In the Name
of God begin!
In the Name
of Meher Baba begin!
In the Name of
Upãsni Maharaj begin!
February 6 + 8 + 9 + 10 + 11, 2006
FIXED February 20, 2006
Volume One Talk 2
date: December 13, 1923
titled: GOD, THE SOUL AND YOGA
Yogis are observed studying yoga. What do the Yogis really do? Inwardly, they strive to join their soul with that of God. To unite — to join two things together means “yoga.” If two things are to be joined together into one, both of them have to be of the same quality.
In the world, gold is highly valued though it is a low metal form in evolution; but it is valued because it is rare. If any gold is to be mixed with pure gold, then that piece of gold has to be purified by subjecting it to various physical and chemical processes prior to its being mixed with the pure; only then should both golds be mixed together. You can say that the yoga (union) of both of them has been effected. Originally both golds were the same, but when one of them was mixed with other metals, then two types of gold came to be recognized — the pure and the impure. If now both golds are again to be melted into one, then the impure one first has to be purified. When it is purified, it becomes the same pure gold, even though its nugget may be separate from that of the pure one. Both of them are recognized as one and the same thing — pure gold. It is immaterial then if they are kept separate or melted into one. It is the impurity that divided the original one into two. So far as it is pure, it is immaterial into how many nuggets it is divided — they are all one pure gold.
In a similar way, the soul of God and the soul of Man is the same — is one. How is it then that we human beings began to be different from God? I will describe how it happened. In the Beginning, prior to the origin of the human form, 8,400,000 minus one beings as objects of desire and enjoyment came into existence. On the basis of all these previous 8,399,999 beings or objects, at last, that which I call the “one minus” — the human form — appeared on the scene. The soul within a human form is the soul of God; there is no difference between them.
How long does this unity or rather said the purity of the soul of the human being last? In other words, when does the soul of a human being become differentiated as a separate entity from God?
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That seems a fair question as the thought crosses my mind. The answer to this question is that so long as a human being does not crave with relentless desire for any object, or identify himself with any desire or its object, that purity, that unity is there. Until then, even if a human being appears to be separate from God, his soul is the same pure soul as that of God and, as such, one with that of God’s.
But the moment a human being accepts and begins to use any of those objects of desire and enjoyment, through the mind his soul becomes associated with it. That soul of a human being now resembles impure gold. With this happening, the human being’s impure soul begins to be differentiated as another — a second — from the state of the pure soul of God. Thus, it is due to the association of the soul with desire and craving, or its association with an object of enjoyment and pleasure that the human being becomes differentiated from God — from its Self. It is then designated as life, mind, ego, “I,” embodied-soul, or human as opposed to being the pure blissful God.
[The soul that is embodied in a form but is unrealized is called “jiv-atma;” the soul that is embodied and has realized the Self and is one with the soul of God is called “Shiv-Atma.”]
The human form for both affected souls — the soul in the state of jiv-atma and the pure soul in the state of Shiv-Atma is the same. It means that the human body is the same for both, but two types of souls — the affected soul of the jiv-atma and pure unaffected soul of the Shiv-Atma associate with it. If the affected soul remains in a human body, then it assumes the state of a human being — jiv-atma. On the other hand, if the pure realized soul continues to remain alive in its human body, then while alive it is permanently in the state of the blissful God — Shiva. Thus, two souls in a human form are differentiated — a jiv-atma and a Shiv-Atma.
The jiv-atma treats the human form as a separate entity from itself, while the Shiv-Atma does not treat its form as something different from itself. However, once the embodied-soul becomes differentiated into two, their food, nutrition, environment and impressions
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(sanskãras) become different. Similarly, all objects of enjoyment and pleasure (bhogya vastu) also become grouped into two — one the pure original bliss and all the other 8,400,000 forms of objects and beings. Upon assuming the human form, if the consciousness or attention of the soul remains unified with that original singular bliss without any diversion toward any other object of desire, then that soul as a Shiv-Atma, even though embodied in a human form, continues to enjoy the bliss by now being permanently in the infinite state of God. Since the human form also consists of bliss, the soul and its human form would ever remain in that state of endless bliss. Thus, being a Shiv-Atma, that soul, that human form and that bliss of God would all be together as one in that endless state of blissful existence.
On the other hand, if the soul accepts even one of those objects of desire and passion while residing in human form, which in itself is formed on the same basis as all those objects of enjoyment and pleasure, then it becomes affected by it and, thereby, turns into the state of jiv-atma. As a result of this, the man or woman begins to suffer from pleasure and pain which, in turn, involve him or her in the world of seemingly endless chain of births and deaths. Consequently, the human being appears to have lost his or her original state of endless bliss.
With the assuming of the human form, the consciousness or attention of the soul naturally is diverted toward the objects of desire, particularly constituting the necessities of life, such as food, drink, clothes, shelter, health, companionship and livelihood. With this firm introduction to the ways of the world, the human being becomes used to these necessities and, in the course of time, he or she cannot live and function without them. Due to this affect by the world, the soul assumes the role of being embodied in a form — a jiv-atma. The human being becomes the “doer” and “possessor” of pleasure and pain, therefore, becoming another “link” with others in the interminable chain of births, deaths and rebirths.
Unless the embodied-soul loses all interest in the numerous worldly objects of enjoyment and pleasure, gains control of all desires and passions, and remains unaffected by them, the human being’s
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consciousness cannot return to his original status of the soul — as God. Due to the human being’s association with these objects of the world he or she resembles the status of impure gold; the original pure soul’s consciousness has become impure; this is caused by the mind. It is now the human being’s fate to depend upon these objects, that is to depend upon “another.” That “other” is always somebody or something else besides himself or herself to satisfy his or her wants for the sake of happiness. Thus it is, that the affected embodied-soul’s consciousness always being associated with objects of enjoyment and pleasure becomes impure or defiled by the world. It cannot help itself by being ridden with desires and, consequently, experiences being differentiated from the pure soul of God.
All material objects of enjoyment and pleasure are inevitably destructible. The human body depending upon them for its nutrition and health is equally destructible. These objects are so multiple and their qualities so varying that both the physical body and the invisible mind have to constantly change. Both the body and mind have to adapt themselves to utilize these objects. The embodied-soul becomes entangled in these objects and beings of the world and is forced to depend upon them to function and sustain his or her worldly life. Such is the human being’s condition throughout all the millions of lives he or she has to take due to continual association with these objects and beings.
So long as the human being obtains as many of these objects as he or she desires, he or she feels happy — satisfied. However, if the objects’ quantity or quality declines, the human being soon becomes unhappy — dissatisfied. The state of the human being resembles that of a fish! Fish are born and bred in water. If the mass of water the fish live in increases, they are not affected; however, at the time the water starts to go down to a dangerous level, the fish become anxious, fearful and unhappy. The fish suffer a painful experience of being fearful of hunger and death. (Although most human being’s seldom ever notice, all evolving creatures suffer in their developing mental bodies [minds] the fear of hunger, starvation and extinction when their environment is terribly altered by either nature or man.)
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In a similar manner, the embodied-soul and its human body are not only born on the same material foundation as all other evolving beings and forms, but the human being’s nutrition, health and very existence depends upon their existence. The fully developed human mind, lying within the physical body, is always anxious to have as many of these objects as possible for the existence, nutrition and health of its body, and for the pleasure and happiness the human being derives through them. Naturally, if a human being obtains more objects of desire, he or she feels happy; in the opposite case, if a human being obtains less objects of desire, he or she feels unhappy. Therefore, any decrease in these objects of desire, by quantity or quality, causes both the mind and body to be unhappy. If the objects of desire become very few and scarce — inadequate for maintaining existence — both the body and objects desired come to their end.
If fish are taken out of the ocean water and kept in a stone pool of small quantity, as the water warms and evaporates due to the sun, the fish become quite anxious, fearful — unhappy. The fish’s condition becomes painful. If more water is added to the pool, it makes the fish happy; however, as Time beats on, later because of the water’s evaporation the former situation of anxiousness again returns.
Similar is the state of almost every soul in human form; the experiences of pleasure and pain alternate back and forth in association with objects of desire. So long as the human being obtains as many objects of his or her desire, he or she is happy; any decrease in the desired objects causes a person to be unhappy. This is natural, and a few more objects of desire always makes a human being happier. The material objects of desire being perishable, they either decay, get lost, disappear, or thrown away because they are no longer liked or valued and, therefore, human beings again become unhappy. If evaluated, the assortment of experiences of a human being’s entire life is found to deal far more with pain than pleasure, and that pleasure too has its definite limitations — its end, and that too is usually painful. In spite of this experience called “pain,” it is common to see almost every human being always chasing after material objects of desire and passion, usually for the existence and perpetuation of his or her body.
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We, our souls, were originally in the state of God, but you and I as souls were unconscious of being God. Due to our association with the material objects of enjoyment and desires we became differentiated as separate units from God and, consequently, fell or were thrown into the vicious circle of life and death. That infinite bliss became differentiated and transformed into all those 8,400,000 objects and beings of enjoyment and desire. All these objects and beings are by nature in the state of plurality and manifest out of the state of the dualistic opposites (dvandvas). It is due to our association with these objects and beings that we became embodied souls — jiv-atmas. So long as this association exists and binds us to the world and Universe we are bound to remain in the limited state of plurality and dualistic opposites.
Before the beginning of our evolution, however, we were not in the state of plurality and dualistic opposites. Really speaking, this human form of ours does not belong to the state of form and embodiment, but to that state of God. Due to our association with objects and beings we shifted ourselves, our consciousness into the state of form or being embodied, and began to accept this human form as “ours,” even though it originally belonged to God. All these objects and beings that we experience in the world and Universe are perishable and, therefore, are continuously undergoing change. Due to our association with them we remain in the state of embodiment and, as such, the state of our material form and body becomes by nature subject to destruction and endless change.
Change means a change of form. The first and each form thereafter of an object or being is destroyed and disappears, but it reappears in another form. The embodied-soul as mind and body suffers from changes. It must endure the changing states of pleasure and pain, and a change of body at the end of its life. The body undergoes the changes of life — childhood, youth, aging, disease and death.
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Thus, so long as we human beings are associated with objects and beings, which are ever in a state of flux, our mind and body also have to exist in the same condition of endless change.
Some modern religious thinkers and philosophers, due to their inadequate knowledge, think that after death the soul residing within the body unites with the pure soul of God. They call this place of union “Heaven” or “Paradise;” if, after death, the soul does not unite with God, they call this place of separation from God “Hell.” Such unenlightened persons think that it is just like “mixing the two golds.” Generally, such thoughts cross the minds of those who are steeped in desires — especially for power over people to influence their minds. But if a man thinks about this in a fundamental way, it strikes him that it is similar to mixing the two types of gold. But then the impure gold is never melted and mixed like that with the pure gold by any goldsmith, because it is not advantageous for sale. Therefore, the impure gold has to be duly melted and purified before it can be mixed with the pure.
The question arises: how can the embodied-soul (jiv-atma) in human form who is affected by ceaseless desires for objects of enjoyment, driven by various vicious actions such as jealousy and greed, haunted by painful experiences of violence and hatred and, as a consequence, living in an inhumane, impure manner, straightaway merge into that blissful pure soul state of the God-Realized man? Without doubt, it is most unlikely! Such thinking is caused by self-delusion! A man or woman must be prepared, qualified to be worthy of being God-Realized.
For example, if you pour oil in a glass of water, the oil soon separates into a distinct layer and floats on the surface. The oil does not mix with the water. At first, the oil was in the state of water, but due to certain influences it changed into an oily state. So long as that nature of oil is displayed, it will not be able to mix with the water even when they are kept together inside the same glass. In a similar manner, even though the embodied-soul of an ordinary person and the soul of a God-Realized man are near each other — together in the
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same room, the soul’s consciousness of the ordinary man is not able to unite with the soul’s super-consciousness of the God-Realized. Union with God cannot happen until the ordinary person loses his or her limited consciousness of being human. It is an actuality, once an embodied-soul (jiv-atma) becomes God-Realized (Shiv-Atma), that person is no longer human.
Just as the impurities of the impure gold have to be removed prior to its mixing with pure gold, in a similar manner, the state of being embodied (jiv-atma) which we have assumed by associating with the world’s objects of enjoyment must disappear from within our mind prior to our union with God and, thereby, become a God-Realized Shiv-Atma. Prior to the fall into the state of human embodiment, the soul was pure and, so, it has to become pure again before it can unite with God. The goldsmith, after purifying the gold offered to him for sale, tests it to find out if all the impurities have been removed or not, and upon knowing for certain that the gold is purified, he agrees to pay for it at the price of pure gold.
In a similar manner, the God-Realized Master also carries out certain tests to find out if the soul’s consciousness of that human being has really overcome the impure state of being embodied or not, prior to empowering that soul to unite with God. Once a human being becomes pure to that extent, he or she attains the state of the God-Realized Shiv-Atma. Having reached that state of purity, by the grace of a Perfect Master or the Avatãr the human being consciously unites with God, and even though he may remember his old human status, he now permanently experiences that he himself is that supernatural, all-powerful infinite bliss and infinite knowledge. After union with God, even while he remains in the same physical human body, the soul continues to experience that infinitely blissful state through his invisible, self-luminous body lying within the gross physical form — known as the “sukshma sharira” — the subtle body of prãna.
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Without the gross physical body and without the entry of pure soul into the subtle body of prãna lying within the gross form, the subtle body of prãna cannot be properly known. The subtle body
is the medium of infinite bliss and through it the infinite bliss can be experienced. Until a human being knows in depth the subtle body of prãna, until the pure soul is able to abide within it, and until the person experiences and attains that infinite bliss, it is essential to maintain the gross physical body. Without the gross physical body a person cannot know the subtle body of prãna, and unless he enters into the subtle prãnic sphere in a purified state, he is not able to experience that bliss of God. To attain this state of subtle-consciousness, a person has to disconnect from or break off the association of his physical body with the various objects of enjoyment and pleasure. This is not so easy, because the association with a physical bodily form has been established over millions of births. As this association is being gradually done away with, the consciousness of the person’s soul begins to be purified in order to know and enter the subtle prãnic sphere, and through the subtle prãnic body gradually establish union with the soul of God.
Today the ordinary human being’s state of consciousness is such that his physical body continues associating with the worldly objects of enjoyment and, consequently, automatically continues disassociating himself from the pure soul of God. To attain the bliss of God again, the human being has to disassociate himself from these material objects; this is known as “renunciation.” As this disassociation, disconnection or renunciation progresses, the human being becomes able to associate, to unite — through the medium of his subtle prãnic body — with that blissful soul of God.
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The effort to unite the human being’s soul once again with the soul of God is known as “the study of yoga.” Once that union is established and that endless immortal body of God is attained, then even after death, the Yogi will be permanently experiencing and remain absorbed in that infinite bliss of God. What will be the human being’s state then? The man or woman will be absolutely free. Such a free human being can be called many names — Shiv-Atma, Perfect Saint, Perfect Yogi, or Perfect Master. That free Perfect Man is in the state of both everything and nothing — and beyond!
To know everything is to become all-powerful. To know everything and remain continuously in that all-powerful, supernatural infinite bliss, by establishing, once and for all time, the perfect union of the human soul with that of God means “yoga.” It is this union with God as God that is the real yoga. To attain union with God, there are several established methods of yoga. To become deeply knowledgeable with any method of yoga requires plenty of virtue, nobleness and worthiness to your credit, indicating the true quality of your character. According to the quality and quantity of virtuous merit to your credit, a suitable Guide, a Guru, or adept Yogi becomes available and becomes the most essential part of your life. Once you are established on the Spiritual Path, the various ancient secret occult methods and the inner knowledge (gnosis) begin to automatically and spontaneously unfold within you. This represents the beneficial result of virtue accumulated by you in past lives.
Yoga bhyasa is the study of union with God. It also virtually means yiyoga bhyasa, which is the study of disuniting, disconnection, or renunciation. But the yiyoga bhyasa presents a very special feature, in that it does not require a Guru, a Guide, or adept teacher of yoga. A person only has to develop the firm habit of avoiding the objects
of desires and passions. A material thing that you can live without should not be stored or saved. You should restrict your wants to things that constitute the necessities of sustaining life. You should deny yourself such wants which you can live without. Thus, little by little, you will cultivate the uncompromising habit of living without every object of desire and passion.
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Lord Krishna has said in the Gitã: “Abhyasena tu kaunteya vairayena cha grihyate,” (canto 6, shloka 35). Krishna’s words mean: “Practice detachment, without it you cannot do the yoga bhyasa, you cannot learn how to unite with God.” By detachment Krishna means yiyoga bhyasa; this type of yoga does not require a Guru or adept Yogi to teach you. A person who wants to attain Godhood, the state of God, can easily follow this path of detachment by himself without anyone else’s help. A person can do this yoga study anywhere, at any time. While engaged in this study, the mind is likely to brood over all those objects once desired and experienced, again and again, but irrespective of this attitude of the mind and the mental suffering involved, the person should very carefully avoid any physical contact with those desired objects and passions. Avoiding physical contact is sufficient for this purpose of learning to be detached.
For the people steeped in worldly affairs, there is another method, which automatically causes a person’s disassociation with those desired objects and passions. Here is the method: you should choose an idol, painting or picture of any form of God you love, whether the idol is made of stone or metal does not matter, and install it in a place that you consider sacred or sanctified. You should sit or stand before this form of God and continue looking at it; simultaneously you should bring to your mind the special or holy qualities present in it and see deeply into it. For instance, you may perceive stability of mind, calmness, tranquility, non-emotionality, silence, transcendence, et cetera. Now concentrate with your mind and power of reasoning to imitate those qualities — strive to acquire and absorb those qualities — try to unite with those noble, virtuous qualities that reflect divinity. As this union begins to manifest within you — within your heart, the disuniting and disassociating with the objects of desire and passion begins to automatically occur in your mind.
You should practice this method of concentration for whatever maximum time you can spare everyday and regularly. While doing this, it is preferable to be alone. It is better to do this away from a busy and noisy environment in quiet solitude. Such practice in a short while will give you the experience and feeling of disassociating and disconnecting with your most desired objects and passions, and will give the feeling of uniting with God.
In the same way, if you prefer, you can sing devotional songs, your favorite names of God, poems, hymns, or if you are a musician you can play music and worship the idol or picture with devotion and full faith. This method achieves the same result.
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This study of detachment and disuniting with the objects and passions of desire and, thereby, finding union with God can only be done while alive in a gross physical body. The human body actually helps and supports this yoga method — this study. The human being has come into the state of being embodied (jiv-atma) because of the mind’s union with those material objects and feelings of passion. As a result, only God knows for how long, the human being is exposed to sufferings, privations, pains, births and deaths. The human being who comes to know that this sequence of events is due to his or her mind’s union with those objects of desires and passions, naturally begins to practice detaching and disuniting from them in order to escape and break free from that chain of painful events.
Such a person may be called a truly prudent and circumspect man or woman. Some of these persons abandon the worldly life and disappear to live as hermits in solitude, far away from people in huts or caves, in forests, mountains or deserts — anywhere that is a quiet place of solitude. Some even seek refuge in old graveyards or abandoned temples. They do this in order to hasten their study of finding union with God.
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But why are such solitary places selected? The reason is simple, after all these men and women want to practice detachment — disassociation from what is called “the world.” Naturally, they try to remain away from all such “worldly” objects and aloof from persons associated with those materialistic objects. These hermits or recluses now use their body and mind for the sole purpose of disassociating themselves from those objects of desire and passion. This means that the gross physical human body is essential for this spiritual practice. Therefore, it is very necessary to look after and care for this human body as the chief means of practicing detachment — disassociation. Now the human body is provided with only the bare necessities to sustain itself. Except for these necessities, all other actions, movements, habits, relationships, et cetera, that the body was used to experiencing are simply stopped. Thus, these hermits and recluses virtually attempt to forget this world and the ways of the world, and also to forget all the 8,400,000 of objects and beings that they havebeen in the past aeons of Time, and that they have experienced and enjoyed through their entire evolution and development.
By the word “body” is meant all its parts and the various sense organs it is composed of. Similarly, by the word “world” or “Universe” is meant all those 8,400,000 objects and beings of enjoyment which constitute it. To attempt to forget all 8,400,000 means to practice disassociation with them, and this can only be achieved while in the physical human body. The association was effected by the mind, the power of its intelligence and reasoning, and the physical body. The mind, its intelligence and reasoning constitute the primary invisible state of the physical human body; through them the soul had become associated with the various 8,400,000 objects and beings of enjoyment. To escape, to separate from this association, to liberate the soul from this association, practicing detachment, disassociation with the gross physical human body is essential. The thinking of the mind and the energy of the subtle prãnic body cannot do anything without the physical body, and that is why the human body is necessary. That is the real use of the human being’s physical body.
Some persons do the study of disassociation, disuniting or disconnection with objects and passions of desire by observing strict celibacy. With just the bare necessities for sustaining life, with the help of their physical body they attempt to stay away from all objects of enjoyment and human beings offering passionate pleasure. The association of the soul with such objects and beings makes the mind, its intelligent reasoning power, and the ego or “I” very fickled, unstable and uncertain, and that is why from the beginning celibates avoid such association with such persons. In other words, since the soul by nature is stable and emotionless, celibates imitate these qualities or rather force their mind, reasoning and ego to adopt them. With this point of view, they remain away as much as possible from the world and aloof from most people. To achieve detachment, no one else’s help, not even a Guru’s is required for this purpose.
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Parents who strive for a spiritual life should bring up their children this way, by keeping them away from such unwholesome things that prevent union with God, worldly things that attract and spoil the body, that harmfully affects the mind and its power of intelligence and reasoning. The worldly-minded parents’ increased emphasis on and affection toward gaining worldly objects and status, and indulging in passions all lead to a chain of painful events in life. If parents could cultivate their children with real spiritual values, they would automatically attain the pure qualities inherent in celibacy. Thus, as the children grow into adulthood they will more readily qualify to recognize a real Guru and strive to enter the Spiritual Path to unite with the soul of God.
Hatha Yoga, consisting of the regulation of breath, prãnayama, and other secret occult exercises is a branch of Yoga Marga — the Path of the Yogis. Hatha Yoga cannot be practiced in our modern times; it is laid down by the ancient Rishis’ teachings that it should only be practiced by high class Brahmin priests. For other classes of people, to attempt to do Hatha Yoga is dangerous to body and mind. However, the method of detachment, of uniting and disuniting that I have explained can be practiced by anyone, at any time. This form of yoga is easier than any other method previously revealed. If any of you sincerely practice this method of detachment, then, I say without the least doubt, you will inevitably attain the state of God and much quicker than you previously thought.
