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Come back to God

A discourse on the twenty-four siddhis (yogic perfections) and their relationship to modern technology and yoga.

"One such siddhi is the ability for a yogī to communicate telepathically with someone from a great distance... However, modern technology has made it possible for everyone to talk, not just yogīs. Thus, telepathy has turned into the telephone."

"People used to think yoga was only for those who renounce their family... But now yoga has become such a popular and beloved subject."

Swami Avatarpuri Ji explains the traditional twenty-four siddhis, like telepathy and flight, and draws parallels to modern equivalents like telephones and airplanes. He discusses the universal applicability of yoga for stress relief, shares anecdotes about his grandmaster Śrī Devpurījī's miraculous abilities, and reflects on concepts of God, the cycle of rebirth, and the eternal conflict between positive and negative forces.

Recording location: Australia, Melbourne, Australian Tour

There are twenty-four siddhis, or perfections, described, which Mahāprabhujī possessed. My master, Holy Gurujī, describes these twenty-four siddhis in his book. One such siddhi is the ability for a yogī to communicate telepathically with someone from a great distance; this is possible. However, modern technology has made it possible for everyone to talk, not just yogīs. Thus, telepathy has turned into the telephone. Otherwise, one would have to practice for I don't know how many years of meditation to attain that siddhi. But the problem was this: if my telephone is functioning and yours is not, it doesn't help. Similarly, there is a siddhi where a yogī can simply fly. I have not seen a yogī fly, except I heard about my grandmaster, Śrī Devpurījī, who is at the midpoint. He could dematerialize anywhere and then suddenly reappear, and he could walk above the ground and on the water. For me, the best example for believing is that there are still people alive who saw him, who were his devotees. Many religious people recount how Śrī Devpurījī, when the rain came, would have rain falling about ten to fifteen meters around him, but no rain would fall on him. So today I was walking and the rain came. I said, "Mother, Śrī Devpurījī, please give me this siddhi because I have no umbrella." He just smiled. Now, regarding flying, we have the modern technology of the aeroplane. My God, for me, it is truly a miracle. It takes off from New Delhi and lands in Melbourne. What a long distance! This is something. It has both advantages and disadvantages. But this is a science which humans are capable of doing. We had an aeroplane about ten thousand years ago. Its name was Pushpavahan, as described in the holy Rāmāyaṇa. When Rāvaṇa came to India and kidnapped Sītā, he came in his Pushpavahan. In Chicago, there is a very large library containing Indian books, including the Rāmāyaṇa. Three American scientists used to come every day to read the Rāmāyaṇa. Every day they would borrow it, read the same chapter, return it, and read it again. The librarian asked them, "Why do you read the Rāmāyaṇa every day, and the same chapter?" They said, "We would like to know from which material and which technology they used to make their aircraft." So these siddhis are yogic powers which can or cannot be developed. Therefore, the science that humans have brought forth and what humans are doing has two sides: good and bad, including pollution. A lot of pollution is there, a lot of noise is there. So there is both comfort and discomfort, my dear brothers and sisters. Thus, the ancient science, knowledge, and wisdom are very useful for today's world. People used to think yoga was only for those who renounce their family, go to the Himalayas or somewhere in the forest, meditate to become one with God, and have nothing to do with the world. Yoga was only for them. People in India were afraid to do yoga. For a time, when you mentioned yoga, they would say, "No, no, no." They would say, "Please, Swāmījī, I still have my wife and children. Maybe after I retire." Such thinking developed slowly. But now yoga has become such a popular and beloved subject. Every fourth or fifth person in the world is practicing yoga. Because again, these humans, who have developed a great deal of intellect and who are working in the world, tried many things to relieve stress and attain good health, but finally they realized the best way is yoga. So yoga exercises, relaxations, prāṇāyāma, and meditation are not only for those who withdraw into the forest; they are more useful for those living in society with families. You need more relaxation and an anti-stress program than the yogīs in the forest. They have no more stress. They have only a little stress when the birds are singing. They think, "Oh, I want to meditate," and the birds say, "No, go and work a little bit." So yoga is meant for all humans, not only for yogīs, because the aim of human life is to come back to God. Now, everyone believes in God differently. Some say God has no form—correct. Some say God is energy—correct. Some say God is only the ultimate truth—correct. God is love—correct. God is only consciousness—very correct. God has no form—perfectly right. And God has many forms—definitely, that's best. "I don't believe in form"—very good. "But I fully believe in God"—perfect. So, Swāmījī, what is the problem? Everything is created out of your mind. God has no form. God has no name. And God has millions of forms. Every creature in this world—we speak of eight point four million different creatures, 8.4 million different creatures. They are divided into three categories: jalchar, thalchar, and nabchar—the creatures in the water, on the earth, and in the space. All together they make one cycle, and that is called Charasika Chakra, Awagaman. In Tibetan mythology, there is a picture called Yama, the king Yama. Yama is the king of death, and hanging in his mouth is a big cycle, like a garland. In his mouth are many, many, many dots—Charasi Lak 8.4 million—meaning all these 8.4 million have to go through the mouth of Yama; he eats them all. That is called the nourishment of Yama. Therefore, it does not matter who is who; whoever is born in this world has to go through one gate only, and that is death. Going and coming—the cycle means going and coming. It does not matter who is who. But humans can manage so that they will go finally only once and attain liberation. If not, then they have to come again and again. It is very interesting that in modern science, in modern times, they are using the ancient system, the ancient wisdom of the universe. This means all planets, including our own. From the very beginning, ādi-anādi—where there is no beginning and no end—there have been two śaktis, two kinds of forces or powers: daivika śakti and āsurī śakti. Daivika śakti means positive, and āsurī śakti means negative. From the ādyanādi time, there has been saṅgharṣa—conflict—between daivika and āsurī śakti. From the very beginning, there is a fight between these two forces, the negative and the positive. This exists on all three levels: in the water element, on the earth element, and in the air space element. Now, modern science has also developed to fight against enemies: the navy, ground force, and air force. All these three systems come according to ancient wisdom; you can read exactly about these in the Rāmāyaṇa. Also, in modern language, we use a word taken from the ancient language. Many people do not believe in reincarnation. As I told you in the beginning, belief does not change it. Whether you believe or not, reincarnation exists. But many do not believe. Now, in modern times, they took a word from the ancient or spiritual language—reincarnation—and they made "recycling." Do you believe in recycling or not? Then where is the problem in believing in reincarnation? Yes, the problem is there because you know more about this material world, but you do not know about the spiritual world. That is why God Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gītā, "Arjuna, the difference between you and me is this: that I know and you do not know." That is it, so we do not know. Therefore, some people say, "I do not believe in God." Recording location: Australia, Melbourne, Australian Tour

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.

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