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Raja Yoga and Mantra

A spiritual discourse on consciousness, creation, and meditation.

"From that Ānanda, from the endless, Śiva has created life on this earth. Everything comes from Śiva and merges into Śiva."

"Meditation without a mantra is like a statue without a soul... When you practice a mantra, then slowly, slowly, all the vṛttis, all the thoughts from your consciousness, will come together."

The speaker delivers a teaching on the origin of creation from the formless divine sound (nāda) and Śiva consciousness, explaining how all beings emerge and will ultimately merge back into this source. He emphasizes the importance of a sattvic diet, compassion for all creatures, and correct meditation practice using a mantra and specific hand mudrā to control the mind and ascend beyond the three guṇas.

Filming location: Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

Namaśivāya, oṁ namaśivāya, hara hara gaṅgī, namaśivāya, oṁ hara hara gaṅgī, namaśivāya, oṁ... Hara hara Śaṅkara, Bhagavān kī adoration, yambhu Śiva Śiva yenādi Śiva law jī. Kain Leva Oṁ. Ananta—endless, beyond everything, limitless. We are limited beings. We cannot understand or imagine it, for it is beyond our consciousness, our awareness, and our achievement. Yet, from that Ānanda, from the endless, Śiva has created life on this earth. Everything comes from Śiva and merges into Śiva. As the Vedas said, "Eko'haṁ bahusyāmi." There was nothing, only dark, endless space. Then came the nādarūpa parabrahma—the resonance, the sound. The resonance of that sound is parabrahma, the supreme, the highest, which has no form. You cannot touch it, smell it, or see it, but it is. That divine, that infinite, declares: "I am the life, I am the self, I am the life and I am the death, I am the creator and I am the creation." Everything is my own māyā. Within that infinite arose a feeling: "I am one, and I will become many." But how? "I am one and will multiply." That multiplication comes through the sound Oṁ. Ākāra, Ukāra, Makāra: Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva. That Brahman, that sound, is beyond the manifestation of Śiva itself. Because he manifested, he came, and therefore he must go. Āyā so to jāegā rājā, raṅka fakīr. Whoever came will go, no matter who they are—Śiva, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Rāma, Kṛṣṇa—all incarnations, all creatures, all humans, all who came into being will go. But where will we go? We will all merge into that consciousness, the divine consciousness, the universal consciousness of Śiva. Śiva means liberation. Śiva means consciousness. Śiva means beauty. Śiva means the ultimate. Satyam Śivam Sundaram. The truth, Śiva, the beauty of the universe, the endless universe. This creation comes through nāda. What is that nāda? It is like a vibration. If I slightly touch this microphone, there will be a sound. The center is here. The center is our body. If a mosquito bites or lands on your small toe, the whole body knows immediately, without any waiting time. It does not take half a minute or ten seconds. That is called one without a second. Sound. And in that sound, we can speak of taraṅga. Taraṅga is that kind of layer. In a very peaceful lake, we throw one stone and see the waves, the taraṅga. Or samundar kī taraṅgeṁ, the waves of the ocean. From this sound, out of these taraṅgas, many things were created: the moon, the sun, the stars, the planets, and so on. From that Śiva consciousness, from those taraṅgas, it is said that 8.4 million different creatures on this earth have been created by the one Śiva. That is the fluttering on the waves of the ocean. But are there truly waves? The wave is on the ocean, yet the ocean itself is without waves; there are no waves. So there is no difference between the waves and the ocean. We are that taraṅga; we are that vibration of Śiva consciousness. We are within and one with Śiva. So, waves cannot exist without the ocean, and these waves will merge back. What is that? Our soul? We are jīva. Jīva means life. Life will never die. Life is life. The body also will not die? This fire is... The ocean is Śiva. When a drop of water falls into the ocean, it becomes one. But as soon as Śiva himself manifested, he came into this mind. So perhaps he does not like what I am telling about him. You are great, you are divine, you are immortal; we are mortal. In that Śiva consciousness, we are all now the 8.4 million different creatures who have come here to this martyaloka, the mortal world. Who came will go, and who went will come. Caracārī kā khelā, jag meṁ do dina kā melā. Koī calā gayā aura koī calā jāyegā, koī gatharī bāṁdha khaḍā, akelā. Caracārī kā khelā. This is a theater of creation here on this earth. Caracārī kā khelā, jag meṁ do dina kā melā. We have these meetings or melās or festivals for only two days, no third day. Finished, forget it. Two days. One was yesterday, and now is one day today. No one can see tomorrow. There is no tomorrow, only the present. The past is past, the future is just a concept. Now, present and future, we do not know. So what we do now in this present situation will come before us in the future. But what happens with the past? Karma is there. It is stored in our own consciousness. God has nowhere to store it. There is no storage in this space anywhere. God made a perfect system so that everyone has their śikṣā or karma, their destiny, everything in this small, small drop which we cannot see with our naked eyes. We can only see it through meditation. Through that, we have to enter into that divine consciousness. And that is why, oh man, do not be proud. Do not say, "I can do everything." Nothing. There is no scientist in the world today who can create one drop of blood. And there is no scientist who can make honey like a honey bee. So protect the bees. Protect the flies. Protect the butterflies; otherwise, you will have no fruits. No fruits. Take care. Avoid pesticides. Avoid them. Otherwise, not only the fruits, but you also will not be here. Or your grandchildren will be born without hands, without limbs, or without one eye. It is already happening. Therefore, saṅkalpa lelo—make a promise to yourself that I will only give nourishment; my food will be only 100% organic. If one day you do not get food, do not worry; do not eat junk food. You will not die in two days, you will not die in three days, do not worry, you will not die in five days. Search for that kind of sāttvika food: āhāra, vihāra, ācāra, and vicāra. First is āhāra, nourishment, your diet. Your diet should be full of energy, full of life. Do not eat dead bodies. Do not eat dead bodies. Nowadays, doctors are saying you should eat meat. Doctors have nothing in their brain if they are telling you to eat meat. That is why they say, "No, you will be healthy." Who said so? Today, why are there so many hospitals in Europe? Many people there eat meat, and they have many more hospitals than we do. And now, since people have begun to consume eggs and meat and alcohol, day by day, more and more disease is coming even to those who are sāttvika. Balanced food with energies—the human body is designed for fruits, nuts, honey, milk, corns, and seeds. That is it. Out of 8.4 million different creatures, one is the human. Humans have all the abilities and all the siddhis, both good and bad—both āsurī śakti and daivī śakti. Both are filled in the human body. Now, try to push down the āsurī śakti's negative power and try to bring positivity, harmony, happiness, joy, mercy, everything. Do not harm any creature. Can you imagine that you take a chicken and cut its throat? Or a rabbit, or a dog, or a cat? In China, how do they treat cats? They catch the cat with tongs, and children go to the restaurant and say, "Parents and the restaurant say, 'Which cat do you like to eat?'" There are many cats in a cage. Then they catch the cat with tongs and put it in boiling hot water for one minute or half, then take it out and put it in cold water. Because the skin, they can just pull it out. With tomatoes, you peel them, right? Keep them in warm water, put them in cold water, and the peel comes off. Now that cat is alive; they leave it in the water. They take the skin away while the cat is still alive, and it is just suffering and taking its last breath. Human, then you are not a human. You catch a goat and cut the neck of the goat. They say one way is a little, and one is halāl. So the saying is, why does he do halāl? It is meant for movement. That is why movement is something. So a human is born as a protector, not a destroyer. Therefore, meditation is a way to thyself. But meditation without a mantra is like a statue without a soul. If there are no living beings in this body, then the body is like this. If there are living beings, then they will do something. If there is a soul, then you are alive; otherwise, you are a dead body. Therefore, meditation according to Rāja Yoga involves yama-niyama, and it is very hard for people to master this yama and niyama. After this comes āsana-prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, dhāraṇā (concentration), dhyāna, samādhi. Concentration cannot be achieved until you have a mantra. You meditate, meditate, meditate. There was one man who was meditating. His granddaughter, his daughter-in-law (his son's wife), was there. The grandfather, the father-in-law, said to her—in India we call all daughters—"My daughter," and they also say "Pāpā," father, "pitā." He said, "I am meditating, and I have an appointment with someone. When that person comes, tell him that very soon I will come. I am meditating." A person came and knocked on the door. She opened the door. He asked, "Is your father here?" She said, "Yes, please come in. My father told me that you would come. Have a cup of tea, and my father will be with you soon." He had gone to buy shoes. He thought, "I'm meditating here. Tell him I'm coming very soon. I'm in the meditation room meditating, my sādhanā." And she said, "My father, father-in-law, he went to the market to buy shoes." He became angry. After meditation, he came and spoke with that person. When the person was gone, he asked her, "My daughter, why did you lie? I told you I'm meditating, and you said I was going to buy shoes." She said, "Father, I told the truth." He said, "You did not tell the truth." "Yes, Father. Your body was here, but you were thinking you were in the market: which shoe shop is good, where can I buy good shoes?" He was shocked. "How do you know?" She said, "I practice yoga in daily life. So when you meditate, you are here, but you are not thinking of being here. You are going to New Delhi, so you are already in New Delhi. Or you are meditating and saying, 'I want to go to see the beautiful city Jodhpur. Which hotel will be good?' So you are not here; you are searching for a hotel there." This is the reality. You try to meditate, but your awareness is not there; therefore, there is no concentration. You cannot concentrate if you do not have a very solid subject or a point, and therefore, a mantra is needed. When you practice a mantra, then slowly, slowly, all the vṛttis, all the thoughts from your consciousness, will come together. Your awareness will be there, that you are in meditation with your mantra. You will lead thyself into higher consciousness. Meditation begins from your navel, not from here. Your life began with the Manipūra Cakra, the Nābhi Kamala. What? The creation began with the nābhi, from the navel. The middle point of thyself is the navel. The middle point of the entire universe is the navel. From there, this begins. Your awareness comes there and becomes calm and peaceful. All vṛttis go away. So when we have tomorrow's meditation—now it has been one and a half hours already—practice, practice, practice. I will give you a little instruction. Sit in meditation at home. Look at me. This is called Cin Mudrā. To pāñc aṅguliyāṁ haiṁ. This is Brahman, not Brahmā. Brahman. The ultimate. And this is the Jīva, the individual soul. Jīva wants to merge into Śiva. So, this is ātmā and Paramātmā. Ātmā, the self, and the supreme self. Though both merge into one, this is called yoga. To merge into that, ātmā into paramātmā. This is ātmā and paramātmā. The three fingers are sattva, rajas, and tamas—the three guṇas. So when you meditate, be above the three guṇas: sattva, rajas, and tamas. So when you meditate, this is thyself, and this is the higher self. Both merge into oneness, and keep these three guṇas—Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas—separate. Also, there are chakras throughout the whole body—many, many chakras. So here, when you meet in the chakra, then you are connected, and you will easily bring thy vṛttis, your thoughts, your thinkings, and all your kind of restlessness; it will be harmonized into oneness. Now, in Western countries where I am teaching, in physiotherapies and psychologists, they give this mudrā and tell you to lie down and hold like this, relax the hands. What will happen? The restlessness will disappear and peace will appear. So every mudrā, āsana, prāṇāyāma, mudrā, bandha, kriyā, etc., has something inside, but you have to hold it and not press. If you press, you will have pain. Gently, if you move your finger in your palm, very soon you will feel there is a stone inside. Have you tried it sometime? Yes, just try it. Why not? Today is a day without money. Tomorrow I will charge. So you find something like a stone. The same thing when you go like this, you will feel that energy. Vṛtti ekāntra hotīye. Citta vṛtti nirodhaḥ. Patañjali, Ṛṣi Maharṣi Patañjali writes in his Patañjali Yoga Sūtra: "Yogaḥ citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ." When your thoughts are dissolved, then your Yoga Sādhanā will be perfect. Second, Arā Uradhā. Breath going with Arā Uradhā—ascending and descending breath while inhaling and exhaling. So now you put your mind, your vṛttis, on this rill of the breath coming and going, coming and going. In this ascending and descending, between that, you have your guru mantra. There are many, many mantras. Every mantra is good, but you have your bīja mantra, your guru mantra, that will lead your ātmā. Your ātmā, ātmā, jīvātmā—jīvātmā is a mixture of ātmā and ātmā. So this jīva will be led by the guru principle, the tattva. Guru is not a physical body. It is called the Tattva, that consciousness. Guru Brahmā, Guru Viṣṇu, Guru Devo Maheśvaraḥ. Guru Sākṣāt, Guru Sākṣāt Paraṁ Brahma tasmai Śrī Gurave Namaḥ. So that Guru is beyond, above Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva. So that Guru, not this body. But why do we keep or adore the body? Because the body is that precious box in which a very valuable treasure is hidden. And which treasure? That awakened consciousness, awakened awareness, that quality of spirituality. Spirituality means purity. Purity means like a crystal clear consciousness and awareness that will lead us. Next time, we will meditate. Every time I am saying, "Next time, we meditate." And they come, but you know, first I have to prepare. I have a base, and then we can meditate. Let's see for a while Parampīṭha Paramātmā kā Nāma Śubharaṁ. Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa, Śrīman, Nārāyaṇa, Śrīman, Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa,... Śrīmān, Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa, Lakṣmī Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa, Lakṣmī Nārāyaṇa, Lakṣmī Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa, Lakṣmī Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa, Devādideva Lakpūrī Jī, Mahādevakī Dīpa, Nārāyaṇa Bhagavānakī, Satguru Svāmī Mādhāvanājī Bhagavānakī. Devadideva Deveśvara Mahādevī Mātpitā Gurudevakī Satya Sanātandharvakī. Oṁ śānti, śānti,... bhavatu, hari-yoga.

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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