dve sarāgo, name dve sarāgo. Chant the name of Sadguru Mahārājī. The highest peak of Samādhi, the highest peak of Sanātana Dharma, is this song: "Main śiva rūpa hū̃, main mukt hū̃, main buddha hū̃, main śuddha hū̃, main nitya hū̃." I am forever; nobody can destroy me. And there is no such thing as "I am out of limit," no boundaries. The Paramātmā of the entire universe and everywhere is described so beautifully in Skandapurāṇa, Sadāśiva, Kārttikeya, and Vāmadeva. The essential truth of the Ahaṁ pada is revealed as Śiva himself, the true Self. The renunciate attains the knowledge that "I alone am there, nothing else," one day after taking sannyāsa. It is said to happen after becoming detached from the worldly objects. Now see, a subject has been described which is worthy of being heard for the world and worthy of being kept in meditation. Now this is the section on sannyāsa; you may understand it as the duties prescribed for a sannyāsī. It explains what actions should be performed when the body of a yogī or any sādhū sannyāsī ceases to exist—was not there yesterday, will not be there tomorrow. By chanting the word "sohaṁ," one attains Śiva, and if one is steadfast, one becomes the form of Śiva. And if someone, due to restlessness of the mind, is unable to attain the benefit of samādhi, then be cautious and listen: in the statements of Vedānta scriptures, the knowledge of the three objects—gyātā, jñāna, and jñeya—is imparted. When the old body becomes worn out, one should renounce that body. Thus, by the grace of Bhagavān Sadāśiva, the five renowned carriers of the Nandī of Anugraha are known. Deities come; some are proud of fire, some are proud of the radiant flame, some are proud of the day. Their bodies become feeble at that time. The other Yati, who possesses the supreme wealth, takes a feeling of compatibility with him and stands all around. They all stand there on all sides and chant the Praṇava. Teach the initial sentences, and when the body of that speech calms down a little, then what is done along with it? The son or disciple should properly instill good impressions in the body of the Yati. We might wonder, what is this when a person has died? Then why do the layers of the body retain so many saṁskāras after death? In our country, the body is not insulted; it is called the temple of Bhagavān. Through this body, we attain the knowledge of Paramātmā. Therefore, this body is like a ladder, it is described as a bridge. So in our culture, we give divine respect to this body even after death. And all these ceremonies and rituals for the Sannyāsī are written here in the Mahāśiva Purāṇa, Kailāśa Saṁhitā. If any Sannyāsī dies in samādhi, then what should his disciples do with his body? The Śiva Purāṇa gives very clear guidelines: to recite the Rudrābhiṣeka with salt and camphor. Now perform Rudrābhiṣeka and remove his old clothes, then dress him in new clothes. Apply vibhūti all over his body—on the chest, throat, head, wrists, and ears—and adorn him with a rudrākṣa mālā. Offer the Rudrākṣa Mālā and perform pūjā with dhūpa, dīpa, sōḍa, and sōpa sāra just as Mahādeva is worshiped. Along with that, in one of the places to the east or north of the village of the yatis, dig and bury it, and sanctify the place with the Praṇava and Vyāhṛti mantras, consecrating its samādhi. Saying this, give a staff or a stick in his right hand; these are mantras from the Śukla Yajurveda. Recite the Brahma Yajñam Prathamam from the Śukla Yajurveda mantras, the Yo Devānām Prathamam Purastāt—such mantras have been taught. And on the eleventh and twelfth, now in the Kali Yuga, people do not have time, therefore... After the body becomes calm, the actions that follow—people think about twelve or thirteen days, who will sit for that long? They want to finish everything in three days, even in two or three days they complete everything. Why do they listen to the Gītā, meditation, Garuḍa Purāṇa, or recitations of the Gītā and so on? They listen to these so that they can improve their death. Tell me, what is that one important task in life? Everyone is running, rushing, going somewhere, coming, crying, so they asked the bus driver, "What will happen now? Where will we reach?" He said, "Where we will reach, what will happen, I do not know, but wherever we are..." They are going very fast there; some forbidden karmas have been mentioned inside, and some obligatory karmas have been mentioned as well. But we certainly perform the forbidden karmas, meaning that we definitely do what should not be done. The Vedas have opposed those; those are the forbidden karmas inherent in the Vedas. It has become the harsh truth of man that he is moving very fast, at great speed, and this speed is the cause of the accident. Everyone is busy with something else, but they do not know where we are headed. Our situation is just like a bus driver whose back of the bus has fallen off. And the bus is going very fast, but we don’t know where this bus is headed, where this car is going, and our life is very fast. Metro city, Jaipur—where are we going, we don’t know. Where will this metro go, we don’t know. Just a few days ago, there was a newspaper headline: Save the rainwater, save it. A very good thing indeed. The water being poured on Mahādeva’s body is getting wasted—so many tons, so many gallons of water are being wasted. Save it, save it! Has the monsoon arrived? No, it hasn’t. Why hasn’t it come? Because the water being poured on Mahādeva’s body appears to be wasted. The very thing you use for your bath, O Govinda, that same water you are returning to yourself. I have nothing of my own; I am simply offering myself. So why do we sit down to keep accounts of anything? Nothing leaves this earth. That is why the scriptures were composed and the eighteen Purāṇas were created—to provide us with good guidelines for our lives through these Purāṇas. These are meant for all of humanity, and it is the duty of those born in India to take these Purāṇas, which contain the dialogue between Śiva and Pārvatī, with Umā, through the Vāyu Devatā. Kārttikeya Jī and Vāmadeva Jī; their dialogue is like the dialogue between Vyāsa Jī and Sūta Jī, or the dialogue of the Sanat Kumāras, or the dialogue between Brahmā Jī and Nārada Jī. These are the two sections of the Vāyvīya Saṃhitā—the Pūrva Khaṇḍa and the Uttara Khaṇḍa. This is the final Saṃhitā. We have never met Pavan Dev, but Pavan Dev... One form is also Hanumān Jī, called Hanumān Jī Maharāj because he was carried by the wind to Añjanī, who is in the form of Śiva. So, we enter into the Vāyavīya Saṁhitā. See, just as Śrīmat Bhārukha is, and his habit is to eat pickles—what to eat? Pickles and chili peppers, and how much chili? Five kilometers’ worth. Eat three kilometers of chili, they said. What is a kilometer of chili? It means the spiciness is as intense as a kilometer high. Now, where does the good flavor of chili lie—in the chili itself or in the jīva? If the jīva is healthy, then even a little chili is good. As the sensitivity of your jīva decreases, you tend to crave even stronger spices. It is necessary, and as the jīva’s sensibility becomes sealed, your jīvā takes everything just from the breath. Similarly, a tree also becomes like this; trees, bees, and all bow down to it. It functions through breath and air alone. The more spicy food we eat, the more we will need spicy food in life, isn’t it? Understanding the Vedas was very difficult... The Upaniṣads were created like ancient texts for people like us who watch ordinary TV channels, read newspapers, and enjoy festivals. Our ancient texts were composed for people like us, and there are not just one or two, but eighteen of them, because a person is not so easily convinced. If you explain one thing a thousand times, then only a little understanding will come; only then will they truly understand. Recite the Bhāgavata, recite the Rāmāyaṇa, recite the Gītā, recite the Vāyu Purāṇa—no one fears the law, no one is afraid of it; they fear their own fears, they fear the deities. We follow the law given by the brother of the gods, the goddess. Hey, don’t break the peepal tree; Viṣṇu Bhagavān will become displeased. Such rules have been established in our scriptures for our own good. They even say, don’t keep a lump of flour in the house. Now, what can one say to someone who keeps a lump of flour? It’s a dilemma. After adding water, the quality of the flour deteriorates like this; by morning, the flour will turn poisonous. That is why it is said not to make dough and keep it aside. Many such rules have been given. So in India, we have many Purāṇas that impart knowledge to the common man. When a common man reads these Purāṇas repeatedly... like Brahma Purāṇa, Padma Purāṇa, Viṣṇu Purāṇa, Śiva Purāṇa, Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Bhaviṣya Purāṇa, Nārada Purāṇa, Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, Agni Purāṇa, Brahmā Vaivarta Purāṇa, Liṅga Purāṇa, Varāha Purāṇa, Skanda Purāṇa, Vāmana Purāṇa, Garuḍa Purāṇa, and Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa. So again and again we repeat the one truth in all the Purāṇas, then the one essence of the Purāṇas comes into our life and we begin to implement it. There is only one Satya, there is only one Satya... In other people’s lives, this is the great sin. This was told to us by the Veda-pīyūṣa, so just keep this much in mind, even remembering the names of all the Purāṇas is not necessary. The story happening here this time, the Vāyavīya Saṃhitā, where is it taking place? It is happening in Ilāhābād. They said, "Namaḥ Śivāya," as they explained to the Sūta about the Jñāna Saunaka ṛṣis and those... The ṛṣis went and asked Brahmājī about the supreme being: Who is the ultimate God? Who is the divine God? Please tell us, O Brahmājī. Some Ṛṣi-munis asked Brahmājī, and they went to Brahmaloka. The description of Brahmaloka was given, and Brahmājī was in samādhi at that time. When Brahmājī was in samādhi, a word "Rudra" came from his mouth. They spoke about the word Rudra. Brahmājī said in his utterance: "Munīnāṁ jine na pākar man sahit vā aprāpyam manasā saḥ ānandam yaśve viddhvān na vibheti ku taścanā ānanda." You see, in this world, there are many words that have opposites—pleasure has pain, night has day, good has bad—but the word ānanda has no opposite, no viloma. There is no opposite word to ānanda. All the words in the world have their opposites, but the word ānanda—what do the scholars call that supreme reality? They say ānanda. Now, what is the difference between ānanda and sukha? Happiness lasts only for two minutes and then turns into sorrow, but ānanda is eternal and always remains; that is the nature of Paramātmā. Now, whether you call Him Śiva, Kṛṣṇa, or Viṣṇu, His nature is ānanda. You will enter into ānanda. Brahmā Jī said that I cannot describe that Paramātmā. The Paramātmā cannot be explained. So Bhagavān Brahmā replied to the Ṛṣis, I cannot explain, my knowledge, my intelligence is not able to explain or give any definition of the ultimate, the Param Brahma. One thing you can do is start a satsaṅg. Now you may ask at what time and for how long the satsaṅg is held; here we conduct satsaṅg from four to seven. Part 2: The Endless Satsang and the Search for the True Self So, O all my sons, Rishi Muni, you may begin the satsang, and we will provide only the starting time. When this satsang ends, it never truly ends; it is endless. Whenever you do not receive the knowledge of that Param Brahma, simply sit and keep listening and listening. You can take just 10 minutes or 1 hour or 2 hours of rest between the satsang, but you will sit to receive the ultimate truth of life. So they said, "We need a place where no hurdle and no problem comes between the satsang." So they said, "You all take this cakra in your mind." What is the problem in the satsang? Of the rain, of the water, and tell me, what is the greatest problem? Please tell us. The main problem in satsang is the mind, because the mind works very fast, always thinking about the past and worried about the future. So please tell us a place where the mind will not disturb us, where we are not troubled by external problems. Now you turn on the radio, if there is any problem, speak up. We do not have such a problem. Tell us a place, O beautiful one, where the mind can sit in satsang with joy. Then they gave a cakra, running very fast, like a fan, and you should start your satsang where this cakra breaks, where the mind’s cakra breaks, that place... The mind is a constructed cakra, and the mind itself is the cakra; the mind is ours, what else is it but the cakra? When you sit idle, you will start fidgeting, pulling at the grass, or else you will scratch yourself; such itching will begin. The problem now is with meditation—you will suddenly remember some urgent task. All these difficulties arise from the mind. It remains, and if nothing else, by attending more satsang, our devotion went and complained to Brahmā Jī that Maharaj, when people watch TV, they do not get sleep; when they play cards, they do not get sleep; when they wander around, old people do not get sleep; on the band, Indian people do hip hop... Brahmā Jī, Brahmā Jī... You are a very comfortable bed, O Bhakti, so when people begin Bhakti, sleepiness comes, laziness comes, tiredness goes, and when tiredness goes, when you start to rest, then you are rest. The subjects of the world are very painful, so people cannot sleep. The affairs of the world are like thorns; one cannot sleep amidst them. That is why a person never feels sleepy while engaged in worldly matters. But when involved in the work of Bhagavān, sleep does come. So, let us sleep now and go tomorrow—the last day—we will go and then sleep there. In the afternoon, sleep comes very easily and peacefully. There is wisdom in the songs of films: childhood lost in play, youth asleep in slumber, and old age weeping upon seeing it all. But Gurudev, if he proclaims knowledge loudly, it will bring sleep. Therefore, to dispel sleep, they play the slowly resonating violin and the tabla so that sleep is driven away. To add a little spice to the essence of knowledge, eighty-eight thousand sages sat at Nemishāraṇya Tīrtha, where Vāyu Deva explained to them the satisfaction of ancestral rites, the satisfaction of the ṛṣis, and all such matters. The sages have offered salutations to Vāyu Deva, and the dialogue between Vāyu Deva and the sages is the Vāyvīya Saṃhitā. In the Nīmī Śāraṇa, the sages asked, "O Deva, how did you attain the supreme knowledge of Īśvara? How did you become the disciple of the unmanifest Brahmā? On one hand, there is Brahmā who is the creator, and on the other hand, there is Brahmā... That which is unmanifest is called vyakta, and that which is manifest is called avyakta—these are three terms from Sāṅkhya philosophy. That which is visible is vyakta; that which is not visible but exists is avyakta. The breath is not visible, yet it exists. The mind is not visible. I saw a dream while asleep—who is the seer of that dream? Is it vyakta or avyakta? Thus, the means to liberation are explained. Kapil Muni’s manifested and unmanifested, and the knowledge of jñāna, but if there is someone who can comprehend this knowledge, they attain liberation. Now, our consciousness is like a torch, just very focused on one subject, one object, and when our life light becomes a flame of the... The lamp’s flame, the light—when meditation arises in our life at that moment, running after the worldly objects and illusions is like the light of a torch, whereas descending into meditation is like the flame of a lamp. The lamp’s flame illuminates all around, while the torch’s light focuses on one object. It understands, “The bill has to be paid, the bill’s last date is today, the bill must be paid,” social... From here, all this is the concern of the ātmā who resides within. This lamp, this light—O sādhus, brothers, you have dived into the Marwāṛī language. First, you have dived into it, but no one else has dived into it. If you do not know the word, then please tell me, and also translate it into English for me. We went, but nowhere did we find satisfaction; nowhere do we get satisfaction. We go to the beach, we go to the cinema, we go to nightclubs, we have many marriages, many divorces, much business, yet no satisfaction and no time for bhajan. This is called gotā. He ate it, it’s a Marwadi thing, he took a dive, you see? Dear brothers, you have dived into delusion. Speak of the Sadguru Mahārāj as Kabirdāj says: O sādhus, such a Sadguru Mahīśrānan Jī says, O sādhus, brother, in delusion, He has dived deep; in delusion, He wanders as a mendicant. The Giver of the world’s comfort, the Lord of the universe, roams about as a mendicant. Within His vessel resides the supreme Brahman. It is said so, the deity of life is telling, on the sacred banks of Nemī Sāranya, and Nemī Sāranya is called the place where a person forgets... And we forget Bhagavān only when we come close to Him; we become distant from Bhagavān, separate from Him, and forget Him. But it does not matter if we forget, for we are near, very close, there is no distance. Power, there is no way to measure distance, yet if one is mistaken, when the eyes are closed, there is darkness... If the eyes close, it is not the fault of the sun or the fault of the light; if your eye is closed, it is a matter of losing it. Just open your eye, and if the eye opens, you can see light even in the darkness. If you can open your eye, you can see light in the darkness. Also, if the eyes are closed, even if there are a thousand suns rising, what can you do? No fault of the sun, no fault of the stars, and this eye has been closed for a long time, from many past lives. Come, let us open this eye, stop diving into illusions, and what does it mean to open that eye? These two eyes remain closed, but the eye of knowledge opens. These two eyes must remain closed. So, that third eye opens the Vāyu Devatā. Today, they have taken us to Nemi Śaraṇya. We too should create a Nemi Śaraṇya in our home. We should make one Nemi Śaraṇya in our home, or we should go to an Āśrama; we should come here as well, for this is the Nemi Śaraṇya. Wherever people are engaged in the daily practice of meditation and yoga, all such places are Nemi Śāraṇya, Nemi Śāraṇya, Nemi Śāraṇya... I will chant Rāma Rāma, I will chant Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, I will chant Śiva Śiva—there is no difference. You do it; your mind will gradually become charged. That place will begin to assist you. And see, when the mind gets attached to the world, it becomes an obstacle. And this very mind is called jñāna, the discrimination of the Paramātmā’s reality, and the three distinctions of the reality. The supreme controller of both the inert and the conscious is Paramīśvara. So when we say Paśupati, it includes the inert, it includes the conscious, and it also includes the controller of both. See how the wise sages call the supreme element the lord—Pati. Paśupati is formed from the word ’pāśa’; we are near, and we take it in the sense of the living being. The Lord of all, the master of all bound souls near us, is that supreme reality, the Paśupati. This Paśupati is ours; among us bound souls, He is the supreme being distinct from both the manifest and the unmanifest elements. Paramēśvara is also the motivator of both these elements. The sages asked, "O Lord, how does māyā envelop consciousness?" The ātman is within all and is conscious; how then does māyā envelop it? The Vāyu Devatā says that even the all-pervading element receives a partial covering because kālā and others are also pervasive. The actions performed for enjoyment are the causes of that covering. When we speak of enjoyment, we call fire, time, and policy kālā. The one who performs actions even in a moment is called puruṣa, that is, the jīva. And there are two types of karma: puṇya karma and pāpa karma. The result of puṇya karma is happiness, and the result of pāpa karma is sorrow. Although inert karma has no connection whatsoever with the conscious ātman, still the jīva born of ignorance considers it to be a part of itself. Just as two birds reside on a branch of a tree—one is the witness and the other is the living being; one experiences, and the other simply observes empty—similarly, within us too, there is the jīva who says, "Oh, I have grown old, oh, I have pain in my knees, oh, I was young, oh, I was beautiful, oh, I was wealthy," this very "oh, I." I said, this is the jīva, and the one who is witnessing all these states is certainly a substance called ātman, but realizing its existence for any reason is very difficult. Searching for the cause of the satpuruṣa, that is, the ātman, is indeed very challenging, my friend. Some consider the intellect, senses, and body themselves to be the ātman. People consider this body and this intellect to be the self, and they do not experience the self as the entirety of the body together. The self is aware of the entire universe. A small child is born and moves its mouth in various ways to drink milk, and they say this knowledge belongs to the self. That a small child is searching for his mother right from birth—understand it like this: inside a house, there are five servants, and these servants quarrel and fight among themselves because the master is either away somewhere or the master is asleep. So, if the master of this house or āśrama falls asleep, if the master of this body falls asleep, then these servants—But the mind will say, the doctor will say this is not right; the ear will say, I like to listen to music; the neighbor will say, play it softly; the eye will say, I want to watch TV, I want to watch TV. The eye says this because the mind likes it, but someone will come and turn off the TV. This is the conflict and dispute in our life between the indriyas and the viṣayas. This happens when the master is asleep; if the master awakens, there is no conflict. The master himself is asleep, and that is where the conflict arises. The servants quarrel over that very conflict when the king is asleep. Only the chariot whose horses are unbridled falls into the ditch. If the horses are unbridled, what fault is it of the chariot? Many times, the reins of life are held by the wrong selves. Give the reins of life to the true self, and then there will be no confusion. This is precisely the significance of the chariot of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna. Otherwise, what will I gain by worshipping that photo? Tell me, if Lord Kṛṣṇa is engrossed in battle, with a knife in hand, and Arjuna sits like this looking at that photo, what will he gain? Think about it—these horses are our indriyas, Arjuna is the mind, and Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the ātman, consciousness, consciousness itself. Who can control the senses? If you try to rein in Arjuna, he will let go of the reins at night, and sometimes punishment is also necessary. In the hands of Bhagavān, justice itself is the punishment—He is the embodiment of justice. It is from there that impurity is removed. No matter how well you eat, or how much prasāda you partake, whether you eat hotel food or anything else, the body turns it into impurities; in a way, the body wants to keep you alive, it expels impurities so that you may live. But Vāyu Deva says that man abandons them. No jīvātman can remain in any body for an infinite time. Here, from women, men, and brothers... The union that occurs is also a union of just two moments, like two straws coming together in a great river. And the straws say this is very profound knowledge, Maharaj, which is especially profound for India. In India, the wife says there are seven lifetimes of vows, but these seven are not truly vows. The same applies to the relationship between father and son. It is said that they stay together for many lifetimes, and indeed it happens. But I have explained so much that those with whom we live neither have true union nor true separation. Union inevitably leads to separation, but separation never leads to union. Those who meet will surely part, but those who have parted may not necessarily meet again. It is not necessary to be attached to those from whom you have detached. This body is gone, so be it. If a single hair of yours has turned white, you can color it black, but you cannot turn white hair back to black naturally. Those who leave and do not return have witnessed youth, and those who come and do not leave have witnessed old age. Old age comes and does not leave; what comes and goes is youth. Those who have seen youth and then it departs have experienced youth, but old age, once it comes, is permanent—it does not go away. Youth comes and goes; youth is like a fox. In youth, a person thinks, "Let me do this, let me do that, let me do this, let me do that," everyone does so. Everyone wants to become Sikandar, but no one becomes Sikandar. Everyone just stays here and says, "It seems today I will have to eat elephant or camel." So, does that mean you have to eat a lot today? And soon it became afternoon. She went in front of the elephant, and the elephant kicked hard and said, "Hey brother, I came to meet you like this." Then think, in the afternoon shade... All men think, "I will build ten houses, I will build twenty houses, I will become this, I will become that," but later a man has to change his own thoughts. And see, all this is the thread of desire in a man; desire is like a fox. The lust and greed is like a fox. In the ancient tales of the Pañchatantra, there are many stories that impart knowledge through the narratives of animals and wildlife. And why has knowledge been given to us within wildlife? Speak as if you are the only one thinking. Even animals and birds have their own world, and among them too, there is a king. And everyone has ego about their existence; everyone feels, "I am someone, Maharaj, I am someone." Now, an elephant is crossing over a bridge, and a fly is sitting on the elephant. When the elephant climbs onto the bridge, the bridge shakes, and the fly tells the elephant, "Look, together we have shaken this bridge." Aṭhī says, I didn’t even know you were sitting upstairs, you were also sitting there. Now, the earthquake happens, and you don’t get along with your neighbor, and no one gets along with their neighbor. No one gets along with their relatives either. The earthquake happens, a tsunami comes in Japan, and people die. You say that there is a lot of sin in the world, and when you say that, the face of your neighbor comes to your mind—that it is because of him that this trouble has come into your life. Whenever you face difficulties, you think it is because of that wicked person. Now the mother-in-law thinks it is because of the daughter-in-law... The animal that is bound nearby, and look, the people you meet in this world are not met forever; this meeting is momentary and fragile. The world is like a great ancient text that says, if two large logs from two different castes come together in a vast ocean, they eventually separate, and separation occurs. Part 3: The Impermanence of Union and the Nature of Śiva Just as two pieces of wood may come together in the vast cosmic ocean and then drift apart, the greatest problem for a person is separation after union. If every meeting brings happiness, then separation will inevitably bring sorrow. If you are happy with forming connections, then you will definitely experience sadness when you detach. So here, the knowledge of the Suṣupti and the knowledge of the Gītā teach us: "Do not be pleased when they meet, do not be sorrowful when they part." If the soul experiences bliss while eating a rasagullā, but it does not digest properly, then there will be discomfort. All relationships are like rasagullās—they seem sweet initially, but later they cause pain. And there is one relationship that breaks even more deeply—that is the relationship with one’s own body and its ailments. They take powder and, in front of that glass beauty parlour, the granddaughter should look at her grandmother and realize: this is my future. Anyone who is a granddaughter should look at her grandmother and see: this is my future. And the grandmother should look at her granddaughter and think: this is my past. That is why children are like spirits from the past. Why is that? Because you too were once children. Ghosts and spirits exist because you were once children, and they create such disturbances. The ghost demands this, demands that. Children also say, "Give me this, give me that." Then, separate houses are built for the children, and along with the ghost, the ghostly woman also comes. It also happens that you wander around like a light and go to a paṇḍit saying, "Please perform the vaśīkaraṇa (binding) ritual, let something be bound." But who can bind now? Yet, those ghosts and spirits are also born, and from them arise demons whose children are ghosts and spirits, and then their sūmma, nisūmma, dhūmra, locana, madhu, and kaiṭabha are also born. That is why nowadays, in the courts, many cases of domestic violence are found within families. Why does all this happen? Because when two pieces of wood are found in the ocean and come together, we say, "This is my son, this is my husband, this is my relative. This one is my beloved, this one is my enemy, this one is my friend." We do not only make friends; we also capture enemies. Yes, the bond of Rākhī is not as strong as the bond we have with the enemy. This is what is called—what happened to Sādhuśaraṇa Dādā Jī? Did he lose the case that lasted thirty years? They said, "I have not lost the case; my opponent has died. Now whom shall I fight? To fight, one needs an opponent, Mahārāj. I have no one to fight with." Understand this: all these relationships and connections are exactly like two pieces of wood in the swift current of a river. Who knows which straw will go where, once the castes have mixed together. Two birds living together on the same branch, the body and the jīva, take shelter in the same tree. The body experiences pleasure and pain, but the jīva remains the witness. This has been explained. How many bodies have we already experienced, and how many more bodies will we experience? Our own nature creates so many bodies for us; nature itself is engaged in a great business, continuously providing us with bodies. So many bodies are formed. This Vāyavīya Saṃhitā is meant to bring about supreme detachment. If you listen to this Vāyavīya Saṃhitā, see, it does not support any life—what trust can anyone have in a life that it does not support? Just as in other Purāṇas, a single episode is given multiple interpretations, similarly within the Mahāśiva Purāṇa... Bhagavān Viṣṇu has manifested, and through Bhagavān Viṣṇu, Brahmā has manifested. In another kalpa, both Śiva and Viṣṇu have manifested through Brahmā. In the third kalpa, Śiva and Brahmā have manifested through Bhagavān Viṣṇu. But the one who is Sadāśiva, who is the Para-Brahma, the supreme Para-Brahma, Sadāśiva Bhagavān, is nirguṇa and niṣkalpa. They were the first to separate their ādi śakti from their body before creation; this is what the Vāyavīya Saṃhitā reveals. And this human creation, the growth of the world through woman and man, came under the authority of Brahmā Jī, and Brahmā Bhagavān himself, Śiva Ādi Śiva, originated from Brahmā. The people of the world consider Mādhava to be Mādhava, meaning Mādhava is all-encompassing. One Mādhava was born from Brahmā, and another Mādhava is the one who created Brahmā and Śiva. The Viṣṇu tattva emerged from the limb of Bhagavān Śiva and from the Amṛta tattva, Viṣṇu was formed. Then that same Viṣṇu Bhagavān... They fell asleep in Kāśī for years, and from their navel spontaneously emerged Brahmā. From the mouth of that Brahmā himself, Bhagavān appeared in the form of Rudra. In one line, there is a prayer to Mahādeva; in the same line, there is the chant: "Jaya prakṛti kalyāṇī, jaya prakṛti nāyikā, jaya prakṛti dūre tvam, jaya prakṛti sundarī." Because here Bhagavān is in the form of Ardha... Standing before Brahmā in the form of Nārīśvara, and right there the good maiden said, "You have become dark-complexioned, you have turned black." So from this black body, she will renounce her dark skin, and then the other goddess’s ayoniṣa, that is, the woman... And the offspring will not arise from the man; that goddess will be born, and Gaurī said, "I will go to perform tapasyā." They asked, "Whose tapasyā do you need to perform?" She replied, "I perform tapasyā of all the gods and others as well." I had said it in jest, but they said, "No, now you will perform tapasyā of Brahmā Jī." Then she says to Brahmā Jī, "O goddess..." Just as Brahmā Jī praised the goddess here, Brahmā Jī himself said to the goddess, "You are inherently powerful; you do not need to perform such intense tapasyā. Your mere will is sufficient. Whatever you desire, O Jagadambā, I am the vehicle of whom?" He said, "I am the vehicle of the lion," and the lion... He was initially an asura, but when he saw Gaurī Devī, he kept looking at her, and his violent nature ceased. Then he returned to Bhagavān Śiva, where she was again his wife in the form of Gaurī. The creation of Kāśī that I have described—have you ever seen such a maiden? Neither in this world nor anywhere else has there been one like her. Saying this, the Devī indicated the sequence of residing on the Vindhya mountain and speaking in the manner of Sum Niṣum in the assembly. At that time, while conversing in this way, the Devī also presented her illness before Mahādeva, along with the lion, and said, "O Mahādeva, I have brought this vehicle as a gift for you. You see, this is my devotee; I have no other devotee beside him." He will stand up; Mahādeva gave him such an order, and gave him the name Som Nandi after Nandi, and he became a gaṇa of Mahādeva. This lion too, said Devādi Deva, Mahādeva’s, the Vāyu Devatā explained the forms of Agni and Soma, the world... This Śiva tattva is not bound by anyone; it is not subject to any nature, nor is it governed by anyone’s rule or regulation. This Bhagavān Śiva, out of compassion, incarnates through Brahmā to unite the Trideva, and emerges from the mouth of Brahmā. They come together and the work of dissolution is divided among all, that is, the work of bringing everyone back into oneself. And through Brahmā, the saints were instructed about what rules to follow, what types of practices to undertake. Śivo Mahāśvara Rudra Viṣṇu, the great father of the universe, the all-knowing Paramātmā—these are all names of Bhagavān Śiva; Śiva himself is Viṣṇu. Śiva is Brahmā Himself, and Śiva is the very Upamanyu among all the ṛṣis, who in childhood did not even have milk to be fed by his mother; yet Bhagavān Śiva accepted him as His own gaṇa. Indra himself tests him, and this Upamanyu has given teachings to Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, as mentioned in the story of the door. Through Jāmbavatī, Upamanyu also imparted to Śrī Kṛṣṇa the knowledge of Pāśupata. This knowledge you have already heard before. This is the style of our Purāṇas; they have their own pattern in which the same topic is discussed two or three times. Here, the Brahmin is asking Upamanyu for knowledge. "What are the glories of Govinda, O Lord Śiva and Śivā?" Upamanyu explains: I can only briefly describe the auspicious opulence of Śivā and Śiva. The one who wanders in this world is impure, and is called 'lower'; beyond this is the one who is free from the bondage of the inert. But then it is said to be pure, it is superior, that is, it is of the nature of cida-cit. These are naturally under the sovereignty of Śiva and Śivā. Śivā and Śiva—this entire universe is Śiva. We reside in Śiva, and Śiva resides in us. Now tell me, to whom are these subordinate? They are subordinate to Śivā, the regulator in the form of Śakti. She described it in the form of that supreme cosmic mother, Umā Pārvatī, and that is why tomorrow you will also hear the story of the goddess here. By the will of Śiva, the supreme śakti attains unity with the Śiva tattva; since the beginning of the kalpa, the manifestation of creation is just like this. Just as sesame and oil are not separate, just as wood and fire are not separate, similarly Śiva and śakti are not separate, just as fire manifests from wood. It happens that from such a Śiva, Śakti has manifested. Are the tongue and speech separate? When the tongue comes into an active form, what does it mean? I understand only one thing: all this is being told to us so that we do not consider ourselves weak, fragmented, or insignificant in life. Such pure, refined knowledge is being imparted. The Purāṇas are given to the jīvas so that they may strive to attain that supreme life, the Paramātmā, which has always existed. This body is momentary and fragile, and the relationships, connections, and attachments related to this body must be renounced, severed, and broken in order to rise above this momentary fragility and its essence. Now this small section of the Vāyavīya Khaṇḍa is concluding; after this, the day after tomorrow, the complete Śiva Purāṇa will be covered. The Satguru Mahārāj said that in all the scriptures, just as when a person applies for a job, they are asked about their eligibility or qualifications, similarly, when we become qualified for it—many times it seems good, much has come, but life remains as it is; there has been no transformation in life. The reason there has been no change in life is that perhaps we are not yet qualified for that thing. We are simply not yet devoted to the Guru, nor are we committed to the satsaṅga, nor to these individuals. Now you understand that your true question is your own. It is not that a person asks question after question... You said about potential, but we are not fire. How do you rub it? Practice yoga early in the morning, and what else should you do? Meditate, and what else should you do? Before that, eligibility. To burn wood, the fire element inside it must dry out. If you want to see fire in the wood, the wood must be completely dry. If the wood is not dry, if it is wet with water, it will not give you complete light or complete fire. In Marwadi, there is a very beautiful word which has no exact explanation. It is said "chaḍmaṛā hai liye kyā sīlī," and look, sometimes even in Indian films there is spirituality. Is this really living? Sīlī sīlī, living like this, half-heartedly, incompletely. Not living with totality, you are living like half-halted, śīlī śīlī, there is śīlā, right? Just like this weather in India, you put your cloth in front of the sun rays to dry, but it does not dry completely; your clothes are, to put it this way, a little bit wet, not completely wet, but a little bit wet—this is also called śīlana, right? Śīlana has come. Neighbors—this is a major problem in India. The water from the neighbor’s house damages the walls of your house; similarly, others’ thoughts also contaminate our own thoughts. You sit... Yes, in the meditation hall, and you will say, suddenly why am I feeling restless? This is true, my dear friends: you are sitting in front of God and you want to meditate, and suddenly you see anger arising in your heart, and many times you feel exploited, yet you do not go outside from it. If you feel a lot of vibration in your house or your room or your āśrama, this vibration is the result of the blessing of your neighbor. Your neighbor is beating his wife, or the wife is beating her husband—it is the same thing; nowadays both happen. So the one who is beating, who is continuously beating, will waves arise from within him or not? They will arise. Those waves will swirl around, and you two, quietly sit together, two opposite people. Sit them together, restlessness will begin, itching will start—not itching in the body, but itching in the mind, in the heart; that is their aura. So, with our neighbors, because the greatest obstacle in meditation is that we cannot love our enemies. That is why the Śiva Mahāpurāṇa says that this entire universe is Śiva, and the operating power is Pārvatī. The one who is operating this, this māyā, that is why Bhagavatī is called san-māyā and Durgā is called māyā. Māyā is the force that operates, right? This system, the system by which this world is functioning, that is Pārvatī. Such an explanation will not be found in any scripture of the world about Paramātmā. Just two days ago, a sister was asking, how do you explain Bhagavān and the world? I said the explanation is very simple, but living it is difficult. Maybe the explanation and the teaching are simple, but living it is hard. This is the explanation of Paramātmā and His world: God is the dancer and this whole world is the dance; God is the singer and this whole world is the song of God; God is the painter and this world is the painting. It is a simple matter—if you have understood, then after this, there is nothing left to understand; if you have not understood, then nothing else will make sense. So now become a sannyāsī; it is as simple as that. The soul itself says this: this world is Śiva, and the power that drives this world has emerged from Bhagavān Śiva. So what is the difference between the two? You tell me, there is no difference. But this difference appears, this duality appears. By the grace of the Guru, when my Guru imparts knowledge, holds my hand, joins hands, and places it on the head—The pot of knowledge was sealed by my Gurudev, it was sealed by Brahmānanda; if it breaks, let it break. This pot, as they say, is like a vessel on the head of a wealthy person. The pot we are carrying is about our Bhagavān Śiva and Parameśvara Umā. Whatever is heard is all about that. The form of Umā and the listener is none other than Bhagavān Śaṅkara himself. Oṃ Namaḥ Śivāya—this is the ultimate non-dual interpretation: whatever exists is Śiva and Pārvatī. Bhagavān Śiva is the subject, and the objects of the world are Umā; she is Bhagavatī Parāmbā. Everything that is heard is the form of Umā, and the one who listens is Mahādeva himself; therefore, the listener... All is Bhagavān; therefore, to all of you listeners seated here, Mahādeva is the embodiment of Viśvātmā and Śiva. Such is the declaration—yato vāco nivartante aprāpya manasā saha, ānandam brahmaṇo vidvān na bibheti kadācana. The Mahāśiva Purāṇa states that Parameśvara is beyond all transformations and transcendental. The source from which the mind and senses, as well as speech, return is the bhūti. The mind, speech, and senses are not separate entities; they are Paramātmā. Therefore, we cannot comprehend Him through these eyes, these ears, this nose, or this tongue. He must be understood by going beyond these objects. Let us take three moments, two moments, and chant Om. And now, we will conclude today’s satsaṅga, which began with the ārtī. Everyone, please join me in chanting Om. We are sitting in silence for just two moments. Just sit silently for a few moments. Words cannot explain that ultimate Paramātmā, the ultimate truth, truth, truth.