Podcast details
Intellect
Happiness depends entirely on you, as the world is a creation of the mind. Your thoughts determine your feelings. God gave humans intellect for happiness, not for abuse through unnatural or unethical behavior. Patañjali described problematic thoughts, or kliṣṭa vṛttis, as those opposing spiritual law and ethics, which inevitably cause trouble. Any thought emanating from consciousness eventually returns to the individual. Therefore, one must use intellect to discern actions and their consequences before acting. Impressions from the senses create thoughts, which lead to feelings and then physical action. Non-problematic, or akliṣṭa, thoughts support self-protection and development. Ultimately, there is no one else to blame for your state.
"Any kind of thought or thinking which is against our spiritual path... those vṛttis will one day cause us troubles."
"Any vṛttis, meaning any thought which goes out from the human consciousness... will sooner or later come back to 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
