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Don't share your divine experiences with all

The first lesson of trust in Rājayoga is to listen to all but trust nothing until it is fully tested. A politician taught his son this by having him jump from a height, breaking his limbs, to demonstrate that one must not trust anyone completely, even a father. In spiritual practice, you must not fully trust anyone's words until you have verified them entirely. Do not openly share your delicate early spiritual experiences, as boasting can cause you to lose them, like a dog who, seeing his reflection, dropped his bread trying to take more. You are on the royal path but must wait humbly without proclaiming holiness. Attainment comes only through being a servant and devotee, never through claiming to be a guru. The Guru is not the body but the embodiment of supreme knowledge and bliss. Serve each other as service to the divine. True non-violence includes not harming yourself.

"Do not trust anyone, even your father."

"Do not openly share your good divine experiences."

Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic

Yesterday, I spoke extensively about Ahiṃsā, the first step and entry into Rājayoga. Rājayoga involves many trainings. A Rāja (king/royal practitioner) must trust all and yet trust none. There is a story, perhaps slightly negative or positive depending on your perspective, about a politician. A very successful politician had a son who, from a young age, wished to enter politics. The politician had a large, happy family—something rare for politicians today. The son pleaded, "Father, I want to learn politics. Can you teach me, please?" The father refused, saying, "I wouldn’t suggest it. It’s dirty. I can make you a big officer or give you a company, a coal mine, an oil mine, a gold mine. Choose anything." But the son insisted, "Father, I want to be like you." One morning, on a second-floor veranda, they were drinking tea. The son asked again, "Father, when will you teach me the first lesson of politics?" After much insistence, the father finally said, "Okay, my dear son. The first lesson: jump down from this higher floor." The son said, "Yes, father," and jumped. He broke his legs and arms. The father called an ambulance, and after six hours of surgery, the son was in the hospital, wrapped in bandages. The next day, the father visited. The son asked, "Father, what was this lesson? Do you want to break my legs?" The father replied, "No, my son. The first lesson is: don’t trust anyone, even your father." That is politics. In Rājayoga, you must listen to both sides, but until you can test something 100%, do not fully trust the words of anyone, even if you support them or do things for them. Mahāprabhujī said in his golden teaching: "As long as you do not know someone completely, do not tell them your secret or your words of trust." This is Rājayoga. You are all now on the path of Rājayoga. Some may think, "Nāyavād Swāmījī always tells these stories. We are not going to be kings; we just want to know Rājayoga." You might say, "Don't trust? Oh, really, it's not necessary. We know non-violence; that's all." Or, "Does he need three days to explain what is violence—hiṃsā and ahiṃsā?" This very thought means you did not trust the words of the Master. Do you think I enjoy telling so many stories? Day and night, in sleep and waking, sitting, talking, eating, during consultations—there is no free time at all. You may laugh, but this is the truth. Even in the toilet or shower, I am not free; I am thinking of how to explain things to you. That is why I created the story Sonamukhī. In the shower, with cold water, I think: what can I do for you that is good, so that you understand? A river has curves, not the water. Similarly, this world has many curves, but your knowledge should have no curves. We must understand the Vākyas (sacred utterances). Rājayoga is your siddhi (perfection), your words, your path, your success, your samādhi. Do not tell everyone. When you speak of half-experiences, you add many masalās (spices) to make them seem grand, and then you lose everything. There is a story of a dog who stole bread. With the bread in his mouth, he ran from other dogs. Coming to a pond, he stopped and saw his reflection in the water. He thought, "Oh, there is another dog with bread. I will take that bread too." He opened his mouth to bark, the bread fell into the water, and he lost both. Similarly, your Kriyā Yoga, your meditation, your practices, your spiritual experiences in the beginning are delicate. Either you lose everything or gain everything. So, do not openly share your good divine experiences. Others may become jealous or interested to have them, but you cannot give them, and you will lose them. Until we reach our gaṇṭabhya (destination), do not try to proclaim, "I am holy." It is not easy. So, a Rāja Yogi must wait. You are born into a royal family, but you do not know who will be the king. Wait. And do not wait to become the king; wish your father and mother a long life. But if you become a little learned and say, "I don't need any guru; I know everything," this is the first lesson of stupidity. A true king will not have this lesson, or you will lose everything. You lost everything in Kushaṅga, so do not listen to such thoughts. Change the subject to protect your spirituality. Also, do not harm others. Do not think you are greater than them. No. You can attain only by being a servant, not as a boss. You can get only as a bhakta (devotee). Otherwise, you may come to God and say, "God, I am also God. Can you give me some siddhi?" Then God will say, "Of course. Go into the mṛti loka (Earth) and first give all your siddhis to others. When you have none left, then, of course, I will give you." So, do not think you are a guru. On the day I think I am a guru, my Gurujī—who had a sturdy shoe—would use it on my head, because a slap would not affect my hard body. "You dare to say you are a guru?" It would mean I am nothing. Such feelings I have in my heart. I know I am a servant, a disciple. I have a duty; I am a messenger, a postman. I bring the letter; I do not know what is written inside. If I open it, it is a crime and I will be punished, so I cannot open it. Our Gurudev is Gurudev. Though Gurujī gave me a position, I am still like this. Who knows? Today is okay; tomorrow I may do something stupid. To protect my Guru’s words, I must be a servant of the servant. One day, Mahāprabhujī was in Kathu, in Dhuna, in a small room. Gurujī was sitting outside in another little room with a knitting machine. Mahāprabhujī’s shirt was old and torn, so Gurujī was knitting a new one. That shirt of Mahāprabhujī is now in our Vienna ashram. With great devotion, the Bhaktas preserve it in a fine glass box. It is so strong that a tree cannot lift it and a hammer cannot break it, yet it is transparent. Everyone comes and makes praṇām. You will see it was knitted. One day in Vienna, I was curious—as everyone is sometimes when something is hidden. I put my hand in the side pocket of Mahāprabhujī’s shirt and found inside a few little pieces of coconut and brown sugar, prasāda. I did not know what to do. Should I or should I not? That is sometimes the second lesson of politics. But you can only take from him as a son, not as a father. If you want to have everything from the father, you must become a son. So I said, "Thank you, Mahāprabhujī." Sometimes you show someone something, and they take it and say, "Thank you," even if you only showed it. So, politely, it was as if he said, "Okay, it’s for you." I looked at the altar and said, "Thank you, Mahāprabhujī." He only smiled. From those few pieces, I was generous enough to take only one and swallowed it. What value do you have from Gurudev? Only a bhakta knows. If you love someone and they die, even a little piece of their cloth you will hold to your heart and weep. It is from your beloved. Like when God Rāma found an ornament that Sītā dropped while Rāvaṇa was kidnapping her and the bird Garuḍa was fighting—Rāma took it to his heart and wept. That is love, and not just once. A lifelong word is given: "I will be thine. Devotees may come and go, my lord. I will be thy. All disappears, but I will be your loyal bhakta. Even if I go a far distance, beyond the stars, do not think I am lost or gone from you. My Lord, I will be Thine. And if I cannot manage to come and I die, if you see my dead body, please look kindly into my eyes. Though it is dead, my eyes will say mutely: though I died, I will be dying." That is called oneness. It is impossible to separate. That is between husband and wife, child and parents, master and disciple. You cannot separate. If you try to go beyond and separate, you will go into trouble. Yet, he will still be with you. Gurudev will be there, but your ignorance and doubts will torture you. That is called self-hiṃsā (violence to oneself). So non-violence is also towards yourself. When you take drugs or harm your body, you are violating it. This is also hiṃsā. To understand hiṃsā and ahiṃsā is not an easy chapter. That holy shirt of Mahāprabhujī and his shoes—I received one pair from Gurujī. One is in the glass box at the ashram, and one is in my pillow. There were two in my pillow, but then I shared, so one remained in my pillow and the other inside Mānasa Devī’s. Why not? I was so happy for her, that she is always sleeping at the holy lotus feet of Mahāprabhujī. Gurujī was working—I have not lost the story; you may think, "Swāmījī lost the story," but my memory is intact. Mahāprabhujī called loudly, "Mādhav, Mādhavānand!" Mādhav means "very sweet," a loving nickname. Holy Gurujī came. "Yes, Bhagavān, yes Prabhu." Mahāprabhujī was coming out of his room, tying his lungi as it was a little loose—as you see in that picture. Gurujī said, "Yes, what can I do?" Mahāprabhujī said, "Mother, ask for anything. I will give whatever you want. I give the kingdom of the whole universe or many siddhis. Whatever you want, this minute I give you all. Ask." What would you ask? If I made a gesture, light would come; all would be enlightened. Such a guru is great; we would have billions of disciples. The guru has siddhi; all would have something. Mahāprabhujī said, "Ask quickly; this is a constellation where I can give you all." Mahā Gurujī said, "Yes, I have a request, a desire. Please give me this: if I am born again, wherever you are, always let me be in your service. Nothing is more than this. In any loka (world), let me serve thy holy feet." Mahāprabhujī said, "Mādhav smiled. Okay. But you could have asked for more." Gurujī said, "Mahāprabhujī, what can be more than you?" Gurujī remembered this and later wrote a bhajan: "O Gurudev, if you do not accept my service directly, then let me serve your servant. When I serve your servant, please accept my service as service for you." So, let me serve your servant, and when your servant serves you, accept that it is my service. This means that you all serve each other, and in doing so, you are serving Gurudev. You are not merely serving Hanička, Banička, Finička, Dičička; you are serving God in them. This belongs to Bhakti Yoga as well. We do not know what will happen or how long the Kali Yuga will last, but if we are in the shelter of Gurudev Mahāprabhujī, we are always in Satya Yuga. Therefore, in Jñāna Yoga, Rāja Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Karma Yoga, there is sweetness, nectar, immortality, joy, happiness, freedom. What a best life one can have if we only understand what is Yoga. And the highest principle—you cannot go further: Guru Brahmā, Gurudev is Brahmā; Guru Viṣṇu, Gurudev is Viṣṇu; Gurudevo Maheśvara, Gurudev is Śiva. But these three are still not enough. Therefore, it goes further: Guru is himself Parabrahma. Therefore, adoration to Gurudev. Brahmaloka (creation), Viṣṇuloka, then Śivaloka—how will you go? Beyond them, there is a border. You need a passport to Brahmaloka. The passport is Guru Vākya and Guru Mantra. That mantra, that Vākya, lets you cross that sīmā (border), where even Śiva sometimes has a limit. Because when the words of the Guru come, Śiva steps back. But do not think of this body. This body is very limited. We are little creatures, like an ant, a fish, a mosquito. But that jñāna (knowledge), that siddhi, that sādhanā (spiritual practice), that tapasyā (austerity), that purified antaḥkaraṇa—the inner instruments: mana (mind), buddhi (intellect), citta (consciousness), ahaṅkāra (ego)—beyond that we must go. As much as you heat gold, it becomes purer. So the Guru is not a body anymore. That is Guru Tattva, Guru Devakī Tattva, which is beyond. Therefore, to understand more: Guru Brahmā, Guru Viṣṇu, Guru Devakī Tattva. To understand this, you must use another śloka, another word. So, Gurudev is Brahmananda Paramashukadam. Guru is the bliss of Brahman, not this body. That Brahman, the Supreme, Brahmanandam Paramashukadam, is the highest bliss. This Gurudev is not the body but the embodiment of knowledge. Sometimes I give someone the name Jñānamūrti. But then he became a Jñānamūrti. That is only One, everlasting, unmovable. Everyone’s aim is That, which is beyond this prapañca (worldly illusion), worldly desires, negative talk—all this is stupidity. When you speak bad words about someone, you should know that you are being stupid. As long as you did not speak, you were the wise one. The moment you said one word, we know how wise you are. So: ekam nityam vimalam achalam sarvadhi sākṣībhūtam—One, everlasting, spotless, immovable, the witness of all intellects. There are many such things. Our subject is Rājayoga. Now I am going to make you all Rājas—male and female, all. No gender, no duality. Therefore, I wish you all the best. Let us say: neither you nor me, then what? Deveśvara Mahādeva, Dev Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān, Satguru Svāmī Mādhavānandajī Bhagavān, Satya Sanātana Dharma, Bhārata Mātā Kī Jaya. Viśva Guru Mahāmaṇḍaleśvarī, Bhai Mahiśvānand Purījī Gurudev.

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:

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