Vibhuthi Yoga And Practical Life

May 1979, Summer Course 1979, Brindavan

Published English.

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For many millennia, the has been propagating the high ideals of the life divine. It is a peerless spiritual text that has brought great fame to . It has been the special privilege of to have received the . The is a unique scriptural poem, unsurpassed in metaphysical content by the texts of any other country.

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Unfortunately today, however, there is a growing miscomprehension of the message of the . Some say that the teaches the path of action or . Others aver that it proclaims the path of devotion or alone. And quite a few hold that the expatiates on the path of wisdom or alone. Thus, depending on their own subjective experiences and powers of understanding, different people have been developing varying ideologies based on the teachings of the .

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The observes no distinctions on the basis of caste, creed, community, or nationality or between men and women. It is an eclectic and catholic scripture, transcending all man-made barriers, and is of universal relevance. It reveals the importance of one’s own or duty () to all those who study it in a spirit of adoration.

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“....” So runs the first verse of the . The first word of the first line is .

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The last word of the last verse of the is mama (....).

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The fusion of mama and is , which means one’s own or . Thus, the teaches each individual the principles of his own .

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The articulator of the is . , however, is also the person who heard the and wrote it. This statement may be surprising to you. “Was it not who heard the ? How could be ? Was it not who wrote the ? How could be ?” it might be asked. The answers to these questions have been very simply given by Himself!

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“” or “among the I am ”, said in the tenth chapter of the , the chapter titled . Furthermore, among the nine names which has, the epithet equates him with (God). Since was firmly established in ’s heart and since there was total spiritual empathy between them, it is absolutely correct to say that was not only the articulator of the but also the person who heard it.

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In the same manner, has identified Himself with . “Among the , I am ”, said . Not only this: the Lord dwells in the hearts of the sages. It would, therefore, be quite correct to say that Himself wrote the . We are reminded, in this context, of the words of , the poet, by which he declares that the , which he had written in Telugu, was composed by , the Lord. was so devoid of the ego that he became the medium of divine poetic afflatus.

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In the chapter , proclaims His identity with the best and the most exalted of all the sentient and the insentient beings in creation. It is no doubt true that is omnipresent, that He pervades the whole universe. Nevertheless, He identifies Himself only with the best, the foremost and the highest of various beings, both animate and inanimate. “I am the Himalayas among the mountains, the Ganges among the rivers, among the , the tree among the trees, the lion among the beasts, the cow among cattle, among the demons, the king cobra among snakes, and among the birds”, declared, for He is the integral incarnation of superlative excellence and perfection.

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declares that He is the or life-force in all beings. The head is of great importance for man, and the body comes next. But body and head are not enough for man as there must be , the elan vital, to keep the body and the head functioning. Thus, says, “I am the in all .” He is the for the physical body just as or desire for liberation is the or life-force for all spiritual endeavours of which (differentiating the real from the unreal) is comparable to the head, and (tolerance), (endurance) and other virtues, to the human body.

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also states in the that He is Light (), Prosperity (), Courage (), and Bliss (). The divine utterances of should inspire students to perform right actions in their daily lives. God manifests Himself as divine effulgence and we must, therefore, make an optimum use of the Divine light of wisdom. On the physical plane too, we must ensure that the body is kept healthy by well-illuminated and clean surroundings.

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is also a divine (attribute of the Lord). Therefore, you should try to uphold the divine nature of by spending your money and wealth properly, and for the promotion of (righteousness). Misuse of money is an evil and it leads to sin. If the students of today are developing evil thoughts and habits, it is because they have too much money to spend. You should be careful in your spending and must curtail your expenditure. If you require ten to meet your needs, ask for only nine from your parents. On the other hand, if you ask for fifty , you will be spending only ten rightfully and you squander away the other forty , ruining yourself. You should regard money as being as precious as blood and use it with prudence. It is only when you spend money properly and for the promotion of that it can be regarded as , or divine - otherwise, it could only be considered as the devil’s gift!

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Courage or is also a divine . True courage is the that comes from the practice of (right action) and as a benediction from God. All other forms of courage, such as the courage which is based on physical prowess or intellectual strength, are of no avail. Physical and mental strength, economic power and public influence are like passing clouds.

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or liberation is the attainment and experience of pure, unalloyed and absolute Bliss. Some ignorant people think that is attained only after death or in some future life. This simplistic view involves a gross misconception of . really means freedom from bondage and implies an ascent from a lower state to a higher state. It is the result of a process of transcendental evolution by which the human becomes the Divine. Your mother liberates you from the pangs of hunger by giving you food, and your doctor liberates you from the agony of disease with some medicine. These, however, cannot be examples of true liberation. Food and medicine are palliatives that only temporarily relieve you of pain. True liberation is attained when you merge with the Almighty and experience absolute Bliss.

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Thus, you must know where you have come from, what you are and where you are going. In other words, you should comprehend your divine antecedents, your divine nature and your divine destiny. You must strive to get back to the spiritual haven from which you have come. You have come from the , you are essentially the , and you must realise your identity with the . Dedicate your faculties for the realisation of the sublime truth of your divinity.

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Man should realise that his relationships with his family and friends and all his worldly attachments, are primarily based on the physical body. A man and his wife are strangers before they got married. The relationship between a husband and his wife does not exist prior to their marriage. Similarly no filial love could be there between a baby and its mother before the birth of the baby. It is only after the baby is born that the relationship between the child and the mother arises. All mundane bonds are ephemeral. The that you really are knows no parents or other relations. To realise the truth that you are the , you must acquire spiritual knowledge ().

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“Why should you study and stuff your mind with all sorts of useless knowledge and then die in ignorance to be born again and again? Acquire that knowledge which will make you immortal”, said . You may be well-versed in worldly knowledge, but without knowledge of the Self, you will remain an ignoramus. Man searches in the world outside but fails to find his true self therein, just as a person who looks for some article in a room is unable to see himself. Seek within, realise the Self, which resides there, and then experience the Bliss of God.

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Bliss or is a divine . That is why it is said, “happiness is union with God.” Your true nature is bliss. Know this and be cheerful always. The mind that is morose harbours nothing but malice and jealousy. Divinity cannot reside in such unholy minds. Cheerfulness is the first sign of spirituality. Therefore, strive to be happy always. Live in contentment and with cheer and thereby qualify yourself for the experience of Divinity which is Bliss supreme.

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Sound or is also a . Divinity is described as “” or as being immanent in sound. Use the faculty of your speech in a manner that is becoming of your divine status. Speak gently and softly. Do not let your tongue indulge in evil talk or revile others and misuse the God-given gift of speech.

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You have been here for a month now and have imbibed the high ideals of Indian culture and spirituality. It is My hope that you will carry their message with you and live as examples for your brethren everywhere. By (education), you get (humility). Humility confers on you the deservedness by which you acquire wealth. Wealth you must put to use for the promotion of , and that would lead to both material prosperity and spiritual upliftment.

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