Иша-упанишад · web viewthe third part is sutras. sutras are divided into: 1)...

Isha-UpanishadAnalytical review in the modern context with the

admonitions of YogiRaja Devraha Baba.

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Rupasri Edition

Isha-Upanishad(analysis)

Analytical review in the modern context with the admonitions of YogiRaja Devraha Baba.

Vidjavachpati pr. Bradjkishor.In cooperation with the Professor of Mechanical Engineering,

State Polytechnic University,Guljarbag, Patna

Rupa Edition[Введите текст] Page 1Upanishad-Chintana

From the EnglishIsha-Upanishade (Analytical Review in the Modern Context) Copywrite: Publisher 1st edition: April 1990 Price: 15 rupee Published: Rupasri Prakashan, Mahendru, Patna –800006 6 Printed: Photo Printers, Shabgandg, Mahendru, Patna -80006

From Hindi

Isha-Upanushada (analysis) 1st Edition: April 1990 Copywrite: Publisher Published: Rupasri Prakashan, Mahendru, Patna – 6 Printed: Photo Printers, Patna - 6

Price: 15 rupee


Why?The Upanishads represent the apogee of Indian philosophic thought. Its divinity and depth has also enchanted the Western thinkers and philosophers. The Upanishads are a part of Veda. Aranyaka (aranyaka – the ancient Indian scripture that literally means the «forest book»), brahmana (brahmana is a chapter in each Veda, based upon the meaning and application of the Vedic hymns) and other scriptures are different parts of Veda. Veda is considered as apaurusheja (not created by a human). The more deeply we go into the study of the Upanishads, the more profound and mysterious it seems to be. In the Upanishads one can come across a number of explanations of the personal and impersonal form of Brahman (Brahman – 1) pervasive, impersonal aspect of the Almighty, 2) The Supreme Divine Personality, 3) all of material nature). However, its essence remains unclear for the common readers. The respectable Acharya (acharya – spiritual leaders, mentors) interpret it each from his own point of view. Scholars have written a lot of definitions both in Sanskrit and in Hindi. Also, a lot of its interpretations, given by the great Acharya, have been translated into Hindi. With all of these commentaries and interpretations there has been no need for the integrated book-scripture. But all the same, interpretations, i.e. representation in simple and clear statements, are the main means to approach the studies of the scriptures for the ignorant and uneducated people. Our modern life is filled with things to do and concerns to take care of. Along with the growth of material benefits and scientific achievements our hearts become more and more shabby and empty. We are surrounded with anxieties. This vanity and ignorance detain our development. As a result we lose our [spiritual] roots and run off the main course, i.e. the search for supreme bliss. The soul estranged from this purpose, is lost in the search for happiness and piece, and suffers even more. During this transitional period it is important to outline those ways to obtain pure piece and true pleasure, which rishi (sage, hermit, ascetic; mythical collective name of the seven sages, to whom Gods have opened the Vedic hymns) have opened to us through the thousands of endless meditations, asceticism, sacrifice and pondering. Today this knowledge is essential to fill life with happiness and divinity. It is impossible to understand spiritual things through the traditional language and scientific methods. Many preachers speak in simple words but with such rich content, and containing such vast sub-text, that their meaning is lost in this maze. People hear the sound of those [Введите текст] Page 3Upanishad-Chintana

words but fail to derive any kind of knowledge from them. This Upanishad is analyzed taking into account all of these problems. This analysis has been carried out with the perspective to the present-day situation and is quite up-to-date. Herein you will find an attempt to clarify mantras of Ishavasya-Upanishad, or Isha-Upanishad in a detailed way. An attempt to keep the context of some other Upanishads in an enthralling style is also presented in the form of «Upanishad–Chintana» (chintana – reflection, thinking over). Isha-Upanishad – is the forties part of Shukla-YajurVeda (one of the parts of Veda) and it holds the honor to be the first of Upanishad. That is why its study is presented in the form of analysis, but along with this analysis the narrative gives a brief account of the other Upanishads. If this foreword attracts even a slight interest with the curious readers, and they will be ready to look into the Upanishads, then the efforts of the writer will be commendable and his work will not be useless.

Ananta Sri Devaraha Baba has dedicated his life to the Upanishads. He believes that the sacrifice of knowledge (gyana-yagya) is the most useful of all kinds of sacrifices. This is his sacrifice, his gift. These pages contain his thoughts encrypted in my words. That is why I am happy to dedicate them to his lotus feet.

Bradjkishor.PatnaSriramnavmiApril 4, 1990


Indian Ideology. YogiRaja Sri Devaraha Baba.

Indian literature is of very ancient origin. It is well organized. Veda is considered to be an apaurusheja, i.e. revealed scripture. It is knowledge itself. This is the essence of its mystical nature. Each of Veda is divided into three parts: 1) samhita (collection of hymns and prayers), 2) brahmana (divine books explaining the contents of Veda) and 3) upanishads (philosophically-theological part of Veda). Essentially the main components of these three parts are karmakanda (part on rituals), gyanakanda (part on knowledge) and upasanakanda (part on God worship). In the time of Krita-Yuga (Golden Age, the last of the four world periods) the Vedic literature definitely had to be present in a larger scope, than it is now. Pantajali Muni in his «Mahabhasia» speaks of 21 parts of Rig-Veda (the first and the main part of Veda – Veda of poetic hymns, addressed to gods), 100 parts of Yajur-Veda (Veda of sacrificial invocations), 2000 parts of Sama-Veda (Veda of melody, sounding) and 9 parts of Atharva-Veda (contains invocations and incantations against sickness, demons, enemies, etc.). In Muktika-Upanishad he names even a greater number of parts. Rig-Veda contains richi (Vedic hymns). Richi are mantras (prayers) pronounced aloud during sacrifice. Mantras are integrated in sukta, and sukta are further integrated in mandala. Thus, Rig-Veda consists of 10 mandala and 1070 sukta. This Veda incorporates two brahmana and several upanishads. The two Brahmana are Aitareja and Shakhajana (or Kaushitaki). Aitareja consists of 40 parts, whereas, Shakhajana consists of 30 parts. They contain several historical and geographical descriptions, definitions and karika (karika – a commentary in Sanskrit literature in the form of distich). In turn these brahmana are joined into aranjaka, which describes rishi’s achievements. The Upanishads are also related to this. Aitareja is also compiled into five aranjaka, and some of these aitareja are called Aitareja-Upanishad. There are also 3 parts of Kaushitaki-aranjaka, and some of them are called Kaushitaki-Upanishad. Brahmana is one of the parts of Rig-Veda/. Its second part is Vashkapa-Upanishad and Maittrajani-Upanishad. The third part is Sutras. Sutras are divided into: 1) Shrota-sutra. They are also called Kalpa-sutra (compositions, which contain detailed description of Vedic sacrifice and rituals). 2) Grihja-sutra (compositions, which give an account of the rules for household rituals).


Sutras are also known by the names of various rishi, such as for example Ashvalayana, Shankhayana, Jeiminiya, Veishanlayana, etc. There are also several compilations of riksamhita (riksamhita – compilation of the hymns of Rig-Veda), which study the versification, nature of God and achievements of rishi. Yajur-Veda consists of 40 parts and 1889 mantras, half of which can be also found in Rig-Veda. It has 89 different trends. It is also presented in 2 editions: Krishna-Yajur-Veda and Shukla-Yajur-Veda. Earlier samhita and brahmana have been an integral part, while Shukla and Vadjasanaya represented only samhita. Yajur-Veda, as can be derived from the title, contained the description of sacrifices and their rules. If Rig-Veda is considered to be Veda of hota priests (those, who make sacrifice on fire), then Yajur-Veda is considered to be Veda of adhvarju priests (those, who read mantras during sacrifice). Krishna-Yajur-Veda also constitutes an integral part of brahmana, and its part in prose is called brahmana, however, Maittriya-brahmana is a separate brahmana of Yajur-Veda. It is divided into three parts. Taittriya- aranjaka is also one of the parts of this brahmana. Some of its parts are known as Upanishads. Krishna-Yajur-Veda includes about 33 Upanishads, of which Katha and Shvetashvatara are the most famous. Shatapatha-brahmana, which consists of one hundred parts, is part of Shukla-Yajur-Veda. This Brahmana is important for several reasons. Aranjaka of this Upanishad is also known under the name of Vrihadaranyaka-Upanishad. The last section of Yajur-Veda is known as Isha-Upanishada. In addition to it Yajur-Veda also includes 17 Upanishads. Yajur-Veda also includes a great number of sutra. Samaveda-samhita consists of 15 songs, 32 parts and 460 sutras. The majority of them can be also found in Rig-Veda, and only 75 stand separately. From the point of view of melody and sounding this samhita is of great importance. Mantras of Sama-Veda are chanted aloud during sacrifice. He, who reads mantras, is called udgata. They distinguish four types of mantras: gramagaya, uha, uhya, and aranyagana. It is very difficult to gain knowledge of Sama-Veda about sounds. Its hymns are called samagiti. Sama-Veda includes several brahmana, the most popular of which are Tandya, Mahabrahmana, Shadavinsha, Samavidhana, Aryaya, Devatadhyaya and Mantra. The most significant Upanishads of Sama-Veda-Samhita are Chandoghya-Upanishad and Kena- Upanishad. Atharva-Veda -Samhita consists of 12 chapters and 731 sukta. It has been created by Atharvana, Angirasa and Bhrigu. The main topic of this


samhita is brahmagyana (gaining knowledge of the world spirit, Brahma). This samhita has a great historical and social significance, as it also studies the lifestyle of the representatives of different castes. A widely known Gopath-brahmana is also related to Atharva-Veda. Several compilations of sutra originate from it. Kaushika, Nakshatra Kappa sutra, Vaytapa sutra and Shantikappa sutra deserve particular attention. This Samhits also includes several Upanishads, such as Mundaka, Mandukya, Prashna, Grisinha, Tapani and Muktika-upanishada. Veda includes Upaveda (secular sciences originated from Veda). Overall there are 4 Upaveda: Ayurveda, originated from Rig-Veda, Dhanurveda originated from Yajur-Veda, Gandharvaveda originated from Sama-Veda, and Arthashastra originated from Atharva-Veda. Veda also has 6 components. They are shiksha, vyakarana, chanda, nirukta, jyotish and kalpa. It is also possible to distinguish several subsections of Veda. They are Purana, Nyaya, Mimansa, and Dharmashastra. In order to gain knowledge of Veda it is very important to study all of these components and subsections. Veda is the most ancient scripture in the world. From times immemorial in India it is considered that Veda is an apaurusheja and is created by God for the benefit of humanity. Veda can provide us with the means to achieve general welfare, which cannot otherwise be attained though assumptions and experiments. The Upanishads is the crown of Indian philosophic thought. They study the basic elements of life and nature. The very substance, which gave birth and development to the material (visible) universe, is described in God’s words in Veda, Purana and Upanishads. The distinctive features of Brahma are vrihata and vrihmanatva. The word vrihata means hugeness, greatness, and power. Brahma is so huge, great and powerful, that there is no such word, which could convey this meaning and no such scale, which could measure it. It is only possible to say that he is infinitely vrihata. It is impossible to apply to him any system of measurement or weighting. The word vrihmanatva means to expand, to develop. Brahma is that very substance that gives birth and development to all existence, and also gives development to all the variety of forms. Brahma performs these powers through his eternal energy, i.e. it is possible to say that primarily this energy is the source of development for the Universe. There are three forms of this energy: sat, raj and tama (correspondingly: virtue, passion, and ignorance). Vedanta (literally: the final part of Veda, is one of the idealistic systems of Indian philosophy, originated from the Upanishad) refers to this energy as


avidya or maya. It gives its detailed description and names it as anirvachanya (one that cannot be described). In Sankhya philosophy it is described as trigunatmaka prakriti (trigunatmaka, i.e. one incorporating the 3 fundamentals, which form nature: sat, raj and tama. Prakriti is nature; the ultimate cause of the material world). Nyaya (one of the orthodox idealistic systems of the Ancient Indian philosophy) refers to it as invisible energy, the ultimate cause of all living beings. In Shivaism philosophy this energy is presented in the form of vimarsha-shakti (energy of thinking, cogitation, studying). In Vaishnavism philosophy it is known as supporting energy of God under the names of Lakshmi, Radha, etc. Sat energy is always present – «Nabhavo vidyate satah». Sat Brahmana is essential for the Universe to initiate material existence. From times immemorial followers of different philosophic schools and writers have been studying this substance; nowadays it is also the object of study for the modern scientists. It is interpreted, and will always be interpreted in the context of traditions, place and time, and person. Maybe that is the reason why shruti says: «ekam sad vipra bahudh vadanti». It is also vividly described in several sukta of Rig-Veda. There are also several different descriptions of it in the Upanishads: Satyam gyanamanashtam brahma (Taittiriya-upanishada 2|2|1 )Tachchubhram jyotisham jyotih (Mundaka-upanishada)Vyaanoraniyam mahato mahiyan (Katha-upanishada 2|20)Nishkalam nishkriyam shantam niravadyam nirandjanam (Shvetashvara-upanishada 3|23) Attempts to interpret this indescribable, infinite sat are the reason for emerging of all philosophic trends. Scholars easily find in Veda the signs of such modern philosophic trends as jaravadi and bhautikavadi. With relation to Indian philosophy there is one significant fallacy that it based upon pure suffering and disappointment; and also that its main thesis is renunciation and asceticism, which is why it allegedly cannot stand the test on the touchstone of science. This point of view is absolutely wrong and mistaken. The real situation is such that the basis of Indian philosophy is formed by that hope for happiness and that achievement of it, which are the end goal of science as well. Indian philosophy is very tightly connected to life. Life and philosophy are the two sides of the coin. Philosophy is the theoretical side of the coin, while life is the practical one. Indian philosophers study life in the light of philosophy. This is their unique


identity and a key to their success. The main issue of philosophic discussion is to thoroughly study the main life hardships and show their true nature. Exactly the yearning for knowledge that lies in the origin of philosophy directs our practice to towards new research and search in the fields of life, universe, and power of the destiny. That is why it is possible to say that research of life and all the categories related to it is the goal of philosophy. Generally speaking, philosophy explains 4 problems: heya, heya-haitu, hana and hana-upaya. The distinctive feature of each living being is the yearning for happiness, benefits and joy. Relative happiness and joy cannot be the final human goal. Therefore, it is very important to understand the true nature of suffering that stands as an obstacle and opponent on the way towards happiness and joy. This suffering is called heya, or tyajya (i.e. something worthy of renunciation, disdain). Upon gaining knowledge of the true nature of suffering, i.e. heya comes the period of understanding of the reason for this suffering. This reason is called heya-haitu. We are looking for complete liberation from this suffering and clear awareness of its absence. This is called hana. Methods to reach this state are called hana-upaya. Now it is clear that in the basis of philosophy lies the end goal of the soul, i.e. achieving the means to free from suffering. In other words: what is suffering, who suffers and why? Then, how to get free from suffering? This issue also includes drashta (the onlooker, observer), drishya (the observed, visible, object of study) and bhokta (the subject of experience, pleasure). Under deep observation these 3 elements are revealed as God, nature and living being. The thought in philosophy flows by means of these three elements. Materialistic philosophic schools acknowledge sat energy, and that is why it would be wrong to call them atheistic. If one studies the Vedic texts in detail, he might see one of the forms of dualistic materialism. It is especially true about Atharva-Veda. It is possible to see characteristics of materialistic philosophy in the Upanishads as well. It looks like the representatives of one school of materialism merged into pure philosophic research, while the representatives of the other school merged into the search of means to reach material benefits. Gradually, the gap between these two trends became so large that one developed into astika (an orthodox trend. It also determines those, who believe in the authority of Veda, or those who believe in life after death) and nastika (a non-orthodox trend. It determines those, who do not believe in the authority of Veda, or those who do not


believe in life after death). In the time of Upanishads there have been several centers on materialistic philosophy. Generally the object of research for Upanishads has been the metaphysics, i.e. God, nature and soul. Some Upanishads also mention historical personalities, which can be considered the founders of philosophy. The main among these Upanishads are Chandoghya, Vrihadaranyaka, Kaushitaki, and also Maittriya. They contain references about such personalities as Pravahana, Jeibali, Uddalaka, Aruni, Yagyavalkya, Satkama Jabala and etc. The Upanishads are written in the form of theses, representing the philosophic thoughts in the form of questions and answers. If these thoughts are studied in detail, then it will become clear that the world-view of the abovementioned thinkers is revolutionary and controversial. In fact exactly this revolutionary, and for this reason, disputable world-view is the breath of Indian ideology. An important detail: the way of thinking of these philosophers corresponds to the Vedic tradition. Chandoghya-Upanishads refers to a certain rishi Sayugva Raikva, as one having new and revolutionary thoughts. His ideas are not idealistic but materialistic. For instance, he believes ether (air) to be the basic element of the Universe and acknowledges only this element as the main one in both spiritual and material world. Notably, that Raikva does not criticize the basic postulates of Veda. The end goal of commitment both in Sankhya philosophy and yoga is the same. Yoga studies the same forms of energy sat that studies Sankhya. There’s only methodological difference. Sankhya applies endogenous methods, while yoga applies exogenous ones. In Sankhya philosophy the dominant is knowledge, while in yoga the dominant is activity and upasana (reverence, worship, cult, service to God). However, they are aiming the same goal. ShimadBhagavad Gita wonderfully unites these two systems and limits the sphere of activity for each of them. Both philosophical schools consider Veda and the Upanishads to be the sources of knowledge about sat energy. Shvetashvatara-Upanishad is considered to be the Upanishad of Sankhya philosophy, while Gita provides the assessment of this philosophic system. In the Upanishads we come across the description of the individual and universal consciousness. In Ishavasya-Upanishads we come across the generalized description of this universal spirit. With regards to the individual soul they say about the individual intelligence, while on the macrocosm scale they say about the universal consciousness. Katha-Upanishads (2|5|3, 10-11) describe the nature of sat energy in a very beautiful way.


In reality Veda and Vedanga (the generalized title of 6 written-works, having a supporting significance for the understanding of Veda) are like Kamadhenu cow (a magic cow, performing wishes) or to a wishing tree, i.e. they will give you as much as you will be able to wish for. Indian spiritual practice dedicates a significant place to gyana (knowledge, cognition), karma (activity) and bhakti (faith, connected with the deep devotion and love) or upasana. These three notions are also tightly connected to yoga. These three roads lead to yoga. Gaining knowledge of sat energy is the goal of gyana-yoga, gaining knowledge of material things is not the true learning. The dominant position of Vedanta philosophy in gyana-yoga is obvious, however to gain it, it is also necessary to apply yoga philosophy. Bhakti-yoga is also the means to get control of emotions and feelings. In bhakti-yoga feelings are directed only towards Ishta (Ishta – deity, selected for worship). This Ishta is part of Paramatma (Paramatma – Supreme Self). Concentration upon Ishta leads to the state, which is called kaivalya (transcendental state of absolute independence, freedom). Karma-yoga is very vividly described in Gita. Thus, gyana, karma, and bhakti are based upon the system of yoga. After detailed study it becomes clear that all of these three elements are inseparable from each other. The difference can be noted only in rajas (raj), tamas (tama) and satva (sat). Gyana controls satva - virtue, karma controls rajas – passion, and bhakti controls tamas – ignorance. This is merely assessment in terminology. The nature of satva, rajas, and tamas, as well as gyana, karma and bhakti is extremely mysterious. Gita describes their main principles, and Bhagavata gives commentaries to them, presented in simple words. In the whole world the category of unity is the studied and proved energy of sat. Acknowledgement of the theory of harmony and accord, present in all shastra and philosophic trends, is beneficial for all. Theses, capable to cut the thorns of ignorance are contained in shastra in the form of similar thorns. They contain and illusionary state of attachment and a way leading to the fall. It is necessary to study them, because it helps to clean oneself, to through ignorance away from one’s heart, and also to reveal to all living beings the fact of their uniqueness. It is no use to get rid of the thorns of ignorance and run against the thorns of shastra. It is necessary to consider the whole Universe as unity. It is sarvatma-darshana. This is not a separate philosophic trend but a lifestyle of saints. This is also the way of bhakti. This is not some new philosophy. The main object of brahmavidya study


(brahmavidya – theosophy, philosophy of the Upanishads) is samatva-darshana (philosophy of equilibrium and equality). Brahmavidya is described in the Upanishads. The main prayer of sarvatma-darshana is about benefit for all living beings. Nowadays this philosophy is most important of all, because the world is extremely exhausted with material suffering. Scientific achievements are helpless to give world piece and conciliation under material suffering. Science needs a soul, while the soul needs science. That is why both soul and science should not be underestimated. The soul is the world spirit, while science is the characteristic of a certain period of time. Isha-Upanishad gives explanation of the practical part of all philosophic trends in simple words. It is considered to be the earliest of the Upanishads. It doesn’t contain any negative attitude towards pleasures. In various spiritual treatise (in the upanishads) the essence of the Universe [world spirit] – Brahma – is called sat-chit-ananda (literally existence-conscience-bliss). With regards to this it is interesting to note that there comes understanding that there is an eternal truth in the form of Brahman limited by three periods and there is knowledge in the form of divine light, form of Chaitanya. However his form of ananda cannot be perceived by the society, because common people sense pleasure or happiness through senses of perception. Hence they get the idea that pleasure is related to feelings. So how is it possible to describe the unity of forms sat and chit with Brahma? Senses of perception are only connected with the expression of feelings only on the material level of reality, but not with their origination. And this connection is infinite and eternal as sat and chit. There’s no particular difference between sat, chit and ananda. These three energies belong to God, who is sat for gyani (man of wisdom, knowledgeable, competent,) who has got to know God), and ananda for bhakta (bhakta – devoted, believer, honoring, worshipping, devoted of Sri Krishna). Bhakta, who experiences ananda, loses interest for everything else. Ananda is the distinguishing feature of this Supreme Being and all of the earthly blessings are just a small part of His ananda. In the light of power of sat-chit-ananda all is sat, all is chit, and all is ananda. According to Taittriya-Upanishad (2.3|1) the Universe has been created at will of the Supreme Being, that is why He is the source of all desires. Achieving Him means achieving supreme bliss. This yearning is the root of ananda. There are three main ways to reach pure knowledge of ananda. These are gyana, karma and upasana. All of them are part of sadhana (sadhana – religious,


spiritual activity). There is no particular difference between them. An integral part of firmness of bhakti (devotion, love of God) is karma and gyana. On the road to knowledge one has to give credit to obstacles that appear along the way. Upasana helps to do this. The need of karma is acknowledged by all, even though in this respect it is necessary to take into account such notions as renouncement and personal devotion. This concerns only the difference in the points of view: what from the point of view of antarmukhi (turned inwards, absorbed in thought) is sarvatit (transcedental), that from the point of view of baharmukhi (turned outwards, tending to outward consciousness) is sarvarupa (knowable). That is why both yogi and gyani can reach bliss. Undoubtedly, many may say that the end goal of bhakti is reaching supreme bliss, and the end goal of yogi is merging with the Absolute. The means to know one’s true nature is to «merge» speech into mind, mind into intellect, and intellect into the Supreme Being (Katha-Upanishada 1|3|13). There’s not much difference in the methodology of yogi and bhakti. In order to control feelings yoga also directs to gradually gain control over bhavana (here – desires). This state is called sampragyana samadhi. Concentration upon a certain object is called bhavana, which is also the work of feelings. There are three types of this object of perception: grahya, grahana and grihitri. On a road to samadhi that follows the state of ananda (deep meditation, the supreme state of concentration for yogi) there is grahana, and there is also the difference between the observer and the object of observation. For bhakta this bhavana is natural with regards to Ishta. В In yoga philosophy concentration upon God is called bhakti-yoga. Shvetashvatara-Upanishad says: «Make your body as the upper arani (part of the wooden plank, in which Brahmins break fire with the help of pramanthi – reed), and pranava (sacred sound «Om») as the lower arani. After thorough rubbing you will see God as hidden fire». Mandukya-Upanishad also explains a mystical nature of sound «Om» in simple words. Thus, ishvara-pranidhyana (meditation upon God) is also one of the forms of bhakti. It attributes a great significance to dhyana (meditation) and japa (japa – repetition of the names of God, repetition of mantras) – «tadjapastadartha bhavanam» (Yoga-darshana 1|18). Repetition of pranava and concentration upon the image of God is called ishvara-pranidhana. There are several forms of pranidhana. It is generally acknowledged that when one repeats any name in japa, he may reach concentration upon the form of the object and gunas (qualities). When


sadhak (one, who performs religious activity) focuses his mind upon Ishta only, disconnecting from everything else, he immediately reaches bhavana and all of his desires in all incarnations are purified. This state is called one that purifies desires, i.e. the only remaining human desire is purification, while mind, being disconnected from everything else, is completely dissolved in breathing. Chandoghya-Upanishad says: «Like a bird, tied to a string, rushes about not knowing where to rest, finds its rest where it is tied, similarly, my dear, this mind rushes about not knowing where to rest, it rests in breathing». There also dwells God. That is why mind is filled with God – «hridi prano vasennityam». Both God and breath always dwell in the heart. There in the heart is anahata chakra, which contains the sound «Om». Therefore, concentration upon breathing means concentration upon God. Kriya-yoga is a simple means to clean one’s mind. It is even more significant than Gayatri-mantra in bhakti-yoga, and there is no better way to clean one’s mind than Kriya-yoga. Gayatri is part of energy that governs the Universe and is called chit-shakti. Gayatri is the reflection of all science and the essence of Veda teaching. Energy that governs the world of animals is Gayatri. All poetic meters originate from Gayatri. Japa is also one of the forms of yoga, as it also requires disconnection from everything and concentration upon one specific mantra. It includes nama-japa (repeating the names of Godа) and mantra-japa (повторение repeating mantra). While reading nama-japa it is possible to reach the state of leaning towards God, as the moment it is pronounced it creates concentration upon the image that has his name. Indian theosophy is contained in various Upanishads in the full volume. Getting knowledge of this volume of information is necessary, as it fills life with divine light. Today spiritual values are described in simple words in many different mantras, but all of them have one purpose, and namely, reaching the Supreme Absolute, supreme bliss. Philosophers and men-of-knowledge of the world are defeated by the beauty and divinity of the thoughts expressed in the Upanishads. Mostly honored is Gita, which contains the essence of the Upanishads. Mundaka-Upanishad says that: «Eko devaha sarvabhuteshu gurhaha sarvavyapi sarvabhutanraatma. Karmadyakshaha sarvabhutaghivasaha sakshi cheta kevale nirgunashcha» (6|11). The Upanishads present to us the notion of svarupa (essence, inner nature, true nature, true nature of being, inner nature of Brahman – sat-chit-ananda), each containing divine light. They are the source of


knowledge for the human being that he is neither warmth, nor body, nor feelings, nor conscience, nor breath, nor mind. I am an eternal ananda-sattva (essence of bliss), free from women, children, household, wealth, and other benefits. To get to know your Self is to get to know God, to get to know Universe. It is the only way to get rid from material suffering. Light that dwells inside a man is eternal, filled with love, and faith. The source of true bliss is contained inside man himself. When he opens this source, a flow of bliss descends upon him, the pattern of his thoughts changes and his life is filled with joy. Pleasure or sadness is contained not in the object of study but in the point of view at it. Once the point of view changes, everything changes. A comprehensive study of the Upanishads changes human worldview, fills him with clairvoyance, and reveals to him the Universal form of God. Atmasvarupa (atmasvarupa is the term referred to the Universe and showing that it doesn’t have own reality, and exists only as manifestation of spirit) always contains paramatma (Supreme Self, God). Nowadays there’s so much anxiety in the world, so many spiritual suffering! And it is so only because a man has crossed the boundaries of his form of sat-chit-ananda, has left the road of self-actualization and prema-bhavana (prema-bhavana is the feeling of love). Study of Upanishads helps to break off the state of oblivion. Feelings, that rishi possess fill our thoughts with beauty. Thus, for example, who has experienced the filling of love filled with joy, perceives the whole world as a magic garden of Indra (Indra – the king of heaven, the head of all gods). For such person every tree is a wishing tree, all water is the water of Ganga, every action is virtuous, every language in the world is a word of God, every place on Earth is Kashi, every effort is filled with supreme significance – Anandaddvadyayva khalvimani bhutani jayante Anandaina jatani jevanti anandam tatyabhisamvishanti. Gyana, karma, bhakti, dharma (virtuous lifestyle, described in Veda) and upasana are achieved with the help of bhajana (bhajana – worship of God, prayer to God, religious hymn). Meditation upon God, i.e. bhagavana-bhajana is the best bhadjana. It is the best religious activity. Regular study of Veda is also part of bhagavana-bhajana, as it contains knowledge of the true form of the object of meditation. Regular study of Veda and bhadjana give sense to human life. Such writings as Gita, Ramayana, Shrimadbhagavatam and the Upanishads are very practical for study. Studying them purifies human soul, and without this human life cannot be


filled with joy. Until raga-dvesha (love – hate. Feelings that attach a man to the universe, personal attractions and antipathies towards people and objects, based upon past experience of pleasure and suffering) fills human soul, the universe will be filled with sorrow. When the soul is free from it, the universe is filled with love and bliss. Everyone will greatly benefit from accepting the principles of harmony and non-resistance, expressed in all shastra (shastra – religious texts). Commitment to a particular philosophic school or dogma is a delusion and there’s only one way to loosen it. As it is possible to purify human sins, as it is possible to tear out ignorance from human heart, as it is possible to show the union of all souls in the universe, similarly it is possible to learn shastra. One enemy can be defeated with the help of another one, which afterwards is of no use. Similarly shastra are one enemy, while ignorance and also maya (illusion) are the other enemies. When the enemy of shastra destroys the enemy of ignorance, then they are of no use. To see all five elements of the universe [land, water, air, fire, ether] in unity is siddhi (supernatural ability). In the essence of diversity of forms lies ignorance and sadosha (what has drawbacks, something wrong, erroneous). If you wake up the feeling that you contain the whole universe inside, then raga-dvesha will not be able to remain there. The idea that there is some illusionary intelligence in the visible universe is also wrong. Lifestyle of saints is conditioned by their pattern of thinking. But they are not one and the same. This play of thought has a practical nature, but not the spiritual one.

This problem is from the field of spiritual practice. Shastra describes its several aspects. According to shastra it has three basic points: 1) I am all. 2) Nothing exists separately from me. 3) All is Vasudeva (epithet of Krishna). The first one refers to gyana-yoga, the second one refers to karma-yoga, and the third one refers to bhakti-yoga. All of the three points of view are anubhava-gamya (acquired through direct perception, through samadhi) and have one goal. The universe is a game of bahirmukha-vritti (bahirmukha-vritti – expressed mode of action, outward directed). While thought is antarmukhi (inward directed), that is why it can be considered to be in deficit in the universe. All philosophies are nothing else but the game of thought. Somewhere it is drishtisrishtivada (teaching that the whole universe is a product of thought), ans elsewhere it is srishtidrishtivada (teaching that the whole universe is an objective reality), but both are philosophic teachings. All of the five elements of the universe are a game of the abovementioned [energy] sat.


Complete absence of the universe is chinmatra (pain consciousness, integral consciousness). Tattva-gyani (philosopher; who has gained knowledge of Brahma, universal spirit) sees the [energy] chit in the mind’s game. With regards to this there’s one interesting Sufi principle vahadtulvajuda. One Sufi poet has said

«Judhar dekhta hu, idhar tu hi tu heHar shai me jalva tera hubahu he»

(Wherever I look, there is you everywhere. Your light is always the same).Such mind-set is called brahmakar vritti (integral final thought about the final Brahman). Here the world is perceived as emptiness, nirvishesha (without any particular characteristics). Up until there is raga-dvesha, such mind-set is inaccessible. Until there is «Self» and «mine», there is raga-dvesha. When they are no more, all animate and inanimate objects in the universe will be integrated into one and whole. This is the state of liberation, the state of knowledge. Gita also says that

«Satta parataram nanyat kinchidasti dhanandjayaMapu sarvamidam protam sutre manigana iva».

This means «Oh, Dhananjaya (epithet of God), dawn upon me! Nothing exists separately from me. As pearls are threaded, similarly all comes through me». When God enters one’s heart, then everything starts to be perceived as Ishvara (personal God, personal Brahman). At that moment all of the games of mind become lila (lila – divine game, games of God). The study of shastra only wakes the desire to know God. If it was not like this, then everyone who studies them could reach Him, but it doesn’t happen. Together with learning shastra it is also necessary to have abilities for spiritual practice. It is said that if somebody merely learns words from shastra and is not concerned with perceiving their real meaning through spiritual practice, then this study is like a barren cow that only gives milk. It is impossible to get rid of the vices accumulated in a multitude of incarnations without spiritual practice. Without purification of the soul from these vices, it is impossible to perceive the true form of God. Without direct perception of God, merely by listening to others or making own conclusions, it is impossible to understand His true form. Hence, in order to perceive the universal spirit or Brahma making spiritual practice under the guidance of spiritual teacher is essential. By the mercy of a spiritual teacher even the insignificant spiritual practice, as for example, merely an ardent


desire, can contribute to getting close to God. Presenting his particular mercy to devoted bhakta, their spiritual teacher reveals to them the true nature of Brahman. To get know the universal spirit, is to be a pundit (pundit – sage brahman, educated, talented). I believe that one who has not gotten knowledge of Brahman, who believes that he is merely a body, is in a great delusion. Study of the Upanishads eliminates this delusion and opens the road towards spirituality.

Ishopanishad[Введите текст] Page 18Upanishad-Chintana

The road of bliss

Om purnamadah purnamidam purnat purnamudachyatePurnasya purnamadaya purnamevavashishyate

Om shanti shanti shanti

The word «Om» defines Bhagavan (Lord Narayana, Hari, the one, who possesses all virtues). It defines the Supreme Spiritual Identity, Absolute Identity of God. It is His name. To repeat the word «Om» is to call for God, to repeat His name. Many shruti tell about it. It is a special sound that spreads across the universe during spiritual practice and which includes all of the knowledge in the universe. It is omnipresent, eternal, and it is in everyone.The word «Om» is filled with sat-chit-ananda, parabrahma (parabrahma –Absolute Truth, God), parameshvara (Parameshvara – Supreme God), all of the aspects of God. It has no drawbacks; it is absolutely clear to everyone. Full and absolute power is called paramatma. The form of sat-chit-ananda is whole, paramapurusha (Supreme Identity of God), parabrahma is the cause of all creation. The Universe is His part. Thus, the Universe is also whole. «Ishavara ansha jiva avinashi» – Soul, being a smaller part of God, is also eternal and whole. The Universe is whole with the fullness of parabrahma. The Universe is originated by Paramatma, but this doesn’t mean that it has drawbacks. It is what it is. This fullness is defined by the number «0». Subtract zero from 0, and it will give you zero. Everything that originates from paramatma is as complete as Paramatma. In the end, when the Universe enters parameshvara, paramatma remains complete. Everything originating from parameshvara –the Universe, and all the living beings – has all of the opportunities to know the complete and whole. All of the vices and drawbacks occur because these living beings do not have knowledge of this wholeness. Human form of life is obtained after 8400000 incarnations in various forms and after several stages of development. If a person doesn’t develop awareness about his wholeness, then he will have to pass the whole cycle of incarnations once again. It’s part of human nature to strive for his goal, for completeness. However, if he doesn’t attain this great knowledge, then it is only because of his delusions. In delusion a


man may dedicate himself to fill life with feelings, hence are his imperfections. Thus, the true knowledge is that parabrahma, parameshvara is whole. He is sat-chit-ananda. Each part of it possesses His completeness, purity and bliss. Who has this knowledge, and who is aware of his own true nature, he knows Paramatma. Awareness of unity with paramatma, awareness of own fullness, eliminates all suffering. By attaining this knowledge, knowing his completeness, a man attains supreme bliss. Bliss is only in Supreme God, in union with Him. The true nature of «Om», completeness of perfect Brahman and, hence, completeness of the true nature of «Self», and also knowledge about their union eliminates all suffering.

-(1)-Ishavasyaidam sarvam yatkincha jagatyam jagat

Tena tyaktena bhunjidha ma gridhah kasya svid dhanam

Everything in the Universe, the whole world of jara-chetana (world of suffering, material world) originates from God. Being the cause of all causes, benefactor of all beings, omniscient, omnipresent and governing everything, God in His form of Parameshvara penetrates everything that we see and hear, in visible and invisible Universe. Everything that we have belongs to Him. The sky, the earth, flowing rivers, stormy seas and oceans, stars, the sun, and the moon – they all belong to Him, and he belongs to them all. Nothing belongs to us, and that’s why we should not be attached to anything. We should not refer them to us and should not level with them. We should enjoy them, knowing this [the abovementioned]. «Tena tyaktena bhunjitha» – Everyone should take only what is given to him by God, and exactly as much as is given by God to maintain the body. The Earth does not belong to a particular person, the world ocean does not belong to a particular person, all of the air in the atmosphere does not exist for one person’s breathing, and sunlight does not exist to be put in a yard of a particular person. Everything in the Universe belongs to God, and only He has rights to it. We can enjoy this wealth only through self-denial and constant nearness to paramatma. Paramatma is inside us. Our body belongs to it. All water, all grain, and all gold belong to it. If we remember this, then every moment we can remember God and even renounce pleasures. Enjoyment of any material things, on condition of remembrance


of God, becomes divine service. All objects, that we enjoy, belong to God. That is why they should be used only to please Him. Chapter 7 of Gita tells about two energies of Bhagavan: 1) apara-prakriti or jara-prakriti (inferior, material energy of God) and 2) para-prakriti or chetana-prakriti (superior energy of God). Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intellect, and false ego – belong to apara-prakriti. In addition para-prakriti, that includes all of the living beings and organic energy, is also the form of Bhagavan. However, whatever exists in the visible and invisible universe and to whatever energy it belongs – all is His energy. He is the cause of all existence, and He is the Lord of all existence. Everything in the Universe exists in the form of energy, and all of the energies are governed by God. Bhagavan is like fire, and all animated and unanimated objects are like warmth and light it radiates. If there was no fire, then there would be no warmth and light from it. As fire spreads its energy in the form of warmth and light, similarly God spreads His energy, His power as the variety of forms of creation. He is the Lord of all beings; He supports everyone and governs everyone. Everything originates from Him and everything flows into Him. Thus, He is omniscient; He is the benefactor for all. Similarly all energies, wealth, glory, beauty, and knowledge are subordinate to Him. In the modern world all conflict are resolves with the help of arms. Brother has become enemy to his brother; countries are ready to destroy each other. People and whole countries exploit each other, in order to accumulate as much wealth as possible. Society has been divided into oppressors and the oppressed. Developed countries have accumulated enormous wealth, they burn their bread, drown it in the sea, only to make sure that its price will not plunge at the world market. On the other hand, in the developing countries millions of people starve to death. Wrong arrangements in these countries, the mistaken visions and judgments cause these problems. That is what happens when a man or a whole country becomes victim of delusion, and forgets God. Unknown number of civilizations emerged and sank into nonexistence; many countries filled their treasuries with wealth, and then just disappeared on their own or have been absorbed by the deep sea. During his whole life man accumulates wealth through lies, theft, and causing suffering to others. But whether he can take even a small part of all this wealth to his grave? Everything will stay here. It’s because everything belongs to God and not to a man. Rich countries credit developing countries on hard terms,


thus lying to and stealing from the population of these countries. The Upanishads consider such tendencies to be inappropriate. This is unacceptable. This is the reason why we are in chains. The reason is that wealth, accumulated in such a wrong way, whether they belong to one person or to the whole country, will be completely useless in the end. Either capitalists or communists, until they use natural resources according to their own discretion, there will be no piece in the world, and they will always suffer fro their own arrogance. All of the wealth they have, they have stolen from its true owner. The more wealth has a person or a country, the greater thief and liar he [it] is. People have not been created to fight with each other, like cats and dogs. People are not animals. Animas can kill others to feed, but a man cannot do this. If he does this, he is very far from understanding the truth, he is ignorant, and he is under the influence of delusion. In this way he gets only anxiety and agitation. This mantra is supposed only to destroy our delusion that attachment to some objects or considering oneself owner of something is wrong. «Sabei bhumi gopal ki sampatti sab raghupati ke ahe» («The whole earth belongs to God, and all wealth is the breath of God»). That is all have equal rights to this wealth. A man or a country should take only as much, as is minimum required to support the body. Their tendency to accumulate leads to artificial deficit of certain things, and as a result others suffer, common people suffer. Therefore, such tendency is the social exploitation and oppression. By all means, it should be rejected completely. That is why unequal distribution of the divine gifts and also excessive luxury are inadmissible. Kabir has such lines

«Saim itna dijie, jarme kutub samae.Me bhi bhukha na rahu, sadhu na bhukha jae»

(«Lord, send as much, as is required to feed a family.I will not remain hungry and the saint pilgrim will not leave hungry»).

-(2)-Kurvanneveha karmani jijivishechchhatam samah

Evam tvayi nanyathetosti na karma lipyate nare

You should strive to live hundreds of years in this world, remembering God, getting close to Him, and following the instructions of shastra. Thus, the activity that you perform as a tribute to God will never turn into chains. And there is no other way.


This life has been given to us only to remember God, and worship Him. This is the great purpose of life. We are surrounded by different forms of God. And only He is the only Generator (Creator), Operator (Supporting) and Destructor of the Universe. All existence emerges and disappears according to His wish and will. He is the owner of all. All is subordinate to Him. Thus every activity should be performed as God’s worship. It is our duty, which is described in shastra. Shastra do not recommend inactivity. Scholars say that inactivity is equal to death. Thus, the Upanishads recommend acting to speed up our movement forward. Gita recommends to merge into activity, but to refuse results of this activity – «Karmadhikarmanyestu ma pfaleshu kadachan». The Upanishads also indicate the right way of activity and taking pleasure in objects for us – «Tena tyaktena bhunjitha». Thus, keeping your feelings under control, always remembering God, we should only wish for a long life. We should live, performing our duties, only to satisfy God. This activity is never for yourself, for achieving own personal goals, or for pleasure. To act, but to refuse results of labor is the only right way. The essence of activity is to be the chains, to be the obstacle, to be attached to results. But in the neutral (balanced) state it looses its nature. A man is bound to receive a body with regards to the good or bad actions. To be born and die again and again in different bodies is the real bondage. Because he, who lives a reserved, moderate life, who refuses results of his activity, he is freed from this bondage –

Karmrijam buddhiyuktahi pfalam vyaktva manoshinahJanmabandha vinirmuktah padam gachchhantyanamamam

Thus, by refusing results of his activity, man is freed from the cycle of incarnation and receives paramapada (paramapada – the supreme state, moksha). One who tries to live his life in a human body usefully in this respect, indeed can be named an intelligent person, a wise man. One, who, having received this incarnation as a door to salvation, still takes pleasure enjoying the results of his actions, is a real fool and ignoramus. (Gita. 4|22). Devaraha Baba also says: «he, who has not experienced atma-tattva (With regards to Self (atma), tattva corresponds to its true nature as an integrated existence in the Supreme Self (paramatma)) is a fool. The only way to experience it is to dedicate all of your activity to God». Nobody wants to die. Everyone wants to live as long as possible. The yearning to long life is natural. All living beings have to fight for existence. If


they do not fight, they will not survive. Every living being in essence is eternal. However, due to attachment to the material values, due to desire to enjoy them again and again, it is bound to be born again and again. In order to support life and to feed a man has to work. This is the law of material nature. Those activities that are performed by men to fulfill prescribed duties are called karma. Actions performed to receive deliverance from, births and deaths are called akarma. While actions, performance of which dooms a man to fall to the inferior life-forms, are called vikarma. Common people want to do good to lift their life-level and go to heaven after death. But people, who are more intelligent, do good things not only for this purpose. They would like to get free from the abovementioned bondage. They would like to get freedom from the consequences of their actions. They know that both good and bad actions lead to bondage. But it is impossible to keep from activities. Even for a moment a man cannot stop acting, as the nature of all of the living beings is subject to the influence of the three gunas of material nature – sattva, raja and tama. (Gita 3|5). In Gita Lord Krishna gives a clear advice– «Niyatam kuru karma tvam karma jyayo hyakarmanaha» - perform the duty you have been destined to, because it is better than doing nothing.(3|8). In such a way you can achieve akarma. Knowledge controls human energy karitri (energy directed towards actions, life energy) and help to gradually achieve the fullness, omnipresence and power of paramatma. This is true knowledge. When a person gets this knowledge, he is cleared and is no more subject to the influence of the gunas of material nature and receives capacity for nishkarma (nishkarma is the activity that does not attach to the circle of incarnations). There are people that thoroughly control active organs (speech, hand, leg, genitals and anus), holding them away from the objects of activity, but inside their souls they remain attached to these objects. This is nothing but hypocrisy, pretence and delusion. Attachment to the objects should be restrained not only on the outside but also on the inside. Only then activity will be filled with divine sense. Only energy kariti that is directed towards activity for God meets bhakti. A common person works to satisfy his feelings, concerns about personal benefit, and when the limit of personal interest is expanded to the field of society, country and the whole world, undoubtedly, it becomes very attractive. From the point of view of «personal benefit» it is very good. Undoubtedly activity for the benefit of others, benefactions, are good; however, desire for fame enfolded in it also turns it into bondage. If such actions are directed towards


God, then they will not perform as bondage. Society, country, and the world are the forms of God. God is present in everything. Every living being is His form. If a man understands this and directs his activity to serve a certain society, country, the universe, certain person or just any living being, then it will be best of all. Whether he is may a socialist, a communist or a nationalist, his activity will only benefit from taking on a God-centric character. God-centric actions are very important. Even the most insignificant they can save a person from many dangers; they force the fear of death to disappear –

Svalpamapyasya dharmasya trayate bhayat (Gita 2|40).Today capitalist, socialist and communist countries begin to grow their nuclear potential. The USA and the Soviet Union have accumulated so many weapons, that it can destroy the whole population of the Earth several times. They just intensify fear. What kind of a service to humanity it is? It all happens because of their wrong views and wrong intensions. Their activity is only directed towards individual benefit. Their care of humanity is merely a pretence and hypocrisy. If their actions get onto a God-centric direction, then antagonism will disappear, hypocrisy will disappear, and the reason to threaten each other will also disappear. Material prosperity alone cannot set free from fears. By ignoring human personality in every possible way it is impossible to get on the road of correct evolution. The essence of God-centric activity is to take away fears, grant fearlessness. Thus, through activity directed at God, God-centric activity, we can eliminate all of the obstacles on the way of true development. The greatest human fear is the cycle of births and deaths. And with the help of spiritual development this fear can be conquered. True spiritual development is only possible in God-centrism. What do we need thing long life for? Is it to suffer from illness and sorrow? Is it to suffer from hunger? Nowadays countries of the third-world live lower than the living wage and experience many hardships, while the developed countries deceive and rob them in every possible way. Such evolution is dangerous for humanity as a whole. «Kurvan eva iha karmani jijivishet shatam samaha». First, you should do your duties, duties indicated in shastra, do God-centric actions, and then you can wish for a long life. Act, but remember that God is the cause behind every unit in the Universe, He is in everything and all of the things in existence are His form. There’s nothing which is yours or mine. Therefore, you should enjoy objects while remembering God. All of the land resources, wealth belong to God, and not


to a particular person or country. Each has a right to use this wealth, because God dwells in each of us.

-(3)-Asurya nama te loka andhena tamasavrittah

Tamste tretyabhigachchhanti ye ke chatmahano janah

The killer of the soul is doomed to the planets of unbelief, buried in darkness and ignorance.The soul is a part of God – «Ishvara ansh jiv avinashi, chetan amal sahedj sukharashi ». It is pure, wise and impeccable. Flame is light, and every part of the flame is also light. As the soul is part of God, its main qualities gunas never change. When this soul comes to the Earth, it has a certain goal. There are other living beings on the Earth. There are animals, insects. All of them also want to eat. They are also thirsty. They sleep, are awake, move, sire as well. Animals also eat and copulate. Why a human is considered to be superior? Because he has intelligence, consciousness, and energy, that help to understand everything. If he wants he can do everything with the help of intelligence. Our body is the instrument of any faith. With its help we can perform our duties. Without body you can do nothing. That is why human form of life is considered superior and difficult to access. To get such a wonderful body and to use it only to satisfy senses in the animal-like way doesn’t do any credit to a man. By getting attached to material values we can never fulfill the destiny of our human form of existence. Undoubtedly, a human life-form has been given to us to understand our true nature, to use all possible means to reach the lotus feet of God, and to be occupied with self-development. Our body is given to us to know God and find true piece and bliss. With the help of human body we can do good and be occupied with spiritual activity, and we can serve the lotus feet of God in the for of the Universe through compassion to all of the living being and brining benefit to them. This is the superior purpose of the human body. That is why a human body is so different from the bodies of animals and is so developed, because holds a great duty. One who knows this aim, who understands this task, he begins first and foremost to get to the Gods abode. Such people are called seers. While those, who do not know or do not accept this task, are called aseers. Some people, due to their


ignorance, are also unable to realize their destiny. They are too attached to material things. They either do not accept God or laugh, calling Him only the fruit of their imagination. Both groups of people are called aseers. Their predominant guna is tamas. According to Rig-Veda, seers are also those people, who always think about the lotus feet of God. Every moment of life of these people is filled with light. Surs perform their duties always remembering God. Every work they consider to be a divine service. Chapter 16 of Gita describes in detail such qualities, which can be called «deivi sampada» (qualities, characteristic of semi-gods, perfect virtues). Fearlessness, purification of own existence, development of spiritual knowledge, charity, self-control, sacrificing, studying Veda, asceticism, simplicity, non-use of force, truthfulness, freedom from anger, self-denial, tranquility, unwillingness to look for the imperfection of others, compassion to all of the living beings, freedom from greed, kindness, modesty, firm resoluteness, vitality, forgiveness to all, power of spirit, purity and freedom from envy and from desire for power – all of these are the qualities of seers. (Gita 16|1-3). All, who possess these qualities deivi sampada, are seers, divine. These qualities are like a happy lakshana (lakshana – spot on the body, symbolizing a happy or an unhappy destiny). Having received a human body, to develop these qualities is a spiritual practice, as it leads to liberation. These qualities bring us closer to God and give us true happiness. Qualities that are characteristic for aseers, are also described in Gita in detail and are called «asuri-sampada». These qualities enchain, they are connected to the cycle of births and deaths and emerge from the human spiritual degradation. Arrogance, pride, vanity, anger, rudeness and ignorance are qualities of aseers. They do not know about human duties, assigned to them by shastra, and do not reveal any interest towards them. They do have neither worthy behavior, nor truth. They do not have a moral code. They always act cruelly and willfully. Such aseers claim that this world is unreal, that it has no basis, and that there is no God to control it. They believe that there is no cause other than lust. They believe that the world is has no sense and appeared by accident. They believe that material nature was the reason of universal creation. Such unreasonable aseers cannot understand the mystery of creation of the Universe, and in their ungodliness commit actions, that are destructive for the whole world, for all of the living beings. Their views are entirely materialistic, why they, being


haughty and arrogant, try to satisfy their desires in all possible ways. In order to hide own ignorance and sins, they create own deceitful teachings, and principles. They are the embodiment of insolence. Because they have neither internal nor external purity and hold satisfaction of own desires for the main cause, then everywhere – in taking food, in the style of living, in the pattern of speech, in industry and trade, and in relations they spread insolence. In Gita such people are called «nashta atamana» (i.e. who lost themselves) (Gita 16|9), because they do not hear the voice of their soul. Aseers commit actions under the influence of lust, anger and greed. They believe that satisfying senses is the top priority. They live their whole life attached to sensory pleasures, surrounded by numerous anxieties. The main thing for them is wealth. Chained with the bonds of hundreds of desires, they kill unscrupulously like animals, to please themselves and to accumulate wealth. They fill their barns with wealth and believe that with its help they can satisfy all of their desires. They feel antagonism for all, and kill others out of hatred or out of envy. In lawlessness, violence, and oppression, through murder and robbery they accumulate enormous wealth. That is why they believe they are the most powerful, the most rich, and the most famous. Deceived by false prestige and wealth, they commit ostentatious sacrifices, to win confidence and trust of other people. Such people do not develop in terms of faith; they do not have any intension to free from disbelief, however, for appearance’s sake, aiming at the top place in various religious movements, they often deal with spiritual practice. These inferior people, who think they are better than others and have no faith in God, still, arrange ostentatious divine service sometimes in order to win a status. These egoistic, arrogant, evil people, continuously feeling desires, die and, burning in the flame of anxiety, get into hell. Lust, wrath and greed are the doors to hell. He, who has these three drawbacks, sins and thus feels the tortures of hell. He, who has no such qualities, received freedom from incarnations and true bliss. According to research in Gita, it is only to wonder to the enormous amount of aseers in the modern society. Internationally people have grown arrogant and haughty. Considering material success to be a road that leads to happiness, they start to claim it with unjust methods. Discoveries are only made with regards to the sensual pleasures. One country finds another country for enemy and starts to grow own nuclear potency to destroy it. Everywhere it is not safe. Nobody can rest in piece. All die because of


anxiety. Rape, murder, immoral and dissolute behavior seem to have become the reason for living. What kind of a creature a man is that he feels tenderness towards animals and is at war with other people. Literally, all people deal in such activities that the world is now on the verge of death. Love for one’s neighbor, firmness, simplicity, purity, compassion, tolerance, and indulgence can hardly be found today. We perfect our delusions. After hundreds of thousands years, having finally received this human form, a man, for his arrogance and haughtiness, cruelty and greed, is ready to bring to zero all of the favorable opportunities it gives. Having his nose in the air because of wealth, stripped his faith, stuck in lust, a man is ready to burn the whole world in the flame of his envy and hostility. Under the mask of various religions these hypocritical people, one better than the other, become prophets and claim they are God. Having in such a way deceived the common people, they lead luxurious lives. All of this is a cause of anxiety, and virtuous people carry the burden of responsibility to establish and maintain moral principles in the world society. This third mantra of Isha-Upanishad describes the death of aseers. No one can be happy if he is far from virtue. Whatever amount of mortal wealth we accumulate, they will not be able to give us piece and rest. Oil, spilled into the fire, cannot put it down. Similarly the flame of material pleasures cannot be put down with similar pleasure. Governors, who possess the qualities of aseers and do not believe in human traits and entitled duties, will die in pain and go to the darkest planets. They fall [spiritually]. Darkness is a symbol of ignorance. Light indicates knowledge. Aseers do not have knowledge and serve own inclinations because of dark qualities. Due to delusions, greed, wrath, arrogance, haughtiness, envy, hostility their soul walks in the darkness. They fear this darkness, which is like the darkest night. They burn in the flame of anxiety and trouble. Wealth, they commit new crimes for, throws them into deeper anxiety. These people experience hellish torments already in this life. People, who kill their souls, after death go to the planets full of torments, suffering and ignorance. These planets are called “devoid of sunshine”, because darkness rules there. Light never comes there. There is no Sun or Moon on the divine planets, as God illuminates them with his radiance. There are two types of actions. There are those that do not become chains and are not connected to the cycle on incarnations , and others that become chains, and by giving results will again through us into the circle of births and death. This second kind of action can be of three types: 1) those


that lead to a fall. A human is bound to be born in the body of the other, inferior form of life. These are called dushkarma or sinful actions. 2) those that do not lead to a fall. A man is born in the human body. 3) those that lead to the divine planets, but because of attachment to the results, a man is bound to be born again in a human body. These three types of karma are called sakama karma. Being sinful, the first one is characteristic of aseers. The other two are called punyakarma. Free from the cycle of incarnations performance of own duties, unrelated to either sinful or virtuous actions leads to the level of «Na karma lipyate naraha» (independent from actions). Thus, Isha-Upaishad recommends that by all means we should not develop qualities of aseers when we get a human form, while we should continuously try to get rid of them. This is spiritual practice. Love of God and His universal form is the highest spiritual practice. A man can purify through own practice. He just has to step off the road of the fall –

Uddharedatmanatmanam natmanamavasadaetAtmayva hyatmano bandhuratmayva ripuratmanah (Gita 6|4)

(4)-Anejadekam manaso javiyo nainaddeva apnuvan purvamarshatTaddhavatonanyatyeti tishthattasminnapo matarishva dadhati

Parameshvara (Supreme Lord) is still. He is advaita (only one). But He moves faster than the thought. He is the reason of all, he is gyana-svarupa (internally the essence of knowledge that is characteristic of Him), He is omniscient. Even the powerful semi-Gods cannot get close to Him, or cognize Him. He stands still, but He leaves behind any semi-God. He controls the work of semi-Gods that send wind and rain. He is still, but even you move as fast as a thought, you will not reach Him. Thought is the fastest substance in the material world. A thought can cover any distance of one thousand kilometers in a blink of an eye. To move with a though, there’s no need to move your body. We can stay at home, and our thoughts can travel the whole world in a moment, and even the whole solar system, and come back. Scientists consider the speed of light to be the supreme logical material category. Any physical body, by getting acceleration of the speed of light becomes a small particle, an impulse. Speed of thought if faster than the speed of light. Thus, it is faster than the impulse. However God, who is in all, being still, can move faster than the speed of thought.


Thought cannot reach Him. God is always ahead of thought, because wherever the thought goes, the omnipresent God is initially there. «Ishavasyamidam sarva yatkinchit jagatyam». A thought can reach the Universe, but each hair on the body of God consists of thousands of universes. Hence, even our thought cannot reach God and cognize Him. Even the greatest philosophers cannot fully grasp Him through mediation. Neither semi-Gods, nor great sages can cognize God, because he is their cause of all causes, their creator. And it is in all senses –

Na me viduha suraganah prabhavamna maharshayah Ahmadirhi devanam maharshinam cha sarvashah

Gita 20|2God is infinite, eternal, and has no beginning. Semi-Gods, sages are all subject to limits. Each has his beginning and end. Being limited, how can they cognize the infinite essence of God? Only when He shows mercy and wants to reveal His true form to a man, a man can truly see Him – «Janayi chehu tuhe dehu janayi». In His infinite mercy God reveals His form of sat-chit-ananda. We cannot cognize Him with the help of mind or logic, etc. He is above these notions. We can neither approach understanding of God through imagination or meditation, because he is out-of-reach for our thoughts. It is impossible to reach His limits because He is limitless. People and semi-gods strive to reach Him, to know Him, and to understand Him. But it is impossible. In this striving they trust only their own powers. They take pride in own courage, own intelligence, and own abilities. As a result of such self-assurance, ego, pride and arrogance, the Supreme Lord doesn’t let them reach Him. When tired of this rush a man falls down gasping for his breath, all of his ego and self-assuredness fade away. He comprehends the truth that God cannot be reached through own effort and power. At this moment a man gives himself away to God, becomes His devoted bhakta, so that God would show mercy, lift a man and seat him on His lap. This is a simple way to know God, to come to Him. Fire is located in a certain place, but it spreads warmth and light everywhere. Bhagavan is also in one place, but his energy spreads everywhere. His energy can be divided into three types: 1) internal, 2) border-line, 3) external. All of these energies are infinite. Semi-Gods that govern air, light, rain, etc., all of the living beings, including people constitute the border-line energy, are its parts. The entire material world is the creation of His external energy, which is called maya, and heaven, i.e. the kingdom of God is the creation of His internal energy.


Thus the God’s energies are present everywhere. The entire existence originates from Him and flows into Him. When God in many forms enters all of the animate and inanimate objects, revealing in His internal energy, he is in no danger because of this. He is complete and whole and He is infinitely whole and complete. Even having spread himself in many forms, he remains whole and complete, advaita. His internal energy remains inviolable. A man comes to a certain decision referring to own thinking abilities, which are rather limited. God is beyond these limited thinking abilities. That is why the Upanishads remind us over and over again that if we rely only upon our abilities, limited by senses, then it is impossible for us to know God, impossible to cognize the Absolute Truth. The Supreme Lord is omnipotent, He controls everything, He is the cause of all causes, and He is omniscient. Separate parts cannot be equal to the whole unity, but all these parts constitute this completeness. Each part of the golden bar is gold, and it possesses all of the qualities of the whole golden bar. Then why people, being parts of God, are not omniscient and omnipotent as well? If some part of a golden bar is covered with dust, whether it can shine similarly to its unstained part? No, it cannot. When dusted, it loses its shine. Similarly a man, being covered with the dust of maya, loses his true nature. His true nature has not changed, because it is constant, and exists for a long time; it is maya, which is temporal and short-lived. When this dust of maya is cleared out, the true clean nature of a soul is revealed again. A man can discard the veil of maya himself, because he has his mind. It is his work, his spiritual practice. By practicing karma-yoga and gyana-yoga, a man regains the purity of his soul and his true nature. I someone brushes the dust off the dusty part he will again see it shining. Here this someone, this benefactor is God. Through His grace God brushes off this dust, sheds away the veil of maya. Then, like a part of a golden bar, a man becomes shuddha-buddha-nirmala (pure, enlightened). The way to achieve such God’s grace is the way of bhakti. We might be or we might not be a success in our struggle against maya, in the attempts to cast away its veil. And what if in a long-term spiritual practice we are just about to be a success in our attempt to cast away maya, but it suddenly drops its veil? This happens by the grace of God that controls it and naturally removes it. Parts of the whole possess all its qualities and energy. Ignorance for a man is to forget about his energy. To know your energy, your qualities means to get rid of the influence of maya, i.e. be free from the bonds. All


energy originates from Bhagavan. Wind, fire, and rain contain God-given energies. If God takes away these energies, then semi-Gods that control these elements will be helpless. It is possible to bring the following example: When semi-gods won a battle against the demons they got conceited about it. Pride is the most powerful enemy. It is the rout of all sinful actions. Semi-gods forgot that they do not own powers they are so proud of. On the gathering they started to boast loudly of their courage. Each wanted to take the biggest credit for the victory over the demons. They burst with envy, hostility and discord. Parama-satta (Supreme Power, God) decided rightful to first and foremost destroy their pride. He appeared in the form of Yaksha (myth. Yaksha – semi-god, the keeper of the treasure of Kubera; fact. one of the names of God Kubera). Gods were surprised to see this shining appearance. Indra asked Agni (god of fire) – «Bring your flame, so that we could see who it is». Agni revealed the flame, approached the one, who has arrived and asked him: – Who are you? – An who are you? – asked Yaksha. – I am the keeper of the energy, incinerating the three worlds, AgniDeva. – You are so powerful! Here’s the blade of grass. Do me a favor, burn it! God took the energy inside and Agni failed to burn this blade of grass. He shamefully hung his head and returned to the other semi-gods. All his idea of own power disappeared. Then Indra has sent god Vayu (god of wind). But Vayu failed even to move this blade of grass. He also returned with the low head. When Indra went, God did not disparage him. Indra was intelligent and smart. He understood everything. Thus the semi-gods received knowledge that only the grace of God endows them with powers, and they can control energies only until there’s God’s grace for that. Hence, that energy and that power, which dwell in semi-gods like Vayu, Indra, etc., and through which they revive, illuminate, irrigate, and perform other jobs in the Universe, this inconceivable energy is just a part of God’s energy. Hence, it acts only by God’s grace. As different parts of one body cannot work without mind, eyes cannot see, ears cannot hear, so without the grace of God everything in the Universe becomes impossible. Thus, all energies can be received only from God. He is the Supreme Power. Even a leave doesn’t fall from the tree if there’s no His will for it. That is why the duty of each one, who has power and strength, is to use them correctly to realize the will of God. They shouldn’t be applied for any


other purposes. They should be always uses only according to the will of God. Everything that has been given to us by God should be used to realize His will, to serve Him, and to love Him. All our wealth, strength, and mind should be devoted to serving the universal form of God. This is the state of samarpana (presentation, initiation). We cannot know God, if we are arrogant and haughty in our egoism. When our activity is dedicated to God, then we will be able to earn His grace, and will be able to cognize Him, i.e. to know His wonderful image together with all of His energies, to know all of His power. This is complete knowledge, true knowledge, and supreme knowledge.

-(5)-Tadejati tannaijati tad dure tadvantike

Tadantarasya sarvasya tadu sarvasyasya bahyatah

Supreme Lord walks and doesn’t walk. He is far away and at the same time very close. He dwells inside everything, and still He is beyond everything. The unity of all kinds of contradictions is the characteristic quality of God. Only in Him the simultaneous existence of mutually contradicting states, qualities, and actions is possible. Thus is the greatness of his enormous power. Having limited knowledge we cannot grasp the unity of these contradicting notions. Our mind is limited. We want to understand God, embrace Him with our limited mind. Some think He is nirakara (shapeless, impersonal), and some believe he is sakara (having form, personal). He is also called nirguna (not having any qualities), and saguna (having qualities). He is beyond all guna: sattva - virtue, raja –passion and tamas – ignorance, and having crated the trinity of these gunas, He enjoys them. God walks. The word «to go» means motion, action. Every moment God is busy creating, supporting and destroying all animate and inanimate objects. To be in motion is the specific characteristic of the Universe. The Universe appears and disappears. It is perishable. Take the smallest particle of the Universe, and atom. There’s a nucleolus in the center with electrons circulating around it. The Moon circulates round the Sun, and the Earth circulates round the Sun. It is a closed circular process. All of the smallest and the biggest objects in the Universe are in motion. This motion is the greatest source of energy. If there were no motion, there would be no kinetic energy. In the quiescent state there’s also static energy. God is the


Supreme Power. He is the embodiment of energy. Thus there’s motion in Him as well. This statement has no contradiction. God moves, walks, laughs, and sings. He is active in every way. And with that He is inactive. Along with activity there’s always turmoil and anxiety. There’s always an end to it. God has no turmoil, no anxiety, and no concerns. He is completely satisfied and always rests in calmness. This is His «inactivity». In His eternal spiritual abode and on the Earth – when playing His games - to please His devoted bhaktas and free them from many misfortunes God takes one of His saguna-sakara forms, i.e. avatar (incarnation, birth) and plays His games. It is His «activity». Thus, in his form nirguna-nirakara He is always motionless and rests in one place. This is His «inactivity» –

Paritranaya sashrunam vinashaya cha dunkritamDharmasansthapanrathaya sambhavami yuge yuge

In order to create, destroy, establish and support religious principles it is necessary to be active. Without this it would be impossible to take an avatar. Thus, to take an avatar and please His devotees is God’s «activity». Gods reveals Himself to His bhakta to such an extent to which the latter is devoted to Him.

Jaki rahi bhavna jaysi hari murata dekhi tinha taysi In his «Ramayana» Gosvami Tulsidast has also written

Taga binu chale sune binu kana Karma binu karma kare vidhi nana

God enters all. He is everything. There’s no such place that would not be filled with Him. He is beyond our understanding. The Earth, which we live upon, is just a small planet of the Solar System. And our Sun is just one of the innumerable stars of the Galaxy. All of them are hundreds of miles away from each other. It is unknown how many such galaxies are there in the outer space. But there an innumerable number of such cosmoses contained in the core of God. As far as we can see there is sky. And this sky is located on one of the hairs on the body of God. So as far as we can reach in our ideas about Him, He will remain by far distant. It is impossible even to imagine His true greatness. And on the contrary, He reveals Himself very close to us. Not only close! He enters us – «Hrishenjurn nishthati». You can reach God in your own heart. He is inside and outside. Not a single place, not a single object, not a single moment exist unfilled with Him. You don’t have to go far to reach HIm. You don’t have to go to the forest or climb the mountains. He smiles in the utmost proximity to us –


«Mo ko kaha dhunrhe, me to tere pas he». He is so close, that we don’t have to look for Him anywhere closer, and even

Dil ke aine me tasvir yar,Jab japa gardan jhukai dekh li.

(The image is in the morrow of your soul, my dear.You will see if you tilt your head just a little bit.)

Shruti say that atma (soul, Self) and Paramatma (supreme soul, supreme Self, God) are like two bird sitting on one branch. Each of them has beautiful feathering (gunas). They are friends. One of them is eating fruit from this tree, and the other is looking with the feeling of tatast’hya (neutrality). God observes how the man eats fruit, as sakhi (observer, witness). Thus, atma and paramatma are very close to each other. That is why many yogi and bhakti do not search for God outside. They search for Him inside. Contemplation upon God inside yourself is directly related to attention, concentration. God is very close to us, and namely, in our hearts. God is omnipotent. Upon His will He may direct his energy wherever he wants. He can take an avatar. Even if He comes in a form of material energy, He can turn this material energy into spiritual one. This transformation is absolutely natural and possible, and depends merely upon His will. He is the source of all energies. His image, made of stone, clay or wood can also be filled with His energy. In the modern imperfect material world we cannot contemplate upon God because our sight is imperfect. But still today there are bhakta, who can see God with their own eyes. God shows mercy to His bhakta and accepts their love and service to Him and to His senses accordingly. God (statue) is not an attempt to follow the fashion. It is also a form of eternity. God approaches His bhakta as close, as much and deep as bhakta is devoted to Him. «Ye Yat’ha mam prapadyante tamst’hatayva bhajanyaham» – I reward a man to that extent, to which he is devoted to Me, (Gita 4|11). When atheist king Hiranyakashipu asked his son Prahlada: – Where is your God? – the former replied: – Where is he not! God is in everything. He is in you, in me, in the sword, and in the pillar. – So he should also be in this pillar? – Undoubtedly! It’s because God is omnipresent. And He is present in this pillar as well. So the king crushed the pillar to pieces. He was surprised to see that from it came God Nrisimha (the fierce avatar of Vishnu, half man-


half lion). For Hiranyakashipu God was very far away, but for Prahlada He was very close. God never shows Himself to people, who are far away from faith and love of Him, because their hearts are not pure. They are filled with envy, hostility, hate, greed and other vices. He is very far away from such people. But His devoted, loving bhakta can see Him every moment. The great bhakta Surdas was blind. Once when he was walking down the road and praying, he fell into a well. But he didn’t stop praying. The well stood in the empty place, and there was no one beside. God appeared in front of Him, pulled him out of the well, took a stick and started to show him the road. When Surdas recognized Him, God started to disappear. Then Surdas challenged Him –

Bahi chhurae jata hau nibalya jani ke mohiHridai se jyo javoge sabalya bakhanav mohe

(If I let go of your hand, will you leave my heart…) No, God cannot leave the heart of His bhakta. Love of bhakta is so strong, that God Himself serves him. For bhakta He is always close, always beside. He’s constantly caring for their happiness. In Gita God also says –

Bahirantashcha bhutanamacharam charameva chaSukshmatvattadavigyeyam durastham chantike cha tat

(Supreme Truth exists inside all of the living beings and outside of them, moving and motionless. Because It exists in its subtle spiritual form, It is beyond the power of the material sight or knowledge. Even though It is very far away, It is also very close) (Gita 13|16)God enters all animate and inanimate objects; He is inside and outside of everything. He is all animate and inanimate existence. Being small as an atom, he is incomprehensible. Being very close, He is at the same time very far away. Shvetashvatara-Upanishads (3|19) also says –

Apanipado jabano ahita pashyatyachakshuha sa shrinotyakarnaha (Without legs and hands, He is fast and catching. He sees without eyes, He hears without years)

«Its [paramatma] hands and legs, its eyes, heads, hands and years are everywhere. Thus, paramatma exists, penetrating everything – Sarvamavritya» (Gita 13|14) «There’s God in the heart of everyone – Hridi sarvasya vishthitam» (Gita 13|18)


Notwithstanding all of the super nature, bhakta can reach God. He directly enjoys His games. Some come to know that paramatma is inside themselves through meditation, others by perfecting knowledge, and others by working without attachment to the results of their activity –

Dhyanenatmani pashyanti kechidatmanamatmanaAnye sankhyena yogena karmayogena chapare (Gita 13|25)

God is visible, but it is necessary to become worthy of seeing Him. You have to purify your sight. Who can see God? The one, who sees paramatma, equally attendant to the individual soul in each body, possesses the true sight –

Samam sarveshu bhuteshu tishthantam parameshvaramVinashvatsvavinashyantam yaha pashyati sa pashyati

(Gita 13|28)Unless a man develops such vision – gyana-drishti – he cannot see God, cannot understand His proximity. Bhakta has such vision. They see God in all and feel love towards everything. They consider their duty to serve to general benefit. They do not consider all animate and inanimate objects in the world as separate. On the contrary, he understands that everything dwells in paramatma and the whole universe originates from it. The moment we gain such vision, we gain God; he approaches us as a friend. This is called vision through the super natural eye [possibly here a third eye]. God is less than a smallest and greater than the greatest. He is spread in the outer space. He covers [i.e. guards, protects] each. Such is His grand form. Arjuna (the hero of «Mahabharata») could see this form of God. God is Antaryami (Internal Governor, Supreme Being, present in each creation and governing all creations). The truth is that God guards each and everyone from the inside and from the outside.

-(6)- Yastu sarvani bhutanyatmanyevanupashyati

Sarvabhuteshu chatmanam tato na vijugupsate

One, who sees everything connected to Supreme Lord, who sees all beings as His integral parts, and sees the Supreme Lord in everything, never feels gate towards anything or anyone. All of the living beings dwell in paramatma. God covers everyone. As a child becomes fearless when he is sitting in his mother’s lap and hiding in


her clothes, similarly every living being gets love and care of God, when he is sitting in His lap. And not only any living being. God also dwells in the inanimate objects as well. All that we see is paramatma. No place and no substance are free from paramatma. As man masters this truth, he starts to feel greater love towards all of the animate and inanimate objects. As man loves God, the same love he feels towards all of the objects. He doesn’t feel hate, envy, hostility, etc. towards anyone or anything. He considers God to be his friend that is why all of the living beings are also his friends. And if all are friends, well-wishers, then there’s even no issue about any kind of hostility? Man starts to give respect, trust and love to everyone.

Siyaram mayasab jaga janiKarau pranam jori jag pani

Such bhakta sees the image of his beloved God always, everywhere and in everyone, and bows his head in reverence in front of each. God enjoys everything. In Gita Lord Krishna says:

Sarvabutasthamatmanam sarvabhutani chatmaniIkshate yogayuktatma sarvatra samadarshanah

Yo mam pashyati sarvatra sarva cha mayi pashyatiTasyaham na pranashyami na pranashyami sa cha me na pranashyati«A true yogi sees Me in all beings, and also sees every living being in Me. In reality, self-actualized personality sees Me, the Supreme Lord, everywhere and in everything. For the one, who sees me in everything and everything in me, I am never lost, and he is never lost for Me» («Gita» 6|29-30) As there are clouds in the sky, and there’s sky in the clouds, so Vasudeva is in everything and everything is in Him. Our father can take any look but we always recognize him and honor him. Our mother can wear any clothes, but we have no difficulty recognizing her. Similarly God appears in many forms: as the earth, as the sky, as the sun, as the moon, as stars, as the sound of water flowing, as a scent of flowers, as the humming of bees, as the silence of the mountains, as the depth of the ocean – all of this is Him, His energy. God gives life to all of the living beings and like a mother, He equally cares about everyone. Mother’s tenderness is equal for all he children. Similarly the love of God is equally distributed among all of the living beings. God enters all. Were it not so, then He would not treat everyone equally. Similarly bhakta treats everything and everyone with similar love. At this stage a particular close friendly relations are established between God and bhakta. «Brahma


samhita» says: «I worship Lord, Govinda, whom God’s bhakta can always see, whose eyes are moistened with the balm of love. He sees Him in his eternal image of Shyamasundari, dwelling in the heart of bhakta». Thus, Lord never disappears from the sight of bhakta, and bhakta never loses concentration of his vision upon God. «Narada Pancharatra» says: «By concentrating attention upon the transcedental form of God, pervasive and standing above time and space, a man completely merges into the thoughts of Krishna and then reaches the blissful state of transcedental conversation with Him». There are some bhakta who in accordance to their religion go to the church temple, church or mosque, bow their heads respectfully in front of the statues and worship God or pray for something. They think that God dwells only in those places, only in those statues. When they go there they become obsessed with love towards God. They believe that God dwells only in that temple of mosque and do not feel love to Him in the other places. These are common bhakta. This is the lowest level of bhakti. Such bhakta are being called devoted-materialists. They try to break material chains, in order to get to the spiritual level. Bhakta of the middle level see the Supreme Lord, distinguish God’s devotees, see the innocent, those who do not have knowledge of God, and finally, they see atheists, who do not believe in God and hate His devotees. Bhakta of the lowest level cannot distinguish these four types of people. Bhakta of the middle level love God, serve Him. They are friends with the other devotees of God, try to wake love of God that dwells in the hearts of the innocent, and avoid atheists. The position of bhakta of the superior level is different from the first two levels. They see all in connection to the Supreme Lord. They do not make differences between atheists and believers, and they recognize everyone as an integral part of God. They equally look at the educated Brahman and stray dog, because they understand that both come from God. Such bhakta consider themselves friends to all of the living beings, they wish well for everyone, and do well for all. For them there’s no difference between the animate and inanimate, as they see God in both. Bhakta of such superior level are called samadarshi, i.e. those who see God everywhere and in everything, and that is why feel love towards everything and consider their duty to serve general welfare. Bhakta referred to in the Upanishads is exactly the bhakta of such level.


-(7)-Yismin sarvani bhutanyatmaivabhud vijanataha

Tatra ko mohah kah shoka ekatvamanupashyatah

In the understanding of those, who know the Supreme Lord well, for those great sages, who have self-awareness, all of the living beings are equal to paramatma. They start to constantly reveal this unity. In this state they do not feel any illusions or anxiety. All of the living beings are one with the Supreme Lord. Material nature shows us an infinite number of forms of God. Wherever we look, we can see God everywhere. The ability to see God everywhere is called bhagavad-drishti. It is clairvoyance. It gives a man immense pleasure. A man drifts on the waves of pleasure. Piece and satisfaction come into his soul. Illusion and anxiety cannot penetrate it even for a moment. Such great sages never fall under the spell of material things, as they understand that all of them are perishable. So why should they develop attachment to them? All of the existing living beings are qualitatively one with the Supreme Lord, as sparks of fire are fire, even if they carry significantly less warmth and light, than the fire itself. Thus, a religious man considers fauna to be a part of God, part of His energy. There’s no difference between the energy and the source of energy. Basically, there’s no difference between warmth, light, fire, etc. All of this is energy. The energy can be transformed from one type into the other. Sun gives us light, but we also receive warmth from it. Today it is possible to reach connection between great distances, due to transformation of the energy of sound into the electromagnetic energy and inversely, by transforming electromagnetic waves into sound, we can hear the speaker at great distances. This transformation of energies is possible because in essence they are one and the same. Thus, a human being is an integral part of God. From the qualitative point of view all of the animate and inanimate existence is similar to God. This results from the theory of the «whole» – «Ishvara ansh jiv avinashi, chetan amal sahej sukharashi ». There’s salt in the ocean, and there’s also salt in one drop of the ocean. Taste and qualities of the ocean and its drop are the same. But the quantity of salt in a drop is incomparable to its quantity in the whole ocean. If a living being would be equal to the Supreme God in his qualitative and quantitative characteristics that he would not be chained by material bonds. However, notwithstanding his divinity, a man is not God. Even the semi-


Gods are not equal to God. Because the words «qualitatively same» should not be understood as «a man is God, or a man is equal to God». There are million of citizens in one country. Each has own identity, own interests, but all of them belong to one nation. And there are no disputes with regards to the issue of belonging to this nation. Similarly from the spiritual point of view, God is the empire for all the living beings. This notion of a kind of united state is called «to see everything qualitatively one». At the level of atma all of the living beings are one. There are clashes in the modern world, as here different interests constantly clash against each other. The aim of each person is to receive pleasure. But the difference in the human interests gives ground to hostility and hate. As a result, a man cannot attain pleasure. The true center of joy and pleasure is lost. We forget God. That is why we have to experience all kinds of suffering. Who knows this true source of pleasure, he understands that God is inside him and inside each and everyone. And thus all of his conflicts disappear and he receives true pleasure. The son is like his father. The entire nature has been created by God. Therefore, it is like Him. Bhakta, who sees God everywhere, always feels his love. When there’s love and tenderness in a family, then this family doesn’t notice the drawbacks of its members. Moreover, a feeling of ownership is born here, i.e. a feeling of attachment. Similarly if bhakta experiences family feelings towards God, He becomes his most loving relative. At such conditions, God also doesn’t pay attention to the drawbacks of bhakta and feels attachment to him. Mundane tenderness caused by the sense of property and attachment gives rise to ignorance, because is becomes limited, becomes small, it is limitedly shared by a definite number of people. God’s love has no boundaries. It is infinite. Love of God is spread around like a scent or light. Bhakta, who loved God, spreads this love for all existence, as he sees the object of his love in everything. Entwined in family relations, the soul is lost in darkness, and a soul that enjoys divine love dwells in the light. Light gives the ability to see. Thus divine loves gives the ability to see clearly. Being limited, a family love is an obstacle to performing duties, as it causes attachment and the sense of property, while a divine love, being infinite and generous, not only doesn’t hinder performing duties but also helps them. Bhakta is not concerned about anything, he is surrounded by carefree, because he, who sees God in everything, treats everyone as his close friends, and wishes wellness to everyone. He is not afraid of hostility, or harm from anywhere. Fear is the cause of anxiety, and anxieties are like a


burial fire. The dead burns down in the burial fire, while the living burns in the fire of anxiety every moment of his life. Anxiety is the reason of changes that occur on the level of feelings, body, soul and mind. If such changes do not happen, then a man grows pure, sinless, and the cause of anxiety disappears. Anxiety is caused by ignorance and illusions. He, who sees God in everything, is not subject to illusions, and therefore he doesn’t feel anxiety. He is above all attachments and anxieties. Where illusions reign, mind weakens; but where mind is strong, there’s no place for illusion. Illusions cause a man not to know his duties, but he, who is free from illusion, clearly knows his duty. In pure bhakta mind reigns, that is why he knows that his duty is to see God in all, to perceive everything as a form of God, and therefore, love everything and serve to the general welfare. Clear understanding of own duty and alert mind indicate that bhakta doesn’t experience any illusions, because mind is counteracting illusions. Bhakta loves everyone, because he sees God in everyone. As a result he is never in conflict with anyone. And that is why in his soul he doesn’t feel hostility or hate towards anyone. Yearning for something or a desire to get rid of something undesirable are both caused by desires. There are two types of a desire to reach something: accumulation and pleasure. Desire to accumulate is greed, and desire for pleasure is lust. Obstacles on the way to get rid from the undesirable originate hate. These are very simple reasons why life of common people is filled with struggle. Lust, hate, greed are called the road to hell. Yearning for wealth, land, glory, respect, high rank, power is all greed. When greed grows a man doesn’t pay attention whether actions are good or bad. His mind loses its power. To reach the desired he engages himself in a multitude of conflicts, spending his time, property and powers. He is buried under a heap of misfortunes. His friends turn away from him. Hostility generates hostility. This is the cause of all suffering. Similarly only illusions are a reason that man is subject to various vices. If there were no illusions, there would be no vices. And on the contrary, if there’s no greed, lust and hate, if material sufferings do not stain the soul, then there would be no illusions. A soul of a person, who sees God in everything is pure and is devoid of any vices. When bhakta sees God in each and everyone, then he sees the drawbacks of other s no more. He, who sees the drawbacks of others, becomes proud of himself, while pride is the obstacle on the way to God


Thus, bhakta doesn’t see the drawbacks of others and, seeing the divinity of existence, is always in the blissful state. Even a shadow of sorrow cannot touch him. Attaining of something – sanyoga (union, unanimity) – brings the feeling of happiness. And on the contrary «separation» from this thing – viyogatlbyj – brings sorrow. If God is in all, then there’s no use in efforts to unite with Him. He is inside us and around us. By all means He exists everywhere and always. That is why viyoga is simply impossible with relation to God, and only sanyoga is possible. Thus, sanyoga fills the soul with satisfaction, and the absence of viyoga eliminates all kinds of suffering. According to «Gita» (2|62-63) – «Contemplating upon the objects related to feelings, a man develops attachment to them. Lust is born from attachment, and hate is born from lust. Hate brings complete delusion, delusion covers memory. When memory is in eclipse, mind is lost. When mind is lost, a person again falls in the well of material world». Thus the reasons for human fall are the objects appealing to feelings. «Gita» (2|64-65) also says that a person, who is free from any attachments and antipathy, perceiving different objects with controlled feelings, receives true joy. Who is satisfied in this way never feels any suffering – «Prasade sarvaduhkhanam hanirasyopajayate, prasannachetaso hyashu buddhiha paryavtishthate». When bhakta develops a divine vision, then by getting close to God they receive spiritual satisfaction, pure piece, and no more experiences any sorrow or suffering. When a man suffers? When he divides all people into two parts, and one part he regards as his own, and the other as strangers. He feels love and attachment towards those, whom he considers his family, people of his class, his party etc., and always wishes them well. In turn this generates sorrow, grief, anxiety, fear, worries, etc. Exactly this idea of «native and alien» is the root of all suffering. He is not interested in the well-being of those, whom he considers «alien». Besides he feels fear and anxiety that these «aliens» will harm «natives». Even if there is no such danger, he still fears the very thought of such possibility. In reality, if a person seeks protection in the material world, then these suffering never leave him, and he will suffer from delusion and sorrow. Being continuously in the state of sorrow and anxiety, a person cannot fulfill his duty; he cannot control his world and actions. However, this doesn’t happen to those, who seek protection of the Supreme God. We face two kinds of things: true and false. True things are permanent, eternal, they never cease to exist, and


nothing can happen to them, that is why there is no need to worry about them. False things are transient; they collapse according to the law of nature. To worry about them is indeed foolishness and ignorance. Thus, to worry about both the former and the latter is ignorance. Circumstances that we face are the results of our actions. Whether favorable or unfavorable, a situation begins and ends. It has not been before and it will be no more. The moment between before and after is also never lasting. That is why it is foolish to feel joy or sorrow with regards to the favor or disfavor of the situation. Thus, we see that happiness and joy, happiness and sorrow, etc., occur as a result of the attitude towards the world as true. He who treats each and everyone with equal respect, who doesn’t divide people into «native and alien», he has no reasons for sorrow or anxiety. For his everyone is «native». He is equally attached to all; he equally cares about their well-being. This is the reason why he is impartial and fears nothing. He, who fears nothing, has piece in his soul, and he, who considers everyone to be his «native» and treats everyone with equal love, he is happy. The basis to treat all people as «native» is to see the image of God in everyone, and accept everyone as His likeness. And if God reveals Himself to us in the multitude of forms, then everything becomes divine, the entire animate and inanimate world gets its true form. The root of distinction disappears. This is unity. God is very close to us, He is inseparable from us, and He is our most close friend. When He, our loving God, plays His games with each of us, then everyone becomes close, becomes a friend. The reason for conflict, hostility, hate, anxiety and sorrow disappears. That is why religious people, who see God everywhere, never fall into delusion; they are never touched by sorrow, as their alert mind enables them to treat everyone with love. They have no cause for delusion, no cause for sorrow. They exist in love. They are always full of joy.

-(8)-Sa paryagachchhukramakayamavrana –

Masnaviram shuddhamapapaviddhamKavirmanishi paribhuh svayambhuryathatathyato

Such person truly should know the greatest of all, bodiless, omniscient, impeccable, without veins, pure and unblemished, self-sufficient, philosopher, and one who from times immemorial has been performing everybody’s wishes.


The form of Supreme God is transcedental. It has nothing in common with the forms of material nature. He is beyond boundaries. Three gunas of material nature, virtue, passion and ignorance, enchain a living being into a body. («Gita» 14|5). Guna of virtue (satva) is most pure, as its subjects receive happiness and knowledge. In the light of satva-guna we correctly perceive spiritual and material things. Guna of passion (rajas) brings passionate desires and lust. This guna is related to the attachment to activity with the dominance of yearning. Thus, arousing from ignorance the guna of (tamas) originates delusion, madness, laziness and sleep, fettering a man. («Gita» 1|46-8). Paramatma is outside these three gunas. Its body is not material. That is why it is called «akayam» (not incarnated), bodiless, it is beyond the laws of nature. God is «avranam» – impeccable. He has no vices or drawbacks. Drawbacks appear is something is missing. Vices appear where there is lack of something, in void. God is absolutely complete, he doesn’t lack anything. God is full. Whatever amount of energy He gives, He remains full. Therefore, He has no vices, He has no drawbacks. If something has drawbacks, it collapses wrecks and dies. The Supreme Lord never and under no circumstances has any drawbacks. His power never deteriorates. That is why He is called inviolable and eternal. In reality destruction and collapse occur because of vices. God is absolutely pure, sinless, and impeccable. Decay [here the word vran is used, which means a wound, sore, that gives the word avranam, which means one that has no drawbacks] occurs because of vices. God has no vices, which is why he is called impeccable (avranam). People are incarnated in bodies. Blood flows in these bodies. Their hearts beat. Their flesh is has imperfections. Gita regards these imperfections as heart diseases and veins as their cause. They make us victims of lust, hate, greed, and other tendencies. They are controlled by mind. These trends force us «to dance to their pipe», make us foolish. Because of these tendencies we cannot calm down. This is human poverty. Poverty is caused by excessive desires. That is why yoga is called an obstacle on the way of trends. Material world is the game of tendencies. Maya reveals itself in this game. That is why God is «asnaviram», i.e. not having veins. He is beyond vices generated by the vascular and nervous systems. He has no tendencies or disturbances, He rests in eternal piece. Our feelings create disturbances through our vascular and nervous systems. But God is beyond all disturbances. That is why He always dwells in appeasement and


he is ananda-svarupa (essence of bliss). Passionate desire is the root of all misfortunes. With no desires there are no misfortunes, no suffering. God is mangala-svarupa (essence of happiness)

Mangalam bhagavan vishnuh mangalam garurhdhvajahMangalam pundarikaksham mangalaya tano harih

To bring happiness to each and everyone is the nature of God. That is why from times immemorial he fulfills all wishes.

Worshipping ignorance and proud of knowledge

-(9)-Andham tamah pravishantiYe vidyamupasteTato bhuya iva te tamo ya u vidyayam patah

Those that worship ignorance will fall to the darkest corners of ignorance, but those who are proud of their knowledge will fall into a greater darkness. Vidya (knowledge) is what gives freedom. Spiritual activity or knowledge, helping to cognize paramatma, is vidya. Those who are far from such activity or knowledge exist in avidya (ignorance). To know that your heart is filled with the omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent God, not to share identity and society means to have knowledge. Then the whole world becomes divine, and God is spread across the entire Universe. There’s no hypocrisy, pretence, arrogance, and ego in a person. Inside him, as well a outside him, there is only purity and light. He is not limited. Now he can be compared to the ocean, as he is boundless. Thus, by touching this knowledge, man is filled with knowledge. This is vidya, this is knowledge, and this is light. Knowledge is filled with light. Sun is the symbol of knowledge, as it gives light, spreads it. Sunshine eliminates darkness and saves all of the animate and inanimate existence from it. Sun is not secretly hiding the fruit of its sunshine and is not mistaken in the way it shares it. It doesn’t discriminate its light and doesn’t deprive either good or evil of it. Those, who apply any kind of discrimination, worship ignorance. A man, filled with concerns due to his yearning for pleasure and sensual satisfaction, falls into the abyss of attachment, which is filled with the stench of greed and limitation. A person, attached to pleasure, directs all of his actions to receive pleasure. Like a madman he is rushing day and night in the attempts to provide himself with


happiness and comfort on this Earth, he carries out a multitude of religious ceremonies or resorts to various tricks to provide himself with happiness in the afterlife. This obsessing idea to acquire happiness in this life and in the afterlife is a «present» of ignorance. It is called maya. Ignorance is maya. Hate, lust, greed, and envy are the products of ignorance. Body is important, but it is not all. When we are limited with concerns about physical pleasure, then this delusion and limitation is caused by ignorance. It produces nothing but delusion and limitation. Our development is directly related to our pattern of thinking. In reality thoughts form a personality. Thus a man, who is wandering the roads of ignorance, undoubtedly, wanders in darkness. No material development can give anyone piece. Happiness and piece turn into a mirage. Thus, a man, who became slave of his desires, always exists in anxiety. Wishes are never fulfilled. They are endless. As soon as one is fulfilled, a new one is already born. That is why we are chased with anxiety. Concerned mind cannot work in the right direction. If a wish is not fulfilled, a man suffers. Whatever are these desires: a desire of happiness, wealth, child, power, respect – they always bring suffering. Desires originate hate, greed and lust. These are enemies, constantly torturing human souls. They can bring a person hellish suffering already in this life. Thus a man, who has tendencies only for guna of ignorance, is never happy and never receives piece. True piece only comes when a man is free from desires. Desires bring feelings into motion. They blind feelings. This blindness is called by the darkness of ignorance. «There’s happiness in pleasure», «body is everything», «there’s piece in material development» – in fact, such statements seem to be attempting to pass a lie as truth. Such false ideas destroy lives. This is not the right course of life; this is not its goal. A man will never reach his goal; a wandering man will never reach his destination. He continues to wander. People, who completely prefer the guna of ignorance, also find themselves in similar state. Nothing but blindness is to seek happiness not where it is but somewhere else. It is unnaturally to look for something in the darkness by random. This is the case of one, who worships ignorance. They are eternally stuck in the damp of impenetrable darkness. Material nature consists of three gunas: tama, raja, sat (ignorance, passion, and virtue). These gunas enchain the living being in a body. Guna of virtue also enchains a soul by attachment to happiness, to knowledge (Gita 14|5). Even the dominance of guna of virtue cannot free from the bonds. Golden or silver chains are chains still.


Similarly is doesn’t matter, which guna performs as chains. These are still chains. And in this case freedom is impossible. Until there’s freedom, knowledge will not give any fruit – «Sa vidya ya vimultaye». Guna of passion engages a man into karma activity (i.e. activity, performed for the result)– «Tamastvagyanajam viddhi mohanam sarvadehinam» (Gita 14|8). Ignorance generates darkness. It is the cause of delusion for all of the living beings. It chains the soul with madness, laziness, and sleep. If the guna of passion prevails it generates intense attachments, tendency for karma-inducing activity, irresistible yearnings, and uncontrolled strong desires. The ascendancy of guna of ignorance brings darkness, inertia, madness and illusion. That is why great saints advise to suppress gunas of passion and ignorance, and to develop guna of virtue. Guna of virtue opens the door to purification of mind. However, true happiness lies even further. To understand paramatma, which is independent from these three gunas, means to gain the opportunity to become independent from them as well. Knowledge relieves from the chains of gunas, and ignorance causes these chains. Ignorance generates passion, knowledge generates impartiality. Dieing in guna of ignorance a man is born in the kingdom of animals («Gita» 14|15). Activity in guna of ignorance leads to foolishness (Gita 14|17). These words said by Lord Krishna are cited in this Upanishad in order to open the truth that «Andham tamah pravishanti ye vidyamupaste» – those that worship ignorance will fall to the darkest corners of ignorance. Isha-Upanishad also indicates another bitter truth. Those, who take pride in their knowledge, are doomed for even a lower fall. They are proud that they have read shastra. They have read shastra but haven’t understood the essence of the words that were written there. These so-called «learned-men» study shastra only for self-profit, and to satisfy own ego. For self-profit they deceive and mislead other people. Their sermons generate even greater delusion and destroy faith of common listeners. Such people spill words and proclaim themselves as gyani, sages and mahatmas (mahatma – a great soul). They are so hypocrite that they even claim themselves to be gods. They perfectly understand that they are very far from divinity, и and still call themselves gods, to please their ego. Merely for own satisfaction they misleads others with lies, thus committing a great sin. A person, who rejects instructions given in shastra and acts according to his own whim, cannot reach perfection, happiness, or the highest goal (Gita 16|23). To act ignoring the instructions of shastra, guided merely by personal interest, is ignorance. In reality such people are very proud that


they have read shastra and, notwithstanding that they are filled with lust, greed and hate, they elevate their outward activity to the supreme rank. They believe they are the best, the greatest, and find citations from shastra for each good or bad action they commit. Common people can see only their outward actions, but they cannot look into their inner world. The most disgusting feelings flourish inside such people, but on the outside they are known as hermits and ascetics. Such situation stimulates pride inside these people and misleads them to willful behavior. Gradually all of their qualities [qualities of their character] turn into vices. Their self-denial turns into lust, into attachment. For such people degradation is an inevitable outcome. They acquire neither siddhi, nor peace. In fact, purification of soul [internal world, heart] is siddhi. Merely pure knowledge of shastra cannot purify a human soul. They act, motivated by own desires, and tortured by internal lust and hate. In suffering they never attain happiness. Being proud of the false knowledge of shastra, they cannot understand paramatma. On the contrary, they decay and collapse even lower, than those, who simply do not know shastra. The cause of their fall is hypocrisy and ego generated by vainglory. Ego prevents a man from hearing the voice of God and that is why he falls. A small and weak ego doesn’t cause birth and death until it faces three gunas of material nature, as mainly contact with these gunas enchains – karanam guna sangosya sadasadyonijanmasu (Gita 13|22). People, who are keen on studies of Veda [here the Sanskrit word vidya-rata is used], have an extremely great ego and they cannot withstand temptation to contact gunas of material nature. Everything what is acquired through severe penance, study of shastra, sacrifice, pilgrimage, etc. is connected to ignorance and therefore doesn’t last forever, is perishable. «Acharahinam na punanti deva» (Vasishtha-smriti). Only practical application of knowledge from shastra is capable to purify a human soul. Merely by reading advices of the great sages without their practical application it is impossible to gain happiness. According to the three gunas of material nature there are three types of knowledge, activity and performer of this activity. Knowledge by which a man sees the uniform spiritual nature in all of the living beings is knowledge in guna of virtue. Such person is free from raga-dvesha. When this knowledge is free from attachment, a man acquires «true knowledge». Knowledge that asserts that the form of the living being is determined by the body in which it dwells is called knowledge in guna of passion. Knowledge that generates attachment to activity and far from truth belongs


to guna of ignorance. Activity in guna of ignorance is generated by illusion, and this is action for pleasure. This action is generated by bondage. And a man, performing actions that contradict directions from shastra, who is materialistic, stubborn, mendacious, ingenious in insulting others, lazy, dismal and sluggish, acts in guna of ignorance (Gita 18|19-28). Disreputable thoughts generate unbecoming behavior. In turn unbecoming behavior feeds disreputable thoughts. Ruin waits for those, who possess qualities of aseers and are arrogant, malignant, and lowest of all people (Gita 16|20). This is true beyond doubt. The whole question is about thoughts. If thoughts are pure then behavior is also pure. Veda knowledge of high moral standards brings happiness. People, who are full of ego, arrogance, lust and anger in Gita God calls lowest of all people (Gita 16|18-19). Being in constant concerns and anxiety, lost in the net of illusions, a man develops strong attachment to sensual pleasures and falls to hell (Gita 16|16). There’s never an end to the suffering of such people. Because of the false interpretation of shastra they spread lies and mislead others. This is a great sin. In «Shanti-parva» (chapter of Mahabharata) such famous «experts of shastra», and religionists, that learn shastra by heart, by being imprisoned by greed they kill their mind and continuously suffer, are also censured. Giving up to the power of vices and anger, they sleek outwardly, but on the inside they are very cruel. Their condition can be compared to the foul well. These people use religion as a cover to set lies across the world; these low men spread religious lies and destroy the world. Armed with arguments and logic, they stand on a very evil way, and being under the influence of own desires and ignorance, start to destroy laws established by virtuous people. This is how true religion is distorted, and in this distorted variant it starts to spread. Such hypocrites destroy religion to satisfy own desires by lying to people and undermining their faith. These so-called scientists are even worse than those, who enjoy material benefits. Their attachment to the objects of pleasure brings harm to the whole humanity. You should beware of this kind of people, carrying the flag of faith, because their hypocrisy is very attractive. They bring even greater harm than ignorance. A true expert on Veda never deviates from worthy behavior. He is ready to help each and everyone; he is a close friend to everyone and is ready to sacrifice all for the benefit of others –

Sarvopakarino virah sarvadharmanupalakahSarvabhutahitashchayv sarvadeyashch bharata


One, who is lit by the light of knowledge, goes the road of the great ancestors, adheres to the worthy behavior, never brings on fear in anyone, shows no anxiety, is always on the right way and always follows ahimsa (ahimsa – учение о ненасилии). He takes the view that happiness and unhappiness, love and hostility, benefit and harm, life and death are equal. He is not showing joy if he’s got luck and is not depressed when he faces failures. Communication with such people is very beneficial. Condition of people, who carry the flag of false faith, can be called a misery, as they put their followers in trouble. Because the abovementioned so-called experts of shastra do not understand the essence of shastra, they merely resort to the number of descriptive words from scriptures. They do not believe in the infinity and omnipresence of God. By word of mouth they state that God is omnipotent and controls everything, but their actions contradict these statements. What’s the use of such knowledge if it doesn’t show in behavior? Knowledge is what automatically passes into lifestyle and behavior. God is omnipresent, He dwells in every heart – to state such things and in the meanwhile to seed hatred in the hearts, exploit others, not feeing compassion for the suffering of others – makes these statements senseless. If we see a pundit, preaching «Ramayana» day and night, and arguing about the size of dakshina (dakshina – payment to Brahmans for performance of religious ceremonies), if we see a religionist, constantly glorifying the deeds of Sri Rama and Sri Bharata (heroes of «Ramayana») and are fighting with own brother for each piece of land, we feel sorry. Such people are called here vidya-rata. Once one mahatma preaching in Vrindavan. He brought benefit to a great number of people. His students respected him. Once when he was returning home after a sermon, he saw a rat on the road. It ran across the road and fell into a drain ditch. It floundered trying to get out. Mahatma stopped in hesitation. If he was going to save a rat he would undoubtedly dirty his clothes in the ditch, but if he wasn’t going to do this a rat would die. This time a boy returning from the sermon was passing by. He saw Mahatma standing by the edge of the road; the boy came closer and saw a rat, floundering in the ditch. Without a second of hesitation he jumped into the ditch. He pulled the rat out, put it to the ground and climbed out himself. Tears ran down the cheeks of mahatma. The boy started to worry. Who could have hurt mahatma? Folding hands in reverence he said: «I must have hurt you. Could you please, forgive me? ». Crying Mahatma started to


kiss the boy’s feet. «My child, – he said, – you are the real guru (spiritual teacher), and not me. You have no doubts. I have just made a two-hour sermon about equal compassion to all of the living beings. And when I was given the opportunity to reveal compassion and mercy to this living being, I started to think of my clothes. My son, you have opened my eyes. I was just doing an idle talk». Mahatma was true. He repented his weakness. But the majority of people, who have wrong knowledge, believe that justification of own mistakes, unworthy and sinful actions with the words from shastra is erudition. They have neither love, nor humility, nor the sense of duty, nor purity in their behavior. All of them are egoists and arrogant man. Having shown own ignorance they afterwards direct their eloquence to make fools of others and thus correct own foolishness. These people are very dangerous for society. They obstinately lead people in that direction they believe to be right. Having burdened others with own judgments born from ego, they believe that thus they care for happiness of others. This brings enormous harm. They live in darkness and force others believe this darkness to be light. Isha-Upanishads considers such people to be the greatest sinners and talks about their low fall. Those, who worship ignorance, because of own ignorance bring more harm to themselves than to the society, but such self-proclaimed experts on shastra carry along societies and states to a deep abyss. That is why the Upanishads say that they will fall to even the darker fields of ignorance, than those who know nothing of shastra. Nowadays this statement from the Upanishads is even more topical than before. Present-day society has moved far in its development. The sphere of education has also expended significantly. So what is the result of such expansion in education? The world has merged into even greater suffering and anxiety. Because a man spends all of his energy to attain material wellbeing, his development became one-sided. A true source of conciliation is ignored. That is why a man has become self-interested and self-absorbed. As a result countries have developed unnecessary competitive and unstable relations. Developed countries trade with the developing and backward countries on self-beneficial terms, and under pretence of providing satisfaction to human needs buy products and natural resources from these countries. Society cannot provide all people with equal level of life. Slogans only cannot provide equality. Equality is directly connected to actions and attitudes, while today’s education initially generates completely the opposite conditions. Everything that is there in the nature and the world


is the gift of God. But we decided that we have the right to command all of this and started to break all possible rules. When we become aware that everything belongs to God and that everybody may use anything, then this will put an end to all conflict. The example of such relations is clearly shown in the first chapter of this Upanishads. Thus, education with the tendency towards material development is empty and extremely dangerous. That is why a human being is developing in the wrong way. The example in the first mantra of this Upanishads doesn’t explain the preconditions of the present-day industrial, economic, social and national anxieties. The route of present-day anxieties is in the fact that every man believes that all of the natural wealth belong only to him or to his «close» people and nobody else. This is at least revealed in relations. Such delusions generate suffering. In the words of Gita, all of us are murhi (silly and ignorant) (Gita 7|15). This is avidya. And with it we can only fall lower and lower. If a human being is no more human, he becomes a machine, and walks in darkness his whole life. He cannot find piece and happiness. In the modern material world sensual satisfaction has become the key purpose of life. It causes the situation when aversion and hostility are growing between people, class groups, and countries. Everywhere around there’s only instability and tension. You cannot see peace or happiness anywhere. This happens because material prosperity is put as priority. This is avidya. According to the Upanishads, those, who think that material, mundane things are the priority and get attached to them as well as to the perishable body, fall into the darkest corners of ignorance. At those levels of life where feelings ad emotions are ruling «darkness» is hunting. Animals tend to submit to feelings. Such people become like animals. There’s no end to their desires, and all of their life they follow them. They are doomed to anxiety. All that is opposite to the search for the Absolute truth in the form of Paramatma is ignorance. Pride, haughtiness, arrogance, anger, roughness, and ignorance are qualities characteristic of aseers. The guna of tamas is born from ignorance and with it growing the world grows conflicts, discords, and wars. Guna of ignorance fetters all of the living beings with madness, laziness, and sleep. Guna of ignorance covers knowledge with a veil – «Gyanamavritya tu tamah». And then knowledge chooses the wrong goal. When guna of ignorance is successful in its activity then a man causes not only own destruction but also destruction of the whole world. Such people lead the world to the edge of destruction. Nowadays with the help of such people, who hold material development as


priority, nuclear weapons are being accumulated. Russian has such an amount of nuclear weapons, so why America shouldn’t have more? Rivalry on the bases of mutual fear leads to the accumulation of the greater amount of nuclear weapons. Any moment such bastards can use these weapons to fulfill savage instincts. They have a looming threat of a «cosmic war». Modern scientific and technical development pushes us to a fall every moment. The reason to this is the despotic tendency of people with the qualities of aseers. That is why science without connection to spirituality is regarded as only bringing misfortune and it is considered to be unacceptable. This is avidya. What doesn’t lead to freedom from incarnation, what doesn’t clean the road to peace, what doesn’t develop life energy is avidya, ignorance. And who worships this ignorance can fall into a dry well. Such people are blind and are grounding only upon own demonic tendencies [tendencies of aseers]. Conflicts, tensions, envy, hostility, hypocrisy, greed, instability, hate, violence, etc. that exist in the modern world – all of these are forms of guna of ignorance. Those, who worship ignorance, are blind. Submitting to guna of ignorance they are entering a dark cave and destroying themselves. That is why the future of humanity is covered with the dark cloud and it will never be filled with light. The peculiar characteristic of mind in guna of ignorance is that it thinks and understands things in the wrong way. Mind, accepting lawlessness for religion, bad actions for duties, accepts unhappiness for happiness, and when falling it carries along others into abyss. By following the blind guide you can only come to the abyss and death. This is the sad end of worshipping ignorance. Aspiration to satisfy feeling is generated by the present-day material prosperity, which cannot be the goal of human life. Satisfaction of feelings is the animals’ lot. Nowadays people in the civilized society lead the animal-like lives, conditioned by their tendencies of this kind. Nowadays even in developed countries violence and sexual dissoluteness, murder and deception dominate. Society stripped of faith is doomed to this. Society, stripped of God, directed only to satisfaction of feelings, and ornamented with modern education, is as dangerous as a jewel on the head of a venomous cobra. Development of an atheist science can be compared to ornamentation of a deceased. Modern humanity is like a corpse. Actually, it is very ugly, hiding it’s true face beyond the veil of education and revealing awareness only about material existence.


Feelings are not everything. Feelings strays from God, leads a man into delusion. But mind is higher than feelings, reason (intelligence) is higher that mind, and the soul is higher that intelligence. When ignorance entangles us in feelings, delusion gets into mind. Then the majority of delusions penetrate into intelligence. Ignorant reason is also helpless facing them. The soul is a source of pleasure. Defying soul it is impossible to keep a human face, or to get rid of the sickness of mind. The true education shows a way to self-awareness, to God. Today it’s not happening. That’s why everywhere there’s darkness of greed, anxiety, and hostility. People, possessing such false knowledge can be of several types: 1) vedavadarata, 2) mayapahrita, 3) asurbhavashrita 4) naradhama. Vedavadarata are those who pretend to be very knowledgeable in Vedic literature, they constantly talk on and on, but because they do not understand the essence of this literature, they apply their own opinions and ideas to Vedic hymns. The object of Veda study is the Person of God. But these people get stuck in rituals, and spend time only to reach mundane happiness. A wandering man falls astray even more. He moves away from God even further. The main goal of all religions is to help people return to God, to evoke love to Him inside of human hearts. Vedavadarata do completely the opposite and are constantly busy preparing new chains for people. Achievement of heaven and suchlike are the hidden types of material desires. They are inseparable from desire to satisfy feelings. Vedavadarata interpret Veda in their own way, neglecting the opinion of the great acharya thus drag others in delusion by spreading this kind of false knowledge. Such people particularly need this mantra of «Isha-Upanishads» and are considered very dangerous for society. These under-developed and hypocritical people are even more dangerous than those, who do not know Veda at all, because they bring more harm to humanity.Those, who proclaim themselves Gods and deceitfully force common people to worship them, belong to the category of «mayapahrita». Hiranyakashipu and demons alike also forced their subjects to worship them. Actually such people are also victims of demonic tendencies and subject to the influence of guna of ignorance. People with demonic tendencies [tendencies of aseers] are the malicious enemies of humanity.


All of these people, living in illusion of false knowledge, are condemned in this mantra of «Isha-Upanishads». They are called ‘those who live in hellish darkness (in ignorance). Vidya (knowledge) is the form of God, it is light. Where there is anxiety, destruction, fear and yearning for pleasure, where there are only slaves to own desires, there’s no knowledge. Lack of knowledge is darkness, but distorted knowledge is even deeper darkness. A man needs true knowledge to find happiness and peace.

Fruit of Knowledge-(10)-

Anya devahurvidyayanyadahuravidyayaIti shushruma dhiranam ye nas tad vichanakshire

The great rishi have understandably explained us that the process of knowledge perfection leads to one result, and cultivation of ignorance to the other. A true gyani, a true pandit and scientist is the one, who has found himself, who has put his feelings under control of mind, has put his mind under control of intelligence, has put his intelligence under control of his soul, has studied the nature of his soul, has become aware of God in his heart as a close friend, and has become aware of the essence of spreading of paramatma in the universe. All knowledge different from this one is nothing but ignorance. True knowledge that gives supreme fruit is the ability to differentiate the eternal and perishable things, refusal from all impermanent, which is the means of receiving pleasure in the earthly life and after death, discrete and sinless lifestyle, and study of God in his form of sat-chit-ananda in all possible ways. The supreme aim in life is finding God. There is no greater benefit than finding God. To find His true form by God’s grace – through contemplation upon the image of God – means to find true knowledge. Knowledge is light. And the face of God is full of light. To merge your inner light with this infinite and pervasive light is spiritual activity, and its result is dissolution in the divine light. I.e. true knowledge is knowledge with the help of which you can understand the essence of the Supreme God, paramatma. Knowledge, with the help of which a man becomes aware of eternal essence [paramatma] in every living being is pure, true knowledge. One, who has received true [Введите текст] Page 57Upanishad-Chintana

knowledge, can generate neither raga-dvesha, nor the feeling of «mine and yours». Knowledge, which puts material body above all, belongs to guna of ignorance, they are considered to be null and void, and you should reject them. Gita (18|49-55) has a detailed description of true gyani:

Asakta buddhih sarvatra jitatma vigatasprihahaаNaishkarmya siddhim paramam sannyasenadhigachchhati

Who is free from attachments, who suppresses his passions and emotions, received the ability to «inactivity». Who longs for solitude and asceticism with pure mind, is free from raga-dvesha, has rejected egoism, lust, anger, and greed, etc. and has become still and impartial, is able to understand Brahma, to understand the Supreme Lord.

Brahmabhutah prasannatma na shochati na kankshatiSamah sarveshu bhuteshu mdbhaktim labhate param

Who has reached this state of brahmabhuta (the state of union with the Absolute. Brahmabhuta is the one, who became brahman), never grieves and never has any desires. He equally treats all of the living beings. Such person becomes worthy to serve God.

Samaduhkhasukha svastah samaloshatashmakan chanahTulya priyapriyo dhirastulya nindatmasamstutihManapamanayostulyastulyo mitraripakshayoh

Sarvarambhaparityagi gunatitah sa uchyateWho is looking inwards and equally regards happiness and misfortune, for whom stones and gold are the same, who equally perceives praise and critics, honor and dishonor, who equally treats friends and enemies, who doesn’t start upon any activity with the purpose to accumulate wealth or to receive pleasure, can be defined as one who has defied gunas of material nature. True knowledge gives equality. Equality is harmony, true understanding of God. Inequality originates from ignoranceа, i.e. from avidya, while equality originates from knowledge, i.e. from vidya. True knowledge, gives supreme fruit, and namely, sadhak has no pride, no attachment to feelings and fruit of activity, and performs his duties according to shastra. This leads to destruction of all of his bad qualities and wrong behavior. Action to satisfy desires creates chains and conditions impossibility of freedom from suffering of births and deaths, while results of actions free from such intentions brings freedom from all suffering. Fruit of true knowledge and correct actions are wonderful and lead to


understanding God. In Gita Lord Krishna (13|8-12) said about the ways to achieve knowledge and recommends the following. 1) When you perfect yourself do not regard others inferior or worse than you are. To get knowledge a person has to be attentive to all and treat everyone with equal respect. True knowledge teaches modesty, it doesn’t teach to despise others.2) you should not strive for knowledge only to receive name and fame. You should not treat knowledge as a means to become famous. «I am a very religious man, my thoughts and actions are pure and sinless» – who poses as such, is merely a pretender. Such pretence is a dangerous enemy to knowledge. Desire to demonstrate, yearning for fame and glory prevent from getting knowledge and are an obstacle on the way to Brahman.3) Who wants to get knowledge, should not bring anxiety to others either with actions or thoughts. Not making anyone suffer, not bringing anyone harm either through words, actions, or thoughts is ahimsa, nonviolence. You should reject from being violent, supporting violence of others or advocating violence committed by somebody. The main cause of violence is greed, lust and hate. To support nonviolence in your behavior you should reject these three main causes. To be always busy serving others, to take care of happiness for others in accordance to the principles of non-violence means developing the ability of «non-violence». 4) You should be tolerant notwithstanding any provocations. You should not punish anyone for inflicted sufferings, you should not hurt anyone in revenge – this is tolerance. If somebody does anything criminal with regards to you for no reason, and makes you suffer, then if we start to punish this person in some way, or make this person suffer in turn, then it will mean that we are hurting ourselves, as in essence this person is one with us. To become strong in this state means to develop the ability of «tolerance». 5) You should be simple and natural in your words and actions. On the inside there’s one thing, on the outside there’s another – people who abide by this principle are insincere and mendacious. Such duality is harmful for everyone and brings enormous harm to society. There should be openness, simplicity and naturalness in your actions. There should be simplicity and natural directness in your thoughts and appearance. You should reject unnecessary ornament, haughtiness, and arrogance in behavior, as well as luxurious way of life. By rejecting all of this you gain simplicity in your appearance. Where there is no hypocrisy, insincerity,


envy, hostility, etc., where there are sincerity, softness, friendliness, and mercy, there’s simplicity of thought. When you do not allegorize, do not blame, do not talk scandal, do not blaspheme, etc., but on the contrary when you talk simple, nice and useful things, this is simplicity of speech. Fallowing all of these principles leads to developing the ability of «simplicity». 6) You should find a true spiritual teacher and follow his instructions. When you serve him, show him respect, follow his instructions, you may reach happiness. Communication with a saint person purifies your life. Even a moment of such communication fills your life with light. On the way to knowledge you need help of a spiritual teacher –«binu guru honhi na gyana». Who understood the essence of shastra, whose life is like an open book – a simple, clean and nice one, meeting whom even for a moment fills with joy and peace, whose actions are directed only to quench thirst for knowledge among the suffering, meeting, communication, or merely memory of whom turns our dark thoughts and actions into good ones, who helps to reach the goal, should be accepted as a spiritual teacher. Even if you are not one of his students, you should honor him and follow his instructions on the road of spiritual development. Who devotes oneself to this person, who serves him, will be granted the light of knowledge. Spiritual teacher is like God. Even great philosophers are recommended to follow admonitions of God. 7) In order to reach the level of self-awareness it is critical to follow the rules instructed in the scriptures to maintain purity of thoughts, speech, and body. For example, the purity of body is managed with ablution, while purity of thoughts is achieved through mercy, love for neighbor, tolerance, etc. Deceitful and condemnatory words make your speech dirty. Purity of thought is necessary for spiritual practice and getting knowledge. God dwells in a pure soul. 8) Think well when you choose your aim, you have to be persistent when following it. You should not change your aim every other day. Who makes a decision once and then puts all his skills, effort, and patience to reach this goal, will undoubtedly be a success. Fortitude of mind originates from firm intention. Devotion leads to a certain way of life. Mind, attached to material pleasures and material wealth, is unstable (Gita 2|44), i.e. why you should rejects all material attachments. This develops confidence and firmness of decisions. «Shraddhavan labhate gyanam» – to get knowledge you need faith. Mature faith then turns into devotion.


9) It is necessary to completely reject everything that can interfere with self-awareness. This is reticence of mind. Self-control or composure means that no temptation can break stability of mind. Mind is looking at nothing but your aim. Some impulses, desires constantly surface in your mind. These impulses emerge like waves and turn into desires. Desires always contain attachments. They generate anxiety of mind. Impulses are like reflection in a mirror, but desires are like a movie. If mind is constantly focused upon the chosen goal, these impulses can be put down, while asceticism helps to bring calmness inside your mind and maintain this focus at the goal. Self-control should be developed with constant practice and asceticism. 10) You should not accept more than required to maintain your body. There’s always a need to use things, but when using you should not like or dislike them. Liking something generates greed. Greed generates unbecoming actions. Ownership cannot bring satisfaction and you will have to leave them when you go. Who is attached to things, is always in anxiety. That is why when you fully reject attachment to things you build ground for happiness. Thus you should always abide by the principle discussed in the first chapter of «Isha-Upanishad» - «Saim itna dijie, jarme kutub samae. Me bhi bhukha na rahu, sahu na bhukha jae» («Supreme Lord, send me as much as is required to feed my family. I will not be hungry and the saint pilgrim will not leave hungry”). 11) You should not identify yourself with material or perishable things and believe that you own your material body or things related to it. The feeling «I am» is in everyone. When it contacts the body, it becomes the idea that «I am body», and in contact with certain things it turns into the opinion «this is mine». This is ego. It’s the reason that man identifies himself with his body, name, job, things, feelings, rejection from something, knowledge, country, time, etc., and falls into the circle of incarnations (Gita 13|21). Everything we have – body, wealth, fame, mind, etc. – doesn’t belong to us. If we owned it, it would always be with us. Everything that is there in the universe belongs to God, for his pleasure, and all of this is His reflection. When we accept this fact our ego disappears. Everything in the world exists to help other and not for your own pleasure. Thus the feeling that everything belongs to us is grounded upon the wrong assumptions. It is very important for a sadhak to get rid of such assumptions. Such reference to material things as power, science, asceticism, renunciation, etc. generates pride. Identification of self with the body generates ego. Pride and ego are enemies to knowledge.


12) Until we have a material body, we will suffer from the recurrent births, aging, illnesses, and deaths. Suffering is always related to material body. In order to free from it, it is necessary to develop your spiritual self and change your idea about it. The idea that material things bring satisfaction, as well as yearning for them, creates only suffering. A man believes that his happiness is in sanyoga. This kind of happiness attracts him, but true happiness is not related to sanyoga. (Gita 6|23). That is why in order to get true knowledge and true bliss it is necessary to get rid of attachment to material things. 13) You should not develop attachment to anything but what is required for your spiritual development. 14) You should not develop too much attachment to your wife, children, home, land, or wealth. This is regarded as ekatmakta (ekatmakta – unity, identity, sameness). This unity is the reason why a mother, worrying for her sick child, becomes weak. This is called abhishvanga (strong connection, attachment, love). Such union is developed due to wrong attitudes. This kind of attachment is a reason why a man does wrongness without a second thought. When a man is taking care of others, taking care about happiness of others, but is not expecting same care in return – then such attachment is not growing. 15) If our mind detects something to its liking this brings joy, if it dislikes something this brings sadness. You shouldn’t feel happy or unhappy when you fulfill any of your desires. On the contrary, you shouldn’t get upset, angry or anxious if you face unfavorable circumstances (people, things, places, time, etc.). You should equally treat favorable and unfavorable. You should accept favorable and unfavorable circumstances as the grace of God, you should correctly use both. 16) You should fully concentrate upon God. God is omnipresent. Nature is the manifestation of God’s games. He is premi (enamored, supporter, proponent), He is premaspada (love abode). He is both the goal of cognition [Brahma], and the means to getting knowledge. There’s no need to seek help from anyone or anything, as all obstacles of gyana-marga (gyana-marga – getting close to God through knowledge) and bhakti-marga (bhakti-marga – getting close to God through love and devotion) are destroyed by the grace of God. If a man of faith and devotion, gives himself away to God, and shows aspiration for knowledge of Brahman, he will be supported by God on his way and will receive this knowledge. Along with the other means of getting knowledge, devoted love of God helps to find


Him; devoted love alone lifts a man above gunas of material nature (Gita 14|23). Sadhak, who is seeking knowledge, whether through love or knowledge, may be beneficially supported by faith.17) A man should develop his taste for life in a calm and solitary place. It is impossible to duly merge into contemplation of God in noisy, lively and restless places. Solitude is very favorable for praying, study of Veda, and contemplation upon God, but this doesn’t mean that you should go into the forest, etc. Material units, such as body and mind, are an integral part of sadhak. Until there’s connection with the body, there will be connection with the material world. Solitary life should be focused at getting free from egoistic attitude towards your body. A true solitude means concentration upon a single object and estrangement from the rest of the world. Where there’s no feelings, no breath, no thoughts, no heart, where body does not matter – there’s true seclusion. Hence, such solitude is possible only at the level of understandingя. Solitary, remote area helps developing such understanding. 18) Only spiritual practice should matter. You should not fuel interest for mundane activities. Therefore, it is necessary to lead a life of a schooling philosopher, when you are researching spiritual sphere. «SrimadBhagavad-Gita» describes these means to obtain knowledge. The true object of research is paramatma. I.e. why true knowledge is being constantly absorbed by spiritual knowledge, and seeing paramatma in all. Everything that is not related to this knowledge is ignorance, avidya. All kinds of material knowledge are avidya. Only fools are attracted by such knowledge. A modern man has immense material knowledge, but is still a fool, because he wastes his energy in vain, accumulating destructive things and luxury. While expanding supplies of nuclear weapons, is he not expanding weapons that will destroy his as well? Modern society has become extremely dissolute. Young people are not honoring the elderly at all. The whole world has a terrible headache with regards to the education of youth, and what future waits for our countries. Terrorism of different kinds has spread across the world. Discussion of murder, violence have become a usual part of the day. There’s a huge gap among the people. Human values have lost their meaning. There’s no mutual respect. The reason of all of this is the negligence of spirituality, moving away from God. The modern system of education is not enriching young people with the principles of brahmacharya, i.e. the principles of spiritual life. On the contrary it supports development of attraction to


glamour and luxury. Even those who give religious education have no interest for this knowledge. They give this knowledge only to gain name and fame. Thus you have a lot to think about not only in the field of society, state and economy but also in the field of religion, because the world is living under the looming threat of extinction. The period of existence of the Earth in the scale of the outer space is not more than one moment. An infinite number of suns and planet systems are disseminated in the outer space. Each of them has its own structure. We may attribute a great meaning and pride to our ability to operate space ships, but in contrast to the great energy that brings these huge ships into motion, this meaning is so small and insignificant that it should not be even talked about. Due to ego and arrogance the insignificant living beings even have the audacity to interfere with the natural balance. And we are facing the results of it. There’s no end to anxiety, conflicts, wars, and suffering. The more grows material prosperity, the weaker and more insignificant a man becomes. Until science is not one with God, life will be more and more filled with suffering. All of this is worshiping ignorance. «Isha-Upanishad» is warning us against attachment to results of activity and recommends us to seek support of vidya for social development and its true prosperity. By transforming the education system in the route according to the characteristics of true knowledge, which have been described in Gita, we will able to make a man a human. Ignorant materialistic worldview is harmful, destructive; you should accept this truth and follow the way of happiness, other wise one society will become the cause of destruction for another one, and there will come time when all kinds of societies will disappear. You can receive true knowledge from dhira (dhira – imperturbable, calm). His mind is calm and pure. He knows the truth of the world. He has received knowledge from his spiritual teacher and through asceticism, and he sees that the fruit of vidya and avidya are different. You may get this knowledge and divine instructions only by following the regulative principles and with the help of your spiritual teacher. A true sthira is the one, who has come to know Brahman; who delivers this knowledge in this way of life. He shows the suffering the true goal of life and the means to receive peace and bliss. Communication with such people is a great benefit for everyone.

The Joy of Knowledge-(11)-


Vidyam chavidyam cha yastad vedayuhayam sahaAvidyaya mrityum tirtva vidyayamritamashnute

Who is capable to simultaneously understand the essence of vidya and avidya, who is capable to simultaneously walk the way of gyana-tattva (way of knowledge) and karma-tattva (way of activity, karma), only he is capable to overcome birth and death and enjoy the gift of immortality. This mantra turns attention to gaining knowledge in a harmonious and balanced way. For comprehensive development in life there should be harmony. When science and spirituality walk side by side, society is developing correctly and adequately. Until there is this body, it will always be connected to the material world. Those, who «allow the material world inside», continuously experiencing joy and sadness, happiness and sorrow, will be born and die all over again. Who has been born, will die. But those, who live in material world and do not «allow it inside», live separately from it, who performs duties without taking pride in them, those overcome death and are freed from reincarnation. They accept God. Until there is body, it has to be maintained somehow. Not a single human can avoid activity. That is why it is necessary to learn the art of action and getting knowledge. Who has not fully mastered the mystery of action and inaction, is enchained more and more when committing new actions. Who has mastered this knowledge, not only creates no more chains, but is also liberated from the old chains, thus becoming free from the fear of death. True knowledge is defined as immortal, eternal, because it shows us that our true nature is full of light. The idea to become free from incarnation is to stop taking pleasure in the fruit of sanchita and prarabdha [karma, they differentiate three types of action: sanchita – overall amount of action, completed in all past incarnations, prarabdha – part of sanchita, which defines the present life, kriyamana – what has been done, the effect of actions in the present life that will be received in the future], while the goal to free from incarnation is to reach God. To master the mystery of action and inaction is not easy. Even great scientists might fall into delusion about this issue. Therefore, people who take pride in their knowledge, who consider action an obstacle on the road to know Brahma, reject performing their own duties. You should not reject performing your own duties, because who lives such life would never reach renunciation, i.e. would never break free the chains of karma (Gita 18|8). Thus, who has not reached the essence of knowledge, believes he is


higher than others. When he is routed in his dominance, there are two states he may fall under. 1) He starts to believe he is higher than sin and virtue, i.e. he believes that his soul is pure and has no vice. He starts to ignore the lifestyle assigned by shastra and commits unworthy actions. He develops criminal tendencies. 2) Action is ego; it creates chains, so it is necessary to reject it: holding onto this opinion, he spends his hard-attained human life in laziness, sleep, and foolishness. Both of these states bring great harm; they appear when a false knowledge is accepted as truth by mistake. Who clearly understands the essence of gyana, i.e. knowledge, and karma, i.e. action, is far from pride; he is not seeking the fruit of his actions but he finds them correct application. Having eliminated all vices and having found support in knowledge and asceticism, he gains eternal pleasure. Since material world exists, man yearns for immortality, but until now has been unable to rescue from the grip of death. Nobody in the world wants to die, no one wants to suffer. No one wants to be ill or old. The laws of nature are permanent and up to now no one managed to achieve eternal youth or immortality. Neither material well-being is capable to solve this problem. Material science can invent an atomic bomb, which brings death closer, but it cannot invent a method to avoid a bomb. Purana (Vedic scriptures) contain many stories about the mighty semi-gods and demons, who did rigid tapasya to gain immortality (tapasya – purifying action, ascetic renunciation), but they failed as well. Many materialists tried to gain immortality for gold and women, but failed. Here it is necessary to mention a great materialist Hiranyakashipa. Satisfied with his rigid tapasya, Brahma came to him to give his blessing, but he failed to give immortality. Then Hiranyakashipa asked: «Let me not die [not be killed] neither on the earth, nor in the air, nor in water. Let me not be killed by a man, an animal, or semi God, or any other living being of the 8400000 types of life». But even this despot could not avoid death. This mantra says that there’s no other road to immortality but the one that lies inside spirituality. Happiness in this life and true peace and immortality after death: all of these depend upon the grace of God with regards to this. This grace is only possible, when you understood Gyana and Karma, and lead an adequate way of life, with dutiful commitment and follow up of all regulating principles. A living being is eternal and integral part if God. But it has forgotten about this according to its nature. If it becomes aware of this, then it will be able to receive


eternal bliss. All of this is possible on condition of harmony and balance between vidya and avidya, gyana and karma. In order to reveal this mystery, to explain it to the common people, God sends His messengers or comes Himself. He comes in the image of saints and spreads knowledge of the sense of life with His lifestyle and teachings. God is similarly saddened when he sees our suffering in the material world. He wants the living beings to purify, gain happiness, and come back to Him. Material knowledge generates only yearning to satisfy feelings, which leads to Epicureanism. It is impossible to put down fire with oil. Receiving continuous pleasure in material objects cannot calm down the yearning for such pleasure. A living being attracted by maya yields to temptation of sensual pleasures, and his life becomes senseless. Therefore, in order to gain divinity and humanity it is necessary to cultivate vidya. Until gyana and karma, science and spirituality develop in harmony, we will not be able to gain happiness or peace. The road of unlimited sensual satisfaction is the road of death, the road of destruction, the road of avidya. Material pleasures cannot satisfy feelings, because they do not contain delight. True delight is only in merging into paramatma, in knowing its true form, in self-awareness. The name to true delight is Brahman – Raso vey saha. Renouncement of material desires doesn’t mean that you have to renounce fulfilling the needs of your body. Your body consists of five elements [earth, water, air, fire, ether], that is why it is always connected to these five elements [of material nature]. If your body is hungry or thirsty, these needs should be satisfied. It is necessary to fulfill current needs, but in a reserved and limited matter. Body, senses [sight, hearing, etc.] and mind are also necessary for your spiritual development. If your body is healthy, your sense organs will also perform their job in good order, and mind will be able to direct thinking to performance of assigned duties. It is critical for a happy life. In a healthy body there is a sound mind. Clear thinking helps mind to concentrate upon good deeds. If you have a bad sight, you are unable to see the beauty of flowers in the garden, or the beauty of the image of God in the temple. We will not be able to study shastra, or even walk along the road confidently. If our ears do not hear well, we will not be able to listen to kirtana (singing the name and glory of God), bhajana, and preaching of the great sages. If your tongue is taken away, you will not be able to talk, or sing bhajana. Singing lila is only possible with a tongue. With the help of mind we contemplate upon the form and qualities of God and study the world. I.e. senses have a great


meaning in our lives. If you act intellectually, you will be able to direct your body, mind, feelings, and thinking towards a correct goal, and will be able to coordinate vidya and avidya. An intellectual person sees suffering around him, feels the burning fire of raga-dvesha and directs his attention not towards the transient mundane happiness, but towards the search for true peace. Human life is a wonderful and rare possibility for spiritual development. It is necessary to use this chance to develop self-awareness. Only a complete fool is not doing this. The road of karma is a road of material success, the road of sensual pleasures. Until we are in this body we cannot stop acting. Action is natural for the living beings, the thing is only about devotion of these actions, and it’s the major aspect that constitutes the difference between intellectual people and fools. Gita advises us to follow nishkarma (action without personal interest). It is necessary to perform actions but not to take pride in them. Actions are the reason for incarnations, but who is not taking pride in own deeds, is liberated from these chains. Activity is based upon avidya; however the road to overcome death also lies through activity. By gradually reducing and limiting attempts to seek happiness in the perishable [material] things, mind starts to turn away from material world and address God. This is the road of vidya. This is the way to spiritual knowledge. Not a single living being is ever free from self-awareness. It is part of God – «Ishvara ansha jiva avinashi, chetan amal sahedj sukharashi ». The cover of material body and material feelings is cast upon this spiritual essence. When this cover, body, and feelings are regarded as top priority, a man is wondering in the darkness of ignorance and materialism. However, by lifting above feelings, mind, and intellect, by turning your mind towards your true nature and towards the nature of paramatma, a man stands onto the spiritual road, onto the road of vidya. In the present age [Kali Yuga], when a multitude of means to satisfy senses has been accumulated with the help of technical progress, the anxious human mind is unable to turn to spirituality. Economic development should have its place to support health of every man, to enable people to do spiritual practice as long as possible and to follow the way of vidya. In a perishable body we may learn eternal truth. Human body is perishable, but it is pure as the temple of God. Our duty is to keep it clean [internally and externally], and keep it from the influence of raga-dvesha. Thus, in order to perfect and clean yourself it is necessary to


act devotedly, take care of others, adhere to the principle of non-violence and pray to God. Then in God’s grace we will start to see His image in everyone and everything, and then we will be able to break free from life [from the chain of incarnations, from the chains of life], and acquire the long-sought eternal peace. We will be able to break free from the fear of death. With the help of vidya we’ll be able to break free from the chain of incarnations.

Who is the fallen man?-(12)-

Andham tamah pravishanti yesambhutimupasateTato bhuya iva ta tamo ya u sabhutyamratah

Those, who worship asambhuti (a word defining that, who is not independent), i.e. semi-gods, ancestors, etc., fall into the darkest corners of ignorance. But even to a greater extend it is true for those, who worship sambhuti with false self-conceit (a word defining that, who is absolutely independent, i.e. the Absolute), i.e. eternal Parameshvara. Sambhuti is that, who is eternal, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, and who is the beginning and the end of all. While any perishable living being may be an asambhuti. It is possible to worship any of the above, but results of such worship are different. In Gita Lord Krishna admits that neither semi-gods, nor sages can fully grasp Him, as He is their cause-of-all causes:

Na me viduh suraganah prabhavam na mahirshayahAhamadirhi devanam maharshinam cha sarvashah”

Title, greatness, and supernatural powers are given to semi-gods only by the grace of God. If God shows no grace, then god of fire Agni will not be able to burn down even a blade of grass, god of wind Vayu will not be able even to stir it. God of the sun Surya also receives his energy from the Supreme Lord. Creation and any other work of Lord Brahma or other semi-gods is done only by the grace of God. They are all born from Him and they merge into Him in the end. They have no freedom. Therefore, even those Vedic Hymns, mantra and knowledge that were revealed to us by great rishi, do not give full knowledge about the unlimited powers and qualities of God, as this transcedental knowledge, this transcedental intellect is also granted to them only by the grace of paramatma. Semi-gods and great


rishi, all receive their title and their knowledge by the grace of God. They are action, while God is the Cause-of-all-causes. Action may be absorbed by the cause, but it cannot fully know it, cannot measure it. God has existed before they were born, it exists until they exist, and will exist after they are gone. All semi-gods and rishi have their beginning and their end. With their limited mind and limited abilities they cannot grasp infinity and eternity. «Soi janai jehi dehu janai» – only he can know God for whom there is the grace of God, only he can see God, to whom He reveals. Sant Gyaneshvar wrote: “As a fetus in mother’s womb cannot become aware of her youth, same no semi-god is able to become aware of Me [God], as a fish cannot measure a huge ocean, as a mosquito cannot cover the width of the sky, similar rishi cannot see my true form. Who am I, how great am I, and whom am I born from – in search of answers to these questions people have spent several kalpa (kalpa – era, philosophic world period equal to 4321 million years). It is so because whatever number of semi-gods, great rishi, and other living beings there is, I am their Cause-of-all-causes. That is why it is very difficult for them to know me. Had it been possible that a river flowing down could turn its flow and direct its current to the top of the mountains, if a tree could start to grow backwards to its roots, then the universe that appeared from Me could become aware of Me». Therefore, if anyone starts to say that with the help of his knowledge or position could see the complete form of God, then this is only his hypocrisy, pretence, and attempt to lie to others. Awareness of self and vision of God are the aspects beyond verbal expression. Sadhak is drawing this image with regards to his own existence. And God in this image enters his heart and reveals to him in this image –

«Jaki rahi bhavana jaisi hari murati dekhi tinha taisi» Nature holds three guna. This is the expansion of maya. It also comes from God. It is impossible to overcome it. With own powers a living being cannot cast away the veil of maya. There’s only one method, one way to do it, i.e. to accept God and come under His protection (Gita 7|14). To give our self to God is not easy. Not everyone has the necessary purity, faith, and firm intension. According to Gita (7|15) 1) those, whose knowledge has been stolen by illusion 2) those, which possess the demonic nature of aseers, 3) mindless non-believers, the worst kind of people – these three types of people cannot give themselves to God. Those, who are attached to perishable, transient things, and who pay no attention to immortal, eternal things are called «dushkriti» (worst of people). Satisfaction of


desires generates greed, while an obstacle on the way to satisfaction generates anger. Such people lie, play the hypocrite, betray and become victims of spite, anger, and hostility. Those, who have not understood what is dignity and what is indecency, what is a virtuous and vicious behavior, who drowns in the material and moves away from God, are complete fools. Such foolish, unworthy people do not even think to look God’s way, so where might their desire to devote to Him come from. Many people, blinded by the light of maja, night and day try to reach material objects and spend their lives in the empty hope to retrieve happiness in material. «Asu» (any pursuit to maintain life) means prana (life, breath, and living being). Those, who fuel attachment to perishable objects in people, who commits evil deeds, taking pride in material success, are described as having demonic tendencies of aseers. Knowledge of those, who seeks only satisfaction of senses and desires, is either stolen by maya, or concealed by desire. In order to fulfill desires many people worship semi-gods. For happiness generated by sanyoga or pride, unable to resist their tendencies, such people accept help of crude material objects or seek protection of semi-gods. And this persistence is also generated by God. They persistently worship semi-gods and their desires are fulfilled, but even this happens only with His assistance. The result of worship of such ignorant people is also not lasting and after death they reach semi-Gods. Semi-Gods are not eternal, that is why relations with then are also not eternal. Who worship semi-gods, appear on the planets of these semi-gods after death. After they reached the planets of semi-gods and exhausted their virtue, they are again forced to return into this material world – «Kshine punye martyalokam vishanti». People, who are brought to delusion by desires, drowning in the depth of greed, and attached to mundane pleasures, fall to hell. It is said that they fall [spiritually] (Gita 16|16). From one birth to the other these people receive demonic forms of life [bodies of aseers] (Gita 16|19). Lust, anger and greed are the three doors opening the road to hell. They lead to the human fall (Gita 16|21). By seeking help of the dead material objects, by worshiping semi-gods or ancestors, it is impossible to get rid of life problems or achieve peace. Only by the grace of God, filled with eternal bliss and knowledge (sat-chit-ananda), only by giving self to Him it is possible to receive eternal peace. This mantra clearly shows that who are attached to dead material objects soar in the darkest corners of the universe. The whole universe and all of [celestial] bodies inside of it are filled with material elements. The whole universe is covered with them and


that is why it is filled with impenetrable darkness. The Sun and the Moon are necessary to clear away this darkness. On the outside the universe is surrounded with the infinite space of brahmajoti (spiritual shining radiating from the transcedental body of Lord Krishna). This shining doesn’t require the Sun, the Moon, or the stars. There’s no darkness at the supreme planets, because everything is filled with this divine light. It is only possible to reach these planets by the grace of God. People, who are maddened by wealth, esteem, glory, and possess vicious tendencies. This mantra asserts that the even the more terrible lot fate waits for those who pretend being knowledgeable, demonstrate false religious feelings, and strive only to satisfy own senses. They abuse common people, mislead their faith and firmness in the wrong direction, and pursue only personal goals. These people do not know the true meaning of shastra; they do not know the transcedental features of God, His nature, and His power. They do not acknowledge either prayer, or meditation, or care of other people, or ways to worship God instructed in shastra. Their dominating feature is attachment to pleasures. Having proclaimed themselves as God in a cunning way, they force common people to worship them. In false self-conceit they do not recognize authority of the semi-gods, spiritual teachers, great saints, and attract others with their sweet words, filling the lives of others with atheism. Such people claim they are incarnation of God and force others to worship them. They develop vicious tendencies. Vicious tendencies generate vicious actions, while vicious actions fuel vicious tendencies. Ignorant people, who do not know own true nature, who do not know whether they are doing good or bad, still can receive forgiveness for their sins, but those who commit sin consciously are not worthy of forgiveness. Those, who believe that the goal of life is to satisfy senses, and put a lot of efforts to achieve this, undoubtedly fall very low, however, they do not bring such harm to society and o the whole humanity, as those, who constantly talk of God, but in actions seek only personal interests. These people claim to be great philosophers, yogi, and God devotees. They organize common believers and claim their money. On the inside they are filled with lust, anger, and envy. They commit more and more base acts to satisfy senses. When their secret is revealed, believers are engrossed with hate and their faith is destroyed. Then they become leaders in the movement to sorrow and pleasure generated by ignorance. Thus, these so-called pundits and spiritual teachers, boast their knowledge, interpret shastra on their own,


bringing enormous harm to humanity. That is why these people fall even lower than those, who live in guna of ignorance. They never reach happiness. That is why the Upanishads define these people as great sinners, falling to the darkest corners of ignorance. Therefore, intoxicated with false self-conceit these pseudo scientists use the words of shastra in their own way. For their own happiness these people lie to and deceive others. Their sermons generate more and more of new delusions and undermine faith of common audience. They spout words; they call themselves gyani, saints, and mahatma, and force other people to worship them. Our world has a countless number of such liars, who even claim they are God! They know that divinity Is very far away from them, but still they claim they are gods to please their own ego. To reach their own common happiness they use great lies and commit a great sin, diverting people from the way of truth and leading them into delusion. «Who rejects instructions of shastra and acts according to own, would not be able to reach perfection, or happiness, or the supreme goal» (Gita 16|23). Non-compliance with duties assigned by shastra, personal interpretation of Veda writing and according way of life is ignorance. In reality people are very proud they have read shastra, do not pay attention to own greed, hate, and lust, and judging own outward actions they accredit own internal superiority. They claim own supremacy and find evidence in shastra supporting their good and bad actions. Common people see only their outward way of life. They cannot know what is inside of those people. Notwithstanding all internal vices, they outwardly appear as ascetics and tapasvi (those, who follow tapasya). That is why their pride is growing; their willfulness starts to show in their lifestyle. Gradually their good qualities turn into vices, renunciation turns into passion, attachment, and lust. Such people degrade [fall]. They achieve neither siddhi, nor happiness.Purification of the soul is a true siddhi. Knowledge of shastra alone doesn’t purify a soul. These people act geared with own desires only, tormented by internal lust and anger. Thus being in torment they never receive happiness. Taking pride in the false knowledge of shastra they cannot grasp knowledge of Paramatma. On the contrary, they die and fall even lower that those who do not know shastra at all. Hypocrisy and ego generated by boasting is the cause of their fall. Ego prevents a man from hearing God’s voice and that is why he falls. A small and weak ego does not become the reason of births and deaths until it confronts the three gunas of material nature, as exactly contact with these gunas creates


chains – karanam guna sangosya sadasadyonijanmasu (Gita 13|22). People who are keen on studying Veda have a big ego and they cannot withstand contact with gunas of material nature. Everything given by severe tapasya tightly connected to ignorance, learning shastra, sacrifice, pilgrimage, etc. – all of these are not eternal, are perishable. «Acharahinam na punanti deva» (Vasishtha-smriti). Only practical application of knowledge from shastra is capable to purify your soul. It is impossible to gain happiness by merely reading advices of great sages without their practical application. According to the three gunas of material nature, there are three types of knowledge, action and the performer of action. Knowledge with which a man sees one spiritual nature in all of the living beings is knowledge in guna of virtue. Such man is free from rage-dvesha. When such knowledge is free from attachment, a man receives «true knowledge».This is «knowledge giving happiness» Knowledge, which defines that the appearance of a living being is determined by the body, in which it dwells, is called knowledge in guna of passion. Knowledge, creating attachment to action and far from truth, belongs to guna of ignorance. Actions in guna of ignorance are geared by illusion, and these are actions for pleasure. This activity is caused by chains. A person busy with activities that contradict instructions of shastra, materialistic, stubborn, deceitful, skilled in abusing others, lazy, gloomy, and sluggish, acts in guna of ignorance (Gita 18|19-28).Unbecoming thoughts generate unbecoming behavior. In turn unbecoming behavior fuels unbecoming thoughts. Worst of people, possessing qualities of aseers, arrogant, malicious are doomed to ruin (Gita 16|20). This is beyond any doubt. The whole issue is about thoughts. If your thoughts are pure then your behavior is also pure. High-moral Vedic knowledge brings happiness. Lord in Gita defines people, who are arrogant, filled with lust, and anger, as lowest of all people (Gita 16|18-19). Shruti and smrity – Lord’s saint commandments, and who is breaking them – «narake patati dhruvam» - will undoubtedly fall into hell. Truthfulness, love, non-violence, tolerance, compassion, self-renunciation, asceticism, serving other people, generosity, cordiality, etc. – all of these are human qualities. Human development is only possible on condition of pure thoughts, speech, and behavior, all as one. These are the distinctive features of human faith. People maddened by wealth make ostentatious sacrifice all their life. They interpret shastra as they will, trying to turn their


willful behavior into a behavior corresponding to shastra, they do not respect spiritual teachers and criticize them. On the outside they look like saints, but inside of them they burn with thirst for sensual pleasures and greed. They deceive believers and push them onto the road of [spiritual] fall. These Pharisee are great sinners and after death they reincarnate in the lower forms of life. Ignorant people and people, who are under the influence of tamas guna, act badly because of own ignorance or own nature, but those, who play the hypocrite in faith and devoted worship of God, drag along thousands of people into the abyss. In this mantra of «Isha-Upanishads» such people are defined as the worst sinners, who are forced to experience terrible sufferings and torments life after life.

Fruit of puja(puja – worship, sermon)

-(13)-Anya devahu sambhavadanyadahurasambhavatIti shushruma dhiranam ye nas tad vichakashtire

Worship of eternal God brings other result than worship of non-eternal semi-gods. We heard this from great dhira, who have clearly explained this to us. A man is worshipping according to his tendencies. There are two types of upasya (worthy of worship, object for worship): 1) eternal, Supreme God and 2) non-eternal semi-gods, people, etc. Paramatma is eternal. All life is born from it and by the power of its desire. It has been before creation [all being] and will be after [its] over. Everything is born from Parameshvara and everything enters Him in the moment of mahaprapaya (mahaprapaya – the end of the world). He is omnipresent; He is eternal, i.e. He is «asambhut» – it is his nature. Everything else but Him is perishable, transient; everything is «sambhut». All gods, ancestors, etc. are perishable. It is possible to worship eternal and perishable. However, the result of these two kinds of worship will be different. It is necessary to clearly understand, what means worship of eternal and what means worship of perishable, and also what will be the fruit of such worship. In the beginning of each kalpa (era) Lord creates all being, and in the end everything merges with Him (Gita 9|7). Lord penetrates the whole universe in His non-material form. Everything is in Him, but He is not in them. I.e. the


creator of all, supporting all and destroying all is not in him (Gita 9|4-5). Therefore, between them [eternal Lord and perishable semi-gods, etc.] exists a difference. Only strong bhakta, who reached supreme level, are capable to accept and understand truth, that the universe is transpierced by God, and worship in accordance to this knowledge. Who sees the image of God in everyone, who treats everyone with love, and worships everyone as God, that one really worships Him and no one else. Correct worship of paramatma is understanding that Supreme Lord [Supreme Identity of God] is omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, creating all, supporting all, destroying all and eternal; to listen, chant, remember, etc. the name of God, forms, games, magnitude of God, and also his svarupa free from gunas of material nature with faith, love, and wholehearted devotion. Who is worshiping this way quickly reaches Paramatma –

Manmana bhava madbhakto madyaji mam namaskuruMamevayshyasi yuktvayvamatmanam matprayanah –

«Be My bhakta, always occupy your mind with thoughts about Me, worship Me, pay to Me. When you are fully absorbed by me, you will undoubtedly reach Me» (Gita 9|34). Therefore, results of worshiping eternal, complete sat-chit-ananda Supreme Lord – gaining God, awareness of own true nature. It is the highest moksha, it is true freedom. It is freedom from incarnations; it is the greatest goal of life. Human body is perishable and devoid of happiness. The aim for which we receive human body is to worship God, reach Him. Only those, who are like rishi, devoted bhakta, living pure life, can achieve freedom from incarnations. God is in everyone. We are getting to know His and own true nature –

Man darsana phal param anupaJiva lahahim nija seheja svarupa

Ramcharit manas Who worships God is a righteous man. He gains true peace and never falls [spiritually] (Gita 9|31). All qualities and magnitude of God start to reveal in bhakta and he becomes divine. Who has come to know Brahma, who has come to know Veda, becomes Brahma – «Brahmavid brahman va mavati». Therefore, worshiping God is true worship and its result is getting eternity. Who worships eternal becomes eternal, immortal. Worship of God


is vidya. And this vidya gives immortality, gives freedom – «Sa vidya ya vimuktaye. Vidyayamritmashtute». All of the other roads all over again return to ruin – «Punarapi janmam punarapi maranam».In «Gita» Lord says that those, who doesn’t have faith of this devoted worship, will not be able to reach Him. They return to this material world of death all over again (Gita 9|3). Those who do not believe in Supreme God and neglect Him, considering that He is body-dependent, are real fools. In Bhagavad-Gita Lord Krishna says about worship of semi-gods and ancestors: «Those, who serve semi-gods, and who serve them with faith, are actually worshipping only Me, oh son of Kunti, but they are not doing this properly» (Gita 9|23). «Ishavasyamidam sarvam», «Vasudevamiti sarvam» If we accept this truth, we will see then we will understand that there’s nothing in the universe but God. Everything is God. One thing is to worship a semi God, as one of the forms of Supreme Lord, and the other thing is to worship him [semi-god], considering that he by his grace gives everything you want, regarding him separate from God and higher than Him. The first road is called vidhipurvaka (according to Veda writing), the correct one, and the second road is called avidhipurvaka (not corresponding to the Scriptures), the wrong one. Vidhipurvaka constitutes not of the objects of worship [things, used at sermons], not in mantra [which are read during sermons], not in the rules of worship [regulation for sermons]. Vidhipurvaka is about non-separation of semi-gods from the Supreme Lord. The majority of people obey to own desires, become ignorant, and ask semi-gods for help. This rime from Gita states the following: 1) If a person doesn’t have even small desires, if he considers Supreme Lord as the object if worship. Worshiping a living creature, a human or a semi-god according to own preferences, means worshiping God. The result of such worship is reaching God. 2) If a person has even smallest desires, and considers God as the object of worship. Such upasak (worshiper) stands in the category of bhakta, who strive for some goal, suffering, etc. 3) If a man makes difference between Supreme God and semi-god, then he is worshiping only the semi-god. The first conclusion refers to vidhipurvaka, and the following two conclusions refer to avidhipurvaka. As water returns into the ocean after passing the drain water ditch, the stream, etc., because it belongs to the ocean, same man, whomever he worships, after all worships God – «Sarvadeva namaskaraha keshavam prati gachchhati». If during puja


you are not aiming at reaching the Supreme Lord through the semi-god, then you will have a completely different result of such puja. Gita (9|25) says the following about puja dedicated to semi-gods, and aimed at fulfilling desires: Those, who worship semi-gods, will reach semi-gods; those, who worship ancestors, will go to the ancestors; those, who worship ghosts and spirits, appear among them; while those who worship God, find God. Those, who worship semi-gods, go to the planets of these semi-gods. This mantra of «Isha-Upanishads» speaks about it. God created different semi-gods and filled them with own power. Brahma, Indra and others, fulfill duties they were endowed with. They receive their energies from the Supreme Lord, who is the original cause of all energies. But they are not eternal. Those, who worship them, receive wealth and success, and in the end they go to their planets. Just as those planets will disappear sooner or later, fruit of such worship are also not eternal. As a result of many sacrifices he makes properly, a man would go to heaven, but enjoying it just for a moment he will have to return back to the Earth again. Therefore, those, who make puja aiming at fulfilling desires, will not get liberation from reincarnations. Therefore, puja made according to different rules give different fruit. The rules to make puja are transferred in the chain of teaching succession [parampara]. Those great people, who do not give in to material temptations, who calmly accept the image of God in everything, are dhira. And the road, shown by them is the right path. There is a multitude of such paths, and all of them lead to one goal. God is eternal and the road to Him is also eternal. Nothing can hinder a man, who walks this road. If you are going in the right direction, then you will undoubtedly reach the right aim. If we buy a ticket to Calcutta, then by all means we will eventually come to Calcutta. And it doesn’t matter whether we go through Patna, Lakhnau, Deli, Bombay, or Madras. There are dozens of roads to Calcutta. But if we buy a ticket only to Bombay, we will never be able to reach Calcutta. Therefore, it is critical to define the goal correctly. If we accept that God is in everything, and we worship [serve, make puja] to some semi-gods, etc., then it will be puja to the Supreme Lord. But if we perceive some semi-god separate from God, or place him higher than God, then it will be worship to this semi-god, and the result of such worship will be reaching only the level of this semi-god and his limited energy. It is only possible to make puja with faith. According to tendencies, there may be there kinds of faith, i.e. in guna of virtue, in guna of passion and in


guna of ignorance. Like the soul, like the [material] world, generated by nature, same may be the image of the worshiper. When a man perceives material world and material happiness as truth, when he is only attracted by material pleasures, then a man has disposition towards material world. Faith in paramatma generated disposition towards paramatma and spiritual development. When such faith becomes stronger, a human soul gradually diverts from the material world and turns to God. If we do not understand some things, but respectfully accept them when we study scriptures and listen to the great sages or spiritual teachers, this is true faith. Faith is the natural feature of the soul. With faith it is possible to walk the spiritual path [the path of spiritual development]. It is important to have faith both in goal and means of reaching this goal. Faith in guna of virtue leads to God, while faith in guna of passion or guna of ignorance leads into material worlds. As guna of virtue grows, so disposition towards God increases. The faith of man, who wants true happiness for himself, is faith in guna of virtue. Faith of a man, who wants happiness for himself in this life or after death, is faith in guna of passion. Faith of a man, who like an animal, cares only about filling his stomach, strives for pleasure [material], gets stuck in own foolishness and laziness, is faith in guna of ignorance. In accordance to his faith, a man chooses his path, acts and receives fruit of his activity. Our life is a sacrifice. And we make this sacrifice according to our tendencies and according to our faith. The type of puja depends on the type of faith. Gita (17|4) says:

Yajante sattvika deva nyaksharakshamsirajasahTretanbhutaganamshchanye yajante tamasa janah

«People in guna of virtue worship semi-gods, people in guna of passion worship demons, while people in guna of ignorance worship ghosts and spirits». The word «deva» [commonly defining semi-gods] is used in Gita as the synonym of the Supreme Lord. Who possesses transcedental qualities is called «deva». Transcedental qualities lead to liberation –

Devi sampad vimokshaya (Gita 16|5)

That is why worshiping semi-gods in guna of virtue opens a wide road to finding Supreme Lord and purifying soul. A pure soul is «Vasudeva» (the name of Bhagavan Narayana, Sri Krishna, etymology of the word defines deva, who exists in everything and in whom everything exists). It has a powerful faith of «devaki». With its help Vasudeva enters human life.


Sacrifice, tapasya, meditation, etc., carried out with faith in guna of passion or in guna of ignorance, lead into delusion and push us into perishables. The next shloka from «Gita» says about worshiping semi-gods, ancestors, etc.:

Devadvija gurupragya pujanam shauchamarjavamBrahmacharamahimsa cha sharir tap uchyate

«Asceticism of the body is in worshiping Supreme Lord, brahmana, spiritual teacher, elders, such as father, mother, and also in purity, simplicity, chastity, and non-violence». Therefore, according to shastra our duty is to show respect and veneration to the elders, to spiritual teachers, to gyani who gained knowledge of Veda, etc. Lifestyle in conformity with shastra and Lord’s instructions, supports stability of mind and purification of soul, and opens the path to God. If worship of semi-gods is aimed at finding Supreme Lord, then it becomes one of the forms of worship of Him. Asceticism of the body, speech and mind related to supreme faith and free from attachment to the fruit of action, is asceticism in guna of virtue. That is why it leads to God. Opposed to this type of tapasya, there are tapasya, which are put up for the show, to receive name, respect, etc., and stand in guna of passion and give temporarily, perishable fruit. Tapasya, which are aimed at doing harm to self or others, are related to guna of ignorance and its fruit are insignificant. This mantra of «Isha-Upanishads» tells us that we have to devote ourselves to God, worship Him, and sing His glory in bhajana. Only in this way a living being can gain freedom. In our time, when everything around is filled with anxiety, worry, people have become blind from anger, lust, and hypocrisy, and have forgotten God. This mantra shows us the right path, the path to pacification. The so called pundits have seeded grains-words and grown such jungles of various opinions and ideas [here used a Sanskrit word mat-matantr, which means difference of opinions], that it is very difficult for a common man to understand them all and find the right path to true happiness. Saints, mahatmas, that cannot resist material pleasures, also undermine faith of society, and commit a great sin, throwing people into darkness [ignorance]. By all means you should avoid this kind of people. Worship of and service to God, singing His glory, listening to and praising His games, helps faith to purify and become stronger. We stand on the path of pacification. Who is clean and is not aiming at satisfying


insignificant desires, he can direct those, who exist at the inferior levels [of spiritual development] towards God. That is why Yogiraja Devraha Baba says: «the greatest gift for a living being [human] – is to direct him to God, generate in him an inviolable faith and taste of God. The sandal stick of faith is cool and fragrant, but won’t it burn the one who touches it, if you burn it in the flame of tendencies related to guna of passion or guna of ignorance? That is why true happiness is to devote your pure faith to the lotus feet of God». God assures:

Sarvadharman parityajya mamekam sharanam vrajaAham tvam sarvapapebhyo mokshayishtyami ma shuchah

«Leave all other religions and give yourself to me. I will alleviate you from all of your sins. Fear nothing». This mantra of «Isha-Upanishads» primarily says that the fruit of worshiping God is finding Him. And when you find God, then there’s nothing else to wish for. Why wouldn’t we try to reach Him? Then the need of all other desires will fade.

Towards Divine Pacification-(14)-

Sambhutim cha vishnasham chai as tad vedobhayam sahaVinesha mrityum tirtva sambhutyamritamashnute

Who perfectly knows both the eternal Supreme lord and temporarily semi-gods, would lift above death and reach the eternal blissful Supreme Absolute by worshiping these temporarily gods, ancestors, etc. Nowadays science has reached significant heights. Men are very proud of their inventions, including spaceships and atomic energy. A man has reached the moon, but he’s absolutely not worried that on the Earth people in developing countries starve. The atmosphere of anxiety, hostility, distrust, and immorality reigns in developed countries and countries that own atomic energy. Just as thousands years ago, today people are tortured by birth and death, sickness and senility. When someone asks some scientist about these problems, then the scientist would answer: “Science is working in that direction. Eventually it will be a success in solving these problems”. These scientists forget that by merely studying the laws of nature, they have little success in solving its mysteries, and that in material nature


everything lives through the 6 stages of existence: birth, growth, maintaining, change, withering, and death. Planets appear and disappear. On the one hand, they state that once the sun will also disappear, on the other hand, they dream to give immortality to a human. No one can avoid the laws of nature; no one can be safe from death, from the end. Who has been born, will die by all means. No one can be exception to this rule, either a man, or an animal, or a bird, or a planet. Even Brahma, creator of the universe is considered to be mortal. Everything we can see is perishable. Only paramatma is immortal; it is the source of all, and it has no beginning and no ending. Everything else in the material world, all of the cosmic manifestations, starting with Brahma and ending with an ant, everything is perishable and subject to transformations. If we want to stop transformation that occurs to our material body, then we have to lift above material world, and try to reach spiritual world, and spiritual planets. Neither the Sun, or the Moon, or the stars that shed light in the material world are eternal. But in spiritual world there are spiritual planets that do not require thus material energy. There’s a simple way to get to into this world, and namely, protection of God, His love, and His grace. By transferring this love into material world we can make our material life divine. In the spiritual world there are no desires, no vices, and no raga-dvesha. It is only possible to calm down material anxieties by awakening the energy of «paramachaitanya» (pervasive energy). Material nature, or maja, is also the form of God. It originates from Him. To overcome it by breaking this invisible obstacle is very difficult. Maja, constituting of the three guna of material nature, is very strong. «Mama maja duratyaya, mameva e prapadyante majametam paranti te» (Gita 7|14). Only who gives himself away to the Supreme Lord can overcome maja, i.e. the laws of material nature, and reach divine shelter. Mind and intelligence are also related to material nature and together with it each moment moves them towards to the end, towards destruction. If a man leaves his interest for material nature [material nature is defined with the word prakriti] and turns to paramaprakriti (literally, supreme nature. Supreme cosmic energy, with the help of which Supreme Brahman is seen as individual souls), then he will be able to purify and gain true happiness. It is also important to understand both vinasha (i.e. temporarily material phenomenon) and avinasha (i.e. eternal God). If a man wouldn’t understand material world, if he wouldn’t know the pointed sting of material suffering, then he will not be attracted by avinasha. Happiness, which can


be gained in the material world and material objects is transient and temporarily. It is only possible to develop this understanding during their depth study. Until there’s attachment to the material world, it is impossible to have attachment to God. That is why it is necessary to know both. Shastra also advise to worship and respect semi-gods, the elders, mother, father, acharya, and spiritual teachers. When this is a disinterested worship, then it satisfies God, as it is our duty, and only through it we can stand on the right path of knowledge. That is why the Scriptures instruct to worship mother, father, acharya, etc. Purana contain several stories, which describe people, who worshipped their mother, father, and spiritual teacher and found God. They have not deeply studied shastra and Veda, they have not practiced tapasya, etc., but by disinterestedly worshiping their guru and the “best of all people”, with faith and devotion [here used the word shreshtajana, which, apparently, defines saints, sages, etc.], and by considering this to be a worship to Supreme Lord, they found omniscience and immortality. The main and natural question is about what stands behind such faith, trust, worship, and service. If this worship and service to someone is aimed at receiving something in exchange, then it is considered to be service aimed at satisfaction of feelings. Such worship and service that are carried out for name, glory, or other temptations will never become pure and sinless. On the contrary, becoming aware of your duty, serving and worshiping semi-gods, ancestors, etc. with faith and devotion, makes it possible to purify your soul and, with God’s love, to cast away the veil, hiding true knowledge. The body we have been gives is also perishable, but you should not neglect it, because with the help of this body we can do spiritual practice. If your body is healthy, it can become a tool of karma, yoga, gyana, and bhakti. A sick body cannot serve you well. That is why you should not become attached to the perishable material objects only to satisfy feelings. When there’s no such attachment, your worship can be defined as “asambhuti» very favorable. When faith becomes stronger, and also when there’s God’s grace for you, you might develop the ability of «clairvoyance», which shows the road to knowledge. Therefore, by merging into «perishable» it is possible to understand it. By getting to know vinasha, it is possible to distinguish, study, and understand avinasha. The main way to develop love for avinasha is satsanga (association with wisdom). Communication with the great sages, learning their instructions and Veda writing is satsanga. When listening to them and studying them


comprehensively, we receive a great opportunity to learn the true nature of God. Their bodies are also perishable, however shastra recommend to fully devote yourself to them and treat them with faith and devotion. It is a great sin to consider them to be common people. You should regard them as the incarnation of God. These people know the essence of shastra and are illuminated with the light of knowledge of Brahma. These great people are worthy of any kind of worship and faith. By the grace of God we receive the opportunity to serve them. When they show their grace to us, when they are satisfied [with our service, our worship], they show us the way to God. These great people, endowed with divine qualities, free from desires and sins, by their closeness to God awaken our consciousness, capable to grasp the divine light. Therefore, by worshiping vinasha, we become to know death as part of life. When communicating with them and following their advice, we purify our soul, and start to worship sambhuta correctly. In such a way we can find paramatma.Destruction and creation are relative. Who lifts above vinasha, above darkness, opens the light of avinasha. Karma (action) throws us into the circle of births and death. A man worships different semi-gods to satisfy various desires, but he cannot achieve eternal pacification. Action should be such that would not create bonds, but on the contrary, would break existing bonds. By gaining this particular ability, we can lift above death. Death fears us no more. It opens the door to life. Who is neutral to material pleasures, is drinking the divine nectar of eternal pacification and eternal bliss. He rejects desire to taste the nectar of maja and goes further, where he enjoys the nectar of paramananda (paramananda – supreme pleasure). This mystery consists of sambhuta and asambhuta. Material world is not worthy of either hate, or contempt. You should treat it neutrally [to be indifferent]. Material world is also the form of God. Therefore, having understood this universal form, it is better to turn to divine love, to divine pleasure.

The science of bhagavata-darshan(bhagavata-darshana is the term that defines vision, contemplation upon God. The word darshana may also define manifestation, showing self, i.e. manifestation of self as God)


-(15)-Hiranyamayena patrena satyasyapihitam mukham

Tat tvam pushannapavrinu satyadharmaya drishtaye

Oh, my God, supporting all life! Your true face is hidden behind Your blinding radiance. Please, cast away this veil and reveal Yourself to Your pure bhakta. God is the cause-of-all-causes for all; He is the supporter for everyone, creator of all, and master of everything. In His will only numerous universes appear and vanish. No one is equal to Him. To find Him is the greatest goal in the life of the living being. He is not subject to the three gunas of material nature that is why it is impossible to make His darshana [i.e. to see Him, to reach Him, to know Him] without overcoming them. Merely by concentrating upon devotion to God it is possible to gain the ability to make His darshana and find Him. However, for you it’s not easy to develop love for God. He is the seed that exists in everyone. Nothing – movable and immovable – can exist without Him (Gita 10|39). There’s no end to His divine qualities. All wonderful and beautiful creations appear out of his magnitude [here the word teja is used, which means brilliancy]. With his smallest part He is piercing and supporting the whole universe (Gita 10|42). His body consists of the infinite number of universes. His great body is unimaginable. And still bhakta always yearn to see Him. They see Him, but this bhagavata-darshana is only possible by the grace of God. Even if someone managed to see God due to own power, tapasya, own knowledge, etc., this is considered to be impossible, because how can a tiny limit see what is limitless. We cannot comprehend the infinite grandeur of God. So, is it impossible to see this supreme magnitude [here the word mahateja is used]? If it is impossible to see Him, then how is it possible to find God? But many bhakta managed to see Him. Veda writing prove this. This important mantra of «Isha-upanishads» describes the ways how to make darshana of God. When Arjuna learned about the qualities of God, about the grandeur of His transcedental form, he had a desire: «I want to see your form, with one part of which you pierce the whole universe. If you believe that I may see your cosmic form, oh my God, the master of all mystical powers, please, be merciful, reveal your universal nature to me» (Gita 11|3-4).


«No doubt about it! Look at the hundreds of thousands of various, divine and colorful forms. See the forms you have never seen before. However, you will not be able to see them with the eyes you have now. Their vision is limited. They cannot see what is infinite. I will grant to you divine vision, which will enable you to see my magnitude» – God said this and revealed to Arjuna His universal form. Even if thousands of suns will shine together, then even this light will not be able to match the shine of this form. This form has no beginning and no end. Arjuna was amazed to see all of the semi-gods, all of the living beings, all rishi, and all sages in the infinite body of God. He was startled at seeing this splendid and infinite form, radiating its light all over. He praised Lord and asked Him to reveal to him His form of the Divine person. And again God appeared in front of Him in His true form with four hands [Vishnu] and finally, appeared in his image with two hands. God told Arjuna: “My form that you have seen now, is only possible to be seen in devoted service, but not [only] by studying Veda, making tapasya, making charity or sacrifice”. From this chapter of Srimadbhagavad Gita we learn that it is only possible to see the personal and universal form of God in devoted service and love of God, but even this is fully in the grace of God. If he reveals His grace and considers that bhakta is worthy of His darshana, He reveals Himself is some form, according to the wish of bhakta. Bhakta should only humbly ask of it. If God shows His grace, He will endow bhakta with transcedental vision, which He gave to Arjuna, so that he could see His divine shining. Arjuna is a simple example of such bhakta, who believes that God is his «all», his teacher, his friend, and follows the principle «Karishya vachana tava» – «following your instructions». This mantra of «Isha-Upanishads» also describes the process of bhagavandarshana. Step by step this process is described as follows: 1) First of all, you should come to know Him and accept Him by listening to and contemplating upon the names, forms, games, and magnitude of God. This will help to develop faith, devotion, and love of God. 2) You should become convinced in the opinion that God is omnipresent, omnipotent, and that he is the Cause-of-all-causes for all. He endows with everything necessary. He is inside of every heart. When love of God becomes stronger and more solid, you develop a desire to see Him. 3) God is the supreme truth, He reveals by His grace – you should accept this with complete faith, you should dedicate al of your actions to Him, to win His favor. Bhakta should become ananyacheta (concentrated, fully


busy), should make his satyadharma his dharma [dharma - order, standard of existence and development of cosmos, and society. In the system of purposes of human existence dharma is one of the four purposes of human living, along with the purposes of acquisition (artha), pleasure (kama) and «liberation» (moksha), and besides the task to accumulate dharma as “religious capital” is the fundamental purpose. [The closest definitions related to dharma are «truth» (satya), «merit» (punya) and «benefit» (kushala)]. Bhakta should reveal in his lifestyle a true, and not artificial, devotion and love of God, i.e. on the basis of satya. Therefore, by singing and glorifying God, bhakta should become worthy of seeing Him. 4) The true form of God is covered with Hiranyamaya patra (Hiranyamaya patra is the golden vessel or a golden egg. A certain cover). And no one can cast away this cover. Man cannot willfully remove this divinely radiant cover, separating him from God, with the help of spiritual practice, отделяющий его от формы Господа. 5) By His grace God may remove this cover. And then you can see Him in this form. 6) Bjakta, who yearns for bhagavata-darshana, can do two things: 1 – to lead virtuous life, to feel infinite love for God and continuously contemplate on Him, to satisfy God. 2 – to humbly pray to God, asking Him to cast away this veil and reveal himself. 7) If you continuously pray to God with all humility and faith, then God will undoubtedly reveal Self. And then bhakta’s material boundaries will be destroyed. 8) Attempts to receive Bhagavata-darshana and self-awareness undoubtedly lead to finding paramatma. As much as these attempts are comprehensive, as much as bhakta is diligent, skilled, and concentrated upon them, so quickly he will receive this darshana. 24 elements of the material world can be studied by materialistic science. Divine light (brahmajoti) shines above it, and above this light there is the form of God sat-chit-ananda. Only in infinite love and devotion to God it is possible to see and grasp His true form –

Bhaktya tvananyaya shakya ahamevam vodhorjunaGyatu drashtu cha tattvena praveshtu cha prantapa

Only those who constantly remember of God, who are filled with thoughts of Him, can easily reach Him. (Gita 8|14). God gives everything needed to these bhakta (Gita 9|22). Therefore, when bhakta ardently yearns for


bhagavata-darshana, paramatma removes its veil and endows bhakta with the ability to see it. This mantra advises not to rely upon tapasya and religious activity, but to believe in the grace of God, and indicates that God cannot fail to hear the prayers of pure bhakta, who always follows moral principles to gain His love, and fully gives himself to Him. ShimadBhagavad Gita also speaks of the importance to give away to God.

Ek bharoso, ek bal, ek asa bisvas Ek ram ghanasyama hita chataka tulsidas.

Dohavapi 277Gita describes the three groups of sadhaka, which are most dear to God: gyani, yogi, and bhakta. The best of sadhaka are gyani; yogi are even more dear to God than gyani, but bhakta, who are continuously busy with serving Him, are even more dear to God than gyani. In ShimadBhagavad God says He is the servant of his bhakta, and He does everything to satisfy them. That is why if bhakta has a strong desire to see God then God reveals to him. When providing concluding instructions to Arjuna, God Krishna says: «Come under My protection [give yourself to Me], I will give you moksha (liberation), and help you to perfect». This mantra of «Isha-Upanishads» supports this idea. The true form of God is mysterious. It is hidden under the veil of maja. Maja is very strong and attractive. A man falls under its influence, attracted by it. He seeks pacification in the outward temptations. He doesn’t see the hidden truth. Looking for happiness in the external world, a man wastes his life and has to be born in the new body and start seeking truth from the very beginning. God lives in the heart of everyone, but a man busy with his physical body gets tangled in satisfying feelings. He has no time to look inside himself. Material delusions hide true knowledge from him. Therefore, bhakta purifies his soul with the help of bhajana and kirtana, in devoted service and love of God, and also by praying to Him: «Lord, please, cast away this veil of maja, and reveal Your image». God hears His true bhakta. By listening to them He also receives pleasure. He reveals Himself, and by receiving His darshana, by getting to know own true nature, a man gains true pacification –

Mam darsan phal param anupa Jiv pahanginij sahej sarupa

(Manas)

So ham asmi[Введите текст] Page 88Upanishad-Chintana

(He is me)

-(16)-Pushannekrshe jama surya prajapatya

Vyuha rashmin samuh tejoYam te rupam kalyana tamam tat te pashyami

Yo sav asu purushah so ham asmi

Oh my God, oh original philosopher, supporting the universe, oh the regulating principle, the end goal of pure devotees, the well-wisher of the forefathers of humanity! Please, take away the brilliance of Your dazzling rays, so that I could see Your blissful form. You are an eternal Supreme Personality of God, like Sun, just like I am. By his grace God directs bhakta and sadhaka on the path of spiritual activity. He enforces their faith; He lifts all vices and delusions, and gives strength to walk the path of spiritual development. He endows bhakta with everything they need (Gita 9|22). By His grace He dispels darkness, generated by ignorance, in His bhakta – gyandipenbhasvata (Gita 10|11) – and by being the essence of true knowledge, He gives the opportunity to get to know His true form. He establishes the regulating principles, He manages everything, and He is the Owner of everything. He is the final goal of all gyani and bhakta. Nobody knows Him. Even the semi-gods and rishi do not fully know Him, as he is the origin and the cause for all of them. He is God of gods, ruler of the universe, and owner of everything animate and inanimate. He is the one and only, who knows Self (Gita 10|15). He is incomprehensible, but in love to his devoted bhakta, He allows them to know Him with bhakti. The Sun supports everything that lives. Any energy on the Earth is a variation of the solar energy. If there’s no sun, there will be no earthly creation. Sun is radiating light, and its soul, the cause for this light, its magnitude is Supreme God. Bhagavatasatta (the essence of God, being of God) enters sunrays as well. God exists in the Sun, in the Moon, in stars, and planets. In His svarupa He exists among us. He pierces all material creation. There’s nothing but Him. «I am the inexhaustible solar energy, worldly spirit, and the whole universe ». His true form is filled with bliss. He is the happiness of happiness; grace is never exhausted to be filled with His grace. His unconditional grace rains upon His pure bhakta. He is never deaf to their prayers. Bhakta, yogi, and


gyani are concentrated upon the blissful form of sat-chit-ananda, upon the form filled with magnificence and beauty, but being happy and satisfied they still remain dissatisfied and pray all over again: «Oh, Supreme Lord, please, remove the shining of your dazzling transcedental rays, to calm down my anxiety and let me gain eternal pacification and bliss». Divine light is extremely bright and dazzling, and it is hard to see God behind it. As sunrays spread from the Sun in all directions, and it is impossible look at it for a long time without covering the eyes, similarly divine light is so bright that it is impossible to fix eyes upon it. When Arjuna saw the universal form of God, he was filled with great happiness, but along with it «his hair stood on end». Therefore, gyani, yogi and bhakta, who fixedly look at the divine shining, are very happy, but along with that they are no satisfied because this shining comes from the Supreme Lord. The true, wonderful, and ever-blissful image of God, hidden behind it, awakens their thirst to see Him. No one in no way can cast away this veil. This is only possible by his grace. Many saints, mahatma, and yogi accept this divine light as supreme truth. However, the sunrays, even though they are an integral part of the sun and originate from it, do not give understanding about svarupa of the sun. This is the opinion of «Isha-Upanishads». Rishi, who rise above this divine light, want to see the true form of paramatma. They have got to know the true form of God. They see this divine light in the sun, in the whole universe, and in own atmasvarupa, i.e. everywhere, but still they want to see the full blissful form of the Supreme Truth, which is hidden behind it. It’s a great joy to see the divine light, but supreme bliss is to face the true form of God. His true form is Supreme truth. Brahmajoti is merely a shining halo. It cannot show the true form of the Supreme truth. This light is only an external cover. Letters of the word «Bhagavan» have a great meaning. [In Sanskrit the word «Bhagavan» comprises of 4 letters: «bha», «ga», «va» and «n»]. According to Sri Jiva Gosvami, the letter «bha» mans «who provides everything, supports everything». «Ga» means «operator», «leader», or «creator». «Va» means that all of the living beings exist in Him, and he exists in every living being. Therefore, the word «Bhagavan» means infinite knowledge, power, energy, wealth, might, and influence. God provides His bhakta with everything they require, supports their love of God, shows them the path, directs them to the [right] purpose, and by his grace allows them to see Him. He provides His bhakta with everything they require to be able to see Him, recognize Him, and «merge» in him.


Saint Prayer in the Hour Of Death -(17)-

Vayuranilam amritamathedam bhasmintam shariramOm krato smara kritam smara krato smara kritam smara

Let this perishable body turn into ashes, and let this breath of life merge with the eternal air. Oh, Supreme Lord, who is the sound «Om»! Remember Your bhakta. Oh, You the one, who takes pleasure in sacrifices! Remember all my doings! Remember what I have done! This body dies, because it consists of the five elements of material nature and it is perishable. Especially when after death a human body is burned in the funeral fire and turns into ashes, all of the elements of his body join with the elements of material nature: air to air, fire to fire, earth to earth, water to water, and ether to ether. Man leaves this body as it doesn’t belong to him. This connection is temporarily and volatile. This external body is given a man to use it. It dies when the time of application is over. With the end of the body there also comes an end to feelings. When the breath of live merges with the universal eternal air this means the merging of all elements, which constituted a human body [accordingly to the elements of material nature]. The thread, connecting [a man] with the body and the world is broken, however, actions carried out under the influence of raga-dvesha, create bonds. At the moment of death every living being remembers his good and sinful actions, remembers everything he did for God. Like the actions, like the memories, and according to them he is getting ready to travel further and receives the corresponding body. If you remember material world at the moment of death, then you will have to come back, but if you remember God, then you will undoubtedly reach God. Bhakta will reach the form of God, according to the feeling he is remembering with, and according to the form he remembers. The feeling, with which bhakta sings any of His forms during life – Sakara, nirakara, nirguna, saguna, who has two hands, who has four hands – and also his name, abode, and games: exactly this feeling and this Form come to him at the moment of death. Who worships God during life, serves Him devotionally, praises Him and glorifies Him in bhajana and kirtana [this person at the moment of death naturally develops a tendency, yearning for God], finds his Beloved God. But who is not


worshiping God, not serving Him, but remembers His form, name, abode, etc. at the moment of death, that will become a righteous man [here the word sadgati is used]. «Sad» in the meaning of correct or virtuous, and «gati» in the meaning of movement, development] and reach this form. Therefore, both types of people reach God, as all forms of God are the same in the essence. Whatever life of a dying man has been, if he remembers God at the moment of death, as it happened to Adjamila, will gain bliss. But it is not that easy to remember God at the moment of death. The dying memories correspond to the actions committed in life – «Janam-janam muni jatan karahin, ant ram kahin avant nahin». That is why you should be on alert at every moment. You never know when the end comes. That is why every moment of your life you should remember God. If some activity to support living is done to reach God, and then it becomes service to God, it becomes puja. According to this theory, it is important to sing bhajana and carry out kirtana by the side of the dying man, in order to fill the surrounding with God, and also to make sure that, when he regains consciousness, he would hear the names of God. Shastra also say that if a saint man sees someone dying, or a dead body, or how the body is lifted to the funeral fire, then this living being also gains happiness –

Mahapataka yukta va yukta vachappadakaiParam padam prayantyeva mahadbhi davalokitah

Kalevaram va padbhasmam paddhumam vadi saptpamYadi pashyati punyatma sa prayati param gatim

Naradapurana 1|7|74-75 These great people are really divine; they perceive everything as the form of God. And it is not merely their opinion, but also their lifestyle. They see a dying man and their feeling [that God is in everything] cannot fail them. Therefore, if in the time of death a man will see a divine image of a saint man, then he will be free from reincarnations. In the eighth chapter of Bhagavad-Gita Lord Krishna describes the process of dying memories in detail and recommends continuously remembering Him and glorifying Him, because who continuously remembers Him in life, will habitually remember Him in the dying hour. You should also try to remember God in life conflicts. «Mam anysmara yudhya cha» (Fight, and remember Me) – this is the advice of Gita. God gives yet another «indulgence» to His true bhakta: If someone for some reason will not remember him in the time of death, He will not forget


that man. He always remembers His bhakta and takes care of their happiness. It is natural for God to remember His bhakta and, by showing grace to them, to save them from the circle of reincarnations – «Aham smarami madbhaktam nayami paramam gatim». But this doesn’t mean that God is partial towards His bhakta. If someone sins all his life, like Ajamila, and suddenly remembers Narayana (God), he will undoubtedly receive liberation from reincarnations. So how can God leave someone, who remembered Him all of his life, praised Him, but at the moment of death could not do it for some reason? God always remembers those, who remember Him. This is His uninterested grace – «Ye yat’ha mam prapandyante tanstateyva bhajamyaham». Love and devotion to God are never single-sided. If bhakta remembers God, then God also remembers him. If bhakta praises and serves God, then God also praises and serves him. Therefore, God is never estranging His bhakta, He never loses him out of His sight. His grace is always with His devotees. Every moment bhakta tries to please God. It gives him a great joy as well. God is also happy to see the joy of His bhakta. This is an inseparable connection of bhakta and God, their union. A living being sansari (mundane, worldly, perishable, and transient) spends life satisfying feelings and attaching to material objects. That is why it is natural that in the dying hour this attachment is still very strong. In the next life such living being gets the body, which will help him to get rid of the tendencies he dies with. Therefore, a man will reach that state that he remembers when leaving his body –

Yam yam vapi smaranbhavam tyajatyante kalavaramTam tamevaiti kaunteya sada tadbhavabhavitah

Gita 8|6 In the material world material nature creates a body for a living being, which corresponds to his tendencies. Upon his wish a man can become anything: from an insect to Brahma. He has 8400000 types of bodies for this. Those, who remember material world in the death hour, those will receive different bodies according to their guna (sat, raj and tama). This happens because just material nature constitutes of three gunas, one of the gunas is also dominant for them, or they lack some of them. And the next life is also given to the living being in accordance to his dominant guna. Who remembers material world cannot stop his wondering [mind]. On the contrary, a devoted God’s bhakta always remembers Him and reaches Him. Because there is only one complete form of God (samagra rupa), then


«dying» for gyani, yogi, and bahkta is also one – and its result is also one – finding God. A human body is most developed, as it contains consciousness. Gradually perfecting, developing, a man gets this body. That is why those, who have received this hard-to-get human form of life, and are not using it to serve God, to remember Him, can be called nothing but a fool. A human body is given as a result of tapasya and beneficence of hundreds thousands of births. And a wise man correctly uses it for own benefit. He does not fall into the trap of satisfaction of feelings and desires, and by continuously remembering God, he undoubtedly reached Him – his supreme goal. In this mantra a living being asks about liberation from reincarnations. He doesn’t forget God and prays for God to remember him. He remembers about His as of the saint sound «Om» [Bhagavad-Gita indicates that sound «Om», Brahma and Lord Krishna are essentially one]. Who remembers Him as «om itye kaksharam brahma», also receives liberation from incarnations (Gita 8|14). Bhakta prays: «Oh, Lord! Please, remember me, please, do not forget about me! Please, remember everything I have done for you; by all means remember. Al I want is for You to remember me. Then I will be happy. Remember my service, my love, my firm faith; remember my tapasya, which I made in the forms of bhajana, kirtana, and sadhana. I have done all of this to win Your love. And if in this dying hour You remember me, then I have received Your love and grace. I’m not attracted by this perishable body, material feelings, and material objects. Let all of this turn into ashes, burns down once and for all! Let me never return into [whatever kind of material] body. And for this, God, who is sound «Om», please, always remember me!». This mantra describes a prayer and the dying remembering of God for bhakta, gyani, and yogi. All of then easily reach God, because they are inseparably connected with Him, constantly busy with Him –

Ananyachetah satatam yo mam smarati nityashahTasyaham sulabhah part’h nityayuktasya yoginah

«Gita» 8|14Understanding the usefulness of this prayer, the great rishi pray to God all over again:

Om krato smara kritam smaro krato smara kritam smara The best gift for a human being is to put him on the path to God.

Devraha Baba


The Best Way to Devotion.[devotion in the meaning of giving self to God ]

-(18)-Agne naya sypatharaye asmanvishvani deva vayunani vidvanYuyodhi asamaj juhuranam eno

bhuyishtham te nama uktim vidhemaOh my Lord, mighty as fire! Oh, the Almighty! I fall at your lotus feet. Oh, Lord, lead me the right path, so that I could reach You. And as you know all that I have committed in the past, save me from the consequences of the past sins, so that nothing would hinder my further progress. In this mantra a living being fully gives self to God, praising Him all over again, and humbly asks to put him on the right path, which would lead him to God, and to give him power and reason to follow this path. In reality it is impossible to always follow the path of happiness. Material universe surrounds us all over. It attracts us with all kinds of temptations. Feelings and mind are disturbed. Attachment is very strong. Illusions do not let go. Lust, greed, anger, and delusions create obstacles on the way. How strong is the living being! Inside and outside of him is the darkness of ignorance. In darkness he cannot see the path. There are many hindrances and obstacles in the way. It is very hard to avoid them. But a living being is firm in his intention to reach God. His intention grows. God is almighty, and a living being is weak. He is devoted to God and believes Him. He contemplates upon His divine light but is not satisfied with it. He would like to rest on God’s knees. Only the love of God and believing in His grace helps fulfilling this desire. That is why a living being prays to God that He would encourage him to follow the right way and lit this path with His divine light. If there’s God’s grace, there will be no obstacles on the way to Him. All temptations [obstacles] are generated by maja, and it also belongs to God. Maja moves away from the path of those, for whom God shows His grace. Not only it influences him no more, but also it helps to clean this path from any obstacles. It is only possible to lift above maja with the help of God’s power. It is very difficult to lift above it with the help of spiritual activity, tapasya, sacrifice, yoga practice, charity, etc.


God is omniscient. Nothing can hide from Him. He knows all of the virtuous and sinful actions of the living being and their fruit. A man follows the right path according to his knowledge, his attitudes, and his capacity. Even if we carried out many kirtana and bhajana, always remembered God, he still could commit actions that would become obstacles on the way to God. These actions and obstacles can be eliminated by God, as awareness of them is only possible by His grace. For bhakta God is the teacher, who shows the way. He knows all of the obstacles that may appear on this path, and by His grace these obstacles may be eliminated. How can you trust your actions? Even if you are very careful, still you may make mistakes and commit sins. It is also natural for God to forgive them. Bhakta asks to remember all of his actions – «kritam smara» (remember everything I have done). He asks to remember him – sings «OM», names God «taking pleasure of all sacrifice», says «Bhagavan, Bhagavan!», pronounces different names of God, and sees His various forms. Why then it is so difficult to find God? It’s because undoubtedly there have been some unbecoming actions that should not have been done by a person, who stands on the path to God. So bhakta asks God to eliminate these actions-obstacles [consequences of these actions] and again and again bends in front of Him in reverence. He tries to gain the grace of God. He yearns only for the grace of God to follow the right path, to eliminate all of the obstacles from this path and help reach the final goal. Devotion and self-denial are the only instruments to receive this grace. He fully gives himself to God. Piety is the supreme instrument of bhakti-yoga. It’s impossible to see God and reach Him without it. That is why God says in Gita -

Sarvadharman parityajya mamekam sharanam vradjaAham tvam sarvapapebhyo mokshayishtyami ma shuchah

Gita 18|66 «Leave all other religions and give yourself to Me. I will free you from all sins. Fear nothing». That is exactly how God treats His bhakta. «Ma shuchah» – fear nothing – this assurance helps bhakta, gives him strength. Receiving protection of God is the only way, which is absolutely safe, on which there are no obstacles preventing from reaching the final goal. God Himself commits to purify all of the sins. First of all, like a spiritual teacher, God says:

Tameva sharanam gachchha sarvabhavena bharata


Tatprasadatparam shantim sthanam prapsyasi shashvatam(Oh the child of Bharata, give your self to him fully. By His grace you will reach transcedental calmness and supreme eternal abode).«Gita» 18|62However, Arjuna was not satisfied with this, so God advised him further how to achieve devotion and defines what should be the actions of bhakta:

Manmana bhava madbhakto madyadji mam mnamaskuruMamevaishyasi yukvaivamatmanam matparayanah –

(You should become My bhakta, always keep your mind busy thinking about Me, pray to Me, pray to Me. Thus, being fully merged in Me, You will undoubtedly reach Me, because you are my dear friend) (Gita 9|34). That is why in this mantra of «Isha-Upanishads» great rishi pray all over again: «Lords, put me on Your knees! Send me Your grace! You are my teacher, You are my protector, and you are my Ishta, my «everything»». With the feeling of full renunciation, praying to God all over again, bhakta may move further along the path of self-awareness. Giving yourself to god is like fire, on which all of the sins burn down. Bhagavate-darshana is possible in this body, in this birth and in this moment, but only under condition that this renunciation is part of bhakti. Full renunciation of self to God is the only thing that matters in bhakti. God does not have to walk far to show the right path to his bhakta, because He dwells in the heart of each and everyone – «Ishvaraha sarvabhutanam hriddesherjun tishthati» (Gita 18|61). And therefore, together with bhakta, He walks side by side along the path of spiritual development, and if necessary shows him the right direction. Great saints and spiritual teachers may show bhakta the way to God; or God Himself may take him by the hand and lead him along the way. Therefore, notwithstanding who shows the path, whether those, who act on behalf of God, i.e. great saints or teachers, or God – bhakta will reach his goal. Listening to and telling about the games of God purifies man and strengthens his faith. This is the most simple, safe and unimpeded way to God, which brings him closer to God with every moment. All mantras of «Sri Isha-Upanishads» encourage us to fill our life with beauty and divinity, and advise us to gain the grace of God by satisfying Him, and receive the ability to directly see Him. The supreme Goal of life is to find God. And to achieve this goal it is necessary to obtain the grace of God; it is necessary that He shows the


right path, and gives strength to walk along this path, and the sight (vision) required to do that. All of this naturally becomes easily achievable on condition of complete devotion.

Om purnamadah purnamidam purnat purnamudachyatePurnasya purnamadaya purnamevavashishyate

Om shanti shanti shanti


Иша-упанишад · web viewthe third part is sutras. sutras are divided into: 1)...

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