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The Five Sheaths and the Path of the Disciple

A spiritual discourse on the five sheaths (kośas) and the qualities of a disciple.

"Every creature who is born with a physical body has to get creation. And so, my dear, get it married quickly."

"An uttam disciple can come through. The master does not ask anything; the master does not need anything."

The lecturer leads a satsang, beginning with the significance of Guru Purnima. He explains the five sheaths—Annamaya, Pranamaya, Manomaya, Vijnanamaya, and Anandamaya Kosha—and how karma affects them. He elaborates on the three types of disciples (uttam, madhyam, kanishtha) and draws parallels between a master's need for a successor and a parent's duty to have children, discussing the spiritual implications of these life paths.

Filming location: Vép, Hungary

Śrīdīp Nārāyaṇ Bhagavān Kī Jai, Śrī Śrī Deveśvar Mahādev Kī Jai, Satguru Svāmī Madhavānandjī Bhagavān Kī Jai, Devādidev Deveśvar Mahādev Kī Jai, Alakpurjī Mahādev Kī Jai. Eleven times reciting the Aum. There are different centers. We have the worship of Guru Pūrṇimā. It is rare that Thursday is Guru Dev and Pūrṇimā together; that is very, very significant. Every moon changing has a special constellation. According to the Vedic science, all the twelve months have their special significance. Those who develop their spiritual development are yogīs. Let us begin from the first day, the full moon. The first day of the full moon has a mantra for this day. Pūrṇa means complete. That is the entire universe. Not only our Earth, or particularly the constellation of some days, and what we call the graha, but they are all within this completeness: all the suns, all the stars. All are within this completeness, as we know. Often we have spoken about this, that the fourteen different worlds are within this Sūrya, that is, the sun system. And Ikesha Brahmāṇḍa, two thousand one hundred different sun systems. That yogī said, in the human body, in human consciousness, in human awareness, all this is included in the completeness of 2100 suns. But beyond them, there is more, but then you cannot come back. We cannot go even to this sun. It is a sādhanā, a practice. So it is called the siddhā. These siddhās exist in the astral form, or current śarīra. They are there still. They have purified their physical body. From time to time, they appear like a physical body, but we cannot touch that. If you hold the hand, it is just emptiness. So far, those Siddha yogīs have purified their physical body also. There are five different bodies. Generally, in English, they say three bodies because they have only approached that far. It is called the physical body, the mental body, and the subtle body. That is all. But according to the yogic science, the Vedic science, according to the creation, according to the humans, there is the body, and therefore it is called the Annamaya Kośa, which we all have learned many, many times. Prāṇamaya Kośa, the prāṇas. Annamaya Kośa is the body of nourishment, this body which is nourished from the five elements. Five bodies, five elements. The solid food, the prāṇa food—this is connecting with the five bodies. So first, beginning with our physical body. Now, after that body, we, through our Kriyā, which we are learning—Kriyā, in which you are practicing the Kriyās. So Mahāprabhujī has given, Devpurījī has given, Gurujī has given about 64 kriyās. But you must not be practicing all of them. One or two kriyās is more than enough. So there are these kriyās, and I think I have written somewhere. But you can only give these signs of Kriyās if the aspirant, the bhakta, or a disciple, is yogya. Now, yogya is a different word to explain in English: capable. Capable also means having the qualities, being perfect in every aspect. That can be the disciple’s, the master’s success and disciple. It is not easy, but if you have one student, one disciple, you can further guide the other disciples as parents and bring them to the highest level of consciousness. It is not easy to become a yogī disciple. So, yogya—exactly, this word is also not just "capable." That is also not only that. Somebody should look in your dictionary for yogī. If you find it, then tell me. The word in English, or in German, or in Croatian, or Hungarian, or Slovakian, or any other. There are different disciples. There are three different qualities. One disciple is such that even the master does not ask. But that disciple will get the message through feelings. He or she will do it without asking. The second, if you ask to do it, then it will do it. And the third one, if it is asked—for example, if I am telling Umāpurī to do this, and she will say, "Dayā, go and do it. Bring it." Giving an order to the order. So this is a quality called uttam, madhyam, and kaniṣṭha. Please write these three names. Uttam. Uttam has the best quality. Best to best to... best quality. That is like a yogī. In Āyurveda we say arogya. Arogya means healthy. Rogī means unhealthy. No, I will... In the Yugoslavian language, there is one word called rogla. Yes or no? Now, I do not know what "rogla" means in your Yugoslavian language. What does that mean? Mountain. And in our world, rogla means a very, very ill person or animal or something. Do not touch. That is called rogla. So rogla and nirogla. And nirogla means without disease, healthy. And the other one is called uttama, pure, clean. So, an uttam disciple can come through. The master does not ask anything; the master does not need anything. But in reality, the master is searching, searching for a disciple, for a bhakta. Because even the master does not want to leave the body until some disciple is there to whom he can give his body, give his all tattvas, and that master, with great peace and happiness, goes to the highest consciousness. Like one couple. When a couple marries, a man and a woman, in reality it is for making the generation, children, one after the other. So, those who are married are successful in your human life when you give a child. A girl or a boy? More. You can have more. That is called multiplying. Similarly, the master, or one who does not marry, when practicing, you also have to get one disciple, at least one, who will live this life further. The master needs at least one teacher who will carry on his life. O Gurudev, please lead us from light to light. The disciple said, "Gurudev, remove the darkness from my heart, the darkness of ignorance." And light in my heart. Everyone, even the animals, they are multiplying. You know that love; the love is created. The creation has created this love between male and female to make more, multiplying. But they will not do. A woman is sitting there; she has no feelings. And she has none; the womb is empty. Or a man, no more feelings. So God has created this indriya. Indriya is called the feeling of the love. And this love is not one-sided. Two. The love of the woman, the feeling of the woman, the man cannot feel. And man’s love, man’s feelings, that woman cannot feel. But this and that, both are tricking. And those who do not have these feelings of the male toward the female, or the female toward the male, that is still in between, nothing. Sometimes, if you get a fruit and you open it, there is no seed. That is it. Fruitless. But you have to protect. You have to protect until the end of your life, your child, your guarantee. Otherwise, you are making big, big, big mistakes. If you do not give love to your children, even until your child is 90 years old and you are alive, you are still protecting, and not only this. After that, it does not matter, animals or humans. You will come to the astral world. That is called Pitṛloka. Now you are in Pitṛloka. So they said, "Okay, you are here now. But have you left others behind?" It is like stairs, one after another. You have no more stairs to go. You cannot climb further. You have one house, and to go to the one floor, you go step by step. And there are 15 stairs, but there are only 8 stairs. You came to only eight stairs on it, but further there are no steps. What will you do? What will I do? I go back down, but there is no more way to turn back. There is another one waiting for it. So you are hanging in what we call the pitṛloka. Therefore, every creature who is born with a physical body has to get creation. And so, my dear, get it married quickly. Yes. Hurry up. Or it must not be. Then get their Brahmajñāna. That is automatic. You have a lift; there is no staircase. You have a lift. How comfortable. And steps are not easy. The mother has a lot of difficulties, or no difficulties, for nine months; she knows what it means to have a child in the womb. But God has created this system. So either you go there or you go to this side. So, this is that. It means you are in between. There is no feeling from the female side toward the male. And I do not know, there are female to female, I do not know, they can make many exercises, but there is no seed inside at all. Or the men. Yes, they can unstrangle. We have this in English. But without that fruit coming there, you cannot go. So we respect God’s creation very nicely. Yes. And if you are doing that, then you are going against that principle. Or there is one more, a third one. It is neither this nor that, neither that feeling nor these feelings. It has no, this one, indriya. From this calm indriya. Calm. You know what is calm? Calm. Calm means patience. Patience. So, they are called the kinnar. They are called the kinnar. And the Kinner’s principle and their law is very, very beautiful and very nice. But do not be the sinner, okay? It can be a curse for you. So, there are two kinds of curse. I mean, I have nothing against it. With one hand you can wash it, but two hands can do it nicely. So where are you now? So, the first step is the physical body. Then comes the prāṇamaya kośa, the energy, the prāṇa. And this energy, this prāṇa, is given by our vegetation. And that prāṇa is in each and every cell of the body. And sometimes, when all the cells lose energy, then you are so tired. Or you have a fever, then all the cells are down, no energy. So again, we have to create that energy. Prāṇamaya kośa, manomaya kośa, the mental power. If you do not have the energy, you have to create your mental family. You will tell mentally, "I will get up and go and bring this nice orange juice. I will drink this orange juice, and then I will eat prāṇa again." Prāṇamaya kośa, then the vijñānamaya kośa. Act with your brain. That is jñāna, that is called knowledge. That knowledge is very important. Every creature has knowledge. Every vegetation has knowledge. But it is limited, but the human brain has more capacity for that knowledge, and it can develop that knowledge more and more. That is why I call it the knowledge, Vijñānamaya Kośa. Vigyan is a science, and the science is that knowledge. So, how much vijñāna do you have? That is very important. Each of you has an immense amount of vijñāna, knowledge. You have much, much knowledge, very much, and you feel it. But there are some who are researching to get the knowledge from our body. And then comes Ānandamaya Kośa. Now, this Ānandamaya Kośa is two kinds of kośas. One is ānanda, it is just the joy. But another ānanda is that, it is the Brahmajñāna. And that is why it is ānanda. Now, in these five elements or the kośas comes our destiny on the path. There are from the past karmic elements in between your consciousness. There are many, many things that you have done with all these annamaya, prāṇamaya, manomaya, vijñānamaya, ānandamaya kośas, all. What have you spoken? Your word, what mouth you speak? Good or bad? Anger, hate, or jealousy? Joy, happiness, friendly, the dearest one. Everything is coming to our ānandamaya kośa. In the Bhagavad Gītā, 15th chapter, the first mantra, it is said that every tree has roots down and branches going up. But the human’s roots are in the brain, here, and the branches are down. Read in the first chapter. What is the 5th mantra? So, the root of the tree is below and the branch is above. But the root of the human being is here, and the branch is here. These are branches hanging down here. So now, here it is said, any problem, any illness, whatever, you have cancer, schizophrenia, are there any kind of illnesses? Begins from Ānandamaya Kośa, from up coming from there. Coming from Ānandamaya Kośa, Jñānamaya Kośa, Prāṇamaya Kośa, Manomaya Kośa, and this Annamaya Kośa. Then come and attack this physical body. Because of that karma, you came and you went away. But what was it that you spoke to, or talked to, or did something that made you happy? I am the winner, I am this and so. But this is coming step by step, step by step. There now, this Jīvātmā has to go out, but these saṃskāras, these saṃskāras, destiny presses you down, and it comes one after the other, slowly, slowly, coming down. And it makes you weaker and weaker and weaker. Therefore, we say, with our yoga practice, follow our dharma. Keep your principles. Know very exactly your actions, your words, your actions, your touch, your look, anything that we have to take into consideration. I put this lid from this glass here. But this lead is here, but you put it here, and you left. Someone had to do this, but that was your karma, so you have to pay back. Do you understand me or not? Do you understand what I am talking about? Therefore, sometimes some words are very hard to speak very clearly without anything. Then you harm someone. Some say this person is very straight and correct. So humans are making between some, what we call, understanding, love, forgiving, kindness, humbleness, etc. We are quoting that, our heart’s words, with our love, our humbleness. Automatically, that karma will dissolve. And so these 64 kriyās, they are different kriyās. But only that disciple can learn and keep, and whom to give and whom not to give. Sometimes they will not give you further. Then it lasts forever. It will last forever. But not to give to anyogya. Anyogya, yogya, anyogya. That is called kaniṣṭha. That, if you give to someone’s hand, you do not know how it will be used, for what they will use it. It is said that the person who made this atom, who created this atom, came to know that this atom would become the biggest problem. I do not know if it is true or not, but he said that the person who created the atom committed suicide. And did we know what is happening now? Yes, that was. So, there is an atom in the consciousness of the master for something good. So I have in my hand something very good, but it is a knife. For some good things, and I give it to the other’s hand, and I die. Now you do not know how this person will use that knife, and that will go karma to that person. Therefore, before you give your word, your instructions, your anything—all, sorry, everything—carefully you give to your successors. And who is your successor? Your children. Or your disciple. So sometimes you do everything, but still your child will not follow you. Like the king Kaṁsa. Kans, his father was the king also, and still the king is there, and his son, Kans, he was like a rākṣasa. He was an uncle of Krishna, and Krishna took incarnation because of Kaṁsa to destroy him. And how much did Krishna have to suffer? And how much did Krishna’s mother have to suffer? Krishna’s father suffered. That mother, how much she suffered, you know that? This all was counted, each and every step. Then Krishna came. And so the Kant says to his father, because some of his friends said, "You are like a king, your father is just like some holy saint. You are the best as a king." So he comes from a battle and goes directly to his father. And says, father, you give me the crown, or should I take it? He was ready to kill his father to take the crown of the king. And like these people are nowadays. They tell children, they are only 20 years or 25, 30 years, and they tell the parents, "Please sign all property on my name. It is mine, yes, okay? You gave me birth, that is all, but now it is my property. I will do as I like." You know how many elderly people are suffering in this Kali Yuga. The son wants to do good for his parents, but his wife comes in and says, "I am your parents." Now, this poor boy is on both sides. I love her, and I will go this way. But I love my parents. Then where am I? So you know these boys, these men, these boys sitting there. It is not easy for this man who is sitting on the staircase. On the steps, or maybe there is this girl. The boy said to this girl, "Either go there or this." She said, "I left my house. I left my parents. I gave my whole self, I gave it to you. And now you tell me, 'Go out'? Where will I go?" Emotionally, inwardly. You do not know what this means: a girl newly marries, and the boy says, "I do not like you, go away." This situation is there. And there are other times, when one girl comes married into that house, she is such a holy soul, the whole house and families of that place where this girl is married. Came, it became so prosperous and happy and joyful and light and everything. One girl who came there, that we call a Lakṣmī. Yes. Lakshmī is faithful. Lakshmī does not go left and right and here. There are many Lakṣmīs sitting here. And I see sometimes in meditation what they are doing. I gave the name Lakshmi, but still she did not understand. So you are all women, and women, you are all Lakṣmīs. Lakṣmī means not money. But Lakshmī means happiness, joy, spirituality, peace, harmony, love, everything. That boy who marries her becomes so happy. It makes the whole family higher. Similarly, for a disciple, your master will say, "My tapasyā, my sādhanā, is now completed," and that disciple will say, "My life is now the last life of this creation. I am in mokṣa and divine." So, you have both sides. It does not matter if you marry or you do not marry; nobody forces you. But do not hang somewhere, then you will become paichen, hanging somewhere, that is it. So, this is how we say it about the chakras. And so there are different chakras in the body, and in our body there are devas. Not only your soul. In every, in your one atom, there are billions of divine souls again, all human. Just understand your body, what is within you. Within you is the ocean of immortality. Within you is the fountain of joy. Within you is immortality, peace. So in the navel, that seed of it is in the navel. And there is the heart of the mother here, in your navel. The mother has more pain than the father. Of course, the father will also cry when you die. But the mother feels that pain in her womb at that time, that her child died. We are humans, we should understand this.

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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