Narrator:
[Blows Conch]
Devotee:
Will it be done? Yes, it will be.
Devotee:
It won't work, okay, let's start.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Read.
Devotee:
You should know the performance of desireless action to be renunciation. Because, unless one is free from attachment to the results of one’s actions, one cannot be a Yogi.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Right.
Devotee:
For the one who wants to progress in Yoga through meditation, but has not yet attained it, performance of desireless action is the best means.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Right, so, for the one who cannot meditate, desireless action is best.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Right.
Devotee:
When such a desireless practitioner attains perfection in Yoga, he ceases all selfish activities and becomes established in Yoga. In other words, as one ceases selfish actions, his mind becomes more and more peaceful and he soon attains perfection in Yoga.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Right.
Devotee:
When the practitioner, with a focused mind, gives up all attachment to the objects of his senses and worldly desires, and becomes free from the sense of doership, then he is said to have attained perfection in Yoga.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Right.
Devotee:
A person should uplift himself through his own mind and not let himself be degraded. Because the mind alone is the true benefactor of the soul. The mind can be both the cause of liberation and the cause of bondage when it is attached to the objects of the senses.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
I have told you this before as well. You need to raise the level of your mind. There should be no impurity in the mind. It is not right to read the Gita with an impure mind. You must purify your mind. Just as we purify ourselves before worshiping, we should also purify our minds before reading the Gita. All impurities should be abandoned. Otherwise, there is no benefit in reading the Gita. Yes, there are benefits and losses. Yes.
Devotee:
Tell me.
Devotee:
The one who has controlled his body and mind through a disciplined mind, that disciplined mind is his best friend.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Right, I said that before and I am saying it now.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes.
Devotee:
Because, such a mind, free from unruly impulses, becomes the cause of liberation. But for the one whose mind is not controlled, his mind, under the influence of unruly impulses, acts as his worst enemy, leading to his own downfall.
Devotee:
A person who has attained self-control and is at peace is always established in the divine. Such a liberated person remains undisturbed by heat and cold, pleasure and pain, honor and dishonor.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Right.
Devotee:
Because, a Yogi who is satisfied with scriptural knowledge and spiritual realization, who is undisturbed by duality like heat and cold.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
He will not be affected by heat and cold, summer and winter.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes.
Devotee:
Who has controlled his senses, and who looks with an equal eye upon a piece of earth, a stone, and a piece of gold, and is free from worldly desires, is said to have attained perfection in Yoga.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes.
Devotee:
A person is said to have attained perfection in Yoga when his mind is focused and undisturbed towards friends, companions, enemies, the indifferent, the hateful, relatives, the righteous, and the sinners.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Tell me that once again.
Devotee:
A person is said to have attained perfection in Yoga when his mind is focused and undisturbed towards friends, companions, enemies, the indifferent, the hateful, relatives, the righteous, and the sinners.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Perfecting Yoga, perfecting Yoga.
Devotee:
He who is deeply involved in Yoga is a Yogi. And you must follow these things. You must follow these things.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes.
Devotee:
In a secluded place, alone, detached, free from expectations and possessions, the Yogi should constantly focus his body and mind on the divine.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes.
Devotee:
In a naturally or traditionally pure and clean place, the Yogi should set up his seat on Kusha grass, covered by a deerskin and a cloth, neither too high nor too low.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Here, the seat setup is being discussed. Deerskin is the best and Kusha grass is also very good. If you have Kusha grass and deerskin, it will work. But if you don't have deerskin, Kusha grass is a must. Kusha grass is a special seat for the Brahmins. And deerskin is also a great seat. Because tiger skin is not necessary here, deerskin is sufficient. It is cool and that's why deerskin is very valuable for us. We have sat on deerskin many times and performed japa and meditation. We have also used it for meditation.
Devotee:
There's a picture, let me see. Yes, I've seen a picture.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, I've seen it.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
It's not possible without deerskin. We have collected deerskin and used it. We have gotten pure deerskin and we have meditated on it. Yes. We have done many things using that seat.
Devotee:
Yes.
Devotee:
Sitting on that seat, with a focused mind, and controlling the actions of the external and internal senses, the Yogi should practice Yoga for the purification of the mind.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Of course.
Devotee:
Holding the spine, neck, and head in a straight line and remaining motionless, the Yogi should focus his gaze on the tip of his nose, without looking in any other direction.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Right here, the eyes should be here. On the tip of the nose, the eyes should always be there. You will be able to see it.
Devotee:
Yes.
Devotee:
With a peaceful mind, free from fear, practicing celibacy and staying steadfast in the service of the Guru, the Yogi should focus his mind on the divine and constantly practice meditation.
Devotee:
The result of Yoga is that the Yogi, by constantly focusing his mind on the divine, attains the supreme peace of liberation.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Of course.
Devotee:
A person who eats too much, or who doesn't eat at all, who sleeps too much, or who doesn't sleep enough, cannot attain perfection in meditation.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
No.
Devotee:
Of course, you're right.
Devotee:
One who is disciplined in eating and recreation, and who performs activities like japa and scriptural study in a balanced way, whose sleep and wakefulness are regulated in time and amount, his meditation becomes the destroyer of all worldly suffering.
Devotee:
When the Yogi becomes free from all desires, and his mind, free from external thoughts and distractions, becomes established in the self, then he attains Samadhi.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Of course.
Devotee:
Like a lamp in a windless place, which does not flicker, the mind of a Yogi who practices control over the thoughts and distractions becomes steady and focused.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Just like a lamp in a windless place, it burns steadily. Where there's wind, the flame flickers. The mind should be like that. No other thoughts should be there.
Devotee:
Yes, no other thoughts should be there. Those who are practicing meditation should not have any other thoughts. No second thought. No second thought is needed. If there's a second thought, meditation won't happen.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Keep the eyes on the tip of the nose and think about God, or think about oneself, or think about what the Guru has given. That's what should be done. Then your meditation will be good. Many things can be known through meditation. God appears in meditation. Yes, he does.
Devotee:
Now it feels good. I didn't feel good before. When I go, I'll order.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes.
Devotee:
In other words, the Yogi's mind, focused and undistracted, remains steady like a flame in a windless place during Samadhi.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Of course, of course, of course.
Devotee:
In the state where, through the practice of meditation, the mind becomes free from all distractions, and where the Yogi realizes the supreme consciousness through the purified inner self, he becomes established in that state.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
In other words, one has to bring out the light from within his own body. The light is within the body. You have to bring out that light. This is called the 'aura'.
Devotee:
Aura.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Every great person has an aura around their head. That white circle. It's called an 'aura'.
Devotee:
We call it an 'aura'.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
So, you have to bring it out of your body. You have to bring it out. You can also bring it back inside. No problem. You can bring it out when needed and bring it back when needed. Not everyone can see the aura all the time. Yes.
Devotee:
In the state where the Yogi experiences supreme bliss, which is beyond the reach of the senses and is realized only through the intellect, and being established in which he never deviates from the truth. Having attained which, the Yogi does not consider any other gain to be greater, and being established in which, he is not disturbed even by the greatest of sorrows. This state of absolute cessation of all suffering is known as Yoga.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
That state is called the 'Brahmi' state, the state of Samadhi. This Samadhi should be practiced with a determined mind, free from all doubts.
Devotee:
Yes, yes.
Devotee:
Abandoning all desires born of selfish intentions, and controlling the senses through the mind from all directions, one should slowly attain peace through a disciplined and determined intellect, focusing the mind on the self and not thinking of anything else.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Right.
Devotee:
This is the internal practice of Samadhi.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes.
Devotee:
The Yogi, practicing Samadhi, should bring back the mind whenever it wanders, due to its fickle and unsteady nature, and focus it again on the self.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes. Leave everything else and focus on the soul. The only thought should be about the soul. The only thought should be that I am meditating. That's the only thought. There's no use in thinking about anything else. Otherwise, the meditation will be broken.
Devotee:
A Yogi whose mind is peaceful, whose passions are subdued, who is free from sin, and who has attained the state of oneness with the divine, experiences supreme bliss.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes.
Devotee:
By constantly focusing his mind on the divine, the sinless Yogi easily attains the eternal peace of oneness with the divine.
Devotee:
A person established in Samadhi sees the divine in all beings, and sees his own self in all beings, from the creator to the smallest creature.
Devotee:
He who sees me, the supreme soul of all beings, in all beings, and sees all beings in me, I am never lost to him, nor is he ever lost to me.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
No.
Devotee:
He who worships me, as the one residing in all beings, with the realization of oneness, that Yogi, in whatever state he may be, always resides in me. Nothing can be an obstacle to his liberation.
Devotee:
O Arjuna, he who considers the pleasure and pain of all beings as his own, he is the best Yogi in my opinion.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Right.
Devotee:
You shouldn't think about yourself, you should think about everyone. That's the real thing. We don't do that. We are busy with our own things.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes. We never think about others. We should think about others. We should think about others. Krishna has said this repeatedly, don't think only about yourself.
Devotee:
Yes.
Devotee:
Arjuna said, "O Krishna, the path of Yoga that you have described, based on the realization of oneness, I cannot see its steady state due to the fickle nature of the mind."
Devotee:
"O Krishna, the mind is very fickle, powerful, and turbulent. It is very difficult to control it from worldly desires. Therefore, I consider its control to be as difficult as controlling the wind."
Devotee:
The Lord said, "O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is no doubt that the mind is fickle and difficult to control. But, O son of Kunti, it can be controlled through the practice of meditation and detachment from worldly and otherworldly desires."
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Just wait, let me say something. Yes, I will listen to you.
Devotee:
Yes.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Should I say it once more?
Devotee:
Subhash Babu. Yes.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
You are reading the Gita. You said that you would recite the Gita for the Guru. You couldn't go there, so you've come here to recite the Gita. I'm very grateful to you.
Devotee:
Call me "you" [informal].
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
No, no, no matter what I call you, I'm very grateful to you for coming here and reciting the Gita for me. I like it very much. I like to listen to it. And I usually sit alone. I have no connection with anyone. I sit at home, alone. I sit in my own way. But you guys come and recite the Gita, and I like that very much. I listen to it. My fickle mind becomes somewhat peaceful after listening to the Gita. That's why every person should listen to the Gita. If one wants to control the mind, if one wants to bring the mind to a single point, then the Gita is very necessary.
Devotee:
Yes, yes.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, it's necessary.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
That's what I say. Read the Gita, listen to the Gita. It might not feel good at first. But once the mind is settled, then you will feel a longing for the Gita. Once the mind is settled... it's all about settling the mind. People won't like these things... there's so much chaos in the outside world, so much noise of money... people won't like these things. But if people practice... through the practice of Yoga, people will remember these things. And repeatedly, the desire to listen to or read the Gita will arise in the mind. That's it.
Devotee:
Yes, yes.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, it's necessary.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
That's what I say. Read the Gita, listen to the Gita. It might not feel good at first. But once the mind is settled, then you will feel a longing for the Gita. Once the mind is settled... it's all about settling the mind. People won't like these things... there's so much chaos in the outside world, so much noise of money... people won't like these things. But if people practice... through the practice of Yoga, people will remember these things. And repeatedly, the desire to listen to or read the Gita will arise in the mind. That's it.
Devotee:
Yes, yes.