Podcast details
Neeti
Understanding Śruti, Smṛti, and Nīti.
Śruti is what is heard directly from the teacher. Smṛti is the memory of that teaching, which is then shared with others. Nīti is ethics, the principle of neti, neti—"not this, not this." The great sages established this Nīti and entrusted it to capable leaders, who became kings. Thus, Nīti became Rājanīti, or politics. Politics itself is not bad; it is for protection and must be guided by knowledge, love, and forgiveness, not force. The problem is Anīti, or injustice, which arises from greed, selfishness, and the desire for power. One must fight against discrimination and suffering with love, hating the wrong action but not the person.
"Politics is not bad. At the end of his autobiography, Mahatma Gandhi said that those who think politics and religion cannot go together do not know what politics is or what religion is."
"Gandhījī said we do not hate the person; we hate their actions. Even if they shoot us with guns, we will love them. We hate their gun, not the person."
Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic
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:
- Yoga in Daily Life - The System
Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda. Ibera Verlag, Vienna, 2000. ISBN 978-3-85052-000-3 - The Hidden Power in Humans - Chakras and Kundalini
Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda. Ibera Verlag, Vienna, 2004. ISBN 978-3-85052-197-0 - Lila Amrit - The Divine Life of Sri Mahaprabhuji
Paramhans Swami Madhavananda. Int. Sri Deep Madhavananda Ashram Fellowship, Vienna, 1998. ISBN 3-85052-104-4
