Summer Camp 2014 - Update 6

 21 May 2014, 12.15 PM - Guruji Session

It was a bit sultry and humid. But the afternoon juice came to the rescue to sit through the ensuing session of Gurudev. As I type this surprisingly a gentle breeze from nowhere started to provide respite. But this mystery ended soon as I realized that it is Chandan who switched on the pedestal fan behind me.

Gurudev began the session with the concept of deconstructing and rebuilding. In this context he was referring to the Trikaranas i.e., the three channels we have – Kaya, the physical body, Vacha – the speech and Manas – the mind.

THIRD SADHANA

At this point Gurudev introduced the Third Sadhana in Sadhana Panchaka. For this Gurudev relied on the following Sutra of Maharishi.

Tapa Svadhyaya Ishvara Pranidhanani Kriya Yogaha

Gurudev spent quite a length of time in trying to push the dimension of TAPA into our hard psyche. He quoted ample examples one after the other in this regard.

Gurudev said that TAPAS begins with SANKALPA. If we can recollect Gurudev mentioned earlier that LANGUAGE should culminate in SANKALPA. Here that culminating point i.e., SANKALPA is the starting point for Tapas.

Tapas is a process where we gather, where we collect, where we integrate. We achieve this by developing the fire to burn the old habits and create new habits that will lead us towards FREEDOM.

The thought process of Gurudev is something remarkable. The point that he is trying to arrive at here is that since FREEDOM is the purpose and HARMONY is the Language, he gives TAPAS as a wonderful tool to help us in achieving this. TAPAS by this definition is nothing but with one’s self effort establishing harmony among the physical body, speech and thought within oneself. Imagine if one cannot achieve harmony within one’s own self, how can then a disintegrated person bring order and harmony around oneself?

Maharishi’s Sutras work universally on each and every individual. Therefore if Tapa works on you, it has to work on everyone in the universe.

The second dimension in the above Sutra is Svadhyaya. It means one should start studying oneself honestly and sincerely. The yardstick one should use in analyzing oneself is the LANGUAGE viz., HARMONY. Does my TAPAS (Body, Speech and Intellect) is in tune with Harmony? Is my Tapas for Harmony?

The third dimension in this Sutra is Ishvara Pranidhana which means being aware of Ishvara. According to Gurudev Ishvara is not the Gods that we have known already like Shiva, Krishna, Rama, etc., Ishvara for a Sadhaka, according to Gurudev, is that VISHESHA PURUSHA whom we have seen and understood yesterday, the one who is untouched by the Doshas, the 9 obstacles that we saw in the Second Sadhana such as Vyadhi, Sthyana, Samsheya, etc.,

VISHESHA PURUSHA is nothing but the symbol of FREEDOM as he is untouched by doshas and not bound by / with anything. That state is obviously a FREE state. Gurudev has given us Tapas, Svadhyaya and Ishvara Pranidhana as Karma Yoga. In other words, if we do Karma Yoga, we can become VISHESHA PURUSHA.

What a beautiful approach Gurudev has spun around Maharishi’s Sutras !! A PURUSHA, in its process of evolution to be PARAMA PURUSHA, achieves this without disturbing the surroundings, without creating ruckus. On the contrary, in this process of evolution the PURUSHA creates harmony in its surrounding and help others around it to get a taste of freedom through this harmony.

 22nd May 2014, 6.30 AM - Guruji Session

Gurudev began the session with guided meditation after which he asked the Parivara, ‘How are you?’ to which came reply, ‘Fine, Guruji.’

Gurudev continued : Who is fine? One who has connected with the divinity and drops everything at the feet of divinity and accepts the consequences, without any conditions or expectations, is fine.

A Sadhaka is one who does not negate anything but who enquires into everything. Blindly negating is not the solution. Enquiry leads to clarity which helps in developing the right LANGUAGE. We are stuck most of the time and to hide that fact, we develop a LANGUAGE that argues, fights to protect that deficiency.

This is so because we don’t know what is in store for us. This leads to lack of confidence. So people rely on astrology to know what is in store for them. But we fail to realize that there is something else working for you, and through you. One has to put effort to understand and realize this. Wisdom lies in not compromising here, for our own development, good and FREEDOM. Look at the beauty here. Maharishi gives us the definite method by practicing which we will benefit directly, not others. Yet, we apply our intelligence to defy that. May be this is MAYA?

Gurudev gave the example of the Chef in our kitchen.  He said, suppose you want to have Poori and Potato for breakfast. But the menu is something else. Therefore, you should have such a strong Sankalpa to influence the thought process of the Chef to change the menu to what you want or you should have the humility to simply accept what is being served.

In a similar fashion, if you want God to listen to you, either you have such a strong Sankalpa or simply accept what is being bestowed. This is not happening in us because we are confused between the desire and the deservedness. If your child is having high temperature, and if the child is tempted to have ice cream, will you provide the child with one? Certainly not. There is nothing wrong with the child’s desire but it is only that the child does not deserve, at that juncture, what it desires.

Gurudev said that you gain enormous strength by surrendering completely.

Develop the LANGUAGE of harmony is all that I am requesting you out of concern, said Gurudev. What you are going to experience after establishing yourself in the LANGUAGE of harmony is something marvelous, hence the concern friends, he concluded.

22 May 2014, 10.30 AM Guruji Session

FOURTH SADHANA

Basic tensions take away the blessed energy. Nothing much to do in fourth Sadhana except to work on one’s own self, at the attitudinal level.

Enquiry alone will be of help here and mere dependence on rituals will not deliver us from the basic tensions.

There are basically four biological urges:

1.  Food

2.  Sleep

3.  Fear

4.  Urge to have sex

These are common for human beings and animals.

The solution to come out of this are not within us and the Jiva has to go out to get these. For this it uses the flowing six channels:

1. Kama - desire

2. Krodha – anger, out of helplessness

3. Lobah - Greed

4. Moha  -  attachment

5. Madha - arrogant

6. Matsara – jealous

These 10 created 5 basic tensions

1. Avidya – ignorance

2. Asmita – Ego

3. Raaga – attachment

4. Dvesha - aversion

5. Abhinivesha – fear of losing

Maharishi’s Yoga Shastra is not one that of hope but a definite method. It will work and produce results if adopted by oneself, with right understanding and honesty.

Prathiprasava, going back, is the fourth Sadhana. If you get angry, don’t react with anger; instead go backwards (i.e., inside within oneself) and find out from where this anger generates. Similarly with hurt, fear, etc. By doing this you will be able to separate yourself from the reaction and will begin to see things as they are. This delay in reaction will give you the space in which you can fit the LANGUAGE of Harmony. This is the fourth Sadhana Gurudev suggests.

- A Report by a 'Sadhaka'